Chapter Text
Shanks feels his temple pulse with an oncoming headache at the sight of Garp the Fist's tiny, one-manned boat approaching the Red Force.
Today of all days, Shanks thinks despairingly, why did he have to come today?
Today, the anniversary of the day his Captain's heart was pierced through without ever losing that vicious, unsettling grin; the anniversary of the day Miss Rouge vanished without a trace; the anniversary of the day Shanks lost what could have been a little brother or sister. Today, when he doesn't feel like partying or dallying with his crew or fighting with Mihawk. Today, when he just wants to be left alone in his cabin to wallow in his own misery and think about what could have been had Roger never gotten sick.
Instead, the Hero of the Marines hops onto his ship like he owns it, paying no mind to Benn and Yassop and Lucky Roo as they level their guns at him or the rest of his crew as they point their swords his way.
The monster of a man keeps his eyes locked onto Shanks', something uncharacteristically deadly in his sharp gaze. Shanks knows his own eyes are constricted in a way that signifies he might be losing control of his Haki, but he can't help it. Not today. He fingers his own sword and tries not to think about the fact that he hasn't battled with anyone since he lost his arm to Dawn's King of the Coast.
"Oh, look," He grins, grim and unfriendly and unwelcoming, and Garp's brow twitches, "It's Garp the Hero, come to say hello. You've picked a poor day to come see me, Mr. Hero. I'm not in the mood to play."
If Garp notices the mocking way Shanks calls him a hero, he pays it little mind, eyes softening briefly as he murmurs. "Roger's death day."
Shanks stiffens at the words, smile falling, and he glares at Garp in a manner that would have anyone lesser fleeing.
"What do you want?" He asks sharply.
"A favor," Garp states bluntly. His tone indicates that he would rather be anywhere else but here, but Shanks can see something desperate in his eyes, something pleading, and it makes him soften - even only slightly - and he tilts his head questioningly.
His willingness to listen, however, does not change his mood or his grudge and so he laughs a scoffed huff, words mocking. "A favor? And why should I help you, Hero of the Marines? What's in it for me, exactly?"
No matter how soft women like Makino and children like Luffy make him, he can be vindictive and petty and cruel just like any other pirate. And so he reminds Garp of his title any chance he can get, calls him a hero knowing Garp hates it, knowing Garp feels just as much guilt as Shanks feels rage about the Massacre of Baterilla. Shanks can't help it. That was Miss Rouge's home, her friends, her neighbors, her family, slaughtered like pigs for the sole crime of starting a family of their own. Garp should feel guilty for sticking by the World Government and their cruelty.
"Ann or Ace."
The simple words make Shanks jolt, something primal and desperate overtaking him. He stares at Garp, slack-jawed, wide-eyed, brows furrowed, and he sucks in a deep breath.
"Excuse me?" His voice is weak even to his own ears and his crew takes notice, shooting him sharp, worried glances.
"Those are the names she picked out," Garp continues, "Ann for a girl, Ace for a boy. He never would've been able to keep his father's name, so I gave him his mother's. He deserved something of hers for everything she sacrificed for him."
"...What?" Shanks barks, choked.
"Portgas D. Ace." Garp's eyes trail off somewhere far away, something sad and longing and proud deep in his gaze. "Got his daddy's temper, but his mother's kindness. Hardheaded like Roger, but patient like Rouge. Got a mean streak like his daddy, but he's sweet like his mother. Looks like her, too. With her curls and her freckles and the shape of her nose and her smile. Got Roger's dark hair, though, and his eyes... his eyes are all Roger's. Beautiful like Miss Rouge. He's gonna turn heads when he grows up. Would've been a sight to see if Roger were still here; watching that man put the fear of god into anyone that dared look his boy's way."
Shanks loses his own focus for a moment, trying to picture a dark, curly-haired boy with Miss Rouge's freckles and Roger's silver eyes, and he can't help the small smile that curls his lips.
Portgas D. Ace.
Gol D. Ace.
Shanks snaps his gaze back to Garp's sharply, wars with the hope he feels at what Garp is telling him and rage at the idea that the boy was smuggled away from his proper family.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because rumors have started and they've reached the Marines." Garp's gaze darkens. "About a little boy with eyes like the Pirate King's, running loose through Goa's Kingdoms. I need you to take him away before the Elder Stars decide to take it seriously."
Oh, Shanks will take him - probably would've stormed Goa himself the second he caught wind of these rumors with or without Garp's input - but...
"What will happen if I don't, then?"
"I can take him and run," Garp shrugs, "But I am a single man. I'd get caught. The only other two options would be the Marines storming Dawn Island to take him and killing anyone who tries to stop them. Or shooting him on the spot, along with Sabo and Luffy for associating with him."
Shanks jerks, along with a few other members of his crew.
"Luffy?" He gasps.
"Yes," Garp grunts, crossing his arms, "He and the other boy I mentioned, Sabo, they fancy themselves Ace's brothers. They'd rather die with him than leave him behind. They'd never stand by and let the Marines take him away."
"I see..." Shanks murmurs to himself. Perhaps it is fitting, he thinks, that the boy who fancies himself the Pirate King befriended the dethroned King's child. Calls him a brother. He wonders, then, if they still would have met Luffy had Roger lived. Wonders what Roger would've thought about the little boy running after his title.
And then he thinks that Roger would've loved Luffy just as much he does.
"Those three," Garp cracks his neck, "Their antics is what got those rumors started. Sabo is a runaway, a Noble's child, so he was recognizable to most within Goa. He, Ace, and Luffy had been messing around in Edge Town when they got caught. Pirates." His voice levels into a spat, like the word is painful for him to even speak. "The kind I became a Marine for. Hired by Sabo's father to bring the boy back to him. They hurt Luffy and Ace, burned down that treehouse they worked so hard on. Their caretaker saved them, but ended up injured. Ace was quick. Ran her back home before running after Sabo. The boy had tried to sail away, ended up right in the line of sight of a visiting Celestial Dragon."
Shanks and his crew stiffen. Because they know, have experienced - a few members of his crew are even rescues - the cruelty of the World Nobles. How anyone beneath their standing, even children, are looked down upon as little more than ants to be crushed beneath their heels. If Sabo was spotted, even if he had been recognized as a Noble's child, the Celestial Dragon had probably been slighted by the idea that someone below their ranking had dared to get in the way of their ship.
