~~~If you haven't read The Choices We Make, I suggest you read that before this one! There are important spoilers for it!~~~

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Shanks

Time hadn't made this easier. At his feet, a tall stone sat atop a small, wide mound. Flowers grew wild around the grave, the grass long and waving gently in the wind. The name Osa had been crudely and painstakingly carved on it, as if done with one hand.

The tree above him swayed in the wind. The smell of saltwater was thick here, mingled with the flowers. Behind him, the crunch of pebbles grew louder as someone approached.

"Boss, the crew's ready." He turned at the sound of Benn's voice. The first mate stood a few paces away, his rifle on his shoulder. His hair, tied back for once, had faded almost completely to silver.

Shanks nodded and set down the flower he had picked on the way up. "I hope they'll be okay with staying away from land for a while." After another moment, he turned and headed down the path, Benn just behind him.

It was silent for a few minutes, then Shanks heard him light a cigarette. "Planning on a long journey this time?"

Shanks just gave a curt nod. Before long, the shore was in sight, but he stopped when Benn grabbed his shoulder. They weren't too far from the bottom of the path, where the pebbles mingled with sand and grass. Shanks looked towards the beach at first, then turned his head slightly, looking at Benn from the corner of his eye.

"Are you sure you should've come here?" Benn asked quietly. No judgement, just the barest hint at the concern his face didn't show.

Shanks glanced back up the path before answering. "Yeah. I just…I wanted to see him one more time before we left." He paused. "I'm not sure when we'll be back here." His chest tight, he forced himself to turn away from the cliff.

Benn nodded and released him.

The beach was empty, the supplies already brought aboard. The remains of a campfire were evident, but nothing more.

The crew was subdued as Shanks boarded, but the activity increased the moment he gave the order to set sail. Leaving Benn to manage the crew, he slipped into his cabin. Sitting on his bed, he covered his face with his hand and closed his eyes. After a moment, he let out a long, even breath. His chest still felt tight, but he knew that feeling wouldn't go away. Not yet.

Seven years. Seven years since Osa had died in his arms.

It didn't matter though. He could still feel Osa with him, still imagine how he would react to the things the crew did now.

The senior members of the crew understood the extent of his grief. How he hadn't cared that his bounty went up for sinking Hisakan immediately after Osa took the attack for him. How afterwards he was considered a Yonko, which came with more trouble than they expected. Daunting at first, and having to deal with other pirates challenging him for the title or his territories, they quickly adjusted but he struggled where they wouldn't see.

It was only in moments of solitude, like now, that he displayed the full impact it had taken on him. However, he was grateful that the crew gave him some space when it was clear he needed it. He knew they worried, but aside from Yasopp, none of them had lost a partner before. And even then, Yasopp had just left his wife and kid alive back in Syrup Village. They hadn't died while-

"I can't come here anymore," he said hoarsely. "I loved him. I still do, but I can't do this anymore." Slowly, he wiped his face and looked at the two papers tacked to his wall. Paw prints from a clouded leopard. Osa's first goodbye, from when he left Shanks asleep on a beach after he had saved Osa's life unexpectedly, and a sign that he would watch out for him, after Shanks had lost his arm to the Lord of the Coast. His eyes blurred for a moment, but he blinked a few times to clear them.

Carefully, he took the papers down, folded them up, and stuck them in a copy of Noland the Liar. He hadn't kept many things from Osa's belongings, but his few books still sat on the small shelf under the window. A shadow of a smile crossed his face as he pictured Osa stretched across the sill, a book in his hands. He blinked as the picture flashed through his head, and he remembered some nights where all he could do was stare at his partner, happy even just doing that.

He ran his fingers over the spines slowly, but resisted the urge to pull one out. His eyes blurred again and he wiped his arm across them. He couldn't continue to dwell on that.

He turned as the door open. "Boss, we have a problem." Benn looked unfazed, but that wasn't strange. It took a lot to bother him.

