#why did you make rayleigh SO FINE

[princeoftheeternalbog]

OP characters reacting to you kissing them and running away :) PART TWO🤸 (here is part 1) established relationship ish.

Some lovely person requested Shanks, Benn, Doffy and Crocodile! I decided to include Shanks, Benn, Crocodile, Jinbei, Mihawk, Rayleigh and Buggy (the old man brigade tbh).

I did try to write for doflamingo but I hate him so much I just couldn't do it😭😭.

Might be suggestive so mdni!

Shanks

Tbh depends on what side you do it.

If it's his left side then he just notes it in his head so he can get pay back later. If its his right side you're done for.

Immediately snatches you as soon as you try to run away, "Oho what do we have here? a thief?", gets right in your face with this cocky ass smirk that kinda makes you want to slap him and also makeout. Also his grip is intense, you will not be able to wiggle out. After he lost his arm he had to be able to make up that strength so yk.

Benn

Side eye. He looks at you so disapprovingly that you just apologise immediately instead of trying to run away...however this was a trap and he uses the opportunity to SNATCH you off the ground and into his arms. Laughs if you scream tbh. He always has to have the last laugh and he plays dirty, and somehow you manage to fall for these tricks almost every time so he enjoys this immensely. He doesn't even care how "unfair" it is, afterall you're so easy to tease so why would he not indulge-

Buggy

Screams in outrage.

"HOW CAN YOU DO THAT AND JUST RUN AWAY" chases after you😞 really aggressively😞.

Tbh it's kinda cute like in hindsight because it makes him really flustered but like in the moment its like WHAT THE FUCK. yk yk. You better hope he doesn't catch you because he will not be merciful in his pay back, though he would never hurt you. Hes just not used to pda and he definitely has cuteness aggression so he just wants to bite you when you're so sweet to him.

Crocodile

You don't get away.

The second you lean in his arm is curling around your waist to hold you still while he puts all his focus into kissing you back, it's literally like one hand cradling your jaw while he licks into your mouth. He doesn't care if anybody else is there, in fact he enjoys it because he gets to show off that you are his partner. After that he'll keep you with him for as long as possible, doesn't care if you have stuff to do and he absolutely will manhandle you if you try to leave😭.

Mihawk

Lets you run away, like he'll follow you but he just walks and it's somehow way scarier than being caught straight away😟. The look he gives you as you start to step back just makes your stomach flip and your knees go weak. He turns it into some horrifying game which is basically just him stalking you like a predator (👁️👁️). Somehow manages to lead you into a dead end even though you're the one in front ???? "Oh dear, it seems you made a wrong turn hm?". Absolutely will stop if you start getting uncomfortable, he just enjoys teasing you.

Jinbei

Really playful and sweet :(. Laughs so loud because he's surprised and just watches you run off. He will absolutely do the same thing back and it's just so unexpected that it usually makes you forget about whatever you were supposed to be doing. Tries to catch you sometimes depending on his mood, like he'll straight up snatch you from the ground so he can hold you in his arms, HES SO CUTE :(. Also I think he blushes very easily even though he's quite cool-headed.

Rayleigh

Another playful one, tries to catch you in like a non scary way and is absolutely willing to make a fool of himself to make you laugh. Though if he thinks you're doing it in order to tease him then he will give the same energy back. Like he won't give you time to run away, he just steps into your little personal bubble and his hands settle on your waist like steel, "Leaving so soon honey?" RAHHH SHUT UP!!!! He's so fine and he knows it and it makes him despicable.

[wordy-little-witch]

Ya know what occurs to me?

Karai Bari is in the New World.

Crocodile and Mihawk only showed up after the establishment of the delivery service.

Buggy was in Paradise. Marineford would have been in Paradise, I think, or at least Buggy's crew still was.

He doesn't have conquerors to cross the calm belt.

So... to get to the New World and set up shop, he'd have to have gone through Fishman Island, wouldn't he? So he'd had to have gotten the ship coated.

He'd likely have had to face Rayleigh or at least he'd have anticipated it - maybe Shanks even mentions Rayleigh hanging around there, maybe even mentioning him having NEVER missed Shanks passing through....

So when Buggy goes when Buggy expects to be found and claims to be dreading it and is but is also so hopeful so scared so broken so hesitant he's got a few different courses figured for how this will go down.

Only.... Rayleigh isn't there. Shakky is. She just directs them to another coater. Buggy fights himself, wants to ask, doesn't want to beg, and-

Shakky answers the question he couldn'tdislodge from his throat. "Sorry, baby blue, Ray's just working on something real important. You know how it is."

He does. He does know how it is. Important, huh? That's fine. It's probably a job. It's probably not that big of a deal that dad master Rayleigh is preoccupied. Buggy shouldn't have expected the man to drop everything and come running why did he think that, Rayleigh never did it before, not even Shanks' assurance he'd leave a message for Rayleigh would change much, and fuck he can't afford to cry so-

So Buggy gets the ship coated. It's not as pricy as he'd worried. He navigates them down, can even bring himself to smile at the wide eyed wonder from the rest. It's nice. He's fine here - these are his people. He's okay, really, and he'll be able to let this go or shove it into that nameless box in his head and heart soon enough. He just has to ride the wave, you know-?

Only no. Not really. Because a newspaper lands in his hands. And his brain is racing.

Because Rayleigh wasn't at Sabaody at all. He was with Strawhat. He was training Strawhat. He showed up, after the war, so close to the conflict, to train the kid. Rayleigh is fast, but not that fast. He'd have to have left around a week before Buggy even arrived. Shanks had assured him Rayleigh was there when he dropped by ((two weeks ago)). He knew because his brother had wrapped him in his arm and tears were shed, voices were raised and hearts were broken, wounds torn open to drain the festering rot and the healing hurt, it hurt then, it hurts now, it will hurt and hurt and hurt, because Buggy had pushed the Big Top to her near limits just to reach the archipelago that his former guardian ex-father previous family that Rayleigh called home. Shanks had called him, said he'd dropped the message and Rayleigh had chuckled and nodded and Buggy wanted to see his dad because there were still so many scars that had to be seen and acknowledged and Buggy himself wasn't even fully recovered physically but emotionally he had to do it, had to take the step and try because vulnerability brought the best and worst of him out, because he lost a brother and gained him back and he wanted for his father, at least one of them.

But Strawhat was on that front page. And Rayleigh was behind him, smiling, warm, proud, happy, and - Buggy aches. He's angry. He's livid. A week or so, by his estimate, for Rayleigh to find him and get there to the war ground. A week or so because Rayleigh was old but he was still painfully fast. In a week or so, the older man hunted down a boy he'd possibly met once or twice in passing. A week or so and The Dark King showed up to bring another strawhat wearing monster of epic proportions under his wing, had made impressive time in finding the kid, making the plan, getting to the navy hq, getting out, and that's accounting for the article writing, printing, and distribution.

A week or so to find a bright little sunshine boy he barely knew when one he raised rotted in a cell for months on end.

Busy with something real important, he recalled Shakky saying.

His chest burned for a moment, hot and wild and unyielding - and just as suddenly, the fire was gone. He was tired. He was so fucking tired. His injuries throbbed, his head hurt, his scars itched. He sighed, set the paper aside and curled impossibly small into his chaise lounge with a teary chuckle as he gripped his hair and tried to silence the keen building in his chest. He cursed himself for it, bitter and angry.

After all, he should be used to being outshined, out classed and out loved by energetic boys with bright smiles in little wicker crowns.

Story of his life

He is unaware of the many eyes on him, of the people Plotting and Arranging things on their own time. Their captain is the best - uncommon, unexpected, temperamental though he is, he is everything everyone needs him to be because it's the only thing he knows how to do. They see the seams in his mask and performance, and they ache to pay back the pain left on their captain, their boss, their leader and friend. Buggy pirates stick together, freaks and weirdos united - and nobody is allowed to hurt their captain without some serious followup.

[aimbutmiss]

Shanks woke up way too early that day, having barely slept from excitement. He was practically bouncing on his bed as he waited for his cabinmate to wake up, but Buggy was pretty much out cold. His patience was running thin as he watched his friend breath in and out in his state of deep sleep. What did Buggy get him as a gift, he wondered. He did disappear for a bit at the last island they stopped by... Just thinking about it made him giddy.

Buggy finally stirred out of sleep, yawning as he stretched his arms. Shanks immediately jumped on him, not able to control his excitement.

"Good morning, Bugs!"

Buggy rubbed his eyes groggily. "You're too loud so damn early..."

"It's not early at all! And sorry, heh." Shanks finally lowered his voice. He waited for his friend to say something, but he just pushed him away and got up.

"You stink." was all Buggy said as he made his way to the bathroom.

So, no immediate birthday wishes. That was fine. Buggy was never a morning person, and he was still sleepy and grumpy. He'd come to after washing his face.

Except, he didn't. No one else did either. It was like any regular day on the ship, and no one wished him a happy birthday.

Shanks went on his day like usual, doing his chores except with a big frown. He tried peppering in hints about the special occasion in his conversations, but no one seemed to pick up on it. As the day went on, his sadness grew and grew. Did no one care about him enough to remember his birthday? He was turning 14, yet all the excitement of it died in him. Roger cared every year to throw parties for him and Buggy, why would he suddenly forget? It didn't make any sense. And even if no one remembered, he always believed Buggy would. But here he was, going about his day like usual and ignoring him.

Shanks had never felt so unwanted and unloved before.

Towards the evening, Rayleigh came into the cellar as Shanks was cleaning up. He made a move to leave but Rayleigh halted him with a touch.

"You can't leave yet. I have something to tell you."

Shanks' eyes grew bigger and he bit his lips in excitement. This was it! Of course, Rayleigh would remember. The man loved to act tough but he was a big softie on the inside.

"You missed a spot. Mop it better."

...

"Okay..."

Shanks felt tears sting in his eyes as he turned around to mop the floor. The sound of Rayleigh's steps as he went up the stairs blurred in the background. Maybe he had always been a stupid chore boy to them. No one cared. And maybe, Buggy really meant it when he said he was a bother... He sniffled as the wet mop dragged on the wooden surface.

He wanted to run away, but he had no where to go to in the middle of the ocean. God, he hated this. He really didn't want to pity himself, but the tears weren't stopping. He heard footsteps and turned around to see Buggy at the entrance.

"Oi, idiot-" He stopped when he saw Shanks' teary face. "What's wrong?"

Shanks angrily wiped away his tears and turned away to hide his face. "It's nothing. Just leave me alone."

"Don't give me that, you asshole!" Buggy stomped over angrily and... held his face? He gently wiped away the tears with a swipe of his thumb.

"What are you doing?" Shanks asked between sniffles.

"Giving you time to cool off, so you don't embarrass yourself when we go up."

Shanks' brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone's waiting for you, so just calm down and breathe. You wouldn't want them to know you were crying, right?"

Shanks took a second to do as his better half said, still not quite understanding but feeling better with Buggy by his side. Once his face was less red and the teartracks were nowhere to be seen, Buggy held his hand and led him up the stairs. A big commotion happened when they emerged from the door.

"SURPRISEEEE!!!"

Shanks looked around in confusion, the sound of confetti popping startling him. There was a big, red cake in the middle of the deck with everyone huddled around it. The huge banner hung between the polls read "Happy Birthday Shanks!"

Roger made his way over to Shanks and gave him a big, squeezing hug. "My boy's a man now! Can't believe you've grown this much. 14, huh? How time flies."

He pulled away with a smile but it dropped immediately once he realised the boy in his arms was crying. "What's wrong, boy?!"

Rayleigh watched the panicked captain with a pained expression, sighing with crossed arms. "I don't think the surprise party was a clever idea like you thought, Captain."

After the misunderstanding was cleared, the party commenced in full speed. Music was playing, gifts were being exchanged, Shanks even got to blow the candles and make a wish. He wished for the same thing he did every year, looking over at Buggy and closing his eyes before blowing out the flame.

Later down the evening, Buggy approached Shanks, who was shoving cake in his mouth like his life depended on it.

"I can't believe you cried again after I tried so hard to not embarrass you."

Shanks turned to Buggy with a smile and frosting covering his face. "I don't care about that! I was just so relieved... I really thought you had forgotten."

Buggy shook his head. "As if I ever could, you dumbass."

He pushed a small, red box into his hands. Shanks eagerly opened it to find a small friendship bracelet, matching the one his friend was wearing. He immediately put it on with a smile. "Thank you, Buggy!"

Buggy rubbed his nape as red spread across his cheeks. "It's nothing big, but a lot of my budget went into the other thing so I didn't have many options..."

"Other thing?"

Buggy motioned to the box again, which was empty except for a piece of paper. Shanks turned to him in confusion.

