It was raining that night. Rain filled with ashes coming from the burning island.
It's gone.
"NOOO!" Luffia can only scream. Her cries echoed in the sea but none can hear it except for her sisters and Rayleigh who is trying to prevent his tears from falling.
But he fails to do so. A man like him just lost two great friends. How could he not cry? But he must do what he can. And that is to protect their legacy - their children.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
The impact of the explosion affected the ships surrounding the island. None of them expected that Roger will blow up the entire island using a nuclear bomb.
"Check the perimeter. Make sure there are no ships or boats. Kill them if you see anything within a 20-mile radius."
"Yes, sir!"
Several ships started to leave their position to check if there are any ships or boats nearby. If Roger blew up the entire island that killed himself, his family may have escaped. There's no room for an error in this operation. Anyone who may know about that should die. They cannot risk the information getting leaked out. That will only bring disaster to them.
But for now, they managed to get Roger out of the way. Next will be his former members.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Looking at the three children crying, Rayleigh feels as if he's carrying the burden of the world. There's nothing more painful than watching three children cry as they shout for their parents who are now dead.
"I want Mom and Dad." Luffia sniffs, eyes still red from the hours of crying.
Rayleigh stopped the boat on an uninhabited island that is hours away from their home island. The home island that is no longer there - gone.
He sits in front of the children, meeting their crying eyes. All of them are expecting Rayleigh to give what they want, sadly, he cannot. No matter how much he wants to, he can't.
"Listen, you three." He started, almost choking on his words. "Your parents did what they have to do to keep the three of you safe."
"And they can't do that while being with us?" Sab questions.
"Things are complicated, Sab. You know that." Rayleigh is trying to find the right words to comfort them but nothing is comforting about this situation. What he can do is to give them the truth, no matter how harsh it is. "Your parents are dead. I know it is not easy accepting this but that is the undeniable truth."
"We want them back!" Ann shouted at Rayleigh. "Why must they die? Why are the people after them?"
"I believe Roger told you what we used to do, right?" The three children nodded, understanding what Rayleigh meant. "Roger had what the other people want. I can't explain all the decisions your parents chose, but what I know is that they want the three of you to live, to be safe as much as possible."
Safety? That's not something anyone can guarantee to the three of them, not even Rayleigh can do this at all. Not when he's also a wanted man and definitely in the World Government's hit list.
He cannot provide the safety these children will need. Looking at them, Rayleigh is not sure how everything will go as time passes by. Not when Roger and Rouge's blood is running in their veins.
Just looking at the determination in their eyes, Rayleigh knows that these three will soar higher than he can imagine. He has this feeling that the three of them will not stay quiet forever.
For the past couple of hours, they continue to sail towards another hidden island only known to a very few people in the world.
The island is eerily quiet but that is to be expected. After all, the main base is hidden in the mountains.
"Where are we?" Sab asks while surveying the area.
"This is Baltigo. Or that's what we call it. We have to walk for about an hour before we arrive at their base but this is where you three will be staying from now on."
"Uncle Rayleigh will leave us?" Luffia asks, not liking that someone who they see as a father figure will be leaving as well. Isn't it enough that their parents left them all of a sudden?
"I will visit when I can. I just have a lot of things I need to take care of. You will be staying with your Uncle Dragon."
"Who is he?" Ann is suspicious about who this person is. Of all the years that passed by since they discovered their father's identity, they know enough to be careful about the people they meet.
They heard enough jeers from people, cursing their father's existence whenever they visit the island. It took a lot of willpower from them to prevent themselves from beating the hell out of those adults... Only if they were not children, maybe they could.
"He's a close friend of your parents. Someone they trust." The three only nodded. If it's a person their parents can trust, then they will trust him no matter who he is.
They walked for about an hour before they arrived at a certain location with nothing but trees surrounding them and a cave nearby.
"You've come." A man wearing a hooded cloak stepped out of the shadows. His voice is deep, almost penetrating their souls with fear. Just by his voice alone, they can tell that this man is dangerous.
"Dragon." Rayleigh greeted.
The man called Dragon took off his hood to reveal a very intimidating face of a man. The tattoo on the left side of his face just increases his already intimidating aura. The children just stared at the man not knowing what to make of him.
This is the man Rayleigh said their parents can trust and so does he, but there's something in this man that they can't point out.
"Roger's brats, huh?" The tall man looked down at the children, his face remains unbothered by the sight of children.
"I assume that they already told you what they were planning from the start?"
"Not all of them but they told me to take care of these brats. I don't even know what they were thinking when they asked me of this favor. This place is not for children."
"I know but this is the safest place they can be."
After the brief introduction, Rayleigh bid his goodbye to the three of them.
