Enjoy! This is the last happy chapter before I slap the story into complete darkness!
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"Uncle Rayleigh!"
Thatch let those two words ring in her ear for a bit. The brunette was too shocked to even gasp. How could she!? She doesn't even remember how to breathe! She was not the only one, everyone in the room was in the same state. Well, everyone except Kid, Killer, and Law. Luffy and Ace were not aware of Red's family besides her parents and siblings. But now that Ace thinks about it (Luffy is clueless and does not know who Rayleigh is) it makes sense. Shanks was a part of his father's crew; it makes sense to have a close connection with your old crewmates.
Law and Killer know about everyone in the twin's family. They haven't met all the relatives. When they were younger, Red and Kid told all kinds of stories about their family. Including their uncle. The infamous right-hand man to the king of the pirates, Dark King Silver Rayleigh.
"Wow not even a hello to the other twin? I knew she was your favorite." Kid snorted with a smile.
Rayleigh turned to his nephew, "at least you know the truth." an unruly laugh erupted from the old man. Kid was not wrong, Rayleigh's favorite is the female redhead. He used to say she's like a Makino, Shanks, and a little bit of Roger, his favorite combo.
Red threw the head to the ground, took off her bloodied sleeves, and hugged Rayleigh. Her uncle gripped onto her tight and spun her around. Once she landed, a smile plastered onto her face. "I missed you uncle Ray!" she cheered.
"I missed you too Dem Dem, but right now isn't the time for that. I'll hide the celestial dragon's bodies so we can talk later without interruptions. But first, there's two things." Rayleigh turned to Camie and walked to her bowl.
"Let's take these off, don't flinch." Camie nodded, and not a second later, her restraints disappeared. Rayleigh turned away from her shocked expression and turned to the boy wearing the straw hat. A fond smile grew on Rayleigh's face when he saw it, Roger…
"Your Monkey D. Luffy, I have things to talk to you about too. Shanks told me all about you."
Luffy's eyes widened from the mention of Shanks, "Shanks told you about me? How do you know him?"
Rayleigh chuckled, "we'll talk later. Hurry up and leave before unwanted attention comes. And i missed you too Hot head." Kid knew he was talking about him.
With a snort the captain walked away, everyone else followed. All crews went their separate ways. Strawhats went to Shakky's, Hearts stayed and freed a slave, Kids went who knows where. Leaving the Whitebeard pirates trotting to their ship.
Izo, as always, was the first to ask questions. "Rayleigh is your uncle? Why didn't you mention that!?" Izo gripped onto Red's swollen ear. It was swollen from all the biting Marco did. "Izo, you didn't ask! Stop it!" Red whined. She tried to swat Izo's hand away, but the man clung tighter. "So, you didn't think you should mention one of the strongest men alive is your uncle?!"
"Izo! My ear hurts! Please stop, I'm sorry!" the sixteenth commander let go of Red's ear. He rubbed his temple with his index finger and thumb.
A few sighs escaped him before he looked up, he jumped when he saw Thatch staring at him. Normally, Izo wouldn't have jumped, but he's still recovering from what happened at the restaurant. Of course, the perceptive first commander noticed, "why are you so jumpy, yoi?" the group stopped in their tracks to look at Izo. "Yeah, you've been acting weird since the restaurant." Ace added, walking closer to the other commander.
The mention of the restaurant made Izo and Thatch blush. Neither of them wanted to reveal what happened, but Ace didn't stop prying. "I've never seen you blush before, Izo! Now you have to tell me!"
Both commanders gulped, "when w-we were in line… these guys kept staring at me. So, I clutched Izo's hand, as a sign to leave me alone, but that didn't stop them. They kept giving me lustful looks and disturbing stares. Izo noticed and did something to shut them up…" Thatch's eyes fell towards her feet. Her blush was still visible. "He couldn't yell or that would've drawn attention. Instead he kissed me on the cheek to show I was 'taken'. Then, when we got to the front of the line, the cashier kept saying how cute we were together. It was embarrassing." Thatch grumbled while Izo groaned.
