Author's Note: Number 54! Ah this one came fast all in one sitting too! All thanks to a review I received that proved people really do still like this fiction! This chapter is very Kuki/her family related! Just a warning haha it contains no other strawhats! Enjoy thought I personaly think its a good chapter! Cause I know I enjoyed writing it!


Past Chapter Reviews:

14musician: Thank you so much! You were the driving force behind this chapter! I didn't think anyone was still reading this because I had received no reviews! And I hope you remember! I can't wait to see them! Really! Hope you enjoy! oh and PS! 37 is my favourite too! their first kiss! Ah so cute...of course being me i had to make em do it in that situation ^^


"Here we are." Lily exclaimed, her metal cased arm pointing towards the house in front of her.

After breakfast Kuki had asked Lily about her family situation. Refusing the multiple offers from her friends to come along as well, she felt as if this was something she needed to do her self. Apparently before Kuki and her mother left Tochihana came across bad times. The island was set into grief like a lot of other islands were in the many years after the pirate King had died, so the only direct family Kuki had left was her father, who's house she was in front of now.

"I..." she didn't know what to say.

Lily seemed to catch the tension and turned to leave, "You know your way back right?"

The Helmsman smiled and nodded, silently thankful that the inventor had decided to take her leave. But what now? Did she just go and knock? Say "Hey Dad it's me your long lost daughter!"? He must have known she was back by now with all the commotion that had gone down, the whole island was informed of the 'Princess's' return. Why hadn't he came by the palace to see her? Didn't he want to? With all the questions rolling around Kuki's head she froze in front of the worn looking door, arm raised, fist an inch from the apparently offending object. She was scared, not in a sense of physical harm, but as to what would happen. What if he didn't like her? What if that was the reason why he didn't come to see her at the castle? What if he shooed her away? Could she handle being tossed to the side again? Her scared emotions were damaged enough. The door opened, to her surprise, shocking her into a panicked frozen state. There in the doorway was a man, around the same height as Franky. He had black, shaggy hair, and a greying, black scruff around his face. His eye's were the same grey everyone else here had. His face read one of shock, as if seeing a ghost, only to realize that it was indeed a real person. They both stood there for a moment, looking at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Mari...so I guess what I heard was true..." he muttered, not taking his eyes off of her. " Come in..."

Kuki gulped and nodded, following the man into the house. This wasn't how she pictured it to be, no tears of rejoice, no hugs, no...nothing.

"Sorry for my shock...you look so much like Mari it took me by surprise." he explained, ushering her to sit at the small table.

His house was very plain, nothing standing out, clean and simple.

"Is...was that my mom's name?" Kuki asked, finally getting back her power to speak as she sat on the wooden chair.

The man ran a hand threw his hair and walked into, what Kuki could only guess was, the kitchen. Returning shortly with two mugs he placed one in front of her and sat across the table, sipping from his own. The Helmsman thanked him and went to take a sip out of it, grog.

"Was?" he asked slowly, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted the answer or not.

The girl only nodded, neither of them touching on the subject any more then they needed too.

"My name's Bill. I guess you think I'm your father?" he said, taking a large gulp from his mug before placing it to the side.

Kuki's eyebrow raised, what did he mean? Lily said this was her Dad's house? Was she wrong? Was it the one over?

"Well I can understand why," he laughed, shaking his head, "You're mother told everyone I was."

"What do you mean?" she asked, not understanding as to what this man was getting at.

Why did everything have to get so much more complicated?

"If you're not my Dad...then..."

Bill sighed, scratching his head, "It's hard to explain, Tochihana has always been a closed off island. We used to let outsiders dock and stay here to re-fuel before they left, but even back then any more communication between us and 'them' was completely frowned upon."

Kuki nodded her head, giving him the okay to continue.

"Mari, your mother, was the old Queen's hand maiden. Well more like her only friend I guess. See the Queen was really up-tight even growing up. Mari actually used to pick on her some lot when they were growing up. Got her in a lot of trouble back then." Bill laughed, his eyes drifting off into memories of a past life, corners of a smile crossing his lips, "I remember when she first heard of the Queen's request for her to be the first handmaiden. Mari thought it was a lie, a joke, and came running to me yelling about theories of people out to get her, but I knew she secretly enjoyed the Queen's company. They both liked each other, Mari had the freedom the Queen wanted and the Queen had family like Mari had wanted. Soon they actually came to be great friends, almost like sister's. I barely saw your mother then, she was permanently at the castle."

