I’ve compiled a list of all current songs in the order they’re unlocked for anyone wanting to see how they’re tracking in terms of unlocking new songs!
One Piece stands strong today as one of Japan's most successful (on-going) manga series. Since it’s debut as a new manga in 1997, Tokyo has opened up a variety of shops, restaurants and even theme parks dedicated to the series.
If you’re a One Piece fan headed to Tokyo, there’s a few places you’re going to want to add to your itinerary!
One Piece Cruise Album contains the previously released “Cruising Through Japan! 47 Cruises” character songs broken into 4 albums, each album containing a new character song.
East: Sabo
West: ONE WORLD (Strawhat Pirates 9 members)
South: Kyros and Rebecca
North: 3 Brothers, childhood version
Release February 24th 2016 12960yen (4 album set, 3240 each)
Rating: General
Characters: Sabo, Law
Notes: Sort of canon divert, post Dressrosa (and Sabo doesn’t run off so quickly)
Summary: Two years ago, in the pits of despair, Sabo found Ace guiding him through his grief. Now, eyeing the dark ink sprawled across Trafalgar Law, Sabo wonders if he too, can carry on Ace’s memory in a more permanent way.
*
Sitting alone in the mess hall, Sabo slowly turned the page of the paper, the sound of its crinkling folds the only sound to be heard in the otherwise quiet room.The stack of papers to his right was slowly growing as the one to his left in turn shrank. It’d been a good couple of weeks since the incident.
An incident, that was probably the kindest way to put it.
It was an experience Sabo never wanted to go through again. He had, in the last 10 years, questioned who he was before joining the Revolutionary Army, it seemed natural enough to be curious, but he’d never thought he was missing out on much. He knew he had no family to speak of- he was running from someone anyway. He knew he never wanted to return to the Goa Kingdom, he must have hated whatever family he had. He had been alone on a small ship with minimal belongings except for a few bare essentials, surely he wasn’t leaving much behind.
A small part of Sabo would have wanted to go the rest of his life living in that ignorant bliss.
Instead, he was sat alone in the mess hall of Dragon’s hideout, alone, with every single newspaper that ever reported anything on the Whitebeard Pirates Koala could find.
Ace…
He flipped the page again, glancing over an old article where the Whitebeard Pirates had beaten some group of rogue pirates dumb enough to challenge them. In an attached image, Ace was seen in the crowd of pirates, fist pumping the air with a grin on his face that tugged painfully at Sabo’s chest.
The smile was exactly as Sabo remembered it, even if his memories were still recovering and even if the last time Sabo had seen Ace, they had both been 10 years younger. Ace still had that same mop of black hair- it had grown out similarly to Sabo’s, while Luffy (according to the papers) looked exactly the same. Ace had at least bulked up in his time as a pirate, completely abandoned the notion of wearing tops apparently, and his features sharpened with adulthood. Luffy looked like someone stretched him and his limbs just stayed that way.
Sabo laughed softly at the thought as he turned the page again, reaching the end of the paper. He casually tossed it into the pile to his right and picked one of the last papers from his left- Koala had kindly organised them so that the further Sabo got, the younger Ace looked.
These papers, what the government allowed the public to know, was all Sabo had left of Ace and he wanted to soak up anything and everything that he could. Koala had been very understanding, Sabo would have to make it up to her later, she spent days hunting down every paper she could in their archives so that Sabo could have this evening with his brother. Everyone in the Army had been so supportive, he hadn’t wanted them to tiptoe around him, but this treatment wasn’t unexpected considering he’d put himself into a coma for 3 days when his memories returned to him.
As Sabo opened the next paper, he found himself greeted with a large spread of Ace’s first wanted poster. The confidence in Ace’s grin made Sabo’s heart lurch again and he bit back a sob. He turned the page to reveal another page detailing Ace’s abilities and his physical appearance so that the public could keep an eye out for him. In the corner was an advertisement for how to treat dangerous criminals and what to do if you ever acquired any information on them.
Sabo ignored the ads and the writing, his eyes just lingered on each photo of his brother, taking in all of his features and trying to piece together what kind of man he had become. Everything Sabo saw and read in the papers basically told the blonde that Ace was exactly who he was 10 years ago- all the way until the bitter end.
Before long, Sabo found himself tracing his fingers down the paper before crinkling it up in his hand. He slowly exhaled as tears rolled down his cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, Ace,” Sabo choked. “I wish I could have seen you again.”
The weight of Ace’s death piled on Sabo’s shoulders, the regret of those lost years, the anger at the government that killed his brother, the guilt that threatened to eat him alive and the fear that he would never see Luffy again either. Sabo ran a hand through his hair and tugged at his roots, using all his strength to hold back the tears.
Being alone meant the silence of the room was easily broken and even a sharp inhale was too loud to Sabo. Everyone kept telling him that he should take his time to recover and not hold back, but Sabo was stubborn and he had already caused enough trouble for his friends. He dared to look back at the paper as he tried to smooth it out- he had to return them to Koala later- and as he did, a profile shot of Ace caught his eye.
