#that shit in the wano arc fucked me up

[kloudprince]

kidkiller is my roman empire

[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.

[an-au-blog]

Omg i have an idea - Sanji prince set to marry the princess of Wano arc but she is in love with her bodygaurd Zoro. This makes sanji jealous of him and he in his free time does everything in his power to piss off zoro but zoro starts liking it. In reality he had never had hots for the princess, but the day he saw Sanji and his fighting skills, zoro was inexplicably drawn to him. So they start sparring together and arguing but they find it comforting in a way.

Will u elaborate this au ?? I would love to see you enhance it

Yesyesyesyes! I saw that (I just hate replying from my main and as far as ik I can't respond from a secondary)

This reminds me of a royal au art post that I see or come back to every so often like "I should probably write a royal au"

(anyways here i go... this turned out longer than intended lol:)

At first, Sanji would be so happy and anxious about meeting the princess. He's never seen her, it was an arranged marriage, but he heard that she is the most beautiful and elegant woman. So it was a huge shock when he arrived and all she would do was try to tend to her bodyguard or try chatting him up. Emphasis on the "try". The most he replied with was a huff or a grunt. Most of the time he acted like she wasn't even there. Even when she did talk to Sanji, the conversation somehow always circled back to her body guard.

It was all "Zoro this," and "Zoro that," and admittedly, Sanji could hesitantly agree that if what she was talking about him was true, he was a man of pride and honor. It still pissed him off.

Sanji was a bit disappointed on many levels. He wanted a nice date with his future wife. What was he thinking? The mossheaded brute? She could do so much better than that swordsman. What does he have that Sanji doesn't??? Not to mention that the guard was staring daggers into him the whole day.

At the end of their "date", the swordsman insisted on sending him off to where he'd be staying. He even offered to give him a tour of the city.

Sanji responded with a "I'd love to get a tour from miss Hiyori, but I don't want anything from you, mosshead."

They end up going anyway because the very next day...

Zoro to Hiyori: I should take him into town for a tour.

Hiyori: Yes that's a great idea! I could come too,

Zoro: No

Sanji: Yes

Zoro sweating: it uh... it won't be safe.

Through out the whole walk Sanji would keep saying things like "oh, how I wish my FUTURE WIFE could be with us now," and "do you think my FIANCE would like this if I bought here one?" to make sure Zoro knew that Sanji was the one who would marry her.

Zoro seemed irritated at first but it slowly started seeming more like sadness than anger. At one point Zoro turns and interrupts him, telling him that they're lost. Turns out not only were they lost, Zoro didn't know where they were going for a while now.

An insult turns into a snarky remark in return, which turns into a kick, turns into a fight. After they were all worn out from the fight, Sanji begrudgingly realized that he enjoyed sparing a bit too much. It was the most fun he had since he arrived. He would never admit it though.

Once they found their way back Sanji decides that he would try and be as close to his fiance as possible. If he flirted with her enough, the Marimo would get the hint.

On one hand it worked. Zoro seemed to get really angry whenever he flirted with her. Which usually ended with them sparring. Zoro would say some questionable things during their fights... so Sanji responded. It escalated to the most fucked up and homoerotic shit, to the point where people got used to leaving the room to give them privacy.

As the wedding approached, Sanji started seeing less and less of Zoro. When he asked Hiyori about it she always gave an answer that sounded extremely fake.

It didn't bother Sanji... until it did. He stormed every room until he found the mosshead meditating under a tree. Sanji didn't know what he was going to do, but it would definitely going to include a confrontation.

Sanji: Are you avoiding me shitty swordsman?

Zoro, not even opening his eyes: ...

Sanji: At first I thought you had left or that you were avoiding both me and Hiyori, but then I find out you were with her daily.

Zoro still not answering pissed Sanji off and was his sign to continue talking.

Sanji: I can't believe you'd try to seduce MY future wife behind my back like that! For all that talk about honor, you sure are dishonest!

Zoro finally snapping: I avoid you because I know she'll marry you, I'm doing this for her sake. I don't want to ruin her wedding.

Sanji: Oh, right you're stealing her from me for her sake.

Zoro: I'm avoiding you because if I see you I can't guarantee I can hold myself back from ending the engagement and running off with you.

Sanji, absolutely baffled with this answer. That was so much new information, he didn't know what to ask first. After a minute of gaping like a fish, Sanji started talking on auto pilot. An apparently "autopilot" was "bitchy": What makes you think I'd want that?

And when he thought Zoro would spit something back, Zoro looked up at him with the saddest most heartbroken look in his eyes: I don't.

It sounded more like an apology than an answer.

Sanji felt like his world shattered.

The swordsman stood up and paused for a bit. As if he was ready to do something that he would regret but stopped himself. Sanji would have done anything to know what he was going to do or say. But alas, felt frozen.

Zoro: It's okay, I told Hiyori I'm leaving after the wedding. I won't be bothering you and your wife anymore.

Walking away, Zoro couldn't help but think how much he wanted to rush back and give him a kiss farewell. One filled with all the passion, frustration and despair he'd be harboring until now.

[aachria]

I’m so invested in Sanji and Ed it’s not even funny (it’s very funny my friend is so annoyed I keep yapping to her about these two)

The idea that Sanji, someone who’s life stands on so much secrecy tells the one person meant to figure out secrets it’s so crazy. The irony that Sanji tries so hard to not rely on anyone else and prove his worth the whole series. Just to confine in the one or if not the most secretive person he can is crazy.

