Chapter Five: Covenants of Blood and Water
Chapter Summary: In the aftermath of meeting Ace, Shanks has yet another unpleasant encounter, teaches the twins a lesson and manages to have a semi-rational conversation with his almost-brother (featuring Uta and Luffy being chaotic little troublemakers).
AN: I finally managed to write a chapter that is more fluff than angst. I was seriously doubting if I could do it, but I did. There are some feels here but there is definitely fluff for you guys. Also, now that the twins are comfortable with Shanks and gotten all that angst out, they are free to be the chaotic little troublemakers they are at heart. Poor Shanks is in for a rude awakening.
Shanks felt like he was swimming under water. Sound around him was drowned out, his limbs felt heavy and his thoughts sluggish. He couldn't tear his eyes away from where Ace had stormed off.
Gol D. Ace, or Portgas D. Ace he supposed. Either way, Rouge and Roger's son. The boy that he had thought died along with his mother. If he was here, did that mean Rouge was…?
No. No, she couldn't be here. There was no way Ace would have that kind of anger and pain overwhelming his small body if Rouge was alive to raise him, nor would he harbor that level of hate for the captain. That meant Rouge was dead.
Roger's death was one thing. Shanks had witnessed the Marine pole arms pierce his body, had seen him give one last laugh before the light faded from his eyes. With Rouge, it was different. There was no confirmation, no news about her life or death. With the atrocities on Baterilla swept under the rug by the World Government, it seemed Rouge's existence was all but forgotten by the public as well. On one hand, if she lived this anonymity only benefitted her. On the other hand, the World Government could use that to disavow their crimes and do as they pleased to Rouge's memory with no one to stop them or protest, at least not loud enough to make a difference.
With no word either way, Shanks had allowed a bit of hope to fester inside of him. All this time, there was a piece of him that imagined she had beat the odds. He had seen his mother do it before. That was the story of her life. She beat the odds to become a pirate captain, beat the odds to rise to fame as Hibiscus Rouge, beat the odds to have a relationship with an alpha where power and respect was shared equally. He had held out hope that she beat the odds again and lived. He imagined her on an island similar to Baterilla, raising her child in relative safety. She would get papers from the newscoo, see his exploits and smile at all he had accomplished, proud that he was following the path that she helped to set him on. Now that he had seen Ace, he knew she was gone.
A wave of long deferred grief hit him, taking his breath away. It was one thing to theorize about his mother's death and another to know it with certainty.
Beyond the grief, Shanks couldn't help but feel a swell of guilt. He had been on Dawn Island for months and hadn't known that Ace was here. Had things gone differently, they would've had a bond which would've enabled him to feel Ace, even if just distantly. It wouldn't be anywhere near as strong as the bond he shared with Uta and Luffy, but it would've been more on par with the one he shared with his crew. Ace would've been his pack-brother along with his adopted brother. Things hadn't gone that way so they had neither pack bond nor blood connection, he couldn't sense him, but he still felt a part of him should've instinctually known. Shanks should have been able to feel him in his bones, in his heart, in his soul, just like he could feel Roger, Rouge, Buggy, Uta and Luffy. Benn would probably tell him he was being needlessly hard on himself for something that he couldn't possibly control but that didn't change how he felt.
He was pulled from his thoughts as a sweet melody broke through his consciousness and caused a layer of tranquility to settle over him.
Let's row out to the open sea
Far as we can go
To the unknown
I've got to keep on dreaming
No surrendering, go on
Hoist the sail inside my open heart
And let me heed the call of the sea
I've got to keep on singing
Until you feel it, just hold on
Oh, the winds will change, I promisе you
My voice will see us through to the end
As Uta's song ended, Shanks felt the influence of her power slowly receding but leaving behind a sense of peace that calmed his troubled thoughts.
He glanced down to see the twins staring up at him with worry.
"I'm sorry I used my powers on you, but you were shaking and you weren't breathing right. I thought you might be having a… well, one of our episodes," Uta explained, glancing back at where the mountain bandit was still stood watching the scene with judgmental eyes.
"It wasn't so bad as that but thank you. I needed to get out of my own head," Shanks said, leaning down to kiss a mostly clean part of Uta's head. The girl beamed up at him in return.
"You looked really sad, Shanks. Are you sure you're okay," Luffy asked, looking him up and down as if for signs of something wrong.
"I was just thinking about lost friends, that's all."
"You mean Ace's parents," Uta asked somewhat hesitantly.
Shanks wasn't surprised she realized what he wasn't saying. She was perceptive that way.
"Yeah, Ace's parents."
"And yours too, I guess. Does that make you and Ace brothers," she asked, contemplating the notion and apparently not liking it very much.
"In another life, maybe."
"I should've known, really," Dadan said, speaking up for the first time in a while.
Shanks glanced over at her. She was staring at him with disdain, though that seemed to be the face she always wore so who knew what she was really feeling.
"I'm sorry?"
"You oughta leave these woods, pirate. I've got enough trouble dealing with the little shit Garp dumped on me, I don't need more demon spawn breathing the same air as me. Two of you in one place is bound to draw attention. I don't need that kind of trouble."
Of course Garp brought Ace here. That was the only thing that made sense for how both Ace and the twins were living on the same island, practically in the same village. It couldn't be a coincidence. Garp was the only Marine in the world who would've seen past Ace's heritage to the innocent child he was and brought him to safety. But he was also the only man irresponsible enough to dump him in the care of mountain bandits and call it a day.
But why did Ace look so young? What did he know about his parents that made him so full of hate? What else had the world done to him to make him so angry?
"Demon spawn?"
"You and Ace both. King of the Pirates? Maybe. King of the Devils too."
Shanks clenched his teeth at that. The World Government had gone on a very successful campaign after Roger's death, painting him as the most heinous villain they could in an attempt to dissuade people from following in his footsteps, freeing themselves and taking to the seas to look for his treasure. Although they had smeared his name and reputation, people still followed his lead, many of them for the wrong reasons, not truly understanding who the man was. Shanks couldn't imagine what Ace thought about his parents if all he knew was the government propaganda about Roger and likely nothing about Rouge.
"Is that what you've been putting in his head? That he's demon spawn?"
"Me and everyone else he's ever heard speak about Gold Roger. But you don't know that kid. He's the Devil's son for sure. He acts like something straight outta Hell anyway."
"Roger was many things, but he was no devil. He was just a man and he died like any other man would."
"Gold Roger? He might've been mortal, but he was not like any other man. You should know that better than anyone else if you really were his pup."
