Shanks still remembered the last time he encountered Sakazuki—it began with a face full of Great Eruption. But now, they were greeting each other with smiles. The change truly felt like something out of a dream.
Despite his musings, Shanks couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. He was already eager to head to the Figarland family estate and reunite with Makino and Amara.
At that moment, Carl stepped forward and patted Shanks on the shoulder.
"Alright, stop standing around. Let's go home."
The word home felt so foreign to Shanks that he momentarily spaced out when he heard it.
But Carl had already placed a firm hand on his back, pushing him without giving him any chance to object, guiding him toward the family estate.
...
Within the Figarland estate, Garling—draped in a black cloak—sat on the sofa with Amara nestled in his arms.
Amara's tiny hands were tugging on his crescent-shaped beard, babbling nonsense as she played with it. Garling didn't mind in the slightest, letting her twist his beard into little braids.
Makino sat calmly on another sofa, a gentle smile on her face as she watched the pair of grandfather and granddaughter.
Since morning, she'd already noticed Garling glancing toward the door more than once. Now, he was doing it even more frequently.
Soon, a golden-armored guard walked in and bowed respectfully to Garling.
"Garling-sama, Carl-sama and Shanks-sama have returned."
Hearing those words, Garling's hands trembled ever so slightly. He looked up with a composed expression and replied,
"Understood. You may go."
"Yes, sir!"
Once the golden-armored guard departed, Garling slowly stood up with Amara in his arms and walked over to Makino, handing the child to her.
Then, Garling began walking toward the door. Surprised, Makino quickly stood up and followed him. She had thought Garling would wait for Shanks to come to them.
...
Carl and Shanks met Garling halfway down the corridor.
No words were needed. The moment Shanks saw Garling, he knew—this was his father. And Garling, too, gazed back at him. It was their first meeting, yet both father and son fell silent at the same time, each waiting for the other to speak first.
Makino was overjoyed to see Shanks, but sensing the tension in the air, she held back her emotions. She wanted to give them time to ease into things.
Even little Amara had gone quiet, blinking her wide eyes as she stared at Shanks from Makino's arms.
Carl made no move to break the silence either. Instead, he waved the surrounding guards away and clasped his hands behind his back, calmly watching the pair. He was genuinely curious to see who would crack first—and what their first words would be.
Seconds ticked by.
Then minutes.
At last, Shanks couldn't hold it in anymore and blurted out,
"Hello..."
Everyone twitched when they heard it. Carl in particular looked at him like he was an idiot.
The moment Shanks said it, he realized just how dumb it sounded. He was always the carefree type, but even he felt his cheeks burn—especially in front of Makino.
And yet, that awkward "hello" completely threw Garling off guard. It was as if the two of them shared the same brain, because without thinking, Garling responded:
"I'm doing well. And you?"
Carl finally lost it. These two... what, were they practicing primary school dialogue?
He kicked Shanks lightly in the backside and said with exasperation,
"What are you spacing out for? Didn't you bring something for Garling-san? Hurry up and hand it over."
Embarrassed, Shanks quickly nodded. He fumbled around in his coat before finally pulling out a pale blue, pear-shaped Devil Fruit—the very same Gura Gura no Mi that had once belonged to both Whitebeard and Blackbeard.
Carl couldn't help but sigh.
Really? You couldn't put it in a decent box? What is this, scooping it out of a mud pie?
Shanks knew it looked a bit ridiculous, pulling a priceless fruit from his coat like that. But after what happened with Luffy, he was done taking chances. No more storing Devil Fruits in boxes—he kept this one on his person at all times, no exceptions.
He held the Gura Gura no Mi in both hands and stepped forward, speaking in a slightly stiff tone.
"Carl said you were fond of this fruit... so I brought it back for you."
He had meant to say Father, but the word caught in his throat and wouldn't come out.
Garling accepted the fruit silently. After a brief pause, he finally spoke.
"Thank you. You're a Devil Fruit user now, aren't you?"
"That's right. Carl gave me one."
"Hmm. Your brother's been looking after you since your trainee days on Captain Roger's ship. You're aware of that, I assume?"
Shanks nodded softly.
"I know. If it weren't for him, I might've died in that battle at Edd War back then."
He turned to Carl and said sincerely,
"Carl, I really am grateful to you."
Carl waved him off.
"I told you before, no need to thank me. And even without me, you would've made it through."
Shanks didn't believe that part. He remembered clearly—back then, the enemy's blade had been inches from his face. If Carl hadn't stepped in, he would've been cleaved in two.
Not to mention the Marine vs. Roger Pirates showdown—so many powerful warriors perished in that war. For a weakling like him to have survived? That was no coincidence. Carl had been watching out for him all along.
As Shanks continued staring at Carl, the latter shot him a glare.
"Hey. You came here to reminisce with me or what? Do I need to remind you what the real purpose is?"
Shanks understood. Carl wanted him to spend more time with Garling, to talk things through. That had been his plan too... but now that he was actually standing before his biological father, it wasn't so easy. There was this strange awkwardness he couldn't explain.
Garling, too, was watching him silently. Unlike Shanks, his heart was filled with guilt—but he didn't know how to express it. That's why they both stood frozen, caught in this uncomfortable stalemate.
...
Just as things were about to fall into silence again, little Amara suddenly reached out her tiny arms and mumbled,
"Ma... ma..."
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+120 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg