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Chapter Text

Shanks and his daughter sat outside the high school in Shanks' truck and both were a little hesitant for her to go inside.

"Dad, do I really have to go? Can't I start school tomorrow?" Shanks looked at his little girl and sighed, seeing the pouty frown. He felt his resolve breaking but the image of his angry wife, though usually an absolute sweetheart, had him cringing and turning back to stare out his window.

"You have to go. Your mother will kill me if she finds out I let you skip out on your first day of the new high school. Though I'm sure Makino would understand, you know she wants what is best for you."

Both individuals cringed at the idea of an angry Makino. Though they both loved her dearly, Shanks knew his wife could be scarier than anyone he'd ever met, and he was part of an underground mafia group.

"Alright, well... I guess I'll get going then. I love you, dad."

Shanks looked at his daughter and saw the nervous expression she tried hiding with determination and he couldn't help but lean across the console and hug her tightly. She laughed and pushed at him jokingly before hugging him back. It definitely helped calm her nerves.

"Do your best today, kiddo. And maybe you'll see Luffy! It's been a while since you've seen him, but he was excited to hear the two of you would be going to school together again."

Luffy and his older brother Ace had lived next door with their grandpa Garp for most of (Y/n)'s childhood until Garp got assigned to a new area. Being a marine was never easy and they knew it would happen eventually. That didn't help the kids when they finally had to part ways.

They had stayed in touch for about a year before life just got in the way and now she couldn't remember the last time she had even heard their voices. She was excited though. They had been her best friends.

When (Y/n) walked into the classroom, one of the teachers began introducing her.

"This is Akagami (Y/n), our new stud-"

" (Y/N)!! "

Both (Y/n) and the teacher looked a little shocked until she noticed the boy with the black hair and that scar under his eye. She smiled and tucked a strand of (h/c) hair behind her ear and looked down shyly.

"Hey Luffy." He had grown up really handsome.

She didn't get to talk to him until after class, when things had settled down and they were walking to their next class.

"(Y/n), it's so nice to see you again! Hey, do you have gym next? Let me see your- Oh, yeah! We have homeroom and gym but after that, you have.... Hm, you have chemistry with Sabo- He's our new brother, you'll love him-"

(Y/n) listened to Luffy talk and felt the same affection she had for him when they were kids rising up in her chest. It had been a bit of a crush when they were younger, but she thought with the time apart she might have gotten over it. However, she found herself blushing just walking with him. She had barely been able to say anything to him! This was still her Luffy, so she'd just have to get over these little feelings.

"-We have lunch with my brothers and a few of my friends though! That'll be exciting! I can't wait until you meet my crew! I think you'll like Zoro the most. He's pretty quiet too, when he's not going off about-"

Luffy suddenly stopped and looked at (Y/n) with a confused look. The two stopped walking outside of the gym and looked at each other with confusion, though her confusion spawned from his sudden confusion when Luffy suddenly broke out into a grin and hugged her.

"I'm really sorry, I know I shouldn't just hug you, but I haven't seen you in so long!" He whined, rubbing his cheek against hers and holding her tightly. He had definitely gotten stronger since she had last seen him. She felt like her spine would break!

She hugged him back though and brushed one of her hands through his hair.

"I missed you too, Lu. I really did."

"Did you not miss me ?"

Both turned to the voice and saw Ace walking with a blond boy that (Y/n) had never seen before, that she identified as probably Sabo.

Ace smirked and held his arms out for her. Of course, she didn't have to be told twice since he had never been very affectionate when they were kids.

She hugged him tight and pressed her face in his shoulder. He was much taller than her now and he brought light to that fact by lifting her up and twirling her around in the hug.

Luffy pouted and came to stand by them while the blonde - "Sabo, he's hogging (Y/n)!"- Sabo chuckled. Sabo ruffled Luffy's hair and pulled him into a side hug, waiting for Ace to put their 'sister' down so he could introduce himself.

(Y/n) laughed and pulled away from Ace, not wanting Luffy to get too upset when she noticed Sabo looking at her like he had known her forever.

"It's nice to meet you, (Y/n). My name is Sabo, though I'm sure you've heard about me from Luffy already. I've heard so much about you." He took her hand in his and kissed the back of her hand gently. The two other brothers looked ready to murder him and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You two need to get to class, okay? Maybe if you're here, he'll actually stay in class." Ace said, trying to pull (Y/n) away from Sabo while also making sure no one was late to class. Not the Ace she remembered, but she okay with that if it meant they didn't get in as much trouble anymore. She had been grounded enough, thank you!

The two got changed in the separate locker rooms and came back out to see the other students talking amongst themselves and stretching before class actually started.

"Hey, you'll be my partner, right? I'm on the cross country team so I always stretch before hand. Come on, I need a little help with some of them."

The two sat on the floor while Luffy went about stretching and talking about his friends again. This of course led to her wanting to meet them when a blond made himself known.

"Oh, mademoiselle , what a pleasure to meet you! My name is Sanji but you can call me tonight."

(Y/n) laughed and stood up, dusting off her clothes and holding her hand out to properly meet Sanji but he got down on one knee and took her hand in his much like Sabo had.

