Epilogue: Welcome home Yulie Anne

Yulie let out a heavy breath as she stared at the island ahead of them. It's town harboring the most beautiful windmills she had ever seen. It's streets cladding up with people cheering and dancing around. It's port just as lively as she had remembered them. Her gaze finally fixated on that one ship that was so different from the rest. It's masthead that of a lion that looked like the sun. Its flag that was dancing with the soft wind was a jolly roger with a straw hat on top of it.

"Love"

She almost turned around to greet Law but stopped short when she felt his hands snaking around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulders.

"Are you nervous?"

Yulie let out a breath as she nodded at Law.

"It had been too long"

It indeed has been, and her fears about the doomed future were still lurking at the back of her head, threatening to make way at any given moment. Law saw the undeniably shake of Yulie's head and immediately knew what was going on through it.

"Blackbeard is gone, his pirates back at prison and every last piece of what might harm the future is dead. And we're alive"

He muttered towards Yulie, the words beginning to become like a mantra that he tells her every time her fears take over her. Law took Yulie's hand and played with the thin golden band decorating her ring finger, the pair decorating his as well. He took it and placed a kiss on her finger before gently grazing his lips on his wife's cheeks.

Wife, the thought made him smile as he stared at Yulie who was now standing beside him at the deck of the Polar Tang. 

He hadn't wasted time back at the island where he had met her again. He stayed with Yulie, gave her reassurances and time to make her decision before he asked her to join him in the Polar Tang once again. Before he, once again showered her with all the love that she had deserved. Telling her over and over again how much he love her. He stayed, day and night with her, always there to reassure her that this future would be different than what she had been through.

It took all the effort he could muster as he tried to sweep away her nightmares. Especially on nights where his own one's invaded his sleep. Where visages of Yulie dying over and over again plagued him. But he had gotten through it, they both had gotten through it. 

And when everything was a tad bit nicer, more peaceful between their hearts, he went down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. Fear almost crippled him when he thought Yulie was going to say no, but she smiled. One of the most genuine smiles he had seen her make so far, and said yes. They had wed under the night sky with only his crew as their witnesses but it was everything he could have hoped for. 

And after a whole blissful week of honeymoon, Yulie had decided to reclaim her life one step at a time. It was such a brave step for her to step out of her fears and anxieties and Law couldn't be more proud of her. 

"It'll be alright, Mugiwara-ya would be happy to see you again"

Law told her as he kissed one of her eyebrows. Yulie looked at Law and intertwined their fingers, as she held it close to her rapidly beating heart. She took one deep breath and made her feet move, one step at a time with Law right beside her. 

"Oh Torao!!"

Yulie gripped Law's fingers tighter when she heard the cheerful greeting echo the moment the Polar Tang anchored by the port. Law took off his hat and placed it in Yulie's head hiding her features. He could feel Yulie tense up and he had hoped to ease it a little bit with it.

"Mugiwara-ya you didn't need to come see me right away"

"What are you talking about? You're already so late, everybody has already been here"

After Luffy had defeated Blackbeard and had found the One Piece the first thing he did was go back to Windmill Village. There the parties and festivals never ceased, it came to a point where every pirate crew under his fleet had went there to celebrate.

And Law was somehow, in a way under it too, under the pretense of their former alliance. And he was also there the moment the fleet was formed. But right now, he could care less about the other crews because all his attention was on Yulie.

On Yulie who was thinking of several ways on how to tell Luffy that she was alive. Should she just say 'Hi brother, Surprise! I'm alive' or should she do it differently. Her fear was gnawing on her alive, eating her slowly until her feet went cold as she muttered.

"I don't think I could do it"

She said surprising Law as her butterfly wings sprout from her back and she flew before Law could even hold her back.

She had hurt her brothers, Ace had died not knowing she was still alive. That was the reason she believed there was no way she was going to be forgiven that easily. Her fears and anxiety were getting the best out of her. Her mind wanders to the dark places that she had tried so hard to get out from. 

What if something bad happens to my brothers again? What if this lifetime would only bring them pain and suffering again? She had watched Sabo, Ace and Luffy die for too many lifetimes. She had seen it over and over again and that fear still grips her heart as she flew towards the forest.

She stopped right atop the pirate ship shaped treehouse. Their secret hiding place and sat at the place that she had always loved being at.

Law let out a deep sigh as he watched Yulie fly away.

"Hey Torao, who was that?"

His gaze went to Luffy who was also curiously staring at Yulie. He could tell him right now, in behalf of Yulie, to make things easier for her. But that would be akin to betraying her and he couldn't do that. He shook his head as an answer to which Luffy just shrugged at.

He couldn't tell Luffy directly but he could probe and that would be the right thing to do.

