Chapter Three: The Jewels of the East Blue
Chapter Summary: Shanks lands on Dawn Island and finds the greatest treasure he ever could, but he also is confronted with unexpected results from his fateful choice.
AN: I had planned for this chapter to wrap up everything with Luffy and Uta but it's really just introducing them. This chapter gets into implied/referenced past abuse (physical and sexual) against a minor. It was brought up with Shanks before but this chapter dives deeper into it. It's not graphic, there are no scenes depicting it and it is truly only implied. Details are purposefully left vague but it is important to a character's story and the changes made with their personality. There is also a scene of a character having a panic attack/lucid dream, so be aware of that as well.
Shanks paced up and down the Red Force, watching vigilantly as the island got closer and closer. It took an hour from the time he realized his children were on Dawn Island until their arrival. They were inching closer and closer to the dock now and he felt his body buzzing with anxious energy. His mind was flooded with endless questions. What would he do when he saw them? What did they look like? Could they feel him getting closer the way he could feel them? They were like two bright supernovas in his heart, beating like drums against his chest and growing stronger and stronger the closer he got to them.
The crew wasn't any better, just as nervous as he was. The taste of anticipation was palpable in the air. It was like there was a rain cloud hanging over their heads just waiting to burst or the feeling of charged air before a lightning strike.
He wasn't totally doubtless. He couldn't help but wonder if he should even be doing this. He wasn't untouchable and if anyone discovered his children were here, they would use them against him immediately. But Dawn Island was an unremarkable island, the kind that most people would sail past. He didn't recall any substantial news coming from this place, no people of note, no significant exports, no specialties of any kind. In places like this, news was slow to come and go, so maybe it wouldn't matter if he docked. There was a good chance these people had never heard of him and he would just be any other pirate. If he didn't stay too long, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Which brought up the question, what would he do when he got there? Would he talk to the twins or just watch them from afar? Would he tell them who he was? No, that seemed too cruel because he had no intention of staying, he couldn't. Isolated or not, if he stayed on this island it would only be a matter of time before the Marines or one of his enemies caught wind and came for him and his children. And he had no intention of uprooting them from the life they knew to take them to the Grand Line. They were too young at any rate, they weren't ready.
There was also the possibility that the pups would know him as soon as they saw him. Maybe they would feel the bond in their chests and that would be confirmation enough. In which case, they could hate him. Shanks wasn't sure and a part of him chastised himself for being so reckless and not coming up with a better plan, but his eagerness was outweighing any logic at the moment. All he wanted was to reach the island as soon as possible.
It was still daytime when the Red Force finally docked. Windmill Village appeared to be a quiet, quaint village. A sleepy, peaceful place with telltale windmills dotting the landscape. He could see a forest and several mountains off in the distance. There weren't many people around, but the few who were stopped and stared warily at his crew as they walked down the gangway, a few staying back to secure the ship. Shanks wasn't unfamiliar with these looks, the trepidation of common folk as they waited on bated breath to see what their visitors would do. He noticed a man dressed up in a uniform that he assumed was local for the police. The man was eyeing the group with barely concealed hostility and open suspicion. Shanks put on a smile and went to approach him but stopped short as an indignant voice rang out.
"Hey!"
Shanks paused and looked down at the source of the voice. A young boy stood before him with unruly dark hair, dirt smudged on his cheeks and a bandage on his forehead. He was wearing a t-shirt with an anchor printed on it and red shorts with sandals. His hands were planted on his hips and he was staring up at Shanks defiantly. Before Shanks could say anything, a sudden sharp flare in his chest stopped him in his tracks. The pull inside of him went wild, straining and stretching out towards the boy with enough force that Shanks thought someone stuck their hand in his chest, grabbed his heart and was in the process of pulling it out of his body. He brought his hand to the area, half expecting to find it blown wide open and wet with blood. The boy in front of him grimaced a little and rubbed his own chest vigorously before seemingly brushing off the feeling in favor of glaring up at Shanks instead.
Shanks, for his part, knew what the feeling meant immediately.
Luffy. The boy in front of him was Luffy. His son.
Shanks gaped at him, not quite believing that it could be this easy. What were the odds that the first person he talked to when he set foot on this island would be his son? He took a moment to study him. He was a little small for being 7 years old, skinny and short. His already naturally tanned skin was even browner from the sun and sported quite a few cuts, bruises and scrapes in various states of healing. His eyes were that same chocolate brown, though they seemed to reflect anger at Shanks. For a moment, he wondered if Luffy realized the truth and was now here to give Shanks a piece of his mind for what a poor father he had been to him. He would deserve it if that were the case.
"Well? Aren't you gonna answer my question?"
Shanks blinked in reply.
"What?"
"Are you guys pirates?"
Shanks blinked again, a little taken aback by Luffy's tone.
"Yes, we are. Do you have a problem with that?"
"If you're pirates, go away! Or I'm gonna have to fight you!"
Shanks blinked for a third time before he felt an involuntary smile stretch across his face. His kid was insane. Shanks loved him more than he already had.
"I didn't know there was such a tough sheriff in this village. Rest assured, we didn't come here to fight."
Luffy narrowed his eyes at him in reply.
"Who are you?"
A part of him smarted at the question but of course Luffy didn't know him.
"I'm Shanks. I'm the captain of that ship. This is my nakama, the Red Hair Pirates."
Luffy looked at him, his hair, his crew and his ship before he clenched his fists angrily.
"You better not be here to cause trouble, otherwise I'll have to make you pay," he threatened.
Shanks likened it to a kitten showing off their claws. Or a lion cub trying to roar. It was probably the cutest and most amusing thing he'd ever seen. The crew apparently agreed as they all started laughing. Shanks definitely heard a few coos thrown in there, not that Luffy appeared to appreciate it.
"Hey, I mean it!"
"Of course. We wouldn't dream of causing you any trouble, sheriff."
"I'm not the sheriff, that's the sheriff," Luffy replied somewhat confused as he pointed to the fast-approaching lawman.
"That's right, I am the sheriff, which means I should be greeting these men. What have I told you about talking to strangers?"
"But Akihiro, I have to make sure no bad people come back here."
Shanks furrowed his brows at that, a stab of worry hitting him at that implication. The lawman's face softened.
"I understand where you're coming from, but it's important that you're safe too. Let me handle this."
The boy huffed and crossed his arms but took a small step back as the uniformed man turned to the redhead.
"Captain Shanks, is it? We don't get many visitors here in Windmill Village. We don't have much, certainly nothing in the way of gold or silver. The most we could give you would be wood from our forest. The people here are good workers just getting by, so if you're looking for treasure, I'm afraid you won't find it here."
Oh, but I will, he thought, his eyes flickering over to Luffy who was quietly studying the group of pirates.
Shanks gave the sheriff a carefree smile.
"I assure you, Sheriff Akihiro, we're not here to loot or plunder. It's not our intention to cause any trouble. We were just passing by and wanted to see what the island had to offer was all."
