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Chapter Text

The Lost Children: A One Piece Story

This is the story of two children.

Born, not in the traditional sense, but out of love.

Love from two young Marines who were forced apart by circumstances

Now, it is time for these lost children to be reunited with their parents

But the journey will be far more complicated than anyone could ever imagine.

OPDVT*OPDVT*OPDVT 

  Chapter 1: Parents' Whereabouts

            “Nana! Nana!”

Magdalena looked up from the book she was reading to look at the three-year-old blonde girl running towards her.  “What is the matter, Norah?” She asked.

          “Felix fell in the swamp again.” The young girl known as Norah said.

Magdalena sighed as she put down her book and followed Norah to a nearby pond.   “Were you two out catching fireflies again?”

Norah nodded.  “Felix was trying to catch one on the edge of that big tree and he fell in the swamp.”

          “Just like your father.” Magdalena smiled.

They finally reached the swamp and saw a small redhead boy sitting in the middle of the swamp, crying. Magdalena slowly descended down the swamp and held her hand out.

          “Felix, are you hurt?” The boy shook his head.  “Take my hand, child.”

Felix nodded and reached for Magdalena’s hand. The old woman pulled the boy up from the swamp and cradled him in her arms as he cried.

          “Calm down, my giant baby.” Magdalena soothed.  “You’re all right.”

          “I ripped my pants, Nana.” Felix sniffed.

          “It’s okay, Felix. Abigail will patch them up. You’re unharmed, that’s what matters.”

          “Mother! What happened?!”

Magdalena turned around to see her son, Jean-Baptiste, standing next to Norah. He was looking on in concern.

          “Oh, Jean-Baptiste, you’re here!” She beamed.  “Felix fell in the swamp again.”

          “He is his father’s son.” Jean-Baptiste mused, making his way to the swamp to retrieve the boy. He took Felix from Magdalena’s arms and helped his mother out of the murky pond.          “Mama, you have to be careful! You should’ve called Abigail for help.”

          “She’s making dinner, I’m not going to bother her.” Magdalena objected.

          “What’s she making, Nana?” Norah asked, excitedly.

          “She’s making your favorite, Sea King Gumbo! And dried plum cake for dessert.”

Felix’s reddish-brown eyes lit up.  “Yay! I love dried plum cake!” He cheered.

          “Eww! Dried plums are gross!” Norah sneered.

          “No, they’re not!” Felix protested.

          “Yes, they are!” Norah argued.

          “No, they’re not!”

          “Yes, they are!”

          “No, they’re not!”

“Alright, that’s enough out of both of you!” Magdalena chided, halting their squabble.  “Abigail also made some beignets with chocolate sauce for you, Norah.”

          “Yay!”

Jean-Baptiste shook his head and laughed.  “I don’t know who Norah takes after more, Bell-mere or Rosinante.” He said.

          “Norah has Bell-mere’s personality even though she’s the spitting image of Rosinante.” Magdalena explained.  “Felix is the opposite of his sister. He may look like Bell-mere but he’s Rosinante through and through.”

          “Speaking of which, it’s almost the end of the month, Mama. Have you located their current whereabouts yet?”

          “Tsuru told me that Bell-mere went back home to Cocoyashi Village after her last mission on Oykot Kingdom.”

          “What about Rosinante?”

          “Sengoku still won’t tell me his whereabouts.” Magdalena shook her head in pensive thought.   “I may have to find another tactic to locate Rosinante.”

          “Well, I hope you can think of something soon.” Jean-Baptiste said worriedly.  “The twins turned 3 last week but I already see the energy draining from you.”

          “Stop fretting over me, son.” Magdalena admonished.  “I’m fine. You don’t think I planned for this? I wouldn’t have used my power to bring forth twins if I didn’t think about the consequences and repercussions.”

          “I know, but I’m your son. I still worry about you.”

Magdalena smiled and kissed Jean-Baptiste on his cheek.   “I am very fortunate to have a son like you. Let’s head back in the house before Abigail searches for us herself.”

          Garp returned to Navy HQ after a routine check-up in the East Blue. He entered his office and was in the middle of sitting down on his recliner, enjoying his favorite rice crackers and tea when his Observation Haki went on high alert. He felt a familiar yet intimidating presence sitting on his couch.

          “You always knew how to make an entrance, don’t ya, Mags?”

          “I often try.”

          “Want some rice crackers?”

          “No, but I’ll take some Green Tea and those scones Sengoku always eats.”

After serving Magdalena some strawberry scones and Green Tea, Garp sat in his recliner, eating his crackers.          “So, what do I owe the honor of this visit/break-in?”

          “Now Garp, isn’t that any way to treat your former lover?” Magdalena pouted.

          “We only made out once.” Garp objected.

          “Several times, actually. Each one more memorable than the last.”

Garp rolled his eyes.  “Why are you here, Magdalena?”

          “I need to know where Rosinante is.” Magdalena said bluntly.

          “He’s in the North Blue on an assignment.” Garp replied.

          “Let me rephrase my inquiry then: Where in the North Blue is Rosinante?”

Garp rubbed his temples, sighing deeply.  “That information is classified, Magdalena. I can’t tell you.”

          “Don’t give me that bureaucratic bullshit, Garp!” Magdalena snapped. “I used to be a Marine too.”

          “Then you know the meaning of classified information!”

          “Damn it, Garp! Just tell me where Rosinante is!”

Garp was about to retort when he noticed something that shook him to his core.

          “Y-your nose is bleeding.” He shuddered.

Magdalena’s eyes grew wide with fear as she quickly took a napkin and held it up to her nose to stop the bleeding.    “Ugh, this is so embarrassing.” She muffled.  “I haven’t been feeling well lately. Sorry.”

          “You never get sick. You got the best immune system known to man.” Garp opposed.

Magdalena shrugged.  “Well, it’s a first time for everything.”

          “Come on, Mags. What’s really going on? The only time I’ve seen you look this bad was when you first used your Devil Fruit power all those years ago.”

There was a moment of awkward silence. But it was in that lack of response, Garp figured out why Magdalena was insistent on knowing Rosinante’s location.

          “Magdalena, what did you do?” He asked gravely.

The older woman sighed in resignation.  “I gave Rosinante and Bell-mere twin children.” She confessed.  “But they already left before I could introduce the kids to them.”

          “WHAT?!” Garp exclaimed.

          “Oh, don’t be such a drama king.”

          “Mags, why..why…. why would you do something stupid like that?!”

          “So, making babies for deserving couples who can’t make their own is stupid?” Magdalena countered.

          “You know what I mean.” Garp sighed.  “Contrary to popular belief, you’re no spring chicken. Using your power already takes a lot out of you and you used it twice?”

          “I didn’t use my power twice. I used my power once with twice the amount of energy.”

          “You saying like there’s a difference.”

          “Is there not?”

Garp groaned very loudly. (Why did he even bother?)          “Where are the twins now?”

          “Abigail took them to work with her. They just turned 3 last week.”

          “They’re three-years-old?! No wonder your nose is bleeding, Magdalena. They’re sucking all the life out of ya.”

          “Which is why I need to take the twins to their parents.” Magdalena explained.  “So, I need to know Rosinante’s location. You don’t have to give the details of his mission, just give me an island.”

Garp leaned back in his chair. This situation wasn’t very ideal but he understood Magdalena’s intentions. She loved both Rosinante and Bell-mere like her own children. She gave them something they thought was impossible to achieve: a chance to have children of their own. Although neither of them will admit it, both Garp and Magdalena had a soft spot for Rosinante. They both felt that he deserved every good thing in this world. So, against his better judgment (and mostly due to empathy), Garp decided to tell Magdalena what he could.

          “So, Rosinante has been MIA for almost six months.” He revealed.

          “Oh Gods!” Magdalena exclaimed.  “Did he get hurt?”

          “Nah, nothing too drastic like that.” Garp replied.  “He told Sengoku that he was going to take some time off of his mission for ‘personal reasons.’”

          “What personal reasons?”

          “Senny didn’t tell me but I have a theory.” Magdalena nodded for Garp to continue.     “Almost three years ago, Roci met a ten-year-old boy from Flevance.”

          “The White Town? I thought there weren’t any survivors?”

          “Probably got overlooked. From what I heard, Rosinante took a liking to the kid. Threw him off of a building on their first meeting.”

          “Your idea of showing affection is entirely different from any sane person’s idea of showing affection, Garp.” Magdalena grimaced.

          “Eh, to each their own, I guess.” Garp shrugged.  “Anyway, we’ve been getting reports about several hospitals in the North Blue getting burned to the ground. Witnesses said that they saw a 9ft tall giant wearing a black feathered coat and carrying a small boy exit every hospital that got torched.”

          “You think it was Rosinante?”

          “Kid’s got a pretty nasty temper when it comes to people he loves getting wronged in any kind of way.”

          “Oh, believe me. I know.” A small smile came across Magdalena’s face as she recalled the time Rosinante rescued her from that pirate crew. (whose name we will not mention because it’s for the birds) “You think he was trying to save the boy?”

          “If he is, it’ll be a futile attempt. White Lead Disease is fatal. That kid has a month tops. Two if he’s lucky. Unless…”

          “Unless what?” Magdalena coaxed.

          “What do you know about the Op-Op Fruit?” Garp asked.

Magdalena paused to ponder Garp’s question. She’s heard about this Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. Whoever ate that fruit could operate and cure any ailment. If they had extensive knowledge of the human anatomy, the possibilities were endless. It was every doctor’s dream. If Rosinante was going through all of this trouble to save a dying child’s life and was all out of options, the Op-Op Devil Fruit would be his last resort. And Magdalena knew that her sweet, giant child will go through hell and back to get the fruit for that boy.

          “Not much but I heard it’s every doctor’s dream.” She replied.  “And every villain’s dream too.”

          “Well, Sengoku and Tsuru are staging an operation to retrieve the Devil Fruit.” Garp explained.  “A notorious pirate crew from the North Blue wants a hold of it too. And poor Roci is stuck in the middle with a brat.”

          “What is it are you implying, Garpy?”

          “You were the expert tactician, Mags. You tell me.”

There was a moment of silence. Then, as if a light bulb suddenly lit up, Magdalena chuckled lightly.

          “I better get going. The dinner rush at the Watering Hole will begin shortly.” Magdalena rose up from the couch, gathered her things and headed for the door. She turned to Garp before saying this: “When you figure out the location of the Op-Op Fruit, let me know.”

          “You think that Rosinante will intercept that Devil Fruit?” Garp asked, slyly.

          “That’s what I would do. Take the direct route for the gold. Rosinante is smart, he’s going to steal the fruit before the Navy and the Pirates do. Classic tactical move.”

          “Damn, girl. You’re scarier than Tsuru.”

          “I better be. I’m the one who taught Tsuru everything she knows.”

Garp laughed.  “Be careful out there, Mags. Say hi to the kids for me.”

          “Will do. And if you ever talk to Dragon again, tell him to call me. I don’t like hearing from another source that he has a kid now.”

          “You know that’s gonna be difficult considering that my son is the World Government’s most wanted criminal.”

          “You’ll find a way, Garp.” Magdalena reassured.  “You always do. Now, how about a kiss for old time’s sake?”

Garp smiled as he walked over to Magdalena. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss to his former girlfriend’s lips.  “Don’t die on me, you old bat.” He chided softly.

          “Of course not, someone’s gotta supply you with rare-flavored rice crackers.” Magdalena teased. She began to leave when Garp called her name again.

          “The twins. What are their names?”

          “Felix and Norah. And Felix inherited Roci’s clumsiness.”

Garp laughed.  “That makes me feel better.”

Magdalena smiled as she left Garp’s office, feeling ten times lighter than she ever felt in three years.

          Later that evening, Magdalena, Jean-Baptiste and Abigail sat down in the living room to have a family meeting regarding Felix and Norah.

          “Are the twins asleep?” Magdalena asked.

Abigail nodded.  “I just put them to bed.”

          “Good.” Magdalena exhaled deeply.  “I went to see Garp today to ask him where Rosinante is.”

          “Did he tell you?” Jean-Baptiste asked.

          “Not directly but he had an interesting theory that I’m going to test out.”

          “Nana, you’re getting sicker by the minute.” Abigail objected.  “You don’t have the luxury of testing out a theory.”

          “At this point, I have no other options. But I know at least where Bell-mere is, so I can bring Felix to her.”

          “You’re going to take Felix to live with Bell-mere?” Jean-Baptiste said.  “I thought you would take Norah to live with her.”

          “That was my original thought, but Tsuru told me that Bell-mere adopted two girls she rescued in Okyot Kingdom. Having her son with her will be a great balance.”

          “Besides, Papa, I don’t think Felix will fare well living with his equally clumsy father.” Abigail laughed.

          “Abigail!” Magdalena scolded.

          “Come on, Nana. You know, I’m right.”

          “Yeah, but still.”

          “So, you’re going to Cocoyashi Village and drop Felix off there. It’s safe to assume you’re going to drop Norah off to wherever Rosinante is.”

          “Assuming Garp gives you the right location.” Jean-Baptiste remarked.

          “Garp will give me the right island, Jean. Don’t discredit the man.”  Magdalena defended.

          “Garp is a loose cannon who literally throws cannonballs.” Jean-Baptiste argued.  “Forgive me if my confidence isn’t solid, Mother.”

Magdalena rolled her eyes.  “You never did like Garp, son. I don’t know why, he’s just a soft teddy bear.”

Abigail laughed while Jean-Baptiste grimaced.  “You have a really weird taste in men, Mama.” He lamented.

          “Flattery will get you nowhere, sweetie.”

          “I wasn’t…” Jean-Baptiste shook his head.  “Never mind.”

          “Anyway, Tsuru gave me an eternal log pose to Cocoyashi Village.” Magdalena said.   “It will take me four days to get there if the conditions are favorable. Hopefully, Garp will give me Rosinante’s location by the time I arrive.”

Jean-Baptiste nodded. “We’ll have to get the twins ready and close the restaurant for a while, but we should be ready to set sail…”

          “I’m going alone.” Magdalena decided.

          “What?!” Abigail exclaimed.

          “Mama, you’re in no condition to travel anywhere by yourself.” Jean-Baptiste argued.

          “Have you two forgotten that I traveled the seas for a living?” Magdalena snapped.  “I can handle myself. Besides, I created this mess. It’s up to me to fix it.”

          “But Mama…”

          “This is not up for discussion, Jean-Baptiste. The twins’ belongings are already packed and the ship is stocked. I leave at first light. Mind the restaurant while I’m gone.”

Before anyone could retort, Magdalena left the living room and headed upstairs to her room. Jean-Baptiste sighed deeply.

          “Damn woman is as stubborn as a mule.” He cursed.

          “You’re the same way, Papa.” Abigail remarked.

          “Yes, I know.”

          “I’ll go with Nana. You can watch the restaurant.”

Jean-Baptiste looked at his daughter in question.   “Are you sure?”

          “Yes, my bags are already packed and loaded on the ship.”

          “Your grandmother will throw you overboard when she finds out you stowed away.”

          “No, she won’t. Nana always had a soft spot for me.” Abigail laughed.

          “Do we have to leave here Uncle Jean?” Felix whined. 

          “I wanna stay with you, Nana and Abby!” Norah cried.

Jean-Baptiste smiled sadly as he helped Felix put on his sweater, which he somehow got himself stuck trying to put it over his head.  “Your parents are eager to see you. Don’t you wanna meet them?”

          “But that means we’ll never see you guys again!” Felix said.

          “Never say never, Felix.”

          “But why can’t we stay with Nana?” Norah asked. “She doesn’t love us anymore?”

          “Don’t ever say that again. Don’t even think it!” Jean-Baptiste admonished firmly.   “Your grandmother loves you both more than life itself. But she’s getting old and is unable to take care of you. Abigail and I will have to assist her.”

There was a long pause. The twins looked at each other as if they were having a mental conversation. Then the oldest twin spoke up.

          “What if our parents won’t accept us?” Felix asked. “What will happen then?”

          “Bell-mere and Rosinante are two of the most loving people I know.” Jean-Baptiste assured.  “Not only will they accept you, but they will also love you unconditonally. You have no reason to doubt that. Just promise me you will be good people.”

          “What if we become pirates?” Norah asked.

          “That’s a little farfetched, Norah.” Felix said.

          “No, it’s not!” Norah argued.

          “Yes, it is!” Felix countered.

          “No, it’s not!”

          “Yes, it is!”

Jean-Baptiste laughed loudly, effectively stopping yet another colorful sibling debate.  “There are some pirate crews that are good. As long as you do right by others, it doesn't matter to me if you become a pirate or not.”

          “Then, I promise.” Norah declared.

          “Me too!” Felix added.

          “Good. Now, give your Uncle Jean a hug.”

Felix and Norah rushed up to the middle-aged man, tackling him into a bone-crushing hug.  “Don’t give your parents too much grief, Norah.” Jean-Baptiste said.  “And Felix be careful. Try not to have so many clumsy accidents.”

          “Yes, Uncle Jean.” The twins promised.

Magdalena was putting some extra food supplies on the ship when she spotted her son walking up to the dock with Felix and Norah following not far behind. Felix tripped on his feet and fell on a crate. His sister sighed and helped him up.

          “Watch where you’re going, you klutz.” She chided.

          “Shut up, Norah.” Felix pouted.

Magdalena shook her head and laughed.  “How’d they take the news?” She asked Jean-Baptiste.

          “As expected, they weren’t happy about it.” Jean-Baptiste replied.  “But they’re very adaptable, they’ll be okay.”

          “Of course, they’re adaptable. Their parents are the most resilient people I know.” Magdalena smiled.

          “I still think that you should let me come with you, Mama.”

          “I’ll be fine, Jean. Don’t worry about me so much. Just make sure the restaurant is there in one piece when I get back.”

          “Sure thing.”

Magdalena nodded and came over to take the twins away from Jean-Baptiste.

          “Come on, you two. It’s time to go!” She announced. “Say goodbye to your uncle.”

          “Bye, Uncle Jean!” Felix said.

          “We love you!” Norah added.

Jean-Baptiste choked back his tears as he gave the twin children he spent three years with a loving hug.  “Remember our promise, you two. I love you both so much.” He cried.

The kids held Jean-Baptiste for a little while longer before letting go and running to Magdalena.

          “You and Abigail be safe. I’ll see you in a month or two.” Magdalena said.

Jean-Baptiste watched as Magdalena hoisted up the anchor and drew the sails. The quaint ship sailed away out of sight, headed to the East Blue.

          “Be careful, Mama.” He said quietly.

Magdalena examined the eternal log pose to Cocoyashi Village. If her calculations were correct, she should arrive in four days; five at the latest if the weather decided not to cooperate. She just hoped that her health will be stable enough to bring the kids home to their parents. Magdalena couldn’t break down now, not when she was so close to reuniting the twins with their parents after three years.

          “Food’s Ready!”

Magdalena’s eyes grew wide as she watched Felix and Norah rush happily to Abigail, giving the twins a hug.

          “Abigail?! What are you doing here?!” Magdalena exclaimed.

          “What does it look like?” Abigail mused.  “I’m making breakfast.”

Magdalena gave her granddaughter a death glare which only made the young girl laugh.  

       “You’re not gonna throw me overboard, are you?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Cocoyashi Village

          “BELL-MERE!”

The redhead woman looked down from the tangerine tree she was tending to see Genzo, the local police chief, storming up to her. He was dragging a small girl around five-years-old by her shirttail.  Bell-mere put her hands on her hip and gave her signature smirk.

          “Genzo! What brings you by?” She greeted.

          “Get down here. I’ve got something that belongs to you.” Genzo commanded.

          “Aww, but I didn’t bring anything for you. Tell you what, if you come back around midnight, I can make it worth your while.”

          “Stop propositioning me and come collect your troublemaking brat!” Genzo shouted.

Bell-mere climbed down her ladder and came over to the fuming policeman. The orange-haired girl in his grasp kept squirming and shouting curses.

          “Let me go, you old fart!” She screamed.

          “Don’t call me an old fart!” Genzo scolded.

          “What did Nami do, you old fart?” Bell-mere asked.

Genzo groaned in exasperation.  “She stole three books from the library and ripped out some pages from the World Atlas.”

          “I needed those pages!” Nami reasoned.

          “What’s a five-year-old girl want with pages from an atlas?”

          “I’m gonna learn how to make maps, you dumb geezer!”

          “Nami, what did I tell you about name-calling?” Bell-mere chided.

Nami sighed.  “Nobody calls Genzo names except for you.”

Bell-mere smiled.  “Good girl.”

          “You need to stop undermining my authority in front of your girls, Bell-mere.” Genzo said.

          “Come on, Genzo. Cut the girl some slack. That atlas has been around since I was five; it’s as old as dirt.” Bell-mere reasoned.  “Nami did you a favor.”

          “Even so, she still needs to take back the books she stole or buy them at least.”

Nami looked at Genzo in shock.  “What?! I don’t have any money.” She complained.

          “You should’ve thought about that before you stole books!” Genzo shouted.

          “Nami, go inside and wash up for dinner.” Bell-mere instructed.  “Let me talk to Genzo for a second.”

          “Okay, Bell-mere.” Nami stuck her tongue out at Genzo before running in the house.

          “You need to stop bailing that girl out.” The Policeman admonished.

          “I’m not bailing Nami out.” Bell-mere defended.  “She loves books and drawing maps. I’m merely feeding her interest. Who knows? She might become a great navigator someday.” When Genzo gave her a knowing glare, Bell-mere sighed and handed him a fistful of money.          “Here’s 200 beris. That should be enough to cover for the books. And I’ll teach Nami to save some money so she can purchase a book next time. Sounds good?”

          “What about the missing pages of the atlas?”

          “Meet me halfway, Genzo.” Bell-mere deadpanned.

          “All right, all right. I’ll take the 200 beris.” Genzo conceded.  “And I’ll leave a book or two out for Nami to take home.”

Bell-mere squealed happily as she wrapped her arms around Genzo’s neck. “You’re a real sweetheart, Genzo! Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”

          “Yeah, yeah.” Genzo grumbled.

          “Bell-mere!”

Genzo and Bell-mere turned to see Nojiko running up to them.

          “What’s the matter, Nojiko?” Bell-mere asked.

The seven-year-old girl looked up at her adopted mother.  “There’s an old lady in the house with Nami.” She informed.

          “What?!”

Genzo and Bell-mere ran to the house to save Nami from whoever was holding her hostage. But when they got to the house, they saw Nami trying to hustle an old lady (who clearly saw right through the hustle) by playing three-card monte.

          “Okay, keep your eye on the Queen of Spades,” Nami said, shuffling the cards. “If you can spot it, I’ll give you 100 beris. If not, I get 100 beris.”

          “Sounds like a deal.” The woman nodded.

Nami smirked evilly as she stop shuffling the cards.  “Pick your card, old lady.”

The lady gave a smirk of her own.  “Right here.” She replied, pointing to the card on the far left. Nami’s brown eyes grew wide as she flipped the said card. Sure enough, it was the Queen of Spades.

          “Hey, no fair!” She complained.  “How did you know it was there?”

          “You have a tell.” The old lady replied.  “But you’re very good at hustling at only 5-years-old. Polish up your bluffs and you’ll be unstoppable.”

Bell-mere couldn’t believe who was sitting in her living room, playing hustle games with her daughter.

          “Magdalena?” She breathed.

Magdalena turned to the young woman she hasn’t seen in nearly five years.  

“Bell-mere!” She greeted.  “It’s been far too long.”

Bell-mere ran over to Magdalena, engulfing her into a warm hug, surprising Genzo, Nojiko and Nami.

          “It has.” Bell-mere cried. “I missed you so much.”

          “I missed you as well,” Magdalena smiled, breaking their embrace.  “I see you’re doing quite well for yourself.”

          “I’m getting by.”

          “Do you know this woman, Bell-mere?” Genzo asked.

          “This is Magdalena, the woman I told you about who owned the restaurant near Navy HQ.” Bell-mere introduced.  “Magdalena, this is Genzo, he’s the local police chief here. And these are my adopted daughters, my oldest, Nojiko and you already met my youngest, Nami.”

          “Yes, your baby is quite the hustler.” Magdalena complimented.

          “I’m so sorry about that. Nami knows better than to take advantage of the elderly.” Bell-mere gave Nami a steely glare which made the child flinch.

          “Aw, no need to apologize.” Magdalena waved off.  “I actually find Nami very refreshing. She reminds me a lot like you, Belle.”

          “See? I’m not the only one who thinks that.” Genzo said.  “All of your bad habits rubbed off on Nami.”

          “Oh, come now, Mr. Genzo. Bell-mere can’t be all that bad.” Magdalena defended.

          “Ma’am, you didn’t watch Bell-mere grow up as a kid.” Genzo said.  “She was a hellion.”

