Reader grows up during the Great Pirate Era as part of Gold Roger's crew, living through countless events through One Piece's history... and, more often than not, with either Shanks, Buggy or Mihawk by her side. Mihawk, her fiancee, Buggy, who knew he would never get a chance, and Shanks, who loved her since the beginning. Who will stand by her side until the end?
chapter one:
gold rush | young buggy x reader | buggy falls for reader after a bar fight.
fearless | young shanks x reader (+buggy) | shanks is tired of your schemes.
mermaids | young shanks x reader (+ buggy) | the crew encounters mermaids, reader has her first kiss.
i can see you | young mihawk x reader | mihawk thinks about reader when they meet for the first time.
question...? | young shanks x reader | mihawk comes over for dinner, shanks asks reader a question.
midnight rain | young mihawk x reader | mihawk proposes to reader.
white veil occasion | young buggy x reader | buggy goes wedding dress shopping with reader.
speak now | young shanks x reader (+buggy) | it's your wedding day. what could go wrong?
running scared, I was there | young shanks x reader (+mihawk) | roger is executed, mihawk returns to reconcile.
say don't go | young buggy x reader | buggy almost leaves you.
august | young shanks x reader | shanks and reader wreck the Oro Jackson and end up shipwrecked together.
Hello! I’ve had this idea in my head for like a while, so it must have been fate when I seen your requests being open 🤩
Young Shanks x young reader; reader was raised alongside with Shanks and Buggy. The three being very good friends. I’d like to describe the reader to be head over heels in love with Shanks, and Shanks to this would be endlessly tried of readers affections towards him. Shanks being a kid was focused more on being pirate, had no qualms for love. But not to say Shanks was mean or rude to the reader more of he’s just a kid and did his best to steer away from the lovey dovey affections from reader.
I like the idea of Rayleigh scolding Shanks one time for being mean to reader forcing him to play into Readers playtime of the two of them getting pretend married. Maybe Roger would be laughing his butt off as Shanks plays along.
(Now you could just write about the first part of this request and I’d be happy. But I’ll add on more as a continuation into adult/current shanks x adult reader)
After a Roger’s death reader disappeared without a word. Everyone assumed their death, only to return many years later fully grown and not so much of that smitten kid anymore. They’ve matured, got strong, and became wiser. Reader is reunited with Shanks, filled a mix of sadness and joy, a tearful joy.
- the red hair pirates would be curious about reader since Shanks never really mentioned reader, the only times would be from his drunk rambles of Buggy would he mention reader
Sorry if this is too much or way too specific. I literally just threw up ideas I had in my little brain into this request. You may do whatever with it. If you don’t end up taking this request I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read it. :))
FEARLESS - SHANKS X READER (+BUGGY)
A/N: Thank you so much for your request! I edited it a little so it would fit in with my Shanks/Buggy/Mihawk canon, and I didn't do the second part (them as adults) because it's a lot like other chapters I've written in my fic, which I've linked here. I hope you like it! This is part of this series, which requests are open for!
Shanks was in one of the seasons of life where he didn't go along with anything. At fourteen he was still a fast friend, devoted to the ship and those he loved. But he had little time for them, these days. His focus was on bigger, brighter things - being the eventual successor to their Captain, Gold Roger, for one. This fate of his made him special, he knew, and he just felt none of his friends could really understand. Arrogance would one day take this belief from him, but not today.
Not that his friends were exactly on-par with the rest of the crew of the Oro Jackson, anyway. They were just kids like him - Buggy, and a girl Roger had rescued long ago.
The girl. Now, she had really been on his nerves as of late. If Shanks was in the season of life where he didn't go along with anything, she was in the season of life where she was quite convinced life was a fairytale and true love was guaranteed.
But this? This was too far.
A series of nonrhythmic knocks on his door altered him to the presence of - who else? - Buggy, waiting expectantly on the other side.
"What's up, Bugs?" Shanks asked patiently, itching to return to his current task -sharpening a large sword Roger had found for him at the last port.
Buggy arched an eyebrow, looking dead serious.
"You're late."
"Late for what?" Shanks asked, exhausted.
Buggy snickered.
"Uh... for your wedding?"
...
"Now, hang on a minute," Shanks interjected, following Buggy up to the ship's deck. "This has really gone too far."
"It's not like it's legally binding or anything."
"Of course it's not, but don't you think this is just... too silly?"
"I like silly," Buggy told him, being very unhelpful with his plight.
"Well, yeah, Bugs, but... how about her? She needs to quit with the romance stuff and grow up. And how come she's pinned her affections on me? She doesn't really like me anyway."
"She's marrying you, isn't she?" Buggy joked.
"It's a dumb game. She's delusional."
