moved to @rcmancedawn

isuka from one piece novel a / semi-selective / penned by alice / sideblog of partysbarmaid

[kugiuchi]

CARRD // INTEREST TRACKER

[follows back from @partysbarmaid]

[kugiuchi]

!! Isuka has been moved to @rcmancedawn !!

Any threads will carry over and be replied to from there going forward!

Please feel free to follow me there if you're not already!

[rcmancedawn]

I may be turning this blog into a multi and moving Isuka and Ain over,, and adding another muse sdgjk

[ravarui]

"You're either very brave or a fool, captain." Her rank was spoken in a mocking manner, making it clear that he wasn't taking her serious. If she wanted a fight he would give her a small one, deciding to only use a little bit of haki. Enough to make his presence known, but not enough to knock her unconscious unless she was utterly weak willed, but given she had chosen to fight he doubted that.

Lips twitch in amusement and it was the only warning she got, before he went for the first strike, aiming right for her neck. An obvious move given their difference in height. It was meant as a distraction and he moved swiftly, using his own momentum to go for another opening in her defense, a hit that would land unless she was quick enough to defend.

[kugiuchi]

Just the fact that she was still standing after the burst of haki is enough to irritate her further. She knew what a man like him was capable of. He was going easy on her - and while she should be grateful for that, it also meant that he wasn't taking her seriously. Just like all the others.

"Tch—" Isuka didn't even have time to retort before she found his sword coming at her. Luckily, she was known for being fast and agile. Back-stepping to avoid the first strike, she quickly realises it's a distraction and brings up her rapier in an attempt to parry the real blow. If successful, she would swiftly turn her wrist and aim a powerful thrust of the pointed blade towards his chest.

She was going to give this her all, even if the Emperor was merely toying with her.

[kugiuchi]

Headcanon:

After Isuka lost her parents, she was left in the care of an orphanage. However, she hated it there - hated to be constantly reminded that her parents were gone - and she would often devise ways to sneak out for a few hours, or just straight up run away until she was inevitably found and returned.

She didn't grow up with nice things or nice clothes. She was a troublemaker, and her hot-headedness often got her into scraps with other kids - especially ones who made fun of the burn on her hand, or those from outside of the orphanage who made fun of her situation, and her dream to become a Marine one day.

Any time she came across Marines in the village, she would beg them to take her with them - but they would always tell her she was still too young and bring her back to the orphanage, where she would remain until finally reaching the age at which she could enlist.

[kugiuchi]

Part of me really wants to explore kid Isuka 😭

Either straight after The Incident™️ or later on when she's in the orphanage,,

If any older Marines/pirates would be interested 👀 you know where to find me-

[kugiuchi]

where was isuka during ace’s execution?

That's the million-dollar question.....

As much as I crave the angst of her witnessing it happen in person at Marineford, I'm not sure if her superiors would allow her to be present (not that she wanted to be there to watch him die) knowing her connection to him, thinking she might try to stop it from going ahead. Or who knows, maybe they forced her to attend to teach her a lesson of some kind about sympathising with pirates.

I'm not entirely sure which route I wanna go for yet, but whether she was there or not, she grieved immensely away from prying eyes after it happened.

[sswork-arc]

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎𝐢𝐟  𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝  𝐭𝐨  𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧,  he  wouldn’t  be  surprised,  wouldn’t  hold  it  against  her.  the  pair  had  run  into  each  other  countless  times,  and  despite  what  small  fights  they  tumbled  into,  he’d  always  thought  they’d  gotten  along;  even  the  crew  liked  the  feisty  marine  captain  who  chased  them  around.  but  did  isuka  want  to  be  a  pirate ?  would  she  be  happy  travelling  with  them ?  the  thoughts  had  eaten  at  him  as  he’d  tidied  his  room,  wondering  if  the  other  would  come  to  regret  her  decision. 

