ASL reset

by fantasy is everything

Destiny and their respective choices threw them on vastly different paths, yet there was never a bond as strong as the one forged by sake and an oath. Even after reaching this goal, Monkey D. Luffy could not lie down and rest easily. And that was how the three brothers embarked on a new adventure – an adventure unlike any you've heard about before!

11. The moving island

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. (But my characters are my own!)

xXx

Names without a description have been mentioned in the story because I don't like to use nameless grunts. In my opinion, it would be rather unrealistic for commanders not to know the names of their subordinates. As such, that list may grow as the story goes on, but these characters probably won't rise to any particular significance. (Unless one of their designs turn out to be particularly well received.)

Original crew :

Francis:

First mate of the Devilspawn pirates, formerly a captain in his own right. Fights using knives, usually partners with his best friend Goode. Orange hair, golden eyes, fairly tall (Think Bill of the Silver Pirate Alliance just with short, lighter hair – I watched this arc only after I'd already designed Francis, and that was pretty much how I'd pictured him).

Confident leader with a good sense for humour, also a very pragmatic thinker. Has recently rediscovered his passion for art.

Finn:

The youngest of the original crew, joined Francis' crew barely three months earlier. Rather insecure, hadn't developed any particular fighting style by the time ASL took over. Tall, lanky at the beginning, but quickly filling out muscle; black, spiky hair, bright blue eyes (if you've ever read Percy Jackson – Finn's practically how I'd imagine a male Thalia – without the emo clothing).

After quite a few difficulties, Finn's finally become the second commander, slowly growing into his new position and his new Devil Fruit.

First to quickly grow close to his new captains, partly due to proximity of age. His idol, however, is Francis.

Ivy:

A short woman in her mid-twenties, the crew's most talented sniper. She joined Francis' crew about four years ago, but due to her shyness, she only grew close to a few of the other members (particularly Goode and Finn). Emerald green hair in a pixie cut, brown eyes, usually wears fancy guns at her hips.

Since Ivy's sister Zandra blames her for their father's suicide, they've barely spoken since they joined Francis' crew. The rift between them is currently causing her quite a bit of trouble.

Goode:

Francis' best friend, formerly the first mate of their crew. Has been on Francis's side ever since his friend had a fight with his father. Fights using two swords, currently the most talented swordsman of the crew. Pretty tall, muscular, tanned, short blonde hair, heavily scarred (think Stephen Lang in Avatar with a charming personality).

Sarcastic, likes to make jokes at other people's cost, but is usually tactful enough. Also works as the ship's head cook.

Zandra:

Ivy's younger sister, also a sniper, if not quite as talented. Fairly tall, wears her emerald green hair long.

Zandra mostly keeps apart from the crew, always seeming unhappy. Without being prompted, she's rarely seen speaking to anyone.

Beckett:

The crew's current head doctor, a stocky man in his mid-forties. He tends rant about the idiocy of his crewmates and doesn't understand the recklessness of many of their fights. Spends most of his time researching in his office.

Dante:

The crew's head navigator. Has been with Francis from the beginning. He's rarely seen during the day due to his sensitive skin (suffers from albinism). His white, wavy hair reaches to his chin; when he's outside, he wears a large, fancy hat that shadows his entire face (like Hawkeye's, just larger).

Not a fighter, but brilliant when it comes to his field of expertise. Also diligently writes the crew's log. His most prominent character trait is constantly being annoyed.

First unit – Azure (24 members):

Azure:

Former captain of the Austin pirates, fairly young for his position (around 20). Prefers close combat, can stop anything in its tracks by touching it (Devil Fruit power). Peculiar appearance – white skin, black eyes, sharp nails, dark blue hair that falls straight to his chin.

Azure's character is rather closed off, rarely shows emotions, though Luffy tends to be an exception to that rule. His father was killed by Garp after declaring his intention to become the Pirate King. He's currently very torn over his future in the crew.

Amaryllis:

Cook of the Austin pirates, talented swordswoman fighting with one sword. Rather doll-like appearance, blond, curly hair worn in a ponytail, blue eyes, a bit taller in height than Ivy.

Quite motherly and soft-spoken, but with quite the stubborn streak. She saved Azure's life and nursed him back to health after his father was killed.

Tristian

Second unit – Finn (18 members):

Cameron

Grady

Becca

xXx

For a short summary of the first eight chapters, check out chapter 9. From there onwards, each chapter has a short flashback to its predecessor.

As the crew still fights at the Marine Base G-9, Finn is on guard duty for the ship, anxiously waiting for his friends' return. However, not everything on the ship is calm and peaceful, either. Finn encounters Zandra, usually cold and very much sober, for some inexplicable reason so drunk she can hardly walk in a straight line.

The next day, Smoker says good-bye to the still demolished base and his previous life as an upstanding Marine. Upon first entering the deck, a number of surprises have already been waiting for him – from a bear playing chess to accepting three brats as his captains, his life is certainly not getting easier.

Azure wakes up a few days after the battle against his father's killer. Despite a heartfelt talk with Ace, whose history with Garp is far more chequered than Azure knows, he can't decide his next course of action. A tiny part of him contemplates exploiting the relationship between his captains and the Vice-Admiral.

Meanwhile, Francis is despairing while trying to relax by drawing. Between Finn and Law bickering, Law and Ace bickering, Law's sensible but still head-ache inducing proposal, Ace and Sabo bickering … well, you catch his drift. That Luffy once again decides to take off without the rest of the crew (his brothers excluded) barely rattles his composure. When the island their captains landed on disappears in the ocean, though, Francis is very tempted to follow, though.

Ace hardly has an easier time than Francis once he lands on the moving island, though. One by one, his brothers disappear although there aren't any lifeforms on this island that Ace can detect. Until suddenly, the ground gives way underneath him, and he finds himself staring into the face of a very familiar cyborg.

xXx

Chapter 11: The moving island

Luffy felt like he was close to bursting.

Fortunately, he'd made the glorious decision to eat the Gomu Gomu no Mi when he was seven, and as such, a gruesome disaster like that didn't happen to him easily. His stretchy skin saw to that.

Almost as if he'd suddenly remembered his ability, he stretched his arms towards the faraway neck of his nakama, clinging to him like a little monkey. "Hey, Franky! What happens when I push your nose?" he asked excitedly, his grin stretching almost to the edges of his face.

"My nose?" Franky asked, tilting his head slightly to look up at Luffy. He scratched the side of the metal contraption, apparently deep in thought. "You're absolutely right," he finally replied, sounding as if he'd had an epiphany. "It should totally do something! It could shoot acid, or cola, or …"

"Or fire!" Luffy butted in enthusiastically.

But Franky immediately shook his head. "No, no," he said regretfully, "I can already spit fire. That would be boring."

Luffy moved his hands from Franky's neck to the collar of his shirt to improve his hold, pressing his cheek against his nakama's. "What about lasers?" he suggested cheerfully.

Franky hummed thoughtfully, tapping his index finger against his chin. "I'm saving that for my belly button. Or my eyes. I'm still conflicted," he explained. "Would look weird coming from the nose, don't cha think?"

