The clear blue sky, the burning sun touching your skin, the smell of the salty ocean, the way the water hits the ship as it's sailing towards its destination; nothing new for you and yet it felt like it was the first time.

You were now five months pregnant, meaning that you were only half way until you will be able to meet the little guy or lady. You were more than ready now to prepare for your parenthood life and to give the love and attention this baby needs.

You were too ignorant, you avoided the acceptance of becoming a parent and thus you risked your baby's life for your mistakes, which now, you were willing to do anything to pay up for them. For a woman, the acceptance of becoming a mother is hard. From the body to the baby itself, the mother needs time to accept everything that is going to happen.

Maybe your motherly instincts finally kicked in or maybe the thought of Ace finally moved your heart to the right place, either way, you had now realized your responsibility as a future mother.

All the stories of Portgas D. Rouge had reached your ears, and the only thing you could feel for that woman was respect and gratitude. Most women would've backed away from this. None would have the courage to bare the child of a 'demon' and yet she found a way to love that man they called a 'demon'. She carried her child for 20 months just for him to be born safe.

But now, the torch was passed to you. What will you do? For now, the World Government doesn't know anything related to your pregnancy so both you and your baby were safe. The question remained was for how long will the World Government not know.

Thanks to Garp, you will be able to reach the safest place you can find, for the time being, without having to be spotted by any civilians or any other marine who will spill the beans to the higher ups.

Speaking of which, according to Garp, it would not be long until the ship will finally dock to Goa Kingdom. Excited and yet nervous, you were currently on the deck of the ship, enjoying the nice fresh air. Felling a small yet noticeable movement inside your stomach, you placed your hand on your belly. "Morning." You said quietly.

As you watched the clouds shift into different forms, a sudden cannon being fired at the ship made you unbalance from your feet. You looked into the direction from where it was fired and saw a pirate ship standing proudly near the island. The island was none other than Goa Kingdom.

Garp quickly took care of those pirates as the ship continued to sail towards its destination. Gripping the railing, you watched the island get closer and closer, with the same unhappy face you had on.

The island was coloured with many different colors. From the green forests to the blue lakes it had, the island seemed full of life. This is where Ace grew up and where his first adventure began.

The sheer excitement you once had turned into fear and evasion. What will you do alone with this child? Are you ready to help another life grow?  Are you ready to teach this child about this world he/she was about to enter?

Getting off of the ship, Garp glanced at you as you stepped closer to him. He will make sure that your fate won't be the same as Rouge's. You gave him a reassuring smile. You knew that he was worried for you but you didn't want him to think of you as a weakling.

The moment Garp entered the village, he was greeted by everyone with a welcoming smile. They thanked him for taking care of the pirates who docked near the island. It seemed really strange how these people knew Garp pretty well and Garp also seemed to finally be in his waters.

"But Garp-san there's still one problem. Some bandits came from the mountains this morning and took over Makino's bar." A villager said as he had a worried look on his face. "Makino?" You mumbled.

But just as Garp was about to say something, the door of the bar opened and a very manly looking woman with orange curly hair, stepped out. The girl who tried to stop the woman from going ant further was pushed aside. You furrowed your brows as you watched the woman stepping closer and closer towards Garp.

"Hey Garp." She called as she gripped the bat that she had in her hand. You immediately knew what was coming next and stepped away from Garp. She ran towards him and hit him with the bat. Garp fell on the ground and slowly stood back up. His crew pointed their guns at the woman but they were stopped by Garp.

"Do not interfere. She's an acquaintance of mine." He said as he wimped away some of the blood from his head. The marines looked confused at Garp but they let down their weapons.

"You have a nerve to come back here after everything you've done!" She yelled. "You were there at that war! You were right there with them! What the hell did you do to help them?! Tell me, what did you do?!" She began to shove Garp back into the ground as she continued to yell at him. "Why?! Why?! Why?! Why?!"

"How could you just sit by and watch Ace die?!" Your eyes widened at her words. You looked shocked towards her and slowly walked towards the two of them.

"Is your job more important than your own family?! Marine Hero my ass! You're just a piece of shit who lacks a heart!" Dadan yelled but just as she was about to give Garp another punch, Makino jumped in front of Dadan and grabbed her hand. You stopped walking. You could feel the ache in your heart getting more dominant as you continued to listen to this woman's words.

Makino shook her head and Dadan dropped her grip on Garp. "Dadan-san, can't you see that having not been able to do anything, Garp-san is the one who suffers the most?" Makino spoke up as she stepped in front of Garp.

