Not every kid is happy when they learn that they will be gaining a sibling, but Ace has been ecstatic since his mother told him that he had a sibling on the way. He's been locked up in their house since he was born due to the blood of his father that flows through his veins, so he is excited for a companion to pass these cruel days. He'll have someone to look after and teach about the life that they have to live. As long as those in the hospital don't give him and his mother away to the marines.

"Ace, my precious boy," Portgas D. Rouge softly calls out from her place in the hospital bed. "I think your little sister might be coming to join the world soon."

He giggles, leaning into the side of the bed. "You don't know it is going to be a girl."

"I've had a strong feeling that she will be for a while now, and a mother knows best," she reaches out to pat his head. "Could you go get the doctor for me?"

"Of course," he widely smiles, standing up and rushing out of the room.

Rouge takes a deep breath as the pain shoots through her abdomen. She was lucky to get through her first pregnancy after holding in Ace past the typical nine months. Her body was severely weakened after that birth, but she knew that another fire would bloom within her before she would pass from this realm. A little girl that she would protect in the best way she knows how.

"Rouge are you alright?" the doctor asks as he walks in with a midwife and Ace.

"If giving birth is deemed alright," she lightly jokes.

"Can I help?" Ace bounces around on his toes.

"You'll be right by my side the whole time, sound good?" the midwife grins at the young boy.

"Good," he firmly nods, looking too serious for a boy his age.

"You're going to be the best big brother," Rouge happily sighs, settling back into the pillows. "I know you'll protect her through everything. From all the bad people who will want to harm her."

"We'll both be tough, and I'll make sure to keep her in my sight at all times."

"Please rest for a little Rouge," the doctor grabs the woman's wrist to check her pulse. "You might be in for a long labor if Ace's is any way to judge."

"Come with me," the midwife motions for Ace to follow her over to the sink to prepare wet cloths. "You'll be the stand-in for your father today, so you have to be brave no matter what happens, okay?"

"I'm always brave," he puffs out his chest. "My mom says that's because of who my father was, but I think I get it more from her."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," she ruffles his pitch-black hair.

The next couple of hours go by in a blur as Ace helps the midwife with whatever tasks to help Rouge be as comfortable as possible as she goes into labor. This time around is a lot different than it was with Ace, as the little girl is a lot smaller and ready to greet the world. Her blue tuff of hair makes her stand out in the room, and the quiet cries is a big difference from the loud cries of her older brother. In the eyes of Rouge, she is the most perfect little girl she's ever laid eyes on.

"Would you like to meet your little sister, Ace?" Rouge weakly says once the newborn has fallen asleep. "She would love to meet her big brother."

Ace looks to the midwife for permission, getting a nod from her as she takes the dirty cloths from his hands. Then he is rushing to his mother's bedside, hoisting himself up to sit right next to his mother and baby sister. "What's her name?"

"Akari," she angles the small bundle for Ace to see the little girl. "My precious girl," she presses a soft kiss to the baby's forehead.

"I love her," Ace blurts out, placing a hand gently on the fingers poking out of the bundle. "I love her so much and I just met her."

Akari's eyes slowly open up to reveal the big sea blue orbs. Her face lighting up in delight as she focuses in on Ace.

"And it is clear that she loves you too," Rouge lovingly smiles at her two precious children.

"Please, sir, you must not disturb her right now, she just gave birth!" the doctor calls out, causing everyone to look at the door to the hospital room.

Monkey D. Garp, a notorious marine vice-admiral, steps into the room. He doesn't look angry, but he doesn't look thrilled to be in this position either. "Are you Portgas D. Rouge?"

"I am," Rouge nods. "Why are you here?"

"The one you loved, the troublemaking Pirate King, asked me to take care of his child, and I thought that staying away would be the best decision, but the world is changing a lot quicker recently. I owe it to him to uphold his one request after death."

"We don't need your help," Ace snaps, jumping off the bed and holding his arms out to shield his mother and sister. "We're doing fine without anyone's help."

