Hello everyone! So a couple of things. Read this AFTER you read the chapter below.
.Ok Have you read it?
.How about now?
.Now?
Ok... I wanted to address I know the timeline between Rosinante is off. In my head before I wrote this, thought yeah it would work but I forgot this take place 3 years before the 2 year time skip. So no, it doesn't work. At all... but I went with it because the fanfic surrounds her heritage. So flipping sorry. I'm just sticking with it and forget that he died at 26...add that to only 10 years in between. It was a major mess up on my part. I hope I don't lose you guys over this.
Second thing... The Vinsmoke boys would be 16 in the story line. I know this, plan on playing on the age difference. You'll see how in the future.
As time went by the man traveled to the living room and sat down on the floor in front of his wooden coffee table. He listened as the old geezers continued with their conversation while he relaxed. It became noise at that point. Actually, almost too noisy for the marine admiral's comfort. His home felt crowded but at the same time, it felt good. He was pleased to hear short stories of R's training and furthermore Katie who hovered over the three teens at his kitchen table. It appeared they were all big eaters themselves and she was happy to accommodate. For him, this scenario would be considered added stress but she didn't see it that way. Instead, the curly-haired officer watched the brunette's shoulders lower and her smile grow. She really was a happy person. Which given the military status against the pirates, the woman's expression was a nice change of pace.
"Aokiji...? Yo! You pay'n any attention amateur", Garp admonished before taking another swig of sake straight from the green bottle in his hand.
Honestly, the admiral wasn't. He was naturally caught off guard and if he didn't come up with a quick excuse, those sharp blue eyes were going to be the last things he ever saw. "Uh, no... Sorry. I'm distracted a bit", he honestly admitted before slipping off the towel from the back of his neck.
"Oh? Like my granddaughter, do ya? Can't take your eyes off her?" There was a husky warning in that question. Aokiji felt a shiver travel down his spine and back up. He now understood the feeling of having one foot in the grave.
"Huh", his mind quickly raced. The cold sweat on his back began to form. If the old man decided to push this, he was going to be in for a world of hurt. "She's spoiling them. I don't know how much I can watch without putting a stop to it but she seems really happy though", the admiral quickly excused. It was a half-truth. Katie had been spoiling the three but he didn't care. It was just the first thing that popped into his mind.
Garp broke into laughter followed by Sengoku who seemed to try and hold it in but lost the battle. Aokiji let out a quiet sigh of relief and realized he was happy to be sitting on the blue carpeted floor facing the two old men. If they saw just how wet his back was, the jig would have been up. Then, after a short pause, the man realized why the two men were cackling their heads off. They were teasing him. His own large hand came up and slapped over his eyes before the admiral began rubbing his temples.
"Grandpa", all three men heard Katie's voice snap across the room. "Both of you stop teasing him... I swear..."
"Oh hush grandchild of mine", Garp bit back with a deeper tone.
"Grandpa! Don't you dare hush me! If you do it again, no dessert I promise!" Aokiji had to spend every last ounce of self-discipline not to react or even snicker. The image of this tiny female still in her black tank top and capris, scolding a marine still in his white and blue uniform, seemed a bit amusing. The officer even took notice that his vice-admiral's dog head and coat were hanging next to the door. Now that he thought about it, even Sengoku was still in his dress uniform. His hat and seagull perched on the top of his head but his justice coat hung next to Garp's. They didn't come here just to visit, the marine finally put together. This was the two guarding someone so precious to them.
While Katie and Garp duked it out verbally, Aokiji tuned them out. His copper orbs slowly drifted over to Sengoku who was carefully sipping his sake from a large sake cup. "Want to tell me what's really going on", the admiral muttered under his breath.
Sengoku sighed quietly as he watched his long-time friend rise to his feet and make his way into the open kitchen just to argue with Katie about holding back dessert. "Kane got away from Akainu. He was saved by the devil fruit Kakuren-Kakuren no mi."
The curly black-haired man was left speechless. His jaw slacked, leaving his mouth to gape. "That fruit was rumored to not even exist", Kuzan hissed. The shock of Sakazuki failing was pale in comparison to the famous hidden-hidden fruit, said to make anyone into a master assassin.
"The witness you froze talked after we began the thawing process. This Joveta gave those in their little club a fruit to help them spy on you. The one that stabbed my Katie was the same user who helped Kane escape his fate." Kuzan watched Sengoku dip his chin downward, overshadowing his angered expression. The empty sake cup in the man's hand cracked forcing the fleet-admiral to snap out of his darker thoughts.
