It was past midnight in Dressrosa when Sin dropped down from the sky, in the eastern district, right outside the dilapidated house that belonged to the little girl, who was fast asleep.
Transforming into lightning, he entered the house through a small opening and then stared at the beautiful little girl who was furrowing her brows as she dreamt of something unpleasant.
Slowly walking over to her, he placed his hand on her shoulder, waking her up, and she would have screamed if he had not placed his hand on her small mouth.
"Are you Rebecca?" He gently said and smiled when her eyes quivered at his question. "Relax. I am not an enemy."
Hearing the gentleness in his voice, she relaxed, and he took his hand off her mouth.
"Someone who deeply cares for you has asked me to take you away from here and to keep you safe. Come." He said and picked her up in his arms.
"Thunder Soldier?"
She curiously asked, and her words piqued his interest.
"Be quiet now. Okay?" He softly said, and she obediently nodded her head. "Is there anything you want to take with you?"
He sighed in his heart when she cutely shook her head.
Walking out on the street, Sin unleashed a controlled wave of Conqueror's Haki, making people in his path fall unconscious.
Without getting noticed by anyone. He jumped off a cliff, right into the sea, and smiled when the girl did not scream even if she wanted to.
Her eyes widened in surprise when he stepped on the water and then skipped forward, covering hundreds of metres in a blink, and soon she giggled at the thrill of the speed.
In a matter of minutes, they were far away from Dressrosa, and then he jumped off the water and rushed into the sky, earning a gasp from the girl in his arms.
"Oh no..."
"What?"
"We forgot my sword..." Her eyes brimmed up with tears, and he chuckled.
"You will get a new sword. Relax."
She obediently nodded her head, and then then giggled as she looked how high up in the air they were.
When they pierced through the clouds, she laughed at getting soaked and then screamed as he suddenly picked up the pace.
However, he was very mindful of her and did not go fast enough to harm her body and brain.
A couple of hours later, in the middle of the night, he arrived at Skypiea, and Rebecca was stunned to find a nation on top of the clouds.
She was even more shocked to see the City of Gold, and when they landed in God's Shrine, her heart was racing in excitement.
Sin smiled at her and slowly took her inside his home, and he did not have to wait long before a few Birkan Maids rushed up to him.
"God Sin!"
"Help this young lady take a bath and give her a change of clothes. And prepare a meal for us."
He gave his orders, and even though Rebecca was reluctant to go with the ladies, she was also enamoured by the wings on their backs.
It did not take long for her to start chatting with them, and the maids were very polite and kind, so they answered her curious question.
The Black then walked towards his Royal Chamber and smiled brightly when he saw his beautiful Hiyori fast asleep in the large round bed, hugging a round cushion.
Deciding not to disturb her, he quickly picked up a set of clothes from the closet next door and then took a warm bath.
When he returned to the room, she was sitting on the bed, yawning, cutely rubbing her eyes, and when she looked his way, she froze.
At speed that would stun anyone else, she jumped into his arms, hugging him so tightly that it became a little difficult for him to breathe. However, he did not complain to her and just hugged her back.
When she raised her head and looked up with her misty eyes, he leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"Missed me?" He gently asked and smiled when she cutely nodded her head.
"Kiss me," she demanded, and he slowly leaned in and captured her lips.
The way she moaned in his mouth tested his control, and he soon lost himself to her taste.
When their lips separated, he gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers and then picked her up in his arms like a princess.
She thought he would take her to the bed, but instead, he took her to the dining room, where a nervous little girl was sitting at the chabudai, waiting for them.
Hiyori curiously looked at the unfamiliar face, and when Sin put her down, she walked over to the girl and sat by her side.
"What's your name?"
"Rebecca." The girl timidly said, but her eyes were staring at Hiyori's beautiful teal hair, and then at the pair of Neko ears on her head.
"This is my wife, Hiyori, and you will be living with her from now on," Sin gently informed the girl, whose lips soon curved into a bright smile.
"Okay!" She nodded her head and looked back at his wife. "Are they real?"
"What?"
"The ears..." she timidly said and giggled when she saw them twitch.
"Touch."
Rebecca did not need to be told again as she reached you with her hand and touched the soft furry and fluffy ears, and her giggles brightened the room.
A short while later, the maids started bringing in their food, and the little girl's mouth salivated as she saw the feast that awaited her.
Seeing her reluctance, Hiyori plated some food for her head, and both she and Sin smiled at how adorable she looked as she enjoyed her meal.
"The girls did not make things too hard for you. Did they?"
"Of course, not." Hiyori shook her head and brightly smiled.
"Nami and Vivi are the light of Skypiea. Nojiko and Pascia have been training hard under Satori. They will be very happy to see that you are back."
"Grount?"
"He's fine. He does not play around much, and he has been training with the Sky Guardians."
"I see."
"Sin."
"Yes?" He smiled at her when he saw that she was a little hesitant.
"Kamakiri refused to take the Devil Fruit and requested me to give it to Wyper instead, who desired it. I gave it to him."
"That's fine." He did not care about it much, and in his mind, he was already thinking of an alternate plan to keep Shandians in check.
It was unwise to let someone like Wyper become the next Chief of Shandians. Only someone level-headed like Kamakiri was suited to take that position and not create trouble in his Sky Country.
"Raki pledged her life to me. And Conis did the same," she informed him.
"You wish to take them both as your Royal Protectors?" He asked, and she nodded to him.
"I am not comfortable with the idea of men staying close to me all the time."
"I see. Well, you are the Queen of Skypiea. These decisions are yours." He smiled at her, expressing his trust and support, and the way she smiled back at him warmed his heart.
He was very pleased to see that Hiyori was not reluctant about making some important decisions. She knew exactly what she wanted, and she was confident in her decisions.
Then again, she had both the Kozuki and the Amatsuki blood coursing through her veins. She was born noble. And the Devil Fruit that she had consumed was also of a Mythical Beast that was revered for its nobility.
After he finished his meal, he left Rebecca in Hiyori's care, and then took a walk around the God's Shrine, under the bright moon.
He quickly checked on everyone in the Skypiea, making sure that they were all fine, and then decided to lie back on the golden cloud divan, which was a little too comfortable.
Feeling relaxed, and at peace, he closed his eyes, and soon he fell asleep.
He was having a very peaceful sleep when two mischievous princesses decided to jump on his divan, and one of them even sat down on his chest, cross-legged, staring at his face.
"Seriously, Nami?"
"Where's my gift?" She beamed a smile at him when he opened his eyes, and he slowly sat up and picked her up in his arms.
"Here." He planted a kiss on her forehead, and even though she pouted and looked away, she did not express her dissatisfaction.
Sin gave Vivi a kiss as well, and the Princess of Arabasta sweetly giggled.
"Where's everyone?"
"They did not come," he informed them and then stood up.
He saw Pascia and Nojiko training on the left side of the courtyard, battling against Satori, and he smiled at the improvements that they had made.
Seeing him stand up, all three of them stopped and bowed his way, and he beckoned them to continue with their training.
"Seriously? No gift?" Nami finally could not help but express her dissatisfaction, and he chuckled at her antics.
"I brought you a little sister, and you are still asking for a gift?" He playfully asked, and both the girls confusedly looked at him. "The room next to yours..."
As soon as he said those words, the two rushed into the shrine, and he chuckled when he heard Nami gasp after finding a beautiful little girl fast asleep in the cloud bed.
The two did not disturb Rebecca, but decided to wait outside the room for her to wake up.