A Wish on a Comet (Luffy x OC)

Chapter 60

"As much as those books, the Navarone base had stashed in their library, could tell me. I wasn't sure if my mom was part of it until Aokiji revealed her maiden name though."

"And where is she?"

"Dead for seven years in my world's time." She bluntly answers which shocks the fleet admiral.

Rose can sense the change in emotion on his face, but he's quick to go to the next question. "And your grandparents, what about them?"

She knows for sure something is up now with his question, and intends to get to the bottom of it. "Sorry to disappoint, but my mom came to that world alone. I don't know what their fates were. Why are you asking about this?"

His face begins to soften by the question before he shows a picture of him, Garp, and a female marine who are all in their prime. From what she read in the manga, she doesn't recognize anyone with the same slightly buff figure, wavy dark blond hair reaching her shoulders, and a light tan that matches Garp, as the lady in this photo. While Rose doesn't know the woman, she can't deny that she doesn't know those purple eyes because they match her own.

"The woman in the photo is your grandmother's sister, Alun D Ruth. She was a vice admiral with Garp and I, and worked with Tsuru to search for the victims of that night. She never stopped trying to find a way to bring her sister, brother-in-law and niece back, but died before learning how to do so."

Rose is surprised to hear that her great aunt was a marine, but is a bit suspicious of him. "What was she to you?"

"A friend. I'd like to treat you like one as well."

"You got a funny way of showing it." She half-jokes when she gestures her position by lifting her cuffed fists up.

"Would you have come with us if we asked?"

"Maybe if your other unit wasn't kidnapping my friend!"

He scowls at the answer when he remembers what Rufus' unit told him about none of the crew knowing who she is. "I'm sorry, but it's hard to see them as your friends. You would've told them the truth about who you are if you knew it was safe."

"I never felt safer than with them!"

"Then how did they all take the truth? Did they open their arms to you?"

She hesitates to answer because of all the mixed responses that she got. Of course, she's happy that Zoro accepted her, but she can't say that Robin, Sanji, and Usopp's reactions didn't take a toll on her. With Sanji and Sniper King knowing now, there's no doubt that everyone knows now, and will have mixed reviews of her. If her existence truly does cause conflict in the crew after they all escape, then she'd just feel all the more unworthy to be with them.

Numerous types of negative scenarios of the crew either rejecting her, or fighting each other because of her, begin to swarm her mind from simple rejections, to some of the crew threatening to leave if she were to stay. Even with her knowing that some of them would never happen, her anxiety keeps playing all types of horrible outcomes, to the point where she can't hide the guilt of her messing with them.

When Sengoku sees her face showing her true emotions, all he can feel is pity for her. Even so, if he's going to convince his superiors to keep her alive, he needs to make sure that she can provide useful information for them. "Listen, I don't want to argue. Aokiji vouched that you have useful information, and I have questions about it. If I don't ask about the Straw Hats, would you be willing to answer them?"

While the prisoner is still wary of him, she doesn't see the harm in answering if they don't affect the crew, so she nods. "What do you want to know?"

"Rufus told me about some accusations that you made about Spandam. Can you elaborate?"