#broke his leg AGAIN. trying to protect zoro AGAIN | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

laawlesss · 2 years

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;; Forgiveness is a fickle thing ..

— ;; minific monday! a oneshot every monday, usually under 5k words.. (..usually..)

>> in which zoro earns your forgiveness.

; words ? ; 4.5k.

; warnings ? ; mild language.

; genre ? ; angst, eventual comfort.

; request ? ; yes.

; pairing ? ; roronoa zoro x reader.

; notes ; no pronouns used for reader, crossposted on ao3 :3. this is like. my first time trying to write angst sorry if its terrible ksjdhghjsdhb

“You can’t just go rushing out like that! You’re still basically in tatters from the last fight, and look! You’re bleeding through your bandages!” You shrieked at the green-haired man, your voice filled with worry and frustration. “Is it too much to ask for you to be careful, and maybe leave the fighting to the others for once?” His fiendish drive for battle drove you insane, and as attractive as it was seeing him cut down his enemies with ease, it sent your heart into a frenzy whenever he sustained such deep wounds.

“I’m fine. Quit yapping.” He sighed, dropping a heavy hand onto your head. His words were meant to comfort you, but it only riled you up more. Could he seriously not see how he looked? His torso was heavily bandaged, as were his arms and head, dark crimson stains blooming all across his abdomen. Despite Chopper’s warnings that he should rest and stop moving so much, he just kept throwing himself into sparring matches with Sanji and never strayed from his strenuous workout routine. He was going to get himself killed one of these days, and it broke you how small his drive for self preservation was.

“But you aren’t fine, Zoro! You’re bleeding from fucking everywhere!” You wailed, shoving his hand off of your head and urging him to lay down. “Please go lay down, please, even Chopper said you should.” You were nearly begging him at this point, begging him to prioritize his healing. Despite your words, you knew it was in vain.

Zoro scoffed, obviously tired and in pain. He didn’t need rest. He needed to get stronger, so he wouldn’t get hurt like this again. He hated seeing you so upset, especially over him. Those tears that threatened to spill from the corners of your puffy eyes cut through him sharper than any sword, but he had no way of telling you just how he was feeling. It was difficult enough for him to open up, to confess to you, he couldn’t tell you that he was weak. Weak for you, for everything about you. He desired to be the world’s greatest swordsman not only because of the promise he made in his youth, but also to protect you from anything and everything.

“You don’t know my tolerance. Hell, you weren’t even in the fight, you have no idea what I can handle and what I can’t.” Zoro nearly snarled. “I’m nothing like you, Y/N.” He didn’t mean it, he was exhausted. He just wanted to fall back to his comfortable and reassuring routine of shaking his doubts by getting stronger. He’d feel better then. He didn’t mean it, he didn’t. The second the words left his mouth he regretted it, his tense expression immediately softening as he saw the toll his words took on you.

Your eyes were wide, and your body had tensed. Something like betrayal— heartbreak— sparkled in your gaze, and Zoro felt another pang in his chest. You hiccuped, your tears starting to silently spill over your cheeks, and he had no idea what to do. He was frozen in place, his jaw slack, a loose sigh leaving his lips. “I—“ He started, but you cut him off.

“No, you’re right. We really are nothing alike, huh?” Your gaze flickered down to the deck of the Thousand Sunny, a shaky breath wracking your frame. You glanced back up, sending Zoro a half-hearted smile, one so full of sorrow that his legs threatened to give out underneath him. “Get well soon, Roronoa.” Your voice was soft, barely a whisper, sparkling tears dripping onto the deck. With that, you spun, leaving the swordsman to stand alone, stiff, as you paced to your own quarters.

You bunked with Nami and Robin when you weren’t crammed into Zoro’s hammock with him, on a small but cozy little bed in the corner of the women’s quarters. Preferring the peace and quiet of the room, you slunk to your bed and curled up, staring longingly at the yellow sweatshirt he’d given you after the incidents at Water 7. You sniffed, wiping away your tears with your wrist as you tossed the sweatshirt away, rolling on your side to face the wall.

Fine. He could die for all you cared. If he didn’t care enough to listen to a doctor, to listen to you pleading with him, then why should you care? Your mind ran in circles as your heart ached at his words. A part of you knew he didn’t mean it, but another part prodded at you, telling your mind in its fragile state that that was how he truly felt. He was right, you weren’t in the fight. Not because you were scared, but because you stayed back with a few of the others to defend the ship. You weren’t weak, you could hold your own just like any other member of the crew, but perhaps Zoro saw you differently.

Quiet sobs left your aching body, every beat of your heart driving another harsh pain through your chest. He did this every time he was hurt, refusing to rest. Perhaps he didn’t really love you. He’d only ever said it a couple of times, and only after you’d said it first. And he didn’t have a lot of romantic experience, he probably didn’t even know what love was. Maybe he was confused and was dragging you along, just simply enjoying your company a bit more than others.

Every thought that ran through your head only made the pain grow, and you begged for them to stop. Despite your efforts to think about something else, anything else, your subconscious continued to fill your mind with such hurtful thoughts. Your body ached from the emotions you felt, your throat closing up as your tears refused to stop. Your eyes were surely ringed with red as you wrapped your arms around yourself, hoping to give yourself some form of comfort. Your arms were nothing like the familiar embrace of Zoro’s, and it only made your heart shatter further.

Outside on the main deck, you could hear the distant and muffled shouting of someone, a loud shout of annoyance, and then tense silence. The door to the women’s quarters was opened slowly, and a soft sigh accompanied the sound of heels clicking softly on the wooden floor. You could feel the bed dip next to you as someone sat down, and gently lay a loving hand on your head. The motion brought another sob out of you, and you immediately shifted to clutch onto the figure. Nami, you figured, by the subtle smell of tangerines that filled the air.

You latched onto her, laying your head in her lap as she slowly stroked your hair, saying nothing for a few moments. Your tears stained the bottom of her shirt, and you mumbled out short, breathless apologies as you let your emotions flow. She shook her head, reassuring you with a soft smile. “It’s fine, trust me. I heard what Zoro said, that dumbass.” The navigator let out a huff, her other hand curling into a fist. “I knocked some sense into him, though.” She nodded, continuing her motions of rubbing your scalp.

The two of you sat there, in a comfortable silence, Nami making sure your sobs and tears were at least soothed enough to stop. She eventually left, a storm sweeping up out of nowhere, and her navigation skills were necessary. You felt a little bit better, which was more than nothing, but part of you still ached for the comfortable moments with Zoro where he’d let you lay all over him. You had no idea where to go from there, surely the two of you were still a thing? You weren’t looking to end your relationship after one measly fight, but his words were too venomous to just brush past them and forgive him so easily.

Rain began to beat at the sides of the ship, lulling you into a comfortable state of numbness. You didn’t want to think about Zoro, and how right now he was probably helping to furl the sails and ready the ship for the storm. You should probably be helping too, but Nami had told you to stay, that the rest of the crew could handle it. A knock at the door had you rolling to your other side, puffy eyes staring at the tall figure in the frame. Though it was dark, you recognized the tinge of green hair instantly, and another wave of pain rolled through you. A part of you was hopeful that he had come to apologize, another part didn’t want to see him for a while.

You watched as he made a move to step forward, but was blocked by a net of arms. “Not the time, Roronoa.” Robin’s sharp voice echoed even through the storm, and with a rough grunt he spun and made himself useful somewhere else on the deck. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, curling back into yourself. It was for the best that he was stopped, you didn’t want to speak to him anyways.

You were left alone for a while, appreciating the soft rocking of the boat and the gentle rush of rain against wood. It was calming, and you spent the rest of the day tucked in your room, slipping in and out of sleep.

+++

The atmosphere the next day was tense between everyone but Luffy and Chopper, still cheerily chowing down on the delicious breakfast Sanji had carefully made. Instead of sitting next to Zoro like you usually did, you sat next to Usopp, who really did nothing to help clear the awkward air. You excused yourself early, hearing Zoro heave a sigh as you left. The tension in the dining room was stifling, and the breeze of the open sea hit you as soon as you left, blowing away the negative feelings.

You were still a bit hungry, but you pushed your grumbling stomach out of mind, figuring that you’d ask Sanji for a snack later. The ocean winds tugged at your hair, and the familiar smell of the saltwater soothed your heart. The rising sun beat down on your shoulders, filling you with a comfortable warmth. Despite your messy emotions, you loved the ship and the crew you called home.

Deciding to make your way to the back of the ship, you sat down on a small bench next to Robin’s flower bed. The scent of Nami’s tangerine trees filled the air pleasantly, the soft rustle of their leaves adding to the ship’s perfect ambiance. After making yourself comfortable, you debated taking a short cat nap, the warm rays of the sun fighting back the chill of the ocean air. Your eyes only managed to flutter closed for half a second, before you heard footsteps and turned your head to see who it was.

You bit your lip as you tried to fight back the sinking feeling in your chest, gaze falling on the green-haired swordsman making his way up to you. One hand was rested on the hilts of his elegant swords, the other clutching onto a small plate. He seemed to have a dark look on his face, his good eye cast down at the Sunny’s deck. Likely deep in thought, the second he approached you, you noticed the tips of his ears turn pink.

Once he reached you, he held out the plate in his hand, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. His eye seemed to look everywhere except at you, his voice a low murmur when he finally spoke. “Here. You didn’t finish eating.” Zoro knew that the only reason you didn’t finish eating was because he was in the dining room. You rarely ever left food on your plate whenever Sanji cooked, you respected his ‘never waste food’ policy, and whatever he made was always too good not to finish anyways. He’d taken your plate after you’d left, making up his mind to bring it to you.

You blinked at him before taking the plate, holding it in your lap. You weren’t sure what exactly to do, awkward from Zoro’s presence. He was debating turning around and going to train, but ended up slumping down on the deck with his back to the bench. There was a terse silence, before you sighed and set your plate to the side, not hungry anymore.

“I’m sorry.” You were startled by Zoro’s sudden words, genuine apologies were not something that usually left the swordsman’s mouth. You glanced down to him, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. His legs were stretched out as he tried to make himself comfortable. Usually he’d be leaning against your thigh as you read a book and he napped, your positioning familiar, but now he made sure to give you a decent amount of space. “I didn’t mean it.” He mumbled.

You tapped your fingers against your side as you thought, swallowing thickly as tears threatened to form in your eyes again. “It sounded like you did.” You said after a few moments, gaze fixed on your lap. His words from the previous day still stung like briars wound tightly around your heart. You bit down sharply on your lip to prevent it from quivering.

Noticing that he had wound his coat tighter around himself to hide his bandages, you watched his posture slump. The two of you were stiff around each other, before Zoro leaned his head against the side of your knee. “I know. I didn’t mean it.” He repeated as he fiddled with the hilt of one of his swords, becoming frustrated with himself. He had finally been comfortable in your relationship, and now he’d gone and ruined it.

“You’re stronger than you seem, I admire you for that.” He slowly began to speak more, pushing himself to try and mend the pieces of your relationship. He’d hurt you, and it was the last thing he ever wanted to do. Zoro never wanted to see that look in your eyes again. His usual cocky demeanor was long gone, replaced by a more solemn look that had your stomach turning in knots. “.. I didn’t train yesterday. I didn’t go and lay down either, but I tried not to move around much.” He spoke gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest.

You had the urge to run your fingers through his short hair like you usually did, but you fought it back, clenching your hand into a fist and tucking it into your lap. You took a deep breath. “It hurt. What you said.” His apology was welcome, but your heart still hurt. The way he’d spoken with such venom still echoed in your ears. “I know I’m not as strong as you, you don’t have to point it out,” You sighed, mulling over what you would say next. “You just… I just want to make sure you’re okay. I don’t like seeing you hurt.” Your nagging words always came from a place of love, you didn’t want to see him in pain, however well he masked it.

The swordsman was silent, his brow furrowed as he was deep in thought. He was never good with expressing his feelings, now he was forcing himself to. He rubbed his face with one calloused hand, drawing his legs up slightly. “..’M used to just dealin’ with it myself. It’s weird having someone else be worried about you.” He said slowly, as if processing it himself. Zoro was trying his best to repair what he’d screwed up, but trying to verbalize his emotions was more difficult than he’d originally thought.

“…I’ll make it up to you.” He said after a moment, nodding his head and pushing himself to his feet. A plan was forming in his mind, one he was eager to set into motion. His hands reached out to you for a moment, before he let them drop to his sides. He didn’t know if you were okay with him yet, and he didn’t want to push anything. Giving him a soft smile, you stood up too, figuring you’d find something on the ship to do to occupy your mind. Looking at the handsome swordsman still sent a rush of pain through you after what he’d said, but you were set on working everything out and waiting for him to remedy your situation.

The two of you stood there for a moment, before Zoro abruptly turned and whisked himself off to find Nami. You cupped your hands around your mouth and called after him, “Don’t reopen your wounds! You’re still healing!” The swordsman stopped dead in his tracks, his shoulders raising, before he let his muscles slump and he sent you a wave.

“I won’t!” He resumed his pace, glancing over his shoulder and sending you his signature smirk before he thought over his plan for the navigator. You sighed, a slight twinge of frustration evident on your face as your boyfriend rushed off to who knows where. That impulsive idiot.

+++

You weren’t able to find Zoro for the rest of that day, and he seemed to be avoiding you for the rest of the week. You’d pass him and he’d only give you a meager nod. You’d tried to catch him, but he was always one step ahead of you, vanishing somewhere else on the ship. Even your crewmates seemed to be up to something, and it frustrated you to no end that you were being left out on the secret. Even Nami and Robin refused to give you any sort of insight beyond a cheeky smile and a sly smirk.

You were tired of chasing everyone around to try and get an answer, so you gave up and resorted to just tucking yourself into a book while resting on the Sunny’s swing on the lawn deck. Exquisite smells were drifting from the kitchen, causing your stomach to rumble. You were excited for dinner, and couldn’t wait to see what Sanji was cooking. Alerted to someone’s presence, you looked up to see Chopper peeking out from behind the main mast.

“Chopper? Everything okay?” You were a bit confused as to why the reindeer seemed so shy. Once you spoke up, he seemed to freak out, glancing around hurriedly as if he was in a panic. Chopper skittered over to you, leaning up to whisper something in your ear.

“U-Uhm! Zoro is hurt again, he’s in the aquarium—“ He whispered, seeming on the verge of tears. You jolted upwards, dropping your book, hurrying to the aquarium.

“Well c’mon! You’re the doctor, aren’t you?” You shouted over your shoulder at Chopper, your heart pounding. You’d warned him about being careful, did he forget what he said about making things up to you? That idiot probably tore through his stitches and was smearing blood all over— Oh.

You made it to the aquarium, only to stop dead in your tracks. The usual blue mood lighting was cast over the familiar silhouette of a recognizable swordsman. It was picturesque, really, Zoro sitting cross legged on a large blanket, surrounded by an assortment of mismatched candles. The warm lighting reflected off of every plane in his face, his closed eye blinking open once he heard you approach. Your breath nearly caught in your throat at his deep black eyes sparkling in the candlelight, refracting the deep blues around him.

The atmosphere was stunning, pretty fish of all shapes and sizes swimming in the large glass windows. You had no idea why Zoro was choosing to sit on the floor instead of in one of the plush cushioned seats that lined the exterior wall, but you brushed it off as one of his usual quirks. He seemed to have tidied himself up a bit more than usual, freshly shaved, and his normally wild green hair had been brushed. He had exchanged his large forest green coat for a nicer shirt, and the bandages on his arms were clean and neat.

“Well? You just gonna stand there?” His arms were crossed over his chest, the faintest blush visible in the dark room. Laid out in front of him was an elegant and fragrant dinner, no doubt put together by Sanji. Your favorite dishes and desserts were organized atop the blanket, decorated with tiny heart motifs. A small tone dial played soft music, drifting across the expanse of the room.

Eventually shaking out of your stupor, you slowly paced to the blanket, sitting down across from Zoro. You gave him an odd look, raising a brow. “You do all this yourself?” Zoro was definitely not the type to pull a full-out romantic dinner, the man wouldn’t know classic romance if it stabbed him in the ass. You knew someone else had put him up to this, likely Nami or Robin. The man in front of you just scowled, his blush deepening as he looked away.

“It was my idea, jackass.” He muttered good-naturedly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I asked the navigator and the perv cook for help, yeah, but it was my idea to make it up to you.” The swordsman was growing more and more flustered by the second, his cool demeanor slipping. His heart was pounding faster than ever. It increasingly frustrated him, how he was unable to maintain his usual snarky self around you. You were constantly on his mind, even in the middle of battles. You ramped up his adrenaline, made his heart pound, and filled his chest with a fluttery feeling that he couldn’t decipher.

It was silent between the two of you, before Zoro sighed, lifting a small bouquet of flowers likely gathered from Robin’s garden. He refused to meet your eyes, the confident man suddenly sheepish. “Look, I know I fucked up. I didn’t mean what I said.” He murmured, waiting for you to gently hold the bouquet before he pulled back and rested on his hands braced behind him. “I just wanna get strong enough that you don’t have t’ worry about me, yeah?” His voice was softer, unfamiliar.

You knew he was sorry the second the words had left his mouth, that it was brought on by exhaustion and adrenaline. He knew it wasn’t okay, and he was making up for it, that was enough for you. A soft smile graced your lips, and you tilted your head, admiring the flowers that now rested in your lap. He was trying, you knew it was difficult for him to verbalize his feelings, and you weren’t going to ask him to. “I’m always gonna worry about you, Zoro. It comes with the territory of being your partner.” You sidled closer to him, your knees touching.

The swordsman turned to look at you, his hands itching to pull you closer. You looked ethereal in the low light, your features enhanced by the candles that surrounded the two of you. “This whole thing is… new to me.” He grunted, his eye wandering over the array of things he’d prepared for the date. “I need to get stronger so I won’t get hurt when I fight, then you won’t have to worry.” His meager way of thinking had you laughing softly to yourself, Zoro furrowing his brow.

“Getting hurt in a fight is inevitable. All I ask is that you try and care about yourself a bit more.” Setting down the flowers, you reached out for one of his large hands, cradling it in both of yours. Your thumbs traced over the tiny scars on his fingers and palm, likely the consequence of playing with swords all his life. “Just love yourself as much as I love you, okay?” Pulling your eyes away from his hand, you realized that Zoro was staring at you intently, his good eye fixed on you.

The intensity of his stare had your hair standing on end, butterflies filling your stomach instantly. “…What? Something on my face?” You mumbled, before Zoro pulled his hand out of your grip and instead used it to cup the back of your head, bringing your face to his. Hesitantly connecting your lips, he kissed you, the action full of longing and affection. You hummed into him, pushing your side flush against his when the two of you pulled away.

He braced his arm behind you, letting you lean on his broad, muscular chest. You heard him quietly whisper to himself, “I feel like I ate a devil fruit and got doused with seawater.” You looked up at him in confusion and he quickly explained. “Something about you makes me feel all… gooey.” You laughed at his frustrated expression, bumping your shoulder against his.

“That’s called love, Zoro.” You reached for some of the food in front of you, humming happily as you began to eat. It was nice, finally being back in his warm embrace. You heard him make a ‘hmm.” sound, leaning his head on yours after a few moments. The two of you dug into the dishes that Sanji had made you, a comfortable silence falling between you scarcely being broken. You felt content again, happy that you and Zoro had patched over your rocky argument. Pausing for a moment before bringing a spoon to your mouth, you launched a punch at Zoro’s chest.

“What the hell was that for?” He barely even winced, looking at you incredulously. He didn’t know what he’d done this time, confusion clouding his mind as he tried to think about what all he’d said in the past few moments. It wasn’t like your punch hurt him, far from it. He just didn’t know what caused you to lash out.

“Now we’re even.” You nodded, earning an annoyed snort from Zoro before he gently cupped your head again, bringing you back and smushing your face against his chest. You laughed, being careful not to lean into him too hard since he was still healing.

The two of you spent a while like that, tangled together, enjoying your meal and each other’s company. You were bringing yourself to forget Zoro’s words, convinced he was intent on righting his wrongs. The man in question had pulled you into his lap and you stayed there, comfortable. Zoro pushed himself to be more affectionate than usual, something you thoroughly enjoyed. You were warmed by the extent he went out of his comfort zone to fix things.

As the candles slowly burned down and you basked in the attention Zoro gave you, you heaved a content and loving sigh, relaxing completely in the embrace of your lover.

#— 🤍 ; minific monday!!#zoro roronoa x reader #zoro x reader #one piece fic #one piece x reader #angst #angst with a happy ending

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shankschewtoy · 1 year

Note

pls do a part two of the fic u wrote called headshot where the reader takes a blow for their s/o. With luffy and zoro pls

a/n - sorry this part two took so long 😭 I’m going to finish Zoro’s another time :) too much sadness in one go lmao

Warnings ⚠️ - angst, g/n reader, part 1

Headshot 2

Luffy

This battle was never ending. God you were tired, when would this all just stop? The amount of times your fists have hit people’s faces, your knuckles bruised from impact. Everyone around you was screaming, whether it be curses at each other, or just blatant cries of pain and exhaustion. Luffy had been pinned down, two of the admirals already taking advantage of it. Finally, they’d be able to kill Monkey D. Luffy, and this long chase would stop. You couldn’t ever let that happen, not on your watch. You kicked people out of the way, not caring who the hell’s noses you broke, who’s legs you tripped, or who’s arms you swatted away with ease. All your mind was focused on was saving Luffy, that’s all you needed to do, simple right? Everything was right on track, you’d slip through, grab Luffy, and then run back to the ship. Easy! Until you felt fire running up your back, shit. When you turned around and tried to strike the person in the face, you were horrified to see that he easily moved out of the way. It was Akainu. Luffy’s eyes widened, not this guy again.. Not this man who killed ace.. He was strong- and you knew you weren’t going to be able to beat him on your own. You stood in front of Luffy who was still stuck under a huge piece of sea stone bars that had broken off the marine headquarters building. “Protecting? You think you’re going to make it out alive?” Akainu asked with his molten fist starting to flame. You glared at him, who does he think he is? God he made you so angry. He suddenly rushed forward, disappearing past you so quickly you couldn’t even react. He went straight for Luffy, ready to give him the same fate as his brother. No.. No no no no! Why was he going for him and not you?! That wasn’t the plan!

You jumped with all the strength you had in you, hoping you’d fly fast enough to make sure Luffy didn’t die today. Your face was the only thing to make it in time, and Akainu’s fist crashed straight into your eyes, burning them, lava pouring into your eyes, searing like you were in hell. Luffy looked horrified, this couldn’t be happening. Not again. Not you too.. When your body tumbled to the ground, the sizzling sound of your eyes being burnt still ringing in Luffy’s ears, he lost it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He started to try and free himself, his arms and legs stuck underneath the huge pile of sea stone. Dammit, he was going to rip his limbs off for you if that was what it meant for him to save you! He’d do anything, absolutely anything for you. He was screaming, blind rage filling his hoarse cries. Akainu could only watch, with a gaze that had absolutely no pity, empathy, or compassion. He wanted the strawhat to suffer, so he left him, leaving him to attempt and rip his limbs off to get to you. As he walked away, he heard Luffy’s screams start to dim, as his voice was being torn to shreds from his piercing yells. How dare he.. How dare he hurt you like this? No, this isn’t fair. He was supposed to kill him not you! Zoro managed to come in time before Luffy completely ripped his limbs in half, the skin on his elbows already showing signs of tearing and stretching to the point of ripping apart. Zoro honestly wasn’t sure if you’d survive this, he didn’t look that optimistic about it. Right when Zoro freed him, Luffy ran out from underneath the rubble, straight to you, grabbing you and starting to weakly run to the ship. “Hang on y/n, chopper will heal you! Don’t go, don’t go yet! I- I’ll get you to the ship no matter what!” He said, his legs starting to fail him. Now wasn’t the time for exhaustion. Zoro immediately lifted Luffy over his shoulder, running towards the ship as fast as he could. (Don’t ask how he’s going in the right direction, it’s a miracle lmao) “Don’t worry, we’ll get chopper as soon as we get there!” Zoro said reassuringly. He knew that Luffy wanted to save your life, he’d do anything for his captain and his precious y/n. Hell, he’ll even find his way back to the ship as fast as he could. Luffy’s eyes were starting to close, a feeling of relief washing over him when he heard Zoro’s words. Everything was starting to dim, yelling and battle cries were subsiding, his pain fading away, exhaustion… had finally taken over.

