Garp's final, cryptic words about the Sunstone Heart – "some of them might even surprise an old dog like me… Be careful who you share them with" – echoed in the sudden, profound silence of the Mt. Colubo clearing. He was gone. Truly gone this time, not just a temporary retreat to Marine bureaucracy or a mischievous feint. The oppressive weight of his presence, the constant anticipation of his next insane training exercise, the sheer, exhausting force of his personality – it had all vanished, leaving behind a void that was both liberating and strangely… empty.
Ace stood rigidly, staring at the spot where their grandfather had disappeared into the trees, his expression a complex mixture of relief, resentment, and a grudging respect that he would probably never admit to. His fists were clenched at his sides, the knuckles white. For fourteen years, Garp had been a hurricane in his life, a force that shaped him through brutality and a twisted kind of love. His absence was a sudden, jarring stillness.
Luffy, typically, was already bouncing on the balls of his feet, his initial shock at Garp's departure rapidly giving way to his natural, irrepressible optimism. "He's gone! Jii-san's really gone!" he chirped, a wide grin splitting his face. "No more training! No more rock carrying! No more getting punched into next week!" He stretched his arms wide, letting out a joyful "SHISHISHISHI!" that echoed through the quiet trees. "We're free!"
Free. The word resonated with a strange, unfamiliar sweetness. Free from Garp's tyranny, yes. But also… free to do what? The path forward, once so rigidly defined by the old Marine's insane whims, now stretched before us, vast, unmarked, and a little terrifying. The weight of the Sunstone Heart against my skin felt heavier now, Garp's final warning adding another layer of mystery and danger to the secrets it held. Surprising truths for an old dog like him? What could possibly surprise Monkey D. Garp?
My hand instinctively went to the pouch, feeling the smooth, cool stone. Be careful who I shared its truths with. That much was obvious. The World Government had burned an island to cinders to possess or destroy it. Sharing its secrets carelessly would be tantamount to suicide, not just for me, but for anyone I trusted.
But amidst the swirling uncertainties, the echoing warnings, and the sudden, heady taste of freedom, another feeling began to bubble up, something lighter, warmer, something that had been tentatively blooming in the stolen moments between brutal training sessions.
I looked at Luffy. He was still grinning, his eyes sparkling with excitement, already contemplating the endless possibilities of a Garp-free existence (which probably involved finding a lot of meat). The memory of our conversation on the rock, the shy confessions, the almost-kiss interrupted by Garp's booming laughter, rushed back, sending a familiar warmth spreading through my cheeks. He was mine, and I was his. The words still felt new, fragile, incredibly precious.
An idea, bold and perhaps a little reckless given the gravity of Garp's departure and the secrets I carried, sparked in my mind. A year. A whole year we'd spent surviving, fighting, pushing our bodies to their limits. We'd earned a moment, hadn't we? A moment of… just us.
"Ne, Luffy," I began, my voice a little hesitant, but a playful smile tugging at my lips. He turned to me, his grin softening into that familiar, goofy, affectionate expression that always made my heart do that weird BWOOM BWOOM thing.
"Yeah, Akane?"
I took a breath, feeling a surge of boldness fueled by the sudden freedom and the unspoken promise that hung between us. "Now that Jii-san's finally gone," I said, my smile widening, "and we're not going to be pummeled into the dirt for the next twelve hours…" I reached out, my fingers tentatively finding his, lacing them together. His hand was warm, calloused from training, but his grip was gentle, instantly sending a shiver of warmth up my arm. "Let's go on a date."
The word felt strange on my tongue, like a foreign language. A date. What did that even entail? Walking? Talking? Eating pie that wasn't immediately followed by life-threatening exertion? It sounded… nice. Terrifyingly, wonderfully nice.
Luffy's eyes widened, his grin faltering for a split second, replaced by that familiar, adorable blush that spread from his ears down his neck. "A… a date?" he stammered, his gaze darting from our joined hands to my face, then quickly away, then back again. "Like… like a real date? Just… you and me?"
"Yeah," I confirmed, squeezing his hand gently, feeling a thrill of exhilaration at my own audacity. "Just you and me. In the forest. Maybe we can find that clearing with the good berries again. Or that stream with the sparkly fish. No training, no pirates, no grandfathers with terrible timing." I leaned in a little closer, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "What do you say, Captain?"
His blush deepened, but a slow, radiant smile spread across his face, chasing away the last vestiges of his earlier fluster. "SHISHISHISHI!" He laughed, his familiar, joyful sound filled with pure, unadulterated happiness. He squeezed my hand back tightly. "A date! With Akane! Yosh! That sounds like fun! More fun than fighting pirates! Almost as fun as meat!"
Before I could react, before I could even process the sheer, overwhelming force of his enthusiasm, he leaned in, quick as a striking snake, and pressed a clumsy, enthusiastic, and undeniably sweet kiss to my lips.
It wasn't like the accidental collision in the bar. This was deliberate. Messy, yes. A little too enthusiastic, definitely. He still tasted faintly of the wild boar we'd had for breakfast and the lingering sweetness of forest berries. But it was also warm, and soft, and filled with an innocent, heartfelt affection that made my toes curl and my heart soar.
When he pulled back, his face was flaming red, but his eyes were shining with a triumphant, goofy pride. "There!" he declared, beaming. "A proper kiss! For our date!"