Before he could profusely confess his love for her, a kendo stick hit him in the back of the head and a green haired male came into (Y/n)'s view.

"Leave her alone, love cook. This is Luffy's friend, remember? She doesn't want to hear your useless crap right now." Sanji jumped up and the two were ready to start a fight when Luffy finally finished stretching and intervened.

"(Y/n), these two are Sanji and Zoro! They're a part of my crew!" She smiled sweetly at the two of them and Sanji swooned while Zoro only gave a nod.

"They're older than us, but that's okay because they're still really good friends of mine! The sophomores and freshmen have gym together so you'll be seeing a lot of them. I wish we had Usopp here, but he had gym with Chopper-"

The boy was back on his tangents and (Y/n) looked back at the two males only for both of them to shrug. She internally sighed and knew that life was going to be a lot more hectic with Luffy around.

By the end of the day, (Y/n) was standing with Sabo while the two waited for Ace and Luffy to finish putting their stuff away.

"I stay after for the student council while Luffy and Ace have cross country. If you want, I'd be more than happy to let you stay in the student council room with me while we wait for those idiots to finish with their training."

She turned to answer him when the boys in question came running up in their uniforms and stepped between the two.

"No way, she wants to cheer us on while we practice, right (Y/n)?" Ace asked while pushing Sabo's face away, resulting in the two of them rough housing a bit while Luffy got away with wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I'd really love to, but dad wants me home early tonight. After that, I'm free to stay after with you guys as much as you want. You guys live almost next door to me. You can just come over later."

All three boys perked up at the idea and nodded before Sabo pulled out his phone and checked the time.

"We have to go, but first, may I have your number? That way we can text before just showing up at your house."

(Y/n) nodded and pulled out her phone, handing it to Ace so he could put in their numbers while she put hers in Sabo's phone.

"I'll text you guys when I get home, okay? Good luck!" She called to them as she walked out to see her dad getting out of his truck.

"Shanks!!" Luffy cried out and sprinted after the man, almost pushing (Y/n) out of the way as he rushed to the red haired man.

"You're going to be late for practice- Oh what's the point." Ace said with a shake of his head and a laugh. This was going to be a long evening.

Chapter Text

With school over, and the boys finally getting to their after school activities, it was just Shanks and his daughter in the car.

"So how was the first day?" The smile that spread across her lips told Shanks enough but he was not prepared for just how much his daughter had to say about only the first day.

"-And Sabo is really sweet! I have Chemistry class with him," She learned not to say just chemistry with him because Sanji had almost had a heart attack. Her father would've slammed on the breaks and gone back to talk with him. "But most of my classes are with Luffy."

"So how was it seeing Luffy again?" He asked, eyes on the road but he could tell that when she fell silent for a moment too long that she was about to lie.

"It was really nice to see him. It's been a long time." Ah, Shanks thought with a smirk. She wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the full truth. He'd taught her well.

"Well, we're inviting them over this weekend for dinner. I know I don't have to tell you to be on your best behavior, but just remember that their grandfather is crazy about the marines. I don't want him roping my little girl into joining." (Y/n) snorted, staring out the window as they drove by a town she was still unfamiliar with. It looked amazing though. All the different places to go. There was a park! She watched a few people walk their dogs and decided she was going to really like this place.

Her eyes lit up once they landed on Shakky's bar, knowing that just inside was her mom, though she was probably working. That didn't stop her from almost jumping out of the car before it was even fully stopped.

She unclipped her seat belt in one smooth motion and hopped out of the car, listening to Shanks call after her but she was inside before he even got out the car.

"Mom!" Makino turned her head from Shakky and saw her little (h/c) daughter rush towards the bar.

"Hello baby girl, how was your first day of the new school?" She asked, pulling back the little door so her daughter could move behind the counter with her and sit next to Shakky.

"It was actually really great. Hey aunt Shakky." (Y/n) leaned over and hugged Shakky, the older woman hugging her back and ruffling her hair.

"Hi hon, where's your-"

"You weren't that excited to see me !" Shanks whined, slamming the door open dramatically before sitting at the bar to sulk.

"Rum and coke, please." He placed his face on the bar counter and sat up quickly when Makino twirled up a hand towel and tried to hit him with it.

"You're driving our daughter home. You're not drinking." She leaned over the bar and kissed him, grinning when he eagerly kissed back.

"That kiss was enough to get drunk off of." He said with a cheesy grin causing Makino to groan and turn to another customer, ignoring her husband as he tried to flirt with her some more.

"Your parents are quite a sight." Shakky said with a laugh. (Y/n) laughed along with her. It was often that she saw her parents doting on each other, like they hadn't been married for over fifteen years. It always brought a smile to her face and made her wonder if she would ever get something like that. Luffy definitely seemed the type.

A blush rushed to her cheeks and she turned away, looking around the bar to try and keep her father from seeing when she saw someone she hadn't seen since she was little.

"Uncle Rayleigh!" She jumped up from her chair and darted passed her mom, tackling the older man as he had barely gotten through the door.

"Whoa, little one! It looks like you aren't so little anymore, though. You definitely have your mother's strength." Rayleigh hugged her tight, rubbing her back and rocked her a bit before pushing her back to look over her.

