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Chapter Text

" don't open your eyes yet." Jules heard her boyfriend say from behind her.

It was their 2 year anniversary and Ace had some surprise planned for Jules. He had put a blindfold on her eyes and had taken her somewhere outside the ship.

Jules could feel long grass brushing against her legs as Ace guided her wherever he was taking her. Her curiosity was bubbling more and more with each step she took.

" Ok, we are here on the count of 3 remove the blindfold," Ace said when they came to an halt. Jules nodded and then felt Ace's rough and warm hands on her waist.

She felt his breath near her ear and his lips brushed her skin with each word he spoke in a whispering voice. " One two three, open your eyes petal."

Hearing that nickname she smiled and opened her eyes. The smile turned into a confused look as she saw they stood in a
open grassland which was pitch black as it was night.

She turned around with a questioning look to see Ace smiling ear to ear.

Still staring at him suddenly a small blue light came in front of her and brushed past her nose leaving a warm feeling. Jules blinked and her gaze followed the little blue light.

She turned around and saw the whole field filled with small blue lights flying around. The field was illuminated in blue glow and it felt like she was among the stars.

"Fireflies," she said in a whispering voice. " Not exactly but yes." She heard Ace say behind her. She turned around and saw Ace releasing the small blue lights from his hands.

His devil fruit powers. She remembered how he uses similar move in fights but with green fire.

" It's Beautiful Ace." She said with a wide smile on her face. Ace just stared at her with a smile of his own as he admired her beauty under the calm blue light of his fireflies.

" There's more." He says and Jules gets curious what else is he gonna do. She gets even more confused when he takes a few steps back away from her.

The confusion wears of and shock takes over as Ace gets down on one knee and pulls out a old wooden box from his pants pocket.

Jules cannot believe her eyes as Ace opens the box and holds it before her.

" Jules, it has been 2 years since we have been together and these 2 years have been the best years of my life. I search for my own identity and wish to make my own name in this world but when i am with you i feel like my true self. There's no need to prove my worth and ability when i am with you. It's just you and me and comfort.
I know we are still too young i am 19 and you are 18. But i am sure that i want to spend the rest of my life with you. - Ace but - i know you are gonna say it's too soon to marry but we don't have to marry now. When we both have completed our dreams and are ready to start a life together will you marry me?"

Jules didn't know what to say. She was nervous at first when he started proposing but the worry was thrown away when he reassured her that there was no hurry.

She was madly in love with this sweet kind and brave man and wanted to start a new phase of life with him one day. This proposal was more like a promise. A promise that no matter what and no matter when but in this uncertain world of pirates their love is the only certain thing and will always be there.

" Yes, yes I'll marry you Ace. The day our dreams come true let's get married that very day." She said as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. Ace got up as she moved closer to him.

Closing the gap between them her lips embraced his in a loving kiss. She could feel his smile as he deepened the kiss. She broke the kiss when she felt a cold metal slide on her ring finger.

Breathless from the kiss she looked down at her delicate hand in his comparatively bigger one. A beautiful gold ring with a firey orange diamond in the centre with one turquoise diamond on either side of it fit perfectly on her long slim finger.

" It's beautiful." She breathed and looked up to meet his loving eyes.

For a moment both just stared at each other as they got mesmerized by the love in each other's eyes.

" The orange in between represents me and the turquoise on either side represent you who always supports me," Ace said taking her left hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the ring. the coldness of the metal and the warmth of Ace's touch, together swirled into a tingly feeling that travelled to her heart making her feel giddy and happy.

" I love you Ace. More than anything." She said looking at him with love and admiration filled eyes.

" I love you too petal." He replied, placing a loving kiss on her soft lips as the blue fireflies surrounded them. As the cold breeze blew around them, the warmth of his body made her feel comfortable in his embrace as she closed her eyes, taking in every moment of that kiss. trying to memorize every moment of that kiss.

suddenly the warmth around her increased and it was no more pleasant. her surroundings got hotter and hotter and her body felt like burning. her eyes still closed and in her lover's embrace. but the arms holding her were no more warm and firm making her feel protected. instead they were cold. Ace was ice cold.

she opened her eyes and saw her surroundings burning. in every direction she looked there was fire. when a sizzling sound came she looked in that direction she saw hot molten lava creeping towards her from all directions.

suddenly the arm that was around her holding her firmly went limp. she looked up to see Ace in her arms. his face all bruased up and blood flowing from some wounds. he looked extremely tired and his eyes droopy. just like his hand he lost control of his shoulder and neck and leaned his head on her shoulder.

his body was getting colder and colder. his body turning peal too. Jules was worried now. what was happening to him. he was alright just a minute ago. "Ace? Ace. you okay? what happened to you? you were alright just now. what happened to your face?" Jules asked in a desperate but soft voice. "Jules...i...i am sorry.....sorry i wasnt the....there with you when y....you ne..needed me the m..mo...most. sorry tha....that ......i couldn't sha....share those beautiful mo...moments wi...with you. and i am so....sorry that i can....cannot fully... fulfill our promise. i.....i am..so...so..sorry. ple....please forgive me. I" Ace said in a weak voice. If he wasn't near her ear she wouldn't have heard him at all. She was confused. Why was he apologizing? " what are you saying, Ace? why are you saying sorry. and why wont you fulfil our promise? we are gonna be together Ace how will you break our promise? Jules asked very confused at the situation.

"Ace we.... we need to get out of here the....the fire is spreading and the lava is moving closer and closer." Jules said looking around her trying to find a way out. She moved a little still holding Ace, to see behind her better when she felt a cold liquid on her hands that were on Ace's back. curious Jules loosened her one hand around him.

when she looked at her hand she shivered in horror. her hand was covered in blood, Ace's blood. She froze looking at her bloody hand which was shaking now. her hand was completely drenched in blood now, some droplets falling on the ground. "Ace? Ace are you hurt? what...... what is all this blood. she moved her other hand on his back a little and then she felt it as Ace hissed in pain.

there was a large wound which was bleeding. no not just a wound it was a big hole. a hole in his body big enough for a fist. her eyes widened and her blood ran cold. how...how did this happen.

she froze in shock. " Ace.... what happened to you? ho.....how......how di....did.......you ge...get this.....this wo...wo...wound." Jules was scared as hell now. he had a literal hole through his body. he ......he will die....this wound cannot be fixed. he cannot be treated. As the realization sank in her vision got blurred.

that why he was saying all that. but how could this happen to him. he cannot die. he promised her, to get married and live together once their dreams were achieved. he just promised her minutes ago. he cannot die. these thoughts swirled like a storm in her mind.

"Jules, my petal....all my..li..life...i felt......worthless.....I...I am a person who wasn't supposed to be born....who...who wasn't.... wasn't supposed to....to live. but.....but yo....you.....you loved me....and.....made me feel ha....happy to...to be born....happy to be....be alive. thank....thank you petal, for loving me." Ace said in a broken voice. she could feel his tears on her shoulder. her own tears were making her surroundings blurry.

with those last words his whole body went limp in her hands, and the fire and lava surrounding her vanished and the tempreture dropped drastically. suddenly everything got cold as ice. just like Ace's lifeless body in her hands. " no....no...Ace no.....wake up....Ace...please wake up.......sto...stop sca....scaring me.....like..like this......Ace. Ace?" Y/n said panicking at his irresponsiveness. why wasnt he waking up. no he can...cannot die. he promised her. he....he cannot leave her like this.

she was shivering in the cold now. her uneven breath coming out in cold smokes. "Ace ...get up you basterd.......stop this....wake up....you cannot die....i... i know this is a joke right? stop making fun of me....Ace.....Ace.....wake up.....say something Ace......SAY SOMETHING DAMNIT."

Jules said shaking his shoulders in an attempt to wake him up. in frustration, she screamed at him but ofcourse there was no response. he was gone. forever. leaving her alone. he was a liar. and a sick basterd to break their promise. how dare he leave her alone.

"ace....ace.....ace WAKE UP DAMNIT." she said again too frustrated. As the reality, sunk in that he was not going to respond or wake up and that he really was dead. Jules herself almost stopped breathing.

she started mumbling his name under her ragged breath like a broken record.

"Ace....Ace.....Ace....Ace....dont leave me......Ace...Ace....Ace....ACE." she cried out loud.

"ACE., she screamed her lungs out. "ACE" she screamed again. holding his cold body in a tight embrace.

She kept screaming again and again. "ACE.....ACE......ACE

Chapter Text

2 years ago

It was a pleasant day. The weather was nice and calm wind was blowing throughout the island. The sea was calm with soft waves on the shore. Anyone would be happy with today's weather, but there were some people on the clif side of the island who were anything but happy.

On the cliff facing the sea a little far from the forest edge stood two men looking at the two graves by the cliff edge.

" Red hair, i have no words to express my gratitude." The blond haired man said. He looked exhausted and sleep deprived. Bandages covering parts of this body. Well it was nothing surprising considering they just fought a huge battle some days ago.

"Stop talking nonsense. I always respected whitebeard, even though he was my enemy. And Ace was every important to her."
The Red haired pirate captain said looking at the tired blond.
The blond looked nothing like the strong 1st devision commander of whitebeard pirates. He looked weak and depressed. If this was Marco's condition then how was jules doing he wondered.

" How's she doing?" Shanks asked with a light sigh. Everyone in the whitebeard crew was hurting. They all had afterall lost their father and brother. Everyone felt lost, angry, frustrated, and a lot load of emotions.

But Jules. She was the most hurt. It wasn't fair to compare her pain and the others pain, but it was the truth. She must have felt all her support crumble with the death of her father and her lover.
Yes she had the whole whitebeard crew by her side but ofcourse it was not what she needed in her condition.

" She doesn't eat, doesn't speak, just stares into space with occassionally silently crying. She wakes up every night with nightmares screaming and crying her lungs out and eventually passes out. Then wakes up next day with her throat hurting. And that's not it. All this affects the baby too. I talk to her tell her to take care of herself for the baby's sake but she doesn't respond to anything I say. Just sits there with expression less face. Now tell what do you think how she is doing?" Marco said turning to look at shanks and finished with a huge sigh.

Listening to Marco shanks sighs. His heart sank after hearing her condition. This was really bad. She had to get out of this trauma for her and her baby's sake.

" You wanna see her before you leave?" Marco asked. Shanks just nodded and both walked silently towards the small cottage by the edge of the forest a little far from the graves.

The door to the cottage opened with a squeak as the two men entered. The cottage had only two rooms. The living room and open kitchen were the first room when entered the house and then a door opened to a bedroom having two more doors one for the built in small closet and other for the bathroom.

After entering the bedroom shanks saw the small delicate figure of a young woman sitting on the bed relaxing against the headboard. It looked like she was staring down looking at her hands that rested on her 8 months pregnant belly, but one could easily tell she was zoned out. Consumed by her thoughts. And shanks for sure knew the thoughts weren't pleasent but rather terrifying.

Slowly he walked towards her and sat on the bed beside her facing her. He gently placed his hand on hers in an attempt to grab her attention, but there was no reaction from her. At this shanks sighed. " Hey Jules. Hey look at me. Oi." He said shaking her hand a little trying to get a reaction from her but still nothing.

Shanks let out a frustrated sigh. " Jules please say something. And what the hell have you done to yourself. * Singh* Jules you are not only hurting yourself but also your baby. Would he want you to do this? Would he be happy to see you hurting yourself and your child like this. Do you think whitebeard be happy to see his beloved daughter like this. I know it's hard Jules but.........but you have to get get hold of yourself. If not for anyone then for the baby. That baby is the only part of Ace still living in this world you have to protect it. Please Jules.......you have to stop this and get hold of yourself....... please."

It was not very common to see the great yonko red haired shanks say please to someone or beg someone. He really was concerned about jules. Looking at her now she almost felt unfamiliar. The Jules he knew was not the one sitting in front of him.

The Jules he knew was strong and bold. She didn't fear shit and was feared by many. She was a strong fighter and a master battle knife fighter. He remembered how she had given him a tough fight long back when the two crew's got into a friendly battle. Whitebeard being sick was forced by her to not fight that day and instead she had faced him fearlessly. She lost but still it was one of the toughest fights ever.

After that battle somehow both had gotten into a drinking competition and there too she had given him a close fight. After that day the two had become quite good friends. Whitebeard was his rival but this surprising friendship between him and whitebeards daughter was something very ironic. Whitebeard had doubted that shanks was hitting on his daughter at some point but was told clearly by shanks that he couldn't see Jules in that light and she was more like a baby sister to him being so much younger than him.

But that Jules he knew was gone now. The one sitting in front of him was like a breathing corps. She was breathing but didn't respond to anything around her as if she was dead.

When Jules didn't react to his pleas he felt defeated. What could he do to bring even the slightest of her old self back. With a sigh he got up from his seat.

" I am leaving now. Think about what I said instead of the depressing thoughts that are probably taking over your mind. And please take care of yourself Jules. We are all here for you. Once word and i am there to help you in anyway. " Shanks said and then leaned down to give her a soft kiss on her forehead.

" You are strong Jules. And you can get way more stronger. And you are not alone." Shanks whispered into her hair as he held her close to his chest in a comforting hug.

With that, giving Marco one last greating he left the cottage and walked towards the docks where his ship was. As he got away from the island he wondered what will happen to Jules and how and when she will come out of this trauma.

Chapter Text

The loud scream echoed through the small cottage as Jules woke up screaming and crying. Her eyes closed and breathing heavily. Marco rushed into the room and quickly embraced her in a tight hug.

She kept on screaming and crying - don't leave me. No no no no Ace no. her screaming turned into small mumbling as Marco stroked her hair with one and and rubbing her back with the other. He gently rocked her and kept saying comforting words. - it's ok. Everything is alright. Shhhh. Calm down okay calm down. - and soon just like that she fell asleep after an hour or two.

As Marco laid her gently on the bed and covered her with the blanket he remembered the day this all started. It had been almost a month now but still felt like yesterday.

Flashback

Thanks to shanks arrival the war had finally stopped. After Ace and whitebeard died no one on the pirates side wanted to fight anymore, but the neavy kept attacking so they kept on fighting. But finally thanks to shanks and the brave young neavy solider the war had stopped.

Luffy had managed to escape with help of jimbe and the worst generation rooki Trafalgar law who had offered help. Marco stood by the fort wall a little far from Ace's body holding onto Jules. She was just frozen in his arms just staring at Ace laying a little far from her.

Akainu had aimed to attack her and luffy had pulled her back and had become Akainu's target and that's when Ace had stepped in and taken the hit.

Shanks announced that he will be taking whitebeard and Ace and he didn't want their death to be displayed like this to the world anymore.

As the Red haired pirate crew walked towards their ship shanks saw Marco trying to get alway with Jules. He was struggling with taking her as he was very injured. " Ben help him. Take Jules to Redforce." He ordered Ben and the first met followed.

He gently picked up Jules in bridal style and walked towards their ship. The other Red haired pirates helped other injured people get on ships as the two headed to the red force.

When the crew got onto the Redforce with Ace and whitebear's body and Marco flying landed on the ship, Ben had already reached and was still holding Jules. He saw her coming out of her trance and let her down to stand on her own.

As the pirate holding Ace laid him on the deck slowly Jules walked towards him, and everyone just stood there as if frozen. " Jules" Marco called out but she didn't respond and just stood there beside Ace, looking down at him.

She suddenly burst into tears falling down on her knees. Shanks, Marco and some other crew members stepped closer to her to help her if she got hurt. She was 8 months pregnant afterall, falling like that could hurt her. But they stopped when they saw her sobbing as she held Ace's hand.

" No no no please no Ace don't go please. Wake up Ace please." She as she caressed his cheeks with her soft delicate hands. " Please Ace don't leave me like this please. I...... I can't live without you Ace please." She still holding his one hand in hers and her other hand stroking his cheeks. He had a soft smile on his face and he looked peaceful. This would always make her smile but right now it just broke her more.

" Please Ace open your eyes. Please. Don't...... don't leave me like this. Look.......looke we are gonna have a baby. You...... You can't leave our baby like this. You were so happy to know you are gonna be a father just moments ago when luffy saved you. You can't leave us alone like this." She cried placing his numb hand on her Belly. She felt the baby kick on the spot Ace's hand laid.

" You..... you feel that Ace. Look the......the baby is kicking. It....it just responded to your touch. See our baby knows your it's father. You feel that Ace? Ace? Ace you can feel it right? You......you can feel our baby. Right Ace?" She said smiling but when ofcourse she didn't receive any response she just burt into sobs.

" Answer me Ace. Why aren't you saying anything. Open your eyes. Ace look at me. I.....i know what is happening. This.....this is your just sleeping. Yeah you.....you randomly fall asleep. So so now wake up. Ace wake up damn it." She said wiping her tears and now holding him by shoulder shaking him trying to wake him up. But ofcourse he didn't.

" Wake up Ace stop this now. It's enough wake up. Why aren't you waking up please wake up. Please. Please Ace wake up please." She leaned down placing her head in the crook of his neck as she kept on asking him to wake up and crying.

" He won't wake up Jules." Marco said stepping behind her placing his hand on her shoulder. She suddenly jerked his hand away forcefully " NO he will wake up. He.......he is just sleeping....just.......just sleeping. He will wake up. I....i know he will." She yelled at first then again kept on asking Ace to wake up with her head on his shoulder.

" Jules.....he.......he is gone.......he won't wake up." Marco said with a heavy heart bending down. Tears were threatening to roll down his eyes but he couldn't cry now. She needed him. She needed the support of her big brother right now. Seeing him cry will break her more.

" NO! NO HE IS NOT GONE. HE CANNOT LEAVE ME LIKE THIS. HE PROMISED ME. HE PROMISED WE WOULD MARRY ONE DAY. HE PROMISED A FUTURE TOGETHER. HE CANNOT LEAVE ME ALONE. HE LOVES ME HE IS NOT GONE HE LOVES ME. " Jules yelled looking at Marco. Her throat hurt because of it but she didn't care. Her love cannot leave her alone. He cannot be gone.

" You....you are not gone i..... I know Ace. You....you love me you won't leave me alone like this. I know you won't break our promise. You......you love me......you love me right? Right Ace?............. answer me Ace you love me right?....why aren't you saying anything? Wake up Ace, you love me right....... cause.......... cause i love you.......i love you so much Ace........ I love you....... please wake up." She kept on sobbing and talking to him. As she said those words she leaned towards him and gently placed her lips on his cold once.

Softly kissing him she felt the coldness of his soft lips and the fact of his death that she was trying to suppress kept on breaking through the wall she had built around her to protect herself from the truth. When she didn't feel him respond to her kiss the wall around her broke even more and she sobbed as she stopped kissing him.

" Please Ace wake up. Please don't leave me please." She said in a small voice almost whispering as she looked at him with loving eyes caressing his cheeks. His skin had turned ice cold a complete contrast to his usual warm skin. The warmth that she loved. The warmth that made her feel safe. It was gone. And this realisation made another huge crack on her walls.

" Please Ace please. Ace please. Please." She kept on mumbling as she laid her head gently on side of his chest being careful of his wound. As she kept on crying and mumbling, asking him to wake up and not leave her she suddenly stopped talking. Her lips started trembling and she started shaking. She suddenly hugged him tightly and started crying and sobbing loudly as her walls completely shattered when the final proof of his death hit her.

When she laid her head on his chest she didn't hear his soothing heartbeat. The same heartbeat that she fell asleep listening to. The same heartbeat that calmed her down when she felt nervous or scared. Those heartbeat didn't exist anymore. He was truly gone. And he was never coming back.

Everyone just kept on looking at her with teary eyes. Everyone was hurting with their deaths but seeing Jules grieve her lover's death was so unbearable that many just left the sight. Marco who had been holding his tears lost to himself the moment she had kissed Ace. Everyone remaining just silently cried as they saw Jules sob hysterically as she held onto Ace.

Soon she passed out with all the crying. " The exhaustion finally took over." Shanks said when he noticed getting Marco's attention. Marco saw her and was about to pick her up when Ben stopped him.

" I'll take her in. You are too injured get treated first. " He said to Marco and Marco nodded. Bend picked up Jules and took her inside the ship in the captain's quarters so that she was comfortable.

" That even made you cry didn't it?" Ben said as he came back to the deck and stood beside shanks. " Hu? Yeah i guess. She is gonna be in a miserable state. Not to compare but she's the most hurt here right now." Shanks said with a sigh.

The days here after are gonna be really hard for her, he thought. But he also knew that Jules was gonna survive this and come out stronger.

Chapter Text

MARCO POV

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into month. Jules was about to complete 9 months in a few days. I was more and more alert and always kept my eyes on her.

Her overall health hasn't improved much but she atleast eats good amount of nutritious food. I have tried and tried to cheer her up all this time. Tried to help her get out of this trauma but nothing worked. mentally she was still in a horrible state.

It was late in the afternoon now and I was washing dishes as we just had lunch. Suddenly my den den mushi started ringing. I wiped my hands and picked it up.

" Hello doctor, this is Mrs timber from yesterday. Can you please come to see my husband he......he something is wrong with him please come fast. " The leady on the other end said in a panicked voice.

I had started a small clinic on the island to earn money. Mr timber had caught some rare virus and I had given him temporary medicine yesterday till i searched for the cure.

" I'll be there soon." I said and hung up. I went to the bedroom and saw Jules as usual sitting on the bed by the window looking outside.

" Jules some emergency came up i need to go. Will you be okay alone?" I asked as I packed my bag of medical supplies.

She just looked at me gave me a nod and again looked outside.

" Okay then here keep this den den mushi with you. If there is anything wrong even the slightest problem, call me immediately." I said placing the den den mushi beside her on the bed. She gave me a nod and i smiled at her before leaving.

Our cottage was on the other end of the island isolated from the town. It was great as it was barely noticeable and hence safe if the neavy came to the town.
I turned to my pheonix form and flew towards the town. This island used to be under whitebeard pirates but not anymore. it isn't under world government as the island is quite poor and cannot pay heavenly tribute.
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I have been at Mrs Timber 's place for an hour now. Her husbands condition has gone down as the infection spread more and more. Luckily it wasn't contagious and hence the people around were safe. I was doing various tests on him to find the cure. i was working on making the medicine when suddenly the den den mushi in my pocket started ringing.

"pelp pelp pelp pelp pelp........ pelp pelp pelp pelp pelp.....pelp pelp pelp kacha." I picked up the call and was started by jules crying on the other end.

" ma...marco....marco come fast. its its hurting too much marco hurry back, ahhhhh." she groaned in pain. million thoughts started running through my mind hearing her. she was crying and groaning in pain on the other end of the den den mushi. quickly composing myself i took a deep breath and talked to her.

" listen jules i am coming there just hold on bit okay. I'll be right back. until then take deep breaths and try to relax your body. if your body is tense it will hurt more. okay can you do that until i come there?" i said as i hurriedly packed all my equipment.

" o...oaky marco bu...but come fast i....i have a bad feeling something bad is gonna happen.please come back fast i......i am scared." she said in a scared voice and i reassured her before hanging up. i rushed out the door without saying anything to mrs timber. i could hear her yelling behind me asking where i am going and what will happen to her husband but i didn't care whatever shit happens to him right now. jules needed me and i had to go without wasting time.

as i flew towards our cottage i thought about what jules. since i left the cottage i have had a bad feeling about toady. just like she said there was this feeling that something bad was gonna happen. as i flew to the cottage i suddenly noticed a bunch of ships not very far but not too close to the island. they were coming towards the back of the island near the cliff side right where our cottage was situated.

"shit" I cursed and flew towards the cottage as fast as possible. why today why now, I thought as I saw the marine ships come closer and closer to the island. it seems like they found out we are here. i reached the cottage and slamed the door open. they were still quite far we have to get out of here I thought.

i went to the bedroom and saw jules curled up on the bed holding her stomach groaning in pain. when she heard the door open and looked at me and I saw her face stained with tears. she was crying in pain. " macro......marco please do something it hurts." she said and her face scrunched as pain shoot through her body. shit this cannot be happening right now. " hold on jules it will be fine soon." I said as I sat beside her on the bed.

" okay it looks like you are have contractions. I'll check how much dilated you are okay?" I said and she nodded. i quickle checked her as fast a s possible. she was 3 cm dilate. okay we still had some time.

" ' now listen to me jules and don't freakout stay clam okay. the...the neavy is here they are heading straight towards the cliff. you have to hold on a bit as we gotta get out of here before they come." I said as clamly as I could and her eyes widened.

" the.... the neavy. how....how did they find us...?" she said with a worried expression. " I don't know but we gotta get out of here." I said and helped her stand up. she yelped in pain but still stood up somehow. " lets get out the back door.yoi" I said and helped her walk out.

just as we stepped out she lost balance and was about to fall but I held her in time. she clutched her belly and screamed in agoney. shit her contractions are getting worse,

" here" I bent down and picked her up bridal style and she clutched onto my shirt as another contraction hit her. i didn't fly as the neavy might notice me in the sky. we walked towards the forest. just as we entered the forest there was huge blast. i turned around and saw the cottage we lived in broken to shreads and burning. just the thought that we were there some moments ago made a shiver run down my spine. " ahhhhhh marco." jules cried in my arms clutching my shirt closer. the pain must be increasing as time goes by.

through the forest we ended up at the other edge of the ialsnd. i had kept a boat here ready just in case of emergencies. i made jules sit in the boat as I untied it. getting on myself I rowed it away from the island. when we reached a little distance I opened the sailes and the speed increased. i smiled in success but I was interrupted when suddenly water slpashed from right beside our boat. i looked behind and saw the marine ships sailing towards us.

we were quite far from them but still in their cannon range. " fuck those basterd yoi" i said as i tried to sail our small boat away from their range. on the other hand jules was again curled up on the boat floor holding her stomach. i need to tend to her as soon as possible.

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JULES POV

this had to be the worst time to have baby. i had started getting cntractions and they were getting worse by the minute. the pain shoot through my body and it specially hurt in my lower belly and back. it was getting unbearable. marco had told me to stay calm but right now looking at him I saw the rare sight of macro getting worked up. he was sweating and his eyebrows looked stressed as he tried to get away from the marine ships. over the last month everything had been peaceful

the government hadn't given any new in the paper about me. the world only knew I was the beloved daughter of late whitebeard and the 1st division vice commander. it was as if the government didn't want the world to know my relation to Ace and about my pregnancy. everyone in crew and shanks's crew had expected the news to come out but nothing came.

then shanks had said that with me and my baby the Gol.D. Roger bloodline continued. Ace was about to executed because they wanted to end the bloodline. the neavy was probably ashamed of the fact that even after such huge war and complete destruction of marineford the bloodline continued to exist, so to save their reputation they probably didn't reveal about me.

the sound of cannons had stopped and I looked up at macro who was looking exhausted. after a moment he sighed and looked at me with worried eyes. suddenly another wave of pain shoot through me and macro was right beside me. " okayeven though you will have to endure pain for much longer let's hope that you arent much dilated." I nodded and my vision was getting blurry with tears.

Chapter Text

JULES POV

we have been on the sea for hours now. following the long pose Marco had we were hoping that we reach an island soon. i was extremely exhausted and covered in sweat. my contractions had become worse as the time between the next one was getting less and less. according to macro I was almost 8 to 9 cm dilated now and we needed to find an island soon as I could go into labour anytime now.

my throat was dry and I needed water but we didn't have any. i was extremely dehydrated and feeling weak. " macro I.......i am scared......the the baby will come any time now and .......i don't don't think I have enough energy." I looked at macro as he was looking around with his binaculors for an island. " it will be alright jules. i am here we will see an island soon. don't worry just try to calm down and keep your body relaxed." he said turning the other side to see in that direction.

i let out a shallow breath as I tried to relax my body. i looked at him and frowned. that idiot telling me to relax and calm down when he was looking like that. marco was a very calm person. he rarely panicked or freaked out. but right now was the greatest sight of it all. he had never looked this scared or panicked or frustrated or worried. his expression suddenly changed to that of surprise.

" is that?......" he said and he adjusted the bunaculors and checked again. " its a ship. jules its a ship doesn't look like a marine ship." he said with a small smile of relief. " whose ship is it?" I asked a little relieved but it didn't show as another wave of pain hit me.

" I looks like.........hu?........that's........that's the kuja pirates." he said even more surprised then before. the kuja pirates. they were lead by the pirate empress boa hancock as far as I knew. she had helped luffy during the war to save Ace but she was also warlord meaning she worked for the government. i couldn't tell if we could trust her and ask for help or not.

but before me or macro could make a decision the ship was already headed our way. marco got to my side and held me protectively as the huge ship got closer. i whimpered as i felt the pain again worse than before. breathing deeply i tried to relax but as i expected the pain didn't stop but only increased. i clutched onto marco's shirt trying to get his attention but just then the huge ship stooped beside our small boat.

" its Marco the phoniex " a woman shouted standing at the railing. i whimpered against marco again as the pain increased and he looked at me worried. he looked back at the ship and thought for a moment. i looked at him confused. what was he thinking of doing.

" macro the phoniex, its ironic to see you here like this drifting on the sea." came a very soft but stern voice of a woman. " pirate empress boa hancock, well I am surprised to see you here too.yoi" macro said in an oddly friendly manner. he was never so formal or friendly.

" pirate empress look its edward jules with him." another woman said surprised. " looks like you guys are in some kinda trouble." Hancock said amused. " pirate empress, you are right we need help, jules...she is about to go into labour any moment and needs proper treatment. please I request you to help us." macro said politely. i held him closer as the pain increased and tried to suppress a scream. " and why would I help you?" hancock said arrogently flipping her hair. " please. she needs help right now, we were attacked my the neavy and she started getting contractions in this worst situation. she will go into labour any minute now please help us , help her."

macro almost begged her now and I couldn't help but cry burying my face in his chest. the kuja pirates weren't exactly our allies but for me he was ready to beg them for help. i looked up at hancock standing by the railing proudly. " please." I said and before I could say any thing else unbearable pain shoot through me and I screamed. " jules." macro pulled me I a tight embrace stroking my hair to calm me down as I cried in pain.

suddenly I felt some liquid flow down my legs. " macro...my...my water." I couldn't finish my sentence as I cried out again in pain. " shit shit shit. please I beg you , please help us. her her water broke she has to give birth right now please help her." macro said looking at the kuja pirates with pleading eyes and desperate voice.

a woman whispered something in hancocks ear and she looked surprised. " get them on board fast and prepare for jules's treatment." hancock said and imedietly the crew got to work.

marco picked me up and got on the huge ship. a woman showed him the way to a room where he laid me down and my body relaxed a little. but not for long as I felt pressure on my lower belly making me feel like I was being stabbed there.

" shhhhhh it will be alright. you'll be fine take deep breaths." macro instructed holding my one hand as some women were arranging some things around the room. " I am doing this only because that child is luffy's brother's. i don't want luffy to think badly of me for not helping his brother's wife." hancock said a little rudely to macro but her eyes were dreamy like a teenage girl in love. marco just said thank you and I ignored her weird behaviour as the pressure increased.

" get me clean towles and warm water." macro said and two woman brought what he asked for. suddenly I felt the need to push and held Marco's hand in a tight grip. " ma...marco.....i... feel like...aghhhhhh." macro looked at me and moved the small hair from my face giving me a reassuring look. " i know jules i know. I'll count to three and you have to push with all your strength. " he said and i just nodded unable to form words anymore.

" one two three." macro said and i took a beep breath and pushed as much as i could. i leaned forward to help myself with the pushing but lost energy and fell back on the pillow. my breath was heavy and everything hurt. " one more time jules you can do it." macro encouraged me but i couldn't move. i shook my head looking at him saying no. " you have to do it jules the baby needs to come out soon it wont be good for the baby." he said trying to calmly tell me but failing.

" i....i can't marco.....too....too tired. i...i cant." i said as tears streamed down my eyes. i was feeling frustrated at myself. if only i had taken care of myself i wouldn't have been so weak right now. " you can do it jules i know you can, for the baby, for Ace you have to do it yoi" marco held my hand tightly trying to encourage me.

" he was supposed to be here marco beside me right now. he was supposed to say all this to me. i need him marco, i cant do this without him." i said as i thought about Ace. he wasn't there for the whole pregnancy. hell he didn't even know until he saw me at marineford. but i thought that he will at least be there when i would give birth. but no he wasn't here. he could never be here now. i started crying even more as i thought about him. " he cannot be here jules......even i wish he was here with you right now supporting you but he cannot be here. but......but you have to be strong, for him for your baby. he is not here but he wouldn't want you to give up like this, now would he?" macro said calmly still holding my hand.

sniffling i shook my head no and macro gave a small smile." then you have to push. you have to bring your baby to this world. you have to bring this last part of ace that is alive now to the world. you can do this jules. i know you can." macro said softly holding my hand and caressing my face. i nodded trying to hold back my tears. i took deep breaths and calmed down and then with all the strength I could gather I pushed. my whole body hurt and it felt like I was being cut in half but I kept pushing. with the last bit of energy I had I kept on pushing as I could feel the baby coming out. it felt like all my bones were being crushedand my muscles being torn apart as I screamed with the final push which brought immence unbearable pain throughout my body making me feel like I was on the verge of death, and maybe I was as in the next moment my body felt limp and I fell back on the soft pillow.

my breath was shallow and my vision was going black and again normal again and again. my mind was a mess and everything hurt. i wasn't able to even move a finger as I lay there just limp. i felt like I was cut in half and both halves of my body hurt like hell with burning pain rushing through my vains. with each breath it was getting hard to breath and my vision was getting messy and flashing black. i felt rough hand on my cheeks slapping them lightly and someone saying something, but the voice was messy too and couldn't understand what was happening.

i tried to concentrate on this person who was shaking me now. it hurt my head but I still tried to figure out what this person was saying. the voice got a bit clear and I realised it was marco. i focused more and slowly his words got clear. "jules, jules can you hear me? jules look at me focus on me. don't pass out. jules, hey focus on me." macro was saying in a panicked voice. i tried my best to focus and eventually my vision got clear and the voices around me too.

i looked at macro who was right in front of me holding my face. he had tears in his eyes and a relieved smile on his lips. " thank god you are okay." he whispered as he kissed my forehead and again looked at me with teary eyes. i just looked at him surprised seeing him cry for the first time. but my focus was broken when I heard a shrill cry from behind him. he realised that and moved away and I saw the woman who helped macro with my delivery holding a small baby in her hands. the baby was wrapped in a soft blanket roughly cleaned up.

i looked at macro surprised not believing that I had done it. my baby was here. my baby was here in this world. the last piece of Ace alive. tears pooled in my eyes as the woman brought the baby to me and gently place it in my arms. marco had helped me be in a half sitting position.

with trembling hand I held the baby and looked at it with a fond smile. " its a beautiful girl." the woman said and I smiled. i looked at the baby girl in my arms and couldn't help the sob that came out as I thought of how Ace would have reacted.

i observed her features closely as she was sleeping soundly. she had small pink lips which looked like mine. her small nose was sharp like Ace's. she had those cute frecales just like him and jet black hair like him too. i brushed the soft baby hair from her forehead and she opened her eyes.

marco who was now sitting beside me gasped when she opened her eyes and reveled beautiful turquoise eyes just like mine. " this feels like dejavu. when we first found you you were sleeping. when you opened your eyes for the first time, everyone was mesmerised looking at your turquoise eyes. they looked like jules and hence oyaji named you jules." macro said wiping his tears. " she is beautiful." I said and he hummed.

i held her close to me and geva a gentle kiss on her forehead. " your name will be Rose, Portugas.D.Rose." i said and smiled at her. she smiled back at me crookedly. i chluked and kissed her forehead again. " i love you, more than anyone in this world. and.......and your dad loves you too, more than anything or anyone in the world, he loves you more than me for sure." i said and smiled at her with teary eyes. she let out a small babbling sound as if responding to me and i huged her close letting all my tears fall down.

Chapter Text

2 years later.
JULES POV

It has been 2 years since Rose came to this world. That day after i passed out from crying holding my daughter, Marco rested too. For hours the kuja pirates took care of her and instantly bonded.

After i woke up and so did Marco they told us to stay onboard till we reached Amazon Lilly. I needed to recover so Marco agreed. When we reached Amazon Lilly after a few days surprisingly Hancock insisted that I lived there.

After discussing the matter Marco and i realised that it was the best option. She was a warlord and hence there was no risk of neavy unless she told them about my location. It would also be good to settle in one place without the struggle of going from island to island as Rose was just a baby. All in all it was the safest option and hence we agreed. Marco was given a small house on the other side of the island as he refused to leave me alone.

Over the two years life had been stable. Some months after coming to Amazon Lilly the remaining whitebeard crew came for Marco. They were delighted to see me healthy and meet Rose as well. They all had teary eyes when they saw how similar she looked to Ace. Except for the Colour of her eyes and her lips she was a spitting image of Ace.

It turned out they had decided to get revenge on Blackbeard for what he did to Ace and Oyaji. It was a payback war and they wanted Marco to lead it. After a lot of convincing from me he agreed. They lost but still gave a tough fight. After that Marco was in a depressed state as he was still not over Oyaji's death. he had been one of the people who were with oyaji the longest. It was hard for me too. He was my dear pops who adored me. He was like a best friend and also a father. as he had been sick and somewhere I had been preparing my heart for the day he would die. i still got nightmares of Ace and Oyaji dying but it was easier to get over Oyaji's death than Ace. Ace was gone and he was too. If he would have been with me at least it would have become easier to cope with Ace's death.

To find piece and let out his guilt of not being able to save them Marco wanted to go and take care of sphinx island, Oyaji's home island. He was worried about me but again after a lot of convincing from me he agreed.

Life had been peaceful for last two years. I still had nightmares but not every night. They were still frequent but it was better than before. I still cried holding Ace's and Oyaji's photo in the silence of night when Rose was asleep. Rose had helped me a lot in getting out of my grief as I had to focus on her a lot. Her first crawl, her first time standing, her first step and her first word were the happiest moment of my life and also saddest moment as all i wished was Ace to be there.

Seeing his daughter crawl for the first time. Being happy when she learned to stand. Encouraging her as she took her first step and being the happiest person alive when she said her first word. He would brag about his daughter and show her off to the world. She would have been his princess and have had him wrapped around his fingers. But all this now only existed in my imagination. And this fact hurt. It always did.

Rose was the sweetest girl. She was a ball of energy just like Ace and also had the same habit of falling asleep at random times. She was very talkative and was improving day by day. I had shown her Ace's picture and told her he was her dad. She was sad that he wasn't there with us but she knew he was in a happy place. I never missed a chance to tell her how much Ace loved her and he was a great dad even though she never met him.

She called him dad and that was her first word. I had cried that night myself to sleep. She was very active too and she loved to draw. Her drawings were ofcourse very hard to understand but still I loved to listen to the stories behind them.

She ate almost anything. Just like Ace. Her appetite was much more than children her age too. She loved listening to stories and also make up her own. She also loved the sea.

After all, her parents were pirates. The pirate blood in her called for the ocean and she often asked questions about it. She loved the huge ships and always asked where they were going. She loved spending time at the beach too.

Everyone on the island adored Rose and she could always be found at someones house them pampering her. Hancock too loved Rose and dressing her up. Hancock's sassy nature was rubbing off on Rose too. They had thrown a huge party for her first birthday. As everyone was always eager to spend time with Rose i got time for myself.

I would spend that time on training and polishing my combat skills. I had to keep myself up with my combat skills to protect Rose. We were safe here but it was always better to be safe than sorry. It also helped me keep my mind off from drifting to thoughts of Ace and Oyaji.

Today was another day. I was in the palace arena practicing with Miya who was a sword user. My combat style was battle knifes.

At first i could only do close combat but after a lot of practice i could do long range combat too. Oyaji had also gifted me special set of knives on my 15th birthday, which had gems embedded in their handles. It also had a set of bracelet with it. The gems attracted eachother when coated with armament haki. This allowed me to throw my knifes at a far away target and then pull them back to myself. It required a lot of practice but now i could easily do it.

I was at a dule with Miya when the warning horns of the island blowed and we both stopped.

" Its marines. They are attacking." A woman came running and told us. We both hurried to the palace. Hancock and the kuja crew were gathered there. " What happened why is the neavy attacking." I asked frantically.

" Mumma" my attention went to the small figure of Rose running towards me as she jumped from. Marigold's hold. " Hey there little devil." I said smiling as i picked her up.

" The news just came. The government has dismissed the seven warlord system and now higher officers are going after all the warlords." Marigold said worried.

" So they are here to attack and arrest you." I said as calmly as possible. I didn't want Rose to catch on the tense atmosphere and get worried.

" no need to worry Jules. I know you are worried about your and Rose's safety. You guys stay in the palace and some woman will stay with you for your protection. " Hancock said reassuringly.

" No....i...i mean yes I am worried but you...you don't have to do that. I....i will be alright. And i....i can help yo - "

" No you will not be fighting with us." Hancock cut me off. Honestly I didn't want to fight with them as my first priority was to keep Rose safe. But I also wanted to help them as they had done so much for me and Rose. I was stuck in between my duty and gratitude.

" Jules, i know you must be contemplating what to do right now. You don't have to help us. Your first priority should be and is to protect Rose. The neavy cannot know about you and Rose. We have helped you right. Then if just for gratitude if you fight for us all our efforts will be in vain right?" Grandma gloriosa said authoritatively.

" But" i started and Hancock cut me off.
" No buts. You are not going to fight with us. You will be with rose safe right here in the palace. " Hancock said as a final statement and I gave up. She was right too. I need to keep Rose safe.
_______________

The battle was on full blow on the front of the island. Me and Rose were in the palace with 4 soldiers. Rose was busy playing with her toys and i was just looking at her play. I was on full alert observing my surroundings.

Suddenly I felt some unknown people walking through the palace. The 4 soldiers also noticed it and i immediately picked up Rose.

My knives were in their place on my hip and i was on high alert. " Jules we should get out of the palace from backside. It's best to avoid encounter with the neavy." Julie one of the soldier with me said. I nodded and put on the long cape with hood i had just in case.

We got out the back gate and went into the forest. As we reached the small cottage Marco used to live in there was a man standing near it. We all got on alert and i covered Rose with my cape. with one hand I was holding rose and with the other one of my knife. listening to our footsteps the man turned around.

he was a old looking man but still looked very much fit. his hair was long and reached his shoulder and his facial hair was done in a unique way. julie beside me sighed and relaxed. i looked at her confused and the man in front of us smiled.

" its just you reighly, we were scared for a minute there. what are you doing here?" julie said now standing relaxed. i was still holding Rose protectively and the knife in my hand in a alert position. reighly, that name sounds familiar. i thought for a moment and then it clicked me.

" reighly, as in silvers reighly?" I said still cautious. he looked at me and smiled. " yes, silvers reighly ex member of roger pirates. and you must be edward jules, daughter of whitebeard." he said and I relaxed. if he was reighly I could relax. oyaji had told me hundreds of stories about the roger pirates, he always respected them.

" yes that's me. but I go by Portugas. Edward. Jules." I said firmly. after Rose was born and i gave her Ace's last name, i decided to take it myself as well. we never got to marry but still i wanted to honour our relation and it made me feel close to him. so i decided to combine Ace's and Oyaji's name with mine.

" wait what?" reighly said confused. before i could say anything his mind had already put two and two together and his expression changed to that of a surprised but still understanding. " than i guess that is your and Ace's child. so the roumers are true." reighly said with a sigh.

i nodded and he gave me a reassuring smile. " what's its name?" he asked walking towards me and looking at Rose. " her name is Rose. Portugas. D. Rose." i said with a smile and removing the coat from around her so that he could see her.

reighly gasped looking at her and then a fond smile took over his lips. " hey there little Rose." he said and after staring at him for a moment Rose smiled wide, " hello, you are old like grandma glori, can i call you grandpa?" she said innocently. one thing about rose was that she could talk to anyone. she was never afraid to approach strangers. it was a good thing but also dangerous and she couldn't sense danger.

reighly laughed and lightly pinched her cheeks. " if thats what you want." rose nodded giggling. suddenly reighly got serious.

" anyway i came here to help. shakkey wanted to come too but i told her to stay at shabondy." reighly said to julie. " thank you reighly, the marines are at the front side. we sensed some unknown people entering the palace and got out of there. they cannot know about Jules and Rose." julie explained.

" well the government already had doubt that Jules is alive and she has Ace's child. though its just a boubt as they think she must have died when she escaped from the island she was hiding at." reighly said with a worried shigh. i nodded confirming that it had happened.

" julie take this boat i have and go to shabondy with Jules and Rose. shakkey will tell you what to do. its not safe to be here anymore. you have to go." he said hurriedly. julie nodded and looked at me. for a moment i thought what to do and finally nodded.

" you get on the boat with Rose I'll be there in a minute. i did as she told and she came in minute with a bag from marco's cottage. here this bag has some necessities we will need.

with that we took the boat and hurried away from the island. after 2 years of peace, i had a felling my life from here on was going to be a survival game.

Chapter Text

Luckily we escaped from Amazon Lilly without issues. We were able to get past the marine ships without them noticing us. In 1½ day we reached shabondy. We docked at the grove closest to shakkey's rip off bar.

When we reached there shakkey welcomed us warmly. She was a very young looking woman. When she told us reighly was her husband i could not believe it. She was very offended when Rose called her grandma and told her to call her shakkey.

She adored Rose a lot. She told us to rest for the night. Next day she told me to escape to fishman island as the neavy didn't go there. Shabondy didn't have a lot marines anymore but the amount of pirates has increased. And if anyone recognised me it would be a huge problem. I also agreed with her as fishman island would be a safer place without neavy.

Jimbe too knew me and the island used to be under whitebeard pirates protection. Reighly had told shakkey to keep a medium sized ship ready with coating when he told her about us coming. Julie would be returning to Amazon Lilly and i along with Rose would be going to fishman island.

New world was dangerous but those were the waters i was most familiar with. It was the sea i grew up on and it was like my home.

Hence the next morning before sunrise while Rose was still sleeping i loded the ship with supplies for both of us and got on. With a goodbye i headed to fishman island. I had travelled here millions of times so it was a piece of cake to reach there.

The island hade many pirates so I kept ony coat with the hood. I also told Rose not to talk to anyone and for once keep her energy down. She was being a good girl but still whined. Going through the island I reached the palace. The king knew well who I was and greeted me happily.

The island was now under big mom pirates and that was a bad news. If they found out I was here, my end was sure. Unfortunately jimbe wasn't there on the island and he had left his crew too to join strawhats.

The strawhats. That was luffy's crew. Ace had talked a lot about him. His childhood adventures with luffy and his other brother sabo never ended. Once the topic of luffy came over there was no stopping him. He was a proud big brother. He had been so excited when luffy got his first bounty he spent all his allowance in treating the crew with drinks and food.

After he left Alabasta Ace had sent a letter talking about how much luffy had grown up and how strong he was now. He had talked about how his brothers crew was amazing and took great care of his brother. Ace always told how hard to handle luffy could be and he was happy that his brother had a reliable crew. He told how jolly they all were and how pleasant the atmosphere on the ship was.

After listening to Ace talk so much about luffy i had too kept track of the news that came about him. I had met him at Marineford too. Looking at his determination to save Ace i felt relieved for some reason. He was a year younger than me and definitely had less experience of piracy too but he had still managed to save Ace. Well before Ace..............

Anyway I hadn't talked to him or introduced myself to him but I knew one thing for sure. He had a strong will and he could do anything for his loved one. Listening to all his adventures from Ace I also knew he was a childish person but he was strong and determined too.

Since then I had kept tabs on him and heard of a lot of his achievements.

Anyway when I was at fishman island apparently jimbe had left for wano to join luffy and help him in war against kaido. Luffy must have been insane or one hell of a brave person to go against kaido but for some reason I also believed that if there was anyone who had the slightest chance against kaido then it was luffy.

I had stayed a few days at fishman island when the most surprising but not so surprising news at the same time came.

The big mom and kiado had been defeated. It was the greatest news going on around the world. Everyone involved had their bounties raised and luffy had been declared the emperor of the sea. The fishman king had declared told me that now fishman island was gonna be luffy's territory as he had promised.

But when this happened the remaining big mom pirates attacked fishman island in an attempt to still have it under their control. And that's when things got bad. In the whole chaos the big mom pirates found me and Rose. It didn't take a genius to figure out who Rose was. In that chaos i had somehow managed to get out of there and enter the new world.

Thing only got worse after that. The neavy was now sure of me being alive and also of Rose's existence. Though there was no official notice of my capture to the general public around the world. But the world still gets to know some or the other time. There were rumours about me and Rose everywhere and anyone suspicious was handed to neavy.

I had been moving from island to island being chased by neavy. Over the years as a whitebeard pirate i had a lot of money. It was safely stored in the bank by a fake name. * What I am a smart pirate. I have a savings account too.* It came in handy specially when me and Ace decided to be together in the future so it was a good idea to save.

If i was lucky enough i could withdraw some money from the bank on an island but that wasn't often. The banks were no more intimidated by me as I was * hate to admit it* quite vulnerable now and one call to the neavy and i had to run again.

So now i was going from island to island with Rose and limited supplies trying to get away from neavy. Most trusted and safe island I knew were further deeper in the new world and it was gonna take quite sometime specially in my case as Rose was with me too.

Rose surprisingly didn't suffer from the issues of the sea i thought she would such as sea sickness or fear of the open ocean. She was afterall pirates daughter and was almost like she was used to all this sea traveling.

All in all i had been right and since leaving Amazon Lilly my life had really become a struggle to survive.

Chapter Text

One week. It has been one week since I have been on the sea without supplies. I had escaped the last island a little about a month ago. The navy base there had got an alert about my arrival and with supplies only enough for a month I had to hurriedly escape.

after 1 and a half months, we have now finally reached an island. As I docked our small ship and got off I made sure Rose and I were completely covered and nobody recognised us. I walk towards the town center searching for the market. I see a lot of navy soldiers among the crowd. I need to restock on supplies as soon as possible and get out of here before I am noticed.

I went from shop to shop taking all the things I needed. I stopped at a fruit shop selecting fruits. rose was too looking at the fruits with her mouth-watering. I felt really sorry and guilty for her as she couldn't eat much for last week. there was only some food left and we had to live on that till we reached an island. she was definitely very hungry. I thought of stopping at a restaurant so that she could have a nice meal but again I saw some marines and gave up on that thought. I will make her a nice meal once we get on our ship.

once I finished buying enough to last us longer than before I started going towards the docks. suddenly I felt as if someone was following me. but thinking it's just a hunch I brushed it off. but I still kept on feeling like I was being followed. Soon I felt like many people were watching me and I got alert. when the feeling didn't go away but only increased I held Rose protectively and also held my knife in my other hand. " mumma something wrong." Rose said sensing the tension as well.

"It's okay honey don't worry, mumma is here," I said calmly and smiled at her. She smiled back and looked relieved. even though to her I looked calm in my mind I was scared. I could feel a lot of people around me and there was this bad feeling too. I knew it would be hard to fight so many people alone especially when I was extremely hungry and hence weak. it wasn't as if I was unconfident about my skills but I knew that one week of hunger would immensely affect my skills right now.

I started walking faster but I felt more and more people around me as I got closer and closer to where our ship was. I felt relieved when I saw the docks were close now, but my hopes were short-lived. when I reached where I remembered I docked our ship, there was nothing but broken pieces of wood floating on the water. shit, they know I am here, they know it's me, they followed me here to trap me.

I stood there frozen, I felt a large number of people coming closer and closer towards me. now it was clear as I could also hear their footsteps. I was surrounded from 3 sides and in front of me was the sea. there was nowhere I could run.

" Portugas. Edward. Jules, there is nowhere to run. you are under arrest for the crime of piracy and your relation to the son of pirate king Gold Roger, Portugas.D.Ace. Portugas.D.Rose is also to be handed to the navy as she is the child of Portugas.D.Ace. I request you to cooperate otherwise we will have to use the mode of violence. we do not wish to hurt you or the child." a deep voice of a man said in a very professional manner.

I slowly turned around and saw around 50+ neavy soldiers surrounding me. the captain stood at the front and I guess he was the one who had said that to me. I chuckled amused at what he said.

" you have no intentions of hurting me or my daughter you say, but still here you are surrounding me so that I can be arrested and taken to the headquarters and then killed along with my daughter," I said coldly. it was ironic how the navy talked about justice and then proceeded to execute, no no, murder someone just for who their parent was.

"Please cooperate and we won't hurt you," he repeated again in the same manner. it was getting on my nerves. dam basterds, talking about not hurting us but are here to get us killed in the end. I took a deep breath and didn't say anything. I observed and sensed my surroundings looking for a way to escape. I cannot fight them right now.

"I'll take you not saying anything as a disapproval. soldiers arrest her." the captain said and the navy soldiers charged towards me. with a swift motion, I threw my knife toward the soldiers on my left side and cleared a path for me to escape. I had observed the defense on that side was the weakest and strikes there.

it was a very small amount of time and it was almost impossible for me to get out of that opening that fast with my weak body, but I still had to try my best. I ran through the opening as fast as I could. Rose had a tight grip around my shoulders and her face buried in my neck. holding her tight I was only one step away from getting out of the opportunity I created when suddenly I felt pain shoot through my right leg.

I was about to fall face first but somehow managed to keep standing as Rose was in my arms so if I fell she would get hurt. I looked back and saw a soldier on the ground with a gun pointed at me. he had shot my leg. I turned back and tried to ignore the pain i somehow tried to run from there. soldiers were running behind me shooting nonstop.

I was trying to dodge the bullets but as I was already injured some bullets managed to grace me on my arms and legs. holding Rose closer to me I just ran. there was no time to turn around and attack them. it was getting hard to keep running now. my body was already weak and now there was continued bloodloss. I still kept on going. I was running by the docks that surrounded the island. the people on the docks were startled as I ran with the navy following me.

my right leg gave up and I fell down on my knees. the hard rocks of the road scraping my knees and drawing out more blood. "Mumma" Rose mumbled her face buried in my neck. she was scared and was shaking with fear. " it's okay Rose mumma will protect you, nothing will happen." I said stroking her hair gently as I tried to stand up. the soldiers were getting closer and I was trying and failing to stand up. people around there just watching as blood pooled around me from my wound.

gathering as much strength as I could I stood up and kept moving forward. Still stumbling I looked down at my feet and saw blood flowing through my leg like a stream. my leg was going numb and my head heavy because of bloodloss. I looked ahead and saw a very familiar ship. I had never seen it in person but I had seen it in the newspapers. I looked closely and my doubts were confirmed when I saw the jolly roger with a bright straw hat.

my goal was set I had to get to that ship as soon as possible. the distance between the navy and me was getting less and less as my speed was decreasing. just as my hope had come up it was shattered again when pain went through my back. I fell forward because of the sudden impact. I held Rose tightly as I almost fell face-first on the ground. I knew the bullet had gone through my lungs and it got hard to breathe and it hurt like hell. I could feel the blood come up in my mouth but I kept it there as I didn't want Rose to see me like this. She was already very scared and now I could also feel her tears falling on my shoulder.

the navy was coming closer and closer as I struggled to stand up again. somehow I managed to stand up and kept going. the ship was close. very close now. just a dozen more steps. another bullet hit me. this time a little towards the left side somewhere above my lower back. Of course, I again fell. I put all my weight on my right side so as not to crush Rose when I fell, who I was holding on the left side. in that moment I was just thankful that the bullet didn't manage to go through me, or it would have hurt Rose. I could see the ship right in front of me.

just a little more I thought and kept crawling towards the ship, trying not to hurt Rose. it was hurting everywhere now. I could feel my oh-so-little energy draining as more and more blood puddled around me. my vision was getting blurry. I could see the temporary stairs of the ship right in front of me at arm's distance. holding Rose protectively in my left hand I crawled forward and touched the first stair. with its help, I lifted my body a bit to look at Rose.

" Ro...rose go...go up," I said. my voice close to a whisper. trying my best that the blood in my mouth did not come out. " mumma. you hurt." she said sniffling as tears fell on her soft chubby cheeks. I hated to see her like this. " go.....go up." I said again. She had to get on the ship. it was the safest now. " no mumma hurt." she said and clung to me tighter again burying her head in my neck. I could sense the navy soldiers coming closer. I let go of my hand around Rose and now she was sitting beside me with her face in the crook of my neck.

her face was covered with the hood of my coat. I held my knife and with all the energy left in me, I threw it where I could sense my enemy. I heard a clinking sound and knew he had dodged it and the knife fell on the ground. all my energy was gone now. I couldn't even move my hand to hold Rose again. I could hear the footsteps of my enemy walking towards me. Rose sat straight and looked up behind me.

"Please, don't hurt mumma," she said sniffling in a small voice. I knew she had her face covered in tears and her nose was running. I didn't want her to do this. I didn't want her to beg for mercy. " Mumma is hurt. don't hurt more. i.....I am scared." she said innocently. I sobbed listening to her innocent and sweet voice. she shouldn't be the one doing this. I am supposed to protect her. worry when she is hurt. She isn't supposed to beg them to spare my life.

"Please," she said crying. I just wanted to hug her close to me and comfort her and make her fear go away but I couldn't move. not even a finger. My vision was going black too. I felt her hug me again and her tears fell on my shoulder. " mumma, I am sorry. I know mumma hurt. don't be scared. I protect you." she said and I let out my tears. this was the last thing I wanted her to say in this world. I failed her. I failed to protect her, failed to keep her happy and safe. failed to give her safety and security. I failed as a mother. I failed Ace by not taking care of his princess, I failed Marco by not keeping up my promise of being able to protect myself and Rose.

with these thoughts running through my mind and Rose's tears, my vision went completely black. The last thing I felt was a strong wave of energy.

Chapter Text

3rd PERSON POV

the sunny had been docked at the island for supplies. the members who had gone to get the things had just returned and were getting ready to set sail again. suddenly the long-nosed sniper sensed some commotion not far from the ship.

"Oi Mina, you feel that." he said gathering everyone's attention. " hmm" Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy hummed in response looking towards the direction they felt it in. " oi Ussop what the matter?" Nami asked a little annoyed that she was interrupted while giving instructions. but her face soon turned to worry as she sensed the tension between the 4 men.

Ussop took out his binoculars and decided to see what was happening.
" Hu, that's weird." He said with a confused expression. " What is it? Ussop san" Brook asked sipping his tea.

" It's a woman. She is wearing a coat and running in this direction. The weird thing is around 50+ navy soldiers are running behind her and shooting at her." Ussop said and the next moment his binoculars were snatched away by Sanji going towards the railing to see.

" It's a lady in need. I need to help her. He said with hearty eyes when he saw there was indeed a woman running away from the navy. He was about to jump off the ship when Zoro pulled him back holding him by his coat jacket.

" Oi marimo why did you stop me? You wanna take my spotlight?" Sanji said kicking Zoro who easily stopped it with his sword. " You pervert cook, how dare you kick me, I'll slice you up," Zoro said back. The two started bickering and earned a smack on the head by Nami.

" Stop fighting you two. Oh my god, these guys are a headache."

" Sanji Kun, we don't know if the woman is a friend or a foe. Though she is being chased by the navy other pirates are our enemy too. " Robin said calmly. Sanji slouched in the corner hearing that.

" Well, there seems to be something suuuuupeeerrr wrong with her. Look she looks hurt." Franky said as now she could be easily seen.
" It looks like she is injured, look her leg is bleeding," Jimbe said as he walked to the railing to get a better look.

Zoro was holding Sanji back from jumping off the ship. The crew was hesitant to help as such a huge navy chasing one woman was very weird. She could be a powerful pirate who could turn out to be an enemy.

Suddenly the sound of gun firing came and they saw she had been shot. After a moment she still kept on going. She again got shot and finally fell down unable to get up.

" I think we should help," Franky said and Brook nodded in agreement. " No that's too many soldiers, let's just better get out of here before they come for us too," Nami said sternly. " Yes Nami is right we don't wanna get involved with so many soldiers." Ussop supported the orange-haired woman.

" But Nami san she is already in distress we have to help her," Sanji said Swaying around Nami with heart eyes.

They all started arguing about what to do. Zoro just looked at Luffy who was staring straight at the woman who had reached the ship. She had left a long trail of blood behind her and was on the first step of the stairs. A pool of blood was forming around her.

Luffy just stood there staring at the scene with a Stoic face. The woman attacked the navy officer by throwing a knife which he easily dodged. Zoro was still looking at Luffy waiting for some kind of reaction. He knew what was happening.

Luffy was confused. Zoro was too. He could feel another strong presence other than the woman. The woman so injured and looking so helpless still had a strong presence but there was another one. Suddenly their train of thought was broken when a small voice reached their ears. The two looked down and saw a small girl coming out of hiding from the woman's coat. All this time the woman has kept the little girl hidden in her coat and its hood.

Luffy walked towards the railing standing by the first step of the stairs ready to go down any moment. The strong presence they felt was surprisingly coming from the Little girl. She was Begging for mercy for her mother. Her words were so innocent it felt like a crime to ever witness such a situation. She was too pure and too innocent to say those words. She was too young to beg like that. The girl hugged her mother again and was now shivering with fear.

The Navy captain was about to shoot them when there was a sudden wave of energy around them and in an instant, all the navy soldiers were unconscious on the ground except for the captain.

The captain looked up and saw the glare Luffy now had on his face and his aura screamed power. " Strawhat Luffy, why are you getting involved in this." The captain asked now his stance a little cautious.

" That's none of your business. That's an innocent girl and she doesn't need to beg." Luffy simply said but his voice was many octaves low. His words having a warning tone.

" That woman and girl need to be wiped off the face of the earth. Saving them is only gonna cause you problems." The captain said and Zoro let out an amused cluck. " That too is none of your business. we will think about our own problems." Zoro said coldly. The captain was about to say something again when suddenly in a flash he was knocked out and there stood Sanji. His one foot on the navy captain's chest and a cigarette in one hand.

"Bastard." The blond said letting out smoke and giving a last kick to the man before walking towards the ship.

As he reached the now unconscious woman he saw the Little girl with her face buried in her mother's neck. With a gentle hand, he stroked the little girl's head.

Sniffing the girl looked up at him with the most beautiful set of eyes he had ever seen. But their beauty was reduced as they were paired with tears and fear. The girl was shivering and she had a strong grip on her mother's coat.

" Do... don't hurt mu..... mumma. Please" she said crying. Her lips formed a pout as she tried to stop crying. Her nose and chubby cheeks were red from all the crying.

" Shhh I won't hurt her. Nobody will anymore." Sanji said softly trying to reassure the scared girl.

" Please...... help mu...... mumma. She.......she hurt." The girl said looking down at her mother who lay unconscious on the ground.

"Of course, I will," Sanji replied with a soft smile. He looked up at Nami who was standing by the railing now. She understood what he wanted to say and came down the stairs.

" Hey there Sweety." She said grabbing the small girl's attention. " You want your mumma to get well right?" The girl nodded sniffling.
" Then you come with me the mister here will bring your mumma up on the ship," Nami said pointing at Sanji.

For a moment The girl looked at Sanji then at Nami and then back at Sanji. She looked at her mother and remembered her words.

* Go up.* She remembered how her mother had told her to go up on the ship. Assuming it was safe she nodded and moved closer to Nami. With a smile, Nami gently picked her up and got up on the ship.

Sanji picked up the woman and took her straight to Chopper's office chopper following behind. All the while the little girl kept looking at the door of the room where her mother was taken. She was still scared. She was afraid that something would happen to her mother and she would never wake up. She already missed her dad and now didn't want her mother to leave her too.

" Hey don't worry, chopper is the best doctor. Your Mumma will be fine." Robin said approaching Nami who was holding the girl in her arms.

Chapter Text

3rd PERSON POV

It has been several hours now since Chopper started treating the woman. Sanji, Nami, Robin, and Ussop tried to keep the little girl distracted. They found out her name was Rose and she was only 2 years old.

Currently Rose was sitting in the kitchen on Robin's lap. Sanji was making something for her to eat as she was very hungry.

Once he finished making the porridge he served it to Rose. It was a good simple and healthy dish for the little girl.

She held the spoon with her small hands and started eating the porridge. She had a smile on her face as she felt relieved after the first bite.

She was eating when she suddenly dropped the spoon and her head lightly hit the table.

" Shit, what happened to her suddenly?" Sanji said shocked by what just happened. " Did she fall unconscious?" Robin wondered. She shook her but Rose didn't respond. The two got worried. They couldn't figure out what happened to her and Chopper was busy with treating the woman.

Suddenly they heard a small sound. They both focused and realized Rose was softly snoring. " She just fell asleep," Robin said with a sigh of relief.

" Who just falls asleep like that in the middle of a meal?" Sanji said shocked but still relieved.

" All the things that happened must have worn her out I guess. She is only 2 years old after all." Robin said as she stroked the soft jet-black hair of the now sleeping girl.

Picking her up gently Robin walked out of the kitchen.
" I'll take her to the girl's quarters so that she can comfortably rest." She said before leaving and Sanji nodded in response.

" Ah, Robin Chan is so good with kids." He said dreamily with heart eyes and swaying from side to side.
__________________

After half an hour or so Rose woke up and had some more food. Sanji was surprised by the amount of food the small girl could eat. it was almost as if she was a mini version of Luffy's appetite.

Speaking of Luffy he was sitting on his special seat on the figurehead as the ship sailed. Yes, they had set sail as it was best to get out before more problem was created.

He was thinking of the woman and girl they had rescued. He couldn't see the woman's face properly as it was half covered by the hood of her coat but she looked familiar to him. he tried to shrug it off but kept on thinking where he had seen her. and the little girl she looked awfully familiar to him.

Her eyes were very familiar. He had seen them somewhere before. and her other features were familiar too. he wasn't someone to observe people so much but he had seen those features somewhere. hence Luffy was doing the rarest thing right now. He was thinking. Thinking very hard trying to remember.

He spent hours sitting there thinking and also his thoughts got distracted by the thoughts of meat and food and many random things.

"Oi luffy chopper came out." He heard Ussop yell and immediately got off the figurehead going to the main deck where his whole crew was gathered.

He saw that Nami was holding Rose who too looked worried. Rose looked at Luffy and Luffy again felt as if something was familiar. the girl looked at the captain curiously and then looked away.

" Minna, I have treated her. She had 3 bullets in her, one in her right leg one in her back, and one had damaged her left lung. I have operated on her. She is not in a critical situation but still needs a lot of rest. I have given her high sedatives to help her recover so she will be asleep for a day or so." Chopper finished explaining with a sigh of relief but he still looked worried.

" What happened chopper San why the gloomy face?" Brook asked.

" Nothing i....I was just wondering why would they want to hurt her or even Rose. " Chopper said in a sad voice.
" We don't know but we will find out once she wakes up," Zoro said reassuringly. It wasn't something Zoro did often but he did it to comfort Chopper.

"Oh, I almost forgot let me check her too. She might have some injury." Chopper said looking at Nami and Rose.

" Rose Chan let Chopper check you. It won't hurt it will be super fast." Nami said making sure Rose wasn't scared. Rose nodded shily.

Chopper checked her and gave her a thumbs up saying she is alright. All the while Rose was holding Nami's hand to feel safe. once Chopper was done Rose stared at him curiously. She gently raised her hand and touched Chopper's cheek. She moved her hand hesitantly on his soft fur before bursting into giggles.

" hehe, you are soft." she giggled and Chopper blushed and started swaying trying not to look flustered but failing miserably.

" She is all good not a single injury. But....she seems malnourished. It seems like she hasn't eaten as much as she should." Chopper said composing himself and looking at Nami and Robin.

"Mumma gave her food to me. Mumma is more hungry." Rose said shily holding Nami's hand more tightly. this perked up Luffy's ears. he knew how important food was and for a little girl to starve like this just angered him. how long did they travel without food to be malnourished?

" Hu? Do you mean to say there wasn't enough food? Why?" Chopper asked now curious.

" The scawy people were at the island. Me and Mumma not get food." Rose said now feeling a little confident talking to the reindeer.

" Seems like the navy has been chasing them for quite some time now," Jimbe said worriedly.

" You are like the uncle I met on Fishy Island," Rose said excitedly when she noticed Jimbe.

At first, jimbe was surprised but then smiled fondly at the little girl. " You went to Fishman Island?" He asked coming closer and kneeling down in front of her.

Rose nodded frantically as she was excited. " There was a fishy princess too. She was pretty. And very big." Rose said happily gesturing how big the princess was with her hands.

Jimbe clucked listening to her. " So did you like the fishman island?" He asked curious of the girl's answer. " Yes, it was so cool. But we go away cebause bad people come." Rose said sadly with a pout. Everyone laughed at her way of saying because.

The girl was adorable and the cutest little thing they had ever seen.

All the while luffy was silent. All that was in his mind was the fact that Rose hadn't eaten properly for a long time and it was worse with her mother. He had just defeated Kaido and made sure that the people of Wano and especially Otama got enough food. But listening to Rose it hurt too much for some reason.

" Why is the navy chasing them though? " Zoro said grabbing everyone's attention as they all stopped talking.

" Well, she is too young to understand that you stupid marimo. Rose Chan can't tell us that answer." Sanji said rudely to Zoro. Zoro just groaned at him in response.

" The bad people don't like me and mumma. Bad people don't like daddy too. They think Daddy bad. But Daddy is not. Dad is cool and he loves me and Mumma." Rose said and everyone looked at her.

Something clicked in Luffy. He felt this situation all too familiar. The fact that a child was being hated for who her father was. It gets too familiar. He walked to Rose and sat in front of her.

"Oi Rose, is your dad a pirate?" He asked now curious to know.
The girl nodded happily as she thought about her dad.

"Mumma said He was very cool pirate," Rose said excited to talk about her dad.

" Wait was. Where is your dad?" Nami asked catching on to the small detail.

" Mumma said daddy went to happy place. He not with us. But he love me." Rose said getting sad at the fact her dad wasn't there with her.

"Oh my dear lady, a struggling single mother taking care of her child. I will burn the navy down for hurting her and Rose Chan. " Sanji said dramatically. He was swaying around when Zoro put his leg forward resulting in Sanji falling face-first on the deck.

" Well her father has to be a well-known pirate for the navy to chase after her and her mother as well," Robin said as a matter of factly.

everyone just hummed in response.

"When will mumma wake up?" Rose asked suddenly remembering why everyone was gathered in the first place. " ne Rose Chan, your mumma is resting now. She will rest well and wake up tomorrow. we should let her relax right?" Nami said getting on her knees to be at Rose's level.

" but I miss mumma. I want mumma." Rose said with a pout small tears forming in her eyes. " oh sweety, don't cry, mumma will be all well when she wakes up. you don't want her to get hurt right, so let her rest for now. I promise mumma will be all healthy and ready to meet our cute Rose Chan." Nami tried comforting her and she wiped the tears that fell on her soft cheeks.

" oi Rose, your mom will wake up soon, till then let's play a game," Luffy said grabbing the little girl's attention. looking at Luffy's smile Rose couldn't help but stop crying and smile back. with a cute nod, she went off with Luffy to play, Ussop and chopper following.

Chapter Text

it was a nice sunny day and the thousand sunny was sailing the pleasant sea. the weather was perfect for smooth sailing and relaxing. jimbe was relaxing too but still rested near the helm. Zoro was in the crow's nest exercising with his overly huge weights. Chopper, Ussop, and Luffy were fishing. franky in his workshop drawing some new ideas and blueprints. Sanji was in the kitchen cleaning up as everyone had finished breakfast a while ago. Robin and Brook in the library passing time. Nami was in the girl's quarters working on her map. and our cute little Rose was soundly sleeping.

it had taken a lot of effort to make Rose sleep last night. she wanted to sleep with her mother but everyone had decided it was best if she didn't see her mother all covered in bandages and connected to IV and all. the girl was too small and would get scared when her mom wouldn't respond. they all had played with her to make her tired and she had finally fallen asleep listening to Ussops story and Brooks songs in the background.

Nami didn't notice Rose had woken up until the little girl started crying and calling out to her mother. listening to her loud cries everyone on the crew rushed into the girl's quarters. " what happened Nami San why is Rose Chan crying?" Sanji asked what everyone was wondering.

" she must be scared not seeing her mother beside her as usual," Robin said and everyone sighed. thank god, they all thought she was hurt or something. " Chopper San when will the leady wake up?" Brook asked. " hmm she should have woken up till now. I checked up on her after I woke up, and everything was fine. I'll go see why she hasn't woken up yet." chopper said exiting the room.

" oi Rose, you finally woke up let's go and play," Luffy said with a grin, excited to play with Rose like yesterday. but that earned a punch on his head from Nami. " hey Nami why did you hit me?" he asked annoyed. " she is crying and you are asking her to play. read the room baka." Nami yelled at him. luffy just whined mumbling how mean Nami was.

suddenly chopper came running into the room happily. " Minna, Minna, she woke up." chopper said and Rose stopped crying and was now in Nami's arms. " mumma woke up? I want mumma." Rose said in a small voice pouting cutely." yes let's go meet your mom." Nami said getting out of the room.

when they got on the deck nami suddenly stopped when she saw the woman covered in bandages standing on the deck with battle knives in her hands and looking like she was about to attack. the woman was standing in a defensive posture as if on alert and expecting an enemy to attack any moment.

"Mumma," Rose exclaimed and grabbed the woman's attention. when she saw Rose she visibly relaxed and sighed in relief. She let go of one knife and bent down as Rose got out of Nami's hold and ran to her mother. The woman let out a relived breath as she pulled Rose in a motherly hug stroking the little girl's jet black hair. she showered Rose with kisses all over her face and then smiled happily at her.

" you okay honey? you are not hurt anywhere?" the woman asked looking all over the little girl for a sign of injury or something. " no mumma. I am not hurt." Rose said reassuringly. " but mumma got hurt. you have so many boo boo." Rose said frowning and a sad pout on her lips. " it's okay baby, mumma is super strong, so it doesn't hurt. look mumma is all okay." the woman said moving a little away so Rose could see her properly.

Rose nodded but still kept frowning. " what happened my little devil why that face?" the woman asked "Mumma I was scawed. when the scawy people hurt mumma." Rose said now sniffling her nose. " oh my little devil, I am so sorry you had to face that. You must be so scared. but no need to be scared now mumma will protect you no matter what. Nothing scary will happen again I promise." the woman said holding back her tears and smiling at the little girl. rose nodded wiping some tears that that rolled down her cheeks and hugged her mother.

" I love you, Mumma," Rose said burying her head in her mother's neck melting in the comfort of her embrace. " I love you too honey. and of course, daddy loves you too." the woman said patting the little girl's back and then smiling. she always made sure to say I love you on behalf of the girl's father. since day one the woman had made sure Rose knew that her dad loved her.

after a moment they broke the hug and the woman finally saw all the people that were standing in front of her all this time. her surprised and confused expression changed to a relieved and happy smile when she saw two people.

"Jmbe, Luffy." she said and got up still holding Rose's hand. " hu you know Luffy and Jimbe?" Ussop asked. " baka of course she knows, luffy is an emperor now and Jimbe was a warlord." Sanji said discarding his cigarette. " well that's true but I've known Jimbe for a long time and heard about Luffy too." the woman said.

" oi, I remember you. you were there at Marineford. the nice lady with a big belly." Luffy said with a proud smile as he recognized her. The woman couldn't help but laugh at it. he really was childish like she had heard. " yes, that's me, and thank you for" Before she could finish her sentence she was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. She was startled for a moment but then realized the big blue arms around her were of jimbe. this brought a soft smile to her lips.

" Ji...Jimbe, I am happy to get a hug from you but I am injured." she said, and Jimbe immediately let go. " nice to see you jimbe." she said softly, and Jimbe just stared at her with surprise.

"Earth to Jimbe," she said as Jimbe didn't respond.

" ho...how is it possible? I.....I heard you were dead. everyone thinks you are dead." jimbe said not believing the woman standing in front of him was real. " I am well and alive jimbe. where did you even hear that?" the woman asked.

" two years ago. there was word going on around that you were found by the navy on an island with Macro. people said that you guys managed to escape by a small boat but were never found again. they said you probably died traveling that small boat in such a dangerous sea when a year later Marco appeared commanding the payback war and you weren't there. the rumor was that you died even before giving birth. there was no sign of you for 2 years so it was assumed you died." Jimbe said still surprised at the woman's presence.

" oh, all that did happen. I and Marco managed to escape but we were found by Kuja pirates and Hancock offered help and asked me to stay on amazon lily. so I spent two years living there as it was safe for me and Rose." the woman explained with a sad smile. " I told Marco to not worry about me and go for the payback war," she said with a sigh.

jimbe sighed finally a smile on his face. he was just happy the woman was safe. " so does that mean Rose is...." he didn't finish his sentence but the woman understood what he meant. " yes she is." jimbe just chuckled and looked at the little girl with a kind smile. " she is a lot like him." he said and the woman nodded.

"Boss San, you seem to know each other quite well." Robin said wondering who the woman was. " hahahahaha, yes Nico Robin, we have known each other for quite a long time." Jimbe said happily.

" wait wait, aren't you?..... no no that can't be. but....." Zoro said looking skeptical. The woman just looked at him waiting for him to clarify what he was saying. " oi marimo, what is it say clearly." Sanji said sounding annoyed. " what is it Zoro? do you know her?" Chopper asked looking up at the swordsman. " Oi Zoro you too know her?" Luffy asked curiously.

" no, not really, but.... if I am not wrong you are Newgate Jules right?" when the woman sighed zoro just smirked. " yep that's right, that's me." Jules confirmed and Zoro snickered. " hu who is that." chopper asked. " that is Whitebeard's daughter." Robin said calmly.

but Ussop, chopper, and Nami had the most surprised reaction. their faces immediately went pale at the mention of the great pirate and they started stuttering. Jules couldn't help but laugh again. " well that means Jules san comes from a suuuuuppppeerrr strong family." frankly said lifting his goggles and placing them on his head. " well I am of course not his biological daughter. and you guys don't need to be scared." Jules said reassuringly.

" huuuu, you are Whitebeard old man's daughter?" Luffy asked. " yes I am, Whitebeard's only and beloved daughter." Jules replied a lump forming in her throat at the mention of her dear father. "Sugoi, you must be quite strong." Luffy said excitedly. " well I won't say I am that strong. * sigh* I couldn't even fight some mere navy captain and instead got shot." Jules said looking down as shame washed over her for being so weak.

there was a moment of silence which was broken by Ussop. " you are such a famous pirate and Whitebeard's daughter, then why were you running away from marines and were starving for so long on the seas? you didn't even have a ship or crew?" he asked and Jules sighed.

"I have been on my own for a long time. the navy has been following me and hence I have been going from island to island. on the last island, the navy found me and I didn't get enough time to get enough supplies. I had a small ship I got from Reighly but no crew. I can't trust anyone with my and Rose's identity. I was just planning to reach Shank's territory and settle down on an island with Rose." Jules explained shrugging her shoulders at the end. " and as I said before I am not as strong as I used to be. I also couldn't fight with Rose in my arms and couldn't even keep her away from me."

" you know Shanks?" Luffy asked excited to hear his idol's, name. " yes I do. whitebeard pirates and Redhair pirates were rivals but still, we managed to become friends. he is like another big brother for me, like Marco and the rest of the crew." Jules said remembering her drinking buddy.

" why is the navy behind you anyway? according to what you said it seems for the last 2 years you have been getting away from the navy all the time. that isn't the case with other members of Whitebeard Pirates." Nami asked skeptical of Jules now. That startled Jules. now to answer that she will have to tell them her biggest secret. it was not like she didn't trust them, this was Luffy's crew and right now other than Red-haired pirates they were the only people she trusted on these seas.

but what worried her was their reaction. especially Luffy's reaction. what would he think? what would he feel? how would he react? and there was another thing. it was gonna be very hard to tell them everything as it meant talking about him, the one name she was scared to talk about as it only ended up with her being a crying mess.

everyone was waiting for her reply, looking at her with curious and questioning eyes. She looked at Jimbe who was standing beside her now. She gave her a soft him and a nod telling her she could do it. he knew what was going through her mind.

Chapter Text

" minna, Jules must be hungry, lets go inside and talk while she has some food."Jimbe suggested. this also gave Jules some more time to prepare herself to talk about everything. Jules gave him a thankful smile as they all walked towards the kitchen?dining room.

everyone was seated now and Sanji was heating breakfast for Jules and rose. " so Jules you didn't answer me yet." Nami said folding her hands and leaning back on her chair. Jules sighed before starting.

" well to answer your question, the navy is not specifically behind me but actually behind Rose." Jules said looking at Rose who was sitting on Luffy's lap who was sitting beside herself. both of them munching on food.

" Jules chan, Rose chan here is your delicious breakfast made with love." Sanji came towards the table with a plate in hand. he was swaying with hearts in his eyes as he served Jules her food and replace the now empty plate in front of Rose. " thank you uncle Sanji." Rose said with a cute smile and Sanji smiled back. " thank you Sanji kun, this is absolutely delicious." Jules complimented and that was enough for sanji to sway in happiness and hearts to pop out of his eyes.

Jules felt relief wash over her, finally eating a decent amount of food. she couldn't help but enjoy every single bite she took. she could already feel her body energizing and feeling better.

" shishishishishi, Sanji is the best cook, isn't he." Luffy said proudly grinning. and patting sanji on his back non stop who was now sitting on Luffy's other side. " he sure is." Jules replied.

on the other hand when all this was happening Nami and Ussop whispering into each others ears. " say Ussop what if she has kidnapped Rose and that's why navy is behind her to get Rose back." Nami said skeptically. " hmmm, but Rose calls her mom, so that cant be it. she is her daughter." Ussop said doubtfully. " but what if she has manipulated Rose into saying that." Nami said. " but Jimbe knows her, I don't think she can be a bad person like that." Ussop reasoned back.

" why don't we just let Jules chan tell us." robin said startling the two gossipers. " yohohohoho, yes Ussop san, lets just hear from Jules chan." brook agreed.

Ussop gulped and nodded. he looked at Jules who was enjoying her food. " say Jules chan, you said the navy is not behind you but behind Rose. what do you mean by that?" he asked a little skeptical.

Jules gulped and looked down at her hands nervous. " its okay Jules you can trust them." Jimbe said from the other end of the table. " I...i know Jimbe. its...its just a little hard. but I'll tell you guys. I'll tell you everything." Jules said looking up at everyone pressing her lips nervously.

" you don't need to tell us if you are uncomfortable talking about it." Luffy said looking at her seriously. that serious look surprised Jules a bit. as far as she knew luffy was supposed to be a happy childish and always laughing and joking guy. Jules gave him a small smile, " no Luffy, I.....i need to tell you this. you especially need to know this." Luffy looked at her confused and curious now.

Jules turned to look at everyone and said, " well, the neavy wants to catch me too but they specially want Rose. that's because of who she is, because who her father is." jules looked at Rose who was still nibbling on her food, not paying attention to what was happening around her.

" her father?" Chopper mumbled confused. " yes, * sigh* Luffy..." Jules called out and looked at the ship captain who was curious not understanding what is happening. " my name, it 'was' Edward Jules, but 2 years ago when Rose was born I changed it and took up her father's name, now my name is Portugas. Edwrad. Jules." Jules said and saw Luffy's eyes widen as the words sinked in, Jules heard gasps around her. there was still a little doubt and confusion in Luffy's eyes and she decided to give him a little push. " and Rose's full name is.....Portugas.D.Rose." jules finished and stared at Luffy studying his expression.

the doubt in his eyes now gone and there was only surprise in those wide open eyes. she just started at the table in front of him, not saying a word just starting, still processing the new found information. Jules noticed how his hold around Rose who was sitting on his lap tightened a bit, but still gentle enough to not hurt her. Rose didn't notice the slight change and just focused on her food.

now everyone was looking at Luffy after recovering from their own shock. " th.....then is the navy targeting you because....." Ussop said hesitantly and Jules looked at him with sad eyes. " yes, because I am his.... sorry, I 'was' his girlfriend, and Rose..... is his daughter. daughter of *sigh* Portugas.D.Ace" Jules said the last part trying to compose herself and not cry.

at that Luffy suddenly stood up and made Rose sit on his chair and just left the room without saying a word. " Luffy." jules called out not understanding what to think of his reaction but he didn't say anything and just went out.

" it's okay, don't worry, he will be alright, it just must be a little hard for him process." Zoro said reassuring Jules who looked worried. Jules sighed and leaned back in her chair.

" Rose chan, she is about 2 years old. that means you were pregnant when it happened." Brook said seriously. Jules nodded. " he.....he didn't know. we... we tried to contact him for months but couldn't. i sent letters but no reply ever came. he...he was looking for Blackbeard and I knew it was not safe. all I....i wanted was for.....for him to come back. but....but the news came....about his execution. i....i was there during the war. when Luffy.... Luffy saved him and they were running away, O...Oyaji had to...told Marco to get me out of there too. i....i met him there and.... and he was so happy to ....... to see me. he was worried but happy to find out he was gonna be a father. he... he was so so happy when he felt... felt the baby kick as if recognising its their dad." Jules couldn't hold it anymore and broke into sobs.

it was hard. so so hard to even mention him.she remembers that moment clear as it was yesterday. that huge smile on his face she told him it was his baby. the love and care in his eyes as he looked at her and her belly. the way he gently touched her belly and felt their child kick. the way his smile grew after that. the way he lovingly kissed her belly as if kissing their baby. the way he said " hi little devil, its me your dad." softly and the baby kicked again. she can still remember the feeling of his lips on her own  after months of being away and finally feeling the love he had for her and her expressing her own love for him. the way he was careful of the huge belly and the way he was so gentle as if she was made of glass. talking about that day resurfaced all these memories and it hurt.

jules cried her head bent down looking at her hands which rested in her lap. Jimbe had picked up Rose and got out of the room before the little girl noticed Jules crying. Jules looked up when she felt two arms wrapping around her in a comforting hug and saw Nami looking at her with care in her eyes. " its okay Jules chan, you don't have to tell us more. we understand its hard for you to talk about. hell even Luffy never talked about it once since we got back. but....but just know that if you ever want to talk we are here." Nami siad gently stroking Jules's hair to comfort her.

" no...no I... i want to tell you guys." Jules said determined to let it all out today. Nami just nodded at her and took the empty seat beside her where Luffy was sitting before. Nami kept holding her hand to give her comfort as Jules continued. " A...Akainu was...was going to a...attack me, bu...but Lu... Luffy pulled me back and do...doing that be...became the target instead. a...and A...Ace go...got in between th...them and....and took the hit instead." Jules said her grip tightening around Nami's hand.

" a...after the.....the war....Shanks made to..tombs fo....for Ace and..O....Oyaji. me....me and Marco mo...moved to..to a island which was ... not affiliated with the world government. after... after a month, the....the navy found us and attacked. i... i went into...into labour that...that day. it was such a bad timing. we... we somehow escaped but my..my condition was getting worse. we.. we met kuja pirates in the middle of the ocean and asked for help. the...they helped us and....and I gave birth to Rose. af...after that we.. we lived on A...Amazon Lilly with Marco living on the back coast of the island. two... two years went by peacefully. but when the warlord system was dismissed the navy attacked Amazon Lilly. Re..Reighly told me to escape and.... and I did. i went to shabondy and then took a ship and went to fishman island. there too after big mom got defeated some members of her crew attacked fishman island. to not get recognised, I...i ran away from there and came to new world. and then I went from island to island  ru..running away from neavy. i...decided to go to Shanks's territory as it would be the safest place. but... its further deep in the new world and till then I would just have to run. and then you know the rest how I met you." Jules finished. without pausing she said it all and then sighed in relief.

she shivered a little, thinking of everything that happened. " you are suuuuuppppeeerrrr strong Jules chan."  Franky said wiping his tears. " yes Jules chan you are so strong." Nami said  giving Jules a reassuring smile. " I know how it is to keep running from place to place. you are really strong to be able to pull it off with a 2 year old."Robin said. " yes you are strong just like the great captain Ussop."that earned a smack from Nami. " yohohohoho, such a great mother you are Jules chan." Brook said trying to smile. " hmm. Rose is a good child and her growth is perfect for a 2 year old. you have taken such a great care of her even in such a chaotic situation. you are the best mother." Chopper said cutely and hugging Jules.

"oh my dear Jules chaaaannnn, you are such a strong lady and such a great mother. oh my love for you has increased 100 times, and not to mention in all of this you have managed to always be so beautiful. oh my dear Jules chan you are the strongest leady." Sanji said swaying and then getting down on his knees in dramatic way.

" surviving that situation really takes guts you know." Zoro said the best way he could reassure her or comfort her.

" Thnak you everyone." Jules said wiping her tears and then smiling looking at everyone.

slowly the mood in the rome got comfortable and some random chatting started lighting up the mood. all the while there was one person just outside the door listening to everything Jules had said. once the subject changed he got up from his possession, fixed his hat, his lips pressed together to hold back from crying and went towards his special place on the figurehead of sunny.

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it was late at night. in the morning after chatting for a while Jules was ordered by Chopper to take rest. she had woken up in the evening just before dinner. the dinner was pleasant. it was chaotic as Luffy tried to steal food from everyone except for Rose. the mood was light and fun but Jules had been uneasy. since Luffy had left the room in the morning he hadn't said anything about her or Rose or Ace. Jules couldn't understand what he was thinking or what he had felt in that moment. Jules was anxious about his reaction which she still hadn't got.

it was now a pleasant night and Jules was sleeping soundly. she slept in the medical bay as chopper was still treating her and had put her on an IV for better recovery. Rose didn't want to leave her mother alone and after a lot of tantrums was sleeping with Jules in the medical bay as well.

LUFFY POV

it was quite late at night now and I wasn't able to sleep. the whole day I had been thinking about what Jules had said. every time I looked at them I felt relief that they were safe. both of them were important to Ace so them being safe here on the ship was a relief.

after staring at the ceiling for god knows how long I decided to take some fresh air. i got out of the room and just walked on the deck taking in the salty see breeze. suddenly my eyes landed on the door of medical bay. slowly I approached it and opened the door. Jules and Rose were sleeping here.

as I entered I saw the two sleeping soundly to the slight rocking of the ship. they looked peaceful. without really realising I walked towards the bed and pulled up a chair to sit on near it. i just stared at them. i remember how jules looked when I saw her at marineford talking to Ace when I had rescued him. she had the huge pregnant belly and she looked so happy to see Ace safe. the happiness practically radiating from her to her surroundings.

now not only was the belly gone of course but she didn't look the same. her face looked tired and the happiness was gone. i could tell she was malnourished by how thin she looked and how lifeless her face was. i remember how fascinated I was by the colour of her eyes when I had first seen her during the war. they were so unique. but the same turquoise eyes when I saw today were full of sadness and fear.

looking at her I wondered how she spent the last 2 years. i heard the conversation in the morning but....  but I wondered how she exactly felt after everything that happened. did she go completely crazy like I did? how long did she cry and grieve for Ace? it must have hurt so much to loose him, see him die in front of her eyes. it was scary as hell for me. i can still fell Ace's lifeless body going limp in my hand and my hand covered in his blood. that day still traumatized me.

but........ but I am okay now. i have my friends and Sabo too. things got so much better after I met Sabo. knowing he is still alive was a huge relief. after Ace's death I felt lonely. very lonely and it was scary. i remember how I felt when I met Ace as a kid. how I wanted to play with him be with him cause it was scary to be lonely. it was worst than death. that same feeling returned after Ace died. i felt lost and didn't know what to do. if it weren't for Jimbe I wouldn't have realised I had so much more left. and when I met Sabo, found out he was alive, that lonely feeling was completely gone. i had my friends, and my family. i realized that i am not alone and its not lonely.

i hadn't realised the teras that had escaped my eyes now rested on my cheeks and some falling down on my hands in  my lap. i again focused on Jules and Rose, my vision blurry.

" i suffered so much, it hurt so much, but you did too. it hurt you just as much it hurt me or maybe even more. i lost my brother, but you, you lost the man you loved, the person you gave your heart to, the man you wished to have a future with. not only Ace but you lost whitebeard old man too. he was your father right? Ace really admired him, he was the real father for Ace, he was the same for you too right? it must have hurt so much with those two gone forever. " i couldn't hold my tears anymore. the more i tried to stop them the more they streamed down.

" and Rose, you.....you must be missing your dad right? you never got to meet him. i don't remember my dad either but, I remeber when i was a kid i wondered how it was to have a dad. i wondered how he was. did i look like him or my mom? i don't remember both of them but..... but over time it didn't matter anymore. and I had shanks by then. not a dad but someone close to one. but you.......Ace would have been a great dad you know. he would have loved you so much. no no no he loves you. he is gone but he still loves you. he is not here with you but he loves you.he must be wishing he could hold you and talk to you.....he must be wishing he could be here with you. you wish that too right? for your dad to be here. to meet him at least once. to play with him and have fun with him. you must be missing him so much, right Rose?"

it hurt to look at her. she looks just like Ace.just like those baby pictures of Ace in dadan's room. she is so much like him but....... but he is not here. he cannot show her how much he loves her. she is just 2 but knows the harsh reality that people want to capture her because who her dad is. it just like Ace. but there is a difference. where Ace hated the fact that he was Gol.D.Rodegr's son and people wanted him dead. where Ace was ashamed of that, Rose was proud of her father. at such young age she knew why her and her mother are running from island to island but she still thinks her dad is the coolest person. she doesn't hate him like Ace hated his dad.

as i kept looking at them only one thought crossed my mind. i need to protect them. i need to keep them safe. they are the ones most dear to Ace. if he was here he would protect them, keep them safe and keep them happy. but....but he is not here. because of me he is not here. if i wasn't so weak then, Ace wouldn't have died protecting me. he wouldn't have to leave the love of his live and his dear daughter behind in this cruel world all alone if i was stronger. but now....now i am way more stronger. i will protect them. protect them till the end.

i can tell jules is strong. i can tell she is very much capable of taking care of herself and Rose. but.....but i don't want her to take all the responsibility. it is my fault Ace is not with them. It is my responsibility too to protect them now. i will take on that will of Ace and protect them.

my eyes landed on Rose. her chubby cheeks are adorned with freckles just like Ace. she is the cutest little thing i have seen. her crying face flashed in front of my eyes. her begging the neavy officer to not hurt her mother in her cute small voice. i don't want her to do that again. ever again. i just want to see her smiling and laughing and happy. i don't want that bright smile of hers to ever leave her chubby face again. Ace would want the same. always see his daughter happy.

" I'll protect her Ace. she will never cry again in fear. she will never beg for mercy again. she will never be sad. i promise you Ace. no harm will ever come to her. no harm will ever come to both of them. I'll carry on your will and protect them with everything i have. i promise you."

i said looking at the two sleeping peacefully. i smiled and continued to drown in the sea of my thoughts. " i promise." i said before my eyes got heavy and I fell into the dreamland Full of meat and delicious food.

Chapter Text

JULES POV

I could feel the warm breeze carrying the smell of sea enter the room as my foggy sleepy mind started getting clear. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the finely crafted wooden ceiling of the ship. I felt warm breath brush my arm and I looked down and saw my cute little daughter sound asleep holding my bandaged hand.

she looked so peaceful and calm. these are the few calm moments before she wakes up and will be a never-ending ball of energy. I smiled thinking of all the chaos she would create once up and fresh.

my attention suddenly went to a soft snoring sound and looked straight ahead of me and saw a straw hat. I was a bit startled when I realized it was none other than Luffy. what is he doing here? I wondered. his face was not visible because of the straw hat. I slowly stretched my hand and gently picked up the hat. I slowly placed it beside him. it was the most adorable sight I had ever seen except for many moments of Rose. *Rose is cuter* Luffy looked so peaceful as well like Rose. He had long lashes but they weren't that thin so not very noticeable until looked closely. his jet-black hair lay messily on his forehead. he was snoring and a little drool was dropping from his mouth. he was just as cute as Ace had said. I couldn't help but agree with Ace's Luffy obsession. having a little brother so cute and innocent justified his over-protectiveness.

I was admiring his cuteness when his eyes fluttered open. he looked around confused at first. when his eyes landed on me then at where he was sitting his eyes widened as if a lightbulb turned on in his head. his confused expression turned into an ear-to-ear smile. " shishishihi, I guess I fell asleep here last night." he said giving a closed-eyed smile and scratching his neck.

I couldn't help but smile back, " It seems so. well, good morning Luffy. What were you doing here anyway?" I asked curious to know. " shishishi, good morning to you too Jules." he said quite loudly and I shushed him as it might wake up Rose. I was not ready to handle her so early in the morning. "oops, sorry sorry." Luffy said not looking very sorry but anyway.

"It's okay, any way you didn't tell me why you co-" I was about to ask again but was cut off when Sanjis's muffled voice reached the room calling for breakfast. luffy who was listening to me got distracted and had stars in his eyes. " breakfast. food. Yosh, let's go, Jules." Luffy said standing up and happily running out of the room.

he sure loves to eat.

I thought and checked. but suddenly he came back with a confused look. " hu? Common Jules or everyone will finish the food. I am hungry." he said whining like a child. I clicked and slowly got out of bed careful not to wake up Rose. As I stepped out of bed I lost my balance and was about to fall face-first when a hand suddenly wrapped around me multiple times preventing me from falling.

"Oh, it seems you can't walk properly," Luffy said pulling me along with his hand. he helped me stand properly and I thanked him. "I can stand but it's just I kinda forgot my leg was injured. Chopper medicine is so good I wasn't feeling any pain until I put pressure on my leg." I said slowly balancing myself to stand as Luffy unwrapped his hand around me. " Yosh, now let's go. food food." Luffy said and turned around to leave the room. " wait Luffy. can you help me walk? it is kinda hard with an injured leg." I said and he nodded with a huge smile.

he stood beside me and held my right arm so that I could put my weight on him instead of my right leg. he helped me walk to the kitchen/ dining room. I could walk by myself but it kinda hurt and the wound might open up.

the door to the room opened and as we entered I saw everyone was already there in their respective seats. Luffy walked me in and I sat on the chair between Nami and Zoro as Luffy sat in the head seat—Zoro on his right and one empty seat on his left.

I sat down and looked at everyone. " good morning everyone." I said with a smile and they all replied. everyone already had their plates and seemed like had started eating. " Sanji, my food." luffy yelled whining. Sanji came from the kitchen and started swaying when he noticed me. " Jules chwwwwaaaannn, good morning. you look so beautiful this lovely morning. I will bring you special breakfast in just a minute." he said swinging from side to side with hearty eyes.

"Sanji I want a special breakfast too." Luffy said with sparkles in his eyes. " shut up, I'll bring you your food sometime. and special breakfast is only for the ladies." Sanji said annoyed by Luffy as Luffy whined and sulked. he went back to the kitchen and came back in a minute or two swaying again. " here Jules chwwwaaannnn, specials breakfast just for you. it will help your body to energize and recover faster." sanji served me the breakfast as he got down on his knees dramatically as if proposing.

I clucked witnessing his antics.

such a simp he is. but a gentleman too.

" oi curly brows, give me more." zoro said from beside me in a bored manner. not a very morning person I guess. " what did you call me you shitty swordsman? and how much will you eat?" Sanji snapped at Zoro. " huuu, what did you say, have you seen Luffy? compared to him I am a normal eater. and this is my 3rd and last serving. and how dare you call me shitty swordsman, you pervert." zoro argued back completely out of his bored mood from moments ago.

"you shitty marimo." Sanji said gritting his teeth." you pervert curly brow cook." zoro bickered back. " what you wanna fight? I'll show you." Sanji said kicking Zoro who dodged it and took out his sword. " you. I'll cut you to pieces." zoro said swinging his sword.

as they continued to bicker, I heard a screeching sound from my other side and saw Nami get up from her seat. She had a scary aura around her and she looked so done with their antics. with a menacing expression and atmosphere around her she stood in front of the two fighting and the next second both of them were lying on the floor with bumps rising on their heads.

" stop it you two. so early in the morning, you are giving me a headache." Nami said glaring at those who were still on the floor. " now get back to your places." Nami yelled and the two got up mumbling a sorry. As Zoro sat back in his seat, I sware I heard him mumble, " damn witch." and couldn't help but let out a small laugh. all this while I looked at Luffy who was just whining about not getting his food yet. sanji soon brought his food and sat down in his seat.

I looked back at my plate and started eating. the first bite was filled with wonderful flavor and I smiled. " this is very tasty sanji kun." I said and that led to Sanji being a simp again.

just like that the breakfast went into lots of random talks and a lot of chaos as Luffy kept stealing everyone's food. when he didn't take some from me. Ussop asked him about it and he simply said I needed to eat more as I couldn't eat much before.

as everyone had almost finished their food luffy called out everyone's attention. I looked at him curious what he would say. " Minna, I have made a decision. Jules and Rose will be joining our crew," he said with a proud smile plastered on his face. everyone had mixed reactions. some happy some excited some a little skeptical but still not a negative response.

Chapter Text

I was stunned for a moment. frozen in the moment. a million thoughts running through my mind. I couldn't understand what to say to him. it wasn't even a question, more like a declaration. the thoughts suddenly overwhelming me. I looked around and saw everyone waiting for my response. I looked at Luffy and he was smiling his usual big bright smile.

what should I say to this? how should I respond to this......this declaration? " I....I don't know what to say. I.....don't know." my voice a little above whisper. my mind suddenly went into a mess. I was almost done with my food but lost my appetite. not understanding what to say or do and feeling uncomfortable with my thoughts and messy mind, I decided to leave.

