The Galley La foremen all sobbed as they hugged Kate, Tilestone carrying Kate and the other two men in his arms.
"KATE WE'RE GOING TO MISS YOU SO MUCH. DO YOU HAVE TO GO?!" Tilestone squeezed his comrades tighter before putting them down.
Peepley adjusted his hair as Paulie lit a cigar. "Yeah, kid. You sure you want to go?" He bit down on his cigar, trying to stop himself from crying more.
After the water incident, Kate had told Paulie and Iceburg that she would be leaving Water 7, and starting a new chapter of her life on a different island. While she didn't tell them where she was going as she didn't have any set plans, she decided she would spend some time on Monogatari before making any concrete decisions.
Kate wiped her tears with the palms of her hands. She carefully adjusted her pink dress and white hat. It was the same outfit she wore when she had first made her way to Water 7. "I'm going to miss you all so much. I promise I'll write every week! Make sure you write me back too!"
Tilestone picked them all up as they embraced each other once again, their sobs sounding almost painful.
Iceburg's assistant handed him a handkerchief as he sobbed watching the sight. As much as he didn't want Kate to go; he knew she was making the right decision. Kate was determined to move on, and as hard of a decision as this must have been- it was the best one. The Mayor made his way over and patted Tilestone on the back, signaling him to release the others. "It's almost time for you to go, Kate. I don't want you to miss your boat."
Kate said goodbye to the Galley La foremen as she continued to cry, hanging onto Iceburg's arm as they walked to the harbor by the Sea Train.
Iceburg placed a hand on Kate's as they reached the check in area. His lip quivered as he looked down at her before pulling her into an embrace.
Kate held onto him, unable to say how truly thankful she was for him through her sobs. He had been more than her employer. He was family to her now. All the members of Galley La were.
The Mayor took a stifled breath. "Kate...remember; you will always have a place here at Galley La."
Kate squeezed him tighter as she nodded her head before letting go. "Thank you, Iceburg. I promise I will come visit. Thank you for everything!"
Iceburg's assistant pulled at his jacket. He had given her explicit instructions to ensure she pulled him away before his sadness took over and caused him to try and convince Kate to stay. "Hm...Well then, I better be going." He proceeded to walk away but then stopped abruptly. "Kate." He breathed in deep, and puffed out his chest as he looked back at her. "I'm so proud of you!"
Kate bit her lip as the tears continued to stream down her face. "Thank you, brother."
Kate waved as Iceburg and his assistant walked away, the sound of Iceburg's sobs fading in the distance.
The raven hair girl wandered around the streets of Water 7, making sure she still had an eye on the harbor. The boat had been delayed by a few minutes due to a period of aggressive waves.
Kate squeezed the handle of her luggage as she looked at the city she had called home for so long. The city that stole, and would always hold a special place in her heart.
Just like a certain man...
Kate smiled sadly as she continued to look at Water 7, the top of Dock 1 in the distance.
Thank you for everything.
The waves crashed into the harbor, followed by a large gust of wind. Kate gasped as the wind carried her hat off from her head. "No, not my hat!" The hat had been a spontaneous purchase at first, but had since become an incredibly sentimental item of Kate's. She couldn't lose it. Kate began to run after her hat, but was stopped by a second and much larger gust of wind.
Kate squatted and squeezed her eyes shut, holding her luggage with one hand and the top of her head with the other. It felt as if the wind would carry her away.
No, not my hat...!
Kate thought about where to look for her hat as soon as she got the chance, but was pulled out of her trance by the voice of a young man...
"Excuse me, miss."
Kate's eyes shot open as she continued to look at the ground.
That voice...why is it so familiar...?
Her eyes widened, as she processed the man's voice. It was a voice that she had heard almost every day during her stay at Water 7. She continued to try and figure out whose voice it was, her heart suddenly skipping a beat as a realization came.
It...it can't be...
She stood up slowly, her eyes remaining on the ground as her heart raced. Images of an orange haired man filling her head.
How...
Kate swallowed hard before looking up.
"K-"
A chubby, young man with black hair wearing a cafe uniform smiled at her as she looked up at him. "Hello miss!"