"They shot at him," Garp's brows furrow, something dark and angry lurking behind his eyes, "Ace had gotten there just in time, had jumped into the water after him. The blast hurt him, burned him up something fierce, but Ace managed to fish him out of the water and bring him home. He'll be scarred, though, and I don't know if he'll ever be able to see out of his left eye again. Regardless, Ace was seen just like Sabo was. The Celestial Dragon had been furious that their target was rescued, wanted to know who the dark haired boy was. Sabo's father was more than happy to gossip about the dirty boys that had ruined his son. And the Celestial Dragon was more than happy to rant about it to the higher-ups at Marineford. The whole thing got Sengoku thinking, got Akainu sniffing blood. I can't let them stay there, unprotected."
Garp sighs heavily, scrubs a hand through his hair roughly before catching Shanks' eyes once more. "Luffy's parentage is considered no better, though he'll still be considered less of a threat than Ace. He's my grandson by blood. And it's no secret who my son is."
Shanks blinks before he narrows his eyes, voice tense, "Dragon the Revolutionary. He's Luffy's father?"
"Yes," Garp growls, "The only reason Luffy hasn't been bothered is because of my friendship with Sengoku and the fact that I was the one raising him alongside the people of Dawn. If Dragon had kept Luffy any longer than he did before he left him with me, the higher-ups would feel differently. But..." Garp trails off, eyes softening for a brief moment, and then he glares fiercely. "He's mine and those boys are mine and I will not allow anyone to bring them harm, not the Elder Stars, not Sengoku, not the World Nobles. The sins of their fathers have nothing to do with them and I will not allow anyone to say otherwise."
Suddenly, Garp drops heavily to his knees, shaking the ship, and the members of the Red Force slacken their stances in awe, caught off guard by the sight of the normally proud man on his knees before pirates. He doesn't bow, not really, just keeps his head low and his back straight, fists clenched in his lap.
"Please!" He says fiercely, "Take my grandsons! Protect them until they are strong enough to protect themselves! Keep them safe for me because I cannot!"
A silence takes hold as the Red-Haired Pirates look between their captain and Garp the Fist. Shanks knows it is because of what Garp revealed to them without thought. That the Hero of the Marines defied orders, betrayed the very force he fights for to protect the son of the most feared and hated man in the world, went against the Blood Purge Law that Shanks knows Garp and plenty of other Marines find distasteful. And then he betrayed them a second time, even if it was more openly, to protect his son's son, his blood, after his boy earned himself the title of World's Worst Criminal.
That he's willing to hand them over to pirates - the very people he openly hates and joined the Marines for - just to keep them safe.
Shanks removes his hand from his sword, smiling a little. "I'll take them," He says and Garp perks up, looking more like his usual self. "Anything for Anchor and the Captain's child. Their brother, too. Fuck, Garp, you couldn't have had less troublesome grandkids?"
"BWAHAHAHA!" Garp bellows, hopping to his feet, grinning that mad D. grin, "Life wouldn't be fun that way!"
Shanks snorts, cutting his eye to his crew, still standing by for their Captain. "Drop the sails!" He orders, "Raise the anchor! Set coarse for East Blue!"
He catches Garp's eyes, gives him a sharp nod that the man returns before quickly making his way off of the Red Force and to his own small ship. Then he glances over to Benn, catches his First Mate's eyes, and offers the man a small grin. Benn merely rolls his eyes, sighing, but then he gives him a small nod and makes to help the rest of the crew.
They're going to get Luffy.
He's going to meet Captain's son.
...........
They use the lesser known waterways to make it to East Blue directly from the New World. Shanks leaves his crew to anchor the ship, pays no mind to the lack of village activity around him, and makes a beeline toward Party's Bar. He hasn't been here in about a year and though he knows he probably won't be back for a long time after this - wasn't planning on being back here for a long while yet - he can't help but miss her; knows he'll be thinking about her for however long he stays away.
The sight of Makino makes something in his chest come loose and he feels lighter just being in her presence. She blinks up at him in wonder, no doubt not expecting him to be here for at least a few more years, and then she smiles serenely. He hasn't known her long, but he still knows she has a tight control over herself, able to take close to anything in stride, never truly surprised by much.
"Captain," She says brightly, "Luffy will be thrilled to see you. I suppose you're the reason Mr. Garp ran everyone inside the second he got here."
"Shanks," He replies on reflex, taking a seat at the bar, "And maybe."
"Captain," She smiles back, "And why is that?"
"Shanks," His lips twitch up into a grin, "Luffy..."
"You're here for him?" She tilts her head, smile fading a bit. "Captain?"
His lips twitch again, but he leaves it this time. "Aye. Mr. Hero came to us for a favor. Wanted us to bring them onto our ship."
"Them, huh?" Makino's smile brighten back up. "You're here for Ace and Sabo, as well? That's wonderful! I'd hate to see them get separated." Her smile fades once more, this time completely. "Are they in danger? I don't know much about Ace or Sabo. I've never seen them until Luffy dragged them down the mountain to come visit. All I know about Sabo is that he ran from home, but Ace...."
"His heritage," Shanks murmurs, "It puts them all in danger."
"His heritage? What do his parents matter if they aren't even around to raise him?"
"The Marines won't care. Garp protects his home and so you haven't seen their cruelty. They have Blood Purge Laws, meant to destroy the bloodlines of anyone deemed too dangerous regardless of whether or not that blood has even done anything wrong."
"...That's awful... that's...."
"Garp's a Vice-Admiral. He knows about these laws. Wants me to protect the boys from them. And I agreed."
Makino hums before her lips slowly curl back up. She leans over the bar, catches his face between her hands, and presses her lips to his in a slow, tender kiss that that softens his entire being in a way no one else but her would ever be able to accomplish. When they part, she gives him a bright smile and pats his chest.
"You go find them," She says, "I'm going to go make a bag for Ace."
"Ah," He mutters in response, slightly dazed, and he watches as she turns and heads up the stairs behind the bar. He shakes his head, jolting himself from his wandering mind, and quickly excites the bar. He stops short at the sight of Garp, arms crossed and an angry glower on his face as he immediately zeroes in on Shanks.
Shanks merely offers him a grin.
Garp snorts. "Damn fool girl," He mutters, turning away and stomping off, "This way."
Shanks glances back toward his ship, locking eyes with Benn and Yassop. The two nod back, letting him know that they will be on guard until he returns, and he quickly follows after Garp away from the village and up the mountain. Shanks never really bothered to explore this area during his year long stay before, but he knows the animals are not normal. The Sea King living here says enough. The mountain is covered in forest and the walk up it is steep and Shanks' idea about the animals are confirmed when he catches sight of a tiger and a crocodile at least twice the size of what they should be.
