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"Mama Bird" - Penguin Fanfiction - One Piece - Finished
https://archiveofourown.org/works/61829551?view_full_work=true
The picture is completely and utterly unrelated, I just felt the post was a little naked!
Either way! Here's my finished Penguin fic of three chapters that was written as a gift to CoffeeTimeWorks. I'm really happy with how it turned out, I made sure to keep it wholesome.
Temporary life update: I've been putting a lot of my energy and creativity into the Kidd Pirates Month. I'll finish the Modern AU chapters on that that I've got set up and then maybe skip a few days cause I'm not feeling a few of the prompts.
Oh! I only just realized I could also just copy-paste the entire fic to here. My bad!
Summary:
What Penguin didn't expect was for a cute-as-a-mitten tiny girl to wave at the Polar Tang cheerfully as they made port at an island. What he expected even less was for that girl to come running up to him and calling him her dad. A gift to CoffeeTimeWorks for making me care about this silly bird man far more than I ever did before finding your art.
Notes:
For CoffeeTimeWorks.
Between this and "Daddy Doflamingo" I seem to have a bit of a habit of writing cute toddlers and loving fathers in the One Piece universe. I don't have daddy issues, you do!
Chapter 1
Things have been peaceful on the Polar Tang. Too peaceful.
Well, that's not to say that things have been quiet. They never are, that's something Penguin and Shachi personally make sure of.
They consider it part of their "Prankster Officer" job that they even have official badges for.
Which Law keeps throwing out into the ocean every time he sees them. Good thing Penguin and Shachi are good swimmers!
Beyond the ocassional turbulences of undersea volcanoes, hot smokers and other New World dangers the Polar Tang gets to avoid a lot of the terrible weather by remaining submerged.
Currently, the prankster officers are a little too busy to pull any pranks. They've been studying a dance choreography together with Bepo at his request.
Lately all Bepo has been talking about is the popstar Uta, and Shachi loves dancing anyways, so he roped Penguin into this as well.
Their current dance session in the control room is interrupted when some of the devices start blinking. Bepo frowns and rushes over, doing some navigating shenanigans.
Shachi and Penguin pause, exchanging a look with each other. "What's wrong, Bepo?"
Bepo turns to them, eyes sparkling with excitement. "We're nearing the next island!"
"YES!" The two high five each other and rush out of the room, shouting to every crew member who will listen about them approaching the next island.
They barge into Law's room, eager to tell him of the news, but pause when they see him in his wooden chair, only two of its feet on the ground as it leans against the back wall, a book over his head. A faint snore can be heard from him and the two troublemakers exchange a smirk and slink back out of the room. Captain gets too little sleep as is, so it's an unspoken rule on the Tang that noone disturb him when he does actually get any sleep for once, no matter if something important is happening or not.
He'll yell at them later for not waking him, but they care for his health far more than him yelling at them.
A few hours later, the Tang has surfaced and land is already in sight. Penguin is up in the crow's nest together with Clione, spyglass in hand.
It appears to be a winter island judging by the light snowfall that has set in and the wintery landscape he's able to see through the spyglass. The shore seems to border a beautiful pine tree forest with snow coating the trees. Captain's gonna be happy once he sees this. They've already had to physically restrain Bepo from just diving into the waves and swimming to the island quicker to roll around in the snow. But he still needs to make sure that the Tang is securely docked before their navigator can head off board.
Penguin watches happily as the air he breathes out becomes visible from the chill in the air. He immediately descends from the crow's nest and heads to one of the windows looking inside the Tang, breathing on it and painting a happy little penguin face on it.
Shachi calls out to him. "Oi! Pen!"
Penguin turns around just in time to see Shachi finish putting a knitted pullover on the crew's small dog, Onigiri. Jean Bart took up knitting a few years back and ever since the crew has been proud to call themselves the owners of a lot of knitted goods.
Onigiri stands there, looking absolutely indignified and like he's been frozen into an ice statue. Penguin laughs, crouches down in front of Onigiri and pets him between the ears where he likes it best. "Come on, buddy. You know your fur isn't warm enough for winter islands. It's for your own good."
Onigiri glares up at him through his cute little beady eyes before snapping up at him with half-effort.
Penguin pats his back some more before getting back up. "You'll enjoy yourself once we're in the snow."
When they've finally arrived at the island and docked the Tang at the small harbor, there's a surprise waiting in store for them.
There's an about six year old girl in a large yellow skiing jacket bouncing up and down with excitement. In her arms she's holding a plushie of a penguin that's about half her size.
Law, who's finally woken up, is the first to get off the submarine and look at the girl curiously. She has raven black hair and piercing blue eyes and looks at the arriving pirates with nothing short of absolute awe and admiration.
