Chapter 20: Reunion
( Mari POV )
In a certain edge of town, there lies an orphanage filled with children making it their home. The building, though aged, maintains a charm, exuding a pleasant atmosphere. Responsible for the whole establishment are a couple of caretakers.
Within one of the rooms, numerous kids, having finished their meal, engage in conversations about their plans.
Observing them, one caretaker with blonde hair informs them of the next step.
"Alright, children. Now you can play out in the backyards, but only after you put your plates in the sink, okay?" I instruct the kids after they've finished their meals.
"Yes, Sister Mira."
"Hooray!"
"Let's go play hide and seek."
Having embraced this role for a considerable time, I find joy in witnessing the children's smiles, despite the absence of their parents.
Most kids rush to the backyards to pursue their own activities. However, I notice a seven-year-old girl with red and white hair sitting alone, humming to herself. Memories flood back; she is similar to little Vanze, who is also not keen on interacting with other kids.
Speaking of Vanze, that little boy still hasn't visited once. We can only communicate with each other through Den Den Mushi once a week or sometimes once a month. He tells me he is fine and finally has his own partners. I wonder, did he become a navy or a pirate? With his personality, I lean more towards the pirates. He has always been a good kid, but he also has an aggressive attitude towards someone who dares to disrespect his loved ones.
Back then, when someone badmouthed Grandma Niil, he stared at that person with a very scary look, and the next day the culprit had a broken leg and arm when people saw him. Even in the orphanage, when some kid expressed dissatisfaction towards me, he would glare and scare them off.
"Hey, why are you still here, little miss?" I walk toward the little girl while asking her the reason for staying here alone.
"Um... I'm not really wanting to play with the other kids, Sister Mira." She whispers her answer, revealing her shyness. I remember finding her in a treasure chest on the shore where Vanze used to train when she was just two years old. Poor girl.
"Well, why don't you come with me then? I'm going somewhere to tend to someone's grave; she was a very nice elder figure to me. It's better than being here all alone, right?" I extend an invitation, and she contemplates her choice for a while with a serious expression. What a cute girl.
"Um... Can you tell me the story about that boy you always mention on the way, Sister Mira?" She looks at me expectantly, showing her curiosity about Vanze. I used to share stories about him because of the striking similarities between them when he was still a child.
"Hihi, of course, sweetie. Let's go." She steps down from her chair, and we hold hands, heading towards a hill outside the town together.
I fulfill my promise and share stories about Vanze along the way. She listens attentively, giggling at his embarrassing moments. I wonder when that young boy will come to visit; he always promises soon but never shows up, causing me to worry about him.
.....
( 3rd POV )
On the sea in the West Blue, a colossal black ship sailed slowly toward the island ahead. Rather than heading towards the port, it veered to the deserted and unoccupied side of the island.
A man, clad in a black shirt beneath a white jacket with winds tousling his white hair, stood on the ship's deck, gazing at the islands with a trace of nostalgia in his eyes. Memories flashed before him as he observed the beach not far from the ship.
Approaching him, a tall man with black wings sought to inform him of their impending arrival at the beach.
"We are about to arrive at that beach, Vanze-san. But there is no dock in this part of the island, and I'm afraid the ship will not be safe if we leave it alone there," he said, relaying the situation to the white-haired man known as Vanze.
Vanze is called out from his trance after hearing that; he turns his head toward the winged man beside him and tells him his plan. "Don't need to worry, Azel. You inform the girls to go to the shore first. I will store the ship in my inventory after you guys are already on the beach, and I'll catch up with you," he said. Azel, following his leader's instructions, went to the other rooms to instruct the others to set off first.
Not long after the girls, after hearing the instruction to go first, start to use their own abilities to get to the beach. One of the girls with orange sunglasses uses her power by sprouting her arms from her back, by the shoulder blades, and having them hold each other tightly in a certain way; she is able to create two giant makeshift wings made from fifty of her arms per wing and uses them to fly.
The other two girls watch this happening with a sour face because they can't create wings, so they just jump and start to kick off their legs in the air toward the beach. Azel also follows them from behind with his black wing that can make him fly.
Vanze observed them landing on the beach and began taking action.
"Let's put you back first in my inventory, Pearl." He touched the ship, and it vanished, leaving only the ocean below. Before he fell into the ocean, Vanze used Geppo to catch up with his team on the beach. And yes, he named the ship Pearl, after the Black Pearl from a certain ship in the pirate film.
"... I'm back..." he whispered after landing on the island. He walked toward the town on the other side while his team followed him.
"Welcome to my hometown, guys. Note, you won't find anything interesting in here, though," Vanze says while saying the last part with a lackluster tone.
"I was deciphering the poneglyph we found two days ago on an abandoned island when Azel told us we arrived," the woman with orange sunglasses said. Before they reach this island, Vanze used Jack's compass to help her find the poneglyph, and they found it in the forest of an abandoned island not far from here.
"Haha, sorry if I was bothering you, Robin."
"It's fine. I can continue it later. By the way, is the person you want to see in that town?" Robin asks, shifting the topic. She is also curious about what kind of person his big sister is. It's hard imagining Vanze being an obedient kid in her mind because he always being naughty to her and the others whenever he can.
They emerged from the forest and saw a town on the horizon.
"It should be? Let me check first." He used KG and Kenbunshoku Haki to locate the person he wanted to meet. His perception could cover this entire island if he focused on it.
"Ah, wait, I'm not ready... How should I present myself? Will she like me? Should I introduce myself as Vanze's girlfriend... Or bride... Kya!!!" A certain femme fatale is holding her red cheek while murmuring about her fantasy toward a certain someone, thankfully that person is still focusing on other things. But the others stare at her like she is a nympho and back away from her.
