#sanji and zoro got married in wano but luffy and zoro got married right here when zoro made his promise to luffy actually

[hauntingblue]

ONE PIECE reading musings

Most importantly: buggy hairdo

(yes that's his real hair)

more under the cut

"I can't swim, but if this took me it would be a shame. Ah! In this situation it doesn't matter if I can swim or not!"

Luffy talking about the whirlpool taking him and him being so stoic??? Iconic, it sounds goofy coming from him but what else can he do lmao it actually makes so much sense

This panel with nami and buggy is just too good. Look at their faces lmao

"Nami: I can't fight with a group of men as big as that! I am weak!

Usopp: don't leave it up to me because I am a man! I am so scared my legs are shaking! Look!

Nami: Look at me, I am near tears!

Usopp: your eyes are completely dry!"

Usopp and Nami just having a crying off

Nami: why did you get mad earlier?

Luffy: I hate them, they do everything wrong

Nami: what are you saying? They were pirates, of course they were doing it wrong

Luffy knowing and kinda explaining how there is a good way of being a pirate but nami doesn't quite get it yet. Until she leaves the baratie and cries about it, wishing to go back with them again.... I think she gets it there. Also the first of many times nami just sits beside Luffy when he is down my beloved

Johnny just name dropping mihawk and telling zoro he MIGHT be there and zoro looks TERRIFIED? it's like he was expecting to die there and he knows he is too weak to face him and win so when this happens:

Sanji tells zoro they all are going towards their death and that they are idiots and zoro says:

"I threw my life away the moment I decided to become the best swordsman in the world, the only person that can call me dumb is me."

He is speaking like he knows he is going to die and he is scared when he hears about mihawk because he didn't expect to be so unprepared. Death is coming for him earlier that it should LIKE IT DID TO KUINA but spoiler... He gets to live because of his ambition GIVEN BY KUINA it's like a double edged sword. Kuina made you ambitious enough to die for your promise to her but that promise is going to make you live enough to see it.

This is actually so good and the fact this influences sanji to go after his dream like damn. Interlaced together since sanji was introduced

Zoro about to die for his dreams and what does sanji say? Give up your dreams if they will cost you your life. Because that's exactly the example he has since zeff stopped being a pirate to save sanji's life... But that's not the takeaway my boy.... Zeff wants you to go after your dream

Sanji saying he took everything zeff cared about away from him.... He gave it away FOR YOU!!!! And Luffy hitting him with the "death doesn't repay debts... He didn't save you for that!" And then the one two hit of shank's panel.... Damn

I don't even need to translate anything here but Luffy understood zeff since the beginning and he didn't hear one word from him. Luffy asking if he won't say goodbye and then looking at sanji like that..... There is not a bigger undesrtander than him. Just made that word up. And sanji's hard fucking head had to be told by like 15 different people to leave and still just left bc he thought he wasn't wanted anymore there. The guy who didn't understand what the story was about until his father told him. Christ don krieg is annoying but Baratie is so good. And extensive because sanji is so fucking stubborn about his debt to zeff. Incredible. Look at Luffy's happy face.

[penkura]

knowing [8/8]

Summary: Sanji knew you were the one the moment he met you.

Pairing: Sanji x Reader

Warnings: None really. Normal One Piece stuff I guess.

Note: I changed my mind, I'm posting this today because I loved this and just can't wait any longer. Thank you all for reading this little fanfic!! I wrote this before I fully finished reading Wano, so it's not 100% accurate at first, but that's fine, this is a fanfic of course. I hope you all enjoy, and I do have another two one-shots connected to this series!

Taglist:

@jzkeisuke | @arcanumlaw

[Ch. 1] ● [Ch. 2] ● [Ch. 3] ● [Ch. 4] ● [Ch. 5] ● [Ch. 6] ● [Ch. 7]

With Big Mom and Kaido defeated, Wano freed from the Animal Kingdom Pirates reign, you were beyond relieved when you'd heard you could all rest. Luffy and Zoro seemed near death, both had just woken up when you'd snuck out with Sanji to another area. He still needed rest more than you, and Chopper had followed along to make sure neither of you did anything to upset your wounds. You'd made it out with a few small burns, some scrapes and cuts, a slightly deeper wound on your abdomen, but Chopper had taken great care of you and gotten you as close to 100% as he could. Sanji too of course, he suffered slightly worse wounds than you did, but the geishas had taken great care of him and he had nowhere near the same battle damage as the other two members of your monster trio. Chopper had instructed him to lay down and rest, which Sanji did, trusting your doctor that he knew what was best, despite his wanting to join in whatever party was being started in the other room. You knew there was no way the people of Wano would let you leave without a large celebration, Sanji would just have to wait for that.

After Chopper left the infirmary you'd walked off to, you gave Sanji a smile while saying something about changing your own bandages real quick. Despite your insistence that it was fine, he looked away while you stripped off your shirt to change your bandages, instead quietly pulling something small out of his pocket to occupy his eyes, wondering if now was the best time or if he should wait.

"What's that you've got there, Sanji?"

Your voice brought him out of his millions of thoughts, making him decide that yes now's the time, before he smiled softly and held it up, making your eyes widen and your mouth open just a bit.

There's no way…no way, right?

"I picked this up in Dressrosa."

"Sanji, you did not."

Sanji grinned at you, nodding happily. "I did! I saw it and…I thought of you instantly."

It was a small ring he held in his hand, a thin silver band with some blue gem on it, perhaps a small sapphire, you weren't sure, but it was very pretty to you anyway. You didn't care for gaudy, showy jewelry anyway, so if this really was an engagement ring, you were all too ready to accept.

Even without a ring you'd accept. You loved Sanji, more than anything. If he had shown up to the women's bunks in his pajamas without a ring at 3am and asked you to marry him, you would accept even then. The middle of battle, though not his style, you'd say yes. An evening after dinner where you'd both drank a little too much and were giggly messes, if he said 'marry me' you'd accept instantly, whether you remembered it the next morning or not.

It didn't matter. You'd marry Sanji no matter how he proposed.

"Maybe I'm crazy, or all that wedding talk because of them got to me, or even us playing husband and wife for the time we did here, but…I'm certain of this." His voice was quiet, even though it was just the two of you at the moment, and it made you start to tear up.

It definitely was crazy. The fight with Kaido and Big Mom had ended just two days ago, you were still surprised Sanji was even capable of walking and sitting up right after his fight against Queen. You half wondered if he suffered a blow to the head that knocked something loose that was making him do this right now.

But really, you knew he hadn't. He was mentally sound, he knew what he was doing.

"Sanji…"

"I'm probably the worst mess of a man you've ever met, I'm worthless really, but I know I love you," Sanji smiled softly while you cried and gladly held your hand out for him to take when he reached out for it, "I don't want to ever again look at another woman the way I look at you. I can't imagine myself with anyone else, married to anyone else, becoming a parent with anyone else, if we're so blessed. Everything that's happened recently just made me more aware of that."

Sanji moved more towards the edge of the bed while gently pulling you closer to him. You couldn't have cared less if he was on one knee or not, it didn't matter to you.

What mattered was that it was Sanji.

You wished you weren't crying, especially when he pulled you down beside him, just to place his forehead against yours and wipe your happy tears away.

"I love you so much, [Y/N]. You mean the world to me and I just want to be with you forever. I wanted to ask you weeks ago now, even when we all met up again in Sabaody…but now feels like the perfect time. Please, [Y/N], will you marry me?"

Trying your hardest to stop crying, you nodded and kissed him, hoping he didn't mind your salty, teary kisses.

"Yes! Yes, a million times yes, my dear!"

Sanji pulled you into a tight hug that you returned, telling you again that he loved you and you responded in kind. You took a few minutes to fully calm down, and once you did, you let Sanji put the ring he'd bought all the way back in Dressrosa on your finger, not at all surprised it was a perfect fit. Of course he knew your ring size, either that or he borrowed one of your rings you wore for fun and took it with him to get the right size.

"A perfect fit."

"Just like us." You smiled brightly at Sanji, which he returned before kissing you again.

Your sweet moment was interrupted when the door to the infirmary almost flew open, and you jumped back up a bit, only to be relieved when you saw it was Zoro, who looked like he didn't know what he was even doing there.

"What do you want, moss head??"

"...looking for Chopper." Zoro's eye wandered over to you, noticing you'd been crying and he looked almost ready to cut down Sanji, until he took in the fact you now had a ring on your finger.

That same ring he'd watched Sanji pick out in Dressrosa.

"Oh!" You nodded, giving a smile. "He left a while ago, said he was going to go check on the Samurai and Luffy!"

Zoro nodded, turning to leave before he stopped and looked over his shoulder at you. "Congrats. If he hurts you, let me know and I'll kill him."

"Zoro!"

"As if you could, moss head!!"

"Sanji, stay in bed!" You pushed him back down when he went to get up, a scowl on his face while Zoro left and closed the door behind him. Sanji started complaining to you about the "stupid moss head" and how he couldn't touch him, but it made you laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh…it's just…it's like a little brother protecting his big sister…that's all Zoro means by it."

Somehow, Sanji understood what you meant when you said that. If his family had been different, he probably would have been the same with Reiju, protective of her when any potential boyfriends or suitors would come to see her, if they ever did considering how their father was. If your lives were different, if you had met under different circumstances, he was sure your biological brothers would be the same.

While he was thinking about it, Sanji barely realized you had crawled into bed with him, until you wrapped your arms around him and hugged him close. He did the same, kissing the top of your head as well.

"I love you, Sanji."

"I love you too."

I can't wait to marry you.

+!+

Once the Thousand Sunny had taken off from Wano, your next destination decided by the log pose, you were determined to be married with your found family as the witnesses. While in Wano, you and Sanji had slipped away to find something like a courthouse, whatever their equivalent was, to get a marriage certificate so you could have a small ceremony on the Sunny. It took a bit of time, but you found a place that processed marriage certificates and got one printed immediately, knowing that technically, as soon as you signed and dated it, you'd be husband and wife.

You hadn't told anyone yet, Zoro would never, you knew that, but you had told Sanji you wanted everyone there and to be married on the ship you called home. He quickly agreed, telling you that he'd do whatever you wanted for the wedding, while thinking it was the best place for you two to get married. You were both absolutely sure your crewmates would be happy for you, they'd all be glad to participate in the wedding and help you two tie the knot.

You also made Sanji promise not to spend so much time on the cake or to make it too big, though you had to give some leeway there due to Luffy. But he promised he wouldn't work on it so much that he was doing last minute touches when he was supposed to be saying his vows to you. You didn't want the wedding to be an extravagant, fancy affair. Just something small and simple with everyone you loved there.

Sanji didn't tell you, though, that he'd talked to Nami and told her you two were engaged and wanting to get married as soon as possible. She was so happy for the two of you that she burst into tears and hugged him, about to run off to find you when he stopped her. He wanted to surprise you with your parents and siblings at the ceremony, and knew your home was an island in the New World, so Nami put the ship on a detour there in the middle of the night when Sanji had a night watch, so no one would have any idea. There were no questions about where the ship was heading the next morning, and Nami was constantly talking about romance and things like that to you, trying to get you to spill your engagement to her. Anything she said you related back to Sanji with a smile, annoying her that you were acting so dense.

It was about two days before your unknown arrival to your home island that Sanji convinced you to tell everyone. You had gone over it multiple times in your head, wondering if it was a good time, before he told you that you'd probably never be ready to tell them, so might as well do so now. When he said that, you ended up agreeing and when everyone was on the deck that night, Sanji told them all you two had an announcement to make.

"You guys aren't gonna leave, are you??" Luffy was so terribly concerned that you and Sanji had chosen to leave the crew, but you quickly reassured him it wasn't anything like that.

"No, no, not at all! We," you took a breath and smiled at Sanji, taking his hand, "We've decided to get married."

"Ahh!"

"And we want the ceremony to be on Sunny in a few days."

"AHH!!"

Everyone was so excited for the two of you! Nami immediately ran over and hugged you, Robin joining her after a moment and both asking to see your ring, where Sanji got it, and what you were going to wear. Luffy laughed a bit and threw himself on Sanji, saying he was glad for the two of you. Brook said something weird about marriage; Franky was crying but patting Sanji on the back; Usopp wanted to know when and how you'd be married without a priest; Chopper said he was very excited for the two of you; Jimbei also gave his congratulations, saying he may not have known you both very long, but you seemed like quite the loving couple, and Zoro, who still viewed you as his sister, reiterated his previous statement of being willing to kill Sanji if he ever hurt you. Before Sanji could argue back at him, Zoro put a hand on his shoulder and congratulated him, causing everyone that heard him to be shocked, and then even more surprised when Sanji thanked him.

The Straw Hats threw a celebration party for the two of you the rest of the night, almost like an engagement party. There was a point where Sanji had slipped away, knowing you were in good hands with Nami and Robin, who were trying to help you decide on a few things for the wedding. He went back to your shared room, picking up the transponder snail you'd bought a while back, and made a call to the Baratie. He didn't let whoever picked up know it was him, requesting to speak to Zeff personally.

"Hey, old man, it's me."

"Sanji? What's this about, calling after heading off two years ago?"

"I…I had some news I wanted to tell you, that's all."

He couldn't see him, but Zeff was a slight bit concerned with how calm Sanji sounded, to the point he made him hold on while he transferred the call over to his personal snail.

"Sanji, you in here?" You had gone searching for your fiance once you noticed he was missing and found him in your room, he waved you over to sit beside him on the bed while he waited for Zeff to get back on the phone. "Who'd you call?"

"Zeff."

"Ooooh." You nodded and took his free hand in yours, Sanji gripping it tightly, nervously waiting.

"All right, what'd you wanna tell me, kid?"

"I'm…getting married in a few days. I just…I wanted you to know."

It was quiet for a bit, and you worried that maybe Zeff was angry that this was the first thing he'd heard from Sanji in over two years, but then heard laughter.

"So! You finally found a girl willing to put up with you, huh?"

You giggled and Sanji smiled.

"I found a girl that's done more than just put up with me."

The two of you stayed on the line with Zeff for a while longer, Sanji's tight grip on your hand loosening after he realized Zeff was truly happy for him. Eventually you decided to let him have his privacy with his true father, kissing his cheek and returning to the party your crewmates were still throwing.

You finally decided you'd get married four days later, the two of you were ready for this step and didn't want anything to interfere, not the Marines or another pirate, nothing.

However, when Nami had said you'd all reached an island to dock at, your breath caught in your throat and you started to tear up when you recognized the pier, despite it being nearly seven years since you'd last been there.

"This…this is my home."

"Yeah," Sanji held your hand and gave you a smile, "I…figured you'd want your family there when we got married, so I asked Nami if we could take a detour. Is…is this okay?"

You looked up at him and smiled brightly, despite the tears threatening to fall down your face. "Of course!!"

Once the Sunny was fully docked, you didn't bother waiting for your allowance from Nami, grabbing Sanji by the arm and dragging him in the direction of your childhood home. None of your crewmates bothered to stop you, they did stop Luffy from following and getting in the way of you introducing your fiance to your family.

To your surprise, your family already knew you were on the way, you figured Sanji had something to do with that as well (you'd be correct if you asked him). Your mom was the first to hug you, telling you how much she missed you and how beautiful you'd become in the last few years. Your dad told you the same, before he and your mom introduced themselves to Sanji, you weren't at all surprised at how easily he won them over despite not being able to ask their permission to marry you.

All your siblings ended up running at you when they knew you were there, and it made you beyond happy to see you had a new sister after all. She was a little more shy around you, but Sanji speaking to her convinced her that everything was all right. Everyone ended up mentioning how they had copies of your wanted poster, your brothers would brag to their friends that their big sister was a badass pirate while your sisters would use that as leverage against the boys in town they didn't like, and it all made you blush and become flustered.

Your parents insisted the two of you and the rest of your crewmates join them for dinner, which you happily accepted and so did Luffy when he heard. Your family gladly accepted your found family, sharing stories and having a lovely time with everyone around.

It got to be a little much for you, you had to step out on the porch for a bit so you didn't get too overwhelmed, Sanji following you a moment later to make sure you were okay.

"You know, sometimes, I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't left."

"Oh yeah?"  Sanji smiled a bit while lighting a cigarette and watching you.

You nodded, sitting down with your legs dangling off the edge of the porch, your youngest sister having followed you and Sanji out the door and now cuddling next to you. She'd opened up quickly and became attached to you and Sanji.

"I wonder if we ever would have met."

"I still would've found you."

"You're sure about that?" You laughed a bit, but Sanji sat down beside you, putting his arm around your shoulders.

"Luffy still would have come to the Baratie and convinced me to join him. We'd still have all the same adventures, and eventually end up here…where I'd find you. And I'd still be attracted to you, and try to get you to come with us, and we'd still end up together."

Humming a bit, you nodded.

"I know you'd still find me."

+!+

The next day was your wedding. You'd woken up early with a bit of happy anxiety, Nami and Robin were already up and ready to help you get dressed and do your hair. You'd ended up buying a white sundress with a [f/c] colored sash around the waist and white flats to make it simple, you never really wanted a fancy wedding dress anyway. Nami took a curling iron to your hair and added some soft curls, while Robin brought you a flower crown your sisters had made overnight for you to wear in place of a veil. Both girls were still beyond excited for you, and Nami kept giving you hugs through the morning. You and her were like sisters at this point, she'd already called being aunt to any kids you and Sanji may have in the future. Having her and Robin with you helped calm your nerves, and you were more than ready to get married to the love of your life.