But Garp didn't agreed on that. He closed his eyes as he remembered Luffy on that day. "That's not it." Dadan spoke. "That's not it. The one who suffers the most right now is Luffy!" Dadan said. And just with that Makino's eyes were filled with tears.

You could fought back your tears. You couldn't cry everytime you hear a stranger say his name. But right now, you were curious about this woman and her relationship with Ace. Is she really family?

Dadan took a one last glance at Garp before walking away. Garp denided the help from his subordinates and sat on the ground for a while. You watched as the woman with her bandits walked away from the village until they couldn't be seen anymore.

You walked towards Garp and placed a hand on his shoulder. You tried to give him an empathic smile but failed. Today was a bad day to be reminded of what happened during that war. It seemed that whenever you'd forget about it, just for a few moments, you will immediately be reminded of what you had escaped from. It was like a curse. A curse for escaping your own death.

"Luffy isn't the only one who surfers the most right now. It's also you, (Name)." He said as he stood up. "The difference between me and Luffy is that I wasn't there, in his last moments. Call it luck but I don't feel any lucky right now. I feel like I'm cursed to forever remember this."

Garp stood up and pulled you into a hug. "Everything will be alright." He assured you. Makino watched as Garp gave you a hug. Something seemed familiar about you but she wasn't sure what. After Garp let you go, Makino stepped closer to you, as she examined your face.

"Excuse me, this might be just a mistake, but have we met before?" Makino asked unsure of what she believed. You looked surprised at her. She recognized you? "Ah, no. Makino right?" She nod. "We have not met before but I'm sure you know my mother." You said quietly.

And just with those words, it struck her. You were Atsuko's child. No wonder you seemed familiar. You looked a lot like her. Well, after all, she was your mother.

Garp watched Makino's expression change once you spoke about your mother. He knew that Makino has met Atsuko before in her lifetime, so there wasn't much of a shock. Some villagers came towards him to check if he was alright. He assured them everything was back to normal and that they were now free to go home.

You talked with Makino for a while, explaining the situation you are in and that you needed her help. She immediately agreed to help you, without hesitation.

Walking inside the bar with Makino and Garp, once entered, Makino searched for the first-aid kit she had. Once she found it, she started to treat Garp's minor injuries.

"I still can't believe you're pregnant with Ace's child." She said as she tended Garp's wounds. Sitting down on a near by chair, you smiled at her. "Me neither." You chuckled. "Even after all this time, I still can't believe Ace is gone." She said as she shook her head. Once she finished helping Garp with his injuries, he thanked her before she walked away to put the box back.

Trying to avoid the subject, you remembered the woman who attacked Garp just now. "Who was that woman anyways?" You asked them. Garp sighed before answering. "Her name's Dadan. She took care of Luffy and Ace when they were little." You tilted your head at the familiar name. No wonder she looked familiar! She was exactly how Ace explained her once.

"Dadan..." You repeated her name. "She truly loves Luffy and Ace, doesn't she?" You asked as you remembered the way Ace described her. You remember him saying how she would never say a word back to Garp, being too afraid to stand up for herself against him. But now, she was fearless and showed no mercy. Her love for Ace was stronger than her fears.

But you couldn't possibly agree with her thinking. This wasn't Garp's fault. This was Akainu's fault. The man who you have as your biological father, that same man, killed the love of your life. You wanted to help Dadan realize that putting the blame on Garp this time was wrong. Ace wouldn't be too happy about it either.

"She may seem like a brute but she really cares for the people she loves." Garp said. Makino placed a glass of water in front of Garp and turned tp you. "It was hard for all of us to believe that Ace died. Dadan was worse. She came here and drank all night. She really loves Luffy and Ace. Losing Ace too, was a big shock for her." Makino walked towards the bar and filled another glass with water and gave it to you.

"But I'm sure you must have gone through a lot as well. I can't imagine how it felt like to learn that all on your own." Makino gave an empathetic look. "I managed to get through it. I figured that he'd be mad at me if I keep avoiding my duties as a future mother." You chuckled.

And yet another lie came out of your mouth. You didn't "get through it". Your laugh wasn't real. How could you get through it if Ace isn't here anymore? How could you sleep comfortable knowing that the only person that you loved more than yourself is gone? How could you laugh if the source of happiness is no more?

Ace... Are you happy where you are now?

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I wanted to post this a week ago but I didn't know how to end the chapter lol.

But it doesn't matter since here it's past midnight which means it's 02/23/17 so it's my birthday! Happy birthday for me I guess? XD One year closer to death!  Wohoooo!

See this is what happens when you watch danisnotonfire. You become trash.