Clover1412 - Clover’s Corner 🍀

Love drawing her ♥️

one must imagine higuchi happy ... it's good for the soul ...

Nameless

why was this lowkey dark

‘Hey Isuka, how’d you get your epithet?’ Ace turned to look at her, curious about the nickname. Skull had once mentioned something about riddling people full of holes, but it’s not like she had a signature move like him.

The question caught her off guard. It was a part of her life she wanted to forget completely, but the memory plagued her.

‘You haven’t heard captain?’ Skull asked.

‘No.’

‘Well it’s her story to tell.’

‘I don’t like talking about it,’ she dusted herself off as she got up, ‘Skull can tell you if you’re still curious.’

She didn’t hear his shouts as she walked away.

~ ♡ ~

Isuka had joined the Marines at a young age, from working as a chore girl on a small East Blue base to an Ensign working in the Grand Line; the years had almost blurred together. She had almost no memorable moments apart from maybe the times she and a couple of other kids would celebrate their birthdays (quietly, with small slices of cake and handmade gifts). 

There was one memory, however, that constantly haunted her - the mission that promoted her to Ensign and gave her the epithet ‘nailing’. 

She had begged Draw to let her take part in more significant missions, to let her sail the Grand Line. She simply wanted to do more. In the East Blue, the pirates mainly were weak rookies, but in the Grand Line, the big names existed. She wanted to get rid of them, not waste her time chasing good-for-nothing newbies.

Draw had sighed, refusing her request multiple times, until he received what he thought was a small enough mission for her, big enough to maybe deter her from asking further.

She remembered it clearly. It was the day of her 16th birthday. She’d been celebrating the way they always did - a small slice of cake from that cook who liked them (she always let them take extra food since they were growing children). Ryu had given her a card he had made himself. There was a little bird inside, a crossbill that popped up when she opened it up. She had no idea how he had the time or materials to make it. Kai had gotten her a book, one she’d wanted to read for a while. He would have had to sneak out to purchase it. Tashigi had made her a bracelet, it was red like her hair, and it was meant to be a friendship bracelet, and a good luck charm rolled into one. Tashigi already had one on her wrist, a dark blue that matched the design of Isuka’s.

They had been laughing about something when Draw walked in; his commanding presence had them all scrambling to get up and salute him, trying to hide the gifts under a blanket.

‘Well kiddo the day you’ve been waiting for is here, got a mission for you, if you succeed you could be Ensign soon.’

‘Really?’ Her eyes had lit up; the others looked happy for her. They knew how much the opportunity meant to her.

‘You leave right now, so get changed right away.’

‘Sir, yes, sir!’ She saluted him as he turned around and walked away.

‘Isu this is it! Your chance to shine!’ Tashigi squealed along with her.

‘Lucky, I’ve been asking just as long as you,’ Kai grumbled.

‘Yeah, but I’m stronger than you, so obviously, they picked me,’ she playfully nudged him, and he reciprocated by nudging her back.

Ryu was uncharacteristically quiet, and when Isuka asked what was wrong, he said, ‘it seems dangerous. Please be careful.’

She pulled him into a hug, ‘don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.’

She hugged them all once again before shooing them out of her room and began to change. She slipped on her gloves and picked up her rapier before heading to Draw’s office.

‘Ready to leave, sir.’

He sighed and got up from his desk, ‘there have been reports of a group of bandits terrorising islands this side of the East Blue. I was asked to send an officer to take them down. So considering your requests, I’ve chosen to send you. Don’t make me regret it,’ his stern face almost made her nervous, but this was what she’d been training for. Present her watched the memory with dread in her stomach. She should have said no and asked him to send a higher-ranking officer than her, but she was stupid and opportunistic. 

He led her to the small ship that would take her to the island they were currently believed to be at. Her crew was small, made up of a navigator, chef and a medic (if they weren’t at the island, she was to check the surrounding area, there was no point for her to come back and then set sail again). She was the only soldier they were sending. A small group of bandits was not a difficult fight at all, one someone like Draw wouldn’t even need to break a sweat.

She climbed aboard, clutching the rapier at her side tightly. Draw didn’t wave as the ship pulled away, so neither did she.

