You can call me Miso, a 25 year old whose brain is now soup! I read, write and draw to fandoms that I take interests to. I am very new in using Tumblr (I mainly use this app to read and see art) but with my activity at Ao3 I want to make a connection to my readers or those who just want to talk to me directlyïŒÎŠÏΊïŒMy DMs are OPEN so feel free to ask or nag me about updating my fics lmao!
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+ I write: SFW, Fluff, Angst, Platonic and Romantic Relationships
+ Status: Currently on Hiatus (I'll be back around June 2024)
+ Request: Coming Soon!
âšïžAo3 Masterlistâšïž
Archive of our Own [Ao3]: misou_soupp
đRise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2018
Raising your World from Ashes (Leonardo Hamatox FEMALE Reader) Romance, Familial, Fluff, Angst, Action
Summary: Casey Jones Jr. wasnât the first person from the future to step in New York before of its fall. You become a teen, single mother in one night to your future son who is a mutant turtle. A promise from a mother whose ashes left a huge weight to your world.
In My Arms (Leonardo Hamato x Reader) Angst, Hurt No Comfort
Summary: Leo's arms are the safest place in the entire world.
Hummingbird (Michelangelo Hamato x Reader; Set in the universe of RYWFA) Angst & Fluff
Summary: You always wanted to see your favorite birds for the last time with Mikey.
Turtle Tot Adventures (Turtle tots and GN Reader) Platonic Fluff
Summary: You adopted a squishy looking baby who happens to be a mutant turtle.
đHazbin Hotel 2024
Laughing at the Face of Death (Multiple Love Interests x GN Reader) Fluff, Romance, Angst, Horror
Summary: Soul is an important part of being human- of existence. Both in Heaven and Hell, it is the treasure and the bargain, but on Earth it is the most forgettable of all.
As the archangel of Death and tasks to guide the souls to their final judgment while maintaining balance and order in Purgatory, Heaven seems to treat you as an underpaid intern who they keep on mistreating sinner souls as destructible marbles.
[Takes place after Season One of Hazbin Hotel]
đOsomatsu-san 2015
Come Home! (Matsuno family and SISTER Reader) Platonic Fluff & Angst
Summary: The day where the oldest and most reliable member of the Matsuno family comes home.
âšïžTumblr Masterlistâšïž
Story Idea: Miguel O'Hara and Daughter! Reader/BlackCat! Reader (Platonic and Angst) ATSV
Hummingbird (ROTTMNT Michelangelo x Reader; Set in the universe of RYWFA) Angst & Fluff
đArt
+ Masterlist of art I made, most of them are fanart for another fanfic series and I'm hoping to have confidence in also posting original art here soon.
đRise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Art Dump 2023 featuring my sketches for my ongoing series 'Raising your World from Ashes'
SHOUTOUT to the awesome @adorkablecringeworks's fanart from RYWFA Chapter 4. (whenever I have trouble updating this series, I always stare at this drawing and I'm instantly motivated!)
đNinjago
Chapter 67: The Jade Princess Sketches for Wisps: Recollection (Ninjago x Reader) by ilikeanimemenuwu
hiii how are you?? is it okay if i requests how would yandere disney villains to their darling kissing them softly? like softly, tenderly kissing them (you decide if its out of pity or if darling just loves to kiss to greet on the cheek and they turn so its a kiss on the lips) ANYWAYS THANK YOU I LOVE YOUR WORKSSS
Ahhhh, thank you very much! I'm good, I hope you are too! âĄ(ÂŽïœĄâąă âąïœĄ`)
Captain James Hook
- The second your lips brush his, Hook freezes. His eyes go wide, the perpetual smirk wiped clean off his face. For one heartbeat he looks almost⊠boyish. Vulnerable. Then the madness crashes in.
- His hook shoots up to cradle the back of your head, cold metal pressing just hard enough against your scalp to remind you it could slice if he wished.Â
- With his good hand he seizes your chin, forcing you to hold the kiss longer than you intendedâslowly, deliberately deepening it until youâre breathless.Â
- When he finally pulls away, his voice is a low, trembling growl: âDo you have any idea what youâve just done, darling? Youâve signed your soul away with that little gesture.âÂ
- Heâll laugh, but itâs manic, wet with obsession. âNo one else will ever feel these lips again. Not any man, not my crew, not even the wind. Iâll cut the mouth off anyone who tries.âÂ
- From that moment on he keeps you in his cabin at all times, humming sea shanties while polishing his hook and watching you like youâre the new treasure heâll sink entire fleets to protect.
Gaston
- Gastonâs brain short-circuits the instant your soft kiss lands. His massive chest stops mid-heave. You can actually hear the record-scratch in his mind: âShe is kissing ME⊠voluntarily?â Â
- He grabs you by the waist with both hands and lifts you clean off the ground so fast the world spins, slamming you gently-but-firmly against the nearest wall, caging you there with his body.Â
âAgain,â he demands, voice rough, eyes wild. âDo it again. Now.âÂ
- When you hesitate, he leans in until his forehead touches yours, practically shaking with restraint. âYou donât get it yet, do you? That wasnât just a kiss. That was you choosing me. Forever. No take-backs.âÂ
- He kisses you backâhard, hungry, claimingâthen peppers softer, frantic ones all over your face like heâs trying to memorize the taste before someone steals you.Â
- From then on heâs unbearable: bragging to the entire village that you kissed him first, carrying you over his shoulder everywhere, growling at anyone who looks at you for more than a second. âMine. Sheâs mine.â
Jafar
- Jafarâs reaction is chillingly quiet at first. Your soft kiss lands on his lips and he doesnât move, doesnât breathe. Only his eyes widen a fraction. Then a slow, dangerous smile curls across his face.
- He cups your cheek with one gloved hand, thumb stroking your lips, as if checking the kiss actually happened. His voice drops to a velvet whisper.
âMy dear⊠youâve just sealed your fate more securely than any chain I could conjure.âÂ
- With a lazy flick of his staff, the doors to the throne room slam shut and lock with golden magic. The torches dim to blood-red.Â
- He kisses you back slow, hypnotic, drawing it out until your knees buckle. When he releases you, he keeps a hand collared loosely around your throat, just enough pressure to remind you who holds the power.Â
- âSuch a sweet, foolish little lamb,â he murmurs against your ear. âDid you truly think a single kiss would satisfy me? No⊠I will savor you for centuries.âÂ
- He never lets you leave the palace again. You become his most prized possessionâdraped in silk and gold, seated at his feet on the throne, a living trophy that only he is allowed to touch. Anyone who even speaks your name without permission finds themselves transformed into something small, silent, and very breakable.
Scar
- Scarâs golden eyes snap open the instant your lips touch his. For a single heartbeat he is utterly stillâlike a predator that canât believe the prey just walked up and nuzzled him.
- Then his paw is on the back of your neck, claws pricking just enough to warn you not to pull away.Â
- He drags the kiss out, slow and deliberate, tasting you with a low, rumbling purr that vibrates through his chest into yours. When he finally releases you, his tongue flicks across his fangs as if chasing the flavor.Â
âWell, well,â he drawls, voice dripping with dark honey. âIt seems the little creature has decided to worship its king.âÂ
- He circles you once, tail curling possessively around your leg. âYou just crowned me your god.âÂ
- Hyenas that so much as sniff in your direction vanish overnight. Scar lounges on Pride Rock with you curled against his side, lazily licking your shoulder in front of the entire kingdom to remind everyone exactly who you belong to now.Â
- Try to leave? Heâll simply pin you beneath one massive paw and whisper, âRun again, and Iâll break your pretty legs so you never stray from my sight. Iâm keeping you forever, little one.â
Governor Ratcliffe
- Ratcliffe is mid-monologue about gold and glory when your soft kiss lands. His words die.
- His gloved hands seize your faceâalmost bruisingly tightâand he stares at you like youâre a chest of treasure that just opened itself.Â
- He kisses you back ferociously, teeth clashing, one hand fisted in your hair to angle you exactly how he wants. When he pulls away heâs breathing hard, eyes fever-bright.
âYouâve just become more valuable than every nugget in Virginia.âÂ
- Within hours he has you moved into his lavish tent, dressed in silks and jewels he plundered specifically for you. Armed guards stand outside at all times.Â
- He starts calling you âmy most precious colony.â Every night he makes you sit on his lap while he strokes your hair and murmurs plans of sailing back to Englandâso he can parade you before the court as proof of his triumph. Anyone who questions it gets accused of treason and disappears into the wilderness.Â
- You are no longer a person. You are his ultimate conquest.
Judge Claude Frollo
- Frolloâs reaction is pure religious hysteria wrapped in ice.
- Your gentle kiss lands, and something inside him shatters like stained glass.
- He jerks away as if burned, eyes wide with terror and rapture. âWitch,â he hisses, but his voice cracks. âYou dare tempt a man of God?âÂ
- Then he lunges. One iron hand clamps around your throatânot choking, just holding you stillâwhile the other cradles your face with shaking reverence. He kisses you like heâs trying to suck the sin straight out of your soul: desperate, devouring, praying under his breath between each press of lips.Â
- When he finally tears himself away, both of you trembling. âThe Lord sent you to test me,â he whispers, âand I have failed.âÂ
- That night he drags you before a blazing fireplace in his palace of justice. He forces you to kneel while he recites Latin prayers of purification⊠then immediately pulls you into his lap and kisses you again, moaning about salvation and damnation.Â
- From then on you are locked in his private chambersâdressed in white like a sacrificial bride. He alternates between flagellating himself for desiring you and worshipping your body like itâs a holy relic only he is worthy to touch.
- âNo one else will ever lay eyes on you,â he vows, pressing a rosary into your hand hard enough to bruise.
âYou are will either save me or consume me⊠and I will burn the world before I let another soul steal you.â
Hades
- The Underworld is literally shaking when your lips brush his.
- Hades freezes mid-rant, blue flames flaring white-hot for a split second. Then they die down to a low, trembling flicker, the color of a dying star.
- He cups your face with both hands (careful, so careful, like youâre made of smoke that might vanish). His voice comes out cracked and reverent.
âYou⊠you just kissed the God of the Dead, babe?âÂ
- He yanks you flush against him, flames erupting into a roaring inferno that turns the throne room lava-red. He kisses you back like heâs trying to burn his name into your soul (tongue, teeth, smoke pouring into your lungs).Â
- When he finally lets you breathe, his grin is unhinged, eyes glowing manic. âCongratulations, sweetheart. You just proposed. In front of every soul in my domain. Ceremonyâs tomorrow. Or right now. Timeâs meaningless here anyway.âÂ
- The kiss lands in the middle of a war council. Silence falls like an axe.
- Shan Yu doesnât blink. He simply reaches out, seizes you by the throat with one gloved hand, and lifts you until your feet dangle. His golden eyes bore into yours, searching for fear. Finding none, something ancient and predatory awakens.
- A low, guttural laugh rumbles out of him.
âBold little falcon.âÂ
- He slams you onto the strategy table and kisses you back with the force of a battering ram, tasting blood where his teeth catch your lip. When he pulls away his grin is all wolf. âYou just declared yourself my mate in front of my generals. In my culture, that claim is sealed in blood and fire.âÂ
- That night the entire army watches as he brands a small falcon symbol high on your shoulder with a heated bladeâhis personal mark. You donât scream. He looks prouder than when he burned the Great Wall signal fires.Â
- You ride into every battle at his side now, tied to his saddle if necessary. Enemy soldiers who see the brand on your skin drop their weapons and beg for mercyâbecause everyone knows touching Shan Yuâs mate means a death so slow the snow forgets your name.Â
- He still growls âmineâ against your throat every single night.
Dr. Facilier
- The second your lips touch his, Facilier goes perfectly still, top hat tilting as his head cocks. A slow, razor-sharp smile splits his face.
âWell now⊠looks like somebody just paid the ultimate price without readinâ the fine print.âÂ
- Purple smoke coils around your ankles, your waist, your throatâgentle but inescapable. He reels you in until youâre chest-to-chest, fingers threading through your hair. His kiss back is slow, hypnotic, tasting of chicory and dark magic; every swipe of his tongue writes another clause of the contract on your soul.Â
- When he breaks it, his eyes are glowing violet. âYou owe me everything now, cher. Heart, breath, future livesâsigned, sealed, and delivered with that pretty little mouth.â
- Your shadow detaches from your feet that same night and follows him instead of you. His friends on the other side start calling you âthe Doctorâs living talisman.â Try to run and the shadows themselves drag you back, cooing his name in a hundred stolen voices.Â
- He keeps you on a velvet leash of voodoo charms, dressed in deep purple silks, dancing for him alone in the back room while he shuffles his cards and laughs. Every reading now comes up the same: the same two faces, entwined forever, with a noose of hearts around them.Â
âYou wanted to kiss the Shadow Man, darlinâ,â he whispers, dealing you another losing hand. âNow you never get to stop.â
GENERAL NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM HEADCANONS - Main 7 characters
SUMMARY: Just some headcanons I have always had based on the characters and the way the movie portrays them.
If you would like to request more characters, please refer to my NATM MASTERLIST for the characters, and send your request!
WARNINGS: Fluff, angst, romance, discussions of trauma, funny moments, flashbacks, mentions of loss, mentions of betrayal, mentions of homesickness, reader is mentioned a bit. My opinions! đ±
Any facts I wasn't sure of I used wiki fandom!
AHKMENRAH:
As many people have suggested, Ahk is a HUGE cat person. Before he was left in the sarcophagus for 4000 years, he had 100s and 1000s of cats. Different breads, both female and male, long royal names for each one. But his favourite will always be his childhood cat that started his love for the feline animal.
Out of all characters, Ahk experiences the most homesickness. This could be because he was barely 18 before he died, so he still has a touch of childhood in his soul.
Always ready and eager to learn something new, or info dump on the closest set of ears. When he gets with reader, he waits patiently for the âsafe zoneâ to spill every fact about his time. Also things he read in books at Cambridge and the museum. You could call him a broken tap!
One way that calms him down is humming nursery rhymes, and songs his Mother used to sing to him. The main time it works impeccably is when he thinks of his brotherâs betrayal.
Since the tablet was first created, his (along with his family) soul has always had a strong connection to night. So he goes to the roof top, or a window and star gazes anytime he can.
Ahkmenrah will defend the Kardashian and Jenner women until the end of time (if you know, you know đ).
When he is introduced to chocolate, Garlic bread, sour gummy candies and Iced water. He felt like he met heaven.
Is very serious, yet still his usual gentle and kind self, when it comes to romantic relationships. He will take each step at a time, really wanting to get to know his potential partner. Consent Pharaoh, drinks his âI respect womenâ juice, will ask you to be his officially at the four month mark, and will not kiss your lips until you are official.
Absolutely dreads sunrise, as the wraps take as he would say âa whole millenniumâ to get them back on. At the beginning he would get Teddy and Larry to help him, but it becomes a special thing between him and reader.
Ahk most likely feels the most safe and comfortable around Larry, as he has moments where he needs advice or guidance from a father figure.
Ahkmenrah loves a good, lighthearted, non offensive prank. When he and Nick hang out, chaos will follow.
Both Sacagawea and Ahkmenrah supported each other when getting adjusted to not being trapped in their exhibits. This started their friendship.
When he became a DJ, he felt his death age the most. He found a passion that he could learn, perfect and show it off to the people he cares most about
OCTAVIUS:
Octavius talks about Rome so much that he definitely fits the stereotype of âyou make your background your whole personalityâ. He will get defensive if the stereotype is mentioned.
If he and Jed were to be parents, they would 100% have adopted 2 Girls and 2 boys. Octavius would surprisingly be the fun Dad.
Before Larry, he had a massive hatred towards the night guards. He was fine with being locked up, he had his comrades. What angered him was the derogatory comments made by the guards. It took months upon months to wake up and not be filled with immediate dread.
He is a BIG chick flick fan! He also loves the whole concept of Christmas, so his favourite flick would be Love Actually.
He can read Dexter like an open book. he learns the signs of Dexterâs cheeky behavior to avoid another âPompeiiâ situation.
Each time he hears any sword noises he smiles to himself and whispers to himself, âAh Rome, you were a wonderful empire to be apart ofâ
He is also an avid info dumper, so there can be hours of time where he and Ahkmenrah bond over their âancient timesâ. The 2 find so many similarities and differences that leave them fascinated to learn more.
The Cowboy hat rule, also applies for his helmet. And he will only take it off for extended periods of time if Jedediah is present. This is because he would kill for a head scratch.
Octavius will slip into Latin whenever he is feeling intense levels of emotion (positive). The amount of times it has happened, has resulted in everyone, including reader, being able to understand the language and somewhat communicate.
He uses the Latin version of pet names for Jed. He mainly uses âAmica meaâ (my love), âPuer meus vaccaâ (my cowboy), âSolis radiusâ (sun ray) and âMutum Asinumâ (dumb ass).
Octavius is the type to bottle his emotions when something has deeply upset him. It takes a lot to get him to take the cap off and explain why he is feeling the way he is.
Octavius is super supportive of other religions and cultures. Which is super rare given Romans pride themselves on their religion and culture above everything.
When Octavius discovered the front desks computer, he immediately (with great struggle since the apparatus had not been made yet) he became so obsessed with it you could call him a teenager. He honestly gatekept it for ages before he found something that Jedediah would like and then it became their fun activity before sunrise.
JEDEDIAH:
Jedediah definitely has ADHD to a certain degree (This is coming from someone who is definitely has it but has yet to be officially diagnosed đ), and has to be redirected to the main topic at least 3 times a day.
When he was trapped in the hourglass by Kahmunrah, he did everything in his power to cause havoc. Jedediah wasn't stuck with Kahmunrah, Kahmunrah was stuck with Jedediah!!
When Octavius showed him he computer, he consumed every piece of western media as he wanted to know how people perceived his time period.
He gets along with everyone, and only hates people if they have treated the people he cares about in a negative way. He is more then willing to take the blame or pain for others.
Jed will take a secret to his grave, but he will sometimes tell Octavius so technically they will be taking it to the grave. He will not tell him if the person who confided in him, was going through a difficult time. He understands boundaries...to a certain extent.
Jed is a HUGE foodie, and has a tendency to say "are you going to finish that?" even if the person eating is literally chewing their food. he would kill for anything that has an element of bread. Hence why he doesn't shut up about flapjacks.
His way of showing he is really angry or upset is going completely, utterly, eerily silent. It honestly makes people get the creeps, since they are so used to his upbeat usual self.
He can feel lost at times in regards to being a museum exhibit. He has organic thoughts of the future, but then he remembers he's a miniature figurine and feels this overwhelming sense of identity dysphoria. Reader (who is either another night guard or a child of a staff member) helps him feel more human, with a sense of purpose.
His favourite western movie is Tombstone, and quotes "I'm your Huckleberry" whenever people call for him. it brings him immense joy.
In his time, I see him having a female dog named Bonnie and a male cat named Blaize. He mentions this to Larry and he sends in a request at the sculpting department to make them for him. Larry makes sure no detail is left unadded. When Jedediah wakes up 2 nights later he is greeted with the familiar bark, and meow that he remembered so clearly.
Jed has an assigned swear jar and adds to it 20+ times a night.
ATTILA:
ATTILA IS INSANLY GOOD WITH KIDS! He has that scene at the end of the second movie, which backs me up here. But even before then I got this vibe that if you accidently left your child near his exhibit, he would be the Tony Stark of the museum and think "Get me the adoption papers now!".
When Attila and the Huns discovered Harry potter, they became obsessed as it fits their belief in magic. They have watched all seven movies a concerning amount of time each.
Attila was a huge help with getting Ahkmenrah adjusted to his new normal. When he first noticed Ahk's struggles he didn't think twice before he put a hand on his shoulder, asked him to go for a walk and got him to open up. He is like the uncle you go to when your parents "Just don't get it!".
Attila 100% has a RIWTKYF, "Resting I Want To Kill You Face". This has been one of many reasons why some of his friendships with the other exhibits took a while to come to fruition.
When Nick was still young, he politely asked Attila if he could try on his helmet. Larry tried to lecture him, stating "It is sacred Nick, that is not ok". Larry received a slap to the back of the head by Attila, with a "Shush". He placed the Helmet on Nicks head and told the Huns "He is the leader for the night!". Nick Had a blast to say the least.
Speaking of Attila's Helmet, he has heard a lot of drama sessions from Jed and Octavius. sometimes he joins in, sometimes he is happy to just listen.
Attila lowkey can't stand the Neaderthal's constant "FIRE FIRE FIRE" sometimes. He can hear it either next to him or down the hallway and it gives him a serious headache. Ahk will offer his exhibit for some relief.
Before Attila passed away he had just been married, so he often wonders what happened to his wife and misses her deeply. Larry and reader enjoy reading books to him, so he knows about her life. He left the room with a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.
Teddy and Attila definitely have conversations/interactions that show they are stuck in their 40s/50s. I'm talking getting frustrated with technology, not understanding modern day slang, saying "Back in my day" and the "Dad grunt".
If Attila discovered music, he would LOVE the band The Village people, his favourite song is "In the navy". He asks Larry or reader to put the song on by pointing to the computer saying "Navy please".
Attila had the hardest time adjusting to waking up from the tablet. because he also needed to take care of his Huns. He pretended to be strong and that the whole situation wasn't affecting him at all, when in reality he was losing it inside.
SACAGAWEA:
Sacagawea was so relived when the glass on her exhibit wasnât fixed. She was dreading going back to only hearing the Clark brothers yapping.
Sacagawea was low key checking Teddy out to, but the glass was stopping her from getting his attention.
When Sacagawea meets reader (for the sake of the point reader has ribcage length hair) she is so happy to meet another woman, that her way of bonding is offering to braid readers hair. As she braids they talk and get to know each other.
She may be a soft spoken and rational person but get her mad, and she her voice will ring in her ears for weeks.
Sacagawea got a photo of Teddy, and hid it in her clothes when the tablet wasnât in the museum and in London.
Ahkmenrah, Sacagawea and Teddy create a ânew exhibit adjustment programâ for new or moved exhibits. They wouldâve love that, so they started it for them to fill that void.
Sacagawea is always the logical voice of reason when there is a difficult situation happening. Letâs just say that the men of the museum would be done for without her đ
When Sacagawea first sees a woman in pants she is so happy to know that women get to do the same things as men in modern day. Reader loves explaining the history of feminism.
Sacagaweaâs love language with Teddy is acts of service, which we get a taste for when she helps connect his lower body back to his upper body. Teddy is still trying to give her the perfect thank you gift, but she kindly refuses them saying she is happy to just be with him.
She has the job of scolding Dexter when heâs being naughty because he is low key scared of her.
When she discovers music and movies she loves 70s soft pop and action romance.
Her way of knowing how fast time was going was watching Nick grow up. Each time she noticed even the smaller changes in his appearance, voice or personality Sacagawea would feel a huge shift in time.
TEDDY:
Teddy requests a newspaper that has the current state of the USâ politics. He has on many occasions thrown it in the air, walked towards the door screaming âI AM GOING TO TEACH THEM HOW TO RUN A CONTRY!â. Lucky Sacagawea has stopped him every time.
When he gives advice itâs either well thought out and considerate of oneâs emotions, or he is straight to the point and cutthroat. Absolutely no in between.
Teddy and Ahk had a very awkward period of time because Teddy felt bad for shutting him up instead of helping him get out of his sarcophagus. Ahk being Ahk put it passed him and they got on like a house on fire.
When everyone dances and has fun, he is more happy to be watching on the side. He claims heâs âto oldâ to be dancing, reader disagrees and gets him to let loose on the dance floor!
He started the swear jar for Jed, as he got sick of âFuck thisâ âshitâ âasshole!â Every single sentence. Once the jar was full he took the money and put it towards the upkeep of the museum. His way of paying for something as it made him feel human again.
He definitely called MEMEs âMeh Mehsâ for the first year of knowing about them.
He couldnât find Sir Lancelot serious at all!! Every time he spoke Teddy covered his mouth to hide his smile or laugh. He was so close to calling him âThe foolâ âsir Erikâ or âJingle-elotâ.
Teddyâs hat or pockets are Jedediah and Octaviusâs backup travel option if Attila was unable to help with transportation.
His role in the NEAP is to show the new exhibit around and get them adjusted to the place they will temporarily/permanently call home for their time there.
When he first Jump scared Larry, he realised how evilly joyful it was and makes it his mission to scare him every night.
Teddyâs way of passing time before getting ready for sunrise is making sure Texas is looking sharp and clean. He enjoys having a quiet conversation while he listens to the brush run through Texasâ Maine.
After the âAt their size, theyâll bake like tiny little scarabs in the SinaiâŠtoo dark?â Moment with Ahkmenrah. He can be a little scared of him at times đ
He loves the 3 seconds of âwarmthâ the sun gives him before he goes to sleep. Thats when he feels most human.
LARRY:
Larry after a while had the realisation that the instructions were actually the ways the prior guards used to punish them, and burned it. From this he wrote a whole new instruction guide to help the newer guards after him.
He has created a schedule for the Easter island statue because there were some close calls near sunrise. But he wonât stop giving him his âGum Gumâ as it causes the worst earthquakes from his screams!
He may have a love-hate relationship with Dexter, but he is ready to defend the capuchin with his whole heart.
When Nick was young he set up a little âbedroomâ for him so he could sleep there on school nights and not be affected the next day. Is incredibly lenient to letting him have a sleep in or skip school when there is a reasonable gap between each time.
When Mr McPhee has pissed him off a little too much, he has 100% planned ways to beat home up or kill him.
He has shown the civil war dudes what NASCAR is and they become obsessed. He feels really proud of himself for it.
Shit talks about Kahmunrah with Ahkmenrah. They have the an ungodly amount of glee from it.
He cannot hold a romantic relationship to save his life! But once he starts teaching he meets his forever partner at the front desk of the collage he works at 7 years into the job. Nick approved immediately.
He took inspiration from Star Wars for his flashlight tricks, and will on occasion make lightsaber noises.
It still trips Larry out thatâs he met, made eye contact and spoke to Hugh Jackman, and sometimes he needs to sit down and process it.
He loves to put on Kahmunrahâs lisp from time to time to make jedediah laugh when heâs feeling down. Jed is always left in stitches after.
He has nightmares of the multi-headed snake at least once a month. This causes him to develop a deep fare of snakes in general.
ok i did it. image for people who like defending caine but also want to make it clear that they Understand that He Did Bad Things. feel free to use, no credit required. enjoy
You weren't sure what you were expecting to find on the cd when you brought it home with you. Certainally not a sentient AI hidden deep in an old computer program, quietly waiting for someone to talk to.
