Be My Queen

by All Hail The King

The storm brings the nightmares, and she finds herself in front of his door. Why is it always him, and for him, why is it only her?

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"From the beginning then, Dragon-san?" Robin asked, before reaching for a small slice of bread in the center of the table.

Long fingers on a large, strong hand lifted the glass to his lips and he took another sip of his scotch, before returning it to the wooden table before him with a gentle clink. He blinked at her and smiled, "From the beginning then."

"I grew up idolizing my father," Dragon began lowly, prompting Luffy to pause momentarily to consider his father. "My mother died when I was young, and for the longest time it was just me and Garp. It was hard on him, losing my mother, and then subsequently juggling his duties as a marine with his duties as a full-time father, but he made it work. He was a bit unorthodox, to say the least. I can't tell you how many times I was thrust into forests or ravines or made to fight tigers or bears and the like."

He chuckled a little at the mix off horrified faces (Brook, Nami, Usopp, Chopper), and the exasperated expressions on the faces of the crew with a bit stronger disposition. "Oh, he was always close by, always watching over me. He would have never let me get seriously hurt. 'You're going to become a great marine one day, Dragon. A great marine,' he would say."

Luffy made a choking noise and blinked at his father, and Dragon smiled. "Yes, so you've heard it too. I expected no less, especially after what I became. He only wanted what was best for me, for us." There was a distant look in his eyes, for the moment he was living in years past. "And it's what I wanted too."

"My dream, all those years ago, was to become a marine, and a great one. The greatest," he said, to the surprise of the crew. "I wanted to be someone that surpassed my father, the legendary Garp. I remember begging him to tell me stories of his time as a marine. 'Father, tell me about how you defeated the Rox alliance. Father, tell me about your battles with Roger, and Whitebeard,' and he'd laugh and tell me, and then we'd go to the forest and he'd train me. And when he was gone on another adventure, I'd train myself to be stronger than when I was when he left me."

"I grew older and stronger, but also more perceptive to the world around me." Dragon paused to take another drink. "We lived in a small area, just outside of a village in the East Blue called Foosha Village, on Dawn Island. It was part of a kingdom known as Goa. Garp raised me in secret, so that his enemies could never find me. The villagers didn't even know I existed, barring the Mayor. As I got older, the forest seemed to shrink, and I felt the need to look for new territory. My wanderings inevitably led me to the capital city of Goa."

His face darkened considerably. "Goa Kingdom was my first look at the true face of the world."

"The 'true face of the world'?" Usopp asked?

Dragon nodded as he regarded Usopp, "Yes. I'm sure you've seen it on your travels across the Grand Line. The Sabaody Archipelago, for instance."

Usopp gulped and nodded his head sharply, eyes tightening at the thought of the last stop in Paradise before the New World. They all grimaced at the thought of the Celestial Dragons and the Human Auction.

"The capital of Goa was my first taste of it. Behind the walls, the capital was a beautiful place. The people were kind, the city beautiful. Everywhere you went, the people were upper-crust, affluent. It was a deception of a beautiful kind. No matter how hard you looked, you were hard pressed to find anybody cast out by society. No, people that didn't meet the standards of the city were shepherded outside the walls into what was called the Grey Terminal.

"The Grey Terminal was a literal trash dump for the capital of Goa. All of the trash of the city would be thrown over the walls into the surrounding area, the populace of the Grey Terminal forced to live off scraps they found in the trash heaps of the wealthy. Trash living among trash.

"I was twelve when I first made the trip to Goa, during one of my father's absences. I still remember the look on his face when I told him what I had seen. The disappointment in his eyes. I didn't recognize the resignation, however, until much later. 'Become strong enough, Dragon, and you can change it.' And so I got stronger. I was going to become a great marine and change the world so that there wouldn't be places like the Grey Terminal. Where undesirables weren't cast aside, where men and women and children wouldn't die because they couldn't feed themselves, where they didn't have to survive off the trash of other people."

Dragon reached towards the bottle of scotch in front of him, pausing to fill his glass. He studied the ice in the glass intently after topping it off. Lowly, almost a whisper, he said "I'll never forget the face of the first dead child I saw in the Grey Terminal."

They all stopped eating at the thought. Nami set down her own glass momentarily, not particular craving the sweet orange drink with the mention of the child. She turned and eyed Luffy, who would have been mistaken by an outsider as uncaring of the death of the child, having been the only one to continue eating. But Nami knew better.

It was the crinkle at the corners of his eyes and the hard glint in his pupils that gave him away. Such an existence ran antithetical to everything that made Luffy himself. The despair, the lack of freedom, to be so oppressed that the only thing you could eat came from the trash can of another person was so opposing to Luffy's nature that while the outsider may have mistaken him for aloof in the moment, Nami knew, and Zoro knew, and Robin knew, and Jinbe knew, and the rest of the crew knew that he was perhaps the most affected, the most furious by the thought. Hell, half of the reason Luffy wanted to bring down Kaido back in Wano was because he came across a precious little thing named Tama, who Nami had instantly grown attached to the moment they met, that was starving due to Kaido's oppressive reign over the samurai country.

"Tama, don't be happy!" he had told her, "I'll make this the norm for you! "I'll make sure by the time we leave this country, it'll be a place where you can eat 'til you're full everyday!" The look of radiant joy that Tama had in her eyes when she told Nami what Luffy had said to her could have lit up even the darkest of rooms.

Yes, Luffy would be particularly displeased, and Nami knew he must have seen similar things given that it was his home as well. Which is why she discreetly, slipped her hand under the table towards him and tapped his leg gently with a slight finger. He looked at her, noticing the concern in her eyes, and smoothly dropped his hand beneath table, softly brushing her finger with one of his.

Nami turned back to Dragon as he began to speak again, but saw Zoro and Robin both shoot her a subtle, knowing glance, obviously having seen the exchange. Jinbe gave a small smile as well, and Nami wondered if there was anyone on the ship that didn't suspect anything, or if they were just that obvious.

"Four years passed relatively quickly for me, given my constant training and trips to the Grey Terminal. I had decided that I would do my best to help the so-called undesirables outside the walls of the capital by stealing food from the upper-crust within the city and deliver it to the at-risk citizens without. I developed a bit of a reputation among the capital, they called me a ghost and said the city was haunted. No one, within the walls or without, ever knew who I was.

"When I was sixteen, Garp started to take me out on marine voyages, small ones at first, then longer ones later. It was completely against the rules, mind you, but nobody ever accused anyone in our family of being adherent to rules," he said, shooting a sly look which drew grins from everyone at the table. They all knew, and experienced first-hand, that there wasn't a rule that their rubber-headed leader met that he didn't break.

"Everything changed when I was seventeen, though," Dragon said, his mood suddenly turning darker. "Garp took me on another voyage with his crew. This time to the Holy Land, Mariejois."

Dragon picked up his glass and tipped the remaining half into his mouth. He immediately reached forward and grabbed the bottle of scotch and refilled his cup again. When he placed the bottle back on the table with a dull thud, he stared at it contemplatively.

"And what did you find in Mariejois, Dragon-san?" Nami asked.

He turned to her and gave her a long, thoughtful look. Not a piercing stare he had given her earlier, not the teasing insinuating glance he shot her way as he noticed whatever it was between her and Luffy, but a look that gave her the impression he was searching for what to say.

After a long moment, he said simply, "Hell masquerading as heaven."

He drew a deep breath before continuing. "On the way there, Garp drew me aside, away from all the marines on deck. It was perhaps the most serious I had ever seen him. I remember clearly the look on his face as he told me, 'Dragon, no matter what you see, you must promise me not to do anything reckless. Do not engage the Celestial Dragons, no matter what you see. Promise me!'. I swore to him I would, ignorant of who they were and what they did. I had no idea…" he trailed off.

"Mariejois is hell on earth. It was then and it is now," Dragon stated, a hard, flinty look coloring his eyes. The anger started to seep into his voice. "I was uncomfortable when I got there, I noticed my father was, too. How could one not be, when treated to the sight of people with chains around their necks and being ridden around like horses by monsters that have bubbles around their damn heads because they don't even think that they should be breathing the same air as the rest of us!"

His lips were twisted into a tight frown, a look that had the crew turning to Luffy to check it against his face, as it was certainly a look that he had inherited from Dragon. And glancing at Luffy, Zoro was not surprised to see that look mirrored on Luffy, though distorted by the food stuffed into the cheeks of his captain. He almost chuckled despite himself, with how ridiculous Luffy looked with cheeks the size of bowling balls.