          “As much as I would love to take a trip down memory lane,” Bell-mere interrupted. “I have a guest at my house I haven’t seen in years that I would like to catch up with. If there’s nothing else, Genzo, can you please leave?”

          “Oh no, let Mr. Genzo stay.” Magdalena insisted. “Abigail can make enough Gumbo for all of us.”

Bell-mere’s eyes lit up.  “Abby’s here?”

          “Against my better judgement, but yes. She’s in town buying some ingredients.” Magdalena paused briefly before adding this: “There’s something very important I have to tell you, Bell-mere.”

          “Is everything okay?” Bell-mere asked, concerned.

          “It depends.”

          “Depends on what? What is it?”

Before Magdalena could respond, there was a loud crash outside, followed by the sound of shrill crying.

          “What the hell was that?” Genzo asked.

          “It’s coming from the tangerine grove.” Bell-mere observed.

She and Genzo rushed out of the house, Magdalena trailing not far behind with Nami and Nojiko bringing up the rear. Bell-mere reached the grove and saw Abigail trying to drag a three-year-old boy from under the fallen ladder.

          “Abigail, what happened?” Bell-mere asked.

The younger woman looked up to see her friend coming over to her.

          “Belle! It’s good to see you!” She greeted.  “Sorry about the commotion. Felix was so eager to meet you that he didn’t see where he was going and ran into the ladder.”

Bell-mere got a good look at Felix and felt her breath catch in her chest. The boy was fairly tall and lanky for his age. He also bared a great resemblance to Bell-mere, with the exception of his eyes-which looked exactly like Rosinante’s. Genzo ran over to Bell-mere’s side and took a look at the kid that looked exactly like the woman he raised as a kid. But that was impossible because Bell-mere couldn’t have children of her own.

          “Uh, Bell-mere?” Genzo stammered.

          “Yeah, Genzo?” Bell-mere replied breathlessly.

          “Who’s kid is that?”

          “He’s mine.”

          “But you can’t have kids.”

          “I know but…that’s my son.”

Magdalena came over to Bell-mere’s other side and put her arm around her.

          “It’s like looking in a mirror, isn’t it?” She smiled.

          “I can’t believe it.” Bell-mere cried. “This can’t be possible and yet…I’m staring at my and Roci’s child. How is this happening, Mags?”

          “I’ll explain everything over dinner. For now, you should go introduce yourself to your son.”

Bell-mere nodded and looked at, well, her son. By then, Felix stopped crying and finally looked at Bell-mere. He has seen pictures and heard stories about his parents but to see one of them face-to-face, it was almost nerve-wracking for the boy. Abigail sensed Felix’s apprehension and gave him a reassuring hug.

          “It’s okay, Felix.” She whispered.  “Go on, say hi to your mom.”

          “Is she gonna like me?” Felix asked.

          “Something tells me she already does.”

Felix smiled as he walked up to Bell-mere, who decided to meet him halfway. Genzo was speechless and Nojiko & Nami were looking at each other in confusion. Bell-mere finally reached Felix and knelt down to his level.

          “Hi, I’m Bell-mere.” She greeted.  “What’s your name?”

          “Felix.” The boy replied.

          “It’s nice to meet you, Felix. How old are you?”

          “I just turned three on July 3^rd.”

          “July 3^rd?” Bell-mere gave a wet laugh. “That’s really cool. Do you know who I am?”

Felix nodded.  “You’re my mommy. Nana said that I’m gonna live with you from now on. Is that okay?”

          “Of course, it’s okay. As long as this is what you want. I adopted two girls, if you don’t mind having sisters.”

          “I have a twin sister, so I don’t mind.”

Bell-mere’s eyes widened at that.  “Awesome. Can I have a hug?”

Felix nodded happily and threw his arms around Bell-mere’s neck. The floodgates finally opened and the woman sobbed happily as she held her own son in her arms. Bell-mere resigned to the idea of not being able to have children of her own, even though she and Rosinante have talked about it numerous times. But, alas, she was holding her biological son in her arms. Felix was literally the male version of Bell-mere, but his mannerisms, personality, even his clumsiness had Donquixote Rosinante written all over it. Bell-mere didn’t know why or how Magdalena did it, but she was thankful that it happened. Besides, Magdalena would explain everything over dinner. Bell-mere wiped the tears from her face and looked over at her two daughters.

          “Nojiko, Nami, come here quickly.” She instructed.

The two small girls sprinted over to their mother. Bell-mere broke her embrace with Felix so she can introduce him to his older sisters.

          “Girls, this is my son, Felix. He’s your little brother. Felix, these are your older sisters.”

          “Hi, Felix. I’m Nojiko!” The older girl with purple hair smiled.

          “Hi, Nojiko.” Felix greeted shyly.

          “I’m Nami.” The younger orange-haired girl introduced.  “Do you have a middle name?”

          “No.” Felix replied.

          “Bell-mere, you should give him a middle name. Felix is too boring.” Nami said.

          “Nami!” Nojiko scolded.

Bell-mere simply laughed.  “What do you think his middle name should be, Nami?”

          “I don’t know.” Nami shrugged.  “What’s your daddy’s name?”

Felix shrugged and turned to Abigail, silently asking her.

          “Felix’s father was named Rosinante.” The young woman answered.

          “Cool! That should be your middle name!” Nami cheered.  “And I can call you Roci for short.”

          “If that’s okay with you, Felix.” Bell-mere imputed.

          “Yeah!” Felix beamed.  “Thanks, Nami!”

          “Don’t mention it!” Nami smirked.  “Stick with me, Roci. I’ll make sure nobody messes with you.”

          “Oh, Gods! This is going to be a test on my sanity.” Genzo lamented.

          “I wouldn’t worry so much, Mr. Genzo.” Magdalena laughed. “Felix is warm-hearted like his father; he won’t cause much trouble.”

          “Much trouble?”

          “He has a spitfire sister in his corner. From my experience, that combination can be quite deadly.”

          “Magdalena, Felix said that he has a twin sister. Is that true?” Bell-mere asked.

          “Yes, um…where’s Norah, Abigail?”

Abigail looked around and realized that Norah wasn’t here.

          “Oh, Merde.” She cursed. “Norah is still at that bakery. I’ll be right back. You can start dinner, Nana.” Magdalena shook her head as she watched her granddaughter run off.

          Later that evening, Nojiko and Nami were giving Felix and Norah a grand tour around Bell-mere’s tangerine grove while the adults were gathered on the front porch, listening to Magdalena’s story on how the twins came to be.

          “Felix and Norah are what?!”  

          “Devil Fruit Twins.”

Bell-mere looked at Magdalena like she was crazy.  “How is that possible?”

          “I ate the Stork-Stork Fruit and became a midwife of sorts.” Magdalena explained.

          “The Stork-Stork Fruit?” Genzo repeated.

          “Did your parents ever tell you that fake story about babies being delivered by a stork? Well, my grandmother is that said stork.” Abigail mused.

          “Basically, my powers create offspring from the essence of two people I touch at the same time.” Magdalena explained.  “I touched Bell-mere and Rosinante at the same time and used their essences to create twin babies.”

          “When did you get our essences?” Bell-mere asked.

          “The last time we saw each other.”

Bell-mere recalled the last time she saw Magdalena. They were at that tavern, along with Kuzan and Rosinante, eating jambalaya and talking about their plans for the future. Bell-mere revealed to her friends that she couldn’t have children of her own. Magdalena touched both her and Rosinante’s hands while giving them heartfelt words of encouragement.

          “It was that time?”

          “Consider this my coming-of-age present to you.”

Bell-mere looked back at her four children playing tag in the grove. Felix tripped over a bucket, but Nami caught him before he fell flat on his face.

          “This is the best gift I’ve ever received.” She said.

          “You deserve it, my dear.”

          “It’s a touching gesture, but I can imagine a power like that must be taxing to your body.” Genzo observed.

          “It is, which is why I don’t use it often.” Magdalena explained.  “And I certainly don’t create twins with it. This is my first time experimenting with that.”

          “Also, Nana can’t keep the babies with her for no more than three years. She has to reunite them with their parents or else she dies.” Abigail added.

          “What?!” Bell-mere gasped.  “Magdalena, you didn’t have to create twins for us. Rosinante and I would’ve been happy with just one child.”

          “Call me stubborn but I wanted the both of you to experience having a child of your own.” Magdalena replied.  “That and I couldn’t decide whether or not to give you a boy or a girl.”

          “Well, thank you for your indecisiveness. So, if Felix is staying with me, that means you’re taking Norah to Rosinante?”

          “That’s the plan, but we all know how quickly plans go awry.”

          “Let’s hope this time will be different.” Abigail said.  “Felix and Norah have a really close bond; I would hate for them to be separated for so long.”

          “Something tells me that those kids can handle their own with or without each other.” Genzo observed.  “If their mother is any indication, the world better watch out.”

Bell-mere laughed. “Genzo, you sure know how to compliment a gal.” To Magdalena, she offered: “Why don’t you and Abigail stay for the night? We don’t have much but we can accommodate.”

          “Who am I to refuse such warm hospitality?” Magdalena beamed.  “I would love to.”

          The next morning, Abigail was making breakfast for a full house, with Norah and Nojiko watching intently. Nami was drawing maps and Felix was assisting by handing her drawing pens.

          “I’m gonna miss your cooking, Abby.” Norah lamented.

          “Aww, that’s so sweet, Norah.” Abigail blushed. “Hopefully, you’ll find someone who loves cooking as much as you do.”

          “You wanna be a chef when you grow up, Norah?” Nojiko asked.

          “Yeah! I wanna open my own restaurant like Nana someday! I don’t know where though.”

          “The world is a big place, Norah.” Abigail assured.  “You’ll find the perfect spot for your restaurant.”

There was a knock on the door and Felix got up to answer it, hitting his knee on the side table in the process.

          “OW! I GOT IT!” He announced.

          “How is he still alive?” Nami asked.

          “Nami!” Nojiko scolded.

          “I usually pick Felix up whenever he has his clumsy moments.” Norah replied.

          “Oh. Good to know.” Nami nodded.

Felix opened the door to reveal Genzo standing in the doorway.

          “Hi Genzo!” Felix greeted.

          “Hi Felix.” Genzo replied.  “Is Magdalena awake?”

          “Not yet, she’s been really tired lately.” Abigail answered. “Did you need to see her?”

          “A package came for her at the police house this morning. It’s from a Vice Admiral Garp.”

Abigail gasped.  “Norah, go wake up Nana.” She instructed. “Tell her it’s urgent.”

Before Norah could run to the bedroom, Magdalena and Bell-mere entered the house.

          “Good morning, everyone!” Magdalena beamed.

          “Grandmother!” Abigail scolded.  “Why aren’t you in bed?!”

          “Abigail, bed is for old people. I need fresh air. Besides, Bell-mere and I just took a walk around the tangerine grove.” Magdalena finally spotted Genzo and smiled.  “Ah, Mr. Genzo! Here for breakfast this morning?”

          “Well, actually, I’m here to deliver a package for you. It’s from Vice Admiral Garp.”

Magdalena’s smile faded as she took the package from Genzo. She opened it, revealing a small note and an eternal log pose for Minion Island.

          “What is it, Magdalena?” Bell-mere asked.

          “It’s an eternal log pose to Minion Island. Garp just gave me Rosinante’s location.”

          “What’s Roci doing on a winter island in the North Blue?”

          “He’s trying to retrieve a devil fruit.”

Magdalena read the note Garp gave her:

    Mags,

I gave you an eternal log pose to Minion Island.

This is where the Op-Op Fruit is located, so Rosinante will most likely be headed over there with the kid.

It’s a week’s journey from Cocoyashi so I suggest that you leave as soon as you get this. Chances are that Rosinante already made it to the island but the pirates that wanted the fruit might be there too. You should know that the pirate crew that’s after the Op-Op fruit are the Don Quixote Pirates, led by Doflamingo. If he finds out that his little brother is a Marine spy, he won’t hesitate to kill him.

Hopefully, you can get to Minion Island before Doflamingo does. Whatever you do, DO NOT let Doflamingo find out about Felix and Norah. I’ll contact you as soon as I can. Be careful, Sweet Pea.

Your Teddy Bear,

Garp

Bell-mere took a glance at the letter and was, for lack of a better word, disturbed.

          “Did Vice Admiral Garp just call you Sweet Pea?!” She exclaimed.

          “Yeah, Garp and I have a special relationship, you would say.” Magdalena smiled.

          “What kind of special relationship?”

          “The kind that I can’t describe in front of the children.”

          “Ugh!” Bell-mere and Abigail shuddered.

Genzo laughed.  “Ah, love comes in many forms.”

          “Well, now that I know where Rosinante is, we can stock up on some food and supplies and head to the North Blue as soon as possible.” Magdalena said.  “Abigail, go pack our things and load them on our ship.”

          “Wait, Magdalena. Are you not aware of what Garp just told you?” Bell-mere asked.

          “Yes, the Don Quixote Pirates want the Op-Op Fruit.”

          “That’s not what I meant.”

Magdalena looked at the young woman confusedly, but she realized what Bell-mere was referring to.

          “Oh, if you’re talking about Rosinante and Doflamingo brothers, I knew that already.”

Bell-mere’s eyes grew wide.  “You did?”

          “It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. ‘Donquixote’ isn’t a common surname. But the fact that Rosinante is related to a psychopath isn’t going to make me love him any less. I just hope I’m not too late.”

The ship was docked and ready to go. All that was left to do was say goodbye. Abigail and Bell-mere shared one big hug.

          “Don’t forget to write and call me whenever you can.” Abigail said.

          “The same goes for you.” Bell-mere replied.

          “It was nice to meet you, Nojiko and Nami!” Norah chirped.  “Take care of Felix for me.”

          “Nice to meet you too, Norah!” Nojiko smiled.

          “Don’t worry, Norah. I’ll make sure Roci doesn’t fall too much.” Nami assured.

Norah nodded as she ran over to her twin brother.  “Here.” She handed Felix a black bracelet with a heart in the middle.  “I made these bracelets before we left. Just in case we find each other years later and you forget what I look like.”

          “But I already know what you look like.” Felix pointed out.

          “I know that.” Norah said, rolling her eyes. “But what if one of us eats a devil fruit? Or gets tattoos?”

          “All right, I get it. So, what does your bracelet look like?” Norah held out her wrist to show Felix her blue bracelet with a tangerine in the middle.  “Cool, but just so you know, I don’t plan on eating a devil fruit. I love to swim.”

          “Just try not to drown.”

          “And you try to stay alive. I want to tease my little sister again.”

          “We’re five minutes apart, you klutz.”

          “Brat.”

Norah smiled tearfully as she threw her arms around Felix, hugging him tight.

          “I love you, Felix.” She cried.

          “I love you too, Norah.” Felix replied.

Bell-mere came over to her twin children as they broke their embrace.

          “You and Felix will see each other again soon, Norah.” She reassured.  “And once your father finishes his mission, we’ll all be together again.”

          “Promise, Mommy?” Norah said.

          “I pinky promise.” Bell-mere replied, holding her pinky out.

Norah smiled and intertwined her pinky with Bell-mere and wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist.

          “I’m glad I met you.”

          “So am I. Be safe out there and look after your father. He’s more of a klutz than Felix is.” Bell-mere advised.

Norah giggled. “Got it.”

          “Norah. It’s time to go.” Magdalena announced.

The young girl nodded and ran up to the boat.  “Bye Mom! Bye Genzo! Bye Nojiko! Bye Nami! Bye Felix! I love you guys!” She shouted.

          “Bye, Norah!” Nami responded.

          “Be safe!” Felix added.

          “Please make sure Rosinante and that kid are okay, Magdalena.” Bell-mere pleaded.   “I don’t want to lose him.”

          “Don’t worry, Belle.” Magdalena assured.  “Rosinante is my giant child. There’s no way I’m going to lose either of them to his demented brother.” She gave Bell-mere a long, loving hug. “You take care of those kids. Especially Nami. She’s going to be a force to be reckoned with when she grows up.”

          “Gotcha.” Bell-mere nodded.

Magdalena boarded the boat and got ready to set sail to Minion Island, silently praying that she wasn’t too late to reach Rosinante.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Minion Island

One Week Earlier….

          Donquixote Rosinante looked out on the horizon on the passenger boat heading eastward to Minion Island. He got to the location of the Op-Op Devil Fruit before the Marines or his brother, Doflamingo, could get a hold of it. His initial plan was to arrive on the island two days before Doflamingo but he had to push that plan because of the kid he was protecting. Trafalgar D. Water Law was a twelve-year-old boy suffering from the incurable White Lead Disease.  The brooding boy arrived almost three years ago from Flevance, the White Town that was massacred by the neighboring countries. Because the World Government turned a blind eye to the tragedy and assisted the other kingdoms, Law had a justified hatred for the Marines. But that was the least of Rosinante’s worries.

          When Law came to Doflamingo, asking him to join his crew (armed with a grenade necklace), Rosinante thought it would be just another kid for him to toss out of the building. But he underestimated the young man when Law stabbed him. And when he coincidentally learned about Law’s secret name, Rosinante knew that he had to take the kid away from his brother’s clutches before Doflamingo grooms Law into something evil. So, Rosinante revealed to Law that he wasn’t mute, kidnapped him and took him to every hospital in the North Blue to find a cure for Law’s disease-and then torched every hospital in the North Blue after the doctors and nurses treated Law like a monster. At first, Rosinante thought it was the Will of D driving him to help this kid. But as time went on, as he watched Law relive his trauma, Rosinante’s heart was breaking. All the man wanted to do was give Law something to live for. That’s what he told the sleeping child when he was in one of his drunk stupors, tears streaming down his eyes ruining his makeup:

          “This blubbering idiot is doing everything he can to save you. You’re still a pain in the ass kid but hearing you talk about death…my heart…can’t take it. You may have stabbed me, you little shit…but it didn’t hurt at all. You were the one who was actually suffering back then.” The tears flowed freely as Rosinante opened his heart to this brooding child.  “I just wanted to fix things for you…Law.”

But the boy was already awake and listened to his bumbling kidnapper cry for him. For the first time in a long time, someone actually cared for him…and it made him sad. Rosinante and Law’s relationship changed that day from bitter enemies to a special familial bond. When Doflamingo told him about the Op-Op Devil Fruit, Rosinante rejoiced because he finally found a cure for Law’s disease. And he knew that the boy’s parents were the best doctors in Flevance so Law had extensive medical knowledge. But Trafalgar Law was dying. His 13^th birthday wasn’t until October, but Law’s prognosis was getting worse. Rosinante had to act fast if he had even a half a chance of saving the kid’s life. So, he snuck on a charter ship heading to Minion Island, where the Op-Op Fruit is located.

          Which brings us to this very moment. Rosinante held the small boy in his arms, covering him with his black feather coat. Law’s breathing was labored, and his skin was getting paler by the minute.

          “You’re gonna be okay, Law.” Rosinante whispered. “Just hold on for me just a little longer. We’re almost at the island.”

          “Cora, are you a Marine?” Law rasped.

          “Of course not. I’m not a Marine, I promise you. Once we get that fruit, we’re gonna leave this place, buy a boat and travel the world together.” (Rosinante didn’t want to lie to Law about being a Marine, but he didn’t want Law to hate him either.)

          “Promise?”

          “I promise.”

Law smiled weakly as he snuggled close to Rosinante. The older man pulled Law close to his chest, placing a gentle kiss to the top of his head.

Present Day

          Magdalena boarded her boat on the other side of Minion Island. Years of military tactical experience has taught her that hiding her boat on the opposite side of the enemy will increase her chances of not being seen. She packed some food, essential supplies, two guns and a baby transponder snail in her knapsack. She gathered a sleeping Norah in her arms and proceeded to leave the boat when she heard her granddaughter call her name.

          “You should let me come with you, Nana.” Abigail suggested.

          “Minion Island is swarming with pirates. It’s too dangerous; you’ll be safe on the ship.” Magdalena objected.

          “At least wear a coat. This is a winter island; I don’t want you catching a cold on top of your already weakened state.”

          “Fine, fine.” Magdalena conceded as she took the long wool coat from Abigail.  “Stay hidden and keep the transponder snail close to you. If anything happens, call me.”

Abigail nodded.  “Yes, Nana. Be careful.”

Magdalena kissed Abigail on her forehead and put on her coat.   “I’m always careful, Abby.” She smirked as she jumped off the boat and ran west to the city.

Six Hours Later

          Where did it all go wrong?  Rosinante thought as he bandaged his leg. He got the Op-Op Fruit from the pirates who obtained it, but his clumsy ass slipped (literally) on the way back and he got caught by some of the pirate crew and got shot at. He beat the crap out of them of course (Rosinante is a formidable fighter, despite popular opinion.) and came back to Law. After igniting a silent bubble, Rosinante fed Law the Op-Op Fruit (more like shoved it down his throat). He didn’t want Law to find out that he got hurt, but that happened anyway. To make matters worse, Rosinante ran into Vergo, the first “Corazon” of the Don Quixote Pirates, who was infiltrating the Marines. To say Vergo beat the crap out of Rosinante and Law was an understatement. But the tall man managed to escape Vergo’s grasp and hide in an abandoned warehouse. He treated Law’s wounds before tending to his own.

          It’s safe to assume that Vergo told my brother and the Executives that I’m a Marine spy. I gotta get off this island before Doffy arrives. Find a small boat and head to the next island. Rosinante thought as he looked at a map of the North Blue.

          “The next island is Swallow. It’s a day’s journey. If we leave now, we can get there by noon.” But as he looked out to the night sky, Rosinante saw something horrendous that put a stop to his plans of escape.   “Oh no. This is bad.”

Abigail looked up at the sky and saw hundreds of white strings descend from nowhere and encircle the entire island like a birdcage.

          “What the hell is that?” She said to herself.

Magdalena saw the strings as well and a look of dread came over her face.

          “Doflamingo’s here.” She shuddered. Her thoughts were interrupted by her transponder snail. Purah-purah-purah. Cuh-lik.  “What’s wrong, Abby?”

          Nana, a strange cage made of white strings just appeared out of nowhere. Did you see it?  

          “I saw it, dear. This is the work of Doflamingo.”

          Doflamingo? Rosinante’s brother?

          “Yes, it’s a part of his power. Stay on the ship, no matter what. You’re safer there.”

          What about you?

          “I will be fine. That birdcage is dangerous. No one can enter or exit the island. I’m going to find Roci and the boy then get out of here as soon as possible. Do not leave the ship unless I say so, Abigail. Understood?”

          Yes, Nana. Be careful, make sure Norah is safe.

          “Of course, dear. I’ll talk to you when I can.”

Norah woke up from her sleep just as Magdalena ended her call with Abigail.

          “Nana, what’s wrong?” The girl said sleepily.

          “Nothing, sweetie.” Magdalena replied.  “It’s getting really cold, so we’re going to seek shelter somewhere, ok?”

          “When will I get to see Daddy?”

          “Soon, Norah. Very soon. Stay close to me so you won’t get cold.”

Norah nodded and held on tightly to Magdalena. The old woman let out a wet cough before pulling her coat close to her.

          “There’s no escape. We can’t leave this island together anymore.”

Rosinante exhaled deeply, the harsh reality of the situation began to sink in. There was no possible way that he and Law were going leave Minion Island alive…at least not together. Rosinante knew that this was a possibility; he was prepared for it. In fact, before he kidnapped Law, Rosinante put all of his affairs in order. He even wrote Bell-mere a goodbye letter. He regretted that he couldn’t give Belle the wedding she always wanted. He wished he could see her, talk to her one last time.

          Purah-purah-purah.

Rosinante’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his transponder snail ringing. He was so startled, he hit his head on a crate.

          “Ow!” He whined. Rosinante looked over at Law to see if he was awake. Fortunately, the boy was knocked out.

          Purah-purah-purah. Purah-purah-purah. Purah-purah-purah

          “Please let it be anyone but Doffy or Sengoku.” Rosinante prayed. He picked up the snail receiver with a Cuh-lik.  He remained silent in case it was his brother vowing to kill him. But the voice on the other end wasn’t Doflamingo.

          Roci? Roci, it’s Bell-mere. Can you hear me?”

Rosinante’s breath hitched as he heard his fiancée’s voice on the other end of the transponder snail. The timing couldn’t be more suck-worthy and yet, this was just what Rosinante wanted.

           “B-Belle. Is that you?” He rasped.

        Rosinante! Thank goodness you’re okay! I never thought I’d hear your voice again.

          “Yeah, me neither. I’m so happy now. How are the girls?”

Through letters, Rosinante and Bell-mere shared their lives over the years. Rosinante knew about Bell-mere’s retirement, and her new adopted daughters, Nojiko and Nami. Bell-mere knew all about Law and Rosinante’s vengeful rampages on the hospitals in the North Blue (it’s not like they didn’t deserve it; they did call a child a monster). It was the first time in four years that they’ve heard each other’s voices.