The photo was surprisingly sharp considering most other photos were of Ace in motion and often his features were blurred. Here however, there was a very clear image of Ace’s side, his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat and the tattoo on his left arm was obviously the main focus of the image.
Sabo read his brother’s name aloud to himself before looking at the ‘S’ that had been crossed out. For a moment he wondered if Ace had misspelled his own name and the tattoo artist had taken it too literally. On closer inspection, it didn’t seem the lines through the ‘S’ were just lines, small smudges at the ends of the lines made them look almost like… bones.
Sabo’s eyes widened when he recognised the symbol- he hadn’t seen it in years but it had been a part of his belongings that Dragon salvaged that night so long ago. A blue ‘S’ with crossbones, the marks of a pirate and the mark that Sabo had flown on his ship before the attack. 10 years ago, before that night, it had also been the symbol he marked his letter with- the letter he sent to his brothers to tell them he would be heading out to see earlier than anticipated.
“Ace… you didn’t…” Sabo mumbled to himself.
The more he looked at the picture, the more it made sense. He had wondered over the last couple of days as to whether or not Luffy and Ace knew about what happened to Sabo. Dragon never mentioned anything about the boys so he assumed no one from the Goa Kingdom knew Sabo had survived- did that mean his brothers thought he was dead this whole time?
“Oh Ace,” Sabo smiled, covering his eyes as new tears fell. “You complete idiot.”
A pained chuckle left his lips as a smile reached Sabo’s features. He owed everything he had to Dragon and the Revolutionary Army. As much as he would deny it if he were ever asked, he couldn’t argue that regaining the memories of his brothers made Sabo feel more complete than he had in over a decade. He glanced back at the now only slightly crinkled paper, a finger tracing the image of Ace’s tattoo.
“You’re an embarassment, you know that?” He whispered to the image. “What the hell, Ace. Did you really think something this cheesy would make me think it’s cool to get your own name tattooed to your arm? You really were an idiot.”
Sabo closed the paper and covered his eyes with one hand, tears streaking down his cheeks as he smiled again.
“Thanks, brother.”
XXX
Two years later- when the nightmares eased and the pain lifted ever so slightly- Sabo found himself in the corrupt kingdom of Dressrosa. Luffy hadn’t changed; he was taller, his voice a little deeper and his skin a little darker, but he was still Sabo’s little brother. He was still as much of a cry-baby as he had been as a child, that’s what Sabo concluded when Luffy all but catapulted himself over and wrapped all four limbs around Sabo’s head, wailing nonsensical words through his tears.
The way Luffy fought was impressive- Sabo had read all about how Luffy had moved up in the world in his years as a pirate and expected nothing less from the brother Ace looked after until now. He was as airheaded as he was trustworthy, but his alliance with Trafalgar Law really didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives as Sabo had first suspected. In some ways, Law reminded Sabo a lot of Ace- it wasn’t only the dark hair or inability to wear a shirt, but his attitude, his stubbornness, the way he ‘claimed’ to want nothing more from Luffy than a tool in his war against Doflamingo- all the while fighting tooth and nail to protect the life of the Strawhat Captain. More than anything, it was the tattoos all across Law’s skin that caught Sabo’s interest.
“What?”
“Hm?” Sabo shook his head and glanced up to meet a pair of silver eyes piercing into him. He blinked at his companion blankly.
“You were staring. Again.” Trafalgar Law said plainly with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“Was I? Sorry,” Sabo laughed, which only got a grunt of frustration from Law. “I’m just rather interested in those tattoos of yours.”
“What about them?” Law snapped back, his voice still level but a the way his body tensed suggested to Sabo that he’d hit a nerve.
“Nothing, nothing,” Sabo said quickly as though trying to prove he meant no harm. “Just curious. If you don’t mind me saying, this theme you have going just seems a bit more… sentimental… than what I’d expect from a man of your reputation.”
Law raised an eyebrow but let the conversation drop, going back to the food he had in front of him. Sabo went back to observing the tattoos, occasionally looking away when Law caught him staring again. This went on for a few more minutes before the surgeon finally became fed up.
“If you have questions, ask them!” Law said, throwing his spoon harshly on the table.
“Well if you insist,” Sabo grinned suppressing a laugh when he saw Law’s hand twitch for his spoon as though to use it as a weapon. “I’ll keep it short, I promise!”
Law grunted again in response.
“Who are they in memory of?”
Law tensed and Sabo bit back a smile, proud that his guess had hit the mark. He blinked innocently, waiting for an answer to his question.
“My … saviour.”
“Oh,” Sabo folded his arms on the table, leaning forward in interest. “And… is that person…”
“You get one answer.” Law cut him off and made to stand up, pushing his chair back loudly.