He knows that Luffy is strong and he knows that any child of his Captain's will be strong as well, but he can't help but wonder how the boys must live. How dangerous their lives must be to have to trek through this particular forest everyday just to play. How often they've been hurt by one of the animals or one of them losing their footing and sliding some ways down the mountainside. He hopes not too badly, but he knows Luffy well enough to guess that the boy might've been the one to constantly fall victim to clumsiness.
When they finally find themselves on a dirt path, Shanks perks up. He takes note of the little shack before the entrance is suddenly slammed open and a mountain of a woman stands guard before it. He can see her teethe clench around a good handful of cigarettes and he can see her fists tense at her sides.
Garp comes to a stop in front of her. "Dadan," He says, "How are they?"
Her fists tense tighter, her glare sharp. "Sabo's burns bother him. He's gonna be scarred up. They don't wanna be 'round fire no more, all three of 'em. Ace's handlin' it pretty well, but he's angry. Sabo's angry, too. Never seen that brat that mad before. Think he'll hate the Celestial Dragons and the Government that lets them get away with their bullshit for the rest 'o his life."
Her glare burns into Garp at her last statement. Shanks understands. For all that Garp is righteous and a good man and wishes nothing more than to just protect the weak and innocent, he still perpetuates the system that keeps the Celestial Dragons and the Nobles and the Elder Stars in power. Still perpetuates the system that allows them to turn their cruelty onto whoever they wish, to enslave children, to murder for little more than the fun of it.
Garp ignores her. "Where are they now?" He asks.
"Inside," Dadan mutters.
Shanks makes a move to step forward, but Dadan blocks him. She towers over him, but he can see in her eyes how intimidating she finds him. She doesn't falter, though, staring him down and never breaking eye contact.
"Let's get one thing straight, Red-Haired," She growls, "I raised Ace from a baby, and I've only known Sabo n' Luffy for a year, but it don't matter 'cuz those boys are mine. And if anythin' happens to them under your watch, I won't ever forgive you. An' I'll find a way to make you pay. I don't care that you're some fancy Emperor, got it? I'll find a way."
Shanks keeps eye contact with her, wants her to know that he hears her loud and clear and that he won't ever mock her even if he knows that she knows that he can kill her in the blink of an eye. He grins. "Understood," He says, inclines his head politely.
She grunts in appeasement and then, cautiously, steps aside and allows him to enter the shack. He takes note of the men mingling about but ignores them in favor of making his way to the room down the narrow, short hallway. He hears the voices of children mingling with one another, two trying to converse, a third trying to butt in. He thinks he knows which is which.
He opens the door gently and the three occupants inside freeze before turning to him. He notices Luffy first. The boy is a bit bigger, a bit taller since they've last seen each other, but he's still so little, his hat dwarfing the boy's head and hanging into his eyes. The next one he notices must be Sabo, the only one in the room with the light hair and the fair, clear skin of a Nobleborn. Well, almost clear, Shanks thinks wryly, catching sight of the angry red, blistering burns peaking out beneath a medical eye-patch and the bandages around his arm and torso. Those very well will scar like everyone's been saying, but with the right treatment Shanks knows they won't be so angry.
Then he sees Ace.
He knows it's Ace because he looks just like Garp said he would. With Rouge's fair skin and Roger's dark hair. Rouge's curls and nose and Roger's narrow eyes. He's got Rouge's cinnamon colored freckles splattered haphazardly across his cheeks and nose, even that large, dark one that took up a big space right between Rouge's right eye and the bridge of her nose.
He knows, then, exactly why the Marines are so intent on connecting this boy with Roger.
Because there's no way he's not the Pirate King's heir, not with those eyes.
Silver and bright and burning with the will of a man who wanted to be more free than anyone and anything.
The boy's eyes suddenly narrow and Shanks knows he's been caught staring. Before he can say anything, though, Luffy salvages the situation for him, launching himself directly at Shanks with his rubber arms and nearly bowling the him over with the force of it.
"SHANKS!" He bellows.
"Dahahaha!" He laughs, bringing his only arm down to clutch the boy close before he falls backward, "How've you been, Anchor?"
"I have brothers now!" Luffy exclaims jubilantly, pointing toward Ace and Sabo, both watching the exchange cautiously, "Gramps dragged me up here and I met Dadan and Ace! Ace was kinda mean at first, but then I met Sabo and Sabo helped us get along! And then- wait! Ace, Sabo!" Luffy turns to look at them. "This is Shanks! He's the one I told you about! The one who gave me my hat!"
Sabo relaxes immediately, but Ace takes a moment longer. That level of distrust is disconcerting to see in a child that young. He wonders how often he interacts with others outside of Luffy and Sabo, how often those interactions were positive. Dadan doesn't seem the most affectionate even if she cares for the boys and Garp, as a Vice-Admiral, wouldn't have many opportunities to come home to visit.
He wonders what it will be like to earn that trust.
"You're the one who saved Luffy from the Sea King?" Sabo asks, smiling politely, voice much too refined for his age. He shares a glance with Ace before the freckled boy rolls his eyes and sighs. He bows forward in sync with Sabo, though Sabo's bow is shallow due to his wounds.
"Thank you for saving our brother," They say at once.
They straighten back up and Sabo looks over at Ace with a proud smile. "Good job," He says, "Miss Makino's lessons seem to be paying off."
Ace barely grunts in acknowledgement, eyes finding Garp's when the man shifts impatiently behind Shanks. Luffy follows his brother's line of sight, jolting in utter shock, as if he had never even noticed the towering man's presence inside the tiny room. Knowing Luffy, he probably didn't.
"AH!" He screams, pointing an accusing finger at Garp, "IT'S GRAMPS!"
Garp's brow twitches. "DON'T SCREAM LIKE YOU'RE AFRAID OF ME, YOU UNGRATEFUL GRANDSON!" He bellows before his entire frame slackens with seeming exhaustion. He sighs through his nose, crossing his arms tightly before he allows himself to drop to his rear heavily and cross his legs. He catches Ace's eyes again. Shanks can see a silent conversation passing between their gazes while Sabo and Luffy merely stare in confusion. Probably wondering why the Marine isn't doing anything about the pirate in their presence. He supposes it makes sense. Garp has known Ace since the boy's birth, so of course they'd be able to recognize each other's body language. Sabo is too new and Luffy is a bit simple-minded - though Shanks knows the boy does pick up on body language well enough - to understand the quiet words passing between Garp and Ace's eyes.
"Red-Haired is here to take you to his ship," Garp says, eyes still locked with Ace's, and Shanks can see the boy tense as his silver eyes light with understanding, "You're going to be living with him from now on."