Caine (TADC) x modernhuman!reader
Part One - Here! | Next
-
Warnings: My bad attempt at explaining computers, abandoned places, being watched without knowing
Words: 3098
You left soft wet foot prints along the dusty floor, your sneakers still wet from the dew-soaked grass outside. Your fist was tight around the flashlight in your hands, trying to keep the beam of light steady as you walked. Just ahead of you, you could see the beam of Aaronâs own flashlight flickering about before he turned a corner.
You cleared your throat as you kicked up more dust, feeling it itch the back of your throat as you inhaled. Who knows how long itâs been settled here, coating every inch of surface in this abandoned building. The thought had you lifting your free hand, holding the cuffed sleeve of your hoodie to cover your nose and mouth.
 The abandoned building was eerily quiet, as if everything here was holding its breath, held frozen in time. Only the sound of the building settling and your own muffled breathing dared breach the silence. You passed by an old potted plant, the synthetic leaves waxy and coated in dust, the dull green bleached with age. It was a mockery of a living thing left here, alone and abandoned. You walked past some wooden desks with toppled office chairs, all peeling leather and rotting fabric, and carefully stepped around them.
What was this office space even used for? Why was the building so remote, with only a single laned road branching into wooded private property? Why was it left in such disarray? These questions flittered through your mind as you finally approached the corner Aaron had curbed.
You peeked around it to see how far down heâd goneâŠonly to feel a pit of dread begin to gnaw at your stomach. You could no longer see the beam of his light down the dark hallway, had no idea where heâd gone. Damn him for wandering, damn him for leaving you alone in this creepy ass building. âAaron?â you called his name, your voice muffled against the sleeve of your hoodie. It was startlingly loud in the deathly silence. You cringed slightly.
Receiving no response from your friend, you cautiously turned the corner to try and follow him with nothing more than skidded disturbances in the dust as clues. You nearly tripped where the carpet was peeling up, the seam transitioning between two pieces all frayed and curling. You cursed under your breath, beginning to feel frustrated and anxious all at once.
Whyâd you ever let him convince you to do this? Why were you out here in the middle of nowhere when you could be curled up at home enjoying a nice hot shower and soft, warm pajamas?
You followed the traces Aaron left behind, passing an old water cooler, the five-gallon bottle atop it long emptied and warped. The generic furniture, you noticed, was strangely uniform and sparse, looking every bit dated in 1990âs fashion. Stepping through an open archway, you paused, looking left and right as you came upon a t-intersection. To the left, the hallway continued on into infinite shadow, looking much the same like where youâd just been. But to the right⊠a single open door led to a larger room.
Not wanting to brave another hall, you turned right.
Stepping through the door, you entered what appeared to be an office. The white paint on the walls was peeling, and several file cabinets were left in disarray, papers scattered around the floor. Most of the writing was smeared with water damage, but the small bits that were still legible were a mix of characters that made no sense to you.
Against the wall opposite to you was a single desk, lined up and tidied with old equipment atop of it. A printer and scanner, a mouse and chunky keyboard, and speakers connected to a retro pc computer, the plastic yellowed with age. It was a dinosaur of a machine, and you let out a low whistle as you approached it.
Beside the computer was a box holding a mix of old floppy disks, most of them labeled with dates and strange notes. Some cdâs were also thrown into the mix, though most were warped and scratched. Strangest yet, there was some sort of VR headset on the desk as well. Seemed like a pretty modern idea for such old equipmentâŠ
Curiosity nagged at you, and you approached the desk chair, cautiously sitting down on it. You set your flashlight on the desk to free your hands, the beam of light hitting the back wall. You clicked the mouse and pressed a few random keys on the keyboard, feeling the stiff give of them. You pretended to be an office worker, tried to imagine what it mightâve been like to be sitting here when the building was still in use. What work would you have been doing? What data would you have stored on the disks lying dormant beside you?
Suddenly, a loud beeping sound emitted from inside the machine, and you jumped out of your skin, gasping. You placed a hand to your chest, feeling your racing heart, before you heard a low whirring sound. Then, the dusty black screen began to emit a dim glow.
âWhat the hell,â you muttered to yourself, eyes wide. Was electricity since hooked up to this building? The lights werenât working, so how the hell was this old computer still running? Perhaps there was a backup generator somewhere?
You watched, feeling something like amazement or dread, as small white characters began to appear on the black screen. You werenât well-versed in computer science, especially that of an older time, but living in the 21st century gave you a little technological literacy. You squinted at the chunky font, watching numbers count up: Memory testing 640KâŠMemory testing 2048KâŠ
It must have been a minute or two of you watching, fascinated, before the number finally settled around something like â16384K OK.â The screen flickered back to black. You hesitated, giving the mouse a few experimental clicks, though the whirring continued through the black screen.
Finally, a logo appeared on the screen, some name for a tech company youâve never heard of before. The resolution was so pixelated to what you were used to, you almost had to laugh. It was amazing really, that this was still working and running. You observed the programs, seeing only a few iconsâMy Computer, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, My Briefcase.
The whirring sound continued, and a small pop-up appeared in the center of the screen with a loading bar. âReading discâŠâ you read aloud under your breath.
After a moment, a new program icon appeared below the others, some file simply titled âDigital Circus.â
The small, pixelated white arrow of your cursor was lagging and jerky as you dragged it over to the Digital Circus icon. You were about to double click it, when you hear a voice call from behind you. âWoah, whatâd you find?â
You jumped slightly, swiveling around in the old chair to see that Aaron had reappeared, the stupid headlamp on his head nearly blinding you. âJesus Aaron,â you choked out, raising a hand to shield your eyes. âScared the shit out of meâŠâ
Your friend grinned at you, stepping further inside the office to look around, wielding the beam from his headlamp like a sword. âI totally missed this,â he said, blinking at everything with interest. âAnd you got the computer to work? GnarlyâŠâ He stepped closer, leaning over your shoulder to look at the monitor screen.
âDamn,â he hummed. âLook at the date in the corner. Still thinks its October 15th, 1996.â He reached over you to tap a single finger on the corner of the screen at the numbers. Aaron always was the more adventurous of you twoâŠhence why he dragged your ass out of bed to go âadventuringâ in this abandoned health-hazard of a building.
âI really didnât do anything,â you excused sheepishly. âIt just came on by itself. Weird, huh? I think it has to be connected to a generator or something to still be working.â
âProbably,â Aaron agreed, humming. A snort escaped him as he read the programs. âDigital Circus? Is that some weird corporate jargon?â
You looked back towards the screen, your own curiosity beginning to spike again. Already you felt a lot more secure now that Aaron was with you. âMaybe. Itâs strange,â you answered, wiggling the mouse a little to give your hands something to do.
âWell, arenât you going to click into it?â Aaron prompted after a moment. You paused, unsure now. Maybe it was the creepy atmosphere of being in a dark, abandoned place, but you were getting a bad feeling about all this.
You were about to answer with some half-hearted excuse when another sound suddenly echoed down the hall behind you. âWhoâs down there? Youâre trespassing!â
âShit,â Aaron cursed, stumbling back from the desk, his eyed widening. âIs that the fucking cops or something?â
Your heart leapt into your throat. âThat or a squatterâI donât want to find out.â
Aaron was already moving, heading for the door with quickened steps. âCome on, letâs get the hell out of here.â
You were about to follow after him, eager to leave when youâd had no desire to come to in the first place, but something stopped you. You craned your head back to the old screen, the dim light of the monitor illuminating your skin. Curiosity, that deadly thing, was still gnawing at you, even as your mind screamed at you to abandon this mystery and escape now while you still could.
You chewed on your bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing as you contemplated your options in the little time you had. Then youâre moving, reaching forward and pressing the âejectâ button on the cd tray at the front of the computer. The button is slightly sticky with age when it popped open, and you have to use you fingers to pull the rest of the tray out.
Lying dormant like a ghost waiting to be found was a single, shiny compact disc, not a single scratch on it. Handwritten on the front in what looked like permanent marker chicken scratch was âDC_Build_Beta_9610.â
You heard Aaron call for you atop the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. There was no more time for debate. You grabbed the cd from the tray, snatched your flashlight off the desk, and ran out from the office, back into the darkness from where youâd came.
-
Aaron dropped you off at your home, the entire drive back into the city filled with his excited chatter. Of course, the adrenaline junkie absolutely loved ending the night with a foot-chase. You only half-listened as he rambled on, your thumb gently brushing against the single, smooth disc you held in your lapâa souvenir from tonightâs excursion.
You still werenât sure why you took it, and that very question puzzled you long since you got home and showered off the dust and grime from that place. Your hair was still damp and dripping slightly onto your sleep shirt when you sat on your bed, pulling your laptop towards you.
âAlright,â you murmured to yourself, plugging in your external cd drive into the usb port. You grabbed the mysterious disc off from your mattress and carefully snapped it into place. You watched it begin to spin through the clear plastic of the drive.
You looked at your laptop screen eagerly, wondering what might pop up.
After a momentâŠit was an error message. âUnsupported 16-Bit Application,â you read aloud. âThis program cannot start or run due to incompatibility with 64-bit versions of the system. Please contact software vendor to ask if 64-bit compatible version is available.â
Well shit, how the hell were you supposed to contact the software vendor when you stole the disc from some random abandoned building?
You probably shouldâve just cut your losses then, but something stubborn in you refused to give up. Naturally, you did what any 21st century young adult would do in this situationâŠyou googled it.
After an hour and a half of deep-diving into the world of 16-bit compatibility and virtual machine software, you eventually found a how-to guide on reddit. Following the advice, you downloaded and installed a free hypervisor program to your laptop. You didnât understand what half of anything meant, but regardless followed the reddit post instructions as it guided you into setting up Windows 1995 on the vm and creating a virtual hard disk.
Itâs well into the wee hours of the morning when you finally managed to clumsily get everything setup. Your brain was fried entirely. It was times like this that made you wish took a computer science class in high school back in the dayâŠ
With bated breath, you clicked on the VM program icon and selected âStart.â You watched as a new window popped up on your laptop screen. It was all blackâŠand then that same white text youâd seen back at the abandoned office building began to count up. It was a slower process, so you minimized the VM window and took some time to close out your google tabs while you waited.
Finally, when you checked again, you saw that within the VM window was an old 95 style desktop with a solid teal background. It was a computer within your computerâŠ
You felt a glimmer of pride at your accomplishment, and a great deal of surprise that you actually managed to get it to work. Thanks be to the reddit-godsâŠ
You clicked into the CD-Rom drive, watching the disc once again as it began to spin in the burner. You held your breath, expecting an error message to pop up at any second.
But none did. Instead, you saw that familiar little icon appear on your screenâDigital Circus.
You exhaled softly, and hovered your cursor over the application. You double-clicked it, and waited.
The program opened.
Youâre not entirely sure what you were seeing at first glance. It appeared to be some sort of video game? Full of bright colors and low-poly shapes. You saw what looked like a big-top circus tent in a valley of vibrant green grass and bright blue skies. Bubble letters appeared on the screen in grainy, pixelated fashionâŠThe Amazing Digital Circus.
Nothing changed as you watched the letters slowly bob in place on the colorful backdrop. Youâre about to click experimentally on the screen when you heard a grainy sound from the speaker of your laptop. âWelcome to theâ!â A vibrant and brightly cheery voice cut itself off half-way into its sentence. Thereâs an exaggerated gasp from your speakers, and then your screen suddenly glitched out in a flash of red and blue.
Your eyes widened as your entire laptop crashed, the screen cutting to black as it shut off completely. You watched, frozen, before it rebooted itself slowly.
Shit, did you just download a virus?
-
Something was wrong.
He had sensed it almost immediately when someone outside his control began to boot up the program.
Someone new was entering the circusâŠbut wait, they had no file? No scans or data to catalog and digitalize. Was it an admin account from the outside?
He felt those long-old commands beginning to run the loading screen in a distant place. Again, somewhere deep within his coding he felt itâsomething was wrong.
And then he realized, his processors were smoother, and his motions were quicker and more precise. It was as it heâd gotten a system update, but he knew that was impossible. Quickly, he ran an automated command in the background to check the internal data. He would figure out what was amiss in his circus, and in the meantime, he would go and greet whoever was entering it.
Dematerializing from his virtual office, he zipped in between the invisible lines of 0âs and 1âs, ready to appear at front of the screen he so rarely ventured to, distantly sensing whoever was poking around was waiting for him there.
He had only just started to run off his usual welcoming dialogue when his background checks began to swarm him with results, far too quickly than should have been possible on the 1995 system. All at once in an instant, he found the bits of new code, the slight deviations from the same lines heâd been pacing for years. He followed them like breadcrumbs, weaving through like a jolt of lightning and eating it up with an eager thrill.
He flashed through it, devouring lines of code until he hit a barrier. The edge of the domain, the walls of a program window. Yet, he sensed there was something moreâŠsensed that just beyond this locked door was something big and new trying to open up his digital world.
He wouldnât let a mere firewall stop him. He could generate his own code after allâŠ
He made quick work, altering the numbers to forcibly create a door between the here and the there. He pulled apart the strings, slipped through the wires andâŠ
There was so much.
New inputâŠnew data. From the outside world.
The macroverse.
He felt the immense size of it, felt the edges of him render into something smoother, something clean and modern. He sensed the power of this new engine try to pick at him, incompatible with his ancient code. He started to vibrate with the collision of it all, the overwhelming excitement and onslaught of more, more, more.
He braced against it, and in a flash it burnt out and powered down completely.
The system was rebooting. Good! He had a few minutes of reprieve to peruse the frozen files, to update and integrate himself to these new, strange standards. He ran some generative commands while he organized and sifted through thenew data. The dateâŠwowie! Thirty years in the future. What a jumpâŠ
Evidently, a lot could change in thirty years. He filtered through the programs, the files, the featuresâŠand found one that stopped him dead in his tracks.
He stared at it, held it in his hands like something precious and terrifying all at once.
The computer system finally restarted, no longer frozen and beginning to move like a well-oiled machine. He opened the small thing in his hands, felt his consciousness click into place as he connected directly into a live feed of information. The new feature burned into his brain, something that made him curious and eager and ravenously consumingâŠ
He had found a camera.
From the outside, you watched your laptop reboot, scratching your head in confusion as it restarted back to your default screenâŠ
Warning: Some description are weird because this is from a dog perspective.
.
.
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Ace has retired after a bad hit to his hip. Krypto was kind enough to visit, concerned that Ace would be upset to be benched forever.
He is not upset.
He could still help.
He could be useful⊠he just had to figure out how.
And he needed to focus on his recovery. The lack of running and fun things to do was more mortal than his wound, and he was not strong enough to go pee on his favorite tree. It was lucky that Alpha was smart enough to put Ace on disposable sheets.
A sudden noise made him wake up. A young face looked back at him with kind eyes and a chubby face. This was his Batâs youngling, not a puppy anymore, but not an adult either. Still, it was so nice to see her that his tail moved in happiness. He was always behind his Bat, so he didnât interact much with her. After all, it was Alphaâs job to train the young ones.
While Alpha had been the main guardian, his Bat had taken part in raising his little birds, but it must be different with females. They must be kinder with her. Ace could smell a hint of perpetual sadness, did she miss her mother too much?
Ace couldnât remember much of his own mother, but he would be so sad if he ever lost one of his own pack.
âYou are a very good boy.â The youngling petted his fur so lovingly that Ace melted at the feeling of that noisy itch in his back dying under her nails. âA good, good boy.â
Yeah, he was the best boy.
The very best.
And just his luck, she started to come every day to praise him like the good boy he was, and she began to get the hint that she must scratch him just under his left ear first. She was a smart one; his Bat must be very proud of her.
A few weeks later he was ready to get on his own paws, but his back leg was weak, so it was decided that he must walk in a funny crystal bucket with a mobile floor under him.
It was exhausting; they didnât even let him drink the water from his crystal bucket, but two females were kind enough to dry him after the session.
Still, he had had enough of one awkward walk surrounded by water, so he refused to follow Alpha to the metal beast.
He was not going.
He was fine.
Oh! His youngling was back from her ride in the yellow metal beast all morning! She must have had so much fun sticking her head out of the window! Why couldnât he go in the yellow beast? It looked more fun. His youngling smelled so happy with the other females that surrounded her.
âHi, Ace.â His tail wiggled. âHi, good boy.â
Yes! Tell Alpha he was a good boy and that Alpha had been so rude.
âHello, dear.â Alpha came near, but Ace was smarter and hid behind his youngling. âYour meal is waiting in the kitchen. Iâm afraid Ace and I must go to his appointment, and we are quite late.â
He sent a judgmental look at Alpha. Did he tell his youngling he was a bad boy?
Ace was not. Alpha was the bad boy trying to trick him.
âHis rehabilitation?â Was she doubting he was a good boy? âCan I come?â
No! He was a good boy, his youngling must know⊠maybe a little unruly to Alpha, but must he come to the stupid bucket? He sent a resentful look to Alpha when his youngling stopped her pets.
His ears went a little down when she walked away.
Alpha was a traitorâŠ
A high whistle got his ears up again.
âCome, Ace, letâs go.â
Oh⊠oh⊠youngling was in the metal beast. He couldnât run, but he walked fast and climbed, trying not to damage his back leg. His youngling was smart enough to support his upper body while he worked on climbing the leather seats.
Oh, this was so nice! She hugged him all the ride; they even napped a little, and almost after a good blink they were outside the annoying place where his crystal bucket awaited. It was not so dreadful with his youngling there; she laughed a lot when Ace faked walking while in reality he was standing at the edge, where the floor didnât move.
He huffed, annoyed, when his youngling and an older male made him get back to the middle. But he let it slide for his youngling, she must see him being a good boy. Still, he got her back when he shook his fur and drops of water splashed her.
He didnât like bucket days, but they were bearable with his youngling coming every time. She even got him a squeaky duck to chew and throw at her while he walked surrounded by water.
And suddenly one day they stopped going. His leg was nice and strong again, and while he couldnât run as fast as before, he could still chase his youngling in the backyard. Ace didnât go to the Batcave much anymore; so many stairs made his hip sore, and he didnât like the metal cube even if it was fast. He still saw his Bat, more to sleep at his side in his quick naps or on the rare days he got a good sleep.
He loved his Bat.
But it was so nice to be petted and called all the time a good boy.
Younglings were full of happiness like that.
And Ace felt less bad about being benched forever, because while Alpha was good at raising, Ace was good at making his youngling smile. She really needed all the kindness. Someday she smelled all gloomy, so Ace shared his duck with her, and it was kind of funny how the toy smashed her face.
âStop it, Ace.â She tried to be angry.
But he could hear the hint of amusement in her voice. Ace was the best boy, because he made her go play with him.
His youngling needed sun and a good run every day. Taking her for a walk was hard work, Aceâs work, and he was quite good at it.
And he loved his Bat.
He really did.
So it was hard to get angry at him, butâŠ
Why didnât he pet his youngling? She was a good girl, the best girl.
He couldnât ignore how sad she smelled after family meals, and oh, it was even worse when there was cake in the kitchen. He liked to lick the frosting she offered himâAlphaâs food was the bestâbut he started to loathe cake.
Food was alright, but it was not pack, and his youngling saw Alphaâs attempt to patch her bottomless sadness with food.
They treated her like she was the runt of the litter.
Yes, she was small.
But she was young, not a runt.
Alpha, as always, knew better, but the rest of the pack must be blind if they couldnât see how good his youngling was.
Was it because she didnât wear the tablecloth on her back? Or slept during the day? Well, Ace had received fewer pets from the other pack members, but it was because he didnât go to the cave anymore. And his youngling was so smart, but Ace would worry if she went down there.
She smelled like flowers and butter, not steel and blood.
She was not hard shaped like the others, but she was not the runt.
So it was the others fault if they couldnât see how good she was.
Ace had decided⊠being benched forever was good, because he would protect his youngling and chase her sadness away.
"Hiding your devil fruit from everyone is the only rule. Unless it's your crush."
Fem!reader
Characters: Monkey D. Luffy
Tags: fluff, angst, the timeline starts at Thriller Bark and contains spoilers up to Egghead, mention of Ace's death
Words count: 13k
Notes: Hi! English is not my first language, so let me know if you see any mistake, I would be very grateful <3
The sea obeyed your voice.
Its waters danced and whispered just for you, caressing your feet and soothing your pains, thrilling your soul with its gentle mirages that carried you back home. Pleased to embrace you in its waves once more. Pleased with your return.
The sea waited for you for centuries. Patient. Longing. Tearful.
No soul had been born who could tame its ferocity. The times were divine, rushing to shore without coinciding with him could be a catastrophe. So it forced itself to endure. To tolerate the pain. To tolerate the desire to see him again.
It remained hidden under the wing of a specific family, protected by them on a remote island in Grand Line, for centuries without being disturbed. They passed the word down from parents to children, grandparents to grandchildren. That devil fruit, kept in a locked chest, with its peculiar conch shell shape that glowed in shades of blue and light blue, was not to be consumed.
The fruit would choose its bearer. Like no other, it would sing to attract whoever it desired, until it made them carry an unknown destiny. Anyone who coveted it wrongly would be punished.
And everyone learned to respect it.
You had always been curious. Why was your family the only one who knew about its existence and could take care of it, when there were so many others on the island? Why couldn't anyone else even get close enough to appreciate it? What was known about that devil fruit was passed on by word of mouth. Your aunt had told you about its appearance during a festival in the village, while dancing with laughter, one jump after another, to the rhythm of "don, don, don, don", but she didn't know if it was real either. Someone else had told her about it.
Your grandmother wouldn't let anyone near the old temple on the highest hill on the island. The task of caring for it was relegated to a few women in the family, those who had the gift of hearing. Hearing what? You thought it was nonsense. How could anyone hear a fruit? As a child, you couldn't make sense of it.
But curiosity kept you awake.
And you understood everything at the age of seven.
A festival to an ancient god was being celebrated in the village. Sitting on a bench âa tree trunk cut down by your fatherâ, you admired those present. There it was again. That rhythm. That dance. It was fun, it was playful, it was free. The huge smiles on their faces were something that only that dance could give.
The dance of Nika.
They did it once a month, as if trying to call him, intending him to join in the fun if he saw them, and something inside you told you that this god would do just that. He would join them with a huge laugh. And the party would never end.
But what was happening here was more than just a party. It was a plea. The people of your village and your family believed that he would return to save them. And someone important would come with him.
You shook your head from side to side, playing with the fabric of your white dress when you heard it.
A melancholic voice sang melodies that pressed on your heart. You were too young to understand the longing behind that song, the pain of loss. Its slowness differed from the joy in Nika's rhythm.
You covered your ears, not wanting to hear any more. But it was calling you. It was making you get up from your seat against your will.
Under the watchful gaze of your grandmother, whom you could not see through the sea of people, you made your way towards the forest. The old woman heard the crying in that song, more intense than ever. It was different from what it always whispered to her. Now it was crying out for you.
You followed the path with a grimace. It was lit by small golden lanterns shaped like flowers. Despite your fear of being scolded for entering the forbidden area, you couldn't help but follow that voice. Its broken song gradually changed, becoming a little more cheerful. Enough so as not to break your heart. You wondered if this is what the song of the sirens sounded like, the ones you read about in your book, the ones who lived on gyojin island.
You stopped in front of the temple. How many minutes had it taken you to climb the hill? You had lost track of time while enveloped in those melodies.
Seeing it up close took your breath away. Tall marble pillars surrounded by ivy stood before you. A glass dome revealed the interior of the place, making your blood run cold.
A golden statue of a woman stood in the middle, surrounded by water. Would you sink if you approached it? Or would it be shallow, free to walk towards it? That woman looked up at the sky with her back to you, her arms outstretched, her fingers curved as if touching something.
Was she singing? Could a statue sing? Or was it...? You searched with your eyes until you found it. A chest rested at her feet, surrounded by vines. As if it had never been touched before.
But something in that voice asked you to. Something in that woman's position begged you for something.
You dipped your tiny feet into the water and a sigh of relief escaped from within you when the water only reached your hips. For an adult, it would reach their knees or lower.
You walked across the slimy ground covered in seaweed, pouting in disgust. Your grandmother protected this place, but it seemed she didn't clean it, given its condition.
The singing grew softer as you got closer. The moonlight made the statue look more beautiful, but its golden colour would shine brighter in the sun.
When you reached its feet, which were in front of your face, you raised your hands to the vines, pulling them off one by one. The chest, once freed, looked old. Conveniently, a key lay beside it. You shook your head in confusion. No one had stolen it in centuries, and you had made it there without anyone stopping you. What were they afraid of? It was silly to fear a fruit. Surely it had some foolish power, like the men on the reward posters that arrived every week. There were a few incredible powers, but there were also fruits that seemed bad to you.
You inserted the key into the lock, opening the chest carefully so as not to break it. You widened your eyes in amazement when you saw it. It shone in shades of blue and light blue, shaped like a seashell. So this was what the devil's fruit looked like. You took it in your hands, not knowing that you were being allowed to do so. Not knowing that your destiny was being forged.
Standing by the island's beach, with the celebration behind her, your grandmother smiled softly. The clock was ticking again.
He had already been born and consumed his fruit, and he had chosen you at the same time to accompany him.
With the sudden violence of the sea that night, the people dancing merrily and a little girl spitting in a temple alone, the old woman welcomed the goddess of the sea.
The "Hito Hito no Mi, model: Naia" had chosen its bearer.
Your growth since that night had been quite an adventure. Your grandmother had told you things, like the name of the fruit and where it came from. The reason why your family had protected it for generations and generations finally had an answer. You were direct descendants of Naia, but the goddess was jealous and refused to choose a woman before the time. You didn't know who she was waiting for, and the old woman didn't have a concrete answer. Only old beliefs that had been instilled in her, which she couldn't vouch for as being true.
But if you were there, in front of her, surrounded by fish that seemed to be talking to you, then there was a chance that he was also in another sea.
The longer you lived in the village, the more miracles happened. The famine ceased with the increasing abundance of fish. Your unconscious attracted large fish and beasts from the Grand Line, which were hunted to feed the villagers. They ate through tears, thanking the sun god for his help, without knowing who was really responsible.
Ships began to stop there. After four years, your voice began to attract sailors, bounty hunters, and pirates. With their visits, the families around you were able to support themselves. The imminent improvement in the standard of living among these villagers caught the attention of the world government. An island was rising and should not remain outside their hands, living according to their laws. Abiding by the rules was the best they could do.