I got up with the screeching sound of the chair. " I....I need to think a bit." my voice is shaking for some reason. I turned around and left the room. I walked back to the room to check up on Rose. She was still sleeping. instead of going to bed, I sat on the chair near it where Luffy was sitting this morning.

join the crew. it feels like so long since I thought of a crew. it feels like it's been so long since I had been a part of one. not only last 2 years but a little before that. since the day I found out I was pregnant. yeah, that's the day. I was the beloved daughter of Whitebeard. a feared pirate with a 500,000,000 berri bounty. the 1st division vice commander. part of a crew. with people around me who loved me, and cared for me.

everything was great but suddenly that one day I fainted. when Marco checked me up he found out I was pregnant. 18 and pregnant. a pirate and pregnant. daughter of the strongest pirate and pregnant. with the child of Portugas.D. Ace, son of the late pirate king. everyone I am related to is a criminal with a huge bounty, and I myself with a huge bounty.

it was a terrifying moment for an 18-year-old. I had dreams and goals, but now I had a child growing inside me. and what about Ace. he wasn't there. he had just left weeks ago after Blackbeard. what would he think. one thing was sure I didn't want to abort the child. I had shut up Marco before he could even finish his suggestion.

when I told Oyaji, he was shocked. a little disappointed at first but still understood. we tried and tried and tried to contact Ace but nothing came. I sent letters. and everyone on the crew tried contacting him but nothing. throughout the day I would have company. someone to talk to. but when everyone slept, I felt the darkness around me suffocating me. I needed him there with me. to tell me that everything will work out and everything will be fine. but he wasn't there. no matter how much everyone on the ship told me those same things it wasn't the same.

I was scared. scared of the future. scared of the child's safety. scared of Ace's reaction once he found out. One day I got a letter when I was halfway through my pregnancy. a letter from Ace. That letter gave me hope of being able to contact him but there was nothing. no other letter came after that. no reply to the one I sent. the crew got more and more worried as the news of Blackbeard's stunts around the world came up every other day. everyone was now concerned about his well-being. and in all the worries and desperate tries to contact Ace, I felt left out. I was treated as a fragile doll and then they started keeping things from me. didn't let me know the latest news about Ace or Blackbeard.

but I saw the tension, the worry, the stress. Even Oyaji's health went down because of the worries. everyone tried their best to tend to me and my needs but I could see they were too stressed and tired. some went out to search for Ace too. I spent my time inside the ship. sitting by myself, reading, or just flowing with my thoughts. day by day I was drifting away from everyone. I was always lost in my thoughts. worried about Ace. I missed him. there was so much I wanted to talk about. so much to share with him but I couldn't. That desperate need to talk to him was suffocating me as each day passed. with all the tension on the crew, I was drifting further and further away. keeping to myself to not be a bother to someone and add to their worries.

I wanted to talk about my worries and my tensions. desperately wanted to let it all out but to who? every time I decided to open up to one of my brothers or to Oyaji, I saw that worried expression and those lines on the forehead. and backed out, not wanting to add to the worry. As I went further and further in my pregnancy, I needed help with many things. I had to depend on others, I hated how everyone was tired of all the stress and also taking care of me. day by day, I felt like I was becoming a burden.

and then, the fateful day happened when I lost everything. many of my brothers, my father, and the love of my life. I got so much lost in trauma that I was completely dependent on Marco. he took care of me and tried to help me get out of the trauma but I didn't. I could see, I could see it all, how he was so much tired. the dark circles under his eyes. the pale color of his skin, the stress and worry in his eyes, and the tightness of his forehead muscles.

after Ace and Oyaji died, I never saw him cry once. he just didn't. always smile in front of me. showing me he was alright. but I could see he was not. he had not once openly grieved their deaths. I could see he was suffocating. I knew how much it must be hurting him. how much he just wanted to scream and yell and just cry and cry and cry. but instead of doing that, he took care of me. saw me scream and yell. saw me cry and cry and cry. he didn't shed a single tear but held me close when I had nightmares. he had them too I bet.

the more I saw him the more I felt like a burden. it was all because of me. because he had to take care of me and my stuck in trauma ass that he couldn't get free from his own. even after Rose was born, he helped me with everything. he always helped me take care of her. I would get overwhelmed every time she cried and Macro took care of her then. he would wake up in the middle of the night when she cried and I couldn't understand what to do.

after enough of his taking care of me, I finally told him to go. I thought that the suffocating feeling of being a burden would go away once I told Marco to go and do what he really wanted, but it didn't happen. every day I saw the people of Amezon Lilly take care of Rose with me. helping me. I saw their kindness and again felt like a burden. they all kept my being here a secret. when someone from the navy came they made sure I and Rose were safe.

again I felt like a burden. I am Rose's mother. I should be able to protect her. but here I was incapable of doing that and needing the help of a whole damn island to keep myself and my daughter safe. I was such a burden.

then when I was on the sea Running away from the Marines as they chased me from island to island. struggling to survive. trying to keep Rose safe. but I failed. I failed to keep her safe and failed as a mother for not having enough to feed her. I failed in every sense. if Luffy and his crew hadn't saved me I would be dead and Rose too. again I couldn't do it on my own and depended on someone else, feeling like a burden. yes, I felt pathetic when I decided to get on Luffy's ship for safety. but Rose's safety was important. but then again, I am her MOTHER. I should be able to PROTECT her and keep her SAFE.

as all these thoughts ran through my mind, they mixed up into one single thought.

if I join, I'll be a burden, again. I would be depending on someone again. failing Ace again. failing my daughter again. I don't want that. I don't want to be a burden, a liability, someone who cannot even take care of her own daughter and now forcing others to take that responsibility with her. I cannot do that. it's my responsibility, cause Rose is my daughter. others don't have to take this responsibility. Luffy's crew doesn't have to take this responsibility.

I shouldn't join. it's unfair to them, to have to take care of a 2-year-old. raising a child on a pirate ship is not a one-person job.

Chapter Text

disappointment. That's what was there in Luffy's eyes when I told him I couldn't join. and he was even more disappointed when I told him my reasons. " you are not forcing anyone to take up a responsibility. we all are willing to do it. you are not a burden to us. stop thinking that." Luffy said angrily. " she is my daughter Luffy. I am the one supposed to take care of her, not depend or share my responsibility with you all." I said once again sternly.

" stop saying nonsense. I told you we are willing to do this. we all understand what it means to have a 2-year-old onboard. and what's so wrong with sharing responsibility? it's okay to depend on others." Luffy said whining, not understanding what I wanted to say.

" no Luffy, when you depend on others, you become a burden." " no you don't become a burden, when you don't depend on others and refuse to let people support you, you become lonely," he said with a huff and just left angrily.

I just stood there thinking of something to say but his words had hit me. they had hit me in the right spot. bullseye.

the whole day his words rang in my mind. even Rose got mad at me for not paying attention to her when she was talking to me. you become lonely.

lonely.

lonely.

lonely.

as the words consumed my mind, memories flashed before my eyes. I sat in my room trying to muffle my sobs as I cried in my bed. despertaly wanting to tell someone, anyone, that I miss Ace. that I want to talk to him, tell him so much. but I muffled my cries.

these are my problems. I have to deal with them. I cannot become more of a burden. As that memory faded another one came up. me sitting by a window in the small cottage me and Macro lived in. a tight knot in my throat as I tried to stop myself from bursting into tears. I had woken up from a nightmare and wanted to talk. talk about my fears and my concerns but stopped when I saw Marco sleeping peacefully on the floor. I cant let him know. these are my fears. I have to fight them. I don't wanna be a burden.

the third memory. Rose had said her first word. 'Dad' and I was overwhelmed with emotions that day. I wanted to desperately talk to someone. tell them how happy I was and how sad I was at the same time. but didn't have anyone. who would listen to my sob story anyway? I don't wanna be a burden.

then the fourth memory. I sat alone on the deck of the small ship I got from Shakkey. I was scared. so so scared. I had millions of thoughts running through my mind and wanted to just let them all out. just talk to someone. but who did I have? No one. I was alone on this ship with my 2-year-old daughter. no one to talk to no one to open up to. I felt the darkness around me close on and it became suffocating. so so hard to breathe. but I pushed myself. this is my battle. I cannot depend on anyone. I can't be a burden.

every time I thought I didn't wanna be a burden but at the same time, I felt hopelessly alone. I just wanted to talk. if not talk just have some company. someone to make me feel safe and protected. something I should be doing for Rose but also wanting for myself. I just felt lonely.

the realization seeped in. I shivered. As every memory played in my mind, I realized just how lonely I felt. just how desperate I was for someone to comfort me. but I just pushed every possible person away. in the thought of not wanting to be a burden, I just closed off myself and suffocated myself. made myself lonely. I was the one hurting myself.

but was it really okay to depend on someone? to ask someone to take away some of my worries and responsibilities. I wondered.

______________

as days went by, I thought more and more about what Luffy said and about what I realized I had done to myself. I felt like a fool now. it's been 5 days since I came on this ship. I observe the crew every day and curse myself. I had made a mistake. since last more than 2 years I have been making this mistake. I created the wall. kept away from everyone who could have helped me heal.

the realization of my mistake sank in even more when I saw how much the crew cared for me. how good it felt to wholeheartedly accept the care. I tried. tried my best to accept the care and not feel like a burden. I tried not to say no when Nami and Robin offered to take care of Rose for a while. tried to relax as Chopper told me to.

my stubborn ass kept telling me to push them away, but I reminded myself what Luffy said. It is okay to depend on people sometimes. My heart still felt heavy to accept the kindness and care without wanting to push away. but I tried.

but there was still one thought. what to say to Luffy. he didn't ask me to join again. the more I tried to improve myself, the more I thought of accepting his offer. should I say yes? Should I stay? I thought of two ways. one was keeping Rose aside and thinking about what I wanted, and another with Rose in the picture and including her safety. it's been two years since I left Piracy. going back to it would mean declaring I am alive to the world. and that would also mean the world knowing about Rose. this would attract more enemies and more dangers.

but on the other hand, the idea of truly living as a pirate again was thrilling. I had been surrounded by pirates all my life. even if piracy wasn't in my blood, I would say it was just like that. I loved how free the sea made me feel. how great it felt to explore new islands. oh, the excitement during battle. the party after it. everything about it, I missed it. the freedom to do whatever the hell I wanted. the idea of doing it all again was exciting.

what should I do. is it okay to join the crew? I missed it as well. the feeling of being a part of a crew. after pushing away everyone for such a long time now I was somewhat craving that feeling again. but Rose. her identity. her safety. I don't know what's right and Wrong.

as I thought more and more I got more and more confused. but then suddenly a thought crossed my mind like an arrow, making things a bit clearer. Ace. what would he tell me to do? what would he think is Right? he would want me happy right? he would want Rose to be happy, right? if Ace was alive we would have probably kept being pirates. raised Rose on the moby dick. it would have been hard but the crew would have been there to help us. they raised me since I was six months old so it would have been easy.

would Luffy and his crew do that for me? help me and Rose with this. can we pull off this? can we keep Rose safe? maybe we can. maybe we cannot. what is it?

___________

I have been thinking about the same thing for the last 3 days. should I accept or not? now it wasn't because I was pushing them away, now it was because I wondered if we could keep Rose safe. it's hard to raise a child on a pirate ship. especially when your captain aims to be the pirate king. can everyone do it? will they even agree? luffy had asked me to join but what about the others? did they want me and Rose on the crew?

Chapter Text

as the bright morning sun shines, I step out of my room on the deck of the ship I call my home. the weather is pleasant and the sun has just come up the horizon. the breeze is cold and the sun's rays warm a perfect combination. As I stand by the railing of the ship looking at the beautiful blue sea, I hear footsteps on the deck.

slowly the deck is bustling with sound and the crew members as they start their day. " breakfast." Thatch yelled from the dining room. with a sigh and one last look at the sea, I move towards the dining room. the room is huge filled with long tables and many chairs.

" morning petal." I hear a deep voice behind me say softly. I feel two arms wrap around me and a sweet kiss on my cheek. I smile as I know who exactly it is, the only person who feels this warm, the only person who hugs and kisses me like this every morning, and the only one who calls me petal, my loving fiance, Ace. "Well Good morning to you too, love," I say gently unwrapping his arms around me and turning around.

" did you sleep well?" I ask as I give him a small kiss on his lips and then look back at him smiling. " well, someone left me alone early in the morning so......" he said teasingly. I laughed and didn't say anything else. holding his hand I pulled him towards a table and we sat down waiting for the buffet to be ready.

as we chat for some time, we are suddenly interrupted when someone places 2 plates in front of us. "well if you love birds are done having your lovey-dovey talk, eat. or there won't be enough left." Macro said before turning around and going back to his seat. I look back to give him a snarling reply and see him yelling at the person sitting beside him. apparently, while he brought us our plates someone stole some of his food. I just laugh and get back to my breakfast.

the atmosphere on the ship is very lively and happy. everyone is doing their work, some are arguing, some are just playing cards, some are cleaning, and some are making the most ridiculous bets. I smile as I look around and see all my brothers happy. I hear the rough and deep laugh behind me. I turn around and a huge smile takes over my face as I see my dear father.

" hahahahah, I have been seeing you for some time now, you have been smiling and looking at everyone. any reason for that?" he asked as he sat on his huge chair and I stood beside him. " nothing big of a reason, just feels nice to see everyone happy." I say again staring at the deck.

Oyaji just laughs and then orders someone to get him some sake. I just sigh listening to him but don't say anything. I am in a too good mood to scold him right now. As the now warm sea breeze brushes my face, I close my eyes and just let out a sigh of relief.

the wind suddenly gets strong and I open my eyes. dark clouds dominate the sky as the lightning strikes through the sky. it starts raining and the ship starts rocking like crazy. I look around and there is no one on the deck. the sails are pulled up and tied to the mast. the lights are out. there is just darkness all over the ship. confused I go inside and find no one there as well. I check every room but there is no one. no one except me. my heart starts racing. where is everyone, they were here just now, where did they go?

I run all around the ship, my eyes blurring and my body shivering from the cold. I run and run and end up back on the deck. I scream and yell, call out to my brothers, to Oyaji, to Ace, but there is no reply. the storm has gotten worse and the ship is rocking like crazy. I can feel the panic attack rise up and I fall to my knees, I sob as tears roll down my face like a waterfall. the teras feel warm on my skin compared to the cold rain drops.

I curl into a ball as my chest starts aching. burying my head in my knees I just cry and cry, occasionally calling out wishing I get some response. this goes on for quite some time and then suddenly the winds stop. the rocking of the ship and the rain it all stops. still shivering though I dare to look up. I am no longer on the ship but on the ground.

the grass beneath me is soft fresh and green. I look around and freeze when I see what stands in front of me. a huge big headstone, decorated with beautiful flowers and a very familiar Murakumogiri standing proudly behind it. around it are many swords buried in the ground and in some places flags with the jolly roger of the Whitebeard pirates.

the headstone says,

here lies the great pirate, Edward Newgate, the captain/ father of Whitebeard pirates, and the brave men/sons of his crew.

as the confusion in my mind slowly changes to the realization I panic. they are all dead, no, no they....... they can't be gone. all of them can't be gone.

"no..no..no..NOOOOO." I scream and scream and scream. I turn around run and run and run into the forest. I don't really think where I am going. I just run, wanting to run away from the dreadful hallucination, the horrible dream. they can't be gone. my only family can't be gone. my throat hurts, my chest hurts and I can't see where I am going as tears blur my vision.

I feel burning pain in my feet as I keep on running and running. finally, they give up and I fall. I fall on my knees scraping them as blood mixes with the soil. "No...no no you cant leave me. you all can't leave me alone. " I cry. As time goes by the night falls and the forest gets pitch black. I stop crying and just look around.

ALONE

I sit there alone in the dark forest by myself. soon I hear growling sounds and the sound of bats. see some shining eyes and hear some howls. I shiver with fear and sit against a tree pulling my knees close to my chest. " help....some...someone please help me. i...I am alone. O...Oyaji....i...I am scared...Oyaji....Oyaji...." I cry out. hoping my father to come and rescue me. hoping he will come and take all my fears away. but then the realization sinks in. he is gone. not only Oyaji but all my brothers and Ace are gone. no one is there. it's just me. all alone in this terrifying forest.

"Please, someone. anyone....help me. I...I am scared...help...please....I...I don't want to be alone... it's scary....don't leave me alone. please I am scared. someone help me. please." I call out. if not my family someone else. anyone else just help me, please. i...I don't want to be alone.

I don't want to be alone.

I don't want to be alone.

I don't want to be alone.

with a sudden gasp, my eyes shut open and I see the other bed across from me, a black-haired woman soundly sleeping. I looked around and found myself in the girl's quarters of the thousand sunny. I see Nami sleeping peacefully across the room and Rose sleeping with her face buried in my chest. I let out a sigh as I mumbled with relief.

" it was just a dream."

Chapter Text

The next day I woke up a little late in the morning. after that dream, I couldn't sleep. till quite early in the morning but before the sunrise my eyes finally got drowsy. when I woke up it was already time for Rose to wake up too. I freshened her up and I myself did so too. still thinking of that dream I walked to the dining room for breakfast with Rose.

" oh Jules Chan Rose Chan good morning, I have your special breakfast ready," Sanji said when he saw us enter and sit at the table. I made Rose sit on my lap as I thanked Sanji when he placed our breakfast on the table.

"I see you woke up late today Jules Chan. and you look quite tired. but you are still just as gorgeous as ever." Sanji said going back to the kitchen. " thank you, Sanji Kun. I just couldn't sleep at night so I am a little tired." I said as I fed Rose her food.

she usually ate by herself, but sometimes I liked feeding her, and of course, she enjoyed the pampering. " hu...what is it Jules Chan that didn't let you have a peaceful sleep at night.....what dared to ruin your beauty sleep." Sanji said rushing out of the kitchen with a determined look. ready to kick whoever or whatever my problem was.

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. " it's nothing, Sanji Kun. don't worry." I said calmly, focusing back on feeding Rose. " if you say so Jules Chan, but if you ever need any help you can always come to me, as I * bowing down* am at your service 24/7" I clucked and nodded. with that, he went back to the kitchen and I to my and Rose's breakfast.

as I fed her and ate myself, I kept on thinking about that dream. As it played in my mind again and again I shivered. the dreadful feeling of being alone was terrifying. I don't want to experience that anymore. loneliness ruins you so much that after a point you just wish to die. how cold it feels when no one is around you when no one is with you.

it's not about being among a lot of people. it's about knowing and feeling that even if not many at least one person is there with you. always there to comfort you and listen to you. even if not physically present sometimes that person or those people leave off a feeling of safety. Even if that person or those people are not physically there you know they exist, that they are somewhere out there, and once you meet them everything will be all right.

and I feel it here. I have unknowingly craved it for the last 2 years, but I feel it now. not strong enough but still enough to give me hope. all I know is if I join this crew, I'll never be alone again. the dark and suffocating feeling of loneliness will never come near me again.

and the more I think about Rose. if the crew agrees to work this out, this ship might turn out to be the safest place for Rose. In any other condition, it would be safe to raise a kid on the land but in my case, the straw hat pirate's ship, the Thousand Sunny is the safest place for her and me.

"Mumma, food finish." suddenly Rose said making me startle and get out of my trance. I looked down and realized her food was finished and I was feeding her nothing. I looked at Rose and smiled sheepishly. " heh, I guess I was a little distracted. thank you for telling me, little devil." I said tickling her a little. she giggled and I let her down so she could go and play while I finished my food.

_________

it's evening now and everyone is gathered in the dining room. I had missed everyone at lunch as well cause Chopper was changing my bandages. he was quite surprised by my recovery. it was nothing new to me as I knew I had healing abilities. he was shocked for a minute but had stars in his eyes with excitement as he found it cool.

he kept on asking me questions about my healing abilities and I answered. I had had them since childhood. I could heal any wound leaving no scar behind. that's why even after being a pirate my whole life I don't have a single scar on my body.

so anyway, here I am in the dining room now having my dinner. it is a huge chaos as usual. luffy stealing food from everyone but Rose now. according to Chopper, I am completely healthy now except for my wounds so Luffy now stole food from me too.

as I saw everyone had almost finished eating I decided this was the right time. clearing my throat I looked at Luffy. " ummm luffy?" I said. more like asked gaining his attention as well as everyone else's. " I.....I wanted to ask you.....some... something," I said getting more and more nervous with every sentence I spoke. will he let me do this? I said no first. what if he takes back the offer? I thought but sighed to shove them all away and just ask what I wanted to.

" whas is id duls." Luffy said his mouth stuffed with food and cheeks looking like that of a squirrel. " swallow your food first." Nami growled hitting Luffy in the head. " sowwy Nami." Luffy said and then gulped his food and looked at me grinning. " what is it Jules." he asked.

"Well...the thing is, I wondered....if your.....your offer is still.....still on the table," I asked looking everywhere but at him. too nervous to see his reaction. " hu what is on the table?" he questioned tilting his head in confusion. Everyone at the table sweatdropped. they all just sighed defeated.

"Baka, she means if your offer to join the crew is still there or you don't want it anymore," Sanji said taking a seat as he just came back from keeping his plate in the sink.

" oh of course it's always there. but you don't want to join right?" Luffy asked biting on his last piece of meat.

" about that. I.....I will consider it but I need to ask you all something." I looked up at everyone as they all had a curious look on their faces. " what is it, Jules Chan." Robin asked calmly.

I took a deep breath before starting. " look, if I join obviously Rose will be there too. she is just 2 years old. it's not an impossible task to raise a kid on a pirate ship, there are many out there who have done this. I...I myself was found by Whitebeard pirates when I was six months old. they raised me and Oyaji became my father who even gave me his last name. but it wasn't Oyaji alone who raised me. it was the whole crew." I said and just looked at everyone to see if they can understand where this is going.

" I know I am Rose's mother and it's my responsibility to take care of her protect her and raise her. it's totally my responsibility no one else's. if....if he was...here with...with us Rose would have been raised on the moby dick our ship. but....he's not....he's not with us and....and it's just me who has Rose's responsibility. i....i........" I couldn't speak more as a shiver ran through my body. I wrapped my arms around me trying to comfort the non-existent cold. I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing which was slowly going out of control. I let out a sigh when I felt a comforting hand on my back. I looked to my side and saw Nami looking at me with a soft smile and a reassuring look. with a sharp intake of breath, I composed myself and continued.

"look I....I want to join the crew. I really want to. it has been more than 2 years since I left piracy. and it's something I...I grew up seeing and doing it, and I really want to resume it and continue by joining you guys. but.....as I said Rose will be with me too. with her identity and everything she will be as big of a target as Luffy. it will mean more marine attacks and more enemies who will come after Rose or me. it will also mean that Rose will need to be protected. I know it's my responsibility but.....but if I am joining the crew then.....then I can't do it alone. I cannot keep her safe alone by myself. if I join.....I'll need the.....the help of all of you guys."

I finished and waited to see or hear any response. everyone just stayed silent. nobody said a single thing. it only increased my nervousness and made me panic. " see....see I...I don't want to force any of you to do this. I...I know this is a huge responsibility and really mine but.....I can't do it myself........I'll need your help. but...but I don't want to force you. if even one of you doesn't want this I'll not join. I don't want any of you to do this unwillingly. " I said explaining myself nervously.

suddenly the room exploded in chaos as everyone spoke. " no no Jules Chan we are happy to help." " oh this means more time with Rose Chan, I'll dress you up in pretty dresses." "This is suuuuuupeeeerrrrrr, of course, we are happy to take care of Rose Chan" "Yohohohoho, I am so happy Rose Chan can listen to more of my lullabies." " oh Jules Chwaaann, I am ready to do anything for you, and I'll make sure Rose Chan always eats well." "hahaha, having a kid onboard might be dangerous but we can pull it off." " e...e...even if this means m..mo...more enemies, I am here to help you with anything, the great captain Usspo is ready for any challenges." "I'll always keep her healthy and fit Jules." "you fool, it might be dangerous but we are a strong crew."

as everyone kept talking in the chaos I just stared at them all. As I clearly heard what each one of them was saying I felt relief wash over me and a small smile form on my lips. Rose giggles from beside me looking at all the chaos. when she giggled everyone just stopped. all of them looking at Rose with fond expressions.

"so, ummm you guys are...are okay with this?" I asked just to confirm one last time. everyone just smiled at me and nodded their head with an " hai". I smiled back and looked at the captain. " luffy. you okay with all this?" I asked looking at a serious-looking Luffy. when he looked at me his expression went back to a huge grin. " Yosh, I am okay with this, Rose will be safe here on this ship. I promise," Luffy said with a confident look.

I promised Ace after all

" so now will you join the crew?" luffy asked. he really asked and I agreed. " yes Luffy, I mean Captain Luffy, I'll join your crew." I said with a small smile. " shishishishishishi, welcome to the crew. let's have a party, everyone." Luffy said excitedly. " we just had dinner luffy, we can have it tomorrow. " Nami said picking up her plate and walking towards the sink.

"Okay then, tomorrow we will have a big party to celebrate the joining of our new nakama, Jules and Rose." luffy announced and cheers erupted in the room as everyone agreed. Rose not really understanding what was happening, still laughed and cheered with everyone.

I just sat there looking at everyone, a small satisfied smile dancing on my lips. it is gonna be one hell of a journey with this new family and home I have found.

Chapter Text

3 weeks. it has been 3 weeks since I stumbled into Straw Hat Pirates and 2 weeks since I officially joined. we haven't come across any problems yet, and the journey was going smoothly. Rose spent most of the time playing with Chopper, Ussop, and Luffy. With Chopper and Ussop I don't have to worry about her safety as they both very well know how to handle her.

luffy too surprisingly was very gentle with Rose. he spent most of his time with her. at the end of the day when it's time for her night routine of brushing, taking a bath, and changing her pajamas, Rose told her all about what she did the whole day. though I saw most of her activities I still loved to hear her talk and talk about her adventures all day in her crooked sentences.

she would talk about how big the fish was which Luffy or Ussop caught with hand gestures, how fun it was to ride Chopper in his reindeer form, how Luffy made funny faces, how Luffy told her about his childhood adventures, especially how much she got to know about her dad from him. I told her as much as I could about Ace. it is still hard to talk about him, to see that hope and spark in Rose's eyes when she asked questions about her dad, the sadness that hope turned into when she missed him. it hurt to see how much she longed for her dad. every time the topic comes up all I think about is the what ifs. what if Ace was here, what if he saw Rose smiling like this or laughing like that, what if he saw her crying or witnessed her tantrums? how would he react to all this?

but for Luffy, it seemed easy to talk about him. I could tell Luffy had finally if not completely but still mostly come over that traumatic day. he had to some extent accepted Ace's death, unlike myself. I guess that is one of the reasons he is so easily able to talk about him and tell Rose the stories she deserves to hear. that was the reason the two had formed a special bond. even during meals now Rose had started sitting on Luffy's lap as the two practically inhaled the food.

Rose had also gotten very comfortable with the whole crew. everyone adored her and loved to spend time with her. Robin had undecidedly taken up the responsibility for Rose's learning. when Rose spent time with Robin the older wise woman would make the little Rose recite alphabets, numbers, and basic rhymes while playing and having fun. I had taught Rose numbers and alphabet but for quite some months I wasn't able to take her practice but Robin had started doing that.

as we got closer to the next island Nami got more and more excited. apparently, she had made a huge list of things she wanted to buy for Rose, especially clothes. she was very excited to have a little girl she could dress up in cute pretty clothes.

Franky had made some very interesting toys for Rose. I had to confiscate some of them as they weren't really suitable for a 2-year-old. actually, I had to confiscate most of them in the beginning but Fraky had improved with each new toy and had eventually made some safe enough for Rose to play.

now not a single day went by when Rose didn't sleep without Brook's song. he had written several great songs which described the adventures they had till now. the stories turned into delicate threads of words and weaved into beautiful music that made Rose fall into the land of sweet dreams.

sanji had asked me every detail about Rose's likes and dislikes in terms of food. according to that he planned her meals and she absolutely loved them. the little devil refused to eat veggies and loved meat, very much like her father and even Luffy. sanji had found a way to feed her the necessary veggies without her even noticing them. I wonder why I hadn't thought about it when I started feeding Rose solid food.

Rose loved to sit with jimbe at the helm. she would just sit on his lap as he steered the ship and giggled when the warm sea breeze hit her face. she would ask random questions to the former warlord and he would be happy to answer them all. he too told her the stories of his adventures and some stories he knew of the whitebeard pirates.

again it was hard for me to talk about them too. Oyaji and my brothers. along with Ace, I wasn't over their death too. somewhere in the back of my mind, I was prepared for the dreadful day when fate would take my father from me as he was already sick, but I hadn't expected it to happen so soon and like this. every time when things got hard for me which was almost always, I wished he was here. every time I had any kind of trouble I would go to him and vent it out and he would help me guide me to the right path. now that he was no more I felt lost most of the time. unable to find the right way. I missed the safety I felt while talking to him. though the whole crew took care of me Oyaji was the major one who made me into the confident woman I was. well at least two years ago.

I am not sure if I am that strong now, or even confident. I don't even know if I deserve the high bounty of 500 million berries anymore. I am not even sure how will i do when we face any enemy. how good will I be able to fight? yes, I practiced on Amazon Lilly but the practice was way different from the actual fight. and the practice was on stable land and no Rose around me. fighting while on the ship and also keeping Rose safe was something I wasn't sure I could do or not.

but I guess I'll find that out soon. as tomorrow my bandages will be removed as I have finally fully recovered. according to Chopper, the kind of bullet wounds I had would take months to heal cause they cause a lot of muscle, nerve, and bone damage but due to my healing abilities, I head in 3 weeks.

__________________

NEXT DAY

I woke up with a smile on my face. last night was my last medicine and today my bandages will finally come off. now that I was part of the crew I had been restless to get clearance from the chopper so that I could finally be helpful around. till now all I did was take care of Rose, play with her, chat with Nami or Robin, and maybe help Sanji with some vegetable washing, but nothing really helpful.

now that today the bandages will come off I can finally have some duties or if not that at least do something productive around the ship. I couldn't help but be happy and excited as I walked towards the galley for breakfast after finishing my morning routine. Rose was still sleeping as it was still time for her to wake up time.

" good morning guys," I said happily as I entered the dining room and saw most of the crew already present. everyone replied with a smile and good morning. I sat on my seat, which since the first day had somehow become between Zoro and Nami.

zoro wasn't here yet but Nami was, nice and fresh in the morning, ready to start the day. " well you look happy this morning. any particular reason?" Nami asked with an amused look on her face.

" well, my bandages come off today and I can finally do much more on the ship and finally feel like a part of it." I said smiling back. " well that is good news early in the morning." Sanji said coming out of the kitchen with a glass of cold milk and placing it in front of me. yes, I liked having cold milk in the morning, I got the habit when I started having it during my pregnancy and now it is as if I cannot start my day without it.

" thank you, Sanji Kun, and yes it is indeed." I said picking up the cup from the table. " isn't it too early for bullet wounds to heal though?" Robin asked entering the galley. " well yeah it is but Jules heals very fast, compared to normal humans and even Luffy who has the fastest recovery in the whole crew till now." chopper said munching on his sweet pancakes with chocolate syrup.

" oh, that's interesting." Robin said now sitting on her seat as Sanji served her breakfast. " yeah and it's so cool." Luffy said from the head of the table his mouth stuffed with food as always. "hmm, it's very interesting, but you never told me exactly how is it that you have such great healing ability." chopper asked turning from Robin to me.

" well....it has something to do with my ancestors. I don't know the details but I belong to this very old tribe that had certain abilities including healing. my body heals any wound no matter how deep completely and leaves no scar." I said now digging into my own breakfast as I had finished my milk.

" abilities? that's so cool. what else abilities do you have?" luffy asked. " I don't really know, I have a strong observation haki, stronger than most, I can hear nature as well especially the sea. like everything in nature has feelings and emotions and I can feel and understand them. everything in nature has a specific melody and it conveys the feelings." I said remembering how I had freaked out when I had heard the melody nobody else could. but after a lot of research, Marco had finally figured out what had really happened.

"Sugoi. can you tell what the fishes are feeling? Or Nami's mikan trees, or ussops plants?" luffy who had now finished his breakfast and had almost inhaled it asked. " yeah I can but I usually turn it down as it gets too overwhelming and makes my head hurt."you have got interesting abilities Jules chan. why didn't you explore what else you could do by seeing that tribe?" Robin asked with that curious look of hers indicating the passionate archeologist in her was asking this.

" oh I don't really care, I am pretty strong without the abilities, that I don't know about, and also there is no record of where that tribe is from. I haven't ever seen a single person from that tribe. Marco searched for it for a long time but didn't find anything. what I know is all based on rumors." I said with a sigh. Marco and many of my brothers had tried a lot to find out more but found nothing.

" that's an interesting mystery. what else do you know about this tribe?" Robin asked now much more curious and intrigued than before. "aren't you excited to find a new mystery to solve?" I laughed lightly. " well so far I know that the tribe had this rare combination of brown hair and turquoise eyes. that's the reason no orphanage took me in I guess. other than this nothing more." I said playing with my food a little. " oh I see, I was wondering it as well, to have this rare combination. there are many people with turquoise around the world, Hiyori from Wano had them too right?" Robin wondered and looked at everyone present.

" yeah she had them too, do you think she is from that tribe too?" Nami questioned. " what color was her hair?" I was now curious. it won't hurt to know more about myself my powers and my history. " her hair was the same color as her eyes. oh, how beautiful she was, Hiyori chhhwwaaannn." Sanji said dreamily. " god knows how that baka marimo got so lucky to meet her and get close to her." Sanji had a gloomy yet angry look on his face as he bit on his food harshly.

" then no she cannot be from the tribe. every single member of the tribe has brown hair and turquoise eyes. anyone outside the tribe can have it as well but that person won't have the abilities. you see the color of our eyes, hair, and skin is decided by the amount of melanin in our body. so it's very very rare to have brown hair which is high in melanin and turquoise eyes with the lowest amount of melanin."

my breakfast was done now and I got up and kept my plate in the sink. chopper too was almost done. " you go ahead and wait in the infirmary, I'll be there in a minute." he said with his mouth stuffed with pancakes. i just clucked and nodded before leaving towards the infirmary.

finally, the bandages will be off.

Chapter Text

THE STORY FROM HERE ONWARDS WILL BE IN 3RD PERSON'S POV

after about 5 minutes or so chopper entered the infirmary and found Jules sitting on the bed and looking around the room from her seat. "so let's get this done now." chopper said as he walked towards his table and wore his gloves. " yes finally these will be off. I bet my wounds are completely healed now." Jules was very happy to finally get rid of those movement-restraining bandages.

chopper gently began to unwrap the bandages around my shoulder then my waist and then my right leg. he cleaned the now exposed area with disinfectant and it was done." there you go. all healed." chopper said sighing and discarding his one-time use gloves.

" thank you chopper. I feel so much better without the bandages now. especially my hand movement is finally free now." Jules said moving around her hand in the ways she could before because of the bandages. chopper was about to say something when the sound of loud crying was heard outside. jules knew that crying very well, it seemed that Rose had woken up.

with a sigh, Jules opened the door and went outside to see what new morning tantrum Rose was throwing. what she saw out on the grassy deck was the funniest thing she had seen till now. it was Rose running around the deck crying and what made it funny was Zoro who was walking in front of her trying to get away from her little hands.

Zoro was still very uncomfortable with Rose. not her presence or the fact that she was on the ship or anything like that. it was more like, Zoro is not a very soft person and he didn't know how to act around Rose so he stayed away from her, but Rose being the social butterfly she is always tried to get attention from the swordsman. She had taken a curious interest in his swords and Zoro was apparently unaware of it as he just kept on getting away from her never really observing.

" hey you, get your daughter away from me. I don't know what to do with this brat." Zoro said noticing Jules looking at the whole scene with an amused smile. "oh you can't be that bad with kids." Jules said amused as she walked down the stairs and towards Zoro who was still getting away from Rose who was crying for his attention. " trust me he is not." replied Robin who was sitting on the beach chair nearby. Zoro looked at her sharply gritting his teeth. " hey take your brat away from me." Zoro looked back at Jules and she just sighed and picked up Rose.

" oh my little devil, did you sleep well?" Jules kissed the chubby cheeks of the half sleepy half crying Rose. Rose wiped her eyes and nodded. " did you have breakfast?" again the little girl just nodded. " good now let's get you fresh and ready for the day." Jules said placing Rose down and holding her hand to lead her to the bathroom. but the little girl didn't move, just stared at her mother.

" what happened, let's go." Jules asked turning around and seeing little Rose looking at her with aw. " mumma your booboo is gone." Rose said now all sleep forgotten and a huge smile on her face. jules's face reflected the smile of the little girl. she got on her knee to be at Rose's level and stared at the smiling face of her daughter for a second. " yes it's gone now. completely." Rose immediately hugged her mother happily giggling. "I am so happy mumma." Rose pulled away and gave Jules a kiss on the cheek. " mumma can you fight now?" Rose asked with big hopeful eyes. Jules hummed and nodded in response.

" yes, I am excited to see you fight too. you must be very strong being the vice commander of the 1st division of Whitebeard Pirates." Ussop who was fishing by the railings was now curious. " well you tell me how strong I am when I fight." Jules said picking up Rose and walking towards the bathroom.

___________

Rose was nice and tidy and busy playing with Chopper and Ussop. Jules was called in by Nami in the library to discuss something. " hello Nami you called?" Jules said walking towards the orange-haired woman sitting by a desk full of maps. " oh you here, yes I needed to ask you something. we will soon reach an island and I have realized that you and Rose don't have any clothes except for the 3 clothes you wear. we gotta do some serious shopping. other than that Rose will probably need a lot of things and I need you to make a list of it all so I can make a budget." Nami explained and then fixed her glasses. " okay I'll make a list and give it to you. oh, this reminds me, I have a huge amount in the bank and I want to add that money to the crew's finances as I am part of the crew now."

Nami was confused for a moment there. " wait what do you mean money in the bank?" she asked. " well I have an account in the bank and keep my money there. It's actually a savings account." Jules explained. " but how we are pirates? how did your documents get approved?" Nami was very confused now, this was the first time she heard of a pirate having a bank account. "it's not that hard to forge documents. it's registered by a fake name. I and Ace decided to add some part of our allowance to it so that we can use it when we decide to settle down or be on our own. basically future planning." Nami was shocked and also inspired. She had never thought of this idea. ever. how did she not think of it? " well that's a great idea to save money for future or emergencies. this was your idea right?" Nami gave her a knowing look. she didn't know Ace much but could easily tell though now exactly similar he and Luffy were pretty much alike.

" yes, it was." Jules clucked and Nami laughed. " these brothers are so similar. but I think Sabo is the smart one not like these knuckleheads." Nami said thoughtfully. so far whatever she knew about the blond she could tell he must be the brains of the trio. " wait sabo, as in Luffy and Ace's brother sabo?" Jules had caught up on the mention of the blond's name. Ace had told her about him. the brother who died when they were just kids.

" yes, that Sabo. some of the crew met him in Dressrosa and we keep track of his activities as he is Luffy's brother." Nami said going back to work on her maps. but Jules was shocked. Ace often talked about his brothers of course. he would sometimes cry or wake up with nightmares where he saw Sabo die. but that same Sabo. the brother who Ace mourned for often, was alive. She remembers Ace had told her how Sabo died. but how can he be alive? Did Ace have no clue about this? and if it's true and Sabo is alive why didn't he contact Ace all these years.

coming out of thoughts Jules asked Nami in an unsure voice. " what..... what do you mean by that? is......is Sabo alive?" Nami looked at Jules confused at first. As the realization dawned on her, Nami's expression turned into a sad but understanding one. with a sigh she said softly, "Yes, yes Sabo is alive." hundreds of questions ran through Jules's mind and she couldn't understand how is it possible. " but... but how?" Jules asked confused as hell.

" it's better to hear that from Luffy I think," Nami said with a soft smile. after a moment Jules just nodded. " I guess, I'll do that. anyway thanks, Nami." Jules said turning around to leave. " wait, Jules. the money you saved, keep it to yourself. it's the money you and Ace saved for your future, don't add it to the crew's finances." Nami said with a 'do not argue about this' look and Jules sighed in understanding and left with a nod.

as Jules walked out on the deck all she was thinking about was what she had just found out. lost in her thoughts she reached the deck and was zoned in by the sound of laughs. she looked towards the center of the deck where Rose and Luffy were playing and laughing and giggling. their laugh was contagious a huge smile spread on Jules's face as she looked at the duo.

"Mumma, come here come here." Rose noticed her and called out excitedly. Jules nodded and walked towards them. "Mumma look what Fifi can do," Rose said getting out of Luffy's hold and jumping excitedly as Luffy laughed and lay down on the grassy floor. Jules watched curiously wondering what was going on.

Luffy took a huge breath and he started inflating like a balloon. once he was done he looked at Rose and gestured for her to go on. the little girl squealed and jumped on Luffy's inflated body and bounced up In the air again landing on the inflated bouncy body. it was like a trampoline. Jule couldn't help but laugh at the sight. it was hilarious as well as amazing to see Rose having so much fun.

soon Luffy couldn't hold any more air inside him. when Rose landed on him again he held her firmly and close to himself and let go of air as he deflated and flew around just like what happens when you let go of the air. Jule panicked as Luffy had no control over which direction he would fly and what surface he would hit. but she sighed in relief when he landed on the grassy deck curled up like a ball.

concern washed over Jules for Luffy as well as Rose who was in Luffy's arms all this time. they landed a little far from her as she ran towards them worried they got hurt. As she reached them all she heard was cute muffled giggles she knew so well. still concerned she looked at the curled-up Luffy who slowly uncurled and Jules saw a laughing, giggling Rose clinging to Luffy's chest and his arms wrapped several times around her protectively.

" again, again." Rose cheered laughing her heart out and Luffy laughed along with her. " yosh let's do it again." he said excitedly as he got up. " what? no... you are not doing that again. That was very dangerous. what if you two got hurt? nothing would happen to you Luffy cause you are rubber but Rose might get hurt." Jules said now a little angry. glaring at the duo. " but umma fifi hold me. I don't get hurt." Rose tried to reason but shut her mouth with one glare from her mother.

" oh common Jules, she is having fun and I promise she won't get hurt, I'll protect her," Luffy said in a bored tone not really reading the atmosphere and the glare Jules was throwing his way. " Luffy I swear to god if I see one scratch on my daughter I'll show you what my knives can do," Jules said with a dark aura around her now. Luffy who was picking his nose now suddenly felt the aura and shivered. his gaze slowly moving and landing on Jules who looked ready to beat him up. his natural face soon turned into that of a sheepish smile as he laughed while scratching the back of his neck. " shishishsihsi, Jules, no...no need to get mad, I...I won't do that okay, just don't, don't get mad." Jules still glared at Luffy and narrowed her eyes. her eyes landed on Rose who stood beside him with the cutest puppy eyes and a small pout.

oh, how she could never stay strong in front of that expression. Rose was quite smart and knew when to exactly use that cute expression, such a little devil she was. Jules looked at the duo for a moment and then sighed, giving up on the argument. " you little devil, fine you two can play but Luffy don't you dare deflate and fly around randomly with Rose. let her get off first." Jules said with a defeated expression and just shook her head as the duo grinned with happiness.

" island ahead." Zoro's voice spread across the ship from the speaker on the crow's nest. Luffy and Rose who were about to play the trampoline thingy again stopped and ran towards the railing. Jules too stood beside them as they saw the island getting closer and closer. rest of the crew too came out on the deck at the announcement to get ready to dock.

" umph, fifi I wanna see, wanna see," Rose said with a frown as she couldn't see the island clearly because of the railing bars. Luffy laughed at that and before Jules could pick up Rose Luffy did and seated her on the railing. " luffy careful" Jules said a little worried about Rsoe sitting on the railing.

Luffy just nodded and wrapped his arms around Rose securely so that she didn't fall. " haaaaaaa, so small." Rose said as she clearly saw the island. Jules and Luffy laughed at that, "It's not so small Rose, it's very big, it looks small 'cause it's still very far." Jules explained and Rose just nodded still staring at the sea and the island.

Jules could see, she could see the sparks In little Rose's eyes as the beautiful turquoise eyes that matched hers looked at the sea. just those sparks in her eyes could tell anyone she was born pirate, that pirate blood ran through her veins and the sea called to her. After all she is Portugas.D.Rose.

Chapter Text

"Fifi, what is on the island?" Rose asked curiously. " shishishi, I don't know but I hope there is nice food, lots of meat, and some great adventure." Luffy said, excited to explore the new island. " meat? I want meat." Of course, the one thing Rose heard was meat. the girl was obsessed with meat thanks to Luffy's influence. " yes a lots of meat, it will be so tasty, I can't wait to try all the food." Luffy said dreamily, his eyes turning to stars. " I want too, tasty food, tasty meat." Rose bounced in her place excitedly while clapping her hands and mouth drooling at the thought of food. Jules just sighed and chuckled at how the duo shook with excitement.

" yes, we will have lots of food chubs." luffy encouraged. As the two kept on talking Jules saw Nami on the deck. she suddenly remembered the list she had to give the orange-haired navigator. Jules went to the girl's quarters and got the list she made. " here Nami this is the list of necessities I'll need for Rose. I also wrote down an average price for everything to help you with deciding the budget." Jules said handing the list to Nami. " okay thanks, Jules. anyway, when we dock you, me, Robin and Rose Chan are going shopping. you two need more clothes." Nami said looking at the outfit I wore.

I couldn't agree more. my and Rose's clothes were pretty worn out and the colour had faded. in a few more uses they wouldn't even look decent and would rather look like rags. " yeah we do need new clothes. oh, this is gonna be fun, it's been a long time since I last went shopping." Jules squealed with excitement as she thought about all the shopping she could do.

she was brought out of her dreamland of shopping by Nami's laughing. jules looked at her confused, behind her even Robin was laughing and Sanji was looking at Jules with a fond smile and a nosebleed. chopper too was staring at her with awe in his eyes.

"That was suuuuuuuper cute." frankly said and Jimbe and Brook laughed. Zoro was sleeping and Luffy was still busy talking to Rose. "what.... what happened guys, why are you all laughing?" Jules asked very much confused. " nothing Jules Chan just something sweet we saw." Robin said now a sweet smile dancing on her lips. " oh my dear Jules Chan, you looked so sweet being all girly and excited about shopping. so so sweet." Sanji said having another nosebleed recalling the moment just now.

Jules realized what all this was. since she came on board she has been this responsible, mature woman who takes care of her daughter. She is just 20 years old but she hasn't been a lively teen or 20-year-old woman since she got pregnant. that girly manner had been buried deep down and topped with the responsibilities and worries of a mother. but even she had observed how that girly bubbly side of hers which is just like any other woman her age had been surfacing recently.

she giggled often and checked herself in the mirrors, she wanted to reach an island as soon as possible so she could get good clothes and dress well. She would get envious of Nami and Robin as they looked beautiful and she was in her rag of clothes. she would get excited to spend time with the other two women and loved to enjoy the treats made by Sanji, especially for them. and now this. squealing in excitement and doing a little happy wiggling dance as she daydreamed about the type of outfits she wanted.

this side of her was surfacing more and more and she was kinda happy about it. she missed being like this. missed not being a mother and just a free young woman. she loves her daughter, of course she does, and she doesn't blame her for all this. Rose is not someone who holds her back, no, Rose actually is her strength, but still, sometimes she just wishes she could just be a normal 20-year-old woman.

Jules felt heat creep to her cheeks as she realized why everyone was staring and laughing at her. That buried side of hers had shown up and it had surprised and amused everyone. she didn't know what to say now as everyone just stared at her with their amused smiles. As the silence stretched on it got more and more awkward and more and more her cheeks heated.

"Minna, we are here we are here," Rose yelled and everyone's attention turned to her saving Jules from her dismay. She too looked at Rose and for a moment her eyes locked with Luffy. Luffy gave her a sheepish smile and turned back to look at the now very close island.

what was that?

Jules thought but brushed it away and walked towards the railing and saw the island ahead as the ship docked.

"Okay everyone, let's split up the work now." Nami said and everyone gathered around so that Nami could distribute the work. " sanji, zoro you two will get food supplies. franky ussop, you get sunnies repair supplies, chopper, Luffy, and Jimbe you guys will get the medical supplies and check around the island. brook you are on ship duty. I, Robin, Jules and Rose Chan will go some shopping. here is the money for everything and here this is for your own spending." Nami said handing out jobs and money for everything.

everyone went their own way. Once Nami and Robin were ready and Jules had packed all the things Rose would need some food, a scarf, some wet wipes and water bottles, etc the four of them left for their shopping day.

as the group walked through the market going from shop to shop it was almost lunchtime. they had finished shopping for Rose. first, they got all the necessities and toys and then got lots and lots of cute clothes for Rose. Nami and Robin were the most excited and were ready to buy every piece of cloth they saw. As it was now lunch time Rose was getting cranky. they found a nice restaurant and ordered food.

once the lunch was done Rose was drowsy and had fallen asleep as they now headed to some more stores to get clothes for Jules. " oi, Nami, Robin, Jules." they heard a familiar voice yelling from a distance. they waited as their cheerful captain came to a screeching halt in front of them followed by Jimbe and Chopper. " you guys done with your shopping?" Nami asked and Chopper showed her all the things they got. " yep, what about you guys, you got a lot of stuff there?" Luffy said looking at the many many bags they were carrying.

" not yet this is all Rose Chan's shopping. we still need to shop for Jules." Nami said sighing. not really tired but the bags were heavy. " oh chubs is sleeping." luffy said sadly looking at Rose's sleeping form in Jules's arms. " the little girl must be tired with all the romaing around." Jimbe said. " hey why don't you guys take her back to Sunny as you are done with your shopping?" Nami suggested and Jules hesitated a bit. " you okay with that Jules Chan?" Robin asked sensing the hesitation. " I...I don't know, I mean I trust you guys it's just, I have never let her out of my sight, like ever, that's why I am hesitant." Jules said truthfully. it would be great if they took Rose to Sunny so they could shop comfortably but still, she hesitated. " Jules no need to worry, we will take her back safely, you have fun without any worries." jimbe reassured with a soft smile.

jules trusted them all of course, it's just Luffy was a trouble magnet and Chopper was not the best in sudden situations, he needed a minute or two to get hold of a situation if something went wrong. but Jimbe would really be able to take Rose safely. She can put that much faith in them. Jules looked at Rose in her arms and then looked at the trio in front of her. After a moment of some more thinking she sighed. " here take her back safely okay." she said giving Rose to Jimbe and making sure she didn't wake up. " don't worry, we will, we'll call you once we reach sunny." chopper said confidently and Jules nodded with a smile. she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Rose's forehead.

and with that, the trio along with Rose now went towards the sunny. oh and not to forget they took all the bags along with them too.

" sooooooo, now let's get some beautiful clothes for you, Jules," Nami said excitedly and Jules smiled with excitement too. the three entered a shop and started looking around. " you should get at least one dress for every occasion and some for daily use." Robin suggested and Nami nodded agreeing. "okay, so let's start with daily clothes, comfy and easy to fight in too, but they should be pretty as well." Nami said looking through racks and racks of clothes.

after trying many clothes Jules was not really happy with any of the styles. " hmmm what style should we get then?" Nami sighed not able to figure out what to get. " say Jules Chan, what type of style did you use to wear, you know the one in your bounty poster." Robin said and something clicked in Jules's head. yes, that's what she wanted. the kind of outfit she used to wear. but.....

" well you see I love that style but I don't know if I should wear that type of clothes, I mean I was not a mother back then and I just don't know if I'll look good in that anymore," Jules said honestly. It was true, it's been two years but she still had some post-pregnancy insecurities. " oh Jules Chan we are sure you will look great in that style. why don't you try something on like that and we'll see then." Robin suggested.

a little hesitant Jules agreed. She went through some shelves and racks and got some clothes and went to try them. in a moment or two, she hesitantly opened the door and stepped out of the changing room. " I don't know, how does it look? I am not so sure about this." Jules mumbled as she stood in front of Nami and Robin.

when Jules looked up to them and didn't know what their reaction really meant. the two women stood there with mouths agape and frozen in time. " are you kidding me, that wanted poster does no justice to this. this, this is the most beautiful piece of art and you need to get a better picture for that wanted poster." Nami said as she gaped at Jules in disbelief.

"What, what is that supposed to mean, is it not good, I...I knew it wouldn't look good anymore." Jules said panicking a little. " no. no, it's not. It's quite the opposite Jules Chan, you.....you look gorgeous, more your age and very very vibrant with that bright color of the skirt. As Nami says the wanted poster does no justice to your beauty." Robin said now her facial expression controlled and a small smile on her lips.

" you sure it's good?" Jules asked to confirm. " absolutely," Nami said already looking for clothes with similar styles.

______________

finally the shopping was done. the trip had bought lost and lost of clothes and were carrying many bags. it was early evening as they walked to the sunny. after the shopping was done Robin and Nami had forced Jules into a salon and had got her hair cut, a manicure and pedicure, and many more things. they even got a nice spa. now as they walked to the sunny Jules looked fresh, her hair was nicely cut and styled in a simple way, and she was wearing one of her new outfits and accessories. She looked like jules, the real Jules who hadn't gotten lost in the worries of the world and the responsibilities of harsh motherhood.

there was only one thing missing to finish the look. and Nami and Robin wondered how to get it.

Chapter Text

perep perep perep

perep perep perep

perep perep catcha. Nami picked up the call. " Oi Nami, the Marines are here, they found out Jules and Rose are on the island." it was Ussop who had called.

"Okay, we are coming back we are about to reach, where are you guys and the others?" Nami asked and we started to run, not really wanting to encounter the Marines. "We are all on the sunny only you guys are remaining," Ussop said and Nami told him we would be there soon and get ready to set sail. As they ran they soon saw Sunny at the docks. " we are almost there." Robin said and Jules and Nami nodded.

"There she is, it's Edward Jules." suddenly someone yelled and Nami Robin, and Jules looked to their Right side. marines were running towards them. " shit they found us." Nami mumbled. " no they found me, they haven't recognized you two. you guy go ahead I'll keep them busy." Jules said analyzing how many marines were there. there were about 50 marines coming from the right but as Jules activated her observation haki she could sense 50 more coming from the left.

suddenly excitement ran through her body and the realization of Rose not being there with her dawned upon her. She wasn't holding Rose anymore. she didn't have to protect Rose right now, Rose was safe on the sunny and with the crew. she wasn't injured anymore nor was she tired and malnourished. She could fight. she could attack instead of defending. She could fight and defeat them easily as there was nothing holding her back. She wanted to go wild. she wanted to hold her knives with confidence and attack. She wanted to experience the thrill of fighting and of being chased. it wasn't so enjoyable when Rose was with her of course, but the pirate in her now, not bound to the responsibility of a child in that moment was excited. with blood rushing through her body making her feel all jumpy and ready to fight.

but there was only one restriction. the crew. this might cause trouble for the crew. what if they don't really want to fight but just run from here? the excitement slowly started turning to disappointment but suddenly her eyes met with a pair of light blue ones. Robin gave her an understanding look and a simple nod. Jules understood what she meant to say, but..... would Luffy as a captain be okay with this? at that thought Jules looked forward and saw Zoro and Sanji holding Luffy back who was trying to get off the ship, ready to fight off the Marines. and that's it. that was all Jules needed to look at Robin and nod with a smirk she had on her face like an instinct and without her really knowing.

"Nami let's go, Jules will take care of them," Robin said and pulled Nami along with her as they kept on running towards the sunny while Jules stopped. when the crew on the sunny noticed that, they were confused. " oi why is she standing there like that?" Ussop said confused. hearing him Luffy too stopped trying to get off the ship and looked at Jules standing there as Nami and Robin kept on running towards the sunny.

Luffy was confused for a moment but then he saw the look on her face. and damn it was the look he knew very well. he had seen it only once and it had stuck with him. the look of determination. the look that told how sure she was that she was gonna win that fight. the look that said she was gonna rule that battlefield.

" we should go to help her, what is she thinking there just standing as the Marines approach." Sanji said worried for the beautiful lady's safety. " wait Sanji," Luffy said holding his hand out to stop Sanji. it was one of the rare moments that had not been very rare since some time ago when Luffy used that deep serious voice of his. when he really behaved like a captain.

" But Luffy she just got well, she is gonna get hurt again," Sanji said still wanting to protect the lady. " hahahahah, Sanji Kun why don't you just wait and watch?" Jimbe said laughing and Luffy grinned as he waited for what was gonna happen. "Say Jimbe, that look, it's the same look Whitebeard old man had." Luffy said and Jimbe just laughed in agreement. " hu what look?" Ussop asked very confused. " just wait and watch Ussop, just wait and watch. you are gonna see what our new nakama is capable of." Zoro said with a smirk as he too just started at the brunette with the turquoise eyes they call their nakama patiently waiting for her opponent.

drawing of Jules in the new outfit and dress.

Chapter Text

excitement, thrill, confidence, after a long time she was feeling all this. after a long time, she was finally able to do this. oh, it has only been a little more than 2 years since she last felt this but damn it felt like it has been decades.

she could feel the blood rush to every muscle of her body as her body got ready to fight. the whole reaction her body had was like a muscle memory, without her command her body knew what was about to come and what had to be done. just as Nami and Robin got a safe distance away from her she turned around.

100s of navy officers charging towards her not really paying attention to Nami and Robin running towards Sunny. they were so focused on capturing her they didn't even notice the sunny by the docks. it was also partly because it was getting dark and the lights on sunny were still off. As she saw and felt the marines run towards her her grip on her knives tightened.

one knife in each hand she got ready to fight. her hand crossed in front of her, knees bent a little to easily charge ahead when the right time came.

a little more..... a little more

she thought as she waited for the soldiers to reach a certain distance. the moment they were in her range she attacked by slashing the air in a cross with such a force it attacked the soldiers in the front. the force was so strong that the air pushed out but it hit like a knife cutting through flesh. and with that, she charged ahead.

slashing more and more soldiers. some came to attack her from the sides when she was busy with the group in front of her. She stopped their attack for a moment with each of her knives pushed herself away and immediately attacked, surprising the soldiers. one by one she went on and on easily slashing the marines like they were a bunch of vegetables. ( lol I love this line)

she was smooth with her movements easily going from one group of marines to another.

on the other hand on the sunny the crew watched in aww. luffy especially. he had expected Jules to be strong. he could tell that with the way she carried herself. her personality told that she was a strong woman but damn he was surprised by her skills too. he stared in awe as the number of marines kept on decreasing. luffy couldn't help but compare the way she moved while fighting to an elegant dance. it was like she was dancing, each step calculated but still had a smooth flow making it look oh so easy. it was a deadly dance but elegant and beautiful at the same time.

The way she moved, defended attacked, it all was so smooth and fluid that it seemed very easy, but damn he knew it really wasn't. To achieve that, one needed practice and experience, and Jules had that. the more he stared the more he got lost in the beautiful deadly dance Jules was doing.

he also noticed how her clothes were different. with that skirt flowing around gracefully with her every movement and the top fitting her perfectly and that hair, damn that haircut completed the whole look. she looked alive. The stress and worries were gone from her face, the messed up hair she didn't bother to comb cause she never noticed as she would be busy tending to Rose, the old and colorless clothes she wore cause she couldn't carry much while running away, it all was gone. all those things that hid her beauty were gone.

now she looked beautiful with that combination of elegance and fierce, in those clothes, she looked fresher and alive with that excitement on her face, and those silky hair flowing around as she did her battle dance.

he had never found a woman so beautiful. damn, he had seen the most beautiful women in the world naked but that hadn't caught his attention. but Jules, she had. if he had to tell how she looked right now as she fought those marines in one word, his answer would be beautiful.

damn, that word wasn't enough but that's how far his vocabulary went.

his brother Ace was a lucky bastard to have a woman so strong and beautiful.

to say Luffy was impressed would be an understatement. the people Jules was fighting were mere marine soldiers, she wasn't even using 5% of her skills and strength. if this wasn't even 5% of her skills then for sure her 100% was out of this world. Zoro could easily defeat her though. She wasn't as strong as Zoro was but damn he was sure she could take down Jimbe.

while Luffy kept on admiring the fight the crew was shocked, to say the least. Nami Chopper and Ussop stood there with their jaws touching the floor. sanji's cigarette was long forgotten when it fell on the floor as he stood there shocked by the strength of his beautiful delicate-looking Jules Chan. brook's jaw had almost dislocated as he watched in awe his soul almost leaving his body. Robin with a surprised look which soon turned into a proud smile. Zoro smirked, already thinking of having a duel with Jules later. he had expected her to be strong just like Luffy did, but she had managed to go past their expectations.

and jimbe. he already knew what was gonna happen. he stood there watching with a proud smirk on his face. he knew what they all were seeing was nothing compared to what she could do. they hadn't even seen her speed yet.

what was happening right now was just the tip of the iceberg.

jimbe thought as the crew saw the last of the marines fall on the ground and Jules standing there with not a single scratch, not a single strand of hair messed up or her clothes ruined and her breath even as if she didn't just defeat 100 marines in a matter of minutes.

satisfaction, pride, happiness that's what Jules felt now. As all the marines lay on the ground some dead and some heavily injured Jules stood straight and proud not a single scratch on her body and her breath perfectly even. it was refreshing; to be able to fight like this. Of course, she did practice on Amazon Lilly but this, this was the real thing, a really fight and it had been years since she had one.

a huge smile was plastered on her face as she stood on the other side of the crowd of fallen marines. she couldn't explain what she was feeling in that moment in words the languages she knew didn't have enough words to describe how great it felt. what she felt was freedom, freedom to be able to do what she really wants and enjoys after a long time. freedom of not needing to run away from her enemies but facing them head first. she could feel her heart beat with excitement and happiness, her body shivering with all the adrenaline running through her veins.

" oi Jules" she heard the jolly voice of her captain behind her from a distance. She turned around and the crew was met with a smiling Jules. the smile on her face was so bright and filled with confidence.

'confidence' that's what was missing in her look before, Nami and Robin thought. the dress the hair it was all perfect but there was confidence missing, without it she didn't seem like the real Jules, they could tell what they were seeing wasn't how she really was, she is like a free whale the representative of the freest animal in the sea as they didn't have any natural predators, born to sail these seas like she owned them. the Jules they were seeing past these days wasn't that.

what they had seen since day one was a struggling mother desperate to feel the freedom she had once again, but her past and her fears always haunted her. She was torn between what she wanted to do and what she had to do. of course, she loved her daughter but being a single mother so young was hard, in the age when she was supposed to have fun fooling around, doing what she liked, exploring new places, and basically being a normal 20-year-old young woman she was running away from the world, trying to stay alive and keep her child safe, go through the terrifying and delicate period of pregnancy without the support of the one person she needed the most.

sometimes, no most of the time she wished she could be that normal 20-year-old pirate woman. though not completely but still to some extent she was able to do that today. and she knew she was gonna get more and more of it in the future. To be almost back to herself all she needed was support and comfort, and the crew had provided that to her in the last 3 to 4 weeks since she had boarded the sunny.

as she stood there smiling contently looking at the new family she had got she could tell things were gonna get better and better from now on. with the same smile but now a little sheepish Jules half walked half ran towards the sunny.

the crew welcomed her with excitement when she got on the ship. everyone speaking at the same time causing chaos. she could make out words like awesome, cool, amazing, strong, surprising, and many more but was not really able to make out full sentences. she felt flustered with all the praise, heat creeping to her cheeks giving them a pink hue. She felt like the little girl who got praised and spoiled by her brothers and father when she mastered her first move. taking in all the compliments she didn't notice the big dark brown eyes staring at her with a fond smile, admiring how beautiful she looked all flustered.

but the whole chaos was interrupted as a loud gruff voice called out from a distance. the crew saw a marine captain standing not so far from the ship with a microphone in hand. " wanted pirate Edward Jules, you are under arrest for the crimes of piracy, mass murder, going against the government multiple times, having connections and suspected to be the mother of Portugas. D. Ace's child. we request you to cooperate and surrender along with the straw hat crew who seem to have taken you under their protection." the navy captain said in a monotone voice.

if it was the struggling Jules who had lost her true self then she would have tried to find the best way to escape. but this wasn't her, The excitement from the very one-sided and easy fight was still very much alive and that made her cluck at what the government dog said. her and surrender, never. the scared and struggling Jules too would never surrender. and the crimes they listed out, were ridiculous. piracy she understood, mass murder she understood, but being the mother of a child was a crime just because the child carried the blood of Gold Rodger? now that was ridiculous.

"We order you to surrender yourself along with your child. the emperor crew strawhat pirates are warned that they will be arrested too if they hinder with our orders " the officer continued. now that was something that ticked her. suddenly everyone in the crew was in serious mode and throwing death glares at the officer. it was okay till it was for Jules, she was a pirate after all but Rose, she was just a 2-year-old child. the navy, the government, hell no one in this world had any right to take a child away from its mother or to accuse a child of crimes of its parents, or just because they are blood-related to someone; it was inhuman to do so.

Jules's blood was boiling with anger. she had heard that statement every time she encountered the Marines and every time she would get angrier than before. they had no right to talk about her daughter as if the innocent soul was a criminal. it made her burn with fury anytime a navy officer or a government dog just as even mentioned her daughter.

hearing the officer she wanted to slice him up and feed him to the sea kings. with a lack of response from the crew or Jules, if glares weren't considered as a response the officer said once again, " Edward Jules, daughter of Whitebeard former member of Whitebeard pirates, surrender yourself." this time Jules was about to jump off the ship and just finish off the officer but luffy beat her to it and he stretched his hand and held the officer by the collar of his uniform and pulled him on the deck of sunny, his other hand ready In a fist as he punched the officer the moment his stretched hand came back to its original state. the punch was more than enough to break several teeth of that officer, with his nose bleeding and his vision blurry.

Jules wanted to cut him like a damn vegetable but an idea popped into her head, standing in front of her now struggling to stay conscious Officer Jules looked at Luffy, he understood what she wanted to do and gladly let go of the officer with a mischievous smile.

Luffy's grip on the uniform collar was replaced by that of Jules's. She pointed the tip of her knife right at the officer's neck, dragging it a little to make a small cut that wouldn't even leave a scar once healed. staring right into the eye of the soldier Jules had a sinister smirk on her lips which honestly she wasn't even aware of.

" listen up you government dog, if you think a mere navy captain can arrest me or make me surrender then you should probably do your homework and know who you are dealing with. number two, if you ever even think about getting your hands on my child, I'll make sure you won't have them anymore. so think before you dare to take up a challenge such as capturing me and my child. and lastly, I want you to deliver a message. report it to the headquarters, it's not Edward Jules anymore, it Portugas.Edward.Jules of the strawhat pirates."

the officer nodded frantically as Jules picked him up by his collar and threw him off the ship on the docks. Jules just glared at the officers as they tried to help that captain. " yahooooo, that was so cool Jules. take that you bastard." luffy screamed in the background as Jules saw the Marines walk away hurriedly.

Chapter Text

Luffy POV

"say Ace, you are lucky you had her in your life. She is so strong and so confident." luffy thought to himself. he was really impressed with what happened today. the confident and scary side he saw in Jules today was just..... amazing. god, he needed more vocabulary.

that deadly dance she did was so mesmerizing. Luffy was lost in his thoughts as he kept on playing that beautiful fight Jules had today. he liked her this side. the fearless one. but at the same time, he thought about the sweet moments he had witnessed. this morning the giggle he heard had surprised him. For some reason, he had noticed the small sound. he knew Nami and Robin giggled often but he never paid attention to it. that soft small sound that came from Jules was somehow.........what is it called?????? oh yeah cute, Luffy thought.

had he found anyone cute before? he wondered. well, Rose was cute, tama was cute too and so was Chopper and now Jules was cute too.

he had also felt proud for some reason when she had defeated those marines. they were small flies and it was very very easy to take them down but the smile he saw on her face, told him what that fight meant for her. That fight was the push start she needed to finally be free. she needed it so that she could take that first step toward living her life the way she wanted. and that smile after she was done with it was priceless. her eyes were radiating like the sparkling sea, filled with happiness.

since day one even when he had seen her at Marineford her beautiful turquoise eyes lacked that spark, that happiness he had seen flash in her eyes today. and when she came back the way that bold and confident personality melted into a shy and flustered one as everyone showered her with compliments. the way that confident and sinister smirk she had softened into a shy smile with red cheeks when the whole crew gathered around her to compliment her.

she looked so pretty at that moment Luffy thought. for the last week or so he had somehow started observing her more. she mostly spent her day playing with Rose and taking care of her. helping Sanji in the kitchen or chatting with Nami and Robin. and there was this one activity she did when he liked to just keep on looking at her. For hours she just stood by the railing and looked out at the sea. the soft breeze brushing against her face and fluttering her brown locks, a soft smile dancing on her lips as she just enjoyed the moment.

he loved to just sit and watch her watch the sea. he would sit by the mikan trees and just admire Jules from afar. She would often mumble to herself too and he wondered what she was saying. Was she talking to herself or he thought maybe like him she too talked to Ace. Ace, yeah that must be it, he too often sat on the figurehead and talked to Ace, before it was very emotional, talking to him but now he was better, he sometimes talked to Ace about his day, something fun he saw or did. it was always nice talking to him once in a while.

he wondered what Jules talked to Ace about. Was she happy talking to Ace like him or was she sad? he didn't know but he knew one thing about her. she was still hurting from what had happened. he had seen it that day when she told everything. she was still in pain from that loss. and Luffy had decided he wanted to help her get over that tragedy. he wanted her to smile at Ace's memory and not cry, he wanted her to be relieved and free from that pain, he wanted to see her happy, and he was going to make all this happen. he had promised to Ace and himself after all.

"Fifi, fifi, fifi" with a soft pat and small voice calling out his name luffy got out of his trance and looked down to see Rose looking at him with her big turquoise eyes. " shishishishi, what are you doing here chubs?" he asked picking her up and placing her on his lap. " aunty nami said I can have mitan." she said looking up at him with a cute pout. "hehehehe, its mikan, mi-ka-n." Luffy laughed. it was funny listening to her unclear words. She was a smart kid and spoke quite fluently for a 2-year-old but still mispronounced a lot of words.

sometimes Luffy wondered how it would have been if Ace was here. how would he be around chubs? how would he interact with her. he also wondered what was chub's first word sometimes when she babbled on and on and on. he would get sad knowing Ace missed all the firsts of his daughter and would keep on missing them. and Rose too missed so many moments she would have had with her dad and could have had in the future, but that too will never happen.

" mitan." Rose said with confidence, sure she pronounced it right. " no no, it's Mikan." Luffy said again trying to teach her the right pronunciation. "Fifi give me." Rose whined as she didn't want to waste time learning the right pronunciation of a word when she could be having her mikan right now. " ok ok, there we go let me peal it for you." Luffy said reaching up to pluck a mikan from the tree he was sitting under. he peeled it and gave a slice to Rose. he too ate a slice and watched Rose clumsily eat. suddenly she made a disgusted face. " Fifi this bad," Rose said showing Luffy the half-eaten slice.

Luffy looked at it and saw the rarely found seed in the mikan slice. " it's not bad chubs, it's just a seed, here I'll remove it." luffy took the slice from her and removed the seed and gave it back to her. after that every time he gave her a slice he checked if it had a seed or not. the duo laughed and talked as Rose enjoyed her mikan and Luffy just kept entertaining her. ______________

on the lower deck two women and a long-nosed man were looking up at the duo having a fun but relaxed time. " is that really Luffy?" Nami asked surprised by the behavior of their loud captain. " I know right, how is he sitting there so calm and patient? and is he really teaching Rose how to pronounce when he himself can't say a lot of words?" Ussop added.

it was really unusual to see. the only close interaction they had seen between Luffy and kids was between him and Momonosuke. they knew about Tama but they hadn't witnessed that close of an interaction. and as far as it was Momo, Luffy was very rash with him. they had not expected Luffy to have such a gentle side to him.

" I guess we really don't know a lot of things about him hu. and maybe Rose Chan holds a special space in his heart as she is Ace's daughter," Robin said making a valid point. it was true that Luffy and Rose had a very special bond. luffy was gentle with her, always aware of her safety, always sharing food with her, always telling her stories, and trying to teach her something or the other, even though he was not the brightest in the crew he too had a lot of things to teach her.

usually, the crew saw the fun and carefree side of Luffy, the childish Luffy. though after their two-year break, he had gotten a lot more mature and had a lot of moments where he was serious and behaved like an actual captain, he was still 90% of the time the childish Luffy they knew. but since the arrival of Rose, they had seen another side of Luffy.

he didn't behave like the responsible 19-year-old adult that he was nor did he behave like his childish self. he had some kind of balance of these two with a newly added trait. he was almost....... "Say what would you call this side of Luffy?" Ussop asked looking at the two women beside him. " hmmmmm it's not like his other personality traits yet they can be seen." Nmi thought out loud.

" I would say this side of Luffy is kind of but not completely...........fatherly," Robin said and Nami and Ussop immediately turned to look at her with confused faces. they saw her looking at the upper deck and with the same confused expression looked at the upper deck too. there they saw Luffy picking out seeds from the mikan slices and giving them one by one to Rose who happily munched on them while giggling. luffy had a soft smile on his face, not the usual wide one. his eyes filled with love, admiration, fondness, and pride.

their confused faces melted into soft smiles as they nodded in agreement. " true Robin san, Luffy san looks like very fatherly." they all turned to look at Brook standing behind them. " yes, but... not the experienced type of father like a young father still trying to figure out what it's like to take care of a child. a father still learning how to be one." jimbe said walking up to the group while looking at the duo on the upper deck.

fatherly or not, but they all knew one thing for sure, this change in Luffy was something even he wasn't noticing. it wasn't something Luffy had decided to behave like. it was like an instinct he had around Rose that he suddenly got into this new phase of his personality. and they all were eager to see how this relationship between the two would develop.
-------------------------------

" ok, you ready to go?" Nami asked Rose who was standing on her and her mother's bed. " umph" Rose nodded. Nami picked her up and put her on the ground so she could walk. " let's go then. you wait here and come out when I tell you to." Nami said opening the door to the girl's quarters.

she stepped out and saw the whole crew sitting on the grassy deck looking at the girl's quarters door with anticipation. " ok guys, all of you ready to see our cute little Rose Chan?" Nami asked and everyone cheered in agreement. " hey Nami what are we doing anyway?" Luffy asked munching on a piece of meat and looking bored. " I told you Luffy we are having a fashion show for Rose Chan. " Nami said annoyed. She had told that to him so many times till now. " I know what you said but what's a fashion show?" Luffy asked finishing his meat. " Rose Chan wants to show you all her new clothes Luffy. that's why we are doing a fashion show." Nami explained. Luffy just nodded really not understanding the need for doing all this.

what was the need to show off all the clothes to others? It's only clothes people will see anyway when you wear them. What is the need to do a fashion show?

"Now, come out Rose Chan," Nami said and Rose stepped out shyly looking down. she came out and stood beside Nami in front of everyone. " yohohohoho, that's so pretty Rose Chan." Brook said looking at the little girls with Aww." Rose Chan, you are looking suuuuuuppperrrrr cute." Franky said with tears in his eyes god knows why. " just like a cute little princess." Sanji exclaimed. "Kawai." Robin said stunned to see Rose." she looks pretty," Jimbe said with a laugh. " she is looking so cute Nami." Ussop said with star eyes looking at the cute-looking girl. "hehe, so cute." chopper said jumping with happiness. " this dress looks even better than I imagined." Jules said with a huge smile on her face. Zoro didn't give any huge reaction but just nodded at everyone's compliment in agreement.

apart from them all Luffy. he was honestly bored and wondering why was all this necessary but when Rose walked out in that cute dress he realized why this was needed. She looked so so so cute in the cute red skirt with a white top that had a ship embroidered on it. her jet-black soft hair was tied in two pigtails with a red rubber band. and two clips with straw hat designs were placed by the pigtails. She had a huge smile on her face and was giggling happily as everyone complimented her. She twirled around showing off her skirt. She was also wearing black sandals with red bows on them. She was the cutest kid he had ever seen. he wanted to just hug her and shower her with kisses all over her face. he wanted to show her off to everyone as she looked so pretty and cute as well as keep her away from the world so that no one saw her and she was safe. he didn't understand how he should express his emotions at that moment.

Rose looked so cute and it had for some reason overwhelmed him. She looked so pretty. he didn't know how to react, what should he do. how should he tell her that she looked beautiful in that outfit and the cutest girl in this world? he wasn't able to form words of compliment either. everyone was showering her with compliments but he didn't understand what to say.

Rose's attention stopped on him as she walked to stand directly in front of him. She smiled at him, waiting for him to say something to her, tell her how the dress looked. but when he said nothing and just stared at her her heart sank. Did Fifi not like her dress. she loved this dress a lot but maybe Fifi didn't. tears started to form in her eyes and her lips turned into a pout. and the sight broke Luffy out of his confusion. As he saw the tears stream down her face the image of Ace's crying face flashed before him. She looked just like him while crying too. Ace, yes Ace was the answer to his despair.

He wanted to say so many things but.....but for some reason, it didn't feel right. What he wanted to say was something a father would say. It felt like whatever compliment he wanted to say to her wasn't his to say. Like it wasn't his place. It was Ace's place to say that.

He had seen many men with their daughters. Being the emotional observer he was he easily saw the specific way those men talked to their daughters. The things they said to them.

And the words that were on the tip of his tongue were not his to say. If he said those words he would claim something that wasn't true. But that's what he honestly felt. And he was very very bad at lying.

Luffy had never thought so much before speaking in his entire life. But he couldn't just speak right now without thinking. So after a moment of thinking he finally said.

" hey, Chubs. you look so cute, the cutest girl in the world." Rose sniffled as she stopped crying." Really Fifi?" She asked with big curious eyes as Luffy picked her up and kissed her cheek. " Yes, and you know who else would love this outfit? Ace. your dad would say this too. he would say my Rose is the cutest and the most beautiful girl in this world. she is my cute little precious princess." Luffy said with a huge smile on his face.

There he said it. He said what he wanted to and smartly disguised it as Ace's words. It wasn't really a lie. Those were the words meant for Ace to say. No matter how much it was, Luffy who wanted to say that, those were supposed to come from Ace cause he was her dad but still Luffy managed to say what he truly wanted and gave the honor that belonged to Ace.

Rose wasn't his in that sense. Yes, she was the daughter of his beloved brother but that's it she was to him. Yes, they had a special bond but every time he was with her he couldn't help his deeper emotions. And when he thought of acting on those emotions he felt like he was taking Ace's place in her life. Like he was taking away what was Ace's and trying to replace him in her life.

He didn't want that though. He had no intention of replacing Ace in Rose's life but his emotions felt like he would if he acted on them.

After all, she was his Brother's daughter. Technically she was his niece and he was her uncle though she didn't call him that. Deep down in his heart though he knew what he wanted was not to be her uncle but something much more closer and important than that. He couldn't tell what it was cause he knew he was slow but he liked this feeling. And he was curious to know what it really was. What was it that his heart really wanted?

But at the end of the day, the only thing that mattered was that Rose should be happy.

Looking at Rose he saw her skipping around the deck showing off another different outfit. He couldn't help the soft fond smile dancing on his lips as he saw her have fun and happy giggling every now and then.

'cute' he thought.

Chapter Text

it has been some days since they left the last island where Jules fought with the Marines. everyone was doing their thing on the sunny. Jules, Nami, and Robin sunbathing. Zoro training in the crow's nest. Franky and Ussop tinkering in their workshop Brook working on some music in the library Jimbe reading by the helm. Luffy Chopper and Rose playing something on the grassy deck. sanji came out of the kitchen with some refreshments for the ladies.

" here you go Nami-swaaan, Robin-chawwwan, Jules Chwwwaan I have some refreshments for you beautiful ladies please have them." sanji swirled around them with heart eyes and a dazed smile. " thank you sanji-kun. this is great whats it made of?" Jules asked sipping on her drink. " oh thank you Jules chan well this is just simple Mojieto some lemon juice, mint leaves, a little bit of sugar and salt and some soda with some vodka. its not very strong so don't worry." sanji explained proudly. " oh vodka? it's been a long time since I had alcohol. that's why I thought I tasted something strong in this. damn, it's like I have forgotten the taste of alcohol." Jules said taking another sip and enjoying the taste.

" you really haven't drunk for long hu?" Nami said with an amused smirk on her face. " yeah, since I got pregnant I haven't had alcohol at all. god, I have missed it." Jules said loving the slight taste of alcohol the drink had. it wasn't as strong as she remembers it being. obviously, because it was mixed with soda and lime juice. maybe she can have a drink or too someday again. a proper drink. " hu but didn't you stop feeding her long back? you didn't drink even after that?" Nami asked. " well I never really felt like it. but now after this drink, I am thinking of having some nice booze." Jules said finishing her drink.

" booze, did anyone say booze?" Zoro peaked out from the window of the crow's nest. " hu marimo's hearing skyrockets only when some one is talking about booze. that drunk swordsman." Sanji mumbled. " oh Zoro, yeah I was thinking of having some after dinner today, it's been a long since I had some. Got any suggestions?" Jules asked with a smug look. she knew if if she wanted the best alcohol zoro was the guy to take advice from.

" hu, you wanna drink, I have some good stuff stocked here. oi, Nami wanna have a competition after dinner?" Zoro asked with a smirk. " are you ready to bet your non-existent money?" Nami asked with a challenging look on her face. Zoro grumbled in response, "Oi if I win you reduce my debt." zoro said and nami agreed with a sinister look.

" whats with zoro and his debt?" Jules asked looking at Robin confused. she had seen then talk and argue about it quite a lot. Jules knew how money-obsessed nami was, but wondered what was this whole deal with Zoro's debt with her. " fufufufufufufuf, it a very funny thing Jules chan. Zoro here has a huge debt with Nami because he once borrowed money from her to buy new sword and she applied very very high interest. after that he kept on borrowing and borrowing from her and sometimes paying her off too but still hasn't paid off his complete debt." robin explained laughing a little bit.

" and there's no way Marimo is ever gonna be able to pay it off completely." Sanji finished with a snicker. " damn you have him trapped Nami." Jules was very impressed with Nami's skills. " well thank you. its hilarious how he takes every opportunity to decrease his debt even if its the most ridiculous thing." Nami said laughing and jules couldn't help but laugh too. Nami went on telling her some of the instances when she had made Zoro do things he would never do.

" oh look what we have here," Robin said catching everyone who was on the deck's attention. seeing the news paper in her hand even luffy and chopper came towards her along with Rose. soon franky brook , ussop and zoro to came on the deck. " Anything important on the news Robin?" luffy asked almost bored. Jules could tell that Luffy wasn't the type of guy to really care about the new but still kept track of it for some reason.

it looked like Robin was the one responsible for reading the newspaper and sorting out important news. " well there are some things here." robin said looking directly at luffy. it was like a conversation. which the two understood. " there's something about Sabo?" luffy asked with hopeful eyes. Robin smiled and then nodded.

" it seems Sabo has been very active in the past few weeks. he was spotted on various islands and sneaked into many marine bases and stole some information. he has been quiet for the last week and there also seems to be important information from marine headquarters was leaked and Sabo is the prime suspect." Robin finished with a worried and confused expression on her face. " it's weird how Sabo is reckless and not doing all this in hiding. Though he is rash like Luffy but he is still much more smarter." Zoro said with a confused look as well.

" well he is not captured or anything and he is not hurt so it's all good then," Luffy said with a happy smile. Jules though wondered about Sabo. he was really alive it seems. why didn't he and Ace meet then? why didn't he contact Ace in all these years? she remembered nami telling her to talk to Luffy about it. maybe she should ask him after all.

" whats more Robin?" chopper asked breaking Jules train of thought. " oh yeah the other news is about Jules chan." robin said looking at Jules. " hu? about me?" Jules asked surprised. it has been 2 years since not even her name was mentioned in the newspaper. the government didn't want the people to know about their failure.

" what does it say?" Nami asked peeking at the news paper. " seems like your message got delivered Jules chan." Robin said with a slight proud smirk. " hu?........ oh wait what? show me show me." Jules said after a moment realizing what Robin was saying. " looks like your bounty poster got updated with higher bounty and new picture." Robin said showing the bounty poster to everyone.

" suuuuuupppeerrrrrr 800 million berries. That's a huge leap in your bounty." Franky said astonished. " yohohohoho, you are right Franky san and that photo is very beautiful as well." Brook added. " oh my dear Jules chan you look so pretty in that picture." Sanji said with a nose bleed. Jules was honestly very satisfied with the bounty picture. it was a closeup of her face, her turquoise eyes standing out as always a blank look on her face. one of her hands visible which was holding her knife positioned a little below her chin. the picture showed her buaty as well and fierce side. the increase in bounty amount was satisfactory too. but what caught her attention the most was something else.

Portugas.Edward.Jules the bounty poster read. pried and joy-filled Jules's heart. if she was gonna be a pirate again then this is what she wanted. her bounty poster to have her now new name. she wanted the world to know her relation to Ace. being a pirate meant being free and this was another stage of her freedom. the freedom to proudly say her name. to freely say that she belonged to the late fire fist, 2nd division commander of Whitebeard pirates, son of Gol.D. Rodger, Portugas.D.Ace. and now she could do it. she wasn't alone anymore. she wasn't a burden too. she wasn't holding anyone back and no one was holding her back too. she was free from her worries now. she still had her responsibility as a mother but it wasn't binding her anymore. she finally felt like a pirate now. finally felt a little bit more like her true self.

" they changed my name. the changed it. the...the whole world knows I belong to Ace now. i.......I can finally say it out loud that my name is Portugas.Edward.Jules. I can finally declare it to the world." Jules said still shocked as happy tears filled her eyes. she gently took the poster from Robin and stood up. walking to the railing she looked out at the sea with her blurry vision. she had a smile on her face as he looked down at the poster in her hands. she took a deep breath and looked straight ahead again.

" I AM PORTUGAS.EDWAED.JULES, THE DAUGHTER OF THE LATE WHITEBEARD AND FIANCE OF THE LATE PORTUGAS.D.ACE. LISTEN UP EVERYONE OUT THERE, I AM PORTUGAS.EDWARD.JULES." Jules screamed with tears flowing down her eyes. there were so many things she wanted to scream out like this but she couldn't. but one day. one day she would. just like this, she would scream out all those things too. pried filled her heart as she screamed out those words. yes, she was proud. she was proud to be the daughter of the worlds strongest man, she was proud to be the fiance of a brave pirate like Ace. she was proud of who she was.

" YAHOOOO, YES, YOU HEAR THAT EVERYONE. THATS PORTUGAS.EDWARD.JULES. YOU BETTER BE READY FOR THE HAVOCK SHE IS GONNA MAKE." Luffy said coming to stand beside her by the railing. his signature huge smile plastered on his face. when he looked at Jules she saw the difference in the smile though. The smile was his usual grin but his eyes, they were filled with pride and admiration. pride and admiration for her. he was proud of her. when she realized that, a warm feeling took over her heart for a moment. in that second of moment as she looked into his high dark brown eyes she felt like she was the most special person in this world.

but that was all gone in second as everyone behind her cheered and broke her train of thoughts. in response to that she gave out a huge smile. this felt nice. it reminded her of the time on mobydick when all her brothers would be proud of her and cheer for her when she did something great.or just to motivate her sometimes. " minna, lets have party to celebrate this." Luffy said excitedly. " yosh, I'll start preparing for the dinner. everyone cheered and then got into the preparations for the party tonight. __________________

as the evening came the party started. Brook played lively music as Ussop, Luffy, Chopper, and Franky danced around in a silly way. Sanji was cooking BBQ while chatting with nami and Robin. Zoro was busy drinking while also enjoying the music and lively atmosphere. honestly, there wasn't a day when the mood on the sunny wasn't lively. Jules too sat on the deck with everyone while keeping an eye on Rose who was eating. She was too occasionally joining in the conversation between Sanji, Nami, and Robin. Jimbe was enjoying his drink too while Rose sat on his lap munching on her food.

" mumma, done." came the small voice of Rose catching Jules's attention. " you done? are you sure?" Jules asked just to confirm or the little devil would make up in the middle of the night asking for food. Rose nodded with a big smile. " ok now go on and have fun but its soon bed time." Jules said and Rose didn't waste a moment to run off to the dancing group. the little girl jumped around and giggled. she tried to copy the dance moves the best she could. she had already good with dancing like Franky. everyone was dancing and laughing at the cute girl.

" here, Jules have some drink." Nami said pushing a glass of beer in her hands. " thanks Nami." Jules said and sipped her drink. the strong alcohol hit her like a bullet. it was a strong beer. the burning in the throat, the lightness in her head felt so good after a long time. after 2-3 more drinks and chatting Jules suddenly remembered something.

" hey Nami, let's have a competition. a drinking competition." Jules suggested catching everyone's attention. "hahaha, sure Jules but let me tell you I am on an equal level with that marimo over there." Nami said with a confident smirk. " oi, stop lying, I can drink way more than you can." Zoro said offended. " so sweet of you to worry about me nami but, I am sure I can at least keep up with you." Jules said in a challenging way. " oh really then let's do it. Sanji set up the table." Nami said and Sanji immetidtly got to work. " sure, while Sanji sets up the table I'll put Rose to bed, don't want to handle when I am drunk. that won't work at all." Jules said and got up.

" common little devil, it's bedtime." Jules said walking towards Rose and picking her up. " umm, but Mumma, I wanna play." Rose said rubbing her eyes, obviously sleepy. " ha, look at you looking so sleepy and still don't want to sleep." Jule said walking to the bedroom with a protesting Rose. " no no, I wanna play. Mumma please." Rose said making puppy eyes. " no means no Rose, its time to sleep. look at you cant even keep your eyes open." Jule said looking at the little girl sitting on the bed trying hard to keep her eyes open with her hands.

turning around Jules searched for Rose's pajamas. once she found them the little girl was already curled up on the soft bed snoring softly, some drool falling down the side of her lips. Jules chucked before changing the clothes of the now sleeping girl and then tucked her nicely in the bed. " good night my little devil, I love you." Jules kissed the forehead softly " daddy loves you too." she said and again placed a much more firm but still gentle kiss on her forehead. looking at her one last time she walked back on the deck.

" there she is, Rose slept?" Luffy asked when he saw her coming. " yep, she was tired after all the playing and dancing. didn't even have to tell her a bed time story." Jules said sitting on the chair that was placed at the table now. opposite to her sat Nami. " so now let's do this." Jules said with a smirk. with a screeching sound the was another chair placed by the other edge of the table and a green haired swordsman sat on the chair.

" I'll take the challenge too since this sea witch thinks that she can win against me," Zoro said gesturing to Nami. Jules laughed at the name Zoro called Nami and the glare Nami sent his way. " okay, Sanji-kun, bring on the drinks." Jules said cheerfully.

Chapter Text

1 drink, 2 drinks, 3 drinks. One after the other drinks kept on coming. after about 25 drinks Nami was getting drunk where whereas Zoro and Jules were still pretty sober. even though Jules was drinking after a long time her tolerance was still great. after about 30 drinks nami was wasted and Zoro and Jules were getting drunk now. " see, she is nowhere near me when it comes to drinking." Zoro said finishing his 33rd drink and pointing at Nami who was babbling nonsense at this point. Jules just giggled finishing her 33rd drink as well.

the cheering that was there at the beginning of the challenge was gone now as everyone was either wasted or had gone to bed. it was just Zoro, Jules, Luffy, Ussop, and Franky on the deck. Zoro and Jules still drinking and the other two playing some card games.

"Still she has quite a good tolerance. All the women I meet get drunk max after 10 drinks. never had a female drinking companion in my life, I guess I finally found one." Jules said happily. it was true. while it was fun drinking with Shanks and her brothers and her friends. But when Jules gets really really drunk she speaks up about what's on her mind. and in such moments she wishes she had a female drinking partner.

" I don't care, woman or man, if you can drink as much as I can I'll be the drinking companion." Zoro said finishing up another drink. " didn't think you would be the type to wish for a drinking partner. thought you would be the lone wolf kinda guy." Jules said surprised. " well it's nice to have someone while enjoying good boze." Zoro said monotonously shrugging. Jules just nodded in understanding.

after some more drinks, Jules was drunk. she was really really drunk. without saying anything else she got up. " oi where are you going?" Zoro asked confused. " you win, I am done." Jules said and Zoro smirked. " well then I'll take my party to the crow's nest. it was really fun drinking with you, it's been a long since someone drank so much with me." Zoro said picking up some more bottles. " well yeah it was fun. and same, since the last time I drank with shanks I haven't had a good competition." Jules said chluking.

with that, they just nodded and Zoro went off to the crow's nest. Jules walked towards the railing and sat down by it. looking out at the sea as the moon shined bright in the sky and its reflection on the water. As she sat there she heard the sound of a door opening and closing but didn't pay attention to it. it felt nice, sitting there and admiring the beautiful view as the sea breeze brushed past her skin and soft hair.

" so beautiful." she whispered to herself. " yes so beautiful." a slightly deep voice said from beside her startling her. but she calmed down when she saw Luffy sitting beside her on the left. " shit Luffy don't scare me like that." Jules said calming down her fast heartbeat. She didn't even notice when he came and sat there beside her.

" shishishishi, sorry sorry," Luffy said smiling while scratching the back of his neck. Jules just hummed and again looked towards the sea. " you really love to watch the sea hu?" Luffy said softly and Jules hummed. " hmmmm, it feels nice and fresh. I have been doing this since I can remember. I would just sit on the deck of Mobydick and look out at the sea. most of the time one of my brothers or Oyaji would join me." Jules said with a happy fond smile on her face.

but that smile immediately dropped. memories of that day when she lost her family flashed in her mind. many of her brothers were injured and some even died. and then the sight of her father with those huge hole-like injuries in his chest, his eyes lifeless. a shiver ran down her spine at the memory. her heart suddenly felt heavy and it got hard to breathe. her father existed only in her memory now. that's all he was now. She remembered how when he would join her for her sea watching he would make her sit on his shoulder. She could easily fall asleep on his huge gigantic shoulder. the warmth she felt when her father was with her was so comfortable and felt safe.

" I miss them." Jules said almost a whisper with a trembling voice. " my brothers and Oyaji. I miss them" she said trying hard not to shatter and cry. Luffy didn't say anything. he just stared at her as she tried and tried to hold herself together. it hurt just to see her like this. he knew well what it felt like to lose your family. there was nothing he could say to her. he didn't know what would comfort her at that moment.

after some more moments of taking deep breaths, Jules calmed down a bit. there was this one question she had wanted to ask Luffy since day one. a question she couldn't muster up the courage to ask. She knew if she asked that question she would herself break. She would be left completely vulnerable when she would ask it and hear the answer to it. but it was her lucky day she had consumed too much liquid courage and hence didn't think much of the consequences of asking that question.

" say Luffy, I have been wanting to ask you something," Jules said still staring at the sea. no matter what it was hard to look him in the eye and ask that. " hu?" Luffy said looking at her confused. he wondered what she would ask him? but in the back of his mind Luffy knew what or who the question would be about. he had been waiting for her to ask it herself rather than him initiating the conversation. and it seemed that she was finally gonna ask it. he knew asking about that was gonna be hard for her so he wanted to give her time and space. he would wait for her to get comfortable enough to talk about it.

and finally, she asked it. the question that had been burning both of them from the inside. to one with fear and the other with wonder.

" do you ever miss him?"

Chapter Text

" do you ever miss him?"

now that she had asked the question Jules was kind of regretting it. cause Luffy didn't say anything. really he was just silent for like 5 seconds but those 5 seconds felt like 5 hours. this was bad. She shouldn't have asked that question. she knew how much it hurt to talk or even think about him. She is just hurting Luffy with this question. Jules's mind was going haywire, overthinking at its peak.

on the other hand, Luffy was thinking. a rare time when he actually thought before he spoke. should he tell her it all or just subtle it down? he wasn't the one to lie. he would tell her the truth about everything that he experienced after that incident but to what extent she could handle it. he knew how much it hurt to even think about his brother. She was already the most hurt person with that incident. luffy wondered what to exactly say.

(he was the most hurt, I don't want to hurt him more.)
( she was hurt the most, I don't want to hurt her more.)

both of them thought as they sat in silence.

" I do," Luffy said breaking the silence. "I miss him a lot every day of my life I miss him." Jules stiffened at it. she didn't dare to turn and look him in the eye. She knew she would see pain. the pain she herself felt. " but it doesn't hurt as much as it did before." Luffy says with a fond smile. remembering his brother's smile.

Jules looked at him in wonder. she thought he was the one hurting the most in this world with Ace's death but here he was saying it doesn't hurt. Luffy clucked looking at her confused face. " it hurt before. after that day I was severely injured, and almost died shishishishi, but Torao saved me. he saved my life and I woke up after some time. I was furious with myself for not being able to save him. I freed him from the execution platform but still couldn't save him. I blamed myself for his death and doubted myself too." Luffy said staring into Jules's big turquoise eyes and then looking away to stare at the sea again.

" it was not your fault. honestly, you were the one who saved him. so it's not your fault.............. it's mine. I shouldn't have come out. I shouldn't have panicked and gone against Oyaji's orders. I shouldn't have come there and interacted with him. The navy would have never doubted that I was carrying Ace's baby and Akainu would have never targeted me. you not only saved him but saved me too. if I wasn't there you wouldn't have gotten in Akainu's way and Ace wouldn't have had to save you. It's all my fault Luffy, not yours." Jules wasn't able to handle it anymore. As she kept on looking at the sea hot tears streamed down her eyes. her vision blurred and her lips quivered.

" oi, what are you saying? it's not your fault. you are his lover. Of course, you would get anxious about his safety. You were pregnant too and of course, you would want to see him safe and show him the baby. it's not your fault at all." Luffy said almost offended. " well then it's not even yours." Jules said back. Luffy mumbled whatever and looked away. this lightened up the mood a little and Jule finally wiped her cheeks as more tears stopped flowing.

" I miss him too. a lot honestly. and it hurts. it hurts a lot to realize again and again that he is not here. every time I see Rose doing something for the first time of achieving something or just simple cute moments I wish he was here. I imagine how he would react to all this. sometimes I wonder what kind of a father he would have been for Rose. sometimes when things get hard I wish I had his comfort. his warm hugs that calmed me down and helped me think straight. I miss every single habit, every single word, every single action, and every damn single freckle on his face, I miss him and I miss the life we had, the moments we had."

by the time Jules had finished saying that she was practically sobbing. it felt so light to finally let it out. tell it to someone who would actually understand. Since Marco left with the rest of the crew now finally she had let it all out and said it. all these thoughts were eating her up and now that she had said it out loud it felt better.

all the while Luffy sat there silent, not interrupting. he knew she needed this. he had too cried out many times and felt better after venting. though his venting was more aggressive like taking down the whole forest but he knew what Jules was feeling.

" why did he leave me Luffy? you know he promised me. he promised me that when both of us are ready and our dreams come true we will settle down somewhere together and start a new phase of life. he promised me we would get married." Jule said facing Luffy with her tear-stained face and still more and more tears falling down her face.

" you see this Luffy?" she showed the delicate ring placed on her ring finger. " he gave me this ring. he asked me to marry him 2 years ago. that's when we promised each other. how can he leave me after all this? why did he leave me after all this? it hurts Luffy it hurts too much. without him, everything feels incomplete. every day my every moment with Rose feels incomplete. I love him so much Luffy."

before she could register Luffy's expression and understand his reaction her vision could only see a yellow straw hat very up close. in a moment she registered what was happening. Luffy was hugging her, his arms wrapped multiple times around her. the hug was warm and comforting. all her tight and tense muscles melted in the warmth and comfort of the hug. " he is a liar and a bastard for breaking his promise. he promised me too, saying he would never die. he is a huge huge liar.......... and we have every right to be mad at him........... but we shouldn't cry at his memory. he would hate to see us like this crying and breaking down at just his memory. he would hate to see YOU cry like this. we should smile and laugh at his memories. he would like to see us like that. happy and living our lives to the fullest. cause even though he lived with hate for himself and his father, he lived HIS life to the fullest and so should we."

he was right. Jules knew he was right. maybe not immediately but slowly, maybe she can do it too. maybe she will stop hurting by his memory too like Luffy had. he didn't cry at Ace's memory anymore. yes, he felt sad but he had gotten over it and he had learned to think of Ace with happiness rather than sadness. maybe she could do it too. no, she has to do it. if she wants to raise Rose with happiness she has to be happy herself and she can do that by getting over Ace's death.

yes, he is her love, the love of her life, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life, but she has a daughter too and she has her own life too, and Ace wouldn't want her to waste it by always crying.

instead of replying to Luffy she just tightened the hug. letting Luffy know she understood. for some more time, the two stayed like that hugging each other, and then stared at the sea in comfortable silence. ironic for Luffy to sit so still but it felt nice. he might actually do this from time to time to relax, just sit by the railing and stare at the sea.

just like that the two didn't even realize when they fell asleep.