"You should change your hairstyle!" Luffy finally suggested, though he did feel a little guilty for stealing his nakama's idea and selling it as if it were his own. It didn't really matter, though. Soon enough, Franky'd know the truth, anyways.

"AOW! You're a genius, Strawhat-bro!" Franky announced happily, lifting his sunglasses to reveal his downright glowing eyes.

Luffy was just as over the moon. "You called me Strawhat! You're awesome!" This was the first time in his entire second life that somebody had actually used his proper epithet. Even if it hurt a bit to hear Franky addressing him so impersonally. "You should totally join my crew!"

"Your crew?" Franky asked with surprise, before falling quiet for a seemingly long time. His eyes wandered from where they'd been fixed at Luffy's grinning face, to Sabo, who'd just helped Ace stand up. "Oh," the blue-haired cyborg said, dumbfounded. Ace still looked a bit dazed whilst under scrutiny. "OH," he repeated, worry suddenly etched onto his face.

"Oh?" Luffy echoed, disconcerted by Franky's sudden turn to seriousness. It was never a good sign when Franky got serious. While he had always played the role of an older brother amongst their crew of predominately teenagers, he'd always done so in his own lovable, over-the-top manner.

When he was too worried to forget about the drama and the special effects, that's when Luffy knew they were truly in deep shit.

Distantly, the sound of footsteps approaching reached Luffy's ears. Finally, Franky's eyes moved on from his older brother's face, flitting towards the slightly ajar, metal door before quickly returning to Sabo. "You, take off your jacket and give it to your brother," he hurriedly whispered.

"What?" Sabo asked incredulously. Luffy absolutely agreed with his confusion, but if Franky thought it was a good idea …

"Do it," Franky hissed, not commenting on Luffy's encouraging nods. "And you," he added, turning towards Ace, "give me your hat. And if I even see a lick of fire, you're dead."

Ace looked positively dumbfounded when he took his hat off his dark hair, obviously reluctant to let go off it. While none of his brothers were as attached to their hats as Luffy was to his precious treasure, it had turned into a vital part of their appearance over the years.

Seeing Ace's hesitance, Luffy quickly whispered, "We can trust Franky, Ace. He'll take good care of your hat." The elder raven sighed but did as Franky had told him to.

Immediately, the blue-haired cyborg opened his stomach and stuffed the orange hat amongst his cola bottles. All three of the brothers cringed. Hopefully, it wouldn't get dented too bad. "Put on your goggles," Franky finally directed at Sabo as he shut the small door again.

"Seriously?" the blonde muttered under his breath but complied as well.

Luffy barely stifled his giggle at the sight of his brothers. Ace looked perfectly uncomfortable wearing Sabo's jacket, fidgeting constantly as he played with the sleeves that barely reached his wrists. Sabo, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind actually wearing his goggles for once, but somehow, his eyes looked ridiculously large now.

"Shut up, Luffy," Ace growled, awkwardly crossing his arms. "Why doesn't he have to do anything stupid?" he added petulantly, glowering at their future shipwright.

Franky seemed to think for a second, once again looking at Luffy. "Button up your shirt later," he finally conceded, much to the chagrin of the two elder brothers. He shrugged at their betrayed glares, though thankfully gently enough not to dislodge Luffy. "He's young enough not to be recognised."

Just as understanding dawned on Ace's face and Luffy dismissed the comment as too layered to consider further, the footsteps reached their little room. The jarring sound of metal against metal effectively gained the attention of the entire room. Somebody should really get to greasing those hinges.

"Oi, Franky! Why the hell are we underwater?"

That woman sure was dirty. Her hands looked more black than they showed the actual colour of her skin, though it appeared to be fairly light if her forearms were any indication. However, even there, oil stains formed a random pattern. At some point, she must have brushed a strand of her dark hair from her face as a streak of greasy dark marred her otherwise pale cheek.

Luffy opened his mouth to state his observation, but a loud clang cut him off as the woman hit her spanner against the metal door. "You nearly made me explode my bike!" she complained loudly.

"'S not like you can use a bike in here," Franky criticised. Judging from the exasperated look he received in return, it wasn't the first time they had that conversation. "Anyways, I …"

"It's going to drive on water, dumbass," the woman interrupted, the look on her face turning superior. "But I can understand that your poor brain can't possibly grasp the awesomeness of what I'm building. After all, you're limited to cola," she added derisively.

However, Franky didn't look fazed in the slightest. "Cola is the drink of the gods, sis," he countered sagely. "Whatever you're building can't ever measure up to the Battle Franky 36!" Proudly, he pointed his thumb at himself.

Luffy quickly added a thumbs-up and a convincing grin himself.

The woman blinked. "Who's the brat?" she asked, apparently only now noticing Luffy's presence. After a quick scan of the room, she amended, "What's with the brats?"

"It's such a sad story," Franky started dramatically. "They were kidnapped by pirates; can you believe it? They were held captive for days until they finally managed to break out of their cells and bravely took a lifeboat to our island! The pirate ship was just starting to catch up when they reached our shores. We can –"

"So that's why we took a dive," the dark-haired woman cut in again, a fierce frown on her face. "Fucking scumbags. Now they're even going after defenceless kids." She mussed up Ace's hair with a gentle hand, but his older brother still didn't seem to appreciate the gesture much and ducked away quickly, matching the woman's glare. Luffy giggled again. "No worries, kids. We're going to protect you from those assholes."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Franky continued, for some reason looking vaguely annoyed. Luffy was still clueless about what exactly was going on but decided to follow Franky's lead and tightened his grip on his nakama's clothes again. "Look at the poor lads, they're traumatised!"

Luffy's confusion skyrocketed when Franky petted his head as if he was some lost dog. Still, he snuggled closer to his nakama while the frown on Ace's face darkened even further.

It was Sabo that completely stole the show, though, picking up whatever complicated clues Luffy couldn't be bothered to figure out. "It was so terrifying!" he bawled, crocodile tears dropping from his eyes. "I-I thought they were going to kill us … or … or torture us … or," he stuttered, his shoulders shaking. "And they wouldn't even give us anything to eat. I thought we were going to die!" The last wail was already muffled by the woman's chequered shirt as she drew the blonde boy into a hug.

"Shh, it's going to be okay," she whispered comfortingly. "We're going to watch over you, I promise." Sabo gave a thumbs-up behind her back, before faking another sob. Franky grinned. Luffy tilted his head, hoping the world would make sense again. Since when did Sabo cry so easily? And what was he even talking about? Goode's food was great! Almost as good as Sanji's!

"I figured I'd go look for a room for them next," Franky suggested. Luffy was certainly looking forward to it if it meant that the woman would leave them alone and everyone would stop acting like crazy again. "Maybe you –"

"I'll go to the kitchens and tell the cooks to prepare extra big and delicious meals for them," she agreed, completely ignoring that Franky hadn't finished his sentence. By now, Luffy was sure he wasn't imagining Franky's left eye and foot twitching in irritation. "And maybe I'll look for some clothes, too," she added, eyeing Ace's attire critically.

"Yosh! Let's do that, then!" Franky agreed far too enthusiastically, a grin on his face. On second thought, though, it sounded like he was gritting his teeth.

