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leftsidebonfire · 8 months

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Wild Blue Yonder

Part 1

The thought of a dungeon inside the Germa castle was terrifying. That was where all the bad people went. Killers and monsters. But, Unaek was going to be eight soon. And that meant that she could be brave.

Tag List: @supernaturallyginger @momokujo @chopperwithouthishat @cherryblossom-chopper @saiyanblood2 @dexterrbydesign @i-am-an-atomic-bomb

(If you want to be tagged in Part 2 when it comes please let me know!)

The Germa fortress was a modern marvel. The castle was vast, expansive, and impressive. Solid stone, rainwashed into a faded gray. Then again, the sky around it always seemed to be gray, as if the clouds above recognized the sort of people kept inside. Gray, all around, trapped there like an eye inside a hurricane. Calm, deadly, quiet, always wondering when the hammer will fall next. It was a marvel in the same way a volcano's eruption would be. The way the magma creeps along, deadly and unyielding, taking everything in its path with it.

Judge Vinsmoke, the leader, hardly an excuse to be called a leader, though. Leaders through history were revered as nobles, freedom fighters, historic legends like Gol D. Roger himself. Judge Vinsmoke deserved no such titles, but he, unfortunately, was a leader all the same. Standing at just over 8 feet tall, the menacing leader oversaw the kingdom with an iron fist. And what a death grip he held upon it.

Inside the castle that reeked of death, evil, lies, and cover ups, were also hundreds of workers. An army, at that. Responsible for warmongering and many unprovoked attacks. The evil deeds of the Vinsmoke army could not be overstated, from less-than-moral experimentation on children, to the lives they claimed with their wrath in search of technology useful enough to command an unstoppable army.

Two admirals for the Vinsmoke army, Agnar and Solveig Seveer, were among the top of the rankings. Which put them just below Judge Vinsmoke himself in terms of unjust cruelty.

Agnar and Solveig were some of the very few outsiders among the soldiers, joining their forces to test experiments on the legendary Devil Fruits. This, in hindsight, was likely the only reason they conceived and were allowed to birth a child under the reach of the Germa kingdom.

Born merely seven months after the Vinsmoke princes— Seven months to the day, at that— Unaek Seveer, firstborn daughter to the Seveer family, came into the world and regretted it ever since. A pointed-ear phenomenon like her parents, an abnormality, some sort of marvel to the world. Only six months after her birth, the anomaly was fed a pureed Devil Fruit with the expectations of her parents and the entire Germa Kingdom riding on the hope that this child would be a natural super-soldier, having been equipped with her Devil Fruit nearly her whole life.

The disappointment was immeasurable the day the child made it clear she wanted nothing to do with fighting, and Agnar left a sizable hole in the wall beside her head, and a very palm-shaped red mark across her cheek.

Instead of taking an interest in fighting, using her natural-born ability to fight, the girl chose gardening of all damn things. The Devil Fruit's power allowed her to make any plant sprout from anywhere within sight, in an array of plants even from ancient books, any fruit or vegetable imaginable, and vines that moved like extra arms, and the toddling child sat there sniffing her goddamn roses with the stupidest smile on her face. To say the Seveers were disappointed was an understatement.

Despite daily training, in which Agnar, her father, and Solveig, her mother, traded off in a fighting ring, the girl would never lift a hand to them.

Agnar would recall to Judge, one night, over a strong glass of whiskey, how he had even gotten a strike with a wooden rod to the girl's back, and she was never once inclined to fight back. She'd crawled away, weak and scared, and wouldn't even stop crying long enough to take a strike with her own staff. Something about "I can't hurt you, dad," or some other pathetic excuse. To which Judge deeply commiserated.

Eventually, Unaek began to seek out any way to escape from daily training. She'd take the opportunity whenever her parents were experimenting to wander the halls. It was a big, expansive castle. Very lonely and easy to get lost in, and yet somehow, the three Vinsmoke princes always managed to find her. Niji in particular always found great pleasure in dragging Unaek across the floor by her little pigtail braids, and Yonji would step on her fingers until she bloomed flowers for them, at which point they would destroy every last petal while Unaek wept.

It went without saying that Unaek did everything in her power to stay far, far away from the Vinsmoke brothers. She would take her walks at different times every day, hoping to explore around alone when the boys were doing their training. She could at least guarantee they would be away for at least an hour. Luckily for her, the Germa guards seemed wholly uninterested in her, so she rarely had to duck away from them when she saw their cowls walking down the halls.

Unaek tiptoed around all the same, even when she was alone. She was afraid of making too much noise. Sometimes it would remind her parents that she existed, and they would come into her room to scream at her. She would never forget the time she was found playing with her vines, making them tickle up her fingers and arms, and her parents took her bed for a week because she was giggling too loud and disturbed them. So she had become all too keen to enjoy things quietly— whenever the world had something for her to enjoy. And currently, her enjoyment came from being left alone to wander the halls.

They were well decorated, if not pretty bare. Dark black banners with the symbol for 66. Long, dark hallway runners in a deep purple. The carpet certainly helped Unaek walk quieter. Her feet padded along the floor, toe then heel. It was how she learned to walk quietly. Step with her toes and gently roll the rest of her foot to the floor. It was slow work, but she could creep along silently, which was what she needed to do when her parents were asleep and she wanted to go outside.

Today's adventure was a creepy-looking door. She had passed it in her travels before, but was always too scared of it. Tall, wooden, braced with black metal. And naturally, it was labeled Dungeon. To the little gardener, the thought of a dungeon was terrifying. That was where all the bad people went. Killers and monsters. But, she was going to be eight soon. And that meant that she could be brave.

She hovered there at the door for a long time, creeping closer as if the door itself was going to jump out and bite her. She was really curious about it, especially because it seemed unlikely any of the Vinsmoke princes would come down there to torment her. And her parents would probably be happier if she was stuck down there anyway…

It was a long debate outside of the door, that was only quickly forced into an answer when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Not taking any chances to run into the workers or any of the Vinsmokes, the decision was made for her and she quickly ran inside, prying open the big door and shutting it behind her, leaving her in pitch darkness. Her heart was thumping in her chest, doing little flips as she felt it trembling against her ribs. It didn't feel like it was beating right. She squinted to try and see, waiting for a hazy outline in the dark to come into focus. Her back was against the cold wooden door. It felt smooth and yet it prickled along her delicate back like every splinter of wood was dotting out along every single freckle she had.

Unaek did not hate Spiders or bugs, but yet she couldn't help but imagine being swarmed by them, smart and scary evil ones, as big as her fist, crawling up her. She shivered. The dungeon was so cold and she was only at the top steps. Her breathing was shallow. It really was terrifying down here. She understood why murderers, thieves, and evil people were sent to the dungeon. This was an awful place.

Just as her heart had stopped racing, she froze up again as she heard a noise. It was shallow, hard to pick up, and sounded like it was echoing off the stone walls and coming from everywhere and nowhere at once…. Someone was in the dungeon. It sounded like wailing. A ghost? Was it a ghost? An old sailor haunting the castle??

The cries continued, but they sounded less terrifying the more she was frozen to the spot listening. Complete with hiccups and sobs, like the crier was out of breath and still wailing. She couldn't turn around and go back out now. She'd risk getting caught snooping in the castle and her parents would surely beat her again. Her hands and knuckles still stung from that. And what if someone was hurt? Even if it was a ghost, it sure sounded sad, and the sad sobs were going right through her like a knife. She wanted to help. She wanted to help so badly.

Slowly, she started to creep down the long staircase as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness. She held the wall for support, delicate little fingertips brushing the cold, slimy stone. She sang to herself, mumbling beneath her breath. "When I sing, I'm not afraid, when I sing, I can be brave…" whispering it over and over in the quiet as she approached the sound of crying. It no longer sounded like it was coming from all around, but a designated point now. Just around the bend of a long staircase.

One missed step caused her to stumble for a moment, and her feet slipped on the stone. She felt her heart leap into her throat and a tingle of adrenaline zap up her body like electricity, starting at her toes and going all the way up as her heart pounded so loudly that she could hear it in her ears. The crying stopped immediately as soon as she caught herself, and there was a long moment where it felt like she and the crier were both holding their breath. She didn't dare to move a muscle. She held the wall, toes curling in her shoes in fear as she tried to keep from slipping. She kept her breathing shallow despite wanting to yelp in fear.

"Dad?" The voice asked, a very soft, timid voice that sounded raw from wailing and sobbing. "Dad? Did you come to let me out?" The voice whimpered. Unaek opened her mouth for a moment and closed it again. Should she respond?

"Where did you go? Are you there?" The voice asked, sounding wavery and on the verge of tears from the lack of response. "Please don't go!! Please don't go, I promise I'll be strong!!" The voice rose in pitch, screaming out in full desperation. The voice hitched and the cries and sniffles resumed.

Unaek took her chances. Her heart felt like it was shattering as she stood there on the steps, coming down from her adrenaline. Her voice sounded so loud in the quiet. So loud, and yet so scared and timid. A little airy voice, like as if a scared mouse could speak.

"N-No, I'm not your dad… I'm— I'm Unaek." She started down the stairs again, faster this time. Trying to get to the bottom to see who she was speaking with. The crying stopped again. Clearly the person was not expecting that answer. Or that voice.

"Unaek?" He repeated. "I—I'm Sanji," he replied, and Unaek finally made it within the eyeline of the cage. It was a tall cage, but not very large. About half the size of the room she lived in, so it wasn't much. There was a bed and a shelf and a toilet, but it was lacking pretty much everything else. Unaek pattered her way up to it.

There was a boy inside. At least, she thought it was a boy. He was small, a little shorter than her. His one eye was covered in messy blond hair, but the other was blue and shone with big, hot tears. But that was all she could see of him. His face was encased in Iron, like a strange sort of helmet that locked around his head. It covered his entire face except for a small opening for his eyes, no place for his mouth. Unaek was horrified at it. It looked painful, heavy, and scary. Just taking one look at it made her feel like she couldn't breathe.

She tiptoed up to the cage with the thick metal bars, still cautious. People in dungeons were supposed to be bad people. But this was a kid. What could he have done wrong? As she got closer, she noticed his eyes, especially the one that was showing without his bangs. His eyebrow twirled upward on the outside.

They took a long moment to look at each other, Sanji in his yellow t-shirt and bandana around his neck, and Unaek in a pink dress with a little white lace trim. Her ginger-blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail shed done herself, so it was uneven with a few strands of hair framing around her face and poking out at odd angles from her amateur hairstyling ability. Her freckles almost made her tan, but she was very fair skinned, and green eyes met his blue with immense curiosity as she finally approached him.

"I like your eyebrows."

"Thanks, I— I like your ears."

He pointed to her ears. The Vinsmoke princes took great pleasure in pulling on them, yanking them away from her head, leaning in close to scream into them until she squealed and cried. She had never been told they were nice before. Her cheeks turned pink.

"You really think so?" She brought her hands to her ears like she had to feel them to make sure he was telling the truth. They were normal ears, though the tops curled up into a point instead of a normal rounded ear. Naturally, she had gained the cruel nickname of "Sharp-Ear" from her little tormentors.

Sanji nodded his head. "Yeah, I do. I really do think so. You mean it about my eyebrows?" He seemed so hesitant to even accept that little compliment just like she had been.

"Yeah, I do. It reminds me of… people I don't like, though." She added softly. She watched Sanji's reaction, like he was scared all over again at the mention.

"I don't like them either."

He reached up to touch his curled eyebrow like he was ashamed of it, and Unaek felt bad.

"Why are you in a cage? I thought the dungeon was for evil people, but you're just a kid." Her voice was laced with concern and it seemed to surprise Sanji, like he truly couldn't believe anyone cared enough to ask. Let alone to hold such sadness in their eyes when they saw him. Everyone else had looked at him with contempt at best, or at least disinterest.

Sanji retreated into himself, his hands curled in against his chest like he was taking a protective pose. "They said I'm weak… that they wanted to pretend I was never born." His voice sounded so frail, and Unaek's eyes welled up with little tears.

"Who would say that??" She gasped, appalled and horrified at how quickly the boy seemed to retreat away in fear.

"My dad…"

It made sense now, why he was crying for his father. His father… who locked him in here. Her shoulders dropped as she looked at him. She wished she could see his face, not that terrible iron mask.

"Why do you gotta wear that thing?" She asked him, reaching her hand through the bars to touch the side of it. It was cold, smooth metal, but it was an awful thing.

Sanji shrugged. His one eye just focused on her. He didn't answer because he couldn't answer that question. It was something he asked himself every day. Waking up in a dirty, dusty basement, cold, locked up in this iron prison. Suffocating him. Giving him a chill down his spine and a sort of deep-seated freeze in his bones that never really went away.

Unaek felt her tiny heart aching for him. She pushed both arms through the slots of the cage and held them out. Sanji jumped back, almost as though he was afraid she'd try to grab him and harm him, but she didn't.

"Come closer, I want to hug you." Unaek said quietly. Sanji just stared in complete confusion. He hadn't been hugged since… he could feel his throat tightening— since his mother had passed. The worst day of his life, and that's saying a lot for a small boy of only eight years old, who'd already spent weeks in a dirty basement alone.

He timidly stepped closer until he was within arms reach and Unaek gently wrapped her arms around his chest, ducking in. The bars of the cage were too close to really snuggle her head against him, but it didn't stop her from trying, leaning to one side to try and press in as much as she could, feeling Sanji do the same as he tucked his little arms beneath the bars to wrap around her waist. He had only been hugged for a matter of seconds before his tears welled up in his eyes and he had begun to cry. He was so alone. So alone and so scared, and he hadn't been touched by anyone else in weeks. Or hugged in months. Nobody had ever given him that luxury. A hug. From a friend.

She felt him cry into her shoulder and she simply rubbed his back. She never received hugs either. The only thing she ever was able to hug was one little brown bear she'd been given just after her birth. It hadn't even been a gift from her mother, but from Sora Vinsmoke, Judge's wife, who had been thrilled to hear of another baby in the castle. The only reason it was not immediately thrown out was because it would be seen as disrespectful.

After a long hug, made slightly awkward by metal cage bars in the way, Unaek pulled back just enough to see Sanji. His metal mask was cold and uncomfortable in the hug but she didn't dare tell him that. It was so clear they both needed a hug that the presence of the bulky, horrid mask in the way hardly mattered. They both needed a hug more than anything else in the world right now. Two very lonely, sad children who were dealt a terrible hand.

"It's so dark and sad in this dungeon… do you like flowers?" She batted her eyes at him. Sanji looked puzzled for a moment, head tilted to one side like a dog.

"I do like flowers. I think they're pretty."

"I can make flowers," Unaek boasted proudly, cupping her hands. "I've got a special power that allows me to grow them however I want!"

"Oooh… can you make… uhh… daisies?" He asked, saying the first flower he could think of.

