or screamed in his face to take them away.

Pleased by their shared interest, a rubbery hand smacks Law’s back with the force of his appreciation. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’re gonna be back where I said before. Silly Torao, I told you south was the other way~”

enough with spending time with one of his more elusive friends. Happy as he had been when Law accepted his proposal of going beetle-hunting, there was a bit of surprise there too. He didn’t know the surgeon was interested in learning about the little critters… most people either brushed Luffy off +

thought escapes his mind, thoughts once again focused solely on finding the rare beetle. An arm shoots out to wave around their environment, lips dangerously close to forming a pout. “None of these ones are saying a thing!”

Ah well, whether they found the prized insect or not, Luffy was content +

could feel the unspoken curiosity swimming in Law’s eyes. It makes Luffy tilt his head inquisitively in return, quite interested in finding out what it was himself.

“You said they lived on croak trees,” he says matter-of-factly, mistaking the word ‘oak’ for ‘croak’. The previous line of +

about… something. Luffy had stopped paying attention time ago, the fancy terms making his poor mind swirl.

The Captain lets his head fall back in a dramatic fashion, groan pitching into a whine. “We’ve been walking for hours, Torao. Are you sure the trees here croak?!”

out loud beside Zoro’s ear, unaware that his booming voice wouldn’t carry through the thundering rain.

A rubbery hand smacks down against Zoro’s mossy head, urging him to follow, forgetting in the moment how useless the swordsman’s sense of direction was. “Think you can make it Zoro?”

speck of dust in the distance. With a surprising burst of strength, Luffy’s legs kick against Zoro’s back to clamber up higher on his shoulders, a hint of panic slipping into his tone. How would they make it in time for dinner if the ship was so far away?! “Oi! You guys! We’re back here!” He yells +

head, limbs still useless as they drape over Zoro’s back. “Zoroooo,” Luffy blubbers, always thankful that the man dove after him each time despite the shit he gave Luffy for being careless. “Thank you. Let’s go back before… uh– oh.”

Bobbing up and down in the turbulent waves, Sunny seemed like a +

brilliant silvery light, Zoro parts the waves with his strength, his grip around Luffy’s wrist rough, but grounding.

Finally, he could get back to his game, dry off and eat the dinner Sanji had promised to cook up!

They break through the surface, and Luffy shakes the excess water out of his +

serene presence quite like the peace that came after a storm. It was Zoro!

A fact Luffy excitedly makes known by uselessly shouting his swordsman’s name deep underwater. It was hard to see where anything was, but similar to how the moon broke through cloudy skies to lead their journey with its +

beyond the turbulent waves above disrupts the peaceful depths. Luffy’s eyes squint through the watery blur, Haki guiding his gaze towards the newest arrival swimming closer to the drowning Captain. Though salt was all around him, Luffy could almost taste the familiar tang of steel and blood, of a +

stretch, only to end up ballooned and useless on the deck as he digested it all. Despite his situation, a rumbling groan sounds from his stomach, keeping the pirate distracted by the thought of food he could force their cook to make once he was back home.

Speaking of home… a disturbance +

His sigh makes a flurry of bubbles tickle along the skin of his face as his fingers twitch in an attempt to move. All for nothing, a lesson his stubborn mind refused to learn. Luffy’s limbs felt heavy as lead, quite like days he’d gorge on Sanji’s food just to test how far his stomach could +

All the points he’d played so hard to collect would mean nothing now…

bracing for impact before his back hits icy waters.

A bubbly moan of complaint leaves his lips as his body grows heavy and starts sinking like a rock down to the weary depths. Knowing his crew would save him no matter what, all Luffy feels is the pinch of defeat. +

that follows once his footing slips off the edge, guiding him down towards the ravaging seas.

With spots dancing across his vision, a rubbery arm shoots out to randomly grab at whatever piece of the ship he could land on, but the slippery surface makes it hard to grip, and Luffy can only inhale, +

Luffy’s back collides with the wooden beam just as lightning strikes, brightening the darkened sky. In the short flash of brightness, the rails give way with a loud 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬, no match for the strength contained in Luffy’s body. “Whoa!”

His shout of confusion is lost through the loud roar of thunder +

drenched tuft of green hair from the corner of his eye. Immediately, his smile brightens.

“Yo, Zoro!” The excitable Captain calls out, twisting on his feet to keep @ofdemonicswords.bsky.social in view once he whizzes past the swordsman. “Join us! We’re playing a ga——ame???”

+

tiny waves, speeding him across the deck in a blur of mirthful color.

“Yahoo~! That’s one more point for me, eh, Usopp?” His words ring through his laughter, no stopping in sight despite the ship’s edge nearing with every passing second.

In the moments before disaster, Luffy spots a familiar +