Death was quick, Onna observed with horror. Princep, her father, her life, died. He laid on the cold basement floor, blood slowly pooling around him, spreading on the dull gray concrete slabs. Onna could only watch in paralyzing fear.
It's not long after another gunshot that silence rings through the basement. She'd been thankful for the darkness that concealed her in that tunnel.
"Where's the child?" A marine asked.
"Around here somewhere. Check the entire island, find the runt before she escapes."
"We can thank Monkey D. Dragon for the tip if we ever see him again."
Onna's taken off down the tunnel, hot tears pooling at her cheeks as she fights her screams.
Her father's death, her hero – had been quick. For that she's thankful, but she's never felt a hatred so strong inside of her. She's never felt anger this way, so powerful it consumed her whole until she wants to scream so loud her throat goes raw.
The fresh summery scent has been tainted with blood and fire. Her tiny town was up in flames, ash and embers fall around her. The lively marketplace had been deserted for the first time in centuries, entirely empty aside from the corpses that scatter.
She won't look at them. She won't think of her father. She won't think of her mother. Only the hatred. It's all she has not think of death, to think of the heavy cloud of depression that threatened to bear down on her.
Her sight was blurred by her tears, her throat swelled with a lump. Why did Marines have to be so dirty? She'd answered her own question from years ago, on whether marines or pirates were right. The decent intentions founded by Marines had been lost, even her grandparents knew this. Not all pirates were bad.
No one was truly good. But people could be truly bad.
Onna doesn't stop running until her small frame collides with a much larger one. The man knew from the first sight of her who she was, but he can't bring himself to turn her in. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears, fear fought with pride evident in her face. Monkey D. Garp finds his heart swell a little, both in sympathy and in admiration.
She most definitely was Ginti D. Princep's daughter.
When the morning dawns, the search for Onna has ended in failure. In twenty-four hours, Marines have deduced that she was killed in the destruction of the flames. No ships had left the island, and they'd searched every nook and corner for her but came up empty. It had been decided.
Ginti D. Nona had died at age ten, after burning in the flames of Poltragow village.
There was a silent mourning amongst the survivors for the lively little girl that inhabited their village, but no one dared to shed a tear until the Marines have left.
Garp doesn't dare unveil her now, hidden beneath the deck in the storage room, concealed inside a box. It's not the best mode of transport, but it's the safest for her at the given moment.
He'll wait until their back in Foosha Village. It won't be long, but he knows that curly haired woman will be furious when he shows up with another bratty kid for her to take care of. He can practically hear her protests already.
Foosha Village was just like he remembered. Citizens recognized him as he walked through the streets, their eyes not only on him but on the smaller child that stumbled beside him, unable to keep up with his long strides.
It's a long trek up Mt. Corvo, and for a while, Garp isn't sure she'll make it. Princep was strong in her veins, his blood coursing more strongly through he'd first given her credit for. He's annoyed at all the stops he had to make for her, but her mind was elsewhere.
The distant gaze in her eye was enough to tell him what she was feeling. She was lost, and it was his fault. His honor of being a marine was at stake just by saving the child. Even he, a hero of the marines, felt a strike of sympathy for the orphan. It's been his fault, her parent's death. Despite the great justice that been dealt, there was always the question of innocence.
"You're too much like your father," Garp observed.
He watched the sweat bead at her forehead as her legs screamed in exhaustion. She won't give in, no matter how many times she tripped on a tree root or struggled on the steepest inclines. She's tough and prideful, even facing the drastic changes that have overcome her in the last twenty-four hours.
He was surprised that she hadn't collapsed yet, even Luffy had cried and fought when he brought him up to Dadan. The girl whose name he couldn't remember, only that she was Princep's child, hadn't shed a tear.
It was almost as if Dadan had guessed he was coming. Upon the final hill, Garp caught sight of her. The small girl climbed beside him, and exactly as he suspected, Dadan's face went red.
"No," She scoffed, "no way in hell. Not gonna do it."
"Say hello, kid."
"It's Onna!" She spat back at him, "I don't want to be here."
"Where did you even get this one!?" Dadan asked hands on her hips.
"Village burnt down. Parents are dead," Garp concluded, "She's got no place else."
Dadan had argued, but Garp knew he'd won. He didn't look back when he left Nona, he knew she was in safe hands. Now, he could only wait for time to pass to know whether he'd made the right decision.
She was Ginti D. Princep's child after all. Her mother had been the daughter of two highly ranked Marine Admirals, her path and future were still a question mark in his mind. Would she become a pirate, like her father and conquer the seas that awaited her? Or would she defy the expectations and become a marine?
He didn't even begin to consider the possibility of her laying low. It wasn't in her veins, even Garp was able to guess that much.
She stayed away for the whole day. Dadan had done nothing to introduce her to the others. At least, Nona assumed there were others. A small part of her hoped there were. She sat on the steepest edge of the mountain, looking out at the vast sea. If she tried hard enough, she could still imagine Princep sailing.
It was all that could be done to comfort her. Though it had been her father's wish to her to see the world, she couldn't imagine herself doing it without him. She felt the tears slid down her cheeks once more, and within a moment, her silent cries had turned to sobs.
"Tch."
She jumped in surprise, wiping away her tears at the sight of the boy who stood a few feet away from her.