"There was a girl, though," Dragon continued, "that broke me. She was young, no more than six years old." He glanced at Chopper and nodded at the reindeer, "she might have stood only a head taller then you."

Chopper shifted uneasily, grimacing at the thought of an innocent child being subject to the cruelty of Celestial Dragons.

"'Follow the rules', my father said before we got there. So I did. When they would pass by, we'd stand to the side of the road with our heads down to not make eye contact. But I could only hold back for so long. We arrived in the morning, by midday it became a struggle to control myself. How could such a monstrosity be permissible, and sanctioned by the government no less?"

Dragon sighed and shook his head, his mane of wild hair shifting to and fro with the motion of his head. "He should not have taken me there," he said lowly. "The girl was my undoing. Shortly after noon, we moved to the side for yet another display of cruelty, yet another ridiculous act of submission and appeasement to those who are only our betters by name, nothing more. But there was a little girl, so small. She couldn't have been more than six years old. And she was a slave, a pack mule for these disgusting creatures. On her back rested a pack many times her size, and she struggled to move under the weight of it. The Celestial Dragon perched atop his human mount berated her endlessly, calling her disgusting names and saying how worthless she was."

"Her steps got slower with each passing moment. The pack was far too much for her. One second between steps became two, became three, became four before she finally collapsed from exhaustion. The Celestial Dragon dismounted, and strode to her, cursing. The first thing he did when he got to her was aim a vicious kick to her side. Again and again he kicked her, and she winced and shuddered but made not a sound. She coughed blood and I started forward, stilled only by my father's hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him and he shook his head. He had a look in his eye that I never imagined I would see, not from him. It was beneath the anger, the hatred of what was happening. Helplessness. Resignation.

"When I turned back, the little girl looked at me, and we stared at each other for a long moment. And she shook her head at me. Do nothing, she was telling me. I've been up and down the Grand Line during my life and have witnessed few things as brave as what that little girl did in that moment. For a child-slave to be in the midst of unbearable cruelty and turn to me, someone who had the freedom little girl did not, to warn me away from doing anything rash and ending up like her…

"She slowly hefted herself up, the pack still on her back, all the while enduring a deluge of insults from the Celestial Dragon. I guess he was done with her though, because the next moment, he drew a gun and shot her in the forehead. Just like that."

The fate of the girl had a chilling effect on an already dour mood, given the particular avenue the conversation had taken. Usopp and Chopper gasped in horror, while Frank crossed his arms. Brook uttered a soft "Oh dear," before playing with a handkerchief he drew from his pocket. Sanji lit another cigarette and took a long drag. Robin and Jinbe remained stoic, while Zoro scowled.

Nami, for her part, brought a hand up to cover her mouth and fought back tears. She felt a hand tap her right hand, still on her lap underneath the table, and she gratefully wrapped hers tightly around it. She turned and gave Luffy a rather watery smile of thanks. Warmth blossomed in her chest as she saw Luffy's inquisitive, concerned gaze.

He tends to keep an eye on you, or something to that effect. Robin's words from earlier in the day echoed in Nami's mind.

"I lost control of myself when I saw what happened to her," Dragon's voice sounded softly, drawing both her attention and Luffy's back to him. "The next moments were a haze. Somewhere somebody yelled, and mostly everyone in the vicinity collapsed, knocked out cold. It was only later that I realized that the voice I heard was mine, and that I had used Conqueror's Haki.

"Garp was quick to act. Before anyone knew the wiser, he had taken us all the way to the edge of the city. 'What have you done?' he said. 'What did I tell you, you fool?!' And I only felt betrayal. The man that I had looked up to for so long, the man who personified justice enough to wear it on his back had stood and watched while that little girl died. The marine hero."

Dragon suddenly looked tired, his face tightened into a small frown. "I was so young then. I said many things in an outburst of resentment, things that he didn't deserve. We were yelling in one moment, fighting the next. I just had such hatred in that moment, hatred of him, hatred of the Navy and the Government, and most prominently, hatred of myself."

He reached for his cup and twirled it in a small circle, watching the golden liquid swirl on the inside for a moment before taking a sip. "I fled," he said, putting his glass back down on the table. "My dream was broken. I couldn't bring myself to become a marine following that display. How could I? How could I defend a government that turns a blind eye to that. So, I fled. I stole a boat and left that horrid city behind. In Mariejois I left my dream and my father, and I never turned back. It was the last I saw of my father for a very long time."

"What did you do next?" Jinbe asked in his deep timbre. "That was a time of great movement. Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and others were stepping up to claim the era. What did you seek to accomplish?"

Dragon turned to Jinbe and said simply, "Answers." He tilted is head back and looked at the ceiling. "I lost my way after that incident, I wanted nothing to do with everything I had wanted to be. So I wandered the world. Over the next fifteen years I traveled from place to place, to understand. I cultivated relationships all over, learned of different cultures and territories, helping innocent citizens defend against errant pirate attacks, corrupt officials, and the like. But remained careful to not make a name for myself. While the world raged with the new era of pirates, I was careful to keep myself in the shadows. Even the people I had interacted with thought of me as only a ghost, a habit that held over from my childhood.

"It wasn't until the fifteenth year since the incident on Mariejois that I decided to act."

"After all those years abroad, what was it that finally made you want to form the Revolutionary Army?" Franky asked. "I thought that the death of the girl made you desire to break away from the Government."

"You're right, in a sense," Dragon said, turning towards Franky. "The death of the girl forced me to consider the actual order of the world. Because of her, I traveled the seas to understand how the world worked. But the event that led me to act was the capture and subsequent execution of Gol D. Roger."

"The Pirate King?" Usopp asked. "Why would the death of the most famous criminal cause you to move to overthrow the government? The creation of a new government based on the death of a pirate seems a bit odd."

"I didn't know Roger, so there wasn't much of a personal reason for me to take interest in his capture or death. But what drew me was the suddenness of it. Roger had been on the run for decades, eluding capture at every opportunity. The only person in the Navy that could stand against him, besides maybe Sengoku, was my father, and I always felt that my father never really put much heart in the actual act of capturing Roger." Dragon tilted his head slightly to the side, squinting in thought. "They were rivals, certainly, but they most definitely considered each other friends, or at the very least held a deep amount of respect for each other."

Dragon turned to look at Usopp again. "Consider how it looked. Roger, who the Navy could never get their hands on, was captured by someone other than Garp, and was captured alone? Not a single member of his crew was also apprehended to be executed? No. After thought, I came to the conclusion that Roger was not captured, but turned himself in. I learned later that my guess was true, and I'm guessing that Rayleigh told you as much when you met him?"

"Ah," Luffy said, his first time speaking since the start of Dragon's story. "You know Rayleigh?"

Food sprayed from his mouth and Zoro scowled. He leaned forward and clamped a strong hand over Luffy's mouth, squeezing his lips tightly together. "Swallow your damned food before you talk!" he growled.

Dragon laughed his rough laugh. "No, I don't know Rayleigh," he said. "But I'd like to meet him. I have to thank him after all, for saving my son and his friends."

Nami's disgusted frown at Luffy's inability to show and semblance of manners flipped into a bright smile, a look mirrored by the rest of the crew as they all turned back to Dragon.

"So your suspicion of the government led you to attending Roger's execution?" Brook asked.

"Yes. The thought of the most feared man on the planet simply turning himself in to people that he knew were going to kill him made me curious. I had hoped to see something of a reason when I saw him. Perhaps he had seen all there was to see in the word and chose to end it, knowing that it couldn't change. Perhaps he was bored of life. I couldn't be sure at the time, but I was certain that being there was important. And I was right.

"I'll never forget the sight. The experience was the second of three that completely changed my life. The crowd was massive. People from all over the world stood in the plaza to witness the death of the Pirate King."

"Now that I think about it, I've always heard stories about how a fierce storm blew over Loguetown that day," Jinbe said slowly.

Dragon merely shot him a sly, conspiratorial look and continued without confirmation, "It was what he said that struck me, with a smile on his face as he slowly died. I'll never forget it. 'You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place. Now you'll just have to find it!'"

Dragon punctuated Roger's words with a rough laugh, eliciting a grin from the crew. A collective shiver of excitement seemed to trail down their spines upon hearing the very words that started a new era, their era. Nami turned to Luffy to see he wore an almost feral grin, a grin that was matched by his father when the latter stopped laughing.