"It's a small port village, not much to talk about or to see. There is a small marketplace if you need to resupply but that's about it."
"We've been sailing for a bit, I think my crew would like some food and drink. We have the money to pay for it. We won't need lodgings, the ship will do just fine for that. Rest assured, if any of my crew cause any trouble, you let me know and I'll handle it."
The sheriff gave him a dubious look at that before his eyes flickered over to Benn. Shanks repressed an eyeroll, already knowing what was going through the man's head.
"You'll deal with it?"
"I will."
"And you said you're the captain?"
"I am. This is my crew and my pack."
"But you're an omega."
"Well spotted."
"You're expecting me to pin my hopes on the leadership and strength of an omega pirate captain? How can I trust that your crew won't ransack this place even if you try to stop them?"
Shanks' eye twitched at the beta sheriff's words. He found more often than not that most people didn't say that part out loud, at least not unless they were directly challenging him. Usually, Shanks answered by showing them just why he was the leader of his pack but a) he did not want to undercut what he was saying by immediately being violent, b) this man was little more than a fly to Shanks and not worth the effort but most importantly, c) Luffy was here.
"What's that supposed to mean," Luffy cut in before Shanks could say anything in reply to the sheriff's bigoted words.
The adults looked down at the boy who was now glaring angrily at the lawman.
"What's it matter if he's an omega? He's the captain, they do what he says. That's how Grandpa said ship crews work. Are you calling Grandpa a liar?"
"No, I'm not calling your grandfather a liar. It's just that omegas can't be pack leaders or captains," the sheriff explained in a condescending tone of patience.
"Why not?"
"That's just the way it is."
"That doesn't make sense. What difference does it make," the boy retorted stubbornly.
"I'm sure it seems that way now, but you'll understand when you're older."
"My sister says adults tell kids that when they think something dumb and don't want to explain it. She's right, that's a dumb thing to think, Akihiro."
Shanks watched the older man splutter at that as the crew snickered.
"Don't you know, Aki? People can be anything they want. Everyone should be free."
Shanks looked down at his son, an adoring smile on his face. He loved him ten times more every time he opened his mouth.
Luffy turned back to the group and swept over the pirates with a critical eye.
"You want food and drinks? I know a place, but if you cause any trouble—"
"You'll fight us. Noted. Lead the way, sheriff."
"My name is not sheriff!"
"Perhaps not. Anchor then. You're certainly labeled for it."
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy."
Shanks knew that already but getting the confirmation sent a chill down his spine. He let a loose smile cross his lips to cover up the momentary shudder that went through him.
"Nah, I like Anchor better."
Luffy gave him an irate look and appeared half a second away from blowing his top off. Shanks repressed a laugh at the expression.
"Now, chief. Better not bite the hand that agreed to feed us. We're all weary and hungry. We could use the sit down. Don't mind him, kid. He's an idiot," Benn spoke up, patting Luffy comfortingly on the shoulder.
"I'm pretty sure it's mutinous to slander the captain," Shanks protested.
Of course, his words just caused the whole crew to immediately begin making fun of him right there in front of everyone on the dock, including the sheriff. Shanks didn't truly mind, he never took himself too seriously, and by the end of the ribbing Luffy was in absolute stitches so it wasn't so bad.
"You guys are so silly! Come on, I'll take you to Party's Bar. You won't get better food or drinks than there."
Luffy reached forward and grabbed Shanks' hand. Shanks felt a flare in his chest at the contact. Luffy must've felt it too because he rubbed his chest before continuing on. Felt it then, but perhaps he didn't understand what it meant. Luffy's hand was small in Shanks' grip, the slim fingers already calloused. Shanks wondered what life he had been living that had led to that at such a young age.
As they made their way through the town, Luffy chattered about every place they passed, pointing out the stores, houses and giving people's names, occupations and short stories about them which usually amounted to which people would give him food and which people wouldn't. Shanks was quite familiar with the appetite of a D. so he was not surprised that Luffy's good graces towards the townspeople revolved around food. Rouge and Roger together could decimate a buffet in minutes and still have room left.
At one point, they passed by an old man with a cane, glasses and striped bucket hat.
"Hey mayor!"
"Hi there Luffy."
"I'm helping, just like you asked me to."
"Oh, are you? That's nice, Luffy. Helping with what," the man asked absentmindedly as he perused a fruit stand.
"I'm bringing these pirates to Makino's."
"Oh, pirates to Makino's. That's nice."
"Yup. Bye mayor!"
"Bye Luf— wait, what did you say?! Luffy! Luffy, you stop right there! Get away from them, pirates are bad guys!"
The little boy stopped and craned his head up to look at Shanks. He tugged on the older man's arm, pulling him down so Shanks was leaning over, face to face with Luffy. The little boy proceeded to take Shanks' face between his small hands, examining it as if looking for something. He turned his head this way and that and went as far as to look in his ear before he met his eyes. Shanks found himself trapped in the gaze, reminded of when Luffy was just born and had given him a similar piercing look, like he was seeing into and through a person, deep into their very souls. After a moment, the spell was broken and Luffy burst into a wide grin that caused Shanks' heart to stutter to a stop.
"Nah Woop Slap, Shanks is a good guy. I can tell."
The captain did not agree with that assessment but coming from Luffy's mouth, god, he wanted to believe it.
"Shanks," the mayor repeated.
The older man looked between Shanks and Luffy with a look of realization and alarm.
He knows, Shanks thought to himself.
Shanks and Benn's eyes met before the brunette nodded the group off and went to smooth things over with the man. That should've been Shanks' job, and he would follow up later on, but Luffy didn't appear to be releasing his hand any time soon and Shanks had no intention of letting anyone pry him away.
Party's Bar looked like many other village bars he had seen. It was small and rustic, likely with only a few selections to choose from, but this wasn't the kind of place one went to for variety. The Red Hair Pirates entered the bar and began to fan out, finding a place to sit while Shanks and Luffy approached the counter where a young omega woman with green hair stood, looking amongst the group with slight anxiety and confusion.
"Look Maki, I brought you customers! They're pirates, but I already warned them not to cause you any trouble. I don't think they will. These guys are funny and Captain Shanks is a good guy," Luffy announced excitedly in one go, all without taking a breath.
That must not have been rare because the barmaid took it in stride.
"Welcome to Party's Bar, Captain Shanks. We don't have much here but we've got rum and whiskey and there's a special local blend of spiced wine that I make that most people quite like, even if they aren't wine drinkers."
"Let's start with a bottle of rum and whiskey for everyone and go from there. Food menus too if you have them."
Shanks watched the woman flit away as he sat on a barstool. Luffy clambered up the stool beside him, blithely refusing Shanks' help as he positioned himself on it and then stared up at him with guileless eyes.
"If you're a pirate, you must have some good stories to tell."
"Any pirate worth their salt will have a story or two. I've got even more than that."
"You must've sailed a lot then, huh? I bet you've seen all of the East Blue."
