Author Note:

See I'm still alive…

March 1, XX99, 12:00 P.M, Beach, Aurelia Island

"I just don't see how you two think you aren't joining the Marines or at the very least the Asuachi!" yelled Kisaro.

Kisaro stood watching his younger cousins who were currently sitting on the beach. He had spent the last few minutes scolding them for even having thought of abandoning the duty that their skills would allow them to complete. The three of them had supposedly been getting stronger all this time with the intention of devoting their life to the marines.

Cain turned toward his spiky white haired brother. He was paying just as little attention to the noise coming from Kisaro. It was clear, that whatever Kisaro had been doing all these years put him at a level they hadn't reached yet. Kisaro definitely wouldn't let them do as they pleased and that was the only reason neither of them had moved yet. Then an idea hit Cain.

"Alright, Alright!" Cain yelled. "How about we go with you to the registration post, see what it's really like and if the marines are really as great as you say they are, we'll join and if not we'll join the Asuachi."

Auron's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "You're fine with that idea too, right Auron?" asked Cain evenly.

Cain was certain that Auron hadn't actually understood that this was all a ploy to get away from Kisaro and was secretly trying to get Auron's attention.

"Hmm, I accept your offer," said Kisaro. "I know that you'll be thoroughly impressed and won't even consider those thugs."

Auron, who still hadn't caught on, was about to speak when Cain quickly shoved his head in the sand.

"Say your goodbyes tonight and meet me on the boat tomorrow," Kisaro. "I'll be heading back to the village now."

He waved goodbye, but walked off in the wrong direction again.

Auron's head burst out of the sand and he gasped for air. "What the hell Cain?!" yelled Auron as he shook the sand off. "Why would you offer that?"

Cain quickly slapped his brother over the head. "Would you keep your voice down," he whispered. "We're not really joining the Marines or the Asuachi. He just wouldn't let us go easily and this way we can avoid fighting family. When we get to the Marine post, we'll take the first chance to break away and sail off."

"Ohhh, that makes more sense," said Auron as he shook his head. "I thought you had really lost your mind."

Cain laughed as he lay back on the beach. "Yeah, I had a feeling you did."

March 1, XX99, 2:00 P.M, Anca Village, Aurelia Island

Wako was looking at two of his three grandsons with a look of bewilderment plastered on his face. "You agreed to join the navy?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well," said Cain. "We actually agreed to check out the post and then join the Asuachi if we didn't care for it."

Wako walked between Cain and Auron eyeing the both of them critically. "Something doesn't feel right about this," he said as his eyes bore into Auron.

From a young age Auron had been unable to lie which often resulted in the two of them getting caught during their mischief. He was presently sweating profusely in an attempt to keep his composure.

"Auron!" said Wako loudly. "What are you two really planning?"

Cain and Auron had prepared for this hundreds of time during the walk here. Auron was to look at his grandfather and simply lie and say, "Nothing at all pops."

When all the grown man squeaked out was "Pop!" Cain hung his head in defeat.

"If all of your plans rest on Auron lying, you're not gonna make it far on the seas," said Wako as he burst out in laughter and walked away from them. "I won't stop you, but Kisaro's not gonna make this easy."

Cain looked at his brother. "Seriously…"

March 2, XX99, 6:00 A.M, North Blue Seas

"Ugh! I get that we had to leave early, but was the cold water really necessary," said Cain as he finished drying his hair.

"I tried waking you up the normal way, but you did not stir right away so I expedited the process," responded Kisaro.

Kisaro, Cain and Auron were all presently in a slightly larger dingy that Wako had given them. He had mentioned that it was a parting gift to his soon to be marine grandchildren making sure to flash a grin at Auron in the process.

"So, Kisaro," started Auron. "How long til we reach the nearest Marine Post?"

Kisaro's face lit up. "I passed it on the way towards the village, so it shouldn't be more than a day or two."

"How much food do we have for rations?" asked Auron.

Kisaro cocked his head to the side. "Food? We're so close I didn't pack any," he said simply.

"Two days!" yelled Cain. "What will we do without food for two days?"

He broke into theatrics now. "What cruel fate has been brought on me?" He shouted at the sea. "Brother, destiny has cast me aside and left me at the fate of this lunatic."