"My goodness, how you look like your mom when she was younger." (Y/n) looked up at him with the same bright eyes that she always got when talking about her parents. There was no one that she loved more than her parents.

"Now, tell me what you've been up to."

(Y/n) and Shanks waved goodbye to Makino and the others, going back to the truck so they could finally get home. After the day both of them had had, though her father wasn't really able to tell her the nitty gritty, she knew it was a lot. They both needed to just relax at home.

As they drove back, the wind picked up and rain began to patter against the windshield. What a way to end the day. (Y/n) was dozing off from the peaceful feeling the rain had when they finally pulled up to the house.

" What the hell ?" Shanks whispered, unbuckling and moving to shake his daughter's shoulder. She blinked awake and pulled herself up from leaning on the window and saw three soaked boys standing on their front porch.

"Did you forget to tell me something?" Shanks asked, looking amused as his daughter scrambled to check her phone and found it to be dead from a long day of use and no place to charge it. So she hastily unbuckled and was apologizing the second she stepped out of the truck.

"I am so sorry, my phone died and I-" She squeaked when all three boys just laughed before squishing her in a hug.

"This is your fault." Luffy whined, shaking his head like a dog to further soaked the poor girl, who was still standing in the rain with them. They were all going to get sick at this rate!

"Come on, you mongrels. You're going to get my daughter sick. And then you'll be grounded from my house." The boys tensed and turned to see the teasing smirk on Shanks' face but there was an edge to his expression and his words that had them moving into the warmth of the house.

Towels were handed out and the boys were given some of Shanks' old clothes. "They'll be a little big on Luffy, but they should work. You could've just gone home." The exasperation in his voice teetered towards fondness, but they were like his own kids. Even Sabo. And he'd only just met the boy.

"Gramps would've yelled at us." Ace and Luffy said at the same time, trying to finish up in the bathroom quickly but that only ended in a bit of chaos and a wince of, "Hey, don't elbow me, jerk," from Sabo.

(Y/n) finished drying up quicker than they did since she had an actual hair dryer and didn't have to wait for a set of clothes. She had thought about letting the boys borrow some of her clothes, since they had done that when they were younger, but the height differences were drastically different. Even Luffy, the shortest of the three, was a good few inches taller than her. What a drag.

Once everyone was warm and cleaned up, they piled in the living room. Sabo and (Y/n) carried in the cups of hot cocoa since Ace and Luffy couldn't be trusted and Shanks had to go to his bedroom to call Makino so she knew that they had company.

"Your dad was not as angry as we thought he would be," Sabo admitted while waiting for his hot cocoa to cool. Much better that Luffy and Ace who both burnt their tongues on the hot drink. Luffy stuck his tongue out, whining as he fanned his mouth and Ace kept trying to take it like a champ after already burning his mouth. (Y/n) laughed at the two, having put ice cubes in her and Sabo's drinks.

"Yeah, well he's a pretty chill guy in general. I know you haven't spent time with him, but trust me. We should've gotten in way more trouble as kids." All three shuddered a bit, thinking about the dumb things they had done as kids. Gramps and Makino did not give a slap on the wrist like Shanks did.

As the four chatted idly in the living room, (Y/n) felt a chill run up her spine and she turned in her chair to see her father leaning in the doorway with his phone in his hand. He didn't look particularly upset, since Shanks was known for taking everything in strides, but he didn't look pleased.

"Hey hon, I have to go. Work call."

Ah, that makes sense . (Y/n) had known ever since she was young that what her father did for a living was not exactly legal and that sometimes things happened that meant they had to pick up and move state. Hence why they had moved as far away from the last place as they did.

"I'm going out to see an old acquaintance and I won't be back until way passed the time you should be in bed so don't give your mom a hard time, and you three boys better be out of my house before I get back," Shanks eyed the trio sitting on the couches, opposite his daughter who took his favorite armchair as her spot. He cracked a smile, to let them know he wasn't trying to be hostile, since he had known them far too long. Even if he hadn't met Sabo, he knew of the boy since Garp adopted him. "Or at least asleep in the living room. I know how Garp is when you boys sneak back too late."

(Y/n) got up, setting her mug down next to Luffy even though she knew that he would drink it, to give her dad a hug. It had been explained to her one time by Uncle Rayleigh that there might come a day her father doesn't come home after a work call, so she tried to make sure that she always told him goodbye.

“I love you dad.”

“I love you too, sunshine.”

With a final hug and a wave, Shanks walked out the door, car keys in hand. His phone vibrated with another call and he picked it up without even looking, hearing a familiar voice on the other line.

"This is Shanks."

"Gurarara, do you always answer with your real name? You might get in trouble one day, boy."

(Y/n) sat back in her dad's arm chair, a comfort for her especially when he left for work, and leaned back in it. Sabo handed her the cup of cocoa she set down and saw that Ace and Luffy were both glaring at the blond for taking away their 'extra cocoa'. She snorted, thanked him, and took a long sip of her drink. It was going to be a long night, it seemed.

Makino called a little after seven to tell her that she had to work late. Shakky had to go home to watch her nephew so the kids had to figure something out for dinner by themselves. Thankfully Sabo and (Y/n) could cook or else that night would've ended with raiding Garp's fridge and they had already drawn straws and nobody wanted to do it.