Who was he forgetting? He was forgetting something precious, something dear to him.. why couldn’t he remember? He jolted upright, finally regaining full consciousness, instantly remembering why he needed to find you. Sanji was just bringing a plate of food in for when Luffy would wake up, and he didn’t expect to see a gravely wounded Luffy speed past him, a blanket still stuck to his leg, trailing behind him. “Oi Luffy! Chopper said to not move!” Sanji shouted from the room. Luffy broke down the door, busting through it with all his might, and then he laid eyes on someone who was still asleep in bed. All bandaged up, their eyes wrapped in numerous cloths, a bucket of ice water beside them to change the wet towels resting on top of their eyes. That couldn’t be you, why are you still asleep?.. Luffy bent down and tried to wake you up, gently shaking the only part of your arm that wasn’t wounded. He was careful to not injure you more, taking extra caution. “Hey y/n- the fight’s over, you can wake up now!” He said, trying to sound as excited as he could. Usually you’d wake up and unwillingly follow him to the kitchen where Sanji was cooking their next meal. You wouldn’t even budge, your shallow breaths never changing. He tried other ways, he saw a tray of food on the table next to you, and he realized that it was your favorite meal! Maybe that would wake you up! “Y/n! Sanji made you your favorite food! Don’t you want to eat it before I do??” He asked, holding it in front of you, expecting some reaction. Why was there no one even there..? It was like he was talking to himself. “Y/n…?” He tried one last time, having a concerned and worried look in his wide eyes. His brows furrowed, his fists clenched the bed sheets, and his knee started bouncing up and down from anxiety. What could he do?? Why weren’t you waking up?! This was his fault wasn’t it.. You jumped in front of him to take that blow, his stupid impulsiveness got him trapped there in the first place. As usual, you always had to save him, every single time. This time, it ended up with you hurt, not even being able to wake up. Why was he like this? He was supposed to be the one to protect you, not you having to save his dumbass all the time! He wanted to beat himself up right now, his anger and guilt was just too much for him, it overwhelmed his poor heart. He wished you two could switch places, he’d gladly take any pain for you, no matter how severe it was. Damn it, why couldn’t he save you from this?

You were still asleep, but despite that, Luffy and the others visited you and tried to tell you all about their days and how their adventures were going. But, Luffy was the one to stay with you and sleep by your side, snoring away as he rested his head in your dormant arms. He always told you how Zoro kept getting lost, how Sanji almost died from nosebleeds, and how Usopp continued to get his supposed, “I can’t go on this island disease”. Everyday, he hoped that you’d wake up and give him some laughs to his stories like you usually did. Oh and hugs, he missed those a lot too. Wrapping his arms around you, knowing that maybe you’d never be able to wrap yours around him again was one of the most painful things for him. He continued to blame himself for not being more careful, everyday he wished he hadn’t gone off to confront those admirals alone, then you wouldn’t have had to save him. He tried his best not to cry whenever things got tough, but sometimes he just cried, resting his head on your stomach, holding your cold hands. Maybe he still had hints of a crybaby in him, for you at least. He’s always extra careful with damage taken to the ship, he makes certain that nothing is harmed near your quarters. Nothing can hurt you more now, not on his watch. He swore that he’d never let that happen again, this was his second chance. He knew he’d better not ruin it. Luffy knew that he wasn’t alone, you were still here, just not awake yet. His patience hasn’t run out yet, all he can do is hope you’d return to him soon.

a/n - i’m beat 👍 enjoy the angst 💜💜

#one piece #one piece x reader #luffy #luffy x y/n #luffy x reader #one piece angst #luffy one piece #monkey d. luffy #luffy x you

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dokifluffs · 4 years

Text

Accidentally Hitting Them in the Balls | Hinata, Kuroo

Pairirngs: Hinata X Reader (gender neutral), and Kuroo X Reader (gender neutral) ft. Nekoma

Genre: hopefully funny, crack?

Author’s Note: *posts that im taking a break from posting... One day later: here i am. Inspired by Unus Annus: Nutball momento mori, friends

Accidentally Hitting Them in the Balls | Bokuto, Oikawa

Hinata:

The two of you were sat on his bed, lazing away, watching one piece

Hinata sat up with his back leaned back on the wall while you laid on your side, your head and most of your torso over his lap on his pillow

He rest his hand on your side while the two of you were amazed with the new episode

As the episode came to an end, the two of you talked about the episode and the entirety of the entire one piece world, how crazy about how long it was going

The conversation went from the talk of anime to food to volleyball and so many more, the possibilities were always endless

Hinata readjusted his seating, leaning forward, accidentally pressing your side

You let out a loud yelp, squirming harshly, laughing

“Oooh, Y/N are you… ticklish??” He seized your sides, tickling your rapidly as you burst into a fit of laughter and giggles

You tried to push him off, your body spastically turning side to side in his lap, trying to take a hold of his wrists

“S-Shoyo, s-stop,” you wheezed only making Hinata beam even brighter

You turned harshly toward him, your arms bent

You heard a loud yell from Hinata and his tickling ceased

“W-what happened?” You sat up and wiped away the tears that gathered, catching your breath from all the laughter

“I can’t have kids,” he peeped, his voice significantly higher than before as you broke into laughter again

“I’m so sorry,” you laughed, the sound of your voice fading into nothing, just clicking noises as you laughed, barely breathing

“But that’s what you get for tickling me,” you poked, the burn of guilt going through your body seeing him look up at you with a pout

“Zoro wouldn’t struggle like this,” you puffed, purposely bringing up his favorite one piece character

“Eye-“ he coughed

“Leave me to die, then, tell Natsu… I love her…”

“And me?” You asked, tilting your head as he laid on his stomach, half his face pressed into his bed

He dramatically choked on his air and then let out a dying breath, not giving you a response

“Hey!” You chopped his back, giving him ptsd since you chopped him right where Kageyama would kick him

“Gah-“

Kuroo:

The sound of the various meats and kabobs grilled by the managers parents and coaches were covered by the sound of the electric air pump pumping up the bubble battle balls

Giant inflatable bubbles where your body would slip into the little tube opening so others wearing the bubble could bump into each other

But tonight, in celebration of the season ending, these were bought for the whole team and extras to play some fun games

The parents and families of the nekoma pitched in, buying various meats and foods for a grand feast for everyone to enjoy themselves

“Alright, in ya go.” Kuroo laughed as he shoved the ball over your body, pushing you right over and rolling down the hill to the field

Lev and Yaku were already bouncing along with others in the inflatables, bumping into each other, a few curses yelled to Lev as the taller one purposefully bumped into him, knocking the libero over

But his revenge was soon avenged by you as you rolled into him, knocking him over from behind like a bowling ball

In a short time, everyone, including you, were standing on the field to play what Kenma suggested called “last one standing” with the goal being for a single player to be the last one standing

Even though he didn’t play himself

You were absolutely not going to get in the way of all the guys of the team and stood to the side, avoiding everyone, especially kuroo

He was like a mad man, determined to win

The team went down by their captain’s great force, laughter erupting into the golden sky of the sun setting beyond the trees

Over time, you somehow even managed to be the last one with Kuroo but he purposefully done this to actually give you a chance

The others watched from the sides, some still in their bubbles, laughing about what had happened

Lev traumatized by being tackles by both yaku and kuroo at the same time, sending him almost toppling out of his own bubble

You just stood there in the clear bubble, trying to doge kuroo and his numerous attempts to knock you down

You ran around on the field, trying to get away but made the mistake of turning around to find him already charging toward you

He jumped into the air, bumping into your ball, sending you to the ground protected by the bubble

You slid out of it laughing but somehow found Kuroo on the ground in his tube, his legs curled as he howled in his bubble as everyone else was on the ground on the side, laughing their asses off, gasping for air and wiping their tears away

“Tetsu, what happened?” You laughed, pushing the tube off of him

“You kicked me right in my balls,” he breathed, his voice barely audible

He turned onto his face, groaning loudly at the pain he was in, tears falling from his eyes and his face all red