"Ace, sweetheart, please," Rouge reaches out to run her fingers through her son's hair. "Let me talk with the man."

Ace clenches his jaw and lowers his arms, stepping off to the side to allow Garp room to step up to Rouge's bedside.

"He didn't say anything about another child," Garp looks down at the little girl. His hand slowly reaches out before he gently runs his finger over the girl's cheek. "What is her name?"

"Akari," Rouge softly answers. "Portgas D. Akari."

"Why not Gol D.?"

Rouge looks down at Akari, ignoring the question regarding her daughter's father. "He is Gol D. Ace."

"I'm not going to hurt them or take them into custody. I'll do what I can to give them a normal life, and hopefully they can choose to do good things with their lives. I may have despised him, but I won't hold those feelings against these two kids."

"I want the best for them. I want them to grow up happy, healthy, and ready to choose their own paths in life." Rouge's breathing is coming in short bursts as her body is struggling to hang on. "I love them with all my soul." She looks down at Akari with pure admiration on her face. "I love you so much, my precious girl." She lifts her head up to look at Ace who is staring at her with wide eyes. "And I love you so much, my precious boy."

"Mom," Ace mumbles.

"Please," Rouge looks up at Garp as she holds out Akari. "Please."

Garp takes the newborn, holding her close to his chest. "Come on, boy." He glances down at Ace before nodding at the door.

"Rouge!" the midwife yells as she rushes over to the dying woman.

"Where are you taking my sister!?" Ace steps up to Garp, pounding at his legs.

Garp grabs Ace by the back of his shirt, hoisting him up into his hold. "We're going to take a trip to where I live at the moment. I'm going to take care of the two of you for a little while, and then I'll figure something out." He walks out of the hospital room, leaving the doctor and midwife to focus on the poor woman who fell in love with the most wanted pirate that has ever sailed the seas.

"I am going to protect her," Ace speaks up once they have made it outside. "She's my responsibility now, and I am going to make sure that no harm comes her way."

"Whatever you say boy," Garp barely smiles as he shakes his head. "Whatever you say."

+*~*~*~*~*~*+

The journey from the South Blue to the East Blue where Garp calls his home is made a lot longer with a newborn. Not because Akari cries and screams at every waking moment, but because when she does, it is hard to figure out what she needs. Ace is the one to step up and do all he can to ensure that his baby sister is as happy and comfortable as can be over the course of their journey. She always smiles when her eyes land on him, and it sends a wave of pride through him that he never wants to stop. He always wants to be the one to make his sister feel that kind of happiness.

Once the trio make it to Foosha Village, Garp gets caught up on the events of the townsfolk. It is during these moments that he learns of a young mother that has recently lost her newborn child due to complications during birth, and he understands what he must do with the newborn now in his hold.

"I have to give her to this family, boy, you must understand," Garp explains to an angry Ace. "They will give her the love and support that a growing girl needs, and she'll be kept out of harm's way. No one will suspect a thing. Only the doctor knows that the woman lost her child right now."

"No!" Ace fumes. "She's my sister! She's my responsibility! I am the one who is supposed to take care of her and protect her from any danger. You can't just separate us like this!"

"You'll still be able to see her as much as you would like. I'm not taking you to a whole different town. I'm taking you up into the mountains to live with a woman that owes me a couple favors. When you come down into town, you can stop by and visit her. I'm doing the best for both of you by doing this. I'm doing what I can to protect her. I'm doing what I can to make sure you two can grow up."

Ace stomps his foot, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine," he grumbles. "But I want to see her before you send her off to some random family."

Garp kneels down, holding out the little bundle that is Akari. "She'll never forget her older brother."

Ace looks at Akari and his face instantly softens. He reaches out to gently run his fingers over her cheeks. "If I had it my way, we'd always be together. I'd always have you by my side to watch over and protect. Now I have to see you away to some people that will never love you as much as I do, but that doesn't mean we'll always be apart. I'll make sure that one day we can be together like brother and sister are meant to be. I'll make sure that I explain everything about who you are and where we come from. I'll tell you all about mom, and I'll keep you by my side forever."

