#celestiialnotes

"i am pleased to announce that the mission was a success!" the larger man's voice almost seems to echo through the walls as he returns to his companion's side, smile wide and bright as usual. but what's this? there's a hint of nervousness hidden beneath that facade. "the bad news however is uh..." well the damages to his newly made suit were quite obvious. he knew how hard dave had worked on this, and it was only so recently perfected as well, now look at it, barely hanging on by a couple threads.

@celestiialnotes said:" So… that golden ball Ayase wanted… that was yours ? " - Unji to Okarun

"It was." An adjustment to the frames on the bridge of his nose, somehow still not used to the idea of telling people that those golden balls were—well, his own. At the very least he took solace in the fact that he was talking to another man about this, but it didn't really help as much as he thought it would. "I know you didn't know any better but thank you for taking such good care of it? Or at least returning it." In what universe does a man thank another man for carefully handling his balls? Was this weird? This was probably weird. He stands there awkwardly for a moment, now losing the wind in his sails the more the issues dwells on him.

@celestiialnotes asked: “Let’s not make assumptions.” - Atsuhiro to Kitamura

Lips curl into a smile, cold and cruel. “I believe, the one making assumptions here is you, is it now not? Unless you had something else in mind to be making assumptions about? I highly doubt that would be the case.” Now how to go about capturing this fool?

"My assumption is that you are going to try and use your annoying little power to deal with me, and I don't feel like playing games. I have a date in two hours and it truly unromantic to leaves a lady waiting."

it was a rare scene when someone saw the straw hat captain away from the food and fun that was happening back in the mainland of the island, luffy had always been in the middle of the celebrations wherever he had gone. but right here and now? he would be found in the quiet of the woods, resting his body on a log just talking to the marine captain with the biggest smile on his face.

recalling all of his past achievements with koby was something that brought luffy joy, and hearing about the other's own adventures, it brought some pride into his heart knowing that koby was out there fulfilling his own dreams and ambitions. though it might be odd to most that a pirate and a marine could be chatting like this and not fighting to stay alive against one another, luffy found it comforting that through everything they were still friends.

he had known that it was getting late, his crew might be waiting up for him to sail off this island, so he was going to stand up from where he had been sitting for what felt like hours--his rear had gone numb from sitting there for too long. saying his goodbye, wishing that koby had safe travels, luffy turned his body to head back to the sunny, wondering if sanji had anything for him to eat for a midnight snack.

that was when he felt himself being pulled back by his cardigan, eyes widened slightly as they took in the other, only for them to grow wider when he felt koby's lips press against his own. his heart began to pump faster in his chest, cheeks slightly tinted in pink only to be released a moment later, leaving him to wonder what just happened.

"koby.." was all he could get out before he watched the marine captain begin to rush out of there. but luffy wasn't about to let him get away that easily as he stretched his arm to wrap around koby's arm, holding him in a vice grip, not allowing him to get away. "hang on a minute, you don't have to--please don't go."

“Oh, come on,” she chided, unable to hold in the peel of laughter following Paulie's response. Her mind wasn't so much in the gutter as… she knew his prude-like tendencies were likely hiding a freak underneath. Nami was merely attempting to help helping that freak come out to play a little.

That and she couldn't deny the particular enjoyment she received from watching a grown man turn pink and stutter as she toyed with him. “There's no need to be so shy. I'll share if you do. Or do I need to go first...?

─「エデン」─  it was just like any other day. mission cleared, some errands being carried out and finally, it was time to return back to the ASTRAL EXPRESS. eden had lingered around for long enough, after all. the crew was probably catching some rest in their room. the door to the main cabin slid open, she simply wanted to catch the sight of the stars before she headed for slumber herself. the sight, however, caused the TRAILBLAZER to freeze in her tracks.

                right there, in the middle of the main cabin of the astral express stood a lone individual. his tall frame and unique attire brought a sense of nostalgia despite how it hadn't been that long. familiar shade of maroon in his pants and unruly brown locks wavering gently. her breath was caught in her lungs, pupils dilated as HEART thumping loudly against her ribcage. it was like she was seeing something straight out of her dream. eden had forgotten how to breathe for a split second, the border of dream and REALITY blurred in a fraction of a moment. gloved hand unconsciously lifted and reached out as though she was hesitant. if she had done so, would he disappear once more ? for good, this time ?

                " gall ... agher ... ? "

@celestiialnotes asked: " Your sail looks good from what I can tell. Nothing else needs to be replaced. Typical wear and tear but nothin' needing immediate attention. " A brief pause as he gently knocks on the metal frame of the Polar Tang. " Seen plenty of different ships but this has gotta be a first for me. Ain't half bad. Looks like it's well taken care of. " - Paulie

The Polar Tang was a unique ship, and Ikkaku was generally considered the best person qualified to fix her after any given attack, accident, or just due to general wear and tear. It was a job the engineer was proud to do, giving her best day in and day out, making sure her beautiful submarine was getting the best care possible.

Yet despite her skills and natural inclination towards all things mechanical, Ikkaku also knew there was always something new to learn. And while traditional shipwrights would likely have nothing useful to add, or even have even the slightest understanding of such a magnificent, highly advanced submarine, the ones on Water 7 were considered the best in the world. If there were anyone who could teach her something, it would be them.

Hell, sometimes just getting an outsider's perspective was useful, so when the Hearts had stopped at the famous Captial of Water, she'd insisted on getting the Tang looked at, just to ensure there was nothing she could improve on or had missed.

The blonde shipwright - Paulie, if she had heard right - had certainly taken his job seriously, which Ikkaku appreciated. And she appreciated the comment about her submarine being well taken care of just as much. "Thanks," she said, beaming with pride. "She's the most beautiful and unique ship I've ever seen. From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I knew she was the best damn vessel in the four Blues. And I can promise she's looked after. I'm the head engineer, so I do my damnedest to keep her in tip-top shape."

" how 'bout a day in town, just you and me. it's been a while, hasn't it ? i'd get tilestone and peepley to ditch work and join us, but ... i'm not in the mood for a lecture from the boss. "