…I looked up tabiryu AND ryutabi and was met with a vast and empty void 😭 this is more than upsetting so I shall fill the tag with my thoughts from this day on.
Also when you guys reblog my art and add little comments idk how to respond to them or if I can, don’t know how tumblr works but know I very much appreciate all of you!
Sorry for the long wait on another determination. I’ve had uni, my wisdom teeth being pulled and other things going on so life has been pretty hectic. I’m still working on the law and Corazon part but somehow wrote this in like 2 days. Sorry if some people are out of character, I haven’t yet made it to wano so I went off of mainly clips online and the one piece wiki. Also I haven’t written in awhile so I’m probably kinda rusty, so sorry for that lol
U guys get some crumbs of lore for waiting so long And As always everything is platonic.
Guess which character is my favourite based on how long their section is lol
Warning: child death, described gore, spoilers for wano, don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled for some parts of wano. Read at your own risk
You once remember wano being a place of peace the first time you visited it all those years ago
Roger had went to the country to eventually drop off Oden when the adventure was coming to an end
It was a place you’d considered ever laying low in if the time came
And though it wasn’t a long stay there (maybe only a day or so) you had throughly enjoyed the minimal time of the land in which the sprawling greenery and light pink of Sakura created an indescribable beauty
It had been so long since you’d been there
So much so that you hadn’t realized you had woken up there once more
Wano was shrouded with an air of oppression upon the people you once saw flourish
Oden despite his short time on Roger’s ship had taught you all about the place he called home
And whatever happened here was certainly something that wouldn’t happen under his eye
So you go off to investigate yourself
Feeling yourself drawn somewhere you can’t quite place your finger on
Black Maria
For a long while you walked aimlessly within wano, sticking out like a sore thumb due to your clothing
While everyone else wears kimono’s or yukata’s your just in full on pirate gear
It isn’t exactly the best thing since it seems travellers here weren’t exactly common
So much so that you decided to try and stick to alleyways and quiet streets during the night
But even then the city was bustling, though it did still give a better opportunity to blend in
And it’s there sneaking through alleyways and criss-crossing from place to place you end up behind a brothel
The beautifully dressed women on break taking a look at you with lidded painted eyes that were quickly filled with worry
Bruises and scrapes covering your legs, unwashed hair with things stuck in it along with the clear clothes of a foreigner within the land where no one could leave of get in
The pretty women quickly drag you in the brothel, making sure to avoid occupied rooms and taking you to a spare one as they got to work on sprucing up your appearance
Even giving you a patterned yukata if your own
The hiding your old clothes away beneath the floorboards as they whisper amongst each other
And it’s then after they quickly finished a large blond woman enters through sliding shoji doors
Raging Anger appearing in her eyes before they land on you
A small child with bruises still on your small form and bandages that covered some of your cuts
Her anger disappeared as does the geisha woman who silently gives you a look “don’t tell her”
It is there you meet the woman Black Maria, the owner of this pleasure house and apart of the Beast pirates
You’ve heard of those pirates before, how people shuttered at just the name itself as if it were a curse
But as Maria gently looks you over, large hands examining your bruises with a gentle touch you can’t help but think you probably got lucky
Especially when seeing the initial anger that then bubbled away
Manicured nails making sure not to cause you more harm as she grazes over wounds
It’s there she asks where your parents were and you answer truthfully, that their long gone and it’s been you on your own
You didn’t think it was possible but her eyes softened more, a turquoise blue reminding you of precious jewels
She contemplates for a minute, then eyes then hardening a bit as she asks you if you’d like to work for her as a delivery/message bringer and you agree
Working under Maria is certainly an…odd position
Though you worked delivery for Sengoku at Marineford working for Maria is much different for you
Especially since the horned woman seems to coddle you
When she’s not entertaining customers or doing her work she often spends her time with you
Helping style your hair with ornate hairpins or picking out patterned kimono’s for you to wear
Fretting over your scraped knee’s as she chastises you in being more careful
Teaching you to play the shamisen and being proud when you pick it up with flying colours
Singing you to sleep on the nights you find yourself restless
She reminds you of a mother, maybe not your own but an extremely dotting one
But despite all this you still see some of her cruelty towards others
Though it’s not directed at you, you’ve sometimes run into her punishing others
Getting a sick glee from hearing screams and bones crack beneath flesh
It’s disturbing…especially when she does completely switches when your around
A distinct contrast from the motherly persona she puts on for you
Kissing your forehead good luck in the morning as you set out to deliver before then killing someone in cold blood just minutes later
In some ways it’s terrifying but by now on the sea you’d seen and met so many people that it’s lost its punch it might’ve when you initially set out
So you go off, delivering her letters and such to others in the beast pirates ranks
A golden hairpin of a spider crawling across a branch of flowers added to your obi to signify your protection and status as her messenger
When you come back to her personal residence she pats your head and then tells you to eat up the meal she’d had prepared specially for you
It’s nice, perhaps even a bit nostalgic for you
And after checking you over she sends you to bed in a renovated room she gave you that’s near her own
She says it’s more convenient that way, for you to be onsite and close for when she needs more deliveries
But she doesn’t tell you about how she checks on you in the night when your small cries while asleep can be quietly heard through the thin walls
Doesn’t say how she personally threatened the other commanders that if they lay a single hand on you she’d deal with them herself
Doesn’t admit how she itches with a sort of possessiveness in knowing you work for her when others begin to gain a curious interest in the small fearless child she now calls her own
She likes the gentle feeling of warmth you give her heart
Likes how she can find herself to be kind and caring with you
Enjoys the fact you value her company over business or pleasure
When you smile at her it’s genuine
And the woman who weaves webs decides that one day a new spider would take her place
Perhaps you’d take that role
But for now your her dutiful little messenger
A cute little treasure she’d take good care of and nurture as if you were her own child
Because perhaps she considers you that
When a mother spider catches a brightly shining firefly in her web, she’s hardly content in letting it go after all
“Which would you like for today?” Black Maria questions as she holds out several folded up kimonos. Each look to be high quality, all with patterns and warm comfortable material to protect from the wano weather.
