Chapter Text
Makino returned to the kitchen, walking lightly so as not to wake her son, who had just came back to sleep after waking due to the loud thunder. She slowed down just to look out the window, trying to see something beyond the heavy rain.
The storm had hit in the late afternoon and they had made it just in time to move everything that didn't need to be wet for the wedding into a large barn, offered by one of the farmers.
Luckily nothing irreparable had happened, otherwise after the effort put in by everyone it would have been a huge shame.
However, what really worried her was something else.
After Uta failed to show up again, she suggested to Nami to look for her and Luffy at Dadan’s place. She knew that although only Luffy was found, he had then been sent to find his fiancée.
They didn't expect to see him return late in the evening, alone, ignoring all their worries and asking for food.
Or at least, they could expect all aside the absence of the person he had been tasked to look for.
And no matter how much he explained to them, while trying to avoid getting beat up by Nami, that he had found Uta and talked with her. The thought of the girl being out there alone, upset and in such weather didn't give any comfort.
She was just about to go back to the dishes when she heard a muffled noise.
*knock knock*
She immediately stopped and tried to focus her hearing. It was difficult to hear anything from outside with the sound of pouring rain, but she could swear it was coming from there.
*knock knock*
She wasn't mistaken, it seemed like someone was knocking on her door.
But who could it be at that time of the night and under such a downpour?
She walked towards it, moving her hand towards the doorknob, still wondering if there was really anyone there or if it was just some noise caused by the wind.
As if those silent thoughts had been spoken aloud, from the other side of the door a faint voice spoke “Makino…?”
Without hesitation, recognizing her, the woman opened the door urgently and found a very familiar face in front of her, despite the wet tufts of two-tone hair covering her forehead.
Uta said nothing more from the moment her eyes finally met Makino's. She thought she knew what to say, her reason to come to the threshold of that door.
However, words seemed to fail her and all she could do was control the trembling of her arms exposed to the cold wind of the turbulent night.
After a moment, just enough time to recover from the surprise, the gentle hands of the innkeeper immediately took those of the young woman and guided her inside.
She didn't seem to have ever told Uta where she lived in the past, but she was still grateful she had found her way.
As if moved by automatism, Makino immediately took her in front of the fireplace and signaled her to wait, before disappearing down a corridor.
In those moments of solitude, Uta made no sign of moving, much less did she dare to sit down as Makino would have desired.
The water dripping onto her skin was cold and she felt her soaked clothes growing heavier, but it wasn't the warmth of that fireplace she had come looking for.
“Here, put these on while I wash and dry yours.” Finally Makino reappeared, and the first thing she did was place a nightgown on the nearby armchair.
"We should have the same size by now anyway."
She could have given her some normal clothes, but she certainly wouldn't have let her go back out there in this weather, even if she wanted to.
To her relief, Uta didn't seem particularly in a hurry to leave, although she didn't express joy in being there either.
Noticing the girl's lack of mobility, Makino opened the towel to extend it as much as possible and with a patient smile brought it closer. "Do you mind or do you want to be alone?"
They knew each other well enough that it wasn't a problem to change in front of each other, but she wasn't sure what Uta's emotional and mental state was.
"No… it's okay… you can stay."
The woman nodded and gently helped Uta take off her usual white dress, now completely wet.
Slowly, layer by layer, each piece of cloth was removed and placed close enough to the fire to allow it to dry. Uta cleaned herself too with a slightly damp cloth and dried until only her hair was left, gathered in a bun.
Once Uta had put on her pajamas and was finally sitting down, Makino walked away a few meters, grabbing the pot of previously brewed tea and pouring it into two cups.
"A good herbal tea with honey helps prevent many sicknesses" she took them both and returned to the girl, gently handing her one "Be careful, it's hot."
“Thank you,” Uta murmured, her voice slightly hoarse.
“You’re welcome"
The following minutes were spent in total silence, simply listening to the pleasant counterpoint between the drops falling from the sky and the burning of the wood in the flames.