          Nami and Nojiko are great! I can’t wait for you and Law to meet them.

          “I don’t know if it’s gonna be possible,” Rosinante said.

          What do you mean? What’s wrong, Rosinante?

          “I…I screwed up, Belle. Everything is screwed up.”

          What happened? Come on, babe, talk to me...

Rosinante exhaled deeply, trying to keep his tears at bay.  “I got the Op-Op fruit, but Doffy had a spy in the Marines and I ran into him. I got shot and beat up in the process and now my brother’s here and put a cage around the whole island. There’s no escape.”

          Isn’t there something you can do?

          “There are some Marine ships heading this way soon. One of them may be Tsuru’s fleet. I can find a way to stow Law away on one of the ships.”

          But what about you?

          “I’m staying behind.”

The snail’s eyes widened.  What?! What do you mean you’re staying behind?

          “I’ve played every scenario in my head, Bell-mere.” Rosinante explained.  “There’s no possible outcome where both me and Law will come out of this alive.”

          But that means that Doflamingo will kill you the moment he sees you!

          “If it means saving Law from becoming my brother’s plaything, then I’m ready to sacrifice my life.”

          Well, I’m not! Bell-mere shouted.  We had plans, Rosinante. We were going to get married and retire to the East Blue with our children. You’re going to throw all of that away over a boy?!

          “That’s not fair, Bell-mere!” Rosinante snapped.  “You did the same thing when it came to Nami and Nojiko. Why all of a sudden me protecting Law is a bad thing?!” The only reply he got was loud sobbing in the background. Rosinante knew that Bell-mere wasn’t an emotional person. There was something else going on.

          “Belle, what’s the matter?” Rosinante asked softly.

          Magdalena and Abigail came to visit me in Cocoyashi Village.

          “Really? When?”

          About a week ago. They came to drop something important off to me.

          “What?”

          Our son.

Rosinante gasped, his eyes growing wide.    “Son? What do you mean?”

          Magdalena has a rare Devil Fruit power that allows her to create offspring from two people’s essences. She created twin children using our essences.

If the tears hadn’t escaped Rosinante’s eyes before, they certainly did now. “We have…children…of our own?”

          Yeah. Their names are Felix and Norah. Magdalena is supposed to drop Norah off to you so…please, Rosinante. Stay alive.

          “Damn it, Bell-mere.” Rosinante sobbed.  “Timing sucks ass. I bet Felix looks like you.”

          He does. But he inherited everything else from you. Including your well-known clumsiness.

Rosinante laughed.  “Poor kid. He’s gonna have it rough.” He took a deep breath to calm himself before putting the nail in the already buried coffin.       “I’m so sorry, Belle. I really want to see our kids. This is the best news you could’ve given me but…I have to save Law. What he’s been through, no child should ever have to face in their lifetimes. I want him to be free, I want him to live. And if that means I have to break our promise… if I have to die for him to do so…. then I’ll gladly die.”

          You sure it’s not the Will of D making you do this?

          “I stopped caring about that a long time ago. Law is just a bratty kid I happened to take care of. He’s like…”

          Your son? Bell-mere finished. I get it. You fell in love with this kid and now you’re willing to face the entire world, face your brother for him. I can’t be mad at you for that.

          “Can you tell Felix that I’m sorry?” Rosinante said.

          I’ll tell Felix that his dad was a hero and he took on a pirate crew to save a kid just like him. I’m so proud of you, Rosinante. You have no idea how proud I am of you. The transponder snail started crying, a reflection of Bell-mere’s tears. I don’t want you to die but…I understand.

Rosinante was full-on crying now, his shoulders shaking as he cried silently trying not to wake up Law. His greatest dream came true not once, but twice and now he was faced with the possibility of never seeing his own biological twin children and the love of his life again.

          “You’re too good for me, Belle.” Rosinante laughed tearfully.  “You always have been. You’re gonna be a great mother to Nojiko, Nami and Felix.”

          You will be a great father to them too.

          “I don’t want to get your hopes up…”

          There’s a good chance that Magdalena is on that island. She’ll find a way to save you and Law. Then, she can reunite you with Norah. Don’t give up hope yet.

Rosinante sighed.  “For our kids’ sake, I hope your right, Bell-mere. But if worst comes to worst, I want you to move on.”

          What?  Bell-mere asked.

          “You’re a beautiful woman. I’d hate to see you miss out on your chance to fall in love because of me. Find a good man who can help you raise our kids.

          I don’t need a man to help raise our children, I’ve done very well by myself so far. Besides, I don’t want anyone else. I want you, Roci.

          “I’m being realistic here.”

          Well, don’t. I’m being optimistic. Please stay alive, Rosinante.

          “I’ll try for you. But if I die, I’ll die smiling. I want Law to remember me with a smile on my face.”

          I bet he hates it. Bell-mere laughed.

          “He says he does, but I know better.” Rosinante laughed.  “I want you to remember me smiling too.”

          How could I ever forget that pretty smile? It’s infectious, Felix has it.

          “Good. I have to go. I need to figure out how to get Law to safety.”

There was a pause on the other end of the snail.  Okay then. I’ll let you go…”

          “Promise me that you’ll stay healthy.” Rosinante promised.

          As long as you promise me to stay alive. No matter what.

Rosinante nodded, not trusting himself to speak.   “I promise. Take care of yourself Bell-mere.”

          And you, stay alive, Rosinante. I love you always…my clumsy fool.

          “I love you too, my sweet little spitfire. Goodbye.

          Goodbye, my Love.

          Cuh-lik

Rosinante ended the call with Bell-mere, knowing that this will be the last time he will talk to her, hear her voice again. He thanked every God in the world for giving him such a remarkable woman, and not one, but five kids to call his own: a bratty little boy from Flevance, two girls from the Okyot Kingdom, and twin children born from his and Bell-mere’s essences. Rosinante wished that he could meet them; but fate had other plans for him.

          I’m gonna get you out of this prison, Law. I’m gonna get you away from Doflamingo’s hold, away from the cage in your heart. I’m going to make sure that you’re free; free to live your life the way you want to. I’m so sorry that I won’t be able to travel the world with you like we planned. Forgive me, Law.  I just hope when you’re out there living your life, and I happen to cross your mind, that you remember me smiling.

Rosinante wiped his tears and slowly stood up, his resolve clear. He had no time for grief or regret. He’s getting Law off of this island one way or another. The only hope he had was the slim chance Magdalena was on the island. She’s worked miracles before. He bore witness to it.

          “Let’s hope you have one more miracle up your sleeve, Mags.” Rosinante walked over to Law and picked him up, cradling the sleeping boy in his arms.

          “It’s time to go Law.” He said softly.

Trafalgar D. Water Law opened his eyes to a cringe-worthy sight: a beat-up and battered Donquixote Rosinante smiling widely at him.       “Let’s Go!”

          “AHHH!!!”

          After walking for what seemed like hours, (it was really 30 minutes) Magdalena found an old, abandoned church that was half-destroyed. She hid behind its walls, her energy draining more rapidly than before. She slumped down on a brick wall, breathing heavily.

          “I’m getting too old for this shit.” She cursed.

          “What does ‘shit’ mean, Nana?” Norah asked.

          “That is a bad word you are not allowed to say until you’re older.”

          “Oh. You mean like fuck?”

Magdalena put her hand over Norah’s mouth. “Where did you learn that word from?!” She exclaimed.

          “Abigail usually says it every night when she’s with that guy.”

          “What guy?!”

          “I don’t know.” Norah shrugged.  “I’ve never seen him before, but Abigail calls him ‘Shane’ or something.”

Magdalena’s eyes flashed angrily. “I think I’m going to have a little talk with your Aunt Abigail. Now’s not the time though.”

          “Nana, your nose is bleeding.”

Magdalena gingerly touched her nose and saw blood on her fingers. “Don’t worry, Norah. It’s nothing bad.”

          “Are Felix and I killing you? That’s why you have to send us away?”

          “Oh. You’re so astute like your mother. I have a rare Devil Fruit that gives two special people who can’t conceive children a chance to be parents. I used it to create you and your brother because your parents deserved it.”

          “But every Devil Fruit has limits and you couldn’t keep me and Felix forever because it’s making you sick.”

Magdalena stroked Norah’s blond hair tenderly.    “Believe me, if I could, I would raise you and your brother myself.  But your parents have dreamed about you since I’ve known them. They even picked out your names. Trust me, Norah. You will be fine.”

          “I trust you, Nana.” Norah smiled.

Magdalena pulled Norah into a loving hug. Suddenly, her Observation Haki sensed a familiar and comforting presence near their vicinity. She put Norah down and covered her with her coat.

          “Stay hidden, Norah.” She warned. “Do not make a sound no matter what you hear. Keep quiet and don’t come out until I tell you it’s safe. Do you understand?”

          “Yes, Nana.” Norah nodded.

          “I will be right back.”

Magdalena grabbed her knapsack and moved to the other side of the church to get a better look of who was coming this way. She saw various treasure chests in the middle of the snow and two figures walking over towards them. One of them was a 9 ft tall man in his mid-twenties. He had make-up on and was nearly beaten to a bloody pulp but Magdalena immediately recognized her giant child.

          “Rosinante.” She breathed.

She stealthy watched as Rosinante placed a small boy inside of the large treasure chest. Magdalena assumed it was the same boy from White Town that Garp told her about.

          “You’ll be safe here, Law.” Rosinante told the boy.  “Pirates are going to take treasure chests without looking at them. Once Doflamingo picks up the treasure chest, climb out and run as fast as you can.”

          “Is Doflamingo going to kill you?” Law asked.

          “Nah. Doffy will be pissed off at me, but he wouldn’t kill his little brother.”

Magdalena felt her heart break. Rosinante knew better than anyone what Doflamingo was capable of. Why would he lie to Law like that?

          “Everything is gonna be alright, trust me.” Rosinante placed his hand on top of Law’s hat.  “Calm.”  Suddenly, a dark indigo bubble formed around the boy. “I put a silent bubble around you so no one can hear you when you make a sound. Doflamingo won’t know the difference. This will be over soon.” Law touched the invisible wall, fascinated by its power. 

          “And Law?”

Law looked up to see Rosinante smile at him once more (of course it made him cringe)   “I love you, kid!” The tall man declared jovially as he slowly closed the treasure chest.

Magdalena watched as Rosinante took out his transponder snail to make a call. The voice on the other end shook the old woman to her core.

          Well, well, well. If it isn’t my darling little brother.

          “Doflamingo,” Rosinante greeted in a dangerously low voice.  “I assume Vergo told you about me?”

          He did. It’s a shame really, I had high hopes for you, Roci.

          “I wish I could say the same for you.”

          Where’s the Op-Op Fruit? And where’s Law?

          “You want to know, come find me. I’m at an abandoned church to the west.”

          Splendid. Diamante will be glad to see you.

          “I’m looking forward to it.” Cuh-lik.

It didn’t take long for Diamante to find Rosinante. He, along with Trebol and Lao G, beat the hell out of him. Law heard and felt the commotion while Magdalena saw the whole thing. She couldn’t understand why Rosinante wouldn’t fight back. He was a solid fighter. Rosinante managed to sit up, the treasure chest Law was hidden in supporting his back.

          “What’s wrong, Corazon?” Diamante sneered.  “Can’t take my beating like a man?”

          “Please, I know an old woman who punches ten times better than you.” Rosinante laughed.  “Your beatings are mediocre at best. How you’ve managed to become Doffy’s executive is beyond me.”

          “Shut up, you stupid bastard!” Diamante shouted. “Just because you can talk now doesn’t mean you’re smarter than me.

          “I’ve always could talk, you were the one who assumed I was mute. Shows how much stupidity you have.”

Diamante replied with swift kick to Rosinante’s side. The latter hissed and coughed up blood.  “You made a big mistake betraying Doffy.”

          “No. You made a big mistake underestimating me. Even if you kill me now, I’ll still find a way to whoop your ass.”

          “Is that so, Rosinante?”

Rosinante looked up to see his brother, Donquixote Doflamingo, strutting towards him. Magdalena looked at this notorious pirate. He may look like Rosinante but his demeanor was the complete opposite. He bore an air of arrogance and false superiority. Magdalena understood why Rosinante never talked about his brother. Doflamingo was the exact thing he feared to become.

          “You seem quite confident for a man on the verge of death.”

Rosinante smirked as he took out his pistol, aiming it at Doflamingo.

          “Marine Code: 01746. Commander Rosinante. Marine Spy for Fleet Admiral Sengoku to infiltrate the Don Quixote Pirates.” Rosinante banged his head twice against the treasure chest. For a second, Magdalena thought it was one of Rosinante’s clumsy moments but that thought was quickly dismissed when he apologized out of the blue.

          “I’m sorry I lied to you about being a Marine. I just…I didn’t want you to hate me.”

          He must be apologizing to the boy. Magdalena concluded.

Law heard Rosinante’s apology.  “Idiot! I already knew you were a Marine. I could never hate you.” He said, knowing that Rosinante didn’t hear him.

          “Look at that idiot trying to apologize to you, Doffy.” The snot-nosed man known as Trebol laughed.

          “You think saying you’re sorry will undo your betrayal?” Diamante said.

          “You’re about to dig your own grave.” Lao G added.  “Grave with a capital G!”

          “Well, he’s a ham.” Magdalena observed.

          “Enough talk.” Doflamingo halted. He turned to his brother. “Where is Law, Corazon?”

          “Law is long gone…and so is the Op-Op Fruit in case you were wondering about that too.” Rosinante replied.

          “What?”

          “I snuck Law on a Marine ship before you put up your birdcage. They’re long gone from this island now.”

          “He’s bluffing, Doffy. Don’t believe him.” Diamante said.

          “If you think I’m lying, why don’t you search the building? Or go through these treasure chests while you’re at it.” Rosinante challenged.

Magdalena shook her head in disbelief. What is Rosinante thinking? He knew that Doflamingo was smart enough to call his bluff. A transponder snail went off before Magdalena could come up with the worst-case scenarios.

Cuh-lik

“What is it, Gladius?”

Doflamingo, we just saw a Marine ship sailing away before the birdcage was formed. One of the passengers is a small boy.

Rosinante’s eyes widened. That was weirdly odd. No way my luck can be this good.

Magdalena breathed a sigh of relief.  A surprise coincidence, but a hell of a welcome one.

          “Very well.” Doflamingo sighed. “Tell Senor Pink to load the rest of the cargo on to the ship. We’ll leave once I’ve taken care of our…familial squabble.”

          Aye, sir. Cuh-lik

          “Diamante, Trebol, Lao G, do one last survey of the area. Make sure Rosinante isn’t lying. I need a moment alone with my brother.”

The three executives nodded and proceeded to leave.

          “I can’t wait for the day when you ‘whoop my ass’ from beyond the grave, Rosinante.” Diamante laughed. “Hell will certainly freeze over.”

          “Be ready when it does, Diamante.” Rosinante smirked.

Once Diamante, Lao G and Trebol left to survey the area, the Donquixote brothers were left alone, staring at each other with their pistols drawn. Magdalena didn’t need to unlock her Observation Haki to feel the tension between them. Rosinante slowly stood up, his pistol still aiming at Doflamingo.

          “You’re not going to pull that trigger, Rosinante.” The older Donquixote brother said.  “You’re too weak for that, just like our father.”

          “Father was a good man. He did what was best for us.” Rosinante argued.

          “If he did what was best for us, he shouldn’t have taken us out of Marie Jois.”

          “You always thought you were a god, Doffy. We’re no better than anyone else in this world.”

           “We are Celestial Dragons! We are superior to everybody in this world! Father refused to acknowledge that and what happened? Our mother died and we were nearly tortured to death. So, I did what I had to. I punished Father for his crimes.”

          “Father did nothing wrong!” Rosinante snapped. “You shot him in cold blood then cut his head off! You didn’t punish him, you murdered him!”

          “I executed him because he was weak! And I’m going to do the same for you.”

Magdalena’s heart stopped as she saw Doflamingo cocked his gun. She knew much about Rosinante’s past but she didn’t know that he was a Celestial Dragon. It made sense though, why Rosinante never talked about his family. She felt Norah peeking out of her coat and turned to her direction.

          “Norah! Stay down!” She hissed.

The little girl got the message and scurried back under her coat, careful not to make any noise. Magdalena turned back to the heated standoff before her. In the treasure chest, Law heard conversation unfold and tried to bang on the chest to get Rosinante’s attention, forgetting that the older man put a silent bubble around him.

          “Cora, what are you doing?!” He said. “You said Doflamingo wouldn’t kill you. Get out while you still can!”

Doflamingo raised his pistol at Rosinante.  “I’m going to ask you one more time: Where are Law and the Op-Op Fruit?”

Rosinante took his lighter out from his pocket and lit the cigarette in his mouth (probably the last one he’ll ever light) and chuckled darkly: “I told you, Doffy. They’re both gone. Law ate the Op-Op Fruit and left this island before you put your cage up. You’re not going to get what you want, not this time. Law has a chance to become the man he wants to be. So, leave him the hell alone, he’s free! Free from Flevance, free from the White Lead Disease, free from the Don Quixote Family, free from you! Law is finally free and I will die to make sure it stays that way!”

The veins in Doflamingo’s head popped with anger.  “Then die, little brother.” He said in a low voice.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Magdalena could only watch in horror as Doflamingo repeatedly riddled Rosinante’s body with bullet holes. Norah heard the loud gunshots, but she dared not utter a sound. She kept herself hidden and covered her mouth with her hands, tears flowing down her face. Law kept banging on the treasure chest and screaming Rosinante’s name, but no one heard him. All he could do is listen as the man he viewed as a second father was getting murdered by his brother. Rosinante’s eyes grew wide as he felt bullets attack his body. He knew there was a chance that Doflamingo will kill him, he didn’t think it would be overkill though. Doflamingo emptied his clip on his brother as the younger man flew smack dab on the treasure chest, his body slumped over. Magdalena couldn’t stop the tears escaping her eyes. Her beloved giant child was gunned down by the hands of a monster.

          “Rosinante.” She sobbed quietly.

Doflamingo looked at his brother’s lifeless body for a long time. He didn’t want to kill Rosinante. He was the spark of humanity Doflamingo held on to for a long time. But now that Rosinante was dead, there was nothing holding him back in terms of morality. Diamante, Trebol and Lao G came over to Doflamingo and looked at Rosinante’s body.

          “Don’t feel too bad, Doffy.” He consoled.  “He was a waste of space anyway.”

          “He was my brother, nonetheless.” Doflamingo replied.  “Let’s get out of here before the Marines arrive. Get these treasure chests to the ship.”

They quickly grabbed all of the chests without looking to see what’s inside and left the church, leaving Rosinante to bleed out in the snow. Magdalena waited until Doflamingo was out of sight before she could rush to Rosinante’s side. Then she saw the treasure chest Doflamingo was carrying open slightly. Law’s small head peaked out and saw Rosinante’s body, crying openly as he climbed out of the chest and ran the other way.

Odd thing about that was…although Magdalena saw Law crying, she couldn’t hear him. As if his noise was silenced.

          “Rosinante is still alive.” She gasped.

Once Doflamingo and his crew was out of the line of sight, Magdalena rushed over to Rosinante’s side and knelt beside him. His breathing was labored and blood was seeping through his light pink shirt with hearts on them.

         “Rosinante. Rosinante, can you hear me?”

Rosinante shifted his head to see Magdalena kneeling beside him.

          “M-Magdalena?” He croaked. “Is that you?”

          “Yes, it’s me.”

Rosinante laughed weakly.  “I thought I’d never see you again. I missed you so much.”

          “I missed you too.” Magdalena gently brushed Rosinante’s hair from his face.  “What have you gotten yourself into, my Giant Child?”

          “A whole load of crap. I’m sorry you had to see me like this. Wait, how long have you been here?”

          “Quite a while.”

          “You…you saw everything?” Magdalena nodded.  “That means you heard everything as well. Mags, I’m so sorry…”

          “Shh.  I will have none of that, son. I don’t care that your family were Celestial Dragons or that your brother is a class A psychopath.” Magdalena declared.  “You are a good man with a beautiful heart. I’m so proud of you, Rosinante.”

Tears streamed down Rosinante’s eyes. “You were always so kind to me, Mags.”

          “That’s because you deserve it. Hold on for me, Rosinante. I’m sure Tsuru’s fleet will come in time to find you.”

          “How do you know that Tsuru will show up?”

          “Garp told me.”

          “Vice Admiral Garp?”

          “That’s not important now. I’m going to try to stop the bleeding.”

Rosinante held out a frail hand.  “Don’t worry about me. Just get off of this island while you still can. Doflamingo took down the birdcage.”

          “You’re going to bleed out.”

          “I need to hold on just long enough for Law to escape.”

          “Law? The boy from Flevance?” Rosinante nodded.  “But what about your daughter?”

          “My daughter?”

          “Yes, your daughter is here. I came to this island to bring her to you.”

          “That’s right. Bell-mere told me that you dropped our son off to her.” Rosinante began to cough up blood and Magdalena immediately wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

          “Roci, please. You’re about to drown in your own blood. Let me help you.” Magdalena begged.

          “Can I see her?” Rosinante asked.  “Can I see my daughter?”

Magdalena held back tears as she nodded. “Of course, you can.” She called out to the broken building.  “Norah! Come over here.”

Seconds later, Rosinante saw a little girl around three or four scurry over to them. As she got closer, he could see it. The girl was the spitting image of him sans the eyes. They were green like Bell-mere’s. Her blond hair was long and wavy tied up in two ponytails. Magdalena motioned the girl to come close.

          “Rosinante, this is your daughter, Norah.” She introduced. “Norah, this is your father, Donquixote Rosinante.”

          “Hi Norah.” Rosinante greeted weakly. “I’m your dad. It’s nice to meet you.”

          “What happened to you?” Norah asked.

          “Oh, Daddy just got roughed up a little. That’s all.”

          “Rosinante, don’t lie to her.” Magdalena warned. “She has Bell-mere’s intelligence.”

          “Of course, she does.” Rosinante motioned Norah to come closer to him. Once she did, Rosinante put a frail hand on top of Norah’s head.   “I’m sorry, Norah. I didn’t want to frighten you if I told you the truth.”

          “I can take it.”

          “Your dad got hurt really bad.” He explained. “And I might not make it out of this.”

          “Are you gonna die?” Norah asked tearfully.

          “I’m afraid so.” Rosinante replied.  “I’m so sorry, my sweet baby girl. I really wanted to see you grow up.”

          “No, you can’t die! I don’t have anywhere else to go and Nana can’t keep me.”

          “What do you mean?”

          “Nana created us with her Devil Fruit powers.” Norah explained. “She could only keep me and Felix for three years or else she dies. The East Blue is too far, so I can’t stay with Mom, Nojiko, Nami and Felix. That’s why you can’t die, Daddy!”

Rosinante turned to Magdalena.  “You’re dying, Magdalena?”

          “In a way, yes.” Magdalena answered. “I’ve already reached past my limits in terms of my Devil Fruit powers. I can’t take Norah back with me to South Quarter.”

Rosinante felt his life slipping away little by little. He didn’t want to leave Norah all alone to fend for herself. His daughter may be smart, but she’s still a child; only three-years-old. She needs someone who will watch over her, someone who needed her…as much as she needed them. Rosinante had an idea.

          “Magdalena, I need you to find Law.” He pleaded.

          “Why do you want me to find him?” Magdalena asked.

          “I want you to take him and Norah to Swallow Island.”

          “Wait. You want me to leave your three-year-old daughter in the hands of a dying teenage boy?”

          “Law isn’t dying anymore. He ate the Op-Op Fruit.”

          “That is not the issue here!” Magdalena argued. “You want a child to raise another child!”

          “Law is mature for his age.” Rosinante explained.  “If you tell him that Norah is my daughter, he will take her in.”

          “Rosinante. Norah needs her father.”

          “I’m about to die!” Rosinante gritted.  “Right now, Norah needs stability and Law needs something to rely on, to live for. He’s already lost a lot. I really believe having Norah around will give him a sense of family. Trust me, Magdalena. Law will do right by my baby girl.”

          “Are you certain this is what you want for Norah?”

Rosinante nodded.  “Without a doubt.”

This wasn’t the ideal situation Magdalena wanted for Norah, but it was the only solution she had right now. Rosinante risked his life for this boy and now he was trusting the care of his young daughter to him.

          “Very well.” She conceded.  “But you have to let me stop the bleeding.”

          “Deal.”

Magdalena turned to Norah, who was holding Rosinante’s hand.  “Say goodbye to your father, Norah. Then go back to your hiding place.” She instructed.

