Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1 - Battlefield

The smoke, haze, and utter debris of the battlefield were so thick, that it was a miracle in her opinion that anyone could still breathe. 

Lily watched the chaos and destruction from her perch on what had once been a nearby building. Her white, starched Marine uniform hung limply and stained with sweat from off her shoulders as she tried her best to lay low.

She wished she could just take the darn thing off and burn it to a cinder. 

And yet, it stayed on for the same reason that she stayed in this godforsaken place, even though it was probably the least safe place for her to be right now. 

Well to be fair, it was never safe for an undercover operative when they were on the job. The constant threat of being found out always loomed overhead, ready to crash upon you at any moment. But if Lily had been afraid of something as simple as that, she probably would have never survived for this long. And that was something no one could ever deny her. Lily was a survivor. 

And yet, even she might have to question that fact today. What the heck was she thinking?! A year in deep cover, simply to be killed in a senseless war? And not even one of their own making! 

Though the world government stooges had bent over backward to pull them in. 

She watched with her fists clenched as Akainu continue to fight to get to Straw Hat Luffy and the ex-Warlord Jinbe. To execute them, simply as a message to the world that if you challenged the all-powerful World Government, if you didn’t stay within your lanes–not only would you face the consequences and be snuffed out, but every innocent bloodline connected to you would pay as well, even to the 3rd and 4th generation. They wouldn’t just erase you, they would erase your legacy. They would make sure you were forgotten. 

She had seen it so many times since she had joined the Revolutionary Army. So many had been destroyed simply because they had the wrong family name, or because they had the wrong blood flowing in their veins. 

This entire farce today had only proven that again all too clearly. But this time...this time it was so much more public and much closer to home…. 

Battle cries, collapsing stones, and raging explosions all melded together to become a cacophony of destruction and mayhem. Lily pulled her cap further down on her auburn hair and slunk forward through the rubble. She avoided the heavy fighting areas, staying unseen on the outskirts of the major action. Any opponent that for some reason came at her was easily dealt with. (a nerve pinch to an unknowing pirate was enough to take them down. She’d rather not hurt them too much if she could) She continued on her path unimpeded, tracking the mad dog admiral and the Fishman warlord with her eyes.

But even more than that, the small burden that the knight of the sea held close in his arms…

It hadn’t been long since she was assigned to Marine HQ that she suspected a connection between the famous vice-admiral Garp “The Fist” and her boss. StrawHat Luffy shared the same family name as her boss, and even more than that, one look at that wide grin erased any doubts she might have had as to who the boy's sire was, even if it hadn't been already broadcast to the entire world. (seriously, what was with the government and their lack of understanding about privacy?)

The entire battlefield became utter chaos very quickly. Whitebeard and his forces had stepped it up, but even as they fought, the warlord Blackbeard also showed up and began to show his true colors. Lily didn’t know much about the man, but even what she had found out during her time undercover had made her wonder exactly how desperate and hypocritical the government had to be to continue to keep employing these psychos. 

And they had the gall to call them monsters and harbingers of chaos?

BOOM!!!

A large explosion shook the air and she could hear the booming voice of Newgate rise over the battleground. The great emperor of the sea was making his last stand and Lily could only watch with a heavy heart as the man died as he lived: standing in protection of his greatest treasure. 

The shadows at her feet began to flicker and she nodded in response.

Her partner was right, she didn’t have time to mourn. She had made a promise and she intended to keep it. 

Even as Blackbeard made his move, Lily was pushing towards her target. Quick moves and nimble limbs allowed her to avoid the chaos. She had to make sure StrawHat made his way out of here in one piece. 

Before the battle had even started, Lily had made her report of the situation to HQ, knowing that her cover could possibly be compromised if she stayed for too much longer. Her CO had been unable to make contact with her, but to her surprise, it was the big boss himself that had returned her call.

Reports had already made it through about the assault on Impel Down, and Dragon had confirmed the events and that if the war between the Marines and the Whitebeard pirates became too antsy, to move out of Marineford and to an extraction point. They could always reinfiltrate the Marines HQ again, if it came to it, keeping this particular post wasn’t worth sacrificing lives. 

Right when she was about to hang up, almost as if an afterthought, Dragon mentioned quietly that one Monkey D. Luffy was going to be making his way to the battlefield.

She had already gathered this, but was surprised when the man asked her in a subdued fashion simply to watch out for the boy if at all possible.  She had accepted the strange request, but it wasn’t until they had revealed the boy’s damning parentage that she realized why. She knew the two were related, but his son?! And so even if he hadn’t asked it of her, just as Iva and his cohorts felt compelled to do, she couldn't simply let them kill, or worse, capture Dragon's son. The poor boy had already been traumatized enough.

Lily took her eyes off of StrawHat for a moment to look back at the bloodied body the child had left behind.

Laid out on the ground, abandoned, was the body of the man who had been unfairly placed at the center of all this. Hated merely for the blood he carried, Portgas D. Ace had at least died a free man protecting someone that he loved most dearly. Lily had wished that she could have done more for the man but her mission wouldn’t have allowed it. She was already stretching her cover as it was in trying to make sure--

She stopped in her tracks and stared. 

Raising her eyebrow, she squinted and looked closer. Nothing appeared different about Portgas’ corpse, and yet… something had caught her attention. But what was it? Perhaps, it was something her “other” sight had picked up? 

She began to activate her devil fruit ability to get a better loo—

CRRRACK! KAHBOOM!

Shockwaves and explosions shook the ground and she suddenly lost her balance as the entirety of Marineford seemed to shake itself to pieces!

Falling to the ground she tried to grab onto any of the surrounding rubble to climb away from the fissures that were spreading throughout the battleground. The shadows at her feet came up and caught her before she could fall any further. 

She reached up and grabbed the suddenly corporeal shadow and hauled herself back to her feet, being more careful to keep her legs beneath her. Two bright violet eyes shone from out of the shadows’ dark depths for a moment and met her own, before merging with her own naturally cast shadow once again.

She looked around quickly making sure no one had noticed before whispering, “Thanks, Schaden.”

Her partner didn’t answer, but the slight flickering of the darkness was enough of a response for her. 

HISSS! BOONG!

She turned at the sound of the loud horn and the emergence of a submarine of all things! Frowning, she got closer to get a better look. She was alarmed to see that in only those few seconds of distraction, the situation had become even direr.

Somehow in the space of only a few moments, Akainu had overtaken Jinbe and Luffy and heavily injured them both! The two were rescued clumsily by that big-nosed clown pirate, but he looked like he was way past panicked. She hurried forward to see what she could do. She could not let StrawHat die! 

Approaching from over the substantial and growing piles of rubble, Lily turned to look at the newcomer’s vessel.

She watched as a young man, a little older than she, arose from out of the underwater ship. Walking tall with wiry muscles moving under tanned skin that was covered in scrawling, tribal-like tattoos. Dark mercury eyes pierced out from under a hat made of spotted fur, and even despite the dark shadows beneath them that made him look far wearier than one should be at such a young age, an intelligence sparkled within them that was also far beyond his years.  A large sword perched unassumingly onto his shoulder. The Jolly Roger painted on his skin and ship, declared proudly who he was. 

Lily knew his reputation and his epitaph, a young “supernova” pirate who had risen quickly to prominence, known as the enigmatic “Surgeon of Death”. She was drawing a blank on his real name, but currently, that didn’t matter. Right now, if she had guessed his sudden appearance and intentions correctly, he was the best chance her boss' son had. 

Confirmation came as she listened to the man call out for them to give Strawhat and Jinbe over to him and that he could help them as a doctor. Something about that voice resonated with her. How or why she didn't know but it was curious all the same. There was something about it…

It was almost as if…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunshots rang out nearby causing her to jerk back and take cover. Staying hidden, she waited a few moments for the combatants to move on before looking back out to the submarine.

Sadly, by that time, her concentration was broken and whatever thoughts were trying to make themselves known to her, had slipped away. 

Why? Why were those eyes so familiar? 

The feel of Shaden’s inquiring gaze on her brought her back from out of her mind’s eye. 

She shook her head. Reflect on that another time, right now she had to maneuver through this chaos and give Straw Hat a fighting chance. 

“Schaden, continue to stay hidden and back me up." 

The male shadowy being rolled his eyes as if to say that that was a given, and went back into her shadow. But this time the shadow filtered up onto her back and arms forming a void on the entire posterior and sides of her body. 

The darkness was Schaden’s domain and he was a tyrant. The darkness was his to command and he manipulated it with practiced ease. Any attack that came at her, accidentally or on purpose, was either absorbed by his darkness or sent hurtling back. Lily didn’t even bother to react to any of them. She was intent on her objective, and she trusted her partner with her life. 

Reaching out with her devil fruit, she closed her eyes and stalwartly ignored the anarchy around her and instead concentrated on the ocean beneath the submarine. As her power activated, her eyes flashed open, overflowing with a white glow. 

She no longer saw bodies surrounding her, no longer individual sentient organisms, but instead, her entire vision was filled with billions upon billions of twinkling lights. It would have looked like glittering chaos to a novice without an understanding of the power she wielded, but to her, each light had meaning and purpose. She understood each and every flicker and how her power interacted and affected them, and she was able to wield that power to precision for her purpose.  

Concentrating on a large group of lights within the ocean right under the submarine. She reached out to command the creatures. For within her “sight” every squirming light was a microscopic cell. Trillions of unicellular and multicellular organisms in the ocean swam and gleamed within the depths of the water. Reaching forward with her hand, Lily grabbed hold of the collective of organisms with her ability and sent them in a large wave against the submarine’s hull. 

“PUSH”

The yellow vessel shot forward and the captain of the ship, even while hurridly receiving his guests, looked around perplexed. His eyes scanned the water for the cause but could find nothing. What was that? As another attack hit the starboard side of his ship, he didn’t have time to think about it as he hurriedly received his impromptu guests and so instead filed the event to the back of his head for later musing. 

Meanwhile, back onshore, Lily gathered more organisms to replace the ones that had inevitably been killed in the original onslaught and pressed further, sending the ship further out into the ocean, away from the attack range of enemies onshore as well as the flotsam and ice of the sea and shore. 

One more shot should do it. If she could just—

A high-pitched whine hit her ear and she automatically attuned her ears in order to hear what her partner was telling her. Not having the same vocal cords as normal humans, Schaden communicated in a variety of sounds and pitches and at times, sign language. Lily had learned to decipher them all years ago, even though she couldn't respond to him in the same way.

‘Lil, watchout! The admiral!’

The warning came too little too late as a sizzling point of light arched through the sky and hit the submarine broadside!

Lily followed the origin to observe Admiral Kizaru about to take another more permanent shot. “No, no, no…” 

She grimaced in annoyance at what she had to do, but her CO had always told her to go with her gut. Activating her power once again, she flipped targets, quickly raised her hand, and grabbed control of the admiral’s cells all at once with her ability.

“FREEZE”

 A shocked look broke through Borsalino’s face for a moment, and he almost instantly zeroed in on her. But even despite him knowing something was wrong, she was quicker and increased hr hold, promptly freezing him in place.

Lily knew she couldn’t hold someone this strong for more than mere seconds, but seconds were precious, and if the submarine would be ever so kind as to dive and get out of here…!

Raw power straining against her hold increased. Beads of sweat fell from her brow as she pressed back. Just a little more!

‘You can let go, Lily. Help has arrived.’

In the peripheral of her vision, she watched another huge mass of twinkling lights approach the admiral and she felt Schaden pick her up and move her away out of range.

If the war hadn’t become so out of hand, the sight of a plain, brown-haired young “captain” moving in the arms of a black wispy, ephemeral shadow, might have turned more than a few heads. But then again, Gecko Moria was here, so maybe not. 

She released her hold the moment the Red-Haired Pirates made their presence known, allowing Kizaru to become someone else’s problem. 

They had accomplished their goal, she could tell the submarine had made it a safe distance away and would be fine if the captain was worth his salt. Now it was time for her and her partner to get out of here while the chaos of the battle still reigned. She knew she had been made. There was no way Kizaru hadn’t seen her and knew she wasn’t one of their own. It was time to make themselves scarce.

She relaxed in her partner’s hold and began the process of releasing her ability’s "sight" when suddenly something flashed across her senses!

Something she had seen before and yet hadn’t understood without her fruit being properly activated. 

Something impossible...

Jumping down out of Schaden’s hold and not even paying attention to anything else happening about her, Lily scrambled forward running through the battlefield, her eyes only for the mass of twinkling light ahead of her, a look of horrific astonishment finding its way upon her face. It couldn’t be…could it? But how?

Lights that shouldn’t be flickering any longer, and yet—were still stubbornly doing so. How could it be? How could she not have seen this before? 

A questioning whine came to her ear from her partner who had followed her erratic course. 

‘Lily, we’ve gotta get out of here. What are you doing? The man is dead.’

Collapsing to the ground beside the mass of barely flickering lights, she carefully caressed the cells with her mind, examining them in wonder.  Her whited-out eyes continued to scan the supposed corpse, narrowing in concentration as she tried to make sense of what was right in front of her, something only she had the ability to see. 

“No.”

‘No? What do you mean “no”? Lil, we don’t have time for this. We–’

“Scha.” 

Finally deactivating her ability after assuring herself that what she saw was in fact real. She turned to her companion with a look of wonder and yet thoughtful determination as she considered her next inevitable actions. 

“This man….Commander Portgas D. Ace is not dead. Or…at least…not yet .” 

The shadow opened up to reveal Schaden’s purple eyes once again, as they went from her to the cooling body of the young man who had been at the center of all this. His lithe frame was covered in blood, burns, and a myriad of other wounds,  the huge gaping hole through his torso being the most obvious among them. The poor kid now lay forgotten and deserted on this blood-soaked battlefield, in the midst of this travesty of war. 

Schaden had seen many things in his lifetime, and he had long ago learned to trust the word of the woman who had been his best friend and partner, long before they had become Revolutionaries. And yet he couldn’t help but look back at her incredulously.

‘Are you kidding me?!’ 

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 - Decisions

The Cyto-Cyto Fruit.

It allowed its wielder to have the ability to not only observe every individual cell that made up the living world and beings around them, but also to be able to manipulate and command those cells to the extent of their knowledge and ability. Though of course there was the interesting caveat that the power could work on anyone but the wielder themselves. 

Needless to say that when Lily had first “acquired” the power as a child, it had nearly driven her mad. So many cells…so many lights shining around her…and not having any idea of how to control her sight or how her control over these building blocks of life itself worked, had been overwhelming, to say the least. It had taken her years to simply become used to her new “sight”. And years more to train herself to make use of her abilities. 

Intense study of biology, cytology, zoology, physiology, and anatomy; skills she’d have never realized she would need and yet surprisingly found herself enjoying. Reading scientific journals and medical texts had given her a slight feeling of comfortable nostalgia for some unknown reason. She didn’t know why or how, but she chalked it up to perhaps a missing part of her past that she was rediscovering.

 The libraries of Revolutionary Army HQ ended up becoming her second home and she had painstakingly, through experimentation and trial and error honed her craft. Becoming a scientist and a doctor had been a byproduct of her trying to make the best use of her powers. And during the many darker and dirtier parts of her job, she enjoyed being able to make use of those aspects of herself to heal and give life to a world that did its best to take it.

Once she had honed her craft, she found that she could use her power to command cells to obey her every order as long as she could express her explicit instructions within her mental intentions. Cells didn’t have conscious thought, after all, they couldn’t understand vague implied thought. But they were built for complex instruction and her power took advantage of that. With her devil fruit, Lily could heal nearly every kind of wound brought before her, sickness and cancer meant nothing if she could tell the cells where to go and push them to protect the body at all costs, or tell the cells to stop their onslaught in their track, or even to die if need be. 

She could also use her power in offensive and defensive ways, using her power to control entire organs, systems, or even organisms in unrefined ways. Her only limit so far had been her own stamina and the limit on raw materials on hand that the cells would need to keep going before breaking down. 

 She was an invaluable weapon in the R.A.’s arsenal, but Lily didn’t want to just stay cooped up and hidden away in Baltigo forever. It had taken a lot of convincing to allow the higher-ups to eventually give her a field assignment. She had her CO to thank for persuading them to allow her to go undercover as an intelligence agent. It came with an express order that she is not to show off too much, only using her powers in the case of an emergency. She would be a prize beyond price if the World Government were to get its hands on her. 

Lily sighed, Well too late for that now. 

Schaden looked from her to the body on the ground and waited for her decision. His quiet moaning whistle asked,  ‘ So, what’s the plan, Lil?’

She looked down at the young man, wavy black hair framing a young face, barely 20 if she remembered correctly…much too young to have died so violently. A weird thought, considering she was probably about the same age, and also risking her life for what she believed in.  A dusting of freckles graced ashen cheeks on a smiling and oddly peaceful face. 

She should leave him. Many people died on the battlefield. It was war after all. She was responsible for herself and Schaden and her assignment. That was it. She had done a favor for her boss and now it was time to make their exit, she didn’t have time to—

“If you can save the life that’s right in front of you, you have a responsibility to do so. We save lives, it’s in our blood!”

A stern male voice reverberated within her head, and she closed her eyes and huffed before turning away. It was annoying to be chastened by a voice she didn’t recognize and yet one that her mind felt hardwired to not ignore. 

She didn’t know whose voice it was that played through her head at these most inopportune moments. The voice was vaguely familiar and nostalgic, but never more than that. Something that was probably locked up with the rest of the many things that she couldn’t remember from the time “before”. 

And yet the voice persisted, and this time she didn’t even know if she wanted to ignore it. Her heart already knew what she wished to do, it was the logical side of her brain that was making the argument. 

She had a job to do. 

If she was caught, the world government would never let her go if they knew of her abilities. Not that they would do so anyway since she was also a revolutionary, which meant that capture means torture.

 Not just her, but Schaden too. She couldn’t risk—

And of course, her oh-so-helpful brain decides to interrupt her thoughts once again. 

“So what if you don’t remember? Our memories aren’t the only things that make us who we are.” 

Now that was a voice she recognized. 

A year before on the island of Baltigo: Revolutionary Army HQ

Lily flipped around on her leg, kicking the wooden target and splintering it into pieces. The shards fell to the rocks below joining many others already consumed by the raging waters. 

Wiping the sweat from her face, she plopped down on the ground of the cliff face and pushed the few rebellious locks of white hair that escaped their binding back onto her head. Working to catch her breath, she looked out on the rolling waves of the ocean, feeling the salty spray against her, the winds blowing cool against the perspiration glittering on her skin. 

“So, what is it this time? Nerves or nightmares?” 

Turning, she saw her commanding officer strolling casually up the moonlit path to sit down beside her on the cliffside. She smiled, not surprised to see him out and about in the middle of the night. 

She sighed before looking back at the dark waters of the sea, “A little bit of both I guess…”

The man nodded in acknowledgment before continuing the comfortable silence, letting her gather her thoughts. 

She picked up a shard of wood in her hand and played with it between her fingers. “I had dreams of the facility again, even a little bit before that. I can even hear voices from time to time but I can’t recognize any of them. It’s all right there, and yet right out of my grasp! Sometimes I wonder if I even want to remember…”

Her frustration caused the wood to snap within her grasp. She turned to him pleadingly, “Does it ever get better?”

The man sighed and ran his hand over the scars on his skin before pulling a knee up and leaning against it. “I wish I could say it does, but that feeling of something missing never truly goes away. The best we can do is to continue living and be true to who we are now. A puzzle with missing pieces can still give an accurate picture of the whole.”

She copied him and brought her legs up against her chest. Her heart was a bit heavy as she admitted her fear to him.  “It was probably the Marineford mission that triggered it. It’s my first big assignment, Chief. I know I’ve trained for this, and it’s what I want, but am I really cut out for this?”

Her CO arched an eyebrow back at her, “Having second thoughts, Lily?”

She sighed and looked away from him and back to the ocean. Despite them being about the same age, he was like a mentor to her, and she didn’t like disappointing him. 

He spoke up quietly beside her. “There are times that I wish I could remember everything from my past. My memories are harder to grasp onto than even yours. But I think for people like us, Lil, we have to realize that our memories are not everything.” 

Nudging her playfully, he smiled gently. “So what if you don’t remember? Our memories aren’t the only things that make us, us . Even though we may not know our past, our hearts remember who we truly are. You can do this, Lily. I wouldn’t have fought so hard for you if I didn’t think so.”

Present Day, ruined remains of Marineford

Lily smiled resignedly before quietly whispering, “Thanks, Chief.” 

A lull had come over the battle as the Red Hair Pirates made their entrance and they were running out of time. She turned to Schaden, a look of determination on her face. “We’re taking him with us.”

A loud shriek could be heard, ‘What?! But Lil—’

She continued on as she began to look for the best way of transporting the body. “I can save his life, Schaden, but I can’t do it here and we’re running out of very precious time. I need you to transport us both to the boat. I’ll get started working on him while you set sail. We need to get as far away as we can and fast.”

Schaden looked at the purposeful look on her face and sighed in resignation. Why did he even bother?  ‘Okay, but I didn’t intend on having to use teleportation, much less doing it with more than one person, so I don’t have a reservoir of energy on hand and the ride may be a little bumpy.’

Lily nodded absently, her mind already on the job ahead. She moved to carefully hold Portgas’ body close to hers, trying her best to not make his situation any worse and tearing or damaging anything else that would make her decision pointless.

 His body was still slippery with undried blood and lukewarm to the touch. It felt so sticky and distressing on her skin to touch him like this. She could almost feel his life slipping away through her fingers. 

How had StrawHat withstood such a feeling? 

They had to hurry.

Schaden expanded out his shadowy tendrils, enveloping both of them in absolute darkness. A jolt came over her as she felt the shift in her body as they switched dimensions, teleporting her and her patient off the battlefield. 

This was a huge risk she knew. Using teleportation was a last resort that they used to make eleventh-hour escapes when absolutely necessary. Without sufficient prep, the move would put a ton of strain on Scha, and he would be zapped of most of his strength afterward, making them vulnerable.

Their original plan in case they needed to “take their leave” was for Lily to pretend to sail out on orders, with Schaden continuing to hide in her shadow, and then for them to quietly take off once they had gotten a few ports away. After that, they would do a myriad of complicated steps to cover their tracks and basically just disappear as if they were never there. 

The second plan in case of emergency was to have a fast boat ready and supplied waiting in a secluded cove, using their navy cover to get them as far as they could go before hastily disappearing at a port further away. 

Teleportation was the absolute last option and Schaden was already regretting using it. He steeled himself as he felt his body tremble and tear from the tension. He corrected his hold and continued to interlace his current surroundings with the dimensional doorway that he held within his body. 

Utilizing a series of portals with his own body as a conduit, he was able to go to any location that he had already pinpointed ahead of time. However, while his people were naturally adapted for this kind of travel, regular humans were not. Traveling with human passengers necessitated protecting them from the harsh conditions of dimensional travel using his own body as a blanketing shield. He had trained well enough to take one passenger without much issue, even if his stamina would be pretty drained afterward.

But two passengers…

Well, here goes nothing.

A being of myth and legend to most of this era, Schaden was one of the last of his kind: a Cimmerian. 

His people while vaguely humanoid in shape were not human in nature by any stretch. They were more so shades made of shadow, darkness, and mist. He could take a somewhat solid form if he wished, but only for a limited amount of time. His unique abilities gave him a connection to an alternative dimension that only Cimmerians could access, known to them as the land of Styx. 

With this ability, he could absorb nearly anything and also reject those things, sending them hurtling back as a way of attack. He could also use this ability to teleport himself or very few passengers to known destinations.  

He found humans curious beings. Ones that he avoided interactions with, but enjoyed observing. He trusted few humans, even those within the Revolutionaries.  

Lily, his first and best friend, a light and beacon for him in his most hopeless and painful moments of despair. She of course was an exception. He would follow by her side always. She had saved his life, dreams, and ambitions he had once held, and he had decided to devote all of his to helping her achieve hers. 

And even though she makes some of the most ludicrous decisions in existence! He thought with annoyed frustration as he ignored the pain beginning to eat away at his form. 

He continued to follow her, incapable of allowing her to face the world alone. 

Lily landed heavily on the wooden deck keeping the pirate king’s son’s body as steady as she could.  As Scha’s misty barrier receded, she took account of where they were and was happy that her partner had successfully gotten them to their escape craft. They were far away from the battle stage now, the entire area deserted and close to the far rocky western outer edge. 

At the sound of a painfully ragged cough, she quickly turned around, worry sparking up for her partner. How much had he overdone it?  

On the ship’s deck, Scha was hovering against the wood, completely incorporeal like a murky black fog. The way his body was phasing in and out couldn’t be good.  Electric sparks flashed over his form, and his purple glowing eyes could barely keep themselves open as he looked over his friend to make sure that she had survived okay after the trip. 

She approached him anxiously, concern in her voice. “Are you okay, Scha?”

He gazed at her and gave a slight nod, but he was too exhausted to audibly respond. 

 Lily smiled with relief before standing back up and taking a knife out of her boot.  Cutting the mooring line and kicking the boat away from the dock with her foot, she felt the vessel sway for a moment before drifting quickly on the waves. 

 “Rest awhile, Schaden. You earned it. Let the boat drift for now. It will be less suspicious that way, we’ll use the sails when we’re far enough away. Only interfere if we’re about to crash or something. You did well Scha, just rest and warn me if anyone approaches.”

She didn’t bother listening for a response. Time was precious and she didn’t think the commander could wait any longer. With a heave, she picked up the body from the deck, slinging a limp arm around her shoulder, she headed down into the boat’s hold. My God, the guy was heavy! If this is what he was like after months in the tender care of Impel Down’s dungeons, she could only wonder what he had been like when he was perfectly healthy!

A light whistle like that of wind through hollow reeds faintly called after her. ‘Don’t worry so much. If anyone can do it, Lil, you can.’

With a large swipe of her arm, Lily cleared the table in the cabin, forgotten objects crashing to the floor. Balancing Portgas over her shoulder with one arm, she laid a hand on the table and activated her power. It took her but a second to sterilize the tabletop, killing every microbe on its surface with but a thought. 

Pulling the man’s body onto the table, she ran over to the storage room and grabbed the standard naval medkit and any other medical supplies that she could find. There was enough emergency reserve universal S- blood for a single transfusion, and while it would not be nearly enough for what she needed, it was a start. Bringing it back to the room, she started several IVs and as well as setting up the transfusion machine for when she needed it. Placing sterile gloves on her hands, she stood in front of the table. Looking back over him with her cellular sight she could see that activity had decreased even in the short minutes it had taken to get him here, but she still saw what had caught her eye on the battlefield. 

With the power of her cyto-cyto fruit, she could see what no one else could: that Portgas D. Ace was indeed still alive!

Barely.

While he had stopped breathing and his heart had stopped beating, his cells are still alive. They are in the process of dying, but if she could get to him and move quickly, with her power, she could save him…possibly. 

 She had never done cell manipulation of this magnitude before. She had worked in the emergency medical unit back on Baltigo, repairing gunshot wounds, damaged limbs, concussive burns, and much more. Her abilities continued to expand at each new challenge.

But this? The damage done to him by the Marines' dog was beyond catastrophic. 

And yet what kind of doctor would she be if she didn’t even give it her best shot? 

With another mental command, this time to her own body, the epithelial cells of her skin lost their healthy fleshy pink tone and became a stark ashen white. The once brown locks of hair also changed color to snowy white strands. Her entire body became as colorless as the fake uniform she wore. 

While her ability did not allow her to actually do any permanent change to her own body, she could perform slight alterations of surface cells within her sight. 

This allowed her to change certain phenotypes, like her skin, hair, eye color, or even shape if she had enough time. It was a talent that had come in handy as a tool on this job and saved time in having to don disguises. It also served to help stave off certain uncomfortable questions about her past that she didn’t feel like answering. (Or even knew the answers herself really.)

But it took a low-level passive amount of energy to keep up, and she could spare none of her energy to maintain a disguise she no longer currently needed.

Throwing off her marine uniform coat and hat, she rolled up her sleeves. This would take all the strength and stamina she had, and it would take hours of constant work… if it worked at all. 

She avoided looking at the man’s blood-stained face, knowing the tragic look of resigned happiness that still lay upon his ruggedly handsome features would probably undo her resolve. Instead, she let the clinical, detached side of the doctor come over her.  Looking over the huge gaping mortal wound in front of her on her “operation table”, she took a deep breath, she had a lot of damage to repair. 

His entire ribcage had been pulverized, parts of his spine and backbone along with it. The level of burns to this body by the magma she had only seen in medical texts in the forensics section or on cadavers, there being no way to repair such damage using traditional medicine.

Parts of his abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava had been completely burned away.

His liver had an entire chunk ripped out of it, along with parts of his lungs, heart, and intestines, while his diaphragm looked to be barely hanging on for dear life.

All of the organs had horrible burn scarring, not only from the initial impact but from the fact that all the blood and fluids in that section of his body had practically instantaneously boiled away the moment the magma had made contact.

Splintered, broken bone had done its own harm, piercing the visceral organs around them.

The spleen, stomach, both kidneys, the pancreas, gall bladder...

The catalog of injuries and trauma went on and on and after a moment, she closed her eyes as the sheer enormity of the devastation that had been done was fully realized. 

Taking in a large breath and letting it out slowly, Lily uncurled her fists and let her body relax.

One step at a time. She would do this. She was a doctor by God and she would do this!

Opening her eyes, she turned her sight on full force, and white light nearly spilled out from her eyes, a white glow flitting around her fingertips.

 Ignoring everything else in the room, she focused on the dancing, twinkling lights in front of her on the table. Sparks that were quickly extinguishing themselves one at a time. 

No time…

Moving swiftly, she did her first and most important step in the procedure, her fingers moving and invisibly reaching into the brain and commanding the neurons of the central nervous system. 

“LIVE”  

“DIVIDE”

The nerve cells responded to her call, awakening and working to once again transduce signals. Forced to go beyond their usual operation. Dead cells began to be replaced by new ones. Electrical sparks began to move again and new connections were made. 

Her first job was to become his life support. She had to make sure his neural synapses continued to fire and his brain didn’t die during the process while she was fixing all the major damage. Once she could get the heart and lungs working again, she could let his natural systems feed his most important organ. 

Keeping an eye on the rejuvenated neurons, she quickly moved on. She would have to clear away the damage all the while replacing his organs concurrently, and for that, she would need to physically work with her hands and scalpel as much as mentally with her devil fruit. 

Taking a deep breath before plunging her hands into the hole in the man’s chest. Reaching into the thoracic cavity, she felt around for the ravaged remnants of the two most vital organs that it housed. She pulled the dead and dying cells to her will. 

“LIVE” 

“DIVIDE” 

Cardiac and pulmonary tissue awoke at her words and began to go through cell division. Dividing to a much more rapid degree than it ever would have on its own. Some would have never done the process at all but for her command. 

Responding to the force of her will, she concentrated on reshaping and sculpting the organs, all the while physically, carefully removing bits of bone and cauterized tissue. Cells continued to multiply and tissues were slowly rebuilding themselves, one layer at a time. A process that usually needed tons of energy, oxygen, water, nutrients, hormones, and time, she was able to complete using the resources from what was left in the stores of the man’s own body, the power of her fruit, and her own will.

The procedure would take time, even at the reckless speeds she was working at. She just had to get the heart and lungs working again. She could fix necrosis thanks to oxygen deprivation, but only to a degree. After that, she could slow down, but only slightly. Altogether she was looking at many hours of work ahead of her.

She had never stretched her powers like this, but this was the first time she had another life that was this dependent on them. She’d used her devil fruit to help heal before, to treat others. Yet for wounds to this degree, the patient was usually much too far gone for her to do anything. Why was Portgas so different? Why had his body refused to completely shut down? The remaining flicker of life within him was enough of a spark for her to work with. 

Lily observed the process distantly as she continued to force the man’s cells to divide hundreds, thousands, millions of times, multitasking on different areas at once. She would have to remake his heart, his lungs, his thoracic cavity, his bone, muscle, skin…

Sigh. It was a long list...

She mentally touched the man’s legs and her power winding its way into his pelvis, femur, and tibia forcing his bone marrow to create new blood cells at quadruple their normal rate. She would have to time this right. His newly made blood would be useless without sealed vessels and a working pump, but at the same time, without blood, his new heart would also die. And then there were the lungs...

So much damage to repair…!

Taking a breath, she exhaled slowly, falling into an almost trance-like focus. One step at a time.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 - Unfinished Business and Open Wounds

Shanks stood in the middle of the battlefield watching the proceedings as the two sides began to disarm and withdraw. It was a bleak day, with so much sadness and death on both sides. Watching the Whitebeards carry the body of their father back to their ship was a sight that made his heart heavy with sorrow. He had known for some time that the old giant of a man wouldn’t last much longer. That if this war continued on its doomed course, the oldest emperor of the sea would most likely not live through it. 

Damn that Kaido! If he had only been here a little earlier…

He didn’t like to think in what-ifs, but he couldn’t help the regret he felt. 

He already knew Benn would tell him that it wasn’t his fault and that he had done everything he possibly could to avoid this tragedy. That the winds of change had blown so chaotically this time that no one person could have prevented its natural course. And yet, it did nothing to console him. All he could do now was to prevent further unnecessary bloodshed and try to help sweep up the pieces.

His captain’s friend and his only child…his Anchor’s brother… all in one afternoon. It was a fiasco through and through. 

I’m sorry Captain…Luffy…I tried. It just wasn’t enough.

He continued his quiet musings as he watched the two sides retreat. The Whitebeard ships had already begun to move out. The Marines were gathering their dead and wounded. An air of gloom and melancholy had taken hold over the former battle stage and neither side seemed to have the will to fight anymore. 

That wasn’t to say that there weren’t intense feelings still smoldering on both sides.  He had his men keeping an eye out for anyone who was willing to stoke the flames once again, whether from a misplaced sense of obsessed justice or plain vengeance. 

And speaking of flames…

Shanks watched from the corner of his eye as Benn approached him with a troubled look on his face, Marco was following closely behind. If Shanks didn’t know the Phoenix so well, he’d have thought the man to be as stoic as ever if a little unsettled. Yet to his well-trained eye, he knew the 1st commander was just barely hanging on emotionally. In fact, he was positively livid if he translated the slight tremble to the man’s arms correctly. This couldn’t be good. 

His first mate came up to him, one hand on his firearm, the other holding one of his ever-present cigarettes. He took a long drag from it before speaking up, his tone disturbed. 

“We’ve got a problem.”

He lifted an inquisitive eyebrow at that, before looking over at Marco questioningly. 

An irate fire was smoldering behind the flat look the blond gave back in return. And when Shanks heard his next words, he could understand why. 

“Ace is missing.” 

He turned fully towards them, “What? What do you mean he’s 'missing'?”

“His body is gone, captain. We’ve checked the area, the Whitebeards have been combing the place where he fell. Nothing.” 

His eyes narrowed, “Could he have been washed out to sea?”

Marco shook his head, “He was too far inland, the place he di– fell is still covered with blood. Everything is as it was, but no Ace.”

Shanks put a hand to his chin in thought, baffled. With everything that had happened to the landscape of Marineford during the battle, many things could have happened to Ace’s body in the heat of the fight. There were enough problems to deal with without adding another snag to the situation.

Marco took a step forward, his eyes flashing like steel, making his resolution clear. “I’m not leaving without him, Shanks.”

Sighing, Shanks nodded, knowing that Marco was trying his best to be the new leader his family needed right now. However, the deaths of their fallen kin were still too new and fresh, even for the stalwart Phoenix. He needed this closure and to bring his brother home. The Whitebeard clan would not be satisfied otherwise. Besides…if there was some kind of foul play afoot…

He clenched his fist. Let’s think about that, when and if the time comes. 

“Show me.”

Sure enough, the place where Portgas D. Ace had breathed his last was barren. 

Crimson viscous liquid was splattered across the ground in some areas, in others it had pooled in puddles before being absorbed by the bloodthirsty earth. Bending down the young redheaded emperor examined the area closely, while Benn and Marco watched in wait. 

He looked out to the sea and saw that they were right, it was just too far for some rogue wave to have taken the body. There were no cracks or crevasses in the ground in this area for it to have fallen through either. 

Reaching out, he traced the different outlines in the blood with his finger. His keen eye picked up the outline of Firefist’s body when he fell. He also could trace where poor Anchor had been when he had held his brother’s body in his arms as he was bleeding out. 

His eyes narrowed as his finger found the small impression of a shoe in the drying blood, and even more suspiciously, slight drag marks. What the–?

“Are those what I think they are?” Marco’s cold voice pierced through his thoughts.

 The man’s abilities in perception could probably rival his own. They didn’t have time for this. They were all in enemy territory and had already overextended their stay. But they needed to get to the bottom of this. He trusted Sengoku to keep his word, but it was becoming increasingly evident that someone had moved Firefist’s body. 

For what purpose? He couldn’t guess. But he also knew that whoever had moved it, had better have a damn good explanation!

For now, he had to get to the bottom of this quickly. “Benn, get Lime.” 

The raven gunslinger gave a single nod before going to find their crewmate. 

“I don’t know how you did it.”

Shanks looked up at Marco’s words, only to be faced with the man’s back. The commander’s back was ramrod straight, his entire demeanor like a closed-off vault. 

It had been many years since the two had been alone and talked like this. But that time apart didn’t mean that Shanks understood the man’s body language any less. The man was hurting, and hurting bad. That was obvious. What wasn’t so obvious was the weariness, anxiousness, and even slight fear that lay far below the surface of the man’s withdrawn exterior.

The redhead was quiet for a moment, thinking about what his words had meant. It took some time for the realization to hit. 

He spoke softly, looking off at the now calm waters that had been his home for most of his life. “One day at a time, Marco. It hurts like Hell at first, and it probably will for weeks, maybe even months after that.”

He thought back to the days after Roger’s execution, running from those hunting and trying to destroy anything and everything that had to do with Roger. Trying to get by on his own for the first time in a long time, the family and captain that had been by his side for much of his young life, suddenly gone.

 It had left him floundering for some time after that tragic day, a corrosive agony eating a hole in his soul that had required years and the presence of his own crew to heal. The fact that they had known Captain was dying long before it happened, did nothing to mitigate the pain when he was finally gone. 

Probably no more than the knowledge that Whitebeard had long been sick, had in any way allayed Marco’s obvious pain when the old man had breathed his last…

He knew his words were to a degree, hollow. Nothing he could say right now would magically make everything better. No… he could only tell this man who he had grown up knowing, as two separately adopted children of two legendary pirates, his own experience.

 “All I can tell you Marco, is that it will get better…with time.”

Silence was his only response, but Shanks hadn’t really been expecting one.

It didn’t take long for Beckman to get back, this time with one of the Red Hair Pirates’ executives, Lime Juice, following in his wake. 

Long blond hair under a black cap, a pair of black shades, and a green coat, Lime came up to Shanks with his hands casually in his pockets. 

“You called, Captain?”

The redhead nodded, “We have a situation. I need you to find out and tell me what happened here in the last hour to half an hour. Ace’s body is missing and we need to know what happened to it.”

Lime nodded and walked over to the bloodstain on the ground. Squatting down, he removed his gloves and his shades. He placed his bare hand in the middle of the blood. 

Almost immediately his eyes began to glow a fierce red, and he started staring ahead in concentration as if looking at a moving scene only he could see. 

Marco looked on curiously, “Devil fruit?”

It was unusual to see a member of the Red Hair Pirates with devil fruit powers. Most of them were experts in their natural honed skills.

Shanks nodded in confirmation, “He has the Seer-Seer fruit. Lime is able to see the past events of any thing or area he touches with his bare hands. He can go back up to a few days, but we won’t need anything that extensive.”

After a few moments, Lime spoke up, his glowing eyes still watching in concentration. 

“I trust you want everything after Firefist’s death?” 

“Yes”, the emperor answered softly.

The man continued his work, quiet again for another few minutes. 

When Lime Juice finally spoke again, he reported back what he saw, like a reporter listing off notes. “Anchor was with him for a while. Jinbe gets him, then nothing….nothing…nothing…”

He’s quiet again for a moment before his eyes widen in interest, “Wait...”

“You see something?” Shanks raised a brow in question.

Juice’s glowing eyes narrowed in concentration. "There was nothing for a while, but then I can see some girl approach him.”

Marco frowned before taking a step closer, and looked at the spot where his little brother had fallen. He wished he could see what the Red Hair pirate could see. Ugh, he hated being so helpless, he’d had enough of that today already! 

“A woman? What does she look like?” 

It couldn’t have been any of theirs or Shanks’ people, so it had to be a Marine. So help him, if they planned to make some kind of trophy out of Ace…

His fist began to shake once again with hastily buried, simple, pure, pent-up rage. He had so much anger and sorrow bottled up already in him, it was a miracle that he could still keep his flames in check. Today had been the worst day of his life and yet it Just. Wouldn’t. End. 

A blanketing presence shifted to his right and Marco could feel a brush of cloth against his shoulder. 

The redhead didn’t look at him or even acknowledge him in any way as he stood by his side, but the silent steady power that he emanated had a weirdly calming presence. 

He knew Shanks was doing it on purpose, and while he didn’t like to owe the guy anything, he was thankful.  It allowed the older blond to take a subtle deep breath calming his roiling emotions and pacifying the predator and fire within. 

At least for a time anyway…

Lime, unaware of the exchange, continued to watch the impression of the past using his ability, doing his best to explain to the others.

“Girl’s got brown hair, dark eyes, about medium height, nothing really remarkable. She’s got a Marine captain’s uniform on.”

Marco had expected that, but his eyes still darkened at the confirmation, becoming like steel flints. “If Sengoku goes back on his word, I’m burning what’s left of this place down.”

Shanks knew the man and his brothers would do it too. Emotions were still way too high and everything was balancing on a knife’s edge. Right now, level heads were prevailing but any word of the Marines stealing Firefist’s body for their own purposes would catapult it back into chaos again. 

The emperor beside him shook his head, frowning in concern. “I can’t see Sengoku doing this. He can be wily when it comes to battle, but he’s not vindictive. It’s got to be some other party.” 

“Then how about we ask him.”

“That’s not a good idea right now and you know it.”

“Watch me.”

A deep rumbling cough interrupted them before things could get too out of hand. Benn pushed a strand of hair out of his face before removing his cigarette to speak. “How about we get the full story from Juice first before we decide who to kill?”

The tension held for a second or two before Marco backed off and took a shaking deep breath. “Let’s just get this over with. I just want to bring my brother home and leave this place.”

Shanks sighs before looking back over to his crewmate, “Juice, where did this Marine girl take him?”

Lime Juice had been ignoring their outburst, his mind immersed in his vision. But he tuned back in at the sound of his name. “Captain? You ever seen a moving shadow?”

“You mean like Moria’s crap?”

“Nah, this is different…I think? Next to the woman, I thought it was her shadow at first until it moved and turned into some…huge…mist… monster ? I honestly have never seen anything like it before?”

The redheaded captain “Hmm, it could still be Moria, he’s a warlord after all. Though honestly this really doesn’t sound like him. He’s a scavenging coward, but I can’t see him risking it when he knows the Whitebeards would come after him.”

Marco nodded his agreement, crossing his arms. “He’s trash, but he likes to take it easy. He knows what we would do to him if he turned Ace into one of his zombies.”

Shanks looked back at the blond seer, “What happened next, Lime?”

Juice stood up, his eyes going back to normal, showing he was done with his devil fruit visions. “ The woman grabs Fire-Fist and the shadow monster seems to engulf them both. Then poof! All 3 are gone.”

All 3 pirates look at him with blank looks on their faces, obvious questions in their eyes.

Putting his sunglasses back on, he shrugs in response, “Hey, I’m just telling you what I saw. Marine girl, Portgas’ body, the Shadow? All gone. There one moment, gone the next.”

Hearing this, Shanks looked to the ground in thought at a loss at what to do next. He wanted to prevent disaster at all costs. This war had already been as devastating as he had imagined. He didn’t have much hope in trying to convince Marco and the other Whitebeards to leave this matter until they had regrouped away from enemy territory. He himself hated to leave Ace’s whereabouts in limbo like this but it wasn’t like—

“Do you want to follow them?”

He looked up in shock at Lime, the blond was pulling his gloves back on while staring back at them casually.

Marco, who had himself been in thought going through his options took a step forward, “What do you mean ‘follow them’? I thought you said they disappeared without a trace?”

The man shrugged, “I said they were gone, I didn’t say I couldn’t track them. The mist monster thing has a very obvious haki signature. I can follow it with my powers.”

A red eyebrow began to twitch, “Wait a minute, you’re telling me you could do that the whole time?”

“Well, yeah. As long as the haki sig is recent and strong, I can follow it for a while.”

“And the reason you didn’t say this earlier was…..?”

“You didn’t ask earlier, Captain.”

Benn laughed lightly before instinctively grabbing his captain’s collar before the man could irately strangle the man. “Lead the way Lime. The sooner we get this taken care of, the sooner we can get off this rock.”

Akainu watched from afar as Redhair, Phoenix, and the commanders ran off from the battlefield. He couldn’t stand the fact that they were letting all these pirate scum just go on their merry way. Sengoku was going soft. If the man couldn’t do what needed to be done, then it was time for him to step aside and let someone who would do whatever it took, to take over. 

At the very least Whitebeard was dead, Roger’s devil spawn was slain, and while Dragon’s spawn had gotten away despite his best efforts, at least he left the boy with a lasting reminder that absolute justice was coming for him. If all went well, the pirate scum would die of his injuries. If not, it was only a matter of time. He could only run for so long. 

Calling over a couple of his more trusted men, he gave them an assignment. Find out what Redhair and the Phoenix were up to, and report back the situation. Something was happening, and he would be prepared to act. 

Juice’s eyes continued to glow red as he allowed his fruit’s sight to guide him. While he had assured his captain that he could follow the haki signature with his sight, this was undoubtedly one of the most challenging ones he’d ever had to trace. 

In his sight, haki appeared almost like blackish-purple glowing dots. The stronger your haki, the easier it was to see. But while he could see the dots with his sight, they seemed extremely hazy and traveled through the ground and the sky! 

They went through solid objects and through thin air in the same way. He didn’t understand if it was simply because of the way their body-snatching suspects had disappeared, or because of the weird nature of that mist monster, but whatever it was it was the strangest trail he’d ever seen. 

Finally, the trail ended at the edge of a small destroyed pier. Well…not so much ended, as….

Walking on the wrecked wood of the pier, he gazed out into the blue. He heard his captain speak out behind him. 

“Lose the trail? Or did they go into the water?”

Lime shook his head and pointed out, “The trail continues, but it changes slightly. It was going all over the place at first, the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen. But here,”  he pointed to a spot near the deck. “They stopped for a while and then the path becomes more linear.”

Marco bent down and examined some of the pylons. “I’m guessing that the erratic nature of the trail you’re seeing is what they look like while teleporting. They disappeared from the battlefield, reappeared here, and then probably swam away or took a boat.”

He nodded, “Probably. The trail continues out into the ocean but I can still follow it.”

Shanks put a hand to his chin in thought. This could be a good thing for them if the perpetrators had left the island. The water was their domain. They could do everything at their leisure. 

“Marco–”

But the bird commander–no, captain–had already transformed and taken to the sky.

Marco was happy to have a singular task. Find the bastards who took his brother, destroy them, and bring him home. It honestly wasn't that different from the mission he had started the day with. Though this time the context was quite different. This had been his worst-case scenario, but he was drawing the line here. He refused for the day to get any worse than it had already.

The smoke-filled air cleared as he rose up higher and higher into the atmosphere. For a second he took a moment to close his eyes and just breathe. Nothing else existed up here, nothing but the wind, clouds, and sky. For just a moment, he's alone and his heart feels just the slightest bit lighter. 

Of course, every whisper of responsibility that was hardwired into him was never far away. And so he opened his eyes and through his keen telescopic phoenix sight, he scanned the waters searching for his target. 

He didn’t have to look for long. Not far out to sea, but wisely out of target range of the remnants of Marineford, he spotted a small vessel. It looked big enough to house a small crew, 3-4 people at most with a couple of small cabins. It currently had not released its sails and instead was just steadily drifting away, probably to avoid notice. 

Marco’s anger flared at the sight of the perpetrators trying to get away with his brother’s body. The marines had always just been a necessary enemy to him before, an obstacle, a stumbling block that had to be dealt with every so often or avoided. Never had he actively hated them. And yet his ire continued to build at the thought of why they possibly could want Ace’s body. 

He knew that Shanks was trying to make the best out of a bad situation, and he knew that while his brothers would follow his lead, he also knew that he would lose even more of them if he decided to get retribution right now. His mind knew these things. And yet his heart screamed out for vengeance. 

Breathing out a sigh, he looked darkly at the little boat, barely a ship below him. He would have to compromise and sate his bloodlust on the soon-to-be victims below.  He might not be able to make Akainu pay–yet, or destroy that traitor–murderer!–Blackbeard yet. But this day? These poor Marines were going to face the full force of his anger.

Flying back to Red-Hair, Marco transformed back before nodding, telling them the distance and heading of the boat. 

Shanks nodded before turning to his second in command, “Benn, take the ship out, we’re leaving. We’ve got no more business in this place of death and grief. Lime, you stay with me just in case we have to give chase and track them down. Teleporters can be a pain.”

Beckman let out a breath of smoke from his cigarette, “Don’t take too long, captain.”  Before doing a two-finger salute and heading back to round up their people. 

Shanks then turned to Marco and waited. He wouldn’t give another captain orders or attempt to lead his crew. All decisions would go to the Whitebeards' new leader. 

Marco transformed once again and flew to the sky, his flames blazing brighter and brighter as he rose higher and higher. When he had reached the point where all could see him, he let his flames flare out in an explosive wave filling the sky with blue light. His phoenix scream followed and he heard the distant roar of his siblings as they understood his signal for them to head out. They trusted him and he would work to make sure that trust was never misplaced. No one else would die today. And he would bring Ace home. 

Shanks watched the display, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth showing his amusement. “Show off…”

He looked over at Lime who had been watching the Phoenix in awe. “You might want to raise your arm.” 

Lime looked at his captain in confusion as the redhead placed his own remaining arm in the air above his head. 

The answer to his unspoken question came swiftly enough as the mythical bird of prey swooped down in an arc, dive-bombing towards them. Huge gleaming talons open and ready, Juice barely had time to place his own arm in the air before the phoenix grabbed onto both of them and pulled them off into the sky and out to sea. And he really, really hoped that his captain wouldn’t mention his panicked squeal after this. 

Though from the wide grin on his face, that might be a hope that was in vain. 

On heady breezes that surrounded the Marineford base, far away from the Marines who were trying to pick up the pieces, and the pirates whose ships were already in the process of departure, a small piece of ash was whisked away. 

It’s a law of the universe that nothing is truly destroyed…nor created. It simply changes its form from one to another. 

The ash was whisked away in the wind, forgotten by the world around it. Destined to be swallowed by the sea or its bits and pieces strewn across some lonely rock or even a godforsaken forest. 

And so, it was no one except nature itself, that was witness to the ash beginning to change form once again. 

Bit by bit, the cinder became larger and larger. The grey burnt bits became lighter, larger, and more sturdy, the tiniest bit of white paper beginning to reform once again. 

The paper was very tiny, so light that the wind was still able to send it whirling across the waters.

Time went on as it always did.

But little by little, the tiny paper continued to grow until eventually, a small  “A-” written on the paper became more and more visible.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 - Unexpected Guests

The waves rolled wildly as the lone submarine fled Marineford’s waters. The Heart Pirates crew were used to this however and piloted the Polar Tang expertly within the rough depths. They attempted to keep the movements of the ship as smooth as possible, knowing that right now, their captain was doing what he did best in the ship’s fully equipped emergency operating room.

They had thought their captain had lost his mind by deciding on a whim to enter the Marineford battlefield. They had no stake in this battle of the best!

And yet, as always, they followed his lead wherever he decided to lead them, their trust in him unwavering. 

When the captain decided to take in the two injured infamous figures of the First Son of the Sea and the captain of the Strawhats, they had all internally screamed in flabbergasted shock, but externally they didn’t even bother to raise an eyebrow. 

The Captain was the best doctor there was. And when he decided to take on a patient, no one could stop him from his chosen course. 

So right now, as he was working to save lives with the crew’s medical team, the rest of the Heart pirates worked to keep the Tang on course and steady. 

One wrong move could cost a man his life…

In more ways than one. 

Trafalgar D. Water Law had been a practicing surgeon for years now. He is the best he is at what he does. 

And yet–

What the heck was this?!

“Keep him steady! Use seastone if you have to, but hold him still!” The man yelled to his assistants. 

He had had Shachi and Penguin heading the operation on the ex-warlord Jinbe as it was a rather simple procedure all things considered, which left him with Ikkaku and Clione as his own medical team, while Bepo, Jean Bart, and the others maintained course. 

However at this particular moment, perhaps he was in need of some of the more physically impressive members of his crew. 

StrawHat had been in dire straits, his mind comatose from psychological shock, his body strained wayyyyy beyond its limits. His blood looked to be a cocktail slurry of chemicals to the point that he was sure the kid would need a completely separate detoxification procedure once they had finished the initial set of surgeries. He could write copious amounts of notes simply to outline all the things that had gone wrong with the kid’s body.

To Law, he was what he would classify as—a challenge. 

Everything had been going well with the surgery so far until StrawHat’s heart stopped.

Well, cardiac arrest on the operating table was nothing he wasn’t already familiar with and knew how to handle. And again, considering the drugs that were in Strawhat’s system. He was surprised that it hadn’t happened sooner. No need for alarm. 

He got the kid’s heart started once again only for it to go into ventricular defibrillation. Again, nothing Law hadn’t dealt with before. Nothing a little counter-shock couldn’t fix. 

The heart stopped as it was supposed to, but this time it didn’t start beating correctly again. 

And the lungs also chose this moment to stop functioning as well. 

Great. 

This called for more desperate measures. 

Getting a syringe on the larger side, he chose one of the many emergency medicines he had on the operating tray. With expert aim, he plunged the needle straight through the ribs and into the heart before pushing down. 

The response was immediate. The black-haired teen involuntarily gasped and his body arched up before beginning to spasm, going into shock. His lungs once again began to inflate and his heart began to beat. But it wasn’t beating in any way that Law could recognize…

Ikkaku was trying to hold onto the patient to stop him from flailing around so much. “Did he start to fibrillate again, Captain?!”

Clione was trying his best to help her, but StrawHat was way stronger than he looked. “I’ve never heard that kind of heartbeat in my life! Fibrillation or not!”

Law arched an eyebrow as he too had never heard such a sound. The heart was all over the place, its beat as loud as that of a jungle drum, at the weirdest rhythm he had ever seen from the organ. He had hoped he wouldn’t have to remove the heart as that could cause a lot of undo stress to someone in StrawHat’s condition, even with using his powers. But he had no choice if he was going to save the supernova’s life. 

“Hold onto him for a second, I’m about to–”

Before he could even go in to remove the recalcitrant organ, the brunet kid’s eyes shot open and he gasped aloud once again behind the oxygen mask! The surrounding monitors and medical machinery begin to beep and shriek, going absolutely haywire. 

Ikkaku immediately went to them to get a grasp of what was going on. While Law and Clione immediately worked to stabilize the young captain. 

“What’s going on with the anesthesia, Ikakku!” 

“I’m not sure Captain, I’m increasing the levels by half!”

That didn’t seem to have any effect. Law had never seen such resistance from a patient before. StrawHat Luffy wasn’t conscious, and yet he wasn’t unconscious either. His eyes were unseeing, the large brown orbs clouded and rolled back in their sockets, and yet somehow tears began to roll unbidden down his cheeks. 

His body resisted the restraints and lurched in uncoordinated reactionary jerks. His heart continued to beat in that otherworldly pattern that felt like it was somehow getting louder. 

And then to top it all off, something occurred that in all of Law’s 24 years, had never sent a chill up his spine as what happened next. 

Behind the oxygen mask, Monkey D. Luffy smiled. And not just an average grin, or even one of the wide blinding smiles that StrawHat was known for. Instead, this Cheshire grin went further than that, almost unsettling in its appearance, rapacious and mischievous in nature. 

The fact that the kid still had tears streaming down his face, made the entire visage downright disconcerting. 

Steam began to rise from the pirate teen’s body, his clothes ruffled, and his black hair seemed to lengthen and change consistency, and was it beginning to turn white ?!

When StrawHat began to cackle a strange chilling laugh that lacked any form of mirth, Law knew that he had enough. He ordered his assistants to keep him steady, using seastone restraints if necessary. As long as he didn’t touch them, they wouldn't affect his Room.

He stalked over to the side of the room and threw open the cabinet looking through the many vials of medicine, herbs, and potions there. Finding the one he was looking for. Quickly filling another hypodermic, he jabbed it into the boy’s neck, straight into the carotid!

Almost immediately, the boy seized and froze, that eerie laugh getting cut off mid-chortle.

His body slowly settled down one part at a time, the strange changes to his body returning to normal. His mouth relaxed, his eyes fluttering closed once again. His strangely beating heart thankfully moved back to a normal, healthy, steady rate. 

His two assistants hadn’t been able to keep the body from bucking off the operating table long enough for either of them to go and get the seastone, but that was neither here nor there. He wasn’t going to allow his patient to surprise him like that again. 

With a few quick movements, StrawHat’s limbs were separated from his body. His heart was removed along with the lungs to be worked on independently. The monitors went back to normal and the alarms began to turn off one by one. 

