Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed this story! I really appreciate it.


Thirteen years before Romance Dawn


It had only been a few days since Selena had met Garp, and her life had already changed completely.

The realization that she was in One Piece had really unnerved her. This world was filled with people of monstrous strength, devil fruit eaters, and sea monsters. She didn't feel safe anymore.

Sure, her dad was a marine and was probably a badass since he was trained by Garp himself, but he wasn't home most of the time. She didn't know if her mom had any fighting capabilities, but in all honesty, it probably wouldn't make a difference. Etsuko's health was tenuous at best. As far as Selena could tell, her mother had been born with a weak immune system. She fell ill more than anyone else on the island, and even a common cold was liable to confine her to bed rest. Being constantly sick had taken a toll on her body.

Selena felt responsible for taking care of her, even though she was the child in the relationship.

Valhalla's close vicinity to Loguetown ensured that they didn't get a lot of visitors; no one stopped for supplies there when a huge merchant town was only a two hour sail away. Besides the odd group of marine recruits, who often came to party on the island away from the watchful eyes of their superiors, they didn't see many foreigners.

This of course, had led to most of the people on the island feeling complacent about their safety and guarding their home from pirate attacks. No one bothered learning how to defend themselves since an attack on their home was so unlikely, and if the worst were to happen they could just send a message to the Loguetown base. Additionally, they felt even safer now that they had a marine captain living on the island.

Selena however, knew that things wouldn't remain peaceful forever. Once Smoker got promoted, chances were that the pirate crews scared of his reputation would try to stock up on Valhalla instead of risking docking in Loguetown. Not to mention, the island itself was relatively close to the entrance to the Grand Line. If she remembered correctly, it had only taken the Strawhats a few hours to sail from Loguetown to Reverse Mountain.

She knew that she had to learn to defend herself.

A smaller part of her, but a part of her nonetheless, wanted to learn how to fight for more selfish reasons. She was born in a world of impossibilities. Swordsmen could cut steel, people could fly by kicking into the air, and with enough willpower anyone could turn their fists into lethal weapons. She wanted to see how strong she could become, what limitations of her past life she could surpass, and how hard she could push herself.

She wanted to be a badass.

She also knew how to take advantage of her resources. She had thought it over for the last couple of days, and she realized that she needed her dad to teach her how to fight. As much as she valued her independence, she realized she couldn't do this on her own. After building up her courage, she asked her dad to go for a walk on the beach together. Selena had wanted to get some time with him alone because she had a feeling her mother wasn't going to approve of her plan. Not because she didn't want her daughter to get stronger, but because she was a bit too young to start training her body seriously. Selena wanted to get her dad to agree to train her before her mom could interfere.

She knew that she had to start training now if she wanted to reach her full potential. All of the best fighters in the series had started training really young, like Zoro, Ace, Luffy and Sanji.

She knew it was unrealistic to try to compare herself to the main protagonists, but she really didn't have any other frame of reference. It wasn't like she could compare her experiences from her past life to this one. The worlds were just too different.

She didn't know what she would do if her dad said no. She would have to cobble together some sort of training routine herself, but there were so many things she couldn't learn on her own. Plus, she had no idea how far she could push her five year old body without permanently damaging something. She needed her dad to say yes.

With that in mind, Selena started manipulating the conversation to best serve her interests. She first asked her dad about some of his "best fights." She then got her dad to tell her some of Garp's best war stories, under the guise of getting to know her new jiji. Finally she brought it all home by bringing up how "kaa-chan keeps getting sick."

She felt like shit for being so emotionally manipulative, but she was doing this so that she could protect the people she cared about in the future. At least that's what she told herself.

Hitoshi was saddened but not surprised by the fact that Etsuko had gotten sick again. She always did her best to hide it from Selena, so it must have gotten pretty bad for her to notice. He wished he could be home more often to help take care of her, but he really couldn't afford to take any more time off after this promotion. Not to mention that they really needed his sizable salary to pay for the constant doctor visits and medications. Etsuko made decent money running the family business, but they really needed the second income.

Turning towards his daughter, he noticed that Selena seemed to be lost in thought too. "What's on your mind?"

"I want to be strong like you and jiji," she said with determination. "I want to be able to protect our family."

"What do you mean, sweetheart? You know I'll always be there to protect you."

"I know you would never let anything bad happen to me, tou-chan," she replied with an uncharacteristically serious look on her face. "But you're not always going to be here. Besides, I want to be able to protect the people I care about too."

Seeing that he was wavering, she went in for the final blow.

"Will you help me be strong like you, tou-chan?"

Hitoshi was conflicted. On one side, he wondered what had happened to make Selena feel unsafe. She lived a very sheltered life. Probably too sheltered, if he was being honest with himself. He didn't want her to feel like she couldn't rely on the adults around her.

On the other side, he understood the need to get stronger. He had lost everything once, and he had promised himself he would get strong enough so that it would never happen again. Strong enough to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

He would also feel a lot better knowing that his daughter could defend herself. Valhalla was such a peaceful island, but the sea was unpredictable and the winds were always changing. His home island had been peaceful and prosperous, which is why it had become such an easy target for pirates. It was his duty as a parent to teach her all the skills she would need to survive in this world.

In the end, he had the means and the knowledge to teach her. She wouldn't be able to find a better instructor on the island; this was what he did for a living. The least he could do was teach her the basics.

He also knew that Selena had a stubborn streak (which he refused to believe she got from him) and that she would find a way to get stronger no matter what he decided. If he taught her himself he would be able to supervise her training, make sure she was learning good form, and that she didn't hurt herself.

"Alright, sweetheart. I can teach you how to fight. But we're going to start out nice and slow, and you have to listen to everything I say. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei!" Selena cheered. Operation: Get Ripped was a go!

Hitoshi knew he had probably worked himself up over nothing. This was probably just a phase she was going through, and she would forget all about it two weeks from now. He wasn't going to push her; he would let her set the pace and give her tips here and there.

Now... how was he going to explain this to Etsuko?


Over the next couple of days, Hitoshi kept expecting Selena's enthusiasm to die out.

To his complete surprise, she was taking her training more seriously than some of the recruits he instructed.

He worked with her closely everyday, making sure she was learning things the right way and not picking up any bad habits that would hinder her in the long run. They began with simple strength and endurance training, since he wanted to see where she was starting out from. He was pleased to note that Selena already had decent stamina, for a kid anyways. He supposed he had Kingsley and his island adventures to thank for that. He instructed her to start running laps every morning, and promised her that she would eventually be able to run faster and for longer periods of time.

For strength training, he started her out with a basic circuit routine that used her body weight for resistance. He included push-ups, burpees, pull-ups, squats, and a myriad of core exercises. That way she would learn how to do the exercises properly on her own, and had some variety to choose from if she decided to train when he was called back to the base. He made her swear not to try lifting weights until she was a teenager, taking the time to explain how it could stunt her growth.

