A/N
I apologise for the delay, really. IRL has been crazy lately, so the moment I got some breather, I put in a chapter.
I know its short but do bear with me. And no, this story won't be abandoned.
Special thanks to Fox & Archer for helping out with the fic as well as Murph and Maruf for beta.
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Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters except for the OCs.
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Chapter 5
The journey from Ohara was a tough one for Garp. It took all the marine's willpower to stop himself from destroying every damned ship that fired at the island. So many lives were lost all for studying something that the World Government deemed to be a taboo. At times like these, Garp found himself questioning his decisions and the Marines' motto of 'Absolute Justice.' The definition had become even more blurred as time progressed and the new bloods weren't helping things, especially that damned brat – Akainu. The Vice-Admiral's views were extreme and strongly resonated with that of the five elders, so for him to eventually become an Admiral and consequently, Fleet Admiral wasn't too far out.
Garp sighed as he looked up at the eye on the mast. His Observation Haki had alerted him about the additional presence on the ship and he immediately deduced that the dark-haired girl had eaten a Devil Fruit.
All he could do was nod his head solemnly in understanding at the eye. He watched as it eventually dispersed when they were far away from what used to be Ohara. The marine relayed further instructions to his men to get to the calm belt, stop at one of the islands along the way to resupply and then make their way to Marineford where Sengoku was waiting for his report.
He then started walking towards his cabin where he needed to have a word with the girl. Luffy was going to be out of it for a while since he had practically burned his entire energy the moment he unleashed that intense wave of Conqueror's Haki. A part of Garp was jubilant to find that even his grandson possessed it, and was excited to see the effect it would have on his growth since he had unleashed it at such a young age. However, the other part of him lamented and kicked itself for the methods he had used to achieve said result. He ultimately shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his head. Now wasn't the time to look back, what was done, was done. There wasn't anything that he could do now but he would make sure that Luffy had a bright future.
Eventually, he reached his destination, took a breath and headed in.
Robin had been holding her knees and crying soundlessly with her face buried in between them when the door to the room opened. She quickly made herself smaller in the corner of the room where she couldn't be seen and got ready in case someone else had come. However, her worries were unfounded as she heard the Hero of the Marines take a deep sigh.
"You can come out, no one is going to come in," he said as he sat on a chair and gestured for Robin to take the opposite one.
The girl looked up at him with teary eyes, unable to contain her emotions any longer. She was rattled by what she had seen and clearly was trying her best to remain as calm as she could. Nonetheless, she heeded the marine's words and sat on the chair.
"Why?" that was the only question that came out of her mouth. One simple word yet it held a deeper meaning than anything else.
Once again, Garp sighed before he asked, "Will you be able to live with it?"
"Better than wondering about it my entire life," the girl replied.
"What you saw was the buster call. It is a privilege granted to the highest levels of the Marines and the World Government. In special cases and upon approval, this can be given to a subordinate by any of those who hold one. It is simple to activate it – one just needs to press the button on the golden den-den mushi. As soon as it's pressed, a signal is sent to the Marines after which a fleet of 10 ships and 5 vice-admirals is immediately dispatched to the specified location. It cannot be cancelled. It is the marine's version of 'Absolute Justice'," Garp said in an angry tone at the end.
He then continued in a serious tone, "What I'm about to tell you is confidential information. You're a smart one and deserve to know this. I trust you won't do anything stupid for now."
Robin nodded her head.
"The person-in-charge this time was the leader of CP-9, Spandine. Permission to use the buster call was given by Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Spandine was not to use this and avoid it at all costs but these orders were overridden by someone higher up."
"But why Ohara?" Robin asked once again. She also made sure to remember the two names Garp had just supplied.
"Patience child. You know it as well as I do as to why this happened, do you still want me to say it?" Garp asked.
"But all we seek is knowledge about the lost history. We never wanted anything else!" the girl exclaimed as tears threatened to break out once again.
"Forbidden knowledge that is seen as taboo by the World Government. Even if you lot didn't mean any harm, in their eyes, you still committed blasphemy and as such, they punished you in a way they deemed fit. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely don't agree with the way they handled things, there were other ways to go about it. I am just telling you the way they think," Garp said with a sigh. "At times like these, I regret joining the Marines, I really do."
