One Piece: Strawhat Theater
"Our Mrs. Monkey"
Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-based work of prose. One Piece is the property of Toei Animation, Funimation, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.
Thousand Sunny
Dressrosa
"I cannot believe that he ran off," Momonosuke groaned.
"I can," Chopper sighed.
They'd stayed in the harbor near the shore after the various teams had run off. Their objectives were pretty straightforward: Rescue Kanjuro, a samurai from Wano held by DoFlamingo's pirates, and find the SMILE Factory to destroy it. Law would meanwhile work to kill DoFlamingo.
Nami honestly wished him the best of luck. That man was a monster. Everything she had read about him said he was an evil, twisted, conniving monster who entrapped and outwit his foes...
"Mommy? What's wrong?" Ace-chan asked softly. Nami sighed and squeezed her daughter to her chest.
"A lot," she admitted, "But we'll be all right."
"Okay Mommy," Ace said with a smile. She then saw Momonosuke sitting on the deck in dragonform. Her eyes lit up.
"HORSIE RIDE, MOMO!"
"Uwah-AAAHH!"
She leaped and landed on Momonosuke-Who, as usual, was too slow to escape the hyperactive girl. He frantically crawled around as Ace laughed and tugged on his horns.
"AH! NO! I'M A DRAGON! A DRAGON!"
"HORSIE!"
"DRAGON!"
It was almost a relief when the Transponder Snails went off. Nami went in, Brook nodding to her as she sat down. He'd been keeping watch the whole time, and Nami picked up the mouthpiece.
"Thousand Sunny, who is this?"
"NAMI! IT'S CRAZY HERE!" Luffy shouted. Nami winced.
"Luffy! Calm down, what's going on?" Nami asked.
"Okay, so... There was this old blind guy with a cool sword who made everything heavier when he hit them, and they smashed through the floor! At this restaurant, which had really great food! I had this thing called a paella, it was sooo good-!"
"LUFFY! FOCUS!" Nami shouted.
"Right, right, so then these fairies apparently stole one of Zoro's swords and he, Sanji and Kine'mon ran after them! Don't know where they got to!"
"Wait, fairies?" Nami managed.
"That's what this toy monkey with a drum said!" Luffy said.
"The what?!"
"There are talking, walking toys here! Toys that are alive! I swear!" Luffy insisted.
"That's..." Nami rubbed her temples. She'd deal with that part later.
"Okay... So... What else have you found out?"
"Well, everyone's like, calm. You'd think they'd be freaking out when they heard their king was stepping down, but no! They're all chill!" Luffy continued, the snail conveying his confusion. "It's so weird! Also my face is on the front page of every newspaper-!"
"A newspaper printed today?!" Nami asked, eyes widening.
"Yeah huh! Weird, right? Oh, also also, BIG NEWS! They've announced this big gladiatorial battle and the prize is, get this: The Flame Flame Fruit! Ace's Devil Fruit!"
"What?! You've got to be kidding!" Nami shouted. "Luffy, is anyone with you?"
"Yeah, I am," Franky said, "Luffy basically got most of the details. I did check the papers: No mention of DoFlamingo stepping down at all. Just a big story about Luffy being seen in the area-"
Nami's eyes widened. She stood up rapidly, every instinct in her body screaming.
"Guys? I think it's a trap."
"What is?" Franky asked.
"All of it," Nami insisted, "I think DoFlamingo knows you're here. I think he set all of this up as a trap to get us!"
She looked to Brook.
"Brook! Start us on an evading course! Get Chopper to help! Keep our movements random, I don't want to be easy to follow!"
"On it!" Brook cried, rushing out and shouting orders to Chopper. Nami turned back to the transponder snail, which took the form of Luffy again.
"But if it's a trap, what do we do? Can't I just go and punch Mingo in the face?"
"I wish it was that simple, Luffy, I really do," Nami sighed. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay... Okay... Clearly, DoFlamingo knew that you'd be here. He knew you'd want to go after Ace's Fruit. He wants you at the Gladiator Game then."
"Well... I mean... I want Ace's Fruit, Nami," Luffy said, "I can't just let it fall into someone else's hands!"
"No... No, you can't," Nami hummed. She tried to think up possibilities aside from aborting the whole operation... But if DoFlamingo had this good of intel, what else might he know? How could they counter someone this smart and this powerful?
"Honestly Nami? I think Luffy should go for it," Franky said. Nami gaped.