She seemed to pick up everything quickly and maintained an intense focus he had never seen in his daughter before. While he had been hesitant to teach her at first, he couldn't help but be proud of the progress she was making. She was training with the single-minded determination he prided in himself, and it made him feel good to know he had passed that on to his daughter. He didn't want to push her into a career she didn't choose for herself, but seeing her try so hard made him wonder if she was going to follow in his footsteps and become a marine. He knew Garp would be thrilled if that happened, but he was careful not to voice his hopes out loud. He wanted her to be in control of her own future, and didn't want to be one of those overbearing parents that controlled their child's life.

After a week of seeing her train without complaint, any doubt he had completely vanished. Not only did she do whatever he instructed her to, she went above and beyond. He had wanted to ease her into training, knowing that her little muscles would be incredibly sore since she hadn't been used to such strenuous activity, but Selena hadn't wanted to take it easy. Whatever exercises he had set for her, she doubled. Even though he knew she was sore - he could see it in the way her limbs would shake when pushed past their limits - she constantly asked him for more.

After only a week, he had run out of basic exercises he could show her. She had even asked him to teach her exercises she could work up to, that her body couldn't handle right now. She said she would use them as goals she could work towards. He had demonstrated different types of handstand push-ups, chin-ups, and had even thrown in a Moonwalk for good measure. Of course he had made her promise not to try any of these without him there to supervise, but he had been proud to see the fiery determination in her eyes. He felt invigorated knowing he was teaching his daughter to be strong, and that one day she would be able to protect herself without having to rely on anyone.

Selena, on the other hand, was exhausted.

Happy, but exhausted. She was pretty sure she had worked harder in the last three weeks than she had in the past five years of her life combined.

Pushed by the realization that she had been reborn into a world where literally everyone was out to get her, she had worked non-stop. She had to make the most of her dad's time off, and learn enough so that she could pick up her training once he went back to Loguetown. She had been irritated with the pace he had set at the beginning - she knew she was five, but he wasn't even trying to push her. So any exercise he asked her to do, she doubled. What she hadn't been expecting was her father's reaction. She had just wanted to show him that she was capable of more, that he didn't have to treat her like a baby, but he seemed to be proud of her little act of defiance.

It was like the harder she worked, the more he wanted to push her limits.

So she kept pushing. Every time they finished a circuit, she asked for a new exercise. Every time he had shouted "last lap!" when she ran by him, she ran three more for good measure. Even when he showed her things she wasn't strong enough to do, she asked him to demonstrate more so she could learn to do them too one day.

Don't get her wrong; it was hard. But every time she felt her muscles aching and crying out for her to stop, she pictured the countless self-serving pirates that would kill her without a second thought. Every time she gasped for breath, her lungs screaming for air, she would picture corrupt marines who cared more about money than the lives of the citizens they had sworn to protect. Every time she felt like she was dying, like she couldn't push herself any more, she pictured the celestial dragons who controlled the world and could enslave her with a snap of their fingers.

So she never complained. Because even though she hurt all over and collapsed into her bed every night exhausted, her dad was giving her the tools she needed to survive in this world. Not only was he training her, but he taught her how to do the exercises on her own so she could build her own workout routine and train herself when he was gone.

After two weeks of drilling her in the basics, her dad rewarded her hard work by beginning to teach her basic kata. Her moves were clumsy and slow, but she seemed to have a good memory for remembering steps. Her dad walked her through ten different kata that week, making sure her form was perfect even though her movements were rigid and her transitions were awkward.

She learned so much from him. She now knew the proper way to kick and punch, a bunch of new exercises she had never known existed, and how to properly monitor her body so she wouldn't hurt herself when trying to push past her limits. She had even improved on some of the exercises she had done in her past life. Apparently her form had been horrible and she had been doing them wrong; she was actually surprised she had never injured herself when she had gone through one of her fitness phases.

That was another thing she had learned to adapt to. In her past life, exercising had been a way for her to release stress and to stay in shape. She hadn't been consistent with it; she had been one of those people who signed up for the gym when summer came rolling around, but forgot about working out when her life got busy with other things. She couldn't afford to think that way anymore. Here, in this life, training meant survival. She needed to be strong to protect her family, but also to be able to follow her dream.

Ever since she realized she was in One Piece she couldn't stop thinking of the words played before the first opening of the anime. Fame, wealth, and power would be nice, but they weren't things she would seek out for herself. What intrigued her had been the next bit… everything this world had to offer. That's what her heart yearned for: adventure. This world was incredible, and she wanted to see it all with her own eyes. Mermaids, giants, sea kings, dinosaurs, the mink tribe, impossible islands… she wanted to see them all.

Her past life had been good, but it had also been perfectly ordinary. She felt like she appreciated the impossibilities of this world more than anyone else living in it because she knew what it was like to live in a world where these things didn't exist. Sure, the people living in the Blues thought them all to be myths and rumors, but they had still grown up hearing about them. To her, this world was new and magical, and she wanted to explore every bit of it. And to do so, she would have to be strong.

Oh, she was still going to avoid the Strawhats with a vengeance. A place with them, if by some miracle she managed to catch their attention, would be a guaranteed adventure where she would get to experience everything she wanted. But it could also ruin everything. Sure, there were things she wanted to change for the better (Ace). And there were a few people that didn't deserve what happened to them (Ace). And she would love the chance to meet some of her favorite characters (Ace). But her presence there would cause changes that would be unpredictable. As much as she wanted to make things better, she could easily cause problems. The last thing she wanted was to live in a world ruled by Doflamingo. Or worse, Blackbeard.

So she would get strong by her own right and forge her own path.

Those three weeks passed by quickly. Her life had fallen into a routine, and time seemed to fly by since she was so busy. Her only regret was that she barely saw Kingsley anymore, but she had to take advantage of her dad's expertise while he was there. She had even stuck to her routine on her birthday, the only difference being that her mom had cooked her favorite meal for dinner and they had enjoyed cake for dessert. She woke up everyday at sunrise to eat breakfast with the family then sit through lessons with her mom. Once that was done she trained with her dad until the evening, only taking a small break for lunch. Afterwards, she would wash up, eat dinner, then go help her mom with the family business.

Her mom owned a bar and restaurant called Mama's Place. It had been passed down her family for generations, and it had always been her mom's dream to take over the family business. It was decently sized and was kept immaculately clean by Etsuko. It had an eclectic vibe, since part of the family tradition was for each owner to add on to the restaurant or personalize it in some way.

None of the furniture matched, but it all seemed to go together. The center of the restaurant housed traditional round tables of different sizes and dining chairs, foregoing tablecloths to leave the beautiful mahogany wood on display. Etsuko's grandfather had carved out the chairs and tables himself, engraving the legs and edges with a beautiful vine design.

The side of the restaurant was lined with booths, each one sporting a different jewel tone. The tables matched the ones in the center, but these were rectangular instead of round. Etsuko's great-grandmother had done the upholstery herself, picking out different shades of blue, green, and purple that were dark enough that they wouldn't stain but vibrant enough that they would add color to the room.

