v1nsmoke

[v1nsmoke]

when someone asks me what i've been up to lately and i say "just chilling" i mean this

[v1nsmoke]

𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐈𝐃𝐎𝐋 -- 1. CLUB PENTAGON

𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐄 is adamant on paying off the debt she's left with, going as far in desperation as taking the invitation of a suited man. What she doesn't know is that she isn't the only one from Club Pentagon to play ddakji in a subway, and that the promised children's games are deadlier than they seem.

❝𝑰��� 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝑺𝒆-𝒎𝒊 𝒕𝒐 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐. 𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍.❞

【𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟐 - 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟑】

【𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐈 "𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐒" 𝐒𝐔-𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐗 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐎𝐂】

consistent updates and more chapters available on wattpad and ao3

you are reading... chapter 1 of ?

⋅─────♰ ─────⋅

Nari could best be translated to "lily" in English. Easy for the foreign customers to remember and pronounce, too. Here, she was Nari. 

// now playing... "Rock Lobster" by The B-52's //

Club Pentagon wasn't known for being the most prestigious, high-class club on the whole wide Earth, but it wasn't just a barely operating ramshack basement either. Good care has been taken of it ever since it's opening, the floors always sweeped and the lights and music always working top-notch. 

The bar was always filled with an arsenal of liquor, ready to be served to whoever may have stumbled up to the counter for a small price. The flashing of the lights never ceased during operation hours, same could go for the music and the inaudible moans locked behind the closed-off booths, just a little side gig inside the club to keep it going. 

Nari -- the assumed pseudonym of Hyun Sun-hee whenever she stepped inside the club -- has seen it all, whether it was in her will or against it, taking care of most of the duties assigned up front, at hours she wasn't even officially working, only taking on the plea of a coworker to take his shift for that night, even if he himself was present at the club too. 

This was yet again one of those situations, with Nari behind the counter instead of her coworker, who as far as she knew was likely smoking in the manager's office with the manager himself, taking an unnecessary long break from the music rupturing their eardrums, the same DJ performing the same god-awful tracks for the third week in a row now. 

Customers, mostly men in their twenties or thirties, lining up and taking their seats at the counter or grabbing a handful of drinks and clumsily sauntering over to whatever table their friends were sitting at. There have been multiple instances of Nari watching these people slip and spill everything they held. As funny as they were, she was always forced to take a trip upstairs and call for her coworker to either clean the mess up himself, or at least substitute her behind the counter to keep customers from lashing out. 

The horrible beat that Nari refused to even call music kept drumming in the background, the chatter around the counter suppressing it just a little. She had already thought about getting some earplugs, but that would also cancel out the sound of the orders she gets from customers, she wasn't too keen on losing her job or to have some guy rage on about the wrong order being prepared. 

It wasn't the dream workplace or work enviroment, but the only thing she was stuck with, her manager having enough heart to give a different job to her inside the establishment after the incident, although wasn't too sure about it, only the soft plea of a money-desperate Nari and the lack of workforce leading to his decision to put Nari behind the counter. 

She got the hang of preparing drinks really quick, and that was maybe the first and last time her and her only coworker behind the counter ever worked together at the same time. Now they only saw each other on breaks and shift changes, as much as Nari wanted a companion to talk to through the shifts that just felt like they were dragging out longer and longer. 

Even in the dim and flashing lighting, she always kept an eye on the girls at the counter. And what a good thing that she did. Nari's fingers wrap around the glass in front of a girl at the counter, placing another glass of the same drink in front of her. The girl glances up at her with a confused look, not really sure what just went down. Nari, to clear up the confusion, side-eyed the man sitting next to the girl, the situation immediately clearing up. 

"Oh," the girl utters. "Thank you," she whispers, leaning closer to Nari to avoid the attention of the man. Nari doesn't say a word in return, instead goes over to a new guest who had just leaned onto the counter, even though there were some available seats left. He's probably sitting at another table and came for drinks. 

"What can I get you?" Nari strikes the guidebook question, just like she did with the other guests. 

"That stage," the man declares, his pointer finger aiming at the small stage where the DJ stood, still immersing himself in whatever tune he was twisting. The man held the eye contact with Nari, his finger still towards the stage. 

"I'm... sorry sir, I don't think I quite understand?" She replies, a puzzled expression on her face as her eyes kept wandering between the man and the stage. 

"Look, I don't want to sound like a beggar, but if I could perform sometimes, it'd do me much good," he replies, his head slightly moving with every word, his hand now back on the shiny surface of the counter as he leaned a little more on it. "I just need a little money, that's all, no bad intentions I swear."

Nari looks back to the stage. Maybe it really was time to get rid of whoever's behind that DJ desk, this guy could easily replace him. If he's just as bad at this shit as this current guy, then no losses I suppose, although I hope he's at least a little better. 

"It's not my decision," Nari finally replies, raising her hands to her head in defense, a piece of cloth in her hand to sweep off the few drops of drink that a nearby customer left on the counter. 

"C'mon, you probably know the guy who could give this gig to me!" He whispers through his teeth, getting more desperate with the minute. Unbeknownst to her, this was the third establishment he tried his luck with in the past weeks, getting kicked out of all the previous ones. This stranger deemed this place wild enough for him to be accepted, even if it takes a little convincing. 

Nari glanced around, no new customers on the horizon right now, the others she had laready served seemingly calm and having a good time. They can wait a minute. 

"I'll see what I can do," she sighs as she places the cloth down, heading to the small swingdoor at the side of the counter to make her way to the upper floor where the manager's office was. "But don't have high hopes," she shouted back to the stranger as she exited the counter area, making her way to the first floor of the establishment. 

Speedwalking through the club area, she arrives at a white door, the big letters "Employees Only" decorating it in red. Nari pushes the door open, and just as she steps through it and closes it behind herself, the music suppresses, still audible but at least a lot more quiet, the flashing and blue-purple lights of the club area now replaced with that white industrial light. 

The door of the manager's office bursts open, Nari stepping through it immediately. No knock, no wait, no request to come in. 

"Drop the smoke and handle the bar," she orders, her thumb motioning towards the door. 

"I thought you said you'd take my shift today!" Her coworker, who had a cigarette in between his fingers just as she expected whined, dropping his arms to his sides. He sat on a cheap chair in almost the middle of the room, the manager sitting at his desk, a smoke in his hand too. 

"I wanna talk with the boss, so here you go," she says as she crumples the black apron they had to wear, throwing it right at her coworker's chest with enough force and speed to make the man shut his eyes let out a quiet "ouch". 

"Still, can't it wait?" He continues, uncrumpling the apron. 

"Nam-gyu, do as she said," the manager cuts in calmly, almost like he's about to sigh, his eyes fixed on the analytics on his computer's white glowing screen. Nam-gyu grunts, pushing himself up from the chair, putting the apron over his head as he leaves the room with a sigh, flicking his burnt-out cigarette into the trash can on the way out. He shuts the door behind himself, leaving Nari and the manager alone. 

"What is it?" The manager asks, tearing himself away from the computer, turning in his swivel chair to face Nari. 

"There's somebody who would like to work here. Would that be possible?" She asks quietly, pulling Nam-gyu's chair under herself. 

"If they want to tend the bar, I guess it's fine, there's only you and Nam-gyu doing that anyway. Pay will be a little tricky though," the manager sighs, his hand making smaller gestures along the way. 

"Um, no, he wants the DJ's spot," Nari meekly corrects him.

"You want me to fire Seungri just so this random guy could take his place?"

"He said he'd be glad if he could perform sometimes, so... you would probably have to just give him some days off, not fire him entirely..."