Obviously Ed already knows about Sanji’s backstory and WCI + Wano so they aren’t surprised. But the idea Sanji trusts Ed so much to tell them his mothers name is insane. The little meetings they have is just so heart wrenching to me I adore them so much

But it’s so silly at the same time! I mean latest chap, for quite awhile Ed is telling the crew to well- kill them. If something they don’t want happens and in this case they don’t wanna be anywhere near the human trafficking (explainable) and at the very end Ed somehow got themselves into a death pact thingy with Luffy

And it reminds me of Zoro and Sanji in Wano. Sanji telling Zoro to “put him down” if he becomes an emotionless machine. And Zoro agreeing and telling him not to die before he can do it himself. It’s just very silly that these two both are so ridiculously secretive and sacrificial that they both end up in a similar scenario is goofy af

I love the two dearly, Whole Cake Island is gonna hurt for me but I cannot wait. We still got awhile but just wanted to share my adoration for these two dumbasses

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH YEEEEEEEES🦅🦅🦅‼️🦅‼️🦅🦅‼️🦅

Me and Sanji, we're like this 🤞. Me and him and our privacy issues all skip in a circle holding hands. Oh and Ed is there too.

OK. So. Sanji is my darling little guy and he is also very pathetic which is exactly how I like my men. Anyway the fucking SWITCH UP from Sanji mentioning being from the North blue back on Jaya and side eyeing Ed to him voluntarily telling them shit he is fully aware they could figure stuff out from is something that can be so personal.

My guy is like a cat pushing something off the counter, seeing no repercussions, and just continuing to do it. He got no pushback from the North Blue comment from Ed, saw that they never used that to find anything out, and went 'oh so it's like putting something in the bank, got it,' and ran with that.

It's Ed not telling anyone anything about their past they don't assume and Sanji pretending his backstory doesn't exist doing the spiderman meme.

Sanji saw this little freak who knows everything and never tells anyone SHIT and decided that was close enough to a therapist it could work. My man is poking the bear over and over seeing how far he can push his luck and Ed is just letting that happen.

Little Mr. I Will Never Talk About My Feelings Ever Because They're A Burden™ telling Ed, the Trash Receptacle Of Info That Will Be Forgotten Until It's Important™, about his gay ass crush on Zoro and being rewarded with a smooch: is this what being emotionally vulnerable is like????????

Those two idiots are very important to me. I almost bungled a bunch of plot because I adore him so.

The parallels between Sanji and Ed with Zoro and Luffy AND in general are both hilarious and terribly devastating to think about. I have so many big feelings about those two.

Wholecake is gonna be A TRIP I am VERY EXCITED FOR IT and it's gonna be AWFUL for everyone involved. I have something so hilarious I want to do with that arc.

[mostspecialgirl]

with the release of the vivre card translations i cant help but think about my love of kaidou, queen and king. queen has SO much lore and notable importance as a figure within the world of one piece AND within the wano arc, meanwhile King is just sort of a lunarian and doesn’t have much else to him as a character aside from things directly tied to that fact. but that’s exactly why i love the two of them so much. King’s simplicity is what makes him great !!! KAIDOU JUST PICKED HIM UP AND WAS LIKE “hello experiment baby. this lab’s fuckin nuts right. Do you want to be best buddies cause’ i’m gonna change the world” And he was like “well shit im not doin anything else let’s do this man” AND THE REST WAS HISTORY

and on the other hand its so funny how queen was invited and waited SEVEN WHOLE ASS YEARS to show up at kaidou’s door because he was busy with MADS. seven whole years of kaidou and king probably golfing using poor starving people as golfballs down in wano with them going back and forth daily about if queen is going to accept his invitation or not, only for kaidou to one day call across the room like “GUESS WHO I JUST GOT A CALL BACK FROM! I TOLD YOU!! I TOLD YOUR ASS SCIEN WOULD JOIN!!!” And a few days later some big fat guy shows up at their doorstep and:

kaidou: who the fuck is this

Queen: it’s me scien

Kaidou: why the fuck are you fat now. im pretty sure you used to be ripped

Queen: Love eating #Funky #Exciting

Kaidou: well fuck yeah Welcome to the team

And proceeded to place him on equal standing with his best bro. Despite all the fucked up stuff he’s done this is why i can’t help but love kaidou. He’s kind of just a big stupid asshole who’s been fucking around his whole life trying to kill himself, kill everyone else and has been waiting for Super Mario From The Legends to show up at wano and kill him. He drinks during battle. He gets really sad about not having fair fights with people he’s actively trying to kill. He’s a total piece of shit and put his son in a cave and chains for his oden hyperfixation but actively respects his pronouns. He paid two of the most heinous men alive to fund The Worst Devil Fruits Ever. He never confirms a kill and just assumes anyone he swings at hard enough has died instantly. Kaidou what’s wrong with you dude i love you

and then throw in jack who kaidou definitely put in just so he could tell people they were the four horsemen who is the biggest pushover of all time who none of the three respect and he’s just fine with that. What is their problem

I dont care if this mischaracterizes them i just want to have fun

[moongothic]

The fact that we don't know what Cross Guild is up-to currently is really killing me though, because like

Yeah, last time we saw them Buggy started a mutiny, and we don't know how that panned out. But also, between then and now, the news about the Strawhats "holding Vegapunk hostage" while being bunkered down in Egghead surrounded by a Marine fleet have spread over the world, not to mention Vegapunk's broadcast. We don't know how CG reacted to the news when they broke out, nor do we know if they're going to watch Vegapunk's broadcast (if they even have a video DenDen Mushi to view it). And I'm so curious about that, how they feel about the news

Like for one, as I've discussed about a bajillion times already, I'm curious about Buggy's mutiny, I do wanna know how things going for the clown and how the other two reacted to him throwing a fit. And I'm curious if Mihawk's at all concerned about his sweet baby apprentice getting into some serious trouble with his silly captain. Like probably not, Mihawk doesn't seem like the type who'd get worried about Zoro, but y'know. I'm curious

