Revolution

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece copyrights

Original Post Date: 05-10-11

000ooo000

It was the noise of shouting and gunshots that drew the woman away from her cooking and to the large living room window.

"Grandma, the marines are chasing someone." She said, watching the commotion in the small village down the hill.

"Again? I'm gonna grab my gun."

Hurriedly, the woman tore her eyes away from the scene out the window to pin her grandmother with a look. "Don't even think about it." she hissed. "You're not a pirate anymore, you can't just go around shooting the military. I don't want to have to bail you out of the jail again." The older woman huffed loudly in exasperation, but set down the old rifle to join the younger at the window.

"Fine, you ungrateful girl. I wouldn't want to be a burden on you." she said with a dramatic sniff. The woman ignored her and instead headed for the door.

"He's heading up the path, I'm going to see who it is." Without waiting for a reply, she slipped outside and shut the door firmly behind her. When she was sure her grandma had moved away from the door, she turned her attention to the man running up the path. He was almost to their garden now, panting heavily. Because of the waning light, the marines hadn't caught on that he had left the town below and were still searching the streets. It wouldn't be long until they figured out that he wasn't anywhere in the small cluster of houses. She studied his face, but was unable to place him on any of the hundreds of wanted posters that decorated the tavern walls.

"Are you a pirate?" She called The man paused, her voice startling him enough that he turned to look up at her.

"A pirate?" He asked blankly. They stared at each other, his eyes black as obsidian, and for a moment she could feel herself falling into them. He broke the connection to look over his shoulder and she felt her breathe leave her in a silent whoosh.

"No. I'm a Revolutionary." When she failed to look impressed, he smiled ruefully and started for the edge of the forest. She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly she felt herself falling backwards.

"Let him in!" Her grandma shouted loudly, waving at the man. She landed in an undignified sprawl on the step, glaring balefully at the older woman who seemed not to have noticed. The man stopped again, watching them with wary eyes. She didn't blame him; not many people would harbor someone from the marines.

"You'll hide me?" He asked. Grandma nodded furiously, motioning him inside. To his credit, he didn't hesitate again but slipped past the two woman into the hallway. The old woman slammed the door and locked it, chuckling gleefully.

"This brings back memories… I think I'll put on some tea." She left the two alone in the hall, whistling to herself. Unhappy at the upheaval her grandma had once again brought to their home, the woman turned her frown on the man behind her.

"What's your name?" She asked. There was a short pause as the man darted his eyes around the room, sharp eyes taking in all possible routes of escape.

"Luffy." He finally said, shooting her a charming smile. It was a practiced look, one meant to silence all questions.

"Really?" She said skeptically, looking pointedly at the water barrel next to the front door where the words "Luff's Apples" were printed on the side. "What a shocker." Though his face remained the same, she felt her cheeks burn as a wholly male glint of appreciation flashed in his eyes. To hide the sudden blush, she cast an eye around the room, thinking about where they could hide him.

"Well, the marines will probably be here any minute so it'd be best to get you out of sight. The attic has a bedroom with a large closet that should be big enough for you., if they decided to search the place" The man nodded and lighted up the stairs just in time for a loud knock on the door to shake the dust from the ceiling.

She watched him disappear into the darkness and shook her head to clear her thoughts. The she set her shoulders and opened the door a crack, assuming the most innocent, doltish look she could muster.

"Yes?" She asked politely. The man on the other side loomed imposingly over her doorstep. If she hadn't had her guest upstairs she would have told him to get the hell off her porch, but instead she smiled at him through gritted teeth.

"Ma'm have you seen a man run through here? He's a dangerous criminal and must be stopped at all costs." The man made a show of looking around with his gun in hand.

Widening her eyes, she strove for naivety.

"A criminal? Oh my, that must have been the sounds we heard earlier."

"Sounds?" The marine pushed, his face darkening. She nodded energetically, pointing beyond the yard.

"Yes, it sounded like something ran into the woods. We didn't see anything, just heard it run off." The marine nodded and turned away from the door. She carefully closed it and listened to him bark orders for a few seconds. When they were gone, she relaxed her shoulders and turned back to the kitchen. The opening to the attic creaked open and Luffy's face appeared. He looked apprehensive.

