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Tama was sitting under a tree, having asked her master, Mr. Tenguyama Hitetsu, to watch Luffy's training as he punched trees and rocks in the forest.
She hugged her knees, smiling. Seeing her big brother so focused and demonstrating his strength filled her little heart with hope.
He would succeed, she trusted him, and she knew he would do it with great bravery!
She heard footsteps of an adult approaching closer to the tree where Tama was. She got startled and turned her face back. The person emerged from the shadows, carrying a serious posture. Wait...
It was that strange guy shouting angrily about her big brother, while she and the hungry people were enjoying the stolen food from Kaido's gang.
"Hey."
For a brief moment, the purple-haired girl was terrified by the deep voice of that scary and frightening man.
"What are you doing here alone?"
"I..." She hesitated out of fear, speaking in a not-so-loud tone. "I'm waiting for Aniki to train." She pointed towards a Luffy with clenched fists.
The strange man looked in the direction her little finger pointed and saw the Mugiwara-ya, with the upper part of his red kimono and blue sun patterns, focused on his new powers as he faced whatever was in front of him.
"That idiot..."
The purple-haired girl heard his sharp tone, envisioning countless monster-like figures resembling the posture of that stranger.
Thinking that he might do something threatening, the man simply sat down next to her, a little away from the tree, and stood there like a statue.
"Leaving a child alone and the idiot far away. What irresponsibility..."
Tama was confused. Was that what he was concerned about?
At first, she thought the unknown man wanted to do something bad to her and her big brother because of his frightening appearance.
But apparently, he would, at the very least, scold Luffy for his bad behavior if necessary.
"I feel safer near Aniki..."
While Tama smiled softly, observing Luffy's training with concentration and admiration, the tattooed man was focused on something else. Specifically, he was focused on the muscles, sweat, heavy breathing, seriousness, focus, and aggression with which the other captain was acting. But since she was just a child, she had to look away from him every now and then.
"Aniki is getting stronger every moment. He's doing everything he can to help us..." She spoke, smiling with her little hands supporting her chin. "He only met me by chance and tried to save me. Now he will be the savior of the entire Country of Wano."
The older man turned his face towards the purple-haired girl, noticing her words and body language when she talked about Luffy. It reminded him of himself when the other captain found him again after two years missing, helped and interfered with Caesar, and then saved him from Doflamingo's clutches. He saw himself reflected in the child for a mere second. It was the same things he thought about the other captain and the same way he admired him for his kindness.
"Hey, Tama!" They heard the voice of the rubber man shouting from afar as he ran with a smile.
"Why isn't Aniki training? Why is he coming over here?" The taller man diverted his gaze, feeling bothered. What would he do now? He wondered as he watched the smaller man approaching and crouching near the girl.
"Hey, Tama, look what I found for you!" He took a red, vibrant apple out of his red kimono. "Hey, Tral!"
"An apple, Aniki? For me?"
"Shishishi! Yes!"
The purple-haired girl smiled even more, completely happy to receive a gift from her big brother. Apples and sweet bean soup that Luffy had fought for were her two favorite foods in the world. Even though Luffy was so focused, he had taken the time to think of her a little.
"You just picked this apple now?" The strange friend of her big brother asked.
"Yep!" The brunette replied, proudly. "Why?"
"Mugiwara-ya, wouldn't it be better to wash it before giving it to her?"
"Why are you so annoying, Tral?" The Monkey scoffed. Luffy took the apple and vigorously rubbed it against his clothes to clean it, and Tama could only laugh at them. "Now it's clean."
He was about to hand it over to his little purple-haired friend, but she stopped him.
"No, Aniki. You keep it!" She raised her hands, waving. "I want to give it to you! Sit here and rest!"
"Tama, don't be rude. I got it for you!"
Trafalgar rolled his eyes for being left out.
"Share it, and no one argues."
The two children were enchanted by the idea, agreeing to do it. Luffy sat on the other side of his little friend and took a bite of the apple. After biting it, he returned it to Tama, and she also took a bite with delight.
The purple-haired girl looked to the side and noticed the scowl on the face of her big brother's friend, becoming curious to ask.
"Do you want some too? It's sweet!"
The taller man, who had been wandering in his own mind, looked at her. He met her cold gaze and realized that now the girl was no longer afraid of him.
"Yuck... A bitten apple wouldn't be hygienic at all..."
Tama agreed.
"Yeah, Tama... He couldn't do that. Tral is too picky."
"And you're a savage!"
Without thinking, the taller man took the apple from her hand and took a small bite where there was still a reddish spot. Tama looked amazed that he didn't make any excuses. Luffy just laughed, and the girl laughed along. Trafalgar turned red with embarrassment and anger, trying to hide his face. Luffy didn't care about that; he was spending leisure time with his little friend and the man he was in love with, while training and getting stronger to protect them. For him, these small moments were precious and too important to be wasted.