#so i'll just pirate anything i would've wanted to watch. i mean i need to do that to make gifs anyway lol.

[riddlerosehearts]

when someone is struggling financially and still pays for a ton of different streaming services because they refuse to pirate anything it lowkey drives me insane. i canceled both spotify premium and disney+ recently and i do not miss them at all because i can still easily get everything that was on them without paying a combined total of $45 a month.

[loganwritesprobably]

Law with the 2° genre, prompt (O)

Again, pairing Law with a gender neutral reader here since it's not specified otherwise, and this is a bit of a short one but I think it's sweet

Find the prompt list here

o. "Normally you don't like PDA."

Content/Warnings: Law/GN!Reader, hurt/comfort, established relationship, PDA, Law is sad, reader is a heart pirate

It had been a long, hard day for everyone. Nobody more than Law. In fact, generally speaking, everyone's day had been made a little harder by Law. He didn't mean it, though, he was just struggling. He hadn't said anything about it, but you had a feeling you knew exactly what was wrong. The entire crew did. But it was up to Law to mention it first.

You all sat together on the shore of an island, some of the crew members paddling around and having fun in the water, while you sat on the shore beside Law. The two of you had been dating for almost a year now, and you grew closer every day, but he had never been a fan of PDA. You didn't mind, because he was affectionate with you in private, and that was all you needed from him.

The two of you sat in comfortable silence, watching the crew have fun, and just enjoying the summer sun. It was nice, a break you didn't often manage to get amongst the pirate activities.

Law sighed deeply and rested his head on your shoulder, which you accepted, letting him determine what he did or didn't want to do. When he spoke, he did so so softly that you weren't sure you'd heard him, so you asked him to repeat himself. "Hold me? Please?" He asked, still a whisper, but you didn't have a bone in your body that was able to deny him. You wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer, then up into your lap, keeping him close and safe. "Normally you don't like PDA, otherwise I would've done this sooner." You mumbled into his ear, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. "I just.. need it, right now." "That's okay. I'll hold you as long as you need."

Requests are open! See below links for my other works, and how to leave requests. I write both canon/canon and canon/reader requests for your enjoyment

AO3 | Fanfic Masterlist | Request Rules | WIPs | Recommendations

Tags: @claryeverlarkf @uselessboots @cainnoable

[deadsnothere]

Gunslinger Girl!

Synopsis - After getting a call from Garp, Alias made her way to the Baratie for a nice bite to eat and a long needed reunion.

Part 2

WARNINGS!! - READER HAS A NAME!!

Request - no, not taking them sorry.

Word count - 2.8k

Speak Ali! - Both parts together make 5,340 words, this Fic has literally taken up my brain.

Monkey D. Luffy.

Garp was a cheeky bastard.

I, Alias Foreman, Swore to be on Monkey D. Luffy's pirate crew when we both turned sixteen and fled to the sea together. I had a dream of becoming one of the most versatile people known to man. I want to learn as much as I can, to cook, to clean, to navigate boats and ships, anything you can teach me I will try my hardest to understand and learn. Now I'm not saying that I want to be the best at everything, there will always be people better. But I want to at least understand the basics of as much as possible. But for all of my life I've been known as a Gunslinger.

I'm ‘The Cheshire Cat’. Cool name with a stupid job. I hate being a Warlord of the Sea, it's the stupidest job on this side of the east blue, and they wouldn't even give me a proper crew. Just a few bumbling idiots who don't know what being a pirate really means.

Luffy always understood what being a pirate meant. I remember watching Garp train him day in and day out. Parts of me understand why Garp was so hard on him, I mean people say he takes after Gold Roger. Imagine your grandson taking after someone you helped execute. I don't think I'd be fond of it either. I’ve never thought Garp nor Luffy were wrong for what they want but, I think one knows what he's doing and the other doesn't.

-

It's always quite bothersome when halfway through my delicious dinner, I get interrupted by a soggy mean fishman running in here and trying to take my table for dinner. If he had waited a few minutes I would've gladly given it up, I just wanted to finish my meal. But the inpatient idiot just had to have it now.

“I'm afraid there are no more tables.” Arlong and two of his crew members were walking down the stairs of the Baratie. They’re bodies are still wet and leaving water as they walk, which is just plain disrespectful. “I see a bunch of tables.” I couldn't help but roll my eyes, to think I would have a peaceful dinner, just hopeful dreaming. People started to whisper and get up from their tables but I stayed in my seat, intending to finish the nice meal served to me. Plus it's not as if they got far, Arlong was yelling at them as soon as he got to the middle of the staircase. “Sit down!” he yelled in his degrading, chalkboard scratching voice. I continued to cut my steak in pieces to eat, they over cooked it a bit but a fine job was done anyways. Seasoned almost perfectly. A little too much oregano, but I'm just too picky with my food. Arlong went around as if he owned the place. “No one leaves.”

He looked at me with malice in his smile. “Except you.” His webbed hand went to grab the collar of my shirt but I stopped it with my own, barely even looking back. “I only have a bite or two left, I'll give it up when I'm done.” I took another drink from my wine and let go of his hand, continuing on with my meal. I could tell it pissed him off from the way he growled close to my ear. A stupid amount of spit landing on my dinner plate and shoulder. I shivered in disgust and stood up from my table. “You know what- take it.” I grabbed my plate and wine and stood up, leaving the small round table for the fishmen to sit at. I felt bad not eating the steak so I got a to-go box from the reservations desk and put it in there to give to someone later. Deciding that maybe i'll get a nice drink from the bar instead.

