♤You could tell that something had changed when Teach came into Issaquah Lounge over a year ago with three companions that you had never seen before. There was a tall weirdo who tap danced into the bar carrying a red cane, a purple haired guy with a broad chest and shoulders, whose lower half was thin in comparison and a tall man in a dark cloak wearing strange glasses and carrying a long rifle on his shoulder.
"Oh! Y/N! Good, you're here. I was worried that maybe you wouldn't be working tonight." Teach said sitting down at the bar along with one of his men.
"Good evening, Teach-san." You bowed politely. "What shall I get you? And what will your companion have?"
"Just give me the usual."
"I'll take a tankard of sake please." The purple haired guy laughed. "Wi-hahaha! So this is the girl you like Captain Teach! I can see why!"
You froze slightly but thought that you must have surely misheard him calling Teach captain.
"Don't make her uncomfortable Burgess, I told you, we ain't got that kind of relationship. Not yet anyway!" Teach said. "She's Commander Ace's girl."
You did not comment on their conversation and you set the rum in front of him and he thanked you.
"Teach-san, I don't see any other members of the second division with you. Are these guys new?" You asked slowly.
"Oh it's nothing like that." He said. "I left the Whitebeard Pirates."
"What?" You asked in shock. True, the air about him was different...a little colder than usual but this was unexpected. As far as you knew, that crew was pretty close knit. "Why?"
"Yeah. Zehahaha. Let's just say that Thatch and I had a little disagreement and I finally decided to leave." Teach said taking a drink. "It happened pretty recently so I'm sure you'll hear about it sooner or later."
"Ha! Disagreement! That's funny." Burgess laughed.
Somehow the entire situation sent chills down your spine. You didn't like it. A part of you wanted to use your powers to read his mind, but a sixth sense made you feel like it was a dangerous thing to do.
"I'm a free pirate now. So what do you say? How about you come ride on my ship with me as my woman? I took a detour just to ask you that." Teach said moving closer to you.
You stepped back, suddenly cautious. "I'm pretty sure that you already know that I'm dating someone. And I already told you no a million times before."
"Wi-hahaha! Captain you just got dumped!" Burgess laughed.
"Bastard, Burgess get lost." Teach snapped.
Burgess, a wide smile still on his face, stood up. "Oh, I see you're upset! I'll go hang out with Laffitte then." He walked away laughing.
"Y/N, don't be so hasty to make up your mind like that. I have big plans for my future, I'm gonna change this era, and be the most famous pirate in the world." Teach said. "I won't have a shortage of money or women either, you'll surely regret it"
"No thank you. I'm happy as I am." You said through gritted teeth.
"With Ace? That guy leaves you to work in a place like this with all these rowdy pirates. If you were with me, I'd-"
"I'm not interested." You cut him off.
His eyes narrowed. Before you could react, he grabbed your arm. "Don't be so stubborn, woman." He said.
"Teach-san, please remember that this island and I, are protected by the Whitebeard Pirates." You said quietly. "I bet you know better than anyone how they treat those who defy them."
Teach blinked, and then laughed before letting you go. "Very well, I think I've caused enough trouble with those guys for a while. I hope you don't regret your decision later, Y/N." He downed his drink and stood up. "Hey boys, I got my answer... we're leaving."
His companions stood up too, and the four of them left the bar. You breathed a sigh of relief that you hadn't known that you were holding.
~
Ace came to Issaquah Island a few days later to see you.
"What? Teach was here? He actually dared to come to this place?" Ace was fuming. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. But he said he left the Whitebeard Pirates! What's going on? Did something happen?" You asked.
Ace sat down. "The truth is, two weeks ago, he betrayed us. He killed Thatch and jumped ship before anyone found out."
"Thatch-san..." You stared at him in disbelief. "He is dead?"
Ace hit his fist against the wall. "That's right. He did the worst thing possible and then ran away. Damn it! I'm going make him pay for doing that."
You trembled slightly. To think that Thatch was dead! He was so kindhearted and he had been helpful in assisting you and Ace to get together. Such a person had been killed cruelly by someone that he considered to be a comrade. It scared you.
