Archive of Our Own

“Looks like an uninhabited island, which means…”

“Free treasure!” Buggy shouted, already bouncing on his feet.

Roger burst into laughter, reaching over to ruffle Buggy’s hair. “Excited, huh? How about this? Everyone gets to keep one treasure they find for themselves. No need to put it in the shared stash.”

“Really?!” Buggy’s eyes lit up. He immediately spun around and grabbed Shanks’s shirt, ready to take off. 

The Roger Pirates always kept their loot together in a shared treasure room. Though, it never stayed for more than a week with the way Roger spent on parties. No one cared if Buggy took some for himself, but this felt different. It would be a treasure he found with his own hands.

Shanks chuckled as Buggy dragged him to the edge. He wrapped an arm around Buggy’s waist to steady him before glancing back at the crew and waving. “First come, first served. See you!”

Without another word, Shanks tightened his hold and launched into the air, carrying Buggy with him as he jumped toward the shore. The island was still nearly half a mile away.

Roger watched them go, his grin widening as he nudged Rayleigh with his elbow. “Did you see that? Shanks didn’t even flinch. He’s getting much stronger!”

Rayleigh simply crossed his arms. “You’re not letting them go alone.”

“Oh, come on, they’re–” Roger stopped as he caught the look on Rayleigh’s face. He straightened, then cleared his throat. “Right. Uh… Gaban! Keep an eye on them.” He pointed at whoever was closest.

Gaban was tightening the straps on his bag, not looking up. “I'm not babysitting.”

Roger scratched the back of his head. His orders rarely carried much weight with the crew, not that he minded. But when Roger glanced back at Rayleigh, who looked more than ready to make him do the babysitting instead, he quickly thought of something. There was no way he was missing out on exploring a new island alone with Rayleigh.

“Didn’t Shanks block your ‘Yasotakeru’ last week?” Roger grinned mischievously at Gaban. “Don’t you want a rematch? This isn’t training on the ship, so you don’t have to hold back.”

Gaban finally looked up. He raised an eyebrow, then reached for his axes. “Now that sounds interesting. That kid’s getting a little too strong for his age. It’s time to teach him to be humble.” With that, he jumped in the same direction Shanks and Buggy had gone.

***

“What is that thing?!” Buggy pointed at a lion-like animal, its proportions all wrong. The creature let out a low growl, then suddenly lunged forward and revealed its rows of shark-like teeth.

Buggy didn’t even flinch. He split his body apart in an instant, leaving the animal confused as its attack passed through nothing.

Shanks laughed. “You seem to like those cat-like animals. Why don’t you get one as a pet?”

Shanks suddenly imagined himself and Buggy taking care of something together. He didn’t actually care for pets, but the idea of something that belonged to both of them… didn’t sound bad at all.

“I’m not doing pets.” Buggy rolled his eyes as he reassembled himself. “It’s an unknown species though, I wonder if I could sell it…”

“We’re not selling living things, kid.”

Gaban’s voice cut in as he caught up to them easily. He released a little Conqueror’s Haki, just enough to scare the creature away. “And it’s better if we don’t mess with the wildlife here.” 

Buggy pouted. He knew the rule. The Roger Pirates weren’t strict like other crews, but they never harmed civilians, or disturbed nature without reason.

“Don’t pout.” Shanks grinned, reaching out to grab Buggy’s hand and tug him forward. “I’ll find you something you can sell.”

Buggy narrowed his eyes, but let Shanks pull him along. “You’re just going to give me whatever you find? Even after Roger said we can keep it?”

Shanks shrugged, didn’t think much about it. “Yeah.”

Treasure had never meant much to him. He knew it was necessary to live, but the crew already gave them everything, food, clothes, even repairs for his sword. He had never bothered keeping a stash of his own.

Lately, though, Shanks had learned that Buggy was surprisingly easy to negotiate with when Shanks was holding something shiny in his hand. So he paid a little more attention now. He still didn’t start his own collection, it all ended up in Buggy’s stash anyway.

Shanks didn’t notice that Buggy had gone quiet beside him.

