Slash and Burn

🐉🔥 OKAY I’VE BEEN DEAD LONG ENOUGH 🔥🐉

Like/Reblog this if you want to interact with The Strategist of the Straw Hat Pirates. Let’s set sail!! 

@pcrona

He's never ready for it when it happens. Whether they pop out for a justifiable reason, a completely unjustifiable reason, or simply because she's feeling bored, her hollows always manage to catch him by surprise.

@pcrona

"Princess, I haven't seen you all afternoon, have you been avoiding me?" Drake chuckled obliviously. He was waiting by her favorite little pavilion in her cemetery garden.

He held out a hand to her and gently escorted her to the seat with the nicest view, being sure to pull out her chair as well.

"Take a seat, princess, you're going to love this, I stayed up all night trying to get your favorite tea juuuust right. You told me there was a specific method for this particular type, so I made sure to take notes as I was testing it out, but let me know if there's anything you'd like me to change or adjust..." The dragon butler poured his mistress her tea as he spoke, setting the glass in front of her with his usual fanged smile.

"Whoa, did you do your nails this morning? They're so pretty! I didn't know nails could look so sparkly..." he said, admiring their detail and beauty.

“ mine. ”

@pcrona

Drake had been deep in the midst of his strategy work for the last few hours. When Drake starts, it's often he'll lose track of time and if it's particular ship combat or naval maneuver he's struggling with, he'll even forget to sleep or eat. He was so deep in thought, he didn't even notice the door to his study open. It wasn't until his princess actually floated and landed on his lap that he finally realized she was here.

"P-P-P-Perona!!!" He stuttered out like a blushing teenager the first time they hear their crush say their name. His face was almost as red as his hair. She was so close. He could even smell her favorite shampoo on her hair.

As she took hold of his chin and uttered just a single word, he felt his brain fry like a roasted chicken. Whatever strategy he had been struggling with might as well have been shot out of a cannon and sunk to the bottom of the sea. Drake was always just a blushing mess whenever his princess reminded him who was in charge.

if you think /im/ not going to ask you to be mine this 14th, then you’re wrong.

what type of owner to a butler would i be?!

i expect to see you - i expect it to be romantic - but i want you to know . . .

i want you to be my cursed valentine.

i’ve left some tokens in this card from an island of dragons that i found, as an early gift. they’re creepy and rotting.

my heart is always yours.

- Perona.”

@pcrona

Drake knew immediately the card was for him. Not only was the black envelope a clear indicator, but there was just this malevolent aura radiating from. The kind you'd get from a raven perched on your windowsill. Any normal person might be afraid to open the letter, but for Drake-

"MY PRINCESS SENT ME A CARD!!!" He exclaimed as he picked it up with so much joy in his heart.

His chest tightened, and his heart began to beat faster as he read the card. He instinctively put a hand over his neck. There was still a mark left behind by the collar she put on him. His face was now almost as red as his hair.

As he read the declaration in the larger font meant specifically for him, it felt like a storm cloud appeared over his head. And it made the strategist smile. He loved being cursed by his princess, a special privilege only given to him, her beloved butler.

He pulled out from the envelope some small dirty bones, some strange black pollen, a small broken piece of black bark with a rune he didn't recognize written on it, and a tiny sharp dragon scale that cut his finger the moment it landed in his palm. The blood trickled down his finger alarmingly quickly, leaving a dark red stain on the floor.

"My treasure, her heart belongs to me..." Drake smiled as he put a hand to his chest.

“bring your chin down a bit - good. and there you go! ”

there was an art to taking pictures & her dragon was not very good at it. / based on real events :)

@pcrona

"Huh, you really know what you're doing, princess..."

Drake had never really been a photogenic person. Ever since he was a kid, he was so used to pictures of himself being on wanted posters. Snapshots that make him out as a violent beast that is a danger to all those around him. I guess, subconsciously, he tried to avoid taking photos where he could and so looking picture-perfect wasn't something he picked up on.

However, his new girlfriend wouldn't have that. She was adamant that he learned how to look nice in a photo with her, and Drake knew better than to question her on this. He did his best to follow her instruction as nervously put an arm around her waist to snuggle up close.