"What happened?" Shanks asked, forcing his voice to stay calm. Hopefully, one of the new recruits hadn't done something foolish again. He kept his back to the window, careful not to look and get overwhelmed again. While Benn knew about their relationship even before it really started, he didn't want even his closest friend knowing how much he still struggled with this.

"Remember Ame Island? It's close to the Calm Belt." Benn asked.

Shanks nodded once. He pushed his memories aside, immediately cautious. "Of course. At the edge of our territory. What about it?" And not far from where they were now. Maybe a month away at most.

"We got a report that they were attacked a few days ago," Benn told him. "One of our crews just stopped there today and found out."

Shanks felt a prick of anger. "By who?" Who would dare try to anger a Yonko? It had been a few years since someone tried taking any of his territory, but even then, they had gone for the Red Force directly.

"They aren't sure," Benn replied with a shrug.

Shanks thought quickly, then looked at him. "What happened?" Had the people not seen who attacked them?

Benn paused, taking a drag on his cigarette. "They ransacked a village, but nothing was taken." When Shanks gave him a confused look, Benn shook his head. "No one was killed, no hostages taken. Just the houses ransacked and some destroyed. The villagers were hurt, but said the pirates rounded them up, kept them away from the village, only attacked anyone who attacked first, and searched the houses. The pirates didn't take any valuables and left the food alone."

That made no sense. "We'll head there at once. Maybe someone saw or heard something useful."

Benn nodded and turned to go, but stopped and glanced at Shanks over his shoulder. "Oh, and some of the new recruits want you to help with their training." His amusement was evident in his voice, despite his lack of visible expression.

Shanks shook his head, but couldn't resist a smile. "Very well. But I'm not joining in. Not until they can withstand my haki, at least." Unable to resist any longer, he cast a last glance at the books, then followed Benn outside.

He barely looked at the group of people gathering on the main deck, or at the afternoon sky. Joining Snake at the wheel, Shanks gave him their new course before going to watch the newcomers on the main deck.

Leaning against the railing, Shanks watched as a small group of his newest crewmates paired off. Some used swords, one had a gun, and another had a halberd. One used an axe, but Shanks didn't think it was a good idea. The kid could barely hold it! When Shanks mentioned it the day before, he just shrugged, exchanged his war axe for two smaller tomahawks, and said he'd work up to the bigger one.

Shanks smiled at that and tried to pay attention. They weren't bad, but he wanted to see what they might need help with before he said anything.

"Hey, don't aim for my head, idiot!"

"Did you let the powder get wet again?"

"Watch it!"

"Yes! I finally got you!"

Shanks chuckled as he listened to their chatter. His haki hummed for a second and he turned as footsteps approached. "Yuki, need something?"

The black-haired woman nodded, her blue eyes flashing. She had boldly marched right up to him and asked to join a week ago. He didn't mind, but her reluctance to train bothered him. "Could you teach me how to use a sword?"

Surprised, he hid his smirk. "No." Her face fell, and he continued. "Not that I don't want to, but you can't handle any amount of haki yet and would do better with them." He jerked his head towards the group below. Maybe she had just needed the chance to think about her weapon.

The corners of her mouth twitched. "But if I learn from other beginners, how will I get better than them?"

Cheeky. He sent out the smallest blast of haki he could and her knees hit the deck before she could recover. When she stood, trembling and clutching the railing for support, he chuckled. "Train with the others. Withstand that, and I'll consider it."

There was a laugh as she walked off and Shanks looked to see Limejuice watching her. "Why do we always have a newbie who thinks they can sleep with the captain?"

Shanks grinned. "Not that I blame them, but you'd think they'd be too terrified at first. Most of them wait a while!" Shaking his head, he looked back at the new crewmembers. She wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last. While he was annoyed at first, now it was just amusing.

He admired her boldness, but had no interest in that. Not anymore.

"Boss, why do you think someone would attack Ame Island but not take anything?" Limejuice asked quietly after a minute, leaning against the railing next to him.

