[One Piece Short Stories] Isn't Your Nemesis Just Your Wife?

Please note: every story here features enemies-to-lovers! An absolutely lethal dose of nemesis tropes!

A collection of short, standalone stories, most likely told in two parts or as one-shots. Extras may appear whenever inspiration strikes. Male leads: Ace, Marco, and Shanks.

The first series: "The Unexplainable Kiss"

The classic enemies-to-lovers trope: After the final battle, you think you're as good as dead. Just to disgust your nemesis before you go, you use your last bit of strength to lean in and kiss them. Who knew your nemesis would go to incredible lengths to save you? By the time you come to, the two of you have been sitting across from each other all afternoon, and you still haven't come up with an explanation.

[Part 1: Atreya, an honest, upright, top-of-her-class genius Marine girl, x Marco, a roguish old hand who really loves teasing her. A straightforward approach conquers all.]

After losing Pops and Ace at Marineford, Marco led his brothers into battle against Blackbeard Teach.

Atreya came, too.

She wasn't wearing her uniform. She'd come for him. She was worried sick about him. It wasn't wishful thinking: after being his nemesis for over twenty years, Marco knew her better than she expected.

He just hadn't expected this idiot to save him at the cost of her own life.

With the last of her strength, she leaned close and planted a kiss at the corner of his lips.

"Sigh... Marco's expression is pretty funny." Thinking that, she passed out contentedly.

A few days later, Atreya, who had been rescued with everything they had, stammered and rambled about this and that. Marco wouldn't take the bait.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "So, have you thought of an explanation for that last yoi?"

Atreya: "..."

Honestly, she might as well have died.

*

Atreya had followed the rules and served as a Marine for twenty years. The most outrageous thing she'd ever done was turn down Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's appointment of her as an admiral.

She really couldn't stand those damn Celestial Dragons.

The first thing she did after resigning was go rescue her nemesis. To be honest, she didn't even know what she was doing.

For days, she couldn't stop thinking about the look on his face after losing everything. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She thought maybe she just... didn't want him to die.

Marco loves teasing girls, then gets his heart racing when her unintentional, straightforward advances turn the tables on him. √ The saint has a selfish side. √

[Part 2: Atreya, a confident, flirtatious, experienced bad girl, x Shanks, a hot-blooded young man who fears no one and acts before he thinks. Older woman/younger man.]

As the captain of the Traveler Pirates, Atreya's favorite thing was teasing rookie pirate boys.

Every time she called him "Redhead" and messed with him, Shanks gritted his teeth and swore that one day, he'd take her down.

...So he didn't know why he fought so desperately to save her from the Marines.

Watching her frantically call for the ship's doctor, her lips pale with worry, he suddenly remembered what Beckman had said: "Her lips are perfect for kissing."

Shanks was shocked to realize he regretted never getting to try out the kissing skills she was supposedly so good at, even if he was about to die.

He did whatever came to mind. To everyone's astonishment, he reached up, grabbed the back of her neck, and kissed her fiercely with all his strength.

*

By the time Shanks woke up, the two of them had spent an awkward afternoon sitting in silence.

A kiss for a life: when she thought about it, she had gotten the better deal. Atreya put out her cigarette with a troubled sigh, ready to crack a joke and move on.

But Shanks spoke first. "That kiss doesn't count."

Atreya: "Huh?"

Wasn't that her line? How could he say that with a straight face?

"I wasn't in my right mind. I didn't feel a thing," Shanks said frankly and calmly. "When I'm better, let's do it again."

Atreya: "...What?!"

Was he challenging her to a fight? No, seriously, how does this brat's brain work?!

A flirt who's secretly a romantic. √ My favorite role reversal: "A kid? I'm not a kid. Don't believe me? Find out for yourself." √

[Part 3: Charlotte Astana, a completely obsessive, emotionless madwoman, x Marco, whom the madwoman considers her property. Twisted pure love.]

