Parenthood is one of the most beautiful parts of a human life. Edward Newgate is sure of this fact.
People always wonder about things they have no information on. Humans are curious, after all, it's in their nature. And just like in a reality show or between actors, singers and such, the attention is always on the famous individuals. It isn't much more different in this era - though people don't have televisions and phones here, so the only thing that remains is the newspaper and the rumors.
The ones that are present are the famous people. Well, more like infamous.
Pirates are very much in the center of all things, at all times. And people who do not know the world of these kind of "criminals" wonder all the time - what do they want? Fame? Power? Gold? All of these are good guesses. People often chose pirating for their career because of these kind of reasons. They were poor, so they want to be rich. They were weak and served others, so they want to rule, they want to be powerful. They weren't as interesting, or they were just too plain, too normal, so they want to stand out, they want to be famous. Others often can tell which one of these is the goal of a pirate by just watching their actions and listening to what they say, what they shout to the world to hear. The majority of humans stop here though and don't look behind these three things. They don't bother, or they just don't believe that the ones who sail these seas are humans too - therefore their dreams, needs and desires can vary from a simple adventure to owning the biggest ship in the world, for example. There very well may exist a person who set sail just because he was afraid that his mother found out about the broken vase in the kitchen. You never know.
The guessing game becomes much more intense when it comes to the big names. People guess, but they don't know for sure. The name Whitebeard carries awe, power and, of course, fear. People fear the unknown. And when it comes to the huge pirate captain with tons of crewmates whom he calls sons? People don't know what exactly he wants. What he desires.
It's in front of their nose, really. Calling the ones in your crew sons and daughters is a huge giveaway. Unbelievable as it may seem, Edward Newgate is a normal human being too - therefore, at the beginning of his pirate career he desires the one thing he doesn't have.
A family.
Whitebeard often thinks back to the days when he wasn't a captain. A little older he may be, but he remembers the searching, the emptiness. The void he wished to fill with something.
Any time he remembers though, one of his sons seems to magically appear before him. Either with a big, mischievous grin, a tired groan, eyes shining with questions, or just the need for his company. After that he remembers again - this time, he remembers how incredibly happy, whole, content and lucky he is. Because his dream is in front of him - people guess all the time what he wants, but seem to not notice that he already accomplished it a long time ago. Now he just becomes happier and happier with each person who becomes a new addition to his crew, his family.
People complain a whole lot when it comes to children, but even if being a parent can be challenging, Whitebeard wouldn't have it any other way. So in the meantime he laughs and drinks and smiles, celebrating the fact that he is a father to all these incredible men and women in his crew. Celebrating that he could give them a home, a place they can belong to.
Celebrating the fact that he himself found this home.
As he muses on things, sounds of a person knocking on his door reach his ears. The knock is steady and restrained, and even though he can tell by this, who exactly is in front of the door, he checks with his Observation Haki too. After a deep "Come in, son!", Marco slowly steps in, a pink little Den Den Mushi in his right palm. He says hi and starts to walk closer to the huge bed. His face is a bit stoic and laid-back as usual, his eyelids halfway closed. There is something in his expression though which is a bit unusual - a frown on his face. Confusion? No, maybe... maybe shock and plain curiosity. Whichever it is, it piques Whitebeards interest.
"Pops."
"Marco," the pirate captain nods for him to continue. The phoenix seems to hesitate a bit, but hands the Den Den Mushi to Whitebeard nonetheless and puts his hands in his pockets.
"We got a call from an island called Granrock. It wasn't one of our allies, and the island isn't under our protection either. Thatch was the one who picked up, so I don't know much, but he was pretty out of it," the blond said with a chuckle. "He was murmuring to himself, flailing his arms and shouting nonsense to everyone who passed by. I only gathered that the one who called was a woman, nothing else. It would be better if you would call her back, Thatch insisted on it."
Whitebeard blinks and nods, deep in his thoughts. Not many people knew his crew's Den Den Mushi number. The name Granrock wasn't familiar either. And a woman?
"Could it be a marine trap?"
"Unlikely," Marco sits down on the bed, next to his father, since Whitebeard didn't send him out of the room. He was curious about the mysterious woman who called - curious about the cause of Thatch's little breakdown in the communication room.