"Robin, Hancock is sick again. I think we should give her the medicine." A white-haired woman nudges Robin while saying something outrageous after seeing the behavior of the woman called Hancock.
"Just let her be, Yamato. It's not like we don't know her crazy behavior is." Robin simply rolls her eyes hearing Yamato's joke.
Azel, ignoring the women bantering, appeared to have a concern visible on his face. "Is it okay for me to also come down here? I can stay at the ships honestly," he said suddenly.
Robin, hearing him say that, tilted her head and stared at him before answering. "Didn't we already tell you it's fine? Most people in the Four Seas don't have knowledge about your race, and even if there is some who know, none of them is capable of capturing you with our power. According to Vanze, even an admiral trying will not succeed if we go all out together. Just relax, and besides, you are our friend; there's no way we will let it happen." She said seriously.
"Robin is right; you don't need to think that way. If it can reassure you, I can also put the whole town to sleep with my Haoshoku." Vanze responded after finding his target. Azel smiled after hearing their response; he felt blessed to have them as his partners, even though sometimes they have their own weird stuff going on.
"And she is not in town, so we will not be heading there. Let's go." Vanze stated and led them toward the hill on the other side of the town.
"Where are we going there?" Yamato asked. Vanze just smiled mysteriously at her.
.....
( Vanze POV )
We are now heading toward the hill behind the town, a very secluded place where not many people come because it serves as a graveyard for the island's former residents.
I intended to surprise her, but, unexpectedly, she ends up surprising me. I thought she'd be at the orphanage, but instead, she's here, visiting our relative. It's been eight years since I left this island, yet nothing has changed. The vibe around here is still the same.
As we proceed, we reach the graveyard, walking towards its edge. Robin starts to speak.
"Vanze, this is..."
"It's a graveyard for the people who used to live on this island, and no, she is not dead. She is just here visiting our relative." I explain to them why we suddenly came to this depressing place. I mean, it is a graveyard, what did they expect? A rave?
Shortly after I respond to Robin, I spot a woman with long blonde hair, wearing a simple white outfit resembling a nun, cleaning a tombstone with a little girl assisting. She seems too engrossed to notice our arrival. I walk over to her and ask...
"Did you need help?"
She looks in my direction and suddenly freezes, her expression shocked.
"Surprise..." I'm tempted to say a curse word, but it's not a good time to joke, especially with her. I'll get a smack if she hears it. She comes in front of me and hugs me tightly.
"You've finally here. Welcome back, Vanze." She said while hugging me. Now that I notice, I'm taller than her.
"I'm back, sis." I hug her in reply with a smile. The others just watch this event happening silently not far from me.
.....
"You...! How could you only be back after eight years? You naughty kid, you don't know how much I worried about you." And now the round for scolding has just begun. I prepared to go back after five years, but shit just happened, you know.
"I'm sorry, but I'm in a faraway place, you know. It's not easy to go back, and I have things that need to be done. Also, didn't I always contact you through den den mushi?" I try to find an excuse, but it just backfires, and she starts talking like a machine gun.
"Doubt, you also only call me at a random time. What have you been doing anyway? Sister is...." Sigh, she won't stop if nothing can distract her. I glance toward my friends who just giggle watching me getting scolded; even Azel is trying to avoid eye contact with me.
Wait...
Yes, distraction. "Sister Mira, I'm back today, bringing my friends with me to visit. See there, three women and one big guy? They are my friends. Come, let me introduce them to you." I said while pulling her without waiting for her to finish her words.
"Guys, this is Sister Mira who always helped me when I was still a kid. She is literally my big sister." I introduce her to my group, and Robin is the first to respond.
"Hello, my name is Nico Robin, Vanze's first partner. Nice to meet you, Sister Mira." She greets her politely, as expected from the mature Robin.
"Ah! He... Hello, my name is Boa Hancock. Nice to meet you, sister-in-law. I'm Vanze's gi... girlfrie... Kya...!!!" Uh... Hancock, are you okay? Let's move on to the next one.
"Me! Me! My name is Yamato, big sister. Vanze saved me, and he also promised to accept me as his partner." Yamato, phrasing. I facepalm after hearing her ambiguous introduction.
"Greetings, my name is Azel Lucifer. Nice to meet you, and sorry if we somehow disturb you scolding our leader." Dude... How can you do that to me? I thought we are brothers.
"Oh, nice to meet all of you. Thank you for always following this naughty guy and sorry if he is also causing inconvenient things for you guys." She said while staring in awe at each of them. I guess with their aesthetic, it's normal. The girls are beautiful beyond doubt, while Yamato and Azel are also from other races.
"Oh, right I almost forgot. Sweety come here, come introduce yourself to the big brothers and sisters." Sister Mira suddenly turns her head back and called the little girl who is helping her before. Now, I also forgot about her being here if not for Sister Mira saying that.
She walks toward our direction slowly while dropping her head low and standing beside Sister Mira. She seems like a shy kid. Halved red and white hair, one of her eyes is also covered by her bangs. Now that I take a closer look, I somehow feel familiar.
Hmm...
"Come, it's fine. See this brother with purple eyes? He is the one who I always told you in my story, and aren't you always curious about him? Here he is." She pats her head while patiently coaxing her.
"Um... Hello big brothers and sisters. My... My name is Uta; nice to meet you." She said in a low voice.
'Hmm...!? Did I mishear that?' Tell me it is not what I think it is.
[ Prepare for the impact. ]
"What's your name again, little sister?"
"Uta... My name is Uta."
'Oh...'
.....
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(Note: Enjoy the chapter and merry christmas to everyone, hope you guys enjoy the holidays and please give this poor author your review. Thankyou.)
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