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Chapter 5 – Monkey D. Garp

And as I was lying in bed thinking about the things I learned I couldn't help but feel giddy what would the next morning bring.

Soon days have fallen into routine. I got up, prepared breakfast called the boys and cleaned, prepared for lunch and hand my morning training with Rassa. Made lunch and Ace would usually help me clean the dishes then rush to my afternoon torture as I would call it. As time passed I noticed I was getting not only fitter but stronger and as such I wasn't dead on my feet when evening came, even though Bill increased my training every day. To think that I was here for over 5 months, my birthday came and went a few days after I arrived. I haven't mentioned it then, it was my first day of consciousness and I didn't say anything. I was too bewildered with what has happened to me that I hadn't had even the time to think about it. In exchange I made Luffy's cake bigger.

Later they told me that I was to quiet and timid. My eyes bulged at that, me? Timid? I was always fighting and had quite a mouth as my teachers would say. But to be honest with what I have been through it might not seem much, I know others might have it worse but for me it was enough to change a little. I stopped being rash, I rather analyzed and act accordingly and Bill's training I found an outlet to express my frustrations and anger. So in a way they were right.

During the time we spent together even the relationship between brothers and I improved. I saw them as my own brothers and later I found out that they have thought of me the same. Even my nightmares were lessening. Not far from the house there was a cliff with a great view on the sea where I liked to go on my spare time. Not that I would have a lot of it but I still went, if nothing to unwind a bit. There I wrote in my book the stories I heard here. I smiled and thought that like this I would still carry my past with me as there were stories in it from the world I was born in. Inside were also my mom's favorite stories.

It wasn't long before Luffy found out where I was going and when he learned what I was doing he practically demanded that I tell him one.

"As your captain I order you to tell me a story!"

"You're not my captain, midget! Oh, well just one," I complied, no matter how annoying he is, when he looks at me with that pout I just can't refuse him. And with my control over ki or spirits growing I also noticed Ace not being far.

My training was going well and according to the schedule Rassa made I was quite ahead so to celebrate my accomplishment I baked doughnuts one evening after dinner, wishing to surprise the boys the next morning. I knew that Luffy would be tempted by the smell of baking and I was kind of expecting him to run in the kitchen screaming food after I made the first batch. I remembered the first time I saw his arms stretch. I already knew of his abilities from manga but seeing it for the first time was a bit of a shock.

Ace couldn't stop teasing me days after I have fallen from my chair. Luffy, being Luffy merely laughed and said that I'm funny and then stole my part of lunch.

Now I was done with the third one and it seemed odd that neither Luffy nor Ace came down. Ace wasn't a glutton like Luffy but I learned my lesson once I made cookies that one batch is nowhere near enough for them. So I went to investigate why they aren't coming. Sounded childish I know but still, c'mon it's sugar and with them that is like fish with water. I first went to check Luffy's room and when I found it empty I went to Ace's. Luffy had a habit of going into his room if he had a nightmare. There I found a piece of paper with my name on it.

"Went camping, see you in two weeks.

Ace and Luffy"

What in the world? I thought, with no warning what so ever. I looked around his room and saw clothes on the floor as if it was hastily packed and left. Ah, they'll turn up when they're hungry and left the room. It was quite late so I cleaned the kitchen and went to sleep.

Early in the morning a huge crash woke me up. A shot up from the bed immediately and shot out with my senses, trying to determine what's going on. Finding no malicious intent I opened the door where a huge man with beard and graying hair greeted me:

"Oi, Ace, you're a girl?"

"I'm not Ace. Who're you? And what did you do to the wall?" I asked a bit dazed. The old man looked at me and grinned a smile with a pose and answered: "It's cooler to enter this way."

I sweat dropped and instantly denied. He muttered that I'm no fun. That reminded me of Luffy and my annoyance level went to the max. but I sighed in resignation.

"Oh god, there's two of them."

"Have you seen my grandkids anywhere? This is the right house, right?"

I laughed thinking Luffy would probably do something like that if he had the chance and I said: "It is the right house, Monkey-san. Ace and Luffy went camping yesterday. My name is Shana and I take care of them instead of Makino-san."

"Bwahaha, call me Garp. Nice to meet you. So my wayward grandsons escaped?" he said and sat down. I was still in my pajamas so I excused myself and changed my clothes quickly. Garp already started to fix the wall and I put on kettle for tea.

"They wrote me a note that they'll be back in two weeks, but they must be somewhere in the hills."

"Bwahaha, don't worry. I'm on leave for a month; I'll just wait for them. So tell me Shana, how you came to take care of those brats?" he asked while hammering down a board. I was preparing a meal for Garp and myself.

