Deadbeats Get Beat Dead

"Hm?" Cherry hummed in curiosity.

She was studying a flower pot closely to observe the most minute changes inside of the plants.

'I thought that the celestial energy that was released by my little blast to the past would eventually spread so thin to be undetectable. Instead it seems to be altering the world around it in such a way that it produces more celestial energy.' Cherry pondered.

The plants in particular were transforming into tiny celestial energy factories. There were plants in the myriad realms who produced celestial energy as well, but they were considered rare and most other plants were mundane.

'Every plant I've come across this morning has started to collect and produce celestial energy. Is it because of the unusually high vitality of life in this world? Something unique about Dressrosa?' Cherry wondered.

She stood up and went to the clerk of this flower shop and purchased the potted plant that was the furthest along in this interesting evolution; a sunflower that had yet to grow to full height. The Thousand Sunny had a lawn, Nami's tangerine trees, and Usopp's pop green garden, so Cherry wanted to have this sunflower influence them with her energy.

Was she going to start celestial energy cultivation? No, at least not yet. The energy wasn't nearly dense enough for that; it would take forever. Her time was better spent on other pursuits at the moment.

That said, if the world was full of plants that could change in this way, then it would grow exponentially from here.

"Hey, did you hear about Princess Rebecca? Rumor is that her father is a prince from a far off land. Princess Scarlet, rest her soul, eloped with him out of love," two old ladies were gossiping whilst knitting blankets for the restoration effort.

'What? I thought that Kyros was her father… Oh, he better not have.' Cherry grumbled in her thoughts.

Cherry tucked her sunflower beneath her arms and marched off into the direction of a field of sunflowers.

…

Kyros finished packing up his things. He stopped and stared into space to reconsider his decision for the umpteenth time.

Was it really the right thing to do?

He came to the same conclusion he had every other time he reconsidered. He didn't want to leave, but he had to. For Rebecca's sake.

*boom*

Somebody kicked in the door of his home.

"Knock knock!" Cherry strolled inside like she owned the place. "Oh hey, Kyros. Fancy meeting you here. By the way, I'm looking for a deadbeat piece of shit. Would you happen to know where I can find one?"

Kyros was so taken aback by the abruptness of it all that the only thing he could say was "Why do you have a potted sunflower?"

"I like the seeds. I've answered your question; now answer mine." Cherry narrowed her eyes at him.

Kyros managed to shake off his momentary confusion and remembered what she had asked him. Shame crossed his face as he said "I guess you've heard the rumors. I'm not worthy of being a princess' father, or anyone's father for that matter. Rebecca has been through enough. I can't have her criticized for her parentage on top of all that."

Cherry's stern expression softened a little bit, but didn't disappear.

Thinking he was getting through to her, Kyros pushed further. "I had 16 years by her side, more than I ever could have wished for. She's not a child any longer; she's strong enough to live on without me."

Cherry sighed and set down her potted sunflower. She walked over to him and pat his shoulder gently… before ramming her knee into his groin.

Kyros saw white and crumpled to the floor. "T-that was a… c-cheapshot…"

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Cherry crouched to look him in the eye. "You know, Kyros, parenting is a privilege, but it's also a responsibility."

Kyros went to speak, but Cherry fused his lips shut. "My father is Dracule Mihawk, yes that Dracule Mihawk. The first time I met him I was already all grown up, so I didn't miss his presence in my childhood, but I think it would have been nice to know him then. Rebecca is different though; she's never known life without you."

"So if she still wants you by her side, you should just suck it up and be a man. Help her to weather the challenges ahead without running away like a coward." Cherry finished.

Cherry unfused his lips, but he didn't say anything for a long moment. That was understandable since thinking whilst your family jewels scream bloody murder at you isn't easy.

"You're right. I used Rebecca's age as an excuse to run away while ignoring the fact that she can make her own decisions now. I should have left it up to her from the start." Kyros spoke.

Cherry nodded and painfully plucked a few strands of hair from his head. "Great! I'll just take these so I can track you down in case you change your mind. Remember that you don't have to be a good man to be a good father. Having made mistakes in your past just means that you have more life lessons that your daughter can learn from."

Kyros rubbed his head as he forced himself to his feet. He hadn't thought that his past could have any positive use for his family; perhaps he would give that idea some thought.

"Good. I'm heading out. If you end up going to that Reverie thing as a bodyguard or something, say hello to Princess Vivi for me. Princess Shirahoshi too if Fishman island goes this year." Cherry picked up her sunflower and waved goodbye.

'A job well done~ I wonder what Law is talking to Sengoku about? Is he back stabbing us? He was a Shichibukai before our little alliance… I guess I'll go check it out~' Cherry thought to herself.

A shiver went down her spine. 'No fighting Sengoku, though. Robin would probably give me the cold shoulder for a whole year…'

…

Law finished talking to Sengoku and left the old man to his thoughts. Their shared connection to Corazon wasn't enough to bridge the gap between a pirate and a retired marine. The best they could do was acknowledge the grief the other had for the man they once knew.

(Their conversation isn't any different from canon, so I'm not going to rewrite it here. See it in chapter 798 of the manga if you need a refresher.)

Fortunately, Sengoku wasn't here in any official capacity, so he was willing to let Law walk away this time.

A fair distance away, as Law was keeping his walk leisurely to clear his head, an arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"Hey there, buddy. I may or may not have been eavesdropping on you to make sure you weren't double crossing us." Cherry said in a cheerful tone.

"That's annoying, but I suppose I'm glad Straw Hat has at least one person with some wariness." Law said with mild exasperation.

"Nah, I trust you. You're too smart to get on my bad side on purpose." Cherry said with a chuckle. "What's the deal with your devil fruit, though? If it was just a strong devil fruit then I don't see why Sengoku would mention it."

Law considered whether he should tell her, before deciding it wouldn't matter if he did. "They say the Op Op fruit can give someone eternal youth at the cost of the user's life. Doflamingo really wanted it for obvious reasons, but I got it first thanks to my benefactor."

"Hmm? That's pretty neat. The cost is pathetically high, though. You think there are celestial dragons from the void century still kicking?" Cherry said with only mild interest.

"I don't know. I'd bet there are some that give the giants a run for their money in terms of age, though." Law answered.

"I wonder if there are any older than me?" Cherry idly wondered.

Law gave her an odd look. "I don't think they need to be immortal to be older than you."

"You think so?" Cherry hummed, seeming unconvinced for reasons Law would never guess. "What was that about your name? I know the D. clan and what not is some big mystery, but what about the 'Water' bit?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself. Even the D. has eluded me." Law said. If he was lying, Cherry couldn't tell.

"Well, if you're looking for some D, I'm sure I could set you up on a date with someone." Cherry said.

"I don't-!" Law denied.

"It's okay buddy. No judgment here." Cherry patted his shoulder and vanished with Soru.