Starting off with luthen/elys because I'm crazy about them 🫶 given that Luthen did most of his own tattoos I became possessed with the idea that he gives Elys a tattoo at some point. The tattoo depicts a myth of Luthen's people where a bird steals a star from the goddess of light.
hey!! i saw ur request were open and i was soo happy because i need more x male reader stuff, can u make a monster trio (+ ace and sabo if u want) (add or remove any1 u want idc) x male reader (male at birth if thats okay) general hcs :D tysm!!
HII!! Aww it warms my heart to hear you were looking forward to requesting to meeee 😭💓💓
ofccc amab is okay!! <3 ENJOY ❤️🩹‼️(I 100% agree male readers need more content 😭)
Ace ❤️🔥♨️
Ace likes to goof off. like he portrays himself as a bit more serious, especially during fights. but truly when around those he loves he’s a total goofball. just like his brothers!
you two are 100% drinking buddies and have competitions all the time! if your a more stoic type, just don’t want to or don’t drink much, he’ll persuade you with a random souvenir/smth you like that he picked up at the previous island you stopped at just for this moment 😈 (que him rubbing his hands together like an evil fly). if he wins then 1) you owe him or 2) he keeps whatever he got you until you win the next competition (devious i know 😼). sometimes marco and izo will join in or watch for funzies! :]
you may or may not have worried about his weird mid way sleeping habit habit when you first saw it (i wonder at what point did he start doing that..? 🤷♀️😂) he’ll apologize briefly if you are when he gets up, but he doesn’t know what all went on when he fell asleep, so really he just continues whatever he was doing. try not to sweat it too much, if you don’t, then great! because it happens randomly a lot when your talking and your gonna have to remind him what he was saying 😃 “oh right! So then crybaby-” (proceeds to tell you the Luffy story you’ve heard already in a thousand different ways) and yeah, he still addresses him as that to you 🥹🤣
strong reader is most ideal because he can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt or worse. but don’t get me wrong he would love a regular reader all the same! he’d love to team up with you in fights if you have a devil fruit or some other source of power, sword/weapon, etc. and he’d feel so prideful if he ever saves you! 🩷
oddly enough i feel he’d love to have deep convos with you! you might find it cheesy, dw he does too, but when it’s just you two, under the stars, it’s a really comforting quiet, where you just sit and chat about whatever introspective topic that comes to mind! and maybe it won’t be so awkward eventually! maybe it never was because you’ve know each other for so long :)
speaking star gazing, if you two aren’t childhood friends or smth, that was something he’d been doing since said childhood. if you met later in his life you’d join him while laying flat on your backs our on deck. sometimes perched up on the watch tower. and after enough times he’d come and invite you too! “hey…the stars are out. i’ll be out on the deck if ya need me.”
oooo and y’all def have so much fun riding on his boat thing together!! i just know he’d let you hand on to him while you ride around with him powering it. it’s pretty much a one man boat, but two isn’t that big of a difference 😊 he would do that thing where he turns and let’s you reach out to touch the water. hopefully your not afraid to fall off! because he certainly can’t catch you as he’s a devil fruit user 😄🫶 maybe this isn’t such a good idea if you are too.. 😅🤣
whether you like it or not he likes to carry you on his shoulders. if you don’t he’ll do it specifically to annoy you. and if you do he’ll do it to make you happy! there’s no weight you could be that he couldn’t pick up so don’t worry about that either! sometimes he’ll just walk up behind you, bend over and swoop you up with his neck, much to your surprise! or hey! maybe you aren’t because how often he does it, still fun though! you can kick and hit but he isn’t putting you down, in fact, all your attack will go right though him 🥱🤣 it’s pretty normal for the wbp to check to see if your own ace’s shoulders if they’re look for you “hey have you seen (m/n)?” “no? did’ya check ace?” 😂💥😂💥 (idk why but that’s a knee slapped to me..anyway!-)
if y’all trope is bsf to lovers he’d actually be more awkward and embarrassed around you, yet more comfortable and open at the same time. he knows no matter what nothing could ever ruin you friendship, so even if it didn’t work out it’d be okay. yeah, that’s not the problem. problem is not only has he never thought of anyone romantically before. and not just anyone, he’s never thought of you in that way before.