Seeing no return of the alarmingly strange behavior from his patient, Law breathed an inward sigh of relief. “Ikakku, I need you to monitor the anesthesia extremely closely this time around. Keep him under and watch his vitals.”

The woman nodded in relief before moving slightly over to do as ordered. Clione moved to the main assistant position and began to reattach IVs, monitors, and patches that had been jarred or pulled loose. He looked over as his boss examined the young pirate’s heart. 

“Uh, what was that Captain? I’ve never seen anything like that happen before.”

Law answered absently as he moved to examine some tears in the pericardium. “Nor have I. I’m assuming it might have to do with StrawHat’s devil fruit ability going haywire. Though I had thought he had a simple rubber paramecia ability…”

The brown-haired man looked over the kid whose life they were trying to save, and who seemed like he was way more trouble than he was worth. “Are you sure about this, Captain?”

Law stopped and glanced at him, raising an eyebrow at the question, before looking back down to his work and answering with another question. “What’s the rule, Clione?”

The man sighed, having known the answer before he even asked. “That ‘once the patient’s on the table, they don’t leave it unless they're stable or dead.’ Got it.”

Trafalgar Law might not follow the Hippocratic oath as closely as most doctors. Not at all in many respects. He had killed and tortured and maimed with the best of them.

However, when he had a person in his operating room in whatever form it happened to be, he made a conscious decision on whether to save that person’s life or not. Most of the time that decision was decided by cold logic, other times, by the memory of the man who had given his life for his own. However, every so often, a voice older than even that one, one that had regressed to the recesses of his mind after all these years, yet every so often made itself known as loud as the first time he had heard it. 

“Listen you two, if you mean to become good doctors, then know this. If you can save the life that’s right in front of you, you have a responsibility to do so. We save lives, it’s in our blood!”

He had made the decision to save StrawHat’s life. He couldn’t quite understand why he had made such a choice, but he had made it. What was done was done. StrawHat was going to live if it was the last thing he did. 

He smirked as he went and grabbed his next instrument. StrawHat had turned out to be quite an interesting and unusual challenge, and Law had learned long ago, never to back down from a challenge. 

Schaden had been resting nervously, letting his body regain its strength. He just couldn’t rest easy though. They were still way too close to Marineford, too close to man the sails anyway. Everything seemed quiet, and yet Scha couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right…like he was being watched. 

Maybe it was just his hyper-vigilance that was making him so jumpy? Lily was continuing her work on FireFist and would probably be at it for hours more. She couldn’t fight when she was in that state, her attention in too many directions at once, which left only him to watch both of their backs until they could complete their disappearing act.

Though on the other hand, he had no idea what they were going to do with Portgas once Lily was done. If she succeeded—and he knew she would—he doubted the man could just hop up and go along his merry way. So that meant hiding out somewhere until he had recovered. But where?

The RA had safe houses that they could use, but they weren’t suited to taking care of an infamous pirate who would need protection, bed rest, and who knew how much medical equipment for the foreseeable future. Perhaps maybe their CO or some of the other higher-ups could suggest a place? Or perhaps it would be better to contact the remnants of the Whitebeard pirates to take over once he was stable? But that would require having the info and number to contact them, which they currently didn’t have. 

Schaden was continuing to think through different ideas when he felt the barometric pressure around him drop. A chill fell on the area and the pit of his stomach dropped as a bad feeling sent shudders throughout his body. 

He suddenly couldn’t feel the presence of many of the living organisms around him, even Lily’s presence felt muffled. What the heck? Why was his observation haki acting up? It was almost like something in the area was blocking it. Had they entered some weird field of power? Not unusual in Paradise, but nothing on their usual maps suggested anything like that in the area. There was no one else on or around the ship and while the skies were cloudy, there was no sign of a coming storm. What was going on? 

There was no outward visible sign of danger, but his training told him to be careful at all times. An unprepared agent was a dead agent, and Lily was counting on him.  So, as a precaution and as the last line of defense, Schaden arched up and began to spread himself over the entire length of the ship. He left most of the deck clear but covered every entrance and archway into the cabins below. Whatever danger there was would have to go through him before getting to Lily. Now all he could do was wait.

A wind blew strongly, tossing the ship hard against the growing waves. However, the unfamiliar voice that came afterwards made Scha flinch in shock. 

"See, I told you. Mist monster."

There was no warning. 

One moment the deck was completely empty, the next, three men had landed on the ship and were approaching closer, grim looks on their faces. 

And not just any three men, but of course, it had to be the RedHaired Emperor, one of his executives, and Marco the freaking Phoenix. 

Scha cursed in frustration and despite his weariness and pain, he stretched himself, even more, closing every gap in his perimeter and solidifying his body. 

How had these guys traced them so quickly? He knew that the pirates would discover Portagas’ disappearance eventually, but he had hoped that they wouldn’t have been able to track him to them!

Sigh…this is so annoying.

If it was up to him, he would have just let them have the commander’s body. If they wanted to be in such a hurry, far be it from him to deny them. But Lily…she had taken it on herself to do the impossible and he knew that she needed time to work. She had to multitask on several things at once and she could deal with little to no distractions. He couldn’t let them divert her attention and possibly destroy whatever chance she had to help that kid. 

There was also probably no chance that anyone of them could understand him enough to hear his explanation of the situation. Sigh, humans…

Well, he could at the very least try. Who knew? Maybe one of them would surprise him. 

‘Please, I know what you’ve come for, but if you allow me a chance to explain before you pass any kind of faulty judgments, I think we can avoid doing anything we would regret.’

However, from the looks on the faces of the three men and the way they continued to advance, none of them had comprehended what he had been trying to say, or even seemed to pick up the fact that he was trying to communicate with them at all. 

Scha inwardly sighed once again at the trouble it was to talk with a species who had to rely on something as flimsy as vocal cords. He would just have to hold out and hopefully tire the humans out for long enough for Lily to be able to come and tell them what was going on herself. 

He wouldn’t let them through, not in the current state of mind they were in. He had a pretty good idea of the Phoenix’s feeling on the whole matter. The murderous look in his eyes told him enough. As for RedHair and his man, they were always the wild cards of the four emperor factions. They could be tricky. But in any case, he could not let them get past him. Not until they could think rationally and understand what was going on first. He hadn’t built up his stores of strength as he would have liked to face this kind of situation, but there was nothing for it but to just try to endure for as long as he could. 

Schaden smirked. This would be a battle of attrition from this point on, and Cimmerians just so happened to excel at this type of warfare. 

He called out hopefully loud enough for Lily to hear him. ‘We’ve got company, Lil! Angry ones! The sooner that you can come up here and explain what’s going on the better!’

Shanks hadn’t known what to expect when Juice had said that the thing that had taken Ace’s body was a “mist monster”, but now that he could actually see what he had been talking about, he could see that it was an apt moniker. The boat Marco had flown them to was a small Marine patrol ship. It would normally not even support a crew of 10. Yet, as far as he could tell, there were only two beings on the craft, so plenty of places to hide. One of those beings was one of the strangest things he’d ever seen, and he’d seen a LOT in his many years traveling the seas. 

A large majority of the deck was covered in shadow. Well, not quite a shadow, it was thicker than that. But it wasn’t quite corporeal either. It was denser than the misty fogs of the Florian Triangle, a black miasma that had formed a barrier that blocked all access to below deck. Large sparks of electricity seemed to crackle from off the mist. The dark cloud would have seemed like a strange unnatural phenomenon except for the large glowing purple eyes that seemed to be watching them from out of the dark mass. 

There was also no sign of the woman nor Ace’s body, so he had to assume that both were below. They approached the sentient creature with sure but cautious steps, keeping a clear awareness of the situation and their surroundings. 

He had used haki to scramble the awareness of the Marine body snatchers, but it didn’t pay to be foolhardy in this kind of situation. As they approached, the wind picked up, whistling through the wouldn’t boards of the boat, making them creak and rattle.

Hmm, odd that the Marines wouldn’t have kept even their patrol boats in perfect working order. 

To be honest, this whole situation seemed rather odd. Marines usually didn’t act so independently, at least not at this level. Could it be some other group working in the shadow of the Navy? CP-9 maybe? Or even CP-0? Now, those guys he could see pulling something like this. But to what end? What could they want with Portgas D. Ace’s body? 

Shanks knew many dark things about this world. Some that he wishes he could forget. He hated to conjure up the debauched and twisted scenarios and designs that the world government and its insidious CP tentacles could have. And yet, he did have to acknowledge that perhaps the body of FireFist Ace, the son of Pirate King would be a hot commodity to someone, and that just pissed him off more. 

Well, no more. This ends now. 

Since this was mostly his show, he let Marco take the lead. He watched as the man slowly approached going right up to the mist’s edge. He stayed a few feet behind while Lime Juice kept a  few steps to the side of him, also observing. Marco lazily looked up into the creature’s eyes as he spoke, the calmness of his voice at odds with the icy blaze in his steady gaze. 

“I've had a really bad day today so I'm going to cut to the chase. Either let me through, or tell whoever you’ve got back there to give me back my brother’s body. I won’t ask again.”

The mist monster’s eyes narrowed. The wind continued to whistle through the creaky floorboards, but no other acknowledgment came from the creature or any other person on the vessel and the barrier stayed in place. 

 Marco shrugged and then walked forward and without his usual overabundance of caution, he simply pushed against the fog and surprisingly walked right through!

…Only to then walk right out a few feet away. 

Marco blinked rapidly in confusion and looked over at them. They could only look blankly back at him, not quite sure what had happened. 

What the heck…was that? 

He’d watched Marco walk through the barrier, only to reappear out of the barrier again. Not in the same spot, he had entered but at another point in the “wall”. 

Juice raised an eyebrow, “Interesting…I think it’s sorta insta-teleporting you.”

As if to prove his point, Marco tried walking back through, and once again he came right back out again, but this time at the ship’s bow. 

It reminded him of a logia’s abilities, the fact that without haki, you could try to hit them all you wanted and would end up phasing right through every single time. The only difference was that perhaps the monster’s ability to teleport was factoring into the fact that every time they tried to go in, they ended up exiting somewhere else.

Marco seemed to have also figured that out, as his arms became laced with armament haki, his blue and yellow fire swirling around him.  

Walking through once again, this time there was a bit of pause, but ultimately the same effect happened.  

Okay…so that didn’t work either.

It seems…this was going to take a little more elbow grease.

Schaden watched as the pirates tried to find different ways to try to get through his barrier.

They were of course all doomed to failure. 

Even in this weakened state, Scha could make his body into a sort of short-distance portal. It was a bit of an alternate version of the way he could absorb weapons and attacks and launch them back at his enemies. If the humans tried to move through his body at any point, it would just pass them through to another point in his body’s axis. They could rush through, punch through, or do whatever they wanted, but it would be like simply passing through air. 

It wasn’t a catch-all though. To be able to use this ability, he couldn’t move from his position once he took it. He also couldn’t react offensively, it was basically all defense. 

Usually, it worked well in frustrating and wearing his enemies down. He had learned from his practice with the RA that things like armament haki, while it might slow down passage slightly, the overall effect wasn’t affected. If he could just keep this up for a while, perhaps the humans would simply give up and sit down and wait.

He had to give it to the pirates though. They weren’t idiots. Their actions were methodical. The Phoenix never tried the same ploy twice. Using different kinds of haki combinations, attacks, and fire blasts. The blond RedHair executive seemed to be studying the mythical zoan-user’s attempts from all angles, watching every entrance and exit point, doing a few experiments himself with his own limbs, and even shooting at him once they didn’t try to do that again realizing they didn’t have any way to tell which way the bullets would exit.

And then there was RedHair himself. 

The pirate emperor had yet to make his own attempt. He hadn’t even moved from his position, and instead was regarding it all with a keen, discerning eye. He silently observed everything, including Schaden himself for extended swaths of time. It was a little unnerving to have someone actually meet his eyes with such intensity. 

They called Dracule Mihawk "Hawkeyes", but right now, it was the mercurial eyes of the master of the Red Force that most resembled that of a bird of prey. What was he plotting? Was he watching for something? Waiting for something? 

Well, it seems as if he didn’t have to wait any longer to find out. The male finally made his move, walking directly towards him with a quiet confidence in his every step.

Suddenly the scent of ozone seemed to permeate the air, and with it, the wind began to pick up seemingly from nowhere and Scha once again felt the barometric pressure drop and another pressure begin to rise in its place. 

The other two pirates had stopped and turned to the RedHair captain. Both seemed to have felt what he felt, and yet didn’t seem concerned or surprised. They stood by seemingly waiting. 

That strange rising pressure increased to the point where it was beginning to cross the line between uncomfortable and painful. It felt both natural and supernatural at the same time. A raw force that was being created from a central point and spreading out at an exponential rate. What the heck was this? And why did it feel vaguely familiar? 

The wind increased aggressively like a mini storm had decided to make its home on the deck of the ship. Schaden’s body wasn’t so ephemeral that he would get blown apart by such a thing, but he tightened his defense just in case.

The “eye” of the said storm was centered around RedHair Shanks, his black cloak whipping around him violently while his stance stayed relaxed. His hand in his pocket, his eyes like flints. Wisps of black lightning began to arch through the air, crackling in increasing ferocity.

 It took him a while to recognize this for what it was. And once he did, Scha wished he could return to his more solid form so that he could bang his head against a rock for how dense he had been. 

Of course. 

What he was feeling now was simply a much more mature form of the same ability that StrawHat had displayed during the battle. 

Some members of the Army had it. Most notably of all of course being their taciturn leader, though it was rare to see Dragon utilize it. 

All of the four emperors were said to wield it, and of course, the most proficient of them in it just so happened to be standing in front of him now…

Great. 

The Haki of the Supreme King—the rarest of the forms of will, and yet it was manipulated as easy as breathing around the crimson pirate.

Just. Great.

After a moment the young emperor spoke directly to him, “I know you’re stopping us for some reason. I don’t know why you Marines–if that’s who you really are–decided to take Ace’s body, and frankly, I don’t care. I know you can understand us. I can see that clear as day. Marco said he wasn’t going to ask you again, so this time I’m asking you. Open up, or I will make you.” 

Schaden felt a cold chill at his core. 

Crap, they had not only mistaken them for the enemy, but they thought they were probably taking the kid’s body for some sick purpose. He knew little of RedHair’s abilities, only that he was very powerful, even at a relatively young age, an expert at all forms of haki and master of the sword. There was probably even more to the captain, but he hadn’t really taken the time to study or read up on it. 

He didn’t know how all of that would work against his own powers and biology, but he decided that the best bet would be to stand his ground. He’d warn Lily just in case, though since he didn’t get a response from the first one, he doubted that she had heard him.

‘Lily! We might have incoming! RedHair pirates and the Phoenix are here. Please hurry up!’

Captain Shanks continued to stand there amidst the wind and lightning, the power of his conqueror’s will straining the very integrity of the ship itself.

After waiting a few moments in vain to see if he would acquiesce, the redhead breathed out, closed his eyes, and sighed. “So much trouble…”

 Large flashes of red and black lightning danced over the man as he drew his large infamous blade known as Gryphon. The crackling sword rose true, aiming straight for him. Schaden braced himself, not knowing if the impact would go through as easily as any other attack, or if it would slow down and get stuck in some way, similar to when others had used haki. 

Before the sword had even connected, Schaden let out a bloodcurdling scream...

Lily continued her work in repairing the blood vessels and the heart. She was using every store of energy Portgas’ body had to power and feed all these new cells and keep them working. You couldn’t make something from nothing after all. The man’s body was beginning to look a bit gaunt and she had to pull at every bit of fat the man had. She was going to have to pull from his muscles soon, she really needed new supplies. Nutrients, IVs, Saline bags, Blood bags, nasogastric tubes, and more medical equipment than she cared to think about, but for now, everything would have to come from her. 

As long as she was using her devil fruit power, the cells would do as she commanded, lack of metabolism be damned. But that only meant that FireFist would last only as long as she could last. She’d need food, water, and rest to keep this up.

Oh well, let’s think about that later. 

For now, she was about halfway there to having his heart and lungs complete. She had foregone removing any more shattered bone and damaged tissue in an effort to concentrate wholly on the task. Having cleared out most of the burned tissue on FireFist’s heart, she had seen that his right atrium was gone and his left ventricle had also been majorly damaged, but the man’s backbone, ribs, and lungs had minutely slowed the attack down, at least to the point where it hadn’t injured the heart as much as she had initially thought. 

It was probably the reason the guy hadn’t just been killed immediately and had even been able to offer some last words to his young brother.

She just had to—

Lily felt the boat sway dangerously and moved to keep everything, including her patient steady. Glancing up, she sighed and hoped that they weren’t getting into any kind of horrible weather system. That’s the last thing she needed. 

She guessed that Schaden would take care of it. She had heard him yell down something before, and though she hadn’t heard what he had said, she guessed that he had rested up faster than she had thought. Perhaps the teleporting wasn’t as bad this time as she initially assumed. She wasn’t quite all that sure about the full-term effects on the Cimmerian’s biology over time.  

Oh well, she’d leave that up to him.

Moving her fingers, with one hand she continued her work on the heart. With the other, the inferior lobes of both lungs. Even while she did that, she kept a watchful eye on the other systems that she now had control of, making sure they continued as commanded. Building upon building, fixing puzzle piece after puzzle piece until the whole high-powered, complex machine that was the human body could once again be reassembled. 

She was so completely absorbed in her endeavor. The entirety of her surroundings had faded far, far into the background. Nothing pierced through that singular focus of simply her and the cells under her command. A queen bee and her absolute control over her many subjects... 

So perhaps it was understandable that she didn’t realize something was wrong until it was too late…

The first indicator that broke through her focus was a sudden enormous pressure bearing down on her in the room. 

The second was the searing hot feeling as if a raw electric current had run straight through her, and she was suddenly paralyzed. Her body was no longer able to move. 

Ah! No…!

Her concentration was broken, and with it, her connection! 

The commander’s cells all shuttering to a halt in response to the sudden absence of her direction, felt almost like the screeching of the sea train’s wheels when one puts on the brakes. 

And then the third indicator was the icy touch of a razor-sharp blade at her throat. 

An unexpected cold voice spoke from behind her, its cadence abrasive and low.

“What…the… hell are you doing to him?” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 - First Encounter

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The first thing he was aware of…was the sensation of floating. 

It wasn’t a bad sensation….just strange. 

He couldn’t see. Everything about him was nothingness. Not black or even white, some bizarre middle ground where he had no idea where he actually was. 

It didn’t even really feel like he was alone either, and yet he also couldn’t feel anyone else there. 

He just seemed to—exist. 

It was a weird feeling…

But not an unpleasant one. In fact…it was actually rather nice.

Like being out on Striker in the middle of the night, in the still empty sea. Simply laying back and drifting with nothing but a jeweled sky full of stars above, mirrored in the glassy still waters below. Their gentle sway in no way disturbs the utter stillness of the ambiance.

Wait…Striker? 

What was that again? 

Oh well, that didn’t really matter right now. The thought slipped from his consciousness just as easily as it had entered and he really couldn't feel the need to care all that much. 

Peace just seemed to exist around him. His heart for once felt unburdened—completely unchained. 

It was a curious feeling. One that he was unaccustomed to. He couldn’t remember knowing this kind of tranquility before. 

A soft warmth began to surround and envelop him like he was wrapped in the softest blanket in the world, or like laying out on the grassy cliffs with nothing but the sun shining on your face and a gentle warm breeze fluttering through your hair. 

It was a far, far better rest than he had ever known. 

He felt both safe and free. Both unbound and sheltered all at once. Protected from everything and yet able to do anything. 

Distantly, the feeling of the zephyr playing its way through his hair slowly began to change to the peculiar feeling of tender fingers strumming their way through the wavy strands. 

He had never felt the like before in his life. 

It was rather nice. Wonderful in fact. 

He could now feel a soft surface beneath him and he realized that somewhere along the way he had ended up with his head resting on someone’s lap. 

Now that was a feeling that wasn’t as unknown to him. He could remember as a boy, having gotten knocked unconscious from one attacking animal or another, and waking up with his head cradled by one of his brothers. Wait, brothers?  

But that had always been laced with frustration and embarrassment, even if the affection always lay beneath the surface. 

Those feelings were absent here. Instead, he could only feel fond feelings from every movement of the person’s hand. A deep sense of love in every touch. 

He still could not see, but the feeling that he was not alone becoming stronger. 

He didn’t mind. Whoever the person was, they meant him no harm. It was a truth that he could feel at the very core of his being. 

A voice seemed to break through the comfortable silence that had been having free reign up until now. It wasn’t jarring though. In fact, he doesn’t think he has ever heard a voice so beautiful in his life.

‘Rest my little noble one. You’ve earned it.’

A pleasant glow spread over him at the sound of the woman’s voice. He had thought that there would never be such a wonderful sensation as the fingers that were softly threading through his hair, but he had been wrong. The woman’s words were like a balm to his soul in a way he never knew he could experience. He just wanted her to continue to talk to him forever.

He was thus overjoyed when she continued, even though the meaning in her words was curious to him.

‘Be at ease, my darling. It won’t be long now. Be ready, for there is still much for you to do.’

One of the disadvantages to using the Cyto-Cyto fruit’s power was that while it allowed Lily this whole new microscopic world at her fingertips, that world was the only one she could see while using it. Usually, this wasn’t a problem as she usually knew who was at her back and in her surroundings before going into the state. This time, she didn't have that luxury. She could not see in the state, only seeing the mass of cells that formed the man who had intruded into HER makeshift operating room, and the stuttering, currently dying cells of  FireFist. 

With whatever the guy was doing to keep her paralyzed, she couldn't turn off her power either. So she was stuck not being able to see who was threatening her life and the life of her patient. She was stuck as a sitting duck to whoever was strong enough to get past Schaden (and who knew what had happened to her friend!), who considering the probability of who they’d run into on these seas, was an enemy–either as a marine or a pirate. 

But at the moment that didn't matter. 

Because right now, Lily was pissed.

This man, whoever he was, dared to ask her what she was doing.

What the hell was he doing?

The paralysis of her body allowed her enough leverage to speak, and she let her voice reach the most scathing tone it could possibly achieve. 

 “How dare you? Let me go now, you imbecile!”

There seemed to be a bit of a pause from the intruder, but the man quickly moved past it. A hand restrained her arm and the blade at her throat held true.

“I’m not going to ask again. What the hell are you doing to him? The kid’s dead. What more do you marines want, that you can’t even let the boy rest in peace?”

The man’s frigid voice sent shudders down her spine, but Lily had learned to have a pretty strong spine. She took as deep a breath as she could.

She couldn’t stay angry. She had to think this through. This man was strong enough with his haki presence to hold her in place, and one didn’t have to be skilled to kill someone with a sword at this range. FireFist would die for sure if she were to get her throat slit here, and she sadly couldn’t put her own cells back together. 

No, rage would get her nowhere. She was a Revolutionary special agent, she’d been trained to be calm, collected, and not break under pressure. Her CO was always telling her that the first indication that a plan was going to go horribly awry, was when a soldier couldn’t keep a clear mind in a tight situation. If the soldier begins to fall apart, then expect everything else to follow. 

She had to be calm about this. Think this through. 

From the intruder's words, the man wasn’t a marine coming to arrest a traitor, so while there were other slight possibilities, the most likely identity of the man was that of a pirate. He was also one who seemed to know Portgas’ identity and that the marines had done their absolute best to kill him. Though considering how publicized the battle had been and how fast word travels, she couldn’t be sure if this particular pirate was close to the war, or had simply heard the breaking news. 

However, one thing that was clear from the man’s wording and tone, was that the man seemed to be at least upset at FireFist’s supposed death. And that she could work with. 

She had to be careful and feel this out. Get the intruder to let down his guard. FireFist had enemies even among the pirates. This one might have felt it was a bad way to go and be an enemy to the marines, but that didn’t mean they would be enthused at the possibility of the Whitebeard commander crossing back over to the land of the living. 

She had to hurry though. If this took too long, all the progress she had made thus far on the body’s repair would be undone. 

Letting her body relax, trying to appear as less threatening as possible.  She spoke to the pirate clearly but calmly. “I am no marine, sir. Despite what the uniform may show.”

A slight dry chuckle came in response. “I had begun to think as much, but nice to hear it confirmed. But we can discuss that after you answer my question.”

She answered with a question of her own, “Why do you care?”

The pressure increased on her carotid and she could feel the sting as well as a slight bit of superficial blood drip down her neck. 

“I think I’m the one asking the questions here.” 

Lily gritted her teeth, “I can’t tell you that.” 

She felt the man’s breath on her skin and watched the twinkling lights of his form get closer to her. His voice a harsh whisper against her ear. 

“I’m being pretty nice here, missy. I’m well known to be quite a harbinger of misfortune to those who mess with my comrades. That boy, whose body you’re currently playing with, might have been a little brother to me in another life. It’s been a long day. My patience is at its limit. I don’t tend to harm ladies if I can help it, but know that I have no problem removing your head from your shoulders if you don’t answer my question and soon.”

Her heartbeat sped up as panic tried to settle in the back of her mind. The man wasn’t kidding, he would kill her if she didn’t tell him. The deadly intent in his voice and presence told her so. 

Lily was not so much afraid of the idea of death. She had gone through too much to let the idea scare her. 

She had been trained to resist torture, to withstand mental and physical strain in the worst of situations. 

But she also knew that she had others who were depending on her at this moment. Schaden would be completely crushed and lost by her death. Her best friend who tended to be her literal shadow.

And then there was Portgas D. Ace himself. She didn’t know him personally, nor did he her, but she had seen him on that execution stand. She had seen him pleading with his crew, with his little brother. She had seen the light and laughter dance in his eyes when he was freed and fought by Strawhat’s side. And she’d seen when he lost both while being the bastion for that same little brother, protecting him from harm with his own body. 

In the very back of her mind, Lily had resonated with such a display. The idea of being under the aegis of another that one looked up to as a tower of strength and protection. It was a warm feeling, almost nostalgic in nature. She had wondered at the time if she had ever had anyone like that in her life. In the past? Had she ever had anyone like Portgas in her life? Had she ever been like that for someone else once upon a time? She assumes that she must have had parents at one time, but had she ever had siblings? 

She didn’t know, all of her past relationships were lost along with her infernal memories. However, it was a nice thought to think of someone needing you that much in their lives. 

However, right now, Portgas was the one who DID need her right now. She wanted to bring that light and laughter back to those gray eyes. She wanted to return Strawhat’s bastion to him. And she couldn’t do that if she was dead. 

She decided to tell the truth. 

The intruder’s words had made one thing clear. Whoever he was, he was no enemy of the flame pirate. The way that he had spoken of FireFist suggested that the emotional tie was definitely there. She had to take the gamble. If all went well she could return to her patient and save a life. If not, she could try a more drastic approach and try to stop the man’s heart and lungs when he eventually dropped his guard. Though without knowing how long that could take, it was not an ideal solution.

Well, here goes nothing.

The intruder had been waiting patiently for the few moments it had taken to gather her thoughts, seemingly aware that she was wavering in making her decision. Lily took a deep breath before looking up and attempting to find where the man’s eyes should have been, with her own. 

“If you must kill me, please wait until I have saved his life first.”

Complete silence was her answer. There was a pause and the slightest of gives to the sword’s grip on her throat. Though the paralysis created and pressure from the man’s haki maintained its hold. 

After a moment, an incredulous, harsh reply was given, “Save whose life, now?”

She indicated with her eyes, letting her gaze return to the dying body of her poor patient. “Commander Portgas’.”

This time, the blade is taken away entirely and Lily can’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief.

It’s short-lived as an instant later, the man grabs the front of her shirt and pulls her closer to him, his face directly in hers, even though she can’t see it. 

“What the heck are you talking about? Are you trying to play me for a fool?! Ace is dead.” 

She doesn’t fold at the rough treatment; it's not like her prone body could anyway, and instead continues to indicate with her eyes. “Take a look for yourself. I was in the midst of reforming his most vital organs.”

There was another pause, longer this time, that she was beginning to recognize as indecision. She knew that he was trying to decide if this was a trick or not. After a moment, the intruder let go and stood her back up on her own feet. She was thankful as with her body frozen, she could have easily just fallen to the ground in an unbalanced heap. 

The man spoke unnecessarily, “Stay there.”

She didn’t answer with the first quip that came to her head, but you had better believe, she was mighty tempted. But now was not the time. 

She saw the man walk over to the table, taking a closer look. She knew at that angle, he should be able to see the mostly reformed organs and the work she had been doing to put Portgas back together. The work had been paused and while some of the systems were still somewhat moving on autopilot once she had started them up, many of them were shut down without her constant guidance. She needed to get back to work, now!

She was about to plead again but was stopped by a quiet, hesitant question from the man. “How did you do this?”

She jumped at the opportunity, “Let me show you.” 

He didn’t look up from the Portgas’ body, his silence heavy. She couldn’t see the expression on his face, but she could guess that he was both in shock and also deciding if it was wise to take a chance on her.

He was wise to be cautious. She might have taken the chance to just kill him once he released her, but there were currently too many unknown variables at play. She didn’t know if he was alone or had backup. And considering the power of his haki, the man was no slouch and he would be expecting a betrayal. If she lost the chance, she would never regain his trust again, and then the whole shebang would go down the drain. 

No, if he was going to take a chance on her, she’d have to take a chance on him.

It seems that the intruder too had made his decision as well, though he didn’t move from his position. “I’m going to release you. Know that if you do anything foolish, it will not turn out well for you, Miss.”

“Doctor” she corrected absently, too eager to get back to her long-suffering patient.

She could almost hear the smile in his voice as he snarkily retorted. “Miss Doctor.” 

Lily felt the pressure release off her steadily, and she could feel her body relax as she began to breathe easier. 

The moment the paralysis attack faded, her entire body suddenly felt bereft. She wavered on her feet nearly wanting to collapse from the sudden freedom. Yet, she steeled herself, taking several deep breaths to try and steady her weakened body. 

Once she was quite sure she wouldn’t fall over, she walked back to her patient, and even though she knew the annoying pirate was watching like a hawk, she raised her hands and immediately immersed herself back into the intricacies of Portgas D. Ace’s body. 

A white glow once again formed around her fingers and white light spilled out of her eyes. She thrust herself back into the man’s systems, taking control once again of his nerves, blood, bone, and muscle. 

The moment she reconnected, the commands that she had already given the body’s cellular structure reactivated. For the ones that had latterly died in her absence, she pushed more power through them, reviving them once again. 

‘LIVE!’

‘DIVIDE!’

So far, so good. There wasn’t too much damage, thankfully nothing that couldn’t be reversed. It was a close call though. 

Keeping an eye on all that, she then went back to work on the organs that needed her the most. What she had been doing before she had been rudely interrupted mind you. 

As she reformed tissue layer by layer, Lily gave an outside thought as to what the pirate intruder was seeing. She didn’t quite have a grasp of what her work looked like from the outside looking in, but she had been told it was everything from “cool” to “creepy” and a lot of other adjectives in between.

While she couldn’t take time to look up at him, the man had not made a sound and so she guessed he was watching her work intently. She was still alive and able to do her job, so that’s all that really mattered.

After a few moments of her silently continuing to work, she became aware of the feeling of the man’s eyes on her.

She waited for him to speak, not pausing in the continuing operation. 

This time, when he spoke, it was with a low tone, a sense of awe, and behind all of that—the smallest modicum of hope.

“Is this really possible?”

She smiled softly in understanding and relief, “It is…he was nearly dead. But give me another half an hour and I can restart his heart.” 

There was a pause, “But his heart has stopped for so long….”

“I’ve been keeping his systems from shutting down with my power. His life support if you will. If I can get his major systems rebuilt, I won’t have to.”

The intruder seemed to consider her and her words for a moment before asking, “You’re not with the Navy, and there is no CP agent I can imagine that would challenge me in the way you have.”

Lily didn’t know what to make of that. Was this guy some kind of big shot or something? He did seem moderately strong, she guessed, though she couldn’t think of that impeding a dedicated Cipher Pol agent.  There was little the World Government’s dogs wouldn’t do for their masters. 

The man went on, “You also don’t give me the impression of a fellow pirate either…”

There was a question there, one that Lily decided not to answer. Saving Portgas’ life was one thing, but revealing her allegiances was something else entirely. She looked back down at her work, her back straight. “I’m not a pirate, but that’s all I can tell you.”

She felt his eyes on her, assessing her for a few long moments. She would have to fight back if he insisted, but she hoped that he would accept the non-answer, at least for the sake of the life she was trying to save. 

“I see…”

The man suddenly stood up from the table and moved around, past her, and assumedly moved to the door behind her. He stopped short of leaving however and spoke with his back turned to her. 

“What else do you need?”

She snapped up in shock at him, “What?”

“What else do you need…for him? This place doesn’t seem to have the best medical supplies on the seas.”

“You have medical supplies?” She asked incredulously.

His answer came with a shrug. “Not with me, but I can get them.”

She thought about it and how she had just been lamenting the monumental job that was before her. And her “operating room” was lacking at best. If this pirate was on the level, perhaps he or someone on his crew could indeed give assistance. It was a gamble but she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 

Though before she attempted to give a list, perhaps she’d better find out if her uninvited guest would actually be useful to her. 

“Do you have any medical experience?” 

The man answered in the negative, “I do not…but I do have someone with me who does.”

There were more of them?!

“I appreciate the offer, any assistance would be appreciated. I can relay my list to them.”

The man turned to go, his voice soft, vulnerable even, “I-If you can save his life….you will have my eternal gratitude, Miss.”

She didn’t need it, but she knew that these proud pirate types, denying it would probably be meaningless. So she just nodded before immersing herself back into her work. 

“Doctor.” she absently corrected once again knowing it probably wouldn’t make a difference with such a hard-headed man. 

Moving to reform the pulmonary arteries, she had assumed he’d departed only for him to speak again.

“‘Doctor’ it is.”

Well, that was a pleasant surprise.

“Can I at least ask, what name do you go by, Doctor?”

She smiled and thought about pushing the “doctor” title again, but she didn’t need to be petty. Someone had to be the mature one here. Also, it wouldn’t be that dangerous to give her name at this stage of the game. 

“Lily”

“Lily…” He seemed to try her name out to get a feel for it. “Well thank you, Dr. Lily. I’ll be back soon. I have to have a talk with a flaming chicken.”

She raised an eyebrow at that bizarre statement before remembering to ask, “Oh, Schaden! you didn’t hurt him too badly did you?” 

“Schaden?” 

“You couldn’t have missed him, You would have had to go through him to get to me.” 

“Ahhh, the teleporting mist monster.”

“He is not a ‘mist monster'.”

“Well, your friend was being stubborn and he didn’t seem to want to talk to us, so I had to force my way through. He might have a splitting headache when he wakes back up, but there should be no lasting damage.”

Lily let out a soft breath of relief, “He probably did try to talk to you, but it’s hard for humans to understand his language, and he has no tongue or vocal cords to speak ours.”

“What IS he exactly?”

She turned her attention back to her patient, needing her concentration. “Later pirate, stop distracting me. Make yourself helpful or make yourself scarce.”

“Alright, alright…at least use my name, Dr. Lily. ‘Pirate’ just seems so cold and generic.”

She answered back, her voice taking on a preoccupied air, “I would if I knew what your name was .”

There was an awkward lull that came over the room that had not been there before. 

The man’s response was incredulous, “Y-you don’t know who I am?”

She raised an eyebrow but continued working, “How could I? I am effectively blind in this state except for what my devil fruit shows me. Did you not notice that I never truly met your eyes?”

Inwardly she rolled her eyes. Every pirate on the seas thinks he’s a big shot.  

She heard the man let out an exasperated sigh while murmuring something under his breath about stooping to manhandling a blind woman.

 She didn’t bother to correct his misconception and simply waited to see if he would say more or finally leave to allow her to fully immerse herself in her work. 

The upstart intruder surprisingly did both and walked right out of the room, his voice calling back to her,

“I’ll get what you need, doctor. Concentrate on saving Ace. My comrades and I can take care of everything else. Just call out for what you need.”

She this time really rolled her eyes before letting her voice carry back to him. “Thanks, but just medical supplies and a possible assistant is fine. And how do you expect me to call out to you when I still don’t know what to call you?” 

She could distantly hear the door to the upper deck open. His response though could still be heard. “I’m called by many names, but my friends call me Shanks.”

Lily then finally heard the door slam shut and she blew out an exasperated breath before going back to her patient. 

This was not how she had expected her day to go. She had known that she and Scha would have to probably make a speedy getaway either post or mid-war. The probability that their cover would get blown had just been too high in such a chaotic situation. However, how was she to know that their getaway transport would end up inundated with pirates of all things? 

She sighed and immersed herself back into her work. She didn’t need this. Portgas needed her to be focused. She could only keep his systems working on her own for so long. She needed to concentrate on this. She couldn’t let this “Shanks” or any of his pirate friends distract her. 

To the man’s credit, a small part of her brain that wasn’t being utilized by the many tasks that she had given it, seemed to recognize the name. 

Hmm, why did that name sound so familiar? 

She was halfway through completing the venae cavae when the realization finally hit her. 

Her hand slammed against the table before she whirled back towards the empty door, half expecting the man to still be standing there.

 “Wait a minute! As in the emperor?!” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 6 - Second Encounter

Making his way back up to the upper deck, Shanks reflected on all that he had seen and heard in that medically repurposed abandoned meeting room. 

Could it be? 

Was it possible? Truly? 

It was hard to get his hopes up.

Hope was one of the most dangerous forces in the universe. It was a slippery thing, hope. Fragile, easily lost and gained. 

Once lost it could break the strongest of men, but the tiniest amount could carry nations to victory. He had to be careful here. 

Sigh…

Who was he kidding? Hope had already taken hold fiercely in his heart. The possibility of this day not being an entire loss. That Ace could live? To believe that the kid was so unconsciously stubborn that he had held on by the very tips of his fingers to the precipice of the abyss, and that he was being forcefully dragged piece by piece, away from the maws of Death? 

Yeah… it was a bit hard to believe…

Yet, he would never be able to face Anchor again in this life, or the Captain and Rouge in the next if he didn’t at least try. 

There were many mysterious devil fruits out there. He of all people knew that. But what he had seen done today felt like nothing short of a miracle. He had thought the Op-Op fruit to be the pinnacle of medical devil fruits, but whatever fruit the little missy had, would definitely give it a run for its money. 

When he had at first looked at Ace’s body, all he could see was the massive amount of traumatic damage that Akainu had done to the Captain’s kid. The woman had had her hands wrist-deep in his body and all Shanks could see was red. 

The “marine” Miss— Doctor Lily—was a brat for sure, but she definitely knew what she was doing. It wasn’t every day that a kid—one who looked to only be around the same age as Ace—would be foolhardy enough to stand up to him when he was that pissed. Though, then again, her devil fruit seemed to have rendered her somewhat blind. And yeah he so wasn’t going to think about the fact that he had just nearly roughed up a blind girl.

The kid was interesting in and of herself. She had a bizarre, ethereal look to her. While her body looked physically fit, a wan pallor somehow covered her entire appearance. A memory of something he had read about long ago was trying to scratch its way to the surface of his mind, but it was elusive and for now, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

 Her skin was a stark ashen white all over. White, seemed to be her dominant color, not just her skin, but her hair, her nails, her eyes–everything white.  Her eyes glowed white but he was pretty sure that was part of her devil fruit powers, similar to how Juice’s would glow red when using his. 

At this point, he was pretty sure Lily (if that was her real name) was a Rev. All the signs pointed to it, and while he didn’t deal much with Dragon’s brood, a Revolutionary was far preferable to a Marine or CP Agent. 

When she had first told him to look for himself, he had been hesitant. He hadn’t seen Ace’s death himself, hadn’t seen him fall, hadn’t seen him bled out, hadn’t smelled the distinct stench of roasted human flesh that permeated all around his cooling corpse. Perhaps he was being a bit gutless here, but he was hesitant about having those images now etched into his mind. His imagination and prior knowledge supplied enough information for him to get an idea of what had happened and how much pain and agony Ace must have been through. A small selfish part of him wanted to keep his memories of the kid intact, for the last memory he had had of him to be when he was alive and smiling with life and vigor.

But the thought of how his Anchor had been right there when it had all gone down and how he must have seen, smelled, heard, and felt everything spurred him on. Even Juice had watched the entire tragedy play out from beginning to end. 

Move, coward. You owe him this.

He had walked up to the body and finally looked over the damage that had ravaged the boy. The smell had lessened but still was present, his body was pale and cold, still covered in bruises, abrasions, and lacerations throughout. though he had thought it would be much paler by now? Dried blood covered his arms and what was left of his torso. The look on his face was a peaceful one, a small smile playing on his lips. He almost looked to be sleeping if the stillness, pallor, and stark claret of the dried blood that had fallen from his mouth hadn’t told a different story. 

Finally, he had looked at the massive fatal wound itself and that’s when he had to raise an eyebrow in question. The damage was indeed extensive. The damage Akainu could do to a human body was quite evident. 

And yet, what he saw was not was he expected to see.

He could see the damaged organs, muscles, bones—screw it, he could see straight through the kid to the other side, to the wood grain of the table itself! And yet, something was going on there. The heart should have been way more damaged than it appeared to be now. And was that part of the spinal cord threaded through from the broken part of his backbone to attach to the rest below the wound? The tissues that surrounded the area looked to be in the midst of…knitting together? Indeed it looked as if the girl had been telling the truth. He was hesitant about what he was supposed to make of this.

Once he had allowed Lily to use her powers it got even weirder. 

Suddenly the body began to move bit by bit. He could actually see the heart and lungs slowly regrow, almost particle by particle. And not just them but he could slowly see muscle threads build piece by piece, tangles of nerves reaching across the chasm to reform the spine. Even the white of the bones was very slowly forming again, osteon by osteon. If all that was outlandish enough, probably the freakiest thing was watching pretty thick-looking blood moving its way through the still pretty torn and damaged blood vessels, practically jumping across the rifts and gaps of their own accord as they continued on their course–the lack of heartbeat notwithstanding.

It was at that moment that he realized what it was that the doctor had been trying to do, what she was trying to accomplish. The very fact that she was attempting to do the impossible, and that somehow she knew that Ace was just barely hanging on to life. It was at that moment that he began to feel that spark of hope reignite……

Closing the door deck, Shanks walked up to the shadow monster—what had Lily called him? Schaden?— that still seemed to be keeping its perimeter guard up. It didn’t seem to look at or react to him, but he guessed it (he?) was still listening. 

He touched the darkness with his hand and he could swear he felt it flinch. 

“Hey, I’m sorry for hurting ya’. ‘Schaden’ was it?” 

There was no response, but he knew that there was a communication issue between the two species, so he continued.

“Your partner is fine and she’s continuing her work on Ace. She explained that you have a hard time talking to us and you probably tried to explain everything but none of us could understand you. I’m going to talk to my friends and see what our next steps are, but be sure we won’t be hurting you or your doctor friend again. You have my word.”

There was a loud sound that was like twigs crackling on the ground and he realized that it must have been Schaden responding to him. Huh, so that wasn’t the creaking from the floorboards before. Well, it seems the marines would get to keep their sparkling record of ship upkeep. 

With a rush of movement, the impenetrable darkness began to recede. Folding up on itself, it shrunk further and further until he could once again see the sea and sky as well as the rest of the ship. Eventually, the shadow being became like a low-hanging dense fog that moved to the edge of the ship, away from them, and seemed to merge into the shadows. 

For a second he saw the pair of purple eyes look back at him before disappearing again. He could only guess that the being trusted his word and was taking a moment to rest and continue sleeping off the headache he knew the other must be feeling from such a concentrated pulse of Supreme King haki. 

But that was okay. He could take it from here. 

The moment he had offered his help to Lily, he had effectively taken the ship and all inhabitants therein under his wing and protection. Whatever was needed to help Lily with her endeavor, he would try his best to provide. If they didn’t have what she needed on the Force, he was sure the Whitebeards would probably have it. If not, there was bound to be a place they could get it. 

As he mentally began to make plans and go through ideas of what needed to get done, he watched Marco and Juice approach him, having been waiting for his return. 

He sighed once again. 

However, before he could do any of that, he had a flaming turkey to convince. 

Marco was generally a patient person.

He had been the resident “mother hen” for his crew for most of his life.

Always the calm one…the responsible one. 

The one who reigned in everyone else. The one who made everyone wait and see before rushing out to do God knows what.

At this point though? His patience had just about run out.

He had been up for nearly 36 hours straight and he was completely emotionally and mentally spent. It was pure willpower that was keeping him on his feet. That and his determination to see this through. After many failed attempts of getting past the shadow barrier, Shanks finally had to step in, and with a precise strike of haki, was able to finally pierce the blockade and enter. 

The entrance had closed up the instant he had passed through, which left them to wait for the ginger’s return. Deciding to sit and wait, the blond had perched himself on the side of the ship. Lime Juice left him alone with his thoughts and the blond was grateful. As he had waited, he examined his energy stores within him. Lifting his hand he looked at the barely visible trembling in his fingers. Physically his energy should have been way past its limit, but the restorative nature of his phoenix kept him from collapsing. His observation and armament haki were passable. His Supreme King…

A sardonic grin came to his face as he thought of how easily the crimson emperor had wielded the haki of a conqueror. It was the signature ability of all 4 pirate rulers of the sea, and as a non-devil fruit user, thus having to completely rely on physical strength and proficiency in haki to carry him through, Shanks had become the most adept in its use. It pained him to say, even more so than Pops in the end. 

A few of his brothers and sisters also carried the haki of a Supreme King. This had included others such as Ace, Bay, and in actuality, he himself. None of them had been extremely skilled in the ability. None of them had really had to be. He knew that though he possessed it, he rarely had had to utilize it in his years as his father’s second. He had never felt the need while following Pops’ lead and having his brothers, his fellow commanders, at his back. But now he was finding himself separate and apart from the rest. Pops was now….gone, and his brothers were now looking to him as leader. He originally had never had the desire or ambition to be pirate king or an emperor or anything of the like. But he wasn’t going to fool himself. He knew he would need power, strength, and prestige to maintain what Pops had built. To be able to handle the responsibility that had been passed down to him. And even more than that, to be able to keep his family together and continue to protect them. 

In other words…he was going to have to become an emperor in his own right. 

The will of a Supreme King was there, the ambition notwithstanding. He just had to now work on fostering it. His number one desire and dream had always been to make sure his family was healthy, safe, and happy. He was now going to have to push himself further and harder to now play a more active role in making sure that happened. 

A shifting in the shadows brought his attention back to the situation at hand, and he was surprised to see them beginning to recede from their complete takeover of the ship. As it diminished, it revealed that Shanks had indeed returned, himself watching the shadow creature’s actions. 

 Eventually, the mist creature reduced itself to the size of about an average human male, before slinking back to the natural shadows of the deck where it continued to lurk. He watched it for a second to see if it was going to do anything else. When it didn’t seem like it was going to make any sudden moves, he shrugged and moved over to where the redhead was standing, Lime having already rejoined his captain’s side. 

He looked at the other man in question, “So? Is he there?”

Shanks seemed relaxed if a little thoughtful. It made a small amount of his own stress at the situation lessen. 

But then the man strangely hesitated for a second, which just brought all the stress right back. After a moment, he nodded. “He is.” 

Marco knew there was a lot more behind that statement, and so he drew from his dwindling pools of patience and waited for the man to elaborate. 

Annoyingly, instead of continuing, he turned to his subordinate. 

“Juice, I need you to take over the helm and the sails. Radio Beck on the transponder that we’ll meet with him at the rendezvous. Remember to use the codes. We’re still too close to Marineford and World Government headquarters.” 

The blond showed a bit of inquisitiveness at the request, but simply nodded at his captain’s order. “You got it. Umm…is the mist monster thing going to be an issue?”

Shanks shook his head before glancing to where the being seemed to be holding up. “We’ve come to an understanding. Also, I’ve been informed that he is not a ‘mist monster’ and is named Schaden.”

“Schaden?”

He nodded, “That’s his name.”

Shrugging at the revelation, Lime nodded before moving over away to man the sails. “Well, as long as Schaden is okay with it. Don’t want to get teleported into the sea simply because I stepped on a shadow or something.”

Marco watched the man walk off before turning back to the redhead and immediately began questioning him. “Alright Scarlet, spill. What’s going on? Where is Ace?”

He still had trouble adding “body” to that statement.

Shanks narrowed his eyes in exasperated annoyance at the old nickname from their childhood. “Alright, first? No. We are not going to start that up again. Not unless you want me to dig up your old nickname too—Fledgling.”

He shrugged unmoved. He had so many nicknames among his siblings and even his enemies, that he didn’t really care about being called his old, nearly forgotten nickname from his apprentice days.

 “Right now, I don’t care. I want to know where my brother is, why you didn’t just bring him up here so I can go home, and what it is you’re hiding.”

Shanks seemed to register the no-nonsense tone to his voice and his face lost all levity, taking on a shadow of seriousness instead. He turned back to the entrance to the areas below deck, gesturing for him to come along.  

“Follow me.”

He had no problem with that and moved to accompany the other below.

Following him down the stairs the two walked along the hall, the area brimming with darkness. 

After only a few more steps, the redhead stopped before straightening his shoulders.

Marco patiently waited for the other man to begin as it was apparent that he was trying to think things through in his mind.  

Taking a deep breath though still not facing him, the redhead spoke. “I want to ask you something.”

Marco raised an eyebrow. Obviously.  

But his next words struck him right through the chest, nearly stealing his breath. 

“If you had a chance to save Ace’s life, would you?”

The blond gritted his teeth in response to pain that was flaring up from the pit of his stomach. The pressure was beginning to build around his eyes. 

His voice was soft, the hurt laced each word as he responded. “What the hell, Shanks? Really? Are you seriously going to ask me that? Right now? Right here?”

The younger man turned around and faced him, but the look on his face was earnest, trying to make him understand. “I don’t ask this lightly, there’s a reason I’m asking you this. I need to know—”

“No!” he interrupted him sharply before turning slightly away. He’d shown enough weakness today— too much even.  “I’m not going to go into hypotheticals with you today. Not today…”

Shanks moved to try and face him again but he sidestepped away from him. “Just drop it, Shanks.”

The other man put a hand on his shoulder in an effort to get his attention. “Marco, can you just listen? You know me, I wouldn’t bring this up unless it was important. I’m trying to explain something here. Just let me—”

He pushed the hand away, angry blue flames sprouting from his arm. He gritted his teeth and attempted to push his temper under control.  His voice held barely constrained rage. 

“What? You want me to talk about all the ways I failed my little brother? All the ways that I should have done things differently? Is this your way of somehow saying ‘I told you so’ when you warned us about what would happen? Because if that’s the case, you can get out of my way and shove it."

Because it wasn’t like he hadn’t asked that question a million times in his own head. 

If he had a chance to save Ace’s life? 

It was a throbbing pain in the back of his mind that he had managed to push to the proverbial back shelf ever since he had watched the kid fall. He had taken Ace under his wing all those years ago and the teen had grown and blossomed wild, ferocious, and oh-so-alive while with them. 

If he had had a chance? 

He had gone through every scenario…endless circles of what-ifs constantly spiraling through his brain. What if he had moved faster or what if he hadn’t gotten caught? 

What if he had grabbed the idiot the minute he had been freed before he had been drawn into Akainu’s snare, the immature lovable fool that he was? 

What if he had gone after the kid long before he was captured and dragged out to suffer and be humiliated by Teach and the Marines? 

What if he had headed off Ace the night he had left the crew in a rage, intent on avenging Thatch? 

What if he had been there to save Thatch too? 

What if? 

What if? 

What. goddamned. If. 

And intrinsically, he was smart enough to realize that thinking this way was a fruitless endeavor.  That he was at some stage of grief and was attempting to cope. That in the end it would do nothing but make the pain hurt all the more once he finally crashed. 

It was useless to think in what-ifs, but he couldn’t help it. 

Watching his father die would be a scar that he would carry for the rest of his life. It was something that weighed heavily on his very soul. But watching Ace fall had been so much worse. It was like watching a heavy frost suddenly kill a young sparrow that had finally been able to fly after some heavy tender loving care. 

To desecrate a temple…To trample on a flower…To catch a butterfly and simply tear off its wings. It’s worse than all of these things.

And now Scarlet over here was twisting the knife by asking him such a question? 

Screw this. 

He didn’t even bother to listen to the other man’s words and instead pushed past him to continue on his way. The sooner he had Ace, the sooner he could leave. 

Shanks moved after him, “Marco!”

He didn’t stop, “I’ve had enough Shanks, Thanks for everything, but I…I just can’t do this right now.”

The redheaded idiot continued after him, exasperated. He had this look in his eyes that said he had finally just decided to cut to the chase……whatever that was. 

“Look, Marco, Ace is—”

“ AHHHHHH! ”

A woman’s scream abruptly sounded through the hall cutting off Shanks mid-explanation, causing the two to freeze at the suddenness of it. 

The two men tensed, their ingrained instincts automatically taking control of their moments. However, even in the second where Marco was trying to get a grasp of the situation, Shanks was already on the move, seeming to comprehend whatever had happened at a much faster pace. 

The blond followed the man’s path down the hallway, quickly seeing that it led to the doorway of the one-lit room. He momentarily remembered that the shadow...monster…thing had had a female partner. Had she hurt herself trying to escape from wherever Shanks had had her held? 

While he didn’t really feel any sympathy for a couple of body snatchers, he intuitively sped up, his doctor’s instincts pulling on him. 

Skidding to a stop, he moved into what appeared to be some kind of meeting room. He had taken only about two steps before freezing, his eyes widening at the sight that was before him. 

He had noticed Shanks on first entering. He was kneeling by the side of a white-haired woman in a soiled–his breath hitched–Navy uniform who was cradling her arm against her chest. 

He was asking her what happened, the woman hissing in pain in response, speaking in a low voice, mostly to herself, about having made some mistake. 

The Phoenix’s hands once again folded themselves into firsts, trembling rang through his muscles, worse than it had been all day. 

His patience snapped.  

Oh, she had made a mistake alright….her last one. 

He had seen the woman and Shanks at first—but only at first. 

That was until his vision was completely consumed with the bloody state of the body that was laid out on the table like a discarded doll with its stuffing falling out. 

What had that bitch been doing to his brother? 

And Shanks had left her alone with him, unrestrained to do who knows what?!

A set of surgical, dissection materials was nearby, his mind absently cataloging and listing every instrument and blade. Even more, trays were lined near his brother,  holding bits and pieces of bone, sinew, tissue, and was that half a spleen?! 

He wanted to vomit at the sight of all the viscera that had once been part of his little brother, but his cold rage pushed it back. 

Before he could even realize what had happened, he was across the room, his limbs and torso engulfed in flames! His foot had halfway transformed into talons as he aimed to tear the woman’s head off her shoulders. 

His leg moved into a guillotine drop, his aim true and he felt the push of the impact, only to notice the woman had been pushed out of the way, his talons held off by a haki-laced hand.

His teeth gnashed sharply and his inner phoenix screamed in frustration. “Get out of my way, Shanks.” 

But the familiar look of stalwart calm determination on the other man’s face was unchanged. “Tone it down Phoenix. I can’t let you hurt the lady.”

He hated when the man took that tone of voice, it pissed him off. 

A growl rose at the back of his throat and he used the leverage to propel his other leg into the air and launched a scissor kick, using his momentum to throw the other back. 

As he had hoped, the younger man was thrown back from the force, letting go of him in order to stabilize himself with his sole arm. He didn’t expect to beat the other, he just needed a single shot to—

A leg seemed to come out from nowhere and slammed into his side. Pain shot through his body and before he could respond, a sword hilt was jammed into his gut causing him to rock and double over. 

The same arm, now completely covered in haki, let go of the semi-drawn weapon only to push hard across his neck, throwing him back against the wall. Using that and his own body mass to keep him pinned there, unable to move.

He glared fiercely at the other man’s calm grey eyes, annoyed that the man wasn’t even breathing heavily.

Shanks asked cooly, “Are you ready to listen to me?”

A strong huff and another attempt to push him away was his only response. Shanks only tightened his grip on the other, careful not to hurt him but also not giving him any allowance to maneuver. 

He leaned closer, his voice as low as a whisper, what he was saying was for him alone. “You know me, Fledgling. You know I’d never hurt you like that. I know what you’re feeling, I really do. But, you’ve trusted me so far. Just give me a chance, huh?”

The serious and heartfelt nature of the redhead’s words was able to push against the raging fury that had blinded his mind. The blond breathed heavily in and out, attempting to get himself back under control and actually listen to the man, who despite his annoying idiosyncrasies and the fact that they had been on rival crews all their lives, had always been a good friend. He knew in his head that Shanks was not vindictive nor oblivious, that if he had let that woman live after seeing Ace’s body on display like that, he had to have a reason—a darn good reason. 

“You’ve got thirty seconds, Scarlet. And keep her away from my brother until you sufficiently do.” he hissed back in response.

Shanks didn’t even acknowledge the arbitrary time limit, and while he didn’t relax his hold at all, he did call the woman over. The marine—Shanks referred to her as “Lily”—grumbled something under her breath before coming out from the corner where she had held up. It was the first time that Marco had gotten a full look at her without his vision being consumed by rage. She was a kid really, nearly half his age. And interestingly her eyes were currently clouded white. Was she blind? Her ashen white hair and skin also reminded him of something, but he couldn’t quite remember what. 

