Wow! I've Reached 1003 Following On Twitter!

Now making One Piece playlists on Spotify!

Youtube has become more and more painful with copyright in recent years and frankly while it wasn't so bad for my Eustass Kidd and Ace playlists it got a lot worse when I uploaded Killer's. I don't like listening to slowed / reverb sort of playlists myself so I won't be going that route. Maybe it's just that I used particularly problematic music for Killer?

Either way, I'll be making playlists in the form of actual playlists strung together on spotify from here on out. If I make more playlists as mp3 and mp4 I'll upload them to the drive folder above, you can find the Ace, Kidd and Killer playlists there in both versions!

And now for some good news! I do currently have a lot of playlists in the works, coming soon :D

I can only add 10 links per post, so I'll have to make 2 posts total!

Doflamingo playlist: (A LOT of these are copied over from other Doflamingo playlists!! They're such perfect fits that I could not possibly exclude them, not since I personally listen to my Doflamingo playlist a lot myself and I've become genuinely addicted to some of those :D)

Killer playlist: (Some of these feel a bit redundant but I hope you'll enjoy the playlist regardless!)

Brook playlist: (It's small but I've never seen one for him before!)

Ace playlist: (TLDL: sadness and grief)

Corazon / Rosinante playlist:

(I still haven't seen him in the anime so I hope these fit at all! I based it purely off of fan art on twitter, I'm very obsessed with him for having seen nothing of him yet ^-^ )

Crocodile Playlist: (Another small one but I feel like I hardly know this man beyond his political goals, and even those are very shrouded!)

Hancock Playlist: (she's one of the most fun to make playlists for!! such a specific style of music :D )

Zoro Playlist: (Very short as of yet too but I might add to it in the future!)

Luffy Playlist: (The one piece character I do the least content for, for sure! but at least he gets a playlist :P )

Trafalgar Law Playlist: (I have so many songs for him! This one I haven't moderated much, I just keep adding and adding more ^-^)

I hope you've enjoyed any of these, thank you for listening! Looking through what I have right now I don't have enough songs in the remaining ones to make more than one more post with these.

Characters I am working on right now:

Bartolomeo

Smoker

Apoo

Eneru

Perona

Mihawk

Robin

Usopp

Sanji (I have a ridiculous amount of love songs for him!)

making it my fanfiction author goal to end up on a list like this one day!

thank you for putting together such a comprehensive list, that's super useful for finding more good sanji fics!!

♥ Sanji/Reader Rec List ♥

40+ fics & authors suggestions! Click here to view this on a separate web page for easier navigation ♥

Sometimes I’m normal about fictional characters, other times I become psycho-sexually obsessed with them and relentlessly look for fanworks where they get smooched and hugged into oblivion. And by characters I mean Sanji.

So here’s a non-comprehensive list of Sanji/Reader fics that I love, most of them rated Explicit. This got sooo long because I kept finding other works to add while scrolling through my bookmarks and reblogs, it goes to show how good the fandom is! (Assume, unless otherwise stated, that Sanji is more on the sexually submissive side, since I like what I like and seek out that dynamic specifically.)

Authors I love

I’m starting this list with a few mentions of my favorite authors, although I’m sure I’m stating the obvious with most of these and you all know them already. Who cares! Go re-read their stuff! Leave a comment! Give them your money!

1. One Piece Works by @onlymurphy

Not to fall into hyperbole, but I owe OnlyMurphy my life. If you’re here reading this list then surely you love this author already, so this a good excuse to re-read the entire Grow Old With Me series. Sanji’s characterization is top-notch, and if you enjoy explorations of his self worth issues and how they would affect an otherwise loving romantic relationship then look no further. Also the author is a very talented smut writer (very talented writer in general, make no mistake), and that's the greatest accolade I can give them. Imagine me putting a gold metal around their neck but I’m the one who's moved to tears about it.

Honorable mentions for the filthiest-yet-very-romantic works in their catalog:

🌶 Do That Again

🌶 Wildest Dreams

🌶 If I’m Lucky

2. One Piece Works by @citrinae

I’m linking the masterlist for this author ‘cause I really like all their Sanji-centric fics, and I’d love, love, love to see more. Sanji is so princely and devoted, just an absolute dream of a man, and he’s putting a lot of effort into making the reader feel loved. He gets stellar results in my opinion.

3. One Piece Works by @thus-spoke-lo (GoldExperience86 on Ao3)

There are three fics in particular by this author that I couldn’t pick a favorite from if you held me at gunpoint: 

🌶 Let Me Help 

🌶 Worth the Wait

🌶 Dear Diary 

Have you ever read a sex scene so good you bypass getting horny and go straight into mourning, knowing you won’t be able to read it for the first time again? That has not stopped me from reading all these roughly a million times. Click on those links. Look at me in the eyes, listen very carefully: click on those links. I say this because I love you and want you to be happy. 

You will find other fics by them in the rec list because 1) I couldn’t resist and 2) I’m pretty sure they have more things posted on Tumblr than Ao3, at least as separate one-shots.

4. 🌶One Piece Fics by @untolduttering

Author, I know deep in my soul that you love Sanji as much as I do. Fortunately I’m okay with sharing. If anything I'm glad I'm not alone in the trenches.

Check out all her fics and snippets, her writing is incredible and I’ve loved every single thing about Sanji she’s ever posted. Each time I open Tumblr and I see a new post by her, my day gets a little brighter. She writes one of my favorite versions of Sanji ever, insatiable and devoted and so, so hot. He couldn’t be more my type if he tried. 

I want to single out her vampire!Sanji one-shot because I haven’t seen this trope used by anyone else and I liked it a lot! It fits so well, what with the theme of hunger and Sanji’s inability to ask for what he needs:

Hunger 

The meta post that inspired the fic

5. One Piece Works by @fanaticsnail

Fanaticsnail, you’re the only one who has ever made me willingly click on a smut fic that involved Doflamingo just because Sanji was there, too, and I love your Sanji so damn much (p.s.: everyone go read it, 🌶 Seat Number Four).

One of their fics also appears in the Sex Pollen section, and since that one is particularly filthy let me add here two fluffy, romantic fics where Sanji is all cute and flustered by the reader:

Kiss The Cook

Your Flirty Chef

Yearning & Pining

The title of the section is pretty self-explanatory: fics where and the reader are not together, but God knows they want to.

6. 🌶 Wanting by @froggiewrites

This fic…holy shit. I’m genuinely writing this with tears in my eyes. The yearning & pining & longing mixed with the sexual tension so thick you can cut it with a knife makes for a truly incredible read. Only for real Sanji lovers, if you’re not nodding along at each desperate thought the reader insert has about this man then I’m sorry but you’re only a casual Sanji liker.

7. 🌶 My heart is thrilled by the still of your hand by ladyhabanera

[screaming crying throwing up] no yeah I’m very normal about this fic, I like it a totally normal amount. In the Ao3 comments I say that “Sanji is so so dreamy—a heady mix of submissive and deeply romantic”, and then if you scroll a little you find my other comment which is just me yelling in all caps at my second reread. I not only stand by both, but I’m doubling down. 

8. Puzzled by @mynewblackdress

What a lovely series, and what a lovely trope…misunderstandings due to bad communication are as irritating and useless in real life as they are incredibly fun to read about. The reader is convinced that Sanji’s earnest compliments are his fucked up way of making fun of her, and it takes a while before they figure out that he means every word. Give it a read if you want a break from the sea of smut that I’ve added to this list, and you're the mood for opla!Sanji in particular. 

9. Sweet Confession by @softonshanks

I have one specific weakness that I’m glad to often see in fics: Sanji getting a hug while he’s busy cooking, and he’s all cute and flustered about it because he didn’t expect the affection.  And this fic has that + Sanji’s a pining mess for the reader, who he’s FWBs with despite the fact that he’s totally in love with her + she’s taller than him and he loves it. I’ve hit the jackpot. I’d love to see more Sanji fics from this author, so much so that I’m gonna ask her pretty please in Italian: Sara, ti prego, facci sognare.

