🚨 We Need Your Kindness To Survive 🚨

my girl finally got her car chase im so proud🙏

im not even into bsd anymore but i found this old drawing LMAO

We missed a golden opportunity for angst because of Toichi being dead but still being Yuusaku's brother

We could have Yuusaku having another good reason to help his son because his OWN BROTHER was killed by hitmen, and he doesn't want to go through that again.

We could also have Kaito having painful reminders of his dad being dead because Yuusaku's books and portraits everywhere. And vice versa with Yuusaku seeing Toichi in his son and nephew.

(And that's why Shinichi don't know they're related. Because of grief.)

Also, the implications of Vermouth and Yukiko being Toichi's pupils makes this whole mess more interesting. Toichi haunting the narrative.

tsujimura for the ask game? :D

tsujimura mizuki—bsd !

favorite thing about them: i love her hair so so much!! it's one of my favorite things to draw whenever im sketching her.. i love the waves and swirls, especially from her side bangs.

least favorite thing about them: the fact that she's confined in gaiden </3 (no dead apple doesn't count)

favorite line: "a monster lurking within me. an abnormality holding my breath behind my daily life." & "ayatsuji-sensei, you really are a horrible person."

brOTP: tsujimura and chuuya bestfriendism agenda. you Will listen and you Will follow the agenda.

OTP: soutsuji. pretend to be shocked

nOTP: chuutsuji, i can only see it as platonic </3

random headcanon: her apartment is small and, admittedly, lonely. there is no one to greet her after a long day of work, not even a pet waiting by the door. ayatsuji jokingly suggested that she get a succulent plant to "liven her place up" because it could still live even with her dreadful work hours. she took his suggestion to heart and bought a couple of them to place around the apartment. tsujimura has named them all human names. whenever she talks about them to co-workers they keep thinking that it's a relative/distant friend.

unpopular opinion: tsujimura is neither "girlboss" or "girlfailure" on either extreme ends. she is, in fact, in the middle. she is a girlfailure girlboss in desperate need of a week long break.

song i associate with them: class of 2013, mitski (anything by mitski is tsujimura-core to me, really) / dirty and clean, stephanie schneiderman / all-in, 6fu / bagyo, cup of joe / the moment i said it, imogen heap

favorite picture of them: i especially love how oyoyo-sensei draws tsujimura in the latest chapters! she looks so much like a doll.. god she's so gorjusest. i also am very fond of chibi tsujimura

Love Under a Starry Sky

my first fic how nostalgic T-T

full fic underneath :)

Chapter 1: The Letter

Hi guys this ff was meant to be more cheerful but Aoko is a little OOC. I do promise a happy ending tho!

~ ♡ ~

Kaito was no way or form in love with his best friend. Not at all. He didn't love her cute face or messy hair. He didn't love the way she speaks or the clumsy way she walks. And he definitely didn't love her eyes, not the way they sparkled - true to her name the child of blue. Aoko Nakamori. She definitely didn't keep him up at night. Kaito knew Aoko wasn't the prettiest or most elegant girl but to him she was perfect, but his situation prevented him from telling her. Telling her she was the only one for him.

Aoko definitely loved her best friend and it scared her. He was Kaito, her silly childhood friend. The one who always looked up her skirt or was pulling mean pranks on her. However, he was always there, when she was scared or upset. Ready to hug her or to cheer her up. She liked how his arms wrapped around her and his calm voice, she really liked that part of him.

Despite her knowing him most her life, it still scares her, he's definitely hiding something - something big. whatever it is she knows she'll be hurt. That's why when she got the letter, both of them were surprised - Aoko was friendly and cute but she had never received a love letter. Reading it, Kaito felt his heart twist and he didn't like this new feeling.

_Dear Aoko Nakamori,

I think about you all the time - I don't think you hear it often enough, but you're beautiful. I have wanted to tell you this for a really long time, unfortunately I never got the chance, so I am writing to you instead.

I like you. I don't expect you to reply immediately, let's say today 22:30 on the school rooftop. I look forward to seeing you.

Your Secret Admirer.

P.S. I hope you like the gift._

It was simple enough, it was clear whoever wrote this didn't spend too much time on it but the thought was there. The paper itself was of high quality and a pretty baby blue and the gift referred to in the letter was a pair of clip on earrings - the same crystal clear blue of her eyes. The same eyes he loved staring at.