Ace and Marco started to laugh, while Red made a teasing comment. "Looks like the sexual tension I commented about before has grown. How adorable." Izo and Thatch's faces lit up when they remembered that time in the dining hall.
The whole way, the commanders teased Izo and Thatch about the embarrassing situation. Vista heard it while walking onto the ship and told the others. The two commanders were now the new subject for Whitebeard Pirate's gossip chain.
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Red grumbled from the booming laughter on the deck. She was, as always, sleeping on the top deck, letting her skin bath in the sunlight. Well, before laughter and light chuckles bounced off her ears. She tilted her head to the sides to see what was happening. Her eyes popped out of their sockets when she saw the crew gathered around Rayleigh. The thing that shocked her the most was the book he was holding. Oh no! Not that! Red bounced off the ground and stomped to her uncle.
Rayleigh turned his head towards his fuming niece and let out a small laugh. "Ah, I see you're awake." Red tried snatching the book out of Rayleigh's hands, but the man was too quick. He closed the book and placed it in his lap, "hey, this is mine. You know how important this is." Rayleigh snickered.
The book Rayleigh was flaunting was a memory book, a photo album of her childhood. Her father has at least a million of them, all different ages of each of his children. He made copies and sent them out to other members of the family, that includes Rayleigh. "What age is that?" Red growled.
Rayleigh tapped his finger on the book in his lap with a shrug. "Two to five." Whitebeard said, boasting the same snicker as her uncle.
"Speaking of which, my favorite was the one of you and Kid bathing together." Vista said with a laugh. Namur nodded in agreement.
"I don't know. That one of Kid carrying her is adorable too." Rakuyo said, waving his finger in the air.
"What about her accidental sip of alcohol?" Fossa interjected.
Red's embarrassment boiled; she gave Rayleigh the 'you better sleep with one eye open' look. The man chuckled, "come on Red, at least I didn't show them the others." And just like that, the debate over the cutest picture paused. Everyone started chanting for another book, especially Izo, Thatch and Ace. Scanning through the crowd, Red noticed that a certain pineapple wasn't on deck.
The redhead turned to Pops with a frown, "where's the stick-in-the-mud?" Whitebeard let out another laugh before answering. "He is in his room, waiting for his red headed girlfriend." Pops wiggled a brow, which made Rayleigh flick his.
"Don't tell me you're dating Marco?! Kid didn't go bananas? Does Shanks know?" The enthusiasm in Rayleigh's voice made Red huff. Her huff wasn't snarky, more depressed. Some questions wondered into her mind.
Would dad like Marco? Would Kid go bananas? My twin brother is overprotective, but how bad could it get? Now that I think about it, it could get bad! What if dad doesn't like him either?! Will they both team tag Marco!? No!
Red's lips turned to a frown, "We're not dating Rayleigh, it was a question. I'll be going now." The tone in Red's voice confused Rayleigh, she sounded depressed. He shrugged it off, if it was bad, she would've told me.
When Red was off the deck, Rayleigh took the book back out. He flipped to the next page. Instead of showing it to Whitebeard, he stared at the picture. His lips down casted and his eyes turned dark. "What is it Rayleigh?" Whitebeard asked. The Dark King took out two pictures and placed them on the ground.
In one picture were seven children and three adults. The adults included the mother Makino, Shanks, and surprisedly Garp. "She knows Garp?" Thatch asked. They have had many run-ins with the marine, sometimes he has drinks with Pops, other times they battle. Either way, it always ends up with them sharing a drink and an old story. "Garp is Luffy's grandpa." Ace pointed to Luffy in the picture. Him and Kid were dancing in the background with Shanks. Kid and Luffy know each other, but they weren't that close. I wonder if Luffy remembers Kid. Ace thought.
Izo pointed at another spot in the picture, "isn't that you Ace?" In the picture, it showed Red using her legs to choke a freckled brunette. A nervous laugh came from the second commander, "yeah…" everyone laughed. Even back then, Red was still kicking Ace's butt. Ace rubbed his chin from the picture, why don't i remember that? If that happened, I would've met Red's brothers. So, how come I don't remember them?