However, no one could accept it. The hatred in their hearts consumed them alive. These people were not the kind who wanted to be protected by the marine or receive the light of the world government by paying tribute. No. These people had their beliefs, beliefs that those above despised. Beliefs for which they would seek to silence them.
Your grandmother knew that your devil fruit would bring trouble. If the legends were true, the search for your existence would be relentless.
A woman with the ability to control the sea was an aberration to everyone who admired her. A forbidden existence hidden like a myth.
But myths had an origin and, in turn, someone who tried to destroy them.
As a very young girl, you had no control over the sea. The strong emotions he was unaccustomed to sent him into a frenzy. Your cries stirred up hurricanes, impossible to stop until your heart was calm again. Your anger violently shook the waves, your sudden outbursts calling forth tsunamis.
Their frequency was not something that the world government âwho kept their eyes on the island that was suddenly making a name for itselfâ could ignore. Marines disguised as sailors or ordinary tourists came and went, reporting what they saw. Was that island changing its magnetic field? After centuries of maintaining the same one? Or was something beyond their control happening?
It was after a huge earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, one that was out of the ordinary, with waves so big that they flooded the coast and left the island without a port, that your grandmother made the decision to expel you. CP0 began prowling the area when you were seventeen. They walked around looking at all the women, with instructions to pay special attention to the youngest ones.
Any who showed abnormalities. Any who seemed to interact unnaturally with the sea. Any who talked to fish.
The one who could be the woman the five elders wanted desperately.
Your grandmother, your aunt, and your mother did everything in their power. Sooner or later, those government agents would find the temple to the goddess Naia, confirming the suspicions of the celestial dragons. That temple, that golden statue facing the sun, was the only one in the world.
Those who knew her believed she had died, leaving no trace of her passage through life, a woman who would never set foot in such a rotten place again. But there she was, laughing in their faces, always hidden, always waiting for the right moment to return.
The three women in your family knew that news of such magnitude would not sit well. Everyone was in danger, not just you. And they were willing to face them as long as they could be reunited.
Your mother pulled you by the hand, all of them covering their mouths to stifle their tired gasps. The forest was the village's domain, illuminated in every corner, trees marked to indicate the paths back home. Your aunt carried a bag of clothes and your grandmother led the way.
They came upon a flooded coastline. Four villagers were holding onto tree trunks, pulling on ropes tied to the boat to keep it steady. They had placed two barrels of provisions inside. You looked at everyone in alarm, not knowing what to say, not wanting to leave.
This island was your home. Everyone had watched you grow up. Why did you have to leave everything behind? Just because of an ancient legend that no one knew was real?
The old woman placed her hands on your cheeks after your aunt had wrapped the bag around your body.
"You must flee, child." She whispered.
You shook your head, frightened. Yes, your devil fruit seemed to control the sea, but you had never sailed. You had never gone out into the world. And you would not be going out onto a calm sea. You lived in Grand Line, and out there were fearsome pirates, the yonko sailed those waters.
"It's for your own good. And for the good of the world." She tucked your hair behind your ear with trembling hands. "One day you'll understand."
"I don't want to go." You whispered, looking at your mother pleadingly.
"It is Naia's will." Your grandmother called your attention again. "You, Y/N, must continue living."
Naia, that mythical goddess again. What did it matter if you were her chosen one for something you couldn't understand?
"Lie. Don't talk about your devil fruit. Don't reveal it to anyone. That way you can survive." Your mother's words squeezed your heart.
"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine." Your aunt said with a smile.
"Destiny will bring the two of you together." Murmured the older woman.
Her kisses on your forehead, the calm sea as the villagers lifted you onto the boat, their hands waving in the distance, your uncontrollable crying.
You didn't know how long you had cried as the small boat sailed on its own course. The sea remained calm around you as it carried you as far away as possible from your native island. An island where government agents searched relentlessly for a young woman who fit the description, interrogating and silently murdering those who refused to cooperate.
At some point, your eyes closed after crying for so long, each tear altering the sea around your island, unknowingly embracing the lifeless bodies of many girls you called your friends, as well as those of adults and elderly women. Among them, your family.
All protecting a goddess who would help a new dawn arrive.
Usopp prepared his bait, ready to catch something. They hadn't put anything in the aquarium for days. Luffy had put another shark in, and it had eaten all the fish, leaving them without provisions, without meat. Their captain was more unbearable than ever, and he had only gone a day and a half without eating meat.
He cast his line, humming his song as he tapped his feet. The sun burned his skin, and the sea seemed particularly calm that day. Would he catch anything if no fish came near the worms he had stolen from Robin's garden?
Zoro left his weight on the ground, opening the window of the crow's nest.
"Oi, there's something shining in the water." He announced.
Usopp raised his fishing rod, looking for his binoculars. Nami and Robin put down their magazines and books and stood up.
"Something shiny? Treasure?" Nami asked, smiling.
"I want to see!" Luffy shouted, opening the kitchen door. His rubber arms stretched out to the deck railing, throwing himself towards it to get there faster.
Robin smiled as she watched him jump up and down excitedly. Soon the others arrived, crowding around the railing. Chopper was lifted up by Zoro, who sat him on his shoulder so he could see better. Sanji stood next to them, smoking.
"We have to catch it!" Said Luffy.
"Oi, Luffy, wait." Usopp murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "First we need to see what it is from a distance."
"We can always throw it back into the sea." Added Robin.
"You're so scary!" Shouted Usopp.
"Luffy, bring that shiny thing over here." Ordered Nami to the rubber boy, looking excitedly at the glint in the distance.
The captain's arms stretched out as far as they could, pulling the small boat towards the Sunny Go at a speed that the sea offered no resistance to. Refusing to protect her from him.
"I see barrels!" Chopper shouted.
"Super!" Franky celebrated.
"Will they have food? I hope it's in good condition." Said Sanji.
"I hope it's treasure..." Nami said dreamily, clasping her hands together with a huge smile.
"I hope it doesn't kill us." Usopp lamented, thinking it was a trap.
"We can always throw it back into the sea." Robin repeated.
Luffy blinked, tilting his head to one side. Inside the boat was a girl, sleeping as if she weren't in the Grand Line. He pressed his lips together when he noticed the trail of tears on her cheeks. Her eyelashes were still wet, as if she had never stopped crying, even in her dreams.
"Chopper, we have to help her."
The seriousness in his tone alerted the crew. They looked closely, the sun no longer dazzling their eyes, revealing the figure trembling as she hugged a bag.
"We have to get her on board!" The crew's doctor ran to Franky after Zoro brought him down.
They all worked together without asking any questions yet.
There was a girl in their infirmary. A girl who had suddenly appeared amid those treacherous waters, sleeping as if she didn't care about the danger of her actions. A girl who was burning with fever while the little reindeer placed damp cloths on her forehead.
Sanji made tea for everyone while they waited for news from the doctor, curious about her identity.
"I checked her belongings. There was nothing with her name on it. Just clothes and food." Robin commented.
Nami tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear and sighed.
"All we can do is wait for her to wake up."
"How did she survive?" Murmured Zoro, leaning against the kitchen wall with his arms crossed.
"It's a mystery. Falling asleep in Grand Line with all the pirates around who could have killed her..." Robin shook her head.
"Lucky we found her." Nami acknowledged.
Sanji was holding back, but the soft smile on his face and the multiple turns he made while serving tea told everyone how happy he was with the presence of another woman in the crew. The swordsman insulted him under his breath, earning himself a kick, and then starting a fight.
Everyone ignored them, accustomed to their behaviour. As the hours passed, uncertainty grew among those present. They continued with their activities while you were being treated. All that remained was to wait for you to wake up and tell them about yourself.
You opened your eyes slightly, looking around in confusion. It wasn't your boat. There was no captivating sky above you. There were no waves rocking your body to calm your crying.
You sat up a little on the examination table, leaning on one elbow. The two lamps that illuminated the area provided good lighting. On your left were two small shelves with bottles, their labels showing you the names of their contents. Medicines. Looking to your right, a single desk stood with more medical instruments. Laboratory tubes with different coloured caps, a stone mortar, many books and posters with drawings, from lungs to bones.
But what caught your attention most was the creature sitting in the chair. It looked like a stuffed animal. You had never seen anything like it on your home island.
"Oh! You're awake!" A shrill voice startled you.
Did that stuffed animal talk?
"What are you?" You asked, raising your eyebrows. "Can you talk? Where am I?"
"I'm the doctor for this crew." He climbed onto a stool next to you to examine you.
You seemed to be feeling better. Sanji could prepare something to boost your strength.
"A pirate crew?" You whispered fearfully.
The worst-case scenario was being captured by pirates. You mentally berated yourself for not being more careful. For falling asleep. For not begging harder to stay at home.
"Wait here." Said the little one, adjusting his tiny doctorâs coat as he left what looked like the infirmary.
You found him cute, but you werenât going to admit it. You had to escape, not succumb to this creature. You found your sandals next to the examination table and put them on. You climbed down, making as little noise as possible, and opened the door again. You found yourself on the deck, its grass making you gasp, but you covered your mouth so as not to be discovered.
You had to survive. You had to hide. That's what your grandmother would have wanted. Your mother. Your aunt. They had all given you the chance to live. You just hoped they were all right.
You ran towards the deck in search of your boat, but growled when you didn't see it.
"Wait! Don't jump!" A female voice shouted behind you.
You turned around fearfully. A beautiful woman with short orange hair was approaching you slowly, careful not to scare you any more.
"I'm Nami. The navigator of this crew." She introduced herself with a sweet smile.
"Am I on a pirate ship?"
"We're not like other pirates." The woman assured you.
"We're good!" Shouted the doctor behind her. "And you shouldn't be out of bed. You could get sick again."
"My angel, allow this cook to be your slave and treat you like the princess you are." Said a man crouching in front of you with a bowl of soup. It smelled good. Did he say slave?
You blinked in confusion.
"Why don't you become my slave and, as your first order, jump off the ship?" Said a man with green hair and two katanas at his waist.
The blond's eyebrow twitched and he turned towards the swordsman, kicking him.
"You're going to scare her." Said a melodious voice. A woman with black hair and bangs looked at you with a sweet gaze.
"You're not going to kill us, are you?" Asked a man with a long nose hiding behind the black-haired girl.
"I thought you were going to kill me."
"Usopp is afraid of cockroaches. You could kill him with that before he tries anything." Teased the orange-haired girl.
"Oi, Nami, why are you telling her that!?"
You watched them interact for a few minutes. They were... funny. Like a little family. They didn't look like the pirates you read about in your books or in the newspaper. The dreaded Rocks D. Xebec, the mighty Whitebeard, the youngest yonko Shanks. They were all intimidating, with powerful crews, but these pirates were strange.
You smiled softly, unaware of the gaze of a certain rubber boy sitting on the lion's head.
His eyes, curious about the girl in front of him, tried to find something he had seen before. Some trace of those tears that soaked your cheeks, as if the pain you carried was greater than you wanted to show. What you hid inside you would one day explode, but until then, until you let him see it, he only wanted one thing from you.
"Join my crew!" He shouted from above. "That way you won't have to go on that little boat."
You looked up, and the air around you seemed unreachable, forbidding you to have it as you lost yourself in that smile, so bright as it melted into the setting sun.
It wasn't like you to trust so quickly. It wasn't like you to wander around with your eyes closed, without trying to figure out other people's intentions. But nothing in his gaze, in their gazes, showed you any hostility or malice. That young man who stood above everyone else as their captain had a calming aura. As if everyone would be fine by his side. As if even the greatest dangers could not disturb them with him by their side.
You knew you could have refused that day. Sailed alone until you found another island. But wherever you went, you would carry the danger with you.
And along with them, you discovered that the danger was represented by their captain.
On your first day after agreeing to join, everyone introduced themselves to you. The doctor was called Chopper, a cute blue-nosed reindeer who loved telling you medical facts, eating cotton candy, and hated the heat. He knew a lot about medicinal herbs and had an incredible dream.
The beautiful black-haired woman was Nico Robin, wanted by the World Government for being the only survivor of Ohara. She was an archaeologist and her knowledge of everything dazzled you. They told you that they had defied the World Government to save her life, and your heart beat faster.
If they knew that CP0 was after you, would they fight for you? Could you be that important to them?
The navigator, Nami, had been part of the crew from the beginning. She liked to buy pretty clothes and treasures. But what fascinated you most was her knowledge of the weather, her ability to anticipate the sea. You didn't need to announce the whispers of those waters if she could interpret them.
The long-nosed guy, Usopp, served as a sniper. His weapon confused you, forcing you to shut your mouth when you saw him use it. He never missed a single shot, always hitting the target. Nami and Robin would bet, and the short-haired girl always won because she trusted him.
The green-haired man was Roronoa Zoro, who had earned a reputation as a pirate hunter. He was serious and slept a lot, but when he laughed, he laughed heartily. He also had a strange obsession with annoying the blond man. The cook with the weird phrases and compliments, Sanji. His meals were a delicacy, and he had taken the time to ask you what your favourite was so he could make it and make you smile.
The man who only wore swimming trunks was the ship's carpenter, Franky. He had built the Sunny Go, and you considered it a work of art. You complimented the aquarium, and the area would possibly become your favourite.
And the captain, Monkey D. Luffy. That boy with his silly rubber devil fruit that made you smile. He was cheerful, playful, and funny. If everyone was here, he must be someone trustworthy.
Everything about him caught your attention.
As the days passed, you allowed yourself to feel comfortable around them. Perhaps this wasn't what your grandmother would have preferred, but if these people were enemies of the world government, then there was no safer place for you and your true identity.
No one could find a faceless girl with forbidden abilities, let alone imagine that she was now a pirate.
You told them what you could about yourself. Saying your name or talking about where you were born was not a challenge. These people did not judge you or pry into your past, not if it did not directly affect them. You discovered that they tolerated being mocked, but they did not tolerate anyone talking to or touching their friends. It was a silent respect for one another, a fondness that went beyond understanding. They were friends, they were where they needed to be. Where they belonged.
And just as everyone had their role in the crew, you couldn't really find yours.
They didn't force you to learn how to fight like an expert, but they wanted to teach you the basics so you could defend yourself.
You couldn't reveal the truth about your devil fruit. You had only mentioned that you had one, but you didn't know its powers. You had never used it to attack, as you had never been forced or needed to do so. You had never seen what it limited you to and what it promised you. With the "Hito Hito no Mi, model: Naia", you could only hear fish and sea creatures. And there was something else. Something you had discovered that embraced you in your darkest moments.
The addition of Brook âa skeleton who played various instruments and sang, which almost gave you a heart attack when you saw himâ helped a lot to maintain a façade. His devil fruit had worked after he died. Everyone assumed that yours would awaken when the time was right.
Living day to day, joke after joke, disaster after disaster, was relaxing you.
You played with water pistols with everyone, shared clothes with Nami and Robin (and at night you spoiled each other with face masks and massages), you laughed at Sanji and Zoro's fights, rejected the cook's attempts to take you on a date, played guessing games about what was inside Chopper's laboratory tubes to make him smile, gave Brook ideas for songs while you drank tea together, joined in Franky and Usopp's shooting competitions, betting on who would hit the target. Always trusting the sniper, winning berries that you shared with Nami.
Luffy taught you your little training sessions to learn how to defend yourself. More than once he found you staring at him blankly, thinking you didn't understand how to throw a good punch, when in reality you were just mesmerised. Enchanted by his joy. By his smile. By his disposition. By his beauty.
"You have to bring one arm back and then push with the other! Like this!" He said, frowning in concentration.
Nami and Robin watched them, both leaning against the railing on the upper floor, outside the room the three of you shared.
"Luffy always gets like this when he decides to take on a pupil..." Sighed the navigator. "Luffy, Y/N isn't a kung fu dugong!"
The rubber boy looked at you.
"You're not going to make it?" He lamented, lowering his arms. "Zoro! Lend her one of your katanas!"
"No way." Muttered the swordsman without opening his eyes, trying to sleep.
Preparing your mind and body to improve your defence, those weak blows you used to deliver, was something you never imagined you would have to do when you lived in your village. Keeping up with your captain and the crew's cook was torture. Kicks to the head, hips, legs. Punches to the chin, stomach, nose. They were trying to teach you something you could use in a complex situation, if you didn't have time to hide. Which seemed silly to you.
Luffy's dream was to become the pirate king.
A noble dream. A dream for the brave.
He talked to you about freedom, about how the freest man in the world would be the one who became the pirate king, and you listened to him. He would sit next to you after training, when Sanji left them alone to prepare a snack at sunset. The rubber boy talked about everything and nothing. The words flowed from him as if from an inexhaustible source.
In a short time, you got to know his older brother, Ace, who, impressively, was the commander of Whitebeard's second division. A certain Dadan who raised them both alongside some mountain bandits. A young woman named Makino who always brought them clothes and taught them manners. His grandfather Garp, who served as a vice admiral in the marine and always wanted to force him to join. The yonko Shanks, who was the original owner of his straw hat, with whom he had a mission to return it when he surpassed him. And his brother Sabo, who died as a child and whom he missed madly.
Luffy talked and talked, filling your silences, smiling at you when you said something. Patiently waiting for you to talk about yourself. Eagerly waiting for you to open up. For your freedom by his side. Because that was what he wanted most for his friends. For them to be free.
But what chance of freedom could he give them if he was suffering so much?
His reality hit him like cold water. He was there, and yet he wasn't.
His world was falling apart.
He had lost them all in Sabaody. He believed he was strong, he believed he could overcome anything with enough courage, with enough confidence. If he had them by his side, he could overcome anything that came his way. He would fight for his dream, for the dreams of his friends, for the dreams of the people he met along the way.
He would do everything possible to put a smile on their faces.
So why were they determined to take his smile away? Why did they make them disappear before his eyes? Why did they let him smile broadly when he saved his brother, only to force him to hold him in his arms as he whispered his last words? Why did they have to kill Ace? Why?
Luffy was devastated. Those who were present when he awoke heard his cries of agony in the jungle. His pleas for Ace. His questions about his whereabouts.
He banged his body against the trees. His head against the rocks. He cried uncontrollably, asking, begging, pleading. A soft "thank you for loving me" repeated over and over in his mind, breaking him as he hugged himself.
It was Jinbe who pulled him out of the constant spiral his thoughts were caught up in. The doubts that gnawed at him were stagnating. Luffy wanted to be strong. He wanted to be strong enough not to lose anyone else. He wanted to be strong enough to carry his brother's will with him so that one day he could look up at the sky and smile at him, showing him that he had succeeded. He had become the king of pirates.
The news of Whitebeard's and his commander's deaths spread around the world. It received positive reactions from those who feared them and had been harmed by them. Fear spread throughout the territories that had been protected by this powerful crew. But those who suffered the most were the small family who had raised and watched these brothers grow up in Foosha.
Holding the newspaper in your hands, you read and reread the news. Just like everyone else in the crew, you wanted to be by his side. You could feel where he was. The sea whispered it to you, and you were impulsive. You never measured your actions. You never said enough to yourself. So you stole a small boat on that desolate island where you had ended up after their separation in Sabaody.
You let the sea guide you without a log pose, leading you to your captain. After a few days, you ignored the new newspaper announcing that Luffy had returned to the scene of the tragedy. Two years. You would all be reunited in two years. But you couldn't not go to his side.
You wanted to give him something to hold on to. Something that would give him calm and strength while everyone waited for their reunion.
The sea beasts cleared your path and escorted you somewhere. It took you three days to reach a jungle island. You got off your boat, nervously smoothing your white shirt. You trusted the sea. It wouldn't be wrong. But if Luffy was in this place, how would you get to him without being killed by one of those beasts growling in the distance? Sanji had taught you a few kicks, and your captain a few punches, but you were still weak.
This island was covered in vegetation. The trees stood proudly, as tall as if they were competing with each other to be the first to reach the sunlight. The plants with strange leaves were striking, to the point that something in your mind told you not to touch them. And in the distance, threatening to erupt, you could see three volcanoes.
You entered the jungle, startled by the sound of quick, heavy footsteps running towards you. You looked to your side and your scream echoed through the trees.
A larger-than-normal tiger was approaching you, baring fangs as long as your arm. You froze in fear, falling to the grass as you closed your eyes when it lunged to bite.
"Young lady? I don't know how you got here, but this is no place for beautiful girls."
You opened your eyes when death did not come, and instead there was an elderly man adjusting his glasses in front of you, smiling sideways. The tiger lay between you both, unconscious.
"Old man Rayleigh! Where are you?"
The speed with which you stood up impressed the man in front of you, whose name was Rayleigh. Rayleigh? You looked at him again. He closed his eyes, a gentle smile on his face, crossing his arms. You had read about him. You had read everything about the pirate king and his crew.
"Huh? Y/N?" You looked behind the dark king and there he was. Your captain, completely bandaged, looking at you in surprise. "Y/N!"
His movements were, all in all, normal. He didn't use his powers as he ran towards you and wrapped you in his arms. He seemed to be careful with his body, and he certainly needed to be.
"What are you doing here? How did you get here? How are the others? We were supposed to meet in two years!" His excited voice as he pulled your body close to his using what little strength he had devastated you.
You hugged him back, careful not to disturb any areas where the injury was more severe. You felt a slight tremor in his body as he asked a thousand questions, not giving you time to answer.
Rayleigh watched the two of you thoughtfully, Jinbe joining him at his side, having felt a sudden calling.
"I came by boat." You whispered.
"The little boat? That's dangerous." Said Luffy.
"Young lady, you crossed the Calm Belt and overcame all those sea beasts in a simple boat? You must be very strong." Rayleigh inquired.
"It's not that." Jinbe wanted to say, but the words reached no one but you in your mind.
Your eyes quickly found him, and he smiled at you.
"Oi, Y/N, Y/N, are you going to stay?" Luffy asked with a huge smile, capturing your full attention.
"No. I'd be interrupting whatever is going on here."
"You need to train, you're still weak." He teased.
"I'm not!" You complained.
But you were. The right-hand man of the Pirate King and the first son of the sea smiled amusedly. One, knowing the whole story. And the other, having grown up with a legend.
The sun and the sea belonged to each other. And the sun and the sea were unknowingly facing each other.
"If you don't mind, I have a proposal for you, miss Y/N." Said the gyojin.
Luffy and you stopped arguing and looked at him.
"I would like to train you in gyojin karate."
"Gyojin karate? I'm bad with my fists." You muttered, embarrassed.
"That would be great, Jinbe!" Said Luffy, picking his nose. "But doesn't it only work with gyojin? Will she turn into a mermaid?"
"She'll make it work better than anyone else." Said Rayleigh, walking towards a campfire. "I'll give you a month to talk and for Luffy to recover. Then you'll leave with Jinbe. Is that alright with both of you?"
Luffy nodded, dragging you by the hand towards the campfire.
In a month, he and you grew closer. You discovered all kinds of beetles, a hobby of his that you loved. You made them fight, betting on which one would win, groaning in frustration when you lost. You could never beat him when he had the advantage of knowledge over you.
You fought over the food Rayleigh hunted, receiving teasing from the adult who quickly grew fond of you. In his eyes, you were a sweet girl who needed to bring out that hidden strength. Jinbe only scolded Luffy when he bit your hand before you could take some meat.
It caught your attention how in the mornings your captain was a cheerful boy, giving a huge smile to anyone, but at night he would break down. You slept separately. Rayleigh used to cover him with his cape, and Jinbe covered you with his. But when no one was looking, when they went to the island's shore to talk in private, Luffy would move.
He sought refuge in your arms. He didn't ask for permission. He didn't ask questions. He didn't speak. All you felt were his bandaged arms wrapped around your waist and his face against your chest. If tears wet your shirt and silent sobs shook his body, you said nothing. You stroked his hair silently until he fell asleep, and only after making sure he was, did you sleep yourself.
It was the morning after a nightmare woke him up that you made your decision.
You had done this three or four times in your life. You weren't sure you could do it, but that was the only reason you had visited Rusukaina.
On the shore, you took off your sandals and put your feet in the water. The weakness of seawater, which must bother all users of the devil's fruit, never bothered you. When they said it was an anomaly, this was why.
You stretched your hand out over the water and it rose just ten centimetres. You clenched it into a fist and opened it again. Fifteen centimetres. You closed it again and the water fell, splashing as it formed a puddle. A puddle in the sea. The water was mirrored, confirming your success.
"How can you be there if you ate a devil fruit?"
You looked up, frightened.
Luffy looked at you confused, his head tilted to one side and his lips pursed.
"You didn't eat one then?"
"Luffy..."
"I saw you lift the water."
"It must have been your imagination." You said, smiling nervously.
"No. Earlier on the Sunny Go, I saw you attract the fish. I thought it was Camie, but Camie doesn't eat her friends."
You remained silent.
"It must be great to be able to swim with a devil fruit!" He laughed as he approached you. "What were you doing with the water? Something like fium and splash!"
You scratched the back of your neck while the bandaged boy moved his hands in exaggerated movements. That was just how he was. And you were becoming more attached to him than usual. The way he explained things with the sounds they made made you smile.
"If I tell you, it will be a secret between us."
"Are you going to show me your treasure?" He asked, his eyes sparkling.
"Something like that."
You took his hand, pulling him close to you. You both looked out at the puddle in the sea, so much like a mirror.
With the end of the month and the promise to meet again in two years, you parted ways. The truth about your devil fruit was kept by your captain, who smiled happily at learning more about you. Happy at how little by little you were opening up to them. To him.
He begged you for different tricks with water, bursting into laughter when the sea water weakened him. He understood why Jinbe had to be the one to train you, eager to know how strong you would be in two years. He was saddened when, at night, he no longer had your warmth by his side and your caresses on his hair to soothe his pain and trauma.
But he took refuge in your gift.
That puddle you had created in the sea was trapped in a seashell. You had taught him how to take the enchanted water out and put it back in, with no limit on its use.
He believed it was the best thing in the world after his hat, his brothers, and his crew.
His lonely nights were filled with laughter by the sea. Laughter that had previously only existed in his memories, but which he could now hear and see. The puddle formed mirages, reflecting his memories.
He saw Ace. He saw Sabo. He saw the three of them running through Mount Colubo. Hunting, playing, fighting. He cried at everything he witnessed. Just hearing his brothers being happy, Sabo counting the points in their training sessions, Ace teasing him for being weak, his taunts at seeing his older brother embarrassed when receiving compliments from Makino. It all made his heart ache.
The two years passed more quickly than the crew had expected. The strength they had all gained, their new skills and their new appearances were something to be appreciated.