"It's because I was his that I know just how mortal he was. He was a man who wanted freedom and opposed those who tried to take it from him. That's the man who was Ace's father."
"Maybe that's the man who was your father, pirate. But all he gave Ace was a target on his back and a noose around his neck. That boy is destined for the same fate as his father and he knows it too. He's going to bring it on himself if the world doesn't do it for him first."
The woman spoke gruffly and most of her words were scathing and insulting but Shanks could pick up on the worry beneath the surface that she harbored for Ace and the prospect that he believed himself destined to die just as Roger had, her fear of what he might be willing to do to fulfill that destiny.
"Whatever. I suppose you demons will prefer to flock together. If you're sticking around, you'd best take him off my hands. He's not my damn problem. If you were going to be his brother in another life, then you deal with him. I'm tired of the little shit."
Shanks watched the woman stomp back into the house and slam the door shut, causing the whole house to shake.
"Charming woman," he muttered under his breath.
The kids heard him anyway and Uta shrugged in reply.
"She's rough but she wants what's best for us really. Ace scares her. He's always going off on his own and picking fights. He doesn't like his dad much, but he hates it when he thinks people have insulted him. He'll start fighting and he's gotten beat up so bad that he nearly died a few times. Dadan's always really upset about it and threatens him to try to get him to stop but Ace just goes and does the same thing all over again. Grandpa says he's going to have to learn to be strong sooner or later, but he shouldn't pick fights he can't win. Ace doesn't listen to him either. He doesn't listen to anyone, stupid Freckleface," Uta explained, shaking her head with exasperation as she recounted the boy's exploits.
"Have you known Ace long?"
"I met him when I first came here to train with Dadan. I tried to be nice to him since we have the same grandpa, and he kicked a tree over and nearly crushed me."
"Kicked a tree…?" Shanks trailed off, alarmed.
"He's really strong and he uses it to try to constantly kill people. Growing up with only bandits and Grandpa around doesn't help you get good manners, I guess. Still, he's a jerk."
Shanks stared down at his daughter, disturbed and morbidly fascinated as she described Ace's general behavior. He wondered just how much natural strength and power the boy had inherited from his parents. Roger too was unnaturally strong from birth, which only grew with training, and he had been proficient in all types of Haki, so much so that he could go toe-to-toe with the likes of Newgate despite his Devil Fruit. However, Rouge's Haki mastery had rivaled even Rayleigh's. She had trained Shanks herself in the use of his Haki, especially his Conqueror's Haki, from a young age when she realized he possessed the potential for it. He would bet his life that Ace had similar raw talent but might not have the best outlet for it, or training. Garp certainly wasn't around to train him.
He cast his eyes to where the boy had stormed off to and let his Observation Haki flow through him, seeking the boy's aura out. Luffy and Uta let out short sounds of alarm as the wind stirred a little stronger, kicking up leaves and grass which stuck to Uta's muddy hair and dress. Shanks kept his focus ranged out. He could feel Ace getting farther away, getting closer to other people whose souls felt murky, darkened by ill-intentions. The boy's strength noticeably outshined the majority of those darker figures, confirming Shanks' suspicions about his inherited skill. Ace was a bright star amongst the woods, his being alight with fury that licked at Shanks' soul like an open flame. Beneath all that anger he could sense his heart was wretched with pain, guilt, self-hatred and deep yearning. It caused Shanks' own heart to feel like it was being twisted and jerked in his chest, both from the familiarity of those feelings and from his heartache that a child that young was feeling that way, a child belonging to Roger and Rouge no less.
He found himself taking a step towards where Ace had gone but a small hand stopped him. He looked down at Uta who had a grip on him.
"You should let him go. He needs time. He'll just go to his friend Sabo anyway. Sabo can usually help him calm down."
Shanks looked back to where he had gone once more. Ace was much closer to another person now. This person's aura was also stronger than the average person around them, though nowhere near as strong as Ace or Uta and Luffy. The person felt young, probably the same age as Ace, but they were significantly calmer. Where Ace felt like a raging inferno, the new boy felt more like the gentle rocking of waves. He too had a bundle of pain, self-deprecation and shame nestled inside of him but it did not appear to dominate him the way it did with Ace.
He stepped back, deciding Uta was right. He doubted he'd be able to have a calm, rational conversation with the boy at the moment, not when he was so wrought with emotion. He'd give him some time and then he'd approach him.
"Come on, we've got to get you into a bath, Songbird. And it's nearly lunch time. We've got a trek ahead of us, we'd better start now."
The mention of food and a bath had both children perking up before each grabbed one of his hands and started dragging him away back towards Windmill Village, drawing a chuckle from Shanks at their eagerness. He threw one last look back at where Ace had disappeared to before making a silent vow to himself. He would make this right. He would honor Roger and Rouge's memory by being there for their son and he would not leave Windmill until he was certain that that boy would be just as safe and cared for as Uta and Luffy by the time Shanks sailed away. He would not abandon him the way he felt he and Buggy were abandoned. Official or not, Ace was pack, he was family, and Shanks would fulfill his duty to him.
The hike back towards Windmill was mostly silent, at least on Shanks part. His mind was full of everything that could've happened to Ace in the years after Roger's execution. Shanks had only been with Rouge for a couple of months before he left the Grand Line altogether. He knew she saw Buggy during her pregnancy as well, but he wondered when she ended up running across Garp. What had happened for the Vice Admiral to take Ace and bring him here, years before Luffy and Uta were even born? Who else knew of Ace's existence and his parentage? The mountain bandit obviously did but was Makino aware? Was Mayor Woop Slap? Was Dragon?
Now that he did know Ace was alive, what would Shanks do? He was no closer to having a plan to secure Uta and Luffy's safety, now he had to worry about Ace as well. He was in just as much danger as them, if not more. The World Government was obsessed with eradicating as much of Roger's memory as they possibly could. If they knew his son was still alive, they wouldn't hesitate to exterminate him and everyone who knew him. Dawn Island would become another Baterilla.
Windmill Village was a quiet, rural town full of fishermen and three lawmen in total. It was remote enough that the Five Elders could put the whole town to the sword and cover it up with no one the wiser. They wouldn't even have to send their best for that task, it would only be a matter of giving the word to the king of Goa and he'd dispatch a force himself on his own people. He'd be compensated for the lives and loss of labor in berri and the world would move on. If they were feeling particularly inclined, they could just put a Buster Call out on the island and just like every other time, people would eat up the excuses and move right along. Ohara showed that easily enough. Shanks wouldn't let that happen again. He could do nothing for Baterilla but he would do all in his power to prevent Windmill Village from suffering the same fate. The best way to do that was to make sure Dawn Island didn't pop up on the government's radar in the first place. Uta, Luffy and Ace needed to be protected, safe, hidden until they were strong enough to defend themselves. Shanks needed to be ready to fight for them in the meantime.
