A/N: Same spoiler warnings apply as in the previous chapter.

PART 7: Wait, he's your brother?

It's been a few days since Marineford, and Toma has been acting strange ever since. The guy is a real goofball normally, but lately his mood has been off. We've all noticed. Not even Monstar has been getting his usual attention, which has resulted into the monkey going ballistic on the rest of us, occasionally shrieking us awake at night and even more than usual during the day. Something is bothering Toma, but he isn't giving anyone a chance to confront him about it. In fact, he's been practically hiding from the rest of us ever since we stopped on this island.

But I'm an excellent tracker, so I'll be damned if I can't track down one distraught crew mate. I find him under some trees by the shoreline, Monstar strangely missing from his presence. His trademark dark circles beneath his eyes look somehow deeper than usual, and he appears to be… brooding. The whole thing feels out of place. Toma's a large man with the hardened look of anyone who's been out to sea for as long as we have, but he's always been one of the more light-hearted people on the crew. Seeing him like this – displaying this uncharacteristic emotion – is unsettling to say the least.

I scrap my original plan of just telling him to stop being moping and come to join the rest of us for the night's party. Instead, I plop down on the ground beside him, crossing my legs.

"Want to talk about it?" I ask, because beating around the bush is pointless here.

Toma glances up at me, perhaps surprised that I'm asking, perhaps surprised that I'm here. He shouldn't be though, because he knows me, and there isn't much that escapes my notice.

He doesn't reply, but looks back down at his hands. He's holding an unfamiliar piece of fabric, scarlet with a dark line through it. When he suddenly speaks, his voice is like gravel.

"You know 'Bohemian Knight' Doma?" he asks, taking me off-guard.

I scramble my mind for the answer. "Wasn't he at Marineford? What about him?"

"He's my brother."

Oh. Oh.

Toma still isn't looking at me when he continues: "My older brother. We were orphans, always together growing up. It was just the two of us left, you know? People said it was like we were glued to each other. Always practicing the sword, and…" he trails off, clutching the red fabric tighter. "He's got a monkey, too. Wonstar. Monstar and Wonstar, see? They're twins."

I don't say anything, not wanting to break him out of whatever spell that finally has made him talk.

"We always wanted to be pirates, ever since we were kids. We planned to form a crew together…"

I think I'm starting to see where this is heading.

"… I don't know what happened, but one day, everything changed. He just left, without telling me anything. Without saying goodbye. I heard it from a woman in the neighborhood who had seen him set off to sea. A while later, word spread about how he had his own crew and was sailing towards the New World. I still haven't heard a word from him. Not since that day."

Toma reaches up to scratch the skin of his bald head as he goes on. "I joined this crew, formed a life for myself. Haven't regretted it once. But what do you know—suddenly my brother is just there, right in front of me, shedding tears among the rest of Whitebeard's crew like it's the most natural thing."

He hides his face in free hand, voice turning bitter. "Was it just me, then? After he left, I figured that he wanted his own crew, to not have to answer to anyone. He didn't know how to tell me, so he didn't. But now I find out that he's with Whitebeard! It makes no sense."

I hesitate a moment before speaking up. "I remember Beckman mentioning him as one of the pirate captains that surrendered to Whitebeard after getting defeated by Fire Fist Ace."

At that, Toma finally turns to meet my eyes. "So he's just one of Whitebeard's allies?"

I nod, and he lets out a deep sigh. Then he smiles, actually smiles for a moment.

"That's that, then," he says, shaking his head to himself. "No use to hold a grudge over a dead man's deeds—may his soul rest in peace. I'll just go back to believing what I've done until now then."

Wait, he's already over it? "That's it?"

"Yes," he says, and he appears to be completely serious. He stands up, pocketing the red fabric. "Let's go back to the others. Monstar's angry with me for not letting him reunite with his brother, so I've been giving him some space. I should probably fix that."

I chuckle, getting up as well. "Yes, I've noticed his mood. He's been pestering me for days."

He grins, pounding me in the back. "Bet you deserved it anyway, you sneaky bastard." Then he abruptly turns sincere. "Thanks, Yasopp. For coming to get me."

"No problem," I say, shrugging. "It's what I do."

We walk back to the others, the casual mood returned and things in order again.