10. 🌶 Your Name by @strawhatsoraya

Now, the one pining in this fic is me. Sanji and the reader are actually complete strangers, but if what appeals to you in mutual pining fics is the gut-wrenching depth of the feelings described, then I think you should check out this little one-shot. My notes on Ao3 are “Tfw when a pwp hits your id so well it bypasses making you horny and goes straight to suicidal”—do with that what you will. Also, check out the rest of this author’s fics and make a whole evening out of it.

Ft. Zoro

Get that stinky Mosshead out of my sight…no, wait, let him stay. I guess we can take turns on Sanji or something.

11. 🌶 Picture You by @froggiewrites

I don’t usually read Sanji fics where Zoro is heavily involved, but I’m glad that that didn’t stop me from clicking on this one (also, to be fair, they take turns on the reader. Well, the reader takes turns on them.) My note on the Ao3 bookmark is “God-tier sad horny Sanji characterisation”...couldn't have said it better, me from the past. 

12. 🌶 Shaken Up Hearts by @lyriumcoloredskies

Okay so I lied, maybe I do like it when Zoro is heavily involved, as long as it’s a collab to team up on Sanji. Sanji gets lovingly demolished in this one, but before he gets there he’s sad like a kicked puppy about not being allowed to kiss both you and Zoro. Who am I to say no to a heavy dose of Zosan in my het Sanji smut?

13. 🌶 Nuvole e Lenzuola by redtendou

This one’s niche because it’s written in Italian. I was stunned by the author’s ability to make a graphic sex scene actually work despite Italian’s atrocious sex-related lexicon–trust me, it’s a struggle. If you’re into Zoro and the reader ganging up on Sanji and you understand Italian, definitely give it a read.

Spa day for the soul

Fics where you take care of Sanji, or Sanji takes care of you, or where there are actual spa activities thrown into the mix. God knows this man needs some TLC once in a while.

14. 🌶 My Pampered Prince by @sheerxfiction

It’s Sanji’s turn to spend some time flat on his back on the kitchen table–it’s what he deserves. If you’re craving a brilliant smutty fic where Sanji gets pampered then you've foudn it, the reader take really good care of him in this one–and I have to give bonus points for the heavy dose of Sanji’s self-worth issues and the readersinsert fighting back against his refusal to get taken care of. Get loved, idiot.

15. 🌶 Shower Time by @chibieggplant

Cute, hot, sexy–I’m talking both about the writing and Sanji in this fic. He takes a shower with the reader and spends the entire time in disbelief that he gets to tenderly wash her body, feeling quite embarrassed by how into it he is, despite the fact that this an established relationship fic. And that’s how I like my boys!

16. 🌶 Vinsmoke Sanji: Not all Men are Rats by livingonadaydream

I love, love, love fics where Sanji gets pampered…but it doesn’t hurt to read the complete opposite once in a while. A very sweet Sanji makes sure that the reader gets a very happy ending.

First Time

We'll never know the canonical sexual history for any One Piece characters because Oda is, unfortunately, a coward. However I'm not surprised that Sanji is considered by many the most virgin to have ever virgined in the history of virginity—so here's a list of fics where you pop his cherry. Be delicate, please...he's very sensitive.

17. 🌶 Say When by @venomatically

This one has to be the first I tell you about. If you go check the comments on Ao3 you’ll find me absolutely losing my mind after my first read, and there’s no quick comment I can add here to fully explain how much I love this author, her writing, and–Good Lord in Heaven–the way she writes Sanji. He’s a virginal pervert. He’s got that dog in him and it happens to be a cute little puppy. He’s so sweet and adoring he can’t bear to tell you how often he thinks about fucking you. I need someone to invent him in real life, it’s not even funny anymore. (Also, if you like to see Sanji actually get a little depraved, check out her other fic, too: 🌶 Letting Off Steam)

18. 🌶 Lust by @tetzoro

Ooh, this one’s hot. It starts so poetic and romantic, but as Sanji loses himself in the feeling the descriptions get more carnal. I love his POV here. Also it involves one of my favourite things ever: the readers starts on top but when it gets too good Sanji can't resist and he flips her over to do all the work himself. Who else cheered?

Sex Pollen

While writing this rec list I realized I have at least four sex pollen fics where Sanji eats something he shouldn’t and then…I wanna say “regrets it”, but the consequences are that he has hot sweaty sex with someone he’s really into. If he were to notice the trend I think he might start putting the wrong thing in his mouth on purpose.

19. 🌶 It’s a what flower?! by @sanjifucker42069

From the blog name alone I knew I’d found a kindred spirit. They have written for both the animanga and OPLA, and to be honest it’s hard for me to pick a favorite work. That’s a lie, this one’s my favorite. The author has a great sense of humor, and this fic in particular is both very funny and incredibly hot. I love how desperate and pathetic Sanji gets, and how hard the reader insert is trying to keep things PG before it becomes obvious they just have to fuck! Good problems to have if you ask me.

20. 🌶 a fever you can't sweat out by @cryocandy

I remember reading this one day right before work. My shift was about to start, and I was sitting by myself in the car reading the smoking hot sex scene for no good reason at all, ensuring that I wouldn't be able to focus on anything productive for the rest of the day. Sanji in this fic is so dreamy and cute and pathetic, all qualities enhanced greatly by the amazing writing. If you don’t think you like fuck-or-die fics, do yourself a favour and read this one anyway. 

21. 🌶 Needy Boy by @maddddstuff

My note on Ao3 for this one was “Single-handedly made me into spanking btw, if you even care”, and I stand by it. He’s the one that gets spanked by the way, in case someone was in doubt.

22. 🌶 Someone Help Me by @fanaticsnail

Sanji’s a mess in this one. A total and complete mess, and I loved every word of it–also, since in the first part Sanji is struggling against the effects of the sex pollen all on his lonesome, this fic might also appeal to my fellow Sanji whump fans.

Dom!Sanji & Co.

Just because I have a preference for Sanji being a sub it doesn’t mean I will scoff at fics where he’s more dominant in bed. Here are the ones I stumbled upon that I’ve really liked! (Also I’m using the term “dominant” very loosely here, in some of these fics he’s simply more assertive in bed.)

23. Too Much (Take Me Home) by @secretwritingspot

This is THEE dom!Sanji series for me. There’s no sex in it, it’s more of an exploration of the sub/Dom dynamic and why someone would crave submitting to another person. Sanji finds himself in the dominant role with little warning, but he’s damn great at it in his usual adoring and tender way. I’m linking the first fic of the series, but the author has written more for this scenario!

24. 🌶 Leg Day by 1LucaCola1

The title says it all; fantastic premise for a smoking hot pwp fic. If I had the opportunity to train and make good use of Sanji’s expertise, I’d also push myself too far until my legs were shaking, and then let him do other things to me to make the shaking even worse.

25. 🌶 very professional nights by @missfrustration

Ugh, I love this one! Sanji is your superior at the Baratie, and he’s so very stern with you until he isn’t at all. Love the bait and switch of a Sanji whose professionalism makes him act a little cold when clients’ satisfaction is on the line but simply melts when he’s alone with the reader. And everything he ends up doing to the reader in this fic, I’d hardly call a punishment.

26. 🌶 Doodled Hearts by Twisted_Inkwell

Soft dom Sanji fucks you hard but he’s sweet talking to you in French the whole time. I don’t know what else to add to convince you to read this one, that should be plenty.

In the kitchen

To fuck the cook, you’ll have to look for him in his natural habitat. Then you can proceed to ruin the kitchen table for everyone else.