Akari coos, reaching out to grab Ace's finger.

"You won't even remember any of this, and that is what sucks the most. That I have to live with knowing you're growing up with a family that isn't real, and that you won't know until I tell you. Ugh, I'll never forgive you for this, old man."

Garp lowly chuckles, "I can live with that."

"I love you so much, Akari. A bright light in my life." He leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead causing happy noises to leave the little girl. "I'll make sure that we see each other even if I can't be your brother to the world." He straightens up and turns around, blinking away the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "Okay, I'm done."

"You'll understand all this when you're older, and maybe you'll thank me for what I've done today," Garp stands up and starts walking. "Now come on, we'll drop her off and then head to your new home."

"I will never thank you for this," Ace grumbles, rushing to catch up with the marine man.

It doesn't take long for them to make their way to a small neighborhood on the outskirts of town when the grieving family has shut themselves up in their home until they are ready to explain to the outside world what has happened to them. Only the father leaves to do the grocery shopping and work, telling people that any day now his child will be born. None of them know about the gift that Monkey D. Garp is about to give them.

"Stand over there and wait for me," Garp orders to Ace.

"Whatever," Ace grumbles, sitting down in the grass next to the house.

Garp firmly knocks on the door, sneaking a glance down at Akari. He knows that he could leave her with Curly Dadan like he is going to with Ace, but any link to the young boy is going to put a target on her back that he wants to avoid. Rouge refused to reveal the girl's father, so people could decide for themselves if Roger is. All he wants is to protect this girl, and he has no idea why he feels so strongly about it. Maybe because he knows his grandson was born right before he came out to find these two kids.

"We don't need anything right now, thank you," a man says as he opens the door and doesn't even look at the person on the other side. "My wife is settled in bed doing fine, so there's no need to worry." The man looks up, his eyes going wide at the sight before him. "Vice-Admiral Garp, my apologies!"

Garp shakes his head, "I know what you're going through right now. Not personally, but loss is something every person has to deal with. That is why I have come with a little orphan girl that I was hoping you could take care of. I saved her on one of my missions, and I think fate led me to give her to you."

The man takes a deep breath, looking at the bundle in Garp's arms. "She really has no family?"

"None."

A pang of anger and hurt shoots through Ace's heart.

The man holds out his arms, and Garp hands over little Akari.

"She's a happy kid despite everything, and I hope that you'll give her the best life that you can," Garp says.

"Thank you so much, sir," the man looks down at the little girl as happiness surges through him. "We'll take the best care of her. I promise you."

"She's your daughter now, so I wish you all well," Garp nods, turning away as the door closes. "Come on boy," he motions for Ace to follow him.

"You lied to him," Ace snaps, jumping to his feet.

"She's safe now. She's completely out of harm's way. Now come on, I still have to introduce you to your new home. Then I have a grandson to go get."

"I hate you," Ace grumbles as he follows Garp away from the house that now holds Akari. "I hate you, and one day, I'll make sure Akari does too for what you've done."

"I'll always see the two of you as my family, but if you want to hate me right now, there's nothing I can do about it. I can only hope that in the future you understand what I've done. That I saved her from a world of hurt, and that I did the best that I could for the both of you. I'm sure your paths will cross many times."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hope you enjoyed reading! I know it was a little shorter than normal, but this one didn't have a lot going on, but I think it was still packed with information. Here's some fun facts, though. Ace does visit Akari regularly for the first couple years, then he turns into an angry boy because of all the hate he hears about Roger. He still does his best to protect Akari from a distance. He is also the one to tell Akari's adopted father that Gol D. Roger is also her father (though he doesn't actually know, so he's kind of lying), and that is why after Akari's adoptive mother's death he turns angry and violent towards her. I didn't think those would fit into any of the next three filler chapters I have planned, so I just put it here! Next up, Luffy and Akari's adventures with the Red-Haired Pirates. As always, I would love to know what you thought!