However, the next words out of Shanks’ mouth, completely shattered whatever thoughts he had been having and he could only look back at the man with a look of blank shock. 

“Ace is alive.”

The Red Hair pirate captain had decided that there was enough beating around the bush. He had wanted to try to find the best way to explain what was going on to his friend before the other had gotten to see Ace in that state. However, when he heard Lily cry out, he panicked and dreaded what could have happened to both her and to her precious patient. 

And of course, Marco had followed him and of course, he had gotten the worst possible impression (probably worse than even his own) and the worst possible situation had happened. 

So therefore the most direct approach was going to be necessary.

It was unfortunately probably also the hardest.

The image on the blond’s face was that of shock melding into disbelief and then further into incredulity. 

His voice was incessant, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Shanks knew that he had to push here. “Exactly what I said…Ace is alive…or at least he will be if—”

Marco quickly cut him off. “No! No, I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about but don’t you tell me that! You weren’t there. You didn’t see that red dog bastard slaughter my little brother. You didn’t see him fall and barely be able to get out his last words to StrawHat. You didn’t see his life’s blood soaking into the stone. You. Weren’t. There.”

He had been expecting that response and he knew that the other pirate was speaking out of rage, grief, and pain; yet the vehemence in his words still hurt. He could tell the blond was blinking back tears, his heart heavy in even trying to finally admit his next words. 

“Ace is….Ace is dead. So please don’t….just don’t. 

The redhead could only feel empathy towards his friend’s sorrow, trying to figure out what it would take to break through to him. He had a feeling that showing him what he himself had seen of Dr. Lily’s powers wouldn’t be advisable. He was sure that the man would just become triggered all over again, not even allowing himself to see the truth of the situation.

Perhaps he could just keep Marco away until Lily could get Ace’s heart and lungs started again? Hopefully, that would be enough proof for the fierce Whitebeard captain. He’d have to probably to knock the man out, but it was better than him potentially getting away from him, and inadvertently making a huge mistake that he would regret for the rest of his life.

He was continuing to think through options when he saw Lily approaching from the corner of his eye. He knew the girl was anxious to get back to work, and he hadn’t even checked to see what had happened in the first place. Her left arm was still cradled against her chest and she was a bit flustered from the Phoenix’s attack, but she seemed to have regained her composure. He didn’t think right now was a good time for her to come closer right now.

He was about to advise her to stay where she was, but she ended up speaking first. “You are Commander Marco the Phoenix, I presume?”

Shanks tensed at what the blond’s response would be, but while there was a flash of blue in the man’s eyes and his body tensed, he silently waited to hear the woman’s words. 

Lily seemed to take the silence as confirmation before continuing on, this time holding out her injured hand and forearm for them both to see. 

The emperor raised an eyebrow in concern seeing the limb was mottled with burns. 

It wasn’t the worst he had seen, but the reddened, puckering skin did look rather painful. How did that happen? He glanced around the room. Did one of the lamps or candles go crazy awry? 

Marco glanced at the burn wounds before looking away. His voice was cold, a trace of spite lacing each word.  “Those look like flash fire burns. You should get those looked at.”

Everyone in the room knew of the restorative power of the Phoenix fire, and the callous unspoken indication behind the man’s deceptively casual words. 

Shanks chose to ignore that. “Flash fire? How did that happen? I barely left you.”

Lily answered but her countenance didn’t change. “It was caused by an attack out of self-defense.”

Marco snorted, “‘Self-defense’? Believe me, I wasn’t defending anything. I was meaning to kill you.”

The redhead frowned. That made no sense, Lily had been injured before they had even entered the room. Besides Marco’s flames—

“And even then, my fire doesn’t do that kind of damage.” The man continued. 

The corner of Lily’s mouth turned up into the beginning of a light smirk. “I didn’t say you were to one who did it, Commander.”

Shanks rose his eyebrow, the scars on his eye crinkling up as his brain was trying to figure out what wasn’t adding up here. It was obvious that Lily was trying to point out something to Marco, but was being coy about it. Marco couldn’t have been the one to burn her. No one else was on the ship other than them, and she’d been in the room alone continuing her work on Ace. He was sure about that. No one could have attacked her, except—

Silvery gray orbs widened with a jolt when the answer hit him like a ton of bricks. 

He let Marco go out of his grasp, though he was careful to keep the man from moving using haki. He still didn’t trust the man not to go after Lily out of misplaced anger and spite. However, if what he suspected was true, he wouldn’t have to hold him for long. 

Marco for his part, stumbled a little when Scarlet finally decided to release him, only for on overwhelming pressure and force of Supreme King haki to bare down on him, freezing his body in place. He yelled out in outraged annoyance. He hated this move, and even though he tried to push back on it with his own haki presence, it barely made a dent against the other man’s. 

He would have audibly demanded the other man to let him go, but Shanks strode past the girl to the table where Ace’s body lay. 

Shanks looked over it first, both astounded and relieved to see that even with this interruption, Ace’s insides were continuing to reknit themselves together under Lily’s power. Holding out his arm, his hand curled into a fist, he aimed slightly lower than the major wound area. Just in case this didn’t work, he didn’t want to jeopardize anything.

Pulling his fist back, Shanks swung down towards Ace’s defenseless body, ignoring Marco’s cry for him to stop. However, the moment his fist should have made contact with the kid’s abdomen, instead, a whirlwind of orange flames erupted from the skin! 

In a moment, the spontaneous fire flared out, resulting in a small inferno that attempted to push him back.  

But the flames were uncoordinated and wild. They receded almost immediately and thanks to a bit of quickly applied armament, he was unharmed with only a slight singe to his sleeve and hair. 

But even that couldn’t hamper the huge grin that appeared on his face.

He looked over at the other two in the room who had reflexively turned away from the fire’s presence. 

One’s smirk had grown wider, happy that both men in the room finally understood and finally had enough proof to believe her, allowing her to finally be able to concentrate fully on the task at hand. 

The other had a look of pure dumbfoundment, his eyes wide in stunned shock. 

Shanks happily released his hold on his friend but wasn’t surprised when the man didn’t even make an attempt to move. 

Lily still couldn’t see either man. But that was quite alright. Even in the midst of this whole kerfuffle, she had been continuing her work on Portgas. 

After having gotten over the momentary shock of having unknowingly sassed a pirate emperor, she had been able to make some significant headway in organ system repair. She had finished most of the main vessels and continued working on the heart. At one point she had had to remove some dead tissue once again that had been in her way. Yet this time when she had gone in with the scalpal, a sudden burst of flame had flared out, burning her hand and bringing in the RedHair captain and the Phoenix to the scene. 

She had pushed the pain down until it was nothing but a dull ache in the back of her mind, even as Phoenix and RedHair argued. She could understand the Whitebeard pirate’s ire and wasn’t even all that annoyed at his attack on her. She guessed she should have expected that Portgas’ crew would notice him missing and somehow someway, trace their way to them. 

She didn’t care though to have another encounter similar to the one she had just had with Captain Shanks. So she decided the easiest way to convince the 1st Commander, was to show him indisputable proof. 

The simple fact that Portgas D. Ace still retained his devil fruit. 

It seemed his body had reacted automatically in self-defense in response to her actions. Thankfully FireFist was a logia, and this kind of unconscious response to danger was more common with that type of user than any other. 

Everyone knew that a person lost their devil fruit abilities in death, the fruit reforming elsewhere in the world to be eaten once again by another. 

The fact that Commander Ace’s body was still able to transform into flame, even unconsciously, was proof that he still lived. 

In fact, more than that. It proved that she was making progress. No longer was he on the precipice of death and unable to react to anything. It was a good sign all around. 

The air was thick with anticipation and emotion and no sound had been made by anyone. In her sight, she could only see the twinkling lights of the cells that made up the two men, She couldn’t quite tell which was which, but she reasoned that the Phoenix was the one on the floor closest to her, while the one near FireFist was RedHair. 

She had realized that she would probably need one of them to help her now, as while she could use armament haki to avoid Portgas’ flames as she worked, it would decrease her energy twice as fast. If she had seastone restraints she could have made it work, but nothing doing. 

Since no one else was going to say anything it seemed, Lily moved to walk back over to her operating table, already thinking about her next course of action. 

Without warning, a hand grasped onto her arm, slightly above where the burns were still festering!

She flinched but was able to stop herself from unconsciously striking out in response. 

The man–Phoenix, now on his feet–didn’t say anything, but he lifted her arm lightly in his hand, and she suddenly felt an explosion of warmth crawl over her injuries. It tingled against her skin, but it didn’t hurt. 

In fact, it felt revitalizing, soothing, and comforting all at the same time. It was a unique feeling that she could quickly get used to. 

But all too soon, the sensation was gone, and Lily realized that her hand and arm felt good as new! 

Ahhh…so that was the power of the mythical rejuvenating flames of the phoenix. It was always annoying when she couldn’t use her own powers to heal herself, so she’d take advantage of the opportunity when it was offered. 

She also took the unspoken apology for what it was. 

While this had been happening, she felt another presence approaching from behind her. The low timbre of RedHair’s voice was the first to break through the comfortable silence that had gathered in the room. 

“Marco…this is Dr. Lily. She’s not a Marine, just someone caught up in the war. She was the one who found Ace. She’s been using her devil fruit abilities to revive him.” 

The other pirate male still had not let her hand go, but instead was grasping onto it. She pretended she didn’t feel the drops of moisture that had accidentally fallen on her skin. 

“Miss Lily, this guy as you already know, is Marco the Phoenix of the Whitebeard Pirates. He’s a doctor and the medical assistance I promised.” 

She felt a slight flinch against her hand, but no other response came from the other man. She was surprised that the 1st Commander was a doctor, but then again, she hadn’t read up on all the ins and outs of the Whitebeard Pirates. But she’d take all the help she could get.

“First, it’s ‘doctor’ captain. And second, thank you. I’ll show you both what I’m doing and what I’m going to need. Dr. Marco, how good are you at surgery?”

The man didn’t respond. Instead, he let her hand slip from his grasp, instead moving away from her towards the operating table. She and the captain followed, Shanks moving to the man’s side, while she went across from them. Now that she wasn’t being interrupted, she allowed her powers to flow fully and the glow of her eyes intensified. 

She explained the nature of the Cyto-Cyto fruit and how it allowed her to see and manipulate cells. How she was simultaneously keeping FireFist alive and repairing his body systematically. She showed them how she was trying to repair his most vital organs first and foremost, in order to get the body to be able to sustain itself without her. She didn’t want to even think about the possibility of failure, but the doctor in her found it necessary to explain the risks and dangers involved, knowing that she was already getting their hopes up and that if anything dashed them, it would be devastating.

The two stayed silent the entire time, though she could feel them observing closely, hanging onto her every word. 

She let them process everything when she was done while silently continuing her work. 

For a bit, neither of them moved or spoke, before the one she remembered as Phoenix, quietly walked over to one of Firefist’s legs. She felt her observation haki flare at a sense of danger as the commander did something that she was unable to see. Portgas also seemed to sense it, and once again, she felt the heat of his body combusting into flames. 

She automatically turned away, but she felt RedHair stepping up next to her, covering her from the impact of the fire. Once the blaze had retreated, there was a moment of silence once again, before she felt the man rapidly move away from her to physically support his friend, who had all but collapsed. 

A heartrending sob tore through the room, and Lily tried not to tear up herself at the sound, knowing that the Whitebeard commander was breaking down out of both grief as well as elation. 

Self-conscious, she tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible while she heard RedHair murmur what she could only guess were words of encouragement to the other man. She tried her best to ignore the sobs that quickly quieted down into gasping heavy breaths.  It made her a bit uncomfortable, and yet at the same time, it made her heart light knowing that she had made the right decision. She was even more determined to bring Portgas back to the family and friends that so obviously loved him. She would not allow the hopes of these men, StrawHat who knew nothing of the situation yet, or even those of her herself, to be crushed. 

She would see this through.

While she had been in her own thoughts, she hadn’t noticed that Marco the Phoenix had collected himself, pulling himself to his feet before resolutely walking over to the opposite of her. It wasn’t until she unexpectedly felt the presence of that strange tingling, soothing feeling once again, that came with the Phoenix’s flames. 

She couldn’t quite tell how he was using them (fire wasn’t made of cells after all) but she could easily observe the results. 

The tissue of the thoracic cavity seemed to repair itself even faster, the cells growing even faster and healthier than before as they were bathed in the unconsuming fire. After a few moments, the flames receded and she then heard some movements, watching Marco’s form shift around the table. The clang of the trays and instruments being transferred to different positions as the Phoenix sought to reorganize. 

When he spoke for the first time since the status of FireFist’s devil fruit had been revealed, his voice was full, heavy emotion still existing on the edges. It was that of a professional, similar to her and the many other doctors she had worked with, but there was also a life there that hadn’t been there before; an enkindling of purpose and will. 

“I can handle the removal of the cauterized and necrotic tissue, while you continue simply rebuilding new tissue. I can use my flames in bursts to help you.  Usually, we use a bit of seastone injected subcutaneously to stop the flare-ups, but since we don’t have any of that yet and we don’t know how it will affect his recovery, I’ll have to just hold him at bay manually as we work.”

Shanks, who had been simply observing, spoke up. “I can handle that Marco. You’re going to need all your energy as it is.”

The other man answered in the negative, “Maybe later on. Right now, I need you to contact either your ship or mine and have them send over food, water, and supplies. And while this will work, for now, I’d like to get Ace moved to an actual OR. I can send for one of the ships in our fleet to meet us. Do we know if transferring him is at all possible?”

Lily shook her head while chiming in. “Not right now. I want to get him completely resuscitated and close the entry point before jostling him at all. However, I wouldn’t be against moving some of the machines and tech I need in here in the meantime.”

Shanks spoke up again, his tone concerned. “I’d rather not bring any undo attention to this if at all possible. We don’t want the government or any of Ace’s enemies, both old and new to find out about this. I’d hate to ask this of you Marco, but is it possible to keep this from your crew for the time being?”

There was a pregnant pause for a moment or two before the other answered with a resigned sigh. “I can see where you’re coming from. We are still too close to Marine HQ, and we are vulnerable right now. Having one of our ships turn around and rendezvous with this one will cause someone to take notice and we don’t need that attention. On...once we have stabilized him, I can use a secure line to let the other commanders know.”

He then spoke to her, “Are you and Schaden meeting anyone in this part of the sea?”

She shook her head, “We are headed to the New World, though we will stay as long as it takes to get this done.”

She would have to probably contact HQ once she got a chance to tell them of her status, but that would have to wait until Portgas was stable.

The RedHair captain, probably used to taking command of a situation, slid easily into the position here. “I’m going to have this ship fly my colors. I have Juice already moving the ship to rendezvous with the Red Force near Sabaody using a separate heading. I can have one of my smaller allied ships meet us with supplies before that while you two continue the operation.”

He laid a supporting hand on her shoulder before moving towards the door. “Let me get all this in motion, and I’ll be back in case you need any help.”

Marco’s attention was already on the task at hand, his concentration now fully on the patient before him. His voice took on a distracted tone, “Get going Scarlet, we’ll call you if we need you. Just defend the ship while we work.”

Scarlet?

Lily could only raise a curious eyebrow at the nickname, before practically hearing Shanks’ eyes roll, his voice taking on a drawl quality to it.  “Don’t even start, Fledgling.”

Fledgling?

She decided it must be some kind of inside joke that was totally going over her head. 

Shanks left the room leaving only herself and the Phoenix to work in silence, and it wasn’t long before that silence became a bit awkward. Lily was used to working by herself or with Scha hovering not far away. But it was quite a different thing when working with another, especially someone who had tried to kill her less than 20 minutes ago.

She endured this uncomfortable atmosphere for a few more moments before she heard the Whitebeard pirate clear his throat. His voice was low and aloof, but she could hear the sincerity there. “First off……I want to apologize. I’ve been having the worst day and I jumped to conclusions. It’s no excuse, but I want to ask your forgiveness anyway.”

She smiled, “It’s okay, commander. I understand.”

“Captain.” he corrected, the word heavy on his tongue.

Hmm? Oh. Ohhh….

“But you can just call me Marco, Missy.”

She glanced up at that, “Okay, what is up with this ‘miss’ business? First Captain Shanks and now you? If “doctor” is too hard to remember, then you can at least just call me Lily.”

He gave a laugh and she decided it sounded a lot better coming from him than a raging roar. “Sorry Doctor, we’ll try to do better. It’s just a force of habit. You’re half our age, which basically makes you a kid to us. If you were a guy, we’d probably be calling you a “brat” by now, but with girls, we tend to go towards “miss” or “missy”. We don’t mean any disrespect. Though I’ll tell you now, if you keep on correcting that redheaded idiot, he’s just going to do it on purpose to tease you.”

Lily just sighed in response. This is what she gets for getting involved with pirates. The whole backwards lot of ‘em.

The air had cleared quite a bit and she went back to her task, no longer as discomfited as before.

“Fine, how about we get rid of titles altogether? I’ll call you Marco, and you call me Lily?” 

She could hear the approval in his voice,  “I can do that.”

After that, the two gained a concordant rhythm to how they operated.  She would indicate the next region that needed attention, and he would painstakingly remove and cut away at the damaged parts while she came up from behind and regenerated new tissue in their place. 

She had been working on some of the serous membranes when Marco spoke up again. 

“Lily?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m not sure what you were doing at Marineford, and though I have a pretty good idea, I’m not going to press.”

She paused at that but nodded for him to continue. 

“I realize that you didn’t have to do what you did. That you don’t have to do any of this. But….the fact that you did…”

She could feel his eyes on her now, and he had removed a glove to once again clasp her hand. Lily knew that if she could actually see him, he would once again have tears in his eyes. 

“That because of you…I just might get back something precious I thought was lost to me forever. That even after everything else that I’ve lost in this war, I’m able to gain one thing back? For that?”

He clenched her hand in a solid grip, not strong enough to hurt, but enough for her to realize how serious he was. 

“For that, you have my eternal gratitude. Know that you will always be welcome among the Whitebeard pirates and that if you ever need anything that is in my power to grant or aid in, it will be yours. We will forever be in your debt.”

Lily had heard nearly the exact same heartfelt words from Shanks not long ago, and then she had decided to just nod and go along with it, Yet somehow Captain Marco’s impassioned vow seemed to drive home the depth of how much this all meant to them all. 

She still didn’t need it, but this time she felt that to dismiss this man’s declarations would be like spitting on his honor and that of all those he represented. 

So instead of simply nodding, she clutched his hand in return and gave him a gracious smile, showing her acknowledgment of his solemn word. 

“You’re welcome, Marco.”

.

.

.

A new sensation spread across his body, and this one he wasn’t quite as sure of.

It felt like heat…

Not like the gentle warmth that he had felt before, but a more intense smolder.

It was a bit uncomfortable, and yet at the same time almost inherent to him. 

And interestingly enough it seemed to come from within him, rather than without…

He was curious, but after a time the feeling subsided and he decided that he could ignore it, in favor of more enjoyable things.

The woman had not stopped her kind caresses and he relaxed back into her embrace.  

She was humming a tune that he almost thought he recognized. Something he had heard a long, long time ago...

He tried to search out the words, but they kept slipping away. And yet, even as he tried to remember, he heard the woman begin to sing the melody in full and his heart was almost full to bursting at the sound. 

‘Look to the stars,

My darling baby boy, 

Life is strange and vast,

Filled with wonder and joy.

Face each new sun with eyes clear and true,

Unafraid of the unknown,

Because I'll face it all with you.’

The lullaby created a sense of euphoria about him, and he could only snuggle his head even further into the woman’s lap. He was so content in this position that he almost missed the feel of another presence appearing on the other side of him. 

A different hand grasped his shoulder gently. Like the first, he felt no danger from their touch. Instead, there was a sense of security and constant strength, both similar and different from that of the woman. It overflowed from that hand and it felt like nothing could touch him or the woman as long as the other was there. 

While the woman continued to sing softly, he heard another voice, this one distinctly male. 

‘Rest up, my son. They’ll be bringing you back soon enough. I’m proud of ya, kiddo. But it’s not your time yet.’ 

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 - As Good As You 

Kicking his door closed, Law barely took two steps before collapsing into the plush armchair near his bed. 

It had been a grueling ten hours of emergency surgery before StrawHat even came close to stabilizing. After what his medical team had dubbed “The Incident” thankfully they had had no more strange transformations into creepy laughing helions, but it was still an arduous task to repair the enormity of the damage the Red Dog had caused to the rubber pirate.

He was beyond beat, existing basically on caffeine and adrenaline. He has already commanded that he wasn’t to be disturbed for anything short of the hull decompressing or either of his patients flatlining. He trusted Bepo to keep everyone on their toes, and he knew his medical assistants were probably already dead to the world in their bunks. 

He would be joining them soon, but he decided that he had to wash up first. He hadn’t had time to change or take a shower before they had had to begin work on StrawHat, so he was beyond due. And he absolutely hated going to bed grimy. 

He had developed an aversion to staying dirty ever since...well...

Not wanting to pursue that line of thinking at this exact moment, he instead kicked off his shoes, stripped off his clothes, and stepped into the shower. 

One of the perks of being a captain was having a private bathroom, and being in a submarine, they had pretty much piping hot water, heated by the engine, 24/7. So Law took his time and let the scalding hot water soothe the kinks in his tense and cramped muscles.

Standing there under the spray, his thoughts inevitably came back to the brunet teen who was currently in critical condition on his ship. 

He knew his crew was wondering why he had made the decision to intervene to step into a war he had no part in, and purposely put a target on his back, simply for a kid he had only met once. 

And yet, there was something about “StrawHat” Monkey D. Luffy…

His eyes narrowed in thought as his mind tried to put into words what his instincts had somehow already figured out. 

He remembered his first glance at the kid in the flesh in Sabaody and had balanced it with what he had seen of the pirate captain’s bounty poster. There had been a few things that had instantly caught his attention. 

First, it was the smile. That smile was no trick of a camera. It was quite real, and the smile of a D if he had ever seen one. His own was not nearly as wide, but it was no less enigmatic. 

And those eyes…

There was something about StrawHat’s eyes that drew him. At first glance, there was nothing special of note. In fact, the teen looked rather dumb and clueless on most occasions. However, while brief, when his friend had been hurt, or when the freedom of another had been challenged, Law had seen a flash of something other . 

During those moments, he had seen a hidden depth to StrawHat, a discernment and perceptivity that one would have never suspected were beneath the surface. It fascinated him and he never forgot it, even once the two had gone their own ways. He had come to that mangrove archipelago in order to scout out the competition as well as to get some information about Doflamingo’s movements in the New World. 

He had accomplished the task of the latter, but as for the former? 

Of all the supernovas that he observed… none of them captured his attention like that of StrawHat Luffy. 

Turning off the water, Law got out of the shower and went over to fish for a towel from off the shelf. Drying himself off, he glanced at himself in the mirror. The dark lines under his eyes had increased, physical evidence of his exhaustion. Leaning against the counter, staring at his reflection, he was reminded of what he had observed while watching the events of Marineford play out.

Once again it was StrawHat Luffy’s eyes. Those brown eyes had the same savage, indomitable determination in them that he had already seen before in the human auctioning house, but now, that hidden, perceptive, serious side, was more prevalent. Not simply flickers, but full bursts came to the surface. He had watched the events with interest to see what the kid would do. 

But it wasn’t then that he had decided to intervene. No…even then he was fine with simply sitting back and watching the events play out. But then FireFist had gone down, his wound mortal the moment Law had seen the admiral pull his fist from out of the commander’s torso. 

Even with his abilities, he didn’t think he could have done anything. It was actually amazing the man had been as coherent for as long as he was. The fist had carved its way through his thoracic vertebrae, instantly turning the commander into a paraplegic. If it had stopped there, that alone would have put an end to the man’s pirating career. But it had gone further, carving up FireFist’s ventral cavity and dooming him to an agonizing death. 

Well…that was if the magma hadn’t probably cauterized all of the nerve endings before the full brunt of the pain had set in.

It was, however, the point where the look in StrawHat’s eyes changed once again. This time there was a vulnerability that had never been there before. There was a helplessness there, a cry for someone– anyone –to do something. It was the look of a child who did not know what to do, and who was begging for someone stronger and bigger, someone that they trusted without question, that would make everything better again. 

The only problem was that, that someone the kid was looking for, was laying dying in StrawHat’s arms.

When he had seen those wide brown eyes, etched in anguish, begging for help—in an instant another pair of child-like brown orbs had taken their place. 

At that moment, the eyes that Law saw calling for help weren’t Monkey D. Luffy’s…

Instead, they were the eyes of someone he had tried to lock away in the recesses of his mind for many years.

It wasn’t StrawHat’s eyes he had seen at that moment.

No, he had seen hers …

Fourteen and a half years ago in a doomed city

Sitting down in his favorite area of the garden, Law settled in to read his new book. He had a weakness for science thrillers and his favorite writer had just come out with his latest. He had had time to drop by the library after school and pick it up and he was excited to take the rest of the afternoon to read it. 

His reading place was in a little alcove that was surrounded by the branches of two ivory rose bushes and he had added a small bench and table. His family knew about it, but unless they really needed him, they didn't bother him there. His parents were still at the hospital and his sister should be at her dance class. He would have to go pick her up in about an hour, but until then, his time was his own. 

Or…. that had been the plan at least. 

The soft sound of sniffling soon reached his ears and he raised an eyebrow in curious confusion. He knew who it was, of course, his sense of hearing had always been keen. But what was she doing at home? 

When the sniffles began to be peppered with pained whimpers, his curiosity changed to concern. Closing his book, he got up and pushed away the white branches, and followed the sound to another part of the garden where a white elm tree stood. 

On the other side of the elm’s huge trunk, a small feminine head of brown hair was hunched over, buried in a small set of shuddering arms. The navy jumper dress she wore, was smudged with dirt, and the white blouse beneath was torn. 

His concern increased exponentially and Law called his little sister’s name with worry. 

“Lami? What happened? What happened to your ballet class?”

At the sound of his voice, the five-year-old girl looked up at him in surprise, her warm brown eyes were swimming in tears. The moment her eyes landed on him, an immediate look of relief entered them and she instinctively made to move over to him. 

She crashed into his side, her arms going around him. “Big brother!”

His arm instinctively pulled the small girl closer, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the very apparent presence of bright, claret red blood streaming down the right side of her head, along with the fact that one of his sister’s ponytails had been roughly hacked off!

A myriad of questions came to his head, and a cold fire was simmering further below that, but there would be time for those things later. Right now, his vision zeroed in on the wound on his sister’s head and he was already mentally gathering all the materials he would need to treat it. He silently pulled Lami off the side of him before turning around and bending down on one knee. 

“Come on, let’s get you to the house.” He indicated for her to grasp onto his neck and climb onto his back. She futilely tried to wipe away at her tears only for more to replace them, before moving to hold on to him. 

He grabbed hold of her legs and hefted her up, her weight not all that much to carry, and he had had plenty of practice in carrying his little sister around. 

Holding on, he hurried back into the house and to his dad’s home office. Sitting Lami down in a chair, he quickly went through some drawers pulling out cotton, gauze, antiseptic, and other first aid items. Bringing them all over to the counter, he finally brought up his father’s stool and hopped onto that, rolling his way to his sister’s side. 

“Alright, hold still a little, and let me see.”

She obeyed and he wet the gauze with some clean water before attempting to carefully clean the blood off her face. He spoke softly to try to take her mind off what he was doing, similar to what he saw his mom do when with her child patients. It would also help him find out who had done this to his little sister…

“Hey, I don’t think it looks too bad. Where does it hurt the most, Lam?”

She sniffed, her voice still hiccuping with soft sobs. “I-It h-hurts behind m-m-my ear.”

He turned his attention to her right ear, and sure enough, that was where all the blood was coming from. “Okay, I’m going to take a look. I want you to squeeze my hand if it hurts too much, okay Lam?”

She gave a slight nod and took his offered hand into her slightly smaller one. Having put on the smallest set of sterile gloves that came from his mother’s set, he very carefully pushed back on his sister’s ear. 

Lami clutched his hand tightly as he gave a quick clinical look to the back of her auditory appendage.

Seeing what he needed to see, Law quickly removed his hand before pulling his gloves off. He pushed his hat down over his face. 

“You’re gonna need stitches Lami, The cut’s too deep. I’m going to go and get the supplies from the back observation room. Use some gauze to put pressure on it until I get back.”

Without looking at her, he headed quickly out of the room, only pausing long enough to hear her soft “okay” in response. 

Once out of the room, Law allowed the snarl that could no longer be pushed down, to appear on his face, matching the frosty look in his dark eyes. Lami didn’t need to see his rage, she needed her big brother to be calm and steady, shelter from the storm that she could always count on. 

He had never been one to burn hot though, his anger was always one that burned cold. And right now, the look in his eyes could have frozen Hell over.

The cut on the back of his sister’s ear had been done with a razor blade, probably the same one that had hacked her hair off. If it had gone any deeper it might have torn through the delicate connective tissues and cartilage and he would have had to get her to a hospital in order to have a real surgeon try to reattach the thing.

Getting the needles and sutures, he silently got his emotions under control. He needed more information first and Lami needed him.

When he returned to her side, he was once again calm and he let a reassuring smile appear on his face. 

“Alright, just give me a minute and I’ll get you all sewn up in no time.” 

His sister continued to look miserable, though he was happy that her tears were finally beginning to come to an end. 

He came closer, turning on the examination light, he rinsed the entire area with saline solution before applying antiseptic and a local anesthetic. Because of the pressure that Lami had applied, the bleeding had slowed down quite a bit. 

Before he began, he took off his hat and placed it on his sister’s head, making sure to angle it away from the wound area. He saw her trembling hands grab the fur brim and clutch onto it.

She was still the only person he would let touch it. 

Three years even further back…

When Lami had been only a toddler, and with his parents much too busy at the hospital, he had often been left in charge of his younger sibling. At first, he resented having to take care of what he had originally simply thought of as an intruder to his carefully ordered and constructive life. He had often left the then 2-year-old on her own, doing his best to lose her when she sought to follow him, avoid her when she wanted to play, or simply not be around her as much as possible.  Eventually, as he hoped, his sister gave up on searching him out, but because of this, little Lami, often lonely, would tend to cry alone in her room. 

He had at first been annoyed with the crying and tried to ignore it. Yet, somehow, someway, no matter where he went, he could fear her cries in his ears as well as in his head. It was maddening. 

Struggling with what to do to cease her incessant caterwauling, one day, completely fed up, he marched into her room to command her to shut up. 

What he found, was that the little girl had stumbled against the grate of the fireplace screen, and she had a huge gash in her little leg. The sight of the blood had alarmed him and was immediately trying to placate his sister, telling her he was going to get the first aid kit. 

Surprisingly, Lami had already calmed down, her huge watery brown orbs looking at him in amazement. Happy that she had stopped crying, he had been about to go out to get the medical supplies, when she immediately began to wail again, her tiny arms reaching out to him. 

Feeling horrible for being the cause of all this, Law didn’t know what to do. He had to treat his sister’s leg and yet she obviously couldn’t take him leaving her. He wasn’t strong enough to carry her around yet either. 

Not quite sure what to do, but running out of options and becoming panicked, in an impulsive move he took off his hat and gave it to her to hold. Babies like soft furry things right? 

He had no idea if it would work, but shockingly it did! She stopped once again, her tiny hand closing around the fur of the hat and bringing it close to her. Her eyes stared at the white and black pattern and the very peaks of a small smile began to emerge on her face. Relieved, Law had backed up slowly and this time was able to leave the room without incident. 

When he returned, Lami was still in the same position he had left her, still clutching the hat, but this time, when he came in her smile was huge and for a moment he could only stare. Why was she so happy to see him, when he had been the cause of all of her misery? He hadn’t taken care of her, fed her, or watched out for her like he was supposed to. She had even gotten hurt because of him. Why did she look at him like that? Why didn’t she hate him? Was it just a baby thing? 

He cleaned her wound and bandaged it. Afterward, he found a way to carry her on his back to the kitchen to get some food, and then even further afterward to the bath to get cleaned up.  That evening, he struggled to put her to sleep, making up a melody in his head as he couldn’t think of any of the lullabies his mom would sing for the little girl. He knew it sounded horrid and he wasn’t the best when it came to music and son, it had no lyrics and he could only really hum it out, but Lami seemed to enjoy it, smiling the whole way and eventually drifting off. 

The whole time she never let go of his hat, and while it was strange at first, he was actually okay with that. 

It had been the first time he and Lami had bonded, and it wasn’t long before the two were inseparable. Especially when he discovered that Lami enjoyed science and medicine as much as he did. The two of them would have fun talking about different things they discovered in school or raiding their parents’ offices for books and journals. But even with all that, the hat was a link between them. 

They never really talked about it out loud but it was just something silently acknowledged between them. He often used the hat as a way to calm his sister when she was really upset and distressed, giving her a lifeline to be able to concentrate and ground herself.  It was his way of saying, ‘I’m here now. You don’t need to be afraid.’

Once she was settled a bit more, he looked at the wound once again before selecting a suture needle from the tray and threading it. He casually spoke to his sister in order to keep her mind away from what he was doing. 

“You’re doing well, Lam. I know you’ve seen Mom and Dad do this several times, you know it’s going to be okay, right? Stitches are nothing to be scared off. I’ve practiced this tons of times.”

 (So what if it had all been on dead specimens, practice was practice right?)

Lami kept her head still but her voice spoke of the absolute faith she held in her big brother’s talents. “O-of course, Law. You’re going to become the best surgeon in the world!”

The nine-and-a-half-year-old couldn’t help but beam at his sister’s words. But of course, the little munchkin couldn’t just stop there. 

“At least that is, until I become older than you, and then I’LL be the best surgeon in the world!”

He grimaced and stopped himself from contaminating his gloved hands by pinching the little girl’s cheeks. 

“I don’t think that’s how that works Lami. I will always be older than you, and therefore by default, always the best.” 

The idea seemed to astound his baby sister, and irritate her to no end, all evidence of tears having disappeared. “What?! That’s not fair!”

He smirked, “Life’s not fair, Lam-Lam. I’ll be nice though and let you be the 2nd best surgeon, ‘kay?”

Her cheeks puffed up in a full-on pout, “Second best is for losers!”

He rose an eyebrow at that, “Hey, didn’t you just want me to be “second best”? Are you calling me a loser?”

Lami thought about it for a second before amending her statement, “But you will have already been the best for 3 and half years, and then I wanted a turn.”

“I will always be 3 ½ years older than you, but that doesn’t mean that we both can’t be the best.” 

Her big brown eyes were the size of moons. “What! Really?!”

“Of course. I mean look at mom and dad. Dad’s the best doctor in the whole country, and Mom’s the best pediatrician around. Both of them are the best, why can’t we? Right now, I’m still just studying general surgery, but I’ll probably want to specialize eventually, and you can do the same thing. Then we can both be the best.”

He could bring up the fact that Dad, by being the best doctor in Flevance, was by default, ranked him ahead of Mom, but that wasn’t something his little sister needed to know at the moment. 

The brunette girl seemed to think about it for a moment before sighing. “I guess that’s okay then.”

He smiled before grabbing a small flexible bandage and affixing it to the back of her ear. “And with that, I’m done! See that wasn’t so bad, right Lam?”

She blinked in surprise before hurriedly sitting up in the chair to look at herself in the observation mirror. 

He stood behind her as she examined the cloth-covered stitches. It wasn’t too bad if he did say so himself. Probably better than any actual medical student. 

Lami looked at herself for a moment, before a look of disappointed sadness appeared on her face. “It’s going to leave a scar, isn’t it?”

It would. He didn’t have really any choice or ability that would prevent that. Though he hated how unhappy it made his sister. The idea of a reminder of her attack staying with Lami for the rest of her life brought the fact that his little sister was attacked back to the forefront of his mind. 

He took his sister’s hand and moved her over to face him. “It will, but we’ll think about what to do about that once it heals. For now, you’re going to tell me what happened."

Lami’s face crumpled and she sat back down in the chair, pulling her knees up against her chest again. Tears once again began to appear in the corner of her eyes, and her hand instinctively grabbed for the brim of the fur hat once again. 

She squeaked with surprise when she felt her brother swing her up into his arms, and carry her in his grasp out of the office without a word to the sunroom. He sat on the window seat facing the garden his back against the corner of the wall, and he sat her down in his lap. Careful of her injury, he guided her to lean back against his chest and kept his arms loosely curled around her. After they had both gotten settled, he simply—waited. 

His silent message to her was clear. Nothing will hurt you. Not while I’m around. 

And she smiled a bit and moved the unhurt side of her head into her big brother’s side, snuggling close. Her voice was a heavy whisper when she spoke. “I was on my way to dance practice after school when this big guy blocked my path….”

“Hey! Your name's Trafalgar?”

Lami stopped at the sound of someone shouting her name and looked up to see a big, kinda pudgy blond kid about twice her age, blocking her way. He was dressed in the fine clothes of a noble and even she could recognize the crest of one of the noble houses embroidering his clothes. 

Why would a noble be interested in her?

She didn’t like the look in the older boy’s eyes. He had these tiny eyes and an upturned nose that reminded her of a pig. He seemed to be looking at her like she was both dirt he wanted to avoid, and also as an insect he wanted to torture. 

“Y-yes, what do you want?”

The boy’s eyes narrowed and he smirked before snapping his fingers.

Lami jumped nearly sky-high as she suddenly felt a hand grab her shoulder from behind!

She automatically screamed and tried to pull away, only to feel another hand grab her other arm and slap a hand over her mouth. She looked up in fright as two boys similar to the first, both sneering and sniggering, lifted her up between them. 

She twisted away violently, her legs trying to swing around and hit them, anything to jerk herself loose. However, her strength was too little and her reach too small in comparison to the bigger boys and they simply shook her soundly before bringing her before the first one who had known her name. 

The panic had already settled in and tears were forming in her eyes as she searched widely around for someone, anyone who could help her!

Unfortunately, the street was small, out of the way, and quite abandoned. She tried her best to scream once again and bit at the hand holding her mouth, the boy holding her swore, before striking her across the face!

She was stunned silent, never having been hit like that before. One of her captors took the opportunity to push a cloth in her mouth. The two threw her to the ground and then forcibly held her there at the first boy’s feet. The first boy had been waiting patiently before looking down his nose at her frightened tear-stained face. For some reason, liking what he saw, he smirked cruelly before removing an object from his pocket. 

 Flicking it in his fingers, a blade appeared and Lami’s eyes grew huge and round at the sight of the weapon. 

She began to try to get away all the more as panic settled in. Mommy!...Daddy!

The boy kneeled next to her, the metal of his knife flashing dangerously in the afternoon sun.  Her eyes automatically followed the blade and she froze as he brought it closer to her face. 

Her eyes closed in terror, as she began to fully weep. Big brother!

“You’re Trafalgar Law’s sister, correct?”

Her eyes opened in shock at her brother’s name, and the piggy-jerk leader seemed to see the recognition in her frightened gaze. 

Taking that as confirmation, the pig noble boy continued sneering down at her. “You charity cases need to learn your place. Nobody makes Cuttingham III Snidley look like a fool!”

Her eyes widened at the mention of the name. Even she recognized the name of one of the most famous noble families in the region, the head of the family was the brother of the king, their duchy wasn’t far from the capital.

“This is a message for your brother to know his place, and to think twice next time before upstaging me!”

He grabbed her hair violently and jerked her head to the side. Lami screamed in fear but the sound was again muffled. She tried her best to fight and pull away, but to no avail, the boys only laughing at her struggles and continuing to hold her down as the Cuttingham boy pulled violently on her hair and actually began sawing through it!

She sobbed inconsolably, her body being bruised by their hold on her, her clothes getting dirty and torn in her struggles to get free. 

The boy continued to hack away at her hair and this time she felt his hold on her head slightly loosen. She attempted to jerk her head away totally, however, was stopped in her tracks when she felt hot fire along the side of her head, right behind her ear. Blood quickly followed, running down the side of her head and neck. 

She screamed once again, but this time from the stinging pain!

  It hurt! It hurt so much! 

Mom! Dad!

Law! Where are you? 

Help me!

Surprisingly, this made the noble jump up, “Ugh, you stupid, idiot girl! How dare you get your commoner’s blood on me!”

He kicked at her side, causing her to cry out. 

“Well, no matter, we got what we came for.” He held part of her hair in his hand like a trophy, blood dripping off his knife onto the ground. 

Cuttingham III then smirked and looked down at the little girl. “I’d suggest you not tell anyone of this little girl, not unless you want your mommy and daddy to be sacked and your family ruined. One little word to my father and its curtains for the entire lot of you.”

He laughed cruelly before kicking her again. All three jumped off her and ran off down the street, the other two boys joined him, cackling the whole way, Leaving Lami alone, crying in the dirt, with blood continuing to stream down her face…

As his sister finished her story, Law tightened his hold on his sister, slowly caressing her hair as she cried in his arms. He held her close to him, telling her it was alright and that she had been very brave even in the face of such big bullies who were twice her size. 

However, even as he comforted her, holding her close, his gray eyes had gone from stormy to tempestuous, with a sharp glint that was as hard as a diamond. 

He knew exactly who her attacker was. The second son of the Duke of Cuttingham tried to lord it over everyone in his class that he deemed “beneath” him. Law and his family weren’t nobles, their parents' prestige and position within the royal association of medicine allowed them access to place their two children in the top schools. Sadly, that made Law and his sister the target of the upper crust who considered them bourgeoise outsiders who hadn’t been taught their place. 

Law had learned early to let all the insults roll off his back and to show his enemies that he was not someone you’d like to mess with. Most of his classmates respected him and many even liked him despite his sometimes strange interests. He often was at the top of his class and that had also gained him respect. 

Cuttingham III had tried to mess with him for years, annoyed that Law wasn’t pulsed by any of his fear or bullying tactics, and he was too scared to physically attack Law. 

So it seems he found a weaker target to hurt instead. 

It wasn’t a secret that Law had a little sister, both of them were often seen together or with their parents. And it wouldn’t be hard to find out where Lami went to school (they only had one kindergarten in town) and to corner her once she left for the day. 

He could only guess that the fact that he had just recently won the top honors for his class once again, had somehow set Cuttingham off. He never really thought much about those sorts of things, as he won them all so wearily often. However, he should definitely have considered how it would have affected his enemies and how they would have turned to find other weaknesses to attack.

Like Lami…

Little Lami, still in kindergarten, hadn’t really had to deal with all this. She got along with her classmates fine and enjoyed school life. He hated that his sister was brought into all this, had he detested seeing the fear in her eyes. He knew it would take time for her to once again feel safe in her surroundings when not at home.

Damn that noble!

He took his sister to take a bath before treating her scrapes and bruises and then getting her some soup with a steaming mug of her favorite hot chocolate, white peppermint. As she sipped at it in her robe, her fuzzy slippers going to and fro, Law took his hat off her head while he removed her barrettes and combed through her hair with his fingers. He was going to have to cut the other side of her hair to match and then let both sides grow out again evenly. 

When he told this to Lam she looked sad for a moment before brightening. “You could make my hair match yours!”

He playfully grimaced before flicking her on her forehead. “I’m not going to make you look like a boy, silly.”

She rubbed her forehead with a frown, “But if I look like you, maybe guys like that jerk won’t mess with me anymore.”

His look of exasperation became one of tender affection. He grasped her shoulder and kneeled a little to look directly into her eyes. “You are going to be very tough one day, like when mom tells the king’s men where they can go drown themselves when they try to hit on her at the hospital. You remember the stupid look on their faces?”

Lami giggled at the thought and Law continued. “It’s going to take time though. You’re still only 5. That pig-nosed jerk is just a big coward. And don’t you worry, your big brother is going to take care of him. He’s not going to mess with you ever again. I promise.”

She looked up at him in awe, her voice trembled only a little. “Promise?”

He pressed his forehead against hers, letting her see the solemn oath in his eyes. “Promise.”

He then got up and took up the scissors in his hand, before carefully trimming the end of her already hacked-up hair. “Besides, maybe it’s time I started to teach you how to act tough so people will think twice before ever messing with my little sister again.”

Lami giggled once again, “Really, Law?”

He nodded, not taking his eyes off his work even though the gears were already turning at full speed in his brain. 

“Yep, and if all else fails and they still want to mess with you? Just tell them your big brother’s coming for them……no matter who they are.” 

The next day, as he expected, like clockwork, he opened his locker to find an envelope demanding that he meet Cuttingham outside in the alley behind the school, or else. 

Enclosed inside the envelope were also the missing locks of his sister’s hair. 

He could even still see flecks of blood on the strands. 

The two Trafalgar siblings had decided to make up a story for their parents about an accident that happened to Lami after school. Sadly, Cuttingham’s threat about his father making things very difficult for their parents was not an idle threat. Law knew that his parents would be furious if they found out what happened and would probably do something that would cost them their jobs and careers. Law didn’t want that, even if their parents would have thought it worth the sacrifice. Their parents' research was too important. He’d read through the reports about there being more and more victims of White Lead poisoning. Even from what he could see, it didn’t look good. 

No, this was something he would see to on his own. Cuttingham had decided to make him his enemy—he would show him what that really entailed…

Law came out to the alley at the appointed time. Cuttingham III and his two sycophant cronies were already waiting there, looking at him with some form of sick evil glee. 

“So, the so-called “prince” of the school decides to show his face. I’m assuming you got my message, commoner ?”

Law’s eyes narrowed and if looks could kill, all three nobles would be dead ten times over by now. 

His hands in his pockets, he didn’t allow emotion to taint his voice. “What do you want?”

The noble boy sneered, “Well first, I want you to get on your knees and apologize for not knowing your station, for trying to act like you’re above your betters.”

Law raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

A large vein seemed to tic on the boy’s forehead, his pig nose raising up even further into the air. “You Trafalgar always act like you’re better than everyone else, even though everyone knows that you’re common filth! Putting on airs and acting like you’re so smart. I was supposed to be at the top of the class. It had all been arranged, but then you came along and stole the spotlight. One of the Sisters wouldn’t play along so daddy will be making sure she’s gone by the end of the week, and then that just leaves you. If it wasn’t for the fact that your father is a stupid big-shot doctor, you wouldn’t even be here!”

Law continued to look at him in disinterest, “And why don’t you just get rid of me, like you do everyone else in your way?”

“If I could I would! But everyone already knows you’re the “golden child” of the school and if the school were to suddenly get rid of you there would be too many questions! However…”

Cuttingham snapped his fingers. His two lackeys seemed to jump to attention, though they seemed slower than usual. They crowded in around Law and tried to grab hold of him, but he easily darted out of the way and sidestepped them both. 

He spoke, his tone was unconcerned. “Let me guess? You’re going to try to either frame me or force me to do something horribly unethical in order to use that as evidence to get the school to expel me, thus getting me out of the way? Is that about right?”

The other boy was furious. Stupid peasant putting on airs. He’d learn soon enough that Cuttingham Snidely the Third, always gets what he wants! 

“Yes, you have the right of it, Trafalgar. And you’re going to do it too.”

Law continued to avoid the other two idiots and looked up at him with vague curiosity. “And why would I do that?”

Snidely smirked wickedly, “Because you care about that little brat, don’t you?”

Law stopped and looked at the other with eyes that had become instantly venomous, his features glacial. He didn’t say anything though, so Cuttingham took that as his cue to continue. 

“Here’s the deal, Trafalgar. You’re going to do every little thing I say. Who knows?  Perhaps I’ll let the school keep you around once you’ve been completely disgraced and put in your place. I’ll let you have the honor of serving me, completing my work, giving me the answers for tests, that sort of thing. Because if you don’t, I know some people that are willing to take a lot more from your sister than simply her hair. Cute little girls like her can be worth quite a bit, you know. Get the picture?”

His implications were clear, and Law could feel his muscles begin to tremble from the building rage of what the noble filth was insinuating. But he continued to keep himself under control…if barely.

Cuttingham walked closer to him, his smug, vicious grin spread across his prig face. “So, what do you say, Trafalgar? Ready to get on your knees and beg now?”

Tension was thick in the air, and neither of the boys said anything. Cuttingham knew he had won. He had finally pushed that stupid peasant into a corner and he was going to savor what was coming next. 

Unfortunately, the standoff was interrupted by the sudden sound of violent vomiting.

Cuttingham jerked his head over and saw one of his followers (his name completely escaping his mind) hunched over, a pool of vomit on the ground in front of him. 

Jumping back in disgust at the display, he placed a handkerchief over his nose to avoid the smell. 

Only for his other lackey, who was behind him, to launch into his own episode of projectile vomiting!

Snidely screamed at the vile substance getting on his clothes. “What the heck do you think you’re doing?! How dare you!”

But both boys weren’t done, their faces were crunched up in distress as they continued to throw up everything that could possibly be in their stomachs, falling over on their sides in pain.  The moment one had supposedly ended, the other would start up again, violently upchucking onto the ground. 

It would have even been almost comical if the vomit didn’t start to turn bloody…

“What the heck is wrong with you two?!” Cuttingham yelled at the two boys, not understanding what was going on.

It was at that moment, he felt a sudden pulsing sharp twist within his own abdomen. And without warning, a rapid sense of nausea overtook him and he too was on his knees throwing up as well!

What the? 

And even as he fell victim to the same violent regurgitation as the other two, the first two boys were further gone, in between dry heaving, everything in their systems already on the ground, and clutching at their throats, gasping, unable to get enough air in their lungs. Trickles of blood began to run from the side of their mouths. 

Cuttingham barely had time to think between the pain beginning to wrack his body, each wave more intense than the last, the constant vomit spewing from his mouth, and the fact that he could feel like his chest was on fire. What the heck? Had those idiots contaminated him with something? Had it been something they had at lunch? 

Oh, he was totally going to have this school pay through the nose if it had had the gall to give him food poisoning.

He needed a doctor. Where was that blasted Trafalgar? He was the son of a doctor. He had to go and get—

Snidely eyes went wide as he looked up at Trafalgar Law from his shacking position on the ground.

The boy hadn’t moved.

In fact, he was casually watching them with a calm, wintry expression in his placid grey eyes that glowed under the shadow of the brim of his hat. But even that icy gaze wasn’t as utterly frightening as the wide, rapacious grin that he wore. 

It chilled him to his very core…reminding him very much of a huge, predatory wolf that was watching its mortally wounded prey struggle. 

And just like that, it all clicked. 

This was no accident. 

It wasn’t some simple bug.

It wasn’t food poisoning…or at least not the classic version of it. 

No…this was….

A stony voice spoke softly, the entire surrounding atmosphere felt like it got hit by an arctic current. 

“Right on time…yes, very interesting results.”

The noble was left gasping, as he watched the dark-haired boy coolly walking around the three of them—his victims—with detached interest. 

He continued to speak, even as he watched the first two boys, who were already too far gone, convulsing, the stench of their bowels and bladders releasing wafting through the air. 

“ Cassiopeia’s Mirror …it’s a poison that’s composed partially of organic mercury, and partially of cyanide. Not really all that hard to make if you know what you’re doing. It’s quite deadly…but how long it takes to take effect can depend on the constitution of its victim.”

Trafalgar seemed to have finished with the other two and was now standing over him, watching him struggling to gasp for air covered in his own fluids, blood beginning to leak from several orifices. 

He hunched over and looked the other boy directly in the eyes, and it was at that moment that Cuttingham III knew true fear…

“I’m actually surprised you didn’t notice the strange taste of your food during lunch, but then again, you nobles take so many things for granted, why not a sense of taste as well?”

Law shrugged, “The symptoms are rather simple all things considered. Violent nausea and vomiting, internal hemorrhaging, the breath will still, blood congeal, systems collapse one after another like dominos. But of course, it couldn’t be too quick. I had to adjust the dose just right in order to make sure that you suffer.”

The boy then kicked over the shaking noble onto his back before planting his foot in the center of his chest, the boy’s body already shuddering at the sheer agony of it all. The predatory smile was replaced with a joyless smirk. 

“You humiliated my sister, so I’m going to humiliate you … You made my sister suffer, so now you will suffer… You scared my sister, so now you will also know fear… You scarred my sister, and now you will never forget this day. Do you get the picture?” 

Hearing his own words returning to mock him and feeling Law’s foot pressing down painfully against his sternum, only one thing kept running through his mind.

I’m going to die here. 

I’m going to die here.

No! I’m too young to die! Mommy! Daddy! Help me!

Trafalgar then looked away as if now unconcerned about the whole situation. “Now, here’s the thing about Cassiopeia’s Mirror. While very deadly, it is also not hard to reverse ….as long as one has the antidote.”

The nine-year-old took his hand out of his pocket, withdrawing a small vial of clear liquid. Snidley’s eyes were immediately drawn to it as he struggled to remain conscious. 

Law got close once again to the other, making sure that his meaning got through loud and clear. 

“Now I’m willing to give it to you and the other two IF—how did you say it again?—‘you do every little thing I say’. Is that clear?”

The noble tried to nod, but could barely keep control of his own body anymore. 

Law came closer, his voice low and menacing. “I said: Is. That. Clear?”

This time Snidely was able to get his head to nod vigorously, tears and blood streaming down his face from his eyes. 

“Good. So we’re indeed clear. You, nor any of yours, are to ever go near me, my sister, or our family again. If you threaten my family, friends, anyone at the school, and especially my sister, again—you will answer to me. And next time I won’t be so nice. Got that?”

Again an enthusiastic nod. 

“It’s nice to see that we can come to an understanding, noble. Now you sit tight while I go take care of the other two morons first.”

Law left him then to continue suffering alone, his body twitching and convulsing on the ground. The warmth of urine soaked his pants as his bladder involuntarily released. 

His fight against his inflamed and swollen lungs, the torturous pangs raging around his body, the utter indignity of it all, and the widespread fear of being at another’s mercy,  was just too much. 

Cuttingham III Snidely, fell into unconsciousness not knowing if he was going to wake up in the world of the living again.

“Come on, Big brother! When are we going to get there?”

“Lami, don’t go running off. I told you, you have to hold my hand on this side of town.” 

Law watched his younger sibling sigh before coming back to him and grasping his hand. 

It had been about a month since the “Cuttingham incident” and his sister had shown a great amount of resilience and was beginning to get back to normal. 

As for the blaggard himself, he had mysteriously left school for good and was rumored to have opted instead for personal tutors. 

Law wasn’t surprised. After he had injected the antidote into each of the boys and made sure they hadn’t died and were on their way to somewhat of a recovery, he had simply left them there. Uncaring of anyone finding them covered in their own bile, blood, vomit, and piss. 

He was pretty sure that the noble wouldn’t say anything. Too scared and ashamed of a “commoner trash” getting the best of him. 

Law didn’t really care all that much, as long as it meant that he left Lami alone. 

The very idea of what he had suggested being done to his sister almost made him want to have left the filth to die. But that was neither here nor there. 

Right now, he had better things to think about.

Lami had gotten all of her stitches removed a while ago and the wound had finally finished healing fully. Unfortunately, as expected, it had left a sizeable scar behind her right ear. 

Not liking his sister feeling so self-conscious or wanting her to be reminded of that horrible day constantly, Law had gotten some ideas of what to do, and finally came together with the perfect solution. When he had run it by Lami, she had first been horrified, before being a little intrigued when he explained, and then being totally on board when he said he was going to come too. 

Doing his research, he had finally found the right place in the shadier side of Flevance. Many thought the “White City” didn’t have a dark side, but they would be wrong. People just tended to not advertise it much. It wasn’t a good look for the kingdom after all.  

It wasn’t unusual for kids to be seen skulking around this part of town, as long as they blended in. Law had seen to that, making sure the two of them looked the part and made sure to give off the feeling as if they belonged to the area. He had done his own independent trips to this side of town on his own, but taking Lami here was different and he became hyper-vigilant in keeping up with her. Thankfully, they were basically ignored the whole time. 

Eventually, they came to their destination in a seedy alcove in an alleyway. 

Taking a breath and straightening his back, he looked down at his little sister. “Remember, let me do the talking. Follow my lead, If anything goes wrong, always stick by my side and do what I tell you. Right?”

She nodded seriously, “Right!”

Law took a breath before entering the door. The guy at the front desk listened to what he wanted, and looked at the two of them for a second longer than usual, before simply shrugging, taking their money, and ushering them to the back. 

As the man got out his ink and tools and needles, Law was happy to see the man kept them sterile and despite the look of the place, took good care of his equipment. 

The man asked casually, “Do you have a design?”

Law gave him a piece of paper that held the tattoo design that he and his sister had thought through for the last week. 

.

.

.

“A tattoo?”

“Yeah, we can use it to hide your scar. And turn into something all your own.”

“But what will mom say?”

“We won’t tell her. She won’t really be checking all that much behind your ear anyway. It’ll just be a secret between us.”

.

.

.

The man took it and after looking at it for a moment, raising an eyebrow in confusion, “What is this? Some strange ancient tongue?”

Law rolled his eyes, “In a way…”

.

.

.

“Let’s have it be our names!”

“Hmm, that feels too simple.,.kinda of blase.”

“Uhhh….what if…what if we used our true secret names instead?”

“Hmm, that would be different at least. Yet…it’s still–”

“Oh, I know! Let’s write them in Latin!”

“Latin?”

Yeah, the language of science and medicine!”

“I think you might be on to something, Lami.”

.

.

.

