Chapter 29
Itachi, too, raised a brow in mild surprise. He looked at Garp in interest. Could the man tell he was a ninja? Despite the fact, he didn't wear typical clothing for the profession currently? Or did he merely draw some conclusions from what his instincts were telling him?
Someone like Garp was sure to be able to look past what he showed to the world to an extent. Plus, he was pretty high up in the hierarchy of the world government, so he may be able to recognize a shinobi if he saw one.
"Enlighten me," was all Raiju finally said, deciding to humor the Marine.
Itachi's lips twitched minutely at her reply. She was really learning well.
Garp fixed a narrow-eyed look on Itachi before continuing to speak, more to him than to her. "His movements are too deliberate, his awareness too good and sometimes I can tell he aborts instinctive reactions of reaching for a weapon of some kind. Most telling though are always the eyes and the air of someone. For people like him, the blood they've shed condenses in an aura so dense you can almost smell it. An assassin, a really deadly one… is what he is."
So that was it then.
Well, he wasn't exactly wrong. Assassination was certainly part of what Shinobi did. He wasn't correct either though.
Raiju threw him a curious look, silently asking if Garp was correct. There was no disgust or judgment in her eyes at all. Fondly, he shook his head.
"Bwahahaha. You're denying it, huh? Well, I'd expect as much- "
"A mercenary… should be the closest description," Itachi said thoughtfully. If the man still didn't get the hint, then he truly didn't know about shinobi. Alternatively, he was either an insanely good actor or… slow.
"Huh?" The Marine stared at him in confusion for a moment, not having expected the man to suddenly break his silence. His gaze was less hostile now that Itachi had corrected him. Garp didn't think he was lying. "A mercenary, is it?"
There was silence for a few moments before Garp turned back to Raiju. "You trust him?"
"I do," she didn't hesitate in her answer.
"Then let me just ask you, Itachi, was it? What do you gain from this? You're currently an unknown, as far as I'm aware the government has no idea you exist. Why take the risk of being associated with that man's kid?"
It was now Itachi's turn to fix the Marine with a penetrating gaze. Should he answer? He didn't doubt the man would be able to tell if he lied. He didn't have to think about it for long.
Their meal was long over, and the fire burned down to no more than ever so slightly burning coals, barely illuminating the contours of their faces in the darkness.
"I'm looking for something, and I think she can help me find it". 'I do not trust enough to answer that question', was the underlying message.
"Bwahahaha, I see. Whatever then, all these questions are making my head hurt. Rou- no, Raiju. You want to stay with him? Under the circumstances, I can offer to hide you somewhere safe now."
"I'll stay with him. If it's him, I can be sure he'll keep us safe. No offense, Vice Admiral, but I doubt that if you were ordered to kill my child, or to stand by and watch as someone else did, you'd be willing to defy those orders."
The grin vanished from Garp's face at the blunt evaluation. He closed his eyes, a mix of pain and sadness on his face as he thought of his own son and what he'd been forced to agree to after their relationship had been revealed to the higher-ups.
No, he really couldn't argue with that logic. For the first time in a while, Garp's stubbornness did not win out and he abandoned the plan he'd come up with in his head. This woman was the child's mother. Even if her decision turned out to be wrong, she alone should be able to decide what happened to it now, without some outsider like him meddling. All he could do was offer his help if she needed it.
Finally, Garp sighed, his customary grin spreading on his face once more, dissolving the tenseness that had formed in the ensuing silence. He simply reached into his chest pocket and took out two small pieces of paper. "Here," he offered it to Raiju. "I won't be needing it anymore now. Also, my contact information."
She accepted it, blinking down at the small papers in slight confusion. The first one was just a number scrawled on scrap paper, presumably to contact Garp directly. The other was… empty? She was confused until she turned it around and saw her name written on the first sheet, in familiar handwriting.
'Roger…'
It was the Vivre Card.
Garp stood up and stretched in an exaggerated manner. "It's ultimately up to you. I won't put my nose where it isn't wanted anymore. Just remember you can come to me if you need help. I owe him that much. Also, I'd be happy if I could meet the kid once they're a bit older - if you're alright with it."
"When he's old enough, I'll leave it up to him. After all, you can tell him a lot about his father I can't." Raiju conceded with a smile. "Thank you, Garp, for making sure I was alright."
"Bwahaha," he blushed a little at the heartfelt smile, waving her off light-heartedly as if it wasn't a big deal to track someone down over several months just to make sure they were doing well. He then turned to Itachi once again. "As for you, I'll keep my eye on you. If you do anything to hurt her I won't hesitate to hunt you down! Take care of them, understand?"
"That was my intention."
"Why, Vice Admiral. This conversation almost sounds like you're giving away your daughter," Raiju couldn't help but tease him, recalling how Itachi had described a similar conversation he'd had with Ross those months ago.
The man sputtered but couldn't really come up with a convincing argument against it. "Brats," was all he finally managed to say. "I guess I should leave then. My men may just decide to come looking if I don't leave now, busybodies that they are."
Raiju and Itachi nod in understanding.
"Next time I run across you we may have to fight. Don't expect me to go easy on you brats."
"We wouldn't dream of it," Raiju assured, not at all perturbed.
Not long after, the Marine had left the island once more and Raiju could relax once again. She… hadn't known what to expect of the man but she'd honestly not expected the meeting to go without any conflict. Especially not after he had called Itachi out on his bloody aura. She hadn't been able to tell, but if Garp could and Itachi didn't deny it outright, he'd probably killed a lot of people.
And Garp was law enforcement. Technically, he should've arrested him, an unknown with so much blood on his hands. But he'd let them go without much trouble. Likely, he was abusing the fact he'd not been given explicit orders regarding them. She didn't doubt he'd arrest them If there had been any.
Raiju clenched her fists tightly.
"If you want to have a chance against that man, you'll need to train harder. I can't tell his exact strength without fighting him but the current you wouldn't be able to last a minute."
As expected, Itachi was easily able to see through her thoughts.
That's right. If they ever came in conflict with the Marine, she wanted to be the one to fight him. After all, it was her fault he now came to know about Itachi in the first place, so she should take responsibility. Plus, beating up the man officially responsible for Roger's capture and execution would bring her some closure as well. She still hadn't forgiven the infuriating pirate for leaving her like that. But even more so she hadn't forgiven herself for being unable to help him.
It was kind of twisted, she could admit that to herself. But she felt like she needed to do it.
With a determined smile on her face, Raiju turned to her brother and team captain. "Then, I'll be counting on you to torture me to exhaustion with training once I've recovered, little brother."
"Hn," a slightly scary grin spread on Itachi's face at the declaration. "Just remember you were the one who asked for it when the time comes."
And on that note... I'm sad to announce that the muse for this story has left me. So, I'll have to abandon it. It's unlikely I'll ever be coming back to it, so it seems this is goodbye. Thank you everyone for following my brainchild and I apologize for letting you down and not finishing up.