"Does Katie know", Aokiji asked while he observed his superior pour himself another cup after replacing the old one with a new one from a small stack in the center of the table. They sat next to a string of full bottles of sake which taunted the officer. He'd had a suspicion he'd want to have a drink afterward.
"Yes. It's why she's keeping your recruits so close. She's afraid they'll be targeted as hostages in a worst-case scenario; besides, I think it helps her relax. She's already told Garp how Grount reminds her of her youngest brother. So that man volunteered to take him under his wing. I've approved. With his strength and inability to rely on his devil fruit at the moment, he's best under that man's care. Plus you already have a lot on your plate. Don't think I haven't noticed how soft you are on her." Sengoku watched Aokiji flinch. It was unintentional on the younger marine's part but the old man saw it as confirmation on his part.
"All of you are", Sengoku reinforced to make Kuzan feel better and to help him realize he wasn't the only one. "I can understand", the fleet-admiral continued. "For you... You have a habit of not being able to turn down those in need and for the other two brats, Katie has the face of her mother. I was around when all of that confusion and fighting happened. I was also there when Angela resurfaced after the Tsunami Incident. I was shocked and didn't want to believe my eyes when I saw a young Sakazuki with her", the older officer continued while he unbuttoned the top of his uniform and took off the decorated blouse.
Kuzan took a moment to get comfortable by laying back on his elbows and stretching out his long legs. The officer ran parallel with his coffee table so he could speak and watch what was going on in his kitchen at the same time. The admiral understood these were things he was sure Katie would never tell him. He wasn't family and some secrets were never meant to be revealed yet here the two men were. He could bet his life's savings, the reason Sengoku was telling him everything was because of the liquor in the man's system. As the second in command gazed upon the shenanigans going on between Garp and his granddaughter, he continued to listen.
"You see there is a long history between Angela and the marines. She was wronged by our very own and ended up a victim that many blamed instead of pursuing justice. The woman had nowhere to run or to go but she still managed to disappear." The officer slipped off his blouse and draped it over the back of the couch, revealing a formidable body under a white tank top. "When she resurfaced, she was with a child. The father was the man who ultimately took her body without permission. He admitted that much later and swore if he ever saw her he'd make her his wife to right his wrong but Angela wasn't the type of person to be owned. She was a free-spirited person and a great head on her shoulders. Especially when it came to the responsibilities of work or studies. There wasn't a single person that could honestly say something bad about her."
As Sengoku reminisced, it reminded Kuzan of Katie. She was very much a free-spirited person but with a streak of responsibility in her personality. The little brunette had dreams and was doing everything in her power to see them bear fruit. In a lot of ways, she was just like Garp and Sengoku. They did a good job influencing her though the woman was a bit reckless and forgetful...
The old man sighed. "I digress", Sengoku sighed. "When she returned, I was taken back a bit. You see...", he paused with a small smile upon his lips. "There was a man I loved like a son. Well, that woman and he hit it off pretty fast. He was only eighteen at the time and she was a little older with a kid; but if you could see how brightly he smiled just thinking about her, it warmed my heart. Then nearly a year had passed, the two tied the knot. There were rumors that she was something she wasn't but Angela didn't care. To be honest neither of them did. That woman began working in the local information shop near the entry port at the Red Line, while he was a newly promoted lieutenant. Of course on his salary alone they could make it but she didn't want him to carry the entire burden." Sengoku paused only long enough to fill his newly plucked sake cup. "As a result, the two changed R's name and gave him his father's name instead of the man who got Angela pregnant because...", the marine paused a moment to stare happily into the cup of sake in his hand. "To Rosinante, R was his son and no one else's."
"So", Kuzan chimed in after remaining quiet and doing his best to not react to Garp locking Katie and Grount into a headlock; swinging them around like children. "What you're saying... She was your granddaughter before Garp but then why is she his official granddaughter and not yours?"
"Rosinante was on a top-secret mission and somehow ended up being killed at the hands of his brother. At least that's what I believe since the fruit he was after, Doflamingo, and other variables came up missing. The only thing that remained was his body lying in the snow with a gentle smile on his face." There was a ridged breath taken in by the older man. It was clear it was hard for him to even talk about the subject. "I had to be the one to inform Angela. At that time Katie was just coming up on six maybe seven years old before her mother packed both kids up that same night. I gave the woman a list of islands and places she could go, some money to survive on, and helped her disappear again. She needed to go to a place not even I would know. It broke my heart that I couldn't protect them but I had suspicions at the time of someone leaking information to the enemy. If Doflamingo discovered his brother had a family, it's highly likely he'd hunt them down. It was a risk I wasn't going to take."