"That's Nako, right?" Vista asked. Makino was holding a baby while talking to Garp. The baby looked like Makino with red hair. Rayleigh nodded.
"Who are they?" Thatch pointed to a blonde and another redhead laughing at Red and Ace. The second commander gave a fond smile, "that's Sabo, my other brother. And that's…" Ace's lips turned into a frown. The redhead looked a lot like Shanks, meaning that it was his kid, but… if that's true then… "that's Dagger." Rayleigh switched the photo with the other one he pulled out. This one had the twins and Dagger. Both twins were pulling on Dagger's arms and he was laughing. The older brother had his hair moved to one side, letting the extra hair float over his eye. His red front locks ended at his shoulder, while the back ended at his ear. A neon green diamond shaped earring dangled from his left ear. Izo's eyes concentrated on the earring, he swore he's seen it before.
What was most fascinating about the boy was his emerald eyes. They were as captivating as Red's. Shanks's children have different and unique eyes. Nako's are sapphire, Kid's are rose gold, Red's are a vibrant crimson, and Dagger's are various shades of green.
The grin on the boy's face matches Kid's, but his facial features are more feminine like Red's. His body was more lean than muscular. All and all, he is a very handsome man. Which makes the commanders wonder why he did it? Why would he do that to Red?
"Rayleigh? Tell us about Red and Dagger's connection." Thatch asked in a curious tone.
Rayleigh shook his head, "Red and Dagger… there's a few things, depending on what you know."
Ace spoke up, "she lived in my village, then got swept away by a storm with Kid. She met her brother in the north blue, who experimented on her."
Rayleigh let out a sigh and tucked his memory book in his coat. "Yes, that is true, but those experiments saved her life." The uncle ignored the gasps of the crowd and continued. "Red was a sick child, no matter how rambunctious she was. That sickness affected her more and more as she got older. This illness had no cure, and by the time it became serious, she was in the north blue. Which means Shanks, Makino, or Garp, couldn't help her. She was on the verge of death until Dagger saved her. The experiments he did on her were brutal, worse than any hell you could imagine. But, as you can see, she's alive." The look on Rayleigh's face showed his guilt and worry. The expression added restlessness to what the crew was feeling.
Whitebeard was the most agitated, "and Shanks hasn't done anything!" The man snapped. No one is surprised at the captain's rage, they all felt it too. "What do you want him to do, Whitebeard? Kill his own child? Red's alive and that's all that matters!" Rayleigh slammed his hand against the deck in frustration. Making a shiver run down the commander's spine. But that didn't stop Whitebeard, "the boy doesn't deserve a damn talking to! He gave her to the celestial dragons!" The right-hand snapped his head in Pop's direction. His rage was leaking through his body. The antagonism between the two men caused the commanders to tense up further. "He did, I'm aware of that, and so is Shanks, but Red… she could've left if she wanted to. But she didn't." Rayleigh's voice lowered; anger replaced with grief as the man lowered his head. "Sea Prism stone doesn't affect the woman; she could've gotten out of there easily. Yet… she stayed."
This surprised the crew; didn't they lock her up with sea prism? Does that mean she could've left the whole time? He said it doesn't affect her, does that mean she has a devil fruit? Why didn't Red leave that place? "I don't know much about the experiments. Only few know this much. Dagger knows the rest. I can only tell you four things. One, Dagger holds a high rank in the world government. Two, he ate the Ket-Ket fruit, meaning he can manipulate blood. Three, Red has eaten a devil fruit. And lastly, not only does Shanks's blood course through her veins, so does another. But, that's something for her to tell you if she chooses." Rayleigh got off the ground and started to walk away. There was nothing more he could say, now it's Red's choice on what to do next. I hope she will be ok.
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The twist of the doorknob interrupted the blonde from doing his work. When he was about to groan and lecture the person responsible, he relaxed when he saw Red. "Hey Red, yoi. Rayleigh is here, did you see him?" Marco put his pen down and swung his chair in Red's direction.