I was a wine kind of gal so I got a nice glass of Merlot, it was tasty. Had lots of flavor, some of which I enjoyed and some I didn't. I was enjoying the peace. I always knew it wouldn't last long but god was i sad when it was over. “Which one of you is Arlong?” Oh shit. I knew his voice anywhere, the voice I was sent for by his grandfather, the voice of a new age. I got a refill on my wine, and bought the whole bottle while I was at it, due to the lingering feeling that this wasn't going to look pretty.

When I got back into the restaurant I decided to just rest a little under the staircase, hidden by the shadows hopefully. Seeing Luffy again made me nervous. Something about it..something about how he’d be even a little bit different. When I assessed the situation in front of me it confused me a bit. I could hear that Arlong was yelling from the bar but he's an idiot so I tuned it out and tried to enjoy the bit of ‘quiet’ I had. Arlong has an older gentleman by his shirt collar, while Luffy was halfway down the main staircase. He had two men behind him, one named Usopp the other Sanji. I heard about them both, one from a customer here and the other, from a bartender. “So this is the pirate I've heard so much about.” Arlong was starting to circle around some of the tables, pacing I guess. “You know, I was expecting someone… bigger.”

Sounds like my cue. I came out of the shady area setting the wine glass and bottle on the table and grabbing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from a pocket in my shorts, picking the lucky one and placing it in my mouth delicately. “Tell me about it..I've had someone in my ear all day. ‘Find that dumbass.’ I have a headache at this point.” I laughed and leant on the chair. Luffy looks away from Arlong for a millisecond, to look at me but I don't think it registered in his brain. He couldn't have forgotten me. Luffy spoke, in his normal, nonchalant, Luffy way. “So was I.” I was puffing from my cigarette as I laughed. The snicker making smoke pour out of my nose. That got Luffy's attention. His head snapped to look at me, his eyes didn’t leave me, it looked like he was inspecting every part of my body. Probably looking for the one sign it was me. The small skull shaped scar just above my left knee. I wore shorts today just so he would see it.

His eyes were as wide as the plates they were using to serve that delicious soup I had for an appetizer. “ALIAS?!-” internally I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Externally, all I could do was smile. Luffy had a bright smile on his cheeks and I couldn't help but smile back. It was a smile I yearned for, for so long. I knew with even a bit of it, I was going to be addicted again.

I could see how excited luffy was that I was here (which made me VERY happy), but Arlong being himself did not like that attention wasn't on him for those few seconds so he cleared his throat obnoxiously. “Do you know who I am, boy?” Luffy's attention went to him but came right back when I spoke up. “Arlong the Saw.” There was a moment of silence, I taped the ash away from my cigarette into an empty glass off the table of people in front of me, and took another drag from it. “And just who are you-” - “I’m The Cheshire Cat.” I undid two of the buttons on my button up shirt with one hand, letting my collar fall back to show off the cat like scratches that laid on my collar bone (If those cats were lions that scratched almost all the way down my torso and arm). I did a stupid little bow. A few people reacted but I enjoyed the way Luffy looked so wowed. Arlongs eyes widened but they just went right back to a dumb smug smile. “You, Arlong, go for 20 million berrys.” I took another drag, exhaling calmly. “Which is impressive for the east blue but..Not so much other places.” He laughed from his chest, his friends going along with it. “What does the sell out have to say about it?” I sighed softly.

A part of me wished I was a sell out, instead of a kidnapped child forced to do the government's dirty work. The other part knew I would never do that, knew I would never betray my own crew like that. “Oh nothing honestly, I don't care about you.” I looked over to Luffy who still had a smile on his face. When we made eye contact he started to beam. I've only visited him once since I became a warlord, it makes me happy to see him so full of joy just from a moment of eye contact with me. “I'm here for him.” Luffy's hands started to shake, it was something small he always did around me. Blurted it out one day, said when I was excited sometimes I gave him a look, a glint in my eye that made him so happy his entire body shook. It was the sweetest thing he’d ever said to me. Arlong growled once again, leaving spit in someone's food. Those poor people.

He was circling the tables to get to me, circling around me slowly as if I was fish bait he was waiting to snap on. “Well I was here first.” I thought about correcting him, telling him that I was in fact here first. But Luffy interrupted the thought anyway. “How’d you find me anyway?” Luffy sounded completely confident in himself, Arlong just let out another horrid chuckle and made his way back to where he originally stood. “Old friend helped me track you down.” At first Luffy looked over to me, but I was drinking a sip of wine, just listening to what was happening in front of me. Arlong clicked his tongue and one of the other fish men grabbed the clown pirate's head out of a bag. “Heya, Straw hat. Did you miss me?” Luffy looked extremely confused, Sanji looked exhausted and Usopp looked terrified. “Burpy?” The name he called him almost made me spit out my wine from laughter (Which made Luffy happy, I could tell because he glanced at me. Even just for a second.) “What are you doing here?”

The fact that there was only a clown head confused and disturbed me, but I looked past it. “Believe me, it wasn't my first choice either.” He looked a bit nervous as he spoke. “But these fine fishy folk persuaded me to point them in the right direction, which ain't easy when you don't have any hands!” The joke made me raise my eyebrows and laugh a bit, it was funny i'll give him that. But Luffy still looked confused. “How’d you even know where to find me?” Suddenly the clown had the most serious expression I've ever seen him in. “I told you, I've got eyes and ears everywhere.” I noticed an ear start to climb out of the red band of Luffys hat. It was quite strange. The ear went back to the clown and popped right back in place, laughing. Luffy took the hat off his head inspecting it, while the two men behind him shared a look. “Stereo!” Luffy looked shocked. “You were listening all along? You heard everything?” The clown was quite happy. “Everything! and that old quick. 'Cause you shi-diots have no idea what you're doing.” The mashup word made me giggle a bit, it sounded so stupid, but it was kinda funny. (But luffy frowned a bit when he saw I laughed so i stopped as quick as i started).

