Happy Update Sunday, lovelies! We're getting closer and closer to you know what... so bear with me as these next chapters have are pretty angsty, sprinkled with some occasional baby cuteness.
Also, if you haven't checked out my pieces, Grand Line Shenanigans or Bingo Challenge Pieces, go check them out! (Please) :) They are companion pieces to RAAI. The Challenge pieces are completed, but the Shenanigans will be added to over time. Anywho...
Enjoy!
Chapter 31
The Midnight Maiden was similar to the Spadille, only larger. The ship boasted four decks, including the hold at the very bottom. The third level held additional cargo, the infirmary, a carpentry shop room, and the small galley. The gun deck held the fore hold, fourteen cannons, seven on each side, the anchor chains and capstan, access to the cargo hold, and the crews' hammocks and belongings. At the stern end were two rooms; a bathroom and a room Ashina converted into a library and gathering place. Sets of stairs led up to the main deck from two points, one near the fore hold, and the other near the middle of the ship.
Ashina strolled up the middle stairs, coming up to the deck next to the main mast. Many of the crew milling about greeted her as she walked by, heading for the door beside the stairs that led up to the quarter deck,.
Opening the door, Ashina entered the stateroom which held the navigation rudder, a pair of small couches and a table and chairs. It made for another good meeting place, as well as a nice play area for Sabo and quickly became where his toy box Mihar constructed was located. The quarter deck was large enough that the space beneath it also boasted a small First Mate quarters along with the large Captain's cabin. Ashina favorite part of the Maiden was the skylight that was built into the quarter deck that allowed beautiful sunlight to filter through into her cabin. Deuce refused the First Mate quarters, giving them instead to Jora and Banshee, so that the women had a private room as they were used to on the Moby Dick. Although, Ashina had a strong suspicion Jora spent most of her evenings with Thatch, whose room was across the ship in the cabin beneath the fore deck.
Sabo's cradle sat in her bedroom and Ashina pushed the door open to check on her boy. "Hello, sweet boy," she cooed as she peered down at Sabo, who was awake from his midday nap and playing with his feet. "Oh, do your toes taste good?"
Sabo smiled up at her as she lifted him into her arms. "Hi baby," she cooed again, kissing his cheek before holding him to her chest. He laid his head against her shoulder, content in her embrace, and Ashina pressed her lips to the side of his head. She inhaled his clean scent and closed her eyes, willing the tears to stay away. She needed to be strong for her son, for Ace, and for herself.
Blinking her eyes, she pulled her lips away from her baby and grinned at him. "Let's not sleep the day away, huh? How about we go see the pretty water and our friends? Huh? Does that sound like fun?"
She tickled his belly just to hear his giggles, as she headed for the door. When she stepped out onto the deck, the breeze lifted strands of her hair that were free from her braid. Ashina made her way across the deck to where a barrel was stacked with a few other crates near the railing. Holding Sabo in one hand, Ashina carefully climbed the boxes to perch on the top of the barrel, giving her an excellent view of the deck of the ship as well as the horizon. Sabo contented himself to play with the amber pendant around her neck.
Thatch opened the door to his small cabin, spotted Ashina on the deck, and strolled over to her. Thatch sat himself carefully down on one of the taller crates beside her. He clapped his hands before holding them out.
"Hand 'im over."
Ashina chuckled, as she lifted Sabo off her lap and into Thatch's hands.
"Hey, little man!" Thatch exclaimed, holding the boy out in front of him. Sabo's legs kicked excitedly as he grinned back at Thatch.
Thatch tossed the boy several times into the air, catching him and hoisting him high above his head before repeating the action. When he brought Sabo down to sit in his lap, he turned to Ashina and his expression shifted to a serious one. "How you holding up?"
"I'm worried about Ace," Ashina answered honestly.
"No news is good news. I know you want word in the papers to show where he is, but you have his vivre card. Ace is fine, probably passed out at some restaurant somewhere making a fool of himself."
Ashina snorted, but didn't chuckle along with Thatch. She didn't have the heart to tell him she couldn't bring herself to look at his vivre card, afraid of what she'd see. She wanted too, but it was in a little wooden box, and every time she went to open the lid she stopped, unable to face what she may find.
"You've done good, Red," Thatch said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "stepping into the role of acting Captain. It looks good on you."
"You're the better fit, you're the actual Commander."
"Not on this ship I'm not. Here on the lovely Midnight Maiden I'm just Thatch the ridiculously sexy cook."