"Yeah, I did. Stupid uncle! He takes too much pride in that book of his." Red snorted. Marco chuckled at the statement while Red took a seat on his bed. Red has been in Marco's room many times. Whether it's to annoy him, or to sleep in. Unlike her room, Marco's is much quieter, and the best for taking naps.
The redhead shifted on the bed until she relaxed and laid down. "Pineapple head? Can you come into town with me? I want to see my twin, Law, and Luffy. After… I'll let you see the scars on my back." The last sentence was a whisper, but Marco heard it. He looked towards the redhead, but she kept her gaze on the ceiling. "I have work to do, you know." Red turned her head to Marco and stuck out her tongue. "Sucks to suck!"
Marco raised a brow, "Wouldn't you be the one sucking since I'm busy?"
"No, you are coming with me. Like it or not."
Marco sighed, "Childish woman." He muttered. Red smiled at his defeated tone and dragged him off the ship.
Red skipped through the lovely town in the Archipelago, with Marco by her side. The blonde had his hands behind his head, and a frown on his face. "You look like someone shot your dog, it's disturbing." Red commented, still skipping. "How do you know, yoi? You can't even see me." Marco huffed. Red turned around to face the blonde. She pressed her thumbs against his lips and tilted them upwards. "Smile, you're scaring the children." Marco looked to the side and noticed kids staring at him. They all looked terrified. "Fine, yoi."
The redhead retracted her thumbs and smiled. She turned around and started to skip, "I could tell from your scent." She answered. "How far does your sense of smell reach, yoi?"
"It has a wide radius, but I try to control it and make it smaller. Speaking of smell, can you tell me some things about Teach?"
"What about him? His in Ace's division and-" Red covered Marco's mouth with her hand. The blonde was about to question the action, when Teach came into view.
Red released Marco's mouth and stared at the man. When their eyes met, Teach started to walk over to them. "Hey! First commander and…" Teach trailed off for her to fill in the blank. "Red." She answered in a less than amused tone. Marco flicked a brow at the sudden change in demeanor.
"Oh, yeah sorry. Zehahaha! You look very familiar? Where have I seen you from?"
"I'm not famous or anything, I don't even have a bounty."
"But I swear I've seen you in a wanted poster."
"You might be thinking of my twin brother. Eustass Kid."
Teach snapped his fingers and nodded, "yeah! I've seen that brat! You look a lot like him. Anyways, what are you guys up to?" No shit he looks like me, we are twins.
Marco shrugged and pointed to the woman keeping him hostage. "She dragged me out of my room."
"Zehahaha! It's tough being in love."
"Well he sure is a chore." Red scoffed.
Marco rolled his eyes, "Mhm, I'm the chore, yoi." The blonde then noticed something, not only did Red's demeanor change, but she's not embarrassed. She didn't answer the statement with a stutter, a blush, nothing.
Teach said his goodbyes to the couple and walked off. "Mine telling me what's going on, yoi." Red turned to face Marco, she crossed her hands over her chest and huffed. "He smells like a liar, something about that man isn't right."
"Is that why you didn't blush when you admitted to being in love with me?"
"Yes- wait? I did what!?" Marco chuckled at Red's flushed face. At least she's back to normal. Red huffed again and continued walking.
They reached Shakky's Rip Off Bar, where Kid said he would be. When she entered, Killer was pulling Kid's ear, with Wire and Heat watching. "Kid, don't draw attention! How hard is that?!" Killer yelled. Marco sighed, they are definitely twins… The blonde's eyes shifted to the female twin. She was walking up to Killer, swaying her hips in each step.
"What happened?" Killer turned his head to the other twin but kept his hold on Kid's ear. "This moron couldn't listen to one simple rule. He tried to kill a celestial when they were walking by." Instead of helping Killer and his lecture, Red did the opposite. "Let's tag team, Kid!" A hand fell on Red's head and pushed it down. "Please ignore her, she's also a moron, yoi."
"Oi! Marco! I'm not a moron! Take it back meanie!" Red whined, only to get an eye roll from the commander. The woman huffed and turned her attention onto the other blond and redhead. She stuck her hand in her bra and pulled out two pieces of paper. "Here it's my viver card, try not to lose it." Killer let go of Kid's ear and took the paper. They both have seen one before, Kid has one for his father and Rayleigh. "Are you leaving or something?" Killer asked in a skeptical tone. The woman pushed a grin on her lips, "nope! But I have to go now, I'll see you two tomorrow."