He won the game, but at what cost

~~~~~ Thanks for reading! Masterlist for more! Please do not repost anywhere else!

Tags (let me know if you wanna be tagged for all my haikyuu posts): @yams046 @mazey-chan @sunboikyo00 @kara-grayson04 @fortheloveofbakugo @tsumtsumsemi @osamuonigiri @1-800-wholesome @yamagucci @realityisoftendisapointing@plantisnotplant @k-eijiakaashi @pink-panda-pancakes @differentballooncollection @osamusamusamu@therainroguefanfiction @euphorihan@turquoiselace @macaronnv @oxmaddy @mrkoala4prsdnt @curiouslilbeast @oyasenpai @plantisnotplant @therestless101

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cyborg-franky · 3 years

Note

Hiya 😊 I love this collab and I’d like to request something from your tarot reading event!

Sooo, yea. I’d like to request an SFW for Zoro (ofc) and a Fem reader :)

Thanks so much 💕

Here you go lovely <3

For you and Zoro the deck had dealt you Eight Of Swords.

The Eight of Swords in Tarot stands for restriction, confusion, and powerlessness. In love this card can mean it can indicate that you feel trapped, oppressed, or even abused.

Zoro x Fem!Reader Modern AU SFW Domestic abuse themes [Not from Zoro] Word Count: 731

You had needed to get out of there, you couldn’t handle the yelling, the screaming, how he’d slapped you cross the face, just another mark to compliment your growing collection. Nothing hurt more then his words, not the bruises on your wrists, your arms, the harsh cut on your right shoulder.

The words dug deeper than any surface marks, worms that wriggled deeper into he core of your heart. The words he said echoed in surround in your head. You felt tears running down your face, your legs burned from the running, your bare feet ached from ponding along the pavement.

You’d left your phone, your keys, your wallet, and you just sat on the park bench and sobbed into your hands. Your shoulders cold, you’d left in a hurry, caring nothing for what you’d left behind. You never wanted to go back but the implications tore at you.

“Hey” you heard the rough voice and looked up; you dried your eyes quickly as the handsome stranger furrowed his brows at you.

“H-hey” You mumbled and looked back down at the ground, at your bare feet.

“You in some sort of trouble?” He gestured to the way you were dressed, how you were crying, he noticed the red sting on one of your cheeks. You didn’t feel judged under his gaze though.

“I had a fight with my boyfriend”

“Hm”

He sat down next to you, he dropped his heavy gym bag and leaned back against the bench, arms behind his head. “We fight a lot and… he says some awful things” You started, no idea why you were even telling this man.

“He hits me”

Your voice trembled, feeling another wave of tears rushing to the surface, he narrowed his eyes as he stared at the people walking around the park, some sending the pair a few glances. You leaned back also, feeling safe with this man.

“Why don’t you leave?”

“It’s not that simple, I’m… I’m scared. Not just of him… but of… of having no where to go” Zoro sighed at your words, he leaned his head to the side and watched as you broke down once more.

“I have a friend, she’s looking for a roommate, I’ll take you to her” he said so matter of factly. You blinked at him, he sat forward and looked inside his gym bag, he pulled out a pair of workout shoes and threw them at your feet.

“My stuff though.. I can’t go back!” You protested when he paused his rummaging, thinking things over before he pulled something else out. A large hoodie, he threw it on your lap.

You understood him, thanking him with a gentle nod of your head as you slipped the dark green hoodie on, feeling the warmth envelope you, you felt warm and safe, his scent had a calming effect on you.

“Where do you live?” Again, you blinked and stuttered your reply.

“Wait here” He left his bag with you, a hand on your shoulder, it was large, powerful but the squeeze was affirming, calm, gentle. “I’ve got you”

You sat there curious as to what the stranger with the green hair was up to, you had nothing to check the time on, only the sun sinking slowly lower in the sky as you tried not to drown in your own thoughts, guarding the mans gym bag until he could return.

You jumped up from the bench, his shoes feeling far too large on your feet, but grateful they protected you from the stones. He held a bag, your purse you noticed, he had bloody knuckles and you ran to him, trying to shoulder his heavy bag.

“Your bleeding!”

“Not my blood” There was smirk on his face as he took his bag back, handing you yours, it had a collection of items in, including your wallet and phone.

“I told him” Zoro started as he nodded for you to walk along side him “That you and him are over and we are coming back for your stuff tomorrow” You paused, stopping dead in your tracks as he glanced over his shoulder at you.

“I’m.. free?”

He nodded with a low chuckle, you felt yourself well up once more, the weight in your heart was lifted, this man whose name you still didn’t know had saved you. “Thank you..”

“Zoro”

“Thank you Zoro”

#tw: domestic abuse #tw: abuse #zoro one piece x reader #one piece x reader #one piece reader insert #one piece x you #zoro roronoa x reader #roronoa zoro #coven event #female reader #sfw

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vemuabhi · 3 years

Note

Hello vemuabhi-chwannn!!, This is my first request ever, if you don't mind i would like to have a scenario/Hc whatever makes you comfortable with Sanji X fem.reader where he learns about her having Conqueror's haki, and discovers it during a battle with some enimes where maybe He gets injured or all of the Strawhats along with him are in a serious situation which leads the reader to use it in order to save either Sanji or all of them( i will leave this to your amazing imagination) you can make it a bit Agnst and too fluffy ( i live for a fluffy Sanji), I hope i did the request in the right way and gomen for being so long☺️ I hope you have a nice day

Hello Yui! Thanks for requesting! I made slight changes to make it even more suitable for the story of one piece. I hope you like it. I too Love Fluffy Sanji butthe boy is so perfect for angst, i just dont know why.

This scenario takes place in the Sabaody Arc.

Sanji X Fem!Reader

It’s a mixture of Angst and then happy ending. Kinda suggestive in the end. I hope you like it.

You were panting as you placed your arms on your knees. You looked up and saw one of the “Shichibukai” that you all just beat together. That was none other than Bartholomew Kuma. Or so you thought… everyone was exhausted and were barely having any energy left.

Especially, Zoro was much more wounded from the previous battle in Thriller Bark but still held strong. ‘How was he even able to stand with all these wounds when I am having this much pain with just one wound on my leg’, you thought. Suddenly you felt someone place their arm on your shoulder. You looked up and met the blue-grey eyes of your boyfriend. He gave you a small smile which you also returned. You both got together after the fight in Thriller Bark, so it’s been a couple of weeks since you both started to go out.

Sanji crouched down to look at your leg and said, “I’ll make sure Chopper treats you as soon as we get on Sunny”, he ended as he tied a cloth to your wound to stop bleeding. Then he went to Nami and Robin chan to see how they were doing. You didn’t mind his appreciative and caring nature towards other women. It’s just the way he was and you know he won’t change.

That was when you heard someone and you looked in that direction… the exact same Shichibukai, with many marines surrounding him and the captain of Science Patrol Sentoumaru. He had a huge axe in his hand and was wearing Red clothes...

There was no way you all could beat Bartholomew Kuma again. You looked towards Robin chan who was beside you. You knew she was thinking the same.

“Oh no… they just keep coming”, Said Sanji.

“If we just stay here, someone we will die”, said zoro sending chills down your spine, he continued, “It’s going to be just matter of minutes before admirals come. It’s better to run away”, he ended… ‘Did Zoro just say to run?’ you knew the situation was severe but when Zoro himself said it and you got goose bumps just thinking of an admiral. The next thing completely broke you.

“Yeah…”, said Luffy… everyone’s eyes widened in surprise as they heard Luffy.

“Let’s run away from here”, you trembled with fear when your never giving up captain said these words. He continued, “We can’t stay together… we’ll split up and escape and meet in three days at sunny”, he ended. Your legs were shaking with fear and you could feel your heartbeat increase. ‘I don’t want them to get hurt. Atleast they should escape... Please… help us’, you prayed. This was the instance your control snapped for the first time… A tear slid down your cheek. That was when you felt something in you. It was as if there was a power inside you. You didn’t know what happened but the next thing you saw was that all the marines were on the ground… unconscious… ‘What was that? What happened? Was it… me who did this?’, your eyes widened as you were lost in thoughts.

You got pulled back to reality when you felt Sanji shaking you vigorously. You looked at him. His eyes were filled with worry, confusion, doubts but… he didn’t ask you anything. He saw how you were terrified of what was in front of you. You saw the pale faces of your other nakama. ‘Were they now scared of you?’ your thoughts still didn’t leave you.

Sanji just took your hand and started to run as the others also did. You both were running with Franky and Nami. At times like this Sanji would swoon or say things like he’d protect the ladies, but he was quiet. All the crew members were quiet for a couple of minutes.

“Y/N, what did you do?”, asked Ussop as he ran behind Zoro. You knew everyone wanted to ask this but were being silent just because of the way your eyes looked. But you yourself weren’t sure what it was.

“I… I don’t know”, you admitted as your breathing became uneven. You looked down…. you didn’t want your crew to be scared of you. You only had them. They were your only friends… Nothing could stop your negative thoughts until you heard someone.

“Thank you Y/N. You saved us”, spoke your captain. It was all you need to be assured that you were still one of them. You wanted to thank but suddenly with a loud thud the same PX-1 Kuma appeared before you. You looked towards Luffy as Nami was trying to sacrifice Franky to Kuma’s beam. Luffy was faced with Sentoumaru and without even touching Luffy, he made him to crash onto a boulder. “What the hell?! How did he do that?”, you said as you still had your eyes on Luffy.

“Seems like you people have a conqueror haki user”, Sentoumaru said. ‘Haki? What is it’, you thought.

“Y/N…It’s… It’s similar to what you did before”, said Nami. ‘Similar to what I did before?’, you weren’t even able to process your thoughts because of the person you saw in front of Zoro. It was the navy admiral Kizaru. Everything after that was happening so quickly. Kizaru about to just kill Zoro and then like a ray of hope the silver haired man saved Zoro. Luffy shouting orders to escape with so much pain his voice. You all ran in an attempt to escape. That was when you noticed… Sanji still didn’t let your hand go... And you was also gripping it tightly. Just when you thought we can get out of the place, you saw PX-1 heading towards Zoro. You knew Sanji also noticed it. You let your hands go.

“FRANKY! TAKE CARE OF NAMI SAN AND Y/N CHAN”, Sanji said as he went after Zoro.

“Sanji kun!”, Nami shouted.

“He is going towards Ussop and Brook”, Franky replied.

“He can take care of them, keep running Nami”, you said to Nami as she nodded back at you. But you couldn’t help not to see what was happening. The thing you saw made you to stop in your tracks.

“Y/N! DON’T STOP”, Nami yelled. You started to run towards Sanji as you saw him kick the PX-1 but fell on his knees. Then PX-1 was aiming for Sanji. He was about to shoot him.

“NO! SANJI!”, you screamed. Then again you feel that same feeling you felt before. Your eyes widened and PX-1 was thrown away for a few miles. ‘What is this?’, you thought as you started to run again.

“USSOP RUN!”, you shouted as you were still going towards Sanji.

“NO DON’T COME HERE”, Sanji warned but you didn’t stop running. Then the next sight you saw… took away all your senses. PX-1 came back in one moment and took Sanji by his collar. You weren’t running as fast as you could because of the wound on your leg. You looked with terror in your eyes as Sanji was shot with the powerful beam.

You were late… Just when chopper got into his monster point you used your new found power. You weren’t having it. You weren’t having it…. you jumped up with your new power and punched the PX-1 in the face. You hit PX-1 again and again with your new power. Your vision got blurry because of your tears as you kicked him but it missed. Taking this chance he punched you in the stomach. Due to that impact you fell on your back near a tree.

“Y/N…”, Sanji tried to let out his voice but no one could hear it.

The pain on your leg you didn’t feel for a while came back with much, much more intensity. Your hands and legs gave out as you screamed in pain. You couldn’t move.

“Y/N!!!!!”, Ussop shouted with worry. PX-1 was ready to fire another beam but was stopped.

Suddenly out of nowhere appeared Kuma. You knew it was the real Kuma. Zoro tried to stand so you thought, ‘You shouldn’t give up yet’. You were trying to stand. And in front of your eyes Zoro… just vanished. You heard your friends scream. You got up with all of your remaining strength. Now kuma was going for brook. ‘No Brook!’, you thought and started to walk towards them as you saw Brook vanish. ‘Where did they go? Are they even alive?’, you thought. You saw Kuma was heading towards Ussop. “NO USSOP! GET AWAY!”, you shouted as you pushed Ussop to the side. You looked up and the last you saw was Sanji looking at you with the most horrified look on his face…

3D2Y

“Oh~ Sanji Kyun I never thought you loved one girl, I can’t even imagine it.”, said the pink hair okama friend of Sanji as he was heading back to Sabaody. Sanji lit his cigarette and glared as he said, “Of course I can. She is waiting for me”, he smoked a puff as he leaned back to the railing of the ship and continued, “I actually don’t understand… She is the first person to like me so she is definitely crazy.”

Sanji chuckled and added, “She doesn’t even care if her life is in danger and tries to save our crew. She has the conqueror haki, so she is damn Cool!”, he smiled proudly talking about his girlfriend. He ran his slender fingers through his golden locks as he said, “She has that confidence in her which makes her 10 times sexier than she already is.”

All the okama friends of Sanji were looking at him with a smile on their face. He closed his eyes and said, “She is the actual definition of Crazy, Sexy, Cool”, he said with a satisfied smile on his face as he remembered his girlfriend.

Sanji opened his eyes and saw his Okama friends who were smiling at him and were starting to tease him by saying, “Awww Sanji kyun~ you look so cute when you blush”.

He kicked them and shouted, “SHUT IT YOU JERKS!”, he walked into the ship as he tried to hide his blush.

XOXOXOXOXO

“VIVA SABAODY! Y/N WHERE ARE YOU??”, Sanji shouted as he made his way towards Sunny.

As soon as he saw Nami and Robin chan he got a huge nose bleed.

“OH NO SANJI”, exclaimed Chopper as he rushed towards the nosebleed cook.

“Baka”, Sanji’s ears perked up to that familiar voice.

“Oh! Y/N!”, said Zoro as Sanji got up quickly and turned around to see you. As you became more powerful your confidence levels had increased.

Sanji just stared at you without even greeting you. You were the girl he wanted to see the most. You were the girl who made him smile and the one who worried him the most. You walked towards him and stood in front of him. Your hands gently brushed his golden hair.

“This is not fair. You became more handsome”, you said as you smiled at him. He could hear his heartbeat getting faster. He didn’t notice he was having a nosebleed until you wiped it with your hanky. ‘What the hell… she is my girlfriend… why the hell am I nervous?’, he thought.

“So I see you didn’t change completely”, you say as you take your hands in his and move closer to him and placed your arms around him.

“Baka… if you lose that much blood you’ll die”, you said as you hugged him which he returned back.

“I…I missed you”, he whispered as he takes a deep breath. He could smell your sweet perfume. Oh how he missed that.

Then you all started your journey to the Mermaid Island. Sanji finished making food and left the rowdy gang to eat as he went to look for you. There you were looking at the old photos on the walls of the room. Remembering all your moments together.

"Its been two years", sanji said as he slid his hands around your waist as he hugged you from behind in the your shared room of sunny.

"I know. I... I missed you too", you replied and placed one of your hands on his soft hair and the other on his hands. He sighed and nuzzled your neck.

"I knew you were strong and you could take care of yourself but...I couldn't help but worry about you", he whispered in your ear as he ran his nose along your soft neck, sending shivers up and down your spine. He knew how to make you crave him. He turned you around and looked into your eyes, he then slowly averted his gaze towards your lips and then again to your eyes. You placed your arms around his neck. You knew he craved for you. His face was just inches away from you and his hands still around your waist. His blue-grey eye were shimmering. You tilted your head as he closed the gap between you two. His soft lips met yours.

One of his hand slid over to the back of your neck to pull you even closer as if that was even possible. Your heartbeat was increasing. His other hand was sliding up and down your back. While your fingers ran through his golden locks. He tilted his face again to deepen the kiss. You were starting losing strength in your knees. He gently nibbled your lower lip and then he pressed his tongue into your mouth. He tasted like coffee and nicotine. It actually suited him a lot

His hand moved up to your hair and stroked it passionately. Oh how much you missed this feeling, his gentle touch, soft lips and.... mostly.... him. You both pulled apart as you gasped for air.

As you looked up at him, he smiled gently as he ran his thumb across your cheekbone and again kissed you. This time your knees gave out but Sanji caught you in the right time. You both were apart for two years and he couldn't wait anymore. He wasn't ready to leave you yet. You both were apart for two years and he couldn't wait anymore. He grabbed the back your thighs and picked you up easily, making you squeal in surprise and hold him even tighter. He broke the kiss and grinned as he looked at you with half open eyes.

"Not yet love, not yet", he said, clearly indication how desperate he was. Well you would be lying if you said you weren't. Your face grew redder as you nodded. He smirked as he carried you and said, "Good girl".

#sanji #black leg sanji #sanji x reader #sanjixreader #sanji vinsmoke #vinsmoke sanji #vinsmoke sanji x reader #kuroashi no sanji #sanjionepiece #sanji one piece #sanji scenario #sanji imagine #one piece #one piece x reader #one piece scenario #one piece strawhats #one piece imagine #one piece sanji

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purplehairedwonder · 3 years

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Inside a Broken Dream Chapter 2

Fandom: One Piece Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Gen Words: 3200 Characters: Trafalgar Law, Shachi, Bepo, Penguin, Ikkaku, Heart Pirates, Donquixote Doflamingo, Monkey D. Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Robin, Usopp, Zoro Note: Story title comes from the Vertical Horizon song “Shackled.” Character and relationship tags reflect the current chapter. Obviously this is canon-divergent ;)

Summary: Two years after Wano, peace on the Grand Line is fragile. Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates are doing their best to help maintain the peace, but the return of a figure from Law’s past might shatter the balance of power entirely.

Previous chapters: 1

Read also at AO3 / FF.N

“I’m here to take back what’s mine.”

Law barely had time to register the words before the Marines behind Doflamingo drew their guns and started shooting. Penguin cursed loudly as Law drew Kikoku and sliced at the incoming spray of bullets, his Fruit effortlessly cutting them in half. They clattered harmlessly to the Tang’s deck.

Before the soldiers could let off another hail of bullets, Law reached out for Penguin and Jean Bart, gripping them tightly. They’d all fought together long enough to know what was coming, so Penguin and Jean Bart braced themselves as Law shambled them from the deck of Polar Tang to the deck of the Marine ship, swapping places with three soldiers. The remaining Hearts on the Tang would be more than enough to take care of those Marines.

They’d barely landed when a loud bang rang out. Law’s eyes flew wide in shock as pain erupted in his shoulder and his entire body lost its strength. Kikoku dropped from his grasp and his knees buckled, the strength it took to hold himself upright gone. His Room collapsed around them.

Not good.

His breath caught in his throat as he looked down at his right shoulder to see a round hole with blood soaking into his shirt. He reached with his left hand to the back of his shoulder and it came back dry—no exit wound. The bullet was still inside.

“Captain!” he heard someone cry as Bepo growled dangerously from what sounded like miles away.

Law forced his gaze up to see Doflamingo watching him with a smirk on his lips and that damned pistol outstretched in his hand.

Law was fucking sick of getting shot by that man.

“Seastone bullet,” Doflamingo said, gesturing with his pistol.

The one he’d shot Law with in Dressrosa.

The one he’d shot Cora-san with on Minion Island.

Law had hated guns since Minion Island—especially that gun.

“The Marines have all kinds of fun toys these days.”

If there was a bullet of unadulterated Seastone lodged in his shoulder, it was no wonder Law could barely see straight. He could only hope the bullet had stayed whole and hadn’t fractured. The last thing he needed was fragments of what was essentially poison to a Devil Fruit user scattering through his system.

Law hissed in protest as big arms grabbed him roughly from behind, pulling him to his feet and immobilizing him. Not that he was moving much on his own at the moment.

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Jean Bart ground out behind him. Law could hear the struggle in his voice, but it was no use if Doflamingo had gotten his strings on the man. “I-I can’t control myself.”

“S’not your fault,” Law murmured in reply as he watched Doflamingo’s fingers twitch as he controlled Law’s nakama. “It’s him.” A surge of anger threatened to rise in his chest at the man doing this to his people, but the numbing effects of the Seastone suppressed it just as quickly.

“Captain!”

Law blearily glanced to his right to see an immobilized Penguin watching on helplessly, his arms and legs wrapped in strings and several Marines covering him with their weapons.

Fuck. He’d shambled them right into Doflamingo’s trap.

The sounds of fighting echoed from the direction of the other ships, and Law willed his first mate and the others to stay away. This was why he’d gone on his revenge mission alone those years before—he couldn’t bear to see his nakama being used like this.

“What? No witty comebacks, Law?”

Law blinked. Somehow Doflamingo had bridged the gap between them without him noticing. Fuck, he was out of it.

“Bite me,” Law muttered with the little energy and hatred he could muster.

“Maybe later,” Doflamingo chuckled before raising the gun again.

“Law!” Penguin yelled desperately.

“No!” Jean Bart struggled behind him but couldn’t free himself of Doflamingo’s influence to let Law go.

Doflamingo swung his arm. Law’s head burst into blinding agony—and then nothing.

-----

Bepo howled furiously as Law crumpled, his hat falling from his head as he went limp in Jean Bart’s shaking arms. The larger man was clearly trying to fight the hold Doflamingo had over him and failing. Bepo could barely hear the worried and angry cries from his crewmates over the blood pounding in his ears. He wanted nothing more than to rush the ship, to protect his captain—his best friend—but the Marines that had boarded his ship once the shooting had started kept the Hearts from bolting to their captain’s aid. A quick glance at the Tang showed a similar situation.

“Let’s go.”

Bepo started as Doflamingo’s booming order rang out across the ships. The Marines jerkily started to retreat, keeping their weapons hefted and firing if any of the Hearts tried to follow. On the Marine ship, Doflamingo forced Jean Bart to carry Law’s unconscious form while Penguin was escorted by two armed Marines into the bowels of the ship. The former Warlord turned to follow but paused; he bent over to pick up Kikoku and Law’s hat from the deck.

For some reason, Doflamingo’s hands on Law’s hat made Bepo’s blood boil more intensely than the sarcastic salute he gave with Law’s sword before he disappeared into the ship, a wall of Marine rifles protecting his exit.

Bepo’s head spun as the ship made its getaway, their captain and two crewmates aboard as prisoners. Law was… He was in the hands of the man he hated most in the world, wounded and undoubtedly restrained somehow with Seastone.

The two Hearts ships were silent for a long moment before chaos broke out, curses ringing through the air.

“What do we do now?”

“We have to go after them!”

“Against him? Without the captain?”

“We have to get the captain back!”

“Obviously, but how?!”

“Bepo, what should we do?”

“Yeah, Bepo, what do you think?”

Bepo started once he started hearing his name. “Huh?”

Ikkaku stepped up to him and put a gentle hand on his arm, an anchor in the hurricane of emotion around and within him. “You’re the first mate. Without Law here, you’re acting captain.”

Bepo blinked. That… that was true. He swallowed as the eyes of the Hearts turned toward him. Bepo couldn’t afford to let his emotions control him right now; he needed to think. What would Law do in this situation?

He’d take a step back and come up with a plan that best utilized the assets available to him. He wouldn’t play by the rules of the enemy.

Assets.

He had an idea.

“We’re going to get the captain, Penguin, and Jean Bart back,” Bepo said. “But we’re going to be smart about it, just like Law would. Doflamingo took him alive for a reason, so we have to assume he’ll keep him alive.” For now, anyway. Bepo tried not to think about what that reason for taking Law alive might be, considering their history. “And we have his vivre card, so we won’t lose him.”

The Hearts started nodding around him.

Bepo gestured to a few of the men he’d brought on his search for Shachi’s attacker, recruits who’d joined after Law became an Emperor and had needed more men as he’d taken territory under his protection. “Bring this ship back to headquarters and treat the wreck survivors.”

The men saluted. “What about you, Bepo-san?”

“We’re going after the captain,” Bepo said, turning toward the Polar Tang. “But first, I have to make a call.”

------

The Hearts gathered in the mess, one of the few spaces in the Tang big enough for all—or almost all—of them at once. Even Shachi had come up from the infirmary. He hadn’t let them keep Law’s, Penguin’s, and Jean Bart’s abductions secret, considering he’d heard the shooting and yelling. Bepo had tried to convince him to rest, but he knew in Shachi’s place, he wouldn’t rest either so had simply helped his friend out of bed and to the mess.

Once they were all present, Bepo explained what he was thinking and waited for the others to tell him what they thought.

“I don’t like it,” Clione said finally. “We should be able to get our captain back ourselves. We’re an Emperor’s crew!”

There were some murmurs of agreement, and even Bepo didn’t totally disagree, but he preferred to hedge his bets when the lives of his nakama were on the line.

“And the one Devil Fruit user on our crew isn’t here,” Shachi retorted, wincing when he raised his voice.

The Heart Pirates had never been a crew of brawlers. They were a crew who, led by a surgeon, planned every detail carefully and executed with precision. And they were damn good at what they did. Everyone on the crew was a capable fighter—some were even haki users—but Law was usually the one to handle other Devil Fruit users. Now they were looking at taking on an extremely talented Fruit user who also happened to be a former Warlord and had Marine backing.

“Why have allies if we can’t call on them for help?” Ikkaku pointed out. “They’ll come.”

“That’s what worries me,” Clione replied. “Do you think we can afford for this to get out to the public? That an Emperor was kidnapped by a suddenly-free Warlord? We’ve been working for the last two years to keep things stable. Half the time we’re smoothing over their messes! This could lead to chaos!”

“Can we afford to try this without help?” Ikkaku countered. “Maybe we can do it ourselves, maybe not. But why try if we don’t have to? Their lives are on the line.”

Clione sighed but didn’t disagree. He looked at Bepo. “I’ll follow your lead, Captain.”

Bepo started at the title. It didn’t sit right on his shoulders, like an ill-fitting coat. But he’d wear it until he could give it back to Law. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Bepo,” Shachi said quietly, and Bepo turned back to his friend. “Do whatever it takes to get them back.”

Bepo nodded. He glanced around the mess at each of his crewmates, and they all nodded back. There would be no risks taken when the stakes were so high. “Okay.” He picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed the familiar number.

After a few rings, the snail connected. “Hello?”

Bepo recognized the voice immediately. “Nami, it’s Bepo.”

The snail perked up. “Oh, Bepo! It’s good to hear from you. We haven’t seen you guys in a while.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized habitually. Shachi cleared his throat and Bepo winced. “About that, we were callin—”

Bepo was cut off as another familiar voice came over the line. “Oy, Nami! Who is it?” Luffy asked, apparently wandering into the room.

“It’s Bepo,” she told him.

“Oh, Bepo!” Luffy greeted. “Long time no see! How’s Torao?”

Bepo shut his eyes and forced himself to push through. “That’s actually why we’re calling. Captain’s in trouble.”

Though they were talking by snail, Bepo could still feel the atmosphere on the other end change. “What happened?” All traces of humor were gone from Luffy’s voice. Somewhere in the background, Bepo could hear Nami calling for the others to join the call.

“We had a… surprise visitor in our territory today,” Bepo said. “Blew up Shachi’s ship.”

“Is he okay?” Nami asked, alarmed.