"I can!" She grinned. She closed her eyes, brows and nose scrunched up with focus. There was a long moment where Sanji was even holding his breath right along with her. Her palms tingled a little, and in the matter of seconds, a small green bud appeared between her palms, flowering open into a yellow and white daisy. It was like watching the growth process of a daisy all in the span of a few moments.

"Woaaaaah!" Sanji gasped in awe, reaching to take the flower and feel the little petals. "How did you do that?!"

Unaek shrugged. "I dunno, I just… can. I really like plants. And I like animals too! Mom says flowers are for pussies… I dunno what that means, but she glares at me when she says it." She sunk her shoulders.

"I think they're pretty." Sanji promised, putting his hand on top of hers where she held the bars. He twisted his foot into the ground for a moment before shyly glancing up, like he was terrified to ask her a question. "Are you gonna come back to visit me?"

Unaek felt her jaw fall a little that he even had to ask. "Of course! I'd love to come back down here. You're the only one in this castle who talks to me. The Princes always hunt me down and pull on my ears. Or they rip up my flowers when I make them. You're the first person who even likes them." She said sadly.

Sanji relaxed when she confirmed that she would return.

"Good… I don't have anyone to talk to either. You're the first person who was nice to me, too. The Princes are my brothers… They're always so mean to me." Sanji frowned, his blue eyes sad and wet-looking. Like a kicked puppy, Unaek thought. It was heartbreaking.

Unaek offered Sanji a shy little smile. "Here… Here's something to brighten up the place." She closed her eyes again, nose scrunched up, lips pursed in the ultimate face of concentration. As her eyes were closed and palms tingled hot, vines crept up the back wall of Sanji's cell, lining the perimeter with a soft mossy green that soon popped with little yellow flowers. The dreary, dusty, smelly basement suddenly seemed a little bit brighter. A little less lonesome. And the smell of the flowers counteracts the mildew smell.

"I gotta get going… Mom is gonna notice that I'm gone soon…" Unaek sighed sadly, looking dejected that she'd have to leave so soon.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Sanji hastily asked, almost sounding panicky about being left alone. "I'm gonna be a cook one day… I can cook you something!"

Unaek smiled a big, gap-toothed grin. "Yeah!! I'll try to! I can usually slip away for a while when my parents are at the lab. Or if they're sleeping really soundly at night, I tiptoe out and go up to the roof to be outside. I'll come back as much as I can!" She promised him excitedly.

She couldn't see it, but she knew Sanji was smiling by the way his eye crinkled up and brightened. His cheeks were round and full instead of sullen, clearly grinning even beneath that prison of a mask. He looked around at all the little flowers that had bloomed around him, making his desolate jail cell feel a little bit more friendly.

"I-Its been really wonderful meeting you, Unaek." Sanji held her hands and looked up at her like she was an angel coming down to save her from the torment of having to live through this nightmare. The hope in his eyes made her heart ache.

"You too, Sanji." She smiled back, squeezing his hands. She grabbed him in for another hug, which Sanji stiffly accepted, not even all that sure what to do with a hug. But it was clear he needed it by the way he clutched at her dress.

She never even saw the boy's face that day. That little disgraced Germa Prince failure. But Unaek determined there and then that she finally had a friend. After seven— nearly eight— lonely years, Unaek finally had what she was looking for. A living, breathing friend. Her first friend in this cruel world. She didn't want to break the hug, but she did, not wanting to risk being found. (Though as the days went on, she would grow to be more bold in her adventures around the castle.)

And knowing her little secret, the fact that she had someone to talk to, someone kind, well— that made the horrid, sleepless night that followed a little more worth it. As she made daisies in her palms and remembered the joy in Sanji's eyes when she gave it to him.

#One Piece #One Piece Fanfic #One Piece OC #Sanji #Black Leg Sanji #Germa 66 #Child Sanji #Oc tag #Oc writing #Unaek Seveer #Unaek x Sanji #Oc backstory #Wild Blue Yonder #My Writing #My fic

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boa-h · 1 year

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【Vinsmoke Niji】 Blueberry Flavored

*this fic is for the Sweet Treats, Sweet Hearts Collaboration hosted by @cherryblossom-chopper!! click the link to check out more works! *this guy does not fit my theme im so sadge, i think i'll make all of my collab/event posts from now on different colored than my original red theme

“STOP!!” Your boyfriend snatched another mouthful of blueberries and popped them into his mouth as your piercing cry echoed throughout the kitchen in the penthouse.

It’s been your 12th warning, and you had enough. It was he who wanted blueberry muffins, or more precisely, he wanted YOU to bake them for him. “I would’ve done it myself,” he said, “but I have no idea how to bake.” And he isn't lying. To put it in a polite way, one would only eat Niji's cooking if they were starving to death on a stranded island.

You first met Niji in high school, you two were deskmates for quite a while. You didn’t have a habit of eating breakfast, because your parents never woke up on time to make you anything to eat. As the school year progressed, Niji started to bring over blueberry muffins and a carton of milk every morning.

“My mom kept making these for me for breakfast, but I don’t like to eat sweet things in the morning.” As he pushed the muffin and milk onto your desk, he gave his explanation. “I dislike milk as well.”

Thanks to him, you started eating breakfast, and it’s blueberry muffins and milk every day. You questioned his mother. Who would bake the same kind of muffin for her son day after day? And he’s not even eating it!

You soon discovered that he actually enjoys blueberries and everything with a blueberry flavor. You told him to eat his muffins instead of giving them to you, and that you would start buying breakfast on your way to school. Niji, however, wasn't too fond of the idea; he claimed that street sellers were too filthy and didn't even utilize fresh and proper food ingredients.

You were at a loss for words with him. But you still bought a meat bun on your way to school the following day. As he saw the bun in your hand, his eyes widened as if he had just experienced the worst betrayal. Just as you took a seat, he snatched your breakfast away from you and gave you his blueberry muffin as usual. As if he’s afraid you’ll take back the meat bun and reject his muffin, he took a sizable mouthful out of the bun, barely chewing twice before gagging like a pregnant lady, you could even make out tears in his eyes. But he continued biting on the bun aggressively and swallowing without even thoroughly chewing it. And you soon understood how picky of an eater he is.

The breakfast restaurant where you bought the meat bun from is quite well-liked and frequently packed with customers. Their meat bun is considered a signature, yet, Niji acted like he nearly died after having one. You watched in disbelief.

Now, as you begin to prepare the batter, he’s taken the only two containers of blueberries you bought and started popping them in his mouth like he’s attempting to overdose on antidepressants.

It started quite simply. He was standing next to you, leaning against the counter and watching you make your batter, then he gradually snuck his hands over to the blueberry containers in front of him and started munching on them as one would with popcorn when watching a movie. You didn’t think of it as a problem at first, because you had two containers, giving him a couple wouldn’t do any harm. But you overestimated his self-control.

“Stop eating them before I run out of blueberries.” You scolded him.

But he didn’t listen. Of course he didn’t. Soon, one container was completely empty.

“Get out of my kitchen.” You said as you pushed him away from the counter, “Go watch the TV or something instead, I’ll bring it to you when I’m done.”

He chuckled as he leaned back and added weight to you that was heavier than what your arms could support.

“Niji!!” You shouted, and he finally stood up straight again.

You gave him two good slaps on the arm before he turned back to you and landed a delicate, blueberry-flavored kiss on your lips.

“Thanks, my darling.”

#one piece #one piece oneshot #one piece scenario #vinsmoke niji #vinsmoke niji x reader #vinsmoke niji x you #vinsmoke niji scenario #vinsmoke niji imagine #germa 66 #sweet treats and sweet hearts #holiday collab #collab #boa-h

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the-witch-of-one-piece · 2 years

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Hello, I'm wondering if you have a list of blog recommendations of writers that you know of? Marco-centered will be better but it's nice if they write for a long list of other characters as well. Thank you

Hello Anon babe ❤️ There are a lot of great writers on here! These are writers that I enjoy there content @coraterve @secretsnailor @sashi-ya @starrybrujita @tsunderedoctor @goingmorry @some-piece @lucciluvr @boa-h @seven-waters-hc @heyitsdoe @oneprompt @sabo-has-my-heart @cyborg-franky @dxvilmanlev @doctorgerth @rukia-writes @cherryblossom-chopper @thegrandlinesimp @donvampiro @sanjithesimp @simp4ace @fireflykaizoku @rosiinante @p0chy @eustasssimp @sanjisprincesswifey @thousandsunnyhoe @kaizokuwritings @mikoyamisheadcanonblog @diaphanoso @pink-duda @sir-crocodile-slut @trashytoastboi @sugxrslushy @shankss-magnificent-ass @quirkyseastone @mimi-ya @niicevibe These are the blogs I can think of from the top of my head at this time. I know there are so many more I can update it when they pop into mind🥺

#valerie speaks #the witch of one piece #one piece #amazing writers #one piece x reader #one piece scenario #one piece x reader insert #op marco #will add on more

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roseoftrafalgar · 1 year

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My token for @cherryblossom-chopper's Sweet Treats & Sweethearts Event -> (check out other collaborators & stories here!)

CW: Allusions to religious practices (as there's suggestion that Law was raised a Catholic during childhood)

A/N: Reader and Law are in a stage of their relationship where they already developed an intimate confidence in eachother & had shared parts of their past. There was another story route I drafted continuing where this left off, involving Law and reader encountering a street orphan reminiscent of himself for full-circle parallelism, but I omitted it for the sake of brevity. It could be a Pt. 2, though :) Thank you for reading! (p.s. the lone png I drew is at the end of the story)

Throughout the night, a warmth lingered in Law’s chest analogous to that of a fireplace in the heart of a blizzard, contemplating the woman who shared his bed. It was difficult for him to sleep, reflecting on a new depth of intimacy established between them after opening up about his late family last year, and he wanted to spend a few more waking hours imprinting her peaceful face into his mind. Although he eventually got some rest, he was unable to return to sleep after waking around 4:30 am, so he decided he could use the time to do something special for (Name), given that they’ve been too busy to properly celebrate Christmas in previous years. He recalled her mentioning a desire to distribute bags of cookies to the crew and possibly a few children they may encounter when they docked for Christmas Eve. Furthermore, he had a notion that (Name) insisted on making snickerdoodles this year as a step to restore a piece of his childhood in a happier light, so he wanted to thank her, in his own way.

Down the hall, an unconscious awareness of his missing presence roused (Name) awake. Her hands reached out to meet only plushness to her disappointment, but the warmth of her captain’s body still lingered in the sheets and around her body, as he had draped his blue cloak over her before leaving, so she would not be cold. “Did he have something urgent to do?” (Name) whispers to herself, slipping into the armholes. Finding their bedside pitcher near-empty, she thought to quickly head to the kitchen to refill it and to her surprise, Law was already there, still shirtless in black sweats, and rolling dough balls from batches of batter that they made yesterday based on what he could remember from his mother’s recipe. She watched in momentary awe as the surgeon’s hands deftly worked to produce uniform balls; it was like with every close of his glove, a perfect circle came out. However, to her amusement, Law was making the balls too big, where they would spread to be as large as a child’s face when baked, but maybe that was to compensate for Jean-Bart and Bepo’s size. Still, it was adorable that a perfectionist like Law could perform something with such meticulousness, yet overlook a tiny detail. Quietly setting down the pitcher as to not alarm him, (Name) made light footsteps towards her captain, before wrapping her arms around his torso, causing his skin to jump at the unexpected flush of warmth.

“Good morning, my Law-ve.”

A quiet sigh escaped from the curve of his lips at the cheeky nickname and he turned around in his lover’s arms to plant a kiss to her forehead as a form of ‘good morning,’ “I thought surprises were being reserved for Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve.”

“Well, you might be getting special treatment because I love you, but it seems like I’m not the only one with an eve of surprises,” (Name) hums into the strong of his back and gestures to a few trays of snickerdoodles Law had prepared for baking. Red dusts his ears, with the awareness of being caught settling in, but the sensation of (Name)’s arms drawing him closer into her embrace was enough to know that there was nothing to be shy about waking up early to do a favor for someone he cared for and opening his heart to her.

“Are you purposely being generous with the cookie sizes, or can your hands not help it?” she coyly smiles, giving a last nuzzle into his shoulder, before going to the cinnamon-sugar station to help roll the batches of un-embellished dough.

“What do you mean?”

“The cookies will be as big as Jean-Bart’s palm once they spread with the amount of butter we used.”

The surgeon’s mouth opened by instinct before closing, as light embarrassment washed over him. More than a decade passed since he last baked with his mother and Lami, so he knew there were small details he could have missed, but he assumed it would be during the ingredients stage, instead of the prepping stage. “We could dust more flour on top of them?” he suggests. However, (Name) assured him that there was no need, and they decided on baking the big ones in a separate batch apart from the smaller ones they’ll make for crew members who’d rather have a stash of smaller cookies to ration over the 12 Days of Christmas. In no time, the duo finished forming the last of the batter and found amusement in rolling the balls in cinnamon and sugar, while they waited for the first batch to bake. Along the lines of their discourse, Law began to tell (Name) a bit more about his childhood.

“When I was a kid, one of my schoolmates thought that ‘snickerdoodle’ meant ‘laughing fool,’ because the cookies were allegedly so delicious that they made you laugh like one,” he relates sentimentally, “I argued that it came from people confusing the cookie with Schneckennudeln, or German cinnamon buns literally translating to ‘snail noodle,’ since both resemble a round snail shell, and it evolved into a spat.”

(Name) laughs to herself, imagining a young Law adamantly debating his point with a poor frog dangling from his hand, “There’s logic in your arguments, so I’d think you’re both right.”

“Heh, I guess so. If we were in the same class at that time, I would’ve been a little hurt that you didn’t completely side with me,” Law casually baits, but any flusteredness that could have expressed itself in (Name)’s face was channeled through how she absentmindedly began rolling a dough ball around the cinnamon-sugar until an obscene amount accumulated around it. ‘Only Tony-ya could eat that,’ Law thought to himself.

“Are you suggesting that if we knew each other as kids, we’d already be together?” (Name) teases after gathering her composure.

“Maybe. But that was a statement, not necessarily a suggestion, (Name),” Law smirks. He removed his gloves to brush a bit of cinnamon off her face, finding tenderness in the heat of her blush underneath his fingers. The two leaned in for a kiss and (Name) was thankful that she still had a clean hand to bring Law closer to savor the safety and affirmation radiating from his body that dissipated the cold embedded on her skin the longer he held her. But of course, the timer dinged just as she drew away to tell him she loved him.

Batch after batch went in and out of the oven, and the two went to work putting the treats that had cooled into bags. Thankfully, the bags (Name) bought were superfluous in both size and design, or else Law’s cookies wouldn’t have fit.

“Let’s see if eating these really do make you laugh like a fool,” he remarks, when the last batch cooled enough for them to enjoy. Upon taking a bite, vivid memories of a lively white town, a universal familialism shared after Midnight Mass, a young him passing snickerdoodles around his parent’s clinic, and Lami asking to put ice cream between the cookies, flooded the surgeon’s mind. He could almost hear the horses’ whinnies that took him and his classmates on a carriage ride from their school to Flevance’s Christmas festival. Perceiving the subtle medley of emotions playing in his gray eyes, (Name) took his hand in hers in a comforting act.