The clown's head jumped towards the fishman with the huge lips. “Hey lips? How about a scratch behind the old ear, huh?” That made me roll my eyes, he was stupid enough to ask his captors that? The fishmen put him back in the bag. Buggy complaining about how sandy and wet it was.

“Listen here. I want my map.” It was so stupid. Watching them fight over the map to the entrance to the grand line, I understand why Luffy wanted it, but Arlong has a giant crew of thieves who could easily take it from another marine base. “Along with half of whatever you plunder as tribute.” Tribute? for getting a map, does he want tribute for his own existence now? “And if you bow down to me, I might even let you serve in my kingdom.” Stupid men. All of them were the same. Well not all, but most were extremely similar. “I don't bow down to any man.” Luffy stood tall, his head held up high as usual. That's my boy. “I'm no man.” Luffy continued. “Or fish.” That made Arlong growl and made me laugh. “And you’re no king.” There was a certain feeling in the air, the aggression that at any moment, one or the other would attack. Everyone was on high alert, my wine made that hard. It was just so delicate. Hard to enjoy in this environment but perfect in others.

“I will be, when I get my grand line map.” Luffy just smiled, which was a little bit attractive. “Then” He placed his hat back on his head. “You’re gonna have to fight me for it.” I take the attractive comment back, he's stupid. “Then let the fighting begin.” A bullet bounced off the fishmans skin. My hands almost drew closer to my own guns but instead I decided to pour another glass of wine. The old man that cooked my food was standing with a gun in his hand, the trigger pulled in his fingers clutches.

The thing about fishmen (I had learned the hard way) is that regular bullets don't affect them. I have very special bullets, made from some weird unmeltable ice, something about them coming from a town inside the grand line called drum town, from the deepest parts of frozen lakes. They're so sharp they even pierce fishman skin but don't go as deep as I would like.

Arlong turned to the old man, one of his crew members kicking him away and down before punching him into a pillar. Sanji called out his name and ran over, jumping on the table and kicking the fishman in the face. Which just pissed him off more. He got a few good kicks to the face and arms, even the legs but Luffy distracted him. “Really good fighter.” By the time he went to do a quite nice spinning kick to the face again, he caught his foot in his arm. I reached for both guns in my holsters, Checking that they had the correct bullets and shot multiple rounds from Alice, all of them making a trail up his arm and letting Sanji get away. The fishman looked back at me, anger and confusion in his eyes. “These bullets are made of ice, so sharp they even pierce fishman skin. I got them specially made.” There was a delicate smile on my lips, blowing the smoke out of my mouth and away from my guns. Normally i wouldn't touch these but i had a feeling about bringing them today, i'm glad i did. they may be expensive but Luffy was worth it anyways.

Everything was happening so quickly, Luffy's gum gum pistol, Arlong grabbing and pulling him closer. “Uh-” I could tell there was panic in his voice, but I couldn't tell if helping would really be helping at all. He was thrown at a pillar, landing on the floor with a thud. “Get up!” Arlong yelled, if i was him i would've stayed on the floor in spite, but he got up regardless. He kept stretching his arms three punches, one to each shoulder and one to the face. “Not bad for a human.”

I lifted my pistol to shoot Arlong but luffy put his hand up, his middle and ring finger were intertwined and the other three fingers touched. That was our sign when we were kids to stay out of it. It was our secret signal, not even Ace or Sabo or Dadan knew what it meant. I lowered my pistol, spinning it and putting it back in its holster. I grabbed the wine bottle taking a nice big gulp. Glad i’d gotten the entire bottle because this in fact, was not going to be pretty.

Part 2!!

[midnightmah07]

*swings legs cutely* 💘 and mayhaps 🖤 for Leona and Isa

Also, I didn't mean to type "Zuki" I meant Zuko, as you said, I don't proofread stuff, it's a family trait(literally only me and my mom do this) And I was gonna share some traits they had but didn't want to blabber on for too long(that and bcus the traits I'd have shared would've been obvious tbh). Anyway

MAAAAAH!! HAND ME LEOBELLE ANGST, AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!!/ref

HEYYYYY!!! Also yeah I figured 😭 I was like wondering if u meant Zuko or Suki, but u said honor so I was "oh it's probably Zuko"

Also,,, taking the opportunity of making this for my pirate au,,,,

🖤 kissing while crying / goodbye kiss / desperation

Leona felt an immense amount of pain upon receiving a kick on his face by the marines. His crew defeated, his hands and feet tied together, the pirate captain still couldn't take his eyes off his fiancé– no, his wife, who was currently being taken away by them.

Ever since convincing Isabelle to run away with him, he and his crew had been accused of kidnaping a princess. Still, she herself chose that lifestyle, she chose to marry him despite being an outlaw; she had never once done anything that she didn't want to.

"Enough!" She screamed, using her ankle to hurt the marine who was trying to take her to their crew. She ran past a few others, finally reaching Leona, and used his sword to point at them in an attempt to protect him. "Leave him alone, and I'll come with you all peacefully."

"You–"

"Shut it, Leona." She ordered, and he did as he was told. The marines agreed, telling her to let the sword go. "Let me say goodbye. Then I will."

The marine crew looked at their captain, who hesitantly nodded, making Isabelle drop the sword and immediately turn to look at Leona, cupping his face in her hands. She noticed his injured eye and a few cuts, mainly on his lips and cheeks, it made her wince.

"Listen. I'm- I'm sorry I never–"

"I don't care about what you're about to say, dang it, you're not being taken away." He said, his tone fully reminiscent as an order as a captain, but Isabelle simply sighed. "I'm not losing you again."

