3 Chapter 3

Dragon and Ivankov watched as a small dingy pulled off at the side of the Island. The dinghy was rocking violently in the storm. The storm had pulled off in the little Island since they had arrived. Dragon watched his father jump into the ocean and reach the shore to him. Dragon nodded at his father in a sign of greeting. Garp pouted at the sight of the bare 'greeting' that his son gave him. He followed Dragon, wriggling his shirt off to remove the wetness, to the little house secluded in the forest area. His son has chosen a good place for hiding, he thought as he examined the sanctuary.

After he had heard that Dragon had fled, literally fled, for the first time from his enemies, he was scared to find out if something was wrong. But luckily, Dragon called soon and gave him the news of his grandson. He could connect the dots and now understand why Dragon was missing and why he had fled that day. Dragon fled to secure his child, to not give up his identity to the world. He felt proud of Dragon for achieving his goal.

The house was a small one but it gave a feeling of home to Garp. He could see the toys which were splattered everywhere in the hall, he snickered when Ivankov tripped on one of them. He and Dragon entered the room where his grandkid was. He could smell the scent of the sea radiating from it. When his eyes landed on the kid, the first thing his heart and mind screamed was the kid was too adorable. He plopped on the large bed, legs crossed, and back against the wall. He saw Dragon pull up a chair and sit opposite to him.

Garp held the boy up from the bed and slowly and tenderly placed him on his lap, not wanting him to wake up from his sweet dreams. The kid was smiling. He was mumbling something and drooling from his mouth. Garp's face lit with joy at the sight of his grandson. His thumb gently caressed the cheeks of the toddler, making the little one scrunch his eyes and open them with a small yawn. The kid was blinking at him, with his head tilted, taking in the unknown face for the first time. The bright brown eyes met Garp's eyes as Garp's fingers ran through the kid's smooth hair. Garp felt his fingers stop altogether when he saw the intense gaze which landed on him. He felt as if a sword was placed on his chest, ready to pierce his heart and just waiting for one wrong move to finish his very existence.

The sound of waves crashing on the shore was clearly heard in the silent room. The rain was getting heavier, and the violent rustles of the trees and the waves crashing on the shore filled the room. Lightening crackled outside, the poor afraid animals screeched, and the inhabited Island roared as if it was given its own voice. And in the middle of all of this, they were, in the middle of the room, waiting for something.

And then the baby smiled. He had never seen anyone give so big of a smile in his entire life. He failed to notice when the feeling, the pressure, and the force was altogether gone. He failed to notice when the turmoil of the wild beasts ended when the roar which he heard altogether vanished. He just saw how the little guy squirmed in his lap, to find a better spot to lay down and sleep, to droll again as if nothing had happened.

"His name is Monkey D. Luffy," Dragon said as his black eyes fixed on Luffy. Garp was broken from his thoughts, as he slowly nodded.

"This child is not normal," Garp said as he raised his head to see Dragon in the eyes. "What are you hiding." It came more as a statement than a question.

Dragon refused to meet his father's eyes. His eyes were set on Luffy as if telling that Luffy was his child and he knows that he is not normal, like the others, but he would not tolerate anyone mockingly spouting nonsense at his son. Even though his father said it with good intentions, Dragon couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger, anger that his kid will be treated differently from the rest of the people. Anger that he might lose his charming smile. He felt himself question his own solution, to his problem. Will Luffy be okay with his father? Will he be happy? Can Garp assure Luffy's well-being and that his smile will remain protected? He hesitated. He hesitated in giving up Luffy. He didn't want his son to be far from him, but he knew he have to steel his heart. His heart refused to do so, though. But he has to.

The silence in the room was awkward. The tension increased in the room as Garp looked at Dragon and then the toddler, sleeping on his lap. The kid was like the sea, which can be calm and gentle before it stormed and took out countless people from their miserable life.

"I don't understand myself," Dragon uttered the word, his nails digging deep within his palm, drawing blood from it. He gritted his teeth harshly, he couldn't let his heart make a decision over his better judgment.

"Explain from the beginning," Garp said, his eyes on the blood trail which stained the green cloak of his son.

Dragon tried taking deep breaths. Still today, he doesn't believe what happened that day, May 5th, and he still feels uneasy about accepting the truth. But the very proof lay on the lap of his father.