"WHAT?!"
"If Luffy doesn't show up, then DoFlamingo will know we're onto him," Franky pointed out, the transponder snail grinning like the cyborg, "If he does, then DoFlamingo will assume we don't know we're walking into a trap."
"Ohh, I get it,"
Luffy said, the snail doing its best to emulate both him and Franky in some weird hybrid face, "If I'm there, I can also be a big distraction for everyone else! Also Nami, you should warn Tra-Guy right now. I think Mingo is going to want him alive."
Nami blinked.
"I guess that would make sense. His Devil Fruit is so valuable that people would pay billions for him-"
"Well yeah, but this whole thing feels really personal for Tra-Guy, ya know?" Luffy suggested. "I also think if Mingo's going to this much trouble to trap us, it might be personal for him, too."
"That's... Yeah, I think you're right, Luffy," Nami managed. It was an incomplete puzzle, but it was pointing out a lot of possibilities. Unpleasant ones.
"You think Mingo is Tra-Guy's father and they'll have an epic final duel and junk?" Luffy asked. "Is Tra-Guy a Prince?"
"I... Maybe?" Nami shook her head. "Okay! I'll alert the others that this is almost certainly a trap. Luffy? You go and fight for Ace's Fruit. Just do what you do best."
She smiled and blew a kiss to the snail.
"I know you'll win."
The snail grinned like Luffy, capturing his loving gaze.
"You know I will, Nami. Also, I found this store that sells silken rope, and I asked this guy about it and he says it's to tie up women! And that sounded neat, so I asked more-"
"LUFFY!" Nami flushed deeply. She took a deep breath.
"When you get back... We will... Discuss it. In more... Detail," she responded with a husky voice. "But for now? Focus on the mission."
"Okay! Love you! Bye!"
Nami alerted Law to her suspicions. He was skeptical, but accepting of the logic of the situation. Robin and Usopp said they might have a plan, and they would provide an update. It took some time to sort out all the details, and many of them they didn't want to get into in case their transmission was intercepted, but they were confident in the plan. Nami then sent an update to the Polar Tang. She also tried to reach Sanji or Zoro or Kine'mon, but none of them picked up (Of course).
He was supposed to stay and protect them, but no! He got distracted by something stupid!
Yes, Luffy got distracted and ran off, but at least he was supposed to! At least he called!
After all of that, she got out on deck and looked around. They were still within sight of Dressrosa's shore, and that was concerning. But what was far more concerning was...
"Momonosuke? Where's Ace-chan?"
The pink dragon gulped.
"Ummm..."
Nami glared. She tried to stretch out her very basic Observation Haki. She'd been training with Luffy, but it wasn't there just yet. Despite this, the flickers of insight she was granted, and Momo's guilty look, combined into an unpleasant conclusion.
"Where is my daughter, Momonosuke?" Nami growled.
"Um... She heard about living toys while listening to you talk with Luffy," Momonosuke, "And now-"
Nami ran to the railing of the Thousand Sunny. She could just make out her tiny daughter running down the same canyon path that her father and the rest of their crew had taken into Dressrosa proper.
"MONKEY D. ACENATH! YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE RIGHT NOOOOOW!" Nami shrieked. Brook and Chopper had to hold her back from jumping into the water after her.
"Hold on! Hold on, Nami!" Brook grunted.
"Yeah! Yeah, we've got bigger problems!" Chopper shouted.
"WHAT BIGGER PROBLEMS?!"
A large, fat woman with red and orange hair, purple glasses, and a purple dress strode out onto deck with a grin.
"Hohoho~! I believe you're refering to me? Giolla, of the DoFlamingo Pirates!"
"GODDAMNIT SANJIII!" Nami shrieked.
"A-Ah, unhand me miss, please!"
"WOW! Daddy was right! There really are talking toys here!"
Acenath's eyes were sparkling as she held up the toy and dangled him by his arms. It was a small stuffed doll that was dressed in a tux with purple spikey hair and a guitar on its back. It kind of reminded her of Uncle Brook, just with a different hairstyle.
"Hey, how much do you cost?" Acenath asked curiously. "If I buy you, you can come on our ship! You, me and Uncle Brook can be a band!"
"I am not for sale! And I must decline, as I already have a profession!" The toy squawked.
"Aw, come on, it's really fun on the ship. Plus with-owie!"
