#zoro: do you wanna have wado?

[bitterly-almond]

more Kuina lived AU with some slight changes

it feels like every time i draw her she gets bigger. i still want zoro to have wado as a symbol of their promise so i gave kuina the nidai to go with zoro's sandai :))

#zoro: do you wanna have wado? #kuina: nah. i'll take her from you after we fight for the greatest sword user title #thank you guys for the enthusiastic support for buff masc kuina 🤲 #one piece fanart #artists on tumblr #one piece #roronoa zoro #shimotsuki kuina #tashigi #chopper plz give zoro sum glasses hes blind thats why he gets lost all the time

[salty-says]

Random Zoro x reader x Sanji drabble I’ve had in my head. Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Synopsis: Strawhats dock at an island and Zoro sees a familiar face and Sanji swoons.

Fem Reader

No warnings

The Merry was docked at a quaint island where the crew relaxed and enjoyed the paradise that the island was. The villagers at first stood their ground and put up their defenses. But as soon as Luffy introduced himself exclaiming that he wanted meat, and Nami hitting him upside the head, they stood down.

Eventually, Nami was relaxing on the beach, a tropical drink in her hand. Robin was admiring the ruins of an ancient temple. Usopp was freaking out over the cool gadgets the weapon shops had. Chopper was learning about some new medicines that the island had. And Luffy was stuffing his face at a local restaurant.

Then there was Sanji and Zoro who were tasked with replenishing the supplies that the crew needed when they were to set sail once more. They were put to this task after one of their fights made Nami mess up one of her maps that she had spent hours working on. She told them if they didn’t get along then she would toss Sanji’s favorite knives into the ocean and rip out Zoro’s earrings from his ear.

Zoro and Sanji walked down the cobblestone path with their arms crossed. Sanji looked down at the paper in his hands, “My sweet Nami-Swan needs new paper and some ink. Maybe I’ll even get her some new clothes that show off her beautiful curves~!” Sanji balled his fists as his eyes turned into hearts.

Zoro scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Chill out Love Cook. Let’s just get this crap so I can go onto relaxing, away from you!”

“Oh hush Marimo. You know nothing of beauty. After all your brain is full of moss!” Sanji snapped at himz

Zoro reached for Wado, “Wanna say that again shit cook?!”

“Maybe I will, crappy swordsman!” Sanji planted his feet firm into the stone and butted heads with Zoro.

“I’ve had it with you!” Zoro unsheathed his sword and Sanji raised his right leg.

“Excuse me boys, do we have a problem?” A female voice interrupted them.

Sanji and Zoro turned to the voice. A woman with a hat and a plume stood before them, her face masked behind her hat. Sanji instantly lit up and his eyes became hearts and his hands clasped together and raised near his face.

“Lady! I need lady!” Sanji yelled.

Zoro scowled at Sanji and turned to the woman. She lifted her chin up a bit so the sun hit her face. Zoro’s eyes narrowed a bit as he studied her. She strutted forward and Zoro noted the two swords attached to her back. Her heeled boots clicked against the cobblestone.

“Long time no see Zoro,” she smirked as she stood in front of the two men.

Zoro studied her a bit longer before a huge smile appeared on his face, “No freakin way. Y/N?!”

“In the flesh,” she smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Sanji’s jaw dropped to the ground and his eyes became wide and his eyebrows narrowed. “What the hell?”

Zoro wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. “S’good to see ya sweetheart.”

She chuckled and blushed as he kissed her forehead.

“Excuse me, what?” Sanji exclaimed.

Zoro moved Y/N to his other side away from Sanji, “you should stay away from this pervy cook.”

Y/N giggled and caresses Zoro’s cheek, “I think I can hold my own.” She walked back around to were Sanji was and held out a hand for Sanji to shake. “I’m Y/N, it’s lovely to meet you.”

Sanji’s eyes went back to hearts as he took her hand gently and raised it carefully to his lips and give it a kiss, “The pleasure is all mine mademoiselle.”

Y/N blushed and smiled.

“Alright that’s enough,” Zoro took back Y/N’s hand in his own.

“You shouldn’t man handle a lady that like, Mosshead,” Sanji scowled.

“Up yours waiter,” Zoro pushed Sanji away a bit and Sanji retaliated by kicking him. They began to butt heads once more.

“I hate it when men fight over me,” Y/N scoffed and rolled her eyes. She pulled out one of her swords and knocked them both on their heads with end of the handle.

Zoro groaned and rubbed his head, “Meanie.”

“How lucky am I to be hit by such a lovely lady?” Sanji swooned as blood trickled out of his nose.

“I think you guys need to learn to get along,” she huffed and crossed her arms.

“I would never get along with that idiot,” Zoro grimaced.

“And I wouldn’t with this asshole,” Sanji took a drag of his cigarette.

She rolled her eyes. “What are you even doing here Zoro?”

“My crew is docked here for a bit to re supply,” he responded simply.

“Ah I see. Oh by the way, I saw your bounty. I couldn’t believe it. Guess pirate hunting was a short gig.”

“Yeah, yeah. Is there any bars around here? We can talk over a drink,” Zoro scratched his head.

“Is booze really all you can think about, moss head even though there’s a beautiful lady that’s too good for you right in front of you!” Sanji’s eye twitched.

Y/N patted Zoro’s back, “Of course, I know the perfect spot.”

Zoro wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “Lead the way sweetheart.”

Y/N rested her head against his chest and turned back to Sanji, “Are you going to be joining us?”

“Anything for you beautiful Y/N!” Sanji swooned.

Zoro grimaced and Y/N elbowed him gently.

#one piece x reader #one piece #sanji x reader #roronoa zoro #zoro x reader #zosan #zosan x reader #vinsmoke sanji #black leg sanji #marimo

[braimin]

Omg I love the trope ppl do sometimes where Sanji gives birth to a mini marimo, and Zoro and the kid always fight each other or like compete for Sanjis attention. And it’s even funnier if he also has a daughter cuz of course his little lady is gonna always have Sanjis attention and she knows and is so smug about it.

I think Zoro and his daughter are united on all fronts until she turns like eight. Like they are total partners in crime through out her toddler years. Zoro is busy giving her just as much attention as Sanji so he doesn't really care if him and his husband can't spend as much time together as they used to. They have a baby now, that's where both of their focus is going.

But then she turns eight and Sanji goes back to working full time and suddenly she cares less about what Zoro is doing and more about Sanji paying attention to her. Which is cute at first, she misses her daddy now that he's spending more time in the kitchen. But Zoro also misses his husband now that he's spending more time in the kitchen.

Minimo (that's her name for now) has the baby privileges though, so she can walk into the kitchen at anytime and say 'Papa I wanna eat with you.' and Sanji immediately drops everything and sits down with his girl. She also would rather starve than eat anything that wasn't made by him. Zoro has to either kidnap Sanji, or wait until after their daughter has gone to bed. And Sanji goes to sleep early so Zoro only has like two hours to spend with him after that.

So Zoro and Minimo start competing with each other for attention. They both have their own trump card that is guarantied to win Sanji over. Hers is to ask if they can make something together (it's usually a little sandwich because those are her favorite and it's easy to make). Zoro's is to tell Sanji they're going on a date (they don't go out very often so when Zoro plans something it's usually something big). They both feel like that's cheating though so they don't use their trump cards unless they like actually really want Sanji's attention for the day. For the most part their days are spent basically pulling on Sanji's pant leg like children (well, one of them actually is so it looks normal when she does it, it looks ridiculous seeing Zoro practically beg for his attention though).

Sanji is aware that they do this and he really does try to give them equal attention, but every time he sees his little girl he can't help the feeling of wanting to give her everything. And he knows Zoro is used to him giving a lot of attention to his lady so he doesn't feel too bad about doing it.

Zoro and Minimo are still very close and their relationship is super chill when Sanji isn't around. She was trying to hold Wado before she was one and nowadays she's obsessed with swords. She practices two sword style because she thinks three sword style looks stupid (she's right). The blades she uses are custom made and currently are blunt; as she gets older Zoro will sharpen them for her but Sanji doesn't want her holding sharp weapons so young. Sanji was originally against teaching her how to fight or even fighting around her until she was older because he didn't want her thinking she needed to be strong, he wanted her to know she could be anything and could do it without fighting. But even without Zoro ever unsheathing his blades in front of her, she was still drawn to them and used to always ask him to teach her. When she turned seven she started straight up stealing Wado and using her. So they thought it would be better to get Minimo her own safe swords and have Zoro teach her.

She does a lot of 'Daddy, Daddy watch this!' *cue dangerous sword move that almost gives Sanji a heart attack* and every time Sanji almost tells Zoro to never teach her anything again. But she learns fast and has yet to hurt herself. Zoro is excited for the days when people come to challenge him for his title and she can kick their asses for him.

#zosan #sanji #zoro #40yo zosan #one piece #40yo zosan because I don't think either of them will even think about children until they're older #Imo they have a daughter first and then adopt a set of feral orphan twins #one likes fighting like his big sister and the other really wants to make swords #Sanji is kind of sad that none of them want to be pro chefs but he loves them very much anyway #and they all are obsessed with his food so it's fine

[kingofthe-egirls]

Hear me out, y/n and Zoro are working out, and they like train fight together and y/n wins somehow, Zoro gets all grumpy and pouts and y/n says that they will make it up to him, and Zoro being Zoro, gets an idea, and then rest is up to you my dear writer!!

ooooooooooo ok

SPARRING ROOM: ZORO x Y/N

(cw: sword fighting, sweet self indulgent combat descriptions, minor stab wound, etc., sword language, kissing)

(a/n: so i tried to focus less on just the stage directions this time, since i've been wanting to delve more into the narration and what's going on inside reader's head. snakelike imagery as well as a lot of "S" words. sometimes it felt a lil clunky but we made it through lol)

Songs: "Ain't It Fun" by Paramore, "Sexy Villain" by Remi Wolf

words: 1.9k

"That's my girl," Zoro says, strong hand on your back as you finish up your set of push-ups (thirty second reps with fifteen second breaks between). He lets you sit up, stretching out your back.

"Thanks, Zo," you say, pushing up to standing. You take a long drink of water, drips tickling down your chin and onto your sports bra. Zoro clears his throat, and looks away. You smile.

Swordsmen are so noble.

"Wanna fight?"

Zoro scruffs his hand through his hair, pushing up to standing himself. He towers over you, a good several inches. Maybe a full foot. You knock your forehead into his chest. Headbutting is your way of showing affection, kinda like a cat.

He scruffs your hair, too, from where it's pulled back into a messy ponytail. "Sure," he says, and moves over to the side of the crow's nest where his three swords sit against the wall. You watch the ocean way below, swishing and sparkling as it laps against the Sunny.

You bend to pick up your own rapier, the silver filigree wrapping around your hand comfortably in a decorated knuckle guard. The dancing tiger that stalks its way across the sweepings guides you to victory, all the way down to the rapier's gleaming point.

You swipe it through the air, relishing the swiftness and flexibility of your sacred blade. Nightingale. She is a snakelike, hissing thing that speaks to you in whispers as she flies. You pair her with a short blade, held in your other hand with no less care.

Meadowlark.

Swordsmen are always worried about the length of their swords: the bigger the better. Typical. What they don't account for, however, is the deadliness of a shorter blade. The duck and strike, the rattlesnake bite, the venom of your speed strikes straight through their lowered guard. They always overestimate themselves, since your opponents usually have a longer reach than you. But your rapier is not alone.

She bites.

And so do you.

Swordswomen do not play fair.

You grin over at Zoro, who's checking the edges of his blades so as not to cut you. Speaking to them softly, caressing their sides and gripping their handles like a lover. His voice rumbles lowly across the glossy wooden floor, sweetly beckoning the swords to follow him, obey him, let him rule over them as he spars with his friend.

You almost hear them rattling in his hands.

Purring to your own blade, you remind her sharp edges not to bite so dangerously, but not to go too easy on him either. It's a delicate balance, talking to your swords. She whispers back seductively not to worry, that she'll swing with accuracy but not deadly force. She sighs in your hand, shivering as she readies for battle.

"Easy," you murmur to her, and she sings. Meadowlark buzzes in your hand, adding the bass to her soprano. "Ready?" You ask Zoro, swiping your sword through the air. You stalk towards him, stepping carefully across slats of glossy Adam tree.

Zoro smiles wickedly, placing his white blade between his teeth. He cherishes the handle of Wado Ichimonji as if she were sweetness itself. His sister's spirit lives inside this sword. You respect his three-sword style, and have yet to beat him in a sparring match.

Swiftly, you bow.

Zoro returns the gesture, and brandishes his two swords aloft. Wado Ichimonji gleams in the sharp florescent lighting of the crow's nest. Swiping the air, you stalk around your opponent, noting his strong biceps and flexing center. He lowers his center of gravity, bending swiftly before leaping forward to strike against your guard.

You swipe away the sharp edge of Wado Ichimonji, ducking aside as Zoro lunges forward, sword tilted in his teeth. He steps away from you, just barely, so that your swift disarming counter strikes harmlessly against Sandai Kitetsu's guard. Sparks glint off where the strong metals meet. You swipe Nightingale across his side, but he dodges. You stumble forward, slightly off balance.

"Shit."

Zoro laughs, growling around the white-wrapped handle of Wado Ichimonji. "Start again," he says, standing wide with a lowered stance. Enma gleams sharply in his strong fist. You turn, stepping around in a circle as he counters your movement across the floor.

"Stumbling is never a good sign," Zoro says, swords snickering in their triangle shape. She is making fun of you in particular: the sword singing softly in his right fist. Smirking, even. Zoro matches her sneer as he closes the distance between you in swift, even strides.

"Stop it," you whisper, tightening your grip around Nightingale's sweetly wrapped handle. She has a soft, white leather made from a doe's hide. She is a flourishing, sacred blade.

"Stop what?" Zoro asks, clashing his two swords against your rapier overhead. Sparks fly down between you, and you just barely dodge out of the way of Wado Ichimonji's strike. His three-sword style is a bitch, sometimes. Stepping back, you catch your breath.

He swings, again.

Sweet Meadowlark counters the sharp edge of Enma, screaming across the sharpened steel. You grit your teeth, bringing your dagger all the way down to the hilt of Zoro's katana.

"Not you," you hiss out through a clenched jaw. Staring at Sandai Kitetsu, you push forward even more, enough to get Zoro to stumble backward. He counters, quickly. He faints with Sandai Kitetsu, before slashing sideways at your open side. You yelp, a sharp, high-pitched noise at the back of your throat. Zoro smirks.

"Swords are makin' fun of ya?"

Snickering, the three katanas all bear down on you from overhead. He's so fast. You grunt, blocking them with rapier and dagger crossed above you. He knees you in the stomach.

"Ouch!" You scream, winded. You stumble backward, clutching at your abdomen. You spit saliva onto the floor. Zoro chuckles.

