Chapter 66
Newgate was slightly starting to panic as he wandered around the Island the Whitebeard pirates docked on to just to stretch their legs and let out some pent up energy after being out at sea for a week looking for his children, specifically Marco and Izou. It had been a little longer than he would like since the last time he’d seen them. Newgate was a man of many things, but patience was not one of them, especially when it came to his crew, his family. He’d always had a soft spot for the young ones, even when they got into trouble. They were all like his own children to him. He had a knack for finding the good in people, even when it was buried deep under layers of hardened pirate exterior.
He was about to call out their names when he felt two little hands grab onto his pants legs. Well, the hands are obviously little to him, but on anyone else, they'd be normal. He looked down to see the objects of his panic, Marco and Izou looking… worried?
Newgate frowned at their expressions before breaking into a warm smile, his panic dissipating as he realized they were safe. "Marco, Izou," he said gently, bending down to their level. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Marco and Izou shared a quick look before Marco spoke up. “Over there at the cliff, where there’s a chunk of the beach hidden.” He pointed off to a cliff that hit a chunk of the beach. “There’s a guy, like, he’s really tall, not as tall as you, but still really tall. I think he’s a teenager or at least a young adult and he looks like he’s about to have a panic attack.”
Izou nodded in agreement, his makeup slightly smudged from roughhousing with his brothers. “Yeah, the older guy is with a younger teen with wings and a tiny, tiny tiny baby.”
Newgate's smile faded a little, his curiosity piqued. “A winged teen and a baby with an older teen or Young adult? That's quite a peculiar sight… I suppose let's go see if they need any help.” He ruffled the hair of his young charges before striding towards the cliff.
As they approached, Newgate could hear an all too familiar voice, but it wasn’t the same as he remembered it, it wasn’t cocky, snarky, or full of rage, it was...scared? Tired? Hurt?
“Just hold her hold her hold her hold her hold her hold her. King, please for the love of God, just hold her for a second. You won’t hurt her. I promise you can’t. You won’t hurt her, just hold her for a second, okay? Please?” Kaidou’s voice was strained, a desperation that didn’t sit well with Newgate’s ears.
“Kaidou…” A younger voice said, his voice cracking, Newgate was guessing who Marco and Izou said was the younger teen, “I don’t know if this is a good idea, she’s so tiny and fragile and—.”
“King please, God just fucking hold her.” Kaidou’s voice was raw, the desperation thick in the air. Newgate’s heart clenched at the sound of it, the tone so starkly different from the fiery spirit he remembered.
“… okay.” The Younger voice conceded.
As Newgate and the boys approached the hidden cove, they found Kaidou, visibly exhausted, sitting on his knees and looking like he was trying to rip out his horns with his bare hands with how hard he was gripping them, his chest heaved with every sharp, fast, ragged breath he took, and his body was slightly shaking. A teenager with dark skin, large wings, and a black tattoo around his eye was standing a few paces away, his white hair shaved on the sides and pulled back into a ponytail stood in front of Kaidou, cradling a tiny, tiny, tiny baby in his arms. The baby had white hair, with strands that faded into aqua and blue, and little red horns peeked out from her forehead. Both Kaidou and the teenager looked like they’ve been through hell and back and then threw a meat grinder.
Newgate’s heart skipped a beat when he recognized Kaidou, his old crewmate from the Rocks Pirates. It had been years since he last saw the boy, but he never forgot that fiery spirit that matched his own. Seeing him like this, broken and begging, was like watching a piece of himself shatter. He took a step closer, his gentle eyes scanning over the two of them, trying to understand what had happened.
The moment the teenagers heard the crunch of sand from Newgate’s boots, his snap towards him and the teenager shrieked, not just a scream full on shrieked like a banshee.
Kaidou instantly let go of his horns and reached for the teen and the baby, pulling them closer to him and bending his body over them to make a protective barrier. His head snapping towards Newgate with a sneer that could make the devil himself shit his pants. Kaidou’s pupils were blown wide, shrinking and growing rapidly like he’d been pumped with one too many drugs in his body doesn’t know what side effect to go with. “Get the fuck away from us!” He bellowed, his voice had lost none of its power even in his exhausted state.