But. Like. Yeah. As a Crocodad Truther, of course I wanna know if Crocodile is slowly losing his fucking marbles with concern over The Shit Luffy's gotten himself into this time. It's not like Crocodile can do anything about the situation, he's god knows how far away on a whole different island and all with no way to get to Egghead (+he has a whole ass mutiny to deal with and Mihawk probably wouldn't be pleased about Crocodile suddenly pissing off, and you know Mihawk would not want anything to do with the shit going down at Egghead, dude just wants to chill). And even if Croc did somehow show up to Egghead (which he won't) what kind of a fucking excuse would he need to come up with for suddenly showing up to Luffy's aid???? Like there's nothing he can do except wait for the next newspaper in utter horror, drenched in cold sweat while the clown is causing absolute havoc in the background. Like we saw how fucking angry Crocodile was when Buggy made his mutiny announcement, and that's just how his day started, imagine how much worse it's about to get for the man.

Now to be fair, there is a possibility Buggy's mutiny could have forced Cross Guild out onto the waters (the men are riled up and not even Buggy might be able to calm them down rn, and if so, Croc and Hawk might just have to roll with it for now). Meaning they could be sailing pretty much anywhere right now- of course if Buggy wanted the One Piece they need the Road Poneglyphs so Zou, Whole Cake Island and Wano would be options. But also, hey, if Crocodile wanted he might be able to force the ship to head towards Egghead instead.

But also, to be realistic, because the Egghead-arc is so close to wrapping up, there is no way Cross Guild's showing up on the island anymore AT THIS FUCKING POINT IN THE STORY. Luffy and co are just about to flee to Elbaf with the giants so it'd be absurd for them to show up at this point, it'd be straight up pointless (unless they showed up to act as a distraction so the Strawhats could flee without getting pursued, but like there's no way Crocodile could convince Mihawk and Buggy to help with that. And I feel like I'm trying too hard to come up with an excuse for them to show up when they don't have to)

I just wanna know how Croc's taking the latest news about the Strawhats okay I'm curious how things are going for themmm

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Loki Loki Literature Club

We're back! Yay! And what a chapter to come back on. We don't get this a lot in One Piece, but here we have a chapter where Luffy spends the bulk of it alone in a tense conversation with a powerful yet nebulous figure. A nebulous figure that picked a great way to get under Luffy's...sorry Loppy's skin here. This is such a cool moment in this series to me. Why?

Because it kinda feels like Loppy's on the other side of this than he'd usually be. We're in a country he already likes, someone they decided to chain up is trying to build a buddy so he can fuck shit up. But honestly Loki's kinda the rude little shit here while Luffy? Let's talk about Luffy here.

So let's consider the last three arcs and how they started. WCI the crew gets played by one of Big Mom's daughters. Wano you have a segment with many similarities but it's unwittingly finding one of the Akazaya Nine. Similar skillset but you start from neutral. The concepts there are put to an interesting test in Egghead and buddy you get suckered in. Now you're sitting here with a chained, Emperor-level threat who is probably just trying to get you to release him. Here, fun comparison:

See what I'm getting at here? Loki's about to find an in with you Loppy...did you learn the lesson from the two actresses? That some people are really good at hiding their true intentions, even from someone as perceptive as you? I'm not harboring any serious delusions you still smuggled someone out of Wano but there were still weird story beats and things like Academy kinda pulling the same trick with Kiku & Yamato, so I still have that feeling you could fit in somewhere. And we already identified potential with Shanks. Especially with the cover serial giving us a solid chance to line up Yamato's post-quest spur to Ringo with a little further into Elbaf.

If it all came together through Hajrudin at that point...that'd be fuckin cool because the Grand Fleet's update serial was rolling Act 1 of Wano. Which gets to my real point with all this. Luffy...bruh, please use your head. You have allies here. If Shanks was around the guy chained to the tree probably isn't even the best guy to ask about it and almost certainly isn't the only one because he didn't even bring it up!

Be calm, or you're going to walk right into another Egghead Incident you have nothing to do with.

Hey look, someone even got a haircut! There was other stuff this chapter. Oh my god this was sweetness. Brook did so well. Robin went back to her old bangs because of Saul who better not seriously fucking die right now. You are not about to Sunflower Samurai me here for our sweet sweet Nico Robin but you hurt me so so bad with Izo Oda...

You had that and a little advancement for the rest of the landing crew hiding from the New Giant Pirates. Which along with Loki mythos give this chapter a lot of dramatic irony. Love that shit. We'll surely see how these stories play out but I'm really interested in what decision Luffy makes here.

[shewrites02]

400 FOLLOWER ONE PIECE EVENT !!!

Thank you so much for all the love and support ! I really can't express how much serotonin you all give me on daily basis. This event is for me to give back to all of you !

Request: Closed

Rules:

Submit an ask with character and prompt. You can be as vague or as detailed as you would like in your requests. I love angst if you can't tell by my other stories , so I can't always promise a happy ending. Please specify if that is something important to you.

I am currently watching the Wano arc so I my writing tends to leans more post- time skip. If you would like to avoid spoilers just let me know what arc you are currently at!

I am not very confident in my ability to write gender neutral, just because it is not something I do often, but I am defiantly willing to give it m best try.

No NSFW. I can make it suggestive but that's like the most I have in me lol.

Characters I'm so confident in: Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Robin,

Characters I'm terrified to write for but will : Luffy , Ace, Law, Shanks

“Be honest. I’m not the one you want to grow old with, right?”

“I don’t think I can ever experience love like I’ve experienced it with you.”

“You really were my everything, and what’s worse is you’ll always be; even if being with you hurt me.”

“I don’t want anyone else.”

"You want me, don't you?"

“I don’t want to have this conversation again.”

