Beyond Shanks' Shadow
The straw hat rested in Luffy's hands, but instead of shielding him from the sun, his gaze burned with contained fury. He clenched his teeth, feeling his world begin to tilt.
"Kara… how's Uta?" he asked suddenly, his voice tighter than usual.
Kara looked at him seriously before answering.
"She's out of danger, but…" she paused, her expression hardening. "She's traumatized. Many people died in front of her to protect her… So, she'll be staying for a while with Vice Admiral Tsuru and the women's squad of the Navy."
Luffy lowered his head, his knuckles turning white from clutching the hat.
"Kara… if I join the Marines… can I go after Shanks?" he asked, his tone firm but not looking up.
The silence was immediate.
Makino and the mayor froze, unable to believe what they had just heard.
Luffy… wanting to be a Marine?
"No," Kara responded immediately, her tone sharp.
Luffy raised his head in surprise. He thought his sister would support his desire to go after Shanks, that she would encourage him to join the Navy…
"Why?" his voice tinged with reproach.
Kara sighed, crossing her arms.
"The Marines have rules to follow. When you're older and stronger, that guy will surely be in a place where you could only reach him by breaking every rule we have," she explained coldly. "You're better off being free, Luffy. You can be a pirate… or a bounty hunter to catch him. As long as you don't commit crimes, you'll have my blessing."
Luffy's eyes burned with determination.
"But don't tell Grandpa," Kara added before he could say anything else.
The boy nodded seriously.
"I see…" he murmured, his expression hardening. "Then I'll be a pirate… to beat Shanks at his own game."
Makino covered her mouth, trying to suppress a sigh of concern. The mayor closed his eyes with regret.
That boy…
It wasn't just about wanting to be a pirate.
Now, it was personal.
Kara simply looked away. She wasn't surprised, but she didn't like what her younger brother was becoming. A pirate. Even though she hated them, she would turn a blind eye for her little brother.
The sound of the tide and something cutting through it began to be heard from afar.
Everyone turned to look at the horizon.
A huge Navy ship was rapidly approaching the island.
Kara clicked her tongue, her patience wearing thin.
"Looks like the old idiot finally showed up… and late, as always," she muttered with annoyance.
Makino and the mayor didn't say anything, but a part of them felt relieved.
Shanks' ship had disappeared over the horizon…
But the scars of the betrayal he had left in Luffy would never be erased.
....
Kara slept soundly on the ship's deck until she felt a small reindeer shaking her desperately.
"Kara, look! It's Enies Lobby!" Chopper shouted excitedly, pointing at the remnants of the legendary island.
The vice admiral lazily opened her eyes and looked at the horizon. Well, more like she looked at the disaster. Only one building was still standing amid the total destruction.
"Wow! Only one structure is still standing!" Kara exclaimed with feigned surprise. "Who would do something like this?"
"What are you talking about? I wasn't…" Chopper was about to answer, but before he could finish, a firm hand covered his mouth.
"Idiot!" Zoro grumbled, looking around cautiously. "Do you want us to get caught?"
The reindeer blinked, confused, before noticing that several soldiers were lurking around the deck. But what caught his attention the most was a beautiful woman with long hair, a sword at her waist. Her eyes briefly locked onto Chopper with a certain interest.
Kara also noticed her and frowned.
"Why are you here?" she asked, crossing her arms and staring hard at Vice Admiral Gion, aka "Momousagi."
Gion smiled sweetly, though her gaze had a sharp gleam.
"Oh, I'm on vacation," she replied with apparent calm. "But Kizaru asked me to protect his ship… so you don't destroy it."
Kara scoffed in annoyance.
"Then why didn't you go on this stupid mission?!"
"Because I'm on vacation!" Gion repeated irritably, before grabbing Kara's cheeks and pulling them as if she were a mischievous child.
Zoro and Chopper's eyes went wide.
"Can anyone touch Kara and live?" Chopper whispered, incredulous.
A charming laugh sounded behind them.
"Vice Admiral Momousagi is the only person in the Navy that Sister Kara is afraid of," said a soft-voiced young woman. "She's chased her around many times when she caused chaos in the women's rooms."
"Ohhh!" Chopper and Zoro nodded with interest.
Chopper looked at the young woman curiously.
"Hey… who are you? I haven't seen you before."
But before she could respond, Kara launched herself at her with excitement.
"Uta, my baby!" she exclaimed, hugging her affectionately.
The young woman, with reddish hair and a bright look in her eyes, smiled cheerfully.
"Hi, Sister Kara!" she replied eagerly.
