Most mornings begin the same way: the three of us—me, Suzu, and Alice—wake up sprawled across the bed in a shape that resembles the Chinese character 川 (river).
…Though since I'm the tallest and I end up in the middle, it might actually look more like 小 (small).
Leona isn't missing because we're leaving her out. We all go to bed together. It's just that she thrashes so wildly in her sleep that by morning she's usually rolled right off the edge.
We've awkwardly shoved three single beds together to make a makeshift king, so even with that, four people is still cramped…
And just when we thought the nightmares were over, a whole new problem appeared.
Once everyone's properly awake, we split up chores and get moving.
I handle breakfast.
Suzu cleans the ship—quick, efficient. If she finishes early, she comes to help in the kitchen.
Leona does the laundry, washing and hanging everyone's clothes and pajamas by herself, then hanging them up to dry.
Alice takes charge of the deck and the ship's exterior, checking for damage with a meticulousness that makes her perfect for the job.
By the time everyone's done, breakfast is ready, and we eat together.
After a quick cleanup, we either sail leisurely or go ashore to explore whatever islands we spot, depending on the day.
If pirates attack, we fight together.
If Marines come after us, we generally run. So far, since the girls joined me, we haven't had to engage in a full-scale battle against Marine vessels.
Evenings follow the same rhythm: dinner together, a little downtime, then bed.
When we start nodding off, we curl up together again in that "small" shape—except with one extra person, as mentioned earlier.
At night, we keep strict watch using multiple shikigami. Even in my sleep, I maintain a faint thread of Observation Haki, monitoring our surroundings.
After traveling alone for so long, that much is instinct now.
And so, the four of us have been enjoying a harmonious, pleasant journey.
To an outside observer… it might sound boastful, but they'd probably think, What a close-knit family. And honestly, I believe it too. We really do get along.
…Anyway, those were our days. Ordinary, peaceful, familiar.
So as far as I was concerned, I'd already accepted them as my daughters.
"No," Suzu said calmly, "that's not what I meant. Of course we know you think of us that way. We know, and we're grateful."
Then she continued, her gaze steady.
"This is only our guess, but… it feels like Mother still sees us—even now—as people she'll eventually part ways with."
"!?"
Leona and Alice nodded beside her.
I didn't let it show on my face, but my heart jolted—as if she'd tapped something tender I hadn't even realized was there.
What I'd said before wasn't a lie. I do see Suzu, Leona, and Alice as my daughters.
But if you asked me whether things would stay this way forever…
I wouldn't be able to answer cleanly.
Because just as Suzu said, a part of me believes that someday, this will change.
Or rather… that it should.
To put it bluntly, the four of us aren't a real family.
We live like one. We laugh like one. I wish we were.
But the truth is, we aren't.
And someday, I'll have to send them off to where they truly belong. I've always believed that day would come.
Leona has amnesia. Or rather—she had it, and she still does.
She doesn't know who she is or where she's supposed to go. She didn't want to be shoved into some facility, and with nowhere else to turn, she ended up traveling with me.
Suzu's homeland is technically Wano Country, but her real home was Poison Island. Everyone there died, leaving her alone. Honoring the wishes of her grandfather and the old women who raised her, she chose to leave and boarded my ship.
Alice came with us because she couldn't safely stay in her country. Even after we crushed the gang that hunted her, there was no guarantee she wouldn't be targeted by whoever took that gang's territory next. And she'd never been attached to that place to begin with.
Each of them had their own reason for stepping onto my ship and becoming my "daughters." And I accepted them wholeheartedly.
But I always assumed Leona would recover her memories one day, and when she did, she'd return to her original family—or at the very least, she'd have to decide what she truly wanted.
For Suzu, the urgency to leave her island had been everything. I thought that if we ever found a peaceful place she could live safely, she might choose to disembark and finally live on her own terms.
For Alice, I couldn't think of a clear reason she'd leave… but she got along so well with the other two that I figured she might simply follow whichever path they chose.
And more than anything—
I'm a wanted criminal.
A pirate.