Even in the twisted world of Totto Land, Anasta was an oddity. She was a madwoman who couldn't feel any emotions, not even familial love.

That is, until she met Marco.

He smiled and asked her, "Hey, are all of Big Mom's daughters this hard to deal with, yoi?"

She stared at that smiling face for a few moments longer.

She thought, Good. From now on, this bird is mine.

*

The news spread across the seas in no time. Everyone thought her relentless pursuit and targeting of him came from an extreme desire for the Phoenix fruit, and that this was a long, bloody hunt.

Marco himself had thought so, too.

On the verge of death, he kissed her just to disgust her one last time. He was pleased to see the spectacular expression on the madwoman's face.

Later, when she pinned him to the bed and paid him back in full, he finally understood that what she wanted... had never been the Phoenix fruit.

"I won't love you, but I won't let anyone but me touch you. You belong to me alone." A heartless person finds true feelings. √

[Part 4: Astana, a proud, stubborn Supernova who refuses to lose, x Shanks, another Supernova whom she sees as her rival and is always picking fights with. A lighthearted, sweet romance.]

Known as the "Red Owl" because of her hair, Astana had been outclassed by that bastard Shanks ever since she became a pirate.

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

Astana was thoroughly annoyed.

There can only be one redhead on these seas!

And! That! Is! Her!!

During yet another life-or-death duel with him, she was caught off guard by a sneak attack. She was one move behind, and he knocked her sword to the ground.

She watched Shanks walk toward her step by step. She'd lost, and she accepted that. She'd been ready for him to kill her.

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

"Hehe, I'll take your first kiss! Let's see if I can disgust you to death! From now on, every time you kiss someone, you'll think of me!"

With that childish, twisted sense of victory, she gave him one last kiss and passed out.

*

Shanks had panicked when he heard she'd been ambushed. He rushed over with the antidote he'd fought to get from the Marines, only to get kissed by her. "..."

No, she... Sigh.

After knowing her all these years, he still couldn't figure out what was going on in that not-too-bright head of hers.

One is genuinely stupid, the other pretends to be. Their mutual affliction brings them together. √

The second series: "Amnesia"

The nemesis-with-amnesia-at-first-sight trope: One person loses their memory, but feels an instinctive emotional stir when they see the other, their heart racing and their face flushing. Their friends think it's the body's habitual dislike of a nemesis, but only they know it's love at first sight. So they mistakenly assume they and the other person were lovers before the amnesia, and cling to them affectionately, no matter how bewildered the other person is.

[Part 1: Zelan, a taciturn, cool-faced swordswoman, x Shanks, who loses his memory, drops the act, and comes right out with his feelings.]

Everyone in Zelan's family was a single-minded martial arts fanatic, and she was one of the most devoted of them all.

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

He had terrifying talent, formidable swordsmanship, and a carefree personality. Most importantly, he could take a serious beating. Zelan was quite pleased with him.

They fought to their hearts' content without either one winning, so they agreed to meet again on the next full-moon night.

"He's really strong." Watching Zelan leave, Shanks rubbed his aching wrist. "Oh, right. What kind of person did you say she likes?"

Remembering that the bell Zelan wore close to her body seemed to have been a gift from this guy, Mihawk, who had just learned an astonishing secret, suddenly gave him a sharp look.

*

To celebrate Shanks becoming one of the Four Emperors, his crew threw a party. Shanks had drunk too much and was busy watching the full moon instead of where he was going. He accidentally hit his head.

He lost his memory.

When Zelan showed up for their promised meeting, his eyes lit up. This must be the person he'd been waiting for all along, he thought, and naturally took her hand.

Zelan: "...?"

Why was her nemesis suddenly acting so clingy and affectionate?

After he'd spent half an hour confessing all kinds of passionate, cheesy lines she'd never heard before, she couldn't take it anymore. She called her childhood friend over and asked him to check this man's head.

Mihawk: "...Zelan, we don't usually call this kind of thing a nemesis. You understand?"