“I’m ok,” he assured her with a peck to her forehead and allowed himself to smile at bygone memories. Law did not know where it began, but over time, sharing his past with (Name) somehow made it less painful; where betwixt tragedy and his former bitterness at the world, he was able to reminisce on the good memories he had in Flevance that he formerly buried away.

(Name) leaned her head on his shoulder, until he was ready to recount his thoughts to her. Through his words, they traveled to the past where a gigantic pine tree donned in the colors of the aurora stood in a quaint town square and children helped their parents light the white candle of the Advent wreath after a heartwarming Christmas dinner. Yet the most moving aspect of his recollections she observed, was how his smile never left him since biting into the cookie recreated from his mother’s recipe.

“I think the people who named snickerdoodles were more confused than you thought, since they seem to make one smile rather than laugh,” (Name) jests, finding her lips in upturned company with her captain and the jolly rogers decorating his body.

“They probably used laughing powder in the old recipe,” Law dryly states, “Unless, we’re missing an ingredient.”

“Too bad we can’t ring up Buggy to ask if he has some on him,” (Name) shrugs in nonchalance, playing along, “But the cookies taste ok to you, right? I think we added the right amount of cream of tartar—“

“(Name).”

“Hmm?”

Upon lifting her head, (Name) broke into laughter seeing that Law had a cookie piece between his lips and began moving it in a beckoning manner towards her. The unchanged steely expression in his eyes, despite his actions, only made it more amusing.

“I think you just made a breakthrough in snickerdoodle-ology, Dr. Trafalgar,” she sighs in an attempt to stifle her giggles. He feigned exasperation in response and moved the chunk with further impatience to emphasize his secondary intentions, until (Name) gingerly took his face between her hands and gently bit off a piece, making sure to keep their lips just a breath away.

“We should go back to bed. There’s still a few more hours before docking.”

Law’s gray eyes flickered downward and did not relinquish his hold on (Name) when she shifted to get up, “Stay up with me for a while longer? Thinking about my family and Cora-san…I want to have some more time with you.”

‘Now I wonder why I’d need a batch of cookies to smile, when I have the Surgeon of Death?’ she thought to herself, before planting a gentle peck on his lips, “Of course…if it means being able to see you smile a little longer.”

-> A Law I illustrated depicting what he was wearing in the story for your pleasure, readers 🌹

#one piece x reader #trafalgar law x reader #law x reader #trafalgar law #trafalgar d. water law #one piece scenario #christmas writing #writing collab #sweet treats and sweethearts #my art #my writing

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yourtamaki · 1 year

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hihiii sunny i hope ur havin a good day :> would u happen 2 have any one piece account/fic recs 👁️👁️ specifically law im on dressrosa rn and i need him BAD ive read ur entire op masterlist like six times at least 😭 u r wonderful ilysm

you're the sweetest 🥺 i don't have many active op mutuals so this is a mix of people with archives and people who are actively posting!

@katslutski

@510hz

@mimi-ya

@4law

@chloenanami

@cherryblossom-chopper

@/sugxrslushy

@/r-oronoa

@/quanxxiluv

#lil sunbeam #just realizing i don't read as much as i should adsjfk #but look through the tags i promise there are a bunch of dope writers you can support #if i missed somebody i’m sorry ily 😭

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pagingdoctorbedlam · 1 year

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WIP TITLE GAME

Got tagged by @r0ttkins for this fun little game~

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

Alright, mine are going to be writing WIPs, and I won’t include the docs that are just full fics on here. For extra fun, I’ll also add a version to my other writing blogs too. (Because I have. Too many.)

-Your Songs Remind Me Of Swimming

-It Started Young

-These Songs Send Love Through

-The Smucket

-Echoes in the Well

-Oleander Lips

-Stay (What I Meant To Say)

-Run River Run, Run Red

-Heartpact Summer [not actually written yet...but it’s a WIP in my heart.]

For tagging, feel free to ignore if y’all don’t want to play, but if you do... @heyitsdoe, @some-piece, @cherryblossom-chopper, @quirkyseastone, and @doctorgerth

#tag game #bedlam tags #wip ask game

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spectralmagpie · 1 year

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Thank you for the tag 💕 @copiousloverofcopia

Relationship Status: Mawwied

Song stuck in my head: Faith - Ghost

Last song listened to: Glass - Mareux ft. King Woman

3 favorite foods: Hot Pot, Sushi (especially salmon or salmon eggs) and chili relleno

Tagging: @juniper-sunny @silcoitus @adgerelli @leylses @marthawrites @cherryblossom-chopper @vueh

#it me #magpie

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jazminetoad · 1 year

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One Piece Sweet Treats & Sweet Hearts Collaboration

Rosinante x Reader

This is my piece for @cherryblossom-chopper's winter collab! Be sure to check out @roseoftrafalgar @starrybrujita @the-witch-of-one-piece @boa-h and @cherryblossom-chopper stories, they're all sweet and wholesome! ^-^

(Click "Keeping reading" to read the story)

Rosinante kicked the snow off his boots before he stepped inside his home. Closing the door behind him, he took off his uniform's winter jacket and hung it on the coat rack. Taking off his boots, he placed them on the side of the vent so they could dry off. His hands reached for the blue handkerchief tied around his neck, undoing the knot and he let out a sigh of relief as it came off.

Rosinante glanced around the living room next to the entrance, humming to himself and wondering where you were. That's when a pleasant smell caught his attention. A strong peppermint scent danced in the air, drawing Rosinante toward the kitchen. He heard you humming Christmas jingles to yourself as he entered the kitchen and spotted you in front of the island. You hummed as your delicate hands kept busy, dicing red 'n' green striped candy canes, you hadn't noticed the silent man enter the room. Curious, Rosinante walked behind you and looked over your shoulder.

"Whatcha making?"

"Ah!" you jumped, slicing a big chunk of the candy cane. Glancing behind you, you saw Rosinante standing behind you. Setting down the knife, you placed a hand on your chest. "You scared me, Rosi."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Rosi sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of his neck.

"It's fine, at least I didn't cut my finger," you say as you glance at the large chunk of candy. Surprise captured your emotions again when Rosinante took your hand and began inspecting it for any cuts. "I'm fine, really," you felt your cheeks flush as watching Rosi examine your hand, eyes narrowed as he carefully scanned.

"Seems like you cut your finger," Rosinante pointed out, bringing the small slice to your view.

"Oh, that must've been from earlier," you mumbled as you looked at it. "I had a tricky start cutting the candy canes, it's not as simple as slicing strawberries," you explain while Rosi goes through the cabinets.

"You need to be more careful, [Name]." Rosinante pulled out some disinfecting alcohol and a box of bandaids. He took some paper towel and dabbed the alcohol on the surface then gesture for you to let him see your hand again.

"I got the hang of it now," you tell him as you let him take your hand and disinfect your cut.

"Hmm..." Setting the paper towel down, Rosinante grabbed one of the bandaids in the box. "Never answered my question earlier."

"Oh, I'm making candy cane ice cream," you chirped with a smile. "I thought since we'll be going to your father's house for Christmas, we could bring a dessert so Sengoku doesn't have to worry about everything-"

"Uh, [Name] could please help," Rosi asked, hands covered with wrinkled bandaids.

"How did this happen?" you giggled, your fingers moving to remove the bandaids.

Rosi blushed and looked away, mumbling a small 'ow' as each bandaid came off. Once they were all gone, you kissed his hands to shoo the pain away, colouring Rosi's cheeks a deeper red. Taking his hands back, he grabbed the box and handed it to you. You gave him a small smile as you took out a bandaid and put it over the clean cut.

"There all better," you state, waving your fingers. You followed your actions with a kiss on your lover's cheek. "Thank you Rosi."

"Now then-" you clapped your hands together and finished dicing the candy canes, brushing them into the mix you had prepared prior and layering them in. "Could you pass the tin Rosi, please?"

"Of course," Rosi grabbed the tin that sat on the counter and placed it next to you.

You steadily poured the batter into the tin until it almost hit the brim, yet some batter remained in the bowl. You frown seeing that you over-measured the amount you needed. As you wrapped the current filled tin of unfrozen ice cream you wondered what to do with the leftovers.

"Mmm, this tastes good," Rosi complimented. You glanced over to see the blond licking the batter off the spatula.

"You're supposed to eat it once it's been frozen," you giggled.

"It may be but it's just as good as this, try it," Rosi held the spatula toward you, waiting for you to taste the creamy batter.

Leaning forward, you licked the part that seemed to have the most amount of candy cane. The sweetness melted in your mouth and you hummed pleasantly, savouring the taste in your mouth. It did taste delicious.

Tasting it once again and savouring the sweetness, you weren't sure if it was from the treat or your lover in front of you, all you knew was that it left a smile on your face.

#sweet treats and sweet hearts #one piece #holiday collab #winter collab #collab #one piece x reader #rosinante x reader #donquixote rosinante #rosinante #stsh

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bas-writes · 1 year

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I'm sorry, snake enjoyers, for attracting your attention but not bringing any food. It's on top of my writing list, but so far I have other, urgent projects. And considering that idea theft still, sadly, happens in the community, I'd rather not share my thoughts in a too detailed way.

So far I can recommend you two amazing pieces of 🐍 smut: Blowing off Steam from @heyitsdoe and last year's kinktober from @cherryblossom-chopper. Enjoy and show your love to those amazing writers 👀

#bas mumbles

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cherryblossom-chopper · 4 months

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ღ Nightmares ღ

Comfort with Benn, Law, and Shanks

————— ୨୧ —————

Benn shushes your, running his calloused hands down your back. “Deep breaths. Practice with me,” he murmurs softly. Your shot nerves soothe as Benn’s chest expands. Your trembling begins to slow as Benn continues his deep slow breathing. “You’re doing a good job,” Benn praises you, his hands settling on the small of your back. You relax into his bare chest. “Thank you,” you murmur, “Sorry to wake you.” Benn takes a long moment, “Don’t apologize honey,” he finally says, “I’m happy to wake up if that means I get to see your face.”

・‥…━━━☆

Law jerks up right, his mind making the transition between the sleeping and waking world. His hands grope your side of the bed and Law frowns as he finds it empty. He quickly gets to his feet, calling out for you. The light from the hall bathroom makes him squint. Law knocks on the door, softly calling out your name. After a brief pause, you open the bathroom door. “You okay?” He asks, his eyes scanning your face. “Yeah, I just didn’t want to wake you up,” you say rubbing your eyes, “I just had a bad dream.” Law’s nose twitches, before he mirrors you by rubbing his own eyes. “You can just wake me up next time,” he grumbles, taking your hand. Law tugs you down the hall back to your bedroom. He doesn’t let you protest before cuddling you into his chest. “That’s better,” he murmurs, closing his eyes, “Want to talk about it?”

・‥…━━━☆

Shanks presses sloppy kisses over your neck. His arm rests on your hip as he murmurs sweet nothings against your skin. “Nothing bad is gonna happen to me,” he reassures, “I’d never leave you to deal with these knuckleheads all by yourself.” You sniffle softly leaning into him. “Promise?” You ask in a painfully meek voice. “Of course,” Shanks says without hesitation, “Believe me baby, it’d take a hell of a lot more than a few admirals to take me down.” You sigh, as Shanks’ hand rubs your hips with his thumb.

————— ୨୧ —————

Want to keep up with your favorite characters? Join my tag list to be notified as soon as I post something new!

🏷: @aykxz98 @bolinhodadestruicao @chimooky @cipher-p0 @cjm-cookiethief @kristaline2dmensimp @lavenderkaye106 @userwithlotsoftime @victoryxela @cringejesterposting @3v37773 @undercoverweebs-blog @vemuabhi @chocolate-n-cheese @dionysiachan @sabospet @ochizokulevy @firefistussy @ibby-miyoshi-nerd @quatribobo

#cherryblossom chopper #one piece x reader #shanks #shanks x reader #shanks scenario #anime #anime scenario #law #Trafalgar law #law x reader #law scenario #benn #benn beckman #benn x Reader #benn scenario

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tsunderedoctor · 2 years

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Let's see... Purple, cinnamon, periwinkle, blush, plum aaaaand burgundy!!! ♡

You're so sweet!!! I agree with all of those as well!! Eventually purple won't have to be on there anymore haha!!

#cherryblossom chopper #not ask #ask game

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cheminhsiao · 4 years

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Applause.

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chopperchrash · 6 years

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RepostBy @k_anbu: ". 週末は天気悪いんですね...😅 桜も散っちゃいますね...🌸✨ #harleydavidson#earlyshovel #generatorshovel #shovelhead#chopper#cherryblossom #桜#panhead#knucklehead"

#knucklehead #harleydavidson #桜 #cherryblossom #shovelhead #panhead #generatorshovel #chopper #earlyshovel

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lucciluvr · 2 years

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This is my entry for the One Piece Fairy Tale Collaboration Event hosted by @boa-h with @simpforroses, @jazminetoad, @hollyberryfairy, Dr free d dad @starrybrujita, @cherryblossom-chopper, and @the-witch-of-one-piece! Check out their works as well <3. (Click the GIF better quality TT.)

PDF COPY: TBA, but you can DM me if reading on Tumblr is difficult for you.

C/W: Possible spoilers for Wano. Fem terms and pronouns on reader. Mention of blood.

This is a retell story of Hans, The Prince Who Made the Princess Laugh.

"I wouldn't be so miserable if I could take a step away from this castle!" you shouted at your father's stupid idea before turning your back to him, the sound of your heels echoing throughout the aisle of the throne room.

How long has it been since you've last stepped out of royal grounds? You were locked in ever since your mother died 12 years ago. Despite the young age of five, you will never forget the people of this land you reside in.

The city and downtown were buzzling with busy people. It was never quiet; filled with shouting and laughter. Sure, it's chaotic here and there, but it was so lively and warm, unlike the cold walls of the castle.

"Your Royal Highness, Your Majesty requested dinner to be sent to your room as you wouldn't want to dine with him," Irisha, your retainer informed you, doing a curtsy before the maids fixed your table and brought the food in.

"Thank you," you bid as they quickly left while your retainer watched and stayed.

"Your Highness–"

"Quit the formalities, it's just the two of us." You patted the space beside you while you munch on your meal. If you were with your father, you would be nibbling on food until it's cold and your appetite's ruined.

“What do you think about His Majesty’s proposal?” Irisha looked up to you, half your size.

“Preposterous!” a flame igniting on your back. “He told me I was miserable and that he would bring men into the palace, and that whoever makes me laugh would be granted my hand in marriage on my 18th birthday!” You paused to take another bite of your meal.

“Well, the King thinks the cause of your desolation is the death of your late mother, the Queen.” She sighed, obviously internally against your father’s idea and belief.

