"Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life. There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure."

- Paulo Coelho

The Storm that Pours

"So, Coby is it? What was the shitty gramps talking about when he said you know Luffy?" Ace said walking with his arm slung around the shoulders of a very nervous ensign.

"U - um, well, Luffy-san helped me become a marine a while back when I was stuck in a bad place."

"Oh? That's weird, why would a pirate help someone become a marine?" Thatch piped up from the other side of Helmeppo, leaning around him to look at the kid.

"Haha, that's just Luffy Thatch, I should tell you about the time me an' Sa…." Ace suddenly coughed, "Me and Luffy fought these people in the dump because they were picking on this baby tiger, even though we had beef the tigers parent. I only helped because Luffy wanted to save it and he would have died without me. Luffy's a good kid."

"Totally unlike you Ace." Thatch laughed. Throwing his own arm over the grumpy looking blonde boy, who shrugged it off with a glare, which Thatch just smile genially at before turning to Coby.

"Name's Thatch! Fourth division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"C-Coby sir. Newly appointed ensign to vice-admiral Garp the Fist." Coby straightened before bowing.

"Coby, don't make nice with them, their pirates."

"I know, but Ace-san is Luffy-san's older brother, he has to be a good guy."

"Hmph, that brat was nothing but trouble."

"Ha, that just means you were the bad guy. Luffy doesn't beat people up for no reason. And not liking someone is a reason."

"Hmph."

"So, give us the whole story, brat!"

"I'm not a brat!"

Somewhere on the Moby Dick…

Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap. Screwed, she was soooo very screwed. She had messed up, she wasn't supposed to be on the ship long enough for the marine's to catch wind of where she was at, but now, now it's too late. All she could do was hide and hope they weren't willing to make a fuss about getting her back. Knowing Garp though… she was soooo very screwed.

Again, Somewhere on the Moby Dick Sometime Later…

"Seriously! An hour! What do they have to talk about for an hour! I have to pee!" Kepi whispered to herself as she skulked around one of the many holds on the Moby Dick. After about 30 minutes into Whitebeard's and Garp's talk Kepi had relocated from the dining hall, which was much too conspicuous, to the lower holds. She tried to stay out of everyone's sight, just incase Garp started to look for her, which of course he hadn't. She was almost tempted to go back up on deck, consequences be damned. So on this impulse she strode towards the door, only to reel back clutching her nose when the door suddenly swung open, hitting her in the face. Izo stood in the doorway staring at Kepi as she held her nose.

"What are you doing in here?" Izo's deep voice asked after a moment.

"Leaving." Came the muffled and nasally reply.

"Ah, well. Pop's is looking for you."

"Oh. I see. Well, see you." Kepi replied looking somewhat more pale than before. Izo gave her a strange look before moving into the storage room.

Kepi shut the door and began to walk away, debating with herself on whether or not she wanted to just leave or face the inevitable. This may be one of the hardest decisions to choose but she wasn't a coward. If she ran from this what else would she run from? Her dreams? No, she had to face this.

Even Later in Whitebeard's Cabin…

A quiet knocking sounded on Whitebeards door causing the conversation between the two men to stop.

"Come in." Kepi slowly swung the door open, shoulders hunched inwards, taking in the picture of Garp and Whitebeard sitting down and drinking sake together peacefully.

"Er, I was told that you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, come in." Kepi slowly walked into the room eyeing both men and unconsciously looking like she was ready to bolt.

"So, Sophia, where have you been for the past half hour?" Kepi froze up completely staring at Whitebeard with wide eyes.

"So- Sophia? Who's that? Hahaha…." She said after a few seconds, rubbing the back of her head and laughing nervously, trying to play her slip up off.

"Sit." She sat.

"Now, start from the beginning." Kepi searched Whitebeards eyes for a second before slowly sinking to the ground next to Garp, who was also looking at her with interest.

"I guess I should start at the beginning then. I was born a beautiful, chubby little baby…"

The Figments of Kepi's Memories (see previous chapter for the first part)…

"… Alright, let's go free these people." At that moment I believed him, he had called the slaves people.

