Nami worried a lot. Again, she was quite overwhelmed. She worried about her sleeping captain - he had been sleeping for two days now because of the exhausting state he had been in - while Chopper was watching him. The navigator looked over the other ships docked at the island, occasionally putting planks on railings to travel between ships.
She was glad that her captain was the Second Commander's brother. It meant she didn't have to fear one of the fourth powerful pirate crews of the world. The woman sighed, sitting next to the railing watching the crew's doctor changing the bandages of her captain. He would be hungry once he woke up. Nami noticed her best friend discussing quietly with one of the Spades while Ace laid asleep near his brother. Impel Down had done no good on him. However, according to Chopper he would be healthier as anyone in a matter of weeks.
On the island, the Whitebeards had organized a camp for everybody to come on nights to eat and drink with them. Their allies, when they were not taking care of their injuries, were helping them in different tasks. The Red Force was docked near the Thousand Funny, nevertheless Nami could tell the red-haired captain wanted to come over. For now, the navigator was keeping everybody away. The two brothers needed to rest. The Spades were also guarding the ship, they didn't want any pirate to come over and ask questions that none of the straw hats wanted to answer.
"One of the commanders wants to come on the ship." Deuce informed the three straw hat crewmates. "But I told them that nobody will be allowed on the ship until the brothers woke up." He added before anyone could say anything.
"What a relief." Nami muttered under her breath after exchanging glances with her crewmates.
The island was a large island under the protection of Whitebeard. There was a city on the top of the mountain with a view of the ocean. The city was known for their colorful buildings and their particular gastronomy.
"I'll go to the city to buy food. It'll be better to have enough food to feed the brothers." Nami stated to Usopp and Chopper, both of them nodded as they returned back to what they were doing.
Deuce stepped forward. "I'll go with you. I know the way around." The pair left the ship with a bourse of money with them. The older pirate, by a few years, led the young woman to the city.
Shanks stared blankly at the Thousand Sunny. It was a very cool ship. Their jolly roger was painted on the mainsail. He knew it wasn't his anchor who had done that, he never knew how to draw. His drawings were atrocious, according to Makino. Therefore, someone else had done it. The Emperor looked over the ship, it was a well known type of ship, known as a brigantine, a type of ship that relied on the skill of its navigator. Shanks knew that the red-haired young woman was the navigator of Luffy's crew; he had seen the Eternal Pose on her right wrist. The Thousand Sunny had a lawn on its deck, complete with a swing and a slide. It had an observation tower for a crow's nest. Shanks knew that the huge masts gave the ship extreme maneuverability.
"I never thought I'd see my son again." Shanks heard his snipper muttering to himself, looking with envy at the ship docked not far away from them.
His son. The child he had often heard from the mouth of the Chaser. Shanks closed his eyes. A child, Yassop hadn't seen in years. The captain looked at the face of his subordinate, wondering how he could be so calm.
The Spades - or at least some of them - were guarding the ship. The Emperor had seen a few of them and the red-haired woman heading towards the city three hours ago. They should be back now, he thought to himself listening to his second talking in a hush tone to his snipper. The man was staring in the distance, looking distressed and muttering things Shanks didn't understand. The man was rarely in this state. He usually hid his emotions and feelings.
"I heard the brothers aren't awake yet, so they are keeping everybody away." Ben said, taking a puff of smoke.
"Why?" Shanks found himself asking.
"I don't know. The Whitebeards don't know either." Ben answered, sitting on the railing.
The First Commander, Marco, flew over the ship. He landed on the desk and transformed back to his human form. The pirate turned towards the crew and quickly asked them if they knew anything about the Straw hats or the Spades. Shanks shook his head while his second told him nothing had changed for the past few hours even though they had seen some of the Spades and one of the Straw hats going shopping.
"I can't wait for Ace and his little brother to wake up, yoi." Marco said, frowning as he noticed a small group going to the Thousand Sunny. Then, he realized it was the group that Ben was talking about earlier.