“The cause of my desolation,” you rolled your eyes at the word desolation. “Is isolation. Damn old man won’t let me out of this stupid place.”

“True, but I can’t blame him, especially after…” Your retainer’s voice drifted to silence as she recalled the distant memory. She wasn’t serving around that time but everyone from every part of the world must’ve heard of the news.

"I also understand his reasoning, Irisha. It's just that... I wanna see more of the world and its people." You sighed, eyes drifting from the food to the floor.

"Y'know, I've served you for 3 years yet I've never seen you smile," green eyes looked up to you with a soft gaze. She stood up and began to gather your now empty plate and cutleries.

You gazed out the window where distant lights from the capital reflected in your eyes. Since you've only gone out one time, you cherished the memory of you and your mother's trip. You close your eyes recalling those memories.

“Where are you going, Dearest?” Your father pinched your cheeks lightly.

“We’re going to the city!” You giggled at your father’s face, reaching out for him. He leaned down so you could caress his cheeks with your tiny palms.

“Be careful, okay?” He placed a kiss on your forehead before doing the same gesture to your mother.

"It's Her Majesty!" a man called below you and your mother. Your race towered over humans, yet despite your mother's intimidating stature, her soft voice and king gestures made humans adore her.

"And the General!" For as long as you can remember, the General has always been there the moment you were born.

"Hello," your mother greeted with her kind voice, smiling down at the people around her before lowering herself. "I come to introduce someone special," the Queen let you down from her arms.

"Go on sweetheart, you've practiced this," she gave you a small gesture. The people talked and whispered.

"H-Hello everyone, my n-name's (Name), and... uhm," You looked up to your mother smiling brightly, nodding her head to encourage you.

"I am t-the King and Queen's d-daughter." You squealed before running back to your mother's arms. She clapped, telling you how you did a great job.

"It's Her Royal Highness!" a woman called clapping her hands as the people around her followed.

"She's adorable!" Another called in adoration. "How beautiful." The compliments and praise followed one after another. You slowly peeked to the crowd, your face slowly forming a smile.

"Pfft, what a wimp," an even smaller figure laughed. He was quickly shut up by two other kids with him, one with freckles and one blond. The people shouted at the kid in fear of what happened to him. Tears slowly formed in your eyes.

"How impertinent," the General stepped forward, hand resting on his sword.

"Run!" His two companies dragged him away as they bolted away from the scene, bumping a few carts and baskets, leaving a trail of dust behind them. The General stretched his wings before your mother raised her hand.

"Calm down, that's just how kids are." She giggled at the kid's comment before returning her attention to you. "Are you gonna cry?" Your mother tucked a strand of hair behind your ears, tilting her head.

"I'm no crybaby!" You sniffed before turning to the General. "Sir Alber, can you give them a scare?"

Alber simpered behind his helmet before giving you a small nod, turning to the Queen for approval. It seems that she agreed for fun when you saw the General spread his wings and fly in their direction. "That'll show them."

After the incident, the General quickly returns to you and your mother. The people of the city and downtown came to give you gifts. Your arms were filled with trinkets and flowers, some even gave expensive jewelry, only for the Queen to refuse expensive items. Some girls and stylists offered to braid your long white hair, in which Alber was against.

"Your Majesty, it's the King's ord-" He was quickly shut down by your mother.

"The King isn't present, and when the King isn't present, the Queen takes charge," your mother grinned. The General could only sigh and watch you closely as you and the Queen enjoyed yourselves.

“Her Highness?” Irisha’s voice snapped you back to reality. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I think I’m gonna head to bed,” you stood up, towering over your retainer.

“I’ll call the ladies.” She informed you before leaving you alone with your thoughts.

The night was long, at least this time. A lot was going through your head. Your father, his plan, your mother, your longing. Were you really that “desolate” since your mother died? You couldn’t remember. The years seem to fly by ever since her passing.

A week passed by and the gates were opened for the first time since the Queen’s death. Men came flocking with props and attempts to make you crack a smile. Instead of being excited to see humans from the city, you were grim.

The men that came banging on your gates were greedy. They were after power and riches, and of course, your pretty face. Easy to say, none of these men amused you. You weren’t even resisting a smile. This whole event was nothing but disgusting.

There were a few interesting men such as a prince from another kingdom named Cavendish. His purpose was to prove that all women swoon over him, and he was quite mad at you for hogging all the attention to yourself.

Another man was a noble nearby, Stelly. He was obviously there by orders but was fascinated by your beauty. He made a fool out of himself, even the General beside you was struggling to watch his attempt to make you laugh.

“Anyone of your interest, Princess?” Alber’s voice spoke from behind you. He wasn’t wearing his helmet, strange but not unwelcome.

“No,” you sighed, pulling the hair clip that was keeping half of your hair up. “Do you think this whole idea is stupid?” Alber leaned on the railing beside you.

“With all due respect to His Majesty, yes, it doesn’t make sense with his spite for humans” he admitted, watching nothing in the garden. “Princess, may I ask you something?” He turned his head to you.

“Y-Yes, Sir?” You weren’t interested in the General at all but you can’t deny he was incredibly handsome. You cleared your throat and returned his gaze. It wasn’t that you haven’t seen his face before, but because you seldom see it. How charming.

But being an heir means you shouldn’t be intimidated by good looking men and women.

“Do you not feel an inch of spite towards humans?”

“Why do I want to meet humans? Hmm…” Alber’s eyebrow twitched. You caught him too easily for his liking. “The humans who killed mother were executed, I don’t see why I should hold onto that hatred.”

“You have Her Majesty’s heart,” he pushed himself away from the railing before facing you completely. You mirrored his actions until he bent one knee, kneeling.

His eyes were filled with adoration and respect. You saw his hand reach out for yours, rough calloused hands against your soft ones. Your hand in his, he lowered his head before placing his lips on the back of your hand.

“You’ll make the perfect Queen. Her Majesty would be proud of you.” He looked up to you to give you a smile.

“Thank you, Alber,” you did a curtsy. He stood up, once again looking down at you.

Weeks passed by and less and less men came, discouraged as other kingdom’s like Germa, Totto, Wano, and Dressrosa came home empty handed. Everyone thought how insatiable the Princess is, how arrogant and self-centered you are as you stared down your suitors, your standards that are higher than your castle’s Baroque ceiling.

Suddenly, it was already your birthday. As the day approached, the more timid you grew. You ate less, talked less, spoke less. You heard Alber talk to the King about taking you out on the city for your coming of age, but once again, this idea was shunned by your father. You tried again the night before your birthday.

“I already said, time and time, over and over again, the answer is and will always be no!” Your father repeated.

“I’m finally of age and I still haven’t left this so-called “home” since mother died!” You raised your voice, popping a vein on your forehead.

You and your father’s shouting echoed through the corridors, free for every staff to hear. Most sided with you despite being aware of the King’s reasons, but who would dare speak against the King? Everyone pretended to not hear anything, years of working there would prove that as time passed, anyone would get used to this shouting that provided white noise.

“So called?! I provided you a place to sleep, feel safe, and necessities that keep you alive and you don’t even consider this place home?!” Your father stood up, hitting the vase on his table as it shattered into pieces.

“This place stopped being home ever since Mom died!” you roared, voice cracked, as tears fell and streamed down your face.

“I am your Father and the King, my orders are absolute. I order you, the Princess, to stay in this castle.” The sound of his staff sounded inside your head and the room

“Mom would know better. She loved humans, not every one of them is the same as those bastards!”

“Language! And it’s exactly why your mother died, because she trusted those fiends too much.”

“Then I’d rather happily die in their hands than spend my life in these cold walls with you!”

A loud noise resonated inside the castle’s walls before the silence fell. The staff looked at one another with worry before a few shook their heads and told the others to mind their own business.

You looked up from the floor, stunned as you held your cheek. The number of pieces of glass on the floor was nothing compared to the pieces your heart shattered to. The pain from the shards of glass embedded in your flesh was nothing compared to the pain of your heart breaking.

Your Father stared at you in disbelief of what he’d done, but alas, his pride was higher than his love. He walked past you, the sound of glass crunching underneath his steps keeping you sane. As soon as he turned the corridor, Irisha came and rushed to your side.

“Get a doctor!” she yelled to the other maids who followed her, only to be interrupted by a deep voice.

“No need, taking Her Highness to the doctor is faster,” strong arms lifted you up bridal style, your blood stained dress mildly soak while blood trickled from your arms and legs. But blood wasn’t the only liquid trickling, not when you can taste the salty tears from your tear ducts.

You spent the entire morning holed up inside your room and haven’t talked to anyone. You’ve seen Irisha bring food in and out by herself as you didn’t eat breakfast or snacks. She tried to talk and encourage you, even greeting and singing you a Happy Birthday with little to no reaction aside from a mumbled ‘thank you’.

Alber greeted you before informing that he and the King would have to go somewhere important. You could only nod in response. Since you woke up, you’ve been staring out the window in the city’s direction.

With the King away, you were in charge of the Kingdom and castle temporarily. You could sneak out as you were basically a temporary queen, but you were sure the staff and guards would snitch once offered extra income. Perfect opportunity, all down the drain.

“Her Highness!” A maid barged into your room, startling you. You turned your attention to her, finally breaking your eye contact with the city.

“An intruder!” she pants, hyperventilating. You told her to breathe and she did. “There’s an intruder in the kitchen! The guards can’t apprehend him!”

You stood up from your seat. Of course, you weren’t afraid of a human. They’re puny and powerless compared to your race. You headed to the kitchen, deprived of sleep and a peace of mind. Foolish humans.

“Y-Your Royal Highness, please, no need to bother yourself over a mere disturbance.” You rolled your eyes, hearing the skepticism in his voice. Despite every guard’s attempt to stop you, you decided to deal with it yourself. It’s not everyday you meet a human.

The set up was that everyone was outside the kitchen’s doors, waiting for the intruder to exit and catch him while doing so. Of course, you had other ideas. Talk.

“Talk?! With all due respect, Your Highness, but that’s out of the question! You don’t know what he’s plan–”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion. Plus, mother said talk over violence, and it’s only one intruder, nothing I can’t deal with.” You stepped towards the kitchen, taking deep breaths.

“Your Highness–”

“Silence. Her Highness did not ask for your feedback. Stop questioning her decision.” Irisha’s voice silenced the staff and soldiers in which you internally thanked her for.

You stared up the high kitchen doors, wondering. Why would someone raid this castle, much less, the kitchen? He must be very dumb or famished and desperate. The rattling of utensils and casseroles made you flinch, slowly doubting if the intruder is actually a human.

You raised your hand to knock on the door. “Excuse me? Is someone in there?” Everyone gulped in anticipation, raising their weapons or clenching onto whatever they’re holding.

“Nope!” A young man’s voice answered back, making you furrow your eyebrows. Huh, maybe he is stupid enough to intrude the castle. You found yourself amused before clearing your throat.

“My name is (Name), Princess of the kingdom. May I ask what you’re doing in the castle?” Silence. The sound inside seemed to have stopped and the boy fell silent.

Inside the kitchen, a boy with a straw hat gobbled fowl and meat. (Name)? Sounds familiar. The young man found the kitchen strange. Shouldn’t a kitchen be filled with people? What’s important is no one knows he’s inside the castle. He shrugged before munching back on his food.

“Hello?” The man looked up at the door before taking another bite.. “Is someone in there?” He chewed the slab of meat. “Hello?!” His grip on the bone tightened. “Ex-”

“Man, you’re annoying! I’m trying to eat here!” The boy kicked his feet in the air, huffing in annoyance.

“H-HOW INSOLENT!” everyone behind you yelled at the boy’s words and tone. Your eyes widened in surprise.

“HAH?! What the hell did you just say, you bastard?!” Irisha was held back by the other maids and staff. Your whole life, no one but your father has ever raised their voice on you, especially a commoner. You chuckled with your throat.

“Ah, my apologies.” You cleared your throat. “May I come in? I want to see you. I promise I won’t chase you,” whoever behind the door was an interesting person. It’s painfully obvious that this is a castle, and you introduce yourself as the Princess.

“Your Highness?!” Everyone reacted violently. Well, you can’t blame them as they would pay a price if something were to happen to you, especially by a human.

“It’s fine, I can sense he means no harm.” you attempted to reassure them and failed. You turned back to the door before knocking lightly once again. “I’m coming in.”

You peeked into the room, bones, vegetables, seasoning, casseroles, and utensils, all scattered over the place. Slowly, you entered the room before shutting the door and locking behind you.

Outside, a lot of people called to you as they banged on the door. Your eyes wander the room for another entity. Over a few counters away, you saw a straw hat moving.

Your mouth formed into an ‘O’, excited to see and talk to another human from outside the castle. You slowly made your way to the strawhat to not scare the person away.

“There it is!” The strawhat disappeared from your vision as a man stood straight, food in hand with crumbs and grease on his face.

You squeaked, nervous. It’s actually a human, and not one you recognize. Wait. Wait a minute, that straw hat, that scar, that hair, those round eyes. The boy seemed to have noticed your looming presence as he looked up to you.

“Oh, you’re the crybaby!”

“You’re that brat!”

His laughter filled the room, hitting his knees and rubbing his stomach. “No wonder your name is familiar!” He grinned widely at you. “I almost didn’t recognize you because you weren’t crying this time.” He laughed at the memory while you flinched, embarrassed.

“For your information, I didn’t cry.” You leaned down to his level, quite low. “I bet you did after the General gave you a chase,” you proudly announced as you recalled him and his friends screaming as they bolted away from the crowd.

“Oh, yeah, him! Is he here? I bet I can beat him now,” he punched his own fist, his smile never leaving his face. You scoffed at his overly positive behavior. “How stupid, no one can beat Alber in a one-in-one or even thousand-in-one duel.”

“He’s that strong?” You nodded, proud of your General. “Damn, now I actually wanna go and fight him!” You could only roll your eyes at his naiveness.

“He’s not here at the moment, traveling with Fa–... the King.” You fell silent as you remembered your father and what he did. For a small moment, this man was able to distract you from your thoughts for a little while. Tears pricked my eyes, recalling the fresh memory.

“You haven’t changed at all, you’re still a crybaby. I hate people like you.” The boy continued with his meal that you didn’t even notice he got.

“I am not, and crying doesn’t mean I’m a crybaby.” You huffed. The little man talked to you as if you’re a friend. No, actually, he talks to you like you’re just every other person. He was honest, blunt.

“But you’re always crying when I see you.” He shrugged at your statement, not caring less.

“Whatever,” you sighed, it was pretty obvious he was the type of person you shouldn’t reason with.

“Ahh, I’m full!” He stood up and stretched his upper body. “I should probably go back to my friends. Thanks for the meal, crybaby!” The boy gave you a small wave before wearing his straw hat and walking to the storage downstairs where you assumed he got in.

