#zoro helping sanji in the kitchen so much that he simply learns how to cook just from watching him

[legend-had-it]

a sanji that takes care of zoros swords when he cannot

and a zoro who cooks food for the crew when sanji can't

[fleurvi]

Recrudescence | Nico Robin

Platonic!Robin x strawhats

Robin struggles to get through her new book as she's constantly interrupted by the strawhats insisting on giving her gifts or spending time with her. She never minds the interruption, of course, but she's left with the nagging feeling that she's forgotten something important.

wc: 4k

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Since joining the Straw Hats, Robin's life has been full of day-to-day adventures that she never could have dreamed of. She adapted quickly to life as a pirate, learning to go with the flow and enjoy herself.

She's sitting on the deck, reading a new book she'd picked up on the previous island. She pauses every now and then to listen out for her crew. She hears the soft snores of Zoro taking a nap behind her, and she can see Usopp and Chopper running around playing a game. Luffy and Brook are sitting on the railing, fishing. She doesn't need to use her power to know Sanji's kicking around in the kitchen, probably fixing up brunch-time snacks for everyone. She uses her power to search for the remaining three she can't account for. She hears the clinking and whirring of Franky’s workshop. Unless she's scolding the boys, Nami is generally quieter, but Robin still finds her; she's sitting at her desk, pouring over a new part of her map. Jinbe is also napping; babysitting the captain is a tiring job.

Robin feels at ease knowing her family is safe. After spending so many years alone, with nothing more than silence and her voice, Robin enjoys the chaos of being on board a pirate ship. With the sounds of her crew to soothe her, Robin continues on with her book. The main character, Lisa, is having a difficult time and refusing to accept help from the people around her. It's not the difficulty of asking for help that Robin is irritated by; it's the lack of appreciation for her loved ones. Robin decides that the main character is her least favourite in the story, but she continues reading anyway.

Her frustration-filled read-through is interrupted by Sanji's voice cutting through the bustling noise of the ship. 

“Robin-Chan!” he calls, swinging open the door to the deck with enough force that he almost topples over. He's carrying a silver tray in one hand. Robin can see a glass of fruit punch with a little umbrella and tangerine slice sitting on the tray, but it's a little hard to tell what the food is from this distance. She gives Sanji a little wave, laughing at the endearing way he calls her name again upon finding her. He makes his way over, skillfully avoiding Luffy's stretching limbs. He scolds the captain, telling Luffy that he made a special brunch for Robin and that if Luffy touched it, he would get kicked into the sun. Surprisingly, Luffy listens and retracts his arm. 

Sanji places the tray in front of Robin, explaining his choices of cinnamon toast, handmade coffee-glazed doughnuts, and her favourite blueberry streusel cake. Robin doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, especially not compared to Chopper or Nami, but her sweets of choice are always cakes and pastries. Sanji knows her palette well. She's not sure why he went through the effort to make all her favourites from scratch, but she appreciates him nonetheless. She thanks him, using her power to offer him a pat on the head that has his bones turning to jelly. She offers him one of her doughnuts, and he initially declines, saying he couldn't possibly eat her food. When she insists, he simply can't say no to her. He sits in the chair beside her, barely paying attention to his doughnut as he watches her eat, eager to hear her feedback.

“What about dinner? I’ll cook you anything you like! How does fresh fish sound?” asks Sanji, leaning his chin on his hand. Robin thinks for a while before answering; something fresh would be nice. Sanji’s the most incredible cook on the seas, but sometimes the perishables on board aren't as fresh as they could be. Sanji bats his eyelashes at Robin as she talks. Robin has always been somewhat endeared by Sanji's puppy crush behaviour. She tells Sanji that his food is delicious, as always, and thanks him again for all the effort he put in. Sanji takes off for the kitchen again, singing happily to himself after receiving praise from Robin.

Robin sees a pretty pink flower as a decoration on her plate, recalling Sanji had told her it was edible. It reminds Robin of Skypiea; when they first arrived on the island, the younger members decided to explore the beach, and Sanji found a pink flower, placed it in her hair, and ran off to find Nami. She's not sure why it's such a strong memory for her, but every time she sees a pink flower, she's transported to that moment. Perhaps it was one of the first genuine acts of kindness she'd received in years, even if it was as simple as being given a flower, or maybe it was because it was her first adventure with the Straw Hats. Either way, the memory soothes her as she continues to make her way through her book. 

The character in the book is complex; she's hurting and stubborn. She's insistent that she's not worthy of help, and it’s very familiar to Robin. The more layers she uncovers of this character, the more her viewpoint seems to change. The character is beaten down, and all she has left to grip onto is unwarranted pride, nothing more than a facade. She's about to get into a good chapter when she feels a presence behind her. She turns to see Jinbe walking around the deck. Both older crew members, Jinbe and Robin, had gotten along rather quickly. They were both on the calmer side of things when compared to the much more spirited Franky and Brook.

“Are you enjoying your book?” he asks, gesturing to the book in her hands. Robin nods, explaining to Jinbe her rollercoaster of feelings about the protagonist and how the action is picking up. Jinbe laughs at Robin's explanation of the drama. “Sounds intriguing. I hope you don't mind lending it to me once you're finished,” he says. Robin immediately nods. She and Jinbe have recently established a system of trading books. It's nice for Robin to have someone to discuss her literature with. Her interest in reading spans from nonfiction to fiction. Though nonfiction is her preference, she can get stuck in a good story.

“I'll see if I can find something similar on the next island for you; consider it a gift,” he says. Robin is caught off guard; she and Jinbe frequent libraries, but it's not regular for Jinbe to buy her a book as a gift. Usually, he'll buy one for the ship in general, but for Robin's personal collection is uncommon. She wonders why he would do that but shrugs it off and thanks him. He changes the subject after, asking her about her morning and listening as she relays the sweet details of her peaceful morning. Jinbe wishes Robin a good rest of the day and leaves the table to go and speak to Luffy. Robin, once again, returns to her book.

You would be wrong if you think the constant interruptions would bother her or discourage her from reading. There is nothing Robin loves more than spending time with her crew. She's only able to work for her dreams because she has them. She can live, breathe, walk, talk and eat because of her precious family. She doesn't mind the interruptions at all. She thinks about the volatile main character and how they love the people around them but refuse to acknowledge it to save them from further pain, which she perceives as her fault. The story is so familiar to Robin that it turns her stomach.

The next ‘distraction’ is more than welcome as Chopper comes barrelling into Robin's arms, settling in her lap. He might be seventeen in human years, but he's only had human consciousness for eight; he's basically an intelligent child. He's a sensitive little thing, and he's so cute that Robin can't help but coddle him. She's a little protective over him, but he activates motherly instincts she didn't know she had until meeting the crew. She cradles Chopper close, asking the tearful reindeer what's wrong.

“Usopp and I are playing tag, and I accidentally clipped him too hard with my hoof, so now he's chasing me even harder, " he says as the sound of Usopp yelling gets louder. Usopp is always down to entertain Chopper, and she finds the dramatics between the two amusing. She soothes Chopper despite the hilarity of the situation. “Can you help me get away from him, Robin?”

“You want me to join your game?”

“Yeah! We can be a team,” says Chopper, who's stopped sniffling now that Robin's offered to join him. As Usopp approaches the table Robin makes a blockade of hands, stopping him in his tracks. Chopper nuzzles his little nose against Robin's face, something she's come to understand is equivalent to a kiss and makes a run for it. He yells a thank you to Robin, and she distracts Usopp by sprouting two more hands to tickle him. Usopp collapses to the floor, far more ticklish than Robin had expected, and she doesn't let up until he's close to tears. When she releases him, he takes a few minutes to regain his breath before looking up at Robin. He jumps to his feet and places his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest like a proud man.

“I'm not even that ticklish; I was just pretending to be affected to entertain you and Chopper”, he insists, and Robin simply laughs, agreeing with him immediately. She's fond of Usopp's silliness, and she's more than happy to play into it. Usopp looks around before realising that Chopper is probably below deck and on the other side of the ship by now. Usopp turns back to Robin. “It's clear favouritism that you chose to be on Chopper's team,” he insists, making Robin shrug. “To make it fair, you should help me out just this once.” 

Robin agrees, which Usopp wasn't expecting, and uses her ability to find Chopper. It warms her heart to see the younger Straw Hats so carefree, especially considering her mental state when she was their age. She finds Chopper quickly.

“He's hiding in Franky's workshop; be careful,” she says. Usopp immediately thanks her, patting her shoulder. 

“Thanks for playing with us even though you're probably busy today” he says, oddly sincere for Usopp considering the situation.

“I'm not busy at all; I'm just reading a book,” she says. Usopp thanks her one more time and runs off to find Chopper. Knowing them, they'll get distracted by all the stuff in Franky's workshop, and the game will end there. 

Usopp's words confuse Robin, and she doesn't return to her book; instead, she thinks about the other odd occurrences. Jinbe offering to buy Robin a book for her personal collection and Sanji making her extra food both stand out as strange to her. Even Chopper had been more affectionate towards her than usual. Their behaviour set off alarm bells in Robin's head;  she couldn't have forgotten another crewmate's birthday. She knows them all by heart, so she tries to think of another possibility and comes up empty.

The heavy stomping of boots and clanking of swords stops her line of thought. Zoro, finally awake from his mid-morning nap, approaches the table. He asks if he can sit with her, and she says yes, but she finds the question add as Zoro usually doesn't ask for anything aboard the ship. He goes wherever he wants. He takes the seat next to her and lifts the bottle of booze. Robin is less of a drinker than some of the others, so she politely declines the offer, saying she already has a drink on the table. It's also unlike Zoro to offer to share booze. She briefly considers that he's been replaced by a clone, but she decides he must be the real thing when he asks if the ‘curly-browed pervert cook’ made her drink. Sanji and Zoro's antics were among Robin's favourite brands of entertainment, though their bickering seems to stress out the others. 

The silence between them starts to thicken, and though silent respect is the baseline of their relationship, she can tell Zoro wants to say something but is floundering for words. Robin decides to start a conversation about a topic Zoro is more than familiar with.

“Do you think a sword would suit me?” she asks. She's perfectly proficient with her abilities, but she sometimes wonders if the addition of a weapon would benefit her. Zoro, as always, gives an honest answer.

“I want to say no. Swordswomen have a difficult challenge being taken seriously, but you're powerful enough to overcome that. So yes,” he says. There's something about the look on Zoro’s eyes that Robin can't read. “Blades are a fit weapon for a demon, I would know.”

Two years ago, the mention of her moniker ‘demon child’ would've deeply upset her, but she's learned to embrace the fear that she instils in her enemies. Zoro pointing out that they've both been branded as demons is, in an odd way, a comforting thought. It's like one more tiny thread that links her to the members of her crew—especially seeing as Zoro more than embraces his image, especially since his training.

“You know,” says Zoro. “I'd be willing to help you out,” he says, standing up from his chair. The heavy stomping of his boot almost shakes the table. “Today has me feeling generous,” he shrugs. Robin thanks him for the offer but says she's okay with her devil fruit for now. Zoro holds his booze up in toast, Robin mirrors with her glass of punch, and they take a drink.

She's grateful for the unusual bonding moment, but there's something off about the atmosphere. She's almost convinced she's gone crazy. She thinks she should check the calendar in case she has forgotten an important day. Her plans are foiled when someone else drapes themselves over her back. She turns her head to see a sea of orange hair.

“Hi, Nami,” she says, addressing her roommate. Nami wraps her arms around Robin and squeezes. Robin leans into the affection. Based on how Nami acted when they first met, Robin would never have predicted how affectionate Nami was. The two women became close very quickly. Nami was just happy to have another woman on board.

