Hello! I took part of a server gift exchange, and this is my gift for @mushroomgrenade
This is a scenario with their oc, B. I absolutely fell in love with B while writing this, and yes, I angsted. I'm only sorta sorry xD But hey, I gave it a bittersweet ending though
B stepped out of her cabin into the sunlight, relishing the gentle warmth of the early morning sun. The breeze lightly rustled her hair and clothes. What a lovely day to make land.
The Moby Dick had dropped anchor at what presented itself as a calm spring island. (Who knew, knowing the weather stability of the Grandline, perhaps it would start raining spiked hail balls later.) The low rolling hills were covered in young, light green grass and the occasional scrubby bush broke up the neverending landscape. The smell of soil and wildflowers mixed with the salty sea breeze just added to the excitement of being back on land.
Of course, there were still chores and duties to carry out before they got to relax. Everyone had their assignments for what needed to be done first, and B was no exception.
B was just about to disembark when she spotted Ace and Haruta chatting outside of the washrooms. Ace was carrying a Cameko Den-Den Mushi in his hand, trying to hold it inconspicuously behind his back. Both might’ve appeared casual, but something about the way they kept snickering and glancing around told her they were up to something She perked her ears to them but didn't watch them directly so they didn't realize she was onto them.
"Ready to head into town, B?" B nearly jumped in surprise, but smiled since she recognized the voice. She turned and looked up to smile at Izo, who had materialized behind her. She pressed her finger to her lips and slyly pointed in Ace and Haruta’s direction. His brow furrowed as he looked where she pointed and tried to figure out just what she wanted him to see. A slight tilt of his head followed by the slightest grin and she knew he connected the dots.
“Just what are those two up to?"
"If I had to guess, they're up to no good." She chuckled. "Should we check, or wait to see what happens?"
Izo focused his keen eyes on them, and he slowly grinned, mischief dancing in his eyes.
"Let's wait." He smiled down at her, expression as gentle as always.
They sat against the railing together and settled into idle chatter as they waited. It wasn't long until there was a flash of light followed by angry yelling.
"WHO’S IDEA WAS IT?!" Marco bellowed and B couldn't help but laugh as he angrily burst onto the deck. His usually golden blonde hair was now dyed bright purple, and Ace and Haruta were cackling delightedly as they evaded him. Ace and Haruta decided the wisest course of action would be to escape to the island and take off running. Marco transformed his arms into wings and flew after them, hot on their heels.
"Purple looks fairly nice on him," Izo chuckled. Well, they’d relaxed long enough. Time to get to work. Izo led the way down the gangplank, B following just behind him.
"COMING THROUGH!" B checked over her shoulder and lurched out of the way of Shanks and Buggy as they barrelled haphazardly down the gangplank. Buggy was shouting at Shanks as they raced each other up the beach into a vibrant jungle, shoving his face angrily against Shanks' face, but Shanks just laughed as he always did. B shook her head and chuckled at their antics. B turned to comment to Izo, but the beach was clear. Where had Izo gone?
“B, would you mind keeping up with them?” B’s cheeks grew warm, and she turned to the ship at her back. The Oro Jackson had replaced the Moby Dick in the cove, and there on the deck stood Rayleigh. Part of her wondered what happened to the Moby Dick and the other Whitebeard Pirates, but she quickly dismissed it. She was also a member of Roger’s crew. Why shouldn’t she be here with them?
“Sure thing–” A loud crack followed by screaming and crashing came from the jungle just off the shore. “Oh, for goodness sake,” B rolled her eyes and lightly jogged up the beach into the jungle. Oden was rubbing off on those two far too much.
As she searched the foliage for the troublesome apprentices, something felt slightly off, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. The jungle didn’t give off any immediate signs of danger, nor could she sense any bloodlust toward her.
“Shanks? Buggy? Where did you little brats wander off to?” B yelled into the trees.
“Red nose? Red hair?”
Her voice seemed to fall flat against the trunks. No leaves rustled. There were no animals in the underbrush. No birds in the canopy.
She held still. This was the sound of perfect silence.
Where did everyone go?
B caught a flash of movement in her peripheral vision and whipped around. There was a flicker of orange amidst the green and she bolted after it, nevermind what it was. She should be able to handle it, whatever it was.
B stopped. Where had… whatever it was gone? She watched for a sign of anything living or moving around her. The jungle was eerily still again.
Wait a moment. Which way was the shore? She hadn’t gotten herself lost, had she? A final glance through the foliage and she turned back the way she came. She should get back to her crew! The trees seemed to press closer and closer together as she tried to retrace her steps. Nothing seemed familiar, nor could she see, smell, or hear the sea from where she was. Just how far had she gone into the jungle?
From her left came a rustle and B took up a defensive position. The plants shook; whatever it was drew closer. She started to launch into action but stopped when she recognized the face that poked out.