"Here's a secret, I'm not from the East Blue. I'm from the Grand Line," Shanks whispered playfully.
Luffy's face scrunched up in bewilderment at that.
"How can you be from a tan line?"
Shanks stared for a moment before he burst out laughing, the rest of the crew right alongside him. Even the barmaid was letting out delicate giggles. Luffy stared at everyone in both offense and confusion.
"Oh kid, you're a riot."
Shanks sat another crate on the counter of Party's Bar. He had found himself in the bar every day since he docked five days prior. The bar was the only real hangout in town and the only place one could get drinks. It definitely didn't suffer from bad company either. Luffy seemed to live at the bar. It was the only place he'd spend any lengthy period of time. Makino was apparently in charge of the twins' care, or as much as there appeared to be anyone in charge of their care. Garp was not around, only visited a few weeks out of the year and mostly spent that time "training" the kids to be marines through various boneheaded methods.
"A part of me believes his ideas for child-rearing must be an alpha thing but then I see your Benn with Luffy, and I realize, it's a Garp thing. The mad man," Makino had said once.
Shanks had known Garp wasn't around when he docked and that he hadn't been in a while. He would've sensed him before he made landfall if he was here and felt his lingering haki if he had been around recently. No one really talked about him beyond Woop Slap, who was sure to inform Shanks of the island's close ties to the Vice Admiral when they discussed the mayor's knowledge of Luffy's parentage. The older man wasn't happy about Shanks being there but the pirate had assured him he wasn't taking the twins away, only came upon them by happenstance and now that he had, he wanted to check in on their welfare.
"I think all three generations of the Monkey D. family are crazy, but Garp entrusted Luffy and Luta's safety to this village. As it's mayor, it's my duty to ensure their wellbeing."
"I have no intention of being a threat to their wellbeing. Is it so awful for a father to want to see his children?"
"Seeing them is one thing, taking them away is another. Their lives on Dawn aren't perfect but they're safe enough here, safer than they'd ever be on a pirate ship let alone one bound for the Grand Line."
"That's why I sent them with their grandfather in the first place. I understand your concern, but it's misplaced, mayor. I'm not taking them away, I'm just visiting, that's all. If I can continue that visit unimpeded, I'd be grateful. I don't think anyone really wants an untimely visit from any Vice Admirals in the near future. Knowing Garp, he'll want to fight and I don't think this village will survive that."
"I'm not a fool, boy. I'm aware of Garp's temperament. I don't want to see Windmill turned into a crater. I just want to make certain you know where those children stand with me. They are members of this community, this is where they belong, not out on the sea, not living their lives under the banner of criminal before they've even had a chance to make a life, or a choice, for themselves."
Shanks and the mayor had left it at that. The man would not inform the children of their parentage and expected that Shanks would keep that secret as well, which he agreed with. Garp would be none-the-wiser to any of this so as to keep the peace and protect the island's infrastructure from one of his galaxy impact punches.
Not that Shanks didn't plan on confronting Garp when he returned to the Grand Line. He had a thing or two to tell him about the kind of grandfather he had been to Luffy and Luta. He gave him the children so he'd care for them and protect them, not so that he'd leave them for the village to raise.
Makino was lovely and clearly cared for the twins, but she was also very young, eight years younger than Shanks, barely out of teenhood herself. She was capable, otherwise she wouldn't be the owner of a business that served as a pillar of the small community despite being an unbonded omega woman, but she shouldn't have to be responsible for the two children. It was Shanks' responsibility first and foremost and then Garp's as well, through their mutual agreement. However, the twins' living situation worked in his favor in that it meant that Shanks knew exactly where to find Luffy. He would've anyway through their bond but this way he wouldn't have to make up lies to explain how he always knew where the boy was.
Ever since Shanks docked, he'd seen Luffy every day. He didn't even have to seek him out because most days Luffy made a beeline for him, always asking to hear stories of his adventures and what sailing was like, what being a pirate meant and coming to his own conclusions about it despite any outside influence. Luffy's declaration about what his future would be was a particularly strong memory.
"Shanks, are pirates bad," Luffy had asked him the third day they'd been on the island.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Well, the mayor hates pirates. The sheriff doesn't like you guys and a lot of the villagers are scared of you. Mayor Woop Slap says that pirates are bad and do bad things. You're a pirate, but you're good. I don't get it."
Shanks had looked at his son with soft eyes. He was so innocent, that was the innocence that Shanks gave him up to protect. Part of him was glad to see that it had been preserved but he also knew that it wouldn't do Luffy any favors to lie to him. He wouldn't be a child forever. He should have an opportunity to understand the world as it was: intricate and nuanced and by no means perfect, but the only one he had. Shanks was just glad that, as his father, he had a chance to try and guide him through this conundrum.
"Pirates can be bad and do bad things, but they can also be good and do good things. Do you know why?"
"Uh-uh."
"Because at the end of the day, pirates are people and people can be good or bad. Sometimes they can even be both."
"How can someone be good and bad at the same time?"
"In a lot of ways. They could do good things for bad reasons or bad things for good reasons. They could do good things that lead to bad things or vice versa. The most important thing is that a person knows who they are and strives to be good, even if they may fall short sometimes."
"Oh. But if being a pirate doesn't mean doing bad things, then what does it mean?"
"Being a pirate affords you a few things most people don't get to see. Wonderful sights, new islands, new people, treasures and mysteries that haven't been unlocked. You get to become one with the sea, get to know her in a way you never could by living on land. You get to go on voyages with your loyal crew by your side. You get a chance to build a pack that's different from others but still good. It's a grand adventure. You never know what's on the horizon, but that just makes the adventure even greater. Mostly, it's all about being free. Free to be yourself, free to make your own choices in life, free to make your own path. You're as free as the ocean, that's why we make her our home. That way, we can share in that freedom with her."
"That's sounds… amazing! I want to be a pirate."
"Thought you were going to be a marine."
"I never wanted to be a stinky marine! Grandpa wants me to be one, but if I'm a pirate, no one can make me do anything or be anything I don't wanna be. That's what I want. I'm gonna be a free man."
Shanks' breath had caught in his throat, those words pulling him straight back to Roger and all the times he had declared the same thing. The smile on Luffy's face was just as wide, his eyes glittering with just as much determination and resolve. Shanks had let the breath out shakily before replying.
"I bet you will, Luffy."
"Hey Shanks, can singers be pirates too?"
"Sure. Lots of crews have their own musicians onboard. My crew has Bonk Punch and Monster to fill those roles."
"Cool! I've got to go tell Uta that we can be pirates together and she can sing on our ship."
Shanks had watched the boy go to run off before Makino stopped him.
"Luffy, your sister's probably napping. She was singing a lot earlier. You shouldn't wake her up."
"Oh, I'll be quiet then."
An amused smile crossed Shanks' lips as he had watched the boy attempt to tiptoe up the stairs but with Luffy's energy level that just meant he went from stomping furiously to stomping lightly. Makino shook her head in exasperation as Shanks let out a chuckle.