"I should leave now." He said, casting an eye on the door. She shook her head and handed him up the cup of tea her grandma had set on the table for him. He took it, setting it aside in the shadows.

"Don't bother. They'll be searching those woods all night, you'd never make it through." When he still looked unsure, she sighed and looked out the window. "Trust me." A flicker of unreadable emotion passed over his face but it was gone by the time she looked back up at him. "This house is practically a fortress. They won't get in."

"Used to be a pirate." Grandma added cheerfully, coming into the room with a plate of food. The young woman handed that up as well and almost smiled when she saw the look of delight in the man's eyes at the sight of roasted meat. He finally took a drink of his tea, murmuring his thanks.

"Eat and sleep. You'll be able to leave tomorrow if you're quick." He nodded and closed the door.

000

She paused at the steps and looked up at the dark door to the attic. She knew she should leave him in peace, he was a wanted man who had probably been running all day, but an opportunity to talk to someone from the sea… didn't come very often. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and became to climb the creaky ladder. Knocking lightly on the trapdoor, she opened at his reply. "I've got a candle for you." She said to the darkness. The shadows stirred and the man's face appeared in the glow.

"My thanks." he said, taking it from her. Instead of climbing back down, however, she pulled herself all the way up and shut the door behind her.

"I've also got some whiskey." She said, rattling the many bottles in her hand meaningfully. The man smiled and set the candle down on the floor.

"Are you always this accommodating to criminals?" He asked, taking one of the bottles and opening it with appreciation.

"Mostly. Grandma likes to think of herself as an underground railroad for pirates. We don't hide all of them of course, that'd be foolish. But she claims she has a sixth sense about people." She paused, shooting him a meaningful look. "We haven't had any trouble so far."

"The marines don't notice?"

"Haven't yet. I think they consider Grandma to be a bit crazy but ultimately harmless. Not the sort to harbor thieves, anyways." She took a long drink and enjoyed the way it burned down her throat. He did the same.

"I don't think I caught your name." She grinned and wiped her mouth delicately.

"That's because I didn't give it. I'm Kotone and grandma is Shinju, but just call her Grandma. She hates her name."

"Kotone." He repeated and again she felt her breath hitch inside her chest as his dark eyes caught hers. Hypnotic and fathomless, she felt that falling sensation start again, forcing her to tear her eyes away from his. To hide her reaction, Kotone took a long drink of her whiskey, taking in almost half the bottle. If he noticed, he said nothing and continued sipping in silence.

"So what are you doing in Treebark? It's not exactly a revolutionary hotspot." She peered at him over the top of her bottle.

"It's not." He agreed. She waited for him to answer her question and when he didn't, she huffed in displeasure, knowing that she would probably never get an answer to her question.

"Would you like to hear a story?" He asked after a long silence, sounding amused. Kotone looked up, surprised. She had thought he was done talking for the night.

"About what?" She asked, curious despite herself.

"I've got many." He said thoughtfully, swirling the contents of his bottle. "There's an island of mermaids. Or one about a island in the sky. I've even seen an island where only woman are allowed."

"Only woman, eh? That sounds a bit dull. I'd like to hear about an island in the sky though."

"Very well."

00000

When she woke the next morning, he was gone, as she knew he would be. She looked around the little attic room but the only trace that he had been there was the several bottles littering the floor. Smiling, she picked them up and put them in the trashcan next to the bed. Humming a little tune despite the pounding in her head, she stretching her arms above her head and crawled down the ladder to the living room.

"Did he get away?" she asked her grandma who was setting up the table for breakfast. The old woman grinned wickedly, nodding.

"Aye. Some friends of his showed up and they all disappeared together. The marines are furious." she added gleefully. Kotone looked out the window but the town looked normal. Peaceful.

"Well, as long as he made it out." She smiled at her grandma who was practically dancing around the table.

"Did you have a nice talk?" Grandma asked. Kotone blinked in surprise, she hadn't thought she had been awake.

"We did. He has been to many places and was nice enough to tell me about them." She looked away from her grandma, remembering the heat of his breath and the rapid beat of his heart as he had pulled her into one story after another. A hand rested on her own, startling her out of her reverie, and she looked at her grandma's solemn face.

