This is an incomplete chart of all the strawhats' frenemies - enemies who have worked with the strawhats at least once, or turned into friends.
Now some of these may be controversial, so I'll justify my decisions:
Hancock: She's very much a piratey pirate, and is probably still a tyrant in the background.
Zeus: he worked for Big Mom, but he didn't really have any choice in the matter.
Smoker and Tashigi: They're not higher simply because they have been in the World Government for a long time and not opposed slavery or anything like that. They're still my favourite marines after Issho tho.
Kuzan: He has good intentions, but unlike Issho he's never been shown freeing slaves, and he had to have followed the Celestials' orders as an Admiral.
Garp: Not as low as Kuzan since he refused to work under the Celestials, but still pretty low for not doing anything about them.
Bellamy: He's a friend because Luffy said so.
Wyper: While he is portrayed unsympathetically for much of skypiea, he does it for a noble cause. I mean, he doesn't do anything worse than the strawhats have done.
I'm going to do a version 2, since it will get cluttered if I put too many on there.
Written for the amazing and adorable @opoceanszine!!
[ AO3 | Collection ]
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The kraken never had a name. His parents and brother had a special call for him but it wasnât something that could be called an actual name. And outside his family, he was always the monster, the kraken or the giant octopus.
Even the fishmen who had taken him away from his home in the North Pole never called him anything but kraken.
âHey, Surume!!â
The kraken perked up at the call of his new name, a name that he still wasnât fully used to. He liked it though, just as he liked the person who had given it to him. Peeking up from the water near Fishman Islandâs main beach, a smile pulled on Surumeâs face as the young pirate came into view, already sitting on the beach and waiting for him.
Raising one of his arms out of the water, Surume waved in greeting while he slowly made his way out onto the beach to meet his human friend. After all, humans couldnât come under water⌠and this human in particular seemed to not be able to even dip his feet in without falling over immediately. Some humans and even fishmen seemed to have that condition, something to do with the so-called devil fruits, but Surume didnât really understand. It made no difference to him either way.
Luffy giggled when Surume poked him with two of his arms, a playful greeting in place of what humans called a âhugâ.
âStop! Stop, Surume,â Luffy gasped in between bouts of laughter.
Surume snickered at his squirming before letting go, instead leaning down to look at Luffy expectantly. What game would they play today?
Luffy grinned back at him, stretching one of his hands out to pet the top of Surumeâs head. âYou havenât been giving the girls at the cafe any trouble, have you?â he asked.
Surume shook his head, gesturing with his arms to show how much he liked the mermaid girls, how they played together in the water together just earlier today. How much fun Ishillyâs little sister and brother had using Surumeâs arms and body like an amusement park rideâand how happy Surume was to play with them.
Luffy nodded in approval, his smile widening a little bit. âGood! Iâm glad you guys hit it off!â
Surume wasnât sure how Luffy understood all thatâand maybe he didnât. But he did understand enough. It was strange; Surume had never met a fishman or merman who could so much as begin to understand what Surume was trying to tell them, never mind a human. But here Luffy was, having a conversation with him so naturally like Surume was just another one of his friends.
Even though the circumstances they met under were less than idealâŚ
As Luffy walked past Surume, stepping over one giant arm to get closer to the water, Surume couldnât help but notice how far away Luffy suddenly seemed. Like the water he was looking at so longingly had carried his mind off and away, to the very end of the world. It was a strange feeling, when the young man was still right there, his fingers lightly touching Surumeâs skin as if to hold on to him for balance on the unstable beach sandsâor to anchor himself, to have something to guide him back from wherever the ocean had taken him.
But then, the moment was over when Luffy crouched down slightly⌠then jumped, throwing his arms high in the air as he cheered loudly.
Water splashed around him when he landed in the shallows. The sea barely reached his ankles where he was standing but still, Luffy swayed on his feet slightly as the sea sapped all his strength. Luffy didnât seem to mind, however; the smile on his face didnât waver in the slightest, the happiness radiating off of him so contagious that it made even Surumeâs three hearts beat faster.
Shaking his head, Surume slowly made his way back into the water as well.Â
Luffy snickered when small waves brushed his legs. âCareful, Surume!â he said in a mock-reprimanding tone.
In response, Surume dived underwater for a second, creating a bigger wave to wash over the beach.