27. 🌶 Midnight Snack by BombasticBastard

This fic is a part of a Sanji/Reader/Zoro series, but I’m linking Part 2 where it’s just you and our lovely boy. As the title says, the reader is craving a midnight snack and goddamn, she gets the best one the Sunny’s pantry has to offer. This could also go in the Dom!Sanji category because he quite literally talks you through it, as the kids say nowadays, but he also showers the reader in compliments & he confesses his love, so overall he’s too much of a big ol’ softie to call him dominant in any way.

28. 🌶 All It Takes by mooseskulls

Reader catches Sanji being the pervert that he is, stolen underwear and badly-hidden moans included. This one has both a gender neutral version and a transmasc!reader one, I thought that was lovely–this way lots of different people can enjoy the “getting bent over the kitchen counter” scenario. 

29. 🌶 Compliments to the Chef by @tigreblue

The Author says this is their first fic–if that’s the case, they’ve got a bright future ahead of them. We all know Sanji doesn’t easily accept love and gratitude, but some good ol’ finger-sucking ought to convince him. Things degenerate beautifully from there.

Dark(er)

By darker I mean that I’m adding here fics where Sanji is something other than an absolute sweetheart. You’ll understand how actually dark any of these fics are from my comments and the authors’ tags, but they all have the general vibe of “Sanji is a sleazy pervert” in varying degrees of illegality.

30. 🌶 appetite by @groubee

Ooh…this one’s fucked up. Sanji is an unreliable narrator that makes non-con somnophilia sound kinda cute, actually (it really isn’t.) In his defense he’s written as some sort of incubus-slash-sex-demon. The author doesn’t go into detail but they don’t need to, it’s all about the sickly sweet mood (emphasis on sickly) of a tender lover who’s also a horrible, horrible person.

31. 🌶 Letting Off Steam by @venomatically

He’s a freak in this one, but he’s soooo nice about it and he’s soooo thankful that you’re letting him be a complete pervert who can get away with waking you up by stroking his cock over your face. 

32. 🌶 Smile for the Camera by @thus-spoke-lo 

This one broke my heart and turned me on at the same time, I give it a full five stars. It’s a short and sweet one-shot where Sanji breaks down all your walls and then does the same to your trust in men…enjoy!

33. 🌶 Compliments to the Chef by @thus-spoke-lo

I realize only now that this fic and Smile for the Camera are by the same author. That’s not gonna stop me from reccing this little series, too–in the notes on Tumblr you can see that this was written for a “sleazeball collab”, which should tell you something about Sanji’s characterization. While reading this I felt like that lady in the comic about sexual harassment on the workplace…like yeah maybe I would be okay with it if the guy was hot enough. And by workplace I mean a shitty restaurant, and by guy I mean Sanji in the role of the line cook who smokes too much and is very transparent about wanting to bang you on the counter where lunch service is prepared.

34. 🌶 Use me by moosetracksandscenechanges

This fic! My God! I’m adding it here not because there are hard kinks or morally dubious dynamics between the characters, but I still think it fits. It has its sad moments due to a generally darker atmosphere and a more aloof version of Sanji (not that aloof, still recognisably himself)...but also he willingly gets tied to a bed. Sub Sanji lovers stay winning. My hopeless romantic heart hopes that Sanji and the reader will actually get together, but there’s a lot to love about the fwb dynamic they’ve got going on right now. A bittersweet read in the best way.

35. Conjugate the Ways by @secretwritingspot

Oh, Sanji has a foul mouth in this one, but he’s speaking French so he’s forgiven…also the reader has no idea what the hell he’s saying to her. It’s creepy in a cute way! The fic doesn’t include actual smut, it’s just Sanji fantasizing out loud about the things he wants to do with you, but if you’re in the mood for some good ol’ sexual tension, give it a read.

36. 🌶 Ma chérie by marriedtosanji

He lied to you! About being French, of all things! I would never forgive him. He’s really good in bed though, so he makes up for it. The smut here is so delightful it does a 180% and goes back to breaking my heart over the fact that I’ll never meet a cute stranger in a bar who wants to seduce and is also Mr. Sanji Onepiece himself. 

Voyeurism

I swear this isn’t even in my top 10 kinks, I guess that Sanji’s character simply inspires a lot of authors to put him in situations where he’s staring. Watching. Ogling. Observ–you’ve got the gist of it. 

37. “It’s entirely too obvious [...]” by @ofallthingsnasty

[giggling and kicking my feet] the reader makes Sanji sweat cold in this one…I love when he’s nervous, I love when he’s desperate for forgiveness! He doesn’t do anything bad, but the fic is all about him watching the reader eat and obviously liking it a bit too much. The mood is suggestive but overall it stays pretty innocent until the end.

38. 🌶 Voyeurs by snackshack

Thank you Zoro and Nami for your help in making this happen, we couldn’t have done it without you. Sanji and the reader are in a freak4freak relationship, a match made in Heaven. Very good smut and a delicious premise!

39. 🌶 Perversion by glossyjoonie

@Sanji: babygirl you suck ♥ Short and sweet fic part of a larger collection (there are other Sanji-focused chapters, check out those ones, too!) where Sanji gets caught spying on all his favourite ladies: Nami, Robin, and you. Robin sticks around for a while in this one, but in the end the reader is the one who shows Sanji what happens to boys who misbehave.

40. 🌶 Just Between Us by @mytanuki-kun

This man is always spying on you in the shower, in bed, from behind a bush or whatever…it’s about time he gets a taste of his own medicine. I adore this fic, I remember reading the first chapter and hoping the author would update as soon as possible because I was hooked. Sanji catches you ogling him in secret and he plays into it cause he’s a horny bastard and the love of my life. The writing is incredible and Sanji’s characterization is so, so dreamy and sexy and adorable.

That’s all, folks. You have enough material to survive a nuclear war, you can spend many happy decades closed in your bunker eating canned food and reading reader insert One Piece fanfiction. 

My final, desperate request is this one: does anyone have the link to a Sanji fic where he’s 40 years old and he hired a babysitter (you) for his kid, but then one night the kid is somewhere else and you two end up hooking up? Please? Pretty please? I think it was part of a collection or series but I can’t find it anywhere!

"Mama Bird" - Penguin Fanfiction - One Piece - Finished

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61829551?view_full_work=true

The picture is completely and utterly unrelated, I just felt the post was a little naked!

Either way! Here's my finished Penguin fic of three chapters that was written as a gift to CoffeeTimeWorks. I'm really happy with how it turned out, I made sure to keep it wholesome.

Temporary life update: I've been putting a lot of my energy and creativity into the Kidd Pirates Month. I'll finish the Modern AU chapters on that that I've got set up and then maybe skip a few days cause I'm not feeling a few of the prompts.

Oh! I only just realized I could also just copy-paste the entire fic to here. My bad!

Summary:

What Penguin didn't expect was for a cute-as-a-mitten tiny girl to wave at the Polar Tang cheerfully as they made port at an island. What he expected even less was for that girl to come running up to him and calling him her dad. A gift to CoffeeTimeWorks for making me care about this silly bird man far more than I ever did before finding your art.

Notes:

For CoffeeTimeWorks.

Between this and "Daddy Doflamingo" I seem to have a bit of a habit of writing cute toddlers and loving fathers in the One Piece universe. I don't have daddy issues, you do!

Chapter 1

Things have been peaceful on the Polar Tang. Too peaceful. 

Well, that's not to say that things have been quiet. They never are, that's something Penguin and Shachi personally make sure of. 

They consider it part of their "Prankster Officer" job that they even have official badges for. 

Which Law keeps throwing out into the ocean every time he sees them. Good thing Penguin and Shachi are good swimmers! 

Beyond the ocassional turbulences of undersea volcanoes, hot smokers and other New World dangers the Polar Tang gets to avoid a lot of the terrible weather by remaining submerged. 