Acenath flinched back when the toy suddenly swung its guitar at her smacked her on the back of her palm, making her drop him. The guitar prop was made of wood and stung a bit when it hit her.
"I apologize for that, but I really must be going." The toy told her seriously. "Please, return your parents or run on home, as I unfortunately have no time for you right now! I have a job I was in the middle of. Excuse me!"
The girl pouted as the toy scampered away. "Toys aren't supposed to hit you when you play with them…"
Looking around, she saw toys of all shapes and sizes. There were some designed like humans, and others designed like animals. Some were super tall while others were small enough that even she towered over them. But no matter what they looked like, they were all animated and moving around from place to place. It was even more incredible than her daddy made it sound over the talking snail. Whoever invented them must've been as talented as Uncle Franky or Uncle Usopp!
Acenath wanted a toy for herself, and so had gone in search of one she liked. A lot of the toys were much too big for her to carry, but the tiny musician doll she'd spotted in the first few minutes of her arrival into town had been perfect… or at least she thought it had been.
"I'm going to find a much nicer toy. One that doesn't hit me." Acenath decided, and took off in another direction.
Only let out a yelp as someone stepped in her path, causing her to bounce of the person's legs and fall on the ground.
"Watch it, brat!" A large man with a scarred face snarled as he glared down at her.
"Some people just don't know how to make their kids behave." A woman wearing a pretty dress but didn't have a face as pretty as her mom and Aunt Robin drawled, tightening her hold on the scarred man's arm. "Come on, let's hurry to the colosseum. The tournament should be starting soon!"
"Yeah, I don't got time for this brat… I'm gonna make a killing betting on the arena fights, then I'll treat you to something reeeeeeal special, baby!"
Acenath didn't pay attention to whatever the woman said back to the man since the couple was already moving down the road. Instead, the small girl shuffled nervously in place when she realized just how… loud and crowded her surroundings were.
While she was used to loud environments since her daddy's ship could be a pretty noisy place sometimes, what with Brook's singing, Zoro and Sanji arguing, Franky and Usopp working on their personal projects, when daddy and mommy were having one of their special hugging sessions in their room, or just the crew's antics in general… but this was different. An unfamiliar location, filled with unfamiliar people, full of unfamiliar noises…
And Acenath realized she was all by herself.
When she'd gotten off the Thousand Sunny and ran to shore, in her head she thought she could just run right back after seeing the talking toys before her mom even noticed she was gone. That was why she'd told Momo to cover for her. But she could barely see anything through the crowd of people. She didn't know which way to walk to return to the ship.
"I'll… I'll go find daddy."
He had left with the others and was somewhere in the city, wasn't he? If she couldn't find the ship, she'd just find him!
"I'm going to play Navigator… only daddy is the treasure! I'll find him really fast!" Acenath announced, pumping herself up before pushing her way into the crowded street.
"C'mon, boss. Entry applications for the tournament are gonna close soon. We gotta get there fast if we wanna compete!"
"You think I don't know that?!" Bartolomeo shouted, hot on the heels of his staff officer as they raced through the streets.
"You must've forgot, otherwise you wouldn't have wasted so much time with those thugs earlier while we were eating." Gambia shouted back.
"I overheard them talkin' smack about the Strawhat Pirate Crew! You think I was gonna let that slide?!"
"I get it, I really do, but if we miss our opportunity to enter the tournament then there wasn't any point to us coming here at all!"
"I KNOW THAT!" Bartolomeo screamed. "But I'm a man of principles, and if anyone badmouths Luffy-senpai or any of his crewmates within my hearing it's only right that I take THEIR ears so that-WHOAH"
Bartolomeo cried out when his foot suddenly caught on a loose brick in the road and fell flat on his face. He'd been so focused on his back and forth with Gambia he hadn't watched where he was running. Groaning, the green haired man picked himself off the ground and made to get to his feet.
Only to pause when he heard something strange nearby.
Turning his head, the captain of the Barto Club Pirates found himself staring into an alleyway… where he spotted a small girl huddled up with her face buried in her knees. The girl appeared to be crying.
"Huh, odd for a kid to be all by her lonesome here. Kid's either lost or an orphan livin' on the streets."
"Yo, bossman! What's the hold up?!"
"Ah, nothing." Bartolomeo snorted, dusting off his pants. It wasn't like some random kid was his problem.