Chapter Text

3 months. it has been three months and days have gotten better. every now and then during either Luffy's or Jules's night watch the two sat together by the railing and stared at the sea, the two talked about their memories with Ace and also some random things. Jules had gotten better. She cried less when talking about Ace. The panic attacks are still there though. She didn't have them often but still sometimes while talking to Luffy her panic attacks got out of hand and Luffy freaked out but surprisingly managed to calm her down. but whatever one says Jules was making progress. the more she talked about Ace the more free she felt. One by one slowly the hurt was getting less and less.

the straw hats were gathered in the dining room all having lunch when Luffy Zoro Sanji and Ussop suddenly got stiff. the tension in the atmosphere could be felt by everyone as they all looked at the 4 guys. They looked a little worried. Jules noticed the red shine in Luffy's eyes and realized why he got alert. immediately she spread her observation haki and realised a ship was coming towards them.

she too tensed but in a moment relaxed a little. " it's ok it's safe." " oh, it's safe guys." Ussop and Jules said at the same time. the others except Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji got confused. " oh were you guys using observation haki all this time?" Robin asked. " no I just used it when I saw Luffy using it and getting stiff." Jules said calmly. " you sure about it?" Zoro asked about the ship approaching them.

" yeah, my haki is very emotion-dominated. I didn't feel any bad emotions or intentions from anyone on the ship." Jules explained while finishing her meal. " yeah she is right. It's safe, 'cause it's your brother Luffy." Ussop said excitedly.

Jules got confused at that. that's not possible, Ace was dead. what does Ussop mean by Luffy's brother?

" what? it's Sabo? yahoooooo, last time he left without seeing me. he came to see me when I was asleep." Luffy said switching between sad, mad, and excited.

yes, Sabo. Nami had told Jules about him being alive. She was going to ask Luffy about it but she forgot. guess she will meet him now instead of talking about it with Luffy. As Jules sat there thinking about meeting Sabo Luffy dashed out of the galley. everyone else followed except for Jules who sat there lost in her thoughts.

" oi Minna it's really sabo." Luffy said jumping excitedly as the ship approached closer and closer the blond could be seen standing near the railing waving happily and Luffy doing the same.

as soon as the ships were beside each other Luffy jumped off the sunny to straightaway smacking his brother with a tight suffocating hug. the blond just laughed enjoying the affection given by his baby brother. the affection soon got suffocating though and Sabo tried and tried to push Luffy away but Luffy didn't let go. " ow ow ow ow ow, that's hot, too hot!!!!!!!!! Sabo you meanie." Luffy screamed and yelled as he suddenly let go of Sabo. the blond had heated up his body so Luffy would finally let go of him. " then don't choke me with a hug you crybaby." Sabo yelled back.

" hey I am not a crybaby." Luffy said back offended. " last time I checked you are. crying like a baby with snot falling down your nose, you sticky slimy rubbery crybaby." Sabo teased more and Luffy struggled with a good comeback. the others just sweatdropped as the brothers bickered.

but their attention was suddenly diverted as they heard a small laugh and giggling coming from behind them. everyone turned around to see Jules standing there looking awkward because of everyone's attention, with a giggling and laughing Rose in her arms. everyone except for Luffy and Rose got a little tense. the atmosphere a little awkward.

" hi!!" Jules said not really understanding what to say. did he even know about this? well, he must be as her new bounty poster had a changed name on it. but then again had he seen the poster? and he probably didn't know about Rose. nobody except the Whitebeard crew, kuja pirates, Red-haired pirates, reighly, and the king of Fishman Island know about Rose. and these are the people who will keep it a secret till their death. Jules didn't know what to do so she just stood there with Rose. Jules didn't even dare to look Sabo in the eyes for some reason. it was weird. she had only heard some stories about him from Ace nothing else.

" you are Jules, right?" Sabo asked, or more like stated a fact as it was clear he had seen the poster now. " yeah, Portogas Edward Jules. and I am assuming you are Sabo." she said still not able to believe that the dead brother Ace talked about is actually alive. and it was sad that Ace didn't even know about this. " yep the one and only." Sabo said still a little awkward.

" oh right, Sabo this is Jules my new nakama, and also Rose. She is still very small but anyway my nakama. others you have heard about or met." Luffy said grinning with excitement. " Rose," Sabo said as if testing the pronunciation of the name. " Portugas.D. Rose" Sabo said the full name and it felt so right. The name was perfect. he had a soft smile as he said that. liking the name of his niece.

on the other hand, Jules was a little shocked. no one except the people mentioned before knows that full name. how did he know? That made her a little worried. did more people know about this? She cannot let the government know more than they already do. " h..how do you know that name? Jules asked a little alert.

" I guess you don't know, I am the second in command of the revolutionary army, I know almost everything," Sabo said with a smirk. Jules just looked at him more worried because of that information. it was so easy to get information? so it won't be hard for the government to know it too. " it's a nice name. you named her after his mother right?" Sabo said bringing Jules back from her thoughts. after a moment Jules nodded. " yes, I assumed he would like that. it's not exactly her name but it's close to it. naming her rough wouldn't have helped with keeping her secret." Jules said now getting a little comfortable as the idea that Sabo is Ace and Luffy's brother and a safe person settled in.

"I guess we should take this inside, we still have to finish lunch," Jimbe suggested and they all moved to the galley.

everyone sat at the dining table as Sanji served one more plate for Sabo. the lunch was back to its usual chaos. As Sabo had his lunch while having small conversations with everyone, he observed Luffy. it was a weird sight to see his baby brother (who was not really a baby anymore) holding a 2-year-old delicately but firmly in his arms as the little girl sat on his lap and as he fed her. it was actually a daily thing for the others. Rose was 2 years old and hence able to eat almost everything as long as it was in small portions. She shared the same love for meat as Ace and Luffy, so Sanji always managed to hide veggies in Luffy's, and Rose's food. As Rose was clingy to her dear Fifi Luffy always sat Rose on his lap and fed her the meat that was cut into small pieces by Jules.

" what are you thinking Sabo Kun?" Sabo was brought out of his thoughts by Robin's voice. " it's just so weird to see Luffy like this." Sabo said with a weird expression somewhere in between confused and shocked and astonished. Robin and some of the others clucked at that. " I guess it is kind of weird but we have gotten used to it. Rose Chan is very close to Luffy and the other way around. " chubs nooooo don't do that Jules will kill me." Luffy screamed and that caught everyone's attention. apparently Rose was trying to eat Luffy's big piece of meat and Luffy was struggling to get it out of her grip. damn, that tiny little girl had a strong grip.

" Rose let it go here, this is your portion. Jules said in a scolding manner as she put some more cut meat on the little girl's plate. " no I want big meat." Rose said being stubborn. and Jules sighed. It seems that Rose thought her meat and Luffy's meat was different and she wanted the one Luffy had. " its the same meat Rose. I just cut yours in small pieces." Jules tried to explain.

" no, Fifi's is better." Rose said with a frown. " it's the same meat, common little devil let it go." Jules tried to reason but the little girl was stubborn. " no, fifi eat big meat, I don't want small meat." Rose said in a broken sentence. Jules was so done with this. it was the same damn meat for god's sake.

"Say Chubs I'll eat your food and you eat mine," Luffy said and Rose nodded happily. " Luffy you know she cannot eat such a huge piece of meat." Jule said as if it was the 100th time she had said that - honestly, she had - "It's ok Jules, she can have it." Luffy said before Jules could say anything else Luffy did the unexpected.

Luffy picked up a fork and a knife and started cutting his huge piece of meat. As he cut it into small portions he looked at Rose and said. " see chubs, I am cutting my big piece of meat, it's the same as yours." Luffy said and Rose just stared at the small pieces in her plate and then in luffy's plate. she saw they looked the same no difference. " it's same same fifi." she said in a small voice as if upset. with a pout she looked at Jules who had raised her eyebrow questioningly. " sorry mumma." Rose said relising she threw a tantrum for no reason. Jule just smiled at that and patted her head. " it's alright, now common finish your lunch, you little devil." Rose nodded and started eating her lunch.

" wow, Luffy when did you get so smart?" Sabo asked. a little surprised by Luffy's interaction with Rose. " forget that, when did you learn to use a fork and a knife while eating?" Sanji asked still not believing that Luffy could actually use proper silverware while eating. " oh that, makino forced the three of us to learn proper table manners. we did learn them but never implemented them." Sabo said laughing at the memory.

" yeah is wat to boing." Luffy said with his mouth full. this earned a smack on his head by Nami and a kick from Sanji. " don't speak with food in your mouth." the two yelled at the captain. " sowwwy." Luffy said still mouth full. the two just sighed as Rose laughed with her mouth full as well. " she is not gonna turn out like you is she?" Nami asked looking at Jules who just sighed.

" nope, since day one, no no no, since she was in my womb she has been just like her dad. not a single trait she got from me." Jules said in an 'I give up' tone. " well she does look like him, except for the eyes." Sabo said wanting the conversation to continue so that he could know more about Jules and Rose.

" yep that's right, she is his carbon copy honestly. well, she does have more than eyes from me. She has that dimple from me." Jules said and Sabo observed Rose as he saw the cute dimple on the little girl's cheeks. he just hummed at that.

the conversation stopped after that. but Sabo wanted to hear more. but he wasn't sure if he should bring up the serious topic. " soooooooo, ummmm I actually came here to meet you" Sabo said looking at Jules who was a little surprised. " me? why?" she asked and Sabo sighed, here goes nothing, he needs to know. " well, I heard some rumors about you, and with the help of the revolutionary army especially Dragon san I got some information about you. I found out you are Whitebeard's daughter and rumored to be with Ace. I also heard that you were seen pregnant during the war and then I found out about Rose. i.....I had lost my memories when I was a kid. everyone thought I was dead."

Sabo said and Jules interrupted him. " yeah Ace told me his brother Sabo died when he was a kid." Sabo just nodded. "Long story short, I got into an accident with celestial dragons, and Dragon San, Luffy's dad saved me. when I woke up I had lost my memories. I didn't remember a thing, not even my name. I was lucky they found my name on my hat. I didn't get my memories back until............. until I saw the article in the newspaper, about...........about him and what happened at the war. i............... I wish I was there to help. maybe if I was there he......... he wouldn't have.............. anyway, after a lot of time, I realized that even though I couldn't do anything at that time I could still protect what he left behind. so I tried to find Luffy. we both had sworn to always be there for our baby brother. Luffy was the weakest among us, well not anymore but still, I had this responsibility of a big brother, then I found out about you and I wanted to see you and Rose. the two most important people in HIS life."

sabo finished with a sigh.

" well....... he didn't know about Rose until minutes before he ..........before Akainu.........., * deep breath* anyway, I found out I was pregnant when he had already left to confront Blackbeard............"

Jules told Sabo everything. he wanted to know it all. it hurt knowing what Jules went through. he noticed how sometimes during the conversation her breathing would get difficult and how her eyes would get moist. but every time it happened In a few moments she would be fine. Sabo soon realized that it was Luffy, every time he saw her get uncomfortable or on verge of a panic attack he would tighten his hold on her hand reassuring her or distracting her from the panic. nobody else except for Robin and Sabo noticed this.

Sabo had a small smile as he sat on the grassy deck playing with Rose. " sa- bo" the blond heard a small voice call out. he looked down to see Rose looking up at him with her big innocent eyes. " hey there, what is it?" he asked softly with a smile. " Sabo hat is pwetty, like fifi." Rose said trying to reach the blond's hat. " you like it? here" Sabo said as he took off his hat and put on her small head. the hat was too big for her and it fell on her face covering it completely. Sabo couldn't help but laugh at how cute it was. Rose panicked as she couldn't see anything. " Fifi, mumma, Fifi" she cried out. Sabo immediately picked up his hat. Rose stopped crying finally able to see things. but Luffy and Jules were already there with scared faces. the two were worried when they heard Rose crying out to them.

"Fifi," Rose said as she jumped towards Luffy who immediately caught her and hugged her. " what happened chubs? why were you crying?" Luffy asked Rose. the girl just hugged him not saying anything. " what happened Sabo?" Jules asked looking at the blond.

" ummm, you see she liked my hat and I put it on her head and she got blinded by it cause it's big and then started crying cause she couldn't see," Sabo said scratching the back of his neck. oh, Jules is gonna be so mad at him. it was technically his first encounter with Rose alone and he made her cry. he is not a good uncle. As he looked down waiting for the scolding, it never came.

instead, Jules and Luffy started to laugh while Rose still held onto Luffy tightly. " wh....why are you guys laughing?' Sabo asked confused. he was so sure Jules was gonna be mad at him. " oh Sabo why do you look so worried? the same thing happened when Luffy gave her his hat. though it didn't blind her completely but still." Jules said still laughing remembering that day and imagining Rose with Sabo's hat covering her face. it was so damn cute and hilarious.

" yes, she was running around not able to see anything and crying. chubs looked like a tortoise. shishishishishi." Luffy said laughing hysterically. " oh yeah she did look like a tortoise." Jules agreed. at this point, Sabo had relaxed and started laughing too thinking about how cute Rose looked in his hat. Rose just looked at the three with a frown not liking that they were laughing at her.

as they all laughed Sabo couldn't help but think. ' she is happy Ace and so is Rose, they are happy with Luffy, I guess I'll leave them with him. he will protect them and if anything ever happens I'll come to help no matter what. they need Luffy's sunshine to be happy again after what happened.'

sabo thought. with a smile

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it was evening now and it was time to go for Sabo. he had just come to meet Jules and Rose and check up on Luffy too. Luffy was sad that Sabo was leaving so soon and sat on the figurehead of Sunny with a frown. " oi crybaby, I am leaving won't you see me off?" Sabo asked standing beside Luffy. " why can't you stay longer?" Luffy asked with a puppy face. he had learned that from Rose. it worked most of the time with Zoro, Robin, Franky, Bok, and Jimbe. and now it could work on Sabo too. but still, he had to leave. he had his duties as the chief of staff of the revolutionary army.

" you know I have to leave, but we can always meet again, you know that Luffy," Sabo said sitting down beside the younger of the two. after that, there was silence well except for Luffy mumbling how mean Sabo is.

"I am happy Luffy." Sabo said catching Luffy's attention. " that's good. but I am sad that you are leaving so soon" Luffy said still mad. sabo clucked and ruffled the younger's jet-black hair. " I am happy that you are there for Jules and Rose. i......I was thinking of taking them to our base to keep them safe but, they are happy here. with you and your crew. I am happy that you can protect them and keep them happy. they are Ace's family. Jules is the woman he loves and Rose is his family by blood. ONLY family by blood. we have to protect them and keep them happy Luffy. I am happy that you are doing exactly that." Sabo said staring at the vast sea in front of him.

"I promised Ace. The day Jules and Rose came to our ship and we found out who they really were I made a promise to Ace, that I'll always protect them. he didn't keep his promise to me but I'll keep mine to him. I got stronger in the last two years to protect those who are dear to me and I'll do just that. I don't want to see them in pain again. Jules......she .......she still suffers from his death. She has been better but it's not still over. I want her to stop having those attacks, Sabo. and I don't want Rose to be sad because she misses her dad." Luffy said seriously.

Sabo had never seen Luffy so serious. true, Luffy was still his childish self but Sabo realized that after Ace's death, he became a little more mature. Luffy had a mature reasonable and responsible side to him now. it was kind of sad to see his little brother grow up like this with harsh reality but it was also reliving to see how much he had grown and how strong he had got. it was hard to believe that Luffy was an empower of the see when he is so childish but right now with that serious look on his face there is no doubt this young man is one of the four yonko.

"I am proud of you Luffy, and I am sure Ace is too," Sabo said with a smile and Luffy had a fond smile on his face too.

________________

As Sabo sailed away from the sunny he waved at the starwhat crew who waved back. all with a huge smile on their faces. Sabo saw Luffy holding Rose in one arm and waving at him with the other. Luffy looked at Jules beside him who too had a big smile on her face. she looked happy and he was happy to know that. this is how she should always be. happy and smiling not depressed, crying, and panicking. As the sun set at the horizon the orange glow in Jules's turquoise eyes looked beautiful to the young captain. those eyes were really magical.

on the other hand, Sabo couldn't help but cluck as he saw Luffy. well, he'll see how this goes.

'guess someone might seal your treasure, Ace'
Sabo thought as he laughed still waving back as the ship faded into the endless sea.

Chapter Text

It was a peaceful night and the thousand sunny sailed smoothly across the vast sea. it was a certain turquoise-eyed girl's turn to keep night watch today. For the last two weeks, the crew has been so tired that she and the rubber captain didn't have their night talk like usual. Jules was tired too but still, work is work. it was past midnight now and Jules could practically feel her body shutting down. with a groan, she got up from her place by the railing. in order to keep herself active she decided to eat something.

entering the kitchen she looked around to find something but nothing felt like she wanted to eat. She was kind of craving a certain rice dish she loved. it was the perfect weather and time for that dish. going into the pantry she got all the ingredients. honestly, only she, Nami, Robin, and Brook were allowed to work in the kitchen by Sanji. Brook only for his tea though.

as Jules worked on her dish her mood got better and better, but it was too quiet in the kitchen. Jules noticed a tape player on the kitchen island and a box of tapes beside it. she peeked through the different tapes until she found one. it was of songs by an old artist. she remembered listening to it with Oyaji sometimes. the old man would sing along to the song with a not-so-very-talented voice. listening to the songs with her father Jules had too biharted the lyrics. she put the tape in the player and pressed the play button.

as the song started playing Jules got back to work, humming the song and mumbling some lyrics. the volume wasn't too loud nor too quiet just perfect. the singer was famous for his jazz music and it was a good mood to listen to jazz right now.

as the songs played Jules sang along and soon started dancing around the kitchen while also working on the food. it's been a long since she danced so it felt good.

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on the deck below, the door to the men's quarters opened slowly as a certain rubber captain walked out cautiously to sneak into the kitchen and grab a midnight snack. As he climbed the stairs to the upper deck he saw the kitchen light on and some sound coming from the kitchen. - shit is Sanji awake?- Luffy thought but shook his head - no he was in the room when I left. then who is it? - Luffy walked to the door and slowly opened it.

as soon as he opened it he was met with the aroma of freshly cooked rice. Luffy looked around and saw a brown-haired woman moving around the kitchen. Luffy was gonna call out to her but stopped suddenly. he heard the not-too-upbeat but not-too-soft jazz music playing and saw Jules move around along with its rhythm. She swayed her hips and twirled around in the kitchen as she worked on finishing her dish. her brown hair flowed smoothly with her every move. She was also singing along, her hands having small movements as she was working with them.

she was so engrossed with her dance, song, and cooking that she didn't notice the straw hat-wearing captain at the door staring at her. Luffy looked at her with awe as she danced so gracefully and elegantly as well as completely enjoying it. he had compared her fighting to a delicate dance but damn her actual dancing was way more beautiful. the skirt she wore moved around and defined all her moves. She jumped and hopped around, sometimes spinning and then swaying her hips. She looked like a beautiful angel from a fairytale who danced in the meadows. Luffy couldn't bring himself to look away from her, at the same time he wanted to call out her name and tell her how beautiful she looked.

Luffy was so lost in admiring Jules that he didn't even notice how his heartbeat got fast and his breathing a little shallow. the more he stared the more heat crept to his cheeks. he was so lost in the moment that he didn't even realize that Jules had noticed him.

"Luffy." Jules snapped her fingers in front of his face and he got out of his trance. Luffy blinked twice and jumped back in surprise. -shit she was right in front of me- Luffy thought as he finally felt his ragged heartbeat. why did his heart beat as if he had just ran a huge marathon. " hey you ok?" Jules asked as she was surprised by Luffy's sudden jump back. " hu? yeah, yeah I am fine." Luffy said as he tried to calm down.

there was an awkward silence between them until Jule spoke up. - "Would you like to eat something I just made some food for myself, figured you came to get a midnight snack." Jules said and Luffy just nodded and walked into the galley.

Luffy sat on his seat at the head of the table and Jules brought out two bowls of food, placing one in front of Luffy. " this looks tasty." Luffy said with drool dripping from his mouth. Jules laughed looking at him as he ate the first bite, wanting to know his reaction. " so how is it? I am not as great as Sanji but I can cook quite well." Jules said with a small smile. " this is so amazing Jules, best midnight snack ever." Luffy said stuffing his mouth with the rice dish. Though Luffy could practically eat anything and the taste of food didn't really matter to him Jules felt great knowing that she could make something that Luffy liked.

it was amazing how Luffy ate 3 bowls of the dish even though it didn't have meat in it. unfortunately for the foodie captain, there was only this much Jules had made. Jules was satisfied with one bowl and now felt refreshed. it was her favorite dish after all.

" thank you, Jules, for the midnight snack. sanji always locks the fridge and I don't know the password. I have to struggle so much to find something to eat at night. you are a lifesaver." Luffy said whining and his eyes sparkling in the end. Jules giggled at his behavior. he was so damn cute. with that thought, Jules didn't even notice when her hand stretched forward and pinched Luffy's rubber cheek.

his skin was soft, very soft. with an amused look, Jules pulled his rubbery cheek and Luffy stopped his smiling. just staring at her beautiful turquoise eyes as amusement danced in them. her eyes were practically sparkling as she pulled on his stretchy skin.

no wonder Rose is obsessed with pulling Luffy's cheeks. Jules thought as she let go of Luffy's cheek and it went back to its original state with a slapping sound. " your power is really amusing Luffy." the words left her mouth without her even realizing. Luffy burst into a fit of laughter at that statement and Jules blushed embarrassed. " you are funny Jules, shishishishishishishishi." Luffy laughed more. " shut up baka." Jules said laughing herself now. damn his laugh was contagious.

in such a way the two sat there in the galley talking and laughing all night.

_____________________

the crew had landed on yet another island. after months of sailing through the unpredictable waters of the new world, it was finally time to land and explore the island. Nami had informed the island was inhabited by a large city. The ship was docked and Jules was in the girl's quarters dressing up Rose.

" so now Rose, what do you wanna wear, the blue one or the orange one?" Jules asked holding out 2 outfits in front of little Rose. Rose stared at the two dresses with a thoughtful look, thinking hard about what to wear. " Mumma I don't know," Rose whined not able to decide which to wear. suddenly her cute face lit up as she thought of an idea. she snatched the two outfits from her mother's hands and jumped off the bed running out of the room. Jules just stared at her run away confused what the little devil was up to now.

_____________

a lot of crew members were ready to leave the sunny and explore the island. " Oi Luffy, let's go and explore the island." Ussop said standing by the ship ladder along with Franky and Chopper. " hu? oh, you guys go I'll come later." Luffy said and everyone who heard him froze on the spot. Luffy ........ THE MONKEY. D. LUFFY wasn't running off the ship first thing as soon as they docked.

" the world is gonna end, everyone the world is gonna end." Ussop screamed running all over the ship. " ehhhhhhh, what the world is gonna end, but I don't wanna die, Zoro save me." Chopper started panicking and crying clinging to Zoro begging the swordsman to protect him. " baka, stop running and crying. you dumb idiots." Nami yelled as she punched Ussop and Chopper on their heads. " But Nami the world is gonna end." Chopper sobbed lying on the floor. " it's not gonna end chopper." nami said.

"Luffy, is something wrong? You aren't running off the ship to explore." Robin asked looking at the rubber captain curiously. " yes Luffy san, usually by now you would have gone off the ship and probably got into some trouble, yohohohohohohoo" Brook said sipping his tea.

" oh, I am waiting for Jules and chubs. Jules is gonna take Rose to a park and I am going with them." Luffy said with his forever big grin fixing his hat on his head. before anyone could say anything the door to the girl's quarters opened and little Rose ran out on the deck with two outfits in her hands.

"Fifi.... fifi" Rose called out as she ran towards Luffy coming to a halt in front of the rubber man. " shishishishi, what is it chubs?" Luffy asked kneeling down to the little girl's level but he was still taller. " what to wear, help me." Rose said showing the two pieces of clothing in her hand. She placed the two in front of him as Luffy looked at one blue and one orange outfit. Luffy stared at them silently, actually thinking about it.

the crew just watched, curious to know what their captain would do. " hmmmmmmmmmm." Luffy hummed as he thought and then his face lit up as an idea popped into his mind. Luffy picked up the orange t-shirt and placed it with the blue pants then paired it with orange sandals and the blue hair band. " here wear this. now you don't have to choose, and it's cool. shishishishishi." Luffy said holding up the outfit he created by mixing two with a proud smile on his face.

"Baka, it looks so odd. we want Rose Chan to look cute not like a clown." Nami said coming to stand beside him. " ne Rose Chan, wear the blue one it will look so pretty on you." nami said with a sweet smile. Rose looked down at the mixed-up outfit made by Luffy then at Nami and then at Luffy. Jules was out of the room watching all this happen, curious to know what would happen next.

" me wear what Fifi said," Rose said with a bright smile looking at Luffy and pointing at the mixed-up outfit, shattering Nami's all hopes and dreams of dressing up the little girl. Jimbe, Robin, Brook, Franky, and Jules just laughed at it whereas Nami, Ussop, and Sanji sighed. Chopper agreed with Luffy's mixing and Zoro just snickered. there was no doubt Rose would have chosen what Luffy gave to her. it was her dear Fifi after all.

"Mumma, this" Rose said turning around and looking at Jules by the room door looking at the interaction fondly. " okay then whatever you want little devil, common now let's get you ready." Rose ran back to the room Jules looked at Luffy. " you didn't go off the ship to explore yet Luffy?" Jules asked. it was quite unusual for the energy-filled captain to stay on the docked ship so long. " I am waiting for you guys. I am coming to the park with you." Lufffy with his huge smile.

" how do you know we are going to the park?" Jules asked. she hadn't told anyone she was taking Rose to a park. just asked Nami if the island had a city to know if there would be a place to take Rose to. " shishishi, I heard you telling Rose last night when I was coming to wish Rose good night." Luffy said and Jules just nodded. Rose ran inside the room and Jules turned around to get back in. " we'll be done in 5 minutes." she said before closing the door.

exactly after 5 minutes the door to the room opened and Rose walked out with her crazy outfit put together by Luffy himself. the outfit was unique but Rose still looked cute as hell in it. her hair was done in two pigtails with orange ribbons on them. following her Jules walked out looking as beautiful as ever with a big bag that carried and extra outfit for Rose if this one got dirty, some snacks, water bottles, some first aid kit, and some of Rose's favourite toys.

by the time Jules reached Luffy he was already holding Rose and everyone else had already left. Just Jimbe and Brook stayed on the ship to watch. " okay then let's go to the park." Jules said and Luffy and Rose nodded in excitement, Luffy jumping off the ship with Rose in his arms. " we'll be back by evening Jimbe, take care of the ship." Jules said waving bye to her crewmates. " yes, no problem, enjoy out there." Jimbe said with a hearty laugh.

with that Jules too hopped off the ship and joined Luffy and Rose by the town gates.
________________

walking through the town Luffy hummed a song and little Rose joined him too. the two were walking hand in hand beside Jules who was asking around where the park was. Luffy and Rose looked around their eyes sparkling at the sight of shops selling different things, especially toys, and mouths drooling at the sight of food trucks and vendors. Luffy's many habits had really rubbed off on Rose since they met.

as Jules guided the path, the trio reached the park. the park was every kid's dream. it had all sorts of different slides, see-saws, swings of different sizes for different age groups, and a huge sandbox. Rose squeaked with excitement at the sight of all the things in the park and all the kids around her age. She hadn't really had any interaction with kids her age till now as they didn't really live a stable life, but Jules really wanted her to have this much-needed interaction as it was important for her growth.

" ok, then what do you wanna play first?" Jules asked as she kept the baby bag on a bench and looked at Luffy who was holding Rose. " everything." Rose said spreading open her hand with excitement and a big smile on her face. Luffy and Jules chuckled at that. " shishishishishishi, let's go on the slide first chubs." Luffy suggested and Rose agreed.

Jules watched as Luffy ran towards the slides with Rose. As they reached it Luffy started climbing the stairs of the slide along with Rose and people around them stared at the two. a grown-ass man trying to play at a kid's park was definitely weird.

Luffy just laughed not really caring about the staring. watching all this Jules sighed. well, she was apparently gonna take care of 2 children today. She walked towards the rubber man and sighed again at his childishness. Luffy was definitely not gonna listen to her if she tried to make him understand he could not play on the slides or anything at all here, so she decided to use the ultimate trick taught to her by none other than cat burglar Nami. with a fist raised in the air, Jules banged it on the rubber idiot's head and he fell down the stairs. "Baka, it's not for you to play, it's for kids, can't you see you idiot," she yelled at him as he composed himself while rubbing his head.

thank you for telling me the trick Nami - Jules thought.

* 'Acchooo' Nami sneezed suddenly while she was checking out some clothes in a store.*

" but I wanna play too, I thought I could play with Rose here that's why I came," Luffy whined with a frown like a child. Jules just sweatdropped at this. well seems like this was hopeless - Jules thought. with a sigh, Jules said again. " see Luffy, this is a kid's park and you are a freaking 19-year-old adult, you cannot play here. we are, well at least I am here to take Rose here and keep an eye on her. She really needs to interact with kids her age and socialize, meet new people outside the crew." Jules explained and Luffy barely heard with a pout, but at least understood that he should not play on the slides.

on the other hand, some kids stared at Rose with aww as the little 2-year-old girl went down the slide without any fear. the kids were always scared to go down the slide if there was no one to catch them at the end of it but this little girl who was probably younger than them was fearlessly going down the slide again and again while the two adults that came with her talked standing beside the slide. Rose laughed and giggled as she had fun sliding down the smooth slide. the air hitting her face tickling her.

but now she was bored of the slide she wanted to do something else now. the little girl ran to her mumma and fifi. "Mumma, Mumma," she called out gaining Jules's attention. " what happened Rose?" Jules asked kneeling down in front of her. " I'm bored. slide boring." Rose said with a frown. ' I see, so you wanna play something else? how about the swing?" Jules asked and the little girl's face lit up as she nodded frantically.

but when the three reached where the swings were, they were all full. Rose was disappointed by that and frowned. " shishishi, chubs, I have an idea, come here." Luffy said as he went to a broken swing. the chain from one side was broken hence it didn't work. Luffy stood below the rod that held the swing and stretched his hands to hold the rod. stretching his legs, he wrapped them around Rose's torso and pulled her to him. now that Rose was safe and secure between the hold of his legs he started swinging back and forth. soon Rose realised what was happening and started giggling and laughing. Luffy had become her personal swing. Jules watched sweat dropping but a fond smile took over her face. a warm feeling spread through her heart at Luffy's gesture to make Rose happy. he would literally do anything for the little devil, Jules thought.

after the swing was done and Luffy could no longer keep holding onto the rod Rose decided she wanted to play in the sandbox. Jules sat on a bench that was right beside the sandbox and Luffy sat outside it by the edge to play with Rose. Jules had brought some digging and sand castle-building toys which were now scattered all around Rose. Luffy and Rose dug out sand and filled the bucket with sand, making a very dysfunctional-looking castle. the castle looked more like a pile of sand but still, the duo had a proud smile on their faces as they showed it off to Jules who couldn't help but laugh.

__________________

now Luffy too just sat there and watched Rose play with some other girls in the sandbox. the little girl was smiling and giggling, enjoying the company of someone her age. As the girls played by themselves a boy who was a few years older came there and stamped on the sand castle the girls had made. " hey, that is bad." Rose said angry at the older boy for ruining their efforts. " hu what are you talking about, I didn't do anything." the boy said in a rude manner. the other girls with Rose got scared looking at the boy towering over them and ran away to play somewhere else. " no, that my castle." Rose said with an angry frown. the boy started to laugh and Rose's frown increased.

looking at all this Luffy was gonna go and beat some manners into that boy but was stopped by Jules. " she seems like she is handling it. she is just a 2-year-old but she is no ordinary kid Luffy, she is a pirate's daughter, who never backs down. let her fight until she can." Jules said holding him back. it might be too much for a 2-year-old but Jules knew her daughter and she wouldn't interfere until she thought her daughter was helpless. if she was gonna raise Rose on a pirate ship such small fights were necessary. Luffy understood and stopped but the anger in him still boiled. how dare that guy ruin Rose's castle and then laugh at her.

Luffy wanted to desperately go and make sure that boy knew who he was messing with. even if the slightest fear or pain or sadness flashed in Rose's eyes he would make sure the boy remembered his lesson for life.

" don't laugh." Rose was offended by the laughing boy. " or what? Hu? And you call that a castle, it was nothing but a pile of sand anyway. a very ugly pile of sand. hahahahahha." the boy said mockingly and laughed more. Rose was very angry now. how dare he disrespect her castle. her and her new friends put so much effort into making it. " don't laugh, you bad." Rose said anger burning in her eyes as she looked at the boy straight in the eyes.

" or what hu, you gonna go cry to your daddy, like the weak little girl you are, you gonna run to your daddy and cry?" the boy mocked. Rose was a fearless kid but that one statement froze her. The word daddy stuck in her little mind. she had seen it around her today a lot. for a two-year-old, she was very observant. whenever a kid was scared they ran to their parents, especially their daddy. the man who made them feel protected. Rose knew who her daddy was but she had never met him. mumma always told her that Daddy loved her more than anything in the world but he couldn't tell her himself, mumma told her that Daddy really wanted to see her, meet her, play with her but he couldn't, he couldn't because he was far far away in the sky, among the clouds and the stars.

in that moment Rose really wanted to feel that comfort though. the protective warmth of her Daddy but she knew he wasn't there. she didn't want to run to him and cry like the boy said, but she wanted him to be there. wished he was there.

Jules had heard what the boy had said and she froze too. She knew Rose felt the void Ace left behind in their lives. she knew that the little girl wished her dad to be there many times. Jules knew Rose missed him even though she had never met him. and she knew Rose was standing there frozen on the spot as she thought of her daddy. She never really called that word out loud. only sometimes when she asked Jules to see his picture or to tell his story.

Jules wanted to go there and fill that void that Rose must be feeling without even understanding what that feeling was. but she was frozen too. She knew she could never fill that space, never be able to provide the same comfort that a father would to his child, to his daughter. She felt helpless and like a failure. the weight of the realization, that she couldn't give Rose such an important thing in life so heavy on her that she wasn't able to move. she wanted to. she wanted to go there and support Rose but she knew it wasn't her that Rose needed.

"I...no...no Daddy," Rose mumbled as she realized she really didn't have a dad. yes, she knows he is there but she also knows he is not there, or rather cannot be there even if he wanted to. the sky was so far away after all. it would take quite a time to reach her for him.

as Jules sat there unable to move as her feelings overwhelmed her, someone did what needed to be done. someone walked up to Rose to fill up that role that was left behind by a man 2 years ago.

"What did you just say kid?" a familiar but deeper voice said from behind her and Rose looked back to see the straw hat wearing, her dear fifi. a wide smile spread on her lips at the sight of him, his cold stare directed at the boy but to Rose it provided warmth. warmth she didn't understand she craved and needed. Rose looked back at the boy with a confident look. " me no crybaby." Rose said, the spark in her eyes confirming, she was no weak kid who cried to her parents.

" yeah chubs is not a crybaby, but you look like one," Luffy said to the boy without an ounce of regret or sympathy. the boy got scared looking at Luffy's dark aura. though Rose didn't really understand what she had felt when the boy had mentioned her daddy, Luffy knew she was uncomfortable. even though she was small she had feelings too, maybe she didn't understand them all but they still existed. Luffy couldn't just sit and watch as Rose unconsciously squirmed standing there, and hence he came to back her up. and it was all she needed to find her confidence again.

the look and aura that Luffy gave off scared the boy to such an extent that he ran away crying. what an irony. Rose looked up at Luffy with a mischievous smile and he returned it with his proud one. the two laughed about the situation and then Luffy got back to helping Rose rebuild her sand castle. the girls who had run away coming back too.

as they continued to play a deep heavy voice interrupted them. " oi, did you make my son cry?' a man more than 6 feet tall and muscular stood in front of Luffy with an angry look. Luffy stood up and looked back at the man with a challenging look. " yeah so what, It can't be helped if he is a crybaby." Luffy said and the vein on the man's forehead twitched.

all along Jules just watched, trusting Luffy to handle the situation. her priority right now was to calm down and control her overwhelming feelings before it got too much and eventually led to a panic attack. and she knew Rose would be alright as long as Luffy was with her so she focused on herself.

"How dare you call my son a crybaby and threaten him. I'll teach you a lesson." the man said looking at Luffy whose face was hidden by the shadow of his straw hat all this time. the man raised his fist in the air ready to punch Luffy when the young captain just looked up and stared right into the man's eyes. and before the man could punch him the man's eyes widened in fear and his whole form trembled with terror.

he had seen that face before, the scar under the left eye and the straw hat on the head. standing before him was none other than the new emperor of the sea Monkey. D. Luffy. the pirate worth 3 billion berries. the man who defeated the strongest creature in the world Kido. it was weird to see the young Yonko standing in a sandbox playing with a bunch of little girls. but he was a man to be feared anyway. the man regretted his every word and the actions of his stupid son towards the little girl.

the man looked down to see a little girl with jet-black hair similar to that of the pirate and only one thought filled his mind- he had messed up big time by messing with the little girl.

" I....i...I am so..sorry, for.....for my son....son's behavior, he...he shouldn't have troubled you...your daughter like that. p...p...p..please for...forgive him and.....and forgive me." the man begged but Luffy was lost in thought. the man waited for some kind of response but didn't get any. After a lot of contemplating, he decided it was best to run away while he had the chance.

all the while Luffy's mind was stuck on one word. ' daughter" the man had assumed Rose was his daughter. Though she looked nothing like him, but she had the same jet-black hair Ace and Luffy had similar. apart from looks Rose had picked up a lot of things from Luffy's personality. so it was no surprise that she would be assumed to be his, but she wasn't. She was the daughter of his brother, technically his niece. but the word daughter seemed so beautiful. the word had a feeling of belonging, a feeling of attachment. an attachment so deep that it couldn't be described in words. it felt like she was his. his to protect, his to care and his to spoil. like if that word was Rose to him then he had every right to protect her from the cruel world, every right to care for her, every right to spoil her like the princess she was. he did all this anyway but that word would somehow make the feeling of guilt go away. the guilt that he was taking the place of her father away from her life. like he was taking away what was Ace's. only if Rose was that word ( daughter) to him he wouldn't feel this guilt maybe.

Luffy's train of thought was interrupted when Jules called out to him with a mini den den mushi In her hand and seemed like she was talking to one of the crew members.

" lets go Luffy, Rose. It's time to go to the sunny. apparently, the navy has found out we are here."

Chapter Text

Since they left the last island due to the arrival of marines Luffy had only one word spinning around in his mind, 'daughter'. honestly, he had never thought about the future so far, never thought about the possibility of having a family of his own. would he be able to? he was a lot more self-aware than people thought he was. he knew he was a careless person who did a lot of reckless things, often got into trouble, and was too childish for his age and due to all this he knew he wasn't the ideal person to have a family with.

Even if he ever thought of having a family, who would have it with him anyway, Hancock wanted to marry him but he knew he couldn't give her what she wanted. he couldn't give any woman what she wanted. but that one word said by that man had started a spark in his heart. how would it feel to have a child of his own? not necessarily by blood but someone who called him dad. the word that defined that special bond. if he ever got a chance to be a dad would he be a good one? he personally didn't have a good experience with dads. Shanks was the closest person to a father figure to him. what if in the future he had a family? would he be good enough?

Luffy had never doubted himself but this particular topic made him think. there were so many what if's. Luffy sat drowned in his thoughts on the figurehead of the sunny. everyone was busy doing their own thing and so was he. suddenly the peace on the ship was disrupted by a very very loud cry, catching everyone's attention as the whole crew gathered in front of the girl's quarters.

the sound of Rose crying had everyone worried. it was late afternoon and it was her nap time. but the crying obviously indicated she wasn't sleeping. Nami opened the door and most of the crew barged into the room. Jules sat there on the bed holding a crying Rose close to herself. trying to calm the little girl down.

Rose was taking her nap as usual when she suddenly started mumbling and trashing in her sleep. Jules realized the little girl was having a nightmare. she tried to wake her up and Rose did too, but immediately started crying clinging to her mother for comfort. Rose refused to tell Jules what was the dream about, just kept on crying.

" She had a nightmare, and won't stop crying." Jules explained and everyone sighed, relieved that it was nothing serious. " what was the nightmare about?" Robin asked. " I don't know, she won't tell," Juels said a little concerned as Rose would harm her vocal cords if she kept on crying like this.

Luffy walked forward and kneeled down in front of Rose to be her eye level. Rose had her face buried in Jules's stomach, holding tightly onto her top. " hey chubs, here look at me." Luffy said, trying to gain her attention. " I tried she won't move, just keeps on crying.

" hey, chubs look at me it's me Fifi, your dear Fifi," Luffy said softly patting the little girl's head. This caught Rose's attention and she pulled a little away from Jules to glance at Luffy. As her blurry vision cleared and she realized it was really her dear Fifi, she immediately let go of Juels and hugged Luffy tightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Luffy's hand wrapped around her securely, giving her warmth and comfort. he patted her back trying to calm her down.

"It's okay, there's nothing to be scared about, you are safe chubs," Luffy said in a soft calm voice, patting her back gently. Luffy was always gentle with Rose but right now he was being extra gentle, making sure she didn't get more scared. Rose held onto him tight, as if, if she let go he would disappear.

Soon she calmed down enough that Luffy thought she would answer him. " hey, chubs, what happened?" Luffy asked again his voice soft and smooth. Rose pulled a little away from him and looked at him with eyes shining with tears. Her chubby cheeks and little nose were red because of all the crying and her lips were in a small pout. Luffy wanted to say how cute she looked but the fear in her eyes made him worried too. " f..f...fi... Fifi?" Rose questioned rather than call out. " yes chubs, what happened tell me. who dared to scare my little chubs, hu? I'll kick their ass for you." Luffy said trying to make the little girl laugh. but she didn't, just stared at him as if he wasn't real.

Luffy's smile dropped at it. he didn't like this uncertain, scared, and pained look in her eyes. Her eyes were made to be only filled with happiness. " chubs, common tell me what happened?" Luffy asked again shifting her a bit to hold her better. this startled the little girl and she finally realized what Luffy had asked her.

"Fifi?" Rose said in a small voice. Luffy hummed and nodded his head in response. " don't go, don't go like daddy." Rose said and the room froze. Jules's heart ached listening to her daughter. The small 2-year-old was so scared, so scared that she cried in her sleep, and what was she scared of? losing Luffy, the thought that Luffy might leave her, and disappear from her life like her father had, crossed the mind of such a young girl.

The fact that she was scared of such a thing happening told Jules how much Ace's absence had affected Rose. how she needed a father in her life, how she wished to have a father in her life, and how much she missed Ace even though she never saw him. the only interaction Rose had with Ace was when she was in her mother's womb.

at the war when Ace had seen Jules with her pregnant belly, he had been on cloud nine and kissed it. He had knelt down and said, "Hey there princess, it's me your daddy. I am sorry I never met you before, I wasn't there with your mom all this time, I am sorry, please forgive me. but you know what? even though I didn't know about you until now, and I thought I would never have children, I am glad that you are here, and I want you to know that I love you. I love you more than anything in the world. I love you and your mom."

Though it was kinda impossible, but Jules believed that Rose had heard and understood each and every word Ace had said and had felt all the love he had for her. Right now seeing Rose cry in the fear of losing someone dear to her broke Jules. she didn't want Rose to experience this fear so soon in life.

"hu, oi Rose, I am never leaving you. I'll always be here. and even though your daddy is not here, you know he loves you. even though you cannot see him, or feel him, he is always there and will always be there for you, watching over you, and caring for you. And about me leaving you, that would never happen, because I promised your daddy to always be by your side and never let that cute smile of yours go away. and I have to keep my promise." Luffy explained calmly to Rose, with a big smile on his face. he meant each and every word he said. he would never break the promise, and even if he didn't promise, he would still care for Rose and always be there for her.

" you won't go?" Rose mumbled wanting another confirmation. " no I won't, I love you so so so so much. always remember chubs, I love you, I love you more than anything in this world." Luffy said hugging her tight and close to his chest, Rose heard his heartbeat, the heartbeat making her feel calm, safe, and protected. Luffy kept on mumbling soothing things to her and making a pattern on her back, it didn't even take her 1 minute to fall asleep soundly with a smile on her face. before she slept, Luffy heard her mumble, " Can Fifi be my daddy?"
_______________

It was an innocent question. a simple question asked by a 2-year-old who has the simplest logic and mind. for a 2-year-old a father, or a dad is the man they feel safe with, they feel protected and loved. for a 2-year-old father is the one who can solve all their problems and someone who is always fun to play with.

A 2-year-old doesn't understand beyond this simple logic. and for a 2-year-old who has never seen her Father, she would want the man she feels the most protected and Safe and loved to be her father. She would find that comfort, that bond, and that relation with that man.

and for Rose that man was Luffy. for Rose, Luffy was the man who had protected her and her mother when the bad guys were gonna hurt them, he was the man who played with her. the man who cared for her and always told her he loved her, the man who made her feel safe and comfortable. Luffy was the man who had supported her when she was fighting with that older boy, he was the man who had protected her when that older boy's dad had come there.

After that day at the park, Rose wondered what a dad is supposed to be and she had concluded all the above things by observing other kids around her and her own feelings. She has wished to meet her dad many times. she wanted to play with him, ask him to tell her stories, comfort her when mumma got mad at her, and many more things. but as her mumma has told her all her 2 years of life, all this could never happen.

but it was all happening, but it wasn't her dad who played with her, told her stories, comforted her when mumma got mad, no it was not Ace, it was Luffy who had done all that, and now Rose wondered if Luffy could be that man for her if Luffy could be her dad.

the innocent question was said so silently that only Luffy had heard it. and that innocent question had his heart and mind going haywire. the question was simple from Rose's point of view but for Luffy, it was the most complex question. he bet it was harder to understand than all the books Robin, Nami, and Chopper read.

what was he supposed to answer to that? he wasn't her dad, and he could never be, that was Ace's place. Ace, his older dear brother is her dad, not Luffy, how can he just say yes to Rose? Rose didn't understand the complexity of her question but any grown-up would. Luffy knows Rose will be the happiest girl in this world if he says yes, but is it the truth? one cannot just become a dad to a child.

after what happened today, Luffy understood that Rose really missed her dad and felt the empty place he left behind in her life. and the little 2-year-old Rose was now desperately trying to fill that empty place. she was just a toddler, what did she understand about relations, she just wanted a dad in her life and she deemed Luffy fit for that Role. her young toddler mind didn't understand that it was a very hard thing to do. to be a father to someone.

" Luffy"

"Luffy"

"Luffy" Luffy was pulled out of his thoughts with a light pat on his shoulder. he focused his attention and saw Jules looking at him. " you got lost in thoughts there," Jules said with a soft smile. Luffy just stared at her, the question Rose asked still spinning in his mind. " here give her to me, she fell asleep." Jules extended her arms and Luffy absent-mindedly gave Rose to Jules.

still, in a daze, Luffy got up and walked out the door, not really noticing the confused and concerned looks the crew gave him. he needed to think, again, he really needed to to think to understand what he should answer Rose.

as he left, the crew looked at this retreating form confused and worried. Luffy was never so silent. " o...oi, what was that just now?" Ussop asked, "Luffy is never the one to be so silent and have a blank face." Jimbe pointed out "Do you think maybe he is thinking about Ace, because of what Rose Chan said?" Franky said, "Yeah he might be thinking about that, Rose Chan was really scared that Luffy would leave her as Ace did. Luffy really is precious to her, but the mention of Ace must have triggered him." nami said concerned about the captain.

" I don't think so, Ace has been mentioned many times, and Luffy doesn't get like this anymore with that, since he reunited with Sabo Kun, Luffy hasn't been triggered because of the mention of Ace," Robin said deep in thought, having her own hunch about what it might be that triggered Luffy to be silent.

"Guys let's go outside, Rose is finally asleep and I hope she doesn't get another nightmare, lets talk outside so we don't disturb her," Jules said tucking Rose in the bed as the little girl slept soundly.

everyone agreed and they all moved out and into the galley. everyone excluding Luffy Sat at the dining table as Sanji served some refreshments. " ne Robin, what do you think happened to Luffy?" Chopper asked sipping his orange juice. " well, I think it has something to do with Rose Chan's nightmare. I mean it must have shocked him that such a young girl had such a scary nightmare, we know Luffy, if we think about it being alone and left off is one of Luffy's fears. seeing that fear in Rose Chan's eyes must have triggered him. he takes care of her like she is his own daughter, that incident just now must have hurt him, he must be feeling like he is not doing enough to make Rose Chan feel safe." Robin explained her views.

everyone's attention was moved to the door as it creaked open and a worried and confused-looking Luffy entered. " everyone, I need to talk to Jules,........ alone."

everyone was confused, Luffy was very serious that was for sure. Luffy never demanded such a thing, never used authority as Captain, sure there were some moments when he behaved like a true captain, but this level of Authority was never shown by the childish captain they usually saw. But understanding the gravity of the situation everyone left the galley except for Jules. Luffy walked to his seat on the head of the table while Jules sat on his right leaving one chair in between. "what happened Luffy?" Jules asked confused as well. Luffy looked very tense and stiff. Jules had never seen him like this, ever. she didn't even think he was capable of such an emotion and reaction.

" Chubs......chubs asked me something. just before she fell asleep." Luffy started. Luffy was never the one to beat around the bush. always said what was on his mind without hesitation, but today, today he was confused, unsure, and somewhere anxious. he knew what Rose had asked for she might not even remember when she woke up, but......he also knew that that's what she truly felt. and in her tiredness and fear of losing him, she had said it. Luffy also knew that anyone would tell him that the right answer to that question was no.

no.

he cannot be her father. her father was Ace his sworn brother, so technically Rose is his niece, not that she called him uncle or he ever referred to her as that but that's the technical relation they had. And how COULD he EVER take Ace's place?

but.

but deep down.

deep down in his heart.

LUFFY KNEW what he REALLY REALLY wanted to answer her.

deep down in his heart, he didn't see Rose as Just his niece, nor did he do all that he did for her only because of the promise. there was something more. much more deep and strong that bound them together. Luffy didn't really realize all this but he felt it. he felt how wrong he would be if he said no to her. cause deep down in his heart all he wanted to say was

YES

yes, I'll be your father, the one to protect you, the one to make you feel safe, the one to play silly games with you, take you on adventures, comfort you when mumma is mad, the one to look up to, the one who would give up his life and even take away lives if it meant Rose would be safe and happy. HIS Rose would be safe and happy.

that's what he wanted to say but, for the first time in his life, Luffy held back his big mouth. he knew no matter how he felt it wasn't his decision alone to make.

Jules waited patiently, for Luffy to say anything further. but she wasn't expecting him to say what he said.

" she.....she asked me if.....if I can be her dad," Luffy said not able to look Jules in the eye. he didn't want to see her reaction, cause he knew how stupid it sounded. a clueless, air-headed guy like him understood how absurd he was speaking. but it was the truth and he also knew the answer he really wanted to give.

Jules didn't know what to say. She wasn't mad like Luffy thought she would be. what she felt was a shame. she was ashamed that she couldn't tell how much Rose really needed a father figure in her life, how much the little girl missed her dad. yes, she knew that Rose missed Ace, but to the extent that she would find that comfort in that relation from someone else, that made Jules feel like a failure of a mother.

every day she tried and tried to not let Rose feel the empty space in their life left by Ace. but after so much trying, she had failed. failed miserably. the bond of a father and daughter is so so so special they say, and she knew it was true, the bond she had with Oyaji was very special, it was so different from his relationship with her brothers. daughters are the greatest treasures for their fathers and fathers are the heroes of a daughters story. it was a lot more deep than that but it was the best and the simplest explanation of that special bond.

and even at the young age of 2, Rose wished for that bond. for that special relation, and she had found it, the little devil had successfully found that special relationship with none other than Luffy.

but did it mean that Rose hated Ace? Would she grow up hating her father for not being there? Jules knew he wanted to be there, and have that special bond with Rose but obviously Ace couldn't, so would Rose hold a grudge against him, just like Ace hated Rodger. Jules didn't want that. she wanted Rose to be proud of who her father was, proudly tell the world what her name was, and be proud that she carried the blood of Portugas.D. Ace.

no, no she cannot let that happen, she cannot let Ace disappear completely from Rose's life. he was, is, and always will be her father, no matter what.

" no, you'll say no luffy. though most likely she won't remember what she asked once she wakes up but if she ever asks that question again you'll say no. Ace is her father, and I don't want even the most minute thing about him to disappear from her life. if she ever asks that question you'll tell her that's not possible, and that her only dad is Ace." Jule said blankly staring at the table. the words came out colder than she wanted them to be. She couldn't look in his eyes, couldn't see the hurt she knew she would see in those dark brown orbs.

even though Luffy understood that what Jules said was right and that it was the right thing to do, something broke in him. somewhere he really wished Jules would say yes, but it was just a small hope. Jules is right, completely right. but............

but he really wanted the opposite.

-----------------------------------
A WEEK LATER

Luffy is not really the best at hiding his emotions. everyone knew that. and that's why everyone was gathered in the galley late in the afternoon when Jules and Rose took a nap and Luffy spent time on the sunny's figurehead. it didn't take the crew long to understand something had happened. at first, the guess was that something happened between Luffy and Jules when they talked that day, which was a week ago. but they soon realized that it was only Luffy. Jules was normal just like any other day, but Luffy was totally out of character.

it soon appeared that Luffy was avoiding the mother-daughter duo. or more specifically Rose. Since day one Luffy and Rose were stuck together like glue. Rose spent most of her time after Jules with Luffy. and Rose had really brought up many new sides of Luffy that the crew didn't know he was capable of. the two were inseparable unless it was Jules who was with Rose.

but since last week Luffy has been avoiding Rose and even the little girl had noticed it after a point. hence Rose had been in a foul mood too. just as Luffy had gone silent, Rose had gone loud, throwing tantrums every now and then, constantly whining and crying. Rose tried to play with other members too but she really just wanted Luffy, no one else.

yes, Uncle Ussop told fun stories, but Fifi's were more fun for some reason, aunt lobin taught her but Fifi teaching her how to throw a punch was more fun, Jimbe told her about the sea, but Fifi told her what sea meant to him was more fun, Chopper was cute and fun but swinging around the with fifi was more fun, playing toys with uncle Flanky was fun but with fifi it was more fun, annoying uncle zoro was fun but not without fifi, listening to Blook's song was fun but it was more fun when Fifi danced with her, playing dress up with aunt nami was fun but not without fifi to whom she always showed her outfits. Uncle Sanji's food was yummy but not when she didn't sit on Fifi's lap while they ate together and he even fed her a bite or two.

all in all, nothing was Right cause Fifi was ignoring her. why was Fifi not playing with her, why was Fifi running away from her, why wasn't Fifi spending time with her, was Fifi mad at her? Did she do something wrong? Didn't he like her? Was she troubling Fifi? did Fifi not like playing with her anymore? did Fifi not like spending time with her anymore?

did Fifi hate her?

but who would tell the little girl that it wasn't her fault, at all.

" ne guys, what do you think happened between them?" Ussop asked and everyone sat at the table. " of course that rubber idiot did something." nami said sipping her orange juice. " yohohohohohooh, maybe Luffy san did something to Rose Chan that Jules chan didn't approve and hence they might have fought?" brook suggested.

" but Luffy has been so careful with Rose Chan. he is almost like another person with her, so gentle, and so..............mature, I guess. I mean he still behaves like a child but he definitely has a mature edge to his behavior when he is with her." sanji pointed out while lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah, you remember Robin that day what we said? Luffy is almost like a father to Rose Chan." Ussop said remembering their conversation. " yes Longnose Kun, Luffy has been like a father to her, a father still learning what fatherhood is. It's adorable to see him like that." Robin smiled remembering all the moments she had witnessed of the bond Luffy and Rose had.

the conversation was interrupted when a loud cry echoed all over the ship. making everyone run toward the girl's quarters.

it was like a Deja Vu. everyone was gathered in the girl's quarters as the rose had started crying in her sleep, woken up by a nightmare, refusing to calm down. and again just like that day a week ago Luffy had cradled her and her cries had turned into sobs.

"What happened chubs? what scared the straw hat pirate princess so much?" Luffy asked in a gentle voice.

*' What made MY princess cry' Luffy thought.*

"Fifi, I am pwincess?" Rose asked looking up at Luffy with big doe eyes shining with tears. " yes of course you are. I am gonna be the king of the pirates and my kingdom should have a princess too right, like the Yowahoshi of Fishman Island and Vivi of Alabasta. you will be the princess of the seas when I become the king of the pirates, but for now, you are the princess of straw hats." Luffy said with a wide grin on his face. but that didn't reciprocate on Rose's face making the smile fade from his lips too.

" then why Fifi not play? why Fifi not feed me? why Fifi hate me?" Rose said with a pout and more tears falling down her chubby and now red cheeks. what she said shocked Luffy. he had been avoiding her hoping that whatever he felt would go away. all this time when he was avoiding her he kept on telling himself that he could never say yes to what she had asked him, no matter how much he wanted to. but all this had led to her thinking he hated her.

" hey chubs, I don't hate you, I could never hate you. " Luffy said hugging her close. as if she would go away if he just even loosened his hug. " I could never hate you, you are chubs, my chubs, my princess, my treasure, my Rose, I could never hate you, never. I love you so much chubs. never think that I hate you, never." unconsciously Luffy had buried Rose in his chest and his own face in her soft hair, kissing her head to reassure her he didn't hate her. his grip tightened just a little but still making sure he didn't crush her.

no one could see but Luffy was trembling, trembling with fear that Rose would go away from him, not rely on him, not feel safe enough around him, not spend time with him, not call him fifi in such a cute way ever, just because she thought he hated her. he would practically lose her that way. he couldn't afford that. She was an important part of his world now and he couldn't lose her like he lost Ace.

though no one saw him tremble, Jules did. and that was enough for her to understand why Luffy had been avoiding Rose for the past week. she couldn't tell it that day, but now she understood. that question Roe had asked, Luffy already had an answer ready, already knew what HE wanted to say, but he also knew that asking her was important and had done exactly that. and when she had asked him to say no, he had respected her decision even though all he wanted to say was YES.

Jules could see it all now, how Luffy had truly become an important person in Rose's life, important enough for her to wish he was her father. and how important Rose had become to him too. so important that he didn't see her just as a responsibility, or duty to fulfill his promise, she was a lot more than that to him. they had developed such a deep bond that it didn't separate them just because they didn't share blood. Luffy might not be her real father but he had somehow made a place in Rose's heart where the void Ace left behind got pushed a bit in the corner. this new bond shined so bright in Rose's heart that she got distracted from the blank space that was there and forever will be.

in that moment, as Jules saw Luffy hold Rose as if she is the most precious being in this world and would disappear if he let go and Rose found comfort in that embrace, Jules knew she had to change her answer. Rose needed Luffy and Luffy needed Rose, she couldn't deny that bond and. she always made sure Rose is happy and if Rose's happiness lay in calling Luffy her dad then she didn't have a choice anymore. Luffy and Rose would break apart if they lost each other.

*I am sorry Ace, but she needs him, she needs him without the barrier of an undefined relation. cause she has already decided what this relationship is gonna be called. this relation should only belong to you but..............but she needs it, our Rose needs it, your dear daughter needs it.

"Fifi don't hate Rose?" Rose asked pulling back from the hug after a moment. looking at Luffy with big curious eyes. She really didn't want Luffy to hate her. After her mumma, he was the only one who she felt the most safe with, most happy with. when she is with Fifi she doesn't miss her daddy. She really wishes her daddy could be with her but he is in a happy place. but with Fifi, she doesn't miss Daddy. if Fifi hates her then who will she rely on? who will tell her amazing stories, play with her, and support her when big kids like in that park trouble her.

" no, don't hate you, I could never." Luffy confirmed staring right into her eyes, assuring her he was sure. " then......then can......." Rose started but hesitated. She wasn't sure how her mumma would react, how Fifi would react. she really wished Fifi would say yes to her request.

" what is it chubs?" luffy asked with a slight smile. " Can Fifi be my daddy?" Rose asked and Luffy got a Deja Vu. The smile on his lips dropped and he froze. he knew what he had to answer. Jules had told him clearly what to say if this question ever came up. but his throat went dry. no words came out of his mouth. his mind was telling him to say what Jules had told him and his heart said otherwise. he really wanted to be that person to Rose, be a dad to her. but Jules had said no, and it was the right thing to do. that's Ace's place, not his. he can never take it.

when nobody said anything Nami decided to break the silence. " ne, Rose Chan you have a daddy." she said gently, leaning down to Rose's eye level. " but daddy no play with me, tell story, be cool, and love Rose. daddy not here, I miss Daddy. but Fifi play with me, tell story, be cool, love Rose. fifi here. Rose don't miss Daddy with Fifi." Rose said in her broken sentences. for a 2-year-old she was smart enough to make complete sense out of broken sentences.

" can Fifi be my daddy?" Rose asked again. after her explanation no one could make any argument, it was true. and just now in the galley, they all were saying the same thing, how Luffy has practically become a father to Rose. who were they to deny that Rsoe and Luffy had really developed that father-daughter bond.

" Nami is right chubs, your daddy is Ace, not me, i......I cannot be your daddy." Luffy said, trying not to make the knot in his throat prominent as he spoke. " but Rose want Fifi to be daddy." Rose protested. "Daddy not here, daddy not love Rose, fifi love Rose." Rose argued. " don't say that Rose. Your daddy loves you. he really does, more than anyone. he really wishes to be here with you. daddy wants to play with you, tell you stories, go on adventures. he wanted to do all that with you, because he loves you, a lot. NEVER, never ever say that Daddy doesn't love you. he is the one who loves you the most. but he cannot be here with you Rose. I am sorry he cannot be here, I am sorry you will never see him, never meet him, but......but he loves you, never doubt that. ever." Luffy said holding back his own tears.

he didn't want this. didn't want to come in between Rose and Ace. but he did and now Rose thinks Ace doesn't Love her. he has ruined it. he had ruined Ace's bond and relation with Rose, with his daughter.

" Rose, Luffy is right, Ace is your daddy, and he loves you. loves you the most. Luffy cannot be your daddy, but......................... but you really want him to, don't you? he cannot be your daddy cause that will always be Ace. if you never forget that and never forget that he loves you a lot, then Luffy........you can call Luffy Papa." Jules said looking up from Rose to Luffy, who stared at her confused.

"I cannot do that Jules, that's Ace's place. he is her father. I could never do that." Luffy said backing up. " I am not asking you to take his place Luffy. it's clear that you and Rose have developed this bond like father-daughter. Ace........he.....he has left a huge blank space in our lives, and Rose has found you to be fit to be her father. you can never take Ace's place in her life but she HAS created a space for you. you are not Ace in her life, you are You, just Luffy, her fifi in her life. and she just wishes to label that bond that space that relationship as her dad. I cannot allow that label, but you can be her papa. not just Luffy or Fifi in her life but her papa. who gave her a sense of security, happiness, and reassurance when she couldn't get it from her dad. That void will always be there Luffy, but the space she has created for you. it makes that void just a bit smaller and easier to get over."

as Jules said that Luffy's grip on Rose loosened and she hopped out of his hold. As Luffy processed what Jules said Rose ran towards the bedside table where 2 photo frames were kept. picking up one of them by standing on her tiptoes she stared at the man in the picture with the same freckles over his cheeks as her. She stared at it for a moment and then spoke.

"Daddy, you love me?" she asked and after a moment of silence looked at Jules for reassurance. Jules couldn't hold back her tears no matter how much she tried. her throat felt heavy as she nodded. confirming he did.

"Don't be sad cebause, Fifi is my papa. you are Rose's daddy. daddy love Rose and Rose love Daddy this much." she said spreading her arms open to show how much she loved him. " but Rose love Fifi too. don't be sad Daddy." Rose said. As Jules expected Rose didn't look back at her this time for reassurance instead just stared at the photo.

and after a moment her frowning face lit up with a bright smile and she turned to look at Jules and then looked at Luffy. "Daddy not sad, daddy happy, fifi is my papa, daddy happy," Rose said with the brightest smile ever. she truly was happy, her daddy wasn't mad at her for wanting to call Luffy Papa. Jules looked at her confused and a bit skeptical but brushed it aside when she saw that big smile.

Rose stared at Luffy and giggled happily. " papa" she said as she ran towards Luffy with a big smile on her face and collided with his chest, Luffy's arms instantly wrapping around her small figure protectively. he looked at her happily smiling face and soon his face broke into a huge smile as well. " thank you Jules." he said looking at Jules, truly thankful for letting Rose call him papa.

papa.

it wasn't exactly what he had imagined but it was still the same. though the words daddy and papa meant the same, for Rose they would always be different and it was okay. dad was the first word she ever spoke and that referred to Ace. dad was the word she always referred to the man in that photo frame and the was Ace. but now she had a word that she could call Luffy. yes, Fifi was a name given by her but it didn't really define their relationship. but now she called him Papa. That word defined the relationship they had, the bond they had. he is the papa. the man who protects her plays with her, supports her, and is ready to kill and get killed for her, is everything a father is but still will always be second to her real dad. and it was okay. okay, cause it was right. he could never be Ace. he could never be a dad to Rose. he is Luffy, he is her papa.

the man who had his place in her heart just beside her dad.

Chapter Text

"heheheh, papa is it" Rose ran around the deck giggling as Luffy chased her. Since breakfast the two have been playing tag along with Chopper and Ussop who left them some time ago. it was a hectic morning for Jules as she was helping Nami with some of her maps. on the last island they docked there were some smaller surrounding islands around the main one and Jules had helped Nami to take down measurements and info to make the map. the new info was fresh in mind and the next island was close so it was best to finish the map before the next island came and Nami had to work on that.

soon after breakfast, Jules and Nami went to the library. since then it was almost lunchtime now. Rose had woken up at her usual time and Sanji had made sure to give her breakfast. but the little devil was yet to have a bath. the little girl was happy with the situation as she hated going for a bath, she would rather play with Luffy like right now.

today was Rose's lucky day as her mumma was busy and she didn't have to take a bath.

or so she thought.

now the game Luffy and she played had changed to hide and seek and Rose was standing by the main mast with her hands on her eyes as she counted.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,........ummmmm 5......... poor little girl couldn't remember what came after 5.

"It's 6 after 5 comes 6, little devil. and after that comes bath." Rose heard a very, very familiar voice from behind her. She froze on the spot. well her doom was here. apparently, her mother's work was done and it was time for her bath. god, she wished mumma would forget things sometimes. Rose turned around in slow motion seeing her mother's sweet smile which looked so so so evil to her. With a nervous smile, Rose ran around the mast and hid behind it.

the wrong way. it turns out Rose had learned to hide from Chopper. Jules sweatdropped looking at her. "shishishishi, chubs why are you hiding, you had to find me." Luffy laughed as he walked towards them out of his hiding place, too impatient to wait. " Luffy enough with the games it's time for Rose to take a bath," Jules explained.

" awwwwww, but we were having fun playing," Luffy whined, sad that their game would be interrupted. and not just for a short while. Jules always gave Rose a long bath with a full routine to keep Rose nice and clean with flawless skin. Rose was still too young and the sea air could hurt her skin. " well you guys can play later, she is already very late for a bath. oh no wait by the time we are done with bath, it will be time for lunch and then afternoon nap. you guys can play in the eveni..."

Jules stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Luffy trying to sneak with Rose in his arms. " where do you think you are taking her?" Luffy stopped feeling her scary aura. " hu, he, eh, no....nowhere." Luffy said looking sideways with pouty lips. boy was he bad at lying.

" oh really, then give Rose to me I have to take her for a bath." Jules said stretching her arms forward. " papa no, no bath." Rose clutched onto Luffy not wanting to take a bath. " Rose you have to take a bath, Luffy is not gonna save you from this," Jules said sighing.

Luffy reluctantly looked between Rose and Jules. he stepped forward about to give Rose to Jules. "Mumma please." Rose tried convincing Jules with puppy eyes. Luffy instantly melted and stepped back. but when he saw Jules didn't get affected by Rose, Luffy too looked at Jules with puppy eyes, " Jules please."

" Luffy you really think that's gonna work when Rose's puppy eyes didn't work?" Juels asked raising an eyebrow. and Luffy sulked looking defeated. " common Jules it's ok if she doesn't take a bath one day. look I take a bath only once a week and I am completely fine. " Luffy said with a proud smile. " ok, first of all, that's disgusting, and second even if that works for you, Rose is still very young and her skin is very sensitive, so she needs a bath every day, especially when we are on the sea. oh, you know what, I got an idea. when is your next bathing schedule Luffy?" Jules asked.

" oh I took a bath 3 days ago and yesterday we were playing with water guns so I won't be taking a bath till the end of next week. Jules felt disgusted by that but didn't let it show on her face. instead, her face turned into a sinister smile as she looked at Luffy.
"Well, then my plane works," Jules said as she stepped forward to grab onto the rubber captain and the little devil in his arms.

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some very soul-crushing screams could be heard from the bathroom along with some happy giggles. and after that, the sound of the door closing came followed by the sound of banging on the door too. Jules walked out of the hallway with Rose in her arms. Rose was wrapped up in a fluffy towel and smiling happily while playing with the rubber duck in her hands.

as Juels walked out on the deck everyone was gathered there with concerned looks on their faces. " hu? what happened guys?" Jules asked confused. after a moment of silence, Jules was crushed with a hug by an orange-haired navigator. " you are the best Juels, make me your student, I worship you now." Nami said dramatically. Jules looked at her confused.

" oh the great, Jules Chan, you have done the undoable. you truly are a goddess." Sanji said bowing down dramatically. " what are you guys talking about." " you are a witch, stay away from me." Zoro said pointing his sword at Jules as if protecting himself from her. " ne Jules Chan do your magic and put this marimo in that bathroom as well." Sanji said snickering looking at Zoro.

Robin laughed looking at Jules's confused expression. " fufufufu, they are saying all that cause you managed to make Luffy take a bath. it's impossible to make him take a bath." Robin explained.

just as she said that the bathroom door burst open Luffy walked out with fresh clothes on and a frown on his face. " Sanji, I am hungry, give me meat," Luffy said with a huff. meat is the only thing that was gonna make his mood right. oh, how he hated taking a bath against his schedule. Jules couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else as everyone left for the galley for lunch and Jules walked towards the girl's quarters to dress up Rose before going for lunch.

apparently, Jules had thrown Luffy into the tub and made him sit there soaking all his clothes while she bathed Rose and once bathing Rose was done she left Luffy to take a bath. As he was already drenched with soap water he had no choice but to take a bath in the end.
_____________________

everyone was waiting for Jules to come with Rose so that they could start the lunch. well................. at least Luffy was trying. Luffy had insisted that he would wait till Jules and Rose come though it seemed to be a hard job now. Luffy was anxiously shaking his leg under the table and sweating like a waterfall because of the efforts he was making to not eat the food kept in front of him.

" eat it if you can't hold yourself anymore, you idiot. god damnit stop shaking that leg." Zoro yelled annoyed by the constant sound of the table shaking. " no, we will start when Jules and Rose come." Luffy said stubbornly. everyone sweatdropped knowing that it won't be long before Luffy loses his control. suddenly Luffy felt a familiar shiver run through his body.

it's been a long time since he felt that shiver. Luffy started sweating more because of that and his expression turned to that of a little scared one. Zoro and Sanji immediately noticed the shift in their captain's demeanor and got alert.

" oi Ussop, check who is..." Before Luffy could finish his sentence there was a thud sound from the main deck. " that was not Jules or Rose." Ussop said immediately, getting nervous. Luffy got up from his seat and walked toward the galley door. opening the door it turned out his guess was right. the one man he is scared of is here. "Long time no seen, eh Luffy." said the man in his deep and rough voice. " what are you doing here?" Luffy asked, his tone serious and cold. he walked down to the main deck "Hahahahaha, cant I come to see you, you brat." the man replied.

"If you think you can capture me then let me tell you I am not as weak as I used to be," Luffy said with a determined look. there was no doubt Luffy was still somewhat scared of this man but that didn't mean he couldn't fight him if needed. " hahahahah, I know, I know the punch you threw on my face last time we met and the latest incidents at Wano clearly show how strong you have got. I still think you could have become a great marine but I guess it's too late now seeing you are one of the yonko." the gray-haired tall man said with a tired sigh.

" AAAAAAAA, it's Luffy's grandpa, he is gonna attack us with cannon balls again and then capture us, whhhhaaaaaaa, our bounties are too high too now, we are doomed." Chopper cried running here and there and then hiding behind Zoro. " ne Chopper your bounty is only 1000 berries, you dont need to worry too much." Ussop said thoughtfully and Chopper got ticked by that. " it's not my fault they think I am the pet of the ship." chopper said.

" hu, that tanuki is not the pet?" the old man said confused.

" I AM NOT A TANUKI DAMN IT, AND NO I AM NOT THE PET, I AM THE DOCTOR OF THIS SHIP." Chopper yelled feeling offended. " ah sorry about that I guess, you are a good doctor considering this brat likes to fight such big shots." the man said with a laugh. " hey you bastard, that doesn't make me happy at all you dumbass." Chopper said being all flustered. the old man sweat dropped.

" what are you doing here ji-chan." Luffy asked losing his tough aura a bit, seeing his grandpa in a casual mood. " well I came to meet my grandson, what else." Garp said laughing hartily. Luffy was always good at reading people so he didn't buy what his grandpa said. " what are you here for?" Luffy asked again this time a little serious. Garp huffed at that. his grandson wasn't that clueless. " I am here to see them, they are with you right?" Garp said seriously, and Luffy sighed.

" yes, they are with us," Luffy said. just as he said that the door to the girl's quarters opened and a happily giggling Rose came out wearing a cute purple dress and orange ribbons on her two pigtails. " papa, let's eat. Mumma said we play, but first food." Rose said as she ran towards Luffy. As a habit, Luffy stretched his hands and picked up Rose pulling her to himself and laughed when her head lightly bumped into his shoulder. " shishishishi, you look all fresh chubs." Luffy said smiling at Rose. " papa, we play after food." Rose said happily. after a lot of convincing Jules had allowed her to play a little before her nap. " shishishi, okay let's play after lunch." Luffy agreed happily.

Rose noticed the unknown man standing behind Luffy, staring at her. he was very tall, and big and had a scar on his face. she always thought scars were cool, Luffy had them, Uncle Zoro had them Jimbe had them too. scars were cool so Rose thought this man must be cool. Luffy noticed Rose smiling at someone behind him and then turned around. he remembered that his Ji-chan was here. he was about to introduce Garp to Rose when he noticed, Rose had started shaking in his arms.

he looked at Rose and saw the terrified expression on her face. Rose thought this big old man in front of her was cool until she saw him completely. until she saw the clothes of that old man. the white in his clothes was terrifying and the blue with it was like the deep sea she feared drowning in. That outfit, she had seen it before. it was just like the many outfits worn by the people who had hurt her mother, who had chased them from island to island. the Marine uniform was nothing but pain and suffering for the little girl. when she saw the uniform all she wanted was to run away and hide with her mumma. this man was one of those people who had hurt her and her mother and she was terrified of them.

" chubs, hey chubs, what's wrong, you okay?" Rose heard Luffy say and immediately hugged him burying her face in the crook of his neck, still trembling with fear. " he bad guy, he hurt mumma." Rose mumbled only for Luffy to hear. " hu, what are you saying Rose?" Luffy asked confused. " he hurt Mumma, he bad, I am scared Papa, he hurt Mumma." Rose said a little louder and everyone heard it. Rose was scared of Garp.

Garp froze in place. he had seen Jules at Marineford. he had seen the interaction between her and Ace. he had heard about the orders sent out to capture Jules who was suspected to be with Marco. he had heard the rumors about Jules being dead even before giving birth. he had even believed that rumor. then one day he heard about Jules being seen fleeing from an island along with a child. and yet again after contemplating for months and hearing again and again the report of Jules being seen on islands, he had believed it. he had believed that Jules was alive and so was her child. and then the bounty poster came. and everything became clear. Jules really was alive and she really had a child with her, though the gender of the child wasn't confirmed.

the moment he saw the bounty poster, all he wanted to do was get on a ship and set sail in search of the mother-child duo. but he couldn't do that. that would raise suspicion and he didn't want that. all he wanted was to see them once and then leave. after all, Jules was the woman his grandson had chosen and that child had the blood of his grandson, the child was his great-grandchild. he wanted to see if they were safe. and so here he was after a lot of planning.

he had come here to meet them, what welcomed him was a cute little girl that looked exactly like Ace except for her eyes and the dimple and scared look on her face. his great-granddaughter was scared of him. For a moment he had wondered if he really looked that intimidating, he had even smiled and laughed to make the atmosphere a little friendly. he soon realised listening to the little girl that it was the clothes he wore.

he realized that Jules and the little girl had suffered a lot because of marines constantly chasing them from island to island. the girl obviously saw anyone with a marine uniform as a threat. Well technically they were a threat to her but personally, he wasn't. he didn't wanna hurt them. he just wanted to see them once. to calm his own guilt and anxiety. but of course, the little girl didn't understand that, all she knew was that people wearing uniforms such as his were the people who hurt her and her mother. and Garp wished he didn't wear that uniform of his.

" hey chubs, you don't need to be scared of him, he is not like those people who hurt Jules," Luffy said trying to make Rose understand. but Rose only snuggled up more into him. " Luffy I think she is scared because of Garp-san's uniform. She probably thinks that all the people wearing that uniform are a threat to her and her mother. " Robin said calmly.

" hu? Hey chubs, don't be scared of him. people with that uniform hurt Jules but not all of them are like that. I know some people who wear that uniform and are very nice. he won't hurt you. I promise. he is my Ji-chan. shishishishi, he might look scary and he is sometimes but he won't hurt you." Luffy explained. Garp didn't know what to do. he just felt like a failure for some reason. Luffy, Ace, and Sabo always argued with him and said he was a bad guy but he knew they didn't mean it by heart. he knew they loved him. but this girl. he still had to make a bond with her, hell he still had to introduce himself to her and she was already scared of him.

" no, he hurt mumma." Rose insisted. " ne Rose, you trust me right, you know I will protect you right?" Rose nodded and hugged Luffy tighter. " then don't be scared, I am right here. I promise he won't hurt you." Luffy said in a soft voice.

Garp who was lost in his thoughts about being a bad great-grandfather was surprised by Luffy's tone. was his grandson capable of talking so softly? he was always so loud just like himself but this, this soft voice and protective hold he had around Rose was something new. Grap really couldn't believe how much his grandson had matured, but that huge smile on his face told that he still was a careless, simpleminded, childish brat.

after a lot of contemplating Rose decided to trust Luffy and pulled away from the hug. Luffy was about to place her down but she stopped him. Luffy understood that she wanted him to keep holding her and he did so.

"Yosh, so Chubs this is my Ji-chan, and Ji-chan this is Chubs," Luffy said with a huge smile on his face. everyone on the crew sweatdropped at that introduction. "Baka Luffy, that's not how you introduce people." Nami said banging him on the head. " hu, what else am I supposed to do?" Luffy asked genuinely confused. Garp just laughed seeing the interaction.

"Nami is right Luffy, that's not how you introduce people." Luffy looked to the side and saw Jules walking toward them with a small smile. Luffy had really thought Jules to negatively react to Grap as well but that didn't happen. " I assume you are here to see her Garp." Jules said as she stood next to Luffy who was still holding Rose. " hahahahahaha, long time no seen Whitebeard's brat." Gapr said with a hearty laugh. " hu, you know my ji-chan?" Luffy asked looking at Jules. "I have met him sometimes when he came to meet Oyaji," Jules said casually. She had gotten better with talking about her father. " well let me introduce you guys again, little devil, this is Luffy's and your Father's grandpa, Garp. he is technically your great-grandpa. and Garp this is Portugas .D. Rose, my and Ace's daughter." Jules said proudly. a sense of satisfaction taking over her heart as she said those words.

" you named her after Rough I see." Garp pointed out with a smile. " yeah he would like that." Jules said. " but that last name, it's troublesome." Garp said seriously. "I don't care. She is his daughter and she will carry his name." Jules said firmly making sure Garp got the point. "great-grandpa?" a small voice said making Jules's attention shift to Rose. Jules smiled softly. " yes Rose this is your great grandpa." Jules said. " You know my daddy?" Rose asked looking at Garp with big curious eyes.

Grap instantly melted and in his mind, he couldn't help but scream how cute the little girl looked. " hahahahah, yes yes. I know your daddy very well, I have seen that brat grow up since day one. you look Just like him." Garp said with a happy smile on his face. " you know daddy's story?" Rose asked hopefully. She always loved to hear stories about her dad. Luffy, Jimbe, and her mumma always told her some or the other story about her daddy. " well yes, of course, I know many stories about him, Do you like to hear them?" Garp asked hopefully, wishing that this conversation would go on without any issues. " yes yes, papa told me story too, you are Papa's grandpa?" Rose asked. she was curious to know more about Luffy as well.

" papa?" Garp asked confused. Jules couldn't help but laugh. " she got very close to Luffy since we joined, and soon they got so close that Rose insisted she wanted Luffy to be her father. but I couldn't give that place to Luffy. so instead of calling him daddy like she does call Ace, she called Luffy papa." Jules explained shortly but the look in her eyes told Garp the whole story. he understood that Rose probably needed this title in her life, she needed a father in her life.

" hahahahahaha, never thought I would see Luffy like this." Garp laughed happy to see how much Luffy had grown up.

the lunch went by smoothly. Chopper and Ussop were skeptical and scared of Grap but still, the lunch went as usual, actually more messy as there were two monkey.d.

after lunch Jules let Rose skip her afternoon nap as Rose was having a good bonding time with Garp. Jules was happy to see them play around together. it was a lot like the day Sabo came to visit. As the evening came by everyone was on the deck doing their own thing. Garp was standing by the railing holding Rose in his arms telling her some old story about the sailors of the sea. Rose was getting sleepy as she had skipped her afternoon nap. " hahahahaha, you are getting sleepy." Garp said turning around. he immediately found Jules sitting close by on a beach chair that was on the deck. he gently placed Rose on another chair who had already fallen asleep by then.

"She is a smart and energetic kid." Garp said looking at Jules with a soft smile. " she is. she learned all the things quite early." Jules replied. " Ace did too. She is very much like him. almost a carbon copy. it must have been hard raising her all by yourself." Garp said, his voice having a hint of worry. " it was but it's all worth it if she is safe and happy." Jules said looking at sleeping Rose. " why did you start piracy again? it would be better to settle down at some place." Garp asked genuinely curious.

"It is something I have done since I can remember. I don't know what else to do in life, Garp. and it's like the sea calls. sometimes it begs me to ride a ship on its waves and go from island to island. the sea is my home, Garp, it is the only home I have ever known. my home was never the moby dick or now the thousand sunny, my home is the sea." Jules said staring at the sea which looked orange in the glow of the setting sun. It was like the sea was on fire. " but it would be safer for Rose to be on land living a stable life." Garp argued, his voice raising a little. " you think I didn't try that? it's not so simple Grap. the navy is looking for us, no island is safe enough. I had decided to settle on one of Shank's islands but I soon realized, I cannot live on land and have a stable life. being on this ship here with everyone, me and Rose both in the safest place. we have people we can rely on. I took this decision after a lot of thinking Grap." Jules said confidently.

she could see it, see where this conversation was going. she was okay with Garp interacting with Rose, playing with her and all that, but she didn't like where she thought this conversation was going.

" you know, this is not the safest place for her very well. why are you all so stubborn?" Garp said his voice getting more and more serious and harsh. " I have made the decision Garp and I am not gonna change it. being on this ship and with this crew is the safest place for both of us." Jules argued back, a little harshly. the conversation now had caught everyone's attention and all were worried now.

" listen to me Jules, I have a good idea, this way Rose will be very very safe, how about I take her to....." in a moment Jules had her knives in her hand and she had trapped Grap by the ship's railing. her knife was on his throat, ready to slice it off if he made one wrong move or said another wrong thing. " don't you dare say another word, Garp. don't take my smiles and sweet talk as my weakness. Rose is my daughter and I can protect her very well. I don't need you telling me what's right and what's wrong. and I don't need you suggesting I give my daughter in your custody. I am not making the same mistake Roger made by handing over my child to you." Jules said gritting her teeth and anger flooded her veins. She had seen this coming, Garp suggesting taking Rose away to East Blue and raising her there, away from her.

she and her daughter were made for the seas, they couldn't sustain themselves on a peaceful island. even that island in East Blue was safe and under Garp's protection, Jules didn't want Rose to live that life. this was their home and these were the people they could rely on. not the east blue. and crossing all the way to East Blue would be a huge risk. bigger than living in the new world. they would have to go through the marine bases near the new Marineford which was not a good idea.

" what do you mean, listen to me first, trust me it would be best......" " I said not another word, Garp. do you think, that I am letting you be near Rose, play with her, talk with her because I forgive you? I am doing all this only for her sake. Gol. D. Roger died and Oyaji died, I wanted her to experience the bond with a grandfather. you were the only one who could give her that. that's why I let you be near her. but all this doesn't mean I forgive you." Jules was now feeling hot with all the anger that she had built up. she had pushed it down for Rose's sake but now it was all coming up.

she was mad at Garp, very mad. She hated him for what he did, or rather what he didn't do. she had all this anger built up for him and he had forced her to let it out by saying that he would take away Rose with him. well, fuck him 'cause she was not gonna give her daughter to him.

" you were there. you were right there beside him that day. you knew what was gonna happen to him and you knew why they were gonna kill him. still, you didn't do anything. you could have saved him way before but you didn't. you could have saved him before the whole war happened. but you didn't do it, Grap. you didn't fucking do it." Jules yelled at him, letting out all the anger. she was practically going mad at this point. since that dreadful day, these thoughts had taken over her mind. that day when she saw Garp sitting right there beside Ace but not doing anything to save him she had fostered this hate for the old man. it wasn't his fault that Ace died but he could really have saved Ace. long, long before the execution day.

"I told him, I told him to be a marine, all that wouldn't have happened if he just did what I told him to do. but that damn brat wanted to be a pirate." Garp tried to reason with Jules. this made Jules only push her knife further towards his neck. cutting the skin slightly as a few drops of blood slid down the skin and some onto the blade of the knife.

" you and I and this whole world very well know that him being a pirate was just a good excuse you marines got to kill him. you say this wouldn't have happened if he had become a marine but you are wrong Garp. you know that the navy set out to kill him even before he was born. it wouldn't have mattered what he did in his life, the day the navy would have found out he was Gol.D.Rodger's son they would have killed him, and they did. you know very well that the reason for which he was killed was stupid and unreasonable. still, still, you didn't do anything, and Garp, I will never forgive you for doing that. and even after all that, even after they killed your grandson you still work for them training more and more of them, so that they can continue to punish children for their parent's sins. you are pathetic Garp."

Jules let it all out, all the hate she had for the old man, she let it all out. She had every right to be mad at him. he was the man who technically raised Ace, the man Ace respected and loved like a family, though he never said it out loud. , the man was Ace's grandpa but still, she hated him. cause when the time came for him to show it back, to do the duty of a grandfather he didn't do it.

when Garp didn't say anything more Juels stepped back. she still held her knives firmly but stood in front of Grap rather than hold him like a hostage. " he would have never said it. you know how he is, he would have never asked you to save him, but nor did he ask Luffy. he told Luffy again and again that this was his fate and he should go away, not save him, but Luffy didn't listen to him. Luffy went against Ace's wish and saved him because he is his brother, his family. because Luffy loves him. if Luffy could do it, risk his life, touch death so many times, and come back just to save Ace, and deny Ace's request then why couldn't you? you could have done it way easier than what actually happened. but you and your damn navy. you speak of Justice but, was that truly Justice? was it really justice to kill him for who his father was? is it really Justice for the navy to hunt me and Rose so that they can kill her cause she is Ace's daughter? Do you know what Akainu said before he killed him? he said that the blood of Gol.D.Rodger is filthy and the bloodline should be wiped out, that Luffy's blood is filthy too and it should be finished. is this really Justice Garp? to kill people for their blood? By Akainu's logic, You should be killed too. after all, you share the same blood as Luffy and Dragon. Their blood is dangerous, right? Should I make it easier for Akainu? Should I take the first step by killing the eldest person with this bad blood he talks about? Should I kill you?"

a sinister smile took over Jules's face. her eyes screamed bloodlust and her aura talked revenge. revenge for her lover's humiliation and revenge for all the wrong things that happened to her lover and now her daughter. but the aura changed suddenly. Jules sighed tiredly. " but I can't do that, I can't take away the only grandfather Rose has. She already lost her father, I cannot make her lose someone else from her family. go away Garp, I am not letting my daughter go with you. I was hoping that it would never come to this but, this interaction and your existence in this world is enough for Rose, if you are gonna be a threat to her, then I have no option but to prohibit you from seeing her. you cannot talk with her, play with her, or even be near her garp. I don't want to lose my daughter, and I don't trust you. so I hope you are happy to see her and satisfied with the time you spent with her cause it's not gonna happen again. you should leave now." Jules said nodding towards the ship docked far away from the sunny.

Grap didn't know what to say. he was still processing what Juels had said to him. he had to say that Whitebeard's brat had guts. she was strong and bold. She had the guts to threaten him and order him around. but after what she said Garp felt empty. the amount of hate he received from her was equivalent to that he got from Daddan. both the mothers were fierce and could go to any extent for their children. and the more he thought about it the more he felt like he deserved it. he deserved every single drop of hate Jules had for him. it hurt to know that he was restricted from his great-granddaughter's life but he couldn't do anything. The guilt he felt made him realize that Jules was right to put all those restrictions. he would cause nothing but pain and problems for the mother and daughter. he had already done damage by doing nothing and now he would do damage by doing something. holding back the tears that he didn't even know filled his eyes he sighed and looked one last time at Jules and then at Rose, he softly and gently stroked the little girl's hair, and then with a fond smile, he jumped off the sunny into his small dingey and rowed off towards his ship.

when Garp was far enough to not be seen clearly, Jules's knees gave up and she fell down. Luffy rushed from beside her holding her before she hit the floor. he gently made her sit down. after a moment of silence when Jules couldn't hold it back anymore, she burst into tears. turning to the side she hugged Luffy as he tried to comfort her. he didn't really understand why she was being like this but he knew she needed comfort.

Jules buried her face in his chest and cried and cried and cried. clutching his shirt she let all her emotions out through her tears. " I hate him Luffy, I hate him. he..... he could have saved Ace. he could have saved him but he didn't. I hate him so much Luffy. and ..... and now how ...how dare he suggest that.......that I should give Rose to him. how can he even think that he can take Rose away from me? I hate him so much Luffy, I hate him. I am sorry but I hate him. A...Ace wouldn't like...like that, I hate Garp but.......but I can't help it Luffy, I can't help but be angry at him and hate him for what he didn't do. I am sorry, so so sorry but I can't help it." Jules cried feeling anger, hate, and guilt all at the same time.

"It's okay, it's okay to feel all that. it's your decision and your opinion. and you have every right to express it. it's okay to hate Ji-chan and it's okay to be angry at him. and it's also okay to feel guilty for feeling like that. do what feels right Juels. It's okay to do what feels right." Luffy said gently stroking her hair as he comforted her.

"it's okay."

Chapter Text

when Garp left the ship and faded into the vast sea sailing towards the only visible marine ship far away, the crew instinctively relaxed. each and every one of them had been ready to jump in if Garp simply as even attempted to move his finder with the intent to hurt Jules. The crew had expected this whole chaos to happen as soon as Garp and Juels came face to face.

some had even thought Luffy would be up and trying to beat up his grandfather. but knowing Luffy, they weren't much surprised when Luffy was his normal self. Luffy didn't really care about what happened, maybe it was because Garp was his grandfather, or maybe he just didn't care. Ace made his own choices, Luffy himself made his own and Garp made his own too. according to Luffy, his grandpa did what he thought was right just like Luffy and Ace did in their life.
the crew knew Luffy often let people hold their own opinions and beliefs and hence weren't surprised when Luffy didn't show hostility towards the old Marine.

Jules on the other hand had surprised them by holding on to her anger for so long. and maybe if Garp hadn't brought up the topic of taking Rose away she would have held onto it for even longer. the crew could tell how much guilt the old marine felt. but they were not gonna take his side. Juels was their nakama, part of their found family and they would protect her if the need came forth. they all were ready to show Grap with their attacks when they saw Jules cut the skin of garps neck drawing blood. all of them were sure that would break the old man and he would attack.

but in the end, Garp had left without saying a word. just a logging look in his eyes as he looked at the mother-daughter duo one last time.

once Garp left Jules had broken down. the severity of the hurt she felt sat heavily on each one of their hearts. they had heard her story, they had seen her struggle with panic attacks that she usually managed to calm down before they escalated. they had noticed how Luffy had started to be her anchor whenever she had an attack, Nami and Robin and seen her wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares, Zoro and Jimbe had seen how much she trained some mornings trying to exhaust herself as if she wanted to distract her mind, chopper had had to make anxiety and sleep medicine from time to fine for her, Franky had found her so many times below deck curled up in a corner as she mumble to herself about everything being okay. Brook had felt the pain she expressed through the strings of the guitar she occasionally played, Ussop had seen her frustratedly throw her knives again and again at the targets he had set up for his aim practice.

but today, today they all had witnessed the depth of the hurt and pain she felt. she has been feeling for the last 2 years. because of Luffy, it had healed a little bit. but what had healed was only the tip of the iceberg. there was still so much more left.

the crew departed to engage themself in something or the other to keep their mind distracted from the worry as Juels had cried herself to Unconsciousness and Luffy had carried her to her bed. he had returned to the deck to take Rose (who was sleeping on one of the beach chairs.) to the room as well. tucking the mother-daughter duo in bed he left the room after leaving a soft kiss on Rose's head and a worried glance at Jules.

' I'll make it go away, I will make it happen Ace. ' he thought as he walked towards the figurehead of Sunny.

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day by day luffy was learning more and more about Jules. there was their usual watching the sea at night where they talked about anything and everything. and then there was a time when she played with him and Rose. and there was a time when he would just observe her while doing something. like right now.

Luffy sat on the ship railing with Ussop and Chopper for fishing. last night Luffy had raided the fridge (luckily for him and unluckily for Sanji as now there wasn't enough food to last till the next island. however, if the three are successful in catching a good amount of fish then there won't be any problem. so far Chopper and Ussop have caught quite a lot of fish. Luffy on the other hand was very much distracted by a certain turquoise-eyed crew member.

a little far from the trio sat the three women of the crew in their bathing suits on the beach chairs sipping some cocktails while talking about something in a magazine. and from among the three the, turquoise eyed brunette had the ship captain captivated. Luffy was never the one to actually notice any female in general. hell he had seen Hancock naked but there was nothing that caught his interest. some would even call him ......what was that word?????????? yeah asexual, apparently it meant he had no kind of attraction to any gender. but it was wrong. cause right now the constant urge to turn his head to the right so that he can look at Jules could only be called an attraction to her.

* if you are thinking that Luffy has understood what type of attraction then you are wrong. Luffy only understands two types of attraction and that is towards food and adventure.*

hence he has concluded that, as Jules is not really food to be eaten nor is she an adventure this is some different type of attraction that he doesn't understand. but he really wants, no no no no he needs to know what this attraction is cause his neck is hurting now from constantly turning and looking at Jules.

not only that he has had several clumsy moments more than usual because he couldn't stop the urge to look at Jules. Just a few days ago he was going back to his room at night after his usual talk with Jules when he had banged into the wall. but he concluded it was okay cause Jules had burst into a fit of laughter and she looked mesmerizing and her laugh sounded like sirens singing captivating him completely. he could not move and go in his room until she had completely stopped laughing. some days before that, they had been attacked by some marines and he had been again distracted by Jules who was doing her deadly dance-like fighting, and he had destroyed two other ships he promised he would leave for Zoro to deal with.

all in all, Luffy really needed to know what this new type of attraction was so that he could find a way to not get distracted by Jules. but he would do that later as right now Jules looked absolutely beautiful in that pink and orange bathing suit. The smile on her lips was small but genuine as she enjoyed her time with Nami and Robin. Luffy had observed one more thing about Jules. it was something that had come up eventually as she had gotten more and more comfortable with the crew and started moving on from Ace and Witebeard old man's death. Of course she wasn't over that incident yet but it was a good work in progress.

as she got back to her true self with every passing day healing little by little she started being more expressive. whatever she felt could be easily seen on her face. her expressions were always exaggerated and more than a normal person would show. it wasn't too much in a bad way though. Luffy liked it. the way she would smile extra big if she was happy, or how her eyes would be filled with excitement, and her smile would be more stretched when she was excited. how her frown would be instant and very prominent if she didn't like something. how her eyes would widen when shocked and how she would make an overly exaggerated face when she was disgusted by something.

Luffy isn't very poetic but if he had to compare this trait of Jules to something he would compare it to the sea. he isn't a sea expert like Nami or Jimbe but he still knows it. he knows how the slightest change which is felt by Nami affects the sea and how it suddenly changes. when the weather is pleasant and the wind is great the sea has big but gentle waves as if it's dancing happily. and it reminds Luffy of the night when he had seen Jules dance in the kitchen. after that day many times during their night talk they would sit in the kitchen enjoying a midnight snack made by Jules and she would without hesitation play the radio and dance to the songs. Luffy loved to see her dance.

when the weather is bad and there is a storm the sea gets aggressive and it reminds Luffy of how fast Jules can get angry and how she shows that anger by banging the door shut or stomping her feet deliberately. sometimes when there is a group of dolphins near their ship the sound of waves crashing along with the sound of dolphins is like music and it reminds Luffy of the light humming Jules does most of the time. she is always humming some or the other tune and Luffy is all ears to listen to it.

the way she fights. though he compares it to a deadly dance he can also compare it to the way the sea sways smoothly but also with a pattern which according to Nami can be calculated. so it's swaying smoothly but not absentmindedly. just like Jules's moves. the moves are so smooth that one would think it's an easy task but in reality, they are hard to master.

so yes, if Luffy has to associate Jules with something, then it would be the sea. the beautiful vast sea that had so many adventures waiting for him. the beautiful and strong Jules who had Luffy captivated. both had Luffy being attracted to them.

" Luffy"

" Luffy"

" oi Luffy" Luffy was startled and brought out of his thoughts by Ussop's voice as he was shaking him like a madman. " oi Luffy, are you okay?" Ussop asked a little worried. Luffy wasn't the one to get lost in thoughts. he doubted if his captain even had enough thoughts running through his mind to have Luffy get lost in them. " hu, I am fine Ussop. shishishishishi, have you caught any fish?" Luffy asked recovering and smiling like an idiot. Ussop sighed at that. " if you are fine, catch some fish, you idiot. we have to do this because of you and here you are spacing out instead of catching some fish." Ussop said mad at Luffy as well as so done with him. " Ussop I caught another one." came Chopper's voice and Ussop went to the doctor's bucket to see how many fishes he had caught.

on the other hand, Luffy again got the chance and turned around to his right to look at Jules. but he was surprised when he found the gem-like Turquoise eyes staring right back at him with an uncertain look in them. Jules looked a bit shocked and confused and he wondered why. anyway, he didn't have time to think about that as the more he stared at her the more he felt as if he was a deer caught in a spotlight. for some reason, he really wanted to get away from those beautiful eyes. Luffy could feel heat rush to his cheeks and he wondered if he was getting a fever. is this how fever felt? he has never had one. he should ask Chopper but before that, he should really look away. it hadn't been 5 seconds since his eyes met with those of Jules Luffy immediately turned around looking absentmindedly at the sea.

_____________

"Ne Chopper did you see the same thing as I or Luffy is looking red?" Ussop asked in a whispering voice so that Luffy wouldn't hear him. " hu, is he sick Ussop?" chopper asked worried for his captain. Ussop sighed at that. Chopper was 17 now but still so innocent. " no chopper he is not it has something to do with our new nakama." Ussop tried to explain without saying directly. " hu is Rose sick? Did Luffy get the same sickness?" Chopper asked innocently again. Ussop sweatdropped and sighed again. " noooo, Chopper. it seems Luffy is interested in Jules, like in a romantic way." Ussop explained. " oh like a crush? wait.... whaaaaaaaa? Luffy has a crush on Jules?" chopper said screening as slowly as possible.

" well I am not sure but that blush and that constant staring is quite the indicator he has," Ussop said thoughtfully.

______________

" what are you saying? that's nonsense. why would Luffy feel like that anyway? for god's sake, he rejected Hancock, and you are saying he has a crush on me? common that's ridiculous. and for god's sake he is Ace's brother, how can you even think he would feel like that towards me." Jules said as she turned back to look at Nami and Robin who had apparently shown her the evidence that Luffy had a crush on her. the evidence being him staring at her. but common that indicates nothing. how can Luffy ever have a crush on her. she is his brother's fiance for the love of god.