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎his  hands  grip  against  the  wooden  railings,  preparing  himself  for  the  rejection,  for  her  to  want  to  be  a  marine  despite  what  she’d  learnt  today.  but  it  didn’t  come.  to  her  words,  he  nods  softly,  gaze  staying  trained  on  the  shorter,  though  before  he  can  think  of  anything  to  say,  she  continues,  claiming  this  was  his  fault.  well,  he  can’t  really  blame  her,  considering  he  was  the  catalyst  for  everything  that  had  happened  today,  but  ace  hadn’t  been  expecting  her  to  say  it  straight  out.  however,  as  her  tone  grows  from  accusatory  soft,  his  shoulders  relax,  a  small  smile  biting  his  lips. 

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ things  would  be  alright,  perhaps  not  right  away,  but  that  didn’t  matter  as  long  as  they  eventually  did.  he  wouldn’t  mind  the  wait.  isuka  is  a  part  of  his  crew  now,  making  her  his  responsibility;  he’d  ensure  she  settled  in.  ❝  I’m  glad  youre  here  ❞  his  gaze  returns  to  the  underwater  world  they  were  travelling  through.  It  would  be  night  in  a  couple  hours,  but  he  finds  himself  still  buzzing  with  the  adrenaline  of  the  day.  letting  his  head  fall,  his  smile  grows  as  he  squeezes  his  eyes  shut, relief starting to settle.

[kugiuchi]

It was certainly going to be strange for a while. It would take time to adjust to a life amongst pirates, and she was sure the crew similarly would need time to adjust to considering a former Marine one of them. She'd already received plenty of skeptical looks - not that she could blame them.

Her smile settles into one more relaxed. She felt more at ease in his presence. She casts her gaze to the view once more, allowing herself to take it in properly. It was quite beautiful really - she was glad she'd taken the opportunity to look before they would eventually descend into darkness the deeper they went.

There were so many things she wanted to say - ranging from lighthearted jokes to more genuine questions - but she found herself... almost nervous to talk to him. Would things be different now that she was part of his crew? Shaking her head, she tries to force such concerns down. She already had enough on her mind. She should be enjoying this newfound freedom from her Marine duties, shouldn't she?

"I suppose I'll have to get rid of this somehow." She speaks after a moment, letting her Justice coat extend to its full length in her grasp as she looks it over. The pristine white fabric was a little singed from the fire - the last remnants of Dorrow's influence over her, it seemed.

A thought crosses her mind, and prompts a faint laugh as she glances up to him, brow raised. "Unless you'd like to keep it to get your Marine discount, huh, Captain?" The time she'd disguised him with the coat still amused her, though it seemed that the joking title wasn't such a joke anymore.

[kugiuchi]

@isutoburu

[kugiuchi]

"I don't need your pity!"

[kugiuchi]

Just reached the Impel Down Arc on my re-watch.....

[ravarui]

Another sigh was given and he closed his eyes for a short moment, clearly not viewing her as a serious threat, but more like an annoyance. He had to give her props for standing her ground like that, he knew only a handful of marines who would even think about challenging him to a fight alone.

"I have my reasons to be here. You got something that I want." It never hurt to get his hand on a rare devil fruit, especially if it meant stealing them from the marines. "Besides, I'm a pirate. Your rules don't apply to me."

His grin only widened, but this time he did draw his own sword. If she wanted a fight he would give her one, no matter how short it would be.

"Head your own advice miss. We both know how such a fight will end, don't we?"

[kugiuchi]

Something that he wanted... He had to be talking about the Devil Fruit being held here for safekeeping. How had he found out about that?

He draws his sword, and Isuka furrows her brow before taking on a more defensive stance. Even if she had no chance of fending the Emperor off, her pride would take a massive hit if she backed down from a fight. Not only that, but she was a captain. Her subordinates may be out there fighting for their lives against his crew - she couldn't just run from this without doing her damnedest to stop their adversaries' leader.

"Maybe so. But if I just stand here and let you do whatever you want, then I don't deserve to be called a captain." She tightens her grip on the hilt of her rapier, preparing to fight at a moment's notice.