"We're gonna live with Shanks!?" Luffy shouts, voice joyous, but Sabo furrows his brows in confusion and Ace's eyes drop to his feet, something angry and resigned and devastated lurking in his eyes.
"But you hate pirates," Sabo says pointedly.
"Yes," Garp's voice is tense, "But I'd rather my grandsons be pirates than be dead."
"Dead?" Luffy's voice drowns out Sabo's as they voice their question at once.
"Gramps," Ace's voice is small, resigned, and his small shoulders slump with the weight of the world, "Are they coming after me?"
Shanks purses his lips to a thin line, anger sparking in his gut. He understand why Garp couldn't keep it a secret. He couldn't very well lie to Ace his whole life, leave the boy to wonder why he had to stay holed up in a forest away from the world with no parents and no family and no friends. The boy deserved to know. That doesn't mean that Shanks has to like the idea of a child being burdened with his Captain's legacy. Because Shanks knows that Roger was a good man, but the world didn't know that. The Marines made sure of that. And Shanks would have preferred the boy get the chance to be a child, to be happy, and not be overcast by his father's shadow when he's young enough to be affected by it instead of being allowed to wait until he's old enough to just not care.
Garp places a hand on the boy's head. He's large enough that the appendage nearly dwarfs the boy's entire body. Something in Ace seems to come loose at the contact and he glances up to catch his grandfather's eyes.
"This is not your fault, Ace," He says firmly, passionately, "Nothing is your fault. It's the world's fault. It's the world that would rather turn a single man into a monster than acknowledge their wrongs. The world that would rather place the sins of the father on a child. It's your father and Luffy's father and Sabo's father and the Celestial Dragons and the world. Not you." His hand drops down to clutch the boy's shoulders, shakes them gently but firmly. His voice cracks. "Never you."
Ace blinks rapidly before he seems to swallow down his emotions. He nods firmly, shows Garp he understands, before he looks back toward his brothers. Luffy and Sabo gaze at him in a way that indicates they fully understand what Garp had been saying and that they agree wholeheartedly.
Then Luffy blinks.
"Wait," He furrows his brows, "You said my father?"
"Yeah," Garp grunts gruffly, pulling his hands back to himself to re-cross his arms, "My son. He's a wanted man, too. S'why he left you with me. Didn't want you in danger. Not that it matters much now."
"Huh," Luffy's voice is blank, but Shanks knows that means he's simply processing this new information. Knows that Luffy will come back to himself and probably run Garp ragged with questions until he has answers he's satisfied with, like the why and the who, and he also knows that they, unfortunately, don't have time for such questions.
"Alright," He cuts in, catching the attention of all three boys, "Go pack. We got a long ways to go before we get back to the New World."
Which isn't entirely true, what with the waterways, but the boys don't have to know that.
They leave the boys to pack and they excite the shack with too-small backpacks and pipes strapped to their backs. Shanks doesn't ask. He simply follows them down the trails and watches in amusement as they travel through the woods with an ease that neither he nor Garp possess. They hop over pond stones and slide down steep trails and even occasionally use a resting crocodile as a trampoline. Shanks uses small bursts of his Haki to keep the animals docile, but he knows without him or Garp that the boys would be too quick for the animals to even register their presence.
He can work with that.
When they finally make it back to the village, the boys immediately zero in on the Red Force. He leaves them to gawp when he catches sight of Makino waiting for him by the bar's entrance, a small bag clutched in her hands, and comes to a stop next to her.
She holds the bag up for him.
"This is for Ace," She says, smiling, "It's for his eyes only, okay?" She shoves a small, folded note into his hands next. "And that's a list of supplies you'll need later on. But you're not allowed to look at it yet."
Shanks' lips twitch up to grin down at her, bemused.
"Ah?" He asks, "And when will I know that I'll be allowed to look at it?"
"Hm," She hums, lips quirked, "When all three of them are comfortable with you."
"Well, that doesn't sound so hard," He says and she snorts delicately.
"They're pretty protective of each other, Captain," She chuckles, "Even Luffy will be on your case if he feels like you've made Ace or Sabo uncomfortable in any way. And Luffy won't give you his all like he did before until he knows Ace and Sabo are okay with you. Because he doesn't like making Ace worry."
"So, Ace is the end all, be all, hm?"
"Mm. Ace is hardest one to crack. But if I managed it, you should be able to do it just fine, right, Captain?"
Somehow, he feels like she's mocking him. He squints at her, but she gives nothing away, merely smiling serenely. So he snorts, hides the paper away in his pocket just as the boys make their way over to them now that the awe of the Red Force has worn off. Makino smiles down at them, dropping to her knees to pull the three of them into a tight hug. Shanks notices Sabo and Ace hesitate for a moment where Luffy does not before they return it.
"My boys," Makino murmurs blissfully. She leans back to snatch the satchel from Shanks' hand, passing it over to Ace. The boy quirks a brow, grabbing onto his hesitantly. He shakes it a little and Shanks can hear the sound of thick glass clicking together, and then the boy flushes bright, freckles darkening.
Makino simply smiles down at him.
"Your picture is in there, too," She says brightly, "I framed it for you."
"Th-Thank you," The boy murmurs, clutching the satchel close. Sabo grins at him, patting his back a little, while Luffy chortles. They both latch onto Ace, dragging him over to Garp, who waits by the docks. The man keeps his stance wide and firm, with his arms crossed, glowering at the Red Force like he wants to set it on fire.
He probably does, Shanks thinks.
"So," Sabo starts when the three come to a stop in front of him, "We're leaving forever then?"
Garp gives a grim, sharp nod.
Ace stares up at his grandfather and Shanks can see something in his eyes soften. He sighs through his nose and then he takes a step forward, keeps his eyes lowered, and wraps his arms around Garp's large frame as best as he can.
"I guess," His voice is reluctant, glaring out toward the horizon, "I guess even though you're a shitty gramps, I'll still miss you."
Shanks hears Garp's breath hitch. And then Sabo and Luffy share a grin and launch themselves at him, joining in on Ace's hug.
"You're really scary, but you're nice, too," Sabo smiles, "I'll miss you, too."
"You're really loud and I don't like your Fist of Love," Luffy adds, "It hurts and it's stupid, but you're still my gramps, kay? I'm gonna miss you!"
If Shanks didn't know any better, he'd say sparkles of bliss were flying around Garp's entire being, disbelief alight in his gaze. His lips wobble and his eyes water and then Ace glances up at him and grins knowingly.
"Are you crying, Gramps?" He asks, almost gloating but not quite.