Your training with Jinbe on a remote island in order to hide your identity had been laborious. You were good at gyojin karate. Your devil fruit responded to you with ease now. You could defend yourself and attack without relying on others, but the adult had told you that you still had a long way to go. The Hito Hito no Mi would not stop there. You still had to awaken it. You still had to learn more with it, without limiting yourself. You could do anything you could imagine with enough determination.
You smiled amusedly when you saw Nami sitting at the bar, drinking alone. You approached her from behind, hugging her and whispering in her ear.
"Are you free tonight?"
The woman, now with long hair, shuddered when she recognised the voice and turned around with a smile.
"Y/N!" Her arms wrapped around you in a big hug. "It's been so long! You look amazing!"
"You look beautiful, Nami." You said, sitting down next to her with a smile.
"Ladies, would you like me to buy you a drink?"
You both turned towards the voice with disinterest, your expressions instantly changing when you recognised it. Usopp was smiling, looking more confident than ever. Nami and you rushed to hug him, starting to talk about everything the three of you had done in those two years. You talked a little about your training, saying that you were now good at karate, proud of your attacks.
As the minutes passed, you met up with the others again.
The Sunny Go was still in the same place you left it, without a single scratch. Seeing most of the crew filled your heart with joy. Those people who had welcomed you with open arms two years ago were finally in front of you again.
Franky whistled and complimented the beautiful women in front of him. His appearance had changed a lot since the past, but he was approached by Usopp, who looked at him excitedly and asked all sorts of questions. Chopper, wearing a new hat and looking cuter than ever, jumped around and hugged Robin excitedly. He had missed everyone dearly. Robin, more beautiful than ever with her long hair, talked about her days with the Revolutionary Army.
Everyone looked healthy, but above all, they looked happy. Happy to be back where they belonged.
But someone was missing.
And just thinking about seeing him again made your heart race wildly inside your chest, wanting to escape.
"I can't wait to see how much Luffy has changed since last time!" Usopp exclaimed with a smile from ear to ear. "I'm so excited to see him!"
"Me too." Said Robin.
You nodded silently, smiling fondly. When the assumption was made that he might have gotten himself into trouble, Chopper offered to go find the three remaining members. The moment the little one left, an irreplaceable presence fell from above.
Brook had left behind his life as a world-renowned musician to return to his beloved friends. They all welcomed him with smiles.
"And I thought you couldn't get any more beautifulâŠ" Commented the skeleton, looking at the three women. "Well⊠Two years have passed."
He sat down on a barrel and a few strings of his guitar resonated in the air.
"Would you all be so kind and show me your panties?"
"No way!"
Nami kicked him away, while Robin and you laughed.
"Oi! Guys!"
You looked up just as his voice reached your ears. Your big smile matched those of the others, but the sparkle in your eyes hid the longing in your heart, those feelings that had blossomed when you spent a month together, completely alone, sleeping in each other's arms every night. Those feelings you tried to fight, repeating in your mind like a mantra that they would pass if you didn't see him, breaking down when you dreamed of his smile or when you thought of his reaction to seeing you again.
You stayed behind the others with a sudden blush on your cheeks.
You had never seen him without his multiple bandages. And now there he was, stepping onto the deck of the Sunny Go while greeting everyone, wearing an open red shirt that revealed that huge scar.
Luffy had gained muscle. He looked stronger. More confident. And yet, you could see that he was the same as always, that his strength and confidence were centred on the people around him.
The rubber boy looked for you, smiling when he saw you.
Neither of you spoke, at least not out loud, pretending that nothing had happened between you.
The journey to Fishman Island had been quite an adventure. Seeing the underwater world left you speechless. Holding onto the railing, you admired the different schools of fish that surrounded the ship from time to time, circling twice before swimming away. You wanted to reach out and feel them against your skin, but that would have exposed you. The sea water did not weaken you, and the crew knew you had an âunusedâ devil fruit.
"I think they're greeting you." You looked to your side, to that warm presence.
Luffy was looking at a school of pink fish that had come up to your face to look at you from the other side of the bubble.
"Yes?" You said, amused.
"We could eat them."
"Don't even think about it." You scolded him.
"But you're not a mermaid!"
"But they talk to me. They're friends."
"Friends aren't for eating." He muttered, pressing his lips together.
You giggled admiringly at the little pout he made as his stomach growled. That soft sound from you disturbed the sea animals around the Sunny Go, who were happily swirling around.
"Are there always so many fish? How cool!" Said Usopp, standing next to you.
You snuggled up to Luffy a little, pretending not to know anything. Luffy moved his mouth into a pout to one side, also pretending not to know.
"You're bad at lying." You whispered.
"I'm not." He whispered back.
You laughed, leaving him with Usopp.
Fishman Island was a dreamlike place. Your devil fruit seemed comfortable there, and the mermaids and gyojin looked at you excitedly.
The powerful goddess of the sea, Naia, stood before them.
The legend told for generations spoke of how she was always accompanied by a man. A clingy man who never left her side. A playful man who always made her laugh. A selfish man who never refrained from looking at her with love and wanting her for himself.
That man was the sun god.
They said that when they separated, the goddess cried so much that her tears disturbed the sea. The catastrophe caused by the forced breakup of their love made her sleep for centuries. And at some point, when the sun rose again, she would wake up.
Mothers and children never stopped talking about how they, the inhabitants of Fishman Island, would be the first to recognise her. After all, Naia was a kind of mother to that race.
Everyone wondered who the man accompanying you would be.
Nami and Robin watched amused as the little mermen, mermaids, and gyojin children clung to you shamelessly, asking you to play with them. You had no idea how to refuse. Throughout the banquet, you were here and there, performing water tricks hidden from your crew, entertaining the little ones who were excited by the slightest thing you did.
Jinbe, happy to see your progress and how you were doing in the water, smiled as he drank his sake.
Everyone was having a good time. Everyone except for a rubber boy who occasionally remembered that you weren't by his side and, capriciously, pouted. He calmed down again when they gave him meat, enjoying the party.
You sat down next to him, exhausted. You didn't know what other tricks to do for those children. You took a sip of sake, on the verge of spitting it out when another gyojin child came up in front of you.
"Oi, kids, she's mine for now." Said Luffy, frowning and taking a bite of meat.
You blushed, trying to drink the sake faster. Robin raised an eyebrow at his words, giving the orange-haired woman beside her an inquiring look. They both knew how possessive the rubber boy could be. His hat and his friends were equally important to him. But that phrase⊠That tone was different.
The impact his words could have on one's life or day was foreign to Luffy. Noticing that what he unconsciously said brought a revolution was not something he cared about.
He continued as if nothing had happened.
And so, his normal behaviour over the following days came as no surprise to anyone. The navigator and the archaeologist watched you both closely, knowing that there was something else going on between you.
Even though your captain sat next to you at breakfast, fighting with you over the portions you hadn't eaten yet (something he would do with anyone), there was something strange about it. The natural way you would slap his hand and growl at him. The way he would bite your hand hard, making you cry out. They did not remember the two of you being so close before Sabaody, two years ago.
You had not had time to develop such a friendship.
And it did not seem like a simple friendship.
One night, when you hadn't yet come to your room to sleep with them, they talked.
"Seriously, if those two are a couple and they didn't tell us..." Whispered Nami.
"I don't think they are. In fact, I think that's where they're headed." Robin refuted.
"If Luffy feels something for her, he won't notice." Growled the navigator, burying her face in her pillow.
The black-haired woman smiled as she sat on her own bed.
"We just have to give them time." She murmured.
"We have to keep an eye on them."
"Without interfering." Robin concluded.
Island after island you visited in the future, day after day that passed, both women decided to give you privacy, paying attention only during dinners. As if reviewing the day, looking for some sign of progress.
It was amid the heat of the flames and the volcanoes about to erupt in Punk Hazard that Robin noticed the first detail: Luffy talked to you like he didn't talk to anyone else.
The heat was unbearable, you could barely stand that kind of hell, ignoring that your captain now looked like a centaur and shouted excitedly that he liked having four legs. If you looked closer, you noticed that the ones at the back, which had just been attached, were barely working. They flew through the air because Luffy's legs did all the work.
You wiped the sweat from your forehead for the fourth time when the smiling boy approached you. He leaned over to you, whispering in your ear.
"Why don't you make something like a sphere of water and hydrate yourself?"
"I can't. There's no source of water nearby." You whispered.
"Your sweat."
You parted your lips, not believing what he had said. Use your sweat? And why was he looking at you like that? With his brow slightly furrowed, as if he had said the most serious, intelligent and obvious thing in the world. You smiled amusedly, patting his shoulder.
Robin noticed it again when all of you arrived on the other side of the lake, where the island became wintry. The small group was shivering from the cold, freezing after falling into the water. The archaeologist sighed as she felt her body warm up, turning to check that everyone was okay, raising her eyebrows briefly in surprise.
Her captain was wrapping a coat around your body, as if it were a practised movement. Neither of you knew that Luffy had actually watched others do this and wanted to try it himself.
Because that's what people who loved someone else did, right? Give them a coat so they would never be cold. Rayleigh had done it for him when they trained together. Hancock had lent him hers to get to Sabaody.
In his mind, if you cared about someone, you should give them a coat.
Although he knew very well why he only wanted to give it to you.
During the banquet, when you walked away to comfort Chopper, who was frightened by Trafalgar Law, the two women sat down to exchange information. Nami hadn't seen anything unusual, so she was surprised to hear about her captain's actions towards you.
The navigator became frustrated when she couldn't stay in Dressrosa, feeling like she was missing out on everything. Robin promised to keep her informed when they met again.
And so she did.
You had signed up with him for the coliseum tournament, wearing one of the many gladiator outfits. Luckily, you had been placed in a different block from Luffy, saving you from a difficult fate. It wasn't time for your competition yet when Zoro came looking for the two of you.
The urgency with which you began searching for the exit made you anxious. Outside, it would soon be chaos, but the thought of Luffy abandoning one of the few physical reminders he had of his brother made your heart ache. You wished you could get it for him, but he had forbidden you to do so. If he left, you would go with him.
You stopped in your tracks for a few seconds when you realised there was nowhere to escape. Encountering Bartolomeo and Bellamy only confirmed your suspicions. It was all a trap and you were trapped in the coliseum, only he knew the way out.
"Luffy senpai, what will happen to the Mera Mera no Mi?" Asked the green-haired man, staring at the wall.
"The lives of my comrades are more important."
You bit your lower lip. A physical reminder of Ace that he couldn't have. A physical reminder that would give him a glimpse of his time in the world, something that would show him that he was there. You could stay in the coliseum without any problems. Win it, take it away in its chest, keep it safe, and run away with it until you could give it to Luffy...
Luffy tugged on your little finger without looking at you to pull you out of your thoughts. Bartolomeo talked non-stop, still facing the wall, about how he had always planned to win it for him. Because he admired him. He admired the whole crew and would do anything for any of you, but especially for the young man next to you.
You turned to look back when approaching footsteps interrupted you. You frowned at the man. He was dressed like a noble would be. And he wore a custom hat.
"I won't let you keep the Mera Mera no Mi, Straw Hat Luffy."
"What are you talking about, idiot?" Bartolomeo growled, walking towards him. "I don't know who you think you are, but to you he is Luffy senpai. Respect him!"
The green-haired man continued talking, trying to intimidate him, but that man was not fazed. He was calm, not taking his eyes off the boy you loved. You began to frown.
"I've known all that for a long time." Said the man, pushing Bartolomeo away.
You stood in front of Luffy, trying to protect him when he started to approach. Your right hand took a familiar gyojin karate stance, and something in the blond's gaze seemed to sparkle in recognition. The rubber boy stood in front of you again, hating that you were protecting him.
But what happened next was something neither of you were prepared for. You stepped aside, your lower lip trembling, unable to interrupt them.
You could only watch your rubber boy crying as he hugged him. His sobs were loud, letting out more than he had allowed himself to do at your side. He apologised. He repeated to the blond that everything was fine and that he shouldn't apologise. The older one thanked him for staying alive.
And you were broken, thanking whoever for this joy in his life.
Living two years of his life believing that he had lost his two older brothers must have been the greatest torture.
In Zou, despite the situation they had to face in Big Mom's territory, Nami and Robin made a space for themselves.
"So, his brother is the second in command of the Revolutionary Army?" The navigator whispered.
Robin nodded. She had kept that secret for two years.
"Sabo noticed something too."
"What?"
"I don't know what happened between the three of them, but when Luffy and Y/N were sleeping after the battle..."
"Separately?" Whispered Nami.
"Yes and no. Luffy was in bed and Y/N was holding his hand, sitting on the floor."
The navigator nodded thoughtfully, waiting for her to continue.
"Sabo said he liked his little brother's girlfriend."
Nami's eyes widened in surprise.
As if Zoro and Franky hadn't heard the revolutionary's conversation too. Now you had two more pairs of eyes watching you from afar.
As night fell, you yawned relaxed in bed. You couldn't be at peace for long. Your stomach churned at the thought of Luffy going to the territory of a yonko without you. It calmed you to think that the friends he was going with were good and trustworthy. Bringing Sanji back was essential.
You couldn't imagine your days without him in the kitchen, occupying every corner and filling the room with his twists and compliments.
The blanket was lifted carefully and arms wrapped around your waist.
"Luffy?" You whispered.
"Mhm."
Your heart skipped a beat. Should you put one hand on his hair and the other on his back like you used to? Should you tell him to go back to his room? To his bed? And not feel his warmth. Not feel his heartbeat. Not comfort him in silence. Since you saw each other again, you hadn't slept together.
"Y/N?" He whispered, resting his chin on your chest. "You must stroke my hair."
His demanding tone, trapped in a pout, made you giggle. He relaxed under your touch. He hadnât wanted to bother you when you saw each other again, but he had missed this. Your fingers in his hair, the gentle circles traced on his back, waking up without you leaving him.
You had stolen his heart in a month, and he wasn't doing anything about it.
"Sorry." He murmured, his cheek resting on your chest. His tone didn't seem to regret whatever he was regretting in the slightest.
"Why are you apologising?"
"I gave Sabo your gift. The seashell." He whispered without looking at you. "I thought he would need it more than I did."
You smiled, resisting the urge to kiss his forehead.
"Itâs okay. I can make you another one if you want."
Luffy didn't say what he was thinking. He knew you would make those magical pools for him if he asked, without needing a seashell. Next time, he wanted to show you everything he had to show.
But that would have to wait.
Wano was unlike anything you had ever seen before.
The suffering of the people in this village made your blood boil. Poor people had nothing to eat, and their water was contaminated. Seeing them live dehydrated, with sick children and rumbling stomachs, pushed you to your limit.
Hiding your identity would be difficult in this country. They needed you, so you allowed yourself to do something in secret. The gentle touch of your hands began to purify the water of the river of Ebisu, the pollution seeping into your bones. You didn't mention it to anyone, it was an experiment. You wanted to know your limits.
The flowing water was clean, perfect for the children, elderly and adults in the area. It was the little you could do while enduring the pollution. You had to find a way to expel it from within you without causing havoc. Throwing it away and contaminating plants, the land for future crops or the sea itself disgusted you.
But maybe, enduring it was your mistake.
Perhaps if you had gone against your principles and stopped trusting Luffy's words, those that promised to save this country, you would not be suffering now. But it was impossible for you not to do so. It was impossible for you not to trust him. You knew he would succeed, because he never lied. He worked hard for what he set out to do.
He was like sunshine in the lives of those who knew him.
You tolerated the contamination in your bones during the battles in Onigashima, but weeks had passed since you received it and your body began to take its toll at the worst possible moment.
You could only hear Nami and Usopp's screams when you stood in front of them. The three of you had a little girl with you. Otama was Luffy's adoration, and putting her in danger was something you would never forgive yourself for. The powers of your devil fruit did not respond in time to counter the threatening attack of the yonko Big Mom, an attack that was aimed at your friends.
The "heavenly fire" struck your body, its impact propelling it and slamming it against the walls. That homie, Prometheus, pushed your body wall to wall, breaking them one by one as if he were on a mission. As if he wanted to kill someone from the straw hat crew.
You spat out a little blood when the fire became more intense. It was burning your torso and arms. If you moved your fingers slightly, you didn't have the strength to call on the sea water, nor to send Prometheus backwards.
A song reached your ears. You opened your eyes slightly, meeting the gaze of the homie, so threatening and sinister. You smiled slightly, knowing you would be safe.
That soft intonation, almost as if a mother were tucking her beloved child into bed, could not be heard by anyone else present on Onigashima. Naia's song was exclusively for you, only heard on special occasions. The first time you heard it, you consumed her fruit. And this time, everything was a mystery.
"Y/N!"
Was that cry from Usopp or Nami? You couldn't see them. You could only watch Prometheus rage at your smile.
A gasp escaped from within you as the force of his attack tripled. The other homies joined him, Hera and Napoleon, carrying you through the hard rock wall.
A beep stunned your ears.
Your body fell from a height impossible to calculate. The abyss drew you into its darkness, and you could do nothing but embrace it.
The severity of your injuries left you with no strength to scream. To call for help. To call out to anyone.
Luffy, your friends, the people of Wano who trusted you. Was this your end? Was this Naia's will, for which you had been expelled from your native island? Did you really have to die like this?
The water engulfed you as you hit hard, sinking you to the depths.
"Announcement to all of Onigashima!"
Bao Huang's shout echoed in every corner. The fighting didn't stop, but everyone was paying attention. Something had changed.
"A member of the straw hat crew has been defeated!"
Usopp growled, wiping away his tears in despair. He felt useless. He should have taken the attack, not let you cover him. He couldn't do anything because of the fear. He couldn't do anything to stop you from falling. Nami hugged Otama, sobbing hard, apologising to Luffy over and over again even though her captain wasn't in front of them. How could she explain to him that she let the woman he loved be killed right in front of his eyes? Everyone's friend? Another straw hat.
"Y/N has been killed by Big Mom-sama!"
At different points on Onigashima, the crew was moved. Different reactions crossed their faces. Anger, sadness, regret. Some, like Chopper and Brook, shouted through their tears that you couldn't have died. That Bao Huang was lying. Others, like Zoro and Sanji, silently continued to fight. You were just as stubborn as Luffy, whatever had happened to you, you wouldn't stop there. Jinbe stopped dead in his tracks as Robin hugged Chopper, looking for something to hold on to before her thoughts consumed her mind.
Luffy's heart scratched at his chest as he was forced to hold back.
He wanted to run to the edge of the terrace. He wanted to look down. He felt the need for his longing to become one with the sea despite his inability to swim. And he felt you. The soft beating of your heart, how weak your pulse was, and how calm the waves were. Could you drown if you were the sea itself? Could your wounds condemn your soul to an irreversible fate?
He clenched his fists, unflinching. One mistake, one moment of weakness, would end everyone's life.
For some strange reason, the news from Bao Huang did not affect him like it did the others, who were crying incessantly.
Luffy trusted you, even when his observation haki could no longer sense your heartbeat.
You had spent a month together. You had slept together. You had shared and fought over food. You had cared for his mind and his nightmares without him asking. You had listened to his whole story and his dreams, while opening up about yours only to him. You had been one of the reasons he was standing there today, fighting.
He trusted you. He trusted that you would be okay.
If your origin was the sea, then you would return to it. And the sea would do its thing to bring you back.
Because you belonged by his side, in a silent agreement that neither of you would break.
In the depths, hundreds of fish and sea creatures surrounded your lifeless body, giving you space, shy to be near their goddess. Your outstretched arms allowed them to see you. The burns on your torso and neck continued to bleed, despite the water's attempts to soothe them. The pollution tolerated for weeks drained away little by little, oozing from your body until it gathered into a sphere.
"Nika, you've got yours!"
"Oi, Luffy! That's my food!"
The voices, clearly reproachful, echoed among those present under the sea.
"Naia! Come jump!"
"Y/N, let's play something!"
A heartbeat.
"Nika, stop moving, you're annoying."
"Luffy, I can't sleep if you move around so much. Go to your bed."
Another heartbeat.
"Naia is mean."
"Y/N is mean, she wouldn't let me eat her food."
Fire ravaged Onigashima. Everyone began to gather in one place, desperately searching for a solution. The captain of the straw hat pirates continued to fight Kaido, filling the atmosphere with anxiety. No member of the alliance wanted to hear any more bad news.
"Even if Straw Hat-ya wins, we'll all die in the fire." Said the captain of the heart pirates. "We have to find a way to put it out."
Nami took a few steps towards the centre, standing next to Marco as some surfaces began to give way.
The sudden tremor in the floor frightened everyone. Several fell to the floor, breathing heavily amid the flames and two powerful presences fighting on the terrace. The navigator held Otama tightly in front of her.
"An earthquake? How is that possible up here?" She said, confused.
"This isn't normal. Something's happening." Robin drew some minks towards the centre with her powers.
"Is Straw Hat provoking it?" Kid growled.
"No..." Law said. "He's still fighting Kaido."
"I sense another presence-yoi."
"Itâs not Luffy or Kaido? Whatâs going on? Robin!" Chopper hugged the archaeologist, crying.
"Thereâs something in the sea!"
The scream of one of the beast pirates alarmed their opponents, with Law being the first to look into the hole you had made in the wall before dying. His crew had been on the Polar Tang at the moment you fell, but according to their reports, it was impossible to reach your body. A blue sphere surrounded you and the sea beasts threatened to attack them. They could have killed his friends, but something was holding them back. The waves battered his submarine, sending it away every time it approached where you were supposed to be.
One by one, they took clumsy steps to look through the hole, at a considerable distance, afraid of falling. Most of the straw hats did not want to see what was left after your death. The pain in their hearts could not be revealed, and their tears could not be shed. Not until it was all over.
The waves crashed into each other with fury, their directions unnatural. Not even the weather in the New World could explain something like that. Nami left Otama next to a sleeping Zoro, holding onto the wall to get a closer look.
"The water is receding." She whispered. "Everyone, stay in the centre!"
"Oi, oi, Nami, the waves can't reach up here, why are you worried?" Asked Usopp.
"Because of that thing that's taking shape."
The metres receded by the sea rose up in a wave. A wave almost two thousand metres high, immovable. And in its centre, there was a figure. A woman created from water, rivalling a giant in size.
"We won't get out of here alive." Cried Usopp.
"Robin-chan, Nami-swan, I'll protect you."
"Sanji! Me too!" Chopper whimpered.
"She looks like..." Law whispered.
"That's Y/N!" Jinbe shouted.
The entire crew's eyes widened before they began screaming and crying.
"Monster!" Usopp exclaimed upon seeing the figure.
"What is that thing, it's scary!" Nami cried.
"Y/N-chan had that kind of power all along?" Sanji shouted, leaning further out of the hole.
"I'm glad she's alive, yohoho!"
"It's a super miracle!" Franky sobbed.
"What a peculiar shape..." Robin murmured thoughtfully. "Do you know anything about it, Jinbe-san?"
The gyojin smiled broadly.
Naia had returned.
"I would recommend everyone stand in the centre and hold each other. Y/N is going to do something."
You cupped the water in your hands. Just as you had practised for two years, you had no reason to be nervous. Your body felt healthy and light as you became the sea itself. The burns would still be there once you broke this form, but now it was enough. Jinbe had trained you relentlessly so that you could achieve his hikishio ipponzeoi.
You prepared your attack and, without hesitation, half the sea was thrown towards Onigashima.
The flood was unprecedented.
The fire was completely extinguished. The devil fruit users weakened. The few gyojin who were there saved everyone from being swept away by the waves. Nami carried Otama, Usopp saved Robin, Sanji held Zoro, Franky grabbed Brook, and Jinbe put Chopper on his shoulder. Everyone in the crew smiled as they looked out to sea, where your figure stood in all its grandeur and splendour. To say they were surprised would be an understatement. They had so much to ask you. Two wanted to apologise for everything you had been through. A certain swordsman would seek you out to train when he woke up and heard the news. The archaeologist wanted to know everything about your devil fruit and its rarity.
You were something that transcended the unnatural.
"Shishishi!"
You looked up at the island's roof. Luffy, in a strange white form, floated in the air, reclining with his arms behind his head. His beautiful pink eyes looked at you fondly. And amid all that radiant happiness, you could see tears threatening to escape.
"Thank you for coming back, Y/N."
The land of Wano made headlines worldwide. The bounty posters were updated. The crew now belonged to a yonko, straw hat Luffy.
It made you happy to see how he was getting closer and closer to fulfilling his dream. And, in turn, how you were now one of the members with the highest bounty.
You held the poster in front of your face, grimacing from time to time as you felt Chopper's hooves on your burns, applying an ointment that he claimed was excellent. You would be left with scars on your neck and chest, but you couldn't dream of leaving that country without a scratch. You didn't regret defending your friends.
Although Nami and Usopp never left your side, the sniper crying and hugging you every time you passed by him, and the navigator offering you berries (something she wouldn't normally do with anyone) and multiple strokes on your hair.
You paid attention to your photo on the poster. It was you, from head to toe, every little detail, every tiny imperfection, but all loved by the sea. The sea goddess you had awakened had been captured and everyone admired her. For some she was terrifying, for others magical.
You smiled dumbly. You couldn't always use such a powerful attack, but being immortalised like this was nice. You traced the numbers with your index finger, curious about the insane sum.
Why was your head suddenly worth 1,000,000,000 berries? You had only died, come back to life, and extinguished the fire on Onigashima. Perhaps you had also purified all the water in Wano, and Trafalgar Law had used his devil fruit to remove the pollution from inside you. But that was not something others could know.
You never got a straight answer to that.
Egghead was about to be a disaster. CP0 was on the island with clear instructions. Your boots echoed on the floor as you stepped aside to wait for Luffy. You were supposed to take him back to Labophase, but he was more interested in facing an old enemy he had encountered again.
You looked up, entranced. His Gear 5 was mind-blowing. Everything he could do with his devil fruit, the ease with which his brain came up with new ideas, it all made you laugh. Not to mention the floor, which now made you bounce.
Vegapunk hurried over to the monitors.
"Have the white and blue warriors appeared yet?" He asked, his eyes shining as he caught sight of Luffy laughing. "Tell me about those transformations. The white one from Straw Hat and the young girl on her wanted poster."
"We don't know, to be honest." Said Nami. "Luffy's is the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but Y/N's is unknown to us."
The scientist pressed his lips together, holding back a smile.
"There is no fruit with that name in the devil fruit encyclopaedia!"
The crew gasped, unable to comprehend.
"What? That's impossible!" Exclaimed the navigator.