***

They had been on the island all morning, pushing their way through the dense, untouched jungle. There were strange creatures crossing their path that made Shanks and Buggy stop and play around for a while. But by now they had accepted that the place was far too uninhabited for anyone to have buried treasure here.

“Let’s find something to eat first, boys,” Gaban called after them, his voice also carrying a hint of boredom.

Buggy pouted, clearly unwilling to give up yet, but his stomach had already protested. They were about to turn back… when a burst of yellow light suddenly flared across the sky.

“It’s near the ship!” Shanks reacted instantly, grabbing Buggy’s arm and pulling him close. Yellow didn’t mean danger, but it was still an emergency signal.

Gaban paused for a moment, his Observation Haki sweeping around the island before a smirk spread across his face. “Finally, something interesting. No need to rush, boys. It’s not strangers.”

They moved quickly back to the shore. Just a moment later, they saw Roger launch above the treetops before clashing midair with another figure. The impact echoed even from a distance.

“What is that weird outfit?” Buggy squinted.

“I know!” Shanks snapped his fingers. “Roger told us about them. That’s a samurai from Wano!”

Gaban nodded. “I heard Whitebeard recently appointed a samurai as his Second Division Commander. Looks like the guy earned it.”

They watched as the samurai took Roger’s ‘Divine Departure’ head-on without a scratch, then immediately dashed back for another clash.

“Whitebeard Pirates?!” Buggy shouted, eyes widening. “I knew they were after our treasure! Let’s go!”

He grabbed Shanks by the shirt and bolted out of the jungle. The moment they broke through the treeline, something came flying straight at them.

“Hey, kids. Don’t get too close. You’ll get hurt.”

A blond teenager grinned at them as he was knocked back, blue flames flickering around his body before he twisted and launched himself right back toward Rayleigh.

Rayleigh was surrounded by several Whitebeard pirates, looking completely at ease. He didn’t even bother turning as he raised a finger and stopped Marco.

“Don’t get cocky just because of your new Mythical Zoan, kid.” Rayleigh laughed. “You’ve still got a long way to go.” With a small push, he sent Marco flying back again.

Marco crashed into a giant tree, but he seemed to barely feel it. His blue flames flared again as he pushed himself up… but Shanks and Buggy already surrounded him.

“Don’t think you can get to our vice captain that easily,” Shanks grinned, stepping in with his sword.

Buggy split apart into multiple floating pieces, boxing Marco in. “And don’t call us kids! You’re not that much older than us!”

Marco looked between them, then watched Buggy with a nod. “Already comfortable with your Devil Fruit? Good, this should be fun.”

They launched at each other.

***

“Alright, dinner’s ready!”

A boy not much older than them called out. Behind him, members of his division began carrying out long lines of steaming pots, the smell of food quickly spreading through the air.

Shanks and Buggy stopped at the same time. They finally remembered they hadn’t eaten lunch.

Marco caught the look on their faces and chuckled, the flames around him fading. “Let’s settle this later.” He already turned back. “Come on. If we’re slow, the others will take all the meat.”

Shanks and Buggy nodded easily as if they hadn’t been trying to take each other down just moments ago. They grabbed Marco and dragged him along toward the food.

“Here.” The boy, Thatch, handed them each a plate.

“Thanks for preparing for us too,” Rayleigh said as he stepped up beside them.

Thatch only shrugged. “You guys can cook tomorrow. This isn’t ending anytime soon anyway.” He gestured toward the shore, where Roger and Whitebeard were still clashing, their weapons colliding with enough force to shake the air even from a distance.

Shanks and Buggy didn’t spare them more than a glance before diving into their food.

“This is amazing!” they said almost at the same time.

Thatch was clearly pleased. “Make sure you get seconds. You’re still growing, eat more while you can.”

Buggy only looked up after he had already made it halfway through his plate, the hunger finally fading after a full afternoon of fighting.

“Do we have to call them?” Buggy asked. The two captains were still going at it while most of the others had already settled down to eat.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rayleigh said easily. “They’ll come back the moment we bring out the booze.”

