CHAPTER 11: Different Viewpoints

Benn Beckmann knows he isn't the best of fathers but he has been trying, he knows he missed most of his girls childhood but he is trying to build a relationship with them. He should've been there for them when they needed a father but he couldn't risk going back to his small home in West Blue, his family needed to stay safe and under the radar of the marines. Benn knows what would happen if the marines knew he had a family, he knew that the marines would find Merlyn if he kept going back to Rails' Port. He knew what they would find after Merlyn, a bump on her stomach containing little Eva and a little 4 year old only had the choice of leaving them to keep them safe, it was the worst decision he had to make in his life. Benn liked to think he would be a family man in the past but plans change and one never knows what the future holds.

Everyday he was apart from his family a little bit inside of him would die and he would always find himself thinking about them, but he sucked it up as they all made sacrifices to be out at sea. Yassop, the one who can relate with him the most as he too left his family to go out to sea, and of course Shanks also made sacrifices. The one that sticks with the crew though is when he had to leave the green haired barmaid back in a small island in East Blue and it was painful to see the Yonko so depressed for so long. They all made sacrifices, some worse than others but sacrifices nevertheless.

He is trying to mend things now but he knows that a strong bond won't form with his oldest as one has with Eva. Raven is more like him in so many ways, she is more aware of the dangers surrounding her and she does what she wants when she wants. Perhaps that's why their relationship will not become as strong as his with Eva but Benn knows better. He knows why their bond will not grow, it's simple he handed down the knowledge to her. The knowledge which has been passed down from one generation to another in the Beckmann family and only the oldest can know.

Benn remembers when his father passed down the knowledge it him and how quickly he ran away from home after hearing of the knowledge. He was only 11 and came back home in the evening. He remembers not talking to his father for months and keeping himself shut in his room. He hated everyone but most of all his father, yet he never told anyone about this knowledge. He kept the old traditions no matter how much he hated it and of course how he knew Raven would react. Their relationship was already hanging by a delicate thread and this made the thread snap easily.

He still loves her, even though he knows Raven probably hates him and if he was her he would too, but despite that he loves her. She's his little bird and he made a promise to her when she was still in Merlyn's stomach that he would protect her.

He failed.

He failed her, his deceased wife and innocent Eva. They each got hurt and he couldn't stop it. Merlyn died of cancer when he was out at sea and he didn't even know until he came back, and even then he didn't believe it. His Merlyn was strong and there was absolutely no way she could've died like that, that's what he thought back then but deep down he knew the truth. He knew that the petite lilac haired woman was dead but he didn't acknowledge it, he just couldn't bring himself to acknowledge her death. He knew how cold he must've seemed to everyone but he just couldn't acknowledge it and didn't for a long time, and even then a part of him didn't believe in her death. She was everything to him and then just like she slipped through his fingers before he got the chance to see her after such a long time, karma is a bitch like that. Eva was kidnapped from under his nose, taken during the time he left her under the care of Old Man Fisher and when he came back Eva was gone and Old Man Fisher half dead. Two people he cares about hurt at the same time and one almost died after putting up a fight when the marines took his younger. Old Man Fisher was the man who looked after him frequently back at Railers' Port and the man who looks after Eva when he needs to go somewhere dangerous. Benn looked -and still does- up to the man in his younger years, thought of him like the father he always wanted but could never have and he got injured from the same man who took Eva, and Raven.

Benn's hand clutches his rifle violently at the thought of Raven. He didn't even know she was in the hands of the marines until Garp came to visit. His eyes narrow as the scene flashes in his mind.

"Garp, what a surprise" Shanks exclaims as the man comes onto the ship, flanked by only three men. Inside Shank's mind gears were turning and suspicion was everywhere, "What brings you here?"

Benn remembers how Garp gave him a look full of apologies, sorrow, worry and disgust, but the disgust -for once- not aimed at him. He wondered why such a look was aimed at him and who the disgust was aimed at. He remembered the pink haired kid's look of a thousand apologies, sorrow and guiltiness. He remembers wondering why such a innocent kid, who've he never met before, would look at him with such guilty eyes.

"Benn, your daughter's name is Raven correct? Bluish black hair and red eyes?" Garp completely ignored Shanks and turned his attention towards his first mate.

Shanks narrows his eyes in suspicion at the odd questions and at his tone, but he doesn't feel surprised at the knowledge that Garp knows about Benn's family but he is surprised that he knows her name.

