Dadan
Dadan knew she wasn't fit to raise three children. She's a bandit, damnit, not a babysitter. Still, Garp left two children under her care. Then, those two children brought home a third kid for her to look after. She was certain they'd be the end of her.
She will always deny caring for those brats to anyone who calls her out. She'll say she had no choice since Garp forced her to. Damn Marine, and it was true in the beginning. She hated that she was in charge of those two brats. Honestly, she isn't sure when it happened, but she ended up actually caring for them. They may be brats, but they're her brats.
When Sabo was taken to high town, she partly blamed herself. She should have forced them to stay with her. To do chores and not wonder out everyday. At the same time, she knew that was never truly an option. Those kids were born to be free. They could never just stay in one place. Especially Luffy, and if one of them left, all three of them were gone.
Then, Sabo was killed and she mourned him. Her suffering was nothing compared to the two brats, but it still pained her. She's shit at comforting, so she could at least not be too tough on them. At least, they have each other.
Ace turned seventeen, and just as they agreed, he set sail. Luffy clearly missed his brother, Dadan did too, still does, but he managed. He was happy his brother is off on his adventures, so he smiled everyday. He continued with his life, eagerly awaiting his own 17th birthday.
That being said, she only saw this for a month because only a month after Ace's departure, Luffy disappeared. He's strong, not as strong as Ace, but still strong, so she's not sure how someone pulled it off. All she knows, is that she was too late. The only thing left was his cherished straw hat, and a ship far too small and far too gone to make out any details. The only thing keeping her from jumping in the water and swimming after the boat hopelessly, are her bandits hanging onto her so she can't move an inch.
"Let me go! Luffy is in trouble!" She had screamed. She couldn't keep her tears down, but neither could the others. Despite being forced to watch them, they became part of the family.
Now, a day later, she's forced to write a letter to Ace, explaining how his little brother was taken from right under her nose. She's on her fifth letter. The others were either too soaked in tears and snot or her handwriting impossible to make out. She hears the door burst down and a dreaded laugh. In comes Garp, looking far too happy.
Garp
When Garp entered Dadan's place, he was not expecting to find her looking completely destroyed. No, he was expecting to find his rambunctious, pirate obsessed, grandkid. Dadan crying, writing a letter, definitely isn't a good sign.
"What happened?" Garp struggles to control his Haki. Normally, she'd be comically scared of him. This time, she just looks at him with a broken gaze.
"Someone took Luffy." Garp had never heard her sound so broken.
"Who?" This island is supposed to be safe. Other than the nobles, this island is good. Nobody should have gotten him. Especially since Luffy is strong. The East Blue is weak. Anyone who dared to have attacked, Luffy could have taken care of.
"If I knew that, do you really think I'd be here? Or Luffy wouldn't be back?" Dadan snapped.
"When was he taken?" Garp's fists tremble with rage. He's going to kill whoever took Luffy.
"Yesterday. I went outside, and saw his straw hat on the floor and a boat that I could barely see." Dadan sniffed.
Yesterday? If Garp had arrived one day earlier, he could have saved Luffy? He could have ended whoever hurt Luffy before anything happened.
"I don't know how to tell Ace. I'm writing a letter since I don't have a snail transponder, but how do you tell someone their little brother is missing over a letter?" Dadan placed her head into her hands.
"Don't. Ace can't know. At least not until we find Luffy." Garp says.
"Garp, Luffy is his brother. He should know what's going on." Dadan argues.
"We can't tell him. You know how temperamental Ace is. He's gotten better, but him finding out Luffy is missing will destroy him. He's going to do something reckless that will get himself caught then executed. Sengoku hasn't said anything to me, but I think he's catching on about Ace's heritage. Luffy means everything to Ace. Losing him will kill him one way or another. Same goes for Luffy. Telling Ace could very well mean they both end up dead." Garp explains.
"Ace is going to find out eventually." Dadan points out.
"Their deal was to leave when they turn seventeen. Ace will only get suspicious if Luffy doesn't have a bounty by the time he's 18. We have four years to find and save him. I don't plan on taking that long to find my grandson." Garp leaves no room for argument. Instead, he walks out of the house. He has a call to make.
Dragon
The transponder snail Dragon keeps on him, used only for discussions with his father, is ringing. They haven't spoken in years. In fact, he can remember the exact reason and how long ago it was. Eight years ago, for Luffy.
He was there for the fire and hadn't seen Luffy. It was definitely a good sign, but he still needed to contact his father to verify. He can even remember how the conversation went.
