NOTES: I say, 'Let's fill this place with Fem Luffy stories!' and in this case, a short story by AceLu, which I hope you like :D

I've decided to translate my stories to English language, due to a request I've been made in one of my stories, for more information, you can read the "CLARIFICATIONS" section before starting the story.

Finally, before you start reading, I must make a small warning. In case you happen to read this or any other of my fanfics on another site, chances are it's plagiarism. I always use the pseudonym "RozenDark" and only post on Amor Yaoi, Wattpad, Fanfiction.Net and AO3. I also gave permission for a Chinese translation of "Innocence Wears White" and it's only on the platform/app "LOFTER"...

https://aichidongxidepangfengye.lofter.com/

I say this, because of the recent failures of Wattpad and that this same platform has a mirror page where they profit from fics. So I'd be grateful if you could let me know if anything happens. Anyway, in case of any other change, I'll give you the corresponding notice :3

Anyway, One Piece characters are property of Eiichiro Oda. The images used throughout the fic are made by me.

And without more to say, Iinvite you to read (^3-)/

~°ɞ°~ღ~°ɞ°~

There was a time when Ace foolishly believed that, by making a promise, he could keep it when he grew up and began his pirate life....

There was a time when Ace and his brothers had promised each other to live without regrets. And for a long time, he had believed that he would never have them....

There was a time when Ace had promised to take care of Luffy in front of Sabo's disembodied grave. And for a long time, he had done so....

But right now, Ace realized that he had done nothing more than say words to the air....

"What am I supposed to be to you now?"

There were so many times when Ace questioned whether he was doing a good job taking care of Luffy. Watching her grow over time, pampering and protecting her, but now he saw that he hadn't done a good job.

At the time, when she almost died from that bear's attack, he had promised himself to always protect her, even if he had to fight hand to hand with death, but apparently, Ace was supposed to protect Luffy, also from himself.

"I told you Lu... This was a mistake that won't happen again..."

Ace knew that, if Sabo was with them, he would have too much trouble and claims. He even knew that there would be blows involved, but right now, the biggest of his worries was that Luffy would understand that what had happened, would not happen again neither now, nor in the future.

He could almost hear Sabo's angry words. Reclaiming him for having done such a thing with Luffy, if they were supposed to be brothers.

'I told you to take care of her, not to have relations outside of the brotherhood.'

Surely those would be Sabo's words, as long as he didn't sully Luffy's ears and innocence....

"So you don't love me...?"

Ace thought about what a fool his sister was. Of course he loved her, but he just couldn't do it the way she wanted him to.

He couldn't think of how Luffy could ask that kind of thing or even think of another kind of love, though he had a suspect in mind. But Ace, he couldn't love her that way....

They were sworn brothers and they would stay sworn brothers....

"I love you... You're my little sister, after all."

But Ace knew that wasn't the answer Luffy expected, nor wanted. That was an answer with more hidden unknowns....

"You know damn well that's not what I meant!"

Ace quickly averted his gaze to some point completely away from where his sister was. After all, the last thing he wanted was to see the consequences of his nightly actions, being that Luffy, he hadn't even dressed properly....

"What am I supposed to be to you now...?"

Again came that question from Luffy's lips, only, unlike the first time, now it was a shaky mumble. And Ace felt lousy that he was causing Luffy pain.....

"My little sister who I won't see, not for another three years, when she goes out to sea to make her own pirate life..."

There was a time Ace and his brothers had promised each other to live with no regrets....

But after the night before the start of his voyage, he committed an act together with Luffy, which he was regretting too much....

There was a time when Ace, thought that things between his sister and him would not change, but by giving that answer and leaving that discussion unfinished, Ace knew that things would not be as he thought...

After that talk where they didn't get to anything, more than a long and painful goodbye, Ace left Dawn island, hoping that Luffy could forgive him when they would meet at sea...

But Ace was beginning to understand that what he once was, would no longer be the same...

•

•

•

"What Once Was..."

It was certainly something curious that after three years, Ace was returning to the island that had been his home and starting point in his journey as a pirate. Although it was more curious that his new captain <<Father>> and his new crewmates <<Brothers and sisters>> were taking him with the excuse of tasting the liquor of the girl gentle by name Makino he had talked so much about, although if he was honest, he had talked about the people who had loved and cared for him when he was in Dawn Island, especially his little sister...

