It was a shock for those inside the Pinwheel. Ash revealed himself as an orphan. "Man, you mean to tell us that you lost your parents before you knew them?" asked Luffy. Ash nodded somberly.

"Who would've guessed that the infamous Summoner was an orphan?" gulped Sanji. Omao came to and hugged Ash.

"I'm so sorry about all of this," she apologized. "No one knew about what was going on." Ash nodded and accepted the hug.

"Yeah, no one knew that your parents were killed," Onami mentioned. "We've known you for a couple of weeks since you and Pikachu arrived in Grand Jipang." Ash kept his head hung low.

"Did you know about Ash's past?" asked Blue-Nose Sensei. Pikachu mulled to the question. "Oh, he explained it to you along the way here." Pikachu nodded.

"So, how about explaining the ordeal?" asked Luffy. "What led you to the temple and to becoming the Summoner?" Ash nodded, ready to explain the tale.

Past! The Journey of Ash the Summoner

It all started in my home, Sakuraido Village, known for its warriors. From what I was told, my mother was the most beautiful woman who men would adore. It wasn't until she fell in love with a handsome ronin. The ronin formerly protected the shogunate. He came to the village to settle down after he spent years protecting the shogunate without much to offer back. It turned out he should've had more recognition because he was assassinated shortly afterwards. It wasn't long that the two would fall in love from what the other villagers would tell me. They threw a party to my parents as they were married. Before long, I was born. Everyone in the village seemed to adore me and was declared a villager.

Then, one night when I was asleep, a loud noise woke me up and I began to cry. I didn't see where Mom was or Dad for that matter. Before long, there was a new figure. I didn't recognize him. There was shouting and crying. A villager scooped me up after that first guy ran off. She scooped me up and ran me out of my home. I saw my mom face-down. I tried to reach for her, but the villager ran fast. She cried, "I'm sorry!" a lot. As soon as I was brought into an orphanage, I was bewildered. I had no idea that anything bad happened. I saw other kids there. They all wanted to take care of me. I spent years at the orphanage and made friends. I had been wondering why I was here and not at home with my parents. I watched as the friends I made soon left with other families. Each one, it was more and more frustrating to see them go with different families. When I finally was six, I finally asked the caretakers. It was then that I learned the truth. When I was a baby, someone killed my parents. My dad was stabbed through his chest three times before he fell while my mom was stabbed through the neck with a sai. It was also mentioned that the one who attacked my parents was also killed, so I believed that who attacked them didn't escape.

I was alone. All of the kids I had known growing up in the orphanage were adopted. I was left.

I was seven when my Sensei came around. He and a few of his students stopped by the orphanage. They saw me looking like I'll be left behind like always. That's when Sensei held out a scroll… and it reacted near me by glowing. Sensei did seem perplexed by the fact that it reacted when I was within arm's reach. He offered the scroll to me when it blinded all of us. When it dimmed… there was Pikachu. I didn't do any enchantments to summon him. He just came out. Quickly, we became friends. However, Sensei drew him back into the scroll. It was then that Sensei gave me the opportunity to be a student at his temple. He learned of my hardships and how I was denied being with my parents. He made the decision to adopt me.

There, I learned how to be a warrior. I was taught how to wield a katana, kunai, naginata… and I was a quick study. I was hitting my targets with ease, no matter the difficulty. As I ascended classes, the scroll Pikachu was in became restless and had gone out of his scroll a few times to find me. Feeling like there was no choice, Sensei gave me the scroll and allowed me to summon him before he severed the connection to my mana that he told me about after discussing with others. It was at that moment that I was introduced to a library of summoning scrolls. I practiced with Sensei about each summon from Bulbasaur to Gliscor to Melmetal.

When I was told about someone else that could help me in training in Grand Jipang, I asked to get some basic cooking done so that I didn't starve. They were helpful. They even got me some food to help begin the journey. With my many scrolls, I set off for Grand Jipang with Pikachu. Along the way, we did stop some thieves and brought goods back to a couple of villages after those Nobles stole from them. Finally…

"Pikachu and I made it here," Ash concluded. Those in the Pinwheel seemed distraught with the women covering their mouths hung open. They never suspected the hardships Ash had to endure.

"No one adopted you?" gulped Blue-Nose Sensei.

"After they said that you're a part of your home?" gulped Onami. Ash mulled as he bowed his head.

"That is seriously messed up," Sanji groaned. Ocarrot came over and gave Ash a hug.

"Ash!" she cried as she tightened her hug. "Youteia don't know how sorry we feel!" Despite the vice-like grip, Ash palmed Ocarrot's head.

"Indeed," Brook agreed. "They could've taken you under their arms to make sure you're safe." Usopp had a thought as Omao had another opportunity to hug Ash.

"Although, it could be that they knew Ash had this ability and didn't want to end up like his parents," he studied. Onami was in disgust by the study and smashed a punch to Usopp's head. He flew out of the restaurant.

"He was only a baby!" she snapped. It took her a few minutes before she regained her composure and approached Ash. She palmed Ash's head while Omao broke away. "I do want to say that we're glad you're here with us." She hugged Ash.