Panic rose in you. He was just gonna leave like that? You haven’t asked him about the outside world. He has friends, unlike you who only have Alber and Irisha, you wanted to ask about them

“WAIT!!!” You screamed when his hand lifted the trapdoor, flames roaring from your back. The boy cringed before turning to you. “What? What was that for?!” His reaction made you realize how loud the scream was, your staff and guards banging on the kitchen door, trying to break it down with a log.

“I’m fine!” you called out, stopping whatever was going on outside the kitchen.

“Don’t leave yet!” you pleaded, leaning down on him. “I have a lot to ask you, can you please stay? Even if just for two days!” You pouted, using your looks to win him over.

“Two days?! That’s impossible, I have to go back to my friends,” he crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. You lost count of how many times this man made your eyes wide, he’s full of surprises.

It has always worked before? But my appearance and appeal don’t seem to affect him at all. You shook your head, quickly thinking of a way to persuade him. You looked around for ideas, anything to make him stay. That’s it!

“We have good food! I’ll tell the chefs and cooks to give you the best marinated meat and fowl.” The boy frowned before scratching his head.

“Sanji can do that for me. He’s a good cook! You should try his cooking some time,” he beamed. You felt your chest warm up for a brief moment. He seems to really love his friends.

Also, Sanji… Wasn’t he the one who… You shook your head, doesn’t matter. Weirdos can be good cooks too, the world is big and you haven’t even seen half of your kingdom.

“But it’s unlimited here! I bet you don’t have an unlimited supply of meat with your friends. You can eat until you puke it all out,” you leaned forward each word, but the boy didn't move.

You thank the gods no one else was in the room to see your pathetic attempt to negotiate, but you weren't going to let this opportunity slide.

“Okay, fine! Two days max!” He raised his index and middle finger. “Yes, of course.” You gave him an affirmative nod.

The castle was in chaos. They didn’t mind a human staying, most of the staff and guards are humans, but they’re afraid of the King. The guards were under the General, so they were also afraid of Alber.

“Are you really sure about this, Your Highness?” Irisha followed beside you and your new company.

“Yes, I am. I have a lot to ask… uhm,” your face grew warm, you lowered yourself to the strawhat man. “What’s your name?” You heard Irisha facepalm behind you.

“Monkey D. Luffy, I’m gonna be the King of Pirates!” You felt shivers run down your spine as you grew excited.

“I have a lot to ask the future King of Pirates,” you gave Irisha a grin before leaving to tour Luffy.

The remaining day passed by and you toured Luffy around the castle, avoiding boring and pointless rooms. Overall, his favorite was Arsenal and surprisingly, your bedroom.

“I wish I had a bed as big and soft like yours,” Luffy bounced on the bed before plopping on his stomach, snuggling your sheets. “Smells good too,” he buried his head deeper.

You felt heat rush to your face at your company’s behavior but you chose not to speak of it to maximize your time with him. He flipped to his back, placing his hand on the back of his head, relaxing. With the two of you settled, you took the time to observe more of Luffy’s physical features.

You noticed that his smile never goes away. Sure it disappears for a minute or two, but he always has a smile on his face. He was also handsome, not overwhelmingly handsome, but he definitely has a look, but his personality just overshadows these traits.

He was also well toned which was obvious because of his open top. His body was covered in scars, they weren’t visible unless you really look at his skin, the only noticeable one was under his eye.

“Whaddya staring at?” Luffy’s voice snapped you back to reality where you realized you were staring at his face for a while.

“N-Nothing,” you looked away from him to your window. The distant lights seem to get farther and farther as the years go by. Your expression faltered to a melancholic one.

“Hey, Luffy, why did you come here of all places to eat?” You turned your eyes to meet him again.

“Oh, I heard it was the Princess’ birthday so I came for the food. Y’know, for someone’s birthday, that was too little.” He picked his nose, throwing his booger somewhere down on your carpet, making you snort. All of the men you met always looked and acted their best around you. Luffy was one of a kind.

“Oh, wait, that’s you. Happy Birthday!” He sat up, excited. “I can’t wait for the cake and lots and lots of food!” The pirate happily bounced on your bed.

“Thank you, but we won’t be having cake. I told the chefs to just prepare the usual,” you sighed apologetically.

“But I want cake…” He frowned, crossing his arms. “You told me I’d get any food I want.”

“Right, okay, I’ll tell them to make you one–” You were halted by Luffy who jumped off the bed.

“I’ll tell them. I wanna take a walk anyways.” He didn't even give you a chance to reply when he just got up and went outside.

Around 20 minutes passed and Luffy still hasn’t come back. You decided to look for him as he might be lost. When you were about to exit the room, the smaller door on your door opened.

“My bad, I got lost.” He laughed it off before flinging himself back to the bed.

“You have a Devil Fruit?” You are fascinated, you’ve read a lot about them but never met someone who ate one.

“Yeah, I ate the Gomu-Gomu no Mi! I’m basically a rubber man.” He stretched his cheeks only for it to snap back into place.

“Does it hurt? Where’d you get it? Can I try? Since when have you had one?” you beamed. Reading about them always fascinated you. To think that a fruit can give someone supernatural powers, you wish you’d get one but that would be overkill.

“You’re asking too many questions,” he whined. “Sorry, this is my first time meeting a Devil Fruit user.” You scratched your head.

“Really?! How come?” He leaned up to you, tilting his head. How adorable and handsome.

“Yeah, when I first saw you was my first and last time getting out of the castle,” you sighed, looking out of the window again. “Why?” You stared at Luffy’s eyes. He seems like a good and trustworthy person, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to tell someone aside from Alber or Irisha.

“Well, my mom was killed by humans. She loved humans dearly and enjoyed spending her time around them. My f– the King could care less but always warned her to be cautious. Ever since her passing, the King forbade me to exit the castle grounds. Until now, I’ve only stepped once out of the castle.” You explained, not wanting to go much into detail.

“Wow, your life sucks.”

You snorted. “You think?” Fits of giggles escaped your lips. “Anyways, I asked the King if I can go out with Alber on my 18th birthday but he said no. We got into a huge fight, thus this,” you lifted your sleeves that were hiding the bandages.

“Your father did that?” Luffy followed the bandages on your arms. “Yeah, not actually hurting me directly though.” He didn’t say anything after that but you saw how his jaw clenched.

“Thank you so much!” you thanked the servers. You glanced at Luffy’s side of the floor. You were a lot bigger than Luffy, triple his size but his appetite was also three times more than yours.

A giggle escaped your lips as you watched his mouth stretch and manage to fit blocks of food one after another. What a glutton. You felt happy with this. Most people you’ve met aren’t genuine, full of rehearsed and practiced replies. They made the food feel cold, unlike Luffy.

“Are you gonna eat that, crybaby?” he pointed at your favorite side dish. You gave it a glance before shaking your head, pushing the plate in front of Luffy which he happily devoured.

For twelve years, the castle walls grew colder and colder. The warmth you felt before disappeared along with your mother’s. The warmth that Irisha and Alber gave was different from Luffy’s. Maybe it’s because Luffy doesn’t have the obligation to tend to you, but this warmth you feel with him, you wish it could stay.

“Didn’t you ask for a cake?” you glanced around the table that was absent of dessert. Luffy seemed to perk up with your words. “Yeah, I did!” Just in cue, the head chef and Irisha came with a handful of cooks out from the kitchen, carrying a cake with lit candles.

The staff sang a shorter version of Happy Birthday before placing the cake in front of you. You stared in awe before looking up to Luffy.

“My request!” He grinned, placing his hand on his feet. “Make a wish, hurry, I wanna eat.” You laughed at his antics before making a wish and blowing a candle.

“What did you wish for?” Luffy licked the icing off his lips. You chuckled at the sight. “It’s a secret. If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

The morning air was filled with the scent of meat. Apparently, Luffy wanted to have breakfast in your room with you. After breakfast, you asked your questions to Luffy. He told you all about his adventures, he went to an island in the sky where your sister and brothers were, Shandorians and Skypieans.

He met two giants on the way to Alabasta where they helped Princess Vivi gain her country back. He even met a giant mermaid who was even more of a crybaby than you are, and a lot more. You listened in glee, amazed at how one person can have so many adventures.

You asked about his friends which he happily told you all about. Zoro is a strong swordsman with green hair and no sense of direction. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman. Nami was a navigator and uses some type of staff to manipulate weather and throw hard punches. Her dream is to make a map of the world.

Usopp is an amazing sniper, artist, and liar. His dream is to be a brave warrior of the sea. Sanji was an amazing perverted cook and uses his legs for fighting because of his pride as a cook. His dream is to find All Blue.

Chopper was a talking reindeer who ate the Hito-Hito no Mi and is a doctor. His dream is to create a cure for any diseases. Robin is an archeologist who knows the ancient language and ate the Hana-Hana no mi and her dream is to find the Rio Poneglyph.

Franky is an amazing shipwright who built their ship, Thousand Sunny. His dream is to build a ship that can withstand any hardship and reach the last island, and Brook is a funny skeleton who ate the Yomo-Yomi no Mi. His dream is to reunite with his friend that he promised to return to 50 years ago.

You also learned that Luffy wasn’t actually from this kingdom, but was just traveling with his grandfather, and that the two little boys with him were his brothers; Ace and Sabo.

It was very clear to you how much Luffy values his friends, and that’s just so sweet. If you let him, he could talk about them for hours. You spent the entire morning and afternoon listening to his stories and playing around the castle, and the evening talking about whatever.

You’ve never met someone so charismatic your whole life. He can talk about anything and still make the conversation fun. He was so emotionally transparent, no fragile masculinity or any of that bullshit. With him in the room, happiness came easily to you unlike those of the King or your suitors. Luffy provided a different kind of warmth.

Morning came by and Luffy had to go in a few hours. The two of you were just snacking on some junk you found, talking about whatever comes in mind.

“Don’t a lot of people visit you? What do you mean by this is the first time you actually talked to a human out of the castle?” Luffy munched on his snack, littering all over the carpet.

“I have, but all of them only come for show, appearance, and of course, marriage. Everything they say is already rehearsed, so yeah,” You shrugged, fiddling with the flowers on your table where you and Luffy were sitting by, except Luffy is actually on the table.

“That’s boring, how do you even deal with them for 18 years?” Luffy shook his head, not even wanting to imagine that his friends are all scripted and programmed.

“I know, I wish I had friends and adventures like you.” You sighed, thinking of how much you missed your youth and childhood.

“Then join us,” he licked the powder out of his thumb, looking up to you.

“W-What…?” You stared at his eyes as he did to yours, waiting to see if you heard him wrong.

“Join my crew! Then you’ll be friends with us and have adventures like us.” He grinned, leaning in anticipation. “We’ll travel the world and have fun. What do you say, (Name)? I’ll be the King of Pirates.”

“I can’t.” You pulled away from him, looking anywhere but his gaze. “Why?”

“I can’t just leave, everyone in this castle would be punished and some possibly executed.” You shook your head at the possibility. “Everyone here took really good care of me, I don’t think I can ever live knowing that they died for the sake of me.”

“This is my kingdom, they are also my people. The people mustn't die for the King, but the King shall always be ready to die for his people.” Every heir to a kingdom, country, or tribe knows these words. As a leader, no one should die for you.

“It’s not like you chose to be born in a royal family–”

“But I was.” Your breath quivered.

“I think Luffy is right, Princess,” Irisha joined the conversation. “You should go with them.”

“No! What about you people h–”

“Luffy made you laugh, Princess,” Irisha smiled tenderly. “His Majesty didn’t have any exceptions on who can make you smile. If you smile, you’re theirs, that was the rule.

“But the King was away, he wouldn’t agr–”

“He didn’t say anything about needing his own witness. You have more than 50 witnesses here that Luffy not only made you smile, but also laugh.” She has a point. You never really realized that you finally smiled and laughed.

You were aware you were happy around Luffy but you didn’t realize you finally smiled and laughed.

“So (Name) is mine?” Luffy scratched his head.

“Precisely,” your retainer nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Then join my crew!”

“Woah, woah, woah, hold on.” You were quite lost on the topic, everything happened so quickly.

“Listen, Princess. If you smile, you’re theirs. That was the only rule of the event. The person that made you smile is Luffy, so you’re now his.” She explained.

“I know, but this is all too fast. The King isn’t even back, Sir Alber too.” You shook your head, sitting on top of your bed.

“Princess, you either have to stay here, with His Majesty and never get to see the world outside these cold walls, or you can accept the event and go with Luffy and travel the world and fulfill your dream.” Your best friend took your hand into hers.

“Leave this place to us, and live your life the way you want to.”

Luffy informed the crew of the situation while you all waited for a few more days for the King and his General. You get to meet the people Luffy gushed about and you spot not a lie in his words. They were amazing and quirky as their captain described them to you. They lived in the castle for a few days with your approval, enjoying the luxury and service as much as they could.

You heard the familiar salute of guards from a distance. “They’re here.” You shivered as you stood beside the Strawhats and your maids. They assured you everything’s gonna be okay. Once the King entered, all of you either bowed or curtsy, even by force.

“We had a handful of guests while I was away.” Your Father glanced at the familiar faces. “Quite famous too. What is the purpose of your visit?”

“Your Royal Majesty, Monkey D. Luffy visited about a week ago and made Her Highness not only smile, but also laugh,” your father’s vasal, lowered his head.

Your father paused before turning his gaze to you. “Is this true, (Name)?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“How did he enter?” Your father mused, you cleared your throat to answer before Luffy interrupted you.

“I broke in. I heard it was someone’s birthday so I came for the food. Sadly, there wasn’t much.” You stared at Luffy in disbelief, he seems to be more concerned for the lack of food.

The King chuckled, amused. “And everyone here is a witness?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I see. Luffy, my daughter is yours. Tell me, what do you plan with her?”

“She’ll join my crew.” Luffy scratched his backside, yawning.

“That’s all you’ll do with your ownership?” Confusion settled within the King. Monkey D. Luffy is a notorious pirate, and with a beauty like you, a Lunarian and royalty, anyone would marry her in the blink of an eye.

“Oh, yeah!” Everyone anticipated his answer, including you.

“Let her go.” Everyone except his own crewmates’ eyes widened.

“You’ll let go of her?! Anyone would marry her the moment-” your father exclaimed. The atmosphere changed within a second when Luffy glared at the King.

“I don’t understand this ownership bullshit you’re talking about. She’s not an object nor an animal, (Name) does not belong to anyone. I’ll marry her when I want to.” Everyone was in awe, including you, even the Strawhats.

“W-Wait, marry… ME?!” you stuttered, taken aback by those last words.

“Don’t you marry someone when you like them too much?”

“Oi, what the hell are you saying, Luffy?!” Sanji bit his tie

“Do you like me more than you like your crew?” You felt hot.

“In a different way. I don’t know what it is but it’s different. I like how it feels,” he giggled.

“Do what you please. This is none of my business anymore. But you are still my daughter, you are expected to be the next heir when I pass away. Until then, do what you like,” your father walked towards you before wrapping his arm around you.