That was another reason Shanks stuck around close to the bar. He had still not seen his daughter. He knew she was here, he could feel her, and Luffy talked about her all the time.
"I've got a twin sister, it's the best thing in the world!"
"Uta is supersmart, she taught me numbers and reading."
"Uta is the best singer in the world! She's like an angel."
"Uta is superstrong, she can scare bigger people with a mop."
"Me and Uta are gonna be together forever."
Shanks asked Luffy once if he could meet Luta, who preferred to be called Uta for reasons Luffy wouldn't elaborate on. His answer had left Shanks both enraged and guilt-ridden.
"Oh, um, I don't know if Uta will want to meet you guys," Luffy explained, biting his lip in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture.
"Did you go telling her stories about us and scare her off, Anchor," Lucky Roux joked, causing a slight chuckle to go through the crew but Shanks could guess they were just as curious and concerned with Luffy's unusual response as he was.
"It's just Uta doesn't really like meeting new people. She doesn't make friends as easily as me. People can be weird to her and mean. She's a great friend to have, she's the best! She just… it's hard for her to know when people are good sometimes. She can't tell right away like I can, so she takes a while to like people. But that's not her fault! It's that stupid meanie who hurt her!"
Shanks had frozen at that and he felt the atmosphere in the room change too as the rest of the crew stiffened and turned their full attention to the despondent boy. He could see Makino's hand pause as she was cleaning glasses, her whole body turning rigid.
"Someone hurt her," Shanks asked in a low tone.
His voice was mostly blank but that did not reflect the roiling inferno within that was immediately ignited at the idea.
"Last year, a bad man came, said she was pretty and took her away. I tried to stop him, but I wasn't strong enough. He took her and hurt her. Grandpa brought her back, but she was gone for a whole month. I could sense her, but she wasn't here with me. She's never not been with me, not until then. I knew she was being hurt, I could feel it, sometimes I felt it so much it was like it was happening to me too but I couldn't stop it or protect her. It was the worst thing in the world. I was supposed to protect her," Luffy explained, his voice trembling.
Shanks watched as the boy tried to hold back tears and wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging himself. He was giving off a pungent scent of fear, anxiety and heartbreak. It was enough to stir the heart of even the coldest alpha but for Shanks, it was all the worst. He could not resist the urge to comfort his pup, who was suffering right in front of him. He was moving before he even really registered it as he reached over and ran his hands through Luffy's hair comfortingly. The boy tensed a little before he moved and Shanks suddenly had an armful of him, Luffy settling himself into his lap and wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. Shanks froze only momentarily in surprise before he returned the embrace. This was the first time he had done this in seven whole years. Luffy was so much bigger than before but still smaller than he should have been.
(A result of being sick when he was born, he had told Shanks.
"Uta and I almost died as babies. Grandpa said it was because we were small. Small things are weak and die sometimes. We proved him wrong. We lived because we're strong."
Shanks had felt immeasurable guilt, knowing full well that their sickness had everything to do with his decision to send them away with Garp. He was lucky his pups didn't die as a result.)
Luffy snuggled into his arms and pressed his face into Shanks' neck, near his scent glands.
"Luffy, I know you're upset, but that's rude to do to an omega who's not in your pack or your family," Makino said gently, looking like she wanted to pry Luffy off of him, not that Shanks would've let her.
"It's fine, Makino. I don't mind."
He even let his scent be stronger to comfort Luffy, who relaxed in his arms, his fingers clutching into Shanks' shirt. Makino had looked at him with surprise for a long time before she continued her work. She had been looking at him consideringly ever since then but he had never parsed out why.
"Hey Luffy, what happened to that bad man," Shanks heard Benn ask from behind him.
Luffy had reluctantly lifted his head from Shanks' shoulder and glanced back at the crew.
"I'm not sure. Grandpa just said that he won't bother us again so we shouldn't worry about it."
Dead then, or worse. Shanks felt a little sorry he wouldn't get to pay back the man who hurt his daughter in full but it was just as well. The man would've died one way or another.
Shanks had been more cautious about bringing up the idea of meeting Luta since then and had been thinking of how he could facilitate that meeting in a way that didn't scare his daughter. He wanted to see her, even more so now that he knew that despite the lengths he went to to protect her, he still hadn't managed to shield her from the cruelties of the world. However, he wouldn't do it in a way to infringe on her mental state. He focused more so on Luffy as a result.
He was always eager to enjoy time with Shanks and the crew regardless of his knowledge of their connection. Luffy's love was freely given. It was obvious to Shanks that though he had much of it to give, he did not receive nearly as much of it. He had his sister and Makino, when the barmaid could be there. He had amicable relationships with most of the adults in town, though they didn't have much time for him. There was a contingent that did not like him, not that Shanks knew why. Makino said it was down to old thinking and deep-seated prejudices but didn't elaborate. Shanks never saw him playing with any of the other kids and he never mentioned any friends, just Luta.
It made him wonder if he had made the right decision. Luffy was a ray of sunshine but there was no denying the shades of melancholy that passed over him from time to time. On the other hand, would Shanks trade a less than stellar childhood for his son's head ending up on a spike? Not in a million years. Still, there had to be a middle ground somewhere. Shanks wasn't going to figure it out today though.
He focused on helping Makino move her new deliveries into the bar instead. That was much simpler. Luffy had gone out to play with some of the boys in town. That was the first time Luffy ever said he was going to play with the other kids. Makino had looked dubious about that at best and Shanks wasn't so sure about it either, but Luffy had seemed excited so they had both nodded him off, knowing he'd be back around for lunch time like clockwork. That boy never missed a meal.
"Thanks again for your help with this, captain. You really didn't have to."
"It's no trouble, Makino. It's the least I can do for all you've done for me."
"You've ordered food and drink and I've given it to you in exchange for your money. I'd say that's fair trade. I haven't been handing out charity to your crew. You don't owe me anything," Makino replied back teasingly.
Shanks gave her a roguish smile in response but inside he knew that that statement was tacitly untrue. She had ended up with the task of raising his children, something that happened through no machinations on either of their parts, but still, Shanks couldn't help but feel some guilt for it.
"Hey, captain? There's something I wanted to ask you."
"Oh?"
"However, it might be… no, I know it's inappropriate, but I need to ask anyway for my own peace of mind."
Shanks paused then and turned to her inquiringly.
"Luffy is a special kid, both he and Uta are, but Luffy is always in a greater position to be hurt because he puts himself out there with people, no reservations whatsoever. He's latched on to you. Honestly, he adores you. I think you feel similarly. But I'm just wondering… at least I'm hoping that this means the same for you that it does for him."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, pardon me for saying so, but I can tell that you've lost a pup at some point in your life. Your scent when you were comforting Luffy before about Uta, it has the telltale notes of someone who's given birth but there's also an undertone of decay, a hint of corrosion beneath it that tells of a broken bond."
