He had sailed with the Strawhat Pirates for two weeks.
And now he was to be separated from them for two years.
Behind bars, a freakish attraction to a people even he found more than a little bizarre, Brook strummed his guitar.
He'd been able to wait forty years without any hope. He was sure he could wait out these measly two.
But as each day's sun set, and the next one rose, Brook found himself missing the strawhats more than he had expected.
There was Franky, the cyborg who had only just begun to sail with the strawhats when Brook met him.
There was Robin, whose panties he still hadn't seen.
There was Chopper, who had also lived life being called monster, yet aspired to heal everyone.
There was Sanji, who made the most delicious meals Brook had ever tasted. (Though he had no tongue! Yohohoho! Skull joke~!)
There was Usopp, who had experienced the most exciting and amazing adventures Brook had ever heard of.
There was Nami, who he dreaded to see, knowing she would have kept careful track of every beri of interest piling up over the next two years.
There was Zoro, who Brook knew enjoyed his violin playing even while he pretended to sleep.
And there was Luffy, his Captain, the boy who would be a man next time they met. The boy who had risked everything to help a skeleton he had known for a day.
Their time together had been fleeting, but Brook knew these next two years would be worth it when they were all together again. He knew he could never consider himself anything other than a Strawhat pirate.
northern lightsuniversejuiceSeptember 13 2010, 06:13:38 UTC
As the atmosphere swirled with unfamiliar substance, merging dirt and ice and light, Sanji felt an old, forgotten sensation well up somewhere inside of him. While all others on the island marveled at the likeness to trees of another island, the chef found himself comparing it to another phenomenon entirely.
It was rare that he reflected upon his childhood, too shy of the memories of pain, shame and hunger that separated the past and the immediate. Well over a decade, it must have been, since he'd last seen something of this sort. That long since he'd last seen the winters of North Blue. He thought back to the way he had reached out to the colors, fingers never quite managing to feel out the glow stretching over his head, and resisted the urge to imitate the motion now. He was too mature for that, wasn't he?
Chopper choked out sobs, Luffy whooped with fascination, Nami took a thrilled gasp, Vivi clasped her hands together, Usopp gawked in bafflement, and the algaehead simply watched. Sanji wondered, briefly, if any of them were looking at something besides the impossible tree, as well.
branchesoxymoronic3September 13 2010, 06:29:56 UTC
The day after Kuro had vanished from Syrup village once and for all, Usopp felt an odd melancholy settle heavily on his bones and a weight pressing against the pit of his stomach, something uncomfortable and familiar all at once. He brushed it off at first and laid an idle hand on his dresser before painfully rousing himself and going for a midnight walk.
By all means, he ought to have been tired--and he was, but his mind was too full to allow sleep to arrive. Soon, he found himself taking the familiar path through the forest down to the sea where he spent most of his days.
But something along the way gave him pause. The mighty trees had been there for as long as he could remember and he had spent the bulk of his childhood lingering amongst those branches, delighting in the idea that he could see for forever.
Now they were cut down. A small price to pay for the village's safety, but it was still a blow to realize that such a familiar place could be ripped apart in a day. Without quite realizing what he was doing, he sat down and picked up one of the branches and tossed it across the forest with a thump.
The branches were not the only thing from his childhood that had fallen today, he thought, falling backwards and spreading his skinny arms out against the myriad of leaves and branches that held him. Not all pirates were noble.
He raised his hand above him, splaying his tanned fingers against the black sky. They almost looked like the shadows of trees when he looked at them like that.
But some pirates are noble, he figured. Like Luffy. Like his Dad, the father he couldn't even remember, the father that Luffy knew, the father that Luffy was setting out on the sea to be like.
And that's when he realized what was weighing down on him--could he really stay here and pretend everything was normal after that? He was good at pretending, but not that good. No matter what he did, he couldn't possibly pretend that it was acceptable to stay here in relative peace when these amazing people were right here, when opportunity was calling, when he ought to be like his father, when he ought to be looking for adventure.
Usopp stood up and grabbed one of the branches to lean on all the way home.
But the next day, he knew, there were no more branches to lean on. The next day, he was going to be a pirate.
Re: Inheritancepenniless1September 13 2010, 09:34:59 UTC
Usually, it was all that was left to them. The name.
The Pirate King had it - so too the mother of his child. They both went ahead, but left it in capable hands with a smile; scarcely any tears.
