Caly gained consciousness as she slowly moved her hand.. she breathes in and out thinking if she's really alive or if she's dead.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked around..
Hardwood ceiling, tight space, the room's slightly swaying.. this means..
It's a ship!!
Her eyes widened as she remembered being in a ship and getting hurt.. completely forgetting her peaceful dream..
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!" She tried to shout but her voice, it's gone and her throat hurting at the same time. So she tried to stand up only crashing to the bedside table causing the cluttered items to fall.
Whitebeard's crew who were just outside her room heard this, went immediately to her aide and opened the door.
She was startled when the door opened and as soon as she saw them..
"DON'T TOUCH ME!!! STAY AWAY FROM ME PIRATES!!!!!" She screamed with all her might even though she's certain that her voice just cracks.
"It's okay!! We're good pirates!! It's okay!!" coaxing the traumatized child as she went back to bed and covered herself with the duvet.
"Caly!" That voice!
"T-tochan?" She slowly lowers the covers and looks at the door. Seeing the figure that she missed the most makes her tears fall uncontrollably.
"My treasure!" He ran towards her and kneel down to hug her.
"How are you? Are you alright?? Are you hurt?? Are y--" he stopped asking when he felt her shaking.
"T-tochan? I-is it really you?" As her voice cracks, Whitebeard can't help but feel hurt and useless, remembering the pirates that has caused for his daughter to be like this.
"Yes my treasure.. it's me.. it's okay now.. everything's fine.. I'm here now.." Her father comforted as he stroke her hair calmly, as he always do every time she cries.
"T-tochan.. G-gonbei a-and M-martha... *sniff* t-they.. t-they're dead! T-the p-pirates.. they k-killed them! T-tochan! Those p-pirates.. they k-illed them!!"
All Whitebeard could do is calm her down. Whispering that everything is alright now.. He's mad for what they did to his daughter and somehow felt awful. Killing them is not enough..
"T-tochan.." she called as she lets go of the hug..
"P-please take me w-with you.. D-don't leave me a-alone again.." Caly said with tears streaming down her face.
Whitebeard clenched his fist. Angry at the fact that his daughter would cry like this. Angry at the fact that he left her. Angry at the fact that she's all alone facing those damn pirates. Angry by himself for not being a good father. But this time.. he will do it right. Nobody can hurt his daughter anymore as long as he is alive.
"Yes my treasure.. We'll be together from now on.. Tochan will never leave you.." Caly cried and hugged her father..
Since Whitebeard is facing backwards at the door.. Caly saw the pirates that burst in earlier.. They were getting emotional and crying watching the scene in front of them..
She chuckled at how stupid they looked.
They immediately went silent when they heard her little chuckle..
Whitebeard then shouted..
"What are you all standing for?! Hurry up and cook a feast for my daughter!! We're celebrating!!" He ordered his crew who are still teary eyed..
"Aye oyaji!!" And then they ran off.
Preparing a feast didn't take that long since the villagers helped them as soon as they heard the good news.
They decided to celebrate in the village..
Everyone's taking care of Caly, giving her food left and right in which she just accepted since it has been a month since she ate..
Dancing, singing, laughing, everyone is having a good time. Whitebeard observed her daughter who has been talking to the kids in which he thinks are her friends from a distance.
He remembered the thing that the pirates have said.
'Two devil fruits? Is that even possible?'
"Caly..Come here.." Caly excused herself from her friends and slowly made her way over to her father since she really hasn't recover yet.
"Yes tochan?" she whispered the last word knowing that her birth father is still unknown from the villagers.
"I have something to ask you."
"What is it Tochan?" she asked as tilted her head to the side.
"Do you know something about devil fruits?" Whitebeard asked. Caly puts her right hand against her chin as she thinks deeply.. Whitebeard smiled as she hasn't changed a bit.
"A devil fruit? No. why?" deciding to answer as she has found nothing in racking her brain.
Of course, Innocent as always.
"Did you perhaps ate a weird looking fruit?" he asked trying to make it simple for her to understand.
Caly tried to remember if she has.
"Ah! Yes I did! At that p-pirate ship." She started shaking when she remembered what happened.
"Caly it's okay. I'm here.. I can protect you..." again stroking her hair as he noticed her teary eyes.
Most of the villagers have said goodbyes and gone home to sleep and some are passed out on the floor along with some whitebeard pirates.. the rest, which are the higher ranks of the pirates were still awake and drinking..
Caly's sitting on her father's lap as they share their own stories.. You can clearly see how much they have missed each other.
"Tochan, what is a devil fruit? Because I remember them saying why I didn't die after eating those weird fruits." She asked remembering the question her father asked her earlier. The crew immediately stopped their random endeavors and listened.