To tell the truth, everyone in his new crew, <<which rather was a very large family>> had been worried about his discouraged state in the last few months and no one could blame him for feeling overwhelmed, considering that there was still no news of his little sister, when months ago, Luffy was supposed to start his pirate adventure and wreak havoc wherever he went.

Ace was really worried about not knowing absolutely nothing about Luffy and the worst thing is that his grandfather, had not even wanted to tell him anything about his sister when he saw him by chance a year ago. In fact, Ace could remember that Garp had been furious when they saw each other and no one could say otherwise, if those famous Fists of Love seemed more like a twisted variant that said the complete opposite of the love his grandfather professed....

For a brief moment, Ace came to think that Garp had come to his senses and now he really hated him for being the son of the late Roger, but he dismissed the idea as soon as his lunatic grandfather hugged him and then gave him one of his famous Love Fists.

But in the end, Garp had told him absolutely nothing about Luffy, almost as if his grandfather would get angry every time he made the mention of his sister and that actually ended up worrying him even more....

"Try to keep your cool a little more, little brother."

Ace gave a look between grateful, combined with a bit of reproach to that teasing brother. Thatch, who was the commander of the fourth division and the crew's chief chef, was the one who was in charge of trying to raise his spirits. But not even the good Thatch and his endless good humor could manage to cheer him up with so much accumulated worry....

"It's just that I can't help but feel worried Thatch... Luffy is not one of those people who can remain unnoticed, in fact, he's quite the opposite..." Thinking of the girl who had become his little sister, Ace couldn't help but feel guilt for how they had parted ways three years earlier. "It's my duty as her older brother to keep me, worried about her when there's not a single sign that she's on her own journey as a pirate..."

The chef let out a chuckle, as he energetically ruffled that silly little brother's hair. "I can tell you're that kind of brother."

Ace looked at him not quite understanding. "What kind of brothers do you mean?" he asked with some trepidation. For a brief moment he remembered what he had done with Luffy and couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.

"Well, what else? It's pretty obvious you're one of those overprotective brothers who go overboard with protecting their little brothers, especially if it's a girl," Thatch replied with amusement. "You should calm down before you throw a fit or something."

Ace hadn't noticed that he had stopped breathing for a few moments, until Thatch blurted out those words and he could feel some relief. Though he was giving his crew brother a point to make and that was that he should try to calm down or he might actually give him something before he got to Dawn Island.

"Island in sight!"

And hearing the words of one of the many lookouts, Ace felt a certain fear again, almost as if just arriving at the place that was his home, warned him that his life would change even more. He could see Thatch smiling at him out of the corner of his eye, he could even notice that Marco and Haruta were approaching to encourage him along with Thatch, but the little voice in his head kept insisting that he should prepare himself for several little surprises that awaited him on Dawn Island...

~.☸.~

One of the things Ace could be thankful for was that the Moby Dick was able to dock without any problems. While he wasn't surprised that the people in peaceful Foosha Village were still going about their business as if a reputable crew hadn't come to their territory, but he did admit what was somewhat amusing to him to see the reactions of his crew brothers and sisters.

"Is it normal for them not to take us seriously?" Thatch asked in a whisper.

Ace could only laugh. "Since this island, is under Garp's protection, people just go about their business as usual, especially this Village, although the mayor may be arriving any minute to give the warnings..."

And speaking of the mayor, he was just making his appearance to give the appropriate warnings. Of course, Ace wasn't surprised to see him stop as soon as he saw him, in fact, he gave him a huge smile, as he greeted him.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Mayor."

Although he had been respectful and at the same time, overly excited to see the old mayor of Foosha Village again, the man did not look happy to see him. Ace no doubt lost his smile little by little, as he looked between fearful and worried at Mayor Woop Slap, thinking that the man or anyone on the island hated him....

And again, he remembered his grandfather and his way of acting....

However, the mayor seemed to notice the way he looked at him, because it was a matter of taking a breath and looking at him reproachfully. Just as she had looked at him the day he had kicked off his journey as a pirate.

"Insolent brat, I should say that it is also good to see you, but I should also say that, as the example of this village, it is somewhat foolish of you to return to the island protected by your grandfather the Navy hero who, by the way, wanted his grandson to join the Navy."

