Revised 2/8/2019
After watching his boss walk away, Kuma reached forward to cradle the tiny boy.
"Hello, tiny boss." He spoke softly to him, smiling to show that even though he was a rather large person he was friendly.
"Hello." He answered back with unblinking eyes, just a shade off from being brown, they sparkled like dark rubies.
"I am Kuma."
The tiny head with hair as soft as down feathers tilted, and dark eyes squinted up at him as the child's face pouted.
"What is wrong, tiny boss?"
"Name can't be bear. Momma said fishies name can't be fish, so you can't be bear." He declared.
Nodding his head at the child's dilemma, he explained, "But I am not a bear, so I can be named bear."
Two tiny arms shot up to fit on either side of Kuma's cheeks, holding his face still and the boy moved around in his arms until he knelt on his forearm.
"So, I cants name fishie, fish cause it's a fishie?"
"Yes."
His eyes grew round, and a large smile stretched across his face.
"I name him Lion then." The boy whispered to his companion, "Okay Bear?"
"Very well."
The med bay was empty. The only bed that was occupied was by the small, toddler like form, of Dragon's son. The other twenty beds were in pristine condition with white sheets and blankets carefully tucked in. Down the right side of the room was a large door that lead to multiple medical rooms such as operation, therapeutic, and experimental. The only other door was on the left and lead to the rest of the Revolutionary building. It was during the middle of the night, nearing two in the morning did the left most door open. The imposing figure of Dragon quietly walked through.
He had originally found the sleeping toddler, tucked carefully into his own sleeping courters. After a few minutes of blank staring, he had pivoted and requested the boy be moved to a vacant bed- which ended up being the med bay. Yet, now Dragon was in the med bay, staring at the child as he turned and twisted, unintentionally trapping himself in the blankets. Twice since being here Dragon had made hasty movements to stop the child from simple rolling off the bed. Ivan only would have had words if he found the child had been hurt while he was close by.
The boy's hair was like his own inky dark locks- soft to the touch like down feathers though, unlike his own more brittle hair. Small barely there freckles dances a crossed his nose, like his mother, though Dragon was almost certain they would disappear with time. He was small and slender like his mother, so much so Dragon was vaguely worried about breaking him. He had been born large and burly like his father and his father's father, his son, Luffy, was so slender he almost thought he was starved. Yet, this small being was his son, he supposes he felt pride and some happiness, but he mostly felt bitter- his love had not returned to him but instead left their child. A child he knew he could not take care of- he was the leader of the Revolutionary army! He had no time for a child, let alone the time to make sure the child was safe.
He stood over the child for most of the night, grumbling about Rogue's unfair actions. To both him and her children, abandoned and left by her.
His son sniffled and rolled once again, the fall and rise of his thin chest had Dragon mesmerized.
Suddenly, he couldn't help but think of his own childhood. The training his father put him through for the marines. Old scars ached and he shuddered at some of the more vicious memories. He hated monkeys. He thought of his mother, her anger on his behalf and how she tried to get them away.
His thoughts strayed to Baterilla and the massacre of the women and children that vaguely fit the requirements. The few the Revolution had been able to save were scared and spoke in whispers of the horror the Marines had done in the name of justice. The hospitals nurseries that they burned.
Luffy would be safer with Garp.
Dragon awkwardly held his child in a bundle, his eyes looking down at his son while his face stayed up and forward.
"Dragon-boy, do you want me to hold him?" Ivankov asked, looking at the new (known) father with a hint of concern.
Dragon's arms tightened around the boy, making him whimper, before handing the child over to his good friend.
"I will tell the navigator to start the course." He announced stiffly before disappearing past the door.
The ride was awkward. The child cried, a lot, and when he was not crying, he would try and crawl or unsteadily walk off the ship. Ivankov was about ready to cry himself the amount of times he had just grabbed the child's foot before he went over. Dragon had not left the navigators room to bond with his child or see him, even when the child was forced into the med-bay after falling… again.
`Izankov had all but shoved the child at Hack once he boarded the ship, leaving to "knock some sense into the man-boya.!" Leaving Hack with a child and a question. "Do we know whose child this is? Why is the boy on the boat? I did not find any shipwrecks?"
"Hello, you yello." Luffy told him once Ivan stormed away.
"Because I am a fishman."
"Fishhh"
"Fishman."
"Ishhh."
"That didn't even have the f in it."
"You can be Sheepy."
"…"
"Mister Bear said cants name fishie fish cause he a fish so you cans be Sheepy"
The boy laughed. Raising an eyebrow, the large fishman shrugged, cradling the child and stand up, finally taking notice of the bandages that littered his body.
"How did this happen?" Hack asked, poking at on of the larger bandages covering the child's arm.
"It went bang." The child nodded solemnly.
"That's unfortunate."