Warnings/notes:

1) This is one of the more serious chapters! With Luffy unconscious a lot of the more serious topics get discussed. I also skipped Fishmen Island (Everyone would look there first and also Hody wasn't a problem back then). Hope you'll still enjoy reading this chapter anyway!

I also edited one major mistake in the last chapter: Otohime of course wished for peace and not hate! Sorry for that and thanks to those who pointed this out!

2) Let me know if you find any mistakes. I can only find as many mistakes in my own writing (and sometimes I add more when I rewrite things again and again…)

3) Last but not least my usual warning: in case of romance it will be boys love (though also most likely one of the more unusual pairings)

Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece and unfortunately I never will!

Many, many thanks to: ceciimanassero4, iitrnr, StarliteOracle, FreshNerd, Reikon67, sess18, LongPastMidnight, Collette Nicole, Nami Heartfilia, Destrark, rohanandshurtugal, DMCP, Lightningblade49, Bluejay Blaze, Nala1220, SR (ScarletRoofs), KHR-Yunalesca, Kurowara24, MadWorld, N

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Breakout chapter four (Whitebeard, Rayleigh and the news around the world)

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Eight days later Luffy's eyes shot open for the first time. At first he was slightly disoriented, until he remembered just why he had woken. In his dream, or more accurately his nightmare they had taken Ace away. Ace! Where was Ace?! He almost panicked as he struggled to get up.

"S' 'sn't 're." A muffled voice came from his right side, apparently he had called out loud for him. "Will 'b 'ck later."

"Ace is ok?" Luffy turned towards the voice and though his vision was still blurry he could make out some blonde locks sticking out from under a pillow that the person was hiding under.

"Yea… dn' lev 't all." was the sleepy and difficult to understand reply. But Luffy got the meaning.

Ace was alright. He remembered now, he had gotten his brother back alive, he was well and probably rather happy. Still, Ace should be here no matter what! A pout formed on his face and he grumbled.

Luffy had expected Ace to be here when he woke up. He wanted him here, not some stranger. Even if it was someone whom Ace trusted enough to watch over him for a while. A damn good job he was doing too. Falling asleep in his bed, instead of being awake and getting his brother when he woke up! Ace must have been forced to leave his side, there was no way he'd not be here otherwise, not when Luffy had been hurt as he had been. Ace always had been like this and it was one of the things that probably also wouldn't change.

His pout turned into a frown as the blond guy's hand tightened its apparent hold on him and pulled him down again. Why was he here if he wanted to sleep? He wasn't Ace! And he certainly wasn't doing his job at all!

Well, at least he could relax again after that nasty dream. He knew his brother was alright and that was the most important thing after all. As Luffy settled back down he noticed that this must be Ace's bed on the big whale-ship they had landed on before he'd blacked out. The bed smelled just like him, it was nice. And the guy beside him kept him warm and comfortable, even if he was sleeping himself and not doing what he was supposed to do (and yes, Luffy was miffed about that.)

He even contemplated kicking up a fuss and making him get Ace, but then again, he'd probably be asleep before Ace got here. He felt extremely tired. If that happened Ace would either think the other guy had played a prank or worry again. The guy besides him pulled him closer and Luffy was too happy about the warmth his hug provided to protest. Also, he was the one who had given him his hat back after he had rocketed them to their ship. He couldn't be such a bad person and Ace apparently trusted him too. The blond had seemed tired already back then, so maybe he should let him sleep for a while. It also helped that this person smelled nice and comforting.

It didn't take another minute for Luffy to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep again. It however took another five minutes for his companion to become completely aware, realize that Luffy had woken up and start cursing himself for not waking properly earlier. He needed to find Ace… and the doctor.

…

…

Five days earlier

In the early hours of the morning the Moby Dick with its other flagships arrived on one of the islands under their protection in the New World. It was one of the closer ones to the Red Line, so they were in reasonable distance in case some of their allies who were still on their way back to the New World called for aid, no matter how unlikely it was right now.

The crew cheered, more so than usually at seeing land. While they had been in constant contact with the Straw Hat's and Heart Pirate's ships during their journey here, they had not been able to see their two commanders once they had vanished along with Jinbe and the other two captains. They were also curious about Rayleigh and the three people aboard the Straw Hat's ship.

