My second contribution for the Rouge Week organized by @portgasdrougeweek.
I also wrote a story related to this illustration (I used the prompts “Sea”, “Queen”, “Family”, and “Magic” combined): a sort of AU/crossover with The Little Mermaid. I hope you’ll enjoy both the fanart and the ficlet! ^^
Once upon a time, in a vast ocean called “One Piece”, lived a Queen and a King.
The Queen was a beautiful mermaid and reigned over underwater islands, while the islands on the surface were under the rule of the King of Pirates.
The Queen, whose name was Rouge, had a crown made of corals as red as fire she had personally collected. Rouge both feared and was drawn to that element, and since flames couldn’t sprout into water she would often swim to the surface to observe the bonfires lit up in coastal villages during the night.
It was like that that she met the King, Roger. They talked for hours about their respective adventures and only separated at dawn, but with the promise to meet again.
Seasons passed, and Rouge eventually fell in love with the human: he had charmed her with his large smile and unwavering ambition, but they came from different worlds and could only meet where the salt water lapped the sand.
The Mermaid Queen’s ambition was just as strong as her lover’s though, so she searched for an infamous Sea Witch called Ym. Rouge hoped the witch could grant her deepest wish: becoming a human.
After hearing her story, Ym accepted to make Rouge’s dream come true but also warned her: upon becoming a human, she wouldn’t be able to swim in the ocean anymore—nor would her lover.
Rouge felt a pang of sadness: she loved the sea, and she would miss riding the currents into the depths of the ocean in search of treasures. Still, she decided to talk with Roger about it.
The King of Pirates agreed to lose the ability to swim if that meant the two of them finally living together, so the Mermaid Queen kissed him and plunged into the ocean one last time.
Rouge met with Ym again, and when the Sea Witch used her magic on her she observed—afraid but also excited—as her fin turned into a pair of long legs. That was the last thing Rouge remembered before, unable to breathe underwater anymore, she lost her consciousness.
When Rouge opened her eyes again, she found herself in the arms of her people: they had taken her to the surface, and when she looked at the coastline she recognized the majestic ship of the King of Pirates: Roger had been waiting for her, and she could see his beaming smile even from afar.
Rouge thanked her people as she waited for a sloop guided by Roger himself to reach them and take her aboard, and then she separated from her fellow merfolk: but it wasn’t a farewell, since they could still meet where salt water lapped the sand.
The once Mermaid Queen lived a long and fulfilled life together with the King of Pirates, and they had two beautiful twins.
Once they grew up, the boy and the girl formed their own families, and all together they founded a new clan: they were both cursed and blessed people, who couldn’t swim in the ocean but who were destined to die with a smile on their faces.