You look up towards her, tilting your head a bit in confusion. “Are you sure I need so many? I’m just your delivery-“
“Don’t be ridicules dear” she cuts you off, then placing a gentle hand on your head. Normally she’d ruffle it but she had already put in the effort of styling it and didn’t want to ruin her work. “You work for me. And I can’t have my precious little messenger underprepared for the weather. Besides, I have plenty spare kimono that are wasting away not being used.”
“I’ve survived with worse before. One time I was forced out in minus 10 weather while in nothing but shorts and a shirt”. That might’ve not have been the best thing you could’ve said cause her expression shifts to horror. “But it’s fine though!-“
She sighs, then lightly flicking your forehead. “Whoever did that to you better be dead or else.” She holds out the kimono again “no ifs, ands or buts. Now pick”. Under her fierce and loving gaze you choose one of the folded bundles, a dark blue kimono with the pattern of fireflies in a field is the one you decide on
Sasaki
You meet the green haired fishman when delivering a letter to him while he was drinking
It was right before your mandatory lunch break Maria practically forces you to have when hearing that you ran around all day without stopping
So after delivering the letter you decided to stay with the relatively laidback looking who invited you to join due to his curiosity
You find Sasaki to be a relatively odd figure, not only for his relatively lax demeanour but also his burning ambition
He wants to become an All-Star within the beast pirates ranks by defeating one and taking their place
As does his colleague Who’s-Who
To be honest you haven’t really cared to learn the hierarchy of this crew
All you knew is that it seemed like these “All-stars” were the highest on the chain besides their captain Kaido
Speaking of which, Sasaki talks about him quite a bit while sipping his sake
The clear alcoholic liquid being chugged as if it were water
Sasaki holds him in a high regard, but for others on the crew…not so much
Sure, there were a few that had earned his respect for them but in others he seemed to find them too haughty
Luckily for you it seems you’ve gotten on his good side
his easygoing and your calm mix well together, a laid back charm between the two of you despite being very different in other regards
It’s due to this that on your breaks the green haired man seeks you out
At first it’s the occasional asking if you’d like to join him for some food as you start your break
But later devolves into practically kidnapping you to join him and his subordinates to party
Typically at parties adults aren’t too keen on letting you sneak some alcohol but the fishman either doesn’t care or thinks it’s funny until Black Maria and more responsible adults are on his ass about it
Speaking of which, Maria can’t help but be a little exasperated that of all people it had to be Sasaki who was the first to get attached to you
Something he rubs in the face of others later on
And uses as a sort of leverage? Your not really sure how that happened but he’s definitely holding that above Who’s-Who and Ulti as if it were a gift from the gods
But either way you find him to be fun, especially when asking him about his devil fruit or his time as his own pirate crew
Both things he talks about in high regard
While on the sea you’d actually heard about his crew, and though you’d never met them it does pique your interest
Especially since how can someone as prideful as Sasaki go from being a captain of his own crew to being an underling to another?
It’s odd
But something kinda intriguing since something like that happens very rarely
Since typically the captain is killed
But instead Sasaki was able to rise in the ranks
He’s not at the top like he wants but it would be somewhat naive to say he isn’t powerful or lucky in his own regard
His devil fruit also interests you cause….dinosaurs!!!
You’d got to see some firsthand on your couple of times waking up on little garden (and then being quickly eaten by said dinosaurs if Dorry and Brogy weren’t there)
But getting to see one that doesn’t actively try to kill you is super cool
Especially since you get to examine without being stomped like a pancake
Sasaki seems to take pride in how amazed you look, especially when you start spewing out Triceratops facts
Some from first hand experience like “did you know they have the capacity to tear off your head if the wanted too-“ and “their hardened skin allows for defence against other predators!”
To be honest after a long while of using his devil fruit the amazement effect of it had worn off
So having someone fawn over it is kinda nice
Sasaki feels appreciated by you, like he’s being listened to when he goes off on a partially drunken regal of his pirates days
And in a similar fashion Sasaki listens to you
For a unassuming kid you talk as if a library of knowledge was directly in your head
Along with that you seem to throw safety to the wind like the time you almost got into an arm wrestling contest with Ulti before he had to drag you away
Because who in their right mind would do that when she for sure would somehow accidentally kill you
You have guts for sure, something he definitely respects
But also leaves him worried shitless because what’s next? King have a tea party with you or something?!
Him and Who’s-Who made bets about whether that would happen or not and he has his good booze on the line if you somehow make that happen
And he prays that won’t happen for not only the sake of his booze and his own sanity
“Oi kid! Wanna join for some lunch?”
“I have one more letter to deliver-“ before you can finish the horned man picks you up by the scruff of your kimono giving a laugh.