“Don’t say that to me. That’s not fair.” -Luffy

“Don’t lie to me. I was there.” 

“What a disappointment I must be to you.”

“It is a Captain’s duty, after all, to mind for the worst case, not for the one he hopes for.”

“There's a time to talk and a time to shut up. Now is the time to be quiet, [_].”

“I’m only going to say this once. You’re the only one I think about, day in, day out. And it’s so fucking scary, feeling like this.”

“So that confession…” “Didn’t mean shit ‘cause I was drunk. And I don’t want you accepting that. Let me confess to you, properly, at the least.”

“You said you loved me last night.” “Drunk words don’t mean shit.” -Zoro

“Shouldn’t a happy relationship heal you rather than destroy you?”

“I wish I hated you. It would make things so much simpler.” 

Prompt Creds:

@dumplingsjinson (1-3)(13-16) @belatedbday69 (4-8) @thunderprompts (9-11)

Operation Olive Branch Spreadsheet

I know everyone may not have the means to donate, but if by some chance you have an extra $5 to spare please consider donating it to the families trying to escape the Gaza strip.

Please be patient with me when it comes to wait time. I will be filling request in between finishing my series Forgive Me, if I break You. So it may take me some time. Again thank you to everyone that does make a submission. I am so excited, I hope that this goes well. lol

[wiredtiresias]

This is an open journal entry. Just thinking my thoughts, and sharing in case someone benefits. I’m not, like, disavowing anyone or anything, not a callout post, or anything like that. It’s not at that level to me. I don’t hate any of those people, i continue to have a parasocial love for a number of them. I still have a subscription, and there’s shows I’ll probably keep watching. for now.

But gosh how fast the magic of dropout is fading for me. I always had critiques, but a few months ago, I still breathed dropout. D20 was my favorite show, period. Going back to previous seasons was an easy comfort. Now, it’s like, whatever, idk. Some of those stories are still close to my heart, but it’s not a cozy ride for me anymore.

There is a certain level of acceptance trans girls do for everything, where the world isn’t built for us, and we accept it. Almost all media isn’t for us, and we kind of turn off parts of ourselves to watch it comfortably. If we didn’t, we’d have, like, five books and ten web comics to read and no television.

It wasn’t until a bunch of girls on here turned themselves back on and complained that I had to look at how much empty air was in this pillow. How part of the reason I am so eager to see Evan Kelmp as a trans woman is because there are no trans women with lines in misfits and magic. Nor in most of the seasons. There’s been one (I think 3-4 of the questing queens are non-binary, but I don’t see anything anywhere that any of them call themselves women) at the table in d20 history.

And that wasn’t a huge problem! After all, we’re just one kind of person. One kind of person that’s like in the top 3 targets for fascists, but just one of the three (barring intersections of course…) Until we got a mis mag season 2, the show that is ostensibly a fuck you to terfism and a revision of some painful stuff for girls like me, and there’s even less tgirl content than last time (unless—no, stop it. Not now). And I was like “yeah, this is getting…uncomfortable.” And I know, they plan these things out in advance, pre-taped, but on the tails of this discourse, this discourse of “why are there more drag queens than trans girls on dropout?” we go…back to dungeons and dragons queens for a season 2. Like the best case scenario is they’re not listening. I hope they’re not listening. This isn’t some sort of response, I fucking hope it isn’t anyway.

And some people have come out of the woodwork to say weeeeird shit in the wake of trans women complaining about this. Misunderstanding people on purpose sometimes, in other cases just going full mask off to say trans women “just aren’t marketable,” like that’s not literally what the complaint is about, or that they just don’t exist in LA…or that there are only so few of us period.

Dropout is just some 2nd/3rd tier streaming service. They’ve always been pretty white, and pretty cis. They’re only so big, they can’t do everything, and they can’t do everything they do right. I know that. But they do talk a big game about doing it for all of us who no one else will do it for.

Except, not for me. Not for girls like us. Not really. I’m still watching, but I see that now. It’s just another thing that’s not really for us.

We’ve got some great stories about how fucking hard our lives are, but I have to…live one, so I’m still looking for stories where people coercively asssigned male get to play, experiment, laugh, feel safe, and end up or stay in transfemininity. No awful coming out, no isekai gender bender excuses, no undead/time travel psych torture, no Ranma Saotome gender Hokey Pokey. Stories about the joy of becoming or being yourself, and the magic of that, because it is magical, something that acknowledges that it’s hard, but isn’t about how it’s hard. Nice stuff for us.

My recs for that:

Yellow Brick Ramble, Daisy Finch McGuire (she has it rough at home but she leaves asap)

the one piece wano arc (good luck getting there), Eiichiro Oda

is it strange to feel dysphoric coming back from an isekai?, Squipkechi

I quit being a man, I got cancer so I decided to dress up as a woman and fall in love, Half-Me

She is convinced her half-brother is a girl, Mizukami Ice

And for the fembies, I cross-dressed for the irl meetup, Kurano I Want to Be a Cute Anime Girl, Azul Crescent

[mamamittens]

Now it's the Bois turn to be sad beans

I'm starting with Izou first, because he deserves it.

I don't care to look up if Izou knows exactly what happened to Oden or if he was dead before the Wano arc, so for this, assume he knows Oden died, not how or when exactly, and has Feelings about it.

It's the anniversary of Oden leaving Whitebeard's crew.

The anniversary of Izou officially joining Whitebeard and allowing his Liege to leave for their homeland after being a loyal vassal for so long.

It is the yearly anniversary of Izou getting shit faced in his office. A temporary indulgence as he drunkenly wonders what life would be like if he convinced Oden to stay. If he followed. If. If. If anything and everything.

Anything but letting him leave and die in Wano.

No one disturbs Izou. Not today.