âWhoa!!â Luffy yelped, only for it to turn into an exhausted sigh. When Surume looked back at him, he found Luffy had fallen over into the sand, tongue out, and visibly completely drained. âNot fair,â he whined, shooting Surume a dirty look.
Surume only huffed in response, poking at Luffy with the tip of an arm as if to ask if he was aliveâa jab that Luffy understood all too well if the mumble of âIâm so going to smack youâ was anything to go by. Surume had to sink deeper into the sea to hide his amusement.
It looked like Luffy was about to protest more but then something caught his eye on the beach and he immediately turned over to his stomach, his momentary unhappiness completely forgotten.
âWow, a hermit crab!â he said full of excitement as he crawled over to the little creature skittering across the sand, then poked at its shell with fascinationâmuch to the crabâs displeasure.
Ignoring the way the crab waved its claws at him threateningly, Luffy picked it up with a wide grin, studying the way it squirmed and obviously cursed at him in its own voiceless way. Luffy seemed to get it though, apologising half-heartedly while also not bothering to hide a snicker. That only seemed to anger the crab more.
It was only when the tiny creature had had enough and pinched Luffyâs hand hard, making the pirate yelp in pain and surprise, that it was finally let go onto the sand.
Surume giggled at the unhappy pout that found its way to Luffyâs lips as he blew on his hurting skin. A grin still on his face, he extended one of his arms towards Luffy; he was sure the boy was perfectly fine, but he still wanted to make sure.
âIâm fine, Iâm fine,â Luffy assured him, then scowled down at the crab, who was now sitting in front of him, glaring right back at him. âYouâre a brat. Thereâs no need to attack me!â
The crab huffed, shaking his claw one last time before scurrying away.
Luffy grumbled to himself for a bit, then looked at Surume. âWhatâs up with him?!â
Surume had trouble suppressing his laughter as he shook his head, giving Luffy a look as if to ask if he was seriously clueless.
Luffy rolled his eyes at him. âI wasnât going to hurt him!â he defended himself before he sighed, letting himself fall backwards into the sand.
âItâs weird though, isnât it? That crab,â Luffy said, his head turning slightly towards Surume, who only tilted his head to the side in confusion, prompting Luffy to elaborate. âI mean, hermit crabs can live anywhere in the sea, right? And they can walk on land too. They can go wherever they want but they choose to stay in their little shell. It feels⌠stifling.â
Surume paused, regarding Luffy for a long moment. The sentiment sounded ridiculous; after all, as far as Surume knew, those crabs carried their homes with them mostly for protection, not out of some need to stay in one place. But, coming from Luffy⌠Surume could understand what he meant.
Lowering his head so that he was closer to where Luffy was lying, Surume let out a quiet sound of disagreement.
âYou donât think so?â Luffy hummed thoughtfully, his eyes veering off and up to the skyâor more accurately, the top of the bubble that surrounded Fishman Island, and the dark ocean above. âI suppose it is kind of like having a ship, isnât it?â
Surume nodded, but otherwise didnât react. Luffy still looked deep in thought, his brow slightly crinkled as he watched the merfolk and fishpeople floating in the air on their bubbles above them. Or maybe he was looking past them, at the seakings keeping watch over the island and their queen just out of sight.
âItâs just that the sea is so wide and the worldâs so big. Isnât it boring staying on the same beach and the same island forever? Thereâs so much to explore outside.â
Glancing up to the Fishman Islandâs sky as well, Surume chirped, making Luffy glance at him.
âMaybe, huh?â he said with a laugh. âYouâre from the North Pole, right?â
Surume nodded, a kind of warmth, as well as a slight ache running through him.
âDo you miss it?â Luffy asked as he stretched his arms over his head, then threw them forward, using the momentum to sit up. âYour family is still there, isnât it? That Hody guy said soâŚâ
With another nod, Surume smiled at the thought of his brother; how long had it been since he last saw him? Even before that fishman pirate had found Surume and brought him back here, it had been a whileâSurume had been exploring the remote areas of the North Blue in the weeks, maybe even months before, curious about the surrounding seas, as well as searching for new hunting grounds.
And now, he was free to go back⌠if he wanted to.
It was only Luffyâs snicker that brought Surume back to reality.
âIâm sure theyâll wait for you!â Luffy declared, full of confidence. Not for the first time, Surume wondered whether Luffy could read his mind.