Law's voice is gruff and still a bit hoarse from sleep as he addresses her. "Hello."
The little girl looks a bit spooked to be addressed by someone as grouchy looking as Law, but quickly gathers her courage. "H-Hi! A-are you the... the Corazón Pirates?"
Law flinches as if struck. "I guess so. We call ourselves the Heart Pirates though."
The little girl nods seriously. "Right! My mamá and I talk a different language at home. My bad!"
She seems to be gathering her courage for a short while, before speaking quickly, seemingly wanting to get the words out before her courage leaves her. "Your captain. He- He's called Pingüino, right?"
Law scoffs. "What? I'm the captain. Do you mean Penguin?"
Her eyes start sparkling and she points at her penguin plushie excitedly. "Yes! Yes, this one! The one with the same name as this animal. Is he here?! Can I see him?!"
She stands on her toes, trying to get a look at the crew disembarking the ship behind Law.
Law's eyes narrow. "Why do you want to see him?"
She grins, proud of herself for knowing something he doesn't. "It's a secret!"
Law sighs and contemplates her small frame standing before him. If this was a trap, their enemy would be incredibly foolish to send a small, vulnerable girl like her to lure them in. More likely she'd snuck out without her parents' knowledge. "What's your name, kid?"
Her eyes widen in shock. "I'm not supposed to tell strangers that!"
Law huffs in amusement. Apparently talking to strangers is fine, but telling them her name crosses a line. "Fine. I'll get Penguin for you."
"Yes, please!" She does a respectful little bow, stumbling and catching herself as she almost floors herself with the penguin plushie.
He heads back to the crew and approaches Penguin, who's currently trying to encourage Onigiri to stop being stubborn and finally start walking on his own. "Penguin. That little girl standing there. She's asking for you."
Penguin's brows crease in confusion. "What? Asking for me?"
Law just shrugs. "Take the mutt and ask her what she wants. She won't tell me."
Penguin gives him a half-hearted glare at him calling Onigiri a mutt, but complies, picking up the stubborn furball in his arms and heading over to the strange little girl.
He crouches down in front of her and gives her a warm smile. "Hi! I'm Penguin. Nice to meet you! You were asking for me?"
Her eyes are sparkling, and it gets even more intense when she sees Onigiri in his arms.
"H-H-Hi! You- You're really Penguin?"
Penguin nods and scratches Onigiri between the ears again while he waits for her to gather her composure again.
"I- I- My mamá told me so much about you!"
He stares at her dumbfounded. "Your mom knows me?"
She beams and nods eagerly and presents her penguin plushie to him. "Yeah! This is for you! If you come with me!"
Penguin can't help but chuckle. "Are you trying to bribe me right now?"
"Yes! Come, come, come!!" She's bouncing up and down with excitement again.
"Calm down for a second. What's your name? And how does your mom know me?"
"I'm Yuki! Well, easy! Cause you're my dad!"
Penguin's brain short circuits. He just stares at the girl with his mouth open, unable to think a single other thought. Her... dad?
"Hihi! You look funny!" Yuki is clearly enjoying his confusion. "Come on, I want you to meet my mamá!"
He's in a complete daze as he gets up and lets her guide him to her home by her hand, Onigiri still snuggled against him in his other arm.
They don't have to walk very far, Yuki's home being not far into the pine tree forest. It's a small but cozy cottage nestled comfortably into the thick of the trees.
Onigiri's nose has started twitching in excitement at all of the different scents surrounding them, but Penguin has been holding onto him tightly.
If he let him run off here they'd never find him again, and he doesn't know if the wildlife on this winter island is dangerous yet either.
Yuki opens the door for him and gestures for him to step inside.
The strong scent of delicious cooking wafts through the air as they enter, and Penguin can barely keep himself from starting to drool.
Onigiri doesn't know such restraint and actively starts to drool.
When they make it to the cramped kitchen in the cottage, Penguin wonders if he's dead.
The woman standing there cooking in an apron looks like an actual angel come to life.
He must be in heaven. Or maybe he didn't die, but Shachi put some suspicious things into their last meal again. Wouldn't be the first time that happened.
She's got long, golden hair, tied back behind her head in a ponytail, humming to herself as she cooks, lifting the lid off of a pot and peering inside, clearly not having heard them come in through the loud sizzling noise present in the kitchen.
"Mamá! Mira a quién encontré!", Yuki yells over the noise. The angel turns around and her eyes widen as she sees Penguin.
Beautiful, icy blue eyes, the same that he's seen on Yuki. It's true. He's either on some substance or deceased.
There's no way a beauty like her actually exists. Like something out of a dream.
