Casey dialed the number, making sure neither Shakky nor Rayleigh saw it. Sabo was busy studying Rayleigh. Never had he thought he would meet the Dark King in person and he wondered if he could just talk with him. Not for the purpose of the Revolutionaries, but his own interest. This was the man who had been the first mate of Roger, the biological father of Ace. A brother, who hated his father because apparently Roger had been a monster, a demon.

"Yoi."

He was brought out of his thoughts by someone answering the snail.

"Marco-kun," Casey grinned brightly, happy to hear his voice after all these years. "Guess who is ready to be picked up," she said.

"Casey. We've been waiting for your call. Want to throw a huge welcome home and birthday party, yoi?" he asked, a smirk could be heard.

"The biggest party ever," she replied.

He chuckled. "Where are you now, yoi?"

"Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar," she said.

"You're still not old enough to be in a bar, yoi," he scolded her slightly and she chuckled.

"Tell that to the man who told me to go here and call for you. You know, the redhead," she said with an entertained smile.

Marco sighed. "I'll be there in a few hours, yoi," he said.

"You're that close? Supi," she said happily.

"As I said, we've been waiting, yoi," he said.

She grinned. "I'll see you then," she said and hung up, a happy smile plastered on her face.

"Never thought they would actually be waiting for you to call," Sabo said.

"Why not? They knew I would come back, once time was up," she said, tilted her head.

Sabo sighed and ruffled her hair. Sometimes she was still so innocent and naïve. She pouted at his act and refusal to answer her, to which he poked her cheek lightly. Ignoring him, she turned to Rayleigh, her head slight tilted, studying the man without even hiding it. Rayleigh gazed back, wondering what she was up to.

"Say, what kind of man was Roger? All I heard when I was a child was that he was a demon, which is hard to believe," she said.

Sabo choked on the air. Why was Casey always so blunt? He really hoped that the Whitebeard Pirates could deal with insanity like this. She was sometimes too open mouthed for her own good.

Rayleigh swirled he content on his drink, before drinking it all. "Why so interested in my captain? Do you dream of making Whitebeard the next king?"

"Nope, my little brother will be the next king. If Oyaji would have wanted to become King, I'm sure he would have been it by now. So no need to make him a King, when he doesn't want to be it," she said.

Rayleigh smirked. "You're blunt and yet observant."

She shrugged. "I got many skills, I don't' rely on a handful."

He chuckled. "You amuse me, Casey. Very well, let me tell you that my captain was indeed a demon, but not in the way common people think. He was strong, even stronger than the captain you've chosen to follow, but he was just as righteous and good hearted as Whitebeard is. However, if you messed with the crew, you would feel his anger and wrath. Also he was a D., unpredictable and hard to read. He could be like a child in one moment and then seriously and adult like in the next," Rayleigh said.

"Sounds like you're describing Shanks and then again not," Casey mused.

Rayleigh chuckled. "Shanks do take a lot after captain. Then again, Shanks was just a mere boy when he sailed with us, so captain might have had a huge influence on him."

"What? Shanks was sailing with Roger?" Casey asked, having not heard that before.

Rayleigh laughed. "So he didn't tell you? Yes he was a cabin boy on the Oro Jackson, but he was family too. It warms an old man's heart to see how far he has made it. The Straw Hat he once had was giving to him by Roger. It belonged to him."

"Wow. If Luffy hears this, he's so going to burst with happiness," Sabo said and Casey nodded.

"Ah the new wearer of the Straw Hat. Tell me about him," Rayleigh said.

Casey smiled fondly. "He's much like Shanks, but innocent and naïve. He can't tell a lie to safe himself, but he can keep a secret. I miss him deeply, but just in two years he'll be out on the sea, shouting his full name and his dream with determination," she said.

"And his full name is?" Shakky asked.

Casey looked at the woman. "Monkey D. Luffy. I'm his biological older sister," she said.

-x-

Marco hung up and left his room. It wasn't even noon, so it was unusual to see him out of the room. With confident steps he went to the kitchen, where Thatch was sitting in the office, planning the today's meals. He lifted his gaze, and tilted his head in confusion, but before he got to ask, Marco spoke up.

"She called. Tonight's meal is a feast, yoi," he said.

Thatch jumped up, a big grin was to be seen on his face. "It'll be the biggest feast she'll ever have," he said cheerfully.

Marco just nodded and left the kitchen. He only had two more people to go to, before he would leave the ship to get her. Little did Casey know that for a week, the Moby Dick had been in Paradise, close to Sabaody Archipelago. They had just been waiting for her to call them, knowing she would probably go there and call them.

As he entered Izo's room, he only had to say one word. Casey. The cross dresser had smiled softly and nodded, before pushing Marco out and tell him to get her ASAP. Marco had only chuckled and wondered why Casey had left such an impression on all of them. He could still recall Benn's words about Casey not being comfortable around strangers. Would she still be like that?

He came onto deck, seeing Whitebeard sitting on his chair, chattering with Jozu. Their eyes laid on him, as he walked towards them, stepping over a sleeping newcomer.

"My son?" Whitebeard looked questioned at him.

"I'll be out for a few hours. Make this ship ready for a double party, yoi," he said.

Whitebeard smiled fondly. "Then go and take the newbie with you," he said, gazing at the sleeping form.

Marco nodded, went to the sleeping form. He threw him over his shoulder, the other not even waking up, much to Marco's surprise, but he didn't have time to think about it further. He jumped onto the smaller ship that had been ready for him ever since they had anchored here. Placing the newbie on deck, Marco unfolded the sails and went off. The cheers of the crew were to be heard, as people shouted that Marco had left the ship.

-x-

Casey liked Shakky and Rayleigh, the latter preferred she called him Ray. The talk floated easily, all while Sabo sat next to her, making sure to keep an eye on her, but a smile tugged his lips. Casey never felt at ease around strangers, but this was an exception, one he welcomed.

"Shanks sure has a good eye for the new generations," Ray mused.

Casey chuckled. "He must have had a good teacher, because I doubt that silly party-loving man would have been able to be who he is without one," she said.

Ray smiled. "He was just as any teens, really, but he swallowed the lessons giving him. He's skilled in so many ways, just like you. So he has passed on some to you," he said.

Casey smiled fondly. "Shanks and Benn are the closets things to fathers I had back then. They are still fathers to me in my heart and it will never fade. Yet I've been blessed with many good role models in my life, despite what I've been through," she said.

"I'm sure you'll find Shanks feeling like he was your father too. He sure talked like a proud and worried father," Shakky said.

Casey chuckled. "He was about to rip the head of the commanders, as he found me on the ship of Whitebeard. That is what I call protective," she said, smiling.

"If you had said one wrong word, he would have, yoi," said an all too familiar voice from the door.

With a speed that could match that of Kizaru's light, Casey leaped into the arms of Marco. The latter chuckled and hugged her tightly. He barely had gotten to take in her new appearances, but he'll see later. Now he was just happy to have her nearby again, though he still couldn't get how they could have grown so attached to her in the short time she had been with them.

"Marco-kun," Casey greeted him.

"Hey there, Casey or can I call you cupcake, yoi?" he greeted back.

"I'm not a child," she pouted and Marco laughed.

"Alright. I should also say Happy Birthday, shouldn't I, yoi?" he grinned.