"So what does your dad actually do for a living?" Ace spun around in one of the chairs at the island in the kitchen, trying to keep himself and Luffy busy before dinner so they didn't try to eat anything before it was ready.

"Uhm, I've never thought to ask," It was the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth. She had asked before and the answers she got were too vague but she had a good enough idea that it wasn't legal, it was terribly dangerous, and if he wasn't careful, they could be in a lot of trouble. But he also kept others out of trouble, so (Y/n) could accept that it was just a part of who he was.

"Really? You're not curious at all? What if he's like a drug dealer or something?" Luffy's words were hard to decipher considering the amount of bread he had stuffed in his mouth but (Y/n) was fluent in Luffy speak so she just shook her head and bumped Sabo with her hip so he would scoot over and she could finish up with the rest of dinner.

Sabo wiped his hands on one of the hand towels and took a seat by his brothers, trying to be at least a little more patient than the other two. But all three were watching her move around the kitchen in anticipation.

Not to mention, they wanted to know just how well protected she was. They were all members of different gang activity. Ace worked for Whitebeard, Sabo worked for the Revolutionaries, and Luffy had started up his own ‘crew’. In the city they were in, it was hard not to get involved, but they didn’t want that for her.

"Well," She started, setting food on the table. The boys barely waited until it was on the table before digging in, causing her to shake her head to set her already made plate on the table next to Luffy. "If he was something that bad, I'm sure mom would've yelled at him by now. I think it's more like a lawyer or something. He has a lot of clients that he speaks with. It's not really that important though. Whatever he does lets him spend a lot of time with us and that's all I've ever asked for."

Luffy and Ace shared a look, both taking pause in their food and causing Sabo to stutter in his actions. What was it they were thinking? Both of them looked at Sabo and gave the signal for later so he knew they'd talk about this when they got back home.

After dinner was done, the three looked at the clock and winced.

"Well, looks like we have to head back to gramps. He's gonna be pissed if we take too long."

"Aww, okay. It was nice having you guys around. Tonight would've been really boring without you." They each took turns hugging her, though Ace kept pushing Luffy away for more time in his hug. She just rolled her eyes and finally pushed them both off, walking towards the door so they wouldn't get in trouble with Garp for taking too long.

"We'll see you at school tomorrow?" Ace wasn't sure why it was like Luffy was asking a question, but then he saw how the boy leaned a bit into (Y/n)'s personal space like he sometimes did with him and Sabo when he felt a little lonely. Of course, he missed their best friend dearly. This must've been a little hard to wrap his brain around. They’d been apart for so long.

"Yeah, my dad drove me this morning but he won't do that every day. So can I walk with you guys to school?" The walk was maybe fifteen minutes and the boys were so used to walking together they forgot that asking her was even an option.

"Sure, just text us. And if it's raining, you should ask your dad to drive all of us because that walk is miserable in the rain and it kind of hasn't stopped since we got here."

They had finally made it to the porch and it wasn't so bad, but the rain was pouring much harder than it had been earlier. She felt bad just asking them to walk a few doors down.

"I'm sure he won't mind. He always whines that I'll get sick." With that, the boys finally started the small walk to their house, though it was more like a sprint since the three didn't want to be soaked again. (Y/n) giggled as Luffy almost fell trying to wave at her.

Waving her hand, she finally turned back to the house, stuttering a bit in her footing since this would be the first time she'd be alone at the new home. She really didn't want them to leave. But it was going to happen eventually, so she walked back into the house and did the one thing her dad was adamant about.

"If I'm not here, you keep the doors locked, okay? I know this sounds a little shady, but I don't want to lose you." She slid the lock shut, holding tightly to the door knob for a moment before going around the house, turning off lights and flipping locks. This was pretty standard by now.

With the final light turned off downstairs, she walked up to her bedroom and closed the door, making sure to lock that too. Her parents had keys to all the doors so she was sure when they got back, they'd still come see her.

Trying not to think too much about how dark and lonely it was, she sat at her desk, pulling out her books finally and starting on her homework.

When Shanks got home later that night, he double checked all the locks himself, pleased that his little girl remembered the most important rule of the house.

When he finally unlocked her door, he found her passed out at her desk, face pressed into a chemistry textbook and close to drooling on her homework.

Shanks snorted a laugh and once again took note of how much she took after him while picking her up and moving her to her bed. Just because she was in high school now didn't mean he wouldn't carry his little girl to bed.

She stirred but didn't open her eyes, so Shanks kissed her forehead and tucked her in. He brushed back a lock of (h/c) hair from her forehead and sighed softly. He made a silent promise to not come home so late, especially when Makino was late. His wife wasn't even home yet, still waiting to lock up for Shakky. He wouldn't leave his daughter alone like this.

Just as he was about to walk out of her room, his phone rang. Thankfully on vibrate, so as to not wake his daughter, but he quickly walked to his room to take the call.

"Yes?"

"Meet me tomorrow morning at the western docks, yoi. I've got some information you need on the man hunting you down and I think you're going to want to hear about this."

Chapter Text

(Y/n) woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast being made. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes as she tried to remember how she got from her desk to her bed. She didn't really question it and got up, grabbing some clothes to take a quick shower. 