"What are you going to do, Ace?" You asked.
"I will hunt him down and collect the price for Thatch's life, I won't stop until it's done." Ace said determinedly.
"Do...do you have to?" You asked biting your nails. "I mean you're here alone."
"Are you saying I should just let him go after he did something like that? No way in hell!" He snapped. "He was my subordinate! I'm the one responsible for carrying out what needs to be done. I'll do it alone if I have to!"
"Okay, okay. I'm just worried that something bad might happen if you're by yourself. I mean Teach had some unsavoury looking fellows with him." You told him. "Wouldn't it be better if your captain sent some of the second division members with you?"
He looked away. "That's not gonna happen. I'll be fine on my own. You needn't worry." He seemed to have calmed down a bit, so you sat down next to him. Ace took your hand. "Sorry, I yelled at you, I'm just a little upset."
"It's okay."
"I actually came here with some good news for you. The person I hired to search for your grandmother contacted me, he found her." Ace told you.
"What?" You asked sharply. "Ace, are you serious?"
"Yup. He will call later so you can talk to her."
"Ace! You found Nana!" You said tears in your eyes as you hugged him. "Thank you!"
"Hey... I just don't want you to be lonely, you missed her a lot didn't you? I thought about bringing her here, but now maybe it would be better for you to go to her. I don't like the thought that Teach can just come and go here as he pleases." Ace said.
You looked up. "You want me to leave Issaquah Island?"
"Just think about it, okay?"
You sighed. You had lived and worked here for years, and you were quite fond of the place. Besides, you were sure that you made things pretty clear to Teach and he would not come back here. You supposed it wouldn't hurt to think about it a little.
***
"What? Marco-san and the other commanders fought against Teach? What happened?" You asked alarmed. The front page article on the World Economic Journal was shocking to you.
Sabo, who had been reading the newspaper, sighed. "The signs that something was brewing started showing a little while back, I've been following the story, but it seems like the Whitebeard Pirates were defeated."
"Oh no!" You said frantically. "Were they captured? Or were they..."
"It seems they disappeared. They are calling it the Payback War. I mean, I understand why they went after Blackbeard though. He's been busy taking over Whitebeard's territories on top of everything that happened a year ago. I also... well..." His implication was clear.
"It's hard to believe that bastard is the same Teach that I knew." You clenched your fists. "The Whitebeard Pirates were different from the others who came to Issaquah Lounge. I mean they drank a lot and got handsy too sometimes, but they always got along so well. Like a real family."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. I remember I once gave Thatch-san a mixed beer of my own recipe, and he liked it so much that he asked me to make an extra gourd for Whitebeard himself. I was so nervous." You shook your head. "But when Ace came to visit later, he excitedly told me that the old man wanted more of it...even though Marco-san constantly complained that it was bad for his health. Like children bickering about their father."
"It seems you were close to them. I'm sorry." Sabo said putting an arm around your shoulder.
"Back then, I was alone, you know. Ace said that he'd let me share his family until I found my own." You smiled slightly. "But even I though I have found my own, it doesn't mean that those guys are nothing to me now." You leaned closer to him. "That's why I can't forgive everything that Teach did. Betraying his own family like that is terrible."
"Well, it's actually far worse than that. Because of the culmination of everything he's done, and the fact that he proved that his strength now is greater than that of the remaining Whitebeard Pirates, Blackbeard has taken Whitebeard's place as one of the Four Emperors." Sabo told you.
How awful! How could something like that happen? Everything seemed to go back to him, as if Teach had been planning this for years! But then again, what? There was nothing you could do, even with this kind of information. You could only hope that Marco and the other commanders were okay.
"It really is a cruel world that we live in." You said looking down. "I suppose Rouge and I should be thankful for what we have. That includes our lives which we wouldn't have if it wasn't for you."
"You're right, this world really does need to change." He replied. "And that is exactly why we're here. To revolutionise it, so that people's worth is no longer decided by their lineage."
You smiled. "I look forward to it. Living in the world that you want to create."