We walked together towards the basement constantly vigilant for the guards that roamed the halls. I took the lead after a minute when I had corrected Tiger for the third time. It wasn't that long of a walk, but it had felt like forever because of the quiet and the sneaking. They reached the basement door within a few minutes and quickly descended the stairs.

I had never been to the 'slave pens' as I had heard them called. Every time I asked to go with Ealdread he had firmly told me no. Now I knew why. My first impression was that it was cold. The floors, the walls, and even the ceiling were all made of stone. Staring around for a second, I was startled from my thoughts by Fisher's webbed hand on my shoulder.

"Which way next?" His quiet voice carried through the gloom. Turning slightly to look over my shoulder I simply shrugged.

"I've never been down this far. Ealdread wouldn't let me."

"Ealdread?"

"He's the person that takes care of me."

"Ah, well I can finish this by myself. It's best if you went back to bed." At this I pursed my lips and tilted my face up a little bit more, silently refusing.

"Fine," Fisher sighed, "You have to stay quiet though." I just looked at him - I was young, not stupid.

We made our way down the winding steps, through damp corridors, and past suspiciously stained rooms. Finally, in what seemed liked forever, we found them. They were huddled three to a person on narrow pads filled with a meager amount of musty straw. Some of the figures were shivering, others were laying deathly still. It was horrible enough to make me start to cry; even at that age I knew that how they were living was wrong. I had never seen slaves all together before, only in by themselves or in pairs, rarely anything more than that. Now I saw what I missed, they were filthy, covered in more dirt than anything I'd ever seen. I slept in a bed so big, it could have fit at least ten people on it. These people were forced into this place, where it would have been incredibly easy to make them more comfortable, while I lived in the lap of luxury. My silk pajamas, their rotting clothes. My warm feather down blankets, them with nothing. This was were the only father figure I had slept.

Tears poured down my face as I stared down at what Ealdread had tried to protect me from. I didn't really know why he had, since he had been trying from the moment he had met me to change my mind about slaves and how they were treated, and this would have been a quick way to do that. Maybe he hadn't thought me ready or even able to comprehend this overwhelming differences between people who were free and those who are not. It was so wide and so dark, like a gaping hole had opened up beneath me, swallowing me up in its gloomy depths, that it caused me to physically sway. Fisher steadied me with a casual hand on my shoulder, grounding me in the present. Shaking my head I followed him down the short flight of stairs to where the slaves were. Some of them noticed Fisher and looked up curiously. Even here, it wasn't often that a person saw a fishman, and they never saw one without chains, not in this place. Most of the people though seemed to not care about his presence. Ealdread was there in the corner, curled up on his side, asleep. After realizing who I was, one of the other slaves rolled over on their bunk and shook him awake, knowing that if I was in the dungeons, it would be for him. He startled awake and flailed a second before he oriented himself to where he was. Seeing the slave that woke up pointing, he followed the line of sight to where I stood, tears streaming down my face. Looking confused he stood up, shuffling forward and up to the stairs where I stood.

"Princess? What are you doing here?" I stared at him for a second before scrubbing my eyes and lifting my arms up in a silent command to pick me up. Staring at Fisher Tiger out of the corner of his eyes he bent slowly and scooped me up.

"Where are the guards?" I asked quietly, trying to make sure that my voice didn't cover the distance between our little group and the rest of the slaves. Looking at me, then at Tiger searchingly, he seemed to come to some understanding since he simply turned and walked away holding me in his arms.

Finding the guards room was easy, and it was even easier to obtain the keys since the single guard on duty was asleep. We crept in then out, handing the keys over to Fisher Tiger. He nodded silently offering to unlock Ealdread's collar, however after a moment of conflict reflected in tired old eyes weighted by years of needless cruelty, he was refused.

"No thank you. There is little enough time for what you are about to attempt without this old man to slow you down. Besides, if I don't stay, who will teach this little one to be human instead of a little Dragon?" Tiger stared him in the eyes for a second before nodding silently.

"Do you know if they keep other slaves here?"

"Yes. Once you get past this room take the second right a left and you will find them down a short case of stairs. May the D's lend you aid." Looking a little confused, but nodding his thanks none-the-less, Tiger turned and melted into the darkness.

