[Red-Hair Pirates or Whitebeard Pirates] She Can't Hurt a Fly

[All right, I’m going into seclusion to finish writing the big finale, Part 4! (The sound of my draft folder having not a single word in it.) I’ll try to get halfway through the drafts before I promise daily updates for you all. First, I’ll fill in the hole in the story next door, Pirate Glory, so you can read that as a substitute. For Part 4, if I’m going to do a career-focused plotline, I’ll need to study the original timeline carefully. If there are any dreams you’d like to see fulfilled, feel free to discuss them in the comments. For now, I’ve tentatively set Chunshui’s transmigration to the second year after Roger’s death. “Chunshui” has already used her ability to save Rouge, and is currently living in seclusion on Mount Colubo. At this point in the original story, there should still be plenty of time to do things, so the ending will change quite a lot!] Parts 5 and 6 are essentially little bonus stories. They won’t take up nearly as much space as the first four parts. Chunshui’s story is already complete in four parts! As the final chapter, I’ve got to give it a proper ending!!

A collection of independent short, sweet stories about Chunshui, a Thread-Thread Fruit user, and Shanks/Marco. A fluffy little treat, because pirate men are the best!

[Part 1: The painstakingly caring, fiercely protective dad-type Marco x the reserved, quiet, ridiculously powerful Chunshui. Childhood friends, secret crushes finally fulfilled, parental romance (not really).]

Choose your birthplace: Whitebeard Pirates

Choose your innate skill: Awakened Devil Fruit · top-tier Armament Haki + Conqueror’s Haki = “Unbroken Self”

Synopsis: The “King’s Two Wings” of the Whitebeard Pirates: Marco the Phoenix, the right-hand man of Edward Newgate, once the strongest man at sea, and Chunshui the “Blade.”

Honestly, once Marco confirmed that the person he had a crush on was a musclebound blockhead who didn’t understand romance at all, he stopped hoping for anything.

“Whatever,” he thought, resigned to accepting that they were headed straight down the friendship route. “If she doesn’t know, she doesn’t know. Things are fine the way they are.”

Chunshui watched quietly as Marco’s face changed through every color of the rainbow. “...Why? Why does this guy genuinely think I’m an idiot?”

[Part 2: Pushy younger Shanks who keeps pressing his advantage x gentle, accepting older Chunshui, who keeps lowering her guard for him. I want what I want, and I get what I want: an age-gap romance that slowly boils like a frog in warm water.]

Choose your birthplace: Roger Pirates

Choose your innate skill: Awakened Devil Fruit · top-tier Observation Haki = “Loomhand: Weaving the Threads of Fate”

Synopsis: The older girl he’d had a crush on as a child suddenly vanished for ten years. When they meet again, the beautiful, sickly woman gives him a troubled smile and ruffles his hair. “You’ve grown so much. That’s wonderful.” Who could possibly resist that?

Now a pirate who understands that if you want something, you should take it, Shanks grabs her pale, slender, cool hands and entwines their fingers. The next moment, he looks up with a smile and asks:

“Want to be my partner and sail the seas with me, Chunshui... Sis?”

[Part 3: Parallel-world body swap, Red Hair Pirates Chunshui Plus]

At first, when Chunshui reminisced fondly about the warm everyday life she had in another world, the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks included, all smiled along with her.

That was until she started talking about her little brother Shanks from the other world, including, but not limited to, holding hands, cuddling, hugging, and warming her bed, along with all kinds of other boundary-crossing behavior.

Faced with her slow, confused gaze, her crewmates sat as silently as chickens. Shanks couldn’t smile at all.

What kind of brother and sister act is this?!

...Eight years sharing a bed and still never getting anywhere. His other-world self has my sympathy.

No hesitation at all before stealing his other self’s girl √

[Part 4: Parallel-world body swap, Whitebeard Pirates Chunshui Plus]

As long as Pops accepted her, it didn’t matter if she came from a parallel world ten years in the future or whatever. She was family. That was what Marco thought.

Besides... Though Chunshui was ten years older than him, that woman’s head was full of martial arts and Conqueror’s Haki. In every sense, she was no adult at all.

That was until he got in over his head and she rescued him, battered and helpless. The woman, who always wore a calm, expressionless face, took one look at his wounds, then, grim-faced, cut her way through several warships with one blade before chopping off the head of the culprit.

“Did you ask me before laying a hand on him?”

Marco, half cradled in her arms: “...”

That was the first time he’d seen her get so angry... Why was his heart pounding like some green kid’s...?

Head-over-heels, no reservations, and charging straight at her √ (Being young is great, not that I’d know)

[Part 5: 10+ IF route, sunny, ghostly Yonko Shanks x reserved, quiet, martial-arts-obsessed ten-year-old Chunshui]

Only after emerging from the storm did she learn that twenty years had passed in the outside world. Young Chunshui stared uncertainly at the man, who had grown up so much. Was he... the same little brother she knew, Shanks?

As their crewmates watched with pained expressions, Shanks, who had spent twenty years looking for her, smiled and took her hand, placing it against his face. “Of course it’s me, Chunshui... Sis.”

Faced with an older younger brother who could switch between taking the lead and backing off, Chunshui, whose understanding of him was still stuck at “a child who needs to be looked after,” was completely outmatched and backed down again and again.