When she got out, she put her school books and homework into her bag and threw it over her shoulder as she walked down the stairs. She needed to set it by the door so she didn't forget it- 

"Oh shi-" A body collided with her and both of them fell to the floor. She blinked up at wide eyes and shaggy black hair hanging over to see that it was Luffy. 

"Just because your grandfather lets you cuss doesn't mean that you should- Oh, hi honey. The boys came by." She looked over to see Sabo and Ace scarfing down food while Shanks grimaced at them and sipped at his coffee. 

Luffy jumped up, holding his hand out for her to take. (Y/n) took it hesitantly because the boy never remembered his own strength and she was pulled up into his arms. "I was just about to come get you! We set out a plate for you since we kinda ate everything else." 

(Y/n) peered around Luffy and saw that all the bowls were indeed empty and next to her father was a plate of steaming food. At least they were nice enough to save her some, she thought with a small smile. 

"Come on and eat. I'm dropping all of you off since it's still raining. You've got a few extra minutes." Shanks said as he pushed another cup of coffee towards his daughter when she sat down. 

"How was last night? Sleep well?" Shanks opened up the newspaper and taking a long sip of his coffee. He had once stated it was his job as a dad to read the newspaper, even if he didn't care about the things going on. 

(Y/n) pulled her coffee close, holding onto how warm it was since she was a little cold after her shower. She wanted to say the truth, that she felt really nervous last night, but she just answered like she usually did. 

"Wasn't too bad."

Ace stopped to glance between (Y/n) and Luffy. Luffy was still standing, staring at her with this look that he'd never seen on his brother's face before. But (Y/n) didn't notice, instead digging into her own breakfast and sipping at her, still hot, coffee. 

Sabo, ready to steal a piece of Ace's bacon, noticed his brother's stare and followed it, trying to analyze just what was going through their heads. He looked down at his plate, remembering what his brothers had told him last night. 

"She doesn't like being alone. Her father is the head of a mafia group called the Red hairs.  One time when we were really young, some man came by while Gramps was taking a call and took her away. We had been playing in the backyard. One moment she was there and the next, she was gone. She was gone for a few days. It took a lot of people and probably some very illegal help to find her. After that, she's never liked being alone. She doesn't even remember what happened, but it's still somewhere in her mind." 

Luffy was looking at her, trying to figure out if she was really okay having spent the night alone. 

"Hey, I'm staying late tonight again." Makino stated, reading the newspaper over her husband's shoulder before giving him a kiss on the cheek. There was a pause as Shanks turned the page before he really responded. 

"Well, I might be late too. (Y/n), are you-" 

"I'll stay the night." Luffy said immediately, finally turning his eyes away from her. He had been there that day. He wasn't going to let it happen again. So he caught Shanks' stare and watched how the man seemed to toss the question around in his head while Makino was smiling about the idea. 

"Sure hon, you boys are welcome any time." Makino supplied, taking the plates from the table with Sabo's help while Ace started wiping down the table. (Y/n) finished quickly and placed the dishes in the sink, promising to wash them when she got home in the evening. 

"Oh, and I'm staying after?" She turned to look at the other three for confirmation. Luffy nodded, stuffing a bagel into his mouth while grabbing his backpack off the floor. 

"Yeah, we have-" 

"Don't talk with your mouth full, idiot!" 

Ace hit him in the shoulder, pushing the boy towards the front porch just as Shanks started getting up and reaching for his keys. 

"She's going to be with us for cross country practice. If we even have it. If not, we're going to hang out in the student council room until Sabo finishes." Both parents nodded their okay. So they walked out to the truck. 

"Shotgun," (Y/n) yelled, pushing Ace out of the way and hopping into her normal seat. The older boy scoffed and would've tugged her out of it, but it was Shanks' truck, so he relented and shoved Luffy to sit between him and Sabo. Luffy gave a small squawk at being shoved, but fell into his seat and moved about quickly so Ace didn't throw his book bag at him. 

The day went by slowly. With the dreariness from all the rain, it was hard for (Y/n) to concentrate on anything going on in class. It was even worse when they had to stay indoors for gym and poor Luffy was so antsy to do something that he pissed off Zoro just so he had a reason to run. 

When the day came to an end, most activities were cancelled from all the excessive rain. Even the student council, but that might've had to do more with students having to walk their younger siblings home than anything. 

With a text to Shanks that she would be home early, she got an instant reply that he would be by if they waited a few minutes. 

"Man, today sucked." Ace groaned as they waited in the small pavilion outside the school's main entrance. His face was pressed into the wooden table and he was dozing off within seconds. (Y/n) rubbed his back, knowing that his narcolepsy was at its worst when it was things were too still and boring. And today was getting close to the most boring day of their lives. 

"I wish I could've introduced you to Koala, I'm sure you two would've gotten along." Sabo said as he sat on the other side of her, grabbing one of his books out of his bag. Luffy slumped in front of them, following his brother's example and dozing off. 

"Hey, Luffy!" Luffy's head popped up instantly and (Y/n) was so shocked that she jumped a bit. If Ace had been awake, he might've jumped too, but he barely stirred, snoring quietly at their side. 

"Usopp! Hey, what are you doing?" 