And Ace's fear was dissipated in an instant, becoming to embarrassment as soon as his crew brothers started laughing, while pointing at him.

"So that's why old Garp decided to give you a good thrashing," Thatch mentioned between uproarious guffaws.

"Now the funny thing is, I can't help but imagine Ace in a Marine outfit," Haruta added in like manner.

Ace had blushed in complete embarrassment, as he prepared to claim those two to stop laughing at him and his crazy family. However, he remembered the real reason he had returned home, so he gave a worried look to the old mayor, hoping he would give him some positive answer.

"For one thing, I wanted to come to visit my people, plus I told my nakamas about the delicious liquor what Makino has in his bar," he gave a chagrined look to the man, while pointing to his numerous crew. "But I also came because it's been several months since Luffy turned seventeen and I haven't heard anything about his life as a pirate..."

For some reason, the laughter among the Barbablanca crew members stopped and like Ace, they looked with concern at the village mayor and the uneasy expression on his face.

"I suggest you go and ask Makino..." Mayor Woop Slap gave a hard look to an alarmed Ace. "As for that crew of yours, at once I warn them that this island, especially this village and the mountain area are warily protected by the hero of the Navy, Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, so I don't want to know that they're walking around causing trouble."

And without another word, the mayor went back the way he had come, and at the same time, the people of the village went back to doing their thing, as if nothing had happened, but at the same time, with the clear intentions of ignoring the questions Ace seemed to want to ask.

"I'm getting even more worried..." Ace muttered with a fearful expression. "What if something bad happened to Luffy?"

Marco, who for obvious reasons was the most level-headed, stepped up to try to reassure the younger commander. "Maybe it won't, we just need to go see that woman by the name of Makino."

Ace nodded, only to deny shortly thereafter. "You don't understand Marco... Makino is the one who took care of Luffy from the time she was a baby just a few days old until she was seven years old... I was practically sent by the mayor to have one of her mothers tell me that something bad happened to her..."

Marco didn't know what to say against that possibility, but his captain seemed prepared.

"My son, we just have to go and ask. Marco may be right and you may just be creating ill-founded theories."

Marco agreed with those words. "Besides, Garp would have told you something if your sister had suffered any mishaps."

"And the mayor simply told you that you should talk to that Makino girl. At no time did he confirm that anything bad had happened to your sister."

Ace nodded without being entirely sure. But it was just as his crew said, he just had to find Makino and ask about Luffy....

It shouldn't be complicated, after all...

~.☸.~

Truth be told, Ace and the large crew had expected the waitress to feel self-conscious about being in the presence of pirates, but instantly Ace dismissed that possibility by remembering that Makino had been close friends with Shanks and his crew, so he immediately acted as if nothing had happened and was grateful that the crew did the same.

"Little Ace hadn't told us that Miss Makino was a beauty," Thatch jabbed that friend of his with his elbow.

Ace of course was chagrined by that ill-concealed flirtation, especially since Makino only laughed politely, while still attending to the large crew. Though the younger commander thanked Marco as soon as the first division commander decided to step in to put Thatch in his place before he started to make a fool of him and in the process, somehow frighten she kind Makino.

"It's good to see Ace-kun got such a welcoming crew," Makino commented kindly, as she gave a worried glance at the people the boy had interacted with. "For a moment we were worried when we heard that his crew had been defeated by a Yonkou. Dadan-san even came close to sailing off on his own and having a chat with his axe in hand with Captain Barbablanca."

For a time the silenced reigned between the members of that crew. Silence that was left behind as soon as Ace almost choked when he heard what Makino had said with his typical kind smile.

So completely chagrined and with a noticeable blush on his cheeks, he looked at his captain, but just as he had expected, the man seemed more amused and curious, than annoyed.

"Who is this Dadan fellow?"

The question took Makino by surprise. "Dadan-san is female and she's the one who took care of Ace-kun since he was a baby, until he decided to go sailing when he turned seventeen," she replied. "You could say Dadan-san is his mother."

"I see... I guess then I owe him an apology for making him worry about Ace."

And to the crew's surprise, their captain looked apologetic for making a bad impression on Ace's family.