"Hey," said Rayleigh, with a twinkle in his eye as they finally climbed up to the deck. "Let her have her fun."
"Oh, so I'm just supposed to do whatever she wants, is that it, Rayleigh?" Shanks retorted.
"No," Rayleigh said, slightly scolding. "I'm saying she's just playing around. You ought to try it sometime."
Shanks took offense to that.
"Me? I don't have time for playing around! I'll be Captain of the Oro Jackson someday."
"Someday," Rayleigh agreed. "But not today."
Roger walked up to him and Buggy, and Shanks immediately straightened up.
But Roger, as it happened, was in a mood to play around. Roger stuck his hand out to him, and Shanks took it, unsure of what was happening.
"Congratulations, young gentleman," Roger said, trying not to grin. Shanks tried not to roll his eyes, attempting to remain respectful in front of his Captain.
"What for, sir," Shanks said through gritted teeth.
"The wedding," Roger chuckled. "Best look after her, lad."
This was so stupid. Now Roger was in on it?
The worst part was, Shanks liked you! Not in that way - ew - but you were his best friend in the whole world, right next to Buggy. You two just weren't on the same page right now. Shanks was a born adventurer, and you were determined to fall in love. For right now - your aims didn't align with his.
"Hi," you said, shy, dressed in a sail you'd clumsily sewn into a dress. Shanks tried not to smile.
Buggy straightened his clothes, clearing his throat and preparing to read vows out of a worn book.
"Do you take..."
Shanks zoned out pretty quickly after that. After you answered with a quiet 'yes,' Buggy turned to him, starting his half of the vows.
"Well, do you?"
Shanks yawned, having spaced out again.
"Do I what?"
"Do you take her as your lawfully wedded wife," Buggy prompted. "You're supposed to say I do."
Shanks glanced to the girl beside him, who he really did like. She was kind. Her heart was big. And under another circumstance, a long, long time in the future, when they were much older... he could almost imagine himself saying those words for real.
Unfortunately, those musings took a bit too long for Buggy.
"I'm taking your spot," Buggy ordered, smacking the book of vows into Shanks' chest and shoving him out of the way. You sighed.
"Hey, don't get mad at me, doll," Buggy huffed, combing his hair back. "Your groom's the one who couldn't say I do."
So you and Buggy were 'married,' and Shanks was glad. Glad because even though he'd lost you to Buggy, and missed his chance to wed you today...
hello there! I was just wondering how are you doing? you haven’t updated in over a year now, is everything ok? I sure hope so! I actually really enjoyed all the works you’ve written, but I get it if you’re not in the mood to continue. although if you ever do, I will be very excited. wish you the best
hi everyone !!!
It’s been… a time, that’s for sure. Lots of real job writing and IRL chaos.
Thank you so much for the message! I love this community and miss yall. So my announcement is…
I’m actually thinking about coming back, even if just for a bit? The story I’m most interested in continuing is It Was Rare, I Was There, my Shanks/Buggy/Mihawk x Reader series. I miss that world so much!
anyway, if anyone wants to send me requests for that universe, or just want to give it a reread to remember if you’re still interested in it, now is the time to sound off and let me know! I’d love to come back if yall want me to continue it.
on another note, watched The Mummy (1999) the other day and I couldn’t help feel like the O’Connells and the Addams (Addams Family Values (1993) would get on really well ya know? The O’Connells are basically the pastel adventure version of the Addams, surely they would just be vibin’ over tea and crumpets in an extremely haunted mansion having a ball of a time
*Rick and Gomez, still frantically sword fighting*
Rick: Have I mentioned how wonderful my wife is yet, I really feel like I haven’t really expanded enough on how wonderful she is
Gomez: do go on, I would be delighted to hear about how wonderful your wife is, I strongly encourge all men to extoll the virtues of their wives with rapturous praise, however I should perhaps mention my wife is in fact better
*sword fighting intensifies as both men rapturously extoll the virtues of their wives*
why did you people come up with russian names for what is supposed to be a movie set in italy. what was the thought process here. why does she sound like she walked out of a tolstoy novel
i feel like i'm gonna sound incredibly desperate when I say this, but i will anyway.
please, please, oh my god, please, leave comments on my fics.
i do not care about the number of notes/likes i get. i truly do not. the only positive connotation notes have for me is that they imply that maybe the algorithm (if tumblr even has one) is putting my work in the hands of more readers than it would have if people hadn't liked it.
comments are, quite literally, everything.
when I write fics, I write them to be read. I don't write them for followers or likes or fame. my IRL life is chaotic and yes, in real life, I do write and have to put up with a lot of nonsense to do it professionally. writing on tumblr is an escape from that, and I love it.
but i swear, it can be so hard when you have no idea what anyone thinks about the 3,000 word fic you just put out.
i'm so sorry if this comes off as super desperate and cringe, and i'm sure it totally does, but i'm saying this for myself and all writers, assuming most feel the same way i do: anything you wanna say about our work sustains us. it's the reason we do this. literally anything is good. favorite line? what you hope happens next time? question about a character? even send a question through asks if you're curious. it's all great.
