#the kuina and zoro feels hitting hard tonight

[beanghostprincess]

Thinking on this fine day about transfem Zoro and how that would mean a woman would become the world's greatest swordsman just like Kuina intended

[blackfeather96]

Songs that remind me of One Piece ships and why.

Lets start with:

Luffy x Boa - Addicted to you by Avicii

I think this songs describes Boa's obsession with luffy very well.

"You came into my crazy world Like a cool and cleansing wave Before I, I knew what hit me, baby You were flowing through my veins"

What can she do? It's Luffy :D

Sanji x Pudding - Stereo Love by Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina.

This song describes a bit the pain that Sanji went trough in Whole Cake Island, with Pudding's lies, yet he still tried to make it work. :(

"I can fix all those lies But baby, when I run, I'm running to you You won't see me cry, I'm hiding inside My heart is in pain but I'm smiling for you"

Usopp x Kaya - If you're not the one by Daniel Bedingfield.

Because in my heart, Usopp thinks about Kaya every sigle day and he loves her.

'Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away And I breathe you into my heart and Pray for the strength to stand today 'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right And though I can't be with you tonight You know my heart is by your side"

Robin x Law - Mirrors by Justin Timberlake.

Because of their similar past and personality. They have been trough a lot of pain, but Robin was healed in a way that Law wasn't yet, and In my delulu mind she can heal him.

"It's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me I couldn't get any bigger With anyone else beside me And now it's clear as this promise That we're making two reflections into one 'Cause it's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me Staring back at me"

Zoro x Tashigi - Another Love by Tom Odell.

Because the main reason why people ship them, is because zoro finds tashigi similar to Kuina, and it doesn't matter how their relationship will develop tbh, I think he will always see her as someone similar to Kuina.

"I wanna sing a song that'd be just ours But I sang 'em all to another heart And I wanna cry, I wanna fall in love But all my tears have been used up

On another love, another love All my tears have been used up On another love, another love"

Franky x Robin - We found love by Rihanna.

Because they met on a sea train on the way for their execution, and they did have some great moments there :)

"Yellow diamonds in the light Now we're standing side by side As your shadow crosses mine What it takes to come alive

It's the way I'm feeling I just can't deny But I've gotta let it go

We found love in a hopeless place"

Nami x Luffy - Believer by Imagine Dragons.

Because she was broken, but he made her a believer.

"I was broken from a young age Taking my sulking to the masses Writing my poems for the few That look at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me Singing from heartache from the pain Taking my message from the veins Speaking my lesson from the brain Seeing the beauty through the...

Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer"

Ace x Yamato - Thousand Years by Christina Perri.

Because Yamato was waiting for Ace to return, and he would still be waiting...

"I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more"

Zoro x Sanji - One more night by Maroon 5.

Because they are always fighting :D If they are a thing, this is their song.

"You and I go hard At each other like we're going to war You and I go rough We keep throwing things and slamming the doors You and I get so damn dysfunctional we stop keeping score You and I get sick Yeah, I know that we can't do this no more, yeah

But baby, there you go again, there you go again making me love you Yeah, I stopped using my head, using my head"

Sanji x Nami - What are words by Chris Medina.

Because it doesn't matter where, when or how. Sanji will Always be there for nami.

"Anywhere you are, I am near Anywhere you go, I'll be there Anytime you whisper my name, you'll see How every single promise I'll keep 'Cause what kind of guy would I be If I was to leave when you need me most"

Zoro x Robin - She's crazy but she's mine by Alex Sparrow.

Because she's crazy, and he always saves her when she's in danger.

"The kinda girl who really loves to dance She loves to mess around with her friends Wanna know her now, wanna love her now I wanna make her be my girl She likes to give a smile to every stranger She loves to get her ass in any danger Wanna love her now, wanna love her now I wanna make her be my girl"

Hiyori x Zoro - Make you feel my love by Adele.

Because she fell in love for him in Wano and was always worried about him and took care of him when he was hurt, but he had to leave.

"When the rain is blowing in your face And the whole world is on your case I could offer you a warm embrace To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear And there is no one there to dry your tears I could hold you for a million years To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet But I will never do you wrong I've known it from the moment that we met No doubt in my mind where you belong"

Koala x Sabo - Can't help falling In love by Elvis Presley.