"Fushichou-chan," B relaxed. “It’s you.” Marco gave her one of his reserved smiles.
"What are you doing out here yoi? The party's already started." He gestured for her to follow him and led her through the trees. She walked close to him, close enough for their shoulders to brush. She didn’t want to get lost again. His hair was still bright purple and looked like an exotic flower had been placed atop his head. She stretched her hand out and ruffled it, chuckling quietly.
“Purple doesn’t look half bad on you,” she teased, laughing at his grumpy expression. He sulked at her laugh and grumbled under his breath about the shampoo that was now wasted due to hair dye being in it. While her gaze was fixed upon him, her foot caught on a root and she went down, throwing her hands out to catch herself. Marco caught the back of her coat before she hit the ground and lifted her up to set her back on her feet.
“Watch your step, yoi.”
“Thanks, sorry,” B mumbled apologetically. Marco responded by taking her hand in his. They continued quietly walking hand in hand, the only sound being their breathing and their feet on the dirt trail they followed.
And then, B heard something. Familiar voices grew in volume, and suddenly the path they were following opened into a large clearing where the Roger and Whitebeard Pirates were throwing a massive party.
There was one massive bonfire in the center of the clearing, but several smaller fires dotted the space surrounding. Wonderful smells and music filled the air, along with plenty of laughter and banter from the two crews. Marco waved to B and went to say hello to Crocus. B wandered into the party, simply happy to be back with her crews’.
Pops, Roger, and Oden sat together around the largest bonfire, bellowing a sea shanty in between eating and drinking. Jozu was wrestling several people all at once and still winning from what B could tell. Vista dueled with Shanks atop a table, both equally cheered on by both crews. Hugs, handshakes, and waves were distributed to her friends as she explored the festivities. But oh, what was that delicious smell?
“Dammit Ace!” B laughed when she saw what Ace was being cursed out for. Thatch was covered in splattered food and dragging Ace out of a large pot of soup, cursing his younger friend for his narcoleptic habits. Thatch laid him on the ground out of the way, where Ace continued to snore while the commander and chef simply shook his head. B joined him in watching Ace. “Of course he had to fall into the soup, couldn’t just fall backward or to the side.” Thatch complained.
B was quick to dip her finger in the soup and smiled when she licked her finger clean. “Don’t worry, he didn’t ruin the flavor.”
“Hands out!” Thatch scolded her but filled her a bowl without hesitation. “Go sit, and save me a seat!”
B parked herself at the nearest fire pit and sat on a log with plenty of room on either side of her. Kingdew, Blamenco, and Rakyuo were already seated around the fire, and they offered her a warm greeting as she joined them. She smiled and waved silently, seeing as her mouth was currently full of soup. Thatch’s soup was definitely her favorite.
They all scootched closer and brought her into their conversation, though she was too busy happily slurping her soup to add too much to their conversation verbally.
“Why didn’t you save me?”
B froze, spoon in her mouth. She whipped around, dread making her chest tight and heavy. Thatch was smiling down at her.
“Why didn’t you save me a seat?” He laughed and took a place across the fire from her, not noticing how shaken B was. Why was she trembling? Everything was okay, right? She couldn’t think of a reason it shouldn’t be.
But his words began to echo in her mind, tumbling and screaming and glitching with static.
Why didn’t you save me? Wh-y ddidn’t y-Ou SavVe mE? wH-Hy di-IdnnN’T YoUUU–
B dropped her soup and rushed to Thatch, grabbing him fiercely by the shoulders as if possessed. She checked him over frantically, looking for something to be wrong. Something was wrong, but what? The feeling of impending horror and doom filled every fiber of her being, clouded any coherent thought she might’ve previously had.
“B, you okay?” He set his own food down and placed his hands over hers, brow’s furrowed in concern. Her eyes met his, and something in her settled just a little bit. She tried to answer, but the words caught in her throat.
Thatch pulled her into a gentle hug, rubbing his hand against her back, and B latched onto him, unsure why she was so upset.
“B, what’s the matter?” She heard Ace yawn behind her. “Thatch, what did you do this time?”
Thatch didn’t answer. He couldn’t, since he didn’t know, but B knew this wasn’t his fault. Somehow, she felt whatever was wrong was her fault. Ace joined them, placing his hand on top of her head, skin impossibly warm as usual. She struggled to find words to describe what was wrong.
“Forgive me,” B whispered after what felt an eternity.
“What?” Thatch and Ace responded in unison, sounding confused. B felt confused herself. What would they need to forgive her for? But something in her told her she needed both of their forgivenesses. She pulled out of Thatch’s hug enough to look at both of them.
“Please,” She begged them. They gave each other odd looks but nodded.
“You haven’t done anything wrong by us,” Ace crouched next to her and Thatch and placed his hand on her shoulder. “There isn’t anything to forgive.”
“And even if you did wrong us, we’d forgive you. Every time.” Thatch assured her.