“Did I hear booze?” Roger appeared behind Rayleigh the very next second.

Shanks and Buggy still couldn’t follow his speed, but they had spent enough time around him that it barely surprised them.

Roger dropped down beside Rayleigh and reached over to snatch a piece of meat Rayleigh was still eating. “No drinking, Ray! We’re still fighting enemies!”

Rayleigh huffed, not convinced at all.

Whitebeard, meanwhile, settled himself a short distance away. He was far too big to fit into the rock they were sitting on anyway. One of his crewmates quickly brought him an enormous plate.

“Whoever loses provides the booze then,” Whitebeard hummed.

“Deal!” Roger shot back with a wide grin.

That deal didn’t interest Shanks and Buggy much, Roger still wouldn’t let them drink. They finished their second plates quickly, thanked the cooks, and then ran off again to rejoin the others who had already returned to fighting. It wasn’t often they got the chance to go all out against a crew as strong as their own.

***

The fight lasted for three full days. Shanks and Buggy barely stopped moving the entire time, throwing themselves into one battle after another with anyone available. They only stopped when food was called, then jumped right back in as soon as they finished eating. 

They fought side by side through it all, Buggy’s Devil Fruit becoming more and more natural as part of their teamwork.

“Ugh, not you two again.” Vista sent a sharp slice of air toward them before already stepping back. “I’m not fighting a swordman-counter.”

“Oh, come on.” Shanks launched himself forward immediately. “What, are you scared of someone younger?”

Vista blocked Shanks’s sword, but in that same second, one of Buggy’s detached pieces struck from his blind spot, forcing him to retreat.

“Trying to rile me up won’t work.” Vista adjusted his footing. “And stop fighting as a pair, it’s not fair!”

At night, they didn’t even bother returning to the ship. They would simply collapse somewhere along the beach whenever they were too tired. By morning, they would wake up curled together under a coat Roger or Rayleigh had probably draped over them, and already ready to get up and start again.

By the fourth morning, the island had grown quieter. Buggy stirred first, half-aware as other crew members began walking around. Every part of his body ached after three days of nonstop fighting, so he simply shifted closer, pressing his face into Shanks’s chest to block out the sunlight.

Shanks, for his part, was still dead asleep and snoring loudly.

“Well, there you are,” Marco’s voice came from above, amused. “Still glued together even in your sleep?”

Buggy didn’t bother looking up, his voice muffled where he was buried against Shanks. “Later… I’m sleeping.”

“Not for a fight.” Marco chuckled. “The captains called it even. They’re setting up for a party now.”

“Party?!”

Buggy’s head shot up instantly, all traces of sleep gone. Sore or not, there was no way he was missing a party. Before he could move, an arm tightened around him.

Shanks pulled him back down without even opening his eyes, his voice rough with sleep. “Buggy… five more minutes…”

Buggy immediately pinched his chest. “Wake up! There’s a party!” 

He pinched harder when Shanks only groaned and tried to drag him down again.

Marco watched the whole exchange with a smirk, rubbing his chin. “We’re starting in thirty minutes. You might want to take a bath first, others are already at the shore.” Then he flew away with a knowing smile.

Buggy struggled for a moment, then finally managed to drag a half-asleep Shanks toward the water, ignoring his complaints. They hadn’t bathed once in the past three days. That wasn’t unusual for pirates, but Buggy had standards.

And Shanks, had reluctantly learned that if he wanted to be anywhere near Buggy’s bed, he didn’t really have a choice.

“Just sit at the edge, I’ll help you clean up.” Shanks stretched his arms over his head before starting to pull off his clothes, already stepping toward the water.

Around them, members of both the Roger and Whitebeard Pirates were diving in and out of the waves. It wasn’t much of a proper bath, but for pirates, it was more than enough.

“No. I want to wash properly.” Buggy tugged off his own clothes before pushing his shoulder-length hair back. “Or what? You don’t have the energy left to carry me?”