Law sat in the chair first with Lami sitting in another chair across from him watching quietly. He wasn’t going to let his sister be the proverbial guinea pig here. Lami had been shocked at first that he was going to get the same tattoo as her. He had shrugged and said it was only ink. He wouldn’t let his little sister get one alone. It was all or nothing. 

Lami was overjoyed to the point of tears, claiming that they finally had something that would be able to link them together forever. 

Law could only shake his head with a smile, saying that they had something like that already. And it was stronger than any tattoo. 

Feeling the man work behind his right ear, it was uncomfortable at first, but Law found that it wasn’t all that bad. The tattoo wouldn’t be that big and would be practically unnoticeable unless one knew where to look, but he knew it would make Lami happy and would cover up a bad memory with a happy one. And that alone made it worth it. 

Once he was done and he saw the results in a mirror, he smiled rather liking what he saw. He might like to get one or two more when he was older, Not all the noticeable of course, but maybe a few other small designs. As the man cleaned up and changed out his tools. Law went to his sister who had continued to watch him in silence. 

“You sure about this, Lam? If you don’t want to do this, we can leave now. Okay?”

The tiny brunette, her hair even now trying to escape the pixie cut he’d given her all those weeks ago, shook her head. “Nope, Let’s do this.”

Lami hopped into the chair and he sat by her side holding onto her hand. As the man first began working, he could hear a muffled whimper as she tried her best to keep from tearing up. 

Without hesitation, Law took off his fur hat and placed it in her hands to hold. As she grasped onto it, he began to hum the lullaby melody he had made up all those years ago when he had tried to put her to sleep after their first real disastrous day together. Over the years, he had perfected it and it had become her favorite “song” even though it still as of yet had no lyrics. 

Maybe one day he’d get to that, but for now? There was no need to worry about all that. They had time…

Present Day, on the Polar Tang

Drops of moisture fell onto Law’s hand, and he jerked out of his memories in surprise. 

Glancing down at the droplets, he glanced back up at the mirror and was shocked to see silent streams of tears running down his face. 

What the?

Had he really been that absorbed in the voices of the past?

He had thought he had cried all the tears there was left to cry years ago, that his well of stuff had run dry after Cora died. And yet, it seems that while he tried his best to bury them, the pain from losing his family…from losing Lami...still hurt on some fundamental level. 

Wiping his face on a towel, Law thought about the striking and also rather annoying fact, that StrawHat had reminded him a lot of his baby sister. That the connection he had seemed to share with FireFist, wasn’t all that dissimilar to the one he and Lami had shared. 

It hadn’t been long after the two had gotten their shared tattoos that Lami had gotten sick. And then not long after that, he too also succumbed to the effects of White Lead as well. 

And of course, that was the beginning of the end. For Flevance. For his family. For Lami. And for himself.

He would never return to the boy he had been. He had gone through too much and had been changed by too much.

And yet…in some ways, especially thanks to Cora, some parts of the old him had remained. Not everything about him had been destroyed those last horrible days. 

And who was he kidding? Parts of who he was today, had been lying under the surface barely dormant in that 9 ½-year-old boy. 

However, thoughts of Lami laid heavy on his heart, and taking a breath, really looking at it for the first time in years,  Law bent his right ear back and stared at the reflection of what was written in the mirror. 

It had faded slightly with time. His first ever tattoo that he had gotten long before he had become a pirate or the “Surgeon of Death”. It was small and simple, especially in comparison to the many others he had gotten over the years. 

Latin, the language of science and medicine, as Lami put it, in intricate, scrawled text was written:

Aqua et Lilium

He hadn’t looked at the words in years, but he knew them like the back of his own hand. His and Lami’s secret names that really only their family and a few others knew about. Lami had been scared at first, but once it was done, she was so proud and excited about the tat. He would catch her looking at it all the time. 

A sad smile appeared on his face at the memory. If she had gotten a chance to grow up, he knew his sister would have become a better doctor, a better surgeon, a better person than he could ever hope to be. 

Hey Lam…up there in heaven where you are. I want you to know, that I….with some luck… without shame, without blame…or the curse of my name…might have been as good as you…

A quiet knock interrupted his thoughts and brought him back down solidly in the present. Scowling, Trafalgar Law pulled a pair of pants on before yanking open his cabin door in annoyance.

Bepo stood there more apologetic than usual. “I’m sorry Captain, I know you’re tired. I wouldn’t have gotten you if it wasn’t an emergency.” 

He lifted an eyebrow, “Is the ship going to implode?”

Bepo looked at him in confusion, “Uh…no?”

“Is StrawHat dying?”

“Um, no...”

“Are the marines chasing us?”

“No…”

“Then as far as I can see, there is no ‘emergency’ that I’m needed for.”

Bepo looked even more apologetic than usual. “Captainnnn…”

He rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. His impromptu stroll down memory lane had done nothing for his bone-deep fatigue. “What is it, Bepo?”

“The Kuja pirates are right outside, Captain. They hailed us and they want to talk to you.”

His face crossed in confusion. “The Amazonian Man-haters? What do they want?”

“I don’t know, Captain. Boa Hancock is with them and she insists.”

Great. Just Great.

His irritation levels were gaining a new high. Going back into his room, he pulled on a shirt, and grabbed his hat and Kikoku, before heading out again. 

Yep…if circumstances were different Lam, I might have been as good as you.

Because right now, I think I might just murder an empress…

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 - Returning Home

Baricadia Island, New World

Din tried to calm his breathing as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The endless smoke created an infinite haze over the ravaged streets of what had once been the town square. It stung both his eyes and his throat as he tried to keep his scarf over his mouth and his head down. Blood oozed from a wound on his shoulder and he pulled the makeshift cloth bandage tighter. He didn’t need his shooting arm hampered.  

Shots rang out across the city that had become a battlefield. For days on end, chaos had reigned, battle after battle between them and the king’s soldiers. Morale remained high, even if manpower was getting weak. Din could only think of his wife and little daughter who were languishing in prison because he had refused to obey, or his son who had been put to death for speaking out, to remember why it was he fought. His comrades were much the same, all of them having their lives, families, and livelihoods threatened because of one man’s selfish desires. 

It was when the king had made the decision to send their loved ones, who had been held hostage to keep them all in line and working, away as slaves to Tequila Wolf. It was the last straw and spark that blazed into rebellion. They had all fought desperately, and the king was held up in his castle, and they and his soldiers were at a stalemate. However, manpower and supplies were coming up short. They had mysteriously been getting shipments of food, medicine, and supplies from unknown backers, who were keeping them supplied via third-party trade shipment. And yet even with that, Din knew that he and his fellow countrymen couldn’t keep this up indefinitely. 

If only there was some way around the barricades the royal army had set up. If they could take those down, then it wouldn’t be hard to rush the soldiers and overwhelm them. But for now, the army had the high ground and they were left with what was quickly turning into a war of attrition. They could attack small amounts of soldiers at a time, but at the same time, it was eating away at their own strength. 

The man suddenly heard several shots ring out behind him!

Crouching down behind some stones, he pointed his rifle in the direction of the attack. He then heard running footsteps and watched in surprise as a tall man was running in his direction, the gunshots following him. He was dressed as many of the men in the rebellion were, in simple dark green pants and boots, a warm olive-colored jacket and gloves, with a scarf completely wrapped around his head covering both his nose and mouth. All men had taken to doing this ever since the army had begun using gas as weapons, making the air even hazier and more hazardous. 

He lifted his weapon and looked for the man’s pursuer. Seeing the very brief glint from a royal army uniform, Din took the shot and heard a pained grunt as he struck his target. 

The other man changed trajectory and ran towards him, not stopping until he had tumbled to a stop by his side, his breathing heavy and gasping as he sat there next to him. Din placed his weapon by his side and looked over as the guy seemed to be trying to catch his breath. He didn’t recognize him right off, but then again, with the haze, the scarf, and with so many men from all over the island, both young and old, who had joined in the uprising, this wasn’t a surprise. 

This rebel seemed to be in the younger range, he’d guess him to be in his early 20s at most. His skin held a slight tan to it, though it was overall on the paler side of the spectrum. Interestingly enough he already had an obviously large scar covering his left eye. It looked like an old burn though. Perhaps the kid had been a victim of the king’s wretched torture some years ago? It honestly wouldn’t surprise him. 

After taking a moment, the kid opened his eyes and looked over at him in gratitude. His eyes were a clear cerulean crystal blue…or at least one was. The other, the one ravaged by the burn scar, was slightly cloudy and opaque creating a strange otherworldly sense to his gaze. 

The kid spoke up and looked to smile behind his face covering, “Thanks for the save.” 

Din nodded before shrugging, “No problem. We’ve gotta stick together out here anyway.” 

He offered him a cigarette from his pocket, but the scarred kid politely declined before offering him a ration bar instead. Surprised to see that the kid still had some, he gladly took it. “Thanks, haven’t gotten a chance to eat today. Name’s Din, what’s yours?”

The kid pulled out a bar of his own and moved his scarf ever so slightly lower to take a bite. After a moment he spoke again, “You can call me Enjolras."

He nodded in return before chewing slowly. The sound of gunshots continued in the distance and he continued to try to keep cover.  “So Enjolras, tell me. How’d you get pulled into all this? Haven’t seen you on this side of fighting. I’m guessing you’re from one of the other districts?”

The kid shrugged, “You could say that. I had something I had to do close to this area and then had to get out fast. I’ve been all over the place really. A lot’s just been going on the last few days.”

Din gave a laugh, “I guess you could say that. We’re making progress though. It’s slow, but it's there.”

“Would be nice if some help would arrive.”

He raised an eyebrow at the kid’s naive thought. “From who? We’re in between Kaido and Big Mom’s territories and neither of them would give a crap about this place. The World Government doesn’t even bother way out here, and even if they did they’re too busy trying to weed out a pirate problem. Stupid waste of time if ya ask me."

A group of army soldiers seemed to have found their hiding place, and loose shots were beginning to rain down on them from above. He and Enjolras ducked closer to the ground, and in between shots, Din rose briefly to return fire. 

The second time he came back down, the kid continued their conversation. “I hear the Navy’s got their hands full fighting Whitebeard of all people.”

Looking over at Enjolras, he noticed that he didn’t carry a gun, only a couple of knives strapped here and there.

Must have lost his firearm somewhere, though then again, perhaps the kid never had one. He did notice a very slight shudder that went through the boy every time a shot rang out. It was most likely unconscious, but it spoke of past mental trauma.  

He wondered if it had anything to do with the scar on the boy’s face. A scar like that could indeed be caused by an explosion, and what were gunshots but tiny explosions. 

Even as he observed all this, he responded. “I hear the war’s already over, old Whitebeard and his men lost.”

Mismatched blue eyes looked up at him in surprise, “Really? That’s unfortunate. Whitebeard was a good man.”

“Better than Big Mom or Kaido anyway, not sure about the red-haired brat. It’s a shame since he was holding back the tides for a lot of riffraff that was up here.”

“What about other avenues?”

He finally hit one of the soldiers that had been hiding up the incline of the hill, behind some buildings. That left only four to go. “Other avenues?”

“Yeah, like what about the Revolutionary Army?”

He rose an eyebrow at that before crouching by Enjolras once again and taking up another ration bar that he offered. Where was this kid coming up with these things? 

“Don’t know a lot about the RA. Know they hate the World Government and want to change the status quo. Not a lot of information about them gets through here, what with the king having complete control over all the nation's transponder snails. And you can’t expect the newspapers to print anything true about them. The World Government would be idiotic to allow that.” 

Din once again wiped the sweat from his brow, while his young companion responded thoughtfully, “That’s true, though it wouldn’t hurt to ask, maybe get some backup so it doesn’t feel like Baricadia is in this alone?”

He sighed and sat placing his rifle against his shoulder, sitting down on the ground, ignoring for a moment the warfare around him. His body beginning to feel the weariness of it all. They’d been fighting this battle for days—weeks now, without much rest or reprieve. And while they had a reason to fight for their homes and for their loved ones, it was also harrowing to know that they were fighting this alone and no one would care or even know if they were to get wiped off the map.  Their lives and their struggle simply forgotten and covered up... 

“I wouldn’t be against it if they’d be willing to help. But no one knows the first thing about how to contact a clandestine group like them. And even if we did, who even knows if they would help us? They’re taking on the World Government itself, who would have time for the little guys like us?” 

The blue-eyed kid studied him for a moment and Din was curious as to his thoughts, especially when those mismatched orbs seemed to crinkle up slightly in the corners as if he was ever so slightly smiling. The older man felt a cold wind cut right through him and he was about to suggest that they start trying to make their way to a nearby checkpoint and safe house where they could rest for an hour or two when suddenly the ground began to rumble!

Din opened his eyes wide in alarm and confusion. What the?

Not understanding what was happening, he looked over to Enjolras to tell him to hold on to him and the nearby building’s foundation, but he was bewildered to see that the young man didn’t seem disturbed at all. While he did brace himself, he seemed to have been prepared for the tremor. 

As if he expected it…

Din thought back to what the boy had said earlier.

 ‘I had something I had to do close to this area and then had to get out fast…’

What exactly had the boy been doing all the way out here? And by himself? Without a partner? 

BOOOOOM!!!

A sudden explosion followed the tremors shaking him from his thoughts. He watched in shock as a large mushroom of smoke and flame billowed from near the castle. Yelling and alarms could be heard followed by more shots and smaller explosions. 

Din looked around trying to get a bearing on what was going on. That explosion looked to be right at the center of the enemy camp. What the heck had happened?!

“The barricades have been destroyed, Din. You should take the opportunity to lead your men against the king’s soldiers while you have the advantage and before they can regroup.” 

The man looked down at the blue-eyed young man, the knowing look in his contradistinctive gaze was unsettling. 

“What? What do you—”

“You’re Jahryn Din, correct? Leader of the Northeast rebel battalion? Your men need you.”

Din looked at the boy, who suddenly didn’t seem like such a “boy” anymore, in astonishment. He knew he hadn’t told the kid his full name or rank. And the boy could barely see his face. And then there was the explosion itself, which the kid also obviously knew about and he was beginning to think he was responsible for. 

Who was this kid? 

He moved over to question him about how exactly he knew what he did, when he instinctively dunked as more gunshots rang out over his head, just barely missing him. A few even ricocheted off of the nearby stones. 

“Oh, for the love of…” 

The boy called Enjolras—if that even was his name—growled and looked towards his rifle. “May I?”

Feeling like his world was turning topsy-turvy, the older man silently handed the firearm over to the scarred young man. The kid quickly unlatched the gun and checked the ammunition before closing up the chamber again.

Going to one knee, the kid lifted the gun up with practiced precision, his entire body conforming to that of an expert shot.  Using his right eye to aim, his posture was perfect, his limbs, stance, and hold on the trigger were still and calm. He was the picture of a paragon marksman, slowly breathing in through his nose before releasing it past his lips. 

And then he pulled the trigger. 

BANG!

BANG! BANG!

BANG!

Four shots rang out in quick succession, each shot true and on the mark as Din heard all rest of the hidden soldiers fall. Taking a moment to see if any other enemies would pop out of the woodwork, the kid didn’t drop his guard or his stance until it was obvious that the area was clear. 

At that point, he relaxed and lowered the rifle before handing it back to the slackjawed older man with a hidden smile before standing up. “I think we’re going to have to separate here, Din. You need to get going. Thanks again for helping me out.”

He could only blankly blink in response as he was offered a helping hand up. 

Those mismated eyes twinkled with knowing mischief, and Din couldn’t help to be pulled towards them, allowing the young man to assist him in standing. 

As he let go of the unsurprisingly strong grip, the strange not-quite-rebel soldier reached into his pocket before pressing several items in his still outstretched hand. Looking down, his eyes went wide with shock as he saw that the kid had given him several more ration bars as well as an actual transponder snail! Attached to it was a small white card with only a simple handwritten number on it. 

“Once you’re done taking over the enemy stronghold here and have had a chance to regroup, maybe give this number a call. Believe me, there are people who think that the ‘little guys’ are just as, if not more important, in trying to right the injustices of the world.”

Taking a step away, the young man took a small moment to pull down his face scarf, revealing a warm charming grin to accompany those sharp distinctive eyes and rugged scar. “You’re not alone, Din.”

And just like that, he rose the mask back up on his face, before running off in the opposite direction, leaving the rebel leader completely dumbfounded. 

As the kid got further away, he shook himself out of his stupor enough to call out, “Hey! Kid!” 

The kid-who-wasn’t-really-a-kid turned around for a second to look back at him. Din found himself smiling before yelling out. “You’re name’s not actually ‘Enjolras’ is it?”

The kid seemed to be smiling again if he had read his tone right. “I never said it was. But you can call me that if you like. The person who you call at that number will know who you’re talking about. Now go!”

This time he turned and ran off once again this time disappearing in the maze of city remains. Din placed the food and the precious transponder and number into the pouches on his belt. He then ran off to gather his men to proceed to attack. 

Considering that the kid—a Revolutionary agent—had bought them this opportunity, it would be a shame to waste it!

Purururu…Purururu…

Touching the receiver on the baby transponder snail on his wrist he listened as the woman on the other end of the line spoke softly. 

“What I love most about rivers is…”

He responded quickly with the other half of the passcode, letting them know it was okay to talk. 

“...you can’t step in the same river twice.” 

He then spoke out today’s communication code number, “2-3-0-6-1-9-9-5-Papa-Oscar-Charlie”

“Line is secure. I can see it was mission accomplished, BlueJay.”

“It went pretty smoothly, all things considered. You should be getting a call incoming soon, Janite. I think you’ll find them pretty happy for an ally in all this.”

“That’s good to hear, Bluejay. Any problems?”

As he walked, the man unwrapped the scarf from around his head and headed to a small one-man vessel on the edge of a hidden rocky alcove. Jumping aboard, he walked over to where he had hidden his things. “Baricadia’s going to need a paint job and a whole lot of new doors, but if they take advantage of what they’ve got, they should be well on their way. Also, I’ve heard the war with the Navy and Whitebeard is over.”

The woman on the other end of the line sighed sadly, “I haven’t got all the details as everything’s still in flux and communication is bad out here, but as far as we can gather, it ended some hours ago with the emperor’s crew taking the loss.”

The young man stripped out of the rebel fatigues before taking up a blue jacket and slipping it on. The holster came next, and then he pulled out a long pipe, the edges forged out of seastone and slipped it into place on his back. “That’s unfortunate. Newgate was a good man, and this is going to cause quite a bit of a power vacuum.”

Janite agreed, “It was nice to have the World Government's eyes off of us for a while, but Golden Eagle wants you back at the Nest as soon as you’re done here.”

He took up a white cloth and expertly ran it around his neck, tying a simple cravat with ease. “I figured. I’m on my way. I should be back in about a day or less, depending on the winds.” 

“Thanks once again for all your help, Bluejay. We’ll meet again soon. Godspeed, over and out.”

The snail went quiet, and while the sounds of the conflict at the city’s center could still vaguely be heard, it was oddly peaceful out here on the island’s edge. 

Undoing the rope holding his boat in place and raising the single sail, he took out an eternal pose, allowing it to guide his path. 

Taking out a black top hat, a pair of silvery goggles wrapped around its edge, the Chief of Staff and General of the Revolutionary Army, codename “Bluejay”, real name—Sabo grinned to himself before placing the hat on his head. 

He still loved the placid peace of the sea on even this clouded night. 

“Time to head home.”

On the waters near Marineford, the evening of the end of the Paramount War

Akainu sat at his desk on his ship and laid down the information from the report given to him by his men. They had followed the pirates from a distance up to the back island piers of Marineford and had listened in. So RedHair and Phoenix had separated from their crews and there seemed to be an issue with FireFist’s missing body. Reportedly, the pirates thought some naval officers had taken FireFist’s body away. 

Personally, he would have had the Pirate King’s spawn beheaded and then drawn and quartered, his separate pieces put on display as a warning to all who wished to continue Roger’s legacy and legend, to show the folly that would follow those on such a horrid path. But Sengoku of course, soft once again, had allowed that brat Shanks to convince him to give up the bodies of Whitebeard and FireFist back to the pirate scum for a “proper burial”. 

As if such swine deserved such a thing.

However, there had been no reports by any officers of having recovered the boy’s corpse, and considering such an action would be acting in violation of a direct order, he had to think these “marines” were not actually connected to any part of the Navy.

Kizaru had reported something similar in that at the very end of the war, a brown-haired female captain had attacked him with some strange devil fruit ability that had actually been able to paralyze him in place. That thought alone was cause for alarm, and the fact that they had sleeper agents in their ranks was even worse!

Curse that demon Dragon and his wretched army!

He hoped that wretched incendiary’s son was dying a most painful death. Though even he had doubts about that considering the child’s rotten luck and that he was in the hands of that hotshot pirate doctor from the North. 

Sakazuki knew that it would be foolish to not keep an eye on the doings of the RedHair emperor and the new captain of the Whitebeards. There could be nothing that tainted the Navy’s victory this day. However, their own men were being brought up short. Too much needed to be done at HQ, and thanks to that stupid old fool’s last words, pirates were causing chaos all over the seas, the Grand Line, and the New World. 

No, it seems he was going to have to leave this in other hands.

Reaching out to the transponder snail on his desk he dialed a number before allowing it to ring. 

Purururu…Purururu…gatcha

The voice on the other side of the line seemed to be amused, “Well, well, it’s an honor, admiral. What can I do ya for?”

“Don’t even bother with the pleasantries. I need one of CP9’s independent agents.”

The new leader of Cipher Pol 9 raised an eyebrow. “Very interesting, admiral. I’m going to guess this has to do with the Revolutionary Army’s presence at the Paramount War?”

Akainu didn’t bother to answer. Cipher Pol knew what they knew. No one was going to stop that.  It wasn’t worth it to play into the espionage group’s hands by revealing more than you meant to. 

The man on the other line seemed to realize he wasn’t going to get any more info, so he sighed and seemed to be looking through his register. “Independent agent, eh? So I’m guessing this is going to be off the books.”

Well if that wasn’t redundant. Everything CP9 did was off the books. The department wasn’t even supposed to be known to exist. 

After a moment the face on the snail smiled, “Ah, I think I have just what you need, and probably a familiar face. He’s worked for you before and he can definitely handle any job. You remember, Aramaki?”

Akainu let a slight smirk come to his face. He’d been hoping that the man wasn’t on another job. Aramaki was a strong up-and-comer mercenary who could get the job done when called for. He also understood what needed to be done. None of that softshell stuff that Sengoku or Aokiji fell prey to. He may be a bit headstrong perhaps, but he would go far.

“Send him over,” he barked in reply before hanging up the line without waiting for the other man’s confirmation. 

Less than an hour later, a collection of roots seemed to spring from out of the cracks in the floor of Akainu’s office. He merely watched, having seen the display before, though it was rather interesting that the man had been able to make his way so secretly onboard his ship when he had already set sail. 

The roots converged, forming larger and larger plant-like projections that eventually took the shape of a man. It took only seconds before in the chair before his desk, a green-haired man sat barechested wearing only a dark trenchcoat, some torn jeans, and heavy boots. A sword sat on his hip and heavy sunglasses covered his eyes. He sat casually, taking a drag on his cigarette before releasing the smoke. 

“Happy to be working with you again, Admiral. What do you have for me?”

He passed the man the report, “As of now, simply call it a hunch, but right now the balance in power is sitting on the edge of a knife. I need all ‘t’s crossed and ‘i’s dotted. I need you to find out what’s going on with RedHair, Phoenix, FireFist’s body, and these fake Marines. If it’s nothing that the Navy needs to worry about, let it go. If you happen to take out some of the enemies of the World Government in the process, all the better.” 

Aramaki read through the details before commenting. “Getting past Phoenix won’t be a problem, the bird’s probably on the edge of a mental breakdown by now considering all that’s happened. RedHair on the other hand is another matter. With him, one might have to provide a ‘distraction’.”

Akainu growled, “Whatever way you decide to get it done is up to you. Do what you have to, I leave it up to you. You have the coordinates they were last seen to go in which should give you a good start.” 

The green-haired man grinned before folding up the report and placing it in his trench coat pocket, doing a two-finger salute. “Yes, sir. I’ll let you know what I find, Admiral.”

“Remember if you make a mess, make sure to clean it up.” 

The man casually waved the issue away, “Of course, don’t I always?”

This time the man headed to the window, his hands already twisting into knarled branches and vines. As he lifted himself through, seemingly ready to jump out into the night, Sakazuki couldn’t stop himself from asking. 

“How did you get here anyway? We’re miles from land.”

The mercenary paused for a moment as if surprised at the question, before saluting once again. “By air, of course, sir.”

Then he jumped out into the dark, soon followed by the strange sound of a propeller whirring echoed through the night.  

Aboard the Commandeered Marine Ship out at sea, Paradise

Lily and Marco had been working on Ace for about an hour together and she could feel her hope and excitement build as she completed the last of the coverings remaining of the heart and lungs. Her original estimate of half an hour had been hampered by the Flare-Flare fruit acting up, which required Marco and then later Captain Shanks to keep her patient restrained. 

But it was now time to see if they could actually do this. 

Marco watched in awe as Lily worked, his part complete for now. He had never seen such an ability that had carefully reconstructed the heart and the lungs from the ravaged remnants that they were, to the full, healthy new organs that he could now see before him. The many muscles of the thoracic cavity had been slowly knitting themselves back together attaching to pleurae as nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels all grew back in a chaotic, fantastic tangled mess. The bones and cartilage of the ribs were the slowest in their growth, but they too were on the mend. 

It would be a while before they were all complete again, but the thing was that Marco could actually see that eventually, they would be complete, and that alone was a miracle worth having wonderment over. The care, precision, and power that Lily had over her devil fruit were beyond amazing, and at such a young age. It was no wonder that Dragon seemed to be hiding her away. He was sure if the Revolutionaries had had an agent with such skill in the field, her power would not have gone unnoticed for as long as it had.

A selfish part of him wondered what could have been if he had met Lily even a day ago and what her skills could have done for his father. With abilities like hers, the possibilities were practically limitless. 

However, having had enough “what-ifs” to last a lifetime, he pushed those thoughts to the side and concentrated on the task at hand. 

Lily spoke aloud to the two pirates by her side, “Okay men, you know what to do. Let’s hope and pray that this works.”

Shanks stood by her side while Marco stood across from her, both of them at the ready. The issue had been that once the heart had been reformed, it still needed a shock to get it beating again. A defibrillator couldn’t be used on the raw organs and simply massaging the muscle to get it going, also wouldn’t work. So, there needed to be a bit of a workaround.

The glow around Lily’s fingers and eyes increased and she tightened her grip on whatever she was seeing with her sightless vision. With it this time, Marco was able to see a responding slight luminescence around Ace’s chest. After a moment she spoke “Your turn, Phoenix.”

He let his flames once again engulf Ace’s chest, this time letting it intensify in strength more than ever before. While doing this, He used his hands to push the lungs slightly to the side, allowing the heart to be plainly seen. He could see through both his and her efforts, that everything was pulsing with life, vivified once again.

The ivory-haired woman looked over in Shanks’ direction,  “It’s now or never, Captain. Do it.” 

The redhead seemed to take a deep breath before stalwartly reaching into the torso, his hand held slightly above where the upper right side of the heart.  

“Right here?”, he asked with slight hesitation.

Marco used his arm to push the man’s hand slightly lower. “There. Alright, go for it.” 

Once again, the pressure in the room shifted and while Marco was able to hold his ground, Lily squirmed a bit under its heavy presence. A gust of air swept the room, and the scent of ozone pervaded throughout the room. Black and red sparks began to form in the air, getting bigger and bigger with each passing moment.

Shanks expertly coated his hand in Supreme King’s haki, the arcs of fulmination reflecting in his cinereal eyes. With a single shot, a bolt of black lightning jumped from out of his hand, shooting down into the newly formed heart!

Ace’s body jolted from the impact, his back arching as if he was a bow on a string, his body seizing for a few pregnant moments before falling back down to the table again.

Immediately all three participants drew their power back, releasing their hold and letting the body settle again on its own. 

There was a collective holding of breath as if the entire room had forgotten how to exhale. Time had all but stopped for the 3 of them as they simply—waited. 

One second…

Two…

Three…

LUB…DUB…

Lily jumped at the sudden sound that shattered the unintended silence, Only to look down in astonishment at the cardiac myocytes beginning to move in excitement. 

LUB-DUB…

Shanks watched with wonder as the strangely shaped lump of flesh only slightly bigger than his fist, began to move all on its own. Moving up and down, jerking from side to side, the sound of it rather loud in his own ears.

A huge grin had taken over his face before he could even properly comprehend it all. 

LUB-DUB!

Marco had thought he was done with the tears for the time being, but of course, Ace would be the first to try his best to prove him wrong. 

But the blond didn’t even have it in him to care as he felt his eyes growing full, his vision wavering. 

He tenderly ran his hand over the side of the kid’s face and hair, trying to hold back an unexpected sob. He watched with unrestrained happiness as Ace’s heart beat strongly. His lungs seemed to follow the action, inhaling and exhaling in a steady, soft rhythm. 

He smiled lightly. It was only a start really. There was still so much that needed to be done. So much that still could go wrong. And yet…

This was the first time that the impossible had finally felt possible. 

He whispered quietly as if, if he spoke too loudly, it would break some spell that had been cast and he would find out that this was some kind of fever dream that he had gotten after being injured on the battlefield. That he would wake up and find out that none of this was real. 

But he said it away, because if this was some kind of dream, then he was going to enjoy it for all it was worth, consequences be damned. 

“Welcome back, Ace.”

.

.

.

The strange, slightly uncomfortable sensations didn’t disappear. No, instead, they seemed to increase. 

He could no longer completely feel comfortable and he grasped at the woman’s dress in order to try to ignore it all. 

Her hands still stroked his hair, and her lullabies continued to soothe. The other hand that had been holding him close on her lap, moved in soft circles along his back and arms in a way to gentle him.

It was as if she understood what was happening to him and was trying to ease him through it. 

The entire time, the man’s strong hand never left his shoulder, his simple steady sheltering indomitable presence never leaving his side. 

The three of them stayed like that for a time until suddenly–like a bold out of the blue–a searing pain grabbed onto his chest and wouldn’t let go! 

He flinched against it, trying to squirm away. It hurt!

Soft arms embraced him, cradling him and rocking him back and forth. A strong hand grasped his, holding on tightly. The woman implored him.

‘Breathe little one…just breathe.’

And for the first time since he’d found himself in this place, he found that he could! 

Intrigued by the new sensation even with the pain at his center, he took one short shallow breath after another, allowing them to get deeper and more instinctive with each one.

As he did so, the pain ebbed a bit, no longer painful but still… something.

He felt different somehow. He felt almost like a diver who had just realized he was tethered.  

Male laughter could be heard and he felt a rougher hand ruffle his hair. 

‘You’ve got a strong heart, my boy. I always knew you would. It’s why I named you after the very essence of my life.’

For the first time, the woman’s focus was taken off him and instead went to the nearby male presence. She snorted with disbelief.

‘Don’t you start with that “my weapon is my life” crap. The only reason that I even went along with it was that I decided that his name had more meaning than simply being the name of a stupid blade.’

‘But darlin’, I–’

She turned her attention back to him and he felt light with laughter inside of his heart as she cuddled him close, her nose nuzzling against his. 

Now that was something he knew he had never experienced before!

‘He’s my number one noble one. And that’s all there is to it.’

The male seemed to sigh in affectionate resignment. 

‘Yes, darlin’...’

Chapter Text

Chapter 9 - Turning Point

Lime Juice sat near the helm, taking apart and cleaning his gun. It was a mindless action that was supposed to take his mind off of what was going on down below, but…

Who was he kidding? 

Every time he tried not to think about it, his mind was drawn back in some way or another. That fact that in the hold below, they were basically trying to bring Portgas D. Ace back from the dead, was nuts! It felt weird to say, considering all the things he had encountered while sailing the seas, but somehow it was still unbelievable after having personally witnessed what the pirate had gone through. 

When his captain had returned to the deck and told him the truth of what was going on, he hadn’t believed him. But when the man hadn’t concluded his statement with a horribly tasteless laugh and the claim that he was joking, Juice could only stare at him in shock. 

And so, here they were a day after the Marineford war, continuing their trek towards Saboady. The plan was to eventually meet up with the Force, while also getting a change of ship and supplies along the way. He had just received a call from both Benn and their allies as to the coming timetable end rendezvous. 

Footsteps approaching from behind him had him turn slightly to see his captain making his way tiredly toward him. He nodded to him before standing next to him, watching their heading. 

He looked over Shanks, noting the tiredness in his movements that would probably be less obvious to most of those who weren’t aware of what to look for. Juice had kept watch of the ship, while also keeping it on its heading and navigating new paths when needed. It was a small vessel so he could do it pretty well on his own, but even then that meant just getting some sleep in little spurts and grabbing food from the ship's stores every so often. Shanks would come up and check on him, getting an update on the current status as well as any communique from the several parties that he was connected with every few hours or so, though he kept to the hold most of the time.  He hadn’t seen the Phoenix since he had first gone below, and the mysterious miracle-working doctor Miss hadn’t shown her face once either. 

He had a hard time thinking that they had gotten any more rest than he had. In fact, he was pretty sure they had probably not slept or eaten since they’d arrived. 

With that in mind, Juice spoke up, “Captain, have you eaten today?”

Shanks smiled tiredly looking a bit abashed before shaking his head, “Not yet, though I had a little something yesterday. Right now, I’m more so worried about our two doctors down there.”

“Let me guess, they haven’t slept or eaten either? You guys will do Portgas no good if you all collapse yourselves.” the blond pointed out reprovingly.

“I know that…and if you think I look bad, you should see the other two. But they’re not going to stop until either Ace is stable enough that they can leave his side for 10 minutes without crashing, or they get some reprieve. Any word on when Lisel will be getting here?”

Lisel was a captain of a small group of pirates that patrolled out in these waters that had become part of the RedHair grand fleet about a year ago. Shanks had contacted Beckman earlier, vaguely telling him that there was a situation without going into any details, asking them to send them new transportation along with supplies. The vice-captain had told him that he would try to find someone who could fit the bill in getting them what they needed. 

7 hours earlier

Only minutes ago, Benn had called Juice about getting in contact with Lisel and her crew and that they would meet them along their path early the next day. Juice had relayed that to Shanks who had agreed to the plan, before having to rush back down below to aid the others working there.

This left the RedHair executive to continue working out the details. Benn had asked vaguely how everything was going, the hidden implications obvious. This was supposed that have been a short detour that seemed to be taking much longer than originally thought and no one was getting an explanation. 

Juice wished he could have told the man everything, but he knew why the captain hadn’t just blurted out everything from the start. What he wouldn’t give for a white transponder snail, but they had never thought to take one from the ship! If the government somehow tapped into their transponders and heard the truth about Ace, they would find themselves a very hot target with very few people in a condition to provide protection.  He was okay to fight and he knew Shanks would step up. Marco would probably also fight with whatever he had left, but none of them were at their best and it would cost them against a rested and recuperating Navy force. And then there were the two not-Marines, the shadow, and the lady doctor. It was probably a pretty good guess that they didn’t want to be found either, though he didn’t think the other doctor was able to defend herself either, and the shadow creature had some pretty good defense, it was anyone’s guess how long it would hold up and against what. 

And so, they could tell no one on the outside what was going on yet at least in direct terms, though perhaps he could try to give vague clues. The Red-Hair pirates had a bit of code that could be used. Shanks would have probably thought to use it if he wasn’t so occupied with whatever they were doing to save FireFist. It was worth a shot. 

“We’re doing well here, Beck. Thanks for getting in touch with Lisel. No need to worry, I’m still looking after the captain. All good here!"

 He then jokingly added as if in an afterthought, “Hey Beck, you remember that time when we got apple juice instead of booze?”

We have a situation here. We can’t talk plainly, talk in code.

There was barely a pause before, Benn responded with amusement, “Haha, I remember. Shanks drank the whole thing without even realizing the difference. What? Does the captain need some again?”

Did something happen to the captain? Do you need assistance?

Juice continued on, never letting the seriousness of the situation reflect at all in his speech. “Nah, he’ll be fine. Wish we could have some of that really good ale though, you know like the stuff from Hongo’s hometown? That was some good booze.”

Captain’s fine, but we could use assistance. Can you send Hongo?

While he could hear Benn’s smirk in his voice, it was absent from the snail’s face which continued to look alert with concern. “We can see what we can do, I mean as close as we are, it takes at least a day to get the stuff. Maybe faster if we’re really desperate.”

We’re close, we can get Hongo there in a day or less if necessary.

He responded with exaggerated outrage, “Hey! Hey! Not to you idiots! Over here to us! We’re the ones that need it. We’re goin’ dry over here.”

It’s necessary, get him here as fast as you can.

"Maybe next time, Juice. Maybe we'll get Lisel to bring over some white ale to tide you over."

We'll get you a white transponder snail. 

"Thanks a lot, I’ll make sure to remind the captain about that apple juice story when I talk to him again.”

I’ll remind Shanks that we’re using the code system. 

Beckman nodded, “See that ya do, that guy needs to be reminded of all the times he’s been an idiot. I’m keeping it together over here, though even the 2nd place losers over here are getting restless.”

Keep Shanks up to speed. I’m holding down the fort. The Whitebeard pirates are getting anxious though. 

Juice could understand that. The Whitebeards would be floundering, needing stability and reassurance as the shock of the war began to wear off. But their new shepherd, unbeknownst to them, had to leave the ninety-nine to go after the one lost sheep. They would need explanations as well, though he hoped he wouldn’t have to be the one to give them. 

“Thanks, Beck, hope to see you guys again soon.”

He hung up after that,  just in time to feel the obvious tell-tale signs of the Captain’s haki. Shanks had been using it in spurts here and there below, doing whatever they had to do in saving the fire kid’s life. This though was the biggest one so far. 

A few minutes later, he saw Shanks coming up from below one again. However, unlike before, there was a bright grin on his face and a bit more pep in his step. He told him with delight that they had finally been able to get Ace’s heart beating and his lungs breathing on their own again. 

Considering what Lime had seen of what had been done to him, he couldn’t picture FireFist moving anything ever again. So the fact that he currently had a pulse was beyond a miracle. 

Lime had liked the kid well enough when he had first come to see them, to thank Shanks for saving Luffy’s life. The kid had had a wild reputation, and it had been a surprise to find out how well-mannered he’d been, nor how young he actually was. He had a good head on his shoulders and he looked to be strong enough to make it in their cutthroat world. 

When it was revealed that he was to be executed, he had shared his Captain’s foreboding. One didn’t have the Seer-Seer fruit, and not get some feel for clairvoyance.  And then, to become the focal point of the ongoing war between pirates and the government, was not something he wished on anyone. And when the truth about Ace’s parentage had been revealed, he had felt his heart sink, not just for Ace himself, but for his leader and friend, who looked as if someone had hit him with a well-aimed kidney punch. 

The difference in Shanks’ expression now was stark in comparison,  as he rambled on about how he, Marco, and the doctor lady, Lily, had rebuilt and restarted the boy's heart. Hope had taken very clear roots, and it was blossoming quite nicely so far. Juice could only do what he could to make sure it lasted. 

The redhead drifted off to sleep while chattering, probably not even aware that he had fallen prey to his own fatigue. Juice didn’t have it in him to wake the guy up again. He needed whatever rest he could get, as he doubted it would be for long enough.

He moved to shift Shank’s cloak to cover him more effectively, before going back to the ship’s helm once again. 

He called out across the empty deck, “Hey, smoke creature? ‘Schaden’ was it?”

A sudden shifting to his right startled him, and he would never admit to having jumped just a little bit at how close the creature had been. The shadows of darkness rolled into a thicker mass and glowing purple shapes that resembled eyes, looked back at him, a bit clearer than they had been before. He could only guess that it– he? –had been resting all this time after the captain had attacked it. 

Juice indicated towards the door that led below, “Can you go and keep an eye on the guys below? I don’t think you’re going to be able to get them to take a rest, but just watch out for them to make sure they’re okay. If something happens, let me know.”

The cloud seemed to hover for a time before he heard a weird noise that was like that of wooden shutters rattling. He could only guess that meant “yes”. Schaden slipped into a nearby shadow on the ground, before slithering across the deck and under the door. 

Present Day

Shanks had only slept for about 4 hours before jerking back awake and immediately heading back to the makeshift operating room. Lily and Marco had been working tirelessly to get their patient in at least good enough condition to be transferred. 

It had been decided already that they couldn’t stay on a stolen navy ship for too long, even while it flew the Red-Hair Pirates jolly roger, it would just raise too many questions and suspicions. It was also a small target that might invite trouble to anyone who wanted to be overzealous, whether pirate or marine. 

Ace also needed more medical supplies and equipment than the small patrol ship had available and he needed a proper operating table and then further a proper medical bed once everything was said and done. 

So it was decided that Captain Lisel would bring a secondary ship from the fleet that they could use. The ship had already been fitted for long-distance travel and so already had a fully functioning sick bay that included an OR theatre. 

As Juice and Shanks waited there in the cool of the morning, Schaden, came gliding over to their side. It seems like time had improved the shadow being. He was no longer crackly with pops of electricity, and he now had decided to take up a more humanoid form. He had a human-like body, his eyes were now regular-sized on his face,  though most of his features were still obscure, with no mouth or nose or really anything else. He had been going back and forth from below to back on the deck. He didn’t seem to linger in the operating room, only staying long enough to check on things, before leaving again. Shanks could sense nervousness from the creature whenever it came close to the surgery area, only seeming to want to watch over Lily but not staying around long enough to distract her. 

He could also tell Schaden was as worried as he was about how haggard Lily and Marco were beginning to look. He knew he wasn’t getting enough sleep, but he was used to long nights and he had a responsibility to look after his charges. The two doctors also had a responsibility to their patient who completely depended on them, but both had come into this after having participated in an arduous war with no rest in between. 

They needed food and sleep, but they couldn’t leave Ace unattended in his critical state. And thus the impasse. 

He may have to ask Lisel for the use of her medic and hope that he was skilled enough to take over. He wanted to keep this close to home as much as possible. He trusted Lisel and her crew, but he didn’t know them. If he had had the time or the forethought, he could have—

“There, Captain.” Juice interrupted his thoughts and pointed over toward 10 o’clock at the ship he was seeing approaching out of the morning fog.

The ship was twice as big as the one they were on, though even then it was still on the smaller side. What concerned Shanks was that the ship was alone. Where was Lisel? Shouldn’t she be accompanying it?  

It took the ship about ten minutes before it was close enough that he was able to sense the presence of who was on the ship and therefore his answer, his mouth stretching into a broad grin.

A couple of shadowed figures stood on the deck, one was at the helm, the other leaning against the balustrade. The second figure on the arriving vessel quickly used a bo staff in hand to propel himself off the ship, across the water, and then to land on the deck of their own boat. Shanks grinned, shaking his head at his executive’s theatric actions before walking up to him with more pep in his step than he had all morning. And why not? The answer to many a prayer and concern had just arrived. 

“Always right on time! Hongo, I’m not sure what you’re doing here, but I’m happy you are! And is that Snake with you?”

The large gray-haired navigator of the Red Force—Building Snake, smiled, waving from the helm, expertly piloting the new ship closer. The one who had jumped over, the brown-haired main doctor of the Red-Haired Pirates—Hongo, dusted himself off from his rocky landing before stowing his staff on his back, a concerned look in his eyes as he approached. 

“Snake just tagged along.” He gave a questioning raised eyebrow to Schaden, before continuing on the redhead. “Juice asked me to come. Didn’t he tell ya, boss?”

Lime Juice responded distractedly while still trying to guide their boat as close to the other ship as possible. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Captain. I used the code to call for Hongo’s help. I figured we needed another medic.”

Shanks felt the vein in his forehead twitch, finding himself once again, in only a day, trying not to strangle the blond. “Is there anything else that you neglected to tell me, Juice?”

“Just that Beckman is holding things together on the ship and that the Whitebeards are asking questions and getting anxious.”

“And you didn’t tell me any of this, because…?”

“You had fallen asleep Captain. And then by the time you woke up, I was asleep and after that, I basically forgot.”

This time it was Hongo who stopped his captain from wringing the man’s neck, smoothly stepping in between the two and quickly changing the subject.

“Hey, Snake and I picked up the ship from Lisel considering all the hush-hush secrecy and got over here as fast as we could. I only brought Kino and Ko with me just in case.”

Hongo’s two medical assistants, the brother and sister duo of Kino and Ko, were moving around on the bigger vessel, helping with the rigging and keeping it steady.

The man put his hand on his hip, raising an eyebrow, “So now can you please tell me what’s going on? Did Phoenix get hurt really bad or something?”

 Shanks sighed before waving the other man along towards below deck. “I’ll explain as we go.”

“You look like crap by the way.”

“It’s been a long night.”

Hongo followed his captain below, noting mentally all the things he would have to check up on the man. The deep fatigue was obvious and probably expected. Juice as well, though not nearly as bad. Signs of haki strain were also present, though not immediately obvious. Even a haki powerhouse like his captain needed to recharge every now and again. It was probably fine for now but was something to keep an eye on if Shanks would not or could not take his rest. 

They had begun the day yesterday planning to stop a war, which eventually led to holding off Kaido, and then finally putting an end to the war. And yet somehow that had morphed into going on a search for a missing body, and now to some super-secret detour that required only trusted comrades and personnel.

Shanks spoke as he led the doctor through the halls. “We’ve got a situation and we’ll be working with the Whitebeards on this. We have to keep this quiet for as long as possible. Have you slept since I last saw you?”

The man nodded in affirmation, “Yeah, I’ve got energy to spare.”

“Great…you’re going to need it.”

With that weirdly ominous remark, Shanks pushed open a door, allowing Hongo to follow. 

The first thing that hit him was that he had just stepped into a really makeshift operating room. The smell of antiseptic, blood, and fluids filled the air. There were multiple lamps and candles lit, some of them having already been used up and replaced, while a few machines and several IVs were surrounding what seemed to be a wooden meeting table.

He saw Phoenix first. 

And if he thought the captain had looked bad, then Marco looked like he was the living dead. 

The man was clearly dead on his feet, he had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was limp against his scalp and his breathing was slightly labored. Exhaustion was evident in every movement he made—but the determination in his eyes was as stalwart as ever. He was operating across from a young woman who looked practically just as bone-tired and drained as Marco was. Her coloring didn’t look healthy to him, something about it looked off even considering the many unique peoples of the world. She was wearing the remnants of a soiled marine uniform, though if Shanks and Marco were okay with that, he didn’t have a problem. 

Unlike Marco, she wasn’t surgical tools but instead seemed to be moving her fingers and hands as if puppeteering a marionette, a white glow in her eyes and around her fingers. Was she using a devil fruit on the patient? That thought finally made him look down at the subject they were both working on and had obviously been performing surgery on for quite some time.

He looked down past their moving bodies. He was greeted with a head full of shoulder-length black hair and pale skin…A dusting of freckles…and a misspelled tattoo…

What in the world?

Seriously?!

Hongo’s eyes went wide with shock. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…”

Lily knew she was at her limit. She needed to sleep for a month and then probably eat 3 horses. If she didn’t stop soon her body would collapse without her. She’d seen Schaden’s worried looks, though he didn’t say anything every time he’d briefly come in to check on her. He wasn’t fond of operating rooms, leftover trauma from their days in the facility. Lily herself would have been there right along with him if not for becoming a doctor and a surgeon, it allowed her to become the ruler of the operating table, rather than a victim of it.  

Shanks had brought them another ship with better facilities and supplies just as he promised. He had also surprisingly brought his own ship’s doctor to take over for her and Marco while they were given time to rest. She was currently explaining to him what they had already done and what he needed to do in the meantime. 

“After we got his heart started, I concentrated on repairing the spinal column. The vertebrae took the longest to complete. While I did that, Marco close up what he could temporarily until we can return to finish the job. I grew the skin on his back out enough for it to close again, though it’s pretty thin and I haven’t had the time or the stamina to do more than a few layers."

Hongo nodded, looking over his new case and seeing the progress that had been done, but all that there still was to do. True to what the girl–Lily–had said, the wound on Portgas’ back had been sealed up with all-new skin. It was thin compared to the muscle and membrane areas that hadn’t been injured, and the new part of his backbone stood out within the wound. The kid needed the extra layers to try to maintain body heat, though perhaps the presence of his fire fruit would help with that.

He did notice though that the kid didn’t seem to have a drop of fat on him, and not in a good way. It was to the point that certain parts of his body had begun to look wane and sunken in. “Why does he look so drawn?” 

“I needed to use every bit of nutrients and energy that his body had in order to do this, and I’ll need even more. You’ll need to keep him intravenously fed way beyond the norm. Not just nutrients either. Saline solutions, antibiotics, electrolytes, blood transfusions from time to time, the entire works.” she told to him as she continue to knit, stitch and create. 

Marco spoke up as he finished sealing another vessel. “You need to have your people have all the life support machines up and running. Ace’s heart rate is doing fine so far on its own, but I’m not going to leave that to chance.”

Hongo nodded having already figured that, “I already had Kino and Ko take care of that. I’m heading back after this, we’ll be ready to receive him.” 

“The plan is for Schaden to teleport both myself and him to the new sickbay, limiting the time and distance that Portgas has to be moved. My power will usually hold up at this distance, but I’ve never tried it in conjunction with Scha’s teleportation ability. I’m hoping that I can hold the connection better if he moves us at the same time. It’ll be hard for all 3 of us, but it isn’t for a long distance.” Lily continued. “Once we’re over, I will slowly turn him over to you. You will just have to basically keep him alive until I return. If he arrests and you can’t resuscitate, wake me up .”

Shanks stepped up, “We have a plan, let’s do it. The less time we stay out here like sitting ducks, the better.”

The Red-Hair Pirates had already transferred over to the new vessel (it was called the Renata , and the men had already begun to affectionately call it “ Ren ” for short), with Shanks conferring with his men on the situation and their heading. This left Marco, Lily, and Schaden to finish things on their end. 

The Whitebeard captain sighed languidly before finishing with the gauze, bandages, and coverings to keep Ace settled during transport. His chest wound was still mostly open, there not being enough skin to cover it using loose sutures, so they had to be extra careful. 

Pulling off his gloves and mask, the blond moved to rub the bridge of his nose tiredly before looking up at Lily. He wasn’t surprised that his vision was wavering, at this point, he had been up for over 48 hours nonstop. Taking a breath to steady himself, he walked over and placed a hand on Lily’s shoulder. “I’ll wait for you three over there.”

She nodded back at him, watching him silently leave with only a brief glance back. There had been no way for Schaden to take the strain of taking them altogether, so it was decided that Phoenix would wait till the last minute before jumping ship the normal way. 

Now that it was just her, Scha, and the commander once again, it was kind of wild to remember that this was how it had all started. Her partner seemed to echo her thoughts. 

‘This definitely wasn’t how I expected this assignment to go when we first took it.’

Lily nodded with a sigh, “Who knew that saving one man would cause such a chain reaction of events?”

‘Hey, at least we got a lot of strong backup for our trip home. I’m kinda glad that the Emperor and Phoenix showed up. I mean doing this on our own would have been murder. They’re not bad guys despite their fearsome reputations. At least as far as pirates go.’

She smiled drowsily, ‘They’re not so bad once you get to know them. I’m going to need you to contact the Chief and check in while I’m out.”

Scha came closer to her, ‘Should I tell him about FireFist?’

She thought about it for a moment, “Hmm…yes, but make sure the line is secure first. Only tell Sabo…or Dragon… This is too important to trust to some go-between.”

‘Got it.’ Schaden grew in size, blanketing Lily’s shoulders. ‘We should go, they’re waiting, and you need sleep. You got him?’

Lily felt far weaker than she did when she first began to venture. It almost felt like Firefist had tripled in weight. They had already taken him off all the used-up IVs and machines, she was once again keeping his systems running smoothly. 

Gathering him closer from off the table, she hugged him closer to herself. She watched amused as his head unconsciously lolled against her shoulder, his long hair falling into his face. She had worked on this man longer than any other patient in her career as a doctor. She had worked herself to the bone, gone against RA protocol, and pushed her power past all kinds of bounds, and she could still not quite tell you why she had decided to save him. 

Something about his eyes reminded her of someone. 

She wasn’t quite sure who, but the moment he had determined to save his little brother’s life, no matter the cost. His eyes had changed. 

And for just a second, she had seen another set of eyes there. 

Whose they were, she had no idea, but she had felt a brief plangency there.

It had been the first string that had formed a connection between them. And now, she held his life literally in her hands and she would do anything to protect it and bring it to bloom once again. 

With a tender smile, she pushed the hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear.  “It’s time to go, Commander. Let’s get you to a better room. Stay with me, okay?”

She pushed her powers to the utmost hoping that she could maintain connection during the transport. “Okay, Scha, let’s go.”

The Cimmerian covered them both and she felt that familiar jolt of being yanked out of reality for a second. Her weakened body instantly felt nauseated, but she pushed to keep her wits about her. 

It was a long half a second before she felt herself land once again on solid ground. She stumbled under Firefist’s full weight without the table or Schaden’s essence to hold her up. Before she fully fell, a muscular arm moved to reach around and catch her around the waist. 

A pair of solid, strong male hands immediately took Ace from her hold and she reluctantly let him slip from her grasp. Her sight had held up during the trip and she could see several figures moving Ace to the new operation bed, quickly and efficiently moving to connect him to all sorts of new equipment. A quick sweep of her sight over his form showed that while the trip had been a bit rocky, he had made it alright without injury. 

Thank goodness…

She sagged a bit in relief and was happy that someone was holding her up. 

Marco—she could tell it was him from the fact that his cells were now constantly regenerating in haphazard ways—walked up to stand next to her. His tone held a trace of worry. “Is he okay?”

She nodded, “Yeah, he’s fine, no tears or anything.”

She looked around her for Schaden. “Scha? Are you okay?”

Her friend swirled around the shadows of her feet, ‘Yeah, Lil. It wasn’t as bad this time around.’

She heard Shanks’ voice close to her ear and realized that he was the one holding her up. “He looks okay, I think you all could use the rest though.”

“That includes you, captain.” The doctor she had been introduced to as Hongo, spoke from his place near the hospital bed. 

The redhead had seemed to balk, “But–”

“Don’t even try it. Snake and Juice will handle watching and sailing the ship. We have things under control here. Get some sleep, doctor’s orders.”

Lily would have expected such a fearsome pirate as Red-Haired Shanks to not give in to such a demand without a fight. But instead, she could only hear his sigh as he already knew he was beaten. 

“Fine…but at least get me up for the next watch.”

“The next time you get up you’re eating a full meal. And no, booze does not qualify this time.”

Another sigh of defeat. Perhaps he knew that it was useless to fight against his own body’s needs. Either that…or he knew the power of a ship’s medic and didn’t want to mess with any part of that. 

Hongo’s voice softened a bit as he addressed Lily. “Alright missy, we are ready when you are.”

Too tired to argue about the nickname again, Lily simply nodded before concentrating on her patient once again. 

Slowly but surely, she began to retreat from his body, letting go piece by piece. 

Already she could hear the beeping and shrieking of alarms and monitors as she released him. It was to be expected, but she could already feel the tension increase in the men next to her. Hongo and his assistants seemed to be taking it all in stride, moving to adjust and move things around as they went. She continued her retreat, as one would slowly relax a muscle. 

After a few more moments, and after having spent more than 14 hours in that state, Lily had extracted herself from Portgas D. Ace’s body. 

Honestly, she felt a bit bereft…

“I’m out.” she breathed heavily, trying to find her bearings. 

The alarms continued to sound and she felt Marco head over to the bed to keep a closer watch on what was going on. She watched herself as Ace’s—she could call him “Ace” in her mind by now, right? She felt that she had earned that—cells and tissues struggled to adjust now that they were without her guidance. But thankfully, the brain was a cruel taskmaster and even though parts of his spine were completely new, they were created knowing the basics. His autonomic functions steadily were brought into synchrony, and while the organs struggle a bit to follow, the life support machines helped to keep them from failing. It wasn’t long before Ace’s body settled, the EKG resounding into a steady if slightly sluggish beep of his heart’s beats.

There seemed to be a collected sigh of relief within the room, Lily included. They still had a bit to go and she guessed she’d have to spend at least one more long haul with her mind merged with Ace’s body, but for now, she could let go and leave him to others. 

She began to let go of her sight completely, allowing her fruit’s power to retreat back within her. However, the moment she loosened her grasp, it snapped back like a rubber band that had been pulled nearly to its breaking point. Her eyesight returned to normal in one huge woosh, and she immediately scrunched her eyes closed, curling up on herself. 

The lights…

They were so bright!

It burned!!

She cried out, instinctively putting her hands over her eyes to block out what she could. 

“Lily!”

“Lily?! What happened?”

“Is she okay?”

‘Lil!’

She heard several voices call out for her, the hand that was holding her up, clasped tighter. Even with that though, her fatigue seemed to advance on her like a raging tide. She felt her legs turn to jelly and collapse completely, but thankfully the man holding her seemed to anticipate that and moved his arm lower, grasping her lower thighs and his grip before hauling her up, holding her against his chest and cradling her like a child. 

A stray thought came to her that it wasn’t bad for a one-armed man.

She allowed the relative darkness created by her hands to give her eyes time to adjust, feeling them water with the effort. She relaxed her breathing and blinked several times to clear the spots from her vision. 