“You’re our family. We love you, and nothing will ever change that.”
B wrapped an arm around Ace and Thatch and pulled them into a tight embrace which they returned. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe deeply. Their warmth faded, and their bodies sagged against her, limp, heavy and cold. The sounds of the party faded away. Cold wind whipped her face, the smell of death and smoke filled the air. She opened her eyes and found herself kneeling atop the execution platform in Marineford, the destruction of the Summit War spread before her. Bodies and debris litered the ground. And the words echoed again, grating against her whole being.
WHY DIDN’T YOU SAVE US B?
B shut her eyes and dropped the bodies in her arms, avoiding looking directly at them. Her head was screaming at her, and she squeezed her head in her arms, anything to try to relieve the reverberating in her skull.
B jerked awake, breathing erratically. It took her a moment to get her bearings but recognized where she was. She was in a room at Shakky’s bar in Sabaody.
She slowly lifted her head, blinking furiously to get her eyes to adapt to the candlelight. Something was stuck to her cheek, and she carefully peeled it off and held it up to the light. It was a photograph. B must’ve fallen asleep while looking at her old photo’s. She had spread them all across the table. Some were much older than others, evident from the sun-tampered colors. A few were a bit torn, a few were more well-loved than others. Some carried food stains, some carried tear stains. But they all carried precious memories.
In the picture stuck to B’s cheek, Marco’s hair was purple as opposed to his natural blonde. He was chasing Haruta and Ace across the Moby Dick, Pops and everyone laughing in the background. Izo had taken this photo, and B was barely visible in Blenheim’s pocket, bleary from a nap. The prank had left Marco’s hair purple for nearly two months and had given everyone a good laugh.
Other pictures she’d fallen asleep on included Shanks and Buggy faceplanted in the sand after falling off of the beached Oro Jackson, Roger and Oden drunk off their arses and singing and dancing together, and a particular favorite of her, Izo, Thatch and Ace together. (Thatch was carrying a sleeping Ace like a sack of potatoes, and B got a piggy back ride from Izo.)
The dream was fading fast, but the last words were stuck on repeat in her head, like a scratched cd or a broken record.
Why didn’t you save us?
B stood abruptly and dropped the photograph on the table, suddenly aware of how wet her cheeks were. She grabbed her jacket from the bed and started to leave her room. Yet, she wavered when she got halfway out the door. The urge to go somewhere else eventually lost to another voice in her head.
We’d forgive you.
You’re our family.
B hesitatingly approached her desk, and picked up a photo of her family. Pops and all the commanders smiling up at her. Dream Ace and Marco’s voices came back to her.
Hello friends! I did an exchange with @issatheartist, and this is what has come of it! I really enjoyed writing about Mirahaki and the Heart Pirates and hope y'all enjoy it too! So with out further ado, meet Issa’s oc, Haki-chan :D
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Length: 1.5k
Summary: Mirahaki and Ikkaku are shopping; Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo stop by, and Ikkaku and Shachi are ready to tear their hair out at their two friends pointless pining.
Warnings: None
ao3: here lol
A small bell rang overhead as Shachi entered the clothing shop, Penguin and Bepo trailing close behind. He had seen Ikkaku drag Mirahaki inside earlier, raving about something she’d seen in the window. However, neither of their two crew mates could be seen from a quick glance around, so the pirates pressed onward into the store, vaguely browsing as they went to keep the sharp-eyed shop-keep from (immediately) throwing them out.
“Ikkaku! Mirahaki! You two in here still?” Shachi yelled, earning a glare from the shop-keep. It wasn't like they had a sign saying you can’t be loud inside.
“Over here!” A familiar voice called and he spotted Ikkaku at the back of the shop. She waved a yellow jacket at them as they joined her. “Look what I found! Do you like it?” She held it up to herself so they could picture how it would look on her.
“Naw, it’s too bright.” Bepo deadpanned. Penguin snorted as Ikkaku gave Bepo the evil eye.
“Says the one wearing bright orange.” She scoffed, eying the Mink’s boiler suit.
Bepo’s head cocked slightly to the side in a way that was far too cute for such a deadly pirate. “What’s wrong with orange?”
Ikkaku sighed and shook her head. “Nothing, nothing at all.” Bepo missed the hint of sarcasm in her statement and poked through the rack behind her, quietly wondering aloud if they had anything in his size.
“Hey, where’s Haki-chan, I thought she was with you?” Penguin asked, but it was fairly obvious their friend wasn’t in sight.
“Ah, she’s in the dressing room.” Ikkaku gestured to the closed door behind her.
Bepo turned and held up a white, child-sized t-shirt with a frog on it. “Think this will fit me?”
“OF COURSE IT WON’T!” Ikkaku and Shachi blurted out, and Bepo’s head drooped forward glumly.