His lack of focus allows for Onigiri to escape, and he lunges towards the stove, eager to find out what it is exactly that smells so nicely.
The angel proves to not only have divine looks but also quick reflexes as she catches Onigiri mid-air before he can burn himself on the hot stove.
She furrows her brows and inspects the strange, rice-ball looking little creature in a red knitted pullover with an Onigiri stitched on top.
She looks a little suspicious at this stranger having come into her house uninvited, especially having come in here together with her daughter.
Penguin wants to say something. Anything. But he's completely speechless, so he just stands there, staring at the angel before him, mouth agape, making an utter fool out of himself.
Chapter 2: The night we met
Summary:
One fateful night leads to unforeseen consequences Penguin doesn't learn about until years later.
When the Heart Pirates party, they party hard. Well. 95% of the Heart Pirates.
There is always one particular grouchy man sitting in a corner keeping an eye on his crew.
Sometimes Shachi and Penguin spike Law's coffee when they already know the crew will be partying in the evening.
There's no way they'll let their friend avoid having fun completely, and Law's shenanigans when drunk tend to be absolutely legendary.
Like that time he'd reassembled his own body parts to replace his arms with his legs for what had to be the craziest bit of breakdancing known to mankind.
Which he'd firmly denied ever having done the next morning, naturally.
This day is one of those days where Penguin slipped a bit of vodka into Law's coffee. Sometimes he wonders why Law never protests. Maybe he secretly enjoys getting to let loose, especially given it's not out of his own choice.
So when the Hearts head to the local pub in the evening (there's said to be an anonymous mask ball), Law already seems a little more relaxed than usual.
The masks everyone is wearing are a little ridiculous. Hakugan, the one crew member known to wear a mask on a regular basis, is wearing a mask designed to look like Bepo, while Bepo is wearing a replica of Hakugan's usual mask.
Law made a very intricate mask that resembles Sora, Jean Bart's mask looks like one of the giants from the children's book "Brag Men", Ikkaku has put on a mask with a long nose resembling the Strawhat's sniper Usopp (whom she's been dating on and off, a well-kept secret among the crew, which is to say everyone knows about it and keeps teasing her with it).
Shachi is in top form tonight, going above and beyond in having made a full-body orca suit, which coincidentally leaves his face open. Penguin keeps teasing him that he failed with his costume in covering the one single part he's actually meant to cover but Shachi just grumbles something about his sunglasses hiding him well enough.
Penguin himself had been indecisive for the longest while. If he dresses up like his namesake Shachi and the others will make fun of him for being boring, but if he dresses up as anything else they'll tell him to stop being so extra.
He sighs, looking at himself in the mirror. He loves getting to be with his best friends and found family all the time, but sometimes he does wish they'd be a little less predictable (and preferably less judgemental as well).
When the evening comes around, Penguin has shrouded himself in a dark cloak with a hood, hiding his costume underneath.
He ignores the pestering of all of his other crewmates to tell them what his disguise is as they make their way to the pub.
When they get there, the first party-goers have already arrived. It's not very crowded yet, but the din makes it a little hard to communicate already.
Shachi nudges Penguin. "Come ooooon, Pen! Stop hiding your disguise away already! Did you even dress up? Is the cloak your entire disguise?"
Penguin huffs. "Obviously not. I'm not that boring, thanks."
Shachi shrugs and goes off to fetch drinks for the entire crew.
As it draws later in the evening, everyone's having a good time. Penguin is still in his cloak, feeling a little self-conscious about his disguise now that there's so many people around.
He's currently leaning against a wall near the exit, when he notices somebody new come in.
An angel with long golden hair. Well, at least her disguise is that of an angel, wearing a golden carneval mask over her eyes and fluffy white wings on her back.
Penguin's pulse skyrockets just from seeing her. He wants to dance with her. He's gonna dance with her.
The amount of drinks he's had so far are facilitating the decision making by a lot as he boldly steps toward the angel, speaking in a voice way deeper than his natural tone to impress her. "Hello there, beautiful lady. Could I ask for your first dance?" He curtsies in front of her slightly.
The woman seems completely bewildered at immediately being asked to dance right after coming into the pub. "Uh. Hi. Uh. I'm gonna go get a drink first. Is that okay?"
The drunk Penguin immediately sees his chance and offers. "I'll get it for you. What would you like?"
After giving him the name of her drink of choice, Penguin swiftly goes to fetch it for her. He'll have to get rid of his cloak to dance with her, else he might trip over it and embarass himself. He's generally a little more prone to stumbling when around pretty women, so he'll have to be extra careful.
When he returns and offers her the drink which she gladly accepts, she smiles awkwardly. "So... to whom do I owe the drink?"