The other side of the restaurant had been designed by Etsuko herself. Three large couches were lined against the wall. They matched the color scheme of the booths, although no two pieces were the exact same shade. Each sofa was accompanied by two plush armchairs and a coffee table, which helped divide the area into three sections. Each section had the illusion of privacy, since the seats surrounded a coffee table and faced each other. All of the coffee tables were different, each one salvaged from thrift shops in Loguetown. Customers enjoyed the living room type atmosphere, and they were usually the first seats to be filled up.

Etsuko's father had built the bar situated in the back of the room. He had carved it with a leaf design similar to her grandfather's vine one, but he had added intricate roses to make the bar the focal point of the room. He had also built the shelves lining the back wall that held their most expensive liquor, along with the bookshelves that spotted the room. He had filled the bookshelves with his favorite adventure and fantasy novels, which Etsuko had added to when she inherited the place.

Selena had even already added her own touch to the family business, coming up with the idea to place candles on the center of each table in the evenings. It really changed the atmosphere, and Etsuko loved how the restaurant seemed to transform every night for dinner. She also noticed an increased number of couples enjoying the romantic lighting during the dinner rush.

Selena had also added board games and decks of cards to each of the bookshelves, so even groups could find a source of entertainment if they wanted to. Etsuko noticed that her daughter had an uncanny ability to turn anything into a drinking game, which had led to people of all ages enjoying the board games. Etsuko had written down the rules Selena had come up with in her best calligraphy, framed them, and hung them up. She had seen a huge increase in profits ever since then. Not only did it draw in new customers, who had been told about Mama's Place from their friends, but it also meant people were buying a lot more liquor.

Her daughter was only five, and was already turning out to be a great businesswoman.

It made her so happy to see her kid growing up in the restaurant like she had. Selena was a natural when it came to business, and seemed to enjoy chatting with the customers and meeting new people. She would have loved to see her daughter inherit the business, but even now Etsuko could tell that her little angel was too free-spirited to be tied down to the restaurant. It had been her dream to own Mama's, to share her family's recipes with the community, to inherit her family's legacy. She was getting to live her dream. She understood the need to allow Selena to live hers, whatever that may be.

But for now, she was enjoying seeing Selena's childhood mimic hers. She loved having her family close, and seeing Selena's head bobbing up in between tables as she delivered meals made her ridiculously happy. Not that it ever really showed on her face, since she wasn't the type to share her emotions with the world, but her life couldn't be any more perfect right now. Her husband had even taken to manning the bar during the evenings, which gave her more time in the kitchen and really lightened her load. If it was up to her, she would spend the rest of her life like this.

Unfortunately, her husband would be going back to work in a week. She couldn't hold it against him though, knowing that he was getting to live his dream.


Hitoshi shook Selena awake. He felt kind of bad for disrupting her when she looked so peaceful, but that guilt quickly switched to amusement when Selena popped up, fists in a fighting position, with half of her hair plastered to her face.

Selena was really confused. One minute she had been trying to get a bucking sea king in a chokehold, and the next she was tangled in her bed sheets facing her snickering father.

"Wuh? What's going on?" she managed to get out before stifling a yawn.

"Up and at 'em, sweetheart! We're going on a trip!" he exclaimed, far too cheerily.

"We are?"

"Yup! It's your birthday present!"

"I thought the book was my present," she stated, while fighting the urge to snuggle back into her blankets. Her dad had gifted her with a book filled with illustrations of almost a hundred kata and descriptions of different fighting styles. The pictures were absolutely beautiful, and she knew the book was going to be very useful in the future.

"That was only part of it! We're going on an adventure! Somewhere you've never gone before!"

"Wait, we're not going to Loguetown?! Where are we going?!" she almost yelled. She had assumed they were going to the market or something for the day.

"I'm not telling!" her dad sing-songed. "It's a surprise!"

"How do I know what to pack then?"

"Your mother has already packed for you. Now get dressed, go kiss her goodbye, and we'll be on our way!"

She stumbled around her room, trying to pick out an outfit that would work in any situation. She settled on her denim overalls thrown over a plain white t-shirt and her gladiator sandals. She was ridiculously excited, since she had rarely ever left the island. The only place she had visited was Loguetown; once to go shopping with her mother and once to visit her father at the base.

She knew that they must be going somewhere close by, since her dad was due to report back at the base in a week. Unfortunately, she didn't know anything about the geography of this world. Her mom was in control of her education, and so far it seemed Etsuko placed a higher priority on learning about literature than anything else. It wasn't like she was following a curriculum or anything.

She had actually asked her mom about education in this world a few days ago, and apparently only the children of nobles could afford to go to school. Most noble families hired private tutors to educate their children, but in big cities like Goa, there were a few select private and boarding schools kids could attend if they could afford it and had the "proper lineage." So even if merchants or other middle class parents wanted to enroll their children, they would have to pass a genealogy test ensuring their noble blood. After all, nobles couldn't have their heirs interacting with children "below their station." Her mom hadn't gone into too much detail, but from what she could tell, the schools were basically for the noble kids to network with other nobles. They attended class but their main priority was to make good connections for their families. Ideally, they would use the chance to mingle with the children of influential nobles while they were still young and arrange a marriage that would elevate their family's status. The whole thing was gross.

In all honesty, she was glad her mom was teaching her. She missed the school atmosphere and how the classroom environment made it easy for kids to make friends their age, but she got to spend more time with her mom this way. It also showed her what her mom valued. The books Etsuko had assigned told Selena what her mom thought about morality, personality traits she admired, and what she valued in life. It showed her another side to her mom that she wouldn't have learned about otherwise. Hopefully her mom would get around to teaching her geography though.

She ran a brush through her thick, wavy hair as she tried to remember East Blue islands that were featured in the series. Maybe they would be going to Shells Town? It would be so cool to see the place where the Strawhat crew was born. She took one last look in the mirror, then ran down the hall to her parents' room. She wished that her mother could go with them, but someone had to stay to run the restaurant.

She ran up to her mom, who was still lying in bed since the sun hadn't risen yet, and wrapped her up in a tight hug. She had actually never been away from her mother for more than a day. Even when she had gone on the day trip to Loguetown to tour her dad's base, her mom had closed the restaurant and had gone with her. The trip must be for longer than a couple of days if Etsuko was unwilling to close.

"Bye kaa-chan! I'll miss you!"

"Goodbye, angel. Have fun on your adventure. I love you," she responded sleepily.

"I love you too!" she whispered back, letting her mom fall back to sleep.

She then ran out of the bedroom, through the house, out the front door, and into her father's waiting arms. He placed her upon his shoulders, then passed up the backpack her mother had prepared for her. Excitement buzzing in her veins, she couldn't help but pester her dad with questions while they made their way down to the docks.

His answer to every one of her questions was "it's a surprise!"

She pouted and puffed out her cheeks. Sometimes he could be so annoying.