Everything expressed a warm atmosphere, but perhaps not even that herbal tea was able to warm Uta's soul.
As if to prove it, she slowly pulled the cup away from her lips, unable to sip any further. She leaned forward slightly, arching her back and began to observe the shadow of the cup she had just placed on the table in front of the fireplace.
How could it be so difficult? Yet if she had decided to come there was a reason. She didn't know if she had followed her head or instinct, but it couldn’t have been for nothing.
Where was she supposed to start?
"I can't choose the dress" was the most coherent thing she could utter.
Probably not from there.
Who on earth could be stupid enough to venture into a storm in the middle of the night just to ask for fashion advice?
There was apparently no good reason.
But Makino seemed to understand this and not very surprisingly she didn't laugh at the question, rather taking it with seriousness but also serenity "What is it that you don't like about the clothes that you and the others have selected?"
"I would like a… unique one. The wedding dress should be one of a kind and I feel like none of them are really mine." She pointed to herself, touching her chest with her fingers.
It went beyond the neckline, or the padding of the fabrics. The choice between narrow and tight or wide and bubbly shapes had nothing to do with it.
They all looked too good, too unfit for her, too perfect.
Her dress was supposed to make her shine, but she felt dirty.
"Hmm. Is it that you don’t feel like it’s enough?"
Uta moved her gaze to the flames that burned so close to her, but whose ardor she felt so far "I don't know if I will ever be for him..."
A few seconds of waiting, then Makino asked cautiously, "Are you referring to Luffy?"
"..."
But from the almost nostalgic expression on Uta's face, her eyes shining fragile like glass, she could already read the answer.
She wasn't talking about her future husband.
"Let's try the reverse question then..." the woman leaned in a similar way "What is it that you would like from this dress?"
Uta bit her lip, so exhausted that only a small glimpse of her frustration came to the surface. “I don't know how I want it…”
"I mean what would you like it to represent? What is its purpose?" She patiently rephrased, "Would you like to create the perfect combination of beauty and elegance? Shock all the guests?"
"I would like for it to…-" Uta closed her eyes, trying to imagine, dream… not a specific aspect of the dress, but an aspect of herself.
"-show who I am today."
Who she had been that she was now no longer entirely. Who she aimed to be in the future…
"But I guess it’s just a surreal concept..."
Makino watched her turn slightly, turning in the direction of the fireplace fire, enchanted by the magic of those dancing flames.
"Sometimes I felt like it wasn't the dress that wasn't up to par because I'm superior, but that it’s so good that I can’t even begin to deserve wearing it. I think I need something more on my low level..."
"Honey…"
"But at the same time... despite everything, I am happy with where I am and who I am. And I would like what I wear on one of the best days of my life to say: look, this is me !" She announced, while her irises invaded by orange reflections shone with desire.
Makino, with her hazel eyes, tried to accompany that emotion "And who do you want to look at you?"
"...It doesn't matter. It’s just me being selfish..."
"You know, I don't think it's that wrong to be selfish once in a while. You're the bride, you can afford it" even though she wasn't looking, Makino winked at her, speaking sympathetically.
Uta let out a laugh, for the first time all evening. Weak, but sincere "You think so?"
"You are the least selfish person I know, allow yourself to make some exceptions." The woman confirmed, letting her sincerity shine through "What would make you feel better right now?"
"I don't know if it would be the right thing..."
“Ignore for a moment what would be morally right, ignore the lessons of the past.” Makino pressed, with what on the surface seemed like the most ignorant advice possible.
But it was precisely with its strangeness and inadequacy that she captured the girl's attention, who was left holding her breath in confusion.
“Who do you want to be there more than anyone else?”
Who did she want to be there and watch as she showed the world the life she'd built for herself? For them to see how much happiness she had managed to achieve with all her efforts?
For the first time in a long time, he was the person Uta wanted next to her.
She didn't want him to accompany her to her altar, to symbolically entrust her to the man who had allowed her to get up and find her strength again.