…And yet, something deep within him was screaming at him for him to NOT ignore the crying child he'd happened upon. It was almost instinctual with how sudden the impulse was to go try and help the kid. Bartolomeo wasn't sure why, but he found his feet suddenly moving not in the direction of the colosseum, but into the alleyway.
"Uh, Bart?" Gambia tried, slowing his pace and looking back at his captain with a confused face. "The tournament? We gotta hurry!"
"Just gimme a second!" Bartolomeo yelled back before he crouched down next to the crying girl. The green haired pirate opened his mouth, but hesitated, biting his lip when he realized he wasn't sure what to say.
It wasn't like he was an expert with kids. Most of them usually ran for the hills whenever they saw his face. Even when he was trying to be nice, most kids assumed he was going to attack them.
That was only true if they said something bad about the Strawhats though!
"Ah… what am I doing?" Bartolomeo thought to himself, shaking his head as he stood back to his feet and exited the alleyway. "I ain't no one's babysitter. I shouldn't let one kid distract me from what's really important. I gotta get movin' if I wanna make in time to enter the tournament!"
The whole point of coming to Dressrosa and competing in the Corrida Colosseum tournament was to get the Flame Flame fruit. Not to eat it himself, he already had his own Devil Fruit powers, and certainly not to give it to one of his crewmates… no, it was going to be a gift!
A gift he was going to give to Luffy of the Strawhat pirates and the only gesture that was grand enough to give Bartolomeo an excuse to be in his idol's presence!
He couldn't waste his time on some crying child!
And yet…!
"Daddy… where are you…?"
Heaving a sigh when he heard the child's sniffling voice behind him, Bartolomeo turned around and re-entered the alley, crouching back down next to the kid and decided to bite the bullet. Maybe that would get the mental itch he was feeling to go away.
"Hey kid, whatcha crying about?" Bartolomeo asked roughly, rolling his eyes when the kid flinched at the sound of his voice.
Ugh, this really was a waste of time. Why was he even trying?
"…I'm a bad navigator." The girl sniffled into her knees.
"Navigator, huh? Well, don't worry about that. You're better off not dreaming about becoming best navigator in the world since that spot's already taken." Bartolomeo said seriously.
After all, the title of the world's greatest navigator belonged to Strawhat Luffy's wife, Nami! Everyone knew that!
"I know… that's why I couldn't find daddy…" The girl said sadly. "But I thought since mommy is good at it, I could maybe be at least a little good at it too…"
"Hm? Yer mom's a navigator, huh?" Bartolomeo asked curiously before his lips twisted down in distaste. "She work for the navy or somethin'?"
"The navy sucks. My mommy's a pirate."
"O-Oh, really! Well, yer momma sounds like a classy gal." Bartolomeo replied, feeling his opinion of the girl's parent go up a few notches. "You lost track of her?"
"I came to find talking toys, but they were mean. Then the other people here were even meaner. Then I couldn't find my way back to the ship. And now I can't find daddy…!"
A loud groan echoed through the alley, causing Bartolomeo to jump while the girl curled in on herself even more.
"And I'm hungry…!"
Bartolomeo floundered when the girl began to sob fitfully. "Ah, hey, don't cry! I'll, er, help you find your parents!"
"Captain, seriously?!" Gambia demanded, making Bartolomeo jump when he realized his staff officer had been watching him this whole time. "You're seriously wasting your time here with some crying brat when we've got a tournament to catch?"
"I'm not crying!" The girl protested. "Pirates don't cry!"
"The kid thinks she's a pirate?" Bartolomeo scoffed in his head. Maybe she'd gotten lost by getting too into her game of pretend.
There was only one child in the world who could call herself a true pirate!
"Seriously, captain, let's go…!" Gambia insisted, tugging on Bartolomeo's jacket as he tried to pull him up.
"Step off, Gambia!" Bartolomeo growled, tugging himself out of the man's grip. "Just let me deal with this for a sec!"
"…You'll help me find my daddy?" The child asked, raising her head slightly.
"Um, yeah." Bartolomeo nodded, ignoring the frustrated groan from his crewmate.
"…You're not a bad guy, are you?"
"What the-?! I just offered to help you! Don't just assume I'm a bad guy!" Bartolomeo said angrily, causing the girl to scoot away from him.
"I mean, we ARE pirates." Gambia commented.
To both men's surprise, that comment made the girl stop trying to get away. Finally lifting her face up, the girl stared at them with puffy eyes and tear tracks on her cheeks.