Meanwhile the said man was crying tears of joy, hugging anyone who dared to try to find out what exactly put him into a mood like this. Shouts of "Big brother!" and "Cute little sibling!" could be heard all across the deck.
Whitebeard dials the number and waits with his son next to his right leg.
Parenthood is one of the most beautiful parts of a human life. Edward Newgate is sure of this fact. His sons and daughters are with him and he can protect the ones he loves. He is content, happy and very, very lucky - what he isn't, though, is prepared.
Prepared for the voice that suddenly comes from the little Den Den Mushi. And so both father and son remain speechless with eyes as wide as the Grand Line.
"Yo, Newgate, it's me. I tried to call you, but this damn snail was sick or something and couldn't connect, or some shit. How are you doing? Oh well," comes the smooth, deep voice of a woman Whitebeard knew well. Very well.
And then the bomb has been dropped.
"I called to tell you that I'm pregnant. Six more months and you can hopefully meet your child. Don't be late. Bye."
The Den Den Mushi closes its eyes with a "katcha", and the only thing that remains is the absolute silence, with two men stunned and frozen rigid in their seats.
Six months later, the Moby Dick is anchored on the east side of Granrock.
The island itself is incredible. The Grand Line, especially the New World is full of unique islands, but this one - this one is special in its own way.
For starters, it's almost invisible to the human eye. It's big, bigger than Fishman Island even, but still as greatly hidden as a needle in a haystack. The currents in the sea near Granrock are nearly impossible to ride. It's like a chaotic war between each current, one colliding with the other, each and every one of them moving away from the island. There is only one path between them, and it takes a damn good navigator with a damn good ambition to find this path and not die with the rest of the crew in a careless moment. Whitebeard is amazed - if it can be possible, he respects Matilda even more than before. He always knew that she was a brave soul, but reaching the island all by herself was definitely a big challenge for the woman.
She always searched for the big challenges in life.
Even so, Whitebeard is glad that she decided to stay here after she found out about her pregnancy. He can only guess what would've happened to her if she decided to continue risking her own goddamn health with bold and reckless actions.
The captain follows his commanders and gets down from the ship. He slowly walks towards Marco, Thatch and Izou and stops as he reaches the top of the little hill. He can only stare in awe.
It's just like a tale, the sky and the land. On the right side of the island the dominant shades of grey and black rule the sky. Thunders and lightning are all across the hills and mountains, coming after each other with one or two seconds of a difference. Rain is pouring from the clouds, forming a smooth veil on the horizon. As Whitebeard moves his eyes a bit, the grey and black patches start to turn into a copper-colored, dull orange, and the rain stops at some point. The dull lights create a mystical atmosphere around the trees and the road going down the valley. It's an outstanding view, many of the Whitebeard pirates think it's like a chemical disaster's remnants were left in the sky. The final part of the island is the most beautiful from all. The sun is setting, which just makes the picture more beautiful. The sky swims in clear orange colors and meets the land with a deep red. A river flows down the hill, into the valley. It hugs the small village placed in the center. The crown on this beautiful landscape is a little rainbow, placed exactly on top of the highest mountain of the island.
The crew is in awe. The majority remains on the ship at the orders of Whitebeard. The Captain and a few commanders start to head to the village - more specifically, to the little house on the sides.
Matilda is an interesting woman, alright. She is a devil fruit user, despite this she's always on the sea if she can help it. Edward Newgate couldn't find a woman like this in thousand years, and he knows it very well.
Hence the many attempts to marry her.
He still remembers their first encounter. It was from long ago, really. He was still a member of the Rocks Pirates. He couldn't forget those determined, playful eyes since. Certain that she would get away with the things she planned to do.
Well, she was right.
Whitebeard may be content with his life so far, but when he says his dream is having a family, it doesn't just concern the father-child kind of relationships. Simple as two plus two, Whitebeard wanted to marry a woman for a long time.
And then came Matilda. She was strong, stronger than any other woman he met. Her voice, attitude and posture all screamed bold, stubborn and intelligent. She was one of a kind.
Still is.
A woman like this craved adventure and challenges along the way. Her life was pure chaos and adrenaline - this was what defined her whole being. She was hot-headed too, always getting caught up in arguments with everyone she crossed paths with. Consequently, she didn't have a lot of friends. More like foes. Yet despite all the pissed off people's attempts, no one could ever catch her.
