Chapter 13

Me: I know this was useless saying this to you but...you understand right? I read people better than you will ever do. I’ve never even met him before in my life and I’m saying this to you. Consider this professional courtesy, no emotions attached.

Newgate: Gurararara...normally I would have killed any little girl that insults my son, but you did give me your view. So what do you say?

Me: Someone’s going to find the fruit, one day or another. It might be tomorrow or it might be in years. But he joined your crew for that and one day your crew will find it. Either as a fruit or in a user. And from what I’ve seen, he won’t hesitate to kill his nakama to get it.

Newgate: Those are some bold words you’re saying Syrup...what do you say I do then?

Me: Don’t find the Yami-Yami No mi. If you do, then order everyone else except him to throw it back into the Ocean. Besides, it’s known as the World’s most Evil fruit. You wouldn’t like that on the Moby Dick, no?

Newgate: Don’t be insulted if I say I don’t believe a single word you say, but whether or not I choose to believe it or not, I will remember your words.

Me: ...I guess that is enough. Thank you Whitebeard, I’ll repay this one day.

Newgate: Gurararara!!! You already cured me and you say you’ll repay me?

Me: Yes, now anyway, I think I should really go now. If I’m any later, Mama might really throw a fit. And I promise you a hit from her is no less painful than yours.

Newgate: You’ve been hit by her?

Me: Intentionally, yes. If I didn’t block it, Pudding would’ve died in one of her blind fits. I was much younger than though...I barely knew armament haki.

Newgate: Daughter...

?!

Newgate: Know that you have a place here my daughter. Anytime you wish you join my family...we have a place for you here.

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Me: Thank you...

I bowed to him before turning around and exiting onto the deck. It was a pretty chaotic goodbye where everyone either shook my hand, petted me, hugged me, or screamed in my ear really loudly. Don’t ask about the last one though.

Finally, I hugged Ace real hard before I left...and he embraced me back which felt kind of nice. Don’t ask me why I felt this way for him...I hope it wasn’t Stockholm Syndrome since that’s just weird to look at but...looking at him felt as if I was looking at my crush.

They dropped me off on a shipbuilding island (and not an uninhabited one) and gave me enough beri to buy a ship or bribe a broker to get me into Big Mom’s territory. Why they would let such a broker roam free in their own territory was a question I wanted to ask but I decided against it.

In truth, I didn’t need anything they gave me but I decided to accept them anyway. The first thing I did was go to the market area and stock up on as much non-sweets as I can. I emptied shop after shops of rice and side dishes. I thought that being born as one of Big Mom’s daughter would magically give me the ability to survive off of sweets alone but my taste didn’t carry on. I was not born a Sweet tooth but instead carried the same tongue as my previous life.

My brothers, sisters, and even Mama looked at me weird whenever I ordered private shipments from Wano and other islands, cooked it myself, and ate it. They called me weird and strange but I didn’t care, I needed that food to survive. I didn’t really have a lot of opportunities to eat out so I savored whatever chance I got outside Mama’s Candy Lands.

Money was never a problem. As one of Mama’s favorite children, my allowance was ridiculous; but as they say, greed is infinite. I would often go around beating up some random pirates, disguising myself, and turning them in at Marine Bases for bounties. The dumb marines wouldn’t even check which bounty hunter turned in the pirates before they gave me the money. It was a nice way to make some quick cash (if you consider hundreds of millions of beri quick cash) without drawing attention. Of course, I tried to stay away if someone of the rank of Vice Admiral or above was keeping watch...no matter how easily I could beat them, their Observation haki would know that it is me.

I stocked up on everyone I needed, including a large supply of Seastone which I bought from a local Blacksmith. I had plans for a special ceramic knife. I decided if Smoker can have a Seastone tipped Jute, then I deserved a Seastone knife and save myself the trouble of activating armament against weaklings.

...somehow I already missed Ace. Damn, I hope this wouldn’t continue much longer. I was way too busy in my past life to really pay attention to relationships...not to mention the fact that I was forever single. The closest I ever felt to something like this was when I was in my first year of high school and I had hormones to explain for all of that.

But this...? Why was I crushing over a fictional character? Okay, he might not be fake anymore but...but...

Something got stuck in my throat as I remembered what happened in One Piece. Probably one of the most iconic and important moments in all of One Piece history... Ace’s death in the battle of MarineFord...

Me: ...why am I falling for someone who’s going to die...isn’t this just too cruel?

As a member of the Big Mom pirates, there was no way I would be allowed to go and participate in the war which was to come in 2 years. I couldn’t help Ace directly, which was the reason why I talked to Whitebeard in the first place in hopes that he would listen, but who was I kidding?

This was Whitebeard I was talking about. Deep down, I knew things wouldn’t change. Thatch, who I had come to become good friends with, would come to die at the hands of Marshal D. Teach and take the Yami Yami No mi; fight and defeat Ace and trigger possibly the most important event in One Piece.

I didn’t want that...but what choice did I have? I couldn't run away from Big Mom like Lola had did...not yet. There were people to save and family I cared about. I didn’t have much more than a crush whom I didn’t know would accept me or not waiting for me outside. I couldn’t leave...not yet.

Me: Hey

I showed a very shady guy my thick roll of beri underneath my cloak which got his attention.

Guy: ...where to?

Me: Totta Land. And don’t worry about the border patrol. I’m her daughter. I just lost my ship and now I’m stuck here.

The man just stared at me for a bit before I decided to remind him again,

Me: Get me home. Now