"We'll be fine," said Kisaro. "How about I sing a song to keep our spirits up?"

He waited a moment until Cain calmed down as music seemed to grab his attention. Then Kisaro began to sing and for a moment Cain and Auron believed that they had actually gone deaf. His voice seemed to be shrill enough to cut through the water itself and Kisaro was none the wiser.

"Screw it, I'll swim back home," shouted Auron in an attempt to jump overboard.

Cain caught him just as he got over the side of the boat. "You idiot, you ate a devil fruit!" shouted Cain.

The realization set in for Auron and for a moment he considered taking his chances over listening to Kisaro and starving. Then he hung his head in defeat and allowed himself to be pulled up.

March 3, XX99, 4:00 P.M, North Blue Seas

Kisaro finished his 40th or 50th song and took a look at his cousins who lay perfectly still, but before he could say anything to them something in the distance caught his attention.

"Ahh, we're here," he said simply.

Both Auron and Cain jumped to their feet in excitement and started celebrating.

"Yes! We're here. We made it!" they yelled in unison as they danced around on the little ship.

Kisaro was surprised to see his cousins so excited, so he happily joined in on the celebration.

All three of them were cheering and then the brothers realized they were actually happy to be approaching a Marine base.

A spine tingling feeling hit them as they shook off their excitement.

"Full speed ahead, right cuz?" asked Auron.

Kisaro stood shocked by his cousins' sudden change in demeanor and sat down with his oar.

"You know," he said simply. "I think Grandpa Wako was exaggerating. A little push and you guys seem ready to protect and serve."

The brothers gave each other a quick glance and then Cain slyly added, "Maybe you're right cuz," forcing a happy grin from the eldest of the three.

They sailed to the docks of the intimidating Marine ship which served as registration post.

The large grey metal ship had white sails with the word 'MARINE' stitched on. Along the sides of the ship were cannons and smaller rescue dinghies.

"Alright. I'll go find the captain," said Kisaro and then he pointed towards a line of uniformless individuals being examined by a physician. "You guys wait in the line for hopeful ensigns."

"Wait, what about you?" asked Auron.

"I served as a member of the Skypiean White Beret for the last few years. I'll be receiving an equivalency rank," said Kisaro and then he broke a genuine smile as he hung his arms over the shoulders of his cousins. "Who knows, if we're lucky I'll be your commanding officer."

Kisaro walked off and the brothers shot each other a quick look. "To hell with that!" they yelled in unison.

March 3, XX99, 4:30 P.M, North Blue Seas, Captain's Quarters

Kisaro was currently in the captain's quarters of the ship. There were two small windows in the room and while the room was made of simple Oakwood, it was decorated with green curtains and linens all of which appeared to be made of some sort of exquisite silk. There was a desk in the center of the room and on it a bow and a quiver of arrows rested.

Kisaro stood perfectly still at attention as he watched the commanding officer before him.

Even though he was seated behind a desk, it was clear that the officer was quite tall. His kept his light blue wavy fairly short. His was skin was tan and his blue eyes matched his white and blue button up shirt. The sleeves were rolled up past his elbows and the shirt was just barely buttoned exposing a bit of the imposing man's muscles. He wore a pair of blue jeans, black boots, and sunglasses. His marine coat was currently draped over his shoulders.

"Ooooh. This is quite the impeccable record Mr. Ryuden of Skypiea," said the officer behind the desk. "Numerous arrests, countless patrols, several instances where you lead white beret units, and a recommendation from Grandmaster Wako himself."

The officer looked up at Kisaro when he realized the man hadn't taken a breath since introducing himself. "Hey, no need to be so uptight. It seems like we'll be traveling together for a while since I've been authorized to give you the rank of commander and the last commander who served under me quit."

"Yes!" yelled Kisaro as everything registered. "I won't let you down Captain Sewell. Oh, I've been meaning to ask about my cousins as well. They've come to enlist."

"Wow," said Captain Sewell as he looked through the other forms. "Three Wako recruits at once, today must be my lucky day."

He walked to the window and then continued speaking. "They don't have as much active duty experience as you so I'll be starting them at Ensign, but if the rumors are true they'll do fine. You all should probably get changed and prepare to sail, I think there's a storm coming."