Penguin shook his head. “Well, once you two are finished, we need you back... back at… tang at the–” Penguin's eyes widened and his jaw slightly dropped, the smallest sound like he was choking as he tried to remember what he was saying.
Mirahaki twirled a little as she emerged from the dressing room, apparently not noticing how Penguin was tripping over his own tongue at her appearance. The wide neckline of the fitted blouse showed off her compass rose tattoo just beneath her right clavicle nicely, and a simple pair of fitted shorts with stockings and her iconic boots completed the simple yet striking look.
“Well, what do you think?” Mirahaki asked through the mirror, frowning and adjusting the outfit as she decided how she felt about the clothes.
Shachi rolled his eyes and elbowed Penguin in the ribs hard enough that he started coughing. Peng was surprisingly similar to the Polar Tang; if it stopped working, just give it a well placed smack, see if that fixes the problem. The elbowing seemed to do the trick.
“You look great, Haki-chan,” Penguin said.
“Thanks!” Mirahaki smiled at Penguin through the mirror. “I really like how this top fits me. Also, nice pick on the shorts Ikkaku-chan!” The curly brunette nodded smugly and gave her a thumbs up.
“The stockings are also a nice touch,” Shachi added, elbowing Penguin again, this time much more subtly and wiggled his eyebrows at his friend. Penguin’s cheeks grew red and he dragged Shachi away quickly, mumbling some excuse about looking for a scarf.
Ikkaku smirked at Penguins reaction, and tugged Mirahaki to the rack.
“So, I think Penguin likes your outfit.”
Mirahaki snorted. “If he said he didn’t like it I’d punch him. Besides, he ran a way pretty fast.”
Ikkaku tsked and shook her head. “On the contrary, I don’t think he could keep his eyes off of you.” She tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, smiling mischievously and hoping Mirahaki would get what she was hinting at.
Mirahaki simply rolled her eyes and softly shook her head, frowning. “All the guys are like that. Penguin-kun doesn’t see me like that.”
“He totally does! You think he gets tongue tangled like that for just anyone?”
“He couldn’t say the word water yesterday.”
Ikkaku huffed. “And yet, here he is, blushing like an idiot, trying to hide in the scarves.”
Mirahaki sighed. Ikkaku had been trying for quite some time now to get her to pursue something with Penguin, but what good was it? They’d known each other for a long time. She might’ve only started liking him in the last year or so, and she might not have been super obvious about it, but if he were interested, he would’ve done something by now, right?
“Whatever,” She ended up sighing. “I’m not getting my hopes up. It’s fine! I’ll just keep admiring from a distance.”
“But, imagine if you were admiring from up close.” Ikkaku grinned wickedly up at her, and laughed when her cheeks got a dusting of blush on them.
“Shut up!” She muttered, averting her eyes. Mirahaki couldn’t help her eyes from wandering over to the red pom-pom that rested atop Penguins hat. He and Shachi were whispering furiously at each other, and she wondered what they were talking about.
As she stared, she missed Ikkaku clenching her fist and taking a deep breath. Sometimes, she wondered if it’d be worth helping get these two idiots together.
~~
“Come on, man! Just go ask Mirahaki on a date! Easy peasy!”
“Not easy peasy!” Penguin hissed, “If I ask her out and she doesn’t want to be asked out, there’s a ninety percent chance she’ll skin me alive!”
“Nah, she’d probably just… well…” Shachi frowned. “NO! No one is getting skinned! She’s probably just waiting for you to ask her! Or, drop a hint! Something! ANYTHING!” Shachi was practically begging Penguin at this point. It was bad enough that Penguin had been quietly crushing on her for like, two years now. But now that he and Ikkaku had confirmed that now Mirahaki was interested in Penguin, the mutual, dumbass pining from both sides was going to be the death of them!
Penguin tugged on the brim of his hat to hide his eyes. “If she was really interested, she probably would ask me out herself. But last I checked, she was more interested in the Cap.”
“Or maybe someone is being such an idiot about it they aren’t even noticing that they are clearly being pined over.” Shachi looked pointedly at him, only to get smacked in the chest.
“Don’t call Haki-chan an idiot! I’m the one pining like a lovesick idiot!”
It took everything in Shachi not to face palm at his friend's idiotic misinterpretation.
“It’s fine, Shach. We’re crew mates. It’s probably for the best we don’t date. There’ll be no- well, less drama that way.” Penguin sighed and glumly poked through the clothing rack. After a beat, he pulled a strapless, feathered dress from the clothing rack. “If only.”
“If only what?” Penguin nearly jumped at Mirahaki’s voice behind him. He whipped around, she was poking at a display full of sunglasses behind him. He looked at the dress in his hands and back at her.
“I know dresses aren’t your thing, hard to fight in and all, but maybe you could just try this on? I… think you’d look super cute in it.” Penguin tried for a weak smile.