if you joined wbp before him he’d probably end up look up to/admiring you. which says a lot for a prideful guy. even if you aren’t strong you know a lot more about these parts than him 🤷♀️ or if after him he’d be happy to show you around and be friendly with you. he treats those he loves real well (in his own ace way) so you’d quite literally fit right in! 👍
thankfully for you if you joined after him he isn’t a newbie nickname guy. what i mean by that is he is the type to give nicknames, but he wouldn’t call you “rookie” or “newbie” especially since that’s his first impression. he knows how it feels to have a name tagged on you and not like it, so he’d never do it to anyone else. crybaby is an exception. and don’t worry! you’ll get one too as you get closer 😁🤭
his first impression of you is, well, based off you! but it can change so don’t sweat it! so if you embarrass yourself or come off as weak when all the time the opponent was just too strong! he won’t hold it against you! again he knows how having you first impression being set up for you feels, so he won’t do that. really he’ll just encourage you or give you some pointers for next time. maybe a bit of teasing, but nothing harmful.
if you knew each other back when the spade pirates weren’t disbanded, deuce would for sure support you!! i don’t know much abt the dude tbh, but he seems really cool! i know ace would rant to him abt you too 🤣
if ur his gay (bi/pan, etc) realization he would definitely freak allll the way out. tbh it reminds me of these hcs so here i’ll just put this here. it’s not the exact same thing but it’s an honorable mention. he basically just goes around to everyone like “what do i do- what do i do- what do i do” i mean, he hasn’t even thought of love before you, but now he has to think of love and the fact that he loves his a man! don’t get me wrong he knows abt the lgbtq+ community, the panic just comes from the realization really! like any normal person :D eventually he does man up and confess tho! duh! as you can see your together now 🥱🥹😊
in his own ace way, (as with everything else) he loves to compliment youu ✨ “lookin pretty snazzy babe” “oh well now, my my, who’s this handsome man?” “anyone ever tell you purple is your color?”
but tbh if you compliment him back if you’ve just gotten inter he relationship he low key be pretty shy and flustered. not really in the typical way, in the sense where he smiles and plays it cool but quite literally has butterflies flies inside. (reader is too handsome 😮💨✋ hold on you gotta give him a break-)
and because he’s super stubborn this starts up…. 🥁🥁🥁 ✨compliment wars✨ it’s..exactly what it sounds like! you both just go back and forth complimenting each other!! now depending on your personality it can go differently. if your more stoic it’ll pretty much just be him teasing you, if your flirtatious he’s the one getting teased, and if your just like him, wellll..the war pretty much never ends! (bonus if reader is stubborn- like him) which everyone finds lowk cheesy but cute! <3 if he’s drunk he’s more confident confident with them tho! so they’ll get a lot more fiery 🔥❤️🔥 GET IT??(okay geez..)
cuddling is pretty causal, this is another thing that depends on your personality. if you don’t like physical touch he’s totally cool with that. but if you do he likes when your both kinda just sitting up and either of you are sitting between the others legs. which you could choose which you wanna be! he’s happy with either :) speaking of cuddling sun bathing is a big thing for him. it just makes sense, so i hope you don’t mind the heat! ^^ oddly enough, i bc him to still be affected by the sun’s heat, just not his devil fruits fire. so i could 100% see him bothering you cuz he’s hot (pun intended)
if your hot headed (him too, somehow chiller (if that’s a word) than you doe? also proud? lol) he would be the one to keep you under wraps, reminds me of like usopp and zoro, where he has to stop him sometimes- except ace isn’t a coward- 😄😃 anyway- “hey ace! get m/n!” “calm down that crazy sun of a gun would you??!” —some wbp, probably.