Still a deadpan cutie, plus mutual pining. √

[Part 2: Zelan, still a frank and passionate straight shooter before and after losing her memory, x Marco, who watches her performance with calm amusement.]

Hunting pirates for their bounties was a pirate hunter's job. Before she ran into Marco, this formidable swordswoman, Zelan, had been sailing through life without a hitch.

...No matter how badly you beat this man up, he'd recover in a second. He was strong as a monster.

She gave it her all and managed only a draw. He even tricked her into agreeing to an unfair deal: she could never lay a hand on any member of the Whitebeard Pirates except him.

"Oh, and you wrecked two of our cargo ships, yoi." He lazily pulled out the bill and gestured for her to pay.

After getting swindled out of a huge sum, spending her entire savings, and even losing her beloved golden bell, Zelan gritted her teeth and threatened him. "Wash your neck and wait for me."

Marco had only been joking and hadn't expected her to take him so seriously. He grinned. "Sure. I'll be waiting, yoi."

*

For over ten years, the two had faced off like fighting cocks. Neither ever got the better of the other, but a vague, ambiguous tension had grown between them.

Then she lost her memory and refused to believe they were enemies. Instead, she started pursuing him in all seriousness.

Marco listened to her awkward confession, trying his best not to burst out laughing.

What was he supposed to do? He was getting more and more eager to see what she'd be like when she got her memory back.

"We've kissed and hugged. You've already taken every last advantage of me. Isn't it a little late to change your mind now, yoi?" √

The third series: "Water Mirror"

The misunderstanding trope: The female lead is trying her hardest to confess, trying her hardest to go on dates, and the two are mutually in love. Everything is going smoothly. The male lead: ...Why does she keep provoking me?

[Part 1: Virlit, an extremely serious and dedicated explorer, x Marco, who is smitten but doesn't realize it and is astonishingly oblivious.]

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 Virlit was trying to recruit him as a crewmate. After all, she'd said the exact same thing to her first mate back in the day.

Over time, he got used to it and even started trying to recruit her in return with a grin. "Then if you lose, you'll become mine, yoi."

Then she joined the Summit War, helped him save Ace, buried Pops, and fought Blackbeard alongside him. When all was said and done, she turned to leave after delivering her familiar line...

Marco stopped her. For the first time, he responded directly to her "recruitment" pitch. "I'm really grateful to you, but I have to protect my family... I can't become one of your crewmates. Sorry."

Virlit stared at him. "What crewmate? Why would you become one of my crewmates?"

The entire Phoenix froze in shock. Then he seemed to realize something. "Wait! So every time you came to fight me...?"

"It was a date."

"And... every time after we fought, when you said you wanted me to willingly become yours?"

"That was a confession. You responded, too, didn't you? We're in love with each other."

Marco: "..."

It seemed... he had finally realized what he'd been missing all these years.

His face red, he answered her feelings almost incoherently. "I accept... your, your... confession, but you'll have to give me a little time... to process it, yoi."

At that, she looked dissatisfied and pressed him further. "Why do you need time to process it? Don't you like me?"

Marco's face turned even redder. "...I-I wouldn't say that, yoi."

[Part 2: Still Virlit, an extremely serious and dedicated explorer, x Shanks, who sincerely considers her his best friend and has never once thought of her that way.]

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

Every time they met, she'd say, "Shanks, let's fight." Her gaze was focused, and she gave it everything she had, as if fighting him were the most important thing in the world.

She also gave him all kinds of amazing gifts: moss that glowed when touched, wind chimes that went baa... Every one was perfectly suited to his tastes.

He kept the gifts in his cabin, 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 his responsibilities and influence grew, invisible shackles began to bind him. Then she awakened her Devil Fruit power and reached out to him from a cup of water, inviting him along. "Shanks, are you trapped? Want to get out and have some fun?"

She'd come to break him out of prison.

