Beckman stares questioningly at the baby Den Den Mushi that sits on his shoulder. He stares at it, as it stares back at him with half-lidded eyes. Beckman's never seen a baby Den Den Mushi this small—but there seems to be a first time for everything. What perplexes him the most is where in the hell did Mako and Law got enough money to even buy a baby Den Den Mushi?!
He's pretty damn certain that neither of the two have access to the funds.
"Regina, huh?" Beckman recalls the name that was used to refer to the baby Den Den Mushi as he taps on its shell. "That's one ugly shel—"
Chomp!
Beckman manages not to flinch when two tiny sets of surprisingly sharp teeth clamp down onto the tip of his index finger. It doesn't exactly hurt, but déjà vu is certainly something Beckman experiences.
"No doubt about it…" Beckman doesn't even need to ask who the owner is, because Regina made it clear on her own. After all, baby Den Den Mushi are highly impressionable from the very moment they are touched by their owners. It was just his luck that the feature Regina took from Mako was her teeth…
…
…
Beckman confronts Mako and Law about Regina when they exit the bathroom. He goes about it as gently as possible, to avoid unsettling them anymore. They might look a lot less tense than before, but he isn't taking his chances with these two kids.
"Where'd you get the money for Regina?" It's a simple question, really, one that doesn't seem to pry into what might have upset the two.
"Mako stole a doctor's wallet," Law doesn't even hesitate when he answers Beckman's question.
"There's still money left in it if you want," Mako murmurs as she averts her gaze.
Beckman stares at Mako. She's such a tiny, three-year-old girl…and somehow, she managed to steal the wallet off a doctor. How the hell?! "How?!"
"He was too busy making Papa angry!" Mako laughs, though her laughter sounds slightly hollow—as though she's hiding how she actually feels.
Beckman notices this, but says nothing. Mako has had such bad experiences with doctors so far, with all of them refusing to see her because of her fishman heritage. It really isn't fair, and the same can also be said about everyone else's mistreatment of Law. He runs his fingers through his hair and sighs, shaking his head seemingly in disapproval…before a smirk crosses his face.
"Is that so?" He decides that Mako deserve some praise for it. "Well then good job."
A part of him wishes to discourage Mako from ever doing such a thing again, but he knows better than to do so. Mako always does as she wants—he can only hope that Law can at least keep her in check when he isn't there to do so…
…
…
That evening, not long after they've set sail, Law and Mako get an earful from Shanks and Corazon. It's not as bad as it could have been, since Shanks only laughs when he finds out about Regina. Corazon, on the other hand, tries not to make it that obvious that he knows that there's something that Law and Mako aren't telling them. He doesn't want to bring much attention to it, since it might do more harm than good.
Still, he'd prefer it if they told him eventually, so as soon as he and Law are alone, he says, "Whenever you're ready, just tell me."
Law tugs down on his hat. He looks uncertain as how to react, so he waits a moment before saying, "Okay."
It takes every fiber of Corazon's being to hold back the urge he has to punch a hole through the wall. Law has never been this quiet… Whatever it was that had happened—it can't be any good.
…
…
Law doesn't get much sleep that night. His nightmares are especially vivid, tormenting him with thoughts of what could have happened. He decides to head outside for some fresh air, hoping that it would help him take his mind off things…
It helps—not a lot, but it's better than nothing.
"Feels nice." Law likes the way the breeze feels on his skin. It's cold, but not enough that he's freezing. The moon is full, making it easy for Law to move around in the darkness of the night. He finds Robin sitting at the main mast of the ship, looking somewhat surprised to see him. Law is just as surprised, since he was expecting to be completely alone.
Except he's not—and neither is she, which is why she starts smiling as she pats at the empty space right next to her. Robin says nothing as Law sits down beside her. Instead, she points upward, directing Law's attention to the vast number of stars glimmering brightly in the dark sky. It's a breathtaking sight—one that's enough to break the silence between them.
They talk to each other about their pasts, discussing the times when they were completely on their own. It's not the first time that they've shared such information with each other, so they're used to it. It's only when Law starts talking about his family when their discussion heads in a different direction.
Law talks about times when things were relatively fine. He tells Robin about his friends, giving her a name and description for each of them. He didn't have to, but Robin lets him anyways. She listens intently to Law as he shares snippets of his childhood with her. He keeps talking and talking, until tears start falling from his face.