"That's weird, you know. The Spades are keeping you away from Ace." Yasopp said aloud, still wondering deeply about his kid he had never seen growing up.
The phoenix nodded. "Yeah. But the Spades were there before us so it's normal. We, the commanders, are quite worried. But once Ace is awake… " Marco trailed off, watching the Straw hats and the Spades doing chores around the amazing ship.
He had never seen a ship like the Thousand Sunny. As a navigator, Marco could easily recognize what kind of ship it was. A brigantine. A ship that depended on its navigator. He wondered who was the navigator among the four Straw hats. Could it be this red-haired woman? Marco thought to himself as he took flight to the sky.
Chopper noticed it first. He saw his captain starting to wake up, mumbling about food - Chef Jo was preparing food for the two black holes in the kitchen at the moment - and he remarked that Ace was waking up faster than his brother despite the fact he was more in bad shape - probably due to Teach and Impel Down - than his little brother. However, Chopper could only guess that Ace had a fast metabolism like his brother, it made him heal faster.
"Food…" Luffy whispered, turning and turning, waking up slowly.
Ace opened his eyes. For a moment, he seemed confused. The Second Commander sat up, but didn't notice right away the people surrounding him. Chopper moved beside him, making Ace notice him. the pirate smiled still confused then he seemed to remember what happened.
"What? Oh yeah. I slept a lot, right?" He asked Chopper, finally taking a look around him.
He was in his brother's ship.
"Two days." Chopper answered calmly, keeping an eye on his captain. "You're almost healed thanks to your metabolism, however I do recommend resting more than usual."
The older pirate smiled. He nodded happily and looked at his brother. Luffy was opening his eyes, muttering about meat still half-asleep. Chopper smiled fondly.
"Food should be almost ready. There's a lot of meat." The doctor stated, making the two brothers look at him with excitement.
Chopper then let them go to the kitchen, knowing how hungry they were. They bolted out of the infirmary. The small doctor followed them at a slower pace to the kitchen. Chef Jo was putting down plates on the table. The two brothers were already eating while Deuce and Chef Jo were watching them with a fond smile.
"Damn. We were right to get food." Chef Jo said, then she turned towards Chopper. "Usopp has gone to inform the Akagami and our crew."
Chopper nodded. He began to wonder how Usopp felt about informing two powerful crews that Ace and Luffy were finally awake. He knew that Usopp's father was part of the Akagami, he knew also about his nervousness to meet his father. He couldn't imagine how it would go. Chopper - like Nami - knew Usopp's true past, he knew for sure it would not be easy to tell.
It was best to keep it hidden until he couldn't keep it secret.
Chopper was still terrified of what Usopp had said. The doctor shook his head, he didn't want to think about it or he would have a nightmare. He decided to sit in front of Ace and next to Deuce - not his captain as he knew that he would try to steal his food. He started eating - he hadn't eaten anything since this morning.
Usopp was not going on board. He wasn't that brave. Or more likely, he didn't want to meet his father. He had decided to meet first a Whitebeard pirate to tell them about Ace. It seemed to be the easiest way. He arrived on shore and docked on the island. Immediately, he noticed the few pirates watching him. Usopp narrowed his eyes and watched them. From which crew are they? He thought while walking towards them. He didn't see their tattoos. Perhaps, they were hidden by their clothes.
"Ain't ya a Mugiwara?" One of them asked once he arrived in front of them. It was a small group of two women and two men, all older than him.
"Yeah." Usopp replied, pausing a few seconds before continuing. "I'm just coming to inform you that Ace is awake."
The four pirates smiled happily at the news. "That's great man! Thanks! We're going to inform the commanders!"
"Do you want to come with us?" One of the women asked as they turned towards the settling of their camp.
Usopp shook his head. He said to their confused faces. "I must inform the Akagami."
Someone tapped his back. The young pirate tensed up as one of the Commanders showed up behind his back. Usopp did not like to be touched at all.