"You should have gone with him. You would have been free, and - and I might have been able to go with you and we could have done stuff, like you could teach me how to fight, or fish, or…"

"It's alright. I have found my peace in living here. Besides I couldn't leave you here all on your own and I wouldn't have been able to take you with me." I began to sniffle, leaning into his hold shaking, terrified that in that moment he could have just left me. My pillar, my moral strength, my family. He could have disappeared and never returned. But I knew what he had given up to stay with me. Freedom, peace, humanity. After a few minutes he quietly set me down.

"You have to return to your room, don't say anything about what happened here this night. Quickly and quietly. Hide in your room, and don't answer your door for anyone. There are going to be a lot of slaves set free this night that will only think of vengeance and will only see you as a Dragon." Nodding my understanding I looked at him one last time before turning around and trudging my way down the hall.

I waited alone in my room, burrowed deep in the huge toy box that was filled to the brim with stuffed animals. On multiple occasions slaves had wandered into my room crooning softly wanting to make me suffer as they had suffered, only to be frustrated that they couldn't find me. Luckily not many came, since I had never been needlessly cruel to the slaves here. Many had come from the neighboring mansions and only knew that I was a Tenryuubito, which was the only reason that they needed. I heard screaming, gunshots, and a fire roaring in the distance, causing me to curl tighter in a ball. It wasn't until later the next day when I felt safe enough to come out of the toy box, much to the surprise of the guards who were looking for me. It turns out only our mansion was relatively untouched, at least compared to some of the others. I wasn't told anything, and if I didn't have previous knowledge of what was going on I would have been woefully confused and scared. I simply felt calm and sat there attempting to look like I was playing normally for a while before giving up the pretense and asking for Ealdread. The guards who stood at the door finally replied.

"Sorry Princess Sophia, but that slave was put to death this morning, we'll look for another slave for you to play with in the meantime." I stared numbly up at him for a second before I burst into tears, falling to the floor. My wails began to rise, cresting at a deafening pitch that caused the guards to flinch and flounder. They weren't allowed to touch me, so they couldn't offer bodily comfort, and nothing they said caused me to calm down. I sat there and cried in the doorway until my throat gave out and I could only croak. Then my tears dried up, leaving me with no way to expel my grief. I was young, so, so young. I didn't understand the raw pain that I was feeling, which was worse than the time I slipped down the stairs and broke my leg. It was worse than when I had found a sword a guard had left lying around and was play fighting with it until I accidently fell onto the blade. No, this pain went so deep that I almost didn't recognize the wound, I had never had it explained to me before, none that I knew had ever experienced it. Heart break, something that I had only heard about in stories and songs. Ealdread, the only father figure in my life, the man who showed me how to climb a tree to reach the juiciest apples, the man who showed me the basics of self defense, the man who held me when I cried when even my own parents wouldn't.

Ealdread who had stayed behind to ensure that there was someone here for me, Ealdread who gave up his chance at freedom for death at my parents petty hands. Ealdread my friend, my teacher, my moral rock, my father. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. The chant ran through her head. I hadn't even been able to say goodbye, hadn't even known when he died. I was safely tucked away in my toys while the one person in the world I cared about was ripped away from me. My screams echoed down the hallways, bouncing off walls, winding their way deep into the pits of this soulless house.

It took me a month before I was able to get over my guilt enough to realize that unless I was careful I would fall back into the patterns my childhood had been shaped from before I met Ealdread. So I began to plan, trying to find ways to be different from the other Tenryuubito's, but still appear to be the same. I made a game out of it - how could I outsmart my parents and guards. And so for some twelve odd years, I bettered myself, using the foundation that Ealdread had sacrificed his life for. He had wanted to change what was. He didn't leave me because if he had he would have never seen me again, and the only way to keep seeing me was to continue as a slave. So the simplest solution to me was to take away the thing that trapped him. Take away slavery, so that in the future slavery wouldn't trap any others that I love.