A/N: This is part of this series, which requests are open for! These fics are all one-shots, so they can be read separately. Also, I highly recommend listening to the song linked in the title while you read. (Especially with this one. It really, really fits it. Maybe even read the lyrics. It's really Buggy's POV in this fic.)
The first nights alone on the Oro Jackson were quiet.
You weren't alone, not really. You had Buggy and Shanks with you, after all, but it was strange hearing the place you grew up be silent for the very first time. The soft snores of your friends were nothing compared to the riotous laughter you had fallen asleep to every night for the past decade.
You were all orphans now.
"Shanks," you whispered, tapping him on the arm. You didn't dare wake up Buggy.
"Hm?" he hummed sleepily.
"Can't sleep."
"Me neither," he said, despite the fact that he was very obviously asleep mere moments ago.
Things felt different. Different than days before. You didn't feel like the woman who had been abandoned by - then reconciled with - Dracule Mihawk, or the woman who had stood and witnessed Roger's execution only one day earlier. You felt like a girl again, now that it was just you and Shanks and Buggy. Just the three of you, against the world, a world that did not seem quite so dim and empty as it had been these past few months.
And so you and Shanks (and Buggy, once he woke up to the commotion) "can't sleep"-ed together, laughing and talking and acting like everything would be fine, like you were a proper crew, like you were all you needed, like you and Shanks had never shared that poisoned kiss.
...
The mornings after that were not quite as bright.
It turned out that if you wanted to be a pirate crew, a real pirate crew, you needed some things. Other crew mates - those would come later, Shanks reasoned - and supplies, plenty of them. So you docked the ship at a nearby port, far from Marine influence, and began shopping.
"You know, I've been thinking," said Shanks, taking a bite out of an apple, "Maybe we should change our flag - our Jolly Roger?"
"Roger's flag? No way."
"C'mon, think about it. It's our ship now."
"Who would we even change it to? I mean, I wouldn't mind letting you be captain - in name only - but Buggy won't like it."
"Buggy will get used to it."
"What, and he'll be first mate? Who am I, then?"
"I don't know, I'm sure we'll come up with something-"
You smacked his arm.
"You're such a jerk."
"Such a jerk, 'Captain.'"
...
Buggy had dreamt of you last night.
How things were different now, maybe, for the first time. How maybe things could really change.
Mihawk had abandoned you (bummer) and you and Shanks seemed to have a strange distance between you since the wedding that Buggy couldn't understand. You would need someone, he was sure of it, and he would be there.
"Hey, guys," Buggy called out, carrying a bag of groceries in one hand and climbing aboard the Oro Jackson. A single daisy was concealed in his pocket. "Got everything?"
"Yeah, um," you said, and you couldn't look at Buggy.
"...What? What's going on?"
You looked up at Shanks, pleadingly.
"Don't make me say it."
"He'll take it better from you," said Shanks, and Buggy detected a hint of a smirk on his face. Weariness, too.
"Shanks wants to be captain," you mumbled, staring at the deck.
Buggy laughed.
"Kidding, right? You're... kidding." He saw the look on your face. "You're not kidding. Well, you told him, no, right? You told him no."
"She agreed to it," Shanks said. "She didn't mind. But she wasn't sure how you would take it."
"Why would you agree to that?" Buggy shouted, louder than he meant to, and you flinched. "Look at me. Why would you-"
"I'm sorry," you whispered, a tear rolling down your cheek. "I thought it was the right thing."
"Why isn't it me, huh? Why not me? What's the difference? There's nothing Shanks has done that I couldn't do."
"I trust him," you confessed. "I trust him to lead-"
"Yeah? Why not me?"
"Buggy-"
"Answer the question," Buggy snapped. "Why not me?"
"That's enough," said Shanks. "That's enough."
Shanks, he noticed, had put his arm around your shoulders protectively - as if you needed to be protected. As if you needed to be protected, from him.
"I'm leaving," Buggy said, and turned to grab his things.
He really meant it, too - he meant it, as he went downstairs and collected his clothes and weapons and souvenirs of the life he'd been living for the past twenty years. He almost grabbed a sweater of his you often liked to borrow, but left it.
He'd been so stupid to believe that anything could change. That he'd finally be like Shanks, an equal. He would never be as good as Shanks. He would always be second in your heart to him - third, depending on what your opinion of Mihawk was at the time.