Sanji, though, was almost a nervous wreck. He'd already gone through half a pack of cigarettes, before he even got dressed for your wedding. You'd told him during the events at Whole Cake Island that you really preferred black suits on him, so he gladly got one specifically for your wedding, choosing a [f/c] colored tie to match with you. He didn't know why he was so nervous, probably the fears that he wasn't good enough for you and wouldn't be able to make you happy were the cause, but he couldn't stop his racing mind. He tried everything but went back to smoking as his stress reliever, worried you'd change your mind at the last second and leave him.

"She's not gonna leave you."

Surprisingly, Zoro was the one to get Sanji to calm down.

"And what if she does?"

"She won't. She wouldn't have agreed to marry you and plan a wedding so quickly if she wasn't sure about it. If she didn't want to be with you she would've rejected your ass all the way back at Alabasta."

"What. How do you know about that?! I thought you didn’t know until Skypiea!"

Zoro rolled his visible eye and smirked.

"You guys weren't exactly subtle back then. Freaking weirdos making out in the kitchen."

Despite Zoro being amused, Sanji knew he was right. If you really didn't love him and were going to leave, you probably would have done so after everything that happened with his family and that attempted arranged marriage. Instead you had stuck by him, giving him a smile and hug when he first told you how much he loved you, repeating it to him every day since you all had left Thriller Bark, telling him even more so after you'd retrieved him from his screwed up family, giving him the time he needed before showering him in hugs, kisses, and constant 'I love you's so he knew you'd never leave him or let him go again, and that you understood what he was doing when he fought with Luffy and 'broke up' with you in front of his brothers and sister. When he told you everything about his childhood, despite your crying and wishing you'd been born in the North Blue so you could have been his friend, you accepted every bit of it, telling him how much his mother must have loved him and you would have loved to have met her. He'd never felt more relieved than when you said his past didn't matter, the things his father said didn't matter. What mattered was that he was Sanji and you loved him. That was the first time he'd cried to you, hugging you and letting you stroke his hair, while he thanked you for loving a “failure” like him.

"You're not a failure. You're Sanji, and you're perfect as you are."

Sanji knew Zoro was right, you'd never leave him. If you did he'd fight to get you back, but he was sure that wouldn't be necessary.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

"No problem. …don't tell anyone about this."

"Wouldn't dare."

+!+

Your wedding ceremony went off without a hitch, several hours ago now, and you and Sanji were finally married. While you were being wed, you couldn't stop smiling and crying lightly, Sanji giving you soft sweet smiles while he held your hands. Your mother, Nami, Franky, and Brook were all blubbering messes, you wondered if they'd actually heard anything the whole time. Your dad was slightly teary, but he'd never fully admit that to you. All your siblings were excited, more so that they were on a pirate ship but your wedding was a nice excuse to be on the ship. Luffy couldn't stop grinning, he was beyond happy for the two of you. Usopp was also slightly teary, mostly because he couldn't believe you two were actually getting married. Chopper was anxiously waiting for when he could have cake, but he had told you when he saw you earlier that day that he thought you looked pretty. Robin smiled, looking at you like you were her baby sister who was getting married and she couldn't have been happier for you both. Jimbei acted as your priest, after you learned he actually could legally perform marriages, you practically begged him to be the one to marry you. He agreed quickly and you were grateful for it. Zoro, always the quiet one, watched without much emotion visible on his face, but those of you who knew him well enough could see he was happy for you.

Of course, you and Sanji were the happiest ones there. Your ceremony wasn't long, it didn't need to be really, just something small to show you were committed to each other, now and forever. When Jimbei pronounced you husband and wife, and said Sanji could kiss you, you had to keep yourself from almost bouncing out of your shoes in excitement. Once he did kiss you, everyone cheered for you, which made you giggle after breaking the kiss and giving Sanji a smile that he returned.

"We're married!"

He couldn't help it, Sanji picked you up and spun you around, he was so happy! You two had gone from awkwardly facing your feelings for each other, to now being deeply in love, and married finally. He set you back down, only to kiss you again, laying his forehead against yours afterwards.

"I love you, ma femme."

"I love you too, my husband!"

"Come on you lovebirds, let's start the reception!"

The reception, which was really just a normal Straw Hat party, went on for several hours. You had to step away at one point to bid farewell to your family, none of whom wanted to see you go but they understood you couldn't stay on your island for more than a few days, and the Sunny would be taking off in the morning.

Sanji noticed quickly you'd disappeared from his side while he was fighting to keep Luffy from finishing off your piece of cake, and when he saw where you were, he put Zoro in charge of keeping Luffy at bay so he could go stay with you.

Your family had already walked off the dock and back into town when you felt Sanji wrap his arms around your waist and place his chin on the top of your head.

"We'll come back someday."

"I know we will."

"And you can always call or write."

You nod, looking up at Sanji with a smile. "This was a wonderful surprise, thank you. It meant a lot to have them here."

Sanji returned your smile, kissing your forehead. "Anything for you, mon amour."

You were about to suggest the two of you slip out and go off to bed, before Luffy shouted your names.

"Come oooonnnn!! The party's for you guys!" Really he just wanted more cake, but Sanji and Zoro had stopped him from having anything more until you had what you wanted.

Grumbling a bit, Sanji pulled away but still held your waist, causing you to giggle a bit and turn around in his hold, putting your arms around his shoulders.

"A bit longer, then we'll go to bed." You whispered before kissing him with a smile.

He sighed but still nodded. "Fine, fine."

Your reception continued well into the night, you avoided drinking too much so you'd remember it not only in the morning but in years to come. Eventually everyone had either passed out or was calmed down enough to start cleaning, refusing any help from you or Sanji and telling you to both go on to bed, with a kind a smile from Robin or Nami but a sly smirk from Franky.

Once you did, you both simply admired each other's ring and how right it felt to have them now. Within a few more minutes your exhaustion was taking over and you took Sanji's hand in yours, snuggling right up next to him, causing him to do the same with you. You'd consummate your marriage another night, but for tonight, all you wanted was to bask in the fact you were married to the love of your life, and enjoy the warmth that came from knowing that you were his and he was yours. Sanji had tried to say something to you at one point, but you were so near sleep you didn't hear him, except for when he chuckled lightly and kissed the top of your head.

"I love you, [Y/N]...in every lifetime and every universe, I'll always love you."

[zorosjuicymelonsx]

Finding You

A/N: Guys I'm here and I'm so sorry I'm a week late with this. I got a new job after losing mine a few months ago so things have been hectic lately with my schedule. All I can say is sometimes adulting SUCKS but I love money so 😭🤑

A lovely reader on AO3 had helped me realise there was an anomaly with the timeline of how Y/N and Zoro meet and all so I went through it and I thought I would go through this:

Y/N's flashback of Zoro sleeping in the forest in Chapter 3 was when they were 15 so its actually 7 years ago and not 4 years ago. I've edited this and amended the story you tell Zoro slightly in Chapter 5 to correct this so my apologies for not finding this sooner. I wanted to show that she had a crush on him before they officially met after he rescued her in the alley. They then turn 16, graduate school and then Zoro asks her out. They date till 18, get engaged and marry at 19. Zoro disappears a few days after this and you spend the 2, almost 2 and a half years looking for him so he's 21 and your 21.

Its sometime after Wano and Egghead doesn't exist in this "dimension" when you find him in Chapter 1 so they're just cruising right now. I wanted to match the actual One Piece ages he was before and after timeskip.

I hope this has helped clarify if anyone else was confused of the timeline but please do enjoy this chapter. Because of my new job, I'll do my very post to work and post in a timely manner. Thank you for everyones patience and support with me.

Chapter Eight Previous Next “Zoro? You okay?”

“i-I have to go, m’sorry.” 

That was the last thing he said to you a week ago in the Crows Nest. You had gone through every single possible reason for why he suddenly would switch up the way he did which left you nowhere near to a conclusive answer. You were sure you’d done absolutely nothing but at the same time doubted yourself and wondered if you had done something unconsciously. 

Since then, he'd practically been living in the Crows Nest. He never ate in the galley anymore, never came on the deck to hang around with anyone and you weren’t even sure if he was sticking with his once a week baths. Every time you tried to seek him out, you noticed the hint of stress in his face and would walk away in the opposite direction. Thankfully you weren’t the only one who noticed the swordsman's strange behaviour. 

“Marimo is really starting to piss me off, can you believe he’s making me bring his meals to him like I’m some waiter?!” Sanji spat with annoyance as he piled nourishment onto Zoro’s breakfast plate. You knew Zoro wouldn’t have asked Sanji for food, you just understood Sanjis code of ethics when it came to making sure that every member of the crew was properly fed and nourished. You appreciated him for it. 

You were one of the few who remained in the galley after breakfast, sitting with Jinbe and Usopp who were finishing off their own meals. You’d leaned forward to sit your chin on your forearms as you traced the rim of your coffee cup with your finger caught in a net of progressive overthinking of the enigma that was your husband. 

“Has he really not said anything?” Usopp asked Sanji, the cook turning to face them, the plate in his hand piled high in mostly eggs, sausages and toast. 

“Not a word. I swear the algae on his heads really taken over his brain.” Sanji cursed before leaving the galley, chewing on his unlit cigarette. 

“Isn’t this normal for Zoro? I mean he is pretty quiet.” Jinbe asked Usopp. Since Jinbe was the most recent crewmate to join Luffy and the crew before you, it was understandable he would ask. You would have agreed with Jinbe on the fact Zoro was quiet, however, you knew better than to mistake this for just his regular self. 

“When something is bothering him, he shuts down. He avoids everyone, he won’t talk, he’ll just isolate. I just can’t figure out what's bothering him.” You grumbled out before lifting your cup to take a gulp of your coffee. Setting the cup down, you realised you couldn’t hear either of them talking anymore and turned to see them both staring at you with wide eyes. 

“Has he really never done this in front of you guys?” You questioned the gaping pair with a raised brow slightly mocking their owlish stares back. Jinbe shook his head as expected whereas Usopp's gaze drifted off behind you in thought. You assumed he was revisiting his album of memories with the swordsman. 

“Well…there was the time on Thriller Bark when he shut himself away to train but it wasn’t anything like this.” Usopp answered cautiously, his mouth slightly turned down in slight distress.This caught your attention and your heart filled with anxiety. 

“What happened?” You asked, unconsciously frowning. Usopp's gaze refocused back to yours, adjusting himself uncomfortably in his seat as he seemed hesitant to retell the story. Nonetheless, he sighed before clearing his throat to speak. 

“We were on Thriller Bark where we met Brook. Brook was stuck on his old crew's ship and he couldn’t leave because his shadow being taken by the ex-warlord Gecko Moria.”

“Brook has a shadow?” You asked in surprise trying to suppress a laugh. You valued Brook as a crew member despite his panties fetish. Thankfully Nami always stepped in after he asked to put him in his place.

“I don’t even know anymore, ANYWAYS ....we managed to defeat him but another ex-warlord named Kuma came for us.We don’t know what exactly happened because Kuma knocked us out but we know Zoro got really hurt. He was unconscious for a few days after that. I think at the time we underestimated them but knowing him, he blamed himself for not being strong enough.” 

Usopp clarified, his tone laced with guilt. Your heart ached at the idea of Zoro being that severely injured to that extent. You knew he didn’t care as long as he met his goal in the end even if you did reprimand him on his mentality many times over the years you both dated. You had eventually accepted it and you didn’t want to stand in his way.

“Let's just give him space and see what happens.” You spoke assuringly to the two despite your chest hammering with the anxiety of unsurety. 

One Week Later

Two weeks had passed since you last heard Zoro's voice. The patient person you were two weeks ago was buried deep inside and now your patience was wearing thin along with your paranoia running rampant. You couldn’t take the silence anymore and neither could the rest of the crew. 

It was the afternoon and Nami had called everyone in for a crew meeting on deck, including Zoro who had unsuccessfully attempted to blend into the background. Your eyes has locked in on him from the moment you walked in and spotted green. You also saw the obvious attempt he made to avoid looking your way as he chose to focus his gaze on the wall behind Nami. 

‘Just what was so interesting about the wall you fucker?’ You thought to yourself as you leaned back in your chair in observation. 

“Right guys, I called this meeting in because I came across information that there's an island nearby rumoured to have a fuck ton of treasure. We gotta make a game plan.” Nami excitedly spoke, the berries practically beaming out of her eye sockets. Reluctantly, you took your eyes away from Zoro to focus on Nami. 

For about an hour, she went over and planned in detail how to navigate the island, showing you and the others the maps and other sources of information from a book she read detailing the treasure and its history. 

“I also decided that not all of us can go on the island so I’m picking Zoro and Y/N to stay behind on the ship.” Nami added. From the corner of your eye, you noticed Zoro stiffen before clearing his throat to speak up. 

“I’m coming with you guys, have Sanji stay on the ship with Y/N.” Zoro spoke in a low, reserved manner clearly disguising his obvious discomfort towards you. It was the first time you’d heard his voice in two weeks but hearing the words he chose only had you gritting your teeth. You took a deep breath in and decided that at that moment you couldn’t take anymore. 

He had drawn your last straw. 

“Oh Y/N-chan, I’d love to-” You cut off Sanji as you stood up from your seat, the feet of the chair roughly scraping against the floor boards as you paced your steps towards Zoro to now stand strong in front of him. You felt the intense gaze of the others on you but ignored it, the anger you felt overpowered your rationality. 

“Whats your fucking problem?” You spat out as you looked up at him. 

This caught him off surprise. You could see he was trying to shift away from you but you weren’t going to allow him to get out of this. You moved in tandem with him whenever he attempted to get away from you only to have him give up and stay glued to the wall behind him. 

“I ain’t got no problem-”

“Bullshit. You’ve been avoiding me for the past two weeks. In fact, you’ve been avoiding ALL of us.” 

“You’re being dramatic.”

“No I’m fucking not.” You somehow got even closer, your chest practically touching his as you felt his body heat against you. 

“She's really not Zoro, did something happen between you two?” Nami asked cautiously behind you.

“Did I do something?” 

He could see you were frustrated with him and he could see he was only hurting you more than he wanted to. 

‘I’m sorry….’ He thought as he looked at you, the guilt overwhelming him. 

Whilst he didn’t appreciate the questioning from you and the heavy gazes of everyone, he will admit he had isolated himself from you. It wasn’t because you did anything to him personally and it wasn’t because he started rejecting your presence on the ship; by far you'd been patient with him by letting him be. The persistent questioning he got from the others, especially the shitty cook despite being appreciative of him bringing his meals to him only to be met with silence from him only fueled his guilt. Since the discovery of his feelings for you, he felt overwhelmed. Being around you distracted him. He felt the want to be with you but at the same time, his mind shielded him from you as if he was protecting himself from you. He prided himself in being strong minded and he felt frustrated with himself over how he could possibly feel this way when he prided himself in being strong minded. He could only theorise that this mental block with you had to do with the guy who’d wiped his memory. 

‘Was his named Edward? Ethan? Whatever, it didn’t matter.’

He knew he was being a dick by staying away from you but he didn’t know what else to do. The moment he accepted his feelings for you, he’d also accepted what felt like an overwhelming burden in his stomach. He felt panic, a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. He left you in the Crows Nest, remembering the feeling of not being able to breathe. This was why Zoro did not do feelings; they were complicated. 

“You didn’t do anyth-”

“Then why have you been avoiding me?” You persistently questioned, the frustration brimming in your eyes. 

“I’m done with this, I’m leaving.” He felt his heart climbing up into his throat with you being so close to him.

“Oh no you don’t, you’re not getting out of this one.” 

You made an impulse decision out of anger. With your free hand, you summoned a hole behind Zoro. You pictured the very island where you spent time training yourself with your devil fruit, knowing it was quiet and you wouldn’t be disturbed. The hole behind him had formed and Zoro had realised too late he was no longer leaning against solid and fell through the smoke of clouds that enveloped him. 

You turned to the others who were gaping at you in shock. Even Luffy stayed glued to his seat with no attempt to jump through the cloud of smoke. 

“I’ll bring him back tomorrow.” You huffed out before going through the hole yourself. 

As you landed in the sand of the island, you looked up to see the hole you summoned. You then looked around to see your surroundings. The island hadn’t changed one bit; the wave of nostalgia hit as you breathed in the smell of the sand and sea, the lingering scent of greenery coming from the forest coming into the mix as well. If you looked around again, you’d be able to find the rock you carved the last date you were here before leaving to continue your search for Zoro. 

You purposefully summoned the hole on the empty side of the island, choosing to leave the small population of habitants to the other side undisturbed. They were peaceful people and had even shared a few meals with you from time to time whenever a few of them found you exhausted from exertion after training. They knew you well and that you didn’t pose a threat, choosing to peacefully coexist with them. 

Once closed, the anger still ever present in your system you looked around to spot Zoro sitting in the sand as he looked around taking his surroundings. 

“Wh-where are-?” 

“You gonna talk or what?” You aggressively asked. 

Zoro was now angry. He didn’t want to fight with you, he just wanted to piece together his feelings and rebuild his courage to be around you. He wasn’t ready to face you and being here with you only made him feel worse.  

He stood up from the sand and stomped over to stand over you, pushing the bile from his thumping heart back down his throat.

“What…the FUCK…were you thinking? Why would you do that? Do you realise without me there, you’ve put the others in danger? Take us back NOW.” 

“First of all, step the fuck back and calm down. Second of all, they’ll be fine. Third of all, were not going anywhere until we sort whatever the fucks gone up your ass and died.” You said as you matched his energy. 

“Fuck this, I’m out.” Zoro refused to admit anything. He couldn’t. He turned away from you and began walking. 

“Roronoa Zoro, come back here now.” You ordered him as you followed behind. 

“No. Piss off.” He called back as he continued stomping. 