Shanks blinked at that in surprise. No one had ever pointed out to him that his scent might be different after giving up Luffy and Uta, but then he hadn't had cause to use that particular scent because he hadn't had a pup to comfort or bond with. He didn't know that scents could change as a result of shifting bonds.
"Don't worry. Most people wouldn't be able to pick up on that subtle change, and in your case it's quite faded. I've had a bit of exposure to it working as a midwife, so my nose is sensitive to it."
Shanks nodded absently. That would explain why Hongo hadn't made note of it. Childbirth was not his area of expertise by any stretch.
"I'm sorry for your loss, captain. I just want to be sure you're not projecting anything onto Luffy. I don't want him to face another heartbreak, not when he's already opened himself up to you like this."
"Makino, I assure you, I'm not projecting anything onto Luffy. I understand exactly who he is to me. I have no intention of hurting him so long as I can help it. Trust me, I'd rather hurt myself before I ever hurt him, or Uta for that matter."
Makino gave him a searching look for a moment and opened her mouth to say something more but the sound of glass breaking followed by shouts and Luffy's name being called stopped them in their tracks. The two shared a concerned look before they immediately left the bar to investigate what had happened.
They walked down the street a little ways and eventually came upon a scene that left Shanks angry.
Luffy was on the ground, groaning with blood streaming down his cheek and a piece of glass embedded in his face. Above him stood three larger boys, sneering at him and laughing.
"Serves you right, freak," the blonde spat at him.
"Why did you push me? I just wanted to play with you guys," Luffy asked, staring at the blood on his fingers.
"Why would you think we would ever want to play with you?"
"You guys said—"
The boys laughed cruelly at him.
"You actually thought we were serious? No one wants you around. Your own parents don't want you, so why would we?"
"That's— that's not true!"
"Then where are they? They knew you were a freak the moment you were born just like everyone else knows it too. The only one worse than you is that demon sister of yours."
"Don't talk about my sister!"
"What are you gonna do about it? Bleed on us?"
Shanks had broken from his stupor and both he and Makino started storming towards the scene but before either could make it, a mop suddenly appeared and struck one of the boys upside the head, sending him to the ground. The two other boys quickly looked at the perpetrator but before either could react, the mop jabbed the second boy in the stomach and then cracked across his face before swinging between the third boy's legs and then sweeping them out from under him. In just a few seconds, all three bullies were on the ground and writhing in pain.
Shanks and Makino paused as a girl stepped into view. She was petite with long two-toned hair, white on the left and red on the right, arranged into two long ponytails with two circular braids at the end and the top of her head. She was wearing a yellow dress and undershirt with brown boots, the mop held in a sure grip between her small hands.
Uta. There was no one else it could be.
"You freak! What the heck is wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong with you? Don't you have ears? I told you jerks to stay away from my brother."
"He was the one trying to play with us!"
"You should've walked away."
"And you wonder why people hate you. You're a demon!"
"Maybe I am. If I am a demon, you better be nicer to me or else I'll do worse than hit you with a mop. I'll curse you so you'll end up just like me. Do you think your parents will want you then? You better run away, or I'll turn you into a freak too."
The boys scurried off, clearly horrified at the prospect of whatever "freakhood" she was going to bestow on them. She turned her attention to Luffy, who sat up and watched the boys leave sadly. Shanks felt Makino brush past him to hurry over to the kids, which snapped him out of his daze and forced him to walk towards the twins, his twins, together in one place with him for the first time since the day they were born. The pulling in his chest was going wild the closer he walked towards them. Luffy absentmindedly rubbed at his chest before bringing his fingers gingerly back to his face, though Uta slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch it. It looks deep. I told you to stay away from those boys. Look what they did to you. They aren't your friends."
Her voice had a distinctly melodic quality to it that immediately struck Shanks and made him pause in his stride for a moment.
"You were sleeping and I just wanted to play. They said that I could as long as their parents didn't see."
"They're not worth it, Lu."
Shanks was pulled out of his head as his chest gave a particularly vicious tug towards the twins, forcing him to take a step closer.
"Ow," Luffy complained, rubbing his chest again with little care before turning his attention back to his face. Uta jerked a little before her eyes travelled over to Shanks. He met her familiar brown orbs as she gave him a curious and wary look. He could already see a shadow in her eyes that spoke of having been exposed to the darkness of the world. He cursed himself in his head that his daughter had already had some semblance of her innocence stolen away from her. Shanks pulled himself together and approached the group as Luffy let out a pitiful moan. He quickly took Makino's place and examined his son's face.
"Your sister is right. The glass is deep. I'll have to take it out carefully. You'll need stitches and it will likely scar. Hongo's assisting the village doctor. Got a first aid kit, Makino?"
"Behind the bar."
"I can handle this myself then."
"Hear that, Lu? You've got your first battle scar. Now you can start off as a pirate right," Uta told him.
"I didn't get this doing battle, you had to save me," Luffy pouted.
"So? We'll save each other all the time when we sail together. I just did it early. And you've saved me plenty too. I'm sure your pirate friend has needed help before, stop being so stubborn."
"Listen to your sister, Luffy. I'm sure Benn has told you tons of stories about times I've needed help."
Luffy jumped then, excitedly standing up despite Makino and Shanks' warnings not to move too much.
"Oh, oh, oh! I finally get to introduce you. Uta, this is Captain Shanks. He has a big ship and a great crew and lots of cool stories. Shanks, this is my twin sister, Uta. She's the coolest and smartest person in Windmill Village. She's the greatest singer in the world and she can hit people really hard with a mop. Now you guys can be best friends!"
Despite how off-kilter Shanks felt, he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him at Luffy's declaration.
"How about we patch you up first, then we'll worry about forging friendships, huh," Makino suggested as Shanks grabbed Luffy and lifted him up in his arms. He probably could've walked, but Shanks felt better holding him. Plus, Luffy was clumsy. He may well trip and stick the glass even further into his face.
"Can I borrow your glue, Maki? I want to fix Mrs. Patrix's mop before she sees I broke it again," Uta asked.
"You know where to find it, dear."
The girl nodded and flitted off ahead of them towards Party's Bar. Shanks watched her go, still feeling a squeezing in his chest that he had finally seen his daughter, she was there in front of him and he was getting to lay eyes on her. However, as the breeze kicked up and blew through her red and white hair, a scent wafted towards him from her. A scent that shouldn't have been there, not yet, not for another 5 years at least.
He found himself freezing in place as he stared after Uta, wide-eyed. Makino paused beside him and gave him a sad yet knowing look.
Shanks let out a shaky breath as realization crashed down on him.
Uta had manifested and she didn't have just any second gender, she was a gamma.