"It's my Vivre Card."

Shanks stared at him in pure surprise, his eyes widened like saucers. "Seriously?!"

"Yes, seriously." Buggy smiled shyly. "I still can't believe you genuinely thought I forgot... I'll never leave you alone, especially not on your birthday. And if I do, you can always find me with this."

Shanks got teary eyed once again, staring at his friend with vulnerable eyes. "Really, never? You promise?"

"Oh my God, don't you dare cry again!" Buggy yelled, but didn't waste one more second to reply. "I promise."

It had been 25 years since then. Now Shanks, age 39, sat alone in a corner of his ship, somehow having managed to ran away from the party his crew threw for him. He stared at the Vivre Card on his palm, motioning somewhere far into the horizon, wondering where his friend was and how he was doing.

Never, huh...

Oh, how he wished Buggy had kept his promise, and he didn't lack the guts to follow him.

Maybe next year, he thought to himself, like he did year after year.

[adashoflavendermelancholy]

Hunting

Ace was acting strange. Stranger than normal for him. Which was saying something about the young man. He walked around the ship like a man on a mission. Looking over his shoulder and around corners. Haruta walked up behind him and he leaped out of the way. Leaving everyone confused as to why. Not that Ace answered any of their questions about it. Even when pops asked him, Ace just brushed it off. “Don’t worry about it.” He would tell them. As if that made things easier.

Then it happened. “Strawhats coming in!” The scout called. Marco looked up. Was it time already?

The strawhats pirates had been at sea for a few years now. They had taken the world by storm with all the antics they got into. From overthrowing a government, to stopping someone from taking over a government, they were in the news. Then everything with Nico Robin came to light. Making her one of the most protected women in the world. No one could touch her, not CP9, not any pirate group. The others monsters on the crew keeping them at bay. Whitebeard wanted to meet this Luffy. Might have even wanted to claim him as a son.

When Luffy finally arrived in the New world, things changed. He charged forward to take on another warlord, Doflamingo. From there, he pissed off Big Mom and Kaido. Taking both take on at the same time. With help from Captain Kid and Captain Law. If what the paper said was true. Then it was off to mess with the world government more. As if the world Government couldn’t hate them more.

Marco figured it was going to happen eventually. That he would set his sights on Whitebeard. Being the strongest man in the world, it only made sense. If Luffy wanted to take that title.

Ace, however, showed on deck. Watching the ship get closer, while hiding around a corner. “What are you doing?” Thatch asked, blinking.

Ace hissed at Thatch, waving his hand to get the other to go away. “SHHHHH!” Not once looking at Thatch. Marco braced himself for a fight and for helping Ace get out of trouble. It wouldn’t do to have him running in only to get killed. Based on how he was acting, that was what they were looking forward to.

“Let me goooo~” a voice whined, as they were close enough to see the people on the Thousand Sunny.

“No, we haven’t met Whitebeard. I’m not letting you get us killed!” Another voice called. When an orange-haired beauty showed up on deck. “Can we come aboard?” She asked, smiling at them.

Marco wanted to tell them to get lost. That there was no way they were getting close to Whitebeard. But it wasn’t his call. “Come on.” Pops called back. His hand resting on his weapon as the air was tense. Ready for anything that happened next?

The beauty opened her mouth when something flew past her. “LUFFY!” She yelled.

Fire lit up the deck. Luffy sliding to a stop as he turned. Ace had booked it around using the fire as a distraction. He barely managed to get to Pop’s chair when two arms wrapped around him.

“GOT YOU!” Luffy yelled. Ace was now trapped. By one of the strongest men in the world right now. No matter how close Ace was to Pops, nothing could be done.

“UGH!” Ace groaned, struggling to get free. “That’s not fair, and you know it!”

“Shshshsh!” Luffy laughed, “You’re just mad you lost first.”

The orange-haired beauty walked over to them. Smiling as she did so. “Sorry Ace. We couldn’t talk him out of it. He kept yelling about tradition.”

“It’s fine. I was planning on losing, anyway.”

“Oh?” Zoro asked, from his ship. He didn’t look intimidating, but neither did Rayleigh. “I thought the first loser had to hunt the others?”

Now the Whitebeards were not only lost but very worried. Just what was going on here. “Son?” Whitebeard asked.

Ace turned to them. “Oh, right? Luffy, Meet Whitebeard. I’ve decided to help him become the king of the pirates and not you.”

Luffy turned to look at Whitebeard. They weren’t sure why Ace was trying to start a fight like this. It wasn’t fair. Luffy looked back at Ace. “Okay, but I’m not gonna lose.” He sounded uncharacteristically stern.

Ace smiled, “That’s fine, because Pops will still beat you!” Luffy laughed.

Robin caught everyone’s attention. “Captain, shouldn’t we start the party? It’s been so long since we last saw your little brother.”

The words catching on everyone’s ear. “YOU’RE FIRE FISTS BROTHER!” The Whitebeards yelled. Not sure if they were shocked because it was Ace or if this made too much sense.

Ace and Luffy, for their part, only laughed at them. The Strawhats knowing the feeling. Having been through this several times already. “Just wait until you find out who else is in this family.” Nami said, thinking about the other top names.

Whitebeard laughed, not sure if this was the best day of his life or not. He worried, secretly, about Strawhat coming for his head. Out of all the pirates in the sea, they were most likely strong enough to kill him. Not that he minded that. Dying in battle would be a good way to go, but what of his sons then? Would they be spared afterward? Or killed. There was no telling with them. Strawhat had left many of the crews that he took down alive. But there were a few that didn’t make it.

Still, the more the merrier. “Strawhat.” He called, making the other look at him. Whitebeard and Luffy stared at each other for a minute. Taking in the other before, Whitebeard smiled. “It’s good to have another son.”

Luffy stared at him, then blinked. A smile taking over his face. “Shshshshsh!” He laughed, not telling anything about what he jsut tried to claim. After all it wasn’t Luffy’s fault that two men felt anger run down their backs. Wanting to fight something for overstepping.

“Pops- “ Ace tried to warn. But it was too late. He was swept away in the crowd. Making it hard for him to tell Pops that Luffy was already taken.

[blacklegsanjiii]

i think truly the most absurd parenting scenario we could put sanji in is with Real Pirate King Buggy 🦅🦅🦅🦅

Sanji would really suit that like. commedia dell’arte venetian theatre. Sanji would make a fine Arlecchino or Tartaglia (both lover roles, but Arlecchino or ‘the Harlequin’ is often a trickster character too)

Buggy would unironically be an incredible father tho. like. i am fully confident that there is nothing Buggy doesn’t excell in despite his pathetic soppy wet cat existence. He’s a COMPETENT soppy wet cat.

Sanji growing up as an acrobat in Buggy’s circus and getting doted on by all the crew oh ya know he’d love the dramatic flamboyance of it all.

Listen.

Listen, you're cooking. And it smells GREAT! But I think we need to adjust the seasoning a bit. Buggy managed to successfully hide in the East Blue and be forgotten from Roger's crew and all his adversaries. Like Buggy has to be running a network of some sort. He probably has informants in the New World ya know? For sure in the Grand Line.

I don't really fuck with Shuggy ATM(crossguild brain rot) but like also Buggy probably knows about Usopp and Luffy and that's part of why he signed the(forged) adoption papers. Sanji is also probably skilled with all sorts of weapons? His kitchen knives are not weapons but like he has a set of knives that are always hidden on him. He probably shows Usopp a bunch of spices and stuff that are good for bombs and Nami and Robin are confused about exactly how much in universe Shakespeare, albeit Robin is impressed. Luffy just knows but imagine Zoro finds out when the cook, who doesn't fight with his hands just swallows a Marines sword to distract them right before Luffy Gum Gum Pistols them.

Rayleigh talks more about Shanks and Sanji is just looking at his nails and briefly brings up Buggy. And Sanji can't help himself when he says "at least he's not a dead beat, he didn't abandon me" which makes Robin laugh and Luffy and Usopp ask what means and Sanji is like "you both haven't seen the Redhair crew since you were in the single digits, Buggy saw me at Baratie three weeks before you lot wrecked it and he would stop by every couple of weeks normally" And the crew is shook.

Like then Sanji just proudly showing everyone his photo of the Buggy Pirates, him, and Buggy in the adoption office and then again with just Buggy and Sanji and the paper and the jolly Roger. Rayleigh is having heart palpitations as Nami, Luffy, and Zoro scream at how lame his dad is and Sanji is like "oh you guys are the reason he's in Impel Down this makes sense" and Rayleigh is losing it. Shakky is laughing so hard. Rayleigh asks if anyone is planning to get Buggy out of prison and Sanji shrugs and says the lion is in charge now.

And then after the time skip to the forming of the crossguild everyone keeps shitting on. Like imagine Mihawk and Croc walking into Buggy's tent and seeing Black Leg Sanji as a child in full clown get up sitting on his own head in a photo and next to it is the adoption photo. When they ask Buggy about it hes just like "oh yeah, I adopted him at ten. Saw him all the time after he started at Baratie. Unfortunate he's not out of his civilian phase yet." And Croc and Mihawk are reeling. "Then again I think having to relive his trauma in Germa and with Big Mom probably didn't help, oh well. I'll talk to him about it when I see him."

When they see each other is some meeting between the Hats, the Guild and Redhair Pirates Luffy and Usopp are really happy to see their dad's. Sanji is probably being passed around by Buggy's crew and petting Richie who has him pinned to the ground and Crocodile is groaning that the clown's kid did the whole Mr. Prince thing and Shanks is confused because "you didn't tell me you had a brat?"

"well I legally adopted him eleven years ago and when Garp found out he said I was a better dad than you and Roger and Rayleigh so."

[rorywritesjunk]

Maul the world like a carnival bear set free

Buggy's kids end up in the past for a few days and it's a little surreal to see their dad as a dumb teenager.

Rating: PG.

Warning: None! No one is upset, no angst, just kids being kids. Buggy is 14 in this, his son is 13 and daughter 10. Shanks gets punched once. Sunny makes an appearance! At what point do I just make it so that Sunny has something about her that causes people to time jump? Alos this fic got long.

A/N: So I tied this into my Sunny x Buggy fics because I thought it would be fun. I figure you don't remember every person you ever meet in your life, you know? So if you meet them again at a later point it makes sense if you don't remember them. Also, Back to the Future is some of my favorite films so meeting your parents when they are your age?? How weird is that. This was a request from @chochotorianime10 ! Thank you. I always enjoy your Buggy and kid requests <3

Title comes from "The Kids Aren't Alright" by Fall Out Boy.

The fabric masks they wore over their mouth and nose were uncomfortable, but they had to play it safe. The crew didn’t question why the newcomer kids wore them, figuring there was something underneath they didn’t want revealed, so they left them alone, giving them their space while they ate, letting them have cots in a far corner away from the rest of the crew. The two blonde haired siblings seemed at ease on the ship already though they were quiet compared to Shanks and Buggy.

The two gave their names, Gold and Silver, names similar to the Captain and First Mate. Just a coincidence. Shanks tried to befriend them while Buggy ignored them. He didn’t care about newcomers at all, figuring he’d end up picking up the slack, but he hated seeing how well they performed the tasks they were given, like they were raised on a ship like the boys.

The first two days were fine. The two would get their breakfast and sneak off somewhere to eat it and well, Buggy got curious why they were so secretive. Shanks told him to let them be, even though he was curious himself, but Rayleigh told them specifically to leave those two alone or the boys would regret it.

The third day, however, curiosity got the best of Buggy. It wouldn’t hurt to just see what they were hiding as long as he didn’t say anything, right? Buggy grabbed his own food before sneaking away after the two blondes.

The youngest sat down behind a cask, taking off her mask before she started eating. She had a big smile on her face as she ate, beaming up at her brother as he looked around before taking off his own mask to eat. 

“How long do you think we’ll be there?” Silver asked her brother with a mouthful of bacon. He shrugged as he set the mask down and started eating.

“I’unno. Mom said when it happened to dad it was just a few days for him in her time, but in his time it was about twenty minutes.” Gold replied, rubbing his bright red nose as he glanced down at his sister. “Who do you think is freaking out more, mom or dad?”

“Daddy for sure.” The ten year old told him as she looked up at him. “He panics about stuff more than mommy.”

“Agreed.” Gold nodded. “Y’know, dad is obnoxious as a teenager. He keeps trying to get in my way. I wanna punch him.”

“I don’t think that’s nice.” Silver said with a frown. “He hasn’t done anything.”

“I know, which is why I haven’t punched him.” Gold shrugged. “He knows he’s being a dick, I just have to wait until the right moment.”

