Chapter 9
~Ten Years ago, Fuusha Village~
Shanks smiled at the sight of a village growing bigger and bigger as they grow closer towards it, with the people running towards the dock. They've been sailing through the East Blue for a month, drinking and having fun (while he and Ben, secretly might he add, search for his Captain's child) and this will be the first time they will land on an island that was claimed by a marine. Well, it's Garp's home island, and considering the Vice-Admiral is not in the vicinity, why not try and check why that old man is so strong despite his age. From the corner of his eyes, he could see his First Mate walking towards him, smoking.
"Do you think it's okay we went here?" Ben asked, narrowing his eyes, upon seeing people making way for an old man, walking towards the dock with the aid of a cane.
"Dahahahaha! Of course not!" Shanks laughed, making his companion slump in defeat. "But where's the adventure of knowing whether it's okay or not?" He grinned, slapping his partner's back, who merely hummed and glared at him. But the Red-haired captain wasn't bothered with his reaction, instead, he went back and looked at the gathered villagers, as their crew prepared to drop the Anchor.
He could see a slouching old man standing at the front with a green-haired beauty slightly behind him, grabbing his shoulders. He continued to smile, even when he blinked in shock, upon feeling a slight change in the wind. Ben seems to feel it too, Lucky and Yasopp as well it seems, as they slightly tense up and gathered beside him. They discretely looked around, searching for the reason why they slightly felt a small hint of Haki but there saw no one.
"Is there a possibility that Garp is here?" Yasopp asked.
"That's impossible," Lucky said as he took another bite from his food. "Last time we heard something about him, is that he's in the West Blue. Highly impossible for him to be here before us."
"Well, he might as well be here because there's no way that this slight hint of haki is coming from the villagers," Ben muttered as he followed after Shanks, walking down the gangplank, not saying about the haki they sense but also paying attention to it.
The Old Man they saw earlier walk towards them, Ben had already thought that this man is the Mayor of the town, but seeing him walking towards them with determination, nailed it. It took a while to convince everyone that gathered around them that they didn't plan to do anything, that they were just there to gather some supplies, rest for a few days, and drink on the bar. The Mayor's hesitation made Shanks rub the back of his head but when Benn took over to talk to the Mayor, they were allowed to stay with a huge amount of reluctance and a condition that they don't hurt or ruin everybody's life. They agreed, of course, they're not that bad, besides the threat of Garp going after them is more than enough to make the rowdiest crew behave.
Soon enough, they were already drinking and partying at the bar named 'Partys Bar', owned by the beautiful green-haired maiden, Makino. At first, she was hesitant, wary, towards them, but with a carefully placed smile, exaggerated stories, and jokes, she was already smiling at them, laughing at their jokes. Shanks found himself liking her smiles and laughs, it's a lot better than her being afraid of them. They were having fun for hours, none of the villagers bothering them aside from checking on Makino at irregular intervals, when the door slowly opened. Shanks ignored it, happily drinking his rum when Makino made a strangled noise. He paused and lowered his mug and blink at the sight of the maiden, lowering the glass she was wiping, eyes wide, and looking in the direction of the door.
"Luffy!" Makino called out as she runs towards the person who just entered the door, Shanks's eyes following after her, and blinks. There, standing at the door was a grinning kid, covered with mud, with leaves and twigs here and there.
"Makino, shishishishi!" The kid laughed as the woman kneeled in front of him/her with a soft and defeated smile. "Sorry, I'm late!"
Makino shakes her head, plucking a twig from the kid's hair, and then wipes the mud-covered face with the towel she took out from her apron. "Well, it's not yet dinner time… so you're not that late."
"Sweet!" The kid cheered, before blinking and glancing at the pirates that were ignoring them, aside from the red-haired pirate and the man smoking, hair tied into a low ponytail. "Who are they?"
"These are pirates that will be staying for a while," Makino answered, wiping Luffy's arm, huffing in slight amusement when the mud didn't budge from her skin. While she was doing that, Luffy looked directly at Shanks, who blink at the sudden attention and couldn't but straighten when huge warm brown eyes made contact with his black ones. He felt his breath leave him as those eyes seemingly peered into his very soul, that he was being judged, and then suddenly those eyes move to the side, probably towards his Benn, who inhaled slightly. And then Benn was able to breathe normally as the kid's eyes turned to look back at the kneeling maiden, who was slowly standing up, putting her hands on her waist, and giving the kid a mock glare.
Shanks and Benn glance at one another, wondering what that was all about. They never experience that before in their whole life, not even when Shanks was sailing with his Captain and that's saying something. Glancing warily back at the pair, they watched as the owner of the bar ushered the kid further inside the bar, then to the back door, with orders to take a bath. Shanks eyed the door as Makino went back to stand in front of them, smiling as she continue to wipe the glasses clean.
"I didn't know you had a child," Shanks said smiling, Makino blinked, tilts her head to the side before shaking her head with a laugh.
"Oh no! Luffy's not my kid. I'm just taking care of her whenever her grandfather is not around." The Captain blinked at that and couldn't help but be curious about the kid. He didn't try to pry further, however, not wanting for the woman in front of him to be wary of them again. Nearly half an hour passed by when the door opened again, followed by soft footsteps. The Red-haired captain looks up and nearly spits out all of his rum when he saw the kid.
From a dirty and muddy kid turned into a little girl, wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt, which is tucked in a matching multiple pink-laced maxi skirt, though the skirt length is just 3 inches below the knees rather than the standard ankle length. Shanks would have found it adorable if it weren't for the unimpressed look the kid was wearing.
"Makino!" Luffy whined, pursing her lips slightly as she tug the skirt. Said bar-maiden look up and smiled delightfully.
"Luffy, you look cute!" Makino said rather happily with a hint of amusement and smugness in her voice.
"Why do I only have girly clothes?! Where's the rest of my shirts and shorts!?" Luffy pouted as she went towards her mother figure who giggled and looked at her, wiping her hands with the towel and going towards the girl. Shanks and Benn blink in slight confusion.
"I'm sorry Luffy, all those clothes are still wet, you just have to wear the girly dresses in your closet," Makino told the kid, who shakes her head.
"No, they're not! I'm pretty sure I still have some extra." She mumbled.
"Really? I mean… they were in the laundry basket, so I thought that you have used them at some point." At the bright smile that Makino was giving her, Luffy couldn't help but sigh in defeat and turned her back to her caretaker, who pulled a comb out of nowhere and brushed her shoulder-length hair.
"You just want to see me wear a dress… you did the same thing two weeks ago." At that Makino giggle, tying a red ribbon on Luffy's hair.
"You have plenty of wonderful dresses that you never wear Luffy, it would be a shame if you never use them."
"But I don't like to wear them when I go to the forest. It'll make it muddy and dirty, and then you will have a hard time cleaning them, before throwing them away." Luffy pouted as she turned to look at Makino, who paused and blink before guiding her to the front of the bar, assisting her in sitting down at the chair.
"Is that what your grandfather has been doing?" She asked, eyes narrowing when she saw her nod before it was gone and was replaced by a sweet smile that made Shanks and Benn wince. "Hmmm… I'll talk to you grandfather, but why don't you wear the dresses and skirts that you have whenever your not going to the forest?"
"No. I hate dresses." Luffy said, which make Makino sigh in defeat because she knew it wasn't true. Luffy likes dresses and loves to wear them on some occasions but the reason she probably held a slight hatred for those clothes was probably because of her grandfather. Garp, while a wonderful man, is a terrible Grandfather.
She remembered the day that he and Luffy, who was wearing a dress at that time, went towards the forest, Garp came back hours later without Luffy and left with only saying that Luffy is training. Her young charge came home two hours just after sundown, covered with mud, twigs, and scratches, slightly bleeding, and a random bruise all over her body. The worst was that her clothes had ripped all over, nearly in tatters. She treated Luffy that night but her dress couldn't be saved, and then she found out that it was a gift from her parents before she was given to Garp was a punch in the gut.
Since then Luffy avoided dresses, especially gifted ones, as much as possible. Makino held resentment towards Garp since then, but she could do nothing but scold him, which she's pretty sure went in one ear and then out on the other. Once she knew that he wasn't listening, she made her know about her anger towards him through his actions while still being polite. Still, he ignored it but she didn't stop doing it every time he was home. As for Luffy, she tried her best to make her love it again, but she sometimes couldn't help but force her to wear it.