The little girl nodded as she looked at her dying father.

          “I’m scared, Daddy.” She cried.

          “Come here, Norah.” Rosinante beckoned.  When Norah scootched closer, Rosinante managed to lift his hand to his daughter’s cheek.   “You’re a lot braver than you think you are. I really believe that you’re going to be alright. I’m sorry I can’t raise you to be the strong woman I know you’re gonna be, but I’m going to leave you with someone who will be up to the task.”

          “You mean Law?”

          “Yeah. He may be young but he’s strong. He’s also lost a lot of good people in his life, including his family. So, be patient with him. He may seem closed off and act like a little shit..”

          “Don’t curse in front of your daughter, Rosinante.” Magdalena admonished.

          “Sorry.” Rosinante’s breathing became more ragged, but he was determined to say what he wanted to say: “Law may try to push you away and say mean things to you but pay him no mind. He needs you as much as you need him. So, no matter what…be there for him. I can guarantee you, that Law will step up when it calls for it. He’ll be the best big brother you’ll ever have, Norah.”

Big tears streamed down Norah’s eyes.  “Daddy, please don’t leave me.”

          “I’ll always be with you, even when I’m gone.” Rosinante cried.  “I love you, Norah. I love you so much. I want you to know that.”

The little girl broke down into sobs as she threw her small arms around Rosinante’s neck. “I love you, Daddy.”

          “I love you too.” Rosinante said, kissing his daughter’s head.

After a few minutes, Magdalena painfully pried Norah off of her father.

          “Go back to your hiding place, Norah. Quickly.”

          “Take care of Law for me, my sweet baby girl.” Rosinante smiled.

Norah nodded and ran off to her hiding spot. Magdalena made sure Norah was safe before turning back to Rosinante, who was getting paler.

          “It’s for the best, Magdalena.” He assured. “Law will give everything he has to protect Norah. He calls me Cora, so make sure you say that name when you mention me.”

          “I trust your judgment in this.” Magdalena replied.  “Now let me stop the bleeding before the Marines arrive. At least when they find you, they can give you the medical attention you need.”

          “How…how are you gonna do that?”

          “I have a salve that acts as an anticoagulant. It’s very potent; the sting of it alone will render you unconscious. But it will stop the bleeding long enough for the Marines to find you.” Magdalena took out a small wooden jar from her knapsack. She then heard the sound of heavy gunfire and cannonballs from a distance.   “We must make haste.”

          “Magdalena.” Rosinante began.

          “I want you to fight, Roci.” Magdalena pleaded.  “You can not resign yourself to this type of fate. Stay alive for Bell-mere, for Law, for your children.”

          “I’ll try to stay alive. I promise. Thank you, Mags.”

Magdalena smiled sadly as she scooped some of the salve in her hand.

          “I want you to take several deep breaths.”

Rosinante nodded as he inhaled deeply as best as he could when he felt something cool hit his skin. He looked to see Magdalena rubbing the pasty white salve all over his injuries. Suddenly, his body felt like it was on fire as if the bullets were melting out of his body.

          “Argh! God, Magdalena! It hurts!” Rosinante screamed.

          “Shh...I know it does, just breathe for me.” Magdalena soothed.  “Close your eyes and breathe.”

Rosinante’s kept breathing through the pain as Magdalena tenderly scratched his blonde hair. His heartbeat started to slow and his eyes started to get heavy. Soon, Donquixote Rosinante passed out. Magdalena placed two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse.

It was weak but it was still there. And Rosinante still had his smile on his face.

        “Rest easy.” Magdalena whispered.  “We will meet again soon. I love you, my giant child.” She placed a gentle kiss on Rosinante’s forehead before grabbing her knapsack and rushing over to Norah. The little girl’s face was wet with tears.

          “I’m never gonna see Daddy again, am I?” She cried.

          “Never say never, sweetheart.” Magdalena comforted. She gathered Norah back in her arms. “Let’s get out of here.”

          Purah-purah-purah

          Purah-purah-purah

          Purah-purah-purah

          Cuh-lik

          “Hello?”

          Abigail, it’s me.

          “Nana! Are you all right? Did you find Rosinante?”

          I’ll explain later. Right now, I need you to find a boy.

          “Boy?”

          Rosinante took care of a small boy who had a rare disease. I’ve been tracking his presence with my Haki and he’s headed in your direction.

          “How would I know who it is?”

          Just follow the sound of loud crying. His name is Law. When you see him, tell him that you’re a friend of Cora’s. Norah and I are on our way back to the ship.

The transponder snail call was cut off before Abigail could respond. She looked back up at the sky and saw that the birdcage had disappeared.

          “Doflamingo must’ve left the island.” Abigail thought out loud.  “But if Nana is coming back to the ship with Norah, that means something must’ve happened to Rosinante. But what?”

The sound of loud crying suddenly echoed throughout the port. Abigail’s gaze shifted to a small young boy trudging towards the boat. He was wrapped up in a blanket and had on a furry white spotted hat and his skin had white blotches. He was sobbing uncontrollably, as if he just witnessed a horrible trauma. Abigail jumped out of the boat and ran to meet the child halfway.

          “Are you all right, sweetheart?” She asked.

Law stopped crying and looked up at the person talking to him. It was a young, dark-skinned woman with long braided hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a yellow winter coat. She looked a like a little girl but in reality she was a few years younger than Rosinante. Law didn’t know if he could trust this woman but he knew that she wasn’t an enemy. She looked too nice to be in Doflamingo’s crew.

          “No, I’m not.” The boy sniffed.  “I need to get off of this island but…I don’t know where to go and I don’t have a way to get there.”

          “I have a ship. I can take you where you want to go if you’d like.”

          “I don’t know you and you don’t know me.”

          “True.”

          “They why are you helping me?”

          “Because Cora would want me to.”

Law’s eyes grew wide.   “You knew Cora?”

          “Yes. He’s a very good friend of my family.” Abigail replied.  “Is he alright?”

          “Doflamingo…. killed him.” Law revealed.

Abigail gasped. “Cora’s dead?”

          “Abigail, get ready to sail. We’re going to Swallow Island.”

Law turned around and saw another dark-skinned woman walking up to them. She was a lot older than Abigail and her graying black hair was tied in a bun. She was carrying a small toddler in her arms and judging by her face, Law could tell that she wasn’t in good shape.

          “You must be Trafalgar D. Water Law.” The old woman greeted.  “Cora sent us to find you.”

The journey to Swallow Island was two days if conditions were favorable. That was two days of much needed rest and relaxation after a very emotionally draining night. The next morning, Magdalena was charting a course back home from Swallow Island when the transponder snail started ringing. Cuh-lik.

          “Hello?”

          Mags! Are you okay?

          “Garp. Your voice is certainly music to my ears.”

          You don’t sound too good. Are the twins still with you?

          “Felix is with Bell-mere in Cocoyashi Village. I still have Norah with me.”

          How’re ya feeling?

          “Better than I was a week ago. I’m still not out of the woods yet.”

          I just wanted you to know that Tsuru’s fleet found Rosinante.

Magdalena’s heart stopped.  “Is he…did he make it?”

          He was barely hanging on by a thread when Tsuru found him. The doctors on her ship operated on his injuries for hours. As of right now, Rosinante is in a coma. We don’t know when he’ll wake up from it, it could be days, weeks, months. Probably years.

          “Well, he’s still alive, thank goodness. How’s Sengoku?”

          He’s hanging in there. He declared on record that Rosinante is officially dead and moved him to his private home. He has doctors coming in and out of his house, working around the clock.

          “That’s good to hear at least. Anyway, I’m headed to Swallow Island to drop Norah and Law off.”

          Who’s Law?

          “The boy Rosinante got shot for. He told me to let him raise Norah in his place.”

          What?! He’s a kid himself!

          “That’s exactly what I said! But Rosinante insisted upon it and I pride myself on honoring dying requests, as you may know.”

          There are exceptions to that rule.

          “I have no other choice. My health will decline even further if I take Norah back with me. Besides, Rosinante firmly believes that Law will take care of her. I’m taking his word for it.”

          Well, Rosinante was always a good judge of character. I have a friend on Swallow Island who owes me favor. He has a small cottage inn near the main city. You can take the kids there and they can lay low for a while. If he asks, tell him Garp’s calling in a favor.

          “You’re really good at this, Garp.”

          “I’ve had experience with hiding troublemaking children.

          “Speaking of which, how are your grandsons?”

          Still causing trouble.

          “I can’t wait to meet them one day.”

          They would love you. More so than I do.

          “Did you just say you loved me, Garpy?”

          You’re the expert tactician, Maggie. You tell me.

Magdalena giggled. She remembered all the times Garp flirted with her during her Marine days. The age gap between them wasn’t too wide for people to gossip about it but it was significant enough for them to raise eyebrows. But Garp made Magdalena feel special. They just had bad timing to start anything really serious. But now? Magdalena wouldn’t mind giving Garp another shot.

          “I’ll be back in South Quarter in two weeks. We’ll talk then, okay?”

          I’m looking forward to it. Be careful out there, Magdalena.

          “You too. Bye, Teddy Bear.”

          Bye, Sweet Pea.

Magdalena ended her call with Garp just in time to see her granddaughter looking at her with an amused look on her face.

          “What’s with that look?”

          “You and Vice Admiral Garp?”  Abigail laughed.  “Does Papa know about this?”

          “No, and he’s not going to find out.” Magdalena threatened.  “Unless you want your father to know about your secret relationship with a notorious pirate?”

          “What???”  Abigail sputtered.  “I don’t know any Emperor of the Sea! I don’t even like pirates.”

          “I never said he was an Emperor of the Sea.”

Abigail’s eyes went wide and she mentally cursed herself.  “How did you…”

          “You should try to be a little quieter when ‘Shane’ spends the night with you. Children can hear, you know.”

          “Aw crap, I thought we were careful.”

Magdalena laughed.  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your father. Are the kids awake?”

          “Norah’s still asleep but Law’s awake. He’s reading some medical books.”

Magdalena nodded and proceeded to head up back to the bunks. “Get breakfast ready.” She instructed. “I’m going to have a little chat with our new ward.”

Trafalgar Law was reading up on medical and surgical procedures when he heard a knock on his door.

          “Who is it?”

          “It’s Magdalena. May I come in?”

          “Yeah, sure.”

The door opened and the old woman shuffled in the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

          “You look much better than last night. I take it you’ve studied up on your new devil fruit powers?”

          “It’s pretty easy if you have basic medical knowledge.” Law shrugged.  “But if I’m going to eradicate White Lead Disease from my body, I need to learn some surgical techniques.”

          “You’re very smart.”

          “My parents were the best doctors in Flevance. They did everything they could to find a cure for White Lead.”

          “I know an apology is irrelevant but…I am sorry for what happened to you and your country.”

          “Thanks.”

There was a lengthy silence, then the young preteen proceeded to say something.

          “So, you were friends with Corazon?”

          “I was.” Magdalena nodded.  “He would come by my restaurant every day when he was with the Marines. His real name was Rosinante but I’d call him my giant child.”

          “Why?”

          “He was very tall and very clumsy for his age. But he also had a childlike personality. He was the sweetest soul I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

          “After my family and friends died, I lost the will to live. I just wanted to die and destroy everything in the process. But Cora…he cared about me. He risked everything to make sure I lived and…I never got the chance to say I loved him back.” Law pulled his hat down his face, covering his eyes so Magdalena wouldn’t see him crying.

          “I’m certain that Corazon knew how you felt about him, Law.” Magdalena assured.

          “He was gonna save a country called Dressrosa. I was supposed to deliver a message for the Marines but…Doflamingo had a spy and he was the one Marine I ran into.”

Magdalena’s blood ran cold but she quickly regained her composure. “Listen to me very carefully, Law.” She said. “This is not your fault. Doflamingo, the Marine spy, Rosinante’s death…. none of it was your fault. Rosinante made his choice and I know he will do it all over again.”

          “What am I supposed to do now?”  Law asked.

          “Honor Cora’s wishes. He wanted you to be free to live your life, so do that. We’re headed to Swallow Island and I know someone who owns a cottage. He can provide you two with a place to stay for a while.”

          “What do you mean by ‘you two’?”

Magdalena took a deep breath before revealing Rosinante’s other wish: “There’s something you should know. Rosinante had twin children.”

Law blinked rapidly.  “What? Cora didn’t tell me he had kids.”

          “He didn’t know until last night.” The boy looked confused, so Magdalena continued to explain: “I ate the Stork-Stork Devil Fruit. It gives me the ability to create offspring from the essences of two people I touch. I touched Rosinante and his fiancée and created twins; a boy and a girl.”

          “Cora had a girlfriend?”

          “Yeah, her name is Bell-mere. She lives all the way in the East Blue. I dropped off the boy, Felix, to her. My original plan was to send the girl, Norah, to Rosinante but, we all know how that turned out.”

The wheels of Law’s mind began to turn, and he put two and two together. His eyes suddenly grew wide.   “Wait a minute, you’re not saying what I think you’re about to say, are you?”

Magdalena nodded.  “Rosinante wanted you to look after Norah for him.”

          “Is he shitting me, right now?!” Law exclaimed.

          “Watch your mouth!” Magdalena scolded.

          “My profanity is the least of your problems, lady. Are you okay with a preteen raising a…how old is she?”

          “Norah is three.”

          “Three-years-old?! You actually agreed to this?!”

          “It was Rosinante’s dying wish. I don’t like this anymore than you do.”

          “Then why don’t you raise her?”

          “You think I don’t want to? I can’t. Norah and Felix are a product of my Devil Fruit ability. I can’t keep them for more than three years or I’ll die. I’ve already stretched my limits with them. Like it or not, you’re my only option, Law.”

Law paused to ponder the situation. He wasn’t ready to take on this type of responsibility. But, then again, he wasn’t ready to lose everything that he held dear: Corazon, his classmates, his teachers, his parents, Lammie. Suddenly, his thoughts shifted to his younger sister, trapped in a closet as the hospital burned down with her inside. She was only six-years-old. Norah wasn’t much younger than Lammie, but she lost her father so suddenly and at such a young age. She was alone in this world too. Maybe, just maybe, Law thought, that they can be alone together. There had to be a reason why Cora would entrust him to raise his daughter.

          “I’ll do it.” Law said finally.  “I’ll raise Cora’s daughter for him.”

Magdalena breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.     “Thank you, Law.”

          “But I’m not calling her Norah.”

Magdalena’s smile faded.   “What?”

          “Are you deaf, old lady? I’m not calling her Norah.”

          “You do realize that’s the name her parents gave her?”

          “It sounds like it could be my grandmother's name. I’m not gonna subject my sister to ridicule. Doesn’t she have a middle name or something?”

          “Cora didn’t come up with one because he was too busy bleeding out from all of the bullet wounds!”

          “Damn, you didn’t have to go that far, you old hag.” Law sneered.

          “I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t such a rude little shit!” Magdalena bit back.

          “Nana!” Abigail scolded, coming inside the room.  “You can’t say that to Law!”

          “He started it!” Magdalena defended.

Abigail sighed as she turned to Law.  “I’m so sorry. My grandmother is running on fumes this morning. If you want to give Norah a middle name, you can. Felix’s adopted sister gave him a middle name, so it’s only fair Norah has one too.”

          “What’s his middle name?” Law asked.

          “Rocinante.”

          “Okay then.” Law paused briefly before deciding on Norah’s middle name. “Lammie. Norah’s middle name is going to be Lammie.”

          “And you’re giving me grief about Norah being too old for a three-year-old?” Magdalena gawked.

          “Nana!” Abigail chided.

          “Lammie was my little sister’s name.” Law explained.  “She died in Flevance.”

          “How old was she?” Abigail asked.

          “Six.”

Magdalena’s gaze softened.  “I’m sorry, son. Norah Lammie sounds like a lovely name.”

          “Nana? I’m hungry.”

Everyone turned to see Norah enter the room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Law’s eyes grew wide for the second time today. This little girl was the spitting image of Corazon. The only difference was that she had large, green eyes. It was almost like looking in a mirror from a parallel universe. Magdalena saw the girl and smiled.

          “Ah, Norah. Come here, child. I want to introduce you to somebody.”

Norah scurried over to Magdalena and climbed on her lap. The old woman held on to Norah tightly before introducing her new guardian.

          “This is you adopted brother, Trafalgar Law.”

          “Adopted brother?” Norah asked.

          “Your father took good care of him and now he’s entrusted Law to take care of you.”

          “Breakfast is almost ready, so I’m headed back to the kitchen.” Abigail informed.  “Nana and I will leave you two alone to get better acquainted. Let’s go, Grandmother.”

          “Alright, alright.” Magdalena conceded.  “We’ll call you when food is ready.” She put Norah on the bed and left the bunks, leaving the two children alone.

Law and Norah looked at each other awkwardly, neither of them didn’t know what to say. Law scratched his head before asking the three-year-old a question.

          “So, are you clumsy?”

          “Nope. My brother, Felix, is the clumsy one.”

          “Good, because I’m not putting out anymore fires.”

          “What does that mean?”

          “Well, you dad used to smoke cigarettes.” Law explained.  “And he would accidentally light his black feathered coat on fire.”

Norah laughed.  “Really? Daddy was that clumsy?”

          “Yeah, he would trip on his feet everywhere he goes.”

          “Felix does that too! Abby said that Felix would tumble out of his crib as a baby and she would catch him.”

Law laughed for the first time in a long time. “Your brother sounds like a handful.”

          “He is but, he’s really nice and caring.”

          “Hmm. Reminds me of Cora.” Law saw the confused look on Norah’s face and added: “That was the name I used to call your dad. It’s short for Corazon.”

          “I miss him already.” Norah lamented.  “And now I gotta leave Nana and Abby and live on some strange island.”

          “Well, I’ll be living in that strange island too.” Law reassured.  “You got me.”

          “You don’t want to be stuck babysitting a little girl for the rest of your life.” Norah pointed out.

Law stared at Norah in disbelief.  Damn, she’s smarter than the average three-year-old. He thought.   “Okay, I’ll admit this arrangement isn’t very ideal for me. But your dad believed that I could take care of you. And I wanna do right by him, so it’s okay. You’re not gonna be a little girl forever anyway.”

          “I promise I won’t irritate you too much.”

          “Too much?”

Norah shrugged. “Well, I’m gonna irritate you anyway.”

          “Okay, fine. But I’m gonna call you by your middle name for now on.”

          “But..I don’t have a middle name.”

          “You do now. It’s Lammie.”

          “Lammie?” Norah ruminated on her new middle name for a moment and smiled.  “I like it! It sounds cute.”

          “Thanks.” Law sighed.  “Listen, I know you’re scared. I’m scared too, but we got this. We’re smart enough to figure things out. If we stick together, we’ll be fine.”

          “Daddy told me to be patient with you because you can be a little shit sometimes.”

          “Of course, he did. Well, he’s right.”

          “Is it okay if I give you a hug?”

Law’s eyes started to water.  “Of course, it’s okay.”

Norah smiled widely as she leaped off the bed and threw her arms around Law. The older boy slowly wrapped his arms around Norah, and he felt the comfort he thought he lost when Corazon died. It took all of his willpower to not break down in front of Norah.

          “Thank you, Law.”

          “No, thank you, Lammie.”

          Magdalena finally arrived at Swallow Island and headed to the cottage inn ran by one of Garp’s friends, who happened to be an old acquaintance of Magdalena’s.

          “Welcome to Carnegie Inn, how can we accommodate you today…” The owner took a long at Magdalena and panicked.  “Oh no! Not you again!”

          “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Mr. Carson.” Magdalena smiled.  “How are the Marauders?”

          “That wasn’t our crew name.”

          “It wasn’t? I could’ve sworn it was called Massive Morons.”

          Flynn Carson started fuming.  “Now, you’re just being petty. It was the Mayhem Mercenaries!”

          “Mayhem Mercenaries, what kind of pirate crew is that?” Law grimaced.

          “Yeah, it sounds lame.” Norah agreed.

          “It’s a decent name for a pirate crew!” Flynn snapped.

Law and Norah looked at each other before turning back to Flynn.  “No, it’s not.”

          “This maniac is Garp’s friend, Nana?!” Abigail exclaimed. “He tried to kidnap you and sell you into slavery!”

          “Look, I turned my life around after that day.” Flynn defended. “My men and I run a respectable legitimate business. So, if you’re not checking in, please leave my establishment.”

          “Now, don’t dismiss us so soon, Mr. Carson.” Magdalena said.  “I’m here on behalf of Vice Admiral Garp.”

Flynn’s expression quickly turned into fear. “Garp?”

          “Yes, he’s calling in a favor you owe him.”

          “What favor?”

          “Provide shelter for these two children.” Magdalena explained, referring to Law and Norah.         “They’re hiding from a dangerous pirate and need a place to lay low.”

          “Then take them to a Navy Base or something.” Flynn suggested.

          “If it was an option, I would’ve done so already. But the Navy can’t protect these kids. Joker is after them.”

Flynn’s blood ran cold.  “Joker?! Are you and Garp trying to get me killed, you old hag?!”

          “Hey! Watch how you talk to my grandmother!” Abigail scolded.

          “It’s alright, Abigail.” Magdalena assured. To Flynn, she said: “I know you don’t like me as much as I don’t like you. But I can tell that you’re a semi-decent man; you’re not the type to put innocent children in harm’s way. Garp and I will pay you generously, just keep them safe until they’re old enough to venture out on their own. If you do that, Garp will give you a full pardon.”

Flynn looked at the two kids in front of him and sighed. He didn’t want to be on any pirate’s bad side, especially Joker’s. But he also didn't want to see innocent children get murdered senselessly.

          “Alright, fine. The brats can stay.” He conceded. “But this isn’t a free ride. You will do chores, welcome guests, serve tables, I will work your little butts off.”

          “Hey! This is child labor, I’m only three.” Norah objected.

          “Welcome to the real world, little girl.” Flynn smiled. “You gotta earn your keep.”

          “Nana, do we have to stay with this clown?” Norah whined.

          “I agree, there has to be a better solution than him.” Abigail added.

          “I already want to castrate him.” Law sneered.

          “Dude, I love my balls!” Flynn shrieked.

          “I don’t want to hear any more complaints!” Magdalena halted.  “This is the best I can do under such limited circumstances. It’ll be okay, Norah. Law will take good care of you. And Mr. Carson will make sure that you two are safe. You just have to be strong, child.”

          “Will I ever see you again?” Norah asked tearfully.

Magdalena knelt to Norah’s level.  “Of course, we’ll see each other again. Just because I can’t keep you doesn’t mean I don’t want you and your brother around. When you’re older and out on your own, come find me. I want to see how much you’ve grown up, okay?”

          “Okay, Nana. Thank you for taking care of us.”

Magdalena pulled Norah in a tight, loving hug. “It was my pleasure. You will be fine, Norah. Just stay strong for me, promise?”

          “I promise.” Norah replied.  “I love you so much, Nana.”

          “I love you too, baby.” Magdalena cried. She broke the embrace and stood up.  “Go on, say goodbye to Abigail.”

Norah rushed up to Abigail, who picked the little girl up and hugged her tightly.

          “Oh, I’m gonna miss my little sous chef!” She cried.  “You keep on cooking and baking. And when you open your restaurant, call me so I can come visit.”

          “Deal!” Norah chirped.

Magdalena turned to Law.  “Rosinante trusted you with his most precious possession, Law.” She said.  “Keep her safe.”

          “I’ll protect her until my dying day.” Law smiled.

Magdalena smiled, kissing the top of Law’s head.  “You’re not such a rude little shit after all.”

          “And you’re okay for an old hag.”

          “I swear to God.” Abigail muttered, rolling her eyes.

          “Let’s go, Abigail.” Magdalena instructed. “It’s a long way back to South Quarter.”

Abigail nodded as she put Norah down. She turned to Flynn with a menacing look on her face.   “If you harm these kids, I will know about it.” She warned.  “And I will send my special friend to visit you personally.”

          “Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Flynn scoffed.

          “I wouldn’t take my granddaughter’s threat lightly, Mr. Carson.” Magdalena advised.  “She knows an Emperor.”

Flynn gulped.  “Um…which one?”

          “Now, Mr. Carson, where’s the fun in telling you which one? Just don’t make us mad and you won’t get screwed. Ta-ta for now.”

          “Bye Norah, bye Law!” Abigail waved.  “Be safe!”

          “Bye Abigail! Bye Nana!” Norah called.

          “Thank you for everything!” Law added.

Flynn sighed in exasperation as he watched the two women leave his inn and headed back to the port. “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” He muttered to himself. He turned to his new charges who were still watching them leave.

          “Don’t just stand there gawking like fish! Get in here!” He scolded. “Put your bags in the back room, that’s where you two are gonna sleep.”