“I’m fine,” Shachi said, shrugging at Bepo’s look. Mostly, he mouthed in reply.

“That’s good,” Nami replied. “What happened to Torao?”

“What’s going on with Torao?” That was Chopper.

“Is Torao-kun all right?” Robin.

“That’s what we’re waiting to find out,” Nami said impatiently. “Bepo?”

Bepo suppressed the urge to pinch his snout. It was easy to forget the comfortable chaos of the Straw Hats after being away from them for a while. Bepo opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. Images of Doflamingo and Law staring at each other, of Marines shooting, of Law falling flashed before his eyes. He felt himself tearing up and almost jumped when he felt an arm slip through his. Ikkaku again.

“Just tell them, Bepo,” she said quietly.

Bepo swallowed and nodded.

“Tell us what?” That was Usopp.

“Doflamingo,” Bepo said around the lump in his throat. Ikkaku squeezed his arm. “Somehow he got out of Impel Down in a Marine ship.”

“WHAT?!” the Straw Hats exploded collectively.

“He showed up in our territory, demanded to see Law, then blew up my ship,” Shachi summarized.

“And Torao went,” Zoro supplied.

“Yeah,” Bepo nodded, though they couldn’t see him.

“What happened with Mingo?�� Luffy demanded, voice colder than Bepo had ever heard it.

Bepo was once more thankful Luffy was an ally and not an enemy. “H-he took Law. And Penguin and Jean Bart. He, uh, shot Law, probably with Seastone, and took him.”

There were sounds of fury on the other end of the line, confirming what Bepo had expected to happen. Law might be the captain of his own crew, but somewhere between Punk Hazard and Dressrosa, the Straw Hats had taken to Law as one of their own and would fight for him—already had fought for him—as such. Law would always belong to the Hearts first, but Bepo supposed he could share when the others cared so much for him. Yes, this was the right call.

“We’re coming,” Luffy said.

-----

The first thing Law became aware of was pain. His shoulder was on fire and his head throbbed. He tried to reach for his shoulder to assess whatever damage was causing so much pain, but his body wouldn’t respond. Everything felt heavy—so heavy. Law groaned.

“Captain? Are you with us?”

Even though his eyelids felt as heavy as the rest of his body, Law managed to force them open. He blinked a few times before his surroundings came into focus. He was lying on the floor of… somewhere. He was on his back, looking up at the nondescript ceiling. He tried to lift his hands to rub his eyes, but the sound of chains clanking startled him. He tilted his head down to see Seastone cuffs around his wrists.

“Captain?”

He recognized Jean Bart’s voice. And the first voice had been Penguin.

And the memories flooded back in. Shachi’s shipwreck. Doflamingo. The Seastone bullet. Strings everywhere.

“Yeah,” he croaked. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“Thank god,” Penguin murmured.

Law swallowed. “How long have I been out?”

“Few hours?” Jean Bart guessed. “Hard to tell down here.”

Law huffed in response. “Brig?”

“Yeah.”

“You both okay?”

“We’re not hurt,” Penguin said, not quite answering the question. But Law knew what he meant; there was something demeaning and violating about those strings taking away your agency. He knew that feeling well.

“Captain, I’m sorry.” That was Jean Bart. “I couldn’t…” he trailed off.

Law wished he could see the larger man’s face, but at the moment it was taking all Law had just to stare at the ceiling. “I told you before, it’s not your fault. He made you grab me.”

“I know, but…”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Law cut in sharply, “got it?”

A pause. “Yes, Captain.”

Law sighed. They would probably need to address this again later, but it would have to wait. Law turned his head and had to wait for his vision to stop spinning before he could see the bars locking him in. He could feel the oppressive energy of Seastone emitting from them. Between the bullet in Law’s shoulder, the shackles on his wrists, and the bars of the cell, Doflamingo was really taking no chances with Law’s powers. Smart. The last time he’d seen Law’s abilities was Dressrosa, and a lot of time had passed since then.

He still needed to get a better sense of the space he was in, to see where Penguin and Jean Bart were, but the prospect of sitting up seemed like a herculean task. The trio lapsed into silence for several minutes as Law worked himself up to move. Finally, he took in a deep breath and slowly started to sit up. He felt unsteady and, without thinking, put his right hand on the floor for balance but hissed as pain jolted from his wounded shoulder down to his fingertips.

“Captain?”

Law grunted but didn’t otherwise reply, his teeth clenched against the pain. He listed to the side, but he’d sat up far enough that he could collapse his left shoulder against the wall. After a moment, he shifted until his back was flush against the wall. He dropped his head back and shut his eyes, sweat rolling down his neck.

He really needed to get the bullet out of his shoulder.

Once he’d caught his breath, Law opened his eyes and let his vision adjust to the dim lighting. Now he could see the space; it was more open than he’d expected. There were several cells, each enclosed by Seastone bars, likely in case the Marines had to transport multiple Devil Fruit users at once. Jean Bart sat in the cell across from Law, and he nodded when he saw Law’s eyes on him.

“Captain.”

Law nodded tiredly back then continued to inspect the room. There was an empty cell next to Jean Bart, and Penguin was in the cell next to Law.

“Hey,” Penguin greeted when Law met his eyes.

“Hey.”

“With all due respect, you look like shit, Captain.”

Law snorted. “I can imagine. I can’t exactly use my Fruit to get this Seastone bullet out of my shoulder. Cuffs and bars are one thing,” he said, lightly shaking his shackles. “The bullet is the real problem.”

“What can we do?” Penguin asked.

Law considered. He might be the Heart Pirates’ doctor, but he made sure each member of his crew had working medical knowledge so they could assist him and wouldn’t be completely reliant on him in case he was out of commission. Penguin had been with him longer than anyone other than Bepo and Shachi, so he’d been helping Law in the infirmary for years. If he could guide Penguin in removing the bullet, that would be an element of surprise they could use against Doflamingo. Law always carried a small surgical kit with him in case he needed to perform field medicine, so if he hadn’t been stripped of that…

Law’s thoughts were interrupted as the brig door slammed open and light flooded in. Law squinted against the sudden onslaught of brightness, expecting to see Doflamingo outlined in the light, but the figure that stumbled through the door was too small. A Marine, moving jerkily—still being controlled, Law noted—shoved the figure forward toward the empty cell. By the time Law’s eyes adjusted again, the guard’s back was blocking Law’s view of the figure that was shoved into the cell.

As the soldier walked back toward the door, he threw a pained look in Law’s direction. “Help,” he mouthed before the strings pulled him out of the door and shut the door behind him.

Law raised an eyebrow before turning toward the newest prisoner… and his eyes widened as the man straightened.

“White Chase-ya?”

#Caitlin's fic #One Piece fanfiction #One Piece fic #One Piece #Trafalgar Law #Heart Pirates #Donquixote Doflamingo

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anubislover · 4 years

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Welcome to the Heart Pirates, Nami-ya chapter 10: Heated Discussions

Nami wasn’t sure how long or how far she’d run through the winding backstreets of Grimm, but she didn’t stop until her legs literally gave out from under her, forcing her down onto the hard pavement of a dark alley.

Panic gripped her vital organs like a meaty fist. Her body was on fire, sweat dripped down her spine, and every inhalation was agony as her lungs struggled to draw in the barest amount of oxygen needed to keep up with the blood rushing through her veins. The Heart Pirate jumpsuit was suffocating her, holding in the unbearable heat and chafing her hyper-sensitive skin, but she was too weak and exhausted to take it off, forced to broil alive in the heavy canvas.

For a few minutes she just lay there, her sole thought a silent plea for her heart to stop trying to beating against her ribcage like Luffy’s angry punches. Orange hair darkened with sweat, tears streaked down her face, and the only sounds she could make were ragged sobs.

“Miss? Are you alright?” came a deep, authoritative voice from above her, and she trembled. Was it Arlong? Had he found her? Was he going to beat her for running away? Kill Nojiko and Mr. Genzo? Destroy some innocent villager’s house as a display of his “superior” species’ power?

Please, please don’t hurt them! I’ll be good, I swear! Nami thought, squeezing her eyes closed and drawing her legs against her torso to protect herself. It would hurt, but if she had to choose between getting hit and seeing the people she loved suffer, she’d take the blows every time.

“Miss, speak to me—are you hurt? Were you attacked? Do you need a doctor?”

Did she need a doctor? Dr. Nako had fixed up fevers, scraped knees, and stomach aches since she was a child. But no, Arlong would find out and make an example of him. Nami managed the barest shake of her head, curling even more tightly into a ball, mentally begging the stranger to just leave her alone before he got himself killed. People who tried to help her always died the most horrible deaths. Memories of Bellemere’s final moments, of blood and skull fragments splattering as Arlong shot her point-blank, made Nami start hyperventilating. She couldn’t see that again, not even to a stranger, no no no no nononononononono…

Large, strong hands rested on her back and legs, gently straightening her out. “I know you’re scared, but you need to stop pressing your knees into your stomach—it’s keeping your lungs from expanding fully, so you’re not getting the air you need.”

The voice was steady and knowing, at just the right octave to cut through the heavy pounding of blood in her ears. Unconsciously she obeyed, knees lowering, and her lungs swelled as she took several deep breaths.

“There you go. Just focus on breathing. In. Out. Here.” Nami flinched as she heard fabric rustling, trying to draw into herself again as she imagined her mystery man drawing a weapon, but she immediately relaxed as her nose was greeted by the clean, familiar aroma of oranges and mikans. “Breathe this in. Citrus scents reduce stress and anxiety.”

Like an ocean wave, the thought of Bellemere’s grove washed over her. She remembered the safety of her mother’s arms, how her hands always smelled like mikans no matter how many times she washed them. She remembered Nojiko making mikan shampoo for the first time, giving her a bottle before going off to rob more pirates. She remembered the delicious fruit dishes Sanji would make her, the times she’d find Zoro napping under the trees, the iced tea she’d share with Robin, watching Chopper try a fresh mikan for the first time, and knocking Luffy over the head when she caught him pilfering her fruit.

The smell made her feel safe. Like she was home, with her family and nakama.

After a few minutes her heart rate began to slow, aided by the hand on her back rubbing deliberate, soothing circles between her shoulder blades. “That’s better. Miss, can you sit up? I want to make sure you’re not injured.”

Nodding mutely, she allowed the man to help her sit upright and lean against the hard brick wall. She could breathe again, but she was still miserably hot. Lethargic fingers clumsily tried to unzip the top of her jumpsuit, desperate to vent the heat that had built up inside the thick fabric. Her hands were halted by a larger pair quickly grabbing them, however, as the voice shouted, “Whoa, whoa! Miss! There’s no need to get undressed!”

Her eyes finally opened enough to see a blushing, wide-eyed man around thirty years old staring down at her in shock and embarrassment.

“Please,” she whimpered, struggling weakly against his grip. “I’m burning up.”

His cheeks turned a dangerous shade of scarlet at her needy tone, and he looked away, clearly uncomfortable. “Are you at least wearing something underneath?” he choked out.

A tiny smile lifted the corner of her lips. It seemed her savior was either a gentleman or just incredibly shy. Good thing she’d had the foresight to wear a sports bra and shorts under the jumpsuit. “Uh huh. Please, I just…I need it off.”

“Ok. I’ll…help you undress, then.”

She audibly moaned in relief when the cool air touched her sweaty skin. Invigorated, she managed to peel the whole uniform off, a satisfied smile coming to her face as her temperature finally dropped. It was like jumping into a cool lagoon on the hottest day of the year, banishing the wretched layer of stifling humidity that had trapped her.

No longer panicking or burning up, Nami’s mind at last cleared enough to realize what she’d done. She’d managed to disobey every order Law’d given her—she ran off on her own, ditched her companions, and removed the uniform. She was in so much trouble when he found her.

She didn’t disillusion herself with the idea that he wouldn’t. Law’s abilities could let him scan the whole island and teleport her back to his ship in an instant if he wanted. It’s not like she could escape Grimm, either—she had no boat, no crew, and no real idea where to go, and she was smart enough to know he’d still probably spend his days searching for her, if for no other reason than she’d attacked his crew.

Oh, damn, I hope they’re alright, she thought, burying her face in her hands. Her wind attacks weren’t deadly, but accidents happened, and she really couldn’t remember exactly what she’d done in her panic. What if it had been strong enough to trip Ikkaku and crack her skull open on the street? What if it knocked Shachi over and re-broke his arm? What if it sent Bepo stumbling back into a stray, sharp piece of wood, impaling a vital organ? Nami might have been scared, but she’d never forgive herself if she’d brought any harm to them.

An awkward cough caught her attention, and forcing the dark possibilities that she’d killed her friends from her mind, Nami distracted herself by finally giving her savior a proper look.

Even sitting down, the man was large. About Bepo’s height by her estimate and as muscular as Smoker, he had a hooked nose, X-shaped scar across his chin, and blue eyes that stood out starkly against the black domino mask and the shadow cast by his pointed, plumed hat. His ginger hair was a few shades darker than hers, with thick sideburns framing his chiseled, lantern jaw. Nearly his entire outfit was made of midnight blue leather, from his gloves to his thigh-high boots to his bolero. Clipped to his broad shoulders was a long cape, also blue but lined with burgundy red on the inside. His chest was exposed, showcasing the enormous X tattoo adorning his torso, and at his side were two massive weapons—a saber and what appeared to be the lovechild of a mace and an axe.

That’s “Red Flag” X Drake, Nami realized, the Supernova’s wanted poster instantly popping into her head. He wasn’t quite as notoriously sadistic or infamously violent as Law or Eustass Kid, but it was easy to remember a pirate who’d defected from the Marines. She’d assumed he’d headed off to the New World like the others, but perhaps he was like Law and thought it better to wait things out?

“Are you feeling better?” he asked, deliberately keeping his eyes on her face.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Th-thanks for the h-help,” she replied with a stammer, desperately trying to convince her heart there was no need to panic again. Of course, her instincts knew better; X Drake was a pirate on the Grand Line and a Supernova at that. His bounty was even higher than Law’s, and probably for good reason. She was alone with him in a back alley with no crew to back her up, whether Straw Hat or Heart Pirate. A woman with her limited combat prowess stood a snowball’s chance in hell against him in a fight, and he was big enough to crush her throat with one hand if he wanted to.

Yet…he seemed nervous. The redness had faded from his face, but there was still a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. His posture seemed casual at first glance, but she could see the subtle tension in his neck and shoulders. Most noticeably, he was doing his damnedest not to look anywhere below her chin, even though his greater height gave him an excellent view of her exposed cleavage.

Drake was a rival pirate and former rear-admiral of the Navy, but she got the feeling that if she really needed to, she could easily escape by flashing him.

“Good to hear, though I really don’t think you should be stripping around here, and especially not asking strange men to help you. Most might consider it an…invitation,” he said, awkwardly scratching his jaw as he glanced away, blushing harder at the thought.

A small smile curved her lips. Yup, he was definitely trying not to stare at her half-naked body. Who would have thought a man as infamous as X Drake would be so bashful? “But not you?”

“I prefer my invitations to be enthusiastic and explicit,” was his stiff reply as he leaned against the wall beside her. Nami didn’t miss the brief, almost guilty glances he stole at her from the corner of his eye, though. “And certainly not from a woman in the midst of a panic attack.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said with a wink. She was feeling much more clear-headed and like her normal self now that her brain wasn’t being cooked, and the knowledge that X Drake had such an easily exploited weakness to her body made her relax. “Why do you carry around mikan perfume, anyway?”

The pink tips of his ears deepened. “It’s not perfume; it’s orange extract. During my time in the Marines, I had many comrades who suffered PTSD or panic attacks, and aromatherapy has been proven to be good for reducing anxiety—particularly citrus scents. I rarely experience them myself anymore, but it’s still useful during periods of extreme stress. Seemed to be rather effective on you,” he said with a raised eyebrow before quickly glancing away.

Taking pity on him, Nami drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them so he wasn’t given such a shameless view of her bountiful chest. “I grew up in a mikan grove. The smell reminds me of home.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, a look of understanding softening his stern features. “Does it? No wonder, then.” He handed her the bottle. “Dab a little under your nose and rub some on your hands—better safe than sorry.”

Gratefully she did so, relishing the refreshing, familiar scent of her favorite fruit. “Thanks. Guess I’m lucky you’re the one who stumbled across me, huh?”

“I’ll say. I was passing by when I saw you running like the Devil himself was after you. Piqued my curiosity, and I suppose not all of my Marine training has left me; simply had to help a damsel in distress.”

She chuckled, though it turned into a soft moan of relief as the bare skin of her back pressed against the cool brick behind her.

Drake’s brow furrowed as he looked her over critically. “You really shouldn’t sit around half-dressed out here, you know.”

“Because of men without invitations?”

“Because it’s far too cold to be walking around in so little, and with the sheen of sweat on your skin, you’re at a high risk of getting hypothermia.”

Nami stubbornly shook her head, though she frowned at the feeling of the damp ends of her hair against her bare shoulders. “Honestly, that damn jumpsuit was so hot, freezing to death sounds like a dream come true right now.”

“Yes, but I’m sure your crew would be quite distraught to find out you’d died in such an ignoble way.”

She stiffened at the mention of her crew. Was he talking about the Heart Pirates or Straw Hats? “Yeah, fair enough. I just really don’t want to get back in that thing,” she replied, toe nudging the boiler suit disdainfully.

Drake scoffed in agreement. “Considering whose emblem is on it, I don’t blame you.” Standing, he hoisted her to her feet as if she weighed nothing. Now Nami could see just how tall he was, completely towering over her. She thought he might get all flustered again as her cleavage was once more on display, but his intense blue eyes were fixed upon the swirling tattoo on her shoulder. “I must say, I’m surprised—I didn’t believe the outlandish rumors that Cat Thief Nami had joined the Heart Pirates, even after Jinzo started babbling about why he didn’t have my money. I figured he was just making excuses. And yet, here you are.”

She stiffened. Well, now she knew who the broker’s next appointment was supposed to have been. “Ah. I’m guessing he was mad?”

A red eyebrow quirked, and his lips twitched upwards in amusement. “He was quite vocal about what he hoped to do to you for costing him so much belli. You’re lucky I found you instead of any of his men. A woman by herself is already taking a great risk wandering around in these back alleys—even more so when she’s made an enemy of the island’s most unscrupulous black market broker.”

She gulped at the implication. Damn, Law really was right, wasn’t he? If someone other than Drake had come across her while she was helpless on the ground…

“Well, I appreciate the rescue,” she squeaked, deciding it was time to head back to the Polar Tang. Glancing up and down the alley, she tried to recall her steps. She’d pretty much run blindly through the alleyways, but she was certain her natural sense of direction could get her back to the docks. Sure, Law would be mad at her for running off, but he was a hell of a lot safer than Jinzo. She shivered at the memory of the man’s hateful stare as Law had led her away, certain she’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble if she ran into him in the grungy alley.

Mistaking her shiver for the cold finally getting to her, Drake unclipped his cape, wrapping it around her shoulders with a flourish, bundling her in tightly. “There. It would be a shame for you to die of exposure before I got you back to the ship.”

A small whine escaped the back of her throat as she was engulfed by the thick fabric, once more feeling stifled and too hot. She struggled to escape the long cloak, but he only wrapped her up tighter.

“Let me go,” so moaned pathetically, face once more flushing as her heart sped up. The material was softer than the boiler suit, but it was still heavy and suffocating, and Drake’s lingering body heat in the fibers made it worse. “It’s too hot!”

“Miss Nami, unless you’ve recently eaten some sort of fire-based Devil Fruit, I can’t imagine how you could be anything but freezing,” he said with a stern frown. “I understand you’re afraid of me, and with good reason, but I won’t hurt you if you come quietly. I’m not in the business of harming hostages unless absolutely necessary.”

“Hostages?”

A hint of a sly smirk tugged at his lips. “I confess, I am a bit miffed at you for causing Jinzo to reschedule on me—he owes me a lot of belli, and I was hoping to be off this damn island by now. Kidnapping you is not only cathartic, but profitable; your bounty’s hardly worth turning you in for, but perhaps Jinzo might make me a better offer. Or I could put your skills to use in exchange for your eventual freedom. After all, your thieving skills are quite notorious, and Trafalgar must have recruited you for a reason.”

Oh no. The last thing she needed was to be the slave of another pirate captain. “Um, how about you ransom me to Law?” she suggested hopefully. “I’m sure he could pay whatever you were going to ask Jinzo, and then some!” Angry as the Surgeon of Death might be about her running off and getting kidnapped, surely he’d be able to rescue her if he knew X Drake had her, right? It’d be easy with his powers, and there’d be no need to buy her back when he could snatch her away with a flick of his fingers.

There was a brief, angry flash of sharp fangs as he growled, “Because the less I have to interact with that smarmy bastard, the happier I’ll be. Don’t think I don’t see through your little scheme; why would he pay when his powers can easily steal you back? Besides that, I’ll be damned if I let that ingrate gain an extra advantage by poaching Straw Hat’s thief.”

“Let me go!” she cried. Drake’s sudden switch from surprisingly helpful to a legitimate threat to her well-being demanded she pull together what little energy she had and escape. The problem was she was running on fumes and in the clutches of an eight-foot-tall former Marine whose bicep was thicker than her waist and could probably crush her skull with one hand like a rotten apple if he desired. Fighting was definitely out, and with the way he’d swaddled her in his cloak, she couldn’t even flash him like she’d planned.

Desperate, Nami attempted to wiggle out of the heavy fabric, but he grabbed the collar and tugged her close, looming over her threateningly.

“Don’t bother trying to run—even if you did somehow get away, you’re covered in both my scent and the citrus oil.” For a moment, his eyes shifted, harsh, reptilian yellow overtaking the blue, and he took a deep breath through his nose. “In a rancid cesspool like this, I’d hunt you down easily. If you come quietly, I promise you will be treated well; perhaps even invited to join my crew, if you play your cards right. If you resist, I’ll have to switch the orange extract for chloroform, and the next time you wake up, you’ll be in Jinzo’s possession.”

Once more, her heart began to race, but thankfully her mind wasn’t overcome yet with memories and panic. “Look, I…I’m sorry if I accidentally caused you trouble, but Jinzo’s a cheapskate who’d rather kill you to get me than actually pay. And if what you’re worried about is my alliance with Law, it’s just a temporary partnership! I don’t even like the guy!”

“Nobody likes Trafalgar; he’s a sadistic asshole.” A massive arm wrapped around her tiny waist and he hoisted her up so her feet dangled above the ground, pressing her against his scorching chest. “And if that’s truly the case, then you have even less reason to resist—think of it as a rescue.”

“From the way things look, the only one she needs to be saved from is you, Drake-ya.”

A blue aura surrounded them, and in an instant Nami was out of Drake’s grasp and firmly in Law’s, one tattooed arm wrapping possessively around her bare midriff while the other leaned Kikoku casually on his shoulder. Hard plains of muscle pressed against her back, and she could feel his sharp chin rest on the top of her head.

Nami’s body was tense, but not as much as it had been with Drake. Some of it had to do with the essential oil keeping her calm and the cool air once more regulating her temperature, but it was mostly because, dangerous as he was, Law was the devil she knew. No matter how pissed he might be at her disobedience, he would protect her; she was his property, right? Arlong had certainly punished her for her misdeeds against him, but he’d never allowed anyone not on his crew lay so much as a hand on her.

Pirates didn’t like other people touching their things, after all.

“Been a while, Drake-ya,” Law’s smooth voice caressed her ears. “Making a move on my Cat Thief, I see. How’s that going so far? Have you told her how many people you’ve killed? I’m sure that always impresses the ladies.”

“Trafalgar,” Drake spat, glaring disdainfully between the empty cape in his hand and the man standing ten feet away. “I’m quite certain the woman belongs to Straw Hat, not you.”

“Hmmm, normally, but since I was nice enough to save his life, I thought it was only fair that he let me borrow her while he trains.” Law chuckled and Nami felt his nose playfully nuzzle her temple as his hand slid up to splay just beneath her breast. “You know I’ve got a thing for feisty gingers.”

The former Marine snorted in response as he donned his cloak. “Well, since she’s apparently the reason Jinzo had to reschedule our appointment, I think it’s only fair that I ‘borrow’ her for a while as recompense.”

“Sorry, she and I have dinner plans tonight. Besides, I did you a favor—he’s not as good as Kimo when it comes to honoring deals. Had the nerve to try and give me less than a third of our agreed-on price. If it hadn’t been for my little kitten here, you’d be trying to negotiate with a corpse.”

Hearing Law call her “kitten” made Nami shudder, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. It felt disturbingly familiar somehow and made the hairs on the back of her neck rise as goosebumps rippled across her skin.

Drake crossed his arms, unimpressed. “Jinzo’s unscrupulous scum, but he owes me money. Money that your ‘little kitten’ managed to swindle from him, the way he tells it.”

“If he’d brought the amount Kimo had agreed to pay me, I wouldn’t have needed her uncanny haggling skills.” Law cocked his head to the side. “Out of curiosity, how much does he owe you?”

“600 million belli.”

“He only had 725 million on him for his four scheduled deals, and he only planned to pay me 200 million. So even if his other clients were working for free, he had no intention of paying your asking price.” He let out a wry chuckle. “The man must have a death wish, looking to cheat two Supernovas in one day.”

Drake swore under his breath. “Fine. If he won’t pay me properly, I’ll just have to wring his neck and take the money from him. But considering how you still ruined my plans to leave this wretched place on schedule, I’m ruining your dinner plans. Now hand the Cat Thief over,” he growled, gripping the hilt of his saber. “I have a greater need for her than you.”

The nodachi on Law’s shoulder shifted in response. “Look, not that I’m opposed to you getting laid—anything to get the stick out of your ass—but Nami-ya’s mine.” The woman in question could practically hear Law’s smirk as he continued, “Why don’t you try the brothel the next street over? I’m sure the lovely ladies there will be happy to service your ‘needs’ for the right price.”

Drake gaped for a moment before sputtering, “I’m not looking to sleep with her!”

“Now don’t be bashful, Drake-ya! Sexual urges are completely healthy and natural, and I certainly don’t blame you for wanting a sexy redhead. Hell, maybe she can finally help you ditch your V-card.”

“You know I’m not a virgin!” he snapped, face flushing dark red in humiliation a second later as he realized precisely what he’d said.

Law’s grin widened, more than happy to take advantage of the slip. “Oh yeah—I do, don’t I? Never imagined I’d get to tame a dinosaur, but anything’s possible on the Grand Line, right?”

Nami’s jaw dropped as her cheeks heated. Holy crap, Law and Drake? Together?! She had so many questions.

“You didn’t ‘tame’ me,” Drake growled as he forced himself to calm down, though his ears still burned to match his ginger hair.

“Oh? So you’d let any man ride you? Slut.”