Currently, the prankster officers are a little too busy to pull any pranks. They've been studying a dance choreography together with Bepo at his request. 

Lately all Bepo has been talking about is the popstar Uta, and Shachi loves dancing anyways, so he roped Penguin into this as well. 

Their current dance session in the control room is interrupted when some of the devices start blinking. Bepo frowns and rushes over, doing some navigating shenanigans. 

Shachi and Penguin pause, exchanging a look with each other. "What's wrong, Bepo?" 

Bepo turns to them, eyes sparkling with excitement. "We're nearing the next island!" 

"YES!" The two high five each other and rush out of the room, shouting to every crew member who will listen about them approaching the next island. 

They barge into Law's room, eager to tell him of the news, but pause when they see him in his wooden chair, only two of its feet on the ground as it leans against the back wall, a book over his head. A faint snore can be heard from him and the two troublemakers exchange a smirk and slink back out of the room. Captain gets too little sleep as is, so it's an unspoken rule on the Tang that noone disturb him when he does actually get any sleep for once, no matter if something important is happening or not. 

He'll yell at them later for not waking him, but they care for his health far more than him yelling at them. 

A few hours later, the Tang has surfaced and land is already in sight. Penguin is up in the crow's nest together with Clione, spyglass in hand. 

It appears to be a winter island judging by the light snowfall that has set in and the wintery landscape he's able to see through the spyglass. The shore seems to border a beautiful pine tree forest with snow coating the trees. Captain's gonna be happy once he sees this. They've already had to physically restrain Bepo from just diving into the waves and swimming to the island quicker to roll around in the snow. But he still needs to make sure that the Tang is securely docked before their navigator can head off board. 

Penguin watches happily as the air he breathes out becomes visible from the chill in the air. He immediately descends from the crow's nest and heads to one of the windows looking inside the Tang, breathing on it and painting a happy little penguin face on it. 

Shachi calls out to him. "Oi! Pen!" 

Penguin turns around just in time to see Shachi finish putting a knitted pullover on the crew's small dog, Onigiri. Jean Bart took up knitting a few years back and ever since the crew has been proud to call themselves the owners of a lot of knitted goods. 

Onigiri stands there, looking absolutely indignified and like he's been frozen into an ice statue. Penguin laughs, crouches down in front of Onigiri and pets him between the ears where he likes it best. "Come on, buddy. You know your fur isn't warm enough for winter islands. It's for your own good." 

Onigiri glares up at him through his cute little beady eyes before snapping up at him with half-effort. 

Penguin pats his back some more before getting back up. "You'll enjoy yourself once we're in the snow." 

When they've finally arrived at the island and docked the Tang at the small harbor, there's a surprise waiting in store for them. 

There's an about six year old girl in a large yellow skiing jacket bouncing up and down with excitement. In her arms she's holding a plushie of a penguin that's about half her size.

Law, who's finally woken up, is the first to get off the submarine and look at the girl curiously. She has raven black hair and piercing blue eyes and looks at the arriving pirates with nothing short of absolute awe and admiration. 

Law's voice is gruff and still a bit hoarse from sleep as he addresses her. "Hello." 

The little girl looks a bit spooked to be addressed by someone as grouchy looking as Law, but quickly gathers her courage. "H-Hi! A-are you the... the Corazón Pirates?" 

Law flinches as if struck. "I guess so. We call ourselves the Heart Pirates though." 

The little girl nods seriously. "Right! My mamá and I talk a different language at home. My bad!" 

She seems to be gathering her courage for a short while, before speaking quickly, seemingly wanting to get the words out before her courage leaves her. "Your captain. He- He's called Pingüino, right?" 

Law scoffs. "What? I'm the captain. Do you mean Penguin?"

Her eyes start sparkling and she points at her penguin plushie excitedly. "Yes! Yes, this one! The one with the same name as this animal. Is he here?! Can I see him?!" 

She stands on her toes, trying to get a look at the crew disembarking the ship behind Law. 

Law's eyes narrow. "Why do you want to see him?" 

She grins, proud of herself for knowing something he doesn't. "It's a secret!" 

Law sighs and contemplates her small frame standing before him. If this was a trap, their enemy would be incredibly foolish to send a small, vulnerable girl like her to lure them in. More likely she'd snuck out without her parents' knowledge. "What's your name, kid?" 

Her eyes widen in shock. "I'm not supposed to tell strangers that!"

Law huffs in amusement. Apparently talking to strangers is fine, but telling them her name crosses a line. "Fine. I'll get Penguin for you." 

"Yes, please!" She does a respectful little bow, stumbling and catching herself as she almost floors herself with the penguin plushie. 

He heads back to the crew and approaches Penguin, who's currently trying to encourage Onigiri to stop being stubborn and finally start walking on his own. "Penguin. That little girl standing there. She's asking for you." 

Penguin's brows crease in confusion. "What? Asking for me?" 

Law just shrugs. "Take the mutt and ask her what she wants. She won't tell me." 

Penguin gives him a half-hearted glare at him calling Onigiri a mutt, but complies, picking up the stubborn furball in his arms and heading over to the strange little girl. 

He crouches down in front of her and gives her a warm smile. "Hi! I'm Penguin. Nice to meet you! You were asking for me?" 

Her eyes are sparkling, and it gets even more intense when she sees Onigiri in his arms. 

"H-H-Hi! You- You're really Penguin?" 

Penguin nods and scratches Onigiri between the ears again while he waits for her to gather her composure again. 

"I- I- My mamá told me so much about you!" 

He stares at her dumbfounded. "Your mom knows me?" 

She beams and nods eagerly and presents her penguin plushie to him. "Yeah! This is for you! If you come with me!" 

Penguin can't help but chuckle. "Are you trying to bribe me right now?" 

"Yes! Come, come, come!!" She's bouncing up and down with excitement again. 

"Calm down for a second. What's your name? And how does your mom know me?" 

"I'm Yuki! Well, easy! Cause you're my dad!" 

Penguin's brain short circuits. He just stares at the girl with his mouth open, unable to think a single other thought. Her... dad? 

"Hihi! You look funny!" Yuki is clearly enjoying his confusion. "Come on, I want you to meet my mamá!" 

He's in a complete daze as he gets up and lets her guide him to her home by her hand, Onigiri still snuggled against him in his other arm. 

They don't have to walk very far, Yuki's home being not far into the pine tree forest. It's a small but cozy cottage nestled comfortably into the thick of the trees. 

Onigiri's nose has started twitching in excitement at all of the different scents surrounding them, but Penguin has been holding onto him tightly.

If he let him run off here they'd never find him again, and he doesn't know if the wildlife on this winter island is dangerous yet either. 

Yuki opens the door for him and gestures for him to step inside.

The strong scent of delicious cooking wafts through the air as they enter, and Penguin can barely keep himself from starting to drool.

Onigiri doesn't know such restraint and actively starts to drool. 

When they make it to the cramped kitchen in the cottage, Penguin wonders if he's dead.

The woman standing there cooking in an apron looks like an actual angel come to life.

He must be in heaven. Or maybe he didn't die, but Shachi put some suspicious things into their last meal again. Wouldn't be the first time that happened. 

She's got long, golden hair, tied back behind her head in a ponytail, humming to herself as she cooks, lifting the lid off of a pot and peering inside, clearly not having heard them come in through the loud sizzling noise present in the kitchen. 

"Mamá! Mira a quién encontré!", Yuki yells over the noise. The angel turns around and her eyes widen as she sees Penguin.

Beautiful, icy blue eyes, the same that he's seen on Yuki. It's true. He's either on some substance or deceased.

There's no way a beauty like her actually exists. Like something out of a dream. 

His lack of focus allows for Onigiri to escape, and he lunges towards the stove, eager to find out what it is exactly that smells so nicely.

