Yo! Hi again, everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but hey, sometimes life refuses to let you do anything fun...

So I just wanna say this story is dedicated to silencia20, without whom I wouldn't even be writing this story. Seriously, if I hadn't read Growing Strong, I wouldn't even be inspired enough to pick up my laptop and do this.

So yeah! Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Shanks was grinning from ear to ear as he came out from underneath the deck. He spotted his crewmates crowding around the hole in the deck (yeah, he really needed to get that fixed soon…), looking absolutely bewildered and more than a little hung over.

In his arms, little Sage snuggled closer as she snoozed. The poor creature had cried herself to sleep and latched onto him.

He still couldn't believe it. After all those years he finally had a reminder of them. Of Mum and Dad, of Petunia, of England.

Of Lily.

Shanks' smile faded slightly. He had spent countless years thinking about all of them. No matter how much he moved on, he still couldn't let that part of his past go. He lost count of all the times he used to just stare up into the night sky after a banquet had wound down, just speaking to the stars about his adventures, as if wherever she was, Lily-flower could hear him.

But now… Lily was dead.

Shanks roughly pushed it to the back of his mind. He would dwell on that fact later. He knew that it wasn't good to compartmentalize, but right at this moment, he couldn't break down. His crew needed him. Sage needed him.

He looked down at her slumbering form. She was so tiny. So tiny. It scared him. He didn't know what they had been feeding her back at Petunia's, but he would make sure that she was alright again.

He scowled fiercely at the thought of Petunia. He loved her the same as the rest of his family, but now, after hearing what she'd done to Sage…

Well. Shanks knew that if he ever met her again, she would answer to him, regardless of them sharing the same blood or not.

Sage murmured softly and cuddled into him. Shanks gazed at her fondly.

Regardless of her small size, she was beautiful. She had the same unique shade of deep red hair that he too sported and her eyes were the same expressive forest green as Lily's had been.

But her face… it was nothing like Lily's. While Lily's face had soft, gentle curves, little Sage's features were much more pronounced. It looked sculpted and regal, almost noble. Shanks' best guess is that her pronounced looks came from her father.

"Uhhh, Cap'n… what is that?"

Shanks blinked and looked up at his crew who had surrounded him. They were all peering curiously at the small girl nestled in his arms. He grinned and shifted so that they could get a better look at her.

"Look at her, men! Isn't she the cutest thing ever!"

His crewmates all blankly stared at him. "Is that a girl?"

Shanks had a shit-eating grin. "Yup!"

"…What."

Yasopp walked out from behind him and slung an arm around the tall redhead's shoulder. "She fell out of the sky onto Captain. Her name's Sage and we're keeping her."

There was a stunned silence which was only broken by the sound of Roo's gnawing on a piece of meat.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Sage flinched at the loud outcry and burrowed further into Shank's chest. Benn took note of it and quickly silenced them.

"Be quiet. She's sleeping. She's the Captain's niece, so make sure that she feels welcomed on board." Beckman gave them all his signature piercing stare which made all of them shrink back slightly. "She's not had the best life, so be gentle with her." Benn glared at everyone and they all shivered at the unspoken Or else.

Shanks laughed, breaking the somber mood. "Dahahaha! It's alright men, you all can meet her later after she's woken up. Until then," Shanks turned to his ship's doctor. "Kailaz, I want you take a look at her."

The lanky man nodded and made his way over to the sick-bay where Shanks followed.

Beckman barked some orders to the men which sent them scuttling to go and follow them while Yasopp and Roo trailed after the redhead into the room.

Shanks gently laid her down onto a cot and she grumbled, grabbing onto his black cloak. He chuckled and sat next to her so that it was within reach.

Kailaz bent over Sage and began gently prodding her. After several minutes of examinations, he looked solemn.

"Vice-Captain was right. She hasn't had the best life, Captain. She has a lot of trauma and she's severely underdeveloped for her age."

Although Roo's eyes were hidden by the goggles that he always worse, it was clear that he was frowning. "Can you fix her?"

Kailaz looked upset. "I don't know… the only thing that I can think of is just giving her a proper diet. She should be ok in time."