Shanks watched the recruits for a few minutes, but he wasn't paying attention anymore. Finally, he shook his head. "No idea. They're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. If they had taken valuables, then they wanted treasure. Hostages or just killing? Trying to provoke us. But neither?" He glanced at the sky, noting the sun slowly lowering. "We'll ask the villagers what happened, see if they saw or heard anything."

Limejuice nodded and walked off, but Shanks stayed at the rail.

No valuables, no hostages, no death. And Ame Island was small, with only a few villages along the coasts and one inland. They weren't large, or wealthy. The people there were farmers, and despite their initial fear when the Red-Haired pirates first showed up not long into their voyage into the New World, they were welcoming to most travelers.

What could the pirates have possibly wanted?

Kiyo

Stupid pirates! The white-haired woman sank the butt of her staff into the sand and watched the retreating ship. It was already far off, its white sails fluttering like mad in the distant gale. With a sigh, she turned and headed back up the beach. The sunlight was faint, though she knew it was barely noon.

She slowly made her way back to the village some ways up the beach. Looking towards the fields to the west, all she saw were a few stray sheep. A cow ambled by, its tasseled tail twitching back and forth. She stopped once to nudge a mule towards the field, but it just brayed and ran down the beach until it was out of sight.

Walking past the first house, a pang of sadness ached in her chest. The entire village was a mess.

The cleanup was going to take forever, but she knew few people would be up for that yet. Probably not for a few days at least. She would help them if she could, but she was a little more worried about the sheep that had escaped towards the woods. The barn was still intact and they could stay there while the village slowly repaired itself, but it wouldn't matter much if they lost a source of food. And there weren't that many sheep left.

Ignoring the crumbled and broken houses, the ones with shattered windows and busted doors, and the large building near the center still smoking, she met a large man looking towards the small mountain behind the village. Beside him, the village well was crumbling along one edge and the roof had been broken. The smell of ash still permeated the air, though a brisk wind was picking up.

"Is everyone accounted for?" she asked.

He grunted but said nothing. He stood still, his fingers laced behind his head.

"Delro, we can rebuild. We've done it before." Always because of a storm before this, but still.

He turned to her briefly, then shook his head.

She frowned and tapped his shoulder with her staff. "We'll be okay. No one was killed, the food wasn't touched, they didn't even hurt anyone who didn't retaliate!"

"But why did they attack us then, Kiyo?!" he burst out, both hands in the air. "This island is under the protection of Red-Hair, but none of his ships protected us!"

"Because we didn't expect a second attack." Kiyo and Delro whipped around to see a group of people walking up the road. The man in the middle, the one who spoke, was shorter than most of the others, but he radiated power even at a distance.

Kiyo felt a shiver of fear as she recognized the red hair and three scars. She'd never met the Yonko, but had seen his posters. The group stopped a few feet away. All of them men, and all looked rough. A monkey sat on the shoulders of one man and gave her a curious look.

"We heard about the first one, but not until afterwards," Shanks continued. His voice was light, but Kiyo heard the anger simmering beneath the surface. "We saw the ship leaving, but they had a tailwind and we thought it would be better to come here than lose them in a chase."

Delro nodded. "That makes sense."

Did it? Kiyo wasn't so sure. But then again, she didn't know much about ships or sailing.

"Was anyone hurt?" A man with dirty blonde hair stepped forward.

Kiyo nodded. "Yes. One pirate broke our healer's arm, but other than that, it's just some cuts or bruises." The village was too small to host an actual doctor, so they made do with an herbal healer. But without both his arms, treating the others would be difficult. She could help a little, but not much more than basic binding.

With a nod at Shanks, the man stepped forward. "I'm the ship's doctor. I can help him while we're here." Delro cracked a wan smile and jerked his head for the man to follow.

Kiyo watched them leave, then looked back at the rest of the pirates. Most were gazing around the village with barely veiled anger, though the men closest to Shanks were watching her.

Shanks met her gaze evenly. "Was anything taken?" He sounded like he already knew the answer, however.

