So, um... hi? I know it's been awhile and thank you all for sticking with me though this little unplanned hiatus. But, this time, I promise not to make you wait weeks and months for the next one. The plan is to update weekly (every Friday morningish if that seems to work) from now until we're done. When will that be? I have no clue but not that soon. I know the ending, and we're heading towards it, and that is all I know xD

A huge thank you to ImperialMint for betaing and kicking my ass to update this in a timely manner.

By the time they got to the meeting room with Thatch, most of the other district commanders had already arrived, and they took their usual seats quickly. The bar was empty, and the lights on full. It was rare to have a meeting this early- it was only noon- and Ace frowned, taking in the serious expressions around the table and straightening. Whitebeard sat in his usual place, but he looked... tired. Worn down, like he'd been put through the wringer, and Ace grabbed Marco's hand under the table.

Marco shot him a faint smile, his eyes troubled, and squeezed his hand, interlacing their fingers. A few of the commanders were still missing, but Whitebeard straightened as soon as Thatch had taken his seat. He looked around the table, meeting everyone's eyes in turn, his face hard.

"Last night, Kaido attacked three separate districts. They were completely taken out, speakeasies, any warehouses, everything. Fossa, Kingdew, and Blamenco were pinched by that bastard Akainu before we heard, along with the majority of their men."

Ace's eyes widened and there was a collective sharp intake of breath from around the table. Three districts in one night? He knew they were short handed with tracking down Teach, but what kind of force could take out three districts without anyone outside of them noticing? That was unheard of.

"They used a strange weapon that completely paralyzed our men, thought to be designed by Caesar Clown. We don't know how Akainu knew about the attack, but he managed to swoop in before anyone from the neighboring districts found out about it," Jozu said, eyes downcast. He must have been one of the first on the scene. "We think they're all still alive, but they've been locked up in Impel Down."

Ace's hand tightened on Marco's. Their family had been in danger, had needed them, and they'd not even had a clue. "What's the plan?"

"Getting everyone out of jail has to be the first priority," Marco said, and everyone nodded. "And money in the right hands isn't going to cut it this time, nor will we be able to rely on Jinbe."

"A full out attack on Impel Down. Tonight." Whitebeard said. "They will find out what happens when someone takes my sons."

Murmurs of agreement passed along the table, and pride welled up in Ace. They would show why no one messed with them, not now, not ever. He smiled at Marco, and Marco winked at him.

"Agreed then. We'll call together all the allies and destroy Impel Down." He paused, glancing back over at Ace and sighed. "However, I don't think we should let Kaido go unpunished. He will expect us to be tied up working on freeing our men, and it will be the perfect opportunity."

Whitebeard nodded slowly. "What do you suggest, son?"

Marco looked over at Ace and grinned, stealing Ace's breath.

"I think he's going to have some more trouble with fire. Ace can sneak over and take out his headquarters with little problem, especially as they won't be on their guard."

Ace's jaw dropped, and surprise rippled around the table.

"Are you sure?" Thatch asked. "Not that I think he can't handle it,' he added quickly, noticing Ace bristle at the question.

"Yes," Marco said, and Ace's face was almost numb from his grin. "Pops?"

"A fine plan," Whitebeard said, and his approving smile wrapped around Ace like a warm blanket settling over his shoulders.

"Let's make it happen, everyone."


An explosion rocked the city, lighting up the sky, and Ace whistled, impressed in spite of himself. He knew Marco was good with fire, but he'd not often gotten to see it in the time he'd been with the family.

"Come on, you can indulge in sappy pining later," Izo said, and Ace blinked, looking away from the direction of Impel Down sheepishly. "We've got a mission of our own, don't forget, and you're staring all gooey eyed at the signal." Ace grinned ferally and hopped down from the wall they'd sat on to wait for the first explosion. He'd trust in Marco to get everyone (including himself) home safely, just like Marco had trusted him to take care of this mission.

"Let's do this."

"I still can't believe Marco put me on babysitting detail." Izo sighed, and Ace raised a brow as they slunk through the alley that would lead them to the first of Kaido's speakeasies.

"I can't believe you were allowed to come along on either plan. It's been too short for you to be up and about this long."

"It pays being the only one who knows where everything is in our competitors' territories, darling. Besides, you couldn't honestly expect me to stay home with all this going on." Izo ducked into another alley, and Ace followed, their steps silent on the poorly paved road. "And sneaking around getting a tiny bit of revenge on Kaido is much safer than an all out offensive on the prison."

