Salvaged Heart (One Piece)

Prologue

He resisted himself from kissing the ground, thankful for returning to his house and his own family.

He skipped the cemented pavement that trailed towards the small stairs before he proceeded to burst the door open.

"I'M BACK!!!"

His wife's back faced him until a small boy poked his head out of her figure as his eyes lit up in recognition.

"Dad!" the boy stepped out and spread his arms before he jumped onto his dad. 

The father wrapped his arms around his son affectionately before he glanced at his wife. 

"Welcome back" she warmly smiled before she looked down to her belly. "Amaryllis, your father's back"

The father placed his son down as the two of them made their way towards the woman. He knelt down and said 'hi' to his daughter. 

"She's glad to have you back" his wife told him. 

An ear-to-ear smile split the man's face. "Of course, she's glad! Did ya miss me?"

"We all missed you" the boy spoke.

The man stretched his arm out and ruffled the kid's hair. "I missed you too Blaze"

"Hey Dad, you know, while you weren't here in Rakuen, Mom helped me finished my short story!" Blaze beamed in pride.

"It's quite a magnificent one, mind you" Herzelle added.

"I didn't really write everything. Mom wrote while I told her how the story went" Blaze told him.

"Oho? That's nice" he replied. "But you know, you should learn how to write all on your own"

Blaze's cheeks burned bright. "O-Of course I will! I'll be a grown man someday! I won't have Mom do my thing!"

The parents laughed as the child glanced away in embarrassment. Herzelle glanced at her husband after she tried to resist herself from laughing and noticed.

'Something's off about him'

---

"Dad" Blaze abruptly sat up and stared at his father's retreating back. 

The man turned his heel and said, "Is there something you need?"

When the boy didn't answer immediately, the man walked back and sat on the edge of the bed next to where the boy sat.

"You know, um... I've been wanting to tell this to Mom but I don't want her to stress out while she's having a baby" Blaze stated before heaving a sigh. 

The man slightly widened his eyes when he noticed tears streaking out of the boy's eyes.

"Mom... *sniff* There's this blonde dude with her *sniff* I don't know what he wants to do with her *sniff* Mom's always inside the house *sniff* I've never *sniff* I've never seen that man before" Blaze confessed and looked at his father straight in his eyes. "Is Mom going to die?"

He was taken aback. He took a deep breathe before inquiring, "What makes you say that?"

Blaze wiped the tears off his face and sniffed for one last time. "He wears a black coat"

The man froze on the spot. 'That very description...' 

He snapped back to reality when he felt his son tug his shirt and said, "Don't let some other guy get Mom, okay?"

"--Eh?" was his only answer.

"While you're out for work, I'll make sure nobody gets near her" Blaze bravely told him.

His father blinked in surprise before he smiled and ruffled the kid's hair. "Of course you will. Also, she won't have some other dude besides me after all"

"What makes you so sure about tha-"

"I just know" the man interjected before he stood up and tucked the boy into bed. "What you need to do now is get a good night sleep"

"You promise that okay?" Blaze stuck out his arm and his pinky finger. The man smiled and intertwined his own finger with his. 

"Good night Blaze" 

The father walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He leaned against it and heaved a sigh.

"Ehem" 

He froze on the spot as he animatedly turned to his wife with her arms crossed over her chest while she tapped her foot on the floor.

"Uh..." the man was lost for words as he was dragged by his wife through pulling his ear.

"That was NOT cute" he pouted before he sat down and placed a hand over his sore ear.

Herzelle was out of the living room but she returned with...

"Darn it, p-put that down!" her husband pointed at the knife she was holding.

Herzelle had a frown on her face, unsatisfied with his statement.

'Definitely NOT cute' he mused in his mind. "I-I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! JUST PUT THE FREAKING KNIFE DOWN!"

Herzelle placed the knife down on the table next to her and gestured for her husband to talk.

After he finished talking a few minutes later, he immediately added, "Look I know what you're thinking"

Herzelle heaved a sigh. "I know they're called rules for a reason but I still find it cruel to lie to Blaze and Amaryllis"

Her husband crossed his arms behind him and leaned on his chair. "Well that's how Rakuen's laws goes. It's not like we can change it. AND stop making it look like you regretted meeting me in the first place"

"You're much more childish than Blaze" Herzelle commented before an irk mark appeared on her forehead. "And STOP POUTING!"

He knew all too well that it was her weak point on him. She glanced away with a faint tint on her cheeks.

"I would've been in Impel Down if I haven't met you" She muttered but it managed to reach her husband's ear.

He rose from his seat and sat next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her close before he rested his cheek on her black hair.

His first meeting with Herzelle wasn't a very pleasant one. But with a bit of research and investigation, he was able to understand why things went like that.

She was from Rakuen Island, a native of the place. He was from someplace else. He had to abide to the rules of the island just to be able to live there permanently. 

And to abide to the rules also meant to lie to their children. 

---

I missed writing about Amaryllis' family so here they are. Take note it happened in the past and Amaryllis is still in her mother's womb. Don't get me wrong, Herzelle's husband is the father of Blaze and Amaryllis. I think I remember someone asked if he was just a stepdad.

Thanks for finishing 'Tainted Heart' and reading the first chapter of 'Salvaged Heart'.