Shanks had not been living exactly sober during his time in Windmill. He spent every day at the bar in fact, however, his alcohol intake had cut down drastically from his usual. He had no intention of getting black out drunk around Luffy or passing out in a stupor where he could see. Besides, he wanted to be as alert as possible so he could soak up every bit of his attention and love. Alcohol would just dull his effect and Shanks didn't want that. The memories he wanted to chase away were worth battling if he was sober enough to catalogue the twinkle in Luffy's eyes when he smiled at Shanks, the mischievous curve of his lip when he was trying to steal Lucky Roux's last chicken leg, the awestruck expression as he sat at Benn and Yasopp's knee and listened to their stories, the 'shishishi' of his laughter whenever he played tag with Monster, Bonk Punch and Limejuice, his boisterous shouting of Shanks' name in greeting followed by the tightest hug whenever he saw him, even if it had only been a few minutes. Why would Shanks want an ounce of alcohol to take away from all that?
Tonight was different. Someone had hurt his daughter so badly, traumatized her so much, that they forced her body to change on a hormonal level and made her manifest 6, 7 even 8 years too early.
Shanks had been perfectly average in that regard. He manifested at 13, as most did, the manifestation triggered by puberty. Buggy had manifested later than most did at 15 years old but he was a late bloomer in all things anyway. It was rare to manifest much later than that without extreme extenuating circumstances but everyone settled into a distinction by 17 years old.
Late manifestations were one thing, early manifestations were a whole other ballpark.
Old wisdom (i.e. propogandist bullshit) said it happened to people whose souls were impure, marked from birth as wrong, evil or demonic. People who manifested early did not manifest as alphas, betas or omegas. Their bodies had not developed enough to settle into a traditional second gender. Instead, they manifested as gammas, the rarest of all secondary genders. They didn't have scent glands and couldn't control their own scents, they did not ever go into a rut or a heat like an alpha or an omega would, as far as anyone could tell they couldn't reproduce naturally at all. They didn't fall into the traditional perception of alphas, betas or omegas which led to gammas being ostracized and discriminated against even worse than other distinctions were. They were rare and due to how young they were when they manifested, they were at an even higher risk of being exploited. The manifestation process itself was particularly difficult for them, usually preceded by an intense illness that brought many close to death before slowly abating. If they survived it, then they had the prejudice of the world to look forward to. There had even been a time when they were confined for "rehabilitation" due to their wrong nature.
All of that was garbage. There was no divine being deciding to punish somebody's soul by making them manifest as a gamma. Early manifestations were triggered by one thing: someone trying to claim or bond with a child before they had come into their second gender. The child was much too young to go through a bonding initiation. They didn't have teeth made to bite or scent glands that were ready to be bitten, their body was not ready to accept another for mateship nor had their body gone through the necessary hormonal changes to settle on a distinction. When a bite was forced on children, their body had to compensate by making them manifest early to save their own lives and the only distinction their young, undeveloped bodies could settle on was gamma.
That's what had happened to Uta.
Shanks was beyond pissed. He had never been this angry in his entire life. Worst still, he had no one to direct the anger at. The faceless man who had done this to his daughter was dead before Shanks could get his hands on him. Oh, the things he would've done to that man would've made a saint cry. He would've destroyed him in every way possible in retribution for what he took from Uta.
Alongside the anger Shanks felt was more guilt than he knew what to do with. If his daughter had been with him, this would've never happened. The Marines would've come after them, his enemies would've come too, but Shanks would've been there. He would've been there to stand between her and anyone that wanted to hurt her. She wouldn't have been here alone for some waste of space to pluck her up like she was some flower and cart her off to a nightmare. Her life wouldn't have been perfect or safe but she hadn't been safe here either. So what was the point?
That brought him straight back to anger. He was furious with himself for letting his children go and just hoping that Garp would've been a decent fucking grandparent. The man was the Hero of the Marines and yet his son had rebelled against him so much that he had become the World Government's most wanted criminal. That should've clued Shanks in that Garp's parenting skills left much to be desired, but Shanks had been young and too caught up in his own emotions about his past that he let it cloud what his children's future could be. Now it had led to this.
"You need to calm down," Benn cautioned for what was probably the fifth time as Shanks paced his office on the Red Force, a half-empty bottle of gin in hand.
After he had patched up Luffy and sent him off with his sister, Shanks had taken a case of liquor from Makino and walked back to the Red Force, his haki a barely leashed beast that wanted to lash out and let his roiling emotions be known. He only managed to reign it in by reminding himself that Luffy and Uta were here and he didn't want to hurt them any more than he already had. As much as he tried to control it, it was still rolling off him in waves and Benn had come by shortly to see what was wrong.
He quickly had become just as irate as Shanks and the two drank through the case of liquor together. Rather than soothe some of his ire, it just made Shanks angrier and Benn had been spending the last half hour trying to convince him why taking the Red Force straight to wherever Garp was and beating the living daylights out of him was a bad idea.
"I entrusted my children to him for him to protect them and what the fuck has he done? Left them on their own with no legal guardian to raise them. When he does show up, it's to throw them around for a bit and chuck them into the woods to try and survive on their own. When he's not here, they're getting kidnapped and forcibly bonded to. Why the fuck shouldn't I let him know what a piss-poor grandfather he's been?"
"Logically? Because that would lead to an all-out war between you and him. We'd all ride with you straight into the belly of that beast, but people will wonder why Akagami no Shanks suddenly has a hard-on for Garp's head. That wondering will turn to investigating which might just uncover this little secret. But more to the point, he's not the one you're really angry with. Now, don't get me wrong, you should be angry with that jackass for what he's done, or rather what he hasn't done, but right now the person you're most pissed at is yourself. Until you deal with that, I can't have you running off and starting anything with a Vice Admiral of the Marines."
Shanks held Benn's gaze for a moment before he deflated and sat heavily on top of his desk.
"It's all my fault," Shanks breathed out mournfully, clutching the edge of the table tightly to stop his trembling fingers.
"How do you figure that?"
"I wasn't here for her! My daughter was kidnapped, tortured and traumatized and what was I doing? Probably drinking at some party when I should've been with her."
"Yes, that's true. But you couldn't have known this would happen."
"I should've thought of it, I should've done more."
"How could you have planned for this? You trusted them to Garp. You knew it was a risk but keeping them was a risk too. You weighed the two and at the time, Garp was the safer option. Honestly? He still is. We're not ready to keep them. We will be soon, but we're still not there yet. This awful thing happened to Uta, but it could've happened if she stayed with us too. It could've happened if you were here with her. Like it or not, you're not infallible, none of us are. If we were, Limejuice wouldn't have been taken by Whitebeard's son. Uta could've been taken the same way if she were with us and the same thing could've happened."
"You don't know that."
"Exactly. We don't know that. That's the point."
Benn sighed before moving to sit on the desk beside Shanks.
"Playing this game of 'what if' isn't helping anything. You putting all of this on yourself also isn't helping much. Take responsibility only for the wrongs you committed, Garp should do the same, but the main fault for this goes to the man who hurt her in the first place and he's rotting in Hell for his sins. Don't make your time on Earth with her a Hell of your own making. You get the chance to make up for lost time with her now. You've already been doing it with Luffy, you can with her too now that you know what the divide with her stems from."