“There are too many men on this ship. It’s tiring,” sighs Nami, sitting in the chair previously occupied by one of the said men. In fact, Zoro was the person Nami complained about the most. They're very close but bicker a lot. Robin’s sure that Nami missing Vivi also has something to do with her complaints.

“Wanna talk about it?” Robin is always ready to offer her crewmates a sympathetic ear. To Robin’s complete surprise, Nami declines the offer. Nami loves to talk; she’d never pass up the opportunity to gossip or complain. “I wouldn’t want to put a downer on today of all days,” she says. Once again Robin is dumbfounded. Her memory is good. Why can’t she remember the special occasion of the day? Nami suddenly gets up from the table, runs into the ship and returns minutes later with a small bag.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot to give you these!” says Nami, handing her the bag. Robin opens the bag to see a new pair of sunglasses. “I picked them up on the last island, and I even got myself a matching pair,” she says, pointing to the matching pair sitting on top of her head. Robin switches her usual pair out with the new sunglasses. 

“How do they look?” she asks Nami, who loves to judge fashion. Nami is enthusiastic when she tells Robin that she looks great. Nami turns around and yells for Sanji's attention, who drops everything he's doing and gives his opinion on Robin's new glasses.

“They look beautiful on you, Robin-chan,” he says, waiting for Robin to respond with thanks before returning to his kitchen. Nami continues to talk Robin’s ear off, asking for her opinion on everything from the music Franky was playing in the longue the night before to the outfit Nami was currently wearing. Robin always enjoyed her talks with Nami.

“I can’t wait for dinner tonight. I haven’t even planned my outfit because I want to know what you’re going to wear,” she says, squealing and hugging Robin. Nami plants an affectionate kiss on Robin's head and then leaves, running to what she assumes is the girls’ shared bedroom. Robin doesn’t get stuck too far into her book, though. She’s noticed the odd pattern of the day and suspects one of the three remaining crewmates who haven’t visited her yet will join her. She gets a few pages into her book when her theory is proved correct. Brook sits in the seat next to her, violin in hand.

“What’s your book about?” he asks, leaning his skull on his hand. Robin closes the book, looking up to respond to Brook. She gives the book all the details of the book she’s gotten through so far, and Brook listens with great interest. “That reminds me of the new song I've been working on. It’s called Purple Fleur. Why don’t you carry on reading, and I’ll play it for you,” he says, lifting the violin to his chin. The song's name isn’t very subtle and is an obvious reference to Robin. Robin nods, continuing on with her book. Brook’s instrumental isn't distracting; Robin lets the sombre yet intricate melody feel her ears as she reads. Robin enjoys having the soundtrack provided while she reads. The music is soothing yet moody. Brook is incredibly talented and loves to play music for his crewmates. This is the first time he has written a song so obviously directed towards another crewmate other than Luffy. Robin finds that gesture heartwarming.

“Thank you, Brook,” she says as he stops playing. “That song was so beautiful,”

“I'm glad you enjoyed the song. It’s just for you, of course. I’ll have to borrow that book sometime,” he responds, reaching for the cup of tea he’d brought. 

“Well, you’ll have to get in line. Jinbe already asked,” she says, nodding to where Jinbe and Zoro are conversing.

“I see. Well, I hope you enjoyed the song,” he says, rising from his seat. “I’m going to join Luffy for some fishing.”

Robin nods. She soon realises that Brook left because someone else was approaching her table. She hears metal clanging and sees Franky walking towards her, holding a huge basket.

“Very special delivery for a very SUPER special woman”, he shouts, placing the basket on her table. She goes to question what she’s missing; it must be a holiday she’s forgotten about, but Franky doesn’t let her get a word out before he explains what’s in the basket. 

“This is a little robot I made just for you,” he says, placing the miniature robot on the table. He can hold your book and even turn the page for you.” Robin is overwhelmed. Was she also supposed to get gifts for her crewmates? 

“This is also made by me, just for our super archaeologist,” says Franky, his chest puffed out in pride, as he hands Robin a small box. Robin opens the box to see a beautiful ring that’s clearly hand-welded. Robin feels tears welling up in her eyes. She’s unsure how to process everything she’s experienced today. However, it seems Franky is not done yet. He presents her with another box. This one is slightly larger than the other. Robin opens it to reveal a small blade, like a letter opener, with a beautifully handmade, intricately designed handle. She goes to say thank you to her dear friend, but she’s interrupted by her captain, the only member of her crew she hasn’t spoken to today. 

“Hey, Robin! WOAH Franky, that's so cool!” he shouts, interrupting himself. Franky grabs Luffy by the back of his vest, pulling him away from the table so that he doesn’t break anything. Luffy huffs before sitting on the table by Robin. “Brook and I caught a big fish, and now Sanji’s gonna cook it for dinner today!” He says excitedly. The thought makes Robin excited. Sanji can cook anything, but he’s naturally talented with seafood, which is expected, considering they live at sea. Luffy details the story of Sanji kicking him out of the kitchen, complete with a scarily accurate impression of the cook, that has both Robin and Franky laughing. When they settle down, Robin finally turns towards Franky and thanks him for his gifts. This seems to spark Luffy’s memory, and he speaks up again. 

“Oh, I almost forgot!” He says, planting a kiss on Robin's forehead, much like Nami did. Platonic affection was nothing new with the Straw Hats, but Luffy puts his famed straw hat on Robin’s head.

“What is going on today? Everyone's been so lovely to me and given me gifts. Is there a holiday I’m missing?” she says, looking up at her Captain, who looks at her in confusion. 

“It's your birthday, right? He asks, leaning into Robin's face as if he’s trying to tell if she’s joking. 

“It's not my birthday. Why would it be?” She cuts herself off as she finally remembers. Early into their voyage together, Nami bought a calendar and insisted everyone marked their birthdays off. Robin wasn’t as comfortable with her crew at the time, and her birthday had never brought happy memories. When Nami passed the calendar to her, she circled a random date and forgot about it. She has memorised her beloved crewmate's birthdays; she has no reason to look over the calendar again.

While she was comfortable and able to let her guard down around her family, she was still learning to accept grand gestures like this. When she realises that they are trying to make her day special and trying to make sure she knows she is loved, tears well in her eyes. She was so busy fighting the tears she didn’t notice Luffy using his ability to reach through the door and grab the calendar from the wall. 

“It says right here that it’s your birthday,” he says, holding the calendar to her face. Robin makes eye contact with Franky and sees the gifts set in front of him on the table. The sight has a tear rolling down her cheek. Chopper, who had come up on deck to see where Franky had gone, sees Robin's tears and immediately yells in concern, which attracts Sanji and Nami to come out of the kitchen to make sure she’s okay. Now that she has her family around her, she takes the calendar from Luffy’s hands.

“I spent so many birthdays alone, so many birthdays wishing it would be my last. I didn’t want to keep those memories around. When you gave me this, I just circled a random day. I didn’t think anyone would really pay attention to it,” she says. She’s come so far in her healing that she feels comfortable letting herself cry in front of them. She feels a hand on her shoulder and quickly recognises it as Nami’s. 

“It’s okay,” says Luffy, readjusting his hat on Robin’s head. “This can be your new birthday. We’ll make sure you only have good memories of this one,” he says. His caring smile, which she’s seen hundreds of times since joining the crew, tugs at her heartstrings. She openly sobs, leaning her head onto Luffy’s lap as he still hasn’t moved from the table.

“Yeah, you deserve to have only nice birthdays,” says Chopper, voice wobbling with emotions. 

“Your birthday dinner is almost done, My Love”, says Sanji. “Everyone should go sit down”, his voice is soft. Luffy nods enthusiastically, ready to devour the meal he’s been eagerly waiting for. He tilts Robin’s teary face up towards him.

“Yeah, let's go celebrate your special day, Robin.”

Robin is overwhelmed by the love she feels for her family, and knowing that she receives that love back just as fiercely, she makes peace with her past piece by piece. Her birthday used to bring a feeling of emptiness and pain; now, it’s a warm feeling that starts in her chest and spreads throughout the rest of her body.

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Thank you so much for reading I have an AO3 here where I plan to post more one-shots and a couple of longer fics!

[gatitties]

Hai hai!!! I hope your having a good day, lad.

Can I have a StrawHats x Teen! Reader who suffers from Anxiety? the reader is strong for their age though but under all that tough exterior they are still a child. I suffer from it myself and I wanna know how the crew handles a younger person with it. The reader has a habit of clutching their chest whenever they feel that overwhelming feeling coming through, and even has anxiety attacks now and then. It would be sweet seeing the crew comforting them.

Pleaaase and Thank you! Take your time I know people have other things going on in life besides Tumblr!

─Strawhats x teen!reader (platonic)

─Summary: you have an anxiety attack but luckily they are there to cover your back

─Warnings: none

(Related part)

Dealing with anxiety is quite a struggle, I hope everything goes well for you friend, a big hug to all of you who also fight against it 🫂

─ Being the youngest only means that you will have a little more attention in case something happens to you, this doesn't mean that everyone doesn't knows that you are strong enough to fight your own battles, otherwise you would not be on board.

─ That's probably why at first you hid your little moments of anxiety as best you could, despite being the youngest, you wanted to see yourself as one of them, you don't need so much attention or seek anyone's approval to make your own decisions.

─ You were a teenager despite everything, a stubborn and proud one who doesn't accept the help of others so easily, although you learned to toughen your exterior, your interior was as soft as plasticine.

─ But bad habits never die, whenever you had stronger anxiety attacks unconsciously your hands were positioned on your chest, squeezing to try to make the feeling in the pit of your stomach disappear.

─ Robin and Chopper were the first to notice this when you were in some stressful situations, and they immediately knew that you weren't well, however you will lie so they don't worry.

─ Unfortunately, after the two of them noticed how sometimes your breathing stops out of nowhere, the anxiety attacks increased.

─ They began to subtly help you so that you wouldn't feel like they were helping you, your pride wouldn't allow it, if they noticed that you were starting to get anxious they would distract you by talking to you about anything or moving you to a quieter place.

─ But when it started to get worse, everyone noticed your mania when you felt anxious, except Luffy, he just thought that the food had made you sick.

─ Although when they explained it to him, he hit you on the nape for being an idiot, this man doesn't have a bit of tact, he scolded you for not trusting them covering your back, it's okay that you want to solve your problems on your own, but sometimes it's okay to ask for help.

─ And you collapsed after he told you that, Sanji hit Luffy for being so hard with his words and took you to the kitchen while preparing the meal, he asked you for help letting you do the simplest things to calm down.

─ The cook spoke much more calmly with you, you were able to release some of that pressure that oppressed your chest thanks to him.

─ After that, none of them seemed to behave differently, that is, if they helped you in a much more noticeable way when you had your attacks, but they didn't comment on anything, they simply helped you without asking anything, they knew that sometimes you can't get to talking in the middle of an attack.

─ Luffy will fight it off with hugs, Usopp will offer his hand for you to grab and squeeze, Chopper knows a lot of types of breaths to calm you down, Robin will pat you on the back, Nami will pat your head, Zoro will probably drag you into another quieter place (you end up lost), Sanji will probably kick the reason for your anxiety if he can, Brook will play something on his violin to relax your body, Franky will distract you with any of his new inventions and Jinbe will make you focus only in him to calm you down.

─ In general everyone knows that you will be fine on your own most of the time, but if you start to hold your chest it will be the sign to take action to give you a little hand, they did not make you feel weaker, you learned to better cope with anxiety by their side and luckily the attacks subsided a bit after that.

