If you've stumbled on this, you should know this story works as an epilogue for my main story Who We Were Meant To Be and it contains huge-ass spoilers if you haven't finished reading that, it contains spoilers for Gut Insticts and The Watchdog of the Sabaondy Archipelago as well.

Hope you enjoy :)

No one will find on record that 5 years ago, Garp the Fist quit his post as Vice-Admiral before the biggest marine-pirate conflict in history, only to show up during the Paramount War with a score of Revolutionaries in tow, fully intending to fight against his former colleagues. Not even the people in attendance will tell you that the legend went down by a beam of light, too fast for the eye to catch, or that he crumpled as a significant part of his chest was immediately vaporized. Even those who were there might not remember a rapidly fading voice sharing the last truths to two brats who've turn the entire world on its head.

Sengoku doesn't need to read it, or for anybody to tell him or even try to recall the memory too hard. He was right there when Garp died, and he'd stood by. (It doesn't matter how objectively he knows there'd been nothing to be done except offer some respite, some respect for the last word of one of the greatest men he ever knew and two children the world had been out to get from the moment they were in the womb.) Because Sengoku's always been about too little, too late, Garp is never dishonorably discharged, and the former Fleet Admiral throws in every ounce of political power he's amassed in the previous fifteen years into branding Garp a hero for the history books. He's glad the brats take the body, explaining why he couldn't be buried in the marine's graveyard would've been difficult, but necessary. Everyone he cared about lives outside the law. (A tragedy in itself really.)

The grave, a gaudy white piece of marble isn't immaculate, but it's certainly taken-care off and Sengoku has no doubt it will be visited regularly for the coming weeks. Sengoku's not the only one who will stop by to deliver the news, but he does believe he's first. He brings a packet of his favorite crackers and a newspaper, one he had grumbled about. He deposits the bundled papers on the ground, Straw Hat Luffy's face grinning broadly on the cover and Sengoku feels regret.

He'd known, always, that the decisions he'd taken would come back to haunt him but everything else, as much as it pains him, and as much as it says about him, pales in comparison to the tragedy of Garp's progeny.

"Well Garp, your grandson's done it now." Sengoku's sure he knows. Garp always knew. How many times has Sengoku uttered those exact words when it comes to talking about Monkey D. Luffy? He'd known they'd been fighting the inevitable.

This is born out of re-reading some WWW reviews, in particular one from Lily Noir (thank you!) about getting the Marines/WG reaction to Luffy becoming a pirate. Expect things here to be snapshots, short and sweet, of everyone's reactions to our WWW Luffy becoming Pirate King. I'm definitely taking requests for which characters to write, they don't have to be marines either, know too that I already have a couple of drafts.

I hope you like it and take care!

xo,

Dana