Curse of Ink (One Piece x Reader) [ON HOLD]

Growing Pains

Midnight, the time on your 18th birthday everyone gets their soulmate tattoos. For everyone it's like a right of passage, starting their journey to find who the universe deemed their partner for life. My classmates all wished me luck before I headed home, some even placing bets on what it would be.

However waiting has never been my forté, so I pulled out my camera, scrolling through what I captured today. Some beautiful flowers, a sunset, an old shrine in the forest, and my friend's friend Marco, looking back at me with a dorky smile and a peace sign.

The faint feeling of something gently moving across my right leg pulled me away from my recent photos as I looked down to see a beautiful black dragon wrap around it, all the way from my hip to my ankle. My heart warmed at the sight as a smile stretched my lips.

I was snapped out of my revelry as I felt it again, but on my left shoulder, as a skull with a deck of cards appeared, surrounding itself in orange flames. My heart sank slightly, but I couldn't help but admire the detailing in the ace of spades that sat in front of the weathered skull.

And again, my chest this time. Running to the bathroom I swiftly pulled off my tank top to stare at the mirror, watching as a gothic heart covered my skin, finishing with a strange smiling face in the peak of the heart that rested on my sternum. My hands instinctively traced the edge as my mind trailed to the people I knew that had three. They were fine, so I would be too.

I closed my eyes and sighed, bending down to grab my shirt when I felt a graze start on my back. Panic overtook my mind as it persisted, trailing across my shoulder blades. I was scared to look.

Taking a deep breath of courage I grabbed my handheld mirror and turned my back to the mirror above the sink, peaking at the fourth tattoo. It was breathtaking, but my mind couldn't appreciate the pale blue, yellow, and teal streaks that made up the Phoenix mid-flight.

I saw a moving line on my right forearm, as a tiger that wrapped around appeared, and then a slight sting as what looked like ripped skin uncovering metallic gears and wires splattered along my left leg and hip. A sharp pain came from my left forearm as a rose with lettering flew into being. A burning as my right shoulder exploded into a dragon hiding in mist. An ache as something scribbled across my lower back. What felt like being shanked as something ripped across my lower stomach. A sharp slice as something came across my face from the side of my neck, ending in streaks over and under my right eye.

It finally stopped, and I turned back to the mirror to find beautiful anemone and bluebells blossoming under my distressed tears. I chocked out a sob as footsteps ran up the stairs, slamming the door open. All I heard was a shocked gasp and a dialing phone as I sat against the wall, something stinging my palms. Glass?

The shattered face of the (f/c) hand mirror was all I could focus on as someone touched my shoulder.

—————

I woke up with an intense searing pain, following along the dragon on my leg.

"God damnit! Won't this kid learn to stop burning himself?!" I hollered out into the quiet apartment. A small thud and rushed footsteps sounded from the hallway as Shanks poked his head in.

"Again?" I nodded and held my leg, waiting for it to stop. He stepped in, walking to my bed with a comforting smile. "Well, I can assume he's not too careful then. I hate when that happ- HOLY SHIT!"

I jumped at the sudden shout and whipped my head to the large window that adorned my wall, soon seeing the huge black cloud that caused his outburst.

"H-hey, what building is that?" He closed his eyes, as he always does when he doesn't want to answer. "Shanks, tell me that's not Dadan's orphanage." He didn't open his eyes, but a small nod was all I needed to see for my heart to pick up speed.

I bolted up and ignored the pain in my leg as I limped down the little hallway to the living room and turned on the TV. The news appeared and on it was a live report.

"All of the kids have made it out safely, but the owner and one of the visitors have been caught in the blaze. Their states are critical, but shouldn't be life threatening."

A sigh left my lips as I plopped down on the couch, grateful that my fated- well, one of my fated ones didn't die today.

A phone ringing pulled my attention away from the reporter, seeing Shanks grab his phone from the coffee table. I muted the TV as he placed it on speakerphone.

"SHANKS!" a male voice cried out. "Shanks! Sabo is being driven to the hospital! I- I-"

"Luffy, calm down! We'll be over in a minute, okay. Everything is going to be fine." Shanks waved at me to go get dressed. "Go find one of your friends and and stay with them okay? Me and (Y/n) will be there soon-"

I couldn't hear any more of their conversation as I rushed to pull on my jeans and hoodie. It was the middle of summer, but remembering the piercing gazes of strangers led me away from the rest of my closet.

I hurried into the bathroom and grabbed my Soul Concealer and blended it over my face. The tube was almost squished to death and the impending bill for getting more of the special makeup was already making my pockets hurt.

"(Y/n), you almost done? We gotta go!"

I scrambled to slip on some sandals and grabbed my phone, before walking out and nodding to the red head.

"Let's go."

The drive was short in his red truck, but he looked at me from the corner of his eyes the whole time. His brow was unusually furrowed and his lips were pulled tight.

"Shanks, if you have something to say, just say it. I'm a big girl, I can handle it," I teased. Ever since he took me in after I got my marks he's acted like a big brother. He even helped me get my job at Dressrosa Tower.

He let out a heavy sigh. "(Y/n), you know this means Sabo is your soulmate, right?" I nodded, rubbing my still aching thigh. "So are you gonna tell him?"

"Are you insane? Hell no, he deserves better than a fated whore." His gaze hardened again as I spoke. Gripping the wheel with one hand, he glanced at me before whacking me upside the head.

"You are not a whore, (Y/n), your birth giver is just a bitch. You couldn't help that the universe loves you so much that it gave you an army of people to love you." He lightened up as he spoke, chuckling at his own exaggeration.

"An army is a bit much, Shanks, but still, ten? Plus he's with Koala, I can't step in between those two." As we pulled up to the hospital I sighed. "I plan on taking this to the grave, so don't say anything. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, no soulmate talk today. But Robin is gonna flip when she finds out who "the black dragon" is! Haha!"