After a moment, she was able to clearly see the palms of her hands and her fingers with relative ease. Taking a moment, she carefully and slowly moved her hands away, blinking away blindly at the light. The figures in the room that hovered over her came into focus. And for the first time since she had met them, she was actually able to see the faces of the men who had been helping her. 

She had already known the faces of Shanks and Marco in her head, and they hadn’t changed that much as they hovered over her. The shadows under their eyes and the five o’clock shadows on their faces were different though not unexpected. Both looked horrible (though she guessed they probably all did) but they continued to look over her in concern. She felt Schaden’s shadowy tendrils along her shoulders. 

Marco was the first to speak, his hand going to her head as if to feel for her temperature. “You okay now, Lily?”

She nodded, “Yeah…it just took a bit for my eyes…to adjust. All of you look like crap…”

Shanks laughed, the sound reverberating against her skin. “We’ve all had a long couple of days.”

 She smiled but she could already feel her new eyesight beginning to wane. “D-Don’t forget to get me up…if…if…”

Lily fell into unconscious sleep in the middle of her statement without any kind of preamble. 

Once Lily had collapsed into sleep, Hongo pushed everyone else out of the sick bay to their appointed cabins on the Renata. None of them were far from the medical area in case of emergency. He also instructed Ko, the female of his two assistants, to follow and place an IV on each of them as they went to sleep. He was concerned with their lack of food and water while they had been working, but knew it was foolhardy to try to get them to eat when their bodies could barely stand straight. 

Shanks carried Lily to her room, while Marco followed. Schaden had gone ahead to the room he would share with Lily, to get the bed ready. 

Marco was completely exhausted, his phoenix was the only thing keeping him up, and even she was beginning to wane. But even with sleep encroaching on him rapidly, he could recognize the look in his longtime friend's eyes as he stared down at the young girl held in his arm. 

He put a halt to that right away. 

“Don’t even think about it, Scarlet.”

Shanks looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, a mock innocent look on his face. “What?”

Marco narrowed his eyes, “I’ve seen that look on Pops’ face more times than I care to remember. I can recognize it when I see it. No, you can’t adopt her.”

Shanks rolled his eyes with amusement, his voice tsking him, “And may I ask why?”

“Well, first of all, she’s one of Dragon’s kids…”

“I’m okay with sharing. Dragon’s never been selfish with this sort of thing.”

“And second…I call dibs.”

With that statement, the redhead stopped in his tracks before whirling around on the blond. 

“Oh no, you don’t, Fledgling. You Whitebeards already run the largest orphanage on the seas, let some other people take a crack at it now and again.”

Marco was unbothered by the statement and pushed the other to keep going. “Hey, what can I say? We’re better at it than you.”

“Don’t give me that, you guys are just greedy.”

“Newsflash, we’re pirates. It comes with the territory.”

“And anyway, you can’t call dibs since I called it first.”

“You totally did not.”

“Did so.”

There was a slight pause, “I’ll fight you for it.”

The redhead laughed, “You’d lose, birdbrain.”

“We’ll make it an arm wrestling competition.”

“You’d still lose.”

“Not if we had to do it with one hand tied behind our backs.”

“Now that’s just uncalled for.”

“Again–I’m a pirate.”

Shanks smirked, “How about we make the competition a Davy Back fight?”

Marco raised an eyebrow, “Why would you do that? We’d win hands down.”

He snorted in response, “Please, we’d smoke you. And it would be the best solution.”

“No, you wouldn—in what way?”

“Once we win, I’d finally get you on my crew and then you and Lily could both be with us together.”

Marco rolled his eyes, “Bastard.”

Shanks’ responding laughter rang through the hallway.

The Same Day, in Baltigo, Revolutionary Army HQ, New World

Koala was constantly busy on the communique station, trying to keep up with all the new information that was coming in. They had had several different operations happening throughout the Grandline and the seas, and Dragon decided to take advantage of the fact that the World Government had had their hands busy dealing with the Marines’ war with the Whitebeard Pirates. 

But now that it was all over, they were getting trickling information about the outcome of the conflict, as well as incoming reports from their agents and soldiers spread throughout the world.

She had just hung up on another transponder, when a new one rang, this time on Sabo’s nearby desk. 

She frowned, knowing that the blond had yet to get back from his mission in Baricadia. Only the agents under Sabo’s personal command or his close contacts had this number, so it was probably important. Koala quickly walked over and connected the nearby white snail to his transponder before answering with the passcode. 

“Hundreds of dangers await…”

There was no verbal voice, and interestingly, the face of the snail didn’t change. Koala immediately let the wary side of her rise up, but then she heard this strange tapping code ring out, made of dits and dahs. 

She smiled in relief as she brought over a notepad and began to translate the sounds into a series of dots and dashes on paper.  

When it had finished, the sound paused in wait, and she looked it over.

.- -. -.. / .. / -.. --- -. .----. - / .--. .-.. .- -. / - --- / -- .. ... ... / --- -. . .-.-.-

“…and I don't plan to miss one.” The other half of the passcode. 

Koala really didn’t need it as she was pretty sure who she was talking to, but one can never be too careful. 

 This agent wouldn’t have had the new daily communication code, so she didn’t bother asking. 

“Line is secure. Good to hear from you, Black Heron. We were worried about you guys. Is White Egret okay?”

It was unusual for Schaden to call in because of the whole language barrier issue. Sabo was currently in the process of trying to learn the intricacies of the Cimmerian tongue or lack thereof and so far only Dragon seemed to have gotten the hang of it. 

The shade responded once again, using sound to communicate. 

.-- .... .. - . / . --. .-. . - / .. ... / ..- -. -.-. --- -. ... -.-. .. --- ..- ... / .-. .. --. .... - / -. --- .-- .-.-.- / .-- . .----. .-. . / --. --- --- -.. / ..-. --- .-. / -. --- .-- --..-- / -... ..- - / .-- . .----. ...- . / .-. ..- -. / .. -. - --- / ... --- -- . / -.-. --- -- .--. .-.. .. -.-. .- - .. --- -. ... .-.-.- / .. ... / - .... . / -.-. .... .. . ..-. / .- .-. --- ..- -. -.. ..--..

White Egret is unconscious right now. We're good for now, but we've run into some complications. Is the chief around?

Koala looked at the message worriedly. Lily and Schaden had been stationed in an undercover operation on Marineford. She knew the last time the two had checked in, Dragon himself had taken the call. Everything had been okay with them at the time, at least according to the man when she asked him about it later. But now that the war was over, she was worried about how her friends had fared.  

She responded seriously, “Do you need extraction? Bluejay is out on assignment, but I can coordinate something if it's necessary.”

Schaden paused for a moment as if thinking things over, before responding again. 

.. ... / --. --- .-.. -.. . -. / . .- --. .-.. . / .- .-. --- ..- -. -.. ..--..

Is Golden Eagle around? 

She shook her head, “No he’s away from the Nest right now.”

Another pause, before he continued. 

.-- . / .... .- -.. / - --- / .- -... .- -. -.. --- -. / - .... . / --- .--. . .-. .- - .. --- -. .-.-.- / .-- . / .-- . .-. . / -.-. --- -- .--. .-. --- -- .. ... . -.. .-.-.- / .-- . / -.. --- -. .-..-. - / -.-. ..- .-. .-. . -. - .-.. -.-- / -. . . -.. / . -..- - .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / .... . .- -.. .. -. --. / -... .- -.-. -.- / - --- / .... --.- --..-- / .... --- .-- . ...- . .-. --..-- / ... . ...- . .-. .- .-.. / -.-. --- -- .--. .-.. .. -.-. .- - .. --- -. ... / .... .- ...- . / .- .-. .. ... . -. .-.-.- / .--. .-.. . .- ... . / .- ... -.- / - .... . / -.-. .... .. . ..-. / - --- / -.-. --- -. - .- -.-. - / ..- ... / .- ... .- .--. .-.-.-

We had to abandon the operation. We were compromised. We don’t currently need extraction. We are heading back to HQ, however, several complications have arisen. Please ask the chief to contact us ASAP.

Koala didn’t pry. She guessed that whatever was going on was big on the duo’s end, which is why they needed to talk to Sabo or Dragon. She simply wrote out a message to leave for the both of them to get back in contact with the undercover pair.

“I’ll give them the message, Black Heron. You and White Egret take care of yourselves. I’ll see you when you return.”

-.-- --- ..- / .- ... / .-- . .-.. .-.. .-.-.- / --- ...- . .-. / .- -. -.. / --- ..- - .-.-.-

You as well. Over and out. 

The transponder went silent and Koala thought of her two friends out there with both relief and curiosity. It would take them weeks to travel back to Baltigo the normal way, though perhaps a little faster using Schaden’s teleportation ability. 

It wasn’t surprising that the two had lost their cover during the war, Koala was just happy that the two were okay. Though the fact that Lily was “unconscious” wasn’t good. She hoped the girl hadn’t gotten injured! She wondered though, what kind of complications had occurred since they had escaped Marineford. There were infinite options, and she couldn’t possibly guess, but she was still a bit curious. 

As she sat, lost in her thoughts, a pair of gloved hands were laid softly on her shoulders, and pair of lips whispered directly in her ear with amusement. 

“Ya know? If you like my chair so much, I’d be happy to trade with you.”

Koala flew to her feet with a completely unladylike shriek. quickly jumping away from the presence she hadn’t even felt sneaking up on her!

Turning around she scowled as she looked up at the insufferable tall handsome blond, a smirk on his face and a twinkle in his mismatched eyes as he maintained his position leaning on the back of the chair, one hand now lazily planted under his chin. 

She trembled with anger and annoyance at the fact that the idiot had been able to sneak up on her yet again. The jerk! 

“Sabo! I’m going to wring your neck one of these days!”

He grinned, “You keep saying that.”

She marched up to him, jamming her pointed finger into his chest several times to emphasize her point. “You are an egotistical, aggravating, reckless, idiot bastard!”

He sighed with his hands up in surrender, before glancing back at her with exaggerated sadness. “You wound me, Koala. but it’s not my fault that you need to work on your observation skills more. Are you still mad that I left you behind?”

She put her hands on her hips. “Of course not. I understand that it was a one-man mission in Baricadia. What annoys me is that you failed to even have any backup!”

The blond shrugged in response, “I didn’t need it.”

She raised an eyebrow, having gotten the report for Janite. “They almost shot you.”

His mouth took that teasing turn that pissed her off, “But they didn’t! I’m fine Koala. No worse for wear. And it’s not like I haven’t been shot before.”

She closed her eyes and rose a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose in irritation. God, give her patience…

A darker, taciturn voice spoke up from behind them both. “As amusing as the antics of you two are, we do have a job to do. Welcome back, Sabo.”

The two turned to watch their boss, Dragon—the supreme commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Army, make his way in from the balcony as silent as a wraith. Neither of them even bothered to ask how he’d gotten up there from seemingly nowhere. 

Sabo nodded back at the man, “Thank you, sir.”

The arrival of both the #1 and #2 men reminded Koala about Schaden’s message. She went to grab her notepad from Sabo’s desk.

 “Hey, Sabo a–”

She was cut off when Kircheis, a Lt. General in the army and a special task force agent and arms trainer, burst through the door to the communications room carrying several newspapers. “As expected, the Paramount War made front page news! Whitebeard’s confirmed to have lost.”

Other agents began to take up newspapers, asking questions, scanning through the intel, some going over to transponders, and beginning to make calls. 

Koala went over to grab a paper and quickly scanned over it. “What are the fatalities? I don’t see anything about Iva’s death. That’s a relief. I’m sure if he was dead, the world government would have plastered that “victory” all over the paper.”

Sabo looked at her in confusion, “Ivankov was at the Paramount War?”

She looked at him strangely for a moment before snapping her fingers in realization. “I keep forgetting that you weren’t here and were basically in a media blackout out there. Yeah, there was a whole Impel Down breakout prior to the war even starting. Iva, Inazuma, and several others escaped then. I’ll get you the whole report later.”

The red-headed Kircheis spoke up again, his blue eyes moving through several pages of the paper. “It says that the big fatalities of the war were Whitebeard of the Four Emperors and FireFist Ace.”

Koala shook her head in sadness, “This is going to have a big impact up here in the New World. And while I never knew either of them, old man Whitebeard was a legend, and his commanders have all had a good reputation. It always pisses me off when the World Government gets its way!”

She didn’t notice that Sabo had silently left her side, picking up a copy of the paper for himself, a shadowy look of disorientation and turmoil on his face. Only two pairs of eyes noticed him silently slip out of the room. 

Dragon watched his second with concern at the sudden strange change in demeanor. He looked over at Kirchies, whose ever-present observant eyes had also noticed the change. Dragon signaled silently to the redhead, who nodded and silently went to follow the blond. 

Koala had also just noticed her friend’s absence, but the dark-haired leader shook his head. Sabo would notice her right away if she tried to follow the other, but Kircheis’ ability to hide his presence from others and his observation haki skills were on par with his own. Sabo seemed to need his space. He just made sure there was someone to check on him if need be. 

…the big fatalities of the war were Whitebeard of the Four Emperors and FireFist Ace…

Something about those words had caused his heart to skip a beat, and he couldn’t quite figure out why.

I mean, it wasn’t like he hadn’t suspected that Whitebeard had met his end when Din had first told him the news yesterday on the battlefield. And FireFist, he had been the reason for the entire war in the first place. The center point in which everyone had fought. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he too had fallen in the chaos…

So why was his body reacting in such a way to the news?

Coming to a quiet empty hallway, Sabo leaned against the wall, unrolling the newspaper in his hands. 

Sabo had vaguely come across FireFist’s image before, but had never really paid that much attention to him. Other than to be kept up to speed on the changes in the crew’s leadership and their doings in the New World, The RA had seen no point in keeping an overly watchful eye on Whitebeard and his clan. The name “FireFist Ace” had been mentioned a few times in the news, but it had never resonated with Sabo in this way before. 

Looking carefully at the large revealed photo headlining the article, Sabo could feel his heart beginning to thump harder in his chest. 

The face of a young man looked out at him from the page, a large cowboy hat on his head, that he knew as an obnoxious shade of orange from his previous glance at his bounty poster. 

That’s new…

He blinked at the thought. What the? How would he know…

But before he could even think closer about it, other details from the photo caught the man’s attention. 

The wavy black hair that reached his shoulders vaguely reminded him of his own. 

He remembered being 15 and beginning to grow his hair out. Some of his comrades had asked why, many probably thinking that he was trying to cover up his scars. And while this had partially been true, there had been something else…some other reason…that he couldn’t quite name. 

Then there was that smile. 

A D.’s smile if he’d ever seen one.  Shining and bright and dangerous and full of reckless abandon. 

And the eyes…

Those silvery gray eyes could flash like polished steel, but also on occasion, could be as warm as smoldering ashes.

They’re kinder than they used to be…happier too…

The freckles that dusted the man’s cheeks…

In his mind’s eye, he saw a boy, nearly half the age of the man in the picture. The features were shadowed, but he could make out enough to see the same freckles…all 25 of them.

They’d counted them while bored one afternoon…

“They”?

The tremble of his hands was obvious now, a pounding pressure against his temples matched the pounding of his heart. He looked down at the article below the picture and began to devour the words like a ravenous wolf. 

 Portgas D. Ace, 2nd commander of the Whitebeard Pirates was revealed to actually be Gol D. Ace, son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger! Hidden for years in plain sight!

 

Oh, Ace…

Somehow the revelation didn’t hit as it should. Yes…for some reason he…he already knew…

But how? How would he know something like that? 

Perhaps in the same way that he knew that having this secret revealed to the world in this way would have torn the pirate apart…

The boy in his mind with the shadowed face was now on the ground trying to hide the hurt and bruises from a picked fight behind a fierce, rage-filled facade. He couldn’t see it clearly, but he knew the boy was looking at him with barely hidden self-loathing and yet a sliver of yearning desire. The pleading in his voice was deceptively hidden under layer upon layer of false derision. 

“You need someone like me? Do you really want me to be alive, Sabo?”

Unsummoned tears welled up in his eyes and one of them overflowed its boundary, streaming unimpeded down his right cheek. 

StrawHat Pirate Captain, Monkey D. Luffy charged recklessly onto the battlefield, his objective to free the condemned from the execution stand. Following the revelations of FireFist’s true parentage, the world was hit with a one-two punch in that not only was FireFist’s brother, Monkey D. Luffy, but that the StrawHat pirate is the son of the World’s Most Dangerous and Wanted Criminal, Dragon of the Revolutionary Army! A pact between Dragon and the Pirate King?! One can only guess!

No…just circumstance…or was it fate? 

And Luffy…

Their little ball of sunshine…

That silly little idiot! How dare he endanger himself so recklessly like that? He is so getting some sense knocked into him!

The pounding in his head was becoming painful now and he began to hunch over, his head in his hands, fingers tangled in his hair. The newspaper was beginning to wrinkle from being doused in tears, both his cheeks completely drenched in the stuff. 

A pitiful keening sob could be heard through the air, like that of a wounded animal. 

It took a moment for Sabo to realize it was coming from him…

He was getting to the end of the article now. 

In the end FireFist Ace breathed his last, receiving a devastating blow From Admiral “Akainu” Sakazuki, who fought bravely to stop the pirates from escaping. The attack had originally been aimed at Dragon’s son, StrawHat Luffy, but in an effort to save his brother’s life, FireFist took the attack instead, the admiral’s magma proving to be too much for the infamous fire user. His famous fist of absolute justice tore right through Ace’s body, ending the Pirate King’s legacy once and for all.

His bones cracked hard against the stone floor as he fell to his knees. The paper fell to the ground, his hands falling to the floor on top of it holding it in place and his entire body from collapsing! His entire body shook as he stood there on all fours. Trying to breathe through the sobs!

Voices called through his head, piercing torturously through his skull. 

“I’m gonna be a pirate and show them all!”

.

“I won’t run away from anyone! I won’t lose to anyone! I don’t care if they call me a villain! I’ll make the whole world know my name!”

.

.

“Hey, you know about this? If you exchange cups, it makes you brothers.”

.

.

.

“The three of us will always be brothers. No matter where we are or what we do, this bond will never be broken.”

.

.

.

.

“Ha! I’m nearly 3 months older than you! That makes me the eldest!”

.

“Fiiiinnnnneee, we can be twins. Though I’m still the eldest by default” 

.

.

.

.

.

“Are you just going to give up, Sabo?!”

He did…

Didn’t he?

He just gave up…

He forgot.

He FORGOT them. 

His beloved brothers…

Lu!

Ace!

ACE!!

Sabo could feel his throat choke up with wailing sobs that were beginning to break into screams. A voice was calling his name in concern, coming to his side, asking what was wrong. Trying to figure out what happened. But he was too far gone to answer. 

His head was splitting into jagged shards!

His heart felt like it was being torn in two…no three parts!

How dare he selfishly keep the organ whole, when two parts of it had already been sewn together with that of two others so long ago?

The man who died yesterday. Who had been trying to protect their little brother they held so dear, was no unknown, random pirate.

No…that man had been someone who was precious to him. 

More precious than gold or silver…

More precious than his dreams…

More precious even than freedom.

That man had been Portgas D. Ace.

His twin….

His big brother.

.

.

.

 Sabo screamed…and screamed…and screamed…

More people rushed to him but he could neither see nor hear them. 

All he could see was the smile on the man’s face in the photo.

Ace's smile…

He felt a violent twist within his stomach. Knowing he was going to be sick but not allowing himself to desecrate the picture in front of him, he turned to the side and vomited violently.

He struggled to breathe, his lungs heaving. He attempted to catch his breath but instead, he threw up again. 

As he began to hyperventilate, he felt a rough hand move softly through his hair, an even stronger arm pulled him back to a lounging position, his head leaning against a solid muscled chest. His body shook horribly, his vision hazing in and out, the acrid taste of vomit clung to his tongue, and his breathing was much too fast. 

A formidable voice that allowed no resistance quietly commanded him, the low voice talking close to his ear. “Breathe with me, soldier. Focus on me…copy my movements.”

Even in his turmoil, Sabo knew his commander’s voice. He could feel the way the man’s breathing patterns against his back and struggled to copy them. 

In. Out. 

In. 

Out. 

The feeling of Dragon’s hand moving through his hair soothed him, and he used his steady presence and the feeling of his solid form against his, as an anchor in order to ground himself. 

As he settled into a listless state, he could feel himself beginning to lose consciousness, the pain in his head fading fast into comforting emptiness. 

Before he completely blacked out, Sabo reached out and clutched the newspaper in his grasp. 

He couldn’t lose this small piece of him. 

He’d already failed in so many ways.

Perhaps in all the ways that mattered…

His brother was dead.

And the world didn’t feel like it would ever be right again…

A Week Later, on the seas of Paradise

The Renata had abandoned the naval patrol vessel, allowing it to drift, with the plan to continue on towards Sabaody and then to the New World.  

The Red-Haired pirates mainly maintained watch, as well as the tasks that went into manning a ship. Marco had slept for an entire day before feeling even close to normalcy again. Lily was knocked out for almost two days before awakening. After the two had rested and taken back over from Hongo, it was decided that going at a slower pace would be more beneficial for all parties and wouldn’t hamper Ace’s recovery. 

Lily still took the lead, being the main spearhead in the operation with Marco and Hongo assisting her. After three days, they were finally able to close the exit point of the wound in his thoracic cavity. The rest of the time was spent on subsequent systems and outlying symptoms, as Ace’s body tried to adjust to the trauma of the wound, but also the stresses of the rapid healing process. During this time, his mind had entered into a deep coma state. 

While this was going on, Shanks had kept in constant contact with his crew using the new transponders that Snake and Hongo had brought with them. Marco had gotten a chance to talk to his crew as well. And while Shanks hadn’t eavesdropped on the conversation, he understood that it had been a pretty emotional talk. 

The plan was still for them to all meet at a certain island in the New World, and hopefully by that time Ace would be fit to be moved to the WB’s ships, and then they could discuss their next move. 

Or at least that had been the plan. 

Currently, they were dealing with the mother of all typhoons trying to rip Renata apart!

The system had arrived suddenly, and even Snake had declared there was no avoiding it. 

Rain and wind beat upon the ship as Shanks helped Juice with the sails. Marco had pushed Lily below deck with Kino and Ko to keep an eye on their patient to make sure he wasn’t damaged as the waves tossed them around. He then moved to man the riggings and tying down anything that wasn’t bolted to the deck. Hongo became the lookout as Snake keep the ship steady through the storm.

All 5 of them operated with smooth efficiency, their knowledge and experience with the sea and its fickle ways were practically unmatched, even in the face of such a storm. 

They rode the storm out and after an hour or so, the winds finally began to abate. 

The red-haired captain pushed his rain-soaked hair out his face, his drenched clothing clinging to him, chilling him as the temperature dropped. 

Thankfully a warmth came at him from behind and the man took a moment to enjoy the feeling of the blue flames warming his skin and drying his garments.

He turned a side eye over to the Phoenix, “Thanks, Marco.”

The man replied dryly, “Well, the medical team doesn’t have time for a bunch of people catching colds. So call it some “pre-emptive medicine”. 

He then flew over, doing the same for the rest of the deck crew. 

Shanks looked back over the waters as they finally began to calm down. The clouds were even beginning to split, revealing a starry night sky. He smiled, taking the time to admire the peerless world that had been his home all his life. Breathing in the fresh smell of the sea after a heavy rain, the man felt his body automatically relax. After taking a moment, the redhead turned to go back inside. 

And that was when he felt it. 

His head snapped to the side, his eyes growing sharp. Running back over to the railing, he sent his senses out before him, his observation haki blanketing the sea. 

And an answering wave pinged him. 

The emperor of the sea felt his mouth stretch into a wide grin as he recognized the haki signature almost immediately.

He called out to his navigator, “Snake! Turn the ship 20 degrees to starboard. Hongo! Keep a lookout for a small one-man vessel.”

The two men went to do as ordered, while the others looked on, wondering what had caught the man’s eye.

Shanks released one of the sails, allowing them to pick up speed. 

After a couple of minutes, the brown-haired lookout called to the others. “Small single vessel, 10 degrees starboard! Looks like it was destroyed in the storm. There…there’s a man swimming forward towards us, Boss!”

The redhead continued to smile, indicating to LimeJuice, “Throw a Jacobs ladder over the side. He should be able to make it up without trouble. Ya know…despite the advanced age and all.”

The familiar teasing nature in his voice made Marco curious about the nature of who exactly they were apparently rescuing. He sent his own wave of observation haki out and his mouth dropped as he instantly recognized the man who was coming aboard.

A warm gruff laugh sounded even before the man had fully pulled himself up on deck, his clothing dripping wet from swimming the distance. 

“I’ll show you ‘advanced age’, brat. Don’t think just cause you’re an emperor now, that I can’t still tan your hide.”

The other pirates on deck could only look on in awe as the pirate legend climbed onto the deck. Marco could only smile an unruly grin at the man. 

Shanks shook his head fondly and stepped forward to greet the man who had been like a second father to him.  “What the hell are you doing out here, old man?”

Stripping out of his soaking upper robes, and pushing a hand through his soused white locks, the “Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh grinned back at the redhead.

“Well, I set off on my way to see a brat…and, lo, I run into an entire ship of brats. Just a bunch of unexpected ones. But, considering recent events and the very interesting spread of your company…”

Shanks watched the man scan the occupants of the deck, pausing on Marco and then even longer on Schaden, who had slinked up from below. The man missed nothing. Ray may be retired, but those eyes were as keen as ever.

Rayleigh put a hand on his hip, looking with knowing amusement at his one-time pupil, “Perhaps the better question, is what the hell are you doing out here?” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 10 - Dreams and Memories

A few days prior to Rayleigh’s arrival

It was so cold…

That was the first sensation that she could gain a grasp on. Her fingers trembled and her shoulders shivered in an effort to keep her warm, but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect. 

Darkness…

That was the second thing she was able to get a grasp on. She was surrounded by inky blackness, one that was so dark and seemingly endless, she was unable to see even the nose at the end of her face. She could feel the ground…possibly? She was standing–no, sitting on it, and in that way, she could tell up from down. And yet, even for that, she couldn’t quite be sure if even that was true. 

Everything around her felt unsure, disconnected, up in the air—as if she walking in a haze but that haze covered everything, not simply her sense of sight. 

It was by instinct that she realized she wasn’t alone. That 6th sense you got when could feel someone else was near you even if you couldn’t see or hear them. It was an instinct that was born out of self-preservation, a way the body could tell if a potential danger was nearby like a deer could sense it was being watched by a hunter…

But it was also an instinct born out of the human need for interaction…the rejection of isolation and the desire to connect to another sentient being in any capacity. The vital longing to not be alone…

She didn’t fear this new presence. It wasn’t there to harm. 

In fact, she felt the impulse to cling to the other like one would cling to a solid rock in a storm. 

“I need you to stay here, okay?” the other said. Its–his?–voice sounded like it was out of breath. 

She didn’t know why the voice needed her to stay, it wasn’t like she could go anywhere. She didn’t even know where “here” was. 

“O-Okay…” 

Hmm? Why did her voice sound so weak? And why was it so high? It was like that of a child…

The other—yep, definitely a “he”, a prepubescent boy from the pitch and tone—seemed to be okay with it though, and simply continued, “I need to go find help, but I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

She trusted him implicitly. She knew that for a fact. 

The sky was blue. The grass was green. She trusted this boy.

She seemed to nod back in return and waited for the presence of the boy to leave her. Instead, she was surprised to hear her weak child-like voice speak once again.  

“L–

Whatever she was about to say was cut off by a violent coughing fit. Her throat seized and her chest felt like it was on fire!

At first, it was near impossible to control the constant hacks, but then she felt the boy’s presence once again approach and there was a warmth of his touch on her back. 

Casually rubbing circles on her back, the coughing began to thankfully subside. Once it was done, she tried again to say what she had been trying to say before, but it was a quiet hoarse whisper this time and she shortened her words. 

“W-where i-is Mom and Dad?” 

Wait…mom…? dad…? Her parents? 

The boy paused. It was a heavy hitch that seemed to be full of hidden meanings and unspoken words. So she wasn’t quite all that surprised when he said to her so quietly, “They….They can’t be here right now, okay?  But I promise I will stay by your side just as soon as I go and find help. Can you stay very quiet here and wait for me?”

She wasn’t quite sure how much her younger child-self understood or was aware, though she could guess she was somewhat perceptive. However, her adult mind which was both interacting with this reality but also observing it from afar, could quite easily read between the lines of the boy’s words. 

The death of her parents felt heavy on her heart and she didn’t quite know yet how to process such sudden pressing information. And by the time she was aware again of her surroundings, the boy was gone. 

The darkness was once again empty and it was hard to judge the passage of time. No sounds could be heard nor anything to be seen, neither the boy’s presence nor any other came to disturb the silent emptiness. 

She wasn’t sure how long she had waited there…when she first saw it.

A green cloudy haze seemed to creep along the ground she sat on. Its tendrils curled along the black space looming ever closer at a slow but steady pace. 

The green cloud filled her with a sick sinister feeling, like a heralding of impending doom. She didn’t know if it was color, or its sudden appearance, or the fact that despite being a gas it was heavy enough to stay close to the ground, but all she did know was that she did not like it. 

She tried to get up and move away, only to find her body was too weak to move! Her muscles felt like she had run a marathon along the Red Line! 

Even as she tried to push her limbs to move, the green gas was increasing in both amount and speed in its approach. Reaching out with her fingers, she moved to drag herself away, doing something, anything to get away!

The green shifted to oranges, yellows, and reds in the blink of an eye, and what was once absolute darkness transformed into blinding luminescence. She still was unable to see, but this time for the opposite reason, the brightness was too much for her eyes and she had to close them tight. But even with them sealed shut, she could still smell the telltale scent of smoke, the feel of the intense heat bearing down all around her,  and hear the sharp snap and crackle of flames.

Wherever she was, the entire area had been set on fire! 

She couldn’t see. 

           She couldn’t move. 

                  She was going to die!

She felt tears fall down her cheeks, drying up almost as quickly as they fell. Where was he? Where was the boy? He had promised her! 

Incendiary tongues tried to reach out and lap at her limbs and she wanted to scream from the mix of pain, fear, and panic. The pressure was suffocating and the heat was staggering that she couldn’t stand it!

Someone help me!

Help me, please!

The very moment it seemed as if the fire would reach out and grab her, completely consuming every bit of her aching flesh, a dark presence appeared breaking through the flames and grabbing her entire body in its grip. Pulled out of the devouring blaze, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. The sweat dropped from her face and she panted with exhaustion and the growing sense of respite and safety…

Only for it to all leave in the blink of an eye the moment she looked up. 

All this time she had been blind; unable to see anything around her but colors and vague abstract shapes and sensations. 

What she saw now was the first clear image so far….and it was truly something only nightmares were made of. 

A huge disembodied bloodcurdling grin with gleaming white teeth with fangs, dripping black liquid from off their gleaming points, was creepily smiling down at her. 

The grip on her no longer felt safe and her blood turned cold. She could only look up in frightful horror as the black soulless empty eyes that she hadn’t noticed before, revealed themselves in the pitch-black void above the grin, looking over her. 

Then the smile separated and the voice came forth and she couldn’t hold back a scream at the chilling sound. It felt as if it resounded all around her and yet whispered within her own head.

“Well, well, well…what do we have here? A little chick without a nest that was left all alone?”

She wanted to vomit. She wanted to flee as far and as fast as she could even if it meant tearing her legs to pieces. Yet even as she desperately tried to break out of the grip around her form, she knew she couldn’t get away.

 She knew that voice.

She should have been left to the flames.

They would have been kinder…

“Come with me little eyas, I’ll take care of you.”

You’re mine now.

Those were the words that hadn’t been spoken aloud, but the ones that her adult mind heard all the same. 

That name “Eyas” was one that she would despise until the day she died. 

She was once again trapped, petrified, and could only once again wish for all this to end. Where was the one who had promised to return to her?

 All she wished for was the return of the love and safety that she had once known. But the feel of a cold touch in a mocking mimicry of affection across her face banished all hope for that. She could only cry out for help once again. 

Help me! 

Someone! Anyone!

Please!

Don’t leave me here with him…

Lily’s eyes jerked open and she sat up quickly gasping for breath. Her dilated eyes darted around the room, trying to get a sense of where she was and how the heck she had gotten there. The cold sweat running down her body made her shiver. She looked to be in a simple bed in a small windowless wooden cabin lit with candles. Her clothing had been removed and she was only left in her shift and underwear. Lifting the covers of the bed closer to her, she felt the steady movement beneath her, clueing her in that she was on a ship of some kind.

‘Lily?’

She jumped at the sudden sound, her eyes jerking to the side and to the shadows that existed there. 

The darkness shifted and she flinched once again at its movement, only to calm and breathe a sigh of relief when the eyes of her best friend appeared, looking at her with concern. 

‘You’re awake. Are you okay?’

She released another heavy breath as she quieted herself down, and placed a hand over her eyes, Lily felt her quickly beating heart gradually slow. As this occurred, everything about the current situation began to come back to her memory. She was currently on a ship in the company of a pirate emperor, a possible pirate emperor-to-be, and members of their crew, trying to heal a man who had had a hole punched through him by a fist made of magma from one of the Government’s top mad dogs. 

Yeah, that about summed it up. 

Wait a minute…

“Ace!”

She jumped back up and looked at Schaden, “Scha! How is he? How long was I out? Give me a status report!”

The Cimmerian hovered close in his cloud form before shifting into his more humanoid form and sitting down on the bed across from her, taking her hand in his own semi-corporeal one. 

‘Calm down, Lily. He’s fine. Or at least as you left him.’

She let out the air she had been inadvertently holding before leaning back against the pillows and headboard. 

Schaden continued, ‘You’ve been asleep for two days now. The Phoenix awoke yesterday and Red-Hair a few hours prior to that. They’ve been keeping an eye on Fire-Fist while you slept. They worried about the fact that you haven’t been eating, but the girl nurse that Red-Hair’s doctor brought with him, has been changing the IV on your arm at regular intervals.’

She looked over at her right arm which held a needle connected to a tube and a yellowish-looking bag. She didn’t feel like she was going to drop from exhaustion anymore, though there was a bit of fatigue still sticking to her. It was probably the lack of solid food, though she couldn’t count out the dream-turned-nightmare not also being a slight cause. 

‘I’ve checked in with HQ but wasn’t able to get in contact with either the first or second in command, so I left a message with Koala. No one has gotten back to me yet. We are currently continuing to Sabody and then to the New World. This is our cabin. Red-Hair put you here after you passed out once we teleported to this ship. The human nurse helped me remove your old clothes and she brought new ones yesterday for you. The washing room isn’t far from here, down the hall.’

She was glad about that. She had the grim from both the battlefield and the operating room still clinging to her and would be happy to be fresh again. She normally would have even dreamed of going to bed so filthy, but her body had left her no option. Maybe she could just change the sheets later? 

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a squeeze of her hands. 

‘You have your status report, now tell me why you look as if you've seen a ghost. You haven't looked at me like that in years.'

Lily smiled at him wrily, “Ha-ha.”

His eyes looked back at her understandingly before he simply came to the point. ‘I still have nightmares too, Lil. It’s okay to talk to me about it.’

Her smile gradually dropped before she looked down at the bed covers. It was a few moments of silence, with only the creaking of the timbers echoing within the chamber. 

When she still kept silent, Schaden shifted back into a cloud before surrounding her in what his race would consider an embrace. ‘It’s okay. You’re safe. He can’t hurt you anymore, you know.’

She quickly closed her eyes in an attempt to shut out the tears before they had a chance to fall. She hugged Scha closer, burying her face in his smokey appendages, taking comfort in his constant presence. 

“I know that here.” She pointed to her head, “I just wish that I knew that here.” She placed a hand on her chest. “Even after all this time…” 

Schaden formed a part of himself into what could be considered fingers before running them through her hair in what he knew was a show of human comfort. ‘It’s okay to feel that way. I still avoid infirmaries simply because I can’t help but be drawn back to those days too, and all I can think of is all the manipulation and the loneliness and the torture and the hatred I had for that man and everything he did to me and to you. But then I’m able to leave them and I realize I’m free now and I can go where I want and be what I want and that I’m not some puppet that has to dance to a tune or a dog that has to come when called!’

She smiled widely and turned to look at him, “Or a falcon that must return to the mew!” 

He returned her smile affectionately, ‘There’s nothing to fear Lil. Not only are we stronger now, but we’re also not alone anymore. We’ve got strong comrades and I’m pretty sure that you could probably conquer an army with all the people who now owe you favors on this boat.’

She hit him playfully “Oh stop it, Scha. You know I didn’t do it for any of that.”

He knew that, but it also wasn’t like it wasn’t true. The nature of his species allowed him to listen in and observe unnoticed by most. (He was pretty sure Red-Hair and Phoenix could notice him, but they didn’t seem to mind his lurking.) He could see that they all seemed to have taken a liking to Lily and they all had very strong potential to be allies to them in the future. 

But beyond that, he was happy that he was able to lift Lily’s spirits once again and get her mind off that man. 

“Man”...

Devil was more like it.  

He couldn’t even bring himself to say the creature’s name anymore, as if somehow that would summon him beyond the grave. 

For now, he and Lily just had to live one day at a time gradually dealing with the trauma of their past, reminding each other that they were no longer under another’s control.

Lily took a deep breath, letting her body fully relax and forget before continuing, deciding that it did indeed help her to feel better. “It’s been a while since the last one. But I-I don’t think this was simply a nightmare, Scha. It was different than the others.”

He tilted his head in interest. ‘How so?’

She examined her Cyto fruit powers, feeling that they had been sufficiently replenished by the long rest. “I don’t know if it was because I’ve never overused my powers to this extent before and it had some effect on my psyche or my brain, but I…I think it was a memory this time. From before…”

The purple eyes widened in surprise, ‘A memory? You think you’re somehow getting your memories back?’

“No, not completely, just snippets. I’ve gotten senses, feeling of familiarity or nostalgia before, even voices that I sometimes hear in my head. But this was the first time I feel like I got a full scene!” She looked at him with breathless wonderment. 

He swirled around her and sat on the footboard of the bed. ‘Well? Are you gonna leave me in suspense?’ 

She laughed self-consciously, “Well, there’s not that much to it….”

‘Will you just tell me?’

She swiped a hand at his face, not surprised that it went right through it. “Okay! So, in my dream, I was somewhere dark. I’m not sure if it was just the nature of the place itself or just the dream, but I know I was pretty young.”

‘Younger than when I met you?’

She nodded, “I think so.”

Lily had already been at the Facility for an indeterminate amount of time before she had met Schaden. He estimated it was around 2 years from what he heard others say. When he first met her, he guessed she was about the age of a human eight-year-old. 

“I think I was hiding somewhere…or someone was hiding me. I was pretty sick and weak at the time, my body felt like I could barely move and I was coughing a lot.”

He glanced over her snow-white skin and hair, ‘That makes a bit of sense of what can already figure from your history…’

She nodded. “But I wasn’t alone. There was a boy with me!  He sounded older than me, and from the way, he talked…the way he sounded…I-I think he was my brother, Scha.”

His eyes widened. They had figured she had had family and had figured that considering her age when she had probably been captured by the Facility, the voices she had heard had probably been close family or friends considering their impact on her young psyche. However, to get an actual confirmation like this was quite the breakthrough. 

She continued. “He didn’t actually say it of course, but the way he sounded and the things he said…the way I inherently knew that I could trust him. He asked me to stay put and that he was going to go get help. I remember asking him about mom and dad, as if they were both of ours. And while he told me they couldn't be there, I knew that he was trying to not say that they were actually dead.”

Schaden's eyes saddened a bit at that. They had figured that. In fact, considering what they did have to work with, it would be a miracle if any of her family had lived through the massacres of her homeland. 

She shrugged flippantly, “I mean, we already guessed that, but it's nice to know that they didn’t give me away or anything or that they hadn’t bothered to look for me, or–”

A shadowy digit touches her lips stopping her from going on. Schaden looked closely at her, not fooled by her casual attitude. ‘I’m sorry, Lily…’

She took a deep breath to center herself once again, her eyes once again feeling full as he took his finger away. “A-Anyway the boy, my brother, said he was going to go get help and promised to come back for me. But he never did. Time passed and I think there was some kind of poison attack of some kind. Considering I saw green gas in my dream, it was probably Chlorinax gas.”

Chlorinax was a chemical weapon that was supposedly banned by the world government, at least on paper, though it was completely fine to use it against unaligned nations, poor lands, rebellious countries, or any places that were supposed to “go away”.

‘You think your brother was caught up in the gas attack?’

The thought brought a sharp pain to her chest almost to the point that she had to gasp. It was different than the idea of her parents dying, which had felt more like a dull ache—as if her soul had already known and understood that long ago. But the thought of her brother being lost felt like a dagger was digging a fresh wound in her chest.  And even though it was possibly the more probable scenario, and she couldn’t quite understand why she was having this type of visceral reaction to a person she had in her mind–never met, she shook her head in the negative. 

“I-I don’t think so. I don’t know why, but I don’t think he would have died to something like that.”

Scha didn’t respond to that, only giving her a concerned look before letting her continue.

“I struggle to get away from the gas and then somehow a fire happens and I’m trapped.”

‘How do you get away?’

A dark look came over her, and her eyes became heavily shadowed. “I don’t. He finds me.”

Schaden once again embraces his best friend and partner and also once again curses the man whose shadow continues to plague them even after being free of him for 6 years now.  

At least they had an idea now as to how the demon had gotten his hands on Lily, and they knew where it had all approximately taken place. They were a few more pieces to add to the shattered puzzle that was Lily’s mind.

The Next Day

The individual cells of cartilage looped themselves together one to another, building on top of each other. Lily casually watched each section build, happy that she no longer had to rush the process and also could give it her full attention. Now that Ace was being supported by other means, she didn’t have to constantly keep an iron grip on all of his other systems. 

Marco was once again working with her, acting to work on muscle repair as it began to attach both under and over the closing ribs.

As they worked, he asked conversationally, “So, I’ve been meaning to ask this, but what are we doing about infection?”

She responded casually, “I’ve been periodically clearing his body of invading pathogens since I began. When I was out for those two days, it had built up astronomically and he had the beginning of fever, but it takes me but a split second to destroy them all.”

He raised an eyebrow at that, “So you can handle any form of sickness? That’s rather convenient.” 

She shook her head, “Not quite everything.  I can’t control things that don’t have cells, like toxins or poisons. And viruses are very tricky, I can only handle them once they’ve actually begun their infection. I can control the cells being affected by these things, but unless the main issue is removed, it can quickly become a lost cause.”

He nodded in understanding before asking a few small things about the different techniques she used and putting out different suggestions of his own on how he had handled such things. She would ask him a few things about his own powers and he would answer in kind.

The talk was casual and light and so Lily was caught off guard by his next inquiry. 

“I have two questions for you, and you can choose whether or not to answer them.” He asked while looking down at his work.  

His manner of speech now that he had rested and was relatively back to normal, had taken on this passive drawl that reminded her of a steady river. Not fast nor slow, unhurried, steadfast on its course, and calm under pressure. She could easily see how his tone was something that would soothe others who looked to him in his position as leader.

She raised a brow at the sudden caveat but acquiesced. “Go ahead.”

“Are you from the lost city of Flevance by any chance?”

Lily should have expected it. Especially from someone as well connected and well-traveled as someone of Marco’s stature and experience. Especially considering his medical eye and the fact that she didn’t bother hiding her true appearance at all on the ship since there was no point as everyone had already seen her without it. However, somehow, the question did still catch her off guard and she slipped in her control, her power and sight leaving her. 

Her colorless eyes looked up at him sharply and while he gave no evidence of having noticed the change in her and was continuing on with the operation as before, she knew that such casualness was deceptive.

She examined him carefully. She had not felt a threat from the Phoenix since their initial meeting and even felt a rather amiable camaraderie forming between them. And even now, she still felt no danger from the man nor any malevolence coming from his inquiry. It also made sense that he would have connected the dots. He probably wasn’t even the only one. Shanks, or at least Hongo, had probably also wondered similar thoughts.

Reactivating her power she delved back into the work in front of her while deciding to answer the question with the truth. 

“I’m not a hundred percent positive, but it is most likely.”

Marco paused for a second at that before continuing. “You’re not sure?”

She shook her head, “I have no memories of my life prior to around 7 or 8 years old, and by that time, I had been…taken, from my home. So I have no idea where I was from originally.”

Marco’s eyes took on a softness before he spoke again, “Your accent is slight, but hails from the North Blue. And your body shows all the symptoms of an extremely advanced case of White Amber Lead poisoning, minus the extreme fatigue, crippling pain, and respiratory issues of course. That condition is unique to only those who were native to the White City.”

Lily smiled and felt any remaining tension leave her at both the fact that the pirate seemed to respect her privacy about her past, and that he also knew the truth about the White Lead toxin and probably about the tragedy of its past.

She nodded at his deduction, “I’ve been affected by White Lead for as far back as I remember, and the symptoms are just as you say. The only reason I’m alive right now is because of my devil fruit.”

He arched a puzzled eye at her at that. “I thought you couldn’t use your fruit on yourself?”

“Well yes, I can’t use it on myself as I’m doing now. But I can use it to change cells on the surface to disguise my appearance, but the shift is only skin-deep. I don’t even have to go into full-on power to do it.”

She stopped for a second to activate the skin on her arm, causing it to become a healthy tanned color. She also changed some of her hair back to her usual auburn and one of her eyes to a golden brown as well. 

Marco’s eyes widened in awe at the skill. “That’s also rather convenient. Especially with the stigma White Lead still carries. Though it’s mostly been forgotten these days.”

She nodded, “It’s why I hide it most of the time, to avoid the stares and questions and possible panic. The only reason I wasn’t like that when you saw me is that I need constant low-level energy to maintain it, and I need everything to do an operation like this.”

The blond looked back down at the man that was very much alive on their operating table and gave a brief warm smile under his mask that reached his eyes. “Thank you again, for all that you’ve done so far.”

She blushed before waving the gratitude away, “You’ve thanked me already, It’s something I decided to do on my own so…”

“Thank you again anyway.”

Her cheeks continued to warm, and she purposefully cleared her throat before letting her body return back to its natural state and staring back at collagen and muscle fibers that were continuing to build under her watch. 

“Well, as to how I was able to live? When I first ate the Cyto-Cyto fruit, it basically put all my current physical conditions in stasis. It was the first and last time it was able to work on my entire body. All the ravages of the poisons in me and in my genes are put on hold basically. I can no longer die from it and I no longer feel the internal symptoms of it. As long as I have the fruit, other than my outward appearance, I am a normal human adult.”

Well, that was a nice bonus to such a fruit. He was happy that she was able to get to it when she did. Yet, from the picture he was building from the informational clues he’d been given, it probably wasn’t under the best circumstances.  Though he wondered, “What about sea water or seastone?”

She smiled deprecatingly, “Both will, of course, stop me from using my abilities, but it will also stop the fruit’s effect on my body and I begin to once again slowly die. If I’m not removed from the water or the seastone soon, I’ll probably be dead in a few hours.” 

He nodded, his face once again adopting that stalwart placid look, “Good to know. No letting you near the water at any time. Got it.”

A familiar voice who sounded way more high-spirited than should be allowed, interrupted them from the door. “Don’t worry you two, if either of you falls into the water, I’ll be sure to rescue the both of you before you even realize you’re wet!”

Lily turned in the direction of the redhead’s voice, “Good day, Shanks.”

Marco wasn’t nearly as polite. “No one needs or wants your help, Scarlet.”

“Fine, I’ll let you drown, bird. Leave Lily to me then.” The captain smirked at the blond, whose eyes narrowed.

“Don’t even think about it, ya drunk.”

Shanks raised a finger to that. “Okay, first, I’ve been stone sober since we started this whole thing. A shock, I know. And two, a Davy Back fight is still on the table, Fledgling. Just sayin’.”

“Screw you.”

Lily wasn’t quite sure what was going on between the two captains or what it had to do with her, but since it seemed to be more or less playful banter, she simply smiled. “What can we do for you, Captain? I don’t think we need you at quite this moment.”

Red-Hair shrugged before placing a tray on a table and taking a seat on one of the cots in the corner. “Hongo wants to make sure you guys eat today. I brought some drinks down for you as well. And before you ask, it's some electrolyte energy concoction that Juice made.”

The two thanked him for it, though they would probably wait until they finished their own particular goals before taking up the refreshment. Shanks also pulled up a couple of transponder snails from his pocket and placed them on the table. 

“We got a couple of white transponder snails so you can have one so you can finally call your crew, Marco. From what I’ve heard, they’re getting a bit antsy.”

The Phoenix looked over at the objects on the table and the gift they represented, he then looked back at the man, the appreciation evident in his voice. “Thanks, Shanks.”

The man casually shrugged off the gratitude, “No problem. We needed them anyway.”

He then turned and looked seriously over at Lily and even though she couldn’t see him, she could feel the weight of their gaze. “I have two questions of my own for you, missy.”

Marco rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh and Lily smirked letting the annoyance roll off her back. “First, eavesdropping much, Captain? Were you just lurking outside the door? And two, haven’t we at least gotten to ‘Miss Doctor’ at this point?”

The man shrugged, “My ship, my rules. I’m still a pirate, Missy Miss Doctor Lily. I do what I want.”

She sighed. “Ask your questions, Captain. I will decide whether or not I will answer them.”

He looked over at her seriously, “First, if you’ve lost your memories, then how do you know your name? Did you create it yourself?”

Lily was thrown by the query, it not being one she would have expected from the man. Marco also hadn’t considered it, but names hadn’t seemed all that important to him. 

She shook her head, “No, I don’t know my original name, but I also didn’t quite come up with my current name either.”

Taking a breath, she decided that it wasn’t that big of an issue to show either of the men one of her few treasures. She let her power dwindle slightly, letting the cells move on autopilot, the back of her mind guiding them, before taking a step away from the Commander and waving Shanks over, and moving closer to Marco’s side. 

“I have nothing left from my previous life except this.”

Considering the age she was when she ate her devil fruit and the progress of her condition at the time, she and Schaden were pretty sure the mark was from prior to her arrival at the Facility. She had felt it confirmed by her dream from earlier. She had needed a new name after the Revolutionaries had rescued them, and the name had felt like it fit, so she took it. 

She pushed her hair back on the right side of her head and pulled the shell of her ear back to show them what was behind it. 

Marco pausing in what he was doing, look over at the area curiously. 

He could see what was a scar that looked like a clean cut that had been sutured shut. It was pretty faded with time, and in fact, one could barely see it, thanks to the black tattoo that lay on top of it. 

It was simple and a bit aged, but what was written was still quite evident. 

Aqua et Lilium

“‘W-Water Lily’?” Shanks glanced closely at the strange text, trying to make it out and dusting off what little Latin he knew. 

Both Marco and Lily shook their heads. The male corrected him, “No, it’s ‘Water and Lily’.”

“I’m not sure how I got it or why I would have a tattoo at such a young age, but the name seemed right and so I took it as my own.”

Shanks stepped away and let the two doctors go back to their original positions. “If you’re ‘Lily’, then who’s ‘Water’? Is it Schaden?”

She shook her head, “I’ve had the tattoo since before meeting Scha. I have no idea, what the ‘Water’ part means.”

Lily had thought about it for years but still was no closer to the answer. Normally such a tattoo would suggest a sweetheart or a lover, but considering her age at the time, that was both unlikely and rather sickening. It could be just possible that both names were hers, but that didn’t feel quite right either. The confirmation of a possible brother in her life gave her a bit of pause, but she had nothing yet to substantiate that at the moment. 

The redhead thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Okay, on to my second question—”

Marco interrupted him, “Didn’t you just ask your second question?”

“Shut up, ya flaming chicken.” he retorted without missing a breath. “My second question is, how much do you want to know?”

She blinked in confusion, her brow furrowing, “I don’t understand.”

She could feel the seriousness of his voice even without seeing it on his face. “How much do you really want to know about your past? Digging up the past can be dangerous, and not just in the physical sense. I’m sure that considering who you work for, you have a pretty good idea as to the true tragedy that really happened at Flevance. And worse, it's a horror that the World Government would never want to come to light. If you come from there, which I’m pretty sure you do, then you have to consider all the ramifications of not only looking into this but of also what you might find about yourself.”

Lily stopped before looking over in the man’s direction, her eyes narrowing, “What do you know about ‘who I work for’?”

“That they’re most likely the same people who rescued you from whoever ‘took’ you away from your home.”

Marco must have seen the ever-darkening look on her face because it was he who cleared his throat. “Uh-hum, we’ve known what you were since we met you. And no, it’s not something you’ve done or anything!  You just have to remember that we’ve been sailing these seas all our lives and we’ve seen quite a bit. We’re smart enough to put the dots together. There’s only so many groups that you could possibly be a part of, and the Revolutionaries just makes the most sense considering your decisions and your presence as an undercover marine during the war.” 

Lily grimaced at this, annoyed that she had been made so easily during her first undercover mission. But then again, their reasoning was sound and it wasn’t like she was trying to pretend to be something she wasn’t so it was probably far easier to figure her out, especially to people who were way too observant and knew what to look for. 

Feeling a little more liberated now, she considered Shanks’ question. “I don’t fear the World Government. I know fully all too well what they are capable of. I mean, one only has to look down to see what kind of travesties they have done.” 

She indicated the ravaged body of Commander Ace who they had already spent so much time, sweat, and energy pulling from the maws of death.  

“As for the emotional burden the knowledge might cause, I accept it and continue on. Because I-I don’t think I’ll ever be complete until I find out the truth of who I am and who I was.”

And she meant this with all her heart. Damn these men for getting her to talk somehow! It wasn’t as if she had made a choice to leave her past behind. Instead, it had been stolen from her. Her commanding officer, the R.A.’s Chief of Staff, Sabo had been really one of the only ones who had actively understood. He, also an amnesiac, could understand the feeling of missing something in his life. But even unlike him, Lily had been made to forget, a deliberate action by one whose cruelty knew no bounds. 

Every so often she could hear voices or feel sensations. Someone holding her safe and warm, or a song someone sings. The things she almost recalls. As if they are far away and long ago, glowing dimly as an ember. Things her heart used to know and that it yearns to remember…

She leveled a serious look at the man who was responsible for digging up so much emotional upheaval so suddenly. “Now, I have a question for you. Why are you asking these questions, Shanks?”

The room was silent other than the steady beeps of the medical equipment as she listened to him approach her. Though she jumped at the feel of his hand on the top of her head and his tall frame bending down to her level, probably looking her straight in the eyes. “Because you’re my friend, and because I want to know what I have to work with in order to help you find out the truth about the life that was stolen from you.”  

Her eyes were wide while Marco who was quite aware of how the redhead thought and worked, simply observed the young girl’s reaction. 

“W-What are you talking about?” she asked quietly.

He shrugged nonpulsed, “Exactly what I said. I’m going to guess that you’ve exhausted both your and the Revs’ resources in trying to figure this mystery out and you’ve hit a dead end. I have my own sources in the North Blue, the Whitebeards too.” Marco nodded confirming this. “I can even get you to the ruins of Flevance itself if necessary. I’m thinking between all of us, we can find out what really happened to you.”

She was quiet, not able to quite assimilate what this man, a titan of the seas, that she had just met only a few days ago—by swordpoint no less—was offering to her. 

“But, why, why would you do that?” 

He ruffled her hair affectionately, “I’m a man of my word, missy. I told you I would get you what you needed and I also told you that you had my gratitude. That wasn’t simply limited to the here and now, ya know? You seem to need this closure in your life, and if I have the ability to help you find it, I’ll do what I can.”

Marco spoke up, “Shanks and I rarely agree on anything, but here, I stand by him wholeheartedly. Your life was taken from you at a young age, and I have some experience with others who have been where you are. If we can help you find the missing pieces of your life Lily, then all you have to do is ask.”

Lily’s hand tightened into a fist before moving away and towards the far wall. Neither man interrupted her, nor followed her, knowing that she needed a bit of space after so much all at once. After a minute or two when she didn’t say anything more, Shanks walked over to the door. “If you’re interested Lily, let me or Marco know. I won’t force anything. Take as long as you need. The choice is yours.”

As he was about to leave, he heard a quiet, ardent, and tearfully sincere, “Thank you.” whispered back.

Elsewhere, Another Time, Another Place

.

.

.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, or even if it had passed at all as he listened to the woman and the man speak and sing to him.

Sometimes they would say nothing, rather just enjoyed the intimacy of the moment. It didn’t seem to matter that he still for some reason couldn’t speak to them. In fact, they seemed to know this, but that didn’t stop them from smothering him with their own tender and loving presence. 

New sensations came over him every so often, and he felt more and more tethered with each passing moment. Tethered to what, he wasn’t quite so sure, but he was beginning to have his suspicions. 

The more his body changed, the most solid and aware he felt. And by the same token, the fainter and less tangible the woman and the man got. 

They seemed to know this too, though they said nothing about it. 

The woman continued to hold him close, humming or singing to him, sometimes telling him stories as both he and the man listened. Sometimes the man would tell tall tales instead or crack wild jokes that would make him laugh so much on the inside. 

He wished he could have met both of them long ago. The sound of their voices and the melody of their laughter made his heart (which he could now feel beating strongly inside his chest) feel light and practically soar with a freedom he didn’t think he had ever known before. 