"No. They rounded us up, took us to the barn, then started ransacking the houses." She shook her head in confusion. Shanks spoke quietly to the tall grey-haired man next to him, but looked back when she continued. "A few of us tried to stop them, but didn't get far before we were forced back to the barn."

She grimaced as she recalled using her staff to drive two of them away, screeching and bleeding from a broken nose and a black eye. But it wasn't enough. Two men had grabbed her after that, tossed her in the barn, and barred the door. By the time she broke it open, they had already set sail.

"And I'm guessing you were one who stood up to them?" he asked, the corners of his lips tugging up.

She nodded, wondering how he guessed. "We might be farmers and shepherds here, but I refused to let them attack us without doing something."

Shanks raised an eyebrow, then turned back to the grey-haired man. "Benn, we'll stay here for a day. Try to see if any of the villagers heard or saw anything about the pirates that attacked." He nodded and left, heading for the barn.

"They didn't have a flag." Kiyo said immediately, then corrected herself. "Well, they did, but it was just plain black."

Shanks narrowed his eyes, then nodded. "Anything else?" The air shivered and she noticed the other men give her a dark look; from their faces, though, she knew it wasn't aimed at her specifically, but at what she said.

She bit her lip. She did overhear something, but it made no sense to her.

Shanks stepped up to her. "I'm going to take that as a yes. Anything you heard might help us stop them from doing this again." Up close, the anger was easier to see in his face, though his voice stayed relatively friendly.

Kiyo looked up at him, noting he wasn't much taller than her. "I heard them say something about being paid not to steal."

A murmur broke out behind him, and Shanks grabbed her arm gently. She didn't resist as he took her to the side, where it would be difficult for the others to hear them. "Anything else?" His tone deepened, and she shivered at the dangerous look in his eyes.

"Something about looking for a CP agent turned pirate. I don't know what that means though." She was shocked at the pained look that flitted across his face, but he composed himself quickly, taking a small step back. "But they weren't supposed to steal anything, hurt us, and not touch anyone unless it was necessary."

Shanks glanced behind him. Benn had reappeared, but walked up to them as Shanks made a motion. "Benn, I think we have a serious problem here." Behind them, she could see the other pirates watching them calmly.

"What happened?" If he was bothered by the dangerous look in Shanks' eyes, or affected by the strange feeling in the air, it didn't show.

Kiyo watched Shanks curiously as he glanced at her before answering him. "They were looking for an ex-CP agent."

Benn's eyebrow raised. "That's…unusual. Most pirates don't know about them."

"Are they marines?" Kiyo asked. Something about the way Shanks said "ex-CP agent" bugged her, though she didn't understand why.

Shanks turned to her and shook his head. "Not exactly. They work for the World Government, not the Navy, though they can sometimes work together. They're assassins who target specific groups or people. I just find it odd that they looked here." He didn't sound worried, just confused.

Kiyo looked around the remains of the village. "But they said they defected fourteen years ago. Maybe they settled down somewhere?" She wasn't surprised there were ranks or organizations she didn't know, but when the air shivered to the point she felt weak, she glanced at Shanks to see a look of rage in his eyes. She gripped her staff tightly, trying to keep herself steady.

Benn placed a hand on Shanks' shoulder. "Miss, I suggest you head back to the others and get your head wound checked." His voice was carefully neutral. The air stopped shivering, but she couldn't relax.

Seeing the look on Shanks' face, Kiyo quickly nodded and walked off. She touched her forehead and was surprised to feel blood. But it wasn't a lot, and she probably would've never noticed it herself.

When she reached the path between the houses just before the barn, she looked back. She wasn't sure why, either.

Shanks and Benn were already deep in conversation and the red-haired man was…no, he wasn't angry, she decided. More like upset. Like he had been reminded of something he wanted to avoid.

Watching him for another moment, she felt a stab of sympathy. The look in his eyes reminded her of herself three years ago. But unfortunately, there was nothing she could say that would help.

It wasn't something he could deal with on his own easily, but he would have to ask for help.

She hoped he would.