"Whatever Pompadour Dude, more like ridiculously dorky."
Thatch grinned, nudging her knee with his elbow. "Hey. Cheer up. Pops procured for you a gorgeous vessel and gave you his well wishes to return to the Revolution for a time. You've got a crew that supports, trusts, and loves you. Your man is going to be fine, and sometime in the future the Whitebeards will all meet back up together."
"What will we do with the Maiden?" Ashina wondered.
"Dock her somewhere. Maybe little man will become a pirate like his daddy. Huh, my man? What do you say? You gonna be a pirate like ol' Ace?"
"Da," Sabo babbled softly.
Ashina let out a soft gasp, and Thatch caught her wide-eyed expression with one of his own. Her lips curled up into a smile and she pulled the small photo of Ace and her together on the beach, pre-pregnancy from her pouch. She held the picture up to Sabo so he could see.
"Daddy?" Ashina replied, pointing to Ace's grinning face.
"Da da da, mhmm," Sabo cooed back, twisting in Thatch's gentle hold to look around the deck.
"He's looking for Ace," Ashina whispered, so softly Thatch barely heard her.
He turned his head to see her blinking back tears, and frowned. He plucked the picture from her hand with two fingers and waved it in front of Sabo. "Look here, buddy. Daddy's here in the picture. Sorry, little man, your dad's off on a mission at the moment. He'll come back though, he's tougher than your mama gives him credit for."
"I know he's strong," Ashina smarted back, wiping her eyes, as Sabo turned to look at her.
"Mmm," Sabo cooed, clapping his hands together and then reaching for her. "Mmm..Ah!"
Ashina smiled at him. "Are you trying to say mama? Can you say it, sweet boy, ma, ma, ma."
"Mmm, mmm, ma!" Sabo squealed reaching for her, fingers grasping at the air.
Ashina scooped him up, peppering his belly with kisses and making her way up to his cheeks. "Okay, okay, mama's boy," she said, unable to contain her grin. "If only daddy could have heard that one."
"His first ma. Good job little man. Now we just need a Thatch."
"Good luck with that," Ashina said on a snicker.
"Yeah yeah, here." Thatch held the picture out to her and she took it with one hand, tucking in back into her pouch. "Good picture of you two. You got more?"
"A few."
"How many is a few?"
"There's a shoebox full from over the last two years."
Thatch chuckled, and went to speak when he caught sight of Jora and the words died on his tongue. Ashina followed his line of sight and snorted when her gaze landed on her dark-haired friend.
"Do you love her?" Ashina blurted.
Thatch choked and sputtered for a second before he stared at her. Ashina held his stare, unblinking, until Thatch sighed and carefully rubbed a hand over his hair. "I could. Easily. I know she loves me. Maybe I do, who knows. I'm a pirate, Red. I haven't been sailing the seas looking for love."
"Then what have you been sailing for? What made you decide to be a pirate?"
"Wanted to feed people, and myself. I always loved to cook, learned from my grandpa before my village was raided and burned. I hitched a ride as a stow away on another pirate ship. Showed my worth as a cabin boy. Got caught by their chef playing in the kitchen. He could have punished me, instead he took me on as an apprentice. I sailed with them for a while, until I was a young teen."
"What happened?"
"Ship wreck. Pops found me floating out at sea on a piece of wood, the only survivor. You know," Thatch chuckled, catching sight of the two young cabin boys playing jacks on the deck, "Marco and I used to fight like Tenshin and Yukichi. Best of friends and the worst of enemies for a long time."
Ashina snorted. "I can see that."
Thatch grinned. "I gave the crew hell at first, a lot like you and Ace did."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. I hated the idea of becoming someone's son. Didn't want to join a division. I just wanted to cook for people who needed food. Came to learn that with Pops was where I was meant to be. That these people could be my family and that I could still cook for people, help people in need when we docked at islands."
"Is that why you always cook for people wherever we go?"
"Yeah," Thatch said, grinning as he scratched the back of his head. "I like to share my food with people who may not have gotten a good meal in a long time."
"That's nice. So, you've found why you've been sailing all these years… but what about Jora? What about now?"
"You ask some tough questions, Red. What's gotten into you?" he asked on a chuckle.
"She's my friend. You're my friend. I think you both deserve happiness, and I think you make each other happy."
"I'm a pirate."
"And I'm a Revolutionary Pirate, the daughter of a yonko and an exiled kunoichi. Who we are doesn't determine who we can love, or if we are worthy of love. It doesn't matter who you are or where you came from. So, I'm going to ask you again… do you love Jora?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to do something about that beside continue to be fuck buddies?"