Her excitement doubled when they boarded her father's sailboat. It was a small boat with a single white sail and a cabin. Inside, there were two small cots and a bathroom. Her father used this boat to sail back and forth between Loguetown. Despite him owning it since before she was born, she had never been aboard. Her two trips to Loguetown had been made on the ferryboat that was based in Valhalla. It made a trip to Loguetown and back once in the morning and once in the evening. A lot of the locals used it to buy supplies needed for their farms and businesses instead of having their supplies shipped directly to the island since it was so much cheaper. Her mother usually made the trip once a month, since she could buy the bulk of the produce and liquor they needed for the restaurant at the local distillery and farmer's market.

Once aboard, Hitoshi got to work. He was used to sailing this boat by himself, so maneuvering it out of the bay was practically second nature to him. He was pleased to find that they had a tailwind and that the currents were working in their favor. They should be able to make it to their destination in two days. The benefit of having such a small boat, besides the fact that he could sail it on his own, was that it was fast.

Turning towards his cute little daughter so he could tease her some more, he found that she had fallen back to sleep propped up against the mast. With a soft smile on his face, he picked her up and carried her to the cabin. He could always find time to tease her later.


By the morning of the third day of their little adventure, Selena was dying with anticipation.

She had been trying to hold her tongue for the last couple of days, knowing how annoying she could be if she just ran with her childish impulses. She had done her best to distract herself by keeping up with her training, but there was only so much she could do on such a small boat. Plus, she knew that her dad was enjoying drawing this out for so long.

"Come on, tou-chan! You said we would be docking in two hours! Enough is enough! Where are we goiiiing?" she whined. What? She was five years old! She's allowed to act like that.

Hitoshi chuckled.

"Alright, alright. I guess you have been pretty patient," he said, running a hand through his teal locks. "We're going to be visiting the Conomi Islands! Cocoyashi Village, to be specific. A friend of mine lives there with her two daughters. We were both shishou's students, so we spent a lot of time together and got to know each other really well. Seeing him the other day after so long made me realize how much I missed her, so I sent her a letter asking if we could visit."

She gaped up at him. He couldn't be talking about who she thought he was talking about, could he?

"Oh! And we realized that you're the same age as one of her daughters and thought it would be good to introduce you two. I know you have Kingsley, but it would be good for you to branch out a bit and make more friends."

She plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Woohoo! I'm so pumped! I'm going to nap the rest of the way so I can have energy for our adventure, okay?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart. I'll wake you up when we're close," he said, deciding not to comment on the fact that there was no way she could be tired since they had woken up a short while ago. Had he said something wrong? Maybe she had taken his comment as an insult to Kingsley? He knew that his daughter was ridiculously loyal to him, so it was possible. He sighed.

To his surprise, instead of going down the stairs and into the cabin like he had expected, she laid out in the sun and closed her eyes.

Selena didn't know what the hell she was going to do, and she had less than two hours to figure it out.

It hadn't been even a month since she discovered she was in One Piece and vowed to stay away from all things Strawhat.

And now here she was, on her way to Nami's house.

There was no way her dad had been talking about anybody else. And what was up with that? The series had never alluded to the fact that Bellemère had been Garp's student! Does that mean that she's in some sort of alternate universe, or that she somehow unlocked a secret backstory that was never shown in the original story?

Now that she thought about it, it was possible that she had been a part of the original story as well and just wasn't considered important enough to add in. It was a small chance, but since it meant she might not have fucked the world over yet she was going to hold on to it.

The problem was that the more she interacted with canon characters the less likely it became that Oda had edited her out. The more characters she met, the more time she spent with them, the more she influenced their stories, the more likely it became that she was a new addition in this world. A fluke. A mistake. An unknown variable.

She really needed to save the existential crisis for later and figure out what she was going to do now.

It was funny how she was acting like she had a choice. It wasn't like she was going to ignore or be mean to an innocent little girl just because she will one day be part of crew that will change the world. Especially when that little girl was Nami, someone who suffered (will suffer?) so much in the series. Selena had always admired Nami before. She sacrificed everything for the people she loved. She lived for them at the cost of her own happiness.

Her five year old self had acted rashly when faced with Garp, but that had been sprung on her. If she chose to befriend Nami now, it would be a conscious choice. She wouldn't be able to later blame it on her impulsivity. She needed to consider the consequences very carefully.

How could having a childhood friend (if Nami even wanted to be her friend after she met her) change Nami's fate? For all Selena knew, Nami could have hundreds of friends in Cocoyashi Village. What would one more change? She didn't think they would see each other often enough for Nami's personality to be changed or influenced in any way; they lived on different islands, after all. Besides, maybe Selena would be able to help ease her burden when the time came? Maybe having a friend she could talk to once the whole Arlong disaster happened could help her in some way?

If there was some way to make Nami's life even a little bit better, she wanted to help.

Before, Selena had been a huge fan of One Piece. She hadn't gone to conventions or dressed up in cosplay, but she had watched all of the anime and read the manga up to the Zou arc. The story had brought her a lot of joy, especially when she needed it most. One Piece became her escape when life was too much for her, when she just needed to check out from the world for a little bit. It may sound silly, but the original story had helped her get through the toughest times in her life. She felt like she owed the Strawhat crew for always being there for her.

She knew it sounded like she was backtracking and going against her resolve to not interfere with the main cast, but she couldn't help but want to make their lives a little bit better if she could. She was still set against joining the crew. Not that she really had anything to offer them as a crew member, but if the situation arose for some ridiculous contrived reason, she would refuse to join. She was drawing the line there. So for now, she was going to try to help Nami if she got the chance. Same with any other Strawhat she may meet in the future, no matter how small the chances of her meeting another one were. She may have been playing with fire, but like with Garp, she didn't really believe she had the power to knock the story off course. She was a background character at best, someone who wasn't even worth mentioning in the original story.

Feeling better now that the matter was resolved, she decided to use the rest of the time they had left before reaching Cocoyashi Village to meditate. It was something she had started practicing soon after she started training. She found that meditation helped clear her mind and enhanced her focus, improving her performance in both her lessons with her mom and training with her dad. Her dad had even noticed how quickly she had begun improving her kata after meditation became part of her morning routine. When she explained what she had started doing differently, he had strongly approved. Apparently Etsuko had taught him how to meditate when they had started dating and it really improved his focus when on the battlefield.

Letting herself fall into a mindless trance, she completely lost track of time. The next thing she knew, she was being woken up by her dad. Oh, had she accidentally fallen asleep when meditating again? She huffed. She really needed to work on that. Half of her meditation sessions ended up turning into nap time.

"Are we there yet, tou-chan?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Yup! I'm docking the boat now. I just wanted to give you a chance to change before we head into town."

She blinked slowly, trying to take in her dad's outfit. He had changed into a hot pink Hawaiian shirt, which clashed horribly with his teal hair but complimented his tan. Spending two days sailing in the sunshine had done wonders for his complexion. He now sported a light golden tan, which gave him a healthy glow. He paired the obnoxious shirt with white board shorts and flip-flops, completing his touristy look.

"Tou-chan, why are you dressed like that?" Her dad's fashion sense had never been great, but this outfit was taking it to new lows.

"Because we're on vacation. Duh."

She didn't even dignify that with a response. She decided to change back into her overalls and white t-shirt, keeping her outfit simple in contrast to her dad's attention grabbing look.

