I’m So Proud Of How This One Turned Out! Couldn’t Help Myself And Indulged In Some Bladerunner Zolu

invasive species finds a solitary creature to gnaw on

first two prompts!

Artist: 푸른 happensweater

rare and elusive wipweds of the dinghy boys

(text under the cut)

His brain’s already half gone to soup and he’s not even drowning yet, but this is how their friendship’s always been—playing like animals, like poking an angry thing with a stick even before he turned seven. Water snaps against the tip of his nose and (not for the first time) he wonders if he could bite the ocean back—if it ever let him have the energy—maybe it would understand like an animal, too. Or like a Luffy. Because he knows from Ace and from Gramps and from Shanks and from Dadan—there’s the bad hurt of meanness and there’s the other kind, the right one, that says I hate you but means I love you.

Then—suddenly—there’s a rocking underneath him, and a hand at the back of his collar, hauling him back—not gentle, but not unkind even as Luffy (limp and heavy) splashes water into the dinghy. Zoro breaks the people-silence and grouses, “Fuck, you’re high maintenance,” but it’s. Soft. At the edges. Not so much a scold as a statement of fact. And when Zoro settles back to sleep-or-maybe-not, he doesn’t let go—just palms the edge of Luffy’s shirt without looking. Touching. Still quiet (the way Zoro likes it) but there (the way Luffy does).

Not alone.

And Luffy blinks, neck bent at a stupid angle as he stares up at the moon (real, this time—not its reflection) and relishes the tingling in his limbs. Reaches out to grasp the edge of Zoro’s shirt, too, for no reason, and misses. Doesn’t try again. Furrows his brow. Feels the world shift, just slightly—or maybe just the boat.

Thinks—this is the first time anyone’s stopped him from falling in first, not just pulled him out after.

Thinks—of course Zoro’s going to be the World’s Greatest Swordsman. Not because the Pirate King can’t have anything less but because he won’t.

Thinks—no matter what happens—forever and ever—there will always be a line here: before Zoro (Luffy), and after Zoro (LuffyandZoro) and thinks, ah—because it turns out Dreams can stretch, too—can change and grow, just like the rest of him.

Thinks—he can’t tell if this is what it means to be a Captain or to have a First Mate. Can’t remember if Shanks ever said anything about Benn and knows his brothers never thought much about it because they’d been too busy fighting for a higher rank.

Thinks—they’ll just have to find the rest of their crew so he can figure it out.

Slurs, instead of any of that (because thinking’s just as boring as the rest), “Zor-o!” and rolls the sound around in his mouth, relishing the new-funny taste of the rest of his life. Whines, “I’m hungry!” because he is.

One bite, and he’s starving.

zoro and luffy who sit incredibly close to each other naturally: legs intertwined, backs awkwardly bent, shoulders jammed together.

if you asked either of them about it, luffy would just smile wide and inch closer again, and zoro would grunt in wordless protest to being interrupted. but the real answer is on that tiny dinghy boat, on that flimsy raft they began their journey on, sitting that close was required.

if they sat with their heads leaned together, they could stretch their arms and legs. if they laid shoulder to shoulder, their whole bodies could fit without squishing to the sides of the boat, allowing them to get a good sleep. their relationship started with sitting close and it never stopped.

maybe it’s nostalgic, maybe being so close reminds them of where it all began, where they began. or maybe they just it love it so dearly, it’s so ingrained in them that they refuse to stop. feeling most comfortable with the smell of the sea in the air and skin on skin, never getting enough of each other.

sometimes luffy stretches towards zoro, a leg interlinked with his under the dining table despite sitting two seats away, because they’ve got such a big ship now and sometimes that’s a bit much. sometimes you’ll find them in the sunny's smallest storage cupboard, notably the size of that old dinghy, to the point franky renovated it full of blankets & gentle lights, and found a new home for his scrap metal. the strawhats all wonder why on earth they’d want to sleep there but it’s the best rest either of them get so they've only ever tried to make it even more comfortable for them.

as they fling one another about, manhandle each other to safety in a battle, face back to back as they fight a hoard of marines- the warmth in their contact brings them indescribable peace, brings them back to the east blue. the feeling of home found in each other.

Canon Zolu hug in Wano 🥺

Op sketches woohoo

pov the reaper that’s dragging away your boyfriends soul says something so freedomphobic you hit his corpse with the nika stare