“Zoro, stop.” You shouted, your voice almost broke as your anger now turned into hurt. 

“Leave me alone Y/N.” 

“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?” You now cried out. You couldn’t stop the tears and the lump in your throat as you stared at his back. 

Zoro stopped at the sound of your voice breaking. He frowned at the thought of you upset, his heart ached but he couldn’t turn around. 

“I’m not doing anything to you Y/N. I just need space.” He spoke regretfully before he continued walking again and turned left heading into the forest. You stood still as you watched him walk away.

“Fuck.” You whispered to yourself, taking your palm to rub against your forehead in frustration and then using the back of your hand to wipe your tears away. You hated crying, you’d always felt so weak. No matter how much you try to control it, the tears always win. You decided to sit, digging yourself further into the sand before leaning back to let it envelop you. 

You breathed in, allowing yourself to take in the sound of the waves crashing against the damp sand. You didn’t realise how much you missed being back on land. You loved being on the Sunny, you really did but sometimes allowing yourself to be grounded for a bit always helped. 

You let your hands moved with the sand, feeling the softness of it between your fingers. You clenched the sand into your palms finding the action soothing and allowing the anger you’d felt seep into each particle.

What were you going to do with Zoro? 

————————————- ⚔️✨ ————————————

A few hours had passed and you found yourself waking up from a nap you had unconsciously taken. You noticed the sun was beginning to lower, you predicted you had a few hours left before nightfall. You sighed before getting up from the sand, swiping off the residue of sand that was left on your clothes and turned to face the direction Zoro left you from. You were grateful the island was small and you knew it  wouldn’t take you long to track down the lost swordsman. 

As you were about to start walking, you felt a presence lurking near you. You stiffened before smiling and realising there was more than one and posed no danger. 

“How long have you guys been there for?” You called out. You turned to find a small group of what you assumed were hunters gathering food. The group consisted of three men and one woman. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” One of the male hunters asked. 

“I’m fine don’t worry…you didn’t happen to see a green haired guy with three swords roaming around?” You queried. You didn’t know them personally but you assumed the few that did check in on you when you were training spread the word to the others of your existence.

“He’s sitting by the waterfall.” The female hunter softly answered. You nodded as you brought the memorised path to the area up into your mind to plan out your short walk. 

“Thank you, don’t mind us. We’ll be gone tomorrow.” You promised before you began making your way to him. A short walk through the forest and your feet found you at the beginning of a small lake. As you continued, your eyes caught the waterfall and the blue hues of water falling over into the lake. You looked around and soon enough your eyes caught on a head of green hair. You frowned at his slouched demeanor, noticing his eye was lost in the water and in thought. You took a quick breath in before continuing your walk to now stand near the swordsman. You noticed his body stiffened as you felt your presence before slouching back, his eye not breaking out of his lost gaze. 

“Zoro…I.” 

“Don’t speak.” 

Your mouth closed into a straight line, the words ‘I’m sorry’ stuck at the tip of your tongue. You felt like you stood for eternity but just a few short minutes later and you decided to find a seat on the grass near him. Your eyes followed his and soon enough you were also lost in the water with him. Apart from the sounds of the water crashing into the lake and the gentle calls from the birds in the trees, the angst between the both of you laid thick. 

As you watched the water, you were reminded of how much you missed swimming and the ability to just float. You had thankfully never fallen into the ocean since obtaining your devil fruit but the thought of sinking struck fear in you. You missed the feeling of saltwater soaking into your skin, letting your fingertips wrinkle and allowing your mind to wonder and be free. Sure you were able to shower in non-sea water but it just wasn’t the same. 

Time had passed and the sky had turned into a deep hue of orange indicating the end of daylight. The forest had begun to fill out with fireflies, adding to the ambiance and giving light to where you both sat. You knew you’d have to start a fire and look for food soon but you couldn’t find the will to do so yet. 

You had decided to scoot closer to the edge of the lake, allowing yourself to indulge in the only closeness you can have to water. 

“You ain’t plannin to jump in right?” 

Hearing his voice shook you out of thought, you shook your head to answer his question. 

Zoro had every right to be pissed at you but seeing the sadness in your face made him feel guilty for letting himself behave like a teenager for hours. This was his fault after all but admitted he let his pride get the better of him. 

“Why’re you moping?”

“I’m not moping..I’m just remembering how much I enjoyed swimming and just being in the ocean.” You confessed, pouting and allowing yourself to lean on your hand. 

“I thought you didn’t regret-” 

“I don’t regret anything. I’m allowed to feel sad.” You snapped. 

He allowed silence to fill the space between the both of you for a moment before he made an anxiety-consuming decision that would definitely change everything. 

“You wanna go in?” Zoro softly asked. 

You turned to face him, surprise evident in your face. 

“That's impossible, I’ll just feel weak and sink.” You answered. 

“Not if I’m holding you.” Zoro said. 

“I thought you were avoiding me, now you wanna hold me?” You questioned back. 

“Answer my question; you want to go in yes or no?” Zoro bit back with slight annoyance at you being argumentative. 

You bit your lip to stop yourself from going into a tangent, turning to look back at the water before nodding. 

From seeing your physical consent, Zoro stood up and began to strip. You visibly blushed and let your gaze turn away from him refusing to turn it into ogling. He brought himself into your line of vision as he walked forward and stepped into the water, waiting with his back turned to you at the edge to allow you privacy. You were able to see he was just left in his boxers. You stared for a bit before finding your brevity and beginning to strip until you were just in your underwear and bra. You walked a few steps forward until you stood just behind him but you hadn’t stepped in the water yet.

“Am I okay to pick you up?” Zoro cautiously asked, his back still facing you.

“y-Yeah you can.” 

Zoro turned around, pushing back his raging heartbeat and ignoring the growing heat in his skin before scooping you into his arms bridal style and slowly walking back into the lake until he was halfway submerged. You relished in the warmth of his skin and you hadn’t realised just how much you missed his presence. 

“If it gets too much for you, tell me and I’ll take you back.” Zoro’s voice almost broke. He was currently fighting back the blush that had threatened to consume his wholebeing as he avoided looking down at your naked body. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen a naked woman before, heck Nami and Robin walked around the ship in practically nothing and it never once bothered him. Seeing you see this way; shy and almost vulnerable gave a completely different meaning to it. He couldn’t fathom anyone else seeing you like this and the mere idea of any man seeing you this way made his skin itch and his temper rise.  

He hadn’t even allowed himself to be consumed in the lust-filled thoughts he had of you since his recent awakening of feelings he had for you. He felt too much respect for you to subject you to his internal needs. He didn’t even know if you both even consummated the marriage before he disappeared but refused to go down the tangent of thoughts surrounding it. 

He slowly began to lower you into the water, allowing the flow of the water to cover your legs and your arms. You gasped at the sudden coolness of the water, immediately feeling the weakness of the ocean consume you. Rather than fighting the weakness, you allowed it to sit as you relished in the feeling of the cool water and Zoro’s body heat. 

“You okay?” 

“Thank you Zoro.” You quietly spoke, grateful to him. 

His concern alone was enough for you to choke on a sob. You were overwhelmed. 

“Why did you avoid me?” You weakly asked, allowing yourself to cry. 

“M’sorry.” Zoro mumbled back as he bit the inside of his cheek.

“I don’t want a sorry…I want an answer.” 

Zoro said nothing. He didn’t know how to confess his feelings to you. He couldn’t even begin to explain or know where to start with talking about what was wrong with him. Seeing you broken hurt him badly and he knew he couldn’t let this go on anymore. 

‘Show her.’ 

A small voice in his head spoke. He frowned at the intrusion of the voice. 

‘Show her how you feel.’ 

He looked down to see you looking back up at him. The yearning he felt to hold you closer, the want to be with you overtook him. 

He decided to listen to the foreign voice, putting his anxiety to one side as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours in a chaste kiss.

————————————- ⚔️✨ ————————————

A/N: HE DID IT!!! FINALLY HE KISSED YOU AHHHHHHH 🥳 😭💚

Taglist: @starlightanyaaa @eggrollforyou @rosellerinfrost @qalable

[stretchyyonko]

I just started one piece last month and I'm currently STILL ON ENNIES LOBBY...since I'm busy on school works and etc.

And here I am reacting to one piece Men I have been spoiled nor encountered in spoilers and mostly Tiktok and twitter. ( Part 01 )

1st up OF COURSE IT'S LUFFY

- THIS BISH RIGHT HERE REALLY MADE ME WATCH ONE PIECE AND SIMP FOR HIM LIKE HOW BOA AND BARTOLOMEO DO IT😭 like bro how can you not...(except the pre-timeskip 'cause I don't the FBI banging up at my door)

- Plus the way he never kills his enemies and him being dense asf funny to me, not to mention him having ADHD IS WAY TO FUCKING ACCURATE...

- AND HE'S TOO FUCKING INNOCENT ASF SKRKGKSNSNAAAAAAAA I just wanna keep him in my pocket and watch him smile at me like how he do 24/7

- Would 100% marry him (don't worry I'll fix him to go bath everyday even if I got to fight him using gear 5 nor fighting his simps and ships)

- I also love how he don't kill his enemies and just downgrade them like how what he did to bellamy.

2nd the cook and the swordsman

- Man...this two..well...I would not wamt to meddle into their banters like an old married couple...

- STRONG ASF

- To be honest I kinda like the pre time skip sanji but he grew up more fine after 2 years, plus I understand why he got unbearable during fishman island arc since he got isolate to an island full of homosexual people and even got into one LMAO but he slayed those heels and dress tho...

- As same as his captain THIS FUCKING SWORDSMAN ONLY BATHES ONCE A WEEK...SKRKGODJAJRJFJ I CAN'T WITH THE TWO OF THEM 😭. Also don't get me wrong..but I kinda find zoro more cool than simp cause I don't know what's wrong to my brain that I can't find him attractive...yet the way he handles women as equal to him is good to me...I find him funny and cool asf yet I find his captain attractive asf HOW 😭?!

- And the fact that I knew then as a ship first and their fanarts are just insanely good too 😭.

3rd Ace and Sabo

- To be honest the ever 1st one piece episode I had watch on TV when I was on 5th grade was the Amazon Lily episode where Boa simped for luffy and I got intrigued watching it because I kinda thought luffy would accept boa's confession LMAO, and by 6th grade I again catched a glimpse of Ace's death on marineford arc and I was confused at first why he got killed not until today wjen I saw some spoilers (By the way Those episode that I watch is a tagalog dub from a TV Channel in our country) So that's why back in the years that I still haven't watch one piece all I knew was Ace's Death and Boa having a crush on luffy.

- It's funny I learnt sabo from my friend who reads One piece manga where she was ranting to me about sabo and there I got curious and ask her what happened, and there she explained to me that Luffy has another brother which I got surprised cause all I know back then was Ace and there she was crying how handsome sabo was and was also crying because of luffy meeting sabo again. Back then I always thought that these three is brothers by blood and not by alcohol 😭.

- To be honest Ace's visuals back then was hella majestic but funny at the same time but after the re-animation he got babygirly-fied LIKE BRO HIS ANIMATION ON THAT SCENE IN WANO HIS TIDDIES GOT BIG ASF HELL IT BIGGER THAN MINE.

- Sabo on the other hand well I saw him in the movie Film Gold and Stampede First and also I took a little research about The Revolutionary army BUT WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE WAS KOALA...SHE'S SO CUTE AND GORG MAN...HELL I WOULD FIGH–ehem anyways back to sabo, yeah he's intelligence and strength got me shook cause how can he divide those fingers like that sjrkgks I wanna learn their karate too 😭.

4th Law and Kid

- Well knowing the social media the wano episodes are all over my tiktok fyo page and these two caught my eye since they are always beside luffy in wano.

- Except for Law I knew him on that edit of kamiya hiroshi's voice characters and yes I quickly went to the comment section to know his name.

- I got exposed to knowing him when my friend who stopped watching one piece told me that he often got shipped with luffy and boi after I typed the "LawLu DJ" there I got bombarded with some of their popular comic strips and fanarts that is sometimes questionable and sometimes sweet and fluffy and sweet and some others are traumatizing LMAO SPECIALLY THAT ONE WHERE HE USED HIS DEVIL FRUIT TO CUT HIM AND F HIM 😭. Plus the fact he kinda resemble my boyfriend that's why I found his visual quite appealing...EVEN THE HUMOR AND BRAIN IS ACCURATE LIKE ITS SCARY ASF 😭.

- To kid I kinda find him resemble to bakugo LMAO I DON'T EVEN WATCH MHA YET yet I find him cute and quite funny too.

- Not to mention the manga chapter 1063 and 1079 💀 got me thinking dark humor about then LMAO HELP.

End of Part 1 💗

[lenny-rambles]

About "in another life (and in this one as well)"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39941298/chapters/100016535

Title: in another life (and in this one as well)

Author: tibuki

Relevant tags ig: zolu, timetravel, fluff

A cute time travel post-wano ZoLu fic! Real good, definitely a delectable read for any ZoLu fans. Maybe more so for main Zoro fans, because it's kinda Zoro-centric.

Let me start by saying I ADORE time travel fics. The possibilities they generate for angst are just *chef's kiss*. However, this is not an angsty fic, it's fluffy with the right dose of shenanigans for a 3.9K word work. Also, this is all my own subjective opinion, with no ill intentions to anyone, so please keep that in mind.

Now, spoilers for the fic and the Wano Arc ahead, BEWARE.

The way that old!Zoro knew from the start not to say anything because Luffy wouldn't want a boring adventure is SO on point! Robin deducing THEY got married because Nami officiated the wedding IS such a Robin thing to do, I love her so much.

AND JEALOUS YOUNG!LUFFY AAAHHH. I know we all know Zoro is DEVOTED to the man, but I really like it when people also show Luffy's possessiveness and adoration for Zoro. We do forget sometimes that Luffy WENT SEARCHING FOR HIS SWORDSMAN, ahh, I love them.

Oh! And jealous Sanji? Absolutely perfect. He CANNOT understand for the life of him why someone would choose anyone, LET ALONE ZORO, over Hancock. And to be fair, he has a point! Anyone not interested in men would absolutely pick Hancock over Zoro. Maybe even people interested in men would pick Hancock over Zoro. But this is not about any person. This is about Luffy and Zoro, and how it's always been just them!

It's just, really nice. Young!Luffy saying "ah, all right, you can keep it then!" EXCUSE ME?! This man was GOING TO TAKE OLD!ZORO'S RING?!!! What a petty thing to do, I love it. AND THE KNUCKLE KISS. THAT'S SO TERRIBLY DEVASTATING. IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!! Young!Luffy's brain just shortcircuited right then and there, beautiful.

AND THE SCAR MOMENT!!! Can I get more appreciation for scar moments in ZoLu Fics? Like, you guys, scars work so different in the OP canon. We know these people have been stabbed, punched, and went through basically every hell imaginable and the number of scars canon to them is actually really low!!! Like, Zoro's got 4 (1 each foot, the chest, and the eye) and Luffy's got 2 (under the eye and chest). I like the theory that scars only appear when it's an emotionally cathartic moment, when some BIG FEELINGS happen.

So old!Zoro having a burn scar over his heart, matching with Luffy, can only mean so many things, you know? He is, once again, willing to lay down his life in exchange for Luffy's, and looks like it could've been on instinct, not something old!Zoro actually planned for. All the same though, 'cause THE MOMENT young!Luffy sees the scar Zoro Knows he's not going to like it. And the implication of Luffy killing Akainu in the future? Incredible, great!

Also, before I forget, and it was a short scene, merely a few dialogues, but I adore when people get Zoro's Conqueror's Haki to show. Like, honestly? I think about both Luffy and Zoro being Conquerors a lot, but the fic is not about that, so I won't delve too much into it. But the reaction of crew, as if they didn't expect him to have it? It just shows how much the crew (and a lot of the fans, let's be honest here) have internalized how down-bad Zoro is for Luffy, and so don't really see him as a leader.

The off-hand comments about Law are funny! Poor Law, stuck on a friendship with the Straw Hats that will transcend all their lifetimes, sucks to be you. They truly only do what they want, and Law's gotta deal with it, oh well! I just wanna know what Law was trying there? Like, man, how do you even fuck up a shambles that badly? Hold on, now that I think about it. It could've been just Zoro getting lost in the shambles. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. And Law has to sort it out on his own lmao.

And we'll, the end? The younger versions of them confessing and holding each other?!!! AHHHHHHH It's great, fantastic, awesome. I just really liked the way Luffy's mannerisms came through, I know it's difficult to get them right, so the author did a great job there!!! If I might say something I wasn't the biggest fan of, was young!Luffy's hesitance when talking about their feelings. I'm just nitpicking here, it just doesn't match the way I picture Luffy in my head, but Luffy IS a hard character to portray, in any media, so once again, great work author. It ended sweetly so no harm done.

Now, young!Zoro's reaction to the old!crew? Incredible! He's just SO CONFUSED, old!Luffy might be taller than him! Sanji finally let his hair grow and Usopp's got muscles!!! (let's go Sanji and Usopp's character growth being reflected in their appearance, looking like they are most comfortable with, truly loving themselves) (sorry I just love them as well). The time young!Zoro spent in the future seemed so little in comparison, but it's really entertaining nonetheless.

And finally, when both Zoros are on their respective times, the conversations they have are just- I love my dumb funny pirates. Luffy's may be a bit dumb but he's not stupid!! He knew how to get Zoro to kiss him!!! I love a sly Luffy, even if only he and I think he's being sly. In the end, they are both no-nonsense, so they share a kiss rather sooner than later. Adorable, sweet ZoLu kisses that are just perfect to tie up their side of the story.