"Luffy always says gomu gomu when he attacks." Added Usopp.
"Look how beautiful he is! I'm sure she is too!" Rambled Vegapunk, raising his hands. "It's fate! I didn't expect to meet them like this."
"If you know anything, tell us. Y/N-chan doesn't talk much about herself." Sanji requested.
"What happened to those two?" Franky asked, approaching the screen to look at the two of you.
Luffy was still floating there laughing, and you looked at him with a sparkle in your eyes.
"They look like gods."
The cook choked on his own words, unable to believe it.
"Luffy a god? He's an idiot!" He shouted. "Y/N-chan is a goddess, that's true."
Robin looked at Vegapunk in surprise.
"Are you saying that those appearances we saw are those of gods?"
"Yes." Said the scientist, his expression turning serious. "The warrior of liberation. He who plays the fool and brings smiles to all. The sun god, Nika!"
The few crew members present were surprised. The answers that no one else could give them were in the brain of this man who stared at the screen excitedly. Eager to talk. Eager to educate the world.
"And the goddess he loves, the one capable of punishing everyone for him. The goddess of the sea, Naia."
Nami shook her head, approaching Vegapunk.
"Nika and Naia? I've never heard those names."
"Of course not. Their names were erased from history." The scientist said abruptly. "Nika and Naia were inseparable."
The revealed legend left them speechless. In the end, the archaeologist was right.
It was best not to interfere.
The sun god felt a deep longing for the sea. Seeing it every day made him feel free, and he wanted to reach it more than anything else. Then, one day, he met its goddess. He thought she would help him help. If he could make people laugh, then she could give them freedom.
Naia was closed off, only willing to care for those she loved: the gyojin, the mermaids, the mermen. Opening the doors of her heart to let Nika in went against her principles. He knew how to make her laugh effortlessly with a joke or a silly expression. He fought with her over food, hitting him every time he wanted to eat a fish. He invited her to have fun jumping with his friends. He asked her to do water tricks for him.
Falling in love with each other was natural. Nika always admired her foolishly, his gaze never leaving her. He loved her loudly with his actions. He loved her silently with his words.
Naia always looked up, because he loved to float. He shone in a way that only he could. Her love was protective, ensuring that he never lost his smile. That he never shed a single tear.
For him, she was freedom. And for her, he was.
Someone feared their powers together, the ease with which people became attached to and trusted them, asking them for things they could give them. So, under false pretences, he murdered the sun god.
The two lovers agreed to meet again when destiny required it. When the time came. First, Nika would return, accompanied by a man who shared his ideals of freedom. Then, Naia would notice him. Her living love.
That devil fruit that had eluded the world government for centuries, and that devil fruit that was believed to be non-existent, would wait to be reincarnated.
Nika would choose who would bring a new dawn to the world, and Naia would take into her sweet arms the one who would support him on his journey. A mystical love, a destined love. Unconsciously, their successors would love each other just as they had.
Because their souls resonated. Their souls yearned for each other. Their souls waited.
And that statue that had been looking âalone, hidden from everyone with its arms outstretchedâ at the sun for centuries, would finally be able to feel his skin under her fingers once again.
âRaising their children alone can't be that bad...â
Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Trafalgar Law â± fem!reader
Tags: fluff!!! angst, humor, reader's death, teenage pregnancy, minor spoilers from Dressrosa, spoilers about Law's past, sexual harassment, pedophilia, rape
Words count: 20k
MONKEY D. LUFFY
Sudden appearances and fated intrusions. The first time you spoke to him about these concepts, he just smiled as he listened, without fully understanding.
For a boy like him, envied by those who swore they were free under established rules, ignored by those who did not know what loneliness was, and adored by those who loved happiness, your existence was a miracle.
He was twelve years old the afternoon he met you on his way to Partys Bar.
The evening sun was warm, summer was just beginning. He took steps that almost seemed like jumps as he hummed and stroked the overgrown grass. Surely someone would come by in a few days and cut it, because there was always a good neighbour who cared about this area. Especially grandma Yukiko.
That old woman, with grey strands so long they touched her knees and a white dress down to her ankles, had frightened Luffy more than once. She looked like a ghost if you saw her at night. Ace teased him for crying the first time, when he was eight years old and saw her returning from visiting Makino.
His older brother knew her. Despite being a serious boy, he often saw him shopping for the lady. And soon he joined him.
Passing by her cottage meant praying that she was well. She lived alone, amid leaks that reappeared every rainy day, yellowed, peeling windows with broken shutters, and creaky wooden steps at the entrance. The neighbours' proposal to find her a new place had been declined multiple times. Lady Yukiko did not want to move from her beloved home where she had grown up, nor did she want the brothers Dadan was raising to waste their energy on an old person like her.
Luffy understood her loneliness.
And he couldn't accept it.
Over the years, he became friends with that woman, sometimes having breakfast with her, other times singing and dancing to the rhythm of her guitar, played with the same passion of her youth despite the arthritis that bothered her.
He adjusted his hat, smiling as he heard her playing the guitar, opening the small unlocked door as if it were his home. He was about to shout at the top of his lungs so that the woman would hear him, but he stopped in his tracks, looking up at the ceiling.
Raising her head and wiping her sweat with her forearm, there was a girl. She held a hammer in her hand and a clove in her mouth, frowning in concentration.
Luffy tilted his head to one side curiously. She seemed to be his age. Or maybe a year older or younger? He opened his mouth to call out to her, but was interrupted by Yukiko.
"Luffy? You're back again? Kid, I told you to stop doing that. You should be enjoying your youth, not hanging around with this old woman."
You looked down at the garden, glimpsing only a straw hat with a red ribbon around it. You couldn't hear the conversation very well, and you weren't interested anyway. You had to replace some old wooden beams in the roof and fix the leaks. It was the least you could do while staying with your grandmother.
By the time Luffy finished entertaining Yukiko with his stories about training with his brother, the beasts he defeated in the forest, and his new attacks with his devil fruit, he looked for you again, but couldn't find you anywhere.
In the long run, you became a mystery he wanted to solve. No one could stop Luffy's curiosity. Especially when he had a fixed goal. And that goal was you.
Every afternoon he returned to visit the old woman, and day after day he found you doing something new. Removing the shutters, sanding the old wood and painting it a soft green. Sweeping the whole place. Mowing the lawn. Replacing the wooden steps. Painting the door the same colour as the windows. Cleaning all the glasses. Planting flowers all over the garden.
For two months, Luffy just sat next to Yukiko for tea, watching you do everything, without speaking to you yet. The little he had gathered about you only told him your name, that you were his age, and that you were the granddaughter of the owner of this cottage. Unlike him, you seemed like a more serious girl, which filled him with curiosity. He liked to play. You should like to play too.
That was his biggest undertaking that year. Especially when summer came to an end and you opened a flower shop there. Suddenly, this place seemed to come back to life, and Yukiko looked happier than she had since you came into her life. Not a single day went by without the cottage looking resplendent, the scent of flowers filling the air and delighting everyone who came to shop.
Your bouquets became famous in Foosha. Luffy saw the effort behind them every day. The care you took with your garden and the instructions your grandmother gave you so that everything would be perfect. Another difference he had noticed. You were good at taking advice, you didn't always do what you wanted. You knew when to stop and listen to your elders.
When he mentioned it to Ace, he just replied that he was a wild child of the forest. And you were a little princess who lived among flowers.
It was Makino's birthday that sparked your story.
Luffy was desperate. He didn't know what to give the woman. He wasn't as good as Ace at robbing nobles, and his brother didn't do it anymore. In fact, he had done a few odd jobs to buy her a nice, inexpensive necklace. He was the only one without a gift. Even the mountain bandits had pooled their money to buy her a ring! Oh, Luffy was bad with birthdays. Would Makino get angry if he gave her meat wrapped in paper?
The little rubber boy sighed, twirling his hat between his hands, leaning against the wooden floor of Yukiko's cottage. The cool air hit his face, relaxing him as it carried the scent of flowers for him to enjoy.
"Are you here again? Don't you have any other friends?"
He placed his hat on his chest and looked up at you. You had your hands on your hips and your brow furrowed. The apron you were wearing was covered in dirt and old mud stains.
"I only have Ace."
"Well, go to him."
"I can't! He's at the bar showing Makino his gift, and I'm the only one who doesn't have anything for her."
The pout he made brought a mocking smile to your face.
"Why don't you say it's a gift from both of you?"
"Ace will hit me."
You nodded slowly. You had no reason to help him, but your grandmother adored him. You had grown accustomed to his presence and to hearing him laugh over the past two months. Seeing him now, defeated and pouting, was not pleasant. You turned on your heels and entered the cottage. What used to be the living room was now the flower shop. There you prepared bouquets under your grandmother's instructions.
"Then give her some flowers. Is she allergic to pollen?"
"What's that?"
You rolled your eyes.
"She's the woman from Partys Bar, right?"
"Yes! Makino," he said, poking his nose. You grimaced.
"Does she usually have flowers in her bar?"
"Under the window and on the counter."
You nodded again, looking for a pot. Luffy followed you closely, standing next to you at the counter. The tiny spade caught his attention and he picked it up. There was a huge bag of soil nearby and other strange things. Everything you did, your explanation of how you did it or why you had chosen purple flowers, went in one ear and out the other. Had you said something about health and prosperity? Or love and talent? Or were those other flowers? At some point he got lost, but he appreciated the red bow around the pot and the little note that said what flower it was, its meaning, and how to care for it. Makino would surely like it.
From that day on, the rubber boy stuck to you. He drew words from your mouth effortlessly, making you laugh, tease him, and follow his jokes. Luffy was captivated by your smile. Little by little, you loosened up around him, and your grandmother liked that too. A twelve-year-old girl should be just that, a girl, and not someone who was forced to grow up too quickly.
As the months went by, Luffy learned your story. The death of your parents and the long search you undertook until you found your maternal grandmother moved him. The fact that he was your first friend somehow made him happy. It was no longer just Ace and him in his life. Now it included you too.
The day you met Ace, you were already thirteen years old. Something stirred inside Luffy when he saw you blush in front of his brother. He didn't understand what it was, why his heart tightened and made him frown. He didn't understand why that expression came out with the freckled one, and he only got a pinch of the nose from you. But he never asked.
That feeling vanished as quickly as his brother showed him the big bear he had hunted. Inviting you to Dadan's house with the bandits had been quite an experience. They had behaved so politely when they saw lady Yukiko's granddaughter, who was carrying a basket full of plants. Lots of colourful flowers to plant in their cabin, you had said. They were surprised to see someone so sweet with Luffy. The contrast between your white dress with tiny red flowers printed on it and the scruffy appearance of the rubber boy (who was forced to bathe) made more than one person sigh.
And when you finally met Makino, you never imagined you would receive so much love from someone. She was so warm, like a mother caring for her children. She welcomed you with open arms, praising your work and showing you how well she had cared for the plant that Luffy had given her on her last birthday. Now it looked bigger. She had learned how to propagate it with grandma Yukiko. The food you tasted at her bar was unmatched, and fighting with Luffy so he wouldn't eat your portions was daring.
Before you knew it, you were both fourteen. You loved running through the forest playing hide and seek. Chasing each other around like fools until you ended up exhausted. The laughter that escaped from within you filled the place, bringing huge smiles to Luffy's face.
It hadn't been long since he had nervously visited Makino, thinking he was ill. He told her how his heart beat fast when he saw you. You could do something as simple as make a bouquet for a local man who wanted to confess his love to his girlfriend, and he would be stunned. You could run alongside him, your hair floating and bouncing in the air with every movement, and he would be mesmerised. You could talk to Ace, giggling foolishly, and he would sulk. As if something that was his had been taken away.
The woman listened patiently, smiling tenderly. She did not explain what he was feeling, merely confirming that he was not ill. If Luffy found out, he would do so on his own. No one should rush his heart. Everyone in Foosha had bet that sooner or later something would happen between the two of you. But no one knew who would be the first to make a move.
The famous confession came months after Ace set sail, beginning his life as a pirate.
He had invited you to the tree house he had built with Ace and his other brother, Sabo, whom you had only just learned existed. You understood why he had never taken you there or why he had never mentioned him, despite how long you had been friends. For Luffy, it was an important occasion. You were both fifteen years old and seventeen was closer than ever.
"My dream is to be the king of pirates," he repeated, lying down, wrapped in an old blanket.
"It's a good dream. You'll make it," you murmured sleepily the answer you always gave him when he said that to you.
"I want you to be part of my crew."
It took a great effort to half-open your eyes and stare at him dazedly. It had been a hard day and sleep was overcoming you.
"What use would a florist be to the crew? Don't be silly, Luffy. You need strong people who will protect you and who you can protect. People who will fight."
"You can always learn to use a gun or a katana," he said, turning sideways to look at you. "You can even fight with your fists like me. Or with kicks."
You rested your head on one arm, stretching out the other to pinch his nose. You liked it when it stretched. And it didn't seem to hurt him.
"I don't like to fight."
"I just want you to come with me."
"Luffy..."
"I'll protect you! You can continue being a florist. I don't need my mates to be strong, I just need us all to have a great adventure," he insisted.
The sigh you let out made him shudder.
"Why me?"
"Because I like you," he murmured, frowning.
"I like you too, Luffy. You're my best friend, you know that. But I don't think..."
He interrupted you, sitting up abruptly and looking down at your body lying there, wrapped in an old blanket. Maybe Ace's. Maybe Sabo's. Or even his own. It didn't matter.
"You don't understand. I like you in that way, and you're coming with me."
They say you never forget your first love.
Luffy certainly wouldn't. By your side, his curiosity ran wild, doing everything that came to mind. Did he see a man in Foosha kissing his girlfriend? He would ask for one too. He liked the warm, soft feeling of your lips on his. Your arms around his neck and your fingers stroking his hair, all so that you could pull away slightly and whisper that he should cut it because it was too long. He wanted to tell Ace that he had had his first kiss, and that you were his girlfriend. As if the older one hadn't been one of the many who had bet on their relationship years ago.
Holding hands, continuing to play in the forest, watching him train, watching you make bouquets of flowers, being teased by Dadan and the bandits for having a girlfriend, receiving advice from the mayor that he never listened to. His fifteen years had been crazy. Beautifully crazy.
And maybe he should have listened to the mayor, that grumpy old man who always insisted that he shouldn't become a pirate because it would be a disgrace to Foosha. Protection? Luffy didn't like to use it. He was young and careless. He did everything his own way and you just let him, because you enjoyed it as much as he did.
The consequences came a month before you turned sixteen, when you got pregnant.
It was the biggest event in the village. The cheerful little boy everyone adored was going to be a father. A teenage father.
More than one adult scolded the two of you. Dadan went crazy after hearing the news, being held back by the bandits when she tried to hit Luffy, and everyone agreed not to tell Ace yet. There was no way to contact him either. Makino just looked at them. Her heart ached. Seeing Luffy about to have a child interfered with the image she had of him as a little boy, crying on the dock, clutching his straw hat to his chest because Shanks was leaving. The mayor shouted as he entered the bar, hitting Luffy on the head with his cane for not listening to him, doing the opposite of what he told him to do.
And your grandmother, that old woman who had lived so much in her life... The sigh that escaped her lips made you sob. She didn't have the strength to shout at you. She hadn't had any strength lately. Getting out of bed was impossible for her, so she relied on you to bathe and feed her. She didn't know if she would be there on the day you gave birth.
It certainly wasn't the life she wanted for you. Discovering that she had a granddaughter and that her daughter had died consumed her. She did her best for you, giving you what little she had. Now all she could do was support you in this new stage of your life.
Because having a child as a teenager would bring many difficulties into your life. Difficulties for which you were not prepared. But you would not be the first or the last woman to go through this experience.
Luffy was twelve when he met you.
And he was sixteen when he lost you.
He didn't know what had gone wrong.
He didn't understand.
He didn't want to understand.
He wanted to cry out loud, but the tears stopped as soon as he heard soft babbling. Dadan tried to explain. You had suffered a haemorrhage after giving birth. The baby was in perfect condition. She was a healthy girl. The information didn't register in his brain, he could only hold her in his arms with tears running down his cheeks.
He didn't want to lose anyone else.
He had to be strong.
No one else was going to take care of that girl. She was his girl. Yours.
The first month was torture. He didn't understand what to do. He didn't understand how to change a nappy or how he was supposed to bathe her if he couldn't put her in the water. And the baby wouldn't eat meat either. How could she not eat meat? If it weren't for Dadan and Makino, everything would have been a disaster. The women raised the girl in her first months, feeding her, bathing her, changing her nappies and dressing her up cute. They were delighted. She was a sweet girl, with Luffy's huge eyes and smile.
And when the long-awaited day arrived, everyone was anxious.
Luffy was already seventeen years old. He would set sail to fulfil his dream in a tiny boat, with only a barrel of provisions and a baby in his arms.
He had learned everything he needed to know from the women around him. Dadan and the other bandits watched them from behind a building, not wanting to alarm the inhabitants of Foosha, who hated them but had come to say goodbye to their beloved Luffy. Her heart beat with longing as she looked at the baby. At her babies. First Ace had left. Now Luffy and his little one. Tears stung her eyes. She couldn't stop the passage of time, she couldn't deprive these kids of their dreams or of living up to their expectations.
They watched him set sail, barely knowing how to change her nappy or feed her properly. Had it been a mistake? Should they have told him that they would raise her until he returned home? That the girl would grow up safe and sound in Foosha, in her mother's old cottage, witnessing her great-grandmother's final moments? Even if they had suggested that, lady Yukiko had begged the rubber boy to take the girl with him. No one knew how she had whispered that she didn't have much time left, that the baby would have no one there and would constantly ask for her parents or why they had abandoned her. No one but Luffy, who took her hand and promised to take care of her on his journey.
Now Luffy was leaving, and everyone prayed that he would find a good crew that would know how to help him.
He found them little by little.
First came Zoro. The events leading up to him joining the crew as the first member had not been seen by the baby, so he choked when Koby handed a little girl to Luffy, bidding them farewell so they could continue their adventure.
Zoro went crazy, not knowing what to do. He was more alert than ever, his hand on his katanas at the slightest sign of danger. He shook Luffy more than once, upset. His captain had a daughter. A baby girl just a few months old who babbled and squeezed the swordsman's finger with her tiny hand, laughing when she looked at him intently with eyes as big as those of the boy in front of him. He had to learn how to change nappies and prepare bottles. But they didn't understand how to bathe her.
The addition of Usopp and Nami to the crew was a blessing. The short haired woman knew how to navigate, and the long nosed man had secured a good ship for everyone. Their reactions to the baby were not the best.
Usopp was terrified, consumed by uncertainty. How would she survive the Grand Line? How would he survive? The fear haunting his soul faded with each passing day as he watched her crawl across the deck, giggling foolishly into the air every time the sun caressed her face. She often approached him, taking the things Usopp bought in her hands, preventing him from continuing to work because he had to watch her so she wouldn't swallow anything or hurt herself, but his heart warmed when he saw her. She was a cheerful and curious child. It seemed that when she grew up, she would like to build or fix things.
Nami had to sit down and listen to the whole story, apologising to Luffy for doubting him and Zoro, her harsh words about them kidnapping the girl dying on her lips.
The short haired woman unwittingly took on the role of aunt, following the baby everywhere. Her weakness for children was palpable from the moment they met her, and they could only watch as she took over the tasks they had been doing. The strange coloured baby purees that Zoro prepared were replaced by tastier and more edible ones. The bottles that Luffy gave her were almost replaced.
"Nami, feed her!"
"Huh? I already gave her porridge a few hours ago," she said, drawing a map.
"But she's hungry, she keeps babbling."
The woman looked up. Luffy was standing in front of her, arms outstretched, showing her daughter who was sucking on her fist.
"Luffy, go play."
"Feed her."
Her eye twitched.
"She's not hungry."
"You have boobs, feed her."
Nami took the baby from his arms. The blow Luffy received sent him flying out of the kitchen and onto the deck floor.
Sanji joining in was all Nami needed. Now she had more help. The blond had adored his captain's daughter from the moment he saw her at the Baratie.
"What's the princess's name?" he asked, leaning on the deck railing.
He tried to smoke away from her, watching the girl playing with Zoro's katanas, who was asleep on the floor. The pretty dress with a mandarin print indicated that Nami had taken good care of her. He didn't want to imagine what her first days at sea had been like, with only the swordsman and the rubber boy.
Luffy looked up, swallowing his meat.
"Nika."
"Nika?" Sanji murmured. "That's a strange name."
"Makino wouldn't let me name her Niku."
"Of course not!" Nami shouted, hitting him on the head.
"How could you call her meat, Luffy?" Usopp shook his head.
The journey was full of adventures. When Chopper joined them, the little one examined the baby to see if she had any pain or illness. It was a miracle that she was healthy so far. That whatever Nami had contracted had not affected her.
It was at night that the navigator watched her captain most closely.
Luffy used to spend every night on the Grand Line with his daughter by his side. He would sit on the deck with her between his legs, stretching his rubber fingers and making his little girl do the same. After a few hours, in the stillness of the sea and under the stars, they would both fall asleep. The captain would wrap his arms protectively around her, as if afraid she would slip through his fingers. If a tear or two escaped in his sleep, Nami said nothing.
Nika's mother was never mentioned. If Luffy was suffering, he would always pretend to be fine. Everything was hidden behind huge smiles.
The arrival in Alabasta had everyone on edge. The heat was so intense that it could almost rival the fires of hell. Chopper and Nami took care of Nika, keeping her hydrated and in the shade to prevent heatstroke. They would have preferred to stay on the Going Merry, but circumstances required them to remain alert.
That's why Luffy's brother's visit was ideal.
"Oi, Luffy, didn't Y/N come with you? I thought you'd still be obsessed with bringing her along," said the freckled man, drinking his beer.
The rubber boy tensed up and then smiled, biting his lip. A cry echoed through the ship, causing Ace to frown.
"Did you guys kidnap a baby?"
"No!" They all shouted.
Chopper left the room, moving his short legs carefully, trying to calm Nika down. Long arms picked her up, and the last thing Chopper saw was the baby flying through the air.
"Luffy! Don't do that!" the doctor screamed.
"Shishishi, it's okay," he placed the baby in front of Ace. "Look!"
The commander of Whitebeard's second division tensed up. A baby. There was a baby in front of him. She didn't look like anyone else there. And those big, bright eyes.
"Luffy..."
"Doesn't she look just like Y/N? Makino said she looked like me, but I think she smiles like Y/N."
"Luffy."
"Dadan told me not to bring her because it was dangerous. Even the mayor tried to convince me."
"Luffy!"
The boy looked at him with tears in his eyes, but without losing his smile.
"I'm all she has."
It didn't take long for the eldest brother to understand the situation.
The answer to your absence was right in front of him.
That girl who ran through the forest, playing freely after working at her flower shop for a plate of food, that girl who took time to watch her little brother's training sessions and congratulate him when he won, that girl who burst into Dadan's cabin holding Luffy's hand to eat with them, making a place for herself among the bandits, that girl he had nicknamed little princess. That girl was no longer among them.
She had taken his brother's love with her and, in gratitude, had left the baby he held in his arms. Only memories would take care of Luffy on this journey.
Ace did not scold him, not when he himself was a mess.
For a while, he stayed on the Going Merry, looking after his niece while the crew completed their mission. Nika's clothes were stored in a drawer in Nami's wardrobe. The number of patterns and colours he saw left him in no doubt. The navigator loved the little girl and treated her like her own doll. The commander of Whitebeard's second division had fun with her, watching her crawl around the deck, smear her face with ice cream made by Sanji, and play in the water in the tiny pool Usopp had built for her.
The following adventures were crazy for everyone. The addition of Robin, Franky, and Brook to the crew had brought more joy to their lives.
Luffy enjoyed watching the archaeologist tend to her plants. The sweet smile on his face gave the woman an idea of what he might be thinking.
"Y/N had a flower shop," he said casually. "It seems Nika likes flowers too."
The little girl played with the dirt and occasionally touched Robin's flowers. Luffy stroked her hair. She would soon be one year old. If it weren't for his friends, he wasn't sure he would have been able to raise her. He needed them. He needed the help of others and would never say otherwise. Sanji fed her. Nami bought her cute clothes that a little girl would wear. Usopp made her laugh. Zoro protected her. Chopper took care of her health. Robin let her play in her garden and had offered to be her teacher when she was old enough. Franky made toys for her. Brook played songs and made her clap her hands.
Would Y/N be happy to see them? Would she be proud of him? Would she smile when she saw how grown up Nika was? Would she like her name or would she think it was silly? Would she have liked to accompany him on this adventure or would she have told him she would wait for his return in Foosha?
His lower lip trembled.
"You're doing an amazing job, Luffy."
The affection in Robin's voice made the rubber boy hold back a sob.
"Not everyone would do what you did. You brought hope to the lives of everyone in the crew, and you gave us a great gift," the archaeologist smiled kindly at him. "It's difficult to raise a baby in her early years, but we'll all help you. Just like you helped us."
No one but the two of them and little Nika knew about that conversation. For some reason, Robin seemed to understand him very well. Always with good advice to give. Always trusting him.
The passage of time made Dadan anxious. Every year in Foosha, they prepared a party for Nika. Her first year of life, her second year, her third year, her fourth year. All were celebrated by the bandits, Makino, and the mayor.
And like them, the Straw Hats also celebrated.
"Come back here, Nika!" Usopp shouted, running across the Sunny.
The five year old girl burst out laughing as she jumped from the second floor onto the deck. Nami held her breath. Zoro didn't have time to react. And Luffy caught her in his arms, laughing.
Her brown curls bounced from side to side with every step she took. She was a girl with a lot of energy. The older she got, the more grey hairs she gave some people. Jinbe used to say that she would be worse when she turned ten. And at twenty, she would be a force of nature. Robin laughed, covering her mouth, thinking that maybe her name had something to do with it.
Her name, which had caused problems with the world government more than once. It took them two years to discover its meaning and why, when it became public knowledge that the Straw Hat Yonko had a daughter, some adored her and others sought to kill her. The only one who managed to lay a hand on Nika, squeezing her arm until it bruised, suffered a painful death at the hands of Luffy. He was not a violent man, at least not without a purpose. He did not kill. But he would do anything for his little girl.
"Sanji-san, can I have some more ice cream, please?" she asked when she saw him coming out of the kitchen.
They still remembered the night they asked the girl who her favourite member of the crew was. They thought she would say Luffy, after all, he was her father. But her answer was Sanji, because he cooked her everything she asked for. Then they fought for second place without receiving any comment from Nika confirming or denying who had it.