“Eh don’t sweat it. I can send someone to do it for you after. You’ve been on your feet all day, you need a break”
Who’s-Who
Similarly to Sasaki, Who’s-Who is a relatively odd but interestingly determined figure
You had delivered stuff to him a few times but actually get to know him through Sasaki’s forced lunch breaks
He’s stone faced at first
But over time you see the chipping away of his somewhat serious disposition
Especially when people seemingly get on his nerves and his anger flares up
He has…quite the barrage of insults, so much so that the typically loose mouthed Sasaki covers your ears
But to be honest you’d probably heard worse with your years on the sea
Anywho (hah) you listen to a lot of his rants about his backstory
Specifically something to do with CP9? It was something government and marine related
Sounded vaguely familiar but to be honest you typically forget about the specifics of most things and people after a certain amount of time
So you just nod along as he keeps going off
Until he starts getting into stuff about history that’s blatantly wrong
Specifically about fishmen
So you correct him and that ends up in a landslide of rebutting his points with hard facts
And in that verbal exchange despite his biting tone you keep calm and explain what was wrong
And seemingly because you stood your ground he gained a liking for you?
Your not sure how but you guessed he thought you’d be a pushover (it depends on the situation)
But for a kid who’s job was being a messenger you seemingly proved yourself to him in some weird convoluted way
Though that might’ve also been because you answered some of his questions about some myths he had been interested in
The sun god and the star god
Apparently he’d heard about the two while in jail, the stories giving him hope of one day being free and having the power to achieve his goals
Two enigmatic beings that surpassed even you in how old they were
Two shining beacons acting as hope for the hopeless and shackled down
Giving people the power to rebel and achieve their dreams
Even you hadn’t heard too much about the two, just odd myths here and there
But with what you did have seemed to satisfy the pink haired man
But that brought up the question of how you knew those myths
Something you don’t really reveal and just write off as “heard it somewhere”
But at this point Who’s-Who didn’t care enough to question it
Let alone try and get you into trouble when you’ve been one of the only people to actually be able to give him more information
So he’s satisfied
At least for now
Sometimes you run into him on your way to deliver things and he joins you for a bit of the way if he has nothing to do
You slow down a bit to a brisk walk as he leisurely follows suit
Conversation following quickly after on a wide variety of topics
He’ll be damned to admit it but your way too good of a kid to be stuck here
Let alone be kinda working for the beast pirates considering their reputation
But he supposes that every has their reasons
And it doesn’t seem like you’d be able to leave anytime soon considering Maria practically dotes on you like your her own flesh and blood
But he won’t say that aloud
Not when the blond woman would throttle him
And you’d probably look at him all confused
For such a mature kid your still pretty naive and clueless in some departments
I mean come on! Do you not see how the scariest woman on the damn island is basically wrapped around your finger
She almost attacked Sasaki for sneaking you some sake and it was only because of you politely asking her not that she didn’t
He’s definitely partially convinced you have some sort of friendship devil fruit or something
That thought is only becoming more prominent when you somehow befriend Ulti
“So you and Sasaki want to become an “All-Star” right? How does that work?”
“Either Kaido elects you himself or you prove yourself by defeating an All-Star and taking their place”
You nod, then asking “so who do you wanna beat?”
He smiles “doesn’t matter, as long as I become an All-Star is the goal”
Ulti
The cutesy and hot tempered young lady is one you run into by accident since Maria didn’t trust that she wouldn’t blow a fuse somehow if you had to deliver a letter to her
But nether the less you both meet
And seemingly like Black Maria she finds you to be cute
Which means you have less of a chance to be victim to being attacked by her unless you reallly provoked her somehow
But luckily you haven’t! Especially when you can see subtly gestures as to when she gets irritated
She gets volatile pretty quick but it’s just as easy to be able to calm her down when you call her “lady Ulti”
She seems to like the idea of being a polite lady of high society and maturity
So much so that when she’s not angry she tries to fit this image
And she also seems to like cutsy girlish things
Both of which you indulge her in which gets you in her good graces much to everyone’s shock and amazement
To be honest you don’t really get the deal? This might be you just being desensitized to this kinda stuff but she’s honestly not to hard to deal with
Calling her “lady Ulti” or buying her a few cute charms with some of the money Black Maria gives you seems to placate her anger in most instances
Something that others seem to be thankful for
Though she’s a fierce-some pirate with a temper she also enjoys some of the more simple things in life
She likes to have tea parties with you and do mundane things like shopping or having her hair braided
Perhaps due to being the older sister and caretaker to her brother after their father died she hadn’t had much a childhood to experience such things
Not that you mind, you can’t even really remember your childhood before taking to the sea
Your parents faces blurred and distorted, voices lost like whispers in the wind, their warm hugs dissipated into cold nothingness
So you enjoy your time with her, reliving a time of innocent happiness just as she does
She gets a bit over excited at times not realizing her strength like the time she almost crushed your spine in a hug
But she slowly begins to realize how in comparison your much more fragile than her and others around her
Page one definitely helps her with this quite a bit, especially considering she was like this when they were kids and back then she also had to regulate her strength around people (aka him with her death hugs)
Speaking of her brother she actually pretty happy she’s found a friend?