"By the way Mugiwara-ya who else is on the island?"

Luffy smiled widely at him before saying.

"Almost everyone is here, even Ivan and Sabo are here"

And that made Law smile subtly. He urged Luffy to walk towards one of the taverns, the one that Makino owns and sat there. He played with the ring in his finger and absorbed the noisy and cheerful environment all around the place. The village was full of both civilians and pirates cheering for Luffy, and enjoying the festivities.

"Hey Torao what took you so long"

Law grimaced as Sabo walked inside the tavern and smilingly put an arm around his shoulders. He had known Sabo for quite some time and he had taken a liking to Luffy's nickname for him. 

"I went somewhere"

"Where?"

Sabo asked before his gaze went down to his tattooed fingers where one of them was decorated by a golden band. His eyes widened as he shook Law's shoulders.

"You got married?"

He asked a little too loudly making everyone inside stop on their own tracks for a couple of seconds before another set of cheers erupted. Suddenly he was surrounded by congratulations and a pat at the back which he did not appreciate.

"Have you always been this loud?"

Sabo let out a low laugh before patting Law at the back once more. 

"So, who's the lucky woman?"

Law took one look at Sabo then to Luffy who was busy gnawing down on the meat that was on their table.He looked back at Sabo and smiled sheepishly

"She flew away actually, could you help me find her? This is your village afterall"

Sabo's laugh bursted out as he stared at Law and pointed out.

"See, I told you Lu is scary, even your wife flew away when she saw him"

"Hey!! I didn't do anything"

Law just laughed along and remembered something that Yulie had once told him about. The safe space that she had made for herself when she was a child. The one place she always go back to whenever she misses her brothers

"My wife likes high places that has a view of the sea and sky, any place that might come in mind?"

Sabo stopped laughing and placed a hand underneath his chin, thinking about the places that might have what Law had just described.

"There are a few I can think of, wanna go check it out?"

He asked to which Law quickly nodded at.

"Of course, you're coming along"

Sabo said as he dragged Luffy up by the arm, whose mouth was still on the meat that he was holding. Luffy couldn't argue especially not when he was dragged to the forest where they used to play as kids. 

"We used to play here"

Luffy cheerfully said to Law who was just silently following the two brothers.

"Who's we?"

"Oh Ace, Sabo, me and our little sister"

Law could almost smile, he was getting what he wanted slowly, but he masked his expression and instead said.

"I didn't know you had a little sister"

This time it was Sabo who answered him with a sad smile in his face, an expression that was quickly mirrored by Luffy's.

"Her name is Yulie Anne, she's Luffy's blood-related sibling but yeah she's our little sister too"

"She's long gone"

This was a part that Yulie had never told Law. What she did and what she had made the whole world believe. Why her brothers never searched for her and why there was no news about her.

"What happened?"

He silently asked. Sabo took off his hat and plucked out a flower from one of the trees before looking at it intently.

"She died, in a fire, her body was never recovered because it was all ashes"

Law stiffened, he hadn't known that Yulie had faked her death just so she could cease to exist. What he had known was that Yulie had told him how she had hurt her brothers but never about her faking her death. With this his heart ached more, he thought he couldn't be hurt by anything anymore but another sacrifice that Yulie had made was enough for it to ache.

"Was the fire big?"

"There's a garbage dump site outside this forest. One day, the kingdom decided to burn everything in it. We didn't know that she was still there collecting scraps. We were too late when we found out"

Luffy who never smiles sadly painted his face with one. Now, Law understood Yulie's fear. It was seeing and realizing that her brothers had gone through pain at a young age all because she faked her death. 

"But you never found her body? How did you know that she was dead?"

"Someone saw her there and we knew because we were supposed to go with her"

"So you hadn't seen it yourselves?"

Sabo squinted his eyes at Law, he had known him to be a quiet and timid guy who wouldn't be such a busybody but here he was asking questions about his dead sister. He wanted to ask him but stopped when Luffy quieted them both.

"Someone's at the treehouse"

He muttered and all their gazes went to the lone pirate ship shaped treehouse that was bustling with noise. Law noted how the treehouse looked ragged like it'll give out any moment but the flag that was flying atop it with the ASLY initials seemed newly done. 

"ASLY"

"Ace, Sabo, Luffy, Yulie, Torao any chance it might be your wife?"

Law shrugged and motioned his hand indicating that the two should go up first, to which they both did. While Law stayed on the ground, leaning back against a tree as he cross his arms in front of his chest, a smile finally blooming across his face.

Yulie quickly pulled down Law's hat when she felt the undeniable presence behind her. She will forever know who those belong to.

"Hey it is her, Hey Torao your wife's — eh? why didn't he went up?"