The journey was three hours, and she couldn’t stop her heart thumping in her chest as they drew closer. She didn’t know whether it was from excitement or dread, but she couldn’t back out now.

When they landed, Isuka gave them instructions: she would canvas the island and report. If they were on the island, they’d all be back before the day ended. They nodded as she jumped off the side and onto land. She’d studied the map on the way here and had chosen the most efficient route. 

She began looking around, hoping she didn’t stick out like a sore thumb with her uniform. She spoke to locals, some who were more valuable than others. She was able to conclude that if the bandits were on the island, they were taking refuge in a cabin in the woods.

She walked back to the ship and explained the situation. She’d been instructed to go alone and take out the bandits. The others would wait here. Only if they hadn’t heard from her in an hour would they make a move. With a pat on her back from the elderly cook for good luck, she left.

She took the fastest route through the woods, climbing up trees to make sure she was headed the right way. When she reached the cabin, she hid behind some dense overgrowth whilst taking in the situation. There were five of them. They looked older than they probably were and clearly had no regard for personal hygiene.

There were only two rooms in the cabin. It was evident that it wasn’t a place to live but rather to hang out. There was a larger room where four of them sat, drinking, smoking, and laughing. They were disgusting. There was a smaller room in the corner that had a door leading out. She decided to lure the man in that room out first. She threw a rock in the direction of the room, hoping he’d be stupid enough to step out without a weapon. And he was.

She stepped out behind him, driving her rapier through his heart just like she’d been taught. Draw had told her to leave no survivors, that the group wasn't worth it. The man didn’t stand a chance as he crumpled to the ground. He hadn’t made much noise, but one of the others stepped out to check on him and saw her, bloody sword in hand and his partner in a heap on the floor. He shouted, trying to swing the beer bottle at her, but she dodged too quickly for his drunken reflexes. She followed suit and stabbed him in the leg, immobilising him just as another of the group ran out. 

She swung out at him, causing him to take a step back, stumbling. The man she’d stabbed cracked the bottle he had and tried to lunge at her, but she flipped out of the way, ending up behind him. Just like the first man, she stabbed him through the heart, and he fell. He put up a bit more fight, trying to claw at the rocks on the ground, but they wouldn’t move.

The other man swore at her, charging like a bull. He wasn’t holding a weapon either, so she figured he was trying to knock her over and tried to dodge him. He was more intelligent than she gave him credit for and drew a knife out of his sleeve and slashed at her. In his frenzy, he managed to slice her near her ribs, ripping her uniform and the white slowly dyed red. The pain stung, but she attacked back. She’d felt worse pain before.

It took a little longer to kill this man. She’d stabbed him in more places, but he didn’t fall like the others. It wasn’t until she had the opportunity to stab him through the heart that he died. 

She didn’t realise that she was out of breath, panting she realised that the other two might have gotten away and run to the front of the cabin. 

The two men were sitting by the entrance.

‘A kid huh?’

‘Looks like they were weaker than we expected.’

They were underestimating her. They thought she wasn’t powerful because she was still young. They had no idea what was coming for them.

‘Sorry kid, this is nothing personal,’ he apologised halfheartedly as he grabbed the gun behind him and got up. The other man picked up his katana.

‘Save the apologies for the after life,’ she spat back as she drew her rapier again.

‘Have it your way kid,’ the other one replied, drawing out his own sword.

Every lesson she’d had about fighting was running through her mind, the teachers yelling about footwork, about stance, about power. She knew this fight was going to be difficult and wasn’t going to waste time. 

Her blow was easily matched, but he seemed shocked by her power, unusual for a kid her age. She glared up at him, light shock on his features. 

As they traded blows, almost equally matched, she dodged a bullet. She had almost forgotten she was fighting two people, not just the one.

She defended herself from the swordsman’s blows, all while dodging random bullets. She had more cuts on her now and had been grazed by a bullet. He’d even managed to hit her once or twice, throwing her to the side, but she had to get up. To survive, she had to get up. The adrenaline kept her running. In training she would have been exhausted by now.