And now, the very last scene of the fic, ANOTHER SCAR MOMENT WOOOOOOO. They wake up in their bed many years later and suddenly there's not a burn scar anymore in old!Zoro's chest, and old!Luffy's reaction is also peak Luffy reaction. The tenderness they share, almost afraid it's a dream, agh, my heart!!! The time travel is actually able to change the future so they get to prevent 1 bad thing, and get 1 good thing before. I see this as an absolute win.

All and all, it was a very good fic, would recommend if you like sweet ZoLu stuff. It is well-written and made for a good insomnia past-time.

Anyways, thanks for reading my ramblings about this. Please read the fanfic and then some more.

[usoking]

so hi guys. monster au

this was an au that's been stirring in my brain since i started my watchthrough (i think i made this a bit into water 7? and i'm now in wci) and now that i have a op blog i might as well share it with the world

the whole idea of the monster au is that usopp somehow got into a monster-only college and has to lie his way out of his classmates' suspicions that noooo he's not a human! he's totally not!

more info about the characters under the cut! reminder that i have JUST STARTED WCI and any characters from it and wano are UNKNOWN to me pretty much!

update i'm on wano. halfway through it. i'm doing fantastic

students (for convinience's sake they're all aged to post timeskip)

usopp- the token human of the school, but pretends to be a witch. that way his human scent isn't questioned, he can do "magic" aka cool party tricks, and he has the long nose for it. he fakes it till he makes it but the whole staff is fond of him already

luffy- a werewolf! he always radiates puppy energy to me skjdfhskjdf he was bit by shanks as a kid (around the age he got his devil fruit in canon) and is part of his pack. but only legally, since he still grew up with ace and sabo. he doesn't get the best grades but shanks loves the kid and plays obvious favoritism

nami- her's is a bit iffy ngl, but i eventually settled on a kitsune! though this is still bound to change as i still haven't figured out the best one for her. but yea she's a sophomore and bonks people over the head when they're being stupid

sanji- was an interesting one; he's a merfolk/fishman. i'm not too sure how i decided upon this but i did and it was Perfect. i connect sanji to the sea a lot so maybe that's why (don't get me started on sanji and his relationship to the ocean). also for the excuse for me (and zoro) to call him smoked salmon

bartolomeo- i only met him recently but he Must be here. barto's a gryphon! bc he's a chicken AND a lion at the same time <3 but yea he's like... a centaur with a gryphon body and wings and little lion ears,,,, i like him jkfhgkjhdfg (he's probably gonna be a junior?)

staff (all are adults in SOME way shape or form)

whitebeard- he's the principal of one piece academy. my friend suggested him to be a god so thats what he is now

shanks- i have no idea what his job is ngl. but he's staff dfkjhgkjdhfg he's a werewolf, he bit luffy (and also yasopp let's not talk about that) and absolutely loves to show off luffy any time he gets. he is also married to mihawk bc i said so

mihawk- the man's a vampire. come on. he Is. he's the school's resident cryptid, i'm pretty sure he's the vp or something, idk. yes he's married to shanks. also perona and zoro are his kids, meeting both before they were dead and adopting them

kureha- magic prof, a real witch. she sees potential in usopp and is impressed with how he manages to make even a slightly effective potion. but don't get her wrong she is very proud, no matter what she says. i'm pretty sure she's gonna try and adopt usopp

robin- history prof, vampire. she's been through a millennia of history, so of course she's perfect for teaching it, since she saw so much of it herself. very chill teacher, good vibes. lots of flowers.

franky- mechanics/engineering prof, but he's a full robot instead of a cyborg. constantly impressed by usopp's tinkering skills and how he does it all without any supernatural element at all

brook- music prof. he's still a skeleton. literally nothing's changed about him. he does appreciate how all of his students at least know how to hit a note correctly, whether through singing or an instrument

zoro- legally he's just a ta, but he falls asleep in every class. he's a demon from about 200 years ago, was killed by mihawk then came back from hell vowing revenge but unknowingly got adopted

ace- also a ta, and also a demon (this time from only 80 years ago). of course he's luffy's big brother, bc no ace is right without that. he's also the Fun ta that always shows up with a kahoot game hooked up and lets you use your phone in class

sabo- head of staff i think? undecided, but he's definitely a dragon. again, big brother to luffy, he often gave him piggyback rides into the sky when they were kids (luffy still tries to get piggyback rides but he's too big now)

jimbei- pe coach (helped out sometimes by zoro). he's a fishman like sanji, and is the campus' collective dad. everyone loves him

chopper- the school nurse :) i played the old reversal game, and now chopper's a tanuki! and hates being called a reindeer <3 he's very young, raised by kureha to understand magic, and can assume human form, but other than that he just wanders campus and helps people in the nurse's office. some ppl think he's a mascot or plushie that someone lost until he storms in with a first aid kit

a few minor teachers like bon clay (shapeshifter dance teacher), ivankov (they sure are something, and also the gender studies prof), and caesar (science prof, probably some sort of air elemental)

others (they just kinda exist)

perona- she's a ghost! she doesn't need to go to class since she died a century ago and has definitely been to school, so she mostly just hangs around classes and pranks people. truly a menace to society

sogeking- a mask usopp found in the attic haunted by an ancient witch from centuries ago. legally a cursed item, so he's not allowed to have it, but you have no idea how much i love sogeking so he stays <3

and here's some various edits and doodles i've made with these nerds (most are pre timeskip bc thats when the au developed)

ft me trying to figure out how to draw usopp in my style

[linawritesfanficandmore]

Bath Talk

Summary:

After Wano crew finally got some rest at Utashima. While in the bath, Zoro and Sanji have a heart-to-heart talk.

Notes:

In this series Kuina is alive and crew met with her at Wano. After everything Kuina took them to the island where her captain is staying. I really love my OC's but won't go into them a lot. They will be just mentioned don't take them seriously but we will see a few conversation between Kuina and Zoro.

////

“Luffy, what are we going to do now?” asked Nami. “How, what are we going to do Nami. The party continues. Hey take me give me more m-" Nami hit him on the head before Luffy went to get more meat. “It hurt! Why Nami?" “The party has been going on for three days already. It can go on as long as you want, but let's plan for the aftermath first." Meanwhile, overhearing them, their new acquaintance Kuina intervened. “Sorry Luffy-san, Nami-san I inadvertently overheard your words. Actually, I want to take you somewhere from here.” "To where? Is there any meat in there?" "Of course there is. We also have very good cooks and great kitchens for Sanji-san to work in... My captain really wants to meet you. That's one of the reasons I came here. I want to take you to the island Utashima.” “Hmm… Give us some minutes to thi-” "Alright!!!" “Luffy!!!” "What? I'm the captain. I can do what I want, right? “Yeah but… well. Kuina-san, how are we going to get there?” “I have one Eternal Pose in my possession. We can go after the party.” “Do you have a map of your island? I would like to examine it.” “Of course I have it in my bag. Come with me."

**** After a while *****

“Yes, crew, listen to me carefully. Kuina-san gave me an Eternal Pose, and with it, our next stop will be the island Utashima. I hope we can take a little vacation there. We desperately need this.” “Yahoooo!!!” Almost the entire crew shouted with joy. Indeed, they had not had a chance to rest properly since they entered the New World. This holiday will be very good for them. Only one person was offended by it. Zoro…

Sanji had noticed this situation of his mate. Just as he was about to go and speak, he saw that Kuina-chan was already heading towards him. He thought he should give them some privacy. Their conversation could wait a while.

“What is that sullen face?” "I do not talk to you." "Oh come on Zoro, don't be childish." “Childhish? Do you know how many years I mourned for you? How I begged Sensei to take your sword? But of course, none of this matters. Anyhow, you could walk away. Take your sword if you want and fuck off." “Zoro…” "WHAT!!?" With Zoro's shout, the cheery voices suddenly stopped and everyone turned to them. Noticing this, Kuina: "Come, let's talk in a quieter place." "Like I said, I'm not talking to you." “Zoro please…” "I said-" Before Zoro could finish his sentence, someone had kicked him. “What the hell shitty cook? Stay away from this.” “A lady is begging you and you are being rude to her. Did you really think I would just watch? You wouldn't die if you just listened her once!” “Tsk!” “Marimo!” “Whatever. Just a few moments. Let's hear your worthless words in the aquarium.”

They went to the aquarium together. "You have 5 minutes." “Zoro, I had a dream too. You know. But if I had stayed in that village, I would never have a chance to reach it.” "Is that why you ran away?" “I' didn't… Okay maybe I ran away, but I had to make a decision. After that last match with you, my current captain blocked my way. She asked me what I wanted to do. So I told her I wanted to be the best swordsmaster in the world. She also said that this dream is impossible here and that if I really have such a big dream, I have to gamble. She then took me to listen to my father and a man talk. I had already heard that my father would not leave the dojo to me beforehand. I heard him say that because I was born a woman, even if I was an alpha, I wouldn't be able to do this job, and I would eventually weaken. What I didn't hear was that he wanted me to marry someone and that he wanted me to have the son he couldn't have. I couldn't stay there, Zoro. If I had stayed, I would marry a man I didn't love and take care of a child I didn't want.” “I wouldn't let that happen!” “We were just kids, Zoro. Children who do not know about the world yet… Most likely, I would have been married before you realized what was going on. Especially if I was an omega… Although me being an alpha doesn't change anything…” “Kuina…” “I wanted to be free in my choices. I wanted to live my own life. That's why I decided to go to the new world with my captain. I was very angry with my father. Furious. I wanted to give him a punishment and faked my death. My captain let me do whatever I wanted to do. Sorry Zoro. I never meant to hurt you.” “You could have told me…” he said in a low voice. “I should have said. Especially when I see you as my little brother, but Zoro, you've never been a good liar. I knew we would meet again.” “Since you've become a pirate, how come I haven't heard from you all these years? How come you have become so strong and yet you don't have a bounty on your head?" “I…I changed my priority, Zoro. I am different from you. Now I have a pack and they will always be my priority. My captain had a very bad experience. She had lost two pack members before me, and one had betrayed them. We lost two more people after me. She was not ready to sail. Yes, I got stronger, but I never sailed.” “Why now?” “She said she was ready now, and I couldn't stand still while you were in Wano. Zoro, you almost died." “I have come back from the dead before. I didn't need you." “Zoro I…” “Hang on there, Kuina. Like you, I have a pack. You stay with yours and I'll stay with mine. I understand you, but that doesn't mean I forgave you, trusted you, or considered you as a big sister. If I'm looking at your face right now, it's because of the word of Luffy, who is both my captain and my pack leader." “Zoro…” “Enough Kuina. I'm going back." He left, leaving a heartbroken woman behind, ignoring his own broken heart.

While Zoro was looking for a drink, his mate came up behind him and hugged him. “Marimo.” Zoro felt his long-tense nerves loosen. "Are you okay?" "I am good." "Liar." "I…" “Shh… you don't need to say anything. It can wait. It can wait. Let's just stay like this for now." "Thank you."

**** A few days later **** “The island appeared!!!” With Franky's shout, the entire crew gathered on the deck. “Ooo!!! What is this? Flying music notes?” Kuina laughs: “Yes, my captain's devil fruit is related to music. She also likes to decorate her island as she likes. Officially welcome to the island Utashima.” After the Sunny was moored in port, a blonde-haired woman greeted the crew. “Welcome to the island Utashima. I'm Lina Ryou. Queen of the island Utashima and the captain of the precious Kuina-chan. I promise you nothing will happen to your ship while I am here. You can safely leave it and get some rest. I have prepared the best food, rooms and bathrooms for you. You can do anything you want. You are very precious guests to me. Cause, Kuina cares a lot about you.” “Oh your majesty we are so grateful for your hospitality.” Sanji immediately kissed Lina's hand. “You must be Sanji. I've heard a lot about you. It is not easy to meet such a kind gentleman in these times. Let's go to my palace now and I'll show you your rooms." They all went to the palace together. Lina had allocated a separate room for each of them, as well as a huge room where they could stay as pack and build a nest in it. She was really considerate and no doubt that room was going to be used but first everyone wanted to take a shower. There were also many small bathrooms in the palace, and everyone could take a personal shower. Of course, that wasn't exactly the case. Luffy wanted to spend time with the pack members after all the struggles. That's why he, usopp, chopper, brook and jinbei are in the same place; Nami is enjoying herself alone, and Franky and Robin decide to bathe together as mates. Of course, Zoro and Sanji would also spend this time together. The two of them entered one of the bathrooms together. “Come here Marimo. Today is your lucky day. I'll wash you." Zoro rushed to his mate's call, as if obeying an order. Sanji started to undress him as soon as he arrived. Both of their bodies were sensitive after recent events. That's why he was careful. After stripping him completely, he ran his hand over the mating mark. Unlike himself, Zoro wasn't afraid to show everyone this mark. Yes, their scent was already giving them away, but many could see Zoro's mark as well. It's true that Sanji wasn't trying to hide it, but he wasn't as comfortable as he was yet. After all, they were considered to be new mates. It was just before they crossed into Dressrosa… A dreamy night… They hadn't had a good time after that. They couldn't even look into each other's eyes. So everything was very new. Is not it? “Oi cook. If you won't undress yourself, I will. I'm starting to get cold here. I want to take a bath right away.” "Hasty." “Tsk whatever. I'm just cold.” Sanji quickly undressed at this and began to adjust the temperature of the water. Meanwhile, Zoro brought two stools. Once Sanji was sure he had set the temperature, he sat Zoro in front of him. He started washing Zoro with the shower head. When his hair was wet enough, he took some shampoo in his hand and massaged his grass hair. Although Zoro's hair might look hard, it was actually very soft and it felt so good to wash them. It's like petting a puppy… When he's washed his hair enough with leaving them sudsy, he started washing his body. When he was done, he rinsed him off. “Hey Marimo. Come on, get the tub ready while I'm washing up. I don't want to go out yet. Let's have some fun." “First time I heard a good idea from you shitty cook.” After Sanji had finished his own bath, he turned towards the tub and saw Zoro had already prepared it and sat in it. With a slight smirk, he sat down in front of him with his back to his chest. "Oh, it's literally heaven." “I guess you could say that too.” While in this position, Zoro could clearly see Sanji's mark. 'Mine' he thought to himself and began to gently place kisses on the mark. "What are you doing Marimo?" "Mine." “Yes, I am yours, but remember, you are mine too.” "Like that." After saying that, he kissed Sanji very gently, then buried his head in his shoulders and hugged his waist. “Zoro, don't you think it's time to talk? You're emitting a lot of stressful scents. And when we should be comfortable here.” “Hmm…” “Zoro, you must answer me.” "Together. You too.” "Okay me too. You're right, I have a lot of things to say too, but I'm not stressed one here right now. So you first." “It was just so sudden, you know.” "I don't think Kuina-chan had bad inten-" "There wasn't anyway, but…" “…” “But I mourned for her for years, Sanji. I attended hr funeral. I saw her dead body. Heck, I don't even know what I saw anymore that she's here in front of me." “Did you see her dead body?” “Yes, but it turns out everything was fake. All my years of pain were fake. Do you remember the woman next to Smoker?" “Tashigi-chan?” "Yeah." “Of course I remember. She's also a very beautiful woman and-" "Anyway. So when I first saw her, I thought she was Kuina and didn't want to fight with her. I thought she shouldn't exist. I hated it. My heart broke every time I saw her. Because Kuina wasn't just an opponent I couldn't beat. She… She was my family.” “Zoro…” “I was alone until I met her, suddenly I met a very good swordsmaster who understood my dream. With her and… And I reluctantly opened my heart to her. I really wanted to see her as my older sister. Then there's…” “Zoro, can I ask you something?” "Yeah." “Why were you alone?” Zoro's hands tighten on Sanji's waist. “I never knew my father. All this time it was my mother and me. My mother used to tell me about the swordsmen in Wano, about the legendary swords. She literally lit up when she talked about them, but she didn't tell me about my father or where I was from. But I loved listening to it. That's why I started using swords to make her happy. She was mad at me at first. Then she was very happy. Every day, I would go out and enter the competitions by myself. I used to tell her about them when I got home in the evening. She would listen to me laughing. My mother was an alpha woman, but I could see that she was weak. She was the one who taught me that secondary sex is bullshit.” "How so?" “One day when I came home it was different than usual. It didn't smell like food. The lights were off. I called my mom but got no answer. And when I went to her room… I saw her. My mother… My mother had hanged herself and left me alone. A little money and nothing else. I didn't stay there. I couldn't stand to see a sight of her any longer, so I took the money she had left and fled. I walked alone. Everywhere I went, I took challenges and got paid for what I earned. Finally, I came to sensei's dojo. Until then, I thought women were weak. Because of my mother, but Kuina proved that was not true either. Then she died and I decided to just improve myself. I didn't fully open my heart to anyone until Luffy" “Oh Zoro.” Sanji turned towards him and rested his head on his chest. "I am really sorry. You were just a child.” “It wasn't too bad. The people in the dojo took care of me. Sensei looked at me like a father. Still, I missed my mother and Kuina.” Sanji stopped hugging him and looked into his eyes. For a moment, could have sworn he saw child Zoro. Innocent and fragile. Still, he noticed that he was slowly getting better. The stressful scent in the air had drastically diminished. He is back to his previous position. "Alright and you? I've heard more or less about Whole Cake from Witch and Luffy, but I'd like to hear from you too. “There really is a lot to tell.” “I will listen to them all.” "You do know that my father is a mad scientist, right?" "Yeah. Nami told me." “He genetically altered me and my brothers. To be emotionless and superhuman, but my mother didn't want it. My sister said she drank some poison when she was pregnant. It didn't affect my siblings as they intervened immediately, but it did manage to prevent my gene awakening. I had everything my father didn't want. My brothers beat me every day for being weak. My father said he wouldn't help a weak person. He forbade me to cook, but I would still do it. I used to take the food I cooked to my mother. Even though I had dropped it on the way and got wet in the rain, my mother would definitely eat the food. I loved my mother very much. She was like an angel. Because she's an Omega and she's a woman, my father thought he was superior to her. She got sick from the poison she drank. One day my mother died. My brothers didn't even come to her funeral. I cried so much… Then my father faked my death and locked me in one of the dungeons. That's why I'm afraid of the dark and bugs. It reminds me of my days there.” Zoro hugged him tightly and buried his head back into his shoulder. It was as if he was saying that he would not leave him. “My sister Reiju saved me from there. She twisted the chains in the dungeon and took me out. My father put some cage into my head too. I didn't tell right? I went to my father's room with a knife to get his key. My father was also there. I was holding the knife tightly. My father gave me the key without difficulty, but he asked me to promise this. I would never tell anyone that he was my father and would never come back. He was still my father. It crushed my heart. I was crying. My sister found me and told me to go. She said that one day I will definitely meet good people. So I somehow found myself on a ship.” “Sanji…” “I am not finished yet. I started cooking on that ship, but it didn't take long. You know the next. Me meeting Zeff, struggling with hunger, opening Baratie but you don't know why I put women above man and why I first acted as an alpha before right?" "No." “Let's start with the easy one first. When it comes to women, Zeff was like me. For him, a woman is special even if she is alpha. Never raise your hand. That's why Baratie never has a female cook or waitress because Zeff likes to teach by hitting. I was raised by him too. Inevitably, I adopted his principles. My imitation of Alpha is due to an unpleasant memory. When I presented as Omega at the age of 12, Zeff was worried. I didn't understand at first. I'm still me after all. Zeff didn't treat me any differently. However, from that day on he asked me to use scent blockers and suppressant and fake pheromone perfumes. I did what he said nonstop until I was 15. at 15 I made a mistake. Good people didn't always come to Baratie. Everyone who is hungry is in our client, so one day… I stopped using Alpha fragrance for a while. One day I did not notice the approaching heat but one of the alpha… He…” “Were you raped?” "No. Almost. He harassed me. He was going to rape too, but Zeff wouldn't let that happen. He saved me and killed that man but I was so scared… After that, I let no one know that I was an omega. So I lied to you until we started a pack. Sorry." "Don't be. Damn it.” "What happened?" “I want to kill all the bastards who hurt you in the past.” Sanji laughed lightly. “The past is in the past and now I have you and my pack.” “You will not be hurt again.” "I know." They kissed briefly. “Let's go out now. Luffy said he wanted to build a nest today, and frankly, I do too.” Sanji got up from the tub. After that, Zoro got up and they started drying together. Zoro, just as he was about to leave the bathroom after being dried: “I love you Sanji.” Although Sanji is surprised at first: “I love you too, stupid marimo. Let's not keep the others waiting any longer."