"About that... What do you say to a little change in plan?" Ace asked, and Izo stopped, turning to him slowly. "I know it's more important to get everyone out of jail, but Marco and the others are taking care of that. Burning down Kaido's headquarters is nice and all, but it's not really enough, is it?"

Izo's lips curled into a predatory grin, and Ace knew he had a willing ally. "What did you have in mind?"


Marco spun out into a roundhouse kick, catching the guard aiming at Atmos squarely in the ribs and hearing a satisfying crunch. He left the man clutching his broken ribs on the ground, and turned to look around. They were doing well enough for themselves, he decided, looking at the chaos with pride. A stray bullet skirted close enough to his jaw that he felt the breeze, and Marco cursed half heartedly. The smoke from the fires and guns hung heavy in the making it it impossible to see to aim in the pandaemonium.

He'd bet on that, making the fire extra smokey since they were far better than the guards or police at hand-to-hand combat. The government dogs only knew how to shoot, though apparently they didn't cover when not to shoot because you'd be just as likely to hit a comrade. They probably didn't care. A hapless police officer stumbled into Marco's path, and he snapped out in a side kick, twisting to add a little extra force. The man smashed into the bars of the cells on either side of the hall and slide to crumple in a heap on the floor.

Once he'd blasted gaping holes in the front door and the sides, the guards lost any advantage they might of clung to, overwhelmed by a mere third of the family. The rest waited outside with Whitebeard to greet the police reinforcements that were sure to be coming. Marco took out two more guards, nodding at Atmos in thanks for taking out the third before he could aim his weapon.

The office was just ahead if Izo's blueprints of the building were correct, and that was where the keys should be. He and Atmos were headed there, the rest of the men there to create havoc and track down their family and carry them out if need be. They'd discussed freeing all of the prisoners for added distraction, but more than half were probably their enemies, and some of them deserved to be here, nasty pieces of work that did much more than bootleg. Marco would be the first to protest his innocence, but there were those with honor and those without. Only their family would be released.

The vice-warden, Hannyabal, waited for them at the door to the office, three of their men tossed aside like forgotten toys. A group of a dozen or so was in formation to attack and Atmos nodded to Marco, signaling he'd take this fight. Marco smirked, dismissing the men to go scout ahead, and Atmos drew his two long-bladed shivs*, a predatory gleam in his eye. Marco ran past Hannyabal without stopping, Atmos blocking the attack aimed at him easily.

He closed the office door behind him softly, the noise of the battle outside fading. Magellan had yet to be spotted, so he was probably either in here or guarding wherever their family had been .locked up. After a quick sweep of the office, Marco sighed in disappointment. He'd just have to hurry and snag the keys, and maybe he'd still get a decent fight when he found the cells. The back up keys were right where Izo had said they'd be, and Marco spared a thought to wonder just how he knew to look under the dying potted ficus. And it's state of health. He shook his head. There were other things to be doing now.


Ace strolled down the street like any other owl* out on the town, making sure to look suitably wary of the chaos that was clearly happening on the other side of town. With everything in Whitebeard's territory closed up tight, and chaos reigning at the infamous prison, it was a quiet night, people scurrying to their destinations carefully. Izo had given him a list of addresses to torch, far beyond merely the headquarters. He had to provide Izo a suitable distraction, after all.

They'd finally agreed that Izo would stay behind and watch Kaido's headquarters while Ace took care of the first part of their plan. He wasn't up for wandering the whole of Kaido's territory, and he knew it, even if he didn't want to admit it. They were only supposed to burn the headquarters, but Izo had come up with a list of the six buildings that would hurt Kaido the most to lose within a half mile radius. It would still be a drop in the bucket, but it would be something, and there was still phase two.

The first target was another warehouse, and Ace grinned when he slipped past the sleeping guards. It was full to the brim with whiskey. At this rate Kaido's bottom line was going to be hurting quite a bit. No one went to a juice joint* that had no panther piss*, after all. The hardest part of this operation was to keep the fires from being noticed until they all hit at once. He'd come prepared though, since the idea had been sitting in his mind since Marco had said Izo was to accompany him.

It was pitch black inside, and Ace cursed softly, stumbling on a barrel. At least there weren't any guards inside this one. There were only windows towards the front, so he felt his way along to the back before lighting one of the small torches from his bag. It was doubtful the guards would notice such a small light from behind the wooden shutters, but better safe than sorry. He made his way to the ventilation shafts he'd noticed from outside so his fire would have enough air once it got going and pulled out one of his timer boxes.