For a long moment, it felt that time had stood still. It was sluggish almost. To find out that such sweet young woman whom he was interested in had an uncle so sinister as Doflamingo, made him shiver. Of course, the admiral didn't blame Katie and his feelings hadn't changed; he still couldn't see the resemblance.
"Angela arrived on a quiet isolated island and for a short time, I'd receive pictures of my grand-kids from letters with no return address. Then I discovered pirates had begun killing off civilians on a whim from her last letter with an address attached it. Afraid for her safety, I sent the only man I could really trust in that situation. If I had sent those two brats, they would have forgotten their mission and try to reconcile with Angela instead and you were busy yourself. Garp did his job and rescued most but found a child so wild and demonic, she nearly killed him. The report was like reading a page from a 'how to be a butcher' instruction manual. Katie had developed her subconscious genius under the most nightmarish conditions one could think of." Before continuing, Sengoku paused to empty his cup and set it down.
"Garp has a scar on his back that he uses his shirt's to cover. Katie had managed to use her hand and pierce it. Luckily for him, he's just as much a monster and can take a beating himself. The rest is history. Garp had moved them to Foosha Village and took Katie and R under his wing. The next time I saw my granddaughter, she was about eight or nine years old after she got lost swimming out at sea. I knew who she was but she didn't remember me much. In fact, she didn't remember much about her father either except that he had an incredible smile and he was a good man." Sengoku tried to cover up his remorse in his tone, as he truly missed Rosinante. The man felt responsible for Katie's and R's loss. There were no words to convey how sorry he was.
Kuzan felt the mood become somber. Everything that had been explained made sense and he would be lying if he wasn't disappointed in Akainu but that wasn't his business. All that happened between this Angela and Sakazuki, needed to stay between them. This did, however, make him worry a little more over Katie's wellbeing around the officer in red. He was a force to be reckoned with when he was angry. The marine didn't like the idea that his colleague had already taken an interest in her; evident from his time at the hospital.
"Aokiji... I'm going to only ask you this once. I know you're soft on her because she's a friend. It's a sort of relief to know, you of all people were the first person to get close. She's my only granddaughter. Take care of her, please...? She's reckless, forgetful, prideful, and downright stubborn but for what she lacks, she makes up for in sincerity." As Sengoku's tone grew quiet, his subordinate chuckled.
"No need to ask me to do something I already planned on. Ever since we met, I've been doing what I can. After all, I owe my life to Garp. We've grown as friends over the amount of time she's been here and that's why I wanted her to stay here instead of staying at her house; which made her feel uncomfortable. Not to mention, I get home-cooked meals when I get off from work and good coffee in the morning...", Kuzan did his best to stifle his yawn but was unable too. He was tired and it was beginning to show.
The fleet-admiral nodded. "I understand she's taken the bedroom and you the couch?" The younger curly-haired marine pointed to the blanket piled next to the man's uniform blouse. "Then it's settled. I'll have the carpenters rearrange the living quarters into a two-bedroom home once she leaves for the Germa Kingdom."
The marine was so shocked at the name of Germa that he ignored the idea of Sengoku giving his blessing for them to live together. "My oh my", Kuzan sharply spoke. "You know what that place is?! It's not safe for her there", the admiral half growled sitting up to face his commander. He felt his blood rise once again. "What are you thinking", he hissed.
"It wouldn't be if she were merely going by herself but I'm sending Zephyr with her", Sengoku added while he crossed his arms.
"So soon after everything...?! The timing couldn't be worse", Aokiji stated before clicking his tongue in protest. He knew the old man had his mind set on this but the marine didn't like it.
The fleet-admiral sighed. "The timing is perfect. Judge discovered that I have a granddaughter. He offered a political marriage and in return he'd be willing to work with us. Of course, I wouldn't approve of any of his sons and you know full well neither would Garp. This is just a formality. It's also a show of strength to the enemies who may assume she's weak. Two assassination attempts, unsuccessful I might add, and Katie still has the power to appear in the public eye. Her presence, like it or not, reflects on us as marines as well."
Kuzan grew quiet. There was no room to argue. He unconditionally detested the idea of Katie leaving his side with Kane still on the loose but to make matters worse was the knowledge of who was going to be in her company. These small events were just adding to the perfect storm. He hoped she had the will to withstand it all.