"Okay, Luffy." Makino smiled sadly and notice how tender the 6-years old kid touched the clothes before moving away. "I'll grab your meal."
"Hmmm…" Luffy hummed and watched the bar maiden walk towards the door she came from the corner of her eyes, as she gently brush the skirt she wore. It's very blurry for Luffy but she could distinctively remember that it was a gift from someone important (Makino said that person was her mother but she doesn't know what a mother or a father is and Makino tried to make her understand it but… it didn't explain that much). She then looked at the side where a pirate is sitting beside her, drinking some rum.
"Are you a pirate?" She asked. Shanks paused and lowered his mug, before looking at the girl sitting a couple of chairs away from him. While her voice was soft when she asked him, he could see the slight awe and anticipation in her eyes, making him smirk softly and lean down slightly.
"Yes, we are." He said, and then once again, he felt those eyes looking deep inside him, judging his very soul before it was gone as the girl gently lowered herself down and then went towards him without any hesitation, climbed at the chair beside him, sticking a leg out when it seemed that she was struggling in getting up on the stools. Once she plopped onto the seat, Luffy gently brush the dress and then looked at him with huge bright eyes and a grin to match it.
"Tell me, tell me!" Luffy chanted, while the red-haired adult tilt his head to the side in confusion but with a hint of understanding in his eyes.
"Hmmm… tell you what?" Shanks teased only to freeze, eyes widening, the rest of his crew doing the same thing when Luffy answered his question.
"Tell me of the Sea!"
Silence reign in the bar, while the girl, who's the reason for the silence, stares at the pirate captain in front of her and said Captain stared back before forcing a smile on his face.
"Oh?" 'Shit, shit, shit!' Shanks cursed in his mind eyeing the girl before her. 'That was haki, that was Haoshoku Haki! there's a hint of Haoshoku Haki in her words! Not active, but it's also not dormant. What the actual fuck?!'
"Ummm! Tell me of the sea! Of Adventures!" At that Shanks relaxed slightly as the haki they felt didn't appear again and decided to put it on the back of his mind. He needs a lot of booze for this type of thing, a kid, no older than ten, had the rarest haki of all, a haki that is born to one in several million people, and it's on a kid, who probably know nothing about it.
"Alright kid, I'll tell you about it." Shanks grinned and knew that he and his crew will discuss more this kid and how the fuck did she manage to stay in between the dormant and active state of using haki. At least that was the plan, because by the end of the day or even after they left the island (and they stayed at the Island for a month) and sailed somewhere, they completely forgot about it, even Benn.
The third time they went back on Dawn Island, Shanks knew that he was forgetting something important, he and his crew did, but they have no idea what. As the island grew nearer they can see Luffy playing at the sea, Makino standing at the shore before they both look in the direction of their ship. Shanks could see Luffy grinning brightly before running towards the dock, her caretaker walking calmly behind her. The moment the Red-haired captain stepped on the dock Luffy was barrelling straight towards him and he excitedly kneeled and hugged her, ignoring the snickers of his crew, who had been teasing him about how much of a Father he is towards their little anchor.
"Shanks!" Luffy yelled hugging her tightly while the pirate laughs, lifted, and spins her around.
"Anchor!" They then both separated and as Shanks lowered Luffy to the ground his eyes couldn't help but zoom in on her arms, narrowing when he realized that there are bandages all over her body. "Did you play in the wood again?" He asked patting her head, grinning when she pouted at him.
"Stop messing with my hair!"Luffy whined, swatting his hand from her head. She then tried to fix it while glancing at Makino, mumbling. "Änd no, Makino didn't allow me to play in the forest since three days ago. She wants my wounds to heal first before I can go back and play."
"Oh?" At that Shanks blinked in confusion because he knew Makino adored the kid in front of him and she would never stop her from doing anything she liked. With that in mind, he looked up at the bar maiden, who had reached them and heard Luffy's answer, giving the captain and sharp and sweet smile. The Captain narrowed his eyes before slightly nodding in understanding. They would talk about it when Luffy is distracted by the crew.
Which, honestly, didn't take too long. The moment his crew sat down at the chairs of the bar, Luffy was in Yasopp's lap eagerly listening for stories, Makino, Shanks, and Benn were talking about what happened to Luffy. By the end of the tale, the Pirate Captain took a calm breath and exhaled slowly, trying his best to never release even a smidgen of Haki at what he had learned. He's pretty sure Benn is doing the same, because who in the actual freaking fuck would let a kid alone in the forest and fight monkeys! While Luffy is a kid, Shanks knew from the second day since he met her, she doesn't exaggerate with her tale, no matter how ridiculous it is, nor can she lie so well.
Shanks glance at Luffy, scanning her from head to toe for any physical injury that could be long-lasting, or worse, permanent. He relaxed slightly when he saw nothing of sort, but he's not sure when it comes to her mental or emotional state.
"Is there nothing you or anyone else can do?" Benn asked, pursing his lips when Makino shakes her head.
"I've already told Garp-san about his actions towards Luffy but he always waves it off. Even the Mayor went and talked to him about it, but it's always going in one ear and then out in the other. Everyone in the village doesn't like how he treats Luffy, but he's the Vice-Admiral and his status is one of the reasons that this village doesn't get ransacked by Pirates…"
"So your hands are tied in just taking care of Luffy." Shanks nearly growled out. He didn't expect the old marine to be this terrible in taking care of a child, and to think that he used to admire Garp… he must have drunk too much booze and seawater when he realized that, because right now… he wants nothing more than to hurt him ten times of the amount he gave to Luffy.
"Pretty much," Makino mumbled, eyeing the child that she thought of as her daughter. It was during these moments that she felt so helpless and wondered as well where Luffy's parents were. She knows they're alive, considering Luffy sometimes receives anonymous gifts on her birthday, but they never saw who give them and thus they pretended that the gift came from Garp. Maybe… maybe if they came here and took Luffy away then… then her 'child' would be living as a normal child would. Even if it pains her at the thought that she won't see Luffy grow up. "But despite how Garp-san treats Luffy, she doesn't hate him and I think the reason for that is because Luffy thought that Garp-san is the only family member she has."
"Really?"
"Hmm… I explained to her what a family is, what a parent is, the role of every family member… but she doesn't understand it because she doesn't know how it felt. I feel like I'm failing her." The bar maiden whispered sadly, looking at Shanks, who gently patted her hand.
"You're doing great Makino… Don't let anyone else or yourself say otherwise." He muttered as Benn nodded.
"Luffy wouldn't be the kid she is now if it weren't for you." Makino smiled at them, wiping her eyes, before looking when Luffy called her name.
"Makino! Makino look!" The young raven-haired girl ran towards her, circling the bar, instead of climbing in the stool and showing Makino her hand, revealing a sparkling red gem. "Yasopp gave this to me!"
"That's lovely Luffy, did you thank Yasopp?"
"YEP!" Luffy giggled as she was lifted by Makino and chatted with one another. Shanks smiled at the image the two of them were representing, a mother and daughter having fun and enjoying each other's presence. Benn stood up from his chair and went towards the crew to update them about what happened, because he knew that they were all wrapped around the finger of one Monkey D. Luffy, their captain more so. So it didn't come as a shock when their Captain stuck with Luffy and Makino, or even with Luffy only, the whole day or the days that followed during their stay.
And when Luffy was about to head home, it wasn't surprising when Shanks went with her as well, tucking her to bed, singing her a lullaby, and waiting for her to sleep and Makino to arrive, before moving away from Luffy's room and slept on the couch. And this has been the routine that the Pirate Captain did, with the occasional visit to the beach to play and teach Luffy to swim. For the first time, the Red-Haired Pirates felt normal and safe on land (they always, always, felt normal and safe when sailing at the sea), at home, accepted even. The thoughts of staying in Fuusha had entered their mind but their love for the sea is still strong, so they'll think more about it when the time comes.