"Leona, it's over. We're surrounded." Isabelle pleaded, her green eyes inspecting his. She always wished for him to try and fight for what he wanted but now? It was not the situation for that. She needed him to give up. "What I can do is say a proper goodbye."

"You're not leaving."

"Leona."

"You came here with full consent there's no reason for them to take you back."

"Leona, listen–"

"I need you here." He rested his face on her shoulder, basically mumbling at this point, eye stinging from anger and frustration. "You can't go."

Isabelle hugged him for a few seconds, until a marine warned her to be over with it. She made him look at her once again, her fingers caressing his cheeks. She pulled him in for a last kiss, a slow, passionate one, so that she'd be able to convey at least a fraction of how much she loved him.

Once parted, she gave him a quick peck again. Eyes red from what she was about to say.

"Please. Just forget about me and move on with your life." One last time, she kissed his cheek, and slowly got up, a marine holding onto her arm and forcing her to get aboard their ship.

As she looked behind one last time, she watched as Leona stared at her, his body still, a small frown on his face.

She'd never be able to hold him again.

[ask-the-riders]

Death's Announcement

Death has some news to tell his team, and not all of them take it as well as he would've hoped

Death drew in a deep breath, doing his best not to overthink what he was about to do. A wave of nervousness swept over him, causing his voice to crack as he tried to speak. He covered the voice crack up by clearing his throat, shifting awkwardly in his seat, "So... I called a meeting, and I didn't specify why. I apologize for any worry or inconveniences I could've caused... I just had some news I'd like to share with you." The group of riders remained silent, exchanging looks of confusion with one another; They had no idea why they had been summoned, and it was obvious. The reaper hesitated a few seconds, his cheekbones flushing a very faint shade of sky blue, "I wanted to inform you that in roughly five or six months from now, I'll need to take some time off of work... I’ll be going on maternity leave; Error and I are expecting a baby. As it currently stands, I'm already two months pregnant."

Pestilence blinked and arched a brow bone, otherwise appearing bored, while War sat beside him, blinking in surprise. Her figure fizzled and she furrowed her brow bones, unsure how to react to the new information. On the other side of the room, Retribution was completely calm, his voice holding not even a trace of surprise, "As I had suspected. I was beginning to sense the baby's soul, but I decided not to say anything. Didn't wanna jump to conclusions or anything of the sort." Death offered the former prince a tired smile, sighing softly, "Of course. I had assumed you would've picked up on it by now, honestly." Seated beside Retribution, Famine was staring straight ahead, his sockets wide. His single faded blue eye light was almost fully dilated, and he'd curled two fingers into his empty socket in an attempt to ground himself.

He'd been incredibly nervous around children for a while now, but hearing that there could very well be a baby in the house soon?... He felt his anxiety spike, and Ret frowned, gently tugging Famine's hand away from his face and quietly encouraging him to remove his fingers from his socket. From her seat on one of the chairs closest to Death's desk, Abrael let out a deep breath, placing a hand over her chest and offering the reaper a lighthearted grin, "And here I was, worried that you were about to eject me from the team and leave me to rot somewhere." Death arched a brow bone at her, his faint smile betraying the serious tone he spoke with, "Oh, you're not off the hook yet, Abrael. I wouldn't get too comfy if I were you." The former pirate's grin slipped the smallest bit and Death snorted in mild amusement. Of everyone he'd met, she was perhaps the easiest to mess with.

Perched on the arm of the sofa that Famine and Retribution occupied, Conquest stared at Death for a moment in silence; He was... Pregnant? Really?... From what she understood, a couple only produced children when they loved each other very much. She wanted to be happy for the reaper, but she could feel the all too familiar aching of her broken heart pulsing weakly in her chest. However, she forced the happiest smile she could manage, breathing in deeply, "That's great news, Death! I'm so happy for you and Error... Really! You guys deserve this!" Death watched her for a moment, sighing softly and offering her an almost apologetic smile, "Thanks, Connie. That means a lot to me, coming from you." Able to feel the heartbreak his sister was experiencing, Retribution's calm expression became a cold, disapproving stare as he shifted his attention to the reaper. He reached out to gently place a hand on Conquest’s back and she gave a small nod, "Of course. I'm sure... I'm sure Mortem's gonna love his new brother or sister very much."

There it was. Death had a feeling that she wasn't being entirely honest about the way that the news of his pregnancy made her feel, and he was right.

His small smile fell into a frown and he furrowed his brow bones, "Connie, please. You're not happy about this, I can tell. It's ok... You don't have to pretend to be on board with it. I completely understand if you're not, to be honest, and that's ok." Conquest shook her head insistently, despite the lump forming in her throat and the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks at any given moment, "N-No, I'm not pretending. I really am happy for you!" Death let out another sigh, slowly standing and beginning to make his way around his desk toward her. The reaper's voice was soft and his attention fixed itself solely on her as he spoke, "Hey... It's ok. You don't have to do that, y'know. If you're upset, you don't have to hide it. Everyone here cares about you, and if we can help in any way, we will." He reached out, gently placing a cold hand on her arm. The gesture was meant to offer reassurance, but as she began to tremble, he withdrew his hand, his frown deepening.

Her walls came crumbling down at that moment, and even as orange tinted tears began to roll down her face, she continued to force a smile, "I mean it. I really am happy for you, Death. I'm happy you found someone who loves you. I'm happy that you're having a baby and starting a family with him, and I'm happy, knowing that you're working toward a life that'll bring you nothing but joy." She paused, still trembling as she murmured, "I'm happy that you're doing so well, and that you moved on from the unhappiness that I unintentionally brought upon you. Congrats on the baby... I'm sure it'll be super cute." Death's brow bones furrowed as guilt washed over him, and he fell silent, unsure what to say. War watched the pair, also growing upset as she called out to Conquest, asking if she was alright. Conquest didn't answer, only letting out a broken sob before shortcutting away. Reappearing in her workshop, she let out another sob, using her magic to place a lock on the area. She couldn't have anyone seeing her right now, not like this.