“What did you say about my nose?!” Buggy shrieked, startling the two of them. They didn’t realize he had followed them, managing to keep just out of sight to hear their conversation and catch a glimpse of them maskless.  When he came into view, glaring at the two of them and finally seeing them face to face, he had to pause for a moment when he saw what they looked like. He pointed at them accusingly. “What's the big idea?! Are-are you making fun of my nose looking like that?!”

Gold stepped between Buggy and his sister. His dad as a teenager could be unpredictable, he didn't know who they were so Gold wasn't sure what to expect. 

“We aren't making fun of you, these… are our real noses.” Gold told him. “Honest.”

“Oh really?!” Buggy lunged forward, grabbing the front of Gold’s shirt. “Who are you?! Why do your noses look like mine then?!”

“Will you calm down?!” Gold snapped as he grabbed Buggy’s wrists and tried to push him off. “I'll explain if you let go!”

“You're probably kelpies, ready to steal me away!”

“We aren't kelpies!” Silver huffed. “Daddy said the same thing when this happened to him.”

“Oh yea?! Who's your daddy then?!” Buggy demanded as he gave Gold a shake. “You from some other crew, kelpie?!”

“No, get off me, you dumbass!” Gold finally shoved him back, keeping his sister behind him. No one else was around. He told Rayleigh the situation but asked it not be talked about. If he didn't tell Buggy now, when they were alone, then he might not have another chance. “We're your kids from the future, you idiot! Don't you remember this happening to yourself?!”

Buggy took a step back. Future? What was this punk talking about? Buggy had heard of this sort of thing happening but he never experienced it himself. “No? What are you talking about?!”

“You came to the future when you were a kid! You really don't remember it?” Gold asked. Buggy shook his head. “Huh. So… are you gonna forget this then?”

“How should I know?” Buggy snapped. “You're talking crazy anyway!”

“He doesn't remember, Goldie!” Silver chimed in from behind. “That's what Mommy told us.”

“Who are you two, really?! I should bring you to the Captain because you could be spies for all I know!” Buggy demanded. He felt uneasy talking about the future and not remembering things. Why did he? It wasn't like he actually experienced this sort of thing.

Right?

“Your captain knows, dumbass!” Gold told him. “And Rayleigh, we talked to both of them already!”

“So… so why are you on the ship then?” Buggy frowned. 

“Because we had nowhere else to go.” Silver said. “And we knew we'd be safe here ‘cause daddy did when he was a kid.”

Buggy crossed his arms and looked away. “Yea, well… I don't trust you two even if we have the same nose! Talkin’ about future crap. I don't believe in that stuff.”

The two siblings shared a look before shrugging. They probably couldn't convince him no matter how hard they tried.

~

Rayleigh put Silver to work with Crocus, rolling bandages and helping him organize some things while Gold and Buggy cleaned out one of the cannons. Buggy was going to tell him how to do it but Gold already started. 

“How do you know how to do this?!” Buggy demanded. “I'm supposed to be teaching you!”

Gold just shrugged. “Learned from my dad.”

Buggy went quiet and started to help him clean. The conversation from breakfast was weighing on his mind. These brats claimed they were from Buggy’s future, that they were his kids, which… was never something that crossed his mind. Was he married then or did he just somehow end up with kids that had his nose? He scratched the back of his head and looked over at the boy. Was he allowed to ask questions? Or was the kid pulling his leg?

“So, you said you two are my kids from the future. How the hell does that happen?” Buggy asked as he leaned on the cannon as Gold cleaned it. “Am I married to some hot babe or something?”

Gold looked up at him, wondering how to answer that. His dad had no memory of his time jump as a kid, would he remember it as a teenager or would Gold and Silver forget when they returned? Maybe it was okay to talk about it, maybe Buggy would stop being an asshole.

“I'm not gonna agree if my mom is…a hot babe. That's just weird.” Gold replied with a frown. “But uh, she's pretty and the nicest person in the entire world.”

“Yea, yea, nice, whatever, I just wanna know if she's a looker! That's all, kid!”

“I don't know, she's my mom!” 

“Aw, come on! How do we meet so I know to keep my eye out for her?” Buggy asked with a grin. “Hey, is Shanks married? I bet my wife is hotter than his.”

Gold went silent at the mention of Shanks. This he knew not to talk about considering his own dad never mentioned Shanks unless it was to curse his name. So Gold just shrugged.

“Shanks never married. He never found the right woman, I guess.” Gold told him. “Only you married.”

“To a sexy lady!” Buggy laughed. “Must be a blonde, yea, since you and that girl are both blonde. I do love blondes! Ha! I bet she fell in love with my winning personality and how amazing I am, right?”

“Uh…” Gold shrugged. “Sure? Yea, you charmed mom for sure, I just don't know how.”

“What?! I am very charming!”

“Yea, yea, I'm not disagreeing with you!” Gold said. “Geez, just relax. I don't want to spoil it for you. You gotta be able to meet her on your own, that's how it has to happen.”

“What's her name? Where do I meet her? I wanna know!”

“I'm not gonna spoil it! It takes the fun out of it!” 

“You brat, just give me something!”

Gold huffed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine! You… two meet when you're in your twenties. That's all I'm saying.”

“Ha! Kind of young, I can deal with that.” Buggy grinned. “I must be a famous pirate at that age, right? How could she not fall in love with me?”

“Right, yea, famous.” Gold agreed. “Hey, is it lunchtime? I need food.” He got up and wiped his hands on his pants. “Let's go. I'm hungry.”

He hurried off, not wanting to answer any more questions. He didn't know what could happen if he said anymore, and it was possible just saying when his parents met could mean trouble.

~

Silver looked quite proud of herself for the amount of bandages she rolled for Crocus and the doctor was impressed the 10 year old stuck with the tasks he had given her. It took a few hours to get everything done but it kept her busy and out of trouble. He let her go find her brother once he was satisfied with the work she'd done.

She skipped out of the infirmary and went to go find Gold, but she hadn't the faintest where he would be. The ship was huge and she was certain it was bigger than home. It could be easy to get lost, but if she could get to the main deck then she'd be fine. 

Rubbing her nose, she sighed and went to find her brother, passing crew members, some who did a double take when they saw the little girl without her mask. She heard some of them start to whisper about it but it didn't bother her, not like it did her dad. She strolled along with her head up high, looking proud as she kept an eye out for her brother.

Except someone stepped out of a room in front of her and she crashed right into him, falling to the ground.

“Oh! It's the little Miss!” A booming voice chuckled; she looked up, startled to see Captain Roger standing there. He held his hand out, helping her back to her feet as he smiled down at her. “Hope you're okay!”

“I'm… I'm okay.” She couldn't believe she was talking to him. Her dad spoke of him, saying he was one of the greatest pirates Buggy ever knew, that he was the fiercest and scariest pirate, and Silver would have believed him were she not standing in front of him right now, his.large hand holding hers.

“Looking for your brother I imagine? I have to meet someone on the deck, we can go out there together.” He said as he started walking, Silver taking quick steps to keep up with his stride. She couldn't believe she got to walk alongside the King of the Pirates. Her dad would be so impressed his kids got to meet his Captain.

“Yea! I didn't know where he was.” Silver replied as she tried to keep up with him. “I helped Crocus with his tasks. He said I did a good job!”

“Ha! Did he?” Roger laughed. “He doesn't just hand out compliments. ‘course the boys drive him crazy, I imagine you actually listened to what he told you.”

“I did!” Silver beamed. “I did everything he asked.”

“Should keep you around. It's nice to have a kid who listens.” He grinned as they stepped out on deck. Rayleigh was there with an older woman, making small talk as she inspected one of the cuffs on his jacket, pulling at a button. Silver followed along, wondering who she was.

“Ah! Captain Pins, wonderful to see you as always!” Roger greeted. She looked up at him with a frown, dropping Rayleigh’s hand before crossing her arms.

“Not Captain anymore, you fool.” She retorted. “What is it you need done now? I can't linger, I have a new apprentice arriving today and I need to meet her.”

“I was hoping to get you to repair my jacket, it's starting to get threadbare in a few places.” Roger grinned. “I don't trust anyone else to do it but you.”

Miss Pins looked him over again and nodded. “It will be good work for the new girl. It will take a week, understand? And you'll pay extra for the short notice.”

Silver looked between the adults. This was the Miss Pins, the one who trained her mom. She suddenly felt excited, a big grin on her face as she took a step forward, catching the old woman’s attention.

“Hey, hey, what's the name of your apprentice?”

“Why?” Miss Pins demanded. “I'm not losing an apprentice to you lot.”

“Don't mind her! She's new to our crew.” Roger said, patting Silver on the head. “She likes making friends “

Miss Pins narrowed her eyes at Silver, looking the girl up and down for a moment, studying her face before she looked back at Roger. “Is she related to that obnoxious cabin boy of yours?”

“No, no, not at all. She’s not even obnoxious!” Roger chuckled as Silver smiled up at him. “She’s just curious.”

“Very well.” Miss Pins sniffed. “The new girl’s name is Sunny, that’s all I know. As you know, Captain, I am very picky about new apprentices. I only know of this girl from mutual acquaintances so we will see how she does.”

“I bet she’ll be amazing!” Silver exclaimed. “I bet she’ll be your favorite!”

“I don’t have favorites.” Miss Pins retorted. “Anyway, I need to get going. Have your jacket delivered to my shop some time today and we’ll get working on it, Captain.” She gave Rayleigh a polite nod before she walked off the ship. Silver went over to the side of the ship to watch her depart, wondering if maybe she could see her mom as a teenager. When would she arrive? Does she look the same as she does now? It was so exciting to Silver.

~

Shanks grumbled as he held the cold compress to his eye. Gold and Buggy were snickering while Silver acted like nothing happened. It would teach the red haired boy not to sneak up on her like that. He was just trying to make friends with her and thought it would be funny to sneak up behind her and grab her sides. He didn’t expect a ten year old to land a hit on him like that. She was so much shorter than him!

The four were out on the deck; Silver was still watching to see if she could see her mom while the boys were hanging out. Gold kept an eye out as well but not as much as Silver. Every time a blonde girl walked by, she would tug on his sleeve and point her out, but when they caught a glimpse of her face they would be disappointed. Silver hadn’t left her spot since Miss Pins left the ship. 

“They could have gone a different way.” Gold whispered to her after the twentieth time. “Or maybe she didn’t show up today.”

“Shush, I know we’ll see her.” Silver insisted as she kept looking, head swiveling every which way as she hoped to catch just a glimpse of her. Gold shook his head and returned to his conversation with the boys when Silver suddenly let out a gasp, tugging on his sleeve once more before she started to hurry off the ship. Gold swore and took off after her, not wanting her to get lost or sent back without him. Buggy and Shanks looked confused before they went after the two. 

Silver caught up to them first, touching the teenager girl’s arm as Miss Pins spoke to her. She turned to look at Silver, a smile on her face that the little girl knew all too well. Oh, her mom was so pretty. 

“Hi! What can I do for you?” Sunny asked as Silver smiled up at her. “Are you lost?”

“No, um, just… just wanted to say hi!” Silver told her. “Sorry, you’re just so pretty. I wanted to say hi to you!”

Sunny smiled, her cheeks pink from the compliment. “Oh, um, thank you.” She glanced at her new boss who looked bothered that their walk was interrupted. “Everyone here is so nice!”

“Silver!” Gold caught up to her, grabbing his sister by the arm. He stopped when he saw who she was talking to. Oh, she was right. She did spot her in the crowd. It was a little weird to see his mom at the same age as him. His dad’s genes were pretty strong, Gold knew he looked a lot like his dad in some way but he could see where his mom came through in his sister and himself, and not just with their hair color. Same eyes and smile, that seemed to be it, but also in the way they talked, gestured, little things like that. It… it was weird but also nice to see her this young.

“Oh, you two must be siblings! You both look so much alike.” Sunny smiled. “Are you both pirates?”

“Yea!” Silver agreed as Gold nodded. “We just… we just wanted to say hi, that’s all.”

“Oh, okay! Hi.” Sunny chuckled as Miss Pins cleared her throat. “Well, I have to get going. It was nice saying hi! I’ll see you two later.”

“Yea, you will.” Gold muttered as the two waved at her as she walked off. 

~

Buggy and Shanks didn’t see where the two went. They had to give up looking after a point and when they returned to the ship, fearfully telling Rayleigh that the two kids ran off, he didn’t seem bothered. He just shrugged and assigned them some new chores.

“Probably headed home.” He told them, not bothering to explain further. “Get to work, boys.”

They did as they were told. Buggy didn’t really want to talk about it, finding the entire ordeal just too weird for him. He did his chores until dinner time, when Rayleigh gave him a parcel and told him where to deliver it. It needed to go to Miss Pins, the infamous tailor on the island. He needed to deliver the parcel and come right back to the ship. Buggy grumbled and did as he was told, though he may swing by the pub to get a quick drink if he had time. 