          “But I’m a girl!” Norah objected.

          “So?”

          “I need my privacy!”

          “Can’t she stay in one of the rooms upstairs?” Law suggested.

          “Fine. There’s a small room near the kitchen you can have, put your bags there. Then come to the living room and see Scooter for your chore assignments.”

          “Boo!” Norah jeered.

          “Child labor!” Law complained.

          “SHUT UP, YOU UNGRATEFUL BRATS!” Flynn yelled.

Magdalena felt her strength returning to her as she and Abigail made their way to the port.

          “Feeling better?” Abigail asked.

          “Yes, although I do feel a little…empty.” Magdalena replied.

          “I’m gonna miss them too, Nana.”

Magdalena nodded sadly.  “I’m sure Norah and Law will be okay.”

          “Of course, they’ll be okay. It’s Flynn Carson, I’m worried about.” Abigail laughed. Then she paused briefly.  “Why didn’t you tell Law and Norah that Rosinante is still alive, Nana?”

          “Rosinante is in a coma.”  Magdalena pointed out.  “It could be years before he wakes up from it or…he’ll probably won’t ever wake up from it. I don’t want to get their hopes up. Besides, it’s time for the baby birds to spread their wings.”

          “Genzo may be on to something.”

          “What’s that?”

Abigail simply smirked.  “The world better watch out for the Donquixote Twins.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Felix’s Whereabouts

The love story between Marine Officers, Bell-mere and Donquixote Rosinante, ended abruptly as it began. But where one story ends, a new one begins. Well, two new stories to be exact.

          Thanks to the kindness of a mysterious old woman, Bell-mere and Rosinante’s legacy lives on through their twin children: Felix Rocinante and Norah Lammie. They lived their lives in different parts of the sea. Felix lived in the East Blue with his mother Bell-mere, and his two adopted sisters, Nojiko and Nami. Norah lived in the North Blue with Trafalgar D. Water Law under the reluctant guardianship of former pirate, Flynn Carson. They would spend their formidable years in their respective villages before setting sail to the Grand Line. Norah will become the cook/first mate of Law’s pirate crew, The Heart Pirates. Felix will become the assassin of the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit.

          But we’re getting too ahead of ourselves. Let’s go back to when the twins faced some pivotal moments in their lives, starting with Felix:

When Felix Rocinante was 8 years old, he discovered that he had an attraction to boys. It was two days after his birthday, and he was spending some time with a childhood friend. They were playing a game of truth or dare when his friend dared Felix to kiss him on the lips. Felix accepted the dare and planted a soft, chase kiss on his friend’s lips. Good news was that both he and his friend enjoyed the kiss. The bad news was that his friend’s mother saw it and went full-on crazy Karen Mom Mode on him. Felix came home crying to Bell-mere, with a red mark on his face. When Bell-mere saw that her son was slapped by another parent, she marched right up to that mother and gave her a shiner the size of the Grand Line.

Genzo was already having a headache that morning from dealing with Nami. Now, it just gotten worse when the mother was inside his office, demanding him to arrest Bell-mere for assault.

          “Officer Genzo, this woman should be thrown in jail! She assaulted me!” The woman barked.

Genzo rubbed his temples.  “Is this true, Bell-mere?”

          “Yep.” Bell-mere replied, taking a puff from her cigarette.

          “You’re not supposed to confess so quickly.” Genzo groaned.

          “Well, it’s true. This skank slapped my son. It’s only fair that I gave her a black eye, right?”

          “You slapped a child, Mrs. Bougee?” Genzo asked.

          “Of course not,” Mrs. Bougee lied.  “I will never lay a finger on someone else’s child.”

          “Liar!” Felix exclaimed.  “You slapped me after Owen and I kissed.”

          “Shut up, you little brat!” Mrs. Bougee shouted. “Or do you want me to slap you again!”

          “See, Genzo?! She basically admitted it!”

          “I got this, Bell-mere.” Genzo turned to Mrs. Bougee.  “I’m not condoning what Bell-mere did, Mrs. Bougee, but you did put your hands on her child for no reason.”

          “I had a reason!” Mrs. Bougee said.

          “And what reason was that?”

          “Bell-mere’s son sexually abused my son!”

          “What kind of bullshit?!” Bell-mere snapped.

          “Karen Bougee, that is a serious accusation to place on an eight-year-old child.” Genzo said.

          “All we did was kiss, we didn’t do anything else.” Felix reasoned.

          “Is that what happened, Owen?” Genzo asked.

          “No, my Owen was clearly taken advantage of.” Karen said.

          “I’m talking to Owen, Mrs. Bougee. Tell me the truth, son. It’s okay, you won’t get in trouble.”

Owen’s gaze shifted from Felix to his mother and back to Genzo. The young boy took a deep breath and proceeded to answer the police officer.

          “It happened just as Roci described.” He confessed.  “We were playing truth and dare and…I dared Roci to kiss me on the lips. Mom caught us and she got angry. She kicked Roci out after she slapped him and told me to tell you that Roci took advantage of me.”

Genzo gave Karen a disapproving look, which made the snooty woman sputter in disbelief.

          “Officer Genzo, it’s obvious that my son was coerced to say these lies…” She began.

          “No, I wasn’t!” Owen snapped.  “I like Roci. Not ‘friend’ like, but ‘like-like.’ I’m gay, Mom. I like boys, so just leave Roci alone.”

The veins in Karen’s head began to show as she quickly grabbed her purse and put on her jacket.

          “Officer Genzo, I’d like to withdraw my complaint against Bell-mere.” She said in a calm voice.

          “That would be the wisest course of action.” Genzo agreed.

Karen dragged Owen by his ear. “Your father and I are going to have a long talk when we get home.” Owen gave Felix and apologetic look before being dragged out of the police station.

Bell-mere looked at Genzo.  “Am I free to go?” She asked.

          “Yes, for now. No more giving mothers black eyes, no matter how much they deserve it.”

A week after the incident, Owen’s parents sent him away to some type of finishing school in the Grand Line. Felix came home crying again when Karen and some other busybody mothers branded the boy a pervert. This time, Nami took revenge by dousing red paint all over the snooty mothers. Genzo’s headache got worse as Bell-mere came to collect the smirking 10-year-old.

          “At this point, I don’t even wanna know. Just take her home.” The policeman said tiredly.

When they got home, Bell-mere scolded Nami.  “Why would you do that to Mrs. Bougee?” She asked.

          “Because she and her stupid friends called Roci a pervert. And kids were making fun of him.” Nami explained.

          “Am I a pervert, Mom?” Felix cried.

          “Of course not, sweetie.” Bell-mere reassured. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Sometimes, people hate what they don’t really understand. Did you like kissing Owen?”

          “Um, yes.”

          “Then you did nothing wrong.”

          “You’re not mad at me?”

          “Roci, I don’t care if you like girls, boys or fishmen. As long as you find someone who keeps that beautiful smile on your face, I’m satisfied.”

Felix smiled, feeling a million times better since this happened.

Two weeks after that incident, Felix met a peculiar man who would introduce him to his ultimate dream. He, Nojiko and Nami were walking home from the candy store when a certain dojo caught Felix’s eye.

“What kinda dojo is that Nojiko?” He asked his sister.

The twelve-year-old girl shrugged.  “I don’t know. All I know is that Mr. Takashi owns it.”

          “Who’s Mr. Takashi?”

          “He’s this weird geisha guy who dances for money.” Nami replied.

          “No, he doesn’t! Where did you hear that from, Nami?” Nojiko asked.

          “Doc Nako told me.”

          “Whatever,” Nojiko said, rolling her eyes. “Mr. Takashi is just a mean old man, Roci. It’s best not to….” She looked at Felix’s direction and saw that her little brother had ran off.           “Where’s Roci?”

Nami looked around.  “I don’t know. He was right here.”

          “Come on, we gotta find him or Bell-mere will ground us for a month.”

Felix snuck in the dojo by climbing (and tumbling) through the window. He looked around the empty dojo and saw a series of fans hanging on a wall. They were of different colors and different materials. One particular fan that was placed on a podium caught his eye: a royal purple fan made out of iron with steel blades on the end. There was a picture above the fan and Felix tried to grab the picture, but he accidently knocked the podium with the fan on it and it fell with a loud clang.

          “Oops.” Felix muttered.

          “Hey! Who’s there?!”

Felix got so startled that he tripped on his feet, unintentionally forming a light grey bubble around himself. Seconds later, a tall man entered into the dojo. He was a muscular man with long black, graying hair and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a pink and black kimono and had on light makeup. The man looked at the mess before him, then looked at the culprit behind this mess.

          “What are you doing in my dojo?” He demanded.

          “I’m sorry.” Felix apologized.  “I just wanted to look at the picture!”

          “What?”

          “I said I wanted to look at the picture!”

          “Kid, I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

(It’s also important to mention that Donquixote Felix Rocinante inherited his father’s Devil Fruit power, the Calm-Calm fruit, when he was eight-years-old)

 Felix looked confused. Why couldn’t the man hear what he was saying? Fortunately, the man figured out the problem and his stern expression softened drastically.

          “It’s okay, kid.” He comforted. “Try taking a deep breath, in and out.”

Felix nodded and took a deep breath. Soon, the grey bubble disappeared. The man smiled.  “Okay, kid. So, what are you doing in my dojo?”

          “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to break anything.” Felix paused.  “You can hear me, right?”

          “Yes, I can hear you.” The man laughed.  “You must be Bell-mere’s son, Roci. I’m Mr. Takashi.”

          “My sister, Nami, said that you’re a male geisha who dances for money.” Felix said.

          “She must’ve heard that from Nako.” Takashi scoffed.  “Well, she’s half-right. I am a geisha but I’m also a Tessenjutsu master.”

          “What’s Tessenjutsu?”

          “It’s a type of fighting style that specializes in Tessen Technique or Iron Fan Fighting Technique.” Takashi explained. “All of these fans are Shirigo war fans.”

Felix looked at the various fans.  “All of these fans are used for fighting?”

          “Yeah, it’s an old-fashioned fighting style, not many people practice it. In fact, there’s only four Tessenjutsu masters alive today and I happen to be one of them.”

          “Are they the ones in this picture?” Felix asked, grabbing the broken picture. “I was trying to look at it when I accidently knocked over the podium.”

          “Yes, two of them are in the West Blue.” Takashi explained.  “The woman standing next to me is my older sister, Sadako. She lives in Wano.”

          “Where’s Wano?”

          “It’s a kingdom all the way in the New World. She’s one of the best Tessenjutsu masters in my generation. Even better than me.”

          “Can you teach me Tessenjutsu?” Felix asked, his eyes shining brightly.

Before Takashi could respond, the doors to his dojo suddenly swung open.

          “Felix! Felix, where are you?!” Bell-mere shouted.

          “It’s alright, Bell-mere.” Takashi assured.  “Your son is here, unharmed.”

Bell-mere sighed in relief as she rushed towards her son, Nojiko and Nami following not long after.

          “Mommy!” Felix said excitedly. He rushed to his mother and tripped three times on his own feet.  “Mr. Takashi is a Tiessinjutsu master!”

          “Tessenjutsu, Roci.” Takashi corrected.

          “So, you’re not a male geisha who dances for money?” Nami asked, clearly disappointed.

          “Nami, you gotta stop spending so much time with Doc.” Bell-mere admonished.

          “Well, I am a geisha, I just don’t use my talents for…explicit purposes.” Takashi explained.

          “Good to know.” Bell-mere nodded. “I’m apologize for my son, Mr. Takashi.”

          “No apology necessary.” Takashi assured. “Your son is a real delight. Although, I thought his chronic clumsiness was greatly exaggerated. Turns out I was wrong.”

          “He gets it from his father.” Bell-mere laughed sadly. “Anyway, I’ll pay for the damages and we’ll get out of your hair.”

          “Please stay. I just finished making dinner, would you and your family like to join me?”

Bell-mere smiled.  “That sounds good.”

While the kids were playing with the bamboo fans in the dojo, Bell-mere and Takashi were sharing a cup of tea in Takashi’s private chamber.

          “So, is this place really a dojo or an entertainment house?” Bell-mere asked.

          “It’s actually both.” Takashi replied. “And the correct term for male geisha is taikomochi, it’s a highly respected profession. But every now and then, I hone my tessen skills, so I won’t get rusty.”

          “You never had any students?”

          “The last student I trained was 13 years ago. It didn’t go so well. Never really had anyone show an interest in Tessenjutsu before your son tumbled in my dojo.”

          “You don’t have to teach him. I’d rather Roci not learn any violence.”

Takashi looked at Bell-mere curiously.  “Aren’t you a former Marine?”

          “Yes, and so was his father. Look what good it did us.”

          “How did he die? Your husband?”

          “He wasn’t my husband. At least, not officially. We were engaged though, but he went on a covert mission and was killed in action.”

          “And Felix is a child of a Devil Fruit.”

Bell-mere looked at the eccentric sensei in shock. Takashi simply laughed.

          “Oh, don’t look so surprised, my dear.” He said.  “It’s common knowledge in this village that you can’t bear children of your own, so it was very odd that your son bore an uncanny resemblance to you. In addition to that, Felix has a devil fruit power.”

          “That’s impossible. Felix never ate a Devil Fruit.” Bell-mere objected.  “He can swim.”

          “I saw him use the abilities of the Calm-Calm Fruit, which I believe still has a user.”

Bell-mere’s eyes widened.  “His father ate the Calm-Calm Fruit. I never heard any reports of it resurfacing so I guess it didn’t sprout yet after he died. You think Felix inherited his power?”

          “If he’s a Devil Fruit Child, it’s a strong possibility. A side effect of the Stork-Stork fruit is that the offspring inherits the abilities of their parent’s devil fruit.” Takashi explained. “Who was his father, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Bell-mere took a deep breath before replying to Takashi.  “His name was Donquixote Rosinante.” She revealed.  “Felix’s middle name is his namesake. He also has a twin sister out there.”

Now it was Takashi’s turn to be shocked. “Donquixote?  He’s not related to that new Warlord, is he? Doffy, something or the other?”

          “Doflamingo? Yeah, Rosinante was his younger brother…and his killer.”

          “Whew! Talk about my brother’s keeper.” Takashi mused.  “Nevertheless, your children shouldn’t live their lives defenseless.”

          “What’s that supposed to mean?” Bell-mere asked.

          “I’m not undermining your parental skills or trying to sway you in any way, Bell-mere.” Takashi assured.  “I’m just being realistic: your twin children have the potential to turn this world on its axis. Now, whether or not it’ll be a good thing or a bad thing…. well, it all depends on the company they keep.”

          “Felix and Norah are not bad children, Takashi.”

          “I believe you. Felix is one of the sweetest boys I’ve ever met. That’s a testament to you and their father. But even the sweetest of children can be twisted into something evil. I’m merely giving you an opportunity to make sure it doesn’t happen to your son.”

          “So, you’re saying that you want to teach Felix Tessenjutsu?”

          “I suppose when it boils down to it…I guess I am.”

Bell-mere took a long sip of her tea as she contemplated Takashi’s offer. She didn’t want Felix to be a violent person. Heck, she didn’t want any of her children to be violent people. But she also wanted them to defend themselves in case they venture out in the world when they get older. And it looked like Felix was very fascinated with this long-forgotten iron fan fighting style.

          “You do realize that you’re gonna have an extremely clumsy child as your student, right?” Bell-mere warned humorously.

          “Please, I’ve had worse students. A bout of incoordination isn’t going to phase me.”  Takashi laughed. “What about his twin sister? Is she safe?”

          “From what I heard; she’s staying with a boy Rosinante risked his life to save. They live in a cottage in the North Blue.”

          “Well, I’m sure that boy will protect your daughter with his life.”

Bell-mere nodded.  “Thank you for not judging my son, Takashi.”

          “I heard what Karen did to him a couple a weeks ago. My apologies. There are some bitches in this world.”

          “If only we had a Devil Fruit to combat that.” Bell-mere laughed.

          “Hear, hear.” Takashi agreed as he raised his cup for a toast.

Bell-mere raised her cup to clink it with Takashi’s. There was a knock on the door followed by Felix tumbling in Takashi’s private room, tearing a hole in the divider.

          “Oops. Sorry.” The boy apologized.

          “I’m really sorry, Takashi.” Bell-mere deadpanned.

          “Don’t worry, Bell-mere dear.” Takashi laughed. “I always loved a challenge.”

          Tragically, the next day, Felix experienced the worst day of his life. The Arlong Pirates, a pirate crew full of fishmen, entered Cocoyashi Village with the intent of taking it over. The captain, Arlong, forced all of the citizens, including children to pay 100,000 beris every month or suffer the consequences. Nojiko was hanging out with Genzo, Nami hid herself in the library after a fight with Bell-mere, and Felix was hanging out in Takashi’s dojo when the Arlong Pirates showed up. Bell-mere’s house was located on the farther side of the village, so Genzo, Doc Mako and Takashi tried their best to hide Bell-mere and her kids from Arlong’s grasp, but to no avail.

          After finishing fixing Nami’s favorite dinner as an apology from this morning, Bell-mere wrote two letters and put them in white envelopes. She suddenly heard a knock at her door. She looked at the side window and saw Arlong and his crew on her doorstep.

          “There’s only two ways this could end.” Bell-mere said to herself.  “If I don’t make it, Rosinante, stay alive for our kids. They’re gonna need you, my love.”

          This is how that tragic day ended: Bell-mere tried to hide the fact that she had kids after Arlong found her, but Nojiko, Nami and Felix ran over to Bell-mere before Genzo and Takashi could stop them. The menacing fishman threatened to kill the children. Felix tried to lay a punch to Arlong but he tripped over a rock.

          “This kid is a bumbling idiot!” Arlong laughed.  “I’ll kill him first, just to put him out of his misery.”

Takashi stepped in front of Felix before Arlong can strike him and ended up getting his right eye slashed.

          “Takashi!” Bell-mere shouted.

          “Leave my brother alone!” Nami scolded.

Arlong grabbed Nami by her dress. “You’re a feisty little twirp, aren’t ya?” He said.

          “Put me down!” Nami shouted.

          “Nami!” Bell-mere grabbed her rifle to in an attempt to shoot Arlong, but the fishman was quicker as he bit Bell-mere’s arm with his teeth. “AHHH!”

          “Bell-mere!” Genzo yelled.  “Leave her alone, you bastard!” The policeman rushed to attack Arlong, but he slashed Genzo multiple times, leaving him immobile.

          “Genzo!” Takashi shouted.

Suddenly, Arlong caught a glimpse of a piece of paper in Nami’s hand.  “What’s this?” He grabbed the paper and recognized it as a map.

          “That’s mine, give that back!” Nami pleaded.

          “Where did you get this map?” Arlong demanded.

          “I drew it!”

          “You drew this map?” Hatchi repeated, astonished.

          “Please, no human is talented enough to draw maps.” Kuroobi spat.

          “There’s a first time for everything, Kuroobi.” Arlong said.  “We’re taking this girl with us. Kill the others.”

          “No!” Nojiko screamed.

          “Nami!” Felix cried.

          “Wait, stop! Don’t kill my kids!”

Arlong turned to look at Bell-mere, who was struggling to stand up and face him.

          “Oh, I’ll spare your little redhead girl.” He said.  “The other two don’t have my money, so they pay with their lives.”

          “Are you that heartless?!” Takashi seethed.  “Roci and Nojiko are just kids!”

          “You think we give a damn about pathetic human children?!” Dama countered, kicking Felix’s face.

          “How about I trade ya?” Bell-mere offered. “Their lives for mine.”

          “What?” Genzo exclaimed.

          “Bell-mere, don’t!” Takashi objected.

          “Shut up, Genzo and Takashi!” Bell-mere snapped.  “Both of you stay out of this.” She turned back to Arlong.  “I don’t have the money to spare all of us, but I’m not going to let you kill my children. So, you can kill me to collect your debt.”

Arlong looked at Bell-mere, intrigued.  “A noble sacrifice.” He observed.  “You must’ve been a Marine.”

          “That’s right.” Bell-mere smirked.  “Then, you should’ve figured out by now why I was able to hold my own against you.”

          “Too bad it was futile. Like I said, I’ll spare this redhead girl…Nami, you called her? She has a rare gift and far be it from me to put something like that to waste. So, you’re about to trade your life for your other two brats.”

          “Fair enough. You kill me and you get Nami. But you have to swear that you and your crew will not lay a single fin on Nojiko and Roci, otherwise the deal is off.”

          “I pride myself as a man who keeps his word.” Arlong swore.  “No harm will come to these children. In fact, since I’m a reasonable man, I will spare the police officer and the geisha’s lives as well; and give you the chance to say your final goodbyes to your children.”

Arlong threw Nami toward Nojiko’s direction and she immediately rushed over to her sister and brother.  “You have five minutes.” He told Bell-mere.

Bell-mere nodded as she rushed to Takashi, who was trying to tend to Genzo’s wounds with one eye.   “Oh, Takashi, Genzo! I’m so sorry.”

          “What are you doing, Bell-mere?” Genzo scolded.  “You’re going to make orphans out of these kids?!”

          “They’re not going to be alone.” Bell-mere assured. “They have you. Genzo, keep the girls and Roci safe for me, okay?”

          “Belle, please don’t do this.” Genzo cried.

Bell-mere simply smiled kissed Genzo’s cheek tenderly.  “I’m gonna miss you, old fart.” She then turned her gaze to Takashi.  “Teach Roci everything you know. I don’t want my son to grow up weak.”

          “Your son is anything but weak, Bell-mere.” Takashi said tearfully.  “But I’ll make sure he gets stronger.”

          “I know you will. Also, I want you to safeguard these letters for me.”

Bell-mere handed Takashi the two envelopes.  The taikomochi realized that they were letters addressed to Felix and Rosinante.

          “Bell-mere…” He began.

          “Felix’s father is still alive.” Bell-mere whispered.  “He’s in a coma. I want you to give this letter to him when he visits here. Tell him that I’m sorry.”

Takashi’s eyes widened.  “Of course. Do not be afraid, my dear. The Gods will protect you.” He kissed Bell-mere on both of her cheeks.

          “Have Doc take a look at your eye.” Bell-mere said.

          “You have two minutes, Bell-mere.” Arlong warned, chuckling sinisterly.

          “Your bloodlust can wait two minutes!” Bell-mere shouted. “Nojiko! Nami! Roci! Come here!”

The three children rushed into their mother’s arms, crying and begging her not to leave them.

          “Bell-mere, please don’t leave us.” Nojiko pleaded.  “We can leave this place!”

          “Don’t go, Mommy. Please!” Felix cried.

          “I’m sorry, Bell-mere!” Nami apologized.  “I’ll be a good girl for now on!”

          “Oh, Nami. You were always my good girl.” Bell-mere said.  “I’m sorry about earlier. You keep on making your maps and you’ll make a world map that even Genzo will be proud of. Nojiko, be strong for your brother and sister. You’re the woman of the house now. And Roci….” Tears streamed down Bell-mere’s eyes.   “You are special. You and your sister were put on this world to do great things. I’m sorry, I won’t be here to witness it, but you will have people that will keep you humble. Don’t let anyone take away that smile of yours, got it?”

The kids kept crying as Takashi pried them off of Bell-mere.

          “Come on kids, let your mother go.” He sobbed.

Bell-mere stood up and wiped her tears. Then, she held her head up high and walked up to Arlong.         “Let’s get this over with.” She said.

Arlong laughed. “Don’t worry, it’ll be quick.” He aimed his pistol at Bell-mere’s chest.

Bell-mere stared down Arlong’s pistol fearlessly. Ever since she joined the Marines, she has prepared for an untimely death. She knew she wouldn’t live to see her 40s but living past her 30^th birthday was a surprise. However, what Bell-mere didn’t prepare for was leaving her small children behind. She never thought she would have children but was blessed with five. Three she raised by herself, two are living in the North Blue. Bell-mere wished she could see Nojiko, Nami and Felix grow up. She wished she could see Norah one last time and meet Law for the first time. She wished she could see Rosinante again. Her beloved clumsy fool was in a coma, fighting for his life.

          Remember our promise, Rosinante. Stay alive no matter what. I’m so sorry that I have to break mine, but you of all people will understand. Our kids will do great things and I want you to be alive to see them. I know you will be a great father, not only to Felix and Norah but to Law, Nojiko and Nami as well.

          “Mom!” The kids cried.

          “Nojiko! Nami! Felix Rocinante!”

The kids stopped crying and looked at their mother. Bell-mere took one last look at her children, her family and smiled tearfully.    

“I love you.” She declared.

BANG!

Arlong shot Bell-mere, point blank in the chest, killing her instantly.

          “NOOOO!!!!” The kids screamed.

          “BELL-MERE!!!” Takashi shouted.