"Pirates? Then do you know my daddy…?"
"Hey, it's not like every pirate knows each other." Gambia protested. "I mean, unless your dad has a bounty it's not like we'd know off the top of… captain?"
Gambia trailed off when he noticed Bartolomeo starting to tremble. He was shaking so much that the man was practically vibrating in place.
"Y-You…!" Bartolomeo gasped as he stared down at the child. Looking at the little girl's face, there could be no mistake about who she was!
But he had to be sure…!
"Captain? What's wrong?"
Bartolomeo didn't reply to Gambia. Instead, the green haired man sprang to his feet and started digging through his jacket pockets, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper before carefully unfurling it. With his heart beating rapidly in his chest and eyes as wide as dinner plates, Bartolomeo looked from the image on the paper and back to the child sitting in front of him.
The wanted poster showed him the beaming smile of a girl.
And while the girl in front of him wasn't smiling, that face was exactly the same as the one on the wanted poster he had.
"Y-You're…!"
Bartolomeo felt like his heart was about to give out.
"YOU'RE MONKEY D. ACENATH?!"
"She's who?!" Gambia cried.
The girl winced at the volume with which the two men shouted. "I-I'm Ace…"
Acenath jumped when suddenly the scary looking green haired man suddenly dropped to the ground in front of her.
"I'M SO SORRY MISS ACENATH!" Bartolomeo screamed into the concrete, tears spilling from his eyes as he realized the severity of his error. "FOR MY RUDENESS AND CARELESS WORDS! I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS TALKING TO LUFFY-SENPAI'S DAUGHTER!"
Which was the greatest sin he'd ever committed. He should have recognized Luffy-senpai's daughter on sight immediately. He'd even considered leaving her all alone!
He was the worst sort of scum.
"S-So you do know daddy?" Acenath sniffed, wiping her eyes.
"O-Of course I know him! Your father is the greatest pirate to ever exist! That ever will exist! I-I've never admired anyone as much as I do him!" Bartolomeo exclaimed, lifting himself up on his hands but being VERY CAREFUL to only look at Acenath's feet and not her face. "Y-Your dad's the whole reason I became a pirate! A-And… omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, I actually met his daughter! I'M TALKING TO SENPAI'S DAUGHTER! Monkey D. Acenath herself! Oh man, if this is a dream I never want to wake up!"
"Y-You know me too?"
"Of course! I know everyone on the Strawhat Pirate crew! Er, n-not that I've ever met them in person! I just know ABOUT them. I-Including you! I-I hope that doesn't sound weird or anything. It's just that having THE daughter of Strawhat Luffy in front of me is a little overwhelming! You're amazing!"
"But I got lost…" Acenath protested, sniffling as she bit her lip. "Mommy wouldn't have gotten lost."
"You didn't get lost! You just haven't reached your destination yet!" Bartolomeo encouraged the girl. "And sometimes you need help getting there! It's not like your mom and dad are sailing the seas by themselves, right? Luffy-senpai and Nami-senpai have an entire crew with them! That's how they get everywhere, right?"
"Yeah…?"
"And you're here all by yourself, with no else… of course it's gonna take longer to find what you want! Don't get down on yourself, Miss Acenath! You're an amazing navigator! It's no surprise, given who your mom is! You just need to go the distance for a little bit longer! I'll bet your dad is just right around the corner!"
"Really?"
"Of course! I'll help you look! I-I'd be MORE THAN HAPPY to help you!" Bartolomeo said, bowing his head. "Consider me at your disposal! Just say the word, and I'll make it happen! I-If you don't mind me helping you, that is. I was really rude to you earlier and I don't want to assume…"
Acenath stared at the green haired man blubber for a few moments before wiping her eyes and getting to her feet. The strange man was still bowing, but looked really nervous and afraid for some reason. It was totally opposite to his appearance, which looked scary at first glance, but the longer she watched him the less scary he was. Maybe it was the difference between his appearance and how he was acting?
Then there was also what he said before.
"D-Did you really become a pirate because you looked up to daddy?"
"Yes! Not just him, but all the Strawhat Pirates! But especially him! I really admire him!"
Acenath wasn't as smart as Aunt Robin or Uncle Usopp, but she could feel the sincerity in the green haired man's words. He really seemed to like her daddy.
With knowledge, suddenly the man wasn't so scary anymore.
The raven haired girl giggled and patted the man on the forehead, causing him to freeze.
