My Own One Piece.

Two Years part 6

Ace and Aoi entered Dadan's house.

"Aoi!" Dadan yelled. Ace and Aoi stood paralyzed. Dadan held both Rogue and Rose. And standing in front of her...

Was Garp.

Aoi stood directly in front of Ace, ready to put a defensive sheild up. Garp would have scowled at her, had he not been destracted by Ace.

"Hey... Gramps..." Ace said slowly.

"How the hell? I saw Sakazuki shoot you through the head just before the little woman in front of you crushed his organs. How are you alive?" Garp asked.

"The answer to that is standing between us." Ace replied. Garp's eyes trailed down to Aoi. She gave him a hard stare. Yes, she knew that he wouldn't do anything to Ace. But to her? She was free game to him.

"Aoi is gifted in many ways and it just so happens that the Sea Goddess, Kaiyo, favors her." Ace explained. Garp's eyes widened.

"Aoi passed out when I was killed and she called to Kaiyo for help. Kaiyo possessed her body and revived me, then killed Akainu." Ace explained. Garp continued to stare at Aoi. Aoi swollowed hard.

"Aoi is also my wife. And those babies in Dadan's arms? They're my son, Rogue and my daughter, Rose. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone they exist." Ace said. Garp suddenly began to laugh, scaring Aoi.

Garp covered his eyes as tears of relief rolled down his cheeks. Garp grabbed the two of them and pulled them in to a hug.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry I couldn't help you in Marineford... I hope you two will be able to rest easyer knowing that I've retired." Garp said. He hugged them tighter. When he pulled away, Aoi stepped to Dadan and took her screaming daughter in to her arms.

"We'll be out side." She said to Ace. Rogue followed his mom and sister out the door.

"Your wife seems a little cold." Garp said.

"Any marine is enough to unnerve her. Bad past." Ace said. Garp nodded.

"She just wants to keep her family alive. And, well, technically she watched it fall apart before our son was born. It was hell on her, watching me die. Give her the time to open up, she really is one hell of a woman." Ace said.

"That's what I've heard about the Water Knight." Garp said. The men sat down as Dadan went out to help Aoi with the babies.

"So the Sea Goddess favors Aoi enough to bring her lover back to life." Garp said. Ace sighed.

"I wish I could explain it to you, gramps, but even I don't fully understand it. Aoi's probably explained it to me hundreds of times, but I just can't seem to understand a word of it. I just know that Aoi knows a hell load of things that neither of us could comprehend." Ace said as he leaned back in his seat.

"Such as?" Garp asked. Ace looked towards the door.

"She can see the past and future of those she loves." Ace said. Silence fell over the two men. Neither really knowing what to say.

"You know, when I first met her, she was a timid trauma-induced-mute." Ace started, making his adoptive grandfather look at him.

"She only knew the most basic fighting moves. She had little to no medical knowledge. Yet she always had a knack for getting in to trouble. Now look at her. 800,000,000 beri bounty and the head doctor of the Whitebeard Pirates. And she still has that knack for getting in to trouble. But even still, she's one of the kindest, most caring women I've ever met in my life." Ace sighed.

"One time, when I was training her when she first joined us, she was struck by this crippling headache. I sat by her bedside and she had a nightmare about me dying. It freaked her out so badly that when she woke up, she was crying and she wouldn't stop hugging me. I guess that's really when I started feeling things for her." Garp watched Ace as he stared at his wife through the window.

"She made me start to love myself for the first time. Our first kiss was on my birthday. I guess it was the pure love in that kiss that made whatever trauma that held back her voice dissipate enough for her to use her voice again. She sang for us. Never once since that day have I grown tired of her voice. Even when she's yelling at me, her voice makes my heart skip." Ace sighed. He stared at her as she cradled their daughter, gently rocking her to sleep.

"She's something else." Garp said. Ace nodded.

"I always wonder what I did to deserve her. But when I see her smiling, when I look at her babies, I don't care that I don't know. I just know that now, I wouldn't change a single step of my life. Every choice I've made has lead me to right here. I have a beautiful wife that loves me, a cute son that loves me, an adorable daughter that smiles every time she sees me, and a little brother that loves me. I wouldn't trade it for anything." Ace said.

"And what about the question you've asked your whole life?" Garp asked. Ace looked at him, then back to his family.

"Look at them. That blue haired, energetic boy... That black haired sleepy baby girl... If I had never been born, neither would they. And Aoi? If I had never been born, she'd be dead. I'm not being over dramatic, either. I found her unconcious, floating in the ocean. If I had shown up even a minute later she would have died. If I was never born, none of that..." Ace nodded to his family. "Would have happened. And those are three of the best things that ever happened to me."

Garp smiled softly at Ace. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he was proud of the man that sat before him.

"By the way... I know I'm a couple of months late, but happy birthday." Garp said, producing a small box and tossing it to Ace. Ace caught the box and opened it.

"A locket?" Ace asked.

"Open it." Garp said. Knowing better than to disobey the old man, Ace did as he was told and opened the locket. He felt tears rise to his eyes.

"Gramps..." Ace said. In the locket was a picture of three little boys. Two with black hair and the third with blonde. Two of the boys wore hats.

"Thank you." Ace said with a shaking breath. It was a small picture of Ace, Sabo and Luffy around the time Garp met Sabo. The three boys in happier times.

"Sabo... I wish I could see you again. I wish you could meet Aoi." Ace thought.

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RT_Strawhat_Ninja: um.... Wish granted, Ace?