“I’m sorry. I wish I was a better father. Happy birthday.” He pulled away and walked to the direction of his room.

“I wish you were too,” you purse your lips, you can never accept his apology. You watched his back as he walked away from you but he paused right before the turn to his room’s corridor.

“I wish you happiness, Dearest. Be careful out there.” He continued until he was out of your sight.

You felt your heart break again. How long has it been since your father called you with that endearment? Hearing it again after all these years reminded you how much your mother’s death took a toll on not only you, but also your father. Perhaps you were both selfish in your own ways.

“Your Highness,” the General caught your attention. “Alber.” You called back as he removed his helmet and gave you not a bow, but a salute.

“I am no longer able to protect you in your journey to life. Take care, Your Highness.” You gave him a tender smile, opposed to his stern expression. You threw half your bodyweight to him when you gave him a hug.

“Thank you, Alber, you were the brother I never had.” You pulled away before patting his shoulders.

“As you were a little sister to me, (Name).”

“Ready to go?” Robin called, distracting you from your thoughts.

“Yeah,” you climbed up the stairs of the Sunny.

“(Name)!” You heard a familiar voice from the distant call. From a visible distance you saw Alber and Irisha waving goodbye to you. You gave them a big wave before boarding the Sunny.

“(Name)! Sit here!” Luffy patted the space beside him on the figurehead.

“The ship’s amazing! She’s beautiful.” You knocked on Sunny's head before patting her head.

“I told you Franky’s an amazing shipwright!” He rubbed the figurehead.

“Thank you, Luffy, you made my wish come true.” You placed a huge kiss on the top of his head.

#one piece x reader #one piece x you #one piece #one piece writing #one piece oneshot #one piece imagine #luffy x reader #monkey d luffy x reader #luffy x y/n #one piece strawhats #luffy x you #monkey d luffy #monkey d. luffy #straw hat luffy #one piece au #lyn's #fairy tale collaboration

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simpforroses · 2 years

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🐺 Of Lupines & Red Stained Snow (Trafalgar Law x Fem!Reader) 🐺

🌹In Collaboration with the One Piece Fairy Tale Oneshots Event, hosted by @boa-h, alongside @jazminetoad, @lucciluvr, @the-witch-of-one-piece, @starrybrujita, @cherryblossom-chopper, @hollyberryfairy--they, too, have their oneshots coming up throughout the week, so please be sure to check their awesome hard work too!

🌹A/N: Despite mainly being an artist here, being able to participate in this collab allowed me to truly showcase my writing style and capabilities on my main & I only hope readers enjoy reading it as much as enjoyed writing it! I wanted this to truly mirror a legitimate dark fairy tale/short story retelling, and combined with my passion for literature and Trafalgar Law, it became one of my best & most ambitious work. There are so many themes behind this particular one laced in the setting, the wordplay, the scenario, and the final metamorphosis, so see if it goes to capture the atmosphere & romance I wanted to convey. And if you do read, thank you very much! (art & graphics are all made by me via hand or royalty-free images)

🌹WC: 9.36K (it was hard not to write a whole novel, so I settled for traditional short story 😂)

🌹Warnings: Blood, Violence/Action

Winter came once more. The mountains adopt a character of lupine jaws that refuse to let you escape, and the snow that carries upon the low growls of the eastern winds are the fangs that hold you in place. Nightingales no longer sing in your town, as they all left to a place beyond your reach, but as much as you yearn to possess their freedom, you never minded the cold. There was a comfort in the barren whiteness to you, like a phantom canvas where any possibility imaginable could be illustrated. Plus, the surrounding black forests adopted a quiet character to them, that made your missions and private journeys more agreeable. There was no better weather to patrol the forests in peace than in the snow.

You were a member of the Riding Hood Order as a Red Hood; an organization of mercenaries and hunters throughout various regions in the northern continent, and you currently were under review to be promoted to the Master rankage. To earn a coveted hood, prospective initiates must undergo rigorous training involving fundamental combative and weapon mastery, survival skills, and fluency in the creatures, magic, and märchen that exist throughout the continent, among other things to prove they deserve the honor. Recognizing your fascination with cryptids and giftedness in pathfinding at a young age, your schoolmaster recommended you to the Order once you reached the cusp of adolescence, and you made a statement in your year’s Final Hunt by successfully hunting a manticore that had an insatiable taste for humans and märchen creatures, alike. Your peers thought you mad when they found out that you weren’t planning to hunt a bear or a wolf, like the rest of them, but because you did not come from a family of hunters nor of The Riding Hoods, you had something to prove. Plus, you were aiming to earn a Red Riding Hood position in one fell swoop, which was a division consisting of the three best operatives in the Order, who were given the opportunity to select solo missions and allowed the most freedom to roam the landscape as they pleased. After all, it only took a little research to discover that the manticore would petrify upon seeing its reflection and that its poison had no effect on elephant skin. No sooner after you brought back the head of the creature that had been terrorizing the town for a decade, were you granted your red hood. But, a few curious details about the events continued to dwell on your mind.

Elephant hide was uncommon in your region and only statesmen with hefty coin purses could afford them. Yet on the night you noted your findings in your private forest alcove earlier that same afternoon, you saw a shadow leaping from your chamber window, only to find a pile of elephant hide crudely wrapped around some birch bark on the sill for you to fashion into a protective cloak. When you were examining the manticore corpse after slaying it, you felt that same sensation of something watching you from the foliage, and you found that the scorpion tail that you thought was cut by your snake blade, was in fact severed with a character resembling wolf claws. Furthermore, on nights patrolling the outskirts and shallows of the forests, you never failed to catch a glimpse of amber eyes watching you, like a phosphorous lantern floating in the darkness, waiting for the right time to consume everything in its vicinity.

As you sit at your post, situated by the mouth of the forest, you find yourself staring down that amber gaze through the gentle snow flurry, intently watching you with a predatory air and stealthily circling you from within the shadows. Whatever it is, it clearly seemed methodically patient, yet fascinated by you. You wonder if this had anything to do with “The Big Bad Wolf” that had been the town sensation for the past six years or if you unconsciously formed an attachment to a märchen when you secretly buried a family of wolves that were recklessly hunted by mid-rank Gray Hoods who wanted to sell the skin and bones for an extra profit. They didn’t even spare the cub and were unfortunately only given a slap on the wrist.

It was almost taboo to honor monsters from the forest, since doing so was thought to bring bad omen, but you felt that it was only proper to honor lives that were callously cut short, instead of discarding the bodies in a waste bin, so during the night of a new moon, you snuck the bones out for a proper burial in a field of lupines. Reflecting on it, that was when you began feeling the sense that you were being followed whenever you spent time in the forest. It was initially alarming at first, but over time you grew accustomed to your watcher, who became like an unseen companion in your daily routine.

“_____!” a voice called out to you. The golden eyes immediately dissipated into the shadows, upon hearing running footsteps in the snow.

You turn your head to greet your colleague from the Green Riding Hood division, who were just under the Red Riding Hoods in rank, “Oh? Going on your last assignment for the day?” you ask, observing the large basket hanging from their arm like a weighted shackle.

“No, actually. I’m here to give you an assignment from the chairman. They want you to deliver this to the Grandmaster,” they relate, outstretching the basket to you.

You give them an inquisitive look.

Strange. Usually your tasks as a Red Riding Hood didn’t involve going deep into the forest as a delivery person. “Are there not enough Gray Hoods to do the job?”

“They are undergoing a new training regiment and the chairman thought that since you’re already here, you could accomplish the task most efficiently as our best navigator, given that it’s almost nighttime,” they say. Once again, the basket of bread, cream, herbs, and parchment were outstretched to you, “The Grandmaster also has a new mission for you too, so it’ll be killing two birds in one stone.”

Your colleague looked at you in earnest, coaxing you to take the basket. What could have been so important that the Grandmaster had to personally call you into the forest, just before nightfall? However, it seemed that your green-cloaked colleague would not leave until you accepted the assignment--most likely because you both would get an earful from the council for not accomplishing a simple task--so you took it.

“I’m sure you’ll get it done quickly. I’ll cover your post until you come back,” they assured with a cordial smile that ironically felt almost as frigid as winter’s breath.

“Thank you…” you replied. This behavior was not uncommon. Being one of the most hardworking and diligent operatives in the Order earned you both reverence and intense whispers of envy; however something about this unnerved you…as if they were not expecting you to come back. It seemed something in the forest agreed with you too, signaled by a low growl rumbling through the pines.

You made haste, pulling your crimson hood over your head. Tonight will be one of the longest, with the week of the winter solstice permeating through your sleepy town in the mountains. Boundaries between the human world and märchen were blurred during this period, and you did not want to face off against a horde of monsters a day before Christmas Eve.

The forest possesses a heart of its own, but luckily, you were well-read in the paths that made its veins and the voices that made its heartbeat. Hanging pine and willows offer a somber branch over passerbys, like a fishing reel playing on their sympathies to snatch them into the dark unknown, but you keep your focus forward, brushing them away with your sword. Distant howls catch your attention and the flurry of frost intensifies, as you witness lupine silhouettes running on the parallel path. That’s right…Christmas Eve is the werewolf’s birthday and the Wolf’s Sabbath intersects with the Nativity, so they must be congregating in preparation for the upcoming revelry. Although the scene intrigued you, you kept alert, in case their interest turned to you, but the only beings that were currently hyper-fixated on you were the evening dryads that attempted to coax you into following them with their inviting smiles and mischievous chippering. However, you knew better than to stray from the path.

Night fell sooner than usual, but fortunately, you were at the final crossroads before reaching the Grandmaster’s headquarters. No flare was needed to tell that the left road took you on the Path of Needles that you usually used, and that the right led you on the Path of Pins, but just before you took another step, a voice spoke to you from behind.

“Are you sure you want to take the Path of Needles _______-ya?”

You startled, immediately whipping around and lighting your flare in a defensive stance to find yourself face to face with a tall wolfman with fur as black as darkest midnight. His eyes briefly held a drop of familiar golden glow, before melting into a silver, reflecting the December moonlight. He was a Valeteum wolfman who were known to possess many remarkable and fearsome supernatural abilities; the nature of his eyes told you as much.

“Who are you and how do you know my name?” You demanded.

“I think you’re already familiar with me by now, ________-ya. I’m the Big Bad Wolf, as your kind likes to call me,” he grinned, flashing his sharp canines, “My job in this forest is similar to yours, so how could I not know the name of the human who slayed the manticore?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, sensing that he was telling a half-truth, yet at the same time, you had an odd feeling that you could trust him not to try anything.

Stories of the Big Bad Wolf outwitting the town’s best hunters, leading children astray into the woods, feasting on the flesh of humans, and tearing people to shreds in sadistic amusement circulated the town, but as someone who frequents the forest, you knew that most of those tales were balderdash, save for the first and last. It was true that there was a highly intelligent creature that undid and reworked nearly every trap set up by prospective hunters and that there were occasions of human bodies found near the mouth of the forest as a warning sign. However, most of the bodies were rendered apart in an immaculate fashion that was vastly different than being torn apart by a savage beast, and most of them were composed of bandits, grave criminals, hunters with a record of unethicalness, and a few Riding Hood operatives who were discovered to be hunting outside of The Order’s assignments. Yes, you knew about him, but you did not fear him like the others.

Time seemed to stop as you regarded each other, with both you and the wolfman circling the other in a dance at crossroads. Something about him seemed familiar. His voice was like one that often recurred in your memory or a dream: low and smooth, with a charming austereness mixed with a touch hoarseness that spoke of both danger and comforting secrecy. You’ve heard it many times before, without ever hearing it in person. His eyes held a familiar piercing intensity and focus, resembling the ones that watched you all these years with undivided attention. You were certain that he was your watcher, but the question remains: Why?

“I see news travel fast in your world too,” you finally say, giving him a smirk of your own, “Though, you have me at a disadvantage Mr. Wolf, because you know my name, but I don’t know yours. The guest can’t greet their host without knowing their name and frankly, I think ‘Big Bad Wolf,’ is a bit of a cheesy mouthful.”

The wolfman gave a low chuckle, and it was then you noted the tattoos that embellished his strong torso, “I’m glad you aren’t fond of that either. And you’re correct. The forests are essentially alive, so everything that occurs here becomes recorded as part of its history.” He stopped his circling and closed the space between you, observing you up close for the first time—your icy breaths intermingling with one another, “You can call me Law.”

“Law…” you say with his name having a natural roll on your tongue, “So Law, what makes you think I shouldn’t take the Path of Needles? I’ve used it many times before without trouble.”

“Have you checked what was in the basket?” he prowled on all fours, taking a whiff of the parcel and made a disapproving expression, “This is lined with scents that make bears and blood wraiths insane. If you walk down there now, it will be a bloodbath and I can’t guarantee that you’ll get out there in one piece, even with your skills.”

Your eyes widened at that revelation and looked through the basket contents. You found nothing inside that could be out of place, but holding your flare closer to it, you noticed that the interior had a deeper reddish color compared to the outside. There was no strange scent, but maybe that was due to your human nose. If it was true that the basket was lined with something, it must mean that this was an elegant formula that only a handful of Green Hoods and the other two Red Riding Hoods were capable of brewing. “Are you suggesting that my own people sent me out here to be killed?” you ask, feeling a quiet fury inside of you boiling.

“I’m not suggesting it, I know it. You heard how that Greenie spoke to you earlier and you must have also noticed how your organization had been sending you on more oddly dangerous missions.”

Law seemed to know a lot about you, more than you would have liked a stranger to know. “That’s because I am one of their most reliable operatives. There are some missions that only I can accomplish that others can’t.”

“Are you, ________-ya? Or are you one of their biggest threats?”

His words struck you like a shock of frostbite that bit into your chest. You’ve worked tooth and nail to get to where you were today, so the thought that your colleagues and superiors would consider your determination a threat to them, angered you. But you knew he was right. You can’t deny that despite being well-liked enough, some of your peers looked at you differently from the day your promotion was announced and that your recent mission selections have felt more like punishments, rather than tests of courage. It was like no matter what you did or how well you executed a task, it was never enough.

You looked back on the white trail of your footsteps, leading back to the town.

“You couldn’t go back even if you wanted to, since they are guarding the forest entrance,” Law interjected, following your gaze.

“Then what do you suggest I do? If I disappear now, they’ll definitely send a search party throughout the woods. And I’m not even sure if the Grandmaster is actually expecting me or waiting to see my corpse when the sun comes up. ”

“We won’t know until you meet them, yourself.” Law closed his eyes in a moment of focus, taking a deep intake of breath, before reopening them again, revealing that unmistakable amber glow you’ve encountered many times before, “I sense some Greenies lurking around the woods right now, and a group of them waiting on the path of pins, at the possibility that you changed course. Your best bet is through the trees.”

He offered you a clawed hand that almost seemed to cut through the chill, with his dagger-like nails. You regarded him with trepidation and wonder, “Why are you helping me?”