Usopp was a tall, lanky boy that had dark, curly hair and (Y/n) giggled to herself at the paint he had splattered on his shirt. An art student for sure. 

"I was just going to drop this off for you. You left it in our last class. I'm glad I caught you, it has our homework for tonight in it." Luffy groaned and took the notebook, thanking Usopp. But it was half-hearted since he really didn't want to think about homework. 

"Oh, who's this?" Usopp asked, looking nervous now that he had noticed (Y/n) looking at him. 

"This is (Y/n)! I told you about her. She's my best friend." Ace twitched under (Y/n)'s hand and Sabo shifted in his seat a bit, but didn't actually take his eyes off the page he was reading. She wondered if the other two were jealous. Though she wasn't even sure Sabo could get jealous. 

"It's really nice to meet you, Usopp! I've heard a lot about you and the others!" Usopp reached a hand out and shook her hand. It was a little formal, but Usopp looked close to combusting out of nerves. So she just smiled sweetly and hoped she didn't come off as intimidating. 

A car horn caught them all off guard and Usopp jumped a foot in the air. Ace shot up in an instant, toppling both himself and (Y/n) onto the ground. Sabo yelped as he got elbowed by a collapsing little girl and all five looked over to see Shanks laughing himself to tears in his truck. 

When they got in the truck, waving Usopp goodbye, Shanks still hadn't finished laughing and was trying his best to stifle it while four people glared at him. It made it infinitely harder. 

"You are the worst," Ace grumbled, leaning against the window to try and get a few more minutes of sleep before they got to the house. Luffy bounced in his seat and tried arguing with Ace about why Shanks was actually the coolest but the older boy was not listening. Sabo sighed and pleaded with (Y/n) to trade him spots. 

Shanks dropped them off at the house, but still had more work to do before being able to come home for the day. So he waved them goodbye, getting a quick hug and I love you from his daughter before leaving. 

It was during this moment where everything seemed too peaceful that things changed.

The four stood on the porch, trying not to freeze while (Y/n) struggled to get her keys out when Sabo grabbed her arm and pulled her back. 

She looked confused when she saw all three boys with serious stares, pushing her closer to the edge of the porch. 

"Call Shanks. Right now." The edge in his voice sent fear through (Y/n) and she wanted to ask when she noticed the window by the door was broken. 

Someone had broken in. 

It did not take Shanks a minute to get back, shuffling the kids into the truck and calling the police. 

"Smoker, I know you're on break right now, but someone just broke into my house and I'm not- No, I'm not leaving these kids at my house or Garp's either. It's too damn close. I'm taking them to Newgate now and when I get back, you'd better be at my place." 

(Y/n) was sitting between Sabo and Luffy. Ace sat up front, ready to get out if anything went down. He was one of Newgate's top dogs. He just wanted to get them all to the safety of his family so that him and Shanks could go back to the house and check the damage. Whether the older man would let him or not was a different story, but Ace was ready. He had already texted the group chat and told his brothers and Pops what was going on.

Sabo kept an arm around (Y/n)'s shoulders while Luffy held tightly to her right hand. This kind of stuff didn't happen often and it was scary. They had just moved to avoid something like this. She closed her eyes and leaned into Sabo's side. 

"Ace, I need you to do me a favor," Shanks cut the silence. He had never sounded so serious before and all four kids felt the severity of the situation. "I need you to stay with Newgate while I check this out. I can't risk my family. Makino is with Rayleigh, so I have no issues leaving her there. She's also in a public setting. But with (Y/n)," Shanks looked at her through the rear view mirror and frown at the discomfort on her face. 

"She needs you with her. All three of you. Can I trust you boys to watch over her?" 

Sabo, Luffy, and Ace all had these hardened looks on their faces like they knew this was going to happen one day. They knew what Shanks got up to during the day. Newgate had even sat Ace down before they'd moved back and told him that Shanks was moving to protect his family. That Ace would have to keep the people he loves really close if they were to make it out of this one. 

It was a bit of a long drive. When they got to Newgate's, (Y/n) and Luffy were asleep in the back, Luffy leaning on her shoulder while she leaned on Sabo's. Ace picked up Luffy while Sabo grabbed (Y/n). Shanks opened the doors for the boys, nodding to some of the others while they walked in. 

Marco was at the door, ushering them in while two others stepped up to Shanks, talking in hushed tones while a man in a kimono walked with the boys to drop the two sleeping teenagers into a room. 

"We have an extra room, Ace. Why-" 

"This is my room, they are my family. I'm not putting them anywhere else. I'm not separating them and I'm not leaving them alone. They're staying right here Izou." 

The other man pursed his lips, but couldn't argue with the knowledge. After all, everyone in the Whitebeard family knew just how important family was. They were all family but some of them had blood families. And no one was as protective of their relatives as Ace was. 

"Well, let Sabo stay here with them. Pops needs to talk with us. You can't miss this meeting." The two had a stare down before Izou reached out and brushed a strand of his raven hair behind his ear. 

"We're not trying to hurt them, Ace. We want to protect them, too. Sabo can do this job, so you need to do yours." 