After an indeterminate amount of time had passed in this way, he began to be aware of another presence that was tarrying just slightly out of the range of the three of them. Wondering what it was, he decided to focus on it with curiosity. 

The man noticed his change in attention and he could feel his affectionate smile before turning to call to the mysterious waiting presence.

‘Come on, I know you at least want to check on him.’

The being moved closer and he felt a sense of nostalgia and familiarity to the air the new figure gave off. 

And then he spoke…

‘Gurarara, you sure? I’ve had my time with him. It’s your turn, it’s only fair in the time he has left here.’

And his world splintered…

He knew that voice. 

He knew that laugh. 

For the first time since he’d been on this plane, his mind cleared for a moment and he was able to remember who was, and all the subtle hints began to become crystal. 

The mother who was singing to him and caressing his face. 

The father who had filled his heart with laughter. 

And the dad whose voice and spirit he knew as well as his own. 

He knew why he was here in this place, even if this place he would never fully understand. He remembered what he had done that had led him to be in this place, wherever it was. 

He knew why his mother was here.

He knew why his…his…why Roger was here. 

But Pops…why was he here? 

He still couldn’t see or speak, but at this point, he sorely wished that he could. That he could ask why? Why? WHY?!

His parents seemed to notice his agitation and tried to once again soothe him. But Pops’ steady, worried presence–one that was now very much like theirs and no longer like his–only made him feel even more tangled and confused. 

Because if Pops was here and felt like his parents, then that would mean…

That would mean…

No. 

No!

Present Day, on the Renata

Shanks shook his head at the observant eyes of his old teacher and smiled as he thought about how the seas had somehow tossed the two of them together again. He was in the middle of approaching the silver-haired man, hand extended, when it happened. 

BRAYNGGGGG!

A shrill alarm rang through the ship and almost instantly, any smile became a look of concern and apprehension. Schaden immediately teleported away back to Lily’s side. Marco was already heading to the hold, and Hongo was making his way down from the crow’s nest. 

Before either could move very far, a large wave of wild Supreme King haki cascaded over everyone, followed by a large boom that shook them all and a huge outburst of flames erupting from the side of the ship!

FOOSH!

The alarms continued to blare loudly. The Red-Hair pirate captain immediately switched to leadership mode. 

“Juice, you take over the helm, put us at a full stop, and anchor us.” 

The blond man was already on the move, “Aye-aye, Captain.”

“Hongo go with Marco to the infirmary, check on Lily and get an idea of what’s going on!” 

“Already on it, Captain”, the man was following the Phoenix who had already headed below. 

“Snake! Get to the side of the ship and find out the damage. Seal the breach as best you can.”

The large navigator had often operated as a secondary shipwright on the Red Force and so was already heading to the stores to get supplies and materials. “Got it!”

Even as he was issuing orders, the redhead had been stalking across the deck towards the hold where the sickbay lay, a troubled look having come upon his face. He looked over at Rayleigh from the corner of his eyes, who was watching everything with a clouded ambiguous demeanor. 

“There’s some warm clothes and food in the galley, old man. You’re not of an age where you need to take chances with illness.”

Ray only arched an eyebrow back at him, choosing to ignore the concern disguised as snide teasing. 

Shanks looked away under the other’s quiet inquiring gaze. 

“I’ll explain later.” He answered the man’s unspoken question resolutely before hurriedly disappearing below. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 11 - Awakening Part I

By the time Shanks had run down to the infirmary, the fire was blazing from out of the room. Hongo had Lily thankfully pulled away and was taking care of burns on her arms and hands. Schaden was by her side. He didn’t see Marco so he had to assume he was already inside.

He turned to Lily, “What happened?!”

She looked up at him though he could see she was using her devil fruit powers and thus couldn’t quite see him. “His heart stopped suddenly and he went into arrest. His body suddenly seized and this huge wave of haki came out of him, and then the fire followed!” 

Shanks turned to Kino and Ko who were nearby, “You need to get these flames under control before they take too much of a hold! The Ren is not made of Adam wood; we can’t have it sinking!”

The two twins nodded before running to get water from the galley and from up on deck. The damage was going to be the worst part to deal with here, especially to the actual medical equipment in the sickbay itself, but right now that was a minor issue in comparison to keeping the fire contained. 

The breach in the ship’s hull was also an issue, but the sickbay was located above the water line and as long as the ship remained stationary it would be relatively okay until the ship was repaired. 

However, none of this mattered unless they got the source of the fire under control.  

Shanks turned towards the inferno and sighed before allowing his mouth to form a slight grin. Come on, kid. We haven’t come this far for you to have a temper tantrum.

Azure and golden flames mixed with the roaring orange and red as Marco used his own Phoenix fire to protect himself. He was trying his best to at least keep the flames from exploding even further. But even while he was going full power, Ace’s fire was actively pushing him back. And that wasn’t even the sporadic flares of haki that were pulsing from out of him.  Jeez, Ace…where was this kind of power hiding?

He knew that Ace was strong. His abilities as a fire logia were unmatched and he had always been a physical powerhouse. And yet it was nothing like this. Ace’s entire body was white with flame, and blazing arcs of fire radiated throughout the room. 

The bonfire had already consumed the bed below him and had now landed on the floor in a mass of charred cloth and melted twisted slag.  The only reason he wasn’t burning through the wood of the floor down below, was because Marco was attempting to use his own non-consuming fire to encase Ace’s own. 

He had built up a base both underneath and above him and was slowly working to enclose the “fire bubble” towards the middle. However, using his phoenix to fend off the fire, was difficult enough, mixing that with the wild pulses of Supreme King haki that Ace was unconsciously giving off was making it more than a challenge. 

He has no idea what had set the kid off. Before this, his body had been subconsciously defending itself by using sudden combustion, which he or Shanks had been keeping at bay. But this was a much greater response than he had ever seen before. It was wild and untamed, without any reservation whatsoever. It was both beautiful to look at and dangerous to behold at the same time.

He was sure Ace was still unconscious, still in a coma from what Lily had informed him when he came in, so whatever was happening here was a subconscious response to some form of danger or physical jolt. Had it been the storm? Was it a response to another strong person like Rayleigh, entering his proximity? Was it something else entirely? 

Right now it really didn’t matter. Marco was used to dealing with strong haki, so he tried to bend Ace’s to his will using his own, but he was severely at a disadvantage while trying to battle the fire as well. He knew Ace had had conquerer’s haki, but he had never used it really in combat or at all really. They had trained him to be able to keep it under control, but that was about it.

Now, he was beginning to realize that all they had really done was stop up a vessel that was steadily growing under pressure for the last few years. With Ace in such a vulnerable state with nothing but his inborn instincts to guide his body’s movements, the shackles were off and the stopper had been released. It was like being a single firefighter battling an out-of-control wildfire on two fronts. If nothing changed, eventually they would be overwhelmed by one side or another. 

Thankfully, the orange and red fulminating bolts were soon combated by another presence and the two clashing pressures would have seen the vast majority of his weaker brothers and sisters to their knees. He could only imagine the sharp changes all this was doing to the atmosphere in the skies around them. He watched from the side and Shanks entered the room, splitting the flames in his wake. Using a mixture of armament and supreme king, his skin began to gain a black luster and the air wavered around him with power as he walked into the room and through the fire.

 Red and black lighting arched throughout the room and the red-haired pirate came over to the bubble he was attempting to form. Reaching through the fire, his hand and arm now completely ebony in color, he placed a hand on Ace’s chest, and almost instantly the wild haki bursts began to subdue. Marco was happy to make room on that front for the other man, and turned his entire attention to battle the flames before any form of flashover could occur. 

“Come on Ace…stop fighting me. You’re only hurting yourself…” Shanks spoke calmly as he pushed against the kid’s haki storm. 

Marco knew this to be true as well, which is another reason he was so desperate. While turning into his logia form would normally be rejuvenating to Ace, the strain it did to his body would actually begin to tear it apart because of the fragility of his physical body as a support for his noncorporeal one. The longer he stayed in this form, the more damage would be done. He could already see Lily watching from the doorway just outside of the fire’s reach. There was a look of worry and concentration on her face, her white glowing eyes in full intensity. She was trying to keep his body together as much as she could even while Ace was unconsciously undoing her work. 

He ground his teeth, speaking under his breath, “Come on Ace, I’m not going to let you mess up all of our hard work. I might forgive you for being such a big lout, but I’m not letting you do that to Lily. She’s done too much for you to be such a jerk to her.”

“AHHH!” With a final push, he yelled at the strain of finally closing both ends of the capsule, trapping Ace and his bonfire inside of his own blue phoenix fire. 

Shanks continued to push against the kid’s supreme king haki with his own and was surprised at how difficult it was! It was like trying to fight against a waterfall or trying to plug an already compromised dam, or probably even more apropos—trying to restrain a wildfire. 

Shanks had trained his own abilities in many ways, but primarily offensively, and while Ace’s haki was strong–ridiculously strong–his body was not strong enough to maintain the reverb. Right now, all he was trying to do was bring the other to heel and bring him under control. It was usually not hard considering Ace was unconscious, but it looked like this time was going to require something a bit stronger. 

The only problem was that if he used anything stronger, it would more than likely severely hurt or even kill the kid, which was the complete opposite of what they wanted. 

Ughhhh…

“Marco…can you help me out here?”

The blond was looked up with luminescent fiery azure eyes. He quickly surmised the issue before shaking his head and responding grimly, “I can’t! If I let go even a little, his flames are going to break through again.” 

“Reaaaallly should learn to multi-task, Fledgling.”

“How about shut up and think of something else?”

The Red-Hair captain was already wracking his brain. What else could he try? He could attempt the weakest coated attack he had, hoping that the decrease in force would be able to balance off the destructive nature of his will. But that was extremely risky. A drop of sweat slid down his neck that had nothing to do with the heat. He looked down at the boy who he'd interacted more with, in almost death than he ever had during the kid's life. 

If you don't manage to burn my ship down, we're gonna have to change that when this is all over……eh, Wildfire?

Portgas' face had become completely composed of flame. And yet despite the conflagration, his visage was still at rest, appearing much younger even than his meager 20 years. It made him hesitate, knowing that if he misjudged this, it would probably kill the kid instantly, with very little chance for even Lily to bring him back. And yet, the constant waves of haki and flame would eventually destroy the ship and with it plunge everyone into a whole ton of trouble. 

Deciding that he had to take the chance, he changed his stance, pulling his arm back in order to strike.

A calm, slightly admonishing voice halted him. 

“What have I told you about being so heavy-handed, brat?”

A strong hand held him back by the elbow, effectively stopping his action. Another hand, laced in black, reached through the flames and laid securely but gently against FireFist’s brow. 

Shanks only glanced over at his old vice-captain, both surprised and yet not, to see him standing by his side. 

Rayleigh held a heavy smile on his face, one that seemed to be full of so many meanings and thoughts and ideas and dreams all at once. 

He murmured low to himself, “So much fuss for no reason…you’re definitely your father’s son, kid.”

Glancing over at the redhead, his grin became even more confident. “I’ve told you countless times, sometimes you need a sledgehammer and sometimes you need a scalpel.”

Or more than one scalpel …

Shanks let his own grin burst through, “Well, ya know…I sometimes fell asleep when you would drone on and on and on.”

He relaxed and returned his own hand to Ace’s chest, matching his old teacher’s moves exactly. 

“Stop digging, brat. There is only so deep of a hole you can dig yourself into before you can’t get out again. On three."

The power dynamic of the small sickbay changed once again, and the power of three supreme king haki users active at the same time was causing even Marco to have a headache. The twin assistants who had been trying to put out the flames had already fallen unconscious on the ground and he could see those huddled at the door were struggling under immense pressure and strength. Hongo was doing only a little better than Lily, who looked to be holding on by sheer strength of will alone.

He shouted out, his voice battling the fierce gusts that had built up. "Schaden! Take Lily to the deck!"

The shadow who had been mostly sticking to the Revolutionary's side perked up. 

"I have to stay, Marco! We're going to have to go back in immediately after he's out!" Lily tried to argue back.

"Exactly why you have to go! If you stay, you'll get knocked out, and you won’t be able to do anything!" He retorted.

Before she could return the statement, Schaden seemed to get it and surrounded his partner without another word and the two disappeared.

When the two reappeared on the outer deck, what once been a quieting night had quickly changed. The storm clouds that had begun to dissipate, had returned with a vengeance. However, they seemed to be centered above the ship, lightning and thunder crashing like heavenly timpani, huge black and red bolts crashing into the sea. Only seconds after they had appeared on deck, a huge shock wave rocked the ship, the barometric pressure shifted rapidly and the clouds above split in half, rolling away from each other in a mighty cascade!

Even with the distance, Lily could feel herself nearly blacking out, spots floating in her vision. The display of power was incredible! The smell of ozone permeated the air, and strange colors refracted in the air, streaking the clouds as what felt like a tempest had once again overtaken the Renata. 

Then, just like that, it was gone.

The clouds broke, the winds quieted, the lightning ceased and everything became quiet. The only evidence of the display was the small amount of debris that had torn off the ship, the ocean still in the process of settling, and the tremble in their bodies that could still be felt down to the bone. 

Schaden watched it all with wide eyes. ‘What kind of monsters are we traveling with?’

Lily shook her head in disbelief, "I…I’m only glad they’re not our enemies…”

Aboard the Polar Tang, the Seas of Paradise, On Route to Amazon Lily

It was the middle of the night as Law sat in a rather comfortable chair in the OR, reading through one of his latest medical journals. It wasn’t too interesting, most of what it talked about he already knew, but it was always good to keep abreast of the goings-on in the medical world. 

It was also good to know if anyone else had reached his level of surgical skill, making them a prime target for certain people who didn’t care for him having the power of the Op-Op fruit. If someone like that came into prominence, Law’s life could be in danger from certain parties wishing to kill him and replace him with a more pliable user for his fruit.  

So far, there was no danger, but Trafalgar Law was always one who like to minimize risks.

Speaking of risks…

He looked over to the bed by his side, watching the continuous steady breathing of the young raven-haired boy lying there. 

There has been no change for about a week as they had continued to travel to the island of women, alongside the Empress herself and a runaway Marine vessel carting some Revolutionaries and escaped convicts. Not the Heart Pirates’ usual fare, but it seems that this kid drew people of all kinds to him. 

Jinbe had woken up not long after they had made contact with Boa Hancock, and while he needed time to recuperate, Law reasoned that Fishman biology was a bit hardier than that of humans, which allowed the ex-warlord to be up on his feet for any significant amount of time post-surgery.

Currently, the male was sleeping on the other side of the OR, still under observation, and also he didn’t want to be too far from StrawHat, who had yet to awaken.

The sound of beeping broke through the silence and cut through his thoughts, causing Law to sit up and place the journal aside. Ever since “The Incident”, he had been watchful for any strange–possibly manic laughing style–behavior. So far there had been nothing, but one couldn’t be too careful. 

Watching the monitors he examined the screens and readouts. Hmmm.

Scanning his patient, he listened for a moment to his heart. Then taking out his penlight, he quickly looked into the eyes before reaching over, flicking some switches, turning some dials, and pressing a button or two. Moving an apparatus and IV around the operating bed to make room, he then just stood and waited. 

The breaths of the patient below him were no longer as regular and shallow as before, getting deeper and longer. A slight groaning could be heard and the eyelids began to flicker. 

With ever-exaggerating slowness, Monkey D. Luffy slowly but surely began to open his eyes, awakening for the first time since he’d been on board.

Law watched carefully as hazy brown eyes gazed out through half-open lids, not quite seeing yet, not quite aware. He waited a moment, letting the pirate adjust a bit before calling out to him.

“Welcome back, StrawHat. Can you hear my voice?”

At first, there was little recognition and Law made a mental note of his reaction rate and cognizance. But slowly but surely, a bit of brightness began to make its way through the haze. Finger and toes twitched and shifted, but no major movements, though he hadn’t been expecting that anyway. 

Using his penlight once again to watch for dilation of the pupils, Law continued to speak to his patient in a way that affected conversation, even though he knew that the teen would probably be capable of very little after being in a coma for the last few days. 

“My name is Trafalgar Law, I met you on Sabaody. Do you remember that? You are currently on my ship. You are not in danger. You sustained several major injuries and complications to your body which is why you are here. Do you understand me so far?”

The North Blue native watched for any sense of comprehension or response but could see very little recognition of what he was saying. StrawHat appeared to be lucid, but not quite aware. 

His lips began to move ever so slightly and Law realized that he was trying to say something. Reaching over, he carefully moved the oxygen mask down to allow him the freedom of movement. 

His first attempt at speech was barely a croak, and it took a bit more moisture to build up in his mouth and for his tongue to loosen up enough to be able to get any form of words out. When he finally was able to speak, it was barely a whisper, but Law’s hearing had always been exemplary. 

“A….Ace?”

He knew he probably should have expected this from one such as Strawhat who had gone through such a violent mental break prior to going completely unconscious because of his injuries. But somehow it didn’t make it any easier to deal with. 

Empathy reflected in his own eyes as he spoke, his northern accent getting just a bit thicker as he responded. 

“I’m sorry, StrawHat-ya. He’s not here.”

For just a second, those tired brown eyes looked up directly into his, before the eyelids once again closed, succumbing to the pull of sleep.

Revolutionary Army HQ, the island of Baltigo, New World  

A mismatched pair of crystal blue eyes snapped open and as they adjusted to the lantern light, and out of habit, they rapidly and thoroughly scanned the room for any pertinent details, as well as all possible entrances and exits. Once assured of the familiar confines of the organized chaos of the bedroom, they then turned to the other two occupants in the room. An auburn-haired young woman was sitting by his side in a chair, clearly dozing. Across the way, a silver-haired Fishman was sitting in another chair by the closed main door and he too seemed to be asleep. Finishing their survey of the surroundings, the two sapphire orbs closed with a sigh. 

Stretching out his body on the bed, working out muscles and kinks, caused a piece of paper to crackle loudly, shattering the comfortable silence of the room, and waking the other two occupants immediately.

The woman looked up and was the first to notice that he was awake, causing a huge grin to appear on her face. “Sabo! You’re awake! Do you know how worried I was? Why do you do these things to me?!”

Hack came up beside Koala to look over the blond. “How are you doing, Sabo? Everyone’s been worried about you.”

Despite their words, the blond had yet to pay them any attention. Moving his hand up, the source of crinkled paper came into view.  Both of the other occupants sobered when they noticed his diverted attention. 

“You haven’t let go of it since you blacked out in the hallway,” Koala spoke quietly.  

Continuing in his silence, he used his other hand to straighten the scrunched newspaper, allowing it to reveal the worn and tearstained article. A broad smile and smirking ashen eyes greeted him.

And just like that. 

Revolutionary Sabo formerly Outlook Sabo of Goa Kingdom formerly Sabo of the ASL trio, also known simply (and most importantly) as Sabo, younger twin brother of Portgas D. Ace and elder brother to Monkey D. Luffy—remembered that he had remembered.  

An entire decade of memories swam around his brain and with it came the knowledge, the emotions, the dreams, and the promises of his childhood. The bonds of friendship and fraternity, or family and love resolidified themself as if they were never gone. And truly, had they ever been? His soul had recognized his brother. His spirit had cried out in agony and grief, even if it took the body a bit longer to catch up.  

He remembered the farce of a family that he loathed…

He remembered the rabid hellspawn that became his best friend and partner in crime…

He remembered the joy and adventure of the jungles of Mt. Corvo…

He remembered the hyperactive ray of sunshine that came into their lives like a lightning bolt, changing them forever…

He remembered the bitterness and burn of sake going down his throat, even if in the end a deep sense of satisfaction remained…

He remembered the halcyon days of having everything he ever wanted and knowing exactly who he was…

He remembered the utter gut punch of having it all stripped from him and being forced to a life of imprisonment in order to save those he loved most…

He remembered the injustice of a burning city, rotten to its core…

He remembered the smell of cooked meat and realizing that it was him, and the feel of flames licking at his skin wanting to devour him…

He remembered the hope that his brothers would forgive him as his body succumbed to his wounds and a piece of wood was on course to smash into his skull…

He remembered it all.

Sabo felt his body begin to tremble, and his arms automatically curled around himself in an effort to self-comfort. In only seconds, a wave of anguish and grief slammed into him, and tears began to fall. Their well-worn tracts down his cheeks showed that the path was well-traveled. 

Koala could only look on with a pained heart and a small amount of fear. She had never seen her friend and partner in this state before. And as much as it hurt to say–it scared her. 

Sabo could be unruly and agonizing and aggravating, and at times, when he wanted to be, kind and lovable and charming. He was an excellent leader, brave, courageous, and true. Not afraid to get down and dirty, and could be extremely lethal if you crossed him, but was always someone everyone could look up to in any situation. When she had seen him break down in that hallway…and now shivering violently, his fiery eyes now hollow. It scared her down to her very depths.

It was so unfamiliar…so not like him…it was nearly anathema to his nature. 

Or at least the side of his nature that she had known…

Hesitatingly, she reached out and touched his shoulder. He jerked before looking up at her as if just now noticing her presence. There was something in them now that she had never seen before.

“You’ve gotten your memories back, haven’t you?” 

Taking a few heavy breaths, Sabo swallowed a few times before trying to respond. Instead, he sputtered into coughs, his throat raw and ragged and clogged with disuse.

Hack poured some water into a glass and handed it to him. He didn’t mention that the cup constantly shook in his grip. “You’ve been unconscious for several days now with a fever. We feared for you. One of us has been by your side every day, and Dragon has been here when we were not. The doctors could only guess that you had some form of mental break caused by some great shock. I…I’m going to guess it came from the news of the Paramount War.”

Koala watched Sabo take a few swallows of water before attempting to place it on the nearby nightstand. However, his movements were so shaky that Koala slipped it from his hand and placed it there herself. 

He didn’t respond to this, his face was now shadowed by his long hair, his hand still holding tightly to the newspaper. His voice was like gravel when he finally spoke. His tone was as lifeless as everything else about him. “How long ago was the war?”

Koala looked up at Hack with helpless concern before responding. “It’s been practically a week since it ended. You arrived here from a mission a day after its end and collapsed after reading the news. You’ve been in bed unconscious ever since with a fever that would come and go and just today finally broke.”

She then heard a hollow laugh that only increased her fear as he whispered quietly, almost to himself  “‘A mission’, huh? Of course, I was on a mission..it’s always a mission.”

Beginning to freak out and not being able to stand it anymore, she grabbed his arm, "Sabo, please talk to us! Tell us what's going on!"

She saw him take a deep breath as if to gather himself, but rather than reveal anything, she watched unhappily as he let one of his many masks slip into place. 

The tears stopped flowing outwardly and his face calmed. His back straightened and a fake light smile appeared on his face. “I’m okay, Koala, stop worrying. And yes, my memories came back.”

Koala smiled, tears gleaming in her own eyes, truly happy for him even if he didn’t want to fully tell her everything. She knew that considering the inciting spark has been the article related to the death of FireFist Ace, she had to guess that Sabo had known the pirate in some way.

“I’m happy for you, Sabo. After all this time…. Y-You won’t be leaving us, will you?” She asked hesitantly, not sure how the blond’s newfound past would affect his current present.

For just an instant, a flash of resentment flared to life in those cerulean eyes, and Koala flinched at the anger she saw reflected there. But then just as quickly, the fire went out and the mask returned. 

“No…I’m not quitting the revolutionaries, Koala.” He then shifted over and looked up at Hack.

“I’m a bit hungry, Hack. Is it possible to get something to eat?”

The Fishman arched an eyebrow at his obviously strange behavior but nodded anyway, “I’ll go let the doctor know you’re up and see what they recommend after being unconscious for so long.” 

He glanced over at Koala for a moment, as if asking if she would be okay alone, but she simply nodded. Hack then sighed before heading out the door in search of the medic wing. 

Koala turned back around to her friend, only for him to look back at her with a serious gaze. “Koala, can you find Dragon for me? I need to talk with him.”

She looked at him surprised before thinking out loud, “Dragon? Umm…I’m actually not sure where he is. He has been staying near the compound since you collapsed. I’m pretty sure he was pretty worried about you. I guess I can go and call him.”

She got up and headed to the door before swinging around with a chastising finger pointed at him. “And don’t you even think of getting up! You haven’t eaten since you fell out. You vomited your entire stomach up before that, and you just woke up after a fever. Stay in bed until the doctors arrive, understand?”

He smiled wrily up at her. “Yes, mom.”

She grimaced at him, before heading out of the door to search and see if Dragon was in his office before she had to actually track him down via transponder. 

A few seconds after she was gone, the mask slid off, and the calm mismatched azure eyes turned as dark and stormy as an evening thunderstorm. 

Sabo slipped out of bed, one leg at a time, testing his weight with each. A bit of slight wavering once he was on his feet, but he’d pushed through worse. He whispered a quiet apology. “Sorry, Koala, but I didn’t even obey my own mother.  Though you are indeed better than she ever was.”

Carefully tearing out the newspaper article, he folded it as carefully as he could and placed it in an inside pocket close to his chest. Quickly getting dressed in a simple shirt, pants, and boots, Sabo headed out of his bedroom with purpose. He didn’t have time to sit around. 

For once, the Revolution could wait.

 Heading down the stairs in soundless footsteps, Sabo avoided all the crowded thoroughfares, not interested in meeting anyone at this moment. Coming to Baltigo’s archives room, Sabo's icy eyes carried a determined glint as he concentrated on his chosen destination. Hardly anyone frequented here, and the blond was glad for the solitude as he began his task. Moving through the rows of ceiling-high file cabinets, he headed directly to the section the R.A. kept on piracy and the different pirate groups that it had tracked over the years. 

The files on the Emperors of the Sea and their crews and affiliates came first, and then the other smaller players such as warlords came next, and then other big names before the tinier files on individual small-timers.  

Sabo headed to the beginning, yanking open the many drawers on one Edward Newgate and his many commanders and an entire clan of crewmembers. Being the oldest of the emperors, with a long and varied history, the Whitebeards section in the files took up quite a number of sections. But that didn’t deter him. Sabo could flick through files for what he desired to know with dizzying speed when needed. And right now, he needed more than he had anything else in his life.

With such astute concentration did he search, that it was actually two to three whole minutes before he gradually realized that he wasn’t alone…

“Good evening, General.” a smooth voice spoke up quietly.

He stiffened at first before pushing himself to relax and turn around to talk to the two revolutionaries he should have honestly expected to be down here. 

Sitting casually at one of the study tables, covered with books, file folders, and a steeping tea set placed at the center on a tray, two men were watching him with quiet, shrewd eyes. 

Darn it, he forgot those two always took their after-dinner tea or coffee in the archives room. Most never bothered to come down here, but those who did knew the two directors of their arms and tactics department had basically made a secondary unofficial office down here.

The man who had spoken, his hair more golden than blond with an almost unearthly luster that put his own locks to shame, smiled at him intelligently, his clear blue eyes displaying a keen edge. The other, a redhead, who sat to the right of him, also carried blue eyes that were a slightly darker shade. They held a more sympathetic light in them than his partner and best friend, but in his own way. 

He actually stood up as Sabo turned his attention to them. “Commander, it’s good to see you up and about again.”

Sabo solemnly nodded to the blond, “Good evening, Reinhard.” And then to the redhead, “You too, Kircheis. I remember you’re the one who helped me before. Thank you.”

Kircheis, being the one who had first reached their second-in-command, had witnessed most of the raw pain and anguish firsthand. His eyes became even softer as he shook his head. “I only wish there had been more that I could do, sir.”

Sabo casually waved him off, “It’s okay, thanks. You two don’t mind me. I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I find what I’m looking for.”

The golden blond, Reinhard, gracefully stood up from his chair as well, before picking up a couple of files from off the table. “Already done, General.” 

Sabo frowned as the man walked up to him, handing him two medium-sized files. He looked down at them in confusion. “What?”

Reinhard spoke solemnly, “Everything we have on one Portgas D. Ace….or Gol D. Ace as the papers have taken to calling him now…whichever you prefer.”

And just like that, once again the mask shattered, and Sabo looked at the man ruthlessly, his eyes turning into an unforgiving slate blue gray. The quiet of his voice was a warning. “Excuse me? What did you say?”

Neither man seemed troubled by his change in demeanor, in fact, they seemed to expect it. Kircheis came up from behind his partner and held out yet another file folder. This time, Sabo didn’t move to take it. 

“This is everything we could find on StrawHat Monkey D. Luffy.”

Unbidden, Sabo reactively flinched at the name, but still pressed forward, “Why?”

This time Reinhard answered, traces of empathy lacing his tone. “We assumed you would be down here sooner than later, most likely the moment you woke up. It wasn’t hard to figure out the trigger for what happened had been FireFist’s death.”

“FireFist was first heard of in the East Blue and the war confirmed that he is the adopted brother of StrawHat, who was also known to be the East Blue. In fact, considering that “the Fist” Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp is now known to be related to both our Commander-in-Chief and his son, it is well known that Garp hails from Dawn Island of the East Blue.” Kircheis continued 

The blond picked up the explanation, “So, it wasn’t too much of a leap to deduce that FireFist Ace was most likely also from Dawn Island. And both he and StrawHat would have been children at just about the same time that you were discovered near death in Goa Kingdom, which is…”

“...on Dawn Island.” The redhead finished.

He once again held out the file, and this time Sabo took it carefully. 

Reinhard spoke softly this time, an affinity and true understanding for what Sabo was going through could be seen reflected in his own blue eyes, “We’re so sorry, Commander….I know what it’s like to lose a sibling.”

Sabo felt the back of his throat choke up and he couldn’t even be bothered to ask how the two had made the connection as to the true relationship that he, Ace, and Luffy had shared. The two weren’t two of the smartest people in the R. A. for no reason. On one hand, he was perturbed that the two had had the audacity to stick their noses into his affairs. And yet, on the other hand, it was freeing to have someone understand exactly how he felt and that his insides felt like they had been torn to shreds, to understand the pain of his loss, without him having to go through the agony of explaining it.

Hugging the files to him, he could only whisper a quiet thank you to them. Reinhard nodded before quietly returning to his seat, though Kirchies paused taking out a video recording Cameko transponder snail from his pocket. Sabo knew what it was before he even handed it to him. 

“This is a recording of all we could get of the war. It cuts in and out at times, but it should be clear enough for you.”

He took it silently before nodding and moving away without a word. The redhead hadn’t expected it and had gone back to his friend at the table. Sabo left the archives and took to the stairs two at a time, moving out a small window and outside the base. 

Near a small copse of trees along the sheer facing of the cliffside was a large hollow in the rocks. Sometimes birds would make their nests there, but Sabo had long ago made the spot a small hidden getaway for himself when needed.  Placing the files against his chest and the transponder in his pocket, he hopped off the side of the cliff, hanging onto the rocks with one hand, finding the footholds with his feet. Climbing down with only the crashing waves below, he climbed down to where the entrance was concealed. 

Settling in out of the wind, he carefully set the files on his brothers down to go through afterward. He wanted to take his time going through them in detail later. For now, he had something else he needed to see. 

It took him multiple tries before he was actually able to push the button, The desire to remain oblivious was strong, as if not seeing it on screen would somehow help him deny the truth. But Sabo was no coward, never had been. And he… 

He deserved the pain. The naked, raw truth of what had happened to his brother. Ace deserved at least that, and he had already wronged his twin in so many ways that nothing on earth could ever make up for it. 

And then there was Lu, whom his brother had dutifully fulfilled his promise, protecting and raising their little brother on his own. Their Luffy, who had grown into a powerhouse pirate and had become a rising supernova that had challenged the world government itself from what he remembered. 

Luffy had been at the Paramount War. 

He remembered that from the newspaper article.

Of course, he had been. Luffy had always been strong of heart and strong of feeling, even if he sometimes wore those feelings on his non-existent sleeves. Luffy would never have been able to stand by if he knew Ace was in danger. Not like you. Luffy had been there and had seen everything. And what had happened to Lu anyway? 

Luffy had to be okay. He just had to be. 

And because he had to be, Sabo was the only big brother he would have left. Even if Luffy never wanted to see or talk to him again, he wanted to at least still be there to watch him from afar. He had to take up the position he had so callously tossed aside when he had chosen to give up and forget his brothers entirely, to the point where one had to DIE to give him a wake-up call. 

He would never be able to face his little brother again if he couldn't even look at the same horrors that Lu had seen. He would never be able to face Ace in the afterlife if he couldn’t even watch him in his last moments. 

It was that deciding factor that finally made him push play. 

When the footage ended, Sabo didn’t even have the strength to move to turn it off. 

He wanted to throw up, though because he had nothing in his stomach, he could only dry heave in reaction to all he had seen and heard. Of course, he was no stranger to violence and war, he found himself on the battlefield nearly every other week. But this was different. This had been personal. 

Watching Ace, the man he had grown into, kneeling there at his lowest point, his every fear coming true as his father’s sins were laid at his feet. He shared in his twin's desperation, in his despair, and in his humiliation. He felt his brother’s fear when he watched Luffy arrive on the scene in the most dangerous ridiculous way possible. He had gotten so big! But had also surprisingly laughed at the kid’s answer for why he had come. He agreed with Luffy, even after all these years, Ace was still an idiot when it came to accepting acceptance. 

His chest and stomach had risen and dropped so many times throughout the footage of the broadcast. He felt hollowed out by the time he reached near the end. He was numb, his eyes glassy, in his head it almost moved in slow motion as he watched Ace shove Luffy away, taking the hit for him that even he could see was lethal the moment it had begun. 

His soul screamed as he watched his little brother gather Ace’s body to him, as the man lay dying in his arms. It was one thing to read it, but quite another to actually see it happen. 

It didn’t seem to hurt any less the second time…

There was so much whirling around his mind and among his emotions that it was hard to pin down any one specific thing. Instead, Sabo could only just watch on, practically detached from everything else happening on screen. 

Poor Lu…

Who seemed to have gone through something similar, went comatose in the middle of the battle, his entire body just shutting down. And even he had not gotten away unscathed, facing the same hatred and punishment Ace had, persecuted simply from the blood that ran through his veins. 

When it was all over, Sabo took several breaths in an attempt to compartmentalize and reorganize his thoughts and feelings. 

Grief? Yeah, there was a ton of that. 

Denial? He hadn’t even really gotten a chance to experience that. It had come and gone around the time of him so violently regaining his memories back. 

No, right now he could already feel himself quite solidly in the hold of building pure anger. 

Anger at the World Government for all their deceit and lies and for making a spectacle out of his brother’s death simply to try to get a step up on a fight that would never be won. 

Anger at Akainu, the bastard who had murdered his brother and hurt his little brother to the point that the boy would carry physical and mental scars for the rest of his life. 

Anger at the Navy for this entire farce, at Sengoku for using his brother as leverage, and at Garp, the navy dog who constantly insisted they call him “gramps” and yet would not lift a finger to do a damn thing, even as the boy he had supposedly “raised” died right in front of him.

Anger at Whitebeard Pirates, who for all their declarations of strength and family, hadn’t been able to protect their youngest from harm. 

Anger at the world who continued to condone the actions of the World Government and the Navy that supported them. That could condemn Ace without ever getting a chance to know him, for pushing his strong and brave and heart-wounded brother, to fear and fight against the smallest bit of warmth and love. 

Anger at Ace himself for being so obstinate and headstrong and for getting himself in that situation in the first place. For still not being able to run even when it was the smartest choice and his friends and family begged him to. For not learning how to use freaking armament haki! 

But the one he blamed and was angry at the most?

Himself…

“How did you make the sibling connection?”

Reinhard looked up at his best friend and right hand before giving a light shrug in response. “You saw him in that hallway did you not, Kircheis?”

His own eyes gained a shadowed hollow gaze, “One who has gone through the same completely consuming grief and pain, can recognize it in another.”

 Kircheis felt that same old phantom anguish at the great loss that the two of them shared. “Indeed….you made the connection once you found out about Dawn Island.” 

The blond shook his head, “On the contrary, I knew that the General and FireFist were brothers almost immediately. I simply worked backward from there.” 

The sound of running footsteps can towards them and while both could tell who it was using observation, they really didn’t even need to. Both had suspected that the man might return. 

The Chief of Staff, Sabo, came running back into the room only stopping, once he was in front of their table. They both sat up and waited until their CO had caught his breath. 

After a few moments, Reinhard asked, “Did you need something more, General?”

This time when he looked up at him, there was a blazing inferno of rage burning deeply and coldly within those ice-blue orbs. His voice was deceptively cordial, even if his tone was barely above cutting. “Are you two doing anything right now?”

Kircheis sighed before standing up. He already knew where this was going. “No, we’re currently free.”

Sabo grinned ferociously, “Are you up for a late-night training session?”

The two men looked at each other, silent communication going back and forth between them for a moment before Reinhard responded.

“We’ll meet you in 10.”

When Koala led him to an empty bedroom, its occupant having suddenly vanished, Dragon wasn’t all that surprised. 

What Sabo was currently going through was not some trifling thing, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the boy had gone off on his own to trudge his way through it all. Having his memories back after all this time would be a traumatic experience in and of itself, but Dragon had a feeling that the inciting incident—Portgas D. Ace’s death—was also an extremely important factor. 

“I can’t believe this! He promised to stay here! That stupid liar!” Koala screeched in anger at the sight of the empty bed. 

The man stopped the girl before she could start a manhunt for his wayward second. “Let him go, Koala. He’s got to deal with things on his own right now. He’s got a lot going on and he needs space. If he hasn’t keeled over from exhaustion by the time he turns up again, then send him over to my office.”

Sighing, the young woman looked about sadly, “Yes, sir.”

Dragon left her to her thoughts, knowing she was unused to dealing with these changes in her partner and the worry they were causing. 

He also worried over his charge, he’d watched Sabo grow from childhood to man in the last decade. He’d observed him find different forms of happiness and pain, change and mature, developing over the years, guiding him and teaching him as he grew. Remembering when had first met the boy crying out in anguish in Goa kingdom and instantly feeling a kindred spirit within him. It was not lost on him that Sabo wasn’t much older than his actual son would be right about now, and that while he attempted to maintain the distinction of superior and subordinate, even he knew that his repressed paternal instincts were showing themselves without his express consent. 

When he had seen Sabo falling apart in that hallway, breaking in a way he had never seen him. He knew something had changed forever in the man. Like Koala, he was deeply troubled, but unlike her, he knew what abject grief looked like. He had experienced it himself more than once. He knew there would be a time to talk, a time to comfort, and a time to come to grips with the situation.

 For right now, it was time for the boy to process, and he wouldn’t be able to do that if he was overcrowded by others. There was of course the fact that the kid could end up letting his sorrow bring him to do something dangerous, but they’d try to deal with that when it came. 

Dragon wandered the dark paths of the compound, many of the personnel asleep for the night. His thoughts went to many different things that were on his mind. He had gotten calls from Iva recently and had been brought up to speed on his status, as well as Kuma’s, and that of his son. Thoughts of Luffy, brought back other thoughts about Sabo, that night in Goa Kingdom, and the death of the man who was at the center of both, Portgas D. Ace. 

He had known years ago that his father had taken in the son of the Pirate King. It had given him the inspiration to hide his own son on Dawn Island for his protection. He often kept his own tabs on Luffy every few years throughout his childhood. So, he had known of the connection between Luffy and Ace for a while, but now the question was, where did Sabo fit in? 

He could probably ask his old man, but seeing as they had been estranged for years, it would be a bit awkward. He usually had his own independent sources when it came to check up on his son. And with that reminder, he was beginning to be worried about the one he had asked to watch over him during the war. Lily and Schaden were trained enough to take care of themselves, but this had been their first mission, and he had been hesitant about sending either of them out. 

Lily’s abilities alone put a huge target on her back, not just of the world government, but from any group or organization that would seek to use and abuse her. He could himself see the vastness of potential within her power and so not wanting to fall into the same trap, allowed Lily to have carte blanche on what she wanted to utilize her abilities on, only calling on her in extreme situations. Schaden’s species had also been hunted to near-extinction by the government, and he too was wanted for his power and abilities, though he had a much easier time escaping pursuers when needed. 

Neither of the two had checked in since the war as far as he knew, which worried him. He had been busy in the last few days, and generally, it wasn’t protocol, but perhaps it was time to risk contact. 

That thought brought him to the communications room and over to Sabo’s desk as he would be the one with his direct subordinates’ codes and current transponder numbers. He was about to search for them when his keen eyes caught on something that had been placed on his desk. It was a small piece of paper in Koala’s handwriting. 

~White Egret and Black Heron had to leave the roost and are on their way back to the nest. Seems to have run into a little flight trouble, but they are fluttering fine for now. They would like to get together for coffee at your next available convenience.~

Translating the code in his head (never could be too careful when you had the possibility of a paper trail), he wasn’t surprised that Lily and Schaden had to abandon their positions, in fact, he had expected it and had advised them to do so if it became unavoidable. He was glad they had been able to check in, though he was concerned about what kind of trouble they were having in returning that didn’t seem to require any help from a retrieval team. They had asked for Sabo to get in contact with them ASAP, but of course with everything that had happened since, the communique had probably been forgotten and Sabo had been in no position to respond. 

Finding the codes and numbers for them, he was about to head to his office in order to contact them, when he heard the sound of hurrying footsteps and calls for his name. 

Koala came around the corner skidding to stop when she saw him, only to rush up to him in alarm. “Dragon!”

“Calm yourself, Koala, and stop shouting. I’m right here. What’s the matter?” He responded coolly. If he had to guess, his wayward second had turned back up. 

The girl looked up at him in dismay, though she did quiet her voice down into a loud whisper. “It’s Sabo, sir!”

He simply stood silently waiting for her to expound. 

He didn’t have to wait long. 

“Sir! He…he’s on the training grounds—with the Binary Stars!” she looked up at him in panic.

He frowned at her words in an attempt of trying to understand what she was saying. “With the Binary Stars? Right now?”

She nodded rapidly. 

“And they’re currently training now? In the middle of the night?”

Again a rapid nod.  

“But why—”

He faltered to a stop mid-sentence as his brain was struggling to comprehend the situation. Why would Sabo be training now, and with the Binary Stars, no less? No one purposefully volunteered to train with those two. It was equitable to having a death wish. 

What in the world had possessed Sabo to do such a….

A dark shadow came over Dragon’s visage as comprehension began to dawn on him. Slipping the note and numbers regarding Lily and Schaden into his pocket, he marched off toward a nearby window. 

He spoke to Koala evenly even as he opened it, “I’ll take care of this. Go to the medic center and wake the attending physician and inform them they are to make room for a patient.”

Koala looked at him in question, “Sir?” 

“They’re about to have a long-term resident for the current foreseeable future.” Dragon ground out menacingly before taking to the wind and shadow, disappearing from sight.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 12 - Awakening Part II

On board the Renata, the seas of Paradise

It was another several hours of surgery for Lily, Marco, and Hongo, as they worked together repairing the damage Ace had caused to himself, as well as tending to the burns that a few of them had sustained. Shanks stood guard nearby just in case the pyromaniac had decided to begin to flare up again, but thankful that hadn’t happened. 

While he stayed in the sickbay, he oversaw the repairs that Snake and now Juice were making. One of the twins was now on lookout duty, while the other stayed and helped out the doctors. He wasn’t quite sure where Rayleigh had slipped off to, the man had disappeared not long after they had finally pushed the kid into a more inactive state, to get him to cease being a fiery haki torch. 

It was now the wee hours of the morning and Hongo had dragged himself back to his cabin. Marco and Lily were now both collapsed in sleep on the nearby cots. The lady doctor had pulled out all the stops and had not only regrown all the cell damage that Ace’s flame logia state had caused, but had finished mending all the remaining damage from the war as well!

They had bandaged all the tender new skin growth, allowing his body to heal the rest on its own. They continued to have him on the machines and monitors just in case, several IVs were connected to his veins feeding him liquids, nutrients, and medicines. Lily had gotten rid of any pathogens or infections, but she still placed him on antibiotics and of course painkillers just in case. But despite all of that, her job was effectively done. 

Portgas D. Ace, after a week of intensive, practically miraculous, medical procedures and the effort of three doctors and some hardworking pirates, was whole again.

It was actually rather amazing to see someone who had once looked as dead as one could possibly be, now appear as if he was only sleeping quietly. 

His chest and back were now covered in unbroken, unblemished skin, muscle, and bone, with barely any trace of the wound remaining. The only tell was a difference in the skin tones, from the new skin, which was paler than that of the old, as well as the minuscule traces of the Whitebeard tattoo on the boy’s back that hadn’t been obliterated by Akainu’s fist. 

Marco had stared so long that Shanks had been sure the man would start crying again. Though he surprised him and only smiled tenderly before thanking Lily, Hongo, the twins, and even Schaden for all they had done. He would have laughed and teased the birdbrain for not thanking him as well if the man had not fixed him with a very ardent and intense stare that showed without words how truly thankful and happy he was. It made him a bit uncomfortable so he just decided not to mention it. 

Everyone had dropped off to sleep at that point. All of the doctors out of exhaustion and all his other crewmates from the long day. Even Schaden had fallen to sleep, which he had learned, that for his kind basically looked like a little purring black ball. 

Leaving only him, up and about in the dark of the night. So the red-haired man is therefore not at all surprised that he was soon joined by an old friend. 

Rayleigh came to stand by his side on the deck, the two facing the roving sea under the lightening moonlit sky. He had a bottle in hand as he leaned over the railing, and the two stood there in comfortable silence for several moments.

 It was so comfortable in fact, that by the time Shanks saw and tracked the movement, a burst of pain sprang from the back of his head and he was sent sprawling on his backside!

“Hey! what was that, old man?!” Shanks cried out, rubbing the back of his head, watching the man still standing there, not looking as if he had moved at all. 

Rayleigh smirked before taking a drink, “That was for being a brat, brat. I did warn you earlier.” 

The redhead cursed before pushing himself up, nursing his throbbing skull. How even after all these years, the man’s hand could still smart was beyond him. 

“Ya know, just once I wish I could take you down. Just once.” He grumbled as he leaned against the rail. 

Ray gave a laugh before taking a sip from his drink, not bothering to even look his way. “Hmph, you’ve been able to beat me for quite some time, Scarlet.”

He groaned loudly in exasperation, “Aw, come on, not you too! First, Marco, and now you.” 

“Are you and Phoenix still at it?”

“Oh you know, same old, same old.”

Shanks tried to use their conversation as a distraction to strike back at the silver-haired man, only to once again end up on his back. 

“Aghhh…” he moaned at the pain in his back and calves, “You say that I can beat you and all, but how come my body doesn’t seem to believe that?”

Rayleigh looked down at him from over the rim of his glasses with a raised eyebrow. “That’s because—”

A sharp wind cut down over his face, causing the redhead to involuntarily flinch only to have a finger pointing at his forehead.  

“You don’t believe it, here.” The man smirked before hitting him with a light flick in the center of his head. 

Shanks sighed before shaking his head and accepting the hand up. Rayleigh was probably right. Because no matter how strong he got, or how the years went by, he just mentally never doubted that the man who taught him the sword, who raised him from boy to man, and helped to frame his outlook on the world….could still beat the tar out of him if it came down to it. 

The two sat in companionable peace for a few more moments, before the elder asked softly, “So Portgas D. Ace is alive, is he?” 

While the tone was quiet and indifferent, Shanks wasn’t fooled. They were finally going to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

“Yeah, we found out after the war ended. “ He responded quietly. 

The silence was heavy with so many unspoken words and questions that were waiting (some for years) to be addressed, and it was only after another wave had crashed against the hull of the ship, that the Dark King asked, “Can I see him?” 

It was his turn to raise a brow in question, “It’s not like there was anything stopping you before.”

He shrugged back in return, “Your ship, your rules.”

Hearing the Captain’s words from Ray only caused Shanks to shake his head in fond exasperation, before wordlessly indicating for the other to follow him. 

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He pushed the door open and entered the sick bay. Quickly scanning over the patient in the spare bed, nothing had really changed since he had been in last. Lily and Marco were dead to the world, still sleeping in the nearby cots. Ace was lying on the medical bed, an oxygen mask over his face, supported by the many medical machines that whirred and beeped in their steady reassuring way. 

He watched as Rayleigh slowly approached the bed, before looking down at the boy within. He was sure the man who he considered as an uncle or even as a second father to him, could see now the similarities that existed there. The curl of the hair and the dusting of freckles that had been all hers. The wide smile and the hidden sparkling eyes that had been all his. An indomitable, stubborn free spirit that was both of them. 

The two of them stood over the treasure of the man who was so important to them both, a treasure that Roger would have traded every bit of the One Piece for in a second. 

Rayleigh was the first to speak, and even though some might not have noticed, Shanks could hear the heaviness in his voice. “Ya know, he never told me.”

The redhead’s eyes went wide with surprise. “If there had been anybody he would have told, I would have thought it would be you.”

He gave a slight shake of his head, “I knew that he and Rouge had a thing going on, but I guess I never thought about there being a kid.”

Shanks lifted an incredulous eyebrow at that. What did he think would happen between a man and a woman who “loved each other very much”?

Rayleigh's mouth twisted into a snarky smirk, “It wasn’t that, you brat.” 

The older man looked down at the boy once again, going back into his thoughts, “As the disease continued to take him, Crocus had basically concluded that Roger could no longer have kids. That it had taken that ability from him.”

Shanks widened his eyes at the idea of the Captain having become virtually sterile in those last days, that Ace must have been a complete surprise to the old man…a literal miracle child. 

“I had assumed that whole rumor about Roger having a child and that horrific massacre in Baterilla, had all been part of the Government’s scheme to paint Roger as some kind of demonic god of piracy whose legacy needed to be stamped out."

Ray’s world-weary eyes seemed to shimmer with the pain and anger that all of the Roger pirates had felt in those days. The redhead knew that his own probably reflected those same complicated feelings of frustration, tiredness, and just being completely and utterly pissed off at it all. 

He continued, “Goodness knows how hard it felt to hear the truth from Sengoku of all people. To hear it blasted across the news with so much vitriol and contempt, a badge of utter shame. And then to see that same revulsion and shame on the kid’s face. I can’t even imagine what he’s gone through if he’s had only that perspective of his heritage thrown in his face his entire life.”

The young pirate drifted over Ace’s resting face, his still features had relaxed even as he breathed in and out in a steady cycle. “I had a suspicion when he sought me out years ago. Something about the way he stood, the look on his face, and the twinkle in his eyes just stuck with me. I couldn’t quite figure out what, but there was something there that piqued my curiosity. From the bits and pieces I’ve gathered, I can get a moderate idea as to what happened, though I still don’t understand why the Captain didn’t say anything to any of us, least of all you .”

A hand that both showed the wrath of time, but still held strong and steady reached out and ran a slight finger tenderly through Ace’s wavy black hair. “I think……he knew, that if he told me, I would have done all I could to find him and take him in.”

“Would that have been so bad?”

The hand stopped its ministrations only to ball up into a tight fist, “I think Roger knew what was going to happen to us once he surrendered and was executed. You remember those days, kid? We were chased all over the world, anyone we knew, anyone related to us was fair game for those butchers. I had to go deep underground for years…I couldn’t even be there in his last moments. I had to cut all ties with Shakky, which was hard on both of us. None of us, least of all me, would have been in any position to raise a baby.”

Rayleigh smiled regretfully as he finally laid a gentle hand on the young boy’s head. The son of the man who had been his captain, his partner, and his best friend. “I would have tried though…it would have probably gotten us both killed, but I would have tried.”

Shanks watched his old teacher and mentor, also continuing to think of how tragic things had turned out. “Perhaps he thought that Ace had a better chance of survival with Rouge under Garp’s care. At least then he would have a modicum of protection from the rest of the Navy. He probably didn’t count on Rouge dying too.”

“I’m glad he had Newgate in the end. He couldn’t have asked for a better father figure.”

He straightened up and looked at the redhead in a way that made him feel as if a parent’s questioning gaze was bearing down on him, waiting for an answer. “I’m surprised to see him alive at all. Delighted, but surprised. What happened?”

The emperor sighed before glancing over to the two doctors spread out on the cots in the corner. “It wouldn’t have been possible without Lily over there.”

The bearded man followed his line of sight to the young girl asleep in the corner. He seemed to watch her for a moment before frowning and then walking over silently. He seemed to observe her with concern. “This girl? She saved Ace’s life?”

“Yes, her devil fruit allows her to control living cells. She used it to not only sense that Ace hadn’t died out there on the battlefield, but she's been using it to basically keep him alive and repair him all at the same time.” 

“And can she use that power on herself?”

The emperor was thrown by the question, “I…don’t think so? I think she mentioned it doesn’t work on the wielder themselves. Why do you ask?”

He looked over at him with a questioning eyebrow. “Because I’m wondering how she herself is still alive with such an advance case of White Lead Poisoning?”

“Oh! Ahhh...yeah, she explained a few days ago that she’s more than likely from Flevance. Her Devil Fruit keeps the effects of the poison at bay. She’s a revolutionary.”

Ray hummed at the information, “One of Dragon’s kids?”

“Yeah. Though I’m hoping to figure out a way of stealing her away.” 

The other man laughed at that, “Good luck with that. Though it amazes me that that man seems to adopt kids from all over the place to his side. Everyone except his own that is.”

“Umm, I’m pretty sure that’s on purpose. Besides,” the pirate smiled warmly, “If it wasn’t for Dragon, I would have never met Anchor, the world would be a lot drearier, and the hope for the future and the next generation would be in much shakier hands. So, I, for one, am thankful for his sacrifice.” 

Rayleigh grabbed a chair and sat it next to the bed, Shanks having already taken a seat tiredly himself, both of them closing their eyes while at ease. 

“Speaking of your ‘Anchor’, I had the chance to meet him myself.”

“Hmm, I knew you would. He’s met Crocus too.”

“So I’ve heard. I have to say that I’m impressed by him. Did you send him my way?”

“Not purposefully, though I knew he would find his way to you eventually. Sooo…you up for taking on another student, old man?”

Rayleigh smirked, “Well, that’s the idea. Though, with this newest development, I think we might need to change up the plan.”

“You mean, in regards to Wildfire?” the younger of the two prompted.

“‘Wildfire’?” 

“Ace, of course.”

“For a guy who keeps complaining about other people touting his own nickname, you constantly keep giving them to others without their assent.”

“Hey, I got it from you guys in the first place. Leave me alone.”

Ray just shook his head in bemusement. “We’ll wait until Wildfire awakens, but I’d rather not have to lie through omission to my new student, and the kid’s not going to believe me unless I come with proof.”

“Hmm, of course.” Shanks wholeheartedly agreed. He would not wish to cause undo sorrow to either of the boys he cared so much about. And he doubted that Ace would rest easy with his brother mentally suffering from unneeded grief, in the dark on the truth.

“And besides…” Rayleigh grinned knowingly, “I think it’s about time that you got a student of your own.”

On another Plane of Existence

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So many emotions bombarded him at once. Grief, loss, outrage, bewilderment, anger. He didn’t quite know what to do with it all.

Everything seemed to come out at once, everything crashing together in one huge cacophony. 

Pops was dead. 

How was he supposed to come to grips with that?

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And it was his fault.

     It was always his fault. 

          Everything was his fault. 

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If only he had never been so weak, so stupid.

If only he had never been so presumptuous for wanting something more. 

If only he had never been born in this world….

So many suffered on his account. Sabo was dead because he hadn’t been strong enough to keep his family together. 

Luffy had to suffer the loss of both of his brothers because he wasn’t strong enough to keep his promise. 

His crew had suffered and lost so much in an attempt to get him back. 

And now to find out that he had inadvertently caused the death of the man who had been the closest thing to a father in his life, even if it was only for a few short years.

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His body burned. 

It was like he was leaking anguish and heartbreak and self-hatred and he was just so, so, so, so lost. It was almost as if, for once, he was being consumed by his own conflagration. Like he was burning away, piece by piece. 

What was he to do? 

What could he do? 

He was already dead…

So lost…

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Ace then begin to wince as he felt a tingle come over him. It had started in small, but had now begun to grow. 

Little by little…the flaking ashes of him were surrounded and wrapped up, embraced and enclosed. Tying themselves back to him, piecing him back together into one whole. 

He then felt the presence of a warm hand on his heart and another on his head. From them, he experienced a cooling sensation dusting across his entire being, like a light drizzle that soothed and chilled. It slowly alleviated the pain bit by bit, and while light, it was potent.

 Even as he wasn’t sure he wanted to give up his old familiar companions of self-loathing and anger, the power that seemed to exist both within and surrounding him, as one walking in a garden in the coolness of the day, brushed those feelings away with frightful ease. 

He began to calm and relax within the embrace of the mix of these sensations. His heart still felt heavy with sorrow, but no longer did it feel like it would completely overtake him. His burdens had become lighter and what had seemed unsurmountable before, no longer felt impossible. 

Taking steady deep breaths, he rested in this way for quite a while, tears coming from time to time, but never again overwhelming him. 

Time, which never seemed to really matter that much in this place, passed in some form or fashion. 

Within that space, he began to feel that tethering feeling once again, even stronger than it ever had been before.

The hand on his heart shifted and began to lovingly caress his arms, face, and hair once again. 

His mother…

The hand on his forehead moved to the top of his head, clasping it close in a grasp that was both loving and protective. 

Ro…his father…

The strong arms that were enclosing him, keep him together, making sure no part of him was lost. 

Pops…

His mother was the first to speak. ‘There he is…you’ve come back to us, my son.’

‘Just in time too. It’s time.’ his father replied.

Time? Time for what?