***
You followed the news searching for any clues on what could have happened to the Whitebeard Pirates, but their whereabouts were still unknown. There weren't any reports of death, so that was a good thing.
Meanwhile, Baltigo continued to start emptying slowly as more soldiers were deployed all over the world and some of the higher ranking officers started moving to Kammabaka Kingdom in Momoiro Island. Seeing as Sabo was the Chief of Staff, it meant that your family would probably be the last to move.
That year's Christmas was a special one to you. It was your last Christmas in Baltigo as well as your last Christmas with Robin. Because a lot of things had happened this year, you wanted it to be a special event that all of you would remember forever. You wanted to host the greatest family dinner ever and you and the girls went shopping for food and presents as well, using Kai as your pack mule carrying everything that you were buying. Of course, the boy took it all in stride, claiming that this was a good way for him to earn your heart for himself.
Sabo brought home a huge tree from who-knows-where to use as the Christmas tree, which was too big to put inside the house and as a result, the entire dinner took place outside in the moonlight. Baltigo's weather was fairly constant during the year and only slightly stormierthan usual on that day. But you were able hold an outdoors dinner party because Dragon-sama was there with you all.
The table was set for eight, and you and Maya laboured all day in the kitchen while everyone else was busy with the decorations and other things that needed taking care of. Finally all the dishes were set on the table as the guests started arriving, and the atmosphere turned to that of warmth and full of conversation.
The dark green of the tree, the sparkling colourful lights of the decorations, the pale moonlight and the rocky whiteness of Baltigo seemed somehow surreal that night. It was a beautiful colour filled with all kinds of scents from the food on the table.
"Y/N-chan! Everything smells amazing!" Koala said giving you a big hug with Robin smiling behind her.
"Thanks for coming guys." You smiled.
"Thank you for inviting me, Miss Y/N." Dragon-sama says politely handing you a bottle of wine.
"Oh, you didn't have to. I'm glad that you were able to make it sir." You bowed.
Rouge was running around trying to touch the pretty Christmas lights, and Sabo picked her up and put her on his lap. He was positively drooling at all the food on the table and even though you had made so much food, you wondered if it would be enough for everyone. After all, he ate enough for ten people with Kai not being too far behind him.
After giving giving thanks, everyone started digging into the food. The table was set as a buffet style with various meat and vegetable dishes scattered all over the table from cheesy sweet potato gratin, to the crispy brown roast chickens stuffed with various delicacies, roast beef tenderloin which was still sizzling hot with herby sauce that you had learned to make from Sanji, there was lasagna on the table, barbeque pork ribs, homemade egg rolls, rice, ramen, and all kinds of salads.
"Man, you ladies really outdid yourselves today. This is amazing!" Kai said to Maya who was sitting to his right, while you were on his left side.
Next to you, Sabo could barely breathe from stuffing so much food in his mouth at once while trying to hold a conversation with Dragon-sama who was sitting across from him.
"I looked into the weapon deal like you told me, and I think that I have a strong lead." He said swallowing right before picking up a whole chicken and biting into it.
"Is that so? Because it is worrisome how much wars between previously peaceful nations are currently on the rise." Dragon-sama said taking a drink.
"Yeah, it feels like someone is intentionally pitting them against each other for their own benefit." Sabo said, his mouth full.
Amazingly, Rouge was eating from the same plate as him and still managing to actually snatch up some food before he wiped the plate clean. You wondered if your daughter would also one day end up eating like she was fighting for her food just like both her fathers.
"Do you have to talk about work today of all days?" You said handing Sabo a bottle of water as he nearly chocked from both eating and talking at the same time.
"Well, I think we should be grateful that Dragon-san came at all." Robin smiled. "Somehow he doesn't strike me as someone who goes to a lot of parties."
Dragon-sama seems to think for a moment with a serious look in his eyes. "Does it seem that way?" He asked.
You couldn't help but laugh. He did seem a bit out of place.
"Honestly, Y/N worked hard to make this a fun party." Koala said pulling on Sabo's cheek (Surprisingly he continued stuffing his face even still). "Don't ruin it by talking about work!"
"Zave be..." Sabo said to you, but you just smiled, seeing everyone's interactions like this.