Upon seeing Ace's pissed grimace, the cyborg quickly tried to usher them out of the room. Unfortunately, the woman wouldn't quite let that happen, yet. "Wait! What're your names, kids?" she asked, slowly easing up the embrace a teary-eyed Sabo was still captured in.

Luffy grinned. "I'm –"

"That's Luffy," Franky cut in hurriedly. "He's the youngest. The other two are Tom," he pointed at Ace, before nodding at Sabo, "and … Flam."

"Flam?" the woman asked curiously, looking at the blonde in front of her. Sabo sniffled. "That's one weird name, huh?"

"Oi, it's not his fault his parents gave him that name!" Franky shouted, sounding insulted. "Don't blame the poor kid for something out of his control!" Luffy couldn't help but snicker. He didn't understand why Franky gave his brothers different names, but his nakama's reactions were still worth gold.

"Geez, don't get your knickers in a twist, big guy," the woman snapped, rolling her eyes. "I'm Jemima. I'm in charge around here, so don't hesitate to come find me if you need anything," she added, her tone warm and inviting. "Enjoy your stay on Gem Island." And with those words, she was gone, the footsteps once again retreating into the distance.

Franky exhaled carefully as soon as they were alone in the room. "Alright, crisis averted," he muttered, before grinning brightly again. "Let's get going, eh, brats?"

"Hold on just a second," Sabo growled, suddenly in front of the door. Irritatedly, he took off his goggles, wiping his eyes. "If I'm gonna be the crybaby, at least I want to know why." With a swift movement, the door fell shut behind him, confining the four to the small room.

"How did you …" Franky started, looking from the spot Sabo'd occupied just a second before to the door where he stood now with a mixture of awe and wariness.

"Judging from your actions before, I'm sure you've figured out who we are," Sabo said darkly. "You'd do best not to underestimate us. So, start talking."

"Stop it, Sabo!" Luffy frowned and jumped down from Franky's back immediately. Another quick step and he was in between the two, glaring at his blonde brother. "Don't threaten Franky."

"Luffy," Sabo snapped, surprisingly irritated. Luffy's frown deepened. What was going on with his brother? "We don't know where we are. We don't know what's going on. We don't know how to get out of here." Each sentence had the force of a hammer. "But he does."

"I know you don't want to get on his bad side, but right now, I don't care." Luffy's fist clenched in warning as Sabo continued pushing buttons he should know not to touch. "We need information. And I'm willing to do what needs to be done."

"You won't touch Franky." The air turned a bit thinner in the room, sweat drops appeared on the foreheads of the other occupants as Luffy directed a tiny fraction of his Conqueror's Haki at his brother. Just enough to show he meant business because that was apparently all Sabo cared about. "You're my brother, but you won't touch Franky."

"Now, now, guys, there's no need to …" Luffy barely heard the cyborg's attempted intervention. What did reach his ears, though, was Ace's voice.

"Luffy." Ace's frown from before had disappeared, his expression soft as his eyes wandered from one brother to the other. "Come here." Luffy didn't move an inch.

The elder raven sighed tiredly. "Tone it down a bit, Sabo. Franky's been a great help so far. Let's not do him a disservice." Sabo's frown didn't disappear, but his glare did lessen a bit. Eyeing his brother with a wariness he detested, Luffy eased up his own stance.

"Luffy," Ace repeated, his tone more forceful this time. "Come here." With a last glare at his blonde brother, Luffy finally followed his request. As soon as he was within reach, Ace drew him into his arms, his mouth finding his left ear.

"You were gone, Luffy," Ace whispered quietly. "We were running across the entire island trying to find you, but you were gone." His right hand trembled against Luffy's skin, his grip tightening a moment after. "We thought we'd lost you."

"Ace …" Luffy started, but he didn't know what he could say that could comfort his brother. He remembered looking for Ace and turning up empty, back on Snowmelt. He remembered holding his brother's battered body in his arms, warm blood coating his fingers. He remembered …

"Cut Sabo some slack, okay?" Ace continued, his voice small. "We'll make sure he doesn't overdo it, but that's just how he deals, you know. He talks shit. Just like I burn stuff. And you …"

"And I stop eating," Luffy muttered. Slowly, he eased out of Ace's hug. "I understand that. I do." He stood up and walked towards the silent stand-off between Franky and Sabo. Without a word, he took his blonde brother's hand and tugged him down to the ground, settling in his lap.

After a few long, tense seconds, he felt Sabo relax slightly, draping his arms around the younger raven. Luffy smiled gently, then grinned up at Francis brightly. "Hey, Franky! You can tell us about this island, right?"

Franky scrutinized the pair for a moment, his expression unreadable, before nodding. "I suppose that I will. On one condition." When Luffy tilted his head questioningly, the cyborg continued, "That you'll take me with you when you leave."

xXx

"I'm telling you. It was him! I saw him!"

"Oh, please, just can it. We've been over this. None of us have a clear memory of what happened that night. It was pure chaos."

"All the bits and pieces we know, though, indicate that it was indeed him. Especially if we take the captain's actions into account. I might not have been there that night; but the captain was. I'd trust his knowledge over vague excuses any day."

"Azure was traumatised. He still won't talk about what happened even with us! I trust our commander as much as any of you, but on this topic, he's unreliable! He's volatile! We cannot rely on his knowledge, especially if he won't share it with us!"

"Trust him as much as any of us – bullshit. You won't even call him captain anymore! He's the one Austin chose to lead us in his stead, not one of those monster brats!"

"Don't you dare –"

"Damn right! They –"

"What are you –"

As the argument escalated, the thin, translucent cloud of smoke moved on.

"Go to sleep, Francis."

"I'm trying."

"Oh, so you're trying to fall asleep standing? Sheesh, I'm sorry for not realising that. It's the most normal thing in the world!"

"It is for Ace. Though I guess he falls asleep when he's eating more often than not."

"That's because my food's the stuff of dreams." A slight pause followed. "For God's sake, stop pacing, Francis, or I'll chop off your legs and feed them to you."

The pacing stopped abruptly, ending in a heavy sigh. "What if they're not back tomorrow?"

"Then we'll go to the next island. Ace has his own log pose, so they'll get there, too. We've discussed this."

"But what if they drowned? We know nothing about the island or whatever it was. Both Ace and Luffy can't swim. What if they were on the island's surface when it sunk?"

"Sabo. Was. With them. He can swim, and he can swim well. He wouldn't have let them drown."

"But what if –"

"Go to sleep before I knock you out."

Smoker lit two cigars and took a deep drag.

Compared to the time he'd spent here so far, it was unusually loud for this time of the night. Of course, that was rather unsurprising if the events of the days were considered.

It was ridiculous. Those three boys were ridiculous. What kind of captain left his crew behind to reach a new island faster? It was so utterly thoughtless Smoker hadn't been able to believe his eyes in the first few seconds after it had happened.

No matter how incredible it was, those three boys were the strongest fighters in a crew that could otherwise only barely be considered ready for the Grand Line. While Smoker was fairly sure that if they were attacked now, they would still be able to survive the battle, they would surely not leave it unscathed.

Not to mention that their hierarchy of command was completely shot now. This was a crew that was used to having three captains – captains that didn't wave their position of power in everyone's faces, true, but they still took responsibility for everything.