Related Fic

[yukipri]

Marco’s Bauble Part 8 - a One Piece Mermaid AU Text Story

Another update for Tumblr!

This work goes by On the Courtship of Monkey D. Luffy on AO3, and I’ll be updating over there tonight as well!

A quick question....do people like reading the updates here on Tumblr? Or now that it’s on AO3, would people prefer to read there? And if so, would you be okay waiting for new updates until AO3 catches up? I’m a little torn because I’m not sure if people are enjoying reading on here, and it’s quite a hassle to format for Tumblr, and it’s getting a bit difficult for me to juggle updating these stories on 3 separate platforms...

ANYWAY, in this update, Thatch has some Thoughts, and there is mention of Ace x Luffy.

Continues off of, and should be read after:

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 1

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 2

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 3

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 4

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 5

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 6

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 7

~~

What are her 3 sizes?

(For the wedding dress, of course.)

"The fuck! Like I'd tell you!" Thatch roars, startling the blue gull into momentarily leaping off the rail, before it circles back, landing again to peck at his  sleeve to express its displeasure. Thatch ignores it, because he's fuming.

So apparently all of his and Koala's secret debates over whether Marco intentionally proposed or not were for naught, because here's the fucking evidence. And it comes from Izo of all people, because Thatch would recognize that lopsided handwriting anywhere (the man insists that his handwriting is beautiful in his native language of Wano, but he never quite got used to writing any other way).

And well, if Izo, an unrelated third party but professional snooper knows, then Marco himself must know.

And apparently, they're already planning a wedding.

Thatch feels like an idiot. He'd been defending Marco against Koala, and the lil Revolutionary was a tough opponent, one he'd had to chase out of the kitchen with a ladle more than once when he was tired of her word games. Thatch had insisted, like a fool, that no Marco's not that kind of guy, he really isn't the type to play with people's emotions, he would never propose for a joke, nor would he do it seriously without good reason. It must all be an accident, a little misunderstanding, Marco was just ignorant like Thatch himself was!

Except, apparently he did know and it wasn't an accident, and now Thatch feels completely lost because he doesn't know what Marco's thinking at all. Marco, who's not just his his first friend on the Moby, but arguably his best friend; Marco, his brother over several decades; Marco, who Thatch thought he knew better than anyone, except perhaps Pops himself...

Thatch's also pissed, because if Marco wants to start drama after they all reunite and he's introduced to Luffy, that's one thing (not that that would be great either). But right now, they're still near the beginning of Paradise with almost half the circumference of the world to go until even the halfway point, and Marco is WAY on the other side of the Red Line. If this ship explodes in flames or whatever that batshit Revolutionary brother might do, Mister First Division Commander is completely unaffected, but there are plenty of innocents here (like hello! Thatch!) who would find that pretty devastating.

Also, Thatch was the one who passed on that gift to Luffy! Even if he didn't know what it meant at the time...doesn't that make Thatch complicit? And even if not, Marco's strongest connection here is clearly Thatch. If Marco's actions cause chaos, then the blame and responsibility to clean up the mess naturally falls upon Thatch. Which, he definitely did not sign up for.

Pops, Thatch thinks miserably, I thought I was supposed to show them they can depend on us Whitebeards, NOT that us Whitebeards will fuck shit up for them...

But more than anything, there's a shocking large part of Thatch that absolutely balks at just the idea of Luffy getting married. And it's shocking because Thatch shouldn't feel this upset.

Marco, for all the complaints Thatch wants to hurl at him at the moment, is still a really great guy. A guy who, in literally any other situation, Thatch would be the first in line to enthusiastically encourage, and also to congratulate.

And sure, Thatch knows he has a crush, and his little Seastar's carving out a larger home for herself in his heart by the day, but--Thatch admittedly has crushes a lot. Sure, this one feels different, but...Marco, to his knowledge, has never had a romantic crush. He only sometimes but very rarely even has a night out, and Thatch doesn't think he's ever held a relationship longer than three encounters. He's always so serious, so diligent, so sincerely and whole-heartedly dedicated to Pops and his family. He almost never does anything selfish for himself, and Thatch would know.

If, for whatever reason, Marco is genuinely serious about Luffy...then Thatch should, and would, step to the side, regardless of personal feelings. If this is the path Marco wants, then he deserves it, and Thatch will always be the first to say it, no matter how craptastic the circumstances. And Thatch knows that Marco would give his bride the world.

Without them even having met, Thatch doesn't doubt for a second that Marco would make Luffy happy, till the end of her days.

The fact that Thatch knows all this, yet still feels near unbearable reluctance...says more than he's willing to admit.

And so he decides to avoid thinking about the most obvious reason (his own feelings), and instead contemplates his second very compelling reason: Ace.

His littlest brother isn't so great at being honest with himself, and never has. But this, Thatch feels, isn't just a matter of denial.

The boy literally has no clue.

Oh sure, Ace knows he loves his little brother. He makes sure everyone else knows it too, both here on the Merry and back on the Moby once he opened up enough to talk to people. He's so damn proud of her, yet also concerned for her, while also trusting her with his life and more. It's clear to anyone who sees them together that he absolutely adores her.

But it's more than that, isn't it, Thatch thinks. It's in the little gestures, the way Ace raises his arm up without looking at her and she slides under it, also without needing to look at him. It's the casual way they lace their fingers together, like it's nothing, when they're snoozing out on the deck. It's the way sometimes they have unspoken conversations, just staring into each others eyes, before moving forward in synch to meet in the middle to bump their foreheads together in some secret mutual understanding.

It's the reason why Sanji, for all his extravagant flirting, knows when to shut up and return to being a normal human (and, Thatch grudgingly admits, this applies to himself too). It's why Zoro never lets his gaze linger more than two seconds longer than it needs to (but he'll always take those two seconds), why Nami always looks like she wants to sit closer but doesn't, why Koala hasn't said anything when she's probably usually a much more proactive flirter.

Everyone on their crew can see it, except the two in question.

Ace, Thatch thinks, heaving a huge sigh as he looks down at the crumpled note from Izo in his palm. Little brother, you are so fucking in love.

It might not necessarily be romantically. It's certainly not particularly sexually, if Ace's lack of reaction to Lu's aggressive physical smothering is any indication. It could very possibly be platonically.

But either way, there's no room for Sanji, nor Zoro, nor the girls, nor even Thatch himself...at least, until those two figure that out.

Until then, everyone aboard the Merry is here because they love and respect their captains. No one would dare encroach on something so special, yet so potentially immature, not yet ready to be dragged out to be recognized.

Thatch knows Ace has known Luffy for years, he practically raised her. But he was also away at sea for three years. Luffy was a child when he left; she's an adult now.

Thatch once asked him if she had changed at all since he last saw her (Ace most certainly had, according to Deuce). And Ace looked blank, then horribly confused, before saying No...but also, yeah, I guess. Thatch understands; Ace isn't used to not knowing something about Luffy. And something...something had changed.

That something might very well be the thing that needs to be figured out. And for that, Ace hasn't had much time yet, since reuniting with Luffy. Only as much time as the rest of them, in fact. And they deserve time to figure that out, and as the two captains' loving crew, the ASL pirates have an unsaid agreement to watch over them...at least until they have.

(After that, Thatch thinks grimly, it might be open game.)

But of course, there's also the question of Luffy herself, and as much as she's the heart of the ASL Pirates, she's also an enigma. Thatch, for all that he adores her and honestly wants more with her, genuinely has a hard time imagining her as anything but clueless as someone's romantic partner (he's carefully not thinking about anything sexual). It very well may be that the whole "figuring out" that she and Ace have to do...ends up being nothing. And that's fine as well.

Either way, as much as Thatch loves him, there's no way that any of them here on board the Merry will stand to let Marco shatter this delicate...whatever it is that's going on between their captains, that the rest of them are so patiently respecting. Even if it ends up continuing indefinitely.

As strained as it can feel at times, they're comfortable like this. There's the little spark of joy when Seastar gives him a little extra attention, a little burn when Sanji kisses her hand, but comfort in the stability that no one will go any further. If anything it's a nice little spice to their daily lives, just the right amount, and not enough ruin the dish so to speak. This is fine.

Except, that there's just one teeny little problem...

"What did the blue gull bring you today, Commander?"

Thatch doesn't jump, because he's not an amateur and did realize that the Revolutionary was approaching, but perhaps later than he should have. Damn the kid's good at hiding his presence, and Thatch wonders if he'd have noticed at all if Sabo was being serious.

"Just a stupid request from a stupid brother," Thatch says cheerfully as he turns around to face Sabo. The boy isn't even trying to hide his curiosity, his gaze pinned to Thatch's hand.

Thatch contemplates chucking the letter into the sea, but then he realizes he isn't sure Sabo wouldn't just dive after it, and as a devil fruit user, Thatch wouldn't be able to stop him from reading it underwater.

So he casually uncurls his fingers, watches Sabo visibly perk up--before Thatch opens a black hole in his palm, letting the crumpled paper get sucked into the void.

(Perhaps he should be using his power as more than a secure second dimension pocket expansion, but hey, so far it hasn't been so helpful in the kitchen.)

Sabo sags and sulks, rather cutely, Thatch thinks. "You coulda let me see it," he pouts, looking up at Thatch with an expression uncannily like Luffy's. Fuck.

"Collecting intel, Chief?" Thatch winks, expertly hiding his horror that for a moment, he'd actually been tempted. Little sneak.

"Perhaps." Something slightly manic enters his gaze, and alright, that's nothing like Seastar, not so cute after all...

"Nice try, but it's a personal family thing, can't really share," Thatch says, and it's not really a lie.

Sabo grunts, letting it go, before his gaze flicks to the gull, who still has a beakful of Thatch's sleeve. "It waiting for something?"

Thatch sighs. "Yeah, yeah, my response, which I should probably give..." Because, right, Thatch needs to send a message back to the Moby, even if no, he isn't going to answer Izo's idiotic question.

Which, is actually a fine excuse to extract himself from this situation.

"So, sorry, the response also is personal, hope you don't mind," Thatch nods, and Sabo easily opens the way for him--which, Thatch belatedly realizes, he'd actually been blocking. Scary, little Chief, scary...

"Sorry, didn't mean to pry." Sabo sounds genuinely apologetic, and tips his hat at Thatch as he passes by, and Thatch inwardly heaves a massive sigh of relief. "I'm working on it, but I know I can get a little...pushy, when it comes to things that involve my baby brother."

Thatch continues to walk away.

But inside...

Oh. Yikes, he thinks.

~~

Thatch is in the privacy of the currently empty men's sleeping room beneath the deck, and has just finished writing and giving instructions and bribes to the gull when the hatch creaks open.

"Thatch, we're in trouble," Koala announces as she stomps down the stairs, making her sneaky opening of the door rather pointless.

"I noticed," Thatch says dryly.

Koala pales. "He didn't break any of your toes, did he?!"

"What."

"Well, you're a cook, you make food Luffy likes with your hands," Koala shrugs. "Just wanted to make sure."

"What the fuck."

"I don't think he will! You're Luffy and Ace's crew, and you're a Whitebeard pirate, but..."

Thatch groans. "I already thought your Chief might be trouble, but holy shit I didn't know he was that batshit."

"He might not be!" Koala sounds defensive, but it's not particularly comforting. "He's usually reasonable, kind of, but since his memories came back..."

Thatch throws up his arms. "So, how'd he get it out of you?"

Koala flushes. "I didn't say anything!"

"Sure."

"It's not my fault that Sabo's a damn--!"

There's a loud knock, before the hatch flings open, and Ace pops his head in. "Hey Thatch! What's for snack--"

"NOT AGAIN!" Koala cries.

At the same time, Thatch shouts, "IN A SECOND!"

Either way, the hatch slams shut with a, "SORRY!"

Thatch and Koala stare at each other with their hearts beating uncomfortably rapidly.

They slowly heave a slow sigh of relief as the tension drains.

"I really need to apologize to Ace," Thatch mutters.

"I really need to work on my Observation Haki," Koala groans.

"HEY THATCH, I WANT A SNACK," Luffy shouts, and Thatch and Koala's heads whip around in horror, only to sag with relief at seeing that Luffy's not in the room, but only for a second--

--because after that second, a mermaid's crashing through the hatch, ripping it from its hinges as she slams, hatch and all, into Thatch's chest.

The room fills with dust and debris, and there are shouts outside.

Koala gingerly peers into the wreckage where Thatch is now buried in the wall, a terrified blue gull  perched on her shoulders peering alongside her, its claws digging through the fabric of her shirt.

"We're fine," Thatch coughs, peering down to make sure he'd successfully caught and shielded Luffy from damage, even as he peels himself from the wood. Luffy seems unharmed, though her eyes are wide; she clearly hadn't expected to do quite this much.

"...Armament?" Koala asks, noticing how the back of Thatch's hair is black from where it's fanned around him.

"Armament," Thatch agrees, keeping the entire back of his body coated until he's safely pulled himself and Luffy, still in his arms, away from any sharp wood.

"Sorry, Thatch," Luffy says, not particularly apologetic, if anything sort of curious. She peels herself back from his chest, scritching her cheek while looking down at what was once the hatch to the mens room that had shattered between them. She then reaches back to tug at Thatch's black locks, and oohs when they fade back to auburn.

"No worries, just make sure to make it up to Deuce and Usopp when they have to fix this," Thatch sighs, before grinning, letting his arms fall away from Luffy once he knows she has a secure grip on his shoulders. He then begins carding his fingers through her hair to make sure no splinters got in, and likewise dusting off the front of her vest, taking care not to let his touch linger. Luffy nods frantic agreement, more like rubs her head into his palm, and Thatch feels his heart skip a beat.

Koala sighs.

"Hey Thatch, what's this?"

Thatch blinks, then inwardly curses.

Luffy's holding Izo's crumpled piece of paper. His control of his power's still shoddy, and it must have accidentally spat it back out in the commotion.

Please, don't be able to read that, he prays. He luckily doesn't have much confidence in Luffy's reading abilities.

"It says 'what are her three sizes.' What are those?"

In the background, Koala slowly raises her fist.

~~

A few days later, Marco's scouting when a blue gull rapidly approaches him.

Delivery! it squawks. Delivery for you, Boss, and don't show Izo! Don't show Izo! Don't show Izo or the bread man will be mad!

Thank you, noted, friend, Marco responds, and catches the note from Thatch in mid air.

The gull trills acknowledgement, then wheels away to rejoin its brethren, while Marco changes course for the nearest island, a safe forest haven in Pops's territory, still a ways away from the Moby. It's uninhabited, save for the wildlife, and it would be good to land once before returning home anyway.