He’s not really sure how it happened but he’s genuinely happy for her, (also cause she doesn’t cling to him as much, she still does occasionally but now your her main target lol)
She acts a lot like how a sister would
Though she’s sometimes bratty she’s still caring and mischievous in a fun way
Often dragging you away to play games or browse through the shops nearby
It’s honestly pretty nice (when she’s not angry)
But with this comes some genuine moments with her
After their dad died Kaido had taken her and Page one in
As the eldest she decided she needed to step up
And while she did do that she felt like she lost time in enjoying her childhood, of spending time with her brother and forming genuine connections
Being in the beast pirates is a constant power struggle
People always trying to climb to the top no matter the cost
She’s lost a portion of herself in establishing stability for both herself and Page one
Now trying to make up for it even if he saw her clingy affection as annoying
Because at heart she does care
She cares a lot about the few who’ve made the effort to see her
And even if she snaps like a twig when things don’t go her way she doesn’t really mean to
It’s just how she reacts and she can’t really hone it back despite her attempts to do so
But you see that when others don’t
And she deeply appreciates it in her own way
So when she barges in and takes you shopping it’s her trying to show how she appreciates the efforts
Or when she picks you up and sits you atop her shoulder so you can see above the crowd and not get lost
Black Maria is certainly in for a surprise when she finds the two of you having a tea party but decidedly joins in
It’s odd seeing Ulti so happy without snapping in the span of a few minutes but Maria is pleasantly impressed
Though she does get a bit annoyed when Ulti then starts hounding her to send more letters so she has more excuses to play Hanafuda with you (you let her win each time)
Everyone seems to pity your eardrums for when she squeals in joy
“Hey lady Ulti, do you wanna get matching Omamori charms?” You say holding up two of the small luck charms, she turns to you eyes widening with delight.
“Kya!! Really!”
“Sure, it’s why I asked”
Yamato
You met Yamato completely by accident not knowing who he was or why he was in the walls
But at this point you don’t question anything as he freezes in place and you just ask “yo…are you alright? Should I go orrrrr?” In which shakes his head
And then you leave
But then a few days later he finds you while on your way back to Black Maria’s
In which he talks to you
In many ways you find Yamato to be aspiring as you feel his determination burn brightly and strong
He’s faced adversity yet he stands tall admits it all
And….well seeing him idolize Oden and even pick up his mannerism is kinda oddly comforting to you
It must have been years (how many exactly you don’t know) since you last saw Oden but it feels like yesterday
You remember talking with him on the Jolly Roger
Remember him regaling proudly of his homeland and of the Whitebeard pirates who welcomed him aboard
Remember his goodbye to the Roger crew and his joyous hug before stepping off the ship into what now feels like a shadow of what used to be his home
And now your faced with someone who acts like him
Oden was a friend who felt like an old one despite how little time he truly spent with you
And as quickly as he came into your life he was gone like many others you’d met, and all the same it stings and burns like acid
You’d never met his family like he promised
Never had that giant feast he promised Shanks, Buggy and you when you’d all visit
Never got to fulfil in fully raising Momonosuke
Never had the chance in fulfilling his life before his spark was snuffed out
But as you talk more with the young prince you see that while he isn’t Oden himself it certainly feels like in some sense your talking a bit to Oden again
Seeing how Yamato seemingly fights against his father
Against all those you’d somehow come to know while technically working for the beast pirates is inspiring
Especially considering how strong they all are
You didn’t need to see them fight to know how powerful even non All-Stars were
I mean, Kaido wouldn’t be named an “emperor” of the sea and was able to conquer a nation if he wasn’t a powerhouse
Yet Yamato keeps fighting
Because Yamato wouldn’t back down…no he couldn’t back down
Just like Oden wouldn’t
You have to sneak out to hang out with the red horned prince but no one really bats an eye
Not when they just assume your being a kid
So at night Yamato and you hang out
And you tell him your experiences with Oden yourself
And much to your surprise he believes you
He believe you wholeheartedly so much so that it makes you confused
Until he pulls out an old book, partially withered by age yet loved and cared for to keep its contents in surviving longer
And in that book in which Oden wrote while on the high sea with the likes of Whitebeard and Roger
He mentioned a young sailor child that was on Roger’s ship, one he nicknamed within the book as “Chīsana hoshi”
Little star
An affectionate nickname the Daimyo would give to you
The mysterious child whom told stories of the stars and of tales untold
One with what felt like great burning stars in their eyes and wormed their way into the hearts of many
One that sang with the sea and knew secrets untold
To be honest you’d be more touched by the sentiment if Oden didn’t tact on to the end a stick figure drawing of you
Cause wow….for someone who was well educated and wrote so eloquently he really just outed you with a stick figure
Speaking of which, you’d gone years without there being proper photos or drawings of you to escape the world governments attention
But it’s a stick figure
A god damn stick figure
You can’t tell if your upset or kinda impressed
Either way it’s safe to say that Yamato hounds you with questions
But you can’t say you don’t enjoy it as it refreshes your memory a bit
Something you never mind especially when you find yourself remembering details your quickly forgetting over the years
And Yamato seems to notice this as you go blank for a few seconds trying to remember
The slow look of horror as you find yourself not being able to recall some moments
Some things completely lost to the static of your mind and time
And the ecstatic enthusiasm faded from Yamato seeing how broken down the more you try to recall
And realizing you can’t
So he instead shifts the topic
Talking about his yearning for freedom
Anything to take your mind off remembering
And it doesn’t work until he mentions a catalyst to this
Ace
“Ace…as in Portgas Ace?” You question warily watching as Yamato’s expression lights up. He practically springs up, taking out a small piece of paper you recognize as a vivre card
“You know him!” He exclaims excitedly.
“Yeah i helped raise him” you say pulling out the small sun charm as Yamato’s eyes widen in surprise.
“WHAT?!?”
