Ace's question hung in the twilight air, sharp and demanding. "What aren't you telling us? What is the World Government so afraid of?" His dark eyes bored into mine, searching for answers I wasn't sure I even fully possessed, let alone was willing to share. The weight of the Sunstone Heart against my skin felt immense, a repository of secrets I was now guardian to, secrets that had cost my entire island its existence.
I met his intense gaze, my own hardening. Four years of survival had taught me caution, taught me that knowledge was a weapon, and revealing it carelessly could be fatal. Garp's warnings echoed alongside Grandpa Chief's dying words. Sharing the truth, the why behind Hi-no-Kuni's destruction, felt like handing someone a lit stick of dynamite. Especially here, in this volatile hut lorded over by a Marine Vice Admiral, however conflicted he might be.
"It doesn't matter," I said finally, my voice low but firm, pushing down the tremor of fear and anger that Ace's directness provoked. I turned my gaze towards the darkening silhouette of Mt. Colubo, towards the vast, uncaring world beyond this small clearing. "What matters is what they did. They burned my home, killed my family, my friends." The familiar rage, banked but never extinguished, flared briefly, warming the chill in my limbs. "They call it 'justice', but it was slaughter."
I looked back at Ace, my expression set. "Knowing why won't bring them back. Knowing why won't make me stronger." My hand tightened instinctively on the hilt of the Kaenken. "All that matters now is getting strong enough to make them pay. Strong enough to tear down their rotten system, piece by piece." I clenched my free fist, the bruises from Garp's 'Tekkai' training aching. "Until then... the 'why' can wait. Getting stronger is the only thing that counts."
Ace frowned, clearly unsatisfied. He opened his mouth to argue, perhaps to point out the flaw in my logic – that understanding the enemy is a form of strength – but before he could speak, Garp's voice cut through the evening air like a cannon shot.
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" The old man strode back towards us from the hut's doorway, wiping grease from his chin with the back of his hand. He'd obviously been listening. "Good answer, brat! Single-minded! Stubborn! Just like—" He stopped himself, clearing his throat gruffly, a fleeting shadow crossing his face before his usual boisterous grin returned. "Focus on strength! Good! That's the spirit!"
He stopped beside Ace, clapping him hard on the back, nearly sending the boy stumbling. "Don't pry too much, Ace! Some doors are best left unopened, eh?" He winked, though the gesture held little humor. He then looked at me, his grin widening, yet his eyes held that unsettling mix of pride and deep-seated worry. "So, tear down the rotten system, eh? Gonna make the World Government pay?" He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. "Ambitious! I like it!"
He leaned down slightly, his voice dropping conspiratorially, though loud enough for Ace to hear clearly. "Just one thing, Akane..." He paused for dramatic effect, his grin turning slightly self-deprecating. "When you finally get strong enough to do all that... strong enough to challenge the whole damn world..." He straightened up, folding his massive arms across his chest. "...please have mercy on this poor old man, will ya?" He laughed again, the sound booming through the clearing. "Bwahahaha!"
I stared at him, completely bewildered. Mercy? On him? The idea was ludicrous. "Huh? What are you talking about, stupid old man?" I retorted, forgetting my exhaustion for a moment in sheer confusion. "As if I'm gonna fight you. No way!" He was… complicated. He was tied to the system I hated, yes. He was there that day. But he'd also saved me, bled for me, warned me. He was Garp. Ji-san. Attacking him felt… wrong, impossible, despite everything.
Garp just laughed harder at my indignant response, shaking his head as if I'd told a particularly good joke. Ace watched the exchange, his expression shifting from frustration to confusion, clearly trying to understand the bizarre dynamic between the Vice Admiral and the fugitive girl he seemed to be harbouring.
Just then, there was a soft sigh beside me. I glanced down. Luffy, who had apparently wandered back over while we were talking, had finally succumbed to his exhaustion. His head lolled sideways, coming to rest heavily on my shoulder, his breathing immediately evening out into the deep rhythm of sleep. His straw hat tilted forward, shadowing his peaceful face.
For a second, I froze. His proximity, the simple, trusting weight of him leaning against me, felt incredibly strange. Vulnerable. But looking at his sleeping face, completely relaxed, drool starting to form at the corner of his mouth, the tension eased slightly. He looked younger asleep, less like the chaotic force of nature he was when awake.
"KORA! LUFFY!" Ace hissed immediately, taking a step forward, ready to yank his brother off me. "I told you! Get off her! Show some respect!"
"Shh!" I whispered instinctively, holding up a hand to stop Ace. Without conscious thought, I focused that inner warmth, the Tenshi energy, picturing silence, picturing calm. I held my hand near Luffy's ear, facing Ace, and felt a subtle dampening effect as Ace's angry whisper reached us, muffling the sharp edges of the sound before it could disturb the sleeping boy. It wasn't perfect soundproofing, but it was enough. Luffy didn't stir.
Ace stopped, blinking, noticing the slightly muffled sound of his own voice near Luffy. He looked at my hand, then back at my face, surprise warring with his annoyance.
I smiled faintly, genuinely this time. "Shh, Ace," I repeated softly, keeping my hand hovering protectively near Luffy's ear. "He's sleeping." I looked down at Luffy's peaceful face again, the corner of my mouth twitching upwards. "And he seems tired. Cute..." The word slipped out before I could stop it, feeling odd on my tongue.
Garp burst out laughing again, louder this time, slapping his knee. "BWAHAHAHA! CUTE?! Did you hear that, Ace? She thinks your idiot brother is CUTE!"
Ace's face flushed a brilliant red, whether from embarrassment or renewed annoyance, it was hard to tell. He glared at me, then at Luffy's sleeping form, then back at me, a teasing, slightly malicious glint entering his eyes. "Hah! What's this, Akane? Falling for my stupid brother already? Can't resist the rubbery charm, eh?" He smirked, clearly enjoying turning the tables. "Better watch out, he eats more than a Sea King and picks his nose!"
My own face felt suddenly hot. "Wha-?! No! I didn't mean it like— He's just... asleep!" I sputtered, flustered, pulling my hand back quickly as if burned. Luffy shifted slightly at the loss of the sound dampening but thankfully didn't wake.
Garp roared with laughter again, thoroughly enjoying the scene. Ace continued to smirk, looking immensely pleased with himself for riling me up. Even amidst the danger, the secrets, and the brutal training, moments like these – the bickering, the teasing, Luffy's simple trust – felt unexpectedly… normal. A fragile normalcy I hadn't realized I missed.
Garp finally wiped a tear from his eye, his laughter subsiding into chuckles. "Alright, alright, break it up, lovebirds!" He grinned, then his expression shifted, becoming serious once more as he looked towards the darkening forest. "Get inside, all of you. Night's falling properly now."
He turned, heading towards the hut, but paused at the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. The smile was gone, replaced by a familiar gravity.
"Sleep well," he said, his voice low, carrying easily in the quiet air. His eyes seemed to pierce the gathering gloom, looking not just at us, but perhaps at unseen watchers in the night.
"Because starting tomorrow," he continued, his voice dropping further, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine despite the lingering warmth from blushing, "we add the fourth Rokushiki power to your training." He let the pause hang, heavy with implication.
"Time you learned Kami-e." He offered no explanation, just a final, unreadable look before disappearing inside, leaving the word to echo ominously in the night. "Paper Art."