"I don't deserve to. I came to this island to fulfill my own selfish desires to see them. I wasn't thinking about what they need, if it's best for them in the long run for me to even be here. I can't stay, I'll have to leave them again and when I do how is the bond going to react? Will they get sick again, like when they were babies? Will it have some other effects that I don't know about? I didn't think this through at all."
"Shanks, you never think things through but that's what the crew is for. We're your pack and here to support you. We'll figure out how the bond reacts when we get to that bridge, the same as we did before. But hear me when I say this: you wanting to see your children after seven years doesn't make you selfish, it makes you a father. You love them. You loved them since the day they were born. When you love something, you protect it. That's all you've ever done for them and for us too. You aren't a seer or a god. You can't foresee every bad thing that's going to happen to them and you can't prevent it all from happening, but you can be there for them through it. Now, for the first time in their lives, you get to do just that. Don't waste that chance by wallowing in self-pity."
Shanks met Benn's gaze. Benn was steady even as Shanks felt his insides shaking and shuddering with disgust and guilt and grief and shame. Benn was strong and stalwart and allowing Shanks to fall apart. He felt safe to do so because Benn had seen him in some of his lowest moments and there was never judgement against him, never pity but always understanding, support and strength. Shanks let his head fall on the alpha's shoulder, letting the protective scent wash over him in a way that was not abrasive like other alpha scents were to him. Benn was his pack-brother and it set him apart from other alphas in Shanks' heart and mind.
"Can I at least get tonight to wallow in self-pity? I can be strong tomorrow, yeah?"
Benn chuckled lightly but before he could answer, they heard Makino's voice faintly alongside panicked shouting.
The two shared a brief look before they walked over to the window in Shanks' office and peered out to the docks. It was midnight by now, most of Windmill Village was sleeping and even Makino should've been turning in now, but Shanks could see her in her nightdress on the boardwalk hurrying after a small figure that was backing away and gesturing wildly. It didn't take much for Shanks to realize it was Uta who appeared to be in some kind of panic. Shanks barely took a moment to think before he bolted out of the office and made his way down towards them, Benn following right after. As they got closer, they could hear Makino pleading with the young girl.
"Uta, I need you to come back with me. It was just a nightmare, dear."
"No! H— He came back. He's here!"
"Uta, he's gone. He can't come back. He can't hurt you."
"No! He wants Lu! H—He's going t—to hurt him," the girl protested, her voice trembling.
"Darling, it was a nightmare. I promise you, Luffy is back in bed right now. If you come with me—"
"No! I can't… I— I need to find him," Uta retorted, backing up again towards some tied up fishing boats.
Her eyes were far-off and glassy, like she wasn't totally awake, and she was hyperventilating. One of her hands were clutching her throat and the other was clenched on her stomach as she weakly took another stumbling step backwards towards the water. Makino looked over then, noticing the two men.
"Alright, Makino," Benn asked.
"Uta had another of her nightmares about… the incident. They can be very vivid sometimes. It takes a bit to snap her out of it. Luffy can but that medicine Hongo gave him for his face really knocked him out. I can stay out here with her. Once I've calmed her down, she'll come back with me. You two can head back to bed. Don't worry about us."
Shanks observed his daughter, feeling his heart break in the process. He knew exactly what was happening to her, knew that it went beyond just a reaction to a nightmare, though that was part of it. He had had enough panic attacks to spot one. Christ, she was only seven years old. This shouldn't be happening to her. He spared her another sorrowful look before he stood up straighter, his decision made. Right then, enough moping.
He took careful steps forward towards the girl, lightly waving off Makino's protests. He stopped when he was three feet away and crouched down so he wasn't towering over her. He let a comforting scent come stronger from him, blown towards her on the breeze even as the pull inside of him stretched out at her. Uta jolted a little and met his gaze.
"Hello Uta, do you remember me?"
She narrowed her glazed eyes in confusion at him.
"I'm Shanks, Luffy talks about me, I'm sure."
"Y— You know Luffy?"
"I do."
"He's gone! A bad man took him!"
"Well, I can help you find him, but first I'm going to need you to calm down. You're having a panic attack and we need to get your breathing under control."
Uta's eyes slid away from him but Shanks inched closer and cautiously reached out a hand to her cheek. His fingers tingled at the contact and Uta jerked again before meeting his gaze.
"Keep your eyes on me. I need you to focus so I can help you breathe properly. I know your mind is probably racing and you feel like you're dying, but you're not. This is going to end. I need you to follow me. Breathe in for four, hold for one, out for four. Okay?"
"I can't," she muttered feebly.
"You can. I'm right here with you. Don't think or speak, just breathe with me."
It seemed to take the girl a moment before she was able to force herself to begin the breathing exercises Shanks prompted. He wasn't sure how long they stood there before Uta's breathing went back to some semblance of normality, though the breaths still stuttered and shook from the shivers running through the girl's body.
"Good girl. You're in Windmill Village. My name is Captain Shanks. Makino is here too and Benn, my first mate. You're at the docks and you can see the sky and the stars. You can see the windmills behind me and the mountains much farther away. You can feel the wood from the boardwalk under your feet. You can feel my hand on your face and your hair blowing in the wind. You can smell the salty sea air and the smoke from Mr. Canen's slow roast. You can hear my voice and you can hear the sea, the waves crashing and the boats creaking from the water pushing them. You're safe, you're home. Luffy is asleep, there's no bad man here to take either one of you away. I promise."
Uta held his gaze for a moment, her eyes losing the far away glaze and gaining more and more awareness with every second. She looked back briefly at Makino and Benn before turning her gaze back to Shanks.
"Hello there," he greeted, giving her a comforting smile.
Her eyes welled with tears before she looked down, shame crossing her face.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I shouldn't have disturbed… I'm sorry."
Shanks' heart clenched in his chest at that.
"You don't have to apologize. I've had my fair share of panic attacks. I know there's no dignity in them but they're nothing to feel shame over or apologize for. You didn't disturb me, I'm glad I was here to help you."
"You… you've had episodes like that before? I thought… I…" she trailed off with a full body shudder.
"You don't have to speak now. Give your body some time. It's still recovering."
The girl nodded before looking over as Makino stepped close to them.
"Come on, Uta. It's chilly out here and you're only in your pajamas. Let's get you back to bed."
Makino reached out to her but the girl shied away from her touch, stepping closer to Shanks instead. The two older omegas shared a look before glancing down at the younger.
"Would you like it if I walked with you and Makino back to Party's, Uta?"
The girl nodded wordlessly before slotting herself to Shanks' side, clutching onto his leg, occasional shudders still wracking her frame and loose tears running down her face.
"Is it alright if I carry you, Uta? You don't have shoes on, I don't want you to hurt your feet."
Uta hesitated for only a moment before she nodded again. Shanks lifted her into his arms and rubbed her back comfortingly as she locked her legs and arms around him, pressing her face into his neck just as Luffy had. Makino made no comment about it this time nor did she or Benn say anything as Shanks spoke in a mindless stream of chatter to Uta, giving her anecdotes about her surroundings to keep her grounded and away from the nightmares that had pulled her down this road.