He plants both feet on the floor, standing shirtless in front of you, with nothing but his leather pants and green bellyband. You're only in a sports bra and shorts, yourself. Swiping Nightingale through the air, you sprint toward him at full speed.

Fainting with Nightingale, you strike at Zoro's blind side, before ducking quickly and jabbing Meadowlark straight into his chest.

"Shit!" You squeak, ripping your steel dagger out of Zoro's bloodied chest. You hit right between the ribs, on the side with his good eye. Blood trickles down his abs in a scarlet ribbon. You smile.

Strike One: Y/n.

But the victory tastes sweet for only so long, as Zoro bears down on you with a counterattack. You dodge out of the way, but only slightly, as Sandai Kitetsu shears off a lock of your hair.

"Fuck!" You scurry backward, a rogue at heart, meant to strike and retreat as quickly as possible. Zoro stalks forward again.

This time, he twirls Enma in one hand before striking down viciously at you with a barrage of attacks. Slashes, stabs, lunges. Swipes at your side, especially the side where you hold shorter Meadowlark.

"Shut up," you tell his sassy sword, who's been snickering at you this whole time. She chides your balance, your sword play, the way you're standing with too much weight on your left side.

She glides snakelike against your dagger, bouncing off the side. Your arm stings with the recoil. Shit. You barely keep your stance in place as you're forced to shuffle backward. Sandai Kitetsu bites your upper arm, and you hiss.

"Stop dodging," Zoro commands you, striking the wall behind you, right next to your head. "You have to fight back, or else you'll be dead." Sandai Kitetsu giggles in his hand.

You're panting, sweating with exertion. Zoro's strikes are so strong. He's stepping away from you now, giving you room to breathe. You hate when he goes easy on you. Snarling, you charge forward again.

Zoro meets you halfway, growling in his throat.

Your swords clang together harshly, metallic singing reverberating throughout the room. You both back up, stepping in tune with the other's movements. He stalks around you like a tiger, and strikes at your backside. He hits you with the flat of Sandai Kitetsu's blade.

"You're weak."

He challenges you, and you see red.

It's a spin, a stab, and a dance backwards, before your vision clears. Zoro is grimacing, another bright red stripe decorating his bare chest. It's right above his sternum, and a little to the left.

He grunts, and charges after you.

Swinging at your weak spot, Zoro brings Enma down toward your side. You block the strong, sweeping arch with the silver side of Nightingale's cross guard. She resonates with the sound of the blow.

You both hold for a second, struggling to push the other's weight off.

Eventually, you let go with a huff.

"That's enough," you decide, whipping your sword through the air with a signature flourish. Zoro nods, sheathing his own blades.

"Good job," he nods, heading back over to the side to wipe his face with a towel. He throws it into the dirty clothes hamper that one of you will eventually take down to the laundry room when it gets too full.

"Yeah, right," you seethe, jaw clenched. "I wish I was anywhere near as strong as you. I can be fast, and invasive, but...," you raise your shoulders, and let them fall with a defeated sigh. "Sheer strength-wise, you've got me beat."

Zoro shakes his head, "You're not that far behind me, actually." He sits down on the bench, elbows on his knees with a canteen in his hands. He chugs a lungful of water, adam's apple bobbing as he swallows.

"Yeah?"

You sheath your swords, and start a cool-down stretch routine. You lean over to one side, and then the other. You shake your legs in their sockets, trying to loosen up your hip flexors.

Zoro nods. "Not everyone can fend off Enma." He regards you steadily, his green eye flicking you up and down. You stretch your arms over your head. "Especially with a blade that flimsy." He smirks at your rapier, and you huff.

"She is not flimsy." You cross your arms, nose in the air. Nightingale hums in agreement at your side. Zoro sneers a laugh.

"Plus, you can understand sword language better than any other swordsman I've met. Not even Mihawk can hear his sword so well."

At that, you pause.

Your fingers flutter around Nightengale's hilt, and you grin. "Thanks, Zoro. That means a lot."

His face flushes, and he looks away.

"Well, yeah...," he says, gruff, before pushing off the bench to make his way over to you. He skims his knuckles over the outside of your arm. His fingertips dance along the diamond pommel of your sacred blade, and you gasp. He arches an eyebrow. "Feel that?"

You nod, stunned.

"That's the bond between a swordsman and his blade."

"Her blade," you correct, and he snorts.

"Rematch after dinner?" He pulls away, and leaves you aching. You stumble after him, a step or two. He turns, pausing, with his lips parted. Your swords are clattering at your side. He looks you up and down, a question paused in his mouth that you can't quite read.

"Kiss me?"

Zoro blanches, and for a moment you're stuttering, shocked at your own bravery, boldness, yours and his swords are all clamoring to be heard above the din of blood rushing in your ears, and--

Zoro cocks his head, smirking, and closes the distance between you.

He takes both your arms in his hands, holding you by the shoulders, and leans forward to place a kiss on your waiting lips.

"How's that?"

You smile like a little kid. "Perfect," you say, before wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him in to deepen the kiss.

You can't wait for the rematch.

#this is so hard #sword fights #hard to describe #zoro #zoro x you #zoro x reader #zoro x y/n #zoro fanfic #one piece fanfic #zoro fluff #dumpster dive #kitty writes

[real-jaune-isms]

It’s Robin’s Birthday! How Does the Swordsman Celebrate It?

Nami: So, what are you going to get her?~

Zoro: What? Get who? Why?

Nami: Robin! It’s her birthday on Monday!

Zoro: Oh. I dunno, guess I’ll find a book at a store or something?

Nami: It can’t just be that boring, birthday gifts should have meaning, show how much you care in a way that’s special to you!

Zoro: Have you been talking to Luffy? You’re way more worked up over this than I expected… What are you getting her, then?

Nami: I found her a dress with a nice floral pattern, AND I bought her a new cowboy hat!

Zoro: She hasn’t worn hats like that since Sabaody…

Nami: Yeah, but she looks nice in them and clearly she likes them a lot. Now get to work on a gift that only you can give, don’t just steal my idea! *walks away*

Zoro: Hmmm…

*That Monday, Chopper’s kept Robin busy in the library while the others put their gifts on the kitchen table. Sanji of course baked the cake, with a pattern in the frosting like her favorite flower. Luffy found a fossil of a beetle, and since it’s really old he’s sure she’ll like it. The other gifts are similarly thoughtful, most wrapped as best as the crew can manage, but lying across the table there also sits the Wado Ichimonji. As Sanji’s finishing setting the table, he sees it and grimaces before tossing it in the corner of the room*

Sanji: Damn mosshead leaving his stupid swords on the table like this, he knows full well what we’re trying to do here… ALRIGHT IT’S READY!!

*At the sound of his yell the rest of the crew gathers in the kitchen, Chopper sitting on Robin’s shoulder and covering her eyes once they safely get to the doorway so she won’t see the gifts yet.*

Nami: Alright, you can look… NOW!

Robin: *casually lifts Chopper off of her and blinks a couple times to let her eyes adjust to the light* Oh my!~

Everyone(at varying volumes): Happy Birthday, Robin!!

Robin: You all did this… for me?

Luffy: Shishishi!!! Of course we did! We wanna celebrate our nakama! So let’s have a party! Oh, and we all gotcha gifts!

Nami: *looking over the pile* Except Zoro, apparently. I’m ashamed of you, Zoro!! I told you to get her something so long ago!!

Sanji: You’re seriously disrespecting Robin-chan this much, you asshole?!?! I should kill you!

Zoro: What the… I did have a gift for her! Where the hell is it, it was right here on the table with the other stuff?!

Sanji: the only thing you left on the table was your stupid sword, marimo!

Zoro: THAT WAS THE GIFT, DIPSHIT!!

*everyone is stunned*

Sanji: You what?… What did you say?…

Zoro: I said I’m giving her my sword. *finds it in the corner, then turns and presents it to a speechless Robin* Happy Birthday.

Robin: Z-Zoro-kun… this is your oldest sword, the one that belonged to your deceased friend, I thought you treasured it?

Zoro: I do. So I’m showing how much you mean to me… by trusting you with it.

Robin: Zoro…~ I can’t accept that, you need it to achieve your dream. But I’m so honored that you’d want to do this, so I’ll take a different present instead.

Zoro: And that would b- MMMMMPH!!!~

Robin: *pulls him into a kiss, much to Sanji’s fury and Luffy’s confusion*

#would you believe me if I said I had this queued for months? #and my more recent ZoRobin post was a spur of the moment idea in between? #one piece #roronoa zoro #nico robin #ZoRobin #zoro x robin #happy birthday Robin #nami #sanji #zeff sanji #vinsmoke sanji

[brainyxbat]

Chapter 5: Venus and Usopp Meet! A Beautiful Connection Begins

(chapter 50)

"The execution platform! The execution platform!" Luffy rambled through his sprint. "I wanna see the view the King of the Pirates saw before he died! I wanna see it now!" But he then skidded to a stop, and scaled the area. "But... which way is the execution platform?"

'The execution platform! The execution platform!' Venus rambled as well, only in her mind, and with frantic worry. 'Gotta find him first! Which way is it again?!'

Elsewhere, Zoro sat on a concrete staircase, admiring his new weapon from the local sword shop. "A cursed sword, huh..." He remarked, "Interesting."

Suddenly, Luffy popped up behind the sword, nearly stopping his heart. "Oh! That's a cool sword you have!"

"Damn! Don't scare me like that!" Zoro scolded.

"What're you doing here, Zoro?"

"No, what're you doing here?"

"Me?" Luffy scratched under his nose. "I'm lost," He grinned.

"Why're you acting cocky about that?!"

"Luffy!" They both turned to see Venus frantically running up the stairs.

"Hey, Venus!" He beamed, as she stopped to catch her breath.

"I... I've been looking all over for- Oh," She stopped when she saw he wasn't alone. A toned man in a white t-shirt, green belt, and black pants and shoes, with hair the same shade of green as hers, sat silently before her. "Who's your friend?"

"Roronoa Zoro," The swordsman introduced himself, looking her over. She seemed barely taller than five feet, and with her pigtails and short bangs, she seemed a little child-like.

"Tempeste G. Venus," She followed suit, "Nice hair. You the first mate or something?"

"He is!" Luffy replied. "And an awesome swordsman!"

"With three swords, that's well-expected," She smirked.

"And Zoro, she's a witch!"

"She's a what?"

"A witch! She does super cool magic!"

"Luffy, I doubt she really can-" Zoro's skepticism was cut off when the Wado Ichimonji started slowly inching out of the carrier on its own. He turned to the girl, and she was smirking in his direction, moving her hand to guide the sword.

She snickered as he urgently thrusted it back in, ending the spell. "That convince you? I ate the Witch-Witch Fruit."

"Look shortie, do whatever voodoo you want, but leave me out of it."

She giggled in her hand. "Deal."

"Hey, tell me. How do I get to the execution platform?" Luffy asked Zoro.

"How should I know?"

"Hey! There he is!"

"It's him! That bastard!" The three looked down at the commotion below.

A tall, looming man with a mustache, and long sideburns in a cloak and wide-brim hat stopped his trek down the street when he was surrounded by five street thugs, four pointing guns, and one gripping a large, thick chain. "Yeah, this isn't going to end well for those guys," Venus commented.

"What's that?" Luffy wondered aloud.

"Daddy the Parent," She replied simply.

"You bastard! How dare you sell our buddies to the Marines?!" The man in a green shirt glared. "You're gonna pay big-time!"

All the men prepared their weapons. "Die!"

They watched as four gunshots went off. Luffy and Zoro expected the man in the middle to collapse, but to their shock, all but one of his ambushers were the ones to fall, while he was still standing, completely unharmed. The last one was now shaking with fear, landing on his backside when his feet gave out on him. Daddy calmly walked over, pulled the cigarette out of the petrified man's vest, and bent it with his thumb like a drinking straw. "Run on home, and have your mama bake you a cake, kiddo." He tossed the cigarette back at him, and the man finally ran off with a yelp of terror.

Luffy was now pumping his fists with ecstasy. "That old guy's cool!" He gushed.

"I've heard of him before," Zoro remarked.

"He's the best sharpshooter in the East Blue," Venus said, "Also got a daughter, who's kind of a brat," She rolled her eye.

"Hey, didn't you need to grab more magic stuff?" Luffy reminded her.

After a beat, her eye widened; he was right, she did mention that before they left. "Oh yeah! I'd better do that! Mr. Rauru must be worried by now! See you later, Luffy! Nice meeting you, Zoro!"

"You too, short stack," Zoro called out back to her, then leaned against the stairs. "Strange girl."

"She's awesome! I want her to join our crew!"

"Have you asked her?"

"Yeah, but she said no."

"Well, we can't force her to join if she doesn't want to. It's her decision."

~

"You're lucky this is the only store that sells this stuff, you bastard, or you'd be out of business by now!"

"What was that?! Say that to my face, you little bitch!"

Exiting the store, she frantically ran with the full bag to get back home before lunch. In her haste, as she passed the Junk Shop, she wasn't watching where she was going.

That haste, little did she know, was going to change her life forever.

"I bought a lot! A real lot!" Usopp rambled with excitement to himself. Citizens stared in shock, as he carried a giant, full, green backpack like it was carrying feathers. Though due to his eyes being locked on the sidewalk, he didn't see what, or who, was coming up. "Now my preparations to be a brave warrior of the sea are complete! All I'm forgetting now is... oh, yeah! I forgot the most important thing!"

He finally looked up, and for a split second, saw a blur of light green and dark purple, before the figure crashed right into him, knocking them both down on the concrete. Both of their bags' contents spilled out, quickly getting mixed together, as they laid on the sidewalk.

Venus sat up, her hood falling over her head, and panted to catch her breath from the sudden collision. She really should've watched where she was going. She turned over, and noticed the other victim of the incident still on the ground; she quickly crawled over, and helped him sit up. "Sorry about that. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm..." Usopp replied sheepishly, but was silenced when he saw who was helping him, briefly locking eyes with her; she looked intimidating with the cloak she wore. But when she pulled the hood down, he had a better look at her face, before she started gathering her stuff. She was... kinda cute. Wait, what? "Uh, m-my fault," He stammered, following her lead.

"No, no, it was mine; I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Me neither."

"Well um, y-yeah," She giggled sheepishly, "I guess we both take responsibility."

"Fair." He helped her with the stuff she dropped alongside picking his own up. He became curious about a burlap drawstring bag filled with what felt like soft balls. "What's in here?"

"Eyes of toads," She replied casually, as if they were grapes.

"EEE!" He yelped, dropping the bag in shock.

She couldn't help but laugh, as she put it in with her stuff. "Worry about your own stuff; I got mine," She assured, "Thanks, though."

He observed her stuff not picked up yet, shaking his head. "Toad eyes, rat tails; what are you, a witch?"