Ace was known for two things; Narcolepsy and anxiety. In the time the family had known him, those were the two things they were certain of. He could fall into an episode of narcolepsy and any second and was even likelier to fall into a pit with his anxiety. He had so much to lose and so much to protect. It often brought the boy to tears of frustration just thinking about it all. But this was the life he chose. 

"Go on, Ace. I've got this. I can watch them." Sabo's gentle hand on his shoulder had the older boy visibly relaxing and he placed his hand over Sabo's. He took a deep breath and nodded, chancing one last look at the two on his bed. He had to do this for them. Because hell would freeze over before he let anyone hurt them. 

Chapter Text

When Ace and Izou made it to the conference room, they could already hear the loud booming voice of Pops. Of course, with a voice like that, it was only natural he'd be heard above the others. 

They could hear how they tried to explain why Teach, the dirtiest bastard to ever exist in Ace's book, would be in their territory other than to hunt down Shanks.

"We've seen some of his gang messing around in the eastern part of the territory. Keeps himself in East Blue, for the most part, but no one has seen him yet. Maybe we should wait to see it's him-"

"We are not going to let Marshall Teach into our territory after what he did! I'll kill that son of a bitch myself!" Ace slammed the door open and all eyes fell on him. Izou pushed him into the room. 

"Ace, my boy, I know you hate him but so do the rest of us. We need to be smart about where we lay our cards, lest we risk folding before the game has even begun. We are not waiting for Teach to hurt Shanks," Whitebeard pointed towards Shanks, who was seated as close to the door as possible. Ace was almost pushed into him by Izou. "Or his family." 

Ace felt anger flaring up in his chest and it took Shanks' arm wrapping around his shoulders to keep the poor boy from boiling over with rage. He leaned into the man a bit, knowing that the two of them were in the same boat. Ace was almost a son to him. And they were just as much his family as the Whitebeards were. 

"So what do you want us to do, Pops? What is the smartest course of action?" All eyes stayed on Pops, even as Thatch spoke. There was no one else, except Shanks, who could really say what they needed to do next. 

"Well, we put their house under constant surveillance. And we call Smoker," Shanks put a hand up, phone raised up so they could see that Smoker was on speaker and listening that very second. 

"He's at my house. Trying to find out if this is really Teach or some unlucky bastard who is about to be put in jail for longer than he'll be alive." Smoker hummed in agreement, men shouting in the background as they checked the perimeters. 

"We wait until Smoker can give us a confirmation, and then we move. We'll be sending Marco and Thatch's crew to the East blue warehouse. You lay low, you find out what you can. No confrontations until we know what he's planning." 

Static shifted on Shanks' phone and Ace tilted his head to the device, curious about the noise when Smoker's gruff voice filled the air. 

"I think I know his motives. But Shanks," There was a pause and Ace felt Shanks tense up. The man's grip on his arm tightened and Ace reached up to grasp his hand so as to give the man the same comfort he gave Ace. "He left a picture in your daughter's room." 

The air was tense and uncomfortable. Whitebeard felt his heart breaking for the man before him. 

"It has her crossed out of the family picture. Shanks, you need to get here right now. Nothing looks damaged other than the window. But shit," He breathed out and Ace wondered if the man was smoking one of his Cuban cigars. "You need to get her somewhere safe." 

Shanks stood abruptly, letting go of Ace and marching towards his daughter's room. Ace scrambled to follow after him, but he was beat to it when Marco stepped up to the red haired male. 

"Shanks, stop. Listen, I know you're worried, but we need a plan." 

"I plan to keep my family safe. For right now, that's all I can do. I'm not even in my own damn territory. I moved here to protect them! Not to put them in more danger." 

Ace felt like a child again. Watching the adults argue about something he couldn't fix. It made his chest fill with a swirl of emotions. He couldn't identify all of them, but the overwhelming anxiety had his knees buckling. 

"Shanks," Both men turned to the sound of Ace's voice. Though it was usually filled with warmth or humor, it sounded scared and quiet. It was something so out of character for him. 

"I am not going to let anything happen to them. You need to go see Smoker, but I am going to stay here and Sabo and I are not going to let her out of our sights. Luffy, too. He loves her almost as much as you do." Shanks grimaced, running a hand through his hair. 

"When we were kids," His voice cracked a bit and he tilted his head down as he tried to hold back the tears. Shanks reached a hand out, wanting to pull Ace into a hug but flinched back when Ace looked up at him with hard eyes filled with determination and a fire he'd never seen before. 

"When we were kids, you protected us and showed us what it meant to have family. We are going to show you that it wasn't for nothing. We will protect her. She's our family, too. Let us help." 

Shanks felt his anger waver and he watched the boy before him turn into the man he should've seen in Ace all along. Because Ace was someone he could trust. He wasn't that ten year old little boy anymore. He was the eighteen year old man who became second commander for a reason. 

Shanks grabbed his shoulders with strong hands and pulled him close, so they were eye to eye. 

"Ace, I trust you more than I trust some of the men in the Red hair family. I am not entrusting my daughter to anyone else. You and those two are going to be all she will have if something happens to me or Makino. You know that. So even if I don't make it back, make sure she's taken care of. I'm going to see Smoker. I'll call when I get anything new." 