"That would cut his paycheck. You know that I can barely finance my employees, as much as I would like to raise your pays, I can't. I have to keep the club going too somehow."

"But the club looks fine. It's clean and operating well."

"Exactly, that's what I have to keep up," he said in a calm tone. He wasn't the screaming type of manager or the anger issues kind. He was chill, but stressed a lot. "If I don't keep the club in this shape, customers drop, and if customers drop then my income does too, meaning that with even less money I couldn't finance the club nor my employees. I think you see where I'm going with this one."

The door yet again bursts open, a panting Nam-gyu standing in the doorway. 

"Boss, there's a guy down there and wants to take the DJ's spot," he states swiftly, evident that he ran the whole way up here. 

"That's... literally what we've been discussing," you comment. 

"How was I supposed to know? You threw me out before telling me why you came here," he shrugs as he leans against the doorframe. "So? Will he get the gig?"

"Likely not," the manager sighed. "I just said it to Nari, but that would mean adding another paycheck. I'm paying you guys the bare minimum, if somebody else joins too it'll just go down."

"But if he takes the current DJ's place won't it stay the same? You just give the money to a different guy," Nam-gyu comments. 

"But he wants the current DJ to stay," Nari tells him, a little disappointed in the manager's choice. It's obvious he isn't the one down there having to listen to the shit that guy cooks up. You watch as Nam-gyu presses his eyes shut, taking a deep breath in, him too having enough of the awful music down there, now stuck with the tought of this guy staying for who knows how long. 

"Who even is this guy?" The manager asks, noticing the sour expression on both of your faces at the mention of the current DJ staying. 

"Said he's some rapper, but something came up and he needs a place to perform to get some money," Nam-gyu replies, the stranger seemingly sharing more information with him than he did with Nari. 

"We don't need some fallen-down rapper or wannabe idol around," the manager argues back, his tone still calm, but obvious that he doesn't approve of the idea. 

"I think we would want him around. I mean, depending on who he is," Nari cuts in, getting the attention of both men. "If he's some unfortunate but talented and loved rapper, he could do the club some good. We advertise that he's performing here, his fans will come and be customers too. More customers, more money, isn't that what you want?"

Nari could see the gears turning in her manager's head, her idea making enough sense for him to think it through. 

"And if he needs the money because he lost it for a good reason?"

"Yo imagine some rapper getting scammed by the same guy that scammed me," Nam-gyu comments with a grin on his face, a little amused by the idea of seeing somebody on the same fate as him. 

"So, what will it be?" Nari cuts back to the manager, almost completely ignoring her coworker's little comment. She could see the mix of annoyance and defeat on the man's face, the scene similar to a stressed father as his kids try to convince him about something. And just like a stressed father with a kind heart, the manager sighs in defeat too. 

"Let it be. I'll try to talk with Seungri, if things go well, this... rapper starts his shift next week Monday."

Nari and Nam-gyu share a look, grinning at each other, the taste of victory sweet. Good thing they had a sweet tooth. Only then does realization hit Nari. 

"Is there anybody tending the bar?" She asks, her enthusiasm and happiness disappearing from her tone. Nam-gyu's face goes sour, his lips pursed into a thin line as he too realizes that he might have stayed here for a little longer without having assigned anybody behind the counter. 

The two race out of the office room, already afraid of the situation down there. Drunk, angry customers ready to cut their throats, drinks already spilled everywhere, a possible fight...

// now playing... "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand //

Nari bursts through the white door leading to the club area first, Nam-gyu a step behind her, the scenery changing from bright white lighting and muffled music to flashing lights in a dark, purple-lit room, the awful music now ready to rupture their eardrums. From here, the bar area wan't visible, the storage room blocking their view of it. The two speedwalk over to the swingdoor of the counter, Nari picking up originally Nam-gyu's black apron from the hanger on the outside of the storage room's wall, placing it over her head.

An unexpected sight greeted them. Instead of raging customers, the men around the counter seemed to be amused. The two of them stood right at the swingdoor leading inside, trying to understand the situation. Behind the counter was a man, mixing drinks by doing tricks with the cocktail shaker before pouring a drink to one of the men. 

"Is that..." 

"It's the fucking rapper!" Nam-gyu replies to Nari's unfinished question, his hands now at the back of his head and a smile on his face.

"Get him out of there. Pleeease?" Nari whines. Although the little show this rapper put on had amused her too just like the rest of the people gathered around, he still had no business being behind the counter. 

"Wha-- Why me?" Nam-gyu questions, almost sounding offended at her request. 

"You're the man, Nam-gyu! You're not going to beat the femboy allegations this way!"

"Could you stop with the femboy thing?!"

"Your fault you act like one! Go!" Nari ends the bickering with pushing Nam-gyu through the swingdoor, walking behind him towards the intruder. At least he covered for us. 

By the time the two get to where the rapper stood, he just served another drink. It was as if Nam-gyu was waiting for him to finish the show he put on, careful not to interrupt him. 

"Yo, you were cool man," he quietly states to the rapper with a small smile, drawing his attention immediately. Seeing that Nam-gyu was too enchanted by this new stranger, Nari stepped beside him, cramped in the small space. 

"This is restricted area. Empolyees on... ly," she asserts, her words faltering near the end, the realization that he was now an employee too settling in her mind. Guessing from the smirk that crept its way onto the man's face, it was clear that he had realized the same thing. 

"I got the gig or nah?" He asks smugly, already knowing the answer by the way Nari gave it away. 

"If things go well," Nari begins, emphasizing the if, "you'll have to show up next week Monday."

"Thanks," he bluntly replies. Nari couldn't pinpoint his feelings or expression, the smile on his face showcasing a little joy, while his tone was almost as if he didn't care at all. Telling which one was his real feeling was an impossible task at hand. "So like... see y'all next Monday?" 

"Leaving so soon?" Nari asks, pouring a drink for herself since the customers have already been taken care of. 

"Just wanted to get the gig, thanks for the concern," he replies. With a smooth move, he turns to the empty spot at the counter, jumping and sliding over it with seemingly ease, landing on his feet at the other side. What the fuck... 

"I've got some good stuff," Nam-gyu calls out to him, leaning forward on the counter. Somehow this immediately grabs the attention of the purple-haired rapper, his mind immediately trailing to substances as he slowly looks back, the look on his face a clear giveaway that he was in. 

"Go, I'll cover. But you have five minutes, my shift's already over. I don't want to stay overtime," Nari sighs, leaning on the counter next to Nam-gyu. 

"Alright, alright," Nam-gyu mutters cynically as he begins to walk away, heading to wherever he stored the accumulated prizes. Now with Nam-gyu gone, the rapper leans forward onto the counter where her coworker was a few moments ago, although he was on the opposite side of the counter. 

"You really got that guy fired for me?" He asks with a low chuckle, finger yet again pointing at the DJ over his shoulder. 

"They would've cut my pay otherwise, so yes. And his music's terrible, so you better do better than him," Nari replies, taking a sip of her drink. She wasn't supposed to drink on duty, but it was now Nam-gyu's shift, so was she really on duty now?

"Oh, you need the money I see. What for? Alcohol? Drugs? Kids?" He chuckles as he tries to guess.

"I don't talk much about myself to strangers," she states sternly. He was right about her needing the money though, she needed it badly. This job was covering nothing, no matter how generous the manager was, that was something she had to admit even if it hurt a little. Coming just in clutch, Nam-gyu returned, his hands in his pockets. If somebody didn't have knowledge about what exactly he held there, it wouldn't look suspicous, just a guy with his hand in his baggy jean's pockets, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up a little. 