Mirahaki eyed the dress and frowned. “I don’t think it’s my size, Penguin-kun. I wouldn’t want to break it.” He couldn’t really argue with that logic. She was over two meters tall, and it’d suck to pay for something you couldn’t wear. Not that they necessarily had to pay for it, being pirates and all.
“That looks like it’s Captain’s size.” Bepo reappeared.
“WHY WOULD CAPTAIN WEAR SOMETHING LIKE THIS?” Penguin and Shachi yelled at Bepo, who dropped his head dejectedly and apologized.
Mirahaki stopped looking through the sunglasses and smile slowly took over her face. She took the dress from Penguin and looked it over.
“How much do you wanna bet I can get Law to wear this?”
“Laundry duty.”
“500 beri.”
“Bathroom duty.”
“A jar of fish.”
“Extended for every hour I get him to wear it?” She grinned devilishly at her friends.
“Up to four hours!” Ikkaku consented.
Mirahaki ran out with the dress in hand, the shopkeeper's shrieking about payment falling on deaf ears. Ikkaku tossed some money for the clothes on the counter and ran after Mirahaki, Bepo close on their tail.
“Come on, Peng!” Shachi walked after them, not checking to see if his friend was following.
Penguin started to follow, but stopped and turned back to the sunglasses display. Mirahaki had been poking at a certain pair; circular, with dark, reflective lenses. Did she like them? They seemed to be her style. On impulse, he pocketed them when the shop-keep wasn’t looking and walked after his crew mates. Perhaps he’d give them to her later; hopefully, she’d like them.
I wrote a little something for the One Piece of Summer Challenge!!! @laws-yellow-submarine @doctorgerth
Prompt: Flower
Characters: Straw-hats and OC
Words: 1.2k
Also find it here on AO3
“Robin, want to lend us a hand?” Robin glanced up from her book to be greeted by a very curious sight. Haven was resting on a blanket while behind her stood three massive piles of wildflowers which sounded oddly like Luffy, Usopp and Chopper.
“My, what are you planning to do with so many flowers?” She smiled and rested her book in her lap. Luffy’s head poked around his ginormous pile with a cheek splitting grin.
“We’re going to make a flower castle!”
“FLOWER CROWNS, NOT A CASTLE!” Usopp corrected and dropped his armful on the grass.
"I told them if they picked a few flowers we could make crowns," Haven chuckled, "but it appears they got a little excited."
“How many hands would you like?” She cheekily grew several arms near Usopp and picked out some flowers.
“However many you feel like lending!” Haven laughed and willed several flowers to herself to begin her first crown.
Luffy dropped his pile on top of Haven’s legs and started to tangle the stems together, while Chopper listened intently to Usopp as he demonstrated how to braid the stems and told tales of his time in the Boin Archipelago.
Robin used her extra hands to gather her supplies and after observing Usopp with an extra eye (followed by a scream of terror from Chopper), she began to carefully braid the stems in the pattern he demonstrated.
“What are you idiots up to?” Sanji peered over Luffy’s shoulder to examine his work. Luffy held up a… slightly depressing chain of flowers, wilted and crinkled but somehow staying together in a circle of sorts.
“Good start, Luffy!” Haven giggled at the sight and used a bit of her touch to help him out. She then took his crown and added to it a crown of sunflowers she made and set both on top of his hat. Luffy yelled in excitement and began tangling even more flowers together.
“Oh, come here Sanji!” Haven beamed at their cook and motioned for him to kneel next to her. As he crouched over, she lifted a crown of pale blue and pink flowers and set it atop his head. Robin was quite sure she heard the cooks heart skip a beat as he processed the gift.
“Thank you, Haven-chan! What a lovely gift!” He positively glowed from Haven’s attention. “You have such a wonderful touch! I’m bringing out tea, would you like anything to eat too?”
“Just tea is fine, thank you!”
“Would you like anything, Robin-chan?”
“No, thank you.” Their doting cook twirled away, and Robin lifted her finished crown to show Haven. “How’s this?”
“It's beautiful, I love the colors!” The younger woman beamed. Robin smiled and set the orange and pink crown on her head and watched as the others continued to work. Haven had a smile as bright and infectious as Luffy's which made everything around her so luminous. It made much sense that her devil fruit allowed her to grow plants; it was as if she were the sun itself.
“YAOOOOOOW! This looks like a SUUUUUPER time!” Franky greeted. “Mind if I join in?”
“Of course!” Haven plucked a particular crown from her pile. “I made this one for you, Franky!”
Franky posed along with another SUUUPER and pressed his nose to adjust his hairstyle from a large spiky hairdo to two long braids so Haven could place the crown of large red flowers on his head.
“That is quite a lot of flowers.” Jinbe strolled up with Brook, the two having been visiting all morning. “What do you plan to do with the rest?”
“Eh, I'll figure it out! And I have a crown for you two, come here!” Haven pulled another two circlets from her pile. Large yellow and purple flowers for Brook, and orange, red, and yellow flowers for Jinbe. Both combinations looked striking against their black hair and complemented their outfits nicely.