"Did you finish your training with the old grump?" Kara asked without letting go of her.
"Yes. I finished my training with Professor Zephyr," Uta corrected proudly. "Now I can join under your command and catch Luffy!"
"Hey! You were supposed to join under my command!" Gion intervened, crossing her arms.
Kara looked at her mockingly.
"Ha! I won. I've been tricking her to follow me for years."
"Don't say nonsense!" Gion retorted, a vein throbbing on her forehead. "Ever since I saved her and brought her to the Marines, I've raised her as my sworn sister!"
"You're a bad sister. You never let her eat sweets. I had to sneak candies to her."
Gion fell silent for a moment. Then, she gritted her teeth and furiously pointed at Kara.
"Damn you! Because of you, she got cavities and suffered toothaches!"
"Toothaches are an acceptable risk for the delight of sweets," Kara declared proudly.
"You're irresponsible!" Gion shouted.
"Oh, please! You don't even let her call you 'sister.' You only want her to say 'Vice Admiral.' Learn from me. My subordinates don't even remember what my rank is." Kara pointed at Zoro and Chopper with satisfaction.
The two exchanged glances.
"I think she doesn't even remember our names," Chopper whispered.
"I did it for her own good," Gion said with determination. "I was strict so she could become an elite Marine. She must respect the ranks! But when I'm off duty..." she suddenly smiled sweetly, "I can go back to being her beloved older sister."
She turned to Uta, staring at her intently.
"Come on, Uta. I'm on vacation now. You can call me 'sister.'"
The young woman swallowed hard, feeling the pressure.
"Y-Yeah… Sister Gion," she replied, somewhat awkwardly.
"It doesn't count if you force her," Kara said, amused.
Meanwhile, Chopper approached Uta curiously.
"Are they always like this?"
Uta sighed in resignation.
"Well… I think Sister Gion is a little more upset than usual."
She thought for a moment and then turned to one of the soldiers watching the scene nervously.
"Hey, where are we headed?"
The Marine immediately straightened up.
"Commander Uta! We're heading to Amazon Lily!"
Uta smiled.
"I see… that makes sense."
"Sense? What do you mean?" Chopper asked, while Zoro had already lost interest and was heading off to sleep in some corner.
The young woman grinned mischievously.
"Oh, nothing. It's just… jealousy."
Chopper blinked.
"Jealousy?"
Uta winked at him.
"Come on, do you want to hear a song?" she said, taking his hand cheerfully.
"You can sing?"
"Of course. And besides, I'm a Devil Fruit user."
Meanwhile, Kara and Gion continued their ridiculous fight, pulling each other's cheeks while hurling insults.
On the ship's deck, the chaos persisted… until a beautiful song began to fill the air, wrapping everything in a soft melody. Uta's voice floated like a soothing balm, dissipating the tension and calming the two most powerful women in the Marines, who just moments ago had been acting like children fighting in a schoolyard.
"Tsk. Let's call it a draw," Kara muttered in annoyance, crossing her arms as she let go of Momousagi.
"Fine," Gion replied in the same tone, adjusting her hair with a dignified gesture.
Both of them approached where Uta was singing softly, watching as the Marines, from their positions, hummed along and nodded to the rhythm of her voice, completely entranced by her talent.
After a moment of silence, Kara finally spoke seriously"something rare for her.
"I'm taking Uta with me. Your missions are more dangerous, and sometimes she'll have to see people die…" Her voice was firm, but her expression reflected genuine concern. "I don't want her locking herself in her room again, crying in fear."
Gion remained silent.
Kara's words stirred a memory in her mind…
When Uta first arrived at Marineford to live with her, she barely ate, locked herself in her room for hours, and cried herself to sleep. Nightmares haunted her every night, and no matter how much Gion tried to comfort her, the little girl always woke up trembling.
And then Kara appeared.
Like a hurricane, she burst into her life by destroying one of the walls of her room and "kidnapping" her to take her on a tour of all the candy shops in Marineford. Of course, the reality was that Kara had hired the vendors for an entire day to offer every kind of sweet, causing a small uproar on the base. Sengoku nearly had a heart attack when he found out, but thanks to Tsuru's intervention, it all became just another anecdote among Kara's many antics.
That was when Uta began to open up, and after learning that Kara was Luffy's sister, she became even more attached to her.
Sighing in resignation, Gion closed her eyes for a moment before looking directly at Kara.
"I know… My plan was always for her to be with you. Even if it annoys me," she admitted seriously, though her lips curved slightly in a nostalgic smile.