Marineford

Monkey D. Garp had faced many struggles in his life. He’d fought pirates up, down, and across almost every inch of the Grand Line, he’d managed to make a life with the woman he loved despite his dangerous and often times inconvenient career, and recently he’d taken down Shiki the Golden Lion without sustaining too many life-threatening injuries.

Nothing he thought a quick nap and some crackers couldn’t fix, but still serious enough to earn him a one-way ticket to Marineford’s medical ward at the insistence of several annoyed nurses.

But even then, his promise to Roger…it left him unsure of many things. He had many questions and so few answers.

Why leave a child behind at all? Where would he put the mother to be and her child when the time came? Why was he the one who needed to protect them from the world?

He could feel the weight of his dilemma more so than any other. And while he cursed that damned pirate to Hell and back for getting him involved, he would do as he said.

He was an honorable marine, after all. It would go against everything he believed in to go back on his word. Not to mention his wife would have his head if she knew he’d left an innocent baby to die for the sins of his father.

Sighing to himself, he reached into his cracker stash hidden behind his pillow and tried to much away his troubles. ‘All I can do now is wait. The search won’t reach the South Blue for another few months.’

Garp suddenly chuckled to himself. ‘The South Blue. Who would have thought to start there? Here we are scouring the Grand Line, not even paying attention to the Blues. Let alone Baterilla.’

At least they were as safe as they could be. For now, anyway.

Water 7

Tom watched as Spandam left him and his apprentices to complete what would one day be known as the Sea Train. A very straightforward, unimaginative name, but it hardly mattered as it was the first of its kind and was allowed that luxury.

His two students, Cutty Flam and Iceburg, were in the middle of ranting and calling after Spandam with a rage that almost brought a smile to his face. Or rather, they would have been ranting and calling him out had Tom not clamped his hands over their mouths.

“Alright boys, time to get to work.” Dragging the two hotheads away, Tom was eager to get started.

It took all of half an hour for the two to momentarily forget Spandam and instead go head to head with each other. Kokoro laughing and drinking as usual and Yokozuna…well, he just happy that Tom was back in the workshop.

Honestly, the whole threat of execution hadn’t even phased him. The Oro Jackson was one of his greatest accomplishments, and he was proud to say he built it. The deal in exchange for dropping his impending execution, however, was just the motivation he needed to get started on the Sea Train.

He’d been intending to make the damn thing for the longest time, but always found himself distracted by other things. Mainly orders to build ships, but also trying to raise two young boys into capable young men and even more capable shipwrights.

But this time there would be no more distractions. He’d work night and day if he had to, but the Sea Train would be complete in ten years’ time. And if it turned out to be a task impossible to finish within his lifetime, then at least his two boys would be able to finish what he started.

Tom had faith in that…and in them.

Uncharted Island, South Blue

Shanks was having a wonderful time making himself known to the world. His crew was steadily growing in numbers, the places they travelled to and the people they met were interesting, and the laughs his crew shared with one another never failed to put a smile on his face.

The best part, this was just in the South Blue. There were still three other Blues and both parts of the Grand Line waiting for him when he was ready to go. There was still so much to see.

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Hell, even with the islands he’d visited with the Roger Pirates there were still islands out there that hadn’t even come close to crossing their path. Islands that might number in the hundreds. Who knew? Not him. Not yet.

Oh, yes. He was going to have a very full, very exciting journey ahead of him. And if he was lucky, he’d see it all. And even if he didn’t, even if he only saw the South Blue up to right where he was and somehow died in the next thirty seconds that’d be just fine with him.

Because at the very least, Shanks would have seen something before he went. And in his book, something was better than nothing.

That being said, he’d be leaving the South Blue in a matter of months. Maybe a year or two at the latest. But it wasn’t because of the sights. No. His desires to see everything the South Blue had to offer was dwarfed in the face of his promise to Buggy.