My own face felt like it was on fire. My lips tingled. My mind was a chaotic whirl of surprise, happiness, and sheer, overwhelming… Luffy-ness. I couldn't help but laugh, a breathless, happy sound. "You idiot," I managed, my voice a little shaky.
"Shishishi! Your idiot!" he corrected proudly, puffing out his chest.
"AHEM!"
The sound, a loud, pointed, and deeply sarcastic clearing of a throat, shattered the moment like a poorly aimed Rankyaku.
We both jumped, guiltily pulling our hands apart, though the warmth lingered. Standing a few feet away, arms crossed, an expression of profound, theatrical disgust mixed with weary resignation on his face, was Ace. He had apparently decided to linger after Garp's departure, and had witnessed the entire… exchange. His eyes were narrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line, though the corners were twitching suspiciously.
"Honestly," Ace drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Can't a guy mourn the departure of his abusive, boulder-throwing grandfather in peace for five minutes without stumbling into… this?" He gestured vaguely between me and Luffy, who was now looking sheepish again, his ears glowing.
"Ace!" Luffy whined. "You weren't supposed to see that!"
"Oh, I saw it, alright," Ace retorted, a smirk finally breaking through his feigned disgust. "Saw the whole adorable, stomach-churning display. 'You're mine now, Captain.' 'A proper kiss for our date.' Honestly, you two are going to give me cavities." He shuddered dramatically.
"We were just… talking!" I said, my face still burning, feeling defensive.
"Right," Ace said, rolling his eyes. "Talking. With your lips. Repeatedly." He sighed, a long, put-upon sound. "So, a date, huh? In the forest? How… romantic." He made a gagging noise.
"You wanna come?" Luffy asked, completely missing Ace's sarcasm, his earlier enthusiasm returning. "We can all go find berries! And maybe a giant beetle!"
Ace stared at Luffy, then at me, then back at Luffy, his expression one of utter disbelief. "Come with you? On your… date?" He shuddered again. "And intrude on this beautiful, blossoming romance? Absolutely not. I have far too much respect for… whatever this is."
He paused, then a slow, wicked grin spread across his face. "On the other hand," he continued, his eyes twinkling with mischief, "leaving you two lovebirds alone in the forest, unsupervised, after what I just witnessed…" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Seems like a recipe for disaster. Or at least, a lot more accidental (and not-so-accidental) kissing."
He pushed himself off the tree he'd been leaning against, stretching languidly. "Fine," he declared, with an air of someone making a great personal sacrifice. "I'll come. Someone needs to make sure my idiot little brother doesn't accidentally propose with a shiny rock or something. And someone," he shot me a pointed look, "needs to make sure 'The Divine Calamity' doesn't accidentally set the forest on fire with all her… romantic sparks."
He grinned, thoroughly enjoying our mutual embarrassment. "Think of me as… quality control. A chaperone. The long-suffering older brother ensuring his two idiot siblings don't do anything too reckless." He started walking towards the path Luffy and I had been about to take, then paused, looking back over his shoulder.
"Besides," he added, his smirk widening. "Someone needs to be there to remind Luffy that 'sharing is caring' when it comes to those good berries. And maybe," his eyes gleamed, "to provide a running commentary on this whole… courtship ritual."
Luffy just cheered, oblivious to the implied teasing. "Yosh! All three of us! It'll be more fun!" He grabbed my hand again, then Ace's arm, and started pulling us towards the deeper part of the forest.
I groaned inwardly. A romantic forest date… with Ace providing sarcastic color commentary. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
As we walked, Ace, true to his word, did not let up. He made pointed remarks about the way Luffy kept glancing at me, about the faint blush that still lingered on my cheeks, about the way our hands occasionally brushed. He hummed sappy love songs under his breath, loud enough for us to hear. He offered unsolicited advice to Luffy on "how to woo a fiery calamity" (which mostly involved offering her large quantities of meat and not picking his nose in front of her).
Luffy, for the most part, just laughed, occasionally correcting Ace ("I always share meat with Akane!") or looking utterly bewildered by the more obscure teasing. I alternated between trying to ignore Ace, threatening him with bodily harm (which only seemed to encourage him), and occasionally, despite myself, laughing at his more ridiculous pronouncements.
Despite Ace's relentless third-wheeling, there was an undeniable lightness in the air. Garp was gone. The immediate threat of training was lifted. The sun was shining. And I was walking through a beautiful forest with two boys who, in their own strange, chaotic ways, had become my family. The boy whose hand I was currently holding, the one who made my heart do flips and whose lips tasted like pie, was looking at me with an expression of pure, goofy adoration.
Maybe… maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe even Ace's sarcastic presence couldn't entirely ruin the day.
We found the berry patch, the bushes laden with sweet, juicy fruit. Luffy, naturally, started stuffing his face immediately. Ace, after a token complaint about Luffy not saving any for anyone else, joined in. I picked a few, savoring the sweet taste, watching the brothers bicker good-naturedly. It felt… normal. Peaceful. A stolen moment of simple joy in a life that had been anything but.
Luffy, his cheeks bulging with berries, turned to me, holding out a particularly large, ripe one. "Here, Akane! This one's extra yummy!"
Before I could take it, Ace snatched it from Luffy's fingers and popped it into his own mouth. "Thanks, Luffy! Don't mind if I do!"
"ACE! That was for Akane!" Luffy yelled, stretching his arm to try and retrieve the berry from Ace's mouth.