Maybe it was her imagination, but Nami swore she could feel Law’s erection against her lower back. Was he seriously getting turned on by this? She began to feel warm again as her own arousal spiked, much to her irritation. Could anyone blame her, though? Drake was not an unattractive man, and the mental image of him and Law battling for dominance in the bedroom was certainly titillating.

“Trafalgar,” he snarled, eyes morphing into their yellow, reptilian state, “either you hand over the woman right now or—”

“Or what? You’ll take her from me? Sorry, Drake-ya, but you know what a possessive bastard I am. I found her first, so she’s mine.”

“I don’t see your name on her,” he said petulantly.

Law spared the woman in his arms a small glare. “She’s a crafty kitten that likes to slip her leash sometimes, but I’m happy to stake my claim here and now.” A tattooed hand cupped her breast as her rolled his hips against her ass. There was no mistake what he had in mind. “Feel free to watch—you might learn something.”

There he went calling her “kitten” again, and his shameless groping nearly made Nami choke. She’d grown used to his flirting and suggestive touches, but he’d never been this blatant! Hell, compared to this, he’d been downright chaste when they’d made out in the mansion hall and when he’d given her that hickey! Was it his weird form of punishing her for running off? Or was it just to mess with Drake? Law certainly seemed to enjoy riling the other pirate up, but did he need to go so far as to threaten to fuck her in front of him to scare Drake away?

More importantly, would that even work? Law’d basically been putting her scantily clad figure on display for him throughout the entire conversation, but Drake didn’t seem nearly as flustered as he’d been when it had just been the two of them. Maybe Law’s insults and innuendos had distracted him enough to look past Nami’s full breasts and sensual curves before, but the way he was looking at her now…

It was similar to the hungry gaze Law sometimes gave her, only more feral. Animalistic. And she wasn’t fully sure if it was directed at her, the Surgeon of Death, or both.

Whichever it was, Law was playing a dangerous game of chicken, and if Drake snapped, she was the one caught in the middle.

The idea that the argument might morph into a violent, sexual brawl made Nami renew her struggles. “Will you both quit fucking talking about me like I’m some stupid toy you’re fighting over?!” she snapped, twisting and writhing in Law’s arms. “If you want to measure dicks, go ahead; just leave me out of it!”

Both men seemed momentarily taken aback by her outburst, though Law recovered quickly enough to tighten his arm around her waist. The sheathed nodachi pressed threateningly to her bare throat, saying without words that she was dancing on thin ice, and Nami reluctantly stilled. Out of the corner of her eye she saw gold eyes narrow at her defiance before his expression morphed back into a cocky smirk. “See, Drake-ya? This little kitten’s way too feisty for you to handle.”

“I only hope she scratches your eyes out,” he countered, though he did back off slightly, his eyes returning to normal. Ignoring his rival, he addressed the Cat Thief directly, though it was obvious her bare skin distracted him. “Miss Nami, I’m sure with Straw Hat missing you’re only associating yourself with Trafalgar out of desperation. However, I can assure you that you can do far better than this psychopath.”

Before she could answer, the alley was once more engulfed in blue, and Nami groaned as she found herself redressed in the Heart Pirate uniform. Behind her, Law sneered, “Maybe she can, but she’s paying off Straw Hat’s life debt to me, so she’s mine until her contract is up. I might be willing to lend her to you in exchange for a few favors, but that’s something you negotiate with me—not her.”

The jumpsuit was hot, uncomfortably damp with sweat, and combined with Law’s arms wrapped tightly around her, even more suffocating than before. Nami’s heart was once more beginning to race, chest rising and falling hard as she fought to draw breath. It wasn’t as bad as before due to the essential oil still lingering under her nose, but her body was slowly reverting back into fight or flight mode.

Tension rose as the two pirates glared at each other, neither noticing nor caring about the woman’s distress.

Pulling off a leather glove, Drake’s hand shifted into a reptilian claw before their eyes. Flexing his talons menacingly, he growled, “A debt, huh? Well, if I kill you right now, that should clear any debt away and she’ll be free to do as she pleases. How about it, Miss Nami? Agree to help me strip Jinzo of every last belli he’s ever earned, and I’ll be happy to tear Trafalgar’s head off.”

“You threaten that every time, Drake-ya, and yet the only ‘head’ you’ve ever gotten—”

“Law, please, let me go,” Nami cut in, desperate to gain some breathing space and shed the jumpsuit like a snake would its skin. His body heat made it even worse, managing to seep through the dense canvas into her back, and his hot breath at her ear sizzled the damp skin. Despite the lingering smell of citrus, her pulse fluttered, anxiety strumming her veins like guitar strings.

“Stay right there,” the dark doctor rasped, Kikoku dropping to press against her waist while his free hand slid up to wrap threateningly around her throat, “or I really will put a collar on you.” Glancing back up at the former Marine, Law flashed a dangerous smile. “You know, Drake-ya, there’s no reason we can’t all get along. Hell, why don’t you join my crew? The pay’s good, and I wouldn’t mind my very own pet Allosaurus.”

Drake’s mouth twisted in a deep scowl, though Nami didn’t miss the way his eyes briefly dropped to Law’s hand as it trailed down to trace the Heart Pirate logo on her chest. “I’m no one’s pet, least of all yours.”

“You say that now, but I think you’d enjoy it—I know I would. Two sexy, fiery redheads, naked in my bed is pretty much my ultimate fantasy. I’d even let you help me train Nami-ya—she needs to learn obedience, but I know you’ve got no trouble following orders, eh, Navy-boy?”

For a moment, Drake’s eyes lingered on them, and she swore it looked like he was considering it, especially when Law nipped her ear, making her gasp, her chest expanding upwards as her cheeks deepened to an obscene shade of scarlet. She could imagine she looked like a wet dream; sweaty hair tousled, face flushed, cleavage peeking out of the jumpsuit’s opening, lips parted as she panted lightly. Law probably looked just as tempting, with his inviting golden stare, dexterous fingers, and wicked smirk.

Law was absolutely giving an enthusiastic and explicit invitation, and both pirates had shown that Nami’s opinion on the matter was a mere afterthought.

The man behind her shifted, and this time she was positive she could feel the Dark Doctor’s cock straining against her. “Law, please,” she whimpered, sweat breaking out across her brow.

“Mmm, much as I love hearing you beg, Nami-ya, you’re just going to have to be patient. Unless you want to put on a show for Drake-ya?” Long fingers pinched the tab of her zipper, slowly pulling it down to expose more of her cleavage. “Give him a taste of what he could have if he joins us?”

That seemed to snap Drake out of whatever lustful trance Law had lured him into, as his face went bright red and his scowl returned. “Ugh, you’re a disgusting cretin, Trafalgar. I’m not subjecting myself to your presence any longer.” Tipping his plumed hat, he spun on his heel. “If you ever come to your senses and decide to ditch this sadistic bastard, Miss Nami, feel free to seek me out.”

“Damn. I was hoping he’d try to call my bluff,” Law chuckled as the tall redhead disappeared down an alley. “I’d love to show him how I discipline disobedient kittens when they run off.”

“You’ve got the weirdest kinks!” she snapped, struggling desperately in his arms. The moist jumpsuit rubbed unpleasantly against her bare skin like wet sandpaper. The sensation finally brought to light why Law’s new nickname made her so uncomfortable—Arlong had often referred to her as a kitten. Usually as a term of affection, but also a way to further show how little he thought of her species, that he regarded animals typically kept as pets as more worthy of his respect than humans. “Let me go—I’m not your kitten!”

Law released her long enough to spin her around and start walking her backwards with slow, sure strides, gold eyes drilling into hers. “And yet it’s the most accurate description I can think of—you’re a clueless little kitten who has no self-preservation skills likely to get ripped apart by wild dogs!” With a thump her back hit the rough brick wall, but any relief the cool stone might have provided was short-lived as Law pressed his entire body against her front to trap her. “Ditching the uniform was bad enough, but running off on your own? Making a scene in public and attacking your crew? If you were even half as smart as you claim to be, you never would have taken such a stupid risk.”

“I wasn’t thinking—”

“Damn right you weren’t thinking!” he snapped. “I don’t care if you think the uniform’s ugly or uncomfortable, when I give you an order, you obey it!”

“It’s just clothes!”

“If it were just clothes, you wouldn’t have been the one to make it such a huge fucking deal! The fact that you couldn’t follow such a basic order proves you can’t be trusted.” Without breaking eye contact, he reached down, dragging the zipper up to her neck and buttoning the collar so not an inch of flesh south of her chin was exposed. “Now, unless you want me to make good on my threat to discipline you, you’re going to leave that as it is. You managed to punt any leniency I had for your bratty antics right out the window. We’re going back to the ship, where you will be confined for the foreseeable future. If I have to, I’ll chain you to a desk where you’ll spend the rest of the year drawing maps and sea charts for me.”

Her eyes widened at the threat. It was far too much like her dream; like what she’d gone through with Arlong. Panic made her adrenalin spike, and with ever less ventilation than before, the temperature inside the suit rose further. “Please, Law, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t—”

Furious that she was still trying to argue, his voice was as hard and biting as ice as he said, “I’m not interested in excuses, Nami-ya. You disobeyed me, and even more damning, you attacked my crew. I told you when we first met that I’d make you suffer if you brought any harm to them, and I intend to keep that promise.”

“I didn’t mean to! They were threatening me!” she simpered, trying to pull away, but like the man pressed to her front, the wall at her back wasn’t going to relent for the sake of a small, terrified woman.

“Threatening you? Ikkaku, Bepo, and Shachi? If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable,” he snorted, grabbing her left arm in a bruising grip when she tried to unzip the uniform.

“They wanted to tattoo me! To brand me as your property!” Unconsciously she clutched her shoulder, fingers digging into the scars left by her old tattoo. “I couldn’t let them do that to me. Not again.”

“And why would they want to do that?” he asked sarcastically. “Convince me before I cut out your slanderous tongue.”

“So that I couldn’t escape. So that no matter where I went or how I tried to hide, everyone would see that I’m yours,” she whispered, eyes dulling as she recalled the judgmental glares the villagers would give her every time they saw Arlong’s tattoo. Even if it had all been an act, they had cut deeply at the time, and even now she felt overwhelming shame.

Tsking in irritation, he finally gave her a few inches of space. “You make it sound like I’ve enslaved you—you’re the one who came to me, demanding the I let you settle Mugiwara’s debt. What we have is a deal; join my crew until it’s paid off. But it’s pretty hard to do that if Drake-ya or others make off with you, isn’t it? So if I have to make you wear a uniform or even tattoo my mark onto you, so be it.”

Nami’s mind clouded, fear firmly taking hold. She and Arlong had had a deal, too, and he’d used every dirty trick imaginable to deny his cartographer her freedom. What made Law any different? How did she know he’d keep his word and let her leave at the end of the year? What was stopping him from chaining her up and keeping her as a pet, from basically enslaving her even as he called her a valued shipmate?

It was too hot, her flesh felt like it was melting off her bones, blood was pounding in her ears, her scars throbbed, and her vision grew hazy as she began to hyperventilate. In her mind, Law and Arlong shifted and blended together, and trapped and scared against her monstrous captain, panic finally overwhelmed her.

“I’m not your fucking property!” she screeched, slamming her fists against his chest, nails attempting to claw at his face like a caged animal. Unwilling to let her gouge his eyes out, he grabbed her by the wrists, pinning her to the wall with his full body weight. “Get off of me! I’m not your fucking shipmate, or your kitten, or anything! I’d sooner die than let you use me again! I hate you!”

“Will you calm the fuck down?! What is your problem—” Law snapped, but his anger shifted to concern as he felt just how sweltering her skin had become and how erratic her pulse was. The last dregs of irritation vanished as he finally allowed himself to carefully study her, taking in her flushed and sweaty face, unfocused gaze, and shallow wheezes.

His brow furrowed as he stepped back, surrounding her with his Room and quickly Scanning her.

“Fuck,” her bit out under his breath. “So that’s your problem. Nami-ya, close your eyes.”

“Why the fuck should I do that?!” she screamed, attempting to dart to the side, but her escape route was swiftly blocked.

“Because this’ll be a lot less traumatizing if you don’t watch what I’m about to do.” When her eyes widened further, he smacked his forehead, annoyed at himself for his poor wording. “It’s the birth control medication I injected you with—you’re having a bad reaction to it. The chemical imbalance is giving you a massive panic attack, and the stress is causing you to overheat, which is slowly frying your brain. I need to remove the drug from your system, and considering how squeamish you are, I can promise, you’re not going to want to see how.”

“I…”

His expression turned desperate as he beseeched, “Nami-ya, please, I know it goes against your every instinct right now, but I need you to trust me.”

Swallowing hard, she nodded, forcing herself to close her eyes as tightly as possible and hold still despite her legs trembling with the urge to run. He was right; she needed to trust him. Law wasn’t asking as her captain, but as her doctor. He wouldn’t hurt her any more than Chopper would. He was trying to save her, and she needed to have faith that anything he did was for her own good.

“Room. Shambles.”

A strange sensation overcame her. It was almost like she was floating, and while she could still feel her individual body parts, it was…dull and disjointed, almost numbed, like when your foot falls asleep and you wiggle your toes.

Then came another odd feeling. The closest she could compare it to was what she imagined it would feel like to be a sugar cube slowly dissolving in a glass of water, but the heat and adrenaline slowly vanished, and bit by bit, her heart began to slow to a normal pace.

When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on the ground, the sweaty uniform in a neat pile by her leg. Law knelt before her, studying her face and body intently. His mouth was a hard line and his gold eyes cautious as he asked, “How are you feeling?”

“…cold.”

With a relieved chuckle, he pulled off his hoodie and carefully slipped it over her head. “Well, better than heat stroke and cardiac arrest.” He sighed, giving an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry the drug fucked you up so badly. I must have gotten the ratio off. I can’t even remember if I’d informed you of the potential side effects. At the very least, I shouldn’t have administered it when I was functioning on so little sleep—it was irresponsible of me as a doctor.”

Gratefully, Nami slipped her arms into the long sleeves, soaking in the residual body heat in the soft fabric. The sweatshirt was long enough to be a mini-dress on her, and she very nearly tucked her legs inside to block out the chilly air. Her skin was slick with sweat, and the cold air and stone beneath her was leeching the heat from her body. Now she understood why Drake had been so concerned about her lack of clothes. “It’s my own fault. I should have told you I was feeling weird. I just figured it was my body needing time to adapt and me being stressed about…stuff.”

The skin beneath the DEATH tattoos went white as Law gripped Kikoku harder. “No, it isn’t alright—I should have demanded a follow-up appointment to check how you were doing instead of putting my focus on fucking fertilizer. And I definitely should have noticed there was something wrong with you—you were literally having a panic attack in front of me, but I was too stubborn to acknowledge it.”

“Law, I know my body—I should have realized there was something wrong with me. And you were a little…distracted.”

“So, we’re both idiots, then?”

Nami couldn’t help the wry smile that tugged at her lips. “Guess so.” She glanced over at the jumpsuit. Part of her was nearly tempted to put it on due to how cold she suddenly felt, but one touch of the sweat-sodden fabric quickly changed her mind. “Look, I get that I don’t have much of a right to ask, but do I still have to wear this?”

Law frowned at the damp uniform. “Not until it’s been laundered and properly dried, at least. I’m taking you back to the ship regardless—I want to run some tests to be sure the birth control is completely out of your system, and you’re staying in the infirmary overnight for observation.”

“Yeah, makes sense,” she said sadly as the familiar blue aura overtook them. In a blink they were in the Polar Tang’s infirmary, their sudden appearance making Penguin jump from his place at the desk.

“Law! You found her!”

He tossed Kikoku to the first mate before hoisting Nami onto the examination table. “Yeah, but I’m going to need you to run some blood tests for me and fetch some clothes and toiletries from her room—she’s sleeping in here tonight for observation.”

Penguin nodded before rushing out the door, barely giving the navigator’s lack of uniform a second glance. Meanwhile, Law strode over to the cabinets, pulling out blankets, pillows, and towels. “What other symptoms have you been having?”

Rubbing her arms, Nami replied, “Nightmares and trouble sleeping, but that’s it.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep tonight?”

“I should.”

“Good, then I won’t give you a sedative. I’m not risking putting anything else in your bloodstream until I’m 100% sure what caused your reaction.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, “for removing the drug. And…not making me watch how you did it.” Law was sadistic and cruel, but that moment of compassion spoke volumes of how much he cared about a patient’s well-being. It was a fascinating juxtaposition—the doctor and the pirate. One that made her respect for him rise a little.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for trusting me.” He gave a small smirk as he handed her the supplies. “Assuming there are no lingering side effects I should be able to declare you well enough to go to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

Her head shot up in surprise. “You still want to do that? Even after I attacked your crew? After I tried to claw your eyes out?” Good God, she expected Luffy to be that forgiving, not the Surgeon of Death!

“You did it under the effects of a drug that I improperly administered—I have no one to blame but myself. Plus, I already made reservations.” At her disbelieving expression, he shrugged. “Honestly, Ikkaku, Shachi, and Bepo weren’t even mad; they were more scared something would happen to you.”

“Really?”

“Really. I was the one who was pissed.”

Draping a blanket over her cold legs, she snorted. “Clearly. Would you have really made good on your threat?”

“Which one?”

Unconsciously, her hand fisted the blanket. “Chaining me to a desk and forcing me to make maps for you.”

“That’s the one you’re most worried about?” he asked, bewildered.

“Let’s just say it’s something that would have happened to me if Luffy hadn’t intervened.”

Law’s brow furrowed when she didn’t elaborate, and he crossed his arms in irritation. “You’re welcome to your secrets and privacy, Nami-ya, but considering how you very nearly clawed my eyes out over it, you’re going to have to give a better answer than that. I can’t know what will trigger you if you don’t tell me.”

“Maybe I’m not comfortable with someone like you knowing my weaknesses.” She shot him a glare. “You seemed to take a lot of creepy pleasure in threatening to put a collar on me, among other things.”

The brim of his hat cast a shadow across his eyes as he scowled. “I’m a sadistic bastard—I’ve never hidden this. But I was trying to scare you into compliance, not give you a panic attack.”

“Either way, it doesn’t exactly inspire me to trust you.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. In the harsh light of the infirmary, the circles under his eyes seemed even more pronounced. “Nami-ya, I’m sorry I went too far. I was angry and keyed up from dealing with Drake-ya.”

A scoff and a roll of her eyes was Nami’s immediate response. “Yeah, sure, ‘keyed up’. Personally, I would have gone with ‘horny as hell’.” She blushed slightly at the thought. Looking back on it, that moment had felt like something from one of her raunchier novels. And she really needed to not imagine what the two Supernovas would be like together. Who would top? Drake was certainly the larger man, but she had a hard time picturing Law being submissive, control freak that he was….

She shook herself from her musings as Law responded, removing his hat to run a hand through his dark hair, “We have…history. Generally when we meet, we either try to kill each other or fuck. In such close quarters and with you as a liability, I didn’t trust my chances if it came to a fight, so yeah, I fully leaned into the sexual tension.”

After the day she’d had, Nami should have been immune, but she couldn’t help but appreciate how hot he looked when he mussed his hair like that. Her blush deepened as she glanced away. “Well, you should have left me out of it.”

“Drake-ya’s shy with women. I knew he’d turn tail and run if I got you involved.”

Much as she wanted to, she couldn’t quite argue his logic, mostly because it was completely fucked up. “Bullshit; you were totally hoping for a threesome. You are seriously such a freak. Next time, just teleport us out of there.”

“He was talking about kidnapping you,” Law countered, leaning in and resting his hands on either side of her thighs. His breath tickled her face as he continued, “I needed to make sure he knew you were completely off-limits.”

Her eyes narrowed as she leaned back slightly. “I thought we established that I’m not your property?”

“Nami-ya, that’s the way it is—if you’re not strong enough to protect yourself, you’re the property of someone who was strong enough to claim you.” For a brief moment, his eyes softened, getting a faraway look as he lifted his hand to gently brush his knuckles across her jaw. “I know you hate it, but for now, accept that it’s the only way to protect you from the monsters of the world. Because believe me; there are men far worse than me who’d love to get their hands on you. Men who don’t have my limits.”

Her breath caught at his gentle action, and Law seemed to snap out of his reverie, quickly pulling away to grab her chart from the filing cabinet. “Penguin should be back soon to draw some blood and examine you. I need to tell the rest of the crew you’re back, safe and sound. You’re still confined to the ship until dinner tomorrow as punishment for worrying everyone.” Without looking at her, he tossed her chart on the desk and left, all but slamming the door behind him.

Wide, brown eyes stared at the metal barricade in shock. What was that about? Where had that flash of softness come from? Was he seriously running off because of a moment of…what? Kindness? Affection? Concern?

It seemed like every time she thought she had Trafalgar Law figured out, he had to do something to completely throw her.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a brisk knock on the door.

“Come in,” she called hesitantly.

Penguin stuck his head inside, little stuffed bird on his hat bobbing slightly. “You ok?”

Tugging at the black sleeves of Law’s sweatshirt, she sighed. “Fine, I guess. Managed to not get kidnapped by X Drake, thanks to your captain.”

“You ran into Drake? My condolences.”

“He was actually pretty nice up until he decided to take me hostage.”

Penguin chuckled as he tugged on a pair of latex gloves, grabbing her chart and the medical supplies he needed. “No, the condolences are for having to watch him and Law interact. It’s been going on since we were terrorizing the North Blue, back when Drake was tasked with bringing us down. The boss is not subtle when he hits on him, and Drake’s usually a coin flip between trying to kill him and pinning him against a wall. Makes things super uncomfortable for the rest of us.”

His look of exasperation drew an easy laugh from the redhead. “Yeah, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Law all but proposed a threesome.”

“Unfortunately, I believe it,” he groused as he rolled up the sleeve of the hoodie to expose Nami’s arm. Swabbing a patch of skin with a sterilized cotton ball, he continued, “I’m not sure if Drake brings out his kinky side or if he just did it to mess with you two. Probably both. Boss has a thing for gingers.”

“Then why doesn’t he hit on Shachi?”

“Oh, he did, briefly, when we were teens, but once he realized Shachi wasn’t into dudes, he backed off.”

“Dare I ask how Law found out Drake was interested?”

Penguin threw her a teasing wink. “You’re gonna have to get me seriously drunk to tell that story; I’ve worked damn hard to repress it.”

Nami had to laugh. Though he could be an awkward flirt and sometimes a bit too hard on his crewmates, Penguin was an easy guy to like. He was definitely the big brother of the ship, bullying Shachi and Bepo during downtime but quickly stepping up and making sure they were alright when things got serious.

His mouth turned down in a reluctant frown. “Look, I hate to bring down the mood, but as first mate, I have to know; why’d you run off?”

Averting her eyes, she nervously twisted the blanket in her hands. “What, Shachi didn’t tell you?”

Carefully inserting the syringe into her vein, he began drawing blood. “Figured I’d hear your side of the story before I made my judgement. Law gave me a quick run-down on how the medication gave you a panic attack, but something had to trigger it.”

“You mean besides nearly being cooked to death in that hideous jumpsuit?”

As he removed the needle and taped some gauze to her arm, he gave her a serious, but not unsympathetic, look. “Heat stroke can certainly cause a person to be unreasonable, but Bepo said you were yelling about not being ‘that monster’s property’. I know Law’s not the nicest guy around, especially when compared to Straw Hat, but he hasn’t done anything that would warrant that kind of reaction from you, has he?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing with genuine concern.

Blunt white teeth worried her lower lip. Part of her wanted to say he had—killing Harpin, threatening her, all the things he’d done to earn his reputation—but in reality, she’d seen much worse from other pirates, and he’d done enough halfway decent things—giving money to the jewelry seller, saving her from the Baron, his kindness towards his crew—that she couldn’t even bring herself to lie. “Well, no…”

“You don’t have to spill your life story, Nami; everybody has baggage and things that set them off. Everyone on board cares about you enough that we want you to feel happy and safe, but you need to trust us enough to tell us if we’ve done something to make you uncomfortable.”

She sighed. She may have been able to avoid this talk with Law, but it was clear Penguin wouldn’t be distracted by snarky jabs or petty fights. It was hard to argue with him, too, when it came from a genuine place of concern. And someone should know, right? At least a little bit? Enough to set some boundaries between her and the rest of the Heart Pirates. “Look, I admit, I was being a brat about the uniform, and Law’s stupid medication made things a hundred times worse, but when they started talking about tattooing your Jolly Roger on me…I snapped, ok?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not one of you. You guys aren’t bad—better than most pirates, at least—but you’re not my crew.”

“What’s wrong with getting along with your allies?” he asked as he labeled the vial of blood and jotted a few things onto her chart. Most might think he wasn’t really paying attention to her, but Nami knew by now it was his way of giving her a small bit of space; putting her at ease by not making her feel like she was being scrutinized and judged.

Smoothing the blanket over her legs, she replied, “Nothing. The problem is when they refer to Luffy as my ‘old captain’ and act like I defected from the Straw Hats. I’m here for Luffy’s sake, and in two years, I’m going to be his navigator in the New World. Nothing is going to change that.”

“You’re pretty loyal to him, huh?”

She caught his eye, and with a look that left no room for argument, stated, “If it weren’t for him, my entire village would be dead and I’d still be forced to work for my mother’s murderer. I owe him everything, Penguin. He didn’t recruit me—he freed me.”

The first mate nodded in understanding. “Kind of like how Law freed Jean Bart?”

“You could say that.” She rubbed the spot where Arlong’s mark once lay, fingers absently tracing the scars. “Look, I’m sorry I ran off and worried everyone. I’m really sorry I attacked them. But—I was forced to join a pirate crew when I was ten. They pinned me down and branded me with their Jolly Roger so the whole world would know who I belonged to. I can’t…”

He held up his hand to cut her off. “I get it. Even if it was just a joke, they triggered some bad memories. I’ll tell the crew to ease up on calling you a Heart Pirate, and absolutely no talk of tattooing against your will. But it’s still ok to consider you our shipmate, right? At least for now?”

She gave a watery smile, using Law’s sleeve to wipe moisture from her eyes. Funny, she hadn’t even realized tears had formed. “Yeah. I can live with that.”

Jotting a few more things on her chart, he handed her the fresh set of pajamas and one of the towels. “Good. I’ve gotta go run these tests; go grab a shower in the meantime. I’ll be back in an hour with dinner and to take your vitals, and then you’re going to get a good night’s sleep. Those circles under your eyes don’t make you any less hot, but this ship isn’t big enough for two sleep-deprived, stubborn pirates.”

Despite his light tone, Nami frowned. “You’re going to tell everyone about my past, aren’t you?”