"I am," She nodded, to his surprise, "I found and ate the Witch-Witch Fruit a few years ago. Tempeste G. Venus."

He grinned with confidence, puffing his chest under his brown overalls. "Captain Usopp of the Straw Hat crew."

"I thought Luffy was the captain," Venus smirked.

"Well- wait, you've met him?"

"Just earlier today, actually. Plus the swordsman Zoro." They both gathered the rest of their items, and stood on their feet.

"Got everything?" He asked her.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yep. Though there was something I was looking for, before we..."

"Met?" She finished.

"Yeah," He chuckled, "Before we met. I can't remember what it- oh, goggles!" He exclaimed. "That was it!"

"Goggles?"

"Yeah! A top-class sniper needs to have top-class goggles! Investing every last bit of money to get the best goggles around is the spirit of a top-class sniper!"

"Hmm... I might've seen some at the Junk Shop last time I was there," Venus recalled, "Let's have a look, shall we?"

"Yes, thank you!" Usopp straightened up, hauled the large bag on his back, and followed her down the walkway.

"So you're the sniper, huh?"

"Sure am! The best of the East Blue!"

"Ah," She nodded to humor him. 'Interesting crew,' she thought.

-

"How about those?" In the Junk Shop, where he left his bag outside, he tried out a pair of overhead goggles with blue flip-up sun shades. "Those top-class enough for ya, Mr. Top-Class Sniper?" Venus smirked jokingly, ignoring the sneer from the shop owner burning holes in her skull.

Overjoyed, Usopp played with the shades, then posed with his green slingshot. He grinned with excitement. "These ones! These goggles!" He decided. "It's gotta be these! I like 'em! Lady!"

"You got a good eye!" The shop owner praised. "Them's the latest North Blue model there!"

"I helped him pick those out, y'know," Venus pointed out when she was paid no mind to.

"Quiet, Missy! I got 'em from an import ship that leaves the Marines only once a year!" They both noticed Usopp feeling his pockets in a panic, Venus more concerned than the owner. "What's wrong? You got no money?" She glared. "I don't do business with people who don't got money! What's it gonna be?!"

"N-no, it's... oh! Right! Backpack..." Usopp was about to run inside when the young witch stopped him.

"Don't worry, I'll pick up-" Her kind offer was interrupted by a certain little blonde girl in a mint and white ruffled dress with ringlet curls.

"I'll take these goggles, please!" Usopp fell to the floor in despair.

"...the... tab," Venus finished uselessly.

"My! What a cute little girl!" The shop owner gushed. "Yes, yes! You're in luck! This is the only pair of these goggles in town!"

Venus facepalmed. "Are you kidding me?"

Now angry, Usopp pushed himself up from the floor. "Hold it right there! I was the first to-!"

He stopped when the little girl trotted up to him with a big, innocent grin. "Butt out... old man!"

Usopp collapsed back down in shock, as she left the store. "O... old man?"

Venus growled in anger, hands balled into fists. "That little brat! Those goggles are rightfully yours! Let's get 'em back!"

As the girl skipped happily along the streets, Usopp and Venus ran out of the store. "Stop!" Usopp shouted.

"Stop right there!" Venus shouted.

The girl stopped as told, so the two stood in front of her. "Listen! Let's set the record straight! I'm not an old man!" Venus facepalmed again. "Call me "mister"! Got it?"

"Huh?! What for?! You're an old man!"

"Dammit, you said it again!" Usopp ranted. "I'm 17 years old! Now gimme those goggles back! I found 'em first!"

"He has more use for them than you, brat," Venus sneered.

"Huh?!" Now angry, the girl stomped her foot, and prepared to fight them both. Usopp was now nervous, but Venus was unfazed. "You got a problem?! Huh?! Keep up yer damn complainin', and I'll call the Marines!"

"You need to watch your mouth," Venus glared back.

"M-Marines?" Usopp stammered.

"Yep!" The girl was suddenly back to being cheerful. "I'm friends with a Marine captain in this town! The old smoky man!"

"Liar."

'W-who is this girl?' Usopp wondered, then put on a tough facade. "So you don't know who I am, huh?! I'm Great Captain Usopp! I destroyed Arlong's fishman pirate group!"

"Arlong?" Venus' eye widened. She had seen his wanted poster in the bar, and he looked pretty tough.

"It was truly a battle to the death! Me, surrounded by 200, no, 300 fishmen! All alone, I punched, threw, stomped, kicked, and tore them all up!" The girl smiled evilly through his story, as Venus listened intently. "Thanks to that, I now have a 30 million Berry bounty on my head!"

"I see," The girl gained their attention, "30 million..."

"Yep! That's right!"

"Papa!"

"Papa?! Why am I your papa?!"

"Call me mama, and I'll punt you into the ocean," Venus threatened.

But the girl ran behind them to a cloaked figure, goggles in tow. Venus' eye widened when she recognized him; Daddy the Parent. Crap. "Here's a present for you, Papa!" The girl handed the goggles to him. "Happy birthday!"

"Oh, Carol..." He was stunned, as he failed to keep his emotions in check, "What a nice, angelic girl you are! I love you, Carol-chan!"

"Papa! I love you, papa!"

Venus and Usopp watched in shock. 'W-what's with this family?' Usopp thought.

'If she's angelic, then I'm queen of the damn town,' Venus snarked in her mind.

They were both tense when Carol glared at them. "But guess what? That old man and old woman there are trying to swipe your present!"

"Old woman?!" Venus shouted with pointy-teethed rage. "I'm 21!"

"I, I thought you were a teenager," Usopp stammered.

"I get that a lot. But do not mess with him!" She urged.

"Now, now! You mustn't say "swipe"!" Daddy scolded her, still keeping the sweet tone of voice. "It's not good manners, you know." In a split second, his demeanor immediately turned intimidating towards them. "Are you the ones who're bullying my adorable little Carol?"

"B-b-bullying...?" Usopp stuttered.

"She's lying!" Venus glared.

"That's not all!"

"Huh?" She whispered in his ear, too quiet for Usopp and Venus to know. They assumed it was bad. Daddy looked over with shock; most likely bad. "You have a bounty of 30 million Berries, I hear?" Usopp screamed in terror, as Venus stayed quiet. "Let's see here..." He took some papers out of his cloak.

"Are those new wanted posters?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, I got 'em from the outpost just now. 600,000... 1,300,000... 700,000," He counted off, then stopped on one, "30 million... Straw Hat Luffy? A starting bounty at this amount..." Usopp started to back away, as Venus watched. "Hold it, boy."

He stopped dead in his tracks, almost falling over. "Y-y-yes?! No, you see, sir! I'm obviously not the person on that poster! I was just lying!" He rambled. "My funny plan to trick people was a great success! Ha ha! Well, bye!" He tried to walk away, briefly grabbing Venus' wrist so she would follow.

Daddy pointed to behind Luffy in the picture. Sure enough, the back of Usopp's head was right there. "That's you, isn't it?"

"T-t-that's right! It sure is! That's me, all right!"

"I thought I'd seen you somewhere," Venus remarked.

"But I'll tell you this! Just you try and lay a hand on me! My captain Luffy won't sit by quietly! He's an evil, cold-blooded, devilish man!"

'Not from what I've seen,' Venus thought, but kept it to herself.

"No one's ever defied him, and lived to tell about it!" He sneered at Daddy testily. "You got a kid, right? You should really value your life," He whispered.

"I see. That sounds bad. Yes, given that this Luffy fellow is worth 30 million Berries, he's clearly no ordinary man."

"Got that right," Venus muttered.

"Papa!" Carol protested. "You're obviously way stronger, Papa! You're the strongest guy in the world!"

"Carol, it's all right. All that matters is that I make enough money to live happily with you. You're far more important to me than being the world's greatest!"

"Papa..."

Usopp watched the exchange in awe. 'The guy's wimping out after I said all that!' He grinned deviously. 'Alright! In that case...!' "Well?! Now do you see how terrifying I am?! Take my advice! Just hand those goggles over to me!"

Venus looked up at him with skepticism. "Let's just quit while we're ahead, shall we? You don't want to mess with this guy."

"No, I saw them first! They're rightfully mine! You said so yourself!"

"Huh?!" Carol glared.

"Don't worry! I'll pay for 'em!" He assured. "So just give 'em here!"

"Alright, you've made your point, let's go," Venus urged through clenched teeth.

"Why're you saying that right after he's just about to let you go-?!" Carol demanded, but Daddy stopped her. "Papa?"

"Then let's do this," His eyes narrowed, "I assume you have no problem with us settling this in a fair fight?"

"Fight?"

"Depends on the fight," Venus raised an eyebrow under her bangs.

"Here!"

Usopp was startled when Daddy tossed him a pistol, and Venus briefly ducked down to avoid any accidental shots. "Fight?" He nervously held it up. "Y-you're not talking about a duel, right?"

"If you win, the goggles are yours."

The pair was shocked when he whipped away his cloak, revealing lots of pistols. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... 30 pistols?!" He exclaimed. "D-don't tell me you're... Daddy the Parent?!"

"The very same."

"Tried to warn you," She mumbled.

#venus and usopp finally meet! #magical straw hat #one piece #one piece oc #tempeste g. venus

[splendidnothings]

I’m one of the people who likes spiderman and one piece so have enjoyed all your wips especially the zolu one👀 (don’t think you’re alone!)

Aww, thanks! I’m glad someone out there enjoys the whiplash my feed has become lol. I’m excited for zolu fic to be finished and I’ve been slowly chipping away at it but also there’s a bit that happens in wano and I feel like we’re kinda at the point where I might as well wait to see how the arc ends before writing it. I really do love it though and forever have it open in a tab—

----

“I know,” Zoro said, waiting Luffy out, letting him continue at his own pace. 

Luffy dipped his hat lower, covering his eyes. Zoro breathed out slow. 

It was hard to notice at first, because of its rarity, but there was no way to get Luffy to talk—or do anything for that matter—when he didn’t wanna. And Luffy didn’t often talk about himself. A thing Zoro didn’t even catch to until a brother he’d never heard of was staring them all down in Alabasta. That stung a bit like a betrayal even though Zoro knew it wasn’t. But it explained a lot—like if Luffy thought the brother who he loved more than all the adventure in all the world wasn’t worth mentioning until they were quite literally dodging smoke and bullets, then he would be even less inclined to talk about his pain. 

Luffy preferred to keep that cracked glass part of himself tucked away where the crew couldn’t see—so that Luffy himself couldn’t see it either. Gone and forgotten by the time Nami pointed out a new island on the horizon. And Zoro wasn’t the smart one, not like Robin and her history or Usopp with his inventions but he was patient, and he didn’t mind waiting. He learned to watch for Luffy to drop those little pieces of himself like bits of straw across the deck. A woman named Dadan, Makino and her bar, a funny little mayor, about Shanks—holy shit, Luffy, you mean Red-Haired Shanks??—about a scrappy boy who cut the flesh beneath his eye to prove his worth. 

Later, much later—two years later—Zoro learned that even when he thought he’d known all there was Luffy had still kept the most painful story locked inside. The other brother. Sabo. Dead and then not.  Zoro only learning of his existence as Luffy spilled tears across the hard stone backstreets of Dressrosa as they ran to take down another Warlord. 

So Zoro continued to listen, still memorizing each piece like how he memorized his swords arcing through the air—pressing them into his palms like all the promises of Wado Ichimonji. 

“Most nights are fine,” Luffy finally said. “I’m fine—most nights.”

#myfic #zolu #twitter onlys have def seen this already but oh well #*replies #Anonymous

[kiyoshi-02]

Betrayal

Chapter 1

Blood seeped from her body, streams of crimson that flowed freely from her limbs were quickly swallowed up by the wooden surface below her. The relentless thrashing waves continued to carry her battle worn dingy boat away from the sinking galleon behind her. Her breath came out short, her vision blurred as her mind danced a fine line between consciousness and succumbing to her extensive wounds.

Her creased brow deepened as she focused on the shadows gliding above her, high in the sky, as they finally focused on the birds that circled around and around. Their calls haunting, accompanied by the heavy rain and howling winds, as thunder and lightning boomed, the storm completely engulfing her in its chaos.

With one final shuddering breath, she shakily clutched the pendant once strapped around her neck, gritting her teeth and calling to the sliver of blue she could see begin to break through the swirling grey clouds. “I…I won’t die, you hear me!?”

Mere seconds later she lost consciousness and was soon swept away, the grip around her pendant never loosening.

-A Few Days Later-

The sun beamed down on the deck on the Going Merry. Clear blue sky accompanied by the cool sea breeze effectively kept the crew from suffering in the heat. Most of the Strawhat Pirates were enjoying the cold drinks Sanji had whipped up, while Luffy was already begging for seconds.

Nami rolled her eyes but smiled fondly at her captain's antics. She returned to her reading, flipping a page in the newspaper as Robin chuckled beside her when Sanji finally begrudgingly agreed to give him seconds, to which Luffy responded giddily by jumping on the cook’s back.

Sanji then spun around with hearts in his eyes, calling to the two women on board, that he would be sure to make them seconds as well. No doubt hoping to receive some sort of appreciation from the girls. This however only resulted in grabbing the attention of Usopp and Chopper, who both started complaining about the cook’s obvious favouritism, all the while Luffy remained hanging onto the cook, laughing away.

The final blow to Sanji’s patience was the muttering of the swordsman who was currently leaning against the side of the Merry. The second the word “Moron” reached the cook’s ears his mood did a one-eighty and he sent a kick flying towards the swordsman, who blocked said kick with ease and sent the cook back a few steps. Luffy at that point had hopped off of Sanji’s back to join Usopp and Chopper.

With a clenched jaw and pissed off expression the whole scene ended with a swift kick from Sanji to silence the three other crew members that were still complaining, leaving them lined up on deck with large bumps on their heads. Sanji lit his cigarette, taking a frustrated puff. “Shut the hell up already! I’ll go make your damn drinks, geez.” He finished before turning around and making his way back to the galley. Luffy cheered after him, smiling wide as Usopp and Chopper joined him in his clapping and cheering.

Things calmed down after that as the crew returned to their own activities. Robin had since stood up to go and retrieve a different book to read while Nami had almost finished reading the newspaper. Zoro remained where he was but settled down against the Merry and had started to doze off as Usopp was showing Luffy some of the new additions to his ammunition.

Chopper had gone below deck and reappeared with his bag full to the brim of medical supplies. He settled himself down on the opposite side of the Merry to where Zoro was now fast asleep. He got to work on stocking up on Rumble Balls before Sanji finally returned out on deck with the promised second round of drinks.

A short while had passed with not much to report on before suddenly Zoro rose from his slumber with a slight start, grabbing Wado as Chopper’s nose twitched at a familiar scent. The soft ‘thunk’ that had woken Zoro before, repeated a few times as Chopper voiced his thoughts.

“I smell blood.”