"Ohhh, yes," the rapper exclaims quietly, almost whisper-like as he sees Nam-gyu pull something out of his pocket discreetly, sliding it over to him. "What do I owe you?"

"You're with Club Pentagon now, so nothing. Consider it a welcome gift," Nam-gyu mutters, placing his elbows on a cupboard behind himself, leaning back a little. Nari breathes out as she pushes herself away from the counter, lifting the black apron over her head. 

"Where're you going?" Nam-gyu asks, looking after her as she's about to leave the counter-area, the apron hanging on her lower arm. 

"I told you that I'll leave when you get back, didn't I? My shift's been over for the past hour now, your turn," she replies as she stops, turning back to look at the two men still positioned at the counter. 

"I thought you'd change your mind or something while I'm gone," Nam-gyu sighs. "Your loss I guess," he shrugs, his eyes now focused on his shoes. "Goodnight," he adds. 

"Yeah, 'night," Nari reciprocates the gesture with a faint smile, walking through the swingdoor, placing the apron on the hanger on the wall of the storage room. 

─────────── ♱ ───────────

The rapper watched as she took her jacket off the hanger, placing the apron in its place. 

"Man, is she always like this?" He asked Nam-gyu, an almost exaggerated confused look on his face. 

"As far as I know. Not that I know anything about her."

"I thought you did. What's she working for?"

"For Club Pentagon?" Nam-gyu replies as if it was a self-explanatory question. 

"No, like... what does she need this money for? 'Cause she wasn't telling me anything."

"Bills, food, stuff like that I suppose," Nam-gyu replies nonchalantly again, walking over to prepare a drink for a new customer in the meantime. 

"Whatever," the rapper sighs, realizing that he won't get any answers from this guy, only drugs. She was holding something back, that was for sure. Did she use to be a junkie? Is that why she left when he brought out the drugs? Not sure, but there was some goal she was working for, he was sure of that. 

─────────── ♱ ───────────

// now playing... "window" by sundots //

Silence. This greeted Sun-hee every time the door to the flat where she lived creaked open. It was not the club, it was nothing like it. No loud noises, no flashing lights, almost no color at all. Even her name changed here, reverting back to the one her mother gave to her. At least she gave that, and not the immense debt their father did. 

She pulls the single floorboard up, the one only she knew can be moved, revealing a smaller stash of money. She reached into her jean's pockets, rummaging for a few moments before pulling out some change, tips that customers left her, one of them being from the girl whose drink she swapped that same night. Her way of thanking Sun-hee for saving her from whatever that man had planned out. 

Sun-hee let out an audible sigh, first looking at the small stash, then at the calendar. A month remains until Ha-joon's surgery. I need to find some way to get the money. If that rapper can garner a little more customers, our pay would increase this month... Can't believe I'm putting all my faith in this guy. 

─────────── ♱ ───────────

[v1nsmoke]

guys .... we're getting it.... they did the scene...

one piece fans arent waiting for opla season 2 to see the story and action unfold in live action, they only want to watch taz skylar doing the mr prince scenes

[v1nsmoke]

my patreon is up!!

[v1nsmoke]

guys artfight profle is ready and set, already uploaded some of my OCs, i'll make sure to do more dw🤞🤞

follow me and ill follow u back im lowk just interested in other peoples stuff😛

also first time in artfight so yeah

[v1nsmoke]

you, who bleeds to protect humankind

who will save you now?

[v1nsmoke]

How long is the queue for requests?

There isn't a queue right now!

[v1nsmoke]

repost from my tiktok! v1nsmokez

[v1nsmoke]

TAZ SKYLAR as BLACKLEG SANJI in ONE PIECE LIVE ACTION (promotional footahe for Netflix's TUDUM event), 2025

[v1nsmoke]

Just a quick question before I sent a request..do you write for Dandadan? Just wanted to check before I send anything..because yeah..

Hey there!! I'd be glad to write a dandadan relate something! Although ive only watched the anime version so far, so i'll only be able to use that as my reference and source material!

[v1nsmoke]

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍!

Have an idea for a short story that you'd like to see? Fond of my writing style? Then this is your chance!

Okay, that sounded really commercial and all, but it sums up what I have to say: requests are open!

With this post, I'm accepting writing requests!

HOW TO REQUEST?

1. Either click on my profile to find my ask box, or comment under this post

2. Specify the fandom and character you want it to be about, and if you have a specific idea or anything for me to go off of, don't be afraid to write it down!!

3. I'll read the request, and if I have questions I'll ask. If I don't, I'll probably just say how long it'll take!! :)

4. Please be patient, I'm only able to write in my free time so requests might not be ready in an instant!

WHAT I'M WILLING / NOT WILLING TO WRITE:

WILL DO: Basically any little scenario is accepted and okay!! Fluff, smut, angst, I'll do it! I might be a little hesitant with oc x character but i'll do it too lol

WON'T DO: What I WON'T do, are: incestous content, minor x adult, whatever the incorrect use of eye socket thing belongs to

WHAT FANDOM CAN YOU REQUEST?

Feel free to request any character from the following media: jujutsu kaisen, one piece, red dead redemption 1/2, attack on titan, naruto, the last of us, far cry 5, resident evil, the boys, marvel, stranger things, fnaf

I'd be really happy to do any request, so feel free to ask!!

[v1nsmoke]

[v1nsmoke]

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍!

Have an idea for a short story that you'd like to see? Fond of my writing style? Then this is your chance!

Okay, that sounded really commercial and all, but it sums up what I have to say: requests are open!

With this post, I'm accepting writing requests!

HOW TO REQUEST?

1. Either click on my profile to find my ask box, or comment under this post

2. Specify the fandom and character you want it to be about, and if you have a specific idea or anything for me to go off of, don't be afraid to write it down!!

3. I'll read the request, and if I have questions I'll ask. If I don't, I'll probably just say how long it'll take!! :)

4. Please be patient, I'm only able to write in my free time so requests might not be ready in an instant!

WHAT I'M WILLING / NOT WILLING TO WRITE:

WILL DO: Basically any little scenario is accepted and okay!! Fluff, smut, angst, I'll do it! I might be a little hesitant with oc x character but i'll do it too lol

WON'T DO: What I WON'T do, are: incestous content, minor x adult, whatever the incorrect use of eye socket thing belongs to

WHAT FANDOM CAN YOU REQUEST?

Feel free to request any character from the following media: jujutsu kaisen, one piece, red dead redemption 1/2, attack on titan, naruto, the last of us, far cry 5, resident evil, the boys, marvel, stranger things, fnaf

I'd be really happy to do any request, so feel free to ask!!

[v1nsmoke]

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑹 // 𝑺𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑹!𝒁𝑶𝑹𝑶 𝑿 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 3

Attending a house party won't be a bad choice, at least that's what you think until something changes the course of the night, and everything turns into chaos.

Not to mention the after effects...

this is a multi-chapter work, with consistent updates on wattpad and ao3. i'd recommend checking those out since i tend to neglect tumblr lmao, or visit the masterlist to find all already published chapters here on tumblr.

tw: mentions of ptsd

pairing: roronoa zoro x reader

genre: horror, thriller, drama

wc: 2.3k

a/n: whooo first chapter that doesn't cover the already-creates oneshot!!

PLAYLIST (click on this, it'll lead you to spotify!!)

Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed. A year, even.

It was precisely the one year anniversary of the Halloween Incident, as the whole town dubbed it. Despite it happening such a long time ago, nobody in the town has ever managed to fully heal from the tragedy of that night.

It was October 31st, Halloween yet again, though only morning. And even today, you still had school.