"Great, it's another crybaby. Just what we needed."
He discarded her with a cold glare, and it's not until he stepped into the house that Nona noticed the smaller, younger boy. He watched her with wide, curious eyes as she wiped away her tears.
He moved towards her without hesitation, sliding down next to her, his eyes still focused almost intensely on her.
"Why are you crying?" He mused innocently.
"Some people I loved got hurt and I couldn't help them," Nona replied.
The boy nodded and his eyes left her. They sat together on the hill watching the sun and the sea.
"One day," The boy began, "I'm going to become the king of the pirates, and I'll be able to protect the people I love."
Nona laughed, surprise filling her chest. She never felt like she would be happy, to smile and laugh again. But there she was not twenty-four hours after her parent's death. This boy, whoever he is, Nona decided she liked him.
The boy grinned again, bright and carefree, just enough to temporary ease the weight on her shoulders.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy," He introduced.
She hesitated, mouth open in thought.
"Riddley D. Nona, but my daddy calls me Onna." She replied.
She felt a rush of shame. She bore her father's name proudly, but she was as good as dead if she went around touting it. For now, she would wait. Then, when the time was right and she set sail on her own, she'd be his child once more.
He offered a hand out to her and without hesitation, Nona takes it.
Luffy takes the opportunity of stillness to give her a run-down. She won't be seeing much of Dadan (if she sticks with Luffy, that is) but Ace was another story. Despite his harshness, Luffy swore that truthfully, he wasn't so bad. Ace, according to Luffy, was one of the strongest people he knew.
"Except, Shanks is stronger, probably."
"Shanks?" Nona wondered aloud.
Where had she heard that name before? When she hears it, it's not in Luffy's voice, but her fathers.
"Do you know him?" Luffy asked excitedly, turning his body to her.
"I don't think so," Nona sighed, "but the name sounds familiar. I think my father did."
"This is his hat!"
The two exchange go back and forth telling their stories, Nona skimming along her father despite how Luffy keeps asking. She can't be mad at him. The boy was dead set on being the pirate king, after all, it only made sense that he wanted to know about one of the famous pirates.
"What happened to him?" Luffy asked abruptly.
The color drained from Nona's face, fingertips digging into the soft Earth, dirt pushing itself beneath her fingertips. Luffy doesn't notice the change in her personality, only looks on with the same excited grin he'd had when they first began speaking.
"He died," Nona admitted quietly.
The grin left Luffy's face before he settled back down next to her. The next moment was spent in silence.
"So, you're all alone out here," Luffy concluded.
"Pretty much."
He stood up, and despite being younger than her, he looked a little older.
"Not anymore, shishishi. You're my family now!"
Monkey D. Garp knew that leading the child away could potentially cost him his job – his reputation and dignity. But even though she is the child of his enemy, the only thing that keeps his bloodline alive, he can't bring himself to kill her.
He decided to keep a closer eye on Dadan. He'd not only saved a child destined for Death, but he'd put her with her life-long enemy. Maybe together the two could break the barriers that separated them and overcome the vendetta that had spilled so much blood.
Maybe by the two becoming friends, he could clear his conscious. He couldn't leave here there for Death, as hard as he may be sometimes.
"Reporting from Poltragow village, sir."
"How many?"
"Two hundred dead, eighteen with serious injuries, there's still many unidentifiable bodies, however."
A gruff of acknowledging escaped Garp. All for a single pirate. But while he mourns the innocent, he questioned the risk. Ginti D. Princep was dead, and his daughter would be tucked away on the outskirts of Foosha Village, where Marines wouldn't think to look for her.
He only hoped the girl would be smart enough not to go spouting on about her father. But he believed in her, despite her name. It was the only thing that kept to himself. Being his child didn't make her a bad person, only time could tell what kind of person she would be.
The night was quiet, painfully so. In Poltragow, there was always music playing somewhere, and if there wasn't, her mother would improvise. In Foosha, everything was quiet, mostly. Luffy, who took an instant liking to her, snored so loudly that it surprised her. Ace had yet to return, but it wasn't too terribly late.
She let herself cry, feeling lonelier than ever. The sheets weren't like the ones at home, not even actual sheets, but animal skins. Her bed was a mat on the floor, and the whole house was dirty. It lacked the comfort of a mother, the coziness of a home was beyond the hut.
Her sobs were quiet, but somehow, she'd gotten so lost she failed to notice Ace. He stood in the doorway, eyes trained on her quivering figure. His face contorted in disgust, an audible scoff leaving his throat as he took his mat.
"Quit crying," He muttered, "I'm trying to sleep."
"I don't know how you could over his snoring," Nona spit back.
"I'm used to that," Ace argued back, "like I said, we don't need another crybaby 'round here."
"It wasn't my choice!"
But Ace doesn't answer. He turned over on his side and within a couple of minutes, his snoring filled the room. Nona's at least thankful for it, surprisingly. It makes the night a little warmer. At least hearing their snore's lets her know she's not alone.
The morning came with the soft chirping of birds outside the window. The room had gone silent, but Nona can't miss Luffy. He sat in front of her, observing with curious eyes. He still sports his bed-head, but Ace had already left.
"You're finally awake!" Luffy smiled.
"Where's Ace?"
"He leaves before I wake up mostly," Luffy brushed off, "you know you snore?"