"It was on May 5th, when I was out on the deck, thinking about the cruelty of the Government. The wind was howling, the waves were crashing, and the full moon was lit up. I don't know what I thought, what encouraged me, I just yelled out the weights on my heart," Dragon placed his hand on his heart, which felt heavy for the first time after meeting Luffy, "and shoulders. I was swearing to bring justice to innocent people and dethrone the World Government. That was when a wave engulfed me." Dragon's eyes trailed at the right arm. "The wave gave me a wound. The next second, another wave came, licking the blood off the deck and when the wave resided, I heard drums, I heard a melody, the sea went calm and a baby with a wide smile, impossible for him, laid on the deck."

Dragon saw his father freeze before slowly looking at Luffy, who was soundly asleep. The silence in the room was enough to hear the throbbing heartbeat of Garp and Dragon. Both of them with some amount of realization. Dragon swallowed hard, moving his gaze to his father, and saw the pale face regaining color. He had never seen his father pale! He had always seen a laughing man, he did scowled and become annoyed, but never paled.

Garp raised a hand to his face, rubbed his temple, and leaned on the wall behind him as he let out an empty chuckle. "There is an old legend which had circulated in the World about offering blood to the sea and in return they would get their desired thing. Countless people have offered even their limbs in the Sea to gain something. But none have succeeded for countless centuries. It's been a long time since the sea had taken up any offer. Or more like forced you to take an offer."

Dragon's mind filled itself will countless questions, whose answers were completely out of his reach.

"He is a child of the sea and a D by your blood. He carries the will of D as well as the will of Nature itself." Garp's eyes met that of Dragon's shocked ones, "He will be a force to be reckoned with in the future and change the world. It will be his destiny, connecting and fulfilling your dream indirectly."

There was silence in the room as they both watched the kid, his chest raising up and down. Dragon felt worried, he felt nervous but above all he wanted his son to be safe. To live his life the way he wants. To choose his own destiny and create his own fate. He didn't want his only son to be forced into anything which he doesn't want.

Garp chuckled, feeling the inner turmoil of his son. "Don't worry. He will get to choose what he wants to do in his life."

"I love him. But the past days have made me realize that if his existence is revealed then he will be hunted, despite his age. I don't want him to live a life, where he is hunted and haunted. I'm afraid that something will happen to him if he stays with me," Dragon said with a sad tone. Blood dripped violently from his palms, as he forced himself to say. If he wouldn't say it now, then he couldn't ever.

But he won't be giving up on his son. He loves his son, and that love will never fade away. He will even throw his own life to protect him. But he knows that he is not too strong to protect Luffy, from the whole world. He is not strong enough to see Luffy cry again. The kid had never cried before, never ever. So, when he saw his crying face that day, it hit him hard. Garp let out a small chuckle, mesmerized by his son's thoughts. "I don't want to see tears on his smiling face..." If Garp noticed the glossy eyes of his son and tears that dropped from his eyes, to land on his lap, he didn't mention it.

"The storm listens to her Voice, loud and commanding. The tree rustles to her breeze, warm and caring. She calls for whirlpools and they listen. She pushes the ground and it obeys. Without a question, without hesitation, and without any thoughts. But above all she is lonely. There might be countless sailors, merchants, navy officers, marines, pirates, etc. sailing on her mercy but she is alone. It was once said the sea had a child, a child which she lost. Lost to the world of mortals. Lost to the world of some ungrateful people, which were none other than the ancestors of the Celestial Dragons. Do you think she will let that happen all again?"

"But why me?" Dragon asked. His voice is uncertain for the second time. Garp shrugged at that. He could only guess the answers. But none seemed too accurate to console his son. None seemed fit to tell him that he was worthy. But maybe there's a way.

"The sea wants to be free, she wants to take her revenge. And you are exactly doing what she wants." Garp said. Their talking had woken up little Luffy who was amazed by the color of Garp's shirt. His doe black eyes lit and his smile stretched as wide as it could be.

"Isn't she the most powerful being in the world? Isn't she capable of destroying the whole world?" Dragon asked, his eyes never leaving Luffy, who had jumped off from Garp and was now running around in the room and giggling happily.

"That she is. But there is a prophecy, which I heard from Roger. 'After 800 years, a man will return to reclaim his throne'."

Garp said, his eyes straight on Luffy. Luffy turned back to face the two men in the room and offered them his brightest smile. Garp felt as if he was asked to continue. He really didn't want to. But as he was about to say the next words, the lightning cackled louder, the winds blew fiercely, and the waves went violent as if it was trying to reach the shore. But above all of this, Luffy's cackles, laughter, and giggles were heard clearly. The light of the moon, which was not there for how many hours, entered the room, and falling on the little bundle of joy, the sounds of drums were back, and Luffy's grin stretched impossibly wider.

"Joyboy will return."