"Yeah, we're all family here," Luffy mentioned. "And you're a part of it." Ash awed the thought. Robin also joined as she hugged Ash after Onami broke away.

"Everything will be okay," she wished. 'I feel his grief… He's been alone for so long… I wish… Oh, I wish…' After the hugs, Ash and Pikachu left the Pinwheel. Ocarrot followed behind the two.

"Do youteia two want a little company back to the inn?" she guessed. Ash had a small smile appear.

"Sure…" he accepted.

"Thanks. If not me, who would youteia have be as escort?"

"Maybe Onami… I felt a nice embrace from her."

"Embrace?"

"Like… I want to say a sibling embrace, but I don't know…"

"Oh, that's okay then…" They headed to the inn while the others pondered to the claims.

"Boss?" wondered Usopp. Luffy turned to Usopp after hearing his title. "I know we just know of Ash's past, but I don't think it's anything to worry about."

"But there are some things that I can't seem to put together," Luffy pondered. "Do you think Ash's mother was a summoner as well?" The others thought about Luffy's guess.

"It does make some sense," Brook believed. "If Ash is carrying the ability, his mother must have been a summoner herself."

"The way you say it," Sanji started. "Ash's father must have fallen for her because of the magic she inherited. Hell, if I was him, I'd fall for a powerful woman like her." Onami gave Sanji a deadpan look.

"You fall for every woman that comes near you," she corrected. Sanji gulped to Onami's point. "But in any case, you think the attack on Ash's parents was deliberate? Like she and Ash were meant to die by someone who wanted them killed?" Blue-Nose Sensei and Omao gasped to the thought.

"Oh, so you think the village knew that Ash had these summoning powers and tried to not adopt him to keep him safe?" guessed Omao. No one was sure on how to answer.

"I think it's best to make sure he's okay and doesn't get too welcomed," Onami advised. Everyone agreed. Robin slumped to her chair, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Robin Dear!" gasped Sanji as he ran to her side. "Do you need more tea? Maybe I can whip up some miso soup for you!"

"No, I'm okay," Robin eased. "I was just… thinking that I want to do something for Ash. I'm not sure what right now." Onami nodded, knowing the ordeal.

"Let's make sure he doesn't feel too welcomed," she advised. "After all, he does tend to move on at some point."

"And besides," Luffy spoke. "He's a part of the police force." Onami sighed to Luffy's point. At Shakky's inn, Rayleigh and Shakky were told of Ocarrot's company.

"Oh, I see…" awed Shakky. "Ash, I'm so sorry about your upbringing. Part of me wishes we took you in." Ash and Pikachu blinked to the discovery.

"How did you know about my past?" wondered Ash.

"I told her about it after I had received word about you stopping by Grand Jipang," Rayleigh briefed. "I held Yamamoto's story of your life for such a moment." Ash and Pikachu sighed while Ocarrot patted Ash's back.

"I see how that works," she awed. "Anyway, if youteia did want to take Ash in, what's wrong that it's not possible?" Shakky nervously laughed to the question.

"We need to discuss it with the royal family about adopting him," she excused. "However, with all of the crime going on, it's becoming rather cumbersome."

"It's alright…" muttered Ash. "I've been doing fine for almost all of my life… for better or worse."

"And you're already doing such a great job as law enforcement," Rayleigh complimented. "Still, it's getting rather late. It's time to retire." Pikachu came to Shakky.

"Oh, did you want to sleep with me, tonight?" she asked.

("No, but I wanted to know where Makino is,") Pikachu corrected. Shakky took a minute before realizing Pikachu's request.

"I see," she figured. "Let me find Makino and see if she can watch over you." Pikachu squeaked in agreement before going onto Shakky's shoulder. Ash and Ocarrot were in Ash's loaned room.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Let's just say that it's the first time I've slept with a girl that wasn't my mom," Ash admitted.

"Oh, I see. Though, after hearing that story, I cannot say sorry enough to youteia. I'm actually glad those villagers didn't let youteia starve to death."

"Yeah… that much we can agree on." He soon entered his futon before Ocarrot started to crawl into hers.

"And… I wouldn't have met the love of my life." That made Ash pause and turn. He quickly sighed.

"Don't get me wrong, it does sound out of the blue."

"But I don't lie… I began to like youteia on the first day working at the Pinwheel and your first day at Grand Jipang." The confession made Ash blush.

"Thanks… It makes me feel better about it."

"Right? And we have this to rest up in." They snuggled in the futons and head to sleep, but not before Ocarrot hugged Ash, slipping free from her futon. At Robin's flat, she had a hard time trying to sleep.

'Ash has been without a family for almost all of his life,' she minded. 'The poor boy. I never thought that he'd endure tragedy upon tragedy like that. He never asked to be here and yet… This is the result of one person who chose to kill his parents and leave him to die. I now wish I could take care of Ash. He's staying at Shakky's inn. Maybe, I can ask them about it.' She dozed off, hoping that holding Ash in her arms comes to fruition.

TO BE CONTINUED...