The Heirs Assembled

Though the East Blue was quite pleasant as the seas went, one thing Ramses definitely wasn't used to was the temperature. It wasn't cold by any stretch of the imagination, but having grown up in Alabasta, it wasn't nearly the kind of climate he was used to. He felt chills, even if the air wasn't that cold. As the breeze picked up, Ramses couldn't help but adjust his coat slightly; hopefully he'd get used to it while he was there.

"Are we there yet?" a female voice called. Ramses turned to see a young woman with a bob of magenta hair coming towards him. She was wearing leather armor, to include a skirt of leather strips, with a longsword on her hip.

"Almost," Ramses answered, with a smile, "The captain said that we'll be docking within the hour."

"Good," the girl, Maria, said, as she rolled her shoulders, "After all this time on this ship, it'll be good to walk on solid ground again."

[Riku Maria of Dressrosa]

[Age: 17]

Ramses nodded in agreement, before looking towards the village again. It had been long a journey from Alabasta to the East Blue, and then another long journey from the Red Line to Dawn Island. But Ramses could only imagine how long it must've been for Maria; her home country, Dressrosa, was all the way in the Lost Line (formerly known as the "New World"). They had crossed out of the Grand Line a couple weeks ago, and would now finally be arriving.

"I know how you feel, by the way," Maria said, "The East Blue's a lot colder than what I'm used to."

"Is it hotter in Dressrosa too?" Ramses asked.

"Well, certainly not as hot as Alabasta, I'm sure," Maria answered, "But certainly hotter than what they have here." She leaned on the railing, as she looked out in the direction of Windmill Village.

"Is that our destination?" She asked. Ramses just nodded, to which Maria took a breath.

"My mother told me that if came to this island, I'd finally found out who my father was," she said, looking intently in that direction. Ramses frowned, as he looked down at her.

"What did your mother tell you about him?" he asked slowly. He knew who his own father was, and it surprised him slightly that Maria apparently didn't. As he asked that, Maria developed a far away look on her face.

"She said that he was brave, strong, and kind," she said, "That he helped my family a long time ago, and that they owed him a great debt."

"Yes," Ramses said, still rather slowly, "That was how my own mother described my father too." Maria smiled at him, as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure he'd be proud of you too," she said. For her own, she couldn't explain just what it was, but Maria found that she and Ramses could be surprisingly open with each other, despite having only known each other for a month and some change at this point. It was a weird feeling.

Their moment was broken when there was a sudden roar. They turned at the same time to see a Sea King emerge out of the water. This wasn't the same Sea King as before, being yellow tie black stripes, and having a head more akin to a wolf than the eel that had they had spotted earlier. Unlike the soldiers, though, who were panicking and scrambling to their battle stations, neither Ramses nor Maria looked that afraid. If anything, both of them looked a little annoyed. Maria put her hand on her sword hilt, only for Ramses to hold a hand in front of her.

"Let me handle this," he said, "It's my ship, I should protect it." He then squatted down, as if planning to jump, but just as he was about to do so, there was a green flash. The Sea King was still for a moment, before its head popped off like a toy. The soldiers just stared in awe as the monster slipped down back into the water.

"Well, that didn't seem that hard," Maria mused. As she said that, the green flash from before dropped back down onto the deck. He was tall, with a toned body, and strong features. He had dark hair that was tied up into a topknot, and he was wearing a dark green kimono, with stylized mantises sewn into it. On his hips were a pair of sword hilts, which he slipped both of his swords back into.

"The Sea Kings of the East Blue are so pathetic," Ieyasu grumbled, "They all fall so easily."

[Kozuki Ieyasu of Wano]

[Age: 17]

Looking to be the same age as they were, Ieyasu probably had an even longer journey than they did. He was from Wano of all places. Neither Ramses or Maria knew much about that country. It had only recently opened up its borders, when it helped establish the Grand Line Alliance, of which their respective countries were also founding members of.

At any rate, Ieyasu had ended up catching a lift with Maria, and they both ended up joining Ramses on his journey out of Alabasta to the East Blue. Unlike Maria and Ramses, though, Ieyasu had kept to himself for most of the journey. He spent most of his time practicing his sword play on the guards that Ramses had brought with him, though he always beat them without much trouble. Fortunately, he was at least polite enough not to gripe about how easy they may have been. Neither Ramses nor Maria knew what to make of the man, as while he hadn't stated as much, he seemed to have the same goal they did: find his father.

"Well, thanks for dealing with them," Ramses said, "But it was really no trouble, I could've handled it."

"I needed something to keep my skills sharp," Ieyasu answered, as he stepped away, "As weak as the opponent may be, it never pays to remain alert."

"Still, you're both guests on my ship," Ramses said, "I shouldn't have to impose anything on you."

"Well, I appreciate the gesture," Maria said. Ieyasu just grunted slightly, as he leaned against a barrel, and started cleaning his swords. Ramses turned his gaze back towards the village, which got ever closer. As he did, he stole a glance at the Vivre card, which continued to drift in that direction. He was so close…


"I'm sorry."