Not even Whitebeard himself, even though he meant the catching part a little bit differently.
They were lovers for a long time. When Matilda showed up, they would have a little time for themselves before she was on the move again. The crew knew about the secretive woman, but not even Marco or the other commanders saw her until now. She always found the right place and the right time for her and Newgate to be alone, never messing up.
Of course, Whitebeard asked for her hand. The first time, he was rejected with a series of shouts and angry punches. Matilda left him in the hotel and left as soon as possible. But although he didn't see her for the next six months, she came back.
It was like that for the rest of the attempts too. Whitebeard would ask her to marry him, and she would reject him, then come back.
He knew he wouldn't succeed though. Newgate came to realize that Matilda was a loner in heart, and that wasn't a bad thing. She loved, and she was loved, but she didn't want to settle down and leave the things she did on her adventures. Even if the new home would've been a pirate ship, filled with chaos and adrenaline.
Whitebeard respected that. Though it was hard and it hurt a lot, he didn't leave her. He couldn't. He still asked her sometimes, but he already knew the answer.
Looks like the little meeting nine months ago left a bigger part of him with the woman.
When they arrive to the little house, the door is already opened. It's too little for Whitebeard to go in, so he waits - he knows that Matilda sensed him a long time ago. Marco, Thatch and Izou are curious about the woman, they never met her after all. To think that they'll finally meet the person who would've become the wife of their captain... Time couldn't pass by slower.
Suddenly the door cracks and a person comes out of the house.
She has long, dark brown hair that reaches her shoulders and the center of her back. Her eyes are sharp and lively with obsidian orbs, shining in the dim light. She stands tall and proud, with a straight back and stable posture. Her face is neutral, if a little relieved and excited as she looks at the pirate captain and sees his face once again.
Marco's eyes are suddenly drawn to the little wrapped up blanket in her hands, just as Whitebeard's.
Matilda steps closer.
"It's good to see you again."
Whitebeard seems to snap out of the shock and his face softens as he steps closer to his lover.
"It's good to see you again too, Mat."
He hugs the woman and she hugs him back, tightening her grip on him for a second, then letting go. She slowly turns towards the baby in her hands and lifts her up a bit.
"Your daughter," she says. Whitebeard slowly takes the little one from her and lifts her up in his arms. He sees her face for the first time. The little girl starts to giggle and shouts happy cries when she moves a bit and finds the most comfortable position in his father's palm.
"How old is she?" he asks quietly.
"Six weeks old. Her birthday is on December 30."
The girl lifts her little head up - god, so tiny - and opens her big, excited eyes. She smiles and giggles again while rolling on Whitebeard's palm.
The scene melts everyone's heart.
Matilda for the first time since the pirates came here smiles a cheeky grin and puts her hands on her hips.
"Her name is Edward Abigail. Brave, evil, cheeky little brat, I tell ya."
Thatch sheds tears of joy, Marco and Izou look at each other with a matching grin. Whitebeard laughs loudly and with all his heart, and lifts his little girl so she can be in his face's level.
"Welcome, Abigail."
Marco is on babysitter duty. Again.
Not that he's complaining. It's always amusing and entertaining when he has to watch the energetic three-year-old and take care of her. The little girl with the tiny, brown curls may resemble her mother in looks, but her personality definitely comes from her father - from their father, he muses.
He has a little sister.
Sometimes it's hard to comprehend the fact that the youngest sibling among them is now a three-year-old girl. And, to be honest, Marco really likes the big brother role - Thatch does too, and he shows it every damn time when he cooks for the little lady. Marco swears that apart from Abigail, not a single person managed to get a heart-shaped chocolate cake decorated with tiny butterflies made from white chocolate and berries from one of Whitebeard's commanders. Ever. She can put that in her resume later.
There are things which worry Marco a lot though. One of them concerns the mother herself - Matilda.
She really is one of a kind. She recovered very quickly from the pregnancy too. The strong will, and even stronger body and soul this woman has easily could race with a man who has Conqueror's Haki. And that's saying something.
But even with the good traits, Marco has to say that Matilda isn't a good mother. Not because she makes mistakes or does certain things wrong - it's because she just can't be a good mother.