However unfair it would be to herself, however undeserving he was, however unforgivable…
As hypocritical it might seem…
She wanted to be selfish.
She wanted to be spoiled.
The tears rolled down her cheeks as she saw Makino watching her with a sweet and encouraging smile.
"I want my dad!" Uta sobbed.
Makino's arms immediately opened and with equal speed the girl rushed between them, letting herself be enveloped by that embrace, that type of warmth that she had sought so much in recent times.
"I-I'm sorry about everything that happened and-and that I made you worry"
"I know sweetie... but it wasn't your fault"
"I-It wasn't! It was because of those damned Navy guys! And-and then Shanks…-!" She continued to cry in a mixture of acceptance and anger "H-He hurt me so much! So, so, so freaking much!!"
She gripped Makino's blouse tightly, a gesture that the woman ignored, simply holding her even tighter.
"A-And yet I wish he were here! I don't want to want him around, I shouldn't... but I also want him to see! I want him to see because it's his fault, and also merit that I got this far! I want him to see who I've become and be proud!"
"Of course" the other nodded, letting a few tears escape from her own eyes too "And that's okay. If that's what you want, so be it. I'm sure he'll be proud of the woman you've become, just as Luffy is, as we all are... especially me.”
She gently lifted her head, two fingers under her chin "And are you proud?"
After all she had been through, was she proud?
Was she proud of having transformed from a girl ready to hurt herself for others, to one ready to love herself for others?
"Yes…" she replied, rubbing her eyes to wipe away the tears.
"Then for that dress... forget about the different dress, the fairytale one, and wear something of your own, which represents the girl you are proud to be." Makino helped dry those soft, lined cheeks, gently stroking them with the palms of her hands. "Everyday Uta already shines brighter than ever."
The young bride laughed loudly, then moved her gaze to her wet clothes. “I think I know where to start.”
"Also for the other matter at hand?"
"Hm-hm." Uta nodded "I’ll take care of it, but tomorrow. Unless I have to go away now…?"
"Of course, now that you’re not worried I'll kick you out!" Makino replied ironically. “Seriously though, I'll kick inside the bed.”
Uta stood up, raising her hands in surrender and giggling “Okay, okay mom-”
She stopped short when that word came out of her mouth, covering her face in embarrassment.
Her primary intent was probably to joke, but perhaps her heart spoke truthfully.
“I-I…”
“Uta-”
“I-I know we haven't spent as much time together as it seems and that you a-already have a child and I would never dare to impose myself but-”
"Sweetheart-"
“But if by chance-”
“Uta!” Makino repeated a little louder, but without severity or anger. She walked over to the girl and gently took her hands, taking them away from her face and revealing a light blush on it.
She continued to hold them, observing kindly and above all silently, waiting for the girl to finish without having to hide, in any sense.
Uta swallowed and took a deep breath “Makino, would you mother me at the wedding?”
Tears began to form in Makino's eyes, but she never lost her smile as she emotionally nodded. “I would be honored,” she replied, enveloping Uta in a heartfelt hug.
Luffy, Uta, Ace, Sabo... all those children to her were her own as much as the one she had given birth to herself. She didn't care how long they had known each other or how much specifically she had been allowed to watch over them.
Those children were the heart of the kingdom of Goa, among smiles, tears, dreams and regrets.
A proposal like that, it could just fill her chest with joy.
…
Clear skies, clouds on the horizon, everything seemed to be calm.
Perhaps because everyone's ears, even sea monsters’, were turned elsewhere.
Everyone was headed there except them.
There was no wind to push them in the right direction, after all. Or maybe it was his choice to not follow it, even fighting to go the opposite way.
Not widely shared, even if no one said it openly.
Only behind his back, not even that far away.
"Are we really not going?"
"We're not invited, it's kinda obvious."
Obviously the news of Luffy and Uta's wedding had reached them too, they would have had to live on another planet to miss it, but if on the one hand everyone on the Red Force were all incredibly happy for their "daughter”, on the other they couldn't avoid feeling their heart tighten in a grip.