"Where's Ace though?" The tall man wearing a purple shirt with a long green coat asked him. "I'm Curiel by the way. Nice to meet you, Usopp."
No shit Sherlock, thought Usopp, I know who you are.
"Eating. Ace is like Luffy, a black hole. Therefore, they'd be eating for a while. Two days without eating is like a horror movie." Usopp replied easily, working on hiding the fear of being touched.
But he wasn't doing a good job. He hated this phobia of being touched, something he had gotten from a past traumatic experience. Usopp was startled by the sudden appearance of another Shirohige commander.
"Curiel, get the fuck away from him, he is haphephobic!" A commander wearing a kimono - Izo, Usopp recalled - chided Curiel.
How did he not recognize the signs? Izo thought quite angry at his fellow brother while taking a look at the young pirate. It was a tall and still growing young man with curled black hair and black eyes, he had a long nose that came from his mother. People might compare him to his father, Yasopp, however he was really his mother's son. Curiel let the young pirate go.
"I apologize for touching you." Curiel sincerely apologized, looking guilty for causing pain to the Mugiwara kaizoku.
"It's fine." Usopp said, still shaken by his nearly crisis. However, he could see the whitebeards were not convinced by it. "How come, you know about it?" He finally asked, the curiosity was killing him.
Usually, no one recognized the signs. Most of his crewmates didn't recognize the signs, they only wondered about it but never asked about it. It was a story of comfort. If he weren't prompt to talk about, they would not ask. Or at least, it was what Usopp understood. It was okay. They didn't need to know.
"Some of us are like you. It's important for us to recognize any phobias in the crew to properly deal with the crisis that may occur if something triggers them." Izo explained to him as if it was another crewmate.
And somehow, he is. He's our nephew, after all. The commander thought to himself as he looked properly at the young pirate. He seemed as mysterious as his mother had been.
"Do your crew know about it?" Curiel asked him, having no intention to let him go away without properly reassuring them.
"Yes." That was a lie. An easy one though. Usopp noticed their looks. "...Fine, they don't know. It's fine though. I haven't had a panic attack in a few weeks now."
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Usopp sighed. That was troublesome.
"What happens in my crew is none of your business." Usopp said, stepping away from the two older pirates, feeling rather uneasy with them. He didn't like where this conversation was going. He didn't want to talk further about it.
"Come with us." Izo sighed quietly, wishing he could help this young man even though he didn't know him. "The word of Ace's awakening has spread, we already sent someone to inform Red Hair."
Shit, he thought, having no choice but to follow them further in the camp. Usopp could see the largest man sitting on his chair, surrounded by his commanders, and holding a chop of beer.
Usopp felt like he was dying. The two commanders joined their captain's side and whispered something to him, giving him looks from time to time. They stepped back leaving the sight of the young pirate at Whitebeard. The old man grinned while taking a look at Usopp.
Whitebeard didn't certainly expect to see one of the rookies standing in front of him. It was a rather young man, younger than most people in his crew, with curly black hair - it made him think of a certain sniper - with a long nose that seemed to be familiar in a way.
"He looks like his father." Marco whispered to his fellow commanders as they stood around him.
"I don't think he'll appreciate it." Fossa calmly stated eyeing the younger pirate that appeared to be everywhere but there.
"What?" Haruta asked, confused.
"I don't think we should compare him to his father. He probably already heard it enough from his captain." Fossa answered, standing next to Vista and Haruta.
"And you're all blind." Izo commented with a harsh tone, making all the commanders look at the young pirate differently.
"Fuck." Marco swore as he finally realized why the pirate was familiar.
Whitebeard chuckled at his children's conversation in a hush tone. Hz turned his attention back to his young guest. While he looked a lot like his father, his nose came from his mother. If anybody looked further, they would see some features belonging to his mother.
"You sure look like your father, but you take more after your mother." Shirohige stated with a smile on his face. His statement nailed it. It surprised the young man enough to see the surprise on his face.