Noticing that her dad had dropped anchor and the boat had been moored to the dock, she quickly laced up her gladiator sandals and jumped onto the boardwalk.

Hitoshi chuckled at her exuberance, happy that she was excited about the trip again and that the weird mood from that morning had dissipated.

Selena reached up and grabbed her dad's hand. She might have been excited about exploring a new island, but she was also wary of getting lost somewhere she didn't know her way around.

It was a short walk from the docks to Cocoyashi. They took their time looking around, buying snacks from street vendors and window shopping.

It seemed like Cocoyashi was around the same size as her village. Valhalla was a little more densely populated, and might have been a little bit bigger, but it was the only village on the whole island (which is why the town and island went by the same name, like Loguetown). Cocoyashi was a bit smaller, but got more visitors since they traded with the other villages on the Conomi Islands and were frequently visited by merchants who bought the fruits grown there. The Conomi Islands were well-known for their fertile soil and abundant harvests.

After a while of wandering around aimlessly, Selena finally decided to ask what was on her mind.

"Tou-chan… you have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"Haha, nope!" he responded, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I've never actually visited my friend's home before. We might have to ask around."

Selena sighed.

She walked over to the nearest street vendor, who was selling ice pops. Pulling out some cash from the front pocket of her overalls, she picked out a red one. She took a cautionary lick and was delighted to find that it had a sweet, synthetic cherry flavor which tasted nothing like real cherries. Actually, now that she thought about it, it tasted almost exactly like red jolly ranchers.

"Excuse me, sir?" she asked the vendor as she handed over the money, "Do you know where we can find…"

She paused, unsure if her dad had mentioned Bellemère by name or not.

"Bellemère," her dad finished for her. "I'm a friend of hers from her marine days."

"Oh, sure," the vendor responded, relaxing when he heard that they were Bellemère's friends.

They listened to the directions and thanked him, then made their way to the edge of town. Selena tried to memorize the route as they went along, excited to recognize a place that was featured in the series.

They made their way up over a final hill and were greeted by the sight of Bellemère's tangerine grove. There were rows of trees as far as the eye could see, looking much bigger in real life than it had in the anime. They followed a well-traveled path to a small cottage, from which they heard laughter and shrieking.

She could barely contain her excitement now. She was about to meet Bellemère, Nojiko, and Nami! All three were total badasses! She wondered whether she was the same age as Nami or Nojiko, since her dad never specified. Maybe he had never met Bellemère's daughters?

Okay, she had waited long enough now. Shooting her dad a dazzling smile, she ran on ahead and knocked on the door.

Abruptly, all of the noise coming from the house stopped. Selena strained her hearing to find out what was going on.

"Was that a knock on the door?" she heard Bellemère ask. At least, she assumed the woman's voice was Bellemère's.

"Does that mean we actually have guests?!" she heard a little girl shout.

"Does that mean Bellemère wasn't lying about having friends!?" she heard another girl ask.

Selena couldn't hold back her snickering.

Her dad had joined her at the entryway by the time the door opened.

"Well, well, well. I'm surprised you actually came, Toshi-chan," Bellemère said.

Unlike Garp, who looked exactly like his character come to life, Bellemère looked a lot edgier in person. Her fuschia mohawk was a bit longer than how it was portrayed, especially the pieces at the front that hung over one side of her forehead. She could see where Oda got the idea for awkward bangs, but he hadn't done her justice. The sides were buzzed short except for the long pieces that hung in front of her ears. She had multiple silver studs in both of her ears, and was wearing a soft blue flannel shirt with jeans.

Peeking out from behind Bellemère's legs were chibi Nami and Nojiko, who had matching bob haircuts. Nami looked adorable with her bright orange hair and huge brown eyes that just seemed to draw people in. Nojiko looked equally cute with her periwinkle hair and button nose. They were both wearing white t-shirt dresses: Nojiko's sported a sunflower and Nami's had a cartoon bear on it. Just by looking at them she could tell Nami was about her age while Nojiko was a few years older.

"Come on Bellemère! You're still calling me that after all this time?" Hitoshi groaned.

"What? You thought that since you're a big bad captain now I was going to treat you differently? Not a chance! You'll always be Toshi-chan to me!" she said, pulling him into a bear hug.

Hitoshi chuckled good-naturedly. "I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different from you."

He turned to Selena, who had been laughing at his expense, and pushed her in front of him. "Bellemère, I'd like to introduce you to my daughter. This is Selena."

"It's nice to meet you all. I hope we can be friends," she said politely, still trying to stifle her giggles.

"And these are my daughters, Nami and Nojiko," Bellemère said, placing a hand on each of their heads as she introduced them.

"Don't worry," Nami said, looking directly at Selena. "I know we're going to be friends. The best of friends! Since your dad and our Bellemère are best friends, then we are too."

"That's not how it works, Nami," Nojiko said dryly. "You can't just declare that she's our best friend and be done with it."

Nami shrugged her off. "We'll see who's right by the end of their stay."

"Oh, I think I like you guys already," Selena chimed in.

"Hahaha! You see? They're getting along already! You were worried over nothing Bellemère!" Hitoshi said as they walked into the cottage.

"Me?! You were the one who was worried!" Bellemère retorted.

"Follow us Selena, you can get settled in while the adults argue," Nami said, pulling Selena along by the hand.

"Yeah, Bellemère can go on for a while when she gets like this," Nojiko added.

"My dad is the same way," Selena lamented.

"HEY!" the two adults shouted in unison, then turned away from each other embarrassedly.

The three girls couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up you twerps," Bellemère said with a crooked smile on her face. "This might have been a bad idea, Toshi-chan. My terrible duo just turned into a trio. I have a hard enough time keeping these two out of trouble."

"Haha! You might be right!" Hitoshi said. "I guess we're just going to have to live with the consequences."

After they settled in, which took two seconds since all they did was dump their packs on the pullout couch, Bellemère sent them outside to play while she cooked dinner and caught up with Hitoshi. Selena figured that they were going to gossip about all of their old marine buddies and hadn't wanted to do it in front of the kids in fear of ruining their tough image.

Nami and Nojiko gave Selena a tour of the town, giving her a much better sense of what Cocoyashi was like. They showed her the best clothing shops, which vendors made the best sweets, and all of the best shortcuts. She was surprised at how well she got on with the two sisters. Normally, she didn't mesh well with kids her age since she wasn't your average five year old… but neither was Nami. She was incredibly intelligent for her age and was pretty mature. She remembered Oda saying before that Nami was the third smartest person in the East Blue, only surpassed by Captain Kuro and Benn Beckmann. She was naturally quick and extremely perceptive.

Nojiko kind of reminded her of Kingsley, in that exasperated older sibling type of way. She tailed after the two younger girls and made sure they stayed out of trouble. Although she gave off the air of concerned babysitter, it was obvious she was also having fun running all over town. She had a rather dry sense of humor that Selena loved, and was so quick-witted that she talked circles around most of the adults they ran into. Selena made a mental note to never get into an argument with Nojiko, unless she wanted to get a verbal ass-whooping.