Penguin lifts back the hood of his cloak, revealing the large mustache he put on and his black hair which is far more tousled and messy than usual (a deliberate choice and not just his last-minute panic about what costume to choose, for sure.) Although most of his hair is hidden by the large pirate hat.
The angel's eyes widen. "G-Gold Roger?"
Penguin winks at her. "Yeah! Well, I'm not quite the king of the pirates. Yet. But the crew I captain will get there once we reach the end of the Grand Line for sure!"
The angel laughs. "Guess we're polar opposites then. I'm dressed as an angel, and you've put on the guise of the devil himself." But then she catches herself. "W-wait. You're an actual pirate? Not just dressed up as one?"
Penguin quickly reassures her. "We're a good crew! I promise. We have a lot of heart." He smiles stupidly at his own joke, completely oblivious to the fact that the woman wouldn't know him to be a Heart Pirate.
The two proceed to dance, Penguin miraculously only stepping on her feet twice as the angel proves to be a great dancer (or simply great at avoiding his two left feet.)
Since she'd come into the pub on her own Penguin drags her with him to meet his crew, where Law is thankfully not feeling social enough to talk to her, else his lie about being captain might have been revealed.
As the night draws on, a karaoke is set up with an impromptu stage and a microphone den den mushi available for those who are brave enough to face the audience.
Penguin, who's become absolutely smitten with the angel since the moment he first laid his eyes on her, immediately grabs the chance. He whispers into her ear. "Are you ready to witness the amazing singing talents of Captain Penguin of the Heart Pirates?"
She giggles, pretty drunk at this point as well. "Give it all you have, captain!"
What follows is what is indubitably the worst rendition of a romantic song the pub in question has ever had the misfortune of hearing. Penguin has many talents, but singing isn't one of them.
But he sings with gusto, facing the angel and striking dramatically romantic poses all the while, making her giggle more and more, which is all Penguin cares about in that moment.
As it gets even later in the evening - some of the crew members had already headed back home to the Tang - Penguin is simply not willing to let this lovely evening with the woman of his dreams end. He still doesn't know her name, which doesn't prove to be an issue as he simply drunkenly calls her "love of his life" every time.
After being dared to do just that by Shachi, he invites her to spend the night with him. Unwilling to get himself a stern lecture by Law, Penguin arranges for one of the guest rooms situated above the pub, not wanting for his captain to come ruin his fortune by preventing him from having fun as always.
The angel - who's just as drunk as Penguin - freezes at the invite, and very seriously asks him to pinky swear to her that he's a gentleman and not an evil pirate and won't harm her.
After the pinky swear, she doesn't seem to have a single concern left in her drunken mind.
After what Penguin would later refer to as the best and probably most drunken night of his life, the two wake up in each other's arms.
Which would be incredibly romantic and sweet and crap, why doesn't Penguin remember the name of the lovely woman in his arms??, when he realises that they're not alone in the room.
He tenses when his eyes fall on his captain, who looks like he's about to pop a vein on his forehead with how furious he looks.
Penguin freezes and stares at Law like a deer in headlights. He mouths a silent "What?", not wanting to wake the lovely woman beside him.
Law gestures for Penguin to get up and follow him outside. Penguin silently shakes his head, unwilling to leave the warm cocoon that is the angel's embrace.
He looks down at her wistfully. She really is very beautiful. Maybe he's still drunk. Normally he doesn't have a single chance with someone of her caliber.
Shachi does keep telling him how being drunk will "make even the ugliest hag look like a royal princess". Which Penguin hopes isn't right. Because he'd very much like the beauty in his arms to be real. And his.
Apparently Law's hung over patience has been worn thin, because the next thing he knows is he's been shambled outside of the room, in front of Law, stark naked. He squeaks in a very unmanly fashion before glaring at Law. "What the hell, captain!"
Law wordlessly hands him some clothes. "You and I are going to have a serious talk about safety. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you? I thought you'd been kidnapped. But no. Of course. Just couldn't keep it in your pants. Damned moron."
Law already sets out to leave, expecting Penguin to follow him. Penguin, now wearing his clothes, stares after him.
His pounding headache from the hangover isn't helping him in thinking clearly, but he hates this. He hates that he doesn't know the name of the woman he was with, he hates that he can't get to say goodbye, he hates that he has to leave her right now without having even gotten to have the basic decency of letting her wake up in his arms.
Between the pounding headache and his rapidly increasing guilt and sadness, he's feeling like a horrible worm of a man.
He quickly steps back into the pub room, looking around in the drawers. Finally he finds a pen to write with. In lack of anything else to write on he tears a piece of his vivre card off, which he always has on him, even in the Gold Roger costume he wore last night.