So, your usual morning routine began. You woke up, disturbed by the screeching of your alarm, your hair unkempt, the smell of coffee oozing through the house, its origin point in the kitchen.

You sat still on your bed, letting your alarm to screech and scream as much as it wanted, since you were too drowsy to even shut it off. You didn’t move an inch, eyes mindlessly fixed on your blanket still draped over you.

“God, this is deafening,” the red-haired man enters your room, one of his palms rubbing his eye as he walked over to the nightstand next to your bed, lazily slapping the alarm clock on it. No need to say that it immediately went quiet, and you weren’t sure that it would ever work again.

“I would’ve shut it off,” you quietly reply, eyes still lazily scanning your blanket.

“I know, but my ears would’ve been ruptured by then,” he replied, taking a stance next to your bed, his arms crossed against his chest.

It was evident that he woke up recently, his hair messy, his outfit consisting of a large, plain black shirt and long, cream-colored breathy pants, the stains still etched into it, since not even the washing machine could save it. Alas, he was still in pijamas instead of his work clothes.

You didn’t reply anything to his statement, only a faint, still tired smile making its way to your face at his comment.

He clears his throat as he slowly sat down on the side of your bed, right next to you.

“You should visit me at the station after you’re done at school,” he starts. “There’s talk of letting your friend out soon.”

Just as you were about to ask who he was talking about, realization strikes you like lightning. All your movements come to a halt, your body sitting there stiff.

It might have been a year, but the incident never left you, nor anybody else involved for that matter. Zoro’s name hasn’t come up in a while now. For about two months, there was an insane overturn and chaos in the town’s life, everybody throwing threats and accusations at each other.

You could precisely recall those hectic weeks, all of it engraved in your mind. At first, you thought life would go on smooth for you, if you ignore the gnawing guilt eating you alive, but that dream was shattered the moment the details were brought to the public.

Enraged and grieving parents, afraid schoolmates, panicking and cursing residents, all centered around one thing: Nami’s Halloween Party.

It was Shanks’s idea to let you live with him, especially with what was going on in the town at that point. He knew that if you stayed home alone, like you always did before, you wouldn’t have a single peaceful moment.

And he was right. About two days after the incident, the two of you decided to go to your house to pack some of your belongings, whether that be your whole bed and wardrobe, or something more of a sentimental value.

Needless to say, once you arrived, you were greeted with an unpleasant sight.

The exterior of the house has already suffered at the hands of some amgered teenagers, graffiti, eggshells and even toilet paper decorsting the once spotless walls. They didn’t hold back, outward leaving slurs and accusations on the wall for the whole town to see.

“BURN THIS ONE DOWN TOO!” “PARTNERS IN CRIME!” “KILLER!”

Not to mention the “slut for killers” graffiti in big, bold red letters, with an arrow pointing towards your once-bedroom’s window.

It broke your heart that you let this happen to the house your parents entrusted to you before they passed, their memory tarnished with the walls.

Shanks was quick to deal with matters, sending almost all the culprits behind it behind bars in almost an instant. There were a few guys that managed to hide in plain sight, but that didn’t last a week before Shanks got them too.

This only led to things escalating, now even more enraged and worried parents. Matters got so out of hand that they had to get the town council together to discuss their situation.

They had two problems: one being the obvious tragedy that was the Halloween Eve Massacare, and the other being the uprising residents, whom weren’t afraid to voice their concerns.

They swarmed the police station almost every day for a week, demanding answers from Shanks or anybody else. They were worried about the fact that so many teens were locked up during such a short time. The answer Shanks gave was not enough for them, refusing to accept that the people sitting in the cells were there for a reason. What they believed was that the police simply had enough of teens and that they took them in for any minor inconvenience.

“What now, are they gonna take my son behind them bars for breathing now?!” You remembered as one raging dad shouted before he lunged at Shanks, resulting in a smaller fight between the residents and the cops. Needless to say, this led to even more problems.

Now not only the teenagers, but also their parents were sitting in the police station’s limited number of jail cells.

“I don’t recall us ever having this many people in at the same time,” Benn commented once, looking at the cells, with little to no free one left. There was truth in what he was saying, because every time you went to the station before the incident, the most people you saw there was three, and they didn’t even stay a day there, only locked up because they were too drunk to cause any more mayhem on the streets.

And people started coming after you. Because you, somehow, always seemed to be involved with everything. Nami’s party? You were the killer’s best friend. The house graffiti thing? It was your house. The residents against cops fistfight? You were in the station at that time.

It was as if all the bad happenings in the town revolved around you.

This obviously led to the more spiritual and imaginative ones to believe that you were carrying some curse and released it on the town, or simply that you were a witch.

You understood their worries, trying to come up with a solution that could benefit everyone, even though you were having enough with the blind accusations and hate towards you.

Shanks never brought it up, but one night, about a month after the incident, he went up to your room to see if you were still awake, hearing that your music was playing despite his clock saying it was 2 AM.

When he opened the door, he noticed your figure laying on the bed, asleep, face buried into a bunch of notebooks with crazy arrows and all draw into it. He doubted thst these would be school related, and was beggining to grow worried that you were going insane. So, he sofltg plopped down next to you, careful not to wake you.

He glanced over to your notes. For him, it was like looking at a crime analyzation, but upon reading what you wrote and following the arrows you scribbled between each sentence, he managed to connect the dots.

A gentle smile crept onto his face, a hint of admiration gleaming in his eyes in the soft, orangeish light you left on.

He softly patted your back before pushing himself up from the bed, heading to your door. He stops in the doorway, looking back at you with a smile before he shuts the lights off and closes your door.

He made sure to keep your ideas about solving the town’s conflict in mind for the next council sitting.

And keep in mind he did. Three days later he brought up your notes, even crediting you for them, and to his surprise, him representing the police, the residents, and the jury came to a compromise.

The people who have committed pettyer crimes were let go with a fine - this included the boys who vandalized your house -, while some others - like the adults who got into a fight with the cops - had to stay for a while longer.

You helped Shanks sort through the people that were locked up, taking a few minutes for each to decide and get their right punishment. Each took you about three or four minutes.

Except one.

There was one case where no words were uttered, you and Shanks sharing a silent agreement. It was regarding Zoro.

There was no debate about him. Silence. Silence, because both of you knew that what he did was unforgivable, at least not this quickly.

He was a murderer. A true killer.

It took about a week to figure out that he was most definitely behind Kaku’s death too.

At first, they only arrested hik for the murder of Usopp, only blaming Kaku’s death on himself and the alcohol.

It was only after they examined the scene that they began to suspect that something was off with his death too.

Benn took a look around, a real long and meticulous look around, and noticed the bloodstains on the wall. If Kaku got into the car and drove into that shelf and wall like they first thought, those stains wouldn’t be on the wall, it would’ve been impossible to get that there. They ruled out that it was Usopp’s blood, given that he was bleeding out right in the few steps leading to the doorway connecting the garage and hallway.

So, Benn had to think for a minute. What if it was Kaku’s blood, and somebody put him, or at least his body in the car only later on?

The small sample was sent off to a lab, and the results showed just as Benn thought. It was in fact Kaku’s blood on the wall.

When he revealed his investigation’s conclusion to the other officers, the meeting ended with the horrifying end, all of them agreeing that Zoro was not only behind one, but two murders.

Now his charges were murder, murder again, arson, and definitely something else you can’t even remember, but likely just a subgenre of manslaughter or arson.

Now, Shanks still sat on your bed, trying to figure out the whirlwind of emotions inside you. Were you shocked by this? Were you angered by this? He couldn’t really tell from your emotionless gaze, but what he did notice was that you were deep in thought, your mind likely spinning around what he just said about Zoro being free soon.