You brought out the cake for desert, and cut it for everyone.
"What do you say, Y/N-san? How about we cross arms and feed each other pieces of cake?" Kai proposed. A plate came flying at him from your right and he narrowly dodged it, but Maya managed to smack him on the head.
You smiled again. "I'll take that to mean that you wanna feed me the cake yourself?" You said to Sabo.
"Of course. I can't let that kid steal your attention even for a second." Sabo said holding out the piece of cake for you.
The rest of the evening passed like a complete blur perhaps because you were drunk and you and Koala started singing drunken Christmas carols and dancing in front of everyone. Maya and Kai disappeared into the house to do the dishes and Dragon-sama also vanished after you and Koala asked him to come and do karaoke to 'Bone to be wild' with you.
"Look Y/N-chan! There's no angel on the Christmas tree..." Koala slurred sadly her arm around you. "That's so sad!"
"Don't worry, Koala-chan! We have a real life angel with us!" You said. "Robin-san, I saw you practising before. Please fly like an angel in the sky for us!!!" You called out.
Robin looked thoughtful. "I don't know, I've had a few glasses of wine. I could fall and bash my head against a rock." She said.
"Please Robin-san!!!" You and Koala shouted.
"I don't think they are gonna let up." Sabo told her.
"Very well. But only for a little while." Robin chuckled. "Cien Fleur: Wing!"
Numerous hands sprouted on her back forming the shapes of wings, and she ascended into the sky and flew above you.
"Oh, she's so beautiful! She's gonna make me faint." You said happily watching as she came down.
Sabo caught you. "Are you sure you're not in love with her?"
"Oh I totally am. Robin-san, I love you, let's get married!" You shouted.
"Okay, I think you've had enough to drink." Sabo said.
"So has Koala." Robin said holding Koala up. "I'll take her and Maya home with me."
"Okay, that's for the best." Sabo said.
"Thanks for the dinner! It was a lot of fun." Koala waved as she, Robin and Maya left.
"Bye!" You shouted. "Hey...Sabo...Sa-chan...hey..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Piggy back ride! I want one!" You said jumping up and down.
"Whoa, she's totally out of it." Kai said looking at you.
"Yeah. Do me a favour and put Rouge to sleep, okay...and lock up the house. I'm taking her upstairs." Sabo told him.
"Okay. Goodnight." Kai replied.
"Goodnight." You mumbled as Sabo fulfilled your wish for a piggyback ride.
He put you down gently on the bed and you pulled him down with you, and kissed him forcefully.
"No way." He said breaking the kiss.
"Why not?!" You pouted.
"Because you're crazy drunk, and I don't want you throwing up on me." He laughed. "Also you're gonna feel like crap in the morning, so you better get some sleep."
"You're so stingy." You plopped down on the bed. You lay face up and smiled. "Today was a perfect day, the best Christmas of my life. I won't forget it."
"It really was unforgettable." Sabo smiled.
***
Sabo was busy with work soon after the new year and throughout all of January, barely home, going around different countries with Hack and Koala searching for evidence on smuggled weapons.
"Are you still working on trying to find out who is supplying weapons to countries so that they start wars with each other? Any leads?" You asked him late in February.
He looked up from the papers what he had been wrecking his brain to make sense of. "Just that he's called 'Joker' and his main base is in the New World, however...."
"What is it?" You asked.
"No matter how I look at it, even in my old notes, I made the connection that the countries who obtained the weapons had recently sent people or had their army leaders visited Dressrossa prior to the start of the war." He said. "It's puzzling."
"Why?"
"If I made that connection, wouldn't it make sense to send someone to investigate Dressrossa? Yet I don't remember ever doing that. This is a top priority order from Dragon-san, so it's strange that I never followed up on it." Sabo frowned.
"Well, send someone now." You told him.
"Yeah I will." He said. "But before that there's something that I must tell you." He hesitated.
"Huh? What?"
"I wasn't sure if I should tell you this, but we received Intel that bombs has been planted in the palace of a peaceful country in the North Blue to lure them into war." He said. "It is the Tombe kingdom."
