"There's no way you could have saved me, you know."
This time, when Luffy slips away from the party, it's deliberate. He's not looking for ham melon, what with his stomach already uncomfortably full, and wasn't that a strange feeling? He's not sure if it's one he'll ever get used to. If it's one he even wants to get used to.
His wanderings don't take him through the woods and up to Bellemere's grave this time either; Luffy knows where he's going, and it's not to a salt-worn cross and a nostalgic sheriff.
She won't be there, after all.
-o-0-o-
After leaving Bellemere's grave, Luffy had met up with the crew Sabo had picked out to 'help' with Arlong. They had all agreed to check in with each other before splitting off again on their more "official" assignments, and not showing up would mean getting to deal with an irate Ace. Luffy knew better than anyone how much of a bad idea that was.
Sabo had warned that if they didn't deal with the spies in the other villages first, then there was a signifigant chance that one of the other villages could be taken hostage. Cocoyashi was close enough to Arlong Park that they could intervene if the fishmen tried anything there, but the others were too far away to aid without copious use of shunpo.
"In other words, it'll be a pain in the ass if we go kick Arlong's ass right away" Ace had summarized, and had made quite sure Luffy had actually understood before giving his little brother a shove in the direction of Cocoyashi. "So go kill a couple hours while we set shit up. Take a nap or something."
With the restlessness that was buzzing beneath his skin, a nap hadn't really been an option, so Luffy had simply wandered about, and ended up coming across Bellemere's house almost by accident. He could tell that nobody had actually been home at the time, the old cottage empty of any living souls, but he'd still hesitated by the front door; some part of him feeling as if he should knock.
He hadn't expected anyone to answer.
Bellemere was exactly as Nami had always described her. Rose colored hair cut in a feminine mohawk, pulled back into a ponytail, and a grin every bit as fierce as any pirate's.
"Yo. Been a while."
"Ah." Luffy had blinked, his hand dropping to his side. It took him a minute to place her, to realize that she'd been there as well, in that strange place between. "Guess so. It's been... A year, right?"
"Just about." She confirmed cheerfully. The cheer hadn't lasted long, as Bellemere's smile had quickly begun to waver, and she'd let out a sigh as she stepped out of the house.
"Go sit," She'd ordered, and he'd nodded as she turned and closed the door carfully behind her.
They'd sat down on the bench beneath the porch together, Luffy uncharateristically quiet as he wrestled with the odd strangle of feelings that seemed to have caught in his throat.
He probably shouldn't have been surprised when Bellemere had then proceeded to see right through him with an audibly exasperated snort. Makino had been just the same.
"There's no way you could have saved me, you know."
Luffy'd startled, and met Bellemere's knowing gaze.
The tangle finally let go, and Luffy huffed a little, though whether it was in relief or something else, he didn't know.
"Hah. That so."
"Damn straight. It took all of us working together to get you three back this far, you know? Hell, even then we barely managed it." Bellemere'd shoved a sharp finger into his shoulder, and glared him down with a cheerful sort of menace. "So don't waste it, got it?"
There was no way in hell he ever would, and from the grin she'd worn, they both knew it. So what was he fussing for, anyway?
"Yeah. Roger that."
"Good." Bellemere had sat back, clearly satisfied, and turned away to light a cigarette. "I don't regret it, anyway. I would die for my girls a hundred times over if I needed to. There was no way all three of us were making it off this island alive, anyway. Nami might be a genius, and Nojiko's strong for her age, but those two..." She laughed. "They're way too reckless. In the end, I suppose my daughters took a little too much after me, huh?"
"Nah." Luffy smiled down at the hat in his hands. "They're just right."
A hand on his shoulder like the ocean breeze, and then Bellemere had vanished from view. Luffy had looked up to meet Nojiko's startled gaze, before carefully standing up, all too aware of how much even he loomed over the slim teenager.
-o-0-o-
Bellemere's already waiting for him, the spirit strangely bright in the moonlight.
"Better late than never, eh?" She grins at him from around her cigarette, and he laughs at the sadistic satisfaction that she's practically radiating with.
"Yeah." He joins her beneath the porch, and leans against the other side of the pillar she's sitting against. "You know, I wasn't sure if you'd still be here."
"Psh. Like that overgrown sawshark had anything to do with me being here or not." Bellemere snorts. "It's bad enough that I won't be able to be there for them as they chase their dreams. There's no way in hell I'm going anywhere when I can at least watch and cheer them on from the sidelines like this."
Luffy hums. He would have made the same choice.
The silence that grows between them isn't uncomfortable. It's peaceful, backlit by the drunken cheers of a populace freed off in the distance. It's moments like this that makes Luffy truly appreciate his haki. Sure, it was dead useful in a fight, but to not only know where his nakama were at any given time and if they were okay or not, but to be able to literally feel and share in their very happiness- There's not a single thing in the whole world that can really compare to that.
"...you'll look after them, won't you?" Bellemere asks suddenly.
"Eh?" Luffy blinks for a moment, "We weren't really planning on staying, but..."
He sighs, running an errant hand through his hair as he mentally looked over the village and the Albatross's current crew. All things considered, they probably could stay here in the East Blue for as long as they wanted and no-one would even care to notice. Hell, wasn't that the whole reason Buggy stayed here, despite him being more than capable of sailing the New World?
"I guess we could, if you needed us to." He would have to come back here anyway, right? He'd met so many of his nakama in the East Blue. There was no way he could avoid at least checking on them.
"The Gecko Islands aren't that far off from here, you know." Bellemere adds teasingly, and Luffy laughs at her having clearly read his mind again. "Neither is the Baratie. Why, we're almost in the perfect spot for you to keep a friendly eye on everyone."
"Alright alright, we'll stay for a bit," Luffy laughs.
Why not, after all? It wasn't as if any of them were in any particular rush to go anywhere, and Sabo had said something about there being 'good connections in the area,' which, while not something Luffy really understood, were clearly something useful to his brothers, so they probably would have ended up sticking around for a little while anyway.
And who knows? Maybe he could use the opportunity to help Nami get stronger.
While it had never mattered much to Luffy, his navigator had never been quiet about her frustrations with being weak, especially when compared to the other crew members, so if there was a chance he could help with that, why shouldn't he?
"Good." Bellemere says, strangely quiet as she breathes out in obvious relief, her voice shaking slightly as she speaks, "That's good."
Luffy turns to look over at her in question of the odd change in tone, but only catches a glimpse of a rueful smile before the spirit vanishes from view once more.
-o-0-o-
A/N: And with this concludes the last of the chapters I had fully written out. Let me know if there's any scenes or backstories you're particularly interested in, as while I have OMT fully planned out to around Sabaody, actually getting the chapters written is another matter entirely, and as the Interlude may have already indicated, chronological order isn't really considered a necessity in my stories... More of a pleasant surprise when it happens.
See you on the flip side.