‘Why don’t you open your eyes son, and see for yourself?’ Pops chided him.

Wait, he could do that?

For the first time since he had been in this place, he felt the sensation of eyelids and so with no small effort, he struggled to open them. Even as he tried, his mother began to sing once again, that lullaby that he somehow recognized. Had she sung it to him while he was still within her? He wanted to treasure those words, write them upon his heart, and find someplace to tattoo them on his skin. Whatever it took to make sure her words never left him. 

‘Look to the stars,

And gaze up at the moon. 

Even as these days pass,

I’m always thinking of you. 

Face each new day, 

And keep your hope alive.

For tomorrow’s coming soon!

Always know that I love you.’

She then spoke to him in a voice both strong and tender, ‘I don't know if you will remember any of this. Once you return to where you belong. But one thing that you must remember Ace, is that:  You. Are. Loved.’ 

Each word struck his heart like an arrow. Piercing and lodging there in stubborn succession. 

But his mother wasn’t done.

‘You were always loved. You were born out of love. And never let anyone tell you otherwise.’

Even as he continued to struggle to open his eyes, could feel the wetness of tears spilling from them and he wished he could say something to his mother, to apologize to her in some way, but he still was unable to find his sense of speech.

His mom seemed to know what he wanted to say because she instead embraced him and quietly whispered in his ear.

‘I’m overjoyed you were born my son. And if I ever hear you disagreeing with me by saying otherwise, know that the next time I see you, I will kick your butt from here to the Red Line and back. Do you understand me?’

He could now only voicelessly keen, hearing words he never thought he’d hear from the one person he had always loved but had never understood. Nearly doubling over with the emotional gut punch. He was sobbing now, practically choking on tears, trying his best to nod vigorously at her words. 

The rough voice of his father took over as he laughed warmly, ‘You’d better listen to your mother, kid. Her threats are in no way idle.’

There was no warning before he was folded into an embrace that was as strong as iron, but somehow still comfortable and cozy. Roger spoke to him, and for the first time, he could feel and hear that air of command that was worthy of one who was known as a king. 

‘I don't care if you love me or you hate me, it's up to you to make that choice. It doesn't matter, because I will always love you, no matter how you may feel about me.'

What? But...

His voice then held something that he never expected to hear from the man—regret.

'I truly wish that you didn’t have to suffer because of me. I would have given anything if it could take away all the hurt and suffering that you endured. I’m sorry for that. But also know that I wouldn’t change a thing if it meant that you would have never’ve been born. No matter what you might hear about me from now on, know this: I love you. I loved you when you were still small in your momma's womb. I never stopped loving you. You must believe that.’

He didn’t even know what to do with his emotions anymore. Up was down, left was right, inside was outside, and everything was topsy-turvy. 

‘You heard them brat, don't let your new heart be grieved.’ 

Pops’ gruff voice laughed happily, ruffling his hair. 'I love ya, Ace. Know that you have so many who love you, and you have so much more to live for my son. Let those other children of mine know that I’ll be watching ‘em. Your big brother has been fighting day and night for you. And the little ones need you. Don’t you dare disappoint ‘em.'

He was taken into a bear hug by the giant of a man, who whispered his own personal message to him. ‘“No regrets”, remember? I’ve lived my life, Ace. I achieved and did everything I wanted to do. Now it’s time for you to live yours. There’s a pretty little miss out there who’s been working her butt off putting you back together. Why not go and talk to her? Take her out to dinner or something? Live, Ace. You don’t belong here. Not yet anyway.’

When Pops released him, he could barely breathe from it all. He didn’t understand so much, and yet every word from his three parents had embedded themselves in him to the point that he didn’t think he could ever get them untangled, even if he wanted to. 

Finally—Finally!—able to find the strength, Ace pushed his eyes open allowing him to finally see for the first time. 

It was bright. Too bright. 

He wanted to shut his eyes again, but he was determined to see, and so squinted as best he could. 

Before him, among the blinding light, were three figures...

His eyes found the woman first. She wore a flowing gown, light and beautiful that twinkled as if the stars in the sky had been sewn into the fabric itself. Her smile was as bright as the sun, her warm, coppery brown eyes were dazzling as she looked upon him with adoration. Her fair skin held a dusting of freckles on her cheeks, so reminiscent of his own. A halo of lovely pink-blonde hair framed her face, jeweled red flowers decorated the long glossy locks. 

Mother!

Standing next to her, with an arm around her shoulders, was a taller man, his body regaled in scarlet and gold. His face was quite familiar to him, but it had never looked as untroubled and content in his many bounty posters, as it did right now. His build was muscular but wiry, every bit of his strength on display through his clothes. A visage that he had always cast as that of a dark, demonic monster, now looked much younger, light, daring, and carefree. Hair glossy ebony, in unruly waves all over his head, eyes of darkened silver that flashed like metal in the sun, tanned golden skin, and a slightly smaller mustache than he was used to, but it gave him a more distinguished look. His wide ‘D’ smile was on full display. 

Father!

On the other side of him, standing with his hand on his hip, was a man he instantly recognized. Not much had changed about Edward Newgate, except that he too looked younger and more carefree than he ever remembered. He also looked stronger too. Not a bit of age or weakness remained. Dressed in a crisp wardrobe of red, gold, and white, the big man’s long blond hair gleamed with a luster, and his signature mustache was sharp and slick. His hazel eyes were full of laughter and joy as he smiled brightly. 

Pops!

Oh, how he wanted to go to them! He wanted to embrace all 3 of them again so badly! But this time, something stopped him. Pulling him back and keeping him in place. The light was getting too bright, and his eyes automatically shut closed no matter how much he wished to fight them!

No! He wanted to see them! He wanted to be with them!

His mother’s voice returned to him, soothing him once again, though it was much fainter than before. 

‘Don’t worry my darling. We’ll be here when you return. Just not too soon, okay? Trust we're always there, watching as you grow. We love you so much, Ace!’

And all of sudden, all the air was robbed from his chest, and he knew no more.

The Next Morning, the Renata, seas of Paradise

Lily hummed to herself as she worked alone in the sickbay organizing the supplies and materials, keeping an external and internal eye on her patient, and making a checklist of all the things they needed to restock on. The rest of the crew was either off doing other tasks, working on the repairs of the ship, or planning their new path. Marco, Shanks, and Rayleigh–the Dark King himself!–were talking about some new dangers and options and such for their current navigational path. She’d probably find out more about that later, she had Schaden attend to make sure to look after their interests. 

The song was another mystery product from her past, one that her subconscious remembered but not quite any of the particulars or details. She only had the melody, though she didn’t even know if it had any words sadly enough. 

A sudden beeping from one of the machines interrupted her thoughts. Heading to the bed. She looked at the monitor and then at the patient, then back to the machine, and then back to the bed.

Releasing her sight, Lily moved to the machines, flicking switches and pressing buttons, watching the data readings carefully. Portgas’ breathing began to shift ever so, his heartbeat picking up. His body temperature also was on the rise. 

She quickly grabbed a nearby bucket of water and a cloth. “Oh no, you don’t. I’ve already been burned twice by you, thank you very much. And they only just repaired the walls. I will dump this entire bucket on your head if necessary!” 

Soaking the cloth, she began to carefully run it over the man’s chest and shoulders, and neck in an attempt to cool him down. 

She was then vastly concerned when suddenly tears began to flow from Ace’s closed eyes and down his cheeks. First one, then two, then eventually an entire stream!

“Hey, heyyy…what’s the matter?” She asked in concern.

Lifting the cloth to his face, she caressed his cheek in an attempt to wipe the tears away. New ones took their place, and for the first time, Lily found herself in a strange comforting position. She rarely had to comfort anyone (much less someone unconscious) other than Schaden from time to time. 

Not knowing what else to do, she continued to stroke his face, humming the melody from her memory of before. It had long been a comfort to her when she had been alone in the dark depths of the facility, perhaps it would be a comfort to him?

The first thing he was aware of was the sound of music. 

A voice…

A woman’s voice…

Mother?

…no, this was different. No less beautiful, but in a different kind of way. 

His mother's had been like the meadowlarks he had heard sing as a child in the forest. 

This was more like a siren’s call. Lovely and haunting and strange, but enticing all the same.

Deciding it couldn’t hurt to follow it, he pursued it forwards…

.

.

.

It was getting brighter here. The voice continued and it was becoming clearer the further he went, but annoyingly enough he still couldn't see where it was coming from. He was beginning to get frustrated. How far away was he?!

Why don’t you open your eyes son, and see for yourself?

He could hear the advice Pops had given him before, whispering in his ear. Were his eyes really closed?

Trying it out, he attempted to open his eyes and could indeed feel resistance. Once again it was a struggle, his eyelids felt like they were made of lead! Oh come on, he wasn’t having this again. Gathering all the strength he had (which was a lot less than he had expected) he heaved and pulled and struggled. Little by little, more and more light flooded in until it was nearly blinding. 

He was almost there, he could feel it! Taking a deep breath, he pushed again, just a little bit more!

Suddenly there was a give and without warning, his eyes opened allowing a flood of brilliant illumination into them that very nearly burned!

At first, he couldn’t see anything, it being much too bright for him to handle. But gradually from out of the blaze of light came the visage of a woman.

She was leaning over him, watching him with a dazzling wide smile. It reminded him of his mother’s, and in the back of his head, he had to wonder if the woman was perhaps a ‘D’?

The halo of light surrounded her, gleaming off soft tresses of ivory hair. Her skin was as white as alabaster and her eyes sparkled like snow in the sunlight. He could feel her hand on his face and it felt soft and warm and real.  

“Welcome back, sleepyhead.” The woman said, vivacity and elation entwined in her voice. He knew the moment she spoke, that the siren’s melody had come from her. 

“You don’t know how many people have been waiting for you.” 

His tongue felt thick and his throat parched from disuse. His voice was as rough as sandpaper. But considering where he had been and what he had seen, Ace could only think of one question to ask her.

“A…Are you an angel?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 13 - The Angel and the Badman

Baltigo, The Night Before

The coppery taste of blood wasn’t one that Sabo enjoyed. He was used to it, true, but never actually liked the feeling the taste brought him. 

Gathering the blood and saliva in his mouth, he spit out the disgusting mixture back onto the ground as he clawed at the gravel in an attempt to pick himself up out of the dirt. It took a little longer to rise this time, and every part of his body was in pain. But he didn’t care. In fact, right now? He relished it.

Staggering back to his feet, and watched the man who had driven him into the dirt observing him silently. His partner—the one who had distracted him in order for his other half to drive him into the dirt—stood on a rocky outcropping a few yards away. Both carried an inscrutable expression as they waited for him to get his bearings. 

The crimson-haired man decided to speak his piece. “Commander…you need to stop. Your moves are sloppy. Your head’s not in the right space for this. You’re going to get yourself seriously injured at this rate. Please reconsider.”

Sabo used the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his mouth, straightening his back and legs to his full height. A wide smirk appeared on his face. “Let’s keep going. I’m only just getting started! And don’t you dare start going easy on me.” 

“Sir,” the golden-haired Reinhard spoke up somberly, “if we didn’t go easy on you—you’d be dead. This is ‘training’, not a mission.”

He rolled his neck cracking out the kicks, “Eh, semantics. Now, again!”

Sabo kicked out at the Kircheis, but predictably, the man blocked rather easily. However, with his other hand, using the gravel he had picked up while getting up from the ground, he threw it into the man’s face! 

He cried out, temporarily blinded, however rather than taking advantage of the situation, Sabo turned, pivoting on one foot to use his pipe to block Reinhard’s sword. The impact of the blow nearly forced him back on his knees!

He could never understand how someone of Rein’s slender build could handle a huge longsword with such finesse, but he had to admit it fit the man, always straightforward and regal in every move he made. And even now, while he was using both hands to send his blade crashing against his guard, he used his footwork to push him back…

…right into Kircheis’ waiting arms. 

The man had gotten over his distraction pretty quickly and had reached around grabbing the ends of Sabo’s pipe, and using it to pin the blond up against his body. He attempted to jab his elbow into his gut and use his agility to slip down and out of the hold, but before he could even do so, Reinhard changed the grip and angle on his blade and thrust the hilt solidly into his chest pinning his further. With that simple move, his upper body was pinned by the two men, and his main defense was gone!

Then in a perfectly coordinated maneuver, Reinhard lunged forward, driving his knee upward into the blond’s solar plexus, while at the same time Kircheis used his taller gait to kick at the back of his knees before sweeping his legs out from under him!

His vision blacked out for a second before painful spasms radiated through his body and he lost all sense of breathing. The two released him simultaneously and he fell into a heap back onto the ground again chest heaving, saliva falling from his mouth as he tried his best to gasp for air while also attempting to resist the desire to vomit and/or completely pass out. 

As Sabo lay on the ground trying to pull himself together, he noticed that the two had once again walked away back to their original positions, watching him dispassionately no worse for wear. He was at that point once again reminded why these two were so dangerous as a pair, and why nobody willingly wanted to fight against them at the same time unless you were forced to, either as part of initial training when you first entered the Army, or as punishment. 

But then again, that’s why he was here, wasn’t it? Punishment. 

The Revolutionary Army was made up of several different kinds of individuals from all walks of life. All of them were recruited because of their similar belief that the world was rotting away and that the World Government and the Celestial Dragons were at the center of it all. That there was major injustice being allowed to fester in this world and since no one was going to do anything about it, it was up to them to make a stand. 

However, even among them all, there was something slightly different when it came to these two, who were known better by their singular shared name of the “Binary Stars”.

Kircheis and Reinhard came as a pair from West Blue. “Came” is quite the apt term as the two are still the only members of the R.A. to have actually come looking for the Revolutionary forces, quite literally knocking on their front door. Having never been on their radar at all, the two had used their vast knowledge, determination, and skills to figure out the location of the Revolutionary headquarters, bypass all defenses, guards, and traps, and demand to join. 

Now the two were lieutenant generals and vital soldiers, loyal to the cause, highly lethal and efficient.  Both were amazingly strong fighters and skillful agents, having a zero failure rate in their missions. And while both were fully capable by themselves, there was a dynamic about them when together that became rather obvious once you had been around them for long enough. And it was this dynamic, the nature of their relationship that made them so invincible and why they were given their collective nickname. 

When they first arrived, it was obvious that they were best friends, partners, nearly inseparable. And yet, eventually, it became obvious that “friends” was probably a vast understatement. They were so much more than that.

Were they like siblings? Even that wasn’t quite the word to describe it.

Were they lovers? No, that was wrong.

It wasn’t any of those things.

Eventually, Rein himself had to explain the nature of their relationship in his usual introspective way: They were two halves of the same whole. He considered them to be almost of one mind, one soul split into two bodies. 

The idea was not a romantic one, but a simple fact.

No one knew how true it was, but Kircheis didn’t deny it, and it seemed a better description of their connection than anything anyone else had come up with. While Reinhard was a genius in military matters, a master of warfare, and the clear leader between the two of them, he would not be nearly as effective if it wasn’t for the other. Kircheis was his trusted weapon, following his direction without question or hesitation, however, he could only do this because he understood the man like no other, and trusted him implicitly. Not simply with his life…but with his very dreams and soul. 

 It was because of this dynamic that they were unstoppable and no one wanted to face them in battle. They are brutal taskmasters, whose synchronicity is beyond normal comprehension. The Binary Stars train many, but no one volunteers for it. And you definitely didn’t ask for them to train you together, two-on-one. 

But it was precisely what the blond wanted and asked for. To fight one of them, he knew he had a fairly good chance at winning or at least coming to a draw. However, by taking on two of them at once, he could be assured that he could work out the anger and frustration that were threatening to burst out of him. He didn’t know what he’d be left with when it was all over, but he did know that he didn’t care. 

Staggering to his feet, he picked up his fallen weapon. He swung his pipe in hand while relentlessly ignoring the trembling in his limbs. 

“Again.”

Reinhard frowned and once again tried to appeal to reason, “General, the pain you’re feeling, the abyss that’s growing within you, isn’t going to be solved this way.” 

Sabo took a step forward, “I’m coming now.”

Rather than raise their defense, at the same time, the Binary Stars sheathed their weapons and stood down. Kircheis somberly declared, “This ‘training’ session is over, Commander.” 

The blond pointedly ignored them, if they wanted to make it easier for him, he wasn’t going to complain. Wrapping armament haki around his hands and pipe, he launched himself at the blond member of the pair, both poised for the attack, but also on the lookout for his partner to make his own attack. 

To his surprise, the redhead didn’t make a move and seemed to let Rein do this solo. 

Reinhard, for his part, didn’t make a move for his sword, rather he applied armament to his own forearms and fists, but did not attack and instead evaded. Sabo’s fist smashed the stone where the blond had been, but he quickly followed the other man, not willing to let him get behind him. However, the golden-haired soldier seemed content to parrying and keep himself out of reach. 

The two continued this dance, and still, Kircheis never interjected, only standing there observing, probably waiting for some unknown, imperceptible signal of communication from his other half. 

If Sabo hadn’t been close to utter exhaustion and his mind has been clearer, he would have realized the game the two were playing. But sadly, he was too far gone for that, and his body became more and more fatigued as he continued to attack his perpetually fleeing opponent. 

Using his momentum, he stabbed his pipe into the ground and used it to vault into the air. The gleaming black on his arm sent up sparks and his fingers separated into the familiar position of one of his signature moves. However, his golden-haired opponent wasn’t in any way cowed by the Dragon’s Claw. Instead, he surprised the other by instead of running away this time, he ran towards him! 

Leaping into the air and surprising him by meeting him halfway into his attack. He grabbed Sabo’s dominant attacking arm, grappling with him, and in one move threw him over his shoulder and into the rocky ground below. 

The impact alone caused the blond to gasp out in pain, even a bit of blood flying out his mouth. By the time he was aware of what had happened, he discovered that his over-extended body had finally reached its limit, and try as he might, he couldn’t get the energy to move an inch. 

Also, Reinhard was now sitting on his chest, keeping him immobilized, a small dagger at his throat. Not hard enough to damage, but rather a warning to not get up again. 

“I told you that I understand how you feel. I understand why you’re trying to hurt yourself. Why you feel that you’re to blame.”

Sabo growled before throwing his head back onto the ground, hating that his body had betrayed him. “It’s not the same, Rein.”

The other blond’s eyes narrowed, “'Not the same'? My sister was my closest companion, she basically raised me. My only family. I loved her more than breathing! She was my one light in that dismal wasteland where Kirchieis and I grew up. And then one day, one of them comes, and they see a young boy that catches their eye.“

His voice and face were now wrapped up in a snarl as he remembered the feeling of disgust and shame that he had experienced as a child when he had felt that thing’s eyes roving over him, not even hiding what it wanted. 

“But my sister saw that look too and she pleaded to take my place, saying that a full-grown woman could offer more than a mere poor child. And with our colorings being so similar, and the fact that it didn’t really care if the one taken was adult or child, man or woman, as long as it got what it wanted. My sister was taken in my place.”

His breathing had gotten heavier, and he twirled the apex of the dagger around the loose threads of the front of Sabo’s shirt before yanking upward, forcing the other to look at him and the intensity there. “My sister was gone for 4 years, and then one day she was suddenly back. They had returned her once they were done with her, dumping her like a bag of trash in the center of town. I wasn’t there at the time, Kircheis and I had gone into the Marines mistakenly thinking we could find our justice there. By the time someone had finally been able to send word, she was dead. They had destroyed her, broken her, ruined every ounce of goodness that had been within her! But…ultimately it was my fault.”

Sabo could see his own pain reflected in the other’s eyes. He knew who “they” and “it” was and that Reinhard’s story was not an unfamiliar one. “It wasn’t your fault, Rein. They did that. Not you. You didn’t ask to be singled out. You weren’t the one that put your sister in that impossible situation. Your sister’s death is on the Celestial Dragons’ hands, not yours.”

Reinhard raised an eyebrow at his statement. “You mean like how you didn’t ask to get amnesia because one of them got pissy that a child’s small boat crossed their path?”

Sabo’s eyes flew wide at the quick heel-turn, before gritting his teeth at the other’s turning of words, “That’s not—”

“Or like how it wasn’t your fault that you weren’t there in your brother’s last moments, just as I couldn’t be there for Annerose during hers?” 

“It’s not—!”

“Or like how your brother’s death is on the Navy’s hands, not yours?” 

Sabo cried out loud before throwing his head backwards into the ground, wishing that he could punch something, and frustrated at having his own words turned back on him. The practical part of him could hear the logic, but being too emotionally close to the situation the sorrow wouldn't allow it to pacify him.  He wanted to be angry, he needed to be angry. He needed to—

“You want to be punished. You want someone to pay, even if it has to be you—in fact, especially you.”

Reinhard slipped the dagger out of his shirt and placed it back in its holder before handing it up to Kircheis who had come up behind him. 

 Sabo could only look up at him in shock at how easily the other could sum up his feelings. 

“I told you, I understand. That’s why I know the dangers of what's going through your mind. It took me a long time to finally lay the blame at the feet of those that deserved it and even now, I still wonder if there could have been anything I could have done differently. I will probably wonder these questions for the rest of my life.”

Kirch laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder, a silent reminder of support and solace. He spoke up himself for the first time, “That’s not to say that you’re not allowed to have those feelings, Commander. Be angry. Rage. Weep if you must. But don’t let their actions consume you too. I don’t know what it’s like to lose a sibling. But Annerose…Reinhard’s sister…was the love of my life. Her death hit me just as hard, but in a different way. And if I were to ever lose Rein…”

His throat stung and swallowing became difficult from the lump that developed there. “I’d probably want to burn the world down too…and me along with it. Just the thought of it leaves me hollow.”

 Reinhard himself knew that if he lost the other man, he would be like a butterfly with its wings ripped off—crippled and doomed to follow the other in death. 

Another thought had him look down at his commanding officer severely, “Annerose and Kirchies were my pillars. With my sister gone, he was all I had left to lean on. You lost your brother, and yes, what you’re feeling will not go away overnight, or even in a fortnight. But what you’re doing is not going to relieve you. And remember what you DO still have, who you still have left to live for. Remember that you still have a pillar…and right now, I’m betting he currently thinks he has none.”

Sabo felt like he had been dunked into the waters of the glacial North Blue the wind was knocked out of him so fast. Gradually the aggression began to melt out of him. Why had he forgotten so fast? In his desire to take the blame on himself, he had forgotten how hurting himself would ultimately hurt the one person he had left. 

Luffy…

As if just the thought summoned the spirit of the gale itself. a mistral air current violently swept through the training grounds. A cold, frigid voice joined it. “You should listen to them, soldier.”  

All three froze at the sound and Reinhard sighed before murmuring wryly up to his partner, “You might have mentioned the Hawk was out here.”

(In the northernmost parts of the West Blue, when sudden subarctic wind gusts came through with a cold that cut through right to the bone, the locals referred to it colloquially as “The Hawk”. Saying things like, “best be careful, the Hawk’s out tonight” or “you’d better bundle up, the Hawk’s out there”. 

From the moment the Binary Stars had met the leader of the R. A., he had reminded them of those cutting, brutal winds–efficient, devastating, and purposeful. And so they had taken to referring to him as “Hawk” when speaking casually or to each other. Dragon himself didn’t mind either way.)

Kircheis murmured back, “You know if he doesn’t wish it, nobody can sense his presence.”

Rien stood up and at attention to his boss. “Sir.”

From out of the darkness of the cloud-filled night, Monkey D. Dragon came forward, his stormy expression made his present mood quite obvious. “Get to bed you two, we’ll talk in the morning. Leave my second to me.” 

They both saluted before walking away without a word. The two had said what they had to say and had accomplished what they had set out to do when they had accepted the “training” in the first place. They could only hope their commander-in-chief could help their chief of staff the rest of the way—for both his own good and for the future of the cause. 

Dragon’s entrance to the field sent any onlookers scuttling off, leaving only himself and his second in command alone. 

The man watched the younger carefully. Sabo hadn’t looked at him since he arrived, only bothering to watch the sky blankly with a thoughtful look on his face. He had been angry, but also fearful of what the blond might do in his compromised state. 

Thankfully, it looked like the Binary Stars had gotten through to him either with their words or actions, though probably a combination of both. And it looked as if they had worn down whatever adrenaline had been keeping the young man on his feet. 

For a while, neither of them spoke. However, with the night waning on and that he wished to have the boy inside and attended to as soon as possible, Dragon decide to take the initiative. 

“Your actions…foolish as they were, are understandable. However, if you need to work off your anger, I can suggest several better avenues than trying to take on the Binary Stars.”

Sabo still not looking at him, smiled wryly, “I can take them.”

The brunet raised an eyebrow, “Reinhard handled you expertly. And even if you had somehow overpowered him, Kircheis was waiting in the wings with a tranquilizer.”

He snorted with a dry laugh. He had wondered why the redhead was hanging back. “Okay, maybe I could have taken them if I was thinking straight and not…and not…”

The smile fell from his face and with the anger drained from out of him, all that was left with the monstrous sorrow that had been waiting just underneath it. He had thought he had exhausted all his tears, and yet somehow, even more, found their way back. 

His vision wavered and his voice choked with a sob and even with his skill, there was no mask that he could raise to hold it all in. Any facade he had built for others or even for himself, was collapsing in on itself.

“W-Why Dragon…w-why did you… sob …why did you…take me from them?”

The man’s dark eyes softened and he sat down on the ground by the boy’s weeping prone form. His hand slowly reached over and stroked through the blond’s curled strands. 

“I’m sorry for Portgas’ death, Sabo. I’m sorry I never put it together before now. That night…the fire…you were trying to get to him and Luffy, weren’t you? When we first met.”

Dragon had mentioned years ago that he had remembered first meeting Sabo in Goa Kingdom near the city gates. He knew about Grey Terminal and the holocaust that occurred there as simple events. But Sabo had never really paid attention to why he had been so close to the gates that late at night in the first place. 

The thought made the tears run even faster. “It was my fault…I should have never gone out that day…I should have never left them…”

Dragon continued to let the boy cry, not bothering to respond. It wouldn’t have made much of a difference and Reinhard and Kircheis had said basically everything he could have. He knew Sabo had taken the words to heart even if he was too… everything …to do anything about it at the moment. 

No, all he could do was allow his presence to continue to ground and assuage him. He had already decided that when Sabo was ready and he was able to ascertain his location, he would send him to Luffy’s side for a time. Both boys would need each other no doubt. 

 Eventually, his sobs began to quiet and his consciousness began to dim. It seems his body had had all it could take.

 Sabo could only think to ask one more thing as he felt the man who raised him, lift his listless body up off the ground. “Is…is Luffy okay?”

Dragon looked down at the young man in his arms for a moment before answering. “He’s alive according to the last report.”

He didn’t embellish. He hadn’t had any other word since Lily’s report (another reason to contact her) and he had yet to hear from Ivankov on his son’s condition. He could only hope that his strength and D. blood would carry him through–for both his sake and the boy he carried. 

And it seemed that that confirmation of life was really all that he really needed at the moment. At hearing it, Sabo seemed to relax whatever tension was left in him. He murmured drowsily, “That’s good…I really wanna see him…even if…even if he spits in my face…and never wants to see me again…I still wanna see him…just for a moment…"

He drifted off and from the sound of his breathing, he had blessedly gone to sleep rather than complete unconsciousness. 

As Dragon carried him back to the compound, he spoke softly to his sleeping charge. 

“If you think that Luffy won’t be over the moon and back to see you, Sabo...you know my son less than I do.”

The Next Day, on the Renata

Ace was mildly surprised to see a faint blush across the angel’s face. Did angels regularly do that? And why? Was it something he said? Or were angels just regularly embarrassed? 

The weight on his eyelids increased tenfold and he was losing the battle to keep them open. They slid shut again, a relief from the light, but thankfully he didn’t fall back into unconsciousness.

A light titter of amusement came from the angel and he found he savored the melodic sound. 

She spoke once more, “Commander? I know you—”

“Ace.” He spoke up as he continued resting his eyes. 

She paused at the interruption. “Pardon?”

“It’s just ‘Ace’, Ange. ‘Commander’ is just for subordinates.”

“Okay...Ace. Where do you think you are right now?” 

Well, that was a silly question. Shouldn’t an angel know where she was?

“Heaven, obviously. Or…perhaps it’s called ‘Paradise’? Though that’s going to be really weird to someone like me who's used to sailing the Grand Line.”

There was a pause for a moment before the lady spoke again, this time instead of amusement, there was a sympathetic tone with a trace of concern. “Commander…Ace…I know this might come as a bit of a shock, but…you’re not in Heaven.”

He raised an eyebrow with a bit of a smirk wondering what she was trying to play at. 

“Of course it is. My mom’s here, and she would never be anywhere else.” Of that, he was absolutely sure.

There was another pause, a bit more of a pregnant one this time, but then he heard felt the angel take his hand in hers. Her touch was still as soft as when she had touched his face.

“Can you feel this?” She ran her fingernail back and forth along the palm of his hand. 

He couldn’t quite get what she was doing, but he nodded. “Sure.”

She then stopped but didn’t let go of his hand and instead maneuvered her fingers around to the top of it, this time pressing down gingerly on a weird lump on top of it that he hadn’t quite noticed before. She moved it slightly and he felt the very slightest pinch of pain. 

“Can you feel…this IV needle in your hand?”

It took a few moments for her words to register and for him to finally take stock of the feeling. An IV?

What?

What?!

Silver eyes snapped open and this time his eyes were able to adjust faster to the change in lighting. 

The angel still sat there, looking at him with growing concern, but the halo of light around her had dimmed considerably. She was still quite lovely, though with a more mortal feel now. 

Looking down at himself, he could see he was lying on a medical bed, wearing a medical gown (how had they ever gotten him into one of those?) and he could see quite a few bandages peaking out. He could vaguely now, if he concentrated, feel the sway of the ocean and knew he was on a ship of some kind, though not one he recognized. The room was obviously a sick bay. There were many tubes and wires connecting him to quite a few machines. 

His first instinct was to reach for them all and rip them all out, but for some reason, his arms weren’t obeying him. In fact…other than blinking, speaking, breathing, or other minute movements, he couldn’t move at all. 

He began breathing faster, confusion and panic settling in. “Where the heck am I? What’s going on?! Why can’t I move!”

He felt an ache begin to radiate within his chest and a monitor near him began to beep weirdly. He highly doubted that one needed medical equipment in Heaven, so he wasn’t there anymore… so where was he now?!

The ivory-haired woman took on a calm, professional look and her eyes and hands began to glow—was she an angel or not?—and she quickly came closer to him. With one hand she grasped onto his face, the other was held to the side, her fingers moving gently through the air in some unknown pattern. 

“Comman—Ace! Ace…listen to me! Breathe with me…. In…Out…you are in no danger here…calm yourself….”

As she spoke, her eyes looking directly at him and yet slightly not, modeling her breathing for him to imitate. He began to feel the pressure letting up on his chest as he followed her lead, relaxing his chest and just concentrating on inhaling and exhaling. After a few moments of them breathing together, her eyes began to lose the glow and she smiled once again, fixing her eyes directly on his own.

“That’s better….you’re going to hurt yourself if you’re not careful.” 

She released her hold and backed away a bit so that she was once again sitting at his bedside. When she had been in his personal space, he hadn’t realized how much he hadn’t minded it until she had left it.

“Now, Ace…I know this all has been quite a shock. But first things first…you are back among the land of the living.”

While that should have been obvious, his brain was feeling rather frazzled and he could barely think straight. Still trying to take deep breaths, he closed his eyes again in an attempt to block out as much as possible. However, he needed answers!

“W-Where am I?”

The woman…angel…Ange answered, “You’re on a ship called the Renata, we are currently sailing on the Grand Line.” 

Okay…okay…ship…Grand Line…that told him something and yet nothing. 

Next question. 

“Why can’t I move?”

She answered that too. “You can…it’s just that your body has very little energy or sustenance to do anything other than the very basics right now. Also….a large part of your spine is pretty new and it’s going to take some time to get used to and relearn some things.”

His spine? Why would that be…

A memory flash of searing hot, thick, devastating agony shot through his mind and if he had been capable, he would have shot up from the bed in alarm.

No, get a hold of yourself, Portgas. Think about that later. Right now, you’re alone, can’t move, and don’t know what’s going on. For once, do what Sa–what Marco would do, and think this through!

Glancing back over to those snow-crystal eyes that were watching him closely with consideration. He could thankfully feel his fire smoldering beneath the surface, which meant he wasn’t completely defenseless. The maybe-angel didn’t appear to mean him any harm, and while he knew he wasn’t the sharpest needle in the haystack, he wasn’t too terrible a judge of character. Blackbeard notwithstanding. Also, She seemed to have no problem with answering his questions so far, so he would use that to his advantage. 

Taking a deep breath and deciding to rip the bandaid off, he asked the biggest question that would end up having the harshest impact on every other question going forward and his life as a whole.

“So…Ange, am I paralyzed?” 

She raised an eyebrow though giving him a kind, perceptive smile. “First–I thought we had already established that this isn’t Heaven? And second—be reassured, you’re not paralyzed.” 

She got up and went over to the bottom of the bed and lifted the sheets showing his bare feet. 

“Wait! What are you–”

Like she did with the palms of his hand, She ran her fingertip against the soles of his feet, back and forth in a steady pattern. “Can you feel this?”

He nodded in response, and she smiled and thankfully covered his feet back up again before speaking again. “You see? I made sure that all nerve damage was repaired. Yes, you can’t move all that much yet, but it's not an issue with your nerves. It’s going to take time, determination, and some physical therapy, but you’ll be back on your feet in a few months.”

“Wait, what? Months?!” he cried out incised. 

It was good he wasn’t paralyzed. Losing his ability to move and to sail and be a pirate? He might as well have stayed in the land of the dead. But he refused to be an invalid for months!

She placed her hands on her hips and for the first time, her face became deadly serious with no room for nonsense. “Yes. Months. And yes, you will follow every instruction given to you from here on. Because if you don’t, and you try to rush things, you will be crippled and possibly die. Do you understand me?”

Stunned into silence and the intensity of those snow-crystal eyes, Ace could only shut up and nod. 

It was a tone that reminded him of Makino when she was training him in how to speak to someone civilly. Or of his mother, when she had ordered him to not argue with her. 

The thought of her brought a somberness to him. He can still remember his experiences with her….with his father….with Pops so vividly. Had it all really happened?

There was still so much he didn’t understand. So much time was still missing, and his thoughts were still so muddled. 

“Hey…Ange…"

She sighed in exasperation. “Seriously? Do I have to pinch you or something? You’re not dead, this is not Heaven, and do I look like an angel to you?” 

She gestured vigorously towards herself and to the simple blouse and pants she wore. 

He regarded her with a look that said the answer was obvious.

 “Of course.”

And there was that blush back again. He didn’t think he would ever understand the fairer sex. You answer a question truthfully and they didn’t seem to believe you. 

But then again, the pool of ladies that he knew and interacted with that he actually considered “ladies” was rather small. (Even less so if you counted ladies who might be angels!) So perhaps he just wasn’t used to them? 

Anyway, he continued with his explanation, “From your words, you suggest that it was you who repaired my body and healed the damage. And while my memory is still blanking in spots, I remember enough to know that I should be dead right now. I also knew when that bastard seared a hole through my back and I could literally feel my insides boil and cook, that there was nothing any doctor could do.”

He paused for a second, as flashes in his mind to all that he had felt, seen, and experienced in that harrowing, defining moment left this hollow feeling in his chest.  It was not one that he wanted to dwell on for long, and one that he never wanted to experience again. So instead he buried those feelings and memories back down again before continuing.

“So, if indeed this isn’t Heaven—which I’ve pretty much gathered at this point that it’s not—then somebody was able to miraculously bring me back to life. And when I wake up without a gaping hole in my chest or any real pain for that matter, and there’s a pretty lady watching over me who I’ve never met, that claims to have healed me for seemingly no reason, which would have required power over basically life and death itself to pull off? You tell me what you would think?” 

She looked back at him stumped at his weirdly logical reasoning. “Well, I guess if you put it that way…but still, I’m not—”

But he was already on to more important things. It really didn’t matter if she was an angel or not as long as she could answer his questions.

“You said this ship is called the Renata and that we’re on the Grand Line. Who’s the captain, and where exactly on the Grand Line are we?”

Because no one would accuse Ace of not taking his lessons to heart this time around. He might be an invalid right now, and he might for some odd reason trust the words and actions of Ange here, but he’d been a prisoner for too long to not consider and plan for whose hands he had currently fallen into. 

Yet, even beyond the question of his own safety and fate, there was a vastly more important question that he must know the answer to right now.

“And before any of that, I need you to tell me right now, where Monkey D. Luffy is.”

Lily was quickly beginning to wonder if perhaps she had missed some nerve damage when it came to this pyromancer. Either that or his near-death experience had left him confused and dazed.

Not altogether unlikely, but it was interesting, to say the least, to finally see the commander—sorry, Ace—awake and animate. 

She inwardly felt the warmth of accomplishment and the pride of success. Him finally awake, talking, having a personality, showing signs of remembrance–all of it made it actually real. 

She should have gone and told the guys, but she hadn’t wanted to leave the man by himself, especially as he still seemed a bit bewildered. However, his pointed questions were beginning to make her rethink that decision. 

Currently, Lily had no idea where Strawhat Luffy was. It would all depend on where the pirate captain of the yellow submarine had decided to take him. She didn’t know him very well, even his name escaped her. She only remembered that he was one of the most recent bunch of supernovas. He had seemed somewhat trustworthy, and he had risked his life to save Strawhat and the ex-warlord Jinbe from the Navy so she had to believe that he at least didn’t mean either of them harm. And Jinbe seemed honorable enough to keep his eye on Luffy as his charge for the time being. 

Despite all this, Ace’s questions, she decided that the only way to answer them was with the truth. 

“The captain of this ship right now is Red-Hair Shanks. We’re currently on course for Sabaody. And I’m not sure where Strawhat Luffy is, though I’m sure that somebody on this ship will be able to find out.”

Those silvery eyes seemed to flash for a moment before sharpening and rather than staring at her in a way that made her feel wanted and admirable as they had before, they became like piercing daggers full of menace and disappointment.

His voice reflected this, now as hard as stone. “I didn’t know that angels could be such bad liars.”

What?

Smoke began to build from his body, followed by his hair and half of his face dissolving into flames. 

“Even an amateur should know that Shanks’ ship is called the Red Force, not the Renata. And why would he be sailing anywhere near Sabaody? Why would I even be on his ship?! And since you lied about those two things, I’m guessing you’re also lying about where my brother is.”

Logias didn’t need to be able to move to use their attacks, Lily had learned that clearly from the last week. And she knew the Whitebeard commander was probably skilled enough to fire on her from his position on the bed. However, the danger and anger she was feeling beginning to roll off her patient weren’t what concerned her. Just as before, his body was still in a weakened state, much more capable and hearty than his last outburst, but still precarious. Turning into his fire form would still do damage to his healing body. 

She held up her hands in a placating non-threatening manner. “I’m not here to hurt you Ace, I wasn’t lying to you. Will you give me a chance to explain?”

He frowned, “Will you tell me where Luffy is?”

“I told you, I don’t know where he is. What I do know is that you’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t turn your fire off now.”

The time he scowled, “Wrong answer, Ange. My fire is a part of me, it goes where I want even if I can’t move. I’m not helpless. What are you? Marines?”

She continued to hold her hands up, though this time slowly edging up closer to him. She decided to change tactics and smiled disarmingly, “What? First an angel and now a marine? You haven’t even asked me for my name yet, Portgas D. Ace.”

Ace smirked, “First off, back up. Second, you lost your charm when you lied to me.”

She blinked, her eyes widening in curiosity, “You find me charming?”

Thrown off by her coquettish tone, Ace could only stare at her blankly in bewilderment. It was then that she struck.

Moving quickly, using the power of cell-cell fruit she commanded the still physical parts of his body except for his heart, respiratory system, and head, to “STILL”. 

The fire was beginning to consume the bedding as well and the smoke alarm finally went off, blaring loudly. Good, hopefully, Shanks or Marco can come soon and deal with this.

She felt Ace’s shock and resulting anger at being paralyzed and thus the fire parts of him intensified. She couldn’t control his fire once it had been lit, so for that, she needed a more rudimentary tool. 

Seeing the microbes that existed within the emergency buckets of water she had preemptively placed around the room after the last incident, she grabbed one and dumped it over the young pirate’s head!

SPLASH!

 Hmm, usually water to a devil fruit user, especially one as weakened as him, should have stopped his abilities in their tracks from the fatigue alone. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t seawater, and perhaps he was harder to subdue than most? That just meant that she needed more. The sound of hissing and outraged spluttering and cursing was music to her ears.

“What the h—!”

She threw a second bucket of water over him.  However, seeing he still hadn’t completely reformed, she took up a third. This guy was as stubborn awake as he was when he was comatose!

“Hey! Stop tha–!”

She dumped it on his head. 

In the midst of coughing and sputtering, she scanned him. There–no more flames.  She didn’t want to soak him too much, she didn’t need him to get sick on top of all the rest of the recovering he needed to do. 

She then felt the atmosphere of the room change and suddenly Schaden was teleporting into the room with Marco right in front of her! 

Thank goodness. That had to be an interesting first-time experience for him. She’d have to ask him about it later.

She released her hold on Firefist and her cell sight just as Marco came up to her. 

He looked over her in concern. “You okay? No burns this time?”

She smiled before shaking her head. “Yeah, surprising I know.” 

She glanced over the blond’s shoulder at the drenched male on the bed who had gone completely silent and motionless, his young eyes wide with shock. 

She then looked back at the Phoenix, gentling her expression. “But I think I’ve got a surprise for you this time.”

Marco raised an eyebrow in question. “What, those buckets you asked for actually worke—”

It was at that moment that he turned around to survey the damage and immediately froze. 

Blue eyes met silver and the entire room seemed to stand still. 

Ace was looking up at the older man, his elder brother as if everything had suddenly become real to him. That he was really here. That this wasn’t a dream or metaphysical phenomenon. That he was truly alive. 

With his back to her, she couldn’t see Marco’s expression, but if she knew him even a little bit by now, along with what she could observe of his body language, it was pretty obvious how he was feeling. 

The two stared at each other for several full moments before one of them spoke. Interestingly, it was Ace. 

“Marco?” He whispered quietly, the disbelief obvious. “You’re here?”

The blond captain still said nothing, his words completely robbed of him. 

Ace’s words seemed to break through whatever shock that had paralyzed the other, and even before she could blink, the blond had already embraced the other fully in his arms.

Ace couldn’t move his arms to reciprocate, but it didn’t seem to matter. Marco seemed to intrinsically know this (either that or he didn’t care) as he fully picked him up, his arms transforming into fiery blue wings, surrounding Firefist like a bird nestling its lost chick. She guessed there was probably a wild side to the mythical zoan user that was doing exactly that. 

Lily’s heart was full as she observed the emotional reunion, and she was sure that there was not a dry eye in the room. 

She beamed happily content before waving to Schaden and the two of them slipping out of the room. 

‘So the Commander finally woke up. I knew you could do it, Lily.’ Schaden spoke quietly as they made their way through the halls. 

“I had a lot of help, including yours. It was a team effort.” She shrugged simply happy that they had accomplished what they set out to do and that everything had turned out right. 

‘Yeah, but come on! Everyone knows they couldn’t have done it without—’

The Cimmerian was cut off by the strange buzzing noise. It seemed to be coming from within him. 

‘One second.’

He opened up a portal within himself and pulled out a ringing transponder snail. He looked at it for a second before handing it to his partner. 

‘Hmm, it must be HQ. It’s been a while since I left them my message.’

“Perhaps they were really busy?” Lily took the snail to a secluded corner before switching it on. 

After a second, the voice on the other end spoke, speaking one-half of several passcodes given to them before their assignment. She glanced over at Scha. It was instantly obvious who was calling even if it hadn’t been the one they were expecting. 

“As I ring these bells tonight…”

Lily answered with the other half, “...my cold, dark tower seems so bright.”

“Line is secure, White Egret. I apologize for the late response. It took time to get to me. Bluejay is currently unavailable. Are you and Black Heron safe?”

Her back straightened a little as she spoke to her boss. “We’re safe Golden Eagle. I’m sure you were informed that we had to abandon the assignment.”

Dragon gave a sound of affirmation, “I told you it was highly probable, it’s no matter. Your safety is more important. Give me a status report from the war.”

“Yes, sir.” Lily spoke about everything she had seen and heard during the war. Some things that had been reported and some that had conveniently been left out of the newspaper’s account.

After she had finished, Dragon spoke quietly, “Thank you for what you did for the…eaglet.”

She nearly laughed at the impromptu code name that had been given to StrawHat. “It was a pleasure, sir. Though I’m sorry to say I don’t know his current status. Though Hyacynith Macaw might, he was following I believe.”

Ivankov had been with the other escaped convicts as far as she knew and had probably met up with StrawHat Luffy in Impel Down. Dragon could probably get more information from him. 

The gruff man nodded, “I’ll do that when he reports in. What’s your current status, Heron mentioned complications.”

She paused, thinking back to her recalcitrant patient not far away. He had been able to use his fire to defend and threaten, but it would do nothing to a truly skilled opponent, not one that was truly after his life, not with his body so compromised. She felt a fierce wave of protectiveness come over her. Ace was her patient and she would safeguard him as long as he could not protect himself. She trusted Dragon, and the R.A. dealt with secrets every day, but she still needed to be sure. 

“The line is secure, sir?”

The was a pause for a moment, and then she heard the closing latch of a door and then the movement of a window and then the whistling of the wind and then nothing. 

Finally, Dragon spoke up again, “Report.”

“Sir, I’m currently still in Paradise between Marineford and Sabaody.”

“You haven’t made much progress, are you lying low? Are you being tracked?”

She shook her head, “That’s not the reason sir. I…I broke protocol while still on Marineford sir. And it caught the notice of Marco the Phoenix and Red-Hair Shanks. I’m a ship with them and some of Red-Hair Pirates at the moment.” 

He paused, “The Whitebeards and the Red-Hairs? Makes sense considering how the war ended, but why are they keeping you two hostage? Let me speak with them.”

She shook her head, quick to redress him of the situation. “No sir, not a hostage. I–”

He spoke briskly, “What protocol did you break?”

Lily exhaled slowly, getting her thoughts in order. She was a Revolutionary darn it! She could do this. “I’m sure sir that the newspapers by now have reported the death of Portgas D. Ace.”

There was a pause of silence for a few seconds before she heard a weary sigh. “Yes…of course.”

“They were wrong, sir.”

She could feel his attention on her through the snail. “Wrong about what?”

“While I was on the battlefield, I saw something that no one else saw. Something that even I would have missed if I hadn’t been using my powers at the time. Sir—Portgas D. Ace is alive.”

There was complete silence on the other end of the line. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard. 

Lily and Schaden looked at each other. They had kind of expected more of a reaction. In fact, as second after second continued to pass and it was getting to the point of a full minute, they began to wonder if the line had gone dead or if the snail had gone to sleep. 

Eventually, the voice of Golden Eagle–Monkey D. Dragon–was heard once again, but this time they heard something they had never heard in his voice before—incredulity.

“Could you repeat that, again?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 14- Changing Plans

Marco didn’t speak. He didn’t say anything. He only felt. 

He felt the warmth of the flesh beneath his fingers. He felt the humming vibrations of the strumming heartbeat and the running bloodstream in the boy’s body. He felt the movement of a torso from the steady inhalation and exhalation of breath which also whispered against his neck. 

The physical proof of the vibrancy of life within his very hands. 

…or was it wings now? 

His phoenix had been subdued since the end of the war, only getting slightly flustered when he had first found that Ace’s body was in unknown hands. Now it cooed and fluttered with excitement and satisfaction. 

Alright, calm yourself, you’re embarrassing us both. 

The mythical bird whistled back. ~ As if you care.~

Marco had to shrug his shoulders at that. 

“Marco…I…I….” 

He once again closed his eyes at the sound of his youngest brother’s voice, muffled against his shoulder, savoring a sound that he had thought to never hear again. 

After several long moments, he slowly released his hold on the boy, his hand returning to him as his phoenix reluctantly allowed itself to recede back within him. 

He wasn’t surprised to see the bed was slightly charred or that Ace was completely inert. He and Lily had talked about what kind of condition the kid would be in if and when he woke up again. And his own personal knowledge of Ace had told him that he would cause trouble almost from the very moment he regained consciousness. 

Those large mercurial eyes looked up at him with slight wonder, though they were beginning to glance down and away in that way that let him know that he was about to hear a myriad of apologies and self-recriminations.

“‘I’m so sorry. It was all—”

He held up a finger in front of the boy’s face, hushing him instantly with his most stern look. 

“I don’t want to hear it, Portgas.” 

Ace seemed to look 5 years younger than his 20 years as his eyes became even wider, glittering with a glossy wet shine. He looked away to the ground abashed, seemingly ready to face the upbraiding of his life. Probably feeling like he deserved every harsh word turned his way. 

Marco let out a contented sigh, no longer able to maintain even a slightly harsh demeanor right now. He reached over and ruffled the wavy thick tresses on the kid’s head, shocking him into looking back up at him. 

He smirked gently, “Do you really think I stayed up nights on end, stitching that broken body of yours together, just to hear you apologize?”

Looking at Ace’s face, he simply said in no uncertain terms, “Welcome home, Ace.”

They might not be on the Moby Dick, their father might no longer be with them, and their siblings scattered to the winds—but even with all that, their brother had come back to them, and wherever Whitebeards children gathered, it made it “home”.

As those glossy eyes changed into becoming welled with tears, Marco thought back to the conversation he had just had with Shanks and Rayleigh. He had been unsure then, but seeing the fruits of their labor before him made it all the more real. 

And then and there…he knew he had made the right decision.  

Earlier On that Morning, Renata

“Absolutely not.”

Shanks rolled his eyes exasperated, “Come on, Marco, you know the plan has merit.”

But as expected, the blond didn’t budge “No.”

In the captain’s cabin of the ship, Marco, Shanks, and Rayleigh had gathered to discuss the next steps now that Ace was at least out of serious condition. They had gone the extremely slow route to getting to Saboady to account for the ship exchange, giving the doctors more time to do what they needed to do, and to throw the Marines off.  

The Navy would never suspect them to be sticking around so close. It was a dangerous gambit and had so far succeeded, but they didn’t want to push their luck. 

Now that Ace was stable, he figured that it was time to return home. This time away from everyone and everything had actually been rather cathartic for him. Here he could depend on and be supported by Shanks, with his only main concern being Ace’s life, and he had gotten a chance to grieve and delve through his emotions in a way that he probably wouldn’t have been able to with everyone looking to him. 

However, as time passed, he did miss his siblings and he felt the reins of leadership and responsibility calling to him. And he knew that the vast majority of them had a lot of questions and needed his support and presence. 

He remembered a few days ago when he had finally been able to call them with the news. 

Four Days Ago

Slipping inside his cabin, Marco took a deep breath and looked down at the transponder snails in his hands. Shanks might be an irritating pain in his side when he wanted to be, but strangely enough…he couldn’t ask for a better friend. One that he knew he could always count on when he really needed to. 

Sitting on the bed, he quietly thought about what he should say. How to tell them? Would they even believe him? Also, the betrayals of Teach and to a lesser extent, Squard, had made him wary. They had been careful so far, he couldn’t take too many risks, especially with Ace still in such a delicate condition. 

Making a decision, he attached the white transponder snail to the main one and called a personal number. 

Purururu…Purururu…Purururu…gatcha

The call picked up and he was quickly bombarded by the shocked strains of the other’s higher-pitched voice. 

“Marco? Marco! Is that you?! Oh my God, it’s you! Where have you been?!!!”

He smiled at the enthusiastic familiarity of his fellow commander. “Hello, Haruta. Yes, it’s me. But right now, I need you to not bring attention to yourself and tell me where are you right now.”

Haruta had been over the intelligence division on the Moby and so knew when it was time to be discreet. He figured that calling him first rather than the main line would limit the amount of notice his call would receive. 

The sound of a door closing and locking could be heard before Haruta in a much quieter voice answered him. “Okay, I’m alone now. Are you using a secured line?”

“Yeah, it’s necessary.” 

“I thought I recognized that slight background buzz. I’m currently on the Cetus. Most of the crew is separated on either some of the smaller ships or with some of the allies. A few of the commanders and their divisions went on ahead to get the Monstro out of dry dock.”

The Monstro was the sister ship to the Moby Dick and had been built a few years ago with the ever-expanding ranks of their crew in mind. It was also prepped to be a replacement for the Moby if anything were to happen to it. 

Haruta continued. “We sent mostly everyone to go on ahead to the New World, though we’re staying with the Red Force who is guarding our retreat.” 

Marco approved, there were just too many of them to keep in Paradise right now. “Whose in charge right now?” 

Any of the senior commanders could take charge if either Pops or he weren’t available. Most of the divisions were autonomous to a point and the allied ships could do well on their own with their own captains. But they would still need someone to turn to and overall coordinate. 

“Izo took over. You know how he is.”

He smirked, while Izo was perfectly okay with following someone else’s lead, he absolutely detested disorganization and disorder. He also was probably the one among them who was sadly the most used to forging forward in the midst of sorrow.  It figured that he would be the first to step up. 

“He’s on the ship with you?” 

“Yeah, he’s here, Vista, Namur, and Jozu too. None of us wanted to leave without you.  Izo was able to push most of the other commanders to the New World with the crew, but we four can be a bit stubborn.” 

He both smiled and rolled his eyes at that.

“What’s going on, Marco? You’ve been gone for days and without a word. Even the Red-Hairs don’t know anything, and their captain is also missing! D-Did you find Ace? When are you coming back?”

He hated the crumpled frailty and disquiet that lay within the kid’s tone. Haruta had been the youngest of the crew prior to Ace’s arrival and had felt a close connection to the other. With the loss of his partner in crime, Thatch, earlier that year as well as their father only a few days ago, it had been a very rough time for them all, but Haruta more than others.

He sighed, wishing that he could be there physically with them all, however, he could only hope that his news would be more than enough to help liven their spirits. “Call the commanders on the ship to the room with you. Be discreet.”

Haruta nodded before he heard the sound of him getting up and leaving the room. After waiting for about five minutes, he heard him return. “Hey, Marco, you’re still there, right?”

Before he could respond, he heard the sound of the door once again bursting open. 

“What’s this all about, Haruta?” 

Marco smiled at the brash sound of Vista’s voice. 

Izo’s voice could be heard coming behind him, “I think I know…has the prodigal mother hen finally decided to call?”

“What?! Marco? Is that you?!” the swordsman exclaimed.

“About time.” Namur chimed in. 

Haruta shushed them all before speaking again. “Sorry Marco, they wouldn’t let Jozu out of the infirmary, but I figured we could tell him what was going on later.”

“That’s okay, Haruta. First off, how is everyone?” He hadn’t been able to get a good idea as to the status of everyone before he had left. 

Vista responded first, “We’re all good here Marco for the most part. Jozu was probably the one who got the worst of it. The rest of us have been healing up alright.” 

Well, that was a relief, “Izo, what’s the status report?”

The man took up the transponder and the snail took on the seriousness of his visage. “All commanders accounted for with the exception of….the obvious…of course. Of the main crew, we lost 22 men. Of the allied forces, we lost 26. In terms of ships, including the Moby Dick, we lost 5 vessels beyond repair. We have over a hundred injured and we’re still getting a tally of our current food and supplies.”

Well, it was about what he had expected, but that didn’t make the impact any less harsh. The wages of war were bound to be harsh. 

Running his fingers through his hair he gave a heaving sigh. “Make sure to get every man’s name and of course, if he had any family.” 

Izo gave a light smile, “Already done. Of the divisions, most of them are headed back to the New World. Kingdew, Fossa, and their divisions went to get the Monstro ready and sail her out. I divided up the others, not including ourselves, and assigned them to different duties towards our future as a crew and cohesive pirate fleet which I’m sure I can go into a lot more detail on later, but for right now, what I want to know is what’s. going on. with you!” 

Marco could hear the heavy silence that followed Izo’s passive-aggressive tirade and took a deep breath as he decided that it was time. 

“Alright, I know you all’ve been patient, but you know I wouldn’t be away from you all right now if it wasn’t important.” 

He was met with more silence, but he knew that they understood. 

“Izo, who else is on the ship other than you four?”

The gunslinger thought about it for a moment. “All of my and Haruta’s divisions are here. A few members from Namur’s and Jozu’s, though most of Vista’s are on another ship. Also, all of the 2nd division is here…for obvious reasons…” 

The 2nd division had been having the worst time of it for a while and had been hit the hardest, and he could imagine that they were refusing to leave Paradise without their “fallen”  Commander. 

This going to be harder than he’d thought. 

“Alright, first of all, I’m making this an order. What I’m about to tell you is not to leave that room. Is that understood?”

There, the feel of the atmosphere dropped and a bit of silence before Izo quietly murmured, “Aye-aye, Captain.” 

Marco gritted his teeth and closed his eyes at the ache that had resurfaced in his chest and behind his eyes. He hadn’t meant for it to sound like that. But at the same time, he couldn’t take it back. 

He let out a quiet sigh once again, drawing his stalwart defenses once again around him. “This goes double for the 2nd Division. No one is to know anything until I say so.”

Now, this got a different response. 

“What happened?!

“What do you mean? Did you find Ace’s body?”