He had directions where to go, stopping at the purple store front that was a straight shot from the docks. Grumbling, he pounded on the door, not sure if he was supposed to walk in or not. He didn’t know how this worked.

The door opened and it wasn’t the old hag, but some girl around Buggy’s age with a smile on her face.

“Hi, can I help you?”

He stared at her for a moment before shoving the parcel into her arms and storming off. No, it wasn’t fair that there was a pretty girl answering the door. It was supposed to be the old hag. He didn’t want to talk to either of them honestly, but he never had luck talking to girls in the first place. Grumbling, he glanced back, seeing her standing in the doorway, but he kept on walking. 

~ * ~

“My babies, where were you?!” Buggy cried as he hugged his two kids. “Don’t you ever take off like that again!”

Gold and Silver tried to free themselves from his grasp while Sunny looked on with an amused expression. The kids were out of her sight for thirty minutes after they were heading back to the ship. There had been a crowd that separated them for a moment, but when it was clear the kids were nowhere to be seen. Sunny had been worried but not like Buggy. He was ready to storm the town to find the kids.

“They’re fine, honey, let them breathe.” Sunny chuckled as she tried to free Gold first. “See, they’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

“Why did you brats run off?!” Buggy demanded. “You scared your mother half to death!”

“We didn’t run off, daddy!” Silver insisted as she hugged him back. “I got to meet Captain Roger! And I punched Shanks!”

“Of course - what?!” Buggy looked shocked. “What do you mean you punched him?! You met Roger, how?!”

“How about… we just go get lunch?” Sunny suggested as she finally freed Gold, letting Buggy hold his daughter instead. “I think they time jumped, honey, like you did before. And they’re home now, so that’s all that matters.”

Buggy turned his attention to Sunny. “Why does this keep happening?! I swear, you better not be next!”

“It’s not like I’m the one causing it, honey!” Sunny insisted. “Now, let’s get the kids fed and they can tell us all about it!”

He didn’t look happy, but Buggy allowed her to lead them all to the kitchen for lunch. It was weird, hearing Silver talk about punching Shanks, because he did remember the boy having a black eye once, saying he was punched by some little girl who didn’t like him, but it couldn’t have been Silver, right?

[chromotps]

If you're still up to doing the ask game... 7, 14, 18! 😊

yes!!! thank you for enabling the brainrot in yet another avenue 😂😂

7. Who are the maids of honor and/or best men? Why and how were they chosen?

On Shanks' side, his crew first and foremost, right? It just feels right to have Benn as best man... Outside of him, Yasopp seems like he'd be part of the party for sure, as one of the oldest RH members. Then, it might depend on the AU? I like picturing a timeline where Shanks and Mihawk and Buggy have all had a chance to get reacquainted, although it might be a bit much to ask any of them to be part of the ceremony, I guess... ;v; Would also be very cute to have Uta included in the wedding party!!! Yeah, if this were some "everything-is-fine-and-perfect" AU, I can see her fussing over her dad's outfit and helping style his hair because, "really, you're going out there like this? Not even a bit of mousse?"

gdfkjhjg poor Ace might have some trouble. He's got Luffy and Deuce both seeming like strong best man candidates, and Sabo might be in the running too depending on the circumstances... I can see Deuce getting it, being particularly long-suffering in this whole journey (and Ace could never choose between Luffy and Sabo)... Maybe Ace just goes with all 3. 😂 Then, it's like, he's got all the WBP to contend with, and his original Spade pirate crew... It's not like he can have all his brothers up there during the ceremony!! But I'm sure he chooses well—Thatch and Marco, Izou... the entire 2nd division..........

14. Do they follow any familiar, cultural, and/or religious traditions at any point of the wedding?

hhhhh this makes me wish I knew more about different traditions, I bet there are some that would be really fitting!! It's also hard to say what might be traditional in OP, but I like the idea of there being something that was commonplace on Roger's ship that carried over. Like............ going off of that post you made about Shanks maybe being Irish 😂😅 I could see handfasting being cute... Maybe young-Shanks heard about it from one of the Roger Pirates and always thought the idea resonated with him somehow. :')

My friend also told me about a Chinese tradition, I think called door games? Where a groom/groomsmen have to complete little challenges set by the bridesmaids (like performing bits of love songs or eating spicy food) before seeing the bride 😂😂😂 and low key I can kind of see the Whitebeard pirates putting Shanks through a bit of a ringer as a tradition before the big day, that would be hilarious. Ace is watching from somewhere far off, laughing, but also so smitten while Shanks and the RHs bob for apples or something ashgljdfg

and ahh, I guess the candle thing from the other answer resembles the idea of a Unity Candle. gosh. thinking about Shanks and Ace lighting the candle together, and then having that "you may now kiss" moment and the flame flares up like a torch 😂

18. Did anyone oppose the marriage? Did they speak then, or did they just forever hold their peace?

LAUGHS. laughs. ok so again circumstances pending:

I can see Buggy grumbling a lot if he's in attendance but not actually being so opposed

I want!!! Dadan to be present!!! And to grill the hell out of Shanks!!! But she's also just being a hardass haha and thinks Shanks is a standup guy, 100%

GARP opens his mouth to oppose and Luffy, Sabo, & Dadan all converge at once to deck him. from across the aisle, Whitebeard cheerfully motions for Rayleigh to go on

[an-au-blog]

difan is fine by me~

and i gotta say, SO excited by how much thought you've put into these options!! i think impel down is a super compelling choice, wrt the traumas your au buggy has, and making the marineford storyline still work, AND for that shippy agenda of yours (which i am fully in favor of ftr 😍)

i'm having fun imagining the marines announcing the buggy-roger pirates connection to the confusion of everyone on that ship BUT luffy, who did hear from rayleigh the other day about some buggy guy who used to be on the roger crew with shanks—but it didn't occur to luffy that this could also be HIS buggy until just now

alabasta is also a really interesting choice!! is the interest in history something he picked up after getting to know robin, or is it an interest he always had & is now remembering? (like, idk, maybe he recognizes the poneglyph language? and can't READ it, not without years of study and practice, but he thinks he used to know someone who could…?)

Aaa thank you, difan :')

I imagine that, yes, he picked up his love for history from Robin. Other than being the only responsible one adult, she often has a lot of sleepless nights, just like u!Buggy (who gets horrible night terrors). And I think that they would bond over being night owls. Also when she tries to tell him about the poneglyphs or just approached the topic, he reflexively goes "oh, yeah I know that", and then has a "wait... why do I feel like I know about them?" moment.

No, he cannot read them, but he knows more than the average person about them and about other things related to them. Robin thinks someone in the past before his memory loss taught him, or could read them, or maybe even found some of them...

Idk I just love the idea of Buggy being surprisingly smart especially with history (he asked Roger's crew taught him to be smart because he couldn't be strong like Shamks), so I guess it's self indulgence.

About the impel down thing:

Luffy would definitely be like "huh, so you're that Buggy, okay, cool!" Also I believe that all the prisoners would still want to become him devote followers, but he'd have to say goodbye to them because he's no captain, and the only captain he has is Luffy. (Which essentially makes them both respect Luffy immensely and think Buggy is just sooo modest and sooo loyal, committed, modest, etc, etc.)

I'd forgotten that the straw hats meet Rayleigh in the bar before Kuma sent them off and every detection. So I believe that Buggy already had a little talk with him about his life. And by little talk I mean he knows Rayleigh recognized him, and he finds out they've known each other because they both sailed. He refused to tell him more because he should find it for on his own pace.

(I'm gonna push some shuggy, here again lol):

On the way to Marine Ford, when the person on the snail told everyone that he was a part of the Roger pirates and is an associate of Shanks's, he was terrified. He'd never really seen this red-haired Shanks guy, only knows what Luffy had told him and what he's heard from the grapevine. And sure, Luffy praised him, but Luffy was way too trusting and positive. So excuse him for being untrusting towards a complete stranger.

(To give myself an excuse to push them in physical proximity...) Buggy would get swept by the attention and action, and Luffy would be taken by Law's crew by the time Buggy realizes he's gone. That's when Shanks sees him. His long lost friend and the person he was chasing ever since he found out he escaped from his entrapment on his own.

Shanks seems happy to see Buggy, and he seems like the only better option of getting the hell out of Marine Ford, so he takes him up on his offer for a ride back.

Once in the ship, where Shanks doesn't have to keep up appearances, he finally lets himself give Buggy a proper hug and starts telling him how much he's missed him and how worried he's been.

[redhatmeg]

This is Luffy's reaction to hearing about Shanks' words about him. I think that in this very moment, when he learned that his idol/parental figure compared him to Pirate King himself, Luffy received the best possible compliment. So he's happy, flattered, but also embarrassed, and that's why he's pulling the straw hat on his eyes.

But there is also one other thing. He's happy to hear about Shanks in general. And then there is this exchange:

Rayleigh: Anyway, you did well making it this far. He [Shanks] must be awaiting your arrival in the New World.

Luffy: Really? Yeah, he must be! I wanna see him again too!

For ten years Luffy didn't see the man who saved his life and gave him purpose. Earlier, he asked Garp about how Shanks and his crew are doing and he was happy to learn that they're fine. But this time there is also the implication that Shanks is there, somewhere in the New World and Luffy will see him soon, if he dares to go further.

And honestly, Luffy brims in excitement for this perspective.

[standfucker]

Sunrises; part 2: Days Three and Four

​Read Part 1 Here!

@rogerpirateswk​

Word Count: 6,357

CW: Depiction of a panic attack during Day Four

Ao3 Link

Day Three.

Some of the crewmates talk to you here and there, and you decide you preferred it when they ignored you. It’s not quite disdain they speak with, but it’s certainly not respect. You don’t have the guts to stand up for yourself, but you end up not having to. Every time you get talked down to, Scopper appears over your shoulder, telling the offending crewmate to get bent. You don’t know how he always seems to know when it’s happening, or how he finds you wherever you are on the ship. All you know is that Scopper’s way of ‘making it up to you’ seems to be by assigning himself as your bodyguard.

It’s a bit embarrassing, but does wonders for your sanity. His once-nerve-wracking presence rapidly becomes comforting, although there’s still a skip in your heartbeat when he’s close by that you can’t chalk up to anxiety alone. He’s attractive, not just in the physical sense, but in the way he grins at you, and in the sound of his voice when he tells you not to fret over something (a sweet, if not pointless, reassurance.) He probably mistakes your apprehension around him for fear, which is fine; you really don’t need him to know how he makes you feel. That would be another layer of stress on this trip you’d rather not have.

A sizable group of men are hanging out in the mess room late in the afternoon, some playing cards. The captain, first mate, and Scopper are all present, so you don’t feel nearly as antsy, though you still politely decline to join the game. It turns out to be a wise decision: A crewmate named Doringo is caught cheating, and the one sitting next to him, Erio, becomes so enraged that he pulls a knife, attempting to stab Doringo’s hand to the table. Thankfully, he misses, but that plus the ensuing shouting match has your blood pressure soaring. You shrink back in your chair, hands shaking as more men join the argument.

Scopper, sitting next to you, nudges your arm. “Hey, it’s okay. They won’t hurt you.”

You shove your hands under your thighs to still them and acknowledge Scopper with a curt nod. Verbal consolation has never done much against the staggering intensity that is your nerves, so all you can do is wait it out. Leaving the room is an option, but you feel safer around the captain and Rayleigh and Scopper, even with the conflict currently taking place.

It reminds you of an incident on the Marine ship, the day before the pirate attack. Two young Marines got into a fistfight, and you had been similarly alarmed. Except those two had been separated by the crew and then disciplined by their superiors. Roger just lets the crew duke it out, not even looking up from his conversation with Rayleigh.

“Fuck this!” Spencer slams his fists on the table and stands abruptly. “I’m going to start dinner. You dumbass bastards can keep fighting, for all I care.”

Spencer heads for the galley, his path taking him past your seat, and he pauses before you. “Y/n, right?”

You look at him owlishly. This is the first time he’s spoken to you. “Yeah…?”

“What’s your favorite food?” 

Around you, the crew gets suspiciously quiet.

There’s a gleam in Spencer’s eye you can’t figure out. Your thoughts start racing: Why does he care? Is he offering to make it? What are the odds he’ll even have the right ingredients on hand? What was with this change of heart?

“Oh, don’t–it’s fine,” you say. “You don’t need to–”

“Just tell me,” he presses. “Your favorite food is…?”

You scramble to think of an answer, social anxiety somehow bad enough that you instantly forget what your own favorite is due to the stress of expectation. You pick something random. “Sesame chicken?”