Kuki smiled a little bit, bathing in the information of her mother, any little detail was worth more then gold to her.

"Mari was different, she wasn't satisfied with this," he waved his arms, "Sure she seemed happy but she wasn't, she wanted, no needed, to leave this island. She wanted to become a pirate of all things. Which was unheard of in these parts. She started hanging out with this one crew that stayed here for a couple weeks. Well I shouldn't say crew, the captain. They were connected at the hip, people started talking. She spent more time with him then she did at her job. When she figured out she was pregnant with you she had to make a decision. She had full intentions on going with this pirate crew, joining them, but now that you were in the equation that was out of the question."

Ben gulped down the last of his drink, sighing as his smile left him.

"Mari didn't know what would happen if people found out you're father was an outsider, a pirate none the less, so she came to me." he chuckled at the memory, " I guess she always knew I had feelings for her, everyone did, she was beautiful and different, more alive. She explained everything and asked me to pretend to be the father. At first I was completely against it, she didn't want to be with me she had to, but we had been friends forever and well...she needed my help."

Kuki's brain was processing all of the new found information, but one thing stuck out in her head.

"I made her stay here...I made her leave my father..."

"Yes, but she loved you." he explained, scoffing, "Even before she saw you. She'd always get on with my language around the baby, or how I wasn't allowed to smoke around her or she'd throttle me into an early grave."

His smile seemed to infect Kuki into having one herself, her mom sounded so different from herself.

"Every night she'd read you a story and tell you how you were the best thing that ever happened to her, so don't worry yourself kid, you gave her life new meaning if anything." Ben explained, lighting a smoke as he looked at her.

"Thanks." the Helmsman replied, taking another sip of her grog.

"Is the anything else you need? Sorry to rush but I was heading to work before you stopped by and I'm already late." Ben asked, standing from the table.

"Oh! Do you happen to know which pirate crew it was?" Kuki asked, hoping to still be able to find her father.

Ben walked over to a cabinet against the wall, opening a small drawer and pulling out a box. The man walked over to the girl and handed it to her.

"No but this was your mothers, you can keep it. I need to get over her now that I know she's not coming back and having her things still here is not going to help any."

His voice was pained, but he tried to hide it well. Inside the box was a bracelet, almost like Nami's log pose but other then wood there was shiny silver and instead of a campus of sorts at the top there was a hollow glass globe that contained a blue petaled flower floating in a pale blue liquid. The white bulb in the middle of the flower was pointing straight up at the sky.

"It's like a log pose for our island. The bulb of that flower always points to Tochihana and the liquid it's suspended in keeps it alive. Ever since what the Queen did with the weather normal log poses can't find this island." Ben explained, watching the girl go over her mother's old bracelet.

There was a small latch at the bottom of the globe, Kuki ran her finger over the silver button and it popped open like a locket. Inside there was an obviously old picture of her mother, smiling at the camera holding a sleeping baby close to her face. As well as the photograph, there was a small, rectangular, plain piece of paper. She picked it up and placed it in the palm of her hand.

"A Vivre card." Ben explained, "To who? I don't know for sure, but I can only guess it's from your father, your real father."

Kuki nodded and put it back where it belonged, safely placing the globe back to it's proper up right position, clicking the locket closed.

"Thank you," The girl started to say, sniffling as tears started dripping down her face, "Really, thank you so much, you've been an amazing help. I never really knew anything about my Mom."

With out thinking, she hugged the man, crying into his chest. She needed this. Whatever 'this' was? She didn't know, this man might have not been her father but it was the closest thing to feeling like family then she has ever had. He was real, he was alive and he was here with her. This man knew her mother and had stayed to share with her what he could instead of going to work. Ben stood shocked, looking down at the small Mari hugging him. She looked so much like her it was crazy, the girl didn't take anything from her father at all, in looks anyway, and even looking at her killed him slowly. Ben had really loved and cared for Mari, and she was gone. His hand went and patted her on the back, both of them taking a moment to comfort each other unknowingly. Ben sighed as a way to bite back at the stinging in his eyes. Mari was gone, and she wasn't coming back.

"It's okay kid."