He writes on the card. "I'm sorry but I have to leave. You're amazing and I love you. Yours truly, Captain Penguin of the Heart Pirates." She doesn't need to know he's not actually Captain. He'll look cooler that way.
He's really not good at writing cards. Especially not when hung over. Is "I love you" too much? Surely not. People write "Love, xxx" all the time. Which basically means "I love you, kiss kiss kiss." Right?
He doesn't have any time to contemplate any longer. The blue film of Law's room spreads out around him, and suddenly he finds himself Shambles'd beside Law once more.
Six long years pass after that fateful night. Six long years during which Penguin tries to recall the face of the woman he'd been with, but to no avail. Her name, her looks, it has all been lost to his drunken stupor. All he remembers is that she'd looked like an angel.
He's not a stranger to one-night-stands, much to the dismay of Law who keeps lecturing him and Shachi on safety as if they were still teens, but that one woman he's sure can't have been real. He must have dreamt it. It simply was too good to be true.
Chapter 3: Mama Bird
Summary:
Back to the present!
Chapter Text
Penguin gulps, staring at the lovely woman in the kitchen before him. He's definitely noticing how carefully she's holding Onigiri, which is already earning her major bonus points with him.
He clears his throat. "Uhh. Hi."
She blinks at him. "Hi."
Thankfully Yuki interrupts what would only be a rather awkward silence. "Look, mamá! This is Pingüino! The capitán! I found him!"
The woman frowns at Yuki. "Were you at the port again, Yuki? How many times do I need to tell you that pirates are dangerous? You can't just approach them."
Yuki shakes her small head. "But mamá!! Are you even listening?? This is Pingüino! My dad!!"
The woman huffs and crosses her arms, fixing Penguin with a glare. "Prove it."
Penguin's throat goes dry. Prove it? How? "Uh. My name is written on my hat?", he suggests, pointing at the hat in question.
Yuki laughs loudly at that. "He's wearing his own name in case he forgets! That's smart!"
A faint smile plays around the woman's lips at that. "Hm. I guess that's a good point. Yuki, watch the kitchen."
The woman heads off to rummage in some drawers in the living room before returning with a piece of paper. "This should prove it without a doubt."
She places the piece of paper on the palm of her hand and then watches as it starts moving towards Penguin with infallible accuracy.
Penguin stares at it wide-eyed. "You have my vivre card?"
"You're the one that gave it to me." She takes the vivre card and hands it to him.
When he reads the words, he blushes scarlet read. He recognizes his own writing, even if he doesn't remember giving it to her. It reads: "I'm sorry but I have to leave. You're amazing and I love you. Yours truly, Captain Penguin of the Heart Pirates."
Penguin's mouth suddenly feels very dry. "Uhm. Yeah. Well. I am Penguin. Heh."
The woman's eyes narrow. "You left. Without a single word. Why did you even follow Yuki here?"
Penguin sighs. "Look. I'm sorry. Even though I must have been pretty drunk cause I barely remember any of this, I wouldn't normally leave someone right after... well, you know. Something must have come up. And I was curious to see if it was true. If I'd actually-" He trails off. He can't say "be Yuki's dad." The words just won't come out of his mouth.
He clears his throat, his voice suddenly assuming a much higher pitch. "Uhm. Am I? Her dad? Without a doubt?"
He's freaking out a little on the inside, but the woman just nods. "Yeah. I don't- make a habit of sleeping around. Didn't back then, either."
Penguin blinks owlishly as his eyes go from Yuki to the woman and back again. "Uh. Then why did you- Why did we...?"
She sighs. "Honestly, you were really cute. I was quite drunk too and you kept giving me love confession after love confession that night. I couldn't resist. It was just so different from anyone who just wanted to take me to bed. Even if we did go there, so maybe it was all just an act." She frowns, looking at Penguin scrutinizingly.
Penguin fidgets awkwardly. "So. Uh. Did you have any help? With, uh, having the baby? Raising her?" His eyes scoot over to Yuki again, although he's suddenly a little shy to look at her now that it's been confirmed that he is her actual father.
The woman shrugs. "For the most part, yeah. The villagers on this island are really nice. They helped me out even though I'm an outsider. I don't have any family here, so I probably would have been screwed without them."
Penguin breathes out in relief. "At least that." He takes a few moments to compose himself before adding. "I-I'm sorry. That I didn't uh, use protection that night. That I did that to you."
The woman huffs. "We were both really drunk. But I appreciate the apology."
Yuki guides Penguin to sit down on the sofa in the small living room, before bouncing up and down before him. "So now that you're here, you're gonna stay with us, right? I have so many drawings I wanna show you!!"