It isn't a misunderstanding. It isn't something I can explain away. The world has seen me that way for over a decade, and I gave up trying to change it a long time ago.
If they stayed with me, they'd be dragged into the danger that follows a pirate's life.
At worst, they could even be branded as members of my crew.
So far, that hasn't happened.
But that's not a risk I should take lightly.
That's why, in my mind, they were my daughters…
And also the children I would someday have to send away.
But they'd seen straight through me.
That's why they were sitting there now—three of them, eyes serious, unshakable.
"There's no point beating around the bush," Suzu said. "Mother, we're no longer interested in being treated like someone you'll 'send away someday.' We don't want that future."
Leona leaned forward next, voice rough but honest. "We don't even think about living anywhere else anymore. Being your daughters… being sisters with Suzu and Alice… goofing around like idiots. That's all we want."
Alice smiled, but her eyes were steady. "Even if we left and lived on some peaceful, comfortable island in a great country, I know for sure we wouldn't be as happy as we are now. I'm absolutely sure."
"This isn't a spur-of-the-moment decision," Suzu added. "The three of us have felt this way for a long time. I know it might sound strange to say, since you've already allowed us to stay… but Mother, our place is here."
It wasn't whimsy. It wasn't impulse.
Their conviction radiated from them—far deeper than their years, heavy with sincerity.
Suzu and Leona wore expressions that didn't waver.
Alice kept her smile, but her eyes held the same resolve, bright and unwavering.
Their words didn't rush. Each syllable felt chosen, weighted, as if they were placing something precious into my hands.
And that weight… it stole my breath.
"When I woke up," Leona said, voice quieter, "I didn't know who I was or what to do. I was terrified. Lonely. And because I didn't even know what I was scared of, or why I felt that way, I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't remember things clearly… and every time I fell asleep, I'd have nightmares and my powers would go berserk. I attacked anyone near me."
"The fear and the nightmares have faded, but I still get scared sometimes. I still wonder who I really am, what I've forgotten."
"But the me I am now is happy," she said, eyes fixed on me. "And that's because of Mama. Even if my 'true self' is different… I don't want to think of this as some temporary illusion. I want to cherish it. I want it to stay like this forever."
Suzu spoke next.
"I didn't hate Poison Island. There were people there who were family to me—the grandpas and grannies who raised me. And even though my memories are faint, the grandfather and grandmother who took me away from Wano."
"But Mother was the one who appeared there," she continued, steady and certain. "She saved everyone. She showed me the world. Because of her, I saw, learned, touched, and tasted things I never would've known if I'd stayed. It feels like my life truly began after I met her."
"Everything changed after meeting Mother," Suzu said softly. "But it still isn't enough for me. I want to see more. Learn more. I think the grandpas and grannies wanted that too—that's why they sent me out into the world."
"And I want to keep experiencing it alongside Mother."
Then Alice.
"Well, it goes without saying—I love Mom," she said lightly, but there was no joke in her eyes. "I've felt that way ever since we decided to go together."
"…And sure," she added, scratching her cheek with a grin, "it wasn't entirely selfless. Traveling with her meant fun, safety, and never going hungry. No more awful jobs. No more crushing myself down."
"But even without all that," she said, voice softening, "even if you stripped the practical reasons away, I still wanted to be with her. Being here made me believe people can stay together without weighing pros and cons. That a bond like that can exist. Mom, Suzu, and Leona taught me that."
"Every day is so much fun," Alice said, eyes shining. "And honestly, that would be enough. But there's still so much more out there—worlds I don't know, things I can't even imagine. I want to see it all, learn it all, live it all… with Mom and the two of them."
"I want us to become even happier," she finished, almost breathless, "and have even more fun together."
And then—
their voices overlapped, as if they'd practiced it.
"We want you to be our Mama forever!"
---
It's been a long time since I became a writer.
I've imagined countless scenes—ones I wrote and ones I never did. I've built little worlds in my mind, rejoiced in triumphs, mourned tragedies, raged at injustice, and laughed at joy.
Yet even for someone like me…
I've never imagined a scene quite like this.
Three children bowing solemnly before me—not for a prank, not for something small, but with the kind of resolve that would make even a grown adult swallow hard before speaking.