That had caught the attention of everyone on board the Merry, aside from Sanji who was currently making dinner preparations. “Blood?” Usopp asked, sniffing the air, “I don’t smell anything,”, followed by Luffy, who took a comical inhale, his nostrils stretching inhumanly large. “I smell it too!” Luffy announced as he stood up, his nostrils in the same position as he followed the smell, heading towards where Chopper was seated.

Chopper followed along with Luffy’s actions, but made a lot more progress in finding the source of the blood. Jumping up, Chopper leaded over the side of the Merry and within the span of three seconds let out a shrill scream. Everyone jumped at the sound, Sanji kicking the door of the galley open, yelling out, “What’s going on?!”

“There’s someone down there!” Chopper called, grabbing his bag and jumping over the side of the Merry. “Chopper wait!” Nami called after the Doctor, a few of the others echoing her calls. The rest of the crew crowded around the side of the Merry, looking overboard to what Chopper was so frantic about.

Stuck to the side of the Going Merry was a small row boat, battered and half submerged in the water. The crashing waves kept it against the larger ship, a young girl it’s only occupant along with a single bag. She was beaten and bloody, skin pale and cheeks sunken, her lips dry and cracked.

Chopper made quick work of checking her over, making a quick assessment of her condition before calling up to the rest of the crew. “She’s hurt really bad guys! Luffy, help me get her up on deck!” Luffy was about to comply, rolling his shoulder and getting ready to stretch his arm down when Zoro’s voice suddenly boomed, “Chopper! Watch out!”

Suddenly there was a blade against the doctor’s neck, he froze in that instant, his back still to the girl who had sat up without warning. “Who are you?” The girl spat out harshly, her voice strained and weak, a murderous glare on her face as she addressed the doctor. Zoro shifted forward, drawing his sword, ready to dive down to Chopper’s aid before being stopped by Luffy.

Wordlessly Zoro leaned back and watched with the rest of the crew as they waited to see how the situation would unfold.

Chopper flinched at her words, gulping before answering, “I-I’m a doctor. You’re hurt and I want to treat your wounds.” His voice grew more serious as he spoke, her determination to treat the others wounds far overpowering his fear of her. The girl simply stared at him, evaluating his words as her breath came out in harsh puffs. Her gaze shifted up towards the others, one look at them and it wasn’t hard to deduce that they were pirates.

Her eyes met with a set of ferocious ones, a clear message of warning and a promise of death vocalised in those striking grey eyes. It was then she noticed the sword that was at the ready by his side. They both narrowed their eyes at each other before the girl noticed another intense stare bore into her. Her gaze shifted to a boy in a straw-hat. His expression was blank and unreadable but calculating.

It wasn’t hard to conclude that she was outnumbered. She looked back to the self proclaimed doctor and took into account the sincerity in his eyes. He clearly did want to help her, she thought to herself before letting out a deep sigh while putting down her weapon.

“Sorry about that then,” she said to the doctor, “I’m just a little on edge, didn’t mean to scare you.” Her expression changed to a much softer one and she sent him a small apologetic smile towards Chopper. The Doctor visibly relaxed at her words, even more so with the absence of a giant knife against his neck.

“So you’ll let me treat you?” He asked hopefully. The girl simply nodded, letting out a short chuckle, “If you really want to, I suppose I wouldn’t mind.” She joked, her shoulders relaxing as Chopper laughed happily. “Great! Let’s get up on board the ship and I’ll treat you right away! That okay with you Luffy?” He said before looking back up towards the ship’s occupants.

After a beat Luffy smiled down at his ship’s Doctor before smiling and letting out a short chuckle. “If that’s what you wanna do Chopper, I’m fine with it!” He spoke before stretching an arm down to help the two on board.

The girl sent an apologetic bow of her head, with a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that!” She called up before being helped up onto the ship, bag and all following behind her. Once her feet met the deck of the Merry, her knees buckled, resulting in her needing to lean back against the railing behind her.

Her vision was a little foggy, the adrenaline that had fuelled her previous actions slowly leaving her body. She looked back up to the group of people that had agreed to help her but all she saw was blotches of colour and fuzzy outlines of what she assumed were people. Only then did she notice that the little Doctor from before was asking her something. That however was soon drowned out by a ringing in her ears.

It didn’t take long before she once again lost consciousness and tumbled forward, expecting to hit the deck hard, the last thing she registered was a welcoming warmth and a firm secure hold around her body as she finally blacked out.

Hello hello, hope you enjoyed so far, please feel free to share any feedback you have and thank you for reading! <3

I will be continuing the Gaara fanfic I started but I just wanted to start something new after coming back to writing after a few months lol

#zoro x reader #zoro x oc #roronoa zoro #one piece #one piece fanfiction #slow burn

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1023 - Initial Thoughts

15 Minutes is on the clock

Onigashima reaches the mainland and the fights continue on. Including the Wings of the King vs the Disasters of the Beast

Without further ado, let's get into it

Spoilers for Chapter 1023, Support the Official Release too

Vivi cover page is nice, proper Disney Princess action with Karoo being jealous birb again, but now I have worries because last we heard something went down with Alabasta...all those post-Reverie questions

Back to where we left off with the boys being back in town

Miyagi can you not ominously foreshadow Zoro's future pain please?

Kawamatsu's here to save Zoro from interference, and Hyou's telling the Yakuza not to get in the way of this fight

Marco though is a pensive Pineapple, taking a good long look at King as he recalls Whitebeard telling him about King's race living on the Red Line before the world nobles, Void Century and before stuff

Mention of Gods does fuel one of my old post fan theories, but also fuels that the WG kicked King's race out of the Red Line

Izo though out here saving Marco from being an easy target, tbh Marineford did show he was prone to a surprise attack

Asking Izo if they believe in God though in a raid that may lead to their deaths is kinda irreverent right now though huh?

Queen back to hyping themselves up though

Hm? Is there a limitation to Sanji's raid suit? Sanji's saying he feels weird

Zoro wasting no time to banter with it though, saving Sanji from King as Sanji returns the favour with Queen

Queen does make a valid point though, as much as Sanji expresses that he is unenhanced by Germa he can also set himself on fire, I do wonder if it is just part of that enhancement in there that he expresses as his 'fiery hot passion'

Lunarian though, that must be King's species' name: moon people again I bet which feeds my fan theories

Also since we mentioned Germa again what happened to them? Jimbei made it out after all and I wanna see me some alive and well Baeju

I would issue doubt on Queen's claim that their enhancements are beyond Vegapunk's, given how little we know of Vegapunk after all

King's got a special sword too, it can change its edge to be teethy which he used to ensnare Zoro's swords

Wado saves Zoro's face from eating King's spiked fist though

King does make a fair point though, traditional weapons are romanticized but a fight's about getting every advantage you can, Zoro at least respects that since King never claimed to be a Swordsman, while also reminding King that he could be a feral bastard too

Kinda gave me mini Mr. 1 fight vibes there

Oh here we go, potential Zoro lineage time

Kawamatsu and Hyou muse over how Zoro was like Ushimaru when he was young, even down to his style (though that could be more Shimotsuki Koushiro's doing since he's Zoro's master)

Also Ushimaru was Ryuma's direct descendant, which means that 1. Ryuma banged, 2. Swordsmanship runs in the blood and 3. Ryuma banged

Also Ryuma also had the one eye, and it does seem pretty mythical that a swordsman of similar skill and stature returns Shusui back to Wano (even though this should mean that Shusui would be Zoro's birthright and he was kinda forced into relinquishing it)

Also worth reminding that Kozaburo was Kuina's grandpa so there may only be loose relations if Zoro is a Shimotsuki too, we don't exactly know how Kozaburo and Ushimaru are related if it's by blood or clan, plus I still wonder about Tashigi

Over to Jack vs Inu though, and Jack's hybrid form is just...weird

I did not need to see an Elephant head with abs you know Oda!

Both are pretty tired, as Jack mocks Inu saying he has forgiven Zou for the Raizo stuff, since he already destroyed most of it

Inu though with the shoulder toss, reminding Jack that they had to make these sacrifices to get to here

But we're getting the epic speech, and the hole in the roof caused by Ashura's sacrifice is changing Inu back into Su Long

Same thing is happening with Neko, turning Su Long in front of Carrot and Wanda (who I guess are covering from the moon) as he stares down Perospero

And I'm glad Neko's pointing out that Pedro's sacrifice is valid. I truthfully always felt a bit iffy about people saying that Carrot's desire to avenge Pedro was ill-found because 'Pedro killed himself'. Had Pedro not sacrificed himself then Brook and Chopper would've been dead by candy and Big Mom would've obliterated the rest on the ship

Raizo and Megaforehead though prelude with the mention of maturity, that everyone - even the Akazaya - needed time to mature into who they wanted to be

Down to the surface though and the Heart Pirates are on high alert/panic, they think Kaido's here

But it's Momo, and he looks magnificent

Shinobu's aged him up to 28, the age he'd be had he not been leapt through time, but now she's upset he looks like Kaido

There's new fire in Momo's eyes though, the return ascent begins!

Can you feel that? It feels like the last stretch before the ultimate battle of Wano

Sanji and Zoro vs King and Queen hopefully will remain a tag bout, but I am curious as to King's abilities and what's affecting Sanji in terms of the raid suit. It's not bad to have a limitation but this is the first we've heard of it after seeing him use it 4 times. I don't hate Zoro being a Shimotsuki, though I do feel like we could've built to this, plus we're still lacking in the how.

One wonders what role Marco will now play, and whether Tiny Tiny Chopper is due to recover. We haven't heard from the others for a bit, nor CP0 nor Yamato. Our Pineapple does have unfinished business with Edward Weevil tbf so he could make it out, Izo may be a variable in that, they've yet to learn of Kiku's fate.

Also we never did see who that mystery person was did we? Still could be Hiyori

Marco's musing about gods does feel like we're gonna get more about King, and more lore of the world that Robin will love to soak up like a sponge, Oda have been leaving these seeds since Skypeia, and where there are Gods, there are Devils.

We are however getting major death flags from the minks, one last turn to Su Long to enable their efforts. I like how Ashura's sacrifice is not in vain because of this though, it makes me wonder if there's a slither of hope for Kin and Kiku. If anything though the minks will die from exhaustion rather than being defeated, Su Long eats away at you after all, it's probably gonna be traumatizing for Carrot a little but I hope we see some resolve out of her more like when she was in Zou and WCI, I still want her for Nakama.

And then the final coup de grace, giant dragon Momo, it's one hell of a panel and it means we're bringing Luffy back into the fight. But the extent of Momo's ripening is only in body remember, in mind he's still young. But now we have the setup for the final fight between Luffy and Kaido, I'll expect in that time we'll have to try and finish off everything else with the Akazaya, reconvening the Straw Hats, King, Queen, Big Mom, Kid, Law, Killer, Hawkins, Apoo and Drake.

Act's not over yet, less than 15 minutes until Onigashima Falls.

#one piece #op spoilers #one piece spoilers #one piece meme #wano country arc #wano arc #onigashima raid #straw hat pirates #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #vinsmoke sanji #akazaya nine #raizo of the mist #inuarashi #nekomamushi #beasts pirates #animal kingdom pirates #jack the drought #queen the plague #king the wildfire #big mom pirates #charlotte perospero #whitebeard pirates #marco the phoenix #marco the pineapple #izo one piece #carrot one piece #wanda one piece #kozuki momonosuke

[linawritesfanficandmore]

Robin's First Nest

After the party on Water 7, which lasted for three days and three nights, Luffy summoned all the crew members except Usopp.

“We will have a nest and Robin will join our pack!”

Luffy happily announced.

“I already guessed that. Our three-day meal is ready, captain.” “Shishishi! That's my Sanji." “Are we sure to do the Nest here? We can do it there when our new ship is ready.” “Why should we wait so long?” “Frankly, I can understand what Swordsman-san means.” “Robin?” “This is a temporary place, Luffy. I would like our special moment to be in a place of our own.” “Oh… But… I wanna nest! Pack Marking can wait but we will have a NEST!”

They all sighed. Then Zoro:

“Agreed, but only for two days.” “Whyyy???” “Because I have work to do afterward.”

Luffy scowled but agreed. In this way, they all started to build Nest together. Nami arranged the tangerine trees in a crescent shape in the middle of the place where they were staying and put the family photo in the middle of them. Zoro laid the duvets on the beds on the floor, put Kitetsu out of sight but not far, and placed Wado among Nami's trees. Luffy organized the things as himself and helped Sanji with the snacks. Chopper closed the curtains and helped Robin. Robin put his favorite books in certain places and hung a "Nesting Here Don't Bother" sign on the door for the Galley-La workers and others. So they built a beautiful nest.

"Luffy!" “Yes, Chopper?” “Before I go nesting with you, I need to talk about something.” “Okay.” So Chopper pulled Luffy into a corner.

“Luffy, you heal much faster than normal people, but still, your injuries were really serious this time. So much so that at some point your body completely shut itself down.” “So?” "That's why I want you to spend your next heat without suppressants." “What?!” “This is important for your body to heal, Luffy.” "Isn't there another way?"

Chopper shook his head no.

“Your next heat shouldn't be too far away, Luffy. By my estimation, for a week or two weeks. So we'll be here until then. If you want, we can prepare a nest here for you, or if you want, an Omega Hotel-"

Before Chopper can finish his sentence:

“Omega hotel no! We nest. You look after me, right?" "Of course Luffy." “Then we should tell the others.” "I'll explain the situation, Luffy." “Thanks, Chopper.” "It's okay Luffy."

Together they went towards the others.

“Guys!” “Yes, Chopper.” “Luffy’s injuries this time were very serious. That's why his body needs to go through the next heat without suppressants in order to fully recover. Luffy also said that he prefers to spend this heat here at the nest with us.” "Ok. When?" “In a week or two.” "OK. I'll be here by then. Now can we go to the nest now?"

This time their order is Luffy and Chopper in the middle, Robin and Nami on Chopper's side with Nami at the end; Sanji and Zoro were also on Luffy's side with Zoro last.

For the first time in years, Robin had found a place where she belonged. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe.

“Luffy…” “Yeah?” "Thank you." “Robin.” “…” "There's no need. You are one of us. We'll make it official once our ship is complete. Until then, spend more time with us.” “Hai Captain.” “Shishishi Silly Robin.” “Shut up now! We're trying to sleep." “You shut up Marimo. Robin-chan and Luffy are having a special moment.” “Do you want a fight, curly brows?!” “You say that while hugging me?!” “What can I do they always give me this place?!” “Right, right… Then why hug me so tight?!” “You are one of my pack, unfortunately!” “Huh? You stupid!” “Shishishi!!! Zoro and Sanji are so oblivous. But now both of you shut up! This is Robin's first nest. Don't ruin it!”

Next Chapter 

Previous Chapter

Starting

[the-mic-drop]

Straw Hat Pirates Rap Cypher by Rustage

Never really seen One Piece, but this alone kinda makes me want to dive in.

