Laughter

The ocean breeze brushed its scent across the bubbles. Sunlight shimmered and sparkled in its waves. 

Dusk began to set on the horizon, its orange light drawing the silhouettes of three children sitting on the shore by a tree.

Lily, Shanks, and Buggy had spent the whole afternoon talking. The latter two about their adventures and telling stories they had gathered throughout them. The former was mostly silent, with an odd giggle or chuckle to interrupt, or an occasional question.

She had initially felt dumbfounded by the supposed declaration of their friendship, but she quickly got over her inhibitions as she interacted with the duo for longer.

It was a natural process, one that Lily was not quite accustomed to but welcomed nonetheless.

As the day drew to a close, a man with slicked-back long golden blonde hair, round rimless glasses and a goatee approached them.

"Shanks, Buggy, there you are. Coating's done, Roger said we'll set sail in the morning," He said, then glanced at Lily who looked up at him, "Oh, who's this?"

In his previous preoccupied and slightly drunken state, Rayleigh hadn't paid much attention to the child, but now upon taking a closer look, he recalled that Roger had mentioned her briefly.

"I'm Lily, Sir, the daughter of one of the men doing the coating of your vessel, Michael," She said politely as her pale green eyes entered his own.

Rayleigh was slightly surprised, not only by the eloquence of the child he assumed to be no more than three or four years old, but he also felt hints of Haki within her. Needless to say, that was an exceedingly rare trait in children.

Whether or not she would awaken it, however, was a different matter entirely.

He smiled, then crouched down to meet her near eye level, "I see, I'm sorry if our cabin boys troubled you. They can be quite the handful, Hahaha!" He laughed, then stood up, taking a swig from his canteen.

"Rayleigh-San, we never caused any trouble!" Buggy said, exasperated, then glanced at Lily.

"Not at all, Sir, they've been nothing but welcoming," Lily said with a smile of her own.

Before the other three could linger on that world-ending smile, another voice called out.

"Lily! We're done, why don't we go back and have dinner?"

"Ah, Dad…" Lily responded with some reluctance coloring her tone. She wasn't sure why, but she wished she could stay with her new friends for longer.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Michael approached her, picked her up gently, then turned towards the other three who were present.

"You're this girl's father?" Rayleigh asked, then rummaged through his inner coat pockets.

"Ah, yes, thank you for taking care of her while I was working," Michael said sheepishly. Truthfully, he had almost lost sight of her at one point, and he knew better than anyone how dangerous that was on Sabaody.

"Don't worry about it, it seems our cabin boys enjoyed her company," Rayleigh fished out a thick stack of Belly from his coat, "Here, for your work."

"Ah, no, your captain already paid us more than enough, so don't worry about it," Michael said as he rejected the money.

"Don't worry, just take it. We've more than enough. Go spend it on your daughter, buy her some nice things, make her smile more," Rayleigh said with a grin.

Michael froze, then hesitated for a moment before accepting the extra money, "Thank you, then."

Lily looked down from her father's arms towards Shanks and Buggy, and waved slightly, knowing it was time to part.

They looked at her, and reciprocated with a smile and wave of their own.

"We'll meet again someday!" Shanks raised his voice slightly, and Lily responded with a smile and nod of her own.

Truthfully, she didn't think she would become a pirate. It's not that she wasn't interested in exploring the world, but that she enjoyed her current peaceful lifestyle.

She wasn't ready to risk the peace she had found.

—

Rose was concerned. She tried her best to be a good mother, reading books that would help her, and asking for advice from her neighbors.

She had always dreamed of nurturing a child with her warmth and love and protection. And now that she was actually a mother, those feelings intensified to the point where she couldn't bear her child's tears or frowns.

And so, she was deeply concerned and troubled. There was just something strange about her daughter Lily. She was exceptional and adorable, yes, but those things weren't what concerned Rose.

Her daughter wouldn't eat her food until she had moved her fork through it a few times, and tasted it with the tip of her tongue. She would take small bites, as if to confirm it was safe to eat before stuffing herself.

She would wash herself obsessively at least three times a day, claiming that she wanted to be clean.

Once, when Rose snuck up behind her to give her a surprise, she froze and started shivering in panic.

And worst of all, she would wake up at least a few times in the middle of her sleep, hyperventilating while sweating profusely.

She would rarely smile, and she sometimes spoke too rigidly, unlike how children should typically behave.

These things pained her heart, and although she didn't understand the exact circumstances, she could tell that her child was not feeling well.

What made her slightly relieved however, was that Lily would sometimes smile, and in her own way, she would offer warmth and comfort to her parents. The way she bantered with Michael, and the way she frequently sought out her mother's comforting embrace were things she was grateful for.

Rose sat on the dining table with her family, listening attentively to Lily who was explaining what she had seen and the new friends she had made that day by the docks.

"Shanks asked him what was on the moon…" Lily started with a smile.

"...And then Buggy said 'nobody knows' and then kicked himself straight after, for making fun of his nose!"

For the first time, Rose saw her daughter giggle and laugh.

It was the sweetest sound in the world.