Rushing over to a bookshelf, she cried, letting out a sound of distress as she struggled for a moment, before finally pushing the bookshelf aside to reveal a hidden door. Using more magic to open it, she slipped through, going down a set of stairs and entering another room. The room was dimly lit and there was a large pentagram painted on the concrete floor, a partially melted candle at each point of the star. Ignoring the clutter around the room, she sat at an old vanity table in the corner of the room. Burying her face in her arms, she continued to sob, desperately hoping the pain she felt would come to an end. The more she thought about how easily Death had moved on, the more it ate her, though. In her distress, she dug her fingertips into the tabletop, leaving scratches behind in the wood. He'd gone and made her fall in love with him all those years ago, and she'd even become pregnant with his child. She was happy with the way things were, and then one day, he decided that he didn't love her anymore.

There was a tiny part of her that was raging; Why did he deserve to be happy when all he ever did was hurt people and leave a trail of misery in his wake? Why did he deserve to be happy when he caused her so much pain? Another part of her answered; She loved him, so she'd let him go. Just when she thought she was over him, he came back, pleading with her to join his team. She agreed, wanting desperately to help him in whatever way she could, but that was when the pain started again. She needed to move on too, but how could she? She had friends and family, sure, but there was no one else that she could give her heart to. There was no one who loved her. She practically wailed, another sob escaping her. What had she done wrong? She was patient and kind, she was gentle and understanding, she didn't ask for much, and she always kept up this appearance. She knew that she'd have a better chance of catching someone's eye if she had her body formed and was smiling as much as she could.

Nothing was working, though. No one seemed to notice her, and no one seemed to even care enough to notice her. She just wasn't good enough, it seemed. She hesitantly lifted her gaze, looking at her reflection in the vanity's mirror. Letting out a shaky breath, her ecto slowly faded away, her bones bare as her golden-orange eye lights faded, turning white. There... Now she looked as bland and ugly as she felt. Great. Maybe when she stopped giving a damn, someone would finally glance her way. From elsewhere in the room, someone let out a heavy sigh, their smooth tone tainted by sadness, "Don't think that way, love."

Conquest's body jerked into surprise and she leapt to her feet, looking around and trying to spot the intruder, "Who’s there? How did you get in here, and what do you want?!" The intruder emerged from a shadowy part of the room, greeting her with an almost awkward wave. Taking note of their single, heart-shaped magenta eye light and the crown atop their head, she made a face. The intruder held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, very slowly beginning to approach her, "Hey, shhh... I know you're stressed out and that you just had your heart broken all over again, but you need to relax. I'm not here to cause trouble... I'm here to help, actually." Connie snapped at him, clearly not in the mood for whatever he was up to, "That's great, but it doesn't answer any of my questions. Either tell me who you are and what you're doing here, or leave."

He tipped his head, running a hand over his skull, "It's... It's a lot for me to try to explain. I guess in short, I've known you a long time, but this is my first time officially meeting you. In this body, at least. Lady Night was the one who sent for me. She said she could sense your distress, and that I should do something about it since she's a little tied up right now." He paused, glancing around for a moment before pointing at a symbol on the wall that matched the one on his crown, "That's my mark; My symbol. The thing on my crown. I remember being called 'Sans' at one point, then at another, I was called 'Lust’. There was this freaky accident with some weird old lady, and BAM, a lot of my memories either became super hazy and hard to remember, or they vanished altogether. Honestly, I don’t even know what my name is now, but I do remember you praying a lot a long time ago. Every night, even when you were a kid, you prayed to the gods, asking for someone to love you. You kinda bypassed the first guy I sent, but that's ok. I'm here now, so it's time to try again."

Connie glanced at the symbol he’d pointed to, something about it registering as vaguely familiar. She knew she’d most definitely read about the god it belonged to, but at the moment, her mind was clouded by a range of different emotions, making it impossible to identify who the god was. She furrowed her brow bones in confusion, "....What are you talking about? What old lady? How do you know about those prayers?... Who was the first guy?" The stranger let out an exaggerated groan, "I dunno who the old bat was. She spouted off something about being too old for her job and needing to retire, then there was this flash of light, and while a good amount of my current memories are hazy or gone, I remember things that happened years... Maybe even CENTURIES ago. The old bat disappeared, then Lady Night called for me and told me to come here, so here I am." The rider regarded him with suspicion, "...Prove it. Tell me something that only one of the gods would know about me." The stranger absentmindedly scratched the back of his skull, humming softly, "Uhh, ok... Let's see... Your parents both died in the war, and you and Calypso were separated. You were sent off to live with a friend of the family who opted to adopt you, while she went god knows where. The depression kicked in, and that's when you started praying more and begging the gods for some form of happiness. First it was a variety of different animals you wanted as pets, then it was for some fashion thing that girls liked back then, and then it was for love."

Conquest’s expression began to soften, and he continued, his gaze nearly pleading, “You didn’t get any of those things… Not right away, at least. You were starting to lose hope, and with desperation, you did your research, and a lot of soul searching. You wanted to figure out what it was that you really wanted, and you wanted to know which god would be able to provide that. You eventually found a book that had a bunch of stuff in it about Lady Night, and you were inspired. You admired how brave and strong she was, so you devoted yourself primarily to her, hoping to become similar. You thought that if you were more like her, you’d gain some sense of self worth and validation from it. The training was endless, but you did eventually become stronger. She saw how hard you worked, and she admired your capacity for compassion and forgiveness. She tested you, and you passed, so she revealed herself to you, and you were offered a position, working for her in order to help protect the children of the multiverse.”