It wasn’t confirmed though, it was still up for discussion.

“Why?”

That was all you could say at that moment. Shanks stayed quiet for a few seconds before speaking.

“He might’ve killed at least one man, but he’s still young, and the psychologist said that he might be troubled too. They might let him go on account of that.”

“Just because he’s troubled doesn’t mean that he can just kill my friend. And Kaku, too,” you replied quietly, anger rising in you at Shank’s words. You weren’t angry at him specifically, you were angry at Zoro. “He should stay where he is or go to Impel Down, even. I don’t care that he’s got problems, that doesn’t justify what he did.”

“Funnily enough I said the same thing to the higher-ups. Like I said, it’s still just an idea, but I decided that it’s better if you knew about it, considering you were there and also his friend.”

You hum in response. It was a simple hum, not much emotion squeezed into it.

“You should drop by and have a talk with him before anything happens,” he sighs.

You took a few seconds to contemplate. One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds, five seconds…

“I’ll see,” you squeeze out. It sounded like you were indecisive, but in reality, you just didn’t want anything to do with Zoro, you told yourself.

“Bring some donuts from Baratie if you drop by,” Shanks adds, his palm gently pulling your head closer to him, planting a short kiss on the top of your head. He stands back up, ruffling your hair before he raises both his arms to stretch.

At this point, he treated you like his own daughter. He often tried to deny it when you brought it up, but despite his best efforts, Benn leaked some conversations between him and Shanks.

“Y/N’s grown on me, really. Oftentimes I forget that she’s not biologically related to me.”

Or…

“Benn, be honest, if you didn’t know me or Y/N, like, if you were a total stranger, would you be able to tell that Y/N’s not my biological daughter?”

It was impossible to believe his claims after this. And besides, his actions spoke more than his words.

If you were to ask him if he thinks as your daughter now, he’d just playfully say “nooo…”

“I’ve got breakfast ready, come downstairs and eat something,” he yawns before exiting, leaving your door open behind himself.

You could hear his distant steps as he walked down the stairs. Even from his walk, you could tell he hasn’t truly woken up yet.

Afraid that he might tumble down the stairs in his half-asleep state, you leave your bed, heading after him in a similar, sleepy manner.

[v1nsmoke]

MASTERLIST FOR....

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑹 // 𝑺𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑹!𝒁𝑶𝑹𝑶 𝑿 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹

Attending a house party won't be a bad choice, at least that's what you think until something changes the course of the night, and everything turns into chaos.

Not to mention the after effects...

》mature content ahead, reader discretion advised.

》warnings for murder; gore; blood; alcohol; graphic violence; bullying; ptsd; vomit; harassment; attempted drugging; cursing

CHAPTERS (tumblr)

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

WATTPAD

AO3

》A/N: english is not my main language, so there will likely be mistakes and the obvious typos!!

[v1nsmoke]

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑹 // 𝑺𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑹!𝒁𝑶𝑹𝑶 𝑿 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 2

Attending a house party won't be a bad choice, at least that's what you think until something changes the course of the night, and everything turns into chaos.

Not to mention the after effects...

this is a multi-chapter work, with consistent updates on wattpad and ao3. i'd recommend checking those out since i tend to neglect tumblr lmao, or visit the masterlist to find all already published chapters here on tumblr.

tw: blood, fire, car crash, description of wounds/injuries, murder, graphic violence, alcohol

pairing: roronoa zoro x reader

genre: horror, thriller, drama

chapter: 2/? (visit the masterlist for other chapters!)

word count: 4.5k

a/n: okayy, so here's a longer chapter, i usually don't make these lol but i wish i had the patience for it... first appearance of cop shanks (i already have a oneshot for it, which i might continue after finishing party killer) and also of firefighter ace who has my heart ♡

PLAYLIST (click on this, it'll lead you to spotify!!)

The loud music with the same, repetitive beat keeps playing from the speakers installed by Usopp earlier today, maybe an hour ago. You didn't expect everybody from the cafeteria to actually pull up, but it seems like you weren't the only one who thought it would be nice to attend a party just this one time. Everybody was there, even those smart students whose daily routine was entirely made up of studying and the quiet kids nobody knew anything about, and they all seemed to have fun. Except you.

You stood alone in the corner of the living room, awkwardly holding the red plastic cup filled with alcohol that you won't drink anyway. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all.

"Uh, hey,” You hear voice behind you, though it was faint since the music was being blasted in the background. You turn around to see the guy from your fencing classes, the same guy that you invited here because Zoro wouldn't do it.

"Hi," You say, your fingers fiddling with the cup as you force a smile onto your face.

"I see you're alone. Zoro didn't come with you? I was sure he would," he starts.

"Uhhh I haven't seen him yet, but the party only started not so long ago, he said some days ago that he'll show up. He's bad with directions and navigation, maybe he just got lost," You explain.

"Oh, alright, if you say so. My name's Kaku. Nice to meet you, I've been watching you during fencing classes."

-○-

Zoro's face expressed disgust. Was it worth coming here? He stands still near the doorway of the living room, silently observing the scene currently unfolding on the other side of the room. When he entered, you were the first thing he saw amidst the crowd, but his happiness quickly dissapeared after a guy approaches you. Zoro could recognise him as Kaku from fencing classes, the guy who would always be paired with Zoro (and inevitably lose to him).

He couldn't hear what your conversation was about, the other guests and the music overpowering his hearing. Oh how he hated Kaku. He annoyed Zoro so much, his voice, gestures, everything. And now this man he hated was talking to you. It was supposed to be him. Maybe if he didn't take twenty-two wrong turns, get stuck in a traffic jam AND park his car in front of the wrong house, it could be him. But that wasn't the case right now, because instead of enjoying your company, he stood still on the other side of the room.

It bothered him how you had to force a smile, he could see it across the crowded room, but Kaku standing next to you couldn't. He just kept talking and talking, not noticing the way you were looking in all directions but at Kaku, who didn't seem to care.

"Heyyy, you wanna join me on the dance floor?" An unknown girl comes up to Zoro, pointing at the middle of the living room.

"No,” He coldly turned her down, not even bothering to look at this girl. He couldn't take his eyes off you and Kaku, and knew that if the guy tries to do anything, whether it be a romantic or hurtful action towards you, he's going to be there between the two of you in the blink of an eye.

Just then, he notices as Kaku takes your hand into his, the movement making you seemingly uncomfortable. Seeing this, Zoro takes rapid steps trough the living room, squishing himself trough the crowd, his katanas colliding into each other. As he gets closer, he starts to hear you voice.

"No, uh, thanks, I-" you stutter, politely turning him down, trying to pull yourself back to the corner you were standing in.

"Come on, you're supposed to have fun, right? Zoro's not coming anyway, that asshole doesn't care," Kaku chuckles. Zoro deeply inhales. It took his all not to launch at the guy and gut him right then and there.

"No, sorry. I'm not going anywhere with you," You insist, pulling back your hand in hopes of freeing it from his grasp. Your heart was beating faster, and it was definitely not because Kaku's charms. You've already considered all possible outcomes of this. You called it “ready-for anything mindset,” although others called it simply overthinking. Lucky for you there was a small cupboard with a vase on it next to you just in case of an emergency.

"No way, I'm a nice guy, you know me! I-"

"She said no."

"Zoro!" You smile upon hearing your friend's deep voice, one that you could recognise anywhere. Kaku seems to lose some of his self confidence after Zoro's voice hits his ears, but he still didn't let go of your hand.