King
Once more you meet him via deliveries but Maria gives you a fair warning about him
Announce your presence and do not go in without his permission lest you end up as ash pile on the ground
Fun
Though probably not one of the worst ways to die
You’d know that personally
But anyways you end up where his office should be
Never going this far into the fortress before now
To be honest the layout was a bit confusing but you made your way after asking a few passerby’s for directions
Them then giving you pitied stares as you go on your way
This guy can’t be that bad right?
And then arrive at the office announcing yourself with mail for him from Miss Black Maria
Keeping the honourifics just in case
For a moment there’s silence and then you hear movement
And the squeaking of something?
Why was there squeaking? Was he in leather pants or something-
And then the shoji doors open
And wow…..you didn’t expect that
Is he in…did you interrupt him or something???!??!
Your staring at this leather wearing head to toe dude with spikes and shit and- did he have a live flame in his back??
Yeah…this is weird even for you and that’s saying something
You hand him the letter and quickly scurry off
Not noticing the flame above him shining a bit brighter than usual
But he does
That’s Odd? Is what he notes to himself
When you deliver to him again it’s relatively the same routine as last time
Though you notice he pays closer attention
Watches your uncomfortable expression as you wait for him to take the letter and let you leave already
And when he does you scurry off again
For some reason though it happens again
His plume burning brighter than it usually would, an almost golden yellow colour rather than the typically orange and red he was used to
That hadn’t happened before
And now looking at it again did the fire begins to change shape?
But that….no he muses to himself that can’t be
It sounds vaguely familiar to something he once heard before the testing and before he lost his homeland
A legend whispered as comfort from a mother he can’t remember in his sleep
Something about a star and its burning flames
But king shakes his head
He’s suspicious but he doesn’t have much to go off now especially since the legends of his people are mostly lost
Besides not even he can remember the myths of his home
Barely old enough to even walk before being stripped of it and shipped off by the world government for testing
He wouldn’t be able remember much let alone remember it actively
Let alone know about a god they used to worship when barely anything is known of them compared to that of Joyboy
Plus your just some kid Maria took pity on, one that a few of the others seemed to have also taken a liking to
Nothing more and nothing less
But something deep in him told him the opposite
Like a small lick of a flame from a candle in the dark
A quiet glow in the sea of shadows
Faint and minuscule but there
Like a single star in the midnight sky, there shining but small and alone
…or at least that’s what this emotional constipated bird man says at first
Because you had apparently survived your delivery to King without being turned to ash has led to other messages being sent through Maria to you to him
Maria was enraged at first but you somehow talked her into it along with the fact that she gets more profit by charging for this service
Soo…. You end up meeting the learning wearing giant of a man
And somehow make conversation with him
To be honest not even he’s sure how it happened
It just did
Cause he asked about how your parents felt about this and it went into a long discussion with you
Specifically about how
A) their dead
B) you don’t remember them
And C) it’s been so long on your own you didn’t even remember where your home was
All of which he understands more than anyone else
To be honest that small question opened a floodgate in him he didn’t expect nor want
But either way it was opened and he couldn’t close it
Because every time he looks at you now he sees himself
Eyes that have seen too much for their age
Eyes that used to be wide and full of wonder reduced to that of tired ones
But unlike him at that age you don’t have the resenting anger he did
To be fair he perhaps had more to be angry about yet it also leaves him confused
How did you turn out the way you did despite it all?
A child who ended up in one of the worse environments possible yet thrives
A child who befriended or got on the good sides of notorious criminals and killers
A child despite seemingly loosing everything still keeping the spark to still find happiness
He sees in which you enjoy the rain despite the cold chill it leaves and the threat of sickness
Watches as you feed your packed bento from Maria’s cooks to a murder of crows even when your stomach grumbles
Observes while you keep strumming a guitar or keep walking even when your feet or fingers bleed
In a lot of ways your like him yet also the complete opposite
And it leaves him confused
And makes him watch
And-
“You don’t have to watch from the shadows you know?” You say not looking up from feeding your crow as he perches on your outstretched finger. You sit on the edge of the railing of a balcony, dangerously close to falling with a simple breeze “I don’t mind the company”
“You noticed me?” The lunarian man mumbles walking out from the doorway and stands by the rail as you continue to feed the bird. He watches the small winged creature, it caws in curiosity at his arrival and tilts its head curiously at the sight of his similar wings.
“You’re not too hard to notice to be fair….but it was your flame that sounded me off. It’s subtle but it’s there” you turn to look at him, petting the feathered little friend. “You notice that kinda thing after a while of being on your own. Even the smallest shift in the wind can alert your mind, giving the hope that someone else was there…but I get the feeling you know that already”
“I do”
A smile appears across your face. “Great minds think alike” your tone is somewhat joyous yet he hears a somewhat sad edge “don’t they Reggie?”
“Reggie? Is that the bird?”
“Yep, raised him and the flock myself!”
“You…raised them all?” Red eyes look out to nearby tree’s, at least 40 beady eyes stare out at him.
“Found them half dead after some villagers tried to kill them. Bad luck or whatever, but sounds like whack superstitions to me” you hold out Reggie to him (leaving out that these were the descendants of those same birds) “wanna hold him?”
King reluctantly takes the bird, the small gentle creature hopping onto his finger. It reacts….positively to him? Much to his surprise. King goes silent for a few moments, watching the midnight feathered bird then rubs its head against him. “I’m confused about you”
“Oh?”
“How are you the way are despite everything?” It’s a broad question “aren’t you angry at the world?”