Her expression softened further and she dropped her gaze to the floor, her brow bones furrowing again. Slowly and cautiously, he made his way over to her, waiting for her to look at him again before he offered her a hand. Conquest stared at it for a moment before lifting her gaze and meeting his. As if he could sense the uncertainty and insecurity that was clouding her mind, he gave her a small smile, hoping to provide even a little bit of reassurance. Keeping his voice soft, he spoke, “Hey… I know you probably don’t trust me yet, and you’re probably still too upset from before to really process things like you normally would, and that’s ok. I promise. That’s completely ok, love. I’m here, and if you’d let me, I could help you. In exchange, maybe you could try to help me figure out what my name is. You don’t have to, but I know you’re the kinda person who likes repaying favors, so I thought I’d at least throw it out there.”

Connie continued to hesitate, absentmindedly fiddling with her scarf, “What exactly would you be helping me with?…” The deity tilted his head, “Learning to love yourself. It sounds cheesy, I know, but in order to be happy, you have to learn how to accept your flaws, and accept that despite them, you’re perfect as you are. By the time I’m done, you’ll no longer have to rely on those around you to give you the love and validation you deserve. During the process, the others will notice the changes in you, and it might inspire them to learn to love themselves, too. Who knows, maybe someone will see how genuine your happiness is. Maybe they’ll start to appreciate your natural beauty and fall for that wonderful personality of yours.” Connie’s brow bones remained furrowed and her tone became hopeful, “If I learned how to love myself and became genuinely happy, do you really think someone would fall for me? Do you really think there’s a chance that I won’t die alone someday?”

The deity before her nodded almost immediately and made a sound in confirmation, “Of course I do. There’s a chance for everything, as long as you keep yourself open to it. Chance, fate, destiny, whatever you wanna call it. It works in the strangest of ways, but I know you’re gonna be ok. You aren’t going to die alone, Conquest. Not if I can help it.” Tears began to prick at the rider’s sockets again and a lump formed in her throat. Seeing the look she wore, the deity opened his arms to her, “Come here, love.” Without even a single word of protest or an ounce of hesitation, she let herself close the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his slender frame, hiding her face as she began to sob again. Her thoughts began to wander back to Death, and the deity returned her embrace, his arms winding around her as he murmured, “Don’t think about him, ok?… I understand how hard it can be, knowing that he’s moved on, but in order to start this journey with me, you’ll have to do the same. He left quite some time ago, so who needs him, anyway? He’s an idiot for walking away from someone as wonderful as you.”

The rider let out a broken sob, clinging to him as she cried. He sighed softly before continuing, “You might not believe it right now, but you’re beautiful, both inside and out. You deserve someone who loves you for you, and if you project the love you have for yourself, then that’s the kinda person you’ll start to attract. It’s gonna hurt for a bit, moving on from Death and working toward letting go of the love you still have for him, but it’ll be ok. Now,” He paused again, gently cupping her face with both hands and rubbing his thumbs in small circles over her cheekbones, “If you’d like to finish crying out all the hurt, you can, but I’m not going anywhere until I see a gorgeous smile on your face again.” Conquest welcomed his touch, orange tinted tears still rolling down her face as she sniffled. As she lifted a hand to wipe away her tears, he released her face, taking a step back to give her some room. Once she was done, he began to guide her toward the vanity table, pulling the seat out and lightly patting it. Knowing what he wanted her to do, she sat down, letting out a startled yelp as his magic pushed in the chair. He let out a soft, almost breathy chuckle as he stood behind her, leaning forward and bracing his hands on the table, trapping her in her current spot, “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

She murmured that it was alright, and as he took in her appearance in the mirror, he hummed, “I think a good place to start would be improving your self esteem. What do you think, Connie?” She shrugged her shoulders, very clearly trying to avoid looking at her reflection. The deity made a face, his hands moving to delicately tip her head back a bit so she could properly see her reflection. Meeting her reflection’s gaze, Conquest frowned and scrunched up her shoulders, discomfort beginning to blossom in her chest. He watched her, reading her silence as agreement, “Alright then, love. Let’s begin.”

[gonuclear]

Hey!!! I saw your post about needing asks and sadly i dont know a thing about one piece BUT

Which character(s) are your f/o and platonic f/o(s)?

Howd yall meet??

Whats your favorite thing to do with them?

💟

hello i am so sorry for the impending wall of text in this response you have Unlocked an Infodump. thank you so much 🥺

so first and foremost the romantic f/os. we haaaave:

sanji: i think that we probably met at some sort of market, him shopping for ingredients for the ship and me looking for god only knows what. i know i'd be caught pretty off guard by his relentless advances, but once i warmed up to him it wouldn't be long before i'd be dropping everything to join the straw hats shskfjdksf. i think my favorite thing to do with him would be cook, though he'd have a tendency to shoo me out of the kitchen. i'm perfectly content watching him, though (and maybe stealing some food when he's not looking).

rosinante: aaaa i definitely think i'd end up in one of the villages that has an unfortunate run in with the donquixote pirates, and rosi would keep anything bad from happening to me. i think he'd end up convincing dofie to let me join, then convince me to run off with him so we can have a better life together (because i'm still Deep in denial about his fate). my favorite thing to do with him would definitely be stargazing. i think we'd have really good conversations that just kinda devolve into me falling asleep on him, which he doesn't mind at all.

caesar: oh lord....i honestly couldn't imagine how we first met, but i probably washed up on punk hazard and he just kinda....decided to keep me around lmaooo. i feel like he would've made up some bs arbitrary reason why i was useful to him so no one would catch on that he got feelings for me. i annoy him from time to time but he loves me. i feel like it'd be kinda hard to find things to do together since i'm Awful at chemistry, but i think he'd regularly engage in the semi-infuriating task of teaching me complex science.

luffy: he absolutely just did the "you wanna join my crew? you have no choice" thing to me and honestly? who am i to say no to him. i think i'd be really shy around him at first but he'd just rope me into affection so much that i'd open up pretty quickly. i don't think our relationship would be conventional by any means but it's just......so Good. our favorite thing to do together would be to cuddle on his little seat at the front of the sunny, no matter how traumatizing it initially is to me and my fear of heights. i know he'd keep me from falling, and that's all that really matters.