It's a simple yet beautiful song, as we haven't seen much about them, but I do think Koala couldn't help but falling in love with sabo. :)

"Take my hand Take my whole life, too For I can't help falling in love with you"

I probably forgot a lot of popular ships, tell me what you'd like me to write about next! Don't forget to give me your opinion and other songs for this ships!

[be-the-sparkle]

More Than His Swords

hey guys! This is my first time writing actually and I’ve been wanting to for a while but I’ve been scared to put myself out there. This is a draft of something I’m going to be working on. I might repost with edits but wanted it out there to show that no fear will hold me back.

Edit 10/16: Edited a few more things. I might keep editing depending on if I feel I'm being descriptive enough. I want you all to see the vision I am trying to create. I posted Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 (Lover's Quarrel) will be out hopefully by tonight. The chapter will introduce Y/N. Thank you guys so much for reading this 🥺🥺🥺!! It means a lot to me <3

Summary: (Fem)Y/n is an ex-assassin on the run from their home when they run into trouble with the world government on the island of Madani. As a result, their location is found and they find themselves in a sticky situation. Lucky for them Roronoa Zoro happen to be nearby. But don’t underestimate y/n because as they say, they didn’t need him to save the day! (But are eternally grateful skskssk)

© All Rights Reserved

Sometime post 2-year time skip

Chapter 1: Zoro Can Cut Anything, Apparently

It’s finally dark, Zoro immediately noticed after waking up on the kitchen table to Dartboard Brow and Chopper cleaning.

“Marimo, you’re alive?!” The cook asked.

“Eh the saké you have is weak. I feel nothing.” Zoro groaned. He declined to comment on the fact that his body had not felt this tired in a while.

“What do you know? You don’t have taste.” Sanji knew he was lying and he was not about to let him insult the finest saké he had acquired from Water 7.

“How can I have taste when all your food is bland.” Zoro lied. He enjoyed pushing the ero-cook’s buttons.

“Enough!” An intoxicated Chopper shouted. “I don’t think I can patch anyone up tonight.” He hiccuped and stepped down from the stool he had been on cleaning dishes.

Chopper and Sanji soon left the kitchen and headed towards the boys’ room.

Finally, Zoro thought to himself.

He had been waiting for the crew to settle down so he could catch up on sleep. The day felt endless but that is what he loved about adventures. Everyone had left the kitchen following their banquet to rest, leaving Usopp and Zoro to take the first night watch.

Zoro stepped out onto the deck and closed his eyes. He loved the misty air against his skin and the salty smell of the water. He had never felt more at home. The sea may have been calm but it was still buzzing with its dormant strength. Zoro’s stomach lurched.

I guess the saké did hit me hard, Zoro thought.

Gazing towards the helm he noticed Usopp. He had been sitting at the helm for a while in deep thought, a state Zoro rarely sees him in. Zoro has a hard time taking him seriously most of the time, but he cares for him as much as anyone else.

He feels grateful for these moments with everyone as the world has been unrelenting in its hatred for their existences. Zoro sighed, laying on the grass. He closed his eyes.

He does not talk about how difficult these past two years have been on him. He feels much stronger but a little empty. While recalling his training with Mihawk he pondered the promise he made to Kuina years ago and the weight his crew has had to bear, especially Luffy.

Zoro began to drift to sleep.

“Zoro-kun.” Silence.

“Zoro-kun.”

“What?” He replies with his eyes shut.

“Zoro-kun.”

“Whaaat?” Zoro opens his eyes to find Usopp sitting next to him, fiddling his fingers.

“Who’s guarding the helm?” Zoro asked, slightly worried they would veer off course.

“Jinbei-san. He couldn’t sleep and asked to take over.”

“Ok.” Zoro shut his eyes again.

“Zoro!! Talk to me!” Usopp demanded urgently.

“What do you want?”

Usopp sighed. He seemed more troubled than before. Granted, he was always troubled when it came to fighting but this time felt different. Zoro said nothing, however, as he was not about to make it known he could be socially adept.