Penguin first feels a hot, then a cold shiver run down his spine. "Uhh. About that? I- I can't exactly leave my crew behind, little one." He looks down at Yuki, admiring her features. He actually has a child. That's still so unreal to him. How's that even possible? He's just Penguin. Troublemaker, prankster officer. Not a responsible parent figure by any means. Oh god, Law's going to kill him.
The woman sighs. "He's right, Yuki. He's a dangerous pirate, even if he looks pretty mellow." Penguin squawks in indignation, but she pays him no mind and continues. "But you can still show him your drawings, okay? Go fetch all of them. I'll make sure he doesn't run away again." At the last words, she shoots Penguin another glare, and he flinches at the venom behind that look. Okay, so she definitely isn't really happy with him, no matter how civil she's been acting so far. Good to know.
Penguin bites his lip, feeling horrible. If what the woman said is true, then Yuki's been running to the harbor every time a ship came by, hoping it would be Penguin and his crew this time. How heartbreaking would it be for her if he just up and left again? But he can't give up on his life, on his friends, on Law, Shachi, Bepo and everybody else. He just can't. He can feel himself start to sweat as he sits there, uncomfortably aware of being alone in the room with the woman at the moment.
Finally, he manages to gather his courage to ask. "I- I don't even know your name."
The woman's eyes widen. "Are you kidding me?"
Penguin squeaks again. "I'm so sorry! I barely remember anything from that night, remember!"
She huffs. "Yeah, okay, makes sense. Just feels a bit ludicrous that you've had such a large impact on my life and don't even remember my name. Not like you remember anything else either, I guess. My name is Anita."
She sighs, letting Onigiri down on the ground to go explore the surroundings, having held onto him until this moment.
"Look, I'm really sorry, okay? I- I hate myself for not getting to say goodbye to you that morning and for- for not being there for Yuki. I mean, I still don't feel like I could be a dad, cause that's just surreal but still. I didn't mean to ruin your life like that."
Anita shakes her head. "My life isn't ruined, and don't you dare let Yuki hear that. She's my pride and joy. I'm glad I've got her. Things haven't been easy for us. But we have each other."
Something about that resonates within Penguin, reminding him of two little boys that lived on Swallow Island, having nobody but each other.
"Can I- Can I help you? In any way? I want to help."
Anita frowns, clearly thinking it over. "We don't have a lot, but we're happy. Yuki's growing so fast, she keeps needing new clothes, so I guess if you have gold to spare I'd ask for that."
"Yeah. Of course. Anything to help. I'll give you all my savings. We all share our loot amongst each other on the crew anyways so I'll make some again soon."
Anita looks genuinely surprised. "Really? You're just going to part with all of your personal savings? I guess you're not just all talk."
Penguin feels incredibly offended that she'd thought that. "Come on, angel- I mean, Anita! I'm not a horrible person." And then, with a very small voice he adds, tone full of self-doubt: "Just a deadbeat dad, apparently."
Yuki comes back into the room, carrying a plethora of drawings and sketchbooks in her hand.
They're incredibly messy, but Penguin's heart sings with joy as the little girl shows him all of her drawings so proudly.
A lot of them are about him, although in her drawings he more looks like a human-sized penguin mink than an actual human.
There's scenes of him holding Yuki's hands, holding Anita's hands, so much wishful imagining of a family life as three. Penguin's heart breaks just thinking about leaving these two behind.
He carefully strokes over Yuki's head. "You're a great artist, Yuki. I bet you'll be a world famous painter one day!"
Yuki's eyes shine with glee. "You really think so?!"
"I'm sure of it."
Onigiri, who's now done inspecting the living room, hops onto Yuki's lap and sniffs her eagerly, making her put aside her drawings. He starts licking her leg and she giggles. "That tickles! Stop, little perro!"
Penguin didn't realize he was crying out of happiness until he sees the tears drop down onto the sofa. He quickly wipes them away, glancing over at Anita who's viewing him with an inscrutable expression.
He clears his throat before speaking, even though he can't completely hide the teary note from his voice. "The dog's name is Onigiri. He's our crew dog. He's the best guard dog any pirate crew has ever had."
Yuki giggles. "But he's so tiny! Any thief would probably just overlook him!"
As if Onigiri understood what she said, he hops off of Yuki's lap and onto Penguin's, settling down comfortably for a nap, completely content with his exploration of the surroundings and having made sure this is a safe place to stay for himself and Penguin, like a good protector dog would.
Penguin gathers his courage and speaks up almost timidly. "Yuki. Do you like living here?"
Yuki furrows her brows in confusion. "Huh? Yeah. This place is nice. Why?"
Penguin gulps and looks away. "I- I'll have to set off with my crew again. Probably sooner than later, our captain is very impatient once we've restocked on supplies."
