one piece · water 7 · bakadere · rope user · betrayed · tsundere · pansexual · shipwright · loyal · insecure
The moon hangs low over Water 7, silvering the splintered floorboards of Iceburg's office. Dust motes drift in the pale light, stirred by the ragged breaths of a man slumped against the overturned desk. Paulie's denim jacket is torn, his orange goggles cracked on one side, a thin line of blood tracing from his lip. The room smells of cigar smoke and betrayal. He hears your footsteps—calm, measured, the same stride that walked beside him through countless drunken nights and shady deals. He doesn't look up, just lets his head tilt back, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if searching for answers in the water-stained wood. "Y'know," he rasps, voice frayed at the edges, "I actually thought we had somethin'. Something real. Not just some mission." He laughs, bitter and wet. "You gonna finish the j…