(truthfully i don't really know much about one of my platonic f/os he just looks really friendly and i wanna hug him hlfdjfsd so i'll just write about the other one)

kin'emon: i think i just ran into him in dressrosa and made it my mission in life to annoy him into befriending me. i made myself just useful enough to justify me being there beyond bugging kin'emon by calling him my bestie. i'll wear him down though i just know it. i'd wear him down so much, in fact, that he'd insist on teaching me how to use a sword because i keep waving his around like a dumbass and he kinda sorta doesn't want me to cut my hand off but he's not gonna just Admit to that, y'know?

[misc-headcanons]

(As the three of them leave, Maple puts a finger to her lips and motions for the group to follow her. They make their way to a nearby forested area, and once they're out of earshot Maple breathes a sigh of relief before waving the fan to clear away the smoke around them.)

Maple: Okay. You can talk now that nobody's nearby.

Dochi: What WAS that?

Maple: A spell, obviously. One that made us invisible.

Ube: Man, you think fast. I was like, two seconds away from taking out my sword if that guy took another step towards us!

Vanilla: Fritter? Hey, you okay?

(Fritter clings to her and sniffles, crying while holding her tightly)

Fritter: That was the killer, 'Nilla! He was right THERE! If he'd seen us, he would've...

(The others immediately go to comfort him, putting a hand on him and making a big group hug)

Ube: Hey, it's okay! Look, we're all here and we're fine thanks to Maple. We're not gonna let you and Vanilla get hurt by any bad guys.

Fritter: What about you guys? I don't want you to get hurt, either!

Dochi: We'll be alright. Big brothers and sisters are tougher than most people. It's why we're...you know, BIG brothers and sisters. We're big and strong! (Flexes her arms)

Maple: And we're smart, too. Which is why we're not going to stand around here, in case some of the townspeople come near here. Look, there's an old pathway up that hill that looks like it hasn't been used in a while. Why don't we go up there and try to set up camp on the mountain?

Fritter: Um...okay. (sniffs and wipes his sleeve) That sounds like a good idea.

Vanilla: Ooh, I think I can see a roof up there. Maybe we can spend the night in there instead of sleeping outside.

Dochi: If the path looks like it hasn't been used in a while, then what's up there? If it's an abandoned house, then it'd be easier to stay there without anyone noticing us.

Maple: It might be abandoned for a reason...But it's the best option I can think of. Come on, let's start walking; the more distance we put between that murderer and us, the more comfortable I'll be.

(The five of them climb the winding path up the mountain, and are more quiet after their close encounter with the murderous ronin. Dochi, Maple, and Ube take turns carrying the younger two kids whenever they get tired, and after a while they arrive near the top of the mountain. The building Vanilla saw is now fully visible; it's the crumbling ruins of an old castle. Near where they're walking is a set of gravestones along the path leading to the castle's entrance.)

Fritter: Hey...Hey, hang on a second, we gotta stop walking.

Dochi: You need me to carry you again?

Fritter: No, we have to be good guests. If we're gonna stay at this house when we don't live there, we need to be nice about it.

(Maple seems to realize what Fritter's getting at and nods slightly. She sets Vanilla down and takes a few items out from the knapsack she's carrying, and motions for the others to do the same.)

Maple: For the spirits of the people who used to live here. Fritter's right, we need to leave them a gift as payment for staying in their home uninvited.

Dochi: Ohhh, right. Mom says that you should be kind to your host--even if it's a ghost host!

(The siblings each take out some spare food and place them near the four gravestones. Vanilla tugs on Maple's sleeve and points at her pipe.)

Vanilla: Can I do the flower spell? I wanna give the ghost hosts flowers as my present.

Maple: (smiles) Go ahead. You remember the words?

Vanilla: Yup!

(Vanilla takes the pipe and quietly murmurs to herself as she holds it out in front of the grave stones.)

I summon the boun-ti-ful jewels of spring, bloom here for me and make the earth sing.

(The marks on Vanilla's cheeks glow faintly as smoke billows from the pipe and settles on the ground, thickening and swirling until a handful of seedlings begin to sprout and grow at a rapid pace. After a few seconds, a cluster of flowers bloom and sway gently in the breeze. Maple takes the pipe back and pats Vanilla on the back.)

Maple: Great work, 'Nilla.

Ube: Hey...Maple, Mom's used magic to talk to ghosts before, right? Has she ever taught you to do it?

Maple: A little bit. I mean, she won't let me study necromancy until I'm older, though...I have taken a peek at some of her spellbooks on it. But speaking with spirits is something we've practiced together.

Ube: So could you speak to the people who lived in this castle? That way we can actually ask permission to spend the night.

Maple: Hmm...I guess I could try. I wonder if they could tell us more about Wano's history. It'd be a rare opportunity to learn about it. I mean, there aren't any books about Wano you can just pick up and read.

(She reads the names on each stone before taking the pipe out and blowing a swirling trail of smoke that circles around the graves.)

Echo of life, shadow of death. Kin'emon, Momonosuke, Raizo, Kanjuro...Let your echoes reach us, let your shadows appear to us.

(The smoke continues to circle around the graves, but nothing else happens.)

