Queen of the Pirates

The Question Corner! Part 1

First, I want to say that answering these questions was a lot of fun, and that I might have to do another chapter of this as the omnibus of One Piece that I ordered was pushed back until mid-December. I hate having to go on hiatus, but I can use this time to work on some other stories. So, if you have questions, you can leave them on this chapter, and if not, don't worry, as then this story will just go into about a month hiatus.

Also, I wanted to point out that we have a new cover, thanks to @ktjhs_kay! Covers are not my strong suit, and I really like the one that they created, and I hope that all of you do too! It is a bit of a change, but it is kind of what I had imagined when I was creating the cover. Anyways, let's dive into the questions!

Q: What does Akari mean and why did you decide on that name? And why did you decide on her being a blacksmith?

A: Akari means light and bright, which is what I was looking for when I was picking her name. Every time I look up a character's name in One Piece, I see how much the meaning is who they are, so that had to be the same for Akari. She is a shining light in the lives of those she meets, and she tries to look on the bright side of things. There were a couple of other choices that I was deciding between, but I liked the way Akari sounded the most. It just felt like her when I barely had an idea of who she was at the very beginning. I also decided to make her a blacksmith because she need to be something. She couldn't just be Luffy's childhood friend, and she couldn't have the same skill as someone else. I knew I wanted her to thrown shurikens, so it would make sense that she could make them, hence, she became a blacksmith. She'll be able to show off her ability once they have the Thousand Sunny.

(Every character has a moodboard and a whole page of information on them that will come out after the timeskip, since some of them contain spoilers. Also, since Wattpad books can only contain 200 chapters, the timeskip also is where Queen of the Pirates will split into another book; same name with an added tag to separate the two.)

Q: Did you always know Akari would be Ace's little sister?

A: I did not always know that Akari would be the little sister of Ace. I'm not sure a what point I decided that she would be, but I was trying to figure out what her last name should be, and if she should carry the Will of D. When I was watching the anime (which is what triggered me to start writing this story), and Ace was introduced, it struck me that he would be the perfect older brother for the girl that I had created. Thus, Portgas D. Akari was formed, and it felt perfect for who I was creating. She was the perfect little sister, and it really helped to round out her character even more. She's no long just a random OC I have placed into this world. She has a much bigger role now with that connection.

Q: Does Akari want Roger to be her father? Or does she have a similar view to Ace?

A: Akari is definitely having a battle within herself as she figures out what she wants. She knows that Roger was Aces father since they were really little, but now that she is connected to Ace and Rouge, she is having some trouble deciding what it would mean if Roger were her father as well. She knows the anger that Ace had against him because of what others said, which has her thinking that she should feel that way too, but she also sees how Luffy has seen Roger in a positive light, and she spends so much time with Luffy that they think the same about a lot of things. She's working through those feelings to come to her own understanding and feelings for the man. She's had to denounce the man who raised her, so she has a little bit of desire to have a father that she can believe loved and wanted the best for her. Her decision on all of this will be in the main story, and that is going to be a really fun moment.

Q: How much of the story do you have planned out?

A: I have some major moments up to the timeskip planned out, as that is where I am currently at in the anime, so I know what is going to happen even if I don't have the manga in my hands yet. I don't have every little thing planned, and there are many times when I am writing as the ideas are coming to me.

Q: What is something you are looking forward to writing?

A: I have a lot of things that I am looking forward to writing. I am excited to finally get Brook to join the crew because the celebration when they all sing Bink's Sake is going to be super cute with Luffy and Akari. I look forward to where I am going to send Akari when all the crew gets separated, and then what I have planned for her getting back to Luffy. Also, having just watched the ASL background episodes, I am excited to have Akari be a part of all that! That's all I can say without reaching spoiler territory.

Q: Is Nellie from the filler chapters going to appear in the canon story?

A: Nellie is going to appear in the canon story! She is actually the main character of a story that I have a little work on called The Heart of a Pirate, and it focuses on her joining Trafalgar Law's crew as the cook, and her journey to open up to him as well as him open up to her. I think Law is super cute and sweet to those he really cares for and loves, so I want to explore that with Nellie. Also, I love Bepo so much! I want to have a character that can love him, and that will help Law and Nellie come together.

Q: When and what filler is planned (if you want to reveal that)?

A: The next filler will be a Pop Idol AU after the Skypiea arc. The other AUs I have planned are College, Domestic (I have a great idea about Akari and Luffy attending a friend's wedding that I am excited to write), and a Mafia one. The Water 7 Saga is fairly long, so one will probably be in the middle of that, followed by one after it, and then a final one after Thriller Bark (though that could change at any time). Then it will be a fairly clean shot to the end, considering the ASL background stuff is part of the story, and I'll just figure out how to have Akari look back on that time. Once the timeskip happens, all the fillers will be revisited in order when time comes for that kind of thing.

Q: Does Ace talk about Akari like he talks about Luffy? Like telling everyone he can about his little sister that he loves so much? Or does he keep it to himself?

A: He certainly does! Ace has always been so proud of Luffy and Akari, and once he sets out to see, he will tell anyone he can about the two he left behind. He definitely can't keep her a secret from his crewmates, and he also reveals to everyone that she is his blood-related sister. There's no end to how much he can gush about Luffy and Akari. When Luffy's first bounty is revealed, he is so proud and showing off to everyone, but when he catches sight of Akari's first bounty, while he can't show it off like he did with Luffy's, he is just as excited and proud to see the name that ties them together right there on the page. And also that she's worked so hard to get to this point to show everyone whoever doubted her that she is strong, and that she's going to make a name of herself.

Q: How did you come up with Akari's epithet?

A: When I was looking at other characters and their epithets, I knew that it had to capture the important parts of who she is. I mean, Straw Hat Luffy, Fire Fist Ace, Red Haired Shanks, and the list goes on. There are so many amazing epithets in the series, and I wanted Akari to have one that has fun and strong and all hers. It took me a while to come up with The Shuriken Phantom, but I can't imagine anything else to go with her name. Her main weapon is the shuriken, so I knew that had to be part of her name, and even without the knowledge that CP9 will grant her of being insanely fast, she is quick on her feet, so I needed something with that. Phantom came to mind when I thought about how she moves through life. She's like a ghost to random people, and she is also like a figment of the imagination as she moves by too quickly to really get a grasp on her. Of course, her friends see a very different side than that. Overall, Akari loves the epithet that has been given her, and she truly feels like she's making those that matter proud.

And that ends this the first ever question corner! Again, I loved answering these questions, and I just love when people have questions about any of my stories in the first place. Hopefully my One Piece comes soon, and I can continue writing Akari's journey with the Straw Hats! :D