“My way of raising him must have been wrong. I must have given him the wrong idea about relationships with women.” She sighed as she went over it with her friend, full of self-reproach. “It’s my fault.”

Mihawk, who kept listening to the girl’s feelings whenever she challenged him to a fight: “...No. It really isn’t your fault.”

Calm, capable, and deliberately flirtatious high-level Shanks √

[Part 6: 10+ IF route, the most obedient, well-behaved boy Marco x gentle, sly, frail 10+ Chunshui]

Chunshui, who could see the future and was the Whitebeard Pirates’ rock, was everyone’s big sister.

Her favorite thing was teasing the little boys aboard who had far too much energy and never stopped for a moment. Marco included.

No matter what she said, he never doubted her. “I trust you, Sis.” He went along with every prank and joke she pulled.

Under the gaze of those adoring, trusting eyes, Chunshui could never bring herself to be hard on him, even though she could clearly see his future self blushing as he confessed his feelings for her.

She still couldn’t bring herself to push him away.

Because he was just so, so well-behaved.

“You... You did that on purpose, Sis... That’s so mean.” The boy’s eyes were confused and yearning. Even when she teased him relentlessly, he only covered his face and begged quietly for mercy.

“So greedy... Is Marco a bad boy?” She laughed and kissed him, making him curl up in embarrassment and whimper incoherently.

But, Sis... people do grow up, don’t they?

Marco gradually transforms from a good boy into a bad boy who fights back √

Next door: Welcome to Pirate Glory, a five-woman ensemble story featuring Marco/Ace/Shanks/Beckman/Mihawk

The full story should be around 300,000 words (why does it keep getting longer? bangs head on desk). It’s an ensemble of short stories, usually updated every other night at midnight! It should wrap up after a little over twenty chapters. Bonus stories might show up as Easter eggs on Lofter, so come find me there!

*Also known as “Transmigrating to the Grand Line with a Honor of Kings System” / “Where Am I Supposed to Find People Who Watch One Piece and Play Honor of Kings?” / “How Do You Win When Every Match Is a Huge Uphill Battle?”

*My own headcanon, with mountains of personal additions! Mainly written to celebrate getting the flower-and-dove emote! I cut my own pork to fall in love with Honor of Kings again for an hour!!

*Support/roaming will be called “Sage,” and jungler will be called “Assassin.” The other three positions will still be “Top Laner,” “Marksman,” and “Mage.” They just sound nicer this way.

*Warning! There will be serious stereotypes! For example: the jungler is an emperor, the marksman is a giant baby, the mage steals kills, the top laner never joins team fights, and the support steals minions. None of this is meant to be suggestive or derogatory. It’s just how these five players play, and it’s also for entertainment (x). Please don’t overanalyze or assume they represent you!!

*The golden finger is the skill for each player’s corresponding Honor of Kings lane (it can be nerfed, so it won’t be too overpowered... probably). There’s also a built-in turn-based Honor of Kings battle system (minimap/team voice chat/MOBA game settings/equipment shop/economy panel).

*The opening, Part 1, may be a little grim while normal people struggle to accept a real-life death game. But once they’ve hypnotized themselves into getting used to it, they can clear minions and level up without a care!

*Romantic tension and stream-of-consciousness, light and fluffy: Marksman x Marco, Support x Ace, Jungler x Beckman, Mage x Shanks, Top Laner x Mihawk. A full girl squad of five, with the girls being sweet and cuddly together.

*At the Summit War, they’ll push the Navy crystal as a team, drastically changing the original ending.

*

*If you can accept all the warnings above, then

“High-intensity 1v9, strict hierarchy, your skills and your parents decide whether you live or die. No pandering to men or women, only to the strong. Welcome to W City.”

“Ding, the System has detected a malfunction, connected to Wi-Fi, downloading resources, rematching you, loading new map, ”

“Pirate Glory! Start!!”

They were playing Honor of Kings as a five-stack with their friends when they transmigrated to a completely unfamiliar world. The Mage felt like she might be dead.

But the familiar game system had come along too. They could pick heroes, buy equipment, and upgrade their runes. She was perfectly ordinary, but incredibly good at the game. Looking at all the national and provincial badges lined up on her profile, she felt like maybe she could make it after all.

After barely surviving the murderous tutorial, they received several new System announcements:

“New season Grand Line multiplayer competitive death-match mode has fully loaded. Good luck climbing the ranks, Summoners!!”

“Helpful tip: The Team system is now available. You currently belong to the Pirate faction. Please choose one of the following five teams to join and receive exclusive team missions and buffs.”

The System urged them to join one of the Yonko’s teams. The five of them looked at the options: Red Hair, Whitebeard, the Zoo, the Daycare, and the Free Agents. They glanced at one another.

...Why? None of us really wants to pick any of these... Every option looks weird and dangerous, doesn’t it? Do we really have to join one?

This feels like some kind of obedience test in this crappy game.

In the end, they obediently picked one anyway.

Five loyal Honor of Kings slaves, lined up on their knees.jpg

“High-burst Mage with constant crowd control but low durability x Shanks, a reliable tank who keeps her safe and protected.”

Character setup: The timid, spineless “Mage” who never backs down when it matters, and is badass enough to flash in at level four and ult a Yonko to death x Shanks, who thinks it’s adorable how she always hides behind him when walking past bushes, and finds every skill she throws so magically entertaining that she always makes him laugh.