“Yohoho, Haven, you made me blush! But alas! I am only bones, and can't blush!”
“What is all of this?” Nami came down off the Sunny accompanied by Sanji carrying two large trays of food and drinks.
“Flower crowns. I have one for you too, Nami!” Haven gently set a crown of white blossoms on Nami’s orange hair and the cat burglar hugged and thanked her.
“Haven, look at my crown!” Chopper excitedly twirled, a crown of green adorned with white berries hung from his antlers. Usopp showed off his own crown, orange and white and green, and chastised Luffy for the very long chain that he had made.
“It’s beautiful! You did such a good job making it just how you like!” She smiled and Chopper did his little not-at-all-happy-to-be-praised dance. “By the way, where is Zoro?”
“Marimo’s sleeping on Sunny.” Sanji snipped a bit grumpily as he handed a tray to the beasts before serving everyone else. “But where is your crown, Haven-chan?” He switched back to his sweeter voice. Haven lifted the crown she just finished and rested it on her auburn curls: tiny white flowers with a few larger blue blossoms and large green leaves.
“I’ve got one for him too, but now the question is…” She glanced at the still massive pile of flowers. “What do we do with the rest of them?”
“FLOWER CASTLE!” Luffy nominated, lifting his near three-meter chain of flowers.
“You can’t make a castle out of flowers!” Usopp yelled, but Haven eyed his chain then glanced at the ship.
“Hmm, I have an idea! Everyone, make the biggest chain you can, okay!”
Haven started directing her crewmates in making their own chains, laughing and encouraging them, and occasionally helping them when a flower was being particularly stubborn. Robin added in several more hands this time as she wove separate pieces of flower ropes into one. After nearly an hour of braiding, the piles of flowers were gone, all turned into a massive chain of flowers except for one last crown resting next to Haven.
“Sanji, would you hand me my crutches?” Haven thanked him as he brought them over and helped her up. She set the extra crown on her own head and slipped her arms into the elbow crutches and found a spot dead center in front of the Thousand Sunny. “Ready girl?” She carefully balanced on her left leg and lifted her hands. The chain shifted, then moved toward the Sunny in an almost reptilian manner, sliding up the side of the ship and winding itself through the ‘rays’, until the figurehead had a wonderfully colorful crown, just like the crew.
Luffy and Chopper were yelling “SO COOL!!” with stars in their eyes and everyone admired her handiwork. (Usopp claimed most of the credit, since he of course showed Haven how to braid flowers). Haven smiled and thanked everyone for helping her, then excused herself and headed toward the Thousand Sunny.
Robin watched curiously as Haven boarded the Sunny Go. She blossomed an eye on the mast, just in time to see Haven gently set a crown on Zoro’s head. He remained asleep, oblivious to the white and red flowers now adorning his green hair. Haven watched him for a quiet moment, before she quietly slipped away so as not to disturb his slumber. Robin smiled as she saw something Haven didn’t. A tiny corner of Zoro’s lips seemed to twitch up before he started snoring again. Perhaps it wasn’t just plants that Haven could make bloom.
The Girl Who Loved the Sea; or, The Wavefinder’s Daughter
This is the second folk story I wrote. More may be to follow, but for now, I hope this is enjoyable too. :)
[EDITED 1-27-2021: Reformatting and linking to other works in the series. Also available to read on Ao3, ffn, and wattpad.]
A part of the One Piece Folk Tale series. Further entries will be published from @greenwitchtaimanslayer (my writing sideblog)
There once was a Wavefinder who had a daughter. She was odd and fickle, and many called her a witch, for they did not understand her ways. She loved trinkets and the taste of summer, and most of all she loved the sea.
Her father had tried to warn her of the dangers of the sea, but the girl paid him no mind. For her mother had taught her that though the sea was harsh, it was good to those who learned of their ways.
And so, like her mother, the girl learned of the sea; how it flowed with the land, how it danced with the moon, how it protected the life living within its waters. And each day she sang to the sea, sang her love and reverence for the vigorous waters.
Each day that the girl spent with the sea, the sea’s heart was softened for the girl, and when the girl started exploring every ripple and wave, they were as careful as they could be. The girl always knew when a storm was coming, where the wind blew, and which currents ran the fastest.
The people still did not understand her, but knew she understood the sea, and so they asked her to teach them. And try as she might, they could not understand how she loved something so fearsome and disparaging. They could never know she loved it for being so much mightier than she.
After a lifetime of learning the sea, the girl came to the sea to ask for but one thing. The girl had a daughter, and like her mother, had learned to love and revere the sea, for all its majesty and sublimity.
The girls daughter, young and frail, gingerly following in her mother’s footprints, stepped to the sea, and sang a lullaby for the sea, thanking them for watching over her mother for so long.