"Yes sir!" yelled Kisaro as he stood at attention once more.

"Oh and relax," said Captain Sewell as he dismissed Kisaro. "No need to be so serious."

As Kisaro turned to exit the door, the boat was rocked by a gigantic explosion sending Kisaro and the captain to the floor.

"What the hell?!" yelled Captain Sewell as he climbed to his feet and grabbed the bow and quiver on his desk. "Let's go. It seems we're under attack."

March 3, XX99, 4:20 P.M, North Blue Seas, Marine Post (Ten Minutes earlier)

"Yup, that does it!" yelled Cain. "I'm done waiting, let's get ready to make our move."

Auron looked to his brother. "Wasn't this your plan? Why were we waiting?"

Cain stopped for a moment. "I was waiting on you. I was ready since we got here," he said in a matter of fact voice.

Neither Cain nor Auron had moved in a few minutes and the marine hopefuls behind them were getting restless. "Either move up or get moved!" yelled one of them.

"I was waiting on you. You said you had a plan," shot back Auron ignoring the angered people.

"If we were both ready, then why have we been waiting on this line?" asked Cain.

"Hey!" yelled a muscular enlistee as he dropped a heavy hand on Auron's shoulder. "You're keeping us back."

In a flash, the crew was watching the large man skid across the open North Blue Seas. Cain had sent him flying with a quick punch.

"I don't think anyone wants to lay a hand on my brother again," said Cain calmly.

The ship deck of enlistees and ensigns slowly encircled the duo. "I think you ruined our chance of escaping quietly," added Auron as he slowly began to draw his sword.

Cain had begun to count the angered marines around them when he noticed the storm heading towards them.

A sly smile broke across his face and he turned towards Auron and yelled, "Get ready!"

The muscles in his right arm slowly tensed up and he aimed a punch at the floor beneath them.

"Wako's Light Punch!" barked Cain as his fist collided with the floor. The ship creaked under the pressure of the punch at first and then a large hole broke open beneath Cain and Auron allowing them to fall several floors beneath the deck.

"See you all later!" yelled Auron to the bewildered marines above them as they landed and took off down the first hallway. He turned towards his brother who was currently running ahead of him. "Where to now?" he asked.

They turned down a hallway and came to a dead end.

"If I'm right, it should be right about here," said Cain as he readied his fist once more.

"What are you doing?" yelled Auron. "Your punch will flood the ship."

"Unless I'm right!" shouted Cain as his fist crashed into the ship's wall.

When no water came Cain cracked a sly smile at his brother. The wall fell apart and both brothers stuck their heads out of it. Hanging just to the right of the hole on the side of the ship was a rescue dinghy.

"Wow, that's some pretty good luck, but what if you had hit the ship?" asked Auron.

"Hmm, never thought about that," said Cain with a shrug.

They jumped into the boat and lowered it into the water below them. A storm had found itself to the lone Marine ship. Slowly the rain picked up and the little boat that Cain and Auron were rowing was being rocked by the sea. The waves became larger and larger until they could no longer row and they were being carried by the waves.

Amidst the chaos of the seas, both brothers broke out in laughter as they realized they were finally free.

"We could die out here!" Auron yelled over the roar of the ocean.

"I don't think so," said Cain with a huge grin. "It doesn't feel like this is where our adventure should end."

Back on the deck of the marine ship, Kisaro and Captain Sewell ran out to the marines.

"Get ready men!" yelled the captain. "This storm's gonna be a rough one."

Kisaro scanned the deck for his cousins and for a moment he was worried they'd been tossed overboard by the storm until his eyes landed on gigantic hole in the deck.

He ran over to the group of enlistees who were in the process of fishing a fellow marine out of the water.

"What caused this hole!?" yelled Kisaro.

The group looked at each other and then pointed at a tiny ship on the horizon.

Kisaro became furious as he instantly realized he had been played.

Captain Sewell read his emotions and understood immediately. "It was your cousins that caused this commotion and stole that boat," he said as he whistled casually. "That's a whole lot of laws they just broke. If it was anyone else, they would be arrested for piracy."

He turned to his newly appointed subordinate. "I'll have to strike them down and bring them in."