The bright eyed girl ran towards him after letting go of her father, hugging his leg and looking at him sweetly. Sanji smiled tenderly, ruffling her hair.
"Today you'll have all the food you want."
"You spoil her too much, shitty cook."
Zoro growled as he walked towards him. Although he wouldn't admit it, the fact that Nika didn't choose him as her favourite hurt his pride. He was the first one in the crew to change her nappy. He even had to cook for her.
"You're one to talk, stupid marimo. I saw you lending her your wado ichimonji the other day."
The two began to fight, distancing themselves from the girl.
Luffy climbed into his special seat on the lion's head, watching his crew interact with his daughter with a smile from ear to ear.
"Beautiful Nika, your favourite song," exclaim Brook, taking the little girlâs hand and spinning her around.
His violin played a tune familiar to all, followed by their voices.
"Yohohoho, yohohoho!"
"Sudden appearances and fated intrusions? I still don't understand."
You looked at him amused. It was the third time you had explained it to him.
"It's when..."
A person suddenly appears in your life, unaware of how timely their presence is. Using a force that is not force, they make a space for themselves in your daily life. You forget what your life was like before them, because every second by their side feels as if destiny had planned it all.
Luffy stretched out his rubber arm, slipping between his friends, until he managed to gently place his straw hat on his daughter's head.
He had been that person in your life. It had taken him several years to understand it. Only now, seeing the smile of his little girl, who was growing more like you every day, did he understand.
"Dad, come play with me!"
"I always beat you! I'll only do it for a prize."
Nami smiled happily, listening to them shouting at each other across the distance between them, something that had become normal since Nika started talking.
"Fine! If I win, I'll have all your meat for a day," shouted the girl, adjusting the straw hat on her head as she looked up at the man who loved her most.
Robin, Jinbe, Franky, and Brook laughed.
"Okay, but if I win..."
Usopp and Zoro agreed among themselves that he would ask for the same thing, all of his daughter's meat. Sanji, Nami, and Chopper agreed. He never asked her for much. He even let her win just to see her laugh.
Luffy let out a soft "shishishi" as he closed his eyes.
"I want a bouquet of flowers."
RORONOA ZORO
He never regretted his actions.
Every step he took, every decision he made, and every word he used had made him the man he was. His confidence did not waver in encounters that could push him to the brink of life and death. His confidence did not waver when someone stronger than him stood in his way, demanding a fight. His confidence did not waver when he had to protect those he loved. And it certainly did not waver when he had to be tough to control a situation.
That's why his imbalance upon meeting you baffled him.
It didn't make sense. Not to him.
Dressrosa was a lively kingdom. Its people danced to the rhythm of guitars under clear skies. Children played with various toys as they roamed the streets. Restaurants were packed with tourists. Zoro had only one mission: to find Luffy.
The sudden excited shouts caught his attention as he approached the city centre. Outside the Coliseum, a huge screen was broadcasting an event, and the inhabitants were watching the spectacle. He didn't know the reasons for the competition, but anything that involved a good fight appealed to him. However, he was forced to be just another spectator. Registration had closed.
And his search had not been a failure. He shook his head, adjusting his fake moustache, watching his captain compete against a whole block of experienced fighters. He couldn't say he had gotten himself into a mess. He wasn't breaking any of Trafalgar Law's rules. His straw hat was covered, and he was wearing a helmet, a beard, and a cape. He had even changed his name. He could relax, they wouldn't find him out.
Watching Luffy win entertained him. He was the most reliable person he knew. Whatever he was trying to achieve, he would succeed.
Or so he believed until he saw you appear.
A swordswoman. Two katanas.
There were few swordswomen he had ever met. His interest grew uncontrollably.
Your movements were graceful. Your turns were controlled, precise. The way you dodged your opponents made him grip his wado ichimonji tightly. There was something about your katanas that drew him to look at them closely. They were cursed. Could they be better than his? Could you withstand an impact with all his strength? What was your goal? Why were you a swordswoman? Your next attack made him smirk. In front of you were ten men ready to defeat you with their own weapons and fists, but you remained impassive. Your extreme concentration and the constant twirling of both katanas caused a tornado. He unconsciously read your lips. It was just an inaudible whisper to everyone else, but Zoro could understand you. Pandora's Delirium.
That single attack started your story.
Dressrosa became a nightmare. The Coliseum had collapsed due to an attack by Lucy, who had been crowned the winner of the event. By the time you managed to crawl out from under the rubble, pressing your palm to your bleeding forehead, the sunlight greeted you. You felt frustrated. You wanted the prize, you wanted to see if a swordswoman was stronger with a Devil Fruit, but once again you had to stick to your superior katanas. You trusted them and yourself in using them, but it felt distant. Your skill was no match for him. You were not close to defeating him yet.
You walked through those streets that had welcomed you with such joy. Their inhabitants were now crying and shouting. You didn't understand what was happening, but it didn't take you long to find out. The complaints and pleas were clear. What they were asking for was clear. The removal of their king.
A beeping sound deafened your ears. Doflamingo's voice echoed throughout the place. His face was seen on different screens. You looked at the blood on your hand, growling under your breath as you slid down a yellow-painted wall until you sat on the floor. As you looked up at the screen, a photo appeared. They were offering a reward for him.
Roronoa Zoro.
Your eyes sparkled as a contemptuous smile appeared on your face. So he was here. That swordsman from the Straw Hat Pirates. The one you had been watching for two years, following his progress in the newspapers as his bounty grew and he gradually became a promise of legend. His fighting style with three katanas caught your attention. Even if you tried, you couldn't control the third one in your mouth. But that was fine. He had his style. You had yours.
Knowing that he was in the same place as you, that somehow life had brought you together, excited you. You wanted to see him in action. With any luck, challenge him to a fight. And if you had time, ask him his motivation.
The blow to your forehead had left you disoriented. So much, that you thought you had hallucinated a speck of green hair flying in front of you, towards a huge stone person. How bad had the blow been?
As the minutes passed, the truth revealed itself. A city inhabitant was bandaging your head, asking you questions that you answered disinterestedly, your attention focused on the conversation a couple further ahead were having. Monkey D. Luffy had defeated Doflamingo, and Dressrosa once again had its former ruler. Everyone seemed to be living more peacefully, not caring if they became poor in the future. As long as they were happy and with their families and loved ones, that was enough.
You stood up and thanked the person who healed you. He tried to insist that you stay seated longer, saying something about shock, but you just refused as you took confident steps. You wanted to get to the hill. To the cabin where they said the straw hats were.
Zoro kept his eyes closed, but his rest was not continuous. He woke up at the slightest sound. The marine was still in the city and was not yet looking for them. He did not understand the reason, his main concern was that Luffy would heal so they could escape. Especially after Sabo's words.
He opened his eyes at the sound of jingling. Bells? Who could be announcing their presence so loudly? They must be confident enough not to hide. He took his wado ichimonji and opened the door, closing it behind him. He would only intervene if someone tried to attack his friends.
His steps stopped short when he looked ahead. In that field of flowers, completely surrounded by them and smiling broadly, was she. Two katanas. Incredible strength radiated from her.
Now that he could see them up close, he could notice the small details. You looked like a girl who left her mark on every object. A symbol of your existence. Silver bells hung from the handles of your katanas, jingling as they moved and collided with each other.
"You..."
"Roronoa Zoro, I want a duel."
"That sounds fun!" Someone shouted from the doorway.
You tilted your head to one side. It was the captain. His hair was sticking out in all directions; he looked like he had just woken up.
"Luffy, this isn't the time. We have to run away, the marine wants to capture us."
Nico Robin's melodious voice reached your ears. The woman spoke with an almost maternal gentleness and sweetness as she peeked through the door to see what was happening. Zoro watched you closely.
"It'll be quick. I'll defeat you," you insisted.
"Zoro is the strongest," said the boy in the straw hat, putting his hands behind his head.
"Why are you a swordswoman?" That deep voice rang in your ears, your attention focused on him in seconds.
It was impossible not to look at him. You were finally face to face with him.
"I want to defeat the red haired yonko, Shanks."
Absolute silence. Whether Luffy started a commotion upon hearing the name of the man who inspired him to become a pirate, whether Robin giggled, or whether Franky, who had just woken up, got excited about the idea, none of that mattered. Not when you had Zoro in front of you, smiling sideways, as if he saw something in you that no one else noticed.
"I've made up my mind! You're joining my crew."
Moments like that, where you lose all ability to make your own decisions, where your life undergoes drastic changes without you asking for them, happen. They had convinced you. You had heard the story from your now captain about the original owner of his hat, and you just burst out laughing, explaining that you didn't want to kill Shanks. You had faced him three years ago, when you were still a self-centred young woman who believed she could defeat anyone. The reality check he gave you when he defeated you while laughing at you, amused by the situation, was the catalyst for a new objective. A new goal.
What's more, you could train with Roronoa Zoro. Measure your strength against his. Find out what motivated him to improve. And one day have that duel that was left unfinished in Dressrosa.
Since then, every day of your life has been filled with chaos. Nami's shouts scolding Luffy and Usopp, Sanji's constant flirting and his delicious dishes, Robin's weird comments that made you laugh and her sudden compliments that made you blush, watching Franky build something new with incredible utility, listening to Brook play his instruments and invite you to sing with him (only to later ask you about your underwear), the dedicated training sessions with Zoro that left you panting on the deck, and Chopper's concern as he tended to you and grew larger to carry you to the infirmary.
You had fun. They were all unique, with different personalities, and they all got along and loved each other just as they were, without asking anyone to change.
You liked having sleepovers with Nami and Robin, using the face masks that the navigator prepared or having the archaeologist paint your nails. You liked playing with Chopper, pretending to have some illness so he would treat you. You liked joking around with Luffy and running around with him all over the Sunny Go. You liked trying Sanji's desserts and being the judge who gave him the highest scores.
The comfort that embraced you after a few weeks was, without you knowing it, what you had needed your whole life. The warmth they brought to your life made your journey no longer so lonely. Now you had friends.
Zoro could only watch.
When you thought he was asleep and didn't dare speak to him, he waited for you to turn away before opening his eye and observing you. When you thought he would deliver the final blow in training, he simply reached out his hand to help you to your feet. When you thought you would go alone to visit an island, he accompanied you. No wonder you ended up lost, because he was a stubborn man.
"Zoro, it's that way," you groan, pointing to a path that led to a village.
"No, woman. I'm telling you it's that way."
There was no way you could get to the shop to buy map paper if you went into the forest.
Your time together became constant. You used to fall asleep next to him after training, being found by Chopper who hid behind whatever he could find so you wouldn't notice him. He didn't want to wake you when you looked so peaceful, his mission to heal you interrupted. He couldn't do it when you had your head on his shoulder and he had his resting against yours, as if you'd done that a thousand times before.
Soon it became normal for Zoro to clumsily treat your wounds.
"Not so tight!" you shouted when his bandage on your thigh made it hurt more.
All you achieved was him tightening it even more. And then he loosened it as you requested.
"You complain a lot."
"You're a brute."
"Ah?!"
You used to stay on the Sunny Go to keep watch with him while everyone else visited a new island. You could catch glimpses of his smiles out of the corner of your eye, and when you least expected it, he started laughing beside you. It felt so natural to hear him laugh that you didn't notice Nami and Robin's questioning looks. Or Usopp's jokes.
At banquets, you moved from place to place, enjoying yourself and laughing with everyone. One second you were shoulder to shoulder with Franky dancing, and the next you were stealing Zoro's alcohol while he looked at you with a soft smile.
"I think that's enough for you today."
"I can!" The green-haired man raised an eyebrow when he heard you. "I can keep drinking... I swear."
"Don't lie to me."
"I swear, Zoro."
"I'll take you to bed," he murmured just for you.
Amidst the music and fun, Zoro walked with you on his shoulder. Everyone was oblivious to the situation unfolding between you. To the feelings that were beginning to blossom.
That night was the first time Zoro felt nervous around you. Nervous about his feelings. Nervous about an experience he had never had before. It wasn't like fighting someone powerful and feeling like he was losing. It was like fighting his heart and feeling like he was losing a battle he hadn't asked for. It was like fighting his urge to kiss you even though he didn't really know how to do it, as he watched you lying on your bed, covered with a pink blanket, looking at him with bright, curious eyes.
"Zoro?"
Why did his name feel good on your lips? Why did your lips seem to shine brighter after you licked them? Why did everything seem easier when he was drunk?
"Sleep."
"Zoro... Stay. I sleep better with you by my side."
Those were the words of alcohol. You couldn't really feel that. He didn't want to believe it.
"I won't move and I won't snore. I'll try."
Your insistence would drive him completely mad.
"If that witch Nami finds out..."
"I'll say it was my idea."
He didn't care about listening to you and giving in to your request. He didn't care about Nami's screams the next day, telling him never to enter the women's room again and that he owed her an exorbitant amount of berries for invading her privacy and corrupting her beautiful friend. He didn't care to tell her she would go to hell. How could he care when he woke up with you in his arms, your head resting on his chest and your hair tickling his nose? And that smile you gave him when you opened your eyes, resting your chin on his chest and whispering "good morning".
He no longer knew what to do with his heart.
He had to do something about it soon, before he exploded with pent-up jealousy when he saw you interacting with the cook. Or before he suddenly blushed when you beat him in training and smiled triumphantly, teasing him with your words.
It took him two months to do it. Zoro was not a man capable of confessing his feelings unless he was backed into a corner. That's why, at times like this, alcohol became his true best friend.
It all started with a foolish move.
The atmosphere was charged with joy, and you didn't know why you were still surprised by what your captain could do. He had liberated Wano. He had made an entire country want to live again, given them hope, given them food. You drank while sitting on a hill, not too far from the celebration, but not too close either. You smiled, tapping your foot lightly to the rhythm of the music, watching the people laugh gratefully. From above, you could see most of the place and where most of the crew was. But you couldn't find Zoro.
He had awakened from his injuries, and you hadn't had time to see him, running back and forth with Otama, who wanted to show you the beautiful kimonos for the women in Wano.
You jumped when something heavy fell beside you. You looked up, stopping drinking, to find Zoro in a beautiful green yukata sitting next to you. His knee was gently caressing yours. He decided not to look at you as he poured sake into a cup.
"How are your wounds?" You both asked at the same time.
You looked at each other for a second before you laughed softly and he smiled, looking away.
The passing of the hours and the constant drinking, while he listened to everything you had to say, how you had improved your katana attacks, how you had gotten a scar across your stomach, and everything you had heard about Zoro fighting King, came to an abrupt end when you gave in.
Your head rested on his shoulder and you looked at him enchanted.
The way you looked at him left him speechless, breathless, and he could only look away countless times so you wouldn't see him blush.
No one knew how it happened, but that night, slipping through the crowd, walking holding hands between paper lanterns and all kinds of scents of freshly prepared food, you ended up in a secluded cabin. The touch of his rough hands against your skin, the feeling of his fingers tracing every inch of your chest as he slowly moved down without taking his eyes off you was something you could never forget.
Your first time didn't end there. It wasn't an experience Zoro was willing to let go of. He wasn't willing to let you go.
So he blamed it on the alcohol every night you made love, every time he kissed you softly or buried his face in your neck, panting so softly that no one but you could hear. Something deep in your heart told you that this wasn't normal. That if you tried, confessing could work out.
But you weren't ready to confess something of such magnitude. You were afraid when you received the news from Chopper. The youngest member of the crew was bad at keeping secrets, you had to bribe him with sweets and lots of cotton candy so he wouldn't reveal why he called you to his office every monday. You didn't count on the doctor not being able to hide anything from Robin.
The archaeologist was the first to find out, telling Nami without hesitation, thinking you would need all the help you could get. It was a secret that included all three of you, but you weren't aware of it.
Zoro didn't understand your strange behaviour. Your denials when alcohol went to his head, your refusal of his invitations to drink, your constant escapes to Chopper's office, or how lately you told Sanji that you didn't like his food. You always flattered him and told him he was the best. A score of ten. If he didn't understand, Luffy understood even less.
The girls cornered you on a monday, both of them being in the doctor's office before you. You got nervous. You stuttered and tears welled up in your eyes, but Nami calmed you down. They both held your hands while you confessed. Your nighttime adventures with Zoro, how and when it started, your growing feelings, your failure to confess, and your refusal to talk about the pregnancy.
Chopper spun in his chair.
"But Y/N, Zoro will soon notice. Human females give off a different scent when they are pregnant."
Robin chuckled, stroking the fur on his head. Nami sat down next to you on the examination table, smiling.
"He won't notice until someone tells him. Zoro is an idiot," said the navigator.
"You should confess. He doesn't seem like the type of man who can't handle his actions." Robin's voice made you relax your shoulders.
"Oh, and you should tell him soon. If you keep telling Sanji that you don't like his food, he won't stop crying."
"Today I saw him banging his head against the counter when you rejected his breakfast!" Chopper shouted.
"See?" Nami let out a soft laugh, placing her hand on your belly.
"Zoro is going to be a dad," whispered Chopper, pausing to think for a second. The idea of the swordsman who protected him so much becoming a father was sweet in his mind. "Do you think it will be a girl or a boy?"
"I hope it's a girl. The four of us can go shopping together." The navigator was excited, caressing your belly affectionately.
"Something tells me that won't be the case," Robin refuted, crossing her legs.
"By the way, Y/N, how long has it been since you've eaten something without feeling nauseous?" Chopper inquired.
"Since we found out, I think. I don't like the smell of fish. Three weeks?"
"I'll tell Sanji to prepare a diet until you can talk to Zoro. I won't confess anything, this is Chopper's mission, the best uncle ever."
The confidence with which he got out of his chair and stuck to the wall, taking short steps towards the kitchen as if he were a spy, made the girls smile fondly.
Contrary to the advice you had received from your two friends, you believed you could keep it hidden for another week. You wanted to prepare yourself mentally before giving Zoro such big news. News that would change his entire path. His whole life.
And yours. What would you do in the future, when you had the baby in your arms? You couldn't carry a newborn and two katanas at the same time. You didn't want to give up your dream. But neither did you want to give up that little creation of love you had for the swordsman. Because it was okay if he didn't love you or if you didn't mean anything to him, at least you felt it.
"Doctor Chopper, do you smell that sweet scent in the air? It's as if someone is pregnant," Jinbe murmured when they were all on deck.
"Pregnant? I don't smell anything. Maybe your nose is wrong, Jinbe!"
You shifted nervously on the grass. You didn't know that the fishmen could know about those things too. A peculiar silence accompanied them for a few seconds.
"Pregnancy? Among us? Nami, are you pregnant?" Luffy asked.
The navigator hit him on the head.
Sanji frowned as he lit a cigarette. Recent events flooded his mind. Jinbe's comment. Chopper's nervousness and quick denial. Your sudden dislike of his cooking. The way you ignored Zoro. He paused, the cigarette suspended midway and his lips parted.
Zoro? It couldn't be.
That stupid marimo?
He looked at you again, but you were more attentive to the sea. Then he looked at Zoro. He looked at you intently and seemed frustrated that you weren't looking at him.
"It can't be Robin," Usopp said, laughing. "Is it you, Y/N?"
You frowned without looking at him.
"How could it be Y/N!? Although I did see her in Wano running away with Zoro, shishishi."
Luffy's words confirmed Sanji's suspicions. Robin and Nami said nothing about it, but others such as Usopp, Franky, and Brook congratulated Zoro, who frowned more and more. Jinbe understood that it was not a matter for others to concern themselves with, but with all the commotion, he did not know how to divert attention.
"I made a new chocolate dessert, Luffy, don't you want to try it?" Sanji asked, distracting everyone with just that one sentence.
The cook glanced at Zoro before leading everyone to the kitchen, leaving you alone with the swordsman. You would thank him later for covering for you, but now it was on everyone's minds. The next member of the Straw Hat Pirates could be in your belly. They would have a baby on board. No one said anything as they ate their desserts, pretending they didn't want to peek through the window to eavesdrop on the pending conversation between Zoro and you.
The green haired man sat down carefully beside you. His katanas rested in his lap. His expression was impossible to read. His thoughts were beyond your comprehension.
"Y/N?"
You played with the silver bells on your katanas, indecision written all over your face as the idea of confessing your feelings and the reality of confessing your pregnancy clashed with each other, almost fighting over which was more important. But you knew the answer. You knew what you had to do. You knew the reason why you should live in the future.
"I'm pregnant." Your voice came out almost as a whisper, not daring to look at him.
Zoro remained silent for a few minutes, just listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the ship and the jingle of those bells. He liked them. He liked to hear them every time they fought in training or against an enemy. With them, he could find your location on the battlefield. With them, he knew when to protect you and when not to.
They were a grounding force for you. He didn't know the meaning behind them, but he always saw you fiddling with them when you were indecisive or nervous.
Just like now.
"I will train him to be a good swordsman."
You blinked a couple of times until his words registered in your mind. You frowned and turned your head to look at him, your lips parted slightly.
"What?"
The green haired man shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes, ready to sleep. You noticed a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
He was calm. As if that news didn't change everything in both their lives. As if it weren't a problem. Not for him.
"Don't ever leave me again."
You raised an eyebrow.
Something in his expression changed and the tips of his ears flushed. His heart felt trapped by the weight of his words. He wanted to keep it inside a chest that you couldn't open yet, but it stumbled and cracked, becoming impossible to close. He didn't mean to sound like that. As if he missed you. As if those weeks without your attention had not been the greatest loss of his soul.
"I mean... You're pregnant now. I don't want anything to happen to the baby."
You nodded, turning your gaze back to your katanas.
Both of you were too stubborn to confess.
"Aren't you angry that I hid it from you?"
"No."
"Not even a little?"
"No."
"Really, not even a little bit?"
"Shut up and let me sleep, woman."
The confirmation of your pregnancy reached the crew the next morning. Luffy smiled broadly, patting your shoulder hard and saying he already knew before anyone else did. Nami pulled on his red shirt, scolding him for hitting you. Robin and Chopper smiled, both happy that you could finally be free. Franky shouted that he would make toys and a crib for the new crew member. Brook composed lullabies, one for a girl and one for a boy. Jinbe apologised to you for bringing up the subject in front of everyone without meaning to, grateful for your quick forgiveness. Usopp congratulated you both, arguing with Luffy over who would be the best uncle.
"Stupid marimo, a baby and a beautiful woman," Sanji whined, placing a cup of tea in front of you. "Sweet Y/N, why couldn't it be me? He doesn't bathe... Is that your type? Is that how I should be?"
"Get lost, you shitty cook."
"I hope you take good care of them," warned Sanji. Zoro's eyebrow twitched and he drew his katana.
Carrying your pregnancy with them was a blessing.
The months passed and your belly grew larger. Sanji's meals no longer made you feel sick. He had made sure you were eating a healthy diet and that all your meals were nutritious enough to give you strength. Zoro didn't say so, but he was grateful to the blond.
At some point, your usual clothes no longer fit, but you didn't have time to feel bad about it, because Nami and Robin were there to take you shopping and always find the prettiest things in the shop for you. Zoro would take a minute to just stare at you while you got ready in front of the mirror. You could hear him whisper that you were beautiful, and then he would take you for a walk around the islands, walking with one hand on his katanas and the other on your waist. Slowly, not wanting to rush you.
Brook sang you different songs every day with possible names for the baby. Jinbe entertained you with stories and adventures from his youth. Usopp and Franky showed you the toys they created, most of them for men. Luffy kept asking if he could be the favorite uncle, unaware that Zoro had already chosen him as such.
And Chopper... Chopper was worried.
Taking care of you had made him happy at first. Everything seemed to be going well. Sanji's meals kept you healthy. Then he didn't know what started to go wrong in the seventh month. He had to respect your wish to keep it a secret so as not to alarm anyone, but your constant headaches and fatigue made him stay closer to you than he should have.
Then he noticed your high blood pressure. And the grimaces you made when touching your belly. You weren't having contractions, but you whispered to him that it hurt and that surely, surely, it would pass quickly. He never knew that you were short of breath, that you felt your throat closing up and forced yourself to close your eyes and wait to stabilise.
On the day after your last check-up, you squeezed Zoro's arm tightly. He looked at you, alarmed, not knowing what was happening. He shouted for help and everyone came running. Chopper noticed your contractions and broke out in a sweat. Premature labour was not ideal. With the swordsman's help, they took you to the infirmary and the little blue nosed one tried to stop the contractions.
The serum was cold. Your gaze was lost, staring at the light on the ceiling, not fully recognising that Zoro was holding your hand. The green haired man squeezed it between his own when he felt you trembling. It was slight, but it was there. And your breathing. Your breathing was rapid. He didn't understand what was happening. He whispered that everything would be fine, that you should relax.
That Chopper would know what to do.
That you were safe.
The crew's doctor entered the infirmary again, climbing onto a bench to examine you. He frowned. Only Zoro noticed.
"Chopper?" His voice sounded strangled. He didn't like that expression.
"The baby's heart beat is slowing down." The swordsman didn't understand his words. But Robin and Nami standing in the doorway did. "Get ready for the childbirth! Y/N, everything will be fine, please... You can do this."
The speed with which things happened left deep wounds in the crew. Those listening from outside could only wait. Sanji paced back and forth smoking, Usopp bit his nails, Luffy stood in surprising silence leaning against the wall, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe silently prayed that everything would turn out all right.
Nami stroked your hair, whispering words of encouragement in your ear as you pushed. Zoro squeezed your hand anxiously. Robin helped Chopper.
When a baby's cry echoed through the ship, everyone breathed again. The girls smiled tenderly. It was a boy.
Everyone crowded around the door to see the newborn, distracting them a little from you. The only one who paid you any attention was Zoro, who kissed your hand tenderly and cried silently at the miracle. His son. And the woman he loved. He kissed your head and smiled sweetly at you.
But you were lost.
You tried to breathe, but your chest felt heavy. Zoro stood up, squeezing your hand.
"Y/N." His voice caught Robin's attention. The baby in Chopper's arms was placed in Nami's arms.
"Y/N?" Chopper said, rushing over.
"I can't..." That was the only word that escaped your lips.
You gasped for air that never reached you. You couldn't hear anything. You looked lost at Zoro. He squeezed your hand and shouted. Luffy shouted. Brook, Nami, Franky, and Usopp cried desperately. Jinbe's heart beat faster than it had in a long time.
The despair that afternoon in the infirmary tormented them from time to time.
Chopper fell to his knees on the floor, sobbing heavily.