[got-that-d-in-my-name]

Leaving a read more since my responding drabble got longer than intended (blood cw):

A chef knows his way around blood. Sure, the butchers leave the animals to hang, throats slit and oozing as they cool, but anyone who’s done much with meat can tell you how the remnants dribble out of each severed vein, a reminder that once there was blood, once there was life. Beyond that, Sanji had his share of playing butcher as well, gutting anything from fish to dinosaurs. Blood soaked his footsteps, some violent, some simply prayer to whatever god would keep him and his family from going hungry.

The first time Zoro made him bleed was a sparring session, a smack of a sword blade that threw him into the Merry’s mast, splitting his lip. Nami had laughed at his swollen face, and he’d spat in all of Zoro’s glasses for the rest of the week - not that the man would notice, considering he was only ever drinking beer, sake, or grog.

The first time Sanji tasted Zoro’s blood was in Alubarna. They’d started bickering in the medical wing of the palace, and next thing Sanji knew they’d both torn their stitches trying to shoulder each other aside. He’d helped Zoro back to bed, even if the mosshead had insisted on returning the gesture. Luckily their cots were only about ten feet apart. After about an hour of going back and forth, Zoro finally collapsed into his and fell fast asleep. Sanji helped position him more comfortably, noticing a smear of dried blood on his thumb. His own wounds were tightly bandaged, but Zoro had bled through his wrappings, and it had clearly gotten on him. Sanji, used to cleaning up after his nosebleeds, popped his thumb in his mouth out of habit before realizing what he was doing. He flushed, looking around to make sure their crew mates were still asleep, then finished sucking the blood away. It tasted tangy and unpleasant, so close to Sanji’s but so different all the same. Hopefully he wouldn’t catch Stupid Disease from the moron.

A sailor knows how to bear heavy burdens. Even mooring ropes are thick as a man’s arm, not to mention hauling in a wet mainsail or lashing down cargo. The heaviest burden was a sail wrapped around a stiff figure and a couple cannonballs to weight it. Every member of a crew carries heavy things: the lives of their fellows, the memories of home, the knowledge that, secretly, the sea is their home now - and what an unstable mother she is. If the place they love above all others is changing by the hour, is there any hope she loves them back? Sanji was lucky that the first true home he’d gotten had been on a ship, so at least some part of his homes, new and old, would always be conjoined.

The heaviest weight on his shoulders when he left the Baratie had been that old man watching him go. Much as they complained about each other, they had always taken care of each other. Zeff had taught him to cook, Sanji had helped him learn to walk again with his wooden leg. Sanji had come to him when he had nightmares - because Zeff liked to feel needed, okay?? Sanji didn’t need comforting, Zeff just liked a chance to roll his eyes and tease him about it - and Zeff beat up anyone who mocked Sanji with actual malice. Sanji knew Zeff didn’t need him, but he knew he needed Zeff. Hopefully the man would take care of himself until Sanji came back. Hopefully…

The first weight Zoro ever gave him was an accident - well, the first two, if you count the time he accidentally threw one of his huge barbells at Sanji while he was giving Nami and Robin their snacks. But the important one is what Sanji got one night as he headed back to the men’s quarters after cleaning the kitchen. Zoro was crying softly, tucked up against the prow. Sanji barely had sense enough to stay hidden by the galley, knowing Zoro would feel betrayed to be caught crying. Still, he couldn’t just leave…

“Are you proud of me?” Zoro said, giving small, repetitive shudders that Sanji realized were sobs. “I know I’m not good enough yet, and you would have been better than me, but I know I can do it. For both of us. I’m just… I don’t want you to think I’ve forgotten my dream. Just because I’m happy now and have a purpose here doesn’t mean I forgot you. I’m going to keep my promise, Kuina. I haven’t forgotten. I hope… I hope you don’t mind that I have a crew now. I hope you’re proud of me.”

Zoro had lost someone. Despite his insistent atheism, Zoro prayed. Zoro’s dream was tied up in grief. It was a heavy thing to know, but Sanji was glad. Unintentional as it was, it was a gift to see that carefully hidden weakness under Zoro’s stoic armor.

A lover knows when to feel pain. One cannot love from afar, where the slings and arrows of emotional intimacy dare not strike. To love is to suffer - long and drawn out, like an infected limb, sharply and deeply like a severing knife. The only painless love is one that builds up calluses or deadens nerves, processes that cause pain in their own right, or delay it for later. Sanji was quite familiar with both love and pain from his collected experience staring at Nami - a beautiful vision followed by an exploding feeling of agony from where he was growing a new lump on his head.

Sanji knew the price that love sometimes enacted. Zeff hadn’t cared much him yet on that godforsaken rock, but he’d loved his dream, and between that and his soft spot for wet nosed brats he’d given up his leg, his weapon, had sacrificed for Sanji and borne the pain.

Zoro had only taught him more what love was, what loyalty, what bravery. Sanji was blown away by the quiet way Zoro would defend the others, how he was almost invisible so much of the time, content to be napping near everyone, and then turning gloriously into a flaming figure of death to protect them. Zoro’s love was subtle, but he gladly fed it with his very life.

Sanji had never known blood so intimately as when it soaked through his clothing, made Zoro slick and almost impossible to hold, coated the rocks until they shone. He hadn’t been able to find a specific wound. His only guess was that Zoro had sweated blood, Christlike agony made manifest.

Sanji had never carried a weight like this one. Would Zoro survive until he reached Chopper? He hadn’t let Sanji save him. Was Sanji not even worth that? Didn’t he at least deserve to die for his crew? Zoro was heavy, but that weight was easy for Sanji to handle. The thought of losing him, the first and loyalest member of their crew, tore at his insides like a wild creature.

Sanji had never known pain like this. Zoro had suffered alone, faced a warlord, gotten himself killed or near to it, and it was his job to carry him back. Why was it his job? None of them would take it very well if he died, but it was going to throw off Sanji’s entire life. He woke up early to bring the swordsman tea, for fuck’s sake! His schedule was built around Zoro, their habits attuned like a precise recipe to make sure they never fought at inconvenient times. It was going to hurt so much if Zoro died. He couldn’t die. He was fair. He wouldn’t do that to Sanji. Not like this. Sanji loved him far, far too much to lose him, and Zoro knew that. Sanji hadn’t known it until that moment, but he knew it was true. Zoro would stay alive so as not to hurt him, if nothing else, because… because Zoro loved him back. Maybe not in the way he hoped, but maybe, just maybe they were always meant to be the diametric wings of the pirate king.

TW: BLOOD + POSSIBLY THRILLER BARK SPOILER KINDA

I finished Thriller Bark a little while ago, so here ya go!

12 hours of work, very happy with this :3

[unknownwriting]

Strawberry Kisses

Summary: The reader has new Chapstick and Sanji can’t figure out the new flavor. 

Character(s): Vinsmoke Sanji

Song Inspiration: Strawberry Kisses by Olivia Herdt

Word count: 2.6k

Notes: tbh I’m not sure how I feel about this but imma post it anyways. When I was writing it I was reading Host Club sooo Sanji might act a bit like Tamaki because I can’t help see them as the same person 😭

━━☆⌒*.

It’s the same routine for every morning. Sanji would wake up early to cook breakfast for the crew while he leaves his lover asleep. He would love to wake her up to have someone to talk to this early in the morning but he knows well enough not to wake Y/n this early in the morning. The blonde cook lingers in bed for a moment longer looking down at his sleeping lover. They didn’t have a big bed but that didn’t seem to matter, they were all upon each other. Y/n was curled up into his chest while one of his arms draped over her hip. It was a good thing the 2 of them don’t move much when they sleep. Sanji pulled her closer and watched her steady breathing. Her h/c hair was an absolute mess and her mouth hung open, leaving a small trail of drool onto the pillow. Saying she looked like a mess would be an understatement but that what he loves about her.

Sanji felt so bad leaving. He didn’t want to leave her alone but someone’s gotta cook the food for their rowdy crew. With one last squeeze, which caused a small groan to escape from Y/n’s lips, Sanji softly kissed her exposed forehead and finally began to his day. An hour without Y/n is never that bad. And soon enough an hour came and gone like it was nothing. One by one his crew mates began to fill the kitchen. Sanji finished up the last of the food preparation, making sure to leave a small port soon to the side for Y/n. She’s always the last one to wake up in the morning, and because the food never last longer than 5 minutes, he always make sure Y/n has food before anyone else. Y/n finally made it to the lively kitchen, upon seeing her still half asleep mood his face lit up. She just as beautiful as ever, even if her hair looks like it hasn’t been brushed in days. Sleep still clouded her actions as she stumbled her way to the hip of her lover. It took her a while for her eyes to adjust but once they did and landed on Sanji, her face lit up.

“Mornin’!” Y/n giggled, pressing herself up against the male wanting to feel his body warmth again. Sanji scoffed at the action as her took on of his arms and snaked it around her waist.

“Did you sleep well, princess?” Sanji questioned as he leaded down and gave her a small peck on her lips. Y/n scrunched up her nose for the early morning touch before she smiled and returned the peck.

“Amazing, as always.” She sighed, wiggling out of his grasp so she can finally eat breakfast. The 2 of them has been dating for a while. And of course, that doesn’t mean didn’t have a rocky start. With Sanji’s obsession with girls it was bound the be a struggle. Luckily, the love Y/n felt for him was strong enough to look past it. They had worked though it and seeing how Sanji‘s obsession with girls isn’t gonna stop anytime soon, Y/n trust Sanji not to do anything (thankfully Y/n doesn’t get jealous easily either). Surprisingly, it’s been smooth sailing so far, give or take. 

With Sanji being a passionate lover and all, it was also no surprise that he knew almost everything about Y/n. From her favorite foods (duh) to her secrets to and even when it was her time of the month. It was creepy but in a nice way. And so it’s safe to say that he also knows what her kisses taste like. In the morning her kisses always taste like mint because of the chapstick she puts on after brushing her teeth. It was probably the best thing in the world to the lovesick cook, he had easily got use to it when they started dating. However this morning was different, she didn’t taste like the normal mint, she tasted fruity. His blue eyes trailed over to his lover who now sat at the table with the others, talking about todays plans. With the flavor still lingering on his lips, he continued to try and figure out what the flavor could be. His eyes watched as her glossed lips curled into a smile, as if she was teasing him. Taking a moment to try and figure out what the flavor is himself, he let out a soft hum as he joined Y/n at the table. At first she didn’t bother to look over seeing how she was enjoying her conversation with Usopp and Nami, but once Sanji’s large hand rested on her thigh, she glanced over at him. Sanji did not waste a minute, once Y/n looked over at Sanji, he attcked her lips once again. She let out a small yelp from the sudden action and placed her hand on his chest to try and push him back. 

Nami and Usopp, who were both having a conversation with Y/n simply rolled their eyes at the couple before continuing their conversation without her. It common to find Sanji doing those type of things. Random kisses and hugs, random burst of ‘I love you’, cheesy date nights. It doesn’t take a genius to learn he’s a hopeless romantic. Of course that doesn’t stop the crew from reacting themselves. Zoro would complain about it, Nami and Usopp would yell at him for when he gets to cheesy, or when he makes Y/n embarrass, or does it at an inapporapte time, and Robin, Franky and Brook would always comment on how flustered Y/n ends up getting. Even if it does annoy the others and makes Y/n embarrassed sometimes, they all know he means well. Finally Y/n efforts of pushing against him payed off. Sanji finally back off of Y/n giving her space and her mouth back so she can eat. Catching her breath, Y/n looked at Sanji with her eyebrow raised, “What’s this about?”