Tomorrow, Izou will be put together, if a little hung over, just as he was the day before. As sharp tongued, witty, and collected as ever.

But today?

Today he drinks and drinks until the heat in his cheeks masks the hot tears. Thatch would likely gently cajole him into eating something light before sitting in the bath with him before going to bed. But most of the day, Thatch leaves him to his grief. Partly because his own duties still require attention and partly because he doesn't wish his presence to force Izou to pull it together.

They're peers, as much as they are lovers. Together, they're strong enough to take on the world.

But right now? On today of all days?

Izou wants to fall apart before dragging himself back together piece by piece with bloody fingers dripping with cheap booze. This goes beyond being vulnerable and open, this is a gaping wound Izou can't help but slice open year after year.

The world was so beautiful, back when Oden was his boastful, stubborn, idiotic Lord. They were all so happy. But Oden had to grow up. Mature. And go back home to better Wano--only to die there without Izou.

And the others... The kids.

Izou tossed aside an empty bottle and reached for the next, nearly stumbling out of his chair as soft knocking echoed in the stifling silence.

"What!?" He snarled, voice cracking and oozing malice.

"...'Zo?" Nikia's voice was hesitant and soft. A gentle request of concern that stabbed and gut Izou in two.

"Ki, sweetheart--please. I am fine. L-Leave me to it, dear." Izou called out thickly, the venom pooling out at his feet with shame.

Despite her quiet presence, Izou could feel the gentle resolve grow. Hesitant but...

Even half blitzed, Izou could feel her concern. Almost hear her soft shuffling as she searched for the right words.

"I... I don't think I should, honey. It's okay if you don't want to talk but... I don't think you should be alone either." Nikia responded finally.

Izou did not want her to see him like this.

Disheveled. Lipstick smeared and worn away on the lips of empty booze bottles. Eyes swollen and red. Any charm exchanged for the appeal of a miserable, pathetic, wet thing in silk too expensive to be stained with such cheap sake.

"It's okay. You can go."

"N-No it's not. I... You... I just..." Her voice stammered through the door with difficulty, stabbing his heart as she clearly struggled to find the right words.

But there wasn't any to be had here.

Just a miserable old bastard drowning out his regrets.

"I'm here." Nikia finally let slip, making Izou freeze. "If you really want to be alone, that's okay. I won't force you. But... It's okay. You don't even need to ask, I'll be here if you--if you want me."

It wasn't conscious.

His feet tripping over themselves as he made it halfway to the door before realizing what he was doing.

Halting as he berated himself for being so hung up on her that he was ready to force his miserable self into her open arms for just a chance. A single, fucking chance to be in them, even if he was an absolute mess when he did it.

But then he heard shuffling outside the door and moved with a stab of ice in his chest.

Door yanked open before he could think better of it.

Nikia stood. Frozen, hands clenched to her chest fretfully as her wings shifted in discomfort. Wide, impossible blue eyes pale like the distant horizon after a storm looking up at him with beads of tears in her lashes.

Blue curls dancing around her ears as she gazed up at him.

Hopeful and too sweet to endure. All that sugar melting into a soothing honey as she visibly wilted.

"Oh, Izou, baby." She sighed, hesitantly reaching out to him like he would shatter if her gentle fingertips so much as brushed his skin.

Without a word, he grasped her hand and pulled her into his office, closing the door behind her.

She pulled him into her arms so tenderly, grasp barely a suggestion. Freely allowing him to pull away with even a fraction of effort. But he allowed it greedily.

Buried his face into her chest as he sank to his knees. Collapsing and bringing her with him, nearly pinning her to the door as she rubbed his shoulders and brushed back his messy hair. Kissing and whispering to him reassurances.

"It's okay. You can let it hurt for as long as you want. I'm right here with you, 'Zo. Whatever you need. Let everything else wait until you're ready. Nothing matters more to me than you right now." Nikia whispered, her wings curling around him like a heavy blanket.

He shuddered. Lungs seizing.

And for the first time in a long time, Izou fell apart.

Really fell apart.

Not in bloody, drunken pieces, but almost... Drifting. Like the sea was carrying parts of him away under the gentle shade of angelic wings. Washing away his sorrows even as he let them be.

He had wept in Thatch's arms when he first heard the news, of course. His first, real moment of vulnerability. As both a lover and a Whitebeard pirate. And then he dragged himself back together because he felt as though he had to.

Life at sea waits for no one. Least of all a pirate.

And he had to prove it was worth something--staying behind. That it wasn't weakness that cast him out. That that weakness wasn't a liability.

It was strange now. To fall apart to unapologetically in Nikia's arms when, usually, Izou is the rock to Thatch's unending passion. Pragmatic and ruthless in a way Thatch hesitates to be in fear of missing an opportunity to do right.

She wasn't really a pillar of strength between the three of them. An inspiration to be kind and patient and perhaps more conscientious, but not really strong. Maybe even protective and possessive even.

But Nikia was soft like the snowfall she called home. Shy and uncertain more often than not. But endlessly caring and sweet when allowed to be.

Falling apart now felt less like admitting to severe weakness and more like... Finally breathing in all his sorrow for the first time. Letting it drown him, knowing there was a gentle embrace keeping him close to the shallows.

He can wallow here without worry.

Safe and embraced with soft curves and feathers.

No one but her to see him like this.

And he stayed there, long after he finished sobbing, until Thatch came to get him to eat. Shocked to see Nikia, who quietly shushed him.

"If you don't make space for grief, grief will find space on its own terms." She whispered, kissing Izou's brow as he sleepily nuzzled into her shoulder.

"...alright. Lets have a sleep over then." Thatch acquiesced easily, eyes fond and soft for the both of them.

Izou ended up in the middle, head still resting on Nikia's chest as he drifted off.