ace is open to playfully sparring, especially if you have a devil fruit. or even not, since he’s immune to most attacks. if you have haki things’ll definitely be more fun. more dangerous- but fun! 🤩😄 you can’t do it on ship tho- i’m sure your plenty strong if you spar with this man and bro made light work out of multiple marine ships- no. sparring. on. ship. (whitebeard’s words not mine)
if you’ve know him for a long time you’re (and all the other wbp) pretty much used to him doing weird stuff and being chill abt it, like chilling in 20° ice barrels 😎 (ofc) his sleeping habit, hanging upside down (habit from his childhood), storing things in his hat (LOL-) and chewing alcohol bottle caps! (idk either)
will pull you in said 20° ice barrel to bug u btw 🤗 have fuuun! ✨ (i mean- if your really that mad about it you can always ask him to dry you off quicker than a towel would..! he’s fire yk..? your still mad..? okay..he’s sorry)
oh yeah and he won’t stop yapping abt luffy. if you’ve never met him yes you have because you might as well with the way bro started from when he didn’t even like him up until he last saw and + bounty poster and news he’s read. and if you do know luffy it’ll probably be worse because he constantly forgets you already know too and retells you!- 💖 at the least he would never get annoyed or tired of u yapping either 🤷♀️😊
he always stays up until u go to sleep first. doesn’t matter how long you’ve known each other or been together—it’s always been a habit 💕
Sabo🎩💙
Sabo loves tickle fights oddly enough. obviously when your off duty, but if you initiate one while your still sailing to your destination, there’s no way he could resist a dose of laughter from one of his favorite people <33
often puts an arm around your shoulder casually. he likes causal affection, and this is perfect, even if the enemy were around they couldn’t just assume your a couple because he did that, therefore couldn’t use your love for each other against one another.
super chill in ur relationship. not could be mistaken for friends chill, just laidback. i mean, that’s pretty much his personality in general. if you’d like to display or be more affectionate in your relationship, just express that, he values communication as a pacifist himself (unless provoked) and he pretty much caters to you so just talk to him hun ❤️🔥
nicknames could vary, i feel he’d go for a shortened version of your name if you have a longer one, one that fits your personality, your devil fruit if you have one or one he personally came up with fits because your actions or smth else you did. he wouldn’t make it obnoxious tho. he might call you one that annoys you once or twice. but ofc he wouldn’t keep it going yk? regular bugging each other for no reason stuff.
if your worried abt him being reckless, you might have to keep worrying- not because he’s trying to!! he really does keep in mind not to put himself in harms way deliberately for you. it’s just being an rev army member can put you in some pretty reckless situations in itself..but hey! tell him what to do and he’ll make it up to you! even if you don’t he’ll put something together anyway :)
imagine your just as reckless as him tho- you too totally get on everyone’s nerves 😄 🙌 “m/n, sabo! don’t go doing anything crazy that deviates from the plan either!”— iva, probably..
his love language is quality time and gift giving. ironically enough it’s quality time, since you may or may not spend a lot of it together considering your (or if not just his) occupation. however it makes sense, since he’d want to spend as much as he can with you as possible! you never know what’ll happen and when after all..
he adores bringing you trinkets tho! on a light note 😅 or actually, that’s wrong. he loves your reactions more. even if you aren’t the super bubbly type, if you don’t reject it, you obviously like it somewhat right? 😅😂
this is oddly specific but he likes chilling leaning on each other’s backs and doing whatever hobby or smth yk? like he could just be flipping a coin or smth and you could be cloud gazing. ties into him liking quality time. he cherishes the quiet moments too, the ones that aren’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when people think of their loved ones. except for him, he remembers all of them. or even if he doesn’t—that’s why he writes everything thing you do together or for each other 🥹 the random things you do or that happens. he keeps count of who wins sparring matches (for rev army boyfriend), who brought food to who, what food is was. he really doesn’t wanna forget anything about you.