Although he was lost in his own head, Uta and Luffy were chattering away, Uta telling Luffy all the crazy things Ace had done. Despite the spitting incident, Luffy had apparently decided Ace's inherent coolness due to his parentage overrode any lingering disgust and now he wanted to be Ace's friend. Uta was trying to convince him why it was a bad idea with copious amounts of insults to Ace's intelligence thrown in. Her message didn't seem to be dimming her brother's enthusiasm, much to her annoyance.
"Why do you want to be friends with him so bad? He's an annoying, crazy jerk. And he spit on you. He'll probably try to murder you. Plus, he's always falling asleep at weird times."
"His parents are the Pirate King and Hibiscus Rouge, do you know how cool that is?"
"He's not his parents. Just because they're cool doesn't mean he is. He's the worst."
"I don't care. I wanna be his friend anyways."
Uta rolled her eyes in response.
"Not everyone is worth being friends with, Lu."
"Maybe not, but he is. He's good, I could tell, even if he's gross. Plus, you're his friend, so he can't be that bad."
Uta squawked in response.
"What makes you think I'm his friend?!"
"I've seen you fight people when you're really mad, like the boys who cut my face. One time, one of them couldn't walk for a week after you were done with him. If you wanted to hurt Ace, you could've, but you didn't. You like him."
"Just because I didn't break his face this time doesn't mean I like him. It's all this mud on me, I can't move properly, otherwise I would've hit him much harder."
"Eh, I don't believe you."
"I'm telling the truth!"
"Are not."
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are too! I hate Ace and I'll prove it."
"How?"
"Next time I see him, I'll break his nose!"
"Or, you could go back to being my sweet little Songbird who wouldn't hurt a fly unless that fly was bothering Luffy," Shanks suggested, breaking into the verbal spar.
Both children glanced up at him and blinked in reply.
"But I like hitting Ace," Uta replied simply.
"I wanna see them fight. I never get to see Uta fight people that aren't bad people. Plus, Ace is her friend. She won't hurt him too bad," Luffy added with a shrug.
"He's not my friend," Uta growled angrily.
Luffy responded by sticking his tongue out at her.
"Race me to that tree with the mossy vine. If I win, you stop saying Ace is my friend," Uta demanded.
"You're on."
Shanks shook his head in amusement, the two of them could be ridiculously competitive when they wanted to be.
"Since it seems to be such an important matter of honor and pride, I'd better referee you two."
Luffy and Uta nodded in agreement.
"Count us down, Shanks," Luffy ordered with a determined pout.
"Please," Uta tacked on, her face mirroring her brother's.
Shanks shook his head again with a grin on his face, his previous melancholy pushed to the back of his mind at his children's antics.
"On your marks, get set, go!"
The twins shot off, both running as quickly as their short legs would go. They were neck and neck the whole time, though Luffy started pulling ahead the barest amount.
"Hey look, a dog," Uta called out, pointing off to the left.
"Ooh, a doggie?!" Luffy asked, slowing down as he looked around for the dog, allowing Uta to pull ahead of him and reach the tree a few seconds before Luffy did.
"I win."
"No fair, you cheated!"
"Mr. Benn says there's no such thing as cheating when you're a pirate. So, I win."
"You tricked me! Shanks, tell her it's not fair!"
"The lady's not wrong, Anchor. Cheating is relative when you're a pirate."
"Ha, sore loser," Uta taunted, sticking her tongue out at him.
"But you two are not pirates yet," he continued.
"We are too," Luffy and Uta protested at the same time.
"You said pirates live their lives free and that's what we do. It's just that Windmill is too small to be free properly," Uta said.
"Yeah, we just need a ship so we can go see the world, then we can be proper pirates," Luffy added.
"You should let us join your crew," the twins finished together.
"Not this again," Shanks mumbled.
"We can do it," Luffy replied.
"You're not ready. The sea is too dangerous and too strong for kids like you."
"You said we're stronger than we think we are," Uta pointed out.
"You are, but the sea will always be stronger."
"That means it's stronger than you and you're still a pirate."
"I'm also an adult capable of making my own decisions and dealing with all the pain that comes with being a pirate."
"I'm not afraid of getting hurt," Luffy protested.
"Me either. Grandpa's trained us how to fight and Dadan's teaching me how to use weapons now. Plus, I've got my Devil Fruit and it makes me stronger. I can put people to sleep if I want to and that'll help me and Luffy stay safe."
"Yeah, and Yasopp's been teaching me how to shoot things 'cause he can't teach Usopp since he's not here and I'm getting better at it."
"He's doing what?" Shanks asked, staring at his son in alarm.
Luffy's eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his mouth as Uta elbowed him.
"I mean, Yasopp's not teaching me how to use a gun. He's just telling me the same boring stories about his son, that's all," Luffy awkwardly said, trying to smooth over the slip of the tongue.
Shanks rolled his eyes, resolving to smack Yasopp upside the head next time he saw the beta. He wasn't opposed to the kids learning to use weapons, Rayleigh had started training Shanks on how to use a sword at 5 years old after all, but a little heads up would be nice. Plus, it's Luffy. He's more likely to accidentally shoot himself than anything else.
"I can't take you two on my ship, not until you're old enough to sail. Plus, I quite like the Red Force. I don't want to see it sunk because your grandfather is upset that I let you two be pirates."
"Grandpa won't sink the ship," Luffy protested.
"Not with us on it at least," Uta tacked on.
"Let's not test that theory, shall we?"
Luffy and Uta glanced at one another and had a moment of twinspeak before Luffy turned back with a stubborn frown on his face.
"Give us a test. If we pass it, you have to let us join your crew."
Shanks looked between the two of them. They both had looks of mulishness set on their faces and had clearly resolved to not take no for an answer. Shanks sighed, deciding to humor them as it was obvious arguing would get him nowhere.
"What kind of test?"
"Umm… race us to the river. If we win, we get to join your crew," Uta decided.
Shanks smiled, knowing full well there was no way they could beat him, but he agreed anyway.
"Fine, but if I win, then you two have to clean the entire deck of the Force."
The twins both nodded in response before lining up with him.
"On your mark, get set, go!"
The three of them ran off towards where Shanks could hear water rushing. He stayed back for most of the run, letting the twins pull ahead of him, but as the river came into view he ran in front and reached it first, much to the twins' chagrin.
"I guess I better make sure Limejuice and Gab know they're off the hook for cleaning duty."
"Fine, we'll clean the deck. But we're going to sail on that ship one day," Luffy promised.
I don't doubt that, Shanks privately thought.
"Yeah, we're going to be pirates, just like you," Uta vowed.
"Pirates, eh?" An unfamiliar voice said.
Shanks turned around and saw three men on the other side of the river, coming from behind some trees. They were obviously bandits. Shanks had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed them. A quick assessment told him they weren't powerful enough to be more than a trifle to him but the twins were here, so he resolved to tread carefully. It helped that there was a river between them. Still, he was cautious.
"So, you're the pirates I've been hearing so much tell about," the one he assumed was the leader said.
Shanks stepped up, smoothly putting himself in front of Luffy and Uta despite the bandits' distance.
"That'd be me. Captain Shanks," he nodded in greeting.
The alpha looked him up and down, an openly lascivious leer on his face.
"Omega pirate captain? Never heard of that before. I don't smell a mating bond and there's no bite on your neck. Have all the pirates you've met so far been so weak that none of them could manage to claim you yet?" The man asked, his beta cronies chuckling behind him.
"Who says I'd let myself be claimed?"
The men all started laughing derisively then.
"Let yourself? That's the problem with you pirates. You spend all day floating around on those rafts of yours, letting the sun bake your brains. I have four claimed omegas. I've killed 56 people and my bounty is 8 million berries. You know why? Because I'm a real man, I don't spend my days lazing about the ocean. Nature favored me an alpha. I know my place in the world. You'd better run along, little omega, before I show you just where you belong."
Shanks grit his teeth but didn't let any of what he felt inside show on his face. The bandits across from him bent down to the river, dismissing Shanks and the children. He wordlessly took the twins' hands in his and began walking back to the path that would take them to Windmill Village.
As he got back on the route, he could hear the bandits laughing, probably at some joke made at Shanks' expense. He felt a timeworn surge of indignation and anger.
14 years since he manifested as an omega, 10 years since he set out as a captain, and he was still faced with the same prejudices, the same biases, the same disrespect and insults and lewd advances as he was when he was still a clueless teenager. It was easy sometimes to forget how the world saw him. When he was just among his pack, he was their leader, their captain, their brother. When he was in the Grand Line, being an omega was part of his reputation and it was something he was derided for but it was also not the most important thing about him or the thing that got him the most hatred. The Grand Line had long ago been forced to admit that Akagami no Shanks was not playing at pirate captain but was the real deal whether or not he was an omega or Roger's pup. Encounters like that one always knocked Shanks off-course.
When he was younger, he wouldn't have hesitated to challenge an alpha like that and delight in showing them just how wrong they were. Rouge had told him time and again that not everything needed to devolve into a fight, that if he started fighting at every insult thrown his way now, he'd never stop. She would know that better than most. The best way to shut them up wasn't with a fist but to prove them wrong. Shanks had felt he could do both, and for the longest time, that's what he did.
As he got older, he decided his mother was right. He didn't seek out or start those fights anymore, even when his pride was wounded. Even when alphas challenged him on the sea, claiming that they would tame him, he didn't fight back until they attacked his nakama. Only then did he rise to the challenge and thoroughly trounce them. That wasn't to say the urge to pick fights wasn't there. He was only human after all and there were only so many insults that could run down his back, but it was easier to ignore those insults nowadays ever since he got his crew and found a sense of belonging with them. He could let a lot of things that were done to him slide but when it came to his pack, to his family, to his friends, that was a whole other story.
Luffy didn't appear to agree with that because it wasn't long after they started back on the path that the boy ripped his hand out of Shanks' and rounded on him angrily.
"What the heck was that? Why didn't you fight back?"
"Fight back? There was no fight in the first place."
"He insulted you!"
"He did."
"So why didn't you kick his ass?"
"Not everything can be solved with violence."
"You said we all had to be strong."
"I did. I also said people should be good. What good does it do to pick an unnecessary fight?"
"You would've shown him that he can't mess with you. That you're not weak and he can't take you just cause he's an alpha. You would've shown him you don't belong to him and that you're free!"
"Getting hung up on him and his words is not living free, it's allowing him to dictate how I feel about myself. That's not freedom."
"You weren't being free, you were being a coward," Luffy exclaimed, angrily stomping.
"Luffy, don't be mean to Shanks!"
"You would've fought too, Uta."
"Maybe I would've, but that doesn't mean you should call Shanks names. Apologize to him."
Luffy huffed but looked up at Shanks.
"Sorry Shanks, you're not a coward. But I don't get it. You didn't say Uta was wrong when she fought those bullies that hurt my face, so why is this different?"
"Uta was fighting to protect you. You two don't have a pack, not a traditional one at least. You should, you deserve one, you should get to enjoy all the benefits of having a group of people that have your back no matter what. However, you do have each other, a pack of two. You always protect your pack over yourself. That's what she did just like you defended her from that village woman who spoke badly of her. It is always right to fight for the people you love. That's not what I would've been doing if I picked a fight with that bandit."
"But—"
"Anchor, what would you have had me do? He was on the other side of the river, should I have jumped across to pick a fight with him and leave you and Uta alone? There are dangerous animals in these woods, what if one showed up while I was on the other side of the river? Speaking of, there was a running river right in front of us. What if something happened that caused you or Uta to fall in? You can't swim and she's got a Devil Fruit. The current was strong, it would've pulled you both away before I could get to you. And whose fault would that have been?"
"Yours?"
"That's right, it would've been my fault because I cared more about a fight than my friends. It's not showing strength to put the people you care about in needless danger. It takes more strength to walk away from a fight than it does to get into one. Not everybody has that kind of strength, but it doesn't mean you can't gain it."
"How," Uta asked.
"Thinking before you fight, about what you stand to lose and what you stand to gain. If you're going to lose more than you win, the fight is rarely ever worth it. But if you're fighting for the people you love over yourself, then it's worth it every time."
Luffy and Uta both seemed to be taking his words in before Luffy bit his lip and kicked a rock dejectedly.
"I'm sorry I called you a coward, Shanks. I didn't mean it. I was just mad."
"You already apologized. I forgive you."
Luffy still looked downtrodden.
"If you really want to make it up to me, you can convince Makino to make that meat pie of hers that I like."
Luffy lit up at that and nodded vigorously.
"I can do that."
"It's a deal then."
The rest of the walk back, thankfully, proved uneventful. Shanks made sure to stay on guard and kept his Haki open to repel predators and anybody who strayed too close, not wanting a repeat of the encounter with the mountain bandits.
They managed to make it back to Party's Bar unscathed, only garnering a few stares and head shakes thanks to the way Uta looked. When they arrived, Uta immediately fled to Gab and Limejuice to lament the damage done to her attire as the men would always indulge her and commiserate over whatever fashion rants the little diva was occasionally prone to. Luffy ran off to Makino to start pestering her about Shanks' meat pie. The barmaid shot the captain a look but he gave her an innocent shrug in return before corralling Uta away from the crew who were toasting to her bravery and strength for fighting Ace, much to Uta's delight if her prideful smile was anything to go by. Shanks shook his head at it. He supposed there was no use hoping that all of this was a fluke. Uta was just as much of a troublemaker as Luffy was, though she was definitely better at hiding it.
He did what he could with her dress while the girl took a bath, happy to do so but groaning over how the water was going to make her feel. Baths were certainly no fun for a Devil Fruit user, especially if you enjoyed baths before the Fruit. Shanks had to admit defeat with the dress and left it to soak in soapy water. Hopefully Makino would be able to work some kind of magic and if not, Shanks would see about getting her a new yellow dress.
"Shanks," he heard Uta call from the bathroom.
"Yes, Songbird?"
"Can you come here for a minute? I'm all dressed but I need help with my hair. Some of the mud won't come out."
"You sure you don't want Makino for that?"
"I trust you."
Shanks felt a swell of warmth in his chest from those words. Knowing what his daughter had been through in the past, he did not take those words lightly.
He stepped inside to see Uta standing in front of the mirror looking particularly miserable. Her hair was wet and mostly clean but there were some parts that were clumped together, stubborn bits of mud fusing the strands and refusing to wash out.
"Am I going to have to cut it," she asked unhappily.
"Nah, let's see what we can do about this."
Shanks sat her down and set to work gently coaxing the mud out of her hair and separating the locks.
"Have you done this before," Uta asked after a while of Shanks working in silence.
"In a way," he replied.
He wasn't about to tell his daughter about the times he had had to get dried blood out of his own hair.
"Why'd Ace throw mud at you anyway?"
"He thought I was insulting him," Uta replied, rolling her eyes.
"I was under the impression that you insult each other quite a bit."
"Well, yeah, but that's different. He thought I was insulting him about his dad, which I would never do. He hates his dad but he hates insults about him even more."
"Why does he hate his father so much?"
Uta bit her lip at that, her face full of contemplation.
"It's like Dadan said, everyone thinks that the Pirate King was a demon. No one really talks about him in Windmill, but it's different in the mountains. Everyone talks about him and how they think he came straight from Hell. I never heard good stories about him until you. Ace thinks he's the son of the devil and so he shouldn't have ever been born. I used to try to tell him he was wrong, but he just gets really angry and starts fights with me, so I stopped. His friend, Sabo, can help sometimes but…" Uta trailed off with a shrug.
"What about his mother?"
"He doesn't really talk about her, all I know is she died when he was born."
Shanks' hands paused momentarily at finally hearing the words. Rouge was dead. It was final and true. He took a moment to breathe through the swell of grief before he continued brushing Uta's hair, making sure the white and red strands stayed on their respective sides.
"They were your parents too, right?"
Shanks nodded in reply.
"You didn't mention that when you told your stories."
"It's easier to tell the stories when I don't think about that part."
Uta nodded like she understood what he meant. Maybe she did, she was quite perceptive for her age. Luffy was too in his own way. He was more emotionally intelligent than anyone would give him credit for but Uta was able to read through the lines and find the meanings behind what people said. It was a skill that would serve her as a gamma. She would need to always be on the lookout for others' intentions in order to protect herself. A sad fact, but a fact nonetheless.
"What were they like?"
"Just like I told you in the stories."
"I mean how were they with you? As parents? What… what did they do?"
"They taught me practically everything I know. They protected me as best they could. I grew up on a pirate ship so safe was relative, but they tried. They raised me to be strong, respect myself, put my family first, never let the world treat me as less than. They weren't my birth parents. I never knew who my birth parents were, but the parents I did have loved me more than anyone else ever could. They weren't perfect but I wouldn't have traded them for anything," Shanks replied.
The truth in his words settled into his own heart. He had been angry at Roger over the years, heartbroken over the loss of both his parents, betrayed by the apparent abandonment of his pack, but never once had he wished that he had lived a different life. Never once had he hoped for different parents, a different family, a different pack. He had known love in his youth, even if it had ended in heartbreak. He knew acceptance, warmth, joy, wonder. He couldn't imagine receiving any of that from anyone else.
"I don't know my birth parents," Uta confessed in a small voice.
Shanks stiffened a bit at that but forced himself to keep his fingers moving through her tresses.
"Oh?"
"All I know about them is my family name. Grandpa won't talk about them when we ask, just says they were both idiots and that's why they're not here. Luffy doesn't really care one way or another. We don't have our parents and Grandpa's barely ever here, but we've never been alone because we've had each other, so he doesn't mind."
"And you?"
"I guess I just wonder if they wanted us is all. Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if we're like Ace, if anyone would care about us if we died. Grandpa would care but he wouldn't know until way later. Our parents may never know and probably wouldn't care."
"Of course I… I mean, I would care, Uta. My crew would care. Makino would care. This entire village would care. Your fathers… they might not be here, but that doesn't mean they don't love you or that they don't care. No one would willingly abandon you or Luffy. They'd have to be a fool to want to leave you two behind."
"Fathers?"
"What?"
"You said fathers, but I didn't say I had two fathers. I don't even know what their first gender is, or their second. Do… do you know our parents?"
Shanks paused at that, not having noticed the slip and not aware that Garp had given the kids so little information that they didn't even know if their parents were two betas or an alpha and omega.
"Uta, I—"
"Shanks, I did it!"
Both occupants turned around as Luffy burst happily into the bathroom, a wide grin on his face.
"I did it! Makino's gonna make your pie for you."
Shanks shook away his previous shock to give Luffy a tremulous smile.
"Thanks, Anchor. You're a star."
Luffy beamed in reply before turning to his twin.
"Aren't you done yet? I drew a picture of the crew but I need you to draw the ship for me. I want to give it to Benn when he gets back."