"Lucky bastard..." Thatch huffed in amusement, cuddling up behind Izou as Nikia slept. Arms still locked around him.

(Thatch will have to wait till tomorrow cause I'm EEPY AS FUCK)

[namisweatheria]

If I remember correctly (and I’m not reading another fucking wiki page) Viola knew everything that was happening in Dressrosa but was too powerless and afraid to do anything but go along with it and repress her guilt and anger. I think it would be interesting if she knew what happened to Becca 5 and Didn’t Do Anything and the fallout of that when Becca gets her memories back.

Oohhh maybe Law and Viola would argue over why the other didn’t do anything and it’s just mutual frustrated expressions of guilt and Law still has Cora to avenge so he leaves freeing Becca to Viola and in typical wan peace fashion she cries with the meaning of being trusted with that and heads out with new determination despite thinking she’ll probably die doing it.

MAYBE ACTUALLY it would be the other way around than what I suggested before and Becca and Robin would connect as two people who lost everything as children and became assassins and Viola and Nami as two people forced to work for someone they despise who has ultimate power over them.

I just know that Nami would be So Mad at Viola for giving up but would just as easily forgive and encourage her as soon as she finally decides to fight back. And I know Robin would be so happy for Becca when they find out her family isn’t actually gone they were just hidden in plain sight.

There’d still be a lot of other shit to fix and fold together but this is fun to think about… There were a shitton of problems with the gladiator pit and the tontattas that could be good to revisit and reimagine…. Something something Viola going down in the pit as a form of self punishment and attempting to get stronger something something Usopp’s relationship with the tontattas being less undignified for both of them while retaining Usopp’s victory…

Hmmm something about the trading of techniques and ideals with a group of very tiny people who are nonetheless incredibly fearless against much larger foes and a man who despite having gotten much physically stronger over the years is still very fearful and relies on a lot of clever tricks to fight….. Teaching them it’s not dishonorable to use tricks to win when you’re fighting for your life and in turn being inspired to be braver…. Trading weapons….. A continuation of the “I’ll do what you can’t do and you’ll do what I can’t do” from Water 6/Ennies Lobby….. Showcasing Usopp’s growth and allowing him to pass it on…..

OH AND OF COURSE. Nami and Koala would HAVE to interact!!!!! There would absolutely have to be made room for a dedicated scene or tiny side plot about the two of them. Their dynamic would be so fascinating with all their parallels and divergences. I’m not satisfied with her just showing up in the background to support Sabo and have it be revealed that she’s apart of the Rev Army now like THAT WAS COOL AND ALL but she’s SUUUCH a good character and having her and Nami so near each other and not interacting is such a giant waste of potential to me.

Ugh god but to redo Dressrosa you’d also have to redo Punk Hazard, which is also a meh arc for me. Not as interesting though. Plus that’s when Momo and Kin’emon are introduced and I simply cannot stand either of them and the shitty plot they exist for. I mean Wano is also begging to be redone…. Way too many characters way too long AND WAY TOO MUCH ROMANTICIZATION OF HISTORICAL FEUDALISM AND ITS MISOGYNY. And frankly Usopp SHOULD have gone to Whole Cake WHAT ABOUT THE THEMES!!!!!!!!!! What about the Sanji and Usopp Water Seven connection!!!!!!

Plus the way that everyone else going on ahead didn’t even affect anything. Ugh. Like I love that it made room for a lot of cool Nami moments and Carrot as a character but. I don’t know maybe Wano could stand to be shorter and Whole Cake could have been longer.

POST TIME SKIP HAS SO MANY PROBLEMS. There’s just this huge shift in art style and tone WHICH MATCHES. YOU KNOW. THE EVENTS THAT BROUGHT THEM THERE. But. Idk I think there COULD be better balance between old style Strawhat Shenanigans and the major Plot of the New World. Like I understand they’ve gotten themselves wrapped up into much higher stakes and they all have personal reasons to take things more seriously. And there’s not as much room. BUT WE COULD STILL MAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE. I THINK.

Once again this is why I’m loving the final saga so far we are very much back to Strawhat Time. There’s a lot to be hopeful for….

[camels-pen]

(i haven't read Whole Cake in a while, and i never really watched it, so bear with me)

I'd love to write a fic with Usopp on Whole Cake. it'd be sooo fucking long and i'd need to refresh myself on the entire arc, but god i'd probably be so satisfied when it's done. specifically for having brought a single moment in my head to life, but we'll get to that.

On Zou, he insists to be taken along on the Sanji rescue team and has worked himself up with a whole bunch of very good reasons as to why he should go there instead of helping in Wano, but of course Luffy just immediately accepts with a "yeah sure"

With Whole Cake, I think he'd be flipping between having fun as part of the idiot trio/quartet (Luffy, Chopper, Carrot), and being terrified with Nami. There wouldn't be that many differences in the arc as a whole, though; some things would be easier/better and some things would be worse- I don't necessarily think Usopp's presence would be overall an advantage or disadvantage, just different. Like, major events would stay mostly the same, but little details would change and maybe those little details would build to a far more drastic change-

for example, maybe one of Big Mom's kids considers themself a great sniper and wants a match with Usopp, or is motivated to work harder because Usopp is around and they want to take him out and boast about it. Maybe it means Sunny takes more damage than canon, or maybe Usopp's help means less damage to Sunny. (idk if i'd really do smth like this, but it's just an example)

skjdhf fuck i'm really not equipped to try and figure this out when i don't remember shit from Whole Cake aaaa

I do know that, despite his penchant for talking and rambling, I'd probably have Usopp be dead silent after his initial shock when Sanji fights Luffy. Everything about that is the same, except Usopp is just watching Sanji the whole time- not panicking, not moving, and not speaking. He doesn't say a word the entire time, doesn't even make a sound, and that, along with Luffy's words and Nami's begging, stick with Sanji.