open to training without holding back! won’t deliberately land a blow that’ll seriously hurt you or anything. but he’ll definitely be a good sparring partner as far as not holding back to he point where you don’t improve. idk if anyone else has noticed, but sabo has really good control over his strength! he’s fighting style revolves around it! so thankfully he’s able to apply that into not hurting you seriously :>
smiles every he sees you. it’s an automatic thing. (how could he not??)
with a reader who’s the same height or taller he has a habit of coming up and leaning against you lol. he doesn’t really know when it started, and he almost didn’t notice it until betty pointed it out (💕) after that he wrote down the fact that he does that if it really annoys you he’ll make himself hyper aware of it so he can stop, but it’s kinda a long time habit that no one knows where it came from (lol! cute!)
if ur not in the rev army he’d write litters to you every chance he gets. he’d probably be a lot more worried about you, but as long as you respond that’s reassurance for him. he’d visit you whenever he can and be 100% sure he’s not being followed (esp after the burgess incident-)
if you are in the rev army tho the only reason he’d not want you to be is because he doesn’t want anything to happen to you. it’s selfish but especially after he remembers ace he isn’t gonna wanna lose anyone else right between his fingertips. he doesn’t do anything to try and get you to leave tho. he loves that your fighting for freedom as much as he loves to.
i hc him to have some good memory (yh ik how it sounds but i’m talking about outside of what happened- like general things as far as him remembering what u like) so he’ll be really thoughtful with his gifts
plus i don’t think he’d like to forget things after what happened. so he makes it a point to memorize everything about you. (not to contradict what i said earlier, he still writes everything down. but it’s just so he never has a chance to forget 🤣😅)
finds shopping with you fun, or like exploring new places. but he likes when you guys do goofy try on hauls and wear too big clothes and pretend you look cool. or smth just totally out of wack (like brook chopper and luffy yk?) definitely just like his brother in that aspect he’d also find if fun for you to to pick out each other’s outfits!! maybe even make it a game or competition as to who has better fashion taste or who got the other’s style more accurate 😂❤️🔥
likes touching your hair. it’s very comforting to him. if you like to cuddle he loves when your rest your head on his chest so he can give you headpats. no matter how long or short he loves to run his fingers through your hair. really grounds him into the moment of being with you and your love.
you, him and koala are basically a trio. you guys are the terrible triplets of the rev army and make a bad team 😼 (for the enemy i mean, because no one wants to see you there coming! 😈) que the 3 of you doing the doctor livesey walk- LOL- your guys are partners in crime (literally) sometimes it’s just you and him, you and koala, him and koala or all 3 much to the enemies demise 🤗
meaningful hugs if either of you have to separate for a mission that could be seriously dangerous. even if you think he’s being dramatic/cheesy or don’t like physical affection much he’ll be completely serious abt it and will want one for at least 3 seconds.
just like he rants to dragon abt luffy like that’s not his own son, he will do so to him tomas if he doesn’t know you as well. (even if your not in rev army and y’all never met or only have once, he’ll know everything about you-) dragon doesn’t stop him because he knows his heart is in the right place, but i’d be lying if i said he didn’t tune him out occasionally..😊
he does to koala too tbh, “just go talk to him already! since you miss him enough to talk about him every second he isn’t here! sheesh..” LOL!! i could totally see her saying that-
likes your eyes/ intense eye contact. the eyes are the window to the soul and he adores yours. plus he just likes looking at you and admiring your face. speaking of admiring you, he compliments you whenever you get a new outfit. like cmon man’s is walking around in the swashbuckling ahh drip he is and you’re telling me he doesn’t like fashion? nah he definitely see you lookin all handsome.