"You've never had many young people to talk to, having to stay here with me." Kotone smiled and brought the older woman's hand to her cheek.

"I'd never want to be anywhere else." They shared a smile. "Especially not with those air headed village girls." She added, making her grandma laugh. She knew her grandma still felt guilty that Kotone had needed to stay on the island and take care of her when her dream had always been to sail away, but with the older woman's health the way it was, there had been no choice. Kotone didn't regret her decision; she would have never been able to leave her grandma behind anyways.

00000

The calendar didn't lie but just in case, she checked again. "One, two, three… damn." She rubbed her stomach thoughtfully and sighed. Mentally berating herself for not paying enough attention to the time, she headed for the door.

"Grandma!" she called, "I'm going into town, okay? Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone." She hated to leave the older woman alone, especially considering how forgetful she had become lately, but this couldn't wait.

"Alright dear." came the reply, she waited but the older woman said nothing more. Kotone posted a note on the door to remind her where she was going. Grabbing her purse she closed the door behind her and headed for town. The walk down the hill was brisk but sunny, perfectly normal for a spring island. The square was alive with people, creating a happy rush of voices that rose above the sounds of the waves breaking against the docks. Letting the cheerful scene wash over her numbness, she weaved in and out of the crowd. After a moment, Kotone found herself outside a modest, white, two-story building with a welcome sign hanging in the window. She opened the door and stepped into the air-conditioned front office. The inside was also white, lined with stiff chairs, and old newspapers.

"Hello." said the receptionist behind the counter, looking up from her paperwork to smile at the woman in the doorway. "Do you have an appointment?" Kotone shook her head. The receptionist nodded understandingly "Oh, that's fine. We're not busy today so you can go right in." She waved her through a set of doors to another office, smaller than the first. Seated inside was an older man reading a book, obviously enjoying the lull in patients. He looked up at her arrival and smiled warmly, setting his book aside to welcome her.

"Why hello, Kotone. I haven't seen you in ages. Is your grandma alright? Hasn't taken any more falls has she?" Kotone wanted to smile back, but her mouth felt frozen.

"No. I'm here on a different matter." The man's smile slipped a little at the serious tone and after a moment he nodded. He stood and walked with her into the next room.

"Alright. Let's see what's wrong, hm?"

00000

The day was sunny and bright with a cool breeze that hit you just right. Some of the people standing on the hill side were secretly glad, dressed in black as they were, but no one mentioned the weather. They kept their eyes focused on the young woman in front of them. Watching them lower her grandma into the grave was the hardest thing Kotone had ever done. She felt like screaming at the men holding the coffin and ripping it from the yawning darkness below. Soon the priest's drone dwindled to an close and the endless stream of well-wishers started, murmuring to her before heading down the hill. Soon she was alone on the hillside and the tears that she had been holding back began to fall. She might have cried forever had the bundle in her arms not started squirming, startling her. Kotone realized she had unconsciously tightened her hold on it. Forcing herself to smile, she bounced the baby in her arms lightly until he smiled again.

"I was going to name you Shinju, but you just had to be a boy." She said, studying his dark eyes, so unlike her own grey ones. Kotone smiled thinking of how much gossip he had caused with those black eyes. He gurgled loudly and waved a fist at her, drawing her attention back to him. Kotone chuckled and kissed the tiny hand. "She didn't like it either. I suppose Luffy will just have to do, though I think it sounds just a bit silly." Luffy yawned and closed his eyes, popping his tiny fist into his mouth. Kotone kissed his forehead gently. "I wish you could have met her. You would have liked her, I think." Kotone paused and regarded the jolly roger blanket her grandma had made for him. "Though she probably would have made you into a pirate." As she stared into his sleeping face, Kotone smiled as the loneliness that had threatened to overwhelm her melted away.

00000

She was being watched. The feeling had become almost unbearable in the last few days, prompting her to start stocking up on supplies and ammo, should the worst occur. She had heard a lot about the man called Dragon in the last few years. It seemed every day there was a new story about him in the paper or a larger bounty on the tavern wall. Secretly, she was thrilled to know his real name but she was furious that he was putting her son in danger, despite the fact he had no idea Luffy existed.

"Mama, can I have apple now?" Luffy begged, pulling her out of her thoughts. Kotone turned to her son who was bursting to pull a treasure out of her shopping bag.