Makino let out an amused laugh. "Don't worry captain, that as soon as the news broke that Ace-kun joined as the second division commander of her crew, Dadan-san swore that she would give Ace-kun a good scolding for worrying her."

"Let the witch try," Ace blurted out with her arms crossed, but without having lost that chagrined blush on her cheeks.

For a good while, it seemed that everything was normal with Makino, so much so that Ace had forgotten the reproachful looks he had received and the mayor's words. Even his crew brothers and sisters seemed to have calmed down and were enjoying the attentions of the kind Makino.

But as soon as Ace remembered the reason why he had wanted to talk to Makino, he decided to ask with a worried smile on his face....

"Makino... What happened to Luffy?"

To Ace's own and the crew's surprise, the woman's friendly smile faded and once again, he saw a reproachful look directed at his person.

Now indeed, Ace was officially worried about his sister and those looks directed at him....

"Ace-kun... I think you should talk to Dadan-san..."

"The mayor sent me to talk to you," Ace muttered. "Why would I need to talk to Dadan? It's like they're passing the buck to give me bad news."

Makino looked at him pityingly. "Ace-kun, I'm not the one, to speak on the subject, but I can assure you that in the mountains you'll get the answers you're looking for."

Seeing that he would get no answers from Makino, Ace immediately stood up. "I'll go see Dadan, you guys can stay here with Makino on my way back."

And without allowing any to object, he started running in the direction of that lush forest that looked anything, but safe.

"Miss Makino, are you sure something bad didn't happen to Ace's little sister?" Marco asked with concern. "He's been on the lookout since last May fifth and it's almost a year since his sister should have set sail. I know she may be a rookie, but there must have some indication or news about her exploits in that time span."

Makino denied calmly. "Lucy-chan didn't have any kind of mishap, it's just that..."

"What...?"

Makino was somewhat grateful that that crew cared about Ace, after all, she had seen that, despite his explosive behavior, the boy needed affection and loyalty. However, she wasn't the one to say what had happened....

"I'll just say that Ace-kun didn't leave on good terms with Lucy-chan and that the acts they committed back then, have consequences..."

"Did he...?"

Makino looked with surprise captain with surprise, but quickly smiled somewhat guiltily as she nodded at what she was probably suspecting...

"I should clarify at once that Ace-kun and Lucy-chan are not blood brothers. They formed a bond of brotherhood through a sake oath when they were little..."

The crew members seemed increasingly confused by the waitress' words, but such it seemed that their captain and the commander of the first division had already understood what Makino had been getting at....

And certainly Captain Barbablanca and Marco hoped that a consequence of what they were thinking had not come out of that day...

~.☸.~

Ace had hurried to get to the bandit hut. He was thankful that after so many years of not having been on the island, he was able to get there without even getting lost.

And when he finally arrived, he could see several bandits outside the hut. He knew they would surely go to do their thing, but that was not the time to do his thieving work, it was time for someone to give him the answers he had been looking for so long.

"DADAN!" he shouted as he saw the woman who had watched over him emerge from her hut, ready to start his day.

The woman, along with all the bandits who followed her wherever she went, looked towards the place where they had heard that voice. They were all surprised to see Ace running towards them.

Some smiled, Dadan even did, but remembering what her foolish son had caused before starting his journey, she couldn't help but run towards that clumsy blockhead with her axe in hand, ready to give him a good hiding.

"What do you think you're doing old hag?"

Ace hadn't even tried to dodge the attack, after all as a Logia user there was no need to move unless of course, the weapon was made of Sea Stone or they had used weapon haki during the attack and Dadan had neither of those two things in his grasp. Without a second's hesitation, though, he claimed to the woman for that sudden attack.

And as expected, Dadan wouldn't go without a few retorts regarding her behavior either.

"You insolent brat, how dare you show up as if you didn't do anything?"

Ace for a moment was worried as he again saw a reproachful look directed at him. "Makino told me that you had been worried when you received the news that my crew and I were defeated by Barbablanca's crew. I'm sorry if I worried you," he began to apologize with a bow, in case that was the reason Dadan saw him that way.

Dadan simply clicked his tongue, as he looked away with a blush on his face. "Who was supposed to care?" she questioned offended. "To tell you the truth, I didn't even know about that news."