The woman left the bar without another word. Marco followed close behind, sprouting the same look as Killer. "I'm serious, I don't plan on leaving." Red kept her back to Marco as she spoke. "I don't want anyone else dying." Marco's eyebrow raised at the 'anyone else' part of the sentence. "I told you how I met Killer and Law right?" Marco nodded. "Well there was another person there, a girl named Blue. Yeah, I know, Red and Blue. We were two pieces of a puzzle. But she died during the experiments. I don't want to feel that pain again." Red's tone became lower and lower as she spoke. Marco pulled his hands from behind his head and wrapped them around Red. The redhead relaxed to his touch. His left hand was around her waist, pulling her closer. His right hand was on her stomach. His touch was soothing and warm, she tilted her head up to kiss him on the cheek.
They both weren't aware of everyone staring at the them. An 'Awww' escaped the peanut gallery when Marco returned the soft kiss with another. One woman came up to them, she had light green hair and freckles. "You two are so adorable!" She squealed. Both blushed and noticed the attention they were getting. "T-thank y-y-you." Red stuttered. Marco placed another kiss on Red's cheek, making her blush grow. "Can I get a picture of you two? I run a store on the other side of the grove. I have been wanting to hire a couple to pose for me, but your cuteness is unteachable." The woman's eyes sparkled. Red's sweat dropped; she doesn't think this is a good idea.
Marco placed another kiss on Red's cheek for the camera. The woman took it at lightning speed and jumped for joy. "Thank you!" She yelled as she started to walk away. "I hope your baby is born healthy!" Marco and Red froze, what did she say?! The two then realize what the woman meant. "Your hand is on my stomach, that doesn't mean I'm pregnant." Red said in an embarrassed tone. Marco chuckled, "well then I guess I'm a father. What are we going to name it, yoi?" Red turned her head towards Marco with a frown. "My baby isn't an it." She huffed. "It's my baby too. What are we going to call…" Marco pointed at Red's stomach. The woman tapped her hand against her chin, "we will call…" Red paused to point at her stomach. "A pineapple until we know the gender."
Her confidence made Marco let out another chuckle, "ok then, yoi. Let's hope our pineapple looks more like you then me."
"Oh, the pineapple will. They'll probably have red hair as well, it's a dominant trait in the family."
"Mhm, so take a guess, boy or girl, yoi."
"Hopefully a girl, there aren't many in my family." Red huffed.
"Alright then, what about a name?"
Red scrunched her eyebrows as she went into deep thought, "I don't know. My siblings and I all have weird names, except for Nako. I mean, Kid, Red, Dagger, really?"
"Maybe the trend should continue, I have a boring name, yoi." Marco laughed.
"No, pineapple head is a splendid name." Red grinned.
The two debated on names the rest of their time on the island, even though they are not 'dating'. Red kept shutting Marco's ideas down.
'Too boring'
'no'
'Just no'
'I rather name my child gray couch.'
Her replies made the two laugh. Too bad the laughs didn't last long. When they got back Red showed Marco her burden. Who knew that her nightmares would come to life that night?
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"LOOK IZO LOOK!" Thatch exclaimed
"Did you steal that?!" the sixteenth commander yelled.
"Yep! I'm a Pirate so it's fine but look! I've never seen this type of devil fruit. Have you?" Thatch's grin tripled when she shoved the devil fruit into Izo's face.
"No but don't flash it around, we'll tell Whitebeard and the crew when we get back on deck." Thatch nodded and wrapped her arms around Izo as they continued to walk back onto the ship.
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I feel like Shanks would be the type of father that would take ENDLESS pictures of his children and send them to his friends to brag! The Ket-Ket fruit is a made up devil fruit. Ket is taken from the word ketsueki, which means blood in Japanese. I did add more Izo x Thatch in case it was lacking before. God they are cute!
Anyways! Like, Comment, or Whatever!