Marco lands lightly on the tallest and oldest tree on the island, from where he can survey the island of pure greenery, and the endless blue stretching beyond. The branch he's chosen looks deceptively thin, but he already knows it can support his human weight, which is why he shifts, passing the note from his claw to his hand before completing his transformation.

Marco frowns. The other Commanders (and to be honest, the entire crew) have been acting a bit strange recently, but for Thatch, who isn't even on board with them, to also be in on it...

True, this may or may not be related to that at all. But still.

Marco feels like he's missing something.

Marco, Thatch's message starts, and Marco already knows it's going to be serious because it didn't start with a jibe at his appearance.

Marco, I think I'm actually serious about her. Thoughts, brother?

Her, meaning the Ace's little brother, the mermaid girl.

If Marco remembers correctly, in Thatch's first note back to him, he'd written, She's stolen my heart, I think I want to marry her.

Marco had assumed Thatch was joking at the time, or just light-heartedly flirting, as he always did. Marco's used to hearing Thatch spew these kinds of words, and he'd taken it to mean that the girl's exceptionally Thatch's type, but hadn't thought further.

The words had made him remember a little trinket he'd had stored in a chest at the back of his closet, one he'd received from an elderly couple on Fishman Island around two decades ago...

But that's not important now, Marco thinks, focussing on Thatch's message.

In all his years of flings and casual relationships and jokingly asking ladies (and some gents) Won't you marry me...Thatch has not once asked for Marco's opinion. He's certainly had plenty of opinions himself about whether someone would be a potential good match for Marco, which Marco always ignored. But Thatch has never asked Marco about matches for himself.

Thatch really is serious.

Marco finds himself slowly smiling. "Finally, you sap," he murmurs, though no one hears him but the other birds in the trees around him.

He knows he ought to think more about what to say, but the answer is so obvious that Marco takes Thatch's note, and carefully tears the paper so that his brother's words aren't damaged. Gently tucking Thatch's note into his pocket, Marco pulls out a pen for the remaining small blank strip of paper.

Shortly afterwards, two birds depart from the island, in opposite directions: one, a phoenix, wings burning cyan against the clear skies, and the other, a blue gull headed to Paradise.

~~

~~

~~

Part 9, things start Moving as Sabo confronts Ace.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! And again, please do let me know if you actually like reading the story here on tumblr or not >.<;

As always, any comments are immensely appreciated and help motivate me to create more for this AU! ;A;

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

~This ask has been added to the Mermaid AU Text Headcanons Compilation post~

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 2021 - Initial Thoughts

After Obon snuck in and delayed the chapter we can return to normal programming. Fresh off the heels of Devil Robin and Momo's request we jump back into One Piece, but not where we left off

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release too!

Our cover page this time is Leo and co playing Hide and Seek, they're not that good at it

The map is actually quite handy for showing where the Straw Hats are as well, looks like Franky's well away from the others but nearest to the performance floor, if Nami and Usopp are to reconvene with Robin and Brook they'll likely have to go around BM fighting Kid and Law

Odd also that Ulti and Pay-Pay weren't shown defeated

15 Minutes is not a lot of time either, remember it took Luffy hours to days to defeat Big Mom's sweet commanders, time is not on our side

Luffy's eaten his fill but Caribou is in the background panicking, I'm guessing he's being told that he has to enter the battle

Finally back to the Raizo/Forehead fight

We finally seeing those patented earlobe crackers

Raizo is on the back foot though, because Forehead is exposing his emotions to give away his deception

Finally getting to see Izo and Denjiro during Raizo's speech, but also Kin, Kiku and Ashura's bodies too. I still hope Kin's alive though

Over to Killer vs Hawkins and despite losing a lot of strawmen Hawkins remains confident

and that's why, he somehow got Kid's soul bound to a Straw Man! Does that mean Killer was cutting down other members of his crew?

Come on Hawkins, I've stood up for you for this long, now you're just being a creepy evil Alucard in this place

But playing Devil's Advocate, it may seem like Hawkins doesn't want Kid to die, or else why would he tell Killer?

2 Options though I think Killer could use; cut off Hawkins' arm which Kid is missing or Sea Prism Stone. Though I'd still rather see Hawkins turn on Kaido but at least he's flexing some threat level here

King's back though, and with Queen they're making quick work of the SMILE atrocities

Marco and Sanji are also down having been forced to fight both

King and Queen are after Zoro though, they know it's over if he heals because he's already scarred Kaido today

Pero bastard as well sniping candy arrows

...I'm pretty sure Sanji still married Pudding, the plan was to shoot him as he kissed the bride right so technically they exchanged vows and stuff. But anyway is Sanji died you probably still would've had to team with Kaido because Luffy would still go to Wano

Neko finally fucking arrives, what take a couple of wrong turns buddy?

Taking it outside may also bode well for Carrot and Wanda, who may've recovered by now to perhaps help out, one hopes at least for Carrot, don't want to see her be leverage now

King and Queen have found Cactus Zoro, but Marco makes the save!

Huhhhhh, King is from a race that lived atop the Red Line? Were they ousted from Marejois?

Marco though immediately gives up, he's used his power and he's ready to let the next generation fight

Zoro is reunleashed, and Sanji's there to fight with him too

Tiny Tiny Chopper's face though XD

No squabbling this time though, they have the same goal in mind, win and Luffy's one step closer to being king

Ahhh ain't those boys back in town

finally gonna get a proper Zoro/Sanji team up it looks like against King and Queen. Which works for a lot of reasons but also that I don't think King and Queen can synergize as well. It'll take time though, Sanji hasn't put back in the Raid Suit after all so until then we know he's not at his best

In the defeat of the Tobi Roppo we've put some newer fights in place or back in the forefront so the action will continue. A 15 minute time limit though does make one wonder how it's all gonna go down at that point

maybe Act 3 ends with Kaido about to drop Onigashima, we'll have to see, but a lot is still left to cover, much is still left to do

Clock's ticking Luffy, gotta make your move now.

[opbackgrounds]

Alright, friends, you know the drill by now. Here’s Part III of Sarcasticles’ overblown thoughts on sexism in One Piece. If you haven’t already, go read Part I and Part II before proceeding. 

I promise after this I’ll be done. By hook or by crook, we’re getting through the point of the original question. To the Anon who originally sent the ask, sorry it took this long to get here, I hope it’s helpful.

Also, I allude to some very, very minor Wano spoilers, so if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing here’s your warning. 

Characterization? I Don’t Know Her

What makes a good character?

I’ve spent an awful lot of time talking about character designs, when, funnily enough, it’s one of the aspects I pay the least attention to when it comes to deciding if I like how an author portrays their characters. I personally don’t care for fanservice, never have and never will. But unless it’s particularly egregious, I tend to ignore it because there are other factors I think are more important. 

The secret sauce for building characters is hard to define, because a good writer can take a concept that has no right being any good and turn it into something incredible (Oda does this all the time) where bad writers will seemingly slot all the right information in the right holes and still have their characters come out of the developmental oven flat and under cooked. 

One of the biggest buzzwords floating around these days is agency. Is a character active in their own story, or are they jerked around by the needs of the plot? Is their voice heard? Is their voice unique, or do they blend in with the background?

This is particularly important, because the term Strong Female Protagonist has been warped into shorthand for “girl who fights a lot and looks pretty doing it”. You can have a girl strong enough to lift mountains and still have her be a shit character. You can write a girl who’s main motivation is to get married and have babies with phenomenal depth. What matters is execution. 

The Petition to Call A Group of Rescue Arcs a ‘Damsel’

Both Nami and Robin had to be rescued, their main arcs bearing similarities that are impossible to ignore. But these aren’t copies of one another as much as variations on a theme, and with the existence of Marineford and Whole Cake Island I think anyone would be hard-pressed to say that One Piece’s rescue arcs are a girl’s thing. At this point it’s a feature, not a bug. 

Which makes sense given how fundamental the idea freedom is to the series. Hell, the first thing Luffy does after becoming a pirate is free Coby from Alvida’s tyrannical reign. Then he frees Zoro from an unjust authority that would have killed him had Luffy not intervened.

Notice a pattern here? 

One Piece is written like Pachelbel Canon, in that a very simple core of ideas are repeated over and over with layers of complexity and nuance added over time, examining the same themes from every possible angle. 

And when you look at the Four Big Rescue Arcs -- Nami, Robin, Ace, Sanji -- you’ll see that it’s Ace who’s given the least agency throughout his arc. Nami chose to hijack the Going Merry, repeatedly chose to push away the Straw Hats until she reached her breaking point, at which she chose to ask for help, with Luffy only intervening once she does. 

Robin is a little less obvious, but during the post-Water 7 party chapters, Aokiji makes the interesting observation that Robin could have escaped CP9, but chose not to

Remember that before Robin’s backstory was shown, Luffy specifically said he didn’t care if she wanted to die or not, so long as she was with the Straw Hats when she made her decision. No one bullied her into “I wanna live”. It was a choice she made of her own volition after realizing the depths the Straw Hats would go on her behalf.

I know there are people who disagree with me, but Nami and Robin are well-written characters. I’ve expounded enough on my reasoning both here and on my main that I don’t want to spend the time belaboring the point. What I do want is to note that Luffy wouldn’t be able to attain his dreams without them. Nami keeps them on course while also severing as a sort of moral compass for the crew -- remember she was the one who insisted on saving the giant kids at Punk Hazard -- while Robin’s ability to read the poneglyphs is what’s going to get the crew to Raftel.

Robin admittedly doesn’t have the same presence within the Straw Hat Pirates as Nami, but I would hardly call that sexism. Since Water 7/Enies Lobby she’s been pretty content to go with whatever Luffy says, and the fact that she’s literally quieter than anyone else in the crew means she doesn’t get as much focus. I think there could be more scenes with her using her specific skill set, like her investigations in Wano and the forensic anthropology scene in the pre-Jaya chapters, but I’m okay with her being a supporting character. 

The East Blue Crew have consistently gotten the most focus of any of the Straw Hats. They are the core of the crew, something Oda admits in a roundabout way in the Color Walk where they all appear together for the first time in a color spread

With the main cast as large as it is, not everyone is going to have the same amount of focus or development. Robin is given a unique voice within the story because she doesn’t overreact the way literally everyone else does. Through her silence, she stands out. I find there to be very meaningful character development when she feels comfortable enough with the Straw Hats to start calling them by name in Thriller Bark, relaxed enough with her friends to comitt her first facefaults in a series lousy with them in both Dressrosa and Wano.

In an ideal world, Oda would better rotate through his cast, much like how Brook was the unsung MVP on Whole Cake Island (where Nami was also excellent in a supporting role) but I don’t think people realize how hard it is to juggle almost a dozen different people in a story that’s bloated exponentially over time. To his credit, Oda has handled his expanding crew better than most writers. 

I also find it hard to judge this aspect of the series because the manga’s not done yet. I don’t know how Robin and Nami will be used in the future. I mean, Robin never got a chapter title declaring her “The Seventh” which I find suspicious, so Oda could very well have events in store that completely turn our perceptions upside down. It’s impossible to say.

I will acknowledge that the lack of big fights is somewhat disappointing, but neither Robin nor Nami’s dreams revolve around them getting stronger. Robin doesn’t need to use her power to make people explode from the inside out, Nami doesn’t need to fry end-game bosses with her lightning stick. That’s simply not their narrative purpose. With the exception of Tashigi, I’ve found that the female characters advertised as fighters have lived up to their billing. Hancock came out of Marineford unscathed. Carrot’s sulong form was awesome, in the old-fashioned sense of the word. The whole climax of Whole Cake Island revolved around surviving Big Mom’s wrath. Not beating her, not fighting her, it took all the Straw Hats had to just survive. Once again you’re left with a number’s game where where there just aren’t enough female characters to even pretend things are balanced.

All said, I think if you’re going to complain about the lack of Robin fights then I think you also have to complain about the lack of Brook fights, and that’s just not something you hear about, especially after Whole Cake Island. You can’t have it both ways. Either there needs to be more even distribution of major fights throughout the entire crew, or you have to acknowledge that a character’s worth isn’t dependent on their fighting prowess. 

One Piece is a battle manga, and I do think that it’s fair to criticize when a character isn’t allowed to fight when they’re perfectly capable of kicking ass. But it’s also an adventure story, and that opens up entirely new space for a character to occupy, and that’s where I think Nami and Robin (but especially Nami) really shine

That Moment You Realize Humor Isn’t A Universal Language

I’ve spent so much time defending Oda’s designs and characters that it might seem like I’m perfectly okay with everything that’s portrayed in the manga. To be clear, I’m not. If the messages and comments I’ve gotten over the past several days have taught me anything, it’s that many fans share the same sticking points I do, namely in regards to some of the gags. 

I again want to be careful here, because I’m hardly an expert on Japanese culture and it’s really hard to tell if Oda writes his jokes because he thinks they’re funny, or if he thinks his audience will find them funny. I’m again going to default to somewhere in the middle, because if Oda truly found the perviness distasteful he probably wouldn’t have included it, and I’ve read enough SBS to know the guy likes his dick jokes. 

First and foremost, one must address the culture gap. Japan ranks last among G7 nations on gender equality, In 2004 two-thirds of Tokyo women in their 20-30s reported to being groped while on public transport. There are numerous barriers that make it difficult for a woman to succeed either in the workplace or politics. 

From what I can gather, some of these trends are reversing, albeit slowly and with great resistance. Contrary to what many people seem to believe culture is not always value neutral. And I say that as an American, recognizing there are plenty of things about my culture and country that are really fucked up. 

But who gets to decide who’s right and who’s wrong?

When inside that kind of environment, that kind of culture, it’s a lot easier to understand how a character like Sanji can exist. It’s easy to understand why Momo shoving his face into Nami and Robin’s boobs might be played for laughs. It’s not an excuse, but an explanation. And with Sanji failing more often than not, being the butt of his own joke as he slowly turns into a parody of what he once was, one could almost say Oda is pointing those types of people and saying, “Look how pathetic this guy is. Now go laugh as he gets a nosebleed so bad he needs multiple blood transfusions in order to not die.”

I say almost, because Sanji is never condemned for his actions, nor does he learn from them. Instead you have this character who’s supposed to be one of the kindest characters in the series decide to immediately go peep on a woman’s bath house after gaining the power of invisibility. 

Stay classy, Oda.

As distasteful as I find it, I don’t find fanservice to be an inherently evil thing that must be eradicated at all costs, and with Oda doing things like putting his entire cast, male and female, into skintight leathers you can hardly say that he’s excluding the men. 

Everyone will have their line in the sand, and mine goes back to agency. When Nami did her Happiness Punch way back in Alabasta, that was of her own volition. When Nami and Robin dress in clothes that show everything but the nipple, that’s something they chose and feel comfortable in. 

But when Smoker and Tashigi swapped bodies at Punk Hazard, Tashigi specifically asked Smoker not to strip, and he did anyway, opening her coat and removing her bra. This is especially egregious as Tashigi is one of the very few women in the series who is always shown wearing very conservative clothing. Oda specifically showed Tashigi getting upset at Smoker’s actions, and Smoker repeatedly refusing to listen to her.   

That’s where I draw my line. 

Some Final Thoughts I Couldn’t Fit Anywhere Else 

Thought The First--Oda has an interesting habit of turning his most despicable, scummy pieces of flaming human garbage into the butt of the joke. Villains like Crocodile and Doflamingo are certainly evil, but it’s the idealized, cool type of evil that makes you almost admire them. There aren’t very many real-world Crocodiles, but just about everyone knows a Spandam, or an Absalom, or a Vander Decken. These kinds of villains aren’t scary because of their physical prowess, but their unyielding obsessions and the power they’re able to wring from the system, and -- surprise, surprise -- all three are either actively trying to be creepy sex pests or coded as such with the visual language of the comic.   

And Oda turns them into a mockery. 

While there are some who feel like not treating serious issues like sexual assault seriously are doing a disservice to people who have endured similar experiences I think there’s merit to turning them into a laughingstock. As someone much smarter than me said once, if an opinion cannot withstand mockery it’s revealed to be ridiculous, and these scummy-scum villains are certainly ridiculous.

Thought The Second--It’s hard to say how much sexism is a thing in-universe. Kuina is the only one who is explicitly told her dreams were impossible because of her gender, but with the recent reveal confirming that her family came from Wano, which in turn is based on Feudal Japan, it’s hard to say how widespread these beliefs are. Tashigi brought it up again at Loguetown and Bellemere specifically told her girls that they lived in an era where “girls needed to be strong, too”, but otherwise it’s not a topic that’s been explored in any depth

Thought The Third--The in-universe fetishization of mermaids has some implications that I think are unintended but worth discussing. Shirahoshi has a reputation of being one of the most beautiful women in the world despite not leaving her tower for over 10 years (she’s 16). Mermaids whose tails have split are worth less on the slave market than those whose are intact. Even Zoro erased Kokoro from his memory after meeting the more attractive Caime. It’s one of those odd things that when combined with the more obvious racism themes could have some unfortunate implications, and I think could have been avoided had Oda show a little more restraint with some of his jokes. Unintended consequences are still consequences. 

Thought The Forth--There are many other instances throughout the series that people bring up with talking about sexism in One Piece. I feel like a lot of these can be explained away individually -- for example, both Belo Betty and Rebecca’s stripperific outfits were inspired by other media, the painting Liberty of the People and Red Sonja respectively; Lola chasing after an obviously abusive man makes a whole lot more sense when you meet Big Mom; Hancock’s love sickness could be seen as an emotionally stunted woman experiencing her first crush, etc., etc -- it’s when they’re all put together that they begin to read as “Problematic”. 