Ace knew right away that Dadan wouldn't readily admit to something as obvious as her concern, though it was kind of funny to see the woman's grief-stricken face and the nervous expressions of the rest of the bandits.

"If you say so..."

For some reason, Ace felt he shouldn't make Dadan any angrier than he already had been. He could even breathe easy as he watched her act like it was nothing, but again the reproachful looks returned and this time, they felt more intense.

"What is it now...?" he asked worriedly. "I've already apologized properly."

"It's just..." Dogra gave a nervous glance to his partner, as he gave a similar look to his boss.

Magra nodded, only to deny almost instantly. "You should probably talk inside the hut..."

Judging by the look Dadan gave the two bandits and they seemed to understand his boss's intentions, the matter for which everyone was giving him reproachful looks and not answering his numerous queries, was of great importance.

"I think we'll leave you to talk without mishap..."

And without waiting for any permission or answer from Dadan, the bandits started running to what Ace supposed, was Grey Terminal.

For a moment, they both stood in the same spot and in awkward silence, but as the minutes passed, Ace's concerns only increased and he was no longer willing to leave without answers.

"What happened to Luffy?" he asked demandingly. "I've already asked the mayor and Makino, but neither knew what to answer me, so at once I'm informing you that I don't intend to leave without answers."

Dadan nodded, as he saw the door leading into his hut. "Inside I will tell you as much as I can reveal. So, if you're left with any doubts, you'll have to take it up with she brat."

Ace nodded, as he followed the woman. "Nothing bad happened to her, did it...?" The very thought of that possibility, only made his distress and worry greater.

Dadan only denied. "She's fine, but at the same time, she's not... Like I said, inside I'll explain as much as I can..."

Ace had no choice but to follow Dadan inside the hut, hoping he wouldn't give him bad news regarding his little sister.

"So... Shall we leave things as they are now...?"

Not far from the hut, Magra, Dogra and the rest of the bandits, watched the hut that was their home with some concern. They all knew that their boss could handle Ace, but that didn't rule out the idea that their boss would keep her word about wanting to apply castration with Ace....

"Shouldn't we really stay close just in case...?" another of the bandits asked shakily.

Dogra immediately denied. "The boss made it clear to us that she wants to talk to him alone and that's what she'll do..." Although he had answered seriously, there was also a certain reluctance to leave things as they were. "And I highly doubt the boss will do anything, after Luffy asked her not to do anything to him, especially if we remember the way she did it."

Magra agreed with his partner's words. "Besides, we have to do our chores and while we're at it, look for Luffy, to warn him about Ace's arrival... I'm not too sure if she'll want to see him or in given case, avoid him, so it's best to warn her to keep an eye out for him..."

The bandits looked at each other with concern. Of course, none of them believed that Luffy would not wish to see Ace, but they had to agree with Magra's words and warn the girl so that she could prepare herself mentally in case they were to meet. And judging by Ace's need to hear from her, there would most likely be a meeting before long.

"You have to tell me what happened with Luffy!"

Ace was certainly completely preoccupied with the answer Dadan had put off for far too long. And were it not for his demanding shout, he was absolutely certain that the woman would not speak.....

Dadan for his part, only let out a weary sigh. "I'll just say one thing to kick start the answer you seek... What was it that you did the night before you started your journey?"

Ace would not admit aloud that for a brief moment he felt self-conscious with the seriousness with which Dadan had asked him that question. However, he chose to be proud and guard that imperceptible fear, then looked at his caretaker seriously.

"I don't know exactly what you mean...?" he replied without looking her directly in the eyes.

And Dadan's next reaction, caused all that pride to falter and he looked with sudden surprise at the woman. Dadan hit the wooden floor hard and from what Ace could see, the woman looked furious, but it wasn't the fury he usually taunted her with when he was a kid.

This time, Dadan looked completely different and at the same time, familiar. Ace remembered that night when Dadan arrived to save him and Luffy from a death at the hands of Bluejam....

That was undoubtedly the fury of a protective mother....

"I mean the night before the day you left Luffy in one of your damn shirts and completely heartbroken for not taking responsibility for your actions....DO YOU REMEMBER!"