Robin reacts first, wrapping her arm around Law's shoulders and pulling him closely to her side. He breaks down seconds afterwards, screaming about how much he hates the World Government and all that stand for it. He screams and he screams and he screams…
Eventually, he calms down, having screamed his throat raw.
"Better?" Robin asks as she rubs soothing circles on his back.
"Hmm…" Law sniffs a few times.
Robin and Law don't talk much after that. They pass most of the night just watching the stars in the sky. Soon, dawn begins to break and it's only once the sun has started to rise that Law finally speaks.
"Robin…why do people like the Marines exist?" It takes Law a lot more effort to speak, since his voice is so hoarse. "H-How—How can they live like that? Working for the World Government, I mean…"
Robin pauses for a moment to think. "Well…sometimes, people think they're doing the right thing."
"But they're not!" Law chokes out, memories of yesterday's incident still fresh in his mind.
"I know." Robin nods her head. She understands that quite well. "But they don't know that, and I think that's what's most frightening about them."
…
…
"My throat hurts…" Law decides to change the subject.
"Would you like me to make you some tea?" Robin offers. "I usually make myself something to eat during this time, so I don't mind if you come along with me to the kitchen."
"Sure." Law doesn't have anything better to do. He thinks it's strange that Robin would be in the kitchen at this hour, but he doesn't question her. Stranger things have happened and if Robin wants to be an early bird, then so be it.
…
…
Robin calmly sips her tea as she watches Law sleep. It hasn't been that long since he had passed out. Robin is surprised that he hadn't done so earlier, when she was making tea.
"No matter." It's not much of an issue anymore, so Robin continues drinking her tea. She pays little attention to the plate of food that she's left on the table. Rather, she listens closely for a certain guest of hers that's due for a visit.
Tap, tap, tap.
A small smile forms on her lips. "There we go."
The footsteps are as quiet as ever, sounding ever so hesitant as they move closer and closer. Robin never turns her head towards the source, choosing to feign ignorance instead. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a glimpse of blond hair. Her ears pick up on the sound of a chair being moved ever so carefully. There's a small gasp, likely in reaction to Law's presence at the table.
"I wonder if I should get him a blanket," Robin suddenly says. "He's sleeping so soundly, I don't think anything will wake him."
There's a brief moment of silence…then the sounds return. She chuckles quietly at how eagerly her guest eats.
"So…are you ready to tell me your name?" Robin finally turns her head, her gaze focused on the scruffy-looking boy that sits at the table.
…
…
Law doesn't talk much during the next few days. His throat is still recovering, so he chooses not to speak. It's not like he has much reason to, anyways, since he and Mako are more interested in interacting with Regina than anyone else.
Of course, that all changes when Robin's birthday pops up. Without meaning to, Law finds himself joining in the celebration. Mako reminds him of the birthday card he had bought for Robin.
"Are you sure she'll like it?" Law isn't so sure about it anymore…
"It's fiiine!" Mako reassures him. "You can just get her something next time!"
"…Okay." Law isn't so sure if there will be a next time. He keeps that to himself, deciding that it's not worth it to dampen the mood. "What did you get her?"
"You'll see!" Mako smiles widely at him.
…
Law honestly doesn't know what he was expecting, because it certainly wasn't a ribbon bookmark. It's a nice shade of dark blue, with violet-colored beads hanging from one end and a silver charm on the other end. The charm is what catches Robin's attention the most, as it is in the shape of a robin.
"How fitting," she says, sounding especially amused.
"It's also a bracelet!" Mako pipes up. "There's a thing on it that connects the ends together.
"You mean a clasp," Robin gently corrects her. "You're getting better."
"Yay!" Mako claps her hands repeatedly. "Law also got you something!"
It's a lot more embarrassing, now that all attention was on him. Law reluctantly hands Robin the birthday card he had gotten her. She happily accepts it, giving his shoulder a few comforting pats.
"Thank you, Law—I appreciate it." It means a lot to Robin to see Law trying to make the most of his limited time. Hopefully, they find a cure for him soon, because Robin wants him to live.
