by Konsaki » Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:19 am
Sitting down down next to a small campfire to see what she was doing, Ranma slowly slid the sharpening stone down her training saber. When her father had first taught her first swordsmanship lesson, months ago, he had stressed the importance of maintaining your weapons and tools. To reinforce this, he had told some stories of how a poorly maintained sword or rifle had broke at the exact worst time; sometimes costing the owner a limb or their life.
The redheaded girl had quickly found that she liked taking her time with sharpening her saber after a day of training. it was almost like a quiet meditation once you started, the peace and quiet allowing her to sort her thoughts. This night, her thoughts ran back over the major events in her life over the past month…
Letting out a sigh at the end of one swipe of the stone, she thought about her adopted little brother and the last foolish thing he’d done. Somehow, Shanks had acquired a devil fruit on his last expedition, an odd looking fruit which gave unbelievable powers to those who ate it. The problem was, the eater forever more becomes paralyzed by sea water… commonly called ‘anchors’ due to the relative high risk of drowning.
Of course, when no one was looking, Luffy had eaten said devil fruit out of ignorance.
Shaking her head as she continued her smooth even strokes of stone on metal, Ranma pondered what it would be like to have the new rubber powers her brother now had… she just didn’t know if the major weakness was worth it. Ranma loved to swim, was really good at it actually, and she’d hate to lose that, especially if she ever went out to sea. Also, considering how all the skill Luffy had gained in their joint training sessions became worthless, the strange stretching ability he now having thrown off all of his coordination, Ranma was pretty happy that it wasn’t her that ate the ‘Gumu Gumu no Mi’.
Flipping over the sword to start working on the other side, the martial artist sighed sadly. She actually missed training with her little brother but ever since he ate that devil fruit, the huge gap in skill and his lack of control made their spars a cakewalk for her to overwhelm the boy. Even before that, she’d had to turn him away when she was practicing with her sword, not having the skill yet required to train another person safely in it’s use or just wanting to spend some alone time with her father.
That’s partly the reason why she was out here on an overnight training trip, setting up camp in a sheepherder’s field around twelve kilometers outside of town. Something in her just yearned for it and it felt so familiar camping out under the stars after a long hike and evening working to improve her skills. Ranma was just thankful that her mother relented once her father had gotten involved. That was even more odd, the familiar feeling of her father pushing for her camping trip, especially since this was the first time it’d happened…
Flicking her eyes to the side, Ranma let out another breath of frustration. She couldn’t help but feel like something was missing and kept seeing a ghost out of the corner of her vision; a large man in white standing with his arms crossed, his face filled with mild pride. She knew him but… Ranma couldn’t place him more than that it felt like he should be there.
The redhead wiped a tear away with her sleeve and placed the new sharp and oiled saber back in it’s scabbard.
After placing another couple of small logs onto the dying fire, Ranma set about making her bed for the night. Spreading out the light sleeping bag just far away enough from the campfire that it wouldn’t catch fire, she took off her sandals and slid into the sack for the night. Folding her hands behind her head, the redhead looked up at the clear, twinkling stars overhead; picking out specific ones she remembered from a beginner’s astronomy book for navigation she was reading in her spare time.
‘Can’t wait to tell Luffy all about this…’ She thought, letting out a large yawn before turning over and falling asleep.
oO0Oo
“Shanks!”
“Hey, kiddo.” The redheaded captain lethargically responded, wincing slightly at the sound of the door to his room slamming open, his eyes slightly unfocused due to the painkillers the ships doctor had given him. “How’re you doing, kiddo?”
“Shanks… your arm…” Ranma lightly said, slowly advancing into the captain’s quarters on Shank’s ship and towards the reclining, healing pirate.
Glancing down to the wrapped up left shoulder where his arm had been tore off the day before, the girl’s father grinned weakly. “Yeah… I’ll live, though.”
“But… your sword arm…” The girl whispered in growing distress, glistening eyes locked on the clean freshly changed bandages.
Seeing the girl having a hard time of seeing him like this, he slowly picked himself up to a seated position and carefully wrapped his remaining arm around her. “I’ll be okay, don’t you worry. I don’t regret a thing.”
Ranma fought back the tears with a nod, something in her telling her to stand strong for her father. Maneuvering into the bed so he could lay back down while still keeping his arm around her, she quietly asked, “What happened? Luffy said he did this...”
All she knew is that as soon as Luffy laid eyes on her when she walked back into the tavern, he broke down into an emotional wreck. After tackling her and crying into her shirt, she was barely able to get out that Shanks had lost an arm and Luffy thought it was all his fault. The next thing she knew, she was standing outside the captain’s quarters on the ship.
