I publish the edited ones on AO3, so this version might contain a few typos. My apologies in advance. I am posting these here for those who are still interested. (thank you for the reviews and fav's!)

''I want to let everyone here know that I am grateful. This newly formed sixteenth Division shows just how big and open our family is,'' Izo started. Since more and more members joined lately Oyaji decided to form yet another Division. ''From this day onward, I hope I can walk among you all and show the other Divisions we are just as capable as them. To do that, I ask for your approval to lead the sixteenth.''

When a loud cheer from the crowd burst out Izo smiled and relaxed. His nerves were lessening and he slowly started to accept this change. ''Thank you,'' he lastly said.

Marco and Thatch bumped him against his shoulders to show they were proud of their brother. Then Thatch stepped forward facing both his own Division and Izo's and held up one of his twin swords. ''Let's chase these pirates away who dare to try and claim our land! Set sail!''

After a loud ''aye, Commander!'' everyone set to work.

''Good job, yoi,'' Marco complimented. ''Do you want me to accompany you both to the island?''

''Nope!'' Thatch immediately replied before Izo could say anything himself. ''We can handle this on our own, right Izo?''

Nodding because his throat felt thick he crossed his arms in his sleeves. The nerves managed to come back..

''And man, that was a bit sentimental,'' Thatch chuckled. ''With a bit of practice you'll do it perfectly. It's a matter of rousing them.''

Marco sighed. ''He did fine, yoi.''

''He did! He did! I meant it as something to look forward to. You're going to love it, Izo!'' How did he manage to be so happy all the time? Not that he minded, he probably needed someone as cheerful as Thatch around him.

''Well then, I'm going back to Moby Dick. Give them a good beating for me.'' His arms transformed into the beautiful blue fire from his Phoenix devil fruit and fled off to the other ship.

''Thatch..'' Izo called out wanting to make something clear. ''Who are these pirates? If it's not that hard, as you said earlier, then why do two Divisions have to go?'' He did understand part of it, his Division was still newly formed, but if there were only a few pirates then weren't two Divisions a bit much?

Thatch replied while looking around on the deck. ''They seem to be quite strong from what we heard from the villagers who called us. They told us it was a small crew, but a seemingly strong one. They couldn't identify the crew however so Oyaji didn't want to take any risks and sent us both out. But hey, it's good practice! Couldn't have it better on your first day right?'' He elbowed Izo gently.

''I guess so..'' Izo replied with a soft voice after an electric spark shot through his arm because of Thatch. He watched their Divisions work together as if it was their second nature which again showed how much of a 'family' this crew actually was. His chest burnt with warmth from pride. Maybe it wouldn't be so terrifying to be a commander as he currently thought it was. Perhaps he could start a few conversations with some of his Division members to get to know them better. They were his brethren after all.

The thing was, there were several ships for the Whitebeard pirates and a few Divisions always teamed up to handle one ship. Oyaji was always with the first few Divisions. He often visited the other ones too, but that proved the first Division, for example, wasn't as close to Izo's Division as it was with Jozu's third Division. They had a gigantic crew really, but the atmosphere was always pleasant and no one minded this system.

Izo and Thatch patrolled on the ship, giving a helping hand here and there and giving out orders when needed. Izo's Division responded positively, either with a smile or in deep concentration, but never negative. They gave Izo the chance to prove himself as a commander and gladly helped him along the way.

He started to feel at ease during the journey to one of Oyaji's islands nearby. Fifteen minutes before arrival Thatch and Izo went through the last preparations as they explained the plan to the crewmates.

Thatch would stay on the ship with his Division and provide back up when needed. With other words, the main job, defeating the pirates who had claimed the village in question, fell on Izo's shoulders. He would enter the village with his Division and make sure the villagers were safe. Once that was done, the fight would start, considering the pirates hadn't fled by that time or been defeated already. That was the plan they came up with. Simple, but effective according one of the crewmates who provided feedback about the strategies the Whitebeard pirates used. If they had chosen for a complicated and detailed plan, then it was sure to fail since they didn't know the exact situation on the island.