Lyrics under the cut

Monkey D. Luffy (Performed by Rustage)

Straight out the

East Blue, call me Luffy, I’m a beast too

Anybody you speak to will tell you what I’ve been through

I’m as fast as a pistol, blastin you suckers

I reckon that now I’m steppin up, gettin rough gear second

I’m the captain

Activating Haki, I’m cracking knuckles, attacking so buckle up if you’re lacking

Watch my bounty as it’s racking up

You ain’t ever stacking up

I will fucking end you if you ever hurt my Nakama

It doesn’t matter if you’re navy,

you’re crazy to face me

The aura of a conqueror, even Kaido is shaky

I’m breaking in

cause I’m made to win

I may be rubber, but you’ll need protection from this pirate king

Roronoa Zoro (Performed by None Like Joshua)

Yo it’s Roronoa Zoro, yeah my swords overkill

With a blade in my mouth, so my word flow spills

more blood from a pirate, marine, or fishman with gills

I’ll cut your verse in half

Mihawk givin me the skills

Scars all on my body?

But I’ll leave one on your brain

Just ask Kuma when I took in all of Luffy’s pain

I don’t need a Devil Fruit if you want to see my strength

Hard work, yeah I trained to take Pica to the grave

Slicing back and forth

you know I got a stick for playing Haki

with my Wado Ichimonji

While Sanji sponsored by Nike

Lost my left eye from the waterfalls I chased, but you forgot me?

I’m the greatest swordsman

even after my days I’ll be there on top

while I sleep

Nami (Performed by Savvy Hyuga)

Third memeber of the Straw Hats, but call me Nami

Luffy set me free now I’m navigating him to the One Piece

No need to judge me, it’s just a little pickpocketing

But let me give you a lesson here on some chemistry

Usin’ gusts to make you fall back

Do you want a taste of my staff before you see the lightning flash

n’ hear the thunder crash from my climatact

leave you shakin’ from my thunder lance, can you dodge a weather based attack?

Go ahead and come at me, I’ll watch you pass through

Tell me which tempo that you want me to use

So many combinations, I don’t know which one to choose

Let’s get this over with so I can collect all your revenue

Usopp (Performed by Nux Taku)

Now you’re messing with a veteran

I’m better than anybody

I got an army, crushing all your skeletons

I head up into battle, leave you rattled with my squad

Pray to me, a deity, a sniper

God (Ay)

I’m a sharpshooter so I can’t miss (Ay)

Over longer distance with advantage (Ay)

Got the craftsmanship that is demanded (Woo!)

Your small IQ won’t even understand it

They say I’m lying, but honestly it’s all trickery

Literally, I’m just carrying this crew with my abilities

Hitting me? It’s unlikely.

Come on try to fight me

May have had my issues but I’ve put all that behind me

Sanji (Performed by Eddie Rath)

It all started on a ship in the North Blue

A protégé to the Zeff, what a cool dude

Cut off his leg tryna save and preserve food

Suddenly now you got a friend to preserve you

We all tried to survive from the violence

as we march in an army of pirates

The ocean is a grave full of silence

Enemies wonder, where the time went

I remember I was nothing but a thin joke

My calves on fire, get your face broke

As you sleeping the chef will remain woke

They want beef but they don’t want the Vinsmoke

Tony Tony Chopper (Performed by GameboyJones)

Everybody get to the Chopper

If you got a bounty on your head, Imma pop ya

Girlies think I’m cute

‘Bout to make it reindeer

All about the money, so the enemies should stay clear

Now I joined in with this great little group of pirates

Don’t mess with the squad or we will get violent

Isn’t it ironic I bring pain as the doctor

I could save your life when I drop ya

Now, watch your tone with Tony

or I’ll fold you phonies

Every line’s ginuwine like I rode the pony

and you acting folly

when you saying we don’t run streets

Straw Hat crew and we coming for that One Piece

Nico Robin (Performed by DaisyBanaisy)

Last survivor of my home town

Persecuted for my knowledge

so I’m on my own now

We about to go down,

chilling with tea or we get wild

The name is Nico Robin and I am the Devil Child

Crew archaeologist, information I’m logging it

I got in with the Straw Hats, now I’m reading Poneglyphs

Haven’t you forgotten this girl is straight power

See my hands sprouting and blossom like a flower

Intelligence is unmatched

Show me where the fun’s at

Coming in clutch with these hands growing out ya back

Enies Lobby finding out I have more to give

My crew by my side, so you know that I want to live!

Franky (Performed by Dreaded Yasuke)

Here comes the tank worth 94 bills

Can adapt to any environment like Bear Grylls

Biased when it comes to the Straw Hats, they can chill

Applying a pressure on your endeavors whenever it gets real

That’s the best that you got, probably need to drop

Modifications from my cannon take off a mountain top

My Franky Radical Beam shooting just like a stream,

whizzing right by your head to mess with your self-esteem

Better start counting your bread when you see my team,

accumulating lot of cred gonna need the marines

If you ain’t got the berries get off the Thousand Sunny,

playing like it’s imaginary and get the real Cutty

Brook (Performed by Connor Rapper)

The musician of the Straw Hats

Munificent? Of course, that’s a given

My dynamic riffs are gift-wrapped in ribbon

Every hit exact and honed, like my slashes and my blows

Every note composed appropriately, rhythm’s in my bones

The devil in I is why I never did die

I was revived with twice the undeniable splendour

If stealing the show was seen as a crime then I’m a prime offender

My attacks are so precise although I lack sight receptors

Picked off one by one when I strum with a boney thumb

those opponents with loaded guns are too slow for my frozen lunge

On that boat got pretty lonely wrote odes to my blubbery chum

Though the ocean temp was low I felt so comfortably numb

Jinbei (Performed by DizzyEight)

It’s Jinbei the sensei with my fist I’m ruthless

One swing will leave you stretched out like you’re Luffy,

that’s one piece, but you can get two if you don’t want peace

I’m a fish man, but it’s my hook that make em sleep

You don’t wanna spar, you don’t want the fade

He claim he got heart so I double tap his face

If I gotta go to war I just do it for a change

I live the way I’m living for my brother in the grave

It’s the Straw Hats, I roll with a clique full of warriors

This is not a game, we are not the ones to toy with

All about peace, but if you push us we destroy ya

Big man, but the move smooth like the water

#One Piece #Monkey D. Luffy #Rap #Rustage #Roronoa Zoro #None Like Joshua #Straw Hat Pirates #Nami #Savvy Hyuga #Usopp #Nux Taku #Sanji #Dreaded Yasuke #Tony Tony Chopper #GameboyJones #Nico Robin #Daisybanaisy #Franky #Cutty Flam #Eddie Rath #Brook #Connor Rapper #Jinbei #DizzyEight

[monkey-d-momo]

Another swordsman

Title: Another swordsman

Characters: Zoro and Sanji

Disclaimer: The characters and the univers belongs to Eiichiro Oda

Notes: It is the translation of my fic Un autre épéiste. I wrote it back in 2019, but I translated it recently. It was edited by @nopleaseexplain

You can also read it on ao3 or ff.net 

------------

“Oi! Sanji, I’m hungry!” screamed a young man with disheveled raven hair.

 The apprehended man sighed in annoyance. It was at least the ninth time today that the captain repeated this sentence. Before answering, he put down the refreshment he was carrying to his ladies who were sunbathing.

“I know, I know!” he screamed back. “There’s a snack in the kitchen.”

In a cry of joy, he rushed out towards the stairs to go to the kitchen and while not paying attention to the swordsman who was in the way.

“Luffy, be caref…!”

The pirate collided with a green haired man. With the shock, one of the swordsman’s katanas flew out of its scabbard and started to fall towards the deck, exactly where the cook and the two women of the crew were. The protective instinct of the blonde flared up and without thinking, he caught the sword, stopping it in its fall.

“Shitty marimo bastard!” he screamed. “Be careful, you could have harmed Nami-san and Robin-chan!”

“You’re the bastard!” answered Zoro back. “You be careful with my sword, it’s not a toy!”

“Don’t worry marimo! It’s not the first time I've handled a katana!”

Sanji had spoken thoughtlessly. He didn't immediately understand why everyone went silent...and was looking at him with big eyes.

“What? What did I say?”

“Since when have you handled a katana?” the swordsman asked, clearly surprised by this new information regarding his rival.

The cook felt his heart stopping.

“Knife! I said knife” he tried to take it back, “I’m a cook!”

“No, you did say katana”Namie replied. 

“Yeah, we all heard it clearly” Luffy added, finally showing up after everything.

All confirmed the captain’s words. Sanji cursed.

“So, care to explain?” Zoro asked eagerly. The one who wanted to be the best swordsman in the world was very interested that his rival in the crew could also use a sword, especially after defending the fact of not using his hands or a blade in combat and fighting only with his legs. And why was he trying to hide this at all cost ?

“It’s been a while” the blond replied. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

With these last words, he stuck the sword he still had in his hand in the ground and went to lock himself in the men’s quarters, slamming the door behind him and leaving the pirate crew speechless. The cook never acted this way.

“I think it’s a sensitive subject for him” commented Robin after a moment.

“Me, I’m hungry” declared the captain, going to the kitchen for a second time.

The common lethargy wore off and all resumed their activities. Zoro, however, was not finished. There was another swordsman on board, besides him and Brook, and he wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery.

He went downstairs to get back his katana before going to take a bottle of alcohol from the pantry. The cook would maybe be more prone to talk with some sake. His goal in mind, he entered the men’s quarters. The blond was lying down in his bed, using his hands as a pillow, looking up, lost in his thoughts. He still noticed the swordsman coming pretty quickly.

“Go away! I said I don’t wanna talk about it!”

“No.”

Sanji grew annoyed. “No what!?”

“I’m staying.”

He took a seat on his own bed which was right next to his rival’s – got to find out why it was chosen that way – and filled two cups of sake before offering one to the other man.

“You want to get me drunk so I’ll talk…”

“Maybe. But alcohol has always been good to keep bad memories away,” replied the green haired man. 

The cook sighed before taking the cup and drinking it in one shot. “How did you know it reminded me of bad memories?” he asked after a while.

“It was the most obvious option,” Zoro replied, filling the blonde’s cup once again 

“You’re not so stupid, it seems” Sanji mocked.

“And you’re trying to change the subject by starting a fight.”

“What a shame, it normally works.”

“Not this time. I’m serious.”

Indeed. The swordsman was looking at him in the eyes with a stern look. He was extremely stubborn and the cook knew that he would not drop the issue.

“Why do you want to know?” he sighed.

“You know why.”

Yes, Sanji knew. Despite their rivalry, the two men were like brothers. And he knew Zoro felt the same. When one was hurt, the other was hurt as well. He would not let go before the cook told him everything. It was his way of demonstrating his support and giving a little comfort.

The blond sat up in the bed. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a drag, he spoke.

“I won’t go into detail,” he started, “but my biological father is the head of an army..Basically”

“Your biological father!?” Zoro exclaimed, surprised. “You’ve never talked about him, I thought Zeff was your father!”

“Zeff is my dad. At least, I consider him as that.”

“And he’s at the head of an army? He’s a king?!”

“Yeah…”

“So, you’re a prince!? All my respect, your majesty” Zoro joked.

“Stop that,” Sanji said menacingly. He wasn’t in the mood for that. “I rejected my family long ago. I’m not a prince anymore.”

“Sorry, sorry. Go on.” To encourage him, Zoro served him another cup of sake. The cook looked at him suspiciously before accepting the cup and drinking it in one shot. He preferred wine, but at this moment, the rice alcohol was helping him feel better.

“So, my brothers and I…”

“You even have brothers!?”

“Yes, we’re four twins. And a big sister.”

“So, there are more like you?” Zoro laughed.

“No. I’m different.” The green haired man felt a hint of sadness in his rival’s voice. He didn’t like it. Sanji was obviously hiding a deep scar and he hated seeing that it was still hurting him. He filled the cups once more.

“Anyway. At a pretty young age, our father was training us to become commanders for his army” the blonde continued. “I was assigned as a swordsman. I trained for it until… I left my family.”

Zoro couldn’t believe it. His friend could have been a swordsman too. “How good were you?”

“Plain bad. Let’s just say my father wasn’t pleased about it.”

“What did he do?”

He shook his head. “I’ve said too much. Maybe another time.” He closed himself off. He wasn’t going to say any more, for now.

“Don’t worry. It’s in the past. You’re here now.”

Sanji looked up at the ceiling once more while laying down in his bed again. His rival did the same and the room became quiet. In the swordsman’s head, however, it was not quiet at all. He was really curious to know what his friend has been through and he was imagining so many scenarios. It wasn’t going to help him much. An idea popped in his mind.

“Let’s have a fight,”Zoro suggested, breaking the silence that had been going for few minutes now.

“We do that at least ten times a day, marimo.”

“I mean, a sword fight.” The concerned one looked at his crewmate like he'd grown a second head.

“Have you lost your mind? I’m not a swordsman! And I never use my hands while fighting, you know that!”

“A friendly sparring match,” he justified himself. “You’ll at least have a good memory of sword training.” 

Sanji was speechless. He didn’t know what to do with the marimo’s proposition. The latter then handed him one of his katana.

“Come on!” he insisted “see it as a revanche on your father.”

The blonde’s heart squeezed. How did his friend understand how many scars his biological father left him with? He looked at the sword in Zoro’s extended hand. It was Wado Ichimonji. The young man’s biggest treasure. He was dead serious and had just given the cook a great sign of trust.

“Okay” he obliged, not able to say “no” any more. He took the katana and the two men went to the ship’s deck under the surprised eyes of their crewmates. The whole crew had fallen silent when the two rivals each drew out a sword.

Zoro noticed that Sanji’s position was perfect. His hands were holding the handle at a good height, the blade in front of him. His feet were at a good distance apart and his whole body looked like it was ready to parry any attack. Everything in him showed sword training. How had he not noticed before? How had he not made the link with his cutting skills when he was cooking?

The green haired man did not have time to think, the cook was coming with a front attack. He didn’t have any difficulties blocking it, but was surprised by the precision and the strength of the strike. He counterattacked, but the blonde saw it coming and parried it effectively.

The match went on for a few minutes before the two men stopped. The whole crew stayed quiet during the fight.

“You could have been a really good swordsman,” Zoro commented, “you got skills.”

Sanji knew his rival hadn’t used his full potential, but he knew that he wasn’t the type to give compliments out of nowhere.

“I’m leaving the role to you” he said back with a smile in his voice.

“Uhh.. can somebody explain this to me?” asked Usopp. The crew looked like they were waiting for the answer eagerly. They were obviously confused by the whole scene they just saw.

“No,” the swordsman replied. “It’s between the cook and me.”

Life on the boat went on, as lively as usual. In the evening, when Zoro went up to the crow’s-nest, he saw a bottle of sake and some perfectly sculpted onigiri.