“Your chapstick...It’s different.” Sanji muttered, trying to focus on the flavor. He was a cook for god’s sake and he can’t even figured out a the flavor of Y/n chapstick even if it is artificially flavored. Adrianna saw the look of confusion on his face as he was deep in thought. It was rare to see Sanji like this, normally he would swoon over it and make those weird faces but this time was different. His swirled eyebrows furrowed together and his blue eyes staring at her lips, hoping to get an answer. It was one of the very rare moments when Sanji’s actually cute.

“Yeah, I ran out of the other one. You like it?” Y/n giggled, as she turned back to her food.

“I’m not sure. What flavor is it?” 

“Hmm.” Y/n hummed wondering if she should tell him or not. There were pros and cons of telling him and not telling him. If she doesn’t tell him then she can see this rare cute side of Sanji that she doesn’t get the see often but if she doesn’t tell him then she has no idea what is gonna happen if she doesn’t. The last time Y/n tried, keyword tried, to tease Sanji they end in the bedroom for the rest of the night. It safe to say it was a long night that night. But on the other hand, Y/n doesn’t get to see Sanji cute like this often, so even if they end up in the bedroom, it would be worth. A small smirk played on her lips as she looked back up and Sanji, “I’m not telling..”

ミ☆

Y/n was surprised she was able to last this long.  Ever since Y/n brought up the challenge, it was like every chance Sanji got the 2 of them were kissing.  When they pass each on the ship, when Y/n asks for a glass of water, even when she was in the middle of training he found some way and excuse to kiss her. What really got to her the most was she never knows what type of kiss it was gonna be: small and quick or deep and passionate. If she knew he was gonna be the egar to figure it out she would’ve just told him. Luckily lunch was right around the corner so Sanji had to spend time preparing food for the others, leaving Y/n alone for a while, even if it’s only 30 minutes. The h/c colored girl was more than happy to take this time to relax with Nami and Robin. Nami was sunbathing and Robin was reading, Y/n also wanted to join Robin in reading however the book she picked laid in her lap, untouched. Instead all she ended up doing it staring off into the distance running a finger along her lips.

“...I think they’re swollen.” Y/n muttered to herself as she dropped her hand to her side and laid down. She clearly bit off more than she can chew. Y/n meant to keep the comment to herself seeing how she got herself into this mess yet Robin clearly heard her. 

“Are you feeling ok, Y/n?” She glanced over at her younger friend and questioned. Noticing that Y/n seemed to be lost and thought, Robin didn’t want to bother her so she went back to reading her book until Y/n let out a heavy sign.

“My lips are swollen and it’s only noon. This is not how I’d imagine it.” Y/n explained as she looked over to the other girls.

“You’re dating Sanji, how did you think it was gonna go?” Nami scoffed as she lifted up her sunglasses and looked over at Y/n. Nami was right, she should’ve expected this from the ero-cook but she couldn’t help herself; Sanji looked to cute. 

“I know, I know. But Sanji just looked so cute. I mean, when was the last time he looked cute and didn’t make those stupid faces. and plus he knows everything about me, so you can’t blame me for wanting to keep at least one thing a secret from him.” Y/n defeaned then pointed to her lips and exclaimed, “But I never wanted this!!”

“Someone as naïve as you should not be dating someone like Sanji.” Nami shook her head. Her brown eyes had quickly fallen on the certain blonde cook as he made his way over to the 3 of them. Before he approached them he put out his cig and shoved his hand back into his pocket, fiddling with something. Y/n who was leaning back into her chair with her eyes closed didn’t even hear him approach them. Only when Sanji had pushed a few piece of hair out of her face did she jolt awake. Seeing his blue eyes, Y/n took a defensive state waiting to see if he was gonna kiss her again. A soft chuckle left his lips before he looked over at the girls and fell right back into character. 

“Nami-sawnn~~ Robin-chwann~~ Lunch is ready~!!” Sanji swooned as he spun in front of the 2. They glanced over at Y/n for a moment but then back at Sanji. Thanking him, they left the 2 alone on the main deck. It was probably the best thing to do for now. Seeing the smirk on his lips when he looked over at Y/n and the way he played with something in his pocket, Nami and Robin had figured that Sanji had finally found the answer to his question. Robin let out a soft giggle while Nami sighed heavily as they made their way to the kitchen. Once the 2 had left the couple alone, Sanji took a seat next to Y/n. She watched him with a close eye, making sure he doesn’t pull a fast one. He let out a chuckle as he finally pulled out what he was playing with in his pocket. Y/n raised an eyebrow as she eyed the object but it didn’t take long before her fact lit up with relief.

“Underneath our pillows is not the best hiding spot.” Sanji stated, placing the tube of chapstick onto the table next to them. “Oh thank god! I was scared you were never gonna find it and this game was gonna go on all day.” Y/n let out a heavy sigh as she adjusted herself in her seat, “Just for the record we are never doing that again.”

“You were the one who started it?” 

“Yeah I know, and I was stupid. If you kissed me anymore my lips were gonna fall off.” Y/n pointed to her red swollen lips, “Look. They’re all swollen. Now imma have to put Chopper’s nasty medicine on them.”

“Ohh~ but I couldn’t help myself, Y/n-chwann~~!! Your lips are just so soft and cute~~!!” Sanji swooned as he engulfed Y/n into a hug. She let out a shreak from the sudden hug. As much as Y/n loves Sanji, she is so over him today. From all the kisses Y/n wanted more than to be left alone for a day or 2, however Y/n knows she just can’t get rid of Sanji that easily. Maybe that’s what she loves him so much because no matter what Sanji’s always there, whether she wants him to be or not. From kisses, to laying in bed together, to just enjoying each others company, he’s always with her. Even though Y/n was annoyed with him, she couldn’t help but smile as she squirmed against him. 

“S-sanji let go. I wanna eat my food before Luffy does.” Y/n laughed, trying to break free from his grip. However, he wasn’t gonna let go anytime soon. 

“You know I always save you a plate.” Sanji loosed his grip on Y/n as his hands fell down to her waist. She decided to stop squirming against him and just enjoy his warmth. They sat in silence for a moment, simply just enjoying each other company and listening to the waves crash against the ship. Moment like these were always the best to Y/n. Doing nothing and just enjoying each other presences, however, seeing how it’s lunch time, Y/n just wants to eat. She squirmed against him once again finally telling him to let go. Y/n had wasted no time making her way to the kitchen either, with Sanji following close behind her. 

“So..” Y/n started, grabbing Sanji’s attention. The hum from him had told Y/n she could continue, “Which flavor did you like better?”

“Hmm...” Sanji trailed off, trying to remember the flavor of mint. He was used to the minty flavor but the new fruity flavor wasn’t bad either. Y/n looked up at Sanji trying to read is facial expression to get a hint or something to see what flavor to get next time. Before she could even process the look on his face, Sanji dipped down again and capture Y/n’s glossed lips once again. She gasped once again, surprised that Sanji kissed her again even after she told him her lips were swollen. Luckily the kiss didn’t last long, Sanji pulled back and licked his lips, tasting the flavor of artificial strawberry. Y/n puffed out her cheeks in frustration from the kiss while Sanji finally gave his answer. 

“The strawberry flavor isn’t bad. I like that one.” Sanji answered as the 2 of them stopped right in front of the kitchen door.

“M’kay.” Y/n nodded, noting the information, “Good then because after today I'm only gonna switch between these 2.”

“Huh? Your not gonna change it again?” Sanji asked, sounded disappointed.

“Of course not.” Y/n stated as if was common sense. He let out a disappointed sigh at the fact that he wont be able to kiss Y/n that much again but now that he thinks about it, he probably did take it a bit over board. He had good intentions though. Y/n spun around on her heel and faced the door but right before opening it, she glnaced back at Sanji and added on, “Oh and to let my lips heal, not kissing for 2 days. At least!”

“Whaa-! 2 days!? But Y/n-chwan I can’t do that. I gotta kiss you.”

“Well you should’ve thought about before you kissed me every 5 minutes today. You probably have enough kisses from me to last 4 weeks.”

[yukipri]

On the Baratie, Part 5 Epilogue - a One Piece Mermaid AU Text Story

Here’s the final part of the Baratie series!

Includes my personal headcanons for Thatch’s backstory in this AU (and possibly canon, as I doubt we’ll learn much more about him sigh).

WARNINGS (actual warnings this time):

＊Trigger warnings for non-graphic violence, gore, unwilling self-harm, mention of thoughts of suicide, and body horror. Canon-typical dark backstory.

Slight ship warnings for: minor Sanji x Luffy, Thatch x Luffy, hint of bg Sabo x Luffy, but not ship-focused.

Continues off of past parts!

👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 1

👒🐟On the Baratie, Prologue

👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 2

👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 3

👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 4

~~

They've been traveling together for a while now. With more additions to the crew, Sanji's no longer the newest member. They leave East Blue, crossing over to the Grand Line. Their voyage continues onward.

Fitting into his role as the second cook of the ASL Pirates was easier than Sanji could have ever hoped, and he knows it's largely due to Thatch. Thatch, who, for all his incredible skill and titles and history, turns out to be...a remarkably normal person. It takes less than an hour for Sanji's awe over Thatch being his childhood idol to turn into pure indignation when the other cook professes his love for Luffy, and now their daily proposals to Luffy with food are just part of routine on the Merry.

(Sanji still knows his cooking is amateur in comparison to Thatch's, but none of their crew seems to realize, and Luffy eats all their food with equal gusto. Even Thatch himself only ever compliments Sanji, often with ridiculous faux outrage that Sanji's cooking looks better, which is absolutely false, Sanji would know. But even so, the man sounds so genuinely offended that Sanji can't help but appreciate the lengths the older man will go to in order to keep Sanji from feeling inferior.)

It's during a rare moment of calm, when the skies are clear and Deuce and Nami seem relaxed about their progress, when Sanji decides there's never going to be a better time to ask. He finishes washing the last of the pastry plates from the desserts the crew had just finished devouring (his hands momentarily pause on a plate that Ace had to pull out of Luffy's throat when she swallowed it whole along with the pastry, and Sanji allows himself a moment of imagining that the plate with her slobber is somewhat like an indirect kiss...), before he exits the kitchen to go to his locker.

From the locker, buried beneath gravure magazines of buxom ladies whose beauty will never compare to Luffy's, he pulls out a magazine far more valuable to him, the only one of its kind that he'd brought with him from the Baratie.

Back up on the main deck, Sanji finds Thatch sitting by the mast while watching Luffy and Usopp play with some new contraption the latter made. He looks up when he senses Sanji's approach, grimacing when the movement makes the wind blow his now loose hair into his mouth.

"I need a hair tie if Marco's not going to send me my damn hair wax," Thatch complains, even as he pats the ground next to him for Sanji to sit.

"You could always ask our lovely navigator," Sanji grunts as he drops down, careful not to fold the magazine, which Thatch has yet to notice.

"Ah, beautiful Miss Nami might have one, but her hair's pretty short...honestly more likely Deuce'll have one." Thatch sulks, because he'd really rather get a hair tie from a pretty lady, but as it is, Thatch probably has the longest hair on the crew at the moment, followed by their first mate. "If only our ladies had longer hair...ah, my darling Seastar with long hair..."

Sanji lets himself get drawn into imagining their most dazzling Lady Captain leaning against the rail of the Merry, sunlight sparkling off the waves in the background paling in comparison to her radiance. Her face is shadowed by her trademark straw hat, before she raises her head, causing long, silky strands to ripple around her like dark angel wings, glittering threads of black diamond dancing across her cheeks before she tucks them behind her ear with a small smile--

Both cooks sigh dreamily in perfect unison.

"Hey Luffy, they're thinking somethin' pervy about you again!" Usopp shouts in the background.

Both cooks ignore him, likewise in perfect synch.