“I’m worried about this island we are going to.”

“Why’s that? I thought the great captain Usopp never got scared.” Zoro cracked a smile.

“Zoro-kun! I’m serious!” Usopp chuckled a little then sighed. His tone changed dramatically. Zoro had never seen him this serious, it was slightly worrisome.

“I’ve heard stories about this island. My father would tell my mother stories about a hidden village filled with skilled assassins of all sorts. He dreamed of training there and surpassing them.”

“What’s the problem? Sounds like fighting them will be fun.” Zoro fought the urge to take out his katana and practice as his tiredness overtook him.

“My father also spoke of how unforgiving they can be.” Usopp recalled, his eyes filled with fear.

“It’s true.” Jimbei chimed in. He could not help but overhear what he believed to be an important conversation.

“I’ve heard the world government fear them and bribe them to stay hidden. Their cause is a mystery. No one knows what they do and where their power comes from. They are invisible.”

“Invisibility can still be cut down.” Zoro proclaimed. He knows better than to go into a fight not believing he will win and surpass his limits.

“I sure hope so.” Usopp stared blankly for a while then laid down on the grass.

Jimbei walked back to the helm and Zoro closed his eyes and began imagining his life as the world’s greatest swordsman and nothing else.

He felt a little lonely even with his friends with him. He shrugged off his lonely feelings and began to drift off to sleep unaware his life was about to completely change.

[deathlikesdeep-dish]

The Razr (Zoro AU Scenario)

Hi guys!

I’m so flattered that I’ve had some people join me here on this fun writing journey!! I truly truly do a little happy dance every time I get a follow. :D 

I keep meaning to just sit down and write a quick lil somethin somethin, but it always ends up longer than I intend 😅

This is a headcanon I came up with about Zoro having a crazy outdated flip phone that he refused to get rid of and his friends finally forced him to get a smartphone so he could use GPS. 

It turned out a little more serious and emotional than I originally intended, but I’m pretty pleased with it!! Would love to get y’alls feedback. 

xx

Warnings: obscene amounts of fluff, language 

Word Count: 1862

“Zoro, where the fuck are you??” Nami yelled on the other end of the phone. He could hear the irritation in her voice.

He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face in frustration. “I really don’t know, Nami. I think I made a wrong turn,” He paused and sighed. “Or two? Shit, I don’t know.”

Zoro could hear Nami yelling on the other end of the line, and he placed his phone in the cup holder, knowing that this might be a while. He hit his head a few times on the steering wheel of his car, closing his eyes as he waited for her to finish screeching. He was used to this. He knew that he wasn’t the most directionally adept member of his friend group, but he got by….when others were around.

What made matters worse is that Zoro absolutely refused to get rid of his ancient, bulky flip phone, a fact that Nami never failed to bring up in situations just like this. He didn’t see a point in getting a new phone when his old one worked just fine. He thought back to a conversation he’d had about it just the other day with his friends.

-

“Bro, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Their newest friend Franky said upon seeing Zoro pull his phone out of his pocket. “A fucking Motorola Razr? That thing has gotta be 10 years old!”

“It’s actually 12 years old,” Luffy chimed in with a laugh. “It was Kuina’s before it was Zoro’s.”

“Kuina? Who’s Kuina?” Franky asked. Zoro tensed up at the mention of her name, and the room went silent. Even Luffy noticed that he’d made a mistake in bringing her up. Zoro squeezed the phone tightly in his pocket.

Kuina was Zoro’s older sister. Five years his senior, Kuina had used the phone as her own for several years before she upgraded and passed it to Zoro. At first, he resented that she always got the newest stuff, and that he got the hand-me-downs. Now, he wouldn’t dream of letting it go. Kuina had died in a tragic accident just a couple years back. She was only 25. This phone was one of the only things that she had ever given him that was hers, along with the family katana that had been passed down for generations.

“Sorry, Zoro,” Luffy murmured, stuffing a bite of food into his mouth uncomfortably. Zoro simply grumbled in response with a shrug.

“Still,” Nami ventured tentatively. “Maybe it would be helpful for you to get a smartphone sometime soon. They all come with GPS systems built in.”

“And what’s wrong with a map?” Zoro snapped back.