When they arrived back to Party's Bar, Makino led him to her apartment and towards Luffy's room, or the room where he slept when he stayed with Makino anyway. Luffy was fast asleep, Hongo's medicine having all but sedated him. Shanks grabbed an extra blanket and wrapped the shivering girl in it before laying her down next to Luffy. She immediately cuddled up to her twin brother. Shanks ran his fingers through her hair comfortingly and made to leave, but Uta reached out and grabbed his hand before he could.
"Wait. Can— can you stay until I fall asleep," she asked in a small voice.
Shanks gave her a tender smile in response and nodded before grabbing a chair and pulling up to the bedside. He continued running his fingers through her hair and lightly hummed a song that Rouge would sing when he or Buggy had had nightmares. Uta must've known the song too because she hummed along and then sang the lyrics in a soft tone.
Her voice truly was as beautiful as Luffy had said it was. Shanks was entranced by it and time ceased to mean anything the longer he listened to her. He wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point, his eyes started to feel droopy and a slumber he couldn't fight began to settle on him. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
When he woke up in the morning, he was alone in the room. The bed was made and there was a cup of coffee on the dresser next to him. He went downstairs to the bar. Several of his crew were already strewn about the place, eating breakfast while Makino stood wiping down the counter.
"Morning, captain," she greeted, a genial smile on her face.
"I'm sorry for intruding last night. I meant to come back downstairs and talk to you, but I ended up drifting off. My apologies."
"It's no trouble. I would've stayed with Uta anyway, but she wanted your company it seemed like."
"Most omegas prefer the company of other omegas during situations like that, so it's no surprise."
"That might've been part of it, but it's more than that. I think we both know that don't we, captain?"
Shanks glanced up and met the young woman's eyes. There was a knowing look in them that told Shanks that she had figured out the truth and any denial would've been fruitless.
"How?"
"I wasn't sure at first, thought it might've just been them gravitating towards an omega, looking for that parental connection with them, the way they do with me. But there's more. It's in the way they react to your scent, it's in how you look at them, how your crew behaves with them, the way you hold your chest just like they do when you get near each other or when you get farther away from one another. The twins look more like their alpha father, especially Luffy, but I can see the similarities to you once I knew to look for them. It wouldn't be obvious to others though. I suppose it's important to you that it's not obvious."
"My enemies…"
"Whatever enemies you have certainly won't hear a word about this from me. But Luffy adores you already and I've never seen Uta latch on to someone so quickly, especially not when she's in that kind of state. If nothing else, they deserve to know."
Before Shanks could reply, Luffy's distinctive 'shishishi' came floating into the bar alongside an unfamiliar giggle that sounded like windchimes blowing in the breeze and Benn's distinctive voice. A moment later, Benn walked into the bar with Luffy perched on one shoulder and Luta perched on the other. All three of them were dripping wet.
"Do I even want to know," Makino asked, eyeing the puddle the three were making.
"Sorry, Makino. We were fishing and had a bit of an incident with a certain someone who got a little impatient," Benn explained, pointing to Luffy who shrugged unapologetically.
"All the waiting was getting boring. I just wanted to catch the thing already so we could get Shanks' present."
"Present? For me?"
Benn set the twins down. Hongo snatched Luffy up, fussing about his stitches interacting with saltwater while Uta glanced around the room nervously, taking in all the unfamiliar faces. She looked back at Benn who gave her an encouraging nod followed by a wink. Uta shot him a smile and nodded in return before she approached Shanks. She looked down silently for a moment, one of her fingers twisting in the hem of her yellow dress as the other thrust forward to present him with a bouquet of familiar red flowers to him.
"I wanted to thank you for helping me, Captain Shanks. I noticed the hibiscus on your bracelet thing and I remembered Mrs. Chicken has some in her flower box. She said I could get some if I brought her a big enough fish in exchange for them. Mr. Benn and Luffy helped me catch a fish."
Shanks took the flowers from her and gave her a bright smile, his heart instantly swelling with love for her.
"Do you like them," she asked shyly.
"I love them. Thank you."
Uta peeked up at him from beneath her bangs and gave him a large smile. He blinked at the brilliance of it. It was just as bright as Luffy's grins but somehow it felt even more precious. Perhaps because Shanks could tell that they were rare for her. He immediately knew that he should treasure being the recipient of that smile.
"Now that that's out of the way, tell us a story, Shanks!" Luffy exclaimed, clambering up onto the stool at Shanks' right as Uta moved to the stool on his left.
"Lu, that's not how you ask. Don't you have any manners," Uta chastised.
"Why would I need them? You have them for me."
"That's not how it works," she sighed in exasperation before turning to Shanks.
"Mr. Benn says you have the best tales and Luffy's talked about it a lot too. Can you please tell us a story?"
Shanks felt a smile crack across his face as Uta stared up at him with innocent eyes, the darkness and shadows that had been there before having receded to the background. Her gaze was filled to bursting with curiosity, just like Luffy's always were, but she was much more subdued than he was, not bouncing in her seat but instead patiently waiting for Shanks' answer. The twins were different in a lot of ways, but Shanks adored them both.
"How about I tell you a story of the woman who gave me this bracelet thing? Not a lot of people know the story of the woman who was the pirate queen in all but name. Hibiscus Rouge."
Both Luffy and Uta's eyes widened as they simultaneously leaned in closer to him.
"Tell us everything," they both exclaimed at the same time.
Shanks chuckled in reply before nodding and launching into his story.
There was a deep-seated hole in his heart that he had been harboring for seven years now that was finally starting to fill again. It spoke of the possibility of completion, that there was a chance that the existence he'd been living without his children was coming to an end. He'd no longer have to feel a pull to a place he didn't and may never know, he wouldn't have to keep carrying on like he was missing a limb, a vital piece of him flung far across the seas with no way for him to find it again. He was here and so were they, on either side of him and staring up at him with eyes that held nothing but admiration.
It was easy to ignore everything else in the world and just be in this moment.
AN: I tried to keep this fluffy but then I decided Shanks was getting a little too happy. I tried to bring it back in the end though and I promise there will be plenty of fluff with Shanks, Luffy, Uta and the rest of the crew in the next chapter.
In regard to one of the major changes here, the origin of Luffy's scar. It'll be explained more in the next chapter, but Luffy and Uta are very close. Their bond as twins is heightened due to the fact that this is an A/B/O-verse but also because of their lost connection to Shanks, it made their bond with each other even stronger to compensate. As a result, like Luffy mentioned, sometimes they can feel each other's physical pain. Therefore, I couldn't see Luffy stabbing himself in the face to prove his strength when he knows it could result in Uta feeling that hurt as well.
There will be more changes from canon as well and some things will be the same. Stay tuned for more to come. Again, not sure when the next update will be. Hopefully by next week though.