"Ouch, wow. I did not expect you to use that word. You know how I knew Ace was serious about you?"
"Nice change of subject, but okay, I'll bite. How?"
"When you went off on that mission for the Revolution, Ace was moping around one day, so I was trying to cheer him up. Said something along the lines of knowing you two weren't just fuck buddies, and the boy, once he figured out what that word meant, about blew a gasket."
Ashina giggled. "Sounds like Ace."
"Doesn't it?" Thatch sighed then, eyeing Jora from across the deck before he turned back to Ashina. "I don't know Red. How do I even approach that? Huh? How do you change from doing one thing for so long to being… more?"
She shrugged, because she didn't have any idea. Ace and her started as friendship with a touch of serious attraction and fell into a relationship that was as easy as breathing. "Tell her how you feel. Be honest. Hell, Thatch. I don't know. The way I see it there isn't really much more to do, other than admit to yourself and to her that you two are more than just friends who fuck."
"You sure she loves me?"
Ashina rolled her eyes. "Thatch. I was sure before but when you almost died… Jora… we had to force Jora to leave the operating room those first few days. She slept in a chair for the most part, her head on your bed beside you. When she came up on deck that night, when everything was happening… her scream when she saw you. You were already unconscious by that time… Thatch, I'll never forget that sound. She chose to sail to Baltigo not because I'm going, but because you are. She loves you Thatch."
Ashina hopped off the barrel and patted Thatch's leg with her free hand. "Now's as good a time as ever, Thatchy."
Ashina walked away, heading for the stairs and leaving Thatch to himself. Thatch sighed as Jora finished her conversation with Mihar and stood alone at the rail of the ship. Thatch blew out a breath. "Alright Thatch, man up," he whispered to himself, wishing that Marco was there to impart some words of wisdom, although knowing his brother, Marco would only give him shit for not manning up sooner. Thatch hopped off the crates and started the slow stroll across the deck. Ashina was right, now was as good a time as ever.
.
.
.
"Who can win what now?" Ace asked as he landed on the railing of Luffy's ship.
Luffy was trying to introduce him to his crew, and Ace could only grin as they noticed the extreme differences between the two brothers.
"Sorry if he's so much trouble. I appreciate you taking care of and looking out for my little brother." The small crew waved him off as if it was no big deal, but Ace had spent enough years to know Luffy was an utter handful.
Before they could take a moment to relax and catch up, ships came into view. The blue-haired woman stated they were Billions ships. Ace raised an eyebrow as everyone around seemed to be nervous and unsure about the incoming ships.
"Those guys again?" Luffy asked as the shouts of the men calling for Ace and Luffy's blood reached their ears.
"Luffy," Ace said, standing on the railing. "I'll clean them up."
Ace jumped from the ship, landing effortlessly on Striker and took off, heading straight for the large set of ships that were quickly gaining ground. Deciding to show off a bit to his brother, Ace jumped, forcing Striker below the water, and vaulted into the air, flipping over the ships and propelling himself with his devil fruit powers. If Ashina was with him, she'd have called him out for being a show off, especially when he let loose a strong blast of fire with his Hiken, destroying all of the ships in its path.
Ace returned to the ship, throwing the rope to anchor Striker over his shoulder before he vaulted to the railing and dropped onto the deck.
"Ace you're incredible!" Luffy shouted.
Ace just grinned as he tied a knot in the rope. The blond cook who Ace believed Luffy introduced as Sanji brought out a tray full of mugs. He passed them around, handing a mug of beer to Ace first before distributing them to the rest of the crew. He disappeared into the interior of the caravel before returning with several trays of meat balanced in his hands.
Luffy was quick to snatch up several pieces. The action made Ace smile, remembering all the times as children that Luffy would devour the majority of whatever animal they managed to hunt and kill for a meal.
"Cheers to Ace joining our crew!" Luffy shouted, holding up his mug. The little reindeer and the long nose man, cheered along, clanking their mugs with Luffy's.
"Who said I'm joining you?" Ace questioned, leaning forward where he sat perched on a barrel.
The strawberry blonde woman giggled. "Don't mind them. They look for any reason to celebrate with a drink."
Ace realized she was right when they continued to cheers to all sorts of increasingly ridiculous things. Ace raised a brow, but could only grin as he sat back and observed his brother's crew.