“Let’s just say I pay back my debts,” he enigmatically answered. There was something his eyes were telling you, and although you did not know what, there was an honesty in them that you haven’t seen in a long time. You put your hand in his, melting away the snow that gathered inside his palms. A symphony of howls resounded throughout the forest at the contact, as if on cue.

“They’re coming,” Law lowly whispered, with an unhinged wildness overtaking his sharp features. He scooped you up in his strong arms and made a great leap upward into the trees.

Cold air wafted on your cheeks in a welcome greeting from the intangible unknown, as Law took you on an exhilarating experience you never had before. Black branches powdered with snow outstretched themselves to form a path for him to traverse above the trees, as puffs of white fog obscured the path behind you to misdirect anyone or anything that could be following you. Occasionally, when Law landed on a hawthorn or cherry tree, he would pick a bundle of red berries for you to put into your waist pouch to try later. For a moment in time, you forgot about your position as a Red Riding Hood and that you were allegedly being hunted by your own Order. You were once again a wide-eyed child within Law’s black-coated arms that reflected the sincerity of the moon above. You did not know why, but for once in your life, you felt protected, so you took off your glove and stretched out an arm, without reservation, to begin feeling the foliage between your fingers. You smiled to yourself, feeling the chill kissing your hand and proceeded to play with any snowflakes or curious night sprites that danced around it. If this is what it meant being led astray by the wolves, then perhaps you should have done this sooner.

“Having fun straying from the path?” Law asked with a toothy grin, observing how your smile widened each time he leapt from tree-to-tree.

“Yes, very much so,” you replied. Being curious, you ran a hand through the fur on his bicep, which caused him to briefly tense and whip his head down to you with his pierced ears perked up in alert at the unexpectedness. He looked at you with constricted pupils and eyes blown wide in befuddlement, asking you what you did that for. “I’m sorry, I just wondered how a wolfman’s fur felt compared to a regular wolf’s. I shouldn’t have done that without asking,” you say in genuine apology.

Law sighed, jumping down from the last tree in front of the Grandmaster’s headquarters to set you down, “It’s a good thing you didn’t do that while I was mid-leap or we could have found ourselves with a serious concussion before Christmas.”

“A more unexpected holiday gift compared to being ambushed by people you should have been able to trust?” you responded with playful irony, straightening yourself out.

“Heh, I think we’ll find more unexpected holiday gifts once you walk through that door,” he returned, carefully brushing some snow off your crimson hood and crossing his arms in thought, “Actually…you should enter through her office balcony, so I can stake out just in case anything happens.”

Once again, you wondered why he was going through these lengths to help you, but you kept it to yourself. You went to the south-facing side of the building, where the Grandmaster’s balcony should be and threw your grappling hook upward. Law accompanied you on the climb, carrying your basket for you in-between his teeth and tossed it to you once you hoisted yourself over the ledge.

You looked inside the glass doors and saw the Grandmaster’s platinum blonde hair and violet cloak facing away from you, contemplating the updated map of the forest you created for the Order last month. You knocked on the door frame to catch her attention.

She noticed you and went to unlock the door, “Oh? You’re already here, dear? I wasn’t expecting you for another hour in this time of day and weather, no less coming from the balcony.”

“I had to make haste, since this delivery seemed important and the balcony was the fastest way,” you say, setting the basket down on a nearby table, “I heard you have a new mission for me?”

“Hmm? Oh, oh yes, I did,” she responded, as if barely remembering something, “But why don’t you lay down first, dear? You look absolutely haggard, as if you were running from the wolves or some foul beast…you didn’t encounter any beasts on your way here?”

You opted to stand and leaned cross-armed against the doorframe. The rushing cold Law introduced to you earlier was more inviting than the stuffy office, lined with a multitude of hunting trophies and honors. “No, it seemed that most of them are hibernating for the winter,” you fibbed, “Though I encountered an unusual number of Green Hoods on my way here.”

You observed the corner of her mouth twitch; whether in ire or amusement, you could not tell. She moved to her desk and pulled out two crystal drinking glasses from a compartment. “They are most likely scanning the woods for any anomalies that usually occur during solstices. I’m sure your branch chairman sent them out for that reason,” the Grandmaster uncorked a bottle of apple cider and poured the liquid into the cups and offered one to you, “Care for a drink after a long journey, my dear?”

“No thank you, I’m good,” you politely refused, not inclined towards the risk of poison. The woman never offered you a drink in all the instances you visited, and you doubted that the Christmas spirit influenced this sudden kindness. Furthermore, if delivering the basket was so urgent, why had she not inspected the contents yet nor related your new assignment?

“Pardon my forwardness, but is there something that you require of me to call me here so late in the day?” you ask.

The woman donned in her cloak of proud violet provided you a stiff smile. She put down the crystal glass with impatience and made her way over to the basket, casually inspecting the elements, “Yes, my dear…I require to know why you were seen fraternizing with The Big Bad Wolf at the Crossroads of Pins and Needles just earlier.”

A chill, sharper than the icicles, ran down your spine. How did she know that? Law said that the nearest Green Hoods he could smell were down the Path of Pins. Seeing your perplexion, she lifted the rolled parchment from the basket. When she undid the string, it revealed illustrations of your journey, from the moment you entered the forest, till the point you met Law, before the rest was muddled in inky fog.

“I have the other half of this parchment that allowed me to see what you’ve been up to, my dear Red. I could forgive you if you’d shown up with his pelt, but to my disappointment, you came empty-handed. For a monster of his pedigree, I don’t expect it to have been easy, but for someone being considered to be promoted to a Master Riding Hood, I had hoped you could have slain him like you did to that other beast five years ago.”

She was patronizing you and for a moment you were one with the black branches outside, trembling from the wind with a determination to keep your ground. “He meant no harm and only showed me a quicker way to you, beyond the path. There was no reason for me to kill him, and you must have noticed too that most of his victims were people who were asking for retribution from the forest.”

“Listen to yourself speaking of him like a harmless rabbit; to think that you of all people would be so easily charmed by a wolf,” she tutted, “They are savage incarnates fueled by their own bloodlust. We don’t need a reason to kill them, it’s just natural to do.”

“That is not what the previous Grandmaster thought,” you countered, “There is always a consequence for actions, and the forest is not our open season to do as we please.”

“That short-sighted philosophy is why the last Grandmaster lost their position to me, because they valued empty ideals like honor instead of putting the town’s well-being first. Under my wing, the Order and the town have flourished in affluence…thanks to the market value that märchen creatures provide these days.”

You gritted your teeth, “Are you telling me that I was sent on all those mercenary missions abroad in some wastelands, just so you could run a black market?”

The blonde woman only hummed and went to stoke the fire, “Correction: expand the market, my dear. And you had to be sent away, since you would have caused an awful lot of trouble for me. Unfortunately, you were too good at your job, so I couldn’t prevent your recommendations for promotion.” The chamber seemed to grow colder, despite the vigorous flames lapping in the fireplace. “Another thing I would like to ask is why you purloined the bones of the Big Bad Wolf’s kin before the year of your Final Hunt. They could have sold for a very handsome price, you know, since many people seek Valeteum wolves for the benefits their flesh and bones bring. But you don’t seem to be the merchant type, so the only explanation I can think of is that you went to bury them…and you know that is taboo. I can’t have anyone under me with a high rank who keeps secrets and may become renegade one day,” she concluded.

You tensed, but said nothing, because it would have been a waste of breath. “So that’s why Law appeared to know me and went out of his way to protect me…I allowed his family to pass onto the afterlife and often punished those who tried to poach the forest creatures…if he has a similar job as I do in his world, that means we have an unspoken pact with each other,” you thought to yourself.

Finding your silence as an admission of guilt and refusal to further cooperate with her, the Grandmaster pulled out a pistol from the fireplace bas-relief and fixed the barrel at your head as if executing a lame animal. “For your last mission _______… please die quietly.”

“Like hell I would,” you growled, artfully dodging the bullet nanoseconds after the pop of the gun. At that very moment, a shower of glass crashed throughout the office, and you rolled away from the impact area to see Law in his beastly wolf form with shadowy mists exuding from ropes of his midnight coat, and golden eyes blown wide that could have melted from seething rage at any moment. He moved to guard your body, buying you the few seconds you needed to unlink the blades on your snake sword to command them in a defensive web around the both of you.

“Oh what’s this? Don’t tell me you are in love with my Red Hood to go through these lengths, Wolf.”

Law let out a dangerous snarl, baring his teeth against the Grandmaster, “She’s done many favors for both your organization and the forest, so I have a degree of respect for her. And I repay my debts, unlike you.” With every word, his murderous aura intensified. “My wolf pack helped your band of hoods exterminate the cockatrices all those years ago, and what did you do? You had us killed, including my little sister…for cheap pawn money?!” he gnashed his teeth, itching to crush the Grandmaster’s neck between his jaws.

She fired 3 rounds of bullets in the gaps of your defense, but your eyes were quick and you commanded the movements of your blade to shift, so they would block them. This allowed Law to lunge towards her in a zig-zag motion that made his striking zone unpredictable. He only managed to brutishly tear at the Grandmaster’s prized violet cloak, as she ducked and attempted to sweep his hind legs from under and shoot him, which he anticipated with a leap and a swat of his claws that tore at her cheek. You guided your sword like a lethal ribbon around the Grandmaster’s right arm, including the leg she was balancing on, and quickly ran to her from the side in order to relink the chain, so you could cleanly slice the limbs. However, you were only able to cut her arm, being stopped mid-technique, as she attempted to shoot a sedative dart from her left gauntlet. Thankfully, Law was quick and managed to catch the dart and crush its contents between his hands.

Suddenly, the office doors broke down with a flood of Green Hoods and White Hoods, who served as bodyguards for Order councilmen.

“ ________ is a traitor colluding with the Wolf to murder me! Get them!!!”

You hated that some of them sneered, suggesting that they’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Being trained professionals, they quickly surrounded you and Law, who found yourselves back-to-back.

“Was approaching me today a part of your grand revenge plan?” you ask him, poised to use your blade-sweep technique, “because if it was, I guess I should thank you, since it kept me alive.”

“No. Believe it or not, I didn’t plan for this, but I don’t like the idea that someone highly regarded by both of our worlds would be assassinated in a low-blow by backstabbers, so you could say I acted on a whim,” he replied, and you could sense the corner of his lips curling into a smile, “Let me show you why they call me The Big Bad Wolf.”

“Oblige me,” you smirked.

With a terrible growl, he effortlessly leapt upward to the chandelier, knocking back the first wave of hoods with a pulse of shadow energy, as you unlinked your blades to cut at the ankles and throats of those remaining in the front lines. Those in the back fired their crossbows and sedatives at him, which he rendered apart by slashing the air and projecting a burst of electric energy at them in a shape reminiscent of wolf claws, tearing at the crowd. You took this opportunity to wrangle a horde of the mob in place, so you could run through them, alternating between linking and unlinking the snake sword in a figure-eight motion that sent a few opponents into the air and injuring many with the blades. As you worked, Law focused on the groups at your rear, diving into the heart of the crowd from the chandelier into a mass of obsidian shadow, before his large claws ripped through the crowd in a reverse half-moon motion, incapacitating the entirety of the horde. Your lips almost touched once you rounded back to each other in the midst of the skirmish, and despite only meeting tonight, you both agreed that you made an effective team.

By the end of it, your red cloak and his dark fur were coated in blood, and only the Grandmaster remained atop the sea of the wounded or dead. She held her bloody arm and backed against the paneled wall with a face of a madwoman desperate to know what went wrong, and Law’s lupine ears could hear her bones rattling in genuine fear, like the ashen film trembling on the fireplace. She would be the pre-sacrifice on the Eve of the werewolf’s birthday to ensure a full moon on Christmas Day…and Law was the reaper.

“If you want me to be a savage incarnate, that is what I’ll become for disgusting prey, like you,” Law growled, returning to his hybrid form and wrapping his claws around the Grandmaster’s neck, “And a word of advice for the afterlife: You shouldn’t demonize the monster, but the thing that created it.”

The fear in her eyes intensified, but then drew back into one of mirth looking past Law’s face, and that was when you saw a White Hood poised with a crossbow aiming at your wolfman.

“LAW!!”

Your legs moved by instinct, in spite of the exhaustion from fighting for the past twenty minutes. You threw yourself in front of him and extended your sword to pierce into the White Hood’s heart, painting a scarlet blossom across their uniform. Law’s eyes widened in horror at that split second, as you cried out in anguish when the arrow pierced between the flesh of your shoulder and collarbone. No, this can’t happen to someone he cared about again. Not now. He quickly snapped the Grandmaster’s neck, to catch your falling figure in his bloody arms, swaddling you in your crimson cloak.

“________-ya!”

You hissed, feeling the poison coating the arrow burn through your skin and seeping into your veins.

“Out--Out--Law--poison!” was all you managed to choke, taking deep breaths between the searing pain.

Law’s eyes were moving in panic, despite his composed facade. Knowing he had to act quickly, he tore your sleeve from your blouse, and stuffed it in your mouth, coaxing you to bite down, so he could pull the arrow out without you biting off your tongue. It hurt him to see you suffering, so he placed a kiss on your forehead as an apology, before swiftly pulling out the arrow, which made you wail in agony.

It was painful. So painful. Not only because you could possibly die within the next hour, but also due to your aggrievement at being betrayed by people you thought you could trust—feeling as if all you worked for was for nought. It wasn’t your decision to join the Riding Hood Order, but you tried to make the most of it, which turned out to be wasted time. You thought that if you did your best, exceeded expectations, and helped improve its reputation, that somehow, you could have a sense of fulfillment or earn a sense of freedom in a life that only seemed to be dictated by expectations and giving, but seldom getting. But in the end, you were a caged trophy bird that they discarded once you did not sing the tune they liked.

“Hang on ________-ya. You’ll be alright, I’ll make sure of it. Just hang on for me,” you hear Law whisper to you in a desperate promise. You give him a weak nod, not finding the strength to open your eyes, as tears streamed down your face.

December winds gently whistled against your ear and cooled your aching muscles, distracting you from the speed Law was carrying you towards an unknown destination. The scent of lupines soon overtook your senses, once you felt Law slow down, and it tempered the strong iron from the blood staining the both of you. He took you inside a place where sounds became hollow, which you guessed was his den, and gently laid you down on a bed of conifer leaves covered with an array of tarp or cloth he’s salvaged over the years. A confused hum escaped you, feeling him undo your red cloak and pull down your blouse.

“This won’t hurt as much compared to earlier,” he assured you, “I’m going to suck out the poison, so I’ll need you to relax as much as possible.”

