" I'm glad to see you safe and sound, Ai." A slender man with shaggy dark purple hair said ushering up to thirteen small children ranging in ages from twelve to three months away from the blunette. " I was worried if you decided to come here whether or not you'd make it here safely."

" It wasn't so hard getting here, we didn't see anyone other then a certain trio of misfits along the way." Ai said ruffling the heads of several children.

" Nee-chan!" A small green haired girl said hugging Ai's leg happily. Ace watched with interest as the kids continued to swarm around Ai. It seemed so natural to see her with those kids.

" Did you bring us anything?" A little boy with shaggy blonde hair asked excitedly.

" I brought you the awesomeness of me!" Ai said happily.

" Sooo…no presents…?" The boy asked causing a vein to throb in Ai's temple.

" No…no presents." Ai said causing the kids to sighs in disbelief.

" Now kids, you shouldn't expect presents every time Ai comes and visits." The purple haired man said smiling down at the kids. " You should be happy that she's here safe to see all of you, especially with what's been going on lately." The kids nodded sadly in agreement.

" Don't listen to Jonas, kids!" Ai said happily. " I'll bring you guys something next time I come, okay?" At those words the children cheered eagerly

KNOCK! KNOCK!

" Could you get that, Mr. Orange Hat?" Jonas said going into the kitchen.

" Some real creative minds here for coming up with nicknames." Ace said walking to the door. " Real geniuses." Opening the door he revealed a short teen girl with long black hair standing there. He froze dead in his tracks at the sight of her. She looked exactly like Ai. Her hair was the same length, she has the same body build, same blue eyes, same cheek bones, same nose…same body build. Except certain areas were slightly smaller then her's. She was also dressed in a simple pale pink dress; small diamond earrings, one in each ear and a slightly larger sized diamond necklace.

" IS JONAS HERE?" The girl asked fearfully.

" Ceras?" Ai said spotting the frightened girl. " What's wrong?"

" AI!" The girl yelled rushing past Ace to the blunette hugging her tightly.

" Ceras sweetie, what is it?" Ai asked comfortingly. Ace thought it was oddly attractive seeing two girls with the same face hugging on each other.

" It Holland's group!" Ceras cried fearfully. " They're attacking the manor!"

" WHAT?" Jonas yelled from the kitchen, walking out with a large carving knife. " WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE ATTACKING THE MANOR!"

" THEY CAME LOOKING FOR ME AND HAROLD TOLD THEM TO SHOVE IT! HE SLAMMED THE DOOR ON THEM AND MADE ME RUN AND HIDE!"

" Whelp, sounds like it's time to get to work, kids." Marco said making the black haired girl jump.

" A PIRATE!" She squeaked nervously.

" OH HEAVENS NO!" Marco said in a high girly voice. " WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT! AI IS HERE WITH PIRATES! EVEN THOUGH SHE IS ONE HERSELF."

" Shut up, Marco." Ai said chucking a pillow at him. " Technically there's three pirates here." She nodded to Ace. Ace suddenly felt uncomfortable as Ceras eyed him curiously. Feeling as if she had undressed him with her eyes and had her way with him.

" Both are pirates?" She asked curiously.

" That's what she said." Marco said watching the look Ceras was giving Ace, an annoyed expression on his own face.

" Can we get back to the fact that you were attacked?" Jonas said angrily.

" They wanted me to Holland!" Cerys said worriedly.

" Why would they want that?" Marco asked.

" Cause Lady Ceras is a dragon!" Jameson said excitedly.

" A dragon?" Ace asked curiously, eyeing the dark haired girl. Ceras blushed in embarrassment. Ace also noticed Marco tense up suddenly.

" Not a real one, of course." She said shyly.

" Obviously," Ace said crossing his arms. " Dragons aren't real."

" Are you a…Celestial Dragon?" Marco asked, watching Ai out of the corner of his eye.

" Oh dear, no!" Ceras said hurriedly, her face becoming pale.

" Then what do you mean?" Marco asked not relaxing at all.

" There's a legend in this archipelago of dragons terrorizing the native people that lived here for centuries." Jonas said coolly, making Ceras sit down and began examining her for apparent injuries. " The people here all lived in terror; fearing their homes would be destroyed and loved ones burned to death and eaten. Then around four hundred years ago men came from virtually no where sand slew the dragons. They became the heads of the villages in this archipelago."

" And Lady Ceras is their last remaining dependent!" Jasmine said excitedly. " She's a dragon!"

" Wouldn't she technically be a dragon slayer?" Ace pointed out.

" Technically my surname is Dragon." Cerys said smiling down at the children. " That was my family's name from before they came here and before they ever had anything to do with the dragons."

" Ceras Dragon!" Jameson said grinning from ear to ear, kicking his feet cheerfully.

" So why do these men want you exactly?" Marco asked.

" My family is the wealthiest in the island chain," Ceras said, " and marrying me would give them direct power over them, seeing as my immediate family are the direct descendants of the leader of the dragon slayers."