Spencer smiles impishly. “Well, you’re getting grilled cheese.”

The room erupts into laughter, leaving you confused and self-conscious. Did you miss something? When you can’t figure it out after a minute, you realize it must be an inside joke. It doesn’t stop you from feeling embarrassed, though.

“It's an inside joke,” Scopper helps.

"Yeah, I figured that out," you say dryly.

It’s a really stupid one. Your unimpressed expression must make that thought clear. A crewmate–Bankuro, you think his name was–takes one look at you and laughs harder. "Come on! They don't got jokes in the Marines?"

"They do," you grumble. And they actually make sense.

“Good ones?”

“Doubtful,” another crewmate interjects. You haven’t been formally introduced to everyone, so you’ve had to pick up names as you overhear them, and you’ve had yet to learn them all.

You shrug. "Marine jokes are usually related to command efficiency. How long it takes for an order to go through. Dad says that they call it ‘Justice, Eventually.’ There’s some others, though."

“Like what?”

“Like…” You think for a moment. “Did you hear about the Marine who enlisted out of spite? He wanted to become a Petty Officer.”

Silence. Just total silence from the entire room, complete with blank stares.

“It’s a rank,” you add.

“I know that. It’s just not funny.”

“Yes, it is!” You’re a little insulted. That was your favorite Marine joke.

“What do you expect from the Marines? Wit?” Taro chimes in from his spot a few seats over. You assume it’s Taro, anyway–he’s wearing a shirt with his name on it, so it’s either him or a big fan of his. “That’s why ‘Marine’ stands for ‘Muscles Are Required; Intelligence Not Essential.’”

The crew bursts into laughter. Harsh, but not surprising. They were natural enemies, after all. That doesn’t bother you. Neither does someone saying, “Ain’t that the truth! It’s a miracle they get anything done.”

What comes next, however.

What comes next crosses the line.

“It’s no wonder they died.”

You don’t know the name of the crewmate who said it–don’t care, either. The effect is immediate; a chill, at first, that runs through your body. Then the temperature spikes in the opposite direction. You’re not really the type to get explosively angry. But the crew’s laughter strikes against your memories of hearing the Marines die like a match. The resulting flame billows through your being, dwarfing any sense of nervousness. A rage like you’ve never felt before, burning up your heart.

“Shut up!” You roar, jumping to your feet. “Shut the fuck up!” 

The room falls quiet, all eyes on you now. You’re trembling, fists balled up. “They were good men. They didn’t deserve to die like that. Thirty men, slaughtered like animals. Thirty families, broken forever! Thirty!”

Those two young Marines who quarreled that day were dead, never to grow up. And the pirates before you lived on. They had no right to speak ill of them, enemies or not. You glare at the speechless crew.

“Maybe they weren’t all shining examples of humanity,” you yelled, “but they were nice to me! They greeted me every morning. They made sure I was comfortable. They complimented my music!” Angry tears prick the corners of your eyes. “So don’t speak badly about them! Not in front of me and not behind my back! Keep it to yourself!”

You’re panting by the time you’re done with the outburst. The crew is astonished, varied expressions of surprise that you were even capable of such fury. You’re so livid that you’re not even scared of them at that moment. And then…

“Alright,” says the pirate who made the initial comment, “I’m sorry.”

The sincerity of his tone cuts through the haze of anger and straight into your chest. Entirely caught off guard, you can only stare. An apology was the very last thing you expected. “...What?”

“I said I’m sorry,” he says. “I went too far.”

You blink, the tears running down your cheeks. You take a deep, shuddering breath. And then you sink back into your chair. The anger fizzles out at his genuine acknowledgment, and with its recession, anxiety sets in. You’ve just shouted at a bunch of pirates. And instead of killing you, you got an apology.

No one back home will ever believe you.

You glance around the table, but none of them seem particularly upset. When your gaze lands on Roger, you see that he’s watching you back. He’s wearing a small smile, and you can see approval shining in his eyes.

You wipe your face on your scarf–that is, Scopper’s sash–and rest against folded arms, now tired from the surge of emotion.

A few minutes later, a crewmate you’ve never talked to slides into the empty seat next to you, making you tense. Tall and lanky, he has a sort of eccentric look, even for the crew. Lots of pink hair beneath a strange cap, wearing a striped short-sleeved shirt over a solid-colored long-sleeved one. You remember his name–the others called him Mr. Momora (and the ‘Mr’ seemed to be required.) He’s looking at you like he wants something.

Unsure if he’s about to get mad, you lean back to the other side a little, toward Scopper. “C-Can I help you?”

“You play music?” Mr. Momora asks.

The question startles you for a moment–how did he know?–until you remember that you mentioned it during your fit of rage. “...Yeah.”

“What do you play?” His gaze is piercing and expectant.

“Ukulele,” you say, and sigh wistfully. “I had this beautiful tenor ukulele… A real fancy one, deep red wood with gold trim. Like the colors of the Oro Jackson. It was a gift...” A friend had brought it back with them from their trip to the North Blue. Your face falls as you recall its fate. “It was looted off the Marine ship by those pirates. I guess they could tell it was worth something.”

“Ukulele,” Mr. Momora repeats. You’re not sure that he heard anything else you said. “Okay. Okay. That works. Yes!”

You flinch when he pumps his fist in the air, and then he tears out of the room so fast his chair is knocked over. You stare after him, bewildered.

“He wants to play the song he wrote,” Taro explains, sounding irked.

“He writes music?” You can’t help the marvel in your voice. It wasn’t unheard of for pirates–sailors from all walks of life played or at least enjoyed music to pass the long days at sea. You had even heard of a whole pirate crew composed solely of musicians. But it still felt strange. What kind of music did pirates like?

“Yeah, and he’s really annoying about it,” Taro says, “gets a big head because he can play more than one kind of instrument. Complains that we can’t. ‘I can’t bring my vision to life like this,’ he says.”

“How many of you can play?”

“Three of us. Mr. Momora plays string instruments, mainly. I play drums. Moony plays bass. That’s as far as musical talent goes on this crew.”

For three people, that was a good balance of instruments. “I don’t see the problem?”

“The problem is that he’ll go and write songs with multiple string parts, for example, and then get mad when no one else can play them. Like it’s our fault he won’t just write for what we already know.”

“Oh…” It seemed that Mr. Momora was as odd in mannerisms as he was in appearance.

Mr. Momora returns a little later, each hand full with a large instrument case (guitars, it looks like, but you’re not sure) and a stack of papers in his teeth. He sets the cases down carefully, then takes the papers and smacks them onto the table in front of you. 

“Can you read this?” he asks.

You look at the paper. It’s sheet music, clearly hand-drawn, though the staff lines are straight. He must have used a ruler. “Yeah, I can.”

That makes him excited, bouncing up and down for a moment before going to open one of the cases. As you thought, it’s a guitar, the rich, dark wood reminding you of chocolate. He places it into your arms without another word.

You look at the guitar, then up at him. “This is a guitar.”

“Yes,” Mr. Momora says, “her name is Shirley.”

That’s kind of cute, but he’s not understanding the problem. A ukulele has four strings, while a guitar has six. The change in string numbers changes the chord shapes and scale lengths, not to mention the tuning between the two instruments is different. You pluck a few strings and frown. The guitar strings are positioned for tuning from low to high–the ukulele is the opposite, with the highest string on the bottom.

“I know how to play the ukulele,” you say, “this is different.”

“You can’t do it?” Mr. Momora’s disappointment is a full-body thing, his posture slumping while his face is downcast.

Something about the way he says it tugs at your pride. "Hold on, now. I never said that.”

A few of the pirates chuckle.

Mr. Momora lights up. “Then you’ll play?”

“You’ll have to give me some time, first. I need to figure this out before I can sight-read anything.”

You start by tuning the guitar before testing the strings. They’re stiffer than what you’re used to, made of steel rather than the ukulele’s nylon, with a far tighter string tension. The size difference also takes some adjusting to. Even a tenor ukulele was much smaller than a guitar. The instrument feels gigantic in your arms, bulky and unyielding.

“They’re not so different,” Mr. Momora says. “I don’t currently own a ukulele, but I’ve played one before. Place your fingers on the four highest strings, and you’ll find it sounds similar. A G chord on a ukulele is a D chord on the guitar. Try it out!”

You do so, nodding to yourself when the sound comes out as he explained. Mr. Momora coaches you through the differences, taking out the second guitar to demonstrate (“her name is Rosanne,” he says) and you get the sense that he’s played a variety of instruments to be able to understand them so well. Spurred on by his enthusiasm, you keep going, eventually working up to practicing scales and chords.

Eventually you’re comfortable enough to try tackling the sheet music. Mr. Momora brings in a stand to hold it up, and you start out slow, not following the tempo but just getting the notes down first.

“I wrote this song as a two-guitar duet,” Mr. Momora says, “but no one else plays guitar–” he shoots a look at Taro, who flips him off–“so I’ve never gotten to play this with anyone.”

The way Mr. Momora watches you play is a little unnerving. He’s looking intensely between you and the sheet music, but you recognize it as elation rather than scorn. This is the first time he’s heard someone else play these notes.

“Alright. I think I’m ready,” you finally say, feeling a bit excited yourself. Even played slowly, it sounds like it’s going to be good, and that was with just one guitar.

“Yes? Yes! Okay, let’s do it, Marineling!” Mr. Momora exclaims, and you make a face at the peculiar nickname. “Hey, everyone! Shut up for a minute!”

A few crewmates tell Mr. Momora, in various ways, to go fuck himself. But they also listen, the whole room getting quiet. You’re not sure if it’s the pirates being strange again, or sweet, in their own way. Regardless, you would have preferred the background noise, discomforted by the attention now focused on the two of you. But it’s too late to back out now. And, to be honest, you find you don’t want to disappoint Mr. Momora.

He taps his foot in rhythm. “Five, six, seven, and…”

You begin the song. The first four measures of the intro are played by you alone, a momentary solo before Mr. Momora jumps in on the fifth. The verse is a string of six notes at a time, rising for four before settling for the last two.

You didn’t know what to expect from a pirate, but it wasn’t anything like this. You like the song immediately. Simple in structure, but effective, its tempo is slow and gentle, calling your own heart to relax. It feels like drifting. It feels nostalgic. Almost like a lullaby. If you weren’t glancing between the sheet music and your finger placement on the frets, you would have looked at Mr. Momora with awe.

By the time you get to the chorus, you can’t stop smiling. It’s such a peaceful, melodic tune. Uplifting the way sitting next to a loved one is. And maybe it’s just the harmony of the two guitars, but you feel linked with Mr. Momora as you play, the two of you working together to create something beautiful. A minute in, Mr. Momora starts whistling, accompanying the main melody with a slightly higher pitch. 

You’re not confident enough with the guitar yet to look away from your playing for very long. Just enough for a quick glance up. You’re sure most of the crew is watching you, but there’s only one person whose opinion you’re really interested in. Your gaze flicks to Scopper. His head is tilted down, so you can see his eyes–he’s closed them, soaking in the music.

You look back down, cheeks growing warm as giddy satisfaction washes through you.

The song is short, only lasting another minute before you and Mr. Momora wind it down to a swift but gratifying close, playing the last notes at the same time. The final notes echo together, resonating for a few seconds.

Suddenly Mr. Momora is bent over you, his guitar discarded in order to grab your shoulders and start shaking you vigorously back and forth. “Yes! Yes! That was almost perfect!” 

A few crewmates shout at him to stop. Your terrified yelp warbles from the strength of his actions, but it only lasts another second before Scopper intervenes, forcing Mr. Momora to stop and prying his hands off of you. The world spins, your disorientation growing with the booming clap of scattered applause. You cover your ears, dazed and overstimulated, until it passes.

“You okay?” Scopper asks, touching your shoulder, his grip far gentler than Mr. Momora’s was. “He rattled you around pretty good.”

“Um… Yeah. I think so.” You blink a few times to straighten out your vision, then return the guitar to its case. Your fingertips are sore from the tougher guitar strings.

“See, Taro?” Mr. Momora says, gesturing energetically. “See what you and Moony could do if you branched out?”

Taro rolls his eyes. “Just because it was a good song doesn’t mean I feel like learning a new instrument.”

“Why are you so agonizingly dull?”

“Man, fuck you. Crawl in a hole and die, Momo.”

“That’s MISTER Momo to you, chestnut-head! It’s not my fault you’re too stupid to play anything but drums!”

“Drums aren’t easy, asshole! You use all four limbs!”

You cover your mouth, caught between amusement and concern that another fight would break out. Just in case, you scoot your chair a little closer to Scopper’s, not thinking much of it until he rests his forearm on the back of your chair, grazing your shoulder.

