Hey there again! Sorry the updates aren't that fast and are irregular. I post when I can. Anyways, this is centered on Makino but it shows a different side to Garp. The fiction shows his relationship with other characters and this is one of the chapters. Since Shanks has feelings for Makino and was powerful enough to keep her safe, why didn't she leave? This is still in the canon universe.

By the way, these are the ages for me (post- time skip)

Monkey D. Luffy (19)

Portgas D. Ace (Would be 22 but died at 20)

Sabo (22)

Monkey D. Garp (78)

Yotsuba Makino (38)

Monkey D. Dragon (48)

Curly Dadan (48)

(Yes, I know Dragon is 55, Makino is 31, and 55. I manipulated the ages so they are closer in age)

"Come with me."

Makino stared at the glass mug in her hands as she continued to clean it to keep her mind busy. It was Monday during working hours so she didn't have much to do until lunch.

The words that Shanks had said to her were still disconcerting.

"Come with me."

She longed to be out to sea once again but she had promised her sworn brother and sister that she would stay on Dawn Island, protected. It was hard, especially when she knew she could protect herself and help others. She wasn't fragile and weak like some others thought. But the promise they had made years ago still echoed in the back of her mind, a promise to all meet again on Dawn Island.

But she was waiting and waiting and waiting. Luffy, Dragon's son, had come. Though she was glad to have a nephew and a reassurance that Dragon was indeed alive, it wasn't enough. She wanted to see her sworn big brother again. She wanted to be wrapped in his embrace and told that he would protect her. The years had been slow and although Dadan was there, it wasn't always enough. Dadan would sometimes break down because an overwhelming loneliness would surface. Sure, they had each other but without Dragon, they were incomplete.

Makino smiled when she realized that going with Shanks might not be such a bad thing after all. She could find Dragon, Shanks was powerful enough to see the Revolutionary Leader, and could bring him back home. They could be a family together.

It pained her to know that Luffy would be left alone but if she brought his father, it might make up for things. Either way, Dragon needed to come home, even if it was just for one day. She needed someone to hold her at night and reassure her that everything was going to be alright in this corrupt world.

"I'll see you soon Dragon," Makino whispered to herself in her lonely bar.

…

The next day, the Party's Bar was surprisingly closed, making many townsfolk groan in frustration, unhappy that they couldn't get drunk at the bar.

In a small house on the outskirts of Fuchsia Village was Makino. She was packing her bag of the essentials. There wasn't much that she needed since Shanks was a pirate and had all the necessary things she needed.

She took off her bandana and dipped her fingers into the pocket she had stitched on the inside to pull out three Vivre cards. One was Dadan's, gently swaying towards Mount Corvo where she usually is. One was Garp's, erratically moving which was odd. He should be in the New World. The last one was Dragon's, stagnant in the way that it was almost always pointed towards the New World.

"This piece of paper will reunite us one day."

Makino sure hoped that was the case. This Vivre card will lead her towards Dragon and she would be reunited after years of separation. The weight would be lifted off of her shoulders as she would see her beloved brother. Her Dragon.

Dragon's Vivre card, a Log Pose, a New World Log Pose, Dawn Island's Eternal Log Pose, and a picture of the three of them together were the only things she had packed. She would have brought some sake and the red sake cups but she refused to renew their siblinghood until all three of them were together.

"Time to bring Dragon home," Makino whispered to herself.

Before she could do any more though, she heard the voice of a man that was much too used to everyone he loved eventually leaving him.

"Are you really leaving?" Garp, Dragon's father and Luffy's grandfather, asked her. He sat at her dining room table with a look of accepting pain and suffering shining in his obsidian eyes. His usually proud stance was slumped and his face pulled into a grimace. For once, he didn't wear his Marine coat of Justice and Makino wondered why he was on Dawn Island so much earlier than expected.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the New World, Garp?" Makino asked, her lips tight lipped. She shifted her weight on her feet and held her bag close to her chest, trying to protect herself from the onslaught of his emotions. She hated how weak she was when Garp radiated that sadness, hating how it made cave in to every one of his demands. Her eyes were in the general direction of Garp but she refused to look at him. The light croak in his voice was already hard enough to bare, she couldn't stand to look him in the eyes.