"But we don't want you to go." Luffia is begging Rayleigh to stay with them.
"I have to."
"Will you stay if those people are not looking after you?" Sab can't help but ask. A question Rayleigh cannot answer. The goodbye is hard but this must be done.
After Rayleigh left, the three children looked at Dragon expectantly. Ann and Sab are still carrying the duffel bag that their parents entrusted to them before the explosion of the island.
"No one must know who the three of you are." Dragon said. "Most of my subordinates are trustworthy, but still, I advise caution. No one must know your identities."
All of them can understand what Dragon is trying to say.
"What are your names?"
"Ann."
"Sab."
"Luffia."
Dragon nodded. "Let us be off. I'll tell you what kind of place this is."
They walked for about an hour before they arrived at a villa hidden in the mountains. They see a lot of people in the area, staring at them before staring at Dragon. He never tried to address the curious eyes landing on them and just walks inside the villa without uttering a single word followed by the confused three children.
"Hmm? Dragon... You found more children to train?" A deep voice of an odd man startled the three children. The man is tall, bulky, with purple hair that almost hurts their eyes.
"They are here to stay for the time being."
"Is that so? They're not going to join us?"
"That depends on them. I'll leave you to take care of them. Direct them to the room next to mine." That was all Dragon said before walking away, leaving the three children in the hands of this weird man.
"You're weird." Luffia can't help but say.
"HAHAHA! That's one way to put it. My name is Ivankov but you can call me Iva. Follow me and I'll tell you what this place is about."
The three of them just followed Iva to a bedroom with a King-sized bed that the three of them can share. The room may not be as nice as what they used to have, but they can't be picky.
"I assumed that Dragon did not tell you what this place is, right? Simply put, this place is the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army." The twins all stared at the man.
They know what the Revolutionary Army is. It's an organization established just to oppose the World Government. A terrorist group that the World Government wanted to eliminate but unable to do so.
"Staying here does not mean that you will join us as Dragon mentioned. I'll explain further and take you around tomorrow. You three must be tired."
As soon as Iva left, the three children just stared at one another. This is where they will begin.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
A man wearing a black suit stared at the documents on his table.
"Are you certain that no one managed to escape the island?"
"Yes. We surrounded the island and there's none. The only boat on that island was found in shatters during the explosion." Another man answered.
"So, he killed himself as well as his family? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
"That is possible, Sir. We can't find any traces at all."
"That's not enough. Survey the nearby islands. Check three children between the ages of 10 and 7. We need to get those children. No family of that demon should ever live."
With that order, the World Government deployed several ships and their men to check every island nearby. The news about the explosion scattered across the world and they were shocked after finding that the island belonged to the Mafia King.
A green-haired boy was confused when he heard this. Like other children on the island, he was forced to stand in line so the World Government officials can check them one by one.
They're suspicious that Roger's children might have escaped, hence, they started a mass search for children between the ages of 10 and 7.
"... They used to come here." The green-haired kid heard one of the adults talking to the officers. "She has three children. All of them are wearing hoods to hide their faces. We never questioned it."
"I see. And no one ever saw what the children looked like?"
"They're always with the mother and never talked. And they never took it off so no one really knows what they looked like. Although the youngest one is always approaching a certain child here." And the man talking looked at the green-haired kid's direction before saying: "Him! He's always with the demon child!"
The officers all looked at the child, frowning before approaching the child.
"Kid. Come with us."
The child does not have a choice but to follow the man. Now, here he is, standing before several adults, all looking at him as if he is a very interesting puzzle they have to solve. He doesn't like this.
"Kid, what is your name?"
"Zoro."
"Alright, Zoro. One of the residents here told us that a child about 7 years old approached you several times. Is that child your friend?"
"I don't even know his name." The kid named Zoro shrugged while looking directly into their eyes.
"But you talked to him."
"I did. He won't stop pestering me and wants to be my friend. But I told him if he's not strong, I won't be his friend." He shrugged.
"What does he look like?" A person approached them with a pencil and paper ready in case Zoro will tell them what the child looked like.
"He never took off his hood so I can't tell exactly what he looked like. But he has dark hair and dark eyes."
"Damn it. I thought we'd be getting more information about that demon child." That was all they need from Zoro before he was dismissed.
Zoro was left wondering what happened to the child. All Zoro provided to the officers is the truth except he did not provide everything he knows. And that the child has a name called Lu.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
The news of Mafia King's death shocked the public. The news indicated that Roger resisted the warrant of arrest and end up blowing the entire island using a small nuclear bomb that wiped it off the map.
The explosion inevitably killed his family as well, that's what they claimed. Everyone thought that his death will decrease the activities of the Mafia Rulers, but it did not. It just sparked greed in their hearts to claim his territories.
