THE VOW
27 years ago, in the dangerous sea known as the Grand Line, a young red-haired boy wearing a straw hat raced across the ship as a young blond-haired girl with purple eyes with pink crosses as iris jogged behind him with another blue-haired boy with a red nose shouted as he ran behind them. "Oi! You brats, calm down!" An older man with slicked-back blond hair and a dark beard shouted at them; they stopped in their tracks, looking at him with guilt.
"Sorry, Rayleigh." They all apologised together, trying to play off as innocent, but they were far from it, and everyone knew it.
"Come on, Shanks, let's go see what food the cook can give us." The girl whispered into the red-haired boy's ear and grabbed him by the hand as they tried getting away from the blue-haired boy. Shanks looked at the girl's hand in his and couldn't help but blush, having a crush on the girl since her arrival on the Oro Jackson.
"Bye, Buggy." Shanks waved as the blond-haired girl dragged him away across the ship down the stairs.
"Hey, Anna! Shanks!" Buggy exclaimed as the other disappeared into the ship to cause more mischief.
ONE PIECE - SYRUP VILLAGE ARC
A few years later came the day of Roger's death; both Anna and Shanks watched the man that helped them become who they were. Anna rubbed her swollen belly. She hadn't seen the man in two years as they had left to create their own pirate crew. The couple watched with tears falling down their faces as the rain clouds gathered above them, helping cover their tears. Anna wiped away her tears as she grabbed Shanks' hand, pulling him away from the alleyway, afraid of being caught and to their new adventures. Shanks tried hiding his tears, covering them with his straw hat, but Anna could see them as she squeezed his hand, pulling him down the street away from the crowds and into the New Era of becoming parents.
ONE PIECE - SYRUP VILLAGE ARC
A year later, Anna gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with hair like her Father's and eyes similar to her Mother's. Dakota Le Roux was the apple of her parent's eye. Shanks proposed a month later, and now Anna stood in a small room; her palms felt clammy, and her nerves were getting to her as it was an important day; she looked at herself in the full-body mirror as one of her crew members came into the room behind her. "You look beautiful, Anna," Benn said, entering the room; she looked back at him in the mirror.
"Am I rushing into this?" Anna asked him as a loud cry sounded out by the door. Anna jumped into action speeding over to the noise and seeing baby Dakota in her crib, crying out for her Mother's touch, feeling her Mother's anxiety. Anna picked up Dakota, trying to calm the fussing baby, bobbing up and down as she soothed the crying baby.
"You know that's not true; you love Shanks and Dakota." Benn reasoned with her and took the now calm baby in his arm as he looked at Anna in her gorgeous wedding dress. He held his arm out to her, and they looped arms and walked out of the room to walk down the aisle.
ONE PIECE - SYRUP VILLAGE ARC
Three years later, a bad storm had rolled in over the Red Force as the Red-Haired Pirates scurried around the ship, trying to keep afloat. Anna stayed with Dakota in her room as she played with her toys on the floor; she sat reading a book, hearing the crash of thunder above and the crew's shouts. A knock on the door pulled Anna out of her book; she got up from her chair in the corner, looking at Dakota playing with her toys. Anna smiled softly in pride at her four-year-old daughter, not knowing it was the last time. She opened the door to see a shadowy figure looming in the hall, recognising them and hoping they would never see each other again. She pulled herself out of the room, closing the door behind her to shield Dakota from whatever was to happen. Inside the room, Dakota continued to play with her boat making splashing noises that were all too familiar, when a loud crash from outside and then a cry from her Mother. Dakota jumped up when a loud bang like a gun went off with a scream, then nothing but silence, just dead silence. Dakota raced to the door, but she couldn't reach the door handle with her short toddler height; she tried jumping up and grabbing the handle, and the door swung open, making her fall to the floor; slowly standing on her feet, she saw the dark hallway in front of her.
ONE PIECE - SYRUP VILLAGE ARC
Dakota went out into the hallway as the ship rocked side to side abruptly, knocking to the side and falling onto something soft; she put her hands out onto the smooth object that caught her and looked up to see her Mother lying there unmoving. Dakota looked at her and saw a pool of blood underneath her; Anna's eyes showed no signs of life; she was dead. "Mummy?" She called out to her, but there was no response. "Mummy, get up!" She cried out, but again there was no response from the blond, and Dakota shook her Mother, getting blood on her clothes but got nothing from her Mother as she lay on the floor, unmoving. Dakota kept shaking her Mother as she tried to wake her, but nothing worked, so she ran up the stairs at the end of the hallway to the top of the ship to find her Father.
ONE PIECE - SYRUP VILLAGE ARC
Dakota ran to the deck, where everyone was busy keeping the ship afloat in the horrible and powerful thunderstorm. She stood looking around for her Father's noticeable red hair but couldn't see him; she tilted her head up, took a deep breath and screamed loud, making everyone turn to look at her. Yasopp jumped over to her shaking figure; as he approached her, he saw the blood covering the front of her pyjamas.
"Dakota, what happened?" He asked the crying four-year-old, stroking her hair to soothe her.
"Mummy, she won't wake up!" She cried, gaining everyone's attention even more. Shanks made his way over to them, taking in his distraught daughter's appearance, but he didn't pay any mind as he took her into his arms and raced down to the hallway where Anna's body lay.
ONE PIECE - SYRUP VILLAGE ARC
Benn took Dakota from Shanks as Benn watched as the Captain kneeled down next to Anna's body and cradled her in his arms, crying as Dakota struggled in Benn's arms, trying to get to her sobbing Father. "Daddy! Mummy won't wake up! What's wrong, Daddy!" Dakota cried out for answers, but Shanks wouldn't answer, and that was the first dead body Dakota saw.
ONE PIECE - SYRUP VILLAGE ARC
Seven long years later, the Red Force pulled into port, and everyone made their way off the ship; Shanks and Dakota came off last as they made their way into the town for food and drink. Dakota had her Father's red hair and her Mother's beautiful features. Shanks darted his eyes around, trying to keep an eye out for any boys like he had for every island they had taken port at. Dakota sighed in annoyance before walking off behind her overprotective Father.