will hit on you even though your already together jokingly. all in good fun. just for laughs 🤣 (koala is probably sick of y’all- and depending on your personality, your sick of sabo together 🔥)
if you didn’t have one already he helped you find your signature piece 😎 like his hat n goggles! will also help you find your fashion style if you wanna get into that. or wanna try out smth new. he definitely knows a quite a few, he’s just generally knowledgeable abt his specific classy fashion 🍷
knows random long sophisticated words that just mean smth like happy- (like idk if you know it but there’s this one word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and it’s so goofy bc it means smth so simple- 😭 good. that’s it that’s all, all it essentially means is something really good 🤦♀️)
always makes sure your taking care of yourself properly, asks abt meals, if it was healthy, always have plenty water bottles nearby for after/during training, making sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep if you can (cuz yk if your both rev army members), checks in on your mental health too, is a good listener, always open to doing favors for you, acts of service as a love language, is literally never not concerned for your physical well being
always stays up until you go to sleep first (it’s a[n instinctive older] brother thing [that transferred over into a lover thing] if you read ace’s)
I love the thought of whitebeard pirates bonding as family despite the large numbers, like they really know each other and not just strangers, like if one got troubled the other immediately help, to think of it deeply, they’re really sweet.
Like with that many people in a ship you’d think it’s just another journey with public transportation and you mind your own business, but no, you know the whole people and they know you
Hey there Astra! Hope you're taking care of yourself and doing well 😄. Can I request Izou, Thatch, Marco, and Ace with a shy!s/o? If it's too much you can just do Izou, thank you so much you're the best!! 🤍
So this is also my @onepiece-bingo submission for 'First Kiss'. Thank you for being so patient with me.
Warnings: first kisses, Shy!Reader, Izou, Thatch, Marco, Ace
Word Count: 1490
Izou
It was cute how shy you were, how you hid behind him if too much attention was on you, how you sank in your seat to try to not be noticed, and how you squeaked and quietly insisted on being put down if he lifted you into the air. That being said, it was hard to keep a ‘low profile’ when you were dating the prettiest pirate in the New World and 16th division commander. The man attracted attention and oozed confidence and an elegance that drew people to him. You, by comparison, were relatively plain. Choosing not to wear flashy makeup or clothing in order to not attract attention. Head down and refusing to meet people’s eyes so that they wouldn’t approach you. Izou wasn’t really bothered by your shyness, in fact he found it rather endearing and cute. There was… one thing he didn’t like about your shyness though. You hated PDA. PDA always brought attention to you, attention and teasing. The most he could do was hold your hand but even then, you preferred to hold one of his long sleeves, afraid of the attention you might get if you actually held his hand. The crew never teased you on anything, they knew better than to try to tease you, less they invoke Izou’s wrath, but you still worried about all the eyes that could be watching you. He hadn’t even had his first kiss with you yet! But he was going to change that today! He had a nice place to pull you aside, away from the prying eyes of the others, secluded and not likely to be bothered. So pulling you through the halls, he smiled back at you, the confused look on your face only making you cuter.
“Y/n.” he said softly, caressing your cheek as he closed the door behind you, “it’s not the romance you deserve, but I’ve been waiting too long to do this.” Izou said softly, pulling you into a sweet kiss. Your heart pounded in your chest as you kissed back, wrapping your arms around his neck. Suddenly, you wished you’d done this sooner, that you’d had the courage to kiss him in front of the others. Breaking the kiss, you looked up at him, in wonder.
“Can… can we do that again?” you asked softly, the dark haired man smiling as he pulled you into another kiss.
Ace
Ace was wild, loud, outgoing, and commanding. You were shy, quiet, introverted, and timid. Logically, your relationship made little sense, but then, love didn’t make any logical sense. You liked how he was always doing grand gestures to show you how much he cared, how he was pulling you out on some new adventure, and how he showered you in affection. He loved how cute you were, how your need to avoid attention kept him out of too much trouble, how you quietly gave him small gifts. That being said, there were things you both hated. You hated how he was always attracting attention to you, despite your protests, you hated how he was always pulling you into his trouble, and how he’d pull you with him when he was really happy, drawing the attention of the entire crew to the two of you. He hated how you always wanted to be a wallflower during parties, how he wasn’t allowed to show you off and tell everyone how amazing you were, and the one he hated the most, how adamantly you refused PDA. He wanted to walk down the street with his arm wrapped around your waist, he wanted to spin you around in his arms, and most importantly, he wanted his damn first kiss with you! But he’d be damned if your shyness stopped him! It was the dead of night that he tugged you to the back of the ship.