Now, this all rested on the shoulders of one man – Francis. And it appeared the man felt ill-prepared to suddenly handle all that responsibility, if the conversation Smoker had just overheard was any indication.

Smoker couldn't really blame him. He certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for this ragtag group of pirates right now, even if they hadn't been criminals. The crew was split. There were so many different people, so many different issues clashing together that Smoker had been surprised for the first few days that this crew even existed.

As always when there was a larger gathering of people, there were groups. Some were still beginning to form, others were long-established. That was not a bad thing in and of itself – it was simply human nature. And as long as there was something holding the separate factions together, it wouldn't harm the crew in the long run.

However, … Tiny flakes of ash crumbled on Smoker's blue pants. Tiredly, he leant back against the railing and looked up at the clouded sky. The ocean stretched out around him, black and ominous, not a single twinkle of light disturbing the shadow of the night.

However, the first unit had just experienced a considerable emotional upheaval. Their commander was out of commission for the very same reason the members were arguing amongst themselves. For however much time they'd spent on the crew in harmony, now, disagreements were frequent.

Smoker, of course, could hardly judge just how much the situation had changed since the events on Snowmelt. He'd only joined the crew three days ago. But maybe it was that unique position as an outsider that allowed him to assess the situation more objectively than any of the others on the ship were doing.

The second unit, the unit he was a part of, was another story entirely. While the first unit was united by their shared history and their tragic past, the second unit lacked that cohesion, lacked true bonds that held them together even in the wildest storms. So it wasn't very surprising that factions were starting to form, no matter how slowly and hesitatingly still.

From what Smoker had managed to figure out during the short time he'd been here, these pirates had joined the crew out of gratitude. They'd been swept up by some grand action the three brothers had performed on their first island, and by the expectations that followed them simply due to Gol D. Roger's reputation. But now, the reality of just what it meant to be a part of the Pirate Prince's crew was starting to catch up to them.

And that was really the crux of the matter. Over the course of only two months, this crew had fought against three Vice-Admirals, even though they were just starting their journey. It should come as no surprise that anyone with a lick of sense and without a distinct and powerful fighting style would start thinking about running in the other direction.

Smoker looked pensively at the sky when a thin waft of cloud allowed the light of the crescent moon to illuminate the ship. It wasn't the first night he'd spent restless on deck. Not that it was exactly a surprise that he felt ill at ease on a pirate ship, even one as unconventional as this one. Still, he was accustomed to fighting the people who were now his crewmates, who he was supposed to trust so implicitly he would have no problem sharing a cabin with them.

What on earth had possessed Luffy to invite him onto the crew? Smoker had pondered that question countless times, had gone even so far to ask the brat directly since he'd made a mission of searching out Smoker during the last few days. "'Cause you're a good guy," he'd said with that mysteriously broad grin of his, "and good guys shouldn't work for the bad guys."

It was statements like these that made Smoker wonder just exactly how much Luffy knew about was going on in the world. To most people, Smoker had just joined the bad guys. However, the former captain knew that not everything in the Marine Corps was as it was supposed to be, and it had been something of a goal of his to steer his fellows back onto the path of justice, no matter how daunting and rocky that path had seemed.

Then again, Luffy was the son of Dragon the Revolutionary. He couldn't help but wonder just how much influence the illusive man had had on the boy's childhood, even if Garp had told him that Dragon had given Luffy to him to raise. But after only a few days on deck, Smoker had honest doubts that there had been no contact between father and son at all.

The mysterious blonde, whose origin and background no doubt still caused no end of headaches in the high echelons of the Marines, was pretty suspect in this area as well. Oh, he'd heard a few stories about Sabo – son of a noble, had apparently met Ace in the slums in front of their town, had been adopted into the family a while later.

Of course, it was possible that the story was true, but Smoker was almost certain there was more to it. It wasn't exactly a secret that the Revolutionary Army recruited people of all ages, and Sabo's very vocal views on nearly every political and societal problem, his commanding attitude as well as the stories of his past actions definitely indicated an extensive education that would not be available to a runaway noble. Not to mention the fact that he managed to keep up with two children of incredible heritage with little to no trouble.

It said a lot about the trio that were his captains that Ace, the one whose history had intrigued Smoker so much he'd ended up jumping ship (albeit reluctantly), actually seemed to be the most normal out of them. In any other crew, he would have been the sensation, but here, Sabo and Luffy presented even bigger mysteries.

There was something weird about all three of the brats. Smoker couldn't quite put his finger on it – they clearly weren't normal, that much anyone could tell by only spending a minute in their presence. No normal kid would be capable of pulling together a variety of people into a pirate crew and succeed at commanding it subsequently.

Smoker reluctantly rose to his feet, determined to at least try to catch up on the sleep he'd missed during the last few nights, even if he wasn't optimistic now that his biggest advocat wasn't here anymore.

It wasn't even their unexplained experience and knowledge of sailing the Grand Line that bugged Smoker so much. Well, yes, it was, but there was also … more to it somehow. It was endlessly frustrating not to be able to pin down the problem with his thoughts, much less words.

If it had just been an experience beyond their age, Smoker would have been able to swallow it somehow. There was an insane world out there, and it wasn't unbelievable that they simply looked younger than they actually were.

But then, there was this mysterious knowledge of the most inane, but very personal details the brats sometimes showed. It was most obvious with Luffy, though he suspected that was because he'd spent the most time in his company so far. "Hey, Smokey, you know some stuff about engineering, right? 'Cause Ace's having some trouble building his boat. D'you think you could help?"

That had been his second day on the ship, and maybe his second conversation with the youngest captain. Otherwise, he'd barely spoken a word before, so it was impossible for anyone to have heard about his hobby. So how had Luffy known about it?

Of course, he'd confronted the young raven about it, but in a manner that he'd come to associate with Luffy by now, the boy had laughed it off and switched the subject so smoothly that Smoker only realised what he'd done later. Yet when Luffy promised a few hours later that they'd get him a motorbike on the next island, this really started to bug him.

Smoker unwittingly came to a stop in front of the captains' cabin on his way down. A strange feeling spread in his stomach as he looked at the closed door. He really shouldn't. It wasn't even likely that they kept anything in this cabin that would point towards an answer to the mystery. After all, it was frequently abused for meetings.

On the other hand, who knew when such an opportunity would arise again? Maybe the captains would be back tomorrow already, and it might be a long time until all three would be off the ship for an extended time period again. So, if there was anything worth finding in there, now would be the golden opportunity to take a peek.

The room was dark, but since Smoker's eyes were already well adjusted to the lack of light during this night, it hardly bothered him.

Even though it was his first time seeing his room, he couldn't help the faint, uncharacteristic smile on his lips. The cabin practically screamed into the world that it housed the three insane captains that had turned Smoker's life on its head.

The walls were painted haphazardly in a multitude of colours, though Smoker couldn't make out their exact shade in the darkness. Had they let Luffy loose in here and just let him do what he wanted? However, he was fairly certain that the young raven had had some help, at least, since he probably wouldn't have painted the room this cleanly.