“Hey! Don’t question my strength,” Shanks said, offended. Sure, his muscles ached from three straight days of fighting, but he would never be too tired for that.

Shanks stepped forward and slid an arm around Buggy’s waist, lifting him with ease before walking them both into the water. Shanks moved carefully until the sea rose up to their chests, the cool water easing some of the soreness quickly.

Shanks gently washed Buggy’s hair, while Buggy simply leaned against him, completely relaxed.

“Damn it… I can’t even lift my arms anymore,” Buggy muttered.

They had been in the water for several minutes now. At first, Buggy had managed to move his arms to wash himself, but the Devil Fruit effect only got worse, so now he just left the rest to Shanks.

“Need help?” Gaban’s voice drifted over as he swam past them.

“Told you long hair’s a pain to deal with,” he added. His hair was the longest on the crew. “And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t have any trouble with the water.”

“No!” Shanks answered quickly. There was no way he was letting someone else wash Buggy’s hair. “And his hair is pretty!”

Gaban chuckled. “Didn’t say it wasn’t.” He already turned back toward shore. “Finish up soon. Staying in the water too long isn’t good for him.”

Shanks nodded, quickly finishing the wash. Watching Buggy all soft and half-draped against him, completely trusting, made his chest feel strangely warm. He glanced toward the shore, making sure others had already gathered, before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to Buggy’s cheek.

Buggy immediately glared up at him, but the effects of the water on his body made it far less threatening than he probably intended. If anything, it only made Shanks want to kiss him more.

As much as Shanks wanted to watch Buggy like this a little longer, he knew better than to keep Buggy in the water any more than necessary.

“Sorry, sorry. Couldn’t help it. Let’s get back.”

***

The Roger Pirates partied no less intensely than they fought. The party lasted well past midnight, filled with loud singing, circles of dancing, and stories about anything.

“Was that one of Roger’s moves I saw you use yesterday?” Marco asked as they finally dropped down to sit after rounds of dancing. “He taught you that already? Pops didn’t even train me himself until I was eighteen.”

“Not really,” Shanks said, reaching over to grab a cup of juice for Buggy and another for himself. “I can’t use Conqueror’s Haki yet, so it only looks the same from the outside.”

“Yet?” Marco let out a small laugh, raising a brow. “Conqueror’s is the rarest ability. You think you’ll definitely get it?”

“Of course he’ll get it!” Buggy cut in, glaring at Marco as he leaned forward. “And Roger didn’t even have to teach him, Shanks figured it out himself!”

Marco raised both hands in surrender, though the grin on his face didn’t fade. “Alright, alright. I’m not doubting your friend.”

“He’s not my friend!” Shanks and Buggy spoke at the exact same time.

Marco shook his head. “Sure.” He leaned back, taking a drink.

Buggy’s attention snapped to his cup. 

“Why does he get to drink?!” Buggy pointed at Marco before grabbing onto Rayleigh’s sleeve and tugging nonstop.

“He’s older than you.” Rayleigh chuckled as he pulled Buggy closer to his side and handed him a tangerine instead. “Wait until you’re eighteen.”

Buggy pouted, but already started peeling it.

“They had to wait too,” Rayleigh added, nodding toward the Whitebeard crew.

Marco shrugged. “Technically. Though Pops did let us drink once when we were underage, when we officially joined the crew.”

Shanks tilted his head slightly. “Why? You don’t need that to join the Roger Pirates.”

“The Whitebeard Pirates are a family,” Marco said, his tone a little softer now. “We all call him Pops, and we call each other brothers and sisters. So we have a ceremony to share Sake Cups and become family.”

“You have to drink sake?” Buggy asked. His voice was quieter than before, though no one seemed to notice.

Marco nodded. “It’s an old pirate tradition. Pops isn’t that strict about it. I mean, we could always sneak–”

Whitebeard’s laughter suddenly rang out from behind them.

“Hey, brats,” he called. “I can still hear you. I might turn a blind eye, but only if you’re a little more subtle about it.”

Rayleigh shook his head amusingly. “Well, that’s their crew. As for you two, don’t even think about it.” His gaze shifted between Shanks and Buggy.