Marco doesn't wonder now why didn't she accept his father's marriage proposal, because he knows the reason. Matilda belongs at sea. She is reckless, full with adrenaline and the drive to search for adventures, fights, sticky situations. She enjoys it - enjoys playing.
Playing with her life.
She isn't suicidal, oh no. She is just free. One could say that she is a child in a beautiful woman's body. This doesn't mean that she isn't mature enough or intelligent enough.
It means that she doesn't like to take responsibility.
Marco talked to her in private once - he asked why didn't she want to become their mother.
"I can't deal with children the amount of Newgate's ship; hell, it'd be impossible for me. Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me want to curl up in a corner and cry in fear. It's not for me, being a mother that is... this kind of responsibility scares me. Because I know I wouldn't do it right."
Marco thought she was just being a little nervous, or scared maybe, but now he knows it wasn't the case. Matilda simply wasn't made to be a parent, and she knew that - she accepted that with the same boldness and braveness and admitted it with a confident smile. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses - this is what she got.
She loved them all still the same after she met a few of the commanders, but they knew things wouldn't change - Matilda was a loner who enjoyed her life to the fullest this way.
But then came Abigail.
She was still a child. She needed attention, love, affection, she needed a role model in her life - she needed time spent with her. And for Matilda, that meant time spent away from her home - the sea.
She tried though. She promised Whitebeard that if she wouldn't be able to be a mother to his crew, she would at least be there for their daughter. She would do that right. After all, the pirate captain couldn't possibly just settle down and raise a child. He couldn't bring her with them either. The New World and the Grand Line was dangerous as it was, but on a pirate ship? Children don't really belong there.
His father tried to visit them as much as possible though.
Marco knew deep down that the time will come when Matilda reaches her limits. And he was right.
The commanders often visited Granrock after a raid or a mission. They sometimes came without their father too, just to check up on their youngest, cutest little sibling.
Marco came together with Izou once, but things were a little different. No one was in the house, and they couldn't find Matilda nor Abigail near. When they went to look in the village, they found the little girl at an older woman's house, crying in a wooden box. Apparently, Matilda went away for a bit and left her child with an acquaintance.
Izou was bursting with restrained anger and Marco wasn't much better. The two decided to take matters into their own hands - they asked their father if they could come and visit a little more frequently and stay for a bit longer. Of course, Whitebeard was happy that his children cared for each other this much.
They took babysitting shifts from then. Matilda still came back a few times, but she went away more and more - now she was away for nearly three months. When the commanders couldn't leave Abigail with one of them, they took her to a woman who lived at the foot of the mountain. They became friends really quickly and she was kind and caring - she was always happy to look after the child until Matilda or one of the commanders came back.
The other thing that worries Marco a lot and keeps him up at night is that Abigail still doesn't speak.
It's normal for babies to start speaking in sentences when they are a little order, but a three-year-old should at least say some words or fragments of certain words easily.
Abigail was happy, energetic and bright - but still silent.
No one gave it any thought because she seemed okay though. But Marco was a Mother Hen deep in his heart, even if he denies it with his whole being. So now that he is on babysitting duty, he has a personal mission.
Get his little sister to say her very first word.
...
Thatch will be so jealous when he'll return with success and once they come here together, show him the results. Ha, take that, pompadour-haired moron!
Abigail may be just three years old, but she knows exactly where she stands in this world.
At first she didn't believe it - thought that her mind played games with her every time she saw the huge man whom her mother called "Newgate". There were a lot of men named Newgate after all, were there not? The height and his appearance was probably some kind of fever dream, or something.
Yeah, she calmed down then.
But after that came the others, and she couldn't deny it anymore - that ridiculous pompadour hair and the blond standing next to him with a head shaped like a damn pineapple...
Abigail is currently three years old (again), and she thinks day and night. Thinks about what she should do now.
Reincarnation was always a bit nonsense to her. Not that now that she experienced it she became wiser. She still doesn't understand it. What she understands is the fact, that her father - her biological father - is called Edward Newgate.
And he is a Yonko, the captain of one of the strongest pirate crews on the seas... The Strongest Man in the World.
...
She has to agree that it sounds cool. It's really cool.
Still, as soon as Abigail realizes where and who she is, she stops trying to speak.
