Garp didn't stay long. After dumping Luffy on Dadan's doorstep, he left as cheerfully as ever.
What Amano An didn't expect, however, was that Bogard appeared shortly after with a transfer order in hand.
"Vice Admiral Garp has accepted a pirate suppression mission on your behalf," Bogard announced flatly.
An sighed, too lazy even to lift her head. "Pirates again? The old man's just using that as an excuse to slack off."
Bogard didn't respond. "The Celestial Dragons have already scheduled a visit to the Goa Kingdom," he said instead.
An immediately understood. So that's what this was about—clearing the area in advance. Normally, no sane pirate would ever approach a fleet escorting the Celestial Dragons. In truth, this was just Garp's way of sneaking her a little time off.
"The Celestial Dragons are such a headache," An muttered, stretching lazily. "I'd rather watch a show by Miss Victoria."
Bogard's face remained unreadable.
An leaned back, thinking. She remembered this year was going to be full of major events in the timeline, but she wasn't some omniscient superbrain. She only recalled the big ones.
…Wait a minute. Wasn't there actually a fool who attacked a Celestial Dragon's ship around this time?
Her eyes narrowed.
"Tell me, Bogard," she asked after a pause, "has the escort team for the Celestial Dragons already been filled?"
Bogard glanced at her, already guessing what she was thinking.
"I want in," she said with a grin. "You know, just to join in the fun."
Bogard sighed quietly. He was long accustomed to An's habit of "joining in the fun." Over the years, she'd used that same excuse to drag herself into countless incidents—either already causing chaos or en route to do so.
"There's room for one more," he admitted finally. "I'll submit the request. Once you finish your current task, report directly to Mariejois."
An waved her hand dismissively. "Nah. How about I 'coincidentally' show up in the field and watch from the shadows instead?"
Bogard gave her a silent look, then turned on his heel and boarded the ship without another word.
That expression said it all: No chance.
"Ugh. Left in such a hurry I didn't even say goodbye to Ace properly," An grumbled, tapping her chin. "If I go back now, I'll probably scare him half to death."
Still, she couldn't help herself. Maybe she could at least find Sabo and check in. Ace and Luffy needed time to bond, after all.
So, when she saw Ace alone the next day, she flashed her most angelic smile.
"Ace, where's that little brat?" she asked sweetly.
Sabo blinked in confusion. "What brat?"
Ace turned his face away, awkwardly pretending not to hear. He'd been surprised that An hadn't left with Garp. "Just some annoying guy," he muttered.
Unlike with Luffy, Ace had always known he had a sister—at least, he'd heard stories. He used to think it was nonsense, some random thing Dadan had said. But now that she was right here in front of him, it wasn't so hard to believe.
Within days, the three of them were eating, training, and laughing together as if they'd known each other their whole lives.
An even sneaked off once to check on Luffy down in the valley. When she confirmed the boy was perfectly fine, she decided not to interfere further.
But she had to admit—some people in this world really were monstrously strong.
After showing off her power that first day, An turned into a lazy, mischievous freeloader for the rest of the week. She constantly dragged Ace and Sabo down during training, earning Ace's loud scolding.
"How can you even call yourself my sister!" he'd roar.
An would only grin and tease him back, totally shameless.
She knew she couldn't stay forever. So in the evenings, she'd tell the boys stories about the world beyond Dawn Island—especially about the Celestial Dragons and the corruption of the nobles.
Sabo rarely spoke when she told those stories, but the look in his eyes said everything.It turned out… this rotten world didn't end at the borders of Goa.
Those were happy days, but happiness in this world never lasted long.
Once An confirmed that Luffy had safely returned to Dadan's, she decided it was time to leave.
What surprised her was that Ace came to see her off.
"…Are you leaving because of him?" he asked hesitantly.
An knew exactly who he meant. She smiled gently, pulling him into a hug.
"We're both children our mothers fought so hard to bring into this world," she said softly. "He loved you. My mother loved you. And I love you too."
Ace froze, speechless. After a long silence, he finally muttered, "…Be careful."
He didn't ask what she was planning or where she was going—but when she rolled up her sleeves, he caught sight of a jagged scar running down her arm.
"Go back," An said with a light laugh, stepping away. "I'm heading out."
She didn't plan to change anything. Ace wasn't a fragile flower to be protected in a greenhouse, and hardship wouldn't break him.
And neither would it break her.
Even if she could choose again, she'd still want Garp to have taken her away back then.
As long as she grew strong enough—strong enough to draw the world's eyes toward herself—no one would ever threaten Ace.
If she wanted to prevent the same tragedies from repeating, there was only one path forward: become stronger.
Back aboard her warship, An flopped into her chair and snapped her fingers. "Oi, Rosinante! Get to work!"
There was a clatter from the corridor, followed by the slow appearance of a tall man draped in a long black feathered coat.
"Hey, have a little self-awareness, will you?" An scolded instantly. "I don't want to stand too close to someone who might faceplant any second. Did you finish sorting the intel? Can we take care of everyone in one go?"
Rosinante, as usual, ignored her attitude and nodded silently.
"Remember anything today?" An asked casually.
Rosinante shook his head.
"Figures," An sighed. "Honestly, it's a miracle you even survived those injuries. The fact that you're still moving at all is impressive enough."
Rosinante opened his mouth to respond but hesitated. He wasn't sure whether his condition was from lingering injuries or just… how he'd always been. In the end, he just sat quietly and lit a cigarette.
An had first met him during—what else—a "join in the fun" incident.
He'd been bleeding out, half-dead. She thought he looked interesting and dragged him back.
Only afterward did she learn he was connected to Fleet Admiral Sengoku—and had been injured so badly no one thought he'd live.
But somehow, he pulled through. The problem was, his brain hadn't come back quite the same.
Now, he was prone to tripping over nothing, burning himself with hot coffee, or spontaneously catching fire.
"Put it out! Colonel Rosinante's on fire again!" someone yelled from the deck.
An sighed deeply. "Yeah… I'm used to it by now."
Sengoku had originally placed him under Garp's care for safety, but Garp—being Garp—claimed An's paperwork was "a mess" and dumped Rosinante on her instead, saying he'd 'help her out.'
Right. Because having a clumsy colonel as backup was so helpful.
That same day, An had been punched straight into the hospital by Garp, and Garp himself got chewed out by Sengoku for an entire day.
They'd destroyed the Navy training grounds—again.
Sengoku hadn't said it outright, but An could guess his true intent.
There was probably a traitor in the Navy, and Rosinante—memory loss or not—might know something important. Keeping him under Garp's chaotic watch was safer than letting him wander.
As for An? She couldn't do much about it.
The world of One Piece wasn't exactly filled with political spy dramas. If it was, she hadn't seen that part of the script.
Their warship drifted through the East Blue. To her credit, Rosinante was actually excellent at processing intelligence reports. That made An's job far easier.
The truth was, few pirates in the East Blue could even challenge her—most lacked the brains or courage to try.
Within three months, the legend of the "Violent Navy Officer Amano An" spread across the sea. Pirates grew cautious, and the waters grew noticeably calmer.
Eventually, the official news hit the papers: The Celestial Dragons' visit to the Goa Kingdom was confirmed.
And with that, even the most reckless pirates knew better than to get anywhere near the massive warship stationed off the coast.
It was time for Amano An to return to Navy Headquarters.