Shanks immediately lifted his cup of juice as proof. “I’m not interested. Promise.”

That earned a round of laughter, and then the conversation moved on to something else easily.

No one noticed Buggy had gone quiet, his face half-hidden as he leaned against Rayleigh’s side.

***

Shanks spent the rest of the night singing and dancing. By the time the party began to wind down, he dropped onto a rock with a tired sigh. When he reached out to pull Buggy down beside him, though, Buggy pushed his hand away.

“Buggy… what’s wrong?” Shanks didn’t have the energy to lift his head. “I’m tired. Let’s just sleep.”

Shanks waved his hand lazily, trying to reach for Buggy again.

“… Bathroom,” Buggy muttered. “Just sleep.”

Shanks hesitated for a second, debating whether to go with Buggy. But the exhaustion from dancing had drained him even more than fighting. So he let himself fall back instead.

“...”

“Hey…”

Shanks only grumbled in response, not even opening his eyes. “Buggy? What took you so long…? Come here…”

Buggy’s answer was to smack him hard across the face.

“Hey–” Shanks jolted awake, but Buggy immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t be loud! You’ll wake everyone up,” Buggy hissed.

Shanks blinked a few times, then yawned as he pushed himself upright, rubbing his face. “What is it? Why are you sneaking around?”

“Come on. I have something to show you.” Buggy was already on his feet, tugging at Shanks’s shirt.

There was nothing Shanks wanted more at that moment than to lie back down and go back to sleep with Buggy, but something in Buggy’s expression made him straighten up.

Buggy led him far from where both crews had collapsed along the shore, only stopping once they reached a large tree that blocked them completely from view.

“You know they could still see us with Observation Haki, right?” Shanks muttered, glancing back lazily.

Buggy crouched down, brushing dirt aside. “That’s why I waited until they were all drunk.”

Shanks dropped down beside Buggy. He wasn’t entirely convinced that would fool Roger or Rayleigh, but as long as Buggy wasn’t doing anything dangerous, they probably would ignore them.

A moment later, Buggy glanced around one last time, then pulled something out from beneath the dirt.

“You stole their sake?!” Shanks blurted out, only for Buggy to glare at him sharply.

Shanks slapped a hand over his own mouth this time, then lowered his voice. “I didn’t think you cared about drinking that much. You’re even going against Ray-san’s orders?”

“… It’s just one drink.” Buggy looked away slightly. “It’s not like it’ll hurt anyone.”

They had messed around before, sure, but when Roger or Rayleigh were serious about something, they usually didn’t cross the line.

Shanks let out a small sigh. “Fine. Let’s just do it quickly and go back to sleep.” He already yawned again.

Buggy nodded, then carefully pulled out two small cups and began pouring the sake.

Shanks frowned slightly. “Those cups… aren’t those from the Whitebeard crew? You stole those too? Why not just use ours?”

Buggy hesitated. “I don’t know if the cups matter or not, so I just took them from Marco.” Then he set the two filled cups between them. “He mentioned sake, but maybe the cups are important too.”

Shanks tilted his head. “Important for what?”

Buggy finally looked up at him, already holding one of the cups.

“The Brothers’ Sake Cups thing,” he said. “He told us about it earlier, remember? I already asked, and he said the vow part is optional, so we can just… drink. I guess.”

Shanks looked down at the cup in Buggy’s hand, then back at Buggy himself.

“You want us to do the Brothers’ Sake Cups?” he asked slowly.

“I know it’s a Whitebeard Pirates thing, not ours,” Buggy said quickly, his voice tight. “But it doesn’t hurt to do it anyway.”

When Shanks didn’t respond right away, Buggy added, a bit more defensively, “What? Don’t tell me you don’t even want to try drinking?”

“No,” Shanks said quietly.

Buggy set his cup down. “Come on. Ray-san’s not going to punish us over something this small. It’s not like we’ve never gone against his rules before.”

Shanks just looked at him. Then, slowly, he said, “I don’t want to drink sake.”