'Aoko,' he began, trying to swallow his jealousy, 'you don't plan on going do you?'

Her reply wasn't what he expected, the usually happy and lively girl he knew just looked fed up. 'Why shouldn't I?' It was barely a whisper but it scared him, Aoko was never this quiet. Something was bothering her. 'At least that way I won't be alone, plus it's not like I had anything to do anyway.'

'Alone? Aoko what do you mean?' Kaito knew that even if she was sad, she usually made an effort to sound cheerful, but she wasn't. 'Kid's heist is today, that bastard that's stealing my dad away from me, strikes again.'

'Bastard? Aoko what do you mean alone,' this was very bad, Aoko hated being alone, but she hasn't brought up the topic in a while, 'you have me, don't you?'

'Do I Kaito? Do I really? Recently you've been so distant.' She looked like she was trying hard to hold back her tears. He hated seeing her like this, but he couldn't do anything. He was that bastard, the one whose stealing her father, the reason he's been distant.

'Aoko-san?' This voice - ugh. Hakuba. Kaito turned to face the boy walking towards them, his face suggested he was worried about Aoko's demeanour, her usual smiling face covered by her hair and eyes glassed over with tears.

'Nakamori-san? What are you holding?' Akako wasn't really one to talk to Aoko without insulting her in some way, but even she sounded concerned.

'Aoko-san, if you're not feeling well you should go back home and rest.'

'That's right Nakamori-san, you should get some rest.'

Aoko mumbled something along the lines of 'okay, I might as well,' but it was hard to tell. As she walked towards the door she bumped into Keiko - one of her good friends, they talked for a little bit before Aoko walked out of the classroom and made her way out of the school.

'Shouldn't you be doing something Kuroba-kun, she is your best friend?'

'I don't think she wants to talk to me,' he began, feeling the eyes of his class land on him as Aoko left.

'Don't be ridiculous Kaito-kun, of course she wants to talk to you.'

'Keiko?'

'She's clearly upset about something and the least you could do as her best friend is try and talk to her.' He sighed, Aoko was upset about something he was a part of, he couldn't postpone today's heist without confirming Hakuba's suspicions and probably Aoko's too. The best he could do was to talk to her after school.

Today was definitely going to be busy.

Chapter 2: Talk

The day was painfully long, Kaito couldn't listen to his teachers anymore and lunchtime was even worse. A number of students had assumed that Aoko had left that morning because of a fight they had. A number of girls from their year asked whether she had been rejected by him, to which he could only blush and deny that anything romantic had happened between them.

However the worst part of all was his own classmates asking if the love letter had been from him - idiots, he'd have done something way better than this, something way more extravagant.

He couldn't wait for this day to be over and when it did he was glad he didn't have cleaning duty. He got back home as fast as he could, ignoring his mum's questions and running to his room. He quickly changed into something more casual before, once again, running out of the room and towards the exit. His mum had other plans though. She caught him by the hood of his jacket and made him explain what happened. 

'I see, Aoko-chan is upset with you in more ways than one,' she chuckled, clearly thinking about the irony that he so happens to be Kid. 'You should kiss her.'

'Kiss!?' he sputtered, his mum was known for her carefree attitude and weird personality, but that was crossing a line. 'WHAT- what do you mean kiss?'

'Ha - you thought I wouldn't notice your little crush on little Aoko-chan, you should tell her and probably kiss her too. After all when your dad kissed me I couldn't help but fall head-over-heels for him...'

Kaito had quickly sneaked away whilst his mum was stuck reminiscing about the past, kiss Aoko - ridiculous he definitely didn't like her, at least not in that way. He sighed before crossing the road to get to Aoko's place, he had been delayed too much.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on her front door hoping she would answer and preferably not kill him. Aoko took a while to answer the door so he waited before knocking again. She was really taking her sweet time getting to the door, but before he could knock a third time she opened the door. She had clearly been crying and had probably cried herself to sleep at one point - her eyes were very puffy, her clothes, and hair was messy as if she'd been lying down.

'Kaito?' Her voice was quiet, he fought the urge to call her cute, her cute clothes and messy hair were making it really hard. However, it would probably make her more annoyed.

'Aoko can I come in?' She nodded silently and motioned him to come in. 

'Why are you here Kaito? Don't you have anything to be doing right now?' 

'I do, but you're more important than that,' he shot her one of his signature smirks, but she rolled her eyes and chuckled. Good - he thought - she's smiling again.