The angel proves to not only have divine looks but also quick reflexes as she catches Onigiri mid-air before he can burn himself on the hot stove.

She furrows her brows and inspects the strange, rice-ball looking little creature in a red knitted pullover with an Onigiri stitched on top. 

She looks a little suspicious at this stranger having come into her house uninvited, especially having come in here together with her daughter. 

Penguin wants to say something. Anything. But he's completely speechless, so he just stands there, staring at the angel before him, mouth agape, making an utter fool out of himself. 

Chapter 2: The night we met

Summary:

One fateful night leads to unforeseen consequences Penguin doesn't learn about until years later.

When the Heart Pirates party, they party hard. Well. 95% of the Heart Pirates. 

There is always one particular grouchy man sitting in a corner keeping an eye on his crew. 

Sometimes Shachi and Penguin spike Law's coffee when they already know the crew will be partying in the evening. 

There's no way they'll let their friend avoid having fun completely, and Law's shenanigans when drunk tend to be absolutely legendary. 

Like that time he'd reassembled his own body parts to replace his arms with his legs for what had to be the craziest bit of breakdancing known to mankind. 

Which he'd firmly denied ever having done the next morning, naturally. 

This day is one of those days where Penguin slipped a bit of vodka into Law's coffee. Sometimes he wonders why Law never protests. Maybe he secretly enjoys getting to let loose, especially given it's not out of his own choice.

So when the Hearts head to the local pub in the evening (there's said to be an anonymous mask ball), Law already seems a little more relaxed than usual. 

The masks everyone is wearing are a little ridiculous. Hakugan, the one crew member known to wear a mask on a regular basis, is wearing a mask designed to look like Bepo, while Bepo is wearing a replica of Hakugan's usual mask. 

Law made a very intricate mask that resembles Sora, Jean Bart's mask looks like one of the giants from the children's book "Brag Men", Ikkaku has put on a mask with a long nose resembling the Strawhat's sniper Usopp (whom she's been dating on and off, a well-kept secret among the crew, which is to say everyone knows about it and keeps teasing her with it). 

Shachi is in top form tonight, going above and beyond in having made a full-body orca suit, which coincidentally leaves his face open. Penguin keeps teasing him that he failed with his costume in covering the one single part he's actually meant to cover but Shachi just grumbles something about his sunglasses hiding him well enough. 

Penguin himself had been indecisive for the longest while. If he dresses up like his namesake Shachi and the others will make fun of him for being boring, but if he dresses up as anything else they'll tell him to stop being so extra. 

He sighs, looking at himself in the mirror. He loves getting to be with his best friends and found family all the time, but sometimes he does wish they'd be a little less predictable (and preferably less judgemental as well). 

When the evening comes around, Penguin has shrouded himself in a dark cloak with a hood, hiding his costume underneath. 

He ignores the pestering of all of his other crewmates to tell them what his disguise is as they make their way to the pub. 

When they get there, the first party-goers have already arrived. It's not very crowded yet, but the din makes it a little hard to communicate already. 

Shachi nudges Penguin. "Come ooooon, Pen! Stop hiding your disguise away already! Did you even dress up? Is the cloak your entire disguise?" 

Penguin huffs. "Obviously not. I'm not that boring, thanks." 

Shachi shrugs and goes off to fetch drinks for the entire crew. 

As it draws later in the evening, everyone's having a good time. Penguin is still in his cloak, feeling a little self-conscious about his disguise now that there's so many people around. 

He's currently leaning against a wall near the exit, when he notices somebody new come in. 

An angel with long golden hair. Well, at least her disguise is that of an angel, wearing a golden carneval mask over her eyes and fluffy white wings on her back. 

Penguin's pulse skyrockets just from seeing her. He wants to dance with her. He's gonna dance with her. 

The amount of drinks he's had so far are facilitating the decision making by a lot as he boldly steps toward the angel, speaking in a voice way deeper than his natural tone to impress her. "Hello there, beautiful lady. Could I ask for your first dance?" He curtsies in front of her slightly. 

The woman seems completely bewildered at immediately being asked to dance right after coming into the pub. "Uh. Hi. Uh. I'm gonna go get a drink first. Is that okay?" 

The drunk Penguin immediately sees his chance and offers. "I'll get it for you. What would you like?" 

After giving him the name of her drink of choice, Penguin swiftly goes to fetch it for her. He'll have to get rid of his cloak to dance with her, else he might trip over it and embarass himself. He's generally a little more prone to stumbling when around pretty women, so he'll have to be extra careful. 

When he returns and offers her the drink which she gladly accepts, she smiles awkwardly. "So... to whom do I owe the drink?" 

Penguin lifts back the hood of his cloak, revealing the large mustache he put on and his black hair which is far more tousled and messy than usual (a deliberate choice and not just his last-minute panic about what costume to choose, for sure.) Although most of his hair is hidden by the large pirate hat. 

The angel's eyes widen. "G-Gold Roger?" 

Penguin winks at her. "Yeah! Well, I'm not quite the king of the pirates. Yet. But the crew I captain will get there once we reach the end of the Grand Line for sure!" 

The angel laughs. "Guess we're polar opposites then. I'm dressed as an angel, and you've put on the guise of the devil himself." But then she catches herself. "W-wait. You're an actual pirate? Not just dressed up as one?" 

Penguin quickly reassures her. "We're a good crew! I promise. We have a lot of heart." He smiles stupidly at his own joke, completely oblivious to the fact that the woman wouldn't know him to be a Heart Pirate. 

The two proceed to dance, Penguin miraculously only stepping on her feet twice as the angel proves to be a great dancer (or simply great at avoiding his two left feet.) 

Since she'd come into the pub on her own Penguin drags her with him to meet his crew, where Law is thankfully not feeling social enough to talk to her, else his lie about being captain might have been revealed. 

As the night draws on, a karaoke is set up with an impromptu stage and a microphone den den mushi available for those who are brave enough to face the audience. 

Penguin, who's become absolutely smitten with the angel since the moment he first laid his eyes on her, immediately grabs the chance. He whispers into her ear. "Are you ready to witness the amazing singing talents of Captain Penguin of the Heart Pirates?" 

She giggles, pretty drunk at this point as well. "Give it all you have, captain!" 

What follows is what is indubitably the worst rendition of a romantic song the pub in question has ever had the misfortune of hearing. Penguin has many talents, but singing isn't one of them. 

But he sings with gusto, facing the angel and striking dramatically romantic poses all the while, making her giggle more and more, which is all Penguin cares about in that moment. 

As it gets even later in the evening - some of the crew members had already headed back home to the Tang - Penguin is simply not willing to let this lovely evening with the woman of his dreams end. He still doesn't know her name, which doesn't prove to be an issue as he simply drunkenly calls her "love of his life" every time. 

After being dared to do just that by Shachi, he invites her to spend the night with him. Unwilling to get himself a stern lecture by Law, Penguin arranges for one of the guest rooms situated above the pub, not wanting for his captain to come ruin his fortune by preventing him from having fun as always. 

The angel - who's just as drunk as Penguin - freezes at the invite, and very seriously asks him to pinky swear to her that he's a gentleman and not an evil pirate and won't harm her. 

After the pinky swear, she doesn't seem to have a single concern left in her drunken mind. 

After what Penguin would later refer to as the best and probably most drunken night of his life, the two wake up in each other's arms. 

Which would be incredibly romantic and sweet and crap, why doesn't Penguin remember the name of the lovely woman in his arms??, when he realises that they're not alone in the room. 

He tenses when his eyes fall on his captain, who looks like he's about to pop a vein on his forehead with how furious he looks. 

Penguin freezes and stares at Law like a deer in headlights. He mouths a silent "What?", not wanting to wake the lovely woman beside him. 

Law gestures for Penguin to get up and follow him outside. Penguin silently shakes his head, unwilling to leave the warm cocoon that is the angel's embrace. 