Thatch regretfully pulls out of his Luffy Vision first. "So, you got something to talk to me about?" He knows it can't be about dinner, because they'd already started prepping for that.

Sanji blinks, and oh, there's Luffy, with her short hair, still just as lovely, probably doing something incredibly stupid and dangerous, but that's okay because Sabo's stepping in, and the Revolutionary may be batshit crazy but he won't let Luffy hurt herself--and right, he wanted to talk to Thatch.

He carefully brings the magazine out in front of him, and Thatch leans over curiously. The pages easily fall open to the column, remembering the page Sanji poured over countless times. Sanji hears Thatch's breath hitch.

"This you?" Sanji asks, looking at the faded photo of the smiling boy, before his eyes flick to Thatch.

The older man's eyes are wide, glued to the page. Sanji wordlessly offers him the magazine, and Thatch slowly takes it, his hands handling the paper carefully as though worried it'll crack.

"Yeah, that's me alright," Thatch murmurs, eyes scanning the column before his lips twist into a wry smile. "How the hell did you get your hands on this fossil?"

"Found it while we were looking for stuff for the Baratie's collection, some old second hand shop," Sanji says, and it's not a lie, but it's not like he can admit he was obsessed with them and actually hunted for them after obtaining the first ones.

Thatch makes a low sound of understanding, before he starts flipping through the rest of the magazine, pages that Sanji honestly doesn't even remember. "I wonder if this magazine's still even going..."

"It is," Sanji informs him. "It's changed a lot, but we still get it delivered."

Thatch laughs then, shaking his head as he closes the magazine and hands it back to Sanji with the same care. "I'm sure it has changed, after what happened, oh man..."

Sanji frowns. So something did happen.

"So how did the kid in this end up a Whitebeard pirate?" he asks, but he means, How did the boy's adventure end?

"Mm, you sure you wanna know? It's not a particularly nice story, though I suppose it has a happy end." Thatch leans back heavily against the mast, his hand subconsciously reaching up to brush hair away from his face, lingering on the deep, if old scar around his left eye. Sanji wonders if it's related.

"If it's something you don't mind sharing. I'm sure I can handle it."

They're interrupted by a crash, and look up to see Sabo heaving Luffy up back over the rail by the end of her tail. She'd clearly almost fallen overboard, again, but is laughing as carefree as ever, even as Usopp wrings his hands apologetically behind them. Sabo doesn't look mad though, and is stroking Luffy's hair now that she's safely back on deck and in his arms, his face disgustingly besotted.

Deuce and Nami come out of the cabin at the noise, and Ace and Zoro startle awake from their respective naps as well. Deuce takes one look at what's going on, and launches into a full blown scolding session for all three of the members involved, clearly dissatisfied with the way Sabo handled it. It had only taken the first mate a few days in his company before Deuce had determined that no matter how sensible Sabo may seem at times, he's still Another Stupid Brother, and therefore gets the same treatment.

The rest of the crew listening in winces when Deuce hurls a, "Luffy being stupid is one thing, but you're WAY too lenient with her, you foolish Revolutionary!" Nami and Koala cheer him on in the background.

("Told you," Ace mouths, before hastily looking away when Deuce's gaze snaps to him.)

Usopp looks thoroughly chastised and sincerely sorry, Sabo looks weirdly pleased as though being told he's lenient is a compliment, and Luffy looks bored and is searching for an escape when her gaze lands on the two cooks.

"Thatch! Story time?!" is all the warning they get, before Luffy's arms grab onto the mast behind them and the mermaid torpedoes head-first into Thatch's chest. It's a testament to the Whitebeard Commander's sturdiness that all he does is grunt at the considerable impact, even as Sanji winces in sympathy. That'll definitely bruise.

"Alright, yeah story time, if anyone wants to hear my boring old past," Thatch agrees, and Luffy cheers, turning herself sideways and flopping down on Thatch's crossed legs to look up at him with eyes sparkling with expectation. Sanji isn't even jealous, because in her new position, Luffy's thrown her tail across Sanji's lap, and he begins reverently rubbing circles into her soft scales, heat creeping up his cheeks when her flukes flick with pleasure.

Deuce sighs, giving up on his scolding as everyone gathers around the cooks. But he doesn't seem too disappointed, and pulls out his notebook as he joins them, as though he intends on recording whatever Thatch's going to say. Ace plops himself down on Thatch's other side, ruffling Luffy's hair distractedly and hiding his curiosity poorly. Sanji gets the feeling that despite knowing him for much longer, Ace hasn't heard much about Thatch's past either.

"Well, so..."

~~

Thatch was born to a middle class family in a relatively active port town on the Grand Line. His parents ran a modest diner, certainly nothing high class, but popular enough among the locals to almost always have full seats.

Thatch was what they called a "child prodigy." He'd started helping in the kitchen simply because he wanted to do the same things as his parents, but by the time he was seven, he'd already surpassed both of them in skill. His parents decided to leave the kitchen to him, while they focussed on management.

With Thatch behind the menu, the restaurant's popularity grew, drawing more traffic. Among their visitors were occasional food critics, who spread their business's reputation and made it something of a cult tourist spot.

When Thatch was nine, his father came up with the idea that it might be good publicity, for people to know that a literal child was behind their now famous restaurant's food. And in the name of said publicity, he also decided to have the restaurant officially under Thatch's name, although is parents still managed it.

"Child prodigy chef owns his own restaurant," was definitely a headline that journalists latched onto. The berries were rolling in.

Thatch himself, he didn't really care about that. He rarely ever left the kitchen now, constantly cooking, constantly coming up with new menu items, constantly training new chefs as their once small family diner expanded into a chain. He didn't really mind it, he loved cooking after all, but he often wished he still had time to talk to patrons, or explore town. While there weren't any child labor laws in their country, he couldn't go to school or make friends or do anything a normal child might otherwise enjoy.

So when the largest, most prominent cooking magazine sent a representative to talk about a potential column centered around him, Thatch was hopeful. He'd always dreamed of leaving the island, and it'd never seemed like an achievable dream. He wanted to exposure to new things to expand his cooking repertoire, and he wanted to be able to challenge himself as a cook--but more than anything, he also just wanted go and see what might be out there, outside of his diner's kitchen.

His parents reluctantly agreed. At this point, Thatch had trained enough experienced cooks, and their reputation was established enough that Thatch's temporary absence wouldn't damage them. And Thatch knew his parents were drawn by the potential for greater publicity from the column, and Thatch (and their restaurant) possibly becoming a household name not just on the Grand Line, but across the world.

(Thatch never thought his parents were bad people, or even bad parents. He hadn't wanted for anything, and they let him pursue and nurture his passion. That they were business-minded, and had also come to see Thatch as an asset and publicity tool was something he understood. They still loved him, in their own way.)

His parents' only condition was that Thatch return in a few years, before he was fifteen. A "child prodigy" becomes less interesting with age, and eventually becomes "a normal adult." They wanted Thatch back before that, to reestablish his connection to their diner, before he inevitably faded out of public interest, or had to re-establish his identity as an adult cook.

And so at eleven years old, what seemed like the entire town saw off Thatch, who set sail on a small ship manned by experienced sailors, and chaperoned by the journalist who would be documenting his voyage.

For the first two years, the journey was everything Thatch had ever wanted. They would go to new islands, information provided to him by the journalist, and then he would be given free reign to do whatever he wanted, so long as it included food and cooking, which is what Thatch would have been drawn to do anyway. That there were always a handful of adults a few paces behind him, documenting everything he did and forcing him to voice his thoughts out loud, all eventually faded into the background. Thatch got used to voicing his inner thoughts for their benefit. It was hardly a chore, and Thatch was having the time of his life.

But all things eventually change. Due to the success of the column, Thatch's journalist was given a promotion, and the last stretch of his journey before Thatch was to return to his home island was assigned to a new journalist. Thatch had always known that their relationship was strictly professional, and was used to changing traveling companions at this point. It felt a bit lonely that the first journalist, the only person who had remained a constant, was leaving...but he understood.

It's just business, after all.

The new journalist replaced the old one, and their journey continued--or at least, it was supposed to.

Child!Thatch, adult Thatch would later think, was remarkably naive and sheltered for all that he was a veteran cook. He was used to having things being laid out in front of him on a neat platter, for the adults in his life to control all aspects of his life, conveniently convincing himself that it's what he wanted anyway. He was used to the adults taking care of all the details, because all Thatch had to do to make everyone happy was cook. He not once doubted those responsible for his life, and blindly trusted that they would keep everything smooth and safe for him.

Because when one day, thirteen-year old Thatch woke up to see red staining the walls of the cabin, and then looked around to find the corpses of everyone else on the ship strewn around him, it took a remarkably long time for him to process that this definitely wasn't what was supposed to happen.

He was disoriented, too numb to even feel panic or put up a fight when the new journalist came in and tied him up to pass him to the pirates who had decimated the crew.

Pirates. It wasn't the Golden Age of Piracy yet, and although the Roger Pirates and other famous names were often whispered about, most sailors didn't expect to personally run into pirates. Thatch had been warned of their existence, but hadn't really thought much on them, as they had seemed irrelevant to his own peaceful civilian adventures.

The pirates and the journalist had a deal, he gathered. The pirates had wanted to get their hands on the famous child prodigy cook, and were willing to pay good money. The journalist had agreed, and had summoned the pirates to their location. Everyone but Thatch and the journalist had been killed to erase witnesses.

Before handing Thatch off to them, the journalist demanded payment first. Thatch remembers wondering why the journalist hadn't demanded anything before agreeing to the deal--it seemed a bad business tactic.

Thatch was standing right next to the journalist when the pirate captain drew his sword. Thatch wasn't scared, because he knew he wouldn't be hurt. He was an asset. And he probably knew what would happen before the journalist did.

He still remembers feeling the whoosh of air as the sword came, the sound of it hitting flesh, the dull thunk, the loosening of the arms gripping the rope that held Thatch bound.

Thatch thought ah, so human heads can be severed just as easily as fish heads.

Thatch didn't put up a fuss, going with the pirates. It was clear he couldn't have stayed on the ransacked ship, because even if he did, he had no way of manning the ship alone, even if he even knew how. And so he wordlessly followed, and continued to do what he'd done his whole life: obey adults.

And at first it wasn't bad. A kitchen was a kitchen, no matter how dirty, and Thatch knew how to please people with food. The pirates seemed overjoyed with Thatch's skill.

But some part of Thatch really wondered if that's all they wanted from him, and that bad feeling manifested itself as reality soon.

Hey brat, the captain said one day, and dumped a sack of ingredients Thatch had never used before into the kitchen. Turn this into something good. We need to get rid of an entire rival crew, and they're gluttons.

Thatch may never have used them before, but he recognized the things in the bag. They were all things he knew to avoid.

The pirate captain was asking him to make poison.

Thatch was a cook. No matter the reasons why people wanted him to cook, no matter who benefited and what money was passed around, and no matter how terrible the conditions--Thatch was alright so long as he could cook. Thatch cooked so that he could make delicious things that would in the end, contribute to nourishing people. He polished his skills to make that experience better, to make his patrons happier, to make himself feel more accomplished as a result.

Poison...that wasn't something that a cook could make.

Thatch, for the first time, spoke back to an adult. He felt that numb feeling again, over any fear.

I'm a cook, I can't make anything that can harm people. Please let me start preparing dinner. Thatch stated it as fact, and to him, it was.

The pirate struck Thatch. It was the first time he'd ever been hit, because as a child prodigy, as an asset, he'd always been too valuable to damage. But now...

You'll make it, or we have no need for you.