Beckman had walked in in the middle of the examination. He slowly took his cigarette out of his mouth and crushed it between his fingers. "That's it?"

Kailaz nodded. "Whenever I used to treat slum-rats, it's what I would do. I really don't have any professional treatment for these kinds of things."

Shanks stared at him, then nodded blankly. "Alright then. Benny, tell the crew to set sail for Reverse Mountain."

Beckman nodded once and walked out while the rest of his crewmates stared at him perplexed.

Shanks smiled wryly while looking at the small form of his niece. He reached up to his beloved hat and pulled out a small scrap of paper with a neat C on it. As he laid it out on his palm, it drifted slowly to the side.

"We're going to meet Crocus-san."

Sage shyly peeked from behind Shanks.

All of the Red-haired pirates looked at her curiously.

She fisted handfuls of Shanks' heavy black cloak as she slowly inched out from behind her Uncle. Taking a deep breath, she smiled softly. "Hello."

The men smiled back at her. "Hi there! What's your name?"

The young girl squirmed. "Sage."

"Hi Sage. Where are you from?"

"Um… I used to live at Little Whinging, on the edge of London…"

The men all looked at a beaming Shanks in askance. The redhead shrugged and grinned. "An island really far away. Neigh impossible to get to."

Beckman, Roo and Yasopp smirked at the truth of that statement.

The men nodded in acceptance then turned back to examine the girl.

Sage decided that she had enough of the scrutiny and buried her face into Shanks' cloak. Shanks chuckled and bent down, and almost immediately Sage scurried onto his back and clung onto him, looking very much like a baby koala.

The men chuckled at the sight and dispersed, picking up on Sage's uncomfortable mood.

Beckman approached the two redheads and peered at the girl. "Are you alright?"

Sage nodded mutely. "I'm… I'm happy. But… even though everyone here is Uncle Shanks' family… I…" She trailed off unsurely, looking to the floor and bracing herself, as if preparing herself for a berating.

Beckman and Shanks frowned at her reaction. "There's nothing wrong with being a little wary. Just because they're Shanks' family doesn't mean that you have to trust them right away. After all, trust is earned. And after what you've been through, I doubt that you'd give yours away so easily."

Sage was silent as she continued to cling to Shanks' back.

Yasopp chuckled and gently laid a hand on top of her brilliant red hair and tenderly ruffled it. "Don't worry, kiddo. You're not with your aunt and uncle anymore. You're with us, and that means that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. After all, that's what being a pirate means, absolute freedom!"

Sage peered at him with wide eyes. "Whatever I want…?"

Roo grinned up at her. "Yup! That's why people become pirates! Freedom!"

Sage looked at Shanks, who good-naturedly scowled at his closest friends. "It hasn't even been a day on the Red Force and you're already trying to brainwash my niece. For shame, you filthy pirates! I will not let you corrupt my innocent little flower's mind!"

Then he pulled out his sword and swung it at Beckman playfully, making sure that he didn't dislodge Sage from her perch.

Sage giggled gleefully when Beckman drew his rifle with a smile and deflected Shanks' strike. Roo playfully attempted to pull Sage off of Shanks' back, but the pirate Captain skillfully spun around before Sage could be taken from him.

"No!" Shanks dramatically howled. "Mutiny! My own officers are rebelling against me! You aren't even seven yet Sage, and you already have men fighting over you! What'll I do when you're finally full grown?!"

By this time, the entire crew had assembled to watch the show and were raucously cheering the four on.

Sage grinned wildly when Yasopp theatrically rose and proclaimed, "None are good enough for Princess Sage! After all, she is the Princess of the Red Force, the crew of one of the Four Emperors of the Grand Line!" He leaped forward as if to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. "Except for Usopp, of course. He shall be worthy of all women when he grows up!"

Shanks let out a threatening growl and turned to Yasopp with murder in his eyes, all semblance of playfulness gone from them. He viciously bit out, "What did you say?!"

Yasopp paled and backpedaled rapidly. "Uh-wha-I mean-"

Shanks leaped roughly at Yasopp and Sage had to hold on tightly to him lest she got thrown away.

"NO ONE WILL BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR SAGE! NO ONE!"