“Want to become our crewmate? Sure.” He patted the little girl’s head and looked seriously into her eyes. “But just so we’re clear, leaving the captain is absolutely, under no circumstances allowed, no matter what.”

Looking at the System prompt that said, “Changing teams costs ten billion gold or requires completing a defection mission,” the “Mage” glanced at her completely empty pockets and nodded obediently. “Understood, boss.”

We were never meant to meet. It’s only because I’m such a coward and so broke.

But... “You’re not allowed to leave”? That’s pretty strict. It doesn’t seem like Shanks at all. Is there some story behind it?

After she got to know the officers aboard the ship, the Mage brought it up. For some reason, her crewmates all turned away from her gaze and awkwardly changed the subject.

Mage: “...?”

Why are they reacting like that? Is this some kind of forbidden topic?

After imagining all kinds of dark, bloody horror stories, the Mage promised the harmless-looking Shanks, who smiled at her from behind, in a timid voice: “I-I won’t betray you.”

Shanks: “Pfft. I know. With your quail-egg-sized courage, you wouldn’t even dream of it, right?”

Mage: “...”

You’re such a jerk!!!

She finally got an answer when her friend the Assassin joined the Red Hair Pirates too.

The Assassin, who had long noticed that the two of them were acting strange, raised an eyebrow. “Hey, you know Shanks has only ever said that to you, right?”

The Mage, furious because Shanks had stolen her minions and taken her kills yet again, was pinning him down and beating him when she let out an “Huh?” She saw the smiling eyes of the man beneath her.

“What... Huh? Really? Why?”

“Careful, don’t fall.” Shanks let go of her utterly ineffectual fists and steadied her by the waist, admitting it with a laugh. “Yeah. What about it? Wasn’t I obvious enough?”

The Mage, belatedly realizing that something might be going on: “...Huh?”

“High-mobility, high-burst jungler emperor who controls the tempo and calls the shots x Beckman, who can predict her every move and cover for her impulsiveness and risky plays.”

Character setup: Sharp-tongued, mean, incisive, and blunt “Assassin,” a resource-obsessed player who wants to win more than anything and worries about everything. She’s good at playing from behind x Beckman, a rational, experienced older man in love, who watches this little girl stir up trouble with a raised eyebrow, then realizes he’s falling harder the more he watches her.

The “Assassin,” who smiles sweetly and calls him “handsome big brother” to keep a ship full of men happy, knows that Beckman understands her true nature better than anyone.

A sharp-tongued, haughty, cocky girl who knows when to bend, is fiercely competitive, and has an intense desire for control and revenge. She always knows exactly what to say to people, refuses to yield to either force or kindness, yet has an unexpected sweet tooth. A visitor from another world.

After all, the first time they met, she grabbed him with a dive attack, hauled him ten thousand meters into the sky, and then hurled him right back to the ground...

Come to think of it, what kind of ability is “Lady Zhen” anyway?

This girl is a little intriguing.

“Old man, sorry. I don’t know your name, but next life, try opening your eyes before you go out.” She flapped her wings and waved goodbye. “Try not to have the bad luck to run into your dear old auntie again.”

What she was doing was downright vicious.

So why was that face smiling so brightly?

So spirited, so full of life.

As he plummeted at terrifying speed, whether it was the suspension-bridge effect or something else, Beckman stared at that smiling face and admitted it had shaken him.

At the time, he thought, So that’s what she looks like when she smiles.

It’s actually pretty beautiful, isn’t it?

He soon figured out her personality, and finally understood why, despite not being bloodthirsty, she forced herself to keep killing enemies. She was always saying things like “finish them off,” “clear the minion wave,” “farm the jungle,” and “wait for me to start the dragon.”

Coming from a peaceful world, she was doing everything she could to stay alive here, hoping to help her friends “win” the final victory in this “game.”

She could do anything to “win.”

She had to build an impossibly high wall, plant thorns all around it, and lock away her heart, pretending she was immune to everything.

That was how the Assassin lived.

Beckman watched her smile that radiant, carefree smile at a chocolate cake again, and clearly heard his heartbeat fall slightly out of rhythm.

He thought that, whatever happened, he didn’t want to see her “lose.”

He would help her keep “winning.”

...And he was pretty sure he knew why he was acting so strange, and why he cared so much.

“Baby Marksman who plays safe in the early game and deals explosive damage late x Marco, whom she immediately picks and clings to because he can take hits, fight, and heal.”

Character setup: The “Marksman,” a hot-tempered, arrogant, capricious, bad-mannered, masochistic young lady who acts like she’s giving up but can take more pressure than anyone else x Marco, the mother hen who doesn’t know what “Support and Marksman glued together” means, but can’t help looking after the kids, until he finds himself falling for her.

While Pops was dealing with that Fire Fist kid, Marco was drawn to the mermaid “Sage” beside him, who had a miraculous healing ability and kept saying, “One more time.”

Pops’s illness was getting worse, and he wanted to invite her aboard to help.

Who knew she’d point to the sour-faced “Marksman” beside her and say with a smile, “She can’t live without me. If I leave, she’ll die. We’re conjoined twins. If one of us dies, we both die.”

Marco: “...That’s a bit much, yoi.”

Buy one, get one free: two new family members, and Pops’s health gets better and better. It should have been a good thing.