Of course, they didn't stay there all the time, on days when they heard that Garp is coming home it has been decided that they will leave and sail through the Blues just to avoid the bloodbath that would certainly happen on the island due to the bottled-up rage their captain is bearing. Then they would come back days or weeks after, meeting Luffy at the dock, receiving warm welcomes which they paid through gifts to the people of Fuusha, especially Luffy and Makino, and trade stories. Then their captain would fuss over their little Anchor and their routine would continue. Everything was good and everyone was happy… well… not always as they also have their ups and downs.
One example is when Luffy ate the devil fruit they recently stole from a marine ship they raided. The pirates were celebrating, drinking booze, and talking with each other. Luffy wasn't with them, according to Makino she was sleeping deeply in the bedroom located on the second floor of the bar. Their Anchor was hurt a lot this time with Garp, she was first tied to a balloon and got slowly flown away and was returned by Bogart, who at least had the conscience to watch the kid and follow the direction she was going before being thrown down to a ravine, again, by her Grandfather. When Garp left, that was the time Luffy came home, who admitted to waiting for Garp to wait so that she can avoid his training.
Makino told Shanks that his anchor now had a scar on her cheek, a couple of scratches here and there, and a twisted ankle. She's also slightly malnourished but Makino is making sure she's eating well. Remembering that, Shanks slammed his tankard a bit hard and growled. Makino smiled sadly at him before they both turned and looked at the door when they heard it creaking open.
"Anchor!" Shanks grinned, his smiling twitching when he saw Luffy limping towards them with a smile.
"Shanks! Your back!"
"Dahahaha! Of course, we are!" Shanks slid down from his chair and hugged her gently. "Did you miss us?"
"Of course! I missed you guys sooooo much!" Luffy grinned widely, arms spread just as wide. Shanks chuckled and gently ruffled her hair before standing up and lifting her, before placing her on a stool beside his, sitting down once he's sure she won't fall off. And when his Anchor asked for a story? Then who was he to deny? However, throughout his tale, Shanks noticed that his Anchor got easily distracted, she'll be in a daze for a while before blinking and smiling at him.
At first, he ignored it, thinking that the kid is probably imagining his tale, but then Makino arrived, placing food in front of the two of them, Shanks thanked the bar maiden and they both looked at Luffy, who was not looking at them, but at the chest that was purposely put in the very corner of the bar (They don't want to put it there, but then they remember Luffy's eating habit, which then leads them to decided it's best for the chest to be away from them but still within arm's reach.)
The Captain blinked before looking at Luffy confused. "Anchor?"
Luffy snapped her eyes towards Shanks, who was eyeing her in concern, she tried to smile, open her mouth, and demand more tales of Adventures, but she couldn't help but glance back at the chest. She could hear them speaking, one is a good non-stop chatter, stretchy, rubbery, and funny… while the other one is… fire, calm, peaceful, family… FREEDOM…
"Luffy!" Shanks and Makino shouted at once when their 'child' swayed and nearly fell from the chair. The Red-haired captain grabs her arm, stopping the fall, while Makino runs around the bar and heads towards them. The rest of the Re Hair Pirates stopped and looked at the scene with slight fear, and not a second later, Benn and Doc when towards the trio, the latter kneeling in front of Luffy. Her dazed eyes were looking down at the floor, Benn grabbed his Captain's shoulder to make sure he didn't do anything rash, not that he could as said Captain is trying to calm a nearly panicking bartender as well. Doc was looking at Luffy, checking her injuries but before he could touch her head, she blinked and looked up, dazed eyes gone.
"Oh…" She muttered softly, eyes going back to the chest as a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Luffy!" Makino shouted as runs towards her ward, Doc had to move from his spot and allowed the bar maiden to take his place. All eyes at the kid and the woman they considered as family, the latter gently grabs and holds the former's face and made them face each other. "Luffy, are you okay?"
"Umm!" Luffy nodded happily, not knowing that she scared all of them. "I was just listening!"
"Listening?" Makino asked, smiling albeit hesitantly, gently touching Luffy's face, who nuzzled against her hand. The bar tender's heart slowly calm down, while she can never understand what Luffy meant by 'listen' (Her hatred towards Garp made her stop asking about what Luffy was listening to or talking about), she knew that whatever she was listening to it won't harm her, aside from dizzy spells and sudden change of mood. "What were they saying?"
"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed but before she could answer, Shanks snapped from his state and kneeled in front of his Anchor.
"Luffy, are you okay? What do you mean by listening?" He asked, checking Luffy's body, moving her arms gently.
"Hmmm…" Luffy hummed, swinging her legs gently. "I don't know how to explain this but…" She then pointed at the chest, while keeping her eyes on the floor as the Pirates and Makino, excluding Shanks and Benn of course, looked at it. "I feel like they're talking but not really… I can just hear them talking around me but not really… it's more like it's in my head. All of your stories were being confirmed by them, though the Stretchy voice was chattering a lot and it was slowly overwhelming me but then this Fiery voice scolded the Stretchy one and helped me calm down… thought it was too much as well."
"Stretchy? Fiery?" Whispers began to spread between the pirates, their noises made Luffy hunch forward before her eyes snapped towards the chest and look back at Shanks, who was smiling gently at her.
"What else are they saying, Anchor?" Shanks said gently and softly even though his gut is slowly sinking with dread at the realization that his Anchor, his bright, sweet, adorable, and clever Anchor had the same gift his Former Captain used to have, and seems to be on a different level. The Pirate Captain doesn't know what to think about this, aside from the fact that he needs to make Luffy happy, because this… this form of her, hunching forward, eyes peeking through the eyes lashes with a hint of fear, is not his Anchor. And whoever made her react like this (they were just asking a simple question… showing the simple reaction of confusion and yet their Luffy acted as if she will be hurt) is dead to them. The rest of the crew is the same with their captain as they all stopped talking to one another and looked at their Anchor instead, smiling gently. Makino watched from the sidelines, hoping that they could have the answer that she wanted for a long time. Meanwhile, Luffy bit her lips, glancing at the chest, then over her shoulder towards the door, before suddenly straightening up.
"Shanks…" Luffy started, looking him straight in the eyes. "Can you tell me stories about the Pirate King?"
The question made everyone blink in confusion, wondering why the sudden request because while Shanks did tell Luffy of their adventures as Pirates, he never went as far as telling her stories about his time with Roger. Benn narrowed his eyes before smirking slightly and shooed the crew members away, having this feeling that Luffy's question and Shanks's answer will let them know more about their Anchor's condition. Shanks glanced at Benn, then at his crew that was reluctantly moving away from them before looking at Luffy, smiling. "Of course."
For the past hours, Shanks spoke about his Captain, about the Pirate King and Freedom, despite this burning sensation of desire to figure out what it was that Luffy heard. His heart lightened up a bit when his Anchor gaped at him in awe, laughing and giggling once in a while, and by the end of his story, the young girl was already vibrating with happiness.
"That was awesome!" Luffy shouted, laughing while Shanks grinned at her.
"Right?"
"YUP! And I've decided Shanks!" Luffy wobbly stood up from the stool, Shanks, and Makino, who was on the other side of the bar, reach out to her, preparing to catch her should she fall. When their kid was steady and standing at the stool, they relaxed slightly.
"Decided what Luffy?" Shanks asked, genuinely wondering what his Anchor had decided.
"I'll be sailing the seas when I grew up, gather awesome crews, have the most Freedom that anyone else and then… and then…" She inhaled deeply, as the World waited in an abated breath at her declaration. "I'LL BE THE PIRATE KING!"
The Sea clashes at the shore, the Sky darkens slightly, the Wind releases a strong breeze as the Island and everything vibrates in excitement at the declaration of one little girl… the time is coming… they would wait and wait until the throne is claimed by the one that is worthy for them. But these slight changes were ignored by those who knew nothing, those who felt the change merely grinned in anticipation.
However, one Emperor of the Sea, Shanks, didn't feel the change, nor did his crew, as their attention was only on the person who made the World tremble, and they have no doubt that their Anchor would change the world. The Red-haired Captain looked at the kid that was his in all but blood, the kid who was smiling happily at him as if she didn't make just a life-changing declaration. While he always heard plenty of people shouting to be the Pirate King, their voices, their determination is lackluster compared to his Anchor, his daughter.