The girl asked the sea to watch over her daughter, and let her rest in their waters.
And so the sea took the girl, and the daughter continued to sing for the sea, and her daughter and her daughter’s daughter all learned to love the sea.
The Boy Who Loved the Sun; or, The Curse of the Sea
So while doing some story building/writing practice, I wrote out some folkstory/fairytale style stories. I don't know if I will actually ever use them in my fics, but I wanted to share! Hope you like them, and there may be more to follow.
[EDITED 1-27-2021: Heyyo, I found a typo and it was driving me nuts lol. I also reformatted my post, and am now linking other works in the series. Also, read here on Ao3, ffn, or wattpad.]
A part of the One Piece Folk Tales Series. Further Entries will be published from @greenwitchtaimanslayer (my writing sideblog)
There was once a boy who fell in love with the sun, for it was the kindest thing in his dreary existence. It provided warmth and light and crop, and the sun loved him, and kissed his cheeks every day with greater fervor than it did the day before. But the villagers mocked him saying the sun couldn't possibly love, for the sun was harsh and cruel. It baked their crops and dried their streams and if they hid not from it, the sun would scorch their skin till it blistered red as fire.
Yet the boy could not accept their accusations. Sometimes the sun's strength was too much for him as well, but it wasn't cruelty; for the sun was mighty, even that the strength of its love could not be withstood by mortal flesh. So day after day they mocked him and cursed the sun when it suited them and praised it when they thought it was deserved.
But the boy would not be disheartened. He thanked the sun for the warmth it provided, and forgave it when it scorched his crops. He thanked the sun for kissing his cheeks each day, and forgave it when the heat stung his back, and thanked them for their affection all the same.
The sun was so moved by this boy's devotion that they wished to give a gift like they never had bestowed before. And yet they could not create their gift alone. So the sun asked the sea to water his seed, and placed a bit of himself within the earth, until it grew into a marvelous plant with the most beautiful fruit ever to be seen by mortal eyes.
But the sun did not know that the sea was jealous of the love the boy and the sun shared. The boy thanked and forgave the sun time after time, but all the sea knew was the fear of ignorant men, who would not bother to learn of them or to thank them for safety or food. The sea let its jealousy ferment within the fruit, knowing that once the boy ate it, he would feel the sea's hatred until the day he died.
And so the sun presented its gift to the boy, and the boy's gratitude watered the earth. When he ate it, he was surprised that it tasted of bitter rage, but ate it without complaint, for the sun had given him such a wonderful gift.
To the boy's astonishment, after he ate the fruit, he sprouted wings, such was his desire to be close to the sun. And so he flew above the peaks. He flew above the clouds. He flew over seas of blue and white, until he could see the sun's beautiful face.
But his wings were not used to flying, and just before he could kiss the sun, he fell. He fell and fell, and the sun begged the sea to catch him, and so the sea did. But the hatred of the sea now flowed in the boy's veins, and try as he might, the weight of the hatred was too much, and the boy sunk into the sea, far from the sun, and died in the cold embrace of the sea. The sun wept bitterly and hid their face in their despair.
But the sun was old and had watched over the earth for eons, and knew that sometimes, friends would return; different, but the same. And so the sun planted more of its fruit, so that when the boy returned, he could taste and feel of their warmth again. The sea watered the sun's fruit and continued to imbue it with its hatred, so if he returned, the boy would feel the sea’s anguish. Some of the fruit was carried to distant lands in the sea’s rage, and other people stumbled across the garden, eating the fruit and discovering the blessing and curse found within. The sun continued to grow its garden, and the sea continued to curse them.
And so the sun waits for the boy it believed radiated far brighter than itself.
Taz didn’t respond to the request from the next room as he leaned forward over the bathroom vanity to inspect himself a little closer in the mirror, his fingers lightly prodding several of the the marks that trailed down the side of his neck and across his chest. Those would definitely still be there in the morning.
“Taz? Come back to bed, baby.”
He heard his phone chime with an incoming message and stepped out of the bathroom and into the short hallway of his apartment, kneeling to fish the phone from the pocket of his jeans where they lay in a heap on the carpet, swiping his thumb across the screen once he’d found it to read the new message.
You up?
He bit his lower lip as he considered the text, and whether or not he wanted to answer.
“Taz?”
He shouldn’t respond. He knew that.
“Baby, did you hear me?”
“Yeah,” he answered, his thumbs typing out the same response and sending it before he could second-guess himself. “Yeah,” he repeated, “I heard you; I’m coming.” He snatched up his boxer shorts from amidst the tangle of his jeans and yanked them on as he made his way back into the bedroom, where Charity was curled up in bed, the comforter pulled up to her chin.
“It’s cold,” she said, giving him a mock-pout. “Come here and warm me up.”