"I never had much love for pirates, but in that moment I admired Roger. It was an absolute slap in the face to the government and the Navy. His death was supposed to show the power of the World Government and be an ultimate warning for pirates all over the world. 'Stay in line,' was the message. 'Stay in line, or get in line if you're not already.' But Roger, on his deathbed provided many people with the courage to dream and the will to challenge those who would take their dreams from them."

A gleam seemed to radiate from Dragon's eyes as he spoke, prompting another chill of familiarity to slip down the spines of the crew. So very much like their captain that it had them looking at Luffy out of the corner of their eyes for they had seen it so many times. It spoke of adventure and danger and dreams and freedom. Nami shivered slightly.

"I never gave a rat's ass about the One Piece. It was the idea, the freedom Roger offered in his last moments. And it occurred to me, as his body finally stilled, that many of the people in the plaza would rush off to chase their wildest dreams, and that was exactly what Roger intended. And I thought to myself, why should not everyone have that freedom? Why should innocent people live under a government that endorses corrupt rulers and oppressive tyranny in its member countries? Why should innocent people live under a government that turns a blind eye to slavery? Why should innocent people live under a government that terrorizes anyone whom it deems different? Why should innocent people live under a government that restricts their ability to live freely? There are so many people in this world that don't have freedom, that live in fear, poverty, oppression, that don't even have the right to dream…

"I walked into Loguetown searching for an answer and walked out of Loguetown having found it. After fifteen years of searching, with Roger's dying breath I decided that I would overthrow the World Government and establish a new governing body, one that wouldn't trample over the basic freedoms every person the world over is allowed by right of life to enjoy. I would start a revolution."

Dragon leaned forward on his elbows and his voice dropped low, almost a whisper. "I know you feel it, Luffy." Luffy tilted his head to the side in confusion, his grin slipping slightly. "That burning sensation when faced with a new adventure, the tingle down your spine that comes with being free. Truly free. You need it."

Luffy made a small noise and nodded, his grin returning. Nami found herself grinning with him.

Dragon smiled too, fierce like his son, "I knew you would. It's in our blood. I can't explain it, perhaps it has something to do with our lineage, bearing D. in our names…" he trailed off.

"So how long did it take you to form the Revolution after you left? It seems like it would take quite a while to put such a large, ambitious operation together," Brook asked.

"It would have, but I had already laid some of the groundwork during the years I traveled the world. My exploits gained allies, allies that were dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in their homeland. After I left Loguetown, I began to contact those who I had met during my journey, who I knew wanted a change. Within six months, the foundation of the Revolutionary Army was complete. Within one year, we were responsible for the fall of a dozen countries worldwide and my bounty rivaled that of veteran criminals in the New World. After two years, I was declared the World's Most Wanted Criminal."

"After only two years?" Chopper exclaimed.

"The Government doesn't like to be challenged, as you well know. Look at what happened to your bounties after the events on Enies Lobby. On a larger scale, look at what you've managed to accomplish in total! If you take out the two years your crew was inactive, then you've only been a threat for a little over a year. Look at how high your bounties are. Time is irrelevant."

"They probably took extra caution knowing that you were Garp's son," Robin said, to which Dragon nodded.

"Indeed. They feared both my movement and my strength. And they were right to, if I may say so myself," he said, a small bit smug at the end.

They crew shared a look and smiled, an acknowledgement that self-confidence was certainly a trait within the Monkey D. family. Nami stifled the urge to chuckle as Dragon continued.

"And then two and a half years after Roger's death, two and a half years after I started my secret war against the World Government," he said softly, tilting his head back and looking towards the ceiling, "I met a woman on a small, war-torn island on the grand line."

He paused for a wistful moment, lost in the memory. Dragon's head tilted downward and tipped small amount of scotch into his mouth, exhaling deeply after he swallowed. He looked to the rest of the table again and continued, just as softly, "There's a saying back east, that 'love is a hurricane'. I never believed it to be true, and I know for a fact now that it's utter bullshit."

"Love is most certainly not a hurricane. I've seen and experienced hurricanes, created one or two as well," he grinned cheekily, eliciting smirks from the rest of the table. "If I had to make a comparison," he said to everyone, though there was a distinct feeling he was talking to Luffy directly, "I would say that love is a wildfire. It hits you suddenly, and without warning. It engulfs you in a raging inferno, leaves you smoldering in heat on the inside, burns you if you're not careful, comforts you when you're cold, lights your world when it's dark…"

Another pause, another faraway look, somewhere way off into the distance, beyond the walls of the ship. "I was…utterly unprepared for her. And I've been the type of man to be prepared for anything, mind you. It's a necessity for my occupation, my goals. I never thought love would play into my life, it couldn't, not for what I was doing.

"By the time we turned her island away from the influence of the World Government, she had completely and utterly ravaged the barriers behind which I hid. A touch would set my skin on fire, a kiss my heart and soul.

"She was beautiful, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She was fierce and brave, kind and caring. She was strong. She had a temper like the devil, and a wrath of an angry ocean. She was gentle when I failed, stern when I was wrong. She scolded me when I needed to be scolded, challenged me when I needed to be challenged. She picked me up when I stumbled, whispered encouragement in my ear when I had need of it." He smiled again, a true smile, and the crew smiled with him. They all snuck a glance at Luffy, having figured out exactly who this woman was.

Nami rolled her eyes when she took a peek at Luffy, his face blank, completely locked in on stuffing one piece of meat into his mouth after another. Of course, she thought, though she knew he was listening.

"Our relationship was secret, nobody knew but us. It had to be that way, for the government would have hunted her down merely to hurt me. But on the inside, I wanted nothing more than everyone from the earth to the heavens to know about her. We met when we could, in between missions and when our duties allowed. She was an excellent revolutionary, too. This is how it was for a year and a half after meeting.

"And then one day, after I successfully flipped another country in our favor, she sent me an urgent message through a long series of back channels and contacts that we had developed so nobody could make a connection between us. It was a message that only I could know the meaning of. She wanted, needed to meet with me as soon as possible. I raced to meet her as fast as I could, I feared the worst, that her cover had been blown and that the World Government knew her identity and relationship with me.

"I arrived on a stormy night, a hurricane buffeting the small island she was hiding on. I found her house, a small, cliff-side building on the outskirts of town with a beautiful view of the sea. Easily missed. I knocked on her door and it swung open. She pulled me inside and kissed me like it was the last time we'd ever be able to. I asked her what was wrong."

Dragon leaned forward and stared at Luffy intently, enough to make Luffy pause and stare back at him. He rested his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. "'Dragon,' she said. And she was afraid. And then she spoke to me two words that turned my world upside down."

He smile widely and said, "'Dragon, I'm pregnant.' I was rendered speechless for a long stretch, I think I had frightened her. Fatherhood. I had never even considered the notion. To think that one day I could be a father. It was a humbling thought, that I could have contributed to bringing a life into this world. It wasn't a planned event by any stretch, but life follows no rules but its own. And I couldn't have been happier than I was than in that moment. Your mother changed my life, Luffy, and then you changed it again…"

He fell into an easy silence, regarding Luffy with a most tender smile. Nami studied him as he gazed at his son, fully able to tell just how much he loved Luffy. It was his eyes, Nami thought. Luffy lived with his heart on his sleeve, he flew through emotions like he flew through his food, but at any given time it was Luffy's eyes that were the most expressive part about him. His eyes gave everything away. He absolutely inherited his eyes from his father, Nami determined yet again.

"The next months were a whirlwind…they were hard, especially on your mother. We were wanted criminals, no one in the world more wanted than I. I arranged for her to be moved across islands in secret, we'd meet on each island at night, together only briefly. We never left together for fear that the World Government would catch up. We were never together in daylight for the same reason. This is how the next seven and a half months went. I would travel to an island and wait for her to join me at night. She would travel to an island and wait for me to return to her. All the while handling business for the Revolutionary Army. She was quite the officer, one of my most trusted.

"As she got bigger," Dragon said, before squinting in thought and then turning to Luffy again, "as you got bigger, it became much harder to move. A pregnant woman traveling the world alone would arouse suspicion, questions would be asked. We decided that we would find a place to wait for you to arrive, one where it would be safe to stop. We found a small island with a bustling port on one end, but a large, secluded forest on the other. We made our temporary home at the edge of the forest, on a cliff overlooking the sea. She was adamant that we be near the sea.