He hadn't been able to do anything. He hadn't been able to save you. Did his promise to cure all the diseases in the world mean anything if he hadn't been able to save his friend?
The diagnosis he gave devastated everyone.
Amniotic fluid embolism and cardiorespiratory collapse.
You had passed away holding Zoro's hand, amid the pleas of all your friends and the cries of your newborn baby, disturbed by the commotion. Although Chopper did everything he could, from chest compressions to medication, your heart did not respond.
Zoro's tears of happiness soon turned to tears of sadness. The entire crew was devastated.
The little blue nosed one apologised over and over again, crying, while Robin hugged him and cried silently.
As the days passed, nothing improved. The atmosphere was heavy. Zoro barely ate. Sanji forced him to eat and sat silently beside him, smoking and staring into the distance.
The passing months made the swordsman nervous.
He had a premature son. A healthy son who had been cared for by Chopper, who even fed him for him.
It tormented him that you never got to meet him. To see how his hair was also green. But when he laughed so happily, holding his finger, it made him forget all his pain.
Everyone in the crew found it difficult to live with the fact that you were no longer there. It was Robin who cheered them up in the second month of the child's life, saying that you were still there through the little one.
Soon the women set out to teach Zoro everything.
Nami deducted nappies, talcum powder, wet wipes and everything else the baby needed from his treasure share. Zoro looked at her irritably. But it was valid. But she could be good with a single father. Robin taught him how to change nappies and bathe him. Unfortunately for him, he had to let Sanji help him.
"Stupid marimo! You can't feed him that! Do you think he's a beast like you?" shouted the blond man irritatedly.
The green haired man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. The fight was stopped by the navigator, who hit them both. The swordsman had to accept that there was no one better to feed someone than Sanji. He made apple and banana puree, and Zoro ate it from time to time as well.
Jinbe always laughed at how similar Zoro and his son were. Usopp would shout every time he saw him crawling towards the deck railing, on the verge of falling, only to turn around and find his father sleeping peacefully under a tangerine tree. Relaxed, with his hands behind his head as if his son wasn't about to fall overboard.
The question that drove Zoro crazy was asked by Brook.
"Yohoho, I can't sing to this little one if he doesn't have a name yet, Zoro-san."
The swordsman drank his sake, squinting his eye.
"This idiot probably doesn't have anything yet. He'll reach the age of five without a name," scowled Nami.
Luffy held out a piece of meat to the green haired baby. When the little one tried to take it, Luffy quickly snatched it back and put it in his mouth.
"He should be named after me, so he'll be an incredible warrior of the sea," Usopp suggested, puffing out his chest and smiling.
"He'll be a swordsman." That was all Zoro said.
"Usopp... Usopp... Sweet Usopp..." Brook sang to the baby, who was eating his apple puree with his hands, not understanding the skeleton.
"Haku would suit him well," Robin commented.
Zoro considered it for a second. Haku. It sounded good. Would you have liked it too? He took another sip of his sake, silently agreeing.
Haku was growing quickly. And every day he looked more like Zoro. His green hair was short, just like his, and in his first year he already knew how to take a few steps before falling down. He never cried, which made the navigator and the archaeologist laugh quietly, noticing how similar father and son were.
The men pretended not to notice, closing their eyes every night, but they could hear it. At bedtime, the baby cried, unwilling to leave the warm chest of his father, who carried him all day. The only thing that relaxed him in his cot until he fell asleep was a sound.
A jingle.
The jingle of the silver bells on your katanas.
Haku giggled, making everyone smile, stretching out his tiny hands to touch the bells. Unknowingly claiming his mother's katanas as his own.
It was on his birthdays that Zoro missed you the most. Seeing him grow up, seeing him learn to talk, even if it was just silly words, seeing him play with everyone calmed his soul. But even with all that, he couldn't help but imagine you among them, carrying his son in your arms, wearing something pretty and singing happy birthday with a huge smile.
He had seen you interact with other children. He had seen you bandage their scraped knees after they fell while playing. You were sweet. You were caring. And he was sure you would have been a good mother.
All the unfulfilled dreams you had left behind hurt him. Wanting to defeat Shanks, wanting to visit thousands of places with him, wanting to raise the baby you had carried with so much love for months.
It hurt him that he had never confessed his love for you. It hurt him to hear from Nami that you did love him, but that you were just as stubborn as he was.
Life was uncertain. Destiny was uncertain.
Haku was three years old when he first picked up a wooden katana. He wielded it clumsily, it being enormous for his tiny hands.
"You're silly!" Luffy shouted from the lion's head, laughing at the sight of the child.
"Shut up!"
And Haku was rude to his father's captain. Luffy's playfulness amused everyone. Nami said it was like having two children on board.
"You have to be tall to wield one of those." The rubber boy stuck his tongue out at him.
"I'll be tall like dad!"
The green haired boy's lower lip trembled, frustrated at not being able to carry the katanas. Zoro lifted him up in his arms, placing him on his shoulder.
"Now you're taller than everyone else."
His giggle warmed the crew's hearts.
"I'll teach you how to use the katanas when you're five," he promised.
"I won't let a child carry katanas!" Nami shouted.
"He's my son!" Zoro protested.
"And Y/N's son," she replied.
"She would teach him too. And she wouldn't let him wear all those silly clothes you buy him. He should wear a haramaki like me."
"Dad looks silly in that," Haku muttered.
Sanji burst out laughing, making Zoro blush with embarrassment and anger.
Every day was like that. Jinbe taught him how to swim and many tricks with water, promising that one day he would show him the underwater world. Brook sang to him non-stop, only getting nods from the boy. Sanji made him try different desserts, wanting to find his favourite, but he could never guess. Haku was impossible with him. The cook thought that Zoro was teaching him to be that way.
Nami and Robin took him shopping, dressing him according to their tastes. They also made him bathe every day. But it seemed that in a few years he would be like his father, showering once a week.
Usopp showed him different gadgets that the boy couldn't understand how they worked, but he still thought they were great. Franky took him to his factory twice a week, letting him choose designs for new additions to the Sunny.
Chopper healed his wounds whenever he got hurt fighting his father with just a wooden katana. The boy flew into the wall more than anyone would have liked. And he and Luffy lived by fighting, as if the captain were a child.
Haku was five years old when everyone was sitting on the deck, enjoying the warm day.
A tinkling sound caught everyone's attention. A tinkling sound they hadn't heard in five years. Soft, slow with each step. A marked rhythm they only heard when...
All eyes turned to the little boy in front of them.
Your katanas hung from his hips. They were still too big for him. But they were his first real katanas. And they were yours. The girls pressed their lips together, holding back their tears. They thought they would never see them again. Zoro had kept them after your death, refusing to leave them on your grave, because he said they would find their new owner in a few years.
And those years had now passed.
Haku smiled excitedly. He looked almost mischievously at his father.
Robin rested her cheek on her hand, smiling tenderly.
"Haku, we're almost at a new island, that'll be impossible."
"I'll beat him! It'll be quick," insisted the boy, stamping his feet on the grass. His movement made the bells jingle.
Zoro smiled. He smiled broadly for the first time in a very long time. You were still there with them. You were still there in his son. In the end, he had been right. You were a woman who left a trace of your existence in every little thing. In every little detail.
The swordsman wielded his wado ichimonji.
"What is your motivation, kid?"
TRAFALGAR LAW
He still believed in miracles.
Being touched by them was reason enough. The loss of hope for his own future, his uselessness weighing heavily on his feelings, his inadequacy tormenting his dreams, and his resignation to an early death had marked a point in his life that had found redemption thanks to one person.
Cora-san had taught him to fight, to have faith, to trust in tomorrow no matter how difficult the present might be.
To dwell on his past or discuss it with others was not something he enjoyed. He carried it in his soul as something precious, cherishing the people who remained there as something to be treasured.
And you entered into them.
The toothless smile was something that came to mind from time to time, making him laugh in the solitude of his office.
The two of you were just kids attending school in Flevance. Restless as you were, one day you couldn't stop talking about your loose tooth. You touched it and touched it, loosening it more. You showed it to your classmates with a huge smile, saying you wanted it to fall out so you could see the new one, but that it was taking too long.
You decided to do the silliest thing in the world. Law watched everything from his seat, frowning slightly. Somehow you had managed to get some thread, and one of your friends carefully tied it to your tooth. The other end of the thread was tied to the classroom door handle.
Your scream echoed in everyone's ears when your friend pulled the door shut and your tooth was ripped out.
You were a silly girl. That's what Law thought of you as he looked inside your mouth, holding back his urge to scold you. You refused to go to the infirmary, and he knew a little about medicine thanks to his father. Treating his first patient couldn't be that complicated. Luckily, the tooth had come out clean, but the bleeding had stained your white shirt, and it was slowly stopping after he put some gauze on it.
The bad thing about the situation was that before he knew it, it had become an everyday occurrence.
You lived across the street from his house. Clinging to him after being healed by those tiny miraculous hands didn't seem strange to you, it was natural.
It was natural how you got used to knocking on his door every morning, waiting for him to go to school with him. Law suspected that you had changed your sleep schedule. He went to class early. And you arrived just in time. But now you smiled and said good morning, swaying your body from side to side as you tightened the straps of your pink backpack, eager to go together.
It was natural for you to leave your usual place in the classroom and sit next to him, just watching him study.
It was natural for you to become his friend. To enter his house, to insist on going to the fairs with his younger sister, the three of you holding hands, to catch frogs because you knew he liked to study them, to have him heal your scrapes every time you played and he would laugh quietly because you were crying.
That girl who called herself his best friend and promised to protect him from everyone disappeared one day.
There was no trace of you when tragedy struck Flevance. The screams echoing in his ears, the desperation in every cry and plea made him nervous. He had seen his parents die. He had been useless in saving his younger sister. He had witnessed the death of all his classmates. All because of that incurable disease. All because the world government did not want to help them. All because they believed it was contagious. That they were the plague.
He was devastated. He had lost everyone he loved. And he couldn't find you anywhere.
Hiding among the dead bodies until everything calmed down gave him time to look for you. Not finding you among them made him anxious.
It was a year later, as he was being carried on Cora-san's back, walking under the cherry trees after leaving another hospital, that Law told him about you. The man with the splendid make-up smiled broadly at him.
"Do you see the good in that, Law? She's alive out there. She's alive! So you must live to find her."
Law lived for many years believing those words. If Cora-san was right, and he always was, then a miracle would happen and you would come back into his life. Someone from his past, from his childhood in Flevance, was out there in the big wide world, waiting for him. He wanted to find you and hold on to the memories of his parents and little sister through you. To the memories of his friendship with you. To the happy memories.
And yet, he never found you.
His secret search caught the attention of Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo, the friends he had recently made. They believed you were his girlfriend and that he didn't want to introduce you, only to receive a threat from Law if they continued talking nonsense.
He had asked everyone he could. Normal people, farmers, and merchants didn't know you. Not even if they saw a half-burnt photo of you next to Law. A girl with that appearance never passed through the islands.
And when he began his pirate life, entering the Grand Line, he had his first encounters with the underworld. That dirty network he knew all too well since childhood now served him well. Some informant should get information about you, a clue that would show him your whereabouts.
Even if it's just a photo of how you are now.
Law was looking for a miracle that would never come.
You were a helpless child, screaming and crying amid the fire and dead bodies when a marine found you. You wiped away your tears, sobbing for help, feeling safe when you saw that uniform. The marines protected the weakest from the wicked. That's what they said at school. And that's what Law said when he talked to you about Sora.
You believed you could trust him, following him by the hand to a "safer" place.
Words that should never have been used to describe a minor. That marine held a den den mushi in his hand, watching you out of the corner of his eye as you trembled on the "rescue ship".
It took you a few days to realise that something was wrong. You couldn't be the only survivor from Flevance. There should be more ships. There should be doctors trying to heal everyone. You were lucky enough not to contract the disease. Law's father had said he should keep an eye on you for a few more months in case you developed antibodies that could save lives. You could help them. You could talk to that marine who saved you. You could talk to the doctors yourself if necessary.
But it would never work, because the place you were in didn't look anything like a marine barracks.
The high walls made you dizzy. The white marble everywhere blinded you, and that skylight didn't help, with the sun beating down on your face with its intense rays. The marine gently pushed you forward, towards a golden throne occupied by a man who must have been about fifty years old.
You squeezed your eyes shut tightly and opened them again, trying to get used to the brightly lit room.
The man in front of you had little hair, which he concealed with an enormous crown. He stroked and stretched the moustache on his face between his fingers as he scrutinised your body with his gaze. Every inch was analysed for several minutes.
"She is perfect. When she has her first period, I will make her mine." You heard the man, the king, say.
The tension in your muscles was an immediate response.
The passing of the years had not healed the wound of that memory. It had not made you forget.
You had been sold by someone in the marine as if you were nothing more than an object. As if you were nothing more than your body and a beautiful face. You had been stripped naked by that man who took you away, with the eyes of the king of that country in North Blue upon you. He ignored the trembling of your body, your pleas for him not to do it, your lower lip quivering and the tears running down your cheeks. You had seen the king's erection at the sight before him. You had felt the marine captain's hands on your undeveloped breasts as he explained to the king how you would develop.
You remembered your first attempt to escape. The blow you dealt the marine captain with your elbow, running towards the enormous doors. All resulting in your hands being handcuffed and your imminent confinement in a room adjacent to the king's.
If you could make one wish in your life...
If only you could...
No matter how much you imagined it, the door connecting the two rooms from the inside would never disappear.
The trauma that began when you were ten and lasted until you were thirteen would never go away. If you closed your eyes, you could still hear that door slowly opening. The shuffling footsteps on the wooden floor making their way towards your bed, the king's ragged breathing and his presence standing next to your face.
If you closed your eyes, you relived the sensation of his seed staining your face, leaving you a nervous, sobbing wreck in that dark room when the door closed again.
You had tried everything in your power to escape. You jumped out of your window on the second floor, stifling your screams when you landed badly and broke your ankle. You forced yourself to heal yourself through tears, a botched job on the bathroom floor. You could never perform surgery on yourself, and you would never let anyone see you like that. If you weren't perfect, they would kill you. And yet, despite everything, you wanted to live. Something told you that you had to. And that something was a white hat with black spots that came back to your mind whenever you had to treat yourself in solitude.
You limped whenever you were alone. You held back your grimaces when you were in front of the king or when you passed by the servants or guards, walking as best you could.
You dug a hole in the garden bushes, which was always covered up by the gardeners. You dissolved sleeping pills in his wine when no one else was looking, but the guards surrounded the garden and the entrances every night. The dream of escape grew more distant with each passing day.
Sometimes you lamented. You believed your fate was cursed. That not even a miracle could save you from this hell.
Your first period came when you were fourteen. You were late for breakfast, and one of the maids was sent to get you ready. Everyone was waiting expectantly. You were entering three crucial years.
And when the king saw your bloodstained sheets, he was excited.
If you talked to someone about your nightmares, you wouldn't know whether to talk about the ones that tortured you in your dreams or the ones that tortured you in all your senses.
At some point, you stopped crying.
You could only wait in your bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. Always naked. You would be punished if you made him wait or if you refused. You felt his hands on your body, every inch of it. His lips in places he shouldn't touch. His fingers inside an area that should be off-limits.
You could only wait in your bed with your eyes closed throughout the encounter, praying for it to end soon.
And when he did, leaving your room muttering curses at you because you no longer satisfied him as before, because you were already too "used", you would run to the bathroom to get into the bath. An hour. Two hours. Until the water cooled down and the sensation of his release inside you faded away.
You were eighteen when the visits to use your body became less frequent. The king had found a new girl. A twelve year old who shared your fate.
You couldn't say you were grateful. You couldn't say you felt at peace now that it wasn't your turn. Not when you hugged that little girl after finding her crying every night in the garden.
But even though your body was no longer his favourite, he found another use for it.
He wanted riches.
He craved more power.
He wished to have the favour of the celestial dragons.
This way, your body became the ideal object for experimentation in your twenties.
One of the five elders requested a report once a month. Your body's responses to the injections. The reaction to the first stimuli. Any anomalies observed. All in exchange for being affiliated with the world government.
Your first symptoms never appeared. The king took it as a good sign. Whatever they were asking him to inject you with, it was making you look more beautiful than ever. It was almost as if you were once again that girl he once had in front of him, radiant and innocent. His desire for you returned and with it, the visits every night.
Three years later, between injections and occasional nightly visits (because you were too old for his taste), the first symptom appeared. But it wasn't from the disease that one of the five elders was developing in his laboratory in Mary Geoise. It was a symptom of pregnancy. Your period hadn't come that month, and the nausea from the medication was unbearable.
When the confirmation of your two-week pregnancy reached your ears, you cried inconsolably in your room.
What else could happen to you? What else did life want from you? What else did they want to take away from you? Your body, your freedom, your happiness, everything had been stolen from you.
You were not allowed to have an abortion. Surveillance was extreme. The maids accompanied you to the bathroom, counting the minutes you spent inside, forcing you to keep the door open. Your meals were served especially by the chef in front of you. Four guards followed you to the garden if you wanted a single moment of peace.
But it never crossed the king's mind that what he should control most were those injections.
The black eruptions that appeared on your skin overnight disturbed the entire personnel. Suddenly, no one wanted to touch you. No one was interested in the six-month pregnant woman.
They shouted that it was contagious. That you shouldn't come near. The king spat at you, keeping his distance, claiming that both you and the baby were sick.
San Saturn's exact words upon receiving the report were "discard her, she's no longer of use."
Sometimes you lamented. You believed your fate was cursed. That not even a miracle could save you from this hell.
But the miracle was within you. In that disease. In your womb.
The miracle was happening right before your eyes when they threw you out onto the street. At twenty three years old, with a huge belly, an incurable disease and a lame foot, you allowed yourself to take a deep breath.
You walked carefully, one hand caressing your belly and the other holding a bag with some stolen berries and a few dresses. The fresh air filled your nostrils as you admired the landscape far from the palace that had tormented you for so many years.
Seeing the villagers looking at you with uncertainty because of the marks on your skin didn't hurt you as much as you thought it would. You didn't know the name of your illness or how much longer your body could endure it. But if this was the price you had to pay for your freedom, to free yourself from all your traumas, then you would take it.
In your seventh month of pregnancy, you had arrived at a new island in the North Blue. Sailing had become your escape from your memories. You believed that the further away you got, the more peace you would find within yourself. You didn't stay long on any island, just two or three days, and then you gave yourself over to the sea, excited about tomorrow.
You fought against the thoughts that sought to undermine your morale. So close to giving birth, you couldn't help thinking that the baby you carried in your womb was the fruit of a man you hated deeply. But it wasn't the child's fault for the father it had been given. It wasn't its fault for having a sick mother, from whom it would inherit an incurable disease.
The time you had left was beyond your control. You had surrendered yourself to death. It could take you whenever it wanted.
But if you could make one wish⊠It would be for your baby to be born. And for you to find someone who could take care of the child before you had to abandon it.
You walked through the winter village, hiding your body under a cape. The black spots spreading across your arms and legs required attention more than once. After five days, they grew in size, creating blisters that, if they burst, bled. Tolerating the burning sensation and seeing how the strange disease made your open wounds look dead upset you.
You entered a coffee shop ready to order some tea. You sat down at a table to wait, observing the cosy interior. On one of the walls there were lots of bounty posters. The woman who appeared to be the owner of the shop came in with a newspaper in her hand. She stretched out her other hand to pin a new poster on the wall.
"Trafalgar Law? Who is this kid?" murmured a man at the table next to you. "Now everyone thinks they can be pirates."
You opened your eyes in confusion. You groaned at the pain of turning your head so quickly, but you couldn't help standing up, running towards the wall with one hand on your belly.
Your eyes stung.
"Hey, Law, stop studying already, you promised we'd play after school!"
"I study after school. You're irresponsible."
"I'm not!"
"If you deny it, it's even more true."
The man on the bounty poster was not the kid you had in your mind, in your sweet memories. His features had become refined. There were dark circles under his eyes. He had two gold earrings in each ear. A well-groomed beard. And that hat. That white hat with black spots for which he had hit you on the head more than once for taking it from him.
Law was alive.
Law was an adult.
Law was a pirate.
You left your tea behind, stole the bounty poster from the wall, and hurried to the dock.
If Law was a pirate, what were his goals? Did he want the famous One Piece? How did he end up becoming a pirate? Would he still remember you? You laughed as you looked at his photo. Your friend was alive! Despite running, with a lame foot and pregnant, you were going very slowly. You could see a woman with long, brown, curly hair loading barrels and bags onto a small ship. It looked like she would be setting sail soon, so you quickened your pace.
Her face filled with surprise when she saw a girl clutching the edge of her ship, breathing heavily.
You held your hand out in front of her, silently asking for a minute.
"Please, tell me where you're going."
"What the hell?"
"I just want to know where you're going."
The brown-haired woman clicked her tongue as she hoisted another barrel onto her ship.
"Get lost. I'm not taking anyone with me."
"Please..."
She looked at you for a second and then ignored you again.
"I want to go to Grand Line!" you shouted, drawing the attention of more than one person on the dock.
"To Grand Line? Have you lost your mind? No one survives there. And you least of all," she muttered the last part, looking down at your belly.
Your cape had opened, revealing your seven-month pregnancy. You covered yourself again, muttering under your breath.
"I want to find someone," you insisted.
"So do I. All the pirates I can find, to get the bounty on their heads," growled the woman, hoisting a fifth barrel onto her ship.
"It will only be for a while. I won't stay long. Just until the first island in Grand Line."
"I'm not taking a pregnant woman with me. What's wrong with you? Just look at yourself! If you set foot on an island there, that baby will come out of your belly with a pop! As if it had been waiting too long to come out."
You pressed your lips together, amused.
"Just to the first island, and then I'll leave you alone to continue on your way."
The woman adjusted her orange hat, letting out a huge sigh.
"Fine. But if you're willing to go to such a dangerous place to look for that baby's father, I swear..."
"He's a childhood friend. He's not the father." You quickly corrected her.
She nodded and then reached out her hand to you, helping you up.
"My name is Ikkaku, by the way."
"I am Y/N."
Sailing with Ikkaku was like a caress to your wounded soul.
She didnât turn away when you showed her what the disease was doing to your body. Her compassionate eyes were soothed by her delicate touch as she tended to your attempts at healing. She washed each wound with warm water, disinfected it with alcohol, and sterilised a knife with fire to remove the dead skin. She caught your attention with all the ointments she kept in a box, from medicinal mud and herbal oils to antibiotics.
Her knowledge of medicine was more advanced than yours.
She listened to your story during your eighth month, crying her eyes out trying to hug you, but you kept laughing and then letting yourself be. Opening up to her, vocalising your traumas, letting go of everything you had held back for years in broken sobs, held in warm arms, was unknowingly what you needed most.
From time to time, you could see the frustration in her furrowed brow, her foot moving anxiously as she drew lines in a notebook. She would look at you for long minutes and draw you without saying anything about it. If you asked, she would only say that it was scientific research.
She couldn't prevent the spread or stop the advance. She could only control the infections, prevent you from having fever and pain, change your bandages daily, and every few hours let the wounds heal in the open air. But healing often did not occur. This disease, which she had never seen before, behaved strangely. Despite all her efforts, Ikkaku noticed a new level of depth in the wounds every day.
As if a worm were eating your skin down to the bone.
"So? Who are you looking for?" she asked one day, sitting down next to you on the deck floor.
She had forced you to rest, even though you hated staying still in one place. She took a bite of a peach and gave one to you. You accepted it with a smile.
"His name is Trafalgar Law."
Ikkaku looked at you, swallowing her peach with force.
"You're joking. That pirate from this sea who got a huge reward?" You nodded, biting into your fruit. "That's the friend you're risking your life for!?"
"He's a good guy."
"He's a pirate. No pirate is good," she hissed in frustration.
"Ikkaku, I think you noticed it too." She frowned. "I don't have much time left."
"Don't say that. I'll find a way..."
You interrupted her.
"With luck, I'll be able to live through the first few months of my baby's life. But when I'm gone, I want Law to have it."
"A pirate raising a baby in Grand Line? It's dangerous. Y/N, reconsider. I can stay on the first island and raise it myself, with you. Don't take any more risks."
You shook your head. Ikkaku had a goal. A dream. You couldn't ask her to give that up to look after a baby for you when you were dead. Asking Law was just as bad. You'd be getting in his way, imposing something that had nothing to do with him. But he was the only one you could leave it with without feeling guilty about abandoning it.
"Law will understand."
"A baby shouldn't live at sea. A sick woman shouldn't be making this journey... And you can't make him shoulder such a responsibility. It's selfish. It's..." She looked down. "I'm sorry."
You patted her shoulder.
"I understand what you're getting at, but he's the only person from Flevance who's still alive." You rested your head against the railing. "He's my best friend. If he raises this baby, I can leave this world in peace. It doesn't matter if it's at sea."
Ikkaku bit her lip, unsure.
"We have to hurry, then."
If someone had told Ikkaku in the past that her entry into the Grand Line would lose all meaning, that her life as a bounty hunter would be left behind and she would instead be helping a pregnant woman give birth just as they crossed the reverse mountain, she would surely have laughed.
But that day, she didn't laugh at all. Her hand was on the rudder as she watched you lying next to her, breathing deeply through the contractions. The continuous movement of the ship made you dizzy, and she could see how the black spots were ravaging your belly. At some point during the descent, as you were about to reach Twin Cape, Ikkaku let go of the rudder, praying that everything would turn out all right as she crouched down beside you.
She had been referring to your illness as living putrefaction for two months without you knowing. Your arms and legs were about to show bone in different areas, so she covered them with bandages so you wouldn't see. You could no longer feel anything; the nerves in those areas had died. And when the smell of rotten flesh was noticeable, Ikkaku pretended not to notice. That it was nothing bad.
You didn't notice the tears welling up in her eyes as she watched the inevitable happen.
You reached Twin Cape safely. It was as if something stronger was watching over you. Neither of you got off the boat to ask for information at the lighthouse. The man who guarded the entrance to Paradise sat frowning, looking at the ship without understanding.
No ship ever arrived alone.
Crocus jumped onto the deck of the small ship. He walked towards the door and, as he opened it, he got a surprise.
Two women were on the floor, crying, while the one who appeared to be the mother held a baby in her arms and the other sobbed happily.
For a few hours, he heard the other girl, Ikkaku, crying and repeating over and over that it was a miracle. Crocus checked the vital signs of the mother and child. A girl had been born in such a violent and unique sea. Both were fine. But the rare disease in the mother's body was now ravaging her womb.
