3.) Fight Back

——(xXx)——

The entire Moby Dick was tense and anger seemed to radiate off each of her passengers.

Worst of all being the captain. Edward D. Newgate. The man was sitting in his chair on deck. Glaring out at sea, a bottle of closed sake in his hand. Which even his nurses were too understanding and angry themselves to scold him.

They were all angry for one reason.

Their youngest.

Their Ace was captured, and was going to be executed.

They took what was theirs!

Due to the high emotional states, and tense frames of each Whitebeard crew member, they immediately snapped into battle defense modes when the stranger appeared on the railing of their boat.

Whitebeard himself sat up quickly and pointed his Naginata at the man. His first mate close to follow, his feet changed into talons and his arms into wings as he stood in a defensive form between his siblings and the newcomer.

The man was dressed oddly. He had a black cowl covering his head that led down his body, encircling his arms in black sleeves and being fastened together by dark colored buttons on his chest leading down to a thick gray, and white wrappings of fabric that resembled a thick belt or harmaki. The cape came out from the belt and was open, revealing his legs also covered in black pants, and combat boots on his feet. His hands were covered in fingerless gloves, and he carried two swords.

A large one on his back and a smaller on his waist.

The trespasser balanced himself, crouched on the railing, his eyes and bottom half of his face the only thing revealed of him as he stared at Whitebeard. Gaze never wavering.

The captain's baritone was the only thing strong enough to break the air. "You must be one foolish brat to try and board this boat."

The man's head tilted slightly and Whitebeard could feel the other's courage. More like, he had no fear instead of something such as courage.

When he spoke the old captain was briefly surprised at how young the other sounded. "Not foolish, nor arrogant."

Whitebeard almost growled. "Then why are you here?!"

He heard something that could only be a snort come from the other. "To ask questions."

Whitebeard heard his eldest snap. "This is hardly the time from curious people to make small chat when we're on the verge of war."

The stranger's eyes didn't leave Whitebeard as he replied. "That may be so, but you may want to hear, and answer my questions. It might just save you the trouble of starting a war."

Whitebeard raised an eyebrow, sudden suspicion, confusion, and anger starting to rise in his gut towards the trespasser. "And how would answer your questions, stop the war, when my son is suffering?!"

The man suddenly seemed to flare out a intense presence of anger as he snapped his words out. "Because they is more than likely no need for it!"

Whitebeard was suddenly taken aback by his words, but it was Izo who snapped at the other. "Are you saying there's no need to go to war for our brother?!"

The stranger growled. "No. I meant there is most likely no need for him to suffer in the first place!"

They were stunned by his words, unable to speak, their anger and suspicion at the other starting to lessen but by no means disappearing.

Whitebeard regarded the other for a moment before grunting inaudibly and almost falling back into his chair. He stared at the stranger as the other did the same for a few moments longer before repenting. "All right. We will hear you out and listen to your questions. But I have some of my own as well that you will answer in return."

The black clad figure nodded and gestured for Whitebeard to start. He narrowed his eyes as he felt Marco land behind him on the back of his chair and his other sons take up false relaxing positions across the deck. Pretending to go back to normal but still being ready to jump into a fight at any moment. "Who are you?"

The other started to answer in a even voice, unmoving from his position. "My name is Kurosaki. I am the current warden at Impel Down-"

He was cut off as Marco screeched in anger at him and the other members of Whitebeards crew were suddenly advancing on him to attack.

Whitebeard growled at the response but stopped his children by holding a hand out, halting them from attacking, but not caring that each one of them glared, growled, and snarled at the snake of a man on the edge of their ship.

The warden looked unmoved and unaffected. Whitebeard's own words were a growl. "Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you into the next volcano we pass.?"

Nothing changed about the other as he responded, even though his answer could seal his own fate. "I can hand deliver Portagus D. Ace to you by the end of the day. If you answer my questions."

Whitebeard was once again taken back by this stranger. What kind of marine would do that? "And why should we trust your word, when you are the one holding him prisoner and sending him to his execution at this moment?!"