"Really?" Shanks asked, tilting his head to the side, as Luffy nodded, but then her stool wobbled, nearly making her fall if she wasn't caught by Shanks, who let her sit on his thigh as Makino released a huge sigh of relief and smiled at them. "That's such a huge dream."
"Is it?" Luffy blinks before looking at the door and then at chest, and then back at him. "They said I could be the King though." Shanks's eyebrow twitched as he sighed and patted her head.
"They did huh?" He mumbled, fingering the brim of his hat. Luffy nodded eyes back at the chest, smiling happily at it. "Was that what you were listening to earlier? That you should become the Pirate King?"
"Nope!" Luffy giggled. "They told me to ask you about the Pirate King because out of everyone here you're the best person to ask about the King of the Pirates! After all, your the Cabin boy of the King!"
"Dahahahahaha!" Shanks laughed hysterically, as his crew snickered and smirked in amusement. "How did you know that, you brat!?" He wrapped one arm around her, before roughly, with a hint of gentleness, rubbing his knuckle on Luffy's head. Said kid, trying to wiggle out from his arm, snickering, Makino laughed at the slightly flustered look the Pirate Captain had, probably not wanting anyone to know about being a Cabin Boy in front of the kid that idolized him.
"Silly Shanks! The Sea told me so! Shishishishi!"
"Damn it!" Shanks muttered before gently letting go of Luffy and watching as she tried to fix her mess of hair. "Luffy…"
"Hmmm?" Said girl hummed as she looked at her idol.
"Do you know… what you have?"
"No." Luffy answered bluntly, swinging her legs gently, "And it's fine if I don't know about it. The Voice said that I will learn everything in time." (In the future, Luffy wished that she should have asked Shanks then… maybe she and her crew won't be so shocked and hurt about it… maybe she could have learned to control it. But even the Voice didn't know it'll happen… still…)
Shanks blinked at that, looking at his Anchor with sad eyes before sighing and patting her head. "Alright, if the baby says so~!"
"I'm not a baby!"
"Dahahahahaha!"
"Stupid Shanks!" Luffy puffed her cheeks as Shanks grinned at her. Makino smiled, though she plan to ask Shanks about what was it that Luffy has. Her ward might not want to know about it, doesn't mean Makino doesn't need to know, because she does, she will do anything she can to help her daughter. That would have been the end of it but the adults in the bar didn't know what happen, because one moment Shanks was teasing Luffy, then Bandits came in destroying their peace, and when the bandits left, leaving Shanks wet with booze, their Anchor was facing away from them, eating peacefully.
"You okay, Anchor?" Shanks asked, wiping his face with the towel Makino handed over to him. Luffy nodded, munching peacefully, though her eyes were in a daze, as if deep in thoughts… no she was listening again. Though Shanks didn't see her eyes, he blink when her plate was not in front of her but she was munching something. Slowly he looked at the chest, as dread slowly filled his entire being, gaping at the sight of the chest within Luffy's arms reach (how?!), open (again how?! They had the key!), missing one Devil Fruit.
"LUFFFFYYY!" Shanks shrieked as he rushed towards his Anchor, who swallowed and looked at him, juice dripping down from her mouth, a half-eaten devil fruit in her hands. The Pirates gape at the sight, as Shanks jaw dropped when Luffy just went and eat the remaining half as a whole.
"SPIT THAT OUT!" Immediately Shanks went and grabbed Luffy but it was too late as the girl swallowed it and laugh. "This is no laughing matter Luffy! Why did you eat the fruit in the chest!?"
"Shishishishishi!" Luffy just laughed, as Shanks shakes her whole body back and forth.
"That was a devil fruit Luffy! Do you know what that means?! You can no longer swim in the Sea!" Shanks shouted, pausing from shaking their favorite kid, while Makino gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
"I know!" Luffy smiled at him. "They told me so!"
Shanks paused, analyzing what Luffy just said before hesitantly asking. "They told you to eat the Fruit?! Luffy, it would have been fine if you eat the Gomu Gomu no mi! But you eat something that could be dangerous to you! The devil fruit we found and you ate had only small records on it!"
"It's fine Shanks!" Luffy smiled brightly at her Father figure. "It'll be an adventure!"
(And it was supposed to be. The Fruit, the Sea, the Sky, and even the Voice told her that it'll be fine and an adventure to discover more about her fruit as there are only a few people who knew about the fruit and those people had never bothered to search for the fruit and even if they did, they didn't bother to further secure it more. Who would have thought that they were wrong…
"It seems that the voices don't know everything." Luffy would state in the future.)
Shanks blinked, worried, and hesitated in letting things be, but seeing the bright smile on Luffy's face, unbothered, yet happy, he sighed in defeat and gently patted her head. "Alright, Anchor. If you say so."
Luffy hummed happily and then began to eat the food Makino put in front of them earlier, gently swinging her legs, unbothered at how the adults looked at her in worry, ignoring their worried voice as the Sea told her more adventures. Makino bit her lip as she looked at Shanks, whose sad eyes stayed on Luffy's figure, and then at Benn, who was biting his cigarette rather angrily. When Makino learned about the little knowledge they had of the fruit that Luffy had eaten, she cried and prayed that no one, no one will take their daughter away from them before she was even ready to sail.
Another example of their downs is when Luffy nearly drowned in the sea.
They just came from another trip, this time it only took a couple of days, they were already nearing the docks but no one was at the dock, not even Luffy and Makino. Fearing something was wrong, every crew worked fast and then walked in a fast-paced towards the village when they heard loud commotions. Arriving at the area, the Red-haired Pirates froze and once they registered what was in front of them, they saw red. Because there in the middle of the village were the bandits that messed with their Captain a few days ago, Makino and the Mayor just ahead, and in the middle of the circle that the bandits formed was the forced kneeling form of Luffy.
Luffy's clothes had blood splatter all around them, no wounds found, yet there's a hint of bruises on her arms and face. The owner of the said face was glaring at the bandits, tears in her eyes, wincing in pain when her hair, which is under the possession of the Bandit boss, is being tugged at, stretching her neck. The pirates had to hold back a growl when one of the swords went too close to their Anchor neck, though based on the blood that's in the neckline of her clothes, she already got injured there, but where?
Shanks couldn't watch anymore, especially when one of the swords went and pierced through his daughter's arm, adding more blood on her clothes, tears in her eyes, and whimpering from her mouth.
"So this is where you guys are, I wonder why no one greeted us at the port." He said casually, looking at all of the bandits that had gathered around them.
"Shanks!" Makino shouted while the villagers seemed to sigh in relief as Luffy's eyes widened at the sight of them walking towards them.
"That's my friend your hurting, mine stopping?"
"The Pirates from before…" The Bandit Leader started. "You'd best leave before you get hurt. Any closer and he'll shoot your head off, wimp."
"He said no closer! Don't make me blow your head off!" One of the bandits said, removing a gun from their belt and then pointing it at Shanks' head.
"Now that you've drawn your pistol, put your life on the line," Shanks said, one eye covered with his hair, as the one with the scars grimly looked at the bandit.
"What the hell're you talkin' about?"
"I'm saying those aren't for threatening people." Shanks pointed to the gun that was pointed at his head and then they heard a bang, followed by a body flopping over. Everyone gasped, including Makino, who had hope and wish that her ward shouldn't have seen and experienced this sort of violence firsthand.
"N-Now you've done it!"
"These bastards fight dirty!"
"Dirty? Cut the crap." Benn said, glaring at the bandits, especially those who had swords with a hint of blood on them, knowing that it's their Anchor's blood. "You think you're dealing with saints or something?"
"You're looking at pirates!" Shanks told them, gripping his cloak.
"Shut up! You got nothing to do with this in the first place!" One of the bandits started.
"Listen, bandits." Shanks started, moving closer and closer towards the people who held his daughter hostage. "Whether I'm splattered with alcohol or food, most of the time I'd just laugh and forget about it. But…! No matter what the reason, anyone who hurts my friends has to pay!"
"Shanks…" They heard Luffy whimper, making them frown deeper at how sore it sounded.
"Pay you say?! Hahahaha!" The bandit laughed, before pointing towards the pirate. "Lousy Pirates! Kill 'em, men!" And at once the bandits charged, the pirates blinked before Benn went and stepped forward, stating that he can do it alone. The next thing everyone knew was all of the bandits down on the floor, out cold, and then Benn pointing his gun at the leader.