A warm, gentle hand rested on her shoulder, covering up Arlong’s scar. “Not if you don’t want me to; it’s not my place. What you went through…I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t want to murder the bastards who did that to you.” Nami could feel the tension in his fingers and heard his teeth grit in anger. It was clear he’d connected the dots between the scars and her story. “I mean, to brand a fucking child…”

“I’m ok,” she said softly, as much to herself as Penguin. “Luffy freed me. It’ll never happen again.”

“Damn right it won’t.” Taking a deep breath, he pulled away, once more composing himself. “I’ll just tell the crew that you’ve been through some shit in your life, and because of it, you wouldn’t leave Straw Hat any more than we’d leave Law, so we should ease up. They’ll understand.”

“Thank you.”

He gave her hand a quick, comforting squeeze. “You really should tell Law all this, though. You’ve seen how intense he gets, but if he knows he’s opening old wounds, he’ll back off. Guy’s got demons even I’m not privy to, so he’ll respect there are certain lines he shouldn’t cross.”

With a smile, Nami returned the gesture. “You’re probably right. You really are everyone’s big brother around here, huh?”

“I’m the first mate; it’s my job to keep things running smoothly and take care of disputes between shipmates.”

“In that case, could you do me a favor?”

XXX

The next morning Nami was rested, physically feeling better than she had all week, but worried about facing the crew. Despite the affirmations that nobody was upset that she had run off, at least not once they learned it was in response to improperly administered medication, she still felt nervous. Penguin had told them to ease up on treating her like she was part of the crew, but was that a good thing? Would they now treat her like an enemy, or hold her at arm’s length? Was the easy camaraderie she’d started to share with them over, sacrificed for the sake of maintaining her status as a Straw Hat?

However, despite her nerves, she had no reason to skip out on breakfast in the galley. Law had stopped by the infirmary long enough to Scan her and give her a clean bill of health (and also steal back his sweatshirt) while Penguin had come through with her request.

“Think these’ll smooth things over?” she asked the first mate, holding up three wrapped gifts.

Penguin shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t think you even needed to go this far—none of them were really angry, and you didn’t injure anybody. But it can’t hurt…though I can’t promise Ikkaku won’t still make you suffer just a little bit; in a way, it shows she cares. It’s when she goes completely cold with a person that you know you’ve fucked up.”

“You know this from experience?”

“When we went to Amazon Lily and most of us went gaga over the women there. I think the fact that we acted like we’d never even seen a woman before really hurt her pride. She’s a tomboy, but she’s still a girl, you know? Probably sucks when every guy on board forgets that. Flat-out wouldn’t talk to anyone but Bepo for a week—hell, the silent treatment ended only a day before you got here!”

The mention of Amazon Lily piqued her interest. Hadn’t Law mentioned they’d been there once? And apparently, it hadn’t been too long before she’d arrived. “Wait, Bepo was the only one she’d talk to? Did Law act like a lovesick idiot, too?” It was hard to imagine, but if the women of the island were as beautiful as stories said, anything was possible.

“No, but he made a pretty stupid comment that rubbed salt in the wound.”

Though Nami was curious as to what Law could have possibly said to piss off Ikkaku, she was forced to push that mystery aside as they’d arrived at the galley.

“Ready?” Penguin asked, watching for any sign of distress from the navigator out of the corner of his eye. Though he honestly felt she had no reason to worry about his crew’s reaction, he wouldn’t force her to confront them if she wasn’t ready.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting the packages in her arms, she nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

The door opened to reveal the rest of the crew sitting at the various tables, sipping coffee and chatting quietly, a few catching up on what they’d missed over the past few weeks from the pile of newspapers. Several of them looked up and greeted her with sleepy hellos, and Nami nodded in acknowledgement, though her attention was mostly focused on the fact that, though there was bacon and eggs and a few rolls, breakfast seemed to mostly consist of assorted fruits.

From his spot at the table Law glanced over his shoulder at her and chuckled at bemused expression. “Morning, Nami-ya. Care for an apple? Winter melon? Kiwi? Apricot? Pomegranate?”

Her brow furrowed at his casual greeting. After he’d disappeared last night, she’d assumed things would be awkward between them. His brisk visit that morning had only reinforced that belief, but here he was, making cheeky comments with that smug grin of his.

Before she could question him, or the fruit, Penguin lightly nudged her shoulder. “You didn’t hurt anybody, but that gust of yours did upend a few fruit stands, so Ikkaku had to buy it all to keep the vendors from causing a scene. You never know who might be a spy for Jinzo in this town, and from what I heard, you earned yourself a place on his shit list.”

“Which is another reason you’re not to leave the sub until dinner tonight,” Law added as he took a bite of a bright red apple. He met her gaze as he chewed before saying with a smirk, “That’s an order, by the way. One you won’t have a problem following, right?”

Swallowing down her instinct to argue with him, she nodded stiffly. “Right.” Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the table, bowing deeply as she held two of her packages out to Shachi and Bepo. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you yesterday. Please take these as a sign of my sincerity.”

“You didn’t have to, Nami,” the bear said, twiddling his claws. Despite his fur, one could almost see a pink blush on his cheeks. “Penguin explained what we did to set you off, and we weren’t upset at you.”

“Did Law get mad at you for losing me, though?”

His ears drooped. “Well, a little, at least at first—”

“Then I owe you an apology. I promised wouldn’t do anything to get Law mad at you, and I broke that within four hours of making it. You’re getting an apology gift.”

“Well, to be fair, you said you’d never intentionally get me in trouble…”

“Just take it, Bepo,” Law said, taking another bite of his apple. “You managed to get the greediest pirate on the Grand Line to willingly spend money on you; if you keep arguing, she’ll change her mind and charge you double for it.”

Nami glared at him, though it faltered when he threw her a conspiratorial wink.

“Well, ok,” the Mink agreed, taking the parcel at his captain’s encouraging nod. Shachi followed suit, though he appeared more suspicious than apprehensive.

“When exactly did you have time to get these?” he asked, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses, “Because I sure didn’t see you buy anything that could be for us yesterday.”

Nami pointed at the first mate. “I made Penguin do the actual purchasing, but I told him what to get and it was my money he used to buy them. I never left the ship.”

Mollified, Shachi ripped off the wrapping paper, laughing heartily at the orca-shaped hat. “Oh, this is fucking perfect!”

“She asked me to get the ugliest, dumbest hat I could find,” Penguin said with a snort. “The local hat shop practically paid me take it of their hands. It’s like it was made for you.”

“Yup, and now you have to suffer for it!” he crowed, tossing away the green and pink and pink hat and replacing it with the killer whale.

Meanwhile, Bepo happily tucked into the enormous salmon, fresh from the Grimm fish market. He spared a thumbs-up, declaring his approval of the gift, and Nami giggled. He was like Luffy, in a way; buy him lunch, and you were friends for life.

“Take it easy, Bepo; you’ll choke on a bone,” Ikkaku said from behind her. Nami turned to find the older woman shaking her head. “You really don’t have to do this; we’re all just glad that you’re safe. Honestly, I’d settle for an explanation,” she said with a meaningful frown, “but I also get opening up isn’t easy, especially to people who aren’t your crew.”

“Yeah, but given time, I might be willing to open up to a friend.” With a nervous smile, Nami held out a box. “I kind of owe you this anyway, so you’re taking it whether you like it or not.”

Without a word the engineer opened the box, eyes widening at the slinky, silver dress that glimmered back at her.

“Thanks, Nami,” Ikkaku said with a small smile. “This’ll be perfect for when we go out tonight.”

“You still wanna go?” Nami gave Law a sideways glance. “Assuming I’m even allowed.”

Ikkaku scoffed. “You’re my only female friend on this ship; like hell I’m giving that up over a little freak-out. And of course the captain’ll let you join me for Ladies Night,” she said, raising an eyebrow at the Dark Doctor in challenge. “Right, Boss?”

Law held up his hands in surrender. “So long as she stays with you and you’re both on your best behavior, I’ll allow it. After she has dinner with me.”

Beaming in triumph, Ikkaku bumped her hip into Nami’s. “See? We can do each other’s hair, and you can complain about whatever stupid thing Law says or does tonight over drinks.”

A bright grin lit up the redhead’s face. Penguin had been right—they really weren’t mad. “Sounds perfect. And I’ll pay you back for the fruit, too, since that was my fault.” Whatever the cost had been, it was well worth keeping Ikkaku’s friendship.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Just meant we got our produce shopping done a little early. But if you’re that worried,” she said as she strolled over to her table, grabbed a plain white box, and sauntered back, handing it over to Nami with a grin, “here. A peace offering of my own.”

Brow furrowing in confusion, Nami peeked in the box, only to immediately slam the lid back down, face a brilliant scarlet.

“You. Bitch,” she ground out. Ikkaku was so lucky she hadn’t really opened it in front of everyone—what was she thinking? Dear God, what if Law had seen what was inside?!

“Just a little something to help you out when those trashy novels can’t get the job done,” Ikkaku cackled, ducking away as the blushing thief attempted to smack her over the head. “And now we’re even!”

“What’s in it, Nami?” Shachi asked, shit-eating grin telling her he already knew. “What’s in the box?”

“A severed head,” she lied, glaring at him, white-knuckled grip crushing the corners of the package.

“Is it one of mine? I think I misplaced one,” Law chuckled from his seat. He reached for the box, grin stretching his face. “Let me check.”

“Hands off!” she snapped, yanking it away. “It’s none of your damn business!”

“Room.”

“Fuck you, Trafalgar!” she shrieked as the box vanished and reappeared on Law’s lap, replacing the apple he’d been munching on. Her attempt to retrieve the damming parcel was thwarted by Ikkaku grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around, laughing as she shrieked indignantly.

Opening the box, Law pulled out a pair of fuzzy black handcuffs. “Strangest looking head I’ve ever seen,” he said, twirling them around on one long finger. “Though full marks to whoever sculpted the dildo. Even got the veins right.”

The whole galley cackled as the blushing navigator buried her face in her hands, mortified. Part of her wanted to rip their tongues out, but another part accepted that she deserved this. Penguin hadn’t been kidding when he said she’d suffer, but she could also feel the mood lighten significantly.

“So, still up for Ladies Night after your dinner with the captain?” Ikkaku asked as she set her down, grin wide and unrelentingly smug as she threw an arm around her shoulders, playfully mussing her hair. “Or would Miss Straw Hat rather stay in and play with her new toys?”

Despite her humiliation, Nami felt a smile pull at her lips. “You’re an absolute bitch, Miss Heart Pirate, but yeah, I’m in. And for what you just put me through, you’re buying the first round.”

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charliedoyleloves · 5 years

Text

Chances

Summary: After Alabasta, Charlie has to find a way to deal with all the death.

Under the read more because it is long. This is the first draft, but I wanted to post something today for Zoro’s Birthday. So take the unedited version of this. I’ll post an update when I can.

TW: Mention of Past Slavery and Implication of Attempted Rape (One Sentance), Scars, Nudity (Non-Explicit)

Charlie sat by the edge of the fire, the light casting shadows upon all the other mourners in the city square. Chopper and the Alabastian Doctor would yell at them for being out and about. But this was something that needed to be done. Something that needed to be observed.

The air smelt of the unfortunately familiar smell of burning flesh, as the fallen were cremated. Mourners from both the Royal Guard and the Rebels stood side by side. It did not matter which side they were from, everyone lost someone in the short-lived war. It had been simmering for years, and when that spark ignited, there was no way that anyone could have stopped it before there was blood.

While Vivi might not have been able to prevent it, she was able to stop it. While she and Charlie had their differences but that didn’t stop them from following the princess until their feet could not carry them further. Unlike the last noble they knew, Vivi actually wanted good.

Looking up at the castle windows past the flames, they swore that they could see her. Mourning for her fallen people as much as anyone else mourned their fallen friends. Staying by their crew’s sides as they rested from their injuries.

The wind blew, shifting the smoke into their face. Tears pricked at their eyes as everyone else moved out of the way. But they settled, legs crossed and head bowing back down. They were not a religious person. They were not sure if Alabasta had a regional religion that they could pray to instead. So, they silently pled with anyone who was going to listen that the fallen found their peace in death. That they knew their remaining families were going to be alright. That those who remained would be able to find their own peace.

A moment of silence was observed around them. It was a reminder of the days of remembrance at their home, and the new wind to the area seemed much too cold for the desert country. More kin to the early winter winds that bit at them during those ceremonies.

As their weight shifted forward, the tears were becoming ones of equal mourning and pain. The damned mole-woman and batter did a number on them. Staring back into the fire, they willed it to not dissuade them from the reason they’re there. Pain only meant they were alive.

“I thought you would be hiding, Monkey D Charlie.” Even if the voice did not tell them that it was Marine Tashigi, the phrasing would have. No one else called them by their supposed full name. Except maybe Smoker. “Or at least nursing your wounds.”

They did not look at her and could almost feel her not looking at them.

“I didn’t nurse my wounds when I got shot.” The words were bitter, far more so than they wanted. But since when on this adventure had they not been? It was becoming harder to remember. “I won’t do the same when someone who should have lived is being mourned.”

The sound of a scabbard on cobblestone, and Tashigi was sitting beside them. Looking over, they saw how focused on the fire she was, kneeling on the ground. It was like something out of a movie that they would have watched before getting taken to the East Blue. The noble samurai mourning for innocent lives.

“Why are you here?”

The words were softer as people moved back to them; the smoke finally cleared from the area. But it seemed that there was an understanding that the two of them were the closest someone could get to the pyre. The heat on their faces almost enough to hurt.

“Someone has to keep watch. Everyone else will go to bed, then wake up to rebuild their country.” Charlie turned back to the fire to watch another large puff of smoke rise to the sky. A poetic part of them wanted it to be the fallen’s souls freeing themselves of their physical bodies. Heaven has long since lost its appeal to them, but the idea of eternal freedom was something they could believe. As the wind swept the smoke away, perhaps it did the same to souls. “They will need their rest. Their privacy to mourn. So. I will keep watch, ensure the pyre does not consume everything in the city.”

Because this was not their home. These were not their people. Not their friends, nor their family.

Because Luffy laid injured and unconscious on a bed in the castle, not having awoken during the care process. He had told them that they lost a brother, when he was young. A brother that Charlie would now never know.

They had been taken from one brother. Another had to walk away. A third they will never know. It would not be fair to take their final brother now.

“And the others?”

Tashigi’s voice broke them out of their thought process. It was for the best. Though they did not answer her question. It would merely be evidence of Vivi’s involvement with them. Something that would only hurt her in the long run. From the corner of their eye, they could see her nod. Firelight glaring from her glasses.

“You’ve all earned your rest. I just wanted to make sure that none of you were going to die.” As she turned to look to them, they turned to meet her eyes. “Not when you’ve done something good.”

“We’ll live.”

What else could people do? They will live. Or else they will no longer be a part of the crew. The gunshot wound ached at the thought. From the corner of their eye, they swore they could see the bastard leveling his gun at them again. While their jaw clenched, they did not look there. It would only be a phantom of the smoke. Nothing more.

“Are you certain?” A hand raised to their forehead and for a moment Charlie was going to question it. When she pulled it back, there was blood on her fingertips. “This does not look like ‘we’ll live’, Monkey. This looks quite serious.”

“I’ll live.” Rolling their eyes, they turned back to the fire. The heat was at least becoming comfortable. Like they have been too cold for too long and forgot that being warm was an option. Their hands ran along the bandages on their stomach, to confirm that they were not bleeding out from those wounds. But it was dry as when they left the castle. Good. The words were not a lie. “But for tonight, I can pay my respects.”

“And what does a pirate care about respects?”

The single chuckle that Tashigi earned hurt. Their stitches pulled at the skin and stomach yelled against the movement.

“A pirate? Nothing. Or perhaps everything.” They shifted an arm behind them, leaning to keep the strain off their core. Better safe than sorry. “An ex-slave though? Everything. Or perhaps nothing.”

As their brow furrowed at the memories of their first weeks in the East Blue, they felt blood drip further down their face. It took a deep breath to relax it again, but if they’ve ripped a stitch the damage would already be done.

At least the awkward silence that Tashigi was appropriate.

“Can one really respect someone who only holds power because of blood in their veins or holds a knife to their neck?” There was bite in their words, but they and no care about going further into detail. No Marine has ever cared to know the full story. They only cared about the ending of it. A World Noble’s blood on their hands. “These men and women believed that the Crown was screwing them out of their lives. The royal guard believed they were protecting a caring king who was trying to solve things for his people. Each are things worth fighting for. Each are worth respecting.”

They did not look to watch her face, but she saw her hand move. From what they’ve seen of Tashigi, it was probably to adjust her glasses.

“It doesn’t make what you’ve done right, Monkey.” So this is what they were doing? Having a philosophical debate on life or death. It felt like a set up for a bad joke. A Marine and a Pirate talk at a funeral pyre. “You have a bounty for a reason.”

“I will only ever argue against that first bounty, ma’am.” But, if this was going to be a bad joke, then what does it matter what they say? Who would ever believe them, or Tashigi for that matter? This was possibly the only time they would ever have a chance to talk honestly to one another. “I’ve earned the rest of it, but could you fault me for killing a man who thought he owned me?”

She was silent again, which she remained for the most part of the night. Both strangers to the people of Alabasta, the other mourners did not interact with them. Or perhaps that was how they came across. Not ones who were here for others to cry upon, nor someone that needed someone elses shoulder. Silent watchers and guardians.

Some time, Charlie would guess around midnight, she left. A few of her underlings approached them, telling her that she needed to get some rest. That she had paperwork to do. As she left, they nodded. At the very least, they understood one another a bit better.

Others had left by that point; the pyre having been lit hours ago. It was beginning to smolder, the flames no longer warming them as they had before. It was becoming more familiar to them. A cold breeze occasionally pushing at their hair.

With fewer people around and their shoulders bare they might have gotten cold.

An hour after that thought, they were shivering. The desert’s inability to retain heat was evident. While the hairs on their arms raised and their jaw was quivering in its effort to stop their teeth from clacking. Their legs were sore from staying in the same position for over five hours, the cold was not helping. But something in their gut told them that they should not leave yet.

For the first time in their life, they were focused solely on something. The pyre only glowed when the wind rushed past, but the stars above provided enough light for them to see it still. And it had them captivated.

It felt like the only way that they could honor those who died in the battle. Who died because of Crocodile’s machinations. All who died for fighting a cause that was constructed by a third party specifically to kill them all. They needed honoring. To know that each day of everyone else’s lives are in dedication to them. So that they could have a story to tell, if their souls ever met again.

Perhaps that was what they were trying to do. To let a piece of all the souls there in. Give them a second chance that they all deserve and an adventure to tell. Maybe that was their goal in life. To have a story to tell. Inspire others to do the same.

A blanket was placed on their shoulders.

“You should be in bed.” Zoro leaned on one of his swords, keeping his eyes around the area. It seemed to them that he only ever had two modes. Asleep, or trying to get in a fight. Or maybe, in this case, stop one. “Chopper’s been freaking out once he realized that you were gone.”

They wrapped the blanket around their shoulders, trying to stop the shivering. “We were a part of this, Zoro.” After hours of not using their voice, it dropped a bit. But as they looked up to him, they knew their point was coming across. “One of us should be here. If we could have gotten here sooner, it might have been different. We might have been able to save them.”

“They were going to fight anyway. The only thing that could have stopped them was the rain because it would be the only thing they would believe.” It seemed that he was in a good enough mood to talk with them about such topics. He always seemed to prefer to talk about death with blades rather than words. “Vivi wouldn’t have been able to stop them without it.”

“While correct, what brought the rain? Could it have been Luffy kicking Crocodile’s ass? How about Nami using her Climatact to mess with a part of the weather system?” For the first time in hours, they stood up. It was awkward at first, legs humming asleep and they stomped at the ground to wake them back up. He was going to force her to bed anyway, so they might as well go with dignity. “The timing and stories are too convenient. If we got here sooner, if we defeated Crocodile sooner, it would have rained. They would have been spared.”

When they fumbled on the cobblestone, Zoro caught them. He tried to hide the wince at the strain on him, but they could feel it beneath their fingers. A sudden stiffening of muscles in his arms as they focused not to fall as their legs somehow got worse and their vision went black.

“But they weren’t, Charlie. What do you want to do?” They tried to struggle as Zoro carefully lifted them. It seemed to be more for his benefit than theirs as he tried to hide a grunt behind a cough. “To bring them back?”

“No. I just want to pay my respects tonight, then continue on our way tomorrow.” To humour his cough, they wrapped the blanket he brought around them both as he tried to find a comfortable way to hold them and walk. “Everyone deserves at least a night Zoro. A night were the people of Alabasta can not worry about something and just mourn. I was guarding. A pyre could spread it’s flames, potentially dama-“

“Charlie, the buildings are stone.” He began to walk, and they turned their head to watch the Pyre. What little was left of the smoldering stack of wood and bodies. Even the air seemed cleared of the smell, taking with it memories that they wanted to forget. “Your post is over, you need rest.”

“In a room beside my brother who might not wake up?” Tears came again, and they buried their face in his neck. The pile getting smaller as he walked away. “I need to be doing something for someone, Zoro. I just-“

“Can you get some sleep for me then?” His arms wrapped a bit tighter, though they brushed it off as just because of the stairs. But they could not deny that he was trying to comfort them as a thumb rubbed against their arm. “Or for Chopper and Usopp? Nami and Vivi? They need the big sister to the crew, and you need sleep and to keep your strength up.”

“What about Sanji then?’ They smiled as he laughed a bit and adjusted so they could squeeze his shoulder in apology when he winced. “Do you think he needs me around too, or just someone to keep Nami happy?”

“Someone to keep him in line.” Their voices and footsteps changed as they entered the palace. They bounced off the walls as the remaining guards watched as they walked through. “Hell, someone needs to keep all of us in line. Even Nami… especially Nami, when it comes to the money.”

They laughed, the sound bouncing off the walls and back at them. It made everything sound so empty. It was not some place they could imagine growing up in. A place where you were alone on a pedestal. The lonely life of a princess. But, unfortunately, it was best for Vivi and Alabasta for this to be the rest of her life.

They were jostled as Zoro moved them that he could look them in the eyes. The blush was something they could not help, him being so close to them. A young man who has saved them, their brother, and people they did not know so many times.

But without the smell of the pyre, there was another issue to deal with.

“Zoro, I need a bath.” It came out as an annoyed groan as they walked past doors they were certain lead to bathing rooms. Sounds of running water and a smell of flowers and spices all but wafting from it. It only made them more aware that they smelled like hell. “Put me down, I’m having a fucking bath.”

He nearly yelped when they squirmed enough he dropped them, which only prompted more laughter from them. While they were nearly limping towards the door, he was slow after them because of his own injuries. And they were right.

Behind the doors was a split they assumed was for the different sexes, and they just chose one. Zoro’s complaints bounced off the tiled walls better as they walked through an area that reminded them of a locker room. Little cubbies to put clothing and belongings, as a rack of towels that looked softer than their blankets on the Going Merry.

“Charlie, we should get ouuuuaaaHHHHH!”

They watched as Zoro quickly spun around as they worked at the pieces of the outfit Sanji bought. Rolling their eyes, they were able to quickly undo the bra like top.

“It’s not that big a deal Zoro. You’ve basically seen my tits before.” For added effect, they tossed the weighted fabric towards him. They only felt bad for a moment when they heard the jewel that laid between their breasts hit the ground. If it hit his head, it might have hurt. “And if you would like, you could ask that one of the guards look after me instead. I’m sure they have women in their ranks.”

Before working at their pants, they were fumbling with their earrings. It would be great if they could just feel light for once in their fucking life. While it was good that they were developing muscles, it didn’t help with that idea. And the pounds of jewelry in their ears did not help.

“It’s fine.” He sounded a bit tense, but they gave him an out. Shuffling of fabric told them that he was following their suit. “Just took me by surprise. It’s different to see you in a bra and to watch you take it off.”

While moving onto their pants, a towel hit the back of their head and stayed there as they bent enough to keep it there. It was only going to be convenient. When the damned hidden buckle was undone, they quickly dropped the towel to around them from chest to legs. Well…

It was a snug fit around them, it not being long enough to stop a bit of their legs to pop out as they moved towards an area that was warmer than the rest.

Walking past the opening, they could only stop and take a deep breath.

The steam was comforting, reminding them of their baths and showers before the being at sea. But everything else was so grand and alien to them. Fountains and manmade waterfalls carved and created to look like men and animals. While probably profound in the Alabastan mythos, it was just impressive craftsmanship to them.

Zoro shuffled past them, and it finally occurred to them what they just joked their way into. Before they were able to look away from his back, they had enough mind to note that he had impressive craftsmanship himself. Like something they could find on one of these sculptures. Or one from the Classical Masters.

While he seemed content to just marvel at the pools and fountains, they desperately needed to get the smell and feel of the smoke off them. Wrapping the towel tighter around them, they walked past him. Taking a single deep breath, they dropped the towel and walked into the deeper end of the pool.

For a moment, they enjoyed the feeling of being in water again. Every place they’ve been with their crew, recently dubbed the Straw Hats by their second favorite marine, did not have safe enough waters. But it reminded them of swimming with their family. Their mother not getting in because she was scared. Splash fights with their brother and father.