Before Shanks left, he stopped at Ace's room and was surprised to find Luffy awake, running his fingers through (Y/n)'s hair while she held onto him. There were tear tracks on her face and her eyes were puffy. Shanks would've punched Teach in the face right then and there if he could, just to make sure his daughter never cried again.

Sabo was sitting at the end of the bed, metal pipe in his arms. He was ready to defend them at any cost. Having trained as a Revolutionary gang member, he knew the stakes. He knew the reality of the situation. Anything could happen at any moment but he'd be damned if he didn't die trying to keep them safe. All of them. Shanks and his family were important to his family. And though he hadn't known them long, they were his family too. 

Shanks stepped in, pushing the door open more so his daughter would see him and three sets of eyes darted to meet his. Sabo turned back to staring out the window though. Shanks was thanking every star for that boy. 

"Hey princess, I have to go talk to Smoker for a little while okay? Do you mind staying here? Mom is with Uncle Rayleigh and Aunt Shakky. She's going to be staying with them for a while, until we get this mess settled." 

The boys watched as she sat up, trying to brush away the tears and held her arms out. She knew that every hug could be their last, but never before had it sunk in just how much truth there was to what Rayleigh told her. And Shanks knew it too. So he knelt by the bed and pulled her into a tight hug. 

"Daddy," She whimpered, holding onto him like a lifeline. At that moment, he was her lifeline. "I'm scared. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose anyone." She cried into his arms and the three boys had to pretend the sight didn't make them feel equal parts fear and anguish. Seeing a girl cry was terrible, seeing her cry was like a stab to the heart. 

Shanks pet her hair and pulled back, brushing away her tears. "I promise, I won't let them take anyone from you." He wasn't lying. If it took calling in Kaido or the Charlotte family, Shanks was going to protect his daughter. He just couldn't tell her that yet. 

"Ace, stay in here for a minute. I need to talk with Luffy and Sabo. Boys." Shanks stood and felt his heart strings being tugged when his daughter reached out more for him, but Ace took his place and gripped her hands tightly. Sabo set the metal pipe next to Ace and the two boys followed him out of the room. Both looked so nervous and worried. 

He placed a hand on Luffy’s left shoulder and Sabo’s right, trying to reel them in from their worries so they would clearly listen to what he had to say. Especially Luffy. 

He gave them the run down, stating very clearly not to tell (Y/n) and Luffy huffed indignantly but nodded. Shanks took an extra second, looking over Luffy's face to make sure he wasn't going to do something drastic once this was over. 

"You keep her in your sights. You keep her safe. She is never to be without one of you. Ever. I'd prefer two." 

Sabo looked serious, if not a bit cold, while Luffy looked like he wanted nothing more than to rush back into the room and hold her close. It made Shanks' lips tilt up in a small smile knowing that (Y/n) had people like them at her side. 

The two boys walked back in and Shanks walked further down the hall, Marco walking by his side with the red haired male's phone in hand. 

Sabo closed the door, leaning against it while Luffy was instantly at (Y/n)'s side. Ace moved out of the way, letting Luffy pull the small girl into his arms. She collapsed into his arms. He let her, stroking her hair while she held onto him so hard he wondered if he would bruise. 

"Lu," Her voice was quiet and hoarse. Anyone would be able to tell she had been crying a lot. Ace's shoulders tensed and Sabo's eyes flickered over the to girl he already considered a sister. He'd never heard her call him Lu. "I'm really worried about my dad." 

The room got quiet for a second. The older boys saw Luffy shake his head before he held (Y/n) so she would look into his eyes and see the truth between what he had to say next. 

"I'm never going to let anything happen. I will not stop or give up until your family is as safe as they can be. I've already texted my crew. They're keeping eyes and ears out for anything they can," 

"Sanji is a Vinsmoke and Zoro is a Dracule. Robin worked for THE Crocodile. Nami is the best infiltrator I've ever seen who worked for Arlong. Everyone is going to help me keep you safe, but right now, I'm going to stay right here with you so Shanks doesn't have to worry. That way he can do what he needs to so he can keep you and your mom safe. You don't need to worry about Shanks. Just stay here with us and know that we will not allow anything to happen." 

(Y/n) sobbed and nodded, pulling Luffy into another tight hug and reached her hands out for the other two boys. 

They were at a loss for what to say but reached for her regardless. They knew Luffy wasn't one to play around. When he swore he'd make the greatest crew, he meant it. When he said he would be the strongest mafia boss, he meant it. And when he swore to keep her safe, he meant it with every fiber of his being. 

So, the two boys let themselves relax, each holding onto one of her hands. Ever since they'd found out about the break-in, it almost felt like a long, tense moment. But they could relax, knowing they were in this together. The Revolutionaries would help with intel. The Whitebeards would send men out and help keep an eye on every piece of the territory. There were sixteen crews of them, after all. 

The Strawhat crew though, they were going to do the small, dirty work that no one else could get away with. They'd done it before and the older teenagers were sure they'd do it again. If Luffy asked, they answered. And they answered yes every time. 

Ace pulled a chair to a spot by the bed and pushed Luffy and (Y/n) down on it. Sabo stepped away from the door, pulling up a chair and angling it so he could see everything Ace couldn't see, he could. They made a promise. They would keep it. 

This started the ending of a very long day.