Akainu clenched his fists as he stared at your grave. He had buried you in the sunflower field, under the shade of a giant tree. Akainu let a few tears fall to the ground and plop on the ground. Why did you die? Why did he let Doflamingo kill you? W-Why did you forgive him? Y-You shouldn't have forgiven him. YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE FORGIVEN HIM! W-Why….Akainu let out a choked sob, and dropped to his knees. "I-I'm sorry, Jade!" He cried out. "I-I failed you. Why did you forgive me?!" Akainu clenched his fists again, and openly sobbed. This was Marineford all over again. Why. WHY?! WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO HIM?! He tried. He always tried to fix his broken family, but...but...this time….there was no coming back. There was no coming back from this. Jade was dead. She was dead. With...with her mother. Together. Akainu wiped away his tears, and stood up, still clutching her hat. 'She said she was going to give me this hat that day. This hat. She bought something for me. She thought about me. If things had gone differently, and Ohara wasn't bombed...would my life be different? Would I have a fixed family? Would...Would my wife still be alive? Why...Why couldn't things have gone that way?' Akainu cried out in frustration, and stared at her grave again. "I'M SORRY JADE! I'M SORRY I COULDN'T SAVE YOU!" His words echoed across the field, his anguish and agony present in his tone. Akainu clutched the hat tighter and tighter, until the cloth was the only thing preventing him from sinking his nails into his flesh.

"Is...Is Cuffs dead?" A small voice asked him. Akainu glanced at his side, tears still falling from his eyes. It was Straw Hat, followed closely by Law. He nodded slowly, and Straw Hat's eyes widened with shock. "No…." Straw Hat breathed out. Akainu shifted his gaze to Law, who was angrily clenching his fists.

"Did Doflamingo kill her?" Akainu nodded. "If it's any help, we captured him. We're going to turn him into the marines. Hopefully he'll be sent to Impel Down. I hope you'll get some revenge. For all of us." Akainu stared at Law in shock.

"All..of you?" Law let out a dry chuckle.

"We met at Sabaody. She was about to join my crew temporarily, but then she didn't. I later found it she went to fight the Admiral. I'm sure she wouldn't have gone if it was you. She asked me so many times if you were the Admiral dispatched, and I told her I didn't think so." Law let out another chuckle. "That must have been why she went. She wanted to see for herself. I've followed her, I've been where she was, I've understood her perspective of things. She would have been a valuable crew member." Law clenched his fists. "Doflamingo. I hate him so much more now." Akainu stared in shock at Law. He didn't know that you had made such an impact.

"I knew Cuffs." Straw Hat pipped up. "She..helped me save Ace. She was pretty strong about only letting me attacking the Admirals...and...then..she saved me. I didn't even know her that well..but she saved me." Straw Hat clenched his fists. "After Ace died, I trained to be able to protect my friends. But...I couldn't protect her…."

"Neither could I. It's not your fault." Akainu replied sharply. "I couldn't protect her...she….she accepted her death in the end….she knew she wasn't coming back…." Akainu sighs.

"Um...If it's not trouble, can I please...just sit here? A-As a tribute to her?" Luffy asks timidly.

"Same with me." Law adds on. .Akainu gave them a bitter smile.

"Yeah. I think she'd like that." They sat in comfortable silence, each thinking their own thoughts.

"Akainu-ya." Law stated. Akainu looked towards him, still lost in thought. "Why aren't you arresting us? We're pirates, and you're the Fleet Admiral. Didn't you swear to never let Straw Hat-ya escape?"

"I did. But Jade would be disappointed if I did, so...I have an excuse this time. But...I hope to never see you captured. You helped her. You may be pirates, but in some way, you were able to help her. I'm not going to capture her saviors." Law nodded in thanks.

"We need to leave for Zou. Straw Hat-ya, let's go." Straw Hat nods, and glances at Cuffs' grave once more.

"Ok, Tra-guy." Straw Hat follows behind Law as he walks away from the grave. Straw Hat pauses for a second, staring directly at Akainu.

"Cuffs really did love you in the end. She did want to forgive you. I don't know exactly what happened today with her, but I know that she loved you." With that, Straw Hat ran to catch up with Law. Akainu stood in shock. She..Jade...she really did love him...She really did forgive him...Akainu's eyes welled up with tears again, and he cried. He cried, tears leaking out of his eyes, never ending. He cried harder than he ever has in his life, harder than Marineford, harder than Ohara. He was done holding it in. He couldn't stand it anymore, and he released all his pent up grief today. The day that Jade was permanently gone. He couldn't bear to cry in front of her, not after...that one memory. When his wife, and her mother, almost left them.

Flashback

"Daddy?" Jade's little voice ask him, innocent and childlike. "Why are you crying?" Akainu wiped the tears away from his face.

"Because...Because Daddy doesn't want Mommy to leave. But Mommy left anyways."

"Why did Mommy leave?" Jade curiously asked. But Akainu could detect a bit of fear in her voice.

"Because..Because Daddy didn't treat her well...and..and…" Akainu choked up, feeling tears flow down his cheeks.

"Daddy, please don't cry." Jade clambered onto his lap, and hugged his waist. "I don't like it when you cry. It makes me sad. Please don't ever cry in front of me again!" Jade looked up at him with scared eyes that made his heart melt. Akainu wiped away the last of his tears, and gently placed his hand on top of her head.

"Alright, Jade. I promise."

Flashback End

Akainu punched the ground in anger. Why couldn't the old days stay?! Why did...why did this all have to happen to..his family?! Why!? WHY!? Lava began to slowly trickle out of his clenched fists, and he grew angrier and angrier as he did so. WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN TO HIM!? WHY!? WHY?! Akainu punched the ground again, and felt all his anger vanish. All he was left with was fatigue. He breathed heavily, calming himself down.

"D-Don't die too early. I-I want to see you, b-but you better be an o-old man. And...please. Remember me...Promise me, Dad." Akainu recalled Jade's words, and clenched his fists. 'I promise to always remember you.' Unconsciously, he clutched Jade's hat a little tighter. 'I won't ever forget you. I swear. Never. How could I...When I've hurt you so many times?' Akainu looked towards the setting sun. He hadn't even realized that it was almost dark. As he watched the setting sun, he remembered something his wife use to always say.

"Ever new beginning comes from another beginning's end. I think I'm ending a chapter of my life." She would say and smile as he embraced her in his arms.

"Am I your new beginning?" He'd ask her, and she would laugh and nod.

This was his ending, with Jade. But another chapter of his life. He grieved enough. She deserved to be remember as his daughter, not as a mercenary. Akainu glanced once more at the setting sun, and turned away as the stars came out.

'Life will go on, no matter how hard you want it to stop. But they'll remain in your memory, as long as you still love them. And he did. He loved her dearly. He would never forget. She would remain, forever in his memory. Waiting for the day his family could reunite, and be happy once more.'

Holy crap, I finally finished it. I just want to say thank you to everyone who's read this. I started out on this as a love story, but as I thought and made Cuffs, I fell more in love with Akainu, and his personality. He just...seems so much like a character that everyone hates to love. But he's awesome. I hoped you enjoyed this story, and thank you for reading!