They raced back to the cottage a bit after the sun had set, giggling and out of breath.

Selena had won by a good margin, tapping the front of the house and throwing up double victory signs. Nami and Nojiko caught up around thirty seconds later, Nojiko edging out Nami by a few seconds.

"No fair!" Nami pouted. "Your legs are so much longer than mine!"

"What's your excuse for losing to Selena? She's the same size as you," Nojiko retorted.

Nami looked at Selena from the corner of her eyes. "She's just freakishly fast."

"Aww, don't be sad!" Selena said, throwing her arm over Nami's shoulders. "I've been training really hard to get faster."

Nami was about to respond when all emotion left her face and she slowly turned her head to face Selena.

"Selena."

"Yes, Nami?"

"Why are you so sweaty?!" she screamed, as she threw Selena's arm off of her.

"Eh?! We just ran really far! You're sweaty too!"

Nojiko laughed, enjoying her sister's and new friend's misery.

"Why are laughing, Nojiko?" Nami asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"I think we need to spread the love, don't you?" Selena said to Nami, a cheeky smile making it's way onto her face.

"Get her!" Nami yelled.

"No! Please! Mercy!" Nojiko yelled as she dodged the younger girls.

They ended up rolling around in a dog pile, unsure whose limb was whose, but laughing too hard to care.

Unknown to them, Bellemère and Hitoshi watched from the front door.

"I told you this was a good idea," Hitoshi told her, happy to see his daughter getting along so well with Bellemère's kids.

"They're rolling around in the dirt like drunk piglets," she snorted, her harsh tone contrasting the soft smile on her face.

"Would it kill you to say I was right for once?" he replied.

"Yes," she said with a teasing smile, hip checking him as she passed by to disentangle the kids.

"Alright, kiddos! Let's go get washed up before dinner," she said, hoisting up Nami with one arm, Nojiko with the other, and Selena riding piggyback behind her.

It had taken Selena a while to get used to bathing with other people. It had been a complete culture shock when it had first happened, but after five years it had become commonplace. Bellemère had dumped the three girls in tub, locked the door behind her, and left them to their own devices. Two splash fights and three bubble beards later, they exited the bathroom dressed in their pajamas since it had gotten pretty late and they were probably going to bed soon after dinner.

After arguing over who was going to sit where (ending with Selena in between Nojiko and Nami while the adults sat across from them), they dug into the delicious meal prepared by Bellemère.

Selena was really enjoying the tangy and citrusy tastes Bellemère incorporated into each dish, and made sure to shower her in compliments. She also loved seeing how Bellemère and her dad interacted. She would tease him and he would snipe back; Selena hadn't seen him act like that around anyone. Even when he brought over his fellow marine officers for dinner back on Valhalla, he never let loose like this. Those other officers were comrades in arms and his colleagues, but what her dad had with Bellemère was genuine friendship.

It made her wonder how they could go so long without seeing each other when they were both in the East Blue and relatively close.

Selena interrupted an argument Bellemère and her dad were having over who had the better right hook. It seemed like they were going nowhere with that.

"So!" she said loudly, speaking over the two adults squabbling like kids. "How did you guys meet?"

"Mind if I take this one, Toshi-chan?" Bellemère asked.

He motioned for her to go on.

"Well, when I was sixteen I got it into my head that I wanted to join the Marines. Mind you, I was a rebellious little shit back then. I had no respect for authority and no discipline whatsoever, but I wanted to make a difference in the world. All of the villagers wanted to stop me, but my mind had been set."

She paused to take a dramatic sip of her drink.

"I went over to the sixteenth branch, which has jurisdiction over the Conomi Islands, and enlisted. I heard that branch has gone to shit, by the way," she said, addressing the last bit to Hitoshi.

"Oh, we know. The chain of command is in total disarray over there. They wanted me to take over when I got promoted but I wanted to stay close to Valhalla."

Selena almost spit out her drink. Her dad was supposed to take over the sixteenth branch?! Her memory for small details wasn't great, especially since it had been so many years since she had read the original story, but wasn't the sixteenth branch the rat base? Where that shitstain Nezumi was captain? Did that mean that in the original story her dad had been in command of that base when Arlong took over? Without a kid to look after, would he have been willing to take over a base bit farther from home? He wouldn't have taken a bribe like Nezumi, he would have stood and fought. Especially if he had found out what had happened to his old friend. He would have been fighting Arlong fresh out of the Grand Line, an officer of the Sun Pirates, before he had gotten lazy and complacent from being in the East Blue for so long.

Is that why her dad wasn't in the original story? Had he died by Arlong's hand? Selena managed to keep her composure, but her mind was reeling.

Bellemère just hummed in response and continued her story.

"They had no idea what to do with me. I was a horrible soldier but they saw potential in me, so they didn't want to kick me out. I got shuffled from base to base until one day I caught the attention of Vice Admiral Garp."

Nami and Nojiko gasped. "Garp the Hero!?" they practically yelled in unison.

"You never told us you knew him!" Nojiko added, sounding particularly eager.

Selena frowned. Had Bellemère never gone into detail about her life as a marine in the original story? That would explain why no one had known about the connection between her and Garp.

Bellemère laughed.

"I didn't just know him, he became my teacher," she said with a smug smirk. "That's how I met Toshi-chan here. He's a few years older than me, and had joined a few years before me, so he had already been training under Garp for a while. As for Garp, he seemed to like my attitude. I didn't take shit from anybody and had plenty of confidence. He saw I just needed some tough love to get my shit together."

"And those Fists of Love would do the job," Hitoshi interjected.

"After that, we spent almost all of our time together. We trained together, went on patrol together, and even partied together," Bellemère continued. "Did you know I was the one who pushed Toshi-chan to ask out your mom?" she said, addressing Selena.

"Thank you for my existence," Selena responded, faux-seriously.

"Oh, god!" Bellemère chortled, "That was just like Etsuko!"

Hitoshi rolled his eyes and decided to pick up where Bellemère left off. "Eventually, Bellemère was promoted to captain. She actually surpassed me even though I had been a marine for longer. The superior officers saw how easily she took command of a situation and rewarded her for that."

"Plus, I kicked ass," Bellemère added.

"Plus, she kicked ass," he agreed.

"It was shortly after my promotion that I got the assignment that led me to you guys," Bellemère said, gesturing towards Nami and Nojiko.

By now, everyone had finished their dinner.

"Alright, kiddos! Off to bed!" Bellemère said cheerfully. "It's time for the grown-ups to get drunk and talk shit!"

All three girls groaned.

"We wanna get drunk and talk shit too," Selena said, fighting back a yawn.

"Language," Hitoshi admonished, without any real heat to it. "It's definitely bed time if you're sleep deprived enough to think you can get away with swearing."

The three girls bid them goodnight. Nami and Nojiko jumped onto the bed pushed against the corner that they would be sharing with Bellemère, while Selena settled into the pullout couch she was going to share with her dad.

"G'night," Selena mumbled, already half asleep.

"Night," the other two girls whispered back, careful not to wake up their new friend.