““Hang on,” Sabo called, rushing out of his own chair and rounding the table as Law made to leave the room. “I’m sorry, I guess that was too personal. I just wanted to ask--”
Sabo’s eyes widened as he found his hand wrapped around the sleeve of Law’s jacket. The dark haired surgeon turned around and met him with an equally surprised look. Sabo quickled released the fabric and stepped back, waving his hand in the air as the other trembled behind his back.
“Aha, sorry about that!” He spat out quickly. “Never mind. You’re probably tired. I’ll let you go. I’ve got somewhere to be anyway.”
This time Sabo made his way to the door, desperately avoiding eye contact as he ploughed past the surgeon who let out an agitated sigh.
“Fire Fist was your brother too, wasn’t he?”
The question caught Sabo off guard and he froze as he reached the door frame. He turned his head slightly back towards Law but not enough to be facing the doctor.
“...Yeah, he was.”
“You’re easier to read than Strawhat, maybe it’s because you have a brain,” Law mumbled, seemingly to himself but certainly loud enough for Sabo to hear. “You have 3 minutes to ask anything else but I’m not promising an answer.”
He honestly hadn’t expected Law to actually offer him any sympathy, if this could be called sympathy. Sabo had to assume that the man wasn’t Captain of a group named the Heart Pirates because he lacked sympathy like Luffy lacked common sense though.
“I appreciate it,” Sabo turned around sheepishly and offered a smile which only seemed to make Law more uncomfortable.
“2 minutes 45 seconds.”
“Ok ok! I’ll just ask one question, I swear!” Sabo laughed, waving his arms as he saw what was unmistakably a small pout cross Law’s face.
Law sighed and eyed Sabo, waiting for the promised single question. Sabo however took a moment to think- he had known Law for long enough, or rather, done enough research on him, to know the man was not one for any sort of emotional heart to heart chit chat, so he had to word his question just right.
Sabo eyed Law’s tattoos again, his eyes trailing from the doctor’s fingertips, up to his shoulders and across his now covered chest where the largest of the tattoos remained seen thanks to the mostly unbuttoned shirt. He saw Law shift under his gaze and Sabo lifted his eyes to meet the doctor’s.
“You said your tattoos are in memory of your saviour. I want something too, something connected to Ace. He had one down his arm, the S looked exactly like the one I used to mark my ship with when I-- well, that’s a long story, I won’t bore you. But I’m just not sure, it’s a permanent thing after all. But I want it… I just wonder if...”
Sabo rambled as the words he wanted to ask slowly formed in his head.
“Will it help?”
Law’s eyes narrowed but Sabo held his gaze, knowing that the doctor would be able to connect his question with their previous conversation. He didn’t want to spill his heart out and he was confident Law didn’t have enough patience left to listen either.
As expected, Law’s hand moved to grip his opposite shoulder, his palm resting right on top of where the ink had been etched into his skin.
“Yes and no,” Law said slowly. “No, because it won’t change anything. He isn’t coming back and I’m not him, nor will I ever be him. Yes, because I don’t need to be him, I just need everyone to know that I’m here on his behalf as well.”
Sabo’s eye widened slightly as the words sank in. He had, in the last two years, tried to imagine what Ace and Luffy went through if they truly thought he died all those years ago. He tried to imagine what was going through Ace’s mind when he had the four letters drawn into him. He looked at his hand and watched as it burst into flames and they danced and morphed in place of where his fingers should be. His gloved palm returned a moment later, the flames disappearing with a soft hiss.
“On his behalf, huh? I like that, I mean, I’m still me, right? But I also have what’s left of Ace.”
“Sure.” Law replied flatly, uncrossing his arms and letting them drop to his side. “Is that it then?”
“Oh, just one more thing!” Sabo smiled apologetically when Law let out a dramatic sigh. “Do you think you could do one for me?”
Law raised an eyebrow, “Not unless you want me carving it into your skin with my blade.”
Sabo felt a shudder run up his spine as Law flashed a dark grin at him. While slightly threatened, he couldn’t stop a grin from spreading over his own lips.
“Oh, well here I thought all the rumours about you were false, Mr. Surgeon Of Death. Maybe you can at least recommend me a place then, I’m quite eager to get some work done but minimal carving would be preferred.”
“Hilarious,” Law mumbled to himself as he slid past Sabo and headed towards the door. “I had all mine done back in the North Blue so unless you plan on sailing past there any time soon, I can’t help you with that either. But I have equipment on my ship, so if you’re still around when we get there, maybe I can set you up.”
“That is quite the incentive for me to stick around then,” Sabo laughed as he stepped alongside Law, making their way down the hallway of the ship. “I’m looking forward to this, Tra-guy~”
Happy Birthday, Law! It's been 6 months since I got back into One Piece and it's amazing how it's overtaken my life- all the fault of one Trafalgar Law, no doubt! Today I decorated a Law cupcake, dressed in his colours (it was 40C, I couldn't wear his hoodie!), unlocked him in OPDB, drew bday art and scribbled Law for inktober too! I'm so glad I could post the photos from last week too, I brought extra outfits on the day just for this occasion!
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