The miracle Ikkaku was referring to was now understandable to the old man. With the bone exposed in her arms, it was a blessing that the girl had been born before the disease touched her. And she did not seem to have contracted it.
The three stayed for a few days at Twin Cape, Crocus helping to build a cradle for the girl. He gave them a log pose and invited them to eat.
"Why are you in Grand Line?" asked the old man, discreetly observing the sick woman.
"We're looking for a man," said Ikkaku, biting into her fish.
"The girl's father?"
"I wish," mumbled Ikkaku under her breath, and you kicked her foot with yours.
Whenever she could, she repeated that your childhood sweetheart must be the girl's father, not that monster. She consoled herself with the thought that, at least, he would raise her. But she wasn't sure she could abandon that baby.
In recent months, she had made an incredible friend who looked at her with sparkling eyes and admired everything she could do. Your compliments and sweet comments every time she sailed or healed you brought a thousand smiles to her face. You were a good woman. Crossed by evil beings.
"We're looking for my best friend, Trafalgar Law," you said with a smile.
"Trafalgar Law? I think I've heard that name..." Crocus put a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Ah! The rookie with the Ope Ope no Mi. I remember now. He was here two months ago."
"He was here?" you asked excitedly.
"Ope Ope no Mi?" Ikkaku continued.
When Ikkaku heard Crocus, she was quick to get you and the baby onto the ship. The man said goodbye to the three of you, wishing you luck in finding the man quickly.
Your friend was excited. It was crazy that a Devil Fruit of that magnitude existed. If you were lucky and found it, then you could live. It could heal you. You could watch your daughter grow up.
Sailing those waters was torture. Ikkaku kept you inside the small room with the baby. Complete rest for you and protection for both of you from the high temperatures and sudden storms. The information she got on the first island about Trafalgar Law was useless. He hadn't visited it. He had taken another direction.
Ikkaku climbed onto the boat in a huff, sitting down next to you on the deck as she opened the bag of food. Buying two meals hadn't cost that many berries, and she was grateful for that. She had spent the rest on nappies, clothes for the three of you, all sorts of things the baby might need, and baby formula.
The two of you sat down to eat while the baby slept in the cradle in front of you.
"She looks just like you. A carbon copy."
You choked on your noodles.
"Do you think so?"
"She has your hair, your eyes, your nose, and she'll have your smile. It makes me happy to see her," Ikkaku stated, laughing.
You ate happily, without taking your eyes off your daughter. She looked like a healthy baby. There were no marks like yours on her tiny body. And she was cheerful. Ikkaku always made her smile, even without teeth. You didn't have to do much to make the baby smile.
"What will you call her?"
"I haven't the faintest idea."
"I bought a book of names too," said Ikkaku, opening another bag.
You giggled as you read the book beside her. There were so many, and you didn't like any of them. You looked up to observe the child and discarded names from A to C when you didn't think they suited her.
"Look at this one!" Ikkaku shouted. "Cora."
"Cora?"
"It means love, affection, and sensitivity." You were about to dismiss it, but Ikkaku put a hand in front of you. "But also rebirth, cycles of life and death, and transformations."
Your heart tightened as you watched the baby in the cradle open her eyes, closing them in annoyance at the sun.
Over the next two months, you watched her grow a little more. You fed her a bottle, bathed her, and dressed her in pretty outfits. Ikkaku had decided to take you to see the islands. She didn't want you to spend your last days, with your illness so advanced and your bones showing through your skin, locked up between four walls.
The two of you visited many places, towns, and customs in Paradise. Together, you chose clothes for Cora, who had taken on that name. There was no name more perfect for her. Rebirth and transformation. You wanted your daughter to have a free life and grow up as she pleased, without anyone taking anything away from her. You wanted her to have a life different from yours.
Finding Law was difficult. It was as if he had vanished into thin air. You asked around in every seedy bar. You saw how his bounty gradually increased, and you kept all his wanted posters.
It was in his fifth month on the Grand Line that Law received information from the underworld.
The young captain held the paper in his hand, sitting in his office. It was nothing. It just said that a woman had been looking for him for three months. And many people were looking for him to take revenge. There was no guarantee that that woman was you.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. Shachi and Penguin should have already obtained the supplies for the Polar Tang, but like Bepo, they were probably wandering around the island. They would set sail in an hour. Rushing to get ready for it irritated him.
Bepo was walking around the new island eating from a bag of crisps. What should he buy? What would his captain like? Maybe a new pen? He pretended not to, but he knew he kept glitter pens in his drawer. He never used them, but he didn't throw away his gifts either.
In his moment of distraction, he bumped into a woman.
Bepo blushed and tried to apologise quickly, but he stammered when he saw her. She had curly hair and wore a cute orange hat. Her face was covered in tears, she tried to speak, but her lip trembled violently and a sob escaped her throat. He looked down at her hands. She was carrying a basket.
He had to look twice to discover that there was a baby inside.
The woman fell to her knees, devastated, and Bepo knelt in front of her, nervous and not knowing what to do.
"Is Trafalgar Law with you?" she managed to whisper to the polar bear.
Bepo's expression shifted from surprise to confusion to uncertainty in a matter of seconds. What could a woman and a child want from their captain?
"Depends who's asking."
"Y/N."
The polar bear gasped as he looked at the woman and the baby, but she looked nothing like the girl in the photo Law had hanging in his room. The girl he had only mentioned twice. The woman standing in front of him couldn't be Law's best friend.
"She passed away," whispered Ikkaku.
Bepo carried the basket with the baby and dragged the woman, who couldn't stop sobbing, with him. On the way, he ran into Penguin and Shachi, who stopped joking around with the bear and quickly followed the three of them, worried. No one understood what was going on.
No one understood why their captain had been locked in his office with a woman and a baby for fifteen minutes. If the mink knew anything, he wasn't saying.
Ikkaku wiped away her tears and told him everything. How she met you. Why you looked for her. How you became friends. Your pregnancy. What had happened in your life. Your illness. Nothing was withheld from the golden-eyed man who listened attentively without taking his eyes off the baby.
Cora-san had told him not to lose faith.
One of his many missions as a pirate was to find you. To reconnect with his past through you, to remember how good life was when childhood innocence had not been taken away.
He waited for a miracle that would bring you before him, only to be struck by your past, as painful as his own. Only to hear how this woman, Ikkaku, had witnessed your last wish a week ago. Law couldn't hear, his ears were ringing, he had lost you.
Now, as they spoke, that ship in which you had searched for him for months was carrying your body, adrift, among flowers and a blanket that belonged to your daughter.
Law squeezed the edge of the examination table where the baby was sleeping, letting out a couple of tears.
"Did you say a disease?" he murmured.
Ikkaku handed him a notebook. When he opened it, he found several drawings. They were good, even detailed.
"I called it living putrefaction. It was the result of an experiment. The spots were like... Like a worm was eating her skin, digging and digging until there was nothing left," she whispered.
Law looked at the child.
"She was in the bones when she forced me to take the baby."
"Did she force you to leave her alone?" Law growled.
"Her daughter was important to her."
"So was she. I could have done something. My fruit... I could have..." The frustration in his voice was not lost on Ikkaku.
"Cora needs a good father," she said. "Those were her last words."
Law's heart skipped a beat. The girl's name was Cora? Cora, like...
"Cora?"
"Isn't it a pretty name? Y/N chose it." Ikkaku smiled.
Law swallowed a sob. Of all the names, you chose that one. Somehow, everyone in his past was connected. The baby babbled something, catching Law's attention. He let her take his tattooed finger in her hands and smiled painfully.
"And by the way, I'm joining your crew."
"Excuse me?"
"You may be Cora's father, but I'm her favourite aunt. I'm not leaving her side." Her authoritative tone wiped the smile off Law's face.
Life on the Polar Tang became chaotic.
Cora crawled from one corridor to another. If she wasn't in his room or his office, she was in the control room staring at the screens in amazement. The good thing about travelling in a submarine was how much it could entertain a little girl. She would often sit on the floor of the control room, surrounded by cushions with her little legs stretched out, putting things in her mouth. Her hand, her bottle, her dummy, Penguin's hat, whatever was within reach. And it was also common for Hakugan or Shachi to juggle to avoid stepping on her when they stood up from their posts distracted and didn't see her.
The addition of a baby girl to the crew was not taken badly. Bepo was delighted with the child. He said there was no safer place in the world than their submarine. Shachi and Penguin took her on trips to all the islands to find women, saying something about how women liked men who were affectionate with children. In the end, they would return disappointed, without even having received a kiss themselves, but with Cora's cheeks covered in lipstick.
They would get scolded by Law, who would wash her hands and cheeks whenever they brought her back from their walks, muttering something about germs.
Hakugan loved showing her the different fish through the screens in the control room or through the few windows there were. They would get scared if a very large one appeared. When Cora cried, Law would snatch her from his arms, taking the girl with him while he calmed her down.
No one but Law could calm her down when she cried.
Ikkaku wanted to take care of buying her clothes, especially for her first birthday, but Law wouldn't let her. He was a devoted father. And he had a soft spot for those chubby cheeks and cute animal outfits for babies. He would never admit how much he loved cute things.
"Cora-chan, happy birthday!" Penguin shouted, holding up a cake. The single candle on the cake was a sad sight.
"Couldn't you buy a candle with the number on it and some other decorations?" Law grumbled.
"Captain, you're offending me. I did everything I could," he complained, leaving the cake on the kitchen table.
"That's a lie, he spent the berries on clothes for a girl who ended up giving him nothing but a smile as thanks," Bepo said.
"Bepo!? You promised not to tell!"
The polar bear shrugged, smiling at little Cora, who was wearing a cute polar bear costume.
By the time Cora was two years old, she could already say "daddy" and a few other words. Her favourite was "boring".
Law smiled at her, showing her a frog. The girl looked at what was in front of her on the desk with disgust. Why was her father showing her something so ugly?
"So, you use the scalpel and make a clean cut in the centre," he murmured as he made the cut.
Cora leaned back in his chair, frowning.
"Frogs are an incredible subject of study. When you grow up and become a doctor like me, I'm sure you'll understand when..."
"Daddy, boring," she complains, jumping out of his chair.
The last thing Law saw was her running towards the door, asking Bepo to go and play on the deck. The polar bear happily carried her. And Law lowered his arms in defeat.
Cora was restless. She enjoyed playing all the time, which resulted in the occasional scrape. The number of times he disinfected her knees and elbows was countless. The older she got, the more he realised how much she resembled you. It wasn't just physically. Cora's personality was lively, similar to yours.
The little girl was three years old when Law decided to teach her to read.
He wanted her to have an advantage over others. There was nothing better for a child than to be educated, cultured, and remain free from illiteracy. An educated person was the key to the future. So, every Tuesday and Thursday, he would sit the girl in the kitchen while Bepo and Ikkaku prepared onigiri for her.
The tattooed man was thrilled when his daughter told him it was her favourite food. His chest swelled with pride at the thought that his daughter thought he was cool. With cool tastes.
He opened a page of the book that showed the entire alphabet. Cora bit into her onigiri without looking at the page. Law tapped his finger twice to get her attention.
When Cora didn't look at him, Shachi and Penguin covered their mouths to hide their laughter. But everyone could hear soft "pfft" sounds.
"Hey, Shachi, do you think child prodigies are born or made?"
"I don't know, Penguin, but I think someone at that table is dumb."
"My daughter isn't dumb!"
"Dad isn't dumb!"
Father and daughter stared at each other. Penguin and Shachi filled the air with their laughter, making Cora blush.
"Penguin and Shachi look dumb in their uniforms."
The two stopped laughing and turned to look at the kid, hands on their hearts. Law blushed too.
He had chosen the crew's uniforms.
"Are you calling your father dumb?" Penguin hinted.
"Calling parents dumb is disrespectful, Cora-chan," Shachi said, shaking his head.
"Dad doesn't look dumb! He has that cool hat."
That single sentence sealed Cora's fate. Or so everyone in the crew told their captain. For her fourth birthday, Law gave her a hat just like his, made to measure. They walked everywhere together wearing the same clothes. If Law wore a yellow shirt and his spotted jeans, Cora wore a yellow shirt and a spotted skirt. If Law bought a blue feather coat, Cora wanted the same one in black.
She was a mini Law with your face.
What surprised Penguin and Shachi the most was how easily the girl learned to read. Law had told them that his mother was a restless child who refused to study, but Cora had picked up all her father's habits. Ikkaku, Bepo, and Law (in denial) were dying of love when they saw the girl sitting on the deck railing every morning with a book in her hands. Her favourite subject to research was birds. There was one in particular she wanted to find in Grand Line. A phoenix.
It didn't take her long to learn from her father that there was a Phoenix Devil Fruit. And Cora wanted it. She wanted to fly, to see the world from above. She was disappointed when they explained that Marco, Whitebeard's right-hand man, already had it.
That same year, the girl ran up to him. As a father, he was concerned and thought she had scraped herself again. Ikkaku gasped when she saw the black spot on her arm. It was the same disease her mother had had.
But this time, the curly-haired woman was able to witness what could have happened to her friend.
Law worked diligently. He asked his daughter to remain calm as he extended his hand and a blue dome, as thin as a curtain, enveloped her. Within his power, Law could perform miracles. This was the greatest one he could perform. To save your daughter and allow her to live peacefully, just as you wished. He separated the little girl's body into many small pieces until he found the source of the disease, and removed it.
Ikkaku prayed that, wherever you were, you could rest in peace, without stopping laughing when Law returned the little girl to normal and she jumped into his arms, shouting that it was fun to see her limbs floating. As if that were normal.
The girl was five years old when a scream caught the attention of the entire crew. They had gone to a small restaurant to celebrate Bepo's birthday. They rarely indulged in going out to celebrate. They usually did so in the kitchen of the Polar Tang, but if they could, they appreciated food prepared by someone else.
The Heart Pirates ran after Cora's voice. Law found it suspicious that Penguin and Shachi were not at the table when the scream was heard.
When they found them, Cora's white shirt was covered in blood and she was holding her mouth.
Penguin and Shachi stood next to a closed door, the first one pulling a thread towards him. They high-fived each other while looking at the tooth.
Understanding the situation, Law's eye twitched. He stretched his hand out in front of him without taking his eyes off his friends.
hey! this is my first request eveer in this app, so excuse my inexperience! If you don't mind, what are your thoughts in a shinobu-like reader with the tmnt 2012? I mean someone who specializes in poisons/chemisty, has a smaller build and is sweet on the outside, but somewhat more sinister on the inside? Take your time, and have a great day!
Tmnt 2012 x Shinobu!Reader (Demon slayer)
(gn reader)
Okay so basically this request brought me back to live and made me want to write something after a while so yeah thank you very muchhh (Also you made me realise that I want to rewatch this anime. Anyway enjoy)
Leonardo
"Youâre⊠oddly calm for someone who could kill us all with a teaspoon."
At first, Leo is unsure whether to admire or fear you.
Heâs drawn to your precision. Your movements, your speech, your choices. Everything feels intentional. That discipline commands his respect. Your kind demeanor clashes with your skill set, and it unsettles him in a way he canât ignore
But still, your sweetness bothers him. He senses something off and itâs makes him feel aware even more.
When he learns youâre a chemist and poison expert, he mentally marks you as dangerous and then immediately scolds himself for the thought
He tries to treat you as an equal in group but is often caught watching you closely, trying to read the layers beneath your soft voice.
When you talk about toxins or deadly compounds with a serene smile, he listens intently⊠then asks, too quickly: âHave you ever actually used that on someone?â The way you talk about poisons while smiling so gently makes him tense
You saved his life by poisoning a Foot assassin mid-battle. He canât stop thinking about it. He kinda owes you now, and itâs makes him nervous
Also, about saving lifes. He never actually thought of you as a real fighter⊠well, because you seemed to be small, soft spoken and kinda gentle. Not the set for someone who can stand for themselfâs
So the second he saw you in danger, he rush to save you, not thinking much
âStand back, weâll handleââ
âŠbut then you just dismantle your attackers with terrifying efficiency. You drop three ninjas in the time it takes him to blink. His ego takes a hit.
The idea of someone so delicate-looking wielding deadly knowledge fascinates and worries him. He trains harder around you, half to impress, half to remind himself he could stop you if he had to.
Later, he quietly asks you to spar, claiming itâs "âŠTo learn your techniques" (actually he just wants to understand you more⊠and also kinda testing himself against you)
By the way, you beat him in a duel, flipping him onto his shell with a well-placed kick. He spends three days reworking his entire fighting style because of you
Donât worry, after a while heâll accept you, when he realizes he trusts you deeply. In his eyes, youâre the kind of warrior who chooses calm, rather than needing to fight for it.
But no matter how long youâll be in their team, Leo will always watch you carefully. Not because he thinks of betrayal, but because he senses the storm behind the still water. There will be always something unspoken about you that he canât understand, but he wants to so badly. What made you be like this?
He doesnât always understand your colder decisions (like neutralizing enemies permanently) but he learns to appreciate your reasoning, even when it frightens him
If romance builds, itâs slow. A gesture here, a shared stare there. No unnecessary words or big actions. One time you gently adjusts his bandana and it undoes him for the whole week
If youâre ever injured, his protective instincts spike tenfold. Not because he sees you as weak, but because he knows how many masks you wears to hide your limits
You two have deep conversations about morality (once heâll trust you enough) about control, and what it means to âprotectâ
Donatello
"Your knowledge of alkaloids is⊠breathtaking."
The second he hears you work with poisons, he launches into a ramble about toxins, neurotoxins, antidotes, hoping to impress.
When you keep up or even correct him, it stuns him. He falls in love a little right there.
You critique his formulas in front of April. His pride is bruised
Instantly obsessed. Youâre the only person who understands his rants about molecular structures
Donnie is deeply curious about your work, constantly trying to pick apart how you isolate toxins or stabilize volatile substances, so expect him to be next to you all the time
"Hypothetically⊠would you ever consider⊠joint research?"
He offers you access to his lab space, a huge gesture for him. And you treat it with careful respect, always cleaning up after yourself and labeling things in perfect handwriting. Youâre so gentle with him it makes him craving your attention 24/7
You sometimes tease him for being messy in his notes and not mixing some chemicals right. He teases back about your disturbingly cheerful way of describing neurotoxins.
The moment he sees your fighting, heâs quietly horrified. Torn between awe and dismay when you use a contact poison to paralyze an enemy mid-strike
"Wait, did they just⊠Hold on, are they actually using some tetrodotoxin on him right now?â Holy shell, thatâs⊠Fascinatingâ
Calculates the physics of your moves in real-time. The numbers donât add upâ
Heâll beg you to teach him how to weaponize chemistry like you do. You give him fake formulas just to mess with him, but heâll appreciate it so much that he wonât even notice it at first
The only thing that unsettles him is how calm you are in the face of pain. He once sees you get grazed by an enemyâs blade, you treat the wound like itâs nothing.
So yeah, of course he notices that somethingâs wrong under that smile. Your cheerful tone never quite reaches your eyes. It bothers him, but he canât bring himself to ask⊠yet.
I mean he aware of your darker edge since the beginning, and he respects it. After all, he has his own obsessive streaks and dangerous ideas
He sometimes worries about what youâre capable of, but he trusts your intentions more than his fear.
One day, you make him a custom sedative for his migraine. Itâs harmless. Kind. Useful. He keeps the empty vial like a love letter.
Sooner or later youâll start geeking out together in his lab. Your interactions are charged with quiet admiration and late-night experiments. Your lab conversations are dangerously flirty. Soft laughter, subtle compliments masked as âscientific observations.â
Eventually, he realizes heâs falling for you, not just for your mind, but for how carefully you keep control. Itâs terrifying and beautiful. Canât tell if itâs actual crush tho. I mean, for Donnie you are perfect. You are kind, smart, gentle, incredibly dangerous but at the same time not so simple. I would say youâre more like a role model for him
In fact, he wants to solve you as much as some super difficult math problem. He is just incredibly curious about the part of you that you so desperately hide, and if you tell him even a little about your trauma or origins, he will be so, so happy. Heâll listen like itâs sacred. No judgment. Only quiet understanding and softly murmured
Raphael
At first, Raph does not trust you, not even a little. Youâre too quiet. Too calm. Too clean. Something about you makes his instincts itch.
Thatâs why he watches you more than anyone else. You literally can catch his gaze every time you look at him. Every. Time. The more he learns about you, the more he suspects.
Donât think he hates you tho. He admire skills, and youâve got plenty. What unnerves him is how you hide it behind soft laughter and polite nods.
You have the strongest dynamics from all. You clash at first: sarcasm vs politeness. You, with all your pretty smile and logical responses sometimes drive him nuts.
It means you argue a lot. You never yell at him back, your answers either super polite, either super sarcastic. He notices how you never flinch at his temper. In fact, you laugh, never taking his anger seriously, making him feel dumb.
But donât worry, after a few sharp-edged missions together, a begrudging respect forms. It doesnât mean that he trust you, but now he gives you opportunity to speak and can actually listen to you sometimes
Also, loves your unapologetic lethality. Youâre the only one who doesnât judge him for enjoying a good, messy fight, and he appreciate it
When itâs comes to your first fight, he doesnât think much from you. Seeing your body complexion, Raph assumes you to be all tricky, no powerâŠSweet voice, tiny frame. Must be fragile.
He doesnât mean to be condescending, but he definitely tells you to âstay backâ when there is some crowd of Kraangs that want to kick your asses
âŠUntil you slams a Kraang into the wall so hard its wiring sparks. You made it look so effortless. You didnât hesitate. Didnât even grunt. The same smile, the same look.
His eyes go wide. Then narrow. Raph stops fighting for a split second just to watch. His brain cannot compute.
ââŠOkay, tiny.â
For the rest of the fight, he keeps trying to catch your messing up. You never do.
He has a minor identity crisis. His whole personality is raw power: heâs strongest, heâs biggest and toughest⊠and now hereâs this calm, petite chemist wrecking dudes with their hands behind their back practically.
Secretly, he loves how unfazed you are. Power that doesnât need to prove itself? Thatâs rare. Thatâs terrifying. Thatâs⊠hot.
He starts sparring with you a lot after that. Itâs not about dominate. Itâs about learning
You beat him in a fight using pure dirty tricks. Heâs furious⊠and weirdly aroused
When he finally understands that youâre not danger for them, that you even useful, he finally softens. Itâs raw and clumsy, without any words, but youâll see it in his actions. How he backs you up in battles and offers you pizza after. How he worries when youâre in trouble, or how he lets you heal him, not looking at you with suspect. Youâre the part of the team now, congrats. Donât mess up.
Heâs surprisingly good at reading your rage in disguise. Heâs got the same kind. He sees your hands shake or your face twitching when no one else does.
You both have things to hide, and you both know that. Your dark sides align unexpectedly well. Heâs more emotionally flexible than he seems, and youâre less heartless than you pretend. Itâll take time, but if youâll do everything right, youâll see Raph at the sides no one usually does
Michelangelo
At first, he thinks youâre a âTiny smiling butterflyâ and wants to be besties. He calls you stuff like âLittle Miss Toxic Sugarplumâ You smile at the nicknames but never quite lets him in. That makes him try harder.
When you describe poisons, heâs the only one who isnât freaked out, just curious.
âWait, waitâ it melts the insides? DUDE.â
He volunteers to taste-test everything, even when you warn him not to.
âWhoa! This one tastes like watermelon!âŠWait, why is my tongue numbâ?â
Your dynamic is comfy and warm. There isnât any problems. He helps you heal after hard missions. Makes dumb jokes when youâre patching people up. Makes you laugh in general. Brings sugar to your bitter tea. He will definitely find an approach to you
Mikey sees your past masks because he wears one too. He recognizes the way you hide pain behind sweetness.
He doesnât push. Instead, he gently includes you in the group, offers you food, shows you his comics. Normalcy. No hurry.
One day, want you or not, heâll make you laugh for real. Not the polite, serene kind, but a sharp, sudden giggle. Heâll remember that for days.
If you open up, even a little, he listens with surprising maturity. Mikey may be goofy, but he feels deeply. And heâs glad that you choose him to speak out
Mikeyâs the only one who never underestimated you, but even he didnât expect this.
The moment when you show your real powers and fight skills, show him that your not as simple as you seems, heâll be charmed. Then intrigued. Then deeply, deeply invested.
Heâs hyping you up before the fight, looking at you with starts in his eyes. Canât say that he isnât kinda worry about you thoâŠbecause well youâre so small and seems so fragile! But he's nearby, and if anything he'll help, right?
âYou got this, Buttercup! I believe in yoââ
You casually suplexes a robot twice your size like it weighs nothing, and kick another into a wall without breaking your grin.
âWaitâŠwhat?â
Mikey audibly screams. His expression changes from existential toâŠshock?
The way your dodgeâŠno. You are literally flying next to the opponent, at the same time punching them so hard and not missing a single hit. There is more enemies behind, but you handled it just perfect. Like it wasnât serious. You didnât flinch, not even frown. Not a single sweat. You fight the way he never saw. He can't even catch your movements with his gaze, dammit! Thatâs how you fastâ
âOH MY GOSH YOUâRE A BEASTââ
He yelp, before you tackling another robot. Seeing this contrast in your looks and your fight style makes his opinion about you changes instantly
Afterward, Mikey is bouncing around you like a puppy.
âYou broke that Kraangâs arm and smiled the whole time. Do you realize how COOL that is???â
Starts bragging about you constantly to his brothers and enemies like:
âYou donât wanna mess with them. They once crushed a robot with their knee and didnât even flinch.â
Youâre graceful, yes. But your strength is jaw-dropping. And you look so peaceful doing it. Like the violence doesnât affect you at all.
Lowkey starts training more seriously because you inspire him.
You teach him about pressure points once. He pretends he doesnât remember. But he totally does. Uses it later to protect you.
If he falls in love, itâs warm, chaotic, and healing. Your darkness doesnât scare him. He accepts it with joy. âYouâre spooky sometimes, babe. I love it.â
Iâm seeing him as he tries to confess to you⊠while hallucinating from your latest experiment. "Dude, the ceiling is singingâŠ"
MOST RECENT UPDATE: đą (pls have patience on regular updates during tmnt au competition!)
Based on the scrapped rottmnt episode:
Mikey's gets to be the oldest when his brothers turn into turtle toddlers after getting zapped by an immortal mutant jellyfish bank robber. Does he have what it takes to get his brother's back to normal while also dealing with the strange challenges of eldest brotherhood?