You give a laugh “of course I’m angry. It took a long time to realize I was, so much had happened to me” you go a bit quiet at the last part but suddenly perk up again as you add “but I’ve met so many good people, seen so many beautiful things. And maybe…just maybe that makes me more content than it does angry. Don’t get me wrong, I still get upset but I have people there for me, some kinda healthy ways to deal with it I guess”
Reggie nudges king as the All-Star goes a bit quiet watching as you then stand on the balcony railing. He quirks an eyebrow beneath his mask, what are you doing-
“Wanna see something cool?” Before he can answer you raise out your arms leaning back dangerously, things practically go in slow motion for him as he races to grab you before you can do your trick
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?, do you have a death wish or something?!?”
“death isn’t that bad? There are worse things than death, believe me. But I was gonna-“ dear gods if he didn’t have white hair already then it would be after that
After that king for some reason keeps thinking about that moment
More specifically your mindset of death
And what the fuck have been through?
But he’s not wondering that in concern of course (definitely not)
More-so curiosity and how it could benefit Kaido (of course)
So he keeps thinking about it
And you
And ends up worrying that you’ll do something stupid again so he goes to find you
And make sure you didn’t do something stupid again that killed you
And wondering if you know how many near misses with death you have on a daily basis
So he goes back to watching silently
And…then joining you when you point out you know he’s there
And it’s not his fault that you seem to ease up to his company
And that you aren’t as annoying as his colleagues (when your not doing near death stupid shit)
And-
Oh fuuuuuuuuuuuuck
He quite literally goes through the 5 stages of grief
First is denial, of course he didn’t care for you
You were just some kid Maria employed and it was just more convenient to make sure you stayed alive- oi why the fuck is queen trying to drag you on stage for his stupid concert
Second is anger, and he’s unsure if he’s angry at you, himself or the situation because honestly how could he possibly somehow get attached to a kid of all things?! Let alone a weird one that seemingly relates to….him and loosing a home he doesn’t remember
Third is bargaining, no! He’s in control here! He’s can just stop talking with you and stop worrying….wait didn’t you just say you were gonna go out in the beast infested forest
Fourth is depression, because oh god he’s attached. The literal only other person he’s attached to is Kaido for obvious reasons. He didn’t think he needed other attachments to others but now he cares and god does it suck when you a god damn extrovert who’s also a magnet for trouble
And finally is acceptance, because he’s attached now god damn it and it’s simultaneous yours and (mostly) his problem
To be honest you don’t really mind at this point
Coming to enjoy his more quiet company after getting over his…odd attire (something which you now poke at him for)
Plus his wings and fire was cool
Oh! And his rad devil fruit too!!!
Dinosaurs were cool in general so it’s definitely an A+ in your books
Not gonna lie the dichotomy of chill sweet kid that everyone has a soft spot for and literally the scariest dude out there is one you find hilarious
Especially after you walked past a confused Sasaki who got a “yo” from you and a death glare from king
It definitely causes heads to turn while king doesn’t care you just find it funny as hell
You find him to be like…a scary big brother
Sure, he rolls his eyes sometimes at your jokes but you know he cares in his own ways when he stopes you from falling down another flight of stairs Cora-style
He seems to express this by just being around you, listening and protecting you
It’s nice
And also gives you the warning that he’s more attentive than most others
Honestly he seems to have a sixth sense for when you try and hide yet another scrape or cut
Like you could have the smallest splatter of mud on your kimono and he’s already figured out you fell earlier
and then calling you an idiot before dragging you to the nearest doctor employed by his crew
It’s honestly impressive and a bit worrying
So you definitely are careful about some of the things you say
But you still tell him stories
Regal your woes of adventures but frame them as being on Wano
And he listens to them all the same
Soaking up your words
One day you give to him a charm fashioned of moonstones, a small piece of gold you carved into a small star,and spare feathers of your crows whom had come to immediately love him (especially perching on his shoulders for warmth)
And in return he give you one of his feathers, one freshly plucked from his wing that you later turn into an earring
What you don’t know is that of the little things he’s remembered of his home is that the gift you gave him was something akin to a lunarian’s gift towards a close friend
He knows at this point with his flame still turning a bright gold and changing shape it can’t be coincidence
But for now he leaves it be
That can be answered later
Especially when for once King feels like Alber again
A lone boy who lost his home who yearned to find someone like him
And though he didn’t find another Lunarian he found someone else instead
But that was fine for him
“This may be a weird question, but do you ever wish you could fly high enough to touch the stars?” You asked one night looking up towards a brightly shining night sky.
Alber looks up for a moment wings involuntarily flexing at the thought of it “it’s all I ever wanted”. It had been a dream of his ever since he had been locked away and prodded at, to fly so high to the stars that would comfort him with their warmth compared to his barely flickering flame. To let a god whose name he can’t remember hear his prayers.