'But really why are you here?' She sunk back into the sofa and he followed.

'You weren't yourself this morning, and I guess I was worried about you,' he inched a little closer to her and nearly jumped when she turned to face him. Her face was suddenly very close to his. He was used to teasing her from a slight distance, however being this physically close made his stomach flip. He also made the mistake of glancing at her lips and his mum's words came back to him. If he leaned further in their lips would meet and they'd be kissing. Kissing Aoko, Aoko his best friend, Aoko the girl he was currently very close to. He could feel his face heat up and was slightly thankful when she buried herself in his arms so she couldn't see his face that was becoming redder. 

'Um Aoko? Is everything okay?' He carefully wrapped his arms around her and tried to calm his heart down.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude to you this morning, I was just annoyed and took it out on you,' when she looked up, her pouting face made his heart beat way too fast. Her lips were also very close, he shook his head and pushed her away slightly. Cursing those thoughts for coming back.

'It's quite hot in here, right?' He fanned himself with his hands. Aoko looked at him with a confused face.

'I did turn up the heating because it was cold, but you're probably feeling hot because you're wearing that massive jacket of yours.' He chuckled nervously at her statement and tried to shrug off his jacket. He placed his jacket in the edge of the sofa and looked back to her, she was slightly further away from him, which was a good thing, but he suddenly missed the feeling of having her in his arms.

'So, um, you know,' he began, anxiously turning to face her.

'Yes?'

'About that..'

'About what?'

'That letter, you know the one you got this morning? Are you going to go?'

'Oh that I nearly forgot,' she got up and walked towards the chest of drawers, picking up the letter and shaking out the earrings put inside. She clipped them on as she walked towards him.

'What do you think? Aren't they pretty? I'm going to wear them when I meet whoever wrote that letter.'

'So you're really going huh?' 

'Ooh are you jealous Kaito?'

'NO! Why would I be? Hah! Jealous - preposterous!' He was really sputtering now. Aoko on the other hand was laughing at the odd face he was making.

'You should see how you look right now. I'm just going to thank whoever it is, but I have someone else I like.' She giggled at his clear relief, only to be confused yet again.

'You do!? Who?'

She chuckled, 'I'm not telling you,' and walked away, leaving a very puzzled Kaito behind.

'Hey! Wait! At least tell me how you're going to get there and back!'

Aoko stopped walking away and looked at him, 'you know I haven't really thought about that.'

'Really,' he wasn't surprised, she was usually this scatterbrained.

'I can't drop you there, but I can pick you up,' he started, but quickly added that he had to do something for Jii-chan when she glared at him. 'You should bring your helmet with you, I'm taking my bike to the parlour.'

'Sure, don't be late okay?'

''Kay.' He smiled at her before leaving, it had gotten surprisingly late. 

He smiled as he got onto his bike, all he had to do was complete this heist and meet her at school.

Easy.

Chapter 3: The Heist and the Confession

10 minutes. Kaito was listening carefully to the bugs placed at the heist location. His target tonight was a sapphire, it was being bought over for an exhibition. Sadly, this was the only big jewel on display.

'Inspector Nakamori, the emergency lights have been prepped and the generator is hidden at the back of the room.'

'Good, we'll be ready for that pesky thief now.'

He breathed out, 'so that's how you want to play it.' He placed the mask of the officer on and placed another mask on top. One could never be too careful. He turned on his walkie-talkie and in Inspector Nakamori's voice told the officers he had spotted Kid in the exhibition room and for everyone to gather there.  Now the officers not in the exhibition room would rush there, allowing him to slip in.

He made his way there, ready to start the next phase of his plan.

As soon as he was there, the room was already in panic allowing him to go to the back of the room. After confirming that the generator was turned off, he tripped the switches. The room was plunged into darkness.

'TURN ON THE GENERATOR, QUICKLY!'

'But, sir...'

'NOW!'

'Sir, the generator, it's broken!'

'WHAT! SOMEONE TURN ON A LIGHT!'

'Sir! The sapphire!'

'WHAT!'

Kaito let the lights turn on, after all, what's a heist without showing off?

'Inspector Nakamori, as you can see I now have the jewel.'

'KID!'

'You really made it too easy, Inspector, that wasn't even a challenge.'

'KID HOW DARE YOU!'

'Oh calm down inspector, there's no need to shout.'