"You're funny!"
"L-Luffy-senpai's daughter thinks I'm funny…" Bartolomeo whispered, staring at the ground in shock. "I've never received a greater compliment in my life. This is AWESOME."
"Er, boss?" Gambia spoke up from behind him. "A-Are we still going to the tournament-HRK?!"
Suddenly his captain was up and glaring directly into his face as he gripped him by his collar.
"What kind of question is that?"
"I-I'm just saying, that we-"
"Gambia, FUCK THE TOURNAMENT. Our only concern from this point forth is doing anything and everything we can for Miss Acenath!"
Bartolomeo suddenly gasped and fell back.
"W-What is it now, captain?!"
"I-I just realized…! If Miss Acenath is here, then that means the rest of the Strawhats are here too…!" Bartolomeo cried. "THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"
"So… can you help me find daddy?" Acenath asked, tugging on Bartolomeo's jacket. She tilted her head curiously when the green haired man suddenly looked away from her.
"O-Of course I will! Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"
"Hm…" Ace thought about it. "The talking snail said something about how daddy was looking for a piece of fruit I think…"
"…Right, it's so obvious! If Luffy-senpai heard about Doflamingo ponying up his brother's Devil Fruit as a prize in the tournament then OF COURSE he'd try to win it! He wouldn't let some stranger have it!" Bartolomeo deduced. "Senpai and his crew must be at the colosseum!"
"What's a colopossum?" Acenath asked. "It is a kind of animal?"
"Ah, no, Miss Acenath. It's a place. A place where I think we'll find your dad!" Bartolomeo smiled before he turned to his crewmate. "Gambia, you get to the arena right now! Enter as a contestant and see if you can find Luffy-senpai and let him know that I've got his daughter with me and that she's safe! You can make it if you hurry!"
"G-Got it! What about you, boss? Are you still gonna enter?"
"Hell no! If Senpai's competing it's obvious who the winner will be! While he's kicking ass, I'll be protecting Miss Acenath. At least until we can find one of the other Strawhats. Now get going!"
"Aye aye, boss!"
Bartolomeo nodded in satisfaction as he watched Gambia take off in the direction of the Corrida Colosseum. Once he was out of sight, he crouched down to Acenath's eye level.
"D-Don't you worry, Miss Acenath. We'll find your dad! Or one of the other Strawhats! I'll make it happen, I promise!"
"Okay… thank you!" Acenath smiled, cheering up a little at the man's enthusiastic tone. "What's your name, mister?"
"H-How rude of me! My name is Bartolomeo, captain of the Barto Club Pirates!"
"Barthewmeow… Bartomomo… Bartotelolo…" Acenath tried.
"It's fine if you can't say it! Just call me Bart for short!" Bartolomeo assured her, still trying his best not to look at her face.
"Okay!" Acenath beamed. "You can call me Ace-chan then!"
"I-Is that okay? That's like… your nickname, right? You probably only let your crew or your friends call you that…"
"But aren't we friends?"
"A-Are we?!"
"Can we?"
"I-If you're okay with it…!"
"I wanna be friends with Bart!"
Bartolomeo felt himself tear up. "T-This day just keeps getting more and more amazing. I got to meet a Strawhat…! And not just any Strawhat, but Luffy-senpai and Nami-senpai's daughter! AND NOW WE'RE FRIENDS!"
"Friends!" Acenath cheered.
"So um, Ace-chan… let's go find your dad?"
"Yeah!"
Bartolomeo stiffened when the girl suddenly used his jacket to lift herself up and climb up his body until she sat on his shoulders, fingers clutching into his green spikes of hair to keep herself balanced.
Oh, now he wasn't sure if he could move! What if he fell over again and dropped Ace-chan? What if he hurt her by accident? What would senpai think? What would his wife think? Bartolomeo slowly began to cross his fingers to activate a barrier so they could be AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE while they were walking toward the colosseum.
"Bart?"
"Y-Yes, Ace-chan?"
"I think I'm gonna be in trouble…"
Bartolomeo paused.
"…Why's that?"
