ext_75591 ([identity profile] dried-frog-pill.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] onepiece_3002009-01-10 11:06 pm

continuing my minor character extravaganza

Title: Like Father, Like Son
Rating: G?
Media: drabble
Word Count: 300
Pairings/Characters: Dragon, mentions of Ace and Garp
Prompt: fail fear...kinda?
Notes: Um, sort of spoilers for recent manga chapters? Do we need to warn for spoilers?

He wanted his sons to be fearless.

He grew up fearless - or as fearless as the son of Monkey D. Garp can be, which is another way of saying that the only thing Vice-Admiral Garp’s son feared was Vice-Admiral Garp. Yet he defied his father, defied his father’s government, defied the status quo of so many centuries. Other fearless men joined him, and they never shirked from following his rebellious plots.

He knows his sons share his same fearless gaze, his stalwart defiance. He made sure they would, leaving them to their grandfather. Some may see this decision as cruel, he knows, but he also knows because of it, they will be strong. They will defy. They will be fearless.

Fearless enough to defy their own grandfather...or father.

The headline is the bold instigation of a war in which he has no part. He’s not a pirate and he’s definitely not a government official. Just because it mentions Ace – the son he hasn’t seen since their mother died – doesn’t mean the rebel will care about anything but the larger ramifications. He no longer has a place in Portgas D. Ace’s story.

But the headline, the headline catches the father in him off-guard with the feeling like he’s taken a misstep, like his insides are gone. For a moment – just a moment – he falls silent, no longer hearing the cheerful talk of his men rejoicing in Whitebeard’s declaration and the chaos this conflict will bring.

The rebel knows this is a fearless age where only the fearless succeed. The father remembers tiny fingers; skinned knees; heartbroken sobs when he himself could not cry; defiant condemnation. He clenches the article with its photograph of the pirate in chains. He reminds himself of his decision.

He wanted his sons to be fearless.

[identity profile] alice-and-lain.livejournal.com 2009-01-11 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Yikes! Dragon doesn't get a lot of play in the fandom, so I really liked this.

[identity profile] slaughterchichi.livejournal.com 2009-01-11 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, poor Dragon! You can tell he's put a lot of thought into his son's lives, though I feel kind if sad that he is leaving Ace to it when he went and saved Luffy from Smoker that time..

You write this really well; I smirked a bit about them only fearing Garp, and I was sad when Dragon stuck by his decision.

[personal profile] dethorats 2009-01-12 09:37 am (UTC)(link)
Oh damn, that ending hurts but it makes so much sense. And I LOVED the bit about fearing only Garp and leaving his sons to their grandfather for just that reason.

As for spoilers, I think that it is a good idea to do as you have done here, mention that there are spoilers for recent chapters of the manga. Honestly, I don't think anything outside of whatever current arc the manga is in needs to be called for spoilers, but this definitely applies.