"We're all done here. Just make sure you dry your hair well, Uta. We don't want you getting sick."
The little girl stared at him for a moment before wordlessly nodding and letting her brother lead her off.
Shanks deflated once she left. That was getting a little too close to the truth. What would he have said if Luffy hadn't burst in? Would he have told her? He couldn't, could he? The twins had already insinuated to Makino that they saw him as a father figure, but it was one thing to think of him like a dad and for him to really be their dad. Their father left them. Their father's absence had led to them becoming sick as newborns and nearly dying. Their father hadn't shown up in seven years. Their lack of father was one of the reasons they were bullied by the village children. Their father not being around was why that man had managed to kidnap Uta. No father had meant they were left to an inadequate grandfather who had in turn left them in the care of no one and everyone. How could the truth garner anything less than anger and blame, all of which he rightly deserved?
But Uta's words stuck in his head. She thought her parents did not care about her and Luffy and would not care if they died. How could he reassure her of how wrong she was without telling her and Luffy the truth? And she had told him that she trusted him. Wasn't he betraying that trust by not telling her who he really was?
Makino believed he should tell them the truth. Dragon did not, Garp did not, Woop Slap did not.
Shanks had no idea what to think but he knew he couldn't say it right now. It wasn't the right time but one day, eventually, he would tell them. When that day did come, he suspected that he would have a lot to answer for.
The next day, Shanks resolved that he was going to seek out Ace. He wanted to at least have an actual conversation with the kid. If he could soothe some of the pain that child was feeling, then he had a duty to do so. He owed it to Rouge and Roger to at least try. They gave Shanks and Buggy a home and a family. Through circumstances that were not Ace's fault, they couldn't do the same for their biological son. Shanks had to try to rectify some of the damage that unfortunate fact had done.
He left the village bright and early, bidding the still sleepy twins and his crew fair well before beginning the trek into the mountains. He kept his senses zoned out so he could track where Ace was. His aura was not difficult to find, not with the way it outshined everyone else in the mountains, but he was far away, near the edge of the forest. It would take a couple of hours to find him, not that Shanks minded.
The hike was made in silence, Shanks lightly humming "Bink's Brew" every now and again but mostly remaining quiet. Even his mind was quiet. Usually, his thoughts would be spiraling with panic over what was about to happen and what he would do, what he would say. At the moment, determination was overriding all of that. He wanted to do right by Ace for Rouge and Roger's sake. That meant more to him than any amount of self-doubt. That was not to say that panic and self-doubt wouldn't hit him later, but for now it was leaving him alone.
The forest around him was quiet as well. He could feel the wild animals but his Haki kept them at a wide berth. He could hear some critters rattling around in bushes, scurrying away as he passed by. The wind blew through the trees, causing the limbs to bend and sway. It was actually a peaceful place if one could manage to avoid the many dangers, which Shanks could.
He perked up as he felt Ace's aura coming closer to him. He was nearby. After a few moments, it became obvious to Shanks that the boy was following him. He didn't let on that he knew, waiting to see what he would do instead. After about ten minutes, Ace started to go ahead of him but still remained close.
Shanks kept walking, more aimless than before since his target was so close. He came upon a rope bridge connecting two mountains. The mountain on the other side stretched up over the bridge at a slope. The bridge didn't look badly maintained. Plus, Ace was on the other side. The omega shrugged and started crossing. He had been in more dangerous spots than this.
The wood beneath him was sturdy even as the bridge swayed ever so slightly in the breeze. He continued forward confidently.
When he was about halfway across the bridge, a loud cracking resounded through the valley. He glanced up to see several large boulders break away from the mountain and begin rolling down towards the bridge. They would likely take the bridge out and Shanks would like it to remain intact for when he, and Ace, needed to get back. He calculated the speed of the boulders before he quickly drew Gryphon and coated his sword in Armament Haki.
He leaped forward, clearing the bridge and meeting the boulders head on. It wasn't hard to slice through them, disrupting their path. He emitted another burst of Haki to further throw them off course and sent the pieces careening down to the valley floor rather than hitting the bridge. Just as he put his sword away, a final boulder came rolling down the slope. This one was the largest one but the slowest as well, though it quickly picked up speed. Shanks didn't bother with his sword, this time coating his arms in armament and stood ready for the boulder. When it got within range, he sent a powerful punch flying towards it, causing a thunderous boom to echo through the valley.
Birds flew off in fear from the sound and Shanks watched in satisfaction as a crack started to race over the boulder's surface before the large rock shattered into pieces at his feet.
Shanks glanced up once the rocks were destroyed to see Ace stood there, staring at him with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"How…? How did you…? That usually works," the boy muttered to himself.
"Oh, was that you," Shanks asked, indicating towards the boulder-turned-pebbles.
"Uta did mention murderous tendencies. Though I suppose that's hereditary. I can't tell you the number of times Rouge tried to kill Roger before they became mates."
Ace's face shuttered at the mention of his parents and he clenched his fists at his sides.
"What do you want? Why have you been following me?"
"Technically, for the last fifteen minutes, you've been following me," Shanks pointed out.
Ace looked mildly surprised he'd been caught but pushed past it.
"You were following me first. Why?"
"I just want to talk to you, that's all."
"Why," Ace repeated.
"Can't I be concerned for the boy who would've been my brother in another life? We would've been family, you and I."
Ace scoffed at that.
"I haven't seen or heard from any of you my entire life. Roger had a whole pack, didn't he? None of them ever showed up here, none of them ever cared. They weren't my family and neither are you. The only family I've had is Grandpa, who's a shitty old geezer that's never around, and my mom, who tried to protect me and I killed her in return. I don't have a family, so go away."
Once again, Shanks was hit with a sense of déjà vu. He had had the same feelings as this boy, that he was abandoned by his family, and most days he still felt that way. Those feelings were mirrored in Buggy and now in Ace. But no, he didn't want Ace to grow up with that same bundle of resentment and bitterness that Shanks and Buggy harbored. He deserved more.
"You're right. None of us have been there for you. I know what it's like facing the world as Roger's son. It's a lonely place to be in, a dangerous one. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. If I had known that you survived and were here, I would've come to Dawn earlier. You might not believe that, but it's the truth."
Ace paused at that, giving Shanks an assessing look, as if he was searching for a lie.
"Why are you here now? Uta says you've been here for months."
"Just on a vacation of sorts. The Grand Line can be a rather eventful place, islands like these have their charms. I didn't know you were here when I docked, I didn't know the boy Uta complained about was my captain's son."