"I came here early to check in on Ace," Garp told her, not at all deterred by her avoidance of his question or her rude manners. He knew that she was just shocked and didn't mean to be rude. Whenever she was around Dragon, Dadan, or Garp, she would accidently fall into the bad habit of being blunt. Makino had worked hard on being a kinder and more gentle soul but sometimes her childish personality reared its head.

"Ace is fine, Garp," Makino frowned, still not looking directly at him, despite the twitch in her neck that made her want to look him in the eyes. "Dadan is taking care of Ace and I'm taking care of Luffy. You have nothing to worry about."

"Maybe I do though," Garp said, standing up now and walking towards her. He kneeled down on the ground to compensate for their height difference, yet he still towered over her smaller frame. "I entrusted you to take care of Luffy but now you're looking to leave to find Dragon? I worry about him too Makino but he's an adult, he can take care of himself." There was a slight growl of controlled anger directed at the woman in front of him.

Makino stared right above his shoulder and before she knew it, Garp had wrapped her in a hug and she started to cry.

"I hate being left behind!" Makino started crying, sobs making her entire body shake in grief and concealed pain. "I j- just wa- want Dr- Dr- Dragon to co- come h- h- h- ho- home!" She buried her face into his shoulder and just let her grief consume her.

Garp said nothing and that was okay because you don't need comforting words when you grieve. The only thing you need is someone to be there for you, to pick you up after you fall. Garp knew this all too well. When Dawn Island was raided, when his two sworn brothers died, when his parents died from separate Buster Calls, when he divorced his ex-wife, when he learned that Dragon became a Revolutionary, and when he learned so many other painful things, all he wanted was a shoulder to cry on. He didn't need someone to understand his pain, just someone to be there. But it was hard to open up your heart when you had it broken too many times.

So, yes, Garp understood the pain Makino was feeling. It was hard to be the one left behind. Sure, Garp explored the the world and intimately knew many world secrets, but what did that matter if he had no one to share it with? Garp knew that Dragon would die for his cause, Makino and Dadan had made their homes on Dawn Island, and Luffy and Ace were probably going to be pirates. There was no way around it. He was surrounded by people but he felt alone, wrapped in a darkness that threatened to suffocate him.

"Just stay here, stay with us," Garp whispered to her, gently holding and rocking her back and forth. This was something that Makino had needed for a long time and Garp was astonished by her bravery and will. Dragon had been gone for years and Garp believed this was her first time crying over their distant relationship.

Even if Makino didn't have Dragon, Garp needed to reassure her that she still had Dadan, still had Luffy, still had Garp. Maybe one day, she'll meet Ace and have him too. She had all of them and they needed her to stay on Dawn Island, stay with them.

"Dr- Dragon?" Makino's question was muffled and short, but Garp knew what she was asking.

"One day," Garp whispered to her. One day Dragon would come back to Dawn Island, one day he would come home. Until then, Makino would have to wait for Dragon to come and see his sworn sisters. One day, Dadan, Dragon, and Makino would renew their siblinghood with the red sake cups.

In their corner of the world, Makino and Garp just held onto each other, trying to find light in a world consumed by darkness.

…

The next day…

Shanks stared mournfully at Dawn Island while his ship set sail. His time spent on Dawn Island would forever be engrained in his mind. He had met Monkey D. Luffy, that spunky kid that had eaten the Gum- Gum Fruit and had the potential to become the next Pirate King. He had given the kid his prized Straw Hat because meeting Luffy had felt like meeting Roger.