[kugiuchi]

@ravarui continued from x

Isuka wasn't sure how the infamous captain had managed to get this far without being recognised, but it didn't matter. He was here, and it was her duty to protect this base.

Her gaze drops briefly to his hand as it is placed upon the hilt of his own blade, and she tenses. She knew that she couldn't win a fight against an Emperor, but she couldn't let him go unchallenged either.

"And you shouldn't have come here." She retorts, eyes narrowing. His easy-going nature reminded her of someone else she'd known, and it irritated her how people like him could act so nonchalant whilst facing the Marines.

"Leave now and nobody has to get hurt, Red Hair."

[kugiuchi]

Isuka hadn't even noticed his presence until he spoke up, jolting her out of her thoughts. Tearing her gaze away from the coat, she glances up to him with a blink of surprise - not only at the offer to sleep in the captain's quarters, but also at the offer to return her to the Marines if she so wished.

It was true that she'd wanted to be one since she was a little girl, but that was when she'd thought pirates were the ones who'd started the fire that swallowed up her village and her parents. Now that she knew the truth... Could she really go back? She wanted to protect others from going through what she had, but all of a sudden, it was the Marines she would be protecting them from. How many more secrets were they keeping? How many more 'pirate attacks' were really cover ups? How many more lives had been destroyed in the name of absolute justice?

"I... appreciate the offer, but... I can't go back. Not now." She responds quietly, gaze dropping to the coat once more. She'd made her choice the minute she'd taken his hand. Even if she ended up regretting it one day, she would have to live with it. But... Perhaps this would be good for her? She would no longer have to abide by the strict laws enforced by the Navy. She could explore the New World. She could finally be on the same side as Ace...

This was to be a new chapter of her life - and the more she thought about it, the more her excitement began to overshadow the doubt clouding her mind.

Gloved hands grip the coat tightly. "This is your fault, Fire Fist." She starts, her tone accusatory. "If you hadn't saved me that day, this wouldn't be happening. I never would have felt the need to chase you and I certainly never would have deserted the Marines." However, her tone begins to soften - thinking aloud now. "I never would have changed my views on pirates, and... I never would have learned the truth about what happened when I was a child. I... wouldn't have had the chance to get to know you, or to see what a good person you really are." Her grasp on the coat loosens, and she glances towards the underwater view for a moment.

"It's because of you that I'm here right now." Her gaze finally turns back towards him, and she smiles - genuinely. "So... Thank you, Ace."

[kugiuchi]

I'm gonna head to bed, but as usual my inbox/DMs are open for asks and plotting!

I believe I sent something out for everyone who liked the inbox call, but if you didn't receive anything please let me know and I'll send something new tomorrow!

[skrbtomato-deactivated20210515]

(Hat⇄Sunglasses)

ISUKA: It looks good on you!!

ACE: l know, right?

[kugiuchi]

sabo leans over isuka, water drops from the shower still dripping from his wet hair, one brushing over his lover's cheek as he steals another kiss. it's odd to part on a sunday, it almost feels like he's leaving to a normal job, maybe this is how it could be like otherwise. "i have to go but you still should stay in bed, let your subordinates do the work," his voice soft and teasing, hovering a little over the smaller figure, gaze a little teasing. "i wonder how terrified they'd become of your upon learning that the chief of staff is all at your service," he hums. "thank you for the night, i love you."

Their time together always felt too brief, and it was always too soon when the time came for them to part ways.

The hand upon her cheek is held there by her own, the stolen kiss and the teasing words prompting a sheepish smile as her cheeks flush. It was embarrassing really, the effect he had on her. How could she not grow bashful when he looked at her like that?

"I'd certainly love to see the looks on their faces." She chuckles softly, her hand trailing along his arm before reluctantly dropping back to her side. As much as she longed for him to stay, she knew he couldn't. He had already stayed longer than he probably should have - not that she was complaining.

Isuka rolls onto her side to watch as he prepares to depart. "... Be careful out there, Sabo." Though she doesn't say the three words, her tone is soft - conveying the love that she still struggled to express verbally.