The sofa in one corner of the room looked so comfortable and homey Smoker had to suppress a yawn. A pity his own cabin didn't make him feel as relaxed as this room did. But still, he didn't forget that he had a purpose in coming here.

Feeling slightly guilty, Smoker went to the cupboard next to the bed, but its contents were fairly disappointing and very chaotic. He was honestly surprised the brats weren't running around naked if they were supposed to find their clothes in this mess.

His glance fell on the ornate chest next to the cupboard, his guilt slowly drowned out by curiosity. Still, he hesitated a bit. Fascination, or in many cases downright obsession with treasure was a core characteristic of the stereotypical pirate parents warned their children about. And if there was one thing Smoker certainly didn't want to become, it was a pirate.

Unfortunately, it might be a bit too late to remind himself of that conviction.

Sighing heavily and wishing that he hadn't just smoked his last cigar, Smoker went down on one knee before the chest and tried to open it. Surprisingly, it wasn't even locked.

However, that might be due to the fact that it wasn't filled to the brim with shining gems and mountains of gold, but instead with carefully stacked journals. Intrigued by the obvious care these books were handled with, Smoker took the one on top. There was no title or any indication who'd written it or what it was about, so he simply opened the first page and started reading.

Ever since I've first seen the mysterious construction on Skypiea, I haven't been able to eradicate the image from my mind. While Ray says that they depict the true history of the world, something in his voice said that there was more to it than that.

It is truly unfortunate that none of our crew are capable of deciphering the strange language that is engraved on them. Even so, I truly hope to once meet the scholars of Ohara on our journey so they, at least, can read the bit of history we've copied down.

But Roger seems to be in no hurry to gather those pieces and bring them together. Though that's not particularly surprising – while he is an impressive character, he is hardly what I would describe to be a scholar, even if he has curiosity in abandon.

Smoker took another one of the journals, opening it in the middle this time.

The fever is worryingly high. If it doesn't break within the night, I will have to start on one of the more drastic procedures, even if he won't like it. I will not risk the captain's life on his stubborn refusal to take it easy and rest for a couple of days.

The following paragraphs described various symptoms and matching procedures in terms that flew way over Smoker's head. Still, he couldn't deny the excitement he felt as he let his gaze roam over the numerous books in the chest. While it wasn't what he had looked for, stories about one of the most famous men in the world was certainly a worthy find as well.

Despite his once again rekindled interest in the Pirate King, Smoker put the two journals back where they belonged. Maybe he would ask Ace whether he could borrow them at some point later, but there was no use wasting time here, now.

He'd almost closed the chest again when his gaze fell on a new-looking journal in the right stack. It was buried beneath two older books, almost as if to avoid detection. A careless, hurried onlooker would have most likely missed it. Heck, Smoker was one such person, apparently, since he almost hadn't spotted it himself.

Now that he had, though, he quickly drew it from the stack. Leafing through the pages, he noticed that most of them were still empty, only a couple of pages in the middle were filled with a messy black scrawl.

What is Raftel? And what is One Piece?

No record from Crocus except castle – why cave? Why doesn't Sabo remember?

Ask Luffy.

Fail. Says he won't ruin the surprise. Probably should've seen that coming.

Does Luffy remember?

Why a wish? Mounts of treasure and a wish? How to use the wish? How did he know what he could wish and what he couldn't? Devil Fruit?

What about Revolution?

"What are you doing in here?" Smoker reflexively slipped the book into the pocket of his jacket before he turned his head to look back at the door, his heart racing. His movements were not a second to late. "Where are the captains? What did you do to them?!"

Smoker let his body dissolve into smoke when the blue-haired man's sharp nails started digging into his throat, immobilising him with his Devil Fruit soon after. The man glared at him hatefully as he struggled. "Fucking Marines," he spat, trying and failing to grasp the smoke that kept him contained. "If you've hurt them, I'll …"

Admittedly, Azure's knowledge of creative curses was quite impressive. Smoker raised both eyebrows a fraction as he scrutinized the allegedly stoic first commander, his former cell mate. If the descriptions he'd heard were normally accurate, maybe he'd underestimated the emotional upheaval the first unit was going through.

This man was one to keep an eye on. After all, this wasn't the first time Smoker'd encountered him – the confrontation between Luffy and Azure in the prison of the G-9 would probably be forever burnt into his brain.

It had been staggering to watch Luffy accept his crewmate's goal without batting an eyelash, even if it put a family member into the line of fire. It had unsettled him to watch how torn he was over his decision. It had … impressed him to see how much the small boy cared about the members of his crew.

Maybe that was part of the reason that he'd truly committed to Garp's suggestion. Because, try as he might to deny it, Monkey D. Luffy was inspiring, and it was an experience to follow him. His next words didn't bother him any less for it, though. "I'm not a Marine anymore," he grumbled, keeping his hold on the first commander steady. "I joined the crew a few days ago."

"Yeah right," Azure snapped, a biting tone in his voice. "As if I'd believe a word out of your mouth."

"I don't give a damn what you believe," Smoker replied impatiently. "The brats went to some moving island, don't know when they'll be back. Ask anyone you like, they'll tell you the same thing." At this time of the night, he seriously wasn't interested in this kind of confrontation, so he left the room, keeping the blue-haired man constrained until he was back at his previous spot, leaning against the railing.

Fortunately, it seemed the first commander had decided to heed his advice since he didn't follow the distinct trail of smoke.

Smoker tilted his head back to face the clouded sky, closing his eyes tiredly.

The book in his pocket seemed to weigh a ton.

xXx

"That hit the spot," Ace murmured reluctantly as he swallowed his last bite of deliciously roasted beef. It wasn't that he didn't want to acknowledge the strange island's cook's skills – no, it was the fact that he had to talk quietly and look all broody and grumpy all the time that pissed him off.

Sabo sent him a watery smile in return that only served to deepen Ace's frown. Well, at least he'd stay in character. "Yeah, it was really good," he confirmed with a soft voice. Shyly, he blinked up at the doe-eyed Jemima who'd spent breakfast with the trio. "I-I'm sorry we ate so much," he stuttered guiltily, looking at the pile of plates that Luffy was aiming to build even higher.

"Don't worry about it, kid," Jemima replied magnanimously. "You're still growing – you need to eat your fill." Her gaze moved towards Luffy for a few dumbfounded seconds. "Though I'm still wondering where he puts it all."

"I think he's always been like that," Sabo explained with a light shrug, edging towards Ace to entangle their greasy hands. Though Ace didn't pull away, he did make sure to glare at the woman. If she weren't here, Sabo wouldn't be forced to act like such a wimp.

Unfortunately, she seemed to interpret his expression as protective and veritably cooed at them. At least that was what it felt like to Ace, even if she didn't actually make a sound. "I'll leave you to finish your breakfast in peace," she fortunately announced in response to their cuddling, "so you can have some more time to adjust. If you want, I can send someone later to show you around?"

"Yeah? Can Franky come?" Luffy asked with a full mouth, but miraculously, Jemima managed to understand his little brother's unintelligible words immediately.

"Franky? Are you sure?" Luffy nodded energetically while Sabo tilted his head curiously – a move that was thankfully familiar and not an act – so Jemima elaborated somewhat hesitantly, "It's just … he's not exactly the norm around here, you know? He's a bit of a … rarity, actually." Her tone didn't exactly suggest a positive kind of exotic.

