Little Treasure (Mihawk x OC)

Chapter 5

"Nana!" Garp yelled as soon as he landed and looked around the silent island. "Huh? Usually, she's here to greet me." Garp looked up as the trees started to creak with his jaw dropping as he saw the giant transformation of Nana. Her giant red body towered far above the trees as her nine tails swung wildly around the island. "Brat?" Garp muttered and watched as she lowered her head down to his level and huffed in his face. Causing his hair and clothes to flutter around them. "Oh, it's a long time since I last saw you like this and in control." He laughed and rubbed her snout, happily greeting the demon fox without fear. "Where's your pet?"

Nana opened her jaw and spoke, "He's gone on an adventure." Her voice was deeper but it was undeniably hers. "I sent him on his way so I could practice keeping in my form without losing control." She explained before licking Garp's cheek. "I've missed you old man."

Garp laughed and hugged her large snout. His arms nowhere near wrapping around her large snout. "I'll never get over how magnificent you look in this form." He pulled back and jumped on top of Nana's head.

Nana stood up tall and walked them back to her cottage easily. Lowering her head to the ground for Garp to get off and waited for him to return with her cloak before morphing back into a human. Nana kept to her kneeling position and waited for Garp to cover her up before standing. "Luffy asked about me?" She asked excitedly as she followed Garp inside.

"He did." Garp nodded as he put away the supplies he brought. "He wants to meet you, Nana." He turned and saw her discomfort immediately and sighed. Gesturing her over so they could sit and talk. "Nana, it's only a matter of time before you leave this island. Sooner or later somebody is going to come here and discover you and what you are. I might not be alive when it happens and I won't be able to protect you."

Nana looked down at her hands. "I know." She whispered. "I just don't want to believe it. I'm not strong enough to leave here yet. I'd leave in a heartbeat for our boys but nothing else." she confessed and ringed her fingers together. "I shouldn't be here, Garp. You should've killed me when I lost control all those years ago. I almost killed them."

Garp kept his eyes straight as he folded his arms. Whenever he visited their conversations always lead to this. "I don't regret my choices with you, Nana. Including not completing the bond with you." He knew his words stung her but she needed to know. "I'm not the one you're looking for Nana and you know that. The other demons avoid wanting their bond mates but you're different."

"I just want to grow old, Garp," Nana muttered his name and felt his eyes on her. "I should be wrinkled and grey by now but I'm not. It's hard watching you grow older each time I see you and soon enough Ace will be older than me." Nana stood and made her way over to her knitting equipment. Grabbing the red scarf and walked over to Garp and wrapped it snuggly around his neck.

Grap gently grabbed her hands in his and said softly, "Luffy isn't afraid of you. He told me that himself." He caught her blood red eyes and the tears the threatened to spill. "I've spoken with Ace a while ago in passing and he also wishes to see you again. They don't hate what you are, brat." He laughed when she started to cry and call the boys idiots. He released her hands and pulled out a golden pole from his pocket. "I almost forget. Here it's all yours." Garp handed it over to the sobbing woman and watched as she held it close to her chest. "The grass has grown back and I had my boys bury them all."

Nana flung herself into Garp's arms and cried on his chest. Overwhelmed by the odd vice-admiral. "Thank you!" Nana choked out. She pulled away and twisted the golden pole and out expanded her shakujō (monk ringed staff). She looked over the small nicks that littered its form.

"It's been over 50 years but I managed to find her in the temple where you first transformed," Garp explained and patted the scarf happily. He patted her head and said, "You can only go up from here, Nana. Don't let your demons hold you back."