Benn is frozen solid at the questions, but not because of the fact Garp knows about his daughter but more of the fact that he described her and knew her name. He knew that the marines probably already knew he had a family but for reasons unknown to him they haven't tried to dig into it.

Garp nods at the silence surrounding his question and mentally he swears as well as preparing himself for the next words, "First thing we suspected you had some sort of emotional attachment to Railers' Port as you went there frequently in the past and after some digging we found it was your hometown, and after more digging that you had a wife, a child and another on the way. We didn't do anything else as Sengokou respects certain pirates, including you, and he doesn't believe in killing children"

Benn remembers how Yassop cut in with a sarcastic tone about Ace and how Garp's face scrunched up with unmeasurable pain, and it was then Benn only truly understood how much conflicting emotion he must be feeling.

"That-" Garp's face contorts into a expression that is unsure of everything and tired of everything, "-is a different case"

Yassop stayed silent at the amount of emotion that came out of Garp and in a strange way he found himself respecting him.

The words that came out of his mouth next turned Benn into a untamed beast full of anger.

"I need you to know Sengokou, Kizaru, Aokiji and I had no idea about this"

"What about Akainu?"

"Wouldn't put it past him" Garp takes a deep breath, "She's in Impel Down, I'm not sure why but the Duke is keeping her there because she apparently stole a jewel but that sounds suspicious to me and she said that he wants knowledge...Benn she's in bad shape"

The next few moments were a blur to Benn as anger took over. He regretted letting his anger out at Garp as he knew that the Marine's Hero wasn't to blame, but he was to blame. He was the one who followed 'tradition' and passed down the knowledge to his eldest. Despite all that he has done to Raven he knows that he isn't the one to blame for being in Impel Down, he is a contributing cause but not the real one.

The real one is the Sengokou's grandson and Duke of North Blue, Draka D. Marcus.

Gritting his teeth in anger at just the thought of the man, he is a dead man and Benn does not care that he is the grandson of Sengoku and the Duke of North Blue. No, all he cares about is that he hurt his little girls and god fucking damn is he pissed. He hasn't felt so much hatred for a single person in a long time and he can't say he missed it. It's a horrible feeling, one that gnaws at him continuously and never let's him rest from its cage.

Benn Beckmann doesn't plan on just saving his daughter and killing Draka D. Marcus but also he is planning to wage an all out war towards the marines. He knows not all of them played a role in hurting his daughters but Benn can't find it in him to give a fuck, all he knows is that the grandson of Sengokou hurt his daughters and in his eyes that means every single Marine is going to pay the price.

Shanks used to think he knew everything about his nakama, especially Benn. Benn wasn't only his first mate but also his best friend and they knew everything about each, Benn knowing Shanks darkest secrets and vice versa but Shanks isn't stupid he knows Benn keeps secrets even from him as he does the exact same thing. Yesterday, though, changed absolutely everything. He is questioning how much is Benn keeping from him and most importantly, what the hell is the knowledge?

In all of his years of knowing the man Shanks has never seen him freeze up like that as soon as the word was mentioned but not only that but the uncontrollable rage that followed soon after. He hasn't seen rage like that in Benn for a long time, yes Benn gets angry like any other person but that rage is something Shanks has only seen once before and that was when a worthless crew of pirates harmed Merlyn. They hardly harmed her but the sight of seeing that scratch on her cheek was enough to send Benn in pure rage. Shanks remembers the wild look in his eyes as Benn looked at Merlyn's cheek and the sense of calmness that was surrounding him, calm though only to the ones who didn't know him. It was then that Shanks found out that Benn is hugely protective of his family, and yesterday's events only solidified this point.

To be perfectly honest a rage filled Benn Beckmann is terrifying enough on its own to Shanks, but combine that with daddy Beckmann...that just screams death.

Shanks truly pities the poor bastard who will be taking the full brunt of Benn's rage but then again the bastard deserves it and besides the bastard will also be taking on the crews' bastard, but it is him who is to blame.

Him and his fucking stupidity.

It wasn't everyday Edward Newgate feels sympathy towards a marine, and the grandson to Sengoku for that matter, but after what he read he just can't help but feel it. It's stupid what the kid did but still he can't help the sympathy that overflows for the god damned stupid marine.

"Gurarara"

To anger a father, who just so happens to be a notorious pirates, just calls for a death sentence.

Wooo! Another update!

This has been sitting on my computer unfinished for a while but I managed to finish it and I'm happy with the result, and hopefully you all are too. I apologize for the lack of chapters coming through but I am trying to update as soon as I can and as often as I can.

Thank you so much for reading and have a good night/morning/afternoon :)