Arlong killed Bell-mere and left her house, dragging a screaming Nami with him. Genzo laid there in shock as Nako, the village doctor ran over to his side. Takashi tried his best to console Nojiko and Felix but he was inconsolable as well.

          Genzo and Takashi had a modest funeral for Bell-mere and buried her on a clifftop near the village, overlooking the ocean. It was symbolic in a way, the redhaired woman had a special relationship with the ocean. She found her career, love and family while traveling these waters. It was fitting that her final resting place would be among those waters. Things got worse from there. After Arlong kidnapped Nami, the ten-year-old girl returned one week later to tell the villagers that she was joining the Arlong pirates as their navigator. Genzo and Nojiko tried to talk Nami out of it but the girl was stubborn. Felix felt like his life was falling apart right in front of him. He couldn’t go back to his house, knowing that his mother was murdered there. Besides, it wasn’t the same without Nami. So, Felix went to the other place that felt like home to him.

          Takashi was putting some healing ointment on his eye when he felt Felix’s presence in his dojo. He didn’t hear the boy come in, so he assumed that Felix used his powers to keep himself silent. Takashi entered the dojo ring and saw the young boy doing basic moves with one of the training fans. This astonished the Tessenjutsu master because, for one, Felix was so clumsy, he couldn’t go one day without tripping on his feet. But this boy here was graceful, focused, not missing a single beat. The second thing that astonished Takashi was that Felix learned the basic Tessenjutsu techniques with ease….and he wasn’t properly taught yet. Takashi walked over to the boy and lightly tapped his shoulder.

          “AHHH!” Felix screamed. He tumbled backwards, knocking down some cleaning supplies.        “Mr. Takashi! I’m sorry, I thought you were still at Doctor Nako’s office!”

Takashi motioned Felix to take a deep breath. Once the boy did, the grey bubble dispersed.     “You might wanna look up Calm-Calm Fruit in a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, so you can learn how to use it properly.” Takashi advised. “Nojiko’s been worried sick about you, Roci. Where’d you run off to?”

          “Nowhere. I’ve been staying here.” Felix replied.

          “Since when?”

          “Since Mom’s funeral.”

          “You’ve been sleeping in my dojo for a whole week?!” Takashi gawked.  “Where were you…during the night?”

          “In your room. No one really goes there, so I put a bubble around myself. Why do you have random people going in and out of the dojo at night?”

          “Uh, don’t worry about that. Let’s clean up this mess and I’ll take you back home.”

          “I’m not going back home.”

          “Roci, your sister has been looking for you for over a week…”

          “Well, I’ll visit to tell her that I’m doing okay, but I’m not going back.”

          “What do you intend to do? Stay here for the rest of your life?”

          “Can I?”

Takashi sputtered.  “T-That was a joke.”

          “Please let me stay with you, Mr. Takashi.” Felix pleaded.  “I want you to teach me Tessenjutsu and one day when I get older, I’ll leave this village and become a Grand Tessenjutsu master!”

          “Wow…you went from 0 to 100 with that dream there, kid.” Takashi muttered.

          “What, there aren’t any Grand Tessenjutsu masters?”

Before Takashi could respond, Genzo and Nojiko entered the dojo.

          “See, Genzo? I told you he’d be here.” Nojiko said.

Genzo sighed tiredly.  “Come on, Roci. I’m taking you home.”

          “I’m not going.” Felix objected.

          “This is not up for discussion. Nojiko can’t take over the grove alone.”

          “I don’t wanna go back home! Mom and Nami aren’t there anymore. Arlong took them away. Everyday in that house, I’m reminded of what happened!” Felix ran to Takashi and threw his arms around his waist.  “Please let me stay with you, Mr. Takashi!”

Takashi watched as Felix cried on his kimono. He remembered the promise he made to Bell-mere and sighed deeply.

          “Nojiko, why don’t you take Roci out to get some ice cream.” He suggested. “Genzo and I need to have a little chat.”

The officer looked at the taikomochi curiously but nodded in agreement.

          “Come on, Roci.” Nojiko said, taking her brother’s hand.  “Let’s go to the ice cream shop.”

Once the kids left, Takashi motioned Genzo to his private room. After serving some tea, Takashi took a look up and down at Genzo.

          “You look good for a guy who was sliced open.” Takashi mused.

          “And you’re still a douchebag but with one eye.” Genzo retorted.

          “Aww, come on, Genzo. Let’s play nice.”

          “I’m not one of your gentleman callers, Takashi. You got something to say, say it already.”

          “Once again, I am not that kind of geisha!” Takashi huffed.  “Anyway, I think Roci should stay with me at the dojo.”

          “You’re in no position to keep an eight-year-old kid.” Genzo objected.

          “And you are?”

          “Bell-mere entrusted me to take care of her kids!”

          “I’m not disputing that, Genzo. I was there when she said it. But she also told me to train Roci and the best way I can do that is if he lives with me.”

          “How’s Roci going to get stronger fighting with fans?” Genzo scoffed.

Takashi narrowed his eyes and fanned his face.  “Don’t knock it till you try it, okay? Besides, Roci has taken an interest in Tessenjutsu and he has potential.”

          “We’re talking about the same boy who put a hole in my office, right?”

          “Same one. How did Roci put that hole in your office? Aren’t the walls made of concrete?”

Genzo shrugged.  “It was a science experiment gone wrong. The teacher knew better than to let an accident-prone child near chemicals.”

          “In that teacher’s defense, she was new and wasn’t aware of Roci’s clumsy streak.” Takashi laughed.  “But seriously, Genzo, you didn’t see what I saw this morning. Roci was nailing every basic Tessenjutsu technique flawlessly and I haven’t even taught him yet. He didn’t even make one misstep. Roci can become a Tessenjutsu master if he trains hard and long enough. I want to help him get there. Besides, it’ll help him cope with losing his mother and sister.”

          “And you said that you don’t like kids.” Genzo mused.

          “I don’t, they’re snot-nosed little moochers. But Roci…. I don’t know something about that kid, I just want to protect him at all costs.”

Genzo nodded. Maybe letting Roci stay with Takashi will ease his burden a little bit. It’s not like he was running away from Cocoyashi Village. Roci will only be training in a forgotten martial art with a male geisha. It could be worse, he could have Nami’s fate of joining Arlong’s crew.

          “Okay, Roci can stay with you under two conditions.” Genzo began.  “He’s allowed to visit Nojiko every weekend and he helps her out with the tangerine harvest. And you come to me if ever you have a problem.”

          “I can agree to those terms.” Takashi nodded.

          “Good. I’ll get Roci’s things from the house and bring them here. You’re not…entertaining anybody tonight, are you?”

          “Nope, but you’re more than welcome to drop by after your shift.”

Genzo gave Takashi a deadpan look which made the younger man laugh hysterically.         “Have a sense of humor, Genzy.” He said.

          “Hilarious.” Genzo said as he took a sip of tea.

That night, Takashi helped Felix get settled in the dojo. He turned one of his closets into a small room.

          “Okay, do you have everything?” Takashi asked.

          “Yep.” Felix replied.

          “Are you sure? Because I’m not going back out there to get anything, I don’t want to be detained by Arlong’s men.”

          “I got everything, Mr. Takashi.”

          “Very good, and you’ll call me ‘Sensei’ from now on. Training starts first thing tomorrow, so get some rest. I won’t go easy on you.”

          “Well, if I’m gonna be Grand Tessenjutsu Master, I can’t take it easy.” Felix pointed out.  Takashi laughed.   “What’s so funny?!”

          “Don’t worry, kid. I’m not laughing at you.” Takashi assured.  “It’s just, your dream isn’t very realistic, I’m afraid.”

          “Why not?”

          “Well, because Grand Tessenjutsu Master is difficult, almost impossible feat to accomplish. Not even Sadako or I had reached that level and we’re very experienced.”

          “Did anybody become a Grand Tessenjutsu Master?”

Takashi paused to think.  “Actually, yes. But it was a long time ago, during the formation of the World Government. There were three Grand Masters around that time, one of them was my great-great-great grandfather.”

          “Cool!” Felix beamed.

          “But it’s been over 300 years and the Tessenjutsu style is fading out. Now few hundred of us practice it. The masters living today only have less than 20 students. Sadako has the most students with 16.”

          “And I’m your first student, right?”

          “You’re my first in a while. I had a student before you were born but, he took the wrong path. So, I never took in another student after that.”

Felix gave a Takashi a serious look.   “I won’t take the wrong path, Sensei.” He declared.  “I’ll train, get stronger and become a Grand Tessenjutsu Master. I’ll become a warrior you’d be proud of.”

          “I’m already proud of you, kid.” Takashi smiled, ruffling Felix’s hair.  “Now go to sleep.” He stood up to leave when Felix had another question:

          “Can I stay up when you have your friends over at night?”

          “Um…we’ll talk about that when you’re 12 or something.”

Felix laughed.  “Okay. Goodnight, Sensei Takashi.”

          “Goodnight, Roci.” Takashi smiled.

When Felix Rocinante was 8, he discovered that he liked boys, was introduced to a lost martial art form, inherited Corazon’s devil fruit powers and lost his mother. But those events shaped him into the Silent Geisha of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Chapter Text

Norah’s Whereabouts

Meanwhile, in the North Blue, Felix’s twin sister, Norah Lammie, had experienced some pivotal moments of her own:

          Norah was living at the Carnegie Inn with Trafalgar D. Water Law, a boy with White Lead Disease whom Norah’s father, Donquixote Rosinante, sacrificed his life for. The cottage was owned by a former pirate, Flynn Carson (yes, the same pirate with the horrible pirate crew name that kidnapped Magdalena) who reluctantly took the kids in.

          When Norah was 5-years-old, she discovered that Law was deathly sick and he was using a power to get rid of his sickness. She went to Law’s room to tell him that breakfast was ready when she saw him writhing in pain.

          “Law, are you okay?”

The 13-year-old boy looked at Norah in shock.  “Lammie…what are you doing here?”

          “I was about to call you for breakfast.”

          “I’m not hungry. Just close the door, I’m fine.”

          “You don’t look fine.”

          “I said I’m fine, Lammie!” Law snapped.  “Get out!”

          “Hey, hey! I got customers here, what’s with all the yelling?!” Flynn Carson demanded, coming into the room.

          “Law’s sick and he won’t let me help him.” Norah complained.

          “I don’t need any help! I just need to be left alone.”

Flynn looked at Law for a long time before turning to Norah.  “Go get Dax, Lammie.” He instructed.  “Tell her to bring some towels, hot water…and Kikoku.”

Law looked at Flynn in shock while Norah just looked confused.

          “Who’s Kikoku?” The girl asked.

          “Dax will know what I’m talking about, just go get her. Hurry up!” Flynn pushed Norah out of the room and took a seat next to Law. The teenager narrowed his eyes at Flynn.

          “Why do you have a cursed sword?” Law asked.

          “That’s not important.” Flynn countered.  “Why didn’t you tell Lammie that you have White Lead Disease?”

          “Because she doesn’t need to lose somebody else she cares about. I’m not gonna put her through that.”

          “You know, if you weren’t such a moody brat, you would see that Lammie is not your typical 5-year-old girl.”

          “I already know that Flynn.”

          “Then don’t treat Lammie like a typical 5-year-old girl. She’s very smart and mature for her age. The least you can do is give her the courtesy to decide whether or not she wants to see you in your worse state.”

Before Law could respond, the door opened and Norah came in with a bowl of hot water in her hand. A woman in her mid-thirties entered not long after, carrying towels and a large sword over her shoulder. She was tall but shapely and had short, layered dark brown hair.

          “What took you so long, Dax?” Flynn asked.

Jadzia Dax gave her boss a glare.  “I had to go down in the basement to retrieve this stupid sword, which I told you a long time ago to throw in the bottom of the ocean.” She said.

          “I told you Kikoku will come in handy one day.” Flynn shrugged.  “I was right.”

          “Place the bowl on the bedside table, Lammie.” Dax instructed, placing the towels on the bed. She shook her head and sighed.  “This hardly counts as handy, Flynn.”

          “Just trust me on this. Sit up, Law.”

Law struggled to sit up with the help of Dax. “What are you gonna do?” He croaked.

          “Dax and I are gonna help you take out the White Lead Disease from your body with Kikoku.” Flynn replied.

          “What?!” Law exclaimed.

          “You can do that?” Norah asked excitedly.

          “Yep.” Flynn smiled.

          “How exactly are we gonna do that?” Dax asked.

          “Using Law’s Op-Op Fruit powers.” Law gave Flynn another shocked look which made the pirate innkeeper laugh.  “Don’t give me that look, punk. You’re not exactly quiet when it comes to eradicating toxins from your body.”

          “How much of the toxin have you’ve gotten out of your system, Law?” Dax inquired.

          “It’s mostly gone,” Law replied.  “I just can’t get it out of my lungs.”

          “And that’s why we got Kikoku.” Flynn declared.  “You can use it to scrape the toxin out.”

          “What is happening right now?” Law asked.

          “Flynn is sort of an expert on cursed swords.” Dax replied.

          “Oh, Jadzia. Expert is such a polite term.” Flynn bragged.  “I prefer the term connoisseur.”

          “Whatever, just kick Lammie out of my room and let’s get this over with.” Law said.

          “I’m not going anywhere.” Norah objected.

          “Don’t argue with me, Norah Lammie. You are not going to be witness to this.”

          “You’re in pain, Law! I’m not going to leave you here alone!”

          “Damn it, just get out!”

          “NO!”

          “Lammie, maybe it’s best if you’d wait outside.” Dax suggested.

          “Stay out of this, Dax.” Flynn interjected.  “Lammie, do you want to leave Law’s side? He’s in excruciating pain.”

          “No, I don’t.” Norah answered. “I wanna be by his side.”

          “You heard your sister, Law. She doesn’t want to leave, what do you have to say about it?”

Law looked at Norah. This girl inherited more than Cora’s looks, she got his stubbornness as well. But if he was being honest with himself, Law didn’t want Norah to leave. She was the only comfort he had through this painful ordeal.

          “Fine, you can stay Lammie. But you gotta make yourself useful, I need hot towels on me.”

Norah nodded and proceeded to immerse a towel in the bowl of hot water. After ringing the towel, she placed it on Law’s forehead.        “How’s that?” She asked.

Law smiled weakly.  “Not bad, pipsqueak.”

          “What a beautiful family moment, I’m getting teary-eyed.” Flynn said, rolling his eyes.  “Can we get on with this? The sooner we help Law, the sooner I can get back to running my inn.”

          “You’re the king of sensitivity, Flynn Carson.” Dax deadpanned.

          “Aww, thanks girl.” Flynn squealed. He pulled Kikoku from its sheath.   “We got a toxin to send packing. Now, let’s get t’ slicin’!”

It took two hours to get the last of the White Lead Toxin out of Law’s body, but they finally did and Trafalgar D. Water Law was officially away from death’s grasp. After that harrowing ordeal, the boy passed out and didn’t wake up for three days. All that time, Norah never left Law’s side except to do her chores and go to the bathroom. She ate her food in Law’s room and slept in Law’s room. The morning Law woke up, he took a look at his face with a handheld mirror. There were some minor scars on his face but no traces of white patches anywhere. In fact, there wasn’t a single white patch found anywhere on his body. Law sighed in relief.

          “We did it, Cora.” He said to himself.

Law heard light snoring and turned to see Norah sleeping next to him, her arms wrapped around his waist. The boy smiled as he brushed some bangs out of Norah’s face. The girl stirred at the touch and her eyes fluttered open.

          “Law?”

          “Hey, sleepyhead.”

          “Law! You’re awake!”

Law wrapped his arms around Norah as she tightened her grip on his waist.

          “Did I worry you?” He asked.

          “Yeah, but I knew you were gonna pull through.” Norah replied.

          “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

          “Well, Daddy did say that you were gonna be mean. He just told me to be patient with you.”

Law scoffed.  “Your dad just covered all of his basis before he died, didn’t he? It’s neither here nor there. Anyway, I’m starving.”

          “Big Willie is in the kitchen!” Norah beamed, sitting up from her position.  “I can ask him to make something for you. What do you want to eat?”

          “Probably some Onigiri. Anything but bread.”

          “Law, what is White Lead Disease?”

Law looked at Norah.  “Why do you wanna know?”

          “Flynn and Dax were trying get it out of your body.”

          “It’s a toxin that plagued my home country, Flevance. People thought it was contagious and the World Government didn’t tell them the truth. Instead, they assisted the countries surrounding us in a massacre.” Law wiped some stray tears from his face.    “They killed everyone, including my family.”

          “They killed your sister, Lammie?”

          “I hid her in a closet at the hospital. I was gonna come back for her after I found an escape route but…they burned the hospital to the ground.” Law started to hide his face but his hat wasn’t on his head.  “Um, could you…tell Big Willie that I would like some Onigiri, please?”

Norah knew that Law was about to cry and he had an insecurity about people seeing him cry. So, instead of leaving, Norah gave Law a bone-crushing hug.

          “Don’t worry, Law. I’ll never leave you.” She reassured him.

Well, if Trafalgar D. Water Law didn’t break down into sobs before, that certainly did the trick.

          “Thank you, Norah.” He cried. “I don’t know where I’ll be without you.”

          “Probably brooding in a corner somewhere.”

Law and Norah turned to see Flynn and Dax standing in the doorway, smiling.

          “Aww, Trafalgar Law is crying his eyes out.” Flynn teased.  “Jadzia, get the camera snail. This is a special moment.”

          “Leave him alone, Flynn.” Dax admonished. To Law, she asked: “How are you feeling, Law?”

          “Hungry.” The boy replied.

Dax laughed.  “That’s a good sign. I’ll have Big Willie to make you some Onigiri. Sounds good?”

          “Yeah, I’d like that.” Law smiled.

          “Once you finish eating, Law, there are some chairs that need to be fixed and buffed.” Flynn instructed.

          “Are you seriously putting a sick kid to work?!” Law interjected.

          “You’re not sick anymore,” Flynn argued.  “Besides, it’s time you quit being lazy and catch up on your chores.”

          “I was asleep for three days!”

          “How’s that my problem?”

Law gritted his teeth and was about to pounce on his douchebag guardian when Dax stepped in.

          “Law is in no condition to do any chores, Flynn.” The doctor informed.  “He’s still recovering from that extraction. He needs at least a week’s rest.”

          “Oh, come on, Jadzia. That’s too long.” Flynn complained.

          “Doctor’s orders. And we all know that doctor’s orders trump captain’s orders any day.”

Flynn rolled his eyes.  “Fine. Law can rest for a week.”

          “And I get to keep Kikoku.” The boy declared.

          “Hell no!” Flynn objected.

          “That sword is yours, Law.” Dax said.

          “Dax!” Flynn whined.  “Stop undermining me.”

          “I keep telling you to get rid of that sword for the longest time, Carson.” Dax said.  “Do you really want to keep a cursed sword that’s touched a boy’s organs?”

Flynn huffed, knowing good and well Jadzia had a point.

          “He’s not getting Kikoku till he’s 16.”

          “Jackass.” Law muttered.

          “Little shit.” Flynn muttered back.

          “Boys! Stop cursing in front of Lammie!” Dax scolded.

          “It’s okay, Dax. I’ve heard cursing before.” Norah smiled.

Two years later, Norah would meet three young boys who would become her adopted brothers and future pirate crew members. It started when Law took Norah to a local bakery for her 7^th birthday. He doesn’t like bread or sweets but Law knew how much cooking and baking meant to his adopted sister, so he indulges her. That, and Flynn basically threatened to cut Law’s allowance if he didn’t take Norah to the bakery.

          “You sure you don’t want anything, Law?” Norah asked her brother.

          “I don’t care too much for sweets.” Law replied.

          “They have saltwater taffy, you might like that.”

          “Why are you so adamant to get me something? It’s your birthday.”

          “I know. I just don’t want you to feel left out.”

Law snickered. “Okay, I’ll get some taffy.” He grabbed four pieces of saltwater taffy and gave it to Norah. “Thanks.”

Norah smiled. “No problem.”

          As they were headed back to the inn, Norah kept asking Law about her father.

          “Wait, you stabbed my dad?”

          “He threw me off a three-story building. Repeatedly.”

          “I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose, was it?”

          “He told me later on that he was trying to scare the kids away from the Family.”

For the past two years, Law had told Norah, not only about Rosinante, but about Doflamingo, the Don Quixote Family and Vergo. Flynn was right about one thing: Norah Lammie was smart and mature for her age, she understood that her family origins came with some dark skeletons in the closet.

          “Did Daddy scare all the kids away?”

          “All except three: Baby 5, Buffalo and Dellinger.”

          “And you.”

          “I don’t count, Lammie. Cora kidnapped me, remember?” Law pointed out.

Norah shrugged.  “If you say so. Anyway, Flynn’s gonna kill you when he finds out you took Kikoku without asking.”

          “I don’t need his permission, the sword is mine.” Law objected.

          “But you’re not supposed to have it until you’re sixteen.”

          “Why are you defending that idiot?”

          “Flynn’s not that bad once you get to know him.” Norah explained.  “He did help you get rid of the White Lead Disease and he’s teaching me how to fight.”

          “Flynn’s teaching you how to fight?!” Law exclaimed.

          “LEAVE ME ALONE! SOMEONE HELP ME, PLEASE!”

Law and Norah stopped in their tracks as they heard the sound of a child crying for help.

          “Who said that?” Law asked.

Norah shrugged and looked behind her.  “Law, look over there!” She gasped. “Those two boys are beating up that polar bear!”

Law looked at Norah’s direction and saw two boys beating up a young polar bear cub up with baseball bats. He immediately shoved Kikoku in Norah’s arms.

          “Stay here, Lammie.” Law commanded. He ran up to the scene and confronted the two bullies.      “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

The two boys stopped beating up the polar bear and saw Law staring down at them.

          “Who the hell are you?” The older boy wearing a penguin hat demanded.

          “Let that bear go!” Law gritted, ignoring the question.

          “Please help me!” The bear cried.

Law’s eyes grew wide.  “You can talk?”

          “Yeah, I’m a Mink.” The bear replied.

          “Who cares if he can talk.” The younger boy snapped.  “We’re in the middle of kicking this bear’s ass, so leave if you don’t want the same treatment.”

          “The only asses are getting beat tonight is yours.” Law countered.

The older boy smirked and walked up to Law.  “Bold words for a little twerp.”

Law smirked evilly: ROOM!

Suddenly, a blackish blue bubble formed around the four boys. The older boy looked confused but soon found himself face-to-face with Law, who had his hands on his chest.

          COUNTER-SHOCK!

Law shocked the boy’s heart and sent him flying three feet in the air. His brother looked on in bewilderment.

          “Penguin!” He shouted. “You’re gonna pay for that, you bastard!”

The younger boy was about to attack Law with his baseball bat but was immediately immobilized when he felt someone kick him where it hurts (i.e., his balls).

          “Leave my brother and that cute polar bear alone, you jerk!” Norah shouted. She pulled a whip out of nowhere and began to hit him with it.

          “Ah! Okay, okay! We’re leaving!” The boy cried. He picked up his brother, Penguin and ran away to the forest.  “This isn’t over!”

Law looked at Norah in shock.  “Where the hell did you get that whip from?!”

          “Scooter and Flynn gave it to me for my birthday!” Norah beamed.  “They’re teaching me how to use it.”

          “I’m gonna kill Flynn and Scooter when I get the chance.” Law growled.

          “It’s not that bad,” Norah shrugged.  “It’s actually pretty cool using a whip. Makes me feel powerful.”

          “You’re 7. You don’t need to feel powerful at 7.”

          “Wow, you’re 7?” The bear smiled.  “You fight pretty good!”

Now it was Norah’s turn to be surprised.  “Oh my God!” She squealed.  “He can talk!”

          “Yep! My name is Bepo and I’m a Mink!” The bear said proudly.

          “Nice to meet you, Bepo. My name is Norah Lammie. But you can call me Lammie. The brooding boy over there is my big brother, Law.”

          “Nice to meet you too. And thank you both for saving my life.”

          “Yeah, it’s no big deal.” Law shrugged. “You got a place to stay?”

          “No.” Bepo replied. “I was trying to find one when those boys ganged up on me.”

          “Is this the first time you’ve seen them?” Norah asked.

          “I’ve seen them around the forest sometimes, I think they’re brothers or something.”

          “Well, they won’t bother you again. Not as long as we’re here.” Law assured.  “Come on, you can come home with us.”

Bepo smiled widely.  “Really?! Thank you so much!”

Law simply nodded.  “Let’s go, Lammie. Flynn will kick our asses if we’re out past dark.”

          “Flynn’s gonna be mad when he finds out we took in a polar bear Mink.” Norah warned.

          “He’ll get over it.” Law shrugged.

          “WOLF!”