Most of all however they wanted to see Ace's little brother and hoped the rookie would be up and about soon enough. So far most of the news they had gotten concerning him were grim. During the surgery Straw Hat's heart had stopped twice. With none of them being doctors they didn't understand much of what Trafalgar Law and his second in command (someone very polite who apologized several times when none of them got what they were talking about) told them. They did understand that it had been more of a close call than anyone had guessed before, aside from Rayleigh apparently.

Jinbe was now also confined to bed rest. Straw Hat had needed more blood than they anticipated, so he had to rest as well. The patient fishman however wasn't upset about it. He was quite content to help the man who had given him the chance to stop (or fight in) the war.

Right behind them the Thousand Sunny emerged and docked as well, followed by the yellow submarine of the Heart Pirates. The guests of the Thousand Sunny were the first ones to leave their ship and board the Moby Dick, even Crocodile, though he was scowling. Some of the Heart Pirates also braved their ship, after Whitebeard had given the ok to do so. People who had helped him for no apparent reason, other than curiosity, would be treated as friends unless they acted otherwise. Ace and Marco however didn't come out of the submarine, neither did the Heart Pirate's captain. Izo and Kingdew at once made for the submarine to find out more.

…

"I didn't think I'd ever see you on my ship outside of a fight." Whitebeard commented when Rayleigh sat down in front of him as the others went to eat breakfast (with only a few of his sons staying at a respectful distance).

"Neither did I. Especially not under such circumstances." Rayleigh accepted a big sake cup. "Then again, I also didn't imagine ever helping another captain."

"Gurararara. The kid really is quite something." Whitebeard chuckled. "A fearless brat with no manners and a dream more foolish than any other."

"He has what it takes to pull through, if given the chance." Rayleigh shrugged.

"Right now the brat isn't strong enough however." Whitebeard drank from his bottle.

"Ah." Rayleigh agreed. "You're right there. His whole crew, while strong for Paradise, isn't ready for the New World yet."

"And yet you brought him here already." Whitebeard locked eyes with him. "Are you planning on staying with the Straw Hat Pirates now?"

"He would have come here as long as Ace was with him no matter what I did. He's stubborn." Rayleigh chuckled. "Ace asked Luffy-kun, why he hadn't invited me to join the crew. His answer was that while he'd like it, if I joined, it'd be boring since I knew everything about One Piece already. He also said he'd rather quit being a pirate than going on some adventure where he already knew about everything."

Whitebeard was amused, too. This kind of answer fit well to the boy Ace had told him so much about.

"Roger was the only captain for me." Rayleigh continued. "Luffy-kun is a lot like Roger. His ideals, his opinions, they are so much alike. And I believe if given the chance Luffy-kun will make it all the way to One Piece within the next few years already. However, even if they could pass as twins and even if most people in the future will compare the two of them or believe that Luffy-kun is Roger's reincarnation, Luffy is Luffy and Roger is Roger. One cannot replace the other."

"Then why did you come along with them? You kept off the Marine's radar for so many years, why now?" Whitebeard questioned further.

"To make sure he gets the chance he needs. A new era is about to start, you know this. And Monkey D Luffy, one who inherited the will of D, without a doubt will be one of the driving forces behind it. I will make sure he'll be ready for whatever may come. He already agreed to let me train him for a while. I'm thinking of about two years." Rayleigh wasn't even sure if two years would be enough. If it wasn't he already had some vague backup plans, but he'd wait and see first before exploring any of his other ideas.

"So you'll join him for a while as a teacher." Whitebeard nodded. "That's more like you. If you had wanted to join another crew, or become a captain yourself, you'd have done so a long time ago."

Rayleigh hummed in agreement. "I'm rather fond of the peace and quiet I have now. However this is one thing I wouldn't want to miss, no matter what."

"I can see why." Whitebeard had a fond look in his eyes.

"You shouldn't think about making him one of your sons." He stated amused.

"Why not? He is my son's brother. He already is family either way." Whitebeard said matter-of-factly.

"I suppose you can see it this way. Just know that he won't join you. To him being the Pirate King means being the freest person in this world. He doesn't want to rule others, nor will he let someone else rule over him." Rayleigh smiled at the memory that made him realize just how alike Roger and Luffy were.