The rest of their trip passed by really quickly. Nami and Nojiko helped Bellemère tend to the tangerine grove in the mornings, like they did everyday. Selena and Hitoshi used this time to train. They then all met up for lunch. Afterwards, the girls would go off on their own. They would come back to the house around sunset, where they would enjoy dinner all together before going to bed.

Selena was having so much fun getting to know the girls and Bellemère. Around Nami she just let herself be the little kid she was, and they got into all kinds of mischief. She found out that Nami had started her thieving career really young; at first she thought she was imagining things, but it became clear over the next few days that Nami had sticky fingers. It wasn't ever anything big - and she didn't think Nami had learned how to pickpocket yet - but every street cart they passed ended up missing an item or two. Most of the villagers seemed aware that Nami was the one taking their merchandise, but let it go with a roll of their eyes and a fond shake of their heads.

Most of the time Nojiko tailed after them and tried to run damage control, like a mini public relations specialist. Even though she was only a few years older than Selena and Nami, she looked after them and took care of them. She was very mature for an eight year old, and sometimes seemed like more of an adult than Bellemère. She shared Selena's love of books, so they often gushed over their favorite adventure and fantasy novels. Nojiko had a surprising soft spot for fairy tales. Selena couldn't help but look up to her a little bit. She just fit into that older sister role so naturally.

Bellemère was a firecracker. She had a fiery temper and a witty comeback for everything. She also brought out a really fun side of her dad, treating him like an awkward teenager instead of giving him the respect he had grown accustomed to since his promotion. She would get him all worked up, he would get flustered, and they would end up bickering like children.

At one point during dinner on their last night in Cocoyashi, Bellemère took a joke too far and Selena could tell her dad was actually annoyed instead of feeling playfully irritated like usual. Bellemère apologized by telling him she would "find some way to make it up to him" while caressing his chest for good measure.

Yeah, Selena could definitely tell where Nami got that from.

Instead of getting hot and bothered like Bellemère had pictured, Hitoshi's face promptly turned green and he tried to suppress his gag reflex.

"That's not the correct reaction to having a beautiful woman flirt with you, you jackass!" Bellemère yelled.

"Sorry," Hitoshi responded while waving her off with a dismissive gesture, not sounding sorry at all.

With a yell, Bellemère tackled Hitoshi off his chair and onto the ground, where they started full-on brawling. They rolled around like little kids. Selena was pretty sure she saw Bellemère put Hitoshi in a chokehold, only to start giving him a noogie.

All three girls were laughing so hard they had tears streaming down their faces and were gasping for breath.

The more time Selena spent with Bellemère, the more she began to see her like a cool aunt. This was reinforced by the fact that her and Hitoshi fought like siblings. She had only known the three of them for a week, but she already knew she was going to miss them dearly when she had to go back home.

On the last night of their trip, Bellemère and Hitoshi allowed the girls to stay up late. While the adults sat on the front porch, smoking and drinking saké, the girls went around the back of the house to lie in the grass and stargaze. They laid on their backs, all three of their heads touching and holding hands like they were in a synchronized swimming routine.

"I'm really going to miss you guys, you know," Selena said softly.

"Us too. There aren't a lot of kids our age in the village so we don't really have a lot of friends," Nojiko responded.

"Maybe we could come visit you next?" Nami said hopefully.

"I don't think we can, Nami. We wouldn't be able to leave the grove for so long. And there isn't anyone we could ask to take care of it while we're gone," Nojiko reminded her.

"Well, my dad can't take a lot of time off but maybe this could become a yearly thing? We could try to visit you guys at the end of every summer," Selena said, trying to cheer her up.

"So we won't see you again for a whole year?!" Nami whined. "I wish we weren't so poor. Then we could just buy a transponder snail and talk all the time."

"Those are really expensive," Selena said, wincing. "Besides, we can't afford one either, so you wouldn't be able to call me."

Ever since she had met Garp, Selena had been trying to find out as much about this world as she could. She had asked her dad about transponder snails, because she was pretty sure she would have realized she was in One Piece a lot sooner if she had seen a talking snail. Her dad had explained that they were really expensive, the cheapest one costing 100,000 beri. Her family could probably afford one, if they hadn't had her mother's medical bills and medications to pay for. She hadn't realized that Nami's issues with money had started out so early.

"A year isn't that long," Nojiko said unconvincingly. A year to a little kid was practically a lifetime.

"Oh I know!" Selena said excitedly, flipping over onto her stomach so she could look at them. Nami and Nojiko copied her unconsciously, picking up on her excitement. "We can become pen pals!"

"You want to write letters?" Nami asked.

"Yeah!" Selena confirmed. "If you use a courier it can get pretty expensive, but if we use the News Coo it's really cheap!"

That had been another thing she had researched. Apparently the News Coo were kind of like the post office in this world. They mostly delivered newspapers and bounty posters, but they also delivered any personal letters for a small fee. Most people entrusted their private mail to couriers, worried that the News Coo seagulls could get intercepted. Some people didn't trust the birds to deliver mail on time or to the right person. The News Coo had gotten a bad reputation for being extremely slow but that was due to the fact that it was very hard to track down people who lived on ships or were constantly moving around. The best part is that it only cost 10 beri to deliver a letter. That was less than what a stamp cost in her old life!

"That sounds like fun," Nojiko said. There was just something so whimsical about writing letters. She had never gotten the chance to write to anyone before, not knowing anyone who lived off the island. "We would get to hear from each other about once a week."

"I'm in!" Nami added. "But I don't want to be a pen pal. That sounds so lame!"

Selena giggled. "Alright, I'll try to come up with a better name for it."

They spent the rest of the night looking at the stars and talking, eventually falling asleep right where they were.

Hitoshi and Selena departed early the next morning. Nami, Nojiko, and Bellemère had walked them down to the docks, trying to prolong their time together. Selena took her time saying goodbye to each one of them, narrowly avoiding a cigarette burn when Bellemère scooped her up and began squeezing the life out of her.

The three of them stood on the dock, waving goodbye, until the small sailboat was no longer visible.

Hitoshi checked their heading and charted their course. They had actually spent a few more days than he had meant to in Cocoyashi, turning a trip that was supposed to only last a couple of days into a week long affair. He didn't regret it though. He was probably going to get reprimanded once he got back to the base, but seeing his little girl so happy had been worth it. He had also really missed Bellemère. She really was his best friend, not that he would ever say that to her face. She was already smug enough as it was.

"Thank you so much for the trip, tou-chan. Best. Birthday. Present. Ever."

"I'm glad you had fun, sweetheart. I had a good time too. Your mother is probably worried about us though, since we're a few days late."

Selena frowned. Yeah, her mom wasn't going to be happy about that.

Oh well, nothing to be done now.

"Hey tou-chan, can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Hitoshi said, chuckling to himself.

Selena huffed. He was such a dad.

"Did something happen between jiji and Bellemère?"

"What makes you say that?" he deflected.