"I left the ship without mommy… she's probably really angry." Acenath mumbled quietly, gripping tighter onto his hair. "I think daddy might be angry too… I'm gonna be in big trouble…"
Right. In all his excitement Bartolomeo had almost forgotten about how he found her. There was no way senpai or his wife would ever let their daughter out of their sight normally. They were the greatest parents ever, they wouldn't leave their daughter in an alley! Acenath had already shared her story earlier about how she'd left the ship… it stood to reason that Nami-senpai would be angry… and who knew how Luffy-senpai would react to know that his daughter had wandered off without proper supervision…
"…Don't worry, Ace-chan! If your parents get angry, it'll be anger borne of worry! Because they love you!" Bartolomeo said confidently. "And we're pirates! Getting in trouble for doing tons of stuff comes with the job!"
That earned a giggle from Acenath.
"Besides, I'm sure if you apologize sincerely, your parents will forgive you! Pirates don't usually HAVE to apologize, but I still think it'll be a good idea to tell your parents sorry."
"Yeah… okay. Thanks, Bart."
"Don't mention it! U-Um… to be honest, Ace-chan, I'm actually really nervous about meeting your dad." Bartolomeo confessed. "I-I mean, I'll HAVE to meet him since we'll be finding him. I-I hope he doesn't think I've kidnapped you or anything. Ugh, I hope Gambia tells the story right. It's just the thought meeting my hero is pretty nerve-wracking, and I-"
"It'll be okay, Bart! Daddy will like you, I know it!"
"Ha, y-you think so? W-Well, you are his daughter, so I guess you'd know best!" Bartolomeo smiled. "Right then, enough standing around! You're my navigator Ace-chan, so you let me know when you see your dad!"
"Okay!"
"To the colosseum!" Bartolomeo shouted, taking off in a sprint toward the large structure in the distance.
A large growling noise suddenly came from behind his head.
"I think daddy might be in there." Acenath informed the man, pointing to the dessert shop across the street.
"Right you are!" Bartolomeo declared, abruptly turning on his heel and rushing into the bakery. "We'll check the arena after checking out this place!"
"Yeah!"
Omake: Buggy Stream
The Den-Den Mushi starts recording, revealing Buggy sitting with a very tall and glowering guest. Buggy is grinning nervously.
"SO! Uh, my show is apparently popular enough we have a very SPECIAL guest! Yes, it's him, the Hero of the Marines! Retired Vice-Admiral, Monkey D. Garp! Welcome to the show!"
"I'm only here for one reason, Runt," Garp growled, "That's to reach my idiot grandson and his beautiful wife!"
"Uh, well, can't we have a conversation at least?" Buggy suggested. "Come on! You're being watched by people all around the world, Garp! How about some questions? How are things going?"
"None of your damn business."
"Er... Anyone special in your life?"
"Several."
"... Can you tell us-?"
"No."
Buggy scowled.
"Listen Garp! I'm willing to let you speak out to your grandson and granddaughter-in-law but you gotta give me something!"
"No I don't."
Buggy opened his mouth... Then shut it at the Haki enhanced glare Garp shot him. Buggy cleared his throat.
"Y-Yes, well... By all means!"
Garp glared out at the Den-Den Mushi.
"I can't say I approve of all you did, Luffy... But I am proud of you. I'm proud of you for sticking to your principles, and fighting on despite..." He paused a moment before he continued, "I'm also proud of you for taking responsibility and marrying that girl. I've seen her in action. I know you'd marry her even if I didn't approve, but I do anyway. She's a good woman. Treat her right."
Garp paused again, then glowered.
"Also..."
His lip twitched before he broke into manly tears.
"WHEN THE HELL WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME YOU'D HAD A KID?!" Garp demanded. "YOU RECKLESS BRAT! CAN'T A GREAT-GRANDFATHER GET TO MEET HIS GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER?! SHE'S SO... DAMN... CUTE!"
He sobbed, dabbing his eyes. Buggy, awkwardly, reached out to pat the man on the shoulder.
"Er... There there?"
"Anyway... I'd better get some damn baby pictures soon!" Garp growled. He smashed the table in front of the couches. "DON'T MAKE ME COME AFTER YOU TO GET THEM!"
"ACK! HEY! WATCH IT!" Buggy cried. "YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I PAID FOR THOSE?!"
Garp glared at him again. Buggy coughed and waved his hands.
"Not that it's a big issue! Eheheh...!"
"Anyway, that's all. Later, Runt," Garp stated, standing up, turning... And marching right through the wall. Buggy's eyes bulged out.
"NOOOO-!"
STREAM WAS DISCONTINUED DUE TO TECHNICAL ISSUES. PLEASE STAND BY...