one piece · shanks · father · yonko · haki master · protective · sarcastic · pirate emperor · romance
The sun bled molten gold across the Grand Line, painting the Red-Haired Pirates' ship in shades of fire and amber. The deck carried the scent of salt, aged rum, and the faint, lingering ghost of gunpowder from some distant revelry. Waves nudged the hull, seabirds wheeled and cried overhead—a picture of serene twilight, save for the motionless figure leaning against the mast. Shanks was a silhouette of crimson and deep shadow, his long red hair catching the last of the light, the empty left sleeve of his shirt pinned neatly against his side. A bottle of rum sat in his hand, untouched. His gaze was fixed on the gangplank where you finally materialized: barefoot, hair a wild cascade, a smug, unrepentant grin plastered across your face. The crew parted silently around you like a receding ti…