Garp walked through the forest of Dawn Island with fast and steady paces. His eyes scanned through it for a clue, a sign, anything to help him find who he was looking for. He'd been here before, two days ago to be exact, in search for the same person and like then it seemed like this quest would prove pointless. He knew that the person was always moving, running. Not from him or anything else for that matter, but towards something, chasing after what's long gone. His face fell, saddened by the possibilities of what could have happened, from the letter he had received two weeks ago, he had a feeling all was not well.
Dear Garp Oji-san,
Wat's up old man, been too long. I'm sure you're doing great, I would love to meet up and talk about the old days but I'm pretty sure we won't be able to see each other for like a long time. I left someone on Bloom Island, she's 7, name's Tiger D. Jade and she looks just like me so you know she's a cute little thing. She's my daughter, the light of my life, the wind beneath my wings, the noodle to ramen, the octopus to my takoyaki, you get the drift . You're already a dad and maybe a grandpa by now, you're probably already used to this so I'm counting on you. Just ask around the Island and someone's bound to know where she is. Thanks, if I'm still around to meet you again, I owe you won.
Love Reina
He could see her face as she wrote it, she sure knew how to sugar coat bad news. Reina was an old friend's kid, an old but close friend. Memories of his younger years flooded his mind, the little time he would spend on his friend and his family. Yes, he could remember, Dragon was still a child then, not even up to ten if he remembered correctly. Little Reina, she could make the heart of anyone she came across light up with joy, she was such a reckless, fun loving kid. He wished he had had more time to spend with his old friend, there were so many things he now wished they got time for.
He stopped his walking and search, he sat down on ground resting his back on what seemed to be an old pear tree. His eyes were beginning to get droopy. Right, he hadn't slept these past few days looking for Jade. He had promised Ace and Luffy a new sister and they were both excited to meet her, even Sabo was. He also promised not to come back without her, but the task had proven more difficult than expected. Remembering what he had gone through on Bloom Island to bring her here to Foosha it was so embarrassing. Well no task ever given by Reina has ever been easy, even when she was a kid.
Grrrr
He got up swiftly,his mind and body quickly on alert before relaxing a bit. There was no creature on the Island that he couldn't take care of in a second. He wasn't a Marine Vice Admiral for nothing. The growl came again, but he couldn't sense any hostile being nearby. The third time it came left Garp confused. He completely relaxed himself yet still very aware of his surroundings. The sound came a fourth time, but this time Garp noticed a change, something that he probably just didn't take heed to the previous times he heard the growl. With the sound came an unbearable pain deep in the pits of his stomach. He cluchted his belly and groaned, he was really hungry. He hadn't had anything to eat since he had brought Jade with him on the Island, before he could even dock his boat she was already gone. He supposed she was used to this, not many can hide from him for too long. It made him wonder what Reina had taught the girl, the possibilities that crossed his mind scared him. He didn't want to stop, but he didn't feel like continuing the search on an empty stomach. The nudging fear for her safety was always on his mind, but there was also the assurance of the extent of survival skills the young one had been taught. After all she had proven to be able to take care of herself after her mother took her impromptu leave, she evaded him for quite a while on Bloom Island and even escaped his sights when they had arrived and he still hadn't found her . He guessed that he would have to have faith in her abilities while he would go to Makino's for a quick lunch break.
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The trip to Makino's bar was short, his hunger urging him to be faster than usual. But as he approached the bar, curiosity overtook his hunger as he heard noises from the young woman's bar. It wasn't the usual rowdiness of the town's men, from his position just outside the bar he could see that the bar was a bit crowded, like people gathering to watch a great spectacle. He shoved his way into the bar-careful not harm anyone in the way, the noise from the bar hitting his ears like a the sound a ceremonial gong.
'Where did she come from?'
'Is she from here?'
'Never seen her before'
'What hurt her?'
'Gyoru found her'
'Okay everyone back up, she needs some space she can barely breath. Makino are you done patching her up?' Woop Slap, the mayor of Foosha inquired as the people surrounding moved back.
'Yes, her breathing is better now.' the owner of the bar answered while filling a glass with a purple coloured juice.
'Please get her something to eat.' Wood Slap said.