Somehow, he'd always known.
It didn't matter if this crew, this boat, was the best chance he had at getting the One Piece. He would get it anyway, and when he did, he was going to have a good laugh at the look on you and Shanks' faces. But then again, you probably didn't care if you died peasants, as long as you had each other, and you'd probably be thrilled to be rid of him-
"...Buggy?"
He heard a creak and turned to see you holding the sweater.
"You forgot something," you said quietly, holding it out to him. Buggy shook his head.
"It's worn out. It's all... stretched, and you got stains on it, and there's too many holes. It's beyond repair."
All lies. You were particularly careful with this sweater, because it wasn't just your favorite - you knew it was Buggy's favorite, too.
You frowned, staring down at it and searching for a tear.
"You can throw it out, for all I care," and Buggy slammed the lid of his suitcase down.
"It's really warm," you said, "...And I don't want to."
You pulled it over your head, sleeves hanging far past where your arms could stretch. Buggy watched you, unable to look away.
He had forgotten how cute you could be when you weren't stabbing him in the back.
"Why'd you come down?" he asked, fixing a resentful expression on his face. "Figured you'd be celebrating with Shanks right now."
"I'm not gonna let you leave, Bug. You really are crazy if you thought I would."
"What's the point in me staying? You as good as said it back there, there's nothing I do that Shanks doesn't do better-"
"And how do you think I feel?" you snapped. "You think it felt good, watching him be stronger my whole life? Knowing that no matter what I did, Roger was never gonna respect me more than him? Did you even think about the fact that when I let Shanks be captain, I took it away from myself, too?"
Truthfully, Buggy had never thought to consider it.
"Do you know why I put up with it?"
"Tell me."
"Because he goddamn deserves it," you stated. "He deserves every bit of respect he gets. He's nearly the best swordsman because he trained to be, he's a fighter because he fought to be, and he's never once faltered when I needed him. He's a leader, and that's not who we are. So you can walk away from me and him and the One Piece, and be a big baby, but there's a reason why I chose him over myself. Do you not think I'm capable, Buggy? Do you not think I'm good enough?"
"You're good enough."
"I know I am. But you didn't see me throwing a fit on the deck. Making him captain doesn't mean that I think Shanks is better than you, because I don't think he's better than me, either. We all have jobs."
"Yeah? What's yours?"
"Doctor," you said. "And sniper, and cook, for now."
"And what about me?" Buggy asked, leaning against the wall and fixing his gaze on you. "If I stayed, what would you have me do?"
"I'd let you be first mate. And shipwright. And blacksmith. You're talented with making things."
"I didn't think you'd noticed."
"Of course I have," you said. "I'm wearing something you made right now."
It's true, you were. Buggy had gotten into knitting a long time ago, during lazy days on the Oro Jackson in his youth, and had decided to make a sweater for you after seeing how cold you got. He'd lost his nerve in the middle of the project and begun making it in his size instead of yours after fearing you wouldn't want it, but it ended up in your hands anyway.
You approached Buggy, tentatively, the long sleeves of the sweater draping off your wrists. He eyed you as you stared up at him, pleadingly, and then threw your arms around him as if you trap him, and could make him stay there forever.
"Please stay," you whispered, voice muffled by his shoulder.
HOW DO I GO ON 😭😭😭 Buggy inferiority is so relatable and hurts my heart so good. I absolutely LOVE the relationship you’ve built between them and imagining Buggy knitting has my heart 🥺
{And so you and Shanks (and Buggy, once he woke up to the commotion) "can't sleep"-ed together, laughing and talking and acting like everything would be fine, like you were a proper crew, like you were all you needed, like you and Shanks had never shared that poisoned kiss.} <-this line!!!!!! 🤌🏻
You have options. I promise you, you have options. Even if you blow up your whole life, change your name and train hop half way across the country- you still have options. So long as you are alive you have choices and chances. If you can’t see them, ask someone else. Ask a stranger or someone who loves you. Anyone not in your situation will have different a perspective. Stay safe and stay alive.
A/N: This is part of this series, which requests are open for! These fics are all one-shots, so they can be read separately. Also, I highly recommend listening to the song linked in the title while you read, and please leave a comment when you've finished!
It took six weeks and a shipwreck to get you into the arms of the man that you loved, and you didn't regret a thing.
Little known pirate fact: the Oro Jackson's final resting place is a little island in the murkier side of the East Blue, far from pirates or Marines or anything at all. Here it lies to this day.
It arrived at this spot on a fated morning on an afternoon in August, when you, Shanks and Buggy were embroiled in the most terrible of arguments.