Buggy clicked his tongue. “The drink is just part of it. You don’t have to like the taste, just take a sip.”

Shanks said it more firmly this time. “I don’t want to drink Brothers’ Sake Cups with you.”

That stopped whatever reason Buggy wanted to say next. For a second, he just stared at Shanks, searching his face. Something tightened sharply in his chest. He had spent the past hour sneaking around, waiting, just to get this. But now…

Buggy’s grip slipped. He smacked the bottle aside, sending it crashing into the dirt.

“I-it’s not like I want to be your brother!” he snapped. “I just wanted an excuse to drink!” His voice suddenly broke. “But I changed my mind!”

Buggy turned and broke into a run.

“Hey!”

Buggy didn’t know why, he just didn’t want to see Shanks’s face right now. His eyes suddenly burned, he rubbed at them hard.

“Buggy!”

“Leave me alone!” Buggy shouted back, flinging a knife behind him without even looking.

“Ah!”

Buggy stopped. He turned sharply, heart jumping when he saw Shanks flopped on the ground, clutching his arm.

“Shit, did it hit you?! Why didn’t you dodge?!” Buggy ran back immediately.

When he reached toward Shanks, Shanks suddenly lunged forward and grabbed him by the head.

“Got you.”

It took Buggy a second to process, then he exploded.

“Asshole! That’s dirty! Let me go!” He struggled, trying to twist free, but Shanks already knew his abilities too well. His grip stayed firm.

“You can split the rest of your body all you want. But I’ll keep your head.”

“Dirty trick! Jerk!” Buggy snapped, still struggling. But Shanks covered his mouth again before he could get any louder.

“You said you didn’t want to wake everyone up, remember?”

Buggy immediately tried to bite his hand. Shanks didn’t even flinch, not minding Buggy’s bite one bit. 

“I’m not letting you run off like this, Blue.”

Shanks’s thumbs brushed gently at the corners of Buggy’s eyes, wiping away the tears there. Buggy hadn’t even realized. It had to be the cold night air, making his eyes sting… damn it.

“You wanted us to drink the Brothers’ Sake Cups that badly?” Shanks asked quietly.

Buggy stared at him for a moment, then slowly stopped struggling.

Shanks took that as permission and pulled him closer, settling Buggy onto his lap, his thumbs still moving in slow, soothing motions around Buggy’s eyes.

Buggy didn’t meet his eyes. “If you don’t want to–”

“Buggy.”

Shanks cut him off softly, leaning in to press a light kiss to the corner of his eye.

“Do you want me to drink it? I will, if you do.”

Buggy’s gaze shifted, then lifted to meet Shanks’s. There was only sincerity in Shanks’s expression.

“… I don’t know.”

Shanks exhaled, pressing one last quick kiss before pulling back, still holding Buggy in his arms. “You don’t know? Then why go through all that trouble to sneak it out?”

Buggy took a deep breath. Then his hands came to rest on Shanks’s shoulders. Shanks knew this meant Buggy was finally opening up.

“Well, Marco said people become brothers by sharing sake cups…”

“I know that part,” Shanks said gently. “But why do you want us to be brothers? You don’t even admit I’m your friend.”

“I’m not your friend!” Buggy snapped automatically.

Shanks just laughed. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m asking.”

Buggy fell silent again. Shanks didn’t push. He just kept his hand at the back of Buggy’s neck, patting gently.

“… Then what are we?” Buggy asked at last.

Shanks blinked, caught off guard. “Huh?”

“You said you’d give me your treasure,” Buggy continued, searching for the words. “But why? The others give Roger their treasure because we’re his crew. The Whitebeard Pirates give theirs to Whitebeard because he’s their captain…”

Shanks finally followed what Buggy was trying to say.

“Do I need you to be something for me to give you my treasure?” he asked simply. “I just want to.”

Buggy studied him closely. “You’d still give me your treasure… even if I’m your nothing?”

“Not nothing,” Shanks said quickly.

Buggy pressed his lips together. “Then what?”