You gasped. "My brother's country?"
"Yeah, look, I know you have a bad relationship with him, but I mean it's still your home-"
"Please!" You said desperately. "Please Sabo, save my brother's life. If they bomb the palace...I don't want him to die!"
Sabo blinked and stared at you for a moment. "I didn't expect you to feel so strongly about it. But I was always gonna do my best to save them, so don't worry. It's just that the World Government raised my bounty after the incident with Cipher Pol, so it's getting harder for me to do stealth missions."
"Tell me what happened?" You asked.
"Apparently, there's a bomb in the palace, and someone is threatening King Kairo to use their weapons to start a war with a neighbouring country. He has a two week deadline. But the Tombe kingdom has been largely peaceful, I'm sure that he is looking for a way to solve the matter."
"Can anything be done?" You asked.
"Well, the bombs from Joker can't be disarmed by just anyone, you need special key codes. Luckily, we've dealt with a few of them before, so we can do it." Sabo said. "However, it's nearly impossible to get into the palace nowadays, under the pretext of construction, King Kairo has the palace on lock down and strict searches need to be done to enter."
"In other words, if you guys rush in and are spotted, Joker and his people will no doubt detonate the bomb and blame another country." You said. "He must have someone on the inside, so it's near impossible for you to get in from outside yeah?"
"Basically." Sabo sighed. "But I'll find a way."
A thought occurred to you. "Say, Sabo. What if there was a secret passageway that could only be opened from inside the palace that leads straight to the sea? If you waited underwater and someone opened for you from the inside-"
"Hold up. What are you saying?"
"My brother couldn't stand me transforming in water in front of people and shaming the family, so he had a secret passage built from my room that leads directly to an abandoned shore by the sea." You said. "If I'm inside I can open for you and-"
"No way! You want to go back to your brother after the way he treated you? And even worse, you want to stay in a palace that is a ticking time bomb? Literally? There's no way I can let you do that!" Sabo refused.
"Look, he was a terrible brother, but he's a good king. I can't let him die!"
"That's beside the point." Sabo argued. "I'll find another way, I promise."
"There's no time!" You said. "He's my older brother, Sabo."
"Y/N-"
"I have to save my brother. I can't let him die. If I don't do anything and something bad happens to him...I'll have to live with the pain and regret." You said. "I know that you understand what I'm talking about! You of all people should understand!"
It may have been taking a cheap shot, but it worked. There was no way he could say no to you after that. Not him.
"Fine. But I'll go with you every step of the way, and I will protect you."
"Deal."
***
You undertook the journey to the North Blue in one of the Revolutionary Army's submarines. This was really your first time in a submarine. You traveled with Sabo, Hack, Tetsu and a few other soldiers. You couldn't leave words behind because you didn't know how many days it was going to take. Sabo didn't say much for the rest of the journey and you knew that he was still not fully sold on letting you come on such a dangerous mission but he was going to respect your wishes and you were really grateful to him for doing that.
The journey was long and it took four days before you all arrived underneath the Tombe Kingdom.
They stopped the submarine at the far side of the island, a few miles from the entrance into the country. You took Rouge in your arms and carried a small bag with you which had a few of your clothes, Rouge's clothes, and the transponder snail. You wore the necklace which contained you royal crest which was actually one of the very few things you had remaining from when you lived here. The only reason why you didn't lose it was because you were wearing it on your neck when you dived into the water and swam away from the kingdom years ago, so you still had it. You still had the proof that you were royalty. When the submarine emerged; you and Rouge got out and Sabo walked the remaining distance beside you.
"If I don't get a call from you every two, hours I'm going to storm into that Palace. Do you understand?" He said as you approached the gate.
"Yes I do, don't worry. Nothing is going to happen." You told him.
"If your brother hurts you or does anything.... I want you to let me know."
"He won't, I promise." You said.
Y/N, be careful. Please." He said with a serious look on his face.
"I will." You said. "Just go under the water and wait at the place where I showed you earlier and I'll let you in."
"Fine. But if anything happens at all-"
"Sabo!" You tried to practice but he pulled you in closer to him. You were holding Rouge, so the three of you were in a tight hug.