"And in a fashion much like our family, you decided that you would come into this world on your own terms. You were a troublemaker before you were born," he said with a grin, eliciting grins and chuckles from the others at the table, "and decided that you would born a week early. A storm raged the entire day you were born. Your mother went into labor around midday and it lasted deep into the night. There was no doctor, I had taken it upon myself to learn the proper medical procedures. We couldn't risk it, nobody could know of your existence. I gave her medicines to ease the pain as best I could, but you were a feisty thing…"

His tone grew soft, "And then just after midnight, after a long and fierce struggle, your mother gave birth to you. And I held you in my arms for the first time. You were the tiniest thing, and quiet too. It didn't take us much to calm you…I'll never forget that night. I'll never forget the feel of you in my hands for the first time. I'll never forget the first time we made eye contact. I'll never forget how beautiful your mother looked that night when she held you for the first time, or when she fed you for the first time. Despite how tired she was, the sweat and the tears, she was an absolute vision, and she gave me a family. It was, simply, the greatest experience of my life, and my most treasured memory."

The silence that followed, filled with only smiles and grins all directed at Luffy, was broken only by the sobs from Franky, who was rambling on about how great a man Dragon was, how great a woman Luffy's mother was, and how he wasn't crying. Chopper, Brook, and Usopp laughed at the shipwright's antics and Nami rolled her eyes at his exaggerated crying. Zoro thumped Luffy on his back, pleased that even before birth Luffy was headstrong, and Robin giggled at the display. Jinbe grinned while Sanji scowled and tried to avoid the spray of Franky's tears.

And then the mood shifted suddenly, seriously, when Dragon asked "Luffy…do you know why it is that your brother was killed?"

Luffy's gaze sharply shifted to his father, a frown forming on his face.

"Hey, what kind of question is that?" Sanji asked.

"An important one," Dragon answered, not looking at the cook. Nami, staring hard at Dragon, squeezed the hand that she still held in her lap.

"Because he was a pirate," Luffy answered, simply.

"No," Dragon answered back immediately. Usopp opened his mouth to respond, but Dragon cut him off before he could speak. "Ace was killed because he was Roger's son."

"Well, yeah, but Ace was also-" Chopper started, only to be interrupted by Dragon.

"I didn't know Ace personally. I'm sure that he was a remarkable human being. He was strong, too. There was no doubt about that. But they didn't mark him for death for any other reason than he was Roger's son. Remember, they knew that executing Ace would cause a war with Whitebeard, one of the Emperors of the Sea. The Navy had never moved against one of the four in such a way, especially because the Emperors are widely seen as stronger even then the Admirals. Even the balance of power supports that; three Admirals and seven Warlords to combat four Emperors. And yet, they chose to execute a pirate in a move that would not only cause a war with an Emperor, but the one with reputation for being the World's Strongest Man? Ask yourselves, if Ace had been just another pirate, would the Navy had chosen to execute him knowing it would provoke a conflict with Whitebeard?"

"If I remember correctly," Franky started uneasily, "didn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku mention something about a search for Roger's potential child? The newspapers detailed it…"

"He did," Dragon confirmed. "His statement was the first time anyone in the World Government ever acknowledged such an occurrence. I learned about it while forming the Revolution following Roger's death. Of course, it would only have been brought up at the ultimate symbol of the Government's victory over Roger; at the execution of his son. Never did they mention beforehand that they had searched and failed, nor did they mention it while he was under care of Garp. Notice also what Sengoku didn't say."

"'What Sengoku didn't say?'" Robin asked.

"Yes. What Sengoku didn't say. Like what happened to the women and newborns that were close enough to the timeline they had created regarding the potential birth of Roger's child. The ones for which they were unable to determine the father of the child."

"What happened to them?" Zoro asked gruffly.

"They were killed."

A stunned silence overtook the dining room as the crew gaped at Dragon. Even Robin, typically stoic, was put off.

"They were killed?" Jinbe asked. "The World Government murdered innocent women and children? Newborns, no less?"

"Yes," Dragon replied. "Is it that unbelievable? This is the organization that wiped an entire island of scholars off the map and pursued an eight-year-old girl the world over because they feared her knowledge." The crew shifted uncomfortably as attention was focused on Robin for a moment.

"But Sengoku-" Jinbe started.

"Sengoku is many things, and an evil man is not one of them. He didn't know," Dragon interrupted, drawing an incredulous look from the helmsman. "This was a World Government operation. Those at the top of the Navy, like Sengoku and my father, were only made aware of the hunt. They were assured that no harm would come innocent parties but were never given details of the hunt itself."

"And how do you know that?" Nami asked, unconscious of how tightly she was gripping Luffy's hand.

"Because I was told."

"By who?" Nami replied.

"By my father."

"But Dragon-san," Brook questioned, confused. "I thought you said you lost contact with your father following the events at Mariejois?"

"I did," Dragon said, eyes drifting back towards Luffy. "But the birth of my child changed things."

Sanji stood abruptly and headed to the kitchen, returning a moment later with fresh drinks for everyone at the table. He topped off Dragon's glass with more scotch.

"Thank you," Dragon said, earning a nod from Sanji. "When I learned she was pregnant, I knew what it meant immediately. We both did. While forming the Revolutionary Army, some of the people I sought out were those who had once been affiliated with the World Government and had become disenchanted with the organization, based on either the people they had met within or the actions undertaken by the government. Former government agents were welcome, as they often had important intelligence regarding the World Government and were familiar with how the government operated. One of these people I recruited early on was familiar with the government's actions during the search for Rouge and Ace, and left the organization in the aftermath. He told me the details of the hunt, including what had happened to those who came under even the smallest of suspicion."

"The upper echelon of the World Government feared Roger tremendously for two reasons. The first was simple; he had defied the world. He conquered the Grand Line and made it to Raftel. They knew he was incredibly strong, as only the strongest in the world could accomplish such a feat. The second reason was because of his name."

"His name?" Brook asked.

"Yes, his name. Gol D. Roger. D. The World Government is extremely wary of those that carry the name D., and before them had risen a D. powerful enough to conquer the ocean, one that opposed the reign of the World Government."

"A man of great power bearing the name D., who opposed the reign of the World Government," Robin said sotto voce.

"I knew what it meant immediately," Dragon replied, just as quietly.

Dragon was pensive for a quiet few moments before turning towards Luffy again. "I knew, and your mother knew, that your birth could very well be your death. I had never imagined that during my travels I would meet a woman like your mother. I had never imagined that I would fall in love with her and I had never imagined that I could become a father. But by that time I had already made an enemy of the world. I knew that the World Government would hunt you down like they tried to do with Ace if they were made aware of your existence, simply to get to me. I knew that as long as you were associated with me in any way, that your life was in danger. I knew that because of our actions, we could never raise you. I knew and your mother knew.

"We made that determination shortly after discovering her pregnancy. Each day, week, month was torture. The exhilaration of creeping closer to welcoming you to this world raged against the despair of knowing we would have to separate from you. We agreed on a day. Just one day. One day to pretend that I was not Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, the most wanted man in the world and one day to pretend that she was not an officer in my organization. Just one day to pretend that I was a man in love with a woman, and she was a woman in love with a man, and that we were eagerly awaiting the birth of our child. Just one day to pretend we were a normal family."

Dragon laughed suddenly, startling everyone with his stark change in demeanor. The smile that flitted across his face was lazy, soft, and though he was looking directly at Luffy, he was lost in a distant memory. "You were strong, even then. You bested us quite easily. You were so tiny, no bigger than my hands," he said, lifting his hands palms upturned to illustrate. "You cried fiercely, you were loud, boisterous, if we had been in a populated area no doubt the entire world would have known you were born."

"Sounds about right," Nami said slyly, eyeing Luffy out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey!" Luffy declared in protest, prompting laughter from the table.

"A family trait to be sure," Dragon agreed with a grin. "You were the center of our universe. We had for so long prepared for letting you go, and you completely turned our preparation upside down. One day turned to two, and two turned to three. I realized then as I held you in my arms that you and her were everything I had ever wanted."

"But," Dragon's brow furrowed as he frowned, "every day we set slip by was a day our enemies could have learned of your existence. So on the third afternoon after much sadness and tears and anger we agreed. On the third night your mother said goodbye to you, and I swallowed my pride and pain and took you away to the one place that I had never thought I would return to. A short few days later, with you bundled in the warmest blankets we had, I arrived on the outskirts of Foosha Village.

"I was fortunate, I guess. Or maybe it was a cruel irony of life," Dragon said wryly. "The night we arrived, there was a marine ship docked in the harbor, and from the sky I could see a figure walking out of the village into the neighboring forest. I watched it disappear and stared after it for what felt like an eternity before I followed. And for the first time in more than fifteen years, I stood before my father again."