Kate blushed, embarrassed by her actions. "Oh! Hello, Myles. What brings you out here?" She fixed her hair, praying he didn't think she had been acting strange.
Myles was the son of the owner of the coffee shop Kate went to every morning. He was the main barista, and was usually the one who made Kate's drinks.
That's why his voice was so familiar...
Myles laughed. "I caught word you were moving! You have been such a loyal customer to us, that my dad wanted to give you this!" He held a brown paper bag full of coffee beans to her. "The pink roast. Your favourite!" He smiled, thankful he had caught Kate in time.
Kate smiled in return as she humbly took the bag of beans. "Thank you so much, Myles! I will make sure to drop by when I visit again one day." She bowed her head quickly in thanks.
Myles bowed his head in return. "We'll be waiting for you!" He waved before making his way back to the coffee shop.
Kate placed the bag into her luggage, trying to regain focus as she was still feeling embarrassed.
I need to find my hat...maybe if I look-
"SORRY FOR THE DELAY! BOAT NUMBER 8! BOAT NUMBER 8 WILL BE SAILING IN 5 MINUTES!"
Kate shot up immediately. "Shit! That's my boat!" She took a deep breath as she quickly looked at Water 7 one more time.
This time it really is goodbye.
She turned quickly, her legs ready to sprint towards the dock.
"Ow! What the hell..."
Kate held her face, having crashed into something hard. She blinked quickly, trying to regain her eyesight.
What the hell did I crash into?!
She went to look up, but stopped immediately when she saw-
Orange...
"Would this happen to be yours?"
Kate could hear her own pulse beating through her ears. She tried to steady her breathing as tears began to cloud her vision. Her body began to shake as she slowly raised her head.
He wore jeans, a plain white cap, and the jacket she had made for him so long ago. He smiled as he held her hat, tears streaming down his face. "Hiya Kate."
Kate fell to her knees, covering her mouth as she stared up at Kaku in disbelief. She began to sob silently, not wanting to close her eyes in fear that he would disappear if she did. "Kaku...how...is it...is it really you? Is...is it really you?!" She shakily stood back up, reaching a hand out in front of her.
Kaku grabbed Kate's hand, pulling her into him before wrapping his arms around her. He squeezed her tightly, her hat still in his other hand. "It's me. I've missed you so much, kitten." He continued to sob as he leaned his cheek against the top of her head, breathing her in.
Finally.
Kate's body continued to shake as she wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face into his chest, her sobs coming out as soft screams as she held onto him tighter. "Kaku...you're here. You came back to me." She nuzzled him harder, taking in his warmth as she tried to process the situation.
After several minutes, Kaku gently pushed Kate away to look at her. He removed her tear soaked hair from her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry. I'm real sorry for everything, Kate. I can't imagine how much you went through because of me. I was gone way too long." He removed his hand from her face, a sense of sadness coming over him. "Kate, as much as I'm thrilled to see ya. I'd understand if you can't forgi-" Kaku began to cry harder as Kate pressed her lips against his, having almost forgotten how sweet her lips felt. It seemed as if their time apart had been nothing but a dream, as any pain or sadness he had felt during his time away from Kate began to disappear from his body.
"Kate!"
He leaned back as he lifted her, kissing her deeply. He placed her down gently, grabbing her hand. "Let's go home, honey. I know ya probably have lots of questions for me, and there's a lot I need to tell you." He stopped, realizing Kate had her luggage with her.
Kate squeezed his hand. "Yeah...I was actually on my way to Monogatari...but my boat left."
Kaku laughed, pointing at the harbor. He had docked his boat not too far from the Sea Train. "Don'tcha worry! The Mountain Wind Express has actually expanded to the sea!"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kaku rowed happily as Kate slept on his lap, feeling exhausted from having spent the past few days packing. The long nosed man smiled as he looked at Kate's left hand, recognizing a familiar ring on her wedding finger.
Kaku and Kate entered their home on Monogatari in awe. Cutter had hired cleaners to come in every week to make sure it stayed in pristine condition in case Kate ever decided to return.