Robin searched the marine's eyes for any lie or deceit but all she saw was weariness, anger and guilt. Even though this man was the strongest Marine and at the forefront of things, it all came with a toll.
"What about the others who didn't do anything wrong? Why didn't you save them? You're the Hero of the Marines, saving innocent people is your job, isn't it?" she asked.
Garp sat silently for a moment debating whether to tell the harsh truth or avoid the question altogether. He knew that nothing would come from avoiding or lying; thus, he decided to lay everything bare.
"If I was alone, I would act even if it meant having the whole world against me but right now, I have to take care of Luffy. My grandson is the most important person in my life. I would rather watch the world burn if it meant saving him in exchange," the marine said with determination and fire in his eyes. The Monkey family always prioritized relations – family whether blood related or not stood above everything else for them. Of course, it was not blind faith, their definition of a family always had to contain the words trust and loyalty. If either one was missing, they would never acknowledge an individual as a family regardless of how close they may be.
The girl, who had never experienced such emotion couldn't help but look at Garp in wonder and admiration. The set of values that he carried was truly awe-inspiring. Despite this, a small part of her heart couldn't help but protest the marine's decision. She would of course feel that way since she just saw all her people get massacred for the sins that she and the other scholars carried. Unknowingly, a tear made its way down her cheek as memories started resurfacing once again.
"Nico Robin, listen well. This is not the end of the line for you. What happened shouldn't have ever happened but there's nothing that we can do to change it. However, we can improve the future and look forward to what we can do next. So, take your time for now. Eat and rest. Think it over. No one will come inside this cabin. Once you are ready, call me. And one last thing – don't let Luffy know that you're here. Keep it a secret from him for now, it is important," Garp said as he patted the girl's head softly, flashed a smile and left the room, wanting to give her some time alone.
The vice-admiral then made his way towards Luffy's room to check on his grandson who had been asleep for a while.
Just as he entered the room, he saw Luffy sitting on the bed, hugging his knees with a dejected look on his face. The boy just looked at his grandfather, acknowledging his presence before staring off into the distance once again.
Garp sat down beside his grandson and said, "Luffy, this is a side of the world that I wish no one, let alone a child, should ever witness. I know you're sad about what happened especially with Nico Robin but there wasn't anything I could do, you ..."
"But you're the Hero of the Marines!" the boy exclaimed, interrupting Garp. "You're the strongest, didn't you always say that the Marines' job was to protect people? So why didn't you protect anyone?"
Garp visibly deflated as he heard the words come out of his grandson's mouth. He knew he could've, scratch that, should've done something but his desire to protect Luffy was far stronger than anything because after all, he was his blood – his family.
"Luffy, first calm down. We'll talk about it slowly from the start. I got an order from Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral, to withdraw from this island immediately. Do you think a subordinate has to listen to the orders of their superior?"
The raven-haired boy nodded.
"Now, what do you think would happen if I Ignored these orders?"
"They will punish you?"
"Correct. And what about beating up or killing a Marine? Do you know the punishment?"
"Jail or death," the boy answered.
"Tell me now, if grandpa beat up the Marines in order to save Ohara, he would be jailed or killed right?"
Luffy nodded.
"So, if either happened to grandpa, who would take care of you?"
The boy slowly nodded as he realized the reasoning behind Garp's actions.
"Luffy," Garp started in the gentlest tone, "For the Monkey D. clan, family always comes first whether blood related or not. As long as you acknowledge one as family, you must stand by their side through everything regardless of what the world says or does. You are my grandson, my blood, do you think I would ever let anything happen to you?"
Tears welled up in Luffy's eyes as he heard those heartfelt words from the usually stern Garp.
"I'm sorry Jii-chan," the boy said as tears started making their way down his face. "I was so concerned for Robin. She was my first friend, I...," Luffy couldn't speak more as he broke down once again as the events of the day started making their way back to his mind.
Garp gently wrapped the boy in a hug as Luffy cried his eyes out until slowly he got tired and gradually drifted to sleep once again.
It pained him, having to lie to Luffy like this. He wanted Luffy to live a normal life unlike the ones he or Dragon lived but deep down, he knew it would be impossible. Their family had always been firmly intertwined with fate itself and they had always been involved in world-defying events. All he could do was get his grandson ready and give him the strength to face the world regardless of his personal feelings.
With that thought in mind, Garp walked out of the room, his commander face back on as they sailed towards Marineford.