(Usopp is thinking of his own fight with Luffy in Water 7, he's partially wondering if this was what it was like- if it was this painful to watch from the sidelines- and partially knowing he doesn't have to say a word, because he knew, like he knew back then, that it didn't matter what was said. It wasn't quite the same, but he could tell in the way Sanji moved, in the way he spoke and held himself, that he was putting on a front, trying to be brave in all the wrong ways. Usopp didn't say a word to Sanji because there was nothing he could say that Sanji himself didn't already know. Should've known. And his quiet, direct stare, was more than enough.)

the singular moment i really wanna write, is a scene where Sanji is apologizing for dragging them into his mess- either during the big meeting in Bege's castle or some other time- and Usopp's like "I'll do what you can't, you do what I can't, right?" and Sanji pauses, a little confused, until he remembers Enies Lobby and a stupid mask and cape and-

and tears are gathering in his eyes now, fuck, but he laughs a little. It sounds wet and his face is itchy and they're surrounded by tentative allies, but he- he laughs again and he says, "Fuck, you remembered that?"

Usopp shrugs, a little smile on his face. "They were some wise words from a wise man."

Sanji laughs a third time. "You think I'm wise?"

And they banter a little more before Bege tells them to quit it since they're on a time constraint or something. Quietly, Usopp will ask, "It-it helps. On bad days. And I figured, 'what's a worse day than this?' Ah, not that you getting married would ever be bad per se-"

"Usopp," Sanji says, looking more relaxed and settled. He smiles fondly and grabs his friend in a one armed hug, crushing him to his side. "Thanks."

And yeah, don't remember much beyond that, except the whole "hiding and then busting out of the cake" bit, which would mean Usopp in a cute little tuxedo or smth- maybe with a fedora aaaaaa <- loves fedoras- helping out with the fighting and eventually sailing with everyone to Wano.

He would be so distressed about fixing up Sunny now that the whole thing with Whole Cake is over. Maybe there'd be a gag about him promising Franky to take good care of Sunny while they were gone and being confident, after being Franky's tinkering partner and learning from him over time, that he could handle minor repair work much better than he did the first time around with Merry. And so when he finally takes in all the very-not-minor repairs he has to do, he's certain Franky is gonna strangle him for not keeping his promise. Probably also try to write in some nostalgic 'repairman Usopp' vibes from pre-Water 7.

Also something something, Sanji, wanting to do more for the crew bc he still feels guilty about Whole Cake, decides to take it upon himself to help Usopp not fall into a whole anxiety spiral about the ship. In turn, Usopp ends up helping Sanji not feel so guilty- usually by handing his own words back to him on a silver platter. And, yknow, having the two of them bonding and being buddies again like they so rarely get to be in canon nowadays qwq

[vidtape]

man i thought wci was incredible but wano is FUCKED UP. i loved big mom she was an incredible villain and the fact that they didnt even beat her in that arc has me on the edge of my seat imagining her teaming up with kaido as well, when that guy is already so fucking terrifying all on his own holy shit. crew i dont think you will be able to clown your way out of there like usual

[idreaminmugiwara]

Major Spoilers for Whole Cake Island Arc

Turn back if you haven't gotten into the 800s!!! I'm about to give a TED talk about episode 808, which is arguably one of the most emotional episodes of One Piece.

I FINALLY have my computer back!! Which means I can finally get to the myriad of posts I've been wanting to make over the past few days. I've been able to go from Zou to the beginning of Wano in record time and I have SO MANY THOUGHTS.

Starting with this episode right here.

I had heard some hype about Sanji v Luffy but until I actually watched the episode, I hadn't been terribly excited. I (like many others) have very complicated feelings about Sanji. I loved him before Thriller Bark, after which his predatory nature became impossible to overlook and made the majority of scenes with him uncomfortable to sit through. I've had relationships with guys that seemed amazing save for the fact that they refused to acknowledge and appreciate boundaries around women and femmes, and I've watched those guys get away with their bullshit over and over because no one takes it fucking seriously. Sanji can be borderline triggering for me with the kind of abuse history that I have. With that out of the way....

Whole Cake Island Sanji feels almost like a different person than he did in Thriller Bark and Fishman Island. He ceases to be the token perv and becomes an extremely emotionally complex character in a way we haven't seen up until this point. Normally incredibly sarcastic and stoic in the face of drama and tension, he begins to crack at the seams. Being around his abusers brings out a side of him that I hadn't even imagined up until now. His fight with Luffy is EXTREMELY challenging to watch because this isn't about someone flexing their strength or winning a contest, it's about fucking trauma.

It was difficult enough watching Luffy get the absolute shit kicked out of him by one of his dear friends. Then Sanji had to go and shatter Nami's heart. We've seen Nami (rightfully) slap the shit out of him before when he acts a fool towards women, but this literally hit different. The tears started falling for me after that "Sayonara." It felt so definite, so devastatingly conclusive. I don't think we've ever seen Nami angry like this before, not towards a crew member. As a viewer, I hadn't felt this uncomfortable since Luffy's falling out with Usopp.

I could be wrong, but I think the only other time we've seen Sanji cry was when he was saying goodbye to Zeff at Baratie. One of the things I've always loved about One Piece is how little Oda holds back when it comes to allowing his characters to FEEL. Crying is normalized in this world, no matter what one's gender is. But Sanji is typically presented (much like Zoro) as the stoic butch, the cool as a cucumber James Bond type who doesn't seem nearly as affected as the rest of his compatriots by the crazy shit they go through. Seeing him break down as Luffy cried after him, reminding him of how much he cared about him and how he wouldn't give up on him was fucking powerful and gave Sanji some much needed development after over 800 episodes.