Kate had brought her clothes, and other miscellaneous belongings from Water 7. Although Kaku was lacking clothes; the items they had left in the house were still there. It was as if they had never left.
The long nosed man pointed upwards towards the stairs. "Would ya like to have a soak with me?"
Kaku and Kate sat in the tub as Kaku explained to Kate where he had been for the past year. Kate had been silent through most of it, trying to process Kaku's true identity as an assassin. When she thought about it; it made sense. There were moments when Kate wondered how Kaku knew everything that he did, and it finally came together. While she was shocked, she knew she couldn't fault Kaku. He was nothing more than a victim of the World Government. She knew his true nature, and that deep down- he wasn't an assassin. He was a kind, sweet, silly man who loved boats and carpentry as much as he loved children, his friends, and most of all- her.
She took the fact that Kaku was now working as security for the Celestial Dragons much worse, only calming down when Kaku told her of CP0's true intentions.
Kaku dried Kate off, wrapping her in a grey robe. "What matters is that I don't gotta hide anything from you anymore. I'm an honest man going forward. Cross my heart!" He held his hand against his heart.
Kate looked down shyly at the ground as she tightened her robe. "Kaku...did you really miss me?"
Kaku's jaw dropped, shocked that Kate had asked him such a question. "Miss you? Miss you?! DARN SKIPPY I missed you! How could you-"
Kate smirked, and stroked under Kaku's chin with her finger. "Prove it."
Kaku beamed as he growled and picked Kate up fireman style, causing her to squeal.
He had been holding himself back from ravaging Kate from the moment he saw her, wanting to make sure she would still accept him for who and what he truly was.
"Oh I'm gonna show ya alright!"
-.-.-
Kaku and Kate caught their breath as they laid on their backs, holding hands underneath the covers. Their time apart had given Kaku more stamina than usual, having gone several rounds before he finally felt satisfied.
Kate turned to face Kaku, placing a hand on his cheek. "I really missed you too, Kaku." She kissed him gently, still in disbelief he was there with her once again.
Kaku moaned, still basking in ecstasy. "Hey, bunny...I was wondering. I know ya like tall guys, but what do you think...of giraffes?"
Kate raised an eyebrow at his question. "They're cool, I guess? Weird...that Straw Hat swordsman Roronoa asked me the same th-" Kate stifled a laugh as she looked over at the orange haired man.
Kaku was fast asleep, a smile on his face.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The next day, Kaku and Kate left Mr. Omocha's toy shop after catching up with him for several hours. They were both saddened, yet happy to hear that the 3 children had been adopted into families on an island near Dress Rosa. Timmy and Heart were adopted together, while Tyson was adopted by a military family. Judging by the letters they had sent to Mr. Omocha; they were all doing well. Kate was upset to hear Cutter was no longer on Monogatari. While no one knew exactly where he went; Mr. Omocha was told that he had apparently taken a job as somewhat of a contractor, training armies of several different countries.
It took Kaku everything he had from revealing the truth about Cutter's location to Kate. One of Cutter's orders to Kaku was for him to never tell Kate that he was Kaku's employer or anything with respect to his job. He didn't want Kate to see him as anything other than her friend, and he didn't want her to feel as if she owed him in any way. His order, like all his other orders was absolute.
I'm sorry, Kate. I guess there is one thing I can't tell you after all...
They held hands as they walked through the town. Kaku could tell Kate was still feeling upset, as she had been so excited to see them all again.
"Hey, Kate. I know I said there would be no more secrets going forward...but there's something I still haven't told you."
Kate felt her heart drop. Since Kaku didn't tell her earlier, it must have been an even bigger, or an even worse truth than the ones he had told her earlier. "What is it?" Her mind began to race, unable to imagine what it could be.
Kaku pointed towards the harbor. "I can't tell ya here. Would ya be okay going for a little trip?"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kaku and Kate roamed around an island that was 2 hours away from Monogatari by boat. It was abandoned and the environment was a jungle.
Kaku wore jeans, whites sneakers, a white cap, and a yellow t-shirt, while Kate wore khaki short shorts, white sneakers and a white beater.