“Don’t worry about them,” Scopper grins, “they’re loud, but they never go beyond shouting. And even if they did, I’m right here.”

Your heart thumps a little harder. His grin doesn’t subside for a second, and despite the shades, you get the sense that he’s focused on you. 

“What? What is it?” you ask.

“Look at you,” Scopper inclines his head toward the guitar case. “An artist and a musician… Multi-talented, aren’t ya?”

You bury your face into the folds of the sash, the heat beneath your skin spreading. “Stop…”

“Hah, alright.”

Earlier in the day, you had thought that maybe the roller coaster of emotions you had been strapped to was dying down now that the trip to the Marine outpost was underway. How vastly wrong you had been proven so far. How foolish of you to think otherwise. But when you looked past the moments of fright and tension, what remained… Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

You sneak another glance at Scopper. He’s still grinning. You look back down, smiling.

Not so bad at all.

The crew’s attitude toward you changes after that evening. Gone are the steely looks and stiff posture. Many of them start openly conversing with you at times, being as friendly, if not more so, than the Marine crew was. Standing up for yourself must have earned their respect. They’re still rough around the edges, and you’re still nervous around them, but the lack of hostility is a huge weight off your shoulders, and you sleep better that night than you have in weeks.

Day Four.

You should have seen it coming.

Afterwards, you feel like an idiot. Because it happened on the Marine ship, you didn’t think it could possibly happen again so soon. But of course it would, of course the fear and stress these past few days would come to a head. You should have seen it coming, but you didn’t, and it catches you unawares.

You’re showing Shanks and Buggy how to mix paint when it begins. The dulling of sounds like someone’s put earmuffs on you, until you only hear the blood rushing in your ears. You trail off in the middle of your explanation of basic color theory, staring at the palette, the smears of colors blurring together.

“Y/n?” You hear someone say, but you don’t know which boy it is.

The air in the room is stiflingly hot, your body prickling with sweat. You peel off Scopper’s sash with trembling hands, but it doesn’t help. You need fresh air, you need to get on deck before you pass out. You try to get up but find the rest of your body is shaking, too, including your legs, and you stagger.

“Hey, what’s wrong?!”

Shanks and Buggy both jump to their feet, holding you up.

There’s an instant, deep-seated sense that something terrible is going to happen. You don’t know what, but the fear is instinctive, a gut feeling like you’re being hunted. Suddenly your chest gets so tight it feels like you’re choking, like you’re being held underwater with no way up for air.

“Can’t breathe,” you gasp.

“I’ll get help!” Shanks dashes out of the cabin.

Buggy supports you, helping you step and stumble toward the door. Even though your head is spinning, he keeps you from falling, strong for his age thanks to the rigors of pirate life. You make it outside, but the change doesn’t help. Chest heaving, panting like you’ve run for hours, and flooded with terror, you sink to your knees. Your heart is beating way, way too fast.

I’m going to die here.

Men are gathering around you now, looming presences and eyes that compound the panic. Your hand comes to your chest. None of the air you gulp down is getting to your lungs, and yet your heart is pounding so hard you’re certain you’re having a heart attack. Either that or the suffocation will kill you.

I’m going to die here and mom and dad will never know what happened to me.

“Get back! Give us space. Go back to what you were doing! You too, Buggy, Shanks.”

Roger’s voice. He crouches in front of you, pressing two large fingers to your pulse, and focuses.

“What–?” you breathe out, unable to verbalize the whole thought.  What is happening to me? Why am I dying?

“It’s going to be okay, Y/n,” Roger says, “you’re having a panic attack.”

Of course. A panic attack. None of this is a new experience, is it? But the knowledge helps like a knife in a gunfight. Recognizing it for what it is almost makes it worse, in a way, because you can’t stop it. Can’t use rational thought to convince yourself you’re okay, can’t tell your body that there’s no real danger. And you’re not sure that’s even true, because there’s no way you’re not about to have a heart attack. Your heart is beating a dent inside your ribs, like it’s going to burst out of your chest.

You teeter, about to collapse. Roger guides you down until you’re laying on your back.

“Gonna die,” you choke, barely able to get the words out.

“You’re not gonna die. I’m getting you back to your parents, remember?” Roger says. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but you’re breathing.”

Roger sits down next to you. If any of the crew is watching, they’re doing it from far away enough that it doesn’t crowd you.

“Can I talk to you? Is that okay?” Roger asks.

You nod shallowly, gasping.

“Have you had a panic attack before?”

Another weak nod.

“Then you know that this is temporary,” Roger says. “This feels awful, but it will pass, like it always has.”

You grab onto the words, repeating them in your head. But your chest hurts so much, and your lungs are on fire, and you’re so sure you’re going to die.

“My chest,” you heave between breaths, “Dying… Alone.”

“You’re not,” Roger says, and then, realizing it’s not helping, switches tactics. “Besides, even if you  were  dying–you’re not alone. I’m right here. I know I’m not your ideal company. But I’m here, and I’m not leaving.”

Not alone. Head swimming, heart pounding, whole body in the grip of terror–but you’re not alone.

“Is there anything I can do? Does touch help?” Roger asks.

You can’t form a proper sentence anymore, so you hold out your hand in confirmation. Roger takes it, large hand wrapping around yours, not squeezing, not rubbing the back, but just holding it.

“Remember what I told you about the Oro Jackson? About the wood from the Jewel Tree, Adam?” Roger says. “Look at the hull. See the patterns in the wood grain?”

You turn your head. Beneath the gold-trimmed railing, the hull’s rich, syrup-brown wood has little waves and whorls.

“Tom said that type of hardwood is called ‘open-grain.’ Try and see how many stripes you can count in ten seconds.”

You try and focus, until your floating vision stills enough to count individual stripes in the wood. You aren’t able to keep track of the number, just look from one line to the next. A while later, Roger says, “Do it again, if you can. Ten more seconds.”

Unable to process time right in your current state, each interval seems to drag on for hours. Roger waits patiently, prompting you to count now and again. The external focus, plus the touch of his hand, is grounding. Slowly but surely, the symptoms start to fade, the cloud of panic thinning until it’s no longer clogging your lungs.

Gradually, existence becomes bearable again. Your breathing slows, though you can’t stop shaking.

“How’re you feeling?” Roger asks, his voice no longer sounding like it’s coming through a wall.

You blink at the sky. The salty ocean air is cool in your lungs. “...Tired.”

Tired is an understatement. You’re exhausted, in every sense of the word. All you want is to rest, but your muscles won’t stop twitching.

Roger takes you to bed. The height difference between you is too great for him to comfortably support you while walking, so he opts to pick you up instead, holding you against his chest like a child. You’re too drained to be embarrassed, only closing your eyes and leaning into him.

In the crew’s quarters, Roger helps you into a hammock. Even though your body feels like it weighs three times as much as usual, you don’t think you can fall asleep with how much you’re shaking. But your eyelids flutter closed, and the next thing you know, someone’s nudging you awake, the room now dark and your body now still.

You squint. A familiar pair of alluring eyes are watching you, their owner crouched down to your level.

“Scopper?” you mumble.

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry to wake you, but Roger said you should eat,” he says. “Are you hungry?”

You sit up with a groan, a mild headache pulsing at your temples. “Yes… Head hurts, too.”

“Probably dehydrated. You were sweating pretty bad. Let’s get that taken care of, yeah?” Scopper stands up and offers his hand.

You can’t help but smile wryly, even though you take his hand. “Do you think I’m gonna fall?”

“I’m not taking any chances this time,” Scopper grins, helping you stand. He squeezes your hand before letting go, and you feel as if his fingers were gripping your heart itself in that moment, a brief ache in your chest from the action. “Oh, wait a second.”

Scopper picks something up off the floor–his sash. Someone must have brought it while you were asleep. This time, you don’t tense when Scopper wraps it around your neck.

“There you go, all set. Shall we?”

It’s past dinnertime. The night watch is out now, the rest of the crew lounging in various places on the ship. Scopper takes you to the galley, where a portion of that evening’s dinner has been set aside for you.

You elect to eat right there in the galley rather than in the mess room, not wanting to be around the rest of the crew for the time being. Scopper sits across from you. You’re not sure why, as there’s no one else around to bother you, but you appreciate his company nonetheless.

Your panic attack immediately comes to mind, and with it, the inevitable shame. You hate the loss of control more than anything, but even worse was having witnesses, people seeing for themselves that you couldn’t keep it together. These pirates already knew you were a wimp, but now they saw how far it went. Your eating slows until you stop entirely, staring through your plate, vision shifting as you start to detach from yourself.

“Don’t like it?” Scopper asks.

Your vision snaps back to normal and you’re back in your body once more. “What? Oh, no. No, it’s good. That’s not it…”

Scopper tilts his head. “You’re thinking about earlier.”

“Yeah,” you sigh.

He watches you, thoughtful. “Does that happen a lot? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“It’s fine,” you say. “Um… It varies, but I usually get them once a month or so. I had a really bad one after the Marines were killed, naturally. So I didn’t think I’d get another so soon. I should have known better…”

Scopper frowns. “You mean back before we found you?”

“Yes, two days before.”

“So you went through it by yourself.”

You bite your lip. Just like your most recent panic attack, during the one on the Marine ship, you had been certain you would die alone. Unlike the recent one, though, there had been no audience. “It wasn’t so bad,” you lie. “There was no one to see it, at least.”

“Does that make it better?” Scopper asks.

“It does. I hate when people see me like that. I just feel…” You try and think of the most fitting word. “...Pathetic.”

“Hm… I’ve heard that sentiment before.”

You give him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Scopper says slowly, like he’s not sure if he should be sharing it, “I heard a crewmate say the same thing after his panic attack.”

You drop your fork. “Wait, wait. Someone on this crew gets panic attacks? A pirate? Who?”

“If I told you, he’d beat my ass,” Scopper grins sheepishly. “It’s not as frequent as yours, but yeah, it happens every once in a while. Surprised?” Your open-mouthed stare is confirmation enough, making Scopper chuckle. “You don’t have to worry about what the crew saw earlier today. They’ve seen it before. Pirates come in all shapes, sizes, and conditions. Did you think there was some sort of criteria to become one?”

“I guess so… From my parents’ stories, I always figured pirates were all nasty, heartless types.”

“And what do you think now?” Scopper’s gaze is intense.

“I think… they’re just people,” you say. “Maybe some are mindless killers. But it can’t be all of them. I mean, you guys are different... I’d have never imagined anything like this week could take place. Not in a million years. Pirates, going out of their way for someone like me? It wouldn’t happen in my wildest dreams.”

“If there’s anything I've learned from sailing with Roger,” Scopper says, “it’s that reality is often far stranger than anything we can dream of. It’s a wild world out there. One only needs to take to the seas to see it for themselves.”

You smile wistfully. “I probably won’t get to see anything like that, then. Since I’m not a Marine…”

“Why?” Scopper asks. “Why didn’t you become one? Seems like the logical conclusion, given your parents.”

“Why do you think?” you give him a look. “I mean, you’ve seen how I am. You saw me earlier. Even if I wanted to, Scopper, I… I don’t have what it takes.”

“Trust me–we’ve had our fair share of clashes with the Navy, and it doesn’t take much to enlist.”

“Well, I don’t even have that,” you say bitterly.

Scopper falls silent.

“I’m sorry,” you sigh. “It’s kind of a sore subject… I’ve always been anxious, for as long as I can remember. Nothing happened to make me this way. I’m just not cut out for the challenges of a life at sea.” Your voice lowers. “I’m barely cut out for life on land…”

For a while, Scopper doesn’t respond. He gets up, taking your cup as he goes, and your first thought is that he’s disgusted with you, that he’s had enough and is leaving. But all he does is refill your cup with fresh water before returning to his seat.

“Be that as it may,” Scopper says, sliding the cup to you, “it’s not so bad. There are plenty of hardships to this life that I’m glad you’ll never face.”

“Hm…” You take a sip, contemplating. “Why did you become a pirate?”

“Freedom,” Scopper says without hesitation. “Complete and total freedom, before anything else.”

You think of the pressure your parents lay on you to find a job they approve of, and how much you just want to make art and music and nothing else.

“It sounds nice,” you admit, before your thoughts turn to the fallen Marines. “But the fighting… The death… Is it worth it? I’ll never forget the sight of the bodies. The sounds of their screams. I never want to experience anything like that again. I can’t do it…”

Scopper nods. “It’s okay, you know? That you can’t.”

You stare at him, a little awestruck. No one’s ever told you that before. What a concept–you, acceptable the way you were…

“You saw it for yourself. Life can be wickedly cruel. A world like ours will never be wanting for gentle people.” Scopper reaches across the table, taking your hands in his. “These hands of yours create, rather than destroy. That’s worth something! Pirates like us are common. People like you–kind people, creative people–those are the ones who make the world a better place, if you ask me.”