He pulled his hat further down and threw a smoke bomb, allowing him to escape on his hang glider. It was odd that the heist was too easy, there was a tracker on the fake jewel. The real one was inside the generator. He had slid the jewel into the pocket of the exhibition owner. Who was also 'sleeping' in the toilet (he disguised the officer he put to sleep as the owner). That way, they will be tricked into thinking that the Kaito Kid flying away is just a dummy (with the help of a fake propeller and some balloons). He laughed, no-one can trick someone who lies professionally.

Now to Ekoda High School.

Aoko shivered slightly as she stood on the roof of the school. It had been slightly hard work to sneak in, but that didn't really matter. This feeling was definitely liberating. The cold night air and slight wind didn't deter her. She had chosen to wear a white dress with dark blue details, to match the earrings she had been given.

She stared up at the sky, the city lights dimmed the stars but the moon was beautiful. She glanced around the night sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kid, she wasn't sure why she was looking for him. Maybe she just wanted to know whether he'd been caught or not. Sighing, she turned around only to be surprised by a new presence on the rooftop.

'Kid.' The Phantom Thief was standing a few feet away from her. She could see his smug smile from underneath the hat.

'Nakamori-san,' he pulled out the jewel from today's heist, 'just the person I was looking for.'

'What are you doing here?' Her happy mood has disappeared. He held the sapphire to the moonlight.

'This isn't what I'm looking for, so I'll give it to you.' 

She blinked in confusion, 'me?'

'I don't doubt you Nakamori-san,' he began walking toward the end of the roof.

'Why return them? The jewels I mean?' She chuckled at his confusion as he turned around, 'you worked so hard to steal them, why not keep them?'

'It's quite simple actually,' he pulled out his hang glider, 'I don't keep what's not mine, after all I have a better sapphire.'

He stepped off the edge of the roof, flying away.

Or at least that's what it looked like. This time it really was a dummy flying away, the real Kaito had put on his black cloak and was now dangling from the side of the school. He carefully made his way down the side and changed his clothes. Now all he had to do was to appear in front of Aoko, as if nothing had happened.

He made his way to the roof.

'Aoko.' He couldn't stop the blood rushing to his face when he saw her. The faint glow of the moon made her dress light up in a way that made her look angel-like. The wind blowing through her hair only served to make her look like she came out of a fairy tale. He shook his head, now was not the time to be fawning over her.

'Kaito,' her face lit up and she waved at him.

'Aoko did you meet whoever sent the letter.'

'Oh that, no I didn't,' she shrugged and turned to look at the city skyline. 'They must've forgotten, but guess who I did meet?'

'Um, who?' He smiled at her obvious excitement.

'I'm not telling.'

'Hey.' She giggled and looked at him, pulling him into a hug. After some hesitation, he pulled her closer. He felt his heart pounding, why was he feeling this? This entire day Aoko had made him feel a real variety of emotions.

'I'm glad you came Kaito.'

'Aoko, I,' he gently pushed her away from him, so he could see her face. 'Aoko I have something to tell you.' He gulped hard, what was he trying to do, what was he going to tell her? He could always confess. Confess what? His secret life? His love for her?

Love. That was it. This whole day had really proved it. 

'Kaito,' she tiptoed up to feel his forehead, 'are you okay? You're face is really red.'

'I-,' this was really bad, she was really close to him. Her lips were way too close. 'Aoko- I.'

She pushed a strand of his hair away from his face, he had to do this, 'oh spit it out.'

'I think, I want to kiss you,' he cursed at himself inwardly. He had to ask now or he wouldn't ever. The thought had been plaguing him for hours. 

She looked at him with wide eyes, 'kiss?' He glanced at her lips, dammit she was definitely wearing lip gloss. He moved his hands from her shoulders down towards her waist and pulled her closer.

'When you got that letter, I was jealous. When you said you'd meet him, I was jealous. And when you were upset, I was worried. You- You've always been important to me, I guess I didn't realise it was like this. And you look so pretty right now. You've been on my mind all day and, and I-'

She had effectively silenced him. With her own lips. The kiss had only lasted mere seconds, but it was enough to shock him. He already missed the feeling of her lips on his, so he pulled her closer.

Her lips were warm as he kissed her. She tiptoed further to tangled her fingers in his hair, so he steadied her with his arms. He had thought about kissing Aoko, before, but this was new. This feeling was unbeatable. 