Flynn Carson’s sudden outburst awoke the drunken old man out of his stupor. He turned around and stared at Flynn.

          “Hey, Carson.” Wolf greeted, wiping the drool off his face.  “Is it morning already?”

          “It’s a quarter past 8 PM, you drunk old bastard!” Flynn snapped.  “Go home!”

          “Aw come on, Flynn. It’s not last call yet, just one more round of booze!”

          “You got some money for that one round of booze? Your tab is already up to 1000 beris.”

          “You know I’m good for it.” Wolf winked.

Flynn shuddered.  “Ugh, never in this lifetime or the next 10, you old pervert!”

          “Besides, I don’t think Flynn is a good choice, Wolf.” The bartender, Big Willie imputed.    “Word on the street is that he’s got performance issues.”

The employees laughed as Flynn’s face grew beet red.  “Shut up!”

          “Aww, it’s okay Boss.” Scooter said, patting Flynn’s shoulder.  “Sometimes men over 40 can’t get it up.”

          “I’m not even 40 yet!” Flynn whined.

          “You know, I made some pills that can help with your…condition.” Wolf offered, taking out a container full of blue pills.  “Now, you can’t take these with alcohol or on an empty stomach and if you’re little friend is still happy after four hours, you should have Dax take a look at it.”

          “Have me take a look at what?” Jadzia Dax asked, coming over to the bar.

          “Flynn’s 4-hour ‘yoo-hoo’” Big Willie laughed. Scooter laughed so hard, he fell from his chair.

          “You guys are disgusting.” Dax grimaced.

          “I want this conversation to be over.” Flynn cried.  “Where’s Law at so I can piss him off with more chores?”

          “I was gonna ask you the same thing before I stumbled upon your weird-ass conversation about erectile dysfunction.” Dax said.  “Law and Lammie haven’t come home yet and I’m getting worried.”

          “Law probably found some poor dead frog to dissect.” Scooter remarked.  “You know he’s weird like that.”

          “Or maybe, Law and Lammie found a walking talking polar bear and came home with him.” Wolf suggested.

          “That’s a really specific answer, Wolf.” Big Willie remarked.  “How did you come up with that?”

          “Well, because Law and Lammie just came home with a walking talking polar bear.”

Flynn, Dax, Big Willie and Scooter turned to where Wolf was pointing, and sure enough, Law and Norah came home with a walking, talking polar bear.

          “Is that a Mink?” Dax gasped.  “I thought they only lived in the New World.”

          “They do.” Flynn agreed.  “How did he end up all the way in the North Blue?”

          “Hold up. Minks are real?” Scooter gawked.

          “Obviously, Scooter!” Big Willie deadpanned.

          “Law! Lammie!” Flynn barked.  “What did I tell you about coming home after dark?! And who is this walking mascot you brought in my inn?”

          “Hi, I’m Bepo!” Bepo greeted happily.

          “Don’t greet him, Bepo. He’s an idiot.” Law said.

          “And I’m also the one who feeds, clothes and shelters you.” Flynn countered.  “You want me to throw you out in the streets?”

          “Flynn!” Dax scolded.

          “Sorry. So, kids, who’s your friend?” Flynn asked nicely (loosely put).

          “This is Bepo.” Norah replied.  “Law rescued him from two mean boys that live in the forest.”

          “Oh, Penguin and Shachi.” Dax nodded.

          “Vito and Sheena’s kids?” Scooter asked.

          “Those boys ain’t their kids.” Big Willie corrected.  “They belong to Vito’s brother. He and his wife were killed in a tsunami and Vito became legal guardian.”

          “So, why are they living in a forest instead of with Vito and Sheena?”

Wolf started to answer Scooter’s question when Flynn cut him off.

          “Who cares?” He said.  “Your new friend, Bepo, better have a place to stay cuz he ain’t staying here.”

          “Aww, why not?” Norah whined.

          “What do you think I’m running here, a daycare? I’m not taking in another kid.”

          “You don’t have to, Bepo will be my responsibility.” Law answered.

          “And you’re my responsibility.” Flynn reminded the boy.  “You and Norah Lammie. It’s my job to keep you safe.”

          “And you’re doing a bang-up job at it, Flynn.”

          “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

          “I know Magdalena sends you money for us. What do you spend it on booze or illegal drugs?”

          “Law, you can’t ask something like that.” Norah chided.

          “You better watch the next words that come out of your mouth, little boy.” Flynn warned.

          “Or you’ll what? Kill me?” Law challenged.  “You’ll go back to jail if you do. Maybe Impel Down.”

Flynn stormed up to Law. “You better be glad I don’t hurt kids, you little punk.”

          “Don’t let my age fool you.” Law snapped.  “You wanna hit me, hit me! I’ve been hurt a lot worse than whatever you throw at me!”

          “All right, that’s enough!” Dax intervened, coming between Flynn and Law.  “It’s late and we’re all running on adrenaline right now. Let’s get some rest and talk about this in the morning. Bepo sleeping here tonight won’t hurt our profit, right Flynn?”

          “No, it won’t.” Flynn sighed.  “Bepo can stay here just for tonight. We can discuss this matter tomorrow.”

          “Don’t bother. You’re just gonna throw Bepo out on the streets anyway.” Law scoffed.  “I’m sleeping in the shed tonight.”  He grabbed his things and Kikoku and stormed off to the back.

          “You took Kikoku?!” Flynn snapped.

          “It’s my sword now, I can take it if I want to. And for the record, a typical birthday present for a seven-year-old girl would be a doll, not a whip.” Law walked out of the inn, slamming the door in the process. Norah tried to go after him, but Flynn stopped her.

          “Let your brother cool off, Lammie.” He said.  “Law obviously has some issues to deal with.”

          “Well, you didn’t help matters by snapping at him.” Dax pointed out.

          “What do you want me to do, tell him the truth about the money?”

          “Yeah. Law will probably hate you less if you do.”

          “That won’t make a lick of difference, Zia.” Big Willie laughed.

          “You know, you and Law are very alike in personality.” Wolf explained.  “That’s why you two butt heads a lot.”

          “If I wanted your opinion, Wolf, I would’ve asked for it. Go home!” Flynn said.

          “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Wolf grumbled. The old scientist proceeded to get up from his seat, but he stumbled on his own feet. Scooter caught the man before he fell.

          “Whoa, easy there, mate.” He said.  “You’re in no condition to go anywhere tonight.”

Flynn rolled his eyes.  “Put Wolf in one of the empty rooms, he can sleep it off tonight.” To Norah and Bepo, he asked: “Did you two eat dinner?”

          “No.” Norah replied.

          “I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.” Bepo added.

          “All right, head to the kitchen. Big Willie can whip up something for you really quick then straight to bed. You can sleep in Law’s room tonight, Bepo.”

          “Thank you, Flynn sir.” Bepo apologized.  “And I’m sorry.”

          “Don’t apologize. I don’t like leaving kids helpless.”

          The next day, Flynn headed to the living room where a sober Wolf was reading a newspaper. Wolf caught sight of the innkeeper and smiled.

          “Ah, I trust you slept well.” He greeted.

          “You’re still here, old man?” Flynn countered.

          “Well, I’m just here for Big Willie’s famous “deathcakes” and I’ll be on my way back to my farm. Have you read the newspaper today?”

          “I just woke up, Wolf. What do you think?”

Wolf laughed as he handed Flynn the newspaper.  “You might want to take a gander at the front page.”

          “Gander? What are you, 105?” Flynn snatched the paper from Wolf and looked at the front page. His frown grew deeper as he read the headline.  “Ah, shit. No wonder Law was more pissed off at me than usual.”

          “You should talk to him, Flynn.” Wolf suggested.  “This paper came out yesterday. Law might’ve read it.”

          “I must really be out of my right mind if I’m taking advice from a drunk old crackpot scientist.” Flynn huffed.

          “Carson, I’m insulted.” Wolf gasped. “I am a very light drinker.”

          “Really? That’s your takeaway?”

          “Flynn, I can’t find Law and Bepo.” Norah said, coming over to the two men.

          “They probably went out for a walk or something.” Flynn smiled.  “I wouldn’t worry so much, Lammie.”

          “What if they ran away?”

          “Law is not going to run away without you. Trust me.”

Suddenly, Dax ran in the living room with a panicked look on her face.

          “There was an explosion in the forest.” She informed. “Law and Bepo ran right towards it!”

Flynn cursed to himself.   “Big Willie! Scooter!” He shouted.  “Wake up and get dressed. Law and that polar bear got themselves into trouble.”

The back door suddenly burst open and Law came running in, carrying a boy over his shoulders. Bepo followed not long after, carrying another boy across his back.

          “Dax! I need your help now!” Law shouted.

The older doctor rushed to Law’s side and gasped loudly when she got a good look at the injured boys.

          “It’s Penguin and Shachi!” Dax revealed. “They’re hurt really bad.”

          “Bring them to the basement.” Flynn commanded.  “I don’t want to scare the customers. Let me know if you need anything. Scooter! Big Willie! Get down here now!”

The two men quickly rushed down the stairs.

          “What’s going on, Boss?” Scooter asked.

          “Help Dax and Law with Penguin and Shachi, Scooter. Big Willie, grab whatever medical supplies you can scrounge up and boil some hot water.”

          “Um, Flynn?”

          “What, Lammie?”

          “Bepo has an arm in his mouth.”

Flynn and Scooter looked at Bepo and sure enough, he had an arm in his mouth. And then they realized that Penguin, who Bepo was carrying on his back, was missing an arm.

          “Oh my God! Did you rip that boy’s arm off?!” Flynn exclaimed.

          “Don’t be an idiot, Flynn. We found him like that.” Law said. “The arm needs to be put on ice so I can reattach it.”

          “Put it on ice, Willie.” Dax commanded. “Let’s get them to the basement before they lose any more blood, Scooter. Come on, Law and Bepo.”

Law and Bepo followed Dax and Scooter down the basement, taking an injured Penguin and Shachi with them.

          “Are they gonna be okay, Flynn?” Norah asked.

Flynn sighed before replying: “I don’t know, Lammie.”

          Three hours later, Dax emerged from the basement, her uniform covered in blood and she had a tired look on her face. Flynn, Scooter, Big Willie, Wolf, Norah and Bepo looked at the doctor in anticipation.

          “Why’s everybody looking at me for?” Dax wondered.

          “Are the boys alive?” Flynn asked. “Did Law kill them? We need answers, Dax.”

          “Now’s not the time for your charming sarcastic personality, Flynn. Come down in the basement, we need to talk.”

The men looked at each other before following Dax to the basement. Flynn saw that everyone was headed to the basement and put it to a halt.

          “Okay, not everybody is going to the basement.” He said. “I need somebody to watch the inn.”

          Big Willie and Scooter looked at each other before playing rock, paper, scissors to determine who gets to stay and who gets the go down the basement. Scooter chose scissors but Big Willie chose rock.

          “Yes!” Big Willie cheered.

          “Damn it!” Scooter cursed.

After that was settled, Flynn followed Dax down the basement, followed closely by Big Willie, Bepo and Wolf; with Wolf carrying Norah in his arms. They saw Penguin and Shachi, lying on makeshift beds unconscious. Law was sprawled out on the couch, passed out from exhaustion.

          “What’s wrong with Law?” Norah asked.

          “Law’s okay. He really overexerted himself trying to save them.” Dax reassured.

          “How’s their condition, Dax?” Flynn inquired.

          “They’re stable for now.” Dax replied.  “Law repaired the injuries and reattached Penguin’s arm but both of them lost a lot of blood.”

          “So, they need a blood transfusion.” Big Willie shrugged.  “That’s not gonna be hard to get, right?”

          “Their blood type is X. It’s not a rare blood type but there’s no one here with that particular one and they need this transfusion right now or they’ll die. Law and I aren’t compatible because we’re both Type F.”

          “Okay, what’s everyone’s blood type?” Flynn asked. “Mine is Type XF.”

          “Same here.” Big Willie said.

          “I don’t know my blood type.” Norah said.

          “I can give Lammie a blood test.” Dax offered.

          “Lammie is seven-years-old. She won’t have enough blood to save both boys.” Flynn objected. “I’m not putting her in unnecessary danger.”

          “Lammie’s blood type is S.” Law informed as he slowly sat up from the couch.  “It wouldn’t work anyway.”

          “How’re you feeling, Law?” Dax asked, concerned.

          “A little lightheaded, but I’ll be fine.” Law turned to Bepo.  “Do you know your blood type?”

The polar bear Mink nodded.  “I’m Type S.”

          “What’s Scooter’s blood type?” Flynn asked.

          “YO, SCOOTER!” Big Willie shouted.

          “WHAT?!”  Scooter shouted back.

          “WHAT’S YOUR BLOOD TYPE?!”

          “WHY YOU WANNA KNOW THAT?”

          “WHAT’S YOUR BLOOD TYPE, FOOL?!” Dax snapped.

          “TYPE F!”

Dax sighed.  “I need to go to the local blood bank and see if they have any Type X blood to spare.”

          “How long do you think they have, Jadzia?” Flynn asked.

          “Honestly, 4 or 5 hours tops. It’d be a miracle if they survived the night.”

          “Then they can have some of my blood.”

Everyone turned to look at Wolf as the old scientist sat Norah down on the couch next to Law and rolled up his sleeve.  “I have the same blood type as Penguin and Shachi. You can take as much as you need.”

          “You’re gonna give blood to both of them?” Big Willie clarified.

          “Of course. You said they’ll die if they don’t get a blood transfusion, right Jadzia? Well, you got your donor.”

          “It’s not that I don’t appreciate you donating, Wolf, I do.” Dax reasoned.  “It’s just that…”

          “You’re old as dirt and will probably croak before Penguin and Shachi do.” Flynn finished.

          “I wouldn’t put it like that, but Flynn is right. Your age is a high risk and I don’t feel comfortable putting your life in jeopardy.”

          “But if these boys don’t get Type X blood, they’ll die from blood loss right?” Wolf reasoned.

          “Yes, but…”

          “Then, it’s a no brainer. I’ll give my blood to both of them. If I die, so be it.”

There was a deathly pause; everyone was contemplating what the next move is gonna be. Then the Captain of the…. Mayhem Mercenaries…. (sorry, you had to witness this abomination again.)  and the innkeeper of the Carnegie Inn spoke up.

          “If Wolf wants to donate his blood to save the boys then let him.” Flynn decided. “But it’s your call, Doc.”

          “Dax looked at Wolf for a long time before giving him a word of warning: “As a doctor, I must warn you of your risks. Due to your age and health, it’s likely that you won’t survive this transfusion.”

          “I’m completely aware of the risks, Jadzia.” The scientist replied.  “If I die, I die. I’ve lived a long, full life. I just want Penguin and Shachi to do the same.”

Dax nodded and then turned to Law.  “Get my transfusion kit from my room, Law. I’ll prepare an IV for them.” The boy nodded and proceeded to head upstairs to retrieve the items in Dax’s room.  “Wolf, I want you to lay down between the boys. The rest of y’all with the exception of Lammie and Bepo, get out!”

          “What?!” Big Willie protested.

          “Aw, come on Dax!” Flynn complained.

          “I want peace and quiet while I’m doing this transfusion. Ya’ll two don’t bring it. Leave now!”

Flynn and Big Willie trudged up the stairs, grumbling and complaining on the way up. Dax sighed in exasperation. “Okay! Bepo, Lammie, I’m going to need you both to be Penguin and Shachi’s support system. Are you up for it?”

          “Yep!” The two younger kids declared proudly.

          “That’s what I like to hear!” Dax laughed.  “Let’s get to work.”

          The transfusion lasted for about an hour but it was successful. Fortunately for Wolf, the old man survived despite donating his blood to two young boys. It was a waiting game now on which boy will wake up first.

          “Do you need something to drink, Wolf?” Law asked.

          “Yes, young man. I am quite parched.” Wolf replied.  “Would you mind going upstairs and getting me a cup of sake?”

          “No booze, Wolf!” Dax scolded. “You just donated blood, you need water.”

          “Okay, fine.”

          “Are they gonna wake up soon, Ms. Dax?” Bepo asked.

          “They will. It’s just a matter of when.”

A few seconds later, the sound of stirring could suddenly be heard as the boy next to Norah stirred awake. Everyone looked on in anticipation when the younger brother, Shachi, slowly opened his eyes.

          “What happened? Where am I?” He slurred. Shachi turned to see Norah and panicked.  “Hell no! Get away from my crotch, you little brat!”

          “Relax, I’m not gonna kick your balls again.” Norah assured, rolling her eyes.

          “You kicked his private area, Norah?!” Dax exclaimed.  “That’s dangerous! You could’ve injured him!”

          “Flynn always says if I can’t go high, go low.” Norah explained.

Dax shook her head and sighed.  “Flynn is an idiot.”

          “Can I switch his head with a rock?” Law offered.

          “Tempting, but no.” Dax turned to Shachi.  “You’re at the Carnegie Inn, Shachi. Law and Bepo saved you and your brother from a horrible explosion.”

          “Is Penguin okay?” Shachi asked.  “A wild boar attacked us and Penguin was trying to rescue me.”

          “Your brother is fine.” Law replied.  “I managed to reattach his arm and we gave you both blood transfusions. He should be waking up any minute now.”

Shachi gave Law a skeptical look.  “Why did you save us? We were enemies yesterday.”

Law was about to respond when he heard an agonized whimper in the background. He turned to see Penguin thrashing in his sleep.

          “Dax, I think Penguin is having a nightmare.” Law informed.

Dax immediately rushed to the boy’s side and tried to wake him up from his dream.

          “Penguin, wake up.” She urged.  “You’re having a dream, honey.”

Dax started to shake Penguin awake but when she touched the boy, he violently pushed her.

          “GET AWAY FROM ME!” Penguin shouted.

          “Dax, are you okay?” Norah asked worriedly.

          “I’m fine, he didn’t hurt me.”

          “You can’t touch Penguin when he has his nightmares.” Shachi explained.

          “Well, what the hell are we supposed to do?!” Law snapped.

          “LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON’T WANNA DO THIS, SHEENA! I WANNA GO HOME, PLEASE!” Penguin cried.  “I DON’T WANT THEM TOUCHING ME!”

          “Do you have any sedatives, Dax?” Law asked.

          “Yeah, in my medical bag.”

          “Okay. Help me hold him down, Bepo.”

Bepo nodded as he and Law came over on each side of Penguin and proceeded to hold him down. Bepo was on Penguin’s left while Law was on his right, careful of his newly attached right arm. Dax took a vial and a syringe from her bag.

          “20 ccs of Ativan should do the trick.” She said, filling the syringe.  “Keep him steady.”

Shachi and Norah looked on in worry as Law and Bepo was holding Penguin still, said boy was still screaming in his sleep.

          “Penguin, wake up!” Shachi cried.  “It’s a dream, the bad men aren’t gonna hurt you!”

          “DON’T TOUCH ME!” Penguin screamed.  “STOP IT, PLEASE! IT HURTS!”

          “I’m giving you something to calm down, Penguin.” Dax informed.  “You’re going to feel a little pinch.” She injected the syringe in Penguin’s arm and in a few seconds, the boy stopped screaming and went limp, falling asleep instantly.

After sedating Penguin, Law and Bepo gently placed him on his bed.     “He should be fine.” Law said.  “He’s showing obvious signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.”

          “What are you, a doctor?” Shachi demanded.

          “Working on it.” Law replied.

          “But you’re not an actual doctor, so you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Penguin is fine.”

          “That’s not what we saw.” Norah pointed out.

          “Shut up, you twerp!”

          “Oi! Don’t tell my sister to shut up!” Law snapped.

          “What’s going on here?!” Flynn demanded, coming down the stairs. Scooter and Big Willie followed close behind.

          “Who’s watching the inn, Carson?” Dax said.

          “The Lee Triplets.”

          “God help us.”

          “Anyway, why is everyone shouting at the top of their lungs? Customers are complaining.”

          “Everything is fine, Flynn.” Wolf reassured.  “Young Penguin just suffered a traumatic nightmare.”

          “You’re still alive, old man?” Flynn sneered.

Wolf shrugged.  “What can I say? I’m pretty durable.”

          “Look, your brat over here said that my brother has post transaction disorder or something.” Shachi said, referring to Law.

          “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Norah corrected.

          “Whatever. Point is that he’s not a doctor, so he can’t diagnose my brother.”

          “But I’m a certified doctor, so I can diagnose Penguin.” Dax pointed out. “And he definitely showed signs of PTSD.”

          “He had a nightmare and was screaming in his sleep.” Law added.  “Dax had to sedate him.”

          “I’d say that qualifies as traumatic.” Scooter mused.

          “Well, as soon as they’re well enough, we’ll take them back to Vito and Sheena.” Flynn decided.

          “No, please don’t take us back there!” Shachi pleaded.

          “Shachi, they are your guardians. They’re probably worried about you.”

          “They could care less about us! Penguin and I ran away to the forest for a reason. Can we stay with you, Flynn?”

          “No! Like I told the Bepo, I’m not running a daycare! Stay with Wolf, he’s got a farm.”

          “I can’t keep teenagers, Flynn. I can hardly take care of myself.” The old man reasoned.

          “I think you’re doing a great job, Wolf.” Norah smiled.

          “Thank you, child.” Wolf smiled back.

          “Penguin and I can work for our keep. Just let us stay here. If not, we’ll go back to the forest.”

          “And risk getting attacked by another wild animal?” Dax scolded.

          “It’s better than living with them!” Shachi argued.  “You have no idea what we went through.”

          “Maybe we should reconsider, Flynn.” Big Willie suggested. “Vito and Sheena don’t care about these boys. They only keep them because they get money from them.”

          “I’m sure Flynn knows what that’s like.” Law muttered.

          “Shut up, Law!” Norah scolded. To Flynn, she asked:  “Can you please think about it, Flynn?”

          “Why should I, Lammie? These boys are troublemakers; I don’t want that in my establishment.”

          “Because Penguin was screaming “don’t touch me” in his sleep. What if the bad people that touched him come back? They sound mean.”

Flynn’s eyes narrowed as he turned to Dax.  “What exactly did Penguin scream in his nightmare?” He asked.

Dax exhaled deeply before replying:   “Penguin said: ‘I don’t want to do this, Sheena.’ ‘I don’t want them touching me, it hurts.’”

Shachi suddenly broke down into sobs.  “He was just trying to protect me.” He cried.  “Vito and Sheena would force us to do illegal things: sell drugs, raid ships, rob stores.  If we refuse to do a job or we fail, Vito would beat us with his bat or his fist. Sheena runs the local brothel and she would let random businessmen and rich guys come in and….rape Penguin.”

Everyone was shocked into silence by that revelation. Even Law was rendered speechless. It was a good five minutes before Wolf asked the question that was on everyone’s minds.

          “How long did that go on, Shachi?”

          “Years since Vito and Sheena took us in. We escaped to the forest two years ago because Sheena was going to pimp me out to the brothel. Penguin packed our things and we’ve been living in the forest ever since.”

          “I’m sorry.” Bepo apologized.

          “I don’t need your damn pity!” Shachi shouted.

          “We’re not pitying you, Shachi.” Law said.  “You and Penguin didn’t deserve what you went through. We’re truly sorry.”

Shachi pursed his lips but said nothing. Then he felt Norah tug at his shirt.      “What do you want, Twerp?”

          “Do you want some beignets with chocolate sauce?” Norah offered.

          “Where are you gonna get beignets with chocolate sauce?”

          “I’m gonna make ‘em! I’m a really great baker!”

          “Aren’t you like 5?”

          “I’m 7, you moron!”

          “Well, I am a little hungry.” Shachi conceded.  “Sure, why not?”

          “Yay! I’ll make some for both you and Penguin. Will you help me, Big Willie?”

          “Of course, baby girl.” The bartender smiled. “I always got your back.”

          “Flynn? You’re being awfully quiet.” Scooter observed.

          “Yeah, you good there, sweetie?” Dax added.

          “Oh, I’m peachy keen right now.” Flynn replied in a dangerously calm voice.    “Just all sunshine and rainbows. I’m gonna step outside for a second, run some errands. I’ll take Scooter with me.” Flynn casually walked over to a closet and took out a rifle. Dax’s eyes grew wide as she saw her captain/best friend load his rifle.

          “Flynn Carson, are you gonna confront Vito and Sheena?!”

          “I just wanna talk to them.” Flynn replied calmly.

          “You don’t need your rifle to talk to them!”

          “It’s a great conversation starter. Vito might have his pistol. We can talk about guns.”

          “We’re still on probation!” Dax pointed out.  “If Garp finds out, we’ll end up in prison.”

          “Garp doesn’t need to know because I’m just gonna talk to them.”

          “Should I bring my brass knuckles, Boss?” Scooter asked.