----------------

Thank for reading!

#one piece #one piece fanfic #one piece fanfiction #zoro #roronoa zoro #sanji #zoro and sanji #zosan #my fic

[whirlybirdwhat]

East Sea of Monsters - Chapter 17

Whiskey Peak doesn’t often experience visitors from the East but Baroque Works tends to treat them like everyone else.

That is their first and final mistake.

-

Chapter 15 of this series now has a podfic by the amazing @oceanaromantic ! Please go check it out if you haven't done so, its absolutely awesome to listen to! (Part 1 Part 2) 

Read the entire series on Ao3 for better quality and authors notes! Gen, creepy, featuring all of the Straw Hats, multi-chapter story. (Tag “Ficart” on my blog should also show some fan art for this fic!)

“The East Blue has a different nickname to those in the Grand Line, and those who hail it as home have a few… unique traits.”

-

Whiskey Peak has many visitors. Some not even from this realm.

Some fall quickly to their (Baroque Work’s) schemes, others take a bit more convincing, but eventually, they all do become another nameless, stone grave upon its rolling green hills.

(Before the hunters of Baroque settled there, there were still gravestones littering the peaks, gently Illuminated by moonlight. They don’t know where they came from, and perhaps they never will.

But they are always careful of something on this (breathing) island that might get them instead of the other way around.)

(Has it left?)

(Gold Roger was the last person to step foot on this island. According to local legend, that was the last time a stone cross appeared on its own.)

These visitors should be no different, even if there are special instructions for their capture and death.

These pirates are from the East Blue after all.

And everyone knows the East Blue is the weakest.

(They don’t think about monsters such as Garp and Roger. Bounty hunters aren’t particularly bright like that. )

The Straw hat pirates are insane and the ‘townspeople’ slowly falling unconscious isn’t a complete façade, but eventually they wear away to sleep.

The permanent kind.

Dead or alive after all.

(The bounty hunters don’t comment on how they can’t quite focus on their visitors, how Ms. Wednesday had shaken her head when they tried to ask what sea they came from directly. (East Blue they found out, and thought nothing of it. East Blue, they think later, and shiver.) Bounty hunters deal in information but Whiskey Peak has never needed it before.)

They didn’t count on one waking up. On all of them waking up.

(For the first time in 23 years, Whiskey Peak adds some of its own to the graves dotting the hills. The beast, touched by East Blue waters, feasts on its people with a wicked smile.

-

A good swordsman never lets the drink overcome him, and Zoro is no different.

(Unless he’s sure that his nakama can handle it. Booze is great after all.)

Plus, costumes and stupid code names. A trap, obviously.

(Mr. 7 could never have made it in the East Blue – he would have been eaten alive (literally) – it’s a good thing Zoro took his head.

(Asura had been pleased))

Standing in the moonlight now, watching them walk out, thinking they had taken care of all of them, he can’t help but smirk.

The bounty hunters have no idea, do they? They don’t know of the darkness that seeps into these waters, of the darkness that they unwittingly invite into their homes. They don’t even register the misty quality about their crew and how Luffy’s playful bites at hands serving his food had been anything but.

There is blood to be shed tonight, and it won’t be Zoro’s – this he is certain.

(Ever since they crossed into the Grand Line, there as been a presence, pressing down on them all. Crocus had explained it vaguely – the Veil, this thing that obscures what should not be seen.

Zoro, and the rest of the East Blue, apparently fall into that category.

(And it’s no surprise – Zoro thinks of the things he has seen beneath the waves and the people on every island, and wonders if there are things that are obscured from him.)

Technically, they shouldn’t be here. Technically, they shouldn’t have any strength to surpass this bearing might of some invisible force.

But Zoro doesn’t care. He’s strong enough to withstand it – and eventually, he vows, he will surpass it.)

He lifts Wado, lets her blade gleam in the moonlight, and announces his presence.

(In shimmering view, two other arms lift two other shadowy blades – solid and sure but not quite of this realm.)

“Sorry, but I think you might want to let them sleep a little longer. Luffy’s hungry when he wakes up you see…”

The bounty hunters quiver, and Zoro can taste their fear.

Good.

-

There’s blabbering, and Zoro reveals a bit of his hand. It doesn’t matter though, because a step forward (through three worlds) and he’s in their midst’s, a feral grin on his face and moonlight shining off his blades and many arms (not that they can see all of them).

“Wanna fight?” he smiles.

They pull their weapons and Zoro unleashes hell.

-

The moon sets later to an explosion of fire. Zoro watches dispassionately and licks the blood off his blades.

So the bounty hunter is actually a princess, huh?

Funny. He thought princesses had more sense. Weren’t they supposed to run from monsters?

Yet here she was, on her knees and absolutely terrified but begging them to save her country.

“You hail from the East, don’t you? Please, I know the truth – you can help me save my country, can’t you? I’ll offer you anything – anything, just please, help us – there’s no one left.”

Zoro doesn’t care about her all that much, but Crocodile is a war lord, and rumor has it his right-hand man is proficient with blades. A challenge, right off the bat in the Grand Line – looking to his left he can see Luffy thinks the same, if about Crocodile, but probably with the addition of a feast.

(His captain should be sated for now, though he will have to cut down how much he eats in front of Vivi. She already saw Zoro, bloody and blood thirsty, cutting down her former colleagues – how will she react to Luffy, bloody and bloodthirsty, feasting on the people of her country?)

Nami, the blasted weather witch, has berries in her eyes. The storm she’s made of rumbles and flashes with the promise of gold as she sidles up to the princess – “A princess, eh?”

“FEAST!” Luffy shouts, and Zoro knows for a fact they were heading to Alabasta.

Vivi trembles but the inklings of a smile make their way onto her face. Zoro gives her a grin and goes to take a nap, internally laughing at the paling of her face as she caught a glimpse of his fangs through the veil.

She better get used to it.

It’s one of the more mundane things on this sea.

(In flickering moments, she sees the truth, and becomes used to dwelling with demons, in a way that few are. She doesn’t question things, and doesn’t let fear rule her as she sleeps unguarded.

Zoro’s proud to call her nakama, when they leave.

They should have taken her with them.)

-

As the Going Merry leaves Whiskey Peak, blood sinks into the ground. The water darkens and only a few more souls manage to leave the deceiving paradise in the moonlight.

The rest are not seen again.

A hundred more gravestones appear.

(Water from the East flows from Reverse Mountain without the bracing divide of the Calm Belt to stop any presence. It. corrupts as far as it can reach, turning whales into beasts and islands into monsters.

Whiskey peak, the closest island to the East Blue, has been in its waters for a long, long time.

It’s an Island and it does not take kindly to visitors.

Especially ones that create their hideout on its shores.)

#did I just hint that Luffy's gonna eat some alabastians? maybe #poor vivi #SERIOUSLY CHECK THAT PODFIC OUT I LOVE IT SM #one piece #zoro #opau #vivi #Roronoa zoro #nami #luffy #op #monkey d. luffy #esom #East Sea of Monsters #whirlywhat #whirlywrites #opfic #whiskey peak

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece 1000 - 10 Confessions as a One Piece Fan

Although we did the Initial Thoughts a week ago (a long week ago, damn) which you can read here I wanted to do something for the official release of One Piece’s 1000th Chapter At first it started out to be ‘10 things I wanna ask Oda that I don’t think we’ll ever know’ but I couldn’t think of 10, then I was gonna do a General opinion post about it, but didn’t want it to come off too negative. So I am settling on a confessions post, which will have elements of these anyway.

So as we have a happy 1000, let’s talk about some stuff I usually don’t get to talk about in One Piece

Note: There will probably be spoilers so make sure you’re up to date

10. Late Beginnings I think the first confession I have to have is that despite being older than One Piece I am unfortunately not a ‘Day One’ fan. In fact I think I mainly got into One Piece around mid-Whole Cake Island arc, before I had of course known about One Piece, it was a ‘Big Three’ anime after all but the most I knew about it was that they had a guy named Luff-y and another called Zorro, and it was about ‘Pirates who can’t swim’. My curiosity only developed when in a youtube deep-dive of anime clips I kept being recommended One Piece clips, and decided to give a couple a go. Most of them were Paradise arc stuff from the anime, the dub voices were mostly atrocious so I stuck to sub. I was happily surprised about the amount of fun and emotional weight these clips gave me, which led me to check where One Piece was as of current and backtrack from there (Ironically I did the same with Beastars). I did eventually get caught up around the time of the Mafia Meeting and I’ve kept up with each chapter since.

9. I mostly still prefer the Pre-Timeskip looks When I first felt this I thought it to be pretty controversial, nowadays not so much. I understand that Oda wanted to change the look for many characters but some of them did feel like a downgrade. I think the ones who got it worst was Franky, I think it’s the bulbous shoulders, Franky was no stranger to body horror from Enies Lobby to Sabaody but I kinda preferred that he still had a lot of his humanity rather than looking like an action figure. Otherwise I think Robin, Nami and Chopper had it bad, maybe Brook too but his was more fashion than design; the women in general took heavy hits by Oda’s proportion design - I mean I get it boobs are nice but proportions are what make them better - but Robin also underwent a skin color change in the anime, who pre-timeskip shaded her skin darker than in the manga and corrected it to match the manga, I think most of us would’ve preferred Robin to have kept the darker skin tone and possibly even the fringe, Robin’s hairstyle (and her fashion in general) can be hit and miss. I go to and fro about Nami, other than the general waist and bust adjustments I think it fits her character to use her sexuality a bit, she was no stranger to that pre-Timeskip, sometimes though I can’t tell whether I preferred her with short or long hair (Short was definitely better on Nojiko), I do think though that Oda could have her show less skin, she is still very pretty in outfits such as Water 7, Thriller Bark and even her fake pirate disguise in the early chapters/episodes. Finally with Chopper I think it was a bad move to alter the hat, that was a memento from his father figure Hiriluk, it’d be like if Luffy altered his straw hat or Zoro replacing Wado Ichimonji, I do also feel that the design for Chopper’s points while easier to draw don’t look as good, I think a lot of it is the scruff, or lack thereof in favour of smoothness, Walk Point is fine but Heavy Point, Guard Point and Horn Point seem less threatening, Monster Point especially too, in Enies Lobby he looked like a cave painting of menace and destruction, now he’s smoother and his scruff lighter so it’s not as good. The rest of the designs I’m quite fine with though.

8. I wish some markings stuck as well Tattoos and Scars seem to be optional in the One Piece world sometimes, unless it’s branded in molten heat like the Dragon’s hoof, Sun Pirates logo or an attack from Sakazuki. While Nami’s redesigned tattoo has stuck around and Luffy and Zoro’s scars persist, they are mainly character reminders/mysteries for huge moments in the story, and I kinda wish that some of the Straw Hats had littler markings, not just scars either. For instance, the Alabasta X on the arm, I really wish that stayed on each of the Alabasta characters’ arms since it was a symbol of friendship with Vivi, I also wish that Luffy kept the 3D2Y mark on his arm. In terms of scars though it would’ve been nice to see the characters a bit more battle-worn; Zoro’s ankle scars from Mr. 3 have faded and frankly he should be covered in little and long scratches given his fights with Mr. 1 and 2 years of Mihawk Training, Nami’s shoulder scar is hidden completely by her tattoo and she has no scars on her hand (from fake stabbing Usopp) or foot (from blocking Miss Doublefinger), Usopp himself could’ve used some small scratches because lord knows how there’s even still bones in his nose plus he was in murder island for 2 years, Chopper could at least have a small bald patch from when his shoulder was impaled and burned by Shura’s fire lance too, other than that there’s just Jimbei’s potentially missing shoulder scar from Marineford, though Oda has kept it obscured a lot so maybe that is still there. I understand why Oda doesn’t or forgets to, but it would’ve been nice if we lived in a vacuum of no time limits and whatnot.

7. Dead End Adventure is my favourite One Piece film I don’t know what it is, but Dead End Adventure just gives me the most fun out of the One Piece films. It has a good side plot and the side character Shuraiya was a blast of a character. Granted, Gaspard wasn’t too good of a villain side for actually harming the straw hat and his defeat was a bit underwhelming but the race, the settings it was all fun. It is not to say I don’t enjoy any other One Piece movies, I delight in the horror fuel of Baron Omatsuri - and that killer final punch - and Z’s tragic tale of a fallen marine, Strong World has that epic entrance to the party and Stampede also had some great team up moments and fantastic writing for Usopp and Smoker but Dead End Adventure always feels like the movie I could watch in any mood.

6. Skypeia and Fishman Island are some of my favourite arcs While I can understand the criticism of the Long Ring Long Land arc (especially since the anime dragged out the Davy Back Fight) it surprised me that people found Skypeia and Fishman Island arcs to be boring or less entertaining than previous arcs. Everyone has their preferences of course but I felt that Skypeia and Fishman Island were very powerful arcs especially with the theme of racism. Both had glorious setting design different to the common customs of the world we had seen, Oda made both Skypeia and Fishman Island feel very much lived in with its own budding culture and prejudices, with a villain who was dead set on destroying everything just to have their way. With Enel and his priests we were able to push several characters to newer limits, with Robin showing her fighting capabilities, Zoro learning his projectile slashes, Chopper having to endure fighting 3 priests and even Usopp growing all the more braver in the face of seemingly indestructible opponents and later gaining access to the dials. With Fishman Island it was different because it was basically a ‘flex arc’: where the main villain is meant to be a stepping stone rather than a threat but even then the symbolism of the enemy is what’s significant with them, the inherited hatred of humans. But at the same time we do learn new strengths from the crew; Red Hawk, the use of armament Haki, Skywalk, Hell Memories, Franky Shogun, Usopp’s pop greens, Nami’s weather eggs, Brook’s Soul Solid and his new DF power (which is possibly an awakening), as well as the first true steps of Jimbei joining the crew. The biggest strength of both arcs is the flashback as well, like Wano would in present time both arcs demonstrated that Oda can carry a story without his main characters and still keep it as captivating as ever, be it the friendship of Noland and Calgara, the tragedies of Otohime and Fisher Tiger or the life of Kozuki Oden and the man who would be Pirate King. And the impact of Fishman Island and Skypeia’s flashbacks both come back around in Dressrosa with the dwarves and Koala, and Fishman Island really does kick off the whole Yonko saga with Luffy challenging Big Mom, these arcs were definitely significant as they were entertaining with silly faces, strong fights, challenging themes, lorebuilding, good side characters and unique twists. And the overall message of healing from the past is still significant to this day. Through Wyper’s sacrifice and the Bell ringing to Jimbei giving blood and the Ryugu royals wanting to attend the Reverie, it is all very powerful stuff and while the arcs are similar in nature its their similarities that make me love them. Also the cover stories with Enel and Gedatsu on their own mini adventures are fun

5. I really want to know where Ghin is Ghin/Gin was such an interesting character in Baratie. Given that this was right before Arlong Park too so we had not seen a character conflict with different loyalties in One Piece until then, his gratitude to Sanji against his loyalty to Krieg created a fantastically complex character, but then he left and we didn’t hear about him ever since. Did he survive Krieg’s poison gas? Is he still with Krieg? One reactor of the episode said “maybe he’ll become the next Don” which was a concept I kinda really liked. The guy was pretty strong given that he had bested Sanji at that time, and since he didn’t appear in a cover story my mind does wonder. It’s not just Ghin either, a lot of the early East Blue characters kinda fell off the map; where is Morgan? Last we saw he was sleeping as he sailed past Jango, where is Kuro? For someone wanting to resume piracy after some years off he has been very quiet, where is Krieg? Only Arlong and Morgan were arrested and the latter escaped so the rest of these characters are a mystery. Recently in Wano I am still wondering where Law’s crew that he brought to Onigashima went, as well as Caribou - where is that slippery bugger?

