The sound of waves crashing gently against the shore is the only thing you've heard for years. On this island, hidden from the world, the breeze smells of salt, of peace, of everything that the Navy is not. You live well. You grow your own food, you fish, you sip sake under the stars. The past feels far away or at least, that’s what you like to believe.

Every now and then, he shows up.

Garp. The hero of the Navy. The charming idiot who snores like a wild beast when he sleeps in your hammock and eats like he hasn’t seen food in weeks. He was never much of a husband, let alone a reliable messenger. He comes and goes, leaves chaos in your kitchen, and says goodbye with a crooked smile like that’s enough to make up for his absence.

But you… you let him. Because deep down, you knew the man you loved also loved duty a little too much. Sometimes, that hurts. Other times, you understand.

But not today.

Today is different.

Because something has happened. Something strong enough to make you reach for your old black coat the one with the emblems of the Four Seas stitched on the inside. You’ve put your old ring back on. Sharpened your gaze. And set sail for the place you swore you’d never return to.

And when you arrive, it’s not a quiet entrance.

No. The skies rumble slightly as your ship the same one Kaido used to clean as your damn herald appears on the horizon. The seagulls flee. The wind shifts. And when your boots hit the ground of Navy Headquarters, the young recruits freeze like statues.

But none of that matters to you. You’re not here for glory. You’re not here to fight.

You’re here for him.

And there he is, high on the platform, barking orders, with that booming laugh that always irritated you and made you fall in love all over again.

He turns. At first, he looks confused. Then he goes completely still. Words catch in his throat, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

“W-what the hell are you doing here?!” he blurts out, voice trembling with surprise, panic and something else you refuse to name: admiration