The tension had not dissipated from the days earlier, when Shanks had unceremoniously declared himself Captain, and Buggy was comfortable voicing his feelings - almost all of his feelings - out in the open now.
Starting with this one.
"We're not moving fast enough," Buggy complained. He had this particular feeling a lot.
"The ship can only go so fast. You know that," Shanks chided, jokingly. "...You've been on it for years."
"You know that's not what I mean. The One Piece is out there and we're supposed to be trying to claim it - now everyone's trying to claim it, aren't they? - but we're still wandering."
"We're preparing for the journey!"
"Oh, sure, like we really need all these maps. The only one that we really need is the map to the Grand Line, and we haven't even gotten it yet."
Shanks had been dispatching the two of you out for maps for the past few months, and many of your efforts had ended unsuccessfully. Buggy was beginning to tire of it.
"We're doing the best we can, Bugs, you know that," you tried, and Buggy cut you off.
"'You know that,'" Buggy imitated, and you and Shanks blinked at him with wide, vacuous eyes. "You two are even beginning to sound like each other, you know that? What, do you two get off on bullying me?"
"Yes," said Shanks, at the same time you said "No, of course not."
"No, of course not," Shanks amended, all too late.
"Fine," Buggy snapped, grabbing his satchel.
"Hey, where're you going-"
"You're not threatening to leave again, are you?"
"No, idiots! I'm going down to the port for a drink. Don't join."
You and Shanks sighed, exchanging weary looks with each other as Buggy departed the ship.
"So... what do you wanna do while we wait?"
...
"Careful," you warned idly, watching Shanks jerk the captain's wheel from one side to the next.
"Sorry, I'm just - I'm still getting the hang of this, I'm not used to steering-"
"It's alright," you assured him. "We're all learning things."
He had promised you there was an especially appealing island close by - something he'd discovered on his own and was anxious to share with you.
"Maybe you could let me try-"
"It's fine, I got it-"
"Shanks, let me steer-"
"I can do it-"
"What are you trying to prove?!"
"Nothing!"
The ship found that island, alright. It slammed right into the rocks in front of it.
"Oh, my God," you uttered, hand covering your mouth. Shanks stared ahead in total disbelief.
The ship was wrecked. You crashed. The ship was crashed. You and Shanks crashed Roger's ship. You and Shanks crashed Roger's ship. Buggy would never forgive you.
It was your fault.
It wasn't really - you would realize this, later on - but in the moment, that's how it felt.
"Shanks?" You shook him a little. He was seemingly catatonic, still staring straight ahead at the rocks.
"We..."
You nodded, grimly, trying to get him alert again.
"Come on, we're stuck. We have to figure something out."
...
Well, at least it was a nice island to be stuck in.
You and Shanks started a fire on the beach, after hours of searching and confirming there didn't seem to be anyone else on the island.
"Can't believe we wrecked it," Shanks mused. "It was the only home I've ever known."
"...Buggy's going to kill us."
Shanks glanced at you, a hint of amusement on his face.
"That's really what you're worried about?"
"Aren't you?"
"I think I'm more concerned with how we're going to get off this island. I'm beginning to realize that we can't. I guess we could try swimming out, but- no, it's too deep."
"So, we're stuck?"
Shanks confirmed your worry with a weary nod.
"We're stuck."
...
You didn't speak to each other again for another four days.
There was enough fruit on the island to live on, enough water stored on the wrecked Oro Jackson. The two of you could barely look at each other, repulsed by the shame of what you had done.
On the fifth day, you began to worry.
"Shanks?" you called out, shouting his name loud enough that he should have heard it. "Shanks, look, we better start making more permanent plans-"
He didn't respond.
"Shanks, come on, I don't wanna fight-"
You stopped dead in your tracks. Your brain couldn't handle what you had saw.
Shanks, flat on the ground under a palm tree.
You realized he must've fallen - the flares beside him indicated he was trying to call for help - your fault again, everything is awful and it's your fault, Shanks was dead and it was all your fault.
"No," you whispered, breath scarcely escaping your body. You collapsed to the ground, searching his face for signs of life, cradling his head in you hands. "Wake up, please, wake up- please, I need you to come back, I don't want to be alone-"
Shanks coughed, suddenly breathing again, and you realized with a rush of relief that he'd only been unconscious. His eyes scanned over you, a little smile teasing at the edge of his lips.
"Are you an angel? Am I in heaven?"
You cried in relief, not even having the energy to make fun of his stupid remarks.
"No, you idiot, you're here on earth with me."
Shanks noticed your hand was resting over his heart, and he brought his own hand up to meet it.
"You were crying over me?" he asked, cockily. You shook your head as the tear tracks staining your face betrayed you.
"I thought you were dead."
"I think I was."