Bars were added to the kitchen, making it Thatch's cell. All edible ingredients were confiscated. And every day, the pirates came in with more ingredients, more demands.

Make an aphrodisiac. Make a date rape drug. Make something that'll make someone lose feeling in their limbs. Make something that'll cause loss of senses. Make something that'll cause crazy hallucinations. Make something deadly, but undetectable in water. Make something that can dissolve guts from the inside out. Make something that won't kill, but cause excruciating pain. Make something that WILL kill, but only after several days.

The pirates didn't want a cook. They wanted a master poisons brewer. Which, Thatch was not.

Every time Thatch refused, they beat him. They threatened to cut off his legs, because why would he need them, when all he needed were his hands? They threatened to carve out his eyes, and the captain stabbed a knife close to his left eye to show how serious he was. They left Thatch with running water, but didn't give him anything to eat, other than the deadly, horrible ingredients they'd left inside the kitchen for him to turn into even worse poisons.

Thatch sorted the ingredients by those least harmful, and kept himself alive by reluctantly eating those first, but knew that the longer this continued, the more permanent and fatal the damage those ingredients would cause.

(He tried to come up with ways to use what he had to nullify effects, but he was just a kid, and it was his first time trying to make actual medicine. His experiments were risky, and often failed.)

Thatch didn't know how long he was in there, his sense of time and self muddled as he survived off of numbing agents and aphrodisiacs and hallucinogens. They barely kept him alive, and made him feel horrible. He tried to remember why it was so important he kept eating them, and rationing them like they were valuable.

In the corner of the kitchen was an ever growing pile of bright, beautiful fruits that he knew would cause immediate agonizing death...but they looked so lusciously juicy and ripe, and it was getting harder to remember why he couldn't eat them.

Perhaps it was the hallucinogens, perhaps it was everything wrong with his body that Thatch had unwillingly caused himself by eating, but one day, Thatch realized he was going through the movements of peeling those fruits, chopping them, squeezing the juices and watching with fascination as they sizzled into the bubbling pot he was brewing. He was too entranced by the concoction to even notice that his hands were burning and blistering, or perhaps they were just too numb.

He added spices, adjusted heat, and hummed. It had been too long, since he had cooked.

Except he wasn't cooking, because this wasn't food.

It smelled quite delicious, Thatch thought, mildly impressed with himself. Something tropical and fruity, mellowed by mushrooms and a great many other herbs. And it looked aesthetically pleasing, with its dancing, hypnotic colors. If he hadn't known what had gone into it, he'd consider it presentable to critics as his next seasonal special.

But now that it was done, and ready to be served, Thatch had no clue what to do with it.

He hadn't thought that far (he wasn't thinking at all), and didn't know how to think about the thing he made, when it wasn't edible.

He supposed he could possibly see if it could melt through the bars of his cell, though he wasn't sure where he'd even go if he could escape. The cell didn't have any windows, and Thatch wasn't even sure they were at an island, they could still be on open water. Thatch might be able to throw it on a pirate, as a weapon. But there were dozens of pirates on board, and not nearly enough for all of them.

He could drink it himself. It would be an escape of sorts, he supposed.

It never crossed Thatch's mind to offer the concoction to the pirates, as a creation to be used.

He stood in the kitchen for hours, aimlessly stirring the pot, watching the brew get darker and darker, its magical colors turning into murky brown. Eventually, it became a thick, black tar-like substance that reflected no light, that looked like a void as Thatch stared into it.

A thin gray haze gradually began filling the room, and Thatch was well aware of it. He was already starting to feel noticeably worse than before. He supposed that was one way of giving himself a time limit: he'd either decide what to do with the brew, or succumb to the fumes first.

He distantly heard muted sounds overhead, and he realized the pirates may be fighting someone. It happened once in a while. But it was usually with other pirates, and he doubted it was the marines, and no civilian vessel would dare get close to such an obvious pirate ship. And well, if it was pirates...that's just more of the same, wasn't it?

Thatch eventually heard footsteps approaching the room, and someone coughing as they inhaled the fumes, now dense enough to be a dark smog that made it hard to see his own hands (or maybe that was the effect of the poison in him).

A creak--the cell doors were opening.

Thatch could barely think anymore, but made a split second decision. He didn't know what the consequences would be, but had a hunch he wouldn't survive long enough to find out anyway, so what did it matter.

He picked up the pot, and hurled all of its contents at the approaching figure.

There was a FUCK! and then--

Thatch won't ever forget what happened when that brew hit a human body.

But as he fell, the last of his strength gone, wondering if he should feel horrible or proud that he killed someone on his way out, Thatch saw the room light up, the black haze vanishing into searing, brilliant turquoise flames.

~~

"And so that's how I met Marco!" Thatch says, voice surprisingly chipper, even though Sanji feels like retching.

"You melted him," Ace says flatly, voice a mix of horror and awe.

"Sure did, if he had been anyone else they probably woulda been a puddle of human goo, and even he got halfway there," Thatch agrees, his hands stroking Luffy's hair harder, as they'd been doing all throughout his story telling. "Though lucky me, to have thrown poison at possibly one of the only people in the world with instant self-regeneration and possibly immortality."

"Was he mad? Pineapple bird-man. Melting doesn't sound very fun," Luffy frowns. She'd admittedly fallen asleep for most of the story, but woke up again when Thatch's hands in her hair got more tense, more urgent. She contentedly nuzzles into his thigh, more interested in making sure that Thatch's alright than in his answer, and she purrs when he crooks his fingers to scritch her reassuringly.

"Oh sure, he was mad for a little bit, but he's a nice guy and was a worry-wort even back then, so he brought me to Pops. And well, it took a while, but we're best buddies now and have been for years! Fancy that."

Deuce was shaking his head. "I still can't believe that stupid crew wanted to take down Pops with poison of all things, and were stupid enough to enter his territory without it even being ready."

"Well, it's not like they could have won in direct combat, and to be fair, back then the Four Emperors weren't that established, and territories in the New World were a lot looser than they are now." Thatch shrugged. "If nothing else, it was a creative angle, if a poorly thought out one, unlike some people's way of challenging Pops." Ace fidgets uncomfortably here, and Deuce snorts.

"You..." Sanji's finally recovering from his queasiness, because fuck Thatch's tale really wasn't pretty, especially from a cook's perspective. "You don't mind fighting, and killing people now?" He glances at the swords strapped to Thatch's belt, and thinks about his own insistence to never use his hands in combat.

"Well, I'd prefer not to do it, same as anyone else. But I don't mind fighting in general, and once Pops adopted me, I wanted to be able to defend myself." Thatch laughs here, and it sounds bitter, making Luffy look up. "Haruta actually suggested I use poison, if I knew how to make one that could almost take down the Phoenix, and, well...that's a no. May have thrown him overboard for that, but he deserved it. I told them I was good with knives, and Vista helped me develop my own style."

The conversation moves on then, the other crew members chipping in with questions, but Sanji sort of tunes it all out. He thought he was over his queasiness, but it's back again. Being forced to brew poison, and being offered nothing but harmful things to eat...fuck. Even Judge hadn't done that...

He feels something wrap around him then, and Sanji looks down, and realizes that Luffy's looped her tail so that her flukes curl behind his back, securely holding him, even as she continues to nuzzle Thatch's leg for attention.

How weak he must be, Sanji thinks, to need his captain's comfort now. But it helps, and he gradually relaxes.

Eventually the others realize that the story's over, and disperse back to their usual tasks, leaving Thatch and Sanji and a snoozing Luffy curled around both of their laps.

"Well, I guess that explains how the boy prodigy's journey ended," Sanji says, reaching over to Thatch's side to run his hand through Luffy's hair, smiling when she hums happily.

Thatch makes a soft sound, that sounds like possibly disagreement. "Well, sure, I ended up joining the Whitebeard pirates, and never ended up going back to my hometown. Everyone thought I was dead anyway, and being on the Moby was better than any restaurant for me, because I got to feed my brothers and travel, at least wherever the Moby goes, and that's still a fine adventure in its own way. But I guess you're right in that with a territory and a literal army backing me up...it's not quite the same kind of adventure, without the trill of the unknown."

Thatch looks up then, and when his eyes sweep across their little ship, and the small crew strewn about it, he looks fond. "But I guess in a way, that's what I'm doing now, isn't it? I may no longer be a 'boy prodigy,' but me traveling with you guys, going back up the Grand Line...it's sorta like that journey again."

Sanji blinks.

"The end of that journey...maybe you're on it with me, right now." Thatch winks.

Sanji snorts. "That's so cheesy," he says, but he doesn't meant it, not really, because he can't deny the giddiness that begins welling up in him at the thought.

Because what adult doesn't still have a child inside them, buried underneath layers of years, still craving those wishful dreams from long ago?

There's a moment of silence, before both cooks break out into laughter, carefree and boyish.

And so their journey continues onward.

~~

~~

Aaand that's a wrap! For this lil story series within this ever growing AU at least!

It may be a cheesy ending, but it still feels like an ending of sorts? which, is something I usually never actually manage to write to, everything I write is usually either short or abandoned....so I Feel Accomplished ^ ^;;

If you managed to get through it all, thanks so much for reading and sticking with this!!!! ;A; I’m definitely extremely curious to know if you have any thoughts regarding my take on Thatch's past, or anything else, because as always any comments are HUGELY appreciated!

Thanks again!

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

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

[divinityoswin]

Welcome to Tumblr 😁 May I request headcanons for how Sanji would celebrate his birthday with his female S/O? Bonus if she has the same birthday as him 😃

Hello!  Thank you for the warm welcome ❤ I’ll try my best with my first request!

Sanji isn’t exactly someone who shares his birthday with others, not even with his crew.  Despite Luffy’s occasional nagging, he keeps it close to his heart, and will act like it’s just any other day.  It takes some investigating to learn when exactly the date is - and once you learn, well - you insist on celebrating it with him.  After all, you share the same birthday - it must be destiny!

Unfortunately for you, Sanji will treat you like a queen no matter what the day, especially on the day of your birth, and refuse to be treated any differently on his birthday.  It will take him some - a lot - of convincing to sit down and just relax for the day.  He’ll just insist on making some of your favourite snacks, or perhaps a seafood platter, or a drink to share.

If you thought you were going to be cooking breakfast for Sanji, or that Sanji would be cooking with you, you’re sorely mistaken.  He’ll prepare a grand feast for you in the morning, a breakfast in bed kind of deal.  Except he’ll forget that it’s his birthday too, so you both end up sharing the meal at your insistence.

When it comes to presents, you would both shower each other in gifts if it weren’t for the fact that it was virtually impossible to hide presents on the Thousand Sunny.  So, you do things for each other instead.  Sanji takes extra care in crafting a dessert that looks like an art piece in a museum, you (with the help of Usopp and Robin) gather flowers that say a thousand promises in the language of them.  

You’ll be so wrapped up in making each other’s presents that you won’t notice it’s almost lunch time, and the crew has mysteriously disappeared inside while the Sunny floats along the waters.  You’re left with Sanji, who’s taking in a breath of smoke and says, “you didn’t have to do that, shit-heads.” - it’s then you notice the picnic blanket, champagne and glasses, and a basket on the lawn of the Sunny.  Despite Sanji’s comment, you can tell he’s happy.

You hold out your hand and he takes it, though he’s blushing slightly and muttering about how the hell did they get into his kitchen anyway - but one look at you, sitting on the picnic blanket, the ocean breeze flowing through your hair and a smile fitting for an angel on your lips that he forgets all his worries and simply enjoys the moment with you

A chink of the champagne glasses later, and a taste of Usopp’s rather... interesting choice of sandwiches (which Luffy had half-eaten already, which you had to physically hold down Sanji to stop him from marching over to the cabins and yelling at the poor captain), Sanji finally calms down and he lets you lean against his shoulder. 