He looks down at her wistfully. She really is very beautiful. Maybe he's still drunk. Normally he doesn't have a single chance with someone of her caliber. 

Shachi does keep telling him how being drunk will "make even the ugliest hag look like a royal princess". Which Penguin hopes isn't right. Because he'd very much like the beauty in his arms to be real. And his. 

Apparently Law's hung over patience has been worn thin, because the next thing he knows is he's been shambled outside of the room, in front of Law, stark naked. He squeaks in a very unmanly fashion before glaring at Law. "What the hell, captain!" 

Law wordlessly hands him some clothes. "You and I are going to have a serious talk about safety. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you? I thought you'd been kidnapped. But no. Of course. Just couldn't keep it in your pants. Damned moron." 

Law already sets out to leave, expecting Penguin to follow him. Penguin, now wearing his clothes, stares after him. 

His pounding headache from the hangover isn't helping him in thinking clearly, but he hates this. He hates that he doesn't know the name of the woman he was with, he hates that he can't get to say goodbye, he hates that he has to leave her right now without having even gotten to have the basic decency of letting her wake up in his arms. 

Between the pounding headache and his rapidly increasing guilt and sadness, he's feeling like a horrible worm of a man. 

He quickly steps back into the pub room, looking around in the drawers. Finally he finds a pen to write with. In lack of anything else to write on he tears a piece of his vivre card off, which he always has on him, even in the Gold Roger costume he wore last night. 

He writes on the card. "I'm sorry but I have to leave. You're amazing and I love you. Yours truly, Captain Penguin of the Heart Pirates." She doesn't need to know he's not actually Captain. He'll look cooler that way. 

He's really not good at writing cards. Especially not when hung over. Is "I love you" too much? Surely not. People write "Love, xxx" all the time. Which basically means "I love you, kiss kiss kiss." Right? 

He doesn't have any time to contemplate any longer. The blue film of Law's room spreads out around him, and suddenly he finds himself Shambles'd beside Law once more. 

Six long years pass after that fateful night. Six long years during which Penguin tries to recall the face of the woman he'd been with, but to no avail. Her name, her looks, it has all been lost to his drunken stupor. All he remembers is that she'd looked like an angel. 

He's not a stranger to one-night-stands, much to the dismay of Law who keeps lecturing him and Shachi on safety as if they were still teens, but that one woman he's sure can't have been real. He must have dreamt it. It simply was too good to be true. 

Chapter 3: Mama Bird

Summary:

Back to the present!

Chapter Text

Penguin gulps, staring at the lovely woman in the kitchen before him. He's definitely noticing how carefully she's holding Onigiri, which is already earning her major bonus points with him. 

He clears his throat. "Uhh. Hi." 

She blinks at him. "Hi." 

Thankfully Yuki interrupts what would only be a rather awkward silence. "Look, mamá! This is Pingüino! The capitán! I found him!" 

The woman frowns at Yuki. "Were you at the port again, Yuki? How many times do I need to tell you that pirates are dangerous? You can't just approach them." 

Yuki shakes her small head. "But mamá!! Are you even listening?? This is Pingüino! My dad!!"

The woman huffs and crosses her arms, fixing Penguin with a glare. "Prove it."

Penguin's throat goes dry. Prove it? How? "Uh. My name is written on my hat?", he suggests, pointing at the hat in question. 

Yuki laughs loudly at that. "He's wearing his own name in case he forgets! That's smart!" 

A faint smile plays around the woman's lips at that. "Hm. I guess that's a good point. Yuki, watch the kitchen." 

The woman heads off to rummage in some drawers in the living room before returning with a piece of paper. "This should prove it without a doubt." 

She places the piece of paper on the palm of her hand and then watches as it starts moving towards Penguin with infallible accuracy. 

Penguin stares at it wide-eyed. "You have my vivre card?" 

"You're the one that gave it to me." She takes the vivre card and hands it to him. 

When he reads the words, he blushes scarlet read. He recognizes his own writing, even if he doesn't remember giving it to her. It reads: "I'm sorry but I have to leave. You're amazing and I love you. Yours truly, Captain Penguin of the Heart Pirates."

Penguin's mouth suddenly feels very dry. "Uhm. Yeah. Well. I am Penguin. Heh." 

The woman's eyes narrow. "You left. Without a single word. Why did you even follow Yuki here?" 

Penguin sighs. "Look. I'm sorry. Even though I must have been pretty drunk cause I barely remember any of this, I wouldn't normally leave someone right after... well, you know. Something must have come up. And I was curious to see if it was true. If I'd actually-" He trails off. He can't say "be Yuki's dad." The words just won't come out of his mouth. 

He clears his throat, his voice suddenly assuming a much higher pitch. "Uhm. Am I? Her dad? Without a doubt?" 

He's freaking out a little on the inside, but the woman just nods. "Yeah. I don't- make a habit of sleeping around. Didn't back then, either." 

Penguin blinks owlishly as his eyes go from Yuki to the woman and back again. "Uh. Then why did you- Why did we...?" 

She sighs. "Honestly, you were really cute. I was quite drunk too and you kept giving me love confession after love confession that night. I couldn't resist. It was just so different from anyone who just wanted to take me to bed. Even if we did go there, so maybe it was all just an act." She frowns, looking at Penguin scrutinizingly. 

Penguin fidgets awkwardly. "So. Uh. Did you have any help? With, uh, having the baby? Raising her?" His eyes scoot over to Yuki again, although he's suddenly a little shy to look at her now that it's been confirmed that he is her actual father. 

The woman shrugs. "For the most part, yeah. The villagers on this island are really nice. They helped me out even though I'm an outsider. I don't have any family here, so I probably would have been screwed without them." 

Penguin breathes out in relief. "At least that." He takes a few moments to compose himself before adding. "I-I'm sorry. That I didn't uh, use protection that night. That I did that to you." 

The woman huffs. "We were both really drunk. But I appreciate the apology." 

Yuki guides Penguin to sit down on the sofa in the small living room, before bouncing up and down before him. "So now that you're here, you're gonna stay with us, right? I have so many drawings I wanna show you!!" 

Penguin first feels a hot, then a cold shiver run down his spine. "Uhh. About that? I- I can't exactly leave my crew behind, little one." He looks down at Yuki, admiring her features. He actually has a child. That's still so unreal to him. How's that even possible? He's just Penguin. Troublemaker, prankster officer. Not a responsible parent figure by any means. Oh god, Law's going to kill him. 

The woman sighs. "He's right, Yuki. He's a dangerous pirate, even if he looks pretty mellow." Penguin squawks in indignation, but she pays him no mind and continues. "But you can still show him your drawings, okay? Go fetch all of them. I'll make sure he doesn't run away again." At the last words, she shoots Penguin another glare, and he flinches at the venom behind that look. Okay, so she definitely isn't really happy with him, no matter how civil she's been acting so far. Good to know. 

Penguin bites his lip, feeling horrible. If what the woman said is true, then Yuki's been running to the harbor every time a ship came by, hoping it would be Penguin and his crew this time. How heartbreaking would it be for her if he just up and left again? But he can't give up on his life, on his friends, on Law, Shachi, Bepo and everybody else. He just can't. He can feel himself start to sweat as he sits there, uncomfortably aware of being alone in the room with the woman at the moment. 

Finally, he manages to gather his courage to ask. "I- I don't even know your name." 

The woman's eyes widen. "Are you kidding me?" 

Penguin squeaks again. "I'm so sorry! I barely remember anything from that night, remember!" 

She huffs. "Yeah, okay, makes sense. Just feels a bit ludicrous that you've had such a large impact on my life and don't even remember my name. Not like you remember anything else either, I guess. My name is Anita." 

She sighs, letting Onigiri down on the ground to go explore the surroundings, having held onto him until this moment. 