The island was in sight. It was a plain land, a small one at that, with not much sightseeing to do. It didn't stand out much, which gave the island the advantage of often being ignored by other ships and islands. However, it did also give them a disadvantage at the same time. If a pirate crew had claimed the land, other than Oyaji, then those pirates could easily do with it whatever they wanted, since other islands easily ignored this one.

Whitebeard offered them his protection and now it was the time for Izo to prove himself as the newly formed Division. He took a deep breath as he stared at the nearing land with his Division standing by behind him. He was definitely going to show his brethren he could lead them and fight alongside them at the same time. He was the one who would keep up the morale and rouse the crewmates when needed.

He was quite confident during battles, he loved it after all. It gave him a rush and opponents with potential made him excited, wanting to test his own abilities against theirs. He was almost the opposite amongst his brothers however. As was shown earlier, he proved to be quite insecure when it came to big decisions such as leading people. He could be quite temperamental if he wanted to, which made it 'fun' for his brothers to taunt and tease him all the time.

The ship came to a halt in the small harbor and luckily there were no enemy ships nearby. Izo jumped off the railing holding up his gun for his brethren as a sign. With a shout they jumped after him on the stone ground. His Division wasn't big, which came in handy now. Considering what their enemies had planned he would have some time to observe their surroundings first. After some cheering from Thatch's Division they set off into the village.

The others had their weapons in their hands. Everyone stayed quiet as they entered the empty village. No pedestrians or running children, no shopping mothers or working fathers. There was simply no one present.

Izo nodded to his brethren and everyone split up in five groups. Izo continued walking forward with five other brethren. Releasing his observational Haki he sensed the villagers inside their homes. They were probably afraid, he guessed, which was understandable, but it still made him curious as to what the case was here.

''Report the current situation to Thatch,'' he ordered softly to the man next to him. His name was Athan and he was still pretty young. He only joined a month ago but was doing splendidly already according Marco. He pointed out some crewmates earlier after he introduced Izo to his Division who could be of help in assisting Izo leading it. He was glad Marco did this because it gave him something to start with.

''Aye,'' Athan responded and dialed the number with his Snail Phone. After having explained the situation Thatch let out a thoughtful hum.

''They could be holding them hostage. Call me immediately as soon as something happens,'' said Thatch. ''It might help you to find the Mayor. If they are holding the villagers hostage then they would definitely use the Mayor one way or another. Go find the townhouse at the end of the village, Izo.''

Agreeing they continued forward until the last big house came into sight. Arriving at the house they found the door already open. A man in tattered clothes came darting out with a panicked expression. ''Are you the Whitebeard pirates?'' He asked with a hoarse voice. ''I am so sorry! I am so sorry!'' He started holding Izo by the purple collar of his kimono. ''I am so sorry!'' He repeated over and over again.

''What is it, old man? What happened? Please try to calm down,'' Izo offered holding the man by his shoulders. ''We are the Whitebeard pirates. We're here to get rid of the pirates. Where are they?'' Perhaps he was over asking the man at the moment since he looked very distressed.

''No, no! No, I am sorry! The pirates have already been dealt with! They were defeated just an hour ago!''

Confused, Izo shared a glance with Athan who quickly notified Thatch. The others stood in a circle, guarding Izo and observing the surroundings. ''What do you mean, old man? Who defeated them?''

''I am so sorry!'' He apologized again.

''No, it's alright. It's better that way right? Did another pirate crew defeat them?'' He asked gently.

The man shook his head miserably as his hands started shaking. ''I tried to stop them, I really did, but..-'' Izo would never know what he wanted to explain to him, because they were surrounded by many Marines holding out their guns. Some of the other groups had been captured and since Thatch was still on the phone Athan could quickly inform him. Thatch promised back up immediately while Izo's mind got fuzzy.

What should he do now? They couldn't fight them all. He needed more men for that, not to mention, judging by the clothes, there was a Vice-Admiral of the Navy Headquarters approaching them.

''We need to hold out for five minutes until Thatch will be here,'' Athan offered hiding his Snail Phone and holding out his sword.

''We can do it, commander!'' The one to his right said.