When she managed to disarm the swordsman, causing him to fall to the ground, she felt the gunman aim at her. So instead of stabbing him, she kicked him in the face and turned to face the gunman. When he shot the bullet this time, she used her rapier to slice the bullet in half, a trick she’d only done twice before. It worked in shocking the man. She took the opportunity to run up to him and slice his gun in half. The man was stunned, unable to understand what had happened as she left him defenceless. The man would have been dead if the swordsman hadn’t gotten up and gotten to her in the nick of time. He slashed at her, and she had to dodge, cutting her arm. She watched as the swordsman whispered something to the other man; he must be telling him to grab the goods and run.

She wouldn’t allow it. She charged at them. He didn’t draw his sword fast enough, and she managed to stab him in the shoulder, her rapier almost scraping the other man too. The swordsman shouted in pain as she drew the rapier out, blood splashing on her face. The blood drained out of the other man’s face, and he immediately turned around and ran into the cabin. She wouldn’t let him get away. 

She slashed at the swordsman. It was met with a weak defence, his dominant arm useless. She easily disarmed him, slitting his throat, the noise of him choking on his blood following her as she stepped into the cabin.

She shouted at the man, and he whirled to face her. He grabbed one of the beer bottles in fear. But that fear slowly dissipated as he noticed an injury on her leg. The swordsman had managed to get one last good move in; the wound was deep.

‘Guess neither of us are at our best.’

‘No, but it won’t be me begging for mercy,’ she snarled, charging at him, using her last bursts of energy to attack him. She knocked the bottle out of his arm and stabbed him in the stomach. He yelled as she pulled out, more blood splattering onto her, mixing with her own and the blood of the other bandits. Her uniform was ruined. She would have to burn it.

She stabbed him multiple times, each time he yelled, trying to grab at her, trying to gain some sort of control.

‘You stupid bitch,’ he wheezed.

‘What was stupid was underestimating me,’ she replied, her voice cold as she drove the rapier into the heart with the very last hit of her strength. The sword embedded itself in the wood of the wall behind him. She didn’t even hear him yell, just watched the colour drain from him.

She fell to the ground, exhaustion catching up to her. She winced as she felt her wounds ache. The adrenaline was wearing off. She ripped a piece of her uniform shirt to try and stop her leg bleeding. 

She couldn’t remember what happened to her next. She simply woke up in the infirmary of the base.

She was told what happened by the worried friends as told to them by the crew that came with her. It had been an hour since they heard from her and, as per her instructions, they came looking for her. They saw the dead swordsman and were worried for her. They found her inside, unconscious but alive. They immediately treated her so she didn’t end up with lifelong injuries. The medic then went in ahead, carrying Isuka to the ship to properly tend to her.

The room itself was a scene of horror. The blood splatter spread around the room like an artist had finally lost it. And at the centre of it all, a man, held up like he’d been nailed into the wall. Like the others, he had stab wounds as if someone had hammered nails into them. It was horrifying to see bodies riddled with holes. It was even more horrifying knowing who’d done it.

They had tried to pull Isuka’s rapier out of the wall and the man, but even with two people, they couldn’t pull it out. So much strength in such a small body it was impossible to believe. Instead, they broke it and pulled it out of the man, taking it back with them to the ship.

They dragged the men into the cabin and set it on fire, making sure it didn’t spread to the wood surrounding them. No one would ever want to set foot into the cabin again. Not if they knew the extent of the brutality.

They then returned to the town, informing the head of what had transpired.

As Isuka had said, they made it back to the base before the day was over. They were met with immediate worry as the medic was carrying an unconscious Isuka. 

When she woke up, she found her friends passed out in different corners of the infirmary; Tashigi by her side, and Ryu and Kai somehow squeezed onto the one couch in the room. When they realised she was awake, they immediately pounced on her, expressing worry and anger. She had been out for two days.

Tashigi picked up the rapier placed at Isuka’s side, broken and bloody. Isuka asked them to get rid of it. She felt sick remembering what she had done. But everyone else sang her praises, acting like she’d created a masterpiece of blood and violence. She felt disgusted at herself.

Draw marched into her room on the third day of her recovery. He didn’t praise her, said nothing but, ‘headquarters called, you’re to be Ensign now.’ And marched straight back out the door.

Her friends were more excited than her, talking about how lucky she was, how she’d have her own crew, her own ship and get to sail the Grand Line, just like she’d always wanted.

Isuka felt unworthy, but she’d achieved her goals. She just wasn’t sure it was worth the cost.