"When I set my plan in motion, I was expecting to have a few years to plan and prepare for the perfect escape, so that I disappeared, making it look as if someone had snuck in a stolen me away from my room. What I hadn't planned on my parents having me engaged to that horrible, disgusting, brutish man at 20 years of age, and so I escalated my plans so much so that I thought for sure that I would be caught, or that my evidence wouldn't be sufficient. I only heard about the Kwa Kwa fruit at the last moment, from my brother, who was bragging about how only our family had such a treasure. It was to be my dowry to the family of my fiancé. I thought it poetic justice that I take it. All this led me to destroying slave houses one after the other, until I fell out of the sky onto the conveniently placed Moby Dick. And the rest is, as they say, history."

The two men sat thinking about my tale. Kepi shifted nervously at the tension.

"Hmm, you have given me a lot to think about." Whitebeard finally broke the silence leaning back in his chair contemplatively. Kepi looked up at him, her figure hunched, waiting for his damning judgment. Instead he just reached down and gently ruffled her hair with a giant finger.

"Your past doesn't matter when you join my crew. You may be a Tenryuubito, but you could have easily been a slave, a criminal, a saint, or something else entirely but once you join you are family. That's all that really matters." Kepi blinked her eyes rapidly brushing her hands across her eyes. She had said what she was, and she still had been accepted by him.

"T-thanks, Pops." Kepi stuttered out, trying to put as much of her feelings into those words as she could. He seemed to understand because he nodded and smiled. That only left one person. Turning she looked over at the war hero. Only to be startled to see he was picking his nose with a vacant expression on his face.

"Um. Garp, what are you going to do now?" Her question broke him off from whatever convoluted path his mind had taken and brought it back to the present.

"Bwahaha. It's not really my decision. You're your own person, though as a Marine I think you shouldn't be a pirate, but the Whitebeards aren't so bad, at least not for a pirate crew. But I got to warn you that the Marines know that you're here, and if I don't 'rescue' you then Whitebeard will have to fend off the fall out." Garp barked out.

Kepi contemplated her options for a moment before coming to a decision. Turning she faced Whitebeard and attempted to smile, knowing that she failed.

"I have been meaning to bring this up for a while but just haven't found the… time. I have been thinking about leaving, since my goal is to end slavery. I originally thought that if I destroyed enough of the slave houses, then the rest would follow, since, like a plant, if you strip the leaves away the whole dies. But I was thinking to shallowly, I imagined this like a normal flower when I should have been thinking of it as if it were a weed where even if the leaves and stalk and stem are gone the plant will simply regrow. I need to rip the very roots from this, and the only way to do that, I need to be at the top. I thank you for everything that you have done for me." She bowed deeply to the man who had saved her, and gave her reason to continue on with her dream. This crew, they were family now and she never wanted to see her family in chains. She would protect them in her own way. Turning, she looked at Garp.

"Will you report this?"

"Bwahaha, I didn't hear anything." Garp said standing up. She couldn't tell if he was just saying that or if it was in fact true.

"It's time we left." Nodding to Whitebeard, Garp strode from the room. Kepi turned once again to Whitebeard.

"Is it alright on occasion to send you letters? I'll be sure to be discreet."

"Gurarara, of course. The family would be delighted to get letters from you. If you ever need anything from us, all you have to do is ask."

"Right." Pausing again she seemed to realize something, "How am I going to tell the guys what I am? I can't just leave with the Marines and not say anything! What are they going to say." She looked pleadingly at Whitebeard.

"Talk to those you are closest to, they will spread the word." Nodding slowly she walked to the door and went to go find the three brothers she was closest to.

Mess Hall…

Finding the three commanders wasn't all that hard, she simply followed the smell of food, because where there was food there were at least two of her brothers. The third was usually dragged along for the ride to make sure that he didn't "overwork," though it was more like they wanted to mess with him. Kepi marched smartly into the mess pausing in the doorway to find them. Spotting the telltale orange hat, she waded her way through the crowd, stumbling into Marco as she went.

"Hello Kepi, did you find Pops?" He looked down at her speaking in a slightly louder voice so that he could be heard over the din from the crowded room.

"Yeah… can I talk to you?" Marco blinked slowly a second before nodding his assent.

"Good, I just need to grab Ace and Thatch and I'll meet you in my room."