And Ace looked at Dadan in horror. There was no way Luffy could have gone to tell what they had done, at least not after he made it clear to him that it had been a spur of the moment mistake. Of course, Dadan seemed to notice something in his gaze, for he now saw more anger than there already was only seconds ago.

"She's not the kind of girl who goes around telling gossip. She may not know how to lie, but if it's a secret, she's capable of taking it to her grave," the woman replied angrily. "Besides, he didn't have to tell me, I went to the tree house myself as soon as I heard he didn't go to say goodbye to you like he would have if they hadn't done that sort of thing... Damn precocious brats!"

Ace blushed in embarrassment, not only because he had been found out for thinking that way, also because Dadan knew what they had done back then. "After that happened... I made it clear to him that it wouldn't happen again and that it had been a mistake..."

As expected, hearing Ace's answer only made the woman even angrier. If by Dadan out, he would hit that hard head, so that he would react as he should and would be responsible for everything so much Luffy as he had done.

"So a mistake...?"

Ace feared for a moment, even so, he answered nervously, "She's my little sister..."

A vein stood out on Dadan's forehead at hearing such madness. "So you're an incestuous fucker?" he questioned angrily. "May I remind you that you are sworn siblings and that siblings don't kiss on the lips, or do adult things with their sisters."

"And that's why I said it was a mistake!" blurted Ace in response. "I apologize and I fired, but I did not think she would disappear from the map. Dadan, almost will return a year since she had to have zarpado. What happened?"

Dadan stood up with a furious expression. "She didn't make her trip, plain and simple," he replied sternly, not looking at Ace. "I have already responded, so do not expect something more than me, because you will not have it and if I apologize, I will go to the Makino bar, because I need something to drink and chat with someone who understands me, to avoid half kill you for being a complete imbecile.

Ace stood in the same spot, unable to say anything to try to defend himself. He knew well that he hadn't left things as well as he had thought, instead, he had run away like a vile coward without facing the consequences of his actions and had caused Luffy to desist from starting his pirate life.

Of course, he belatedly reacted on that possibility. Luffy could not give up his dreams of being the woman to become the new pirate king, even if he had done something wrong with her. There was more to the whole thing, but it was too late to ask Dadan, since the woman had already left.

So, fully determined to get the answer about Luffy's whereabouts and the real reason for her not setting sail, he started running to catch up with Dadan or at the very least, demand answers when he was at Makino's side. But there was no way he was going to leave again without getting what he was looking for...

~.☸.~

Luffy looked at the sea with a certain melancholy. One of the many reasons he had had for building his house there was the wonderful view. That and it was also a place hidden from prying eyes and difficult to get there for a person who didn't know the forest well enough or in his case, was strong enough to survive the dangers of the forest.

Of course, she thanked her grandfather for the help with materials and construction or else she could not have made a little house big enough for her and her little daughter...

"Shall we go visit Grandma Dadan, Mommy?"

As had become her habit, she smiled warmly at the little girl behind her as she approached at a calm pace.

Despite how things had ended between Ace and her, Luffy was grateful for the huge resemblance his little daughter bore to her father: from the wavy black hair, to those cute gray eyes and those adorable freckles scattered on his little baby's round cheeks.

Luffy loved his little daughter and nothing, and no one could ever say otherwise.

"I guess we can go bother her a little," he replied smilingly.

The little girl nodded excitedly, as she returned to her little home to leave her teddy bear inside to prevent it from getting lost or eventually damaged on the way to the bandits' hut. Only in those moments of solitude did the girl's smile fade, as she once again turned her gaze towards the sea.

"It's going to be a year already..."

The old straw hat that had been Shanks' remained inside his room, along with all his broken promises and unfulfilled dreams. However, Luffy had given his word not to set sail if with that, his little daughter was safe from what the government could do to him....

"I'm ready!" The little girl completely excited, squeezed her mother's hand.

And once again, Luffy smiled warmly. "I guess we can go now then."

Even though her pregnancy had been a complete surprise and she had initially not wanted her daughter, Luffy certainly had no regrets about bringing his little baby into the world. Anne had been a light in his path and without a doubt he loved her with all his heart...

Even if, with the birth of her daughter, she had had to give up her dreams...

"Can we have cookies too?"

Luffy nodded without letting go of his daughter's hand. "I see no reason not to, but you'll have to eat a nice piece of meat first."