“Well, nothing…” Nami said.

“Unless you can’t actually read it!” Luffy shouted out, not able to help himself. He cackled. Zoro shot him a glare, and he laughed even more. He crossed his arms over his broad chest.

“Yeah, well whatever. Next time I get lost, I’ll get a fucking smartphone. Deal?” Zoro said, to get them off his back more than anything.

Nami’s eyes lit up conspiratorially. “Don’t say stuff like that unless you mean it, Zoro.”

Zoro waved her off. They all knew that he certainly wasn’t going to purchase his own phone, so it was a moot point. It worked perfectly fine. Plus, it was hers. He’d keep it as long as it worked.

-

He was pulled from his reverie by Nami yelling his name.

“ZORO,” She yelled. He picked his phone back up and placed it at his ear.

“Goddamn it, Nami. I fucking know I suck at directions, please stop bitching at me,” He growled.

She started to say something, but stopped herself with a sigh. “Ugh. You exhaust me.” She replied.

“What else is new?” He snapped back.

“Whatever, Zoro. I just can’t believe you got lost on the way to your own birthday party.”

“Like I even care about this shit anyway,” He said. “It’s you and Luffy that always insist on throwing a party in the first place.”

“Hey man, don’t pretend like you don’t like eating food and getting shit-faced.”

He rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. He knew he didn’t have an argument there.

“Can you see a street sign anywhere?” Nami finally asked after a few moments when there was no reply.

Zoro looked up towards the streetlight and squinted at a sign in the distance. “Yeah, it looks like I’m at the corner of Alabasta and Logue Town drive.”

“Thank Christ,” Nami sighed. “You’re not that far. I’ll send Franky and Sanji to go get you.”

Zoro groaned. “Why does Sanji have to come? Doesn’t he have a fucking cake to bake or something?”

“They need to go out and get a few things from the store,” Nami said. “Listen, you’re the one that’s lost. Suck it up.”

“Ugh. Fine. See you soon.” He hung up, not wanting to hear anything else.

It took Franky and Sanji about 10 minutes to get to him.Thankfully, they just decided to have Zoro follow behind them in his car rather than ride together. Zoro wasn’t sure he could stop himself from punching that jackass directly in the face if he said anything to him.

They finally got back to Robin’s house where they were having the party. Robin was for sure the most adult out of any of them. She’d already bought this crazy historic home and had a job at an archeology firm while everybody else was living in shitty, thrown-together apartment complexes, eating pizza rolls and beer for every meal.

Sanji had looked like he was going to start some shit when they got out of the car, but decided against it when Zoro gave him a look. Plus, Sanji thought, it’s the guy’s birthday. Probably should lay off for one night.

Everyone was pleased to see him, and only gave him a moderately hard time about getting lost on the way to his own party. And despite himself, Zoro gave in to the jovial atmosphere. A few beers certainly helped. By the time he and Luffy had teamed up to play beer pong against Law and Usopp (“Sniper-king, my ass,” Zoro had thought to himself on Usopp’s third consecutive loss), Zoro was feeling pretty damn good. These were his people. They’d been the ones that were there for him. Even when new friends were added to the group, they’d always fit in. Luffy was the usual recruiter, and he somehow managed to find some cool-ass people.

The best time to give Zoro any gifts, Nami had discovered, was when he was sufficiently plastered enough to not object to them. Zoro was always more affectionate and willing to be the recipient of attention when he was drunk.

“Alright!” Nami announced over the blare of the music. “It’s present time, you degenerates! Sit your asses down!”

Franky turned the music down from his smartwatch, lowering it to a dull roar. Zoro was feeling warm and smiley, so he didn’t object when Robin lead him to the couch in the middle of the living room to receive his gift.

“What did y’all fuckers get me this time?” Zoro laughed, slurring a bit as he talked.

Nami rolled her eyes and Luffy just bounced excitedly from the armchair across the room. No matter how much he had to drink, it would seem, Luffy was always one big ball of energy.

“Remember,” Nami said, handing him a small, delicately wrapped box. “You promised.”

Zoro furrowed his brow, confusedly. “I promised?” He started to open the box, a bit nervous all of a sudden about what he would find under the shiny paper.