It had spread thanks to invitations received by many people, but they were not among them.
Initially it hadn't seemed like a huge issue, especially considering how difficult it would be to track them down to deliver it to them.
Then time passed and so did the realization that perhaps that delay was not a coincidence, but rather a deliberate choice, just as it had been accompanied by imminent acceptance.
They really couldn't expect otherwise.
They might have had a meeting point, there might have been some sort of reconciliation, but they couldn't have erased the fact that her family had abandoned her.
Of course, her father Shanks was the one who had made the terrible decision, but they had gone after the Captain, and with that choice they had also taken part in that terrible act.
If the girl didn't feel like inviting the Red-haired's crew on one of the most important days for her, after they had turned their backs on her and didn't show up on all the days she had to spend alone for 12 years, they couldn't do anything but to accept it.
That didn't mean it was easy to swallow such a big, bitter pill.
The silence that dominated the ship spoke louder than those on board.
It was only after hours of Shanks not showing up, not even for their evening drinking session, that Benn decided to break into his time of self-imposed isolation.
He simply approached the man, silent and sad. It was enough to glance at him to see how much his admired Captain had let himself go.
It had become Red-haired's habit to drink until the hangover made him fall asleep.
He had never said it openly, but despite the confrontation with Uta, sleep had tormented him more and more as the nights went by.
Pursued and massacred by guilt, now that Luffy had become King of the Pirates and the world continued towards a bright future, he was left with a long-awaited sense of emptiness.
He hadn't even allowed himself to dream of a feeling of fulfillment, of satisfaction that would be enough for him for the rest of his life. Because he had always been aware of the baseness of his choices and how much they would take away from him once everything had changed definitively.
Everything and everyone had moved on, Uta had moved on, as expected.
And now, he remained just part of a route. Halfway between the two large peaks reached by a pirate very close to him; Post-Roger, pre-Luffy.
One who all along had done his own stuff, more negative than positive, as far as his heart could judge.
"All quiet, huh?" Benn attempted "Too much for my taste."
He had warned Shanks, very clearly, about what the decisions he wanted to take might have caused. Maybe they escaped the worst case scenario, but for that they had Luffy and pure luck to thank... for saving their daughter in every sense.
However, there was no need to remind him any further, it wouldn't have solved anything. And he feared that this time his Captain was sailing lost in waters too lonely to find his way easily.
"Hm, indeed relaxing doesn't hurt."
"It gave you wrinkles... you look like you're over sixty."
"Ahaha, some respect for your captain?" Shanks laughed, but without really giving authenticity to his humor.
Oh, but it was because Benn respected him so much that he couldn't accept seeing him like that. "I think there are better ways to pass the time"
"Hm?"
"Is this really what you want? To run away and make yourself unreachable until this is all over?"
A couple of seconds passed and Shanks replied "Of course not, we'll stick around and make sure no one comes near Foosha for anything other than partying."
Benn looked at him suspiciously "And I imagine you don't want to stop by to say hello..."
Shanks smiled, seemingly serene "You know how the situation is" they would be gone before anyone could notice, or in any case, before they could be confronted.
His second in command didn't answer, aware that unless the situation changed, Shanks wouldn't go back on that decision.
"That's fine." The Captain insisted, sensing the thoughts of his trusted companion. He knew it was a disaster, but the last thing he wanted was to be treated like a kid made of glass. He would have preferred teasing than their tact and silence, or their looks of pity.
But he would swallow his frustration to respect their personal sadness.
"We could at least congratulate ourselves in some way..."
"The only thing that matters... is that those two are happy," Red-haired muttered, shaking his head and letting his shoulders drop.
If their presence could make Uta's joy waver on a day like that, he would have stayed out of her life. He would have protected her from the shadows and would have supported her in her choices as he should have done years before.
"Don't…-" Beckman's words didn't have time to continue, interrupted by the arrival of Lime Juice.