You fall asleep on him, the slow, deliberate movement of his chest as he breaths in and out causing a rhythm that lulls you to sleep.  He doesn’t move, in fear of waking you up - and, after all, you look adorable when you’re asleep.  He thinks about how lucky he is to have you, and just how much he’s going to spoil you that night.  His lips etch into a grin, as thoughts of the birthday cake he had been planning ever since he learnt your birthday come into his mind.  The only time he moves is to yell at Luffy to stop trying to sneak into the kitchen, to which you wake up.

It’s an hour before dinner, you’ve packed up the picnic and have spent the rest of the afternoon in the girls’ cabin getting prepared for tonight.  Nami has offered you an elegant dress of hers, and Robin does your makeup and hair, and they both treat you like a princess.  Meanwhile, the boys are trying to groom Sanji, but Sanji’s already groomed, and they’re just making a bigger mess out of him.  Zoro kicks him out of the room, literally, and Sanji’s standing in the lawn now with a dishevelled suit and cursing a storm at the boys.  He stops when he sees you, though - his jaw drops at your beauty, and he’s fallen in love with you all over again.  You spend a candlelit dinner together on the lawn, with a table and chairs set up to give you both a private dining experience.  At least, it would be private, had the other Straw Hats not obviously been watching the two of you...

Finally, Sanji does something you never expected - he invites you to his kitchen.  He bows, holding your hand like a knight would hold his queen’s, and leads you inside.  On the tabletops lay the ingredients to bake a cake.  He grins, and says, “I thought it would taste better if we made it together.” - it doesn’t, because halfway through you decide it would be a fun idea to throw some flour at Sanji, and the kitchen turns into a mess of cake batter and flour and sugar and you’re not worried about wasting food because Luffy will eat off the floor anyway.

He ends the night with a gentle kiss on the lips - he tastes like rosemary and burning cider wood - and promises to make it up next year.  You say you wouldn’t have it any other way, and he smiles sheepishly at you.

[kingofthewhatpod]

Fanfic Friday #4

Okay, it's time for my fourth attempt to wow people with my spin on One Piece. Welcome to #FanficFriday. Because the podcast is currently mid arc, it makes sense not to consider doing a re-write of the canon arc to try and improve, so you get a 100% new story. Let us begin...

This adventure will be called "The island of old men," and if that doesn't make you raise an eyebrow, I'm not quite doing my job.

The scene: Luffy and crew have just escaped loguetown, heading towards reverse mountain... and they see an island, not on Nami's map. And let me tell you, this island has a giant golden tower rising from the center. It can be seen from quite a distance away, and it has like a crown on it. Nami, obviously, is worried about why it's not on the map Usopp fears it's a "ghost island" Sanji would say something like "What even is a ghost island?" Totally nonplussed, watching the island with a casual eye. Luffy is like "Woa-ho What is that??? Can we go? Can we? Can we?" Nami objects, but did we think that would work? No. Luffy is excited, and so is Zoro by proxy Since Luffy is the captain, they go anyways regardless of objections. 

Before they reach the tower, they come across a single, largish wooden building, the four titular old men outside Guy number one: A huge guy. Sometimes i'm creative with names, some times not, he'll just be "Badger" and when I say huge, I mean he probably did like seven hundred thousand crunches a day in his youth. Guy number two: He's wearing a jacket with pockets of various sizes, each packed with unseen items. He can be "Sparrow." Guy number three: sunglasses, a vest with a cape, he's the most mobile/active of these old men, conveys his moods with movement. Name: "Rabbit"

Final guy: Taking a nap. Bigger than Sparrow and Rabbit, but not as big as Badger. Scars on his arms, and a loooooong beard because this is One Piece. The other old guys introduce him as like Haro. Of course most, if not all, of the Straw Hat's think its weird he's not named after an animal like the other three.

To set the scene Sparrow and Badger are playing a card game, Rabbit is watching and commentating- loudly (which is clearly annoying Badger), and as I said Haro is taking a nap. Now, as Luffy and them approach, they ask about the tower they saw while sailing.  The old guys kind of glance at them, go back to what they're doing, and explain "Young whelps like you shouldn't even ask about the King's Tower, let alone approach it"

Usopp would be the most startled their reaction. Zoro or Sanji (why not both?) would be surprised, but Luffy would be doing that thing where he's unusually quiet and watching the scene, eyes on Haro. Usopp would try to explain “We were just asking what it was, and the island wasn't on the map-”

"The golden spire was built to honor the strong!" Rabbit would declare (again, loudly. Assume everything he does is loud). "And young'uns like you just can't climb it!"

"Best that you don't even try," Badger would grumble. "Go home and have a glass of milk"

Usopp would be about to argue about "How do you know about us", when Zoro would cut him off with a "Wait," eyeing up Badger. "Words are useless against people like this."

Sanji would be looking at the horizon, "All we have to do is climb it then, right?"

"We won't let you!" Rabbit says, stamping his foot on the ground. "Have you no respect for your elders? We forbid it!"

"So what then?" Zoro asks.

"Three days.” Sparrow would say without looking up from the game. Maybe with their free hand he holds up three fingers.  If you can survive three days on the island, we'll let you try the climb"

Luffy calmly walks over to the porch area on which Haro sleeps and sits down. "Fine," is all he says. "But we will climb that tower and see what's at the top." He says this very seriously. Nami sighs and Zoro is just like, "aye captain."

Jump cut to the next morning, Zoro is with Badger in the woods. Badger gestures at the trees around them, and asks Zoro to cut down ten trees by the end of the trial period with his sword. Zoro is like "pfft, yeah, whatever." and schwing schwing schwing! with his blades. His cocky grin fades as he looks back and sees only small scratches on these thick trees. Now Badger is grinning. "The hell kind of trees are these?" Zoro asks.

"Only the sturdiest wood for our cabin, sprout," he'd mock. "Or is it too hard for you?" to Zoro's ire, of course

Sanji is with Rabbit, who is like "Let's gather some jewel mushrooms from the forest, try to keep up!" And here we see why he's called Rabbit. He's very, very fast, which would surprise Sanji doubly so due to his age. Sanji has to run after him shouting "wait!"

Sanji ends up having to scavenge on his own, and he gets a bit lost in the forest. He's certain he can do it, but then... that night he only has maybe 2 in his basket and Rabbit has three full-to-bursting baskets! Sanji is just.... shocked.

Nami and Usopp both get paired with Sparrow. They're down in the basement which has both a room full with complex, twisting pipes in an impossible tangle, and a library. He starts pulling books off the library shelf and Nami has to race to keep up, trying to catch them all. Nami, it seems, will help him decipher some weird encoded message, using historical documents to try and understand the code. Usopp has to help fix the plumbing. Not only are the pipes all twisty, not only are the instructions convoluted, but these pipes are heavy. It shows him detach a nut from around a pipe and he almost drops it on his foot because it’s unexpectedly heavy.

Luffy, who hasn't said a word yet, is sitting beside Haro, just chilling. Haro hasn't woken up yet, and Luffy isn't going to be tested, apparently. Which just makes me chuckle. Am I allowed to admit that about my own dumb story? Whatever.

Back to Zoro. It's night time. He's made a little bit more progress, but he is on his back, panting heavily. Badger is also sitting, grinning. "Still going to win?" he teases.

"Of course," Zoro says, no hint of sarcasm in his voice. No reaction from Badger. "My captain said we would climb the tower," Zoro continues. "So it's not a matter of whether I can. I simply must. But first... a nap." 

Badger would kind of chuckle and head back to the mansion as Zoro closes his eyes.

Naturally, we'd also get some shots of Usopp, Nami, and Sanji hard at work that night. Nami is burning the midnight oil, a huge pile of books next to her. Usopp is studying this crazy, complex room, and Sanji is contemplating these strange mushrooms in the kitchen. I guess I didn't mention, but these mushrooms would obviously be hard to find but they'd also looks super weird close up. They'd almost glitter like jewels, but not bright enough to be seen from a distance. Because what is One Piece without some mystery/magic/unworldly elements?

Next morning, each member (minus Luffy) is hard at work. Zoro has made some progress in the night and is already wielding all three swords by the time Badger finds him

"What if the others can't do it?" Badger would ask.

"They will," Zoro would say simply.

Nami would be talking to Sparrow. "They're all idiots," she'd explain while reading these books. "Especially my captain. If I can't learn to help them out, they'll surely fail."

Usopp would have built some doodad out of spare pieces he had found, something that could slide along the pipes, or maybe marked them in some way with paint. Point is, he's starting to learn this room's layout. Sparrow is rubbing his chin as he looks on, but saying nothing

Sanji has figured out about a weird creature that eats these jewel mushrooms from studying the roots. So this time when Rabbit leaves him in the dust, he looks for one of these boars (but like, big boars with purple fur or something) and lets it lead him to the treasure trove. Of course he's started learning how to cook with them, too. But that’s not relevant to his test.

The third day, Everyone convenes back in the "plaza." The 3 old guys are unchanged. Zoro is exhausted, Nami shows sign of ink all over, Usopp has oil stains, and Sanji's usually immaculate clothes are disheveled. To sell the victory, Sanji also has a plate cooked with these mushrooms, Nami holds a parchment with the decoded message, Zoro is pulling a sled with this special wood, and Usopp stands before a fountain which has begun working once more!

There's a pause... Rabbit, Sparrow, and Badger, in unison, all look to Haro, giving a thumbs up and say "Well, I guess they did alright."

Haro finally awakes (let’s be real though, we all know he wasn’t actually asleep), rising and brushing off his knees. "Let's go kid," is all he says. He leaves, Luffy follows. (AN: at this point I realized the thread was getting really, really long on Twitter. Yes, I have more room here on Tumblr to fill out the details, but I once again am brushng up agaisnt my self-imposed deadline. For now, I’ll leave it largely unedited, hope you can forgive me, and try to do better next week).

Next up: Cave. Big bear monster, like this big beast, two or three stories tall. Haro beats it up easily, maybe even in one punch or maybe he jumps up and grabs its head and flips it on its back. He is very, very strong. Luffy would acknowledge that with a classic "You're strong old man"

"What about you?" Haro asks, looking to Luffy. Luffy puts on his straw hat with a grin. "Just watch me." 

A second monster comes out of the cavern. Luffy is not at this old guy's level. Not a victory in a single punch, but he keeps standing every time he's knocked down. He wears it down & wins. 

Luffy and Haro come back to the manor. The boss old man gives a nod and the Straw Hats continue inward in the island. Haro sits back down and, only after they've left does he smile a big, goofy smile. Maybe, like, 85% as goofy as Luffy. "I like him," he says.

Now, it turns out there isn't much to this tower. Long climb up, but no traps or other gatekeepers. They get to the top, and there’s a spectacular view of the island and ocean beyond. They’re all looking and admiring when their captain comes up with his idea. Luffy takes in a super deep breath, everyone else is grinning as they realize what he’s going to do, and he just yells. "I'M GUNNA BE.... THE KING OF THE PIRATES!!!" Scaring some birds in the nearby forest to show how loud he shouted.

flash back to the old men. Sparrow is rubbing his chin. "King, eh?"

"He just might do it," Haro acknowledges. "He reminds me of that other young'un who came through all those years ago."

"Roger was a good man," Badger agrees.

"Plus," Haro says, as the screen fades to black. "That kid's a 'D'" Haro adds. "Can't wait to see what he gets up to."

To be Continued flashes on the screen, on to the next adventure.