"Don't get cocky, Bandit." He said, lighting up his cigarette. "If you wanna fight us, then go drag a warship here or something."
"Awesome…" Luffy whispered, smiling slightly. Shanks smiled at her, though he is nearly close to murdering the bandit leader when he saw how tired Luffy looked. The bandit stepped away from Luffy, claiming that she attacked them first, which made Makino purse her lips, gripping her hands tightly together. Shanks saw this from the corner of his eyes, making him glare at the bandit.
"You're a wanted man anyway." Shanks grinned darkly, making the bandit flinch back before throwing a smoke bomb on the ground. Everyone covered their eyes, the pirates gritting their teeth when they heard Luffy's voice ring out.
"Let go! Let go!"
"Come with me, brat!" And then slowly the smoke cleared out, and they all gape at the sight of Luffy missing together with the bandit.
"Luffy!" Shanks shouted as Makino gasped. "Crap! I let my guard down! Luffy's gone! What do we do, guys?!" Shanks panicked, looking to his crew for assistance, which made Lucky Roo calm him down but it wasn't effective with Makino.
"Luffy!" She shouted as tried to run in panic together with the rest of the villagers, but Shanks immediately grabbed her shoulders and tried to calm her down, but it wasn't working quite well especially after Makino shouted at him. "That bandit knows that Luffy has a devil fruit! He said that she was going to sell her! Sell my daughter! Don't tell me to calm down!"
Hearing that Shanks froze before ordering everyone in his crew to scatter and looked for their Anchor, after doing so, he went and looked at Makino asking her what happened earlier. Makino didn't even hesitate in telling him what happened, from how their day began, to when the bandits arrived, to how it all led up to Luffy being beaten at the village center.
"She wasn't even doing anything to them!" Makino cried. "Ever since you left and Garp-san came and left, she always went to the forest to play! But one of the bandits recognized from the time she was with you and they dragged Luffy from the forest to the bar! Presenting like she's some sort of prize and that bandit enticed to hurt Luffy, be-because… be-cause they saw her using her devil fruit! And that bandit was the lowest of the low because he wants to use Luffy to get back to you even though she's innocent, even though you didn't even do anything to them!" Here Makino stopped running as she fell to her knees and cried, covering her face with her hands, Shanks turned to look at her, eyes narrowing, gaining darkness on them as she eyed the crying woman.
"Luffy struggled, she bit them, clawed at them, but they wouldn't let her go! She didn't even scream for me, so I went and tried to stop them but what am I compared to them! And they took her away! They tried to take her away but she fought them! And then… They were at the village center when Luffy burned the bandit's hand! She burned them without even a match or a lighter, that's when they started to hurt her… they tried to make her bleed but her wounds are gone as soon as they made it appear and that's when they decided to sell Luffy, because who wouldn't want a kid that could heal?!"
"Makino…" Shanks muttered before growling as he turned to look at the sea, immediately expanding out his Haki, eyes getting darker and darker when he felt Luffy and her captor out in the open. "I'll be back."
"Eh?" Makino stopped, looking up at Shanks as he dropped his cape on the ground.
"Tell the others to prepare themselves for anything, especially Doc." He commanded before jumping to the sea, ignoring her screams of confusion and concern. But the Red-Haired Captain ignored everything, his main focus is on the child that is struggling with the bandit as a huge ferocious aura is swimming towards them.
'Shit, Sea King!' He thought as he tried to swim faster and faster, and he was close, so close when he paused and saw Luffy being thrown to the sea.
"NOOO!" He screamed, and began to swim faster and faster, but no matter how fast he tried the Sea King was already hovering over the bandit, eating him soon after.
'Just a bit more! Just a bit more!' Shanks chanted, but there's one thing that Shanks forgot during this whole fiasco… Luffy has the Voice of All Things, making her one of the favored children, especially by the Sea and Sky. As he focused on getting closer to Luffy, he didn't see how the kid wasn't sinking that fast, he didn't see how the Sea King lowered its head slightly and made Luffy stepped on its head, making her head above the water, inhaling deeply as the Sea itself tried to minimize the curse of being a devil fruit user with the assistance of the Sea King.
When Shanks was only an arm's length away, the Sea King immediately swam away, and Luffy was clinging to the pirate, like a lifeline, the pirate did the same as well, before remembering that they're in the ocean and there's a monster lurking around. He immediately tensed up and looked around for the Sea King but it was gone, he even expanded his haki but there was nothing but a smidgen of the ferocious aura swimming away from them. He sighed and nearly relaxed in relief when Luffy mumbled his name, making him look down immediately, and smiled at the teary eyes of his daughter figure.
"Sorry, Luffy…" He mumbled. "You… you got target because of the fruit that we brought."
"N-no!" Luffy shakes her head and then leaned her head to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Even if I didn't eat the fruit, they would still hurt me one way or another. I'm just glad that you came!" She cried as Shanks in relief and happiness and looked towards the shore where he can see his First Mate and Yasopp rowing a boat towards them.
"Shanks…" Luffy mumbled as her eyes began to droop down, the Captain hummed in thought, swimming gently towards his crew to meet them in the middle. "The Sea says 'Thank you'."
At that Shanks blinked and looked at the sleeping kid in his arms, just in time for his friend to reach him. They grabbed Luffy first, and then him, but his Anchor is soon back in his arms, with blankets covering them. Keeping them warm as much as possible, before they were rowed back to the shore. Shanks eyed the girl, before looking at the Sea and blinking when they seemed to be glistening. That was when he suddenly remembered that Luffy had the unique ability that was only gifted to a chosen few, a gift that nearly no one knows. Shanks blinked, looked at Luffy then at the Sea, and smiled.
"Even if Luffy had you… even if Luffy is one of your favors… I would still help her, doesn't matter what type of help it is, I will still help her. Your gift to her means nothing to me." Shanks started loud, making Benn and Yasopp confused, looking at each other, then at the direction, their captain was looking and smirking in response when they understood that he was talking to the sea and it was about Luffy's gift, something they will talk about again.
(Years later, Shanks would be thanking the Sea as well. Because of them, his daughter knew that he was willing to help, the World Government be damned. And when everything is over, Shanks would enjoy torturing the people who harm and made his daughter cry… as well as making sure a certain Phoenix doesn't take advantage of Luffy's kindness, naivety, and big heart.)
After that, everything was smooth sailing. Shanks and Benn tried to teach Luffy how to use her devil fruit and swore to gather some information for their Anchor's safety. Luffy was happy that the incident with the bandits didn't end with her friends losing something. It wasn't long until Luffy had a slight grasp in using her fruit, that the Red-Haired Pirates had to leave. They didn't want to but the Marines were getting antsy and there are reports that other pirate crews are roaming around their protected island, probably wanting to pillage it.
Goodbyes were said, promises were created and the whole crew watched their teary-eyed Luffy, clutching the Strawhat of the Captain, as their ship drifted away from the dock and they all swore together that they would wait and watch as their Anchor fulfill her dreams. Anyone who tried to stop that from even happening, without even letting Luffy sail to the sea, can face them.
(When they heard about what happened years later, Shanks and his crew nearly tried to attack the people who took his daughter forcedly but it was only due to Benn that they were stopped as well as the fact that Luffy was hidden from them… taken as hostage… They took his daughter… blood will flow when the time comes, he swore it.)
~Present~
Luffy sighed as she walk in through the hallway of their base, her mind wandering back to the video of her brothers she saw three weeks ago. It was the first time she saw her brothers that isn't in the newspaper, rumors, or reports from fellow marines. And while she did receive news from him about their condition and what they were doing, to see the truth with her own eyes, is more than enough for her to think that everything she did was worth it, despite the pain that came soon after, the desire to touch them, cry towards them like she used to do as a kid, and receiving assurance that her brothers could only give to her.
Luffy paused walking right beside a window as a tear slipped from her eye which she immediately wiped and then turn to look through the said window. Her eyes watched as birds flew away, slowly gathering herself from her near breakdown, she already broke down upon seeing her brothers weeks ago, she can't afford to have another one so soon. Inhaling deeply, Luffy tried to anchor herself to the present and not to the past where everything was well as it could be. And then she heard some giggling noises followed by laughter, making her look down and smile upon seeing the women that she rescue weeks ago healthy, laughing with some of the female marines and a few citizens, having a picnic in the public garden.