~ ♡ ~

Back then, it had never struck her. Why would they have promoted her for the small feat of defeating some bandits? It wasn’t until Draw had been defeated by Ace that she found out. He’d basically sent her on a suicide mission. Headquarters had suggested that two to three ranked officers be sent as the enemy had proved their strength against the navy multiple times before. She will never know what he wanted out of her death or severe injury. She’s not sure she wants to know.

Later she found out that Draw had kept the rapier. To him, it was some sort of trophy. She had thought of it as a curse. That’s why she had asked to be rid of it. The more she found out about the man the more she felt sickened by his actions. 

~ ♡ ~

Isuka refused to talk about the story to anyone. Once a crew mate had asked about it, and she simply shrugged, saying it must have just caught on. For some reason she couldn’t bare them considering her a monster.

She knew Skull most likely knew, and if Ace had asked, he would have found out the truth. He would know what a horrible person she was, just as she thought he'd finally begun to respect her.

She can never forget the truth of her past, no matter how hard she tries. It was a dark mark in her record she simply couldn't burn away.

Whenever anyone brought it up, she wished she had remained nameless.

~ ♡ ~

Bonus: (they all have lil bows)

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I Am Saja – A Mother Holding On Through the Return of War

My name is Saja. I am a wife, a mother to a precious 8-month-old girl, and I am writing this in a moment that I wish I didn’t have to live t

hi kavi @blackwaves i had to go through multiple gymnastics to bypass tumblr shoving this post into the mature content label. for some reason 😭 LOL anyways. here's the answer to ur asks

ayatsuji yukito—bsd !

favorite thing about them: i would say his fashion sense but i am personally irked (/lh) by the fact that his checkered pants have a singular pocket. not even another to pair, it's just that singular one. oyoyo-sensei made him redeem himself by putting him in that black turtleneck and jeans thank god 🙏 also Love that harukawa-sensei gave him down turned eyes, incorporated that into my own drawings of him hehehd

least favorite thing about them: that he's locked behind gaiden with kyogoku. atleast tsujimura is animated and voiced </3

favorite line: "how lucky i am as a detective." (<- yes this is the fan translated line. yes i prefer it more than the official one. </3)

brOTP: ayatsuji and ranpo best friendism agenda where they're the only one who can catch up to one another but also are on the verge of bickering every other minute. you all will listen. i am also very adverse to ayatsuji and ango partnership

OTP: soutsuji. is anyone surprised really

nOTP: ayatsuji/kyogoku... </33 im sorry. it's so hard for me to picture them in a romantic context

random headcanon: somewhere, in a countryside of japan, lays the ruins of ayatsuji's childhood town. ayatsuji remembers most of his childhood peering through the glass windows of his mother's doll store, waiting for his father to arrive home. he remembers clinging a little tighter to the dolls in the store whenever a passerby gives him another nasty glare. it was always like that, ever since those accidents started. his last memory of that town is the pungent waft of iron, from the blood coating his head, dripping down his face, down his clothes and clutching onto his pale skin—and although his memory is crystal, even he cannot recall exactly what the townspeople were cursing onto him that night, he'd assume it to be vulgar nonsense. yet all his eyes could focus on is the moon, shining down onto his heaving body.

unpopular opinion: he doesn't look like dazai idk why some fans call him blonde dazai 😭 their hair is similar sure but it's not? exactly down to a t?? ayatsuji would hate his ass (/affectionate)

song i associate with them: toxic, britney spears / crooked teeth, death cab for cutie / picture you, chappell roan / so beautiful, dpr ian / caring is creepy, the shins

favorite picture of them: how could i not include the woof scene. also forgot to include this in tsujimura's answer but i am vol 2 cover's biggest fan, real not fake. i am also very fond of each scene where ayatsuji is seen smiling fondly, i will in fact be wailing and screaming and crying once the manga gets to That part at the end of act 5

kyogoku natsuhiko—bsd !