It would be impossible to go over all these individually, but I tend to fall on the side of leniency. In the end, everyone has to make their own decisions based on their own values. I’m hardly unbiased, and my enjoyment for the series will undoubtedly make me look the other way when another might call the exact same incident The Worst Thing Ever. The thing is, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and most are convinced that theirs don’t stink. I include myself in that statement. In the end it’s a comic for kids. It’s supposed to be fun. 

Thought The Last--I have spent entirely too much of my time writing this up, but in the end I guess I have to go back to what I said when I talked about my thoughts on Sanji: Everyone has their own personal line of acceptable bullshit, and for me Oda does more good than bad. Sanji specifically gets very little leniency from me because I don’t like a lot of the gross behavior Oda passes over as a joke. But the female characters themselves, generally speaking? They’re fine. There are other mangaka that have more equal male to female ratios or have women play more active roles in the story, but Oda does a lot better than most other shonen titles I’ve read. 

It’s okay to be critical of media you enjoy. It’s okay to complain. But remember that One Piece is a very long series, and there are some fans who have been a round for literally decades. I myself started reading weekly around the time Duval was introduced, way back in 2008. Every time a new batch of fans comes in the same old arguments get stirred to the top of the pot: Sanji is a creep, Oda can’t draw women, why doesn’t Robin ever get to fight?

It can be exhausting to go through the same hoops time and time again. So if you’re someone who is being critical and feel like no one is listening, or that a bunch of fans are going out of their way to defend Oda, that could be one of the reasons why. They’re tired of having a series they enjoy be shit on. 

There are other fans who legitimately don’t think that Oda’s done anything wrong, that jokes are just jokes. If you happen to fall in that category, remember that not everyone feels that way. Art reflects life, which in turn reflects art. One Piece is a few million copies away from outselling Batman. To say it isn’t influential to young readers, both in Japan and abroad, is beyond asinine. 

I thank everyone who’s taken the time to read this so far. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how civil the discussion and my inbox as stayed. Even if I didn’t respond to your message, I promise that I did read it. 

I wrote as much as I did because I know this is a topic a lot of people care about, and also so I hopefully don’t have to write about it again. A lot of hours has gone into this project, and it’s been exhausting, but in a good way, if that makes any sense. I’m ready to put it to rest. 

I was joking with some friends that I think I’ve hit just about every hot topic issue now, so hopefully I can go back to fun questions like speculating if Wapol can eat a person and poop out a devil fruit. 

Until then, Sarcasticles, out         

[lunnamars]

prompt: cold

Quick note: it's supposed to be for the Cold prompt from our ZoTash discord, but mine has a cold-ish theme, so forgive me anyhow. Your gal here is having a writer’s block, but I wanted to inspire myself on the LuNa fic from HerPrettySmile. If you're into LuNa, you should definitely check it out. It's one of my favorites fics!

The first time Sanji noticed them was back in Loguetown. When they were fleeing, Zoro was having a fight with a pretty lady and the cook had been outraged. The mosshead had never shown any interest in any woman whatsoever, so seeing him having a fight with one was absurd.

She was a swordsman, the blonde noticed. A perfect match, he thought. He never knew if the first-mate even had any interest in relationships, but if he does one day, the cook thought someone like that pretty lady would fit. 

Sanji had never known what was the result of the fight though. He wanted to stay at the time, but it was raining and so fucking cold, his clothes soaked, and he couldn’t even light his cigarette. So he trusted the Mosshead wouldn’t do anything stupid and went on his way. Zoro didn’t say anything when he came back to the ship and the cook never asked. 

However, he didn’t seem happy about something, and Sanji wondered what happened to the pretty lady.

Well, it’s not like we’ll meet again.

—

The first time Nami noticed that there was something odd with the relationship between Zoro and the Navy Lady was way back in Alabasta. She had never seen the green-haired man so agitated and flustered (and it wasn’t because of the fucking heat from that freaking country), not even when he was dealing with Sanji. That woman was definitely weird and also dangerous with her unceasing wish of chasing them. 

He had run away from the woman with glasses and Nami was stunned. She remembers him saying “She’s the only one I can’t fight” and the surprise hit her hard as a punch from Luffy. The only one he can’t fight? There’s no such a thing in Roronoa Zoro’s vocabulary — he’d never back down from a fight. Ever! Especially against a marine, even if she’s was a woman. 

She tried to drag the truth out of him, but to no avail. Zoro simply ignored her at the time and all the other times she had questioned him. Sometimes, he’d even give her a cold shoulder for poking her nose in too much.

Well, whatever. She doesn’t seem like she can pose a threat to him anyway.

—

Robin was almost sure there was something between the two swordsmen and she figured it out on Punk Hazard. She had seen how it was a really complicated and strained relationship and probably Zoro had his reasons. It was not like him to lose his temper over simple words and with strangers. 

She noticed how Zoro tried to act cold as that God-forsaken island towards the marine lady, but his efforts proved to be fruitless. He did lose his mind with her during the battle, but wasn’t able to leave her behind to die from Caeser’s gas. He had even bandaged her almost frostbitten shoulder! 

But there were two reasons she had been led to believe they were not strangers to each other: while running with the kids and the G-5 sailors, she heard them gossiping how the “Swirly Brow bro” had said the “Sword bro” was a softie inside and they didn’t need to worry about “Captain-chan”. Robin agreed, it was very well put. That was the first.

The second was when they were at the victory celebration, pirates and sailors together, she saw Tashigi fetching a glove for Zoro because his hands were cold. They argued in the end, yes, but she didn’t miss the looks they gave each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. 

Both seemed curious, but Tashigi had a longing in her eyes and he had recognition in his good eye.

Oh my, something did change.

—

Usopp had never paid attention to that Navy Lady that Sanji and Robin would talk about sometimes. He just knew she was Smoker’s subordinate, she was not that strong and had a weird rivalry with Zoro. He didn’t know why she even bothered considering their gap in strength was huge. 

Until he saw her fight in Wano. She was not strong as Zoro and Law yet, but she stood her ground pretty fucking beautifully in order to protect the Strawhat’s swordsman. Which was odd, taking into account her past behavior and the way she acted towards him when she first landed on the Samurai’s country. 

Tashigi had been straight up cold towards Zoro, full of icy remarks, and indifferent looks. But that was before their swordsman almost got himself killed. Zoro was on the floor and Tashigi protected him, fighting tooth and nail. She had won and it had been a pretty impressive battle, but, in the end, she ended up badly hurt. 

Chopper took care of her, of course, but the other strange thing was that Zoro did not leave her side. He even stood up to Smoker when the older man demanded him to get the fuck out of her bedroom. 

Zoro did not obey. And Usopp was flabbergasted.

She was just a marine and initially, the sniper thought Zoro was just doing that out of obligation. The woman had saved his life, after all. But then, he seemed pretty fucking happy when she woke up (even if they got back to yelling at each other) in his own peculiar way and for some reason, started to follow her around.

Her frigid demeanor was no more and she would even send a smile his way sometimes. They’d go back to arguing in the end though.

Those two are really troublesome.

—

Brook was old enough to spot correctly the moment when the pretty Navy Lady stopped being Zoro’s enemy and became his friend. He also knew they were a step away from being lovers, but not yet. Their established friendship was recent, but they weren’t able to hide the looks they gave each other all the time. 

Only when the other wasn’t looking, of course. He had a strong longing in his good eye and she had recognition in hers. In Brook’s opinion, they were two kids dancing around each other, without the courage to stop. 

It wasn’t just the looks. It was the small gestures — the way he would wrap a scarf around her neck when she was shivering because “you’ll catch a cold and fuck everything up, so take care of yourself, woman”, the way they’d always stay or fight together or how he would sulk in the corner when she was giving Law more attention than necessary.

Or, especially, how he gave one of his earings to her before the girl left to end the revolution she, Smoker and Aokiji started in the Navy. She had looked at him with surprise and he was asking for a promise in complete silence. Tashigi smiled and nodded, and maybe that was the step they needed. 

Yohohoho, young love. Always an adventure.

—

Smoker had always known how that brat was special to that silly little girl. He knew since she had let the Strawhats go in Alabasta, when she had blushed when that fucking boy carried her in Punk Hazard, when she had stood between death and the Pirate Hunter in Wano, risking her life for the sake of that punk.

The Vice-Admiral also knew that, from the brat’s part, Tashigi has always been equally special. He knew when he saw him saving her in Punk Hazard and when he stood up to him in Wano. He noticed when his cold demeanor turned into a friendly one and their bickering stopped being full of hate and poisonous only to become something amicable. Or even when he had cuddled with her in a freaking frozen night.

When all was said and done, he saw her run to the pirate and hug him, face full of relief and happiness for seeing him alive. The brat had been fucking hurt while protecting her with all his might. Smoker had to admit that the boy would hunt anyone who would hurt her. 

They had mended their wounds, one never leaving the other’s side. Smoker was okay with it, what could he do? The heart wants what it fucking wants. He just didn’t need to catch them in a lip-lock in the middle of the party, kissing like there was no tomorrow and fucking oblivious to the people cheering around them. 

The G-5 men, the Strawhats, and the Revolutionary Army all screaming. Smoker didn’t know why they were so surprised, he has always known to be honest. And it was the same reason why he was not stupefied when she handed her resign letter followed by a wedding invitation. 

Her smile had been radiant as she was on the day of her marriage. It was extremely simple, it had quite some people and they were dressed in traditional Wano clothes. It almost didn’t have any ceremony, they both didn’t believe in any religion after all. It was supposed to be just a party, considering that parties are the Strawhat’s specialty. 

Everyone was drinking and dancing when he approached the fucking brat (now a full-grown man, to be fair, but Smoker would still consider him a punk), nodding and glaring at him. The pirate returned the glare and the now-Admiral just smirked. He didn’t want to play the father figure there, but someone had too. 

“I’ll kill you if you hurt her. I don’t fucking care if you’re the greatest swordsman in the world or any of that shit. I will kick your sorry ass, pirate,” Smoker used his most menacing tone to get his point across.

Zoro nodded and seriously, replied, “I won’t. You have my word.”

Smoker eyed him, taking all his features, from his stern and determined look to his strong posture. The brat-turned-man seemed to be speaking the truth.

“But aren’t you too old to be threatening people, Admiral?”, Zoro tilted his head and showed his usual cocky smile.

Smoker only rolled his eyes and turned his back to the current greatest swordsman in the world. What the hell that silly girl was thinking when she decided to marry that pirate?

Nevertheless, he had to admit the boy had some balls and in the end, Smoker admitted she’d be okay. They’d be okay. He’d miss her, but people always say that letting kids go is hard as fuck, right?

He snorted and lighted a single cigar. 

Fucking brat.

[plagued-yakuza]

To Have You Back

So apparently I can’t read, or if I did I forgot, because I totally missed the deadline for posting the OP x BNHA hub event! ;A; Honestly, I almost cried when the mods of @onepiecerphub​ contacted me. I’m terribly, TERRIBLY sorry!! @askblackleg-sanji​ please have my apologies alongside your gift! I loved your content and I think you’re a great artist and such a chill person. I’m willing to write you another one to make up for the delay if you want ;w;

This piece has been half-finished in my drafts since the beginning of September, and since my class today was canceled, I took the time for some tweeking and updating to make it more manga-compliant. Once again, I’m really sorry for the delay! No content warning for this that except for innuendo and manga spoilers - but it’s kinda big, so it goes under a read more.

Summary: They finally meet again in Wano. While things may have changed, others are exactly as they should be. (ZoSan | One Piece)

Moonlight paints the ruined castle in shades of silver and black, glossing over the remains of destruction, less of a tragedy and more like a dream. The existent warmth comes from the embers of their bonfire, already dulled by Wano’s insistent winds, only strong enough to create a smaller circle of golden light and heat. They’re scattered around it, wrapped around themselves to keep precious body heat, the only sounds those of a peaceful night after the stress of the afternoon and the emotional tales of the evening.  

Still, one of the pirates has not fallen asleep. Despite the tiredness weighing down his bones, Sanji is wide awake, the light smoke of the cigarette and the pleasant twirl of his thoughts to his company. He has never been to Wano before, and yet it feels like home, like belonging. During the dreadful time in Whole Cake island, he has longed for this - for the sight of his asleep nakama nearby, for the safety and comfort of their presence. Luffy’s light snoring to disturb the occasional song of the cicadas, Chopper bundling up with Nami and Carrot to share a cover, Momonosuke laying against Kin’emon, even Torao asleep with that silly hat over his face. After almost giving up on it all, even if for reasons he thought for the best at the time, he treasures it even further, and the quiet joy keeps him awake for longer than he thought that night.

There is the light shuffling of cloth nearby, along with the tinkling of metal as it shifts in its leather band with the owner’s movements. Sanji makes no comment as the green-haired man takes a place beside him next to the dying fire, seemingly too caught up in his own thoughts to care. Zoro lets a long sigh escape his throat as he stretches his tired muscles, knowingly calling to himself an attention that he already had.

“So…. The girl?” The swordsman asks casually, fingers drumming against his hurting neck. His good eye is closed, his silhouette drawn in yellow and black against the fire, a sight that Sanji is pleased to be the only one awake to see.

“Didn’t really work out.” The chef shrugs lightly, taking in a deep puff from his cigarette rather than expanding more on what happened in Tottoland. He needs the calming numbness of nicotine to push it away from his mind, a sign he knows the other will understand.

Zoro snorts, a tiny smile playing on the edge of his lips - the mere sight makes Sanji frown, the edge between his brows deepening with the following comment. “I bet it didn’t.”

“What are you implying, eh?”

“That not even Big Mom’s ugly kid wanted you.”

“Fuck off! She was really pretty!” The blonde huffs, smoke puffing out from his nostrils as he glances beside him in annoyance.

“Oh, was she then? Then why all that trouble of sending Bege and shit to get you there? Like you wouldn’t do a thing for a skirt.”

“You’re wearing one.” The reply is smooth and self-assured both, a playful jab with a not at all subtle hint. He can see Zoro grim with the edge of his eyes, and he knows this means a small victory in their rather particular way of flirting.

“Last time you met a nice lady you got all beaten up. Or did you?”

“I’ll beat you up myself if you keep up with this bullshit, Marimo.”

"Would you?” Zoro’s reply is as sharp as his swordsmanship, an eyebrow lifted slightly in provocation, and in between his words is a promise that paints the tips of Sanji’s ears red.

“I will.” The chef is quick to assure, breathing in smoke to hide his embarrassment as his gaze shifts away, back to the fire, to recollect himself and change the subject. “What were you up to, during that?”

“Was accused of killing some dudes. Had to leave the capitol for that - Torao was pretty pissed.”

“And did you cut them?”

“Of course not. He only wanted Shusui.” He makes a mention to the swords held close to his hip, his index finger laying on the flowery handguard of the dark-bladed treasure. The touch is soft, as caring as he is when they’re alone like this. “They thought I stole this from an old samurai, but it was that creepy shadow dude that got his body and brought him back. He gave it to me after we fought.”

“That was back in Thriller Bark, right?” At the time, it had been terrifying; two years later, Sanji is surprised on how nostalgic it feels to remember the decaying boat and its inhabitants. “Such a long time ago.”

“You’d figure they’d have found out earlier I wasn’t here all that time back. But the attacker himself was the judge, and tried to accuse me of using it against some others, so I cut him down.”

“You cut down the judge?”

“And the building.” Zoro adds solemnly, with a light nod of his head.

Sanji cannot hold it anymore - he laughs aloud, almost wheezing in between breaths. The fingers that hold his cigarette are trembling slightly as they bring it back to his mouth, an effort to keep himself quiet and not awake their companions. It is their moment, and he does not wish to interrupt it. “That’s such a Marimo thing to do. Bet you didn’t even think of the consequences, did ya?”

“What for? I’ll just cut whoever comes my way.”

It takes more willpower this time to hold back the laughs, and he fails to control the smile that insists to come out when he hears such things from dumb Marimo. It feels so easy, so liberating - he envies it, and the feeling comes out the smoke as the cook sighs. “I wish I could be as straight-minded as you and the captain. Sometimes I think about things too much.”

“That’s your fault.” The swordsman replies in the same beat, an accusatory finger poking against Sanji’s temples as he glares at his companion with a narrowed eye. “You and this swirly eyebrow, it catches your thoughts and prevents them from leaving your brain.”

“It what?”

“You’re a dumbass.”

“Says who?? Nothing you just said makes sense!”

“Makes more sense than your face.”

“I’ll put sense in you so hard you’ll remember my shoe size forever!”

“That’s if I don’t cut you up and serve you for dinner first!”

They’re up to each other now, hands on collars, faces close enough for their noses to touch, and it is a miracle the altercation has not awaken any of their companions. Sanji’s long-forgotten cigarette is turning to ash on the floor, a different kind of drug in his veins as he leans closer, the grip on his clothes softening as his lover does the same. The hidden touch of their lips is what he missed the most - the way their tongues seem to meld against each other, to be close enough to feel his body heat and his scent, to dig his fingers into that stupidly soft green hair. He missed those stolen moments in the Sunny, away from the well-intentioned but nosy eyes of their crewmates, and the dance of competition, playful insults and teasing provocations they share in their own pace.

He missed Zoro, most of all, and he has no heart to put in words how he dreaded never seeing him again.

They back off slowly from each other, in between heavy breaths and burning cheeks, fingers intertwined and foreheads touching in the feeling of longing and the thrill of danger. They could very well have been caught, kissing right there where any of their nakama could see, and it makes Sanji’s heart drum faster in his ears with the need of doing it again.  