“Ace, what’s so important that you needed to talk to me at this hour at the back of the ship?” you asked, confused and slightly annoyed. You’d been getting ready for bed, what did he want? Ace just gave you one of his sunny smiles as he pulled you into a passionate kiss, hands on either cheek, holding your head as he sighed happily into the kiss. You couldn’t stop yourself from melting into the kiss, hands gripping his shoulders. Pulling back, he grinned at the dazed look in your eyes. He didn’t bother to say a thing as his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you into another kiss, neither of you aware of the small audience that peeked through the windows, quietly cheering and exchanging bet money.
Marco
Sitting in his office, Marco smiled over at you. You always looked so at home in the solitude of his office, away from the rowdy and often boisterous crew. Helping the phoenix with whatever various paperwork or office work he had. He understood your desire to stay out of the spotlight, to stay away from the excitement and attention that often came with much of the crew. In fact, it astounded him that someone as shy as you even sailed with the Whitebeard Pirates. The most infamous pirate currently alive, someone everyone kept an eye on, and you stayed with them. Getting up, he walked over to you, pushing some hair out of your face and placing a gentle kiss to your forehead, your cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
“Sorry, Little Bird, you looked too cute-yoi.” he said softly, large hand cupping your cheek as he sat on the edge of the desk you were working at. Smiling up at him, you leaned into his touch, he was always so sweet. Turning your head, you placed a soft kiss on his palm, the sweet gesture making him sigh happily. Leaning down, he put a hand under your chin, his lips meeting yours, lightly pushing you back into your chair so he could deepen the kiss. Pulling away, you couldn’t help but giggle.
“What’s so funny, Little Bird?” he asked, as you smiled at him.
“It’s just… every kiss feels like the first with you. I… I still get butterflies and my stomach still does flips.” you admittedly shyly.
“I agree, your lips still taste just as sweet-yoi.” he said with a nod before pulling you into another kiss. He’d never been so happy that he worked away from the crew, able to share kisses like this with you as often as he desired.
Thatch
The man was a damned flirt, though perhaps that’s what attracted you to him in the first place, how he made you swoon, how charming and sweet he was… his culinary skills didn’t hurt either. Well… mostly, in any case. It was sweet how he’d make you all sorts of culinary confections, cooking your favorite just for you, or other delicious treats. But he was always presenting them in the biggest, most ostentatious, attention drawing ways. Ways that had you looking for somewhere to hide from the prying eyes. Sure, he usually tried to keep said ostentatiousness in private, but on more than one occasion, he’d drawn the attention of damn near the entire crew to you. Hiding in the kitchen, you glanced back at Thatch, making sure that nobody could peek in and see the two of you.
“Don’t worry, my sweet treat, nobody’s going to bother us.” he said, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind, nuzzling into the crook of your neck.
“I just… you have a tendency to draw everybody’s attention and you know I hate that.” you said, placing one of your hands over his as you relaxed in his hold.
“I’ll make you a deal, you give me one thing and I’ll try to be better about that.” he offered, making you raise an eyebrow.
“I suppose that depends on the ‘one thing’.” you said, as he continued holding you.
“Just… close your eyes and trust me.” he whispered in your ear, making you sigh both from exasperation and your heart melting. Doing as he said, you felt him let you go for just a moment before his hands were on your waist again, picking you up and setting you on the counter as his lips met yours. You wouldn’t deny that you’d been waiting for this moment for a while, but there never seemed to be a good, quiet, moment for your first kiss. A moment where the crew wouldn’t bother you with wolf whistles and ‘good natured’ teasing. Your hands clung to the yellow scarf he was always wearing, keeping him pulled close to you as you remained lip locked until you needed to breathe.