But for some reason, after the little girl called Marksman discovered his Phoenix abilities, she started clinging to him, shouting, “The Support is supposed to stick with me! What’s the point of sticking with xxx?!”

“Marco, don’t leave! What am I supposed to do if you go? I’ll die!”

“I’ve counted every brick in the bottom lane, and still my Support never showed up. Marco, go on. See the world for me.”

Marco, who’d only gone to the bathroom: “...”

Hey, no, are you serious?

She was so clingy. It felt like looking after a little kid who couldn’t bear to be alone for even a moment.

Honestly, it was the first time a girl had stuck so close to him, so at first Marco was a little embarrassed.

But after hearing “Group up, group up, group up” so many times, he was starting to feel numb.

“I have to say, don’t you depend on me a little too much, yoi?” After the battle, Marco patiently braided her hair, which had come undone in the bombardment, and wiped her face clean. “What are you going to do when I’m not around?”

He only meant to tell her to grow up and be a little more independent.

He swore he didn’t mean anything else.

He never expected the little girl, who’d been curled up on his lap like a well-behaved kitten, to suddenly bristle and throw an enormous tantrum, her eyes red with tears.

She seemed to have misunderstood him.

With the weary ease of long practice, he held her down, pulled her close, stroked her hair, hugged her, and lifted her up until he finally managed to calm her. Then she made him promise that “Marksman and Support would stay together, face prison time together, and never split up when disaster struck.”

Marco: “...I have no idea what this kid is talking about... Could we already have a generation gap?”

Meanwhile, the Marksman excitedly reported the good news to her friends: “No wild woman stole him away! Marco still likes duo-queuing with me best!”

The others, sensing something was off but not knowing what to say: “...”

“Support who can heal, tank, initiate fights, protect teammates, and scout vision x Ace, whom she adores endlessly because he’s reckless, stubborn, and a little self-destructive.”

Character setup: A true, old-money noblewoman “Sage,” warm on the outside and cool within, gentle, polite, distant, accommodating, exceptionally good at respecting boundaries, and a smiling, sly mediator x Ace, a straightforward, clueless guy who fell head over heels at first sight of her mermaid form, tries to confess in secret, and gets turned down again and again.

“Mermaid!”

Hearing that name again, the “Sage” sighed.

How was she supposed to explain to Ace? She wasn’t actually a mermaid, just an ordinary human who could use Doria’s skills.

Should she be grateful that the first thing he saw wasn’t her transformed into Zhang Fei, Bull Demon King, Donghuang Taiyi, or some goofy puppet character?

She couldn’t imagine being called “Miss Moo-Moo” or “Miss Loach.” The Sage gave him a helpless smile. “Are you hurt again, Ace?”

This silly boy always managed to get himself into a mess with the slightest bit of carelessness.

He was getting stronger at a speed that was practically like a moth burning itself to ashes. He charged from one battlefield to another, each one far beyond his level.

But rapid growth often came at the price of increasingly serious injuries.

As his senior, she really wanted to ask Ace, “What are you in such a hurry for? Why does it always look like you’re willing to trade your life for something?”

Now he had her, and she could use all kinds of skills to restore his health in an instant. But... one day, she would have to go back.

What would he do if she left?

He’d die somewhere she couldn’t see.

She had known that from the beginning.

So when faced with Ace’s impossible-to-hide affection, she pretended not to understand. She either brushed it off or changed the subject, forcing herself to ignore the disappointment on his face.

“We’re going to part eventually anyway, right? Better not to start anything. It’s better for both of us.” She spoke calmly to her friend the Marksman, pretending not to see the figure at the door. “Besides, I can’t stand kids who don’t take their own lives seriously. We could never work.”

Who was she really saying that to? She didn’t know anymore.

The Sage thought she could keep pretending not to notice. Really, she was very good at it.

But during the Summit War, when she actually saw that boy die right in front of her, she still couldn’t accept it.

Fortunately, the System unlocked Qiqi in time. Facing Ace, who had just been revived and looked completely bewildered, she turned unusually stern. “You never learn, do you? Fine. From now on, your life belongs to me.”

“Y-you’re angry...? I’m sorry, I...”

The Sage cut him off, her voice cold and severe. “Go home and recover. If you run off again, I’ll find a dog leash and tie you up. I mean it.”

Sensing something in that extraordinary anger and concern, Ace’s face turned bright red in an instant.

The Sage, who had only been bluffing to scare him: “...?”

What? What’s with that reaction? ...Why does he look like he’s kind of looking forward to it?!

“Durable, powerful, lane-pushing all-rounder, a true six-sided warrior Top Laner x Mihawk, who fights with great enjoyment, thinking, ‘Let’s see what other surprises you’ve got for me.’”

Character setup: A reliable, bold, and fearless lone wolf “Top Laner” from the Free Agent faction, who loves a good duel x Mihawk, who is just as focused on duels, just as quiet, and just as ready to fight anyone who challenges him. A true Top Lane couple, perfectly matched.

The first time Mihawk met the “Top Laner,” she was full of openings and didn’t even know what Haki was.

He thought, “No good. Too weak. Not worthy of being my opponent.”

He changed his mind soon enough.

Because the Top Laner bought a “Blade of Despair: Immortality”!!! (voice cracks)

She easily deflected his full-power strike, and Mihawk admitted that her sword had dazzled him.