Suddenly the sparkles cut out and in one quick movement, Garp lands a punch onto the top of the boy's head.
"I'M NOT CRYING!" He bellows even as large tears stream down his face.
Ace holds the rather large bump forming on his head, shooting Garp a teary-eyed glare.
"But you are!" He yells, pointing a free hand accusingly, "YOU CRYBABY!"
"WHAT WAS THAT!?"
"SO WHAT, NOW YOU'RE A CRYBABY AND YOU'RE DEAF!?"
"YOU DAMN BRAT! WHO TAUGHT YOU TO SPEAK TO YOUR ELDERS LIKE THAT!?"
"YOU DID! YOU'RE ALWAYS SPEAKING TO PEOPLE LIKE THAT!"
"BECAUSE I'M OLD, DAMMIT! I'M ALLOWED TO SPEAK TO PEOPLE LIKE THAT, ESPECIALLY TO SNOT-NOSED BRATS!"
Shanks feels his lips pulling up into a bright, amused grin as the argument picks up in viciousness, but never delves into any kind of malice. It almost reminds him of the fights Captain used to get into with Garp when he was a kid, fists and swords clashing but with bright grins and childish name-calling. He knows that for all of Garp's hatred of pirates, that he truly thought of Roger as a friend and to see him responding to the man's son the same way he used to respond to Roger is somehow heartwarming.
He glances around, feeling his amusement amplify at the sight of his crew staring in awe at the spectacle before them. Luffy and Sabo seem to find it amusing if their snickering is any indication. He wonders how often this occurs, if this is how Ace and Garp always express their love to one another or if they possibly have quiet moments when they are alone and without the need to worry about showing weakness to the world.
He hears a heavy sigh and glances back at the docks to see Benn making his way toward the fight, absentmindedly grinding his teeth along his cigarette.
"Alright, alright," Benn cuts in, "If we're going, we need to do it now. It's gonna take some time to get back to the New World and I'd rather not stay here and draw too much attention on the fact that an Emperor is docking in the East Blue again."
"What's an Emperor?" Luffy asks curiously, immediately making a move to follow along behind Benn.
"I'll tell you at sea," Benn says pointedly, twisting around without bothering to check if the boys are following. They give Garp one last, quick hug and tag along behind him up the ramp. He looks to Garp when the man steps beside him, but then turns his sights back onto the boys, seeing their heads peaking over the boat rails as they look around curiously.
"Red-Haired," Garp finally speaks, eyes on the boys, "You need to teach them Haki. It's best if you don't wait."
"Oh?" Shanks inquires, grim, "And why's that?"
"Conqueror's Haki. Ace has it. Activated it when Luffy was in danger."
"Ah," Shanks sighs, "Sounds just like Roger."
Garp snorts, "You have no idea." He looks at Shanks, glare sharp. "You better take care of my boys, Red-Haired. I'll find out if you don't."
Shanks grins, voice solemn, "Understood."
Shanks gives the boys a week before he assigns them cabin boy duties. They, surprisingly, don't complain much. They clean, they help with stock, they sit quietly while they do their homework. Luffy is surprisingly steady during his assignments, reading and completing the worksheets with little problems. It's mainly Ace who has a bit of trouble; education wasn't exactly a priority among a bandit crew. The boy is a quick learner, though, picking up on the reading and the writing fairly quickly. He even shows a bit of talent for navigation when they begin learning map reading.
Not every island in the Four Blues and the Grand Line has their own language, but Dawn does. The boys are, of course, perfectly fluent in their first language, Goan, and perfectly fluent in the language of the East Blue, Eastin. (Shanks notes that they have a habit of switching over to Goan when speaking among themselves or when they get agitated enough to mutter under their breath; most especially, though, when Luffy does something dumb or dangerous and the other two stop to yell at him for it). They can converse perfectly well in Grand Linian, and Shanks supposes that makes sense considering it is Government Standard; a requirement for every island's citizens to learn across the world by decree of the World Government.
(He thinks Sabo might know a small bit of the Holy Language, but he doesn't ask. Doesn't want to know and doesn't want to make the boy admit to it. The Celestials don't take kindly to those beneath them knowing their godly tongue).
He makes them practice more, wants them to become just as fluent in it as they are in Eastin and Goan because they'll need it in the Grand Line. They pick up on it quickly.
He makes note to ask Ace later, in private, if the boy would like to learn the language of Baterilla.
Sabo's wound heals splendidly. With the help of the crew's doctors, the scars stick out but they don't remain an angry, blistering red. He's going to need help learning to live with the new lack of depth perception, though, as he won't be seeing much out of his left eye. He's not entirely blind in it, at the very least.
Training seems to be their favorite part of the day. Shanks watches them, takes note of the quick, graceless movements as they spar with their pipes. They use them the way one would use a bō or a staff, but being self-taught their styles are a bit too raw for Shanks' comfort. Luffy seems to prefer fighting barehanded, anyway, and Ace doesn't appear the find the pipe as comfortable as he should for someone who has been using it for so long. Sabo, honestly, seems to be the only one perfectly comfortable with the pipe and he makes a note to get Yassop to go design a sturdier one, preferably with seastone coating, so that the boy will have an actual weapon to work with in the future.
It's a month and a half in, during one of their training sessions, that Shanks notices Ace's stiff movements. He seems to be favoring the elbow with the orange brace and trying not to show it. He shares a quick glance with Limejuice, knows the man noticed as well, before he steps in to stop the spar between the boy and Sabo.
"What gives?" The freckled boy grunts.
"What's with the arm?" Shanks asks, kneeling down to get at their level.
He takes in the way both boys stiffen, the way Ace turns to level his glare at his feet, the way Sabo avoids his eyes, and he knows that it must've been something terrible.
"Well?"
"... It was wrenched," Ace says after a pause, "It was fractured. It never healed right. We didn't notice until it was too late 'cuz we couldn't afford a doctor."
"We had to sneak into Edge Town to steal a brace from one of the clinics," Sabo adds, almost subdued.
"How did you wrench it?" Shanks asks.
Neither boy answers, avoiding his eyes and glaring down at the flooring. Shanks sighs through his nose, glancing back over at Limejuice. The man's expression tells Shanks all he needs to know; that if Ace's arm continues to bother him then the man will not let him continue training.
"Alright!" He says brightly, ignoring the way to the two boys flinch in surprise, "Let's go get it looked at. You're probably just outgrowing your brace or something. I'll bet my doctor's got a couple of orange ones you can pick from if you want to keep the style."
