Chapter Two: Box baby
Crying, wailing, sobbing and more wailing…nobody could find the source of this noise; every single pirate is running around deck, looking over the railing, under ropes, in barrels or crates. But nobody could find the source of this noise, it normal wouldn't be a huge problem, only a few of them looking for the noise maker but it is a huge problem because, well it's a little after the middle of the night where everyone, besides those on watch, were blissfully asleep. They could just see the orange streaks on the horizon coming up, and yet there is no sign of anything that could be crying so loudly.
"WHERE IS IT?" Shouted the captain of the ship looking ready to pull his own red hair out of his head, as he stormed up to his first mate. Who out of everyone wasn't even looking for the noise maker.
"A little early for you to be up captain." He said breathing out a breath of smoke.
"LITTLE EARLY? I'VE BEEN LOOKING BELOW DECK TO SEE WHERE THAT THING IS SO THAT I CAN RIP IT TO SHREADS." Nobody seemed bothered that their captain is a rage, more used to it than anything when he doesn't get a good night's sleep, but everyone this time, could understand his feels because they all wanted to rip the noisy thing into iddy bitty bits. The black haired pony tail first mate to drew in another breath before pointing at one of the ships side windows, all heads followed his finger to the box. The red haired captain stalked up to it and stared before grabbing the letter from the top opening it and reading it.
'Dear Red Haired Shanks, Captain of the Red haired pirates.
It is very unfortunate that it has come to this; I'm the Bloody Thorn Rose as you might have heard. I would have stayed around longer but I had things that I needed to take care of. My husband leader Dragon of the revolutionary has done a lot of research and we both agree that it would be safer to leave her on your ship in your care. If the government finds out about whose blood runs in her they will kill her.
Leaving her with anyone in my family will bind her to a place that her heart will not fly. And Dragon doesn't trust his father with looking after her, leaving her in an ordinary family will put a lot more danger in her then with Garp.
You are at very kind hearted young man that has only been a pirate captain for three years after your captain's death…I would like you to look after me daughter, Monkey D. Luffia and raise her on your ship until it's time for her to sour in the skies.
IF YOU DO NOT I'LL KILL YOU SLOWLY! EYES AND EARS ARE EVERYWHERE TO KEEP ME INFORMED. AND DON'T FORGET YOU OWE ME!
Thank you so much, both Dragon and Rose. Bye bye.'
Shanks stared at the letter, re-reading it before glancing over his shoulders just to make sure that neither of them are there to kill him slowly, he turned back to the box sitting innocently on the ships window ledge. Shanks has a connection with Bloody Thorn Rose and knows her well, how could he not when they were raised in the same village? Dragon he hasn't met but from what his gathered he wants to change the world for the best. But from what he knows of the two, Dragon is a very serious and stubborn man and the only one more stubborn is Rose and she's naturally serious, so both always have a scowl on their faces, smiles a rare treat. So this kid would take after the both of them right? So it would be double the stubbornness and the scowl would forever be there. Shanks gulped as he slowly took the box into his hands, lifting it from the ledge and over to one of the deck tables resting the box down gently.
"What was in the letter?" A man with dread locks asks in a hushed voice, unsure of what to do with how freaked out Shanks is being. A round man next to Yasopp talked just a quietly as Yasopp.
"It's not a bomb is it?" Lucky Roo asked not daring to take a bit of his drum stick, the tense are getting to them all. "A bomb that once it stops making noise will blow us all up?"
"…" Benn the first mate shock his head at his crew with a sigh, he has never had kids like Yasopp but he sure has heard a lot of babies crying over his years of living. Everyone held their breathes when Shanks opened the lid all fearing the worse besides, Benn and Shanks who was only fearing the scowl that that baby would be wearing. His eyes widened at the sight before him, there is no scowl, a turf of jet black hair, cubby baby hands and cheeks, but most of all the crying stopped, it stopped when the light of the sun flooded the box making the infant open her equally black eyes. She stared at Shanks before reaching with her chubby little hands towards him with a huge smile covering her face and giggling.
A pirate's life is hard and most deaths are taken by the sea with her own hands, Shanks knows that it's no place of a baby, Rose and Dragon both must know this, but he understands why. He understands that this child that he hasn't even held has already taken everything away from him. He knows that this infant has wrapped its tinny chubby hands around his fingers and won't let go, he also knows that his heart pounds as he stares down at her, knowing that her mother and father would have never wanted to let her go for anything but Luffias own safety. No wanted is wrong more of couldn't let her go for anything but Luffias safety.
"Whats in the box?" Lucky Roo whispers to Yasopp, breaking the air around Shanks and the box, Shanks smiled fondly down at Luffia, reaching into the box and much to the crews shock lifted out a tiny black haired infant.
"Everyone meet Monkey D. Luffia, who has been intrusted to us by her mother and father." He says to everyone with his goofy grin in place. Everyone stared at Shanks in full disbelief.
"HUH!?" Benn reached for the letter that Shanks set next to the box on the table and read over it before sighing, before he could tell the crew why Shanks has taken the kid in Yasopp has run up and taken the black haired baby out of Shanks hands and is holding her up. Dotting on her like he did with his son when he was this age.
"Aren't you a cutey, yes, yes you are." He turned his head around to Shanks. "She's only a few months old, she shouldn't be this aware of things around her. Heck, Usopp couldn't even move."
"…Considering who her parents are, it's understandable." Shanks said getting over his shock in the change of Yasopp.
"Who are her parents?" Lucky Roo asked taking the child from Yasopp and looking at her, Shanks didn't say and from the looks of Benn his keeping it too himself.
"Someone that saved my life and have asked of me to look after Luffia." Shanks said watching as someone else took the child and stared at it.
"Doesn't anybody even know how to raise a kid?" Someone asked looking at the infant in the crewmembers hands. Everyone froze before all eyes turned to the one person on the ship that has a child.
"Why is everyone looking at me?" Yasopp asked looking confused, Shanks smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"You have just agreed to be Luffia's babysitter until she is older." Yasopp's jaw dropped as the baby is placed into his hands again and everyone ran off.
I NEVER AGREED TO THIS!" He yelled out before looking down at Luffy who is giggling and pointing at him, like she's laughing at him.