"You may have one." She said, stressing the number. For a moment, the little boy's face looked mutinous, but deciding his chances of having more were slim, he grinned and retrieved his snack. Kotone smiled at him and then froze, an icy finger running down her spine. Like a deer scenting a hunter, she slowly straightened and scanned the area. Luffy's babble and the sounds of the birds overhead faded away as she searched for any sign of trouble. When she could find no intruder, she hurried Luffy inside and shut the door.

Luffy looked up at her with his large eyes which seemed to take over his face. Lord help him, he was only three. If the marines came for him now… Kotone forced the thought away and flipped the three locks she had recently installed.

"Honey, do you mind sleeping in the attic tonight? You can build a fort if you want." Luffy considered this and with a whoop of glee, he raced up the ladder. Kotone waited until he had gathered all his supplies and shut the door, before grabbing her grandma's rife out of its hiding spot. She pulled a chair out and sat facing the door, gun in hand. She waited until the sun finally peeked its head over the eastern hills, but no one showed.

00000

Luffy was sitting on the roof again, despite the many times she had scolded him for it. The first time it had happened she had almost had a heart attack. When he had failed to show up for lunch, she had spent fifteen frantic minutes searching the entire house for him only to find him sleeping away above the attic window. The second time he had disappeared on her, she had found him a little faster but that fact had no made her feel any better when she had been forced to dive across the rooftop to prevent him from tumbling off. That had only been the beginning of their skirmishes. Kotone paused in her lecture to cough, her body wracking with the force of each wave. When she recovered from her coughing spell, she realized Luffy had taken advantage of her distraction to start his own lecture.

"-a pirate! And pirates gotta be up high so they can see the sea." Kotone rolled her eyes at how much he sounded like grandma.

"You're not a pirate yet, Luffy. And as captain of this 'ship'," She said, giving him her best 'mother' glare. "I say no one under twenty on the roof." Luffy pouted but after a few minutes of enduring her look, he subsided. Kotone sighed and sat down beside him, smiling tiredly over the vase of wilting daises. "You've gotten so big." She chuckled, running a hand over his dark hair. "Soon I'll be too small to pull you down." Luffy grinned and puffed out his chest.

"I'm big now." He boasted. She laughed and gave him a kiss on the check which he accepted with all the grace of a five year old boy. He squirmed for a moment and then jumped out of his chair.

"Can I play in the water?" He asked, perking up. Kotone hesitated and then nodded, smiling as he raced out the door and down the path towards the sea. She would have been more worried, but Luffy was the best swimmer out of all the village children. He'd be fine.

00000

She was dying. Kotone supposed she really shouldn't be surprised. Her lungs had been weak since the flu epidemic that had hit the town a few years ago, but she hadn't thought anything of it, assuming that it would eventually clear up. But it had only gotten worse until, after coughing up blood, she had headed for the doctor. His diagnosis could not have been worse. Walking up the path to the house in a daze, Kotone reached the gate and closed her eyes to fight back the tears. She couldn't cry now, not where Luffy could see her; she didn't want him to have any memories of her crying. When she opened them again, her first thought was that she was seeing things. Luffy was waving at her from the door step, chattering about 'finding someone' down at the beach, but it was the huge man behind him that was causing her throat to close up. There was no mistaking him from the pictures in the newspaper, but even if she had, the marine symbol on his chest was enough to give him away. Garp, Hero of the Marines, was standing on her doorstep, towering over her baby. Her brain immediately jumped into flight or flight mode, singling in on protecting Luffy. Shooting up the garden path, she grabbed Luffy and whipped around the started marine into the house, slamming the door behind her. She wasn't stupid, she knew he could rip the door off its hinges within seconds, but she needed to buy time.

The pounding on the door and Luffy's protests joined the throbbing in her ears as she scanned the room for escape, coughing violently. The rifle? No, the papers said he could dodge bullets. The back door? He was a marine, of course he'd have back up waiting. The pounding was getting louder and desperately, Kotone threw Luffy in the pantry, grabbed the rifle, and planted herself in front of the door. She would not let him kill her son. Not a moment later, the door burst open and Garp stepped into the house, walking around the wood littering the floor. He looked around the room and noticed her immediately, his eyes flicking from her closed face to the gun in her hand which was leveled at him. He slowly raised his hands in a gesture of peace, one she didn't believe for a moment. This was Garp, rumored to throw cannon balls, sink warships, and eat sea kings whole. There wasn't a chance in hell he thought she was dangerous. Kotone just hoped she could take him by surprise. He would underestimate her and it would be her one advantage. Even a hero would die from a well placed hole in the head.