Even Whitebeard's eyes widened at that. "Like Roger indeed… Either way, we both will have to wait for the brat to wake up. I wonder how Ace will take the news about possibly being separated from his little brother again. He does have quite the brother complex, and with what Straw Hat has been up to lately I fear for him. He hasn't seen the news about Enies Lobby yet, much less the ones about his brother's run in with the Tenryubito."

Rayleigh winced lightly at the thought of that. Both he and Ivankov had promised him answers. He certainly wasn't looking forward to informing him about any of that. All too easy did he remember how he had often felt about Roger, and that was when he had been standing right at his side! How much worse did Ace feel each time his brother did something unbelievable like challenging the World Government and escaping a Buster Call.

"I will see how that will turn out later. I promised to answer his questions. Jinbe will most likely want to hear that as well. And Ivankov also has a few things to tell him that I am curious about myself."

"And what about Gol D Roger's right hand man training his little brother?" Whitebeard wondered.

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with that? Ace didn't seem to have problems before. Quite the opposite, he readily told me that Luffy could learn all three forms of Haki. And if it's about the rivalry between our crews, none of your other sons seems to mind much. They're quite the nice bunch. So why would Ace be any different? Or is there a reason for bad blood between him and Roger?

Whitebeard grinned. "It's not my place to tell you. If you wanna know, ask the kids yourself." Rayleigh shrugged, maybe he would.

Whitebeard grabbed another bottle of sake. With his daughters missing no one complained about it. "So tell me, what made Crocodile abandon the Straw Hat's ship for the Moby Dick? He's not even trying to attack me."

Rayleigh grinned in return. "Don't worry about Crocodile. He'll attack you the moment the odds are more in his favor, he's not stupid enough to go against you when everyone would focus on him in a heartbeat. And you're right, he wouldn't have left the Thousand Sunny, unless there was some ship around for him to hijack. However… for the lack of better words, the ship turned almost hostile when Luffy-kun didn't return. It gives of an eerie feeling. I guess Crocodile got rather unnerved by it. And if I'm not mistaken it will stay this way until one of the crew returns."

"This reminds me of the legend of the Klabautermann." Whitebeard pondered. "It seems like a fairy tale to most pirates, however I think there is some truth to it. I could imagine the Moby Dick rejecting outsiders, if all of my crew would be away for a while."

"I thought the same about the Oro Jackson. Though both our crews were big enough to always have some people on board. I'd like to hear the story behind the Sunny one day. The ones who built it were the disciples of Tom."

"Ask your charge then." Whitebeard suggested.

"That would be what you'd normally do, isn't it?" Rayleigh shook his head. "Luffy-kun isn't a fan of telling stories, and if he does it can be quite confusing, unless you have at the very least some inkling already."

Whitebeard could only shake his head. Ace's little brother indeed…

…

"Oyaji!" Vista called his father with a stack of newspapers in his hands. Sometime after his private talk with Rayleigh all the commanders who weren't on the submarine, had gathered around Whitebeard and had waited for him to return with news about what had happened while they were making their way here under water. "We've gotten some newspapers from the last few days. They've finally seen fit to inform the public of the breakout of Impel Down."

"Not that they could hide much, with how all those escapees went wild around Sabaody." Blamenco sniggered.

"It was a good thing for us that they did! Ace would have had a lot more trouble escaping otherwise!" Haruta said, which most likely was true. Due to the escapees being sighted on two different ships they followed them before they discovered that Ace wasn't on either. The ex-prisoners, as far as everyone knew, had managed to escape the Marine's wrath, once it became known that Ace wasn't there.

Furthermore, with all the news agents present on Sabaody during the time of Ace's almost execution the government hadn't managed to hide the escape of them, especially not when they hijacked a ship from one of the richer people on the archipelago. There had been too many journalists and witnesses to cover up much. Not to mention that they had been working fast and printed the pictures before anyone managed to put a stop to it.

Meanwhile the battleship carrying Inazuma and the other okamas had made it back to Momoiro Island. Just the other day a call had reached Ivankov's stolen Den Den Mushi. Inazuma told him that all was well, that everyone was waiting for their queen's return, which unfortunately would still take some time. Ivankov was waiting for one of his comrades to pick him up. He'd gotten into contact with Dragon already and the man had agreed to Ivankov's request. Though even then Ivankov would not leave before Luffy was better.