“A-alright, that… I’ll allow you one more for free, but after that you have to keep your end of the deal.” you said shyly, staring down at your lap as you blushed. Thatch chuckled and pulled you into another kiss, more than happy to get another ‘freebie’.
At sunset, passing along an archipelago of insignificant islands under a strategic point of profit, the only city was devoid of attractions for pirates, a handful of fishermen's houses and peasants, little else.
The sea, beyond the bays full of fish, was dotted with rocks for many meters before the open sea.
Nothing interesting on the horizon.
The yonko's ships would pass as always, without stopping
But on the border between sky and sea there was a gloomy bitterness that promised big trouble, the navigator decided to stop in one of the islands to avoid the hurricane . The smallest of the islands had a free passage from the treacherous rocks, it was not much but it would have been fine for those who wanted to go unnoticed a night away from the storm.
At the docking, the ships were arranged, the sky was purple and trafficking lightning radiated followed by the roar of thunder, the wind joked the sails, the men engaged in a real battle to lower them, in return dragged trails of brackish water on the deck, with such force as to seem slaps.
A storm with all the trimmings.
Just in time they thought pirates had landed to go to the bars of the port to drink and eat, until the disappearance of the hurricane, the cook commander would have to collect local fruit and food, accompanied by the second commander.
There were a lot of banquets, but the bad timing didn't leave much choice, the cook grumbling, "we don't want to be here to see the beast unleashed" he pointed. Only the bartender, the fat, jovial cook who also served as a waitress. And they, the crew. Well, drinking is the only way to forget that nuisance and pass the time. Ace found the place squalid, not even the village where he grew up. The people were so cowardly they wouldn't show themselves. He was sitting in the chair next to Thakth and Vista, the gloomy atmosphere and bad weather didn't help. "They're not to blame," began the bartender, a one-eyed old man with the imposing build of Vista. "Many more infamous pirates have raided and kidnapped people to sell them on the slave market since—" He was interrupted instantly. "We're not slavers. Our father doesn't approve of such trafficking." Some of the men sitting there blurted out. Not at all intimidated, he continued: "Until the beast took up residence on this island." The crew's eyes and ears fixed on him. "What beast?!" asked a thug with a top hat and a long mustache. The old man, continuing to pour beer, noticed the interest and continued: "It happened more than 5 years ago, we were taken hostage.
"We had been held hostage by a gang of pirates for several weeks. They killed, raped, and beat many people. They wanted to take away children to resell them. We were desperate, without hope. But one evening like this, a furious storm hit the island. During the night, their ship was struck by lightning and burned. From those on land, we only heard their heart-rending screams; none of us had the courage to go out to see what was happening. The next morning, the charred bodies lay on the ground, some in pieces, scattered all over the village. What human being could have done such a thing? Not even the owner of Devil Fruit alone could have caused such devastation in just a few minutes. Only a beast or a king of the sea would have had such power." The pirates remained silent, then the captain, wearing a cowboy hat, lit a flame on his hand. "You're sure, old man, I could cause a ruckus like that." The bartender, unimpressed, twisted his mouth upward.
"Oh, I believe you, boy, but you didn't hear those screams that night. Neither the roar nor the scream of that thing, those bastards got what they deserved, and as they died, they shouted: "Beware of the beast!" The people of the village, including us, have only to thank that beast. It freed us and saved us from a fate worse than death." Ace burned a little more. The pirates, for their part, were used to stories and legends like these—bar tales, whether there was any truth to them or not, it didn't matter. Coming out of the kitchen, with trays full of food, the overweight waitress swayed toward the captains' table. "Husband, aren't you talking to these pirates from Silveruccia?!" Then she approached the boy. "Don't play with fire in here, darling, I care about my place."