When he finally finished unwrapping the box, he froze. In his hand, he found a brand new iPhone. He looked up at his friends, knowing how much something like this cost.

“Guys, this is ridiculous,” He said, not knowing exactly how he felt.

“Stop,” Nami said, holding a hand up.

“Yeah, we all pitched in! Even Sanji!” Luffy grinned from his chair. “So no take backsies!”

He looked up at the room full of expectant faces, flushed from the alcohol and the good company. There was a pit in his stomach. On the one hand, he was angry. They knew how he felt about his phone. They knew what it meant to him. It wasn’t just a stupid phone. On the other hand, he was touched. Touched that his friends had come together to help him out. He found himself putting his hand in his pocket, thumbing over the ancient flip-phone that had once been hers.

“Guys, my phone works perfectly well,” He managed after swallowing. “This is completely unnecessary.”

“C’mon man,” Usopp clapped his hand on his shoulder. “You know it isn’t unnecessary. Do you need a reminder that you got lost on the way to your own party tonight?” He laughed.

Zoro remained silent, one hand gripping the new phone, and the other deep in the pocket of his pants.

“So, of course, we figured that you’d feel this way,” Robin chimed in. “So, that’s only one part of the gift.”

Zoro snapped his head towards Robin, the crease in his brow deepening. She pulled out another box from behind her back and handed it to him. This one was slightly larger, and a bit heavier. He peeled back the wrapping paper.

“It’s a shadow box,” Franky said. “So you can still keep your old phone, too.”

“Just on display on the shelf,” Nami said. “Instead of in your pocket.”

“We know how much it means to you, mosshead,” Sanji grumbled from the doorway. “You don’t have to get rid of the old phone. So, just accept the gift already.”

Zoro felt himself get teary-eyed. He told himself it was the alcohol as he wiped his hand over his eyes before tears could fall down his cheeks. “Thanks guys,” Was all he could manage.

Knowing that he needed the attention off of him, his friends just laughed and cheered, turning the music up to get back to the party. Franky spent the rest of the evening helping set up Zoro’s phone and showing him all of the functions that he would have access to. Zoro was still so overwhelmed, but he tried to make himself pay attention. Finally, and most importantly, Franky downloaded Google Maps and showed him how to use it. Zoro pocketed the phone with a slight smile and a ‘thank you.’ It felt heavy and big in the back pocket of his jeans. His heart felt heavy too. He couldn’t help but feel like this was the end of something. But somewhere, he knew that Kuina would be looking down on him, so happy that he had found such thoughtful friends.

Luffy raised his glass for a toast. “To Zoro! And never getting lost again!”

The rest of them raised their glasses, looking over to Zoro expectantly as they waited for him to raise his glass too. He reached for his beer and raised it slightly with a smirk.

“You motherfuckers are gonna regret this,” He grinned finally. “Getting lost was my only character defect. Now I’ll be unstoppable.”

[sanjisock]

against all odds

Two: they say a person dreams their soulmate’s dreams. All my soulmate seems to have is nightmares. ao3.

Zoro wakes up from the taste of steel and blood.

He jolts up from his hammock so fast his head unceremoniously hits the wooden hammock above him. It sways dangerously, almost tipping to the side and dumping Usopp to the ground, but it thankfully balances itself. He’s disoriented at first, rubbing his head absentmindedly with his heart pounding in his ears, and it’s only after the adrenaline has filtered out of his bloodstream that he realizes it was just an afterimage of a nightmare.

His soulmate’s nightmare, to be precise. Again.

It used to worry him so much more — the fact that his soulmate dreams of steel and blood almost every night — but these days all he can muster is a fleeting concern, and it makes his chest tight with the guilt for not caring enough.

Kuina told him all about this whole soulmate business the first time he was woken up by a nightmare he couldn’t understand. It was someone else’s dream, she had explained, and this person was going to be the most important person in his life.

It unsettled him then, that there was someone out there who had to go through this nightmare, and it unsettles him still until this day. But Zoro doubts this person is ever going to be the most important person in his life, especially not when —

Zoro finds himself standing in front of the galley. The light is dim, but on, and when he steps inside, Sanji is there.