"Did you see Roger?" you asked, almost laughing.
"I don't think I was dead long enough," he said. "I had to come back, you see. Had to be where you were."
As long as you had known Shanks, you had carried with you a indecipherable ache. It was today that the ache finally rose out of you, and today that you bent your face down far enough to connect your lips to his - on purpose, this time. He met them.
"We're still stuck on this island, you know," you murmured, finally pulling away.
His eyes sparkled.
"I'd forgotten."
...
For the next three weeks, your life was a montage of sun-drenched beaches, bare shoulders and tanned skin. Water everywhere, sand in everything. Salt air stung your tongue and infused all your kisses.
You barely felt like a pirate anymore. Life was that good. You felt more like a creature of the sea, tossed by the waves, unbothered by the silly human things that had once so concerned you - what One Piece? What Buggy? What Mihawk? You and Shanks were connected by everything, ebbing and flowing out of each other like it was the only thing that made sense.
Despite this backdrop of love, there was one thing that was clear. You were going to die. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon. The water from the ship would run out, and the fruit would run out, and then there would be no more left, and you and he would merely be skeletons left scattered on the shore, then dust.
"I can't even regret it," you sighed, head on his chest. "Not with everything that's happened."
"Do you think Buggy will miss us?"
"I don't know," you said with a guilty pang. "I guess I hadn't thought of him for awhile. I wish I could let him know what became of us. Mihawk, too."
"Could you not talk about Mihawk during moments like this?"
You laughed, kissing him lightly on the nose.
"I wonder how many sunrises we have left."
"Enough," he said, and after that the talking ended.
...
Little did you know, Buggy hadn't slept for weeks.
Okay, hadn't slept was an overexaggeration - he had little winks now and then, just a few, just to keep himself alive. He'd be no good to you or Shanks dead.
He'd been to four islands by now, and had scoured every one of them. What he really couldn't understand is how the Oro Jackson could have gone anywhere unnoticed. The citizens of the island he had been on recalled it in the port, when you dropped him off, and then it vanished like a ghost. The one ship every Marine in the world was looking for, and not one person would admit to seeing it.
It was killing him.
He couldn't imagine what had happened to you - Shanks, too, but he worried more for you, mostly for the reason that he was sure you would never leave him on purpose. It was possible for Shanks to have left, but you, too? Wouldn't happen.
The thought crossed his mind, once or twice, that the two of you had gotten sick of him and run away together, but it seemed impossible after how desperately you'd tried to keep him from leaving. You wouldn't just leave him now.
Maybe you were kidnapped. Or hungry. Or cold. Or-
Wait, was that the ship?
"Buggy!" he heard a chorus of familiar voices call out, frantically waving their arms on the beach. A familiar burst of red hair was immediately apparent amongst the grains of white sand.
"What the... the hell," he muttered, rowing the small boat he'd attained to look for you beside the crashed ship. He'd never realized how absolutely massive it was until it was in pieces. Even now, weeks later, rotted wood planks scattered the shore.
"Buggy!"
He barely had a moment to climb out of the boat and throw his oars aside before you and Shanks barreled towards him at full speed, both locking him in a tight embrace.
"You saved us," you whispered, burying your face in the nape of his neck. Shanks hugged him gratefully, too. It felt good having both of you back again. For a little while, Buggy had feared he would have to walk the world alone.
"What the hell happened?"
"Crashed," you explained, your cheeks flushed from the excitement.
"Did it just... did you not see the rocks?"
You shook your head, still completely overwhelmed.
"We thought we were going to die."
"I was beginning to think you were already dead!"
"You saved us," you emphasized, salt water stinging your eyes. "I could kiss you."
Buggy's face went blank, as did yours. Clumsily, you reached over and gave him a peck on the cheek, and smiled. In one fluid motion, you pulled back, and Shanks looped his arm around your waist. You and Shanks glanced at each other, still grinning, and you rested your head on his shoulder.
That was the moment he knew something had changed. Something was different, since the last time he'd seen you.
"You guys..." he tried to put the words together. "You guys... what, uhh, what did you guys do for six weeks?"
When their entire relationship is toxic, but they're both so fucked up that it's actually the best case scenario, because subjecting anybody else to either of them would be a human rights violation.
as both a swiftie and a big op fan I find your fics to be a blessing!! what are your fave swift songs?? mine are would've could've should've and right where you left me 😁 if you ever wrote smth w these songs, I'd die
like imagine reader singing those about either mihawk or shanks,, that hurts damn but in a good way
my goal is to write a fic for my series for every TS song, so if you want to send each of those songs to my ask box so I don’t forget them, I’ll write a fic for them eventually !! (My fave TS songs are Hits Different, Is It Over Now, All too Well, Style, Blank Space and You’re on Your Own, Kid.)
and yes I can definitely see reader singing those about them… 'would’ve could’ve should’ve' is SO shanks (and now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts/memories feel like weapons) and RWYLM is so mihawk !