Amid laughter and more questions, mother and daughter walked at a leisurely pace through that dangerous forest. For a brief moment he thought that their day to day life would continue the same, but as he went deeper into the forest and saw the bandits not far from them, Luffy realized that things would not be as peaceful as in the last years...

~.☸.~

Garp was completely upset and that was not unusual, considering the recent news he had received. Sengoku had already given him a warning about what would soon be happening on his home island and as much as he wanted so badly to personally go to Dawn Island and hide his granddaughter and great-granddaughter, he knew he wouldn't make it in time to do so.
Of course, as soon as he heard the news, he managed to buy time to contact his son without being discovered and thanked every god in existence when Dragon replied. Unfortunately, his son would also not be able to get there as quickly as he would have liked to hear and now there was only the option of contacting Mayor Woop Slap to give Lucy the warning. Though hearing that the Whitebeard's crew was in the village, he didn't think he could cheer him up and more so now that he was hearing it at such moments.

"Are you telling me Ace is in the village?"

Perhaps Garp could be thankful that his irresponsible grandson was in the right place at the right time. While he was still angry at Ace for getting his granddaughter pregnant, that didn't mean he hated him.
And in those moments, Ace, along with that large crew of which he was a part, were the only hope for Lucy and her little great-granddaughter to be safe before the Navy made its move.

"Arrive in this morning completely worried that you had no news about Lucy," the mayor replied stiffly. "But I guess from your tone and that your reasons for making calls are for urgent cases, I guess you're grateful he's here..."
Garp couldn't help but sigh regretfully. "They already know about Lucy," he replied. "They're supposed to send someone strong enough to stand up to her and take her to prison, but if they ever found her, they'd find Anne, too, and it wouldn't be long before they found out whose daughter she is, or rather, whose grandparents she is..."
Mayor Woop Slap let out a long sigh. "Tell me what you want me to say and I'll get right on it."

Garp was grateful that his good friend was willing to stand up to one of the strongest pirates on the seas. But more than anything else, he was somehow grateful that Lucy was about to fulfill his dreams...
It was a shame that it was that way, but at least Lucy and Anne could be safe and that was what mattered most to him at the moment...

~.☸.~

All the members of the Whitebeard's crew were completely worried about Ace. It had been quite some time since he had left and they had no indication that he was well or that he had found the answers he had been looking for since they arrived on the island.

"How about we eat the desserts I made before we arrived?"

It was no surprise to anyone that Thatch would try to lighten the heavy mood that had formed a bit. Nor were they surprised to see that the chef and commander of the fourth division, had arrived with all the various desserts he had taken pains to prepare for when he met Ace's little sister.

Of course, none of them were willing to refuse to eat the delicacies that Thatch had prepared, let alone with the gesture that was implied to offer something that was obviously not for any of them.

What did surprise them, however, was to see a little girl, approach the chef and slowly tug at the pants of a smiling Thatch. But what was more surprising to all, was to see that said little girl bore a certain resemblance to someone everyone in the place knew very well....

"Can I eat too?"

Thatch was lost in the huge grin plastered on that innocent face. It was pretty obvious what he and everyone else was thinking, after all, the girl had wavy black hair, huge gray eyes and freckles strewn across her chubby baby cheeks.

For some reason, he wanted to smack Ace at the thought that the rascal had abandoned a poor woman with a baby on the way, but then he remembered that the brat had been seventeen when he left the island....

Despite the surprise, Thatch couldn't help but grin like a fool when he saw that glowering look that mute demanded a positive response, so smiling he nodded, as he pointed to the table where his division and he had arranged the desserts.

"You can choose whatever you want little one."

The little girl nodded with a huge smile and her eyes completely glowing with excitement. "Cookies!"

Thatch nodded, as he helped the little girl sit right at the dessert table. "They're all yours."

The little girl didn't mediate any more words and began devouring the cookies that man had given her. All the while Thatch slowly approached his captain and crew brothers.

Once he was close, his smile faded and gave way to a look that demanded answers.

"That rascal dared to be a precocious brat and impregnate a poor girl," he blurted out wanting to smack Ace and at the same time pamper his seemingly little niece.