"Hey, buddy!" He gives the green haired man a fake smile. This was off to a bad start. Zoro could swear that if this guy called him 'buddy' again, he'll lose it.

"Let her go," he snaps back, not even greeting Kaku. Instead, he stared into his soul, and if looks could kill, Kaku would be gone by now.

"Alright, fine!" Kaku gets defensive, letting go of you and raising both his hands up like he was being arrested. It looked like he was waiting for a 'thank you', but you sure weren't going to thank him for the bare minimum. Feeling the tension, the guy tries to lighten the mood before Zoro accidentally stares too strongly at him.

"Zoro, buddy, can I invite you for a drink?" He asks.

Zoro nods, knowing that Kaku had no idea of what he just got himself into.

"I'll be back soon," Zoro faintly smiles your way, which is not a rare phenomenon with you, then leaves wirh Kaku following closely behind him, leaving you alone yet again.

~○~

Zoro pours another drink into the cup, Kaku letting out a sigh of satisfaction as he downs it again. Both of them sat at the kitchen counter, drinking up everything they could find. They both consumed the same amount of alcohol, but one of them was definitely drunker than the other. Zoro was an expert at alcohol drinks, and could still stay sober even after an insane amount of drinks. Unlike Kaku. He was deeply drunk by now, just as Zoro expected it.

"Zoro, hi! You're actually here, cool! Though I would be happier if you left your katanas at home," Nami appears, greeting her friend.

"I always take them with me everywhere."

"Yeah, that's exactly why you are banned from so many places."

"Zoro, pour me and yourself another!" Kaku chuckles, his shaky hands holding the cup towards the green haired. Zoro agrees, but when he tries to grab another drink, he notices that it's all gone.

"Strange. I thought you were prepared, Nami," he says.

"I WAS! But you two idiots drank it all!" She shouts at the two, mad that they didn't leave any for the rest of the guests.

"So no more drinks?" Zoro looks over to Nami, earning a sigh from her.

"There is. Go to the garage, I have a few crates of it stored there. Bring those up, but leave some for the others."

"Why do I have to get them? You're the host, do it yourself," Kaku whines, clearly drunk.

"MAYBE BECAUSE I WASN'T THE ONE WHO DRANK IT ALL. NOW GO," she pushes Kaku out of the room, Zoro walking behind them.

He would be lying if he said this wasn't what he was planning all along. The crates in the garage? He knew about it. And he also knew that nobody will be there, all the guests in the living room or one of the guest rooms. He felt a bit bad for leaving you alone, but there were things that had to be done. And it was for your own good.

"Man, I'm telling ya, I would be long gone with that girl if you didn't interfere. Damn bro, I even had some aphrodisiac with me, I-"

Zoro didn't need to hear the rest. His steps slowed down, mind going in multiple directions. Did he just mean you when saying 'that girl'? Did he really want to give you that shit? Kaku may be drunk, but drunk words are sober thoughts, and Zoro knew that. He hated Kaku, but now he snapped. This guy was going too far, and Zoro didn't like the way this crazy dude talked and thought about you.

He opens the garage's door, holding it open for Kaku to enter, and he does so, skipping his way down the few stairs. Unbeknownst to him, he just walked into a trap, one that Zoro has been planning ever since Kaku started making flirty comments towards you during fencing classes, not noticing how you were internally cringing and creeped out by him, but neither of you ever said a word about this. And tonight really did it for Zoro. He didn't invite Kaku for a drink because he wanted to get closer to him. He did it to get him into this drunken state, and made him drink up every drink until there was none left. He didn't need Nami to ask them to get more, he would've done it anyways.

Kaku looks trough the shelves, searching for even more drinks.

"Zoro, you helping me or nah?" He inquires, still looking at the metal shelf.

"Sure. I think I already found one of the crates," he says, carrying a crate filled with whiskey over to Kaku. He tries to hand it to him, but drops it in the process. The glasses break, the alcohol spilling on the floor and Kaku, who is now soaked from head to toe, given that he was crouching when this happened.

"Sorry." There was no remorse in Zoro's tone, but the guy believed him anyways, the drinks doing their thing.

"It's okay buddy, mistakes happen," he smiles, going back to searching the shelf again in case he missed something.

He doesn't notice as Zoro quietly locks the garage's door, trapping the two alone together. He starts searching in his pocket, until he finally gets his hands on the keys to Nami's car, the keys that he stole from the hanger in the hallway. Zoro opens the car's door, sitting down on the leather seat of it, then inserts the key and the engine comes to life with a buzzing sound.

"Ey man, be careful or you'll hit me!" Kaku shouts, still crouching just a few meters away from the car.

"Don't worry. Stay there, and you'll be safe. I just want to test something," he lies, and steps on the gas pedal. The tires of the car squealed on the concrete floor of the garage, which had just enough space for the green haired to roll the car back a bit.

"Buddy, Zoro, no, no, let me just go back, you can try the car when I'm not here," Kaku stands up, ready to leave in this instant.

"Stay put. I'm here to crush your skull, not the car."

And with that, Zoro pushes the car's gear, feet forcefully pressing the gas pedal.

A loud thud echoes in the garage as Zoro crashes into the wall, the breaking of bones and coughs ringing with it. Kaku tries to take deep breaths, but now that he was squished between the wall and the car, it seemed impossible. His head was spinning, eyesight hazy, the only thing he tried to focus his eyes on was the man in the driver's seat, staring at him with an emotionless gaze.

Zoro backs up a bit with the car, Kaku falling to the floor with broken ribs. He coughs, clawing at the floor in hopes of being able to crawl away. Zoro opens the car's door, slowly stepping out. Kaku was almost at the few steps leading to the door, when he looks back over his shoulders at the sound of footsteps, the green haired man approaching him.

"No, please, I-" he crawls a bit faster, but Zoro grabs him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him back with force, then dragging him along the cold concrete floor, back towards the car.

Zoro lifts him up, then places him in the drivers seat while he stands at the car's door.

"You're gonna be in big trouble when I tell the others about this," he manages to whisper between coughs, his own blood filling his mouth.

"They won't know." And with that, Zoro steps on the gas pedal, quickly pulling his leg back after doing so. A deafening scream pierces trough the air, the car running into the wall yet again, the metal shelf between the two objects breaking right trough the windshield, the end of it sliding trough Kaku's head.

The car sparks at the impact, the alcohol spilled there by Zoro previously catching fire. Was the crate drop a few minutes ago intentional? Yes. Yes, it was. Now the car was in flames, the already dead Kaku stiff in the drivers seat.

Zoro calmly grabs a crate filled with beer from the other side of the room, and makes his way towards the door like nothing happened. He doesn't look back, letting the car burn with Kaku inside it. The whole garage was made up of concrete walls, which cannot catch or spread fire, meaning that Nami's house won't burn down if he leaves the fire to be.

He leaves the room, striding back to the kitchen. Just as he was about to leave the hallway and enter the living room, Nami comes rushing to him.

"Zoro! What took you so long?! We heard loud noises, I was getting worried that something happened to you!" She scolds him.

"I didn't know you could do that," he coldly replies, earning an eyeroll from the ginger girl, who noticed something.

"Wait, where's the guy who went with you?" She asks.

"Oh, Kaku? He told me to feel free to come back, said he wanted to try something. He should be here soon," he lies straight to Nami's face.

Nami shrugs, about to go back to the middle of the party, when she suddenly stops in her tracks. Her nose picks up an unkonwn scent, or more like smell.

"Zoro, can you smell it too?" She asks worriedly, turning back to the swordsman. "Smoke." Realisation dawns on her, eyes going wide. She rushes out the room, a curious Usopp and you behind her. "You're coming too!" She shouts back, clearly meaning Zoro. So, he follows them.