She saves a slice of cake for no one in particular, waiting until everyone has gone to sleep before heading toward a room full of barrels. She remembers this place quite vividly, as this is where Mako took her to hide away from the Marines. It's where she finds the scruffy-looking boy with blond hair.
"I saved you a slice." She smiles warmly at him as she hands him the plate. "Don't eat too fast."
She's had to clean up after him more than once—it's bothersome, but nothing she can't handle. She'd just prefer it if the food remained in his stomach. It's easier that way.
"So…how about today?" she asks him.
The boy doesn't answer her and instead, continues eating the slice of cake.
"Take your time, then." Robin isn't going to rush him. That's the last thing she wants to do, since he's made so much progress already. "Just let me know when you're ready."
For now, she's just content that he's no longer running away from her.
…
…
The days go by and Law decides to finally show Mako the bottles he bought at that shop. She's confused at first, with what he's showing her. Then he explains what it is, opening a bottle containing a silver-colored substance. He grabs Mako's hand and, using the applicator that comes with the bottle, he begins to draw random patterns on the palm of her hand. That's when it finally clicks for her.
"Body paint!" It's more of a paste made out of dye than paint, but it's similar enough that Law doesn't bother to correct her. "Can I draw on you?"
"Only if you let me draw on you." Law wants to make up for lost time. "Just be warned—these things last a week."
"Got it!" Mako laughs. "Hey—that tickles!"
"Stay still or I'll mess up!" The last thing Law wants is for Mako to keep complaining about how ugly it looks. He's doing well so far, for someone who's had so little practice. Little by little, the patterns start to look like flowers. By the time he's done, Mako has a bouquet of roses on the palm of her hand, decorated with intricate-looking leaves. "I…was having fun."
"I can tell!" Mako seems pleased. "Okay, my turn!"
The two spend hours and hours, drawing various pictures on each other's skin. Law tries to keep it simple at first, but boredom pushes him to be more complex. Mako, on the other hand, just sticks to what she knows best. It's all the same to her, since she's having so much fun just drawing hearts.
Eventually, Shanks finds himself getting dragged into this mess when he comes across the two in his room. He becomes their canvas, allowing the two to draw all over his body. It's annoying that he'll have to deal with it for at least a week, but he'll live. This is the least he can do for them before they arrive at the next island…
Maybe this time, they'll be lucky…
"Maybe," Shanks thinks.
…
…
Law feels like throwing up when he sees the hospital. It's been more than a month since he and Mako had last visited a hospital and yet—the memories are still fresh in his memory. He still hasn't told Corazon… He's been meaning to, but he just can't. It's too difficult for him to bring up something so serious, when the days have been so peaceful.
The nightmares have stopped, allowing him the chance to actually get some sleep. Mako's been smiling more, though he feels that there are more gaps in her teeth than usual. It's probably just a phase…
"Probably." He exhales shakily, feeling extremely uneasy after entering through the hospital doors. That's when a tiny hand grabs onto his own. It happens so suddenly, that he just freezes…
"S-Sorry." He relaxes almost immediately when he finds that it's just Mako. She smiles reassuringly at him, likely hoping for the very best. For once, he decides to do the same.
…
…
In the midst of all the chaos, Law waits for Mako. He ignores the screaming nurses that run past him. He's used to it by now. It hurts, but not as much as it used to.
I have Mako.
So he isn't alone.
This is fine.
Except it isn't, because when Mako shows up, Law quickly notices something is extremely wrong. He takes note of each wobbly step that Mako makes as she approaches him. Her hood is down, allowing Law to see a pair of glazed pink eyes. Beads of sweat are rolling down her face as a noticeable blush colors her cheeks red.
"M-Mako…?" Law doesn't like what he sees…and his eyes widen when Mako suddenly empties the contents of her stomach onto the floor. "Mako!"
"Uuuuu…uuuuuuu…" Mako's eyes begin to water as she clutches her stomach. She collapses onto the floor and starts to cry, no longer able to keep it in.
Law doesn't know how to react, as he's not used to seeing Mako cry like this. The last time he's seen her cry was when she started losing teeth.
"Speaking of teeth…" Law can see a few of them within half-digested remains of the fish that Mako ate for lunch. It's disgusting at first, but then a certain memory pops into his head…
"I lost another tooth."