"Fruits you say. That means.. " A guy with a yellow hair and slanted eyes went near them after having heard their conversation.
"That's right Marco. The pirates on the ship said so too. She ate two devil fruits." Whitebeard stated making everyone gasped except Caly who looked around, getting nervous at their reactions.
"Am I going to die tochan?" She asked as she gets teary eyed.
"Do you feel any pain?" Whitebeard asked calmly.
"Besides my neck, back and leg. No. I feel fine." her voice still cracks so she tried to speak lower as possible to not further damage her throat.
Whitebeard looks at Caly carefully assessing her. It's the first time he has seen a person who ate two devil fruits and lived.
"Well, as your mother always say, you were born different my treasure. As long as you feel fine, we have nothing to worry about. But don't worry, we'll definitely look into it." Whitebeard decided to brush it off so that her daughter won't be stressed. Some of her wounds have not yet healed and he doesn't want her to worry.
They continued on their storytelling until he saw her stifle a yawn..
"Caly do you want to sleep?" upon hearing this, she vigorously shook her head no. She wants to talk to her father more.. Chuckling at his daughter as he realized why she acted that way he said..
"Don't worry my treasure.. we still have plenty more days to catch up.. Come on, i'll tuck you in.." Caly smiled and let out a yawn.. feeling drowsy as her father carried her back to the ship.. tucking her on the bed she's been on earlier that day, he kissed her forehead goodnight.. she smiled as she fall asleep.
Whitebeard went out of the room and head back to the deck, he gestured for Marco to go near him which he complied.
"Marco, her condition is very different, please make sure no one will know about it for now and while you're in it, I want you to investigate her case. I don't want her dying because of this fruits. Understood?"
"Hai Oyaji!" Marco saluted.
The next morning.. Caly walked along the shores with her father.. They had just visited the grave of Martha and Gonbei and now Caly have asked Whitebeard to accompany her.. she said that she needs to retrieve something important..
"Now Caly.. what was it that is so important that you need to walk a long distance for.." Now Whitebeard is just being over dramatic by saying a long walk.. it's actually near the village.. but since Caly has not yet fully recovered seeing her with a crutch to support her, he can't help but be worried.
"We're near tochan.. It's important for me so please be patient." Caly didn't even glance his way as she talks.. instead she's busy retracing her steps, trying to remember where she had buried it..
"Is it a treasure??" Whitebeard deduced.. since they were walking along the shore .. maybe it's a buried treasure.
Caly giggles as she nods..
She sighed as soon as she saw the familiar rock.. once they reached it, she immediately kneels and starts shoveling with her hands. Whitebeard said that he would do it for her but she stopped him saying that she can do it.
After a few more shoveling.. she found it..
"Look tochan! My treasure!" She exclaimed raising a large size cloak.
"It's a cloak." Whitebeard sounded almost disappointed.. well.. he's really disappointed. A cloak?
"It was given to me by the boy I met last year tochan.. I've told you about him!" Whitebeard tried to remember the mentioned boy in her tons of story that she had shared to him..
"Ah that Toro.." He let out a sigh.. his daughter talking about a boy saddens him.. he doesn't want to share his daughter with anyone else.. well not until her right age. For now he wants him to be his little girl..
" Zoro tochan.. geez.. you could be forgetful sometimes.." Caly said as she dusted off the sand from the cloak..
"That's rather big for you.. don't you think?" He asked when she raised the cloak..
"He said that I'll grow into it.. Isn't it beautiful tochan?" Giggling as she hugged her said treasure.. Whitebeard just sighed at the cuteness of his daughter.
"You are prettier my treasure.." He said as he picked her up and starts walking back to their ship..
Caly smiled then frowned as she remembers that they have to leave the island later..
"I'm going to miss this place tochan.." Sniffing as she wiped the tears that are threatening to fall from her eyes..
"Did they treat you good treasure?" He asked even though he already knows the answer.. he just want to know her perspective on the matter.
"They're the best.. I have tons of friends and they were so nice to me.." Her tears now started to fall unable to stop it.. she nuzzled her head on the shoulder of her father, finding comfort in it. Whitebeard smiled as he stroke the back of Caly's head, trying to coax her..
When they arrived at the ship, everyone were already there.. Whitebeard set down his daughter in the middle of them to give their chance to say their farewells. She might never come back to this place but definitely would like to visit sometimes even though it sounds impossible.
Caly cries as she says goodbye to everyone.. the villagers were kind enough to offer Caly a home telling them that they'll take care of her but she politely declined.. the whitebeard's made an excuse that she has to be monitored by a doctor that's why she will be going with them..
After their hearty goodbyes.. they set sail to Grandline, Caly smiled, looking forward to a new adventure!