"I'll follow you, Ace and Thatch are… entertaining… our guests." Swiveling her head she looked over to where Ace was sitting. She noticed a head of pink hair that she had never seen before. Pushing past a pair of squabbling crewmates she steadily made the rest of the way to Ace.

"… and then we had to kill the alligator because it had eaten Luffy, and we were really hungry too, so we beat it up and roasted it over the fire."

"Ah, I can't really picture Luffy-san as being weak. I know by New World standards he isn't the strongest, but he definitely isn't weak, er sorry." Ace, and Thatch who Kepi just noticed sitting next to the boy, simply laughed.

"There you go, apologizing again! Be more sure of yourself, there must be something special about you if the shitty gramps is teaching you."

"I don't know about that." The poor kid rubbed the back of his head. Feeling a nudge at my side I turned to see Marco, who tilted his head towards Ace and Thatch. Right, I was stalling. Clearing my throat I looked at the two commanders. Four pairs of eyes turned and looked at me, Ace and Thatch smiling when they saw who it was.

"Heya Kepi, how's it going?"

"Ah, it is going good, thank you. Could I speak to you two for a moment?" They looked at her. She blew a raspberry in frustration at their thick-headedness.

"I believe Kepi means alone." Marco cut in, giving the two a meaningful look. Nodding quickly, Ace shoved the rest of his food in his mouth, barely swallowing before standing. He bowed politely to the two kids, who were in marine uniforms.

"Banks bo tollin' me abo' my brotho' I'm gla he okay!" Ace spoke with his mouthful. Turning he slung an arm around Kepi's shoulder leading her away, through the thinning crowd. Kepi heard Thatch say something else to the kids before Ace began talking to her.

"Where to?"

"Ah, my room."

"Alrighty then!" They chatted briefly as they made their way through the ship. If they noticed how nervous she was, they didn't show it. When they reached the door, Kepi paused in front of it staring at it for a second. This room, while being the smallest room she had ever slept in, was home to her, and she was going to have to leave. Sighing, she pushed open the door.

"Come on in." And so they did, making themselves comfortable. Kepi began to pace around the room, trying to think of a way to begin. Looking over her shoulder the three commanders communicated with their eyes.

"You know, when I have something to get off my chest, I usually just blurt it out. It's kind of like ripping off a band aid." Blinking, Kepi looked up at them for a second. She opened her mouth and closed it, before visibly screwing up her courage.

"I am a Tenryuubito." The three commanders blinked, looking at her. She stood on the opposite end of the small room from them, her shoulders back in a defensive position, head held high, daring them to judge her. Slowly Thatch smiled, then he beamed. Turning to Marco, who was leaning against the wall near the door, Thatch laughed.

"Pay up, sucker! I was so right!" Marco frowned at him before fishing around in his sash and coming up with a few bills. Kepi stared at them confused. Turning to her, Thatch waved the bills he just received.

"I thought you were one, I just couldn't prove it, so I made a bet with Marco. I won, obviously." Now she was openly gaping at him. Slowly she looked at Marco who nodded.

"Doesn't matter. Like I said before - you're family, and family comes before everything else." Kepi blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to will away the tears. Turning slowly, she looked at Ace, who was staring very intently at her.

"I'm not going to lie - I really don't like the Tenryuubito," Kepi flinched, "but your family, and that makes you better. Don't worry so much. You're trying to change them, aren't you?" She blinked looking at him, before nodding slowly.

"How did you know?"

"Well, I might have gone through your things once, and saw a mask, or something. Plus it wasn't that hard to figure out. How many lightning type devil fruits are out there?" He smiled brightly up at her from where he was lounging on the bed.

"Right."

"So you told us this because…? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did, but it kinda' came out of nowhere." Thatch spoke again, pocketing his belli.

"I am leaving." That got their attention. All three of their gazes sharpened causing her to shift uncomfortably in her corner of the room.

"Why? You're family, you can't just leave!" Thatch exclaimed, voice raised in agitation.

"Yeah, who am I going to get that has the figurative balls to prank Marco!" Ace spoke asked, ignoring the glare he received from the aforementioned commander.