Jules was straight-up disgusted by what Nami had said. How can she even say something like that? Luffy may not be blood-related to Ace but still, they are brothers and even if Luffy wasn't asexual there is no way he would fall for her. That is just wrong on so many levels.

the way Jules had said those words, Nami had realized that she had crossed a line by mentioning her doubts about Luffy being attracted to Jules. Robin had told her not to mention it in front of Jules as it would upset her but still Nami had done it and as Robin had said , Jules was very upset.

so upset that The brunette had got up with a disgusted face and went back to the girl's quarters.

"Luffy? attracted to me? impossible and so not right." Jules thought as she lay on her bed frustrated by her conversation with Nami and Robin.

after all, Luffy is Ace's brother.

his sworn brother.

___________

It has been a whole day. a whole day since Jules has been upset with Nami. and as the two women sat at the dining table with a tense atmosphere around them the whole crew understood that something was wrong. well except for Luffy and Rose as the duo sat there stuffing their faces with food.

finally, Ussop decided to be brave and ask what had happened. " o...oi, um Nami, Jules did something happen between you two?" he asked a bit cautious of Nami's anger. " I am sorry Jules, I....I crossed a line." Nami said looking down at her barely touched food which she was still protecting from Luffy's grabbing rubbery hands. Jules just sighed. Nami had tried to say sorry to her many times but every time Jules avoided her not letting Nami speak. but now that Nami had apologised Jules felt like a fool for being so childish. yes, Nami had crossed a line but Jules had overreacted too. it was wrong of her to make such a huge deal out of it.

before Jules could reply Nami had taken her sigh as a bad sign and picked up her plate and left the table. Jules looked at the galley door as it shut and she felt a pang of guilt in her chest. " I am sorry too," she mumbled to herself. Sanji was pretty shocked by the whole bad blood between Nami and Jules too. he hadn't expected for the two to ever have a fight. " aooouuuuu, that seems like a super big fight you had Jules Chan." Franky said grabbing Jules's attention. " I should have listened to her before instead of being so dramatic and being cold to her." Jules said with guilt dripping in her voice. " if you talk to her she will understand you know." Robin said calmly. it made Jules feel a little at ease. " yes but first you should finish your food, Jules Chan." Sanji said and Jules nodded. " by the way why did you fight? Did the witch put you in debt too?" Zoro asked sipping his sake and looking bored. " first of all I am not stupid enough to borrow money from Nami even after knowing how scary her interest rates are." Jules said and Sanji burst into a fit of laughter. it was followed by Franky and Brook who finally stopped controlling their laugh and Chopper still trying hard not to laugh. " she got you there Zoro." Jimbe said with a hearty laugh.

" she called you stupid Zoro." Luffy laughed too banging the table with his hand. Rose didn't understand why everyone was laughing but she still laughed just to join in on the fun. " Stupid Zoro," she said in her cute and unclear pronunciations. this caused everyone to laugh even more.

with all the laughter Jules felt even more guilty because Nami left the galley and missed out on this fun. She felt horrible sitting there and laughing with everyone. so Jules quickly finished her food and kept her plate in the sink and rushed out of the galley. " Jules Chan seems desperate to make it up to Nami san," Brook said as everyone stared at the galley door.

_____________________________

Jules went into the girl's quarters searching for Nami but found the room empty. Jules wondered where nami could have gone. she decided to check somewhere else but suddenly a rolled-up paper in her half-open dresser drawer caught her eye. On the last island, she had come across a map shop selling a very special map. she had decided to give it to Nami but had forgotten about it as as soon as they had come back to the ship she had had to tend to Rose's tantrums.

Jules picked up the map and went out on the deck. she wondered where Nami could be when a flash of orange caught her eye in the crow's nest. Jules climbed up the rope ladder and went in. Just as she entered nami turned to look at her with a sad expression. " Jules, I am really sorry. I shouldn't have said such a thing. i.......I know it's wrong. he... he is Ace's brother but ...i...I don't know what came over me and I said that to you." Nami blurted out desperate to make things back to normal with Jules. the two were the same age and Nami really loved her. She really loved to have a girl her age to talk to and hang out with. all the time Nami said that Jules had walked up to her and sat beside her. " I am sorry too Nami, I...I overreacted. I was so mad at what you said that I didn't think straight before reacting and behaved so childish. it was wrong of me to push you away and ignore and avoid you. so I am sorry too, please forgive me Nami." Jules said just as desperate to make things right as the other.

Nami clucked at the irony of how guilty both of them felt. " only if you forgive me." she said with a small fake frown. at that Jules cluked "Well then I guess I am forgiven because I forgive you." Jules said with a smile. the two women laughed and finally felt free from guilt.

" you know, growing up I never had any friend my age, especially a girl friend. it was only Izo who would dress me up in pretty clothes and go shopping with me. but still, it wasn't the same. I always wished to have a close friend to hang out with, gossip with, and go shopping with. I don't know how to say it, I.......I really wanted a girl friend. someone like a sister you know. so........so I am happy I have you and Robin. I can do all the things I dreamt of doing with my Girls all my life. so thank you for being my friend Nami."

"you're welcome, that will be 500 bellies for being your friend," Nami said with a playful look and laughed Jules joining her as well. " I am happy to have you as my friend as well," Nami said with a fond smile and a comfortable silence settled between them.

" well we have already made peace but I brought something for you, though of using it as a peacemaker," Jules said giving Nami the map she brought with herself. " I got it on the last island. thought you would like it." Jules said as Nami opened the map scroll and her eyes widened and then they filled with excitement. She looked at Jules with the same expression, her eyes shining making Jules laugh.

"We have to go here, and oh look we don't have to go that off-course as well. this is so great I am so excited." Nami said standing up with excitement. " let's go, Jules, we need to tell everyone and change our course just a little bit." Nami said already going towards the door. Jules laughed and followed the happy navigator.

_____________

" so it's a map to an island of maps." Ussop asked looking a bit skeptical. " yes, an island full of map shops and map-making tools and legendary map makers. Nami said. the woman practically had sparkles all around her. " ne Jules you sure it's a real map and place?" Ussop asked looking at the brunette standing beside Nami.

" yeah, I had heard about it quite a lot when I was in Whitebeard Pirates. but I never found a way to get there and nor did it interest me so much as to search for it. but that day when I heard the man selling the map to the land of maps I checked it and bought it. I thought Nami would like it. and it's a real map, see the signature is of a well-known map maker. and lastly Ussop seriously, after coming to New World you are questioning the type of islands here." Jules said all in one go leaving Ussop closed-lipped.

"you are so sweet Jules Chan to bring this map for Nami Chan." Sanji said swaying around the two. " so captain, can we go to this island?" Nami asked looking at Luffy. no matter how much she bossed around Luffy she still knew that asking him was showing respect to him and it was something she should do.

Luffy laughed happily and placed his hat on his head. " you really want to go there, right Nami? then Yosh we will go to the land of maps. set the course Jimbe." Luffy said with as much excitement as Nami and a huge smile on his face. Jules just stared at him, admiring how much he loved his nakama and how he would do anything for his nakama. if it was someone else in his place he would have straight up said no as it might delay his plans and original course. but Luffy wasn't anyone else, he loved his nakama and would go to any lengths for them.

__________________

*some time ago when Nami and Jules were in the crow's nest.*

As Luffy left the gally with Rose to go and sit on his special seat and tell the little girl a story, everyone turned their attention to Robin. "so, Robin san, you definitely know what happened between Nami San and Jules Chan." Brook asked the question everyone wanted to ask. " well Nami said something to Jules she shouldn't have and Jules got mad at her." Robin said sipping her drink.

" hu, what did Nami say to Jules?" Chopper asked. Robin looked skeptical to talk about it. she didn't want more people to take up the same assumption as her and Nami ended up hurting Jules.

" well it's about Luffy, that's all I can tell you about. I don't want Jules to get hurt more." Robin said about to finish her drink. " oh you mean how Luffy has a crush on Jules?" Ussop said and Robin almost choked on her drink. " I see, it's really about that," Chopper said seeing Robin's reaction.

"That Rubber Brain has a crush on the beautiful and gorgeous Jules Chan? Is he even capable of having romantic feelings for someone?" Sanji said very shocked. " yeah I thought Luffy san was asexual." Brook added.

"Well, I thought so too, especially after knowing he rejected the most beautiful woman in the world. but you should really see how he is with Jules, and you know how he has been too clumsy lately, that's because he is always staring at her. Luffy is totally whipped by Jules." Ussop explained.

" honestly I don't really see what you say Ussop. and after all, Luffy is Ace's brother how can he have feelings for Jules." Jimbe said a little skeptical. " that's why Jules got mad at Nami when Nami said that Luffy has a crush on her." Robin said looking a bit concerned.

"It's not like Ace is Luffy's brother by blood. I don't know if Luffy has feelings for Jules or not but even if he does, it's not in his control what he feels for whom. it's not his fault or he is not wrong to have feelings for Jules. and to speak about Ace, I think if there is anyone who he would trust Jules and Rose with it would be Luffy, and the same goes with a person to love. I don't think Ace would be mad at Luffy for having feelings for Jules as it would only mean that even after he is gone there is someone to love her just as much as he did. so let this topic go y'all." Zoro said finishing his sake bottle and getting up.

everyone fell silent listening to Zoro. he was right. if anyone in this crew knew Luffy the most it would be Zoro. Zoro was also right about Luffy's feelings. it was not wrong to have feelings and nor did one have control over who you have them for.

just as Zoro was about to open the door and get out the door burst open and an excited Nami entered the gally followed by Jules.

Chapter Text

The course was set and now the sunny was sailing towards the island of maps. robin had gone through some of her language books and translated the old native language writing on the map and they had found out the name of that island.

Mercatora. The island was named after a legendary cartographer who was the first person to map out the new world. they are expecting to reach the island by tomorrow and as it's a map island they will definitely be able to find a way to get to the next island on their route.

Nami was in the library excitedly making a list of things she wanted to buy on the island. Robin was on the main deck reading a book, Jimbe was relaxing too but still by the helm. Sanji and Jules were in the kitchen. As Rose was busy playing with Luffy, Jules was free and didn't know what to do to kill time, so she decided to help Sanji. and who was Sanji to say no after Jules insisted so much? though not as good as himself but Jules was quite good at cooking. she was easily able to understand Sanji's working method and smoothly worked with it.

Franky and Ussop were now on the main deck excited to show their newest creation. Chopper had come out of his office too to see the new machine. Luffy was very excited and was now waiting with anticipation to see what the new machine would do.

just as Franky was going to turn on the machine two hands sprouted from the machine and held his hand stopping him. he looked confused at Robin who was now looking at them too. " Franky does this new machine of yours explode, burst into flames, throw things around, go out of control, cut things, can potentially kill someone normal?" Robin asked looking dead in Franky's and Ussop's eyes.

"Well, there are chances that if it fails things might get out of control but not bad enough to kill anyone." Ussop said a little worried. " well even then I think Jules would prefer her daughter in one piece and without any injuries." Robin said pointedly looking at Rose who was now in Luffy's arms excitedly giggling and looking at the cool machine. " Robin is right Luffy, you should keep her away from here while they test the machine," Chopper said looking up at Luffy.

" but look at her, she looks so excited to see it too." Luffy said whining and everyone there saw how the little girl's eyes were sparkling and looked as if they were stars as she looked at the invention. " you can just stay on the upper deck Luffy, from there you two can see it at a safe distance." Robin suggests. Luffy's face falls a bit but he understands that Rose's safety is important.

Luffy really wants to see the machine up close but he can't keep Rose alone on the upper deck and Rose won't leave him alone so he goes with her too. standing by the railing the duo watches as Franky again is about to press the button. Rose is watching from between the railing gap with eyes wide open, not wanting to miss a second.

as soon as Franky presses the button the machine makes some noise and then beautiful and fluffy white flakes fall all around the deck. its snow. It's fake snow that looks and feels just like the real one but does not melt. it will vanish cause of sublimation in 4 hours. The fake snow is completely safe and it also binds together to be able to make a snowman. Ussop explains.

as soon as Luffy hears the word snow with excitement he jumps up in the air and lands on the piled-up snow on the main deck, leaving Rose on the upper deck. Robin too looks mesmerized by the beautiful snow and is even more amazed when Ussop adds some kind of liquid to the machine and soon the white now turns pink.

this results in a squeal from Chopper, as it reminds him of his father figure. " this truly is beautiful Franky, Ussop." Robin says.

on the upper deck, Rose squeals in excitement at seeing the snow. and is even more happy when it turns pink. jumping up and down she tries to catch the snow but it always misses from her hands. Rose is happily laughing and giggling though, as if she is in a sugar rush. She is so excited that she doesn't even realize where she is going Jumping around.

nobody sees as she moves towards the stairs that lead down to the main deck. well except for one person. and before anyone, especially the little girl could process what happened she was screaming but the screaming too suddenly stopped.

the whole deck is silent but he can hear his heartbeat in his ears. an old feeling he didn't know he hadn't forgotten comes rushing back as the future greatest swordsman held the small frame of the little two-year-old in his shaking hand. Rose is just some centimeters away from hitting the stairs.

Zoro can feel it, his hands getting cold and a shiver runs down his spine as fear takes over him. he can't believe how much his hands are shaking as he brings the shocked little girl to his chest and hugs her tight. her soft figure and the way the little girl clutches his clothes in her hands tightly relaxes him a bit.

she is safe, she is alright, she is alive. She didn't fall down the stairs. she is in his arms safe and alive. very much alive. he can feel Rose sniffling in his chest, finally getting over the shock and the fear kicking in. Her cries are muffled as she buries her face in Zoro's chest as he tightens his hold on her. " what were you thinking Luffy, leaving her like this on the upper deck, alone? she is just a 2-year-old kid, what would have happened if she would have fallen down the stairs, do you have any idea how dangerous it was for her, she is just 2 years old, fall down those strains can do great harm to even a normal adult, imagine what would happen to a damn child, she could have......she could......she could have....she......." Zoro doesn't finish his sentence. he just turns around and goes into the galley. he doesn't even notice Sanji and Jules standing by the galley door, who had come out when they heard Rose scream.

When Zoro is out of sight everyone signs. Jules shakes her head in confusion as she looks at the hands that had emerged on the stairs all this while. Zoro had missed them. he hadn't seen them. he hadn't seen how before Rose could hit the hard surface Robin had sprouted her hands and was just about to catch Rose when Zoro had caught her.

" what Zoro said is right Luffy, you shouldn't have left Rose on the upper deck unsupervised," Jules says looking at Luffy who had shame written all over his face. if it was anyone else who was in place of Rose Luffy wouldn't have felt so guilty, but Rose was too precious to him. and he had made a mistake. he completely understood how dangerous it would have been if Zoro hadn't have caught her in time or Robin hadn't have sprouted her arms.

Jules could see Luffy drowning In guilt and she sighed. Luffy was never the type of person to drown so much in guilt but Juels, Rose, and Ace were an exception to it. he felt guilty for a lot of things when it came to these three. " she is okay now Luffy, no need to be so hard on yourself, just......just make sure things like this don't happen again. " looking into Jules's eyes Luffy can see the seriousness of her words so he gives her a bright smile. he promises her that such a mistake will never happen and Jules knows that Luffy will definitely keep that promise.

___________

" sorry Zoro," Rose mumbled as she sat on the dining table in front of Zoro. the swordsman looked at her shocked and confused. " oi, brat what are you saying sorry for?" Rose looked down with guilt. after what happened on deck Zoro had brought her into the galley and sat her down on the dining table. he had poured her a glass of water and helped her calm down from the shock. all the while he hadn't said anything to her. now that she had calmed down she could see the fear in Zoro's eyes. She could see how scared he was and how his hands were still shaking a bit.

from the moment he had saved her, he hadn't let his eye off her. it was as if he was making sure she was really there, safe and alive. The stairs, the girl, the scream, it all was playing in his mind in a loop and he couldn't calm down. he tried to show that he was okay for Rose's sake but the little girl had already felt it, how scared he was.

she had always seen him as a grumpy and scary guy. She liked to prank him and make fun of him and disturbed him a lot cause no matter how scary face he had, or how rude he was, or how fearsome he was he let her do all her pranks. he never stopped her, from the moment Rose planned her pranks with Ussop, Luffy and chopper Zoro would know it all, but still he wouldn't do anything to sabotage it. he knew when Rose would come closer to him when she thought he was asleep on the deck to see his swords up close but he never stopped her. She was smart enough now to know touching those swords was dangerous. he knew it all when she would admire his swords sitting beside him as he took a nap and eventually fall asleep. he knew when she would climb up on his chest while he took a nap and drew on his face. and he knew she was the one who had drawn the colorful drawings on his huge weights.

but he never showed it. all these times he never showed it. if he showed it the fun would be gone for Rose. what made all these things fun for Rose was the thought that Zoro didn't know about it and he made sure that she kept thinking that way.

" I...I scared Zoro. Zoro never scared, but I scared Zoro. sorry." Rose mumbled again and listening to her distracted Zoro from his fear a little bit. " no need to say sorry to me. it's not your fault, you are too small to understand most things you shouldn't do. and I WAS NOT SCARED." Zoro yelled at the end with a scowl on his face. his outburst made Rose burst into a fit of giggles and Zoro's scowl deepened." but you were. Zoro's hand shaky. Mumma too scared sometimes, her hand shaky too." Rose explained. her words softened Zoro's expression. there were a few moments of silence as Rose sat still looking at his swords beside him. She really liked them. it took Zoro weeks to realize why the little girl would linger around him so much.

" oi brat you know what my dream is?" Zoro asked placing his hands on either side of Rose who was sitting on the table. Rose looked at him confused. She knew about Luffy's dream and her daddy's dream and her mumma's dream. " like papa? papa wants to be king of pilates." Rose said enthusiastically like Luffy but in unclear words. this made Zoro cluck.

" yes, Luffy will become king of the pirates. you know what I want to be?" Zoro asked again but Rose shook her head negatively. " hmmm, my dream is to be the greatest swordsman." Zoro said with a bright smile. this made Rose look at him with aww. the greatest swordsman, that sounded so cool. " soooo cooooool Zoro." Rose said with stars in her eyes and Zoro laughed.

" yeah, it's so cool, isn't it? you know I had a friend when I was little." Zoro said with a nostalgic smile. " little like me?" Rose asked and Zoro shook his head. " a little older than you. She was also a swordsman. a very strong swordsman." Zoro said emphasizing on strong. " like you?" Rose asked curiously. " nope back then she was stronger than me. I was never able to defeat her." this brought a sad pout to Rose's face. " But Zoro is so strong." Zoro again laughed at that "Technically I am stronger than her now. but if she was really here I am sure I would still be weak in front of her." Zoro said, a sad expression taking over his face. he had never shown so many expressions on his face before, but for some reason, he couldn't help it right now.

Zoro had never told this story to anyone before. everyone knew he made a promise to an old friend to become the greatest swordsman but he never told these details to anyone. but talking to Rose, it felt so easy to talk about. the little girl's innocent questions and unexpected reactions made it so easy to talk about his past. " where is she?" Rose asked. and Zoro looked her in the eye. her innocent turquoise eyes making him feel at ease. " she went away, to a happy place." Zoro said with a tight-lipped smile. " like daddy?" Rose asked as she looked down at her lap with sadness taking over her. " yeah like your daddy." Zoro said with a heavy heart. " she too wanted to be the greatest swordsman but she couldn't, so I am gonna fulfill both our dreams, i am gonna be the greatest swordsman." Zoro said with a determined look back on his face. that look made Rsoe smile brightly.

"I know Zoro will be gletest swodsman." Rose said not really pronouncing it right. " oi brat I know that, I don't need you telling me that." Zoro said scowling but it only made Rose giggle. "I like Zoro swod." Rose said looking at his swords kept beside him. " I know you do. tell me which is your favorite?" Zoro asked and watched curiously as Rose admired the swords. " that one" Rose pointed at the sword on the right. That made Zoro a little more curious. " and why is that?" he asked. " she is nice. She always say hi." Rose said happily.

Zoro was shocked for a moment. the little girl in front of him could hear it. she could hear the voice of the sword. this made Zoro smirk. the sword she chose really was a perfect fit. Of course, a notorious child could hear a notorious sword. Zoro burst out laughing in amusement. She really had the blood of great pirates flowing through her veins.

" a trouble child likes a trouble child I see. well, it seems Sandai Kitetsu too is eager to get to know you." Zoro said ruffling the little girl's hair. Rose giggled but looked at Zoro with a frown thinking he was laughing at her. " well, there's still a long way to go. Say brat, would you like to learn sword fighting?" Zoro asked and Rose's eyes sparkled with excitement. " Zoro teach me?' she asked shaking with excitement. " yeah yeah I'll teach you but you have to grow up a bit more first." to that Rose nodded excitedly. She will grow up fast, she can't wait to learn sword fighting.

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rest of the day Zoro didn't leave Rose alone, he still hadn't recovered from the stairs incident before. but Rose wasn't complaining. She had always wanted to get along with Zoro and that's exactly what she had done the whole day. once dinner was done Rose fell asleep along with Luffy on the main deck. Luffy is sprawled out like a starfish on the floor and Rose sleeping on his chest.

" the morning incident really gave you a scare didn't it?" Jules said as she walked up to Zoro and sat beside him by the railing with a sake bottle in hand. Zoro opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Jules. " don't deny it, you and I both know whatever you say would be a lie. here want some?" she said offering him the half-full bottle. the swordsman grunted in annoyance and took the alcohol bottle.

" well seems like she really enjoyed the day. She really wanted to get close to you, you know. she is quite fond of your swords." Jules said with a smile. Zoro glanced at his swords and the sandai kitetsu reminded him of the conversation in the morning. " well seems like your brat can make quite a good swordsman." Zoro said taking a sip of the sake and handing it to Jules. " I see, maybe she takes a bit after Gol.D, Roger too I guess. you know his sword is one of the 12 supreme-grade swords. it was called Ace." Jules said and now it made sense. turns out Rose really did take a bit after her grandfather.

" your brat sure is different." Zoro said finishing the sake. " you have more of this?" he asked shaking the glass bottle. a hand sprouted beside her with a full bottle. " thanks, Robin." Jules said to the woman sitting on the other side of the deck. Jules took a huge gulp of the sake and handed the bottle to Zoro.

" she sure is. makes her a perfect straw hat I guess." Jules said with a fond smile.

Chapter Text

Full of pirates. That's what the island was, it was full of pirates. the island was under the world government but when the government tried to make an office there for the island's administration and security the dwellers there refused. along with marines, pirates were their biggest customers so controlling pirates on the island meant the downfall of their business, hence it was an island full of pirates. As long as you paid for the trade here, pirates were in no threat.

the sunny was docked at the port and everyone except Jimbe and Franky had decided to go explore. Jimbe wanted to properly understand all the features of Sunny and some new ones that were added by Franky too. along with them Rose was on Sunny too, with so many pirates it was a risk for her to go out with everyone as everyone knew the Yonko's crew.

" food, I am hungry, let's eat first." Luffy said as soon as he got off the ship. " ha, baka always thinking about food." Nami mumbled. " honestly I am hungry too, it's a good idea to have lunch first and then explore. " Robin said and everyone agreed. " if that was the case I could have made lunch." Sanji said coming making everyone stop. " let it be Sanji Kun, today you take a break, let's have lunch somewhere," Jules said continuing walking.

" you guys go, I am not that hungry yet so I'll go check out some shops," Nami said looking around all the map shops and map supplies. everyone agreed and they went their separate ways.

after an hour or so everyone was seated in a restaurant occupying a huge table full of stacked food. everyone was chit-chatting and having a good time. soon the door burst open and the orange-haired navigator came into the restaurant happily skipping her steps. " looks like someone had fun." Jules said as Nami approached the table.

" yeah, this place is amazing, there is a map of almost every island. well, some unique islands we visited are missing but still, they will soon be here once I make the map of the whole world." Nami said grinning ear to ear. " yes, Nami is gonna have the best map." Luffy cheered from the other side of the table.

After Nami was done having her lunch and all the plates on the table were clear, they paid for the food and left. " so I heard about this Museum kinda shop on the other side of the town, where some of the most legendary maps are kept, let's go and see it. everyone agreed, Luffy agreed mostly because he heard the word legendary, and Zoro was dragged along with the group by Nami so that he wouldn't get lost.

when the group reached the Museum there was some kind of commotion going on. they stopped a bit far from the shop as there were several marines. "Robin" Nami said and Robin knew what to do.

" hmmmmm, it seems like the owner is being arrested and there has also been a theft." Robin said listening to what was going on and also seeing in the shop with her powers. " theft? but then why is the owner being arrested?" Ussop wondered. Robin kept on listening while all the others started making guesses about what happened. it would have soon turned into a betting game if Robin hadn't opened her eyes and caught everyone's attention.

" I got some interesting information. looks like the map that has been stolen is one of a kind and it leads to an island that the government wishes to be not found. having anything that leads to that island has been destroyed but this map remains and now it has been stolen." Robin said, a mischievous look on her face telling everyone what was going on in her mind for once.

" wait so that owner is being arrested for having that map?" Ussop asked. "yes, it's illegal to have anything that gives even the smallest clue about where that island is or what's" on that island," Robin explained.

" shishishishi sounds like an island with adventure." Luffy said fixing his hat. " oioioioi, Luffy you don't plan to go to this island right?" Ussop asked shivering with fear, already knowing the answer. " you need to ask that?" Sanji said lighting a smoke.

" but how can we go to that island without the map?" Brook asked. " yes yes, we don't have the map so we can't go." Ussop agreed. " then we just get the map." Zoro said casually. " huuuuu, Zoro didn't you hear, it's illegal to have that map." Chopper said as scared as Ussop. " And, we are pirates." Zoro said simply shrugging. " wait wait wait, all that is fine and all but how do we get that map? we don't even know who took it." Nami said sighing. and they all were at a dead end.

*silence*

"Say Nami, how come you are willing to go to this island when there's a possibility that it can be very dangerous considering the government is trying to keep people away from it?" Ussop asked suddenly. immediately, Nami's eyes turned to $$, " as you said it was forbidden by the government, they definitely must be hiding a lot of treasure there." Nami daydreamed about money and treasure while Ussop and Chopper sweatdropped. " you really switch sides when it comes to money don't you." Ussop mumbled.

suddenly Jules perked up. " I have an idea. Robin, keep an eye on the officer who is there for investigation. Have an eye on him, and let's see where he goes. if they will search for the thief then they must have his sketch. we need to find that sketch and then we can find the thief. he wouldn't have left the island yet unless he has devil fruit powers and can reach port faster." Jules explained and Robin followed what she said.

soon the officer left the shop with the arrested owner. " they are going to the office." Robin said as she saw the officer enter the police station. " look around and find the sketch." Nami said. " there are too many sketches here." Robin said frowning. " oh wait there is one in the hands of the previous officer." Robin sighed in relief. everyone was silent as Robin kept her eyes closed. after a few minutes, the silence broke." I got it." Robin said. after some more minutes, a hand appeared on a wall beside the group a sheet of paper in hand.

Jules took it and unfolded the paper. " ew this guy is ugly as fuck." Jules said making a disgusted face and seeing the picture. " oh Jules Chan sounds so attractive when she swears." Sanji cooed, hearing Jules swear which is very rare. " I seriously couldn't help myself seeing this ugly ass face. look at it." Juels said handing the paper to Sanji and he almost choked.

" so now let's find the ugly face guy," Luffy said happily grinning, we are going to the mystery island. the island of meat." Luffy said jumping excitedly. everyone sweat dropped but said nothing.

_____________

" NO, WE ARE NOT GONNA KICK THEIR ASSES." nami yelled pulling Luffy's cheeks just as he was about to enter the bar they found the thief in. " but why it's easier and faster," Zoro said bored.

" no, she is right Zoro, it's better not to start a fight, he is a small pirate and even though this island is filled with pirates let's not forget there's navy too. it's better to keep things clean." Robin said. "let's go in the bar and hear what they are saying first." Nami said.

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" hahahahah, we are lucky to get our hands on this map, they say the island it leads to the most precious treasure of the new era." the captain of the small pirate crew said to his crewmates. " those kid pirates did a lot of damage to us but we would have never heard about this island if it weren't for them." one of the crew mates said, and the captain laughed. " let's set sail tomorrow morning, the marines are already looking for us." the captain said. everyone cheered and continued drinking.

" treasure!!!!! a precious treasure!!!!! Nami smiled as she daydreamed about the treasure." "We need to get that map before they leave or get caught," Robin said. Jules looked out and saw it was already getting dark outside as the evening took over. " I guess I can get the map," Jules said catching everyone's attention. even Luffy who was busy stuffing his face. " how?" Nami asked." oh don't worry, it's kinda my specialty to get things from people. I would have the map and he won't even know about it." Jules said smirking mischievously. "Sanji Kun, I just need you to make sure by the time sun is down he is very, very, very drunk." Sanji perked up and started swaying." sure, Jules chaaawwwanaan, you look so evily gorgeous with that look on your face." "Nami Robin come with me," Jules said getting up and walking towards the washrooms.

on the way when she crossed the pirate captain's table, she looked him straight in the eye and after 3 seconds of eye contact winked at him and turned around going to the washrooms. the captain just stared blankly wondering if what he saw was real or not. the eye contact and the wink had left him so occupied he didn't even notice the one who did all that was a famous pirate.

" ok Robin I need your help with my hair and Nami I need your help with makeup. do it a little heavy please." Jules said and the other two stared at her confused. " why do you suddenly want to do makeup?" Nami asked. " oh you'll see. I am the best at this. just help me, I can't do heavy makeup myself so help me out. " Jules said. the other two were still confused but started doing what she asked.

___________

it has been an hour since Jules said that she would get the map. Sanji had somehow managed to keep on sending drinks at the captain's table and the captain was very very drunk now. he was barely able to even hold his mug of booze at this point. when Jules Robin and Nami came back Jules was looking the definition of sexy with her hair still open but with some braided hairstyle at the top, her skirt worn a little low and her off-shoulder top too pulled a little low to show more cleavage. her lips painted hot red and looking so sexy. Sanji had gotten a nosebleed when he had seen her, and since then he had been unconscious.

Jules now sat by a table away from the straw hats and in the vision of their target pirate captain. " hey Robin why is Juels not sitting with us?" Luffy asked munching on the meat in his hand. " she seems to have a plan to get the map without creating any ruckus." Robin explained. Luffy was still confused but didn't say anything more.

for some time now Jules had made sure to make eye contact with the captain from time to time. after some time Jules got up with a mug of beer in her hand. She walked over to the captain swaying her hips a bit and maintaining eye contact. Zoro spit out the sake in his mouth when he saw that, his eyes opened wide. he had been wondering what the woman was gonna do, but did not expect to see that. " oi, look at that." he said catching other's attention. " my my my." Robin exclaimed as she watched Jules sit beside the captain with a sweet smile on her face and a seductive look in her eyes. The captain was too captivated as he absent-mindedly took the mug of beer Jules offered.

" what the ........." Nami didn't finish as she saw Jules lean forward a bit showing off her cleavage as she said something to the man while lightly brushing her fingertips on her lips that were painted in bright hot red. the man couldn't decide where to look, her lips or her chest.

" damnnnnn........that man is totally wrapped around her fingers," Ussop said drinking his beer as his throat became dry watching Jules. Chopper had almost fainted, never expecting to see such a side of Jules.

" oh please, don't say that to me. a girl like me doesn't deserve such treasures." Jules said shyly looking away from the man. " yes, yes darling you don't deserve such lowly treasures, you deserve even more. come with me and I'll give you the most precious treasure." the captain said attempting a sexy smirk but failing miserably. " oh really? you would do that for me?" Jules said with innocent eyes staring right into his with a light glaze. " yes, beautiful, I would do anything for you. come with me on my journey and will shower you with precious treasures." he said leaning closer to her. Jules almost puked with the horrible smell of alcohol but tried to keep her composure.

" oh you are a brave man of the sea, but you see a man like yourself promised me all the riches the world could offer but in the end turned out to be a liar and broke my heart. how can I be sure you won't hurt my already delicate heart?" Jules said with a sweet frown making the man go crazy with the cute expression.

" yohohohohho, Jules Chan is a great actor. her skills are making me sweat with all the heat, but I don't have skin to sweat, yohohohohho" Brook said fanning himself with his boney hands. " damn I had done this before many times but Jules is just insane with her skills, I might fall for her if I keep watching." Nami said exagerating. suddenly Luffy banged his fist on the table. " then don't look." he said not even looking at Nami. his eyes fixed on Jules.

_____________

his blood boiled looking at the interaction between Jules and the other captain. he didn't like it, the way the other man looked at her, how his eyes focused on her chest and lips. he didn't like the look she gave him either, the way she leaned in closer to him. he didn't understand why this was happening but he didn't like anything that was going on. he had even lost his appetite as he watched them.

" ahh, you have the map? that's incredible sir, it must have been so dangerous to get this. you are so strong." Jules gasped and said. her hands gently placed on the man's chest and shoulder. " yes it was indeed a dangerous job but it was all for you my beautiful, the treasure this map leads to is all yours, and you are all mine." he said completely out of his mind because of the booze. " can I see it barve sir?" Jules asked leaning even closer more of her cleavage showing.

the man placed his hands on her hips, his grip tight as he stared at her lips and then at her cleavage and licked his lips. " sure baby girl." he almost whispered, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a scrolled paper. Jules dramatically gasped and took the map from his hands purposely brushing her fingers on his. She opened it with fake amusement on her face and scanned the map. it seems like the one they are searching seeing how old it looked and the signature on it seemed real too.

the map was in her hands, now she had to find a way to get away without suspicion. " is it a real map?" she asked acting dumb and cute. " yes, of course it is, I stole it today from the shop." the man admitted not really realizing what he was speaking. Jules stayed silent thinking how to get out.

the man suddenly pulled her closer his grip tight on her waist. it was not strong enough to restrict her from attacking if needed though. Jules gasped in surprise.

all the while Luffy had become anxious. he was getting frustrated with the scene in front of him. when she placed her delicate hands on that man's chest all he wanted to do was punch that man in the chest and send him flying. at that moment he did something no one thought he would do. " oi you, get me a mug of booze." Luffy said to a waiter. in a few seconds, he was gulping the booze, his eyes still focused on Jules and the man. One after the other, in one minute Luffy had already downed 7 mugs of booze. and everyone knew one thing, Luffy could never hold his alcohol. he could drink more than a normal man but he was nowhere near most of the crew. he really drank anyway, only on special occasions, and limited himself to 2 to 3 mugs.

only the thought that this was a chance to get that map was keeping him in his seat, otherwise, he would have already kicked that man's ass and taken Jules away from him.

how could she even do that, let that man touch her? didn't she love Ace? Ace is the love of her life, right? how can she just go and flirt with that man? yes, that's the reason, that's why Luffy was angry. he was angry because Jules wasn't being fair to his dead brother, yeah there was no other reason for him to want to break that man's hand when he placed it on her hips. there was absolutely no other reason for his anger and the sudden urge to pull her away from him and take her back to the sunny and keep her by his side. all this was just for Ace's sake.

Luffy kept on telling himself that but that reason didn't satisfy him. That reason didn't answer his question about why he felt like this. so he thought that repeating it in his mind would help but it wasn't. and it was his last straw when the man pulled Jules closer. with a loud bang, he slammed the booze mug on the table. he got up without a word, the straw hat shadowing his face as he walked towards his target table.

" oi, Luffy what are you doing?" Zoro asked but got no response. instead the next second the other captain lay unconscious on the floor. his crew shocked at first recovered "Hey what do you think you are doing, attacking our captain like that." they shouted ready in a fighting stance. " Luffy what the hell, why did you do that, I have the map," Jules said, but Luffy didn't respond. he just held her hand and walked out of the bar.

" Luffy what the hell, let me go. now they are gonna come after us. yonko or not it's better to avoid marine's attention. for Rose's sake." Juels said trying to stop Luffy or free her hand. " Luffy let me go," she said again but Luffy didn't let go of the hand. instead, he pulled her in front of him her back facing his chest as he gum gum rocketed them to the sunny.

they landed with a crash on the sunny's deck. once Jules recovered from the impact of the crash she realized that she was on top of Luffy. She tried to get up but failed and fell face-first into Luffy's chest as their legs were tangled in Luffy's rubbery limb mess. Jules looked up and was met with dark brown eyes staring into hers. the big shiny eyes looked like a pool of honey.

when Jules looked up Luffy was met with beautiful turquoise eyes that he loved. the eye makeup was taking away their highlight a bit but still, this up close those eyes were even more mesmerizing. he didn't mind drowning in those oceanic eyes. The way they shined was just magical. when he blinked his eyes went to the red lipstick on Jules's lips. he didn't like it, he liked the natural peachy pink color of her lips which shined because of her lip gloss. this close he could see that gloss was applied on top of the lipstick and now he could smell it. it smelled like strawberries. the sweet smell made Luffy wonder as he looked at Jules laying on his chest, how would they taste, would they taste just like they smelled, sweet like strawberry?

just as that thought crossed his mind Luffy snapped out of his trance. what the hell was he thinking? this was Jules he was thinking about, Jules that was his brother's. Jules was Ace's fiance, and Jules was the mother of Ace's child. Jules loved Ace. how could he even think like that about her? it was wrong, it was so wrong. he could not have such thoughts for her. he realized they were still lying so close. he untangled their legs and lightly pushed Jules away. now they sat face to face. " what was that Luffy, why did you drag me out like that? Jules asked a little angry at him.

" I didn't like it." he said bluntly." didn't like what?" Jules was confused. " the way that man was touching you and the way you were so close." Luffy said frowning and looking away from Jules. " is my captain worried about me?" Jules asked teasingly, laughing a bit. " of course, I am worried about my crew." " but you know I could have kicked his ass if it was needed," Jules said still confused about Luffy's behavior. Luffy was silent for a minute, wondering what excuse to give for his behavior. he knew it definitely wasn't what he was trying to convince himself earlier. he wasn't behaving like this because of Ace, he knew that deep in his heart but still he convinced himself that.

"How would Ace feel, seeing you doing that? he wouldn't like you letting that man touch you and you touching him, he wouldn't like men ogling you in these clothes and he wouldn't like you flirting with that man either." Luffy's frown deepened, Jules thought how cute he looked with the frown which was almost a pout now, and giggled. after some seconds she stopped laughing at Luffy's pouting face and sighed.

" he wouldn't get mad at me Luffy. he knows that flirting means nothing and it's just a trick to get information, money, or in today's case a map. I am so good at it cause I used to do it when I was with Whitebeard Pirates. " Jules explained and Luffy looked at her surprised a little.

this made Jules cluck. " when I was 16 or 17 there was this one mission Oyaji had given our devision. that time I wasn't the vice commander. we needed to get some information from this one marine. most pirates in the first division were well known and we didn't want to cause any ruckus. so I came up with an idea. I asked my brothers to disguise and get that marine drunk in a bar. they did so and I flirted with him a bit and Tada got the information in 15 minutes. the guy didn't even realize what he just told me. " Jules laughed remembering the day.

" Macro didn't really like me flirting with people to get info and stuff but it was a good way to get these things instead of getting into trouble. eventually, he too got used to it and was okay with me doing that. when Ace first saw me do that I thought he would be upset but damn was he whipped. I believe he fell in love with a little more that day. Usually, after I was done getting whatever it was that we needed me and Ace would gossip and do back bitching about the people I flirted with to get info. but the whole hell broke loose when Oyaji found out his precious daughter had been a master of flirting since she was 16. he was gonna punish Marco and Ace for not telling him and was ready to go out and find all the people who dared to touch me. but I was able to calm him down by threatening him. I threatened him by saying I would decrease his per day alcohol limit."

Luffy was laughing all the time as she told the story. Luffy couldn't help but laugh. seeing Luffy laugh Jules felt a warm feeling taking over her heart. he smiled so brightly, like the sun. his smile and laugh were so contagious that it could make anyone laugh with him.

" tell me more of these stories, Jules," Luffy said continuing to laugh. and the rest of the night was spent by Jules telling fun stories of whitebeard pirates. when the crew came back after taking care of the mess Luffy's outburst caused they were surprised to see the two talking and laughing like idiots on the deck. Nobody disturbed them though. not wanting to interrupt whatever was making them laugh so much and so freely, so they just went on with their night routine and sleep.

Chapter Text

" here it is," Jules said as she placed the map on the table. the crew was gathered in the Aquarium to see the map that Jules had managed to get yesterday. they had set sail and docked a little away from the island. the breakfast was done and now was the time to see where their next adventure was gonna be.

"Mumma, what is that?" Rose asked. she sat on the table in front of Luffy. " this is a map, Rose, it will lead us to a treasure." Jules explained and Rose's eyes sparkled. " a treasure?" she exclaimed and Juels looked at Nami with a sigh. " what? I didn't teach her anything." Nami exclaimed. " well your habits have surely rubbed off on her." Jules said looking back at Rose who was staring at the map in front of her as if it's the most beautiful thing while mumbling treasure...treasure.....treasure. " witch you broke the child." Zoro said accusingly at Nami. " you want me to increase those 1000% on your debt?" Nami looked at Zoro with challenging eyes. " fine" Zoro grunted after having a few minutes of staring match and gave up and Nami had a victorious smile on her face.

" so back on the topic. Nami " Robin said catching everyone's attention. Nami picked up the map and read it but after a few minutes frowned. " it's a real map, there is the name and seal of the cartographer as well, but..........but the place this map leads to, there is no such island in this part of the sea." Nami said. " but if the map is real the place it leads to should be real too." Jimbe said confused. " yes but, wait let me show you." Nami dashed out and returned a few minutes later.

" see this? this is where the island is supposed to be and there is an island there." nami said pointing to the map she brought where an island could be seen but it didn't match the island that was on the map they got yesterday. " so Nami's map is fake." Luffy said tilting his head and picking his nose. " no that's not possible, my map is real too." Nami said.

"This is suuuper confusing." Franky said leaning back on his chair. " how is this possible though, I can tell both maps are real and right but in the same place there can't be two different islands. ughhh, what is this new mystery."

" you know a lot can change in 800 years." suddenly a voice came. everyone turned their heads towards the galley window. there through the window, a man was looking into the galley with a smug look on his face. " ahhhhhhh, who are you ossan" Luffy screamed. " oi you grandpa who are you?" Sanji said going ahead and holding the old man by his collar. " hey hey hey, let go of me young man." the old man said but Sanji didn't let go. " who are you and how did you get on the ship?" Jimbe asked alert and ready in a fighting stance. " I am not a threat, just a man looking for refuge." the old man said a little afraid and begging.

"Oh, aren't you the map shop owner that got arrested?" Robin said recognizing the man from yesterday. the man looked away with a little same when Robin mentioned that. Luffy couldn't help but laugh along with Rose.

"Why don't we talk while sitting? I don't sense any threat from him." Jules said making Sanji let go of the man.

" so, ossan, how did you get on our ship?" Luffy asked suddenly getting serious and the old man shivered. "I...I listen to me, I mean no harm, they had put me in jail but then suddenly this hand appeared on the wall and gave me the keys to the cell. I was scared at first but took the opportunity and escaped when I got a chance. then I saw this pretty lady using her powers and figured she was the one who helped me, so I followed you guys. I was planning on staying hidden on your ship till the next island." the man explained looking down still shivering with fear.

" then why did you show yourself, instead of hiding like a ghost, yohohohohohoh." Brook asked. " well I heard you guys talking about this map that you got from the thief. and I couldn't help but come here and show myself." he said looking at the map on the table.

"We are not giving you the map," Luffy said frowning. " I don't want it, if I have it I'll get into trouble. I had kept it for so long because it was handed down in my family for generations. I had known it was an illegal thing to have, I wasn't even gonna report the theft but my employee didn't know and he reported it. " Nami said again explaining. " yeah I know that, but as I said a lot can change in 800 years." Nami was confused." what do you mean?"

" that map from my shop, its about 800 years old. but things changed since then. 800 years ago, after that map was made, for some reason the geography of the island changed. when I saw the new map of that area of sea and didn't see the island there. but I figured something out. " he said and leaned forward.

he took Nami's map and folded it near the area where the old map island was supposed to be. " hey what are you doing to my map." Nami yelled trying to snatch the map from him. " wait wait wait, young lady, look at this." the man said showing the map to an angry Nami. Nami gasped at what she saw. when the map was folded an island not far from the first one there was another island that perfectly matched each other like a puzzle piece.

" the island broke!!!!" Nami gasped with shining eyes. " what do you mean the island broke Nami?" Chopper asked. " the island broke Chopper. it might be because of an earthquake, a tsunami, or anything that can cause an island to break. The part of the island broke and drifted away. That is why it's not exactly the same as the new map. it must have happened a long time ago." Nami explained and light bulbs turned on in Robin, Franky, Brook, and Jimbe's heads.

" huuuu, now what do we do if the island is broken?" Luffy asked panicking. " it's not destroyed Luffy, it's still there but in two pieces. " Jules explained. " ooooooo," Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, and Ussop said finally understanding.

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" bye bye ossan, thank you for the map," Luffy yelled as the sunny sailed away from yet another island. Last 3 days the old man had stayed on the sunny as they moved towards the island on the map. on the route, they had stumbled upon an island and dropped the old man there. Nami had been able to learn more about cartography from him in these 3 days.

"let's go to the treasure island." Luffy yelled turning around and facing his crew, Rose in his arms yelling in excitement as well. " papa, what treasure...we see?" Rose asked as she and Luffy sat on the grassy deck and everyone else went on to do their thing. " hmmmmmm, I wonder what it will be. I hope it's meat." Luffy said with sparkly and hopeful eyes. " Sugoi!!!!! meat? I want meat." Rose said jumping off Luffy's lap and jumping with excitement in front of him. The duo laughed and giggled as they fantasized about an island full of meat.

" oi Jules, shouldn't you be concerned about that? She is gonna be disappointed when she sees there is no island full of meat." Ussop said when he saw the duo. Jules who was sitting on the beach chair with a journal looked at the duo too and clucked. " don't worry I'll handle her." she said and went back to whatever she was doing.

" what are you doing Jules." Robin said as she joined Juels on the deck with a book in her hand. " oh nothing much just some sketching, starting another new book?" Jules said gesturing to the huge and thick book in the archeologist's hand. " I didn't know you enjoyed sketching. Ussop here is great with paintings." Robin said opening her book. " yes, thank you for the compliment Robin, I the great Captain Ussop is the one who has painted the great Jolly Roger of the future king of the pirates." Ussop said proudly gesturing towards himself with and smug smile on his face.

"I see, maybe we can do a project together Ussop. we can decide on a topic and I can give you a sketch and you can work your colorful magic on it." Jules said smiling and Ussop agreed. " what are you reading now Robin?" Nami too joined the group in a bikini ready to relax and get some tan. " Hey Nami, done with the map?" " yep, it was easier as I had to only crosscheck the data and make some minor changes," Nami explained.

"Nami-Sawan, Robin-chawwwaaannn, Jules-chawwaaan, I made you ladies these refreshing drinks and some snacks." Sanji said coming down the stairs dramatically and then twirling around once before bowing down in front of the three ladies offering them the drinks. " thank you Sanji Kun." the three said one by one as they picked up the drinks from the tray. " wow, those are some beautiful sketches Jules-chan." Sanji said fondly observing the beautiful scenery on the pages of the old journal. Jules smiled in response. " And Nami-san, you are looking gorgeous as ever," Sanji said turning to Nami with a slight nosebleed. according to what the crew had told his nose bleeds were very bad before, he almost died they said.

" oh and is that another interesting book Robin-chan?" Sanji said swaying over to Robin. " yes indeed. after what the old man told us I researched some of my old books trying to find out about the island and I found out some interesting things, but still, it seemed like incomplete information. the government has restricted a lot of information about this island." Robin said turning the pages of the book to find something.

"Here, it says that the island was home to the ones blessed by the sea. but somehow 800 years ago the people of that island disappeared and not a single one was ever seen. it is believed that no one lives on the island anymore. it is also believed that the island is cursed and that's why all the people disappeared there." by the time Robin finished speaking, Ussop was already shaking with fear. " you....you heard that Nami, the island is cursed, we should no go there." " yeah? try explaining that to our captain." she already knew protesting was no use.

" shishishishishi, a cursed island, sounds fun, shishishishi." Luffy said coming from behind Ussop making the sniper startled and jump. "no Luffy, curses are not fun." Ussop practically begged, and Luffy only laughed. " did anyone talk about curses?" Zoro asked as he and Jimbe joined the group. " yeah, the island we are going to is cursed, it's gonna be fun, right Zoro." Luffy said grinning wide and Zoro smirked. " that sounds like fun." Zoro agreed. "haha haha, a cursed island you say, I have never been to one so this should be interesting." Jimbe said with a hearty laugh. " Chopper you are with me in this one right?" Ussop asked looking at Chopper with hopeful eyes. " hm! yes, Ussop, a cursed island is definitely not great. when we get there I'll have to stay on sunny with you to cure your i-cant- go- on -the-cursed- island- disease. it's very dangerous and needs to be treated." Chopper said hugging Ussop and the two begged the captain to not go to the island.

" shishishishi, it will be fine Ussop, Chopper," Luffy said still laughing. this caused the reindeer and the sniper to sulk in a corner.

" is there any more information? Nico Robin. " Jimbe asked. " yes there are some more things. it says that the island was discovered about 400 years ago by the government. but seeing that the map we got is about 800 years old the island must have been refound 400 years ago."

"I wonder though, if the island is broken then which part has the treasure?" Nami asked pointing to the issue they hadn't realized till now. " looking at the map, one half of the island is inhabited and the other half doesn't have any civilization." Nami explained. " Nami, in the old map where does it show the treasure is?" Robin asked. " that's the problem it doesn't."

" well looks like we are at a dead end." Sanji said sighing. " well all we can do is visit one island first and then the other." Nami said sounding defeated. well, it's gonna take a long time till they find the most precious treasure of the era.

Chapter Text

there at the horizon, it was. a beautiful island. In the middle was a beautiful city. though a huge city the small houses and bustling farmers market the busy port and the hut-like roofs of all the houses made it look like a cozy town. " shishishishi, this place looks like fun." Luffy said sitting on the sunny's figurehead, watching the island get closer and closer. " papa. we go adventure?" Rose asked who was sitting in Luffy's lap with his hat loosely fit on her head. " yes we are going for an adventure, but first we need?????" Luffy kept his sentence on a cliffhanger. " FOOOOOOD" Rose screamed with excitement. " yosh, let's go get food from Sanji and money from Nami and go for the adventure." Luffy bounced up to stand and caught a giggling Rose who got thrown up due to his bouncing." with Rose sitting on his shoulders the young captain ran towards the galley to collect his and Rose's bento.

" Sanjiiiiiiii!! bentoooooo" Rose shouted as the duo dashed into the galley. " wait wait, here, this one's for Rose Chan * hiding an orange bento* and this is for you captain * handing a red one* and don't you dare eat anything from Rose chan's bento shitty captain." Sanji said to Luffy who Just grinned and laughed." thank you Sanji." Rose said and the duo left the galley.

"There you two are. common, we are discussing what we are gonna do." Jules said from the main deck as everyone was gathered there except for Sanji who is gonna guard the ship.

" ok so here's what info Robin got, the island has some small marine offices but it's not a base so avoiding Marines won't be a problem. we will get divided into groups and explore different parts of the island. according to the book the original inhabitants were called the people blessed by the sea, so we can ask around about that. we can also ask about the island's history. here every group will have one mini transponder snail. we meet at the town square in the evening by 6." Nami finished saying.

" well sounds like a plan, let's just hope someone doesn't cause trouble." Ussop said with a sigh." yeah" everyone said in unison. " WE ARE TALKING ABOUT YOU BAKA." everyone screamed as Nami and Ussop hit Luffy on the head one by one. " s...s...sorry," Luffy mumbled with three bumps on his head.

" ok so here are the teams, Zoro-Jimbe-Brook, me-Chopper-Ussop, Franky and Robin, and finally Jules-Rose-Luffy ( because Rose wants to be with both Mumma and Papa.) Jules Chan, you sure you can handle two children?" Nami asked eying a bouncing Luffy. " honestly it's more like one child, the actual child is not much of a trouble." Jules said eying Luffy too.

" Yosh let's gooo!!!" Luffy shouted and Jumped off the ship. " let's go little devil." Juels said Holding Rose's hand and walking down the sunny.

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"guys we should really ask around now," Jules said for god knows how many times till now. As soon as the trio had entered the bustling city Luffy and Rose dragged Jules from shop to shop as they kept on finding something fascinating, not even giving Juels Time to ask around.

" ne Nami, it's been hours now and people just keep on ignoring us," Ussop said as Nami and Chopper exited yet another restaurant. " yeah whenever we ask about the people blessed by the sea they ignore us." Chopper said concerned. " yeah not only that, they just avoid us like a plague and look so scared." Nami pointed out. " n..n..Nami I really think this is a bad idea, looking at that reaction, I don't think this treasure is any good news." Usoop shivered with fear. " but to think aren't these people their descendants? if not then how come they are on this part of the island?" Chopper asked making the other two stop.

" wait what do you mean?" Ussop was confused. " I mean, these people living on this half of the old island, aren't they the descendants of the original dwellers, the ones blessed by the sea? if they are not, then how come they are on the island?" Chopper explained. " But in Robin's book, it said that the people of this island disappeared." the sniper was very confused now.

" Ussop, Chopper, Nami there you are." the trio turned hearing the familiar voice. " Zoro!!!" Chopper jumped seeing the swordsman. " Jimbe!!! did you guys find anything?" Nami asked as the other trio reached them. " yohohohohohoho, we kept getting lost for most time till Jimbe san realized we were going In circles. then we let him lead us. we asked around some shops and bars, but everyone just looked at us terrified as if they had seen a Ghost, yohohohoho." Brook explained. " well makes sense as they actually saw a ghost-like being but anyway, we got the same reaction too, so it's not because of you Brook." Ussop sighed feeling defeated.

"what's with the scared reaction, I don't get it. everywhere we asked people just got scared and avoided us." Nami was now frustrated. She really wanted to find the treasure but they were just not getting any clues.

"it's already 3:00, lets go to the square. on the way we can ask around some more." Nami said looking at the sky.

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" hmm, there's nothing in here as well," Robin said keeping down another book. for hours she and Fraky had asked around the city getting the same reaction as the others and then had decided to check out the city library.

"This is suuuuupppeeerrrrrr annoying," Franky said sulking on the soft couches. As the two sat defeated they heard a small gasp. " hu" Robin perked up looking at a small boy hiding behind a bookshelf. " oi little brat what are you doing there hiding?" Franky asked making the boy startled. " fufufuf, don't be scared, come here." Robin said with a soft smile and the boy came out of his hiding spot.

" i...I am sorry to disturb you. I was just curious seeing so many books here." the boy said looking at the huge stack of books on the table. " well we are looking for some information but we can't seem to find anything." Robin explained. " my...my name is Danny. i...I can help you find whatever it is, you see this library is run by my family." the boy Danny said with a little more confidence. " really, that would be suuuuuuppperrrrrrr." Danny couldn't help the sparkles in his eyes seeing Franky. " well I am Robin and this is Franky, we want to know about the history of this island. " the boy looked confused now. " but you have every history book there is in this library on this table." Robin smiled. " well what we want to know is not in any of these books. we want to know about the people blessed by the sea." as soon as the boy heard that he gasped and panicked. he ran to Robin and placed his hands on Robin's mouth.

" you cannot say that." he said and looked around. " come with me." the boy let go and walked away. with a bit of hesitation, Robina and Franky followed him.

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the archeologist and the cyborg have been following the boy Danny for quite some time now. it was hard to guess how many feet under the ground they were now. when Robin had mentioned the people blessed by the sea, the boy had the same reaction as everyone else on that island but he seems to know the answers to their questions.

" oi, brat how further down are we gonna go?" Franky was kinda bored at this point. he had observed the basement was well made and well maintained, so this path must be used often, he thought. " just a little more." nobody except my family knows about this place. it's a secret basement made by my ancestors many years ago. since then it's a rule to never speak about this place to anyone.

" then why are you showing this to us." Robin asked skeptically but still keeping her calm. " because you are Nico Robin." the boy simply said. this surprised the two starwhats but still, they kept on following the boy.

finally, they arrived in front of a large wooden door. with a key, the boy opened the door and they entered. inside the room, there were some lanterns for lighting and many bookshelves that looked very old and covered in dust. behind them, the duo heard the boy lock the door again. Robin saw the boy pick a den den mushi and make a call. " they are here, I brought them to the basement." Danny said as soon as the den den mushi was connected.

" why did you take them there?" an old rough voice said. whoever was on the other side wasn't pleased knowing Danny had brought the two pirates into the basement. " what was I supposed to do they asked about that." the said emphasizing the word that. the person on the other side sighed. " fine I'll be there take out the stuff till then." the person said and hung up.

" wait for some time, Grandpa will be here in some time." the boy said looking at the two pirates. " what is this place anyway?" Franky asked looking around the small room. " this is a secret room as I said built by my ancestors. We aren't supposed to have all these books here. those books are almost 700 to 800 years old." The boy explained as he picked out a few books from the dusty shelves.

" what are these books about?" Robin asked looking at the names of the books, some familiar and some not. " you don't recognize them? they are from Ohara." Danny said placing the book he got on the table in the middle of the room. Robin was surprised would be an understatement. flashes of the Ohara incident played in front of her eyes but she composed herself. " but how? The whole island was burnt down to ashes." she had seen it burn in the flames of the buster call with her own eyes as she sailed away in the small boat.

" many of the books were saved by the scholars. they all lost their lives but saved so many important books. the revolutionary army retrieved the books after the fire was out. they took them and distributed them to different trusted islands to keep them safe. this island is one of them." an old and rough voice said from the door. " Grandpa, this is Nico Robin and Franky." Danny introduced. it was suspicious that he knew their name but maybe he saw the bounty poster.

"It's good to see you Nico Robin." another man said who had come with the old man. he was younger than the old man but not very young, maybe in his 40's or 50's. " so these books were brought here by the Revolutionary army?" Robin asked. " yes, I am part of the RA. when Dragon san retrieved these books from Ohara he gave some of them here. we too had some of our secret books which if the government found would lead us to our graves. we have managed to keep our books safe for centuries so Dragon san gave us some more from Ohara to keep here." the younger man explained. I have heard a lot about you from the RA's, especially Koala. the man said with a soft laugh.

"My name is Eric by the way and this is my father Ronald. he was part of the RA but then retired." the younger man introduced. " It's a pleasure to meet you, and I am grateful to you for keeping these books safe here." Robin said with a smile. " owwww, that's suuuuupppperrrrr nice of you to save so much knowledge from turning to ashes." Franky said with slight tears in his eyes remembering Robin's story.

"Anyway, I hear you are looking for information about the people blessed by the sea." old man Ronald said walking towards the big table in the middle of the room. " It was part of the books we were already hiding from the government. my I ask why you want to know about them?" he asked looking at the pirate duo over his shoulder.

"We happen to come across this map which is said to lead to the most precious treasure of the era. it turns out the map is about 800 years old and it's of this island, or should I say what this island used to be." Robin explained now standing beside the old man as he flipped through the book.

" I see, so you found the map to Oceania," Eric said standing on the other side of the table. " Oceania?" Franky asked, "It's what the complete island was called 800 years ago." Eric explained. "In the book, I have said the people living on the island were called people blessed by the sea. and that the island was found 400 years ago. I guess it was not found but refound 400 years ago and not the whole but only part of the island." Robin was trying to connect the dots but something was missing in between.

" you are right. the people blessed by the sea lived on the island when it was whole. the island was refound 400 years ago by a sailor and he added it to the map again but by then the island was broken in half. oh, I love that story" Danny said jumping up and sitting on top of the table.

" but then aren't people on this island descendants of the people blessed by the sea?" Robin asked. it didn't make sense. according to the 800-year-old history, she found the people of the island disappeared suddenly but there are people living on this half of the island. " no they are not." Ronald said firmly, anger dripping from his voice.

" I'll tell you the story I know. I am not sure how accurate this story is to what actually happened, that's all the information I have and can share. please have a seat." Ronald said and everyone in the room sat by the table. young Danny brought everyone a cup of tea as the old Ronald started his story.

" 800 years ago the island of Oceania existed. its dwellers were said to be blessed by the sea. but one day new powers were raised in the world and it turned upside down. there was chaos all over the world and the power balance shifted. many islands were destroyed by the new power and the last to see its doom was Oceania. Oceania fought till the end but couldn't win. the war and struggle went on for years. but after a few years of continuous struggle, the ocenia lost as the new power had been completely established and the buster call was called upon the island of Ocenia. Oceania had a saviour but he too had become weak by then the island of Oceania was in shambles. every single person in Oceania died in the buster call's flames. I have heard that the people of Oceania died protecting something on the island and the island chief made a prophecy, but nobody knows what it is. after that incident eventually, the world forgot about Oceania. then 400 years ago when the sailor found both the parts of the broken island the government suddenly remembered the history. but it was too late to make people forget about the island and stop them from finding out whatever the people of Oceania were trying to protect. the sailor was executed without letting the world know but the new map was already out there. suddenly the government promised the people of the destroyed islands around the world a new home. many people from different destroyed sites were relocated to this half of the island. it couldn't be done on the other half because the sea around it is a deathwish." Ronald finished explaining.

by the end Franky was in tears. " those people were suuuuuupppeeeerrrrrr brave, they fought for years to protect whatever it was. It's so heart-touching." Franky sobbed and a hand sprouted on his metallic arm and handed him a tissue paper. " thank you Lobin." he said still sobbing.

" so this new power is the world government?" Robin asked to confirm and Eric nodded. " it seems the government is trying to hide something on this island." Robin concluded. " that's right, we tried searching the whole island, I mean this half of the island but we found nothing. The government is trying to stop people from knowing what the people of Oceania are trying to protect. they don't know what it is but they know it's a threat to them." Eric explained sipping on this tea.

" but how do you know this story when nobody except the people of Oceania and the world government would know." Robin asked suspiciously. " that's because we are the descendants of the people of Oceania." Danny said smiling brightly as he munched on a cookie. " but you just said that the people on this side were brought here from other islands. owww, this is damn confusing." Franky said slumping in his chair.

" yes, we were brought here from another island. it was done so that nobody would get curious about the island. a deserted island is more suspicious than a civilized one. it also stopped the rumors about a treasure on this island. though hearing you guys, it seems some people still believe there is a treasure. " Eric said.

"The people of Oceania were a close-knit community. there was only one outsider they ever trusted. we don't know who it was but it was before all the bad things happened. anyway, there were still some people In the community who wanted to move out of the island. it wasn't like going out of the island was forbidden or something. people of Oceania were sailors to the bone. but they always came back home. some though didn't. like that, a very small number of people left the community and the island cause they fell in love with other islands or other people. when the buster call happened the people who moved out survived. we are their descendants. Therefore we don't have the blessing of the sea, because the bloodline kept on mixing. when our ancestors found out about the buster call, since then they tried to find the island. When they figured out the island was broken and the chance to move to one-half of the old island came they took it and came here. cause no matter what we always came home, even if it was after many years. they found a shabby basement filled with the history of this island. they built it properly and since we have been guarding this basement." Ronald explained as he shifted the open book towards Robin. there she she saw the drawing of old Oceania.

the island was full of forest and small hills. right in the middle of the island, there was a huge pond-like area and a valley on one side of the island connected to it. so the pond in the center was of seawater and not fresh water as the valley connected the sea to the pond. the island was donut-shaped but it was elongated at one end giving it more of a water-drop shape with a circular hole in the middle.

on the one edge of the pond there was a temple-like structure and on the opposite edge of it was a port-like structure. . that's how the old Oceania looked like. there were no houses that could be seen. Eric noticed the confused look on Robin's face. " they were more like a tribal community, their houses were well hidden in the forest." he explained and Robin nodded. " you see that port-like structure. that's the port your ship is docked at. the island was divided such that the temple is on the other half of the island and the port is on this half." Ronald explained pointing to the two structures.

Robin flipped the page she was surprised by what caught her eye first. what she noticed first as soon as she turned the page was the beautiful shining turquoise eyes. " oi, those eyes." Franky said equally surprised and puzzled.

Chapter Text

"That was an important trait of the people of Oceania, their Turquoise eyes. when the people who left the island spread across the world the trait wasn't so uncommon but still it's quite rare." Danny said. he was too mesmerized by the turquoise blue eyes.

" so if a person has such eyes they are probably from Oceania?" Robin asked as Franky still stared at the picture. the picture was of a gathering or a celebration. all the people dancing around were looking happy. there was also a group in a corner sitting with food and booze. the other people's drawings had them laughing and smiling and the drawings were too small for the details. but there was one person, who looked like the chief sitting on a big couch who had the details of the turquoise eyes. and with the chief sat another person with bright red-pink eyes. the whole drawing was made with black ink and only the eyes of the two people were coloured.

" not necessarily. they might have some genes of the people of Oceania but not a single pure oceanic person is alive anymore. there is no one who is blessed by the sea anymore." Ronald said with a sad sigh. Franky and Robin shared a look but didn't mention anything.

"All this we get it, but is there a treasure or not?" Franky asked putting on his sunglasses. " well we don't know. some of these books say it's there some say it's not there. we tried searching for it actually but we didn't find anything. but if the treasure is there, it is definitely on the other half as we nor the government found anything." Danny said hopping down from the table.

" well, that's a good enough lead to the treasure. thank you Ronald San, Eric San, and you too Danny. this information is very useful." Robin said with a smile. "well we believe this information will help you In some or the other way. we told you this because you are Nico Robin and part of the Starwhat crew. we trust you and Dragon san's son and think this information is important for your further adventures. you see it's said this island holds clues about what you need to reach Raftel." Ronald said smiling back.

" I'll take you guys back." Danny said skipping towards the door. " once again suuuuupppeeeerrrrr thank you, old man." Franky said as they left the basement room.

" you think the woman in that poster is her?" Eric asked looking at his father. " I am not sure son, but my guts say that the world is about to change. if she is who we think she is, then it's very convenient for Strawhat to reach the last island." Ronald said with a slight laugh.

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"Luuuuuffyyyyyy, because of you Rose is all hyperactive and you two have just dragged me from one place to another without a second of rest," Jules yelled as she pulled Luffy's cheeks as much as she could. Luffy sat there by the fountain in the town square with 4 to 5 bumps on his head a swollen eye and a beat-up face.

beside him sat Rose licking her chocolate ice cream as she giggled seeing Jules beat up Luffy. " for the love of god it's easier to handle Rose than you." Jules said letting go of his rubbery cheek and slumping beside Rose. " mumma!!" Rose said giving her mother the chocolate ice cream to taste. " it's okay baby, you have it." Jules said with a sweet smile. Rose said a small okay and again started enjoying the ice cream.

" Jules, Rose Chan!!!" Nami yelled as she, Chopper, Ussop, Brook, Jimbe, and Zoro approached them. Jules just gave them a tired wave as a hi. " hu, what happened to you Jules you look tired." Ussop said looking at Jules who was slouching. " not physically but mentally I am regretting life decisions." Jule said side eyeing the beat-up Luffy.

"aaaaaa, what happened to you Luffy?" Chopper said panicking around Luffy. " he's fine. chopper I need medicine for my headache." Jules said. " ah I left them on the sunny by mistake. I can go and get you one from the pharmacy." Chopper said. " it's okay no need to search for a pharmacy, I'll be fine." Jules said getting up.

" so did you guys find anything? cause I didn't, these two didn't let me stay in one shop for more than 10 seconds." she pointed to the beat-up captain and the happy Rose who sat there swinging her legs and enjoying her ice cream.

"Unfortunately, we only found out that the people here are scared of talking about the people blessed by the sea," Nami said with a defeated sigh. it had been an exhausting day and they didn't even get any lead.

"let's wait here for Franky and Nico Robin. maybe they found out something." Jimbe said sitting down by the fountain too. " all of us have practically asked around half of the city, do you think they will get any different response?" Zoro asked pulling out a sake bottle out of nowhere and sitting by the fountain too.

" where did you get that from?" Jules and Nami asked eying the sake bottle." I always keep on the go bottle with me." Zoro said taking a gulp of throat-burning alcohol. Nami and Jules just looked at him as if he were a different creature. the two wanted to say many things but decided to shut their mouth. they knew they were gonna get more and more ridiculous answers.

as everyone chatted around waiting for Franky and Robin Jules pushed her crewmate's voices in the background as she heard a familiar tune play in a nearby music shop. As the soft music of the drums slow drums and guitar filled her mind, she pulled out a memory she had pushed in the back of her mind.

Chapter Text

FLASHBACK:

it was yet another night when the Whitebeard pirates had found a reason to throw a party. Moby Dick was shining with lights and the party went in full swing. everyone was eating Drinking and having fun cause it was Jules's birthday. well not exactly her birthday but more like the day they had found her. and this birthday was special, why? cause it was her first birthday which she will celebrate with the newest member of the Whitebeard Pirates and her boyfriend Ace.

Ace was sitting with his back on the wall, beside the door that led to the dining hall. no one was in there today as the whole party was on the deck. a bottle of booze in his hand he watched as his girlfriend talked and laughed with the giant man she called father. it was the difference between her and all other crew members. whitebeard had made every member of his crew his son and daughter, but Jules had made Whitebeard a father. the way he looked at her, he didn't look with the same adoration at anyone else. the pride he felt when she did or achieved something, wasn't the same he felt for others. even though everyone knew this difference nobody held any grudges, cause they knew that even with the difference how much Whitebeard loved them.

Jules sat on her father's giant shoulder as she laughed along with her father and other brothers as they made fun of Macro. Ace loved that smile adorned with those cute dimples. people often complimented her eyes, and yes they were mesmerizing, but what he loved the most about her was her smile and those cute dimples.

Giving a sweet kiss to her father on the cheek as he once again wished her happy birthday, Jules Jumped off Oyaji's shoulder and Ace couldn't help the huge smile on his face when she locked her eyes with his and walked towards him with a mischievous smirk.

"What is my sweet boyfriend doing sitting here alone?" Jules asked as she stood in front of him. " admiring his beautiful girlfriend." Ace said with a boyish smile that made her heart flutter and a faint pink covered her cheeks. suddenly the soft sound of drums and guitar reached her ears and she perked up with a smile.

" stop being cheezy." she said and she took the bottle from his hand and held his warm hand in her slightly colder one. " dance with me? " she said gently pulling his hands and he smiled at her and got up following her to the center of the deck where the song should be heard clearly.

the crew musician was drunk and wasted so the songs were playing on a radio Marco had bought a long time ago. it was one of the latest songs and too soft for a pirate party but when the crew saw Jules standing in the center of the deck with Ace no one bothered to change the soft love song as the couple started swaying to its rhythm.

*play the song*

as the soft drum and guitar started playing Juels looked at Ace with a cheeky smile and he just looked at her unsure how he was gonna dance. in the heat of the moment he had followed her to the dance but he didn't know how to do it.

" petal!! I...I don't know how to dance." he said, voice only loud enough so she could hear. he looked adorable with the slight blush on his cheeks and the tip of his ears also turning red. he avoided making eye contact with her but immediately looked at her when he heard her giggle.

" you are so cute Ace." she said laughing in the background the music still playing. " don't worry. here keep this hand on my waist, and hold my this hand." Jules said placing his left hand on her waist as she placed her on his chest and then she held his right hand just as the lyrics started.

# We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January
And this is our place, we make the rules
And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear
Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years? #

they gently swayed from side to side as the song played. Jules sang the last line she stepped closer to him and brushed their nose lightly, smiling and scrunching her nose. With that Ace too relaxed and let his body get carried by the music and his lover.

# Can I go where you go?
Can we always be this close forever and ever?
And ah, take me out, and take me home
You're my, my, my, my
Lover #

Jules sang along with the song as if asking him the question herself. the desperate look in her turquoise eyes confirming it. and how would he love to spend all his life with her, sharing all his experiences with her and going to new places together, being with her forever.

# We could let our friends crash in the living room
This is our place, we make the call#

Jules laughed softly as she looked around at her brothers when the line came and then looked back at Ace with a sweet smile, still singing along with the song.

#And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you
I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all #

she frowned dramatically as she sang the line and the the couple burst into a fit of giggles as Jules guided Ace around the Deck dancing and moving around gracefully. if it wasn't for her he doubts he would look so graceful. listening to the lyrics Ace couldn't help but smile. yes, yes she could have all of his life cause he loved her so much and he knew she loved him just as much. For the first time in his life, he didn't doubt if he was worth someone's love. he accepted her love without doubt just as she accepted his even though he had tried to kill her father.

# Can I go where you go?
Can we always be this close forever and ever?
And ah, take me out, and take me home (forever and ever)
You're my, my, my, my
Lover #

she removed her hand from his chest as she twirled out, away from him but still maintaining eye contact and that damn smile he had fallen hard for. after a second of pause, she twirled back in towards him and his hand automatically wrapped around her and held her gently as they moved according to the music. he was surprised with how she could make him dance so gracefully.

# Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?#

she let go of his hand stepped away from him and bowed down with a cheeky smile as she sang the lyrics. as if he were some prince. he couldn't help but laugh and then again hold her like the first time she told him, but this time he pulled her even closer to himself.

#With every guitar string scar on my hand#

she sang and she stepped away again but still holding both of his hands and immediately stepped closer to him, his hand automatically again going to her waist. the lyrics fit as he knew she could play the instrument but never had the scars because of her abilities.

#I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover#

she stepped closer to him and stood on the tip toes, her lips inches away from his as she said the words 'my lover' and then smiled along with him.

#My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue
All's well that ends well to end up with you
Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover#

she laughed singing this line as she knew how overdramatic she was and that made not only Ace but many people on the deck laugh slightly. Ace laughed and shook his head defeatedly as he loosened his grip on her, now able to tell how she would move next in her dance.

#And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me#

she again did the step from before where she stepped away from him still holding both of his hands. She sang the lyrics laughing while scrunching up her nose, remembering the Dirty Jokes and cheezy pick-up lines he would use on her. this made him look down with embarrassment as he too remembered it, his cheeks getting flushed with red.

#And at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover #

she stepped close to him again as she sang.

#Can I go where you go?
Can we always be this close forever and ever?
And ah, take me out, and take me home (forever and ever)

they swayed around just like they did in the beginning. looking into each other's eyes with love and adoration. Ace's dark brown eyes looked like fresh mud after rain as they glowed with his fire powers. Jules's turquoise eyes opposite of his, looked calm and soothing with their green undertones. They were completely different from each other, their eyes had one thing in common, that is the love they shared for each other.

You're my, my, my, my
Oh, you're my, my, my, my
Darling, you're my, my, my, my
Lover #

as the final lyrics played and Jules sang along she again let go of her hand on his chest again, raising Ace's hand that held hers's she spun round and round 3 times, and then with the last line she again came back in his arms with a smile plastered on her face, her lips close to his as she said the last words 'lover' close to his lips, brushing hers with his and his lips curved into a beautiful smile.

this close he could see all the blues and greens that made up the turquoise of her eyes and she could see all his freckles up close, able to count them standing so close to him. they continued slightly swaying as the song came to an end, the two lovers said hundreds of things with just their eyes and Ace said three words with his mouth,

"Happy birthday petal." he almost whispered brushing their lips again. Jules replied finally locking their lips together in a kiss filled with all her love for him. The previously silent deck burst into cheers, hoots, and whistles as the party went on.

_______________

a warm hand on her cheek startled Jules as she looked around finding herself in the Town square by the fountain. She had drowned in the sea of memories, she realized. finally, her eyes landed on big and bright onxy once, filled with worry. she shivered as a calloused thumb brushed her cheek and she realised the tears that were running down her cheek.

as she blinked the tears away she realized how close the onxy eyes were to her face and so was their owner, eyes still filled with worry.

" i...I am sorry Jules, I...I troubled you the whole day, I...I am sorry just .... just don't cry please!!!!" he said his voice shaking. that surprised her a little. she had never heard his voice shake so much and worry and fear filled his eyes to the brim. As he kept on mumbling sorry to her she finally realized what he was saying. She wanted to tell him, that it wasn't his fault she was crying. hell, she didn't even know she was crying until some seconds ago.

taking in a shaky breath and letting it out just as shaky she finally mustered up enough courage to speak. " I...I am not crying because of you Luffy." she said gently pushing him a little away with her shaky hands on his chest. " really?" he asked like a child, with a pout and glossy eyes. As soon as Jules nodded her head to reassure him he had a bright smile on his face. but again frowned.

" then why were you crying?" he asked sitting on his knees in front of her to come to her eye level as she was sitting on the fountain wall. she stared into his bright eyes for some seconds. feeling their warmth reach her racing heart and calm her down, bringing her completely back to her senses. his eyes begged her to tell him what caused her tears to spill.

with a genuine but tight-lipped smile, she looked at him, her turquoise eyes meeting his onxy once, and said. "it's nothing Luffy, I am fine." for a second Luffy stared into her eyes, reading them like a book. his frown deepened but he smiled brightly and stood up holding her hand in his.

" yosh, let's go."

_______________

Chapter Text

" yosh let's go," Luffy said as he extended his hand in front of Jules. with a confused look, Jules kept her shaking hand in his as he pulled her up to stand. the moment she stood up properly luffy was dragging her somewhere.

" wait Luffy where are we going?" she asked as he kept on dragging her away from the square. " shishishishishi, somewhere fun." he laughed as he kept walking towards what Jules now realized was the beach.

after some more dragging and Jules constantly asking why they were going towards the beach the rubber captain came to a halt. Jules gasped seeing the bright and colorful fest that was set up on the beach. " let's go and play." Luffy said again dragging her to a shop. " oi old man we wanna try this."

they stood in front of a shooting stall as the old man working at the stall gave Luffy a gun. " can you even shoot?" Jules asked folding her hands as she watched Luffy get ready and aim at one of the prizes. the next second he pulled the trigger but the shot missed. Jules laughed a bit at that. " here let me try." she said extending her hand as Luffy frowned but still handed her the gun.

taking a proper shooting stance Jules held the gun firmly in her hands and decided to aim at the cat plushi. for a second she took her aim and then pulled the trigger. *thack* the cat Plushi fell as Jules soot her target. " hhhhhaaaaaa, Sugoi." Luffy exclaimed and Jules laughed. " you were just like Ussop." Luffy said still awwed by Jules's performance. " well I am not as good as him but considering my choice of weapon, I need to have a good aim." Jules said as she got the plushie from the old man. " and seriously I am nowhere near Ussop." Luffy humed in agreement at that.

" here take this Luffy." she stopped and pushed the cat plushi in Luffy's hands and started walking again. luffy stood there frozen for a minute but then ran towards Jules with a typical shishishshishishi, laugh and yelled "Wait for me, Jules."

"So Luffy why did you bring me here so suddenly?" Jules asked as Luffy caught up to her. " just because. I saw them arranging for the fest when we entered the town and I really wanted to see it." Luffy said shrugging and looking around at the stalls. Jules just stared at him for a few minutes as Luffy hummed to himself an off-key song and looked around. they kept on walking as Juels admired her captain and giggled, but Luffy didn't comment on it. " if that's so let's go play some more games." Jules said holding Luffy's warm hand in her colder once and now she dragged him from one stall to another.

they played many carnival Games as they talked and laughed together. Luffy felt relieved as he saw Jules's cute smile as she won another Game. he was relieved that her face wasn't covered in tears anymore, that her eyes were shining with happiness and not with grief. " wooohooooo, you saw that Luffy I won again." Jules yelled as she jumped and did a little victory dance. in her excitement, she didn't notice how Luffy went stiff when she suddenly hugged him and cheered for herself more.

Luffy couldn't understand what happened to him. She was hugging him as she rambled on and on about all her wins. so close he could smell her sandalwood scent. it was so subtle but still very captivating. the woody undertone of her fragrance reminded Luffy of the wooden smell of their ship and their home and also of the forest. he didn't know why but he hugged her back with hesitation. why was he hesitating? he had hugged his Nakama before, what's the big deal? and why is his heart beating so fast? Is he sick? he thinks he has been sick for some time now, he should really ask Chopper.

but his thoughts were distracted as the wind blew and Jules's brown hair swayed with it and softly brushed his cheeks. her hair was so soft and they smelled like sandalwood and a mixture of lemons. they shined so beautifully in the light of the setting sun. he noticed how delicate all her features were. he isn't that tall but with her, he is taller by an inch or so. still, her frame looked so delicate in front of his. her shoulders were smaller and a little below his. As he hugged her he felt how her waist was thin and her skin soft. she looked so fragile and delicate but Luffy knows that it's only what one sees.

in reality, those small and delicate-looking shoulders support her strong arms because of which she is able to land those incredibly strong attacks with her knives. though her waist is thin and delicate looking he knows how flexible she is because of which she is able to attack from the most complicated situations. though she looks so fragile, it's just a facade that hides the strong muscles and bones, incredible strength, speed, and basically a body that is like a killing machine.

and he is happy that he knows this, cause that's what makes Jules, Jules. people underestimating her is part of her strength too.

and he knows that behind most of her smiles, is the sorrow and grief, that she still struggles to overcome. in the square when he had looked in her eyes he had seen it. the pain and logging dancing in her beautiful eyes as she reassured him that she was fine.

luffy was brought out of his thoughts as he felt the cold hand slip out of his. he hadn't even realized when Juels had stopped Hugging him. She was still rambling about something as she walked away to another stall. before she could reach it though, he stopped her as he held her hand. " hu, what happened luffy?" she said turning around and looking at him with a confused expression.

" come with me," he said as he took her further and further into the fest and finally stopped in front of a crowd. there was some upbeat music playing and the people were watching the performance. when Jules heard the music she stopped talking and just Flowed into the tune that was playing. it was soft and not too fast but still had an upbeat feel to it.

* play music*

As she listened to it she closed her eyes completely losing herself in the music. unconsciously she started tapping her foot and swaying along with the music. As the music got more and more upbeat she drowned deeper and deeper and her hands started doing small movements. Luffy observed her confused at first but then realized that she was dancing. As she drowned in the music he realized that her body had unconsciously started to think of steps she could do and how she could move with the music. he couldn't help but laugh looking at her. but he noticed how happy she looked. She had a soft but satisfied smile on her face as she stood there eyes closed and slowly moving with the music. This gave him an Idea.

he pulled her out of her trance and he pulled her through the crowd and to the center where the performers stood. she looked at him surprised as he let go of her hand and started moving around and twirling and swaying trying to do it with the music. She giggled as she realized he was dancing. to say the least, Luffy wasn't the best dancer.

" what are you doing luffy?" she said while laughing as the rubber captain just smiled brightly and laughed along with her still dancing to the music. " common Jules." he said gesturing her to Join him. " what? no" she said as she tried to move away from the center but Luffy stretched his Rubber hands grabbed her by her waist and pulled her towards himself. " common I know you love to Dance." he said giving her his signature smile which is so contagious. " luff-----" before she could finish her word Luffy swiftly moved to make her yelp by the sudden movement. " ugh, let me show you how it's done." she said frustrated as luffy kept on dragging her here and there not really following the beat.

she was a dancer by heart and it irked her when someone did it wrong. " calm down a bit and feel the music Luffy." she said making him slow down and eventually stop as he looked at her mesmerized. She stood there in front of him eyes closed as she felt the music as if it was flowing through her veins.

the light tapping of her feet got more prominent and precise as the music played. she started off with small Jumps which looked so graceful. and after every few jumps she twirled and repeated the same thing. slowly she added her hands to the equation as she held her skirt with one and gracefully moved the other around her in the air. after repeating it sometimes she stopped with the beat and clapped. and with the clap, she opened her eyes and had the brightest smile he had ever seen on her face.

the music became more upbeat and she danced around circling the whole center area. As she moved around she smiled and laughed. she started pulling people along with her as she danced and the people followed. The steps were so simple but still she made them look so beautiful. A lot of people were dancing around now following Jules's steps as Luffy stood in the middle of the circle formed by the dancing people. Dancing and laughing Juels approached him and pulled him in the Dance too. he was clumsy with it but caught up with her steps soon and joined the dancing crowd.

the crowd split into pairs of two as they danced and after certain steps clapped 3 times and changed their partners. Jules and Luffy now stood on opposite ends of the dancing circle as they danced with their respective partners.

luffy couldn't keep his eyes off her though. he wanted to reach her. hold her the way all those Guys were holding her while dancing. he wanted to hold those cold hands of hers and he wanted to dance with her. Jules too felt Luffy's gaze on her and wondered what that desperate look in his eyes was. She too wanted to reach him, hold his warm hand, and dance with him.

one after the other the partners kept on changing and the two pirates moved closer and closer to one another. The closer he got more desperate he became to finally hold her. the song seemed like it was coming to an end and Luffy washed it didn't cause even if it was then at least once he wanted to Dance with her. everyone around him was smiling and laughing as they enjoyed the Dance but he pushed all the voices in the back of his head as his ears only heard the music and his eyes only saw Jules. though she was trying to reach Luffy, she couldn't help but smile brightly and laugh along as she danced with the people around her. She doesn't remember when was the last time she felt so.... so free and energized. when she felt as if she was flying in the sky as if her life was the most beautiful experience in this world and everything around her was bright and warm.

it felt so good to jump and spin around with so many people dancing to great music. Here right at this moment, she felt so free and happy, like a little kid entering a playground excitedly, she felt free from the bonds of motherhood, grief of her lost lover and father, and worry of her family and friends. she felt so ........ so alive.

her thoughts came to a halt as she heard the song about to come to an end and she wished she could reach before the music ended. With the last tunes of the music, she finally felt the now familiar warmth holding her hand and one hand on her waist, pulling her flush close to the strong but still lean scared chest. her turquoise eyes met the onxy ones and she saw the huge smile that was plastered on his face. " finally." he almost whispered his breaths coming out struggles. She could feel his heart beating fast because of all the dancing. She was sure he could hear hers too. As they followed the steps they stared into each other's eyes, still smiling as if it was the best day of their lives. As the song came to an end she moved away from him. Both spinning around each other eyes still locked. In the end he again held her hand and pulled her close.

when the song ended everyone around them cheered as the two laughed, and tried to catch their breaths.

" Ooooiiiii, luuuuuufffyyyyyy." their bubble popped as they heard Zoro yell from a distance, and saw the whole crew that had come to the island running towards them.

" shishishishi, that was fun," Luffy said still holding Jules's hand as they walked in the direction of their crew. Jules laughed and then sighed. he was right, it was fun. all that she felt while dancing seemed so surreal now but the fast beating of her heart and the harsh breaths she took proved that she actually lived it. that moment where she felt so happy wasn't a dream or an illusion. and for all the happiness she felt today she is thankful to Luffy. She didn't even realize when he had successfully cheered her up and taken her to the peak of happiness.

"Thanks, Luffy, it meant a lot to me," she said giving Luffy a genuine and Huge smile. he saw the happiness dancing in her beautiful eyes and laughed as she turned around and ran ahead of him as Rose called out to her. he was satisfied. satisfied to see that there was no other emotion in her eyes except for happiness this time when she smiled.

" Oi, where did you guys go?" Ussop asked as Luffy reached his crew. " shishishishishishi, to have fun" Luffy said with a close-eyed smile. he walked towards the port where Sunny was, in the background he heard Ussop and Chopper ask what does he mean by that, and Nami sighed, Robin laughed her amused laugh, Franky said suuuuuuuppperrrrrr, Brook laughed too and Jules scolded Rose for having another icecream.

hah, it was a great day. Luffy thought as he saw the sunny in the distance.

Chapter Text

" so the complete island was called Oceania." - Sanji

"It's not sure if the island has a treasure or not." - Nami

" But the island has clues about Raftel." - Jimbe

"It's dangerous to go to the other half." - Ussop

"There are no more original people of Oceania because they died in a buster call. yohohohohoho." - Brook

"but there are people with mixed Genes who still have some genes of the original people." - Chopper

" oi cook, where is more booze." - Zoro

"We are talking about something important here you shitty Marimo, if your moss brain can't function here then just shut up for a moment," Sanji yelled from the BBQ counter as he plated another batch of the sea king meat.

"What did you say nosebleed? you wanna fight?" Zoro said pulling out his swords ready to fight.

" stop it you two." nami bangged her fist on their heads and then got back to her seat around the bonfire.

the crew had decided to do a BBQ on the beach, sunny was docked by, and Robin and Franky explained what they found out. by the time everyone returned to Sunny Sanji had already fed Rose and she had fallen asleep while playing with her toys.

" and one of the main traits of the people of Oceania is turquoise eyes." - Jules asked still unsure about her connection to the islands.

" oh like you Jules." luffy perked up. " yeah but as Robin said she is not 100% Ocieanian, it's mixed genes." Chopper explained and Luffy just stared at him for a moment still chewing the meat he was eating. " so is she Oceanian or not?" he asked and everyone just sweatdropped.

" if the island doesn't have any treasure then what's the point of going to that island." Nami asked with a sigh. " well they did say it has some clue about what we need to reach Raftel, where One Piece is." Robin said simply and looked at Luffy.

" then we have to go. and I am excited to see what's so dangerous about the island. shishishishishi." at that Ussop sighed. " oi Luffy, there has to be another way to get that clue. didn't you hear that people have failed to go to that island." the sniper just sweatdropped when his question was left unanswered.

" so we set sail tomorrow morning?" Sanji asked finishing the last batch. "I'll get sunny suuuuuuppperrrrrrr ready by tomorrow morning," Franky said finishing his last bite and walking towards the sunny to start working.

"Hai, everyone get good rest tonight, tomorrow we go to the other island." nami declared as everyone finished their dinner and got ready to go to bed.

____________________

the next morning came and everyone got ready to go to the other island. right now the Sunny was heading straight toward the other half of the island where dark thundering clouds could be seen. seeing that Jules had secured Rose with a life jacket which was made even better by Ussop and Franky. Though Nami had assured her that there weren't violent waves ahead, Jules preferred to be safe than sorry when it came to Rose.

as the ship headed forward and soon entered the cloudy sea, Jules moved to stand by the door to Girls Quarter along with Rose, so that she could send the little girl in as soon as possible in case of emergency.

" Rose, if I tell you to go in you do not come out until I call out your name as Gol.D. Rose. got it." Jules said looking at Rose who nodded confidently.

since the day Jules knew Rose would understand she had taught Rose this name so that in case of emergency she doesn't get tricked. in these seas, many people could easily imitate her voice or her looks but with this name, there were very less chances of anyone calling Rose by that name.

" Jules, send Rose inside, something doesn't feel right." Luffy yelled from the head of the sunny and Jules immediately sent Rose inside and locked the door. " what is it Luffy?" Juels asked walking towards the front of the ship standing right behind the figurehead.

"I don't know, I can detect some negative energy by my haki but it's too chaotic to tell where it's coming from or from whom." the captain said swinging himself back on the deck of the ship, a serious look on his face.

" hey didn't it suddenly get cold?" nami said from the main deck wrapping her arms around herself. " Hai, Nami swaaaan, if you are cold here is my jacket to keep you nice and warm." Sanji immediately popped beside her out of nowhere and placed his jacket on the navigator's shoulders. " thank you Sanji Kun." nami said and Sanji practically melted.

" yeah the temperature suddenly dropped." jimbe agreed looking around at the now Drak-looking sea. " yeah even fog is starting to appear." Robin added, "This is reminding me of the thriller bark." Ussop was already shivering, from cold or from fear god knows. "I am not feeling cold," Jules said confused looking at everyone on the ship now starting to shiver.

" nor am I but the temperature for sure dropped, i am not feeling cold only because of my fur." chopper said smiling, happy to have cold weather. " nor am I, cause I don't have skin to feel yohohohohohohoho."

" oi, there is someone at three o'clock." Ussop shouted. " what is it?" Sanji asked walking towards the railing to see.

" looks like a person," Ussop said removing his goggles as the ship got close to the person floating on a piece of wood. the man looked like he was on the verge of death with his bruised up and bloodied face from scratch marks.

" oi, are you alright?" Sanji asked to make sure the person was alive. " go away turn around, they will kill you. they.......they will ride the storm and......and they will kill you." he said panting. he had a terrified look on his face. " oi, catch this we'll help you." Ussop said swinging a rope to throw at the man but the man just kept on ranting the same thing.

"Hey, hold that rope. we can help you." Ussop yelled but the man didn't do anything, just kept saying the same thing.

" turn back, go away, they will kill you too, go away. they will ride the storm and come to kill you. go ba-" Suddenly the man was under the water as if someone had pulled him and the next second there was only blood.

" oi, did....did he just." Ussop stuttered, shaken by what he saw. " aaaaaaaaaa, the man just got killed." he yelled as he ran around the deck and everyone got alert and into a fighting stance.

suddenly the Rope that Ussop had thrown for the man got pulled as if someone or something had caught it from the sea. " oi." Zoro said as he noticed the rope being pulled. " something is gonna come up. jimbe said ready to fight if needed. " I wonder if it's a sea creature that feeds on humans," Robin said with a straight face. That made Ussop and Chopper almost faint. " I think I am getting cant - be - in - the - sea - filled - with - monsters - riya. oi chopper help me." Ussop said dramatically falling on the deck. " oh no Ussop, let me check on you this can be life-threatening." chopper panicked and started checking up on Ussop only to find nothing.

" Jimbe, look ahead." nami yelled as everyone turned to look ahead to see a huge wave, twice the height of Sunny coming staring towards them. " leave it to me, nami." jimbe said taking the helm and used Sunny to her full potential to survive through the wave.

as the wave crashed on the sunny the next followed. Between all this, no one noticed what came up on the deck. suddenly there was a scream.

" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Nami yelled as she fell face first on the deck, her weapon falling out of her hands and rolling on the wet deck. " Nami sawaaan" Sanji yelled running towards the navigator as something dragged her through the deck towards the ship railing. thanks to observation haki Snaji easily kicked whatever it was off the ship and into the sea.

"onigiri" the cook and the navigator heard Zoro call out his move as he sliced something on the deck that was about to attack Robin. " WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Ussop yelled looking at practically nothing with horror.

" gum gum no....pistol." Luffy yelled punching something and nothing in the air right in front of Ussop who stood there with jaw open in horror and eyes practically popping out. jimbe too used his moves and washed off something from the deck.

" yohohohoho, what is happening?" Brook asked slicing something with his cold sword as it fell into the sea.

"whatever it is, it's invisible. cause I couldn't see anything when Zoro attacked it. " Robin said now aware of her surroundings as she used her powers to throw away whatever that was around her. " it has some kind of scale and is slimy like a fish," she said now knowing how the creature feels.

"What are you talking about, you can't see these things?" all heads turned towards Jules as she stabbed something, and nothing in the air to her right. " what things?" Chopper asked Karate chopping something beside him as he smelled the creature.

" the thing that you just karate chopped. the fish-like thing with navy blue scales and golden eyes." Jules described as she stabbed another one near her foot by throwing her knife. " what are you talking about i can't see anything." Nami said ducking as Sanji kicked another one off the deck.

"you don't see them. they are everywhere on the deck." Juels said looking all over the deck. " hey don't you dare try to open that." she said casually as she threw her knife towards the girls' quarter door all the way across the ship stabbing something as it fell with a thud on the deck and her knife returned to her.

" no, I don't." " nor do I." "I can only smell it." several people said at the same time, defending themselves as they fought the invisible enemy.

" Luffffyyyy." Jules yelled as she charged towards Luffy, two knives in hand as Luffy ducked and her knives clashed with the teeth of the monster that was similar to all the others on the deck but much bigger and had sharper teeth. the monster growled at her as it tried to push her away and Juels did the same to it. she stared right back into its golden eyes and suddenly with a huff the monster moved back. its eyes are rounder and somewhat cuter looking. she looked at it confused as it stepped away from her. The monster let out a sound which was a mixture of a howl and a growl as suddenly all the monsters on the deck that were attacking the other starwhats stopped and stepped away.

"Well, that's weird." Jules said not sensing any more violent intent from the creatures. " hu, what are you talking about Jules Chan." Brook asked seathing his sword not sensing any more creatures around him. " it stopped, you guys really can't see them. they all stopped when this one growled or howled or whatever." Jules said pointing at the creature in front of her. but all the other saw was nothing.

"There is nothing there." Ussop said and suddenly shivered hearing the deep growl coming from the creature in front of Jules. " hey Jules can we eat it?" Luffy asked and the creature in front of Jules practically whimpered. " what? no, I guess we can but it's kinda cute to kill and eat, and you can't even see it how are you gonna eat it. even the dead ones are not visible to you guys." Jules said and the creature was now confused if it should be thankful to Jules or be scared of her for considering eating it even for a second.

" are they sea creatures? I can't understand them like I understand other sea creatures.

Jimbe asked now being able to hear the creature growl but not understanding. " yeah what are they i can't understand them either. " Chopper said sniffing as he smelled the salty smell of the creatures around him.

" well I can't understand them either but I can see th......" " Jimbe watch out for the wave." Nami suddenly yelled as a huge wave crashed on the sunny almost washing out everyone off the ship, but luckily nobody went overboard. " where the hell did this sudden storm come from? as per my prediction, there wasn't supposed to be one, even though there were dark clouds." Nami said frustrated at her soaked outfit and cursing while looking at the grey sky.

suddenly the creature in front of Juels howled again and the other creatures followed. Suddenly the waves got calm and the sunny stabilized, but the dark clouds remained. " could it be, that the thing that man was talking about were these creatures?" Robin said joining the dots in her head.

" what do you mean, Nico Robin?" Jimbe asked. "the storm, it stopped when the creatures howled and they came on the ship when the storm started. they might be the things that killed that man. he did say they would come riding the storm." Robi explained.

" so.. so...so these invisible creatures killed that man? o..o..oi Luffy let's turn back, this island doesn't seem good. first, it's cursed, then nobody has ever reached it, and now this dead man and invisible creature. it's not safe here Luffy." Ussop was practically begging now but Luffy just laughed. " shihishishi, that sounds like fun Ussop." with that Ussop almost died as he slumped on the floor regretting life's decisions.

as the usual chaos erupted on the deck again, Jules looked ahead at the island as it practically shined with sunlight and birds flying in the clear sky right above the island. the island's weather seems weird, the sea surrounding is full of deadly storms and creatures but the island has pleasant tropical weather." Nami said standing beside Jules.

"I am curious to know what this island hides," Jules said staring at the beautiful island in front of her.

Chapter Text

" sugoooooiiii, the weather here is so nice," Luffy exclaimed as he Jumped down the sunny on the sandy beach of the island. the whole island was bordered by beautiful sandy beaches and filled with lush green forest.

" well according to the map if we walk along this beach towards the west we will reach the cliff from where the island broke off." Nami said holding the new map of the island she had. " that cliff should have a temple-like structure according to the books we saw." Robin pointed out.

" so who is staying to guard the ship?" Nami asked looking at everyone as nobody responded. the creatures still stood near the sunny and growled. " seems like they are ready to guard the sunny." Jules said as the leader of the creatures nodded with a gruff. Nami and Ussop sweat dropped not really trusting the monsters that tried to kill them some time ago.

"Yosh, let's gooooo." Luffy said running off in the wrong direction and Zoro following him. " papa me too." Rose yelled as she too ran off behind Luffy. " wait right there" Jules said throwing her knife towards Luffy which landed in front of him, making him come to a halt abruptly and fall face-first on the sandy beach. Robin too sprouted two hands to stop Rose from falling face first as she too suddenly stopped. "hehe heh, Robin that tickles." Rose giggled as Robin passed her with the help of several hands and made her stand right beside Jules.

" you are going in the wrong direction, baka," Nami said dragging Luffy in the right direction. " you too marimo, don't get lost, it's troublesome for Nami san." Zoro huffed and scowled as Sanji kicked his butt pushing him in the right direction.

as the group of pirates walked along the shore following Nami as she dragged the captain everyone took their time to look around and enjoy nature. rose asked hundreds of questions and Jules tried to answer all of them.

" oi, what happen Robin?" Franky asked noticing Robin who stopped suddenly and looked at the dark forest to her right. it must be a hallucination, she thought. " nothing Franky." the archeologist assured him as they kept walking.

" suuuuuuuppppperrrrrrrr, is it what I think it is," Franky said removing his goggles as he walked towards the huge trees in front of them. the stump of the tree was as broad as the sunny and some were twice or thrice its size too. some thin and some broad but still strong-looking roots hung from its branches which were covered in lush green leaves.

" sugoiiii, such a huge tree!!!!" Luffy said in awe as he walked closer to it and stretched his arms to circle it and hug the tree. " look how much I gotta stretch to hold my hand on the other side." the rubber captain said retracting his arms and jumping in amusement and excitement.

" Mumma can't see the top," Rose said looking up at the tree trying to see the top. Her little head was trying so hard to bend back more to be able to see the top but she ended up stumbling backwards and fell on her but with a frown on her face.

" here I'll show you the top. Sanji said as he stood behind her and picked her up. " ready?" he asked looking down at the little girl in his arms, she nodded, unsure what he was gonna do. " here we go" Sanji said as he jumped up but instead of coming back on the ground he sky walked upwards as Rose giggled and laughed amused to be flying. " Snaji, we fly," she said looking around as the land below her got further and further away. in response, Sanji just laughed.

' how far up does this tree go?' Sanji thought as he kept on flying up but still didn't see the top. after several more feet, the branches got thinner and thinner, and finally, the top was visible just touching the clouds.