It settled heavily on my heart.
But it wasn't a weight that crushed me.
It was… warm.
Comforting.
Happy.
Ah. That's it.
The feeling parents talk about.
A child's weight strains your arms when you carry them, but it fills your chest so completely you think you might burst.
And they were saying something so profound—so earnestly—to someone like me, someone they'd only been with for a few months…
No.
I can't think like that anymore.
They don't want to be treated as temporary.
And the very fact that I'd been thinking that way…
meant the answer was already clear.
Even as I listened, something inside me clicked into place. Like there was only one possible response.
Maybe what I say next is the heat of the moment. Maybe it's the atmosphere. Maybe it's the tension in the room.
No.
Even if it comes out like an impulse, it's still the truth.
Bang!
I slammed my fist on the table.
The sound made all three of them flinch.
Right in front of their eyes, I activated my Awakening: Enigma. The table between us transformed instantly into paper.
It was in the way anyway. I can change it back later.
I strode forward through the cleared space and stopped in front of them, still frozen in their chairs.
Then—
"You idiots…" I choked out, and my voice cracked. "I love you all so much!"
I wrapped my arms around all three at once, pulling them into a tight embrace.
For a moment they were too stunned to move.
Then they hugged me back with everything they had.
And in that instant, it hit me—deep and undeniable.
These girls were the ones who made me happy.
Ah… so it's me too.
It's already impossible for me to separate from them.
I'm glad I realized it now.
They say parenting isn't just parents teaching and raising children—it's parents learning from their kids, too.
That saying is true.
I feel it in my bones.
☆☆☆
And so, our makeshift parent-and-child arrangement officially became something real—no blood, but the bond is genuine.
Which means… there are a few things we need to think about.
Girls, do you know what those things are?
"Hierarchy!" Suzu declared.
"Training!" Leona shouted.
"All sorts of stuff!" Alice chimed in.
"Hm. You're all kind of right—and kind of not. Alright, let's hear it. Suzu, what do you mean by 'hierarchy'?"
"Well," Suzu said, straight-faced, "now that we're officially sisters, we need to establish our order. Who's eldest, who's youngest. We already decided."
"…Ah. Right. You did call yourself the eldest earlier."
"Yup. Leona and I settled it with rock-paper-scissors. I won."
"Ugh…" Leona slumped. "I was Mama's first 'daughter'…"
"Come on," Suzu said, exasperated. "We're all the same age—probably—so it doesn't really matter."
"So Suzu and Leona decided it. And Alice… you didn't want to be eldest?"
"Nope." Alice shrugged. "I joined last, and I don't have formal education. I figured I should start at the bottom and work my way up. So I'm the youngest. That makes Leona the second."
"I see. You all decided without telling me."
"Eldest daughter Suzu, second daughter Leona, third daughter Alice," I repeated. "Got it."
"Okay," I said, turning to Leona. "And your 'training'… I think I can guess."
"If we're sticking with Mama, we'll be fighting pirates and Marines more, right?" Leona said fiercely. "We can't be dead weight. We have to get stronger!"
"That's right," Suzu agreed. "We told Mother we wanted to remain her daughters, but we never meant we wanted to be protected all the time. We want to walk alongside her, not cling to her back. After making such a declaration—and with Mother accepting it—we can't just do nothing."
"And human traffickers are already trying to use us as hostages," Alice added, eyes narrowing. "We can't let that happen. Not ever. We need to get stronger, fast."
All three of them nodded, unified.
Training was non-negotiable.
Then there was Alice's "all sorts of stuff."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Well…" Alice ticked things off easily. "There's no end to what we need to learn. Society. Navigation. Practical travel skills—cooking, crafting. All kinds of knowledge."
Her mind really does run fast.
"And…" she hesitated, then looked straight at me. "About Mom. There might still be things we don't know. Things you never told us."
"About Mother?" Suzu blinked.
"What do you mean?" Leona asked, wary.