Looking down at the white envelope in his hands, Shanks sighed for a completely different reason. Not only had he met an amazing kid, he had also met an amazing woman. She was sweet, kind- hearted barmaid that took care of the kid and captured Shanks' heart. She had forest green hair softer than silk, obsidian eyes that shined with an eternal brightness, a mind that was quick witted and sharp, a heart that was open to everyone, and an aura that was like Luffy's, a genuinely decent human being, too good for the world they lived in. She had stolen his heart in just a few weeks and he had thrown all rationality out the window two days ago to ask if she wanted to come with him out to sea.

Initially, she had said yes and Shanks was singing and dancing, on cloud nine. He had fallen in love with the beautiful barmaid and she was going to be with them! But then he worried because while she was smart, Shanks didn't think she was that strong. He worried about her safety and hoped that no one harmed her to get to him. If she was in danger, he would drop everything to save her. This vulnerability scared him and he was conflicted on having her stay on Dawn Island or go with them. There were too many things to factor in, too many chances that could make his contingency plans go out the window.

He need not be worried though, Makino had made her decision when they were leaving.

Shanks had been looking all over for Makino and just when Shanks was about to run over all of Dawn Island for her, she showed up.

He raised his red eyebrows in surprise when he didn't see her with any bag or suitcase. Instead, all Makino held was a white envelope with a wax seal that had the emblem of 'DMD' on it.

"Where's your suitcase?" Shanks asked, a bit nervous. He had thought of Makino the past hour or so and was leaning towards taking the chance of having her with him. She could be hurt on Dawn Island and Shanks wanted as many happy moments as possible with her. The fact that Makino didn't have anything but clothes and a letter made him terrified. Was she not…?

"I'm not going," she told him, shaking her head, eyes closing. "Thank you for inviting me but—"

"Why?" Shanks asked, interrupting her. It was barely noticeable but his shoulders twitched, threatening to shake but the man refused to show weakness. His eyes were downcast and he really hated how he didn't have his Straw Hat to cover his eyes.

"I have to stay," she said with a sad smile. "You are a great person but I made a promise to stay here for someone." She fiddled with the letter and Shanks couldn't help but wonder who the letter was for. "He wants me to stay safe on Dawn Island and it's a promise I can't break."

Her held out the letter with shaky hands and said:

"Wh- when you see h- him, ca- can you tell him I'm wa- waiting?" Shanks felt jealousy rage from within him but seeing Makino on the verge of breaking down quelled the beast in him. Whoever the letter was to, it was obviously someone very important. Shanks knew that Makino wouldn't be cruel enough to hand him a letter to another lover so he had to wonder who it was for.

"Who is he?" Shanks asked, still heartbroken that Makino not only decided to stay, but was more nervous and worried about the letter.

"His name is Dragon," Makino whispered, sniffling just a little. "He's the Revolutionary Army Leader." A small whimper escaped her and she clenched her fists to try and hold back her sobs.

Shanks kept a mask on but inside, he was filled with emotions of shock, fear, anger, resentment, respect, confusion, and so many other things. DRAGON?! That's who Makino is waiting for? Well, Shanks will just have to be better than Dragon to have Makino pick him! Yeah! That's what he needs to do! First though…

"I'll do it," Shanks told her.

"Re- really?" Makino stuttered and Shanks was blinded by her bright eyes and smile along with her illuminating aura. Shanks was once again jealous that Dragon of all people was able to get this perfect woman to be so happy. For just agreeing to give him a letter, Makino had lit up like the sun. Shanks wouldn't be surprised if birds started singing and the fiercest of beasts had calmed down with that smile. There was something truly extraordinary about Makino.

"Yes."

They said their goodbyes and when Shanks went in for a kiss, he felt her tense but then relax in his arms. Shanks wasn't sure if it was because she actually liked him or if she was just thankful that he agreed to be messenger. Either way, he would savor that moment until he returned to Dawn Island one day.