" sugoooiiiii, tree touching cloud." Rose pointed out, her eyes shining in excitement. " tree so big Sanji." " yeah this is one hell of a huge tree," Sanji said agreeing, himself amazed by the height of the tree.

it was faster to get down than to go up and soon the duo landed as Rose laughed loving the cold air rushing through her face and hair. " Snaji again." she said when the cook placed her on the ground. " some other time Rose Chan," Sanji said looking at Jules and then at Rose. Rose got the point and looked at her mother with a huge smile. " did you have fun?" Jules asked kneeling down and brushing Rose's hair with her hand. " yes, it was so fun mumma. I see the top. it was touching clouds." Rose said animatedly moving her hands around.

" yeah, this tree is huge." Sanji said and Franky laughed. " that is because it's the great treasure tree, or Adam tree. the strongest tree in the world." Franky said amazed and still not believing he was actually seeing the tree in front of him. and not one tree but several Adam trees.

"Adam tree, you mean it's the tree you used wood from to make the Sunny?" Zoro asked admiring the humongous tree. " yes Zoro bro, it's very hard to find and very expensive too, i got its wood from the black market for the sunny. I never thought I would see the complete tree."

"That's true. these trees are very very rare to find. and you have made one hell of a ship from it Franky." Jimbe said.

"This is a good chance. I can take some of this and store it on sunny. it will be useful for repairs and redesigning, I won't have to spend money on getting more from the black market." Franky said as everyone admired the trees as they walked further along the shore.

Robin again felt something deep inside the forest but when she turned around to see there was nothing there. After it happened again sometime later she was sure she wasn't hallucinating. " you sensed that too?" she was startled when the green-haired swordsman suddenly walked beside her. " I see it's really not a hallucination then." that's all she said as they kept walking. in the distance, the cliff was visible now and the closer they got to it the more that weird presence was noticed by the duo.

soon they realized that the presence was walking along with them practically following them but from inside the dark forest. the straw hats and the presence walked parallel to each other now. Luffy was so excited to explore that he didn't care to keep observation Haki active nor did Sanji. Robin tried to use her devil fruit powers but couldn't see anything in the darkness of the Jungle. Zoro was on high alert too.

when the group reached the cliff an old temple-like structure could be seen. it was pretty much broken and nature had taken over it a lot too, with moss and small plants and grass growing everywhere on its stone walls. intrigued by the historical building Robin stepped forward, gently touching a collapsed wall and examining it with keen eyes.

it was as if she was trying to uncover the building's stories as if she was talking to the old walls and pillars as they told her their old Tales. " it's at least 1000 years old." she said walking around and touching more broken pieces. she spotted the black stains on the grey stone and traced them, transferring the black color to her fingertips. " these are due to burns. must be the remains of Buster Call. " she stated kneeling down to look at the broken arch with intricate design.

"Let's go in and see." Luffy said already about to enter the half-broken temple. " wait Luffy." Nami yelled at the rubber man and grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him back. " the building looks very damaged, old, and fragile, with your excitement it will probably collapse in a second." Nami explained. " so please stay calm, we don't wanna die with a building falling on us." she said bonking him again " Understand?" she asked and Luffy perked up "Ai ai sir." Luffy acted out as a marine officer and then laughed like an idiot.

with cautious steps, except for Zoro and Luffy who honestly didn't give a shit, entered the temple. the duo still was careful, not wanting another hit or debt increase. " the carvings on these walls are so pretty." Ussop said as he admired the artwork inside the temple. half the temple was damaged but still a lot of carvings and sculptures were still there.

"Indeed, it's suuuuuppperrrrr, work done here. and the architecture of this building is excellent too." Franky said looking at something in the middle of the floor. " what are you looking at Franky." chopper asked standing beside the cyborg now.

" you see that hatch there. it probably leads to an underground tank. that white line around it is dried salt. seeing the water level outside, during high tide a lot of water must come inside the temple. this hatch here helps drain that water to prevent the seawater from staying in the temple."

Franky explained. " that doesn't seem right Franky. it's high tied right now that too at its peak." Nami said frowning. " then what is the hatch for?" that residue of salt and minerals indicates that seawater comes in here." Jimbe asked examining the salt and minerals.

"sugggoooooiiiiii" they heard Luffy's loud voice from further inside the temple. apparently, Luffy, Zoro, Brook, and Sanji had gone ahead of the remaining. Juels and Rose who were looking at the carvings perked up hearing Luffy shout. everyone followed the direction the voice came from and found Luffy with his jaw dropped and eyes sparkling. when the new arrivals followed his line of vision Nami's eyes turned to that of berry signs as she swooned over the huge white diamond in the middle of the room. " wow, it's so pretty mumma." Rose said tugging Jules's hand but her mother was lost in some world, starting at the pretty diamond in the room.

" we should take it, it has to be about 800 million or even more," Nami said swaying around the diamond as Sanji swayed around her whipped by her - according to Sanji - greedy money-loving beauty. watching them a picture of the solar system popped up in Robin and Jimbe's mind with the diamond being the sun, Nami the earth going around the Sun (diamond), and Sanji being the moon going around the earth (Nami).

" yes, yes Nami, let's take this diamond. Franky can fix this huge diamond on the sunny it will be so cool." Luffy said already beside Franky and asking him to do it. Franky just sweatdropped at that though. but this earned Luffy a bonk on the head from Nami "No we can sell it have lots of money. Oh, I'll get to do so much shopping." Nami was already daydreaming about being surrounded by riches.

"Mumma. Mumma. Mumma." Rose pulled on Jules's skirt but the mother did not budge as she still stared at the diamond. her eyes solely focused on the diamond and void of any emotion. Rose's desperate cries to get her mother's attention were heard by everyone except Luffy and Nami who were arguing in front of the diamond. " oi Jules, sister Jules" Franky called out to her but still nothing. Robin sprouted a hand and tapped Jules but still no response.

"Mumma." Rose whimpered her eyes watering and lips quivering. " o..oi Rose, your mumma is okay nothing is wrong." Ussop said trying to get Rose's attention but the little girl only looked at her mother who was in some kind of trance. " Rose, look at me here watch this." Chopper tried and made some funny faces but Rose didn't look at him." mumma." she said again but still no response. Zoro walked up to her and picked her up. " hey little devil, your mother is okay, you know she is strong right. she is completely alright." he said walking a bit away from the petrified Jules and making Rose look at him. " mumma okay?" she asked and Zoro nodded. trusting the swordsman Rose clumsily wiped some tears that had rolled down her cheeks. sniffing her nose she put her face in Zoro's chest as she breathed and calmed down then rubbed her face on his clothes. Zoro grunted seeing the snot on his clothes but sighed when he saw her giggle.

"Luffy You okay? Luffy." they heard and Zoro tightened his hold on Rose as he walked back and saw Jules standing near the Diamond still in a trance but it seemed that she was hypnotized by the diamond. and Luffy opposite to her the pillar with a diamond between them. Luffy's hand was on the left side of his chest and he was out of balance. steam was coming out of his body and he looked distressed.

"It's out of control," he said breathlessly still clutching his chest. everyone was worried. two of their crew members were behaving weirdly and a little girl who was closest to the two was scared as hell. there was just too much chaos and no one understood what to do. " oi, Jules." Zoro yelled noticing her about to touch the diamond. she didn't hear him and everyone anticipated what would happen once she touched the diamond that had hypnotized her while Luffy was still struggling.

he could feel his heart beating abnormally and his abnormal heartbeat filled his ears. he couldn't hear anything other than his heart beating. with every second the sound was taking over his senses as the voices of his nakama shouting at him and Jules faded and only his heartbeat remained.

and in the next moment, a bright light traveled down from the diamond to the pillar and into the ground, and at the same time, Luffy's heart stopped.

silence.

dengarous silence. the kind of silence that comes before a storm.

and then as expected yet not expected it came. the storm. the danger. the shock.

with a slow but loud noise coming from above them, the straw hat crew looked up at the stone ceiling and saw it open up like a hatch.

and once it was completely open there was no time to process what all happened simultaneously. Luffy who was still struggling suddenly collapsed on the ground. the white light that traveled from the diamond through the pillar to the ground shined bright. last but not least salty sea water suddenly came pouring down through the now open ceiling and dropped with terrifying force on the newest member of the crew and took the form of a ball with Jules still inside it looking unconscious with her eyes closed. the water ball still had a current of water attached to it coming from the ceiling.

all this happened in a matter of seconds and the crew didn't understand what exactly happened. and after a few seconds when things finally processed it was utter chaos. Rose was in tears and screaming for her mother and papa not understanding what happened to them. Zoro who was still holding her didn't know what to do to calm the little girl down or worry about his crew mate or his captain. chopper was already beside Luffy panicking and crying but still trying his best to help Luffy. Ussop was panicking along with Brook and Nami. Sanji was mostly only worried about Jules and Rose and circling the water globe Jules was in. Robin was worried but kept calm for everyone's sake and the same with Jimbe.

" Robin," Zoro called out and Robin understood. She sprouted several hands took Crying Rose from him and tried to calm her down as she walked away to another room in the temple. if anything happens to Jules or Luffy, Rose better not see that. " Chopper how's Luffy doing," he asked taking control of command while everyone was panicking.

" Zo....Zo...Zoro... hi..his heart." Chopper said crying hysterically. " what is it Chopper? get yourself together and tell me." Zoro yelled a bit as the situation was getting out of hand. Chopper wiped his tears reluctantly. he understood he needed to get his shit together as Jules might need his help too.

" his....his heart it... it's not... not beating. Luffy's heart's not beating." Chopper said at first whimpering and then shouting out loud for everyone in the room to hear. Robin too who was in the other room heard through her powers and stiffened and looked down at Rose who was kind of calm down now.

everyone in the room went silent. only the sound of water flowing from the water globe. " that....that can't be true." Nami said not believing Chopper. " oi Chopper check him again." Sanji said, a slight quiver noticeable in his voice." " oi Chopper bro, that can't be true." Franky said removing his goggles. " Luffy." jimbe said worriedly. " Luuuuuffffyyyyyy." Ussop cried falling beside the unconscious Luffy.

" chopper that can't be true," Zoro said much more harshly now. this can't be happening Luffy's heart stopped beating so easily? " o...oi Luffy." Zoro said nudging the captain's face a little with his sword only to step back startled when a loud noise filled the room.

DHUM

DHUM DHUM

DHUM DHUM DHUM DHUMD DHUM DHUM DHUM DHUM DHUM

it sounded like drums banging loudly. and then they started beating on a particular rhythm. Snaji, Zoro, Ussop, and Jimbe looked at each other remembering where they heard this sound. they sighed in relief but still looked confused as somehow now everyone looked like they could hear it.

suddenly more steam started rising from Luffy's body and his body jarked up. and again and again. it happened and with that, all his clothes turned white and so did his hair. a smile formed on his face as he jerked up and stood on wobbly rubbery legs. everyone looked at him stunned. all of them worried not understanding what happened to their captain.

" shishishshishishishishsi." Luffy laughed as he stumbled around as if he was drunk. his voice was the same as usual but it had a sinister undertone to it. and that smile that was so contagious looked much more psychotic now. Franky gasped looking at his eyes, bright reddish pink with a sparkle in them. all the while Luffy just giggled and laughed as if he had heard some hilarious joke.

suddenly he stood straight. no more wobbling around or laughing. " o....oi how did this happen?" he looked up at his crew and asked utterly confused. " we should be the one asking you that Baka." Ussop yelled hitting Luffy on the head but it was soft and a lot more rubbery so it didn't hurt. " hu, hey did you become more rubber?" he asked and Luffy just laughed but it was his usual laugh.

"it seems you have awakened your fruit Luffy." Jimbe pointed out looking at the ground which was bouncy and rubbery under Luffy. " shishishishi, yeah it happened while fighting Kaido. I call it gear 5." but this doesn't look like a paramecia awakening." Sanji pointed out. " what do you mean Sanji Kun?" Nami asked "Well you see like Pramecia awakening he is affect -" Sanji was cut off as Luffy suddenly started laughing again but this time it was again that maniac-like laugh that made everyone shiver.

"Finally, after all this time." Luffy's voice was deeper and heavier in an excited yet cold way as he again started wobbling around like a drunk. " Lu... Luffy." Chopper called out and Luffy just laughed and walked towards the water globe. " shishishishsihsishsi, this is gonna get fun now." he said looking up at the globe still laughing with that scary smile of his.

he again went stiff suddenly and then looked around him confused. " hu when did I walk up here?" he asked confused. " AAAAAAA, oh no, Jules." Luffy screamed and panicked when he saw the unconscious Jules inside the water globe. " hey, Jules, you okay, Ju-" he was cut off mid-sentence by himself as he grumbled in a deeper voice as if annoyed. " stop taking over and let me be in control damn it," he said to no one. everyone was more than confused now. Luffy was behaving weirdly. "shishishishishi, now where were w-" he was again cut off by himself as he again went stiff. " oi what are you doing? how come you are taking over completely." Luffy again asked no one in particular.

"This is the last time swear, once this task is done I'll completely get mixed with you and we won't be different then, this is the last task I have to do before I give you full control." he said again switching back to his scary self and said with a sigh. " hu? means I am still not in full control?" the original Luffy was back and asked. " stop switching and no, I hadn't given you full control, why do you think you turn old when you use gear 5. once I give you full control it will get better and after some more use you won't have that issue anymore, now let me see her, don't you dare switch back." the scary Luffy said sounding like he was done with the original Luffy.

And the next second it was like the original Luffy was completely gone and the one with those red eyes and sinister smile was back laughing like a psycho again. " shishishishishsi, now where were we, ah ha, Jules. finally, you are here." he said looking at the floating Juels inside the globe.

he looked at the diamond in front of him and gently touched it. " I am sorry for what happened, you guys swore to support me and help me but I wasn't there to help you. even though I was never able to come here to help you, you all made sure that when I do come back you'll be there to help me once again. I might be much much more powerful than you guys but without your help at that time I would have died way early and this time I wouldn't be able to reach the last island. I failed to protect you all dear to me then, but I promise that this time I won't let it happen. this new guy will do what I couldn't. thank you again for making sure I had your help in the future. thank you people of Oceania." he said looking at the diamond fondly with slight tears rolling down from his pink-red eyes. his was filled with pain and guilt. he thickly swallowed as he tried to hold himself together. he gently leaned his head against the pillar and sighed, calming down.

"Okay, take over now. my last task is done," he said again to one and his posture changed and the crew understood their Luffy was back. he was still in gear 5 form but completely in control now. he stared at the diamond sadly, wondering why he felt so sad. maybe it's his fruit feeling. he still needs to use it sometimes to gain complete control.

he was about to turn around to look at his crew when he sensed something coming towards him from the right and he stretched his hand just as a red laser beam came towards him. he easily held it because of his awakening. With a firm pull, the now rubber turned red laser-like light was followed by the machine it came from. it was a black ball-like machine with a single red eye from where the laser came from. with his other hand, Luffy held it and crushed it to pieces.

the whole crew got alert seeing the serious look in Luffy's eyes. more laser lights came from different directions the crew fought them off. " what are these things, I thought this island did not have civilization." Nami said fighting a laser with the help of Zeus. " I think these are the things that felt like following us through the forest. " Zoro said slicing a beam. " yeah these seem like those," Robin confirmed her hands bringing another machine and crushing it.

"We got to get out of here." Ussop said crying while fighting off the beams. " yeah but what about Jules, is she even alive being in the water so long." Robin asked. that statement made everyone worry about Jules still there in the water Globe. " Zoro, Sanji Jimbe, make sure everyone reaches Sunny safely, I'll be back with Jules." Luffy said pulling another Machine. " oi Luffy." Zoro looked at Luffy and understood the seriousness of the situation. " hey curlybrows, let's go."

with that everyone reluctantly left, the machines probably following them as Luffy didn't have to fight any more laser beams. he stood right in front of the Globe and touched it, but immediately felt weak like never before. something was wrong, he felt much more weaker than usual when he touched the water or seastone. due to sudden weakness, he felt himself lose energy rapidly and he realized his gear 5 was at its end. it was ending too soon, and he wondered why. he felt his skin get loose and his body become weak, and he slouched. he collapsed on the floor looking like an old man as his vision started getting black spots and soon everything turned black. the last thing he saw was a bright blue light surrounding Jules inside the water globe.

_________________

here are some image references of some things from the chapter.

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful day. the sun was shining bright. there was slight humidity in the air but there was a pleasant cold breeze flowing. small children ran here and there around the village as the adults went on with their day. the small village was full of happiness and activities. people went on about their day doing work when there was a loud sound of a horn. when the sound came everyone stopped their tasks and happily looked at the huge house at the other edge of the village. There was an excited smile on everyone's faces as they all gathered in front of the house.

with another blow of the horns, the giant doors of the house opened and an old man walked out along with an old woman. they had a kind and happy look on their face as they beamed to see the people gathered in front of the house.

" people of Oceania, today we again gathered here to celebrate our gift, our blessing from the sea, and our strength. the new generation is now ready to accept it too as today on this auspicious day of our new year we pray to the sea again to grant the young ones its blessings and awaken their true capabilities." the old woman said with a soft yet authoritative voice.

at the end of her speech, the crowd in front of the house cheered. then a group of young adults walked out of the huge house. some of them looked happy and some of them looked nervous but all in all all of them looked proud of themselves.

with the old couple in the lead followed by the young adults, the whole crowd followed them to the deeper parts of the island. going through the thick forest they all now stood in front of what looked like a majestic temple on a cliff. the cliff curved and formed a circular shape.

exactly opposite the temple was a port where many ships were docked. the crowd stayed out of the temple as the old couple and the young ones entered. inside they stood in a room with beautiful carvings on its walls telling the ancient tails of their island. the temple didn't have any statues of anything that seemed like it was worshiped. there was only a beautiful goblet of water in the middle of the room placed on a pillar.

" go one, one by one drink the water from that goblet." the old man said encouraging the youngsters." one of them with a confident look in her eyes stepped forward and cupped some water in her palms and drank it. As soon as she swallowed it the hatch on the ceiling opened and the sea water entered falling with huge force on her. She got swallowed by the water and in a second her eyes glowed bright blue and the water retreated.

one by one all the youngsters in the room went through the same process. once it was done the water splashed on the floor completely. the old man pulled a liver and the water flowed to the outer room somewhere and the ceiling hatch closed.

"Now everyone, your true powers are unlocked now. the sea has blessed us and it expects us to use these powers for the greater good. I hope you all follow the steps of our ancestors and righteously use these powers."

the group of youngsters cheered and the vision suddenly turned black. the scene changed and now again the village was seen. but it was empty. there was no one in the village and dark clouds were surrounding the sky. far away screams and cries could be heard. it sounded like a battle was going on. soon the sound of footsteps was coming towards the village from the forest. in a minute all the villagers came out running from the forest. They all were injured and bleeding. they looked distressed and seemed like they were running away from something. the only thing in their eyes was fear and agony. they all ran past the village and towards the cliff where the temple was.

following them people clad in white and blue came from the forest shooting at the running villagers mercilessly. hearing all the noise small children who were hiding in the houses came out and the navy wasn't even kind enough to spare them. it was a massacre in the village and it was completely destroyed and nothing but burning houses and the bloody ground was left behind as the soldiers followed the other villagers towards the temple.

on the other side whatever remaining villages were there, entered the temple struggling to even take another step. with shaking legs and bleeding bodies leaving a trail of blood behind them. outside the temple just as the soldiers came near the temple the den den mushi of the captain started ringing. " admiral, this is captain speaking, we have reached the temple the villagers are hiding in." " retreat right now." the admiral said. " but... but sir the villagers." the captain asked. " let them be, just retire fast. you have only 5 minutes. " the admiral said on the other side and hung up. " the captain sweat in confusion and panic. " everyone, retreat fast, we have only 5 minutes." the captain ordered the soldiers to go back.

in side the temple, the villagers that were still alive gathered in the room where the goblet of the water stood. they all circled around the pillar and fell on their knees as they cried and begged. " we have always worshiped you and been grateful for the blessing you gave, oh the mighty ocean. but today evil has taken over the world and is sailing these seas and controlling them. though blessed by you, we aren't strong enough to fight them. but we have sworn to help our savior and our friend for as long as he needs us. we are true to our words and won't go back on it. our savior though strong fell defeated. but we know, we know he will return, and liberate the world from this evil power. and when that day comes we want to keep true to our word and help him reach his goal. oh the mighty sea, please grant us this wish. we want to stand beside our savior as we promised and help him achieve his dreams as he did for us. we owe him our freedom and our lives and we cannot die here like this today without fulfilling our promise. please mighty ocean, grant us our wish."

the villager prayed and begged as they cried and bled slowly losing their life forces. one by one they started collapsing on the ground as life left them cold on the temple floor. but till the end whoever was left alive prayed. when there was only one villager left the hatch of the temple ceiling opened and the sea water came in taking the form of a blue whale.

"my child, you all have worshiped me for centuries and righteously used the blessings I gave you. I know what your savior did for you and how much it meant to you. fate did him wrong and it breaks me to see such evil taking over the world. when he returns he will definitely need your help. For him to return he needs to make a deal with the devil. but with a heart as pure as his his dreams and ambitions won't be moved and he will still chase them. and to do that he will need your help. I cannot revive the dead nor can I stop your end but I can bless you. I can bless your people all over the world." the whale spoke in a soft and painful voice. it hated watching its worshipers, its friends suffer but blessing them was all it could do.

"Please, please bless us mighty ocean. we are ready to die but as long as there is a way to keep our word we are ready for anything." the last villager standing said with determination.

it was true. it didn't matter what happened to them, every single villager wished only one thing. and that was to fulfill their promise to their savior, their dear friend.

"I shall grant you your wish then. with the strength from the will of all Oceanian people, I give the blessing that when your savior returns so shall the Oceania blood which is broken in pieces all around the world. only one Oceanian will be born who will carry the strength of all of your will and fulfill your promise." the whale said and deformed into a splash of water all over the floor. all the after washed away the blood on the floor and turned into a small ball and rested on the pillar in the middle of the room and took the solid form of a big white diamond.

the last standing villager cried tears of joy, happy that their will would be carried on in the future. the sky outside grumbled as lightning struck again and again. the last villager limped towards the window and saw how dark the sky had become. the sky glowed green and then turned to a bright red as a huge red beam dropped on the island and the thick forest started burning and the island shook from the force.

the villager limped back to the pillar and got on his knees, joining his hands and closing his eyes chanting a prayer. the bodies of dead Oceanians all around the island glowed as the villager borrowed all their energies that were left in his prayer. the sea surrounding the island rose up and a thin layer of seawater covered the whole island like a dome. As more red beams struck from the skies, they didn't reach the island as the seawater barrier stopped them.

but the villager was weak with all his injuries and blood loss, hence the protective layer was weak. with the pressure of the beams, the island shook violently. As the villager struggled to keep the barrier the pressure increased and a loud crack was heard. due to the pressure the island started breaking. the small crack got bigger and bigger as the island broke in half.

the barrier broke and the red beams struck on the land and the sea. the other half of the island drifted away as the sea got violent because of the attack from the sky. With the last bit of his strength, the villager brought up the barrier again. but it only lasted for a few minutes till it again broke as the villager took his last breath.

but till then the attack from the sky had stopped and all that remained was the haunting silence. not a single person on the island survived. the first was in flames and the ground was covered in red blood. the island of Oceania didn't exist in its true forms anymore and nor did its people.

_______________

the story of the island played like a movie in front of her eyes. As she saw the now destroyed island a tingling feeling took over her body. it was the only thing she could feel. her vision was back to pitch black. the only things she was aware of were the tingling feeling and the darkness before that too faded away and everything went numb.

Chapter Text

"Why aren't they back yet?" Chopper cried as he looked at the island worriedly. the crew as ordered by Luffy had reached sunny. it has been almost half an hour since they left Luffy and Jules behind in that temple. everyone was worried as they waited for the return of their captain and newest crew member.

Rose had cried and cried and had fallen asleep. " do you think they were burned to death by those laser machines? and now their burnt corpse lay there in the temple while we wait for them?" Robin asked coming out of the Girl's quarters. She had just put Rose to bed. " oi, Robin don't say such things." Ussop sweatdropped hearing the archeologist's morbid thoughts. " but seriously, are they okay?" he wondered looking at Zoro indirectly asking him.

"Luffy will be back with Jules," Zoro said staring at the forest edge and waiting for his captain to return. Luffy wasn't going to get defeated by such lousy things. he has to be alright, and he will be back. Zoro kept on telling himself. As they waited, the previously sunny sky above the island had turned dark like the one surrounding it.

" hu is that who I think it is." Brook mumbled to himself as he stared at the forest edge curiously. " hu, oh oh, it's," he yelled as he realized what or who it was. " it's Luffy san. everyone, Luffy san is coming here." the skeleton yelled as he saw his captain running towards the ship with Jules in his arms.

" hu, Luffyyyyy" Chopper cried out in relief and so did Ussop. " that rubber head what took him so long?" Nami grumbled angrily. Still, the relief in her voice could be noticed. "finally the captain is here, but our Jules Chan doesn't look suuuuperrr great." Franky pointed out noticing an unconscious Jules in Luffy's arms.

when Luffy reached closer to the sunny he Jumped high and landed on the deck almost losing his balance and dropping Jules. " chopper, Ju...Ju... Jules." he said breathlessly falling on his knees still holding Jules. he looked exhausted and there was no hint of happiness in his expression. his eyes were searching for the doctor desperately all over the deck. worry and fear clouding his eyes. he let out a breath he didn't notice he was holding when Chopper hurriedly walked over to him gasping looking at the completely drenched Juels in Luffy's arms.

"Luffy lay her down. someone get a few towels, her body temperature is too low." Chopper ordered checking the unconscious woman and examining her now pale face and lips. Nami and Robin hurried to the girl's room and brought out a few towels.

" I'll prepare a hot soup for when she wakes up," Sanji said walking back into the kitchen. " Luffy, after we left how long was she in water?" Chopper asked now checking her heartbeat. " I don't know after you left I was trying to figure out how to get her out but as soon as I touched the water, I got too weak, weaker than usual, and then I eventually fell unconscious. when I woke up she was lying there on the floor completely drenched and shivering." Luffy explained now Chopper, Nami, and Robin started drying Jules as much as they could.

it seems she was in that water till not so long ago. you must be unconscious for about 20 to 30 minutes. She seems fine, there isn't any injury or anything, just that her body temperature has dropped too much and she is unconscious." Chopper explained sighing with relief. Luffy was too relaxed now that he knew Jules wasn't in any danger.

"Nami let's get her into a warm bath and some fresh clothes," Robin suggested and Nami nodded. gently holding Jules, they took her to the bathrooms.

everyone else moved to the galley now waiting for the girls to return. " it's weird though." Chopper said after some minutes of silence in the galley and everyone present looked at him. " what are you talking about Chopper?" Ussop asked. " Jules, she..she was in that water globe for so long but when I checked her there was not a trace of water in her lungs." the reindeer explained. " she must have held her breath Chopper." Luffy said confidently. " oi, Luffy, no human can hold their breath for so long." Ussop sweatdropped. " he is right Luffy, Jules is not a Fishman, she can't hold her breath for so long." Jimbe agreed.

the door to the galley opened as Robin and Nami walked in. " Nami! Robin! did she wake up?" Luffy perked up and asked. " not yet." Robin responded. " what are you guys so serious about?" Nami asked as the two ladies took their seats at the table. " Chopper here said that when he checked Jules, there was no water in her lungs, which is supposed to be impossible as no human can hold their breath for so long," Ussop explained to the newcomers.

" but then, what could be the reason that such a thing happened?" Nami wondered. " well I have a theory." Franky said catching everyone's attention. " what does that mean?" Luffy asked scratching his head. " he means he might know the reason why Jules had no water in her lungs," Robin explained to the rubber captain. Luffy just formed an o with his mouth and nodded.

" ne Robin, you remember what we saw in that book?" Franky asked directly looking at Robin. " we saw a lot of things in that book Franky, which one are you talking about?" Franky leaned back in his chair. " the drawing of those people from this island." he said and Robin's eyes widened. " it can't be, now can it?" Robin wondered very much shocked surprising everyone else with her reaction. the calm and composed archeologist was rarely found slightly surprised and never as surprised as she looked right now.

" oi, what are you two talking about?" Zoro asked annoyed, as he didn't understand what was happening. " well Swordsman San. when we saw that old book about Oceania on the other half island, there was a painting on one of the pages. the drawing was a scene of a celebration and in the middle of the festivities a person who looked like the village chief sat. and that person's eyes were colored the same shade as Jules's eyes. Danny and his family told us there that Turquoise eyes are one of the major traits of people of Oceania." Robin explained looking at each and everyone sitting around the table.

" so what do you think Jules is from this island? but you also said that there are no pure oceaninan people anymore." Jimbe pointed out. " that is true. but descendants of the people who migrated out of this island sometimes inherit the turquoise eyes. Jules may be one such descendent." Robin countered.

" but again that doesn't properly explain what happened in that temple." Nami said sighing and leaning her head on the table, exhausted from the eventful day. " there was something else in that drawing too." Franky pointed out and Robin looked at him confused. " along with that chief another man was sitting there, he had pink red eyes. the same color Luffy's eyes turned when he was in gear 5." everyone looked at Luffy's chair and found it empty.

" stop raiding the fridge, you bottomless pit," Sanji yelled as he saw Luffy with his mouth full of god knows what all things in front of the now open fridge. after giving him some kicks, Sanji dragged back the captain to the dining table.

just as they were about to get back on their topic the galley door again opened revealing distressed-looking Jules.

" Jules" Chopper called out as he hopped down from his chair and ran to the turquoise-eyed woman. " how are you feeling, are you cold, Snaji is making some soup for you." Chopper was in his cute doctor mode and circling Jules while asking all the questions. " Jules, Jules, hu" he circled around her once again standing in front of her. her head was down and her hair acted like a curtain but being so small chopper walked even closer and saw what no one could.

" Jules, hey why are you crying?" he asked softly. everyone was confused about what Chopper was talking about. Just to prove what he said Juels fell on her knees suddenly and looked up at Chopper, now at his level.

she had a confused and distressed look in her moist eyes as tears streamed down them. " I...I don't know...know.....i...I woke up and.....and couldn't....couldn't help it, it.... it hurts for some reason. i...I don't know, my heart...it.....it feels too heavy, and I.....I can't.... can't breathe." Jules took a heavy breath gasping for air as she spoke not able to get enough air into her lungs.

"Hey, hey calm...calm down," Chopper said gently putting his hoove on her shoulder patting it, and instructing her to breathe properly.

"I can't.....can't breathe Cho....Chopper.....i... I...don't know, I just....just" eyebrows knit and eyes filled with sadness and confusion Juels tried to talk but couldn't finish what he wanted to say and just cried for a reason nobody knew.

" Jules, here look at me. take a deep breath and tell me what happened why are you crying? Deep breath see like this take a deep breath." Nami said sitting on her knees in front of Jules now. Juels tried to follow her instructions and composed herself enough to talk to Nami, but she couldn't stop the tears.

"I don't know Na...Nami, i....I woke up and...and my face...face was covered...covered in tears and I...I had this feeling....like....like I...I am in too much pain.....e...emotional pain.......I don't know I have this....this sick feeling and.....I just want to...want to cry. it......it feels like I...I lost something....like something very .......very impor...important to me...." her breathing had again got heavy but she pushed herself to talk.

everyone had now come closer to her as she tried to hold herself together to talk. From Nami she glanced up at Luffy who was now standing in front of her looking down at her with worry. " like how I felt when they died." she finished looking into his soothing brown eyes and then closing hers as she cried. tears ran down her face even with her eyes closed.

she couldn't understand, why was she feeling like this? she didn't have a nightmare again she didn't see them in her dreams too in fact she didn't see a dream at all. she just woke up crying and this heavy feeling in her heart, this pain in her heart as if she lost everything in a very painful way. it was confusing and infuriating.

she didn't even realize she was pulled into a soft but firm chest until she heard a sound. the sound of a heartbeat. She didn't know whose heartbeat it was but it was weird. It was different than what she knew. it had a different rhythm and an oddly soothing sound of drums. after a moment a warmth surrounded her which she knew very well. the warmth she had become recently very familiar with. As she got distracted by the weird heartbeat and the comforting warmth she didn't realise when she stopped crying and when her breathing had become normal again.

after a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes and was met with the sight of a scared chest and stretchy arms wrapped around her multiple times. then she noticed the soft breath she could feel on her crown, gentle hands stroking her hair, and the small patting on her back and slow rocking of her body.

feeling a wave of relief and safety she couldn't help but hold on to the red cardigan tightly as she buried her face in the warmth of the scared chest so that she could get a moment to hold herself together.

all the while the only thing her mind could concentrate on was the odd beating of his heart. was it always like that? why was it like that? why was it so soothing and soft yet so firm and strong? She pushed the thoughts away and with one last breath pulled away and wiped the tears on her face.

" i... I am okay now. thank you." she said as she wiped her tears and then looked up to meet the warm brown eyes again. She gave him a genuine smile to let him know she really was okay cause he didn't look convinced at first. Luffy felt like his heart suddenly bounced in his chest and wondered why he felt that but ignored it to smile back at Jules as brightly as ever. that smile. the smile she gave him with her nose red due to crying and eyes shining because of traces of her tears. and with all that as a cherry on top of those dimples on her cheek, she looked so......so....yeah cute. She looked so cute that he wanted to wrap his rubbery arms around her and keep that smile of hers all to himself. and he was very happy when he saw the slight change in her smile when she looked at others. yes, it was as if the breathtaking smile of hers was all for him and no one else. and that thought made his heart bounce once again.

______________

" so you don't remember what happened after we went inside the temple?" Ussop asked scratching his head. " yeah, I don't remember anything after that. I was so confused when I woke up in the girl's quarters. but with all that happened I didn't think about it much." Jules said, now sitting at the dining table with everyone and having the warm soup Sanji made especially for her.

" you don't even remember seeing the diamond?" Nami asked. " nope which diamond?" Jules asked genuinely wondering what the navigator was talking about. " all that happened and she doesn't even remember!!" Nami sighed in defeat. " what all happened exactly?" Jules asked. " to put it simply, you kind of got possessed by the big diamond and then got trapped in a water globe for about half an hour, and then Luffy brought you back to the ship shivering with cold, and then you broke down in the kitchen for no apparent reason." Zoro said crossing his hands and leaning back in his chair.

" damn, could have made it sound less like' it's all your mistake you got us into this situation' but I guess thanks for not sugarcoating it." Jules said side eying the swordsman but then looking at others. " what about Rose is she okay?" " yep don't worry, she was mostly worried about you and cried but she didn't get hurt," Robin said and Jules sighed in relief.

just as the topic of Rose was there the galley door slowly opened and a little girl with messy black hair and Turquoise eyes peeked from the door and gasped seeing her mother. " MUMMAAAAA" she screamed as she ran to her mumma and hopped into her lap instantly hugging her tightly. " mumma you ok now?" she asked looking up at Jules from the hug. " Yep, I am all good now. sorry for scaring you, little devil." Jules ruffled Rose's hair and lightly pinched her cute little nose. " it's ok, I know mumma strong." Rose said smiling brightly at her mother and Jules kissed her forehead softly. " right Zoro." Rose finished and looked at Zoro who just nodded and patted her head. Rose hugged her mother again and Jules gently stroked the little girl's hair and looked at Zoro. She mouthed a simple thank you and the swordsman responded with a nod.

this is what she meant when she said that being on this ship Rose would become everyone's responsibility. It meant that in moments like these, Jules could trust every crew member to put Rose first when she couldn't protect her. it meant that when Juels, her mother, and Luffy whom she called her papa were unable to be there for her someone from the crew was. cause even though Rose is her responsibility, being on the crew she becomes everyone's responsibility. And now Jules could say they all had succeded in proving that she and Rose could indeed be safe on the thousand sunny.

she and Rose truly found a family here with the straw hats.

Chapter Text

"These bots have some programming done. I thought that they were being remotely controlled or had some major programming, but they are programmed to only attack when people enter that temple. and that laser-like beam I don't know where it came from this Robot shot it but it has nothing of the sort that can shoot the beam. "Franky explained placing one of the busted Robots from the island that had attacked them.

"But if the island is not habited, how come these machines came here?" Jimbe asked. Franky just shrugged. " by the way Luffy, u didn't mention your awakening after Wano." the Fishman said looking at his captain. " hu, but didn't you find out I woke up, why should I mention it?" the said captain asked scratching his head under his cap.

"Not that luffy, your devil fruit awakening." "oh you mean Gera 5! What's there to mention?" the young man tilted his head in confusion. " well to say simply your awakening was very different." Sanji said blowing a puff of smoke. " how so Sanji Kun?" Nami asked from across the table.

" well you see Nami san, there are three types of devil fruites. Logia, Zone, and Paramecia, which is Luffy's gomu gomu nomi. when the user unlocks the ultimate power of the devil fruit it's called weakening. Logia when awakened affects the area around them naturally, like a water user being able to turn things around them into water. with Zoan awakening, the user's physical abilities are enhanced and their behavior becomes highly affected by their fruit like a tiger Zoan user gets higher physical strength and also gets predatory instincts like the animal. and finally, Paramecia fruits when awakened also affect their surroundings like the trying string fruit turning things around it into strings." Snaji explained.

" wow, Sanji you know a lot about devil fruits." Choppers said amazed by his crewmate's knowledge. " thank you chopper, when I was a kid I really liked to read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia." Sanji said with a bright smile. " anyway, Luffy's awakening was very different. his gomu gomu nomi is a Paramecia, but the transformation he had was like a Zoan. and I don't even know what that whole split personality thing was." Sanji said clicking his teeth wondering what exactly was that.

" hu is it not supposed to be like that?" Luffy asked curious about his fruit. " yeah especially since we all are wondering what that split personality thing was?" Nami said frustrated with so much confusion. " oh that, it was my fruit talking I guess. when I turned to gear 5 while fighting Kaido I was so happy and it was so fun. but when I turned to gear 5 seconds time my brain wasn't as fuzzy as the first time but still it kept on getting fuzzy from time to time. and today it was just switching from fuzzy to normal to fuzzy again. shishishishi, isn't it weird? it was so annoying though. When my mind was fuzzy it was like everything was different." Luffy said laughing in between.

"I am guessing the time you were feeling fuzzy was when it was the psycho guy talking. so creepy yohohohohoho." Brook said sipping his tea. where did he even pull it out from Juels wondered.

" yeah sometimes I could hear myself laughing in my head but I don't hear it anymore. the funny guy said we are completely merged or something." Luffy said casually.

" it is said that devil fruits have a will of their own. the switch in Luffy's behavior can be explained by that. maybe it was really the devil fruit speaking." Jimbe said shrugging in the end. " you mean that creepy guy was rubber speaking?" Nami said a bit weirded out by the idea. on that Jimbe again just shrugged.

"But Luffy why did you use gear 5 there suddenly?" Robin finally spoke. "I didn't do it on purpose. when I saw the diamond my heart started hurting and it suddenly started beating weirdly like it did before gear 5. I couldn't control it and then it just happened by itself. I didn't mean to use it in the first place." Luffy frowned his eyebrows knitting as he stared at the table. it was frustrating why he couldn't control his powers then.

" weird heartbeat? you said it happens when you turn gear 5, so why was your heartbeat weird just now when you were comforting me?" Jules said perked up, remembering the soothing heartbeat. " yeah it's been weird since I turned gear 5 in the temple. it's not going back to normal." Luffy said it as if it was a very common thing and nothing was weird about having an abnormal heartbeat. " hu, let me check." chopper said hopping down his chair and walking towards Luffy. he placed his stethoscope on Luffy's chest and his eyes widened when he heard his heartbeat.

"It's the beat we heard in the temple." the reindeer said looking at everyone. " that was Luffy's heartbeat? why is it like that?" Nami asked again a bit weirded out, Luffy just shrugged not knowing why. Nami looked at the assumed start people of the crew and they all shrugged.

"I wanna hear Papa's hath too." Rose perked up, wondering what was so unique about it. luffy just laughed and gestured for the little girl to come closer. he picked up Rose made her sit on his lap and ruffled her hair. " here you can listen to it. our heart is here." luffy pointed to the left side of his chest. Rose softly placed her heart on his chest and gasped in surprise and her eyes sparkled in aww listening to the odd heartbeat. " so cool papa." Rose said smiling brightly and aww at Luffy. " shishishishishisihi. I know right." Luffy said laughing along with her.

" hu, but you know what's the worst part of this whole trip to this island? WE DIDN'T FIND THE TREASURE." Nami yelled and ussop and chopper flinched seeing her rage. luffy was oblivious to it still talking to Rose.

" yeah, and no traces of history too." Robin said a bit disappointed. " well we at least got the diamond. shishishishishi."

...

...

...

...

JAW DROPPED. that's what the reaction of the crew was when they saw Luffy holding the fist-sized diamond in his hand with a cheeky smile on his face. " wow, so cool" Rose mumbled as the whole straw hat crew was too stunned to speak.

" wow, so cool" Rose mumbled as the whole straw hat crew was too stunned to speak
crew reaction reference. ignore Luffy and Robin in this pic. that's how the crew reacted.

Nami's eyes turned into giant berry signs as soon as she was out of the shocked state and she swooned over to Luffy staring at the diamond in his hand as if it were the love of her life.

* maybe it is *

" oi, you got that diamond?" Ussop asked not believing his eyes. " when I woke up and was taking Jules back I saw it lying on the pillar and took it. Franky, fix it on sunny. it will be so co-" Luffy was cut off by a punch from Nami. " we are not fixing it on sunny. come here, my precious baby." Nami said gently taking the diamond from Luffy's hands and looking at it dreamily with berry eyes.

_________________

"Long day hu?" jimbe said as he saw a familiar woman sitting by the helm. the woman was startled by the sudden voice but sighed when she saw the Fishman. "Can't sleep jimbe?" she asked looking ahead at the dark sky. " yep a very long day. " she agreed sighing and her shoulders slumped.

" somethings weird about this island jimbe." she said thoughtfully. " well isn't it the case with practically every island in the Grand Line or New World." the fishman said with a laugh. " I know but.....since we came here I have been feeling weird. I don't know what it is but......I feel sad and my heart aches for something I don't even know." she said placing her hand on her chest as if clutching her heart. jimbe didn't say anything about that. he could sense that there was something more she hesitated to say. he stayed silent but slightly nodded to let her know she had his attention. he gave her time to decide if she wanted to say whatever it was.

"Whenever I felt uneasy, scared, sad, had my moment of self-doubt, or whatever unpleasant feeling I felt, he was there to comfort me. As a child I always found comfort in Oyaji, then as I grew up Marco was there too. but after that, there was a time when I didn't have anyone to give me the comfort I needed, but then he came. I again found the security and comfort in him. it was definitely different. it was his devil fruit or himself I don't know but he had this warmth that made me feel like everything was okay and he was there with me, nothing would go wrong. That made me feel like I was the center of his world. after......." Jules took a deep breath, a knot forming in her throat thinking what her next words would be.

" after he...he died after they died. I craved that comfort the most, but....but there was no one to provide it. and I couldn't find comfort in macro. I was way past that era. i ...... I really needed his warmth but it was not possible. for the last two years I.....I have craved it and wished hundreds and thousands of times to just feel that comfort once again." her turquoise eyes were glistening with tears but she didn't let them slide. spending time with Luffy she had gotten better at talking about them. he wasn't holding back, she was sad but she didn't mourn them anymore, so the tears rarely slid down her cheeks now.

" but I found it Jimbe. the comfort that I had been craving for these past two years. I found it and it helps me. because of that comfort and support, I dared to start piracy again, I dared to face the world again, I am able to talk about them again, and I am able to feel like myself again. because of that security, I am confident again and I am living again. but........but I am unsure. I am unsure cause I know what type of comfort I feel. it..........it should be like the one I felt with Oyaji or with Marco but........but it's not and it worries me of my heart is feeling. it's like the comfort, security, and warmth I felt with him, and ........ and I don't know if it's okay for my heart to feel it from someone else. today again I felt it and I wonder if it's okay?" Jules finished with a heavy sigh.

she didn't know what she opened up to him. yes, she had known him for a long time but they were never close enough that she would open up about her issues to him. but she guessed it was because of the past months since she joined the crew. yes, she had high respect for the Fishman since before, but since she joined the crew, and spent time with everyone including Jimbe maybe she got closer to him. right now the comfort she felt while talking to him was not exactly like it but very similar to the one she felt with Oyaji. maybe in these past few months not only her respect for him has increased but she has also started seeing him as someone she could count on for wise advice and comfort of an elder like Oyaji. the thought made her smile softly. She liked the feeling of being a small girl she went around the wise old Jimbe. the little girl in her heart always peeked out from the depths of her heart when around him.

Jimbe let out a small cluck when Jules finished her rant about her feelings for the unnamed person. but jimbe got the memo, about who that unnamed person could be.

" you know it's okay to find comfort again right? it's okay if you find the security you seek, in someone else. he wouldn't want you to keep on suffering. he always wanted to live a life without regrets and he would want you to do the same. if there's anything that he would hate it would be for you to feel guilty for being happy again. if this person that you find comfort with is the cause of your happiness then he would want you to feel guilty." Jimbe said looking at the 20-year-old woman beside him who in that moment of vulnerability looked so small and like a little girl.

he could tell why she was such a beloved child of whitebeards. she was a strong kid with a strong will, but Whitebeard had raised her such that the little girl listened to stories from her father and looked up to her father with admiration was there too. though not blood-related she was so much like Whitebeard, so tough and strong from the outside that the enemies shivered with fear but so soft and kind at heart.

" you think so?" she asked looking up at him with her questioning turquoise eyes, filled with hope and guilt at the same time. " I know so." Jimbe said with a genuine smile, telling her he believed 100% in what he said. and he did. when Jules asked that question he couldn't help but smile and remember what Ace had told him in the prison cell.

"you know Jules, she......she is a very strong person, not only physically but also her will. She has a damn strong will, and she is worthy of being called Whiteberads child. she is adopted just like everyone, but.... but she is so much like him. so she is strong but being like Oyaji also means she is just as soft. now that I sit here waiting for my death, I feel sorry for leaving her behind. I know she will be so so hurt, but.... but I really hope her heart finds someone again. having a soft heart it won't take too long for her but she will feel the guilt. I know she will feel so much guilt, but I wish I could tell her not to. all I wish for her to be is happy. and if it's someone else who makes her happy after me then be it, she should live happily. especially when I'll bring so many tears to her when I die."

"I guess I'll think about it." Jules mumbled and Jimbe came back to the present. " don't give yourself a headache kid. you have had a long day, get some sleep." Jimbe said looking at Jules as she yawned tiredly. " yeah you are right. saying that why didn't you sleep?" she asked getting up and ready to leave. " watch duty today." Jimbe simply said getting comfortable by the helm. jules mouth just formed an o remembering the watch duty schedule. " good night then." she said turning around and walking down to the main deck in the direction of the girl's quarters. but she paused at the last step. " Jimbe." she called out and the Fishman turned to look at her. " thank you," she said with a genuine smile and then went to her room for a good night's sleep.

Jimbe turned back and looked up at the dark night sky. " your brat is just like you Whitebeard. strong yet soft at heart." Jimbe said with a fond smile remembering the great old Whitebeard and the way he always bragged about his beloved daughter and her achievements.

Chapter Text

Blinding. If she had to describe the person of her affection currently it would be blinding. Ever since her talk with Jimbe, her guilt had reduced. Don't get it wrong, she still felt guilty about thinking that her captain was a perfect mixture of cute and hot, or that talking to the rubber man was the most comforting thing in the world, or that her first lover's brother was slowly but steadily making his way into her heart and would succeed in making it flutter from time to time. but the guilt of feeling this all had gone down just enough for her to actually start admiring the rubber captain and not stop her eyes from lingering on him a little longer than necessary.

She also felt guilty for getting mad at Nami some time ago. It frustrated her that after throwing such a tantrum at Nami now she was the one who had started feeling all this for him.

It felt wrong. It felt so wrong to admire his lean but still firm body. It felt wrong to wonder if his lips would be as soft as his rubber skin. It felt wrong to fantasize about running her fingers through his silky-looking jet-black hair. She had almost done it during the carnival when they were done dancing and she was just lost in his eyes. and those eyes, those damn eyes, it felt so wrong to want their complete attention on her. and it felt so wrong when she saw him smile and couldn't help the heat rushing to her cheeks and her own lips curving into a smile.

it all felt wrong but so right at the same time.

after so much thinking one thought would cross her mind and stop her daydreaming completely. and that thought would be.

" what would Ace think."

It was confusing. She knew her growing feelings for her captain but at the same time, she still felt for Ace. She still craved his scent, his touch, his presence, she still loved him just as much as she did two years ago. and she was damn sure she was never gonna stop loving him the same. but now that she had talked with Jimbe she couldn't deny her growing feelings for the rubber captain.

With a sigh, Jules moved her gaze from Luffy who was playing with Rose on the main deck to her right looking at the sea now.

She failed to notice how just as her gaze shifted from him, the young captain let go of his tense posture. He had long ago felt the turquoise eyes looking at him, but he didn't dare let it show that he was aware of her gaze. The gaze didn't make him feel nervous would be a lie. Those turquoise eyes that he could drown in would be one of the rare things that made him nervous. but once he knew that she wasn't staring at him anymore, it was his turn to admire her. Her scent flew to his nose as the wind brushed her face. Bright turquoise eyes admiring the ocean and a small smile on her lips formed that cute dimple on her cheek.

but the more he admired her the more guilt set in. Every time he let his mind and heart wander while admiring Jules one thought would cross his mind making him gulp and tear his eyes away from her.

" she belongs to Ace. Ace his dear older brother."

It made him mad. Mad at himself for having these feelings for Jules or mad at Ace for being the fortunate one to belong to her, he didn't know. but he was mad. Was it so wrong to have feelings for someone? he wasn't dumb. He knows one cannot decide who they will love. It just happens. He doesn't know if what he feels is love or not but he knows he feels something and what he feels isn't in his control. but he isn't illiterate to social norms. Socially it's wrong. Wrong to have such feelings for someone who belongs to your brother. what feelings he doesn't know. but.....in his gut, it feels so right yet so wrong.

but then one more thought would come to his mind.

"I am a pirate, I don't follow rules, social or political, or whatever. I do what I want and what I want is to keep on feeling whatever this strange feeling is."

but that thought would vanish too once his gaze landed on the orange and turquoise ring on Jules's finger. that ring. he remembers asking about its story to Jules during one of their night talks.

" You see the orange diamond, it represents Ace and these turquoise ones represent me. he said that the turquoise is on the side because I am the one who supports him. when he gave this ring to me........it........it was our two-year anniversary and that day he surprised me and asked me to marry him. We........ we decided to get married once our goals are achieved, the day both of our goals are achieved we would marry that every day, that's what we decided. " Jules said with a fond smile and dreamy eyes as she looked at the ring on her finger.

but with her last words her smile would turn into a sad one and her eyes would be glazed with tears. to be honest that ring suits her. The gold in it compliments her slightly tanned skin and the two turquoise complimented her eyes but also brought attention to the orange in the middle.

Ace had been so thoughtful while giving that ring to her, I could never, Luffy thought as he stared at the ring now.

" Nami, we are ready to port," Jimbe yelled from the helm and the orange-haired navigator rushed out of the library.

"Be careful of the cliffs and the reefs Jimbe. a little towards the south there should be a sea cave where we can hide the sunny. this island has a small marine office, we don't want trouble." Nami said walking towards the helm.

Just as Nami mentioned cliffs and reefs Luffy along with Rose went towards the railing to look at the colorful reefs. Jules too walked down the upper deck and stood beside the duo.

" look at the pink." Rose said pointing at the pink reef with excitement. " yeah and that orange one is so spiky and cool." Luffy said pointing at another one. " be careful Luffy and don't get wet the waves crash with the reef and splash water everywhere." just as Jules said a wave crashed with a reef and splashed sea water on her.

Luffy laughed like a maniac at the irony of the situation along with Rose. Ussop and Chopper too saw the scene from a distance and were trying to control their laugh while Jules gave them a death glare.

" hu, oh, Sugoi." Luffy suddenly stopped laughing when he saw something weird. Jules looked at him questioningly as the captain stared at her neck. " what are you looking at idiot?" Jules half yelled feeling flustered by his look. Luffy though didn't notice her flushed cheeks but raised his hand forward and lightly brushed his fingers on her collarbone.

the touch made a shiver run down Juels's spine but she tried not to react. his fingers were soft and smooth. She had expected his fingers to be calloused considering most of his combat was with hands but surprisingly his hands were soft like a baby's. maybe it's because of his rubber body.

" what are you doing baka." Nami had come to Jules's rescue, who was currently stuck in between her thoughts and still being flustered by the lingering feeling of Luffy's touch.

"Hey, what was that for?" Luffy asked recovering from the beating on his head he got from Nami. " what were you doing to Jules?" the navigator asked which only made Jules blush more with embarrassment. " nothing." Luffy said defending himself. He looked at Juels properly now and couldn't help but find her flustered look cute and smile to himself.

" then what were you doing Luffy?" a smooth voice said as Robin came into the picture, trying to hold her laugh looking at the blushing Jules. " Jules got a tattoo. I was looking at it." Luffy said casually. Jules frowned at that and her blush went away. " I don't have a tattoo. because of my self-healing ability, I could never get a tattoo. in my healthiest form, my wounds heal in a second so I could never get pierced with the needle for a tattoo." Jules said confused as hell.

" hu, then what is that?" Luffy asked pointing at her neck and collarbone. everyone on the deck was there now and looked at the place Luffy pointed at and looked confused seeing the blue markings which weren't there the last they saw Jules.

"When did you get that? it wasn't there some time ago?" Ussop asked a little freaked out. " what are you talking about." Jules said as she moved away and went into the girl's quarters hurriedly to check.

and there it was right on her collarbone and neck. it looked like waves but the design was kind of incomplete. it could be easily seen how some parts were not completely done. but other than that the question was, how did it happen?

"I wonder if it has something to do with the incident in Oceania a week ago." Robin said as Jules saw her enter the room in the mirror. " what do you mean?" Jules asked turning around. " well whatever happened there with you was very weird and out of the blue and nothing really changed since then except now. I was watching you guys just now. the tattoo, it appeared when the sea water splashed on you." Robin said her eyes shining with curiosity. since she read that book about Oceania she had been curious to know more and this seemed like her next dot.

" so what's the big deal, we get splashed with seawater all the time, when there are storms or big waves on the sea." Jules said folding her arms. " if I remember correctly, we haven't encountered any such scenario. The sea has been fairly calm since we left Oceania. " Robin said raising her eyebrow.

Jules sighed at that. this whole thing was too much thinking and she didn't want to do it right now. her mind was already on overdrive because it kept thinking about her captain. " I guess you are right, but I really don't want to wonder about this right now." Jules said looking at Robin with pleading eyes. " oh yeah sure. but I guess I'll look in the local library to see if I find something." Robin said casually but the look in her eyes suggested something else. as if she knew what had Jules's mind so occupied that she didn't want to think bout the tattoo right now.

" god, she definitely knows."

Chapter Text

"Mumma, let's go, let's go, let's go." Rose squealed in excitement as she ran down the town entrance, Luffy right behind her and Jules trying to keep up with them. " Rose baby, be careful, stop for a minute," Jules yelled as she ran behind the duo.

her eyes were constantly on the duo and she didn't see the old lady and a young man walking towards her and clashed with them. " hey watch where you are going." the young man yelled recovering from the fall. " i..I am so sorry, I was hurrying behind my daughter. are you two okay?" Jules said standing up and apologizing while helping the old lady stand up. " it's okay child. I understand the heart of a mother. now go on your daughter must have run off." the old lady said with a genuine smile. Jules thanked her and ran in the direction she saw the duo going.

lane after lane of the market she searched but didn't find the duo. now Juels was worried. she trusted Luffy with Rose's safety but she also knew that Luffy was a trouble magnet. she searched every shop she could see but there was no sign of the two.

" hey pretty thing, you look distressed, want me to help you." a drunk idiot said as Juels entered yet another bar/ restaurant. She ignored him and walked up to the bar. walking around the market was tiring and she was very dehydrated.

" god where did they go? I hope they are okay," she mumbled to herself as she waited for the bartender to notice her.

" just some lime soda please." she said sighing when the bartender approached her. " no alcohol sweetheart?" the man asked a little too confident with his cringe statement. " no, and you better not sneak some in it." she threatened as she laid her head on the table.

she didn't notice the smug smile the man had, already thinking of tricking her and fucking up her drink in some way she wouldn't find out. but the man sitting two barstools away did and snickered.

"Hey, you better not mess with her. you don't know what you getting yourself into." the oddly familiar voice caught Jules's attention. She sat straight up, annoyance all over her face at the man's statement. " you know I don't need you defending me." Jules said taking the statement the wrong way.

"Oh, I know you don't need defending, especially mine." the man two bar stools away said turning sideways and showing the brunette his complete face. Jules's expression changed from annoyance, to surprise, to mischievous in the span of a few seconds.

" thirdwheel." Jules gasped in surprise and then smiled mischievously at the white-haired man in front of her. " look at you, you have changed so much." Juels said getting off her stool and sitting on the one right beside the smoking man. " I really thought I wouldn't have to chase you all over the seas and my headache would be finally over but you had to start piracy again." the man said blowing out a puff of smoke and looking at Jules with annoyance.

" what are you doing here, say what drinks on me." Juels said enthusiastically calling over the bartender. " first of all get me my lime soda and get this gentleman over here some whisky on rocks." Juels said starting off with an evil look in her eyes and finished off her order with a sweet smile. the bartender nodded and went on to prepare the order.

"I am here to arrest you." the white-haired man said casually. " yeah no shit Sherlock. let me just have my soda, you too have your whisky then we can play this game of cat and mouse all day." Jules said as relaxed as ever in her seat beside the man who intended to arrest her.

the man just sighed and replaced his finished cigar with a new one. " I really didn't expect to run into you, you know," Juels said sipping the lime soda that was just now served to her. " and why is that?" the man asked almost reluctantly, not really interested in keeping up the conversation. " well I don't know maybe cause you cant third wheel anymore," Juels said laughing at the inside Joke that she was aware the white-haired man knew too. but he didn't laugh. he just looked at her with such eyes that her laugh slowly died down and her heart became heavy. she knew that look. She knew why he didn't laugh at her joke. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat as she looked away and blinked a few times to not cry in front of a Marine.

" here keep the change." she placed the money for both her soda and the man's whisky hurriedly and got off her stool ready to leave. " you know I am serious about arresting you." the white-haired man gulped his drink in one go and got off his stool, following Juels out of the bar. " I know," Juels said now recovered from her emotional state as she looked back at the smoking man with a challenging smirk.

" just thought why not make it more fun....you know for old times sake. I miss running away from you. let's see if you have improved in these two years." Jules said before running off deeper into the town.

as she ran she didn't even look back as she knew the man was already chasing her.

" catch me if you can smoker."

_____________________

" hu....oi, I remember you guys. long time no seen" Luffy yelled as he saw the group of marines standing in front of him. " stop fooling around strawhat Luffy." one of the marines said threateningly. his rough way of speaking made an already anxious Rose clutch Luffy's red cardigan tighter and bury her face in the crook of his neck.

" hey talk nicely, you are scaring chubs." Luffy said frowning. " just because we had feast back at Punk Hazard, doesn't mean you can just make my friends upset." Luffy threatened as he felt Rose shiver in his arms. " we have direct orders from the headquarters, we have to arrest Portugas Edward Juels and if possible, her child and Starwhat Luffy as well." one of the marines said.

" but I don't want to get arrested and I still need to find Juels. Rose is missing her." Luffy said, picking his nose with his free hand.

before any of the marines could do anything two figures suddenly crashed on the ground between Luffy and the group of marines. As the dust cleared out, Luffy gleamed with happiness as he saw his green-haired crewmate. " Zoro, what are you doing here," he said catching the swordsman's attention.

" hu, Luffy!" Zoro said surprised.

" don't get distracted you pirate." a desperate female voice said as a woman with navy blue hair attacked Zoro from his right but the marimo defended the attack easily. " why are you so obsessed with getting my swords?" Zoro yelled at her, frustrated by always running into the face that gave him horrors. " because a scum pirate like you doesn't deserve such great swords." Tashigi said trying another attack, and Zoro deflected it yet again. " listen, woman, I have no interest in fighting you. and stop with your sword obsession already. I know how worthy I am of my swords." Zoro said trying to dodge her attacks.

" is....is that ..... what is that sword? how did you get it?" the woman asked eying Enma curiously. " it's none of your business." Zoro said annoyed at her. but the fight was interrupted as aloud happy voice yelled.

" MUMMA" Rose yelled as she saw her mother running towards her. " hu, oi Jules." Luffy too turned around and saw Jules running towards them. " is that? yes its Portugas Edward Juels. everyone get ready." Tashigi ordered the soldiers to get ready to arrest the pirate.

" Luffyyyyyy! Rose! there you are finally." Jules screamed so that her voice would reach the duo she could see. " Hu Zoro is there too," she yelled for no reason and in return just got an oh-so-familiar laugh from her captain.

when she got closer Luffy, Zoro, Rose and the other marines could finally see the man running behind her. " It Smoker san." the officers yelled in happiness. As Jules ran Smoker again tried to get her from her back right with his smoke, but again swiftly Jules stopped the smoke with her haki-embedded knife.

"Guys, I brought company," Jules said as she got closer to her crewmates. Luffy stretched his hand forward and it went past Jules from her left side, with haki, one punch was all that he needed to distract Smoker for enough time so that Jules could reach them.

" where were you guys? I searched for you two everywhere." Juels said slightly breathing heavily because of all the running. " shi shi shi, we went to so many shops and had so much food. we were searching for you when we met these guys and then we met Zoro and the marine lady who is obsessed with him." Luffy explained and with the last line, Jules looked at Zoro who looked ready to cut Luffy into tiny little pieces for saying all that.

" got yourself a marine girlfriend marino kun?" Juels teased smirking and Zoro shook with annoyance. " shut up woman." he said letting out a frustrated groan and Jules laughed in response.

" oh smokeyyyyy!!!!!" Luffy yelled happily when he finally noticed Smoker. "Long time no seen." Luffy said waving his hand excitedly. " oh so you know him quite a lot hu?" Juels said looking at Luffy and then Smoker then again at Luffy. " yep, smokey here loves to chase us. he hasn't left us alone since we entered the grand line." Zoro explained.

"Mumma" Juels looked down when Rose tugged on her skirt to get her attention. with a smile, Jules picked her up and kissed the girl's cheek. " yes little devil." she asked and Rose looked at her worriedly. "Mumma you hurt?" Rose asked placing her small hand on Jules's cheeks. " no baby, why would you ask that?" Juels was genuinely confused. Rose didn't say anything but Just glanced at smoker and then buried her face in her mother's neck.

Juels understood and her smile fell and turned into a softer smile. " don't worry Rose, smoker here won't hurt mumma." Jules said reassuringly patting the little girl's back. even after meeting Garp, Rose was still afraid of marines by just looking at their uniform. it was a good thing that she knew who her enemy was but she also needed to know that all the marines weren't their enemy, some were more like rivals rather than enemies.

smoker was surprised for a moment when he noticed Rose. his first thought looking at the two-year-old was - she is so cute - same was with Tashigi too. To say she was weak to cute children would be an understatement. for a moment smoker second-guessed his mission. he had direct orders from headquarters to arrest Juels. but looking at her interaction with her daughter he couldn't help his heart. it would be so wrong to separate the girl from her mother and the mother from her child. and there was no way he was going to take the little girl along with Juels. he wouldn't arrest a child even if it meant death. and the girl was only 2 years old.

so Smoker and Tashigi both stood there conflicted about what to do.

" you know Smokey well too Juels." Luffy stated. " yep I do. you call him Smokey but I call him third wheel. its it right smoker?" Juels asked looking at the said man smugly while continued patting Rose on her back.

the hell with everything he was arresting her. he hated that name she called him. The soldiers could practically see the blush covering smoker's cheeks as they tried to suppress their laugh.

" hu why do you call him that?" Luffy asked innocently. to that Juels laughed and again gave Smoker a smug look before answering Luffy. " you see, whenever I and Ace would go on a date on some island, somehow most of the time, smokey here would crash it and chase both of us to arrest us and ruin our date. it happened so many times that we started calling him third wheel 'cause it was like he was third wheeling our dates." Jules explained a little too loudly and the soldiers who were trying to hold their laugh, burst into a fit of laughter, snickering and teasing their division captain. Tashigi too was now trying to hold her laugh.

Luffy was already on the ground cause of laughing and Zoro was trying so hard not to join the rubber idiot on the ground cause of laughing. while all this smoker stood there his whole face red from anger and embarrassment.

"any way we gotta go now smokey, see ya. Rose say bye." Juels said looking at Rose. the little girl now much more confident due to everyone laughing around her, enthusiastically waved bye to the marine captain with a smile.

Zoro helped Luffy get up and they ran off taking advantage of smoker's flustered state and the officers laughing.

"Bye-bye, Uncle Smokey," Rose yelled looking back at the marine as Jules ran holding her in her arms.

smoker couldn't help but feel giddy at getting attention from such a cute child but didn't let it show. he had had enough embarrassment for one day............... no for his whole life.

she really is your copy-fire fist. damn, that girl is gonna be a trouble when she grows up.

smoker thought as he saw the pirates run off. he now knew he could never arrest either of them. Juels or Rose, even if Juels is a pirate he couldn't do that to Rose. Fire Fist's execution still didn't sit right with him, he couldn't do injustice to his daughter. Others might say he has too soft a heart, and maybe he is but this was his definition of justice and he would follow it.

Chapter Text

" God you should have seen his face," Jules said laughing like crazy as she told what happened on the island to the rest of the crew.

"how I wish I was there to see it." Nami said loving the idea of seeing an embarrassed smoker. " yeah totally, that guy has been chasing us since the moment we entered the grandline." Sanji said clucking.

"Well anyway, we have restocked almost all the supplies except for cola." Nami said back in her boss mode. " the vendor said that it will be available tomorrow." Franky said. " okay then tomorrow as soon as we get the cola we leave, with marines on this island this is risky, but going on without cola is just as risky." Nami said ticking off all the items on her list and also making a note for cola in her notepad.

" yosh we can explore more of the island, " Luffy said excitedly, and everyone sighed.

"Sanji, is the dinner ready? Rose is very sleepy from running all over with Luffy, I need to feed her before she sleeps." Juels said gently rocking a sleepy Rose in her arms. " Hai Jules Chan, Rose Chan's dinner is already done, but everyone else's dinner will take another 30 min or so," Sanji explained.

"It's alright, I am not that hungry yet. I'll go and feed Rose then." Jules said walking towards the galley. " mumma, papa feed." Rose mumbled patting Juels on her shoulder to get her mother's attention. " Rose, Luffy wants to go explore more of the island now." Jules tried to explain. " no, I want papa." Rose frowned, wanting Luffy to feed her as usual. "Luffy, do you mind waiting for a bit and feeding Rose. she insists." Juels turned around and asked the captain who was about to get off the ship.

" oh? Yeah sure. let's have dinner chubs shishishishishi." Luffy said in a heartbeat and adjusted his hat walking towards the mother and daughter. "Sanji what do we have for dinner today?" Luffy yelled and asked. " your dinner is not made yet, don't you dare eat Rose Chan's dinner," Sanji said placing a kick on Luffy's head to knock senses into him. without any care, Luffy continued on his path toward the galley.

__________________

"you can go now Luffy, she is asleep now," Jules said picking up Rose from her chair. the little girl's mouth was all messy because of her eating. with a wet tissue, Juels wiped her face gently making sure she didn't wake up. " it's okay I'll wait." Luffy said still sitting at his place at the head of the table. " you don't have to Luffy, you were excited to explore more so go. Why would you wait here anyway?" Jules said walking towards the door now. " I'll wait 'cause I want to," Luffy said simply and Juels just sighed not understanding the man, and left.

once tucking in Rose, Jules left the girl's quarters and walked out on the deck. the sun had just set half an hour ago. " get out Luffy, let me set the table." Sanji yelled from the galley as the door shut open and Luffy came flying out landing face-first on the main deck. " what did you do now Luffy?" Jules asked laughing at her captain. " I did nothing, I was waiting for you," Luffy said getting up with a frown.

" waiting for me? why?" Juels asked confused. " yeah, you are coming with me." Luffy said with a bright smile. " I am not coming with you Luffy, it's almost dinner time and Rose is asleep too, you want you go exploring." Juels said simply. " no you are coming with me, we will eat something at a restaurant." Luffy tried to convince. " what about Rose she is sleeping." Juels said pointing at the girl's quarters. " it's okay she is on the sunny, everyone else is here to look after her, we are going, let's go." Luffy said leaving Jules without any excuse to not go.

" but Luffy i...." Luffy didn't hear anymore though. The next second she knew Luffy was already dragging her towards the gangplank holding her wrist. " oh common Jules just come with me." Luffy said walking swiftly towards the edge of the ship.

" what the.......oh ok fine.......hey Robin, Rose is sleeping, keep an eye on her, smoker is here to arrest me so please be careful," Juels yelled to make sure the archeologist heard her loud and clear across the deck. Robin sprouted a hand on the railing in front of Juels with a thumbs up.

_____________

" so where are we going?" Juels asked now properly walking beside a grinning Luffy. " first we eat something." he said with a giggle in his voice. " now all of our portion of the food Sanji made will become leftover." Jules sighed. " don't worry, I'll eat it." Luffy said proudly and Juels clucked knowing that he definitely would, being such a glutton.

" look that place looks great!" Luffy said pointing at a crowded bar. the bar wasn't anything fancy but it wasn't a sketchy, stinking bar either. Jules nodded and the duo walked into the bar. they found a table not far from the bar and a waiter came over to take order. and as expected Luffy ordered an inhuman amount of food and the waiter was left sweatdropping.

" so we just exploring the island or do you have a place you wanna see in your mind?" Juels asked and Luffy laughed in response. " you'll see it." he said not giving any information. the drink Juels ordered soon came and it was followed by food. while eating and drinking the duo talked about anything and everything. Luffy too had a mug of beer, which shocked Juels a bit and she wondered why he suddenly decided to drink.

don't get it wrong, Luffy had a drink once in a while and every time he had one it would be as surprising as ever. but Jules was oblivious to the reason Luffy was drinking tonight.

The food was good and it was fun spending time with Jules, talking to her, and listening to her laugh so freely full of happiness. everything was going perfectly the whole night except Luffy couldn't help but notice the bartender stealing glances at Jules. it was just like that day. the feeling inside his heart. the burning anger rising every time the bartender looked at Jules. what was this feeling Luffy wondered. he didn't like it one bit. he just wanted to punch the man in the face.

finally frustrated enough with the bartender Luffy asked Jules if she was done, which luckily she was and they decided to leave the bar. " you go ahead I'll pay and come." Juels said gesturing for Luffy to wait outside. " wait you wait outside I'll pay." Luffy said oddly serious. to pay for the drinks she would have to go to the bar and Luffy didn't like that idea.

" do you even have enough money on you?" Juels asked folding her arms. " I do now wait outside I'll pay and come out," Luffy said again oddly serious and........ did his voice sound deeper?......... no it must be my imagination. thought Jules.

'I really need to get a grip on my feelings and thoughts.'

Jules just nodded and left the bar. Luffy on the other hand walked up to the bar, his hat shadowing his eyes and a serious look on his face. " oi here is the money for our drinks." Luffy said placing the amount on the bill on the counter. " thank you sir." the bartender said picking up the money. As soon as the bartender placed his hand on the money to pick it up Luffy stopped him by placing his hand on the bartender's.

"Before you take that money, don't you dare look at Juels like that again? I don't like it, your face pisses me off." Luffy said almost in a whisper. " what the fuck man, I'll do whatever I want, just pay your bill and leave." the bartender said snatching his hand away along with the money. Luffy just stared at the man with a deadly look in his eyes. " hey, what are you doing yelling at that man like that? don't you know who he is?" another bartender said with a trembling voice. " I don't care who he is, how dare he talk like that to me." the first bartender said. " you idiot, that's the new emperor of the sea, Monkey. D. Luffy." the other bartender said shivering with fear as he saw the look in Luffy's eyes.

the first bartender visibly turned pale as he finally felt a cold shiver run down his spine. " I.....i...I am...I am s....s....so..." before he could finish his sentence Luffy had already used his haki to knock the man out. he turned around and left the bar.

as soon as he stepped out he saw Juels staring up at the sky looking at the moon with a small smile on her lips. looking at her his frustration died down and his usual smile returned on his face. " oh that took you long?" Jules said noticing Luffy standing a little away from her. Luffy just scratched the back of his head and laughed his usual shishishishishi making Jules cluck for no reason.

"It's a full moon." Juels said looking back up at the moon." Luffy just laughed and again took hold of Jules's hand and started dragging her once again god knows where.

___________________

" where are we going Luffy?" Jules asked for the 100th time. " Just come with me. we are almost there." Luffy said for the 100th time as well but still with the same enthusiasm. it has been about an hour or so since they left the bar and the town behind and entered the forest. the forest was dark and they could barely see where they were going but Luffy kept on going still holding Jules's hand. from the moment they entered the forest Luffy's grip on Jules's hand shifted from her wrist to her palm holding her hand in a firm grip his fingers intertwined with hers.

the gesture made Jules's heart flutter but she pushed it aside. it must be an instinct to make sure they don't get separated in the forest, nothing else. but even so, she couldn't help but let her lips curve in a small smile as she felt his warmth on her cold hands.

" ah ha, here we are," Luffy said coming to a sudden halt making Jules lose her balance and crash into Luffy's chest who had now turned around to face her. With the sudden collision, Luffy firmly placed his other hand on her waist to stabilize her.

"Oops, sorry for that, shishishishishi." he said thankfully for the dark as it hid the heat taking over his face. he realized how Jules's waist fit perfectly in his hands and how even though their height difference wasn't much, she did look small in front of him. Once recovered from the sudden crash Jules reluctantly took a step back making Luffy's grip on her waist loosen.

" so....um, you said we are here what are we here for?" Juels asked trying to brush off the awkward atmosphere around them. " oh...um yeah right. I want to show you something cool, close your eyes." Luffy said enthusiastically. To be honest, Jules was surprised that Luffy managed to keep something surprise. She was skeptical but closed her eyes anyway.

she felt Luffy hold her other hand as well, his grip gentle but firm. after taking a few steps, Juels almost tripped on a stone. " ugh, Luffy at least tell me to be careful of anything in between." in response, Luffy just laughed and said okay. he slowly guided her further. Jules felt some kind of plants brush her face and arms. She recognized that she must have passed a curtain of soft roots and plants. after a few more steps Luffy stopped and stepped aside.

"Okay open your eyes," he said and Jules did so. Her eyes didn't need much adjusting and she gasped seeing the beautiful scenery in front of her. there's a large open land which was filled with flower fields. the flower field ended at a cliff. for some reason, the gorgeous white flowers were shining brightly as if they had lights in them.

"This......this is so beautiful Luffy. how did you find this place?" Jules asked glancing at Luffy for a second and again looking at the breathtaking view in front of her. " shishishishi, last night before falling asleep I was looking out the window and saw this small cliff shining. even though the island was so far away, it was easy to see this shining cliff. in the morning I asked some people at a restaurant and they said that the glowing thing is flowers and there is a flower field which shines at night. so I decide to explore shishishishishi." Luffy explained and Jules barely heard him but she couldn't help but look at Luffy with fondness. it felt good to know that Luffy shared this adventure of his only with her and no one else on the crew.

"It's so mesmerizing Luffy! I wonder how these flowers are glowing?" Juels wondered as she walked further ahead and entered the flower field. she looked around and bent a little to observe the pretty flowers. On one hand, Jules was busy admiring the flowers; on the other hand, Luffy was busy admiring Jules.

her turquoise eyes shone because of the glowing flowers they were admiring. the gentle white glow defining her beautiful face. she looked like a small girl who saw a new toy. she ran around the field and brushed her fingers gently on the flowers. her eyes filled with excitement and wonder. As she moved around the field the glowing pollen from the glowing flowers stuck to her navy blue skirt and it looked like the stars had landed on the soft fabric. her laugh and giggle rang in his ears as he closed his eyes to focus on her joyful voice.

suddenly her sound disappeared. he opened his eyes and looked around trying to find her. but he couldn't see her anywhere. his heart started beating a little rapidly and he became alert and worried. but the negative emotions stopped when he heard his name being called from a distance. he followed the familiar voice calling out his name and came face to face with blinding light. he gave some time for his eyes to adjust and what stood in front of him was a huge cave glowing in the same white-blue light as the flowers.

" look Luffy, the flowers are glowing because of this cave," Jules said without looking at Luffy as she was busy admiring the glowing walls of the cave. the cave was huge. so ginormous that they both probably looked like ants. Jules shivered as she touched the glowing surface of the cave. it was cold enough to give a frostbite if touched for too long.

" how do the flowers glow because of the cave?" Luffy asked walking around mesmerized by the sight. " look closely, the surface of this cave is very very reflective. and it's huge enough to get moonlight for most of the night. the light from the moon lands on the surface of the cave and the light is reflected on uncountable surfaces and in the end the whole cave lights up with the moonlight and then the flowers in the field are white and they glow because some amount of light from the cave lands on them making them glow. the flowers also attract bioluminous organisms which glow too." Jules explained. She turned around finally to look at Luffy and found the rubber captain looking at her with big blank eyes mouth open slightly and a little drool dripping from the side and a loose posture. all in all the young man was zoned out all the information Juels gave him gone from above his head.

" you didn't understand did you?" Juels asked and Luffy snapped out of his trance. " hu, oh so it's a shiny cave and shiny flowers, cool." he said and Juels sweatdropped. She looked at him in disbelief for a few seconds but then sighed and checked to herself and nodded.

Jules walked towards the cave entrance and sat there looking at the starry sky above, the shining flower field in front of her on the ground, and the glowing cave behind her. She sat there taking in the unforgettable view with a smile on her lips. Luffy walked up to her and sat beside her taking in her unforgettable view. yes, the view in front of him was pretty but what he found even pritter was the smile, the glow, the amazement, the wonder, the excitement on Juels's face.

Juels could feel Luffy's eyes on her and her stomach started feeling heavy with nervousness. her mind started searching for an excuse to talk to him about anything so that the awkward air she feels goes away. and among the chaos in her mind, she suddenly asked what she had been curious about the most.

"Why did you bring me here Luffy?" she asked still looking straight ahead. Luffy got confused by the question for a minute. what did she mean by that question? he wondered. but before he could say anything she elaborated on it. " you could have asked anyone to come along with you, I am sure Chopper would have loved to come here, and Nami and Robin too." Juels said finally looking at Luffy.

she knew she asked a stupid question. a very very stupid question. and she was thankful that Luffy wasn't like a typical guy to overreact to such weird questions. but no matter how weird it was Jules really wondered about it. she really wondered why Luffy took her here instead of someone else. or why didn't he ask everyone to come along? this while exploration had been nothing but Luffy giving her butterflies and Juels trying to push them away, and somewhere she wished there to be a sweet reason behind it but her knowledge about Luffy till now said that Luffy just brought her along just like that.

" because I wanted to show this place to you." Luffy said simply. " yeah but didn't you want to show this place to everyone else too?" she asked trying to make her question clear. " no, I don't want to show this place to the others."

" what? why?" well this was new. whenever Luffy found something new he would tell and show it to every single person on the crew but now he didn't want to show this place to the rest of the crew.

" cause this place is special," Luffy said with a wide smile.

that statement left Juels speechless. She couldn't help the heat rushing to her cheeks. She tried to say something but couldn't find anything to say and was left with her mouth opening and closing. " shishishishishi, you are looking like a fish Jules." Luffy said laughing hysterically. Juels was again stunned by the sudden comment but recovered fast and punched Luffy on the shoulder, doing no damage to the rubber man. " very funny." she said giving him a deadpanned look.

" so did you have fun on the adventure?" Luffy asked now looking away from her and instead staring at the sky. Juels smiled looking at him and admiring how his features looked defined in the moonlight. " yeah, I did. I felt special knowing that I am the only one you showed this place to." Juels said honestly. " that's cause you are special." Luffy said grinning like an idiot, leaving Jules a blushing mess and looking like a fish again.

for a while, they just sat there in silence, except for Luffy constantly humming some song. they had some small talk in between but mostly they either admired nature's view or each other, view. As the night proceeded the air got colder, making Jules shiver. She unknowingly shifted a little towards Luffy, little by little, and after some time ended up leaning against him her head on his shoulder as she pointed at different constellations and told him their names and importance.

Luffy really liked hearing her talk and talk about anything but right now no matter how much he tried to pay attention to her talk about constellations his heart was beating loud in his chest, and nervous and giddy feeling boiling in the pit of his stomach as he felt the weight of Jules's head leaning on his shoulder. he didn't even realize he was holding a breath until his body begged for him to breath.

but whatever it may be, he wished to stay in that moment a little longer. that weight on his shoulder felt as if he bared all the weight of Jules's sadness, pain, struggles, and grief so that she could feel light at least for some time. many times he wished, he could take away her pain but he knew it wasn't possible, in this moment, he felt like temporarily he could take it away from her. temporarily she didn't have to fight it and she could take a break. and that feeling of taking away her pain temporarily made him happy.

thinking about her, he didn't even realize, when her talk, turned into mumbling and then complete silence as she fell asleep. when she leaned all her weight on him because of falling asleep, Luffy realized what happened.

he clucked to himself, thinking how cute she looked while sleeping. he wrapped his one arm around her to move her a little and then used his other hand as well to pick her up bridal style. he tried his best to walk with caution as he left the cliff with Flowerfeld and cave behind, going back to the ship.

reaching the sunny, he found everyone asleep, he could see a shadow with an afro in the crow's nest and realized only Brook was up, on guard duty. he cautiously walked towards the girl's quarters and stretched his hand to be able to open the door. he tried his best to open it without much noise.

walking in he found the bed Rose was sleeping in and gently placed a sleeping Jules on the bed. he picked up the blanket and covered her and Rose with it. he stood there for a second staring at the mother and daughter with a fond smile. he couldn't help his urge and bent down to place a light kiss on Rose's forehead and then one on Jules's head before leaving the room with a stupid smile on his face.

he went to the boy's quarters and lay in his hammock, replaying the night he spent with Juels in his mind. before he fell into the dream land he thought.....

"Is this what they call a date?"

Chapter Text

As usual, Sanji was up before sunrise. once the sun was up whoever was on watch duty would come down for breakfast followed by the other crew members soon one by one. As he maneuvered through the kitchen taking out ingredients for breakfast his mind started thinking of what to make for lunch.

going through cabinets and drawers he picked up everything he needed and finished making the herbal tea Brook liked just a second before the talking skeleton walked into the galley. " good morning Brook, here's your tea." Sanji said placing the warm tea on the dining table in front of the old man. " good morning to you too Sanji san." Brook greeted and sipped his tea. " so anything weird throughout the night?" Sanji asked making small talk as he started working on cutting veggies and fruits. " well, nothing weird or threatening, but Luffy san and Jules Chan returned quite late at night. Luffy san was even carrying a sleeping Jules Chan in his arms, yohohohohoho, young love" Brook said ending with a sigh, probably thinking of his younger days.

" oh, so that rubber idiot already made the move? I thought it would take time." Sanji said perking up the skeleton's curiosity. " what do you mean Sanji san?" Brook asked shifting in his chair to look at Sanji now completely.

" oh you see, yesterday after Luffy, Jules Chan, Rose Chan, and Marimo returned to the sunny, Luffy asked me an unexpected question while I was preparing dinner." Sanji said stopping his cutting to talk and resuming again once he was done speaking. " knowing Luffy san he probably asked you for some food yohohohoho," Brook said in an obvious tone. " that's the catch Brook, he didn't ask me for food, he asked me the most bizarre question to come out of Monkey.D.Luffy's mouth." Sanji said adding the cut veggies to a pot and then looking at Brook giving him full attention.

" he asked me what a date is. can you believe it? he literally asked me what a date is?" Sanji said still shocked by the question. " well that's weird but what did you answer. ?"

"Well, I told him the best I could......."

"What....what did you say?" Sanji asked wondering if the world he was seeing was real or not. " what is a date?" Luffy asked again. " you are talking about the edibles called dates right?" Sanji asked to confirm. "Huh, there are different types of dates? well, I am curious about the type in which a man and a woman go on a date. I don't understand ? what do people really do on a date?" Luffy asked stretching his head to take over Sanji's personal space.

for a few minutes, Sanji stood there as if frozen in time. but then he snapped out of his thoughts and felt ready to talk to the question. " well that's a weird question coming from you but I guess I'll tell you." Sanji said coming to the dining table and sitting on one of the chairs, puffing out smoke.

" you see Luffy, a date is basically a man showing a beautiful, gorgeous, princesslike lady, a melloarine, a goddess how much she means to him, how she makes his heart light up and makes his mind sparkle like fireworks, how much he cherishes her and how.........." Snaji rambled closing his eyes, feeling the romantic in him awaken, but stopped mid-sentence when he opened his eyes and saw a blank look on his captain's face.

oh how could he forget, he was explaining to Luffy, whose two brain cells took alternate 12-hour shifts to keep the man functioning. he groaned in frustration not understanding how to explain shit to Luffy.

" fine, let's keep it simple so you understand." " yeah you should, what do people do on a date?" Luffy asked again. " hmmm, on a date people can do a lot of things, anything to be honest, anything that makes them happy or something that they love to do and would like to enjoy doing their favorite thing with the person they like. but mostly people go out to eat and talk about anything and everything. sometimes, they bring gifts for each other too." Sanji explained without any fancy words, but still, it didn't seem like Luffy understood completely.

Luffy sat there looking at Sanji for a few seconds blankly and then got up with a big smile. " ok got it, thank you Snaji." he said before running out of the galley.

later after some time, Sanji found out that Luffy and Jules went off to explore.

"Since I got to know that, I had my doubts, but I didn't expect Jules Chan to accept the date. remember how mad she had been when Nami mentioned Luffy had a crush on her?" Sanji finished saying.

" yohohohohoh, now that is something interesting early in the morning.

"Interesting indeed," Sanji said blowing out some smoke near the window.

____________________

"I believe there is some connection with Oceania." Robin said observing the slightly faded tattoo on Jules's neck and collarbone. " why do you think so?" Jules asked sitting there patiently as now Robin flipped through some books. " it happened after we left the island where you went through some pretty weird shit, and this too happened when you got splashed with sea water." Nami said flipping to her own book. well her reason made sense but why her? and what was up with this sudden weird tattoo? all these years in 20 years of her life why has nothing like this happened but now it's happening?

"But Nami I have fallen overboard so many times since I was a baby and I have been swimming in the ocean all my life why did this tattoo never appear?" Jules asked.

"Good point we need to research that," Robin said again diving into a book. Jules sat there sighing, wondering if all this was necessary, like common it's not like it's a disease or something, it's just a mystery tattoo, let it be a mystery.

______________

somewhere in the grand line.

" the security system of the island was triggered." an old man with a deep voice said looking at his 4 companions sitting around him. " after so many centuries," another old man of the 5 said looking at the active transponder snail in front of them on the table.

" first the awakening of 'that' fruit and now the alert from 'that' island. things will start getting out of hand if this continues. " who is it though, any idea?" another man asked "One of the strawhats, for sure. before the system got destroyed the new emperor's crew was in the last photo." another explained.

" find out who it is." a distorted voice came from the transponder snail. " we have figured it out already. we just need to confirm now." one of the 5 people said. the snail's red eyes narrowed showing the expression on the other end's face. " according to the data we found out, there was a lightning attack that will be cat burglar Nami, there was an attack with a sword, so that will be soulking Brook or pirate hunter Zoro, a photo of some kicking were found, that will be Vinsmoke Sanji, several were crushed into balls or small pieces, that would be devil child Nico Robin, some were attacked from a distance, that would be the sniper, some were cut in half with laser, that would be The Cyborg, some were damaged by water, that could be Jimbe, that leaves three possibilities actually four." the younger of the 5 said.

"Those four can be, yonko Monkey.D.Luffy, pet Tony Tony chopper which seems very unlikely, Portugas.Edward.Jules, and her child. the last two are most possible, considering they bear the distinguish turquoise of their ancestors, the emperor is unlikely since he is a devil Fruit User." the oldest elaborated.

" him being a devil Fruit user doesn't nullify the possibility of him being one, it's just a theory by doctor vegapunk that still hasn't been proved." another one said.

"I need more information on this, whoever it is shall be eliminated." the distorted voice from the snail said. " as you say, imu sama." the five people in the room said together.

Chapter Text

It has been a few days since Luffy's assumed date. Nami and Robin were still researching Jules's tattoo and Jules didn't care about it much. All in all, things were going great.

"mumma!!!" Rose called out as she dashed into the galley where Jules was helping Sanji with making lunch. Jules looked up from the peas that she was cleaning and smiled seeing Rose. " what is it, little devil?" Jules asked.

"Mumma look, papa, is pretty!!" Rose said gesturing towards the galley door from where a very hideous-looking Luffy entered. Sanji looked at Luffy with horror as the young captain walked in laughing and with a proud look on his face, (whatever was visible on his face).

"What did you do Rose?" Jules asked sighing. " mumma does makeup, I did Papa's makeup." Rose said with a proud smile on her face.

apparently, Rose had sneaked out Jules's makeup and dumped every single one of those products on Luffy's face in the name of makeup, and Luffy being the great girl dad he is was wearing Rose's artwork proudly on his face.

" so Jules, how do I look?" Luffy asked with his typical smile and Jules tried her best not to laugh. but Sanji on the other hand burst into a fit of laughter practically rolling on the floor.

" y...you look?????? interesting." Juels said trying hard to control laughing.

"Mumma, how did I do?" Rose asked with hope and pride in her eyes as she looked at Jules. " you did a great job little devil, a very good job." Jules said. " shishishishishi, see chubs, I told you, you did a good job." Luffy said proudly with his hands on his hips. " yes papa."

as Luffy and Rose were talking, about how great makeup she did on Luffy, Ussop was entering the galley whistling happily.

" oh hi, Ussop," Luffy said grinning like an idiot with red lipstick spread all over his mouth and cheek, colorful eyelids, and a ton of blush on his face. The next second the screeching scream that Ussop let out was like he had seen an outwroldly monster. Ussop's scream made Jules lose her control as she burst out laughing along with Sanji who was rolling on the floor holding his stomach.

"what the hell Luffy, is that you?" Ussop asked still shivering from the heart attack he got. " yes of course, am I not pretty? chubs did my makeup." Luffy said again very proud of Rose.

Ussop really wanted to tell how scary he looked but for Rose's sake he composed himself "You...you definitely look pretty." Ussop said trying to hold his laugh. " yeah the prettiest woman on this planet, you definitely give a competition to Hancock." Jules said recovering from her laughing fit and trying not to get into another one.

" what the FUCK is that? who let an underpaid clown on the ship?" Nami said as she entered the galley as well and came face to face with Luffy. " aren't we supposed to not say curse words in front of kids," Jimbe said as he came in and sat along with Nami. " oh common Jimbe you think that kid is not gonna have sailor's tongue when she grows up?" Zoro said from the door. " we can always try." Sanji suggested. " look at yourself bartboardbrow, I bet you had the worst of sailor's tongue at the age of 5."

"Zoro is right Sanji, I can't really protect her from curse words if I am gonna sail the seas, hell even if I didn't return to piracy, she would have heard me curse anyway." Zoro nodded. he suddenly felt a tug on his pants and he looked down to find Rose looking at him with her bright innocent eyes.

"Uncle Marimo, Uncle Marimo, I did papa makeup," Rose said proudly, wanting to show Zoro what she did on Luffy's face.

no....no he spoke too soon, the eyes are innocent but the words that came out of her mouth were pure evil for Zoro. Zoro's head snapped towards, Sanji who was whistling and working on making food and trying to ignore Zoro's piercing gaze on him.

" you, it was you who taught her that," Zoro said as he stomped towards Sanji while taking out his two swords.

" and there they go again," Nami mumbled as she watched the duo bickering again. " Nami, Nami." she looked down and saw Rose looking at her proudly. " I did papa, makeup." Rose's cute bright smile was contagious as Nami smiled back at her and said. "I saw honey, you did a great job, Luffy looks lovely."

at Nami's statement, Ussop rolled on the floor laughing. " yohohohohohoho, Nami san, that was very evil of you."

as Jules watched the whole scene, she felt a warm feeling in her heart as she unknowingly smiled. it felt so good, sitting here in the galley as the people she cared about had fun. it reminded her so much of moby dick. it felt so much like home.

___________________

somewhere in the new world:

"It's a letter from Eric, sir," the man said as he placed the letter on the table and left. the man sitting behind the table with a sigh opened the envelope.

"I wonder what happened suddenly, Eric rarely sends a letter." the man said to himself. once he was done reading it he read it again, and again, and again. he was in disbelief as he read the letter. suddenly he started laughing as he read the letter again.

"it's here, the end is here. hahahahahahah." the man laughed with delight as he reread the letter again and again as his laughter only grew.

" Dragon san, Dragon san, Drago...n...san......a.....are y....you laughing?" a Young blond man entered the office in a hurry but stopped when he saw the owner of the office laughing which was quite a rare sight.

" why wouldn't I sabo, why wouldn't I laugh, everything is finally falling into place," Dragon said as he looked at his second in command with the biggest smile Sabo had ever seen on the stoic man's face.

suddenly Sabo was snapped out of his Trance as he remembered why he came there. " forget about that Dragon san, the....the navy, it's doing an unusual activity. One of the admirals has been directly contacted by the 5 Elders and has been given an Elimination Order." Sabos's words made Dragon's laughter stop and his smile dropped.

" A direct order from 5 elders, that too of elimination, they want to hide something. who are they targeting?" Dragon asked as his mind started working on thinking of every single probability.

" we could get that sir, so far we only know that one of the admirals got the direct order from 5 Elders. which one of the Admirals got the order and what was the exact order we don't know." sabo said as Dragon hummed still thinking.

" see this Sabo," Dragon said sliding the letter across the table to Sabo.

" what is it?"

" A letter from Eric." Dragon simply said. the young blond's eyes widened as he read the letter and looked at Dragon with disbelief. " this.....this letter, he....he is talking about the....."

" yes, the Sea's prophesy. The prophesy given by the sea 900 years ago." Dragon finished.

"Who is it dragon san?" Sabo asked with Hope. Dragon sighed and replied, " Eric couldn't specify that for safety reasons, but I think that whoever the 5 Elders want to Eliminate is the carrier of the will of the sea."

Chapter Text

" Luffy, stop joking around and hold onto something," Jules yelled as she herself was clinging to the mast as the sunny swayed from left to right violently through the raging seas and stormy winds.

it was a sudden storm that formed right above them out of nowhere in a matter of seconds. with one hand Jules held Rose close to her chest and with her other hand, she was holding the mast to not get washed out. everyone else was holding onto something or the other as well but the Adventarus Captin was an exception. That idiot had to sit on the sunny's figurehead even in this storm. Jimbe was another exception as he was trying his best to get the ship out of this storm. Nami was in the corner holding on to a door frame as she was yelling Orders to Jimbe to help him navigate through the storm.

in Jules's arm, Rose was having a giggling fit, apparently enjoying the stormy situation. What was her worry anyway, the little girl knew well that her mom wouldn't let her go no matter what. " you are enjoying this aren't you little devil?" Jules said as she smirked and looked down at Rose in her hold. Rose gave her a wide grin similar to Luffy's and Ace's when they were up to mischief. " haha haha, yes mumma." she yelled to make sure Jules heard through the lightning and thunder and the rain.

If she could Jules would have Put Rose in her room or even the newly built safe room for Rose. a few days back Franky had finally finished making the safe room under the deck right below Girl's rooms. the room's entrance was hidden well such that the door seemed like a wall. the interior of the room was made of metal that Franky had mixed some amount of sea prism stone in to make it safe from devil fruit users. then the metal was layered with soft cushions for comfort and safety. The door could only be opened by a key and then from the inside. the key would be with each of the crew members and once it's opened with the key the person inside will open the door from the inside with a single button. he had made sure it would be easy to open for Rose from the inside.

luckily there hadn't been an occasion where Jules had to use that room to keep Rose but, today she would have if she knew before hand such a horrible storm would hit them.

"Everyone hold on tight, things are getting rougher," Jimbe yelled from the helm. Jules shifted a little to get a better grip on the mast. she wished she could hold onto some other surface but she didn't have time for that as the storm was getting too harsh. " hold on tight to me Rose." she said as she tightened her hold on Rose.

violent waves crashed with the sunny making it move in every known direction. With each passing second the waves were getting more and more violent and huge. Jules was getting worried as things weren't looking great with how bad the storm was getting.

the next thing that happened was a slow motion in Jules's vision. a huge wave raised right from below the Sunny making her rise up and then tilt to one side along with the wave. everything happened in a matter of seconds but for Jules, every microsecond was like a minute as she saw how the Deck floor under her tilted to one side as well cause the Sunny was slowly bending towards one side and soon was parallel horizontally to the sea surface. in that second Jules panicked and then tried her best to hold onto the mast and tighten her grip on Rose as well.

as Sunny started going down it got hit with another wave hard and Juels jerked forward and her grip on the mast loosened and in that panic, her grip on Rose loosened and the next thing she knew was a heartwrenching scream leaving her lips as she literally saw Rose loose out of her hold and fall screaming for her mom as she got closer and closer to the deep dark see below.

everyone's attention went to the scene as their heart dropped watching Rose fall closer and closer to the sea below. each and everyone was ready to jump right behind her to catch her as they saw a stretched arm reaching out to grab her. Luffy screamed after Rose as he stretched his hand to grab her but got splashed by a wave and got weak and couldn't get her. With each and everyone was about to lung toward Rose to catch her as Jules too had her hand stretched out ready to let go of her own hold on the mast when suddenly..............................................................

the water from the sea right under Rose in which she was just about to fall rises up and engulfs Rose into a water ball that rises higher and higher along with the water and at the same time the Sunny crashes hard with the sea surface. in the next few seconds, a lot of things happened. everyone is still recovering from the impact when the Sunny landed and the ropes holding the sails open up breaking, as the sails fill up with air, and the Sunny moves forward at an unimaginable speed heading towards the horizon where the storm is getting clear slowly.

as soon as the harsh wind stops Jules is back on her feet as she stumbles towards the railing screaming her lungs out and calling out Rose's name.

" no...no...no....Rose...Rose....ROSE....ROSE....NOOO...." she screams looking back towards the area with the harsh storm they left behind. where they left Rose behind. hot tears stream down her face as she desperately screams. she gets ready to jump into the sea to swim back there where they last saw Rose in front of their eyes but she is suddenly held back by rubber arms surrounding her waist.

" what the hell are you thinking of doing? you can't swim back there." Luffy's rarely used harsh voice reaches her ear as he holds her tightly, her back against his chest. " no...no...m...my Rose....my Rose.....i....I need to go back there Luffy....my Rose......let go of me.....I SAID LET GO OFF ME LUFFY." she thrashes around trying to get out of his hold but Luffy doesn't let her.

being a pirate Juels had taught Rose to swim, the little girl was capable of swimming in still water and floating in the ocean, but this was a storm, and the little girl wouldn't last long in it, all she could do was float in the ocean and that wasn't enough to keep her alive there.

( for those who don't know, yes babies can learn to swim way before they can learn to walk. since the babies are basically in water when they are in the womb, it's pretty easy to float for them and learn very fast to swim. They are also rather comfortable in the water, cause it's so familiar to them. if we don't learn swimming as a baby, as we grow up, the memory and instinct of floating in water fade and we have to learn it again, and is not as easy as it is when we are baibes. So yes babies can learn how to swim way way before they learn to walk.)

instead of replying to her he looks towards his right and looks at Jimbe with a hard cold look. Jimbe understands and looks defeated at Luffy. " with how violent the sea is there, I will be fast but not fast enough. Luffy looked back at Jules who was screaming and crying still trying to jump overboard. " Jimbe turn the ship around, Franky, we use cup d burst," Luffy said in a cold voice as he looked back toward the direction of the storm. everyone starts moving around getting ready to go back to the storm.

"I don't think that's needed Luffy," Robin says calmly with a small amused smile on her face.

" o...oi Robin what are you saying? we have to get Rose back." Ussop says stopping in his tracks. " we don't need to longnose kun." Rosin says in the same tone. " ne Robin san you can't say like that, i....its r...rose chan." Brook says trying hard to not let his emotions take over.

" what are you saying Robin....how can you say that....m....my...my Rose....my Rose.... I...I let that happen to her........if not anyone then let it b...be... I...I am going back there to get my daughter.....m....my Rose. She...she can float in the sea, but.....buts it's a bad storm......she.....she wo... won't....l..last...l...long" Jules says again trying to Jump Overboard.

"Why would you go back in that storm to get Rose when she is right here," Rodin says and everyone freezes. " R..Robin....a...are you okay?" Ussop says as he starts checking Robin's forehead. " yeah she is right." Zoro says following Robin's line of vision. " what is that?" Jimbe says as he looks in that direction as well as he walks up to the railing.