He was an old man, hardened pirate by the years he had spent on the sea. He had known a lot of people. Whitebeard remembered his last Second Commander, a fierce woman with long black hair and a long nose. He remembered the last letter he received, written by a six years old child shaken with his mother's death. He remembered every word. He never mentioned how she was dead. He probably even lied when Haruta asked once in a letter if someone was taking care of him.
Whitebeard could see it.
He could see the despair behind the facade he put on. He could feel the thick sadness surrounding the young lad, he could hear the sods of a broken soul. Her daughter's son had not had a good childhood.
It was a fact that no one could deny at all.
Usopp narrowed his eyes. Of course, Whitebeard would recognize him. How did he forget the commanders knew about him? He was their sister's son for Davy Jones's sake! His mother had sent a few photos of them from his birth to his sixth birthday. It was the son who wrote at the tender age of six the letter that announced to them the death of his mother - and he never said anything about his death.
He never told a soul save for Nami and Chopper what happened.
However, now he was standing in front of his mother's father - she had talked a lot about him when he was younger and he remembered everything - and his mother's siblings. Could he tell them the truth? Perhaps, a half-truth? Could he only mention what happened that day?
He wanted to. But he felt the dilemma. First, he knew they had every right to know the deadly truth. Nevertheless, he didn't want to talk about it. About this past he would rather forget.
And his father… His father was standing on the Red Force, probably stressing about meeting him like he was. Usopp wasn't brave, he wasn't good enough, he wasn't..
He was a liar. A good one. Nami knew. Chopper knew. But the rest? To some extent, but not completely.
He didn't want to think about the past. It still haunted him, ruined him, forced him to cope with unhealthy habits. It was his mother's crew. They needed to know what truly happened. A six years old child would have never been able to tell the truth by letter - still shaken by their mother's death, however an eighteen years would.
"May we talk in private?" He asked, earning surprise looks from the commanders and their captain.
Whitebeard seemed to understand and nodded. They retreated to Moby Dick in silence. The crew members watched them go with curious gaze.
"He's Bankina's son." One of the crew members said to the others.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, he looks a lot like her."
The crew members started whispering between themselves earning surprised looks from their allies. Bankina was still remembered by the older pirates of the crew.
"The two brothers are awake." A Whitebeard pirate told them before leaving the ship once more.
Shanks sighed in relief. It was now time to visit them. Lucky Ro, Ben, and Yasopp followed him out of the ship towards the Thousand Sunny. They noticed that none of the Whitebeards were making movement towards the ship. Then, Shanks noticed Usopp standing in front of Yonko.
"Of course." Yasopp said with a smile on his face despite being stressed.
"Of course what?" Ben asked, confused by his behavior.
"You'll see." Yasopp wanted to see their looks once they would discover that very unknown fact.
They stared at him. Yasopp smirked, but didn't say anything. They climbed inside of a small boat in order to reach the rookie's ship.
"Anchor!" Shanks shouted from where he was standing as his crewmates were manning the boat.
Luffy popped his head over the railing, seeing Shanks for the first time in years. He threw a ladder over the railing. The four pirates climbed the ladder and arrived on the lawn deck. They were greeted by the pirates.
"Luffy, anchor!" Shanks hugged the younger pirate for the first time in years, he missed the young lad.
"Shishishishi." Luffy laughed.
"Now, tell me what happened from the beginning. How did you end up in the war?" Shanks ordered the three Straw hats.
"We'll tell our plan later to everybody since the Whitebeards want to hear it from us - me, Chopper and Usopp." Nami told him, crossing her arms.
The Emperor dared to pout. "Fine." Nami stared at the Yonko while Ben sighed at his captain's behavior.
He turned expectantly towards Anchor, the eighteen years old teenager felt uneasy under his look.
"Split it, Luffy. I won't be mad, promise." Shanks promised while they all snickered.
Because they all knew that he would become mad after learning what happened.