Kaku had found out about this island during his time on St. Poplar. He was looking for any news/resources about Monogatari, and happened to stumble upon it in his reading.
Kate hung onto Kaku's arm nervously; feeling as if an animal would pop out any minute. "Are you sure it's safe here?" She held onto him tighter, forgetting that her boyfriend was a highly trained assassin.
They made their way to a clearing where Kaku motioned for Kate to take a seat on the grass.
Why did he drag me all the way here?!
Kate sat cross legged while Kaku stood in front of her.
He took a deep breath. "I betcha you're wondering why I dragged ya all the wait out here.."
Kate nodded, still unsure of the reason.
"Well, remember when I asked you if you liked tall guys...and giraffes?"
Kate looked around, seeing if tall men and giraffes were about to appear. "Yes...? You fell asleep, but I said that they're...cool?" She was feeling even more confused now than earlier.
Kaku steadied his breathing once again. "Kate, I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to be able to stand up to anyone and protect you no matter what. That being said; I...ate a Devil Fruit."
Kate felt herself choke, feeling she was finally able to piece together why he had dragged her all the way here.
Kaku removed his hat and placed it on the ground. "Well, here goes nothing!"
Kate gasped as Kaku began to transform into a giraffe.
He stood there on all fours, a nervous expression on his face.
Kate stood up and circled him, unable to process what had just happened. "Kaku? Is it really you?!" She continued to examine him.
He nodded; his ears pointing downwards.
She whistled. "Wow, you weren't kidding eh?!" She failed to hide her shock.
Her boyfriend was a giraffe.
Kaku slowly transformed back into his human form, the worried expression still on his face. "So...whaddya think?" He groaned when Kate didn't reply right away. "I know, I look like such a dork..." He lowered his cap, still feeling ashamed.
Kate laughed as she made her way over to Kaku. "You've never asked me, but...you know what I like even more than tall guys and giraffes?" She placed a kiss on his cheek. "I really, really like dorks. Well, just one dork." She smiled as she squeezed his giraffe horns, Kaku having forgotten to retract them when he transformed back.
The ex-shipwright laughed as he followed after Kate.
Golly! How did I get so lucky?
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
It had been several weeks since Kaku and Kate settled on Monogatari. Kaku had just returned from a highly confidential work trip that lasted a few days.
Although Kate was happy Kaku was back; she couldn't shake the feeling that he had been acting strange since his return. Their conversations had been short, and it almost seemed as if he was avoiding her.
Kate rubbed her eyes, a slight breeze waking her up from her sleep.
"What the..." She yawned as she turned to face Kaku. "Good morn-"
Kaku wasn't there.
Kate couldn't help but panic, praying he wasn't disappearing again.
Please, no!
She quickly jumped out of bed, frantically putting on Kaku's grey hoodie he had left on his night stand.
"Kaku?!"
She ran down the stairs, panicking when she didn't see him in the kitchen or the living room.
Kate made her way out the front door, running past the trees as she headed up the hill.
She snapped her head back to the sound of glass breaking coming from inside the house.
Kaku!
Kate looked towards the house desperately and started to run. Her knee immediately crashing into something, causing her to fall.
"AH!"
Kaku held onto Kate tightly as they began to roll down the hill together, several curse words coming from Kate's mouth.
When they finally stopped, Kate found herself laying on top of Kaku. She caught her breath as she pushed herself up to look at him. "KAKU! What the hell are you doing?! What the...what are you wearing...why?"
Kaku was wearing a beige suit, with a white dress shirt and brown dress shoes. He laughed as Kate stared at him, a confused look still on her face. "Ya ran a lot faster than I expected, my little cheetah! I didn't expect ya to run into me, let alone take me out like that! Tickle me impressed!" He laughed nervously.
Kate shook her head in disbelief. "What? Why were you even down th-" She gasped, finding herself lost for words.
It seemed Kaku had lied to Kate once more.
Kaku was not on a job, but had spent the past few days on Water 7. He went to not only apologize to his friends at Galley La...but to also retrieve something he had left with Iceburg the last time he saw him.
Kaku's hand shook as he smiled up at Kate, holding the engagement ring between his fingers.
"Marry me?"