Disclaimer: Shiningheart of ThunderClan doesn't own One Piece.

Sunset was usually one of Garp's favorite times of day. Not because it meant the end of the work day. Evil never slept, so neither did justice. It wasn't because it meant dinner was close. He was a Vice Admiral, the Hero who 'captured' Gold Roger. He could eat at any time he wanted and no one except maybe Sengoku could say anything about it. And the only reason he'd let Sengoku boss him around is because they'd been friends since the academy, years and years ago. Rank had little to do with it.

No, the reason Garp loved the sunset was because of the colors. The clouds lit up in all shades of pink and gold and yellow, and the sky turned red and gray like the embers of a dying fire. He wasn't usually such a sentimental man, preferring things to be simple and straightforward. But even he could appreciate beauty when he saw it.

After this evening, though, Garp was sure he'd never look at sunsets the same way again. The cries and screams of the blonde woman in the next room made him cringe. It reminded him of when his own son had been born, when life was simple and the most complicated thing he had to worry about was changing poopy diapers. As piercing as the shrieks were, Garp refused to close his ears to them. Rogue had been looking forward to this day, no matter the consequences.

Neither had any delusions that she would survive. 20 months was an awful long time to fight against nature, after all.

He straightened up from his spot leaning on the window will when he registered not one, but two infants crying. Twins. Gol D. Roger had sired twins. The vice admiral wasn't sure if he was elated, annoyed, worried, or a mixture of all three. One brat he could hide with ease; two would be a little harder. Still manageable, of course, but still more difficult than he'd originally thought.

A nurse stepped out from the other room and approached him. The smile she wore was bright and genuine, meaning she had absolutely no idea whose children she had just delivered. Garp would do his best to keep it that way. "You can come in now, Garp-san!" she said cheerily. "You've two grandchildren, a boy and a girl!"

He smiled at her, gray-and-black mustache twitching with the gesture, and followed her to the back. He went no further than the entrance, just enough to see Rogue laying on her bed. She held two screaming babies in her arms. In her left, a pink-tinged face with a single curl of black hair was swathed in a blue blanket. (He had freckles to match his mother's which was actually rather endearing.) In her right, an equally pink face with a matching blonde curl had a pink blanket.

Garp took the two in before switching his attention to their mother. Rogue was understandably sweaty and sleepy, but she practically glowed with love and happiness. It was such a pure look, one only a mother could give. But he could see her strength waning in the shaking of her arms. "Rogue." She looked up at him with a soft, welcoming smile, and it made Garp's heart break all over again. He reflexively smiled back, if only for her comfort. "What will you name them?"

The woman looked between her children, and smiled at the tiny baby boy in her arm. "He wanted Anne if it was a girl and Ace if it was a boy. Gol D. Ace…" She settled a kiss on her son's forehead, and Garp died a little inside when she closed her eyes and slumped without naming her daughter. He let the nurses rush him out while the doctors tried to revive her. It was fruitless, but he'd let them try anyway.

Ten minutes later, the doctor came out grim-faced. Garp wasn't surprised when he received the news, but he still vowed his head in grief. Rogue had been a brave, kind woman, and he could see why Roger had risked it all just to be with her. The world would be a dimmer place without her smile.

The doctor gave him a moment before speaking quietly. "We just have one issue we need you to solve. Miss Rogue… passed before she was able to name her daughter. As the listed guardian, that responsibility now falls to you."

Garp nodded, and the doctor led him back into the room. Rogue had been moved, thank goodness, and two bascinets had been placed beside the bed. One blue, one pink. Ace lay in the blue one, still wailing and flailing his tiny little fists in the air. It was like he knew something had gone wrong and was crying out for his mother.

The other, Ace's sister, had quieted though. Thinking she was asleep, Garp caressed her cheek as lightly as he could with one, calloused finger. No one knew better than he how easy it was to accidentally destroy something so precious.

Different names flitted through his mind. He briefly considered using Roger's name for her, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. His dead rival had named his firstborn, no reason he should name the second as well. "What name, what name…" He was so long in thought that he almost jumped when the little one yawned and opened her eyes to blink up at him. They were still baby blue, but that would likely fade into another color in a few months. Probably into Rogue's chestnut colored ones.

The two were caught in a staring match until the baby girl turned her head and started gumming on his finger, looking for food. Garp chuckled, almost feeling himself melting on the inside. His original plan had been to train the both of them into legendary marines, but he couldn't do that to her. Maybe a marine's wife. She looked so tiny, so calm, so… so serene… "Serenity." He said suddenly. "Portgaz D. Ace and Portgaz D. Serenity."

A few days later, the children were deemed strong and healthy enough to be moved. Garp stood with both infants in his arms, just looking up at Rogue's house. He'd given instructions to burn her body. If it was ever discovered whose children he now held, he didn't want anyone digging her up and desecrating her remains. The funeral had been last night.