The grey smoke filled the hallway as they got closer to the garage, Nami already suspecting what happened. Usopp bursts trough the garage's door, letting out a few coughs along with Nami and you. The room was filled with smoke, the orange haired girl's car still in flames, it was only a matter of time before it gets worse and the car explodes.

"SOMEBODY HELP! WE NEED WATER! CALL THE POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS!" Usopp screams. Nami and you nod, running back to warn the others and call for help.

Now Zoro was left alone with Usopp, who was panicking, taking fast and deep breaths to calm himself down.

"You, Zoro? D-don't you feel l-like doing something about this?" He shakily asks, eyes on the green haired man.

"I already did," he answers. Usopp slightly scrunches his eyebrows, not quite understanding what he meant.

"What are y-you trying to say? You're creeping me out a bit, you know." He takes a tiny step back, Zoro looking at him with a colder, more menacing stare than usual.

Usopp swallows hard, feeling uneasy after Zoro doesn't give him an answer.

"Zoro, you... you didn't, right?" He nervously chuckles, but Zoro still doesn't move or say anything. Usopp realises that he's in grave danger here, and it's time for him to run. But just as he turns around, ready to sprint back to the living room, he hears as Zoro unsheats one of his katanas. Usopp grabs a vase, throwing it right towards Zoro, who simply cuts trough it.

"This can't be real, this can't be real, this can't be real!" Usopp murmurs to himself, shutting his eyes for a few seconds. But when he opens them again, Zoro's gone. Or at least that's what he thought, standing up, letting out a deep sigh at the fact that he won't die.

"Sorry. No witnesses," he hears the deep voice from behind, the blade making contact with his upper body. Usopp looks down, and is met with the sight of Zoro's katana going trough right his heart. He sees as Zoro pulls out the blade from his flesh, a hole left in its place. He coughs, blood spilling from his mouth before landing on the flooring beneath him with a thud.

Zoro's hands were now stained with his friend's blood, the crimson liquid staining Nami's floor and his katana's shiny blade. He had to get rid of the body quickly, before you, Nami and all the others return with the cops. So, he grabs Usopp's dead body by the legs, dragging him to the burning car in the garage a few steps away.

You panic, dialing 911 as fast as possible while Nami ushered everybody out the house before something else catches on fire too, or the flames reach the wrong spot of the car and it explodes. But Usopp was down there, trying to put it out with the buckets from the storage room. Or at least that's what you thought was happening.

"911, what's your emergency?" A female voice chimes in from the other side of the line, one that you could recognise.

"Stussy, Nami's car got caught on fire in her garage, and she said somebody was there too, it can explode any minute, Usopp is trying to put it out but I'm worried for him, I-" you dump all the information on her, but she calmly cuts you off.

"Alright. I'll ask Shanks to go, he'll bring some of his colleagues too, so him and some firefighters will be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you. Bye." You shake, worried for Usopp and Zoro at the garage. Stussy puts down the phone, and you do the same as you rush back to the garage to get the two out of the house.

You cough as you get closer, Usopp and Zoro nowhere to be seen.

"ZORO! USOPP! COME ON, WE NEED TO GET OUT!" You shout, hoping they will hear you. You slow in your track when you notice the splatters of blood on the floor and wall a few meters away from the entrance of the garage. Did something happen to them? You think for a second. Maybe the fire wasn't caused by accident. Maybe somebody set it on fire intentionally, killing the person Nami said was there. And now he maybe got one of your friends too.

"USOPP! ZOR-" you call out their names, when suddenly the green haired man appears in the garage's doorway.

"Oh god, you're alright! Look, we need to get out of here, the police, firefighters and ambulance are already on their way, there's nothing we can do about the fire now. And I might sound stupid right now, but there might be even a killer, and-"

"There is. Now come with me and get out of here," he cuts you off and grabs your hand, heading to where you just came from.

"But Usopp-" you try to stop yourself, but Zoro keeps dragging you behind him.

"He'll be fine," he replies, not even looking at you.

"You know what he's like, we can't just leave him here!" You argue back, slightly raising your voice.

"There's no time for him, we need to leave, now."

"No!" You tear your hand away from his. "He will panic that he's alone, or worse, he can die too! Don't you think about that?!"

"I do, but I don't care. I don't care if that fool dies, but if I don't get you out of here and you die because of me, I'll never forgive myself." He lifts you, throwing you over his shoulder, firm hands keeping you in place. You squirm, trying to get out of his touch, but it seems impossible.

He bursts trough the door, then places you down at the front yard. The other guests were either gone the moment they heard there was a fire, or watched in horror as the smoke flowed out the house. Just as you step on the sidewalk in front of the house, the sound of cop cars hit your ears, that same deafening sound as all the other times. Firefighters and ambulance arrive at the scene too, jumping out of the vehicles in an instant. You rush towards one firefighter, the black haired, freckled guy you were friends with.

"Ace! Ace, one of my friends is still inside, please, try to find him and get him out," you beg, tears forming in the corner of your eyes.

"That's my job, sweetheart. Don't worry!" He reassuringly winks, running toward's Nami's house.

You knew Ace since childhood, you both went to the same school and your moms were good friends, so you got to hang out with him a lot. He loved going on adventures, and was a good company. He always dreamt of being a firefighter, and it was like a dream come true for him when he got the job. You knew that he will be great at this job, and you trusted him. When he told you not to worry, you believed him, there was something about your friend saying this that calmed you down a bit.

"Hey, you alright?" Another familiar voice sounds from behind you, his hands placed on your shoulders. You turn around and see the red haired man with scars over one of his eyes, worry displaying in his eyes. You couldn't hold your tears anymore, this was it. You wrap your arms around him, face buried into his chest, sobs escaping your lips.

"It's okay, it's okay. You'll be fine." He hugs back, bringing a sense of comfort to you. Shanks was the usual friendly cop, the one who would always be there when an old lady called the police because her cat got stuck on a tree, the man who would knock into your home just because he was bored and wanted company. You knew him, his little secrets, and he knew yours.

~○~

The rest of the night you sat in Shanks' cop car, a blanket over you after a doctor checked up on you and it was all okay. You were devastated. Ace and the doctors did everything they could to save Usopp, who was found dead in the garage, stabbed. The other victim was Kaku, who died under mysterious circumstances. There was definitely a killer, but nobody knew who it was. Though you did have your suspect. And you could only wish you were wrong.

The last time you and Nami saw Kaku was when he was with Zoro, but Nami said that the two went to fetch drinks and Kaku stayed behind, so maybe that wasn't Zoro's fault. But it was also him who stayed with Usopp, he was last seen with him. And the fact that Zoro carries his katanas everywhere, including this party, and Usopp getting killed by a blade just fit together. Why would he kill Usopp? You had no idea.

Everyone got questioned one by one, and sadly all clues lead to Zoro according to Benn, who was Shanks' colleague. You didn't know him like you knew Shanks, but you would meet him often. He was smart, and knew what he was doing. And that's why you were so worried. Because he is likely right this time too, and that means Zoro, your best friend is a murderer.

You see as Shanks approaches his car where you were sitting, a serious look on his face.

"Is something wrong?" You quietly ask, worried that something happened, something wrong.

"I'm sorry. I really am." He says as he sits down in the back next to you, looking in a direction. You follow where his eyes are focused, and see what you didn't want to. Zoro in handcuffs, escorted to a police car. A tear escapes you, it hurts to think that your friend is a killer. You didn't know his motives, why he did what he did, but he probably had a good reason.