That's when he realizes that Mako never told him how she lost her tooth…
"Oh, god…" Law almost wants to throw up himself, because now he has an idea of what's been happening. "Is that why she's missing so much teeth?"
There are just so many gaps in her teeth…
"M-Mako?" he calls out to her.
She doesn't respond—she just keeps crying and crying.
Just like a child.
Then it hits him—Mako is a child. She's three, almost four, and somehow—she hasn't cried after each visit to the hospital, as he had. She didn't even cry when he saved her from that shitty Marine. It's only while she's feeling so horrible that she finally lets it out. Law feels just as horrible, because how could he not notice that something was wrong with Mako?
How?
It's easy to forget how young Mako is sometimes and Law regrets it as he hefts the little girl onto his back. He can practically feel the heat radiating off her face with how close her head is to his own face.
She's sick…
He needs to get her back to the ship fast, because they're sure as hell not getting any help here. It fucking sucks big time, but there's not a damn thing he can do about it—that's why Corazon does what he does.
Because he's mad.
Corazon is mad because these hospitals fail to do the one thing they're supposed to do, which is help people. And Law can't help but feel the same, because it's not fair—it really isn't fair.
"Hey—hey…it's going to be okay!" Law tries his best to calm Mako as she continues to cry. Her crying hurts his ears, because of how close she is to him and how loud her sobs are. But compared to the screams of terror in the background—it's honestly bearable. "C'mon—just hang in there until we get to the ship. Shoosh, shoosh…c'mon…shoosh…"
Mako hiccups and manages to lower the volume of her voice, but she still continues to cry. She's just not having a good time…
"I know it's bad—but we'll get there, okay?" Law wonders how it is that a three-year-old girl can manage when he's crying, because he certainly can't do the same, now that their roles have been reversed. It's rather disturbing that a three-year-old girl can even handle a crying twelve-year-old boy. Not only is he older than she is, but he is also taller…and yet, she always just grabbed his hand and calmly walked him back all the way to the ship. "It's okay, it's okay…"
It's not okay—how did she do this?!
Law doesn't know and he feels like crying because he doesn't know. He feels he should—especially since he once had a little sister. Of course, Mako is anything but his little sister (no one could ever take Lami's place)…but Lami was once Mako's age… So Law feels he should have known better, but he doesn't and he seriously wants to cry, too.
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry!
Tears are pricking the corners of his eyes as he continues to walk down the hallway, carrying a sick three-year-old girl on his back. It's not that difficult of a job—Mako is rather small and doesn't weigh much. But Law still has difficulties keeping his emotions in check.
Don't cry!
He can't cry—not now! Not when Mako was feeling so horrible—he had to be strong. Even though it was difficult, with how much his chest continued to ache, he had to be strong for the girl who was always there for him.
Maybe that's why she never cried…
They're outside the hospital building now, while Corazon and Shanks still inside, wreaking havoc upon the doctors that refused to see him and Mako. By the end of the day, the hospital would meet the same fate as the hospitals before it. Corazon and Shanks are vindictive when they can be and Law can't help but appreciate their actions now. It really doesn't do much, but…it makes Law feel a bit better…
Maybe…just maybe…
He can also try to make Mako feel better…but how, is the question.
How?!
…
…
An idea crosses Law's mind and though he's not too certain about it, it is better than doing nothing at all. He clears is throat and tries, to the best of his ability, to sing the one song that Mako said always makes her feel better when she's down.
"Yo-hohoho…yo-hohoho…" Law's voice is uncertain and slow, because he's still so new to the song. He hasn't heard it enough times to hammer it into his memory… "Yo-hohoho…yo-hohoho…"
He knows he's going to mess up, but that still doesn't stop him from singing.
"Going to…deliver Bink's Sake…
Following the sea breeze…riding on the waves…
Far across… the salty depths, the merry evening…sun…
Painting circles in the sky…as the birds sing along…"
He's pausing too much and already, he's struggling with remembering the rest. So he stops singing and starts to hum, because at the very least, he can remember the melody. It's not much, but it does help and for the moment, that's all that matters to Law.
…
…
Mako isn't the only on who's sick—Robin finds out the hard way when Beckman shows her the stowaway he's found.
