You woke to the sound of your phone buzzing across the nightstand. Zoro groaned, burying his face further into your chest while you stretched and let it go to voicemail. A few seconds later it started again.

"Please answer it." He moved back to his side of the bed so you could move.

With a frustrated sigh you grabbed the device only to be more annoyed with Marco's stupid face on the screen, "Someone better be on fire."

"Are you planning on sleeping all day-yoi?"

"I'm not working today, why can't I?" You sat up in the bed and pulled the blanket back over Zoro's shoulder, "What's going on? You don't usually call this early."

"Our perception of early is very different." You could almost hear him deadpan, "We actually have something serious to discuss if you can make your way to the house-yoi. Thatch is already cooking."

"A meeting with food? Needing to soften the blow?"

"Possibly." His confirmation felt heavy.

You wanted to ask what it was to ease the anxiety pooling in your chest, but you knew he wouldn't give it away over the phone.

"Ok Pineapple, Zoro and I will be there soon."

He told you to be careful and hung up.

"Zoro?" Your boyfriend stretched and gave you a disapproving glance.

"So spoiled you can't be called by your name now?"

"Under certain circumstances it's acceptable." He rumbled sliding his arm over your lap.

"There was a time in recent history that you didn't like Tiger." You chuckled running your fingers through his hair.

"It grew on me." He shrugged and kissed your thigh before sitting up, "What did your brother need?"

"Family meeting. We should get going, he said Thatch is cooking. I don't think it's great news." You gave him a quick kiss and stood.

The two of you went through your morning routine and left for your childhood home.

When you arrived Luffy was already in the kitchen following Thatch's every move. Sabo was seated at the island looking over what looked to be court documents with a furrowed brow. Zoro left your side to wrangle your little brother and give the eldest a break.

"Hey Blondie," You claimed the stool across from Sabo.

His emerald gaze swept up to your face as you broke his concentration.

"Hey," he smiled somberly, "sorry for making you come over on short notice."

"Well, if it's for you I'll forgive it. Plus free food."

"Time to eat." Thatch announced.

Zoro was already gathering utensils while instructing the youngest to get plates. You hopped up to help the boys set the table in the dining room. All these months without Pops, but family meals still felt somewhat the same.

Once everyone was settled Luffy started serving himself. The rest of the family just worked around him. There was some idle chatter before Marco cleared his throat from the head of the table.

"We do have some new developments in the lawsuit to talk about-yoi." His lazy sapphires swayed toward Sabo at the other end of the table.

"So, we had a brief meeting regarding evidence." The younger blonde looked over all of you.

"Evidence? This isn't a criminal case." Ace murmured with a full mouth.

"We still have to prove that Wevil isn't a Newgate."

You pushed your plate away, starting to feel uneasy again, "And how are we going to do that?"

Sabo's gaze shifted to Marco.

Your older brother sighed and set his coffee down, "They need DNA for comparison-yoi."

"Pops has been gone for almost ten months now, how do we even do that?" Thatch leaned forward from your right.

"And it's not like the old man had any hair or a brush we could collect from." Ace added.

You began to tap your foot as anxiety continued to build. Gently Zoro's hand squeezed your knee.

Sabo coughed and shifted uncomfortably, "They have proposed that the only way to collect DNA is to ... e-exhume him."

"Absolutely not!" You growled.

"Exhume?" Luffy echoed.

"Dig him up." Ace snarled, shoving his plate away.

"It isn't something we want to do." Marco said calmly.

"So you told them no." Thatch attempted to confirm.

"The problem is, it could benefit us." Sabo's tone was more diplomatic now, "Declining makes it look like we have reason to."

"We do!" You stood slamming your hands on the table.

"F/N," Marco called.

"I'm not unearthing our dead father to prove this monster is full of shit." You snapped as Zoro pulled you back into your seat.

"There has to be another way." Your eldest brother rubbed his temples.

"Any physical DNA Pops left in this house is either long gone or very tainted." Sabo managed to keep his composer.

"A tissue sample will make things faster and be more accurate." Marco was looking down at his plate.

Having to convince the rest of you that this was the best course of action when it was something that hurt him too was hard enough. He didn't want to see the pain on your face.

"This is disgusting." You could feel your temperature rising with your blood pressure.

"But if it's the only way..." Thatch trailed off.

"All of us have to sign off on it." Sabo added.

"How are the two of you so ok with this?" Ace asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We aren't-yoi."

"Sure as fuck seems like it." You grumbled.

"Look, I'm not going to be the villain here. This is an impossible situation. What would you rather do F/N?"

"Anything but this."

"It seems like we don't have much choice." Thatch raised a hand to your shoulder.

"If it proves him wrong, why not?" Luffy shrugged before shoveling more food into his mouth.

"It's just so disrespectful." You muttered.

"We're just letting this happen?" Ace rumbled in disgust.

"Try to think of it in the positive," Sabo suggested, "It's for the greater good."

"Listen to yourself. The greater good?"

"Ace, calm down please-yoi." Marco sighed, "All we're saying is this will prove that Wevil isn't a Newgate and will get him off our backs. I don't want it to be this way either but if we don't approve it his lawyers can petition the state."

"I'd rather the family be in control of this decision." The younger blonde affirmed, sliding a manila folder to the center of the table with a pen.

Thatch looked over the paperwork inside before signing and moving it toward you.

"Excavation and sampling will proceed within thirty days of filing." You read aloud.

"We can also be present to oversee everything." Sabo added.

"I'm not sure that makes me feel better." You murmured, continuing to scan the documents.

"How long does the test take?" Ace asked, watching you sign.

"Five to ten days for a tissue sample apparently." You answered sliding the pages toward your freckled brother.

The documents made their way back to Sabo after being signed by each sibling. Everyone sat quietly for a while not knowing how to dispel the discomfort of the situation.

Only the youngest finished breakfast.

_________________________

"I'll be right here if you need me." Zoro's fingers traced your jaw as you stood next to his parked truck.

"Thanks Tiger, I won't be too long. I just want to pick everything up before they dig and talk to him." You adjusted the messenger bag hanging over your shoulder before leaning into him.

After a few quiet seconds you turned toward the row of graves where your father rested. With each step you took a deep breath. It admittedly had been too long since you visited. Doing it under these circumstances made the guilt a little heavier.

"Hey old man," you murmured before bending to kiss the marble headstone.

Taking off the messenger bag you took a seat in the plush grass that would soon be trudged up.

"Sorry I don't come out as often as Marco and Thatch. It's still hard sometimes." You fiddled with blades of grass in front of you trying to keep from crying, "I gotta move all this stuff for a few days, and I'm sorry about that too. I'm sure the boys told you what Wevil is making us do. You know we don't want to. You of all people deserve to rest peacefully."

The tears came anyway.

The one sided conversation drifted to happier topics - like how far Ace had come after his surgery and moving out of the house. How well things were going with Zoro. Slowly you gathered all of the trinkets and gifts people had left at the base of Pops' headstone.

"We'll all be back in the morning." You stood and wiped your cheeks as a warm breeze cut through the cool Fall air.