For those few seconds, she was practically invincible. He thought about it for a long time but couldn’t figure out how it worked, so they met a second time, a third time... countless times.

Each time, the Top Laner fought more fiercely and aggressively than before, swinging blades, raising swords, wielding axes, lifting spears, throwing punches, and declaring, “I am the sun!” and “With thunder, I shatter the darkness!”

Her style kept changing. It was almost as if she’d become a completely different person.

Mihawk couldn’t help asking, “Anything else?”

The Top Laner’s base code kicked in, and she grinned. “There’s more, bro, there’s more. A hero this overpowered? Of course there’s more than one.”

The entire T0.5 underworld, the notorious nine, came out in force. Her skills kept changing, her cooldowns got shorter and shorter, and her economy snowballed. The Summoner fought harder the longer the fight went on!

The two gradually became evenly matched. They recognized each other as worthy opponents and couldn’t help admiring each other. By the end, they’d become close enough to put their arms around each other after a fight, have a few drinks, and chat.

Though it was always the Top Laner putting her arm around Mihawk, he only glanced at her a few times and let her, without pushing her away.

Until much, much later, when their monthly duels had become a habit, and they never missed one, he still couldn’t bring himself to push her away.

Then the Summit War fell on the same date as their monthly duel.

One was a Warlord forced to report for duty; the other was called away by her own jungler with a “Group up, team fight incoming.” They each came up with an excuse, and, without a word, broke their date.

“I... have something to take care of. I have to go far away.”

“Ahaha, what a coincidence, I’ve got something to do too. Let’s meet up next time.”

As it turned out, the two people who’d said they had things to do, one representing the Navy and the other the pirates, came face to face on opposite sides at Marineford.

“Cough, turns out we had the same thing to take care of.” The Top Laner, who had thicker skin, greeted him with a smile, stacked her passive, and slashed with a Seven Star Radiance Sword. “Want to defect, bro?”

Mihawk, who’d been wearing a glacial expression from the start of the war, smiled too and met her attack with his blade. “We’ll talk after the fight.”

“I haven’t eaten yet. Can I come to your place for dinner later?”

“...Are you cooking?”

“Sure. If you dare eat it, I’ll dare cook it.”

“...On second thought, I’ll cook.”

Their other teammates, still waiting for the Top Laner to join the team fight: “Hey, lady, where are you? Instead of starting the fight, are you over there flirting?!”

Their five-stack losing squad had a complete lineup, great game sense, top-notch mechanics, and undeniable skill.

The only problem was... individually, they each ruled their own lane. Put them together and they fell apart.

“System prompt: The Storm Dragon King has arrived. The final battle begins!”

The game dragged into the super-late stage, and the jungler, almost unable to hold it in after such a long match, kept spamming “Group up.” “Why is there no one behind me when I turn around? Why aren’t you joining the team fight? Are you picking mushrooms? If we keep messing around, our base is going to fall!!”

The teleport effects for Warm Winter Home flashed “Ding ding ding” on the minimap. The Mage, hanging around the edge of the fight and doing nothing, pointed to the Top Lane. “Wait a bit. She’s still trading blows over there.”

The Support glanced at the economy, secretly sold her Support item, and queued up a Guardian Angel. When she got caught, she whistled and looked away. “Full-magic Da Qiao is viable, I’m telling you.”

“Why are you fighting without the Marksman? Do you even know how to play?” After being bullied for forty whole minutes, the Marksman finally had all six items. She pulled off an insanely difficult 3333 combo and rescued her teammates from disaster. “Quit whining. Your mom’s here.”

How they got into that disaster... don’t worry about it.

“Can the jungler do something to set the pace?”

“Didn’t she just start a surrender vote?”

“Just go start a dragon already!”

“...Those Dragon Kings are either generals or Navy heroes! Which one do you want me to start?!!”

“Blackbeard. His health bar looks thinner. Does he still have his ultimate?”

“Let the Assassin try and find out.”

“You *****! I’ll ****** you!”

After an intense round of family-tree insults, the Assassin used Flying Thunder God to zigzag behind Teach, her blade gleaming. “Fine, him it is. If you geniuses sell me out, you’re all dead.”

A vortex portal opened and her teammates followed in perfect sync. The louder they argued, the harder they fought.

“Stop moving around. I get motion sick, you know.”

“Thanks for making me a god. I did not let you down.”

“Tsk, this is busted. Needs a nerf. Did you even smile?”

“High damage from the left foot, and the right foot is even more damaging. Truly the Mirror Emperor.”

Teach, whose Observation Haki had failed to spot anyone before all five of them suddenly focused him: “?”

What’s the difference between this and a haunting?

I have no idea! They shouted something about starting a fight and taking a dragon, then just came after me!

Preorder announcement: Is My Nemesis Just My Wife?

A genuinely short story, one or two chapters at most. Each story will be 10,000 to 20,000 words, tops. If you’ve got any fun rivals-to-lovers prompts, send them my way! I love nemeses!

Please note: every story here is about rivals becoming lovers! An overdose of nemesis tropes!

A collection of independent short stories, probably two parts per story or a single installment. Bonus stories will appear whenever I feel like writing them. Male leads: Ace/Marco/Shanks.

First series: “The Unexplainable Kiss”

Classic rivals-to-lovers trope: After the final battle, you think you’re doomed. Just to irritate your nemesis before you die, you use the last of your strength to get close and kiss them. But your nemesis uses everything they have to save you. When you wake up, the two of you have already been sitting across from each other all afternoon, and you still haven’t figured out what to say.