Dragon lapsed into silence as he thought.

"It must have been hard," Sanji said quietly, all too familiar with unexpected circumstances resulting in family reunions.

"I'm still not sure," Dragon answered back. "It had been so long…the moment I saw him, old hurts started to rise, things I had said and done, things he hadn't done. But he looked older. His hair was completely gray now, he had wrinkles and lines on his face that weren't there before and I realized just how long it had been since I had last seen him. It's one thing, an easy thing, to simply say it had been fifteen years but another to look at the man in front of me and realize that it had been so long that I couldn't easily picture his face and that standing in front of me he looked radically different than what I had remembered.

"We stood in silence and simply stared at each other. His face was unreadable to me. He made to say something, but before he could I held out my arms and he saw you for the first time. He hadn't noticed you yet, and the look on his face…" he trailed off for a moment, his eyes squinting slightly. "Garp is many things, but he loves his family fiercely. He loved you completely and utterly the moment he laid eyes on you."

Nami looked at Luffy's face and found a rather blank mask, she could glean no information from his expression. It struck Nami at that moment that she had neglected to ever ask Luffy how he felt about Garp, as his grandfather was there when Ace died in front of Luffy. She suddenly felt grateful towards his father, that perhaps on some level he might have guessed Luffy could feel hurt or perhaps abandoned by his grandfather when he thought of that moment, and that Dragon knew and recognized it through his own experience.

Her thumb traced a soft circle on the back of his hoping in vain that he didn't suffer still, knowing fully that he did.

"I thought you were small in my arms, but you were completely dwarfed in his. He was absolutely consumed by you, and spent several minutes just watching you. Our conversation was brief. I told him my concerns and he confirmed two things to me: that Roger turned himself in to be executed as he was dying and told me the fate of those women and children unlucky enough to fall under government suspicion during the hunt. He only found out after the fact what had happened to them.

"My logic was simple. It was my hope that Garp's reputation would protect you. That his reputation as the legendary Marine hero would be enough to counter my sins and keep the government away from you if they ever found out, and that his strength, which rivaled that of the Pirate King, would protect you from potential enemies. I never knew of Ace's existence, but it seems that Roger thought similarly to me.

Luffy's father took a deep breath and leaned back, breaking eye contact with Luffy to look up at the ceiling. "Turning away from you then was, and still is, the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. 'Luffy,' I whispered, answering an unasked question, 'His name is Monkey D. Luffy.' As I made to leave, my father called out to me quietly, to not wake you. 'Dragon,' he said, 'I'm proud of you.' And then I was gone into the night."

His eyes drifted downward to his son, a solemn look setting on his face. "Luffy, I came here today to finally meet you." His hands untangled from each other and pressed against the varnished wood of the table, palms down.

"To meet you, to tell you my story, and to apologize to you," he continued, bowing his head to Luffy. "I'm sorry, Luffy, that my actions left you without a father and a mother, that we couldn't raise you and be a family. I'm sorry for all the nights you may have felt lonely. I'm sorry for the missed birthdays, the achievements that were never congratulated, the missed comfort when you needed it. For all of it, I'm sorry."

A hush fell over the table, the only noise coming from the soft creaking of the wood as the ship rocked gently with the sway of the ocean. Surprise adorned the faces of the occupants of the dining room at Dragon's display, all with varying degrees of raised eyebrows and slack jaws. The only one who didn't was Luffy himself, who had paused mid-bite and cocked his head slightly in confusion. All heads turned slowly towards him and he blinked once before swallowing his (considerable) mouthful audibly, still regarding the bowing form of his father.

The silence was broken when Luffy laughed. "Ah, it's fine. It was fun."

Dragon lifted his head slowly to stare at his son's smiling face. His eyes bore into Luffy's for a moment, before his mouth too stretched a smile that matched his son's.

"Wait, that's it?" Usopp asked.

"Yep," Luffy answered back with no hesitation before downing another massive slab of meat. As if feeling her concerned stare on him, Luffy gently squeezed Nami's hand under the table. She sighed and shook her head, knowing that somehow the two had come to some sort of silent understanding in the moment they locked eyes after Dragon's apology. And Nami knew that out of anyone's, it was Luffy's heart that had the most room for forgiveness. She knew that very well.

"Are you really surprised?" Zoro asked Usopp. "The entire family is nuts."

There's that too, Nami thought to herself, shaking her head again when both Dragon and Luffy broke out into boisterous laughter, perhaps in proud acceptance of the oddity of their family.

The table broke down into chatter about this and that regarding how whether it was Garp or Dragon or Luffy, that they were simply strange and beyond explanation. Luffy basked in it, of course, while Dragon was much more reserved, though the smug grin didn't leave his face as the crew debated which one might have been the oddest.

"Say, Dragon-san," Nami interrupted politely. "back in Loguetown…how did you know where to find us? And why not say anything to Luffy then?"

Dragon regarded her for a moment, before shuffling somewhat nervously in his seat. "My intelligence network passes me information on all sorts of people from every corner of the world, including pirates. Typically, this information is used to recruit members to our cause or eliminate threats to us. I was handed Luffy's first bounty poster among a collection of other news from the East Blue."

He scowled suddenly, "I also got a call from my father. After I handed Luffy over towards him he asked for a way to contact me just in case of an emergency. The only time he ever used it was shortly after the formation of your crew, raging at me for his 'idiot pirate of a grandson'. He was extremely proud of you though, 'as expected of my grandson' were his exact words when laughing about your exploits."

"That guy," Zoro muttered, shaking his head. It was a sentiment shared by the others that had actually met the man, who was just as exhausting as his grandson. Still, they couldn't help but feel a bit smug at how despite being a Marine and his grandson a pirate, the man was genuinely happy with Luffy's accomplishments.

"Loguetown was just a guess though," Dragon said, continuing where he left off. "I figured you'd need to stock up on supplies before entering the Grand Line. I really just intended on finding you guys and watching you leave without causing a stir, but I wasn't about to let Buggy and Smoker ruin your trip. As for why I didn't say anything, I didn't want to make you kids targets for people much stronger. I didn't think it was fair until you were all strong enough to handle yourselves."

Nami nodded, satisfied with his answer.

Robin cleared her throat lightly, asking, "Dragon-san, if I may…you mentioned your issues with your father and how you lost contact after the incident at Mariejois, but what do you feel of him now?"

Dragon sighed, suddenly seeming tired. He leaned back in his chair again and tilted his head upwards again, collecting his thoughts. "That's a good question," he said after a moment, returning his gaze down to meet Robin's eyes. "I spent a long time thinking about it, about him and me and our respective places in the world.

"Looking back, my position on it has evolved a great deal. I was confused and hurt, I felt betrayed. It turned to anger and hate, of him and the world, and over the long time that I was away it changed again, perhaps even against my will, as I saw the world and how it treated those stuck in the middle of conflict. And then I met her and we brought a child into this world, and it all happened so fast…"

He voice faded and Robin waited patiently for him to continue.

"I think I understand now," he said sagely. "It took me a long time, but I think I can understand the position he was in and what he was trying to do. Garp is a good man. He's eccentric to put it nicely," he grinned at Luffy, causing the latter to shiver and scowl.

"Ah, yes. I'm also familiar with the legendary 'Fist of Love'," he said with a laugh, recognizing Luffy's unease. "But he is a good man. I think that early on, Garp believed that he could achieve all of his goals through sheer strength, of both will and body. And to an extent, he was correct. He became a legend in the Navy because of it. But I think that at some point he saw the sheer scale of the world and changed his methods."

Dragon leaned forward on his elbows again, motioning with his hands, "It was something I experienced, too. At one point, I thought to cast down the entire World Government, burn it to the ground and just start over. But I met people, many people on all sides of all different conflicts. I saw World Government officials do their best to do the right thing and help people. There are genuinely good and kind people in the World Government and in the Navy, despite the organization itself. What would happen to them if I callously destroyed the entire thing? That question is why my focus changed from simply warring against the government to declaring war on the Celestial Dragons. By deposing them, I can remove the root of the issue and then proceed to fix the rest of the problems within the organization.

"At some point, my father must have come to a conclusion like this as well. He used to tell me Become strong enough, Dragon, and you can change it.' – This affirms both points, that at one point he believed he could solve the issue with his own strength, and that he later acknowledged that it was much too big an issue for him alone and looked to pass it on to me."

