Chapter One:

The Bad News:

The news spread as fire on a field, the whole world knew about Ace execution and the predicted war. The oceans roared with ambivalent feelings: 'Excitement' as it was a rare chance for the pirates who seek the head of Whitebeard, 'Happiness' for the folks who fear pirates and children who thought they were monsters, in other hand 'Sadness' covered some lands the old man protected, the last thing a person could feel was 'Anxiety' of the possibility the world would be destroyed under the Yonko's hands.

Makino as a bartender, naturally, knew all kind of information include rumors and gossips, thus she never felt the need to purchase newspaper.

It was a day like every day, she woke up early and was heading to Party Bar with the zeal to work harder again when she heard the flapping sound of wings, she darted her face following the sound her ears detected to spot a crew of white birds carrying the newspapers. She wondered from where they got all that passion, it was a good thing maybe? So why was her heartbeats fastened like she saw a devil? The coo birds start throwing the papers without taking the belis in exchange and that was awfully weird in a bad way. She rooted in her place astonished until one of the documents, which popped down next her legs, forced her to back up slightly as chills run down her spine. The fear she pressed down within her seemed to leak, the fear of receiving bad news about Shanks. True she trust his power, but her anxiety always took the better of her.

She didn't move to explore the paper in front of her rather stood gazing at it from the tiny distance shielding behind her ignorance of the urgent matter like that would deny it's existence or erase it. After awhile of mental struggling, she mastered the courage to held the document and with shaky hands room in it, through it didn't consume her time to found the big news as it adore the first page.

It wasn't what she feared to be, but sure enough what she read held the same impact. "A-A-Ace?" She uttered under her chin when she saw his picture then blanked when she eyed the huge word 'Arrested', nevertheless what cut her reason's strings was the word 'Execute'. The word echoed couple of times within her skull before her brain registered it, she couldn't control her body's movement as she started trembling then her legs gave in after a failed essay to seal her cries and screams that dragged the islanders out of their slumber.

Eventually and at least when her legs stop quivering, she dashed to Garp's house. She knew the old man was there, she saw him last night yet no matter how much she knocked or rather hammered the door, aside from the echoed sound of her knocking in the empty resident, there was no response. She gave up due to the tiredness that hocked her up and that seemed like the soul was leaving her body, she leaned over the closed door then letting loose of her conscious.

The mayor and his family took care of her, they consol her yet they know no possible words could extinguish her burned heart. She was like a big sister to the troublesome trio, she love them whole heartily. Hell, she'd go to the extent of climbing mountains and go to the den of bandits to see them. Sabo, Ace and Luffy's shadows played around her as the fever messed up her head, no matter how evil deed they do, in her eyes they were the cutest little brother ever.

'Luffy would speak non-stop about his adventure with his brothers, I enjoyed his stories…rather I enjoyed the smile on his ruby face. Ace would blush whenever I get him clothes he would curse the teasing Sabo who blush as well when I gave him his share too, Dadan would go nut when I called them Angels…Aah Dadan! Did she know?' Makino fought the heaviness weighting her eyes, when her inner self answered 'No'.

Dadan was a dense woman who didn't care much for the world and didn't like reading their bullshit, it gives her headache and it's a hell waste of belis, moreover the stupid birds wouldn't spot her house in the thick forest anyway. She woke up with a heavy feelings like a rock has been set over her heart, she smoke more cigarettes than usual and avoided any clash with her follows oddly than their liking. Her 'family' –bandits- could tell she was kind of down so they thought about cheering her up with a fest, nevertheless the supposed grand catch turned up to be a tiny rabbit, she scorched with anger at the sight of their lunch and leached out at them,

"Y-You good-for-nothing men…I'll die from a nerve crack, oh no, I definitely will die from hunger first…years passed and you couldn't even be half good as the seven years old devil or the stupid rubber brat was…" The bandits looked at her wide eyed and with gaped mouths since she rarely mentioned Ace and Luffy, and when she do they knew that she's worried about the two brats despite the insults she threw their backs in an attempt to hide her soft feelings, cause she loved her rough facade.

"Boss they're doin' fine 'm sure" One of the bandits uttered breaking the common rule of never ever pointing Dadan's gentle feelings.

"Get lost ya MORONS" Dadan snapped, her already red face reddened even more if possible.