Izo took a deep breath to ease his nerves as he quickly made a count. ''There are approximately about hundred and fifty soldiers plus the Vice-Admiral. He will be the one who needs to be defeated first, so leave him to me. That leaves each of you thirty soldiers to defeat,'' he calculated. ''I'll be counting on you all. Give a shout if you're in big trouble,'' he spoke quickly and swiftly not hard enough for the enemy to hear them.

The old man from earlier walked backwards with a sorry expression. He was probably forced into this, Izo thought. It was a trap, and a smart one he hadn't considered. On second thought, it seemed quite obvious this would be a trap, but since they had such good contact with the islands Oyaji owned, they didn't immediately include possible traps from the Government either.

But then why would the Government lay this trap for them? And with so few forces? It seemed odd to Izo, but he couldn't figure out a reason as to what their motive was. Oyaji was the strongest pirate after all. It would be rather stupid to try and start a war against Whitebeard, right?

The Vice-Admiral stopped a few paces in front of Izo. ''Fan Wielder!'' He addressed the commander. ''Surrender yourself now and prevent bloodshed. We have your crewmates in our custody and we will use them against you in case you choose to fight after all,'' he spoke loud and clear and stood upright with his hand on his yielded sword.

''What is your motive, Vice-Admiral?'' Izo asked. Better to keep them talking in that case right? ''You do realize our father Whitebeard himself won't be happy in case anything happens to us, do you?'' He didn't drop his gun nor did he cower before the man. To show intimidation would be his own defeat. Izo stood with a straight back, his chin raised high and one single strand of hair hanging loosely.

''I do. We do not owe you an explanation as to why I am arresting you,'' he replied instantly.

''Is it only me you want?'' Realizing what the commander was doing Athan and the one to his right turned their heads to him.

''Don't do it, commander!'' Athan hissed.

''Don't worry,'' He whispered reassuringly. Izo wasn't planning on giving in so easily.

''If you surrender yourself, your crewmates will be allowed to escape.'' His voice was still stern, but less cold than earlier. ''What will it be, Fan Wielder?'' That nickname was given to him by the Government itself. Izo found it ironic how much it actually applied to him.

''Are you planning on starting a war?'' He asked to stall further time. Four more minutes.. he thought.

Before the Vice-Admiral could respond several cheers were heard from a distance. They neared quickly and when they were close enough, Izo recognized them as his own Division members. There were with about fifteen members and they attacked the nearest group of Marines.

Izo found himself troubled, but he couldn't let this momentum pass since the Vice-Admiral looked surprised. He hadn't expected more Division members, did he? The marines probably thought they had caught everyone.

''Attack!'' Izo ordered and darted forward at the same time the others shot forward into the crowd of the Marines. Loading his guns he feigned a kick with his leg as he avoided the sword the Vice-Admiral swung at him. Ending up behind the man's back, a few paces apart from him he fired his first shot.

As expected, since it was a Vice-Admiral after all, the shot missed and the man approached Izo once more. Blocking the next slash with one of his guns he quickly added a layer of his Armament Haki to make sure it didn't break so soon. He had only finished his training about a year ago so he was still behind in strength and ability compared to the other commanders.

The Vice-Admiral struggled against the block and let go. Swinging his sword from the right Izo took a risk and fired his right gun while blocking the sword with his left. This time he was less lucky and received a wound on his arm. His sleeve was quickly drenched in his own blood. Luckily it didn't hurt just yet. It only stung slightly. As he had fired his right gun earlier he managed to make the man shoot sideward leaving him open for Izo's gunfire.

As Izo wanted to fire another shot with both his guns this time the man made an unexpected move and jumped. Reaching down with his sword Izo had his full concentration on blocking once more, when something hit him in the back on his head and half on his neck. The hit was hard and made Izo dizzy and disoriented. He couldn't give in so easily yet however and shot once more, this time landing a successful hit. The arm of the Vice-Admiral was hit by his shot but he hit Izo with the back of his sword. Barely managing to dodge it he had no time to check on the other person that managed to hit him, but he received yet another blow on his head.

After a loud: ''Commander! Thatch is he-'' he fell unconscious, not knowing what would happen to this battle.