" But this village used to have a mayor in charge of it." Ace said.

" around twenty-seven years ago Ceras' grandfather decided the people should be allowed to chose their own leader." Jonas said lifting Mira up into his arms. " However if the current mayor dies before a replacement has been decided the head of the Dragon Family, which currently is Ceras, will be left in-charge until a replacement has been decided."

" They think if Holland marries me then he'll gain control of the village and be able to do whatever he wants." Ceras sighed.

" What about the missing people?" Ai asked. " What do you all know about that?"

" People started disappearing shortly after their arrival." Jonas said. " At first it was maybe one or two people at a time but now it's several people from around the island chain are disappearing per week."

" Per week!" Ai yelled. " Why did you all wait so long to contact us?"

" Malikai wanted to handle this on our own." Jonas said. " He didn't want us to rely solely on you or Whitebeard. True that we are under your protection but we do have our pride."

" And your pride has gotten several people missing or dead." Ace pointed out.

" Ace, shut up!" Ai snapped.

" Just pointing out the obvious."

" If it's obvious then it doesn't need pointed out!"

" No one asked for your opinion on the matter, dwarf!"

" Shut up, jerk-face!"

" Jerk-face? Your insults are starting to slip, dwarf."

" Shut up!"

" Are those two a thing?" Jonas asked Marco quietly.

" They might as well be, they argue like an old married couple already." Marco replied coolly. " What I can't get over is how much Ai resembles that Ceras girl."

" What are you talking about?"

" What are you serious?" Marco asked raising an eyebrow. " The two of them could be twins." Jonas stared at Marco before looking between the two girls hurriedly. Marco saw the light bulb go off in the purple haired man's head as realization hit him.

" I can't believe I've never noticed it before."

" Serious…you never noticed it? How?" Marco asked. " She is always doing patrols of the Second Division's territories all the time, she must have spent some time here. Plus the two of them seem familiar with each other so they must have spent time around each other. How did you not notice it?" " I don't know…Ceras is so refined and lady-like and Ai is so-"

" Not?" Marco said eyebrow raised. He noticed Jonas suddenly becoming uncomfortable. " Don't worry, her up bringing wasn't the best for her to become a lady."

" My apologies…I know she hasn't had it easy."

" You don't know the half of it." Marco said watching the blunette before him. Memories of his captain returning to the Moby Dick with the smallest blue haired little girl he had ever seen curled up in his arms trembling. It was raining that day, the little girl had been covered in blood, dirt and ash, her eyes wide in fear. He didn't understand what his captain had been thinking bringing such a small child onto the ship.

Not that he now ever wished she had ever wanted her gone but he had often wondered how his captain had known what kind of spirit and determination that child would have. Marco sighed, a smile forming on his face. He knew one thing though, his father was never wrong when it came to judging a person. Ai had grown much since he met her at the age of eight and he knew she was still growing…if not physically then emotionally. She still had a long way to go still but he would support her no matter what. She was his little sister after all, it was his job as a big brother to protect her.

Not that she wanted his protection. Ai was always so stubborn. He knew that she was always afraid of someone thinking of her as a nuisance and wanting her gone. She was always afraid that she'd turn be sent away for being a burden so that is why she always did jobs by herself. She never wanted to involve anyone in dangerous jobs.

Marco would always become angry with Ai whenever she would return from said jobs injured. Thatch and Izo would always mother hen her, dragging her immediately to the infirmary. There were times he wished she would have stayed in one of the many homes they had tried to leave her at when she was small. That way she would have been safe, knowing a loving mother and father's touch.

" She's always missed out on so many things." Marco said quietly.

" She's grown quite strong willed though." Jonas said coolly watching the continued argument between Ai and Ace. " Are they ever going to stop arguing?"

" More then likely not." Marco said. " She's so loud and boisterous now it's hard to believe there was a time when she didn't speak at all." His eyes seemed to glaze over at the memory of a scared little girl who hid from everyone but the captain.

She would cry and tremble if anyone other than Pops came near her. Marco didn't even know what her name was for the first few months she lived with them. He often just referred to her as the kid…that was until one day her heard the cutest baby voice say: That's not my name.

Thatch and Izo had instantly become attached to her. Hugging her tightly whenever they saw her. And on days where she was suddenly depressed she would sit quietly by herself. Thatch would always come up to her on those days and lift her up, cuddling her close. He somehow felt envious of Thatch being able to be so close to her so quickly. It had taken him several months to be able to get near her without her crying.

Seeing her now, so happy and full of energy made it all worth it though. Though there were days he wished she be quiet.

" But seriously." Marco said shaking his head, clearing his mind of his memories. " How did you not noticed the resemblance. It's like they could be related."

" I find that hard to believe." Jonas said. " I've known lady Ceras since her birth and she's been an only child. Even her uncle, her late father's only sibling, never had a child of his own." Jonas stared at Ai with new interest. " But now that you mention it, they do resemble each other."

A plotting smirk appeared across Marco's face. " I believe I have a plan."