“Those blackguards! It was the Marines wasn’t it, they did something to him! I knew we couldn’t trust their word!”

“What did they do to him?”

Marco took a few moments to hush them all. “I’m going to tell you, but I need to be sure of your silence first. This is extremely important.”

“You know us better than that, Marco,” Haruta spoke for them all. “I know our trust in others has been severely tested this year, but please at least know that.”

He winced at his censure, “You’re right Haruta, I’m sorry. It’s just….it’s been…”

Izo, once again the understanding one, soothed him. “We know, big brother. This has been a lot for all of us. You’re not alone here.”

He smiled appreciatively, wetness welling up in his eyes at the show of support from his brothers. “Thanks for that, Izo.” 

“No problem…Captain.”

Sigh…that would take some getting used to. 

“Alright, so listen up. You should at least know that I’m still in Paradise and that I’m on course to eventually meet you in the New World, right?” 

Namur spoke up, “Yeah, Benn told us that much.”

“Well, Shanks and I went together to get Ace back, and what we found……”

Oh, there’s no way that they’re going to believe me. Marco ran his hand over his eyes, trying to think of the best way to tell them the truth. He knew that if he hadn’t been here this entire time, seeing and experiencing everything firsthand, he probably wouldn’t believe himself either. 

Oh well, there was no getting around it. Time to jump into the deep end. 

“Ace is alive.” 

.

.

.

The silence that followed was thicker than the fog of the Florian Triangle. 

Vista was the first to speak, and it was basically the response he expected. 

The 5th commander’s tone was placating and sympathetic, “Where are you, Marco? We’re coming to get you. It’s going to be okay, brother, all of this has just been too much for you.” 

However, Haruta’s voice cut it, and it was quietly enraged. “That’s not funny, Marco…don’t joke like that. It’s not freakin’ funny.”

Namur’s was without any nonsense. “Marco, Ace is dead. Pops is dead. We all saw it. We were all there. Whatever you’re seeing now is not real.”

“You think someone is fooling him?” Haruta asked, calming down just a bit. 

“What else could it be?” 

“But it’s Marco!”

“Hey, with everything that has happened the last few mon—”

Izo’s steady timbre put a hush over them all. The expression on his face was enigmatic and pensive.  “Marco… why do you think that Ace is alive?”

The blond gripped the transponder tightly as he responded, wanting to somehow convey to them all that he had felt, heard, and seen. 

“I saw fire.”

“Fire?” Izo asked curiously, thoughtful patience in his words. He didn’t scoff at Marco’s words, but there was no belief either. Simply an open rapport. 

 “Fire that responded to a kid who should have been too far gone to lay claim to it any longer.”

“Wait…you’re saying that Ace’s body can still transform into flame?”Haruta’s voice was small and trembled ever so.

Marco smiled, his voice getting full. “Even more than that! I’ve operated on him myself. We got his heart beating again, his lungs to breathe! I know none of you yet believe me, but I’ve never lied to any of you and I’m not lying now."

“Tell us everything,” This time Izo’s voice very much carried restrained emotion and demand. 

And so he did. Marco told them all. About how they had found the boat and discovered Ace’s body in the hands of a couple of Revolutionaries. About first seeing Ace’s body and his initial visceral reaction before discovering that Ace had still somehow had the power of his devil fruit. About Lily and her amazing devil fruit powers and how she had found and saved Ace on the battlefield. About forming a partnership with Lily and how she, he, and Shanks had and were still working tirelessly to save Ace’s life. About how they had to move ships and kept everything secret to hide the young’s man’s survival from the government and the Marines. 

By the time he was done he knew his face was once again wet with tears, but the intensity of everything that had happened so far and being able to reveal it to his brothers and speak of everything freely, had brought such euphoria that not even his usual stalwart nature could combat the sheer joy that he felt. 

On the other end of the line, he could hear Haruta sobbing, all forms of words forgotten. Vista was comforting him, but his own voice was heavy with emotion. 

Namur had punched the wall with vigor and cried out in both frustration at the situation, and also from all the many emotions going on within him, but through all of that barely retrained tears could be heard from the Fishman. 

Izo had been silent throughout until he had completely finished, and it was only then that he responded. The Wano native had never quite lost the quietly dignified stalwartness that came from the culture of his homeland and his previous profession as a retainer, and that could be heard in how he tried his best to keep his emotions at bay as he spoke. However, Marco could bet that while he did it silently, he was weeping just as much as they all were. 

“If all you say is true, Marco….if Ace …if that little firestarter’s alive …” His voice broke for a moment before he continued, “...t-then you need to stay with him. Y-You’re a doctor and his senior, you need to look after him…don’t you worry about over here. We’ve got everything together over here.”

Vista spoke up, his voice thick with emotion, “Ace alive...that’s…it’s a miracle. That’s all I can say. To think! Something good came out of this whole mess!” 

Marco smiled, agreeing with him. It had felt that this entire war had been a huge emotional toll on the entire Whitebeard clan, and in the end, it was impossible to deny that the question of “what was it all for?” seemed to hover over the entire affair. They had lost and lost badly and that was not something they were used to dealing with. But this one bright point at the end of all this showed that not all was lost. Not everything had been consumed by the darkness, no matter what Teach had intended. 

“We’ve been keeping this quiet so far, and I know this is going to be hard, but as I said before, I’m going to ask that you do the same. We don’t need any accidentally loose lips to the wrong people. First, we all know that now that Ace’s parentage is out there as well as how the Marines and World Government love to save face, if the Navy finds out he’s alive, there will be a manhunt for him the likes of never before. He’s in no condition to protect himself, and sadly, we’re not in a good position to either right now.”

Everyone else silently nodded somberly in agreement. They had to be very careful now. They had lost their captain and with it their status as an emperor’s crew. Their reputation and future as a pirate crew were dancing on the edge of a knife. 

Marco also said darkly, “I will be dealing with this when we return, but we know that Squard isn’t going to be the only one who might be upset at Ace’s parentage. With him being alive again, he’s going to draw enemies other than the Navy, and they might even be from within.”

His voice was calm now, but it was as hard as clashing steel, revealing his resolve on the matter.  “I won’t tolerate it. If anyone has a problem with Ace because of Roger, they will have to deal with me. I’m hoping it won’t come to that, but we do need to be prepared for it. Secondly…I also don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up too far. That’s why I told you not to tell the 2nd division. They’ve had a hard time of it with the traitor’s betrayal, and then Ace being gone and then his imprisonment, and then thinking him lost. As his brother and friend, I am hopeful for his progress…but as a doctor, I can see a myriad of ways that this can go wrong.”

They were all sobered with that acknowledgment and agreed that it would be even more devastating if they were to lose Ace once again after the spark of hope had now been lit. Better to shoulder that burden alone until things were more concrete. 

Namur chimed in, “Do you need me to come over there for backup? It won’t take me long if I’m swimming alone.” 

“Thanks, we’ll keep that as an option, but for now we’re okay. I need you and the others to stay with the crew and help with morale.  I know that it bites, but we’re going to have to take a little support from the Red-Hair pirates for now. Shanks is thankfully not making a big deal out of it, but I don’t expect that to last and for him to eventually start teasing me mercilessly about it when this is all over. But until then, I’m glad for his support.”

He smiled quietly, “He’s been instrumental in helping us get Ace back, so…for that I will always be grateful.”

“You spoke about the one who saved Ace in the first place, the girl who from the way you say it, is responsible for all of this. ‘Lily’ was it?” Vista asked.

“Yes, she’s a Revolutionary who was working undercover in Marineford at the time. We couldn’t have done any of this without her.”

“I wanna meet her.” Haruta interrupted them, his voice barely above a whisper. “I…I wanna meet this woman who could do what all of us couldn’t. The woman who saved our brother’s life.”

Marco smiled warmly. Lily and Schaden would be accompanying them to the New World so it wouldn’t take too much to convince them to come to Pops’ funeral and meet his family. He was sure with a little convincing ( I mean, they had protected his son after all) that Dragon could be persuaded to part with the pair for a little while. 

You see, Shanks was too young and inexperienced to play this game. The Whitebeards were experts at the adoption game. The key was to be subtle. A meeting here, a get-together there, shower them with love, acceptance, and affection, and have tons of patience.

The smile Marco had been sporting began to transform into a smirk. “I’ll see what I can do.” 

Present Day

  It turns out the redhead was savvier than he gave him credit for. The plan he had presented, while sound, was not at all something that he had considered or desired. 

"Okay, explain to me again why my brother needs to be away from his family for even longer now?"

Shanks sighed dramatically, "Now you're just being difficult."

Marco rubbed the bridge of his nose with irritation. “Look, I can understand reuniting Strawhat and Ace. Anyone with a brain can tell how devoted those two are to each other. I can bet that the first thing the firebrained idiot will demand to know when he wakes up, is where his little brother is and if he’s okay. And if he doesn’t get a satisfying answer, he will tear his body to ribbons in an effort to get an answer. And unless any of us have that hotshot supernova surgeon’s transponder code, we’ll have to wait until I can somehow get in contact with Jinbe to find out a satisfying answer.” 

He could admit that he hadn’t given Strawhat much thought as his primary concern had been Ace. However, he knew the kid had been gravely injured, as had the Knight of the Sea who had risked his own life to save the brat. He could only hope that the boy was strong and the doctor kid had been able to save Luffy’s life. Ace’s will to live would be key to his recovery. If Luffy had died while his brother had lived…everything they had done would be for naught. 

“Luffy will live.” Shanks interrupted his thoughts while he ran his hand lazily over the woodgrain of the table. “I know my Anchor, he’ll pull through. Though his mental state will be another matter…”

He stood up and moved over to sit closer to Marco, looking him directly in the eye, grey meeting blue. “But that’s not the point here. We both agree that the brothers should reunite, and not just by transponder snail.  They would have both barely cheated death and neither yet knows that the other has beaten it. They will need each other’s company after everything that’s happened. The question is really about what to do afterward.”

Marco’s eyes narrowed his frown deepening, Yes, that.

“And you want to go and train Ace? For what? Hasn’t he been through enough? Also, aren’t you busy enough, emperor?  Don’t you have your own territory to run, people who depend on you? He’s going to need weeks if not months to recover from this, you know. And even when he’s back to full health, I’m sure that we can train him just as well.” 

“Can you?” 

The quiet voice cut through their argument and both turned to the veteran pirate who had stayed silent so far.

Rayleigh kept to his seat where he had been whittling a piece of wood with a hunting knife.  He didn’t halt in what he was doing, didn’t look up from his endeavor, but he had without effort taken command of the room with only a couple of words. 

“Phoenix, I’ve known you for a long time, since you were a brat, and I’ve never known you to be willingly ignorant. I knew Newgate too well to think that he hadn’t anticipated his death. He’s prepared you for this role for a long time. But you know you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you.”

Marco felt slightly chastened at the older veteran’s words, but he responded strongly. “I know that.”

“So, you know that everyone is going to be watching what remains of the Whitebeards carefully? What your next move will be, will spell out the future of your family. Whether you go out there half-cocked looking only for revenge in the name of your father, OR if you work instead to restore his legacy and solidify the people and the places that he thought were worth protecting.”

The blond felt his skin flush and he gritted his teeth. That rage that he had buried since the war ended, flared up once again. “You’re asking me to forget what that murderer did to my brothers? To Pops?! What he put us through?!!”

“Of course not, Marco,” Shanks interjected. “But you underestimated Teach for years, and you’re underestimating him now. And I’m sorry, but if you go out there and face him as you are now, all you’ll accomplish is the destruction of what’s left of the Whitebeards and the slaughter of your siblings.”

His stark, blunt words hit the other man like a well-aimed crossbow and he felt the wind knocked out of him. He wished he could discount his friend’s words, and yet he remembered that the last time they had dismissed the ginger’s warnings, they had ended up in the very position they were currently in. 

He was aware enough to realize he and his crew were not nearly strong enough yet. Perhaps for too long had they relied on their father’s strength, and while they hadn’t become stagnant, per se, they could definitely use some polish. They now had to be more.

“What you do as captain and the choices you make for your family are your own prerogative.” Ray spoke up once again, “However, I’m a bit more invested in the future of the next generation. It’s one of the reasons I’m out here in the first place. And now that he has returned to us, that young man in the sickbay is very much a part of that as well.” 

Marco sighed, both tired and deflated by the entire notion of it all. “We all could use some training, I can see that. But why can’t Ace do that with us once he’s better.” 

Shanks interjected, “Come on, Fledgling. Training is going to be the least of it. You’re not going to have any time to devote to him. I know what it takes to run such a vast territory and protect it when it’s stable, much less one that’s threatening to crumble. You’re going to have your hands full for the next few years and you know it.” 

Marco really hated when the other man made too much sense. He had already been running most of the logistics of keeping the Whitebeard territories running for years prior, but now with his father gone, the bedrock had been taken out from under them. People might no longer trust them or him as they had done Pops, and they would need to prove and earn their place as strong enough to protect and hold on to what had been theirs.

“And then there’s Wildfire himself.” The redhead commented somberly.

Marco raised an eyebrow, “Who?”

“Ace. With everything we’ve just talked about, and the fact that you just said he won’t be able to protect himself for a while—do you really think you’ll be able to protect him?” 

Marco immediately felt his hackles rise at the perceived insult. He and the Whitebeards had their pride. 

However, his practical, commonsensical nature quickly doused that fire. He knew that Shanks did not mean the words to injure, or even in jest. He was bringing up a simple fact that he had not thought to–nor probably wanted–to consider. 

Rayleigh of course decided to drive the point home. “Once Ace is discovered to be very much alive, and that the Marines failed in their very public goal of destroying Roger’s physical legacy, they will come after him with a vengeance. And not just the Marines, but all manner of assassins the World Government can muster. If anyone knows what those people are capable of when truly determined, it’s us.” 

He inclined his head to Shanks as well as himself before continuing on.

“Under normal circumstances, yes, this would probably be nothing to you. However, these are not normal times. You are weak now with too much already on your plate. It would only take one moment of distraction for them to strike and complete the job they started. And this time, I don’t think the revolutionary Miss Lily would be able to save him.”

Marco sat in silence taking in what both the other men were saying. Their words had a lot of merits and he knew them to be true. Now that his identity as Roger’s son had been revealed to the world and the World Government had built a lot of their victory on his death along with that of Pops, Ace would be in more danger now than he ever had been in his life. And not just from the authorities. 

His mind went back to Squard and his betrayal and his anger against Roger and his desire for revenge. Squard could hardly be the only person on the seas who would like to get vengeance on the dead pirate king, and Ace would now be a prime target…

He sighed, already feeling himself beginning to give in to their logic. “So you propose to hide Ace away while he recovers and we re-establish ourselves.”

Shanks nodded, “Partially. The first place they’ll look for Wildfire is among the Whitebeards. And they will find out. Even I can’t see us keeping this a secret forever. But even more than that, Ace needs to get stronger in order to be able to protect himself. He has strong skills, yes. But simply being ‘strong’ is no longer enough. Plus the potential is there. You saw how hard it was to get simply his raw untamed power under control. The kid could be a powerhouse if he honed that into a viable weapon!”

Marco had already marked to himself the vast potential that he had realized Ace was capable of. He didn’t know if the kid had been holding himself back all this time, or if he had not even known himself what he had. Ace was already a variable master of his devil fruit abilities, but his haki potential was off the chart. 

And the Phoenix was self-aware enough to know neither he, nor any of his siblings would be able to teach Ace those skills to the degree that was required. Especially not with everything else that was now on their to-do list.  

And the two people in this room with him, knew more about haki than he would know in a lifetime. 

He had to admit that the idea, now broken down made a lot of sense. Also, while he had once put their disinterest in seeking Ace out before as either a protective measure, respect for his feelings in regards to Roger, or simply too painful…he was beginning to get the feeling that like most of the world, they just hadn’t known. 

He had known about Ace and Roger’s connection for a while, though it was kept secret from most, and he had never mentioned it to Ace himself. But he had always wondered why the remaining members had never laid claim to the boy long ago. The Roger pirates were an independent, rowdy bunch, but they were also fiercely loyal to each other and to their captain. It had been unusual for them to ignore his son all his life. 

However, it seemed simple ignorance was to blame and Roger had carried his secret to the grave. Now that the truth was revealed, a bit of that fierce loyalty was seeping out once again, and he felt comfortable that Ace was now going to find himself very much under the aegis of at least the two men in front of him, if not more. 

Rayleigh put his knife and carving down on the table. “I myself had been planning to offer to train young Strawhat for the next couple of years on the basics of haki. Scarlet over there, could do the same with Ace, though of course to a much more advanced degree. It would take out two birds with one stone: hiding them away for a time from the people hunting them, and it would allow them to become stronger and more capable of handling the trouble that will be coming their way. It would allow Ace time to recover and to train, but also for you and yours to get yourselves together and be better able to protect his back when the time comes.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as revealed a knowing smile. “Of course, this is going to be all up to them anyway. We’re merely offering our meager services. It will be their choice ultimately.” 

Hmph, “meager” indeed.

“Fine…If Ace agrees, it might be for his benefit.” Marco relented, though he was still determined that his siblings at least see their brother before he had to disappear for some time.

Shanks wrapped his arm around his shoulders and grinned cheekily. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him. And it might not be so bad to get some training yourself, Fledgling.”

Blue eyes narrowed. “It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I let you train me.” 

The man waved him off, “Oh I didn’t mean me. I could push your Supreme King haki to its limit true, but I think you already got the hang of it. Just need to practice and work yourself out more. No, what I’m talking about is Awakening.”

It was rare for a mythical zoan to awaken, especially for one such as his. The nature of his phoenix had made it nearly impossible for him. He had never had to really worry about it before, but now…

“Who did you have in mind? Not that I’m truly considering it mind you.” He glanced sidelong at the redhead.

His smirk grew even further and Marco automatically knew that he wouldn’t like whatever the man was going to say next. 

“Sapphire.”

Marco’s eyes widened before he rolled them in exasperating disgust at the other. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Rayleigh sniggered from his chair, stretching his legs out over the table. “Don’t knock him, brat. Sapphire may wear the facade of a fool, but he’s anything but.” 

Suddenly the fire alarm once again sounded from below and the smell of smoke was beginning to make itself known. 

Shanks sighed wearily, “I swear…I never wished for a ship to be made of Adam wood as much as I do right now. Wildfire is going to burn this ship down before we even make it to land.”

But Marco was already on the move, he looked over to a dark corner of the room, “Schaden, can you teleport me? It’ll be faster.”

The black shade shifted from out of the shadows, not really all that surprised that he had been noticed. Marco and Shanks were observant enough to notice his presence and he had to guess the Dark King had to be at least just as good in that department. 

Shanks looked at him wryly and he slunk along the ground before growing and surrounding Marco’s form and then in a flash they were gone. “I keep forgetting he’s here.” 

“I don’t see how. He was grumbling the entire time about how we keep leaving them out of our plans.” Rayleigh commented before standing up.

The younger man spun around in shock. “Wait a minute, you can understand him?!”

A silver eyebrow was raised in question. “Sure I can. Why can’t you?”

“Uh, because he can’t annunciate? Duh. I don’t speak…ya know what? I never did confirm what he actually was.” Shanks spoke his thoughts aloud.

“He’s a Cimmerian.” Rayleigh clarified. “Don’t you remember the Black Goblin incident? Roger decided to explore this strange black hole that appeared in the sea out of nowhere and we ended up trapped in the realm of Styx for a month?”

He thought back, combing his memories for what the elder was talking about before it clicked. “Oh yeah! But I was sick with a stomach flu that entire time! I missed the whole adventure!”

“Hmm, oh yes. That was your own fault, wasn’t it? We told you not to eat those berries. And now this is why you don’t have a clue about what a Cimmerian is or how to understand their language.”

Shanks sighed “Come on, let’s get down there and help him douse Wildfire again.”

Ray got up before putting his whittling wood in his pocket and his knife back in the sheath at his side. “There’s no hurry. We can let them have a few moments to themselves.”

“What?”

The silver-haired man exhaled heavily, “You know, I'm beginning to think you might need some remedial haki training too.”

He looked back at his mentor in question, still not getting what he was missing that the other had obviously already perceived.

Dark eyes stared at him pointedly, “Use your observation, brat.”

Shanks didn’t bother to question and instead did as he was told only for his eyes to snap open a second later, a growing warm smile shining on his face.

“He’s awake.”

Ray nodded in confirmation, his smile was a little more subdued but the same warmth was aglow in his eyes. The two didn’t bother saying anything else before simply exiting the room and making their way to the deck, each thinking silently about the wonders of the world and the miracle that had occurred in their midst.

Shanks sent up a few words to his captain, who he knew had to be laughing with delight at it all. We did it, Captain. Aaaannd we’ll try our best not to lose him again. 

As he stepped out into the open air, Shanks was surprised to see Juice running towards him, a transponder in his hand. “We’ve got trouble, Captain.”

He stopped and looked at the snail in hand, trying to assess what could be the issue. “What happened?”

“It’s Lisel’s first mate, Black Jake from the Regina. They say they got attacked. They can’t get in contact with the Force as it’s out of range, and they need aid.”

He frowned at the news, Lisel had given them use of the Renata and fresh supplies. As part of his grand fleet, he had a responsibility for her and hers, especially as they had just helped them out in their hour of need. Though why had she been attacked? And by whom? And was it so devastating that they couldn’t handle it on their own?

He took up the transponder, noting the ragged and battered look of the speaker. His tone was all business. “This is Shanks. What happened, where’s Lisel?”

The voice on the other end was broken and wet, suggesting internal injuries were very probable. 

“B-Boss….they came out of nowhere…the ca…the captain….she’s dead.”

A dark gaze shadowed those gray silver eyes. “Go on.”

The man continued to gasp out his words. “Most…most of…crew is dead…six of us…still alive…ahhh.”

The man’s breathing sped up because of the pain and he continued through gritted teeth. “It was the government…ha…ha…Ci…Cipher Pol…they didn’t tell us anything…they just said they…they knew …no…no idea what…they…were talkin’ about…”

A chill went up the emperor’s spine. Could they know already? They had been so careful. But they had found Lisel’s connection, which meant it was only a matter of time. 

He didn’t fear Cipher Pol, but fighting them here could get messy, and as he had just admonished Marco, when things got messy, people got distracted, and that’s usually when assassins stuck. Ace had just woken up, but he was now in danger. He also of course couldn’t abandon what was left of Lisel’s crew.

“Black Jake, is your ship intact? What’s your heading and bearing?”

“Ship’s d-damaged… stil-l floats..heading…is…”

It took another few moments to get the numbers and words out, at one point it almost sounded as if the pain would cause him to pass out before he finished. Shanks encouraged him, “Stay alive Jake. Keep your people alive. We’re coming for you.”

The line then clicked off, probably from the man actually passing out. 

Quickly deciding on what to do, he turned to Rayleigh who was leaning casually against the balustrade. “It looks like we’re going to have a change of plans.”

“You know it’s very likely you’re being called into a trap.” he returned calmly.

“True, but it doesn’t really matter all that much. What matters is making sure the hunters are driven off the trail. I’m going to assume you know where Anchor is?” 

Rayleigh nodded, “I’ve got a pretty good idea, I was heading there when I ‘bumped’ into you.”

“Then I will have to leave the brothers’ reunion to you.”

“So we’re splitting the party?”

“Only temporarily.”

Black Jake felt blood continuously run down the sides of his mouth and he tried to breathe, but his chest was having such a hard time cooperating. Looking down at his heaving torso, he reached for the wooden stake that punctured right through his body, pinning him to the wall. It didn’t make any difference, all his strength was gone. 

The strains of Shanks’ voice came through the transponder snail held to his mouth. 

“Stay alive Jake. Keep your people alive. We’re coming for you.”

Click.

The hand holding the snail hung up the receiver, pulling it away. 

Jake gritted his teeth in anger, both at himself and the man who was responsible for all this. 

Breathing heavily he looked up at the government dog with venom and spite. “There….ha…ha…I did…as…you asked. N-Now…let them…go.” 

Black Jake knew he was not long for this world. And he would surely be damned for what he had just done. 

All around him, the Regina was aflame, fire consuming the sails and the timber of the ship that he had called home. His captain’s rapidly cooling corpse lay near his feet. Her body shriveled and desiccated like a mummy, only covered in blood. 

The bodies of his crewmates were strewn all over the ship, all in similar condition—and all dead. 

The man holding the transponder leered at him from behind mirrored sunglasses. His right arm had transformed into tangled, knotted wood, and using his fingers, which were thick piercing vines, he held the remaining members of the decimated pirate crew, speared through the torso, staked onto the wall. 

Aramaki used his other hand to remove the cigarette from his mouth as he breathed out smoke. “You have indeed been quite helpful…pirate scum.”

With only a small heave of his hand, the CP9 mercenary threw the snail into the ocean, effectively cutting off any future communication. 

“Your government thanks you for your service. You’ve been a most excellent distraction.”

With only a slight movement of his hand, his vines dislodged themselves from the wall and instead dove deep into his victims, piercing their hearts and killing the whole lot of them in one stroke. 

The man then got on his own personal communicator, getting in contact with headquarters. “I need the analysis team to be on the lookout for any unusual activity happening in and around my current sector. Especially any sightings that involve the marks previously noted. Let me know immediately if anything comes up,”

“Yes, sir.”

Hanging up, he took a swig of rum from a bottle taken from the ship’s stores. Not bad…could use a bit more spice. 

And now was the waiting game. 

It hadn’t taken him long to find the marine boat the revolutionary rats had stolen. The small ship had been abandoned, but an investigation into what had been left behind had been intriguing. 

The feel of the place was tense and set off all kinds of alarms ringing in his head. One room below deck had obviously been the most used, a meeting room that held medical equipment and used-up supplies, but that also permeated with the scent of viscera, blood, sweat, and just barely the scent of ash. Someone had been horribly hurt in this impromptu sickbay, and he had a feeling it was the key to this whole thing. 

Barely seen on the deck of one of the cabins, a small torn-up scrap of paper had mentioned the Seaside Pirates, who were known to be small-time members of the Red Hair Pirate fleet. They were known to hang around these parts, so it wasn’t too hard to find them. Using them as the distraction that he needed to draw the crimson emperor away, he just now needed to wait and see what his prey would do.

Akainu had been on to something. There was something fishy going on here but he just didn’t know what. The fact that he could hear the tiniest trace of unease in Redhair’s voice at a simple “they knew” said plenty. 

They were hiding something. Something big that involved three of the strongest powers in the New World.

With a last swig of the rum, he threw the bottle into the smoldering fires of the ship before taking off once again to the air, leaving nothing but destruction and death in his wake. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 15- A Tale of Two Brothers

Ace felt the fatigue pulling at him, his entire body wanting to rest, but he doggedly pushed it away. He'd already slept for so long already, and right now he didn't want to leave or miss this feeling.

He had never been used to being embraced. Dadan and Gramps just didn’t do that sort of thing, and as a child, he had done his best to make himself as prickly as possible.  It was Luffy and his touchy-feeling nature that first introduced him to “a hug”. Eventually, Sabo started also taking part, especially when their little solar flare had just decided that he couldn’t bear a touch-starved existence.

And eventually, it just became a way of life, at least where his little brother was concerned. Everyone else? They could keep their hands to themselves. He could remember a time when he would rather fight tooth and nail than be embraced by any of the Whitebeard pirates.  Luffy, he was used to. He knew what to expect and he knew how to handle him. But right at this moment? With Marco of all people? 

It should feel bizarre and uncomfortable, and yet…

He could still feel faint phantom caresses on his skin, as well as the traces of embraces that seemed to reach into his soul. His mind flickered back to his memory of feeling the loving touch of his parents. He didn’t want to forget it as long as he lived. It had felt like coming home. A home he hadn’t even known he had…

Marco’s warm embrace was vaguely similar, if not as potent. He was finding it rather pleasant, in that one-time allowance sort of way maybe more than one time, but he wasn’t going to admit that. The fluffing of the hair? Maybe not so much. That kind of stuff could be saved for little kids and upstart, stretchy little brothers. 

“Welcome home, Ace.”

Those few words jabbed him in the heart and wouldn’t let go. It wasn’t until his vision began to waver that he realized he was crying. What was happening to him? He never cried. He never allowed it.

And now he has somehow entwined once again in the elder man’s arms.

 For so long he could never show weakness except with perhaps only two other precious people, and even then, only under desperate situations. But recently, first with mother, father, and pops, and now in front of Marco? He really hoped it didn’t become a habit. 

But somehow he found himself not caring. He had died, come back to life, had been drenched by an angel, and his body was currently the weakest it had ever been. Shedding a few tears wasn’t really going to change anything. 

Besides, it wasn’t until this moment that he fully realized that he had never expected to come home again. In fact, perhaps it wasn’t until this moment that he remembered what “home” was even like.

When he was young, home had been where Luffy and Sabo were. And even when it became just him and Luffy, the two of them sitting around a fire, simply eating roasted crocodiles while sharing stories, became home for the two of them. When he left Dawn and Luffy, he hadn’t realized how much he missed and was connected to his brother’s presence until it was no longer around. But eventually, he’d found companions on his own ship and eventually on the Moby Dick. He had never consciously thought of those places as “home”. Simply places he could return to, where it was safe for the most part and where his friends were.

He didn’t know when the Whitebeard crew had become home for him. It had been a soft and gradual process and it didn’t happen all at once. In fact, he didn’t even think the change had fully happened until now. Prior to the war, while he had fully loved Pops and cared for his crewmate siblings, a part of him had always feared them turning their backs on him when the truth of his lineage was revealed. Sure Pops had accepted him, but what about the others? 

The fact that they still fought for him in spite of everything, the fact that Marco was here right now had finally silenced that quiet whispering voice in the back of his head. He could finally, truly, with every part of himself, believe that he was home. 

It was a different home than the one he had with Luffy, but that seemed to be okay. It was okay to have two homes and to love them both. 

The last he had seen Marco, the man had been fighting fiercely on the battlefield with his father and siblings in a desperate attempt to get him back. He felt a sting in his chest at the thought of Pops, though the memory of how he had looked when he had seen him in the….afterlife? Heaven? A dream ?...helped to mitigate the horrid feeling of pain and loss. 

But he knew what had happened to Pops. And now he knew Marco too had survived. What about the rest of the crew? 

He found his voice, murmuring into the older man’s shoulder. “If you’re here Marco, is everyone else here too?”

The blond shook his head, “Sorry, no it’s just me….quite a few things happened since you…well ‘succumbed to your wounds’.”

There was a hesitation in his words and Ace used that chance to observe the man from the corner of his eye. Somehow Marco looked even older. Well, less “older” perhaps… but more mature, maybe? His body held this gravity to it, which while wasn’t unusual for him, did indicate that he had had a rough time of it as of late. 

He knew that this entire war endeavor had to be hard on his crewmates and the guilt of how much had been sacrificed for him ate up at him. So much had happened since he left the crew all those months ago to chase down Blackbeard. So much more must have happened since the war was obviously over and he was alive once again.

He was missing so much time and so many answers. However, his priorities hadn’t changed. His sibling, then his crewmates, then himself—in that order. 

“Hey, Marco, where’s Luffy? You should know, right? I left him with you guys on that battlefield. He’s okay, right?”

The blond looked at him with surprise, having been taken out of whatever internal thoughts had distracted him. He then strangely gave a light laugh at his questions, shaking his head as if thinking of some private joke. “I told Shanks that would be among the first questions you’d ask.”

Shanks?

As Marco helped settle him back down on the pillows of his bed again, Ace was gazing up at him with shock. 

“You mean Shanks really is here?” 

Marco raised an eyebrow at him, “I’m going to assume Lily already told you that. Yes, he’s here.”

“Lily?” Ace thought back at the feminine name. Was that the name of the angel?

“The woman who was just here. The one who dumped a bucket of water or two on your head considering the fact that you look like a drowned rat.”

He frowned in irritation at his soaked state, “It was three. I couldn’t even move when she used that weird power on me. Where did you meet an angel like her anyway?”

An angel? Marco didn’t know what to make of that, though he guessed that she did play that role to a degree in saving Ace’s life. “She saved your life, so be on your best behavior with her. And now that you’re awake, keep a lid on your flames. We’ve had to make enough repairs to this ship without you undoing all their work. We’re guests here, so don’t make trouble for the RedHairs.”

Using his hands and his phoenix flames, he began to dry out the kid from the top of his head down. Ace being Ace tried to avoid the ministrations with the same air as a child trying to avoid his mom’s fussing.  But Marco was used to this and also aware of the fact that he couldn’t move all that much, and so used it against him. Eventually, Ace just settled and let the crew’s “mother hen” do what he wanted. 

He pursed his lips, “I can do this myself you know.”

“Um-hmm, I just said no flames. Also, you going into your logia form is not good for your body while it’s still weak. You’ll tear your body apart and it will take even longer for you to recover. So until I tell you otherwise, no flames. That’s an order.”

Ace sighed, “You loved giving orders before, I guess it was all in practice now that you’re captain?”

A stunned silence came over the room, and Marco was left looking shocked at the bedspread. Ace realized what he said a second after he spoke, but he couldn’t take it back, so he just let the space of silence continue. 

Eventually, Marco’s eyes softened and he let out a resigned huff. “You know.” 

It was a statement, not a question. 

“I wasn’t sure until I woke up, but yeah…I know.”

Marco didn’t know how Ace had figured it out, and he was surprised that he wasn’t screaming in rage or crashing into an emotional wreck. Instead, there were lines of grief that marred his face, and he was biting his lip in that way that showed that he was fighting both his feelings of guilt and of dejection. It was as if he was preparing himself for news that he already intrinsically knew, and was dreading having the truth confirmed.

However, he rarely thought covering up the truth was good for anyone, and mostly just caused even more problems, And so…he began to unfold the end of the story of the war at Marineford.

It took time and once or twice he had to stop to get control of his own emotions. He spoke of Pops and his last stand; his ultimate sacrifice for his sons. He spoke of Blackbeard and the traitorous murderer’s action that ultimately led to Whitebeard’s death. He explained the nature of Teach’s fruit and how he had taken Pop’s power and with his fiendish new crew, almost destroyed both sides. 

Marco then told him about the arrival of Shanks and the Red Hair crew to the battle and how he ultimately ended the war. Through it all, the raven-haired pirate was silent and listening closely. There were some instances of the falling of tears and snarls of fury, and even a moment of him trembling with ire and hatred, but he never interrupted. 

However when he finally came to explain what had happened to Strawhat, Ace erupted. 

“WHAT?!! Luffy was hurt?! But how the hell—? I left him with you guys! How bad was he hurt? Is he here? Can I see him?” He tried to jump up but found that nothing in his body worked. “Stupid body that doesn’t move…where is he?” 

Marco was quick to push him back down to the bed. “Hold your horses, kid. Did you forget you just had a giant hole in your torso? As for StrawHat, yes, towards the end, he was injured…rather badly.” 

Ace could only wait with growing dread, his silvery eyes trembling with apprehension. 

The blond tried his best to explain and get across the utter chaos that was the war’s culmination. “Ace, after you “died”...your brother, he…..he basically mentally broke. He went nearly catatonic and was non-responsive for the rest of the battle. I don’t think he was aware of anything else that was going around him.” 

You left him.

You broke your promise and left him. 

Ace felt these two accusations blaring within him, cutting him to the quick. Somewhere in the back of his head, he probably remembered that he had very much been as close to dead as you could get and would in no way have prevented Luffy’s complete collapse. But right now he could only feel the guilt and shame for having not kept his word.

“And then after Pops and Blackbeard and….well everything just became deranged… purposeless. It just devolved into a mindless slaughter after a while. None of us could get to your brother. No one but Jinbe.”

Ace looked up at that. Jinbe has done that? But hadn’t he said…? Had he really…?

The blond continued, his mind still back on that battlefield. “I told him to get the kid out of there in whatever way he could. But Akainu was relentless. He’s got it in for Dragon and to him, StrawHat had to pay for his father’s defiance. He attacked both Jinbe and your brother, nearly killing them both instantly.” 

Akainu…

A flash of burning crimson. The sound of sizzling flesh. The feeling of skin burning, blood boiling, the sensation of a foreign invader touching parts of him that should never experience the feel of human hands. His heart…lungs…all sorts of inside parts were being pushed outward beyond their means and then simultaneously cooked–like so much roasted meat.

His body began to tremble and he wished he could wrap his arms around himself. He would not forget how that felt no matter how much longer he lived. His heart began to react to his emotions and annoyingly the monitor attached to his chest started to beep in response. Marco simply stopped and watched him, not saying anything more but allowing him time to breathe.

I’m fine.” he muttered, not liking that the other saw him beginning to become agitated at a mere memory.

The blond nodded, “I know you’re not. It’s okay.” 

He frowned at that, not liking the attention paid to his weakness. Though then again, what could one see in him except weakness at this point? He changed the subject, letting his feeling flow back into familiar anger. “What is that guy’s problem? I can see why he’s trying to take everything out on me, but Dragon’s alive. Just go get him if he’s so pissed!”

“Your brother was a much easier target. But he should no more bear the weight of Dragon’s actions than you should have to bear Roger’s.”

Ace felt the weight of his legacy once again and was trying to figure out how to approach the subject now that everyone knew. It was a subject that he had avoided like the plague before, but now that everything was out there. He didn’t quite know what to do. He remembered his declarations when he was about to be executed, but at the same time, he also remember the intimate presence of the man who had held him, told him stories, made him laugh, loved heartily…and was so much not what he had expected. 

He decided that he’d just start by explaining and see where that went.  “Marco, I…”

“You know I knew, right?”

He looked up in shock at the blond, only to see him smiling exasperatingly at him. “Pops told me eventually, but I kind of figured it out on my own anyway.” 

“B-But how?”

“Now don’t get pissed, but you’re a lot like him.”

His denial was instantaneous, though perhaps not as cutting as usual. “No, I’m not!” 

Marco didn’t seem to take offense, merely shrugging, “How would you know? You never met him. Though then again, I only met him briefly a little more than half a dozen times. So what do I know? There are others on this ship who could probably give you a better assessment.”

Ace wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but the other had already gone on. “Anyway, the point is, that I’ve known for quite some time about your lineage Ace, and it never made me think any differently about you.”

He reached up and ruffled Ace’s hair again, which this time he definitely tried to avoid, but again, he was stuck at the blond’s mercy. “You’re still the aggravating, hotheaded, lovable idiot you always were.”

Feeling self-conscious at the affectionate words, Ace decided to once again turn the conversation back to what was important here. He could deal with how he felt about Roge–his father’s legacy later. Luffy came first.

“Back to my brother, you said he was hurt really bad. How’s he doing now?”

Marco looked away slightly, his smile dropping which only caused his own anxiety to skyrocket. “I don’t know.”

The pit of his stomach dropped at that and his teeth clenched, “What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’? You have to know!”

“After Jinbe and your brother were wounded, they got separated from the rest of us. Again remember that it was utter chaos at this point. It was hard even to keep track of each side, and our own allies. The two of them were pursued without mercy and at this point, Jinbe was too wounded to fight back. They would have been done for if a young supernova from the North Blue hadn’t stepped in and volunteered his services to take them both on his ship and get them away from the battlefield. Your brother and Jinbe are still with him. They were probably in critical condition then. We don’t have a current update though and we don’t know where they went afterward. We haven’t established contact with Jinbe and none of us have a way to contact the supernova kid. I think his name was Trafalgar Law, but I might be misremembering.”

As he finished his explanation, Ace was sure that his insides were turning knots over one another.  Fear, worry, concern, and anger all roiled together as he realized the truth of the situation at hand. He normally trusted his little brother to be able to handle things on his own, especially once he went off to become a great pirate and fulfill his dream. But the kid had taken a direct hit from an admiral. One that had nearly killed him for goodness sake!  And from how Marco had described Lu’s mental state, even if he wasn’t hurt so badly, he wasn’t in any shape to defend himself or take care of his own wounds. He could be in any number of dangers, was hurt badly, and not even in his right mind. He was alone, among untrustworthy strangers, who could be doing who knew what for all he knew! Or worse!

When he finally found his voice, both incredulity, and savagery had made their way into his tone. 

“Wait a minute. You mean to tell me, my baby brother, is horribly injured, and in the hands of some stranger? Who happens to also be his supernovae rival?!”

“Uhhh….yes?” the blond had never thought about it that way, but he guessed that Ace’s priorities were different than his? 

However, this just seemed to incise the younger man even more. “And you have no idea where he is? Or even who hands he’s in right now? Or even if he’s alive or dead? What if this rival wanted revenge on Luffy or something? He could be torturing him for all you know!” 

“Um, if he wanted Strawhat dead, he simply needed not to intervene.” 

Marco mentioned, trying to insert just a bit of reason before things got out of hand. 

“Not if it was personal! Lu has a habit of pissing people off.” the other interjected, “I know that more than anyone.” 

The incident with Porchemy still haunted him to this day. He would never forget how the sight that greeted him when they had finally figured out what had happened to the new annoying little upstart that they thought would rat them out. 

Luffy would never go through something like that again, at least as long he was around to have a say about it.

“There weren’t a lot of choices at the time, Ace. It was either certain death by the Marines, or a possible rescue from a stranger. But I promise we’re doing our best to find out what happened to him. The moment we get information, I’ll make sure you’re the first to know.” The Phoenix got up off the bed and walked over to the machines monitoring Ace’s vitals. 

“For now, you need some rest, Ace. You just woke up and you’re already overexerting yourself. When you wake up again, we’ll see about getting you some food, okay?” 

However, Ace wasn’t listening, the worry had fully taken over his mind. He had known Luffy was running on adrenaline and fumes even back on Marineford. It was the reason that he hadn’t been able to move out of the way of Akainu’s attack. And so, he had done the only thing he could do and had shielded his brother’s life with his own. 

He remembered their last moments together vividly. At the time, he had assumed that Luffy would be okay–eventually. The younger D. had always pulled through everything thrown at him. He had thought he wouldn’t have the luxury of worrying about Luffy anymore. 

He should have known better.

And now that the thought had entered his head, that age-old stubbornness had taken hold. He had to see Luffy. Had to know that he was alive, had to know that he would survive and fulfill his dream. But even more than that, if Luffy was alive—and he had to be—then he also had to let his brother know that he had survived. 

It wasn’t that Luffy would hold a grudge, he was too simple and spontaneous for that. But he also knew very well that Luffy's emotions ran deep, and he also remembered very well what Sabo’s death had done to the kid. Yes, he believed that now that Luffy had his crewmates and friends and others to lean on, he would be okay, eventually...to keep his survival from him would be too cruel. He couldn’t do that.

Luffy was also tactile in nature, he had to experience and touch for things to really sink in. A transponder call would not suffice. Simple words could fail. He had to see him in the flesh…for both their sakes. 

Marco had been watching the emotions playing out on his brother’s face and could see the resolve forming. He inwardly sighed, but again it wasn’t like they hadn’t already known this was going to happen. They had already planned on it. Might as well let the kid in on their plans before he did something foolish—like trying to drag himself out of bed by his teeth or another such stupid idea. 

“Ace, don’t worry about your brother. As soon as we—”

A voice from the door interrupted, “Well, look who finally decided to join us in the land of the living. Good to finally see you awake, sleeping beauty.”

Ace’s eyes went wide at the sudden appearance but Marco could only roll his eyes. He turned around ready to tell the crimson-headed annoyance off, only to stop himself at what he saw.

It was indeed Shanks, as delightfully roguish as usual, however, he had changed clothes and demeanor since their meeting only a little while ago. During their time together on the ship he had been in a relaxed, comfortable state, sometimes even going without his cloak or walking around barefoot and often leaving his weapons in his room. The man now stepping into the room was the very image of the emperor of the seas that he presented to the world. Armed with Gryphon by his side as well as surrounded by his famous black cape, fresh clothes, and wearing boots this time, he cut an impressive figure. 

He doubted that he was doing it to make any sort of impression on Ace. Something must have happened.

For the younger pirate confined to the bed, the actual appearance of the RedHair captain was a bit surreal. Both Ange and Marco had said he was on board but to actually see him in the flesh was something altogether. Ace had gotten a chance to see all of the other emperors at one point or another, and while Pops would always be the best in his eyes, Shanks was a close second. Of course, the fact that he owed him for saving Luffy’s life at the expense of his own arm helped, but also his little brother himself had done nothing but sing the praises of the RedHair crew and their captain when they were kids. He was pretty unassuming, at least at first glance. He was about the same age as Marco, the youngest of all the emperors, but his reputation was unmatched and anytime Ace got near him, he could feel the power lying beneath the surface.

He walked over to his bedside and looked down at him with a soft smile and a disarming warmth and tenderness that hadn’t been there the last time they had met. It was strange, but one of the reasons he had forced himself to learn manners had been because of this man, and from what he understood so far, his miracle recovery was partly thanks to this man.  

He couldn’t really get up and bow to this man, but he attempted to incline his head as far as he could go. “I’ve heard I have you to thank for being able to breathe right now and for helping my crew escape with their lives. So, I thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve gotta second chance. I owe you a lot.”

Shanks’ gaze became slightly softer and his smile twisted into a slight smirk as he leaned on the wall above Ace’s head. “Hey, I didn’t do that much. There’s someone you need to thank way more than me. But for now, you’re welcome, kid.”

“What’s going on, Shanks?” Marco demanded, if trouble was coming he needed to be prepared. 

The smile twisted into a grimace and he looked at the blond in all seriousness. “The Seaside Pirates got attacked, they just called me for aid. They said it was Cipher Pol.”

The Phoenix straightened up at that, “They’re who we got this ship from, correct?”

He nodded in confirmation, “I have to go help them, but I’m sure you can guess why this could be the start of all kinds of problems. Cipher Pol’s involvement especially is worrying. They’d have no other reason to bother with a small-time operation like Lisel’s crew.” 

The blond frowned, but his eyes were flattened to that stern determined visage. “So how do you want to deal with this?”

“We split up. I and my guys will go to help the survivors and see what’s going on. But you need to take everyone else and go in the completely opposite direction. That plan we just talked about? We’ve gotta put it into effect now.” 

There was a pause as Marco began to make plans in his head. He asked, “So you sent for another ship?”

At this, the redhead looked away, a bit conspicuously. “Hmm, no, not exactly.”

The other pirate frowned, “What do you mean ‘not exactly’? How do you expect us to split up with only one ship?”

This time there was more fidgeting and Marco’s suspicions arose. “Well, I was thinking that you could……fly?”

For a few seconds no one said anything, the two simply staring at each other, one with a hopeful, crooked grin and the other with a frozen straight face. This lasted for only a couple of brief moments before Marco turned his head to the side reminiscent of his epithet. “Wait, could you say that again, because I’m pretty sure I heard you wrong. Cause I thought I just heard you say ‘fly’, and I know you can’t be that stupid.”

“Come on, it makes sense if you just consider—”

“No. No! Are you a complete idiot? What am even asking for, you’d have to be even to suggest that.”

“Okay, you don’t have to hurl names around, Fledgling.”

“Shut up, Scarlet. I’m going to call you worse things in a moment. You expect me to fly with how many people on my back? Even subtracting you and your men, that’s at least four others, and that’s considering one of them can’t even move and needs medical assistance!”

“You could carry the extra ones in your hands!”

“What hands?! My hands turn to wings when I fly, Scarlet.”

“I’m talking about your feet-bird-talon things!”

“Seriously?!”

Ace watched back and forth between the two men as they argued and while he wasn’t quite sure what was going on, he found himself smiling at the sharp banter. Who knew that Marco could act so candidly, and with Red-Hair Shanks no less? A quiet pang came to his heart as the two reminded him of how he and Sabo would argue and fight over the silliest things, often for hours or even days. Sometimes they’d have Luffy be the decision maker, though not often since Luffy almost always took Sabo’s side. 

Though I guess he was often always right. He admitted balefully.

“Those two are at it again, are they? Don’t let their barking fool you, they're pretty good friends when they’re not arguing with each other.”

If he had the energy to jump, Ace would have flung himself up from the bed at the sudden new presence that had appeared right next to him! As it was he could only jerk his head around to face the person who, without a sound, had come in and sat by his side on the bed.

It was an older man, about Gramps’ age though definitely a fellow pirate from his bearing, with long silvery hair and spectacles. His gait was casual but his eyes were keen and similar to Shanks, Ace could feel raw power hiding underneath a subtle facade.

No one else in the room seemed to react to his appearance, and nothing seemed to jump out against his instincts so he had to guess the man at least wasn’t there to attack him. 

“Who are you, old man?” 

The man looked down at him with a slight edge of surprise, but that quickly shifted to an understanding kind, warm smile. Unusual, but not as scary as Gramps’. “Ah, I forgot that we haven’t actually officially met before. The name’s Rayleigh, Silvers Rayleigh. I am truly happy to see you awake, brat.”

His eyes grew wide with shock. He knew that name. Any pirate worth their salt knew that name. But he even more than most had taken the time to learn the names of key players in his crew. What was such a legend doing here of all places? It was also the first time he had come directly into contact with a member of the infamous Rogers Pirates. His mixed emotions about his father notwithstanding, he didn’t know how he currently felt about that.

It took a few moments before he found his voice,  “You! You’re…you’re—”

The older man simply raised an eyebrow, though his smile never changed. “I am.” 

“B-But why’re you here?” 

Rayleigh seemed to think about it, “Hmm, I actually ended up meeting with Shanks and Marco by accident. But they helped me out and then I found out about you and that you had lived despite the Marines’ best efforts. So I stuck around to help them bring you around.”

Ace became thoughtful at that with a trace of modesty. He was so used to being independent, to not needing help from anyone. He hated showing weakness in any form, as depending on others tended to mean opening yourself up for possible betrayal and rejection. And yet there was no denying that he couldn’t have saved himself this time around. (In fact, he hadn’t been able to save himself since Banaro.)  But to know how much help he must have needed to pull him back to the land of the living. First Ange, then Marco, Shanks, and now the Dark King himself? How many people was he going to owe by the time it was all said and done?

He looked down at the sheets of his bed, murmuring quietly “Thank you, I–”

“You don’t owe me a thing.”

Ace looked up at that, watching the man becoming comfortable by his side. “But I—”

“I did what I did because it was my own desire to do so, not because I wanted to gain your favor or anything. And I’m sure those two brats would also agree with me if they weren’t so busy arguing.” 

He tilted his head at that, not sure about the statement, but the man sounded sincere. He did note the casual tone that he spoke about the other two veteran pirates in the room, who were still going back and forth, the idea of just throwing one or the other overboard and having them swim the rest of the way was being bandied about.

He concentrated back on the old man, “You know Shanks and Marco?”

At this, the man looked genuinely shocked. “Shanks never told you?”

Ace frowned. Told him what?  He shook his head, “This is only the second time I’ve met him directly, though I’ve seen him from afar a few other times.”

Rayleigh’s shock turned to an exasperated sigh before transforming into a light laugh. “I have a strong feeling that that will be fixed in the very near future.” 

The younger of the two didn’t know what to make of that statement. How long was Shanks going to be hanging around? 

Ray continued, “As for how long I’ve known those two. Practically all their lives. I basically helped raise Shanks, and I’ve known Phoenix ever since we first met the Whitebeard Pirates.”

Well, that was surprising, though he had never thought about Shanks or Marco as children before. He knew both were veteran pirates and that Marco had been with Pops for forever. As for Red-Hair……wait a minute… "helped raise”?

“Wait, did Shanks know him too?” 

The Dark King nodded in return, not even needing to wonder who he was talking about. “Of course. It’s surprising that no one has told you before now, but Shanks was a member of the Roger pirates prior to creating his own crew. He was similar to us, what Marco was for Whitebeard.”

Like what Marco was to Pops?

A cabin boy……later an apprentice…..a trusted right hand…..a son? 

Ace turned and looked at the redhead, seeing him with completely different eyes. It was not what he had expected, and he didn’t know quite how to feel about it. Had Shanks known about him? If so, had he always known and just not said anything? What about back on Dawn Island? Had he learned he was there? Had he cared? 

Many different thoughts went through his head as he stared at the famous emperor. And even while bickering with Marco, the man in question’s eyes seemed to meet his, concern beginning to bleed through at the troubled look he found there. 

“You’re thinking the wrong way, brat.” 

He turned back to the ex-vice captain by his side who was watching him with perceptive comprehension. 

“There are a lot of questions on your heart and it looks like you’re finally ready to ask them. Shanks and I will explain our parts in due time. But just know that you needn’t be jealous of him. There are a lot of empty holes that need to be filled in, but one thing I know for sure is that my captain loved you with all his heart. No one could have taken your place.” 

‘…No matter what you might hear about me from now on, know this: I love you. I loved you when you were still small in your momma's womb. I never stopped loving you. You must believe that.’

Those words once again flickered up into his consciousness. They had felt so sincere at the time, and Rayleigh’s words seemed to do nothing but confirm them. But his old insecurities battled against them and he was beginning to feel so muddled and confused! Stupid father, making things so complicated. For twenty years he had been sure as to how he felt about Roger and how he had wanted nothing to do with him. His hatred of him was like venom in his veins. And then boom, one little near-death experience and it had turned nearly everything on its head! He was beginning to get a headache. He really didn’t want to deal with this right now.

He decided to change the subject and think about all this heavy stuff later. “What are they even arguing about?”

Ray accepted the shift in conversation and sighed exasperatedly. “The two idiots are wasting time is what they’re doing. Basically speaking, we’re going to take you to see your brother.”

He jerked his head around at that. “You know where Luffy is?!”

“I have a pretty good idea. We’ll try to get the two of you reunited as soon as possible. How does that sound?” 

“That’d be great–hey! How do you know about Luffy anyway?”

“The whole world knows, remember? At Marineford? It’s been in the papers for days now.”

“Oh,” Ace had forgotten how that little fact had come out too, not that he minded that so much. His relationship with Luffy was the one thing that he’d never been ashamed of.

“Also I met Luffy in Sabaody not long ago, so we have had an introduction.” The old man continued. 

The younger man blinked a bit as he noticed a bit of fuzziness in the corners of his vision. His head was also beginning to get that slight tingly sensation that usually preceded one of his narcoleptic episodes. He tried to blink it away but wasn’t really successful. He recognized the signs, but didn’t want to fall asleep right now! He’d missed too much time and too many meals as it was! He also wanted to be there for all the decision-making. 

But Ace wasn’t the only one to recognize the signs. 

Rayleigh nudged him softly, “Hey, I know you’re tired. You’ve been through a lot and you’re body is still recovering. Get some rest and when you wake up, you’ll be that much closer to seeing your little brother again.” 

He tried to shake his head in denial, “But I’m not sleepy, I’m…not…”

He fell back onto the pillows snoring softly, his body succumbing to both his condition and his tiredness. 

“Yes, you are.” Rayleigh rose from the bed and carefully tucked the boy in, careful of the wires and monitors. “My goodness Rog, of all the things to pass on to your offspring, it had to be your narcolepsy…” 

Finishing with that, he then turned to the two brats in front of him. Alright, enough was enough.  

With a single quick movement, he stepped forward and kicked the other two brats to the ground where they sprawled onto their backs. 

“What the hell, old man?” Shanks moaned rubbing at his backside.

Marco didn’t say anything, though he did wince a bit a bruise to his side that his regen powers were taking their time in fixing. Must have used some strong haki in that kick. 

Ray crossed his arms and looked down at them sternly, “Quiet. Ace is sleeping. Are you two idiots done? We don’t have time for any of this. Shanks, you have people relying on you that you are letting suffer and possibly die.”

He turned to the blond, “Marco, is this what we can expect from the new captain of the Whitebeard clan? Because I know I expected better.” 

The words hit sharply and the two, thoroughly chastised rose up from the floor silent and reserved. 

“Now, unlike you two children, I have come up with a plan that I think can work. I talked with Schaden and he said if he has the necessary infrastructure, he can make it work.”

The two looked at each other. Infrastructure?

Rayleigh raised a hand to his lips and whistled first high and then low. After a moment, the shade creature suddenly popped into the room. 

‘You don’t have to be so loud, ya know.’

Rayleigh laughed apologetically, “Sorry, I’m a little out of practice, did you find out if you have what we need?”

The Cimmerian took his more humanoid shape and walked up to him, his violet eyes glowing. ‘Well, that’s okay. It’s just nice to meet another human who is smart enough to understand me.’

He walked around and looked over the hospital bed as well as the machines around it taking a measure of the whole setup. ‘I was able to find a whole half a house that was in good order. If we take the generator from the ship to power everything it’ll work. Are we going ahead with this plan?’

The older man’s eyes flickered over to the other two pirates who were a bit lost in the conversation. Normally he would stay out of it and let them decide on things. But since they had shown themselves incapable of the task, so he would step up this once. Stupid brats, didn’t they know he was supposed to be retired?

“We’re doing it, Schaden. Get everything ready, inform your partner of everything then meet us back here in as soon as you can.” 

The shadow creature nodded before disappearing once again.

Ray then turned to the other two. “Marco, yes Shanks’ plan was shortsighted, but he had the right idea. Currently, we have a situation where the government might be onto us and have possibly laid a trap. We need to split up and we need to move and move quickly. At your top speed, in full zoan form, figuring in enough rest for yourself, how quickly can you get to Amazon Lily from here?”

The question threw the blond for a loop, “Amazon Lily? Umm, well we’re close to Sabaody, so by ship, it would take a little over 2 weeks. By air and not having to deal with the calm belt, it would take me half that or even a little less.”

“Can you do that with a passenger?”