The only reason they didn't is that they know he's still alive and might come after them. After all, Roger's legends continue to circulate all over Grandline. Many fears him and his officers. He doesn't exactly have a designated territory unlike the Emperors, however, he's a man who can make a territory his just by being there.
His wealth is the biggest question here. Where is his money? Did his officers took it for themselves? No one knows.
This is why Rayleigh - the right-hand man is the next target of the World Government. Only that they do not have the luxury to go after him. Not when the Revolutionary Army is targeting their branches and operations, taking advantage of their distraction.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
The news arrived on Baltigo Island. Dragon visited the children in their room and brought them the newspaper that wrote details about the explosion on the island.
They cried while looking at the picture of their father, even though it is a wanted picture of his. They still can remember his laugh, his jokes, and his affection towards their mother whenever she's angry.
All of them sobbed while looking at the picture. Dragon silently left the three of them behind. There's nothing he can do or say that will comfort them. Nothing at all.
For the past couple of days, the three of them just ate the meals provided to them before going back to their room, still mourning the loss of their parents.
Ann opened the duffel bag that remained in their room since they arrived here. As she opens them, she finds several folders as well as their photo albums.
Ann took a random folder and opened it. There are several pieces of paper inside containing information about several people. Sab and Luffia are beside Ann, also looking at them.
Their parents left these for them. Documents that may not be significant to the three of them right now, but it will be in the future.
As they open more folders, they see a lot of things that they didn't know exist. Like their birth certificates.
Gol D. Ace, Gol D. Sabo, Gol D. Luffy.
There's no need to question why their birth certificates are such. They already know why. It's their father's enemies.
"I heard dad talking that no one knows where the island is. Only a few people do. So how come the World Government discovered that place?" Sab questions.
"The question is, why was he being targeted? Yes, they crowned him as Mafia King, but there are others they can turn their attention to. So, why him?" Ann just stares at the files. She doesn't understand all of it but she knows how important they are. "I swear they will pay what they did to our parents. Whoever they are, I'll go after them."
And the three agreed. There are a lot of questions still left unanswered and they must find out about this. Their parents are now dead and they won't let this slide at all.
"We should take this chance while we are here. Right now, we are just children. We do not have what it takes to avenge our parents." Sab said, determination evident in her voice. "Our parents' efforts in keeping our identities should not go to waste."
With that agreed on, they asked Iva if the three of them can join the martial arts defense program that Dragon came up with. These are for their recruits who wanted to join their organization.
There were no children there, just adults.
"Are you sure you wanted to learn these?" Iva asked and the three of them nodded.
This is something they came up with for quite some time now.
They still cry whenever they remember their parents dying on the island, even getting nightmares almost every night since they arrived here, but can they do? Nothing at this moment.
But not for long...
Their training wasn't easy at all, but they persevered and showed a lot of potentials even at such tender ages. After their morning training for martial art defense, they ask Inazuma if they can borrow books from the library so they can start reading and he allowed them to use it.
Even though Luffia hates reading, she forced herself to keep up with her sisters. Besides, she finds the Mafia World fascinating.
"Being the King means being free. Dad was free until they all took that freedom away." She told her sisters.
"Well, Mafia Groups always conduct illegal activities." Sab said. "That's why they are branded as criminals."
"Hmm, but still! I like Mafia Groups! I like Daddy's group." She said while remembering Uncle Rayleigh, Uncle Crocus, and Uncle Scopper. They're the ones who know about the three of them.
After their afternoon readings, they proceed with their activities. Ann chose to polish her abilities in handling guns as well as martial art defense. Luffia will sometimes join her. Sab, on the other hand, will tag along with the Revolutionary Army commanders.
The more time they spend here, the more they learn about a lot of things. When the twins were 15, they tagged along in one of the missions of the RA.
Ann is not an official member of the RA, but Sab is. Even so, they let her join the mission.
The mission is to get to the supplies of the World Government's firearms. Ann and Sab worked side by side at that time to get into the office of the building so they can get more documents that they will need.
"What are you doing?" Sab asked while staring at Ann's hand, holding a grenade and lighter.
"They have oils for their ships in the nearby warehouse." Ann answered, sounding so casual.
"And you want to burn it down?" What Sab received as an answer was a smirk from her older twin sister. "We have to leave before dawn. So, you must hurry."
Ann ran towards the warehouse of this branch. She was about to go inside when she heard voices.
"Should we steal these items here?" She heard a man's voice not too far away from where she is.
"No, we can't. We have a deal with the World Government, remember?" Now, this made Ann curious about these people's identity. She was hiding behind a barrel, head slowly peeks in, hoping to catch a glimpse of the other person's identity.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. But these are really a waste." The man is pointing at the supplies in the warehouse.
