1 PIECE another time travel
By: FunahoMisaki
(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)
"You wanted to talk about the traitor." Whitebeard said clearing his throat slightly a few minutes later when Galette and Amande seemed to recollect themselves, but Amande did keep at least one hand on Galettes shoulder as if to reassure herself the girl was still alive.
"Yes. I want to hunt him down…and kill him. I found something much more important though." Amande said and she smiled a motherly smile down at Galette who looked sheepishly happy about that and tried to hide it.
"We're heading to Paradise to track him down as well and it's obvious you won't leave Galette anytime soon. You are free to ride with us as long as you and your crew behave." Whitebeard said graciously and making Amande nod to him in thanks.
"You can have the empty room near theirs. If you need to talk privately the bedrooms are the only place to do so, we respect boundaries on this ship." Whitebeard said and Amande gave him a small smile.
"Thank you sir." Amande said and then glanced down at Galette.
"I…I do need to have a talk with Galette about something she should have learned a while back. If you all will excuse us?" Amande asked glancing up at them, after all she was a guest on the ship and one who was usually a part of a rival Yonko's crew.
"Take your time. We still got a while before we hit Paradise." Whitebeard said waving them off and Amande nodded as she looked at Galette.
"Today is one of her clingy days! She won't mind if you pick her up and hug her!" Yamato said grinning slightly and making Galette blush and shoot her a glare but Amande visibly perked up at this and happily picked up the smaller woman.
"You will pay for that later." Galette said calmly to her dragon who just grinned back at her and gave a cheeky wave.
"You know she will get you back for pretty much turning her into a doll right?" Reiju asked amused and was immediately pulled into Yamato's lap and arms.
"But you're both so small compared to me, just like Luffy is. I can't help it if you three are doll sized." Yamato said with a grin and a few Whitebeard commanders snickered heavily at this.
"If I lose my reputation I'm going to have to poison a lot of pirates." Reiju said calmly and not batting an eye, making more than a few of the snickering Whitebeard pirates around them promptly shut up.
"Whatever you say dear." Yamato said cuddling Reiju close and the pink haired woman smiled softly as she rolled her eyes.
"I'm starting to think that it's not Galette who's having a clingy day." Reiju said making Yamato pout.
"I'm touch and affection starved. Let me cuddle my wife."
With Galette
"What did you want to talk about? Aside from the obvious." Galette asked, adding the last bit when she realized that there was a lot for the two of them to talk about.
"Have you ever wondered why Mama treated you differently than Piore despite you two being supposed twins?" Amande asked and Galette blinked. She had noticed actually that Mama favored most of the other kids over Galette herself but she did occasionally seem as if she wanted to spoil Galette.
"Well I'd be lying if I said I didn't…I just figured I did something annoying when I was little and she never forgave me for it." Galette said and Amande inclined her head at that, not an unfair assumption. It has happened before and their mother was very good at holding grudges even if her targets didn't know what they did.
"It's not…it's not you she was punishing or never forgiving." Amande said sighing as she sat down on the chair, this was going to be a long talk and she had finally released Galette who was sitting on the simple bed in front of Amande.
"What?" Galette was confused at this. If she wasn't the one being punished…then why…?
"When I was fifteen I was in a bit of a rebellious stage. I didn't want to be just another face in the crowd of siblings I had, even back then there were a lot of us, that's partially why I became so strong so fast. To try and stand out a bit from my mothers shadow and my siblings. My…rebellion went a little far now that I'm older and wiser and can actually look back on it I was akin to a spoiled child trying to go against her mother and ended up paying the price…although…I don't regret a single second of it." Amande said and her gaze was soft as she looked at Galette but distant as she looked at the wall behind Galette.
"I met a nice young man, very unique, and he didn't seem scared of mama at all. He was…different and I was interested in him. He was also older and apparently had preyed upon younger women before. I…thought that if I could pick just one thing for myself in life aside from my weapon…it would be my first romantic partner. I foolishly thought it was my decision and that he hadn't been subtly controlling or manipulating me…I was young and foolish." Amande said and while Galette wondered what this had to do with her, she kept her mouth shut. She knew her sister didn't open up much and if it was when she was fifteen that this happened then it was shortly before she became depressed if Galette's math was right.
"I didn't know that Mama was interested in him as well for his unique features. He either ate some kind of demon Devil Fruit or he had some questionable animal heritage. I didn't notice until two months after Mama married him what had happened….of course when I was first sick I thought it was just because of the heartbreak and betrayal at thinking I loved him but he married my mother…then…I realized what it really was. After all I had seen Mama go through it plenty of times and around that time is when Compote-nee-chan was getting married and having her first child as well." Amande said and Galette's eyes widened a bit.