" hu? A weird ball in the middle of the sea?" Luffy says as he turns around and sees it too. " isn't that similar to the weird water ball Jules got Trapped in on that island?" Nami says as the weird ball gets closer and closer to the sunny. " aaaaaaaoooouuuuuu, there is something in the ball." Franky says as the ball gets closer. " it's not something, Franky san, it looks like someone." Brook says.

the ball gets closer to the sunny and stops right in front of Jules who is standing by the railing looking at the ball skeptically as well as worried. She notices the bright pink of Rose's dress inside the water ball and she doesn't know if she should be happy or scared to see Rose in that ball. She reaches forward with shaky hands to touch the ball. As soon as her fingers touch the ball it pops up like a balloon and instantly Rose is no longer supported by it and Jules instinctively catches a giggling and laughing Rose.

Jules looks at Rose with disbelief for a few seconds still not believing her daughter is in her arms again. the next second Rose is held by Juels in a tight hug as tears of relief and fear flow down Jules's cheeks. She held her so close and tight as if she would disappear if she loosened her hold on her. " thank god...that....thank god...my...my daughter, my....my Rose..." she mumbled to herself as she fell on her knees hugging Rose tightly to her chest. everyone watched in relief as Rose was safe now. even though Luffy was happy to have Rose back safe, he couldn't help but feel like he should be stronger, strong enough that no such harm ever comes to Rose.

"Mumma, me hungry." Rose mumbled and the crew looked at the little girl in disbelief. "of course, she is not sacred." Nami said sighing in defeat. " of course, she is not crying." Jimbe said his eyes wide as he looked at little Rose. " and of course she is hungry." Sanji said taking out a cigarette as he walked towards the kitchen. to all these comments Rose just giggled and smiled brightly.

"of course, 'cause she is Portugas.D.Rose, shishishishishishi" Luffy said ruffling Rose's hair.

________________________

" so you guys are not gonna leave me are you?" Jules said as most of the crew stood there surrounding her and giving her the ' you better listen to us, enough of your avoiding the elephant in the room' look.

"But why? Does it matter? whatever happened there on that island is in the past. and I don't care what this stupid tattoo is." Jules was so done with Nami and Robin constantly wanting to know about her tattoo that suddenly appeared, and now Franky, Jimbe, Ussop, Sanji, and Chopper had joined in too.

"I really think what we saw today has some connection to that tattoo Jules Chan," Robin said seriously. the look she had on her face meant business and Jules realized that until now what she was nagging her on and on about was nothing compared to the serious she was giving right now.

" ne Jules, don't you want to know too? it's such a cool tattoo." Luffy said from across the deck sparkly looking at Jules's tattoo. " wha.......I thought at least you would be with me on this. why care for this anyway? it's just a tattoo." Jules said with disbelief.

" yeah, a tattoo that's suddenly appeared on your shoulder and neck." Ussop was still freaked out about losing Rose in the storm and now he was freaking out about the water ball incident too. the poor guy added, "And what is with these water balls ever since that island you got trapped in one."

" yeah that was weird, it was like I slept through all that and woke up with a bad dream about people dying on that island. Man, that was creepy ass island now that I think about it." Jules said as she slumped back and now lay on the grassy deck.

" she should stop spending so much time with Luffy." Nami mumbled as she was ticking off about the whole situation and how carefree Juels was being. " yeah I agree." Ussop added

" Yeah, you woke up screaming and crying after that incident, that was suuuuupperrrrr weird and sad, it made me cry too." Franky said wiping his tears remembering that day. " yeah it sure was scary, I still feel goosebumps thinking of that, but I don't have skin to feel goosebumps yohohohohohoho."

" What did you see in that Dream Jules?" Jimbe's voice was serious as he said that. the atmosphere suddenly changed and everyone got serious. Jules shivered thinking of that dream she saw that day, it was so painful and so sad. All those people on that island, the explosions, the people praying to their savior, trying their best to keep a promise they made. the dream had felt so real, maybe it was because she saw the same island in that dream that they were on or maybe it was the ruined temple, but.....but the dream felt as if she was watching it all happen in front of her eyes live and not a stupid dream.

she didn't remember the dream after that incident, until a few days later she had a nightmare and it triggered the memory of the dream.

" it.....it wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare. it was so horrible and gutwrenching that it even hurts to remember it. Every...... every day for some or other reason I remember that dream and I shiver." she hated to think about it, that nightmare....that nightmare was like a scratch, every time she let the thoughts of that nightmare consume her it would scratch off the hard surface of the locked up chest that holds the bitter memories of losing her family, her father, and her lover. that day when she had that nightmare, it.....it felt like she was watching her family fall apart all over again as if her dead father was still standing there with lifeless eyes as Blackbeard the man she considered like a brother once stole Whitebeard's devil fruit . as if Ace's lifeless body with that sickening hole was still laying there a few feet away from her.

"oi, Jules you don't need to say it," Luffy said looking at her through his hat. She looked around and saw the worried and concerned faces of the crew and sighed. " if you want to know I......I'll tell you. Rose, come here." she said looking at Rose who was munching on some snacks Sanji had given her. like a good obedient kid, Rose got up, Picked up the small sash filled with snacks, and walked up to her mother.

Jules smiled at the little girl and made her sit in her lap as she sighed feeling the warmth radiating from Rose, another trait she got from Ace, naturally high body temperature.

"that island, Oceania or what it was called. in that dream, I saw that island. there were people living there, a beautiful lively village and proud and happy people. everyone was going on about their day when everyone gathered in front of the chief's house. several people came out of the house, mostly teenagers and youngsters. the elders led them to the temple we were in. it temple was beautiful and it was not broken. the elder spoke of something like they were all being blessed by the sea and them receiving that power completely. all the young once drank the water from a golden goblet and the chief announced that true powers are unlocked now. the scene suddenly turned dark and it seemed like the island was under attack. I don't remember what exactly happened but the island was being destroyed completely as the people were running away. they.....they all gathered in the temple and started praying. one by one they all all died except for one person. the god or whatever they worshiped finally came. the last man standing talking bout something to someone. a promise about always supporting that persona and being by his side. the god granted that man a blessing. the god said something like, years later when whoever they promised to, will be reborn and so will one of their descendants, and only that descendant will have the blessing of the sea. after granting that blessing the god went away and the man died praying."

Jules finished explaining with a sigh and everyone was silent, processing the dream she explained. " ne.....with the way you were crying that day, it wasn't as simple as you told it was it?" Ussop said gulping thinking of how horrible it must have been that she woke up crying like a baby. " Franky, does that sound familiar to you?" Robin said looking at the cyborg with a knowing look. " ooooowwwwww, yes Robin, the story about Oceania," Franky said still sniffling and wiping his tears.

" what about that story Robin Chan?" Sanji asked as he stood by the Railing smoking. " the story is very similar to what happened in Jules's dream. the island of people blessed by the sea, the island getting destroyed, and the people fighting to protect something. I believe that the explosions you saw in that Dream were from the buster call." Robin said looking at Jules in the end.

" yeah you told that story to us then too so maybe it got in my head and I dreamt about it." Jules said casually. " but Robin didn't tell us the minor details such as the rituals of the people." Nami added.

" what do you mean to say then? that I am their descendant or something? that's impossible" Jules said with a huff. " Then how do you explain what happened today?" Robin said challengingly. " what about today?" Jules asked." the water ball? where did it come from? how did it happen?" Robin said calmly.

" the ball about.......about that .......i........I don't have an explanation." Jules sighed in defeat. " what do you mean to say, Robin Chan?" Sanji asked coming towards the group sitting in the middle of the deck.

" Jules is the descendant of those blessed by sea folks?" Zoro said from his place by the Railing where everyone thought he was asleep. " do you mean to say that Robin?" Zoro said and Robin nodded. " but how is that possible? weren't they all killed?" Jules asked with disbelief. " Just like Danny, Eric, and Ronald, maybe you are their descendant to Jules. after all, you never met your birth parents, you said so yourself that Whitebeard found you on an abandoned island." Nami said.

" yes, Jules this is a possibility." Jimbe said encouraging. " fine maybe I am then how do you explain the tattoo?" Jules asked and no one had any answer to that. " see and how do you explain the ball as well?" again silence.

" seems we are at a dead-end Robin," Nami said disappointed.

Chapter Text

"Listen, you guys think I am the decedent of people of Oceania but what's the proof? okay, some weird shit happened to me on that island but when was the grenadine ever normal? weird shit happens all the time. As far as I am concerned this tattoo is not hurting me or anything, so I don't care what it is. yeah, that ball of water and how it saved Rose was weird but again when is life as a pirate not weird?" Jules said she was done with this discussion about her tattoo and her origin.

" but don't you want to know where you come from? didn't you ever wonder where you belonged or who were your family?" Ussop asked with a sad tone.

there was a point in her life a very short time when she wondered what her family was like before she was left on that abandoned island. but that moment was so brief that it was equal to nothing.

Flashback

It was yet another starey night and Jules had sneaked out of her room to wander on the deck in the middle of the night. at first, it used to be to get a midnight snack but then Thatch found out and always kept snacks in her room. but during that time she had got into the habit of stealing food from the kitchen at night and then snacking on the deck while watching the stars.

but now.....now she would just wander on the deck at night feeling the cold breeze and the silent swaying of Moby Dick. She loved watching the stars. when they were away from islands in the middle of the ocean, the sky looked so bright as if it was adorned with diamonds and jewels. The bright belt of the clutter of stars looked so pretty and mesmerizing. and the best part was finding constellations.

Recently Marco had got her a book on constellations when they docked on an island to get supplies a few weeks ago. since then she would read a few pages of that book and try to find the constellations she read about.

after walking on the deck for a while she flopped down by the railing. swinging her legs out from the gap as she stared at the deep blue sea reflecting the shining night sky. " I see someone is out on a self-claimed watch duty!" a deep Rough voice said and little Jules smiled knowing who it was.

her dear father usually joined her on her nightly adventures. " Haruta and two of his division members are on the watch, well they should be but I bet they are doozing off," Jules said laughing remembering how she caught Haruta sleeping at the back side of the ship a few minutes ago.

" so you decided to take over?" her father asked as he sat down beside her with a thud. his large body casted a shadow over her and she frowned. " scoot a little away Oyaji, you are too big and your shadow is even bigger." she said annoyed that the shadow ruined her perfect ambiance. " gurararararara, oh I am sorry, Jules." he moved a little away smiling. " so what constellations did you learn today?"

" hmmm, I read about Centaurus, antlia, and Cygnus today. I found Cygnus but I can't find the other two." Jules replied still looking at the sky, trying to find the constellations. " well I can help if you want." whitebeard offered glancing at his little daughter. " no, I'll find it myself." whitebeard laughed at that. he knew she hated it when someone helped her find a constellation. until she was satisfied with her own search she never asked for help.

whitebeard watched her look at the sky with concentration trying her best. he couldn't help the permanent smile he would get on his face every time he was around his beloved daughter. now that he thinks about the past he is glad he didn't leave her off in an orphanage. he cannot imagine his life without her now, cannot imagine his crew without her, cannot imagine his family without the mischievous, bold yet sweet daughter of his. he still remembers, 10 years ago when they had found her on that abandoned island. she was so small, like a pea in his large hands. he didn't even realize when 10 years had passed and now here they were sitting on the deck in the middle of the night as she told him about what she learned today.

he wondered when did her nonsense babbling turned into knowledgable words and curious questions. when did her tiny feet which could barely hold her while she stood, and started running around the deck and climbing the mast towards the crow's nest? when did she grow up to be a 10-year-old and how fast will the time go as she grows up more?

" Oyaji?....... Oyaji.... ooooyyyaaaajjjjiiiiii." her sweet small voice brought him out of his thoughts. " yeah? what happened?" whitebeard asked confused. " you weren't listening!!" she complained frowning and looking away annoyed. " gurarararara, I am sorry. what were you saying?" the older man said finding her behavior cute.

he got curious as her frown turned to a logging look as she looked away from him and at the sea. he realized it must be something important for her to get serious. he waited patiently for her to get ready to say whatever it was.

" ne, Oyaji? some....sometimes i.....I wonder what they were like?" she said with a sad look as she fiddled with her hands. " who?" her father asked confused. " my birthparents and the rest of the family. I......you guys are my family...I know.....you are my father and I love you a lot all of you but......but I wonder what were they like. the people who brought me to this world." she was scared to say all that, thinking her father would get hurt and might never talk to her.

"gurararararara, is that it? then why are you so sad?" he asked laughing. she was shocked by his question. why wasn't he mad? What was he so chill about this? She knew family meant everything to Whitebeard. " you.....you aren't mad at me? for thinking that?" she asked confused. " why would I be mad? you are just a kid. I never hid the fact about how we got you so it's natural for you to wonder about your birth parents. don't worry yourself too much kid." whitebeard said ruffling her hair.

" but.....but don't you feel betrayed? like I don't consider myself part of this family? of course, I don't feel like that but....." she asked confused. she had expected him to get mad and get hurt and cry because of what she said.

" well as you said you don't feel that way and I know it. tell me, if someone ever asked your name what do you say?" whitebeard asked looking at her.

" simple, my name is Edward Jules." she said without thinking twice. " hmmmm, now after that if someone asks you who are your parents? what would you say?" he asked.

" simple, my dad is Oyaji, Edward Newgate, Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and I don't have a mumma but I have lots of brothers and Marco is like a mamma so everyone calls him mumma bird hehehehee." she said giggling at the last part. whitebeard couldn't help but laugh at her innocent reply. " gurarararara, I don't think Maroc will like that introduction little gem."

" hehehehehe, yeah he will frown all day give me extra chores too." Jules said laughing. " yeah and then you will pass on those extra chores to Jozu, won't you little brat?" whitebeard said knowingly. "hehehehehe, how do you know that Oyaji?" she asked shocked her father knew of her tricks to avoid chores. " I am your father I know everything." whitebeard said. " hmmmmm, makes sense," Jules replied.

" does it now? well here is your answer then. when someone asks you about your family, you don't even mention how you became part of the crew. and just now you agreed that I am your father and that's why I know everything." he said smiling, but she was confused.

" hu?" she said confused. " It okay to wonder what they were like kid but.........but deep down in your heart you know you are part of this family, you are my daughter. and as I said I am your father, adopted maybe but still a father. that's why I know......I know even if you wonder what your birth family was like, deep down you are part of this family, my daughter, my little brat my little gem." he said and picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. As the two gazed at the beautiful sea in front of them.

"I love you Oyaji. I am happy that I am your daughter," she said giving a soft kiss on her father's cheek as Whitebeard laughed. it was an odd sight. the world's strongest man smiling like an idiot just because his beloved daughter said she loves him and gave him a kiss. yes, the world's strongest man was wrapped around his daughter's tiny delicate fingers.

"I love you too, my daughter."

Flashback end

" there was a point when I wondered that Ussop. I wondered about it only for a few minutes. but......but I realized that it didn't matter. I don't even have any memory of them, I was just a 6-month-old child when Oyaji found me. Oyaji and the Whitebeard Pirates have always been my family. I don't really care what my birth parents were or how they were. I am thankful they brought me into this world but that's all I have for them." Jules said with a sigh and sad expression remembering her time as a Whitebeard pirate.

__________________

" YOU BASTARD, FUCKING IDIOT CAPTAIN, RUBBER-BRAINED ASSHOLE, I SWEAR I'LL THROW YOU OVERBOARD TODAY, IS IT YOUR STOMACH OR A BLACKHOLE?" loud screaming, shouting, beating and banging sounds came from the kitchen and the next second the kitchen door burst open as a beat up Luffy flew out and banged to the main mast.

the audience on the deck watched Luffy fall down on the deck head first and then synchronize, their eyes darted from their captain towards the kitchen door from where a furious Sanji stepped out chain smoking because of howmuch stress that one rubber captain gives him.

" seems like we are out of supplies again, food supplies to be specific," Ussop said sighing, knowing why Luffy was facing domestic violence first thing early in the morning. " I wonder how long it will take for Luffy san to stop doing that? yohohohohoho" brook said. he was on the deck fixing his violin.

" wanna bet?" Nami said mischievously. " sure if I win, will you let me see your pan-" Before Brook could finish that sentence he was kicked across the deck as he landed beside Luffy.

"OI, CURLY COOK, DID YOU BREAK THE KITCHEN DOOR AGAIN WHILE BEATING STRAW HAT?" Franky yelled as he came up from his workshop below deck. " sorry Franky." Sanji said as he sighed.

" Nami san? Is there any nearby island we can stop at to get supplies?" Sanji asked calmly. " well the closest island is 2 days away! will we be okay till then?" Nami asked as she checked the log and the wind speed to calculate.

" hmmmmmmm??????" Sanji hummed as she thought, then he walked back into the galley and came out with fishing rods in hand. " Take these and get working if you don't want to starve." he said as he threw the rod towards Luffy who stretched his hand to grab it. " okay," Luffy mumbled with a swollen face.

"Hai Nami saaaawwwnnn, we will be okay for 2 days." the love cook said cheekily as he swayed back into the kitchen.

"Mumma, why did Sanji scold Papa?" Rose asked walking over to Juels who was drawing in her journal. " hu, oh that? well, Luffy ate all our food supplies in the pantry." Jules said. " papa is silly. hehehehehe" Rose said giggling as she ran over to Luffy who was now fishing.

"Papa, did you get fishy?" Rose asked standing by the railing beside Luffy. " hu oh chubs it's you. no, I didn't but I'll definitely get some, then we can have a nice seafood meal, yummy." Luffy said excitedly fantasizing about a huge seafood dinner.

"I wanna see fishy," Rose mumbled as she stepped even closer to the railing. Luffy noticed and immediately stretched his hand to wrap around her tiny frame and lift her up and made her sit in his lap while he sat on the railing. " don't get too close to the railing." Luffy said securing her on his lap by wrapping his hand around her.

as Luffy said that Rose noticed his expression and frowned. her papa looked different than usual, his smile was not that big. he was still laughing and cheerful but it wasn't the same. she felt that for sure there was something different. " what wrong papa?" Rose said frowning. " hu nothing" Luffy replied. " no, papa looks sad." Rose insisted with a pouty face now.

Luffy sighed easily giving up on her cute face. " I need to get stronger chubs, so that......so that I can protect you," Luffy said with determination in his voice and fire in his eyes. he had to.....he had to get stronger, he had promised to protect Rose and Jules always, but to do that he needs to be stronger. a simple storm shouldn't be able to take Rose away from him.

Rose smiled brightly in response and Luffy couldn't help but reciprocate the smile. " now' let's catch some fish for dinner." Luffy said excitedly, drool already dripping down his mouth. " fishy food! fishy meat! yummy!" Rose said with the same excitement and drooling face. " hmmmm hmmmm" Luffy nodded. " papa, catch this much fishy." the little girl said shaking with amazement and gesturing to the amount of fish she wanted him to catch. " Yosh, shishishishishi."

" I'll go and help Sanji," Jules said getting up from the beach chairs as she got bored from drawing. anyway, she had promised to make a chocolate cake for dessert at Rose's request. She thought she could start working on it and keep it in the fridge to cool off till dinner tonight.

Jules..........................master Jules........

she froze hearing a deep voice that had a lot of echo to it. she looked around to see where the voice came from but didn't see anything. She frowned but brushed it off as a hallucination.

Master Jules...............Master Jules........

Jules again stopped climbing the stairs frantically looking around to find the source of that voice.

She saw Zoro napping just below the staircase. " oi......oi zoro.....zooooroooooo" she called out knowing that the swordsman was always on alert even if asleep. " huuu......what is it woman...don't disturb my nap." Zoro said crankily being disturbed in his nap.

" did you hear something just now?" Juels asked still looking around to find the source. " umm...yes. duh, you just called me didn't you?" Zoro said in a duh tone. " not that dumbass someone was calling me but the voice was unfamiliar and I can't see anyone here." Juels explained.

" Maybe you are hallucinating." Zoro said again closing his eyes to return to his napping. " hmmm...maybe I - "

Master Juels............listen to me carefully Master Jules.

" fuck Zoro, don't tell me you didn't hear that just now." Jules almost yelled. Zoro got startled and woke up panicking. after a second he sighed and groaned frustrated. " no. I did not hear anything except you disturbing my nap."

" you are hopeless," Juels mumbled and got down the stairs again to search the deck.

she looked around and searched every corner but couldn't find anything. her observation haki too couldn't find anything. " hey Ussop can you feel any other presence on the ship except for the crew?" she asked the sniper, widening if his strong Observation haki could help.

Usoop nodded and concentrated but couldn't find anything and frowned. " No, I don't see anyone unknown on the ship," he said and Jules sighed.

Master Jules..........pLease Listen to me.

"Who is it? who are you?" she said loudly frustrated cause she couldn't find the source of the voice. Everyone on deck was looking at her as if she had two heads. her eyes landed on Luffy and Rose Sitting together on the railing. " Luffy, Get down from the railing and keep Rose in Girl's Quarters. "Juels Practically Ordered.......unsure if the voice was something safe or an Enemy.

" Robin," Juels called out and the said archeologist just nodded understanding her Job. Robin got to work and closed her eyes as an eye appeared inside the Girl's Quartes to keep Rose safe.

" What happened Juels?" Luffy asked chill but still a little alert. " I don't know Luffy........i.....I can hear a voice. it's calling out to me....but...but I don't know where it's coming from." Jules said looking around again.

Master Jules.............please don't fear me..........I am calling out to you to warn you........

" Who are you?" Jules asked again. the crew looked at her confused wondering who she was talking to.

I am the one you Rule and control. it's my responsibility to serve you and Lend you my powers whenever you wish.

"I don't understand. Answer the question without puzzles. who are you?" Jules asked, ever so annoyed.

They are coming Master Jules. They are coming for you This is all I can tell you. You have to increase your control. with your current level, I cannot say more. I am only Warning you. They are coming for you.

" Who...who is coming?" Jules asked even more confused. " hey....why aren't you saying anything? Answer me who is coming?" Juels asked but didn't get any reply.

" oi Jules are you alright? who are you talking to?" Ussop said freaking out a bit. "Didn't you hear it? someone was speaking to me just now. didn't any of you hear it?" Jules asked confused as to why no one else was able to hear it.

" Is this something like Zou? Remember when only Luffy and Momo were able to hear Zunesha." Robin pointed out. "Luffy! didn't you hear anything?" Juels asked the captain. Luffy shook his head and looked at her with a confused look.

" Am I really just hallucinating?" Jules thought to herself. "Maybe it's the heat. we are around some Summer island so the heat must be affecting you. why don't you go inside and rest?" Nami suggested. Juels looked hesitant but sighed and nodded as she went inside. Rose was bored in the room so she left once Jules entered and Jouned Luffy with his fishing again.

For hours Juels just lay on the bed staring at the ceiling and thinking.

what was that voice? was it really there? if yes then what was it warning her about? Who was coming? that too for her now for Rose as Usual.

She didn't realise when she slept lost in her thoughts. she missed the Lunch as no One woke her up. they thought that she needed the rest so they let her sleep.

Later that night after dinner it was Jule's watch duty. she tucked Rose in her bed and told her a story until she slept and then walked out on the deck.

" You can go and sleep now Luffy. " she said to the captain who was keeping a watch until she put Rose to bed. " it's okay I am not sleepy yet. I'll just hang out with you until I feel sleepy. shishishishishi." Luffy said grinning wide. Jules just Shrugged and walked over to the railing as she stared at the vast blue sea.

the moonlight was less today. The new moon was coming closer and the moon was a thin crescent shape. so the stars were shining brighter than usual. Keeping her observation haki alert she relaxed and watched the stars. searching for constellations she had studied as a kid.

" what are you looking at?" Luffy asked sitting beside her with his stupid grin. " stars." Jules said engrossed in her hobbies. " do you know their names?" Luffy asked curiously looking at her with his big round eyes. " yeah. when I was a kid Marco got me this huge book about stars and constellations and hence I fell in love with sky-watching." Jules explained.

" hmmmmmm. Nami once tried to tell me the names of constellations but I didn't understand. there are so many stars in the sky how do you even find constellations?"Luffy said flopping on his back to look at the sky from a better angle.

Jules couldn't help but imagine Nami telling him his name and where to find Contitalitins and Luffy overworking his brain and not understanding shit and Nami getting frustrated in the end banging Luffy on the head a few times.

"They are quite easy to find you know." Juels said simply looking from Luffy to the Shining sky again. " no they are not. look there are billions of stars. how do you even find a constellation." Luffy said annoyed. " want me to show you?" Jules offered, expecting him to decline.

Luffy thought for a second and surprisingly agreed. Jules smiled and flopped beside him now both lying done on the deck.

" you see, constellations are like drawings in the sky. you just have to join the dots that are stars." Jules said as simply as she could. she raised her hand and pointed it towards the sky. " see those seven stars there. It's an ursa major. one of the simplest to find. " Juels said drawing imaginary lines with her finger.

" which seven stars. Juuuulllleeeesss, there are so many stars. which seven do I look at?" Luffy said frustrated and out of patience. Jules sighed and shifted closer to Luffy so that she could see from his angle.

Luffy couldn't help but hold his breath as their arms brushed together when Juels moved closer to him. he felt weird. he felt some weird tingling in his stomach and he shivered and got goosebumps as Juels turned her head to look at him and her breath brushed along his neck. Jules was so busy trying to explain the constellation to Luffy that she was completely oblivious to the storm going on inside Luffy's heart and mind.

" here give me your hand." Jules said holding Luffy's hand and holding it up and pointing it towards the sky. " now look closely." Jules said and Luffy somehow managed to hear her and follow what she said. " see....this is the 1st star, you imagine a line that joins it to this 2nd star and then 3rd....." Juels said pointing at the stars with Luffy's finger and making imaginary lines. she continued and Luffy felt some weird kind of warmth spread throughout his body as Juls's voice was so close to his ears.

it was surprising how her voice was so distracting yet it forced him to concentrate on what she was saying. his eyes widened as he saw the shape of the constellation finally appear in front of his eyes. " Sugoi. that's so cool. it's like a drawing. ne Juels is there a constellation that looks like meat?" Luffy asked excitedly. Jules couldn't help but laugh at the statement. Her captain really couldn't think of anything but meat.

" I don't know Luffy. maybe you can find one like that." she said laughing. " hmmmmm, maybe I can. Shishishishishi" Lufffy said laughing along with her.

after that, there was a surprisingly not very awkward silence. it was comfortable as both just stared at the sky with gentle smiles on their lips. " ne Luffy. The sky looks so pretty." Jules said it out of nowhere. Luffy just cluked and looked at her. The dim moonlight and the stars were reflecting and shining in her turquoise eyes and making them look so mesmerizing. " yeah, so pretty." Luffy replied. his voice almost a whisper. it sounded so husky especially so close to her ear, that Juels couldn't stop blood rushing to her cheeks. She was thankful it was night or Luffy would have definitely seen her flushed cheeks. She gulped, suddenly feeling nervous and feeling her body shiver.

as the night went by, the two confused individuals, lay there on the deck with rapidly beating hearts and jumbled thoughts about each other. one still figuring out what this feeling was, and one wondering if having these feelings for the other was right or wrong.

Chapter Text

It had been 3 days since Jules heard that strange voice. After that day she would hear that voice from time to time. calling out to her but nothing more. no matter how hard she tried to hear the voice it wouldn't come. and if it came she only managed to hear her name.

she wasn't understanding if she should take the voice seriously. was there really any danger coming their way? should she take that warning seriously? She wasn't understanding. She could feel something was wrong but wasn't sure if it was her gut feeling or just a thought because of that voice's warning.

Jules was in her room trying to hear that voice again when Franky's loud voice rang all over the ship.

" MARINE SHIPS AT 8 O'CLOCK."

in an instant Jules was up on her feet and ran out of the room and onto the deck, everyone else gradually gathering too.

" Ussop how many ships?" Nami asked taking her position beside Jimbe who was standing at the helm.

"It's a fleet. it's a whole damn fleet." Ussop yelled panicking and trembling at the sight of a whole marine fleet. " what are they here for? o....oi L... Luffy. did you do something?" the sniper said with his bones trembling. " Yeah Luffy, what did you do? why is a whole marien fleet moving towards us?" Nami asked as terrified as the Great Captain Ussop.

"um. he became a pirate and raised to the level of a Yonko?" Jules said as a matter of factly. " do you guys seriously keep on forgetting this is not a normal crew anymore? we are the crew of an Emperor now. Of course, small fries are not gonna come behind us, Marines will send big shots now." Juels's words did nothing but scare the two more.

" But the marines usually avoid suddenly attacking an emperor. they can't do it unless they get permission from the fleet admiral that is currently Sakazuki ( Akainu )." Jimbe said sternly.

"That means Akainu has ordered this fleet to attack us," Robin concluded. the name 'Akainu' Made Jules freeze on the spot. he ordered this. That bastard ordered this means he is after Rose. A whole fleet to capture Rose. was her daughter that big of a threat to the Marines? or to the government?

Luffy on the other hand could feel his blood boiling at hearing that name. Akainu. the man who had killed his brother. the man who killed Ace right in front of his eyes. The man Ace died to save him from. The man who took away his brother and Jules's Family. he hadn't realized he still had so much hate and so much anger inside him for that man. he had thought that he had left that want for revenge behind but it turned out he still wanted revenge. Luffy wasn't one for revenge a lot, he rarely yearned for revenge, but his hatred for Akainu was too much. He craved to take revenge for what he did to his brother, and what he did to Juels and Rose by destroying their family.

" Luffy." Zoro's voice pulled him out of his dark thoughts. Luffy turned to look at his Right and was met with Zoro's cold eyes. they might look emotionless to anyone else but Luffy knew that look. Zoro was telling him to get his shit together. he couldn't act on his feelings right now. Luffy gave Zoro a slight nod and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Jules, take Rose to the safe room now." Luffy said loudly with authority in his voice, pulling Juels out of her dark nightmares. " hu....oh um yes...yeah....right." Juels said still shaken up and barely present mentally.

she walked over to Rose who was looking out from the galley door curiously. " Rose, honey it's dangerous out here, you need to stay in the safe room." Juels said kneeling in front of the 2-year-old. " are the bad guys here?" Rose asked a little scared. Jules took a deep breath in and thought about what to tell her, but decided to be honest. " yes, it's the bad guys. but you don't need to worry. you will be a good girl and stay in the safe room right?" Juels asked Rose calmly, even though she was trembling from fear from the inside. " okay, mumma." Rose said nodding. Jules could tell Rose was scared from her small voice and frowning lips. " it's gonna be okay little devil, mumma, and everyone else is going to kick the bad guy's asses." Juels said ruffling the little girl's hair and making her giggle. " now let's go to the safe room." Jules said picking Rose up and going below deck. right below the girl's quarters was the safe room with strong metal doors that were safe from cannon attacks and it was also mixed with sea prism stone to keep devil fruit users out. the door was properly disguised as a part of the ship and had a double lock.

"Now Rose, you will stay in here until I or anyone from the crew comes to get you. when any of us come to get you we'll open the outside lock and then we'll call your name, and then you will push the button inside, got it?" Juels asked seriously, making Rose understand that this was a serious matter. Rose nodded just as seriously, understanding her mother. " yes mumma."

" good girl, now one last thing. what name will I call when I or anyone from the crew will come to get you?" Juels asked almost whispering in a serious voice. " yes mumma. Gol . D. Rose." Rose said confidently with a stiff nod. " very good. if anyone else comes here and calls you by any other name you will not open the door from inside. you will push that button only and only when someone calls you Gol. D . Rose." Jules said and Rose nodded. Juels gave the little girl one last kiss on her forehead and opened the Safe room door.

"Now stay here. I love you, little devil. Daddy loves you too." Juels said and closed the door as it automatically got locked. " Rose was very comfortable inside, as she had a fluffy floor to sit on and the small room had some of her toys as well. it was basically all a 2 year old needed.

Jules looked at the closed door of the safe room for a moment and then sighed, turning around to leave and go back up on the deck and join others.

there was a lot of commotion on the deck and it seemed like the battle had already started. just as Jules got up on the deck a marine's dead body came flying towards her and she easily stabbed the dead marine and stopped the collision and pushed the man aside and he fell into the sea.

as she looked in front of her she gasped, seeing the sight in front of her. The Sunny was surrounded by 4 marine ships and on the marine ship right in front of Sunny stood a tall man with messy hair and sunglasses. he wore slightly torn black pants with a green leaf pattern going on one of the leg. he stood at the front of the marine ship shirtless and proud. the white marine cape flying behind him as the words justice practically mocked Juels.

"Ryokugyu," Juels mumbled to herself as all her nervousness from before melted and her eyes stared right at the Admiral with a hard and cold look.

Chapter Text

" why the hell is an Admiral here?" Jules could hear Ussop scream in panic at the same time as keeping his aim precise. " oh common you damn Pinocchio, I said this a few minutes ago, because we are a damn emperor's crew." Jules said with a sadistic grin on her face as excitement ran through her blood, for the upcoming fight. " Lufffyyyyyyyyyy...........whhhhyyyyyyy" Ussop whined wondering when they went from getting attacked by small bounty hunters to getting attacked by fucking damn Admirals.

Luffy on the other hand just laughed like an idiot getting ready to fight the new admiral. under those shades, Jules could tell Ryokugyu was looking at her and not Luffy. this fact confused her, technically it was easy to tell the head of the opposite side would be fighting Luffy, but it seemed that Ryokugyu's goal was to confront Jules and not the straw hat captain.

Luffy was shivering with excitement ready to fight the Admiral but suddenly stopped when he saw Jules swiftly and gracefully jump from the far end of the main deck all the way to the stairs of the upper deck right behind him. he heard a few marine soldiers groan and gasp in pain and surprise as Jules sliced them in their chest before they could even see her coming there way.

wordlessly Jules climbed up the stairs onto the upper deck with the same cold hard look in her eyes and her knives firmly held in her hands. just as gracefully as she had jumped from the main deck, she walked up to Luffy with a bold and strong elegance. but instead of looking at the captain, her eyes were fixed on their opponent. with slow yet precise and alert steps Jules walked past Luffy and stood a few steps ahead of the captain.

Ryokugyu smirked seeing the young woman understand his intentions of her being his target. " what do you want?" Juels asked just as coldly as her eyes stared into her opponent's soul. it would be a lie if Ryokugyu said he didn't feel a terrifying shiver run down his spine. it was rather Nostalgic, the feeling of such fear, he remembered feeling something similar when he was just a trainee and had seen the world's strongest man whitebeard, all those years ago. however, that feeling of fear was only there for a few milliseconds.

" Straight to the point I see," Ryokugyu said his smirk only growing. "Our cook and I still have lunch to make, cook san doesn't like being late and my captain gets cranky if a meal is delayed, so I don't plan to waste our time," Jules said, her voice so chill and casual, stark opposite to the look in her cold eyes. her eyes screaming challenge.

her casual attitude ticked the admiral off but for the sake of his pride, he controlled himself from getting into an argument with her. Luffy on the other hand was getting impatient and had started throwing the marine soldiers off the ship.

"Well, it seems like you won't be helping in making that lunch then," Ryokugyu said smugly.

" that didn't sound so cool now did that?" Ussop said to Sanji who was fighting a few steps away from him. " he is probably pissed off at himself because of that."

some marine soldiers around were trying their hardest to not laugh at their senior officer's not-so-cool words.

" seems like you gotta work on your lines Admiral San," Juels said sarcastically. this only made the admiral angrier. " I'll see you talk once I have captured you, you brat." " and why do you think I would get captured, especially by you?" Jules asked as she jumped and now stood on the Sunny's figurehead a few feet away from the Admiral who was standing by the figurehead of his own ship right in front of Sunny.

"the gods themselves have ordered me to capture you, Newgate Jules." Ryokugyu said feeling proud at getting direct orders from his gods themself. " hu....you mean the snot dripping, mannerless, delusional as fuck, self-claimed gods, who probably don't even wipe their own ass?" Jules had summed up every possible insult she could think of in that one statement for the so-called celestial dragons.

"How dare you say such things about the true gods of this world, you inferior pirate scum." Ryokugyu's anger was at its peak now as he attacked Jules by extending his hand with his forest power. without even needing to move her whole body, Jules easily deflected the attack, cutting off the wooden fingers, she figured they would regrow though. " True gods, you say? well I am a pirate, I have no obligation to acknowledge them as anything. now are you seriously gonna fight me or are you only bark and no bite?" JUels said provoking the Admiral even more.

enraged Ryokugyu, attacked her once again this time faster than before as Jules once again deflected the attack this time taking more effort. Ryokugyu though took advantage of her focus on his attack to wrap his extended wooden fingers on her ankle and took her off-guard pulling her onto his marine ship.

Jules was practically slammed on the wooden deck of the marine ship. but with her fast healing abilities she recovered fast and cut off the wooden shackles around her ankle. Ryokugtyu once again attempted to take her off guard but Juels was more alert this time as she jumped and flipped back getting on her feet again and taking up a defending stance.

" and for the record, it's Portugas Edward Jules now, remember that."

" oi Jules, you got this?" Jules heard Zoro shout from the sunny. before Jules could reply though their captain out of nowhere landed beside his first mate laughing like an idiot. " don't worry zoro she got this. RIGHT JULES?" luffy yelled making Jules's lips curve into a smile.

" aye aye, Captain," Jules said as she deflected yet another attack from Ryokugyu. " now there Ugly Groot, let's get this over with," Jules said looking back at Ryokugyu with challenging eyes and adrenaline running through her veins.

The Admiral used his powers and used the same attack with his hands again, Jules was about to deflect it again when several branches broke through the deck floor and attacked her from below. Juels predicted the attack and jumped landing on the ship railing. Elegantly balancing herself as she ran on the railing avoiding the admiral's attacks as well as wiping out any soldiers in her way. Ryokugyu's branches followed her but she jumped every now and then and even cut a few. reaching the end of the railing she jumped high and turned mid-air to face the Admiral as she threw her three knives in his direction.

As he saw the knives coming towards him by reflex he retracted his arms and tried to defend himself from the sharp long knives. Juels smirked seeing the Admiral's reflex reaction to her attack.

a few seconds passed but the Knives never came as Ryokugyu got confused. and before he could comprehend what had happened a sharp knife stabbed him on his right side. and just as fast as it had stabbed him it was pulled out and was again stabbed on his left.

where did the knife come from? he was sure she had thrown the knives toward him from the front then how come they never hit him in the face of his chest or the wooden arm he had put in front of him to defend himself? how the hell did he get stabbed in the side? not once but twice.

wid eyes his head turned to his left to see his turquoise-eyed opponent giving him a smug smirk one sharp eyebrow raised as if mockingly saying to him - gotcha-

But Ryokugyu wasn't one to tolerate being assumed a fool and with pure rage attacked Juels with his left hand turned tree branches or were its roots? meh, who cares he was a tree whatever.

the attack was sudden and Juels had only enough time to bend backward to avoid the attack. As soon as the branch was out of the way, Jules flipped and landed perfectly on her legs. Ryokugyu smirked thinking he had managed to catch her off-guard, but suddenly gasped when he felt something pierce his stomach. shocked he looked down to see a haki-coated knife stabbed deep into his stomach the blue diamond at the end of the handle shining. what shocked him even more was what happened next. just as fast as the knife had stabbed him he was pulled out as well as it flew back towards its master, the newest member of the Strawhat pirates.

" h...how...." was all he managed to mumble before spitting blood. it wasn't a fatal wound for him and nor did it weaken him much but the fact that she had managed to land a blow on him was what made the admiral falter in his steps.
___________________

LUFFY POV

it was disappointing, not being able to fight the admiral. but it seems that his target is Jules and she can handle him most probably. I still don't know her limit so I can't help but keep an eye on her as she fights with the tree man.

I watch her run across the marine ship railing with unimaginable speed and smoothness. She moved so gracefully cutting through the air and then jumped just as beautifully and threw her knife towards the tree man.

but what shocked me was how the Kinef retracted back to her just seconds before it could impel Tree Man. I had seen her do that before when she fought off those Marines a few months back. how does her knife come back to her?

as soon as the knife was back in her hand she swiftly lunged forward and slashed Tree Man on his right side and then moved from behind him and then slashed him on his left side just as fast, Tree Man didn't get a chance to see what was coming. Jules stopped a few feet away from the tree man with that goddamned smirk on her face. I loved seeing that look in her eyes, the way the cool turquoise burns like hot blue fire when she is fighting, the way she smoothly moves around dodging and attacking. I can watch her do this deadly dance of hers for a long time.

but..............

damn these marines are annoying, they are not getting over, more and more keep on coming. but of course, it's easy to fight such small fires, without much effort. if I was fighting Tree Man this would have been over by now but, that piece of wood wants to catch Jules and I cannot fight him when his target is not me, it would be disrespectful to Juels if I fight Tree Man I'll constantly be trying to keep him away from Juels and it would be like defending her. she doesn't need me to defend her, she can fight the tree man.

but I'll keep an eye on her so that I can step in if needed.

" oi, Luffy." Ussop yelled from the upper deck as she shot another group of marines overboard. " another fleet incoming, 3 o'clock." he said pointing in that direction. there I saw it, another marine fleet of around 5 huge warships and a few smaller ships.

' yosh another opponent to fight.' I thought getting rid of more marines so that I could fight the new enemy. it will be a good warmup.

________________________

THIRD PERSON POV

" tch...... Aramaki never listens. how did he even get to know about the order?" an old man said through the den den mushi, his voice rough and clear indication of his old age. he was old but not one to be underestimated.

" damn brat always causes problems, he is young and a strong fighter but lacks discipline. he is not even picking up my calls. probably too busy fighting unnecessary fights." the man sitting in his office said, a red shirt and a white coat with bold letters of justice hanging on his broad shoulder.

Fleet Admiral Akainu. he really didn't know if he should feel pride in being a Fleet admiral in this era or if should he bang his head on a wall. not only were pirates getting more notorious and a pain in the ass like never before but one of the new Admirals is also a headache, who idolizes him yet manages to mess things up by trying to impress him. and not to mention the 5 elders who are constantly giving out orders and currently pressuring him regarding the recent order they gave.

"I heard Aramaki messed things up in Wano as well. did you really send him to capture the new Emporer?" the old man on the other side of the line asked the Fleet admiral. "of course not, that damn nuisance went there on his own and got himself a dose of Red-haired Shanks." Akainu said sighing. damn, it had been a headache explaining this to the commander-in-chief.

"Anyway, in addition to the orders from the 5 elders I have another order for you. Stop Admiral Ryoukugyu from killing our target before you can capture it. you have to capture Portugas Edward Juels at any cost, Admiral Fujitora." the fleet admiral said hanging up once he heard an okay from the other side.

_______________________________

the crew was fighting off marines on and around Sunny and Juels was on the marine ship fighting Ryokugyu. he was managing to land hits on her but both of them were around the same combat level and it was getting annoying how he wasn't able to end this fight. she herself had taken quite a few hits and had almost got her life sucked out of her but had managed to get free in time. with her healing ability, it took mere seconds to get back to her normal hydrated state, but the cuts and hits would take time as they were being inflected on her again and again.

she was getting ready to land another attack on the Admiral when suddenly her feet got heavy and it got hard or rather impossible to move. the same was with the Admiral. She looked around and saw everyone was now standing still stuck in place by some unknown force.

Zoro on the sunny didn't need a second to realize what had made himself and everyone freeze in place, it was that blind old Admiral's devil fruit power. his eyes snapped towards the approaching marine fleet where his suspicion was proved to be right when he saw the blind admiral.

Ryokugyu too saw the fellow admiral approaching and knew he was busted. it didn't take long for the young Admiral to realize it was Fujitora who got Orders from 5 Elders. lucky bastard he was, getting an order to do such an important task directly from 5 Elders. it annoyed Ryokugyu, how he lost his chance to present Portugas Edward Jules's corps to his idol fleet Admiral, and the 5 elders.

"straw hat Pirates, stand down, if you cooperate we will not mean any harm to you, in return, you have to hand over Portugas Edward Juels to us." a marine standing beside Fujitora announced.

the mere mention of handing over Jules to them was enough for the straw hat crew to get serious and ready to fight whoever may come, to protect their nakama. " we will never hand over a nakama." Nami yelled. this warning reminded her of the time when Robin had been captured. she won't let history repeat itself and once again let a nakama get captured.

Juels was all the more confused with the situation. yes, she was a strong and well-known pirate and yes she was a threat to Marines but............it wasn't a big deal enough to call an Admiral. there had to be a bigger reason for an Admiral being sent to just capture her. Was this about Rose? were they here to capture her and Rose?

" has a small child become such a big threat to the Marines that they are sending Admirals to capture my child?" Juels said out loud, still trying to move but failing.

" You got it wrong Portugas Edward Juels. I am not here to capture your child, we are here to capture you." Fujitora said oddly calm. she had not encountered the new Admiral before and was kinda surprised seeing how calm he was.

"And what do I owe this privilege of being sent an Admiral and fleet to capture me?" Jules said just as calmly, though she was still frustrated with how she was stuck.

"I am afraid you are a major threat to the world government and hence need to be kept under the custody of the world government and maybe eliminated," Fujitora said simply as if seriously talking about the weather. Jules studied the Admiral and was surprised to notice the man was completely blind, heck he must have insane observation haki to be able to fight even after being blind.

the crew was rather stunned hearing that the world government might eliminate Jules. " wh.....what do you mean by eliminate?" Ussop couldn't help but ask loud, worried the answer he already knew would be too harsh on his fragile heart once he heard it from the admiral.

" my.....they wish to kill Jules Chan." Robin said surprisingly surprised and rather worried for her fellow crew mate. " tch, eliminate Jules Chan? That blind bastard will have to go through me first," Sanji said lighting a cigarette. Zoro showed his support by glaring harder at the swordsman admiral. " yohohohohohoh, I am sorry to say we cannot let that happen." Brook said staring at the Admiral with his hollow eyes.

" oi......old man, I like you but I cannot let you hurt my nakama, especially Juels, I have made a promise and I will keep it," Luffy said oddly serious.

Fujitora couldn't deny the weight he felt hearing those words from the new Emporer. it was rather scary how this fear-inducing voice could also be so kind that it would make him wish he hadn't blinded himself. he respected Strawhat Luffy, so much so that he would thank the pirate captain for doing all the good deeds he does that even the world government cannot do. he acknowledges that Strawhat pirates are quite unique and do not mean harm, but he has to capture their newest member, as it is an order from the 5 Elders. he cannot let them pass so easily just because he thinks they don't deserve this.

" you see, Admiral..... what's your good name again?" Juels said very casually. " You can call me Admiral Fujitora." the Admiral said just as casually. Just by the talk he could tell Portugas Edward Juels was not small fry and cannot be underestimated.

" yes...so I was saying, Admiral Fujitora, I am not interested in getting captured nor getting eliminated. so you can forget solving this with nonviolence, it wouldn't end like that, well it would be a different case if you just gave up and left, but I doubt you will do that." Juels said studying the blind man to read him and understand what his next move might be. it's easy to read people, especially in a fight by just looking into their eyes, but with a blind man, it's hard to know what he is thinking.

Jules was ready to fight the Admiral and so were Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Robin, the ship navigator had seen the problem coming their way. the air pressure had suddenly dropped and she knew what would come next, there was no way they could fight two marine fleets and 2 Admirla in a storm, they had to escape.

"Why don't you let us move and then we settle this properly Admiral?" Juels said cockily. Nami on the other hand looked at Jimbe who had sensed the change in weather as well and understood what was going through the navigator's mind.

" surrender right now Straw hat pirates and no blood will be shed and no one has to get hurt." the Admiral warned but the Rubber captain wasn't one to listen. Luffy closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. he focused on his breathing and his heartbeat, controlling it at will until it beat just right.

and when the Young Captain opened his eyes which were now a bright pink-red and his clothes slowly turned white as a wild mischievous grin took over his face.

Chapter Text

dum dum.......dum dum.....dum dum.....dum dum....

the strange sound of the drums rang in Jules's ears. the sound was oddly familiar. it was soothing and comforting yet it resonated with power and strength. looking around she could tell no one could hear it though. Was this once again an illusion, like that deep voice warning her? why was she the only one hearing the sound of these drums as if they were beating all around her?

everyone around her was trying to get free from whatever was holding them in place, and that's when her eyes landed on the odd-looking figure of Luffy. his usually revan black hair was slowly turning white and so were his clothes, making his tan skin stand out. the more she focused her attention on him, the more she realized the drumming sound coming from him.

Luffy's heartbeat. that's what it was, she had heard it before when she had woken up from that weird dream crying like she lost Ace and Oyaji once again. what the fuck was wrong with his heartbeat she didn't know, cause why was it beating like drums? and why was she able to hear it all the way on the deck of the marine ship. and why was she the only one hearing it?

she watched Luffy slowly transform as his hair and clothes became more and more white and his heart beat stronger and louder. his body became more flexible and soon it was like Luffy didn't have fucking joints, as if he was more rubber than ever.

she had a bad feeling deep down in her heart though, something was wrong. Her guts told her what Luffy was doing wasn't a good idea and it was dangerous. She could see Nami trying to raise her clima-tact but the weapon fell on the hard deck floor as if forcefully pulled towards it.

and that's when it clicked in. fucking gravity. the power keeping them all in one place was gravity. the admiral must be a devil fruit user, Jules thought. and this realization also confirmed her fears. Luffy was getting more and more rubbery and under immense gravity his 100% rubber body would get damaged. She could already see the deck floor under Luffy which had also turned rubbery getting cracked.

in a normal state, Luffy's body was a combination of a normal human body with bones and muscles and had rubber properties, but right now it looked like he didn't even have joints and bones, only rubber. and the gravity powers would work against his rubber body, as rubber under immense gravity would lose its rubber properties and might get damaged permanently.

shit.........

Luffy was too oblivious to know that and wouldn't stop trying no matter what the consequences. whatever form this was of Luffy's he definitely couldn't use it while under great gravitational force. Luffy's body was still transforming as Jules realized the weakness his powers would show in this situation.

" LUUUUFFFYYYY" Jules yelled hoping to catch the young captain's attention. Luffy was too concentrated on his heartbeat to listen to what was happening around him. " LUUUFFFYYYYY" Jules yelled again but again nothing, but the rest of the crew heard her. " OOOOIIIII......JUUUULLSSSS WHATS WRONG?" Ussop yelled from the sunny. " " MAKE LUFFY STOP" This made everyone look at Luffy who had his eyes closed and a hand on his heart as he was focused on his heartbeat and his appearance was changing.

" what the........." Ussop exclaimed seeing the young captain's weird situation. " what the hell is wrong with him?" Nami wondered out loud, weirded out by the sight. " seems like another one of his gears." Zoro said casually but still trying to move. " looks like he is turning more rubbery." Robin said as if the sight wasn't weird as their captain was practically getting bleached.

" why is Juels telling us to stop him though?" Jimbe asked confused. " because if he becomes more rubbery, the gravitational force keeping us in place right now will become fatal for Luffy's body and may damage it permanently since that's what happens to rubber under immense Gravitational force." Robin said darkly yet with a smile.

" WWHHHAAAAAAAA??????" Luffy's gonna die?" Chopper screamed and panicked. " Oi luffy, can you hear me? oi..... Luffy snap out of it.......oi."

everyone yelled trying to grab Luffy's attention.

on the other hand, Jules was watching in horror as Fujitora's ship was coming closer and closer to them, and the gravitational force on them was increasing as the distance decreased. a few feet away from her Ryokugyu was cursing and trying to get free so that he could get back to the fight and capture her.

Jules couldn't see the situation on the Sunny properly and was panicking, scenarios of what would happen if Luffy tried to move and attack were filling her head. with increasing gravitational force Luffy's rubber body might deform, bend, and might lose its natural shape and at some point might break. the thought made her body shiver and fear crept into her heart. her brain wasn't helping by flashing all the worst-case scenarios and panic took over her heart soul and mind. her voice was stuck in her throat as she tried to figure out the situation on the sunny but her body was turning cold with fear and sweat was taking over the surface of her body. Luffy's weird heartbeat and her own fast-paced one were mixing in her ear and she was feeling stuck in her head.

her mind was filled with such horrible thoughts that she barely noticed the increase in the gravitational force. all the horrible gut-wrenching scenarios were flashing in front of her eyes as she was now completely stuck in her head and angsty thoughts.

she didn't notice how the commotion on the sunny had stopped and how Ryokugyu had stopped muttering curses and trying to get free. everyone was focused on the rising of the sea between the marine ships and sunny and the approaching fleet of Fujitora.

she didn't notice the shock and panic on everyone's faces when a giant whale jumped out of the sea disturbing the waves and rocking the ships violently making people scream. the whale dived back into the sea and its tail smacked hard on the nearby marine ship, bringing it down to nothing but broken pieces of wood floating where a few seconds ago a ship was floating.

just as the marines and pirates alike had taken a breath from the sudden intrusion, the whale jumped back up out of the sea forming large waves that pushed all the ships away scattering them away from one another. The whale followed the same pattern from before rocking all the ships violently, making the older Admiral lose focus and hence freeing Ryokugyu and the straw hats from the gravitational force.

getting free everyone lost their balance and fell into chaos as the whale was still rocking the ships. Luffy too lost his footing and fell on the deck head first snapping out of his concentration and his transformation stopped. rubbing his head where a bump had formed Luffy groggly looked around and saw the rest of the crew in similar condition. " oi what happened?" he asked the nearest person who happened to be Nami.

"I don't know, this whale suddenly came out of nowhere and jumped out of the sea and dived back in destroying marine ships," Nami said not believing her own words as they sounded ridiculous. it was as if the whale was attacking the marine ships on purpose. Nami looked around and saw the whale as it destroyed a 3rd marine ship.

" yohohohoho, laboon....laboon....." Brook exclaimed as he recovered from his shock and finally reacted to the huge whale. " I don't think it's laboon Brook," Chopper said sweatdropping as Brook continued to fawn over the whale.

it won't take long for the marines to sort out the chaos and attack the whale to stop its violent attacks. this was a good chance to escape before the Admirals got back up. there was also a storm approaching and it would be best to get out of there. the Navigator thought.

" Jimbe, we gotta escape now. I can sense a storm coming, this is a good chance." Nami said as she managed to stand up with the help of Robin. Jimbe too was standing now along with some more crew members.

" what about Jules she is still on the Marine ship!" Chopper said looking at the marine ship Jules was on. the ship had drifted away from sunny and it was hard to see what was happening. Usoop who was the last one to recover hurried towards the railing and looked through his binoculars to search for Jules.

On the marine ship, he saw Jules had recovered and so had Ryokugyu. the two were again fighting and it seemed as if Jules was trying to find an opening to leave the ship, but the Admiral was not giving her one.

" she is still fighting the Admiral. it doesn't seem like she can escape him." Ussop said worriedly as he turned around to look at the crew. " Yosh, Nami get ready to escape, I'll bring back Jules. " Luffy said getting ready to slingshot himself to the marine ship. " wait Luffy do-" Nami's sentence was cut off as Luffy launched himself to the marine ship and landed with a loud bang.

on the marine ship, Luffy had successfully landed right on the admiral, making him stop the attack he had launched towards Jules. " Luffy, what the." Jules said surprised seeing her captain. " shishishishi, rough landing." he said casually getting up form on the top of the Admiral.

Luffy turned around to tell Jules they needed to leave but got stopped as soon as he took a step towards her. he looked down and saw a root of a tree branch wrapped around his ankle. and before he could react and free himself, the Admiral had gotten up and threw Luffy to the other end of the ship.

taking the chance Jules lunged forward to attack Ryokugyu but he had already read her move and sprouted a huge root from the deck that wrapped around Juels and a few more roots wrapped around her wrists to keep her from throwing her knives at him.

" you can't escape this filthy pirate. you should be happy they want you alive, otherwise, I would have killed you by now." the Admiral said tightening the roots and branches around Jules making her groan in pain. the pain was nothing she could take but it still hurt. he dragged Jules closer as he kept attacking Luffy every time the rubber captain stood up.

"what's so special about you anyway? you are just a filthy pirate scum and a criminal who deserves nothing but a place in the hell called impel down. you should ask your husband what it's like in there, he can especially tell you about level 6. sad you won't see him just yet. I wish they hadn't changed their order last minute. otherwise, I would have crushed you already." Ryokugyu said with so much venom and hate it felt like another tight root was wrapped around her throat.

in the whole short speech, the only thing that caught Jules's attention was the way he had mocked her for Ace's death. it made her blood boil when she heard him taunt her with her loss, with her daughter's loss.

" but anyway, I think they will kill you in the end anyway, better late than never right? And don't worry about your daughter, I'll make sure she joins you and your pathetic Husband in the afterlife." that's it. that was the final straw as Juels's patience was snapped. mocking Ace she could let it slide, threatening her, she could let it slide, but threatening her daughter, now that is where one crosses a line.

Hardening her leg with Armament Haki, Jules landed a hard kick on the Admiral's side right where she had wounded him earlier. this caused him to stop the punching attack on Luffy and loosen his hold around her. coating her arms with haki she snapped her hands out of the now loosened hold. Luffy who had recovered from the punching almost immediately, saw Ryokugyu holding Jules who seemed to have successfully made the admiral lose his control.

Luffy redied his haki-covered punch and launched himself towards the Admiral who was still holding Jules, hostage. the moment before Luffy's punch landed on the admiral he handed Jules her knife that had fallen on the deck and in a split second of eye contact Juels knew exactly what she had to do. flipping the knife in her hand Jules covered it in armament hai and the moment when Luffy's punch landed on the Admiral's face, Jules cut off the branches around her in one strong motion.

as soon as Luffy landed on the deck after punching Ryokugyu, he wrapped his other arm around Jules, pulling her along with him as he got ready to get back to sunny which had drifted further away. just as they are about to jump off of the marine ship, a thick branch wrapped around Jules's leg and stopped the duo.

" fuck shit." Jules tried to cut off the branch with her knife but Ryokugyu was smart this time as he coated the branch with haki as well, making it impossible for Juels to cut. Luffy stretched back his hand to attack the Admiral again but with Ryokugyu pulling Jules towards himself and Luffy holding Jules as well, Luffy lost his balance but somehow stopped herself from falling into the ocean.

Desperately Luffy looked around trying to find a solution as his grip on Jules was getting loose and Juels was trying to shake off the Admiral. Luffy saw the whale on the other side of the ship diving back into the sea and smirked.

"Jules, hold on tight, 'cause I can't swim and you gotta take us back to sunny," Luffy whispered in her ear just for her to hear. it wasn't the place or the situation to think about this but Jules couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine, hearing Luffy's surprisingly deep voice so close to her ear. at such close proximity, his voice sounded so rough and husky but still had that slight high pitch to it. she didn't even realize it when she nodded to his words and tightened her hold around his chest.

the next second the huge tail of the whale landed on the ship, breaking it into shreds as the Admiral too crashed down with it.

with a harsh splash, Luffy and Juels fell into the sea and it took a few long seconds for Jules to get hold of herself. she looked around and saw Luffy, desperately trying to get to the surface. she swam towards him and held him tight as she swam to the surface. As soon as she came up she saw the Admiral standing on top of a large piece of broken wood.

as soon as Ryokugyu saw the duo rise up from the sea, he attacked them, forcing Jules to get back underwater. Jules figured she had no option but to swim underwater to reach the sunny.

every now and then when she would come up to breathe, the Admiral didn't leave her much time before he attacked.

halfway to the sunny, the crew saw the duo in the sea, and immediately Sanji dived in. Reaching the duo Sanji took hold of a weak whining Luffy as Jules sighed before ducking into the water again as the Admiral now followed them through a small boat.

"I won't let you get away, Portugas Edward Jules. I will be the one to deliver you to Marijoa and hand you over to the 5 elders." Ryokugyu declared as he again attempted to attack Jules. Jules ducked underwater and was met with Jimbe. Jimbe took hold of her and swiftly swam towards the sunny and jumped up onto the deck. soon after Sanji climbed up onto the deck dragging Luffy along.

" FRANKY NOW." Nami yelled as soon as all the crew members were on the ship. " aye aye." came Franky's reply as he coup de burst the thousand sunny over the sea away from the chaos they left behind.

as Jules saw the marine fleet get further and further away, she saw the whale come back up one last time letting out a deep gruff before diving back into the sea. but to Jules, the gruff sounded more like a sweet melody, filled with worry, happiness, and hope. it sounded like she whale was glad about something as if she was happy to have helped and was worried about something too. Was she worried about her? The crew? Jules didn't know. it was odd and confusing yet it felt natural, like it was an instinct, like the whale was a long-lost friend.

what was happening to her?
Jules wondered as the marine fleet and the whale finally faded out of her line of sight.

Chapter Text

" shiver me timbers, what the fuck just happened!" the great god Ussop was the first to speak when the Sunny landed far away from the marine fleet and the Admirals.

" ha....ha.....ha...... that was a very bone-rattling experience. I thought I saw Laboon." the in-house walking talking skeleton said panting still not believing what they escaped. " 2 Admirals at a time, something is suuuuuupppeeerrrrrr wrong."

" did. we. just. escape. from. two. FUCKING ADMIRALS?" the orange-haired navigator yelled all but calmly. "I don't get enough loot to deal with this shit. every single time. does it always have to be a big shot? why....why can't we come across someone less dangerous?"

"It's okay Nami, not only are we in the new world but also a crew of an emperor, it's understandable stronger officers are sent after us," Robin said, her voice calm but her eyes shining with doubt. " I have a feeling the Admirals weren't here for the whole crew though."

" hu! What do you mean Robin," Chopper asked fixing his hat? " Jules chan!!!!! are you alright? did you get hurt? you should see chopper." Sanji was already on his feet swaying around Juels, who looked like she was in deep thought.

" no, they weren't here for the whole crew." Jules said finally looking at everyone else. " so were they here for Rose? Fucking Admirals to capture a 2-year-old?" Nami's expression was horrified and disgusted at the thought.

" no, they were here for me," Juels said confused. " I don't know why though. coming for the whole crew, for Luffy only, for Rose only I understand. but only me?" Jules couldn't understand why 2 admirals would come to capture her.

" Maybe because you are Rose's mother? or maybe, because you are Ace's fiance? Or might be because you are Whitebeard's daughter." Ussop listed out. " you don't understand, even if it was these reasons, why would day send not 1 but 2 admirals? they could have sent anyone, there are many vice admirals, and captains, who are capable of capturing me, they could have sent cipher pol, but no, they sent Admirals." Juels explained, trying to wrap her thoughts around it herself.

" not to forget, Admirlas get direct orders from the 5 Elders most of the time." Robin pointed out and Juels gasped, remembering what Ryokugyu had said.

"I won't let you get away, Portugas Edward Jules. I will be the one to deliver you to Marijoa and hand you over to the 5 elders."

" the 5 Elders. that's what the plant guy said." Juels mumbled, joining the dots as realizing what she didn't while fighting Ryokugyu. " what is it, Juels Chan?" Franky asked as everyone was now curious.

" the admiral, the plant one, he said he would be the one to deliver me to Marijoa and hand me over to 5 elders," Juels said faced with new confusion. Everyone was shocked would be an understatement. until now the 5 elders had been just a fleeting topic, and they never minded them, but this was the first time the sick old bastards sitting at the top of the red line had come so close to them. though indirect they had made close contact with the new emporer.

" wh.....wh...why....wo...would they....w... want to capture you?" Ussop said shivering since the moment the 5 elders were mentioned. "I don't know, and apparently they want me alive, The plant head said they changed the plans at the last minute or something."

" so the Admirals were really ordered by the 5 elders." Jimbe sighed with a tired sigh. " luckily we were able to escape them thanks to that whale." the Fishman said. " oh yeah the whale, wasn't it weird how it appeared out of nowhere." Sanji said lighting up a dry cigarette from a new packet.

" well she was glad she could help us escape, she said she was happy to see Jules," Chopper said rather casually, making everyone stop what they were doing and stare at the young doctor. "Happy to see me?" Juels asked wringing her soaked skirt. " yeah, that's what the whale said while we were leaving. do you know her?" Chopper asked.

" no, of course not, how would I know the whale? I never even met Laboon, who is by the reverse mountain." Jules said with disbelief as she squeezed out water from her hair.

" oh yeah chopper can understand animals," Luffy said breaking the silence. to be honest, the rubber captain had forgotten the young doctor could do that and it was so cool.

" Oi, Jules....." Luffy called out, curiously staring at the tattoo on her collarbone. " what Luffy." Juels said rather frustrated with everything that happened. " the tattoo." Luffy pointed out. "I am not in the mood to discuss the tattoo Luffy," Juels said huffing as she tried to detangle her hair.

" Jules the tattoo, it's prominent." Luffy said and Jules froze. " what do you mean it's prominent?" she asked skeptically. " the design. it's almost complete." Luffy said and the next moment a hand sprouted beside her holding a mirror. Jules took the mirror and saw it.

(see end of chapter notes for reference photo)

the faded tattoo that looked like waves and took the shape of a whale on her collarbone. the whale was made of waves and it looked like it had just dived in the sea.

" h...how....i......I don't....." Juels stuttered, confused about what to say. She looked at the crew and frowned when she met eyes with Nami and Robin. the two women looking at her with the - ' now you gonna acknowledge this weird shit happening with you.'- look.

with a sigh, Jules looked back in the mirror and back at the duo. " Fine, let's find out what is wrong with me," she said with a give-up tone and look. " tomorrow morning in the library," Nami said sternly. " I'll gather my notes and theories," Robin said and the two walked away. the crew too got working on cleaning up the ship and Franky started to check for any damages that needed to be repaired.

Luffy walked over to Juels who was still examining the tattoo and kneeled down in front of her, looking at the tattoo with curiosity. " ne Juels, the tattoo is so cool. " he said with sparkling eyes. " hmmmmm." Juels hummed not really paying attention to the captain as she stared at the tattooed whale. it reminded her of something, she couldn't pinpoint what but she knew she had seen it somewhere.

she shivered when she felt warm fingers brush against her collarbone bringing her back from her thoughts. As soon as she focused back she saw the bright onyx eyes staring intently at the tattoo, the face of her captain so close to her own as he gently touched the tattooed skin.

Jules didn't know why she didn't push him away, she was stuck in place as she stared at him, the focused and curious look in his eyes and the shine in them made him look so cute, but her eyes darted to his jaw, the sharpness of it contrasting with his soft cute cheeks, then her eyes move lower and his upward, he looked at her eyes scanning his face and then slowly moving down. he suddenly felt his throat and lips dry. he couldn't take his eyes off her slightly parted lips, their peach color and looking so soft. as he unconsciously gulped at the sight, her eyes moved to his neck and throat, and she saw it move as he gulped. she could feel a familiar feeling spreading through her chest and her breath hitched.

she couldn't help it when her breathing came out in gasps when their eyes met. it was like his big onyx eyes could see everything going on in her heart and mind; like he could see the struggle between her heart and mind. her heart was begging her to listen to it, telling her to lean in just like slowly Luffy was and her mind was telling her to back off and push him away. her own thoughts and her talk with Jimbe mixed up in her mind. She was so confused between right and wrong and she was frustrated. She had to decide fast, Luffy was so close..... so close to connecting their lips.

A shiver ran through her body when his breath mixed with hers and she knew this was a ticking time bomb. her one decision could change so many things between them. even if she stopped him, she knew at least it would always be awkward for her, knowing that what had almost happened. and .....and if she instead of pushing him away leaned in too, it would change everything about their relationship

she didn't realize when Luffy had lifted a hand and brought it close to her face and was gently cupping her cheeks. his gaze was still fixed on lips occasionally darting up to her eyes. when his thumb gently brushed against her bottom lip and she visibly shivered she was able to make a decision and pushed him away, without wasting time or looking back at the confused and shocked captain she dashed below deck.

her heart was pounding and she tried to distract her mind from thoughts of what-ifs as she hurriedly walked toward the safe room and opened the lock and knocked.

" Rose honey, it's me mumma. Gold. D. Rose press the green button inside little devil." Juels said and she heard giggling as the door opened a little so the sound could come out. Rose stepped out giggling and hugged her mumma. " mumma I play so much. This fun." The little girl said.

the little girl had been scared at first when her mumma left her alone in that room, but she had soon got invested in various toys in the room and it was fun how soft the room floor and walls were. when the ship started swinging suddenly Rose had fun, feeling like she was sitting in a soft swing.

"I am glad you had fun little devil, were you scared?" Juels asked just in case, no matter how brave and how weird her daughter's likings were she was still a kid. " little, but I play and have fun. so fun mumma." the little girl said excitedly. Juels was relieved to hear that.

"Let's go up then, you must be hungry," Jules said as the mother-daughter duo started heading upstairs. on cue, Rose's tummy grumbled loudly and the two laughed as they entered the gally where Sanji was about to finish making lunch, which had gotten interrupted because of the sudden navy attack.

Chapter Text

Everyone was now gathered in the galley, as Sanji had just finished serving lunch and had joined everyone at the dining table.

the lunch was going as usual, Luffy stealing food, others yelling at him and protecting their own food, Juels was not eating yet as she was feeding Rose, who was in a pampering mood today. it wasn't every day the little girl asked to be fed, she always ate by herself but sometimes she liked being pampered and would ask Juels to feed her.

Once Rose was fed, Juels let her down from her lap and the little girl ran off to the couch where some of her toys were lying around. As the little devil got busy engrossed in her toys Juels served herself and started eating.

after some time she saw Zoro was almost done with his food when she spoke up, catching the swordsman's attention. " hey Zoro, can I borrow your sword cleaning and sharpening kit? Gotta take care of my knives."

" Sure, After lunch come to the crow's nest, and I'll give it to you," Zoro said. he kept seated in his chair even though his lunch was done. " by the way, that reminds me what's up with your knives?" Zoro asked an eyebrow raised. "They got pretty dirty today and I think they need some sharpening as well, it's been a while since I sharpened them properly," Juels said between bites.

" No, I mean, how do they come back to you?" Zoro said catching everyone's attention, the rest of the crew had noticed it too but always slipped their mind to ask about it. " Yeah, they are so cool!! how do you do that" Luffy asked enthusiastically.

" oh that, it's because of the gems on the knife handle and my bracelets," Juels said showing the golden bracelets she always wore in her hands. the bracelet had a delicate vine design with colorful gems looking like flowers on the vine.

"How does that work?" Ussop asked his lunch finished as well. " these are special gems, Oyaji had found them Just after he found me, when we had stopped at an island to get supplies. In a cave in a forest, he had found these colorful gems. he took them but didn't know what to do with them. over the years, he forgot about them as they were kept in the storage room." Juels had decided to share this as a story since she had already lost herself in the memory of her father.

"Did he take them cause of its special characteristics?" Robin asked. and Juels laughed. " oh no not at all, he just got them 'cause he found them pretty. when I was 14, my brothers were working on renovating my room and found the gems in the storage room when putting away some of my stuff there. when Oyaji saw it he really wanted to make something out of it for me since in a few months my 15th birthday was coming up. he was thinking of making some jewelry out of it since we didn't know about its powers." Jules continued.

" so how did you find out? and what is this power?" Robin asked. "I was Practicing Armament haki at that time, I was making some mistakes and Oyaji saw, he was still holding the gems in his palm when he showed me how to do whatever I was doing right. when he coated his hand that was holding the gems in Armament haki the other gem pieces kept by his chair suddenly got stuck to his hand. that's how we realized that when the gems are covered in armament haki the liquid inside it gets hard and becomes magnetic and attracts other gems like it." Juels explained with a nostalgic smile.

" That is a pretty interesting trait of these gems. I wonder why I never heard of them?' Jimbe said. " that's cause they form very deep in rock formations and nobody had mined that deep yet. it was because of Oyaji's power that the cave was created in that forest and he found the gems deep in it. there is actually a funny story behind that cave." Juels said clucking to herself as she remembered the story Vista had told her.

" what is it tell me tell me," Luffy said excitedly to hear a pirate story. "Grandpa story." Rose cheered as she too had come to sit on Luffy's lap when she had heard her grandpa's name in the conversation.

"Okay okay, I'll tell the story," Jules said with a fond nostalgic look in her eyes as he remembered her 15th birthday.

Flashback

everyone cheered as Juels cut her birthday cake, the cake was huge and specially made in her favorite flavor chocolate, and with coffee-flavored frosting, by Thatch, and was big enough to feed the whole crew at least 2 servings.

cutting a good-sized piece Juels fed it to her father and the strongest man in the world melted like ice cream as he smiled and saw the happiness sparkle in his daughter's turquoise eyes. She was 15 already. It felt so fast, why did his girl had to grow up? wasn't she 10 just yesterday? and hadn't they found her bundled up in a fluffy blanket just a day before that?

after giving a slice to her father the young girl went to each of her closest brothers with a piece too. the whole crew was her brothers, but talking to everyone wasn't possible and everyone knew that the 16 commanders well 15 now since the 2nd division didn't have a commander were her closest brothers, and nobody really minded that their sister had favorites.

" Happy birthday Juels," Marco said smiling with a mixture of fondness and pride in his eyes. "Happy birthday cupcake." Thatch said playfully putting some icing on her cheeks right on her dimples, making the young girl giggle" The cake is delicious Thatch. thank you." Juels said kissing her brother's cheek.

"Happy birthday," Jozu said and ruffled her hair a bit. Jules didn't like when someone ruffled her hair especially when Izo had made a beautiful hairstyle but she knew her brother Jozu was a man of few words and rather showed his feelings through actions so she didn't complain and smiled and thanked him instead and gave him the cake.

"Happy birthday Juels," Visat said giving his dear sister a tulip flower bouquet. Juels was surprised to see the tulips. " when did you get this? we haven't been on an island with tulips recently." she asked happy and surprised. " it's a secret." Visat said not wanting to reveal his secret garden where he had been growing the tulips for her birthday. Jules frowned but let it slide and gave him the cake.

"Happy birthday our dear favorite sister." Blamenco, Cruil, Blenheim and Namur Said in union. the group was missing Rakuyo and Kingdew as the two brothers had gone on a mission with their divisions. "Thank you and I am your only sister," Jules said giggling as the group laughed and then pulled her in a group hug. the 6 commanders usually worked together so they stuck in a group most of the time. She gave each of them some cake and then walked across the deck to her other brothers.

" hey, happy birthday Jules," Haruta exclaimed when he saw his sister walk up to him and his brothers. " Thank you, Haruta, here is a cake for you." Jules said with a sweet smile " Hey Jules are you taller than Haruta yet?" Foosa said teesing and Speed Jiru and Atmost started laughing. Jules tried her best not to laugh as Haruta turned red with embarrassment and anger. being the shortest, everyone always teased him that their little sister would one day get taller than him.

" I don't think so, it's still another year till she gets taller than Haruta." Atmos said teasing his brother more and almost falling off his chair seeing Haruta practically burn with embarrassment. " hey don't tease Haruta." Jules said fake angry and they all tried their best not to laugh.

Jules walked around the deck searching for her last brother. she smiled seeing Izo walk out of his room and go towards Whitebeard. skipping in her steps she reached the duo just as they were about to speak. " Izo, here's cake for you," Juels said giving him the slice of cake. " Happy birthday, you are a 15-year-old young lady now hu," Izo said and Juels smiled wide, happy to grow up. soon she would be able to join a division, she had recently mastered Armament haki and her observation haki came naturally to her. She hadn't shown any signs of conquerers haki yet but she didn't really care. if she didn't have it then be it.

" Izo, thank you for the dress i love it." Jules said as she twirled and the black skirt sparkled as it had glitter and some gems stitched into it. " you look absolutely beautiful Juels." Izo said. " of course she does, she is the prettiest daughter in the world, and she is my daughter. ha, ain't I a lucky man." Whitebeard said laughing.

" hey little gem, I have a gift for you, I heard you mastered Armament haki." Whitebeard said helping his daughter climb up his shoulder. " yeah a few days ago, what's the gift Oyaji?" she said curious and excited. "is it ready Izo?" whitebeard asked and with a smile, Izo opened a wooden box and handed it to whitebeard.

Jules gasped seeing the set of three knives in the box, they were shining in the moonlight, the silver blade sharp and clean, the golden handle had vines on it as a design and small gems decorated it looking like colorful flowers. the end of the handle had a bigger gem and a small decorative bundle of threads. in the box beside the three blades, there were two bracelets, they had hooks to them to make it adjustable. the golden bracelets had the same vine design and they were decorated with gems as well. it was just beautiful.

"It's so pretty. its for me?" Juels asked her eyes never leaving the box. whitebeard clucked and let out a grumbling laugh. " yes little gem, this is for you, happy birthday." she mumbled a thank you to Oyaji and took the box from him.

she took out one of the knives and examined it when Marco, Thatch, and Vista came there. " I see Oyaji gave you the gift." Marco said catching Juels's attention. " you knew about this?" she asked surprised. "of course we all knew. we helped Oayji get it made after all." Thatch said. "it's not just knives, Juels these are special." Izo said with a smirk. " how so?" the young girl asked.

" you see these gems on the knife handle and the bracelets? when these gems are covered with Armamnet haki they attract each other. so if you coat the bracelet in armament haki, the knives will get attracted to it. which means.........." whitebeard didn't finish to let Juels figure it out.

" oh oh oh, I can do long-range attacks, I can throw my knives and get them back if I coat the bracelets in armament haki," Juels said excitedly with stars in her eyes.

she loved her choice of weapon, but due to using knives she couldn't do long-range attacks, but with these knives, she could do it, but it would need a lot of practice and training. Oh God, she couldn't wait to master using these.

"That's our smart sister, you know Oyaji had these specially made for you. we had found these gems long back when you were a baby and again found them in the store room a few months ago, Oyaji wanted to make something out of it for you." Izo said.

" oh yeah, I remember the gems that Oyaji was holding that day when other gems got stuck to his hand." Juels said giggling. " wait you found these when I was a baby?" she asked surprised.

" oh, you remember how Oyaji found these though?" Marco said looking at Thatch and Vista as they all laughed and Whiteberad had a slight blush on his cheeks. " oh yeah, Oyaji was so scared that day." Thatch said laughing. " what??? Oyaji was scared? Oyaji you ........you the strongest man in the world got scared?" Juels said looking at her father with disbelief.

" let me do the honors of telling this story, dear sister," Vista said sitting down on the deck. Marco, Thatch, and Izo too sat around on the deck and Juels stayed on her father's shoulder, still holding the box with the knives.

" yey story time, it's been years since we did this right Oyaji?" Juels said remembering how until a few years ago one of her brothers or her father would tell her bedtime stories of their adventures.

" Yeah, good old days when you were just a little girl, why do you have to grow up?" Whitebeard said with a frown, making Jules giggle. " anyway, Vista the story." she said looking at her brother.

" yeah, so it was after a few months we found you. we were docked on an island and Oyaji went off to explore. the protective girl dad instinct that he has now hadn't developed then, so he left you with Marco and Haruta on the ship, and went off to explore. we were having lunch in the forest at the bottom of this huge cliff when Haruta called through den den mushi. there was too much noise on the other end so we couldn't hear everything he was saying, we only heard a few words like Jules, fire, marines, kidnap, attack. it was a complete mess, we all thought marines had attacked the ship and there was a fire and you had been kidnapped." Vista said with a dramatic serious voice and face.

" was I really kidnapped? you guys never told me someone had actually succeeded in kidnapping me, I thought there were only threats." Juels said thinking back to all the empty threats they got about her kidnapping. some weren't so empty and actually tried, but she was the princess, the precious sister of whitebeard pirates and nobody really succeeded in even touching her.

" oh listen to the whole story. so where were we? yeah, we heard all that and panicked that our precious baby sister had been kidnapped by the Marines, Oyaji had been so dam scared, and angry that he didn't realize when he lost control of his devil fruit and panicked he got up, his one hand was on the cliff wall against which he was sitting and the wall broke like it was made of building blocks. apparently, it was hollow, and hence Oyaji opened up a cave that was so damn deep that no one can even mine that much." Vista remembered how oblivious Whitebeard had been, not even realizing that he had opened up a cave in panic.

" what bout me what about me? how did you get me back from marine kidnappers?" Juels asked finding that part of the story way more interesting. " oh you weren't kidnapped at all. All panicked when we reached the moby dick you were happily sleeping in your crib that was set up on the deck beside Oyaji's chair." Thatch added laughing.

" what? then what was that stupid call Haruta made?"

" as I said it wasn't clear and we heard only a few words, it turned out, you were hungry and some people from his division tried to cook and somehow started a fire in the kitchen and Haruta wanted to play with you but Marco had taken you to his room so keep you occupied until the food was made and Haruta was in charge of keeping an eye on his division in the kitchen and was complaining how Marco had Kidnapped you from him. and the Marine and attack were apparently from some stupid conversation going on in the background as Haruts's division was trying to put off the fire. All in all, it was all a misunderstanding and Oyaji had been so damn panicked when we thought you were kidnapped, he was practically shaking and didn't let you off his sight for the next few days." Vita said with a nostalgic sigh.

" awww, Oyaji you are the best," Jules said kissing her father's cheek. Whitebeard just laughed at that, happily smiling at his daughter's affection.

" but how did you get the gems then?" Jules asked, "Oh that, the next day Oyaji still wanted to explore the forest and took you with him, he came across the cave that he had himself made and found the gems in it.." Marco said simply without any dramatic effects like Vista.

" yeah, and you were so in love with them and trying to grab them I had to get them for you, gurarararara, after all my daughter had asked for something from me for the first time," Whitebeard said with a fond smile. " technically she could speak at that time, but anyway, you liked it so he got it for you," Thatch said looking at Oayjia and then at Juels.

"Well, I do love them, they are so pretty, and love how you made use of them in these knives and bracelets." " Marco, we start training tomorrow. " Jules said and Marco knew he would have to adjust his schedule for the next few months as his sister wouldn't leave him until she had got the basics right. " sure dimples, 5 o'clock?" he said, he didn't use nicknames often but if he did he would call her dimples since she was the only one on the crew with dimples. the only pretty person with dimples if he was completely honest.

" 5 o'clock," Juels confirmed with an enthusiastic smile, ready to train with her new weapon.

Flashback ends

" shishishishishi, your brothers are so funny." Luffy laughed banging his hand on the table. " Uncle Macro, Uncle Marco." Rose cheered, happy her Uncle Marco was mentioned in the story.

" whitebeard really turned soft for you didn't he?" Jimbe said with a chuckle. " he was soft for the whole crew." Juels said fondly remembering her father. " well your brothers would still say you were a bit more special." the Fishman said with a smile. " hmmmm, maybe I was a favorite child." Jules laughed.

" It seems you had a great childhood, Juels Chan. Yohohohoho." Brook said, his voice oddly warm and soothing. it really made Jules realize how wise and old the skeleton was. " I did," Jules admitted with a small yet genuine smile.

" I am surprised you turned out so girly for someone who was raised by not only men but a pirate crew consisting of men only," Nami said amused.

"Well the main crew including the 16 divisions didn't have any women except for me but many of our allies had woman crew members and even captains. Whitey Bay was part of the crew but left to start her own crew some years before I was found, and it was still quite different from having a 6-month-old baby and raising her. She came to visit from time to time though, and always brought me pretty clothes. Other than her I had Izo on the crew all the time. he always dressed me up pretty and girly. and about my behavior, my brothers and Oyaji weren't very fond of my sailors toung, they always tried to speak softly and practically hammered good manners in my head. I wouldn't say I turned out girly though, according to pirate standards yes but not normal people's standards." Jules said.

She remembered how after Ace came along though she somehow became more girly, and she started getting more interested in flowers, until then she only knew roses and tulips, she would get shy more often, would notice herself in the mirror more often, and overall let her guard down more often, with Ace she didn't mind being a damsel in distress for her brave Pirate to save her. she didn't mind being vulnerable. even though her family would always protect her, she was always the tough kid, yes she was still their precious girl and their princess but she was a princess with knives and the ability to slice up her enemy, a princess who wore armor, a princess who didn't want a prince.

but when the prince came along, around him she would turn into the princess with pretty gowns, a princess with pretty hair, a princess who kept her heart on her sleeves, a princess who wanted a prince, a princess who wanted to be protected, even though she knew she could protect herself well enough.

but the best part was, that no matter howmuch of a soft sweet princess she was with her prince, she was still the fierce and strong princess for her family and even more fierce for the world.

but she wasn't ready to speak of that just yet. Talking about those memories would open up healing wounds. so she didn't mention her personality after Ace's arrival.

while she was lost in thought, she didn't notice the glances the crew shared silently, wondering if she knew of the terrible news about her brother who used to make pretty clothes for her and dress her up.

all eyes turned to Luffy and the captain knew he would be the one to talk about this to Juels.

Chapter Text

As the evening came the sea was shining bright with red and orange hues. the breeze was calm and the sea was swaying the sunny gently. Juels was too tired to stand by the railing to admire the sea today, so she found herself sitting under Nami's mikan trees. Rose was on the main deck playing with Ussop and Chopper or maybe being pampered by Nami and Robin.

Talking about her life on Moby Dick had opened the chest of memories from her childhood and teen years. It felt great to remember the time with her family; her dear brothers and her father. the memories were sweet and filled with happiness, some memories which were of times when she had been quite sad or anxious also seemed fond and something to laugh at now, no matter how sweet or warm, the memories did leave bitterness behind, the memories brought happiness but also the sad thought that her family would never be the same followed. how she would give anything to see her brothers and her father and Ace all together on the Moby-Dick again, one last time maybe? all smiling and laughing together.

But she refused to let those bitter thoughts bring tears to her eyes, she had cried enough for the last two years, talking with Luffy, spending time with this crew, and finding a new family that made her feel safe and warm, all this had helped her so much. she had come so far from the grief; she had so much more to heal but she was proud of how much she had healed already. so no she was determined to not cry as she relieved her childhood and teens in her memories.

her father was gone and so was the love of her life, and she had lost so many of her brothers, had lost Thatch, but the thought that so many of them were still out there somewhere and she may stumble upon them someday on these seas was good enough for her. At least she knew where Marco was, and Macro definitely knew where everyone else was, especially the division commanders. Maybe one of these days she will contact Marco, just to catch up, maybe she can get in contact with her other brothers too. it would be great talking to others.

her thoughts were interrupted by what was supposed to be silent murmuring on the deck below her. it sounded like Nami and Zoro were talking to Luffy, well that explained why the murmuring wasn't as silent as it was supposed to be. soon enough the ship captain was pushed up the stairs by the two crewmates. Jules was amused and curious by what was going on.

when Luffy walked over to her looking like he was burdened with the worry of the world Jules chuckled looking up at him from her place under the Mikan tree. " what has you looking so worried captain?" she asked amused as Luffy slumped and sat beside her.

she just stared at him as he sat down beside her. To tell the truth, Luffy was nervous. he had witnessed firsthand how much the war 2 years ago had affected Jules. Luffy understood that where he had lost his brother in that war, Jules had lost many of her brothers, her dear father, and the love of her life. She had lost so much 2 years ago and she still hadn't moved on from that grief and here he was about to tell her one more devastating news.

It really hadn't clicked him before, Juels had mostly talked about her and Ace with him, she did share stories from her childhood, but not all her brothers were always mentioned. today though with the crew and how she had mentioned Izo so much Luffy had realised she didn't know what fate one of her dear brother had met. Luffy did know he should have realized this long back but now it is what it is, and he would have to tell her.

as he felt her eyes on him, staring at him intently as she patiently waited for him to speak, he felt a familiar knot in his chest and throat. he remembers feeling this way when he had told Tama about Ace.

" Luffy, you okay?" she asked a little worried with the odd silence that was accompanying the forever ray of sunshine. her worry only increased when Luffy flinched at her voice. She didn't know when it had happened but she had learned to read those big bright onyx eyes. She could see the uncertainty and dread in them, she could see the slight twitch of his lips as if he was trying to put up a smile but couldn't. She could see the way his eyebrows scrunched up just a little bit as he tried to hide some emotion. and when she saw his hands clench up into a fist she knew he was ready to say whatever he had wanted to.

Luffy wants one to beat around the bush, he didn't when he told Tama about Ace and he didn't plan to now as well. but he did hesitate. he had seen it all, the desperate cries, the screams from the nightmares, and the panic attacks. and she had come so far from it all, the nightmares weren't as frequent, the panic attacks too, and the moments of breakdown every time the topic of her family came up had decreased so much in the past few months, but his one sentence would bring it all back. he was sure of it.

but he had to tell her, she deserved to know that even though dead, but still her brother did not die in vain, he died for his homeland and his family. with all his courage Luffy looked at Juels who was looking at him with a calm smile and worried eyes.

" your brother Izo, he.....he is dead." Luffy hated how his voice quivered and how he wasn't able to say those words in one fluid sentence. it was grief for the brave worrier but mostly the stutter was because of the things he knew Juels would go through now. he didn't want to see her in all that pain and grief, didn't want to see her break down completely when she had gathered herself so much in these past few months.

Juels had thought she heard something wrong for a moment. it took her too long to fully register what Luffy had just said. She didn't doubt whether what he said was true or not, she knew Luffy would never lie to her like that. For a few moments, she didn't know what she felt, but slowly she became aware of what she was feeling, her chest felt like it was getting hollow with each passing second and it felt like a huge weight was placed on it. memories of beautiful dresses and shopping adventures, lazy days of self-pampering, and a fun childhood filled with pretty hairstyles flashed before her eyes. The story nights when she was told many many legends of Wano and the traditional Wano songs she loved to dance to felt like events of just yesterday. and then when it all had run through her mind once, it felt like it all was collected in a bag and the bag was being dragged away, far far away from here, somewhere in the darkness where she would never see them again, and even if she did they would come to haunt her as her nightmares.

"Jules?" Luffy's worried voice and his warm hands on her shoulder had been enough to pull her out from the scenery where her every happy memory was being painted black with grief and sadness. " wh.....when?" was all she could voice out from the whole sentence that her mind hand actually wanted to say.

Luffy kept his warm hands on her shoulders, his thumbs making gentle circular patterns on her skin helping her keep grounded and not drift into the dark corners of her mind. " In Wano, he...he died during the raid, fighting the beast pirates and CP0," Luffy said with a rock on his heart, he didn't know if he should be concerned that she hadn't broken down yet and had instead wanted to know how her brother had died.

" so.....so he......he died in battle, pro......protecting his fa.....family and friends, the.....the people of his country," she said rather than asked. when Luffy nodded she sighed with some satisfaction as she closed her eyes, the tears she had been holding back flowing down her cheeks. it hurt, the emptiness she felt in her chest hurt so much and it was getting hard to breathe with the heavy feeling on her chest. but her heart felt warm knowing her brother didn't die in vain.

she remembers how fondly and proudly he told her stories of Wano, the way he talked about his home country, and told her how much he loved it. she knew he must have died proudly with showing off that kozuki tattoo on his back and the courage of a true Whitebeard pirate. but then the thought that she would probably never see him again, never hear his voice, feel his warm hug, and never wear a dress made by him, sank in and she felt miserable. She had thought it was over, after the war it was over, she thought she wouldn't lose any more of her family but she had been wrong, they were pirates after all, how could she forget, pirates lived their life with their hearts on their sleeves and not knowing if they will see the sun next morning. but of course, knowing that didn't mean the grief was any less, family was family after all.

" so he died with honor, and........and probably with that kozuki seal on his back showing off proudly," she said with a sad laugh in her voice. She didn't want to break down, no, she had come so far from all the pain and grief she didn't want to go back there. but the look of worry in the onxy eyes in front of her told her she wasn't succeeding in that attempt. it was like the eyes were telling her to let go, let the damn break, and grieve wholeheartedly, but she refused herself.

with a shaking hand, she tried to wipe the tears streaming down her face but they refused to stop, as soon as she wiped more flowed down. She desperately tried and tried to get rid of them but it didn't work. " damn it why won't it stop." she said frustrated, her voice shaking as much as her hands.

"Jules," Luffy called out, his hands moving from her shoulder to her palms and she held her teary gaze with his warm one. Luffy felt how her hands were colder than they usually were, though he held them they were still shaking and she looked so frustrated with herself and at the same time she looked like she wanted to cry and cry and cry. and she should. he knew she should cry and let it all out but she refused to do it, trying her best to stop the tears.

" wh.....why....why won't these damn tears stop." She said louder this time, she didn't want to cry, she....she had made so much progress in these past few months she didn't want it to go to waste with this. Izo wouldn't want her to go back to square one. She knew the moment she would let these tears and this empty feeling take over her it would wash away the healing she had achieved and reopen old wounds.

" don't.....don't hold them back Jules don't keep it in," Luffy said, his heart breaking with every word, he didn't want to face this, he hated how broken she looked in a matter of seconds, it was like the blue fire in her turquoise eyes had died and they looked cold. Juels was too concentrated on trying to soothe her heart and stop her mind from playing the memories again and again.

"can.....can you leave me alone? please?" she said, her voice small and weak, there was a slight tremble in it too. Luffy hesitated, he didn't want to leave her alone like this. Was it really okay to leave her alone? he was scared, in a rush of emotions she wouldn't do anything stupid, right? " I.....I'll be okay......just....want to be alone," she said trying her best to give him a reassuring look, but she probably failed.

with a sigh Luffy got up, looking at her with worry and his steps hesitating to walk away from her. She turned her head to stare at the sea again, and Luffy sighed again before going down to the lower deck. the rest of the crew was waiting there, curious and worried. the look on Luffy's face was enough to tell them that it was going to be some very difficult next few days. But of course, they knew that and they would all be here to help Jules feel better, they would all be here to support her in any way possible and needed.

Cause they were her Family.

Chapter Text

"Hey, where is the princess of whitebeard pirates?" The tall man with black hair styled neatly and perfect red lipstick on his lips yelled as he got aboard the huge ship, with a whale figurehead. " she is probably in the back practicing." the blond-haired phoenix said as he carried some barrels from below deck.

the black-haired man hummed a tune he knew from his childhood as he walked to the back of the ship. there he found his dear sister wearing what seemed to be Ace's clothes as she practiced some new moves she had come up with. her attacks were fierce and sharp, precise as always. a little further away from her was her boyfriend occasionally sending a fireball or two towards her as an obstacle which she dodged or defended swiftly. she dodged another fireball her beautiful turquoise eyes landed on her brother standing there with a proud smile on his lips and fondness in his eyes.

she saw the number of bags in his hands and squealed with excitement, her practice forgotten as she skipped over to her brother with an excited look in her eyes. " Izo, your back, what did you bring me this time?" she said hugging the tall man and giving his cheek a quick kiss. " well you said you didn't have anything to wear for Ace's birthday, so I got you a dress for that occasion, I'll, of course, do some alterations to it, and I also got you some simple clothes to wear during training," Izo said the last part looking at Ace with a soul.

don't get him wrong, he really loved Ace, he was like a younger brother to him, just like for everyone else, but he was still a protective brother, no matter how much he liked the 2nd division commander, he didn't like seeing his sweet little sister wearing her boyfriend (Ace)'s clothes.

" there was no need for that, Ace doesn't wear shirts anyway, these are the old ones from when he used to wear shirts. Trust me he has a huge collection of pants." Juels said not really reading the room. " yeah, of course, 'cause that's all he wears." Izo said, his scowl getting deeper at the thought of his sister, touching and hugging the shirtless young man. " anyway, I got you some really pretty clothes you can wear while training, the material is good too so they will last longer." Izo said handing Juels the bags.

Jules smiled, excited to try on the clothes. " okay, I'll freshen up and then try these on, hey, wanna see a fashion show like old times?" she asked looking up at her brother from the bags. " oh my god, yeah, it's been years since you did that, you know what, I'll get everyone on deck, even Oyaji won't miss this." Izo said excitedly, remembering the time when Juels was younger, and she would do a fashion show for her brothers and father every time she got new clothes.

Jules laughed and went to her room, excited to try on the clothes. she took a nice bath and got fresh, he decided to start with the clothes Izo got her for training. The first one was a sleeveless cotton top with brown leather strings at the neckline for decorative purposes. it was paired with surprisingly comfy high-waist slim-fit pants, she wore her leather belt which she used for carrying her knives. the outfit was comfortable and breathable and easy to move in, it was perfect for wearing when training to practicing. other training outfits were similar just the type of tops and the colour of the pants was different.

she combed her hair and looked at herself in the mirror once and smiled, satisfied with her look. She walked out of the room happily skipping through the halls, to go above on the main deck. all her brothers, Oyaji and Ace must be waiting on the main deck waiting for her, she thought. she felt a wave of nostalgia as she remembered doing this fashion show thing in childhood.

she opened the door that would lead to the main deck, hoping to see the bright day and all her family sitting on the deck with smiles, and laughter. but what greeted her as she opened the door wasn't the bright day, everything was dark around her, and the atmosphere was cold, very cold. it wasn't the fresh cold either, the type of cold that made you happy and want to play in the snow, or drink hot chocolate. no, it was the cold that brought sickness, the type that made everything feel lifeless. the type that made your throat and head hurt, the type that made you feel dread, the type that represented death.

she looked around trying to find her brothers, but no one was there. where did everyone go? It was sunny and warm and the deck was busy just now, right? was she in her room for too long for things to change in such a way? where was Ace? Izo? At least they were supposed to be here, right? the sudden lightning made her flinch and a shiver ran down her spine. the light from the lightning formed shadows in front of her, a shadow of several people.

she didn't know why, but she was scared to turn around and see what was that shadow? she was scared to see who was behind, for some reason her feet were stuck and her hands were getting cold, so cold that it hurt. she didn't know why her heart felt heavy and she had a gut feeling that everything will be shattered if she turned around. but curiosity killed the cat and she turned around.

Another lightning and she clearly saw what was waiting behind her. there on the upper deck were people, no not any people her family, her brothers, her father, and her lover. all of them.....there on the upper deck, lifeless. it was a sickening sight, all of them were dead but kept upright by the spears that went through their chests. She felt something warm and wet touch her feet and she looked down, her feet covered red with blood. she followed the stream of blood and it only confirmed what she thought, the blood was flowing down from the upper deck, from her family. the blood that stained her feet red was that of her family.

another lightning and her attention was back on the lifeless display of her family, she was startled when she found them right in front of her, or rather she was suddenly not on the main deck but on the upper deck. right in front of, her was her dear brother, Izo, his clothes stained red with his blood, his eyes lifeless. it was real or just her imagination she didn't know, but she thought she saw the sadness in his eyes as if he was disappointed he couldn't see her wearing the clothes he got for her. She was disappointed too, what had happened? how had her family gone from happily laughing and smiling to.......to this? her throat hurt, and she was having a hard time breathing, it felt like her heart was empty like there was nothing left within her like her chest was hollow. She felt stuck, her mind playing games with her, telling her this was all just an illusion, giving her hope that her family wasn't gone, and then telling her this was real, that they were all gone, that she wouldn't ever see the love and care in their eyes, that she will never feel the warmth of their hugs, that she will never hear their voice again.

unconsciously her eyes moved from Izo to the person beside him, in a similar state as Izo, was Thatech. the expression on his face displaying, shock. as if he couldn't believe death had come knocking on his door. Jules didn't realize when tears had started streaming down her face, the expression on his face seemed so familiar as if she had seen it before. She felt sick, seeing the spear impelling his chest, covered in his blood.

her eyes roamed around, seeing so many of her brothers, dead gone from this world, only their lifeless bodies left behind for her to see and mourn over. how had this happened? Who did this? How did the huge crew stand there in front of her, dead, their blood flowing down and painting the ship they called home red? everyone was there, on the other side of Izo, was Ace, his chest pierced with not one but five spears. looking at him, it felt like those five spears were in her chest too, tearing her skin and breaking her ribs, and piercing her heart and lungs as it hurt. it hurt to even breathe.

her throat hurt too as if she was screaming her lungs out, but she couldn't hear a thing, nothing, she could only see, see how her family was killed and displayed in front of her just to mock her, show her how much she had lost. behind Ace were Marco, Haruta, and Vitsa followed by many more. and behind them, all was the huge figure of her father, his eyes that always shined with pride and excitement, full of love for his children, and the eyes of the devil himself for his enemies were now blank, there was nothing but death in them. who was it? who was the person who had managed to kill the strongest man in the world. who had succeded in killing the man who was capable of sinking islands even while fighting deadly illness. who had taken away her father from her?

she couldn't look at him too long, the sight of her dead father was the most sickening, making her want to throw up. ho had killed him in such a cruel manner. two large spears were piercing his huge body, but even in death he had a smile on his face, the smile still telling her that she would be okay. but how could she? how could she be okay when everyone was dead? everyone she ever loved and cared for was right there, in front of her eyes, dead and gone.

whoever had done this had been so cruel, so cruel to spar her, so cruel to show her mercy and let her live. cause seeing this bloody and lifeless display in front of her was worse than death. she would rather die than see this.

Another lightning and she didn't expect herself to cling to whatever was left of her family, which was nothing but lifeless bodies. which too were now slowly disintegrating into dust and vanishing into the air and wind carried them away. No fate can't take them away from her in so many ways. wasn't their death enough? want she allowed to mourn over their death, wasn't she allowed to touch them one last time? she didn't know why but even though the sight of their dead bodies was sickening the sight right now was even worse. their bodies were vanishing. what could be worse than death? but this this was worse. she didn't want them to go even further away than they were.

her feet felt heavy as she walked through the bloody puddle desperately trying to reach and touch someone, any of them, but she wasn't able to reach, why? why couldn't she? they were right there, right in front of her, but why couldn't she reach out, why was she forced to watch them vanish into thin air? another lightning and she finally heard something. She realized what she had heard was her own scream. a desperate scream, that made her throat hurt. was she screaming all this time? why was she hearing it only now? She didn't know, but she screamed, desperately trying to reach her family.