He felt one of her hands gently stroke his face, her body rocking against his. He had stopped being able to function properly, thoughts of her consuming his mind entirely. They way she felt in his arms. The way her body fit perfectly against his. The way her lips were so soft. He felt her hands travel down to his chest and crumple his shirt.

He gently pulled away, starting to feel slightly light headed, but he kept her close.

'I love you.'

'Bakaito,' her voice was quiet. He smiled as he pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

'Ahouko.'

'Do you plan on kissing me again?' She gently tugged him down.

He chuckled before capturing her lips in another kiss.

- fin - 

Chapter 4: Epilogue (kinda)

Who exactly sent the letter?

'Hakuba-kun! You said this plan would work!'

'Now Akako-san, considering Kuroba-kun, there was a chance it wouldn't.'

'Well now he has the girl and the jewel!'

'Truly unfortunate,' but he could't help but smile, they were made for each other.

Hakuba and Akako had worked together to reveal his secret and capture him (Aoko was an unfortunate addition to the plan). However, they really were unsuccessful. 

~ ♡ ~

What happened to the jewel?

'Ah Kaito stop here.'

'In front of the police station, why? Did your dad forget something?'

'Ah not really,' she stopped to think a little, but she added, 'its a secret!'

Kaito could only really think one thing - God was she cute. He smiled as she walked into the, that girl was his girlfriend!

However as he was lost in thought about the idea of telling her his secret identity she came back.

'Let's go!'

'Do you want me to drop you off at your place?'

'Aren't you coming as well?'

He had to admit, when she said that he did get the wrong idea at first, but the Aoko he knew was not that bold. So he confirmed, 'for what?'

'Dinner! Obviously, I bet you didn't eat doing whatever you did with Jii-san!'

Kaito had to admit he was very hungry and he would never turn down a free meal. Especially one made by his girlfriend, it felt nice calling her that.

'It better be good!'

~ ♡ ~

What about her dad?

'I wonder what she was doing out so late with Kaito-kun.'

'Nakamori-keibu, the report on tonight.'

'Ah detective, you're dismissed, go home.'

'What about you inspector, wasn't that your daughter?' He stood up and walked to the window in his office. He could see Kaito and Aoko drive off towards their house.

'Nah, I'll give them sometime.'

~ ♡ ~

Nameless

why was this lowkey dark

‘Hey Isuka, how’d you get your epithet?’ Ace turned to look at her, curious about the nickname. Skull had once mentioned something about riddling people full of holes, but it’s not like she had a signature move like him.

The question caught her off guard. It was a part of her life she wanted to forget completely, but the memory plagued her.

‘You haven’t heard captain?’ Skull asked.

‘No.’

‘Well it’s her story to tell.’

‘I don’t like talking about it,’ she dusted herself off as she got up, ‘Skull can tell you if you’re still curious.’

She didn’t hear his shouts as she walked away.

~ ♡ ~

Isuka had joined the Marines at a young age, from working as a chore girl on a small East Blue base to an Ensign working in the Grand Line; the years had almost blurred together. She had almost no memorable moments apart from maybe the times she and a couple of other kids would celebrate their birthdays (quietly, with small slices of cake and handmade gifts). 

There was one memory, however, that constantly haunted her - the mission that promoted her to Ensign and gave her the epithet ‘nailing’. 

She had begged Draw to let her take part in more significant missions, to let her sail the Grand Line. She simply wanted to do more. In the East Blue, the pirates mainly were weak rookies, but in the Grand Line, the big names existed. She wanted to get rid of them, not waste her time chasing good-for-nothing newbies.

Draw had sighed, refusing her request multiple times, until he received what he thought was a small enough mission for her, big enough to maybe deter her from asking further.

She remembered it clearly. It was the day of her 16th birthday. She’d been celebrating the way they always did - a small slice of cake from that cook who liked them (she always let them take extra food since they were growing children). Ryu had given her a card he had made himself. There was a little bird inside, a crossbill that popped up when she opened it up. She had no idea how he had the time or materials to make it. Kai had gotten her a book, one she’d wanted to read for a while. He would have had to sneak out to purchase it. Tashigi had made her a bracelet, it was red like her hair, and it was meant to be a friendship bracelet, and a good luck charm rolled into one. Tashigi already had one on her wrist, a dark blue that matched the design of Isuka’s.

They had been laughing about something when Draw walked in; his commanding presence had them all scrambling to get up and salute him, trying to hide the gifts under a blanket.

