(One Piece) Book of Oneshots and Such

Arcana AU

(Katalu) AU where everyone has an arcana they represent. The arcana affects their personalities and nature, and at times, even their destinies.

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Death.

As a child, Katakuri never really comprehended the true meaning of his arcana until much later in his youth.

At first he took it at face value, as like everyone else did.

He was the harbinger of it, the inevitable end to all those who crossed him and his family, and a nasty charm of bad luck to add along with it.

As with what happened to Brulee was any factor..

He was his mother's bona fide executioner, boom, done, end of story.

But as he grew, so did his knowledge of the arcana in general.

Ever since he could lug around Mogura without having to drag it against the ground, his mother would chatter about the fate chosen for him, by his arcana, by Death itself.

It never occurred to him that his arcana affected more than just his 'fate' nor did he imagine that anything else was as important.

Never did anything remotely close to that cross his mind until he found a book of every possible detail that existed about the arcana and their nature.

Suddenly, he felt a lot more enlightened after reading it.

Much to his surprise, the arcana of Death, and all those who identified with it, were in fact, not to be taken at face value.

Imagine that.

Death was the arcana of new beginnings, much like The Tower or The Fool, but of course vastly different, unique in its own way.

Death represented great change, possibly traumatic or earth shattering, it represented a new beginning, such as a fresh start in a new life, it signified the release of old issues and beliefs, a change in heart.

He was quick to cast that last part away, not liking it for some reason, but besides that, all around the card was.. confusing and direct at the same time, like many arcana were.

He didn't know whether his personality was tied more to the actual nature of the card or the implications that came with it.

He eventually decided it was better to not find out.

Flying through the pages, Katakuri learned even more about himself in that book than he did speaking with his mother in years.

Not only did Death affect his destiny, but it represented his personality, his very nature.

To say he was skeptical when he first read that was an understatement, but once he read the description that was supposed to be his character, it was much harder to deny.

Those of the Death arcana were stubborn, they refused to be deterred from the path they've chosen, they were determined and relentless, much like Death was in reality, they were firm, mature, among the most powerful of the cards.

By his very nature, Katakuri could stand strong against his enemies for his entire life.

However.. that was only if he was Upright.

Staring down at the cursive, well emboldened arrow on the back of his hand, his younger self glared at it heatedly, urging it to turn around instead of pointing back at him accusingly.

Katakuri refused to admit he was Reversed, or more specifically, he refused to care that he was, or if he was digging even deeper, that it was a bad thing that he was.

He'd seen some of his younger brothers stare at it in interest, a few even in judgement, and years in the future it'd be covered up with gloves.

But back then, all he wanted was to erase that stupid mark and burn that damn book.

Death Reversed, his Death, represented stagnation, more specifically the refusal to change for the most necessary, it meant the refusal to grow, it meant fighting against the inevitable, the change, and when that change finally came, it would shatter him.

By that nature, he was just struggling against something greater than himself, he could fight his enemies for as long as his spirit could last, but by the fate of his arcana, he'd still lose, and all he could do was live with it.

Death Upright and Death Reversed were two sides of the same coin.

He didn't know what to think.

Katakuri knew he wasn't the only one among his siblings who were Reversed, in fact, after a small investigation, it came to his attention that every one of his siblings that represented Death along with him were also Reversed.

His mother told him that it was natural, it was normal for those representing Death to be Reversed.

Although after reading the book, he greatly doubted she actually had any knowledge about the arcana besides the basics.

So Katakuri simply accepted it all as bullshit, as far as he was concerned, he was Upright.

He already changed for the better when Brulee was attacked, he wasn't refusing anything, he already cast away all of his issues and beliefs that held him back, he was Death.

And he was the one that was inevitable.

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Strawhat seemed determined to oppose him till the end.

At first it was amusing seeing him struggle against him so desperately, their abilities were so similar that Katakuri couldn't suppress the urge to toy with him more than he should have.

But after the first few hours.. things were getting annoying.

Strawhat was still there, not just alive, but he still had the gall to disregard his impending defeat, as if he really thought he could overcome it, overcome him.

Overcome Death itself.

And that, that was just plain folly.

He didn't understand it at first, why was Strawhat still there? Why was he prevailing?

The Fool was just a wanderer, an arcana that had no set direction or method, so why was it so hard to break him?

It wasn't until he had already impaled himself and stripped himself of his veil that he realized that The Fool was also a guide to change- a leap of faith.

The beginning to a great change..

Seeing the battle for what it really was, Katakuri evaluated the other man, seeing nothing but the void of hesitance in his being, the utter confidence that taunted him, along with the inked arrow raised against him in challenge.

With a steady breath and a lighter conscience, Katakuri raised his own arrow, pointing it back at him in acceptance.

He knew what he was welcoming, defeat, demotion, probably some of his lifespan, but he couldn't deny it, Katakuri couldn't run from it anymore, and neither could his image.

Death.. was always inevitable.