Sorry it took me so long to finish the new chapter. Firstly, I had concentrated more on the translation of "With different eyes" and then it took me longer than I thought to get back into my story. I hope you like the chapter. Have fun reading.
Chapter 12
Marco POV
After Tiara and I went back on deck after our late breakfast my way led me directly to Pops. "How is she?" Pops asked me right after I had arrived at his spot. "Everything seems to be okay again but somehow I have the feeling that she is afraid of something," I explained to him and tried to keep an eye on Tiara despite the conversation with Pops. She was walking towards Thatch and Izou. "What makes you think that?" he wanted to know. "It's just a guess based on her behaviour when she comes on deck and always looks around carefully before she sits down anywhere," I explained. "Maybe it has something to do with..." I started and broke off my sentence when I saw Izou suddenly grab Tiara by the wrist as she was about to leave. I went straight to the two of them and all I heard was "Please Izou I don't want to talk about this!" when I got to them. "What's going on here?" I wanted to know from the two of them. Izou looked at me in surprise. Tiara on the other hand looked relieved. What had been going on here? "What's going on? I can tell you that! She just said something about nightmares and that you suppress them or rather your closeness. I just wanted to know if that's why she took those pills," Izou explained the situation. Tiara remained silent and didn't look directly at me. Those nightmares again. Thatch had already mentioned something like that. What was behind all this? "Let her go!" I said more sharply. "If she doesn't want to talk about it, you can't force her to." I added. "But Marco..." he started but a sharp look from me and he finally let go of her wrist. "Tiara please come with me, Pops has a few more questions for you," I asked her to get her out of the situation as I could tell she was uncomfortable and we really needed to talk about the things she had told us. She just nodded and followed me. Pops seemed to have followed everything closely. He got up and went towards his cabin while Tiara and I followed in silence.
"Please excuse my son's behaviour," Pops said when we were in his cabin. "It's ok I ..." she started and stopped. She didn't seem to know how to say it. "I don't like to talk about it. I'd like to just forget about it, but somehow it always catches up with me." she explained. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, sometimes it helps to talk about it." I said and got an incredulous look from Pops. I knew exactly what he meant. Although I've just given her the advice that talking helps, I don't follow it myself. "It's okay, take all the time you need. But I have to agree with Marco that talking helps," Pops said. Tiara just nodded and suddenly took a book out of her bag. "Here's one of those books I was telling you about. I think it's better if you hide it somewhere where no one will find it," she said and gave me the book. It was strange. The cover had Pops on it as well as the commanders and a boy with a straw hat. It said 'One Piece 57'. "I wonder if it's a coincidence that I have this volume with me right now?" she asked rather to herself it seemed. "What do you mean?" wanted Pops to know but looked at the book rather than Tiara as he asked this. "Well this is the volume where the war on Marine Ford starts. The volume that mentions what that bastard did," she explained. I briefly thought about looking at it but decided against it and gave the book to Pops.
"Would you please tell me what you're afraid of?" I asked Tiara, partly to change the subject because I didn't really want to talk about Teach and his betrayal, even though I knew we had to talk about it and inform the others, but also because I wanted to know the answer to that question. Tiara then looked at me a little confused. "What do you mean?" she asked unsure. "I've noticed that you always look around so strangely as soon as you come on deck. I'd like to know why," I explained in more detail. "Oh, that's what you mean. I wouldn't exactly call it fear. Hmm more like caution. I don't really want to meet Blackbeard, at least not yet, so I'm always looking around to make sure he's not around. I don't think I would be able to suppress my dislike and hatred towards him." she gave me in reply. "Teach is not on board at the moment. He's on a mission with some others. So you can relax about that for now," I explained, noticing that Tiara relaxed a little when she heard that. Pops seemed to have noticed this too and turned to Tiara with the words: "Don't worry, my child, I'll make sure he doesn't harm you or any of my sons. But I have a request to make of you." "What request?" Tiara wanted to know. "I would like to ask you to repeat what you told Marco and me in the presence of the other commanders. I realise this won't be easy for you but at least the commanders need to know what is going to happen. Especially with Thatch and Ace, it's important that they know what's coming." Pops explained.
Tiara immediately tensed up. The thought of telling the others all this seemed difficult for her. "Isn't it enough if you tell them?" she inquired. "They should hear it from you. You are the only one who can answer any questions that may arise. Just hearing that it affects his little brother too, Ace is bound to have some questions." Pops tried to convince her. "Ace is exactly why I'm afraid of it." she admitted. "Why?" I wanted to know. "How would you feel if you were me? To have to tell two people you've just met, but at least in Ace's case know him better than he'd probably like, that they're about to die. That a person they see as a friend, as a brother, will betray them like this and murder one of them and cause the death of the other" she asked me the counter question and I knew what she meant. What would I do in her place? Honestly, I have no idea. Would I tell them or just try to stop it? I understood why Pops wanted to let the others in on it. On the other hand, I also understood that Tiara would probably prefer that Pops and I remain the only ones who know about everything and just prevent this from happening. I couldn't really say which of the two options was better. But Pops wanted to let the others in on it and if he thought that was the right thing to do then I wouldn't question it. He is our captain. He decides.
"Tiara, I understand your concerns, but if Teach really manages to kill Thatch and defeat Ace, then he is stronger than he claims to be. So it would be better if the others are aware of the impending danger to prevent exactly what you know will happen. I know it will be hard for you to tell everyone, but I am with you," I tried to convince her to agree. I knew she would have a hard time telling everyone. Just telling Pops and me took a lot out of her. But if the two people who are most affected are there, it will be even harder for her. Besides, at a certain point Ace might lose control. I noticed that Pops was watching my actions very closely again, just like last time. I was aware that he had also noticed that I was letting Tiara get much closer to me than I normally would and that he would also talk to me about it, just like Izou. But I wouldn't answer him either. Not because I didn't want to, as was the case with Izou, but because I didn't know the answer myself. "Okay, I will comply with the request. But I need Marco by my side without him I can't do it. He gives me the strength and security I need to do this." she addressed Pops and then looked at me. Why me? I asked myself this question again right after she had said that. Where does the trust in me come from? Why does she feel safe with me? And I remembered what Izou said. That my closeness suppresses her nightmares. Why was it like that? Why should I have such an effect on her? We didn't really know each other at all! But that raised the next question in my mind. What did she know about me? She said that she knew the past of some people. Also mine? Did she know what had happened 10 years ago? Was I even one of the people she had information about? "I am glad, my child. Then I will tell the others that we have a meeting tomorrow. You've had enough excitement for today," Pops said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I would only get an answer to all these questions in one way. "Tiara, what do you know about me?" I asked her directly.