Shanks watches the way Ace's eyes search his own and, finding nothing amiss, his tense shoulders slowly but surely begin relaxing. Shanks wonders what the boy was thinking, if he believed Shanks was going to force him to stand on the sidelines, to forgo fighting, maybe even call him weak. He wonders about the bandits version of tough love and he wonders if Ace even understood that tough love or if he believed they were deliberately being cruel. Either way, the boy slowly relaxes, shares a glance with Sabo, then offers Shanks a cautious nod.
And as he walks Ace down to the infirmary, he knows that he's going to have his work cut out for him, earning these boys' trust.
He knows, though, that it will be worth it.
..........
With the arm brace taken care of, it doesn't take long for the boys to relax a bit more. And with them relaxed, it's easier for them to latch onto things that catch their interest. So when Shanks sees Sabo saddled up next to Benn, watching the man with the frightening intensity only a child could produce while he goes through his collection of throwing knives, cleaning and sharpening them, he resigns himself to setting aside a bit of finances in order to purchase a set for the little blonde. And probably extras knowing the kid's going to lose a few sets before he gets the hang of it.
"What're those daggers for?" Sabo asks curiously.
"Not daggers," Benn answers patiently, "Marksmanship isn't always about bullets. There's always a chance I could run out of bullets during a battle, so I keep these on me so I don't end up useless if that happens. Close combat isn't something I'm the best at. Why? Do you want to learn?"
"Really?" Sabo's voice brightens in excitement, "You'll teach me!? I've been wanting to practice with something more than just my pipe! Yassop's still working on that special seastone one for me, anyway, so I'm stuck with my plain one until it's done."
"Yeah," Benn grunts, "I'll teach you."
Shanks feels his brows twitch. Because, what the hell? He's been groveling and playing with them, teaching them and helping Ace read and write and hone those natural navigation skills, messing with Luffy just like he did while he was on Dawn, and he hasn't made a single breakthrough. Oh, but Benn gets one after, like, three seconds of conversation!?
It's not fair, is what it is.
..........
Ace has narcolepsy, Shanks learns.
Ace isn't allowed near the railing unsupervised anymore.
..........
Between Luffy and Ace, they must go through a dozen weapons trying to find something they're comfortable with. In the end, Luffy forgoes weapons entirely and just follows around Limejuice until their resident martial arts expert starts teaching him how to fight barehanded. Ace, however, seems to want to find something, but just can't. So Shanks watches the boy for a while, watches the way he moves his feet and his hands, watches the way he watches the world, the way he holds himself, and he thinks he might have an idea.
So he grabs Hongo and asks the man for one of his over-sized daggers.
When he shows to it Ace, the boy eyes it distrustfully before turning that burning gaze up to Shanks.
Shanks tries not to shudder. Those silver eyes, narrowed and ferocious, are too much like Roger's. To the point that Shanks sometimes has to contain himself from breaking down and apologizing. Like the time he tried to pull a prank on Buggy by hiding all his treasure away with the cleaning supplies and then Buggy had ended up crying and Roger had turned those intense silver eyes onto him and Shanks just broke-
Anyway.
"Try this one," Shanks grins, flips the blade to a backhanded grip, "I think it'll suit you."
Ace eyes him for a moment longer, Luffy and Sabo paused in their sparring and watching, before he plucks the blade from Shanks' hand. He fingers it for a moment, grip tightening and un-tightening, and then he tries to hold it the way Shanks did. When he gets a comfortable grip, he looks back up at Shanks.
Shanks beckons him forward.
The boy sprints at him - he's surprisingly fast for his age - and takes a swipe at him that Shanks blocks with his sword.
He lets the makeshift spar go one for a few moments before he halts it by sheathing his blade and grabbing the boy's hand in one quick movement. Ace glares up at him and then he grins, big and bright and vicious, and Shanks' grip slackens in shock as he takes in the grin he's only ever seen on one other person.
"I like it!" Ace declares enthusiastically, "Thanks!"
Shanks nods dazedly, watching as the boy twists around to go show off his new weapon to Sabo and Luffy, who both grin excited grins of their own. Shanks blinks, glances over at Hongo, who only shrugs, and then looks back over at the boys as they play fight with their weapons and fists.
Did... did they just have a bonding moment?
.........
It's three months in, the boys making enough headway into their training that Shanks is starting to feel comfortable with the idea of bringing up Haki, when Sabo panics for the first time.
Their training is going well. Yassop had finished Sabo's new pipe - stronger, sleeker, covered in the sheen of seastone - and the boy wields it just as good as any professional staff fighter. He's fast and he's agile and his marksmanship is incredible for his age. But not with bullets; with small, flat throwing knives. Shanks bets he can teach the boy how to coat his weapons in Armament and he also bets seeing the boy in action with active Observation would be incredible.
Ace is strong and fast and he's surprisingly dexterous and flexible. He's taken to the knife so well Yassop commissioned a better one to be made for him back at Sabaody. The short weapon suits him with his brawler-styled fighting and the way he throws his punches. Shanks knows he'll do well with all three versions of Haki because not only is the boy a quick study, but he's got a will to rival his own father's.
Luffy has seen the most improvement. The boy has always had the physical strength of a man twice his size and with Limejuice's help, he's been able to hone that strength into something more disciplined. His punches aren't so wild anymore and the stretch of his rubber body no longer causes his limbs to wander away from him against his will. Shanks thinks Armament will suit him best, but he also thinks Luffy is smart enough to take to Observation.
He's observing their training - Sabo with Benn, Ace with Hongo, Luffy with Limejuice - when one of his chefs walks out of the supply room with a grumble. He's got a match in his hand, flicking his thumb across the head in an attempt to gain some friction. One of the burners probably refuses to light again. Shanks ought to get Yassop and the other shipwrights to check out the issue with the gas.
Then the match sparks to life right as the chef passes by the training boys, and then Luffy flinches like he's been struck and Sabo collapses.
The boy's breath is too quick, too shallow, and the more he realizes he can't catch his breath the more he seems to panic. Ace and Luffy try to reach him, but Shanks blocks them with his arm while Benn shoves Sabo's head between his knees. He motions to the frozen chef and the man hastily waves the match out.
"Sorry," Sabo gasps, clutching his hair in apparent frustration, "I'm sorry."
"Shut up," Ace's voice is harsh, but his eyes are filled with worry, "You got blown up. You don't gotta apologize 'cuz fire freaks you out."
"Yeah!" Luffy chimes in, teary-eyed, "But it's okay, 'cuz Ace saved us from both our fires, right? So, if Ace is here, the fire can't hurt us! 'Cuz Ace will save us from it!"