"Well, it seemed like she didn't want to talk about him. She only mentioned him our first night there, and never brought him up again. Plus, Nami and Nojiko had no idea she knew him. I mean, you never told me about jiji by name but you always talked a lot about him. I just didn't realize your teacher and Garp the Hero were the same person."

Hitoshi sighed. Sometimes Selena was too perceptive for a five year old. She was naturally intuitive, great at reading people, and once she identified someone's emotions she was able to figure out their motives. It was a skill he knew would help her in the future - especially in a fight - but seemed to bite him in the ass nowadays.

"I'm going to tell you what happened," Hitoshi said seriously, "But this has to stay between us. I don't think Bellemère wanted to talk about it in front of the girls, so you can't tell them. It's her past to share. The only reason I'm going to talk about this with you is because I don't want you to come to your own conclusions and think the worst. You've only just met shishou and Bellemère, so I don't want you to get the wrong idea about either of them because they are both very important to me."

"I understand," Selena responded, more curious than ever.

"Bellemère didn't go into detail about how she adopted Nami and Nojiko, but the truth is that she found them on a battlefield. The village they were originally from was completely decimated and they were the only two survivors. Bellemère found them, and she felt like it was fate. She knew that she was supposed to be those girls' mother."

Hitoshi frowned.

"A lot of people didn't understand her decision. Bellemère wasn't exactly the mothering type, and a lot of our colleagues didn't understand why she didn't put up the girls for adoption. The people of Cocoyashi village felt the same way, but when they saw how determined Bellemère was to do this, they supported her decision. She completely dedicated her life to raising those girls. Only a few months later, Bellemère handed in her resignation letter and officially retired from the marines."

"I don't understand. Was jiji one of the people who didn't want her to adopt Nami and Nojiko?" That didn't make any sense to her. Garp adopted brats left and right. She was an example of that.

"Not exactly. He actually supported her choosing to adopt them. They had no one else in the world. The way Garp saw it, they became Bellemère's responsibility the moment she found them. What he didn't support was her decision to resign. He didn't understand why she couldn't find someone to help raise the girls, and continue working. He argued that she would still be their mother, would still be taking care of them, but without abandoning her duty. He thought she was wasting her potential and giving up the chance to help a lot of people."

Selena was starting to understand. Maybe even better than Hitoshi did. Obviously, neither Bellemère nor Hitoshi knew that Garp had a family (which she thought was smart of him, because he had so many enemies that would have loved to go after his kid). Bellemère's decision to resign probably brought up a lot of guilt that had been festering in Garp for not raising his own son so long ago, and now his own grandsons. Subconsciously, he probably saw Bellemère's decision like a critique on his own choices. By putting down her choice to give up her career in order to be a full-time parent, he made himself feel better about the choices he had made. Deep down, he probably felt like he should have stayed on Dawn Island for Dragon, Ace, and Luffy. He had to figure out who needed him more: the world, or his children? Sure, he had done a lot of good as a marine and had saved a lot of lives, but he probably wondered "what if" a lot.

"Bellemère had to hand in the resignation letter in person to Garp, since he was her direct superior. That's when they got into a huge fight. It was also the last time I saw her until this week. Not because I chose sides, but she might have seen it that way since I obviously didn't retire after you were born. We actually talked about all of this the first day of our trip, when you girls had gone into town, and cleared the air. Just because I chose to keep working, didn't mean I thought it was the right choice for her. I wasn't a single parent. When I go back to the base or out to sea, I don't have to worry about you because I know Etsuko is taking care of you and you're helping take care of her," he finished, smiling softly.

"Since you and Bellemère made up, do you think there's a chance her and jiji will too?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. They're both ridiculously stubborn. I know deep down in my heart that if I hadn't reached out to Bellemère and taken the first step, we probably would never have seen each other again."

Selena sighed. He was probably right. She was pretty sure Luffy got his stubbornness from Garp.

They sailed back without encountering any trouble. Selena used the time to up her training again, finally not feeling completely exhausted all the time. She had taken it easy while on Cocoyashi, only training for a few hours everyday, and it had helped her muscles heal.

They made their way straight home after docking. Instead of the lecture they were expecting from Etsuko, she was just happy to see them. She explained that she just figured they had needed more time in Cocoyashi to catch up with Bellemère.

Hitoshi took off soon after, kissing them both goodbye. He was pretty sure he was going to get his ass handed to him for being late… Actually, now that he thought about it, he was the highest ranked officer in Loguetown now that Garp had left. There wasn't going to be anyone there to yell at him! With that happy thought, he headed out.

Selena spent the rest of the day telling her mom all about the visit in excruciating, mind numbing detail. Etsuko didn't mind though, she was just happy her daughter was home again and that she had made new friends. Besides, her daughter was a good storyteller even if she was a bit long-winded.

When Selena went outside that afternoon, she was tackled by a brown blur.

"You didn't even tell me you were leaving, you jerk!"

Shit. Kingsley.

"I had to find out from your mom that you left on some sort of trip! First you avoid me for weeks and then you leave without saying goodbye?! If you don't wanna be my friend anymore just say so!"

"No, no, no! That's not what happened at all!" Selena rushed to explain. She shifted so that she wasn't pinned under him anymore and was able to look him in the eye. "I wasn't trying to avoid you, I promise! You know how I don't get to see my dad that much, and he was here for the last few weeks so I tried to spend as much time with him as I could. I asked him to teach me how to fight so we spent all of our time training together. And the reason I didn't say goodbye before leaving was because it was a surprise trip!"

"You could have still made time to see me," Kingsley said stubbornly, although he looked less angry after hearing her explanation. "And you could have left a note for me telling me about your trip."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I haven't been a good friend lately," Selena said, looking contrite.

"Yeah, you haven't," Kingsley said. He had really missed his best friend. None of the other kids on the island were as interesting as her. Plus, he had been worried! She was always getting into some sort of trouble. What would she do without him? She would probably get eaten by a bear or something! And there weren't even bears on this island!

"I'm sorry you missed me and that I worried you," Selena said cheekily, having no problem reading her best friend.

"Yeah, I- wait! That's not what I said! Stop putting words in my mouth, woman!" he yelled, chasing after her.


Luffy was so boooored.

He tried to hang out with the other kids in the village but ever since he hurt that one kid playing tag they didn't like him anymore.

It had been an accident! He didn't mean to push him so hard! He said sorry so it was okay, right?

Makino said he was different from the other kids because he's strong like his Gramps. Makino's really smart. But if he was this strong now, didn't that mean he'll be even stronger when he turns five? How could he make friends if he kept scaring them away?

He wished the grown-ups in the village had time to play with him. None of them were scared of him. Did that mean he could only be friends with grown-ups?

Luffy was so bored that he even missed Gramps. A little. And he had only left a few weeks ago! At least things were interesting when he was around!

Maybe bored wasn't right. What was he feeling?

Oh yeah. Lonely. Luffy was lonely.

It hurt when he was alone.

He hoped something interesting would happen soon.


End Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It turned out longer than expected and then Luffy showed up out of nowhere at the end, but I really wanted him to make an intro early on in the fic.

Last edited on 5/7/22.