"Look, I'm really sorry, okay? I- I hate myself for not getting to say goodbye to you that morning and for- for not being there for Yuki. I mean, I still don't feel like I could be a dad, cause that's just surreal but still. I didn't mean to ruin your life like that." 

Anita shakes her head. "My life isn't ruined, and don't you dare let Yuki hear that. She's my pride and joy. I'm glad I've got her. Things haven't been easy for us. But we have each other." 

Something about that resonates within Penguin, reminding him of two little boys that lived on Swallow Island, having nobody but each other. 

"Can I- Can I help you? In any way? I want to help." 

Anita frowns, clearly thinking it over. "We don't have a lot, but we're happy. Yuki's growing so fast, she keeps needing new clothes, so I guess if you have gold to spare I'd ask for that." 

"Yeah. Of course. Anything to help. I'll give you all my savings. We all share our loot amongst each other on the crew anyways so I'll make some again soon." 

Anita looks genuinely surprised. "Really? You're just going to part with all of your personal savings? I guess you're not just all talk." 

Penguin feels incredibly offended that she'd thought that. "Come on, angel- I mean, Anita! I'm not a horrible person." And then, with a very small voice he adds, tone full of self-doubt: "Just a deadbeat dad, apparently." 

Yuki comes back into the room, carrying a plethora of drawings and sketchbooks in her hand. 

They're incredibly messy, but Penguin's heart sings with joy as the little girl shows him all of her drawings so proudly. 

A lot of them are about him, although in her drawings he more looks like a human-sized penguin mink than an actual human. 

There's scenes of him holding Yuki's hands, holding Anita's hands, so much wishful imagining of a family life as three. Penguin's heart breaks just thinking about leaving these two behind. 

He carefully strokes over Yuki's head. "You're a great artist, Yuki. I bet you'll be a world famous painter one day!" 

Yuki's eyes shine with glee. "You really think so?!"

"I'm sure of it." 

Onigiri, who's now done inspecting the living room, hops onto Yuki's lap and sniffs her eagerly, making her put aside her drawings. He starts licking her leg and she giggles. "That tickles! Stop, little perro!" 

Penguin didn't realize he was crying out of happiness until he sees the tears drop down onto the sofa. He quickly wipes them away, glancing over at Anita who's viewing him with an inscrutable expression. 

He clears his throat before speaking, even though he can't completely hide the teary note from his voice. "The dog's name is Onigiri. He's our crew dog. He's the best guard dog any pirate crew has ever had." 

Yuki giggles. "But he's so tiny! Any thief would probably just overlook him!" 

As if Onigiri understood what she said, he hops off of Yuki's lap and onto Penguin's, settling down comfortably for a nap, completely content with his exploration of the surroundings and having made sure this is a safe place to stay for himself and Penguin, like a good protector dog would. 

Penguin gathers his courage and speaks up almost timidly. "Yuki. Do you like living here?"

Yuki furrows her brows in confusion. "Huh? Yeah. This place is nice. Why?" 

Penguin gulps and looks away. "I- I'll have to set off with my crew again. Probably sooner than later, our captain is very impatient once we've restocked on supplies."

Yuki's lip starts quivering. "WHAT? Already? B-but I only just met you and I only just showed you half of my drawings and I've waited for so long and-" 

Before he knows it, he's got a crying child flinging herself at him. Onigiri yips and looks up in concern, having been woken up from his slumber. 

Penguin holds Yuki awkwardly in his arms, trying to hug her back well, but the feeling is leaving him very confused. He's never had to do much with children but he already feels incredibly guilty for making Yuki cry like this, no matter how true his words might be. 

He looks to Anita helplessly, but she just shrugs, not having a remedy for this either. 

Yuki sniffles against his side. "I've only just met you. You can't just leave me again!" 

Penguin holds her closely and sighs. "I- I can't give up my pirate life. My friends. I'm really sorry. I wish I could stay with you, and I'd love to see all of your other drawings too, but..." 

But they're interrupted as a few men suddenly enter the cabin. Penguin tenses up at first but relaxes once he recognizes Shachi, Hakugan and Uni. "Why are you here?" 

Shachi grins from ear to ear. "Captain sent us. We're supposed to help the lovely ladies pack." He winks at Anita flirtatiously, which makes Penguin feel a lot more jealous and protective than he has any right to. 

Penguin frowns. "Help them pack? Why? What the hell is going on here?" Anita adds: "That's what I'd like to know." 

Uni explains. "Bepo overheard what the little girl said to you with his fine hearing. He got super excited that you're a dad and immediately told Law. Who absolutely lost his shit-" He breaks off to giggle. "But then he said that the three of us should follow after you and help the little girl and her mother pack." 

Anita huffs. "What the hell kind of decision is that? He can't just... abduct us." 

Shachi grins even wider. "Not an abduction! But if you're the mother of Penguin's kid, and that there is actually Penguin's kid, then you're gonna come with us, of course. Cause that makes ya family!" 

Anita looks absolutely bewildered and speechless, but Yuki looks beyond excited. "C-Come with you? Can I come with you, Pingüino? Then you won't have to leave me again!" 

Hakugan frowns. "Wasn't that the plan to begin with? The hell were you gonna do, Penguin, just leave them here knowing you have a family?" 

Penguin is getting redder and redder by the minute. "I-It's not like I was in a relationship with Anita here before. It was just a one-night-stand." 

Anita nods. "Yeah. I'd be mad to just leave everything and join a pirate crew on a whim."

Shachi laughs heartily. "Well, good! We're a bunch of madlads too, so you'll fit right in with our crew!" 

Penguin can't help but feel incredible uncomfortable with how lightly Shachi's taking this. He turns to Anita pleadingly. "I-Is that something you'd be willing to consider? Coming with us? We're a good crew, I promise. Things can get dangerous, but-" He looks down, fidgeting with his hands. "Things can get dangerous everywhere. Pirates could come to this seemingly peaceful island too. If you come with us-" He looks back up, meeting her eyes, his expression serious. "Then I promise you on everything I hold dearly that I will protect you and Yuki with my life." 

Yuki cheers happily. "I'll start packing right away!!" 

Anita still looks a little frozen and unsure, but it's obvious that Penguin's heartfelt words have moved her, even if only a little. 

She finally voices her concerns. "But won't it be weird? I'm not a pirate. I don't- I've never even learned to fight. I don't belong on a crew like yours." 

Penguin, heart beating in his throat, gets up and sits down beside Anita, taking one of her hands into both of his. "Anita. That's not something I would ever expect of you. You'd just do whatever you can, and that'd be good enough." It feels like his heart's beating out of his chest as he adds. "But I- I'd love to get to know you. Properly. To get to know Yuki. If- If captain is really okay with this-" He turns to look at Shachi, who nods, before looking back at her. "Then I'd be really happy to have you join us. I'll make sure you won't lack for anything. And I'll even protect you from captain's moodswings." He adds the last part with a crooked grin, making Uni and Hakugan snicker in the background. 

Anita sighs and looks down at her hand in his. "I- I wouldn't mind it so much for me. But I can't endanger Yuki by any means. I can't let her come to harm just because-" She's clearly struggling to let herself be so vulnerable, especially now that three other strangers have come into the room too. "Just because I'd like for her to get to be part of an actual family. Because I'd love to not be so alone anymore." 

Just then, Shachi gets a ring on his baby transponder snail. "What is it?", he asks. Bepo's voice responds. "The radars have detected a large ship coming this way. We can't see them yet, it could be marines or other pirates. Finish packing and get back here as quickly as you can!" 

Penguin freezes in fear. Maybe he won't have the necessary time to convince Anita and Yuki to come join them. Maybe it's all been for naught. What if he will never see them again after this? Never get to properly get to know this angelic woman and his very own daughter? He pleads with her. "Please. Anita. What if it's a crew full of dangerous pirates? Or even corrupt marines? Please. Don't just reject this." 

