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She hasn't seen her sister in over a decade now.
It was fine, though. Understandable. The two of them took different paths in life, and the separation was inevitable.
She was a mountain bandit; a notorious one, with a loyal gang and a 7.8 million berry bounty to her name, one she had picked herself: Curly Dadan, terror of the mountains.
Her sister, in turn, became a pirate. Dadan saw the posters from time to time, bounty steadily growing larger than her own. It was only thanks to the picture that she had even recognized her, seeing as her sister also hid their family name. These days, she was going by Blackjack Rouge, or so Dadan heard.
She wondered, occasionally, whether it would be worth the effort to try and make contact, to reconnect with her baby sister. But there was always something else to occupy her attention, something else to focus on. And Rouge was clearly busy, too, if the rumours Dadan heard of her courting the Pirate King were to be believed.
There would come a better time for a reunion, she was sure.
It was only months, years later that she regretted her decision.
She could hear Garp approaching from a mile away - or nearly so - but she didn't bother getting up. It was a comfortable spot, close to the fire and with the sake handy, and Garp would barge in whether she was there to invite him in or not, so there was no point in exerting any unnecessary effort.
The doors shook violently when Garp slammed them open, vibrating unevenly as they bounced off of the wall.
"Dadan!" He yelled, though a bit quieter than normal. His arm—the one he didn't use to enter—was cradled against his chest weirdly. Had he broken it? Garp the Fist with a broken arm? What a curious sight! "I've come to call in a favour."
Dadan snorted. "I don't owe you any favours, idiot."
"I could have reported your whereabouts to the marines, but I didn't! That's a massive favour right there."
"Mhm," she rolled her eyes. "And the fact that my sake is the best you ever drank had nothing to do with that decision, I'm sure."
"Glad we're on the same page," Garp nodded, completely missing the sarcasm. He shifted slightly, outstretching his arm towards her. "You will take in and raise this child."
Dadan blinked, staring at the bundle thrust in front of here. That sure was a human child and not, like she half-expected, a piglet or a pumpkin or a large bottle of alcohol wrapped in blankets. She wouldn't have put it past Garp, to try and pull a prank like that.
But no. That was a real baby.
"Whose child did you steal?" She asked, incredulous.
"Roger's," Garp said promptly. "And I didn't steal it, he made me promise to take care of it after his execution."
"The Pirate King Roger?!" She choked on her sake. Seems like her sister lost the courting game... No, wait, there was a more important thing to focus on- "The one who died over a year ago?!"
"Huh," Garp stuck the pinky of his free hand up his nose. "It sure has been a while."
"That can't be his child. Do you have no idea how pregnancy works?"
"Why the hell would I need to know that?"
Dadan wasn't sober enough, nor drunk enough, to try and explain any of this.
"The mother was a right spitfire," he continued casually. "Met her there at the end. She said she held the kid in for twenty months."
"Okay," Dadan said, itching to cut the conversation short. "I'm not raising a random brat. Take him somewhere else."
"Nope," Garp declared, tossing the child at her. Dadan scrambled to catch it; As much as she didn't care about the child itself, it wasn't its fault that Garp was insane. "I've decided. You're going to be the one to raise Portgas D. Ace."
Dadan froze, staring up at him with wide eyes. There's no way-
"Why me?" She choked out.
"Cuz you owe me," Garp plopped himself down, reaching for the booze and paying her no mind.
He doesn't know, she realized. He doesn't know Rouge is — was — my sister.
Well. That changed things. There's no way she could leave - Ace, was it? - in Garp's hands. Now just to make sure he didn't grow suspicious at her change of heart...
"And if you don't agree, I'll throw you and your whole band into prison!"
That'd do it.
"Fine!" she spat out, cradling the child close. "I'll keep the brat. But you will never ask any other favours of me! We're even!"
Garp didn't respond, but he did raise the bottle in a mock salute.
Whatever; All that mattered was her sister's legacy in her arms.
She would raise him well, she promised herself. She'd raise him like her own flesh and blood, the same way Rouge would have done for her. She’ll be there for Ace the way she wasn’t there for her baby sister.
And when they finally meet again, maybe Dadan would be able to look Rouge in the eye without shame biting at her heart.