Ivankov was also told about an unexpected guest on Kamabakka Kingdom. He'd appeared out of nowhere and had been rather rude to the inhabitants of the peaceful island at the beginning - before starting to assimilate little by little, a fact that was heavily denied by said person in the background. Soon enough Ivankov found out that their guest apparently belonged to Straw Hat's crew (a fact that was made all the more believable when Inazuma told him about a certain paw-dent on their island.) Receiving the news about his captain the blond had agreed to wait for him to wake up and talk with Luffy himself before leaving Momoiro Island.

"As expected." Fossa said as he sat beside his father and ran over the pages of the older newspapers. "First one throws shit at the Marines for letting Ace escape, next one focuses on the other Impel Down prisoners and also holds the first statement from Sengoku… pending investigations and an assurance that none of the worst prisoners of Impel Down managed to escape."

Vista whistled, reading through an article of today's newspaper. "Forget about all that, they're blaming Blackbeard!" His eyes moved rapidly down the page now. "Blackbeard broke into Impel Down at the same time Ace and the others were escaping. Apparently he had a run in with the five vice admirals who were on standby and defeated them. Thus making it possible for Ace to break out. Later on he was in turn defeated by Magellan apparently. He's heavily poisoned – they didn't mention his death yet though! OI!"

Blenheim had snatched the newspaper out of his hands "Right… and the first word about Straw Hat, they say he came to Impel Down with Teach and used the distraction to help Ace escape. They're making it sound as if they're accomplices!"

This got a round of angry yells from those surrounding them and the newspaper was stolen back.

"So Teach was there too. What did he want there?" Jozu wondered. "This doesn't make sense."

"No, it makes perfect sense now. Teach must have wanted to get some of the prisoners to join his crew. That's why he was after the position of a Shichibukai. He wanted to get to Impel Down without problems. Even he with all his treachery wouldn't have been able to break in otherwise. As a Shichibukai however he wouldn't be attacked at sight. That's also the reason why he handed Ace over to the Marines." Whitebeard clarified.

"In that case Ace hadn't been his target at first." Rayleigh, who along with Ivankov, Crocodile and Daz Bones had also been listening in, said.

"Perhaps it was Straw Hat-boy instead." Ivankov suspected. "Ve did meet him on our way out and Blackbeard they knew each other. Although the Marines know that he was here even before Blackbeard arrived…"

"The Marines need someone to take the blame for their failure. Do you think they'll admit that he broke in and out?" Crocodile scowled. "Of course he was Blackbeard's first Target. He did say something about Ace's imprisonment being Monkey's fault."

"That's not too difficult to believe. It was Straw Hat's fault that you were kicked from your position after all. He probably thought handing Straw Hat over would get him the position." Jozu added.

"According to the newspapers Smoker got the credit for it." Crocodile glared but was waved off by Atmos.

"We all know how the news are made and Straw Hat's bounty shot up right after. What a nice coincidence that makes."

"This still leaves the question of why the Marines were willing to risk war with Whitebeard. Up until now they always did their best to keep everything at status quo, keeping the three great powers balanced." Rayleigh had wondered about that from the moment he heard about the planned execution.

"They vere also risking war vith Dragon, for vat purpose?" Ivanokv read through his own copy of the newspaper. "Though there is no vord of him in here."

"There wouldn't be" Whitebeard said "Ace said it before, they're not brothers by blood. They have different parents."

Rayleigh's eyes widened. "I see, so that's the case. I had wondered about his name. But with the timing I didn't believe it was possible…"

"What?" Ivankov wanted to know what Rayleigh had discovered but wasn't given any reply.

There was a moment of silence, when everyone was looking from Whitebeard to Rayleigh, waiting for either to say more on what had been hinted at, but neither felt inclined to share more.

With a shrug Vista continued "With their failures to keep their word, and Ace not only escaping but never appearing the people have lost a great deal of trust in them. Many pirates and thugs have gone wild not only on the Grand Line but also in the four Blues."

"So the Marines have their hands full. Serves them right if you ask me." Jiru said spiteful.

"It will keep them on their toes for a good while, which is also a good thing for us." Curiel believed. "This gives the Straw Hats a chance to meet up, without having all of the admirals on their heels right away."

"Yeah." Vista agreed. "The article also states their suspicion that the Straw Hats have joined us for protection after they escaped from Sabaody or some similar shitty reason. Though the Marines have kept quiet about this. Either way, everyone expects Ace to be back with us now, which is the truth too. They'll certainly start searching once things calm down again."