"I love you." He said. "Stay safe."
"I will, I promise." You smiled and turned around walking towards the entrance to the kingom. You could feel his eyes on you as you walked away from him, you knew he was worried.
In truth you were also kind of nervous, you hadn't been to this place in years. You wondered how it had changed. Although, you supposed you wouldn't get to see the rest of the country for a while because once the soldiers saw your royal crest they would take you to the palace on suspicion of impersonating royalty or something.
There were a few other people in the queue to enter the kingdom and you waited in line as the Gate Keeper guards checked everyone thoroughly. Then it was your turn.
"Who are you? State your business." A guard said.
"I would like an audience withe the king. My name is Y/N, princess of the Tombe kingdom the only daughter of the previous King. I have returned home."
One of the older Gate keepers snorted. "Huh! I haven't heard one of those in a while!" He said. "Back when the princess first went missing we had all sorts of people coming over and claiming to be her."
"Is that so?" You asked carefully.
"Thats right, so scram lady before I hand you over to the police." The guard said.
"I wonder," You said. "Did any of the people who claimed to be me have the royal family crest?" You asked showing it to them.
The Gate Keepers all marveled when they saw the crest in your hands.
"You! Where did you get that?" The guard asked sharply as he and his companions raised their spears.
You put up your hands. "If you take this if you take me and this Crest to my brother, His Highness Kairo-sama, he will tell you that this really is indeed his sister."
The guard detained you in the station and called over his superior.
"What do we do, sir?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" The superior said. "First off any leads on the missing princess are to sent directly to the King. And second, she has a Royal Crest, we have to take her to the palace immediately."
"Thank goodness." You said.
"If you're an impostor, you are going to be executed, but if you really are the princess...." He paused. "Prepare a carriage for her and send three guards with her."
"Yes sir." The guard answered.
A closed carriage was provided for you, and since the royal city is close to the entry to the kingdom, the journey to the palace was short. The guards made you sit in the detention room in the palace when you arrived, while the they explained the situation to the King's attendants. You also showed them your crest, and then they left you there and you had to wait for what felt almost like an hour in the detention room before someone came and led you to the throne room.
He opened the door and then stepped outside.
You walked into the throne room and saw your brother standing in front of the throne. There were also five guards in the room standing still like statues. Kairo wore blue silk robes, a silver crown on his head and multiple jewelry all over his coat. His face had aged, but he had not changed much at all.
You held Rouge tightly to your chest as you approached him, eyes down. You were dressed only modestly but next to him you might as well have been a pauper. The difference was glaring.
"It...it really is you....Y/N." He said. There was surprise in his emotions but it was overwhelmed by disappointment.
You fell down on your knees before him and bowed your head. You didn't know if you were crying because it was so long since you had seen him or because you had to bow to the person who had caused you so much grief.
"You cursed me and this country and ran from it. What in the world are you doing back here?" He asked.
You clutched Rouge. "I have nowhere else to go."
What would he do? Would he throw you out because you personally offended him in the past or would he accept you back out of his obligation to treat members of the royal family with respect?
"My pitiful little sister." He said coolly. "Welcome home."
So, even he felt pity.
"I..." You started.
"No need to speak. I think I can tell what happened." He said. "You were deceived by a man... and when he found out that you aren't human, he left you to raise that child by yourself. I warned you."
♤It's nothing like that.♤
"Brother-sama, I am tired. I had a long journey. Please allow me to eat and rest here with my daughter." You said, your face still looking down.
"Raise your head. Do not grovel. You may be inferior to me but you are still a princess and my sister." Kairo said. You looked up at him. His expression was unreadable, but you could detect sadness in his emotions. He was probably going through a lot with the threat of war looming over the country. "Do not worry. You will be safe here."
♤Liar♤
"Thank you for the kind welcome." You bowed.
He hadn't changed at all. Somehow, it was a little disappointing.
***
A/N: Chapter 956 and 957 legit almost killed me guys!!!
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that there are only about 5 (+/-1) chapters of this book left before it ends.
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