Anxious thoughts clouded his head. Was he doing this right? Did he even look good? Should they have fed the transponder snail first? But then as the small snail camera spat out the photograph, all those worries melted away.

"Whoa. Perona, you made me look...cool. And you look...so beautiful..." He said with awe and intrigue as he held the photo in his hands. He pulled her in for a tender kiss and then grinned his lovely fanged grin. "Thank you, my love."

" . . . NEGATIVE HOLLOW ! ! "

@pcrona

"No, hold on. You need to make sure you have the correct mana before you can cast that creature, baby..." Drake explained as he looked over his lovely girlfriend's board. While she had taken to the game as well as he hoped, she was developing a nasty habit of fluttering her eyelashes and puffing her cheeks to get her dragon boy into letting her cheat.

"It's not cheating! That's how the game is playe-WAIT BABE! NO! I'M SORRY! I'M-AAAAUGHHHH!!"

"Euuugh... I'm such a loser, princess. All I spend my money on worthless trading cards. Please forgive your lowly lizard butler, I beg of you..."

@pcrona

"Well that should be everything..." Drake said adjusting the oversized backpack of his. It was finally happening. After 2 long years, he was finally reuniting with his nakama. He couldn't wait. He managed to find an Eternal Pose to lead him back to Saobody. He was so excited, and yet, that excitement was being drowned out by a sorrowful cry deep down. He wished he didn't have to leave her.

"Princess?" He said turning back around to face her. What started as a master and servant relationship, Drake being forced to tend to every task and whim of the ghost princess in exchange for room and board, slowly bloomed into something romantic. He never in his wildest dreams expected to fall in love with Perona, but now, he couldn't imagine life without her.

He took her hand and slowly interlocked their fingers. With his other hand, he gently pulled her face in close while his fingers played with her hair. "I'm wild about you, my love. My heart's always been like a fire, but whenever I think of you, it's becomes a wild inferno. Once you're on my mind, it's so hard for me to think about anything else. You're my treasure."

"I know, right now, it might feel impossible to accomplish, what with the distance and unreliable communication out there, but I'm not going to let what we've built together end here! I refuse! I see things out to the end, Perona, and you're no exception."

"I know you're the princess, and I'm the butler, but if you promise to to fufill this one and only request, my love, then I promise to grant your every wish and desire, as a proper butler..." Drake slowly pulled her in to give a warm but tender kiss.

“ that one! i want that one ! ” happily she takes it before adding,

“ if i don’t like a card that’s been dealt, i’ll simply hollow them! ” ta-da! a simple solution to a complicated game.

@pcrona

"And so Lands are your source for being able to play all your cards. Like for instance, these are creature cards, you use them to attack your opponent for damage and block against your opponent's creatures..."

The card game he was taking the time to explain had become a slight obsession for the strategist. He found it in a small game store, and it had been slowly making its way in various corners across the Grand Line and the 4 Blues. It was fun to play, had simple to grasp rules, and a fascinating amount of mechanical depth. A perfect game for a strategist. So far, he's only been able to get Usopp and Robin to play with him, but he was determined to get Perona in on the game as well!

"Ohh she actually suits you perfectly, since she's able to create ghosts tokens to fight for you..." His mind was already considering how best to build a deck built around an aristocratic ghostly maiden.

“ mine. ”

@pcrona

Chills rush down the dragon's boy spine all the way down from his toes. A deep red blush ran across his cheeks. He had been with the ghost princess for quite some time now, and yet, she could still stun him with a kiss and any display that he was her's. And he loved that about her.

“…did you just call me… DUDE? ”

hell no. absolutely NOT.

“ i’m your GIRLFRIEND YOU IDIOT ! not some crew member ! negative hollow !! ” / :) :)

@pcrona

"Dude! This is the best tea I've ever had! It's so sweet!" he said with unabashed enthusiasm, unaware of the wrath he had just incurred.

However, all that joy faded as quickly as his smile the second Perona stood up from her seat to chew into him. He forgot just how scary she could be if you pushed the wrong button. Knowing where this is going he scrambled out of his seat in a blind panic to try and escape his punishment.