He'd designed them to nurse the fire along, keep it smoldering for up to an hour before it would reach the surface. He cracked open a barrel of whiskey, and used his torch to light the box. There were four small corks in the box to control the airflow and therefore the time it would take for the fire to escape the box, each one taking off about ten minutes of time. Ace left them all in, closed up the box, and propped the saturated barrel lid on top. He splashed some panther piss around, making sure to soak the wall around it and doing his best to keep the smell off him. It wasn't like he'd be the only one to small like a blotto* out on the streets, and the bulls* would be otherwise occupied tonight.

He wondered how Marco would take his more involved plan. He was sure to be unhappy, but he'd see why they did it. Maybe he could distract him, Ace thought as he hopped up into the rafters of the warehouse from a barrel. He kicked out the grate of the vent and dropped into the alley behind the warehouse soundlessly. One down, six to go.


"Sir, this way!" No sooner had Marco mooched* out of the office, dodging around Atmos's fight, than he'd been surrounded by his men. "We've found them, but..."

"Magellan?" Marco asked, and Eddy nodded, lips pressed in a grim line. "Led me to them."

He nodded and dashed off further into the jail, Marco keeping pace."We've cleared almost the whole prison, and there's fighting outside on the streets."

"To be expected at this point. How are we on the stretchers?"

"All set, there's enough of them for everyone, and enough to carry them, though I hope it's not going to come to that. Everything's berries* except..."

"Magellan." Marco felt his lips curl into a smile, and the men running with him blanched. His blood all but sang as they raced to where Magellan would be. It had been too long since he'd been in the thick of things, Marco decided, letting his grin escape. "We'd better get a wiggle on* then."

Magellan was doing a spectacular job of keeping the whole family from breaking through, and Marco tossed the keys to one of his men, motioning them all back. They picked up the injured, Magellan not bothering to interfere, his eyes locked on Marco and Marco grimaced. They'd probably all been poisoned. They were rushed out of the room on stretchers.

"So, you've decided to show yourself, Marco the Phoenix. You will pay for the damage done to the reputation of my prison tonight." He adjusted his trademark poison-tipped brass knuckles, and Marco shifted so he was ready to move.

"That was inevitable as soon as you locked up my family. It's only been known as an impenetrable prison because we've never decided to try. If you wanted your precious reputation, you shouldn't have accepted them." A flicker passed through Magellan's eyes, and Marco smirked. Who'd have thought the unflappable warden would cave to a little razzing?

"You will not get past here." Magellan lunged toward him, the brass knuckles making the slightest whistling noise as they whooshed a mere inch from his ear, and Marco didn't fight to keep the smile from his lips. Even Ace was less predictable than that. He feinted a punch to Magellan's stomach and then rolled away. Marco lashed out at his knee as he flipped over to settle back into a defensive position. The kick landed firmly, and Magellan stumbled slightly.

A flurry of punches fell at Marco, and he danced back. They circled each other for a bit, the cheers and catcalls of Marco's men fading into nothing as Marco watched for any little slip in his guard. He wouldn't land another hit so easily it would seem.

Blood pumped in Marco's ears, his breath measured and deep. Magellan darted in, and Marco glided to the side. The punch gave him the opening he'd been waiting for, and he stepped up along Magellan's outstretched arm and kicked out at him undefended side. Magellan's breath whooshed out, and he staggered when more weight was put on the leg Marco's injured before.

Before Marco could press his advantage, he was forced back, ribs stinging where Magellan had landed a hit. The smell of sweat hung in the air, and Marco heard nothing but his labored breath as they went back and forth in a deadly dance. His side stung when he twisted out of reach, and he ached wherever Magellan had gotten in a lucky hit. He'd managed to avoid the poison so far, but they needed to move, and this was quickly turning into a fight of endurance.

There was no time.

Marco let the next blow hit squarely. The sound of his suit tearing rent through the air, and Marco staggered. Pain exploded in his shoulder, and Marco gritted his teeth. He had to use the opportunity.

He flipped, his foot connecting solidly with Magellan's jaw. Before he could recover, Marco landed neatly, and punched him in the gut with his uninjured arm. Pins and needles lanced through him, and he was beginning to lose feeling. The poison would begin to work soon. Sweat stung at his eyes, but he pushed it aside and continued to pummel Magellan.

Magellan never recovered quickly enough to guard against the next blow. He was unsteady on his feet by now, and the numb feeling began spreading up Marco's arm to his chest. He knocked Magellan's legs out from under him, and with the last of his strength, he lashed out at Magellan's temple. Magellan's eyes rolled back, and he went limp.