Even more than that it was his responsibility to make sure Miss Rouge, he’d taken to calling her that at some point, had her baby safely away from any dangers. He one hundred percent agreed with Buggy that Rouge and her baby were the Captain’s family and therefore their nakama.

But she wouldn’t leave the island. Every time he brought it up it was the same thing. ‘I will not leave my home’ and ‘I will not run away’ and ‘That flower pot won’t be all that’ll hit you upside the head if you bring this up again.’

She was stubborn. Just like the captain. And it only made him more desperate to get her safely off the island. In his mind she represented a part of Roger he could save. He was too weak the last time it happened.

Too weak to stand up to the Marines and the World Government. But this time he had a crew to back him up. This time he was ready to fight back. This time he’d protect his nakama. And he even thought he could pull it off.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

Moby Dick, The Grand Line (Paradise)

Edward Newgate, known to the rest of the world as Whitebeard, found himself once again thinking about Roger’s death. Specifically, the effects it was having on the rest of the world.

‘The Great Age of Pirates’ they were calling it. He knew someone like Roger would go out with a bang. But he’d never seriously thought that bang would be launching the world into a new era. And even less so one that would encourage piracy rather than snuff it out.

He was getting to be an older man, but he knew what the World Government was up to. They could have done it right as he surrendered, but they chose to do it publicly; with the entire world watching.

They were trying to milk his death for all it was worth. But their schemes wouldn’t work on Roger. Not even in death.

And that was something to smile about.

Twin Capes Lighthouse, Reverse Mountain

“I’m sorry, Laboon, but they’re gone. I looked for them all over the Grand Line. I even managed to get all the way to Raftel with Roger and the others. I…asked around……and everyone said they’d left the Grand Line months before I’d set out.”

The little whale whined and cried in protest. Each word spoken adding to the sharp pain in his heart. But that wouldn’t stop the denial nor the stubborn belief that his friends would come back to him.

He dove down under the water, splashing Crocus as he did, wishing to escape the man’s harsh truths. No. They wouldn’t just abandon him like that. They were his friends!

They had promised him. The Rumbar pirates had given him their word that they would be back for him. He wasn’t able to protect himself from the dangers of the Grand Line, so he had to stay behind and wait for them to get him.

So, in his child-like mind, Laboon figured that if he was strong enough then he would be able to follow after them. But how? How could he get strong?

Fights. His friends had spoken of how they would fight with other pirates pretty much every other week. And as a result, they became strong enough to traverse Reverse Mountain and enter whatever Paradise was.

He didn’t know everything, but he knew enough to get started. He would see his friends again. Even if it took him the rest of his life.

Sabaody Archipelago

Rayleigh stared at the ceiling with an intensity that almost burned a whole through it. His thoughts stuck on the death of his closest friend.

He couldn’t stop himself from thinking of him at night. It was just too quiet to allow for any other thoughts. During the day he could carry on without the slightest hint of just how miserable he felt.

But at night…the silence and darkness allowed for the thoughts he tried to bury to worm their way back into the forefront of his mind. It was almost impossible to think of anything else than the fact that he felt guilty.

Guilty about letting his friend kill himself off like that. Buggy had had the right idea about trying to get Roger to spend his remaining time with Rouge and their unborn child. But Roger wouldn’t hear of it.

And there was nothing, not Rayleigh or even Rouge, could do to change his mind. And even now he still didn’t know why. And it killed him not knowing.

So that night, just like every other restless night he’s had since the execution, he stared up towards the ceiling. But that night, unlike every other night, an arm draped across his chest in a sleepy embrace.

His train of thought broken, he turned his head to the side and truly smiled for the first time in nearly two months. The only bright spot in his life now was laying right next to him. Shakuyaku.

Shakky began to stir but settled down as Rayleigh chuckled and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her bare stomach.

As he slowly drifted off to sleep, he never saw Shakky’s relieved smile. And for the first time since they’d reconnected, the two shared a perfect and sleep filled night.