Their son carried it, used it to search for acceptance and all-consuming love until his light burned out. He passed the will onto his brother.
Garp gave it to his son. Dragon gave it to Luffy. He wore it like a badge, so easily was it recognized and understood.
He did not appreciate it fully until his brother fell before him.
No-one knows who left it to Marshall, but the ugly truth was that it still fit. Darker, danker, deeper, devious, and disastrous, but it still fit.
A giant of a man used his to change one girl - no, to save one girl. It became her favorite letter in the alphabet. She would use it as a sign to flock to the son and learn from the father.
No initial stood for as much, with so little effort.
"Hey, what does the D. in your name stand for?" people would ask the heirs of that mark.
By the time such heirs had left, they would know the answer without a doubt.
Re: ImprobableandthusSeptember 13 2010, 16:09:09 UTC
When most people looked back on it, heard the story, told the tales, almost everyone had the thought run through their minds at least once.
How much luck did this crew have?
The barrel may have never wound up in the hands of pirates.
They could have arrived at the small village a day too late.
The lightning may have not struck the execution stand. although no one knew if that was really luck
They may not have picked up a stray princess trying to save her country.
Their navigator may not have gotten bitten by a once-thought-extinct insect. no one said all of their luck was good
They may not have ended up on the one island that held the doctor that could cure her.
An errant splash of water in a land of desert may not have landed on their captain.
They may have never made it all the way up to the island in the sky.
They may have never had a ship that managed to take them all the way to the city of water before breaking down. and still saved their lives when it seemed hope was lost
Any of the hammers of their crew may have washed overboard during a storm, never to be seen again.
They could have crashed and burned and drowned and lost at any time of their journey.
may have may have could have could have
But didn't. And against all odds, this tiny crew of mostly rookies and some oldies made it to the end of the world.
But when asked How did you get such luck?
The entire crew would grin and the captain would say Who needs luck when you have the will? Who needs coincidences when you have ambition? Who needs fate when you have dreams?
Re: Improbablezhadra_ahniSeptember 14 2010, 03:51:45 UTC
Who needs luck when you have the will? Who needs coincidences when you have ambition? Who needs fate when you have dreams?
*_____* Fffff, oh MAN, this, this, this. That is totally the view they'd take-even if they do have luck, coincidences, and fate on their side, they don't rely on them at all.
Man, I'm so taken with that line. I may quote it at some point in the future, no lie.
----------------------------------
He had sailed with the Strawhat Pirates for two weeks.
And now he was to be separated from them for two years.
Behind bars, a freakish attraction to a people even he found more than a little bizarre, Brook strummed his guitar.
He'd been able to wait forty years without any hope. He was sure he could wait out these measly two.
But as each day's sun set, and the next one rose, Brook found himself missing the strawhats more than he had expected.
There was Franky, the cyborg who had only just begun to sail with the strawhats when Brook met him.
There was Robin, whose panties he still hadn't seen.
There was Chopper, who had also lived life being called monster, yet aspired to heal everyone.
There was Sanji, who made the most delicious meals Brook had ever tasted. (Though he had no tongue! Yohohoho! Skull joke~!)
There was Usopp, who had experienced the most exciting and amazing adventures Brook had ever heard of.
There was Nami, who he dreaded to see, knowing she would have kept careful track of every beri of interest piling up over the next two years.
There was Zoro, who Brook knew enjoyed his violin playing even while he pretended to sleep.
And there was Luffy, his Captain, the boy who would be a man next time they met. The boy who had risked everything to help a skeleton he had known for a day.
Their time together had been fleeting, but Brook knew these next two years would be worth it when they were all together again. He knew he could never consider himself anything other than a Strawhat pirate.
----------------------------------
Prompt: northern lights
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It was rare that he reflected upon his childhood, too shy of the memories of pain, shame and hunger that separated the past and the immediate. Well over a decade, it must have been, since he'd last seen something of this sort. That long since he'd last seen the winters of North Blue. He thought back to the way he had reached out to the colors, fingers never quite managing to feel out the glow stretching over his head, and resisted the urge to imitate the motion now. He was too mature for that, wasn't he?
Chopper choked out sobs, Luffy whooped with fascination, Nami took a thrilled gasp, Vivi clasped her hands together, Usopp gawked in bafflement, and the algaehead simply watched. Sanji wondered, briefly, if any of them were looking at something besides the impossible tree, as well.