Marco swayed and dimly noted the sound of a key in the lock. His brothers were free.


"Attaboy!*"Izo glided out of nowhere and clapped Ace on the shoulder. "So how'd it go? I saw them all scurry away just as planned."

"This ain't the time to punch the bag*, Izo." Ace shook his head, glancing around and pulling Izo deeper into the alley.

"Please, have a bit of faith. It was a breeze." Izo gestured to the bag clutched in his hand. "We're all set."

"Good." Ace grinned. Izo's smile was downright predatory, and Ace couldn't agree more. "I'll just take care of this one. It'll be about ten minutes to set up, you want to come with me or rest up a bit before the next part?" Izo leveled a look at him, and Ace bit back a laugh.

"Okay, c'mon then. This one will be fun." Ace started toward the square where Kaido's main juice joint lay. It would be perfect for his signature, and now that it was deserted- even the most intrepid of revelers had gone home by now. The sky was more orange than not with Ace's efforts joining Marco's- it would be easy.

"There's only the bare minimum of goons* left in the joint. The rest are out trying to putting out fires or finding us," Izo said, and Ace smiled. Perfect.

They'd driven over to this side of town, and they made their way to where Izo had stashed the car. They hopped in, Izo driving, and Ace mentally reviewed the plan. He'd gone over this bit with Marco earlier, and so everything was planned to a T. Ace snickered to himself, and when Izo raised a brow questioningly, Ace laughed.

"It struck me as funny, this would be the most dangerous part when it's the rest we'll be yelled at for." They were approaching the square, and Ace checked his equipment over.

Izo snorted. "Marco's got no sense, kid. He's completely goofy* for you." Warmth spread through Ace. He almost looked forward to his lecture later. "Do us both a favor and distract him with a little heavy petting, okay? Then neither of us will get yelled at."

Heat rushed to his cheeks, but then they were there, and there was no time to retort. Ace hopped out of the car where Izo screech to a halt. He popped open the trunk. Inside were several bags of wood chips, and he set to it, grabbing the first.

Ace worked fast spreading the oil-soaked chips in the right pattern. A yell rang out and Ace knew they'd been discovered by the men left. The need for subtlety had passed with the majority of Kaido's men out hunting them. Really, they'd made the whole plan run smoother.

Gunshots rang out, but Izo had said he'd take care of it. Ace didn't look up, spreading the mulch. The area he used was easily four yards long, and they'd probably have to rip up the pavement to remove the charring. Splinters prickled at his fingers, but he ignored it.

"Duck!" Izo yelled, and Ace fell to the ground without question. He rolled back toward the car. Gunfire rained down where he'd been, and Ace tsked. Luckily, the chips didn't manage to catch.

There were two more bags to spread, and he crouched down and circled to the trunk. Izo must have picked off enough to get them under cover, for shots were much more sporadic. One splinter stuck hard enough to draw blood as he was finishing up, and the heavy taste of blood lingered on his tongue as he moved back to the shelter of the car.

He struck a match and tossed it over, watching in delight as flames caught and spread to form the family crest, merrily burning on Kaido's front stoop. It was always so nice when he got to sign his work.

Izo cleared his throat, and Ace swung into the little breezer* they'd brought, and Izo pulled up to the building. Ace lit his Molotov cocktails, more than a dozen, passing them to Izo in turn. Izo threw them all neatly into the windows of Kaido's speakeasy one-handed. Ace whistled. He drove and tossed them without even looking, yet every one went neatly through the windows.

As each one struck, there was the whoosh of gasoline lighting and a massive fireball flared to life. There was no getting it out when Izo had thrown them all, an inferno already blazing. A bullet slammed into the side of the car, and Ace pulled a pistol from the glove compartment. He fired off a few shots, a scream telling him he'd hit his mark.

Izo shifted the car into gear, and they were off. They flew through the city streets, and Ace turned back to face front. There pursuers had eaten their dust long ago. He checked his watch. The whole thing had only taken an hour and a half. Even with travel time, they'd still get home long before the others, and he grinned as the wind blew through his hair.

"Ready for the next part?" Ace ased, and Izo gave him a look.

"Of course. This part will be easy." A moment of silence passed, and Izo cleared his throat. "I don't suppose..."

"No, we're not attacking Shanks too." Ace glared and crossed his arms. "There's no point anyway. He's not the type to attack us just because we're busy with something else."

"Alright, alright. just a thought." Izo smiled. "You're pretty cute, you know."

"I am not!"