Ace's face shuttered again at the mention of Roger. Shanks was quick to jump in before Ace could denounce his father again.
"He wasn't the Devil, you know? He wasn't a demon, he didn't come straight from Hell."
"Everyone says the same thing, everyone can't be lying."
"Everyone didn't personally know him. The World Government spun those lies to try and discourage people from becoming pirates and looking for his treasure."
"No, he created that treasure so other people would become greedy, gold-hungry monsters just like him!"
"Roger never needed to do anything to make people be that way. They did that all on their own. He despised pirates like that, pirates that would pillage and plunder innocent towns for no reason other than greed. He would attack those kinds of pirates, but he didn't do it out of blood thirst, he did it out of principle. Because he hated people who took away the freedom of others. That's what was most important to him. Not gold, not jewels, not money, freedom. It's easier for people to remember him as the Pirate King and see him as only that title with no thought to what was behind that. At the end of the day, he was just a man. He was human so he made mistakes. He didn't always think things through. He was impulsive and shortsighted and cared more about not being bored than whether something was dangerous or not. In fact, I think he wanted to do things more if they were dangerous. None of that made him evil. He wasn't perfect, not as a pirate or a man or a father, but he wasn't what you think he is either."
"You have no idea what I think," Ace spat back angrily.
"I can make a pretty good guess. You think that he abandoned you, that he didn't care about you. That all he did was leave you to deal with the burden of his legacy in a world that decided that he and anything connected to him was a corruption that needed to be purged. You think his decisions led you to where you are now, that they hurt you and everyone you care about, that they hurt your mother. Which very well may be true. All the same, I know what you're thinking because I've thought the same thing on and off for the last 12 years."
Ace blinked back in surprise.
"You… you hate him too?"
Shanks gave the boy a humorless smile.
"I've been furious with him, I've loathed his decisions and I've blamed him for things that are probably not his fault because it's easier to blame him, but I've never hated him. Trust me, I've wanted to, but I never could. He was my father. He took me, and Buggy, in when no one else wanted us or cared about us. He fed us, clothed us, gave us a home and a pack, a family. It wasn't always ideal. The things we saw… well, I still have nightmares about it and our pack did fall apart in the end, but I wouldn't change any of it. I knew he loved me even if it wasn't always enough. Just like I know he loved you."
"How can you say that? He brought me into this world, he created me, and he let me kill my mother."
"Ace, I might not know exactly what happened to Rouge but I do know that if she died protecting you, then she made that choice of her own volition."
"But I—"
"No, you listen to me. Rouge was a strong omega. She had to be in this world so that she could become what she wanted to be. She was a great and respected pirate captain of her own crew long before she ever met Roger. She didn't stop being that when she met him and that didn't stop after he died. She made her own choices, always. No matter what anyone else said about her or what the World Government claimed omegas were capable of or what they could or should do, she made it her mission to live her life free. If she died protecting you, it was because she chose to. If I know anything about my mother, it's that she wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took to protect her pups, up to and including giving up her own life. Don't you take that choice away from her by giving it to Roger or putting it on yourself."
"Grandpa said she used her Will to hold me inside for 20 months instead of 9, to protect me from the Marines. By the time I was born, she was so weak, she couldn't survive it. How is that not my fault?"
Shanks was momentarily both shocked and impressed by his mother's actions. He knew she was capable of incredible feats, but even he couldn't fathom what it took to do that. He didn't think he would've been able to postpone Luffy and Uta's birth, he didn't even know what kind of power it took to do such a thing.
"So, she had 11 months to change her mind, likely knowing full well how draining her actions were, and she still chose you. Doesn't that tell you something?"
"What is that supposed to tell me?"
"She loved you. She loved you enough to defy the laws of nature for you, to make sure that you could live, to ensure that you had a chance out from under the shadow of Roger's legacy. She wanted you to live. She loved you enough to give her life in exchange for yours. She knew you deserved to be here."
"Why would she want me to exist in a world that doesn't even want me?"
"She wanted you to have a chance. You deserve to be here, to have a life of your own, to choose the path you walk down regardless of who your parents are. So what if the world doesn't want you? You prove them wrong by chasing your freedom and being whoever you want to be. The greatest lesson your mother ever taught me was that I should never cower or be ashamed of who I am. I can be whatever I want to be because before I am anything else, I am a free man. To be truly free is to be in control of your own fate. So, it doesn't matter what the world says you are or expects you to be, you get to decide who you are. And if the world has anything to say about it, too bad."
Ace gave him a conflicted look, clearly torn between the anger he had been clinging to for who knew how long and the hope that Shanks' words were creating.
"I— I think— I want to believe you, but I can't…"
"Let me tell you about them, the real them. At least that way you can make a truly informed decision about how you feel about them one way or the other. Maybe your opinions won't change, maybe they will. If you're still angry, I can't fault you. My stories won't change 10 years of all the bad you've been hearing, but they might help."
Ace stared down in indecision for a long while before glancing back up at him and wordlessly nodding.
Shanks gave him a soft smile and nodded for him to follow after him back over the bridge. Ace hesitated a moment more before he walked up to Shanks' side and began walking next to him.
"What do you want to know?"
"I want to start with Mom. You said she was a pirate captain."
"Yep. Hibiscus Rouge, captain of the Red and Black Pirates. Her ship was called the Anne Bonny, after the most famous omega pirate captain in history. Her ship's figurehead was a seahorse in honor of her first mate who was a fishman. The first time I met her was during a raid on Roger's ship, the Oro Jackson, that she was spearheading."
"Mom tried to raid Roger's ship?"
"Tried," Shanks repeated with a laugh.
"It became so routine that the entire crew was convinced it was their way of flirting and they were both just too stupid and stubborn to realize it."
Ace's face screwed up in a bit of disgust.
"Did Mom kick Roger's ass at least?"
"Oh, several times. But he beat her a few times too. He wouldn't have gained her respect otherwise."
Ace seemed to be contemplating things before he looked up at Shanks, his eyes shining with interest.
"Tell me everything."
Shanks smiled down at the boy and nodded in reply. He couldn't bring Rouge and Roger back to soothe away his wounds, but he could pass on their stories. It wouldn't replace them, but he hoped it would give Ace some peace.
Shanks wasn't sure how long he had been talking to Ace, but he was certain it had been hours. Their walk took them to Shanks' favorite cliff and the two sat atop it, Ace listening to all of Shanks' stories with rapt attention. It was nice to see the young boy relax more and more as he ate up every word about his mother and father. He didn't challenge any of Shanks' descriptions about them and even smiled at a few of the stories.