A prideful grin stretched his lips, "I don't think he ever gave up though. It's not a trait easily found in our family, after all, and certainly not something Garp would ever consider." He paused as Luffy blinked and before allowing a smug smile to grace his face. Nami rolled her eyes at him, and saw Zoro shake his head. He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "pain in my ass," and Robin responded by leveling a frosty look at him. Zoro shifted uneasily and returned his gaze to Luffy's father. Robin caught Nami's eye before her attention turned back to Dragon and winked. Nami smiled in return.

"If you examine the Navy," Dragon continued, "you'll find that it's quite a bit divided in ideology. Part of this is my father's doing."

"How is it divided in ideology? And why would Garp, one of the most respected Marines in history, want that?" Franky asked.

"It's divided over the definition of justice. The word means something different depending on the person describing it, and the same holds true for the Navy. For example, take the three Admirals from before the Navy restructured: Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru. Akainu is a hardliner that is strict with justice, eradicating everything that threatens the word without hesitation and thinks that nothing is more important. He is unforgiving, arrogant, and cruel, and his methods reflect this."

Zoro glanced out of the corner of his eye towards his captain and found Luffy's face blank, the only sign of agitation coming from the slight crinkles at the corners of his eyes. He considered saying something but was stopped short on behalf of a curious sensation emanating from across the table. He discreetly stole a glance at their navigator and found that while she was looking at Luffy's father, she could not hide her hands despite their position underneath the table out of immediate view. Not from someone able to use haki, anyway.

He allowed himself a small mental smirk, returning his attention to Dragon while doing so, comfortable with his assessment that he wasn't needed.

"Aokiji was the absolute opposite in ideology based on the reports of people that were familiar with his time in the Navy, as well as his own actions. Where Akainu has the reputation of strict, brutal adherence to justice, Aokiji is far more flexible and forgiving. Their difference in ideology is what led Aokiji to challenge Akainu to a duel for the position of Fleet Admiral. Kizaru's ideology rests somewhere in between, though he leans more towards Akainu's methodology.

"Aokiji's philosophy is a direct result of my father's influence. At the point I referenced during his career in which he realized that he wasn't having the direct impact he desired, Garp decided to use his influence younger generations of marines. Aokiji was one of those marines. Other notable marines that follow the Moral Justice that my father championed are those like Vice Admiral Smoker, Rear Admiral Hina, Captain Coby, and others. Admiral Fujitora, despite only joining the Marines recently through the World Military Draft, seems to have adopted the same ideals. Garp has reached many, and long after he's gone, his legacy will surely carry forward.

"To answer your other question, Franky, Garp wants it because he wants what's right. This got him into a bit of trouble when he was younger, as Garp had a notorious disdain for the Celestial Dragons. They took notice and wanted the government to punish him for it, but then the God Valley incident occurred and it quelled any opposition to his presence in the Marines. That, and his later battles with Roger, cemented his place in the Navy."

Dragon eyes tightened suddenly and he sighed. "That's a rather long, disjointed answer to your question, but to be more direct Robin, I understand now. I was so young then, all those years ago, and the injustice of it all burned me fiercely and still does. But I think that if I possessed then the knowledge that I do now, that perhaps my conclusions would have been somewhat different. Perhaps I wouldn't have held my father responsible for the failings of the World Government that he was struggling against. Perhaps I wouldn't have lost contact with him for as long as I did. I would have still chosen the path that I am on now, but maybe things between us could have been different…I apologize if that isn't exactly what you were looking for, but it's taken me years to even arrive at that. I think I've still got quite far to go too…"

"I understand," Robin replied. "Though it's interesting, you sound quite like a friend of ours, Silvers Rayleigh."

"I sound like Rayleigh?" Dragon asked curiously.

"Yes, he said something quite similar about coming to different conclusions when I asked him about the true history of the world. He knows, you know."

Dragon sat back in his chair and stroked his chin pensively, "Does he now? Interesting. I've wanted to meet with him for a while now and thank him for taking care of my son, perhaps this is a good opportunity. Though, I'm not interested in asking him about the Void Century."

Robin cocked her head, surprised. "But I thought -"

Dragon interrupted her with a dismissive wave of his hand, and a teasing grin on his face. "Oh, I'd like to know what happened, but not from him. I've already made my bet. You'll just have to tell me yourself, Robin," he said, before turning to Luffy, eyes flashing "after you become King."

Luffy blinked in surprise before sporting a confident, borderline feral grin, matched by his father and the rest of the crew.

Dragon laughed suddenly and leaned forward, "Now, that's enough about me. Tell me about you! Tell me everything!"

And Dragon listened as they told him of their adventures since setting sail, their start in the East Blue, Alabasta, Skypeia, Water Seven and Enies Lobbies. The talked about their adventures at Thriller Bark, Sabaody, about their separation. Luffy's foray into Impel Down and Marineford were not mentioned except for a quiet thank you from Dragon to Luffy for helping one of his lieutenants, Ivankov. Nothing else was necessary, as the entire world already knew the events that took place. They told him about their reunion, Fishman Island, and Dressrosa, about the confrontation with Big Mom's crew on Whole Cake Island and Kaido's crew on Wano.

Through it all, Dragon remained mostly silent, digesting the hours of story they divulged to him, only offering a brief sentence on Kuma and that he hadn't any idea that Kuma had met with them previously. He needn't say anything more, as the proud smile he wore and the gleam of his eyes spoke more than perhaps he could say.

A soft chirp broke the comfortable silence following their story and Dragon looked down as he reached into his pocket, withdrawing a black transponder snail. He held it out in front of him and answered gruffly. A voice quietly spoke for no longer than thirty seconds, culminating in a quiet affirmation on Dragon's part before he abruptly ended the call. He placed the transponder snail in his pocket, before looking back up.

"I'm afraid I have to cut our time together a bit short," he said regretfully.

"Of course," Sanji said standing, beginning to take everyone's plates, "Duty calls."

Dragon nodded in agreement before waving his hand. A gentle breeze filled the dining room lifting the plates out of Sanji's hands and off the table, depositing them gently in the sink. A flick of his finger and trash found its way into the garbage.

"Oh, thank you," Sanji said, impressed.

"Not at all, Dragon replied, "Thank you for your hospitality." He stood and everybody stood with him, making their way out of the dining room and onto the deck of the ship. Dragon looked up to the sky, still dark with clouds. A light sprinkle began not shortly after. He said nothing while looking upwards, silent like a specter.

He turned suddenly, locking eyes with his son. He reached forward with a large hand and brought it to Luffy's right cheek. "I've waited a long time to meet you, to talk with you." His thumb brushed gently across his son's cheek, "To feel how warm you were."

He lowered his hand from Luffy's face, "I know I don't have any right, but I'm proud of you. And even more, I love you." A gentle breeze wafted across the ship, and Dragon slowly began to rise in the air. "Thank you, Luffy, for being my son. And thank you all," he said, looking around at each member of Luffy's crew, lingering slightly longer on Nami than the rest, "thank you all for watching over him."

They smiled at his statement. The rain began to pick up in intensity, what started as a soft drizzle now a moderate storm. Dragon continued to rise, not breaking eye contact with his son.

"Wait."

Dragon paused in his flight, nearly ten feet off of the ground. His head tilted as he regarded his son seriously.

"Are you going to be the leader of the World Government?"

Dragon's eyes narrowed slightly and replied, "As soon as I overthrow it, yes."

Luffy's eyes flashed and he grinned wildly, "I don't care if you're my father, I'm a pirate. I'm still going to live the way I want to."

Dragon laughed loud and long, tilting his head back with a flash of white teeth. "I'd expect no less."

"You'll have to send the Admirals after me."

"The Admirals?" Dragon asked. "No, that won't do. And I won't be sending Sabo, either. The King would be too much, I'd think." His face morphed into a fierce grin, the trademark grin of his family. His eyes flashed and he said, "The one that's going to hunt you is me."

The sea exploded in a colossal spray of water as the pair's Conqueror's Haki collided in a titanic struggle. Their display of power only lasted moments before the atmosphere receded back to the calm, steady rain from prior to the show of their will.

Dragon laughed again, and stared down at his son, a pleased smile on his face. "Follow your dreams, Luffy. Live according to your will. Become the King of the Pirates! We'll meet again soon."

There was a brief moment where they simply smiled at each other, before the sky suddenly unleashed a torrential downpour and hurricane force wind swept across the sea. The dramatic change startled the crew, and Nami barely managed to see a piece of paper whip towards her from under Dragon's cloak.