The enraged redhead flew at the blond, who was doing all he could to keep his furious captain from decapitating him. Beckman and Roo jumped into the fray as well, trying to calm their out-of-control Captain down before he killed their Sniper.

From the sidelines, the rest of the men hollered and whooped, loudly placing bets and dissing each other.

As Sage took it all in, she laughed, and it wasn't a laugh she had ever laughed before. This laugh was full of euphoria and freedom. Her small frame that was hanging off of Shanks' back emanated pure joy.

Hearing her laugh, all the Red-Haired pirates smiled victoriously, their objective complete.

The Red-Haired pirates were having a banquet in Sage's honor, and it was still going strong.

Booze was being passed around and slabs of meat and sweets were being cooked by the dozen.

As always, Shanks was the life of the party and almost everyone had gravitated towards him. Every so often boisterous laughter punctuated the sound of Shanks' expert storytelling.

Beckman was reclined in his usual spot with a bottle of rum as he fondly watched over all of the antics that his rowdy crew got themselves into.

He kept a close eye on the small redhead who wove her way through the crowd, talking to the crewmembers and familiarizing herself with them.

He smiled. Even though Sage clearly had a reserved nature after her years with her abusive relatives, she was slowly but surely coming out of her shell.

Finally, she made her way over to the First Mate. He eyed her curiously as she slid herself next to him with a smile on her face. It grew as she watched her Uncle gesture enthusiastically with his arms and the surrounding men explode with laughter.

Slowly, Beckman lifted a hand and removed the cigarette out of his mouth to take a swig of liquor.

"So… how you doing, kid?"

Sage beamed. "I'm good… This is nice."

Beckman smiled and took another sip of his liquor.

"Say, Benny…"

Beckman grimaced half-heartedly. So the name had caught on, huh? Shanks was the only one who called him that anymore. Well, up till now.

"Yeah, kid?"

She looked at him with impossibly big green eyes. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to Reverse Mountain."

"Where's that?"

"At the beginning of the Grand Line."

Sage nodded, but Beckman knew that she didn't really know what that meant. Ah, well. He'll teach the kid later. God knows the kind of shit that the others would feed her in the name of education.

"Why?"

Beckman looked at her. "Hmm?"

"Why are we going there?"

Beckman puffed on his cigarette. "For you."

Sage's eyes widened. "For me?"

"Mmm. See, Shanks used to be on another crew before he formed the Red-Haired Pirates. We're going to meet the doctor so that he could check up on you."

Sage was silent for a long while. "So… you guys are travelling really far just for me?" She looked perplexed by that fact and Beckman felt his heart break a little.

He sighed and pulled the girl closer to his side. She looked up at him in surprise.

"You gotta understand, kid. Shanks is one of the most amazing men I've ever met in my life. That's the reason I chose to follow him. But even though he's happy most of the time, I've seen him look so lonely. And there's nothing me or the other guys can do to get rid of it."

Beckman looked down to see Sage focusing intently on his words. "You see kid, I don't believe in God." He eyed her. "But I do believe in Karma. Shanks has done his fair share of philanthropy and I believe that you're the reward for it."

They both sat in silence for a while and watched the party rage around them.

"Hey Benny?"

"Mmmm?"

"…Thanks."

"Don't mention it, kid. We're nakama now."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku groaned and rubbed his face tiredly.

He didn't know why he accepted this position. He already had to deal with that idiot Garp on a daily basis for the past 15 years, he didn't know why he willingly chose to afflict more brainless buffoons upon himself.

How Kong had done it, he didn't know. The bastard hadn't warned him of this when he recommended him for the position. He just hoped that it would somehow get better.

As if the universe was against him, a soldier burst through the door and sloppily stood at attention, panting heavily.

"Report, Fleet Admiral!"

Sengoku cursed under his breath, resentfully eyeing his tower of incomplete paperwork. "…Proceed."

"The Red-Haired Pirates have been spotted going east! They have abruptly changed their course and are presumably travelling to Loguetown, full speed!"

Sengoku groaned again and tried to massage his head.

He hated his job.

Sage stared at the gigantic black thing.