"Are too." Street lights flashed through the car as they drove through the heart of downtown towards Big Mam's territory. Ace sighed, his eyes turning to the brightest fire in the sky. They were probably starting to fight their way out now. After dealing with the things Izo'd stolen, they could head over there, and... No. Marco and Whitebeard had been clear. After their mission, they were to head back to the Moby Dick.

There was a token force of Ace's men there, in case Kaido recovered enough to retaliate, and they would need leadership. No matter how he ached to join Marco, he had responsibilities. Another explosion roared from behind them, and Ace turned around, frowning.

"Was that you?" Ace asked, brow wrinkling.

"You know I don't start fires, Ace. Too messy. Wasn't it just the giggle water* at Kaido's place?"

"That happened right after we left, and it's in a different direction."

Izo turned to look at the new fire on the horizon. "Huh, you're right. Looks like someone else is having fun. I wonder who?"

Ace's heart leaped to his throat, the memory of Luffy telling him he'd be out for a few days and not to worry about coming home for a few days surfacing with sickening speed. He turned forward resolutely. It probably was something unrelated completely. Had to be.

Izo slowed down as they entered the end of their territory, and Ace pulled his hat down. "We're going to hit three locations, just like Kaido did with us. Apparently, we just have to drive by and toss these through the windows and bam." Izo pulled up the bag containing the Smiley weapons from by his feet.

"Okay, you throw then. Pull over, and I'll drive."

"No thank you, you little speed maniac. I'm perfectly capable of throwing and driving, and as a bonus, we won't die. So you just sit tight, and enjoy having a good plan for once." Izo glanced over and smiled before Ace could defend his perfectly reasonable driving. "I dare say Pops will be proud. Marco too once he's done with the yelling."

Ace smiled involuntarily. "You think?"

"Well, I am." Ace's eyes widened. "And I have the most right to be, seeing as how I was clearly the one to teach you to think."

"Thanks." He frowned, running over the last bit in his mind again. "I think."

"You might want to reload though. Hopefully, we won't need it, but an empty gun is not the way to start a mission. If I'm driving and throwing, you might as well be a little useful."

"Right." Ace rolled his eyes but followed direction, and they turned up the street of their first target. Ace pulled one of the strange capsules out of the bag, readying it to hand to Izo. When he held out his hand, Ace passed it over, and Izo chucked it neatly through the window of an atrocious pink and white store. Purple clouds of smoke began billowing out of the windows as they drove off.

"You really think she and Kaido will get into it because of this?" Ace asked.

"It's your plan, you should sound more confident, especially when you have to explain how we not only finished a gang war, we also started another." Izo laughed at Ace's expression. "But yes. Everyone knows this weapon belongs to Kaido's man, and that it's impossible to steal." He looked far too smug at that, and Ace snorted.

They made quick work of the last two places, and they drove home leisurely, both watching the cloud of smoke over the south side of the lake as they cruised through downtown. The men patrolling the Moby Dick met they gratefully, and Ace was glad of the reminder for why they had to stay. He itched to go back out, to find Marco and the others and fight with them.

He turned his back on the flames instead and brought Izo inside. He'd moved around far more than he should have tonight, and Ace steered him straight to the infirmary. The doctors were anxious and glad to have people to fuss over. To Ace's disgust he found himself trapped as well. They fussed over his shoulder wound from yesterday and picked out his splinters, scolding him nonstop.

Still it helped pass the time, and Ace was almost glad to have something else to focus on besides pacing. Izo'd been given a sedative and was carried off to bed, the nurses muttering darkly about tying him there. Ace went up to Marco's office and curled up in the window seat. It had the best view of the streets, and the sky was beginning to lighten when he finally caught sight of his family coming home in fleet of trucks.

Ace dashed down the four flights of stairs and breakneck speed, darting through the dark bookstore on the main level without care. Whitebeard was already out of the first truck, looking only a little worse for wear, but his brow was creased with concern. He smiled warmly at Ace but the worry didn't leave his eyes. A stretcher was unloaded from the back, and Ace's eyes widened in shock.

"Marco!"

*Shivs- knives

*Owl- someone who's out late

*Joint- establishment or speakeasy

*Panther piss- whiskey, especially homemade

*Blotto- a drunk

*Bulls- the police

*Mooched- left

*Berries- great or money

*Get a wiggle on- get a move on, go faster

*Attaboy- well done

*Punch the bag- make small talk

*Goons- lackeys, hired muscle

*Goofy- in love

*Breezer- convertible car

*Giggle water- intoxicating beverage