‘Well kiddo the day you’ve been waiting for is here, got a mission for you, if you succeed you could be Ensign soon.’

‘Really?’ Her eyes had lit up; the others looked happy for her. They knew how much the opportunity meant to her.

‘You leave right now, so get changed right away.’

‘Sir, yes, sir!’ She saluted him as he turned around and walked away.

‘Isu this is it! Your chance to shine!’ Tashigi squealed along with her.

‘Lucky, I’ve been asking just as long as you,’ Kai grumbled.

‘Yeah, but I’m stronger than you, so obviously, they picked me,’ she playfully nudged him, and he reciprocated by nudging her back.

Ryu was uncharacteristically quiet, and when Isuka asked what was wrong, he said, ‘it seems dangerous. Please be careful.’

She pulled him into a hug, ‘don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.’

She hugged them all once again before shooing them out of her room and began to change. She slipped on her gloves and picked up her rapier before heading to Draw’s office.

‘Ready to leave, sir.’

He sighed and got up from his desk, ‘there have been reports of a group of bandits terrorising islands this side of the East Blue. I was asked to send an officer to take them down. So considering your requests, I’ve chosen to send you. Don’t make me regret it,’ his stern face almost made her nervous, but this was what she’d been training for. Present her watched the memory with dread in her stomach. She should have said no and asked him to send a higher-ranking officer than her, but she was stupid and opportunistic. 

He led her to the small ship that would take her to the island they were currently believed to be at. Her crew was small, made up of a navigator, chef and a medic (if they weren’t at the island, she was to check the surrounding area, there was no point for her to come back and then set sail again). She was the only soldier they were sending. A small group of bandits was not a difficult fight at all, one someone like Draw wouldn’t even need to break a sweat.

She climbed aboard, clutching the rapier at her side tightly. Draw didn’t wave as the ship pulled away, so neither did she.

The journey was three hours, and she couldn’t stop her heart thumping in her chest as they drew closer. She didn’t know whether it was from excitement or dread, but she couldn’t back out now.

When they landed, Isuka gave them instructions: she would canvas the island and report. If they were on the island, they’d all be back before the day ended. They nodded as she jumped off the side and onto land. She’d studied the map on the way here and had chosen the most efficient route. 

She began looking around, hoping she didn’t stick out like a sore thumb with her uniform. She spoke to locals, some who were more valuable than others. She was able to conclude that if the bandits were on the island, they were taking refuge in a cabin in the woods.

She walked back to the ship and explained the situation. She’d been instructed to go alone and take out the bandits. The others would wait here. Only if they hadn’t heard from her in an hour would they make a move. With a pat on her back from the elderly cook for good luck, she left.

She took the fastest route through the woods, climbing up trees to make sure she was headed the right way. When she reached the cabin, she hid behind some dense overgrowth whilst taking in the situation. There were five of them. They looked older than they probably were and clearly had no regard for personal hygiene.

There were only two rooms in the cabin. It was evident that it wasn’t a place to live but rather to hang out. There was a larger room where four of them sat, drinking, smoking, and laughing. They were disgusting. There was a smaller room in the corner that had a door leading out. She decided to lure the man in that room out first. She threw a rock in the direction of the room, hoping he’d be stupid enough to step out without a weapon. And he was.

She stepped out behind him, driving her rapier through his heart just like she’d been taught. Draw had told her to leave no survivors, that the group wasn't worth it. The man didn’t stand a chance as he crumpled to the ground. He hadn’t made much noise, but one of the others stepped out to check on him and saw her, bloody sword in hand and his partner in a heap on the floor. He shouted, trying to swing the beer bottle at her, but she dodged too quickly for his drunken reflexes. She followed suit and stabbed him in the leg, immobilising him just as another of the group ran out. 

She swung out at him, causing him to take a step back, stumbling. The man she’d stabbed cracked the bottle he had and tried to lunge at her, but she flipped out of the way, ending up behind him. Just like the first man, she stabbed him through the heart, and he fell. He put up a bit more fight, trying to claw at the rocks on the ground, but they wouldn’t move.

The other man swore at her, charging like a bull. He wasn’t holding a weapon either, so she figured he was trying to knock her over and tried to dodge him. He was more intelligent than she gave him credit for and drew a knife out of his sleeve and slashed at her. In his frenzy, he managed to slice her near her ribs, ripping her uniform and the white slowly dyed red. The pain stung, but she attacked back. She’d felt worse pain before.