There was a moment of silence and then they all burst into laughter, clapping their hands and spitting. "Silver-ucky?! Muahahaha!" "Ahahahah" "A truly scary name!" The boy with his flaming hand pushed back his hat. "Damn, I'm really worried," with a mischievous smile. "Where is this beast?!" The fat woman looked at him seriously, looking him up and down, only moving her eyes. "He lives on the mountain, alone. I'm surprised you landed here so peacefully and happily. He usually sinks every pirate ship he sees approaching," she replied, placing a tray full of meat in front of Ace. "So this being really exists?!" said Vista. "But you could have come up with a crueler name if you wanted to scare strangers, ahahaahahah -"
"It's the children who gave it that name; they're the only ones who've ever seen it." The roar of laughter heated the room; the pirates didn't believe a word. From bad to worse, the only ones who saw the monster were children, very believable indeed. "The fact is that since the beast settled here, no ship, pirate or other predator has been able to access the island. It seems the beast senses evil intentions." An intricate luminous crack lit up the sky, and a deafening explosion interrupted all the hilarity. The typhoon raged. The waitress sighed, "She's really angry this evening," approaching the old man. "Let them tell you. If she let them land, they'll find out the hard way why. We'll make sure they pay for everything, and if they die, we don't care." "I wonder why he let them get close..." he looked with sad eyes especially in the direction of the young cowboy.
Haruta had overheard their conversation, then passed the information on to the man with the painted face at his side. He didn't say a word and continued calmly smoking his pipe. The pirates weren't worried, nor intrigued; no one could doubt their power, not even the tale of a phantom monster with such a ridiculous name. The cold, gray dawn, veiled by a fog, fell upon the ships, so much so that not even the masts of the ship could be seen. Only the pitching of the ship on the dock could be heard over the voices of the bored crew.
Absurd.
Nothing on that insignificant islet was the least bit attractive, and the pirates were increasingly clear as to why. Boredom and disappointment were spreading through the crew. That gray quilt didn't rise until after lunch. Then it seemed to lazily head out to sea. It was about time, Ace thought. "Men ready!" At least now they could set sail from that spit of an island. "Look up there!" A SHOUT "Oooh look! THE FLAGS ARE GONE!" "HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN?!" A chorus of curses and blasphemies spread across the deck, amidst anger and amazement.
Yes. How could this have happened? Even in the fog, they would have noticed intruders. No one had sensed any presence. Not one of the commanders. Nothing at all. Ace was furious. Who would do such a stupid thing? Certainly not the Islanders. Unless they'd gone crazy. Not even a reckless kid like his brother Luffy would have done such a stupid thing. "Marco!" The captain had stood up and joined everyone on the bridge with a grim expression. "What does this mean? I found it stuck on my cabin door." He was clutching a kind of parchment with a strange message in his hand. "Only a humble person will be able to find the emblem. Give up or accept, light up the sky."Looking up, he noticed the flags were no longer there.
His expression deepened. Marco wasn't a nice guy like Thacth or Ace. A wave of anger washed over the entire team. Doing something stupid enough to provoke their wrath would pay the price, even if they could destroy the island. Newgate was furious; right under his nose and that of his children, someone had stolen his flags, his symbol, his honor. 1,000 men defrauded in one night. His commanders cursed orders to the crew. Marco reached the old man, reading the message: "Captain, we haven't sensed anyone." He grabbed the parchment, "but this strange message seems like a riddle..." The first commander was dubious; it seemed written by a child, but his choice of words was more adult-like. What the hell was he so cunning and astute as to take over their ships and steal their flags without them noticing? "They must have taken advantage of the fog," Marco muttered.
Light up the sky? During the day? His flames or Ace's? But he didn't have time, the second commander launched a powerful flame that crossed the sky high. It could be seen across the island. "Come on, damn you, I'll wait for you, you'll have to deal with me!" followed by the shouts of the crew. "Ace, you idiot!" Marco growled. "You don't understand a thing!" An ardent Ace "What am I supposed to understand? We've been challenged!? Come out, you bastard!" The captain looked up to the east... something he felt for an instant, like a crystalline laugh...
Something the Emperor had heard in the distant past "Maybe this time..." he murmured...