I really dislike highschool AUs (hated being a teen. Never wish to return, even in spirit.) But like if I truly had to write a one piece highschool AU one can only assume I'd give them backgrounds deserving of their natures.
East blue five:
Sanji -> Teen line cook who starts sweating whenever he sees a cop cause he's a runaway and living with (felon) Zeff illegally. Did not finish school, would love to get his GED but won't risk being caught for it. Apparently will risk it for Luffy, though, so there's that...
Nami -> Trafficked and well aware of it. Escaped by jumping her "employer" with Luffy's gang. Diagnosed sticky fingers, sometimes boosts cars for Franky to scrap, so she's got warrants in several counties. Finished middle school.
Usopp -> Orphaned mama's boy who pretends to be hard but he's still going to school when he's not hanging with Luffy, and he gets mostly As. Works at Franky's mechanic shop on the weekends, pretends not to know he's scrapping cars even though he's participated in many other crimes.
Luffy -> Group home raised with visitations from his military grandpa before he dipped like his brothers. Dodges the truancy officer more than the cops. Genuinely a gang leader but he doesn't see it that way, cause he's just having fun with his friends and taking care of his neighborhood.
Zoro -> Latchkey kid who used to loiter around the dojo on his block, even after the owner's kid died suddenly. Started hustling street fights for cash after being served an eviction notice, won a fight against the wrong guy and got picked up for aggravated assault.
I can't have fun with a modern AU of any kind unless they're all still equally fucked up as canon. This would probably be the only high school AU I'd fuck with, cause my preferences are high maintenance. I need them weird and canon-levels of traumatized...
Augh sick to my stomach thinking about Usopp being the only one of the east blue five to graduate. And he sits at his ceremony missing his mom, watching all the other kids get their name called and their family whooping from the stands. Then his name is called, and his entire crew (who didn't tell him they were coming, he thought it was just gonna be Chopper cause most of the others have active warrants) just starts yelling and cheering as he walks to get his diploma. Louder than anybody else.
Afterwards, they take a bunch of photos with him in his silly gown and cap and the huge bouquet of roses Nami pawned several pieces of jewelry to afford, and now there's a framed photo of Usopp grinning ear to ear with a tear streaked face surrounded by his family on graduation day hanging in Franky's garage. Now it's a running joke to say some absolute bullshit and point at the photo, saying "I swear on Usopp!!"