4. Basil Hawkins is probably one of my Top 5 Supernova There’s something about that dude I gravitate towards, which makes it quite frustrating when the anime decides to add extra malice and creepy faces to him. Hawkins in Wano is still a victim, if anything he is simply a prisoner with better working conditions, if he thought he could survive escaping Kaido he would but he doesn’t so he won’t, he’s also gonna feel sore about Drake betraying him and letting Law cut him up, so it annoys me that Hawkins is seen like a villain. Not only does he have an extremely interesting Devil Fruit and creativity with it but he’s also audaciously confident in his fortunetelling, even Luffy ran from Kizaru at Sabaody while Hawkins looked at his cards while Kizaru was about to boot him to holy hell and said ‘nah I’m not dying today’, you gotta respect that moxie. At the same time though as a pirate he has that shades of grey element, he’s okay with letting some of his crew be disposable and we don’t even know to what end, he doesn’t look like a guy too concerned about being Pirate King or having riches. I also get a good laugh in that his hobbies are interior design, it makes me really want to see what the inside of his ship looks like. I think as a top 5, I have Luffy, Zoro, Law, Hawkins and then Kid, Bege, Killer and Bonney are not far behind with Apoo dead last because fuck Apoo. Kid and Killer are cool but I do feel like they need a bit more character, Bege earned some points in being funny and his care for his family in WCI and then there’s Bonney - I really hope we dig into Bonney’s significance, she feels really important and that mystery keeps her fresh whenever we see her. Drake too has only really started to become interesting because of SWORD, we could still see more fleshing but for now he is like bottom 3. It’s a shame Urouge has to be so low, he’s not bad but he’s not spectacular either, gotta admire his hobby of lovemaking though, you do you Urouge.

3. I don’t think that either of the ‘Most Beautiful Women in the World’ are the Most Beautiful Women in One Piece The in-world consensus seems to be that the Most Beautiful Women in the World are Boa Hancock, Komurasaki and Shirahoshi, and granted they are very pretty, but the most? Not for me. I mean, y’all know that Nico Robin, Nami and Vinsmoke Reiju exist right? Makino as well is stunning, as are Tashigi, Bonney, Margaret, Ishilly, Nojiko, Vivi, Rebecca, Pudding, Perona, Cosette and I’m sure a few others, realistically I think they could all give them a run for their money. I get how for those three their beauty is a plot point (Boa it’s drilling home Luffy’s obliviousness to it, Komurasaki it’s the swerve of her not being awful and for Shirahoshi it’s due to Vander Decken IX pulling the creep factor on her) but it would’ve worked the same way without the ‘world’ hyperbole I think. As much as Oda is iffy with proportions and rarely writes women with as much attention as the boys he sure knows how to make them attractive.

2. Some of my favourite individual Straw Hat scenes aren’t in Canon If I were to have a top 5 moments of each character, it may surprise you that some of it comes from movies or filler episodes, particularly Sanji’s flexing on Jessica in the G8 Arc (in fact, Jonathon is one of my favourite marines, T-Bone is in there too, but I don’t have room to fit that). Some are of course obvious because of how iconic they are but it does go to show that sometimes filler isn’t all bad. Since you’re probably curious: As a Group Goodbye Merry [Enies Lobby] Entering Shiki’s Palace [Strong World] Walk to Arlong Park [Arlong Park] Entering the Grand Line [Reverse Mountain] vs a Stuck Oars [Thriller Bark] Jimbei Giving Luffy Blood [FMI] Vagabond Drill on Big Mom [WCI] Leaving the Big Mom Pirates [WCI] Returning in Wano [Wano] Trying to argue with Luffy [FMI] Brook vs Chess Soldiers & Big Mom [WCI] Flashback [Thriller Bark] Breaking Mother Carmel’s Picture [WCI] Baron Corpse vs Dog Minks [Zou] Hysterically laughing at seeing Duval [Sabaody] Franky vs Senor Pink [Dressrosa] Playing with the Kids [Punk Hazard] vs Fukurou [Enies Lobby] Freedom Roller [Wano] Trapping Caribou in the Barrel [FMI] Robin  I Want to Live [Enies Lobby] Clutching Spandam [Enies Lobby] Throwing Usopp under the bus [G8] vs Yama [Skypeia] Clutching Tequila Wolf guards [Amazon Lily] Chopper Monster Point [Enies Lobby] Flashback [Drum Island] Chopper Man (& Minoru Kazeno) vs Usobada [Chopper Man Special] Don’t blow the whistle: Immediately blows whistle [Skypeia] Dr Chopper the definitely Human Doctor not wearing fake glasses [G8] Vivi w/ Karoo (she counts okay!) Goodbye speech [Alabasta] Escaping Bon Clay [Alabasta] Karoo Digging Luffy Out [Little Garden] Luffy Fan Club Meeting [Reverie] Slapping Usopp awake [Drum Island] Nami vs Kalifa [Enies Lobby] Standing by the kids [Punk Hazard] Saying goodbye to Bell-mere [Arlong Park] Helping Luffy vs Cracker via Lola’s Vivre Card [WCI] Luffy WILL be Pirate King [Wano] Sanji ‘I needed a light’ [Skypeia] Flexing on Jessica [G8] Saving the Vinsmokes [WCI] O-Soba Mask [Wano] vs Doflamingo [Dressrosa]  Usopp Alabasta speech [Alabasta] Awakening Observation Haki [Dressrosa] Sogeking Theme Song [Enies Lobby] vs Perona [Thriller Bark] Saving Luffy from the fire [Stampede]  Zoro Nothing Happened [Thriller Bark] vs Ryuma [Thriller Bark] vs Mr. 1 [Alabasta] vs Gyukimaru & Kamazo [Wano] “He’s sweeping our floors that fiend!” Test of Luck [Loguetown] Luffy ‘On the Sea, you fight Pirates’ [Wano] Red Roc [Wano] vs Katakuri [WCI] Haki clash with Doflamingo [Dressrosa] Punching Saint Charloss [Sabaody] I will have to say that for some characters I could go to 20 so if one’s missing it may’ve just missed the mark, such as Usopp and Nami vs Enel or Luffy putting back a Zombie or Stealth Luffy, I mean it is 1000 chapters as well as movies and filler episodes/specials...

1. I’ve learned quite a lot due to One Piece Since my fascination started with a deep dive of checks, I did start to learn a hell of a lot more not just about the franchise itself (you know it’s almost catching up BATMAN on total sales, which has been around more than 3 times longer?) but I also learned a lot about stuff Oda has used as a reference key; folklore, actual pirates, actual practices, the amount of detail Oda puts in is astounding. Which does lean into another thing I’ve learned, One Piece has changed the way I approach some of my ideas for writings and whatnot, before I would be afraid of either spoonfeeding or being too vague, Oda’s mastery not only in storytelling but character development, character quality and pacing has both helped and intimidated me a lot of times, I mean consider this: it took hundreds of chapters to get a proper backstory on Luffy, the main character, how unprecedented is that? Often I could fall into the trap of making sure you knew everything about the main character from day one but now I wonder about what’s necessary for the now and what can I work on. Another thing that both inspires and intimidates me is his drawing, I suck at colours and still do, and a lot of Oda’s attention to detail is incredible considering he’s gotta whip that out on the weekly, but at the same time you see some of his rough sketches and they’re pretty similar to a rough sketch of my own, so in a way it’s a ‘there’s still hope for you’ moment seeing those. I can’t say I’ve learned Japanese from listening to One Piece, but I have picked up on some stuff, some hiragana there, some phonetics here, I also appreciated some of the stuff kaizokuou-ni-naru does (I won’t tag them in case that’s a bit rude to do it out of the blue but check out their tumblr) when it came to deciphering the Japanese of chapters and the little puns and hints Oda puts in his native tongue. And of course any One Piece fan has learned one thing above all else: Patience. Oda himself included, it took over 20 years to get to 1000 chapters and we still have plenty of questions to ask, plenty of islands to see and thus plenty of chapters to go. So Straw Hats off to you Oda, and a happy 1000th!

#one piece #one piece 1000 #one piece chapter 1000 #eichiro oda #straw hat pirates #monkey d luffy #straw hat luffy #roronoa zoro #Pirate Hunter Zoro #usopp #usopp one piece #god usopp #sogeking #nami #nami one piece #cat burglar nami #vinsmoke sanji #sanji #black leg sanji #sanji one piece #stealth black #soba mask #nefertari vivi #vivi #vivi one piece #karoo #carue #tony tony chopper #cotton candy lover chopper #chopperman

[danwhobrowses]

Why Tashigi Deserves More Respect

I really gotta remember these other things I plan on writing XD Often I get reminded though by people around me criticizing something I realise ‘that’s a little misunderstood’ and then get compelled to write about it. For today we’re looking at the female Marine of One Piece, Tashigi. Now before we start, I want to make a point that Tashigi is still an underused character brimming with potential that Oda seems to shy a lot from. Oda can still sincerely do a lot more with her and I for one have been disappointed by her lack of use in Stampede and lack of appearance in Wano. However, I get a lot of people who feel that Tashigi is ‘useless’, and I’m going to say that this isn’t really the case.

Argument 1: Her Battles

Of course, a lot of strength regarding a character comes with their ability to come out victorious. It can harm any character in a show to constantly be on the losing side of a fight and it does hurt Tashigi (and Smoker) a lot that they do end up that way. While I would love Tashigi to have her first clean win since those guys in Loguetown I’d like to remind you that Tashigi’s fights do have a bit of defense to them, let’s look at all of Tashigi’s named opponents

Zoro (Loguetown) - We always knew that Zoro was winning this, while she was bested by Zoro the purpose of the story wasn’t ever going to be Tashigi being stronger, instead this was Zoro having to confront her similarities with Kuina in personality rather than skill.

Nico Robin/Miss All Sunday (Alabasta) - While Tashigi was unable to even strike Robin back in Alabasta, Robin’s devil fruit allowed her to be perfect for such a situation. A trained and deadly assassin, Tashigi’s physical confrontation was never going to succeed, but what was key to this battle was Tashigi’s realization in regards to the failure of Justice. In the end she had to rely on Luffy to defeat the Pirates the WG had assigned to maintain the balance.

Luffy (Marineford/Punk Hazard) - Luffy and Tashigi briefly crossed paths in Marineford, Luffy swiftly dodged her but again, Tashigi was never going to defeat Luffy and was merely a doorway to put Smoker and Luffy into a fight. It’s also worth reminding that Tashigi must’ve been capable enough to hold her own against Whitebeard’s lesser forces, since she was uninjured from Marineford. They also crossed at Punk Hazard, but then they were both weakened by being in unfamiliar bodies, something which Luffy even acknowledges.

Trafalgar Law (Punk Hazard) - as pictured above, Tashigi’s defeat to Law was another gateway for Smoker to enter the fight, but this one had more purpose in showing Tashigi’s willpower, which we will get to. As you can tell, there’s a theme: Tashigi would never have beaten Law in terms of the narrative, why do we hold it against Tashigi that she lost to the guy who later did this?

Ceasar Clown (Punk Hazard) - while listed as a fight, she fell the same way as Robin and Franky due to his DF being unrevealed, again this being a gateway to sell that Ceasar had a danger to him, I wouldn’t actually count it as a fight.

Vergo (Punk Hazard) - the Donquixote spy is one of Doflamingo’s deadliest subordinates. The original Corazon, Tashigi’s conflict with Vergo brought Sanji into the fight and once again highlighted to Tashigi the corruption within the Marines themselves. Like Law (and the next), we can’t be too harsh on Tashigi losing to Vergo, the guy easily fended off Sanji to the point of almost breaking Sanji’s leg, he also was able to beat Smoker

Monet (Punk Hazard) - Monet is a mixed one, because Zoro quickly defeats her she was quickly overshadowed by the fact that she struggled to even get on the offensive, broadening the gap between them. But, I’d like to remind everyone that Monet was able to force Luffy into fleeing their battle and was handling Robin, Nami and Chopper at once. Tashigi hadn’t completely lost either, I would bet that she’d fight without an arm, maybe not successfully but she would, and she got the finishing blow on Monet - her second offensive attack against Monet put her away and while technically this doesn’t count as a W for Tashigi she did not technically lose in this fight either

As you can see, while it’s easy to say that ‘Tashigi never wins her fights, so she’s weak’ it really undermines the opposition she willingly puts herself against. Narratively there’d be no reason for Tashigi to win these fights, doing so would lead to confusion and disbelief (for instance, would you have seen Luffy beating Kaido solo back in Bakura Town? No, obviously). Tashigi is still strong, she’s able to survive the Grand Line, easily deflect cannon fire with her sword and use Haki, the latter cannot be said for Main Characters like Nami, Chopper, Franky, Carrot and somehow Robin (like girl you spent 2 years with the Revolutionaries, where’s your Haki?). While we would love a win to validate this, Oda always puts her against an opponent that would be difficult for her to win against, and we thus mistake her inability to win as weakness. So that leads to another argument. Argument 2: Tashigi always punches above her weight While this is very much true, One Piece has often told us that being the strongest doesn’t always mean that you will win. Consider 90% of Nami and Usopp’s wins, Luffy’s wins over Crocodile, Enel, Lucci, Magellan, Cracker and Katakuri, the weak may not be able to choose how they die but that doesn’t mean that the strong can either.  I’d also like to argue that Tashigi’s motive on fighting strong opponents is not because she feels that she is stronger, she fights them because they are the enemy that needs to be stopped, her motives are pure in her pursuit of justice just as the Straw Hats fight stronger opponents because it fulfills a just cause such as saving Alabasta, their crewmates, people who had their shadows stolen, Camie, Fishman Island, the Punk Hazard children, Dressrosa, Zou or Wano. Tashigi really gets criticized for it because it doesn’t yield the results it does for major characters, often needing help to get the victory. In that I wanna point out a harsh truth as well; Goku - the people many anime fans will compare power scales against - almost never beats the main villain on his own in DBZ or DBS. Freeza - required damage from Krillin, Gohan, Vegeta and Piccolo before the win, and he didn’t finish him off, Cell - tags out to Gohan, who also needs Vegeta’s help to win, Buu - needs Vegeta’s help via fusion and a full power recharge by the Dragon Balls, Beerus - he lost, Golden Freeza - he got jumped by Sorbet and needed Whis’ rewind, Hit - he gave up, Fused Zamasu - lost, and needed Zeno to wipe him out, Jiren - needed Freeza and 17′s help and Vegeta’s energy and finally Broly - needed fusion. So maybe, if even Son Goku cannot win on his own, we can cut Tashigi a little bit of slack given that she’s not even a main character.