"NO......NO DONT.....DON'T TAKE THEM AWAY.....PLEASE......LET....LET ME BE WITH THEM FOR JUST ONE MORE MOMENT. NO......NO......O...OYAJI......DONT...DONT GO.....ACE....THATCH....I...IZO......PLEASE...DONT.....DON'T TAKE THEM FURTHER AWAY FROM ME....MY......MY FAMILY.....MY......MY...FAMILY.....NO......PLEASE....DONT.....DONT TAKE THEM AWAY."

she was screaming so much, she thought her throat might bleed at this point but she couldn't stop, no matter how much it hurt she couldn't stop, she had only one goal, reach her family......somehow, anyhow, stop them from vanishing.

what was she even doing? wanting to keep the dead bodies of her family close to her for just a little bit longer? it was disturbing.......but that's all she wanted right now. though dead, spend at least a few more moments in their presence. so she continued to scream, scream, and scream and scream as she desperately called out to them. but suddenly everything went black when a loud voice called out her name.

the voice echoed in her ears as it called out her name again.

" Jules." the voice called out, it was oddly soothing, not enough to stop her screaming and crying but enough to make her want to find out whose voice it was. it was familiar, so so familiar, but it didn't stop her from wanting to see her family, who had suddenly vanished and everything had burned black.

" hey.........snap out of it, open your eyes Jules.....please....wake up." the voice said. wake up? what did it mean to wake up? and her eyes were open, it was just that it was dark around her, yes she was awake and her eyes were open, she had just seen her family dead a moment ago until everything turned black.

as these thoughts ran through her mind she still cried and screamed. She still wanted to see them, see her family just once more.

" ACE.....OYAJI......IZO.....THATECH....MARCO....VISTA......ORES......WH...WHERE DID YOU GO? PLEASE.....LET.....LET ME SEE THEM.....ONE......ONE LAST TIME....PLEASE.......ACE.......WH...WHER...WHERE ARE YOU....OYAJI.......PLEASE......PLEASE GIVE THEM BACK.....GIVE ME MY FAMILY BACK......PLEASE...."

she was scared and suddenly everything was too bright around her, but she didn't care, her damn eyes would adjust soon enough, she had to find them, see them one last time. she knew they were all dead, they were gone but still she wanted to see them once, didn't want them to vanish, wanted to mourn her heart out until she was ready to let them go.

when her eyes adjusted though she was greeted with the sight of a fluffy, blue-nosed reindeer. his eyes were glossed and he was pouting, looking as if trying to hold back tears. her own screaming voice echoed in her ears and she realized she was still screaming. or was screaming a moment ago, but her mind registered it a little late. she noticed she was panting and was having a hard time breathing. her chest hurt and so did her head. her face felt wet and sticky, probably from tears and sweat. she could feel how her skin was cold and droplets of sweat were sliding down her neck and her back.

she felt like slowly her scenes were coming back to function as she felt strong arms around her and the odd drumming sound by her ear. She felt the scared skin against her cheek and ear and the more aware she got she could hear the odd drum-like heartbeat, so close and loud in her ears.

" L......Luffy," she mumbled, her throat hurt, probably from the screaming. her voice came out horas and strained. She wasn't even sure if anyone heard her including the one who was holding her, but the gasp and sharp breath taken by the person told her he heard her. She wasn't sure if it was true but she felt like the odd heartbeat got faster. she was pulled away from the warm chest and she was disappointed with the loss but not for long as her eyes immediately met the warm dark brown pair.

" Juels, damn you scared me." his deep yet slightly high-pitched voice said. maybe her senses were still not in full function cause his voice echoed in her ears. everything around her was unfocused. it was like she could use one sense at a time, if she did more she felt disoriented.

she heard someone speak something from behind Luffy but couldn't tell what was said. " oi.....Jules....look at me....hey." she heard the echoing voice. she struggled a bit but managed to focus her eyes on the onxy once. " okay, now follow me, breath in two...three...... four......hold.....two....three.....four......breath out two.......three.....four." she tried her best to follow, she was only focused on his eyes, they were so warm and bright. it was as if the eyes were telling her everything would be okay.

as she followed the instructions, she felt her chest feel lighter, the pain subsiding. it still hurt but she assumed it was due to screaming and not because of struggling to breathe. " very good, great job, now continue breathing like that. don't worry everything is alright. you are alright." his voice said. his warm hands that were on her shoulders all this time gently trailed down, it wasn't a feathered touch, his fingers and palm were pressing into her arms but it was comforting. it was as if he was trying to relax her stiff and cold body with his warm hands. and it was working. she could feel the warmth that his hands left behind was soothing and made her relax her muscles.

"Feeling better?" the voice asked and Jules unconsciously nodded. the warm hands gave her palms one firm squeeze and then were placed on her cold face. she immediately leaned into the warm touch as he made a gentle circular pattern on her cheeks with his thumb. She felt the warmth spread through her skin, making her more aware of her own body.

" very good, now, I will guide your hands and you have to look at whatever your hands touch okay?" his voice echoed and she again unconsciously nodded. his warm hands trailed from her face to her neck to her shoulder and her arms and finally held her wrist gently.

he moved her hand, she didn't know where she just kept looking into his big warm eyes. She felt her right hand touch something thin and soft. she doesn't know how fast but she's probably very slow when she turned her head to her right and saw her hand was touching the light green curtains of her porthole window. the green color was soothing to her eyes, which felt dry and stinging. She realized she was probably in her room.

when her left hand touched something hard yet smooth she looked towards her left and saw the beautiful Adam wood, covered in shiny varnish. it was the footboard of her bead. this confirmed her thought of being in her room. she was on sunny? but......but then....wasn't she on Moby Dick just now? her dead family in front of her.

at the thought, her breath quickened again. " hey...hey....Juels.....focus....focus on my voice." his voice echoed again. it was so warm and soothing, that she had no choice but to follow it. the warm hand that held hers moved her hand again and she felt both her hands touch something fluffy and warm. She looked at her hands and saw they were touching soft fur. chopper's fur.

" ch....chopper?" her voice came out strained and horas, and it hurt to even make a sound. she saw the blue-nosed reindeer nod and sniffle. " yeah.... it's me." he said but his voice sounded far away and she frowned. he was right in front of her, why was his voice sounding like that?

her frown was wiped off immediately when she heard Luffy's voice echo again. "shishishishi, yeah right that's chopper." she turned to look at the source of the echoing voice. " Luffy...." she mumbled. speaking was straining her throat so much. " yeah?" his voice echoed again. " your v...voice." she said with a frown. " what about my voice?" his echoing voice said again. " it's everywhere." she said with much difficulty.

" Luffy, her earing senses are not in sync yet, she still looks dazed, make her focus on your voice." she heard Chopper say far away. " hey Juels...look here...look at me." Luffy's voice echoed and she looked into his bright eyes. " not my eyes....look at me speak...oi....Juels." Luffy said. it took her a minute to process what he meant. her eyes shifted from his eyes to his lips. his voice was echoing in her ears and she could see his lips moving, but it didn't match.

she focused on his lips, trying to figure out why the movement of his lips didn't match his voice. the warm hands returned to her face and rubbed soothing circles on her cheeks. soon enough the echo of his voice decreased. his voice getting in sync with the movement of his lips. slowly she got aware of so many voices around her. the sound of waves crashing against the ship, the slight creaking sound of the wood. chopper talking to someone not far from her and of course Luffy's voice. speaking nonsense just for the sake of it, to get her attention probably.

she shifted her gaze from the talking lips and looked around. suddenly realizing she was on sunny. really on the sunny. familiar smells of her, Nami, and Robin's perfume in the room, the smell of the wood. and the smell of sweet cinnamon was the strongest, probably because Luffy who the smell belonged to was closest to her. his warm hands wrapped around her shivering body. why was her body shivering so much?

she could hear some more voices and looked towards the other two beds in the room and then towards the door. all of her crewmates were scattered around the girl's quarters. all talking to Chopper who seemed worried. she focused on the voices, and they got clearer, it seemed they all were reassuring him about something.

she looked back at Luffy and this time she actually saw him, his soft features, the big eyes, and the scar under his left eye. how had she managed to only see a particular part of his face moments ago she didn't know. it was like her mind wasn't able to focus on many things at a time. but she felt better now.

" Luffy." she said, again straining her throat. " yes?" he said, sounding desperate and worried. his face was missing the usual bright smile. " I am on sunny," she said. she didn't know why she said that. probably to confirm it, confirm she wasn't on Moby Dick that was stained with the blood of her family and their dead body put on display on the deck.

"Yeah, you are on sunny," Luffy said with the slightest smile. " The......the crew is here," she said weakly glancing at the crew. it felt like home. so warm and cozy. the crew's presence was like a shield, keeping all the demons away from her. " yeah the crew is here." Luffy said softly. gently pulling her closer to himself. she let him do it, letting his body give her warmth since she was still shivering.

she laid her head on his chest, his odd heartbeat keeping her focused and stopping her mind from drifting to the nightmare she had. " you okay?" she heard Luffy say, his chest rumbling with his voice. in response she just hummed, leaning closer into his chest his warmth. after a moment she heard the crew stop talking. and after a few moments of silence, she heard footsteps walk out of the room. " crew?" she asked, not really wanting to speak much since her throat hurt as hell.

" they left thought you would want silence. we were all worried. was it a bad dream?" Luffy asked, his voice calm and soothing, his tone casual, not wanting to make it sound like a big deal. Jules appreciated that. She would have hated it if he had shown too much worry, or treated her like a delicate being, needing protection from the dark world of nightmares. ( no matter how much she loved the protective feeling, her pride and ego were too big.) she was glad Luffy understood her thought process and worked along with it.

but she didn't want to be alone. though she didn't want to face that horrid nightmare again, the nightmare wanted to come to her. She wanted......no needed people around her, needed to know her new family was right here, safe and alive. She needed the warmth of their presence. yes Luffy was there to calm her down and comfort her but she needed to be sure that everyone was there, alive and breathing.

" w...want c....crew..." she said in a broken sentence, too tired to think and her throat hurting too much to talk. " you sure? I can call everyone in." Luffy asked, unsure yet ready to do whatever she needed. she just nodded, coughing a bit her throat hurting more. " g.....galley." she said once the coughing was over. Luffy easily understood what she wanted and smiled tightening his hold around her.

"let's go to the galley, I'm hungry too," Luffy said cheerfully, his stomach rumbling at the mention of Hunger. Jules couldn't help the small chuckle as Luffy laughed excitedly.

Chapter Text

Luffy had been worried like never before, when he had walked into the girl's room and seen Robin trying to calm a screaming Juels and wake her up, failing all over though. Juels was covered in sweat and her face was covered in her tears. She looked distressed and her body shaking as she screamed the names of her brothers.

when Luffy had told her about Izo, he knew she would face all the nightmares she had overcome over the last few weeks again, that she would be forced to take a few steps back in her progress. He knew she would grieve, she would be sad, knew she would be lost in her thoughts and would face the nightmares again. but knowing all this, knowing that she would go through all that pain, and actually seeing her in so much pain were completely different things.

when he took Robin's place who was holding her, trying his best to wake her up, he could feel her skin, colder than usual, her body trembling in his arms and the distressed cries loud in his ears. he felt helpless as she continued screaming.

"NO......NO DONT.....DON'T TAKE THEM AWAY.....PLEASE......LET....LET ME BE WITH THEM FOR JUST ONE MORE MOMENT. NO......NO......O...OYAJI......DONT...DONT GO.....ACE....THATCH....I...IZO......PLEASE...DONT.....DON'T TAKE THEM FURTHER AWAY FROM ME....MY......MY FAMILY.....MY......MY...FAMILY.....NO......PLEASE....DONT.....DONT TAKE THEM AWAY."

she screamed and Luffy's heart broke. he didn't know what to do. he felt lost helpless and out of control. he could fix everything, and fight anyone, but how could he fight her nightmares? he wished he could punch these nightmares or kick them off the face of the earth, but of course, that wasn't possible.

" Luffy, she has to stop screaming, she is hurting her throat," Chopper said from beside him. "I am trying, she is not waking up," Luffy said frustrated with himself. He held her closer, as close to his chest as possible, shaking her, trying to wake her up. " hey.....wake up, Jules please wake up. It's okay; it's a nightmare, it's not real. wake up." he said but no use, she kept screaming for her family.

he wished he could tell her nobody would take away her family, her brothers. that her family was safe. but it would of course be a lie. Losing one brother had broken him so much, losing one loved one had made him go mad and lose his mind, had made him want to burn the world and burn himself in it. He could only imagine how devastating it must feel for her. first losing one brother, who was killed by another crew member she considered a brother. then losing so many of them in the war, which was to save her lover. losing her lover and her father in that very war and then losing one more brother and finding out almost a month later.

Luffy didn't know what to do other than hold her close to himself. her body tremble in his arms. keep her cold body warm. " Jules." he called out, once again attempting to get her to wake up. " hey.........snap out of it, open your eyes Jules.....please....wake up," he said desperately. what would happen if she didn't snap out of it? she was screaming so much already, hurting her throat constantly.

Chopper was feeling helpless too. he wanted to help. wanted to make her feel better, but what could he do? She had to snap out of the nightmare and wake up. there was no disease, no injury. there was nothing he could do. he tried to be the strong doctor but in the end, couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes.

" ACE.....OYAJI......IZO.....THATECH....MARCO....VISTA......ORES......WH...WHERE DID YOU GO? PLEASE.....LET.....LET ME SEE THEM.....ONE......ONE LAST TIME....PLEASE.......ACE.......WH...WHER...WHERE ARE YOU....OYAJI.......PLEASE......PLEASE GIVE THEM BACK.....GIVE ME MY FAMILY BACK......PLEASE...."

Juels screamed and snapped her eyes open, the tears and cries continuing but her eyes open and adjusting to the light. her eyes landed first on the blue-nosed reindeer and Chopper felt relief wash over him. In a few moments she stopped screaming, most probably because she was coming to her senses, chopper guessed. but her eyes seemed unfocused, dazed.

"L.......Luffy," she mumbled, realizing who was holding her. her voice sounded so horas and strained, Chopper could tell by her voice itself how swollen her throat must be and winced.

Listening to her weak and strained voice calling out his name, Luffy realized she was awake. finally. he immediately pulled her away from his chest to get a better look at her and sighed, seeing her eyes open and looking into his eyes. " Juels, damn you scared me," he said relief filling his heart. but he frowned gain, seeing her eyes unfocused and dazed. as if she was still lost in the dream even as her eyes were open. he noticed her harsh breathing, struggling to take air in.

" Luffy, she is having a panic attack, you need to make her calm and help her focus." Chopper said urgently from beside him. " how do I do that?" Luffy asked frustration coming back. Why couldn't life let her be happy and stressed fee for a moment? even when she was happy and smiling, he knew she was fighting her demons. why could she have a break from it?

chopper started instructing him what to do to help her through her panic attack. Luffy had helped her through her panic attacks before. She used to have them quite often when she had first come on the ship, almost all the time she talked about Ace with him during their night talks. but this right now was the worst panic attack he had seen her going through and wasn't sure how to help her out of it. so he followed Chopper's instructions.

As he held her by her shoulders he tried to make her focus on her breathing, which needed to be stabilized first. " oi.....Jules....look at me....hey." he said. it took her a moment to register and follow what he said but she succeeded in locking her eyes with his. " okay, now follow me, breath in two...three...... four......hold.....two....three.....four......breath out two.......three.....four." he instructed her just as chopper told him to. he could see her breathing calm down after a few moments.

he looked at Chopper for further instructions as he continued to command her breathing. " very good, great job, now continue breathing like that. don't worry everything is alright. you are alright." he said encouraging her as he paid attention to Chopper who told him what to do next.

"Feeling better?" he said moving his hands from her shoulder to her hands and palms, giving them a firm squeeze. she gave him a small nod in return, responding to his question. " very good, now, I will guide your hands and you have to look at whatever your hands touch okay?" he told her. he looked around thinking what to make her touch. he brought her right hand to the curtains framing the window beside her bed. he let her feel the soft fabric, taking in the soothing green color. he then moves her left hand to touch the hard Adam wood of the bed and felt her relax in his hold.

just as he was mentally celebrating a victory over her panicked state, he noticed her eyes unfocusing again her breathing started to pick up. " hey...hey....Juels.....focus....focus on my voice." he said and this time it was easy to get her attention. he moved her hand to touch the soft fur of Chopper's head, smiling a bit when Chopper smiled happily seeing the recognition in her previously dazed eyes.

" ch....chopper?" she mumbled, straining her voice. Chopper couldn't hold back his tears as she responded "Yeah.... it's me." "shishishishi, yeah right that's Chopper," Luffy said laughing happily. but Juels frowned and looked at him. eye eyes focused on his eyes, slightly dazed look still in the turquoise orbs. " Luffy...." she mumbled. " yeah?"

Luffy frowned as she mentioned his voice was everywhere. what did that mean? he wondered. was something wrong with his voice or the way he talked? he heard Chopper perk up beside him. " Luffy, her earing senses are not in sync yet, she still looks dazed, make her focus on your voice." chopper explained and Luffy, felt like this was a never-ending cycle. how bad had the dream been to mess her up so much. he hated seeing her in such a state. he wanted her happy and smiling, not crying and screaming in physical and emotional pain.

" hey Juels...look here...look at me." he said noticing her focus was lost again. he perked up and looked into his eyes. "no not my eyes....look at me speak...oi....Juels." he instructed and she followed. he observed how her eyes focused in a bit more, recognition and life filling them. She blinked and finally looked like she was out of whatever space she was stuck in. Luffy sighed in relief as she was finally, okay.

as she looked around all he hoped was that she would never go through such an experience again. he had promised Ace to keep her safe and happy. and he would do anything to make sure of the promise. she was a strong woman, and she still had so much to improve and get stronger, he didn't want to see her so broken and vulnerable ever again. he wanted to see the brave and confident Juels. the one whose eyes shimmered with courage and fearlessness.

The purest and truest Juels at heart.

____________________

" Man, I kinda regret us deciding to tell her about Izo," Ussop said sighing. the crew was settled in the galley. nobody had any plans or motivation to sleep. " well, it had to be done. he was her brother she had to know. it would have hurt her if she found out much later and from someone else." Sanji said putting out his 5th smoke. The sight of Jules, screaming and crying, calling out for her family had really left everyone in the crew burdened with worry.

they all had witnessed her get better and better at moving on and one news and one nightmare was all it took to bring her to square one, or maybe close to it. " Thank god Rose didn't wake up," Jimbe said glancing at Nami who was holding a sleeping Rose. The first thing Nami did when she woke up from Jules crying was pick up Rose from beside Juels and rush out of the room while Robin took care of Juels.

" the kid is a heavy sleeper." Zoro clucked amused at how The little devil was sound asleep, letting out soft snores. " well, what do you expect from Ace's kid? though not related by blood, Ace and Luffy have many similar traits and habits. She can be easily passed as Luffy's kid too." Sanji said sighing as his last cigarette was finished as well. "Not to mention she has Narcolepsy just like Ace though not as severe as him." Chopper mentioned. Rose had had some episodes of randomly falling asleep but it wasn't as frequent as Ace's.

" What happened today really gave a picture of how much she lost 2 years ago. Luffy-san lost Ace-san, he didn't even talk about it to any of us. Imagine Jules-chan, who lost so much of her family. She didn't talk about any of it until now, with Luffy-san." Brook said, understanding the feeling to some extent.

he had seen his whole crew die in front of his eyes and then lived a 2nd life without them for 50 years, on the same ship they sailed together and died together on. He too had no one to talk to but himself for those 50 years.

"Guys they are coming," Ussop said, feeling Luffy and Juels coming towards the galley with his observation haki. " I thought she would fall asleep?" nami said a little worried. seeing how sacred and exhausted Juels was due to the nightmare, they all wondered why she was coming to the galley with Luffy.

"Whatever it is, let's not talk about the incident in front of her. we should keep a pleasant atmosphere." Jimbe suggested. " yeah, it will be super sad if she cries again. let's make her happy." Franky agreed.

The door opened and Luffy let Juels enter, his one hand on her back to support her. She was still shaken up from the nightmare and was shivering. She had a shawl wrapped around her, like a cacoon.

probably Luffy did it the crew thought. everyone was silent as Lufffy and Juels sat in their seats. today Jules sat on the seat beside Luffy where usually Zoro sat. the crew had no clue how to start a conversation. they couldn't possibly ask how she was feeling, cause the answer was obvious. she was feeling like shit. and it might trigger her.

once settled, Jules nervously looked up at everyone, feeling the awkward air herself. maybe it wasn't a good idea to come to galley. she thought. she glanced at Rose in Nami's arms and a small smile came up on her lips. " I hope she didn't wake up," Juels said. her voice hoarse and she frowned feeling the pain in her throat.

Nami smiled back in response. " nope, still sleeping like a rock." Nami joked and Juels chucked. " Thanks for taking her away." Jules said with a genuine look in her eyes. " pft, of course, I would she is too cute and less mischievous while sleeping. and so warm and cuddly. how about sometimes I take her to sleep with me." Nami suggested excited as she cradled Rose closer and cooed at how cute she was.

Jules weakly chluked at that. " sure." was all Jules said not wanting to strain her throat more. " oh yeah, Juels by the way, I'll make you some medicine for your throat in the morning. but the best would be to have some warm soup." Chopper perked up. just as the soup was mentioned Juels's and Luffy's stomachs growled, making everyone chluck or laugh.

" I'll make some soup for you Juels Chan," Sanji said twirling away to the kitchen. " I want soup too Sanji. with lots of meat." Luffy yelled with excitement, his stomach growling on time. Sanji just sighed and got to work, not having enough energy to deal with Luffy right now.

Everyone got into casual conversation, like plans for tomorrow, anticipating the next island, new inventions and attack ideas, etc. Everyone was engaged in some or the other conversation..............except Juels. Juels stayed silent. looking around and taking in the sight of her newfound family, happily talking, bickering, and laughing together. she wasn't in the mood to speak nor was she in any condition to since her throat was hurting. she liked this; just watching her loved one under one roof, happy and alive. After that horrific nightmare, this is what she needed, everyone together, breathing, smiling, talking.

She still had many of her brothers scattered around the world, but this. this was a newfound family she was living and sailing with. people she cared about as much as she cared about her family on moby dick. the atmosphere in the galley was warm and felt safe like she could fight the world, fight her demons if these people were with her, if they were behind her to support her.

As she sat there beside Luffy, she felt her body relax and a small smile form on her lips. Maybe it won't be that hard to get over this new added grief this time. Maybe she will be alright this time.

The aroma of the simmering soup added to the warm feeling in her chest when Sanji placed a bowl in front of her. After serving her he served small servings to Nami and Robin since they didn't want much and then gave Luffy a big serving. everyone else who wanted soup got their share as well. the first sip of the soup was like heaven to Jules's sore throat. As she ate the soup, she felt her throat get warm and the stinging feeling went away, making it easier to talk. she knew once the warmth of the soup was gone, her throat would hurt again but right now it felt nice.

Once she was done eating the soup, she felt her body catch up to the exhaustion, muscles relax but hurting and eyes getting heavy. she could feel a light headache coming too. She leaned back in her chair, her head slightly falling on Luffy's shoulder and she sighed. it was getting hard to keep her eyes open. " wanna sleep?" Luffy asked softly, seeing her exhaustion.

she knew her body wanted the rest. her eyes were begging her to close them and not work them overtime, but she didn't have the courage to close them, afraid that the horrid sight of her Dead brothers, Father, and Lover would greet her once she closed her eyes. She shook her head no, not wanting to return to the lad of nightmares. this present moment in the galley, with everyone around and the warm and safe feeling surrounding her, she didn't want to leave it. the land of night, areas were cold and dark, where storms resided and ships sank, where wooden decks were covered in blood and death was all around her. She would be alone.

" shishishishi, you look tired, you should sleep." Luffy said quite amused by the determined expression on her face as she tried her best to not drift into sleep. " no, wanna stay." she mumbled, her eyes shutting down for just a few seconds before she forced herself to open them. " even if you sleep you will be here." Luffy wondered what she meant by wanting to stay.

" No, this.....galley, crew, you...... it's warm. s....sleep....sleep is dark, cold and ......and lonely." Juels said, her voice just above a whisper. Luffy realized what she meant. having been in that place quite a lot of times himself, after Ace's death. she didn't want to sleep cause she was afraid. "It's okay, we all are here, I am here. the nightmares won't return." Luffy reassured his right hand holding her left and tracing soothing circles on her knuckles as she leaned more on his right shoulder. She shook her head no, not believing him. " You need to sleep, you won't feel good later." Luffy tried to reason. she slightly looked up at him, her head still on his shoulder. " you'll stay?" she asked, her voice strained as the effect of warm soup was gone now.

A familiar warmth spread through Luffy's chest at her words. This warm feeling had been quite frequent since the last few weeks, every time Juels smiled, looked at him with admiration and pride, with adoration and curiosity at him, he would get this feeling in his chest. he felt it when she had giggled that one time a few weeks ago when she had given him the rice that one night when he had seen her dance for the first time, when she had hugged him in that festival, and when she had danced with him in that festival too. he had felt it when he had come close to her admiring her tattoo and then had gotten distracted by her soft-looking lips and the look in her eyes. he didn't know what that look was or what this feeling was, but he knew this feeling was warm. like the warm weather of Windmill village on a summer afternoon, warm like a tropical island, warm like a bowl of soup on a cold night.

"of course," he said without hesitation a bright smile spreading on his face. Jules gave him a tight-lipped smile and leaned into him more, her head against his chest now. his heartbeat was so loud and of course so weird, yet so soothing it was working as a lullaby for her. She closed her eyes, letting her body rest now.

" Luffy. she mumbled, half asleep, Luffy only hummed in response, letting her know he heard her. " can we visit him someday?" Juels said her voice a little sad and trembling. Luffy knew who she was talking about. "of course, we gotta visit Wano again someday, it was a fun place shishihsihsihsi. we have so many friends there so we will visit someday, and again and again whenever we want." Luffy said with his typical enthusiasm. That was all Juels needed as reassurance before she let sleep take over, this time her nightmares, her demons kept away, by the shield named Luffy and the straw hat crew. the captain's odd heartbeat, ringing in her mind keeping her distracted from the darkness of her subconscious mind.

Chapter Text

New Marineford (Red Line)

"I am extremely sorry for what happened. I'll make sure to take necessary actions against Ryokugyu and also investigate the Whale attack." The navy fleet admiral said into the den den mushi.

" very well, that aside, this time we want a guarantee. we want Portugas Edward Juels captured alive. we will send seraphim for additional support." Saint Marcus Mars said, his voice calm as ever, yet carrying a hint of authority, letting people under him know their place.

"I'll make sure we get her this time," Sakazuki said and ended the call. A frustrated sigh left his lips and he took out another cigar, smoking away his frustration.

this time there won't be a mistake, he will make sure of it.

________________

" so we can say you guys think I might be a descendant of the people of Oceania. so far things proving that or making you suspect that are, the tattoo that suddenly appeared when seawater splashed on me and got more prominent when I jumped into the sea with Luffy that day. you also think so because of that water ball that saved Rose that day and the weird water ball I was trapped in on that island." Jules summarised what Nami and Robin had told her about their theory.

"We also think so because you have brown hair and turquoise eyes, a typical trait Ocenians had" Robin added. " yeah that too. Okay, I agree that this makes sense. That tattoo thing may be right, but weird things keep happening in the grand line. the water ball thing, the first time, it was the temple that did it to me, the second time, I don't think I made it, I mean, I didn't do that, I don't know how that water ball got formed, and the 3rd thing about my eyes and hair, it might be just a coincident that I have it, after all some Oceaninans did leave the island and got together with other people, genes get passed down." Jules explained her thoughts.

"Well, this makes sense too." Nami said now questioning her previous theory. " well, as far as you have told us what you remember from that nightmare you had when we were on the other half of that island, it kind of matches with the story of how the Oceanian people got killed. there was a buster call, according to the book that we saw and what Ronald told us. It also matches the fact that Ocenian people were blessed by the sea." Robin said, confident in her theory about Jules.

" But it might be just because you told the story the previous night." Jules countered. " we never mentioned the details you saw in the nightmare." Robin fired back, a confident smirk taking over her lips. " well then maybe I have a great imagination." Jules said her own lips curving into a smirk.

" you were hearing random voices. how do you explain that?" Robin asked. " well........maybe...I was just hearing things, I didn't hear that voice after that." Jules said, losing her confidence a little bit. " common You just suddenly heard someone call you master Juels?" Nami said taking Robin's side. " well... I....it might be......well.." Jules didn't have anything against that. She didn't know about anything else but she was curious about that voice.

" Fine, that is kinda weird, to be honest, I am curious about it too."Jules admitted honestly. " well, I think it has something to do with the tattoo, or that you have Oceanian traits, all in all, it has something to do with the possibility that you are a descendant of the people of Oceania." Robin explained, writing something in her small diary. " can you tell what the voice was saying to you?" Nami said.

"I remember the voice was calling me master, it was warning me about something. it also said that it couldn't talk to me much due to some reason." Juels said thinking back to that day.

" warning you about something?" Nami questioned. " hmmm, it said that someone was coming or something like that."

" And we got attacked by Navy a few days later. and I don't think it was a coincidence that the Navy came to specifically capture you." Robin said again noting down something in her diary. " wellllll...... yeah that makes sense." Juels said slumping back in her chair, fiddling with the string hanging from her sleeves.

"How are we gonna find out more though? This is just a theory after all, it can be wrong too, we need more information to find out the truth." Jules questioned raising her eyebrow and looking at Robin with a challenging look.

" Hmmm, about that, I have one thing in mind though, if you don't mind I would like to test something." Robin said elegantly keeping the diary in her hand away. " sure, whatever, I have agreed to cooperate after all." Juels said sitting up straight in her place.

" So one part of our theory is that the tattoo appeared when you got splashed with seawater and it got prominent when you fell in the sea. so maybe it has something to do with the sea. I want to test if it will get more prominent if we expose it to seawater again." Robin explained, sporting a hand by a drawer and opening it, retrieving a small glass bottle.

"I am guessing this is seawater?" Jules said as Robin handed her the small bottle. " yeah." Robin said waiting for Jules to sprinkle or do something with the bottle of seawater. Jules looked at her skeptically for a moment. Jules couldn't help but chuckle seeing the spark of eagerness in her eyes. if one looked close enough, to them Robin would see like an excited child, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Jules sighed and opened the bottle and poured the small amount of seawater on the tattoo that adorned her skin now. and...........the result was

nothing. there was no change, the tattoo was as it was, incomplete but as it was. " see nothing happened." Juels said looking back at Nami and Robin. "maybe it didn't happen cause it was from a bottle?" Nami said her head tilting to the side as she thought about any other possibility.

" Seriously Nami? that's something Ussop would wonder." Jules said. " no, Nami might have a point." Robin said, hope and excitement in her voice. " maybe it needs to come directly from the sea. or other is also a possibility it grows over a period of time, the tattoo got prominent quite recently." Robin added.

" so what now? you want me to dive into the sea a few days later?" Juels joked. " No that would be a bad idea since we will be reaching an island in a few days which is surrounded by corals and cliffs. if you dive in the wrong place you might die a miserable and painful death." Robin said with the world's straightest face, her tone casual as if talking about the weather.

"Yeah, you know what that would really be bad," Juels said stiffly.

_______________

it had been a few days since Jules's nightmare. though she was acting as if everything was fine, Luffu could see the small moments when she got lost in her thoughts. He had also noticed she was busier, constantly doing something or another with some of the crew members.

after some observation, Luffy understood she did so to stay distracted. cause the rare moments he found her alone, the smile on her face was gone and her eyes didn't shine bright. She looked lost and sick. so he had made it his mission not to leave her alone for a single moment, and he was already thinking of what to do when they dock on the next island.

the young captain had decided he would spend all his time with the young mother. the day would be full of fun and adventure. if the island had first he would take her for a stroll in search of adventure and if it had a town or a city they would explore the market together, and eat lots of delicious food, food always made him happy so it would make Juels happy too. he had thought of every possibility and what fun they could have in each of those situations.

he had taken his mission so seriously that he had written a big ass note and stuck it to his table in the boy's room. rest of the guys had been surprised when they saw Luffy using his table for the first time. when Franky had built the room he had designated a table and a chair for each crew member, but of course, Zoro and Luffy never used their table. but for the first time, Luffy had sat by the table and written on a blank piece of paper in messy handwriting 'keep Juels happy' and stuck it on the Table so that he would see it every now and then and not forget his plans when they reach the island.

he had gotten the trick from Sanji since Sanji wrote down important things so that he wouldn't forget them when they dock and get carried away in the chaos and excitement. Luffy never understood what was so important that it would be an issue to forget until now. he absolutely couldn't forget taking Juels along with her before going on an adventure on the next island, and he was self-aware enough to know he might forget in the excitement.

when a few days later nami announced they would reach the island by nightfall, and Luffy got alert. he was gonna make sure Juels had a good rest so that they could go on an adventure the next day. later at night after dinner, they docked the ship but decided to explore in the morning.

It didn't take long for Luffy to find Robin and Nami, knowing the two ladies would always be found in the library before going to bed. this again was a surprising incident, Luffy coming to the library.

" Welcome Captain! what brings you to the library?" Robin asked not hiding her amusement. " Oi Luffy if you again want to know the fridge password, forget about it," Nami said turning in her chair to look at the mischievous captain through her reading glasses.

" I don't want the password, you won't tell me anyway." Luffy said the first part rather loudly but mumbled the second part to himself with a small pout. " what do you want then?" Nami asked a little surprised to see the slight blush on his cheeks. now Luffy wasn't one to be shy, not that they knew of, so it was quite an astonishing sight.

"I want a favor," Luffy said slumping to the ground and sitting cross-legged. " A favor? What would that be Luffy?" Robin asked, her tone carrying a hint of understanding as if she already knew what he was gonna ask. " I want you both to take care of Rose tomorrow," Luffy said without wasting a breath.

Nami and Robin looked at each other with a knowing look. Nami got the hint of what this might be about. well, it wasn't a big deal to them, they would gladly spend the day with the little Devil.

"Well, of course, we would gladly do that but what's the reason? sont you want to explore the island with your partner in crime?" Nami asked, referring to all the mischief Luffy and Ros get into every time they dock on an island. "na uh." Luffy said with a sheepish smile on his face that turned into a full-fledged grin as he continued. " I am gonna go exploring with Jules. I am gonna take her on an adventure with me, shishishishishishishi. we are gonna have lots of fun and lots of delicious food." Luffy said excitedly, like a child telling his plans for the summer vacation.

the smile on his face and the sparkle in her eyes was so sure and bright, Robin couldn't help but mentally aww at the cute young man. She had always admired his child-like pure heart. " Sure then, me and Nami will take care of Rose Chan tomorrow," Robin assured as Nami nodded.

" eeeeeeee, I am so excited, I'm gonna buy Rose Chan so many cute clothes, and I am gonna dress her up in all the cut outfits." Nami started mumbling and excitedly making a list of things she would Buy for herself, and Rose.

Chapter Text

The island of Isola Serenita. One of the most pleasant islands in the Grandline. The island had a perfect Tropical climate, and its lands were filled with greenery. There was a small tribe living on the island, The island provided enough resources for their sustenance.

The crew, especially Nami considered themselves lucky that they stumbled upon this island. With the recent admiral attack, the crew was glad to have some peace. well as much peace as they could have considering their captain.

but this time their captain had his own adventure plans in which he was for the first time not dragging anyone in except for Jules.

As soon as the ship was docked Luffy ran to Juels and declared to her that Nami and Robin would be taking care of Rose and she would be accompanying him on his amazing adventure in the lush green Jungle of Isola.

Jules glanced at Nami and Robin and found them giving her a too-big smile. " don't worry Juels Chan we will take care of your little devil." Robin had said a little too sweetly. Jules looked at Luffy's big bright smile and the excitement and hope in his eyes; she couldn't help but say yes.

Jules got Rose ready for the day out with Nami and Robin. the two ladies were gonna explore the tribe's main market, it would be a small market but they would find some local traditional clothing which Nami was excited to try. Juels had dressed Rose in Khaki-colored shorts and a Red t-shirt. her beautiful raven hair was tied in two cute pigtails and she had put the straw hat clips Nami had got Rose on both the pigtails. and the outfit was completed with cute little shoes.

" All done, my little devil is looking so cute," Jules said as she helped Rose down the bed. She kneeled in front of the little girl and fixed her t-shirt a little. " are you excited to spend the day with Aunt Nami and Robin?" Juels asked softly checking if she didn't forget anything. " YES," Rose yelled in excitement. the little girl had a huge smile on her face and she was practically shaking with excitement. Jules chuckled.

" Now listen to me, don't leave Nami or Robin's hand okay? and what's our Rule about your sweet name?" Jules asked her tone serious. the little girl though only 2, understood that this was important. for a long time now Juels and made it a habit for Rose to learn one simple rule. ' never tell her full name unless her mumma is with her.'

Juels wanted her daughter to live proudly with the name Portugas. Jules didn't want Rose to hide from the world just because the navy thought of her as a threat. No, she wanted Rose to proudly say she is Portugas. D. Rose. but the time wasn't right yet. As long as Rose said that name out loud when her mother was there to protect her, it was okay. but when not with Juels Rose knew never to say her full name. Until she gets strong enough, Old enough she couldn't say it out loud.

"no, say my name to strangers," Rose said proudly and confidently. Jules gave her a smile glad to know she remembers. " Good girl. let's go, Nami and Robin must be waiting for you." Jules said standing up and taking Rose out on the deck where the two ladies were waiting. " ooooooo mmmmyyyyyy ggggooooooddd." Nami exclaimed, seeing how cute Rose was looking. Nami immediately picked up the little devil and gave her a kiss on the chubby cheeks. " I can't wait to dress you up," Nami told the little girl. In response, Rose just giggles.

" Nami, Robin, here I have packed some things in this bag, like water, snacks a change of clothes, and some diapers. she won't really need them but just in case I packed two." Jules said handing the bag to Robin. Robin couldn't help but look at it amused. " you don't have to worry Jules Chan we will make sure Rose Chan is comfortable and Safe. no harm will come to her, we give you our word." Robin reassured, seeing the worry and uncertainty in those turquoise eyes.

" i.....I know. I trust you guys with our lives but.......i...I can't help it. sorry." Jules sighed, the worry and uncertainty never leaving her mind even after Robin's words. " we understand Juels, you are her mother, of course, you will worry, and Rose Chan is only 2 plus the navy is a huge threat to her, but we promise you, we will keep her safe even at the cost of our lives." Nami said with a kind smile. " thank you, guys, for understanding." Jules said with a smile of her own.

before the ladies could leave Juels stepped in front of Nami and looked at Rose. " don't trouble them, little devil." she teased and Rose's lips turned into a pout. " go and have fun, I love you daddy loves you too." Juels said kissing the little girl's chubby cheeks and waving them bye as they left towards the small village.

" JJJUUUUUUUULLLLLLLEEEESSSSSS." she heard a familiar voice scream before its owner could come into her view. " are you ready? let's go we need to explore so much." Luffy said as he jumped around her with too much energy and excitement. Jules couldn't help but let out a cluck. " give me a few minutes, I'll get ready." Jules said walking towards the girl's quarters. " hurry uuuuupppppp." Luffy whined, slumping on the grassy deck.

After a few minutes, Jules stepped out and walked towards Luffy. to say she looked pretty would be an understatement, but unfortunately, Luffy's vocabulary wasn't that vast. instead of the usual shades of red and pink, her skirt was dark navy blue colored. the top was a more noticeable cream than usual too. the slit on her skirt was way longer than he was used to seeing her, reaching till her mid-thigh. he could see a leather strap on her thigh, some knives hooked in it. her usual 3 knives were hooked to the leather belt on her waist. and instead of her usual ankle-length boots, she was wearing longer ones, reaching her knees. her hair was done in a braided hairstyle in the front to prevent them from falling on her face, rest of her hair was left down as usual.

Luffy noticed how the dark blue of the skirt brought out her eyes more, making them look brighter than ever. her presence and the way she was carrying herself, screamed boldness. She looked so damn cool and .....and.............and.................................... Fuck luffy didn't know enough words to describe her personality.

he couldn't help his eyes from drifting to the slit in her skirt, he was absolutely mesmerized by how cool...........( he needs more words.) the leather strap looked with all those deadly knives hooked to it. the thigh would be visible every step she took from the slit in the skirt. the sight of her in that outfit with that aura was doing something to him. he couldn't explain the way his gut felt or why he suddenly felt the need to practically glue his eyes to her, watch her every move. he didn't know nor did he understand what and why he was feeling. he noticed her skirt was shorter than usual too. She was carrying a small leather bag slung across her shoulder.

Luffy felt as if the goddess of confidence was walking towards him. he always admired this. the confidence that she had. especially because he had seen it surface more and more since the day they met. All the venting she had done during those late-night talks, had helped break the thick walls of uncertainty and worry and now her confidence was shining bright.

Luffy was feeling that weird feeling in his chest again, and his breathing was a little out of control as well. he had thought it was some illness at first and was gonna ask Chopper if he managed to remember to do that. but of course, he had forgotten about doing that every single time. well at least he had made a new observation though, he felt this weird tingling and ache mixed feeling in his chest when Juels was involved. his breathing got out of control when Juels looked at him for a long time or when she was close to him or touching him.

was Juels the one giving him this illness? then it meant Jules was sick too!!! but she didn't look sick. In fact, she looked healthier than before every day. well, he would think about this later, cause now Jules was standing in front of him looking at him, ready to go on their adventure.

"let's go." She said as he stood up, that huge smile ever present on his face as they jumped down the ship. Jules had expected Luffy to sling himself into the forest along with her, so she was left surprised when he walked alongside her as they went towards the forest. she didn't bother to express that surprise though.

Luffy had almost run into the forest but the thought that then this whole adventure would not last long since their commute time would get reduced, meaning less time spent looking at her. Since the tribe market was small, Luffy had decided to go into the forest instead. he didn't know what they would do exactly, he wasn't the type of person to plan what to do during the day. The fact that he had planned to take Juels along with him and ask Nami and Robin to take care of Rose was already too much planning for him.

so he decided to go with the flow as usual. they could spend time exploring first then hunt some animals and cook them for lunch and again explore. Jules sighed feeling the drop in temperature as soon as they entered the forest canopy. Tall trees and their thick leaves prevented sunlight from directly reaching the first ground, which was slightly moist, causing the temperatures to drop a degree or two.

" So what do you wanna do captain?" Juels asked after a while. They were deep enough in the forest not to be able to see the shore anymore or hear the sound of the waves. Luffy hummed for some time thinking of something but failed to come up with anything to do. he was completely clueless. " I don't know. I just want to explore." Luffy said hands behind his head. jules sighed with a smile. " how about this? whoever finds food and water first wins." Jules said with a challenging smirk.

luffy always loved challenges. he didn't like that they would go separate ways for this hunting game but the excitement in her eyes and the thrill of challenge mirrored in that smirk was enough for him to give in. If hunting challenge meant she could have fun then that's all he needed. " Yosh, it's a challenge then," Luffy said mirroring her excitement.

"I heard Nami say there is a lake somewhere in the forest, whoever hunts the biggest animal and finds the lake will be the winner. let's keep our Haki active so we know where we both are from each other." Juels said as they continued walking. " okay." Luffy said fixing his hat. " what does the winner get though?" he asked stopping and looking at her.

" that's for the winner to decide what they want," Jules said with a confident smirk, ready for the challenge.

and then both gave each other a final nod and ran in different directions.

Chapter Text

Jules had her observation haki active as she jumped from tree to tree, searching for animals to hunt. The haki helped keep track of Luffy in this huge forest. It had been so long since she had such an outing. she remembers how whenever Moby dick came across an island with a thick dark forest, she would go on hunting matches with Rakuyo and Vista. later after Ace came he would join them too.

As she hopped from one branch to another, two of her knives in her hands, her eyes sharp and senses alert as she tried to find animals. after some time of not finding anything, only sensing some animals around her, Jules started strolling through the jungle.

Humming an old sea shanty she used to sing with her brothers while hunting. but since she was alert and still searching for a hunt, her mind didn't drift off to the dark thoughts and grief.

she walked through the jungle, humming the song, and her hands, touched random trees, loving the feeling of roughness of the trunk. well................. arent tree trunks supposed to be rough and tough? why did the last one she touched feel soft and scaly?

she suddenly paused in her tracks and wondered, if she really felt that or if it was just her imagination. sharply turning around she walked back and stood before the tree she felt was soft. she looked at the tree, long and hard, trying to find something, anything. but it looked normal.

she took a step back, her head tilted a little, eyes narrow, and unconsciously a pout forming on her lips. eyebrows scrunched together, she tried and tried to find something. her observation haki could feel some creature there, but what and where she didn't know, it had to be on that tree, it was something that she touched.

she frowned and turned around, " hmm, maybe nothing was there." she said taking a few steps away from the tree, and then she heard it, the slight rustle behind her. " A ha, gotcha," she yelled as she turned around and saw a huge snake, wrapped around the tree trunk It looked like it was frozen mid-movement when she turned around. The poor thing looked like it was having a hard time stopping like that mid-movement.

she gave the snake a ' seriously?' look, as the snake still tried to stay still, probably wishing she hadn't seen him, but she obviously had considering, his head was a little away from the tree trunk and it was clearly visible the snake was there. The snake hissed as if mocking her, slithered down the tree trunk, and got on the ground, now before Jules.

" you know what I wasn't really planning on taking you, but with that mocking hiss for no reason, you need to be taught a lesson," Juels said taking a few steps back, a smirk on her lips and a thrill of a fight making her body shiver pleasantly.

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Luffy on the other hand was going from tree to tree in reckless abandon, having fun, swinging on branches like a monkey. Luffy too had his observation haki active, to keep an eye on Jules from time to time. he had been reluctant to let her go by herself.

not because he didn't think she was capable enough or she was fragile, she was none of that, it was because he was worried she might slip into the darkness of her loss if left alone with no one to talk to and keep her busy. but he still agreed to go separately, trusting her and hoping that she would be fine.

to be honest, Luffy would love to see her hunt. knowing how fierce she was and how swift her moves were, he was tempted to go to her and watch as she fought the huge beast-like animal, that he could sense in this jungle and kill it. she would be like a lioness, hunting for her prey. so royal and so full of pride. he loved that boldness of hers.

Every time he witnessed her skills and her fights, the way she would carry herself, and the aura she emitted, he wondered if she was drenched in conqueror's haki. but that wasn't possible, she didn't have conqueror's haki, but her will was strong enough to face a king's haki. For an enemy, she was such a mystery. her small delicate frame and her fluid and elegant movement made an enemy underestimate her, her lack of conqueror's Haki made strong enemies question her abilities, and her sweet smiles and pretty innocent-looking eyes made enemies think she was harmless.

but oh how wrong all those people were. behind those delicate and elegant moves hidden was a battle dance, strong muscles that gave strength to her attacks and speed to her movements. her strong observation haki allowed her to predict and see the change in the enemy's attitude and emotion and she could easily pinpoint when the enemy was at their weakest. and her will was so damn strong, her will to live, to fight, and to protect, all of it was strong enough to fight a person with conqueror's haki user like any normal fight. Finally those eyes? God those eyes that looked so pretty and innocent, had this blue fire burning in them, her enemies probably saw that fire right before she attacked them, giving them no time to react. if one could see the Blue hot fire in her eyes, one would know the reason behind the shine of those eyes.

Luffy knew she was stronger than she looked, but how strong he didn't know, he wanted to feel it, clash with her in a dual to see what strength those fragile-looking arms had, how fast those long slender legs could make her move, how strong grip did those long pretty fingers have on those gorgeous knives?

He wanted to see up close how those fierce turquoise eyes glowed when she was fighting. he had seen it a few times before, when he was close to her, so close that he felt weird in his stomach and it got hard to breathe and he felt like a bouncy rubber ball was bouncing in his chest. he loved to see that fire, it was blue a color associated with cold, like ice, but that fire, it was so strong and warm, he would love to see it up close again and again and again, just to feel that warmth in his heart.

Lost in his thoughts he almost missed the huge creature a little further away from the tree he was on. The creature was humongous, it was letting off loud gruff sounds and looked like was searching for something, food maybe.

Luffy smiled brightly as he swung to the tree right above the creature. it was a huge boar. it had weird leather-like skin, there was no hair, the color of his skin was a lighter brown and it looked thick. As Luffy landed on the tree, the boar turned around to face him. The boar immediately knew Luffy was there to hunt him.

" Yosh, you look tasty, shishishishishishi." Luffy said smirking wildly as she jumped towards the boar, ready to take him down.

______________

" ha Take that, you oversized lizard. fucking mocking me in your snake language, who's laughing now you slithery show off." Jules said she stood in front of a badly tangled-up giant Python. the poor thing looked beat up and was tangled around himself, knots of his own huge body in several places.

" few, that was fun," Jules said as she sighed, reflecting on the intense fight she had with that weird python, the python had Dragon like head and could camouflage, he was also capable of producing some kind of mist and his poison was one of the deadliest.

Jules looked up and could barely see the sky, but from what she saw, it seemed it was almost noon. it had taken a long time to take down the python, but she had fun. she hoped though that Luffy hadn't reached the lake yet.

"hmmm, damn I am getting hungry now," Jules said as she started dragging the dead python behind her.

Luffy stood on top of the dead Boar now, panting and sweating. that damn boar had given him a good fight though. Once he caught his breath he had a huge smile on his face as he sat down on the Dead Boar's body.

" Yosh, got the lunch." He said and as if on cue, his stomach grumbled loudly, the sound echoing in the forest. " shishishishi, gotta find the lake now, I bet I won." he said and slid down the boar like a slide. with one hand he held the huge tusk of the creature and dragged it with him, in search of the lake Juels mentioned.

_______________

As the lake came into her view Juels smiled, seeing no sign of Luffy near the lake. The area around the lake was a clearing with soft green grass and a few flowers here and there.

" yahooooo, I won."

" hell yeah, I won. "

Juels looked in front of her as she stepped out of the forest border into the clearing around the lake and saw Luffy do the same on the opposite side. the huge smile on her face dropped as she saw her captain/ opponent/ object of her admiration standing in front of her across the lake, smiling brightly as the sun was now right above their heads.

She had hoped so much, that Luffy would get lost and she would win but it seemed Luffy wasn't as hopeless as Zoro. but now the question was, who won?

Both of them dragged their hunt to the center and stood face to face, Jules with her frown and Luffy with his blinding smile. Juels was trying so hard not to melt looking at that damn smile.

" I see you got quite a good hunt. A boar hu?" Juels said faking a casual tone. " woah, you count that ......that...... what is that?" Luffy asked looking behind at the creature. the Pythin was so tangled up it was hard to tell what it actually was.

"I caught a python," Juels said pride dripping from her voice. common, she grew up a princess of the Whitebeard pirates, she did have a spoiled brat side that got very jealous if she didn't win. " A python? So cool." Luffy said genuinely amazed, with sparkles in his eyes as she admired the python. " you are so cool Juels." he said without a hint of lie in his voice.

his words made Juels lose her tense posture and actually smile. she was still mad that they tied, but the way Luffy was genuinely admiring her and finding her work cool, did nothing but boost her ego. This feeling was so familiar yet she had felt it after a long time. Growing up whenever she did something big or small her family would praise her, she was their princess after all. but she was used to it, after growing up for a few years she stopped showing off whenever she did something to her family cause they would praise her anyway. But after Ace came she would show off anything she did, she would search for him the first thing when she wanted to show off., and every time he would react as if she was the coolest person in the world. somehow his praising and the way his eyes would sparkle and his smile would get bigger made her feel like she achieved something huge.

" do you think we can eat it?" Luffy's sudden question brought Jules out of her thoughts. " hu? ummm.....I am not sure." Jules said frowning a little as she turned around to look at the Python. Oh how Luffy could see that pouty look on her face all day, how did she manage to look so cute while lost in her thoughts? Jules sighed turning around on her heel playfully and looking at Luffy again.

" You caught a Boar right?" Juels asked glancing at the huge creature behind Luffy. " yeah." Luffy said proudly beaming at her. Jules couldn't help but smile looking at the cute face of her captain. " I guess you win then, we for sure can eat that," Juels said gesturing at the Boar. " But we both caught something and came here at the same time." Luffy protested with a pout. " Yeah but we are not sure we can eat this python, it has a very deadly venom. so I lose you win." Juel said with a smile.

"Okay." Luffy agreed without fighting, They had something to eat, that's all that mattered. "Yosh, let's get started, can you get wood for fire Luffy?" Jules said as she walked up to the Boar, and in a few movements, she had butchered the meat, ready to be cooked.

"I am not as good as Sanji but I found a few herds we can add to the meat for flavor," Jules said taking out a few herbs from her leather sling bag and getting the meat ready. Luffy had set up wood for fire as well and their barbeque was ready. Jules set up the meat to cook on the open fire and sat down on the soft grass. soon Luffy joined her too.

as the meat cooked the two shared details of their fights and anything else they came across in the forest, laughing and getting excited listening to the fights. As Juels told him about her fight with the python, Luffy once again wished he had seen it himself, but hearing about it was just as cool. Juels was cool.

after some time as they continued talking, the meat was cooked and both were munching on the delicious meat, as Luffy suddenly remembered something. " Oi, we decided whoever won they could decide what they want right?" Luffy said suddenly standing up. " Hu?.....oh yeah, you won, okay tell me what you want. more food? want me to play a game or something? " Jules said with a smile as she looked up at him from the ground.

" na hu. non of that." Luffy said bending down with hands on his knees and that stupid grin taking over his face slowly. " then what?" Juels said, her eyes locked with his and her smile dropped slowly, breath hitching as she looked into those intense eyes.

the images of the last time Luffy was so close to her face flashed through her mind. the memory of what almost happened the last time made her shiver and she saw the moment Luffy noticed that shiver, in that very moment something changed in his eyes, they got more intense and that stupid smile wasn't so stupid anymore, the way those soft looking thin lips curved looked so mischievous with a hit fo something Juels couldn't pinpoint.

Luffy didn't know why he felt so satisfied seeing her shiver suddenly, he could see different emotions whirl in the turquoise waves of her eyes, but he didn't know what those emotions were, though he knew they made him want to get closer, as if the emotions in her eyes conveyed that if he went closer, it would be harmless, satisfying even.

he had seen these emotions before. That day when he was looking at Jules's tattoo and had looked up to find their faces were so close and her lips looked so soft that he wondered if they were truly that soft. he could slightly smell the sweetness of her lipgloss that had washout because they fell into the sea, but the salty smell of the sea and her sandalwood scent had made him feel dizzy as if he was in a daze. that day he wasn't able to look away from her soaked wet lips though, he felt a need to know how they would feel, how they would taste. did lips have taste though? Maybe, maybe not but he felt this need anyway, and he could feel that need rising right now as well.

but he remembered, how Juels had hurriedly gone away from there after it looked like some spell broke around her. After that he had wondered if he had done something wrong? had he made her uncomfortable? he didn't know, but he didn't want her to go away like that right now, so he stepped back, as soon as he stepped back he clearly saw the moment it looked like a spell broke for her and she met his eyes once before looking away, slight red hue taking over her neck and cheeks.

" wh....what do you want then?" Juels asked still looking away, Luffy wondered why but didn't question it, instead, he answered her question with a big proud smile. " have a dual with me." he declared and Juels almost gave herself a whiplash with the force she turned her head to look at him with wide eyes. " a dual?" she asked just in case she heard wrong. " yeah a dual. I wanna fight you." Luffy said hands on his hips and standing tall. " why so suddenly?" Juels asked genuinely curious about the sudden request. " just like that? I have wanted to fight with you for a while now, it would be good training and it would be fun." Luffy said, for some reason, he didn't feel like telling her how much he loved watching her do that deadly dance.

" hmmmmm....okay sure why not?" Juels said getting up as well and dusting her skirt. " we are quite close to the northwest shore, let's go there, we will get more space to fight there." Jules said remembering the island's map Nami had shown her. The shore had a huge beach and they would get a lot of space to fight rather than this small clearing.

" Yosh, let's go," Luffy said enthusiastically after all his wish was finally coming true.

Chapter Text

it was way past noon when the duo reached the beach, it seemed they had wandered quite deep into the first during their hunt since it took them so long to reach the shore. but the plus point was at least their lunch was digested enough to get into a duel.

Juels had been surprised when Luffy said he wanted to duel with her. never in a million dreams had she imagined this. She was very well self-aware ( thank you very much) to know she was no match for Luffy. her captain was a monster. she hadn't seen him in full action as of yet but what she had seen 2 years ago in the war, and considering the training he went through with Reighly and how he had recently defeated Kaido, he had to be wwwwwaaaayyyyyyyy stronger than her. for him to want to duel with her was definitely surprising, it's not like he was gonna improve his skills since Jules wasn't a big challenge for him.

On the other hand, Jules was a very confident person, though she knew she was no match for Luffy she still was confident that she wouldn't give him a lousy duel, she could definitely catch him off guard a few times. It was a friendly duel anyway.

as they stepped out of the forest and onto the beach, Jules could feel her body buzzing with excitement, knowing it was time to fight. a very friendly duel but, Jules was sure she would have fun. One didn't get to duel a person as strong as Luffy every day. well, she could if she wanted to, and Luffy wanted to too.

feeling her heeled boots sink in the sand, Jules smiled like a child for some reason, as luffy walked ahead of her, talking about some beetle Jules stopped and removed her boots. the warmth of the beach sand making her feet muscles relax. Luffy still oblivious kept walking, making Juels laugh in amusement as she shook her head and ran up to him with a smile.

"Yosh let's do this," Luffy said grinning at her and walking away in one direction, Jules walked opposite, and then both turned around, now standing several feet away from each other, anticipating the battle.

Luffy stretched his hands and legs, feeling his muscles relax, well not that they were that tense that often since he was rubber, but for some reason, he felt like his body was stiff all over, his weird heartbeat was quickening too as he looked at Juels who was looking at her knives while she too stretched her hands. he was finally gonna see it, feel it, experience it. The battle dance that she did, the battle dance that held him captivated when he saw her fight. he wanted to see it up close. wanted to feel the force of her attacks and experience the adrenaline he would feel while fighting her.

"You ready, Jules?" Luffy asked, his eyes alight with excitement as he finished stretching. having given up on the tense feeling in his chest and the way his heart was beating."More than ready," she replied, a smile playing on her lips. The thrill of the fight buzzed through her veins. Without warning, Luffy charged forward, his fist stretching back with the speed and force of a cannonball. Juels leaped to the side, her Observation Haki sensing the move a split second before it came. She flipped in the air, landing gracefully on her feet, and countered with a swift slash of her knives, forcing Luffy to pull back his stretched arm in a hurry.

"Be careful captain, you are weak to blades." Juels mocked, but her voice had no traces of bitterness, it rather was filled with mischief just like that smirk on her lips. " Guess I can't assume you won't cut me," Luffy said. The thought excited him even more. it meant she wouldn't hold back just because he was her captain, her friend, or brother of her lover, Rose's papa, etc. She was just as serious about this duel as any real battle. well, this is exactly what he would expect from her.

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy's punch shot out again, fist punch covered in armament Haki to prevent her blades from cutting him, this time, Jules was ready and didn't get surprised when the attack came towards her. She paired his attack with her blades, the force of the collision sending shockwaves through the air. The gems in her bracelets and knives glowed brightly as she coated her blades with Haki, forcing Luffy to yet again pull back his hand.

Juels twirled her knives, creating a whirlwind of sharp steel that forced Luffy to leap back. the knives flew towards Luffy twisting and cutting through the air like a big screw, Luffy coated his hands with haki and deflected the knives, But that didn't bother Juels as she didn't give him a moment to breathe. She darted forward, her hands and the bracelets on them coated with haki, making her knives come back to her before they could even land on the sandy beach. her knives flashed as she executed a rapid series of slashes, each one aimed with precision, constantly throwing and pulling back her knives with the help of those special gems.

Luffy ducked and weaved, his rubber body contorting to avoid the blows. But Juels's attacks were relentless. She used the momentum of her strikes to spin and kick at his legs, forcing him off balance. "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!" Luffy retaliated with a barrage of punches, his fists blurring with speed as he unleashed his attack. Juels spun on her heel, using her knives to deflect the punches.

This moment left Luffy captivated. the way she moved through the nonstop rain of his punches, the festival night flashed before his eyes, when they had danced with all those people.

This.........this was the battle dance he was talking about. The way she was jumping between his punches and gracefully landing in smooth movements and at the same time her hands that were holding the knives, moved just as gracefully as they defended her from his attack. and if he concentrated hard enough he could feel it, the strength her delicate-looking arms had. the way she was easily defending his attacks and managing to look so graceful while doing so, Luffy could tell the muscles of those doll-like hands were strong like that of a beast.

Lost in admiration, Luffy was slacking off in his gattling attack, creating an opening for Juels. Juels saw the opening and took it. She darted under his flurry of punches, using the ability of her knives to close the gap between them. With a swift movement, she slammed the hilt of her knife into Luffy's stomach, sending him skidding back through the sand. but the pain that Luffy felt was thrown in the back of his mind as her sandalwood scent filled his breath.

Luffy coughed as he felt his back hit the sandy beach, the sad kind of cushioning his fall. he couldn't help but laugh, still feeling the hard attack on his stomach, she definitely used haki in that attack. the sight of her beautiful dance was still playing in his mind, making him feel giddy and excited, his heart fluttering for some reason. his chest felt heavy yet.......yet he liked this feeling, whatever it was. he grinned as he got back to his feet, dusting the sand off his clothes.

"You're pretty good. Let's see how you handle this!"

He bent low, his muscles tensing as steam began to rise from his body. "Gear Second!"Juels's eyes widened as a red hue took over Luffy's skin, his speed increasing exponentially. she knew about the various gears Luffy used, they had talked about it once when they were chatting at night watch. But she had yet to see him use those. her smile widened, excited and curious to see what he could do with this Gear second.

He vanished from her sight - well she had not expected that - and she had only a split second to react as he appeared behind her, his foot swinging toward her in a high-speed kick. She crossed her knives in front of her, blocking the kick, but the force of it pushed her back several feet.

She adjusted quickly, using the sand to anchor herself. Luffy was already on her again, his movements a blur. But Juels wasn't outmatched yet. She honed in on his aura, using her Observation Haki to predict his moves. She usually had her observation Haki closed off since it was very much aura and melody-based. with her haki, she could sense anything except for manmade things. and she sensed it in the form of rhythm and music. Everything in nature has a unique rhythm and melody to it.

As she focused her Haki on Luffy, her ears filled with the odd rhythm of his heart, hu....that was weird, it wasn't like the rhythm of a person would be like their heartbeat, this was a first. It was as if he was the odd rhythm of the heartbeat itself. As she focused more she heard the rhythm mix with the sweet melody. Just like Luffy's bright and energetic nature, the melody was upbeat and made her feel lively. her feet as if moved on their own as she surrendered herself to the rhythm and melody coming from Luffy. her heart drowning in the beautiful music, so full of life and energy. She didn't know when and how her body started moving according to the music, dancing to its odd beat. and she was having so much fun doing that. her heart felt full, as she danced around his attacks, the rhythm and melody of his attacks only serving as her music for her battle dance. Oh, how she could dance and dance and dance to this music all day long.

Right there in the middle of their duel, Luffy's had become her favorite song.

She ducked under a punch, spun around, and delivered a powerful kick to his side, using his rhythm to guide her movements. Luffy staggered slightly but quickly recovered. He retaliated with a flurry of punches, each one faster and stronger than the last. Juels deflected them with her knives, the sound of clashing metal and haki-covered rubber ringing out across the beach. The abilities of her bracelets allowed her to execute rapid, precise strikes that matched Luffy's speed, their haki-infused attacks creating sparks in the air.

But then Luffy grinned wider, and she knew he was about to ramp things up. "Gear Third!"Luffy bit into his thumb and blew air into his bones, inflating his arm to a massive size. "Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol!"Juels braced herself, crossing her knives in front of her as the gigantic fist hurtled toward her. She coated her knives in Armament Haki, the sand on the beach flying everywhere with the force of the impact. The sand beneath her sunk from the sheer power of the blow, but she managed to hold her ground, pushing back with all her strength.

As Luffy pulled back his arm for another attack, Juels seized the moment. She used the momentum from his withdrawal to propel herself forward, her knives slashing in quick, fluid motions. She aimed for his inflated arm, knowing it was slower and more vulnerable. Her blades left deep cuts in the rubbery surface, forcing Luffy to deflate his arm and return to his normal size.

"You're not making this easy, Jules!" Luffy called out, but there was admiration in his tone."I wouldn't dream of it," she replied, breathing heavily but still smiling. She could feel the strain from keeping up with him, but she wasn't done yet. Luffy's eyes narrowed, and she saw the determination set in.

"Gear Fourth!"His body expanded, muscles bulging as he coated himself in Haki. His form changed into a powerful, formidable version of himself—Boundman. He bounced lightly on his feet, his speed and power now overwhelming. Juels knew this was it. She would have to give it everything she had. but still, even after knowing this the excited smile on her lips only increased.

She tightened her grip on her knives, the gems almost humming with energy. She took a deep breath, centering herself, and then launched forward. Luffy met her halfway, their attacks clashing with explosive force. Juels spun and twisted, her knives cutting through the air in a dance of steel. She aimed for his legs, trying to slow him down, but his movements were too fast, too powerful. "Gomu Gomu no Kong Gun!" Luffy's massive fist came crashing down, and Juels barely had time to react. She crossed her knives, using every ounce of Haki she had, but the impact was too much. The force of the blow sent her flying back, crashing into the sand.

She groaned, struggling to push herself up. Her knives were still in her hands, but her body ached from the impact. She somehow lifted her head a little to see Luffy deflating and getting back to his normal form, looking more exhausted compared to just a minute ago before using gear four.

once he had enough energy to move he walked up to her, looking down at her form sprawled on the sandy beach, panting harshly, her skin bruised in several places, and he knew she would have more bruises under her beautiful dress which was a mess because of the sand and sweat. But what reassured Luffy was the huge smile on her face and the way she was laughing while trying to catch her breath. Instead of helping her get up, Luffy plopped down beside her and lay down on the sandy beach alongside her.

Luffy was the one who broke the silence after a few minutes when he heard her breathing slow down, "You're strong. Really strong," he said, his voice carrying warmth despite the intensity of the fight, Juels could practically hear the smile in his voice.

Juels chuckled, and let out a sigh, her body was so sore, and it would only get worse tomorrow, but there was a satisfied smile on her lips. "well, I guess I gave you quite the challenge." she said turning her head to the side to look at him.

"The best, shishishishi" Luffy admitted, laughing as the after-battle excitement still ran through his veins as he said, "I had to go all out."

She chuckled, resting her hand on her stomach. "That's all I could ask for."They lay there on the warm sand, the tension of the fight replaced by a comfortable silence. The sun was starting to set, casting a warm glow over the beach, the waves lapping gently a few feet away from them. Despite the intensity of the duel, there was a shared sense of camaraderie between them.

As they lay there in silence, the red and golden hues of the sunset covering them, only the sound of the sea and the birds surrounding them, Juels felt warm fingers brush against her cold once. she couldn't help the slight shiver that ran through her body at the touch, but the next second, when the warm hand moved away, she craved its warmth. with a hesitant heart, she moved her cold hand, searching for the warm one, and held her breath when she felt it brush against her fingers again.

she was hesitant to take the next step, but didn't have to worry for long as the warm hand engulfed her cold one and she let out the breath she was holding with shivering lips. As she heard Luffy sigh beside her, she too let out a sigh and relaxed.

the comfortable silence between them was broken by Luffy, his voice soft and filled with fondness."Let's do this again sometime," Luffy said, grinning at her."Anytime," Juels replied, her smile reflecting the same promise.

Chapter Text

The Island of Isola. known for its peaceful people and environment. pleasant weather, sandy beaches, blue water, thick green forests, and exotic animals. The small tribe that lived here was friendly and welcoming, even to pirates. (well as long as pirates didn't bring trouble.) The island wasn't under world government and was very much self-sustaining.

Isola not only had beautiful nature, but it also had a beautiful market. It wasn't as huge as many big island and city markets; it was small yet buzzing with just as much life. Stalls were filled with goods, people wandered around, bargaining and haggling at some stalls, some people just talking about anything and everything, and children ran around with sweets in hand.

The bustling stalls brimmed with colorful fabrics, handmade trinkets, and the rich smell of spices that filled the air. among the crowd of locals, clad in their traditional clothing, Nami, Robin and Rose stood out. but nobody really cared. the locals were not used to people from outside coming a lot but it did happen once in a while, like now.

"Nami! Nami!" Rose called out, her tiny hands grasped tightly by both Nami and Robin. Her turquoise eyes sparkled with excitement as she spotted something ahead. "Rainbow!"

Nami glanced down with a warm smile, humoring the little girl. "Yes, Rose-chan? What rainbow?" she asked, her voice soft and affectionate.

Robin followed Rose's line of sight, scanning the market for an actual rainbow. "What rainbow, Rose-chan?" she asked with gentle patience.

"There!" Rose pointed ahead at a stall where rows of colorful clothes hung, swaying slightly in the breeze.

Nami chuckled, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, Rose-chan, I've taught you well. You've found the perfect place for our shopping!" With a grin, she tugged Robin and Rose toward the stall, her excitement evident.

As Nami dove into her bargaining routine, Robin's attention drifted to a neighboring stall. Handcrafted trinkets and delicate jewelry adorned the small booth, catching her scholarly eye. She lingered for a moment, observing the craftsmanship, but kept an eye on Rose, who was now giggling and weaving through the hanging clothes as if they were colorful curtains in a maze.

"Rose-chan, where are you hiding?" Nami called, pausing her negotiation with the vendor. She smiled playfully. "Oh no, I can't find my precious Rose-chan! Whatever will I do? Who will wear these pretty dresses I'm buying?"

Robin remained silent, still examining the trinkets, but a soft chuckle escaped her lips as she listened to Nami's dramatics.

"Nooooo! My pwetty dress!" Rose squealed, dashing out from behind the clothes with a panicked expression, worried her treasures were about to disappear.

"There you are!" Nami laughed, bending down to scoop Rose into her arms. The little girl giggled, clinging to Nami as she showed her the pile of colorful clothes stacked on the counter. "Look at all these outfits, Rose-chan. All for you!"

"For me?" Rose's eyes widened, sparkling with excitement as she marveled at the colorful collection.

"Yep, all for you," Nami replied, her voice soft and playful. "But you see, this man here," she pointed toward the vendor with a mock pout, "isn't giving us a discount."

Rose's little face scrunched up in concern. "But Nami, diccont is nice! You said!"

"That's right, Rose-chan," Nami nodded seriously. "A girl should always get the best discount she can. Especially one as cute as you."

Rose remembered Nami's words from their last shopping trip. "Diccont is nice," she repeated to herself as if it were a golden rule. Her eyes darted toward the shopkeeper, her expression turning serious. Without hesitation, she pointed a finger at him.

"Mr. You not nice," Rose declared, her voice loud and proud.

The shopkeeper blinked, taken aback. He stood there, stunned and unsure how to respond to the tiny but determined customer in front of him. How could he possibly argue with someone so cute?

"Mr. you give diccount," Rose demanded, her tiny hand still pointing at him. The shopkeeper's resolve began to crumble under the intensity of Rose's adorableness.

"Rose-chan, what's the magic word we learned?" Nami asked, her voice full of playful encouragement.

Rose nodded seriously, clasping her hands together under her chin. "Mr., ppppweeeeeessss?" she said, her puppy eyes on full display.

The shopkeeper sighed, his heart melting. "Alright, alright, I'll give the discount," he muttered in defeat, a small smile tugging at his lips. "As much as you want, cutie-chan."

"Thank you, Mr.!" Rose beamed, flashing him the sweetest smile she could muster.

Nami grinned, scooping up the pile of clothes. "Well then, 90% discount sounds perfect."

The shopkeeper stared in shock, unable to comprehend how he'd ended up in such a situation. How had he fallen into this trap? Then again, Rose was far too cute to resist.

After securing their shopping at multiple stalls using Rose's irresistible charm, Nami carried several bags, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. Robin, having finished her quiet browsing, couldn't help but enjoy the spectacle of the people falling for Rose's cuteness.

"Robin," Rose mumbled, tugging on the older woman's pink skirt.

"What is it, Rose-chan?" Robin asked, concerned as she noticed the small pout on Rose's face.

"Food," the little girl said softly, and as if on cue, her stomach gave a loud grumble. Both Nami and Robin chuckled.

"Sounds like it's time for lunch," Nami said with a smile. The trio began walking through the market, searching for a place to eat.

_____________

the small restaurant was a cozy and homey place. it didn't have tables and chairs, intend there were soft thick cushions to sit on and long tables. the afternoon light was filtering into the room through the paper windows, creating a warm light in the restaurant.

while the trio was being guided to a seating area, they ran into Sanji, who was here to try the local dishes. Sanji didn't waste time, before swaying towards Namia and Robin and fawning over Rose who was of course cute as ever.

"I wonder how the food will be?" Robin mumbled as they had just placed their order. Rose was busy playing with the paper and pencil the restaurant owner had given her. the restaurant was small so there wasn't a lot of staff, just 3 to 4 people.

" I'll make sure to take notes and make whatever you like nami swaaannnnnn." Sanji said in a high-pitched voice. but the stupid grin on his face faltered when he noticed someone in his peripheral vision. Nami and Robin were busy discussing their shopping and occasionally giving attention to Rose too.

soon the food arrived and it smelled delicious. " meat?" Rose questioned, eyeing all the food that was now arranged on the table. " there's meat too." the waitress said with a sweet smile looking at Rose, who was looking at all the food with a sparkle in her eyes. " Thank you for bringing all this food dear." Sanji thanked the waitress as she walked away, but Sanji didn't miss the way she turned around slightly to again look at Rose and then went out of their sight.

somethings up.

" Rose chan! just a minute, you can't eat these big pieces directly, I'll give you small pieces." Sanji said placing a juicy piece of meat on his plate and cutting it into smaller pieces for the little 2-year-old. " Sanji hurry, I want meat." Rose bounced in her seat, impatiently. " patience, Rose Chan." Sanji said sweetly, working on the meat piece. Before giving the small pieces to Rose, Sanji tasted a piece himself, to make sure it wasn't too spicy for the little girl, well not like she couldn't eat spicy food, the little devil had quite the tolerance for spicy food.

As soon as Sanji put the piece in his mouth, the flavors melted over his tongue into an explosion of spaces and complex flavors. The lamb meat was perfectly cooked and most importantly perfectly marinated. It was quite spicy, but he knew Rose could handle it, and would rather enjoy it. a content smile took over his lips as she gave the plate full of small piece to Rose and took her empty plate for himself.

" here Rose Chan, enjoy your meat." he said smiling at the little girl as she dived into her food without wasting time. " hmmmmmm, yummy." she mumbled, with her mouth full, a bad habit she got from Luffy, but no matter what Sanji could never scold her for that, to Luffy on other hand.............................. he would kick that little shit in the head for talking with his mouth full.

" do you like it, Rose Chan?" Sanji asked filling his plate with the amazing dish. " Rose nodded with her mouth stuffed, Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, and she beamed up at Sanji with a grin that could melt even the iciest hearts.

oh, how cute Rose Chan was.

Sanji glanced at Nami and Robin, who were lost in a conversation, as they ate their food. the small smiles and shocked expressions on their face told Sanji they were enjoying the meal. he glanced back at Rose, who was enjoying the food, as he started cutting the piece of meat on his place.

as soon as he had a bite the flavors again exploded in his mouth and he couldn't help but start noticing the ingredients he tasted. As the complex flavors spread over his tongue, Sanji mentally dissected the spices. 'Chili, garlic, and... citrus?' He smiled to himself, thinking how he'd add a dash of ginger for extra heat if he ever made it for the crew. ' would go well with Sake, the marimo will enjoy it too.' Sanji thought. The thoughts of how he would serve the dish to the crew ran through his mind line routine, every time he tried food made by someone else.

for this specific Dish called the Flame Roast, he would make some gravy for it and serve it with brown Rice to Ussop. The cola that Franky likes to Drink will go well too since the carbonated drink would make the taste buds extra sensitive, and the spices will taste even better. Robin Chan would like the dish a little less spicy and Nami Chan would love a little extra lemon, on top. Chopper the very sweet lover would not be a huge fan of the spicy dish though, but Sanji could always give him some extra sweet treats later. Jimbe too would enjoy the dish, his captain wouldn't care as long as there was meat, and Brook too would like this dish. Now Juels Chan? She would absolutely love this since she loved spicy food, especially something with this balance of spicy and tangy.

Sanji's attention shifted back to Rose just in time to see another server quickly avert their eyes. It wasn't the first time he noticed; this was the third worker who had taken an unusual interest in their table, particularly Rose. His senses heightened, but he kept his expression neutral, his usual grin still in place. next his eyes met with Robin and he understood she had noticed the odd behaviour of the workers as well.

As the group continued their Lunch, Sanji and Robin stayed alert, as they continued to notice the glances of the workers. Once they finished Lunch, the group was about to leave, when an old voice stopped them. " Could all of you wait for a minute?" They all turned around to see a short old lady smiling at them. " we......we know you guys have already noticed we were looking at your table. can.....can we talk to all of you for a minute?" The young lady beside the old woman said hesitantly.

" Hu? They were staring at our table?" Nami asked looking at her crewmates cluelessly. " everyone here has been keeping an eye on us since we walked in, well especially on Rose Chan." Robin said calmly, but her mind was on alert, ready to protect Rose if need be. " what is it? you work for the government or something?" Sanji asked, voice deep and cold. " N.....no, it's not that, we mean no harm. we were just, intrigued by the little girl's eyes." The young woman said hesitantly glancing at the little girl standing between Nami and Robin, looking at everyone with big bright turquoise eyes, filled with innocence.

" Her eyes?" Nami mumbled, suspiciously looking at the two women in front of them. " can.....can we talk inside?" The young woman said, nervously. " Nami, Robin, and Sanji looked at each other silently conversing. " okay. let's go." Sanji said, and they followed them inside to an office.

"Please have a seat." the young woman said gesturing to the couch. Nami picked up Rose and placed her on her lap as they sat on the couch. " now, may we know why you were keeping an eye on us?" Robin asked calmly. the young woman nodded as she stood behind the old lady who was sitting on a chair. " My Name is Elara and this is my Grandma Serin. we.....we wanted to talk about that little girl." The young woman said looking at Rose who was busy looking at the colorful interior of the office.

" About Rose chan? what do you want to discuss?" Nami said protectively tightening her hold on the little girl sitting on her lap.

"Don't worry, child we won't hurt your daughter," Serin said sweetly smiling at Rose who giggled. "Oh...no...no she is not my daughter," Nami said immediately, nervously laughing as her ears turned pink. " oh, I am sorry, who is the little girl's parents then?" Serin asked. " a member of our crew." Robin replied. "I see, this girl, she has the eyes of the ocean," Serin said looking at the beautiful pair of turquoise eyes. " eye of the ocean?" Sanji wondered out loud.

" yes, Our ancestors had those. some of us still get those features once in a few generations. when my granddaughter told me that there was a group of customers and one of them had Turquoise eyes, I couldn't help my curiosity. it's been more than 50 years since anyone from our family got those eyes." Serin said her voice glazed with slight disappointment.

Nami, Robin, and Sanji stiffened at Serin’s words, exchanging wary glances. Robin’s calm demeanor flickered for a moment, her sharp eyes watching the women. Sanji’s expression darkened, and Nami instinctively tightened her grip around Rose, her mind racing.

Turquoise eyes... like Jules.

"You said... your ancestors had those eyes?" Robin asked carefully, trying to keep her voice steady as a thousand thoughts raced through her mind.

Serin nodded with a smile, her gaze shifting to Rose. "Yes. The turquoise eyes are a rare trait passed down through our family, inherited from the ancient Oceanian people. Those blessed with such eyes were believed to have a deep connection to the sea. It’s been many years since anyone in our family has been born with them..."

Elara stepped forward nervously. " Not only turquoise eyes, but they had a very rare combination, Turquoise eyes, and Dark brown Hair. When we first saw her, we thought... maybe... she might be one of us. A descendant of the Oceanians......a.....a True Oceanian."

Robin’s eyes narrowed slightly, her mind working quickly. "You are descendants of Oceania?"

"Yes," Serin admitted softly. "We hoped this little girl would be the true Oceanian... but now that we see her up close..." She glanced at Rose’s raven-black hair, her expression softening with slight disappointment. "It seems she’s not. True Oceanians had dark brown hair, almost the color of the earth. But this child’s hair is black as night."

Elara nodded slowly. "We were certain at first, because of her eyes, but... her hair confirms it. She may have a distant connection to our people, but she’s not a direct descendant like we thought." Robin couldn't help the soft smile on her lips as she looked at Sanji and Nami to confirm if they thought the Same.

"Well, we know a person with those exact traits. Rose Chan's mother to be precise." Robin said looking back at Serin, who was now looking at them with wide eyes, too shocked to speak. " wh....what? Really?" Elara said not believing her ears.

" Yes, Rose Chan's mother, Jules has Turquoise eyes and Drak brown hair," Nami confirmed. " Can.....can we meet her?" Elara said hurriedly. " well, she is currently out exploring your island with our captain, but............ but can you tell us more about your heritage?" Robin requested with a calm and genuine smile.

"I see, of course. what do you wanna know?" Serin said slumping back in her chair.

" as far as we know, The island which was once called Oceania does not exist anymore, it was broken in half and now two separate islands are there, this history is unknown to people since the world government had wiped out this information. One half of the island is now home to many people who came there to settle down, and the other half where the temple is, is surrounded by deadly monsters, so no one dares to go there." Robin summarised. Furthermore, she told them the small details they knew but didn't mention the weird incidents that happened on the island with Juels and Layer as well, nor did she mention the tattoo.

Once Robin was done telling what they knew, Grandma Serin hummed, taking in all the information. " I have heard of the prophecy. I don't know how our ancestors found out about it since they had left the island many years ago, but we believe, the ocean told them." Serin said, suddenly her voice serious.

" is the prophesy that we know true?" Sanji asked, crossing his legs and leaning comfortably into the couch.

" yes, it's very much true. since no one from the island survived, The Ocena made a prophecy that many years later, when the savior came back, one true Oceanina would be born, someone with those exact features and the same love for the ocean. someone the Ocena will give its blessing once again." Elara explained.

"But why aren't those blessings passed down to the people who left the island?" Nami asked.

"When people left the island, they met new people, and the true Oceanin genes got mixed with others, that's why, no serving descendent of Oceania has the blessing of the ocean, we still feel a connection with the sea but we don't have that blessing," Elara said, with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

" not even a little bit of that blessings as passed down?" Robin asked. " no. you see, the blessing of the sea is not something that we get from our genes. it's not in our blood." Serin said calmly with a small smile. " then, how did those people get the blessing of the sea?" Robin asked curiously.

"It is called a blessing for a reason. The blessing was such that, it allowed those people to harness the sea. A very dangerous power if in the hands of the wrong people. It's true that only the people of Oceanin had those powers, they had them because they worshiped the Ocean, The ocean loved them like no other, and hence the ocean trusted them. But it takes one rotten heart to ruin everything. to reduce the possibility of this happening, there used to be a ritual, where once youngsters reached a certain age, they would go through the ritual and the sea would bless them. the details of the ritual are lost in time since it's been years since this story is passed down from centuries." Serin said with a nostalgic smile.

" so it's not genetic?" Sanji said. " yeah."

"Well, Thank you for telling us all this." Nami said as they all got up. " this crewmate of yours, you said she has those features. do you think she might have something to do with the prophecy? Serin said, that seriousness in her voice coming back. " well, we aren't sure." Robin answered honestly. " ask her if the sea calls to her if it talks to her. if she is who I think she is, she needs to discover blessing." Serin said, once again the soft smile returning to face at the end of her sentence.

" well.......we will tell her that. thank y -"

" pelp pelp pelp, pelp pelp pelp, " the sudden sound of the mini den den mushi made Robin stop her sentence. Sanji picked up the call and scowled. "what is it marimo?" he said annoyed, yet in his mind, he was worried, if the marimo called something was definitely wrong.

" Marines are here, and I don't think this will be pleasant," Zoro said, his voice dripping with worry. If the marimo sounded like this then this would for sure become ugly.

" well, shit," Sanji said as he looked at Nami and Robin who looked just as alert now.

Chapter Text

" hhhuuuuuuuu, I am hungry," Luffy whined as He and Juels walked side by side, along the shoreline. Juels was walking on the left, her bare feet soaked with the warm seawater that came with every wave. Luffy kept his distance from the water though, for obvious reasons.

" We will reach Sunny soon, Luffy," Juels said for the nth time, yet her patience hadn't run out. " how long Though?" the young captain whined again. " I am not sure how far we came from Sunny, but we will see it if we continue walking along the shoreline," Jules said as she watched the beautiful island drenched in the pink, purple hues of sunset.

As Luffy continued his complaining, something further along the beach caught Juels's eye. It was Glowing white, but the closer they got, the more she could see whatever it was, it was glowing Blue. A sea creature? Something bio-luminous? She couldn't figure it out. But whatever it was, she could feel a pull towards it.

the closer they got, the more she could hear a soft hum, the tune made her body shiver and she felt her arms get goosebumps, there was no rhythm to the tune, only a melodious hum. It gave the feeling of power, courage, victory, celebration. She knew it. she knew her Haki wasn't in her control anymore, and it was pulling her to the melody she was hearing because of her haki. but for some reason, she wasn't scared. even though she was not in control of herself, she wasn't scared, rather it felt comfortable and welcoming. the Blue glow, the soft hum, the tune of the hum. it was all so captivating.

She didn't even realize it when she moved away from Luffy, and she was now almost knees deep in the sea. The blue glow was now right in front of her, floating over the water. it was constantly fluttering around as if Dancing over the sea, But it suddenly stopped and floated closer to Juels. and that's when she noticed the tiny details of the Blue Glow. They looked like fairies, with small faces, big beautiful eyes, tiny thin bodies, and delicate waterfall-like wings.

it had a particular chirpy voice, the fairy-like creature stared at Juels, its head slightly tilted to the side, and eyes narrow with suspicion yet wonder and curiosity. and as if it got a sudden realization, the fairy-like creature, gave Juels a small smile and dove into the sea, but before Juels could break out of her trance, the fairy-like creature came back up and then was followed by a dozen more such creatures.

All of them had curiosity in their eyes and a big happy smile on their lips. theor chirpy voice sounding like they were excited and happily giggling.

" OOOOIIIIII, Zoro, Sanji. " Luffy's sudden loud voice broke Juels's trance a little bit, yet she couldn't move her eyes from the fairies in front of her nor could she ignore the soft melody coming from those fairies. " Luffy, can.... can you see this?" She said, not sure how loud. She was so engrossed in this creature and that, melody, she wasn't even sure if Luffy heard her.

" Oi Juels, what are you doing, common, Zoro and Sanji are here. what are you looking at? ooooooiiii, Juels." Luffy's loud voice finally, broke the trance she was stuck in. " hu? wha.....how?..... how did I end up here?" Juels questioned noticing she was knees deep in the water.

" shishishishi, I don't know." Luffy laughed. "yeah, the fairies. did you see the Faries?" She asked, suddenly remembering the creatures she just saw. " Faries? where." Luffy's eyes sparkled and he ran towards her but slumped into the water as soon as he was ankles deep.

" oi Luffy, what are you doing?" Zoro, who had just walked towards them said, as he picked up Luffy by his collar like a rag cloth. " sorry, I forgot." the captain mumbled.

" Zoro? What are you doing here?" Jules asked clueless the swordsman showed up out of nowhere. " oh Sanji you too?" Juels said noticing the cook.

" What the Juels chwwwaaaaaaannnn, what happened to you, how did your beautiful skin get such nasty bruises? did you, fall, did this shitty captain give you a hard time during his adventure hunting? are you okay?, Does it hurt? Chopper we need to take you to Chopper." Sanji fawned over to Jules and started mumbling and worrying.

" Sanji, I am totally fine, me and Luffy just had a friendly duel," Juels explained, Pushing the personal space-invading cook. " Oi, dartboard brow, get to the point, will you?" Zoro hissed at the cook. " shut up Marimo, I was worried about Juels Chan." Sanji scowled back.

"Guys? we can do this later, what happened, what are you two doing here?" Jules asked, Luffy on the other hand was standing far away, as the other three were standing very close to the water. " we don't have time, we'll explain on the way, let's go." Zoro said hurrying past Juels.

" Zoro, I don't know where we have to go but that is definitely the wrong way," Juels said walking away from the water and towards Luffy, Sanji dragging Zoro, back in the right direction.

____________________

"WHAT? Another fleet attack?" Juels exclaimed, suddenly stooping on the way. " yeah, honestly it's a small fleet and we cannot see who is commanding it." Sanji said as they continued walking towards Sunny which was now visible far away.

" so, what, we are running away before they reach the island?" Jules confirmed. " yeah since we have at least an hour before the fleet gets in the range of their cannons." Zoro replied. but his words only earned him a painful kick on his head from Sanji. " That was before, you decided to get lost, you directionless marimo, now we have a few minutes before we get in their cannon range." Sanji's voice got serious as the group silently continued to run towards the sunny.

________________

The familiar sight of the Thousand Sunny brought a momentary sense of relief to Juels, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji as they sprinted up the ramp and onto the ship's deck. The warm hues of the sunset were gone and the depressing blues of dread painted the Sunny in dullness, the looming fleet on the horizon reminded everyone that they had little time before they would be within the enemy's cannon range.

"Mama!" Rose's small voice cut through the tension as she ran toward Juels, arms wide open. Jules quickly scooped her daughter up, the warmth of her child a fleeting comfort amidst the growing dread. " hye little devil, did you have fun with Nami and Robin?" Jules asked, trying to distract herself from the sick feeling she had been getting since the news of the fleet approaching. her haki was active and she could feel the darkness of the enemy. the enemy was still too far away to pinpoint who was leading the fleet, but the Increasing weight on her chest indicated, that the fleet was moving close.

"Where's Franky?!" Zoro called out, already scanning the deck, tension in his voice. Their best chance of escape depended on him and the ship's specialized systems.

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps drew their attention. Franky came barreling toward them from the tree line, his towering figure unmistakable even in the fading light. "SUPER BAD NEWS!" he bellowed, skidding to a halt on the deck.

Everyone's heart sank.

"I couldn't find any cola on this island!" Franky's voice was grim. "Without cola, we can't use the Coup de Burst. No boost, no high-speed escape!"

Luffy's face twisted in horror, his stomach sinking at the realization. Even he could feel that the approaching was no small fry, whoever was leading it had dark intentions. the dark aura was setting off an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

"No Coup de Burst?! How are we supposed to get away then?!"

Nami, standing at the ship's helm, clenched her fists as she stared at the enemy fleet now visible on the horizon. "They're going to be in cannon range soon. We don't have much time before they start firing."

Juels shifted Rose on her hip, trying to calm her own racing thoughts. "What do we do? We can't outrun them without the burst. we don't have enough wind. and even if Nami help with it, The enemy will get alert and increase the speed to catch up with us."

Franky looked toward the Gaon Cannon hidden beneath the lion's mouth at the Sunny's prow. "Even with the Figurehead Cannon, we don't have the firepower to hold off a fleet this size."

Zoro groaned, hands on his swords. "We could always fight our way through." His tone was gruff, but even he knew it was a desperate suggestion.

Luffy, ever the optimist, wasn't giving up. "What if we paddle?"

Zoro shot him a deadpan look. "Paddle? You mean row?"

"Yeah!" Luffy started mimicking a rowing motion, eyes wide with enthusiasm. "Like this! It'll be easy!"

"Luffy, this ship isn't a dinghy," Nami snapped, exasperated. "We're too big to row away from cannon fire! and we won't be able to move far enough or fast enough, the fleet will catch up to us."

"Or we could use the Chicken Voyage feature to make a sudden retreat," Nami suggested, gripping the railing as she considered their options. Franky shook his head. "Without cola, we can't activate the burst at all. It's not just about modifications. The ship's Soda Supply System is dry."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, weighing their options. Tension hung thick in the air as the fleet drew closer. Their situation was growing more dire with every passing second, and the usual lightheartedness of their crew was starting to fade as reality set in.

Suddenly, the sound of distant cannon fire echoed through the air, the unmistakable boom reverberating across the water.

Nami's eyes widened. "They're in range!"

As the first cannonball came hurtling toward them, everyone scrambled into action. The Sunny creaked as the crew prepared for impact, and the enemy fleet's shadow loomed ever closer on the horizon.

"Luffy, we don't have time!" Zoro growled, gripping his swords, ready for battle. Luffy stopped with his shenanigans and got ready to fight since they could not escape.

" Juels, Rose safe room Now," Luffy growled loudly, his voice heavy with authority. no one had noticed that Juels had got stuck in place and turned pale for some reason, and Luffy's order had snapped her out of it.

"Yeah, safe room, right," Jules said as she turned around to get into the girls' quarters and went down below deck to reach the safe room.

Just as she was about to Open the door to the girl's quarters, A light beam cut across the sky in her peripheral vision, and then were were several loud thumps on the deck behind her. suddenly the darkness she was feeling for so long increased immensely, making her feel like she was choking on some nasty smoke.

" Shit," she said realizing, it was too late to reach t

Chapter Text

The Sunny rocked violently as waves crashed against its hull. The Straw Hats stood ready, their faces grim with anticipation. None of them had expected this—a group of attackers that looked so familiar to Pacifistas, though somehow... different. There was something more dangerous, more calculated, in their movements.

"What the hell are these things? Pacifistas again?" Franky called out, eyeing the mechanical figures now aboard their ship. "They're like mini-Kumas!"

"Whatever they are, their target is Juels," Zoro said, gripping his swords tightly as his gaze locked on the closest target—a child-like clone with a striking resemblance to Mihawk. But the mini Mihawk's attention was locked on Juels who was standing in front of the door that led to the girls' quarters. Rose held tightly against her hip and her free hand holding her knife, coated in haki, ready to defend herself and Rose.

Zoro's calculating eyes noticed how every pacifista-like clone had their eyes on the mother-daughter duo. the swordsman didn't have to tell others about his observation as the rest of the strawhats shifted to stand between their enemies and their nakama.

"We've fought Pacifistas before, right?" Luffy grinned, stretching his arms. "We'll just smash them like we always do!"

But something was different. Luffy could feel it in the pit of his stomach. something was telling him these were not just any Pacifistas, they had an inhumanly killing intent to them.

Zoro's eyes widened as mini Mihawk, leaped toward him. Its yellow, calculating eyes gleamed with eerie familiarity, and its blade moved with deadly accuracy. But the attack wasn't aimed at Jules.

Zoro blocked the blow, his swords clashing against the Seraphim's. "You're not Mihawk, but you'll do." He grinned, the thrill of battle surging through him since Mini Mihawk was using the same attacks as the real one.

Sanji's fiery kick collided with the Seraphim's side, the force enough to push it back, but the clone flipped through the air with ease. "Oi! Marimo, don't hog the spotlight!" Sanji yelled, rushing in for another kick.

Luffy leaped into the fray, stretching his Haki-coated arms to strike. "Gomu Gomu no gatteling!" His fist connected with the Seraphim, sending it skidding across the deck, but it quickly recovered.

"This isn't just any Pacifista!" Zoro yelled, blocking another sword strike. The three of them circled the Seraphim, trying to overpower it.

Across the deck, Nami, Robin, and Usopp faced off against another Seraphim—this one resembling Boa Hancock, its stone-cold stare making Nami's heart race with fear, yet the cute Fce of the girl was deceiving.

"Thunderbolt Tempo!" Nami shouted, unleashing a lightning strike at the clone. The Seraphim dodged, retaliating with a heart-shaped beam that narrowly missed Nami's head.

"Careful, Nami! Don't get hit by that!" Robin warned, her giant hands sprouting from the deck to block the next attack.

"It's just like her real powers!" Usopp yelled, firing his Pop Greens at the Seraphim. A wave of plants burst forth, but the clone moved through them, eyes locked on Juels in the distance. "Why does it keep looking at Juels?"

"I don't know, but we can't let it get to her!" Nami replied, twirling her staff to summon a storm cloud.

Robin's eyes narrowed as she blocked the clone's path. "We'll have to stop it here."

Jinbei stood firm, facing off against a Seraphim resembling Bartholomew Kuma. The massive figure towered over him, eyes blank yet calculating. Franky, standing next to Jinbei, transformed his arms into cannons.

"This big guy's gonna be sssuuuuuuupppeeerrrrr tough!" Franky shouted as he fired a blast from his Weapons Left! The energy beam slammed into the Seraphim, but it barely flinched, charging forward with terrifying speed.

"I've got this!" Jinbei yelled, his fist coated in Haki as he met the Seraphim's attack head-on. "Fishman Karate: Shark Brick Fist!"

The clone retaliated with a laser beam, forcing Franky to leap out of the way. "This thing's no joke, Jinbei! Keep hitting it while I find an opening!"

The Seraphim's eyes flickered towards Juels, who was on the other side of the ship, and it tried to push past them. "Oh no, you don't!" Jinbei grunted, slamming his fist into its chest again.

On the port side, Brook and Chopper faced off against a Seraphim resembling Jinbei himself.

"Yohoho! How curious, a mini Jinbei!" Brook quipped, slashing at the clone with his cane sword. The Seraphim blocked effortlessly, its eyes locking onto Juels.

"Chopper san, be careful!" Brook warned as the Seraphim launched a rapid punch in their direction.

Chopper transformed into his Heavy Point, using his massive frame to absorb the blow. "I'll hold it off, Brook! You go for the attack!"

Brook darted around the Seraphim, trying to distract it with his agility. "It's strong for its size, and it keeps trying to go after Juels!"

In the center of the chaos, Juels was fighting a battle of her own. All of the Seraphim seemed to have one goal: get to her. While the rest of the crew fought valiantly, each Seraphim's eyes kept flicking back toward Juels and Rose.

Her knives flashed as she blocked attack after attack aimed at her. The Mihawk Seraphim swung its sword with terrifying accuracy, the Boa Hancock clone unleashed another stone beam, and the Jinbei clone barreled toward her, its eyes locked on Rose.

"I won't let them get to her!" Juels's thoughts roared as she leaped between the strikes, narrowly avoiding the barrage of blows aimed at her and Rose. it was hard to move and defend herself and Rose when she could only one her one hand. other occupied in holding Rose as tight and close to her as possible.

Her arms burned with effort as she defended against every angle, blocking a strike from the Mihawk clone with her knives, then pivoting to deflect a heart-shaped beam from the Hancock clone. The force of the attacks sent her stumbling back, her hold tightening on Rose, holding the little girl's head protectively, but she refused to let them reach Rose.

A searing pain shot through her arm as one of the clones' attacks grazed her, leaving a deep cut. Juels winced, but she didn't stop moving, didn't let the pain slow her down. She spun and slashed, fending off another blow aimed at Rose.

"Just a little more... I can't let them get her," she thought, blood dripping from her arm and staining the deck beneath her feet. But no matter how hard she fought, no matter how many blows she deflected, the Seraphim were relentless. They came at her from every direction, forcing her to dodge and block, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

Another strike—a massive punch from the Jinbei clone who had managed to find an opening through the strawhats —crashed against her side, sending her sprawling. Juels gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, clutching Rose even tighter as she rolled across the deck.

She scrambled to her feet, her vision blurring from exhaustion and pain. But even now, she refused to let go. "I won't let them have you!" Juels shouted through gritted teeth, swinging her knives with everything she had left.

The Mihawk clone lunged again, but this time she was too slow. Zoro tried his best to block the attack but the clone was faster. The blade nicked her shoulder, and her grip on Rose faltered.

"No... no!" Juels screamed, bloodied, and desperate. She lunged for the Seraphim, her heart pounding in her ears. Her knives slashed through the air, her body moving on pure instinct. She managed to graze the clone's arm, but it didn't let go of Rose.

Juels kept fighting, attacking with everything she had, determined to get Rose back. She couldn't think, couldn't feel anything but the terror that gripped her heart. Rose's cries echoed in her ears, fueling her fury as she clashed with the clones again and again.

Then something strange happened.

Despite how easily the Seraphim could have hurt Rose, it didn't. It kept its grip firm, but there was no malice in its actions—no intent to harm. Juels panted, watching as the clones didn't move to finish her off. Instead, they seemed to be keeping Rose away from her, not killing her.

A flicker of realization crept into her mind, the weight of her exhaustion allowing the thought to sink in slowly.