Kisaro nodded understandingly. "Hmm, this is so annoying," sighed the captain as he readied an arrow.

"Stop!" yelled a furious Kisaro. "As the oldest active member of the house of Wako, I'll take them down."

The captain was shocked by Kisaro's outburst, but he shrugged it off and waved Kisaro on to take them down.

Kisaro's anger seemed to be endless. Betrayal, Deceit and Treachery. Did his cousins know no bounds?

He reached for the black heat dial blade that rested on his waist. His last use of the blade had been to take the life of a vicious skypiean criminal and now he was preparing to use it on his cousins. He was mad. Mad that they even put him in this position. Mad that they could be so selfish.

From out in the boat, Cain caught a glimpse of his cousin on the deck.

"Look, I guess he found out already," he laughed. "But there's no way they can chase us down in this storm and tend to the boat."

Auron turned to watch his cousin and his eyes narrowed. "What's he doing?" asked Auron.

Cain took note of the movement and recognized it immediately. "It looks like he's going to use the void strike again, but no matter how strong he is, there's no way he can reach us out here."

Auron stayed focused on his cousin and then his eyes went wide. "Something's wrong Cain! Look!"

Cain had noticed it too. Kisaro's skin had seemingly turned black. His face elongated into a snout and his canines sharpened.

On the deck, Captain Sewell watched as his new ship mate transformed. "You ate a devil fruit?" he asked calmly.

"It was a gift," said a furious Kisaro. "The Mutt-Mutt Fruit: Model Jackal."

Cain and Auron watched as an ominous feeling took hold of them. "We've gotta go," they said in unison as they struggled to paddle through the waves.

"Draw Sword Style!" yelled Kisaro as his animal-like muscles tensed. "Jackal Fire!"

The black blade was unsheathed and sheathed frighteningly quick. There was a moment of stillness and then the air combusted from the force of the heat dial. With the Zoan fruit granting him heightened strength, the flame easily reached its target.

Cain and Auron braced for impact and the boat was shredded by the flame.

Captain Sewell eyed the resolution of his new recruit. "That's rough," he said in a matter of fact tone. "You didn't even hesitate to strike them down. I'll send a ship to find them."

"Don't bother," said Kisaro. "They've broken more than just Marine laws. They trampled on Wako traditions and besmirched our name and our bond."

Before Captain Sewell could respond, a large wave rose up in the distance and crashed down on the few splinters of wood that had remained visible.

"I guess it really doesn't matter," said Captain Sewell. "That wave will drag them down now."

The captain turned to his crew and began giving instructions to repair the boat. He turned back to Kisaro now. "I don't know what happened to you all, but I'm sorry for your loss."

March 4, XX99, 10:00 A.M, North Blue Seas

"Well come on then Amber," said a deep voice. "They'll probably die without your help."

A lightly tanned girl turned to her companion with an annoyed look on her face. She had thick, shaggy red hair that reached the nape of her back. She stood a few inches above five and a half feet tall. There was a subtlety to her beauty, because while her solid viridian green eyes had a look of exasperation in them, she had a tomboyish gracefulness that her supple frame complemented well.

"We've already done our share by dragging them ashore Jabari," said Amber as she rolled her eyes and looked at the two men before her. "If they were willing to be out in the ocean, then they probably should have known the risks."

Her companion glared at her until she caved.

"Alright already, you win!" yelled Amber. She picked up the bisento that lay at her feet and used the jabbed rounded edge into the unconscious bodies.

Water shot out of the first body and Auron sat up gasping for air. Having been sure that he had died, he looked around as if to ensure he wasn't in heaven or dreaming. His eyes landed on the red head in a dark blue kosode with a small, simple black obi and a pair of black hakama.

"Oh good he's awake," said Jabari.

Auron's eyes quickly darted between the Bisento in the girl's hands and her companion.

At first he wasn't sure, but another quick scan of the area revealed that the only other person here beside the red head was the gold and brown eagle perched beside her.

Before he could take in the concept of a talking eagle his mind raced to his brother. His eyes fell to his still brother and then moments later, the bisento was crashing into Cain's abdomen forcing out any water.

Cain shot up immediately and his eyes landed on his brother.