"I'm going to assume that he's the reason why food's been going missing." Beckman's comment is almost accusatory, so Robin doesn't know what to say. "How long?"
"A…A couple of months." She found the boy following her during one of her outings. He was always avoiding areas that were full of crowds, which is why he latched onto her, having seen her on her own… "He was following me, so I tried talking to him."
"I'm guessing it didn't go well." Because Beckman couldn't talk to the boy at all, since he was too busy trying to get away from him as he was sobbing so hysterically. In the end, Beckman had to knock him out for his own good.
"You're right—so I had to approach the problem in a different way." Robin knew she should have told Shanks, but…she was too afraid of losing sight of the boy. "I lured him onto the ship by leaving food out for him. Once we'd set sail, he had nowhere to go, so I tried my best to build up enough trust, so I can finally introduce you all to him."
"Well, that's the end of that plan." There's no turning back. "We'll talk more when the Captain returns. In the meantime, try to watch over him since you're the only one he trusts."
"I plan on it." Robin feels absolutely terrible for keeping such a secret… "And I'm so sorry for keeping this from everyone."
"Look—I'm not mad." Beckman wants to make that clear. "Things happen, and this? This was out of your control, so you were trying to make the best of it."
"I still wish I had confided in someone…" Maybe then, Robin wouldn't feel so guilty.
Beckman runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "Don't beat yourself up…it's not your fault. I'm sure that Shanks will understand, considering the circumstances involving Mako herself."
After all, her mother was a stowaway herself.
…
…
Shanks has no idea how to react to the news he receives upon returning to the ship. He just about flips his shit when he finds out that Mako is sick. This is why he kept trying to find her a doctor…
"It's nothing too serious," Yasopp tries to reassure him. "It'll pass."
That doesn't make Shanks feel any better, since there's always a chance that things can get worse. When he finds out about the stowaway that Robin's been hiding, his mood only worsens, because all he can think is that this is how Mako must have gotten sick.
"That little shit was passing his sickness around!" Shanks almost wants to scream at the boy, but refrains from doing so, because of how vulnerable he looks to be confined to someone else's bed.
"I'm sorry," Robin apologizes for what feels like the umpteenth time as he wipes away the sweat on the boy's brow using a damp towel. "I shouldn't have told you earlier…"
Shanks pauses for a moment to collect his thoughts. He inhales deeply, and then exhales. "It's fine…just lemme talk to him when he feels better."
"Hopefully, he'll listen." Robin hopes the boy doesn't run away. "No one's going to hurt you, okay?"
The boy says nothing and just averts his gaze.
…
…
Corazon is on his own when Law approaches him. "Is something wrong?"
He almost wishes he hadn't asked when Law looks at him with such a solemn expression on his face.
"I'm…ready," he says, his voice cracking.
…
…
That evening, Corazon makes a private call on his Den Den Mushi. It takes every bit of strength he has to not cry when he recounts the information that Law had told him to his adoptive father. It's hard, because it's not fair that something so terrible had to happened to a child like Mako. It also hurts, because if Law ever found out who he actually was…
"He'll definitely hate me…" And honestly, Corazon wouldn't blame him.
…
…
The days go by and Mako eventually recovers, much to Shanks's immense relief. She catches everyone by surprise, from the way she just sneaks out of her bed. Why she does it, she later explains to Law that she wanted to see the boy that was in Robin's room.
Surprisingly enough, the boy doesn't scream when he sees Mako. She's young enough that he doesn't consider her much of a threat, though he's still rather wary of her sharp teeth.
"Hello!" she greets him with a wide smile.
He doesn't respond, not knowing if he should talk. His body tenses when Mako rushes over to the bed and starts to climb up it.
"My name's Mako!" she tells him, blissfully oblivious to his distress. "What's yours, blondie?"
The boy doesn't appreciate the nickname that she's given him, but he remains silent.
"I'm not gonna bite," she reassures him. "Just wanna talk…you okay?"
…
"Hmm…I'mma go!" She hops off the bed and runs out of the room. She returns minutes later, carrying stacks of colorful paper in her hands. She sits on the floor, deciding to give the boy some space. She doesn't say much, so the boy tries his best to ignore her.
He manages for more than five minutes before his ears pick up the sound of her voice.
"One…two…three." She repeats it many times, starting over each time she reaches the number three.