They quickly resurfaced. In the water, they were lighter than they can remember. Perhaps it was forgetting how it felt to swim. Or perhaps it was because of blood loss. Either way, they just wanted to float for a moment.

Across the pool, they could hear Zoro enter from the other side. The small waves hit them, pushing them slightly. But out of respect for his privacy, they waitied for him to make the first move. Nothing good could come of a careless mistake.

Well, anymore than it was already. A careless mistake brought on by not controlling their whims. Was this what was going to tear their place from the Straw hats? Or make things awkward around Zoro?

If the latter, they could just hide in Usopp’s workshop. Always stay far enough away from a fight to not be in his line of sight. Just spray and prey with their bow, or what ever guns they can find. There were worse things in the world.

“Charlie?” They took this as a que that it was safe to look. Turning over so they could wade in the water, he was already sitting in chest deep water. There were likely ledges around the shallower end. “If you wanted to bathe, why are you swimming?”

They were silent for a moment as they thought of it. Water beneath their arms as they kept themselves afloat. It was relaxing.

“It’s nice too. My Mom and Dad put a lot of time into making sure that my brother and I could swim.” They started to swim over to the shallow end, beginning to walk as soon as their feet could touch the bottom. “We used to go to pools and compete to see who could touch the bottom of the deep end. Dad always won, but my brother and I kept at it until we could hold our breath long enough to get there. I think the deepest I ever got was twenty feet.”

They laughed a bit when they found an edge opposite Zoro.

“Well, at least that was the deepest pool I ever found.” They shrugged, sitting with their legs crossed. The top foot played along the top of the water, though it went up to their chin. “I used to try to spend so long in there that I got sunburnt.”

“Wait.” Zoro lifted a hand, a serious look upon their face. For a moment they worried that they said something bad. Maybe his parents drowned in a pool? Was that why he never spoke of them? “You’re telling me that there was a time that you didn’t freckle so hard that it’s basically a tan?”

They looked back at him, realizing it was nothing serious. It took a moment to process what he actually said, and they started laughing.

“You have no idea. I used to tan a bunch. Then I burnt for a bit.” They motioned at a triangle on their chest that was becoming redder in the warm water. “Now I have a winter and a summer coat. And I’m genuinely scared of what I’ll look like in the summer.”

They laughed a bit, and he laughed along. But something about it was wrong. Raising an eyebrow, they settled onto their seat. His laughter trailed off and he avoided looking at them. For a minute, it was just the sound of the water running in the background.

He was tense, hand rubbing the back of his neck. Judging by the wince he gave; it only agitated his injuries. Not that he ever cared. This was the man who fought the Fish-man pirates while injured in a way that should have killed him. “The scar on your back.”

Charlie tried to laugh at the statement. A grin came at it, but a joke died on their tongue. Laughter caught in their throat.

“I’m not a swordsman, Zoro.” The joke came back, but it cracked. The grin became tenser. Half a fake grin and half a bearing of teeth. “Scars on the back is not a shame to me.”

But as he finally looked at them, they knew it didn’t convince him. Not when he was looking at them with such pity. As his eyes looked at them more, their jaw tightened, and the grin disappeared.

“Not tonight Zoro.” They splashed water at him, to try lightening the mood. He didn’t even flinch. Try to attack back. Not looking to play their game. “I’m not talking about it tonight. Not tonight. It will be about the Alabastan people. Or about good things. Plans for the future. Not about past tragedies.”

“Good things?” The rubbing at his neck stopped, and he leaned back against the wall of the pool. Arms stretching out from him. Chest looking larger and they sunk a bit further into the water. “Like what? Jokes? How about how hard Sanji was flirting with that Robin woman?”

They could almost feel him file his question away. But they joined along with him.

“You do realize that I was too?” They laughed at his shock. Closing their eyes, they tried to remember how Robin looked. Instead it was just the dark. “I’ll admit, I was a bit obvious about it too. But you have to admit that she was pretty.”

“So… So my crush on you is useless, huh?” His laugh was sad. Already mourning something that he didn’t know was truly dead. Really, he hasn’t even been paying attention to their actions around them. “Should have figured.”

“Now now.” They continued to try to make light of it, splashing at him some more. Their laughter was slightly forced. Anything to lighten the mood here. That was how you honored the people around you. “I never said that. In fact, you have quite the shot if you’re interested.”

It was something they didn’t think about often. Much of their time dedicated towards keeping their brother alive. Or helping Usopp with what needs to be done on the Going Merry. Or Chopper, Sanji, and Nami with their respective jobs, while also keeping track of what treasures they had gathered.

Though, Zoro hadn’t asked for any help. Instead, he seemed quite intent on protecting them. Which now made sense.

The water shifted again, and they looked back to him. Despite this being a potentially relieving moment, he seemed more agitated than before. Jaw clenched, eyes staring directly anywhere except them.

“Was that the wrong answer?”

The joke had faded from their voice but left him with the space to talk. If this was the time that he felt willing to talk about his emotions, they would let him.

Heavens knew it happened rarely. They would rather not mess this up.

“Do you remember what you did in Whiskey Peak?” The words seemed strained. Like he was hurt just remembering. But they knew what he was referring to. When Luffy and he was fighting, getting between the two of them. A dangerous position for someone with a devil fruit. Let alone someone without. “You’re a distraction. And it’s easier to try to ignore it when I didn’t think I had a chance. What am I supposed to do now that you tell me that there is a chance? You’ll be the biggest distraction I’ve ever had.”

They couldn’t speak for a moment. All words catching in their throat as they tried to process what he said. That they were a distraction?

But it made sense in a way. If he had to prioritize them in a fight, like he might feel necessary, then not only could he get hurt, so could someone else. He might feel that he has to give up his dream if he was with them. A weight dragging him down.

Because they were not strong enough to defend themselves.

Their fingers brushed against the bandages still around their stomach. It was only proof that they were not strong enough to defend themselves. They could never have his back like he had theirs. It would never be a balanced relationship.

“Then, you have a chance tonight.” Charlie willed tears to stay in their eyes. They might never be strong enough to protect even themselves. Let alone to keep up with Zoro. “But you won’t tomorrow. You’ll only ever have a chance when you want it Zoro.”

He could only have a chance when he can make them feel like not a burden. A truth for anyone. But if he could so effortlessly make him them feel useful, then they knew he could with effort.

They aren’t sure when they adverted their eyes. But looking back at him, they could see the understanding. This was for both to grow. To have the chance to be enough for the other. They couldn’t take back what they said, and honestly Charlie wouldn’t want to.

With nothing else to really be said, they both just leaned back and enjoyed the heat. It might be months before they got another chance at a bath like this. And even Zoro would have to appretiate it. Warm water to sooth muscles, and a seemingly unlimited supply of it. Unlike the few minutes of warmth you could pull from the taps on the Merry.

Staring at the ceiling, Charlie was not shocked to see it decorated. Lights were installed above them, to simulate stars upon the night sky. But so much brighter. Their light reflecting off the so smooth they looked polished tiles in the ceiling and back down upon them. The entire bath seeming to invoke the feeling of being in a heaven.

While perhaps for the normal users it allowed them an escape, it only served to pull them back to the present. One where they were not the one in whatever lie in the afterlife. Nor was anyone who would use this bath. No bodies left. Instead ashes scattered to the stars. While the ones above them were fake, they prayed to them anyway. That the dead find their contentment. That the living find peace. Again and again they would pray this. Perhaps it was the only thing they could do in the face of death.

Maybe it was all anyone could ever do.

“Are you starting to prune?” Zoro's voice cut through the melodic lull of the water, bringing them back to the then and there. The warm water lapping at them. Steam on their face and bandages around their stomach. “Because we've been in here for a while.”

“Oh, uh-" they brought up a hand, to see that the fingertips were wrinkled and puckered, “yeah. I- we should probably head back to bed.”

They turned in their spot, allowing Zoro the chance to get out and grab his towel. While hearing him move, they lightly chewed on a finger. Smoothing the skin with their teeth as they thought. A mental checklist of what they needed to do before settling for bed.

At the very least, they would need to replace their bandages. Wet ones would only impede the healing process, something that Chopper would be upset about. Perhaps, in the morning, they could find some fresh clothes. Ones not soaked with their blood. But it would be uncomfortable to sleep in the ones they had, the metal likely going to dig into them.

It was different when they were sleeping in the sand, but they were going to sleep on a proper bed. One given to them by a princess. It was likely to be the best sleep they'll have in a while, and they didn’t want to ruin it with the metal. Zoros feet entered their view, them wincing at the scars around his ankles. Looking up, they saw his towel wrapped around his waist and a second one held out as he looked away. Across the pool, theirs was gone.

“Thanks-"

The word was cut into a hiss as their wounds protested their way out of the pool. But when they were standing up, it was easy to step out and quickly wrap themself with the towel. Starting to move away, they moved their hair to cover as much of the scar as they could. It only covered about half the length, but it was better than nothing.

He followed behind them, not commenting as they brought another finger to their mouth. Nor when they stopped to look around the cubby area. Their clothes were gone, and in their place were what looked like a fresh nightgown and bandages. Moving the bandages, they found a pair of shorts. With a hesitant touch, they knew that it might have been from Vivis personal wardrobe, given how soft and smooth they were.

It was awkward to wiggle the shorts on without dropping the towel or causing more pain. But they were on quickly. Dropping the towel, they moved onto the second stage.

The bandages were hard to peel, sticking to their body. Half dried blood and half water keeping them in place. Focusing on the task helped it though, as it allowed them to ignore most of the pain as they moved around to do it. It was an impressive amount of bandages, leaving a pile on the floor halfway to their knee. The fresh ones were harder to get on. Each time they moved, it slipped and they had to start over. Again and again, they swore they had it down earlier. When it wasn’t easily one in the morning. And they weren’t exhausted and starting to bleed again.

“Think you could help?” They turned to look back at Zoro, in a different pair of pants and struggling with his own bandages. His cuts and scrapes were more numerous than theirs and seemed just as deep. A wonder that he was still standing. Perhaps it would be best if he never had a distraction again. “A hand for a hand?”

He stilled, looking back up at them. Giving a slow nod, he lured them in. Let them think that they were going to do his more serious bandages first. As they were about to set theirs down on a bench, he grabbed them from their hand and turned them around. So fast that the world spun a bit after he steadied them.

His hands kept them upright, callouses skimming against them as they felt the room get warmer. Or maybe it was just them. A hand planted against their back to hold the bandage in place, and they knew it was just them.

He moved around them, hardly making a noise, to get in a better position to wrap it around them. Then in front of them as he moved to make the first loop. The one to keep the end in place and allow him to stay where he wanted while finishing the job. Their eyes reached his nose, but they tried desperately to be anywhere else.

On the plus side, he smelled cleaner this close than he had from a few feet away back on the ship.

They cursed that thought as he continued his work. He kept in front of them, where most of their damage was. Running into explosions did that to a person. But while his hands were rough against their still prickling warm skin, his movements were gentle. They did say that he had a chance for tonight, but they were almost certain he wouldn’t do anything with it. They weren’t complaining then, but it might complicate matters when they woke up.

Focusing on breathing, they allowed him to move them as he needed. Arms lifted so he can get to their sides better. On their toes so he can get at their lower torso better. Spinning, thankfully, when he was looking to finish off the bandage. They swore that their body buzzed by the time he tucked the loose end in, securing it in place.

But after what felt like an both an eternity and a mere second, it was time to repay the favor. Picking up his bandage, they motioned for him to sit down. Given that he had injuries up to his shoulders, it would be easier to reach them all this way.

They also started at his back; hands soft against him. This was meant to be something that healed, not hurt. A soft moment. Each movement was careful, them focused on making sure to apply the right amount of pressure against each wound. Enough to keep it there but no more.

Every time he winced; they adjusted their approach. But memories of Cocoayashi Village came back. How close to death had he been then? A battle against Mihawk should have killed him. Even they knew that. Was that before he felt anything for them? Or had he cared the moment they joined on? If they weren’t there, would things have been different t then as well?

The first loop around his shoulder had their own body protesting. Their knees were a little too weak to carry the bend they needed, either from the hot water or the blood loss from the day. Their torso screaming whenever they tried to bend it instead.

Zoro softly grabbed their hips and guided them to sit on his lap. Legs on either side of him. While normally the wood beneath their bare skin, it was a comfortable contrast to softer fabric of his new pants. For a moment Charlie thought they had reached peak blushing. It was all the way down to their fingertips as they fumbled with the bandage.

Then he rested his head against their neck, buried so far that they could feel his eyelashes close. For a moment, they just stayed still. His breathing was steady. Arms wrapped loosely around them. They waited for any indication as to what was happening. Movements slowly starting up again as they regained control of their hands.

They were finishing up the bandaging, awkwardly as his grip tightened. For a moment, they were expecting a joke. Or a flirty line. Any indication that it was conscious. Or he was still alive, apart from his steady breathing.

A snore ripped through the stillness of the locker room.

Before they could stop it, they were laughing. The movements pulled at their wounds, and still hurt. But for some reason they couldn’t stop it. The idea that Zoro fell asleep on them after all that. It was more evidence that they needed sleep. A giggly tired.

They did not want to wake him up harshly. Settling their weight a bit, they hoped it would wake him up. Wrapping their legs around him. Resting their head onto his neck. Arms on his shoulders. None of it woke him up. So they tried something far softer instead.

And they couldn’t say they weren’t curious.

Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, the other went up to his hair. Fingers gently brushing through his hair. He leaned into the motion, earrings leaving their face. Likely leaving little Mark’s where they were.

“Wakey Wakey.” There was still some laughter in their voice. They were intentionally mirroring what their mother would say to them when they were younger. Something soft and kind, but said with just enough sarcasm that he might realize that sleeping there was not a great idea. “Why sleep here when we have beds just a little ways away?”

He made a soft noise, moving his arms from around their waist. As they got off of him, they realized how quickly he had warmed them up. And how nice it was. Something nice for tonight. Possibly for never again.

They tried to pull the shirt over their head. It was going to be a bit long on them, being a few inches shorter than Vivi. But there was a far more worrying problem. As they raised their arms, their wounds ached. And they tried and tried to pull if over their head.

But the fabric got caught on their arms. The hole to the sleeves not making it past their upper arms. Their head sandwiched by their arms as the shirt did not allow enough room for their shoulders. The fabric was undeniably soft, but it felt suffocating as their body protested the position. So much so that a low whine escaped their throat.

A Snort from behind them and there were hands on their arms. Trying to slide the fabric back over their arms. But as fingers pushed beneath the fabric and against their arms, it did not slide up. Instead, there was a ripping sound as they started to yell nonsense at him.

“Shit, you're really in there.”

They wanted to turn to him and roll their eyes at him. But given that it would be them trying to look out the head hole that was still a few inches above their head.

“Well, no fucking duh.” They tried wiggling a bit, but to no avail. It just flopped the parts of the sleeves not jammed on their arms around. Hopefully a bit of it lightly hit him. “But this is Vivis shirt. I don’t want to ruin it.”

“She probably has a dozen of these things.” Some of the sleeves were pulled up off their arms. “It was probably left here for you because they could throw it out afterwards without any guilt.”

“It’s the principle of the matter Zoro.” Out of habit, they stuck their tongue, getting an unfortunate taste of the fabric. It was likely a linen, and didn’t taste to great. They sputtered for a moment before continuing. “You shouldn’t ruin other peoples things if you can help it.”

“Well, you can't.” Zoro ignored their protests as he grabbed the bottom of the shirt, and ripped it from there to the neck hole. Grabbing the sleeves, he yanked them off. “So, now we can deal with getting you a shirt that fits.”

They looked around the locker room, but the only other shirt in there was his own.

While they were not so bold, Zoro had already made up his mind. It was tossed into their face. While the first shirt was soft because of the fabric, this one was soft from use. Stretched out a bit, it was almost assured to fit.

He hovered around them. But the shirt went on easily, but was not as loose as they both thought. Between their own shoulders and bust, it just fit. While loose around their stomach, it rode up because it was unable to handle their hips. There was a cough behind them as they left. It seemed that he was finally settling down, not bothering to try pick them up again, but he did try to lead. But already being turned around, he immediately tried to go the wrong way.

Grabbing his hand, Charlie lead the way back to the room . Trying desperately to ignore the way his calloused hand squeezed their own. The way that he didn’t complain about them taking the lead.

As they entered the room, both of them let out a soft sigh to hear everyone else snoring. Explaining what was happening was not something that they wanted to do. Not so early in the morning, with them both being so ready for sleep.

There were only two beds left empty, one with his swords tossed beside then the other beside. Completely untouched. Given that it acted as the barrier between the guys and the girls, it was easy to understand it was theirs.

They did let go of Zoros hand to crawl into bed. They weren’t sure what else could or should be said. If anything at all. But when he didn’t shift onto his back, but instead on his side to face them, they turned over to him.

He seemed to not know what would happen in the morning either. No words that he could think of either. But he extended his hand over the gap between the beds. Placing their own back in it, they settled for sleep.

They could deal with everything when they woke up. For now though, they had a chance.

#otp: functional dumbasses #charlie writes #self ship #self ship community #self shipping

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genogenocrazycatman · 5 years

Text

Stillwater - Chapter 8

Stillwater [Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.Net, Mibba]

Characters: Original Female Character, Monkey D. Luffy, Rorona Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Nefeltari Vivi

***

"We build as only children know to build

We made a way where there's a will

No slowing down or standing still

Innocent and reckless

"How did we get so old and never notice

How did we gain the world and lose the moment

Rise and fall, the tide surrounds us

And drowns us all"

-Hands Like Houses

***

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, now alone in the jungle.

Not surprisingly, we had come across a dinosaur, another t-rex from the looks of it. I had delivered on my promise. I had engaged it and beaten it. I hadn’t killed it. It wasn’t like it had done anything to me. It was just looking for something to eat. Regardless, it wasn’t a threat anymore.

That didn’t really matter though, because the cowardly duo had bolted the second they saw it. I had been keeping track of them by their screams, but those faded as the distance between them and myself grew. I had no clue where either of them were by this point.

“Nami! Usopp!” I called, receiving nothing in reply. ‘Idiots.’

Our goal was to track down Luffy and the others. Nami and Usopp were capable, scared, but capable, and I was sure that they would be able to track down our captain. That meant if I found Luffy, I’d probably find them as well. I had a general idea of, where he was.

I returned to my earlier thoughts. If I focused, I could probably pinpoint his location. I still wasn’t sure if that was the route I wanted to go. His presence shouldn’t have even been a blimp on my radar to begin with. Zoro and that damn cursed blade of his shouldn’t have either. Was my control slipping? If so, then my ability to focus was probably shot. The other option was that Zoro and Luffy were a lot more special than I thought. If that was the case and they were really that strong, then it was likely that trying to focus on them was going to knock me on my ass.

I let out an irritated groan. It was frustrating.

I took a second to lean against a tree and think. Finding Luffy would be easier, if I wasn’t doing it by myself. With that, I made my decision. I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the aura that Sandai Kitetsu gave off. Feeling what little of it had slipped through what I thought were my impenetrable mental defenses was nothing compared to now. It was thirst like I had never felt before. Immediately, my mouth and throat went bone dry. It was distracting, consuming my thoughts. It was enough to drive a weaker soul mad. I blinked my eyes trying to focus, trying to stem the feeling once more. Not entirely. I still needed to find it. I clamped down on that channel, just enough that it was manageable and followed the feeling, trudging through the jungle.

I was not meant for the damn jungle, at least not one so dense, and I had to be especially careful, because of my leg. The last thing we needed was for me to strand myself. It took me a lot longer than I would have liked to get to Zoro, but I managed.

He wasn’t alone. Nami and Vivi were there too. All three of them were standing on what looked like a massive birthday cake. It had multiple tiers. The top was a spinning bowl-like structure with candles all around the edge.

Broggy was laid out on the ground, nearby. A weird white substance was coming from the cake thing, floating through the air in the clearing and accumulating on Nami, Zoro, Vivi and Broggy.

I reached from behind the tree that I was leaning against and touched it, rubbing it between my fingers.

“Wax?” Then it clicked. “Damn it,” I swore.

Luffy was there as well, firing off attacks, but not hitting anything other than a red mark on the ground.

“What were you aiming at?” Zoro yelled pissed off.

“I just can’t let you break it,” the little girl said. “Mr. 3-“

“Baroque Works,” I grumbled.

Of course they had followed us. It wasn’t surprising. Ms. All-Sunday, Nico Robin , whatever the hell she was going by knew we were coming this way. It was the only way we could go with the log.

“-Wouldn’t be happy about that at all.”

“What’d you do?” Luffy asked.

“During a bullfight, a bull can’t control his urge to attack the red cape. Likewise, you can’t attack anything other than the circle. That’s what I did.”

‘So she uses colors to control people.’

“AHHHHHHHHH! OKAY THAT DOES IT! I’M MAD NOW! GUM GUM BAZOOKA!” Luffy stretched his arms back and shot them forward, but instead of hitting the cake thing, he hit the circle again and with very little force.

This was not how I wanted this day to go. I could take her. She was just a little girl. I had the physical advantage. I was pretty sure that I was immune to her paint power too. I thought I had gotten away from the crew’s questioning, but this was going to start it all over again.

I stepped into the clearing.

“You’ve got some real talent there with that paint brush,” I commended the girl. “Captain here’s screwed with you around. I guess that means I have to get rid of you.”

“Mira!” Nami yelled in relief.

I broke the trap. “I’ll take the girl? You get them free?” I asked.

Luffy snickered and shot me a grin. “You got it, Mimi.”

I nodded at him, and turned my attention back to the girl. “I never much understood art,” I admitted. “I’ve always performed audio to visuals.” I stalked towards the girl.

Luffy geared up for an attack.

“We’ll mix the laughter yellow on your back with a little sadness blue to make the last colors trap, tranquil green,” she said, swinging her brush and sending the color flying towards Luffy.

I stepped in front of the blue paint.

“Mira, don’t,” Zoro barked at me.

The seal it me, which was better than Luffy. I looked down at the color on my shirt and started laughing.

“Oh no!” Vivi cried.

“Damn it! Now Mira’s down.”

“See I told you, you should’ve posed, but you wouldn’t listen,” Zoro chirped at the girls. “Now, it’s too late you’re gonna die like that.”

“No need to worry about poses yet,” I said, looking up.

“Your eyes!” Nami cried out.

I ignored it. We could discus my eyes and everything else later. I protected mine, and if that meant that I had to reveal some of my secrets or punch a kid in the face, I was more than willing to do so. I charged the girl, cocking my fist back and thrusting it towards her face.

She let out a wail, falling out of the way. She quickly scrambled up ducked under my next swing, taking a brush and running it across Luffy’s back. The color on it blended with the one on her brush as she hurriedly made a seal.

Luffy hit the ground.

“Tranquil green,” she sputtered.

“Sneaky brat.”

“This is nice grass,” Luffy said, settling into it on his stomach.

I looked over at Vivi and the others. They were completely covered. Clearly, they had to be my priority. I went after it, but was knocked on my ass by Usopp and Vivi’s duck, who came flying out of the jungle with two people that I had never seen before on their asses. I assumed they were more Baroque Works agents.

“Shit.”

I had to get them out. I couldn’t hit it without worrying about hitting them. Zoro would probably survive the hit, but not the others. I didn’t have and fresh water on me, and now I was too far away from the river to use water. Even if I did, I wasn’t precise enough to cut the wax and not them. If anything, I’d tear through their flesh with the water pressure, or wouldn’t use enough and only harden the wax.

“Special attack exploding star!”

The two agents were still on Usopp’s tail. The one fired off a gun. The shot hit Usopp and exploded on contact. Usopp’s shot nailed Luffy.

“What an idiot. He attacked his own friend.”

“Usopp!” I called.

“Did- Did Luffy snap out of it?” he asked.

Luffy, free of the trap stood up. “Yeah. I’m good now.”

“You guys are the idiots,” I fired back at the Baroque Works morons.

Luffy rose up too. “I’m tired of your stupid paints. You’re through. I’m not going to let you hurt anymore of my friends. Now I’m really mad!” he growled out.

The guy that had fired at Usopp started laughing. “Oh. You’re mad are you? Look at your friends. Being mad won’t do them any good.”

“Oh yes it will! They’re still alive!”

I nodded in agreement. I could feel Zoro. How long they were going to remain that way was still up in the air. We had to move quickly.

“Are they now? Look again. All they need is some of Ms. Goldenweek’s paint and they’ll be perfect wax statues. Face it. You’re too late to save them. They’re gone and you know it.”

Something started knocking down trees. It was big, its steps shaking the ground, the sound of them rumbling throughout the island.

“Mr. Five is right about that. You’re friends are finished, because you were too late to help them and now it’s your turn to die,” a high pitched male voice said.

Finally, the trees on the edge of the clearing fell, revealing a guy in a massive suit made of wax. “I’m guess he’s the wax one,” I said, eyes on the flame on his head.

“Uh huh.”

“It’s time for candle champion,” Mr. Three declared.

“What the heck is that?” Luffy voiced my thoughts.

Five answered us. “That thing. That’s what he used one time to take someone down with a forty-two million berry bounty.”

“That’s Mr. 3’s greatest work of art,” his partner added.

“Time to use your talents, Ms. Goldenweek. I need a very special paint job for my armor. And don’t forget to be artistic.”

“After that can I take a break?” the brat asked.