Of course, Luffy immediately had to defend his crewmate. "Franky's awesome!" It was still something of a mystery to Ace where Luffy managed to find characters like the engineer, not to mention finding him twice in two entirely separate locations. If he had a more romantic approach to life, he might have called Franky becoming Luffy's shipwright fate.

"Yeah," Jemima reluctantly agreed, though it only appeared to serve as an appeasement, "he does have some … unique qualities." She sighed. "But I suppose if you feel more comfortable with him, I can go see if he has the time."

Finally, after accepting loud cheering from Luffy and a small smile from Sabo, the dark-haired engineer stepped out, shutting the heavy door behind her. Sabo started banging his head against Ace's shoulder. "I feel you," Ace muttered, closing his eyes exasperatedly.

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed when he'd finished the last piece of chicken on the table. "You're both so funny!"

Sadly, Luffy had long since become immune to any sort of hostile attention, so he cheerfully continued munching on a piece of honeydew melon when his brothers simultaneously glared at him. "Shut up," Ace growled, barely refraining from reaching out to strangle the younger raven. "Just. Shut up. This is so unfair."

"No, it isn't," Luffy insisted, nodding in what Ace feared was supposed to be a sage manner. The day Luffy would start acting wise was the day the world came to its comical end. "I'm a kid. I don't know anything about inspiration."

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Ace wondered if he should punch his frighteningly inspiring brother now or later. "You mean infiltration, Luffy," Sabo amended. "And that's a lie."

Once again, Luffy laughed. Ace got the feeling that there was a story he hadn't been told yet. "I still suck at it, though," he admitted, starting to lick one of the empty plates clean.

"Language," Ace chided good-naturedly, sending Luffy an amused grin after he'd yawned tiredly. Now, if only he didn't have to wear a shirt, this morning would be perfect. Even if he'd somewhat gotten used to it again during his second childhood, now that he had his Devil Fruit powers again, he felt less and less desire to put up with unnecessary layers of clothing. "Can I have my hand back?" he asked Sabo, though, instead of complaining.

"Nope," Sabo informed him stubbornly, his head still propped up on Ace's shoulder. "I still need it as a hostage."

"Excuse me?" Ace immediately asked incredulously, feeling somewhat wary as to what exactly Sabo was up to now.

"I said, I need it as …" The following words blurred together to an amalgam of strange sounds. Ace blinked slowly, trying to concentrate hard, even though he knew it was futile. A few seconds later, his head fell forward, and darkness engulfed him.

…

An indeterminate amount of time later, he woke up on a soft, fluffy surface, entangled in limbs that didn't belong to him and noisy snoring that was as familiar to him as his fire. "That was pretty careless of you, falling asleep in a hostage situation," a voice to his right commented.

Ace glared at Sabo, his momentary confusion over the change in position dissipated. "What. Precisely. Are you talking about?" Ace asked frigidly, his expression turning incredulous when he looked at his captured hand. "What," he deadpanned. He was slowly losing faith in his brother's sanity. "Just – what, Sabo."

Sabo pouted. "You would've tried to escape the 'Ace needs a hug' session otherwise," he defended himself. Sometimes, Ace really hated his narcolepsy, but he was decidedly too lazy to take pills every day, or, God forbid, nap at regular intervals. Napping was for pansies.

However, it did mean that his brothers had decided that his indisposition meant he was a perfect pranking victim. "So, you shackled me with seastone. Seriously," he remarked disbelievingly. "And what do you mean I need a hug? I don't need a hug! I'm fine!" It might have been a bit more believable if he hadn't said that through gritted teeth.

If Ace hadn't seen the mirth dancing across Sabo's eyes, his blonde brother would have looked genuinely worried as he patted Ace's hand which was bound to his own. "You're grumpy and moody all the time, and you don't talk much," he noted matter-of-factly. "It's okay, Ace. You can let it all out."

Ace's left eye twitched. "It's my character, you dumbass!" he bellowed. How could he ever have thought that Luffy was annoying? Sabo was insufferable.

As if he'd heard his complimentary thoughts, Luffy yawned heartily, snuggling into Ace's chest. "Why are you shouting, Ace? I had such a nice dream," he complained drowsily.

Luffy was something of a phenomenon when it came to sleeping. While he didn't have narcolepsy, exactly, he could have a narcoleptic fit like the best of them. However, strangely enough, he only had them when another narcoleptic (that is, Ace or Garp) was present. Luffy unsurprisingly called them mystery naps. "I'm sorry, Lu," Ace murmured softly when a devilish thought crossed his mind. "What did you dream about?"

"Meat!" Luffy announced predictably, veritably drooling as he described the extravagant feast he'd just participated in in his dream. "I'm huuungry," he finally moaned, pouting adorably.

Hugging his little brother with his free, unshackled hand, Ace agreed whole-heartedly, "Yeah, I could use some meat, too! Let's go look for the kitchen!"

"But you just ate," Sabo protested, keeping Ace firmly attached to the bed with their connected hands while also grabbing Luffy's arm.

"Did you hear something?" Ace asked innocently, feigning confusion.

Luffy blinked at him owlishly, before replying with childlike naïveté, "Sabo said that we just ate. But it must've been hours ago!"

As if Luffy'd pushed a button, Ace's expression turned pensive. "What's a Sabo? Sounds like a dumbass," he remarked, expertly ignoring the blonde's simultaneous protest that they'd had breakfast half an hour ago.

It filled Ace with pride that Luffy only looked confused for a second, before nodding in agreement. When it came to pranking, Luffy could be downright quick on the uptake. "It is. But every ship needs its dumbass, and Sabo's brilliant at it."

"Oi!" Sabo complained futily.

Ace nodded sagely. "Only the best for the Pirate King." Instantly, he was rewarded with a brilliant grin from his little brother. "You'll have to introduce me to that Sabo sometime." He paused pensively for a second, a terrified expression settling on his face. "On second thought, don't. I wouldn't want to catch the idiocy."

"Don't you mean the dumbassity?" Luffy suggested, thinking hard.

"Okay, fine! Fine! I'll unshackle you!" Sabo shouted, fumbling with the key. "Just stop ignoring me, bastards," he cursed.

Ace held up his freed hand with a victorious smile, fist bumping Luffy with his other hand. 546:37. For Sabo, and only when it came to verbal combat, but whatever. That meant every single win counted.

"You guys are just pure comedy, aren't you?" Franky commented, having followed the spectacle for the last few minutes from the doorway. After Sabo's attitude from yesterday, this scene had to seem downright surreal to the cyborg.

"Franky!" Ace was not jealous. It did not bother him at all that Luffy immediately abandoned the bed to attach himself to his former crewmate's shoulders. Franky was one of Luffy's nakama. That meant he had just as much right to Luffy's hugs, smiles and energy as Ace and Sabo did, if not more. Even if he wasn't aware of it. "Join my crew!" Luffy immediately sang.