"I was pregnant. Fifteen years old and pregnant and terrified and heartbroken. The only ones that I know for sure knew were Mondee-nee, Hatchee, and Eiflee. Brulee-chan probably knew, she had gotten her mirror powers a little while before I found out and had probably heard or seen me and the other three talking about it. I hid it as best as I could though. I'm sure Compote-nee-chan noticed but she never said anything and I'm not sure if my older brothers noticed, they never confronted me about it if they did…" Amande trailed off for a moment in thought.
"I was sixteen when my daughter was born. Sixteen, a baby in my arms, and scared out of my mind. Mama was due just a month after I gave birth…I waited until that man wasn't around for a while, probably sleeping with random women on the island honestly, and then went to Mama and confessed everything. Even took my daughter with me although I kept her out of Mama's grasp. Mama…she wasn't happy with me but she was pleased about my baby. My daughter had several of the unique traits that Mama desired from her then husband." Amande was lost in the past now as she spoke, and everything was still so clear in her mind. The weight of the tiny, so very tiny and frail, baby in her arms and how scared she was that her mother would take the baby and kill her just because of what Amande had done…of what Amande had been subtly manipulated into.
"Mama…decided that as punishment for daring to rebel against her as I had, for daring to be manipulated no matter by who or how subtly…that I would not be allowed to keep and raise my baby." Amande said and Galette's eyes widened at this, she knew of her mothers cruelty just as well if not better than anyone…but…to hear about this…
"We waited a month until Mama gave birth and then Mama claimed she had twins and claimed my daughter as her own, and since Mama was known for having twins or more at a time no one batted an eye even if one of the babies did seem to 'develop faster' than her sister. Even if some of the features weren't quite right, like the pupil in my daughters eyes being like mine. She has her fathers tail, his horns, his hair color and skin color, even his size…but…she has my figure if I wasn't so tall…she has my eyes even if they were his color…she has my fangs." Now Galette's breath hitched. She knew where this was going now. She knew what her sister was saying without outright saying now.
"I've spent the last 29 years watching my baby grow up and never know about me as more than another sister, even if I am her favorite one…I've been spending the last 29 years battling my depression over never getting a chance to raise my daughter, of Mama punishing me by letting me, making me, stay close enough to see her grow and have to become strong and cold in front of my eyes just because of my mistake…no not mistake…she could never be a mistake. What I did was the mistake, falling for his manipulations and lies, my baby girl was perfect…she still is." Amande seemed to take in a shuddering breath as she focused back in on the stunned looking Galette, she had never known about this. Not even in the future had she ever known or been told about…
"When I got your letter I was so happy to hear that you had seen me as a mother figure more than a sister, I sobbed for ten minutes over that…When I was leaving Tottoland to hunt down this Blackbeard person and find you…I knew Mama was going to demand a sacrifice. She used the Stay or Life on me, planning to either force me to stay and abandon you or give up probably my remaining life span." Amande said and she smiled slightly as she stared at Galette, at her daughter.
"I was more than ready to give it up. I wasn't scared of Mama though, after what all she's done to me and what all my depression has put me through….I couldn't be scared of her anymore and I wasn't. The demons in my mind were a lot worse than her…she couldn't take a single month, not even a minute really, of my lifespan from me and she tried even with her Conquerors Haki to force me to fear her…to force me to submit…but…I wasn't scared because I knew I was going to be leaving the island one way or the other and finding her…finding you again. And that once I left and met up with my baby girl…I was never going back to Mama to let you be taken away from me again." Amande said and Galette had tears in her eyes, she knew about Amande's depression but she hadn't known that it was bad enough to keep her from being scared of Ma…Big Mom.
"I don't care what's going to happen after this Galette…I'm not leaving you or going anywhere. I…I just got you back and I…" Amande had tears in her eyes now, her daughter was here. Her daughter was alive and well and healthy and happy and here and knew the truth and-
Galette choked out a sob and lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Amande and hugging the snake neck for all she was worth.
"I love you mom." Galette said softly as she held onto Amande who was stunned and felt her own tears begin to fall. She had dreamt of this moment. Dreamt of having her daughter knowing the truth and calling her Mom…of being able to hug her daughter and openly call her baby girl just what she was, her baby girl. Her little princess….her precious daughter and most priceless treasure.
Amande held Galette close again and her tears fell into the shorter womans hair and a few hit her scarf as she whispered back to her daughter.
"I love you too baby girl. So much more than you will ever know."