It took a couple of weeks for the doctors, especially Chopper, to feel comfortable enough to let the women out, a few more days extra to move them to the village located behind their base, where they were welcomed with kindness. The only time they'll be in the base is due to checkups, and talking with the other rescued slaves, who volunteered in helping the chores inside the building despite knowing that there are Marines assigned to do said task. Of course, aside from chores, a few slaves also visited them for the games and events they held once a week.
Nodding in satisfaction, Luffy moved away, pausing when she heard shouting below, turning her head slightly, she grinned at the sight of the few marines and former slaves loitering around the area below, waving at her. With her keen eyes, she could see the reactions of everyone, but she focused on the women she recently rescued. The blond-haired woman seemed nervous and hesitant, the brunette and the ravennette smiled shyly at her, while the red-haired woman was looking at her straight in the eye before nodding her head slightly. The Rear Admiral tilted her head slightly to the side, confused at their reaction before nodding back and moving away.
~At the garden~
"The Rear Admiral is getting busy, isn't she?" A citizen asked, looking at the Marines that were sitting with them. Said Marine sighed.
"It can't be helped, she and other leaders are making sure that no one found our new friends." She said, looking at the four women, who flinched and hunched their shoulders, trying to make themselves smaller in fear.
"Don't say sorry." Another marine stated, looking at the women gently, who looked at her and then at the people with them, especially the marines, expecting scowls and frowns but all they saw were gentle, soft, and understanding eyes. "This is what the Rear Admiral wanted, and honestly, we want this as well. We don't regret rescuing people from the hands who tried to hurt them, it's not right."
"Here! Here!" The citizens cheered.
"Well… how are you liking the island so far?" A citizen asked.
"... It's like a dream come true…" One of them mumbled. "We were told that everyone here is rescued by them…"
"We are." One of the citizens nodded but the marines hummed.
"Not everyone though… some of the people here are relatives of those who were rescued." The women smiled at each other, tears slowly appearing in their eyes before it was gone when one of the Marines asked.
"By the way, have you decided to leave or not?"
"Eh?" The ravennette asked, shocked. The citizens signed and some of them even face palmed, while the other marines slapped the one who spoke hard.
"Ow!"
"Idiot! You don't have to phrase it like that!" The Marine scolded and everyone watched as the one who spoked cowered at every scolding.
"They didn't mean it like that." A citizen said, looking at the women, who looked back in confusion.
"Then what?"
"Well in a couple of weeks the Rear Admiral will leave with a few citizens and bring them to the sister-base in the South Blue Sea."
"... Why would they go to the sister-base?" The red-haired asked, fearing the answer, but the group only laughed.
"Oh… because those people decided to live in the South Blue because despite living on this island for so long, they fear that the World Government would find out about the Rear Admiral's action and then punish her for it. The people here are so grateful for the G6 that they don't want anything happening to them, especially the Rear Admiral."
"Tsk! It would honestly be better if those bastards didn't come here at all." One of the Marines grumbled as some of the citizens.
"Wait… they visit the island?" The blond woman asked in fear, trembling slightly. The Marines sighed in slight anger.
"The Fleet Admiral and a bastard of a Celestial Dragon do. They don't focus on the town however, their only focus is the HQ and the Rear Admiral. Pretty sure they didn't know about the village behind the base as well."
"Newly rescued slaves and people who aren't comfortable with them being around are ordered to stay in the village until those bastards leave."
"And no one… aside from the people living here, and close allies, is none the wiser."
"All because of the Rear Admiral's devil fruit… the Vendetta Marina as well."
"So, have you decided to stay or go?" The citizen asked as the women either bit their lips or clenched their hands.
"I… I would like to speak with the Rear Admiral first. There's something she needs to know." The Red-haired stated shocking her companions, while the Marines, and citizens, nodded when they saw her determined but grim eyes.
"Sure. We'll let her know this afternoon and tell you when's the convenient time to talk to the Rear Admiral."
"Okay."
"How about now?" A new yet familiar voice spoke out, turning the group smiled and grin at the sight of the Rear Admiral walking towards them, smiling.
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." One of the citizens said as they all stood up, the women a bit hesitant and fearful.
"Are you sure it's okay to talk right now?" The Brunette mumbled, blinking when all she received was a bright smile.
"Of course. I just finished all of the paperwork yesterday and the meeting with the Operation Team Leaders and the Vendetta Marina had our meeting earlier today and we just finished it."
"We thought you were on the way to the meeting?" The citizen asked, giving Luffy some food, to which she accepted. The Marines' eyes narrowed when Luffy didn't eat it immediately, looking at it on both sides, once she's done inspecting the food (because she's inspecting it, all of them are sure of it), she ate it whole with gusto and a pink hue on her cheeks.
"Delicious~!" Luffy declared making the citizens smile in delight. The newly rescued slave started huddling together when they saw a blond-haired man, wearing a suit, running towards them, more specifically towards Luffy.
"Luffy-Schwann!" Sanji shouted, stopping in front of the Rear Admiral, bending his waist slightly to present a tray with sandwiches on it. Luffy blinks and grabs the tray, tilts her head to the side before eating.
"What it is Sanji?" Luffy asked after the first bite while handing the tray to the Marines and citizens encouraging them to take some as she distract the chef.
"The Marimo, a few others and I are going to fish for Sea King and hunts at the nearby islands for some meat," Sanji said seriously before it was gone when Luffy licked her lips. "Is there any food you like Luffy-chwann~!"
"Hmmm…" Luffy hummed, before shrugging and grabbing the tray that was given to her with a few sandwiches left, glancing from the corner of her eyes to make sure that everyone in the group has one, especially the women that she recently saved, she smiled and look at Sanji. "Surprise me!"
"Of course Luffy-chwaaann~!" And then Sanji was off. The citizens and marines snickered at the chefs' antics, while Luffy munched her sandwich before looking at the women, who she planned to talk with, eating the food shyly yet happily.
"Shall we go to my office to talk?" She asked. The women flinched and glanced at each other before nodding hesitantly. Luffy hummed, knowing that they were hesitant with talking to her alone, thus she looked at the marine close to her and whispered her order. The Marine blinked, glanced at the women before nodding and moving away, then saluted before leaving, running. The former slaves watched each other in fear before the red-haired woman inhaled deeply and followed after Luffy, who didn't even command or demand them to follow after her. The Rear Admiral glances at them over her shoulder, silently acknowledging that the redhead is the de facto leader of the group, before leading them to her office, intentionally taking a long way, confusing them on their way to her office. It took them a while to arrive and by then women were less tense, however, when they stopped at the door had to blink multiple times upon seeing a familiar scarred dark green-haired woman right in front of it.
"Ma-Makino-san!" The blond woman stuttered, they glance at Luffy, who bowed her head towards Makino and went inside. Makino smiled at the Marine before looking at the group that was under her care for the first week they arrived at the village.
"Keina-san, Setsuna-san, Kiku-san, and Caerina-san!" Makino smiled, waving at them happily, but not before giving Luffy a soft look.
"What are you doing here? You're not in trouble are you?" The brunette asked worriedly, running towards her but Makino merely blink and giggled.
"Don't worry too much, I'm not in trouble and neither are you." She assured them before ushering them inside. "Luffy just thought it would be easy for you to have someone you're at least familiar with during your talk with her."
"E-eh?"
"How do you know the Rear Admiral?" The brunette but Makino smiled at them and turned inside, relaxing slightly at the sight of Luffy sitting in front of a round table, near the window, eating and drinking tea. Luffy looked up slightly and gestured for them to seat down at the vacant chairs, Makino didn't hesitate and took the one on her left, while the women, faltered before the redhead bravely took the one on Luffy's right. It took a while before they all sat down and Makino was already serving them tea and snacks on the plate.
"To answer your question…" Makino started, looking at Luffy, who gave her a bright smile, making her smile, then reaching her hand out and rubs her head. Luffy didn't hesitate to lean her head on the hand that was caressing her softly, unconcerned about having other people see her vulnerable side. "Luffy was my charge before she was… taken… away from me." Makino snarled, the women blink when they saw her reaction.