"AOW! It's super flattering that you want me to join, Strawhat-bro," Franky replied, his voice ranging from exhilarated to serious at the end. "But I can't. I know I'm asking a huge favour of you, but I have my reasons why I need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"That's okay," Luffy surprisingly conceded. "We're going to take you wherever you need to go and help you do whatever you need to do. At the end of it, you're going to love us!" Or not. Ace snickered at Franky's dumbfounded look. It would certainly be interesting to have one of Luffy's original crewmembers on their ship.

Still, as much as Ace loved seeing people's first reactions to his little brother's unique brand of stubbornness, he decided to give Franky a break. Mostly because they had some planning to do. "While we're on the topic – how exactly are we going to get out of here? There's gotta be a supply ship or something similar we could seize, right?"

"There are a few submarines, but it's not going to be that easy," Franky said, closing the door quickly. "The whole island is under surveillance. I took it down in your room yesterday, but it's not going to take long until that's noticed."

"Surveillance? Seriously?" Sabo complained, sitting up in the bed at last. "What is this, a Marine base?"

"No, just an island full of engineers that get creative ideas which blow up said island," Franky deadpanned. "It's a necessary security measure. But since that's the reason why it's been installed, we might actually be able to use that to our advantage."

"Nobody's going to expect that we're going to try and break out?" Ace asked a bit sceptically. "That's hard to believe if what you've said yesterday is true."

"I've only seen it happen once so far," Franky shrugged helplessly, jostling Luffy on his shoulders. Pouting, the younger raven hopped down and sat down cross-legged on the bed. "A Marine got stranded here, and he got very excited about telling his superiors about the impressive technology he'd discovered. When Jemima was done with him, he couldn't even form a coherent sentence."

"But we're not gonna tell anyone about this place," Luffy protested with a frown. "Jemmy's nice. We wouldn't do anything that'd put her in danger!"

"You just think she's nice because you haven't gotten on her bad side yet," Franky muttered. "If she finds out you're pirates yourselves, not victims, she's gonna do a 180. Especially since …" He pointedly looked at Ace but didn't finish his sentence.

So Ace did it for him. "Yeah, I figured Roger wouldn't be the most popular person around here. He never is." Once, these words might have been bitter thoughts, but now, he could actually say this with a roll of his eyes.

Even if his heart clenched in fear when he thought of the near future. They desperately needed to get going. They had to get out of Paradise, into the New World where they'd hopefully get some cover from Shanks and Oyaji. The longer they spent in the first half of the Grand Line where the Marines were so well established, the risikier it became for their crew.

Ace was both excited about and dreaded the arrival of their new bounties. Garp might downplay their encounter in front of Sengoku, but Strawberry was even less likely to do the same. And when they realised that Vice-Admirals weren't enough to keep them down … They really needed to get back to their crew.

"You never met him, did you?" Franky asked curiously, his voice hesitant. "I've always wanted to meet him."

Ace snorted. "Then you're one of very few people," he muttered, before continuing, "I'm fourteen. Roger was dead for more than a year when my mother couldn't prolong my birth any longer." The cyborg looked slightly confused, but Ace didn't exactly feel like explaining this more. "So, no. I never met him. But I've heard a few stories from the shitty old geezer and a crewmate of his."

"Anyways, about that submarine," Sabo quickly switched the subject. "When would be the best opportunity to take it? We all want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, so we have to time this right."

Franky eyed Sabo somewhat warily, but Ace couldn't exactly blame him after the blonde's outburst yesterday. "We have five submarines," the cyborg finally replied. "Three of them are currently out scouting since we're expecting to hit an island soon to restock. One's being repaired, and one's being kept in reserve in case there's an emergency."

"So, I'm guessing we wait since we shouldn't take the emergency boat," Sabo commented, crossing his arms with a frown on his face. "One ship for … how many people are on this island again?" Ace's right forearm started itching a bit, but he resolutely resisted the urge to scratch.

"Five hundred, give or take, I've never counted them," Franky shrugged. "It's not like they're very likely to need it. If the engines fail, the island's just going to float back to the surface."

"But …" Ace started incredulously. "It's made of rock, right? It should sink like a rock."

"The engines aren't there to keep the island from sinking to the bottom of the sea," Franky explained. "They're there to keep it submerged. From what I've pieced together, the last generation of engineers sunk it to hide it from outsiders."

Flipping his sunglasses down, the cyborg paused briefly before continuing, "Anyways, how about I give you that tour of Gem island now? We're gonna have to wait a couple of days until we get out of here, so we can talk about this more, later." He smirked amusedly. "Besides, I bet you want at least some part of your arm to still resemble an arm, right?"

"Eh?" Ace asked confusedly, following Franky's presumed line of sight and immediately wishing he hadn't. "Luffy!" Swiftly, he ripped the black pen from Luffy's hand, looking at the doodles upon doodles upon doodles Luffy'd drawn on his right forearm in horror. "You brat! Where did you get this? I told you to stop drawing on me!"

"You told me not to draw on you when you're asleep," Luffy commented wisely, but quickly started sweating when Ace's demanding glare grew fiercer. Whistling innocently, the younger raven decidedly did not look at Sabo.

Ace's glare turned murderous when he looked at Sabo, whose eyes grew wide. "Oi! I didn't!" he immediately defended himself, raising his hands in innocence. Ace didn't buy it for a second. "Luffy, tell him I didn't! I'd never!"

However, Luffy didn't say anything in Sabo's defence – not that it would have been very believable with his infamously non-existent talent for lying – so Ace was quickly on Sabo's case. With a flaming hand far too close to the blonde's face. "Sabo," he growled threateningly, the fire illuminating his face eerily, "what did we say about enabling Luffy?"

"Luffy! You little …" Sabo yelled, getting cut off by Ace's fire as he quickly had to fall back. "I didn't, Ace, I swear!" he once again tried. Ace's flames only grew to surround the atrocious black squiggles, burning them from existence.

While he was busy barbecueing Sabo, he completely missed Luffy giving Franky a high five.

xXx

Law loved lunch. Some people might be surprised to hear this, but since joining the Devilspawn pirates, it was his favourite time of the day instead of the deep, dark hours of the night or the few blessed minutes of sleep his insomnia granted him.

No, it was lunch, and not only because the food onboard the Tigris was excellent. It was also the time of the day he always, without fail, spent with Bepo, while the majority of their day was spent apart. While Bepo helped with the navigation and improved his skills in his chosen craft, Law tended to sit in the infirmary and bug the shit out of a certain doctor.

Sometimes, he also read a good book about vivisection.

"Amy sure knows how to make nice, juicy fish," Bepo currently gushed, savouring his lunch slowly. Law nodded his agreement, though he enjoyed virtually any dish the cooks put onto the table, as long as it wasn't pizza. That was far too closely related to bread.

"Bepo!" Goode whined between to bites. "Are you saying my fish doesn't taste better? I'm at least as good a cook as Amy! Say it!" He gestured with his fork, nearly taking out Bepo's eye in the process.

"I'm sorry." Bepo dropped his head slightly but didn't bother to stop eating. Much to Law's amusement and Goode's chagrin, he also didn't follow the cook's instructions. In his despair, he threw his hands into the air, nearly poking Law with his fork.

