Well, I did say in the last chapter I was working on G at the same time as E and F but I didn't expect it to be up after only a few days (man, when I get in the updating mood I really do spoil you guys :P)
And a quick warning: don't expect another one-shot to come up as fast as the last two. Where as the concepts behind E, F and G came easy, I have no plans for H, I, etc. So it might be another long wait...
In the mean time, I hope you all enjoy this one-shot :)
G is for Greetings.
Monkey D. Dragon was a revolutionary leader. He had overthrown a government and was building the marines back from the ground up to be more heavily focused on moral justice. He was a politician of amazing skill and flexible aims, willing to compromise and argue about issues which he cared about on a whim. Not only that, but he was extremely charismatic.
In a matter of months since the 'Great Revolution', he had won over the support of most of the world. He had worked to bring down the world nobles and free their slaves and wives, whilst charging the celestial dragons for their crimes. He was a force of true justice, not a mere mockery of the law that Akainu's administration had been. He was respected and admired by many all around the world…
And yet, even he had no idea what he was supposed to say.
He wasn't even sure why he had bothered coming on this day. After all, he didn't even really know the boy, despite what he was to him. For the first time in his life, Dragon felt well and truly nervous.
'Lord Dragon, are you feeling alright?' The revolutionary leader…the new leader of the marines (he had to remind himself of that title countless times) turned around to look over at his comrade. As usual, Ivankov was dressed as flamboyantly as humanly possible. He was decorated in a long bright pink leotard which was partly covered up by a bold red cape.
His huge head bobbed along as they walked and his hair remained as crazy as Dragon had remembered it being on their first encounter. His oldest friend, one of his only ones still left in the world, had travelled with him to this island in the middle of nowhere to support him in his latest endeavour.
'I am…fine. I suppose…' he admitted. Ivankov beamed widely him, before elbowing his arm with a chuckle.
'You don't need to be so nervous,' the cross-dresser reassured him. 'I'm sure Straw-hat boy will be happy to see his…' Dragon held up his hand and immediately, Ivankov fell silent. His leader didn't want to talk about his past relationship with Luffy. It had been, at best, distant and at worst, complete abandonment. Never the less, Dragon still loved his son. He doubted the boy felt the same. It had been so long since they had last seen each other.
Closing his eyes, Dragon's mind drifted back to the day his son, Monkey D. Luffy had become king of the pirates. Through fire and smoke, they had seen one another, standing on ships opposite one another. Not a single word had been exchanged. A glance summed up what could be sprawled on a book for hours. The message was so clear, words were unnecessary.
'I am proud of you.'
And Dragon was. His son had accomplished his dream. What more could a father have asked for? The problem was that after this brief moment of clarity between father and son, Dragon had set about reconstructing the marines. The world was always his main priority and once more, his family responsibilities fell to the wayside. The result was this: showing up unannounced on an important date just for the hope of salvaging some sort of attachment.
Dragon sighed.
A great leader he was but as a father, he was a failure.
'Are you ready?' Ivankov asked. Dragon already had his answer.
'No…but if I don't do it now, I never will.' Ivankov nodded in agreement.
'Consider it your next big adventure Lord Dragon.' Dragon gave a smile himself at that one. He did love adventures. With a sigh, Dragon began to walk forwards. Ivankov followed close behind. Dragon's stride was slow and each footstep was careful and deliberate. Dread lingered in each step. He was wondering whether he should have bothered coming at all.
Never the less, Dragon soldiered on, his posture calm and determined, despite the small beads of sweat trailing down his intricate red tattoo. All too soon, Dragon found himself standing in front of a bright white door. At first, Dragon didn't move. He merely stared at the door, hoping it would open on its own or that, by some magic, he would finally wake up from this looming nightmare.
Sadly, that moment did not come and Ivankov took the initiative, tapping a catchy tune happily onto the door.
'Binks' Sake?' Dragon mumbled.
'I've always been one for the classics,' Ivankov replied. The two were not waiting long when an odd giggling crept out from behind the door. A disappointed grunt accompanied the giggle.
'Never get any damn privacy.'
'Well what do you expect; it is your little brother and sister's birthday.'
'Yeah…but I thought all the guests were already here.'
'Maybe your dad told Bon Clay or Coby about the party.'