The children couldn't stay here, but he couldn't look after them either. If he knew where his no-good son was, he'd ask him to raise them. On second thought, no, horrible idea. Dragon didn't have a paternal bone in his body and would just pawn them off on his revolutionary subordinates. Garp conveniently forgot that's what he was planning on doing.

They needed to be hidden, that much was certain. Somewhere safe, private, out of the way. A place no one would ever think to look for the two bastard children of the deceased Pirate King. A plan was forming in his mind, and Garp smirked and laughed. It was time to pay Dadan a visit…

17 years later

It was perfect sailing weather. The sun was bright and warm, the breeze was pleasant and in the right direction, and the sea was calm and still. In the bay of Mount Carvo, a rather eclectic gathering of people waited. They were the Dadan Mountain Bandits, or at least most of them were.

The only two who weren't were a pair of teenage boys. The elder had black wavy hair that hung messily in his face, nearly hiding the dark eyes and freckled face. He wore a funky orange cowboy hat with funky little tassels. The yellow shirt he wore was open and short sleeved, showing the abs and muscles that were beginning to form.

The other boy was smaller and thinner, wearing a red button up vest and blue jeans. He had a straw hat on his head and sandals on his feet. He too had shaggy black hair, but his face was more babyish with a scar under his left eye.

The older was named Ace and the younger, Luffy. The bandits had resorted to playing cards in their boredom of waiting, and Luffy was watching with a cheerful grin on his face. Ace was far less pleasant, scowling fiercely with his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze wasn't directed at the others but rather the forest behind them. His patience finally ran out and he snapped, "Dammit, where is she?! We should have left an hour ago!"

Luffy looked at his brother with a smile and his trademark laugh. "Shishishi, stop worrying so much Ace! She'll be here soon!" The sound of running footsteps could be heard by all, and Luffy's grin stretched to unnatural proportions. "See? Told ya!"

Ace dropped both his arms and his scowl and rolled his eyes dismissively. "Yeah yeah." Just then a woman skid to a halt in the middle of the circle formed by the bandits, scattering the playing cards and ruining their game. The men cried out in anger, but the only yell she cared about was Ace's. "Where the hell have you been? I was starting to think you got yourself locked in the closet again!"

The woman flapped her hand in the air, brushing off his concern. "You're always impatient. Don't know why you're acting like it's new." The woman brushed her blond hair from her smooth face and smiled in a not-so-innocent-I'm-about-to-do-something-you'll-really-hate kind of way. Ace narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and before anyone could stop her, she took a flying leap and landed hard in their little boat.

Ace yelped as his balance was disturbed. Windmilling his arms wasn't enough to restore it, and the teenager went right over the edge. Splash. The air was filled with laughter when he came back up, gasping and spluttering, and Ace glared up at the smirking blonde. "And besides," she went on, like she hadn't just sent her brother overboard, "that whole thing with the closet was your fault. Yours and Luffy's."

He cursed and grumbled under his breath, struggling and scrambling to pull himself back in. The girl took pity on him and grabbed the back of his shirt, hauling him in. "Thanks, Seri.' he sighed, laying there.

Portgaz D. Serenity waited for him to regain his breath, and spoke when he did. "I'm ready to leave when you are, Captain."

It was astounding, how that one acknowledgement brought such a big smile to his face. It rivaled even Luffy's in giddiness and width, which was saying something indeed. Ace bounced up to his feet and held a hand to his hat. "Release the sail, Seri! It's time to start living our dreams!"

The boat was so small all she really had to do was reach up and undo the knot. The sail snapped open and was immediately filled with wind, pushing the small ship out of the bay within seconds. "LUFFY, LOOK AT US!" Ace yelled out, arms waving over his head.

Serenity spoke to the bandits that had been her family for 17 years. "GOODBYE EVERYONE! THANK DADAN FOR EVERYTHING FOR ME!" They waved until Dawn Island faded from view, then sat on separate seats and gave identical sighs. They grinned wordlessly at their twinly synchronization. "So where to first, Ace?" Serenity asked finally, braiding a bit of her hair.

Her brother rummaged through a bag and pulled out a man, setting it down between them. Dawn Island had been crossed out, and a trail of dashes led from it to a bunch of islands closely connected.. "South. There's a band of islands called the Seven Circles. They're known as it because it's a pirate haven. There are no laws, no rules, and no morals. The perfect place to pick up a few crew members, and a pirate ship."

Serenity nodded, observing the map. "Which means it will take a while to get there…" When Ace nodded, Serenity whined and flopped onto her seat, throwing a hand over her eyes. "Nooo, that means I'm going to be stuck with only you for company for hours!"

Ace yelled out and aimed a kick at her exposed gut, and the two siblings rough-housed for a bit before sitting back and laughing. The road would be long and dangerous, but so long as they were together, they'd face it all. They were the first two members of the Spade Pirates, and the world would soon learn to fear their names!

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