favorite thing about them: his philosophy! admittedly i didn't see his appeal until After i read the light novel, where at the time, the interlude chapter hadn't been adapted in the manga just yet. the interlude chapter is my favorite chapter in gaiden, because it gave me insight to kyogoku's philosophy and morals and why he decided to become "evil," and even debating if he truly is what society deems as "evil." none of you would understand the joy i experienced when i saw that the interlude chapter was adapted, jumped in the air and clicked my heels like a cartoon character fr. i LOVE kyogoku, the bsd antagonist of all time actually

least favorite thing about them: that he's locked behind gaiden with ayatsuji. asagiri let them out please. pretty please. pretty please with a cherry on top

favorite line: "let's raise the curtain of the next game, shall we—?"

brOTP: does kyogoku/ayatsuji fall under here? i yearn for the lore behind ayatsuji and kyogoku and how they fell out bc wdym he was your previous student. wdym ayatsuji jokingly called kyogoku "sensei" in the hbd mayoi event what. What

OTP: uhh. none really. does the crackship me and a friend made of kyogoku/fukuchi count yes or no (i don't ship it i just find it funny)

nOTP: again, kyoaya </33

random headcanon: kyogoku may not be seen by everyone else that isn't ayatsuji but there can be indicators. if the temperature suddenly drops, and/or if ayatsuji looks more pissed than before. another headcanon of mine is that he's multilingual, and can communicate with ayatsuji with not only tons of other languages, but also through codes and ciphers. it stresses tsujimura out whenever ayatsuji starts angrily tapping his desk glaring at empty air. also if he isn't at least 60 years old im going to crash out (/hj).

unpopular opinion: not an opinion but moreso a plea @ non gaiden fans when talking about gaiden. please include kyogoku. i love ayatsuji and tsujimura to bits too but please include kyogoku. don't erase the old man pls </3 he is so vital to their partnership guys please. please (begging for more kyogoku content

song i associate with them: monitoring, deco*27 / shanti, wotaku / jet ammo, dasu / thrills, cake / animal impulses, iamx

favorite picture of them: looked through his gallery and he's always grinning of some sorts. what is bro grinning for. why is bro so mischievous

I tried drawing KID in tbhk style! 🌖✨

who up thinking about how higuchi loves by staying loyal to a place she doesn’t belong whereas tsujimura loves by disobeying the place she does

a few verified fundraisers i've been asked to share recently. please continue to donate when and where you can and share the posts you come across - the situation is still dire and now is not the time to check out.

february 6th:

@dina179 - Dina, her husband, and their three little children (#245 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet) $17,030 CAD raised of $50,000.

@ahmadwaleed55 - Ahmad, his older sister, and their parents (they had to restart their campaign from scratch after the organizer disappeared) (#167 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet) $4,290 USD raised of $20,000.

@mahmooud-sharif2 - Mahmoud Al-Sharif (needs treatment for eye and hand injuries), his wife Soha, and their four young children (verified by @/90-ghost) $17,674 USD raised of $60,000.

@familyrantise2003 - Help Haya Al-Rantisi, her sister, and their mother reunite with nine of their family members, three of whom are children, after having to evacuate without them (verified by @/bilal-salah0) $1,020 USD raised of $50,000. STAGNATED, NO DONATIONS FOR TWO WEEKS

@ahmedalanqer - Ahmed Alanqar, his wife Asmaa, and their four young children, one of whom is disabled (motor and hearing issues) (verified by @/90-ghost) €7,196 raised of €30,000.

@ayaanqarsblog, @ayaalanqar8 - Aya Alanqar, her husband Jihad, and their three little children (verified by @/90-ghost) €15,917 raised of €30,000. STAGNATED, NO DONATIONS FOR 8 DAYS

@lendaabdalhadi - Help Linda Abdalhadi and her husband rebuild their lives (they have been displaced 10+ times, during which Linda suffered a miscarriage and lost her older brother) (verified by @/90-ghost) €1,490 raised of €30,000.

@ahmed79ss, @scentedduckcoffee - Help Ahmed and Sahar reunite with their four children after being separated (their daughter Walaa is diabetic and urgently needs reliable access to insulin) (verified by @/90-ghost) $14,387 CAD raised of $50,000.

lately i've seen a really marked drop in engagement with the majority of fundraisers in terms of both donations and shares. so please take a few seconds to reblog the campaigns you see or make a post of your own, and of course donate if you have the means. an infinitesimal amount of time on your part can have a lifesaving impact.

my heart, it hurts