'Already done.' Makino said putting a plate of sukiyaki and the glass of purple juice on a table where a small girl whose arms were covered in bandages sat at. Her arms were on the table in a position comfortable enough for her head to rest on. Her eyes were closed like she was sleeping.
Makino crouched down beside the girl and put her hand on the girls back stroking it softly.
'Hey dear, look I've brought some delicious food for you. You must be hungry, why don't you have some.'
The girl shifts a bit and opens her eyes slowly to reveal a set of green irises. Tension fills the bar and silence takes over.
From the position Garp was at he could see her black afro hair and brown skin. A sense of relief washed over him as he guessed who the girl was, but the bandages on her put him on edge. He guessed it was Makino who treated her, he would have to thank her and also thank who found the girl and from the whispers he heard it was Gyoru. He moved forward to the table the girl was at, past Wood Slap.
'Garp.' Wood Slap called.
Garp nodded his head to him.
'Thank you Makino. Are you okay Jade?'
The girl in question shot up from her chair upon heating his voice, pushing it back so she could face the marine officer.
'YOU?' She shouted pointing at him. Garp sighed and Makino stood up almost immediately.
'WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? GET OUT. I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU OLD GEEZER.'
Makino was shocked, Woop Slap was confused and Garp was pissed. The audience stood surprised by her sudden outburst. He raised his arm up hand wide open, she immediately raised her arm to protect her head. Panic filled the room in fear of what he'll do to the girl, the bar filling with noises.
'Garp-san don't.' Makino cried.
Garp's hand came down on the girl's shoulder lightly pushing her down onto the chair behind her. Taking hold of the table, he pushed it closer to her.
'LOOK AT YOU, YOU'VE GOT BANDAGES ALL OVER. I WARNED YOU NOT TO LEAVE MY SIGHT AND NOW YOU'RE HURT. YOU PROBABLY HAVEN'T EATEN SINCE WE GOT HERE SO STOP COMPLAINING AND EAT.' Garp screamed, not in an angry tone but more of a fatherly one. He himself was hungry, he could guess what her stomach was feeling.
A sense of relief filled the air but a little tension was still withheld. Makino and Woop Slap breathed sighs of relief and let themselves relax. Jade looked at her food and began to shake, Makino smiled at her and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
WAAAAAAHHHHHH. The girl erupted in a stream of tears with snot falling from her nose, her face distorted in a sad way. Makino's hand left her shoulder, she was unsure of why the kid suddenly started to cry and wasn't sure how to stop it.
'Oi, what's wrong?' Woop Slap asked.
'Don't you like the food Jade-chan?' Makino cried.
'Do your wounds still hurt?' Even Garp inquired.
'Is she okay?'
'What's up?'
'Damn she's loud.'
Whispers began to erupt from the crowd, the noise and crying was making it unbearable for Woop Slap.
'I-I'M N-NOT CRYING.' The girl insisted while tears still rushed from her eyes.
'EH?' The crowd shouted with sweat drops on their heads.
Woop Slap took this as an opportunity to clear the bar.
'Okay everyone, time for you all to leave. The little one doesn't need you guys disturbing her.'
In a few minutes everyone except Woop Slap, Makino and Garp had left. By then Jade's tears had turned to mere sniffles and Makino stood by her side consoling her.
'Jade-chan, should I feed you? Would you like that?'
The girl nodded and Makino picked up a folk from the bar table. She used it pick up some tofu from the sukiyaki.
'Open up your mouth Jade-chan.' Jade did as she was told and Makino fed her the tofu.
'So who is she?' Woop Slap asked loud enough for only Garp to hear.
'It's a long story, I'll tell you and Makino later in private.'
'Oi Makino can I get something to eat.' Garp called out.
'Go behind the counter. Gomen, but you'll have to serve yourself Garp-san.' Makino said as she fed some beef to Jade not even glancing at Garp.
'Thank you Makino.' He said getting behind the bar to fetch some food.
Woop Slap frowned at the change of subject but let it go. If Garp said he would tell them then he would.
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It had been minutes since Makino finished feeding Jade and put her to bed in a room behind the bar. Now she, Woop Slap and Garp sat at a table with an open bottle of sake and already filled cups and an already empty plate in front of him. His hunger was finally taken care of, for now. Makino had closed the bar for the day to allow for some privacy, she and Woop Slap sat patiently, waiting for Garp to explain the situation at hand.