At first, you’re too stunned to reply. Scopper’s thumbs idly rub the backs of your hands. Your face gets warm, and you tuck your chin into the sash to hide, but it only fills your nose with his scent. Then you smile, bashfully meeting his eye.

“There is nothing common about you.”

Scopper grins. “Oh? There isn't?” 

“No. Not you, not your Captain, and not your crew.” You glance away, heartbeat picking up. “I may never forget what I saw on the Marine ship. But I won’t forget about my time here, either. I won’t forget about the strange, frightening, yet oddly-considerate pirates who took me home. I won’t forget Roger or Rayleigh or… or you.”

When he doesn’t respond, you chance a look and see that the intensity has returned to his eyes. He glances at your hands, still grasped within his, and you follow his gaze. After a beat, you curl your fingers so you’re holding his hands back. The action sends butterflies flitting through your stomach, but you find that you don’t mind it so much. This type of anxiousness–it’s not all that bad.

What am I doing?

You look back up, and Scopper meets your eye. For a while–you don’t know how long, but it feels endless–no one speaks. His hands lightly squeeze yours, and you return the pressure. There’s a faint blush on his cheeks that spikes your heart rate once you notice.

“Um…” you giggle nervously. “If I told anyone back home about this week, no one would believe me.”

“Bah, who needs their belief?” Scopper tosses his head dismissively. “We’ll know that it happened. That’s good enough.”

“Yeah… You’re right.”

Another period of silence hangs between you, until Scopper clears his throat. “You should finish your meal. Keep your energy up. Also, Spencer’s a real bitch about food waste.”

You laugh. “Okay. I need my hands back, first.”

“Ah, I suppose you do…” Scopper lets go, but with reluctance. You’re not sure you can still eat with the little flips your stomach is doing, but you manage anyway. The rest of the conversation is light, mostly coming from him while you finish your food.

Scopper walks you back to the crew’s quarters. There are other crewmates getting ready to turn in, but you no longer feel self-conscious around them, now armed with the knowledge that your panic attack is old news.

“You’re not going to bed?” You ask as you settle into the hammock.

“I will, in a bit.” Scopper pushes your hammock so it’s gently swaying. “Sleep well, Y/n.”

“Thank you.” You say it softly, but the gratitude rings sincere. You aren’t just thanking him for his well-wishing, but for the entire conversation, for the compassionate words spoken when you needed them most. 

The smile he flashes tells you that he understands.

[Part 3]

[plantwithoutplot]

HI

HOW ARE YOU?

Hope your day is going good, it's a thunderstorm outside and I'm loving it even though it will mean going home from work will be a bitch

So I was thinking and as a person with who has difficulty of recognizing if people look like each other or not and need a really long while to tell and I really can't see how I look anything like my family (everyone says we do I'm just bad at this)

I really really really hope that all the old crew members who saw Roger young are like me and that Roger is also like me and I hope that Ace's freckles make the job harder

So that no one and I mean no one really really knows that they are related just a "Why is Hiken so familiar?"

And then Garp just strolls into the Oro Jackson takes one look at Ace after "how did my son hid my grandson" , and be like "Oh didn't know you had a kid where the fuck is everyone hiding their kids nowadays?”

Idk man I just love Garp and his Grandsons okay I want them to see Garp and (Luffy & Ace) be like okay this is our sense of security in our youth even if scared us shitless and yes he doesn't know us but we do and just hug them

And Garp can kinda feel that these kids need a hug so okay they get it

I didn't realize I had alot of feels for Garp-Ace-Luffy relationship but apparently I do lol

HELLOOOOO

I'M DOING FINE AND YOU??

Omg thunderstorms are the best!!!! Unless you have to drive outside then it sucks lmao

OK SO. At some point in the fic, some people will start to notice how Ace looks similar to Roger... BUT most of them will shrug it off (·ε·｀)

First, because, as we saw during covid, it is actually hard to recognize people when half their face is covered! So he may look like Roger, or it may just be their brains playing tricks on them lol

And second, because physical appearance can be deceitful. By that I mean that they will be like "oh yeah Hiken kinda look like the Captain, but he also looks nothing like Blue and they are brothers" (°ヘ°) Moreover, they would know if their Captain had a child ahah

And then we have this stupid man who is gonna hear three pirates call him "Gramps" and we all know he won't even think twice about the logistics. If they say he is their grandfather, then he is ― but they gotta call him Grandpa!

Moreover, he will definitely want to fight Roger and Rayleigh over the kids because he sure ain't leaving his new grandkids with a bunch of ill-mannered pirates ٩(๑`^´๑)۶ 

I am dead set on having this stupid family spend quality time (bullying Roger) together because they deserved to and never got the time to do so in canon (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)♥

[herecomemac]

FINALLY headed to Fishman Island in One Piece!!!!

Random thoughts and the likes since before and right after Return to Sabaody under the cut.

Poor Usopp lost his melanin but still made me go GODDAMN when I saw him post timeskip 🤣 Made my fiancé burst out laughing bc he was my least favorite of the Straw Hats for quite a while, but THAT SLOT is now taken up by Sanji. 😤😤😤

I s2g when I get you, Sanji

Being a simp was fine, but OOF. Broke my heart, you motherfucker. (Hi, hello, nonbinary afab here, been mistaken as a man and followed into bathrooms since I hit puberty)

I would post this on my tiktok or bluesky but this is TOO MANY THOUGHTS to keep organized in a single post/video, so I think I'll start posting thoughts here instead (besides, with the tt ban coming for the US I'd still love to share thoughts on OP, even if I'm just screaming into the void again lmfao) and because I've been sick, I haven't been able to focus on drawing or posting videos so much

Franky is still my beloved boi (and is/has been age-appropriate for me, but that's beside the point) and he's only gotten goofier for his dumbass nephews lmao he's just more proud of the work he's done to himself with real materials over the last two years (and pretending to be a robot for the boys was very cute)

Robin losing her melanin also hurts, I see now why the fandom tends to overcorrect with skin tones in fanart not just for her and Usopp, but also for Luffy bc he's Brazilian!!!

On that note, VERY happy about Vivi's casting in the live action!!!! Her and Cobra are gonna be dark and it makes me so fucking happy!!!

Uhhh what else...

Ponytail Buggy, I get it now, Buggy Girlies. Still a MASSIVE piece of shit, but I recognize the reasoning now 🤣

Wild to have the top 4 guys of Baroque Works all helping out, didn't anticipate that shit when they all disappeared after Alabasta.

Iva is a DELIGHT and I love him (told my husband Sanji could have had sex with him ONCE and gotten over himself 🙄 fiancé (bisexual) laughed and said that it would take some level of self-awareness and getting over himself anyway there, to which i agree)

The fake Straw Hats? I was able to clock EVERYONE pretty quickly, but Franky's VA, Zoro's VA, and Brook's VA all slipped me up a little (I kept being like "why does that sound like Oolong from DB????" on one of them, but i laughed hysterically with every one of them. I'm an animation nerd and aspired to be a VA from the time I was 12 lmfao a lot of these people are my heroes)

Speaking of VAs, Matthew Mercer jumpscare in Sabaody as Law 🤣🤣🤣

(Yes, I'm watching it dubbed, I've been learning Japanese but I'm nowhere good enough to not watch subbed yet lmfao)

In love with Jinbe as a character, Kid can suck my dick, poor Kuma, Franky with the "pirate button" nearly ended my life, I was laughing so hard, Rayleigh is insane, Fan Letter made me SOB, and so did We Go! and hearing Luffy say he's gonna be king of the pirates for the first time in like 100 episodes.

Sanji needs to get it the fuck together

Perona having a plushie of her bear she "hated" upset me 😭

Mihawk is, in fact, just a goth dad hottie, shocker

SOUL KING BROOK IS SUCH A VIBE!!!!

I hope Gecko Moria is dead

Duval turned out to be a great character lmfao

The Strong World drip is IMMACULATE

God I'm tired and still burning through episodes lmfao

Thanks for reading, I'm so damn tired 🤣

[aimbutmiss]

another snippet from the shuggy fic I'm writing:

“You’re doing great, Buggy.”

Rayleigh nodded proudly with a smile and crossed arms as he watched the detached hand fly back to its owner, seamlessly reconnecting to Buggy’s wrist.

“It still feels weird.”

“That’s only natural. There’s nothing normal about it.”

Neither Rayleigh nor Roger had devil fruit powers, so even if they helped with his training, neither could help Buggy to a full extent.

“It’s in your own hands to figure this out and get through it. It’s scary, I know. But if anyone can do it, it’s you.”

That’s what Roger had said, but Buggy wasn’t so sure. He didn’t feel like he had what it takes to figure this mess out on his own.

His breathing still got jagged whenever he detached any part of his body, his mind recreating the pain that should have been there but wasn’t. It worked similarly to phantom limb ache; your eyes see your hand get ripped clean off and it fills in the gap. It’s not like Buggy was actually in pain, but it felt very uncomfortable. It was getting better though, the more he used his powers. His mind was starting to catch up to his body. But that didn’t make him feel better. His own body felt alien to him. Nothing felt like it used to. He was sweating a lot more, and while Roger joked it was puberty, they both knew that was not the case. His overall body temperature felt much higher than usual. Crocus did checkups on him regularly, which showed that while he was indeed warmer, it was not to a dangerous extent. But he was still under the doctor’s careful watch, just in case.

Buggy didn’t let any of that stop his training. He put on a brave face because he didn’t want to look weak, to disappoint Roger and Rayleigh. He couldn’t let a minor inconvenience break him, not when Shanks was still training, getting stronger every day. Buggy might not have conqueror’s haki, but he could still be strong like his friend. At least he got the other boy beat in the smarts department.

Buggy could get through this.

He started sneaking out at night, when most of the crew was asleep, to find a quiet corner and practice. And while Shanks usually slept like a rock, he was weirdly susceptive to Buggy’s absence. It didn’t take long for him to realize what his friend was up to.

“Rayleigh would be angry if he caught you. You’re cutting up on your precious sleep time.”

Buggy rolled his eyes. “Sleeping one hour less is not gonna kill me. And Rayleigh can shove the worried father act up his ass.”

Shanks chuckled at the foul words. “Don’t let him hear that.”

The red head settled down on the wooden floor of the ship, making himself comfortable as if he was going to watch a show.

Buggy turned to Shanks with furrowed brows. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Watching you.”

“Why? Just leave.”

“Nope.”

Buggy felt like punching his friend to the other side of the Grand Line but managed to keep calm. He couldn’t let the boy waste his precious training time any longer. “Ugh. Fine, whatever.”

He started by detaching his fingers first, quickly pulling them back. Then he worked his way up, doing the same with his hand, his forearm, and eventually his whole arm. Then he detached them all at once. That still felt the worse. He could handle doing it one at a time, but cutting himself up too much made him nauseous. He went on to do the same with his legs, the foot first and working his way upward… Shanks, who had been weirdly silent up until then, finally spoke up:

“Have you tried detaching both feet at once?”

Buggy looked at him with wide eyes, shutting the idea down quickly. “Of course not! I’d just smack to the ground.”

Shanks rubbed his chin with curiosity. “Hm, maybe. But you can make your parts fly, can’t you?”

“…” Buggy stared at his feet in apprehension. He hated to admit it, but Red’s logic was sound. If he could make his limbs float, he could technically do the same with his whole body, right?

Shanks walked closer, holding his arms out like a safety net around him. “How about this? I’ll catch you if it doesn’t work.”

“… You better.”

“I’d never let anything happen to you.”

Buggy’s ears got red at the blunt confession. It confused him, how easy honesty came to the other. It was as if he could never feel ashamed of how he felt. Buggy would have felt envious if embarrassment didn’t overwhelm his other emotions.

“… Shut up.” He simply deflected because he didn’t know what to say. He turned his attention back to his feet and reluctantly raised one, detaching it from his foot. He stayed like that for a few seconds, not knowing how to go about this. It’s not like he’d be hurt badly, but losing your footing was not a pleasant thought. Everything in his brain screamed “Don’t do it!” but it all quieted down as Shanks’ hand sneaked its way into his, squeezing in reassurance. Buggy didn’t even realize it, but his other foot slowly detached from the ankle, skipping away from his body. He opened his squeezed-shut eyes one after the other, looking down at his lack of feet. But he wasn’t touching the ground.

He was floating.

He panicked at the sight and fell on his butt, or at least he should have but he just gently landed on it. He looked back at Shanks, who had held him from his arms to slow his fall, with grateful eyes. His feet skipped back over to him, reattaching themselves. He took the hand Shanks was offering and the boy pulled him up to his feet once again.