The blond approached quickly, with a frantic expression "Boss! There's a call for you!" He informed, handing the Den Den Mushi.
"Was it so urgent that you had to spit all over our faces?" Benn complained, but without getting too upset, pushing him away just with his finger.
However, looking closer at the companion’s face, his expression mimicked that of Shanks, stunned to see the tears falling from behind Lime Juice's glasses.
He was speechless.
The pirate with the long blond hair sniffed at him, not really managing to contain himself. "It's from Foosha..." he insisted, pushing the Den Den Mushi further and further towards the two.
Shanks' body tensed, feeling the familiarity of that name reach his ears.
Has something perhaps happened?
None of the inhabitants had ever contacted him, not even Makino with whom he had a good relationship, who certainly had not made an exception to convince him to come to the wedding.
But how else could he have explained that big crying face in front of him?
Shanks was a broken and battered man, perhaps even a coward of a father, but he would not turn his back on his friends.
He grabbed the microphone and brought it to his mouth, not even wasting time to clear his throat. “Hello? I'm Shanks.”
"Hi, Shanks."
The voice that greeted him immediately made both the Captain and his deputy freeze.
They could never mistake that voice, and not because it was probably the most famous in the world.
He had been there when she had spoken her first words after all…
Shanks' mouth was dry, yet he tried to swallow, trying not to let a croak come out of his mouth first.
"... H-Hello..." he failed, but amidst the fear, the nervousness... surely what managed to shine through was tenderness.
For a few seconds neither of them came forward, perhaps unable to find the right words, still awkward in holding out their hands towards each other.
Uta was the first to defeat that nervousness "I'm getting married in a week..." she said, regardless of whether he already knew or not, because only one thing mattered "You'll be there, right? Dad...?"
As if a gust of heat had exploded in his chest, Shanks released a snort, mixed with a sob and tears began to flow.
With the snail clutched to his chest, the man leaned forward, jolting with each breath.
How could he have taken everything for granted like that?
It wasn't up to him to decide when he was a father to Uta; just as he could no longer impose himself, he could no longer deny his presence either.
He had decided by himself, resigned himself to having to love her from a distance, to the fact that she no longer wanted to have anything to do with him, without even making sure of it.
If he still had a left arm, he would have covered his eyes.
His little girl still needed him.
He raised the snail to his mouth and nodded… "Of course."
He would not fail to be there, not this time.
A few more seconds of silence were spent on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, but when he heard his daughter's melodious voice again, he could bet she was smiling. "Then I'll wait for you. Please don't stop and get drunk on the way, on some desert island, okay?"
Accompanied by the sobbing laughter of the two companions Benn and Lime Juice, also unable to control their emotions, Shanks limited himself to reassure "I wouldn't miss it for the world..."
…
Across many seas, the girl put down the communicator, a sweet smile painting her lips.
She still had a tingling feeling inside her chest, but she felt much lighter...
*Thump*
She quickly turned behind her, where she found Luffy looking at her, arms full of pieces of meat and intent on picking up a chicken leg that had just fallen to the ground.
"Oi." He greeted, as if nothing had happened.
"Oi." She greeted back.
"Want some?" He offered, lifting the load just a little.
Uta's smile grew "Yes, thank you" she nodded, picking up the fallen piece of food from the ground.
Standing up, her gaze met Luffy's and for a moment neither of them moved.
Then the boy couldn't hold back a toothy grin, certainly a strong contrast with the expressions of the night before.
This was more than visible to Uta, who tilted her head slightly "What is it?"
"Nothing" Luffy replied simply "You seem happy"
After the surprise, Uta looked at him softly "I am"
"Good." He nodded.
He was just so happy to see that smile again. The most beautiful smile in the world.
"LUFFY!! IF YOU DON'T TRY ON THE CLOTHES I'LL SHOVE CHIPPED BONES UP YOUR ASS!!" a voice boomed in the air and shivers took over.