"Thank you, Shanks, for telling me all of this stuff about Mom and— and Dad."
Shanks softened at hearing him refer to Roger as 'dad' and not an insult or his first name.
"I have plenty more stories. Any time you want to hear them, just say the word."
Ace nodded before he narrowed his eyes at Shanks.
"I don't see you as my brother."
"I wouldn't expect you to. You don't even know me. You don't have to claim me as pack, but I hope you can understand that I'll always see you that way."
Ace ducked his head a little, a slight blush coloring his cheeks.
"Whatever. I don't care," he mumbled moodily in reply.
Shanks snorted at his grumbling.
"You look just like Rouge did when she blushed. Your freckles turn a slightly different color just like hers."
"I am not blushing. And— wait, Mom had freckles too?"
"Oh yeah, you have to get it from somewhere. It certainly wasn't your father, although you do have his hair color and his nose too. Mom's facial structure though."
Ace looked like he wished for a mirror to study his facial features even as a finger ran over his cheeks and his nose. Shanks smiled at the boy's wonderment. He felt a sense of completion having given him this new perspective on himself and his history. Not everything was solved but it was a step in the right direction.
Before he could say anything more, he heard Luffy and Uta's voices coming towards them, grumbling and groaning slightly. Shanks turned back, expecting to see them coming up the cliff but frowned as they remained out of sight.
He furrowed his brows as he continued to hear them but not see them. He looked over at Ace as he tapped his shoulder. The young boy pointed towards the cliff's edge, an amused tilt to his lips.
Shanks' eyes widened as he realized what Ace was implying.
Surely not. Even they wouldn't be so reckless.
Just as he stood up to investigate, Ace was proven right when two pairs of hands appeared and two small bodies followed right after as Luffy and Uta clawed and dragged themselves over the edge and onto the flat surface.
Shanks stared at them. He was not sure what expression he was wearing but Ace took one look at his face and burst out in guffaws. On one hand, at least he'd managed to elicit a laugh from the kid, even if it was at Shanks' expense. On the other, Shanks' kids were insane.
Luffy and Uta took a moment to catch their breath before they stood on shaky legs and smiled up at him.
"There. We were strong enough to climb the cliff," Luffy announced.
"You have to let us join your crew now," Uta surmised.
Shanks looked between them and over the edge of the cliff, the ground so far down that most people would never manage to survive that fall, let alone two 7-year-olds.
Luffy and Uta were still smiling proudly at him, despite Shanks' growing panic. He quickly kneeled down in front of them and inspected every inch of them to be sure they were unscathed. Their hands were a little scratched up and Luffy's right knee was skinned but they didn't appear to mind.
Once Shanks was sure they were alright, he looked back at them, his jaw ticking in anger.
"You little BRATS! Are you out of your mind?! What were you thinking?!"
"We—"
"You weren't thinking, clearly! You could've been killed! Luffy, I expect that from but you're supposed to stop him from doing stupid things like that, Uta. Are you two trying to give me a heart attack?!"
"But—"
"No buts. You are in so much trouble! No meat for two days. You are eating nothing but fruits and vegetables."
Luffy and Uta's jaws dropped at the declaration.
"Let's go, you're going straight to your room for the rest of the day!"
Shanks grabbed them both by their ears, ignoring their protests at their punishment, and started dragging them back down the cliff. Ace was in veritable stitches behind them, almost falling over himself in laughter as he followed them.
"Shut up, stupid Freckleface. It's not funny!"
"You're right, it's not funny. It's hilarious."
Shanks spent the entire trek back to Windmill ranting and lecturing the twins for their little stunt while Ace snickered unhelpfully and the twins oscillated between trying to justify it and begging for mercy.
As he got to Party's Bar, he noticed the place seemed more packed than normal. The reason for it immediately became obvious to him as he saw Benn along with Bonk Punch and Building Snake step out of the building. His eyes lit with both surprise and delight at seeing his packmates again. They had been gone longer than Shanks anticipated.
"I was starting to worry you had finally decided to take the ship and desert me."
"Even if I had, do you really think I would've left Roux and Yasopp behind? Every crew needs a chef and a sniper," Benn joked.
"Mr. Benn, help us. Shanks is grounding us," Uta cut in, looking up at Benn with pleading eyes and an adorable little pout.
Both Snake and Bonk visibly melted at the sight but Benn gave the children a stern look.
"It's your own fault. You know full well how dangerous what you did was. What were you thinking rowing those barrels out to sea? If the Sea King noticed you, you would've been its lunch. Not to mention what would've happened if the barrels filled with water. You're lucky the Force passed by you as we were sailing in."
Shanks slowly glanced down at the twins who looked back up at him with timid looks of guilt and apprehension.
"You did what," he asked calmly, totally in contrast with the alarm and fright he felt inside.
"That's not what you're punishing them for?"
"They climbed the side of a cliff freehand to try to prove their strength earlier."
Benn shook his head and gave Shanks a meaningful look. Shanks knew what he was saying without him having to say it.
Yeah, these are your kids, alright.
"Shanks," Luffy asked hesitantly.
"Five days," he replied simply.
The twins deflated but didn't fight him as they trudged off towards the bar, Ace trailing behind them and making jokes at their expense.
"They're going to give me gray hairs if I don't rip all my hair out first. How can two kids be so hellbent on chasing danger?"
"I wonder where they get that from," Benn replied sarcastically.
"Can't you just be sympathetic to my plight?"
"Where's the fun in that?"
Shanks flipped him off in return, garnering a chuckle from the other man.
"What took you so long anyway? You should've only been three days."
"Got sidetracked by an unexpected visitor in Town Center."
Shanks quirked an eyebrow as Benn passed over a rolled-up flyer. Shanks unraveled it and felt his brows creep up to his scalp as he read the colorful paper.
Lady Eudora presents:
Buggy's Flashy Extravaganza
Now showing in Town Center
"Buggy's on Dawn Island."
AN: The song Uta sings in this chapter is from One Piece: Red. It's called "Where the Wind Blows". Anne Bonny is a real-life famous female pirate. Seeing as how a lot of names in the show are inspired by real-world naval figures, the name for Rouge's ship seemed appropriate. Lady Eudora is an original character who will have a significant role for Buggy and Uta's storylines. I usually don't like making OCs but there weren't any canon characters that suited where I want to take Buggy's character, so just be advised in case that isn't your thing.