“Why yes. You can go get some tea. I prefer that you’d stay out of this. When I’m in this armor I’m nearly impervious to harm. This suit is nearly as hard as iron. It may be made of wax, but it fits like a glove, and it’s impossible for anyone to pierce, and you don’t stand a chance against it. This artwork is flawless!”

“Wow that’s so cool!”

I rolled my eyes. “Now is not the time to be impressed.”

Usopp echoed my sentiments. “Fight!”

Luffy went after the candle guy, while I headed towards the three wax figures. I needed to stop that thing. They needed air.

“Just where do you think you’re going?” the chick with the umbrella asked. “Five-hundred kilogram drop. She swung her leg around and hit me in the face, her heavy calf pinning me to the ground, crushing my throat.

I struggled to breathe. If it wasn’t for the ground giving beneath me, no doubt my skull wouldn’ve been crushed. That startled me. I was nearly killed by a human. It had been a long time since man had presented an actual threat to me. Then again, I hadn’t expected anything like this in Paradise. Admittedly, I hadn’t taken any of these threats too seriously, a mistake on my part. While they may have paled in comparison to the threat that was always lingering over my head, they were still worth acknowledging.

Heavy or not, the limb was still made of flesh. I opened my mouth and sank my teeth into her leg.

She cried out in pain, leg lifting, giving me a chance to break free.

“Fire! We need to use fire! It’s just wax it’ll melt,” Usopp explained.

His observation was confirmed by the brat.

Before I would land a hit on her, she floated away, lightening herself so that she could be lifted by her umbrella.

Five fired at Usopp, who looked to use an exploding star to melt the wax off of the others. “When we say that you don’t stand a chance, it’s best to believe us.”

“Exactly. Thousand kilogram drop!” I barely rolled out of the way. The impact of her landing, created a huge crater. She floated up out of it over to Usopp and Carue.

The duck took off, something in its mouth. He was fired upon by Five.

Blondie sat on Usopp. She was increasing her weight, crushing Usopp.

“I’ve had enough of you,” I grumbled, swinging my leg around and cracking her in the back of her head, causing her to fall forwards off of Usopp.

My leg, having held up surprisingly well throughout everything finally gave out on me, causing me to fall. My good leg was still draped over her back.

“You okay?” I asked, Usopp.

“Yeah,” he said.

Luffy came running towards the wax thing, dragging Three by his hair.

“That tiny little flame isn’t gonna work quickly enough,” Usopp said to Luffy. “The rope that Carue has, light that on fire.”

“A rope, how is that supposed to help us?”

“Just trust me on this. I covered the whole thing in oil.”

“Alright everyone, it’s time to wake up.”

“Usopp, you’re a genius, but this is gonna suck.”

Usopp grunted in agreement.

Luffy lit the rope and the entire thing burst into flames.

Three panicked and ran, cursing Luffy, taking the little brat with him.

“Damn it! How dare you mock Baroque Works agents!” Five yelled.

Blondie had snuck away when everything went up in flames. She came crashing down on my chest, knocking the wind out of me, while kicking Usopp.

“That’s it! Playtime’s really over now! I’m gonna crush your stupid little necks!” She flew up into the air. “Ten thousand kilogram guillotine!” She went into a split, one leg positioned over Usopp’s neck, the other over mine.

I couldn’t get out of there, still gasping for breath, trying to re-inflate my lungs. Even if I could’ve crawled out of the way, I wasn’t going to be able to get Usopp out of there. I wasn’t just gonna leave him to die.

Vivi and Nami jumped out of the flames, each of them wielding their respective weapons. The pair knocked Blondie off of her flight path, away from Usopp and myself, and knocked her out.

“That was really hot,” Nami said, “Couldn’t you have thought of another plan?”

“You’re being a little picky here, don’t you think? Aren’t you at least a little bit grateful?” Usopp asked, standing up.

“You have a point there. Thanks.”

“It’s amazing. I can’t believe, we’re actually alive,” Vivi said.

“Hmmm,” I hummed.

“Got out of the wax, did ya? Well, I’ve had enough. We simply cannot afford for you to screw up our mission anymore.”

“Hey, Mr. Five! Special attack, exploding star!”

Usopp fired another shot off at Five, who simply swallowed it.

“You fool. Haven’t you figured out that you’re pathetic explosives don’t affect me at all. They’re nothing to an exploding man.”

I finally sat up, having regained my breath.

Five started to sweat, face turning red. I chucked at his misfortune.

“I’m sorry. I told a little lie. That wasn’t an exploding star. That was my special tabasco star.”

Usopp laughed as Five suffered. “I had to learn how effective that was the hard way.”

“Damn you, stupid pirate! I refuse to let you make a mockery of me!”

Usopp squeaked in fear, realizing that provoking him wasn’t the brightest idea. He tried to run, but Five caught up and grabbed a hold of him quickly.

Vivi and Nami took a defensive stance, ready to protect Usopp.

I attempted to stand and failed. “I can’t walk right now, so can you just hurry up and take care of this, so we can head back to the ship?” I asked.

The flames, swirled, as the air feeding them was manipulated by the swift movements of three blades.

“Flaming, oni giri!”

Zoro emerged from the flames, commanding the fire enveloping his body as if it was his own, looking truly like a demon, rising from the depths of hell. His movements sliced Five of course, but setting him on fire as well.

“You know these flaming swords aren’t too bad,” he said.

“How in the hell do you carry that thing?” I asked, glaring at Sandai Kitetsu. Remembering how it felt, the flames that licked at my skin were nothing compared to that sword.

“Curse starting to scare you?” he teased.

“That curse should kill you,” I told him. “I used it to find you. I thought it was going to kill me.”

Broggy, free of the wax got up.

“Hey there. Glad to see you made it out alive,” Zoro said.

“Yeah.”

Broggy looked over at his fallen comrade sadly.

“Master?”

Usopp seemed to snap Broggy out of this thoughts. “Now, it seems that there are only two foes left.”

“Luffy can handle them,” I said.

The others all made noises of agreement.

“Zoro, we need to stitch you up,” I said, noting the gashes in his legs. I didn’t get how he was even standing.

“I think you’re stitches need redone as well,” Vivi said.

“Probably,” I looked down at the red spot on my thigh. “We need to find an island with a store. I need clothes.”

“I can lend you some until we get to a store,” Nami offered.

“Don’t do it,” Zoro said. “She’ll charge you out the ass.”

Vivi walked over to me and helped me up, supporting me, so that I could stand up.

Luffy returned, confirming that Baroque Works was gone for now, and that at the moment, we were safe.

With the threat gone, Broggy could finally take in the result of his duel. It didn’t matter that they had spent a century fighting. They were friends, brothers in arms at one point. They had sailed the seas together. Broggy had won, but he had also lost. He was alone now, at least until he returned to Elbaf.

The giant sat down, the weight of his victory crashing down on him, and began to cry. His wails were loud, painfully so. Tears poured down around us like rain. It was heartbreaking to watch.

That heaviness vanished, when Dorry sat up, shocking all of us.

“Dorry! You’re alive!” Broggy exclaimed.

“I must’ve lost consciousness,” he said. He was still heavily wounded, and his breathing was labored.

“How are you still alive?”

“The weapons, the saved me,” Dorry answered.

I nodded in understanding. It made sense. Even with the proper tools to take care of them. It was impossible for the average weapon could survive a hundred years of dueling. The weapons were dull, better suited for bludgeoning than blades at this point.

“It’s a miracle really,” Usopp said.

Broggy pulled Dorry into a tight embrace.

“Broggy, will you let go? I’m a little sore here.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so glad you’re still alive, Dorry. It’s amazing.”

“Oh come on. This isn’t a miracle. The fact that those weapons are even in tact after a century of fighting is the miraculous part. They should be scrap by now. I’m surprised they lasted this long.”

“What a day this was! Thank you, god of Elbaf for this wonderful day!”

“Oh is that true Broggy? You think that fighting me while I was injured, cutting me down and knocking me out was all wonderful?”

“Don’t be an idiot, Dorry. That’s not what I’m saying and you know it.” He hit Dorry in the shoulder.

“Would you keep your hands off my wounds?” Dorry asked, chuckling and hitting Broggy in the chest.

The pair threw light blows back and forth, steadily increasing in power.

“You try doing that again and see how far you get!”

“Yeah I can take you down in a heartbeat!”

The two giants were in each other’s faces ready to go once more.

“You two are ready to fight already?!” Nami called out.

I shook my head at their antics. “YO!” I called up at them. “How about we all take care of ourselves and then you can brawl? Usopp’s got burns. Luffy’s got burns. I got burns. I need stitches. I don’t know what Zoro did, but he needs them too. Sanji’s still missing.”

“She’s right,” Vivi agreed.

We headed back to camp, after sending Usopp and Luffy to grab supplies. Once they did, I went to work patching everyone up. Broggy took care of Dorry. I stitched up Zoro’s legs, berating him the entire time for his stupid idea.

I then fixed up my leg, happy to see that it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. Nami and Vivi helped everyone apply salve to their burns. Usopp ad Luffy continued to questioned Broggy and Dorry about everything their lives as pirates, their bounties, while munching on snacks that they had found. They ended up wrestling on the ground, while Zoro and Nami pondered what to do about the pose.

“All of you helped to save us from those other guys. If we can, we’d really like to return the favor,” Broggy said.

“Well maybe you guys can do something about our log pose, so that we won’t be stuck here.”

“Negative,” I said from my spot in the grass.

“I’m afraid the log pose is the one thing we can’t help you with.”

“Waaaa ha ha! Nami my sweet! Vivi my love! Mira my dear! And all the rest of you.”

I looked up at Sanji, happy to see that he was okay.

“Hey Sanji,” Luffy greeted.

“You’re all alive. I’m so happy.”

I snorted, watching as he bumbled towards Vivi and Nami. He quickly sobered up from his love drunk buzz, when he saw Dorry and Broggy.

“What the hell is going on? And is one of you Mr. Three?”

“Luffy kicked Three’s ass,” I explained. “They’re Dorry and Broggy.”

“How do you know about Mr. Three anyway?” Nami asked.

Sanji’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, when they landed on Nami, who was still in her bra. “Whoa! Nami, you look absolutely amazing in that outfit.”

Nami balled up a fist. “Say that again,” she threatened.

“Now Nami, if you stand around dressed like that all day, you’ll catch cold. Here. Take my coat.” Sanji handed her his jacket.

“Oh. Thank you.”

“And they say chivalry is dead,” I chirped.

Sanji sat down on one of the logs we were using as a bench. “So I just finished talking to that Mr. Zero guy over a transponder snail.”

“Mr. Zero?!”

“Yeah. That guy. I was talking to him in this weird hide out place I found in the jungle. He thought I was some guy called Mr. Three and I thought it would be a good idea to let him believe it, and since I had him on the line I went ahead and told him that we were all dead.”

“So he thinks he doesn’t have to send people after us anymore,” Vivi realized.

I smirked. “Clever boy.”

“So you mean we’re finally free of people chasing us now that we can’t go anywhere anyway? Oh that is just perfect.”

“Better than being sitting ducks with an endless number of agents coming after us,” I offered.

“We can’t go? Why? Or is there still something that we need to take care of here? That’s a real shame after I managed to get a hold of this thing.”

He pulled an eternal pose out of his pocket.

“Cheeky boy.” My grin widened.

Everyone else’s jaws fell slack in shock.

“An eternal pose to Alabasta! Alright!” Luffy cheered, the others joining in.

“Thank you Sanji! I was getting really worried!” Vivi pulled Sanji into a hug.

“Now now it was all my pleasure. I’m just glad I could make you happy.”

I chuckled at his dopey grin, letting him have his moment. He earned it.

“Here.” Zoro extended a hand to help me up.

“You nearly cut your feet off, take it easy,” I said, getting up on my own.

“Whatever. Suit yourself.”

He and Sanji started in on each other about their hunting contest once more.

“Boys.”

“Giant old guys, it’s been a lot of fun, but we have to go,” Luffy said to Dorry and Broggy.

“Of course. Right. We can tell you need to get going.”

“It’s too bad that you have to leave so soon. I hope you get to your homeland in time,” Dorry said to Vivi.

“Me too. Thank you.”

“It was nice meeting you,” I said, waving as I walked off with Luffy and Nami.

“Is your leg alright?” Nami asked.

“I’ll be fine,” I said.

“Mira, my dear,” Sanji sang, picking me up. “I’ll make sure you get back to the Merry without aggravating your injury.”

“Sanji, I can- You know what. Never mind. Sanji, walk me through a soufflé what’s the process?”

We made it back to the Merry with no incidents. Every one cleaned themselves up, showering, changing the works. When I came back out on deck, Sanji and Zoro were arguing over who had caught the bigger beast, Nami yelling at them for their arguing.

The anchor was lifted, the sail unfurled. I grinned as everyone bickered and squabbled as we made it down the river out to sea. We reached the mouth of the river. Dorry and Broggy stood on either side of it, the pair looking out at the ocean.

“Hey, look at that. It’s the giants. They must’ve come to say goodbye.”

“A great danger still lies ahead of you,” Broggy warned us.

“It is an obstacle that has always been here, trying to prevent people from reaching the next island. Every one of you fought like true warriors, trying to protect the pride of our duel,” Dorry added.

“And because you were willing to do that, no matter what enemy you may face-“

“We will never let them destroy your pride friends.”

“You must have faith in what we say. Go straight. No matter what happens keep going straight. Understand?”

“Yeah. Got it,” Luffy answered.

“What was that about?” Zoro asked.

“Yeah, I don’t understand.”

“No matter what happens keep going straight,” Luffy reiterated.

“Is that an order, Captain?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“You heard him,” I said to the others.

We sailed out to sea.

“This is goodbye.”

“Until we meet again one day.”

“Absolutely.”

“Look over there!” Nami pointed out, where something massive was surfacing.

“Hello, Island Eater,” Dorry greeted the creature.

“You will open the path! In the name of Elbaf you will open it!”

“Island Eater?” I questioned.

I looked behind us. The two giants raised their weapons.

The creature finally broke through the water, and to say that we were all shocked was an understatement.

“That is a gold fish,” I said, not believing what I was saying, despite the proof in front of my very eyes.

“Usopp, what are you doing? Go inside and work the rudder or else we’re going to be eaten.”

“Yeah, but we have to go straight ahead. Isn’t that right, Luffy?”

Luffy hummed in affirmation.

“Don’t be a moron, Luffy. This isn’t going to be anything like what happened with Laboon,” Nami yelled.

“Yeah, I know. Now calm down. Here. I’ll even let you have the last rice cracker.”

“I don’t want the last rice cracker! If we don’t turn around right now, that thing is going to eat us!”

“Nami, just give it up,” Zoro said.

Nami gave up, eating the rice cracker and crying.

“Luffy, you really sure we can trust those little pals of yours?” Sanji questioned.

“Little,” I scoffed.

“Yep.”

“Are we really going straight into that beast’s belly?”

“Uh huh. It’s too late to turned now,” Nami cried.

We headed forward, the light disappearing as we entered the gold fish’s cavernous mouth. I leaned against the railing, trying to figure out what Broggy and Dorry’s move was going to be. I ignored the others.

The darkness was disrupted by a blue and red light. It ripped through the gold fish, allowing us to sail out the other side.

Nami and Vivi both collapsed on the deck, relief taking over.

“I thought we were going to die,” Vivi said.

“Me too,” Nami whined.

“Better get used to it,” I chimed, heading inside.

***

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#teroin writes #stillwater #one piece #fanfiction

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luffylaws · 7 years

Text

A Million Ways To Feel

10 Days of Lawlu Day 6: H is for… Heart

Summary: Luffy gets injured and in an attempt at getting him to rest, Law explains to him all the ways in which he could have died.

[read on AO3]

Luffy was bleeding profusely. Good that he knew not only one, but two doctors – or so he said when Nami dragged him into the operating room on the Polar Tang.

Law was neither impressed with nor happy about the situation.

The cut was on Luffy’s chest – not low or deep enough to have hit his heart or aorta, but bleeding badly enough to have completely stained his blue shirt and Nami’s hands on the way.

“One day,” he said while he gently pushed Luffy – who was by now feeling light headed and “very funny”, according to him – onto the operating table, “one of you is going to need a new heart and then what am I going to do? Just steal one.”

“You could,” Luffy slurred. “You’re good at that.”

Zoro – who had come in to supervise in Nami’s place, who wanted to get all the blood off her hands – snorted behind them and Law shot him a dirty look. “Help or get out!”

Zoro stepped closer, obviously both ready to help and deliver more comments. “Didn’t you give a bunch of hearts to the government to become a Warlord?”

“That’s a rumor,” Law scoffed, his hand raised to create a room.

“’S the truth,” Luffy said.

“Jeez, do you think I’m that ruthless?” Law assessed the damage. The cut was deep, but clean, and hadn’t hit the subclavian artery either, and if he sutured it properly it would heal quickly – given that Luffy didn’t move too much and rip it open again. “I didn’t give them a hundred hearts, I just collected some from a couple pirates I came across who were particularly rude, and the rest was from cows – which they never found out about. And they were all alive. When I sent them, Sengoku still had enough pull to ensure that none of them got killed, and I didn’t tell them who they belonged to anyway.”

“Still, that’s hardcore.”

“I’m not above ripping the hearts out of chests of people who deserve it,” Law said, cleaning the wound with practiced motions, “but I’m definitely not sending them to the government. Fuck them.”

“I’d totally have thought you would do that, if I’m honest,” Zoro said and Law was about to roll his eyes again, when Luffy said: “Not me.”

“You overestimate my moral compass,” he said gently. He knew the sedative had to be kicking in by now so he wasn’t going to take anything Luffy said for granted.

There had been a time in his life when he would have ripped the hearts from everyone who stood in his way. He wasn’t as angry anymore, but he had no qualms to tamper with organs either. He chose his subjects carefully, sure, but it wasn’t ethical – his parents would have hated it.

Maybe they even would have hated him, he mused, as he carefully stitched Luffy’s skin back together.

Luffy recovered slowly. Keeping him in bed was a struggle, so of course he tore his stitches open on the very first day. Which in turn led to Law putting him on bed rest until the wound started mending.

There was a lot of whining.

“I’m so bored,” Luffy complained, loudly.

Law sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He had half a mind to just let Luffy run around again and let Chopper deal with it, but he knew it wasn’t right – it was just his annoyance. So he sighed and sat down on the bed next to Luffy, making the mattress dip a little. Luffy scooted sideward to make room for him almost automatically and that was incentive enough for Law to kick off his boots and pull his legs up onto the bed, too.

“I know,” he said. “But you really have to take better care of yourself.”

He ran a hand up Luffy’s arm, marred with scars – he didn’t even want to look at the old one on his torso, its upper edge disappearing under the bandages for the new wound. Getting hurt was part of the life of a pirate, Law was all-too aware, and he had fought time and time again to make his crew take enough time off to let their wounds heal. He wasn’t going to stop with Luffy now.

“I always either sleep for a few days after a big fight, or the wounds aren’t bad enough to need much recovery time,” Luffy said.

“You’re an idiot,” Law said but he smiled. “And I’m surprised you’re still alive.”

“Pure luck,” Luffy said, very seriously and now Law had to laugh.

“See, you’re even self-aware.”

Luffy shrugged half-heartedly. “It’s worked out so far. I’m tough.”

“And you heal quickly,” Law said. “But that doesn’t guarantee it’s going to work forever.”

The unspoken I don’t want to lose you hung heavy in the air. Law had lost too many people to be able to say it out loud, though. Because he felt like that would jinx it, like he would doom Luffy to the same fate that had befallen his parents, and his sister, and Cora-san.

“Hmm,” Luffy made and then fell quiet. Uncharacteristically quiet.

Law had to stop looking at him after the silence had stretched on for more than a dozen seconds and fiddled with a loose thread on his shirt instead.

As much as he was in favor of Luffy thinking about things for more than a second for once, he wasn’t a fan of uncomfortable silences. He liked knowing what was going on in Luffy’s mind – at least vaguely, because sometimes Luffy made no sense even to those closest to him – and it was proving hard right now.

Finally, Luffy broke the silence: “But could it have been my heart?” He was still speaking softer than he usually did, obviously aware of Law’s discomfort.

“So you do remember what we said,” Law said.

Luffy shrugged. “I’m used to pain. I was probably more aware of what was being said than you thought.”

Law grimaced. “It could have been,” he said, answering Luffy’s original question, “but only if you had been stabbed right here.” He put his finger on the spot between Luffy’s fifth and sixth ribs. “And only from the side, otherwise they would’ve had to go through your left lung.”

“Huh,” Luffy made, sounding a little breathless.

“Or,” Law continued, “they would have had to shatter your ribs, which a lot of people are strong enough to do around here, but that would have been harder than with other humans because of your rubber body. Or of course if their blade had been sharp enough to just cut through your ribs…”

“Okay, okay, stop!”

Law pulled his hand away and looked at Luffy apologetically. “Did I freak you out?” To him it was cathartic to talk about all the ways Luffy could have died – and didn’t – but he realized that he had gotten lost in the feeling.

“A little? It’s kinda cool too, I guess, but you really know a lot of ways to kill someone.”

Now it was Law’s turn to shrug. “I’m a doctor. It’s my job to know all the ways to kill someone – and how to treat them.”

“Okay, what’s the easiest way to kill me then?” Luffy asked.

Law laughed a little. “Probably if they’d cut your jugular vein here,” he put his finger on the juncture of Luffy’s neck, feeling his pulse speed up. “Or the external carotid artery – it’s close to there, too. You’d bleed out so quickly not even I could help you if I wasn’t with you.”

Luffy reached up and pulled Law’s hand away from his neck. “I just won’t get cut here,” he said decisively. Law wished it was that easy.

“Do you understand now why you need to be more careful?” he asked instead.

Luffy nodded. He was tracing the tattoos on the back of Law’s hand that was now resting on his leg.

“I can’t promise to stay out of trouble, but I can at least try to heal up properly.”

Law sighed. “Guess that’s the most I can ask for.”

They lapsed back into silence, both looking down at Law’s hand where Luffy had now taken to running his fingers over the letters on Law’s fingers. D E A T H.

The quiet didn’t last as long this time, barely a few seconds, before Luffy spoke again.

“Can you show me the heart thing?” he asked.

Law frowned and his hand twitched with the impulse to pull it away. “Why?”

“Because it always looked so cool,” Luffy said. Law sighed.

“It’s an extremely delicate thing,” he said. “It’s not something I do for amusement. I’ve always only used it for two things: tactics, and actual treatments.”

Luffy scoffed. “You’re telling me switching out our hearts and personalities was a hundred percent tactics?”

“…yes,” Law said and squinted. Maybe not a hundred percent, but a very solid ninety.

Luffy, seeing right through him, grinned. “Are you sure?”

“It was mostly tactics, anyway.” Law rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t just do it to you guys here on the ship now, just for fun. I think that’s what counts here.”

“If you say so,” Luffy said and laughed, but he sobered quickly. “But I really wanna see you do it. I’m curious. I’ve never seen a human heart.”

Law hesitated. If it was for educational purposes – at least kind of – it was alright, too. (And Luffy did seem genuinely curious, not just because he was bored, but because he was interested.) And if it served to keep Luffy in bed and resting a little longer, even better.

“Fine,” he said finally. “But I’m not showing you your own heart. I don’t think your wound is stable enough.” And without much more preamble he pulled his hand out from under Luffy’s, summoned a room and removed his own heart, cased in a protective bubble.

He had done this countless times before, to test and practice the technique, because he didn’t want to subject too many animals to it and certainly not his crew, but it was still a weird feeling to have his own beating heart in his hand.

“Wow,” Luffy made. “That’s awesome.”

Law slowly offered the heart to Luffy, who had sat up straighter to look at it.

“Can I touch it?” he asked.

Law shrugged. “Sure, just don’t squeeze it or anything.” Luffy grinned mischievously as he took the heart from it – much more carefully than his expression would suggest. “I swear, I’ll cut your head off and switch your heart with a turtle’s.”

“You can’t tell me that wouldn’t be cool.”

“I’m pretty sure both of you would die after about a week,” Law said drily.

“Have you tried?”, Luffy asked. He was inspecting Law’s heart closely now and Law wondered if he could also focus on the conversation they were having.

“I’ve tried switching different animals, yes,” Law said. “They usually couldn’t stay alive for very long. Humans and animals are okay, but the human body would need to be monitored because the animal has no idea what to do with it.”

“Hm, okay,” Luffy mumbled. “Makes sense.” He slightly poked Law’s heart and Law flinched.

“Ouch.” He slapped Luffy’s hand. “What did I tell you!”

Law looked up at him with big eyes. “Sorry! I didn’t think you’d feel that.”

“You literally just poked one of my most important organs, of course I’m going to feel it somehow,” Law said.

“Sorry,” Luffy said. Then: “It’s smaller than I expected.”

“You’ve seen me extract hearts before…”

“Yes, but not up close.”

“Fair,” Law said and looked at the heart himself now. “It is pretty small for such an important thing.”

“Is the brain just as small or is it bigger?” Luffy asked.

Law almost had to laugh, but he successfully held back – it was a valid question after all. “It’s bigger,” he said. “But not much. A few centimeters at most. The lungs are much bigger.” He spread his fingers out over the right side of his chest to indicate where his right lung was – he didn’t want to demonstrate on Luffy’s body, since he had just changed the bandages a while ago. “But I’m not taking either of those organs out.”

“Yeah, you need the brain to think,” Luffy said, very seriously. Law almost had to laugh. He needed his heart to survive, too, but it was alright out of his body by virtue of his Devil Fruit. But he didn’t correct Luffy.

Instead he watched him inspect Law’s heart, his eyes bright with wonder.

“It’s so delicate,” he said, holding it in his hand much gentler than before, only letting it rest on his flat palm. He was watching it beat. “Such a small thing, keeping all of you alive. And there’s a lot of you.”

Now Law did have to laugh. “Yours is doing the same job.”

“Yes, but I can’t see it,” Luffy said. “I can see yours now.”

Law took a deep, surprised breath and his heartbeat sped up a little, clearly visible in Luffy’s hand.

“Did you know there’s a legend of a pirate captain who locked his heart away in a chest, because he fell in love and subsequently got his heart broken?” Law asked.

“What?” Luffy gaped at him. “That’s insane.”

“And pretty much impossible, considering I’m the only one who’s ever had this power – as far as I know,” Law said. He did wonder often however if anyone had ever had it before him – Devil Fruits grew again. Was he just one in a long line of successors with the power of the Ope Ope no Mi? “It’s probably just a myth.”

“Why would anyone lock their heart away?” Luffy asked.

“He didn’t want to feel,” Law said and shrugged.

Luffy frowned. “Can you do that? Take someone’s feelings away by taking their heart?”

Law shook his head. “No, that’s not how it works. You are your heart, and your soul, and your feelings, no matter where it is.”

He stared at the heart in Luffy’s palm and thought about how often he had wished he didn’t have to feel, and about the times he hadn’t been able to feel – but not because he had removed his heart, but because his depression had overtaken him so viciously that he had come out the other end of feeling too much with nothing left to feel.

“I’m glad we have feelings,” Luffy said and Law tore his eyes away from his heart to look at Luffy’s face. “It’s hard, sometimes, but it makes us who we are, right? What would you be without your grumpiness, and your enthusiasm about medicine, and your love of soft things?” He handed the heart back to Law.

“Not me, that’s for sure,” Law mumbled. He hesitated, then said what he was thinking anyway: “It can be very hard. But I think… I think it’s worth it.”

Because with all the bad came just as much good. If Law had given in to his yearning not to feel – if he hadn’t been fueled by spite and revenge all these years – he would have never developed his deep friendship with Bepo, or met Luffy, or been able to talk to Sengoku about Corazón, or been able to experience what it felt like to have a beating human heart in your hands.

Law slotted his heart back into his chest, where it belonged.

#10daysoflawlu #10 days of lawlu 2k17 #opfanfic #lawlu #one piece #my writing #my fics #how many more lawlu fics will i name after all time low lyrics? stay tuned

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