Not Strong Enough [One Piece| Luffy X OC]

05: Mana and Jinbei and Garp

Mana stared at one of the First Sons of the Sea, Jinbei, in what could only be described as a shock. She watched the jailers chaining the Fishman on the opposite wall of their cell, wondering if it was really smart for Warden Magellan to allow it. Her hands clenched, and she bit her lip, remembering the last day she saw Jinbei. The way he'd abandoned her, after everything.

Sabaody Archipelago wasn't a safe place for an eight-year-old kid. Much less for someone who'd just lost the one person she'd viewed as a family. Mana hadn't even tried to survive. Her mind had simply shut off and refused to accept the fact that her Hero was gone. That she'd witnessed her father figure being killed by the Marines. Mana doesn't remember much of that day, just that Jinbei didn't want to deal with her and simply abandoned her in Sabaody Archipelago.

It left a sour taste on her tongue, which was why she chose to avoid Jinbei and his visits to Moby Dick whenever it was possible. She knew that he knew what she was doing, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Izo had once tried to get her to talk with him, only ending up with a black eye and Mana leaving the ship for several months (that was how she ended up in the East Blue because Mana knew that Jinbei wouldn't follow her there, and it was also how she ended up meeting Monkey D. Luffy) before returning. The cross-dresser had profusely apologised before she forgave him.

He didn't attempt it again.

...

"Jinbei," she couldn't help but call his name, just as Ace did. The two exchanged looks before Mana's attention went back to the man she'd once admired. Still did, if she was honest.

"Mana-chan," the look in Jinbei's eyes was unsettling for Mana, almost like a parent scolding their kid for a mishap. She looked away. "I'm glad."

Both Ace and Mana blinked at the Fishman. Neither could really understand why he'd be glad to see them. Or her.

"You're alive," Jinbei elaborated, unable to hold back his tears. She bit her lip, unwilling to respond to his ironic statement. It wouldn't be long now that neither would be alive. And Jinbei, seeing him here...She couldn't remember who exactly would die in the Marineford Battle arc.

But Ace would.

"...That's a hell of a reunion," Ace said, smirking at Mana, who merely scowled at him. She tried to flip him off but couldn't really bend her hand to do so. Instead, Mana stuck out her tongue.

And you too, a voice whispered in her mind. After all, Luffy has no reason to save you - you ran from him, and he's probably forgotten all about you.

"Yeah, a hell of a reunion," Mana echoed Ace.

...

At some point before the execution, Monkey D. Garp showed up to visit Ace. He was surprised to find the girl, Mana, unresponsive. The way she hung on the wall made him feel uncomfortable. Garp knew about her history with the Tenryuubito.

Mana's name had popped up for several years, long before Fisher Tiger had helped her escape. There were rumours that he'd taken a human child under his wing. People would whisper about a blackbird accompanying the Fishmen known as the Sun Pirates. There was no confirmation about the bird nor the girl until he saw the familiar tattoo on Mana's left shoulder and the way Jinbei had reacted upon hearing both Ace's and Mana's execution.

Mana especially.

...

Jinbei had raged.

...

But there was no changing Sengoku's minds, nor the Gorosei's. She'd gotten on their wrong side by rejecting their offer to become a Shichibukai - by always getting in their way as she kept destroying Marine or the World Government-related facilities. He could see where she came from - being a former slave to one of the worst possible Tenryubito would make anyone harbour absolute hatred towards those who allowed the existence of MarieJois.

The existence of Tenryuubito.

...

The first time Garp visited his adopted Grandson, Mana hadn't been present. Ace had tried to get her pardoned, only for him to tell the kid the truth. She'd become a thorn in the eyes of the World Government. She held too much power in the Underground World. She was deemed too dangerous to be allowed to live. Her blood was not favourable, just like Ace's.

...

"What are you doing here, Gramps?" Ace's voice was strained. It sounded tired. There was no malice in his eyes, just acceptance. Jinbei merely watched the two. Occasionally he'd glance at the unconscious girl opposite him.

Monkey D. Garp really hated the sight in front of him. But it was the choice he'd made by choosing to ignore his wishes in becoming a Marine. Then again, if he had - there was no guarantee that Ace's parentage wouldn't have become a problem in the long run.

"Am I not allowed to see my Grandson?"

He was more curious how Ace had managed to catch someone like Mana as his lover, something he'd caught on judging the way the boy talked about her. Or how he'd pleaded for her to be pardoned. Garp had seen that Mana's wounds would be tended to and that a new piece of clothing is given. It was the least he could do before they killed her.