"Wait-" she started, but there was a flash of lightning, and Dragon was gone. And in the blink of an eye, it was over. The wind was nonexistent, the rain a small spattering of droplets here and there before fading out of existence entirely. The clouds thinned out, and before long, the only thing that inhabited the sky was the sun.

Nami glanced down at the piece of paper, then hastily stuffed it in the pocket of her shorts with flushed cheeks.

"What an amazing guy," Zoro said.

"Agreed," Jinbe said gruffly.

"One thing's for sure," Nami said, causing everyone to turn toward her curiously. "We definitely got stuck with the wrong member of the family!"

"Hey!" Luffy yelled as everyone roared with laughter. Nami stuck her tongue out at him in response. He scowled for a moment before he started laughing as well.

"Nami!" Luffy said, as the laughter began to die down.

"What?"

"Come play tag with me, Usopp, and Chopper!"

"No," Nami responded quickly. "I'm going to read a book for a while."

"A book?" Luffy asked, pulling a horrified face. "That's too boring!"

"Not to me!" Nami responded back, starting to get annoyed. "Play without me."

Luffy scowled again, dissatisfied with her answer. He reached backwards and stretched his arm towards a small barrel, pulling something from within.

Nami's eyes flashed as she saw what now occupied his hand. "Don't you fucking dare."

He stared at her defiantly as he held his hand above her head. There was a soft pop, that may have well been the bang of a gunshot in the hushed silence surrounding the ship as no one dared make a sound. Nami closed her eyes as cold water splashed over her head and trickled down her face and body.

Breathe Nami, she thought to herself, trying to maintain her cool. She took a deep breath and counted to three, before opening her eyes to see him standing within an arm's length of her. Smirking at her.

"I'm gonna kill you!" she roared, lunging at him. He dodged easily and ran as fast as he could away from her, Nami following in close pursuit.

"Well, he's screwed," Zoro said, laughing along with the rest of the crew.

"Nami-san, come chase after me!" Sanji yelled.

"Shut up, pervert cook," Zoro called.

"What did you say, moss head?" Sanji exclaimed.

"Zoro, come save me!" Luffy yelled, breaking the sudden stare down between the swordsman and cook.

"Fat chance!" Zoro replied. "You're on your ow-" he started, before noticing a long, rubbery arm clutching at the green haramaki at his waist. "Oh, fuck."

And for the second time that day, Zoro mentally cursed whatever shit star he was born under as he flew across the deck.

---

Nami sighed happily, smiling as she pulled a light gray tank top over her head. She placed her hands at the base of her neck and pulled her soft hair through, shaking her head as soon as her hair was loose. She lifted her arms above her head and stretched, humming at how good it felt. She felt absolutely delightful following her hot shower. It was the perfect way to round out a day that had proven to be especially eventful.

And then she scowled slightly, remembering the impromptu game of tag that eventually encompassed the entire ship and involved all of the crew. Somehow it turned into all of them trying to capture Luffy which was an extraordinarily difficult feat to accomplish on account of his speed and his haki prowess. It took some pretty clever thinking on Nami's part to create a mirage of meat with her climatact for them to catch him and for her (and Zoro) to properly punish Luffy for his mischief.

He drove her nuts, Luffy did! But, she thought, I wouldn't have it any other way. She smiled, thinking of the massive, exhausting game of tag that followed the Luffy-chase. It was certainly fun.

She stepped out of the bathroom with another pleased hum, almost bouncing as she walked. She sat on the edge of her bed and slipped on a pair of bright pink socks, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Robin was staring at her.

"What?" she asked, turning her head towards Robin.

"Nothing," Robin said with a smile. "You seem happy."

Nami peered at the archeologist curiously, trying to determine if there was a motive behind the statement. She never knew with Robin when it was genuine curiosity or an avenue to get teased. Most of the time it was both. It seemed innocent enough, given how Robin was propped up against the headboard of her bed, one of her long index fingers sandwiched inside of a book on her lap so that she could keep her place.

Always reading, Nami thought to herself. She took note of the clock resting on the nightstand between their bed, reading nine o'clock. "I am."

"Something to do with our very handsome captain?"

Nami busied herself with maneuvering herself under the covers in her bed, laying on her side so that she could look at Robin whole resting her head on her pillow. "It was an interesting day," she said evasively.

"Interesting it was," Robin agreed. She looked at Nami pensively. "You found yourself comparing them, didn't you?"

"I did."

"And?"

Nami's face scrunched in thought as she considered the question. "They're so different, almost alien. Where Dragon is reserved, Luffy is loud. Where Dragon is serious, Luffy is a goofball. Where Dragon is polite, Luffy is rude and obnoxious. Where Dragon is thoughtful, Luffy is instinctive."

Robin was quiet while she waited for Nami to continue speaking.

"But they're also strikingly similar, if that makes any sense? It's hard to explain, but they feel the same."

"Yes," Robin said. "I know what you mean. I expect Luffy looks more like his mother, but Dragon passed down his will, I think. Notice the smile?"

"Robin, it was the same! And they had the same look in their eyes too, when they talk about freedom."

"Mhm," Robin hummed. "He is certainly Luffy's father. I spent a long time while I was with him in the Revolutionary Army attempting to see Dragon in Luffy and vice-versa. They're radically different, but very similar as you said."

"How come he didn't know so much about us?"

"Hm?" Robin asked.

"Well, he asked us to tell him about ourselves. I figured he would have asked you while you were with him…" Nami replied.

"Oh," Robin said, holding back a giggle. "He was very interested when he first met me. But he refrained and asked that I only tell him a few of the basics. He was adamant that he hear everything from us when he officially met with us. I could tell it was hard for him, holding back from asking too much about his son. Though I expect that everything we told him today, he already knew. His profession is information, after all."

"I got that feeling too, that he knew everything that was being said." Nami said, before thinking to herself, and maybe a bit too much, at that, remembering how intuitive he seemed to be when it came to her whatever-it-was with Luffy."I'm glad he came today. He seems to genuinely care for Luffy."

"He does. I can only imagine what it felt like having to let go of him when Luffy was a baby."

"It must have been tough," Nami said softly. She yawned lightly, catching Robin's attention.

"Too much excitement for one day, it seems."

"Maybe just a little too much," Nami smiled. "I think it's time for me to get some sleep. Good night, Robin." She rolled over, facing away from Robin.

The light in the room dimmed as Robin turned down the brightness of the lamp next to her bed. "Good night, Nami," she said.

In the silence that took over, Nami heard the soft slip of pages as Robin opened the book on her lap and continued to read.

She found that she couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing through the events of the day: her talk with Robin, her foray into foolishness with Luffy, Dragon's arrival…all of which stole the focus of her mind from the one thing she wanted at the moment.

But that wasn't the only problem, she noticed. Her bed, her last sanctuary, had suddenly become unbearably uncomfortable. She sunk too far down into the bed. So she rolled over. The bed was too hard. She rolled over again. She was too hot. She threw the blankets off of her. She was too cold. She pulled the blankets back up.

It was when the pillow felt too hard that Nami gave up and cracked open her eyes. The clock on the nightstand read ten o'clock.

"Hard to sleep with something missing?" came the teasing lilt from Robin.

Yes, Nami's mind traitorously answered. For an instant, she was consumed by the memories of a wonderful heat pressed against her back and a strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Hush," she commanded to the archeologist, sending her a glare.

Robin simply smiled, not taking her eyes off of the book she was reading. Perhaps a blessing for Nami, as surely her friend would tease her more if she saw the slight flush on her cheeks. "Why not just go to him?"

"It's too late."

"It was late yesterday."

Nami frowned at her instant rebuttal. "He could be sleeping."

"He'll be awake."

Nami's frowned deepened as her excuse was rejected. "I don't want to bother him…"

To this, Robin had no rebuttal. No verbal rebuttal, at least. Her head slowly raised and turned, and she eyed Nami pointedly, raising a long, slender eyebrow in conjunction with her gaze. Nami avoided her eyes purposely, knowing that the look was Robin's way of questioning if she had really forgotten what they spoke about earlier.

"Luffy's different with you."

Nami sighed and sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "You won't be lonely?"

"No, I think I'll be fine. Perhaps I'll have a bit of company, too," Robin laughed, capping off her statement with a wink. Nami briefly imagined a startled swordsman being woken up by a disembodied hand and laughed.

"You'll have to tell me how you managed to get involved with that blockhead," Nami said, smiling. "It's only fair, as I told you!"