Argument 3: ‘She does nothing’ I don’t really like this insinuation. Often Smoker and Tashigi are the ones that pick up the mess after all the enemies are defeated, but for some reason that equates to ‘doing nothing’. I think because people see Tashigi as interchangeable with any other character she is thus useless because she is not mandatory. However, Tashigi’s role is much more complex than that.

Even if she’s not strong enough to fight the biggest fishes in the pond, she still manages to grow and prove her worth. If Tashigi was replaced with any generic marine captain a lot of what happened would be different. It was Tashigi who identified Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu for Zoro, Tashigi who (albeit reluctantly) directed Luffy to Crocodile, Tashigi who kept the Straw Hats safe from arrest in Alabasta, Tashigi who convinced Smoker that he needed to swallow his pride and side with Law and Luffy to stop Ceasar and it was Tashigi who convinced Nami to entrust the Punk Hazard children to them. Through her experiences she also cultivates her own unique sense of Justice. While she follows Smoker’s doctrine of ‘A Pirate will always be a Pirate’ and that the Shichibukai system and the World Government as a whole is flawed, she has also learned for herself that there are times that pride must be set aside, in a way Tashigi’s sense of Justice has become a combination of Smoker’s and Fujitora’s: in order to rebuild justice, the navy itself must become strong enough to not depend on pirates, but pride cannot supersede the greater good. In addition, implying she does nothing also implies that she doesn’t practice her own sense of justice either. She stepped in on Zoro twice to protect her men from harm, before even arriving at Punk Hazard we learned that she had a good relationship with the parents who had their children kidnapped as they asked specifically for her which in turn led her to personally strive to reunite the children with their parents and she even protected the truth of Vergo from G-5 so that they didn’t feel betrayed and demoralized. Of the things Tashigi does, nothing is not one of them, she displays compassion, fairness and determination in definitive moments. Argument 3: She’s too hung up on her Feminism

So, one of the major dynamics of Tashigi and Zoro is her misconception that Zoro wouldn’t cut her because she was a woman, a belief that women have to prove themselves more to be seen as strong against men being one of the beliefs she shares with Zoro’s childhood rival Kuina. While it can be a tad irksome that she’d hang onto this with Zoro, until Monet Zoro never actually demonstrated the contrary to her. This is mainly a complaint by hindsight, we only dislike the opinion because we’ve seen Zoro more than Tashigi has, and she’s not 100% wrong, Zoro himself has been a bit of a traditionalist, in Skypeia he angrily chastised Enel for attacking Robin since she was a woman, and he only does step in on Monet to save Tashigi - not even finishing her off despite being very capable of doing so. Outside of Zoro, Tashigi’s feelings that she gets treated differently due to her gender is proven and reflected in how G-5 treat her with little authority, only really listening to her because she’s pretty. You can’t be too hard on Tashigi given that she is constantly faced with this truth on a daily basis, and her desire to be seen for her strength and skills are still an amicable one, it’s worth noting that even Law recognized that her mentality and warrior’s spirit was far greater than he swordsmanship, but he only thought this internally. In Tashigi’s case it would help her confidence to be given validation, and not in the condescending way Zoro usually talks to people.  While it can be annoying that she immediately thinks that she’s being treated differently because she’s a woman, this also shows that she wants to be treated as an equal; if she is defeated in combat she wants to be cut to preserve her honour, it is the mentality all Great Samurai have, including Zoro. Oda does something with Tashigi he rarely does with any woman in One Piece in making her less sexualised and body-confident to reflect her goal of being recognized by her spirit and actions rather than her appearance, but he also makes that complex for the character which in a way this is most important for.

Argument 4: She’s not a good Rival for Zoro

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about Tashigi’s character is that she is meant to be Zoro’s rival, in a similar manner to how Smoker and Luffy are embroiled in a Garp/Roger-esque cat and mouse chase. Because of this, people expect Tashigi to advance at a similar scale to Zoro to keep him on his toes, to make sure that he doesn’t end up complacent in his strive to become the World’s Greatest Swordsman. Her former likeness to Kuina also adds to this misconception, since because Kuina was Zoro’s rival with the same goal and always stronger than Zoro himself, Tashigi must be similar.

But this is not why Tashigi and Zoro are always put together. Tashigi is not Zoro’s rival, no other character we’ve met has the same goal as Zoro, and this keeps his story free to develop with different challenges. Tashigi’s pursuit of strength is not for the same reasons as Zoro, she doesn’t want to be the World’s Greatest Swordsperson, she only wants to protect the sanctity of the Meito and keep them out of unworthy hands. Her pursuit of Zoro was both because he dishonoured her in their fight and so she could claim Wado Ichimonji. In the New World however we don’t see that as much from Tashigi, even when she sees Shusui she doesn’t make a point to declare taking it from him because he’s unworthy (like Kin’emon would later do), this is because she does acknowledge his strength and worthiness of using these Meito, her personal conflict now though is to be seen as worthy to him as a swordsperson rather than a pirate to a marine.  In reality, Tashigi is instead Zoro’s and Kuina’s foil. She is similar in looks and perspective to Kuina but different in everything else from clumsiness, skill and ambition, the fact that Zoro struggles to handle this leads to the two becoming entwined in their respective journeys. No person gets under Zoro’s skin like Tashigi does, even to a point where he was reluctant to even be in eyeshot of her - how many people have you seen Roronoa Zoro hide from? They are each other’s foil because they are both stubborn people out to prove something but put on two different sides that conflict. That is the true purpose of their dynamic, their confrontations expose one another and show places where they can still grow and I still feel that we haven’t scratched the surface of this relationship.

Argument 5: She’s not Important

A combination of the earlier arguments, Tashigi gets a lot of flack because people think she’s not important enough as a character to have the screentime she gets. While it’s not hard to see why people feel that, it usually comes with people giving up on the idea that there’s a greater plan for her. It may just be me, but I am reluctant to believe that Tashigi appears in several forms of merchandise including calendars, games (as NPCs, Bosses, Supports or playable characters) and even figurines and not have a purpose in the greater scope of the story, do we really expect that from Oda? I doubt that very much! Granted, Wano would’ve been a perfect placement for her to push herself given the views on women in the country and it being the homeland of famous Meito. And yes, she could’ve had a much greater role in Stampede given how well they managed Smoker in it. We are allowed to be disappointed by this, but the fact that Tashigi has remained as consistent in presence as she has been in the show does hint at a bigger role, even if it’s being that wave of revolutionizing the Marines with Coby and Fujitora, her own origins or finally proving herself to the audience and to Zoro, Tashigi is not done and thus she is still important. “Just because they say a bird cannot fly, doesn’t mean that it never will” - Oda SBS 17 on Tashigi and Kuina’s names being named after flightless birds So, Why does Tashigi deserve more Respect? Tashigi as a character is one of Oda’s more subtle progressions. In contrast to Zoro who we see grow, we don’t see how Tashigi gets from A to B, we can also contrast to Coby whose rise becomes as magnificent as his puberty that Tashigi’s growth is much less abrupt and more steady, we see her struggles more than we do Coby where his successes are only heard in passing. Tashigi can also act as the ‘normal person’ in the marines, we compare her to Zoro in strength because she uses a sword but we never give her the benefit of the doubt that Roronoa Zoro is a bloody superhuman, plus not everyone has the great luxury of being trained by Dracule Mihawk for 2 years...furthermore, her challenges against Devil Fruit users are always filled with good intentions and strong willpower, but still self-doubt and shame, if anything Tashigi is one of the most human characters of One Piece for this reason; she learns, she suffers, she grows and she does it all without the luxury of Shonen perks such as superhuman power or endurance. Also she is a good person, she has a strong sense of morality and will, an altruistic desire and even in the situation she gets put in she makes a step that leads to the plot going in a positive direction. And for a character that has been in as many arcs as she has, there is still so much potential left to be untapped that fans are still after 2 decades eager to see from her.

Tashigi is a strong, valiant and just person, who is still really powerful if people stop trying to compare her to the likes of Luffy, Law and Zoro. Even when she fails she picks herself up and can still come out with a small victory from protecting innocents, arresting criminals and escorting children to get help. She is a lot stronger than people give her credit for and it’s for that she deserves respect.

#one piece #tashigi #zoro #roronoa zoro #kuina #shimotsuki kuina #smoker #smoker one piece #monkey d luffy #monet #ceasar clown #vergo #nico robin #trafalgar law #I may be a teeny bit biased because I ship her and zoro but I know I'm not alone with people liking her but hoping for more #I trust you oda

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 987: Initial Thoughts

Whoa Baby, this is gonna be big Chapter 987 is back and fans did not wait to translate it early like previous chapters, a colour spread as well telling us that this is a big one! So let’s jump in! Spoilers for c987, Support the Official Release!

So just to talk about the Colour Spread first; Jimbei finally on it! Also there’s some doggos, isn’t the pug like Crocodile’s thing? just a nice blue and angry red and dark blue ones. Also ALL THE FROBIN! Plus, Sanji has a huge number 3 on his shirt, Luffy’s shirt almost looks like the Gomu Gomu no Mi (kinda mix of it and his Dressrosa shirt) and the Polearm he used with Ace and Sabo as a kid! Jimbei’s kimono has dogs as well on it, can’t decipher Usopp’s shirt though ‘Good Usining’? Looks like a Cow-Gorilla though, Usopp beats Kaido confirmed!? Chopper seems to have a word on his shirt too but I can’t translate it. Odd though that Zoro doesn’t have Wado on him for this spread isn’t it? Just Kitetsu and Enma for the spread.

We see as Kaido remembers Oden and being cut, causing his scar to throb. It also seems implied that the Scabbards are using Oden’s Ryou, perhaps an inherited will kinda thing as they successfully pierce Kaido

Raizo though, you’re at the throat you have to follow through!

Kaido falling is the signal as the Samurai arise from the crowd, Robin and Jimbei though are not shown to blow their covers yet

Interesting though that Big Mom appears fine over whether or not Kaido got killed, that or she knows that won’t kill him. 

Ulti though is first to make it to Yamato, and she has a European-style Spiked Ball Mace it seems. The interaction is also interesting, other than Luffy calling Ulti ‘headbutt’ XD, seems like Yamato and Ulti may have gotten along before, thus her confusion about Yamato saying that the time to be Oden has come

Yamato is in full on forsaken mode too, surprised the goons still think that Yamato would be caring for Kaido after what they’ve seen, big ‘I’m not your friend, guy’ energy

As Ulti and Yamato tussle, Big Mom rolls up like a Final Boss to Luffy, giving Carrot and Nami a chance to escape the homies. Though I did consider Sanji and Brook saving them, I am quite happy that the women escaped themselves. Also Big Mom is trying to make this like some epic thing “I came all this way just to kill you”, like yeah we figured, not like you came here for a resort holiday XD

Back to Kaido though and he is legit hurt! Praising the Scabbard who encircle him for their plans, but he also tries to sow doubt. Noting that the pirates will betray them once they realise the odds are against them, I feel like this is a little flat though, especially since WB Commander Izo is like, right there...

Didn’t expect Kin’emon to have a ‘Luffy will be King’ speech but I’m here for it...even if it is an alarming death flag to talk about them dying

Big Mom of course asks the obvious ‘why’d you come’ question, and though Luffy’s ‘I’m gonna beat the lot of yas’ is a totally Luffy answer I did kinda hope he’d mention that part of it is saving Wano, especially so Tama won’t have to starve again. It’s also worth reminding that it was Law’s plan to go for Kaido, Big Mom was a pit stop due to Germa and Where Is My Baeju!?

I don’t think I can get enough of Queen’s shocked face XD though it does make me wonder what King, Queen and Jack will do for this raid. Regardless, the allies sprawl in by the thousands; Kid and Killer are still together, Zoro looks disappointed in the Gifters’ strength, interesting though is the panel underneath

That looks like Hawkins with Law doesn’t it? He only bought 3 of his crew with him and that looks like none of them (the trio are missing in general for this chapter), I would be here for Hawkins being on-side as you already know, so I hope it is him

The one that made me lean out of my seat, Marco and Perospero working together!? I wonder what led to that agreement, maybe something bigger than both of them is making its way to Wano too, or maybe Perospero just really doesn’t wanna work with Kaido

Small note but they showed that Giant Sword again outside of Onigashima, I wonder if it has a part to play

Kaido’s hurt but now he’s dangerous, accepting the challenge as he turns into his dragon form. But Luffy looks like he has to face down Big Mom first, leaving the first round of Kaido to the Scabbards

What a shot though, Dragon Kaido and the Scabbards in the snow and pale moonlight

And the Pale Moonlight is the focus, because all the minks are here and they can see it clearly, Su Long is coming!

now that was a big chapter, tons of juicy stuff to dissect I mean we didn’t even get to Chopper/Usopp and Shinobu/Momo stuff yet! Not to mention that we still don’t have accounts for Sanji, Brook and Franky, Caribou and that shaded person Robin and Jimbei were near. The two also haven’t made their move, but neither has Kaido’s commanders, BM’s commanders seem to have not been carried in by Perospero, Hiyori hasn’t pulled up nor has Speed or Onimaru like I’d hoped, Drake is still missing, Who’s Who didn’t make it to Yamato before Ulti. Like sweet jesus is there so much still to unravel! The heat is very much on, and though I kinda hope that BM and Luffy can reach an agreement too, it seems that Kaido is the final boss right now, but the scales can so easily change. Have to keep a level head about it though, Su Long doesn’t last forever and you can wear yourself dead, it’ll be interesting to see Su Long Inu and Neko but remember these are still Yonko, it’s still a stacked deck and they’re against Luffy and co’s favour. But it is a strong start for the raid.

However, still did not cry. The editor must be weak :P

#one piece #one piece spoilers #op spoilers #wano arc #wano #one piece wano #wano country #wano country arc #Onigashima #onigashima raid #straw hat pirates #monkey d luffy #roronoa zoro #vinsmoke sanji #Nami One Piece #tony tony chopper #usopp #god usopp #straw hat luffy #pirate hunter zoro #cat burglar nami #cotton candy lover chopper #Nico Robin #devil child nico robin #jinbe #jimbei #first son of the sea jimbei #brook one piece #soul king brook #franky one piece