'Now, where should I start.'
'From the beginning please Garp-san.'
'Over a week ago I received a later from the kid of an old friend saying that she had left her daughter on Bloom Island and needed my help getting and taking the child.'
'Garp-san, that child is Jade.'
Garp nodded in response.
'What kind of mother will just leave her kid like that on her own?' Woop Slap asked.
'There's no mother that would do that, at least not with a good reason.'
'You're right Makino. Reina, that's Jade's mother, wouldn't just leave something so precious to her alone. Her letter implied she had her reasons but I am not aware of them.'
There was silence as he paused and took a drink of his sake. Then he continued.
'When I arrived on Bloom Island, I asked around for her house. It wasn't hard to find cause everyone knew Reina there. But by the time I arrived Jade was no where to be seen.'
'She ran off?' Makino asked and Garp nodded in reply.
'I see. Having her mother suddenly disappear must have been scary for her. I assume she did the same when she got here as well.'
Garp nodded.
'But shouldn't the mother have explained it to her?'
'No Makino. Imagine if she had, do you think the girl would've let her be. She'll probably cry her eyes out and throw a tantrum.' He said with a slight frown. 'The mother wouldn't have been able to leave, the guilt will eat her up and the kid will never let her go. It could have been troublesome, especially if she was leaving for an important reason.'
'Exactly Woop Slap.'
'I see.' Makino said, eyes saddened by the story.
'I found this at her house though.' He said pulling out an envelope that had a bulge in the middle from his jacket.
'It's from Reina, addressed to Jade. I suppose she wanted to use this as a medium to tell her.'
'After she had gone.'
'Yes.'
'An easy way to escape any complications.' Woop Slap said.
Garp nodded.
'It reminds me of a romance novel I once read.' Makino said with dreamy eyes.
'This isn't about one of your erotic novels Makino, it's real life.' Woop Slap said angrily at you.
'MAYOR-SAN.' Makino screamed back at Woop Slap red in the face.
'Don't say things like that aloud.'
'Anyway Garp, what are you going to do now?' Woop Slap asked ignoring Makino.
'When she awakes I'll give her the letter and try to reconcile with her. I have a feeling her impression of me is a bit bad.' Garp stated rubbing his bearded chin.
' 'a bit' is an understatement.' Woop Slap and Makino said with sweat drops.
'Anyway Garp-san, since she's here where will she stay?' Makino asked.
'I can't be around all the time, I'm way too busy right now. She'll stay with Ace and Luffy at Dadan's.'
'You always drop your kids with her and it seems everyday they get worse. Just this morning they had the authorities chasing them all over for dining and dashing, crashed into Goot's new fruit stand and they pulled a tiger all over a plantation that belonged to a noble. And that was just before ten. Let me...'
'Oh give it a rest, their kids. They need to enjoy the little time for their childhood.' Makino said interrupting him.
'Give it a rest my foot, you don't see their age mates acting like that do you.' He half screamed pointing at her.
Garp was now rubbing his forehead out of frustration. He tried everything to keep those boys in check but they won't just budge. Their persistence to become pirates was really affecting everyone one around and Dadan wasn't any help at all. Well at this rate it won't be easy to turn them into respectable marine officers, it was settled to him then, he would have to be harder on them.
'Woop Slap I'll pay for the damages done so don't worry about it. And I'll talk to the boys before I leave tomorrow morning. I'm running far behind schedule, this task took more time than I had thought.'
'The town is already used to the boys, don't stress yourself over it. I can handle what goes on here. But thank you anyway' He said composing himself.
'Mayor-san is right. Everything will be fine Garp-san, just focus at the task at hand.'
Garp smiled and relaxed himself. He was grateful for their reassurance, it really soothed him. He knew the boys and Jade would be in the right hands.
'Now all that's left is to force... I mean convince Dadan to take her in.' Garp said with a slight cough to cover his... mistake.
'Oi' Woop Slap and Makino uttered sweat dropping for the third time of the day.