Shanks looked at him with wide eyes and an even wider smile, the picture of pure amazement. “Buggy, that was amazing!”

He looked away in embarrassment, unsure of how to feel of his accomplishment. “More like creepy.”

“But you can fly now! Imagine getting the hang of that… This is so cool!”

Buggy was still apprehensive about the absurdity of his powers, but he had to admit that this was pretty exciting news. He was still mourning the loss of his ability to swim, but he could fly now... sort of. Maybe it was true that you win some, and you lose some.

Still, floating felt terrifying, even when he was only a few inches off the ground. He was certain that nothing could ever fill the void the comfort of the sea had left behind.

“I think we should go back to sleep.”

“Yeah, probably. You did great today.”

Buggy smiled brightly at him. “Thanks to you.”

Shanks looked away, rubbing his nape as his face grew red. “W-well it’s what friends are for…”

Buggy slept like a baby for the first time in a long time, but Shanks kept staring at the ceiling till the first rays of sunlight filled the room.

[lale-txt]

💘 One Piece men and how they would realize they have a big fat crush on you (PART 2)

(part 1)

Sanji

ok so big news, this man is a simp and gets heart eyes instantly

but love, oh true love! there's calmness in it.

being the hyper lady lover 3000 that he is, he would be washed away by a wave of peace whenever he is around you

no sweaty hands, no nosebleed, no heart attack. just the lingering feeling of something that is bigger than life

he'd bring you breakfast in bed and would just know that he wants do to this for the rest of his life

your sleepy voice, the cup of tea he prepared for you just as you like it in your tender hands, allowing him to see you this vulnerable...

cupid definitely shot an arrow straight through his heart, another one to be sure and a third one to seal the deal

the following days he'd be busy figuring out your ring size (because why wait when he just knows that you are the one?)

Sabo

Sabo and you would write letters back and forth whenever one of you was on a mission (which was quite often), telling each other about your daily life and feelings

better believe that this man would have risen to become a famous poet if the revolutionary army hadn't needed him first

he would always get really excited to hear back from you, seeing your handwritting, the letter you folded so carefully, and just the tiny bit of your perfume as he opened it when he was alone

lately he would catch himself struggling with how to end the letter. xoxo? (hugs and kisses, huh.) best? (too formal!) your friend? (just a friend...) with love? (LOVE?)

he would ruffle his golden hair in the shimmering candle light, followed by a quiet "oh"

he's still a feral child at heart, so you better be prepared to receive that "will you be my girlfriend? [ ] yes [ ] yes in cursive" letter very soon

Kid

another feral child in a grown man's body

it sure does take some time to win his heart over, but the second he lets you in, be sure that there is no way out

Kid would probably mistake being in love with being hungry first, also a stomach bug maybe

counseling with Killer in an emergency meeting what this strange tingling feeling was whenever you entered the room (Killer would probably be like "bro")

would possibly stomp out of the room with a red head when you ask him about his day and if you should let him run a bath as he seems a bit exhausted

also would come back, yell a soft "yes please" in your direction and stomp off again

imagine him blurting out a confession while you're carefully washing his massive back

which would result in a wrestling battle between you two to stop him from drowing himself immediately because of embarrassment

Rayleigh

oh Rayleigh. at his age, this man has loved and he has lost.

but that feeling in his stomach, when you're around him? could it be? he hasn't felt like this in ages.

at first he would try to brush it off. wasn't he too old to feel like a teenager all over again?

yet there would be no denying that his heart would jump the second he sees you walking towards him, waving and smiling

when you leap yourself into his arms he has to fight the sudden urge to kiss you so bad (and this man is no shy kisser, be assured)

Rayleigh would carefully test out the waters how you felt about the age difference between you two (hasn't he seen the "I <3 DILFS" sticker on your notebook) and if your feelings were mutual or just student-mentor-like

the dark king would be quick to make you his queen, he waited so long for you to step into his life

[rorywritesjunk]

Some point Thistle will stop climbing trees since she always gets herself stuck. Only difference today was the dumb boy from Whitebeard's crew who watched it happen.

~

"So, you're Roger's pet cat that I've heard about."

Sis bristled as she looked back at the boy standing behind her, a stupid grin on his face as she stretched her arms up to grab a tree branch. Rayleigh told her not to climb any trees this time as the Captains were meeting and the crew would be busy so there would be no one to help. Buggy and Shanks were exploring the island with some of the crew but Sis decided to stay back.

She didn't give him an answer, instead turning her attention back to the tree. This one would be fine to climb. The branches looked strong, close enough together to make it easy to get up and down.

"So do you put your hair up like cat ears every morning?"

Rolling her eyes, she hopped up and grabbed the lowest branch, letting her body hang for a moment before she hoisted herself up. This would be easy.

"Didn't I hear that first mate tell you not to do this?"

"Do you like the sound of your own voice?" Sis finally asked as she climbed up the tree, wanting to find the perfect branch to sit on.

"Kinda, but I like the sound of yours better." He grinned. "I'm Marco."

Sis paused for a moment in her climbing, turning back to look at him. What was his deal? This was a distraction. Shaking her head, she resumed climbing, choosing to ignore the dumb boy, but it didn't seem to work because he moved under the tree, looking up at her, still grinning.

"What's your name?" He called up to her.

"You're distracting me!" She shot back as she grabbed a brittle branch; it snapped under her grasp and she scrambled to grab another one for balance. "What do you want?!"

"Careful up there!"

She grumbled and finally got to the branch she wanted, getting herself comfortable on it and leaning against the trunk for support before grabbing a snack out of her bag. The boy was still down there, though no longer talking to her but someone else. Frowning, Sis leaned forward and looked down. Oh, her brother was back and Rayleigh was there too. Marco seemed to shrug when Rayleigh asked a question and the first mate walked away. Buggy lingered for a moment before he left as well.

She frowned, wondering what that was about, but she suddenly dropped her snack. She watched it fall, eyes widening slowly as it seemed to take forever to land on the ground. Oh, she... She was pretty high up, wasn't she?

"Um..." How was she going to get down? Usually Rayleigh or someone else went up to help her but the dumb boy sent him away. What was she going to do?

"You good up there, Sis?" He called up. "You lost your snack."

"I'm fine!" She hoped her voice didn't crack as much as it seemed. She was frozen in her spot, grabbing onto whatever she could touch to keep her from falling down. Dammit, why did she climb up so high?

"Yea?"

"Yea..." She cleared her throat. "I'm stuck. Where's Rayleigh? I need him."

"Oh, he left." Marco told her. "He said you better not be climbing trees because otherwise he was going to leave you up there if you got stuck." He grinned. "I told him you weren't here, so he went to find you."

"W-Why did you say that?!" She shrieked at him. "I'm stuck! I can't get down!"

Marco shrugged. "Jump down and I'll catch you."

Did he really just suggest that? She was up so high, higher than any mountains, and he is suggesting she put his faith in him and jump down from the trees?

"Are you mad?!"

"Probably." He chuckled as he held his arms out. "Now jump down. I promise I'll catch you."

Sis considered this for a moment. "You're on Whitebeard's crew. You could just let me get hurt."

"I could, but I think you're kinda cute, so why would I do that?" Marco asked.

"Do... You promise to catch me?" Sis asked as the branch creaked and groaned under her. Oh, shit, was this one going to suddenly break under her?

"Of course!" A pause. "Besides, don't cats land on their feet?"

She huffed in annoyance, considering her options. There was no way to get down. She had to put her trust in this dumb boy. There was no one else around and knowing Rayleigh, if he said he'd leave her up there then he would. She'd be stuck up there until the next morning.

"Look, just grab the branch, let your body hang down, then let go." Marco told her. "You got a straight shot down to me and I won't let you hit the ground."

"F-Fine, but if you don't catch me then I'm gonna kill you!"

"Sounds fair."

Sis tried to keep a hold on the branch as she followed his instructions. There weren't too many branches on the way down so she shouldn't get snagged. Swallowing heavily, she gripped the branch and let her body swing down to hang for a few moments. The branch made a few noises as it held her.

"You're okay, just let go."

Cursing Rayleigh, the dumb boy, and herself, Sis let go of the branch. It should have felt like forever but instead she fell fast; he kept his word and caught her.

"See? Don't have to kill me." He grinned. "Told you I'd catch ya."

"Sh-Shush!" She squeaked. He set her down on her feet but she didn't budge, slumping against him as she tried to steady herself. "I could have died!"

"I wouldn't have let that happen." He grinned. "Now, do I get a reward for rescuing ya?"

"Not punching you in the face, how about that?"

"Oh, I was hoping for a date."

Sis just stared at him as her cheeks turned a shade of pink. "I'm sorry, a date?"

"Yea! How about it?" Marco chuckled. "It won't be a fancy restaurant or anything since we're all on this island, but we can make it work!"

She stared at him in disbelief, wondering if there was a way to kill him and hide his body so his crew could never find him. Did he really just ask her that after she fell out of a tree? She took a step back from him.

"How about it?"

Then again, he did help her, even if he was a big distraction. She had heard of dates, of the crew bringing them up as things to do and that maybe some day she could go on one (if the crew approved of the suitor, of course). She just never thought she'd have the opportunity to go on one.

"When?" Sis asked. Marco just shrugged, still grinning at her.

"How about tonight?"

She frowned. Maybe she could just do one dumb date with this boy. One date only and she would never see his dumb face again.

"Fine, one date."

"Great! I'll come find you in a few hours then." Marco raised his hand up and gave a wave. "Later!"

Sis waved back, her brain trying to process that oh, someone actually asked her out on a date and he was from a rival crew. Maybe that was okay.

[seaoftales]

Maybe his mother would be a good mediator to it all. After all, she was usually the one to worry about him, always making sure there were no injuries on him whenever he came to visit while still on his quest to achieve the title of the world's greatest. She'd also always been more understanding about why Mihawk did certain things that he did. Rayleigh? Not so much. Mihawk could understand why. Having your child work for the very same people that had executed your best friend and captain wasn't a thing that could easily be swallowed.

Whatever might happen once they arrived, Mihawk didn't really want to think all too much about. It was best to enter that monster of a situation and conversation without any expectations. There was a smaller chance of getting disappointed and a bigger chance of hope that things might turn out right.

There was a breath he didn't even know he was holding until Thea revealed the name and profession of said friend. All of the tension he felt fell, shoulders slumping as he leaned back a little. There were a few moments where Mihawk expected Thea to say an all too familiar name of a Marine higher-up that would end up being her descendant, and a large part of him was thankful that wasn't the case. He'd really hate to kill anybody she was related to, even if they were a pain in his side for years on end. But a friend like that was something he would surely be able to manage.

❝ As you know, I have the patience of a saint when I want to, ❞ was his quipped reply. It wasn't often that he was patient, but there were always exceptions to the rule. Marines were usually that exception. Everybody else was safe from his wrath. ❝ Your friend will be just fine if we ever cross paths. She's simply a woman doing a very dangerous job which I doubt she's properly compensated for. I might even be inclined to pose for her, just to make sure she gets my good side. ❞ A jest, a lighthearted one, said with the intention of pacify Thea a little.

"I suppose I have not met him properly, no." The concession is complacent, but there is rarely a time that Thea is not demure and soft spoken. Even that, she knew Mihawk was right if based solely on the fact Rayleigh was his father and he knew the older man better than she ever would. Generally she did not maintain deep and meaningful relationships with people, despite her tendency to be gentle and likable to most that encountered her. Keeping things on amicable terms was just easiest to conduct business with, it didnt mean she allowed herself to form attachments.

Still, it didnt seem practical for a father to hold a longstanding grudge against his son in her opinion. Mihawk being a Warlord, even if it meant putting him technically 'against' his family, didnt mean they had to be enemies. "Perhaps Shakky will be a good mediator to have for the impending conversation," she suggests and leaves the matter alone afterwards. At this moment, it wasnt likely Thea would choose to stay on Sabaody longer than absolutely necessary to resupply. She had contracts to take and her concerns around keeping the swordsman's company for longer than necessary remained.

The matter of her own connection to the Marines, that she volunteered to share, would need to be expanded upon. For a moment, Thea pities the Navy for the wrath they'd brought upon themselves for targeting one of the most dangerous men in the world. She pulls on the tiller of her Sloop to change their direction again before answering him, "Her name is Sirena, and she is a bounty photographer." The faintest quirk of a smile appears on her face, "I imagine she'll be looking for you soon herself, to take an updated photo for your poster."

It might be that Sirena finds him while they travel together, which she thinks might be ideal, to prevent any kind of misunderstanding between them. Her friend could be quite brash and that didnt always go over well with those she hunted down for photos. "Sirena is mostly harmless, and she isnt interested in fighting pirates, so I only ask you be patient with her."