"Ahhh! Perona wait! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it I swea-AUCK!!" But it was too late as the unfriendly little ghost passed right through him with total ease and little effort. The dragon butler fell to the ground, groveling before her, completely crestfallen.

[ ANGER ]: sender tackles the receiver in a fit of rage. @pcrona

"I shouldn't have come back. It was stupid to come back. Why am I do this?This is so reckless. What are you thinking?"

It was Drake's head was going through every possible argument or reason to not go see Perona, but all of it was just wasn't getting through to him. He couldn't explain it. He understood how much of a bad idea this was, but after all this time he hadn't been able to get her out of his head. With the way they left things, he just needed closure at the very least.

He stood in front of the massive doors to her castle for at least 5 minutes before finally knocking. He was as tense as a sailing knot. Finally, the door opened.

"..."

His mind went blank. He had prepared a dozen or so possible plans for what to say or do when he saw her, and even more reactions depending on what she did. But all of that just left his brain like dust in the wind. He was just so stunned to see her again. The woman he loved.

"...Hey Per-Ack!" Drake's attempt to break the silence after a solid minute or so was met with a sudden tackle to the ground by the ghost princess. She was punching his chest. Repeatedly. Screaming something too, but he couldn't make it out. His brain was just a deep fog. Finally, he managed to cut through her anger like a lighthouse beacon in a raging storm as he reached a hand out to gently caress her cheek.

inside, rubies & precious stones ( some black ) lay. beside it a dagger that was RED, encrusted with black. the dagger had a small ghost charm attached to it. a letter can be found neatly placed by the side.

love,

i stole these from a marine warship after finding out they belonged to an ancient being . . . rumor has it that they were part dragon.

the charm has a curse on it. should anyone hurt you, they’ll feel an overwhelming sense of despair…not to dissimilar to my cute ghosts. merry christmas.

… i love you.

always yours,

perona.”

@pcrona

The holidays were always such a chaotic period for the Straw Hat Pirates. Any excuse to celebrate meant they were in for days of drinking, eating, singing, and more without any sign of stopping.

Drake always loved this season. Giving gifts to his nakama, making his mom's recipe for hot chocolate, and partying till they collapse on the deck of the Sunny. That last one was the only brief period of quiet and peace that would grace the Straw Hat Pirates during the holiday season.

Drake was well unconscious at this point (as was the rest of the crew), but ever the alert dragon he was, something roused him from his sleep. Something almost invisible and with an air of mischief.

"Hm?" Taking a claw to rub the sleep out of his eyes, he took sudden notice of a small little parcel with black wrapping paper and a red ribbon. He gently picked the gift upon and almost instantly recognized the scent from it. A smile crept its way across his face as he began to carefully unwrap the package.

"WHOAAAA!" He said with all the enthusiasm and awe of a child receiving the very toy they had been eyeing in the store window all year. His eyes sparkled as he picked up the dagger to admire. "Luffy's not comin' within a mile of this thing..." He quietly whispered to himself. He then reached for the letter, his tail unconsciously wagging before he even has a chance to read it.

A gentle red blush dyed his cheeks just reading the way she addressed him. He couldn't help but smile as he kept reading. She loved to complain about having to do anything, and yet she went out of her way to steal from a marine battleship all for him.

He took the dagger and carefully tucked it in his jacket's inside pocket, close to his heart. Most people would probably freak out from receiving a curse, but not Drake. With it nearby, he felt safe.

[ RESTRAIN ]: sender tackles the receiver to try and physically restrain them. @maddmuses

"Hm, oh hey! I've been looking for this volume in the ser-AAHGH!" As Drake reached out for the specific fantasy book he was immediately and without warning, tackled to the floor by his fellow dragon cohort.

His skills hadn't deteriorated in the least since he last saw him. Drake didn't even sense him approach. Had he gotten even stronger?

"Dammit! What's your problem you golden jackass!?"

Drake was normally very amicable when it came to new people riding the Sunny. As long as Luffy approved, he didn't make a fuss. However, Toru being their newest ally was something Drake was finding difficult to adjust too.

He had locked horns with Toru more times than he could count at this point. Literally and figuratively. He was ready to fight The Dragon Marine for the rest of his life. And to be honest, seeing that he couldn't even remember their rivalry, it really frustrated him.