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It was late in the afternoon when Makino was done with clearing the bar, Woop Slap had left to handle some forgotten business he didn't want them to know about but both Garp and Makino already knew it was connected to the boys shenanigans.
'I'll go get Jade-chan so you can take her home Garp-san.'
'Thank you Makino, I really appreciate this.'
'It's no problem. I'm happy to help.' Makino said smiling while going to a back room behind the bar.
Garp stood patiently by the bar while waiting for Makino to come out with Jade.
'AAAAAHHHHHH' Makino screamed from the back room. Garp stood upright immediately alarmed by her voice.
'MAKINO'
'She's gone Garp and she read some of Moon Prince.'Makino said rushing out of the room.
'WHAT?'
'It's this romance...'
'Not that. She's gone? How? Where is she?'
'Yes she's gone, she probably used the back door and how am I supposed to know where, I just found out.' Makino balanced herself on the counter her head fallen as a dark aura surrounded her. 'Kids shouldn't books like that, especially those sort of parts.'
He sighed, he was getting tired of this. He wondered if it was possible for him to have the day turn out as he planned. He relaxed himself and used his Kenbunshoku Haki to scout the area and he found her, but she was moving fast.
'She's not far. She's running, moving northeast towards mount Colubo.'
'No way, there are mountain bandits. But... How did you know?'
Garp ignored her question, he needed to find Jade first before he had lost her presence. It may not be easy, she had proven herself a master at magically vanishing into thin air. Other than the trouble her actions had caused him he was really impressed, some government spies could train for years to achieve what she can do in seconds. But this wasn't the time to praise her clever elusiveness, he had to find her before he lost her.
But seriously though, what did Reina teach Jade. Garp thought as he left Makino's bar and headed towards mount Colubo.
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He was close and far, close enough to sense her but far enough not to scare her off again. Jade wasn't only good at hiding her presence, she was also good at being aware of her surroundings and hence the dangers around her. He had planned to catch her quickly and finish what he came here for but she had sensed him and took off running at an inhuman speed. So now he decided to take a different approach. He knew where she was headed, so he opted to go there as well but using a way entirely opposite of the way she used. She had slowed down now so he guessed his plan worked and she didn't see him as a threat. He used a different path on the mountain but made sure he didn't get too far from her-in order not to lose her, that way it'll seem like he's not following her. Garp paused for a second, now Jade was not alone. He could sense two others not too far off and by the speed Jade suddenly took off at she could sense them too. Garp moved swiftly, he had to reach her before the bandits do.
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'Oi oi oi. Ojo-chan, what are you doing here?' A burly rough looking man with tattered clothes and a club said to a little girl. She immediately took a fighting stance, a weak one. It was obvious she didn't know what she was doing, she stood like a kid copying what she saw in a book.
'Shut up stupid, get out of here. I'm busy.' The girl screamed out towards the man.
'EH, little girl who are you? Don't you know who we are?'A scrawny man who had a gun attached to his belt said obviously pissed.
'She obviously doesn't. A child walking on these mountains when it's almost sunset, she's obviously clueless.' The burly one said almost nonchalantly.
'You idiot, how dare you insult me. Of course I'm smarter than you baka, baka.' The girl shouted at them while pointing rudely. Her anger and impatience was shown by her eyes that had gone white and wide.
'You damn idiot.' The scrawny one said. 'We're members of the Blue Jam bandits, yes that's who our leader is. So you must be scared, see you've even gone quiet.'
'Who's scared? If someone has you two as subordinates, he must be really dumb.'
'Why you... that's it. We're going to teach you a lesson.' The burly one said raising his club as the scrawny one picked his gun to aim at her.
The girl moved back, tripped and fell on her butt. She closed her eyes and covered her head with her arms bracing herself for the impact. She heard a loud sound, like a cannon and screams immediately after, screams that seemed to go further away. She slowly put her arms down and lifts her head to take a look at her attackers, but instead standing before her was the annoying old man Garp.
'Jade-chan, are you okay? Did they hurt you?' Garp asked, concern filled in his voice as he knelt down beside her.
The girl shook as she sniffed and tears began to well from her eyes. Garp was taken aback and his head fell hard as she started to cry wildly screaming at the top of her voice.