You both share this silent moment both realizing something about the other
For you it’s how his flame shines a light gold, dancing as they formed a familiar four pointed star you’d yet to forget
While for him it’s the fact that for a moment he sees in the depths of yours eyes the brightest star in the sky that used to reside over his home
Queen
Once more you get a warning from Black Maria about him and you think it can’t possibly be more weird than king
You walk in on this dude having a full on concert whilst the crowd of beast pirates roar in cheers for him
Somehow you begin to believe that maybe Kaido hires the most insane weirdo’s out there
Like Roger literally sometimes found random people on the street and asked them to join
But this, this is a new level of finding people
He also gives you kinda off vibes
So you stay clear, handing the note to one of his men and asking forgot it to be delivered when his performance was done
Dodged a bullet there
Though you would admit his song was kinda catchy
…separate the art from the artist? Nah, he probably did some war crimes or worse
Next time your not so lucky though
Catching him just before his concert as apparently one of the lead guitarist flunked out due to being too hungover
Queen, not being to keen to really talk to anyone because this would fuck up his concert and he was very very fucking upset over that
Like borderline really dramatically upset about it
I mean, you guess you can’t blame him but still
He was taking it a bit far by throwing someone against the wall though
You’d rather not start a civil war if Black Maria heard he accidentally squished you like a stress toy so you step up instead
Taking the lone guitar held up by a relatively scared pirate and take a Quick Look at the sheet to memorize it after a minute or two
Looks like your deliveries would be on a bit of a pause until this was done
You just thank whatever gods there are that Maria is a forgiving boss (to you at least) and that over your many years alone on the barren sea you picked up just about every instrument you could and mastered them (partially to pass time and keep sane)
Though this was also partially due to Brook and the Rumbar pirates
Turning to the still scared shitless assistant yelling at him to tell you what you need to play
Which seemingly gets the attention of the large blond who was now looking down at your curiously
Picking you up by the scruff (why did everyone do that and why was everyone so damn tall here???) to get a proper look at you
Inquisitively trying to figure out just exactly who you were before seeing the hairpin Maria gave you
But then that brings up new questions
Ones he’s about to ask before you tell him that you’d fill in for the first half of the show as long as he’d get someone for the second half and take the mail you have for him
He quirks a brow asking if your any good
And just say that your rusty but good enough to get the job done
With that he puts you down, somewhat relived that at least you’d be somewhat competent
And with that the crowd keeps cheering waiting for him to come on stage
You tie up the sleeves of your kimono for more movement and ready your hand movements
It’s been awhile since you played guitar or even a bass but it would have to do
You would always prefer you ukulele anyways but you were decent with other instruments
So with that you enter the stage via a staircase up and through a side door
Just before queen is literally launched on stage
And then you begin as the crowd goes wild
Typically when you’d play you were by yourself so you could never really gauge how good you were
Like sure, you could sometimes see your progress but in other times it all sounded and played the same
In a sense it was lonely but filling at the same time
You were always a solo, yet it filled the sound of the quiet waves and relative silence you’d normally experience
A silence that sometimes became chilling as you laid there
Days to weeks on end
With no one
With nothing but memories
With nothing but your mind to fill it
It’s why you had found yourself taking to so many hobbies
If only to fill time and oblivion
You’d hands move on their own as you pick up on what was slowly lost to you
Becoming more complicated and impressive as you find yourself having fun with it
You even pull off a few tricks if only to make the show better
Might as well show off a little when you have people to show off too
Queen keeps singing as do the chorus of fans
Eh screw it
Lifting the guitar behind your head is more a challenge due to its weight rather than you playing it
You’d perfected the party trick after many many many attempts and practice
And after a moment of getting used to it again the muscle memory kicked in
The crowd goes wild and your not sure if it’s from Queen or your performance
Probably Queen
You close your eyes in concentration
It was easier that way when getting into the groove of it for you
Closing your eyes and concentrating
Just letting yourself play as the world around you faded out into a darkness that you’ve familiarized yourself with
Keep going even if your sweating buckets
Keep playing even if your things go numb and bleed
You dealt with worse
There was that time your hand was chopped off and you were left to die
To bleed out
You know the feeling Almost intimately
The pain
The drowsiness
The want for sleep
And then finish
Your hand strums down and the final cord rings out
You open your eyes and ears to the crowd silent for a moment
And staring at you
As does Queen and the others on the stage
Wow were you that bad-
Deafening cheers then ring out and you stand there looking around confused for a moment
Then spotting the new guitarist frozen and almost paper white, he must’ve been horrified at your performance
Hand him the guitar you pat his back
Giving him a small smile and a “break a leg out there” before rummaging through your pockets to hand Queen the letter
You look to the still cheering crowd and their hands already raised to catch you
Giving a peace sign to performers on stage and then you dive into the crowd
Letting them throw you into the air before catching you again multiple times, then eventually get you to the door
Not long later Queen tries to get you to sign a “music deal”?
Your not sure what that is but King quickly intercepted by kicking the door down and burning said paper
He’s still trying to get you to preform again
“If you think that was good, you should see my ukulele game. It’s my favourite” you say picking up the same guitar you preformed with last time, distantly in the crowd you see Sasaki, Who’s-Who and Ulti who seemingly dragged along Page One.