He dropped his phone onto the bedside table and sat on the edge of the mattress, reaching for the edge of the comforter and weakly attempting to pull it away from her chin. She wrinkled her nose and playfully tightened her grip on the blanket, but her expression fell almost instantly as his phone chimed again from the bedside table.
“Who are you texting?” she asked, frowning as he reached for it.
“No one,” he answered, too quickly.
Can you talk?
“No one,” Charity repeated. Her voice clearly said she was skeptical.
“Sorry,” he said, and slid off the mattress, phone still in his hand. “I’ve gotta take this. Do you mind...?” He let his question trail off as he glanced over his shoulder at her. She was frowning, but made no move to stop him, and he took the opportunity to slip out of the room, down the hallway, and out onto the small patio of the apartment, his thumb already hitting the call button.
The phone had hardly finished its second ring when the call connected. “Hello?”
“Hey, what’s going on, babe? Everything okay?”
There was a weak laugh from the other end of the line. “‘Babe.’ God, you haven’t called me that in years.”
“Sorry. Old habits, I guess.” He tugged at the end of a pointed ear, embarrassed, and waited, but she didn’t respond. Nearly thirty seconds passed before he tried again. “So... is everything okay, or...?”
Gretta sighed, a rush of static through the phone. “I don’t know.” She paused again, for so long that for a moment, he thought the call had dropped. “Can I be honest?”
“That depends,” he teased. “How much wine have you had tonight?”
“A bit,” she admitted. “I just... miss you. Being over here all the time, I mean.” Another pause. “Would you mind -- could you come over?”
He felt his stomach do a backflip, startled by the request. “Come over?”
“Yeah,” she answered.
“I....” He faltered.
“Taz?” He glanced over his shoulder to see Charity standing in the patio doorway, a thin blanket pulled tightly around her bare shoulders to protect against the midnight chill. “Everything all right out here?”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine. I’ll be back in a sec.”
Charity gave him a dubious frown, but disappeared back inside. Once the door had clicked shut behind her, he turned back to the patio railing, his attention returning to the phone pressed against his ear. “I’m sorry, Gretta,” he said.
“It’s fine,” she said. “Forget I said anything. I -- I shouldn’t have texted--”
“I’m glad you did,” he said, before he could stop himself.
“You can’t say that,” she said. “Charity--”
“Charity...” Taz sighed and looked up at the stars dotting the darkened sky above. “Can I be honest?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Gretta said, and it was her turn to tease. “Can you? Honesty was never really a strength of yours.”
“She wants me to meet her sister,” he said, ignoring the jab. “Family dinner, sister’s bringing her boyfriend, the works. Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Yeah, of all days, right?”
“Of all days...”
They both lapsed back into silence for several moments. On the other end of the line, Gretta hiccuped, drawing Taz out of his thoughts and prompting him to glance over his shoulder, but Charity had disappeared back into the bedroom.
“I was going to visit Adia before I go over to Charity’s,” he said. “Do you want to come with me?”
“I have a date. I thought, you know, it might help take my mind off it... You don’t think there’s something a little twisted about going to see Adia before meeting Charity’s sister?”
“Maybe a little.” He paused. “I miss her.”
Another rush of static as Gretta sighed again, interrupted by another hiccup. “I miss her too, sweetheart.”
The corner of his mouth twitched upward in half a smile at the term of endearment, but he knew it was the wine talking. “I’ve gotta go, Gretta,” he said.
“Right, right. Is it weird if I tell you to say hi to Charity for me?”
“Yeah, that’s weird,” he answered with a short laugh. He paused. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m okay,” she answered. “I’m just -- I’m going to get some water and go to bed. I’m so okay. Really fucking okay.”
“...good night, Gretta.”
“Good night, Taz.”
He ended the call and ran a hand through his hair before turning and walking back into the apartment, with the distinct feeling that everything was about to change.
It was the first time she had asked him to stay — he was usually the one begging for her to stay in bed in the mornings. She was always the early riser, getting up and making coffee while he stayed buried under the covers, sometimes until noon if they didn’t have any plans.
This morning something was different — Aspen had gotten out of bed and gone into the bathroom as always, taking a little longer than usual to brush her teeth and wash her face, but instead of heading downstairs to the coffee pot, she’d crawled back in bed and curled up under his arm, falling back asleep.
And now it was nearly two in the afternoon and they were both still in bed, but a growling stomach was chasing Fugue out from under the blankets, his wife’s green hand on his arm making him wait.
“Since when do you stay in bed all day?” he asked, swinging his feet off the floor and back onto the mattress to lay beside her again.
“Since lazy mornings are about to be a little harder to come by,” she answered. She grinned at the perplexed look that crossed his face, and rolled over to grab something from the night stand.
She handed the small piece of plastic to him, and waited while he looked closely at it, squinting to read the tiny printed word. “Does that say—?”
“Pregnant!” she finished for him, beaming, and squealed as he flung the pregnancy test away, showering her face and neck and every part of her he could reach with kisses.
