Characters read Yet Another
By: FunahoMisaki
(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)
"As the East Blue Straw Hats were getting back together and the Queens were making their way past Dressarossa and towards Fishman Island something else was happening at Tottoland."
"What now?" Smoothie asked sighing heavily and wondering what the hell had happened this time.
"Amande…" Mondee said looking sadly at her slightly younger sister who was wandering almost unseeingly around Galette's ministry building to try and get it ready for the next minister to be appointed.
"Did we learn who the black sheep of the Whitebeards is?" Amande asked as she seemed to gently pack away Galette's things into a box. It was a good question, they had been trying to get ahold of Whitebeard and his crew for a while now to find out who it was that had killed their sister. Not just killed her but stolen her body too."
"Sorry again for the deception." Galette murmured to her mother and Brulee who just tightened their hold on her but said nothing.
"So this is before Amande leaves-monder." Mondee said nodding her head and making the others nod their head slightly.
"Yeah. Perospero-nii-chan managed to get ahold of one of Whitebeards allies and get forwarded to the man himself once they learned what happened. He says that it was likely a man who had recently defected from the crew, Marshall D. Teach. The man had stabbed one of his Nakama, fourth division commander Thatch, in the back one night over a Devil Fruit and then fled." Mondee said making Amande's eyes narrow slightly.
"Mama has already given permission for us to hunt him down but not many can go. She said that only one of us can go in a small ship and that if we go we can't take any of the chess peacekeeprs with us." Mondee hurried to say that and make Amande's eyes narrow further.
"I'm going. I'll hunt him down." Amande said her voice a hiss and Mondee nodded, she had a feeling that her sister would say that. After all she had been the one most effected by Galette's death."
"For good reason." Hachee said blowing out a puff of smoke but her eyes were locked onto Amande and Galette.
"You need to appoint someone to Nuts Island then." Mondee reminded her sister who nodded once.
"Take over for me until I return." Amande ordered making her older sister nod once in understanding.
"It'll be taken care of. I promise you I'll do my best by them." Mondee said making Amande nod once as she continued packing away her sisters things."
"I knew you would and you'd have Hachee and Effilee there to help you." Amande said glancing at the oldest of the quadruplets.
"Go ahead to the island and get settled in. I'll be leaving on the hunt as soon as I'm done here and get a few supplies." Amande said making Mondee nod and leave the room without another word. She knew her sister needed some space right now, something which Amande was grateful for.
Amande sighed heavily as she packed another box full of pictures of Galette and their various siblings before she felt something else in her hand. Looking down at the soft almost squishy fabric in her hands, her eyes widened.
"This…this is the stuffed animal I made for her…when she was tiny." Amande said softly in shock as she stared down at the small worn but still loved stuffed animal in her hands."
"Mr. Fuzzles!" Galette's eyes lit up and she wasn't even embarrassed about that. She missed her stuffed animal.
"Amande had been ordered by Mama to find a hobby or something that would make her more 'appealing as a wife' for any potential matches Mama made for her but…the man she was supposed to marry had tried to run a week before the wedding, resulting in his death at the hands of Amande herself. Which meant that Amande had learned how to sew for no reason at all…although…
She did put it to use by making stuffed animals for her siblings and nieces and nephews. This little stuffed cat had been her present for Galette when she was four, Poire having gotten a stuffed panda…but…Amande thought her siblings threw away the stuffed animals she made them. In fact, she knew most of her younger siblings and even the older ones had thrown theirs away or lost theirs after a certain age."
"Not all of us did. I've still got mine." Katakuri said easily and Perospero and Compote nodded their heads.
"I've got mine too." Compote agreed while the other three of the snake neck quads agreed.
"Yeah I've got mine too." Smoothie said nodding.
"Galette…still had hers. She had kept hers for all these years even though most of her siblings threw theirs away or lost theirs by the time they were ten."
Most of the siblings looked sheepish or guilty at that.
"Amande felt more tears in her eyes as she dropped to her knees holding the stuffed animal close to her chest.
"Galette…" Amande murmured brokenly as she felt her tears fall again…and that's when she felt it. A piece of paper in the cat's hidden zipper. With shaking hands Amande decided to open the zipper and see what had been so precious to her little sister that she hid it."
"They had zippers in them?" Flambe asked tilting her head surprised, she had thrown hers away at the age of seven so she hadn't thought to check it out.
"I put a small secret pocket in each of them." Amande said with a nod.
"Reaching into the pouch she pulled out a photo and a letter with her name on it.
The photo was of Galette and Amande during a day off when they were able to meet up, Galette was pulling a funny face while Amande was trying to hide her small smile unsuccessfully. Amande felt more tears in her eyes, she remembered this. Galette had noticed that Amande hadn't been in a good mood for a while and had done everything she could to cheer the swordswoman up. It had worked too, Amande had been smiling by the time Galette had to leave Nuts Island and was in a far better mood than to start with.
Dear Amande-nee,
I'm so sorry I had to do this. If you're reading this then I've probably already faked my death.
At the first few sentences Amande's eyes widened and she felt hope in her heart. Fake her death?"
"Sorry mama." Galette apologized softly again.
"I received a report from a trusted source that someone was going to try and kill me. And given what he knew about the would be killers personality then Teach wouldn't have stopped trying if I didn't die in the first one. I don't know why he wanted me dead and only me, anyone else would have been bonus, but…I couldn't risk him trying to kill me and end up hurting or killing any of our other siblings. So…I pushed my fruit to it's limits and made a clone."
"Which is still impressive considering it moved and had Haki and acted just like the real Galette. Even I can't do that with my Mochi." Katakuri said impressed.
"A perfect replica of me made completely out of butter. I was probably long gone from the island when the clone died. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you but I don't know how Teach would have gotten the killer or weapon to the island, killed me, and then gotten away and I didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt by him if they got in his way. Right now I'm heading to Paradise to lie low until Teach is either caught and killed or completely forgets about whatever reason he wanted me dead for. I left this for you because I knew my death would probably hit you the hardest aside from Poire and I know that you have a predisposition for depression."
Everyone looked at Amande but none said anything. Her siblings had known about her depression after all.
"I didn't want you to relapse and end up doing something stupid. Poire would be fine, we might have been twins and I might have tried my best but we never really got along anyways…it was you I was worried about.
I hope we can meet again one day although I know if it ever comes out that I'm alive Mama will likely brand me a traitor and seek to have me killed. I still love you big sister, you were always my favorite (don't tell Brulee that, she gets pouty when she isn't the favorite big sister)"
"Well now that I know the truth…Brulee is my favorite aunt." Galette said grinning slightly and making Brulee beam and nuzzle her.
"and always will be. It's funny actually…you were more like a mom to me than a big sister…so I'm sorry again that I probably hurt you so badly like this.
Your little sister,
Galette Charlotte.
P.S. Besides maybe while I'm in hiding I can find someone to love me rather than be sold off like cattle by Mama. It might the only silver lining to all of this ;P"
"Why you disobedient-"
"Keep it up Big Mom and I'll show you just how badly I beat you in the other timeline." Luffy growled dangerously to the woman who looked shocked and disbelieving at this.
"Amande felt tears in her eyes again but this time she was smiling. She was alive. Galette was alive.
Her daughter was alive."
"Daughter?!" The rest of the room but a few were confused and alarmed at this as their heads whipped towards Amande and Galette.
The book flashed from Black Maria's hand to Galette's and she just glared at everyone to make them shut up so she could read.