It took a little longer to kill this man. She’d stabbed him in more places, but he didn’t fall like the others. It wasn’t until she had the opportunity to stab him through the heart that he died. 

She didn’t realise that she was out of breath, panting she realised that the other two might have gotten away and run to the front of the cabin. 

The two men were sitting by the entrance.

‘A kid huh?’

‘Looks like they were weaker than we expected.’

They were underestimating her. They thought she wasn’t powerful because she was still young. They had no idea what was coming for them.

‘Sorry kid, this is nothing personal,’ he apologised halfheartedly as he grabbed the gun behind him and got up. The other man picked up his katana.

‘Save the apologies for the after life,’ she spat back as she drew her rapier again.

‘Have it your way kid,’ the other one replied, drawing out his own sword.

Every lesson she’d had about fighting was running through her mind, the teachers yelling about footwork, about stance, about power. She knew this fight was going to be difficult and wasn’t going to waste time. 

Her blow was easily matched, but he seemed shocked by her power, unusual for a kid her age. She glared up at him, light shock on his features. 

As they traded blows, almost equally matched, she dodged a bullet. She had almost forgotten she was fighting two people, not just the one.

She defended herself from the swordsman’s blows, all while dodging random bullets. She had more cuts on her now and had been grazed by a bullet. He’d even managed to hit her once or twice, throwing her to the side, but she had to get up. To survive, she had to get up. The adrenaline kept her running. In training she would have been exhausted by now.

When she managed to disarm the swordsman, causing him to fall to the ground, she felt the gunman aim at her. So instead of stabbing him, she kicked him in the face and turned to face the gunman. When he shot the bullet this time, she used her rapier to slice the bullet in half, a trick she’d only done twice before. It worked in shocking the man. She took the opportunity to run up to him and slice his gun in half. The man was stunned, unable to understand what had happened as she left him defenceless. The man would have been dead if the swordsman hadn’t gotten up and gotten to her in the nick of time. He slashed at her, and she had to dodge, cutting her arm. She watched as the swordsman whispered something to the other man; he must be telling him to grab the goods and run.

She wouldn’t allow it. She charged at them. He didn’t draw his sword fast enough, and she managed to stab him in the shoulder, her rapier almost scraping the other man too. The swordsman shouted in pain as she drew the rapier out, blood splashing on her face. The blood drained out of the other man’s face, and he immediately turned around and ran into the cabin. She wouldn’t let him get away. 

She slashed at the swordsman. It was met with a weak defence, his dominant arm useless. She easily disarmed him, slitting his throat, the noise of him choking on his blood following her as she stepped into the cabin.

She shouted at the man, and he whirled to face her. He grabbed one of the beer bottles in fear. But that fear slowly dissipated as he noticed an injury on her leg. The swordsman had managed to get one last good move in; the wound was deep.

‘Guess neither of us are at our best.’

‘No, but it won’t be me begging for mercy,’ she snarled, charging at him, using her last bursts of energy to attack him. She knocked the bottle out of his arm and stabbed him in the stomach. He yelled as she pulled out, more blood splattering onto her, mixing with her own and the blood of the other bandits. Her uniform was ruined. She would have to burn it.

She stabbed him multiple times, each time he yelled, trying to grab at her, trying to gain some sort of control.

‘You stupid bitch,’ he wheezed.

‘What was stupid was underestimating me,’ she replied, her voice cold as she drove the rapier into the heart with the very last hit of her strength. The sword embedded itself in the wood of the wall behind him. She didn’t even hear him yell, just watched the colour drain from him.

She fell to the ground, exhaustion catching up to her. She winced as she felt her wounds ache. The adrenaline was wearing off. She ripped a piece of her uniform shirt to try and stop her leg bleeding. 

She couldn’t remember what happened to her next. She simply woke up in the infirmary of the base.

She was told what happened by the worried friends as told to them by the crew that came with her. It had been an hour since they heard from her and, as per her instructions, they came looking for her. They saw the dead swordsman and were worried for her. They found her inside, unconscious but alive. They immediately treated her so she didn’t end up with lifelong injuries. The medic then went in ahead, carrying Isuka to the ship to properly tend to her.