This concludes the fourth #FanficFriday. I really need to find a way to compress these. It'll only get harder as we get more characters to play with. I'm still working on this. But hey, maybe I can just post the original on Tumblr and link to it on twitter, or put it on some third site and link to it on both these accounts. But hey, be sure to let us know what you think. If you leave an insightful comment or have your own tweaks to make (be it an addition or changing something I started in my own what-if scenario), maybe I'll give you a shout out on the pod!

[words-and-fangirling-wonder]

A One Piece Thanksgiving

Hello Everyone! Here is the first fic of my Holiday Fanfic Extravaganza!! I hope you enjoy the sappiness.

Fandom: One Piece

Rating: General Audiences

Author: Fangirl Wonder (WordsandWonder on AO3)

No Pairing

“So wait, you have a whole holiday about turkeys?”

Luffy cocked his head to the side in interested confusion. He liked birds as much as the next person, but dedicating an entire day of celebration to them seemed a bit extreme. But from the way the bar was plastered with turkey-themed decorations, he got the feeling his opinion might not be shared by the occupants of this island. Orange, red and brown paper cut outs of turkeys danced in the breeze from the fans where they hung from the ceiling. Turkey shaped flower arrangements adorned every table and the paper plates and napkins that came with his food showed cartoon versions of the fowl as well. There were even little ceramic turkey salt and pepper shakers! He’d seen some weird islands traveling with his crew, but this turkey-crazy one was something else. And now this guy was telling him the decorations were for some holiday coming up? That was an awful lot of turkey love.

The islander shook his head. “No, no, the holiday isn’t about turkeys. It’s a day when people get together and celebrate and give thanks.”

Luffy couldn’t help making a face. “For turkeys?”

“No! We’re giving thanks for the bounty of the past year. It’s a tradition that goes back to when our island was first discovered!” he explained proudly.

Robin perked up from across the table at that. “Oh? Could you elaborate on this tradition?”

“Sure! So way back over a hundred years ago, a man set sail from his home island looking for a safer, quicker route to the New World, right? But his navigation was off, and he ended up here instead! He was disappointed, but he realized that this place had a ton of natural resources, so he started spreading the word that he found this great new island. Before you know it tons of people started making their way here, but many of them were coming from islands with big cities and didn’t know anything about living off the land. That’s when the natives stepped up …”

“Natives?” Robin questioned.

“Yeah, the natives. They stepped up and helped the travelers learn to live off the land. You know, hunting, fishing, growing crops, all that stuff.”

“But I thought you said the man who was looking for the New World discovered the island?”

“Yeah, he did, but I mean, the natives were there when he discovered it. It was a bloody mess for a while too, cuz they tried to fight the settlers off. But they lost, obviously. Then a native who had learned our language helped negotiate a peace treaty, and his people started helping after that.”

“I see,” Robin said with a small frown. “Sorry to interrupt. Please continue your story.”

“Right. So at the end of the settlers’ first year living on the island with the natives’ help, they threw a big feast …”

“A feast?!” Luffy, who had lost interest in the history lesson until that point, chimed in.

“Yeah! A big feast with turkey and venison and pumpkins and corn and potatoes and all kinds of good stuff! And they sat down and had this big feast to thank the natives for helping them. So now once a year on the anniversary of that, we celebrate by throwing a big feast with our friends and families and give thanks for the blessings of the previous year. We call it Settler’s Day!”

“That’s awesome! Hey, Sanji, let's have a Settler’s Day feast!” Luffy bellowed across the bar to his cook, who winced at the volume but pointedly ignored him.

“You should!” The man encouraged. “It’s great! If you head over to the inn across the street, Chester can give you all kinds of traditional recipes, and he can tell you the best places to get the food for it. Just tell him Darren sent you and he’ll fix ya right up.”

“Yahoo! I can’t wait!” Luffy ran off to pester Sanji into visiting the inn with him, seemingly unaware of Robin’s furrowed brow.

+++

“Damnit Luffy! If you want me to make you this giant feast so bad then you have to stay the hell out of my kitchen!” Sanji yelled, reinforcing his reprimand with a solid kick to the captain’s rubber behind.

Luffy bounced out of the galley and onto the deck of the Sunny with an unperturbed giggle, used to getting booted out of Sanji’s way (literally). He was too fired up about the Settler’s Day meal to be bothered by his ejection from the kitchen. In fact, pretty much everyone was getting excited about the celebration and had something they were looking forward to. Chopper was eager to try all the new types of desserts Sanji was whipping up, and Brook was inspired to compose new songs for the event. Nami was curious about some concoction the islanders had recommended called “orange jello salad,” and Franky had been promised that all the food options would go great with cola. Usopp had gone all out creating various decorations (mimicking what they’d seen on the island), and Zoro was just content with any excuse to drink an excessive amount of alcohol. The only crewmember who didn’t seem very interested in the proceedings was Robin. As her nakama bustled around getting things ready for the party, the archeologist simply watched, disapproval clear in her usually neutral expression.

“Okay, Robin,” Luffy finally said as he plopped down next to her. “You haven’t been excited about Settler’s Day at all since we decided to do it. What’s going on?”

The raven-haired intellectual studied Luffy quietly for a moment before responding. A part of her didn’t want to dampen the enthusiasm shining out of his features, but another part of her couldn’t just sit in silence while they carried on this tradition as it had been described to them.

“Captain, when you were restocking and preparing for this feast back on that island, I was doing some research.”

“Yeah?” the straw-hat wearer prompted. “And?”

“And … do you remember how that man said settling that island was a “bloody mess” for a while because the natives fought back? Well, I looked into that, and he was right. The people immigrating to the island took the land from people who had lived there for years and spread diseases that wiped them out. Not only that, but they captured healthy people and forced them to be slaves. Remember the native who helped make peace between the settlers and the tribe that shared that first feast? He was one of the last people in his tribe who was not wiped out by an epidemic brought by the settlers, and only spoke the language because he’d been abducted to be sold into slavery. Yes, there was a time of peace between the settlers and the natives, and there was a feast celebrating a successful harvest, but the real history behind this tradition is much less innocent than that man led you to believe. The descendants of the native people of that island don’t even celebrate Settler’s Day. In fact, some of them consider it a day of mourning.”

“Really?!” Luffy demanded. “That’s terrible! How can people celebrate something like that?”

“Well, some people don’t even know the true story behind it. They’ve just been taught the settlers’ version of what happened. Other people know, but figure that’s all in the past and that there’s no reason to stop the tradition now so many years later,” Robin explained solemnly.

“Man, what are we gonna do now? Everyone worked so hard for this Settler’s Day feast, and Sanji has already started making the food; he’s been cooking for hours already.” Luffy scratched his head and frowned.

The woman nodded. “I know, and … I don’t want to ruin the celebration for everyone, but … I can’t participate in something that memorializes the beginning of a terrible history of oppression.”

“Nah, me either. I just don’t want everyone to be disappointed.” The usually grinning boy’s face screwed up in concentration as he searched for a solution.

Robin hated seeing him so torn, almost as much as she hated that she was the cause of it. “Perhaps –“

“Wait! I’ve got an idea!” he interrupted, his smile back in full, brilliant force. “Forget stupid Settler’s Day! We’re gonna make our own holiday!”

“Our own holiday?” the archeologist inquired.

“Yeah! I just decided! If those bastards can make up a holiday we can too, right?”

“I suppose-“

“And anyway, we’re pirates! So even if they didn’t make one up, we still could because we do what we want. So we’re gonna still eat lots of delicious food and have cool decorations, except maybe not so many turkeys, cuz I still think that’s weird, and … and we’re still gonna be thankful for stuff! But today instead of being thankful in honor of some dumb dead guys, we’re gonna be thankful in honor of ourselves! And we can do it whenever we want! We don’t even have to just do it one time a year. We can do it today, and then do it again next week, if we want!”

A small smile crept onto Robin’s face as she listened to her impassioned friend’s idea. “I think Cook-san would have something to say about doing it again a week from now, but I do think your solution is a good one.”

“Alright! I’m gonna go tell everyone!” Luffy declared before running off, literally bouncing around the ship in his excitement to spread the word. “Usopp, stop makin’ those stupid turkeys! We’re doing something different!”

+++

Heavenly smells wafted up from the glorious spread arranged neatly on the dining hall’s giant table, and it was taking every ounce of self control Luffy possessed to stop himself from digging in right away. But before they could start into this magnificent feast, there was something he wanted to do.

“Okay, everybody, listen up! The stupid idiots back on that island used this day to celebrate their ancestors being assholes a hundred years ago. But that’s not what we’re celebrating today, cuz we’re pirates! So we’re stealing their day and making it about good stuff instead of their dumb stuff. Which means before we can eat this awesome feast, we gotta make it ours. And we’re gonna do that by all saying something we’re thankful for.”

“Anything?” Chopper asked, reluctantly dragging his gaze from the mountain of sweets toward the end of the table.

“Yup!” Luffy confirmed happily. “As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with stupid settlers.”

“Alright,” Zoro grunted after a moment of silence. “I’m thankful for booze.”

Sanji aimed a kick at the swordsman’s head, growling. “That’s bullshit, Marimo! Come up with something real or no feast for you.”

Zoro shot the cook an annoyed glare. “Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on, shit-cook,” he huffed. “I guess … aside from booze … I’m thankful for the crow’s nest, cuz I can train there and work toward my goal and still sail with all of you. Is that better, dartboard-brow?”

“Significantly,” Sanji affirmed, trying not to look impressed. He really hadn’t expected something that heartfelt from the other man. “I guess I’ll go next then. I’m thankful to travel with such gorgeous ladies as Nami-swan and Robin-chwan! And I’m glad to have found a group of people who don’t dismiss my dream of finding the All Blue.”

“I’m thankful for Robin!” Nami piped up. “For keeping me sane on this ship full of rowdy boys. And,” she added, “that we always have enough berries for what we need.”

Robin smiled gently and patted Nami’s hand. “I suppose I shall take my turn, then. I’m thankful to all of you, for saving me. And for helping me find the will to live again.”

“And I’m thankful to all of you for being my friends!” Chopper chimed.

“I’m grateful to have found a crew,” Brook announced. “It is so lovely to see friendly faces again, though, I do not have eyes. Yohoho!”

“I’m thankful for this SUPER chance to build and sail on the ship I always dreamed of!” Franky added.

“On a similar note,” Usopp stated thoughtfully, “I’d like to say I’m thankful for the Merry. She saw us through a lot, and she will never be forgotten.”

The crew nodded solemnly, all taking a moment of respect for the fallen ship. Then all eyes turned expectantly to Luffy, who stood up at the head of the table.

“I’m thankful,” he said slowly, “for you. For the things each of you brings to this crew that makes it the best crew in the entire world! I could list all the stuff you guys do and all the reasons why I’m happy to sail with you, but that would take a long time and we have delicious food to eat, so I’m just gonna say this: More than anything else, I’m thankful that you all chose to follow me, and that you’ve stayed with me. Thank you all for believing in my dream. Thank you for believing in me.”

Everyone stared for a moment, shocked at the intensity of Luffy’s gaze as he delivered his uncharacteristically serious speech, before all of them nodded in unison. Finally, Zoro broke the silence by raising his glass.

“To the captain,” he proclaimed.

“To the captain,” his crewmates replied, also raising their glasses in a toast.

“To nakama,” Luffy added.

“To nakama,” they echoed.

Looking at him in that moment, Robin was reminded once again why all of these people, all so independent and strong in their own right, chose to join this silly, impulsive boy, and she couldn’t help but smile softly as she sipped her drink. Luffy caught her eye and flashed his signature thousand-watt grin.

“Shishishi! Alright everybody, enough sappiness! Let’s eat!”