“Kid, I don’t think that will make you much money” Queen responds as he readies himself
“It’s not about money, it’s for fun. Besides, I’m not that good at guitar anyways”
“Say that to the crowd”
Kaido
While staying in wano and traversing the place of the beast pirates home you’ve noticed an odd pulling sensation
You noticed it when you first came to wano, but as you got closer to the layer of beasts it got stronger
Pulling and directing you deeper into the almost literal lions den
You’d yet to find out what it was but you’d sometimes come closer to it
As if it moved within this place
But today you’d have the opportunity to perhaps find it, apparently Maria wanted to drag you along to a meeting issued by Kaido himself
Why? Well you weren’t all that sure but it was something along the lines of Kaido’s curiosity and her deciding that it was best for you to get more Involved
Whatever that meant
You had the feeling she was wanting you to officially join
Something of which that others seemed to agree on
Normally when this would happen you’d have somehow died or run away but…your not sure what’s holding you back this time
Maybe it’s that mysterious pull
That’s what you chalk it up to yet you know there are other reasons
Maria for sure is one
King is another
Both for some reason are people you can’t quite want to say goodbye to
But you know it will come eventually
So you push the thoughts away for later
Maria eagerly dresses you up today, doing your hair with the upmost precision
Gently directing your head while she adds she light touches of makeup
She looks proudly at her work (or is it you?) before explaining what the meeting was about…pirates politics or something
You didn’t really get it but just nodded along as she giggled
Booping your nose and saying all you had to do was just be there
Which you were more than fine with
So you go with her
Deeper into Kaido’s territory
That odd pull getting greater and at the same time somehow weaker
Like a frequency on a radio
You hadn’t even noticed it but your now at the door to the meeting room
King crouched down to be closer to your eye level asking if your ok
You haven’t even noticed how much of a daze you were in
You nod, just saying your alright
He accepts it but clearly still has a bit of worry
And in you enter
Everyone but Kaido inside
Page one being Ashley’s with hugs by Ulti
Sasaki and Who’s-who glaring daggers as Queen and then King
Maria has you sit down beside her, cooing over how adorable you apparently look
Ulti then joining in
Other in the room giving you pitied stares
But that’s before shoji doors slide open
And everyone straightens in their seats
For a moment there is silence
And then
You hear your name
Looking up you catch eyes with the somewhat elusive Kaido but for a man who’s said to be bloodthirsty and stoic his face is molded into that of guilt?
Guilt, surprise and perhaps a tinge of sadness
Everyone’s eyes are on you now but all you can focus on is Kaido’s
Pools of gold tinged with recognition
He knows you
Or rather knew you
You try to think back
He knows you, you must’ve met him before but…you don’t remember
you didn’t remember him…..
You don’t remember
You don’t remembeṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don’t remembė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don’t rememb̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don’t remem̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don’t reme̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don’t rem̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don’t re̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don’t ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don’t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don ̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You don̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You dơ̶̗̱̅̑̒̅͂n̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
You d̵̯̰̈́̐̈ͅơ̶̗̱̅̑̒̅͂n̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜
thinking of a Shidou TikTok account, and it would be absolute chaos in the best way possible. A combination of:
• Fit checks – I know he has a CLUSTERED wardrobe and likes to get creative with clothes combinations and somehow always makes them work. imagine short clips of him strutting with whatever song he’s hyperfixated on blasting in the background.
• Storytimes – messy retellings of unhinged life stories, usually filmed while he’s rushing to school with a half-burnt piece of toast in his mouth or mid-task, like cooking noodles and nearly burning the kitchen down.
• Football – him setting up his phone on a ledge and casually showing off his tricks like it’s nothing. the kind of stuff that makes you do a double take.
• Art – random pans over his sketchbook or shots of projects he’s working on at school. probably doesn’t say much, just lets the visuals speak.
• Thirst traps – he knows he looks good and he ain't shy so buckle up 😭
• Fanboying – for instance a three-minute-long ramble about an obscure goal from a football match in 2007 like it was the peak of human achievement. he’s so serious about it too.
• Randoms – something like him stopping to pet a street cat and trying to have a full conversation with it, or befriending a random kid and racing them to the station with zero context.
• Digital diary vibes – his page would basically be a personal journal. not curated, not polished; just real, weird, and very him.
I know blue lock is set in 2018 so technically this wouldn’t even happen but whatever 🥸
thinking of the average conversation with zantetsu and shidou and I know for a fact that when zantetsu says something factually incorrect shidou either goes along with it to encourage the stupidness or he teases him till zantetsu pleads for mercy 😭😭
i’m still upset we never got to see that pxg disband 💔 pxg played four official matches together, had meetings and practices as a group and slept in the same dorms so I would imagine some kind of bond was formed. tbf this goes for the other four teams as well
maybe we’ll get a flashback later? I doubt we will but I refuse to believe charles is gone and I didn’t get to see him hug shidou goodbye or something 😭
one nice thing about time passing is that we’re getting closer and closer to finally finding out shidou’s backstory… sigh.
I’ve had so many conversations with my moots trying to piece it together, but at this point, I’ve kind of given up on speculating. I just want the real thing already 😖
shidou’s my favourite character, and I love overanalyzing him so his past feels like this huge missing puzzle piece that’s always on my mind. that said, I still find so much joy in his character as he is, even without all the answers 🙂↕️
when they are playfully bickering shidou will get all up in karasu’s face trying to intimated him and the easiest way to win the fight is for karasu to pretend to kiss him. works every time
Karasu is a cat person and Shidou is a dog person, so they end up getting a dog. They made a bet to decide which pet to get, and Karasu let Shidou win.
if they are ever just chilling in the living room or bedroom, shidou tends to look over karasu’s shoulder while he’s texting people or scrolling through social media and will scroll for him without asking. karasu finds this extremely dumb 😭 cuz shidou has his own phone so why disturb him. shidou’s reasoning is something along the lines of “it’s more fun this way and your reaction every time makes it worth it”
Since I did Rin’s I had to do Shidou’s. Also I have no idea when imma do Sae’s, he next on the list that my brother gave me…so yeah. “Hopefully I start on that soon.” I said foolishly. Knowing damn well I probably won’t since I got an animation I gotta work on.
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
izzy806
2087
germansingergirl