After ten minutes, the boy turns his head and sees that Mako is organizing her papers into stacks of three. Eventually, she stops and starts folding paper. She's far too immersed to notice that he's staring at her.
She only notices after folding three origami roses, when she turns to call out to him. "Oh! You were…watching?"
The boy averts his gaze, his cheeks heating up with a blush. He's somewhat embarrassed, since he wasn't expecting her to do that. He stays still when he hears her moving closer.
"Here—they're for you!" A red-colored origami rose lands in his lap, which is soon followed by a pink rose and then a yellow rose.
Slowly, he turns his head to look at the origami roses. They're folded so neatly…and there's three of them…
"Why three?" he asks out loud, catching himself by surprise. His hand slaps over his mouth, his eyes wide as he stares at Mako, who's smiling widely.
"You talked!" she exclaimed. "Hey, hey—do you wanna make some origami with me?"
She doesn't give him much room to answer before she's collecting all the paper off the floor and climbing onto the bed to join him. She pushes a few stacks of paper in his direction and goes back to folding more paper.
The boy watches her, not knowing what else to do. After about a minute, he reaches out and grabs a sheet of paper. That's when Mako starts talking to him again. She teaches him how to make an origami crane. He has some difficulty at first, but by his third attempt, he gets it.
"Three…" he murmurs, feeling a little empty inside. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it's still there…
"Wanna make more?" Mako asks him, offering him more paper. "I can teach ya."
The boy thinks for a minute, then says, "Sure."
About an hour later, after scaring the absolute crap out of Shanks when he woke up and found Mako missing from her bed, he finds her with the blond-haired boy, the two of them passed out on Robin's bed. He stares at them, somewhat bewildered by how close they have gotten. At the very least, he now knows where Mako is…
"At least they're getting along," he sighs, deciding to leave the two alone for now.
…
A few days later, Mako introduces the boy to Law, now that he no longer feels so hesitant and frightened to interact with other people. It helps that Mako is there for him. It also helps that he's become a lot more talkative now, since he no longer has much reason to be afraid.
"I'm Sanji," he finally says. "And I'm seven years old."
Law looks up from the newspaper he's reading. "Huh, how funny—with you, we make three."
"Three!" Mako loudly exclaims as she pulls Sanji and Law closer to herself. "There are three of us!"
"Is that why you made three?" Sanji recalls the origami roses that Mako made that day.
Mako doesn't give him an answer. Instead, she just laughs. "Heyyy—whatcha reading?"
Law blinks a few times, a small smile forming on his lips as he shows Mako the front page. "Look—it's him."
He knows he probably shouldn't be reminding her of such a terrible encounter, and yet, something about the way she just continues laughing makes him feel a lot better. Knowing that the Marine that attempted to kidnap her was dishonorably discharged can do that to a person, especially since he was executed shortly afterwards. Apparently, there had been a lot of crimes the man had committed that had been swept under the rug… Only now, were they finally coming to light and Law couldn't be any happier.
Karma is a bitch, after all, and he hopes that it sends a message to other Marines so that they'd think twice before taking advantage of their position.
"Let's go show Regina to Sanji, okay?" Law changes the subject as he drops the newspaper to the ground.
"Who's Regina?" Sanji furrows his brow.
"You'll see!" Mako chirps. "C'mon—she should be awake right now!"
Later on, Robin finds them sleeping on the floor, with Regina stuck in the center of them. She laughs quietly at the sight as she goes to collect Regina. It's for safety reasons, as she doesn't want any of them to accidentally roll over the baby Den Den Mushi. Otherwise, she's quite happy with the progress Sanji has made. She still regrets keeping him a secret for so long, but that doesn't matter much anymore.
Not when he's safe—just like Law and Mako.
…
…
…
A/N HELLO EVERYONE, IT'S BEEN TWO FUCKING YEARS AND I JUST WANNA SAY, ABOUT GOD DAMN TIME! I'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL, LIKE…
To give a recap of what's happened since I last updated this fic, one of my friends committed suicide, another of my friends died in a car accident, I failed a few classes (I got better though), one of my cats died, I lost control of my car and crashed into a tree, my OTHER car broke down so I had to get another car, I've dealt with a toxic boss at my former job, but I got another job at my university's library so I'm doing much better, though before I went back to school, my maternal grandfather died. A lot of shit happened in these past two years, but I'm doing so much better, so don't worry too much about me, 'kay?