"I'm not here to hurt him." He growled, though Kotone couldn't be sure if he was angry or if he just sounded like that naturally. She studied him, ignoring the prick of awareness at the back of her mind, and decided he was probably angry. The gun went a little higher. Garp stopped coming towards her and grinned, though it wasn't a very happy smile. It looked down right menacing. Like a wolf.

"Right, a marine comes bursting into my living room and I'm to assume you're harmless?" She snorted, keeping both eyes on him. "I'm not stupid. I know why you're here."

"Oh do you?" Garp asked. "Then you know I've come to take him home with me?" Kotone laughed dryly, narrowing her eyes at him.

"So you can finish him off? I don't think so." Garp frowned and lowered his hands, causing her to bring her rifle up even higher until it was pointed right between his eyes. He didn't even look at it. "I'm not going to let you take him. I'll fight you until I'm dead and even then I might come back." A flash of what looked like admiration gleamed in his eyes but it was gone too fast for Kotone to be sure. When he spoke next, it didn't sound admiring, it sounded mocking.

"You're already dying." He said, cutting straight to her heart. At her surprised look he smiled grimly. "Oh I know, I've been keeping tabs on you for almost a year now."

"How did you find out about him?" she asked, furious that someone had given away her secret. Garp sidestepped the question.

"Do you have a plan? You can't protect him when you're dead." Her grip tightened on the gun.

"And I suppose you're volunteering?" She asked sarcastically.

"I've got some experience in keeping little boys, who shouldn't have been born, alive." Garp said, his face completely serious.

That made her pause as she considered the rumors that had been floating around only a few years ago that the most infamous pirate in the world had had a child. A child who had never been found. She lowered the gun a little and considered the man in front of her more closely. The pricking was getting more insistent.

"And why would you want to keep this particular boy alive? I hardly see any profit in it for you."

Garp was silent for a long moment, his eyes on the door behind her. But he didn't look calculating, or deceiving, like she would have expected, but tired. As if all the world was on his shoulders.

"He's my grandson."

The words caused the pricking sensation in her head to explode as she saw what she should have seen from the start, had she not been so panicked.

"You look just like him…" She said, the rifle lowering all the way until it was pointed at the floor. He didn't have to ask who she was talking about; they both knew. The name floated between them like a thundercloud. Kotone closed her eyes briefly and put the rifle back in its hiding spot. Calmly, she opened the pantry doors to find that Luffy, after eating most of the food inside, had fallen asleep. Gently, she shook him awake.

"Wake up, hon. You're grandpa is here."

00000

His bags were packed until they were overflowing and still he insisted he needed more food. Kotone smiled and gave him a hug. "The marines have food on the ship if you run out." She knew he would. "And your grandpa's very strong, I'm sure he can kill a sea king for you if you eat all of their food too." Luffy grinned and rubbed his nose, looking over her shoulder at the hulking figure that was barking orders at the other marines.

"I'm going to be stronger than him." Luffy swore, his tiny hands forming fists.

Kotone smiled and kissed each one. "I look forward to hearing that you beat him. But promise me something." Luffy looked up, curious. "Don't let your grandpa bully you into become a marine. You're great-grandma was a pirate and I know you want to be one too. If you want to be a marine… then that's ok, but don't let him take away your dreams."

Luffy looked confused, but he nodded anyways.

"My dreams." He repeated, looking serious for once. "Okay."

Kotone hugged him tightly and fought back tears. She knew this would be the last time she ever got to see him. "I love you." She whispered. Luffy hugged her back and then raced off towards the marine's warship, throwing a 'I love you too!' over his shoulder. Kotone watched the ship pull away from the harbor and when she was sure they couldn't see her anymore, she let the tears pour down her face.

"I'm trusting you Garp… keep him safe."

000ooo000

THE END