Shanks let out a pained sigh as he closed his eyes. “This wasn’t your brother’s fault.” He stated, stressing the family ties she had with the adopted boy. “Some things happened and wound up saving Luffy from a sea king.”
“Idiot… your arm…” Ranma whispered out, sniffling back a tear.
“It’s just an arm… He’s worth more than me losing it.” He stated with conviction, rubbing the girl’s shoulder comfortingly with his remaining hand.
“Are you really going to be okay?” She asked worryingly, doubting his initial statement of condition.
Nodding with a yawn, the man confirmed with a tired voice, “Yeah, I’ll be okay. The doc said I’d be right as rain in a week, tops. I just need… to rest…”
Feeling her father’s breathing slow down to the rhythm of sleep, the crimson haired girl snuggled up closer to her father’s warmth and pulled the sheets up to cover them both. Ranma just laid there, listening to the comforting, steady heartbeat pulsing in his chest. Worried for her father’s condition but relieved that he saved Luffy, she eventually slowly drifted off to sleep…
oO0Oo
True to his word, Shanks was back and up on his feet in around five days, though only because the crew’s doctor ordered him to stay in bed two more days. Doc still wanted him to take it easy, so here he was three days later standing on the docks watching his crew inventorying and loading up supplies into the holds.
Seeing Lucky Roo pick up a barrel of limes nearby, the captain asked, “What’s our timetable look like?”
Rubbing his chubby chin with a hand while balancing the barrel on his shoulder, Roo looked over what was left to load. “Maybe fifteen minutes tops, Captain.”
“You’re really leaving?”
Hearing this question, Shanks turned about to see Luffy and Ranma standing there on the edge of the docks. Behind the children were Makino and Mayor Whoop Slap along with a smattering of curious villagers.
“Yeah, we need to set sail, Luffy.” Shanks confirmed with a nod and a grin. Patting his empty left shoulder, he added, “Doc says I’m healed up and the men are ready to hit the Grand Line.”
“Are you really going to be okay?” His blue eyed daughter asked in doubting concern.
Shanks smiled as he noticed Blazing Thunder strapped to her back, the standard sized saber too long to put on her hip like he would wear it. “I’m going to be fine, kiddo, don’t you worry.” Looking over the children, he gave Makino a silent nod goodbye, having already spent some alone time and assured her that he’d be sending some letters this time… under a fake name for his family’s safety.
Glancing back down towards the black haired boy before him, Shanks inquired with a raised brow, “Not going to try and join one last time?”
Shaking his head, Luffy stood as tall as his diminutive stature could. “No! I’m gonna make my own crew and it’s going to be even stronger than yours!”
Grinning at the proclamation, along with some of his surrounding crew, Shanks knelt down and transferred the straw hat from his crown to the boy’s head; pressing down slightly to make it fall over the child’s eyes. “Well, a pirate captain’s got to have a good hat when he starts out. Just keep it safe till we meet on the Grand Line, okay?”
Patting the hat as the boy nodded with silent tears, Shanks looked to his daughter again. “What about you? Going to make your own crew someday?”
Ranma shook her head, squaring her jaw and shoulders defiantly. “I’m gonna defend the weak and bring bad guys to justice!”
Shanks looked a little surprised at that, asking warily, “You’re going to join the Marines?”
Shaking her head again with vigor, sending her long braided hair flailing, Ranma proudly stated, “Not joining the Marines! I’m gonna hunt bad guys myself!” Pointing a finger at the man who was her father, she grinned widely. “So, you better be good!”
Laughing good naturedly, the redheaded pirate raised his only hand in a surrendering gesture. “I’ll be good! I’ll be good!” He cried out, much to the amusement of his surrounding crew and villagers. Smiling more warmly, he stated, “I hope to see you on the Grand Line too, someday. I’d like to see how strong you’ve gotten as a fighter and hunter.”
“We’re ready to set sail at your command, Captain.” Benn’s voice rolled out from the deck of the loaded frigate.
“Thanks, Benn.” Shanks called over his shoulder before giving a wave to the two children. “Well, we’re off to the Grand Line… See you there one day.”
“Bye, Dad…”
When the captain turned away and walked up the gangplank to his ship, he held one of the widest grins to grace his face. “All hands, set sail for the Grand Line!”
As the crew burst into action, commands and statuses being called out on the deck below, Shanks stood there on the half deck by the tall black haired first mate, the captain's chest puffed out with overwhelming pride. That two word whisper had made it to his ears, as if carried by the spirit of the winds itself just for him.
It was the first time she’d ever called him ‘Dad’.