The ship was decent, not as large as the Spadille had been, but it was a good ship. More importantly his brother found himself a good crew. Nami, as Ace learned was the woman's name, reminded him of Ashina. They shared the same quick wit and low tolerance for bullshit, but it was clear the woman cared for the dumbass men in her crew. Ace was surprised the reindeer was their doctor, but he wasn't going to ask any questions about that. What surprised him the most was Pirate Hunter Zoro turning in his bounty hunting title and becoming a pirate himself. Luffy, Ace was sure, still had a way with people. Luffy sucked you in and made you fall into an easy friendship with him. It was just his nature.
Ace sighed as he took a swing of his drink. He missed his crew and he missed Ashina and Sabo more. He wondered what they were doing. Where they were now. How big had Sabo grown? Was he still enjoying pureed solid foods? Had he tried any new ones? He wondered if he was fussy without Ace there. He hoped his boy wasn't giving his mother too much trouble. The Merry reminded him greatly of the Spadille. If he closed his eyes, Ace could see Ashina standing at the railing, midnight air lifting the strands of her long hair. He squeezed his eyes closed and when he opened them he tried to focus on the present.
It was the blue-haired princess, Vivi, that allowed Ace to distract his mind when she pulled out a map and began discussing where they were going to make landfall. Ace shared his business in Alabasta and decided to travel with the group inland. It would give him more time with his brother, and the company, no matter how boisterous they were, was a welcome change to being alone.
The trek through the desert was hot, even with the proper clothing to protect them from the sun. The heat made Ace think of Ashina. She'd love it here in Alabasta. He could picture her laying on the sand, her blanket stretched out, and that damn blank bikini covering as little of her skin as publicly decent. She wouldn't care about the blistering heat, she'd bask in it. Kotatsu would be right beside her, though maybe not in this type of heat. The poor reindeer wasn't having much of a good time with all his fur.
The cold night air, however, Ashina would hate, Ace thought as the group made camp. As everyone settled for the night, and waited for Sanji to say the food was done, Ace sat away from the group. It gave him a chance to be alone, but to also observe his brother with his crew. It was better at the moment for him to be away from the group.
He wanted to tell Luffy about Ashina. He wanted to tell him how smart she was, how strong she was, how beautiful. He wanted Luffy to know about their adventures together and how wonderful of a mother she was to their son. Ace wanted more than anything to tell Luffy about Sabo, his Sabo. Ace touched his short's pocket, where the picture of Ashina and little Sabo was safely tucked away, but he didn't dare take it out. He would brag on Ashina and his son, and tell Luffy how much Ashina and Sabo helped him come to terms with his father being Gold Roger. As much as he wanted to tell Luffy everything, he couldn't.
Ace trusted his brother, and from his observations, it was clear Luffy trusted his crewmates, but Ace couldn't take the chance. Ace remembered how easily Luffy blabbed about Roger being Ace's father and he couldn't bring himself to call Luffy over. One slip, one word uttered in front of the wrong person would be danger for his family. Pops would protect Ashina and Sabo, he knew, but Ace wouldn't bring any unnecessary trouble to his family.
It was late in the evening, when everyone was finally asleep, that Ace felt safe enough to pull out the picture. He traced his finger over the curve of Ashina's cheek, wishing he could touch her if only to feel her in his arms again for the briefest of moments. Stroking his thumb over the image, he stared at his little boy, barely a few weeks old in the picture.
"Oh."
The soft exclamation snapped Ace out of his thoughts and his eyes lifted to see Vivi standing in front of him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I thought everyone was asleep. I just…"
"Couldn't sleep?" he provided.
"Hmm." Vivi nodded and Ace gave her half a smile.
"It's alright. You're not disturbing me," Ace said.
She nodded again and then folded herself down onto the ground beside him. "I'm sorry to pry, but is that a picture? Who's it of?"
Ace hesitated, looking to where Luffy and his crewmates, sans Nami, were piled in a tent together. All appeared to be asleep, so Ace took a deep breath and passed the picture to Vivi.
"Oh," she whispered, studying the image of a young woman holding an infant. "Is this your family?"
Ace nodded. "Ashina and Sabo. Please don't tell Luffy… he's got a bit of a big mouth. Other than my crew and her father no one knows about our boy. Being a pirate's son in a dangerous thing."
Vivi looked up, her eyes wide. "I wouldn't. I promise. I'll keep them secret." Vivi looked back down at the picture and her lips curved up into a gentle smile. "Sabo looks like you. Is he still a baby?"