“One of those again?” Sanji asks as he hands Zoro a small bottle of warm sake.

Zoro gives him an appreciative nod, and takes the bottle. “Hn.”

They fall into comfortable silence as Zoro takes a few sips from his drink.

It has become an unspoken routine for them recently — Zoro would get one of those nightmares from his soulmate almost every night nowadays, and whenever he goes to the galley to get something to chase away the bitter taste of steel and blood from his tongue, Sanji would be there.

Zoro assumes he’s only there to make sure Zoro isn’t stealing more booze than he’s allowed to, but Sanji always stays until the tremors have gone from Zoro’s hands, and the silent gesture makes something in Zoro’s chest warm and light.

Sanji seems to feel more conversational tonight, though, because he suddenly asks, “you ever wonder?”

Zoro looks up from his drink at the question. Sanji has taken a seat across the table, facing away from Zoro, a trail of smoke floating above his head. He looks pensive, and Zoro can’t figure out what he’s thinking. “What?”

Sanji inhales, and blows a lungful of smoke. “That soulmate of yours,” he says. “They’ve been having nightmares recently, right? You ever wonder what happened to them?”

“Not really,” Zoro admits with a shrug.

It’s apparently the wrong answer, because Sanji turns to him at that, a dark scowl etched on his face. “Why not?”

“I — they — we used to have this nightmare a lot, when I was young,” Zoro quickly explains. He has the vague feeling of having said something wrong without knowing what, and it rattles on his nerves. “It’s not exactly something new for them, so I doubt something happened.”

“You never had these night attacks on the Merry,” Sanji fires back.

“The nightmares got rarer as I got older, and it stopped long before I met Luffy.” This isn’t exactly true — the nightmares would still come, occasionally, but it did become more muted over the years. Distant. Zoro would still wake up drenched in sweat the next morning, but it didn’t make him feel like there was a scream permanently lodged in his throat.

“But it hasn’t,” Sanji argues back. “The fact that you’re here says it all. So something must’ve happened.”

Zoro groans. “Why do you care so much?”

“Why do you not care?”

“Because I don’t care about this whole soulmate thing?” Zoro blurts out, agitated. “Someone out there is getting nightmares. Big deal. I’d help if I could, but I don’t get why I should care . This person is a stranger for all I know, could even be some kind of an asshole. They could fight their own battles.”

Zoro regrets the words as soon as they come out of his mouth. Mostly because it’s untrue — he is not so heartless as to turn a blind eye on someone who clearly needs help, especially when that person is his soulmate. He does care; he just doesn’t want Sanji to get the wrong idea, because —

Sanji drops the cigarette from his mouth and puts it out with the sole of his shoe, almost forcefully. “I thought you were better than this,” he says, in a tone that make something in Zoro’s stomach turns cold.

Zoro runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. “What got you so worked up, cook?”

“None of your business,” Sanji says, and pushes pass Zoro to walk out of the galley.

Zoro watches Sanji slam the door close, upset and mostly confused. He couldn’t believe how quickly their conversation went south. It’s always like this with Sanji — one second they’d be having a perfectly civil conversation, the next they’d be at each other’s throat. The sake Sanji gave him is still warm, the bottle half-full, and Zoro scoffs bitterly at the sight.

To think he’d confess his feelings to the Cook tonight.

It doesn’t matter. Sanji is easy to anger, but easier to forgive — they’ll be back to their usual antagonistic friendship tomorrow, and Zoro will just have to live with another day of watching the Cook from afar, stopping himself from standing too close, touching too much. He’ll probably have another nightmare, and Sanji is still going to be there when he wakes up, calming him down, and it’ll be enough.

Except they don’t.

The Sunny reaches the harbor of Dressrosa the next day, and the next time Zoro sees the ship again, the galley still smells faintly of smoke and aftershave, but Sanji isn’t there.

And if the worst happens — Sanji will never be there again.

Zoro tightens his grip on his sword at the thought, but there is no enemy to fight. Not here.

Zoro dreams, and it is his own.