"Well… we sort of resolved this earlier, but… Mom always planned to send us off someday, right? Maybe you stayed quiet about things because you thought we'd separate eventually. Things you didn't think you needed to tell us." She scratched her cheek. "Or maybe I'm overthinking it. Sorry."
Sharp as ever.
She said she lacked formal education, but it's obvious she simply lacks accumulated knowledge. If she had the chance to learn properly, Alice would be frighteningly intelligent.
But setting that aside…
There is something I haven't told them.
A lot of things, really.
But the biggest one—
It's that.
From now on, they're my daughters.
My family.
If that's true, then I need to tell them about the other members of our family—whether or not the world knows it yet.
Specifically, the pirate crew I'm currently affiliated with.
And the "Papa" who's there.
"So," I said, pushing my chair back, "shall we go?"
"To meet this 'Papa'?" Suzu asked. "Mother's Papa… if he's your father, that makes him our grandfather, right?"
"Exactly. If I'm going to make the three of you my daughters, we need to discuss this properly. This isn't someone else's business."
"Hm." Leona's ears perked. "What kind of person is he?"
"That's hard to explain," I admitted. "Not because he's complicated, but because—if I'm being blunt—he's a villain. Even setting aside that he's a pirate, he's a first-rate scoundrel."
"Really?" Suzu looked genuinely surprised. "I thought Mom would be with someone more… reasonable. More on the good side."
"He is reasonable," I said. "In his own way. For his age, he's rational. He calculates his interests well. If something makes sense, you can negotiate with him."
"And he can be playful," I added, rubbing my temple. "Funny, even. But… he's old-school. A pirate's pirate. He has that ruthless, cold-blooded, cruel side."
Still… he's not terrible to his own people, all things considered. He says he's mellowed out compared to the old days.
"I'm a little worried," Leona muttered. "Is he famous?"
"Famous?" I snorted. "He's legendary. But times change. I don't know if kids these days even know his name. …Alright. Let's do this."
As I spoke, I retrieved the Eternal Pose I'd been storing inside my body in paper form and headed for the helm, setting it on the shelf beside the wheel.
Now we could steer by its pull and reach our destination without getting lost.
Of course, we're flying through the sky, not sailing the sea, so we'll travel in a straight line anyway. We probably wouldn't get lost even without it.
Besides, I might not even need the Eternal Pose.
I have that person's Vivre Card stored inside me. I can sense the direction instinctively. He rarely leaves his base, so he's almost certainly still there.
Just to be safe, I'd sent a shikigami letter ahead earlier, ensuring we'd arrive properly—without surprises on our side, at least.
"You're going to fly?" Suzu asked. "But you said flying is tiring."
"It shouldn't be too far," I said. "And flying is the only way to reach that island in the first place."
"The only way?" Leona frowned. "What do you mean?"
Leona leaned over the Eternal Pose, squinting. "Hey, Mama, how do you read this? Me… ma…? May-ba? Merabya?"
"Oh, Leona…"
"It's Merveille."
"Boss, what's this letter?"
"Isn't it hilarious? Just got it from Sue. That airheaded girl managed to become a mother before she even got married!"
"You're laughing like it's nothing… What about explaining this to the crew? If Miss suddenly shows up with three kids, who knows what people will say. You remember the uproar when she was first introduced."
"And it all settled down in the end, didn't it? She's not completely clueless. I'm sure she's already planned how to handle this."
The man flipped the letter with a grin. "It even says the brats have impressive qualities. Honestly, I'm looking forward to meeting them."
"Are there really kids out there who can meet your expectations, Boss?"
"If she didn't measure up, I wouldn't have brought her here in the first place." His tone was lazy, but certain. "My gut says it won't be as bad as you're worried about. Sure, she's still a brat in plenty of ways, but if she thought it through and chose this, we can trust her judgment. That's always been the case with her, hasn't it?"
"Well… she does keep surprising us," the other man admitted. "Every time. The Dragon Bone, the Horn of the Exotic Beast King… and those ridiculous souvenirs she brings back. Honestly, it's the kind of chaotic energy you'd expect from her bloodline."
"Damn right!" the Boss barked, loud and proud.
"Because she's my daughter! Jihahahaha"
To be continued...