"I'm sorry guys. I have to go do this because it is my dream. If it would help any, you may think of it as a mission that Pops is sending me on. Like the one you have coming up, right Thatch? Only mine will be a little longer, it might take a few years. But once I have achieved my dream, I'll come sail with you guys again, okay?! And it's not like I won't be talking to you ever again, I'll send letters, and maybe on occasion I'll be able to call, and maybe… I.. could…" Kepi trailed off sniffing, rubbing her arm over her eyes.

"Right. It isn't forever, we'll see each other again. Besides, what kind of family would we be if we took away your chance of achieving your dream?" Marco spoke up into the silence following Kepi's tearful speech. Nodding he pushed himself off the wall and walked over to her. Reaching out, he pulled her into a hug, gently ruffling her hair.

"Come back sometime, and we'll go flying together again, alright?" Kepi nodded into his shoulder. Marco pulled away and Thatch pulled her into a hug.

"Just remember, you've got to eat your veggies, all of them! We won't be there to make sure you do, so you'll have to look after yourself on that part, okay?" Thatch's voice wavered a little before he pulled back. Ace quickly took his place, throwing one arm over her shoulder, only giving her a fond look, no words needed.

"You're going with gramps ain't cha?" Kepi nodded at his sudden question. "Well, he left about ten minutes ago, so you might want to hurry so you can catch up." Kepi blinked up at him, before squeaking and rushing over to her bag, pushing some of her wayward items into it.

"He left! I can't believe he left!" She called out. It took her under five minutes to pack everything. Standing over her bag she took a deep breath and let it out before turning to the three commanders she had shoved out the door so she could pack. Pulling her bag on she adjusted the straps a second before looking them in the eye.

"Will you let everyone else know? I… I don't just want to leave, but I need to go, so could you?"

"Of course."

"Sure thing."

"They'll understand." Came their replies. Nodding she pushed past them out the door heading for the deck.

"I'm just going to say buy to Pops, then I'll head out." Without looking back, she walked with her head held high.

Up on deck…

"Hey Pops." Kepi spoke softly as she stood in front of the giant man. He looked down at her over the rim of his sake bowl. Seeing it, she scowled.

"Didn't the nurses say that you are not supposed to have so much sake?"

"Ah, you must be one of my children." He said, chuckling at her inquiry.

"I pity Marco." Came her reply.

"So you're heading out?" She nodded. Whitebeard reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

"This is a vivre card for one of the sailors on Garp's marine vessel. You know how to follow it right?" She nodded again, gently taking the paper and placing it in the palm of her hand, watching as it tugged towards the open sea. Closing her fist around it, she shoved it into her pocket. Looking up at him, she paused for a second before coming to a decision. She raised her arms up at him. He stared down at her in slight confusion, before understanding dawned in his eyes. Chuckling softly he reached down and picked her up, causing the nearby crew members to pause in what they were doing and stare.

"Thank you, thank you for catching me." She whispered softly, wrapping her arms as far around his neck as possible.

"Ah, it was no trouble, couldn't let a storm destroy itself." She smiled slightly. Pulling back from the hug, Whitebeard gently set her on the deck. She walked over to the side of the ship, where by now a large portion of the crew had gathered looking confused, but knowing she was doing something important.

"Just watch everyone! I'll be a storm that will change this world!" She laughed, looking at their confused faces, before taking a running leap, changing forms as she went. She flew fast away from the ship, hearing their cheers taper off as she flew out of range. She wanted to achieve her dream so she could get back to her family. She couldn't wait to see them again.

Alright, Alright, I know all of you are ready to kill me, I know I haven't updated in so long, but life has been catching up with me and I've been stuck in another fandom for a while (ff7, whoot!) I also know this ending is kind of sudden, but I was going to have it be that way from the beginning. In and out like a storm and all that.

There will be a epilogue! So don't worry on that front. It has been an amazing experience writing for you guys, and I always enjoy receiving feedback, so be sure to review.

Also check out my short fic Ace wants you to know, I've been told it's good and full of feels, so yay.

Idk if I'm going to write another One Piece fanfic, I know I'm not going to right away so don't get your hopes up too high on that front, but I might try another fandom (and yes, it'll probably be ff7) But I really hope you enjoyed this. Lots of love

- Dragonfire1237