Shanks was worried that you will be targeted after this, so he offered to take care of you and live with him if you want. You have been living alone ever since you were 15, and you knew Shanks well, so, you moved in with him. He has been acting as your father figure ever since, and you totally don't mind it.

You would sometimes still wonder: why did you do it, Zoro?

[v1nsmoke]

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑹 // 𝑺𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑹!𝒁𝑶𝑹𝑶 𝑿 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟭

Attending a house party won't be a bad choice, at least that's what you think until something changes the course of the night, and everything turns into chaos.

Not to mention the after effects...

this is a multi-chapter work, with consistent updates on wattpad and ao3. i'd recommend checking those out since i tend to neglect tumblr lmao, or visit the masterlist to find all already published chapters here on tumblr.

tw: none (yet)

pairing: roronoa zoro x reader

genre: horror, drama, thriller

chapter: 1/? (visit the masterlist for other chapters!)

word count: 1.3k

a/n: rework of my oneshot from 2023, now expanded and multi-chapter! decided to divide the original oneshot into two chapters, the following chapters are all freshly written!

PLAYLIST (click on this, it'll lead you to spotify!!)

The cafeteria was bustling with people, just the average, daily experience. You munch on the horrid food they serve, the food you always tried to trade with the people who were smart enough to bring their own. You were lucky to have Sanji in your friend group, he always brought a bit of his own, delicious cooking, which Luffy would often steal.

"Here dear, I brought you some of your favourite!" Sanji exclaims, handing you a small portion of your favourite food with a smile on his face.

"Thanks, you're the best!" You take it and immediately dive in, hoping that you won't feel the taste of the cafeteria's food you finished a minute ago. While talking with Sanji, you could feel someone staring, but every time you looked around to check, there was nobody looking at you.

"Okay guys, last night I was thinking," Nami speaks up, now the whole group's attention focused on her as she stands up on the table. "Robin, you already know, I'm talking about what we discussed over the phone,” she smiles.

"Just spit it out," Zoro says, losing his patience with the orange haired girl.

"Since it's our last year here together, I was thinking about hosting a big halloween party! And everyone is invited! And I mean EVERYONE. If you know somebody outside this highschool, feel free to invite them! The party is going to be held on October 31st! That's a week for you to prepare your costumes and get ready for the best night of your lives!" She excitedly says.

The whole group and the people present at the cafeteria cheer for her, everyone in on the idea. You haven't attended a good halloween party in years, and when it comes to parties, you know it's in good hands with Nami.

~○~

You walk through the girl's locker room's door, the fencing helmet held in your hand since it won't fit in your bag.

"Thanks for waiting," You high five Zoro, standing at the entrance since he changed clothes faster. Maybe because he didn't spend a good twenty minutes with gossiping, or more like overhearing conversations going on about some random girl's personal life.

"So, what did they say?" You ask.

"What?" He looks at you bluntly.

"What do you mean 'what'? Oh. So you didn't ask them about the party,” You sigh as realisation hits you.

"I didn't ask them about the party," he repeats, almost sounding proud of himself.

"Nami is counting on us!"

"The whole cafeteria heard her, isn't that enough people? Is her house even that big?"

"Even if it isn't, she'll find a way to get all these people together. She's smart, you gotta give her that."

Just then, a guy trying to leave the fencing hall bumps into you by accident. He rapidly looks up, making you notice his strange shaped nose.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to!" He apologises.

"No, don't worry, it's nothing. I was the one standing in the doorway, it's not your fault,” You apologise back, picking up his bag that fell from his hands after the impact. He's about to leave, but you call out for him.

"Hey, uh, I was wondering if you could come to my friend's halloween party. October 31st. You in?" You shout, hoping he still hears you. The guy turns around, and shouts back a "sure" in response. "I'll send you the address, I think I have you on Instagram. Bye!"

The guy puts his thumb up and leaves. You turn back, and you're met with Zoro's eyes piercing trough you.

"What?" You ask, seeing he was clearly bothered by something.

"Nothing. Let's go." He sighs and heads towards his car, landing in the driver's seat.

"If you say so." You shrug and follow, getting in next to Zoro. You open your phone, and type in your address into Google Maps so that you won't have to guide him and his poor navigation skills. Sometimes you wonder how he got his driving license.

He stops at your house. You gather your fencing equipment, and step out of the car.

"Are you coming to Nami's party?" You hold the door open so you can speak with him.

"You sure sound very excited about it. I thought you hated parties, the people, drinks and all." He replies.

"I still do. But Nami and the others will be there, at least I won't feel alone. I want to see how it turns out. You still didn't answer me."

"I guess it's worth a try. She will probably buy the expensive drinks, someone's gotta try those out."

"You're saying that because you are an alcoholic, Zoro."

"I know. Bye." He grabs your door's handle and closes it, starts the engine and drives off.

"Yeah... Bye." You say to yourself.

You plop down on your bed, letting your body sink into the soft mattress. Maybe Zoro was right. Maybe you shouldn't go. Parties? You never attended them, the overwhelming amount of people and the disgusting smell of alcohol that would stay on your shirt keeping you away from these events.

But for God's sake, it will be hosted by Nami this time. She was your best friend ever since you started highschool, and she was also your number one supporter from the moment you two met. And now she was going to organise a huge halloween party with everyone invited, there's just no way you wouldn't attend it! Besides, all your other friends would be there, too! Robin or Sanji would definitely let you stick to their sides, you'd be safe there. You've got a whole week to get ready, both your costume and mentally.

~○~

Nami throws another ingredient in the cart, adding to the weight of it, making it even harder for you to push it forward.

"Did you even look at the price of it? Or are you just throwing in everything you see?" You ask your friend.

"We need all these, and I have the money for it. I just can't wait for tonight! This will be the party of the year, and I bet everyone will be talking about it tomorrow!" She exclaims, throwing another bag of potato chips your way. You catch it and place it on top of the heap of other food already in the cart.

"What will be your costume, Y/N?" Nami looks at you as the two of you join the line at the cash register.

"I couldn't come up with anything, I'll probaly go dressed as myself. Not very original, I know." You say as place the groceries on the conveyor belt one by one.

"Hm, I was looking forward to see you in some costume for once, but whatever." She sounds dissapointed, but at least she respects your decision.

After paying the crazy amount of money Nami decided to spend on snacks, you get into her car, heading straight towards her house. A few days ago you agreed to help her set up the party, but didn't expect it to be such a big thing. Sure, Nami was the host, so it's natural that she would plan something huge.

Her keys dingle in the front door's keyhole, and she opens it. Both your hands full with the bags, only being freed after you manage to drop them on her kitchen counter with a sigh.

"What should I help with?" You inquire, leaning on the white marble kitchen island.

"I was only thinking of helping with the groceries and now that's done, but if you're already here, could you put these into bowls? You know where to find them,” she motions at the snacks in the grocery bags.

Of course you knew, Nami invited you over more than a million times, you could swear you knew the whereabout of every small item in her house. You open a cupboard, grabbing a bunch of bowls from it.

"I've got some things to tend to, Usopp should be here in about twenty minutes," she waves before going upstairs to take care of whatever she needed to.

-○-

"Ayyy! I didn't expect you here! Only here to set things up, or staying for the party too?" Usopp hugs you upon entering.

"Weird to see me here, huh? I'll stay for the party too, though I will probably stay by somebody's side, likely Robin or Sanji, maybe you, we'll see," you hug him back.

"Only an hour before the others arrive, I'm so excited! It's gonna be fun, I promise, and if ya ever feel lonely, find me!" Usopp pulls away and the two of you share your own handshake that took days to perfect.