"The Marines made their own beds, now they have to lie in them too." Whitebeard's eyes narrowed. "For the better or the worse, Straw Hat interfered with the war that would have happened without a doubt. This doesn't mean however that our confrontations with the Marine itself are over. On the contrary. From this point on we'll take any Marine sighting as an attack. If they think they can keep tabs on us after their attack on one of our own, knowing the consequences, they're dead wrong."

Cheers filled the ship as his sons without a single exception agreed with him. Up until this point they hadn't acted against the Marine's watchful eyes. There had been no need to, they had kept their distance and so had the Whitebeard Pirates. Ace's would-be execution had been the end of the unspoken agreement between one of the Yonkos and the World Government.

As for Teach, they were a bit miffed they couldn't get revenge on him on their own, but as long as he was dealt with they certainly could live with it. For all they cared about, all of them could rot in hell.

…

It was later that evening when Trafalgar Law made his first appearance on the deck of the Moby Dick since they had docked at the island. His ship had been invaded by several Whitebeard Pirates throughout the day. He didn't really mind it all that much, seeing as none of them were the prying sort and no one entered any other area then the one where Ace, Marco, Jinbe and Luffy were staying in. Still as a doctor he told them to keep it down or he'd throw all of them out.

Rayleigh gestured for him to come on board and offered some booze, he had liberated from the kitchen. Accepting a glass he sat down in between some of his own more curious crewmates, who had been invited to join the Whitebeard Pirates on deck some while ago. Naturally Whitebeard himself was also there, in between his big family, seeming rather relaxed and happy, though as a doctor he could tell the old man wasn't as healthy as he wanted everyone to believe.

"So how is Luffy-kun?" Rayleigh inquired.

"I've done everything I can. After the scare he gave everyone things went as well as they could. He should wake up in a few more days. His injury was rather grave so if he reopens it he may yet die." Law shrugged. "Make sure he doesn't do anything too strenuous for about four weeks."

"And how is Ace." Whitebeard asked when Rayleigh was satisfied with his answer.

"Hmmm… I'm probably the wrong person to ask that. From a medical point of view he is healthy. However he refuses to leave Straw Hat-ya's side and he glares at anyone who comes close to him, well, aside from your other commander. He almost burned Penguin when he suggested he should take a rest in the guest room."

One of the second division laughed. "That's our commander alright. You don't get between him and his little brother."

"No one was getting between them." Law stated drily.

"I hope my children aren't too much trouble." Whitebeard said.

"Right now I don't mind. I'll bring Straw Hat-ya here soon enough, so you'll probably get Fire Fist-ya back as well then."

"Isn't Marco staying as well?"

"He is, but unlike Fire Fist-ya he is quite a nice guest to have." Law thought for a moment before he added. "Though I suppose Fire Fist-ya got nicer when your other crewmates showed up for a visit. However, right now there may be too many of yours there."

Which was true, there were more Whitebeard Pirates on his ship right now than Heart Pirates. For a moment he had considered throwing everyone out, but then he shrugged it off. It was his ship and everyone knew that and behaved accordingly. They had stayed out of his way and none had been loud, which normally couldn't be said about pirates.

"In that case I thank you for your consideration. For the time being feel free to stay on the Moby Dick." Whitebeard offered his invitation.

"Then for the time being I don't mind your crewmembers on my ship either." They weren't enemies right at this moment but both understood that they weren't allies either. Still it seemed that the old man wouldn't attack their ship anytime soon, even when they came to the New World for real. Whitebeard was a man of honor, so he'd not attack someone who had helped him before unprovoked. Trafalgar Law could certainly work with that, even if this outcome hadn't been on his mind when he, on the spur of the moment, had decided to help the Straw Hat captain once again.

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Once again a new chapter done. So far I actually managed to write one in about a week, didn't think that was possible. Thanks to all the encouragement everyone!

I hope you liked this more serious chapter. I didn't get as far as I wanted, and maybe some will be disappointed. I didn't show things from the Marine's point of view (I won't either, as I realized I would butcher their characters, since there are very few Marines that I like.) As such the job went to the newspapers.

Luffy and Ace, while still the focus of this story, didn't appear (much) in this chapter… the first scene actually only happened cause I was disappointed about that myself.

Well either way, let me know what you think please! Also tell me if you notice any mistakes :)