[Part 1: Upright, honest, top student, genius young Marine Atreya x Marco, a rough, seasoned old hand who really does love teasing her. A straightforward confession beats everything.]

After losing Pops and Ace at the Summit War, Marco led his brothers into a fight with Blackbeard Teach.

Atreya came too.

She wasn’t wearing her uniform. She came for him. She was so worried about him she was practically dying of it. It wasn’t wishful thinking. After more than twenty years as her nemesis, Marco understood her better than she understood herself.

He just hadn’t expected the idiot to save his life by trading her own.

Using the last of her strength, she leaned close and kissed the corner of his lips.

“Ah... Marco’s face is so funny.” Thinking this, she happily passed out.

A few days later, after being saved by every means possible, Atreya stumbled through a clumsy explanation, rambling about this and that. Marco didn’t pick up the thread at all.

He narrowed his eyes and asked, “So, have you thought of an explanation for that last part, yoi?”

Atreya: “...”

Honestly, she might as well have died.

*

Atreya had been a by-the-book Marine for twenty years. The most outrageous thing she’d ever done was turn down Fleet Admiral Sakazuki’s promotion to Admiral.

She really couldn’t stand those Celestial Dragon bastards.

The first thing she did after quitting was go save her nemesis. Honestly, she didn’t even know what she was doing.

These days, she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d looked after losing everything. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She thought she might just... not want this person to die.

Marco loves teasing the girl, then gets his heart racing when she accidentally flirts back with a straightforward line √ Saintly man’s secret selfishness √

[Part 2: Confident, charming, wicked Atreya x hot-blooded young Shanks, fearless and impulsive. Older woman/younger man romance.]

As the captain of the Traveler Pirates, Atreya’s favorite thing was teasing young rookie pirates.

Every time she called him “Red Hair” and messed with him, Shanks ground his teeth and swore that one day he’d crush her.

...So he didn’t know why he’d fought to save her from the Marines.

Watching her rush around in a panic, calling for the ship’s doctor, her lips white with fear, he suddenly remembered what Beckman had said: “Her lips are perfect for kissing.”

Shanks was horrified to realize he was actually regretting never trying the kissing skills she was supposedly so good at, even though he was about to die.

He did whatever came to mind. Amid the astonished stares of everyone around them, he reached out, grabbed the back of her neck, and kissed her as hard as he could.

*

After Shanks woke up, the two of them had sat in awkward silence all afternoon.

One kiss for one life. It seemed like she’d gotten the better deal. Atreya put out her cigarette with a headache and prepared to crack a joke and move on.

But Shanks spoke before she could. “That kiss doesn’t count.”

Atreya: “?”

Wasn’t that supposed to be her line? How did he have the nerve to say it?

“My head wasn’t clear then. I didn’t feel anything.” Shanks was direct and candid. “When I’m better, let’s do it again.”

Atreya: “...What?!”

Was he challenging her to a duel or something? No, seriously, how does this brat’s mind work?!

A womanizer who’s secretly pure-hearted √ My favorite older-woman/younger-man romance (“Kid? I’m not a kid. Try me if you don’t believe me.”) √

[Part 3: Charlotte Astana, a purely obsessive, emotionless madwoman x Marco, who is regarded by the madwoman as her possession. A twisted kind of pure love.]

Even in the warped world of Totto Land, Anastasia was an oddity. She was a madwoman who couldn’t feel any emotions, family affection included.

Until she met Marco.

He smiled at her and asked, “Hey, are all of Big Mom’s daughters this hard to deal with, yoi?”

She stared at his smiling face for a long moment.

She thought, Good. From now on, this bird belongs to me.

*

The news soon spread across the seas. Everyone thought her pursuit and harassment were driven by an extreme desire for the Phoenix Fruit, and that she was conducting a long, bloody hunt.

Marco himself used to think the same.

As he lay dying, he figured he might as well annoy her one last time, and kissed her in revenge. He was pleased to see the madwoman’s expression turn spectacular.

Only after she pinned him to the bed and got her revenge did he understand that what she wanted... had never been the Phoenix Fruit at all.

“I can’t love you, but I won’t allow anyone but me to touch you. You’re mine alone.” The heartless woman’s true feelings √

[Part 4: Proud, fiercely self-respecting super rookie Astana, who refuses to lose x fellow super rookie Shanks, whom she sees as her rival and constantly picks fights with. A light and fluffy romance.]

Astana, nicknamed the “Red Owl” for her hair, had been overshadowed by that bastard Shanks ever since she became a pirate.

They also had an uncanny knack for choosing the same crewmates, poaching each other’s people and fighting over them all the way from the East Blue to the Grand Line. Every time, they ended in a draw.

Astana was very annoyed by this.

There can only be one redhead on the sea!

And! That! Is! Her!!

Once again, she fought him in a life-or-death duel. Someone had ambushed her, and she lost by a hair. He knocked her sword to the ground.

She watched Shanks approach step by step. A bet was a bet, and she’d long since accepted that he would kill her.

But... before she died, she remembered the gossip her crewmates had shared: Red-Haired Shanks was actually still a virgin.

“Heh. I’ll take your first kiss! I’ll annoy you to death! Every time you kiss someone from now on, you’ll think of me!”