          “That will be ideal, we might need some mediation for our very civil conversation.” Flynn answered.

          “Civil my ass! You’re going over there to kill him!”

          “Jadzia. Scooter and I are just going over there to talk to Vito. Man to man, guardian to guardian. If blood gets shed and houses get blown up in the process, it is what it is.” Flynn cocked his rifle and smiled a very sweet (and very sinister) smile.  “Mind the inn while I’m away, dear. Let us depart, Scooter.”

          “Certainly, my Lord!” Scooter exalted.

The two men pranced their way upstairs, while singing “la, la, la, la, la.” Dax rolled her eyes and huffed. Wolf merely shrugged.

          “I don’t think Flynn and Scooter are going to talk to Vito and Sheena.” He said.

          “No, you think?!” Dax sarcastically said.

Law shook his head.  “This day just keeps getting better and better.”

          “Well, come on, Lammie.” Big Willie said.  “These beignets aren’t gonna bake themselves.”

          “Okay.” Norah started to make her way upstairs when Shachi called her again.

          “Hey, Twerp.” He began.

          “My name is Norah Lammie.” Norah corrected, rolling her eyes.

          “Fine, Norah Lammie. Can you make a raspberry sauce as well? Penguin loves raspberries.”

Norah smiled.  “Yeah. Sure thing.”

At a large mansion on the outskirts of the main city, Vito, a local businessman, was enjoying some brunch with his wife, Sheena, outside in their backyard. One of their butlers came over to the couple and delivered Vito today’s newspaper.

          “Thank you, Jeeves.” Vito nodded.  “Have the police located the boys’ whereabouts?”

          “They had a lead that someone saw Penguin running from a grocery store carrying two bags.” The butler informed.  “However, that was over a week ago. The trail has grown cold since then.”

          “All right then. That will be all, Jeeves. Thanks.” Jeeves bowed slightly at Vito before taking his leave.

          “You should’ve let me use my resources to find those brats.” Sheena said, disgustedly.

          “Half of your ‘resources’ are horny, old men.”  Vito pointed out.

          “Horny old men with money and connections that can’t wait to get their little whore back.”

Vito sighed.  “I should’ve just locked them up and collected their pension. My little brother left me with nothing but a burden.”

          “Burdens can be turned into cash cows.” Sheena smiled.  “We’ll find them, dear. And when we do, we’ll work them harder than we’ve ever worked them before.” She raised her glass for a toast.

Vito smiled as he raised his glass and clinked it together with his wife’s glass.  “Hear, hear.”

          “Hey, what are we celebrating?”

Vito and Sheena turned to see Flynn Carson staring down at them with a smile on his face that can be best described as joyously evil. Next to Flynn, is his first mate, Scooter. He was wiping his brass knuckles with a very fancy napkin.

          “How’d you get in here, Carson?” Vito demanded.

          “Your butler let us in.” Flynn replied.  “No, scratch that. He opened the door and Scooter knocked him out after I threatened to shoot his face off if he didn’t tell me where you were.”

          “Is Scooter wiping blood off of his brass knuckles with my good napkins?!” Sheena gasped.

          “A napkin is a napkin, lady.” Scooter shrugged.

          “If you have something to say, Carson, say it.” Vito said impatiently.  “As you can see, my wife and I are having brunch.”

          “Okay then, I’ll cut to the chase.” Flynn cocked his rifle and aimed it at Vito.  “Where are your papers?”

          “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You should lay off of the sake, Carson.”

          “Your guardianship papers for Penguin and Shachi. Where are they?”

Vito suddenly stopped eating and glared at Flynn.  “Why the sudden interest in my nephews’ guardianship papers?” He asked.

          “Wait, Vito.” Sheena interrupted.  “You found Penguin and Shachi? Are they hurt?”

          “They had a minor accident but they’re recovering.”

Sheena sighed in relief while Vito laughed loudly.

          “You found my boys? Why didn’t you say so, Carson?” He said.  “Scared me there for a second. Now, when can I pick them up from your establishment?”

Flynn lowered his rifle and scratched his chin in deep thought.

          “Well, I would have to check my availability.” He replied.  “Dax would want to keep an eye on their recovery and there’s tourist season to think about. What do we have available, Scooter?”

          “Hmmm, let’s see…” Scooter pretended to think about it.  “How about the 12^th of NEVER?!”

          “Never?!” Vito repeated. “What the hell you talking about?”

          “Let me make it clear to you: Penguin and Shachi are not going back to you.” Flynn growled. “Not now, not ever, so long as I’m around.”

          “Oh yeah? And whatcha gonna do about it?” Vito challenged.

          “Have Scooter beat you black and blue until you relinquish your guardianship papers. That’s what you do with your nephews if they don’t do what you tell them to, right?”

          “Okay, this is beyond ridiculous!” Sheena complained, storming up to Flynn.  “Penguin and Shachi are our nephews, our family! We took those poor boys in when Vito’s baby brother and his wife were tragically swept away by that tsunami! We love those boys as if they were our own. To say that Vito or I would harm them in any kind of way is…. well, it’s unthinkable!”   

          “Wow, great speech, Sheena!” Flynn applauded.

          “Yeah, you really laid it on thick.” Scooter agreed.

          “I could really feel the emotion radiating off from you. It was almost believable.”

          “Almost being the key word in that sentence.”

          “What exactly are you and your little friend implying, Mr. Carson?” Sheena asked.

          “I’m not implying anything. I’m just relaying what Shachi told me.”

          “You actually believe what that little runt says?” Vito laughed.  “He’s a teenager. Teenagers lie.”

          “True but I know from experience that kids never lie about their trauma.” Flynn said. “Plus, I saw the bruises on Shachi’s body. Now, hand over the guardianship papers.”

          “I’m not handing you a damn thing. Sheena, call security.”

Sheena began to walk over to the outside transponder snail when Scooter blocked her way.

          “Don’t bother, Sheena.” He said.  “I already immobilized your security with a high-frequency sound wave.” Sheena looked confused, so, Scooter added: “I ate the Hertz-Hertz Fruit and can control sound barriers.”

          “Besides, I got beef with you too, so I suggest you stay right where you are.” Flynn added.

          “I haven’t done anything.” Sheena defended. “I wasn’t even aware that the boys were being severely mistreated. It’s clear that my husband doesn’t tell me everything.”

          “I know you’re not throwing me under the bus, you traitorous broad!” Vito shouted.

          “Do you see what I have to put up with?!” Sheena yelled.

          “BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!” Flynn commanded, aiming his rifle at the couple.    “You’re both scumbags and I’m gonna have Scooter beat the crap out of you before I get those papers and torch your house.”

          “You’re gonna let your friend hit a woman?!” Sheena gasped.

          “What’s that got to do with anything? You ever heard of equal opportunity ass-beatings? Besides, Scooter here doesn’t discriminate.”

          “These hands are Rated E for everyone.” Scooter added.

          “Now, Mr. Carson. I’m sure your mother taught ya that it’s impolite to put your hands on a woman.” Vito reasoned.

          “She did but she also said that if a woman is kicking my ass or does something despicable, I don’t have to be a gentleman.” Flynn replied.  “Your wife falls under the latter.”

          “And what has she done that is so despicable?”

          “Pimping out your nephew falls under that category.” Scooter replied.

Sheena scoffed.  “I’ve done no such thing! You can’t spew an accusation like that without any proof.”

          “Hearing Penguin scream “don’t touch me” in his sleep is all the proof I need.” Flynn said.  “Now, I would consider myself to be a fairly tolerant man, wouldn’t you say, Scoot?”

          “You’re a very reasonable man, Boss.” Scooter agreed.

          “Considering that I’m a former pirate, I overlook pretty much every vile thing. But when I come across low lives who abuse children and let older men molest them…well, it makes my blood boil.” Flynn shoved rifle against Vito’s crotch.

          “Wait a minute, wait a minute! Can we talk about this, Carson?” Vito pleaded.

          “Come on, Flynn. I’m sure we can work something out.” Sheena purred.  “I’ll give you a 2 for 1 special at the brothel.”

          “Sheena, I would rather vacation in Level 5 of Impel Down than spend time in that cesspool you call a brothel. Now, this can only end in two ways: you give me Penguin and Shachi’s guardianship papers and you never contact them again, then I’ll torch your house. Or I shoot your balls off and take the papers by force, then torch your house.”

          “You’re not gonna kill me?” Vito taunted.

          “Flynn, wait!”

Flynn and Scooter turned around to see Norah running over to them.

          “Lammie, go back inside. You can’t come with us.” Flynn admonished.

          “I know that. I just want you to promise me something.”

          “What?”

          “Don’t kill Penguin and Shachi’s aunt and uncle.” Flynn opened his mouth to say something when Norah cut him off.   “I know they’re bad people, but you’re not. Don’t stoop to their level, please?”

Flynn smiled as he ruffled Norah’s blond hair.  “Don’t worry, Pipsqueak. That’s not gonna happen.”

          “Believe me, I really want to.” Flynn said.  “But I promised a very smart 7-year-old girl that I wouldn’t. So, those are your only options.”

          “Either way, we’re burning your house down.” Scooter said.

          “Yeah, that’s happening regardless.”

Vito growled in frustration.  “Fine, you can have the stupid papers. Didn’t want those brats anyway.” He turned to Sheena.  “Get the guardianship papers from my study, Sheena. Make it snappy.”

Flynn smiled his evil smile.  “Good choice.”

          “Pacing isn’t going to help the situation, Jadzia.”

          “I know that, Wolf.”

          “Then stop pacing. You’re making me nervous.”

Jadzia Dax stopped pacing and glared at the old man.  “It’s been over 6 hours since Flynn and Scooter left to confront Vito and Sheena. I haven’t heard any reports nor gotten any calls. You don’t think something bad happened to them, do you?”

          “I highly doubt it. Knowing Flynn Carson, he probably burned their house down and had a great time doing it.”

As if on cue, the door suddenly burst open, and Flynn and Scooter strutted in with manic smiles on their faces.

          “YES! I’VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!” Flynn shouted happily.

          “That was great, Boss.” Scooter laughed. “We made Vito shite in his pants really good, didn’t we?”

          “Oh, it was glorious.”

          “Where the hell have you two been?!” Dax growled angrily.  “And what the hell did you do?!”

          “Aww, were you worried about me, Daxy?” Flynn smiled.

          “No. I was just…concerned about the fact that we might be going back to jail if we’re wanted for murder.”

          “Relax, Jadzia. Flynn didn’t kill Vito and Sheena.” Scooter assured.

Dax looked at Flynn.  “You didn’t?”

          “No. I promised Lammie that I wouldn’t.” Flynn explained.  “After I got the guardianship papers from Vito and Sheena, Scooter beat the crap out of them and we dropped them off to the local Navy base with a written confession taped to their backs.”

          “After you burned their house down?” Wolf asked.

          “AFTER WE BURNED THEIR HOUSE DOWN!” Flynn cheered.  “Woo, it was awesome! They got a big-ass mansion! Watching it burst into flames was…oh so magical.”

          “Told ya, Dax.” Wolf laughed.

          “Well, at least you didn’t kill them.” Dax sighed. “Why did you need guardianship papers, anyway?”

          “So, I can keep Penguin and Shachi.” Flynn replied.  “Vito already relinquished them to me, it’s basically a done deal. Where are they?”

          “Uh, uh…. well, Penguin woke up about an hour ago and said that he was hungry, so he’s in Big Willie’s room eating snacks along with Shachi, Law, Bepo and Lammie.”

          “Good, because I need all the kids to hear what I’m about to say.”

Flynn headed to Big Willie’s room before Dax could say anything. She and Scooter looked at each other before following their captain upstairs. Wolf simply shook his head and chuckled.

          “You can deny it all you want, but you’re truly good man at heart, Flynn Carson.”

          “Now, Penguin, Shachi, do you have something to say to Bepo?” Big Willie admonished.

The brothers looked at each other before bowing their heads.  “Sorry for beating you up, Bepo.” They apologized.

          “That’s okay. I already forgiven you.” Bepo smiled.

          “Good, now apologize to Penguin, Law.”

Law looked at Big Willie in confusion.  “Why should I?”

          “You used your powers on him.”

          “Fine. I’m sorry for shocking your heart.”

          “It’s okay, I pretty much deserved it.” Penguin replied.  “Thanks for putting my arm back. And saving me and my brother’s life.”

          “You’re welcome.” Law nodded.

          “Wait, if we’re apologizing, then I need one from the little twerp.” Shachi said.

          “Hey!” Norah exclaimed.

          “Don’t call Lammie a twerp.” Law scolded.

          “Lammie kicked me in the balls and smacked me with a whip. What moron would give a whip to a 7-year-old girl?”

          “You hit him with the whip I gave you for your birthday, Lammie?” Flynn squealed.

          “Yep, and I kicked his gonads when he was going after Law!” Norah bragged.

          “That’s my girl.”

          “Meet said moron.” Law imputed.

          “You’re a bad influence on Norah, Flynn.” Dax muttered.

Flynn shrugged.  “You can’t live in the real world by just being a goody two-shoes. Sometimes, you gotta get your hands dirty. Anyway, what’s going on here?”

          “Oh, we’re just eating Lammie’s delicious beignets and saying our apologies.” Big Willie replied.

          “She may be an annoying little brat, but she’s got some serious baking skills.” Shachi complemented.

          “Should I be offended?” Norah asked.

          “That’s just Shachi’s way of complementing you, baby girl.” Big Willie assured.

          “Well, it’s a good thing you boys are apologizing now because we’re all gonna be really close in the years to come.” Flynn mentioned.

          “What are you getting at, Carson?” Law demanded.

          “Congratulations, Law and Lammie. You just got three new brothers.”

          “Really?!” Norah squealed.  “They can stay?”

          “Yep. Scooter and I just got Penguin and Shachi’s guardianship papers from Vito and Sheena, then I burned their mansion down.”

          “You didn’t kill them, did you?” Penguin asked.

          “No, I didn’t. I dropped them off to the Marines; they won’t ever hurt you or your brother again.”

Norah clapped happily.  “Yay, Flynn!”

          “Thank you.” Penguin thanked, choking back tears.

          “So, you’re letting them stay here?” Law reiterated. “Including Bepo?”

          “This is not a free ride, so don’t get it twisted.  You three will be pulling your weight around here just like Law and Lammie.”

Dax cleared her throat very loudly.  “Flynn.” She warned.

          “As soon as Dax gives the okay for you to work, of course. Penguin can help Law with labor chores, Shachi can be my errand boy and Bepo can be the mascot while occasionally helping Lammie around the kitchen.”

          “Mascot, Flynn? Really?” Big Willie frowned.

          “These people don’t know what a Mink is. This is actually helping Bepo.” Flynn reasoned.  “If there’s nothing else to discuss, you can go back to eating your beignets.” Flynn grabbed a sugary pastry, dipping it in chocolate sauce and taking a bite.   “Mmm. You really outdid yourself, Lammie.”

          “Thanks, Flynn!” Norah chirped.

          “I’m outta here. Penguin, Shachi, Bepo, welcome to our crazy-ass family.”

Law looked at Flynn in disbelief before rushing out of Big Willie’s room to follow him.

          “What’s your endgame here, Flynn?”

          “Endgame? What are you talking about?”

          “Just yesterday, you were talking about throwing Bepo out on the streets. Now you’re letting both him, Penguin and Shachi stay? You’re trying to get money off of us or what?”

          “Contrary to whatever pre-notioned idea you got in that stupidly smart head of yours, I’m not out to get you.”

          “Forgive me if I have a hard time believing you.”

Flynn nodded. “It’s understandable. First the World Government eradicates your home country, then Doflamingo kills his younger brother, the one person left you deeply cared for, who just happens to be Lammie’s father. You can stop me anytime if I’m wrong.”

Law was shocked to silence.  “How…how do you know that?” He shuddered.

          “I’m not as dumb as you think.” Flynn smiled.  “Let’s go to my room, we can talk about this in private.” Law just nodded as he followed Flynn blindly to his room. Once they were inside, Flynn shut the door and locked it.  “Sit down.” He commanded.

Law sat down on Flynn’s bed as he watched the man go over to his bedside table and open a small safe with a key around his neck. Flynn opened the safe and took out a large envelope. After closing the safe, he threw the envelope on Law’s lap. The boy looked at it in question.

          “What’s this?” He asked.

          “Open it.”  Flynn replied.

Law looked at Flynn warily before opening the envelope. His eyes grew wide as he saw that it was full of money. It was enough for Law to get out on his own with Norah and still have some left over. It was even more than enough to buy a ship!

          “Where did you get all these beris from?”

          “From the money Magdalena sends me every month.” Flynn said. “I only take out whatever I need for essentials and you and Lammie’s allowances. The rest of it, I keep in my safe to save until you’re old enough to venture out on your own. Sorta like a nest egg.”

          “So, you never used our money for anything else?”

          “No. Like I said, I run a respectable, legitimate business. And I’ll add Penguin and Shachi’s pension money to this already large collection you got in your hands. When you decide to sail out on your own, I’ll give you the money.”

Law looked at Flynn with teary eyes.  “You don’t have to pretend to care about me, Flynn. I know you hate me.”

          “I don’t hate you, Law.” Flynn assured, sitting beside the boy.  “You can be a little shit and a huge pain in my ass sometimes, but I never hated you. I know that you keep your guard up around me to protect Norah Lammie. I get it, but it’s unnecessary. You should know by now that I would never do anything to hurt Lammie; or you for that matter.”

          “You say that now,” Law argued.  “But if you already know who you’re protecting us from, you know that Doflamingo runs the most dangerous crew in the North Blue.”

          “And now he’s one of the Seven Warlords and the new King of Dressrosa, right?” Flynn added, showing Law the newspaper article Wolf showed him.  “That’s why you were so pissed off at me yesterday, were you?”

Law looked at the headline in contempt. The tears that were threatening to escape his eyes finally flowed down his cheeks. Flynn slowly took the boy’s hat off his head and gently caressed his hair. Law froze at the touch. The last person who treated him with so much care was Corazon. He never saw this side of Flynn Carson before. He didn’t know weather to embrace it or run away from it altogether. So, Law just sat there.

          “You wanna get that son of a bitch, don’t you?” Flynn said softly.

          “More than anything.” Law cried. “He killed Cora, he killed his own brother and left Norah without her father. Cora saved my life and Doflamingo killed him! I want him to suffer!”

          “I know you do, Law, but you’re not strong enough to take on a notorious pirate, let alone a Warlord of the Sea.”

          “You don’t think I know that?!” Law snapped, abruptly getting up from the bed.  “Why do you think I’m learning how to use this Devil Fruit power I got? Why do you think I’m protecting Lammie with everything I have?! She’s not only Cora’s daughter but Doflamingo’s niece. If he ever found out that his brother had kids….”

          “Hold up. Kids?”

          “Lammie has a twin brother in the East Blue. He lives with their mother.”

          “Do you know what she looks like?”

          “No. Why does that matter?”

          “Don’t worry about it, it’s just something I thought about. My point is this, Law: If you want to take your revenge, you can’t go in half-cocked and with a quick temper. You need time and a level head. Why do you think I’m safeguarding your money or teaching Lammie how to fight? Just for the heck of it?”

          “Lammie doesn’t need to learn how to fight.” Law argued.  “I can protect her.”

          “I know you can protect her, but I also know that you won’t always be there to do so.” Flynn reasoned.  “Lammie is stronger than you give her credit for. If she and her brother has Donquixote blood in their veins, then they pose a serious threat to Doflamingo. I’m telling you this for your own good, Law. You want to get to that bastard’s level, you need to protect and use your assets to your advantage.”

          “Why are you telling me this?!” Law demanded. “Why do you want to help me all of a sudden?!”

          “It’s not all of sudden! I’ve been preparing for this since I agreed to look after you!”

          “Why?!”

          “So, you won’t make the same mistake I made all those years ago!”

Law looked at Flynn.  “What mistake?”

The older man didn’t respond. He simply took the envelope from Law’s hands and put it back in his safe. Then he sat back down on his bed, but not before grabbing a picture from his desk. He motioned Law to sit back beside him. Once the boy sat down, Flynn showed him the picture. It was a photo of a teenage Flynn Carson standing next to a young boy around Lammie’s age. Law immediately figured out who this young boy was to Flynn.

          “Is he your brother?” He asked.

Flynn nodded.  “His name was Silas. This was taken a few days before…” Suddenly, Law witnessed something he never thought he’d see: Flynn Carson breaking down into sobs. “I tried to protect him. I tried but I couldn't and I’ve lived with that guilt ever since.”

          “What happened to him?” Law asked.

          “My family and I lived in a small village in the South Blue.” Flynn explained.  “We were happy until the Celestial Dragons came and destroyed everything. They burned our village, took our resources and enslaved anyone who could walk. And those who fought back were gunned down in cold blood. My parents were among those gunned down. I tried to escape with Silas but, he went back to get my favorite watch and the Celestial Dragons got him. I couldn’t do anything. I was seventeen and scared, so I escaped on a random ship headed to the North Blue.”

          “When was this?”

          “Ten years ago. He would’ve been seventeen-years-old today; the same age I was when I last saw him. I never told anyone about Silas. The only person who knows about him is Dax and that’s because she was there that night.”

          “You knew Dax for that long?”

          “Yeah.”

          “And ya’ll still haven’t hooked up yet?”

Flynn looked at Law.  “I literally told you about a traumatic moment in my life and your takeaway was that I haven’t hooked up with Dax yet??”

          “I mean it’s obvious that you like her.” Law shrugged. “And for some weird-ass reason she likes you too. Just go for it.”

          “I’m listening to love advice from a 15-year-old brooding kid.” Flynn sighed.  “What is wrong with me?”

          “There’s nothing wrong with you, Flynn.” Law said.  “You’re a total jackass and an idiot but you’re a good total jackass and an idiot.”

          “Did you just insult me and complement me at the same time?”

Law smiled.  “It’s a gift. Thanks for looking after us. I know I haven’t made it easy for you.”

Flynn wiped the tears from his face and smiled back.  “You tell anybody that I cried in front of you and I’ll make you eat bread for a week.”

          “Deal.”

Flynn ruffled Law’s hair and put his hat back on his head.  “Keep getting stronger, Law.” He said.  “Keep getting smarter and keep protecting Lammie. So, when it’s finally time to face Doflamingo, you’d be ready.”

          “I will.” Law nodded.  “I just have one question though.”

          “What’s that?”

          “What would possess you to give Lammie a whip as a weapon?”

          “It’s very empowering!” Flynn defended.

          “To whom?!”

Flynn simply laughed.  “Don’t underestimate Donquixote-Trafalgar Norah Lammie. If you’re gonna make any waves in this Great Pirate Era, you need that girl at her strongest by your side.”

Trafalgar D. Water Law rolled his eyes at Flynn’s words but he kept them inside his heart. He knew that Norah and her brother, Felix, were powerful; not only as children of a Devil Fruit but as children of Donquixote Rosinante. It was the Wild Card Doflamingo never saw coming. The Wild Card that would be his downfall. But we’re once again getting ahead of ourselves.

          When Norah Lammie was 5, she learned about Law’s past and his fight with the deadly White Lead Disease. When she was 7, she met her three future crewmates and adopted brothers, Bepo, Penguin and Shachi. And at 9, she set sail along with her four brothers to the Grand Line as the first mate of the Heart Pirates, led by Trafalgar D. Water Law, the Surgeon of Death. These events shaped Norah to be what the World Government dubbed her as “Lammie the Cheetah.”

          But there is one moment in Norah’s life that has yet to be told. A moment that is so pivotal, so profound, so destined, that it deserves its own story. Picture the scene: a port island in the East Blue. 8-year-old Norah Lammie was trying to find her brother when she saw a small blonde-haired boy sitting down on some steps crying.

          “Are you okay?” She asked.

The boy stopped crying to look at the small blonde girl with large green eyes.

          “Not really. I’m trying to find some ingredients for a recipe, but I can’t think of a recipe to cook.”

          “Don’t you have a cookbook or something?”

          “Zeff says I have to come up with something on my own.”

          “How old are you?”

          “Eleven.”

Norah scratched her head in thought when an idea popped in her head.

          “Do you know how to make Sea King Gumbo?”

          “Sea King Gumbo?” The boy repeated.  “What’s that?”

          “That’s gonna be your first recipe!” Norah grabbed the boy by the hand and led him to the public market.         

“We’re gonna shop for some ingredients and I’ll teach you how to make it.”

          “What’s this gonna cost me?” The boy asked.

          “Nothing.” Norah replied.  “Just give me a recipe that I can use one day.”

          “Sounds like a fair trade. Let’s do it!”

          “Awesome! Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Norah.”

The boy smiled.  “Nice to meet you, Norah. My name is Sanji.”

To Be Continued….