Anita takes a deep breath, clearly realizing the urgency of the situation. "If Yuki and I join you and I realize that it's too dangerous for us to be on your crew. Would you let us get off again? Build a new life on a peaceful island?" 

Penguin nods seriously. "Yes. I would. I swear to you, that I will respect whatever decision you make. We're an honorable crew. I promise to you that you can trust us." 

No matter how true his words may be, he worries that she's not going to believe him. Why should she, after all? She barely knows him. He's not sure if he would trust him if he was in her shoes. 

She exhales deeply and makes her decision. "Fine. We're coming with you. Yuki. This is urgent. We're only taking the emergency suitcases and everything you can gather within five minutes. Understand?" 

Yuki does a little salute and immediately scuttles off to fetch her belongings. 

Shachi looks impressed as he asks. "Emergency suitcases?" 

Anita nods as she gets up and produces a suitcase from the wardrobe. "Yeah. We always keep them handy and restocked. They have money, emergency food and changes of clothing. I've had to flee the places I lived in a few times before. Best to be prepared." 

Shachi looks seriously impressed, and Penguin feels much the same way. Before he can stop himself, he blurts out. "Wow, you're amazing, angel. I mean, Anita." He quickly corrects himself, blushing hard. 

"Why do you keep calling me angel?", Anita asks as she grabs some of her other belongings strewn about into various other backpacks and bags.

Penguin clears his throat, mortified to admit to this in front of the other three. "Well, cause you look like one. You're just as beautiful." 

As expected, all three of his crewmates start snickering, overjoyed to get to overhear this embarassing moment. 

Anita just laughs softly. "Oh. Yeah. I vaguely remember you saying something like that when I met you." 

Yuki and Anita are ready to leave just a few minutes later. Penguin takes the time to ask them once more. "Are you sure about this?" 

Anita nods, expression a mix of grim determination. "Yeah. I'll hold you to that promise. Yuki's safety comes first." 

Penguin nods. "You have my word. Let's go." He quickly fetches Onigiri into his arms to make sure the little troublemaker won't cost them any time on their way to the ship. 

They make haste, Shachi and Hakugan taking over carrying the suitcases and Uni the bags as Penguin lets Yuki ride on his shoulders. Her legs are simply too short to uphold the speed of the adults. Anita had initially been the one to offer to carry her but Penguin had waved her offer aside with a gentle smile. "No need. I've got more than enough strength to go around." 

What Anita had said before was true. She wasn't a fighter, or trained by any means. Even with their heavy cargo the four Heart Pirates would easily outpace her, but they make sure to match her speed to not make her feel like a burden. 

When they arrive on the Polar Tang and get on board, most everybody else is already inside, ready to submerge. 

Bepo ushers them inside, although he's visibly extremely excited to get to meet Penguin's daughter. Which is still incredibly surreal to Penguin. Once they've all made it inside, Law's there, waiting for Anita and Yuki. He formally introduces himself. "Hello. My name is Trafalgar Law. I am the captain of this vessel. As I'm sure my men have told you, you are free to stay with us for as long as you wish. You are now officially under the protection of the Heart Pirates, whereever you are or may go." 

Penguin preens, feeling incredibly proud to serve under such a good captain and awesome friend. 

Anita replies just as politely. "Thank you. I'll make sure not to be a burden to you or your crew. I greatly appreciate everything you're doing for us." 

She seems very tense, like she's about to run away, so Penguin steps up beside her and puts a hand on her back, just the faintest hint of a  touch to reassure her instead of scaring her further. "I'm here. You and Yuki aren't alone, ya hear me?" He gives her one of his winning smiles, the type that make every lady swoon with a 100% chance of success (in his dreams, at least). 

Anita looks a little confused at his smile but then nods, Yuki clinging onto her leg. 

Law exchanges a meaningful glance with Penguin. "You and I are going to have one long talk once we're submerged and these two are settled in." 

Penguin nods ruefully, already dreading that happening. He smiles at Anita and Yuki. Come on. I'll show you what room you're going to stay in until we've figured out the new living arrangements. I'm sure it's a bit overwhelming, being around this many strangers and what with us about to submerge as well." 

Anita nods gratefully, while Yuki doesn't seem scared in the slightest, taking in the inside of the Polar Tang with wide, curious eyes. 

Penguin can't help but feel happy as he sees her expression. His daughter's expression. He's going to make damn sure that she gets to have an awesome and fun time on this ship. While he's still terrified of suddenly being a dad now, he's starting to get more and more excited by the idea of it. And even if he struggles with it, he's got the Heart Pirates to back him up when he needs them. 

-Fin-

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy wholesome Dad!Penguin as much as I do ^-^

My Magnum Opus in animation - Donquixote Doflamingo, using official audio from the anime.

It's in 4K! My PC was kind of very much struggling with the size of it.

Here's a side by side comparison of the scene!

Doflamingo helping Sophia with all that sickness.

So, uh. I published Love at first bite (SanjixOC) and Breeder Village's (DoflamingoxOC, highly problematic) next chapters today on AO3. In this newest chapter of Breeder Village, Doflamingo helps a woman who feels sick after he takes her on a flight with him.

I made a joke making fun of the supposed AO3 author's curse just yesterday.

Then suddenly today I start feeling sick. Bim bang boom, I'm living out my Doflamingo fic fantasy. Except I don't have a Doflamingo helping me out. Fate forgot like the most important part to this equation. So yeah. I'm filing a complaint with Fortuna or whatever idiot was responsible for this.

Also, dear body, please let me at least drink water again? I'm starting to feel like this.

So yeah! A little rant post to file these coincidences together. I still refuse to believe in the curse cause screw that.

After my first bout of sickness I sat down in bed and drew Doflamingo with the last of my energy. I have a very strong tendency towards being melodramatic so I was like "if I go out here, I wanna go out doing what I love." Not that the art turned out particularly great because of that, unfortunately.

Either way! Thanks for coming to my pity party, I'll tone it down from here on out again, but I am just a melodramatic little bitch :^)

I love them all so much!! I need way more content with the Hearts ^-^

Little heart pirates - (they're pulling off a heist)

I started drawing them without any real plan but it turned into a whole thing. Using their meagre little origin story and just imagining freely from there. So, it's been about a year since they met. Penguin (16) is in the middle of an awkward growth spurt and desperately needs to get new coat but it hasn't been a priority. Shachi (15) should also invest in a new outfit. Hopefully there's something worth selling in that bag he's carrying. Law (14) is also growing, for the first time in his entire lead-infused life, and has optimistically gotten himself a pair of jeans made for someone twice his current height. Aim high! Bepo (10) is wearing shorts in the winter, because he likes it.

Those were some notes on their outfits. The point though, is that they've just pulled off their first major heist as a team and now they have a treasure map that might make them incredibly rich!! Rich enough to upgrade from the creaky little rowboat I imagine they've been using to get between bleak little winter islands.

Law and Banshee (my two trauma babies) having a peaceful sleepover with nice dreams!

(Alert the media, Law is ACTUALLY sleeping for once!)

Me + Doflamingo

Me + Rosinante

"Quickly colour it so you'll have a new pfp" I thought.

Two hours later I'm rethinking my ability to do things quickly.

Am I taking the concept of Dreaming of Doflamingo too far by making it an entire "I dream of Jeannie" crossover? Maybe.

Do I love that show? To bits.

I was tempted to try and incorporate the official female Doflamingo design a bit better into this but... Yeah. No. Didn't work out the way I planned, haha.

Directly traced over the intro animation of the show!

Happy birthday, Smoker!

"Little" One Piece Gakuen redraw for my daily drawing. (This is the 72nd piece this year! Wow!)

I love that the spinoff gave us SO many wet / shower scenes for Smoker. For no reason at all. You will certainly not find me complaining!

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