'Coby's on the other side of the world dealing with some slaver pirates and I doubt Uncle Bon would be late to a party. That's not his style.'
'…Are you going to answer it then or are you just going to keep staring at me?'
'…'
'Well?'
'I'm thinking!'
'Daichi!'
'Fine…I'll open the…' The conversation on the other side of the door descended into quiet mumblings which Dragon was contained more than one curse word. Suddenly, Dragon realised exactly what was happening and he felt a large lump appear in his throat. What was he going to say? What should he…
There was a loud click.
Dragon twitched.
The door finally opened.
'Hell…o…' a young black haired boy stood behind the door. His voice died in his throat as he stared at Dragon. The elder man returned the stare. Currently, the spitting image of a teenage version of his son was standing in the doorway. The boy's mouth hung low and his jaw flapped in the breeze as he gaped at the stranger. Dragon felt as though he had been punched in the gut.
'Daichi, is everything okay out there?' a voice called, as a green haired girl popped out from round the corner. Upon seeing Dragon, she too froze. 'Oh…'
'…Hello…' Dragon began, finally recovering from the shock of seeing a younger version of his son. He had finally noticed some obvious differences in the boy's face. This was not his son…this was something much much worse.
Monkey D. Dragon was staring down his own grandson.
Daichi looked at Dragon.
Dragon looked back.
The two blinked.
Slowly, Daichi raised his finger and pointed at him.
'Are you…'
'Yes,' Dragon interrupted, knowing what the question would be.
'…That means I'm…'
'Yes,' Dragon repeated. For a moment, Daichi was silent. He looked at Dragon's chest. Then, he looked down at the man's shoes before shifting his gaze back up to his tattooed face. A few seconds of silence passed. They were the longest seconds of Monkey D. Dragon's life.
Suddenly, Daichi stepped away from the door, holding it wide open. Dragon raised an eyebrow.
'Well, are you coming in then? Or not?' the boy finally asked. Dragon was taken aback at the statement.
'I…'
'Yes, thank you my boy!' Ivankov yelled, injecting himself with some hormones in order to shrink his head to a size where it could fit through the door. Kuina jumped as the bizarre man pushed past Dragon and skipped his way merrily into the house.
'How the heck did you do that!?' she yelled, her hand grasping for her new sword, the Mistuno No Ken, on impulse. Ivankov's face turned a pale green at her words.
'Oh no…my head has shrunk…I…think…I'm dying...'
'What!?' Kuina and Daichi cried. Ivankov's tiny head nodded, as his hand reached up to grab at his hair.
'My face…my face…so small…I'm…going to…going to…' Kuina and Daichi leaned in towards Ivankov to listen into what he was saying as his voice grew quiet. Dragon rolled his eyes.
'3, 2, 1,' he muttered under his breath.
'NOT DIE! HEE HAW!' Ivankov announced, springing back up and striking a pose, before smacking the wall with his fist as he chortled. 'I'm not going to die, HEE HAW! I'm a devil fruit user is all, HEE HAW! You sure had me there, HEE HAW!'
'Ah, he so fooled you!' Daichi declared with a laugh, pointing to his girlfriend. Kuina was quick to smack his hand away.
'Fool me? What about you? He fooled you too!'
'He was a good actor, at least I admit he fooled me,' Daichi mumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he laughed. Kuina sighed.
'You are definitely your father's son.'
'Who is also HIS son so that means you're the one to blame for all this Gramps,' Daichi joked with a wink. Dragon was speechless. The boy barely knew him and yet he was toying with him as if he saw him every weekend. It made him feel uneasy...and yet Dragon breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to be accepted so readily, if informally, by a new member of his family.
The tension smashed instantly and for the first time since he arrived on Commi Island, Dragon smiled.
Unfortunately, his small speck joy was instantly torn apart.
'Daichi! Kuina! We're about to sing happy birthday now!' the sweet and calm voice of Nico Robin floated through the house.
'Yeah, get your butts out here,' another voice, this one as sharp as swords, bellowed from outside. Daichi groaned but still turned to Dragon with a small grin.
'Looks like you arrived just in time. You wanna join in?'
'I'm not much of a singer,' Dragon muttered in reply, his throaty voice confirming that it was indeed the case.
'Poppycock!' Ivankov bellowed. 'We've come here to see your family! What better way to bond with them to sing in glorious chorus!?'