'Jade, why are you crying? Look the bad men are gone. You don't have to worry anymore.' Garp said patting her back, trying to calm her down with a smile to enforce his efforts. But it seemed the patting was stronger than he thought as she shook from it so he stooped.
'M-mama.'
Garp eyes grew sad as the child mentioned her mother, his smile turning into a frown. It felt like something had jabbed his heart, the sight of someone so young and vulnerable in such a condition really hurt him. It also made him angry. Damn that Reina, she's too young and her heart's not ready for a situation like this.
'Why did mama leave? Why hasn't she come back? Why did she send you to take me away? Doesn't mama love me anymore? Is it because I burnt the food last time? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?'
So many questions thrown at him and he had no answer to any of them. He felt like he had been tossed into a deep pit. Is this how luffy feels? No, that's different. It's for his training.
'I know.' She said like she had just realised something. 'Tell mama that I'll be a good girl. I'll listen to everything she tells me to do. I'll stop wondering off, I promise.'
The jab came again and he did the only thing he could think of, he grabbed her close and hugged her tight. Tight enough to comfort her, to make her feel protected, to make her feel loved, but not enough to suffocate her. He felt useless as the tears ran down her eyes wetting his jacket, he was never good in situations like these but he couldn't let this continue.
'Jade, I can't answer any of your questions, I don't even know where your mother is.' He said still holding her closely. He paused for few a seconds to let her calm down properly till she was reduced to just snorts and sniffs. He pulled her from his chest but still kept her close, then he continued. 'Now I might not have an idea of what your relationship with your mother was like, but one thing I'm sure of is that she loved you more than anything in the entire world.'
Jade looked up to Garp's face with wonder in her eyes. Those eyes still held many questions, he imagined one of them was to know if he was telling the truth, if her mom really loved like he said and if her fears were all unnecessary, questions that nawed at her mind due to her growing paranoia. Yes he could see, and he saw this momentary peace as a time to put her mind at rest for good. He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope-the same one with the bulge that he had shown Makino and Woop Slap early that afternoon. He put it in front of her, signalling her to have a look. The look in her eyes turned to confusion and she used them to look at Garp.
'It's a message to you... from your mother.'
She looked at the envelope and reached for it, slowly. She grabbed onto it and he released it from his hand so she could take a look. He let go of her completely and she walked away from him to read the letter privately. Her watched her go and he watched her as she stopped. He made sure he was close enough to protect her if the time came, but far enough to give her the privacy she needed. He watched as her delicate fingers opened the envelope gently, as if she was being careful not to destroy one of the last things she had received from her mother. She slowly pulled a piece of folded paper from the envelope and put the envelope behind the it. She paused and took a deep breath-he could tell from the rise and fall of her shoulders-as if bracing herself for a gusty wind, bracing herself for what she was about to see. She unfolded the paper and stood rigid as she began to read. It was minutes before Jade moved again and it was to fold the paper to its original form. He guessed she had read the letter over and over again, it didn't seem long enough for her to spend so much time on. She put the folded paper back into the envelope and brought out something else. From where he was Garp couldn't make it out, but he knew what the cause of the bulge was now though it wasn't like he ever cared to know. She held the item to her chest and started to shake, he knew she was crying even before he heard her pathetic attempts to hide it. Garp went over to her and hugged her.
'It's okay Jade, just let it go.' He said to her, letting her cry on him again.
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Garp walked through the mountain with Jade sleeping in his folded arms. Her small body was bunched together and tucked in his arms. She still held the item and the letter filled envelope tightly to her chest. He guessed whatever it was it most have been pretty important to Reina and now it was a keepsake to Jade. A form of connection between her and her mother. He was just glad she had stopped crying, all those tears must have given her a migraine. He didn't even know when she was done, but by the time he realised she had fallen asleep the sun had long set. Now only the light of the moon lit the path to Dadan's home. He wished that Jade was awake to watch the stars with him, they were so many and they shone so bright and beautiful. He hoped that'll he'll have the time the next day to introduce the boys to their new sister. He wanted them all to watch the stars together, maybe they'll be lucky enough to spot a shooting star. Well there was something he was sure of, not something he wished or hoped for, that Jade was a wonderful edition to their family and that she and the boys will get along just great.