Yet the swordsman backs off, green hair brushing against the cook’s cheek as he moves to lay his head on his shoulder. Almost instinctively, the prince’s hand rises to caress his lover’s hair, long, skilled fingers combing through in a calming gesture. It is only due to the quiet environment that he can hear Zoro whispering against his shoulder, the grip in his other hand tightening. “I missed you. Dumbass. I thought you’d stay with that girl forever.”

“I would never leave the crew. Or Luffy. Or you.”

“Nice to see your level of priorities.” The green haired grumbles, shifting his position to glare annoyedly at Sanji in between long eyelashes. “I come last, eh?”

“Suits you well for how annoying you are.” The blonde teases back, a smirk playing in his reddened lips. His gaze softens despite that, the proximity and softness under his fingertips mellowing his teasing lightly. “You know I’d never truly leave, right?”

“Fucking no.” Zoro buries his head on the chef’s shoulder again, half-hiding from his own embarrassment, half-eager for the closeness. “You’d leave us and marry the girl just so we could all be safe or some bullshit. Stop putting yourself on the line, Swirly Eyebrow. How am I supposed to deal with that?”

“I’m sorry.” Sanji mumbles back in quiet remorse, the echo of Luffy’s words fresh in his mind. I just wanted to keep you all safe, is all he wants to say, but Zoro knows it; he can feel it in the way the swordmaster pulls him closer, in the light huff of anger he lets out. He knows and he hates it, and they will butt heads for this and for so many other things in the days and years to come. For once, Sanji does not want to think of sacrifice. He just wants to stay there for a while longer, to kiss the top of Zoro’s head and whisper: “But I’m here. I’m right here, and here to stay.”

It won’t last forever, they’re both aware of that. As morning comes, their nakama will awake to find Sanji making breakfast and Zoro napping, and think no else of it. But for now, they have this moment - a place to belong, even in the dreadful Wano country, and a memory written in moonlight amidst those ruins.

“......At least I’m glad to have you back.”

[takaraphoenix]

Okay!! For One Piece since we are pretty equal now where we are!! 1, 2, 12, and 25 for the end of the Totto Land Arc ＼(^-^)／

Thanks for asking! ^o^ Ooooh, shiny OP questions! *^*

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

Luffy and Nami, most definitely! I know exactly why this became so popular, because it’s such an anime narrative that The Boy gets together with The Girl who continuously hits and beats him up and that’s somehow seen as ~cute~ in anime. So considering Nami always beats Luffy up and that‘s ~funny~, it translates to them being a ship or whatever. But that’s the grossest anime ship writing anyway and I am blessed this isn’t the case in this show so I just really don’t get why people would want a ship based on such a dynamic in one of the rare cases when it finally isn’t canon.

There are so many girls I could like... understand why people would ship them with Luffy, considering how many girls he saves on a regular basis.

But that Nami regularly beats Luffy to a bruised pulp already doesn’t sit right with me in their friendship-relationship, because... how... about not just physically hurting the people you’re friends with?? I get it with Brook and Sanji when they’re being perverts because it’s rather self-defensive then, but with Luffy it’s so willy-nilly and she just beats him up whenever he does something she doesn’t like. That as the basis for a relationship is most definitely something I just really don’t get.

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?

Mmmmh... I am honestly a little lost as to what would cound as popular fandom OTPs here. I guess Sanji and Zoro, as much as they can count as bros. I just generally prefer the crew (aside from Franky/Robin) as bros instead of in relationships with each other, I suppose. *tilts head*

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Frooom what I just looked up, apparently the fandom is real split on Dressrosa. Half the notes I read rank it as the worst, while others defend it. So does this count? Because I really loved Dressrosa; it mirrored many of the things I loved about Alabasta, while upping the stakes a lot and it was so very heavy on the LawLu, which I totally loved, also of course Sabo and all the memories of Ace - and that fucking finale with the Strawhat Fleet!!!

25. How would you end Whole Cake Island/Would you change the ending of Whole Cake Island? 

I’d have to get back to you on that one! I am not yet at the end of this! Last episode I saw, Luffy just pulled Katakuri into the Mirroworld after Pedro killed himself and Sanji flew off with Chiffon and Pudding to make a wedding cake.

Thooough I guess what I already know what I’d like to change about the ending is; MAKE IT HAPPEN SOONER.

This story is most definitely too long, because it’s just a filler. Not in the sense of being a Filler Arc, but in the sense that it’s just unnecessary stuffing before we get to the actual plot in Wano.

And there are so fucking many fake-outs. So many moments of “And this is how this Could End Quickly”, only for it to then be prolonged after all. This should have been a short quick stop, them going there, getting the Poneglyphs and Sanji and leaving for Wano. Yes, the whole Vinsmoke thing is super interesting, but even with that, it coulda been way shorter.

Prolonging it by having the assassination plans fail was unnecessary. Especially since Caesar made three launcher. Not one, like requested. Three. So if one failed, they coulda used the second and the third. Instead, they fucking shot all three at once - and then they failed and were out of ammo. And then Big Mom got the unnecessarily timed hunger pangs and now Luffy has to fight Katakuri first before they can leave and I can see this arc going at least another 20 unnecessary episodes and it’s a bit nerve-grading.

Look. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy in, get the stuff, out mission because that ain’t how Luffy operates or One Piece works. But with Sanji being self-sacrificial and wanting to marry Pudding, we already stretched the plot to a sufficient enough length. Bege coming in with an actual plan that coulda realistically gotten them out quick and gotten Big Mom killed was ideally set up.

That’s where it should have ended so we could have moved on to Wano, where I want to go. Vinsmokes were saved, Judge and Sanji cut ties, all’s well that ends well. Hunger pangs and failed assassination and now another fight... unnecessary, in my opinion.

Salty Ask List

[sparda3g]

One Piece Chapter 921 Review

One Piece is back. After the revelation of the Samurai from 20 years ago, it’s finally time to reclaim the rightful glory to Wano Country. If only the two-week break in real life applied to the series as well. You can feel the hype and it’s only going to rise higher. This chapter was more of a follow-up discussion with elaborated pre-planning details with new outfits for the crew and a dreary reminder of who will they be dealing with in two weeks.

It does make sense to continue on with the discussion since the last chapter was more about the backstory of the 5 Samurai from 20 years ago. Therefore, this one is about the preparation prior to the decisive battle. I still believe Luffy’s fleet will get involved and 2 weeks is plenty of time to call them over. That all said this chapter is text heavy from the start, though it is interestingly necessary to be aware of its world. It’s also humorous, so it’s good enough to keep my attention.

As said before, the decisive battle will take place at the Demon Island, Onigashima, where Kaidou and his Beasts Pirates’ HQ are located. Here is where the battle plan is explained. Kin’emon already has a ship to sail there and they don’t really have to ride a full-sale ship since they are so close by. The setting will take place during the Fire Festival, a grand festival that is celebrated annually. It sounds like a recipe for a major background stage for an epic battle.

Kaido is considered to be a Wise King. Yeah, a wise king who tried to kill himself dozens of time already. Sure, okay. Orochi and his followers continue to show their despicable nature by acting like they cherish the theme of the festival and pay their respects, but in reality, they’re just party animals. Well, if you include the Beasts Pirates, then jokes on me. Basically, they want to use the opportunity of when they’re drunk and out cold to reach for the Commander’s head. Not a bad idea.

There’s another revelation to be said. Apparently, Kin’emon is married already, well before a time warp. Here I thought Kiku was hitting on him. Then again, maybe she doesn’t have any shame when approaching to a married man. Speaking of married man, judging by Kiku’s words, Tsuru is his wife; the same woman who looks nearly identical to the traditional art style. He has yet to meet her, so there’s one reunion to expect. I like Sanji’s reaction towards him and his sudden popularity with women. He’s not wrong for some reason about a married man attracts women more than ever…

Going back to the serious discussion, Kin’emon has a symbol or symbols that marks the Will of Rebellion. It looks like a mask design. It’s kind of neat to learn each of the symbol’s representation. The crescent moon is the giveaway for who is behind the message, which is honorable. The cards need to be spread to issue an alliance from various places. This idea could play out similar to Vivi and Strawhats with their X mark on their arm, only this is about the mark of a new beginning. I like this concept. Funny how they said Zoro hasn’t been useful. Well, he did save Kin’emon’s wife (assumingly), so there’s that.

Franky works as an apprentice of the man who built Kaidou’s residence. That way, he can obtain the blueprints of that building. That’s a good idea and the most suited person to do the job. As for Robin, she’s masquerading as a Geisha to make Orochi grant her to his sitting room. That’s one risky task, but it’s Robin, so she’s used to it. Sanji would have love to see her as a Geisha. Who wouldn’t? I got to say, I’m impressed with Kin’emon with his crafty planning. I guess I was used to him being comical, so this is a good change of pace. He even has an idea for others based on their characteristics.

After the crew feeling the hype to change appearances and become part of the country’s culture, it is time for Clothes-Clothes no Jutsu. Is that seriously a jutsu? Because I want to learn it. Now, everyone dress their part. Brook has me laughing with his outfit as a ghost who still has battle scars or in this case, arrows sticking out. Chopper is an adorable ninja. Curious how well he will do with skills. Carrot is like a villager who is still doing chores. Sanji is normal, but the difference is he is mesmerized by Nami’s outfit. She dressed as a Kunoichi, but more revealing than necessary. I know they have a technique to seduce, but Kin’emon, ease your urge. Even Nami thought this is too much.

What got me laughing a lot is the proof of Kunoichi’s outfit to be what she’s wearing. Throughout the chapter, every time you see Sanji on panel, his reaction is towards the ladies more so than himself. Even when he was told that he’s going to suit up, all he thought was Nami as a hot ninja. It’s time for the real Kunoichi to appear and he was super hyped. Shinobu arrives at Kin’emon’s command and well, she is a Kunoichi but old as one can be. Not only this proved Nami’s thought is right, but Sanji is dying from disappointment. Take notes, Kaido. In Kin’emon’s defense, there are two types of Kunoichi. I think…

In One Piece, you can’t get enough of new characters, so here comes another one. Shinobu is a veteran and apparently, she has mastered the Art of Bewitchment. Sanji is slowly recovering, but the damage is severe. If Nami didn’t appear sexy earlier, he probably would have died. Death by disappointment; now that’s new. Hilarious how she believed her attractiveness is a threat to men. Sure, let’s go with that.

Right before the scene shifts elsewhere, Kin’emon was about to explain The Three Samurai they must recruit. Their names are Kawamatsu, Denjiro, and Ashura Douji. They are a must if they want increase manpower significantly in their squad. It stops there, which implies that perhaps next chapter, we will learn more about them and probably their backstory. Kin’emon sure has a lot of knowledge to tell, so be aware of more introductions.

Just when you think you are done with Okobore Town, we return there and this time, trouble is happening. Scums are roaming around and stealing everyone’s food. I thought it would be Beasts Pirates, reclaiming “their” stuff, but they’re bunch of thieves instead. The one in charge is a fat Samurai, Shutenmaru. I was wondering what the chapter’s title referring to, but can he be any larger. It doesn’t help with his nasty attitude towards the country, despite being a Samurai himself. I wonder what the deal with his introduction at this time. Connection to The Three Samurai maybe? One thing is certain is the demonstration of his skills.

Jack returns from slumber and gets ready to fight Shutenmaru. I thought it was time for Jack to get hype boost as Shuntenmaru gets annihilated. Instead, that large Samurai comes off as a shock and cut Jack with a quick slash. Only One Piece could this pull off. So yeah, I was surprised he’s that good. Hell, he matched up well with Jack. Hard to say who would have won, because it was interrupted by the highlight of the chapter.

The moment the sky was swirling, I knew it had to be Kaido. Hell, I thought he was trying to fall down and see if he can die this time. That said I got chills from the sequence of the devil’s arrival. Ironic since he arrived from above. Everyone stopped fighting and Jack even feels intimidated. After Strawhats and others felt anticipated for the day to reclaim the country, they have a grim reminder on who they’re dealing with. Actually, this is their first time to see Kaido. He emerge from Heaven (Hell), but not as himself, but as a damn dragon.

It was bad enough with him being a giant and considered as the world strongest man. Now he can turn into a dragon. So what does this all mean with Momo? His design isn’t like the innocent or cutesy one like Momo; his is like a lost brother of Shenron from Dragon Ball, back when he was intimidated. Not to mention, he’s seriously huge as hell. Every time I see him, I go back and say, “The series is concluding earlier than I thought.” If Big Mom really allied with him, game over?

This was an intriguing chapter to boot after a break. It may not be the chapter fans have been craving for, well, depending if you’re all about action, but with its elaborated details of the plan and amusing moments such as Sanji’s near death experience from heartbreak, it doesn’t come off as bore. The art is pretty good as well, especially Kaido’s design as dragon. It also leaves expectations for future events, including The Three Samurai. Kaido continue to be the most fearsome foe. If this arc supposedly makes Marineford War Arc look childish in compare, then a god-like enemy is a good start. Where do we go from here is anyone’s guess.

[rumimic]

ZORO’S PAST AND RELATION WITH WANO: A THEORY.

OK, so sometime back, I thought up a theory about Zoro’s missing past and I finally got time to look for evidence (read “motivated” to look for evidence 😅), so here goes my theory.

Zoro is a descendant from a clan in Wano. (*Boos* you people probably think “wow, that’s so original.” *sarcastic voice* but please, listen to what I have to say.

Going by image order: No. 1: Luffy, Nami and Zoro goofing around on a dragon (Nami’s outfit is similar to the one in chapter 710’s colorspread.) No. 2: Luffy, Nami and Zoro standing atop an eastern style dragon. No. 3: Luffy, Nami and Zoro with Luffy holding a Dragon and a Tiger as if to stop them from fighting. The common point of these is the presence of a Dragon and those three crew members. Maybe the presence of those two when Zoro’s past is revealed. Idrk. Back to the theory, Zoro’s relation with dragon’s is actually highlighted more then once, such as in the yukata color spreads. Image No. 4 & 5

Most people see the arrows on Sanji’s yukata pointing at Nami but I’m disregarding it because.

In both those color spreads, you’ll see that Zoro’s yukata has a dragon design on it. Once black and the other time, covered in flames.

Now to No. 6: Strawhats with animals. You’ll notice that the animal Zoro is compared to is a TIGER. This happens more then once. The other time is when the Strawhats were drawn with different animals.

In image no.8 , You’ll see that it has been made balantly obvious with a pink dragon at Luffy’s shoulder and the pattern on Luffy’s clothes that Oda was foreshadowing Momonosuke and the Kozuki clan. The bird made on Luffy’s clothes is nearly a replica of the clan symbol. And the pink dragon is Momo. (There’s a similar bird on Sanji’s yukata in spread 5)

Now, Assuming that everyone here has a basic idea about the Japanese myths on the Tiger and the Dragon (look it up if you don’t) (nah, I’ll tell you. The Dragon and the Tiger are equals in strength and they show balance. Kind of like yin-yang), I’ll put forwand my theory:

Zoro -or more importantly His Clan- is being represented by the Tiger and Momonosuke’s clan is being represented by a Dragon. In Japanese (and Chinese, sorry if I’m wrong) mythology, the Dragon and the Tiger together represent balance of power. If the Kozuki clan’s power is being represented with Momonosuke being a Dragon, then maybe Zoro’s clan’s power is shown with his comparison with a Tiger. The ruling forces. I’m sure that Momonosuke’s clan has been ruling in Wano for a super long time, but I’ll take it that Zoro’s clan had some position of power too. Either they ruled half the land, (Like Nekomamushi ruled the forest by Night and Inuarashi ruled it by day) or they were the military force of Wano. Something caused them to turn against the Shogun (Momo’s ancestor) or they were framed and Banished from Wano The part of Zoro’s clan turning on the Kozuki clan (or being framed) might have been foreshadowed back in Punk Hazard where Zoro cut off a dragon’s head, his first attack was TORAgiri (tora=tiger) although it failed to kill the dragon and he had to use another attack. [ http://pin.it/wNqmy87 ] [ http://pin.it/eOG-g0V ] Possibly, the force of the Tiger was used to try and destroy the force of the dragon in the past, in Wano Kingdom, Resulting in the banishment or exile of Zoro’s clan. OR The Shogun attacked Zoro’s clan for power or dispute and some members of the family had to flee* possibly to the East Blue.

Another thing for this theory is that in the panel after Kin'emon and Kanjuro climb Zou, Oda shows us a panel of the two animal drawings that were used to climb up. Which happened to be the Tiger and the Dragon. Possibly Oda style foreshadowing about Zoro and Momo clan’s relationship. Because The Tiger and the Dragon have been shown before (in image no. 3) But I could be looking in too deep.

Also, I think (Like many others) that Zoro’s last name (or family name) is actually fake. Maybe after his clan/family was exiled, they changed their name to avoid their enemies. Or, *Zoro’s mother was a part of that clan and the man she married was a Roronoa. If it was his mom who fled, that would explain his knowledge of swordsmenship but lack of actual control of swords when he had a duel with Kunia. It could also explain him knowing about Samurais back in Punk Hazard. Though any swordsman in one piece would know that, right? But I’ll still link it here: [ http://pin.it/CyHk23E ]

Now for the family symbol: In Chinese and Japanese too maybe mythology, the four sacred animals are The Dragon, the Tiger, the Pheonix and the Tortoise. If Momonosuke is the dragon and the symbol of his clan is a bird (Maybe the Pheonix. Marco the pineapple Pheonix lol ) And Zoro is a Tiger, his clan symbol may be a Tortoise, completing the entire NESW.

Well, this is all just speculation so you don’t have to believe it but I do feel like something like this might just show up because the only pasts left slightly untouched are Zoro’s, Luffy’s and Nami’s.

Additionally, I gave two more colorspreads. This time, with the whole crew and a dragon.