The other's words seemed to come a little more hard and his own amber eyes narrowed. "You can't. But if you truly consider your crewmate apart of your family, you would take any chance, no matter how small, for him."

Whitebeard stared at the righteous anger sparking in the other's eyes and knew right then, if there was anything this marine understood, it was family. "Fair enough." The old captain's voice was equally as tight. "State your questions."

The other male was silent for a moment. "...You are a formidable pirate, as are each of your crew members. But the punishment he's facing wouldn't be enough for Fire Fist's track record. Imprisonment? Most likely. An execution? Less likely. Yet. Each side is preparing for a war over that exact outcome." Several listening to him suddenly tensed, having suspicions to what the warden was getting at. "My question is why was he really being executed?"

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes at the other, not wanting to answer. Ace just had gotten confident enough in them to share his secret a little before Thatch, their lovable 4th division commander died. Each of them knew who his father was now though, as it had been unavoidable because of the upcoming war. But they also knew that Ace didn't like people knowing.

He pressed his lips together, he didn't want to tell this Kurosaki the closely guarded secret of his son's, but if he didn't would he be giving his son's life, possibility of freedom, away but saying anything. It came down to which was the lesser evil. Letting Ace stay locked up and have to go through watching them fight in a war over him, or breaking his fragile, tentative, trust, possibly his heart. He hated it but he knew the right decision, his first mate must have felt the same as his son's talons found his shoulder and squeezed in an almost frantically, overwhelmed, desperate manner. Even if he answered truly though.. he didn't know how the other would react. Wether Ace stayed in chains, or was freed in the same day. Either way.. one outcome would mean nothing would change, but the other.. it gave a fraction of a glimmer of hope to his heart.

His mouth was suddenly dry as he answered, "..He is to be executed-" his children suddenly started protesting around him but he didn't stop his words. "-because his father was the Pirate King."

A silence reigned over the deck, his words suddenly seeming too loud. The stranger's body stiffened, and the silence continued to ring out, even the oceans felt too quiet even as they beat against the side of the ship. "Knowing this, what do you plan to do?" Whitebeard's tone had a light, very quiet, edge of hope and possible anger.

He hated how the other seemed to have a habit to stay silent before answering. And then Instead of replying, he asked a question. "That's his biggest crime in the eyes of the marines?"

Whitebeard nodded and demanded his answer again, the other shifted his weight on the railing. "As soon as we're done here I'd be bringing him here to your ship and his family."

The air left Whitebeard's lungs and he could see the wide eyes of his children int he corner of his vision. He blinked and a though came. "Why would you do something like this?"

The warden connected eyes with him again. "I don't... accept the innocent being punished. Each person who enters my prison is personally interviewed by me and each has their own file. I was trained to tell any lie, from anyone, and accurately tell if they are a dangerous risk to others. If they pass my test they are set loose. If not, they're locked away. It's simple." He tilted his head. "Yet. Ace's file never crossed my desk when he got there and he was snuck in under my nose. The higher government officials don't agree with my methods, and the only way for him to be in the prison is if they did it, on purpose. They want Ace dead for some reason, but if he doesn't deserve it, they can go to hell before I'll let him receive that punishment."

The crew of Whitebeard was once again left for a loss of words.

This marine was unlike any they had ever met.

The other stood and turned towards the ocean about to step off the railing. Seeing this Whitebeard suddenly spoke, halting him in his tracks. "Are you going to bring my son to me?"

The warden looked over his shoulder at the old captain. "I'm going to try. I've banned all torture from Impel Down, but when I discovered him inside my walls, he already had signs that someone decided to act in insubordination. It might be harder on him to leave as suddenly as I would like, but he is not staying in that prison longer than he has to."

With that he was gone. Literally disappeared with only a slight breeze to signal his vanishing.

And hope blossomed in each of the children of Whitebeard and the older man himself. Even if worry for their brother and son stated to eat inside their gut.