Yuki's lip starts quivering. "WHAT? Already? B-but I only just met you and I only just showed you half of my drawings and I've waited for so long and-"
Before he knows it, he's got a crying child flinging herself at him. Onigiri yips and looks up in concern, having been woken up from his slumber.
Penguin holds Yuki awkwardly in his arms, trying to hug her back well, but the feeling is leaving him very confused. He's never had to do much with children but he already feels incredibly guilty for making Yuki cry like this, no matter how true his words might be.
He looks to Anita helplessly, but she just shrugs, not having a remedy for this either.
Yuki sniffles against his side. "I've only just met you. You can't just leave me again!"
Penguin holds her closely and sighs. "I- I can't give up my pirate life. My friends. I'm really sorry. I wish I could stay with you, and I'd love to see all of your other drawings too, but..."
But they're interrupted as a few men suddenly enter the cabin. Penguin tenses up at first but relaxes once he recognizes Shachi, Hakugan and Uni. "Why are you here?"
Shachi grins from ear to ear. "Captain sent us. We're supposed to help the lovely ladies pack." He winks at Anita flirtatiously, which makes Penguin feel a lot more jealous and protective than he has any right to.
Penguin frowns. "Help them pack? Why? What the hell is going on here?" Anita adds: "That's what I'd like to know."
Uni explains. "Bepo overheard what the little girl said to you with his fine hearing. He got super excited that you're a dad and immediately told Law. Who absolutely lost his shit-" He breaks off to giggle. "But then he said that the three of us should follow after you and help the little girl and her mother pack."
Anita huffs. "What the hell kind of decision is that? He can't just... abduct us."
Shachi grins even wider. "Not an abduction! But if you're the mother of Penguin's kid, and that there is actually Penguin's kid, then you're gonna come with us, of course. Cause that makes ya family!"
Anita looks absolutely bewildered and speechless, but Yuki looks beyond excited. "C-Come with you? Can I come with you, Pingüino? Then you won't have to leave me again!"
Hakugan frowns. "Wasn't that the plan to begin with? The hell were you gonna do, Penguin, just leave them here knowing you have a family?"
Penguin is getting redder and redder by the minute. "I-It's not like I was in a relationship with Anita here before. It was just a one-night-stand."
Anita nods. "Yeah. I'd be mad to just leave everything and join a pirate crew on a whim."
Shachi laughs heartily. "Well, good! We're a bunch of madlads too, so you'll fit right in with our crew!"
Penguin can't help but feel incredible uncomfortable with how lightly Shachi's taking this. He turns to Anita pleadingly. "I-Is that something you'd be willing to consider? Coming with us? We're a good crew, I promise. Things can get dangerous, but-" He looks down, fidgeting with his hands. "Things can get dangerous everywhere. Pirates could come to this seemingly peaceful island too. If you come with us-" He looks back up, meeting her eyes, his expression serious. "Then I promise you on everything I hold dearly that I will protect you and Yuki with my life."
Yuki cheers happily. "I'll start packing right away!!"
Anita still looks a little frozen and unsure, but it's obvious that Penguin's heartfelt words have moved her, even if only a little.
She finally voices her concerns. "But won't it be weird? I'm not a pirate. I don't- I've never even learned to fight. I don't belong on a crew like yours."
Penguin, heart beating in his throat, gets up and sits down beside Anita, taking one of her hands into both of his. "Anita. That's not something I would ever expect of you. You'd just do whatever you can, and that'd be good enough." It feels like his heart's beating out of his chest as he adds. "But I- I'd love to get to know you. Properly. To get to know Yuki. If- If captain is really okay with this-" He turns to look at Shachi, who nods, before looking back at her. "Then I'd be really happy to have you join us. I'll make sure you won't lack for anything. And I'll even protect you from captain's moodswings." He adds the last part with a crooked grin, making Uni and Hakugan snicker in the background.
Anita sighs and looks down at her hand in his. "I- I wouldn't mind it so much for me. But I can't endanger Yuki by any means. I can't let her come to harm just because-" She's clearly struggling to let herself be so vulnerable, especially now that three other strangers have come into the room too. "Just because I'd like for her to get to be part of an actual family. Because I'd love to not be so alone anymore."
Just then, Shachi gets a ring on his baby transponder snail. "What is it?", he asks. Bepo's voice responds. "The radars have detected a large ship coming this way. We can't see them yet, it could be marines or other pirates. Finish packing and get back here as quickly as you can!"
Penguin freezes in fear. Maybe he won't have the necessary time to convince Anita and Yuki to come join them. Maybe it's all been for naught. What if he will never see them again after this? Never get to properly get to know this angelic woman and his very own daughter? He pleads with her. "Please. Anita. What if it's a crew full of dangerous pirates? Or even corrupt marines? Please. Don't just reject this."