Friends? No they were not. Rivals? Who were they kidding.

Shanks scratched his head, thinking hard. “I don’t know. What do you want, then? I don’t really care.” Then he added, “Not brothers though.”

“You just said you don’t care,” Buggy scoffed. “I’ve been thinking about it, and ‘brothers’ sounds the closest to–”

Buggy stopped mid-sentence, suddenly aware of how close they were. For a second, he wasn’t sure anymore if that word fit at all.

“You can call us whatever you want. I just… don’t want it to be brothers.” Shanks glanced away slightly. “Ray-san said brothers can’t kiss.”

“Huh?” Buggy blinked, not quite following.

“You know, when he was teaching us biology… or whatever that was,” Shanks said, scratching his cheek. They barely paid attention to Rayleigh’s lessons unless they were related to fighting, but Shanks still remembered the important parts.

“I want to kiss you. So let’s not be brothers.”

Buggy just stared at him, his mouth slightly open, but no words came out.

Shanks hesitated. “You… don’t want to kiss me anymore?” he asked carefully. “Is it because I started using my tongue? I can stop if you–”

Buggy slapped a hand over his mouth. “No!”

Shanks still managed to mumble under his hand, “No kissing?” He sounded like a kicked puppy that only made Buggy more flustered.

“No, not that!” Buggy said quickly. “I still want to kiss you, alright?!”

Shanks immediately brightened, catching Buggy’s hand and pressing a kiss to his palm. “Tongue is fine too?”

Buggy jerked his hand back again, glaring at him. “Tongue is not the point!”

Shanks laughed softly, deciding not to push Buggy further. “Then what is? You never cared about this before. Why now?”

Buggy went quiet again. Shanks felt the shift immediately, the way he tensed, more vulnerable. Shanks adjusted his hold, letting Buggy lean against the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms around Buggy.

“Hey… did something happen?” Shanks asked gently. “Talk to me.”

Buggy buried his face in Shanks’s shoulder. Shanks’s hand came up to rub slow circles along his back.

“… We’re not even crewmates,” Buggy said quietly after a long moment. “Roger didn’t take us in as crew. He calls us apprentices… Because one day, he wants us to leave and sail on our own ship.”

That had always been their dream too. That had never been a problem.

“We don’t have anything tying us together,” Buggy murmured, his voice tightening. “So if one day…”

Shanks exhaled.

“Hey, Buggy.”

He tilted his head, resting his forehead against Buggy’s, his fingers slipping down to lace with his.

“I might not know what to call what we are,” Shanks said quietly, “but I know you’re the most important person to me.”

Buggy went still.

“… What about you?” Am I the most important to you too? Shanks didn’t say the latter part out loud.

Buggy could feel Shanks’s breathing right beneath his cheek. He found himself focusing on that rhythm, as if he could stay like this forever.

“… Yeah.”

More than the crew. More than anything else. The Roger Pirates would always be home, but one day, they would leave to fly on their own. And Shanks and Buggy knew they were the only ones who would be by each other’s side forever.

Shanks smiled softly, then leaned in to press a long kiss to Buggy’s forehead.

“I don’t know what to call it yet. So let’s figure it out together.” He grinned. “For now, I can just be your Shanks. And you’re my Buggy!”

Buggy scoffed, though it came out quieter than he meant it to. “I don’t need a ‘Shanks.’”

“Why not?” Shanks pouted. “I’m strong and I’ll give you all my treasure and…”

Buggy let out a small laugh as Shanks kept listing ridiculous things. And as he listened, something settled in his chest. A label didn’t really matter anymore.

Buggy leaned in, hesitated just for a second, then pressed a small kiss against Shanks’s neck.

Shanks stopped, then he broke into a wide grin, his arms tightening around Buggy.

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

Buggy rolled his eyes, but didn’t pull away when Shanks leaned in to kiss him properly.

After a moment, though, Buggy glanced toward the ground and sighed.

“We need to clean that up before someone wakes up.”

Shanks groaned, pressing one last kiss before letting go. “Yeah, I am not dealing with Ray-san in the morning. I’m sleeping in.”