"Excuse me?" Dris answered, looking back at Triton. The two of them were finally taking a break, resting by the docks. Triton was sitting on a barrel with his hands folded on his lap while Dris leaned against the railing. As he looked at his brother, Dris kept having to remind himself that Triton was actually a guy, he looked so much like a girl.

"I know I'm dragging you back and forth, all over the town," Triton said, "I guess it is kind of irritating." Dris looked at his brother in surprise, before sighing, and rubbing the back of his head.

"Look, it's no trouble, really," he said, "If anything, after that trip, it probably does good to stretch my legs. But I'm guessing this is the first time you've seen such things?"

"Yes," Triton said, as he looked back over the ocean, as he leaned forward on it, "I spent all my life on Fishman Island, never getting a chance to see the wider world. But I heard so many stories from the guards, my family, and my teachers about it. About all the amazing people, creatures, and sights that are there." With that, he rested his chin on his arms as Dris stood beside him.

"I didn't grow up in a palace," he said, "But I did grow up in a small town. For the longest time, my whole world was just that town. It was all that mattered to me. I would do anything to protect it, to take care of it."

"Does it still matter to you like that?" Triton asked, looking up at Dris.

"Of course," Dris nodded, "No matter where I go, it'll always be a home for me." Triton nodded at that, before looking back at the sea.

"Someday," he said, as stared out at the water, "I want to swim in every sea in the world, and see all those sights for myself. I want to see the broad world that I was told about by my family, and tell them about my own adventures." Dris looked down at his brother.

"That sounds like a nice dream," he said, as he turned to look at the sea as well. Triton looked at him, and smiled, which Dris returned. The nice moment was broken by the sounds of a commotion, which Dris found himself getting drawn to, with Triton following him.

They headed further into the town square, where they saw a group of people gathered Pushing their way through, the Devil Fruit user and the merman saw just what the problem was. Hoisting up a guy by a collar, was a young woman about their age, with a few other guys scattered on the ground, around her.

"Go on, say it!" the "girl" said, "Say how 'beautiful' I am, again!" This time, there wasn't as much ambiguity as there was with Triton, that was definitely a guy, though much like Triton, at a glance one wouldn't think that. Looking to be the same age as them, he was tall and slender, with soft features. His short, black hair was neatly combed, and his skin flawless. Wrapping around his arm was a red snake tattoo, and he was wearing a red vest with red shorts, and knee-high boots.

"Why would anyone not want to be beautiful?" Triton pondered, putting his finger to his cheek in an inquisitive manner. Dris snorted slightly at that, as he pushed his way forward. His mother had raised him not to let bullies have their way, and this is what the guy looked like.

"Everything okay here?" Dris asked, as he stepped forward, folding his arms. The young man's gaze shifted over to Dris, as he dropped the man he was holding. He seemed to look over Dris, trying to get the measure of him.

"Nothing you need to worry about," the guy said, frowning at Dris. The Zoan user narrowed his eyes at that; while he wasn't about to start a fight just yet, this guy was apparently not looking to place nice just yet. Fortunately, the situation was rather abruptly defused when something flew through the air, and conked the guy on the head.

"OW!" he cried, rubbing the back of it, looking behind him, "What was that for?"

"Because you were being rude." Looking past him, Dris and Triton noticed a girl walking towards them. She had shoulder-length, wavy blonde hair. Her attire was rather skimpy, not having much covering her other than her top, and a wrapping around her waist. Sitting on her shoulders was a bright blue snake with yellow spots.

"We're not on Amazon Lily anymore," she said, coming up beside him, "You can't do whatever you want here." She then turned to Dris and Triton, and walked over to them, smiling.

"Sorry about that," the girl said, "My brother can be a bit sensitive about things like his appearance."

"Whatever you say," Dris said, shooting a glance at the guy, who was just rolling his shoulder. The crowd began to disperse, as they realized that the show had come to an end, leaving the four teens to their business, such as it was.

"Anyway, try and get off on a slightly better foot, my name is Lily," the girl said, before gesturing to the young man, who was walking up to them as well, still rubbing his head, "And this is my brother, Adonis."

[Lily of the Kuja Tribe]

[Age: 17)

At that, Dris and Triton looked at them back and forth for a good moment. In all frankness, those two couldn't have looked less alike from each other, a look that Lily apparently picked up on.

"I know," Lily said with a shrug, "We don't look alike, do we?"

"We're technically only half-siblings," Adonis said, finally speaking again, "We have different mothers."

[Boa Adonis of the Kuja Tribe]

[Age: 17]

"In fairness, my mother and uncles don't look alike either," Triton said with a shrug of his own, "It's not really that out of the ordinary."

"Well I'm Dris, and this is Triton," Dris introduced.

"Hello," Triton said, bowing slightly. Adonis and lily took a good look at the merman as he said that, apparently just as surprised to learn he was a guy as Dris had.

"You said you're from Amazon Lily?" Dris asked, "What brings all the way to Dawn Island?" He knew about the island from his mother's maps; it was located in the Calm Belt, and was said to be populated only by women. That begged the question of Adonis, but Dris figured he'd learn about that in due time.