"I will," Robin replied, "but tomorrow. For now, you don't want to keep him waiting." Nami heard the door open softly as Robin used her ability and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay. Goodness," Nami said teasingly. "Tonight better be worth it for you, kicking me out like this."

"Oh, I think I'll enjoy it immensely," Robin said with a giggle. Nami laughed in return, standing and making her way towards the door.

"Goodnight, Robin."

"Goodnight, Nami."

She took her time walking, still nervous. She really shouldn't have been, as Robin had told her. It was him, and he always made time for her. But it was all so new and fresh to her, and he had always been an enigma to her, and even despite her talk with Robin earlier, she couldn't help but be a tad bit frightened.

So deep was she in thought that she didn't notice was actually standing in front of his door with her arm raised. She blinked in surprise, not even aware of having crossed the deck to get to this section of the ship. She made to knock on the door but hesitated just before her knuckles touched the polished wood.

But the door opened.

And there he was standing in front of her, staring at her curiously.

"How did you-" she started, slightly shocked.

"I've seen it," he replied simply.

He's seen it? she thought, confused. She didn't bother to voice her question, choosing to remain silent, and slowly lowered her arm. She merely gazed at him, right into his eyes, as he did with her. After a few moments, he pushed the door open just a little wider, his onyx eyes not wavering from hers.

Silently she stepped inside, and turned back to him, watching him close the door. His eyes had followed her as she stepped into his room, and never broke away even as his hand pushed the door shut.

She watched him and realized he was waiting for her. Whatever she wanted.

Nami dropped her eyes from his, sliding down his shirtless chest and coming to rest on his hands, hanging down by his waist. She took a moment and mustered her courage, courage that she often found in him ironically, before reaching forward and seizing his left hand with hers. She smiled, pleased that she had conquered that small hurdle.

Her eyes flicked to his briefly noting his somewhat curious gaze, and she turned on the spot and walked to his bed, gently tugging him along with her, still smiling.

They climbed into his bed simultaneously, and he pulled the covers back so they could slide under them together. Laying on her right side, Nami was greeted with his familiar body heat as he sidled up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her tightly to him. His other arm lay under her head, outstretched in front of her. She extended her right arm alongside his outstretch arm, placing the back of her hand in his palm, and slid her left hand over the hand that lay on her belly. She gently worked her fingers between his, intertwining the digits on both their hands.

Soon, quickly enough that Nami didn't even realize, she was asleep.

---

It started out softly, the voice. A low murmur that slowly roused her from her rest. The more she became aware, the more she realized that the voice wasn't a murmur and that someone was rudely talking while she was trying to sleep. She took a deep breath, swearing that if this nonsense hadn't stopped by the time she counted to three, she would set Zeus on the offender to teach them a lesson about interrupting her beauty sleep.

And then she actually heard the voice and her eyes snapped open. Her eyes found the clock, indicating it was just past three in the morning.

She rolled over, panicked. He was shaking in his sleep, muttering to himself. A light sweat cast a sheen on his forehead and chest.

"Ace…" he mumbled fitfully.

Her heart broke for him. She reached towards Luffy to shake him awake. "Luffy," she called, pressing her hand to his shoulder. He twitched in his sleep, but she couldn't rouse him.

"Luffy!" she called again, more insistent, louder. She pressed her hand against his shoulder again and pushed harder, desperately.

This time he bolted upright, startling her. His chest heaved with each breath and he shook violently.

"Hey, Luffy," she said softly, reaching out for him again. He flinched and avoided her touch. Nami forced down the hurt she felt as he turned to her, face twisted in pain. He was looking at her, but his eyes indicated that he was far away.

"He was right there," he said softly. "He was right in front of me…" His voice broke and cracked at the end, and she could see tears well up in his eyes.

Nami let out a choked sob before lunging at him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. She sank back to the bed on her side, pulling him down with her. She clutched his head tightly to her breast and threaded her fingers through his hair. She lightly scratched his head with her nails in an attempt to soothe him.

"I'm sorry, Luffy. I'm so sorry," she said, crying lightly. She buried her nose in his hair, whispering, "I should have been there with you. I'm so, so sorry. Forgive me, Luffy."

Luffy snaked one of his arms underneath her body and withdrew the other from between them and wrapped them both around her back, effectively pulling himself further into her chest and her embrace. She could acutely feel his frame still shaking.

"I love you," Nami whispered. "I love you so much, Luffy." She continued to whisper sweet nothings to him, apologies to him, anything to draw his mind away from his nightmares. She continued to gently run her fingers through his hair. Gradually, she felt his quivering slow and then finally still. His breathing eased, and he was finally, mercifully asleep again.

And Nami lay awake, still stroking Luffy's hair.

"Nami, we need money."

She lifted her head from her map, narrowing her eyes at the two intruders daring to interrupt her work. "You're too far in debt for me to give you another loan. Go away," she replied coldly, returning her attention to her map.

"It's for Luffy."

"Tell that moron that our reserves of meat are full, we don't need more, and for the last damn time I'm not spending my money, my gold on a bronze statue of him."

"Nami, we need the money. It's serious."

Her head snapped up and she stared at Zoro, perplexed. He stood a few feet from her desk, arms crossed at his chest with a scowl on his face. Franky stood a few feet behind him, leaning against the wall by the door.

"What's wrong with Luffy?"

Zoro's scowl deepened. "He's been having nightmares. Loud nightmares."

"Nightmares?" she asked curiously. She couldn't even imagine Luffy being afflicted with simple nightmares.

"Yeah. He's been having nightmares and waking us up. We need money for a room for him."

Nami's jaw dropped open, anger quickly rising. She couldn't believe that they, that Zoro, of all people would suggest such a thing so callously with no regard for Luffy. "How dare-"

"It wasn't my idea!" Zoro snapped angrily, cutting her off. "It was his."

"What?" Nami said, confused.

"I said it was his idea," Zoro said gruffly. "That idiot won't listen. I kept telling him it wasn't a problem, we all did. He kept apologizing and somehow got the bright fucking idea that being in a room by himself would make it better because at least he wouldn't keep waking us up. He won't let it go."

Nami gaped at Zoro, "Chopper can't figure out anything?"

He shook his head, replying, "Chopper said that the shit that can help with that is also addictive and can be dangerous. Sleeping stuff is typically only short term, anyway."

"Well, what do you think?"

"That he shouldn't be alone." he mumbled in return.

"But he won't let it go?"

Zoro shook his head again.

"Okay," Nami said. "Yeah, I'll set some money aside. Oh, and sorry for assuming-"

"Don't worry about it," he said gently.

Nami nodded at the swordsman before turning to Franky to discuss estimates for the new addition to the ship.

Tears slipped out of her eyes as she thought of how this room came into being. I'm sorry, Luffy, she thought to herself. She berated herself for not noticing sooner, for thinking that this room was the end of the issue.

For not thinking that the most brilliant smile in the world could be hiding something.

It hurt her, it really hurt her to think that Luffy could be plagued by something like this, by nightmares of his brother dying in front of him. He was the strongest person she knew, and even more important, the kindest person as well. If there was anyone in this world that didn't deserve this, it was Luffy.

She let out a muffled sob into his hair.

She should have noticed. She should have checked. When it was her, he was always there. When she was sad, it was him who sought to make her happy. When she was frightened, he sought to give her strength. When she needed help, he was there to open his door to her and bring her to his room, or he was there to try and solve whatever issue it was that had made her cry.

But where had she been? Had she even bothered to check after Zoro had come to her?

I'm sorry, Luffy, she thought again. I'm so sorry.

"I love you, Luffy," she whispered gently, placing a lingering kiss on the top of his head. She thought about their entire journey together and how he had never, ever, let her down and vowed from that moment that she would never let him face this alone again.

"I love you so much," she whispered softly before burying her nose in his hair again, breathing in his scent. She continued to softly run her fingers through his hair before she too succumbed to sleep.

---

Another chapter down. Originally this and the last chapter were the same, but it got too long (together they were 21k words and 47 pages). Hopefully Dragon's little story is acceptable. I thought pretty hard about it, and I think something like that could be feasible. I tried to keep the timeline consistent, so the age he was when Roger died was what was presented here. I also think that he's a really good father, and wanted nothing more to be that father for Luffy, but that he couldn't because he was a danger to his son, and so acted accordingly (thus, he's a good father). And poor Luffy.

Let me know what you think. Really thankful for the reviews that were left, they mean a lot. Edited this better than the last one, that's for sure. Still, if anything slipped through the cracks, let me know so I can fix it. Fixed the previous chapter too. See you next time, and stay safe and healthy.