"Taken?" The blond whispered, but Makino exhaled slowly and smiled at them.
"Before we can tell you anything, is it okay if Luffy knew your name?" She asked. They all blink and look at Luffy, who merely smiled at them.
"I didn't ask for your name. Not from anyone who you talk to nor to the people you interact with. You can decide what you want to tell me, or even nothing at all, but a name, whether fake or real, would be nice, rather than me calling you women in my head."
"B-but Makino-san already state out our names…" The ravenette woman stuttered while Luffy blinked, tilting her head to the side rather innocently while Makino merely giggled and sipped her tea.
"Did she? I didn't hear anything…" Luffy then frowned thoughtfully, while the group of women gapes as they are pretty sure that she most likely heard their name but then the redhead snapped out of it and blink.
'She's serious about not wanting to get any information about us from anyone aside from ourselves.' She thought, watching Luffy hum. 'Is she the person those people talked about?'
"Kiku…" The Red-haired started hesitantly, but with enough determination, she looked up at Luffy. "My name is Kiku."
"Nice to meet you!" Luffy chirped, before eating a biscuit, the women were tense for a while before they relaxed when Luffy didn't do anything but eat. The rest of the 'unnamed' women watched them for while before inhaling deeply and opened their mouths.
"K-Keina…" The blond stuttered, biting her lips.
"Carina…" The raven woman said, looking at Luffy.
"I'm Setsuna…." The brunette bowed her head, watching the Rear Admiral through her hair. Luffy merely smiled at them and ate. They all watched her for a while before doing the same thing, Luffy watched them from the corner of her eyes, before nodding slightly at Makino, who smiled at her and then began to chat with them, making sure Luffy joined their conversation once in a while and soon enough they were relaxed and no longer hesitating in talking with Luffy.
"D-do you…" Keina suddenly started, looking at Luffy, who hummed. "Will you allow us to reunite with our family?"
"Of course!" Luffy chirped. "Your family can live with you on this island as well or to one of our sister base islands! Though the whole base is not like the base we have here, some of it is still under construction, but it's livable enough with houses and farms to help you every day."
"Why are you doing this?" Carina asked, looking at Luffy, who hummed.
"Who knows…" She answered, eyeing at her window that was right beside her, Kiku frowned seeing the loneliness in the Rear Admiral's eyes. "It's probably because I believe that everyone deserves freedom. It's probably because I believe no one deserves to be treated as if they were nothing but animals or trashes."
"Who really are you?" Kiku blurted out, "The Celestial Dragons praised you greatly. The whole time we were there, the bastard who had us always blabbered about you and how perfect you are with the Grandson of the Third Elder…"
"Though he did mention wanting you too… nearly every celestial dragon is desiring you," Setsuna added. Makino pursed her lips and looked at Luffy, who merely looked down at her tea.
"They call you the 'Angel of Mariejois', something that is being lusted over by nearly everyone at that place… a role model to the children of Mariejois. They used your name and the deeds you've done to others to bring fear to us, slaves. " Carina mumbled, as Makino's grip on her teacup tightened while Luffy looked at them through her hair.
"And… they mentioned how you will bring a perfect generation for them," Keina stated, looking at Luffy, who snapped her eyes towards her, together with Makino. "I'm not sure if you knew about it, but the Third Elder had announced a rule that only he and his family can make physical contact with you, any who don't belong to it, will be punished."
"I've heard of it. I was told it was nowhere important." Luffy stated, making Makino snap her head towards her and frown.
"Well… it seems to be important. After that announcement, there was a huge celebration." Setsuna said.
"What was the celebration about?" Makino asked.
"Kiku knows. She was the only one out of the group allowed to be with the monster during the celebration." Carina said as they all looked at Kiku, who was pursing her lips, and sighed before looking at the Rear Admiral.
"You know, when I first saw you and realized that you were the Rear-Admiral that they speak of, I first thought that… if she's willing to spend time with these monsters then she probably wishes for it. But then you helped us, healing our wounds and slowly healing the mark that we carry, and now… you have plans for us to meet our family, followed by letting us stay on the island, bases, that are under your command. It made me think that… she doesn't know… and then… she doesn't deserve it."
"They planned to do something to me." Luffy guessed, but Kiku merely smiled at her.
"Not much of a plan… they are dedicating your future." She said slowly. "They always stated that once the perfect generation is within reach, then every single one of them will make sure that their line will have at least of that blood, no matter how long it takes, years, centuries."
"Wait… when you say Perfect Generation…" Makino muttered.
"They are not talking about the Rear Admiral teaching their children, nor are they celebrating because of that… They are celebrating because they have plans to make the Rear Admiral one of theirs. And they plan to do it soon."
"One of theirs…" Luffy muttered as Makino slammed her hand down on the table, knocking the chair back as she abruptly stood up.
"Are you saying what I'm thinking?!"
"Mostly likely…" Kiku looked at the Rear Admiral, who was looking at them with a defeated expression as if she knew what she was about to say next. "They plan… to have her join their ranks by any means necessary… Saint Rokudo… has plans to keep you for himself…"
"What was the Celebration called?" Luffy asked.
"Celebrazione del legame di forza…" Keina said. "That was what the celebration called, something they didn't celebrate for nearly three decades or so they say."
"Do you know what that means Luffy?" Makino asked, looking at her daughter figure. Luffy pursed her lips.
"No… I've heard of it… but not the full details." She said. "Did they mention how they planned to keep me?"
"Not really, but they mentioned that once another Celebration is finished… you will be in a cage. Unable to leave, and will be with them forever."
"Luffy! You have to call them! You have to tell them!" Makino shouted, rather panicky, grabbing Luffy's shoulder, who tried to calm her down.
"I will Makino… I will… please calm down… we need to make sure Kiku and the others are settled down first with their family."
"You'll call them?!" Makino asked as Luffy nodded.
"I will. After our meeting here. You can also call them as soon as you arrive at the bar, but please calm down."
"Please… please call them… I don't want you to be in caged anymore! Please!" Makino cried as she hugged her daughter figure rather tightly. The women shifted, not knowing what to do and how to calm the bar maiden down, but the Rear Admiral knew what to do. Kiku… didn't know what to feel. She's glad that the Rear Admiral in front of them is different, so much different, from the one they heard of and she didn't regret telling her what she knows if that is one of the things she can do to help her back…. But seeing how hysterical and how fearful Makino looked, she didn't know if it was a good thing anymore. One thing is for sure, however, she will help Luffy in every way she could… as long as it means she can be free and be with her family.
Kiku and others had to watch as Luffy tried to calm the agitated woman down, which took quite a long time and this made them purse their lips in anger at the thought of why their caretaker was like this. But, with the way Makino had a tight grip on Luffy, with how she cried and seemed to beg her, with how Luffy looked at Makino sadly as she whispered soft, assuring things, they probably knew the reason why.
'She was taken.' Keina thought, glancing at her friends, who looked back at her. 'She was taken and now… she's trapped in an invisible cage that only those who cared for her can see.'
When Makino was calmed enough and her breathing is calmed enough did they started to resume their earlier conversation of reunions. Though they made sure their voices are soft, eyes flickering towards the tired woman, who leaned heavily towards Luffy. Said Rear Admiral leaned back to her as well, gripping her hand rather tightly. Two hours passed after, a few more tears were shed, but these tears were of relief and happiness, then everyone was already on their way. Luffy and Makino stayed in the office, the both of them still sitting down, with the latter sleeping at the former's side, fingers intertwined with each other.
The young Rear Admiral looked sadly at her before, looking up when the door opened, followed by Yu, Gray, Nami, and Robin entering. The four of them took the vacant spot, frowning at the dull eyes their leader had, as well as the stained tears that lingered on Makino's face.
"Bad?" Yu whispered. Luffy opened her mouth and then told them what happened during the meeting, excluding the name of course. Not like it mattered to them, right now, their focus is Luffy and finding a way to remove the dullness and weight she currently carries.
"I never heard of Celebrazione del legame di forza." Robin stated after Luffy was done.
"I didn't either," Yu said while Gray frowned.
"Then it's a possibility that it could be only known to the people living in Mariejois,"
"The records could probably only be found on that place then," Nami muttered.
