Oi, sailor...

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

Title: A Touch of Luck
Topic: women
Word Count: 299 (+notes)
Rating: T - Zoro got mouth.
Pairings: Zoro/Sea, Sanji/anything female, Zoro/Sanji if you lie down and squint
Disclaimer: Not mine. Probably just as well. Here, have them back...
Summary: There was a reason he didn't like women. A reason he didn't want *her* aboard.

Excuse: Hmm... I thought I had... Nope. Can't find it. Guess this one's my fault.

~~~

Sailors, as a whole, were a superstitious lot.

Pirates were worse.

Never bring a woman on board, they said. She'd anger the Ocean, make the Sea jealous.

Unless, of course, she was made of wood or half naked. Or both. Preferably both.

Still. They hadn't done so badly, having Nami for a navigator.

It helped that she was crew, and that she was still halfway a girl. Not that Senchou was really past 'boy' himself. And children aboard were good fortune. This ought to be the luckiest ship on the Grand Line. It had been just him, and then Sanji for men aboard. Maybe Usopp.

Now, Sanji was just a fruitcup waiting to happen around anything feminine, up to and including the Sea herself. Even so, he was raised by sailors and pirates. A shore leave or two, a little unchaperoned paid companionship? He'd straighten right out.

So, Nami was alright, he supposed. But there was a reason he never, ever referred to her as a woman, much less where the Sea could hear him do it. And he knew damned well why Sanji had approached her first. Redheads, after all, were almost as bad for luck as women, Luffy's red-haired mentor notwithstanding.

But there was no way to call Miss Nico Robin anything but a woman. And she certainly didn't go around topless. Not that Zoro really cared one way or another, on his own behalf. Zoro couldn't give a fuzzy rat's ass about some witch's tits.

But the Sea was a jealous bitch, and Zoro would rather throw stones at her than have a woman aboard.

So if he made a habit of reaching out, every morning, to make sure Sanji's collar was properly turned down, it was the least he could do to mitigate the situation.

=====
Notes:

Having a woman on board was considered bad luck, making the Sea jealous. If she had bare breasts, however, it apparently "shamed the Sea", and mitigated Her wrath. This superstition was recorded over 2000 years ago by Pliny, and is responsible for the half-clad condition of traditional female figureheads. Perversely, women were widely regarded as the best navigators.

Throwing stones or rocks into the sea was also considered bad luck. So was meeting a redhead before sailing, but you could avert some of it by speaking to the redhead before he or she spoke to you. On the other hand, having children aboard, and touching the collar of a sailor brought good luck.

Comments

[jadeprince.livejournal.com]

really really like this. I love how you manage to get each of those superstitions in there so smoothly. And so in character too... the way Zoro's grudgingly come to accept Nami, but still doesn't at all like the fact that Robin's aboard.

You have a lovely way with words. I hope you keep contributing!

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

*curtsies* Thank you kindly! :) Happy to hear it came off well.

I hope you keep contributing!
I plan to! :)

[yuki-kokoro.livejournal.com]

Me too, me tooI also, I also! (Think you have a lovely way with words and hope you keep contributing, that is. ^^)

I like Zoro as a superstitious sailor; you keep surprising me with these fairly normal and very suitable things that I haven't seen explored in OP fandom. It's refreshing.

And I even learned things! (I was unaware of the beliefs about red-heads, topless women, and touching a sailor's collar, though that last is a fine excuse that will likely be used in the future.)

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

*laughs* My tendency to research everything wins, apparently. ;) I didn't know those before, either. But now I do, and several more besides! *hee* And, yes, it would make a fine excuse, wouldn't it? *grins*

As to the "fairly normal things" - erm? It seems rather odd that they *wouldn't* have been explored, already... Huh. Well, then, I'll just have to keep doing that, right? :)

[yuki-kokoro.livejournal.com]

It does seem odd, but despite the fact that the whole show revolves around sailors I'd never run across much sailor lore/superstition integrated into fics. *shrugs* Weird.

So your research does indeed win, fine lady! And you'll totally have to keep it up. ^^

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

Mmm. That and the devil fruits (which raises some other questions, to me, about things that haven't been integrated into fics)... Yeah, it *is* odd, although considering that Luffy and crew are rather universally made out to *not* be typical sorts of pirates I suppose it isn't quite so peculiar.

Hee. I really like that collar thing. Gonna have to go play with it some more now, for sure. :)

[kotszok.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

Still. They hadn't done so badly, having Nami for a navigator.

Probably because she has a wooden heart. The bitch.

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

*snorts apple juice through nose*

Ouch! *splutters incoherently with laughter* Oh, man... Seriously, probably not what he was thinking, but... *giggles some more*

Glad you liked!

[mettathron.livejournal.com]

::is rendered speechless for a moment at the awesome execution of this piece::

::moves from speechless to incoherent admiration-babble::

Good form. Well played. Very nicely woven together, strong feel for character.

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

*offers you a pencil?*

This is, like, better than keyboard-mashing, right? *hee*

*wanders about in happy appreciated grinning daze* Thank you!

[chibimono.livejournal.com]

I love how you've written this. It reads like it's tumbling right out of a good ol' seaman's mouth.

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

*laughs* I borrowed some phrases from the tough-guys. That rough tone just seemed appropriate somehow. *sly wink*

Glad you liked!

[shymagical.livejournal.com]

Pliny: *eyeing the good looking male sailors* No women allowed! Tis bad luck!

Sailors: Arrrrrgh ~_~

Pliny:...Unless they're half naked! Yes....bare breasts...shame the sea. Yeah. That's it...>_>

Sailors: Arrrgh! ^_^

Women: ~_~;

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

Pliny: Look! Aphrodite! Sea foam! Yes!

Women: Uh, huh, *sure*....

*laughs* I don't think he made it up, really, just wrote it down as a matter of note. But it's interesting how superstition persists like that, no? :)

[shymagical.livejournal.com]

*laughs* I don't think he made it up, really, just wrote it down as a matter of note.

XD!

Pliny: *absentmindedly writing notes* "I have been told by sailors who are crewmates with half-naked women that they 'are a lot luckier' at sea"

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

*snorts tropical fruit punch through nose*

No doubt, Mr. Pliny, no doubt!!! *giggles like a loon*

[shymagical.livejournal.com]

Pliny: *continues" "Also......apparently, when selecting a person for 'cabin boy', one should look for 'pretty, blonde men'"

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

...or at least, young, pretty men... *grins*

Sailors: What, where? *mad scramble*

Women: Your sketchbook, Mr. Pliny? Right away!

[hypnosprostatis.livejournal.com]

::heart-eyes:: I love you! X3 Classical studies, superstitions and One Piece. ::'sanji'-hearts:: Never stop writing! ::clings to your shirt hem::

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

Eep? Um... *hee* *blushes and smiles some more*
Thanks so much!

[fieryredqueen.livejournal.com]

this is really interesting. i had to read it again after reading the notes because it seemed so random, so i could go, 'oh, THAT'S what that meant.' heehee! ancient superstitions--well, any superstitions really, seem so random sometimes. the same with rituals. even if they originally had a logical reason behind them.

[bronzetigress.livejournal.com]

*smiles* I guess it doesn't help the seeming-random factor that Zoro *knows* all the superstitions already and they're not so well-known to the general public any more. All the tiny little actions and beliefs aimed at gaining a sense of control over what is still essentially uncontrollable... I do like the collar one, though. ;)

Glad you enjoyed!