---
Prompt: branches
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By all means, he ought to have been tired--and he was, but his mind was too full to allow sleep to arrive. Soon, he found himself taking the familiar path through the forest down to the sea where he spent most of his days.
But something along the way gave him pause. The mighty trees had been there for as long as he could remember and he had spent the bulk of his childhood lingering amongst those branches, delighting in the idea that he could see for forever.
Now they were cut down. A small price to pay for the village's safety, but it was still a blow to realize that such a familiar place could be ripped apart in a day. Without quite realizing what he was doing, he sat down and picked up one of the branches and tossed it across the forest with a thump.
The branches were not the only thing from his childhood that had fallen today, he thought, falling backwards and spreading his skinny arms out against the myriad of leaves and branches that held him. Not all pirates were noble.
He raised his hand above him, splaying his tanned fingers against the black sky. They almost looked like the shadows of trees when he looked at them like that.
But some pirates are noble, he figured. Like Luffy. Like his Dad, the father he couldn't even remember, the father that Luffy knew, the father that Luffy was setting out on the sea to be like.
And that's when he realized what was weighing down on him--could he really stay here and pretend everything was normal after that? He was good at pretending, but not that good. No matter what he did, he couldn't possibly pretend that it was acceptable to stay here in relative peace when these amazing people were right here, when opportunity was calling, when he ought to be like his father, when he ought to be looking for adventure.
Usopp stood up and grabbed one of the branches to lean on all the way home.
But the next day, he knew, there were no more branches to lean on. The next day, he was going to be a pirate.
--
Burn
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(The comment has been removed)
The Pirate King had it - so too the mother of his child. They both went ahead, but left it in capable hands with a smile; scarcely any tears.
Their son carried it, used it to search for acceptance and all-consuming love until his light burned out. He passed the will onto his brother.
Garp gave it to his son. Dragon gave it to Luffy. He wore it like a badge, so easily was it recognized and understood.
He did not appreciate it fully until his brother fell before him.
No-one knows who left it to Marshall, but the ugly truth was that it still fit. Darker, danker, deeper, devious, and disastrous, but it still fit.
A giant of a man used his to change one girl - no, to save one girl. It became her favorite letter in the alphabet. She would use it as a sign to flock to the son and learn from the father.
No initial stood for as much, with so little effort.
"Hey, what does the D. in your name stand for?" people would ask the heirs of that mark.
By the time such heirs had left, they would know the answer without a doubt.
Reply
Improbable
Reply
How much luck did this crew have?
The barrel may have never wound up in the hands of pirates.
They could have arrived at the small village a day too late.
The lightning may have not struck the execution stand.
although no one knew if that was really luck
They may not have picked up a stray princess trying to save her country.
Their navigator may not have gotten bitten by a once-thought-extinct insect.
no one said all of their luck was good
They may not have ended up on the one island that held the doctor that could cure her.
An errant splash of water in a land of desert may not have landed on their captain.
They may have never made it all the way up to the island in the sky.
They may have never had a ship that managed to take them all the way to the city of water before breaking down.
and still saved their lives when it seemed hope was lost
Any of the hammers of their crew may have washed overboard during a storm, never to be seen again.
They could have crashed and burned and drowned and lost at any time of their journey.
may have
may have
could have
could have
But didn't. And against all odds, this tiny crew of mostly rookies and some oldies made it to the end of the world.
But when asked
How did you get such luck?
The entire crew would grin and the captain would say
Who needs luck when you have the will? Who needs coincidences when you have ambition? Who needs fate when you have dreams?
------
Prompt: lazy 3 o'clock sunday
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(The comment has been removed)
My first time writing for One Piece other than just words prompting sentences, so I'm trying to get more involved with writing ^^;
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*_____* Fffff, oh MAN, this, this, this. That is totally the view they'd take-even if they do have luck, coincidences, and fate on their side, they don't rely on them at all.
Man, I'm so taken with that line. I may quote it at some point in the future, no lie.
Reply
That is, without a doubt, one of the best lines. A snarky start with creative use of d's.
The whole thing is just nicely written. It makes me smile from start to finished. :)
Reply
Oh wow.
He could never mistake the presence of charred flesh.
He wouldn't, would he.
(Did Oda know, do you think, when he gave Ace his devil's fruit that this was in his past? Because if he did... @_@)
*shivers*
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