"Half a year old," Ace whispered, pride tinting his voice.
"Oh, how old was he here, then?"
"Only a week or two, maybe a couple days? Those first weeks went by quick, it all started to kind of blur together."
Vivi smiled again, looking to the picture and then to Ace and back. "He looks like you even then. His mother, Ashina you said," she glanced to him for confirmation and then continued at his nod, "she very pretty. Her hair is extraordinary. You must miss them, traveling by yourself."
Ace didn't speak for a moment and Vivi frowned. "I'm so sorry. That was insensitive. Of course you miss th-"
"It's okay, princess. No harm done. But you're right. I do miss them, but I've left for this mission and I'll see it through. Ashina understands that and the why behind it. My crew, my family, they'll protect her and Sabo until I return."
"That's nice that you have people you trust like that to care for your loved ones. You have a beautiful family, Ace-san," Vivi said, handing the picture back to him with a smile. "I promise not to say a word."
Ace took it and slipped the photograph back into his pocket. "Thank you, Vivi."
Vivi hummed, turning to look at the stars. They were quiet for a moment, both lost in thought.
She went to stand, but Ace made her pause at the sound of her name. "Vivi… when I first met Luffy's crew I thought Nami was similar to Ashina, but after we've traveled. I see your determination. You remind me of her." Ace took a breath and continued, "You have a goal, a dream. She wants to change the world, you want to change the life of your people, your country. You both like to stare at the stars," he said on a chuckle, making Vivi grin.
Ace continued, cutting his eyes to look at her, "You're strong, stronger than you believe you are, I bet."
Ace looked back to the stars himself, thinking of Ashina in this situation. She'd never back down in order to protect someone she loved, he knew, for she stood up to Pops, Marco, and Thatch for him. That time felt like an eternity ago as he sat in the desert of Alabasta. Ace was glad to have met Luffy here in the Grand Line, to have met his crew and Vivi. His wild little brother managed to gather a good crew, they were a strange bunch, but they watched out for one another, they cared about each other. Ace knew Luffy would ask Vivi to stay, but she had bigger responsibilities, like Ace did himself, and she was resolute on saving her people.
"I believe you'll succeed because you're determined, you have something to protect," Ace added when she remained silent. "A princess who loves her people above all else, you'll make a great Queen one day, Vivi-san."
Vivi let out the softest of gasps, her blush pale in the moonlight. "Thank you, Ace-san. I hope you succeed in your mission so you may return to your family quickly. You are a kind pirate, like your brother. I appreciate your words tonight, and one day I would like to meet your wife, Ashina. Goodnight, Ace-san."
The correction caught in his throat, and Ace was glad she bid him goodnight. He nodded in return with a whispered, "Goodnight."
Wife. Ace wondered how he would even correct her, what would he call Ashina? His lover? The mother of his child? While true, they all felt insufficient. She was his other half. She was his just as he was hers.
Wife. He'd have to ask Shanks first. It seemed like the right thing to do before he married the man's only daughter, his only child. Ace laid back in the sand and looked up at the stars, wondering if Ashina was doing the same, staring into the sky. They weren't on the same side of the Line, but the stars never changed.
Ace was going to find Teach. He was going to make good on his word and avenge Pops, Thatch, and himself as Teach's Commander. Then, he was going to go back to the Moby, back to his other half and the boy they created together. He'd find Shanks somehow, maybe swipe Ashina's vivre card, and track him down so he could ask him to marry Ashina. Then, he'd ask her, and Ace was ninety-nine percent sure she'd say yes.
.
.
.
Shanks was already on edge as he prepared to board Whitebeard's ship. He searched again for the familiar current of haki and frowned when he couldn't pick it out from the crowd. Frowning deeper, he let his own current of haki loose as he climbed aboard the Moby Dick.
"Yoi, Red-Hair, what's up with this? Why are you knocking out our crew?"
Shanks cut his eyes over to Marco and then looked back to Whitebeard as he walked across the deck, dragging the massive container of sake behind him. He was waiting for her to dart out of the crowd, to surprise him with how well she masked her presence, but when she never appeared Shanks' frown deepened even more. He remained silent as he folded himself down onto the deck across from Whitebeard.
He tossed the sake toward Whitebeard, who caught the jug easily. "I brought you some sake from my hometown, best kind there is."
Whitebeard only hummed, popping the cap and smelling the contents before ordering one of his men to fetch a cup for Shanks.