'Yeah, the weirdo is right,' Daichi agreed. 'Come on and join in the fun Gramps. I'm sure the whole family would want to see you.'
'See, Dai-boy knows what he's talking about,' Ivankov said, strangely missing himself being called a 'weirdo'. Dragon did not look so convinced. For a moment, he remained morose and stern but unfortunately, he could not keep this at bay for much longer. Finally, he forced a smile.
'I guess it couldn't hurt,' he acknowledged, entering the house and subsequently following after his grandson.
Apparently, the guests outside had not been as patient as Dragon had thought, considering that as he passed into the garden at the back of the house, he could hear the sound of the party guests bursting into song. Oddly, there appeared to be two groups of singers: one on the left comprised of the better singers in the group, whilst the more boisterous singers added their own part to the song before both fractions joined together to sing the final lines. This resulted in a mishmash of a melody that sounded a little something like this.
'~Happy birthday Chika~' the first group would softly sing.
'~AND HARU!~' the second group on the left would add with a loud shout.
'Happy birthday Haru~'
'~AND CHIKA~'
'~Happy birthday Chika AND Haru!~'
'~Happy birthday to you~'
'KAMPAI!' the crew called together and the group burst into applause. Glasses clinked and one particular green haired swordsman downed a whole bottle of sake in one go. Dragon took in the bizarre scene in front of him with wide eyes. He had never been one for parties but this party seemed insane. Not as bad as a party with Ivankov and his people, Dragon noted, but definitely still strange.
The straw-hat pirates were all crowded around a small table and the noise they were producing was almost deafening. A skeleton with an afro was still singing 'happy birthday' as he strummed an electric guitar. The guitar was attached to a large blue haired cyborg whose shoulders had morphed into two large speakers. The rest of the individuals were cheering and laughing as they swarmed around the birthday boy and girl.
At the centre of this chaotic party was a small boy with light orange hair and a young girl with raven hair in pigtails. Both were sitting at the table topped with a massive cake smiling.
'Come on you two, blow out the candles!' a beautiful woman with long flowing orange hair, whom Dragon presumed to be their mother, encouraged.
'Yeah,' a familiar face added, looping an arm around the mother's waist and chuckling to himself. 'The sooner you blow them out, the sooner…we…can…' He stopped. The instant their captain fell silent, the rest of the party followed suit.
Luffy had spotted his father.
Dragon, unsure of what to say, raised a hand in greeting but this failed to break the silence. Slowly, the straw-hat captain moved away from his wife and children and made his way forwards towards…the stranger.
'That's what I am really,' Dragon realised. This boy who bore his name and carried his blood had no idea who he really was. As Luffy moved, the orange haired woman seemed to move to follow him but was held back by the man with green hair who gripped her shoulder. Luffy's other crewmates parted as he stepped through, walking steadily towards the intruder on his children's birthday.
Ivankov had gratefully stepped to one side, as had Daichi and Kuina, allowing Luffy to walk straight towards him and giving the two the smallest moment of privacy. Luffy's expression betrayed no hint of emotion and his eyes were cold and glassy. Dragon met Luffy with the same stare. Everyone watched the two in their staring competition. Dragon blinked first.
'I…' he began but was cut off as his son stepped forwards. Before Dragon knew it, he was being held in a tight hug. For a moment, Dragon was unsure how to respond. It had been so long since he'd held someone close to him and he felt that the action pointless.
Never the less, he lifted a single hand up and clamped it firmly on Luffy's shoulder. He closed his eyes tightly and revelled in the feel of his son holding him. Something so strange suddenly felt so naturally. Dragon opened his eyes as he felt his son spring backwards, grinning ear to ear.
'You're late Dad,' Luffy finally said. Dragon barely bit back the tears as he smiled back, the same smirk on his lips that was on his son's.
'Better late than never Son.'
And G is for Grandpa.
Joy was written across Luffy's face. He was smiling so much that if his skin weren't made of rubber, his cheeks would surely be aching by now. The pirate king was sitting across from the party now. As much as he loved running around and jumping and laughing with everyone else just for one moment, the straw-hat captain felt like he just wanted to sit back and take in the amazing sight before him.
His family of ragtag misfits and brilliant comrades had gained a new member. Granted, it was a member that should have been there all along but he couldn't help but grin regardless.
