Tiger Tribe

The men inside the barracks were already informed of the reason a fire broke out earlier, thankfully they understood the reason and accepted Sengoku's apology. But that was the least of his problems today.

"What happened?" Garp was now lying back on his chair, looking at his friend in the eye in deep thought. So deep he even forgot to bring any snacks.

"We found out who the boy is..." Sengoku looked at the sleeping Sanboi's face in pity. The tears he shed had already been wiped away a while ago, but the tired appearance still showed itself on his crumpled face. Though he seems to be comfortable as the rest of his body was gently laid down on the bed.

"And?" Garp wasn't one who looked at pretense. Either he tells him now or he won't bother about it again. If he doesn't want to talk then he won't force him.

"He's from the Tiger Tribe. Tiger D. Akatora." Sengoku looked directly at Garp whose whole body visibly trembled. He knew the impact this might have on his friend, as he recalled his past. But there is no reason to hide it from him, especially when he needed his help.

"What!? How could that be!?" The war from his childhood returned to him in a flash. A reminder of his weakness, that he failed to protect those he held dear. He looked at the boy and saw a silhouette of a boy similar to Garp in features.

'He was the same age as Naki when I...'

"How old is he again?" Garp seemed to have remembered the few friends from the Tiger Tribe that he had all those years ago. Those that he left behind on the island to explore the seas, back when he was younger.

"He's thirteen years old, or he should be. The tests we ran on him made him out to look like he was only nine or at most, ten years old. He's... unhealthy." Tsuru slipped into the conversation as she felt that she was involved with the matter of the boy as much as Sengoku was. She needed to get Garp on their side as well, to give the boy the justice he deserves.

"Thirteen, huh? If he really was, IS, from the Tiger Tribe... Then he should have been..." Garp held his head between his hands. His thoughts were playing back the scene he very vividly remembered happening.

"Yes, he was one of the few they kept alive. If only... If only we were allowed to help back then. If those bastards from HQ weren't so damn concerned with those damn Celes-" Sengoku was feeling his blood boil when he thought about the tragedy that happened in Tiger Shore. A stain in his record that no one cared about, but he knew that he could have helped if he was given the chance. He might have even prevented it all from happening if Garp and Tsuru were with him.

"So Xebec took the boy with him when he left? I thought the bastard only 'eats' and never leaves survivors behind? Why did he let this one live? And how did he get to Chocolate Village in the first place?" Garp was unable to give an answer to the questions on his mind. There was a missing link in all of this, maybe not just one, but multiple links too.

"We have reason to believe the boy is the Tiger Heir, similar to your brother." Garp was visibly stunned when he first heard Sengoku's words. But then it made more sense why he was taken alive, perhaps they even tried to make him join them. But how did the boy escape?

"We cannot place any of our bets on theories right now. If we want to know more, we need to talk to the boy." The three of them looked at the boy sleeping on the bed. His face was still giving a tired expression, making the three feel bad about having to get the answers out of him.

"Give him some time to adapt first. I'm sure we struck a well in the boy's mind that resurfaced the bad memories. Let him heal first, I'll bring him back home with me. He needs to feel safe. Now that I'm his father, I'll have to be the one to do that."

Tsuru's eyes lit up in admiration when Sengoku spoke. Her heart was beating widely, but just as she was about to tell him that she wants to go with him, he raised his hand.

"I need to do this alone Tsuru. I know you care for the boy as well, but I need him to open up to people first. Having him face people without the proper control of his devil fruit could lead to disaster. You're strong, but your armament haki isn't at a level that it can contend with a first class logia like the one this boy has."

Sengoku shook his head while placing a hand on Tsuru's shoulder. He faced her eye to eye, and when she gave him a nod, he sighed in relief.

"Good! Then I'll see you three again in a month. I'll take my vacation this year now." Picking up the boy, Sengoku bid his friends farewell. Knowing fully well that their hearts needed time to process what they just learned today.