"Where's my little girl? My grandson?" Shanks asked, eyes scanning the deck once more before landing on Whitebeard. He accepted the large cup of sake from the unknown crew member.
"They're on their way back to the Revolution."
Shanks eyes widened and his blood boiled. He set the cup down and leveled Whitebeard with a hard stare. He was glad to see her going to land, but at a time like this he couldn't understand why he sent her away, and the angry father inside him lashed out. "She's unprotected and unaccounted for? Why would you send her away now? What were you thinking!"
Whitebeard threw the jug at Shanks, narrowly missing his head, and boomed. "Weren't you the one who said she needed to be grounded to an island should trouble begin to brew? That you wanted her grounded before it was too late? She made a request, and I made a decision. Don't question my judgement as Captain of this ship!"
"If it concerns my daughter or my grandson, I'll do as I damn well please. Is she going after Ace? The rumors have spread across the seas. You had a mutiny of sorts, and Ace has gone off on a one man hunt to find Teach. You need to call him off."
"You don't get to order me around, brat."
"Call him off. You have to sense that Teach is up to no good. There's something sinister brewing, Newgate. Did you send Ashina after him?"
"I would never put my daughter in that kind of danger!" Pops boomed. "I told you no lies. She is returning to the Revolution with Sabo to protect him if there comes a need for us to take action."
Shanks let it go that Whitebeard called her his daughter, for he knew the man cared for her and Shanks did appreciate that, however it didn't change what needed to be done. "Call off Ace."
"No. Teach needs to pay for what's he's done. He may not have been successful in killing my other son, but he betrayed our trust, betrayed our family. Ace is doing what needs to be done."
"Ace has bigger responsibilities than a wild goose chase and revenge for a failed murder attempt!" Shanks' voice raised, despite him trying to remain calm. "I've fought in many battles over the years, earned a few scars along the way, and I've learned to get a feel for the situation. This one doesn't sit well, Newgate, you must feel it too. Call Ace back."
"It's too late for that."
"It's not," Shanks countered, his voice hard. "If he hasn't caught up to Teach then it's not too late. Call him back."
"Don't give me orders brat!"
Shanks was surprised at the speed at which Whitebeard moved, but he was prepared, sensing the action with his haki. Whitebeard ripped away his medical lines that hooked him to the machines behind him, grabbed his naginata, and stepped forward, swinging the weapon down hard at Shanks. He met the blow with his sword drawn, the resounding clash booming like thunder and splitting the skies.
Pops laughed, a rough sound, as he withdrew. The end of his weapon stamped the wooden boards of the deck with a solid thunk as he stared at Shanks. Shanks didn't sheath his own weapon, but instead let it hang relaxed at his side.
"This meeting is over," Pops ordered. "I'll not call off Ace, from the word on the seas, he's close to catching that bastard. Marco, get Red-Hair the number for Ashina's transponder snail. Once you have the number, leave this ship."
Shanks stared, eyes squinted as he glared at Whitebeard. "I appreciate the number, but you're making a mistake Whitebeard."
"Me and mine will be ready for whatever is coming. Will you?"
Shanks didn't answer as he sheathed his weapon. Marco appeared at Shanks' side, a slip of paper between his fingers. Shanks took it with a grateful nod.
"She touched base this morning, yoi," Marco said softly. "They're nearing the Revolutionary base and should reach land within the next few days. She's safe with the Spade Pirate crew, couple of the other second division members went with her too."
Shanks nodded, but didn't comment. She wasn't safe. Those men might care for her and lay down their life for her, but she was the strongest on that ship he had no doubt. His nerves wouldn't be calmed until he heard her voice for himself, maybe not even then.
Shanks turned to leave, and took several steps before Whitebeard called out, "Red-hair."
When Shanks stopped he continued, "I never have asked, but everyone wonders. Who took your left arm?"
Shanks dropped his chin, hand reaching up to touch his left shoulder for a second before letting his hand drop to his side. Raising his head, he answered as he walked away, thinking of Luffy first, picturing the young boy he used to be, before he thought of Ashina, Ace, and his grandson. "I gave it up for the next generation."
As Shanks boarded the Red Force he touched the scar on his face. His encounter with Teach years ago left him with the permanent reminder and a bad taste in his mouth. The scar seemed to throb with phantom pain, much like his left arm did on occasion, and Shanks wondered if it was a bad omen.
"Boss?" Benn asked, lighting a cigarette.
"Set sail for the course we planned. I'll be in my quarters."