Ignoring Beckman's murderous glare, he grabbed her hand without hesitation, escaped his endless paperwork, and set off with her on one adventure after another, just the two of them. From a snowy mountain lake to a gathering of glowing jellyfish, from a sunken ancient city to an aurora-lit sea... It was the long-missed feeling of freedom.

He grew more and more immersed in it. He took her hand and told the whole world she was his "best friend," got used to her "challenges," and even began looking forward to her visits more and more, planning their "elopement" routes himself.

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

Then, after the smoke of the Summit War had cleared, she risked her life for him and collapsed from exhaustion. When he couldn't help warning her, "Don't go risking your life for just anyone"...

"But you're not just anyone," she said as if it were obvious. "Aren't we lovers?"

At that moment, Shanks stood rooted to the spot, his mind drowning in question marks.

...???

...Us? Since when?!

The fourth series: "The Farmer and the Snake"

The trope of saving a dying nemesis who has lost everything: an upgraded version of the story of the farmer and the snake.

[Part 1: "Taming the Snake": Ayla, a venomous snake who toys with people's hearts, cares nothing for life or death, and is no good at all, x Shanks, who knows exactly how to handle her, softening and hardening his approach to keep a firm grip on her weak point. Snake mating season warning.]

Ayla was a half-human, half-snake monster who hated all warm things equally: kindness, excitement, friendship, the warmth of other people. Everything made her sick.

But she liked interesting people and things. She liked leaning close to people's ears and using her seductive, inflammatory words to stir up the greed and malice in their hearts.

After Shanks saved her when she was gravely wounded, she leaned toward him with a cold smile and told him the story of the farmer and the snake. Her voice was wet and cloying as she told him that saving her was the worst decision he'd ever make.

Noticing Shanks's discomfort, she deliberately stayed close, her lips and tongue brushing his ear now and then.

"You never learn, do you?" After she'd teased and provoked him one too many times, Shanks lost his patience and his gentlemanly manners. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her close. "You like being close to people? Is this close enough?"

Wrapped in the scorching heat of his body, Ayla froze instantly.

This snake feared neither death nor pain. Her weakness was that she couldn't handle any degree of intimate contact. As expected, it worked immediately. He forced her to sleep beside him, and she was so overheated she felt like throwing up but couldn't escape. After a few times, Ayla finally learned her lesson.

If she couldn't beat him, she could at least avoid him, right? She just had to stay away from this man.

But the one thing she absolutely shouldn't have done was forget that snakes had a mating season.

A chaotic evil female lead who's weak but loves to play with fire. √ She brought it on herself. √

[Part 2: "Treating the Snake": Still Ayla, a cunning, cold-blooded, cruel, emotionless venomous snake, x Marco, a compassionate doctor with a cleanliness obsession, tired of everything, and disinterested in sex. Snake mating season warning.]

Their abilities were a perfect counter to each other. Once again, Marco broke through the joint lock she was best at. 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 decided to stay on the Moby Dick and take the opportunity to "repay" Marco properly for saving her life.

But little by little, Ayla realized she didn't really want to leave.

*

As a doctor, Marco's touch was always restrained and professional. His cold gloves kept it entirely proper, and Ayla gradually relaxed.

She liked having that distance between them.

So when her mating season came around, she calmly let him examine her and prepare a suppressant.

"That stuff doesn't work at all." After drinking the herbal medicine for a few days, she pushed down her irritation and shoved open the door to the infirmary.

Marco looked at her panting heavily. "Is it that bad?"

Ayla gave him a mocking glance. "You can't do anything about it anyway. I'll have to use the old method. I'm... going ashore for a while to find some sturdy guy who can take a beating."

He couldn't do anything about it?

...It seemed she had some kind of misconception about him.

He might not be that interested in sex, but he was still a man, wasn't he?

Marco calmly put on his gloves. "And then what? Kill him when you're done? You'd be better off coming to me, yoi."

Ayla froze.

Marco knows anatomy inside and out, so his technique is exceptionally good. √ She got hooked on sleeping with him. √

Theme: As everyone knows, nemeses are best friends, who are wives.