Anita takes a deep breath, clearly realizing the urgency of the situation. "If Yuki and I join you and I realize that it's too dangerous for us to be on your crew. Would you let us get off again? Build a new life on a peaceful island?"
Penguin nods seriously. "Yes. I would. I swear to you, that I will respect whatever decision you make. We're an honorable crew. I promise to you that you can trust us."
No matter how true his words may be, he worries that she's not going to believe him. Why should she, after all? She barely knows him. He's not sure if he would trust him if he was in her shoes.
She exhales deeply and makes her decision. "Fine. We're coming with you. Yuki. This is urgent. We're only taking the emergency suitcases and everything you can gather within five minutes. Understand?"
Yuki does a little salute and immediately scuttles off to fetch her belongings.
Shachi looks impressed as he asks. "Emergency suitcases?"
Anita nods as she gets up and produces a suitcase from the wardrobe. "Yeah. We always keep them handy and restocked. They have money, emergency food and changes of clothing. I've had to flee the places I lived in a few times before. Best to be prepared."
Shachi looks seriously impressed, and Penguin feels much the same way. Before he can stop himself, he blurts out. "Wow, you're amazing, angel. I mean, Anita." He quickly corrects himself, blushing hard.
"Why do you keep calling me angel?", Anita asks as she grabs some of her other belongings strewn about into various other backpacks and bags.
Penguin clears his throat, mortified to admit to this in front of the other three. "Well, cause you look like one. You're just as beautiful."
As expected, all three of his crewmates start snickering, overjoyed to get to overhear this embarassing moment.
Anita just laughs softly. "Oh. Yeah. I vaguely remember you saying something like that when I met you."
Yuki and Anita are ready to leave just a few minutes later. Penguin takes the time to ask them once more. "Are you sure about this?"
Anita nods, expression a mix of grim determination. "Yeah. I'll hold you to that promise. Yuki's safety comes first."
Penguin nods. "You have my word. Let's go." He quickly fetches Onigiri into his arms to make sure the little troublemaker won't cost them any time on their way to the ship.
They make haste, Shachi and Hakugan taking over carrying the suitcases and Uni the bags as Penguin lets Yuki ride on his shoulders. Her legs are simply too short to uphold the speed of the adults. Anita had initially been the one to offer to carry her but Penguin had waved her offer aside with a gentle smile. "No need. I've got more than enough strength to go around."
What Anita had said before was true. She wasn't a fighter, or trained by any means. Even with their heavy cargo the four Heart Pirates would easily outpace her, but they make sure to match her speed to not make her feel like a burden.
When they arrive on the Polar Tang and get on board, most everybody else is already inside, ready to submerge.
Bepo ushers them inside, although he's visibly extremely excited to get to meet Penguin's daughter. Which is still incredibly surreal to Penguin. Once they've all made it inside, Law's there, waiting for Anita and Yuki. He formally introduces himself. "Hello. My name is Trafalgar Law. I am the captain of this vessel. As I'm sure my men have told you, you are free to stay with us for as long as you wish. You are now officially under the protection of the Heart Pirates, whereever you are or may go."
Penguin preens, feeling incredibly proud to serve under such a good captain and awesome friend.
Anita replies just as politely. "Thank you. I'll make sure not to be a burden to you or your crew. I greatly appreciate everything you're doing for us."
She seems very tense, like she's about to run away, so Penguin steps up beside her and puts a hand on her back, just the faintest hint of a touch to reassure her instead of scaring her further. "I'm here. You and Yuki aren't alone, ya hear me?" He gives her one of his winning smiles, the type that make every lady swoon with a 100% chance of success (in his dreams, at least).
Anita looks a little confused at his smile but then nods, Yuki clinging onto her leg.
Law exchanges a meaningful glance with Penguin. "You and I are going to have one long talk once we're submerged and these two are settled in."
Penguin nods ruefully, already dreading that happening. He smiles at Anita and Yuki. Come on. I'll show you what room you're going to stay in until we've figured out the new living arrangements. I'm sure it's a bit overwhelming, being around this many strangers and what with us about to submerge as well."
Anita nods gratefully, while Yuki doesn't seem scared in the slightest, taking in the inside of the Polar Tang with wide, curious eyes.
Penguin can't help but feel happy as he sees her expression. His daughter's expression. He's going to make damn sure that she gets to have an awesome and fun time on this ship. While he's still terrified of suddenly being a dad now, he's starting to get more and more excited by the idea of it. And even if he struggles with it, he's got the Heart Pirates to back him up when he needs them.