"But you know, it's good that Roger's no longer here." Ann clenched her fist upon the mention of her father but she remained still, waiting for the man to finish his sentence. "Good riddance. This way, it is only a matter of time before Pops becomes the next Mafia King."
The man stepped back a little which enables Ann to see the mark on that man's clothes. She and her sisters may not have stepped out of the island as frequently as others, but she recognizes that mark.
Whitebeard's mark.
Ann remained in her position. She wants to kill these bastards but before she could do so, someone shot them dead right in front of her.
"Fuck." She muttered to herself. Someone is around and probably a sniper. If they spot her, she will be dead for sure. She remained where she is, praying that whoever sniped Whitebeard's men did not see her.
For the past 15 minutes, she did not hear any movement at all. This is her chance.
Looking at the dead bodies, she wants to vomit. Whoever the sniper is made sure to shot them in their heads. One-shot, one kill.
She was standing there for quite sometime when she heard voices of someone approaching. Running away should be her option but her pride won't let her.
She went inside the warehouse and placed a candle nearby to set it on fire. After doing so, she immediately ran outside only to see a blond-haired man approaching her direction, or more like approaching the dead people's direction.
They locked eyes for a moment. The light coming from the lamp post allowed Ann to see his electric blue eyes. She was wearing a hood and a mask at that time so he wouldn't know who she is.
For a few seconds, Ann just stood there, staring at the man. Loud noise coming from the direction of their ride woke her up from her musings. This is when she decided to run away, leaving the man behind.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0... And the warehouse was set ablaze, giving Ann the satisfaction that she can't get enough of. Ever since seeing her home island lit ablaze, something must have changed in her. She wants to see the enemies burn to death just like what happened to her parents. And she will make sure it will happen.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Years passed by, the twins are now 17 years old while Luffia is still 14. It's time for them to leave the island to go back to Grandline, their birthplace.
Years of preparation and the time for them to start their revenge has come.
"You three must be careful." Dragon visited them in their shared room the night before their departure. He's a man of few words, always expressing what he feels through his actions and ideals. They learned so much from him for the last 7 years of their stay here.
They looked up to him and see him as their third father figure. Luffia even started calling him 'Pa'. At first, it was just so she can get a reaction from him, to irritate him but as time goes by, that term never died down.
For whatever reason, Luffia is so attached to Dragon, always going where he goes, always calling him 'Pa' in front of the subordinates. Despite the difference in their personalities, the two of them seem to get along.
Their subordinates almost believed that Luffia was Dragon's daughter, often teasing him when he gets overprotective of her. Maybe he sees her as a daughter, and that's fine.
"Hey, 'Pa, will you miss us? Shishishi!"
"I will finally have lesser headaches now that the three of you will be gone." He answered, still not smiling at all.
"Nah, you will feel lonely. But we will visit when we can and we will keep in touch!" Luffia promised.
"Keeping in touch may be difficult given the situation, but if there's a chance, you three know how to reach me."
All three of them nodded.
"I had these ready for the three of you." Dragon hands out three folders, one for each. "Those are documents you can use when you go to Grandline. You cannot let anyone know of your identities, do you understand me?"
"Yes." They answered at the same time.
"And here." He hands out three boxes. "Those are the keys to the three vaults in the Silca Bank. Roger and Rouge placed all of their money in that bank for the three of you."
They didn't know that their parents had this prepared beforehand.
"I am not supposed to give it to you just yet, but this is an exception. It is time for the three of you to do what you want." They may never have mentioned anything to Dragon about their desires to seek revenge, but he knows that they will.
"Thank you, 'Pa." It's rare for Ann to use that endearment to Dragon but she meant it.
"It's weird calling him 'Pa since he's technically my boss. But I guess this time will be an exception too. Thank you for everything, 'Pa." Sab smirked after seeing Dragon frown after being called 'Pa by the twins.
"Shishishi! Thank you, 'Pa!" Luffia launched herself to hug Dragon who did not have time to brace himself before the twins did the same, almost toppling him on the ground.
"You..."
And they just laughed at him.
When it was time to say goodbye, the RA officers were sad to see the three rays of sunshine they have on this island. They just bring a lot of joy to this boring island.
This is their second home, unfortunately, they must leave now so they can fulfill their promises from 7 years ago.
As they leave the island, their identities are buried in the depths of their hearts.
They are no longer Gol D. Ann, Gol D. Sab, and Gol D. Luffia.
From now on, they will live as Andrea Ortiz, Sabrina Regor, and Luffia Mondragon.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
AN: I wanna make this longer but I figured I should get on and just reveal pieces of information along the way, inserting flashbacks when necessary.
Anyway, will start writing the FOHW and update it probably tomorrow.