Robin explained once, how exactly the dreamsharing thing works: you see the your soulmate’s dream when they dream, and they see yours when you do. But whenever there is an overlap — when the both of you dream at the same time — it will depend on the emotional state of the dreamer. Basically  Robin said, if you’re emotionally more affected by the dream than your soulmate is to theirs, it’s your dream the two of you will be sharing.

And how .

Sometimes Zoro dreams of Sanji dying; bloodied and battered under Big Mom’s feet, eyes open but unseeing, and Zoro would scream his name hoarse until he wakes up with the Cook’s name lodged in his throat. Other times he dreams of Sanji leaving them all behind; healthy and safe but walking away from them all into the arms of his bride-to-be, and Zoro would try to tell him how he feels but Sanji doesn’t hear him, refuses to hear him.

Zoro doesn’t know which one is worse.

His soulmate’s dream has morphed, too — it is still drenched with steel and blood, but the images are clearer now. What he always thought as steel was iron; iron floors of a dark basement, cold to the touch; iron bars of a prison cell, tall and imposing and restrictive; iron mask over a child’s head, a reminder of shame and hopelessness.

Zoro wakes up every day with his breath trapped somewhere between his chest. Sometimes someone else will wake up too, and asks, “are you okay?”

I’m fine , Zoro wants to say, but he’s never been good with lying, so he doesn’t.

The Sunny is bobbing idly on an unknown sea, and Sanji is cooking in the galley, humming to himself. When Zoro approaches him, Sanji turns with a smile stretched across his face, and kisses him on the lips.

Oh , Zoro immediately thinks — immediately knows — this is a dream.

He knows this because there is no way Sanji would do this willingly in reality. The Cook has made it clear time and again that he has no interest in men, much less Zoro; it is a painful fact Zoro has long learned to accept.

Doesn’t mean he doesn’t allow himself to indulge in a fantasy or two.

The air is light with a dream-like quality to it, and Zoro distantly realizes this is something his soulmate will see. The usual tinge of guilt is back, but dream-Sanji just started to bury his fingers in Zoro’s hair, pulling him closer, and Zoro can’t find it in himself to care — Zoro is only concerned with the way Sanji feels as he runs his hands down Sanji’s sides, the way he shakes, the way he clutches Zoro’s hands and shoulders. If he closes his eyes hard enough, he thinks he could pretend that this is the real Sanji.

And then dream-Sanji says, in between kisses, “best,” kiss. “Dream,” kiss. “Ever.”

Zoro snaps his eyes open at that. “What?”

It earns him a huff of laughter, playful and rich. “Don’t ruin the illusion, you dumbass,” dream-Sanji says. “Let me pretend you’re the real deal, okay? This is my dream. You do as I say.”

“What are you —” Zoro sputters, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest. “This is my dream.”

The world around him dissolves.

Confusion must’ve been written all over his face throughout the whole morning, because Robin greets him with a, “did something happen?”

“What makes you say that?” Zoro retorts, defensive, almost out of instinct.

Robin shrugs and sips her tea. “There’s a certain glow to your face today. A rarity, considering how it is with your soulmate.”

It bothers Zoro, how most of the crew knew about his predicament with his soulmate these days. It used to be something he shared only with Sanji, but now with the Cook gone and the nightmares increasing in intensity, it was inevitable that everyone else will find out, sooner or later.

He decides that there’s no point in hiding, so he asks “Have you ever shared your dream with someone?”

Robin blinks. “I share my dreams with Franky. You know that.”

The tilt of her smile forms a smirk that seems to imply that the word ‘dreams’ don’t just mean dreams, and Zoro scrunches his nose in disgust. “I’m not asking about that . I’m talking about really sharing. You and someone else’s mind, in the same dream. Is that even possible?”

Robin chuckles at his reaction, before answering, “it happened to us once, actually, right before we were reunited in Sabaody.” She taps her chin, thinking. “It probably occurs because we were both dreaming of — wishing for — the same thing: to be together. So our consciousness existed within that same dream.”

Zoro straightens up in his seat, not willing to entertain what it actually means . “Did you have it with Franky? Your soulmate?”

“I’d imagine it can only happen between soulmates, yes,” Robin says. “Why do you ask?”