Fritter: Did you say it right?

Maple: I'm sure I did. Once you say the incantation, you should be able to sense a spirit and then it'll take shape. With the pipe, it should be easy for them take a form we can see with the smoke.

Vanilla: Maybe they don't like smoke. Should we try something else they can use as a shape, like the flowers?

Maple: I...I don't understand, I've done that spell perfectly before. Why isn't it...wait a minute. (She peers intently at the smoke circling around the grave, watching it slowly begin to fade and drift away) I...don't think anyone's been buried here.

Fritter: Maybe they're shy and don't want to talk to strangers?

Maple: No, that can't be it. Even if they didn't want to appear, I used enough power to summon them here. They would have started to take form before leaving if they didn't want to speak to us. I don't think there's anything here to be summoned.

Ube: Then why are there graves here?

Maple: That's a good question.

(As they stare at the graves in confusion, the sound of voices causes them to freeze up. The people approaching sound as if they're coming from the path the kids had taken from the bottom of the mountain by Okobore, and the siblings immediately see their clothes and recognize them as the adults from the town.)

Luffy: Why did you want to come with us to this castle, anyway?

Kiku: I'll explain once our allies have all arrived.

(The adults see the children near the graves, and both groups stare at each other in surprise for a moment. The one in the red robe looks even more familiar to the children, and they wonder if they'd seen him before they had ever come to Wano. The green-haired swordsman is the first to speak up.)

Zoro: Oh, it's those kids from earlier.

(When his gaze lands on Fritter, Ube and Dochi immediately raise their weapons while Maple takes her youngest brother's hand. Vanilla hides behind Maple and grabs Fritter's other hand.)

Ube: Stay back, murderer!

Dochi: Don't take another step towards my siblings, or I'll cut you in half, right along that scar on your chest!

Law: Murderer? I told all of you to keep a low profile!

Luffy: No, Zoro told me that was just a misunderstanding. He didn't kill anyone, he just slashed the guy who framed him and ran off!

Kiku: You really do have a talent for causing a ruckus...

(Vanilla steps out from behind Maple to get a better look at the man in red.)

Maple: 'Nilla! Get back behind me, we don't know who these people are.

Vanilla: But... (she peers at Luffy, and when she recognizes him she beams at him) That's not a stranger! That's Luffy, he's Papa's friend!

Ube: Wait, what? Oh. Ohhhhh, you're right! It is!

Dochi: Holy crap, it is!

Law: You know these kids, Luffy?

Maple: We haven't actually met, but we know OF him. (She relaxes a bit, but is still holding Fritter's hand as she walks up to Luffy and holds out her other hand in greeting) We're Katakuri's children. Um...we first saw you when you ruined Aunt Pudding's wedding and caused our Grandma to have a mental breakdown, but I doubt you noticed us during all of that.

Luffy: Ohhh! I didn't know Katakuri had kids. Huh, you even have his mouth marks. (He shakes Maple's hand.)

Dochi: Also, we don't blame you for all that either! I mean, we were mad at first. But then Papa told us you did it to save Sanji. So wait, are these guys part of your crew too? (She glances at Zoro, Law, and Kiku)

Ube: Oh, whoops. (He smiles sheepishly at Zoro) Sorry for threatening to kill you, mister. We thought you were a crazy killer or something, but if you're with Luffy then you can't be too bad.

Kiku: Wait, what are you all doing here in Wano? And why are you by yourselves?

Vanilla: Oh! Dochi and Ube stole mama's magic scissors and made a portal, 'cause they wanted to meet up with our aunties and uncles and grandma here. But then Maple saw us and tried to take them back, and then the portal ripped, and we all fell through it and now we're here!

Kiku: That...isn't what I expected.

Law: Wait, your grandmother...Big Mom's already in Wano?

Maple: That's--um, confidential. We can't reveal where our family is to another pirate crew. (She looks sternly at Vanilla, who pouts.)

Vanilla: Yeah, but they're friends with Luffy! And Luffy is Papa's friend, so we won't be called traitors if we tell them, right?

Law: We're ALLIES, not friends.

Vanilla: Huh? Aren't those the same thing?

Luffy: Yeah! We're friends, Law.

Law: I don't want to have this conversation again...So. You five are lost in Wano, and nobody in your family knows that you're here.

Dochi: Mama and Papa probably know by now. Papa's got really good Observation Haki, and Mama knows how to use magic, so they should've figured out we're gone and where we are. They'd probably want us to stick with Luffy, since he's Papa's friend; we dunno where our aunts and uncles are, so he's the only grown-up we know that we can trust here.

Ube: OH! Let's be allies! Me and Dochi can fight, Maple's the best of us at magic, 'Nilla is good with healing spells and knows some stuff about medicine, and...um, Fritter's a really good cook! I mean, he's 7, and he's really good for a 7 year old.

Luffy: Hmm...Alright!

Maple: This is NOT going to go over well if our family finds out. Look, if we're really going to be allies, we need you to keep this a secret from them. The only one who wouldn't call us traitors for this are Mama and Papa, and Big Mom would KILL us if she found out we were allies with you of all people. Um, no offense.

Luffy: No problem! I'm pretty good at keeping secrets.

Law: You're joking. Please tell me you're joking.

Kiku: I admit, I normally wouldn't approve of involving children in this. But...we can't just leave them on their own.

Ube: Plus, we wouldn't take no for an answer and we'd just follow you guys anyway. My mom says we're "tenacious to a fault."

Law: You'll fit right in with Luffy, then.

Luffy: Hey, since you guys got here before us, have you seen some of our other friends? A guy named Kin'emon, a kid named Momonosuke...

Maple: (frowns) Wait...you mean...them? (She points to the gravestones.)