Yulie could almost curse even so when she felt Sabo going towards her until he was an arm's length away from her. She pulled the hat lower to hide her features until there was only her mouth.

"Hello, I'm Sabo, this is Luffy, your husband is looking for you, are you alright?"

Yulie could feel her eyes stinging and an undeniable ache in her chest. She had missed them, and hearing their voices was enough for her to choke down an incoming sob.

"Yea… yeah sorry for the intrusion"

She muttered quietly but Luffy's eyes were on the diary that was laying open in her feet.

"Hey, how did you find that?"

Luffy asked, the diary was hers but when she had faked her death, the three brothers switched writing in it, mostly Ace until the day of his departure from the island. And Luffy who had stayed behind hid it in a place that only them would be able to find it. A place that Yulie knew all too well. 

"Just there, sorry for barging in"

Sabo switched gazes between Luffy and her then back to the diary. He couldn't explain it but there was something that was urging him to look at her more closely. But the way she was hiding her features was something he couldn't ask about so instead he decided to do something else.

"Wow isn't it hot in here"

He muttered before he swished his pipe creating enough air to throw back Yulie's hat and before she could even react Law's hat was already in Sabo's hand.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the now wide-eyed Luffy and Sabo. She had thought about the time when Luffy had failed to recognized Sabo at first glance and wished for the same thing. But fate proved her wrong because as she stared at Luffy and Sabo's now teary eyes she knew they recognized her.

"You must be a ghost, yeah that's right, you're a ghost"

"Yulie"

Before Yulie could even open her mouth for an answer she was enveloped in a tight hug. So tight her lungs could give out, but every sob she choked down finally let loose as Luffy and Sabo's cries drowned them out.

"You're alive"

"Yulie it's really you"

And all Yulie could feel was the pain that his brothers were letting loose. All she could do was welcome the ache in her heart as she wrapped her arms around them too.

"I'm here"

She quietly muttered in between her tears and sobs. But her words were too much silent for the pain and sadness that Luffy and Sabo were pouring unto her. She was their sister, and they too were just children when she had faked her death. And she knew all too well how losing a sibling felt. It felt like a part of her had died with them, taken a piece of her soul and tucked it away never to be seen again. 

That was exactly what Luffy and Sabo had felt. And that tucked away piece was something that had returned to them, alive and well.

Sabo was the first one to pull away as he scanned Yulie from head to toe, her face decorated with tears and pain. She had grown up but he would always recognize her. His heart would always yearn for the younger sister she once thought she had lost.

"I… have too many questions"

Sabo said as his gaze wandered to Luffy who was still crying loudly. His gaze was soft but it mirrored everything that he had felt.

"But… thank you for being alive Yulie, thank you for coming back"

And that was everything. That was all Yulie needed to hear for the tears to stream down her face once more as she nodded and cried in the arms of his brother.

"I'm sorry"

She wailed but Sabo only shook his head as he pat Yulie on top of her head.

"We can talk after Lu calms down"

"I'm calm"

Yulie managed a chuckle. Luffy was far from calming down, his cries were so severe that snot was coming down from his nose.

"The king of pirates, still a snot-nosed brat"

Sabo managed to tease to which Yulie laughed at but Luffy could care less as he hugged her tighter pulling her towards his chest. Sabo adoringly looked at the siblings before remembering something that they all had forgotten. Rather someone.

"Wait! You married Torao?"

A laugh resounded from Yulie's mouth as Luffy pulled away from her and looked at her with wide eyes and asked.

"You married that gloomy guy?"

"I CAN HEAR YOU MUGIWARA-YA"

Yulie watched as Luffy finally let her go and walked towards the door of the treehouse to argue with Law who was still down there. She watched as Sabo picked up her diary and opened his arms for her to come inside again. And she did, she flushed her face inside Sabo's warm arms as Law and Luffy's argument about why she had married him pulled at every strings in her heart.

"Really, thank you for existing sis"

Yulie knew she was still far from becoming who she had been before. What had been broken inside of her during those many life cycles were too hard to fix. Too permanent to even be forgotten. Yulie and Law both knew that. They knew that their life would still have many hardships but they will get through it, together. Because this life will be the most precious as this life was the one where they finally found their peace.

Where Yulie had mended bonds and reclaimed her life as Yulie.

Where the both of them settled in Windmill Village alongside Sabo and Luffy.

Where their children grew up to yearn for adventures like theirs.

Where her family was finally safe and sound. 

Where she took her last breath alongside the love of her life, never entering the cycle again.

And…

Where her devil fruit vanished.

Only to be seen for another 100 years, in the hands of the mischievous youngest daughter of her youngest daughter.

And so… another cycle begins.