Brook, as always, was providing musical accompaniment for the party, playing some dancing music on his violin. Franky was up in the centre of the garden grooving to the music, striking poses and gyrating his cyborg body and competing in a "funk off" against the cross-dressing king. So far, Ivankov's flexibility was paying off in their dance match. Sanji whipped past the cyborg as he was dancing with his own wife, swooning all the while much to the blue haired woman's laughter. The couple swung their way past Chopper, who was swaying this way and that in his own bizarre little dance. Usopp and Kaya were dancing as well.
On the opposite side of the garden, watching to the barbeque feast cook which the chef had left to attend his wife's every whim, was Aesop. The blonde haired teen was examining each burger with a keen eye before flipping it, patiently watching each one the way a detective examined a crime scene. Slightly stunting his "manly" (or so Aesop put it) cooking skills was the bright pink apron which demanded in bright red letters that everyone "Kiss the Chef".
Sitting nearby, Olvia was engrossed within a book as usual…though her eyes kept darting up towards Aesop as if she wished to obey the message on his chest. Once, Aesop turned around and spotted her staring. Instead of saying a word, however, he merely gestured to the message and winked before turning around and licking his lips.
For the first time he could remember, Luffy could have sworn he saw Olvia's face go a bright red as she buried her face in the safety of her novel. Zoro should have asked her to go and see Chopper about that. He didn't want the girl to have gotten a fever.
Speaking of his first mate, Zoro was napping against a tree, five jugs of booze littered the area around his sleeping form. The pleasant afternoon sun had given him enough reason to fall asleep. Zoro being asleep had also given Kenichi enough reason to steal one of Usopp's markers and begin decorating the swordsman's face into a fine piece of art.
Robin was being far more social than her other half and was currently sitting with Daichi and Kuina. As Luffy's eyes drifted over to the person his son was talking to, he found himself laughing.
Monkey D. Dragon claimed he wasn't exactly the most social of people when Luffy asked if he had wanted to stay the night. Seeing Haru happily bouncing on his knee and Chika sat on his shoulders giggling and clapping, Luffy couldn't understand what his father had seemed so worried about. He seemed like he was a natural with children despite his rather solemn disposition.
A pair of slender arms wrapping around his waist snapped Luffy out of his thoughts.
'What's wrong?' the loving voice of his wife asked. In response, Luffy spun around and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
'Nothing at all,' he said as he planted his forehead next to hers. Nami smiled back at him.
'I'm glad you're okay.'
'Nami, I've got my dad and you guys here. I'm better than okay,' Luffy replied with a laugh. 'Turns out he's a really nice guy.'
'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.'
'And this apple is happy he found his orange.'
'You know for an idiot, you say the sweetest things,' his wife murmured with a smirk, her lips brushing close to his in a teasing manner. Luffy laughed at her comment. The two leaned closer together…
'So Gramps, did you bring us a present?'
'Haru!' Nami called, practically shoving her husband out of the way to glare at her youngest son. 'That is no way to speak to your grandfather! Apologise right now.'
'It's fine Daughter in law,' Dragon spoke up, placing a hand on Haru's head and ruffling it affectionately. 'I didn't actually bring anything with me. I'm sorry.'
'That's okay,' Chika said, cuddling Dragon's head with a giggle. 'I'm glad you brought yourself Grandpa.' Dragon chuckled at the little girl's words.
'Thank you...Grandpa…it feels weird being called that.'
'It feels weird being called Daughter in law,' Nami remarked.
'But weird is a good thing right?' Luffy added, looping an arm around Nami's shoulder and smirking at his dad. Dragon smiled back.
'Yes, it is.'
'You seem a lot bouncier than usual captain,' Robin observed.
'My whole family is here,' Luffy cried, thrusting his fist into the air. 'I'm just really excited to have us all together again.'
'Daddy! You're mean!' Chika declared from atop Dragon's head, giving her father a dark disappointed glare. Luffy's smile transformed into a pout at his daughter's words.
'What do you mean sweetheart?'
'Not everybody's here, you forgot people!' Luffy's eyes widened and he blinked.
'Who?'
'Aunt Nojiko,' Nami commented, poking her husband's shoulder.