With this childish, twisted sense of victory, she kissed him one last time and passed out.

*

Shanks rushed to steal the antidote and bring it to her as soon as he heard she’d been ambushed. Then she kissed him by force.

Shanks: “...”

No... She... Sigh.

After knowing her for so many years, he still couldn’t figure out what that dim little head of hers was thinking.

One really is an idiot, the other is pretending to be one. Their mutual illness is bringing them together √

Second series: “Amnesia”

The nemesis-loses-their-memory-and-falls-in-love-at-first-sight trope: One person loses their memory and experiences an instinctive emotional reaction when they see the other, with blushing and a racing heart. Their friends think it’s just the habitual hatred their body holds for their nemesis, but they’re the only one who knows it’s love at first sight. They mistakenly assume they were a couple before losing their memory, and cling to the other person without caring how bewildered they are.

[Part 1: Zeran, a cold, quiet swordswoman with a poker face x Shanks, who comes clean and stops pretending after losing his memory. He’s direct and honest.]

Her entire family was made up of single-minded martial arts fanatics, and Zeran was the best of them.

When she hit a wall in her training, her childhood friend Mihawk recommended a new friend of his, Shanks.

The man had terrifying talent, powerful swordsmanship, and a bold, easygoing personality. Most importantly, he could take a serious beating. Zeran was very satisfied with him.

They fought to their hearts’ content without a clear winner, so they agreed to meet again on the next full-moon night.

“He really is strong.” Watching Zeran leave, Shanks shook his aching wrist. “By the way, what kind of person did you say she likes?”

Remembering that the bell she wore close to her body seemed to have come from this guy, Mihawk suddenly realized he’d stumbled upon an enormous secret, and his gaze sharpened.

*

To celebrate Shanks becoming a Yonko, his crewmates threw a party. Shanks got drunk and only had eyes for the full moon, not where he was walking. He accidentally hit his head.

He lost his memory.

When Zeran arrived for their promised meeting, his eyes lit up. He thought she must be the person he’d been waiting for all this time, and naturally took her hand.

Zeran: “...?”

Why was her nemesis suddenly acting all clingy and affectionate?

After half an hour of hearing him confess his love at first sight with one cheesy line after another, she couldn’t take it anymore. She called her childhood friend over to check the man’s head.

Mihawk: “...Zeran, we don’t normally call this kind of person a nemesis. Do you understand?”

Still a poker-faced cutie, still mutually pining √

[Part 2: Zeran, who is honest, passionate, and direct both before and after losing her memory x Marco, who calmly and with great interest watches her performance.]

A pirate hunter’s job is to capture pirates for their bounties. Before she ran into Marco, who was as tough as iron, the genius swordswoman Zeran had enjoyed smooth sailing and a string of victories.

...The man recovered in a second no matter how badly he was beaten. He was strong as a monster.

She gave it everything she had and only managed to force a draw. He even tricked her into agreeing to an unfair contract that she would never touch any of the Whitebeard Pirates except him.

“Oh, right. You also smashed two of our cargo ships, yoi.” He lazily pulled out a bill and told her to pay up.

After he fleeced her for a huge sum, leaving her penniless and even taking her beloved golden bell, Zeran ground her teeth and threatened, “Wash your neck and wait for me.”

Marco had only been joking and hadn’t expected her to take him seriously. He laughed. “All right. I’ll wait for you, yoi.”

*

They spent over ten years squaring off like fighting cocks, neither gaining the upper hand. Instead, they developed a vague, ambiguous relationship.

Then, after she lost her memory, she refused to believe they were enemies and started earnestly pursuing him.

Marco listened to her awkward confession and did his best not to burst out laughing.

What was he supposed to do? He was looking forward more and more to seeing her recover her memory.

“We’ve kissed and hugged. You’ve already taken all the liberties you can. Isn’t it a little late to change your mind now, yoi?” √

Third series: “Water Mirror”

A misunderstanding about how they see their relationship: Female lead: I’m confessing, going on dates, and we’re both in love. Everything is going great. Male lead: ...Why does she keep challenging me?

[Part 1: Violette, an intensely serious and focused explorer x Marco, who’s fallen for her without realizing it and has incredible obliviousness]

For twenty years, she pursued him relentlessly. Every time they met, she’d say, “Marco, I’m going to make you willingly become mine,” and they’d fight again and again.

Marco always thought Violette was trying to recruit him as a crewmate. After all, she’d said exactly the same thing to her own first mate back in the day.

Over time, he got used to it and even joked about poaching her in return. “If you lose, you’ll become mine, yoi.”

That was until she took part in the Summit War, helped him save Ace, buried Pops, and fought Blackbeard by his side. When it was all over, she left him with those familiar words and turned to go.

Marco grabbed her. For the first time, he responded directly to her “poaching” declaration. “I’m really grateful, but I have to protect my family... I can’t become a member of your crew. I’m sorry.”

Violette was stunned. “What crewmate? Why would you become a member of my crew?”

The entire Phoenix froze in shock. It seemed to dawn on him. “Wait! So every time you came to fight me...?”

“It was a date.”

“And... every time after we fought, when you said, ‘I want you to willingly become mine’?”

“That was a confession. You responded, didn’t you? We’re in love with each other.”

Marco: “...”

He thought he... finally understood what he’d been missing all these years.