"Maybe his sister was just one of the excuses," Haruta mentioned in the same manner as Thatch. "In and of itself she hogs the attention of the ladies and has the nerve to leave one and with baby in the package."

Izo downplayed that absurd response. "Correction bro, he hogs the attention of the ladies, because you and Thatch can't act serious and end up playing pranks on them. Even the rest of you hog the ladies' attention," he mentioned coolly and at the same time mockingly.

"Still, I feel somewhat betrayed to know that I'm the uncle of a very adorable little girl... Ace probably doesn't even know about her..." Vista mentioned without taking her eyes off the little girl.

To everyone's surprise, her captain and Marco approached the little girl, who upon seeing the huge shadow in which she was hogging the table, was surprised to see the two men standing right behind her.

"You're huge!" the girl blurted out excitedly, as she put down her cookies for a moment.

Barbablanca nodded with a smile. "And you're too brave, usually kids are afraid of me as soon as they see my size," she mentioned ruefully.

The little girl nodded smilingly. "I'm a brave girl, mom always tells me so," she mentioned. "By the way..."

For a moment, everyone was concerned to see the serious expression on the little girl's face. But after a few moments, they didn't know whether to scold the little girl or laugh at the barbarity she had come out with....

"Is something wrong, little girl?"

The little girl denied without taking her eyes off the big man. "Mr. Giant... Do you shit?"

"DON'T ASK THAT QUESTION!" they all shouted with the clear intentions of scolding the rude little girl.

Whitebeard started laughing fascinated by that brat. "Yes I do, I am human after all," he replied with amusement.

The little girl nodded, as she wiggled her little legs excitedly. "You're funny mister giant."

Marco had wanted to scold the girl, but such it seemed that his captain hadn't even taken the question as an offense. And with his Oyaji's reaction, he couldn't help but laugh equally if not more amused by that witty question.

For some reason, the atmosphere had lightened a bit with the arrival of that girl, but as soon as Makino came out with more drinks and saw the girl, things got complicated.

"Anne-chan, what are you doing here, where's your mom?"

The little girl jumped up from the chair to run over and hug the kind waitress. "I broke away from her when I saw a pretty butterfly," the girl replied as if she had done nothing wrong. "Are you mad at me?"

Makino denied calmly. "I guess you were right to come, after all, she always comes looking for you here when you run away from her."

Anne smiled, only to return to the dessert table and see what else she could eat that would catch her attention enough. Makino meanwhile, saw the looks being directed at her, especially from the captain of that crew.

"It was that little girl you were referring to, wasn't it?"

Makino nodded nervously. "Ace-kun left the island, but he left more than just a love disappointment..."

Barbablanca nodded silently, as she cast a worried glance at the little girl. She was undoubtedly a carbon copy of Ace, but with an overly cheerful spark that she had surely inherited from her mother. And just as he thought of the girl, she made an appearance, to check on her little girl.

"Monkey D. Anne, may I know why you parted from me?"

The little girl stopped eating, as she watched her mom with some fear of getting a scolding. "I saw a pretty butterfly and followed it..." She replied. "I'm so sorry, mommy..."

"Lucy-chan... He's here..." Makino wasted no more time to approach and warn about a certain person.

The girl nodded with false calm as she took her daughter's small hand. "I know, I met the bandits near my house and they warned me about it," she replied with a shaky smile.

Barbablanca and Marco, who had understood the whole thing, wanted to talk to the girl about it, but when they saw a large woman arrive, with a very foolish Ace behind her, they knew that the situation could only get worse...

Catching what he saw, Ace felt too nervous and at the same time like an idiot....

"Who is that girl, Luffy...?"

Ace had found his sister, but that girl who was smiling with no idea of the environment around her, while holding her sister's hand tightly, was what was most striking...

Ace knew that everything had changed since that day, but just seeing a version of him in that little girl, he knew that what once was...

Would no longer be the same...

To be continued...

~°ɞ°~ღ~°ɞ°~

NOTES: And that's all for this chapter. If you're liking the idea about the fic, I'd appreciate it if you let me know with your nice comments :3

Pay attention to the chapter titles, if you do, I assure you that you'll get a little surprise :3

Next chapter: "Will not be the same...", where Ace realizes that every act has its consequences...

Anyway, see you soon...

Bye bye (^3-)/