He broke out into laughter. "We made it?!" he laughed aloud until his eyes landed on Amber and Jabari. "I'm sure we've got you to thank," he said as he hopped to his feet.

The blue haired boy had a cheeky grin on his face. "We wouldn't have made it without you," he said as he shook Amber's hand excitedly.

"Right?" said Amber as she rolled her eyes and pulled her hand free. "I saved you because Jabari kept nagging me about you guys in the water."

The eagle perched beside Amber finally interjected. "You'll have to forgive Amber," he said in an almost regal tone. "She means well, but doesn't care much for pleasantries."

Auron was now on his feet and beside Cain. Both of them were in shock of their savior's strange appearance. "Not that it matters, but you're an eagle, right?" asked Cain.

"Yes," said Jabari.

He dropped his arm around Auron's shoulders and neck. "See I told you!" shouted Cain. "We've only been free for a day and we've met a talking eagle!"

"I never disagreed with you," said Auron as he struggled to get loose. "But I think you're forgetting about the part where we got set on fire and nearly drowned 10 minutes into our 'freedom'."

Cain ignored his brother and turned to Jabari and Amber. "Listen, we can't thank you enough. If there's any way we can repay you, just say the word."

Amber wrinkled her nose at the thought of someone being indebted to her. Just before she could add in her usual snarky comment, Jabari interjected. "As a matter of fact we could use a bit of help," said the eagle as he eyed the sword on Auron's waist. "We were forced to dock on this island for supplies. Once we got into the local village, we found the people shut inside their homes. They were frightened and refused to come out. A little digging gained us the knowledge that an Asuachi member has taken up post on this island. His underlings have been allowed to run wild on this island and have taken it over."

Jabari floated around the brothers for a bit before settling on the perch once more. "I'm not expecting much, but we essentially only need you to watch Amber's back as she deals with the Asuachi. You two seem capable enough."

"Yeah, I'm sure the two water boys are capable," snapped Amber.

Jabari glared at his companion in hopes of controlling her sharp tongue, but was quickly cut off by Cain's laughter.

"We'll do it," said Auron understanding what his brother was bound to say next. "It's the least we can do after all you did for us."

"Any idea who we're supposed to be fighting?" asked Cain once he stuffed his laughter.

"The people call him Mardi Gras," said Amber. "Bishop Mardi Gras."

Author's Note:

Special Thanks:

Special Thanks to Raiyane

Special Thanks to The Impostor, MyDearWatson, Ogrespi, and Reven222. You're the only people I know so far, through conversations, who definitely read all three of my stories and I can't thank you enough. Apologies to anyone I missed.

Special Thanks to Outcast001 for giving me Amber and Jabari. Hope I did them justice. The personality notes you gave made it fun to work with them.

How's it Going?

So from time to time, I may have a chapter event at the end of a chapter. For those of you from Brightholt this won't be anything new, but to the newcomers the rules and criteria are below and the winner receives an in story prize.

If there are any issues at all with how I'm portraying your OCs, please let me know.

If any of the scenes, feel free to let me know and I'll try my best to improve the clarity.

The order which I decided to introduce OCs is a combination of a few things: Potential Growth, Crew Skills and then a random generator.

A commander is one rank under a captain in One Piece.

The Asuachi are, for the most part, legalized thugs. They tend to all tasks set by the Gorosei such as hunting down specific pirates, searching for weapons, scouting special recruits, issuing bounties, and protecting Nobles.

Their ranks so far are as follows:

Saint

Cardinal

Bishop

Knight

Acolyte

Initiate

I got a few questions so I'll answer some quickly.

No, I don't think Cain knowing Soru is overpowered.

No, I don't need 'CP9' characters. I sort of thought that was apparent. Asuachi characters are welcome though. If you're interested, let me know and I'll send you the info.

Yes, I may use a few of the known islands throughout the story, but a large portion will be original.

The dynamic between Cain and Auron may end up similar to co-captains, but Cain will be the acting captain.

Chapter Release Event

Name 3 of the 5 Paramecia Devil Fruits that I prevented from being used in OCs

Release Events Rules

The first person to answer correctly in their review receives a prize.

Then I'll PM the winner.