Shanks brings up his hand to hide his grin as Ace sputters, flush darkening his freckles. Sabo smiles weakly at the sight, chuckling a bit.
"I guess you did save both us, didn't you, Ace?" He says, and Ace crosses his arms with a grunt, turning his eyes away from them. Sabo's smile falls slowly and then he catches Shanks' eyes. "May we take a break, please?"
So polite, that one.
"Of course," Shanks shrugs. And then Ace and Luffy are gathering up Sabo and their supplies, chatting and laughing and rough-housing in a clear attempt at distraction as they drag their brother inside. Shanks watches them go, dragging his heavy hand harshly down his face. He's agitated, he realizes. Because he cares about those boys, regardless of Ace's clear lack of trust, and he wants nothing more than to find the Celestial Family and the pirates responsible for Sabo and Luffy's trauma and make them pay.
But, he can't.
He can only wait for them to get better on their own.
.........
It's another month in before Shanks finally finds the opportunity to see Ace without his walls.
It is the middle of the night - morning actually - the moon high in the sky and the crew long since gone to bed. He hears a shuffling outside of his quarters and he immediately pulses his Observation Haki. He quirks a brow when he catches sight of Ace, climbing up the foremast and taking a seat on the foreroyal yard. He groans as he sits up and tosses his bed covers aside before making his way outside. Ace can't go climbing things when he could fall asleep in the middle of it. He glances up at his nightwatch, sat up on the front mast's crow's nest and the man merely shrugs, jerking a thumb over to the foremast. Meaning the man can't see Ace from his vantage point and he has no idea what the kid's doing. Shanks shoots his man a squint-eyed glare, because man, you're useless, buddy. He gets a smirk back, so Shanks tosses him a rude finger before walking over to the ratlines.
He stares at them for a moment - because he hasn't had to climb them since the Sea King took his arm, his crew made sure of that, and he has no earthly idea how he's going to keep his balance. It's a challenge and he can practically hear his nightwatch laughing at him, the bastard, as he clumsily makes his way up the foremast, hooking his stump through the diamond sections of rope in order to keep his balance. He wants to sigh with exaggerated relief when he finally reaches the top, but he keeps it in check as he watches Ace, the boy too focused on his task to notice him just yet.
The satchel Makino had given him dangles and sways in the wind, the strap tied securely around the royal yard ensuring it won't fly away anywhere. The sound of thick glass clinking together is constant and ignored as Ace brushes the dark red polish onto his toenails, toes separated by foam. The tube of polish he uses balances precariously on the royal yard next to him and he keeps his knees drawn up and his feet flat as he works, grumbling to himself whenever a mistake is made. The mistakes are easily fixed, quickly brushed off with a thumb, and the polish on his toes is perfectly smooth and neat. The motions are practiced and confident and Shanks knows Ace must do this often.
He clears his throat.
Ace stills for a brief moment and then he tenses, head slowly turning to face him, wide-eyed. The boy's face drains of color before it all rushes back full-force, beet red and practically glowing in the moonlight. It's the slight, wet sheen that begins to form in his eyes that makes Shanks understand that he needs to speak quickly before the boy punches him straight to the deck - and man, does this boy pack a punch. His glare is fierce and Shanks has to swallow down the instinctive "sorry, captain" hastily, throwing a casual look on his face even though he really wants to cringe away from the impending doom he feels.
"Wha-" Ace chokes out before he grinds his teeth, "What're you doing here!?"
"'S my ship," He says flippantly, pulling himself onto the royal yard next to Ace, "I can be anywhere I want on it." He looks at Ace's perfectly done toenails, noticing how neatly they're trimmed, and then he notices for the first time how his finger nails have the same treatment and have the sheen of clear polish to keep them set. "Wouldn't it be easier to see during the day?"
Ace blinks up at him, brows furrowed at the casualness to his voice. He glances down at his work, voice tense.
"You don't... think it's weird?" He asks, "Sabo and Luffy don't, but they're my brothers so they're supposed to support me no matter what. Miss Makino's nice to everyone and-"
"Why would it be weird?" Shanks snorts, grins down at him when the boy looks back up to him, "I've painted my nails a couple 'a times, too, y'know."
"You have?"
"Yeah! Miss Rouge used to take care of herself real well! She'd always have some kinda cream in her hair or on her face or she was always doing her nails or rubbing on lotion whenever we stopped to see her. She used to drag me 'n Buggy around and make us do it with her. She even put makeup on us a couple times." Shanks pauses, furrowing his brows in thought, voice lowering to a mutter. "I think she's the one who got Buggy into makeup, but I don't think she intended for him to get into the clown makeup of all things. I guess it suits him 'cuz of his nose, but..."
"You," Ace's voice drops to a whisper, something heartbreakingly hopeful buried under it, "You knew my mom?"
"Sure did," Shanks chirps, reaching for Ace's satchel and pulling out a random tube of polish. It's pink, he sees with a grin. Benn'll get a migraine. "I was your dad's cabin boy. Me 'n Buggy. Took me in when I had nowhere else to go. Taught me a lot. He's the one who gave me that straw hat."
"Luffy's hat?"
"Hm," Shanks grunts, squinting in concentration as he starts to coat his toenails with the pink polish, "Gave it to me about a year into being on the Oro Jackson. Meant a lot me."
He's expecting an explosion of some kind, a glare, anything to indicate the boy's angry hatred of his father and his crew and his name. But Ace just eyes him for a moment before glancing at his sloppy work. He sighs through his nose then turns his attention back to his own nails.
"Pink," He says, "I don't really like pink. But, Miss Makino kept giving me a bunch of colors 'cuz she says I should try more than just red. But Gramps used to tell me about my mom. He didn't know much, but he did stay with her for a few months before I was finally born. He says she didn't trust him at first so he had to earn it. He says that her favorite color was red, like her favorite flower, so I just wanted... I wanted...."
"To feel close to her?"
"Gramps gave me a picture of her. And I wanted to look more like her. So I thought, if I did all the things she did, I could be more like her than Roger."
Shanks pauses for a moment, feeling something tighten in his chest. He supposes it's to be expected. For his whole life, the boy was told he mustn't ever be seen, must stay hidden, mustn't ever let anyone even get a hint of his heritage. Because the world hated Roger, thought him little more than a monster - and they weren't wrong, he could be a real monster when his family or friends were harmed - and if Ace grew up hearing these things about his father, then it would be no wonder that the boy wants little to do with his legacy. Shanks feels guilty, almost, that he got to grow up under Roger and Miss Rouge's love and warmth and kindness while their actual son would never get that opportunity.