Zoro thinks of Sanji; the way he was always awake whenever Zoro had woken up by the nightmares. He always thought it was just Sanji being considerate — and partly it must have been — but have they been shaken by the same dream all along? The ironand blood in the dreams — is that a memory of Sanji’s childhood, growing up with that terrible family of his?

Zoro thinks of the way Sanji felt in the dream they shared, warm and pliant in his arms, and wonders how it would feel to hold him outside the dreams.

They find each other eventually in Wano, before the fight against Kaido. The crew reunited in joy, but Zoro doesn’t miss the way Sanji slips away from the cacophony as soon as he can, barricading himself inside the safe familiarity of Sunny’s galley.

Zoro’s always been good with that. Breaking through Sanji’s barriers, that is.

He closes the galley door behind him just as Sanji puts down his knife. He turns to face Zoro with a glare. “What do you want?”

Zoro doesn’t bother with small talk. He never has to, when it comes to Sanji. “How long have you known?”

Sanji visibly goes rigid from the question, and that confirms it for Zoro. His soulmate has been Sanji all along, and he’s been feeling torn for the past two years for nothing. It’s frustrating and exhilarating at the same time, and something flares in his chest at the way a blush spreads across Sanji’s cheeks.

“Thriller Bark,” Sanji finally answers, after a moment. “I saw myself dying, over and over again, in your dream. Only the two of us knew what happened, so…”

It’s Zoro’s turn to blush, because what the hell. He remembers the fear gripping his chest when Sanji offered himself as a sacrifice to Bartholomew Kuma, and the nightmares that followed — but he always kept that to himself, thinking that Sanji would never know. So much for that secrecy.

“So that dream I had — the dream we had…” Zoro says, and trails off. He wants Sanji to confirm it by himself, that they’re soulmates, that he wants Zoro as much as Zoro has wanted him for the longest time.

Sanji took Zoro’s silence the wrong way, though, because he grits his teeth and looks away as he spits, “don’t make fun of me.”

Zoro straightens up at that. “I’m not making fun of you.”

The glare that Sanji gives him is sharper than any knife. “I don’t need your pity.”

“This isn’t — where did you even get the idea,” Zoro runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. “What are you even talking about?”

“You said it yourself, didn’t you?” Sanji says bitterly. “You never cared about the whole soulmate thing.”

“Because of you! ” Zoro fires back, because he needs Sanji to understand — the way the concern he has developed over the years for his soulmate and the affection he has felt for the Cook have now collapsed into one rush of emotions of want , bursting against his ribcage. “I’ve pretended not to care about my soulmate because I wanted you to know that I’d choose you over them — I didn’t know the two of you were the same person.”

Zoro can hear Sanji’s breath stuttering in surprise. The Cook is staring at him now, wide-eyed, and Zoro takes the opportunity to walk across the galley and take Sanji’s hand in his.

“I love you, Cook,” he tells Sanji, because it needs to be said, and Sanji needs to hear it. “I have loved you for a long time, and not because some force of the universe told me to.” He lifts Sanji’s trembling hand and brings it to his lips. “Should that not count for something?”

Sanji’s hand is warm and dry, and Zoro presses another kiss to the back of his hand. “I’ve always thought,” Sanji chokes at that, voice almost a whisper. “You told me you didn’t care, and I thought you’d think of me as — weak.” He sucks in a breath before gritting out, “useless.”

He pulls Sanji into a hug, lips pressed against Sanji’s cheek. “You’ve seen my dreams, Cook — my nightmares . That sometimes I still dream of our nakama dying the way Kuina did, swift and final and —” he pauses, unable to finish his words. Even after all these years, the sharp ache against his heart at the thought of her is still fresh, and he wonders what it feels like for Sanji, who has lost so much; suffered for so long. “Fear is not a weakness.”

“I’ve always wanted to tell you,” Sanji says against his shoulder in reply. “Always wanted you ”

The nightmares might still come, Zoro knows — that the iron and blood are more vivid than ever to Sanji now. But when Zoro closes his eyes, he now knows that he will have Sanji with him. His partner. His soulmate.

“You have me,” Zoro says, tightening his grip around Sanji’s shoulder. “Always.”