"Might be…" Luffy said, before sighing. "Yu, Gray… I know it will pain them, but can you ask if they heard about it before?" The aforementioned men scowled before sighing in defeat and nodded.
"We'll try."
"Nami…" Luffy then turned to look at the orange-haired woman, who straighten in her sit. "I want you to gather a few of our men and then get in contact with some of his… we have some people to reunite."
"Got it."
"Robin… I want you to come with me. We'll be going back to Mariejois, we'll try to gather as much information about the celebration they did and probably more about it."
"Of course," Robin nodded. Yu and Gray sighed in relief because they knew they were ordered to get information from them but at least they will have backup information just in case they couldn't get it from them.
"Hmmm…" Makino stirred, they quieted for a while before smiling when she stopped moving.
"We'll leave the next day after tomorrow, go and make some preparation," Luffy said, the four of them nodded before standing up and turning to leave. Luffy watched them go, as her eyes cleared slightly, happy that she has friends who are willing to help her, she eyed Makino again and hummed a lullaby, and waited.
~ A few hours later~
Makino slowly opened her eyes, looking around the room she was sleeping before abruptly sitting up, panting, and when she realized that she was in her room, she immediately turned to the window and paled at the sight of the dark skies, which meant that she slept the day away. Immediately she stood up and ran towards the table found across the room, where at least four den-den mushi are found three regular den-den, and one white, which had two mushi connected to it.
The panicking woman grab one and then dialed a number, before putting it down and doing the same with the other one, she then waited anxiously, biting her fingernail, as the snails rang and rang. The bar maiden was already on her wit's end when both snails were answered nearly at the same time.
"Wha-?"
"Maki-?"
"DID SHE CALL YOU?!" She screamed the moment they answered. "PLEASE TELL ME SHE CALLED YOU!"
"Makino calm down." A deep voice rumbled, making the panicking woman inhale deeply.
"I'm sorry… I… she told me she'll call you… we… we…" Makino sobbed out, teary eyes looking at the two mushi, which held markings of people that had helped Luffy in any way they could and without the World Government or the Marines knowing too. Not that it did much, because as much as they also want to help Luffy, they are currently stuck with protecting people and islands that were under Luffy's protection as well as gathering as many people as possible to reach their goal. One den den mushi sighed, and this one had three scars over their left eye, while the den den was scowling, a tribal tattoo over the left side of their face.
"She called us at the same time." The one with a scar said.
"Told us her plans as well," The tribal tattooed mushi added.
"D-do you have plans?" Makino whispered falling on her knees with relief. "Did the three of you create a plan?"
"There is… but Luffy doesn't know about this plan."
"What?!" Makino snapped her head up, looking at the mushis, who either grinned or smirk. "Luffy doesn't know? But Dragon-san–!"
"Anchor told us to stand down and just let her handle it for now. She plans to do some resource gathering and monitors their action before telling us her plan."
"Bu-but…" Makino stuttered.
"We know… while my daughter is clever and her actions as logical, the Gorosei and World Government is also unpredictable."
"To which Luffy knows and thus while she does what she plans to do…"
"She may have hinted to us to start a plan of our own as well, something that she shouldn't know, just in case she said. Her hands are now limited more than ever, especially when she received a call from the Gorosei."
"D-did you listen to their conversation?" Makino muttered, gripping her skirt rather tightly. Snarls were her only answer which means that they did listen and they weren't liking what they heard.
"Anchor had to end the call on her end as it seemed to take a while for it to finished."
"In the meantime, Akagami and I had planned what to do with this new information that was given to us. As much as we say we're ready, it's not the truth. Not everyone is ready yet."
"... Not to mention that the people who are the most important for Luffy are still unaware of what's going on," Makino mumbled, thinking of the two boys who mean everything to Luffy.
"Makino…" The tattooed den den started, making the woman look up. "We need your assistance with this plan."
"How?" Makino determinedly asked, while the scarred mushi smirk.
"A lot of things… but first tell me… how bad do you think it'll be if I told those with brother complexes what's going on?"
Makino stared eyes wide at the mushi before she started to grin darkly as the other mushi chuckled just as dark. "It'll be bloody."
~Moby Dick~
Ace and Sabo were leaning at the rails of the ship eyes on the horizon when they suddenly felt the urge to kill, burn and run. They glance at each other and then around them, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"I got the chills," Sabo muttered, looking back at Ace. "The only time I felt this is when Makino played a prank on us, which also involves Luffy."
"Don't remind me…" Ace muttered, looking back at the horizon.
"Hey boys!" Thatch waved his hand heading towards the two commanders, who turned to look at him and merely smiled, before turning to look at the Sky where they can see stars shining brightly. Thatch wavered and then lowered his hand, before glancing at Marco who was walking beside him. The Phoenix eyed the brother and then turned to look at the chef with a raised eyebrow, before shrugging and heading towards them.
"What's wrong, yoi?" Marco asked, standing beside them and turning to look at the sky as well.
"Just wondering if the star that we're seeing right now can also be seen by people around the world," Sabo muttered, looking for any constellation that is slightly familiar to him and Ace.
"Who knows… maybe they do." Thatch answered looking at the stars as well, Marco turned to look at Ace, who was quiet the whole time, and blink when he saw Luffy's image instead, blinking multiple times, the Phoenix rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"Something wrong Marco?" Ace asked as the First Mate turned to head back to the ship.
"I forgot that I have paperwork to do… as well as getting in contact with our allies, yoi."
"When will you stop and rest from doing your paperwork?" Thatch asked.
"Shut up yoi!" Marco shouted. "We plan to attack the person who caged me, so I need to make sure we have enough supplies!"
"Oh yeah… I forgot about that." Sabo said, slamming his fist on top of his palm.
"I did too." Ace said as Thatch's face palmed as Marco sighed in defeat and head towards his room.
"Anyway… what are you two depressed about?" Thatch asked, looking at the sworn siblings, who pursed their lip and sighed.
"Luffy…" Sabo merely muttered, and Thatch blinked before keeping quiet, after all, there are no words to reassure a sibling about someone they cared about when they have no information about them when they seemed to have simply vanished without a trace.
~With Marco~
Marco sighed as he arrived in his room and rubbed his face with his hand, before walking towards his desk and sitting down. He eyed the paperwork he had, before smirking when he realized something.
"Looks like we'll be meeting each other soon." Marco licked his lips. "I wonder just how strong you are, yoi. Can you defeat me or one of my brothers? It's a fight that I can't wait to see, yoi."
TBC
A/N:... I have no excuse. Sorry... I might edit this chapter... who knows...
kawaiidoll14: Sorry fo the wait, didn't mean to make it this long for the chapter 9 to be posted, but I hope you will like it. I hope you will enjoy chapter 9! Thanks for the review! ^_^
Tenshiwings101: Thank you for liking them! Sorry for the wait though. I hope you will enjoy chapter 9! Thanks for the review! ^_^
nyuh98: I'm sorry! I didn't mean for the uploads to be so far in between... I have no idea what happen in the passed days and I just realized that it's already March and this story is already two years old and I haven't made that much progress. I hope you will enjoy chapter 9! Thanks for the review! ^_^
Kate-Kitkat: Sorry... I can't really tell you what her devil fruit is... but you're nearly there. hahaha, I hope I'm doing the df thing right because I did a pretty huge twist when it comes to Luffy's df. Whitebeard will think how chaotic and wonderful it is to have a daughter like Luffy who will no doubt give her siblings, sworn or not, plenty of white hairs and heart attack. Ace, Sabo, and Marco especially. hahaha, I hope you will enjoy chapter 9! Thanks for the review!
Jasmine: Well... who knows... this chapter did have a major hint about your question.. hopefully that will suffice haha. I hope you will enjoy chapter 9! Thanks for the review!
: I'm sooo happy you love the last chapter, and I hope so too... but with my plot on the next upcoming chapters... sorry, it might not be what you wanted. I hope you will enjoy chapter 9! Thanks for the review!
KanaeAnne: I'm so sorry for the wait! I never really expected this chapter will take a long time to be uploaded. I never realize how many days had pass since my last update. But I hope this story will make up for those days that I missed to upload. I hope you will enjoy chapter 9! Thanks for the review!