"You do look like her," He says after his pause, "You look a bit more like her than Roger. And it's true she liked this stuff; she had a whole collection of care products all over her house. Half the time she'd buy more stuff before she'd use up her other ones. If this is what you want to do, then that's fine. 'S not weird. There's all kinds of people in the world, they're all different, and that's okay. If this is what makes you happy, then keep it up."
A pause.
"I'd do it even if you told me not to," Ace snorts and Shanks' lips curl into a grin.
A comfortable silence encompasses them as they work. Shanks' nails are far more sloppy than Ace's by the time he finishes, polish speckled over his skin in clumps, and they both sit still as they wait for it to dry.
"I don't hate Roger," Ace says suddenly, and Shanks jolts a bit.
"Hah?"
"I don't hate Roger," Ace says again, "I never hated him. How can I hate someone I've never even met? I don't know him enough to hate him. Besides, it'd be insulting to my mother. 'Cuz she loved him and she was good and if she loved him, then he must've been good, too. But I hate... his legacy. The legacy he left behind and everything it put me through."
Shanks gets it, he thinks. Because there's not a single person in this world who didn't know the Pirate King's name. And with how much stock the Marines put into bloodlines, the world is sure to follow suit. What would they have done had they found Rouge in Baterilla? Ace would've been murdered in cradle, in the womb, before he could even take his first breath of life. The Marines had already done it to countless other women and infants out of pure hatred and terror for a single man, a man they themselves painted as little more than a creature. It's no secret, what they did. Shanks imagines plenty of civilians must've praised the Marines for their actions even as others may have been horrified. And if they were to learn that the Pirate King's heir survived, if they even had a hint of it, what must they have said to Ace? Told him he deserves to die, that he shouldn't exist? Ace has probably heard even worse than that, hidden away in a bandit camp next to Kingdom slums.
"You wanted to know about my arm," Ace continues, clutching his braced elbow, voice falling frighteningly flat, "It was in a bar in the Grey Terminal. I just wanted know. I made sure they were too drunk to remember. But when people are drunk, they get violent. So when I asked them, 'What would happen if Roger had a son?' one of them grabbed my arm. They wrenched it real hard. It hurt. They laughed. But they told me what they thought anyway. 'Roger's son? Well, he'd surely be a monster like his daddy. Because the son of a monster can't be anything else but a monster themselves. It's fine, though. 'Cuz he'd be taken out before he can even say 'daddy'. Should be drowned, maybe, because wouldn't it be so funny if the monster's son were to be killed by the sea he loved so much?' I'm just..."
The boy trails off, brows furrowing into a glower, eyes on the moon.
"I'm tired," He concludes, "I'm tired of hearing about Roger and how much the world hates him."
Shanks follows his gaze, stares up at the moon, and wonders how often this boy questions whether or not he even has the right to live.
And then he doesn't think he wants to know.
"It's fine, though," Ace suddenly grins that bright, vicious grin, all teeth and no give, "Because I'm not gonna live under his shadow forever, y'know. I'm gonna go out to sea on my own and I'm gonna live! More free than anyone!"
Shanks' brow twitches.
"That's your dream, Captain?"
"Yeah!" A bellow. A laugh. "I'm gonna live! More free than anyone!"
"That's a great dream," He whispers, voice hoarse.
"Hey, Shanks."
He snaps his attention down to Ace, the boy looking up at him curiously. The kid tilts his head, arms crossed over his knees, looking more like the child he ought to be instead of the lonely, angry boy he's been. The sudden change in the tone of the atmosphere is jarring, but he tries not to let it get to him.
"Remember when you taught us about Devil Fruits?" He says, "You told us about the Logia. About how they're elements."
"Yeah?"
"Does that mean there's a fire Fruit?"
"Sure is. There hasn't been a fire Fruit user in, hm... maybe at least three decades. Marines have been pretty good about keeping that thing locked away. Apparently fire's more trouble than it's worth. Dahahaha!"
"Do you think... we could find it?"
Shanks blinks, brows furrowing, letting his voice drop into something a bit more grim, "You want that Fruit?"
"I thought," Ace turns back to the moon, "That it could help Sabo 'n Luffy. The fires really messed them up, y'know? And I know they don't want to be scared anymore. So I thought if I was fire, I could show them that they don't need to be afraid."
"Ah," Shanks pauses for a moment before he grins, "That's a good reason."
"You think so?"
"Way better reason than most. Most people just want to have power. But you want to help you brothers."
A pause.
"The Marines have had that Fruit for a long time. Don't think they even let any of their officers eat it. I bet my navigation team can find it."
Ace's eyes widen. "You'd really find it for me?"
Shanks thinks it over. It's hard to deny the boy with intentions like that. He doesn't want the power or the infamy or the bragging rights. He just wants his brothers to get better. Of course, there's always a chance that Sabo and Luffy were so traumatized that they'd just avoid contact with Ace afterwards, but... Shanks doubts it. Luffy and Sabo would rather die than leave Ace behind. If anything, they'll just force themselves to work through it. Shanks doubts everyone in his crew will be happy that he'd find a Logia just for a child, but they'll get it over it.
"I will," He nods, "But you're gonna have to do something for me first."
"What?"
"Garp told me something interesting that you can do. Know what I'm talking about?"
"You mean..." Ace glares down at his hands in concentration and apprehension, "You mean how I knocked out the Bluejam Pirates even thought I didn't actually do anything?"
"They just passed out?"
"I got... angry. I wanted to save Luffy and find Sabo. And... they all just passed out. 'Cept for Bluejam and Luffy."
"It's called Haki," Shanks interrupts, "Conqueror's Haki. King's Disposition. I can do it, too."
"Then," The boy's voice is hopeful as he stares up at Shanks with bright eyes, "You can teach me how to control it? I don't want to do it again and hurt Luffy or Sabo."
"That's a very real possibility, Ace." Shanks says and the boy lowers his head meekly, "Having that kind of power, untrained, can result in some very real danger. And I know you don't want that. It's why I'm gonna start teaching you about it. Aye? I'm gonna start you and your brothers on some special training so you can learn more about that power. Right now, it looks like you're the only one who has it awake, so you and I will be having some one-on-one lessons for a while, as well. That's what I want you to do for me. To learn King's Haki with me."
"And you'll find the Fruit for me as I long I train and don't slack off?"
"That's right."
That bright, vicious grin.
"It's a deal!"
.........
"Captain."
"Yes, Benn?"
"Your toenails are pink."
A grin.
"Yes, Benn."
"..."
"I'm gonna go target practice."
"Don't go too far, Benn."