The room itself was a scene of horror. The blood splatter spread around the room like an artist had finally lost it. And at the centre of it all, a man, held up like he’d been nailed into the wall. Like the others, he had stab wounds as if someone had hammered nails into them. It was horrifying to see bodies riddled with holes. It was even more horrifying knowing who’d done it.

They had tried to pull Isuka’s rapier out of the wall and the man, but even with two people, they couldn’t pull it out. So much strength in such a small body it was impossible to believe. Instead, they broke it and pulled it out of the man, taking it back with them to the ship.

They dragged the men into the cabin and set it on fire, making sure it didn’t spread to the wood surrounding them. No one would ever want to set foot into the cabin again. Not if they knew the extent of the brutality.

They then returned to the town, informing the head of what had transpired.

As Isuka had said, they made it back to the base before the day was over. They were met with immediate worry as the medic was carrying an unconscious Isuka. 

When she woke up, she found her friends passed out in different corners of the infirmary; Tashigi by her side, and Ryu and Kai somehow squeezed onto the one couch in the room. When they realised she was awake, they immediately pounced on her, expressing worry and anger. She had been out for two days.

Tashigi picked up the rapier placed at Isuka’s side, broken and bloody. Isuka asked them to get rid of it. She felt sick remembering what she had done. But everyone else sang her praises, acting like she’d created a masterpiece of blood and violence. She felt disgusted at herself.

Draw marched into her room on the third day of her recovery. He didn’t praise her, said nothing but, ‘headquarters called, you’re to be Ensign now.’ And marched straight back out the door.

Her friends were more excited than her, talking about how lucky she was, how she’d have her own crew, her own ship and get to sail the Grand Line, just like she’d always wanted.

Isuka felt unworthy, but she’d achieved her goals. She just wasn’t sure it was worth the cost.

~ ♡ ~

Back then, it had never struck her. Why would they have promoted her for the small feat of defeating some bandits? It wasn’t until Draw had been defeated by Ace that she found out. He’d basically sent her on a suicide mission. Headquarters had suggested that two to three ranked officers be sent as the enemy had proved their strength against the navy multiple times before. She will never know what he wanted out of her death or severe injury. She’s not sure she wants to know.

Later she found out that Draw had kept the rapier. To him, it was some sort of trophy. She had thought of it as a curse. That’s why she had asked to be rid of it. The more she found out about the man the more she felt sickened by his actions. 

~ ♡ ~

Isuka refused to talk about the story to anyone. Once a crew mate had asked about it, and she simply shrugged, saying it must have just caught on. For some reason she couldn’t bare them considering her a monster.

She knew Skull most likely knew, and if Ace had asked, he would have found out the truth. He would know what a horrible person she was, just as she thought he'd finally begun to respect her.

She can never forget the truth of her past, no matter how hard she tries. It was a dark mark in her record she simply couldn't burn away.

Whenever anyone brought it up, she wished she had remained nameless.

~ ♡ ~

It's late...

I remembered this cover again...

And then this doodle was born👀

And I thought I share it with you all because I don't know if I will ever finish it😬

A Future Beyond War Starts With You 💙

My name is Naser, and war has taken everything from me—my mother, my sister, my home, and the life I once knew. In an instant, my world was shattered, leaving behind nothing but memories and the weight of loss.

But even in the darkest moments, I refuse to give up. Because amidst the pain, I still have something worth fighting for—my three younger brothers.

🔹 One dreams of becoming a doctor, to heal others so they don’t have to endure the pain we’ve faced.

🔹 Another aspires to be an engineer, hoping to one day rebuild what war has destroyed.

🔹 And the youngest? He doesn’t have big dreams yet—he just wants to be a kid again, to wake up in a home that feels safe, to play without fear.

🏡 We Need a Home. We Need Education. We Need Hope.

Right now, we are not just fighting for survival—we are fighting for the chance to live, to grow, to dream again. We are fighting for a future where my brothers can become the doctor, the engineer, the child who gets to have a childhood.

💙 This is where you come in.

I’m not asking for much—just a chance. A chance to rebuild, to give my brothers a future beyond war.

Your support, whether through a donation or simply sharing our story, can make all the difference. Even the smallest act of kindness can create ripples of change.

Chuffed

Help Naser & His Brothers Rebuild Their Future

My name is Naser AbuThaher , and my world has been shattered by war. I lost my beloved mother and sister in an attack that took them away fr

🙏 Will you help us rebuild?

Together, we can prove that war doesn’t get the final word—hope does. Thank you for standing with us. 💙✨