Marco and Izou took a step back, their eyes wide with shock and fear. Newgate held up his hands in a calming gesture. “Whoa, whoa, whoa now. Kaidou, it’s me, Newgate. Your old crewmate from the Rocks pirates, remember?” He tried to keep his tone gentle, not wanting to spook the obviously on-edge young man.
Kaidou’s breathing was like a freight train of steroids, barely getting any air into his lungs before he had to let it out again in ragged painful gasps and pants. His pupils were still dilating and shrinking in rapid succession as he tried to focus on Newgate, the sneer never leaving his face.
Newgate took a moment to let his words sink in, his gaze never leaving Kaidou's yellow eyes. The tension was palpable, the air thick with it. Kaidou looks like a trapped wild animal, a terrified, trapped wild predator, he looked about ready to tear everything and anything apart with his bare hands, to protect what was his. His eyes wide and frantic, pupils still dilating and shrinking in rapid succession, his mouth slightly parted as those agonizingly painful sounding gasps and pants were ripped out of him over and over and over again, his chest heaving with every single one. Kaidou’s entire being seemed to bristle as he held the winged teen and baby close to him, his arms practically enveloped them both as he hunched over them, his eyes never leaving Newgate’s. The baby in the winged teenager's arms began to whimper, and Newgate could see the fear in the teens eyes as he looked from Kaidou to the approaching man.
Marco and Izou looked at Newgate with a mix of confusion and horror, clearly not understanding why their usually stoic and powerful pops looked like he’d just seen a ghost. Newgate took another step closer, his voice calm and steady. "It's okay, Kaidou," he said, his voice soothing. "You're safe here. I'm not going to hurt you."
Kaidou took in a painful shuddering breath, his sneer never leaving his face as he still tried to focus on Newgate’s face, his eyes still wild, but something in Newgate’s voice, something soothing and familiar, reached through the fog of fear and exhaustion. Newgate’s gentle tone was like a lullaby to his frayed nerves, and for a brief moment, he saw the man he once knew. He slowly lowered his arms from around the teen, Alber and the baby, Yamato, his grip loosening as he took in more of those painful sounding shuddering breaths.
Newgate took another step closer, his eyes never leaving Kaidou’s. “What happened to you, kid?” he asked softly, his heart aching at the sight of his old friend.
“… Punk hazard.” Was the only thing Kaidou managed to get out, his voice cracking and scratchy.
Newgate’s eyes widened, his hands dropping to his side as he took in Kaidou’s words, his mind racing with the implications. He had heard whispers of the terrible experiments that took place at the research institution, but to think that Kaidou had been subjected to them was a horror he couldn’t begin to fathom. Just the name of the place sent a shiver down Newgate’s spine, a place where the Marines conducted their most inhumane research. The fact that Kaidou had managed to escape was nothing short of a miracle.
“Punk Hazard?” He echoed, his voice barely a whisper.
Newgate didn’t get another answer, Kaidou remain silent besides the painful sounding ragged gasps and pants being ripped from his body.
Marco took a step forward, looking at Kaidou with a mix of fear and concern. "Punks Hazard? That's where they do all those weird science experiments on people, right?" He whispered to Newgate.
Newgate nodded gravely, his eyes never leaving Kaidou's. "Yes, Marco," he said, his voice low and serious. "It's a terrible place, where the government does things that make the Marines look like the good guys."
Izou looked at the baby, then at Kaidou, his curiosity growing. "Is that... your baby?" he asked tentatively.
Kaidou took in a sharp ragged breath, his eyes darting down to Alber, Who he was still holding, and the baby Alber was cradling. And it took Kaidou a second to answer. “Yeah… she’s mine… named… Yamato.”
Newgate felt his heart clench at the sight of the baby and the love he saw in Kaidou’s eyes, it was a stark contrast to the fear and anger he had moments ago. “Let’s get you all to the ship,” Newgate said gently, gesturing for them to follow him. “We can talk more there, and we can get you some food and rest.”