"You know why I'm calling." In the case of someone overhearing, they speak without giving any information. With them being on opposite sides, there's only one thing they can actually talk about.
"Always a worry wart." It used to annoy Dragon how his father laughs everything off. Now, he takes it as a good sign. It takes a lot to worry his father, but he does take things seriously if his loved ones are safe. If Luffy were in trouble, Garp wouldn't be laughing. "You don't need to worry."
He had hung up right then and there. With his worries gone, the need for conversation was over. Now, his worries are back again with each ring only increasing his fears.
Dragon leaves the work room without a word. Once he knows he is far enough away, he answers the phone.
"He's gone." His father doesn't waste any time getting to the point.
"How?" Dragon asks.
"I don't know. All I know is he disappeared yesterday. I-I wasn't there." Dragon wants to be angry with his father. He left his only son, the person he cares about most with his father, but he can't be. He can't because he gave Luffy to Garp knowing exactly how he parents. He knew his father wouldn't always be there because he still works as a marine. Plus, Dragon wasn't there either. Luffy was all alone. No child should be alone. He should have just raised Luffy himself. He managed to keep Sabo safe when he was a child. Then again, Sabo doesn't have Dragon's blood running through his veins.
"I'll take care of it." Dragon hung up on his father. He doesn't usually allow his emotions to dictate his actions, but the wall was destroyed before he knew it.
"I didn't know you could lose your temper." Dragon really hates how Rosinante, so easily, sneaks up on him. Dragon turns his head to see the man lighting a cigarette... and his coat. He's gotten better at realizing when he's on fire, so Rosinante is able to quickly put the fire out.
"I thought you quit smoking." Dragon has heard all about Law torturing Rosinante with soap.
"Well, he's not here to shove soap in my mouth and the whole thing with Doffy is stressing me out." Rosinante shrugs. "So what happened?"
Dragon doesn't really want to tell anyone about his personal life, especially about his son, but he also knows Rosinante is the best person to help. He's the best spy in the RA, a father, and knows how to keep a secret. Dragon also knows he needs all the help he can get. He has to save Luffy.
"Put up a sound barrier. This isn't something to be overheard." Dragon says. Rosinante looks a bit puzzled, but does as he says.
"Calm." Rosinante uses his ability as Dragon requested.
"I... have a son." That was harder for Dragon to admit than he thought it would be. He just hates the idea of putting Luffy in danger just because people know Dragon is Luffy's father.
"Yeah, Sabo." What? Do people really think Sabo is his son?
"Sabo isn't my child. My son's name is Monkey D. Luffy. As the son of the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Luffy would be hunted and killed or worse. I've stayed away to protect him from that, but he's in trouble right now." Rosinante's jaw dropped, cigarette falling to the floor. When he tries to pick it up, he trips and falls flat on his feet. How someone so skilled can be so clumsy, Dragon will never know.
"After all they did to find out if Gol D. Roger had a kid, someone already dead, I can't imagine what they would do to Luffy." Rosinante picks himself up off the floor. "What kind of trouble is he in?"
"He was kidnapped off of Dawn Island, in the East Blue, yesterday. That is all I know about it." Dragon answers.
"That's not much." Rosinante frowns.
"I know, but I need you to find what you can about the situation. Anything you find, tell me." Dragon doesn't need to tell Rosinante how desperate he is to save Luffy. He doesn't need to explain just how badly he needs to see Luffy safe. He doesn't need to say it because Rosinante knows and understands. He knows that Dragon would move mountains to save Luffy because Rosinante would do the same for Law. In this situation, Dragon doesn't trust anyone more than Rosinante.
Makino
Makino smiles as she mentally makes a list of what she needs to pack for Luffy when she visits him today. It has been a long time since she's seen him, over a month, and he's been growing so much lately. Surely he needs new clothes by now, so she adds new clothes to her mental list, estimating the size he would need. She also decided he needs fruits and vegetables since she knows he's not eating those. That boy will eat nothing but meat.
The door to the bar opens, snapping her out of her thoughts, and a tall man enters. He's wearing a black hat and a shirt that says,
Caution: WALKING DISASTER
(Law had given it to him a few months ago)
The shirt's point is proven five steps into the bar when the man trips. Makino looks to see if there is a mess she needs to clean, but there isn't a single thing there. He had tripped over nothing.
"Are you ok?" Makino asks. She gets the feeling he's used to falling, though.
"I'm ok, just a little bruised." He answers.
"My name is Makino." She introduces herself.
"Cora." He picks himself off of the floor.