His face reddening, he could barely get the words out as he answered her feelings. “I accept... your, your... confession, but I need some time... to process this, yoi.”

She looked unhappy and pressed him step by step. “Why do you need time to process it? Don’t you like me?”

Marco’s face got even redder. “...It’s not that I don’t, yoi.”

[Part 2: Violette, still an intensely serious and focused explorer x Shanks, who sincerely thinks of her as his best friend and has never considered anything more.]

For twenty years, she had been his closest and most special friend.

Every time they met, she would say, “Shanks, let’s fight.” Her gaze would be intent and she’d give it everything she had, as though fighting him were the most important thing in the world.

She also gave him lots of strange gifts: moss that glowed when you touched it, wind chimes that went “baa,” and other things that perfectly matched his tastes.

He kept them in his captain’s quarters, beside his bed where he could see them every day.

Shanks enjoyed their duels and treasured the adventure stories she brought back from the ends of the world.

As responsibility and his power grew, he gradually became bound by invisible chains. Then she awakened her Devil Fruit ability and reached out from a glass of water to invite him. “Shanks, are you trapped? Want to go out and have some fun?”

She was breaking him out of jail.

Under Beckman’s murderous glare, he grabbed her hand without hesitation, escaped his tedious duties, and ran off to a series of adventures with just the two of them. From snow-capped mountain lakes to glowing jellyfish, from sunken cities to seas beneath the aurora... it was the long-missed feeling of freedom.

He grew more and more absorbed in it, holding her hand and telling the whole world she was his “best friend.” He got used to her “challenging” him, looked forward to her visits more and more, and even started planning their “elopement” routes himself.

He thought, It’s great to have a friend like her.

Until the smoke of the Summit War cleared. She had risked her life for him and collapsed from exhaustion. When he couldn’t help telling her not to throw her life away for other people so casually

“But you’re not other people,” she said matter-of-factly. “Aren’t we lovers?”

At that moment, Shanks stood frozen in place, his mind drowned in a sea of question marks.

...???

...We are? Since when?!

Fourth series: “The Farmer and the Snake”

The trope where you save your nemesis when they’re dying and have nothing left: an upgraded version of The Farmer and the Snake.

[Part 1: “Taming the Snake,” Ayla, a viper who toys with people’s hearts, couldn’t care less about life or death, and is no good at all x Shanks, who firmly controls her weak spot and knows exactly how to handle her with both kindness and force. Warning: snake mating season.]

As a half-human, half-snake monster, Ayla hated everything warm and living: kindness, excitement, friendship, the warmth of a human body. It all made her sick.

But she liked interesting people and things. She liked to lie beside people’s ears and use alluring, inflammatory words to stir up the greed and malice in their hearts.

After Shanks saved her when she was seriously wounded, she sneered and leaned close to tell him the story of the farmer and the snake, her voice slick and sticky. She told him that saving her was the worst decision he’d ever made.

Noticing that Shanks was uncomfortable, she deliberately stayed close, her lips and tongue always brushing his ear almost imperceptibly.

“Don’t you ever learn?” After she’d teased and provoked him one too many times, Shanks lost his patience and manners. He grabbed her by the neck and dragged her close. “Like getting really close to people? Is this close enough?”

Wrapped in his scorching body heat, Ayla froze instantly.

The snake wasn’t afraid of dying or pain. Her weakness was that she couldn’t handle intimate contact of any kind. As expected, it worked right away. Shanks forced her to sleep beside him, and she nearly threw up from the heat but couldn’t escape. After a few times, Ayla finally learned her lesson.

If you can’t beat him, stay away from him. She just needed to keep her distance from that man.

But she should have known that snakes also have a mating season.

Chaotic evil heroine who’s weak but loves picking fights √ You reap what you sow √

[Part 2: “Treating the Snake,” still Ayla, a cunning, cold-blooded, cruel viper without feelings x Marco, a compassionate doctor who’s a clean freak, tired, and disinterested in sex. Warning: snake mating season.]

Their abilities were a bad match. After Marco countered her best joint lock yet again, Ayla stared coldly at the Phoenix, knowing he was probably her natural enemy.

He’d saved her, and she had nowhere else to go, so she might as well stay aboard the Moby Dick and take the opportunity to “repay” Marco for saving her life.

But gradually, Ayla realized she didn’t really want to leave.

*

As a doctor, Marco’s touch was always restrained and professional. Through cold gloves, he never crossed a line, which gradually helped Ayla relax.

She liked that distance.

So when mating season arrived, she let him examine her and prepare suppressants without hesitation.

“That stuff doesn’t work at all.” After taking the herbal medicine for several days, she forced down her irritation and pushed open the door to the infirmary.

Marco looked at her, breathing heavily. “Is it that bad?”

Ayla shot him a mocking glance. “You can’t do anything about it. I’ll have to use the old method. I’ll... get off the ship for a bit and find some sturdy guy who can take a beating.”

He couldn’t do anything about it?

...He had the feeling she’d misunderstood something about him.

It was true he wasn’t very interested in that sort of thing, but he was still a man, wasn’t he?

Marco calmly put on his gloves. “And then? Kill him when you’re done? Better to come to me than look for someone like that, yoi.”

Ayla froze.

Marco knows anatomy inside out, so he’s exceptionally skilled √ She’s hooked on sleeping with him √

Theme: Ours is true love, after all.