Whatever the caseâŚ
It didnât really matter.
A happy laugh bubbled out of Surumeâs stomach, all of his hearts jumping with joy. Luffy really was one of a kind; he was so nice and open even to someone like Surume, a creature others only called a Kraken or a monster, looking at him with nothing but fear. Meanwhile, here Luffy was, perfectly relaxed, having fun, and talking to him casually; he was treating him like a friend. He was even the one who gave Surume a name.
It was⌠a strange experience but Surume wouldnât change a thing.
Okay, maybe he would change the part where Zoro cut off the top of one of Surumeâs arms, and Sanji grilled another with a kick, and Luffy punched the lights out of him to top it off but everything else he was happy with.
âOkay!â Luffy called suddenly, jumping up to his feet. âLetâs go!!â
Oh.
Surume nearly forgot the reason they even met up today, the day before Luffy and his people were to leave.
Nodding enthusiastically and with a wide smile, Surume lowered his head a little more, waiting for Luffy to stretch his arms to grab onto Surumeâs skin, then propel himself to easily jump on top of him. Only once Luffy settled comfortably and safely into his âspecial seatâ, did Surume raise his head and turn around, making his way further into the water of Fishman Island.
âOh, wait! Hang on a second.â Luffy tapped Surumeâs head to make him stop, squirming in a way that Surume could only assume was rummaging through his pockets. âWhere is itâoh! Got it!!â
A second later, something tickled Surumeâs head around where Luffy was sittingâa safety bubble to protect him and allow him to breathe in the next moments.
âOkay, weâre good!â
The grin on Surumeâs face widened. Nodding slightly, just enough to let Luffy know he heard him but not enough to throw him off, Surume got moving again. With each step of his arms, he sank deeper into the water, water that was much warmer than Surume was used to from either the North Pole or from his forced station by the downward current leading to the deep sea. Surume didnât mind it, however. It wasnât warm enough to be uncomfortableâjust warm enough for Surume to feel like he was in a spa resort and for Luffy to not freeze to death after a while.
At least Surume had heard could happen. He wasnât completely sure how humans worked.
The moment Surume fully submerged, Luffy cheered, making the kraken giggle. Was it really so exciting to be underwater? It was perfectly normal for Surume⌠but humans couldnât breathe here, could they? Even without the kind of powers that Luffy had, the powers that made the sea itself despise them.
It was a pity; the sea was Surumeâs home and he had to say, it could be absolutely beautiful. Not so much in the northâit was too cold and full of ice thereâbut in the warmer areas, even Surume kept getting surprised by the wonders of the Blues and the Grand Line. And this island was the best place to show it all off. The corals formed elaborate structures together, cute, colourful fish swimming around them, playing with each other and with the mermaids from the cafe. There was no fighting, no hunting, no running for their lives⌠just fun. Only the best parts of the ocean depths, ready for viewing by the occasional tourist.
It was so pretty and peaceful and funâŚ
Maybe it wouldnât be so bad if Surume stayed here for a little longer before heading back home.
Waving at Ishilly who just passed them on her way to work at the cafeâlate, by the looks of itâSurume swam deeper at a slow pace, making sure to give Luffy enough time to take in the sights on their way towards the Sea Forest.
âThose fish look so good! I bet they taste like candy!â Luffy said full of excitement, pointing at the coral reef to their left, making the tropical fish there scurry away in panic.
Surume let out a quiet, sad hum.
âDamn. I guess they are still fish,â Luffy mumbled, and Surume could just imagine the unhappy look on his face. And he couldnât keep the giggle down. âDonât laugh!â
With one final huff, Surume forced himself to focus on the task at handâshowing Luffy around the sea, taking him for the swim he couldnât take himself. Maybe, they would go outside too; it might be too dark for Luffy in the deep sea, but as long as they stayed around the Sun Tree Eve, they could still both enjoy the vastness of the open water.
Or maybe they wouldnât. Maybe Luffy would be happy to watch the whales and sea kings swimming overhead from the forest once they get there. Maybe they would simply explore the giant ship Noah together, now that it was resting in the warm light of the forest; quiet and serene, no longer threatening the safety of the people who had been protecting it for centuries. Maybe, that would be enough.
After all, having fun was the whole point.
And as long as he was with a friend, fun wasnât a problem for Surume.