Yasopp guffawed at her expression. "Sage, meet Laboon. Laboon, Sage."

The black mountain gave an almighty roar that rippled the waves that the Red Force was on, rocking it roughly back and forth.

It opened its mouth and without any resistance, Roo sailed the ship into the black cavern.

Shanks grinned maniacally as he saw Sage's blank look. "So, what do you think?"

Sage turned to him, and without inflection, said, "Uncle… you're insane."

"Dahahaha! All the best people are, Sage!"

Beckman couldn't help but smile as he watched Sage eye everything incredulously. "I told you about the Grand Line's oddness."

Sage gave him the most deadpan that she was capable of. "Benny, this is a little bit more than 'odd'."

Roo grinned. "She's got you there, Beckman."

The First-Mate smiled wryly. "Touché."

There was no light as they sailed, but soon they came upon a sunny room. There, on a lone island in the middle of the water sat a house. An old man sat in front of it, reading a newspaper.

As the Red Force sailed closer, the man's eyes flashed to them and widened threateningly.

Without a second thought, Sage scrambled up Shanks' back, holding onto him tightly.

The old man's eyes turned to her after her sudden movement and pinned her into place with their intense glare.

Stare.

Hesitantly, Sage whispered, "Geppetto…?"

At that, all of the Red-Haired Pirates howled with laughter. The old man's eyes flashed in response.

Sage gulped.

"Dahahahaha! I never thought of it that way! Hey, Crocus-san, come meet my niece!"

The man's eyes flashed once more before he looked back at his newspaper after uttering, "Greetings."

Sage deadpanned. What a strange man. She looked at the rambunctious Red-Haired Pirates.

No, scratch that. Everything over here was strange. She had thought that she had gotten used to them on the trip over here, but now she sees that she stands corrected.

What she gathered from Uncle Shanks, Benny and Yasopp's stories was that the Grand Line was a strange but fantastical place. And the crazy weather and large sea-monsters on the journey over here had attested to that fact.

But they never said anything about mountain-sized whales and Geppetto wannabes.

And the strangest thing was that none of the Red-Haired Pirates batted an eyelash, as if this entire thing was a common occurrence.

Sage furrowed her brows. If this was normal, then what exactly had her new crew seen?

From underneath her, her Uncle guffawed loudly and faced his men. "Alright, guys! You're all free to do what you like while Crocus-san takes a look at Sage!"

The men cheered and scattered, some going below deck to play cards, others content to lie on the deck for a nap, and some head off to Crocus' island.

Through all of the chaos the old man boarded the Red Force and ambled over to Shanks. He examined Sage sharply through his spectacles and rubbed his beard.

"Go to the sick bay."

Shanks nodded happily and walked over, with the old doctor on his heels. Sage turned and observed the strange old man as he followed them.

Once inside, Shanks sat her on a bed and stood next to her.

Crocus slumped into a chair and intently observed her. "How old are you, girly?"

"I'm six."

The old man grunted. "We're going to do a Physical."

When Sage turned to look at Shanks, he nodded in agreement.

Crocus examined every part of her, poking and prodding and determining her reflexes. When he finished, he leaned back and regarded Shanks.

"When did you get her?"

"Hmmmm, about three weeks ago. We were by Lunes when we set sail."

Crocus grumbled. "What have you been feeding her?"

Shanks scratched his head. "Well, we've been giving her lots of meat. She gets some fruit juices as well."

Crocus' eyes flashed. "That's it?"

Shanks smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, as far as I know of…"

The old man scowled. "You dumbass. You should have given her supplements. No wonder she's so small, she has severe malnutrition." He eyed her. "But that's not it, is it? She looks relatively healthy enough, she's just small. That isn't a regular reaction to malnutrition."

He looked straight at Shanks solemnly. "She has your abilities, doesn't she." It wasn't a question.

Shanks slumped. "Yeah. She does. That's how she came to me. She was being abused by her relatives because of her abilities and that's why she's so small."

Crocus grimly eyed her. "This isn't good. The marines have been hunting you down for your special Haki for years. If they learn that she has it…" he trailed of ominously.