A/N: This is part of this series, which requests are open for! These fics are all one-shots, so they can be read separately. Also, I highly recommend listening to the song linked in the title while you read. (Especially with this one. It really, really fits it. Maybe even read the lyrics. It's really Buggy's POV in this fic.)
The first nights alone on the Oro Jackson were quiet.
You weren't alone, not really. You had Buggy and Shanks with you, after all, but it was strange hearing the place you grew up be silent for the very first time. The soft snores of your friends were nothing compared to the riotous laughter you had fallen asleep to every night for the past decade.
You were all orphans now.
"Shanks," you whispered, tapping him on the arm. You didn't dare wake up Buggy.
"Hm?" he hummed sleepily.
"Can't sleep."
"Me neither," he said, despite the fact that he was very obviously asleep mere moments ago.
Things felt different. Different than days before. You didn't feel like the woman who had been abandoned by - then reconciled with - Dracule Mihawk, or the woman who had stood and witnessed Roger's execution only one day earlier. You felt like a girl again, now that it was just you and Shanks and Buggy. Just the three of you, against the world, a world that did not seem quite so dim and empty as it had been these past few months.
And so you and Shanks (and Buggy, once he woke up to the commotion) "can't sleep"-ed together, laughing and talking and acting like everything would be fine, like you were a proper crew, like you were all you needed, like you and Shanks had never shared that poisoned kiss.
...
The mornings after that were not quite as bright.
It turned out that if you wanted to be a pirate crew, a real pirate crew, you needed some things. Other crew mates - those would come later, Shanks reasoned - and supplies, plenty of them. So you docked the ship at a nearby port, far from Marine influence, and began shopping.
"You know, I've been thinking," said Shanks, taking a bite out of an apple, "Maybe we should change our flag - our Jolly Roger?"
"Roger's flag? No way."
"C'mon, think about it. It's our ship now."
"Who would we even change it to? I mean, I wouldn't mind letting you be captain - in name only - but Buggy won't like it."
"Buggy will get used to it."
"What, and he'll be first mate? Who am I, then?"
"I don't know, I'm sure we'll come up with something-"
You smacked his arm.
"You're such a jerk."
"Such a jerk, 'Captain.'"
...
Buggy had dreamt of you last night.
How things were different now, maybe, for the first time. How maybe things could really change.
Mihawk had abandoned you (bummer) and you and Shanks seemed to have a strange distance between you since the wedding that Buggy couldn't understand. You would need someone, he was sure of it, and he would be there.
"Hey, guys," Buggy called out, carrying a bag of groceries in one hand and climbing aboard the Oro Jackson. A single daisy was concealed in his pocket. "Got everything?"
"Yeah, um," you said, and you couldn't look at Buggy.
"...What? What's going on?"
You looked up at Shanks, pleadingly.
"Don't make me say it."
"He'll take it better from you," said Shanks, and Buggy detected a hint of a smirk on his face. Weariness, too.
"Shanks wants to be captain," you mumbled, staring at the deck.
Buggy laughed.
"Kidding, right? You're... kidding." He saw the look on your face. "You're not kidding. Well, you told him, no, right? You told him no."
"She agreed to it," Shanks said. "She didn't mind. But she wasn't sure how you would take it."
"Why would you agree to that?" Buggy shouted, louder than he meant to, and you flinched. "Look at me. Why would you-"
"I'm sorry," you whispered, a tear rolling down your cheek. "I thought it was the right thing."
"Why isn't it me, huh? Why not me? What's the difference? There's nothing Shanks has done that I couldn't do."
"I trust him," you confessed. "I trust him to lead-"
"Yeah? Why not me?"
"Buggy-"
"Answer the question," Buggy snapped. "Why not me?"
"That's enough," said Shanks. "That's enough."
Shanks, he noticed, had put his arm around your shoulders protectively - as if you needed to be protected. As if you needed to be protected, from him.
"I'm leaving," Buggy said, and turned to grab his things.
He really meant it, too - he meant it, as he went downstairs and collected his clothes and weapons and souvenirs of the life he'd been living for the past twenty years. He almost grabbed a sweater of his you often liked to borrow, but left it.
He'd been so stupid to believe that anything could change. That he'd finally be like Shanks, an equal. He would never be as good as Shanks. He would always be second in your heart to him - third, depending on what your opinion of Mihawk was at the time.
Somehow, he'd always known.