"It's kind of complicated," Lily answered, "But we're looking for someone." In that moment, it dawned on Dris that these two people were probably two more of his siblings, and they were all the way from the Calm Belt. Dris sucked in a breath to try and hide his emotions, but fortunately, none of them were paying attention to him, as Triton was talking.

"We're here too looking for someone!" Triton said, "Our fathers!"

"You don't say," Adonis said softly, arching an eyebrow.

"Mhm," Triton said with a nod, "But we don't really know where exactly to start." At that, Adonis and Lily exchanged glances, like they knew something that the Triton and Dris didn't, but they didn't say anything, if only because they didn't get a chance. There was the sound of more commotion still, this from what looked like a local par. Over the bar was a sign that said "Party's Bar".

"Well, that place seems as good a place as any," Lily said. With that, she started walking in that direction, with Adonis right behind her. Triton glanced at Dris, waiting to see what he'd do. For a time, the Zoan user was silent, before he pulled out his Vivre card.

"What's that?" Triton asked, leaning over to see. As he did, his eyes widened in recognition.

"Is that…," he asked slowly. He trailed off, before he reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out his own Vivre card.

"Yeah," Dris said slowly, as he held his beside Triton, "It is." The two looked at each other for a time, as a brief understanding seem to pass between them. They both looked at the cards, which drifted in the direction of the same building Lily and Adonis had just walked into.

"Together?" Dris asked, Triton just nodded slowly, before Dris gestured for him to go first. With that, they both headed towards the bar.


Once the ship was docked, Ieyasu was the first one off, followed closely by Maria. Ramses hanged back for a while, to make sure everything on the ship was in order. Once he got confirmation, he pulled out the Vivre card, which was pointing towards deeper into the town. The prince let out a breath, as he clenched the paper in his hand, and followed after Maria and Ieyasu.

His mother, Queen Vivi of Alabasta, had told him everything before he went out. How his father had been Monkey D. Luffy, the king of the pirates (which Ramses supposed made him the prince of both Alabasta, and the pirates of the world), and just what he did for their country. Normally, Ramses would be proud to learn about that, but not when he knew just the fate that his father suffered from.

One day, that had been like just any other day, Ramses was called into his mother's presence (in one of the rare moments she wasn't preoccupied with the endless war that had consumed the world). It was there that she laid bare the truth about who he was, and where he came from. She also told her son how he had siblings he never even knew about.

That was where he met Maria and Ieyasu, and upon learning about their own destinations, it wasn't hard for him to conclude who they were. Ramses didn't talk about it with them, and he wondered how much their own mothers told them about their father. In all, he supposed that he could've asked them, but something about it dissuaded him. It felt like it wasn't his place to tell them, in case they didn't know.

They walked for a time, with Ieyasu in the front, walking very intently. Maria trailed behind him, taking in more of the sights, with Ramses bringing up the rear, keeping his eye on the Vivre card. He wasn't following them intentionally, but the card was pointing him in the same direction they were walking. Ramses was so focused on it, he almost ended up bumping into Maria when she came to a sudden stop. He was about to ask what the problem was, but then he looked up to see a young woman pulling in front of Ieyasu.

"Can we help you?" Ramses asked politely as Ieyasu just frowned impatiently at the woman, and Maria cocked her head curiously. For her own, the woman just looked them over, before pulling out a notebook, and scanning through it. She looked to be the same age as all the others, and had black hair that fell past her shoulders, tied back into a ponytail. She had clear skin, light blue eyes, and was wearing a yellow top with skin-tight pants. After a moment, she nodded.

"Good, you were the last ones we were waiting for," she then said as she looked up at them.

"You were expecting us?" Ramses asked, to which she nodded.

"My name is Sarah," the girl said, "And I suspect I'm here for the same reason you are."

"You're here looking for your father?" Maria asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Sarah answered with a smile.

[Nico Sarah]

[Age: 17]

Note: To summarize, so far we've got the children of Nami, Shirahoshi, Vivi, Rebecca, Hiyori, Hancock, Margaret, and Robin. To briefly talk about Adonis, I knew that I wanted Hancock's child to be a boy, just for the irony that I knew would come with the man-hating ruler of the Kuja having a son. But one idea I had was that, much like Triton, Adonis would resemble his mother greatly; but unlike Triton, Adonis wouldn't like looking so feminine, and always being mistaken for a girl. I thought it would make for an interesting contrast between the characters, and you can be sure that's going to come into play later in the story.

I thought of giving Carrot a child, but then I realized that I didn't know enough about her character to really write her as a mother. Also, I knew I wanted certain characters to have children as well, and I was worried anymore than the amount I already had would be making it a bit too heavy.

On that note, some of you might be thinking, "but Hiyori belongs with Zoro", and I don't contest that. All I will say, is that this story isn't a harem. Also, while I did consider making Yamato the mom, as I gamed it out, it didn't sit right with me, and it would dive into discussions regarding Yamato's gender, which I don't think I'm nearly good enough to write about. Besides, this heritage gave a more direct line to the Kozuki clan, and in turn to Momonosuke, which I think lent itself to some good possibilities.

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