"Of course they are, I'm the one still having nightmares 'cause of them…" she yelled at the backs of the running men, then whispered to herself "The devils has something attached to their asses lure troubles..." Though the remark didn't do her any good. She grabbed her pack of cigarette then dragged her foot to the only place where she feels at ease, to the tree house the brats built.

Makino wanted to go up the mountain, she wanted to tell Dadan as soon as possible but the mayor didn't let her, not with that weak body and soul, she may encounter savage animals in her way so he suggested sending someone, so he did.

The idiot took the wrong way and end up in the wild forest then a bear chased after him, he run for dare life as fast as he could screaming and making an uproar. Dadan heard the rustle of trees and someone yelling, she normally would let the bastard gain what he sought but she considered saving his sorry ass after making sure he wasn't a hunter. The moment the man step in front of her, she arrowed him with her axe he hardly and miraculously dodged it by crouching then the weapon wind up in a tree near the bear rather than his neck. The fur bag froze, its tongue stock in its mouth as Dadan licked her mouth,

"That's what I could call a fest" She was honest as she skinned the damn animal and grilled him with her eyes. Frightened, the bear turned on his tail and run, then she shifted her vision to the stupid human being who thought the woman was a cannibal and as a result passed out,

"Am-I that dazzling? Ho ho ho" She said while daydreaming about a beautiful and young version of her.

She carried the man to the den of bandits where they would investigate about his reasons of wondering the forest. Nevertheless he didn't seem to wake up anytime soon and him repeating the name of Makino in his sleep set on the nervous of the orange-haired woman, Dadan assumed tha the green haired girl was in some kind of trouble, and far to admit she was worried about her. Makino was the only one approaching and visiting her, even after Ace and Luffy departure she didn't stop checking on Dadan constantly.

"ugh… lets go to Party Bar to steal some good rum," She ordered pretending to be evil, still they are her family and could figured out how she feel right away but they screamed cheering anyway.

The trip from mountains to Foosha village took them less then hour since they knew the short court like the palm of their hands. They spotted the bar closed, and God it was unusual, Makino loved her work she never missed a day unless she had an urgent matter and even so she still let a neighborhood took care of her business till she return.

Dadan grabbed one of the passing villagers by the collar and asked flustered "Where the Hell is Makino?"

"T-T-The mayor house."

She headed straight to the mayor or whoever house with gang, usually the villagers would try to stop them or complain from afar nevertheless every single one avoided eye contact with Dadan not with fear, not with respect it was the sympathy which add oil to her flamed rage.

Once she reached the said house, she bragged in not mind knocking her orbs set open the sick bedded woman"Makino? What the meaning of this?" She asked about the closed Bar and her staying at the mayor house.

"It's the truth…Poor Ace" Makino answered thinking Dadan was questioning the news about her kid.

"What…Who?"She quizzed with wide eyes. 'Did she just said Ace? Oh not possible' she thought that maybe she misheard.

Makino's tears started oozing, from Dadan's reaction she understood that the bandit woman didn't know yet. She tried hard however couldn't unite the shattered words in her head and spoke the sentence. Sensing her struggle the mayor handed the newspaper to Dadan, as it was even for him a difficult task to tell her.

She read and re-read then again started all over and read, the gang glimpsed over the grand wide title and gasped what happened and they start making uproar. ''EXECUTE' meaning they would kill him right? He no longer could return?'

"…I was forced to raise the brat, Garp blackmailed me…he was gonna turn me to the marine if I refused…I didn't like it you know? He would stab me with those deathful glares, his trouble gives me headache…and nightmare" While she rumbled the meadow of eyes all set on her, what she was talking about in that kind of situation? She herself didn't found the answer.

"I was forced, so why…" It was her hobbit to play the rough woman, and never show her true feeling but 'till when?' She trembled at the thought.

"Why did I treated his wound?…Why did I searched for him in the middle of fire…W-Why did I hold my axe to fight for him…Why Am I concerned?" Warm droplet descended her face just then she understood that when he glared at her she was 'Sad', when he was injured she was 'concerned', when he smiled with his brother she was 'happy'. Yes, she had nightmares, but not because of them it was about them.

She deeply loved the two brats "Ace…Luffy" Her indifferent mask broke along with her fake feeling that she thought were defensing walls but proved that they were nothing more than a glassy facade and the trice the blow shattered it to sharp pieces hurt her more than anything she went thought, and she cried like she never did.