It didn't matter if this crew, this boat, was the best chance he had at getting the One Piece. He would get it anyway, and when he did, he was going to have a good laugh at the look on you and Shanks' faces. But then again, you probably didn't care if you died peasants, as long as you had each other, and you'd probably be thrilled to be rid of him-
"...Buggy?"
He heard a creak and turned to see you holding the sweater.
"You forgot something," you said quietly, holding it out to him. Buggy shook his head.
"It's worn out. It's all... stretched, and you got stains on it, and there's too many holes. It's beyond repair."
All lies. You were particularly careful with this sweater, because it wasn't just your favorite - you knew it was Buggy's favorite, too.
You frowned, staring down at it and searching for a tear.
"You can throw it out, for all I care," and Buggy slammed the lid of his suitcase down.
"It's really warm," you said, "...And I don't want to."
You pulled it over your head, sleeves hanging far past where your arms could stretch. Buggy watched you, unable to look away.
He had forgotten how cute you could be when you weren't stabbing him in the back.
"Why'd you come down?" he asked, fixing a resentful expression on his face. "Figured you'd be celebrating with Shanks right now."
"I'm not gonna let you leave, Bug. You really are crazy if you thought I would."
"What's the point in me staying? You as good as said it back there, there's nothing I do that Shanks doesn't do better-"
"And how do you think I feel?" you snapped. "You think it felt good, watching him be stronger my whole life? Knowing that no matter what I did, Roger was never gonna respect me more than him? Did you even think about the fact that when I let Shanks be captain, I took it away from myself, too?"
Truthfully, Buggy had never thought to consider it.
"Do you know why I put up with it?"
"Tell me."
"Because he goddamn deserves it," you stated. "He deserves every bit of respect he gets. He's nearly the best swordsman because he trained to be, he's a fighter because he fought to be, and he's never once faltered when I needed him. He's a leader, and that's not who we are. So you can walk away from me and him and the One Piece, and be a big baby, but there's a reason why I chose him over myself. Do you not think I'm capable, Buggy? Do you not think I'm good enough?"
"You're good enough."
"I know I am. But you didn't see me throwing a fit on the deck. Making him captain doesn't mean that I think Shanks is better than you, because I don't think he's better than me, either. We all have jobs."
"Yeah? What's yours?"
"Doctor," you said. "And sniper, and cook, for now."
"And what about me?" Buggy asked, leaning against the wall and fixing his gaze on you. "If I stayed, what would you have me do?"
"I'd let you be first mate. And shipwright. And blacksmith. You're talented with making things."
"I didn't think you'd noticed."
"Of course I have," you said. "I'm wearing something you made right now."
It's true, you were. Buggy had gotten into knitting a long time ago, during lazy days on the Oro Jackson in his youth, and had decided to make a sweater for you after seeing how cold you got. He'd lost his nerve in the middle of the project and begun making it in his size instead of yours after fearing you wouldn't want it, but it ended up in your hands anyway.
You approached Buggy, tentatively, the long sleeves of the sweater draping off your wrists. He eyed you as you stared up at him, pleadingly, and then threw your arms around him as if you trap him, and could make him stay there forever.
"Please stay," you whispered, voice muffled by his shoulder.
my advice for not going insane? try to do something every weekend. go to events, you’ll love events. and not like just hang out with ur friends or go clubbing , no, make a day out of going to some local market by yourself or attend some strange convention event you’ve never heard of. i cannot stress the importance of doing random events on a friday night or saturday or a sunday at r pm for mentally ill people especially if you’re depressed and have been searching for an anchor 2 tether yourself to. attend some events now
seeing a lot of tags on this like “i would do this but my social battery is low and i have social anxiety” great news! so do i! and YOU are the target audience of this post in fact! i speak from experience when i say that if you do this often enough then things will probably get easier for you and you’ll feel a lot less afraid around social environments. literally go to random conventions about vacuums or flea markets near where you live and like talk to the people there. ask them about their weird niche interests or what they’re selling like YOU don’t even have to be the one TALKING the great thing is you can just go to these things to interact with people for like one time and you’ll never have to worry about meeting them again probably. these are great for like test runs of social interactions ok. rule number one of my life do not block yourself off from things you could potentially be interested in because you are afraid of saying the wrong thing at them or something because that will just open you up into spiraling into thinking you are deserving of nothing good like this like you HAVE to stop thinking like that as soon as possible. and not because some random guy on the internet says that it’s good to shut that part of your brain off for whatever reason This is literally for your own benefit. so yeah go down to the library and ask the lady at the desk what her favorite book is not only will it enhance your life it will enhance the lives of others. fucking have fun and fuck it and ball and live joyously even in small doses cuz even small doses of living are still LIVING!!!!!!! GO HAVE FUN!!!!!!!! ITS GREAT