They both scrambled to their feet, moving quickly to gather the cups and the fallen bottle. Neither of them brought up the sake again.

***

Shanks and Buggy slipped quietly onto the Moby Dick. Luckily, most of the crew had passed out on the beach. They hurried inside, quickly putting the cups back where Buggy had taken them from…

“Hm? You’re Roger’s kids.”

Both of them jumped. In their panic, they tried to hide the cups at the same time, only to knock them over instead. The bottle tipped and rolled across the floor in the silence.

Buggy winced. He looked up slowly. It was Oden. Buggy hadn’t talked to him much, not enough to know if he was the kind to report them immediately.

Oden looked at the overturned cups, then at the two of them standing guiltily in the corner. He burst out laughing.

“Well, you are pirates. Not bad, kids. Even I get a little nervous when your vice captain gets serious.”

“We didn’t drink anything!” Shanks and Buggy said at the same time. It was true, they had spilled some, but neither of them had actually taken a sip.

Oden rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Right… you didn’t.”

They opened their mouths, but Oden lifted a hand, cutting them off.

“Relax,” he said easily. “When I was your age, I was famous in every bar in Wano. I’ll just pretend I didn’t see anything, alright?”

Buggy still looked like he wanted to defend himself, but Shanks tugged lightly on his shirt.

“… Uh, thanks,” Shanks said.

Buggy’s shoulders dropped as he gave in. “Thanks… too.”

Oden only grinned wider. “I can’t cover for you if you keep sneaking around the ship, though. Come on.”

They nodded, falling into step with him as he headed back toward the shore.

After a moment, Buggy glanced up at him. “Why did you come back to the ship? Everyone’s asleep.”

Oden lifted a folded blanket in one hand. “Toki said she was cold. I came to grab something for her.”

Buggy furrowed his brows. He remembered a green-haired woman who usually sat with Oden during meals, though they hadn’t seen her fight.

“Is she a samurai too?” Buggy asked, recalling the way she dressed.

“No,” Oden said. “That’s just normal clothing in Wano.”

Shanks tilted his head. “So she’s not a fighter? Then why is she on the Whitebeard Pirates?”

“She’s not,” Oden replied easily. “Whitebeard was kind enough to let my wife stay on board with me.”

Shanks and Buggy looked at each other. They vaguely remembered Rayleigh mentioning something about ‘wives’ during one of his lessons about families.

“Isn’t a wife just… a woman you leave on an island?” Shanks asked, frowning a little as he tried to recall.

Oden laughed out loud. “Is that how you pirates define it? I suppose a lot of men do.” He shook his head. “But Toki is strong. She chose to travel with me.”

Shanks and Buggy nodded. So the definition of ‘wife’ was broader than they had thought, they hadn’t even cared to remember the term before when hearing that wives didn’t travel.”

“So what’s a wife, then?” Buggy asked.

By then, they had stepped off the ship and were walking back toward the beach. Both crews were still scattered across the sand, fast asleep.

Buggy felt a wave of relief when he spotted Roger and Rayleigh curled together on a rock. He had discovered that their Observation Haki usually softened when they were close to each other.

Oden slowed his steps, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “That’s a good question. I don’t know if there’s a definition. But to me…” He knelt down beside the woman, gently draping the blanket over her.

“I met her two years ago. We were complete strangers.” His voice softened. “But I chose to become her husband, to create a tie stronger than anything, even without blood.”

Oden leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I want to protect her and give her all my treasure. However you define it, that part stays the same.”

Buggy watched him closely, the way his eyes softened as he watched her, and the way she smiled faintly in her sleep, feeling him.

Buggy smiled without realizing it. Instinctively, he turned to his side… but Shanks wasn’t there. Buggy frowned and looked back.

Shanks had stopped a few steps behind, his eyes still fixed on Oden and Toki. Then, slowly, his eyes shifted, meeting Buggy’s.

“So…” Shanks asked Oden. “Does that require Sake Cups?” But he kept his eyes on Buggy the whole time.