It's a little bit easier for her. Her mind and head is full with information put on information, wrapped around in other information. She now knows things - things she knows she shouldn't know. She doesn't remember her first life, but she knows certain things about this world here. It's like she wrote on a piece of paper with invisible ink, and now she can't really read the whole thing. It's there, but it still isn't. It's really frustrating.
And this shit is straining her brain quite a bit.
So now she doesn't speak and concentrates on sorting things out in her own head. It's hard to think or act when everything is foggy in your mind.
However, she has her moments in this new life too. Because she has a father, a mother... and lots and lots of siblings.
Her mother, Matilda is a unique woman. She doesn't blame her for not being here with her all the time, because she understands her feelings. She wouldn't want her mother to be chained down and robbed of her freedom, so she lets her leave every time with a bright smile. She hopes her mother finds what she's searching for on the seas.
Her father is the kindest and the most caring person she ever met in her life, and although she doesn't remember her first life, she's still sure of this fact. She recalls an image of a man, standing tall and proud, blood dripping off of his body and on the verge of death... an image of a man with a hole in his chest, but still standing like a statue, like a guardian. A father who gave everything, who died for his family...
Who died standing, not a single wound on his back after the war.
Abigail thinks she must be one of the luckiest people in this world and she treasures every single moment she spends with Whitebeard, with Edward Newgate... with her father.
She wants to make him as proud of her as possible, she thinks, so she already plans the things she will do in life with excitement written all over her face.
But out of the people who visit her in this island, she loves her siblings the most.
They are always there for her when she needs them, and they visit more often than her father or her mother could.
Now, she is with Marco again. She would really like to let a few "pineapple comments" or "Mama Bird" jokes slip past her lips, but she holds them back for now and spares Marco's sanity. It would be weird for her to suddenly speak in full sentences, and with sarcasm or irony too.
So she remains silent, finding a piece of paper and starting to doodle.
Out of the corner of her eyes she sees Marco sigh and frown a bit with his fingers on his chin. It's unusual for Marco to look this deep in thought, so Abigail becomes curious, but doesn't stop drawing. Marco suddenly gets up and with a smile starts walking to the girl.
"Hey, Aby-chan. Look what I got you~!"
The three-year-old arches her eyebrow, and sits up with curiosity. Marco sits down next to her and hands her a little package - a small box, wrapped around in a smooth material. Abigail holds the thing in her hands and she thinks hard about whether to open it or not. It's so beautiful!
Marco smiles and waits for her to open it though, so she decides to continue with the unboxing. Huh, wonder where that word came from.
When she opens the little box, she gasps and her eyes widen a bit. Marco gives her an excited grin and waits for his little sister to get the present out of the box.
"It's from Izou," he says while his eyes soften a bit. "He thought you would like it since you kept looking at the scarfs at the store in the village. A storm can come at any time in this island, so it's practical too... and Thatch said that you pointed at the green colors the most when you were playing "guess-the-color", so we assumed you'd like it in green as well. How is it?"
His eyes were shining when he asked the question.
Abigail is at a loss of words. Tears threaten to run down her round face as she looks up at her big brother. She suddenly jolts up and jumps in Marco's arms.
It was perfect.
She doesn't really know why she's obsessed with scarfs, but they always catch her eye when she and her siblings are shopping in the village.
It really was perfect.
"Thank you."
Marco stills. So does Abigail. Did she say something wrong?
The blond suddenly lifts her up with great enthusiasm and looks her in the eye with wide, shining, hopeful eyes.
"What did you say? Can you repeat it?"
Abigail just stares at her brother. His expression turns into a desperate one. She doesn't want to see him like that.
"Please? Try it for me? Just a-"
"Thank you, Marco-Nii."
Marco almost chokes on air as he starts sobbing quietly and hugging his little sister. He cries and laughs and says things like "This is my sister!" or "You're so good, I'm so proud of you!" and frankly, Abigail starts to laugh, cry and sob too. Because she did it, and she did it with Marco's help. With her brother's help.
Later though Marco's excitement turns into pure shock and fear. He doesn't know what went wrong, or who said such things in front of his little sister, but he genuinely fears for his life.
Next time Thatch visits, he bursts into a mix of laughter and brotherly fury as the first thing he hears from Abigail is "fuck", "shit" and "dammit". All that with an angelic smile splattered across her face.
Abigail knows she's being a little devil... but hey, messing with Marco is a little funny.