"Oh, Luffy found me. I was injured a bit and they took care of me. I asked Makino-san for a job and she asked me to do this instead," I answered and then asked him if he wanted some tea and breakfast. He laughed and said that no one in his family has turned down a meal. He stood and wanted to sit down but I pointed toward the bathroom and said to him: "The meal is served only after you've cleaned up."

He pouted similarly to Luffy but at my glare he left. I smirked, thinking that all the men in this family are the same.

After breakfast I put a plate of doughnuts on the table thinking that might as well that he eats them before they go bad. He ate them all in one day.

Over the next few days when I learned that Garp was a marine I kept my senses on high alert. Firstly it was because of the warnings Rassa gave me. I was always cautious and as much as I would have loved to forget the fact that I was helpless against the man who beat me it did scar me. It gave me a rough awakening and perhaps that was the reason I trained so hard, so that I'll never be helpless again.

Secondly, I had no idea what that man was thinking. It drove me nuts. Luffy I knew how to read at least a bit and Ace was easy, but Garp? Nope, no bloody idea. I remember how much I ranted during training and focused my frustration into what Bill called zealot's vigor. The problem was that he saw me talking to Rassa and even though he couldn't see her he heard me talking. For days I slept with a needle in my hand coated with the most powerful paralyzing agent I knew, ready to paralyze him and ran away. Rassa and Bill's combined lessons – poisons, paralyzing agents and antidotes, according to them since I was a girl I was allowed to play dirty.

But he ignored the whole thing. I was out of ideas when he came to me and asked me: "What's your dream?"

"Err... Sorry, my dream?" I asked thinking is it a trick question.

"Bwahaha, you've been around those brats for so long and they haven't convinced you to follow your dream? They want to be pirates, what do you wish to do?"

"Me?" I squeaked a bit shocked, that was a question I did don't expect out of him, but I answered anyway: "I… I wish to see the world. To fulfill my mom's dream and have an adventure like no other. To hear and write the stories, legend I find on the way."

Garp laughed and said: "Bwahaha, the world is a dangerous place, especially now with pirates roaming the seas."

"I'm aware of it. I am already training," I replied and he got a dangerous glint in his eyes. I instinctually moved away as he asked: "Need some help?"

I just gaped and looked at him and he sighed: "My cute brats don't want to train with me and I'm bored. So need some help?"

At this I heard Bill's whisper as he said that I should accept so I nodded. Garp laughed and said: "Let's go!"

I should have known that was a mistake. There was a week and a half for Luffy and Ace to return and I have felt chills on my back on what was exactly Garp's training. I figured that Ace's hasty decision to go camping came from the fact that their grandfather was home.

I was right then it was a mistake. But my strength and endurance grew exponentially. The training was excruciating and extremely difficult. There were no fancy exercises or new techniques. He simply sparred with me and he was not coddling me either. So by the end of the day we were expecting boys to return I was lying on the grass exhausted, full of bruises, cuts and dirt still in my shorts and shirt I use for training. I was breathing deeply to catch my breath and to analyze my mistakes and how to fix them. Out of my musings I was shaken by the loud laughter from Ace and Luffy who were coming towards the house. When they saw me, I was still too exhausted to move an inch, but they ran towards me asking who did this.

I laughed and said it was their grandfather. I didn't think they cared so much as they started sprouting death threats against him. I thought they were joking but I noticed a change in their ki. They truly wanted to hurt him for me. I could stop some of the tears that spilled from my eyes. They got even more worried so they helped me sit up, when I explained them that my wounds were result of training.

Luffy did calm down a lot after that and when Ace sent him for water he asked me: "Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just scratches and bruises, it'll heal."

In response he just hugged me and said: "I knew I should have taken you with us, but I thought he would go easy on a girl."

I was stunned. I didn't think that he would worry: "Ace, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"How could I not? Luffy has been calling you sister all this time so I think I had the right to be worried about my younger siblings."

There it was the first time he called me his sister. I was usually very observant but here it proved me wrong. I just hugged him back and let my tears fall.

"Group hug!" Shouted Luffy and ran to us and using his rubber arms he hugged us both. I laughed and moved a bit so I could include him into a hug.

"See Ace, I told you! We just have to hug her and she already feels better."

After a while when I mentioned there were some leftovers left from lunch Luffy dragged us into the house. I sensed Garp approaching but said nothing merely prepared myself. He did had a habit of attacking me when I least expected. So when he moved towards us I pushed the boys away and got into a fighting stance.

"Bwahahaha! So our spars did teach you something!"

"Gramps!"

"Old man!"

Chapter 5 done… Working on the next one so reviews are nice ;)

Thanks again everyone for reviews!