"I don't recognize you, are you new here, Cora?" Makino watches as he sits down on a stool in front of her.
"Just visiting briefly." He says.
"So what brings you here?" There's nothing too special about this island. The only abnormal thing is the Grey Terminal, but she doesn't think that would be a tourist destination.
"I'm trying to find a missing boy. He was taken from here about a week ago. I was hoping to find information about who took him. If you can tell me if there were any visitors here about a week ago or maybe you saw a ship you didn't recognize. Maybe you know an adult or more people that also went missing around that time. Anything would be useful." Cora says.
"Sorry, but I haven't heard or seen anything out of the ordinary. I don't even know about a missing boy. May I ask his name?" Makino frowns.
"Monkey D. Luffy." Cora hands her a photo. Her heart breaks at seeing a seven year old Luffy who is now missing, or so this person says.
"Are you sure he's missing?" Makino's eyes fill with tears.
"Do you know him?" Cora frowns.
Know him? She had taken care of him until he was seven and Garp took him to Dadan. Oh no, she has to tell Garp. Ace, too. Ace is going to be so heartbroken. After losing Sabo, Luffy is the only person he cares about.
"Excuse me." Makino goes to the back of the bar, where her transponder snail is. She dials Dadan's number.
"Hello?" Dadan answers, sounding like she's been crying.
"Where is Luffy?" Makino blurts out. She has to make sure the stranger actually knows if Luffy has been taken.
"Gone. He's been missing for a week. I don't know where he is or why he was taken." Dadan sniffs.
"Have you told Garp or Ace yet?" It is taking everything Makino has to hold herself together.
"Garp knows. He told me not to tell Ace."
"Ace needs to know. He's his brother."
"I thought so too, but Garp made some good points. We both know how reckless Ace can get, especially when it comes to protecting Luffy. He'll do something stupid and wind up dead. Then what will Luffy do when we find him? It'll crush him." Makino can't argue with that. It's not like Ace would be any help, anyway. What could a new pirate do to find a missing kid? Absolutely nothing.
Makino comes back to Cora with a picture. It's of Luffy and Ace right before Ace left. Luffy looking at a pile of meat, about to dig in, but Ace winds up for a punch. He had scolded Luffy for bad manners. Ace has really grown from when he was ten.
Makino hands the man the picture. "If you're going to find him, you should have an updated photo. This was taken about a month ago."
"Thank you." He smiles. "Do you know who his caretakers are? Hopefully they know something."
"He lived with the mountain bandits. It's about a thirty minute walk if you stick to the trail." Makino directs.
It's only after he leaves that she goes to the back room, and cries. She doesn't need her customers watch her break down. She really hopes that man finds Luffy.
Shanks
"We have company." Benn warns.
Shanks stands up to prepare for a fight. "Do you recognize them?"
"It looks like Garp's ship." Shanks is far too hung over to deal with Garp. Whether it's a fight or just yelling at him for stealing his grandson, Shanks doesn't want to deal with it. Shanks lets out a groan. His crew laughs at his suffering. Traitors.
Once the ship is close enough to see Garp, Shanks notices something is wrong. Garp has a set frown on his face, and not his ordinary 'stupid pirates' frown. It doesn't look angry, just sad. Then, he notices a familiar straw hat. Even Shanks can understand something is seriously wrong with Luffy.
"What happened?" Shanks asks the moment Garp steps foot on his ship.
"Luffy was kidnapped from Dawn Island. It's been a month and we're nowhere near a clue about where he is. I have everyone I can searching for him." Garp says. "I figured you should hang on to his hat."
"You're a vice admiral and you still can't find a lead." It's a statement, not a question. They both know what that means. Someone, is keeping the information hidden. Someone powerful in the marines. Shanks does nothing to hide how pissed he is.
"I know. I'm working on it." Shanks can do things Garp can't as a pirate. Especially since he's an emperor now. If Garp knew who was covering for Luffy's kidnappers, he'd be telling Shanks right now. Instead, Shanks is taking back his old hat and ready to kill the next marine he sees.
Shanks is pissed. Someone hurt a person he cares about and the marines are covering for them. Well, they'll find out just how Shanks feels about this situation.
———
Sad, but it won't be in "Without A Doubt" I promise. This is just a little peak into the universe I plan on creating for the One Piece fanfic I'm writing. I hope you enjoyed this and will enjoy what is about to come.
There is another One shot out now titled "Cora and Law" it is a part of the same universe. It explains how Cora survived and he and Law joined the Revolutionary Army. It could also be read alone, but works best with the rest of the books.