After arranging jobs for the four of them, Rhett headed straight for Windmill Village.
Robin had written to him a long time ago saying she wanted to leave Windmill Village to go out and explore the world. Rhett had agreed, so he hadn't prepared a gift for her.
Rhett stood at the port of Windmill Village. The sea breeze gently brushed against his cloak, carrying the familiar scent of earth and flowers. His gaze swept across the familiar streets and finally landed on a small house not far away. A little girl with long golden hair was quietly looking at him.
Ann wore a light blue dress and still held that sunflower doll in her arms.
Her expression was faint, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a subtle smile. She didn't shout. She just stood there, her eyes fixed intently on Rhett without blinking.
Rhett broke into a smile and walked over with big strides. "Ann! Uncle is back!" He spread his arms wide, expecting his niece to throw herself into his embrace.
Because in the letters he had received, Ann usually wrote more than four times as much as Ace. He had imagined her as a happy, lively little girl.
She would shout "Uncle Rhett" while jumping into his arms, then say, "Uncle Rhett, I miss you so, so much! I love you the most, Uncle Rhett!"
Hehehe!!
Rhett wiped the corner of his mouth and prepared to turn this beautiful fantasy into reality.
However, Ann just stood there quietly. After he got closer, she slowly reached out and took hold of his finger. She still didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
Ann: ▼_▼
Rhett was stunned. He crouched down to look her in the eyes. "Ann? Don't you recognize Uncle? I'm pretty famous. Didn't Moore deliver the newspapers?"
He waved his hand in front of her face. "Did that old Garp not protect you right? What happened to your voice?? Tell Uncle."
As he spoke, Rhett used his blood mist to envelop Ann, trying to channel life force into her to help heal her injuries.
Ann shook her head. She still didn't speak, but she tightened her grip on his finger.
"That's not right. Your body is very healthy. All your frequencies are normal. Old Garp!!! What kind of injury could she have that even I can't detect?"
He then, without another word, stuffed a piece of pure gold into Ann's arms.
"Uncle, I..."
Ann: O_O?
Then he hugged Ann tightly.
"It's okay. This piece of pure gold can stabilize your condition. Uncle will definitely cure you."
"Uncle will go get revenge for you first. Tell Uncle, who did this?!! Was it the Goa Kingdom? It seems like they want their entire kingdom destroyed."
As he spoke, Rhett pulled out the Black Tide Greatsword and started walking toward the direction of the Goa Kingdom.
Ann had no idea what was going on, but she knew she had to stop her uncle right now.
Ann: (???)
Just then, Ace came charging over from a distance, shouting as he ran, "Uncle! Fight me! I'm super strong now!" He swung his wooden stick, his face full of excitement.
Ace's arrival didn't calm things down. Instead, it added fuel to the fire.
Rhett looked at the energetic Ace, then at the silent Ann, and got even angrier.
His blood mist surged around him. "Garp! Come out here! Look what you've done to Ann! Give me back my warm, cheerful, outgoing Ann!!!"
He was about to call his Den Den Mushi and have Tesoro find out where Garp was right now.
Ann quickly ran up and tugged on Rhett's pinky finger.
Just as Rhett was angrily dialing his Den Den Mushi, his blood mist churning as if he was about to tear down Marine Headquarters, a gentle but strong hand grabbed his ear.
"Ow, ow, ow! Big sister! Let go, let go!" Rhett instantly went from furious to pitiful. He covered his ear and crouched down like a child who had done something wrong.
Rouge lightly tapped him on the head. Her tone was gentle but firm. "Little brother, Ann has never been much of a talker. She wrote you long letters because she likes expressing herself through writing, not because she's some chatty little girl."
Rhett blinked, looking completely confused. "Huh? But in her letters, she clearly..."
"She wrote a lot because she likes expressing herself in writing." Rouge ruffled Ann's hair and smiled gently. "Isn't that right, Ann?"