Shanks' hat covered his eyes and when he spoke, his voice was cold. "I know, pops. I know. That's what I'm scared of. But they'll only get her over my dead body."

Even though Sage didn't follow half of their conversation, she understood that it was an oath.

Suddenly, a wave of fear ran through her at the thought of losing him. She stood up and hugged Shanks tightly, and he rand his calloused fingers through her long red hair.

When Shanks looked up again, Crocus met his eyes. A look of understanding and resolution passed through them.

The old man sighed. "Well, I must be getting old if a brat like you is toting a kid around."

Shanks cracked a smile. "You've always been old, Crocus-san."

The flower-man grumbled good-naturedly. "Shut up, brat."

He dug out a pouch of pills. "Here. Make her take these. These are vitamin supplements, the last batch of the ones Kureha gave me. If she finishes them and continues on a good diet then she should be ok."

As Shanks cuddled the small form of his niece, Crocus watched them. "Bring her around for checkups. Her Haki will definitely grow as she gets older and it may have physical effects on her like it did on you."

Shanks nodded. "Thanks, Crocus-san. I owe you one."

Crocus snorted. "Shut it, brat. There's no owing between nakama."

At that, Shanks grinned. "Right."

Crocus cracked a smile too. He rose up and cracked his back, grumbling all the while. "Is that it, brat? 'Cuz if it is, then get out of here. Laboon's grown again and I have to upgrade his mechanics."

Shanks followed Crocus out of the sick bay and looked up at the walls of the whale fondly. "How is he doing? Any news of them?"

Crocus grimaced. "None."

Shanks frowned as well. "I'm sure they're out here. They wouldn't just leave him here."

Crocus said nothing as he walked to the side of the Red Force and swung off of the side to land on his island.

He turned back with a small, fond smile. "Get out of here, brat. But make sure to drop by sometime to say hi to this old man."

"Dahahahaha! Will do, Crocus-san! Thanks again for all the help with Sage!"

The old man just waved vaguely in their direction before he plopped himself back onto his chair and picked up the newspaper again.

"Men! We're heading out!"

With a cheer, all of the Red-Haired pirates assembled back on deck and began preparing the Red Force to set sail.

From besides Shanks, Sage watched the whole proceedings.

She turned to her Uncle. "Well, that was fast."

The redhead laughed brightly. "That it was. A little anti-climactic for almost a month of sailing, wasn't it?"

Sage shook her head. "No. It was fun. I got to see many new things."

Shanks smiled at her. "Good for you! I'm glad you liked it!"

She smiled back at him. "So… now what?"

Shanks laughed. "What do you mean 'now what'? We're gonna keep doing what we're always doing!"

Sage looked at him. "And what's that?"

The Captain of the Red-Haired Pirates beamed at her. "We're gonna go be pirates and make the best of life!"

Sage looked at him blankly. "What does that mean?"

Shanks pouted. "Jeez, Sage, what do you think it means?"

"Um, I don't know. Steal from people and blow stuff up? That's how it went in Peter Pan…"

Shanks looked horrified. "No! That's not what pirates do!" He looked contemplative for a second. "I mean, sometimes. But not us! We don't do shit like that! We became pirates for Freedom, remember? Freedom!"

Sage looked at him questioningly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Shanks opened his mouth as if to explain, then closed it and heaved out a sigh. "You know what? Go ask Benny. He'll tell you much better than I can."

He walked over to a corner and sat, rubbing patterns in the wood and pouting. Sage rolled her eyes and followed him. "Come on Uncle, don't be like that."

Shanks pouted even more. "I'm not like anything. Go away."

Sage crawled on his back until she was comfortably situated in her favorite position again. She hugged him tightly, content to remain silent.

The two stayed in that position as the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates milled around, preparing to set sail.

Eventually, Shanks sighed and rose. "You're really annoying, you know that. But I still like you."

Sage smiled. "I like you too."

Aaannnd that's a wrap! Thanks for reading, folks!

…I don't know why, but I feel like this chapter is somehow super awkward. No matter what I do, I just can't get rid of that feeling. Tell me what you guys think.

So yeah! That's all for now folks, and thank you all so very much for reading! I'll see you all soon and I hope you all have a great day!