'Jimbei,' Daichi added, leaping over to join his mother in poking his father's rubber shoulder.
'Law,' Robin called, blooming a hand on Luffy's arm in order to join in with the poking.
'Them too but there's someone else!' Chika said with a frown. Luffy copied his daughter's expression to the smallest detail.
'Okay, I give up. Who am I forgetting about then?'
The answer suddenly hit him….quite literally.
Luffy had seen it coming. As soon as he had asked the question, his observation haki had flared and his eyes had grown wide. Despite that, he didn't move from his spot. He didn't even bother to protect himself with armament haki. It would just be over quicker if he just let it happen.
'You…mean…' Luffy managed to get out before a fist grabbed hold of his head and smashed it into the floor.
'FIST OF LOVE!~' a gruff voice thundered. Instantly, the party stopped once more as all eyes turned to the new intruder. Nami, who had stepped backwards to make room for the new guest, let out a soft sigh as the dust cleared.
'Hello Garp, how are you doing?' she asked calmly. The past vice admiral gave a loud guffaw as he stood up straight, flashing his trademark smile to the whole party. The party resumed rather quickly. Ever since his retirement, the hero of the marines had been a frequent visitor to their home and had taken upon himself to get to know his grandson's family, now that his term with the marines had ended.
'Not bad at all my dear. I hope this brat has been treating you right.' Chika burst out into a wide toothy smile at the sight of the man with the fluffy white beard and leapt from her grandfather's head, running towards Garp.
'Great-grandpa! I knew daddy had forgotten you!' Garp let out a boisterous laugh as he caught the girl and held her close to his chest.
'My goodness Chika! You grow bigger every year my adorable little seagull.' Chika giggled. Her brothers seemed much less relieved to see their eldest family member.
'Great-gramps!' Daichi and Haru yelled together. The youngest sibling sprang up off of his grandfather's knee and hopped into his brother's protective arms…ignoring the fact that Daichi had attached himself to Kuina and was currently sitting in her lap.
'KUINA! SAVE ME FROM THE EVIL BILLYGOAT!' he begged, pointing towards the old man with a trembling finger.
'Daichi! You're too heavy, get off!' Kuina replied through laughter.
'But you promised to love me through thick and thin…AND THIS IS THE THICK AND THIN PART!'
'PLEASE BIG SIS!' Haru joined in. Even the mighty revolutionary leader seemed to pale under Garp's stare.
'Father!' Dragon squeaked. Everyone turned and stared at him in disbelief. Dragon, world revolutionary and leader of the free world...had just squeaked?
As the old man lifted his head, the males of the Monkey family once more gave a whimper of terror.
'PLEASE DON'T LET HIM TAKE ME ON A WALK LIKE LAST TIME!' Haru pleaded. 'HE'LL THROW ME TO THE CROCODILES AGAIN!'
'At least he didn't tie to you to an anchor and use you as a fishing line for bait,' Daichi murmured.
'He took me for ice cream,' Chika announced from beside her mother. Her smile made Daichi and Haru exchange glares.
'Why did she have to be born so innocent and cute?' the two muttered meekly. Garp smirked as he approached the table, leaving Luffy lying face first in the floor. He cracked his fists.
'Hello boys!~' he called. Daichi and Haru screamed, trying to claw their way out of Kuina's grip. Strangely enough, their grandfather joined them in their retreat.
'I…I thought I was too old to be punished…' Dragon whimpered.
'You may be too old for punishment…' Garp considered, cracking his knuckles. 'But…you're never be too old…FOR MY VIOLENT AFFECTION!' As their great-grandfather moved towards them, with surprising speed and force for his old age, a series of painful cries shattered the air. Kuina and Robin laughed together at the "family bonding", whilst Chika and Nami took upon themselves to tend to Luffy.
'Are you okay down there daddy?' the little girl asked, poking her father with her toe.
'I don't take it back,' his muffled voice emerged from the mud. 'I love my family…' Tensing his body, Luffy kicked hard against the floor and plucked his head out of the mud, flashing the two girls in his life a massive smirk.
'We're weird in a good way…a painful way, but a good way.' He smirked, wiping the dirt from his face before leaping over to the ensuing fight. They was how his family worked after all and this family was one he wouldn't have traded for anything in the world.
Until next time, I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you enjoyed this latest one-shot.
Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.