You nodded, letting out a puff of cold breath to relax your body and gasping when you felt his goatee brushing your skin followed by his warm tongue on your wound. It was a foreign sensation, but strangely pleasant. Not wasting any time, his silver eyes glew gold again and he began sucking the poison out in earnest, causing you to jolt in surprise. There was a little pain, but he was careful not to hurt you with his canines and took your hand to rest it in the thick of his hair as consolation. You clung onto Law with great ardor while he alternated between extracting the poison and spitting it into a nearby bowl, and you found his fur analogous to the softest black silk anyone could find throughout the continent. Taking shallow breaths, you laced your fingers in his mane, appreciating the sensation and sometimes petted him while he worked, earning you an occasional low rumble of canine satisfaction from him. Once he determined that every drop of poison was removed, according to your scent, he gently cleaned the opening of the wound and lapped it close with his Valeteum wolf abilities, as if you never were shot at all. But by the time he was finished, you were already asleep from exhaustion.

Morning broke, yet the sun remained obscured by blankets of thick silver clouds bringing down a gentle snowfall around Law’s sanctuary. He was the first to wake, wishing to sit a morning vigil for you in the case that someone followed your tracks, but you also stirred from a shock of frost hitting your skin when his warmth left you. Pine and spruce began to overtake your senses mixed with a touch of warm muskiness, and your eyes fluttered open to meet Law, who regarded you with a depth of tenderness and concern that made you feel at home for once. How strange it was, that a wolfman whose eyes carrying the dogmatism of ice and the dangerous allure of candlelight could have done so much more for you in one night, than any other person had done for you in ten years, aside from the previous Grandmaster.

He carefully threaded his fingers through your hair, taking a moment to appreciate the tactile sensation of a human who was unafraid of him, and found that you felt like the embodiment of suppleness and serenity. You were lost in studying his canine features and the soothing feeling of his hand on you, that you did not realize how closely you were pressed against him in the traditional wolfish fashion to conserve heat. You only became aware of the intimate proximity when Law shifted a little to lick off a snowflake that found its way onto your face from the outside, causing you to flush.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, amused at your flustered expression.

“A little,” you replied, pulling your red cloak closer to you in a habit of hiding your embarrassment.

Your wolfman stood up to fetch you some food he gathered for the winter, allowing you to see his full height for the first time. You didn’t have an opportunity to thoroughly take note of his features from the previous night due to the darkness and the fight, but now you could appreciate how his midnight fur possessed a subtle azure sheen to it when hit with light, and how his pelt beautifully accentuated the sculpture of his strong muscles. When he returned with a basket of various fruits and meat, you found yourself captivated by the black ink that decorated his broad human chest. ‘The wolves will lead you astray,’ they told you, but you would rather get lost with him than stay with those who bite the hand that feeds.

“You probably don’t eat them raw, so I’ll make a fire to cook them for you, ________,” he said, referring to the meat.

You smile, noting that he dropped the suffix he used the previous night, “Thank you, but you don’t have to wait to eat on my account, you must be starving from yesterday.”

He only made a sound through his nose, “The host has to treat his guest, right? So we’ll eat together.”

You found yourself chuckling at his reference to your encounter yesterday, which he was internally grateful to see, since you slept with such a grim look on your face throughout the night.

While you were waiting for the meat to cook, you took an apple for yourself. Law was too preoccupied making sure to not burn the meat, so you took the initiative to tap on his shoulder and offer him some blueberries and lobeira from the basket, since you knew wolves were fond of the fruits. Although you were not sure to what degree wolfmen shared the same traits as their animal counterparts, he responded with gratitude, and you thought that you would melt seeing how his big bushy tail swayed back and forth, while eating out of your hand.

After your meal, Law took you on a walk with him around the surrounding area. In this sanctuary, winter had seemed to freeze the river of time, so that every aspect of the world, from the most humble toadstool to the proud eastern winds could do as they pleased. Branches of pine and juniper brush your shoulders in greeting, as you follow him past a screen of willow flanked by opalescent boulders to a meadow of lupines roamed by ethereal winter märchen that painted a scene analogous to a living glass menagerie.

You’ve encountered many enchanting spectacles throughout your patrols and private promenades throughout the forest, but never like this.

“So this is what you protect?” you ask Law in wonder, spinning around in a circle, when a few small bats, created from the essence of auroras, flitted around you in curiosity, “It’s not so different from the peace that I try to preserve in my world.”

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, when an adorable bun-shaped snowflake sprite rested on his head with a chippery giggle. Law’s ears twitched and a confused expression graced his handsome features. The creature began bouncing on his head, wanting him to play. He let out an exasperated sigh, telling it that he was currently occupied, and lifted the little creature off his head to give it to you, seeing how you were gushing over it.

“It isn’t. The only difference is that you were born into the human world and I was born as a märchen. I never planned to be the protector of this forest, but human activity had gradually been killing its heart over the years, which you probably noticed by how hostile it’s grown towards humans,” he related, walking you down rows of powdered flowers, “I had nothing to lose at that time back then, so naturally, I was chosen to be its champion. But if no other being was up to make sure there was justice for us märchen, it might as well have been me, in the end.”

His resolve was firm, from the way his voice communicated his thoughts to you with deep conviction, but at the same time, there was a weariness in his eyes that you were all too familiar with. He too yearned for freedom. He too, yearned for a moment where he could simply exist as he was, without burdens…without expectations…without the tales spun about him.

“I understand your feelings, completely,” you tell Law, releasing the snowflake sprite into the air to take his hand in yours, “It’s not a thankless job being able to see the ones you protect being able to live out their happinesses and how you make many lives much easier…but…sometimes you wish that you could have what you provide for others, too.” Law tightened his grip on your hand, silently demonstrating to you how he felt akin to that sentiment. Your eyes assumed a melancholy he had seen many times when you would write or contemplate to yourself in your private alcove, but he let you continue, “Blades like us have to be the best at what we do and occasionally bloody our hands or work in the shadows, so the beings in our world won’t have to. It’s fulfilling, sharpening your skills and seeing all the gratitude and acknowledgements, but…”

“But in the end, you are the only one who will fend for yourself, because it’s expected that you can shoulder anything that’s thrown at you…even betrayal,” he finished, as if seeing right through you. Law knew your mind quite well, from the times he watched you write in your journal or mused to yourself. Though even if he never watched you, he would have still understood you, like how the moon understands the heart of wanderers.

“Yes…That’s why I can’t go back. I’ll either be gutted like prey or if I’m forgiven, I’ll just be a hound on a tighter leash,” you ruefully state, “And that’s no way to live.”

He nodded in agreement, “Then in the meantime, you can live with me until you decide where you want to go from here.” You gave him an appreciative smile and continued walking hand-in-hand through the field of powdered lupines, before Law stopped in his tracks,“Follow me, I have one more place to show you, before we go back to the den,” he tells you, leading you deeper in the meadow of lupines.

You pass through a cluster of cedar and a group of ice stallions dancing upon skates of white fog, until finding yourself in a part of the lupin meadow that seemed familiar. Solemnity and repose characterized this place, and in the center of the meadow clearing were three cool-grey stones gently dusted by the snow. You easily guessed the importance of Law bringing you here.

“This is where I buried your family six years ago.”

“Yes,” he confirmed, “I can hear their howls in the wind on some days, thanks to you.” He closed his eyes for a moment, deeply focusing on how the wind made instruments out of the trees, before he heard it. “They want to thank you again for allowing them to pass onto the afterlife, for that time you gave your lunch to those lost wolf pups three summers ago, for slaying the manticore and holding humans accountable in the forest for their actions, and—” Law’s ears perked up in alert, as some rosiness crept on his cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” you ask.

“My sister is getting ahead of herself…” he grumbled.

Now you were curious and cocked your head to the side, asking him what she said.

Law was reluctant, but it appeared like he was having a difficult conversation with the wind, seeing how his ears shifted a lot, as he began growling in exasperation. “She said ‘thank you for being her big brother’s mate,’” he finally grunted, gritting out his blush. Fortunately for him, you were too speechless in your own blushing to react for a moment.

“T-tell your family that I thank them and that I deeply appreciate their gratitude, though I was only doing what I thought was right,” you say, pulling your cloak closer to you and struggling to compose your heartbeat. The magic of the woods held many unexpected things, indeed.

You and Law spent some time talking about your childhoods and enjoying the tranquility of the scene before you. It was nice being able to have this undisturbed moment in time. There were intervals where it was difficult to look each other in the eye, after what his sister said, but whatever words you lost in your growing awareness of each other, Law made up by picking you some lupines that caught your eye. Before you returned to the den, you opened your waist pouch that still contained the red hawthorn berries and cherries Law picked for you the previous night and laid them atop the graves as an offering. Then you heard it. It was only a faint trace, but you swore you heard three distinct wolf howls in the wind. Although Law maintained a neutral expression, that gesture alone held a deep gravity of meaning to him.

“I still want to know why you went so far to save my life and helped me so much,” you finally ask him, bringing a snow-powdered blue lupin to your nose while walking ahead of him, “Providing me the resources to face the manticore and cutting off its tail for me should have been enough compensation for helping your family pass on.”

His black tail swished in thought, looking into the rolling horizon, and then to you, who appeared like a deep red rose in the expanse of whiteness and frozen flowers, “I didn’t really know my reasons at first, either. I assumed it was because I felt that I still owed you a debt for the favors you did for the forest, or because I wanted to see you become a Grandmaster in the future for the betterment of both our worlds; however…”

He paused, conflicted if he should honestly express his heart to you, but the way you regarded him with patience and fondness provided him the certainty of courage to press on.

“I…I’ve become attached to you after seeing what kind of person you were. After all these years, I still could never take my eyes off you,” Law said, halting in place.

The tinkling of snow crystals ceased and the forest seemed to lean in to listen to its’ champion’s confession. A cool gust blew the ends of your crimson cloak upward in a manner reminiscent of doves holding up a bride’s veil, and you felt your heart being reeled into his own with every gradual step towards his solitary figure in the snow. You’ve seen and drawn his eyes many times, to the point where you memorized every nuance, and in this moment, they reflected both genuine affection and a fear that you would be repulsed by a wolfman’s love. If you turned away or were a step too late, you felt as if he would disappear into the winter mist as a transient memory.

But you wouldn’t have that.

In the spanse of one night, you’ve experienced tastes of freedom, peace, understanding, and tenderness through him, and you refused to let that go. For once, you had someone who was unconditionally on your side and showed you aspects of life that you were only able to manifest in your imagination. He had been protecting you all this time and you wanted to return that by protecting him for the rest of your life. You wanted to protect your Big Bad Wolf, whose path was undeniably intertwined with yours, and to whom your heart had been calling out to for all these years.

“Law, if I told you that I’ve fallen for you…what would you do?” you ask, standing just a breath away. You gingerly reached out a hand to brush dots of snow that nestled into his midnight mane, but before you could finish, he took your hand in his and pulled you into a tight embrace.

“I’d make you my mate,” he answered, taking a deep inhale of your scent.

“Then I want that to be my future,” you tell him, raising your head to look into his eyes, “I want you to be at the end of where I go from here.”

A rumble reverberated through his chest, communicating his happiness and excitement, “Are you sure you want that? Once I mark you, you will be bound to me forever.”

“Yes,” you answered with a smile of certainty, “It would mean that you would always be with me.”

He slightly released you from his embrace, so he could see your expression, which held the same untamed excitement he did for the unwritten future. But this time, Law did not want to watch you for long, as he brought his lips down to yours in a passionate kiss. You wrapped your arms around him in the fashion of beastly jaws that refuse to release its prey and he responded by deepening the kiss, deliberately dragging his tongue across your lips to get a small taste of you. You pulled away for air, before leaning in again; this time with more gentle pecks and allowing him to explore your mouth, which he did with a wolf’s thoroughness. You felt your legs lifted from under you, as Law carried you in his arms back to the den, and the way his tail could not stop wagging back and forth was extremely endearing.

The scenery around you appeared to celebrate too, with the blue, white, and violet flowers releasing their sweet scent into the air and the snow dancing in practiced illustration on wind currents that whistled around you. Distant lupine howls traveled from the mountains to your ears, causing Law’s heartbeat to race and join in the throng with his own impassioned howl.

Ah yes, today was the werewolf’s birthday, after all, and the solstice was the gateway towards rebirth and new beginnings…and the last Valeteum Wolf of the North just announced to all that he found his mate.

He laid you down on his bed of pine and spruce, gently bading you to remove your cloak, which you gladly did. You discarded every piece of your human modesty and willingly bared your neck to your Big Bad Wolf.

He gave an affectionate lick to your skin, before making a sound of beastly hunger and bit down on the supple flesh with vehement fervor. You whimpered from the shot of pain, but it would evanesce by tomorrow, like the snow of years past. Law made sure you wouldn’t be in pain for long and kissed the tears away.

“My mate…,” he whispered against your skin, carefully tearing and biting through your human flesh to slowly reveal a coat of beautiful fur underneath. He was consuming you completely and entirely, and you shrugged off the remnants of your mortality in willing surrender.

“My mate,” you whisper back, pressing a kiss of your own to his bloody lips.

Tears melted into the skin, like snow under the first sliver of heavenly brightness, and evaporated to reveal the birth of a new märchen created on the night of the werewolf’s birthday. You opened your eyes to the phantasmic light of Christmas Day, cradled in the safety of Law’s arms, with your bodies tangled within the blanket of your crimson cloak. You found him watching you, like always, with an inquisitive and tender gaze, inspecting your new lupine appearance. Every sensory aspect seemed more profound to you today, signaled by the twitch of your wolf ears and the new acuity in your nose…and you couldn’t help but comment about the variety of sensory dimensions you were taking in.

“What big eyes you have, Law,” you muse to your wolfman, wondering why you hadn’t noticed that trait before.

Law raised an eyebrow at your odd morning greeting, but decided to humor you. After all, the world will unfold itself anew to you following your transformation last night. “The better to see you with, ________, and watch you become a part of my world,” he smoothly responded.

“What big ears you have,” you continued, giving them a tender scratch. His ears flicked and folded at the satisfying sensation.

“All the better to hear you with, when you need me and listen to whatever’s on your mind,” he said, bringing your hand down and taking it in his.

“What big hands you have,” you chimed with laughter, closing your fingers over his own.

“All the better to hold you with,” he responds, moving atop your body and wrapping an arm underneath to pull you flush against him.

You smile, finding this little game between you two amusing. You raise your head to him, shooting him a coy glance, which he returned with a smirk showcasing his dangerous canines, “My, Law, what big teeth you have.”

“All the better to eat you with, _______,” he says, playfully nibbling your skin, as wolves do to demonstrate affection. Laughter filled the den and naturally died down when you nipped at his nose and maneuvered your weights, so you were now on top of him. He was initially caught off guard by your strength, but welcomed the new vantage point to admire his mate.

“How do you feel?” Law asked you in a low timbre, concerned if there were any complications with your transformation.

“I feel…free,” you answer, flashing him your pearly canines, “Let’s go on a brief patrol? We might be able to catch a glimpse of the Wolf’s Sabbath tonight.”

“I have an even better idea, _______,” he smirked with a raw primalness glazing over his eyes and tying your bloody red hood around you, “Let’s hunt.”

And it only took a look between you two to understand that the snow would be stained red by those who trespass on the Wolf's Sabbath that night.

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