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Drake walked the halls of Marine Lab 08 alone. Ostensibly, he was on break, but in reality, he got no such thing- there was always something to occupy him.
Thankfully, it was only his thoughts at the moment, and his feet carried him where they would while he turned over plans and contingencies and details in his head.
He’d been assigned to this project to keep an eye on Admiral Kizaru, as the man tended to be a bit of a wildcard in his judgment, and also just because of who Borsalino was as a person.
All the Admirals needed a babysitter, in one way or another, and Sengoku-san had apparently not given up on trying to groom Drake for his position, as evidenced by the man posting him so close to them. Drake himself thought it unlikely- they both knew where his path was leading, knew where he’d be most useful.
Drake doubted the rest of the Marines would accept someone so apparently gray in allegiances, even once his mission was complete. He would be satisfied with doing his duty behind the scenes- it was what he was suited for.
Also on the docket was the Pacifista Project- led by one of the Gorosei, Saint Saturn himself. Sengoku-san rightly refused to trust a single thing any of the Elder Stars did, and a highly secret project to clone a Buccaneer and create augmented super soldiers was certainly one with… worrying implications.
Their world was changing quickly- had been ever since the death of the Pirate King- and Drake could see how precariously balanced it now was. The status quo rested on very fragile foundations, despite the World Government’s insistence on the veneer of normalcy.
When the balance of power finally tipped in their world, he wanted to ensure it tipped in the right direction. And the Gorosei were not the right direction.
A scent caught his heightened senses, drawing him from his musings. There was a presence in an alcove near the floor, something small and unobtrusive, but Drake searched it out anyway, not one to overlook things. A small figure huddled there, out of view behind a forgotten crate.
Bubblegum hair caught his eye, and his senses calmed- not an enemy. Only the little girl with Sapphire Scale- Kuma’s daughter, Bonney.
Her eyes widened at the sight of him, and she pressed a finger to her lips, “Shh! I’m hiding! Sentomaru is the seeker this time.” Drake noted the dust coating the crates around them- he doubted any but them two had passed this way in a while. “I don’t think he’s going to find you here.”
There was no way the large man would be able to fit in such a small space, and anyway, he’d seen the guard chatting nonchalantly with Vegapunk not long ago.
“I know! It’s a great hiding spot!” Her bright beam soon fell into a pout, “But it’s been so long, and I’m getting bored just sitting here.” “You must be quite good at hiding.” The little girl preened, “Yep! I always win our games.” Indeed, he’d seen her in passing once or twice, always running and scampering and gleeful, usually with Sentomaru grumbling in her wake.
He hummed, “Are you enjoying your stay in the lab?” “Yeah- Sentomaru’s weird, but he’s fun. And Vegapunk’s weird, too, but he’s nice. I’m gonna get to play in the sun soon, he said. ‘M gonna run and jump and- and frolic, ‘cause Gyogyo says that’s somethin’ people do in the sun, and daddy and I are going to travel the world together, and visit everywhere!”
Her brown eyes shone brightly with elation, smile spread from ear to ear, and Drake looked away. He nodded solemnly, “That sounds like quite the plan.”
He wasn’t naive enough to think the Gorosei would simply let Kuma and his daughter leave in peace after this, but he wasn’t privy to the details of the deal Kuma had made.
The little girl yawned widely, the jewels encrusting her orbital bone twinkling in the harsh lights of the lab, and she seemed to sag where she sat, cheek nestled on her knees.
Drake offered, “Would you like me to take you back to your father?” She nodded tiredly, before a vaguely panicked look crossed her face, and she stuck out a pinky finger. “You can’t tell daddy where you found me, ‘kay? Pinky promise.” He couldn’t help a fond sigh, and joined his own larger pinky with hers. “Pinky promise.”
Bonney scooted out of her hiding spot, and held her scrawny arms out to be picked up- Drake did so carefully, tucking the little girl to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder- she was so small against his large frame. He smoothed her hair, fine and soft, and kept a hand on her back to keep her from falling.
An old pain ached low in his heart. Even after so long, Drake was incapable of looking at a little girl without thinking of Linnea- Bonney was younger than his baby sister would be now, but he couldn’t help thinking that she would be just as lively and playful.
She’d had such a big smile as a babe, when he’d swaddle her up in furs and take her out into the forest to see the trees and the animals. Ma had joked that Drake was just as much Linnea’s mother as she was, with how devoted he was to his baby sister.
Linnea remained a babe in his memory, as she’d never had the chance to grow, but his mind had a painful tendency to imagine her as she could have been, had Oykot not burned.
Would his sister have grown tall and lanky, like Bonney was starting to, or stayed short like their mother? She’d been taking after ma in the face, although she’d had pops’ hair, just like Drake.
He sighed, the noise loud in the quiet hallway, and started walking. He had no doubt it was Linnea’s memory that caused him to have this weakness, his penchant for ‘strays’, as Maynard called them. Still, he couldn’t regret it- if his pain led him to help others, then it was all worth it.
Bonney was asleep within moments, face slack and drooling on his uniform, but Drake only carried her dutifully through the halls, steps echoing alone.
Soon enough, he’d reached the quarters where Bonney and her father stayed, and knocked politely.
After a moment, Kuma opened the door, the giant man taking up the whole frame and seeming to loom. If he didn’t have such a kind, expressive face, he could easily be an intimidating figure. The other was in his medical scrubs, fresh bandages peeking out from under the left shoulder of them- he’d been modified again.
Drake had never had the chance to speak with the man on his own- Kizaru and Vegapunk usually worked with him, and Drake was left to wrangle the rest of the Marines. But he knew from Sengoku-san of the man’s deeds, Revolutionary and otherwise, and had a healthy respect for him.
Kuma’s face went impossibly soft when he spotted his daughter, that generous, helpless kind of love parents exhibited. Drake carefully unwrapped Bonney’s arms from his neck, and Kuma lifted her from him, large hands so gentle with the little girl as he tucked her sleeping form into the crook of his arm.
The other’s voice was low to keep from waking the child, “Where did you find her?” Drake kept his expression blank, but allowed the humor into his voice, “Apologies, sir- I have sworn an oath to keep the lady’s secret.”
Kuma’s eyes twinkled with mirth, and the giant man laughed, cradling his daughter close to himself. “Thank you, Drake.”
Drake nodded solidly, and left father and daughter alone, returning to his patrol and his thoughts.