Ann nodded. She still didn't speak, but a hint of mischievous amusement glinted in her eyes.
Only then did Rhett realize what was going on. He stared wide-eyed. "Wait, so... she's always been like this?"
"Yes," Rouge shook her head helplessly. "You're the one who hasn't come back in all these years. You don't even know your own niece's personality."
Rhett pouted and muttered quietly, "Still, that old Garp shouldn't be the one raising them. What if his 'fists of love' traumatized Ann into becoming withdrawn..."
"Little brother." Rouge's voice suddenly became a bit more serious, but a gentle smile still lingered in her eyes.
"All these years, we've relied on Mr. Garp a lot. When Ace caused trouble, he was the one who went into town to apologize. When Ann got sick, he climbed over mountains in the middle of the night to find a doctor."
She pointed at the small clothes hanging in the yard to dry. "See those bibs with the Navy symbol on them? He brings new ones every time he visits."
Rhett looked at those conspicuous Navy symbols.
Rhett: "Hah, spit. I know exactly what you're plotting!!!!"
The sea breeze blew through the clothesline. The bibs with their little seagull patterns swayed gently. Rhett stared at them for a while, and his blood mist gradually calmed down.
He then noticed that the cuffs of Ann's dress had the same pattern embroidered on them. Wow, an admiral's symbol.
Rhett: Go photoshop yourself, Garp!!!!
Rhett instantly deflated. He crouched down and started drawing circles on the ground.
Rouge lightly flicked his forehead. "There's no controlling Ace's mischief, but Ann's personality is just naturally like this. It actually makes things easier for me."
Rhett stared wide-eyed. Before he could react, he felt someone gently tugging at his clothes.
Ann had somehow come to stand behind him. In a soft voice, she said, "Uncle, welcome home."
Then she gave him a brilliant smile.
Rhett's heart was struck with an overwhelming force. He gently kicked aside Ace, who was frantically kicking his leg and trying to challenge him to a fight.
"..."
Rhett scooped Ann up and held her above his head. He spun her around gently. "Alright! Uncle accepts this character setting! Quiet little girls are great too!"
He turned to Rouge and grinned. "But big sister, are you sure it wasn't you and Makino who raised Ace to be so noisy? That kid is like a..."
Before he could finish, Rouge poked Rhett's head. "Little brother, say one more bad thing about the kids, and tonight's dinner will be your most hated bitter melon feast."
By the time the sun had fully set below the horizon, the aroma of stew drifted out from the small house in Windmill Village.
Rhett sat cross-legged at the dining table, watching Ace wolf down meatballs and Ann quietly push her own portion in front of him.
Rouge ladled out soup while reminding Ace to slow down. Then she suddenly reached over and gently held Rhett's wrist.
"Oh, right," she blinked, pulling a protective charm from her apron pocket. "Ann got this from the shrine last year. It's been sitting under your pillow."
The charm had the words "Safe Return" embroidered on it in crooked stitches. The stitching was endearingly childish, and the two characters didn't even match. One character was somewhat passable, while the other was so rough it was barely recognizable. It could only be said to vaguely resemble the actual characters.
Rhett took the charm, stunned. He noticed that Ann and Ace were secretly watching him. The moment their eyes met, Ann buried her face in her sunflower doll, and Ace started shoveling rice into his mouth.
He suddenly burst out laughing. "See? My kids really are the best... Ow!" This time, Ace had thrown a meatball directly into his mouth.
Rhett swallowed the meatball and looked at Ace with mock ferocity. "You little brat. Today, I'm going to teach you what it means to respect your uncle. Stand right there. Don't run."
"If I can't beat you, why wouldn't I run? Do I look stupid to you?"
Rouge watched her little brother and the kids messing around together. She pressed her palms together and said softly, "Alright, alright. Let's eat." Her gaze swept over everyone and finally settled on Rhett's face.
"Welcome home, little brother."