"They're not trying to kill her..." she thought, her eyes widening as she watched the clones.

"They're keeping her away from me."

But before Juels could process this fully, a suffocating darkness descended over the ship—a presence so overwhelming, so terrifying, it made her blood run cold.

And then, through the chaos of the fighting, a figure emerged, walking through the battlefield the so-called defender of Justice. clad in bright red and pristine white the monster of her life stepped onto the deck, his dark aura suffocating the air around her as if she were stuck in a smoke-filled room. His gaze was fixed solely on Juels, and she felt a primal terror wash over her, freezing her in place as she stared into the eyes of her worst nightmare.

Chapter Text

The deck of the Thousand Sunny was in chaos.
Jules gasped, clutching her bleeding shoulder as she struggled to keep her balance. Blood dripped from her fingertips, but she barely noticed. The Seraphim resembling Mihawk had just taken Rose from her arms, and the distance between them grew with every passing second. Her little girl's cries echoed through the air, fueling the rising fury in Jules's chest.

"ROSE!" Jules shouted, her voice raw with desperation. She stumbled forward, reaching out, but the Seraphim easily dodged her swipe, leaping across the deck with inhuman speed, Rose clutched in its arms. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest, and for a brief moment, the world blurred around her, consumed by the terror of losing her child.

Luffy's eyes sharpened, his body coiled with tension as he took in the scene—the Mihawk clone holding Rose. and Jules, bloodied and frantic trying to get her dear daughter back. His heart pounded, panic and anger swirling inside him. He gritted his teeth, fists trembling at his sides.

"They took her... They took Rose..." Luffy's mind raced, instinct kicking in. No one, absolutely no one, was going to harm the straw-hat princess, his Rose, his.........his daughter. Well, not really. He wasn't sure, but you get the point. Anyway, this is not the time to contemplate his feelings, even though it's been long since Ros has started calling him Papa.

Without wasting another moment, Luffy launched himself forward, his fists, coated in Haki. "Gomu Gomu no... Red Hawk!" he roared, his flaming arm stretching toward the Seraphim. The clone didn't flinch. It swiftly dodged Luffy's attack, flipping effortlessly through the air as if it had predicted his every move. Luffy landed hard on the deck, frustration blazing in his eyes. He darted forward again, determined to grab Rose back from the mechanical monster's grip.

"Give her back!!" Luffy snarled, his voice cracking with urgency. Zoro was already at Luffy's side, his swords drawn and ready to strike. "Luffy, we need to stop it before it escapes with Rose!" he growled, slashing at the Seraphim in a flurry of sword strikes. The clone blocked and dodged with terrifying precision, still keeping its hold on Rose.

Sanji's feet ignited in flames as he darted across the deck. "You're not getting away with her, you piece of scrap!" he yelled, aiming a flaming kick at the Seraphim's side. His strike connected, but the clone barely flinched, twisting in midair as it repositioned itself, still clutching Rose tightly."Franky! Help us pin it down!" Usopp shouted, firing his Pop Greens in an attempt to slow the clone's movements."I'm on it!" Franky replied, turning his arm into a cannon. "Weapons Left!" He unleashed a blast of energy, but the clone evaded it with uncanny agility.

The Straw Hats fought fiercely, but the Seraphim kept slipping past them, dodging every attack as if it were programmed to anticipate their every move. not to mention the other Searphim's attacking them all too. And through it all, Jules could only watch, her heart pounding in her chest. Each failed attempt to reclaim Rose tore her apart.

Then, it happened. The air became thick with an oppressive presence—one so suffocating it brought the entire battlefield to a halt. From the shadows of the chaos, a figure stepped onto the deck. His pristine white and crimson uniform stood in stark contrast to the destruction around him, and the heavy aura he carried made every Straw Hat freeze in place. His dark eyes locked onto Jules with terrifying intensity.

Akainu.

"Stand down," Akainu commanded, his voice cold and filled with authority. Instantly, every Seraphim halted its movements, as if controlled by an unseen force. The Straw Hats, momentarily thrown off by the abrupt pause in the battle, stood still, eyes wide in confusion."Oi! What the hell is going on?" Zoro demanded, his grip tightening on his swords as he eyed the Seraphim in front of him, now frozen in place.

Sanji clenched his fists, glaring at the sudden calm. "What's the meaning of this? We were just—"Nami's eyes darted between the Seraphim and Akainu, her face pale with unease. "Why did they stop all of a sudden...?"Robin's eyes narrowed, her voice soft but laced with suspicion. "It's him. He's controlling them."Chopper's legs trembled slightly as he backed up toward the rest of the crew. "This guy... He's the one that..."

"Akainu..." Luffy muttered under his breath, his voice filled with venom. The mere sight of him sent a wave of anger through Luffy. This was the man who had killed Ace, the man who had caused so much pain. His blood boiled, and every fiber of his being screamed to attack—to make Akainu pay for what he had done. Luffy's fists clenched, trembling with barely contained fury. He was ready to charge, to strike with everything he had.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her—Jules. She stood frozen in place, her face pale, her body trembling. Her eyes, wide with fear, were locked onto Akainu, and Luffy could see the terror in them. She wasn't just scared—she was petrified, rooted to the spot as if the weight of Akainu's presence alone was crushing her.

Jules's breaths came in short, shallow gasps, and Luffy realized then that this wasn't just about him or his grudge against Akainu. Jules's worst nightmare was standing right in front of her, the same man who had taken Ace away from her. And now, he had Rose in his grasp. Luffy hesitated, his body halfway into a stance to charge. His hands twitched, ready to attack, but... Rose. Jules. He couldn't risk it.

Akainu's dark gaze fell on Luffy next, his voice like ice. "If any of you make another move, the girl dies."A chilling silence followed his words. The Straw Hats were frozen in place, their expressions hardening with a mixture of disbelief and rage.

Jules's heart dropped. "No..." she whispered, the terror in her voice barely audible. Her legs shook beneath her, threatening to give out. "Rose... please..."Luffy's voice softened, conflicted. "Jules..."

Akainu's lips curled into a twisted smirk as he approached Jules slowly, his eyes cold and unfeeling. The way he looked at her, it was as if she were nothing more than an insect beneath his boot.

"Newgate Jules," Akainu began, his voice dripping with condescension. "oh my bad, its Portugas Edward Jules now" The fleet admiral made sure to say the name of her Lover and her father with extra venom "

I must admit, I'm surprised you're still alive. After all these years, with the full force of the Marines hunting you and your little brat down... and yet, here you are."

Jules's breathing hitched, her fingers trembling as she struggled to hold back the fear. She stared up at him, eyes wide, her mind racing. His words twisted the knife already embedded deep within her heart. Akainu chuckled darkly, savoring the fear that radiated from her. "Every time the navy got close, you somehow managed to slip away. But you must know Jules... there's no escape this time." He leaned in slightly, his face etched with cruel amusement. "I wonder... how much longer did you think you could keep running?"

Jules flinched, her teeth clenched. The weight of her two years of running, the constant fear, the sleepless nights—Akainu's words made it all feel so hopeless. Akainu's grin widened as he looked down at her trembling form. "What's even more pathetic is that after Whitebeard's death—after Fire Fist's death—you still had the nerve to pick up the mantle of piracy." He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Do you really think you're capable of carrying on their legacy? You—a frightened little girl, dragging a child into this mess?"

Jules's breath caught in her throat. The mocking tone, the cruel words—it was too much. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest as Akainu's taunts dug deeper into old wounds. She couldn't bear the thought of him reducing Ace's and her father's memory to nothing more than a cruel joke. And piracy? She didn't regret a moment of it. had she dragged Rose into this mess? yes, she had, but even if she had never gone back to piracy, Rose and she would never be out of this vicious cat-and-mouse run between them and the Marines.

"You don't know anything about Ace... or my father," Jules whispered, her voice shaky but defiant. "I'm not trying to be them." She wasn't. being a pirate again, sailing these seas again, she wasnt trying to be her father or someone like her lover. She could never be like them.

Akainu's smile grew colder. "And yet here you are, pretending to follow in their footsteps. But look at you now, Jules. Look at what you've become. A failed mother, clinging to the ghosts of dead men."Jules's body shook, her hands balled into fists as she tried to fight back the overwhelming fear and shame. She wanted to scream at him, to deny his words, but her voice was caught in her throat. Her mind kept drifting to Rose—her little girl in the clutches of this monster's forces.

"Do you really think running to Strawhat Luffy and his crew will protect you? You're delusional," Akainu continued, his tone cold. "You'll meet the same end as Whitebeard and Fire Fist."Tears welled in Juels's eyes, but she forced them back. She couldn't break. Not now. Not in front of him. Akainu's mocking smile faded slightly as he leaned closer. "This is your final warning, Surrender or I kill the girl right here right now"

Luffy's heart pounded in his chest, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Rage surged within him, hot and fierce, threatening to consume him whole. His mind screamed at him to charge, to attack Akainu and tear him apart. He wanted to end it here, right now. But his eyes flicked to Rose, still trapped in the Seraphim's grip, and then to Jules, standing pale and motionless, terror written across her face. Luffy felt his stomach twist.

Jules was terrified—more terrified than he'd ever seen her. He knew why. Akainu wasn't just some faceless Marine to her. Akainu was the nightmare that haunted her every step, the one who had shattered her world the same way he had shattered Luffy's. And now, with Rose in his hands, the weight of that fear was crushing her.

Akainu's voice, deep and emotionless, cut through the air like a knife."Jules." He took another step forward, his eyes narrowing as he spoke her name.

"Surrender yourself. Come quietly, and I will let your daughter go. But..." His gaze flickered to the Straw Hats, and his lips curled into a dangerous smirk. "If anyone interferes—if your crew here try any tricks— I'll kill the girl. Just like I killed her father."

Jules's blood ran cold. Her breath hitched, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She tightened her grip on her knives, but her hands were shaking. The thought of Rose being hurt—of her being killed like Ace—made her feel sick. Her knees threatened to give out, but she forced herself to stand, to face Akainu, even though every fiber of her being screamed at her to run, to protect her child.

"Rose..." she whispered, her voice shaking. Her vision blurred with unshed tears. She couldn't do this. She couldn't let them take Rose away. But she couldn't fight Akainu. Not with her daughter's life hanging in the balance. "d... don't.......don't hurt her," she begged, her voice barely audible over the roar of the ocean.

Luffy's eyes widened, his mind spinning. He could feel Jules's fear, her desperation as if it were his own. His whole body trembled with fury, with the need to act. He wanted to rush in, to knock Akainu off the ship, to beat him into the ground like he had always dreamed of doing. But Rose... He couldn't risk it. Not when Rose was in the line of fire.

His heart ached as he saw the fear in Jules's eyes—the same fear he had felt at Marineford. That helplessness, that desperation. He hated it. Hated that Akainu had made her feel this way. Hated that the man who had taken so much from them was standing here again, threatening the one person Jules loved most in the world, the one person he loved the most, the part of Ace that still lived on in this world, the little Devil he had come to love as his own.

He bit his lip, his fists trembling at his sides.I can't let him hurt her."Luffy..." Jules's voice broke through his thoughts, weak and barely holding it together. She was shaking, blood dripping from her wounds, her face pale. But it wasn't herself she was worried about. Her eyes flicked desperately to Rose, who was still being held tight by the Seraphim. "I—I can't... I can't let him—" Her voice broke, and Luffy's heart twisted painfully.

Jules's heart pounded violently in her chest as she weighed Akainu's ultimatum. His cold gaze locked onto her, but her eyes remained fixed on Rose, who whimpered in the grip of the Seraphim. Her child's terrified face was all she could see—nothing else mattered. Rose needed her.

"Don't do it, Jules!" Luffy's voice broke through the haze, filled with desperate urgency. His fists were still clenched, his whole body coiled like a spring about to snap. he was ready to use gear 5 "We'll get her back! We can fight them! You don't have to—"

"Luffy," Jules interrupted, her voice strained, but steady. She didn't meet his eyes. She couldn't, because if she saw that fire in his gaze, the unshakable belief in his ability to fix things, she'd fall apart. She'd lose her resolve. "I... I can't risk it. Not with Rose. Not like this."

Sanji, teeth gritted in frustration, shot forward, glaring at Akainu. "This is a trick! They'll kill you both once they have you! You can't trust these dogs!" His foot ignited with blue flames as if he was ready to storm forward at any moment, but Nami grabbed his arm, shaking her head."No, Sanji!" Nami said through clenched teeth, her eyes darting between Rose and Juels. "He's not bluffing. He'll kill Rose if we push him."

Akainu's eyes gleamed with satisfaction at the chaos he'd sown. " If you value your daughter's life, you'll make the right choice." He paused for a moment, letting the threat sink in deeper. "Surrender now, and Rose remains unharmed. Once you're aboard our ship, I'll consider releasing the girl."

"Consider?" Zoro growled, stepping forward with his hand already on his sword's hilt. "What kind of twisted game are you playing? You expect us to believe you'll keep your word?"I don't give a damn what you believe," Akainu snapped, his voice turning cold as stone. "This is a negotiation. You come with us, we release the brat. - he shifted his gaze towards a defeated Juels - you refuse and your daughter dies here and now."

Jules's stomach twisted painfully. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to run, to fight back, to do *anything* but surrender. But Rose... Rose was helpless, small, and in the hands of a monster. If she gambled with her daughter's life and lost, she'd never forgive herself.

Tears welled in her eyes as she finally turned to face Luffy and the crew. "I don't have a choice," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I can't risk Rose's life. I won't.""Jules—" Luffy started, stepping toward her, his face tight with anger and desperation. His fists trembled, Haki crackling around his arms. He looked like he was ready to take on the entire Marine fleet if it meant keeping her and Rose safe.

But she shook her head. "You can't fight this, Luffy. Not right now. Not with Rose in their hands." Her voice broke on the last words. She felt like she was shattering inside, torn between her pride and her precious daughter. but the choice was easy, it would always be until the day she dies. she would always choose Rose over herself, over her pride, over her life.

Luffy clenched his teeth, his eyes dark with frustration and helplessness. He wanted to scream, to smash the world apart to save them. But one wrong move, one second too late, and They would lose Rose, his chubs. His eyes softened as he realized there was nothing more he could say to change her mind."Don't let them break you," Luffy said, his voice low, filled with both pain and determination. "We'll get you back. I swear."Jules nodded, her lips trembling. She knew they would. It was all she had left to hold onto.

Akainu's patience wore thin, and he raised a hand, signaling to the Seraphim. "Enough of this. Bring her to me."The Hancock and Jimbe Seraphim's mechanical eyes flashed, and it moved toward Jules with calculated cold efficiency.

Jules felt the weight of every step it took, knowing this would be her last moment of freedom. She took one final glance at her crewmates—the friends who had become family. At Luffy, whose gaze was filled with unspoken promises. At Zoro and Sanji, ready to cut down anyone who stood in their way. At Nami and Robin, whose eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Then her gaze landed on Rose—her beautiful little girl, still crying, still reaching out for her."Mama..." Rose whimpered, her small voice breaking Jules's heart into pieces. she will have to leave her behind, She had promised herself to always be by Rose's side, but.......but today to protect Rose she will have to go far, far away from her precious little devil. She had failed Ace, Failed Rose, failed herself. But at least in this failure, she would save her daughter.

Jules's breath hitched, and before the Seraphim could take another step, she moved toward Akainu on her own, her body shaking but her head held high. "I'll go with you," she said quietly, brokenly. "Just... please, don't hurt her. Let her go."Akainu's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. "Once you're on the ship, Jules," he repeated, his eyes gleaming with malice. "The girl will be released, but not until then."

Luffy's hand twitched, and Zoro's jaw clenched in fury, but neither moved. The weight of the situation kept them frozen, despite the fury burning in their hearts. Jules nodded stiffly and walked past her crewmates, past Luffy, whose eyes were burning with determination, she halted in her steps, Feeling safe enough to show her unshed tears in the presence of those warm dark brown eyes.

" Take care of her for me, please," she said, her voice trembling trying to hold back the waterworks. "Of course, I will. I promise." Luffy replied, trying his best to show confidence and determination to reassure Juels.

But still, he could see it, the hesitation, the worry, the anxiety in her eyes. The beautiful Turquoise, glossed with unshed tears as fear for her daughter filled them. he knew no matter what he said, she would still worry, she would still be scared for the safety of her daughter.

" tell........tell her I love her.....and......and A....Ace Loves her. she.....she should never forget." Jules said not able to hold back the tears that ran down her cheeks anymore.

" shut up, we are gonna get you back and you are gonna say that to her like you do every day," Luffy said, annoyed that Jules was talking as if she would go away forever as if they would never bring her back. but he understood, that's why he continued, voice softer and warm, " Until then, I'll make sure to tell her that though." he finished making Juels let out a small smile, reassured enough that her daughter would be safe.

Jules decided not to say anything more since she could feel the impatience burning from Akainu. She walked past Sanji and Zoro, the fiery leg still not extinguished and hands still holding onto the swords tight.

She stopped just before Akainu, her entire body trembling with suppressed terror. Jules's eyes stayed fixed on her daughter as Akainu gestured toward the Marine ship waiting in the distance. "Come along, then," he said, his voice filled with cruel satisfaction. "We'll discuss your fate once you're aboard."

Jules's body was screaming at her to fight, to run, but she forced herself to take that first step toward Akainu's ship. Her legs felt like they were made of lead, each step heavier than the last."Mama..." Rose's tear-filled eyes followed her mother's back as she walked away from her, the little girl screamed and lunged forward crying out for her mother desperately, as the Seraphim held her back. Luffy clenched his fists so hard they shook, but he forced himself to stay rooted to the spot. He couldn't risk Rose. Not yet.

"We'll get you back!" Luffy yelled after Juels, his voice hoarse but determined. Jules's heart ached as she heard his words, but she couldn't turn back. She couldn't risk it. One wrong move and Rose would be gone forever. As she stepped onto the gangplank leading to the Marine ship, Jules cast one last, desperate glance over her shoulder—toward Rose, Luffy, and her crewmates, toward the life she was leaving behind."I'm sorry," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

With that, she walked into the darkness of the Marine ship, her heart heavy with despair. Akainu's cold laugh echoed through the air as he turned toward the Straw Hats. "Now, you just wait there like good little pirates," he sneered. "Once the ship is a good distance away, we will release the little Brat."Luffy's body tensed, his fists trembling with barely contained rage. "You better keep your word," he growled, his voice deadly serious. Akainu smirked, his eyes gleaming with malice. "I always keep my word," he said darkly.

The Marine ship began to pull away, taking Jules with it. Luffy and the rest of the crew stood on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, watching helplessly as Jules disappeared into the distance. But Luffy's eyes burned with a fury that would not be quenched.

Once the Marine ship was far enough according to the seraphim, the Mihawk clone let Rose down from its hold and without wasting any time, left the straw hat's ship in the blink of an eye, easily capturing the distance and reaching the Marine ship.

Terrified Little Rose ran to the person she felt the safest after her mother, and Luffy immediately embraced the crying little devil in his arms, feeling helpless as he thought about how he would calm the little girl down.

"This isn't over," Luffy muttered, his voice low and filled with determination. "I'm going to save her. No matter what."The crew nodded in agreement, every one of them prepared to follow Luffy into the depths of hell to get Juels back. And as the Marine ship vanished on the horizon, the Straw Hats steeled themselves for the battle that was yet to come.

Chapter Text

Jules clenched her fists as the Marines dragged her onto the ship. The Sea-Prism cuffs bit into her wrists. inside her fire burned hotter than ever. Rose was safe with Luffy, and that was all that mattered now. She was shoved into a cold, gray room. Akainu stood there, arms crossed, his face as hard as ever. He sneered as she was thrown to her knees before him, but Jules quickly stood up, her chin lifted high. She wasn't going to show an ounce of weakness to him. She may have let her emotions show before but now that Rose was out of harm's way, she didn't have a mother's responsibility and worry weighing her down.

"Portgas Edward Jules," Akainu's voice dripped with disdain, "another one of Whitebeard's stray after all. I always thought it was pathetic how he played the father to trash like you."Jules didn't blink.

"I might not be his blood, but I lived as one of his own. He gave me something you could never understand."Akainu's eyes flashed with contempt. "Oh, I understand alright. I understand that you're all just criminals pretending to have some 'family bond.' Whitebeard died like the failure he was. And fire fist... well, we both know how that went, don't we? Couldn't handle a little insult. A real idiot."

A flicker of pain crossed Jules's eyes, but she quickly hid it. She wouldn't let Akainu touch her heart. Not again. "Ace died protecting his brother, something a coward like you will never understand." Her voice was calm but steady, and her eyes gleamed with a fierce determination. "He may be gone, but his will lives on. In me, and my daughter."

Akainu's lip curled in disgust. "Family? You pirates are all the same. You cling to lies about family and freedom while you tear the world apart. You disgust me." He took a step closer, towering over her, his tone lowering dangerously. "If it were up to me, I'd have killed you the second you stepped foot on this ship."

Jules's eyes sharpened, and the smoky smell invaded her mind, making her want to puke. the aura she felt coming from the fleet admiral made her want to choke, but she kept her composure "But it's not up to you, is it?"

Akainu's eyes narrowed. "The Five Elders want you alive for some reason. I'd be happy to see you rot in a cell for the rest of your life, but if it were my call, you'd have joined your pathetic father and lover 6feet under the ground by now."

Jules smirked, stepping forward slightly, defiance lighting up her face. "You can't kill me, Akainu, because no matter what you do, the fire of the pirate spirit won't ever die. Not in me. Not in Luffy. Not in anyone who sails the seas in search of freedom."Akainu glared down at her, the tension crackling between them. But before he could say another word, he turned to the Marines. "

Get her out of my sight. Lock her up. And don't let your guard down—she's just as dangerous in chains."As Juels was dragged away, she allowed herself a small, grim smile. They could chain her body, but not her will. And when the time came, she'd make sure Akainu knew that better than anyone.

On the deck of the Thousand Sunny

A soft breeze rippled across the sea, but the crew inside the galley was anything but calm. They sat huddled around the table, the air heavy with what had just happened. Jules was gone. The Marines had taken her. And no one knew what to say.

Luffy sat in his chair at the head of the table, quieter than usual, holding a small, sleeping Rose in his arms. The little girl had cried herself to exhaustion, clutching Luffy's finger in her tiny hand, refusing to let go even in sleep. Her face was still damp from tears, her body curled into Luffy's chest as if she was afraid to lose him too.

Luffy stared down at her, his brows furrowed. Ace and Jules's daughter. And now, it was on him to protect her. His mind was swirling—images of Ace's last moments, his soft smile as he thanked him for loving him, and then his limp body slipping out of his arms, hands covered in his brother's blood. if he thought back to it he could faintly remember Jules' screams in the background and someone trying to hold her back.

he felt like a failure the promise he had made to always protect Ace's family. he had failed to do that. Not only had Ace left Rose but so had Jules, but Juels wasn't dead, he will save her, and he will bring her back.

Nami sighed, leaning against the wall. "We can't just sit here. We need to figure out how to get her back."Zoro's arms were crossed as he leaned back in his chair, his face stoic but tense. "Charging in blindly isn't going to work. Akainu's there, and we're not ready for a full-on fight with the Marines again. if we attack recklessly it won't mean anything to the sacrifice Juels made.

"Sanji, pacing, lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly, his eyes burning with anger. "I don't care who we have to fight. Jules Chan is our Nakama. We're getting her back, no matter what."Robin tapped her fingers on the table thoughtfully. "We need information. We don't even know where they're holding her or what they plan to do. "

"She's strong," Chopper said softly, looking up from his seat. "Juels won't give up easily. But... but what if they—" Chopper couldn't bring himself to complete his thought" Chopper san, Jules Chan is not a weak woman, by strength as well as by will. I am sure she will be able to hang on until we get her back" Brook reassured the sad youngster.

"We need a solid plan and also need to think of Rose's safety, the marines will most probably not hurt her since she is a great hostage for them but we still need to keep her safe in all this chaos," Jimbe added wisely.

Luffy finally spoke up, his voice quiet but firm. His gaze never left Rose, who shifted slightly in his arms, still holding onto him tightly. "Jules is strong. But we cannot delay getting her back. I'm not losing anyone else." His voice grew heavier, and everyone knew what he meant. He wasn't just talking about Juels. He was thinking of Ace.

Franky slammed his hands on the table. "Damn, straight we will! We've gotten out of tight spots before, and we'll do it again!" "Yeah!" Usopp chimed in, though his usual bravado was muted by worry. "We just need a solid plan... right? Like maybe... uh... oh, man, Akainu's a nightmare..."

Luffy's thoughts drifted, his grip on Rose tightening just a bit as she squirmed in her sleep. He thought about Jules, how she had fought alongside them, how she had become part of their crew—part of his life. The weight of that hit him hard. She wasn't just another crew member. She was something more, though he wasn't sure what yet. But he knew one thing: Jules and Rose were his responsibility now.

"Alright," Luffy spoke, his voice steadier, the resolve returning to his eyes. "We'll figure out where they took her. Then we'll get her back. And we'll crush anyone who gets in our way." Zoro smirked. "Now that's the Luffy I know." Nami nodded, standing up with her arms crossed. "We'll need to be smart. I'll start mapping out potential Marine bases nearby. Robin, see what you can find out about their movements."

Sanji put out his cigarette. "The moment we find her, I'm going straight for Akainu's head." "We all are curly" Zoro added, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Luffy looked down at Rose again, her tiny hand still clutching his finger, and his face softened just for a moment. He wasn't going to let her grow up without her mother. He wasn't going to let her feel the pain, she won't lose any more people in her life, he won't lose any more people in his life

"Jules is counting on us," he muttered, almost to himself. Then, louder, "We're bringing her back. No matter what." The crew exchanged determined nods. The fight wasn't over. It had only just begun.

___________

Akainu sat at his desk, the weight of authority resting heavily on his shoulders. The office was stark, adorned only with maps of Marine movements and reports on pirate activities. He tapped a finger on the polished surface, the silence amplifying his frustration. Just then, a marine entered, bowing deeply.

"pelep pelep pelep.....pelep pelep pelep.....pelep..catcha." the transponder snail rang and Akainu didn't waste much time before picking it up. the transponder snail took up the face of an old ancient face, displaying the caller were the people who had been ruling this world for centuries.

"Admiral Sakazuki," one of them began, his tone devoid of warmth, "we hope this time wasn't a failure." they mocked, referring to the previous blunder that had happened with the admirals.

Akainu leaned back, crossing his arms. "She's in custody. we have successfully apprehended her."

"Good," another Elder replied, their expression showing a hint of approval. "But be cautious. she is not a devil fruit eater as far as we know, but she is still a huge threat."

Akainu narrowed his eyes, a flicker of irritation igniting within him. "I'm fully aware of the threat she presents. I'll ensure she is kept under constant surveillance. She won't escape."

"Ensure it," the first Elder emphasized, his voice low and menacing. "If she does, it could be catastrophic. The last thing we need is another failure after Marineford. Do not underestimate her." Akainu hated that statement. the way the elders pointed out the navy's failure at the Marineford war since Gol. D. Roger's bloodline still continues. " yes" he replied coldly.

The call ended, and Akainu slammed his fist against the desk, the wood splintering slightly under the force. "Damn that woman," he muttered under his breath. "She won't escape. I'll make sure of it."

___________

Chapter Text

The cold air in the lower deck of the Marine ship clung to the walls like mist, dimly lit by flickering lanterns. Chains rattled as Jules sat in the cell, her hands pinned above her head by cold, unforgiving iron cuffs. The Sea-Prism stone lining them pressed against her skin, making the tan skin appear slightly red and bruised, but even in this situation, her spirit remained untouched.

The door to the holding cells creaked open, heavy footsteps approaching. Jules didn't flinch, though her eyes sharpened as Akainu’s dark silhouette filled the doorway.

“Still hanging in there, I see,” Akainu said coldly, his eyes raking over her form. “Did you sleep well?” His tone was mocking, his arms crossed over his chest.

Jules looked up, meeting his eyes with a defiant smirk. “Better than you’ll sleep once I break out of here.” Since she knew her daughter was safe far away with Luffy and the crew, she had nothing to fear. she knew she would just need some more time to figure it out but she will escape from here. and if Akainu was gonna mock her in every conversation, why not make him taste his own medicine? and it was kinda given a prisoner like her would definitely try to escape the first chance they get.

Akainu’s face remained impassive, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, almost as if he were amused. He stepped closer, towering over her, his presence oppressive. “You think you can break free? They’ve taken your knives and bound you with Sea Prism cuffs, and yet you’re still delusional enough to think you’ll escape? escape a Marine warship surrounded by a huge fleet full of Marine soldiers? you think you can escape me?”

Jules let out a low chuckle. “I don’t need my knives to tear through your lackeys, Akainu. You should know better than anyone that it’s not the weapon that makes the fighter.” She leaned back slightly, her expression calm despite her vulnerability. turquoise eyes shining bright, not a flicker of fear in them. “ And don't underestimate me just because I surrendered to you.”

she was right even Akainu could feel it. the Jules that surrendered to him yesterday was so, so much different from the Jules in front of him right now. the one in front of him right now lacked the pale skin, the trembling body, and the horror in her eyes. instead, the one looking at him right now was physically good as new, with flawless skin, her body language screaming confidence even though she was chained up in a cell on an enemy ship, and her eyes.......Akainu would never admit but they sent a chill down his spine.

and god did he hate that so much. he had Destroyed her so much, he had killed the most important people in her life, had almost killed her daughter, and he had captured her, snatched her away from her daughter yet.......yet the woman refused to break, yet her eyes kept shining bright. he wanted to take away the light from those damn eyes. make sure they never see the light of day again. he wished he could kill her just like he killed Fire Fist. how could a filthy scum of a pirate have so much resolve, so much guts, so much will?

His lips curled into a sneer. “how I would love to crush that confidence of yours to tiny little pieces, but damn my luck 'cause your fate is in someone else's hand and not mine.”

Jules scoffed, rolling her eyes as best as she could with her body bound to the wall. “Oh, yeah the 5 Elders are the ones who want me alive right? the wrinkly old bastards who are self-proclaimed gods, but don't do shit other than play with people's lives. Maybe they'll finally feel like they’ve accomplished something by having me in their custody. but sadly I won't be able to bless them with my presence since I don't have any intentions to meet them ” She looked up at him, her smirk widening.

Akainu’s eyes glinted with something darker this time, but he kept his expression cold. “You won’t even make it off this ship, I'll make sure of it,” he said quietly, his voice low and dangerous.

As he stepped out of the cell the metal door slammed shut, the echo lingered in the cold chamber. Jules let her body sag slightly against the wall, though her head remained held high. The smirk that had taunted Akainu faded, but the fire in her eyes did not. Her spirit was unshaken, her resolve like iron. She wouldn’t let the chains weigh her down.

But in the quiet, her thoughts inevitably drifted. Rose. Her little devil. She clenched her jaw, fighting back the pang of worry that always threatened to surface when she thought of her little girl. Luffy had promised to protect her, and if there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that he kept his promises.

Her fingers flexed slightly in the cuffs as she thought about the crew, about Luffy. She hated relying on anyone else, but there was no denying that if anyone could keep Rose safe, it was them. And Luffy... well, he always had a way of pulling through, no matter how impossible things seemed.

Her lips twitched into a small smile, but it quickly faded. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on those thoughts. She needed to focus on getting out of here, to be ready for whatever was coming next. Rose needed her. And she had to stay sharp if she was going to see her again.

But still, her mind lingered, just for a second, on the way Luffy had looked at her before she surrendered. That strange mix of worry and something else she couldn’t quite place. but she had seen a similar look in another set of brown eyes, a little lighter than Luffy's and a little sharper as well. how long had it been since she saw those eyes. 2 years was so long back.

Jules sighed softly, pushing those thoughts down. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but there were more pressing matters right now. She had no time for distractions.

The chains clinked lightly as she shifted her weight, turquoise eyes narrowing. Escape wasn’t an ‘if,’ it was a ‘when.’ The Five Elders had no idea who they were dealing with. She was going to get out of here, and nothing—not these cuffs, not Akainu, not even the entire Marine fleet—was going to stop her.

She closed her eyes briefly, gathering her strength. And when she did get out, she’d make sure the first thing she saw was her daughter’s face. Maybe Luffy’s too... but that thought came and went as quickly as it arrived, barely acknowledged.

No time for that now. There was work to be done. There was no time for fluttering butterflies.

_____________

The days on the Thousand Sunny passed with a tension none of the Straw Hats could shake. Despite their best efforts to maintain normalcy, the absence of Juels weighed heavily on the crew.

Nami spent hours hunched over maps in the navigation room, eyes scanning coordinates, and calculating routes. She traced the Navy’s known paths, trying to figure out where Akainu's ship might be headed, but every lead seemed to end in frustration. “There’s got to be something we’re missing,” she muttered to herself late into the night, the flickering lantern light casting long shadows over the papers spread before her.

Robin and Jinbe worked together, gathering information at every nearby island they stopped at, but no one seemed to know anything about Akainu’s movements. They kept their questioning discreet, cautious not to draw attention from the Navy, but every time they returned to the ship, their faces held the same grim expression.

“No trace of them,” Robin said quietly after another fruitless attempt at a nearby base. “It’s like they never set foot on any of the islands we have searched for the past 4 days.”

Jinbe crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in thought. “It doesn’t make sense. Akainu should be heading for the Navy headquarters, but there’s no word from any of the marine bases.” after all, they had to catch up to the fleet and get Jules back before they reached New Marineford.

Luffy, overhearing their conversation, clenched his fists, frustration boiling beneath the surface. Each day that passed without any news made the pit in his stomach grow. Jules had only been gone for a few days, but with every sunrise, it felt like she was slipping further away from them.

Sanji did his best to keep Rose entertained, but the little girl’s quiet moments, when she sat by herself and stared out at the sea, tore at the crew’s hearts. Rose didn’t understand why her mama was gone, but she knew something was wrong. The air on the ship was heavy with worry.

“She’ll come back, Rose-chan,” Nami reassured her one evening, picking her up when she found her crying sitting on the bed she and her mother shared, looking out the window and staring toward the horizon again. “We’ll get her back.” but what did these words mean to a 2-year-old? all she knew was she wanted her mamma who was taken away by the bad guys.

But even Nami’s words, though spoken with conviction, couldn’t mask the uncertainty that hung over them all.

______________

Unbeknownst to the Straw Hats, Jules wasn’t heading toward any Marine base. The Five Elders had given direct orders: she was to be taken to Marijoa without delay. No stops, no risks of interference. The World Government couldn’t afford any slip-ups. Juels was a threat they intended to eliminate quietly, and the fewer people who knew of her whereabouts, the better.

Akainu’s ship sailed steadily across the vast, open sea, but the brig where Jules was held felt like a prison suspended in time. Her wrists were bound above her head with heavy iron chains, her body slumped against the cold stone wall. The only food she was given came twice a day—two slices of dry, stale bread and a single glass of water. The meager sustenance left her weak, her energy drained. the situation didn't give her many options. trying to escape in the first few days would have been foolish, she had decided to take her time understanding the guard shifts around her cell and also who the guards are.

her plan so far was simple. once she knew she had enough information she would use her haki to break the cuffs easily. She didn't know why Akainu bothered to put sea prism cuffs on her knowing she didn't have any devil fruit. anyway, she would easily be able to break the cuffs, but before that, she needed to plan further.

The guards didn’t say much to her. When they did, it was usually a barked order or a cruel taunt. She had tried to pull out information from her so that she could plan something, but turned out that the guards were pretty smart..................................

yet not smart enough to not discuss things about the latest meetings and watch duties in front of her.

between all this, when the light coming from the small port hole window would vanish indicating the night had taken over half of the world and the guards were silent and on the verge of sleeping, her thoughts drifted to her daughter, worry gripping at her heart cause at the end of the day she was a mother and she was here because he had to protect her daughter.

after Rose, her thoughts would move towards the crew......................towards Luffy. She missed him the most in these silent moments. reminding her of the time they would spend when any one of them was on watch duty. chatting away until the one who wasn't supposed to be on watch fell asleep. during the night the cell would get colder, and then she would think of the warmth she would feel when they would sit a little too close beside each other and their fingers would intertwine, warmth moving from his strong big palm to her delicate one.

it would be the moments just before sleep would take over her when she allowed herself to think these thoughts.

thoughts about Luffy.

Chapter Text

It had been a week since she was captured. Trying to escape right away would have been foolish. Anyone with half a brain would expect her to make a move the moment she was locked up. But it seemed like nature had chosen her side.

Four days into her imprisonment, a storm had decided to greet the marine fleet. At first, it was just rain—nothing out of the ordinary. But each day, the storm grew worse. The ship had slowed, she knew it had delayed their arrival at Mariejois by a few days. How did she know? Well, the guards outside her cell weren't exactly the quietest bunch.

When the storm started getting serious, Jules knew it was her ticket out. She'd waited for this—the moment when the storm would reach its peak. The loud thunder would cover the noise she made, and with everyone scrambling to keep the ship together, they'd be too distracted to catch her. The only downside was the storm had taken its sweet time to become useful. One whole week in this hell, and all she got in her hospitality was two servings of stale bread and one glass of water per day. Barely enough to keep a person alive.

The lack of food had weakened her, and that weakness bled into her Haki. She could still break the cuffs, maybe fight her way through a few guards if she had to, but there was no way she could go all out. Her Haki would burn out fast. But if the plan worked as she hoped, she wouldn't need her Haki for too long.

Over the past week, Jules had used her Observation Haki relentlessly. Every time a guard left the brig, she'd track their movements, memorizing their routines and piecing together the layout of the ship. That was another reason her Haki had drained faster than usual. But it was worth it—she had the rough blueprint of the ship mapped out in her head now.

And then, there was the storm's melody.

The storm wasn't just random chaos to Jules. It had a rhythm, a beat, a melody that seemed to speak to her, pulsing in time with her heart. At first, it had been gentle, a soft hum on the horizon, like the opening notes of a symphony. But each day, as the wind howled louder and the waves crashed harder, the music grew. It was as if the storm was singing just for her, urging her to take action. The howling winds were the violins, the thunder was the drumbeat, and the rain against the deck played like a string section. Each note of the storm resonated inside her, feeding her determination.

Over the past week, Jules had studied every detail—guards' shifts, their lazy conversations, their movements. Most of them slacked off when the storm got worse, more focused on keeping the ship afloat than a prisoner in the brig. She felt the ship lurch with every monstrous wave, knowing exactly how much the crew was struggling to maintain control.

Her plan was simple. First, she'd break the Sea-Prism cuffs using what little Armament Haki she had left. The storm outside would drown out the sound. From there, she'd slip through the brig and make her way to the deck. She'd need to time it perfectly, during the storm's peak, when the crew was stretched thin and wouldn't be watching for her.

She was going to Escape. Tonight.

_________________

Jules waited until the ship tilted violently, the storm raging at its fiercest. Her cell rattled as the ship battled the waves, and rainwater dripped from the ceiling, pooling near her feet. Damn Marines couldn't even waterproof the brig. anyway, the guards outside were struggling to stay upright, distracted by the storm's fury. It was time.

Taking a deep breath, Jules closed her eyes and focused. She could hear the storm's melody in her mind—the rhythm of the rain, the sharp cracks of thunder. It calmed her, allowing her to concentrate fully. Her Armament Haki shimmered faintly across her skin, black and steely. With every ounce of strength she had left, she forced it into the cuffs, feeling the Sea-Prism stone strain under the pressure, and the cuffs shattered. The sound of the storm swallowed the noise, and she stood still for a moment, rubbing her sore, raw wrists, letting the pain pass. There was no time to waste.

Next was the cell door. Using a broken shard from the cuff, she worked the lock carefully. picking locks had been one of her first pirate learnings, expertly taught by Oyaju himself. she remembers how after she had mastered the art of picking locks she would randomly open locked doors around the ship and play pranks on her brothers. Marco had been so fed up.

The lock clicked, and the door swung open. The two guards outside, distracted by the storm, hadn't noticed. Jules moved with the rhythm of the storm, her Observation Haki tuned to the faintest movements around her. She waited for the right moment, then in one fluid motion, slipped through the door. She sensed the guards' confusion as they struggled to stay balanced in the swaying corridor, their backs turned to her. Jules struck quickly, her Haki-coated hands landing precise blows to their necks, knocking them out cold.

ha amateurs

As she moved out of the brig her limbs felt heavy, her strength sapped from the days of starvation and confinement, but she couldn't stop. She navigated the brig using her Observation Haki, her senses heightened by the urgency of the storm. The guards' presence was faint, but she could feel them stationed at key points, especially near the exit that led to the upper deck.

The storm's melody was in her ears, guiding her every step. She timed her movements to the ship's wild tilting, the rhythm of the wind and rain covering her sounds. When a group of Marines rushed past her, she slipped behind a stack of crates, her breathing shallow, waiting for the moment they disappeared from sight.

As Jules approached the heavily guarded exit, she knew she couldn't fight her way through. Her weakened state wouldn't allow for it. But she didn't need to fight. She waited, crouched in the shadows, sensing the shift in the storm's intensity. The ship suddenly lurched to the side, more violently than before, and at that moment, the guards stumbled, struggling to stay on their feet. Jules seized the opportunity and slipped past them, unnoticed, blending into the chaos.

The wind hit her like a wall as she emerged onto the main deck. The rain was relentless, pelting her skin, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. The crew was in disarray, shouting commands to each other as they battled the storm to keep the ship from capsizing. She could hear the faint yelling from the front of the ship where most of the chaos was.

Jules kept her head low, moving with purpose, though her body ached with exhaustion. The storm was at its peak now, the melody almost deafening. The ship groaned as the waves crashed against it, and lightning split the sky above. She had specially picked this door to reach the main deck since it was near the back of the ship and lightly guarded. and in this storm, the few guards stationed here were called to the front to help.

Her goal was the lifeboat—a small craft hanging precariously off the side of the ship. It was her only way out, and with the storm as a cover, she could escape without being spotted. But as she neared the lifeboat, she felt a sudden, ominous presence behind her. Her heart dropped. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was."Where do you think you're going?"Jules slowly turned, her heart pounding in her chest, yet she refused to show it on her face. instead she she stared right at him, her turquoise eyes sharp and somehow shining even in the dark of the evening and the storm.

Jules stared into the cold, unforgiving eyes of Fleet Admiral Akainu. Even as the storm raged around them, his presence seemed to still the air in his immediate vicinity. The rain pelted down in torrents, but Jules stood tall, meeting his gaze with defiance, despite her weakened state. She smirked.

"Well, if it isn't the host himself," Jules said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Did they not teach you how to beat good hosts and provide hospitality to people? the bread was too dry, and I prefer slightly cold water."

she swears she could see Akainu's eye twitch in annoyance. and the hot-headed bastard was actually turning red. She wondered if it was from Fury or his magma powers. the temperature around them seemed to rise slightly, the heat seeping into the air. "You're as insolent as ever," he said, his tone cold and condescending. "Did you really think you could escape? You've always been a fool." well it seemed the redness was from a little bit of both.

Jules chuckled, though it took more effort than she let on. Her body was trembling, both from the cold and the irregular beating of her heart. She knew this feeling. the one week of starvation was the reason for all this. She couldn't help but remember the days she was running from island to island with Rose.

"Oh, I don't know. I made it this far, didn't I? Looks like someone's slacking on the job."

Akainu's eyes narrowed, and in an instant, his fist transformed into molten lava, the heat shimmering in the rain-soaked air. Without warning, he launched himself toward her, his fist swinging in a deadly arc.

Jules reacted on instinct, barely managing to dodge his fiery punch. The heat singed her skin as it passed, and the wood of the deck beneath her feet melted under the force of his attack. She retaliated, throwing a punch infused with what remained of her Armament Haki. Her fist collided with Akainu's forearm, but the impact lacked power, her Haki too weak from the days of starvation and captivity.

Akainu did move a few steps back because of the impact, sneering at her futile effort. "Pathetic."Jules gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand firm, but her body was betraying her. She was outmatched, and she knew it. Her Haki flickered, weaker with each attack, her movements sluggish and uncoordinated. She swung again, this time aiming for his face, but Akainu caught her arm mid-punch and twisted it behind her back in one fluid motion, bringing her to her knees. She winced in pain but refused to cry out. Instead, she laughed bitterly. "Guess you don't like my jokes, huh? Too bad. I thought I was killing it."

Akainu didn't bother to respond. His hand closed around her throat, lifting her off the ground as if she weighed nothing. Jules struggled to breathe, her vision blurring as he tightened his grip."Your escape attempt was laughable," Akainu growled, his voice dripping with disdain. "You thought you could escape your fate? escape the 5 Elders? how foolish of you."

Jules's vision began to darken as she gasped for air, her hands clawing at his fist. But just when she was about to pass out, Akainu released her, letting her fall to the deck in a heap. She landed hard, gasping and coughing as she tried to catch her breath.

Akainu stood over her, looking down with contempt. "you have quite the guts to try this. isn't this what you have been doing since Fire Fist and Whitebeard met their end? Running away. all you do is run, run, and run. such a coward." he said, his voice low and menacing.

Jules, still struggling to breathe, shot him a defiant glare. "Coward? Please," she rasped between coughs. "you want to.....*cough*.....kill me so bad but you don't. are you scared of those old geezers?....*cough*...... scared what will happen if you follow your.....*cough*.....guts and kill me right now? scared they will punish you,......*cough*.......their loyal dog?"

Akainu's eyes darkened. Without warning, he raised his foot and stomped hard on her right ankle, crushing it beneath his boot. The sickening sound of bones snapping echoed through the storm. " let's see how you run with these legs now." Akainu growled.

Jules screamed in agony, the pain shooting up her leg, her vision going white for a moment as she writhed on the deck. The pain was unbearable, and she bit her lip hard, drawing blood to keep herself from screaming again. Suddenly, the sea around them roared louder, as if reacting to her suffering. The storm intensified, the wind howling like a wild beast. Thunder cracked viciously overhead, and the waves slammed into the ship with even more ferocity. The entire vessel creaked as if it might be torn apart at any moment.

Akainu glanced up briefly at the worsening storm, unaffected by its fury. His attention returned to Jules, who was still clutching her ankle, gasping in pain. He smirked, almost amused by the display."Take her back to the brig. and this time station a Seraphim as a guard." Akainu said not glancing at Jules as he turned around to leave the deck.

Jules glared up at him through the pain, her breath ragged. Her body was broken, her Haki drained, and yet the storm... the storm felt like it was screaming for her. It surged with every beat of her heart, each crack of thunder matching her gasps of pain. She could hear the melody again, sharper, angrier as if the storm was growing with her rage.

Through the agony, Juels managed a shaky laugh, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. when she spoke, her voice was as steady as the calm sea, in stark contrast to the storm around her and in her heart. Akainu felt a shiver run down his spine as he felt cold, determined eyes on his back. he didn't see them but he knew they must be shining bright even in this storm, standing out.

"You think... you've won?" she whispered, her voice barely audible through the storm. "This... isn't over, Akainu. Not by a long shot. Not until I die." the thunder cracked across the sky the Lightning reflecting in Jules's eyes and for a moment, no marine had the guts to even step near the pirate lying on the deck floor with a broken leg and no energy or Haki left in her body.

Chapter Text

The wind rushed across the deck of the Thousand Sunny, carrying the weight of frustration with it. For a week, the Straw Hats had pursued the Marine fleet that had taken Jules, yet the sea seemed endless, offering no signs or clues. The Marines hadn't stopped at any islands, leaving the crew without a way to track their course.

Luffy's usual optimism had vanished. He hadn't laughed or shouted about food in days. Instead, he sat on the figurehead, fists clenched, eyes locked on the horizon as if sheer will could propel the ship faster.

Finally stepping off the figurehead, Luffy walked along the main deck. Rose toddled over, her tiny footsteps barely audible against the creaking wood. She tugged on his shorts, her small hand gripping his leg tightly. "Papa," she said, her voice soft and confused. Her thumb hovered near her mouth, a telltale sign of her anxiety. "When's Mama back?"

Luffy looked down, and for a moment, the storm in his heart quieted. He crouched beside her, ruffling her hair. His smile, though, didn't reach his eyes. "Soon, chubs," he said, his voice unsteady. "We're gonna find her real soon."

Rose scrunched her face, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. She was still too young to grasp the full weight of what was happening, but she sensed the change in everyone. Even Luffy, her 'Papa,' didn't seem the same.

"Promise?"

Luffy froze. He never broke promises, especially not to those he cared about. But this time, something gnawed at him—something deeper than the usual frustration of a fight or the thrill of the chase. It wasn't just about his crew. It was Jules, and the fear of losing her felt different. It felt worse.

"Yeah... I promise," Luffy finally said, his voice quieter than usual. Rose clung to his arm, nodding, trusting him completely.

Meanwhile, some crewmates gathered in the galley, the same tension looming over them.

"Luffy hasn't been acting right," Usopp muttered, pacing back and forth. "He's... I dunno, quieter. It's weird."

Nami crossed her arms, staring out the window at the endless blue horizon. "It's because of Jules. He hasn't been this worked up since... since Ace."

Sanji leaned against the counter, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "That idiot usually runs toward a fight headfirst. But now? He's thinking too much. Overthinking, even."

Robin, seated at the table, chimed in calmly, "It's different this time. It's not just about saving a friend. Juels means something more to him. Luffy is probably unaware of what he's feeling."

Zoro grunted, arms folded as he leaned against the wall. The crew knew him well; despite his stoic demeanor, Zoro was just as frustrated as everyone else. His extra training, increased drinking, and sticking close to Luffy were all signs of his inner turmoil—mostly to ensure Luffy was okay.

Sanji let out a puff of smoke. "Never thought I'd see Luffy go down the love road. Luffy barely knows what love is. But I've seen how he looks at her. It's not the same as how he looks at the rest of us. Juels-chan... she is more than nakama."

Nami nodded, and Robin smiled softly, folding her hands in her lap. "Luffy's heart has always been big, but Juels... she occupies a part of it he hasn't really understood yet. That's why it hurts more—for him and for us, as we see him blame himself every day."

Zoro's eyes narrowed. "If he keeps letting his emotions get in the way, we're gonna have a problem. He worked so hard for two years; we all did. It was all to avoid this exact thing from happening. He's frustrated because he couldn't save Ace. Now he can't protect someone close to him again."

Usopp nodded. "Not to mention Juels is important to Ace. I can't even imagine what must be going on in Luffy's mind."

Luffy stood by the railing again, staring out at the sea with a furrowed brow. His thoughts swirled like the churning waters below—a chaotic mix of guilt, anger, and something he couldn't quite name. He had always protected his crew—he would never let anything happen to them. But with Juels... it wasn't just about being her captain. It was something else entirely, something he hadn't dealt with before.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face: the way she smiled at Rose, the way she looked at him when she trusted him with her life, her soft laughter echoing in his memory. And now, she was gone—out of his reach. He clenched his fists tighter, feeling the wood crack beneath his grip. He had failed her, and that wasn't something he could just brush off like he usually did.

Luffy leaned against the railing, staring out at the endless sea, feeling the weight of his promise to Juels. Her turquoise eyes and infectious dimples filled his mind, bringing both warmth and frustration.

Where is she?

He knew she was strong and fearless, always charging into danger like she had nothing to lose. She faced challenges head-on—just like Ace.

I can't let her down like I did with Ace, he thought, the urgency of her absence tugging at him.

It had been a week since they watched the Marines take her away, and each passing day only deepened his restlessness. What if I can't reach her? That thought lingered, but he shook his head to chase it away. He couldn't afford to think that way. He was never one to think that way.

Her beautiful turquoise eyes flashed in his thoughts—the way they had spoken to him a week ago as she walked toward the Marine ship. "I trust you. I know you will save me." That's what they said. He couldn't let her down. She trusted him; she believed in him. He had to give everything to get her back.

He knew she was no damsel in distress. She was a fighter, and she would keep fighting until the end, so he would fight too—to get her back. For Ace. For Rose. For himself.

He glanced back at the deck, where Rose played, her innocent laughter reminding him of what was at stake.

She's counting on me too.

Taking a deep breath, Luffy forced himself to focus. I'll find Juels. No matter how long it takes.

With determination igniting inside him, he straightened up, ready to tackle whatever challenges lay ahead. Juels was strong, and so was he. They would reunite, and he wouldn't let her—or anyone—down again.

____________________

Jules leaned back against the cold, metal wall of her cell, her body aching not just from the throbbing in her ankle but from the deep exhaustion that came with endless captivity. Her fingers unconsciously traced the delicate ring on her left hand—the one Ace had given her. The orange diamond in the center, flanked by the two turquoise stones, caught the dim light of the cell. It was beautiful, yet fragile, just like the promise it once held.

The weight of it felt heavier today.

The ring was a constant reminder of everything she had lost. Ace’s smile, the warmth of his embrace, the safety she had once felt in his arms. She could still hear his voice sometimes, that teasing laugh, the way he’d whisper plans of the future they’d never get to have. And with each passing moment aboard this Marine ship, she longed for that life—those days with Ace, Oyaji, and her brothers. A time when everything felt simpler, and despite the chaos of their pirate lives, there was a sense of belonging, of family.

But that was all gone now. Ace was gone.

She had found happiness again, though. Being with the Straw Hats was like finding another family, a different kind of warmth.

Luffy had a way of making her feel alive again, despite everything she had been through. He was similar as well different from Ace, but in a way that was... good. Luffy was unpredictable, driven, and fiercely protective. Just like Ace...but....she could say Ace was more mature. of course, he was cause he was older yet.....yet anyone could tell no matter how old Luffy got he would never change. and it wasn't bad.....it was rather charming, Luffy was charming....in his own Luffy way. no wonder Hancock had fallen for him.

Jules sometimes wonders if her feelings for him were driven by the fact that He cared about her—about Rose—without hesitation. She wondered if her feelings for him were a mistake cause maybe since Ace was gone she was desperate to feel that love again. but if she thought enough about what she felt for Luffy she would realize, It wasn’t the same kind of love she had shared with Ace, but it was something.

Something that scared her as much as it comforted her.

She couldn’t deny the feelings that had quietly grown in her heart. They had started as simple, fleeting thoughts—gratitude, admiration—but had deepened over time. It wasn’t a whirlwind of feelings, not like it had been with Ace. No, this was slower and more complicated. Luffy wasn’t someone who would easily recognize or acknowledge love, and yet, she felt it in the way he looked at her sometimes, in the way he fought alongside her, in the way he just sat by her listening to her yapping. and she knew this treatment was special, cause Luffy himself was such a yapper, yet when it would be her turn to speak he was always silent and listened.

so yes, She had started to realize that she cared for him more than just as a friend, more than just a captain, more than Ace's little brother.

But even with those growing feelings, sometimes she still found herself longing for Ace. For the past, she couldn’t return to. She wished she could feel his arms around her one more time, hear his voice call her name, and tell her it would be okay that she didn’t have to carry all this weight alone.

Her thumb traced the outline of the ring, the orange and turquoise stones gleaming faintly. The ring hurt to wear, but taking it off would feel like letting go of a piece of herself—of Ace, of the life they had planned together. It wasn’t that she was trapped in the past, but some parts of her heart still belonged there, with him.

She glanced down at the ring, the orange and turquoise stones gleaming faintly. She was happy with the Straw Hats—Luffy especially—but sometimes, when the world was quiet, she wished things had turned out differently. She wished she could have the life Ace had promised 2 years ago.

But that wasn’t how the world worked. Life moved forward, even if parts of her heart stayed rooted in the past.
And as much as she was growing to love the life she had now with Luffy and the crew, a small part of her would always miss the warmth and safety of Ace’s arms. It was a feeling she wasn’t sure would ever fully go away.

A sudden, mechanical whirring broke through her thoughts. She stiffened, her fingers instinctively curling into fists as she recognized the sound. The Seraphim was scanning her again, just as it had been every few hours since Akainu had left her here two days ago.
It hovered outside the bars of her cell, its cold, lifeless eyes focused on her ankle.

Jules held her breath, knowing what came next. She had hoped, maybe foolishly, that it wouldn’t notice. Her healing abilities had slowly been working, despite the poor rations of food and water she had been given—one piece of bread and a single glass of water twice a day. Normally, her ankle would have healed in a few hours, but the lack of proper nourishment had slowed her recovery.

But the Seraphim didn’t miss anything.
With a low beep, it stepped into the cell, the heavy clank of its footsteps sending a chill through her. Its gaze zeroed in on her nearly-healed ankle, the skin no longer bruised, the swelling almost gone. For a split second, she thought it might ignore the progress—just this once.
But Akainu’s orders had been clear.

Without warning, the Seraphim lifted its boot and brought it down on her ankle.
A sharp, agonizing crack echoed through the cell as the bones shattered all over again. Jules bit down on her lip, a strangled cry of pain escaping her as she collapsed back against the wall. Tears welled up in her eyes, the familiar burning ache searing through her leg.

Akainu had been ruthless in his cruelty. She remembered the cold, uncaring way he had first broken her ankle two days ago, and how he had left the Seraphim with strict orders to re-break it the moment it healed. No matter how strong her body was, how fast her abilities usually worked, it couldn’t keep up with the cycle of pain he had inflicted upon her.

Jules gasped for breath, the pain consuming her once more. She had no choice but to wait it out, knowing the Seraphim would scan her again in a few hours, and the cycle would repeat.

" hey did you hear we will reach Marijoa in 2 days?" Juels heard the muffled voice of a guard stationed outside the cell room. " the storm really delayed us hu?" another said. " well the storm still hasn't subsided completely. god knows what's up with this messed-up weather?"

'Yeah, what's up with the messed up weather.' Jules thought as the pain made her mind blank and she slipped into the welcoming darkness.

Chapter Text

Two days later, the Marine ship sailed steadily towards the Red Line. The air was still and heavy, but it had not been smooth sailing all the way. The night before, a violent storm had hit, slamming the ship with waves that seemed determined to crush it into the sea. The skies had been pitch black, rain pouring in thick sheets, and thunder rumbling so loudly it shook the deck.

Jules sat in her cold, dimly lit cell, staring at the ceiling as the familiar sound of chains rattling echoed in her ears. Her ankle throbbed painfully, the result of repeated beatings from the Seraphim designed to prevent her healing. The bruises were deep, her body weak, but her spirit refused to break.

When the Red Line came into view, its towering cliffs casting a long shadow over the ship, the Marines came for her again."Get up," one barked as they entered her cell. His voice was cold, laced with impatience. He didn't wait for her to comply, yanking her to her feet by the chain around her wrists. Jules winced as the movement sent a sharp pain through her ankle, but she bit back any sound of pain. Showing weakness would only make things worse.

"Move it," another Marine grunted, shoving her forward. She stumbled, her legs weak and her body aching, but the chains didn't allow for any sort of balance. Her foot caught on the uneven floor, and she tripped, crashing down hard onto her knees. The sharp pain shot up her leg, and she gasped, gritting her teeth. One of the Marines behind her laughed—a short, cruel sound. "Pathetic," he muttered, grabbing her arm and hauling her back to her feet. His grip was too tight, fingers digging into her skin, but she didn't fight back. There was no point. Not yet.

As they dragged her out onto the deck, the light hit her like a punch, the glaring brightness making her squint. The ship was now directly beneath the Red Line, and the gondola that would take them up to the Holy Land of Marijoa was waiting. The red port was awfully quiet. not a single soul is visible. As much as she had heard about the red port, it was always bustling with people coming and going from Marijoa. in the silence of the unnaturally empty port, Jules could clearly hear the mocking words of the marines around her, speculating her fate in the hands of 5 Elders.

Jules didn't react. She couldn't. It took every ounce of strength just to keep her legs moving, to keep herself upright as they pushed her toward the lift. Her heart pounded in her chest as she took in the sight of Marijoa high above them. A place of unimaginable cruelty. A place where people were treated as less than animals. The things Oyaji and her brothers had told her and she had heard in general about the Celestial Dragons came rushing back, and her chest tightened.

"Keep walking, girl," the Marine holding her chain spat, yanking hard to make her move faster. The sudden pull made her stumble again, and this time she fell hard, scraping her palms against the rough surface. Another Marine laughed. "Maybe the strong daughter of Whitebeard is weak and scared." the Mariens mocked.

Jules pushed herself up slowly, hands trembling. Her body was screaming for rest, for water, for anything but this torture. But she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her break. Not yet.

The gondola to Marijoa loomed ahead, and as they forced her inside, Jules couldn't help but glance up at the towering city above. The holy land. The heart of the World Government's corruption. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to run, to escape, but there was nowhere to go. The chains clinked softly as the Marines pushed her inside the gondola, and the platform began to rise, slowly taking them up the side of the Red Line. The ride was long and agonizing. The Marines stood around her, their eyes cold and their hands always on their weapons, as if they expected her to try something. But what could she do? The cuffs around her wrists and ankles were heavy, and her body was too weak to fight.

Is this how Ace felt when they took him to that execution platform? Ace would be so mad seeing her in this situation, she thought, her fingers instinctively touching the ring on her hand, the orange and turquoise stones glittering faintly in the low light. Ace had always been the protective type, he would have panicked so much if he was here. Probably Marco would have had to knock some senses into him, but the fact was her family had always protected her, since childhood her brother and her father had kept her away from such evils, told her how cruel the world government was, how the celestial Dragons kept other humans as slaves. treated humans less than animals. And now, she was heading straight into their lair.

As they reached the top of the Red Line and the city of Marijoa came into full view, Jules's heart sank. The grandeur of the Holy Land was undeniable—an opulent city of expensive stone and gold, its streets filled with nobles and Marines. But beneath the surface, there was nothing but cruelty. She could feel it in the air. The way people looked at her as the Marines marched her through the streets like she was nothing more than an animal, a piece of trash, a slave.

"Move it," the Marine holding her chain snarled again, jerking her forward. She tripped and nearly fell, but this time she caught herself, forcing her legs to keep going. " She won't last long," one of the Marines chuckled darkly. "Maybe they will keep her as a slave." " Yeah, if they don't kill her first," another added. "Maybe she'll get lucky. The Celestial Dragons after all wanted her alive."

Jules's grip tightened on the ring around her finger. They didn't understand. She wasn't alone. Not anymore. The Marines led her toward the grand palace, its towering gates standing open in anticipation of their arrival. Jules's heart raced, her thoughts spinning as they pushed her inside. But through it all, one thought remained crystal clear in her mind.

I will not break.

_____________________

Meanwhile, aboard the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hat Pirates were in a frenzy. They had been searching for Akainu and his fleet for days, but the more they searched, the more elusive he seemed."Damn it!" Nami shouted, her frustration palpable. "Why can't we find them? how come they didn't stop at a single island?"

"especially considering the reports of the storm in this area in the past few days," Robin said, her brow furrowed as she scanned the horizon. "Do you think the whole fleet sank in the storm and that's why we can't find them?" Ussop shuddered as he heard that.

" stop with the dark thoughts Robin." the sniper said. adjusting his binoculars and again scanning the horizon.

"wwhhhhaaatt? no, do you think the fleet really sank? do you think Jules is......jules is......zoro? is.....is it possible?" Chopper said panicking already. " Yohohohoho, Chopper san don't panic, if the fleet had sunk we would still see the broken pieces floating around. and maybe some bodies too." Brook added to the dark descriptions.

"Hey! What's that?" Usopp shouted, pointing excitedly toward the horizon. "Look over there!"The crew gathered at the railing, squinting against the sunlight. A ship was approaching—a familiar silhouette against the waves.

"Is that...?" Robin began, her eyes widening.

"It's the Going Luffy Senpai!" Franky exclaimed, striking a dramatic pose. "Suuuupppeeeerrrrr, Its Bartolomeo's ship." As the ship drew closer, they could see Bartolomeo standing at the bow, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Luffy Senpai !!!!!" the green-haired man screamed as the ship stopped beside Sunny. " I can't believe it! I'm finally on your ship! This is the greatest day of my life!" he said as he jumped on board.

"rooster head?" Luffy blinked in surprise, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Long time no seen. what are you doing here?" Bartolomeo was practically vibrating with enthusiasm as he looked around the deck seeing al the straw hats.

"This is incredible! I'm on the Thousand Sunny! The ship of my hero! I can't believe it!" He looked around, eyes sparkling. "Every part of this ship is legendary! Look at the mast! And the figurehead! It's beautiful!"

"Calm down, man," Sanji said, rolling his eyes. "You're acting like a love-struck idiot."

" Look who's talking." oro mumbled just loud enough for Sanji to hear. " what did you say marimo?" the cook retorted. " I said you are no different. just your curly brain thinks only about woman. pervert cook." the swordsman said. " shut up, the only thing in that skull of yours is a pea-sized brain that only thinks about swinging swords."

" stop it both of you. " Nami yelled kicking both of them into a pulp. "I am!" Bartholomeo exclaimed, clasping his hands together. Agreeing with Sanji's previous comment to him. "Luffy! is my idol!"

"shishishishishi Okay, okay!" Luffy laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Papa who this?" Rose's soft small voice said from behind Luffy. clutching his pants tightly.

Suddenly, Bartholomeo's eyes widened in realization as he spotted Rose peeking shyly from behind Luffy, her small figure barely visible. "Oh! I remember now! Jules senpai! She's been taken to Marijoa!" His voice dropped dramatically, eyes darting around the crew, looking for their reaction.

"What?!" Nami gasped, her hands gripping the railing, eyes wide.

"No way!" Zoro echoed, his expression darkening as he clenched his fists.

"That's not good. We've got to move fast. Are you serious?" Usopp squeaked, backing away a step. "Marijoa? That's where the Celestial Dragons are! This can't be happening!"

"Why would they take Jules Chan there?" Franky asked, his voice a mix of shock and anger. "Those filthy nobles—what do they want with her?"

" whatever it is we just have to go there and kick their asses and get Jules back," Luffy said, his eyes shadowed by his hat and focused.

Robin stepped forward, placing a calming hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Luffy, we need to think this through. Marijoa is heavily guarded. Charging in without a plan would be reckless."

"But we can't just leave her there!" Luffy insisted, his brow furrowed in confusion. "We have to do something!"

"Of course we will, but we can't be reckless about it," Robin continued gently. "We need to gather information first. We need a strategy."

"Yeah!" Usopp nodded, trying to sound brave. "We can't just walk in there. We need to know what we're up against!"Luffy scratched his head, still not fully grasping the situation.

"Fine. but we gotta move fast. we can't leave Jules there for long." Zoro hummed and nodded firmly. "She is strong she will hold on a little longer."

Bartholomeo, still buzzing with excitement, looked at the crew, eager to be part of the action. "I'll help too! we'll do anything! We are part of the straw hat grand fleet after all."

"Yeah!!!" the Bartoclub crew cheered. "We can help gather information. you can count on us Strawhat Senpai"

Rose peeked out from behind Luffy, her small voice breaking through. "Mumma okay?" Luffy's expression softened, hearing the small voice. He knelt down to her level. "We're going to get her back, I promise!" His determination shone through, but others understood the gravity of the situation.

"Let's head for the nearest island. we have to get supplies and we can calm down and think properly." Robin suggested, her voice steady. "We can also gather intel on Marijoa and figure out our next move."

"Got it!" Luffy said, his usual enthusiasm returning, but the crew noticed the worry in his voice. "Let's go save Juels!"

As the crew processed the news, their initial shock turned into a surge of determination. Luffy's expression hardened, the playful smile replaced by focus. he would even go to hell to get Jules back. Marijoa was nothing.

_______________

Jules felt disoriented as she was led through the cold, ominous halls of Pangaea Castle. The atmosphere was thick with an unsettling silence, broken only by the echoes of her footsteps against the marble floor. The metal of the shackles clinked with each step. Akainu marched ahead, his presence imposing and intimidating, but the details of her surroundings slipped away as panic began to seep in. She struggled against her bindings, but they were tight and unforgiving.

At last, they reached the grand courtroom. The sheer size of the room was overwhelming, its emptiness accentuated by the vastness of the stone walls and the towering ceiling above. At the center stood an empty throne, encircled by a myriad of swords planted into the ground, an unsettling symbol of power left unclaimed.

The Five Elders stood at the base of the throne, their expressions cold and calculating, like hawks surveying their prey. They wore black and white formals, their expressionless features exuding authority and arrogance, and Juels couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

Jules's knees buckled as Akainu shoved her forward, and she crashed onto the cold marble floor. A sharp pain shot through her already swollen ankle, forcing a grimace onto her face, but she bit her lip, refusing to cry out. The Five Elders watched her tumble, their expressions unchanging as if they were witnessing something beneath their notice. Akainu stood tall behind her, arms crossed, his smug grin a contrast to the silent, heavy atmosphere of the room.

"The mission was a success," Akainu declared, his voice booming with pride. "We faced resistance, but nothing we couldn't handle. A storm tried to tear the fleet apart, but we pushed through. Even this one," he glanced at Juels, "couldn't stop us."

At the mention of the storm, Saint Warcury, the one with a thick curving mustache and piercing eyes, tilted his head slightly. "A storm, you say?" he mused, his voice soft yet dripping with an eerie undertone. He exchanged a look with the others before his gaze fell on Jules. "It seems our suspicions were correct."

Jules's breath caught in her throat, her body trembling from the weight of the moment. She could feel their cold eyes piercing through her, dissecting her like a specimen. But despite the weakness that consumed her, the exhaustion that dulled her senses, she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of seeing her broken.

Summoning the last of her strength, she pushed herself up onto her knees, glaring up at the Five Elders. an amused chuckle leaving her lips. "You love the praise don't you Akainu?" she rasped, her voice hoarse but defiant. "such a loyal lap dog of these wrinkling old bastards who fucking refuse to die. sitting here and controlling the lives of people for centuries."

Her words hung in the air for a moment, defiant but undercut by the tremble in her voice, a testament to her physical state. She was shaking, drenched in sweat, and struggling to stay upright. Her body was on the brink of collapse, but her spirit, though battered, was unbroken.

Saint Nasjuro narrowed his eyes slightly, his lips curling into a ghost of a smile. "Feisty, even now," he said, turning to Akainu. "You've done well, Sakazuki. She's weakened, her power restrained, yet still not dead. Just as we anticipated."

Akainu gave a curt nod, his chest puffed out in pride. but Juels could see the slight hesitation in the action after her comment. "She's in no condition to fight back. I made sure of that." Akainu said proudly.

Saint Mars, the one with long, flowing white hair, stepped forward. "You've kept her in check admirably, Fleet Admiral. As always, your execution is flawless." His words were sharp and detached, a hollow acknowledgment of Akainu's efforts, as though Jules was nothing more than a problem to be solved, a pawn in their game.

Jules, gasping for breath, could feel her body giving in to the weakness. Her ankle throbbed, her head spun, and every inch of her felt like it was on fire. But she wouldn't—couldn't—let them see her despair. She gritted her teeth, determined to hold onto her pride, even if she was falling apart from the inside.

Akainu's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Five Elders. "I have a question Saint-Mars. Why keep a pirate like her alive? Do you plan on making an example of her, like we did with Fire Fist Ace?" His tone was cold, detached. the idea of showing the world the power of the Marines excited him.

At the mention of Ace, Jules flinched ever so slightly, her body momentarily betraying her as her breath caught in her throat. She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to stay composed, but the subtle twitch in her expression did not go unnoticed.

Saint Nasjuro, fixed his glass as he responded instead. " We have no intention of repeating history," he stated, his voice firm and calculating. "This girl is far more valuable to us alive than dead."

Akainu's frustration was evident as his lip curled. "And why's that? What makes her so special? She's just another pirate. Filthy scums who corrupt this world with their exi—"

"Enough!" Saint Peter cut him off sharply, his voice commanding silence. "You are not privy to everything, Sakazuki. Your role here is finished."

Akainu's face twisted in displeasure, but he held his tongue. the aura editing from the Elders was enough to even make Akainu shier and know his limits. His gaze flickered back to Jules, full of disdain and curiosity, before he gave a curt nod and turned on his heel. The heavy thud of his footsteps echoed as he left the room, the doors closing behind him with a definitive click.

Akainu's footsteps faded into the distance, leaving behind an eerie silence. The Five Elders remained still, their collective gaze still fixed on Jules, their expressions unreadable. Saint Saturn was the first to break the silence."Guards," his voice rang out, cold and commanding. Two guards stepped forward immediately, their movements precise and practiced. Saturn's piercing eyes didn't leave Juels as he gave the order. "Take her to that room."

The guards quickly seized Jules by her arms, their grips firm but not overly aggressive. She was too weak to resist as they dragged her away, her body trembling from exhaustion and pain. The doors closed behind them with a heavy thud, leaving the Five Elders alone in the grand courtroom.

As soon as Jules was out of sight, Saint Nasjuro turned to Saturn, his brows furrowed. "What is it that you plan to do?" His voice was low, a mix of curiosity and concern.

Saint Saturn crossed his arms, his gaze shifting to the empty throne behind them before he finally spoke. "Vegapunk had a theory," he began slowly, his voice filled with calculated deliberation. "Though the existence of the Oceanian people has nearly been wiped from history, their mention can still be found in the texts of certain deprived nations—small, isolated places that the World Government overlooked. Vegapunk came across this information in his research."

The other Elders exchanged glances, their faces still stoic but clearly intrigued. Saint Warcury raised an eyebrow. "The theory about Ociania and devil fruits?"Saturn leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with a rare flicker of interest. "Yes, Vegapunk speculated that the Oceanians, who possessed the power to harness the sea itself, also had the ability to counter Devil Fruits. After all, they were natural enemies of those who consume the sea's curse."Saint Mars, his long white hair swaying as he moved, let out a sharp breath. "A power to counter Devil Fruits?" He crossed his arms, eyes narrowing in thought. "That would explain why Juels is such a threat."

Nasjuro's lips curled slightly in amusement. "No wonder Imu sama wanted the girl alive. But Vegapunk's involvement complicates things. We're already suspecting him of treason. He knows too much."Warcury nodded in agreement. "Indeed. We can't afford to send Juels to Vegapunk, nor can we involve him further. He'll uncover more than we intend for him to know."

Saturn's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint as he addressed the concern. "That's why we won't involve Vegapunk." He straightened, his voice calm and measured. "being a man of science myself I know someone who can work on this theory for us—someone loyal, unlike Vegapunk."

The other Elders seemed to consider this for a moment. Saint Mars spoke up, his tone cold and calculating. "You mean him? You know his ways are......not really ethical."Saturn's smile was faint but filled with certainty. "Ethics are irrelevant. Results matter. and this man can give us results. "

The room fell silent once again as the weight of Saturn's plan began to settle over the group. The Five Elders stood together, united by their shared ambitions, their gaze shifting toward the empty throne—a throne that is supposed to be empty, but only they know who sits on that forbidden throne.

Chapter Text

The Thousand Sunny was docked on a quiet, uninhabited island, far from any Marine base. Two days had passed since Bartolomeo had brought the grim news about Jules. Outside, the waves gently lapped against the ship's hull, but inside the Aquarium Lounge, tension hung heavy in the air.

Nami stood over the coffee table, a detailed map spread out beneath her, brow furrowed. "So we are sure Jules is in Marijoa." Robin leaned back in her chair, her eyes calm but serious. "It makes sense. Even Ryokugyu mentioned something about the Five Elders to Juels. If our suspicions about her being an Oceanian are true, she's a massive threat to the World Government."

Luffy, sitting on the floor with his arms crossed, scowled in frustration. "We're wasting time! We need to get her back, now!"

"You think we don't know that?" Nami snapped, her voice sharp and edged with frustration. "But Marijoa isn't some regular place we can just charge into, Luffy! It's the most fortified location in the world."

Zoro, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, added, "They'll be expecting us."

Bartolomeo, standing off to the side, clenched his fists. "I'll smash through anyone who gets in our way! No one messes with the future Pirate King's crew!"

"I don't doubt your determination," Robin said with a faint smile, "but brute force alone won't get us through Marijoa. We need a strategy. The risks are too high to go in without one."

Nami tapped the map, her expression intense. "We need insight about Marijoa. We can't afford any surprises if we're going to make it up there. But how do we even get that information? So few people ever go to Marijoa."

Brook, sitting nearby, perked up. "Yohohoho! What if we ask for information from Fishman Island? The royal family was just there for the Reverie."

"No, we can't involve them," Jinbe interjected, his deep voice calm but firm. "If the royal family were seen helping us, it could cause them serious problems."

Nami sighed, rubbing her temples as frustration began to gnaw at her. "Then how do we get the information we need?"

"I'm telling you," Luffy growled, "let's just go to Marijoa and get Juels back! I'll beat those old geezers just like we did when we saved Robin!"

"That was different!" Nami snapped, slamming her hands down on the table. "Jules is completely in their hands now. If we rush in and get captured, what was the point of her surrendering herself in the first place?"

Luffy clenched his fists, growling under his breath, but sat back down, visibly annoyed. He knew Nami was right, but waiting wasn't his style. Robin flipped through her notebook, her eyes thoughtful. "There are rumors about hidden passages in Marijoa, built centuries ago. If we could find one, it might be our best chance of sneaking in undetected."

"That's perfect, Robin!" Nami's face lit up with a glimmer of hope. "If we can locate one of those routes, we can slip right into the heart of Marijoa without drawing attention."

Zoro uncrossed his arms, his interest piqued. "I like the sound of that. Stealth first... and once we're in, we kick their asses."

"But how do we find those routes?" Nami's optimism faded slightly as she folded her arms. "We can't just scout around Marijoa. It's too dangerous to even get close without a solid plan."

"Sabo," Robin said quietly, and all eyes turned to her.

Luffy blinked, looking at her with confusion. "What's this got to do with Sabo?"Robin explained, "He was at the Reverie too, on a mission. It's likely he got his hands on information about Marijoa, maybe even a blueprint."

Nami's eyes brightened again. "That's it! We need to contact him."

"We'll dock here for another day and work on the plan once we hear from Sabo," Nami said, a sense of relief softening her tone.

Zoro grunted, already losing interest in the conversation now that the crucial points had been covered.

Bartolomeo, his eyes shining with admiration, practically vibrated with excitement. "Oh, I remember Sabo-senpai! Luffy-senpai's older brother!"

Jinbe's serious voice cut through the room, worry clear in his eyes. "Juels... she's strong, but I know how those Celestial Dragons operate. I'm worried if she'll be able to hold out much longer."

Robin's voice remained steady, but there was a slight tremble that wasn't lost on the crew. "She's probably been through a lot already. But if we can get there in time, we can stop any more harm. We can't give up."

Nami rolled up the map and stood. "Alright, let's get ready. Once Sanji, Franky, Usopp, and Chopper are back with supplies, I'll fill them in on the plan. Robin, you'll contact Sabo. I'll study the area around Marijoa for possible nearby islands we can use as bases."

"Luffy, will you—"

"I'll be with Chubs when she wakes up," Luffy said quietly, his usual enthusiasm forced. Without waiting for a response, he left the lounge and headed towards the girls' quarters, his frustration and worry eating away at him more with each passing day.

___________________________

Jules sat on the cold floor of her cell, her knees pulled close to her chest. She glanced at the untouched tray of food by the corner, her stomach rumbling, but her instincts screamed not to trust it. She didn't know how long had it been. Time had become a blur since the guards had brought her here. she hadn't been conscious enough to even know how many meals she had been given. but whatever melas she knew had been brought for her were too delicious looking. which made them even more suspicious. Finally, giving in, she grabbed the food and began to eat, her hunger winning over caution.

Just as she finished, the heavy metal door creaked open, and two guards marched in, their heavy armor rattling. Behind them, a figure entered the room — tall, imposing, and face void of expression. It was Saint Saturn, his presence chilling the air.

He stepped aside, revealing another man — thinner, wild-eyed, and more sinister-looking than she could have imagined. The man's hair stuck out in every direction, dark circles beneath his eyes accentuating his sleepless, manic energy. His hands twitched, eager for something. Juels felt a shiver crawl down her spine.

Saint Saturn's voice cut through the silence. "Portugas Edward Jules Meet Professor Nexus, our brilliant mind... aspiring to surpass even Dr. Vegapunk. He will be overseeing your... Hospitality."Nexus stepped forward, an unsettling grin spreading across his face.

"Ah, yes. Jules. The infamous bloodline. The pristine Turquoise eyes, dark brown hair, and flawless skin. The Oceanian blood runs in you, doesn't it? How... intriguing. though I understand you are not at your best right now. "

Jules's jaw clenched, but she refused to show fear. "I don't know what you are talking about. " Nexus chuckled darkly, pacing in front of the cell. "You don't know? Oh, I see, Saint Saturn here mentioned you are such an oblivious girl. You see, there's something special about your kind. Something... worth exploring, worth tearing apart to find out."

Jules glared at him, her heart racing. "You're sick."

Nexus's grin widened, his eyes flashing with sadistic delight. "Sick? No, no. I'm curious. Curious about what happens when we push the limits of what the human body and soul can handle. what your body and soul can handle. How much before it breaks?" He leaned closer to the cell, his eyes wild and menacing. "And believe me, my dear, I will break you."

Jules felt a flicker of fear, but she stood her ground. "You won't. I won't break that easily." The professor's grin faltered for a moment before he barked a harsh laugh. "Oh, how delightful! They always think they're strong until the needles pierce until the bones crack, until the mind starts to unravel." He clapped his hands sharply. "Guards!" Two guards rushed in. Without warning, they yanked the cell door open and stormed toward Juels.

She tried to stand up but failed, her broken ankle not being able to handle the pressure. she winced and tried to desperately shuffle away, trying to evade them, but they were quick. Rough hands gripped her arms as she struggled, her body thrashing in protest. "No! Let go!" Jules shouted, her voice rising in desperation. "Don't touch me!"

Professor Nexus watched, his eyes gleaming with twisted excitement. "Strap her to the table. We begin now," he said, a sadistic grin taking over his face. he was such an impatient man, and why waste time when his guinea pig was right here?

"No! Get off me!" Jules kicked at the guards, her heart pounding harder, panic setting in as they dragged her toward the metal table in the center of the room. She fought wildly, pulling against their grip, but their strength overpowered her. One of the guards shoved her onto the cold table, forcing her wrists into place as metal straps clamped over them. Her ankles followed, pinned down with the same merciless restraint. Jules's breathing became ragged, her chest heaving as she struggled, the fear now clawing at her insides."I don't know what you're planning," she spat, her voice shaking slightly, "but I won't let you—"

"Oh, you don't have a choice, sweet girl," Nexus interrupted, his voice a sinister whisper as he loomed over her. "You're my Guinea pig now."

Jules tugged at the restraints, but they didn't budge. Her confidence, once steady, wavered. She shot a glare at Nexus, trying to mask her fear. "You think you can break me? scare me? You're nothing but a coward hiding behind these old geezers. "

Nexus's grin returned, more twisted than before. "Oh, no, my dear. I don't need to scare you. The machines will do that for me."

Jules's heart raced, her mind spinning as Nexus leaned in closer, his breath hot against her ear. "And by the time we're done here, you'll be begging for mercy."

As Nexus examined the medical table with a glint of excitement in his eyes, Jules felt a surge of vulnerability wash over her. The thin, wild-haired scientist approached her, an unsettling grin stretching across his face.

"Now, let's see what we're working with, shall we?" Nexus said, his voice dripping with anticipation. He reached for her ankle, his fingers probing gently around the swelling. Jules flinched, instinctively pulling away. "Don't touch me!" she snapped, her heart racing. "Fisty, aren't we?" Nexus chuckled darkly, ignoring her protest.

"Saint Saturn, how many times has this girl's ankle been broken?"Saturn stepped closer, a dispassionate look in his eyes. "Eight to ten times over the past three days. Each time, it seemed to heal quickly... until it didn't."

Nexus nodded thoughtfully, his fingers still working around her ankle. "Fascinating. I'm aware that the Oceanian people have self-healing abilities. But those abilities rely heavily on the individual's physical condition." He glanced up at Juels, whose breath quickened under his scrutiny. "If she's deprived of food, as I suspect she has been, it will hinder her recovery and slow down her healing."

Jules glared at him, defiance bubbling inside her. "What do you want from me?"Nexus smirked, Finding her rather amusing. "Oh, I forgot, you don't know who you are. totally oblivious about your lineage and your powers. don't worry, it's nothing you need to know. for now, all you need to know is I am ensuring you are healthy enough to recover your rapid healing abilities. You see, I want to examine you thoroughly. Understand every aspect of your condition. make you heal completely so that I can break you again."

Saturn's voice cut in, sharp and calculated. "She's strong enough to break those restraints if she regains her full strength. We can't have her escaping." Nexus straightened, his eyes gleaming with a new idea. "Then we must keep her mentally weak until she can be examined properly. I suggest a constant infusion of sedatives to keep her unconscious. If she's too incapacitated to fight back, we can ensure she remains under observation without interference." Nexus said walking across the room in a frenzy and coming back with a small glass bottle.

Jules felt dread pooling in her stomach. "wh...what do you mean? are you out of your mind?"

Nexus's grin widened, a cold glint in his eyes. "Oh, my dear Juels, to be a great scientist, one has to be out of their mind." He turned to another table and pressed a button and a man in a lab coat entered, his face covered with a mask, Nexus's tone was authoritative as he said. "put this in the IV. I want her unconscious and compliant. We'll begin once she's stabilized."

Juels's heart raced as they moved closer, her pulse quickening with fear and desperation. "You can't do this! I won't let you!" But the man ignored her protests, moving to gather the supplies as Nexus continued to loom over her, his smile chilling and sinister.

Jules struggled against the restraints, her heart pounding in her chest as the man in the lab coat approached with the IV. "Don't you dare touch me!" she spat, thrashing violently on the table. Her body fought with everything it had, but the metal straps held her down, immobilizing her.

The man in the lab coat worked quickly, his movements efficient as he prepared the needle. Jules felt her panic rising, her mind racing for an escape. She could already feel her body weakening from hunger, exhaustion, and the endless cycle of abuse. But this — this was different. The helplessness of being strapped down, unable to move, knowing that they could do whatever they wanted — it was terrifying.

"Stay calm, Jules," Nexus said mockingly, his voice dripping with fake concern. "Fighting it will only make it worse." He watched with predatory satisfaction as the IV needle pierced her skin. She winced, feeling the cold sensation of the sedative begins to flow into her veins.

"Stop," she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper now. "d... don't..."

But her protests were drowned out as the effects of the drug began to take hold. Her vision blurred, the edges of the room fading into a foggy haze. Her limbs grew heavy, and her once fierce struggles weakened into small, futile jerks.

Nexus loomed over her, a smirk of triumph plastered across his face. "Ah, that's it," he whispered, his voice echoing in her fading consciousness. "Sleep now, my little guinea pig. When you wake, the real fun begins."

Jules tried to respond, tried to fight, but the words wouldn’t come. Her eyelids drooped, and the world grew darker, slipping further out of reach. Her thoughts became disjointed, her body numb.

The last thing she saw before everything went black was the cold, satisfied grin on Nexus’s face and Saint Saturn’s unreadable gaze from the corner of the room.

And then, darkness.

Chapter Text

Jules slowly stirred as the last remnants of sedation faded from her body, her senses sharpening like blades drawn from a fog. The sterile smell of the lab mixed with a faint whirring sound from the machines around her. Nexus stood nearby, a detached smirk curling on his lips, his expression brimming with the thrill of control. In his hand, he held a syringe, the liquid inside glowing with an unsettling blue hue.

"You're resilient, I'll give you that," Nexus remarked, his tone cold but laced with something akin to admiration. "For a week, we've had to increase the dose each time the sedative wore off. But now..." He held up the syringe, the liquid glinting under the harsh fluorescent lights. "Now you're ready for the real test."

Jules remained silent, her sharp gaze tracking his every movement, though her body felt the weight of exhaustion. The drugs had dulled her senses, but she could feel her self-healing powers sluggishly working beneath the surface, knitting her mind and body back together at a painfully slow pace. Her resolve remained unbroken, despite the cloud that still lingered in her head.

Nexus approached, tapping the syringe lightly with his finger. "This isn't like the sedatives," he continued, his voice filled with clinical excitement. "Your self-healing abilities—remarkable, really—are genetic. Completely distinct from your Oceanian powers. It's why you're so... valuable to me. This drug, however, will extract that genetic gift, making it mine to harness."

Without hesitation, he plunged the needle into her arm, his movements swift and precise. Jules didn't flinch as the cold liquid began to seep into her veins. Her expression remained icy, her strength of will unwavering even as the unfamiliar substance spread through her body.

"For science, of course," Nexus added with a chilling smile as he stepped back to monitor her reaction. "Once I have your healing abilities, we'll be able to replicate them. Imagine that, Jules—an entire world that can heal itself just like you. You should feel honored."

Time ticked on, and a heavy silence fell over the room. Nexus's eyes flicked from Juels to the screen monitoring her vitals, waiting for the drug to take effect. But as the minutes stretched, nothing changed. Jules felt only the faintest tingle beneath her skin, but the overwhelming sense of doom he had promised never came.

She exhaled slowly, her voice softer than usual but laced with quiet defiance. "What now? Nothing happened."

Nexus frowned, his brow furrowing as his gaze darted between the monitor and her. His lips twitched, as if fighting frustration, but his expression remained composed. Then, something clicked. A new realization dawned, and his smile returned, sharper, more menacing than before.

"Ah... I see." His voice was almost a whisper, more to himself than to her. "Your abilities are stronger than I anticipated. They've already begun to neutralize the drug." He leaned closer, studying her like a prized specimen. "Fascinating. Your self-healing powers have been countering the formula since it entered your bloodstream. I underestimated your genetic resilience."

He stepped back, his eyes alight with a dangerous excitement. "This changes everything."

Julse stayed quiet, her body still weak, but her mind sharper now. She could feel it—her healing had fought off the drug, neutralizing it before it could do any real damage. It wasn't perfect, but it had bought her time.

Nexus, however, was unfazed by this setback. If anything, it thrilled him. "This is why science requires patience," he mused, turning to the silent lab workers, who had been standing in the shadows, unnoticed by Jules until now. His voice carried a sinister glee. "Setbacks aren't failures. They're progressing. Now, we refine the experiment. You resisted Phase One, Jules, but we'll break down that resistance, layer by layer."

His gaze turned back to her, cold and calculated. "Soon enough, your abilities will be mine to control. Just a matter of time."

__________________________

Meanwhile, the Thousand Sunny rocked gently in the shade of a secluded cove, anchored on a small, barren island devoid of any Marine presence. The crew had been restless for the past two days, tension hanging thick in the air as they awaited Sabo's arrival. Their previous attempt to rendezvous had been interrupted by an unexpected ambush from a local tribe, forcing them to find another island to wait.

Luffy sat cross-legged on the deck, his usual carefree demeanor dampened by the worry clouding his eyes. Rose, perched on his lap, babbled cheerfully as her small hands fidgeted with his straw hat. Luffy smiled down at her, but his heart wasn't in it—his mind kept drifting back to Jules. He wasn't the only one either. The entire crew had felt the weight of her absence.

Zoro, leaning casually against the mast with his arms crossed, broke the uneasy silence. "They'll be here soon, right? This island better be as empty as it looks."

"Don't jinx it, Zoro," Nami muttered, pacing back and forth on the deck. "The last thing we need is another ambush."

Sanji appeared from the kitchen with a tray of snacks, setting it down carefully. "Relax, Nami-swan. Once Sabo and his crew arrive, we'll sort everything out. In the meantime, I've prepared some treats for you." His calm confidence did little to soothe the anxious energy surrounding them.

Suddenly, Usopp's voice rang out from the crow's nest. "Ship approaching! It's probably them!"

Luffy jumped to his feet, holding Rose tightly as he grinned widely. "Sabo!" Rose, recognizing the name, squealed in excitement and reached for the approaching ship.

The Revolutionary Army's flag flew high on the approaching vessel, and soon, Sabo's figure came into view at the bow. Beside him stood Koala and Ivankov, their faces lighting up as they neared the Thousand Sunny.

Sabo leaped aboard as soon as the ship was close enough, pulling Luffy into a tight embrace. "Luffy! I got here as fast as I could."

Luffy beamed, pulling out of the hug as Rose was still in his arms "You made it!" he said.

Sabo stepped back, his hands resting on Luffy's shoulders. "Of course. I wouldn't leave you hanging. We've got a lot to talk about."

Koala smiled warmly at the reunion while Ivankov waved dramatically. "Hoo hoo! Long time no see, Mugiwara boy! And this must be the adorable Rose-chan I've heard so much about!" Ivankov's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Rose, still in Luffy's arms, looked up at Sabo with a wide grin. "Uncle Sabo!" she squealed, raising her arms toward him.

Sabo's expression softened as he scooped her up, twirling her playfully. "There's my little bean! How've you been, Rose?"

Rose giggled, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. Luffy watched them with a bittersweet smile, the sight of Rose's joy momentarily easing the ache in his heart.

Koala walked up, giving Luffy a quick hug before turning to Rose. "Hi, Rose! I am Koala. I am......your Uncle Sabo's friend."

Rose stared at Koala for a moment, her brow furrowed in concentration before she smiled. "hello!" she said excitedly.

Koala's heart melted at the sight. "she has the most beautiful eyes." She said mesmerized by the jem-like turquoise eyes. "she gets them from her mother."

" oh from Jules. makes sense." Koala said the shine in her eyes was faltering at the mention of Juels.

"Yohohohoho! Nice to meet you, Iva-san! You have quite flamboyant hair!" Brook chuckled, his bony hands pointing at Ivankov's voluminous purple curls, his eyes gleaming with fascination.

Ivankov grinned back, their sharp, flamboyant voice echoing through the room. "Hohoho! And you're quite the handsome skeleton, yes?" Ivankov suddenly shifted form, transforming into a woman with a dramatic flare, causing Brook's jaw to drop—literally—and his soul to fly out of his body in shock.

"YOHOhohohoho! What incredible power you have! If you don't mind... may I see your panties?" Brook's question was cut short by a swift kick to the back of his skull, courtesy of an exasperated Nami.

"Cut it out!" Nami scolded, rubbing her temples as she turned to greet Ivankov properly. "Hello, Iva-chan. Nice to meet you," she said, smiling despite the chaos.

"Ohohohoho, deadly!" Ivankov exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "I like it! Nice to meet you too!"

Suddenly, Ivankov's mood shifted, and their vibrant expression turned into a frown as they looked around. "Hmmmm, something's missing."

The change in the atmosphere caught everyone's attention.

"Huh? What's missing?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"What happened, Iva-chan?" Koala asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she followed Ivankov's gaze.

Sabo, still holding Rose carefully in his arms, nodded in agreement, scanning the gathered crew. "Yeah, Sanji's missing. Where is he, Luffy? I thought I saw him when I boarded," he said.

"There!" Ivankov exclaimed, their eyes landing on Sanji, who was just then making his way up the stairs to the upper deck, trying to sneak into the kitchen unnoticed. His eyes widened in recognition when they locked with Ivankov's.

"Ahahaha! Candy boy! It's been a long time, hohohoho!" Ivankov declared, waving enthusiastically.

Sanji visibly flinched, his eye twitching as memories of his time on Momoiro Island and his 'training' under Ivankov flooded back. "Y-Yeah... real loooong... Not long enough to forget, unfortunately," he muttered, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

Koala chuckled softly but waved Ivankov off. "Stop teasing him, Iva. We have important things to discuss."

The room fell silent as the weight of Koala's words settled over them like a storm cloud. The reason for Sabo's visit was not just a simple reunion, and everyone could feel it.

Jinbe, sensing the tension, stepped forward. "Let's talk in the lounge," he suggested, his deep voice steady and reassuring. Everyone nodded in agreement, and they made their way inside.

Sanji headed to the kitchen, still shaken by Ivankov's sudden appearance but focusing on his duty to prepare snacks for the crew.

The Thousand Sunny's aquarium lounge felt unusually somber as everyone gathered, the usual warmth of the space replaced by a heavy unease. Luffy sat with Rose in his lap, her tiny hands clutching his shirt as he absentmindedly played with her fingers, lost in thought. His eyes flicked over to Sabo, who sat nearby, watching him with concern.

Koala and Ivankov settled in across from the crew, both of them tense. The air was thick with unspoken worry.

Sanji returned, placing a tray of snacks on the table before leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by quiet seriousness.

Jinbe broke the silence, his voice steady. "I assume Nico Robin told you what happened, but we'll go over it again to make sure we're all on the same page."

Sabo's eyes darkened, hand clenched into fists as he prepared himself for what was coming. "What happened to Jules?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with barely contained fury.

Robin stepped forward, her expression somber. "We were ambushed by Akainu," she began, the name alone sending a ripple of anger through the room. "He targeted Juels specifically. We fought him off, but..." She hesitated, the weight of the memory heavy on her shoulders. "Akainu took her."

Koala gasped, her eyes wide in shock, while Ivankov's expression turned grim. "That bastard... always him."

Luffy's grip on Rose tightened, his eyes staring into nothing as he spoke for the first time since they gathered. "I... I should've stopped him. I should've been stronger." His voice wavered, the guilt and frustration seeping into every word.

The crew remained silent, their hearts heavy with the burden of their captain's regret.

Nami took a deep breath, stepping forward to continue. "We tracked Akainu's fleet for days. Every lead, every island... But his fleet was too fast, too well-organized. and they probably didn't stop on any island for any supplies or anything. so we didn't have any information."

Zoro, leaning against the wall, added with a grim frown, "Every time we thought we were close, they'd slip away."

Sanji clenched his fists, his jaw tight. "It wasn't until Bartholomeo got word that we realized where he was heading."

"New Marineford?" Sabo asked though something in his gut told him that wasn't it.

Nami shook her head. "No... He's taking her to Marijoa."

Sabo's eyes widened in disbelief, Koala and Ivankov reacting with equal shock. "Marijoa?" Koala asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Why would he take her there?"

Franky slammed his fist on the table, his usual grin replaced with an uncharacteristic scowl. "That's what we're trying to figure out. But it's no coincidence. They want her for something."

Robin crossed her arms, her tone low and serious. "We think Jules might be a descendant of the Oceanian people. If that's true, then the World Government sees her as a major threat. They want to eliminate her before she realizes the full extent of her abilities."

Ivankov's brow furrowed. "Oceanian...? We have heard about them, it's that ancient tribe that was wiped out by the World Government?"

Robin nodded. "Yes. The Oceanian people were blessed by the sea, subordinates of Joy Boy. we think Juels may be one of their descendants."

Sabo's eyes narrowed as he processed this information. "The descendent from the prophecy. If Jules is really from the Oceanian lineage, that means she's connected to some powerful ancient abilities. No wonder the World Government wants her under their control."

Koala nodded gravely. "If the World Government manages to control her... it could tip the balance in the war that has been brewing for the last 2 years."

Ivankov crossed their arms, their usual flamboyant demeanor replaced by stern determination. "We can't let that happen. Not just because it's Juels, but because we can't let the World Government get their hands on such power."

Usopp, sitting next to Luffy, chimed in. "We need intel on Marijoa. We were hoping you could help us with that."

Sabo's expression hardened with resolve. "You can count on it. We know Marijoa inside out. We'll get the information you need."

Koala placed a hand on his shoulder, her gaze steady. "It won't be easy. But we'll find a way."

Luffy's eyes blazed with determination as he met Sabo's gaze. "We're getting her back. No matter what."

Sabo's lips curved into a small smile, filled with both determination and reassurance. "We will. I promise."

We won't lose her. We'll protect her. we promise Ace.

__________________

For the next two days, Nexus worked tirelessly, his focus unwavering as he refined his formula. Jules strapped to the cold metal table, endured the endless cycle of blood extractions and tests. Her body fought to recover, but his constant interference kept her in a state of limbo—healing just enough to stay alive, but not enough to regain any strength.

On the third day, Nexus approached her with a new syringe, the liquid inside a darker, more unsettling shade of blue. His eyes gleamed with twisted satisfaction. "I've made the necessary adjustments," he said, the eagerness in his voice undeniable. "This time, the results will be far more... effective."

Jules braced herself as the needle pierced her arm, the cold liquid seeping into her veins. At first, there was nothing—just the familiar chill of the injection. But soon, a slow, creeping discomfort spread through her body, like icy tendrils wrapping around her bones.

The pain wasn't sharp, but a deep, dull ache that pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. Her muscles tensed, not in violent spasms, but in a slow, stubborn resistance to the foreign substance invading her. Her healing powers responded, but sluggishly, as though they were fighting through a thick fog. Every attempt her body made to push the drug out was met with a heavy, oppressive force that kept her just on the edge of recovery.

It wasn't unbearable, but it was constant—a gnawing discomfort that drained her energy, leaving her weak and exhausted. She could feel the drug taking hold, not completely overwhelming her, but enough to leave her vulnerable.

Nexus watched her with a gleam of triumph in his eyes, scribbling on his clipboard. "Fascinating," he muttered, his tone thick with smug satisfaction. "Your abilities are still active, but they're weakening. This is exactly the breakthrough I needed."

Jules clenched her teeth, the ache in her body making it hard to speak. But she forced out the words, her voice strained. "Why... why are you doing this? It's not just... for fame, is it?"

Nexus leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. "Why do I do this? Let's just say... I hate the idea of dying."

His laugh was soft, and cold, and it sent a chill down her spine. Even through the haze of pain, she knew one thing—he had no intention of stopping.