Lastly, I just have to commend all the voice actors in this episode, particularly Hioraki Hirata and Mayumi Tanaka. The amount of nuance that went into these performances gives me goosebumps and cemented this as one of the most powerful episodes of One Piece for me. I wish this was the Sanji that could have stayed with us in Wano, but alas and alack. Watching this arc play out in Live Action is going to be absolutely insane.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[baby-xemnas]

I saw you talking about the quality of the One Piece writing on Twitter and I'm curious to understand what you mean! (I am newish to the fandom so sorry if this is widely discussed/understood). What's different about newer writing that you preferred about earlier arcs?

disclaimer: dont fucking come arguing with me this is a subjective opinion which anon asked for so im giving it, its off the cuff and not thought through im not a OP analysis writer

I'll tell you hwat anon - i dont know what is "widely discussed/understood" among the fandom is because i don't discuss things with people and i don't read takes -

just saying that because even tho im an older fan i am very unreliable and didnt read/watch most of the post time skip because i think its bad and what i've seen of it havent gotten me interested in reading it

even tho it seems insane that how can writing have such a sharp decline after a clear midpoint of the story but that is the case with OP for me - it really all ended in marineford

thing i dislike about newer arcs is too much time wasted on random new characters rather than strawhats/characters we know, the overinflated cast feels more overinflated the more the story goes (wano is absolute worst offender of this. im glad that at least egghead gave bonney some time shes fun. not reading the arc tho idc)

i just dont think 0da is doing that good of a job telling this part of the story that is bigger in scope involving gov/revolutionaries/marines etc. and its not just because its a personal preference of mine that i dont usually read those types of stories - i can recognize it if its good but all of it feels pretty empty and u just read this big "important" characters say shit waiting for ur fave to show up

pre-TS is more focused more personal, stakes are clear, motivation are clear, it doesnt meander as much. its just been telling better stories

[moongothic]

Hi! Just found your blog and I'm having a blast reading through your Croc theories and analysis, they're great! I wanted to ask you what you make of Croc's last manga appearance (I think), where Buggy announces he wants to be Pirate King. Just before that Croc mentions they need power and influence to form their utopia. It bugs me. Operation Utopia was your typical bad guy plot, but now he's still going on about that? What's that about? What idea of utopia could Mihawk and Croc possibly share??

I mean the OG Operation Utopia was simply about creating a military nation powerful enough to oppose the World Government, Crocodile explained it during the Alabasta arc explicitly. And the reason he targetted Alabasta specifically was because he believed Pluton would be there which would make his military nation unstopable.

So it's not entirely shocking Crocodile still wants to create that military force, even if he's given up on the Ancient Weapon part.

What bothers me is:

Why did Crocodile wait two whole years until he made his first move at restarting his Utopia Plans?

Why does he want that military force to begin with?

Like the easy answer for 1) would be that Crocodile had to wait for his turn to become plot-relevant again and was simplying enjoying his vacation in the meantime. Like considdering the shit happening during Dressrosa, Whole Cake and Wano, having Crocodile start his BS early would've been a distraction storywise frankly and Oda had enough balls to juggle at once with those sagas. But also, it is odd Crocodile hasn't done ANYTHING ahead of time to start rebuilding a new military force, like. He had two whole years, what the fuck was he doing then? Why wait that long just to start??

And I can only assume... he was waiting? For something?

Let's think about what has changed in the world of OP between Dressrosa and now, like the big, key events that impact the whole world:

Luffy has not just returned to the pirating scene after two years but has caused a fuck ton of world-shaking chaos in the New World (becoming an Emperor being simply the latest big thing)

Reverie happened

The Revolutionaries attacked Marijoa for the first time

The Shichibukai System was demolished

And there's two things we can kind of take-away from these.

If Crocodad Real, Crocodile watching his son take the spotlight could've inspired the man to move; the WG would want to target his baby boy and thus becoming an intentional distraction could be his goal here. Alternatively, hearing that his ex Finally Did Something could've made Crocodile be like "fuck I'm not losing to Dragon" and inspired him to actually make a move himself.

OR. Perhaps the end of the Shichibukai System is what got Crocodile to actually make a move? Because there's two things; One, he was able to make a very powerful ally very fast when Mihawk became a target for the WG. It's possible Crocodile might've been waiting for an opportunity like that, to recruit someone reasonable, reliable and extremely capable to make his own future endevours easier. Two. Because Crocodile gave all his money to fucking Buggy, it's possible Croc could've been broke these past two years. But knowing Buggy's now lost his Shichibukai Rights, THAT may have been why Crocodile decided to go get his money back when he did. Because if/when Buggy decided to skedaddle and disappear into the wind, there'd be no way for him to get his money back anymore, right.

OR. It could be all of these things together. The planets aligned and Crocodile saw now was the time to make his move. Maybe. IDK.

And then we get to 2, Why Does He Want To Create That Military Nation To Begin With

And I have no idea

I mean there's the whole Romancing SaGa 2 thing, but while that would work as proof of Crocodile's motivations, it doesn't explain particularly why he wants to destroy the WG. Like not that you need a personal motivation considdering what the WG is like, but without the motivation it's hard to tell if it's for World Domination or something else.

Though if Crocodad Real then it'd sound very reasonable if he was very intentionally trying to fuck with the World Government to protect his son by

trying to put a target on his own back and act as a distraction

take down as many Marines as possible to dwindle down the enemy forces (making it harder for the WG to make moves on anyone)

lowkey assisting Dragon if he wanted to mayhaps attack Marijoa again if he's actually up to doing something now

just prepare for a war against the WG

Or any combo of the above.

Like. I dunno man Crocodad really would just explain so much

But it all remains to be seen