Seriously though, I'm just…so happy? To finally be back on fics I haven't update in a couple of years. You know what that is? Progress.
ANYWAYS, I mentioned this many times before to other people, that I was waiting until the arc with Sanji in One Piece was finished so that I could decide what will happen next. This is why—because here he is, Vinsmoke Sanji, who has just recently escaped from the Germa Kingdom. Considering the abuse he's dealt with while he was there, I wouldn't expect him to be so eager to interact with anyone after leaving.
Which is why Robin had such a difficult time getting him to open up. And why Robin? Because she's a pretty lady, so Sanji should still have a soft spot for such. The fact that Robin is the way she is just makes it all the easier for Sanji to get put in one place for so long.
And since interacting with Mako, he's opened up a bit, since in his mind, she doesn't look like much of a threat. It kinda helps that she's so fucking small and young, so in Sanji's head, he thinks that he's safe. He kind of is, since most of Mako's destructive tendencies are aimed at people who deserve it.
Anyways, credit goes to Plouton for the bottles of colored paste. They've suggested it to me as something like henna, just available in different colors. In the world of One Piece, I wouldn't be surprised if that was a thing. I should mention that it's what Corazon uses for the markings on his face. Also, credit to Sukila for inspiring the scene in this chapter, involving a sick Mako. They suggested for Mako to get sick and for Shanks to flip his shit because of how important doctors and medicine is in this world, so I just took it and ran with it.
FYI, Mako just had a cold. She was losing teeth because of stress, since she kept so much bottled up and being as young as she was…it took a toll on her body. Illness and stress make for a bad combination, but she's doing better now, so yeah! Shanks was just being overprotective.
Let's get onto the shout-outs, because damn, it's been a while and I'm so happy you guys took the time to review! Especially to those who left long reviews, because that shit makes my day so much and it's honestly what kept me thinking about this fic until I FINALLY got back to it!
Reviewer #130: C. S. Stars
Reviewer #140: Anonymous Reviewer Guest (anons, please give yourselves names to make it easy on me!)
Reviewer #141: akagami hime chan
Reviewer #150: NOTHINGButADREAM
Reviewer #160: Pr1nc3ss K3nny
Reviewer #170: OneWhoReadsTooMuch
Reviewer #180: MisukiTheOtaku
Reviewer #190:
Reviewer #200: Gerbilfriend
Reviewer #210: BlackDove WhiteDove
Reviewer #220: Mangahero18
Reviewer #222: Jeptwin
Reviewer #230: BlueXtreme
Honorable mentions: Anonymous Reviewer Shorty, Keiolsha, kurobook (I'M SO HAPPY WE'RE STILL FRIENDS!), Plouton (I LOVE YOU, I'M GLAD WE'RE STILL FRIENDS!), Love Stories00, Anonymous Reviewer kat, Hypothetical Spiritual Entity, rgss, Reaganbrie, Anonymous Reviewer Frommel, greenisacolorto, kylC, Sp00kyT00ns, Anonymous Reviewer AnonPerson Thing (thanks for always naming yourself!), Kibbits (thank you so much for the long review and the fanart, like even now, I'm still so fucking happy about it!), SilvesterWulf, Pr1nc3ss K3nny (thank you so much for reviewing every chapter!), 14fox (it's actually arigatou gozaimasu, but you were pretty close!), MusicOfMadness, LunaAngel-Eclipse, Lightsbane1905, TSUL, Appletank, musicisalifestyle, lizziecats (thanks for the hella long review!), HeartLuvAnimeGirl, NonchalantxFish, rogthor, DemonCatLady, Sabo-Writer-Princess, ReadingReadererReader, MadelVer, Warmachine375, blueexorcistfansince2012, stardust-clearwater, Anonymous Reviewer Big Fan, Altiria-Aty, And-Thus-our-Tale-Ends, RuebyRose, christinap1
That's about it for now, so I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, because I sure did! Feel free to review, because I DO crave that validation and it REALLY comes a long way for me since it keeps me motivated to keep writing, even if it's just a jumble of words. So until next time, guys! KD out! XD