"Cook-ya," Law drawled, his voice dangerously low. "Please put down your fork." Piercing a potato, he raised his own piece of cutlery and smiled at Goode with sadistic glee. "Or I'll demonstrate just how good I am with a knife."

Unfortunately, Goode failed to perceive the seriousness of his threat. "But I haven't finished eating yet! I still need it!" Law might have been generous enough to tolerate this argument if the cook had gone through with his announcement and proceeded to eat his fucking food. But no, he just had to wave his fork in front of Law's face again.

As such, Law didn't feel a shred of guilt when he used his steak knife to cut off the offending limb from the rest of its annoying body. "Anyone still hungry?" he asked, offering the severed hand to his crewmates at the table. For some reason, they were quick to finish their meals and leave.

"Oi! Gimme back my hand!" Goode complained, trying to reach Law's hostage with his remaining hand. It seemed he was completely unfazed by the fact he'd just essentially lost a limb. Was it strange that he felt frustrated his ability was losing its shock factor?

Then, he remembered the fleeing pirates and felt a little bit better. Goode was just crazy.

"Watch it," Law chided, leaning back to avoid getting slapped by the cook. "Or you'll lose the other one, too." He threateningly held up the knife in one hand, Goode's hand with its fork in the other. In response, the cook managed to pull off an expression between a pout and a glare, which looked exactly as weird as it sounded. The extended middle finger on Law's hostage said more than a thousand words, though. "Rude," Law commented and continued eating with his knife.

"I think you should give it back, Law," Bepo advised with a calm voice. Law peered at his best friend questioningly. It was, of course, possible that he wanted to keep the peace on the ship … "The skin looks really tough, and what little meat there is looks a bit stringy. I doubt it would taste good." … or he was just the best friend ever and wanted to mess with the cook as well. Bepo was great.

"Hey! My hand has feelings, too!" Goode complaining, shovelling his food into his mouth with his remaining hand whilst crying crocodile tears.

"I'm sorry," Bepo immediately amended, bowing in Law's direction, or more precisely, in the direction of Goode's lost limb. After a few seconds of consideration, Law decided not to comment on the absurdity of that action.

Instead, he chose to address a far more distressing issue. "You want your hand to be eaten?" he asked incredulously.

"No." Goode shook his head exasperatedly, before smirking evilly. Law suddenly got a very bad feeling about this. "No, my hand's," he said lowly, his scars adding eerie shadows to face, "gonna eat your face!" he suddenly shouted. At the same time, Law's hostage suddenly turned on him, dropping its fork to lunge at the surgeon's face.

Contrary to later witness reports, Law did not screech. He merely couldn't suppress a manly shout of surprise when he fell backwards off the bench.

"Ah, that was a great lunch!" Goode announced when he dragged Law out on deck later, his arm thrown comradely around the surgeon's shoulder.

Law hadn't lost his frown during the last few minutes since his fall. "Go die," he grumbled, trying to break free from the cook's hold. Unfortunately, Goode's grip was quite impressive, so no matter how Law struggled, he couldn't put up much resistance against the forced training session Goode had announced. Maybe he shouldn't have reattached the idiot's limb.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that," Goode whined, his expression turning downcast. "It's been ages since lunch was as lively as that." At those thoughtless words of his, the cook downright turned into a depressing pile of misery. A useless lump of flesh and bones that Law now had to drag up the stairs. Why on earth did it have to be a moody idiot today?

"Oh, please," Law sighed with a roll of his eyes. "The captains are fine. They're strong and capable fighters, and they've," he hesitated, before correcting himself, "well, Sabo's got a good head on his shoulders. They're going to meet up with us on the next island."

The cook's mood didn't turn any better. Mercilessly, Law dropped him on the wooden planks after they'd reached the top of the stairs. He rubbed his temples tiredly. "Besides, it's been two lunches since Luffy's gone. Two, not ages, you senile old man."

The tension on the ship was killing him. He certainly hadn't signed up to play a part in this tragedy, but everybody on the ship was affected by the missing captains. Francis was close to burnt out with worry, Goode switched from his usual cheerful self to … this, Finn had once again taken his training up two notches, Beckett had a ridiculous short fuse … though that wasn't exactly new, and maybe Law had been a bit more aggravating than usual. Even he wasn't perfect.

His headache intensified. On days like these, he couldn't comprehend why he would have ever made the decision to become a captain himself, even if Luffy's rare stories were proof otherwise. Still, he couldn't imagine constantly being responsible for boosting the crew's morale.

Yet, sadly enough, as a doctor, he felt responsible for the crew's mental well-being as well. Law sighed while taking off his backpack, rummaging through his supplies until he found a tiny pill that brought a smirk to his face. "Here, take this, Cook-ya," he suggested, quickly schooling his features when Goode looked up suspiciously.

Still, the swordsman took the pill into his palm, eyeing it warily. "What is it?"

"It makes people happy," Law replied, hoping that he'd managed to keep a straight face. "I don't hand these out like candies, but you look like you need a bit cheering up."

"So, it's like an antidepressant?" Goode asked, his expression outraged. "I'm not depressed! I've got a perfectly sunny disposition!"

"No, no," Law immediately denied, shaking his hands a bit frantically. For a second, he was tempted to question Goode's sunny character since it seemed more bipolar to him, but in the end, he decided that it would only be counter-productive. "Nothing like that. It's just going to help you relax," he lied with a completely straight face.

Goode still looked disappointingly sceptical, so Law decided to pull out all stops. "You don't trust your doctor? That's pretty discouraging," he remarked, hoping he sounded as sad as he didn't feel.

Somehow, this only made the cook more suspicious. "Since when do you need encouragement?" he asked dubiously, poking the pill with his index finger. "And, for that matter, since when have you ever tried to be helpful?"

Mission 'Look innocent' unfortunately turned out to be a failure. Abort. Before Goode could as much as blink, Law slapped the cook's hand against his mouth, forcing the idiot to swallow the pill in his shock. "Thanks for your cooperation," Law said with a smirk before getting the hell out of dodge.

After a merry chase across the ship, Law managed to shake the cook for a while and calmly shut the door behind him, a bit out of breath. Finn raised his eyebrows at his sudden intrusion but didn't stop his one-armed push-ups. After all, this was hardly the first time Law had made himself at home in the second commander's room.

Sitting down cross-legged, leaning against a wall, the surgeon pulled out a book and started leafing through it until he found his bookmark. "I'm missing a book on anatomy. You seen it around somewhere?" Law asked absent-mindedly as he skimmed the page for the right line.

"I don't …" Finn heaved, his face red with exertion, "particularly … care." He finally finished with his last push-up, breathing heavily on the floor.

"You should," Law chided, flipping a page. "You know," he continued, smirking gleefully at his fellow teenager, "I might one day hold your life in my hands. Then, you're gonna wish you'd helped me study more."

Finn groaned and rolled onto his back. "Geez, what's with your good mood? It's creepy," he moaned, his voice still a bit strained.

"I just did my good deed of the day," Law replied innocently.

"Oh, no," Finn complained. "Who did you bury?"

Law felt slightly offended that the people on this ship had so little faith in his wonderful character. Then, he heard the sound of heavy boots pounding against wooden planks and instantly remembered why that was actually justified.

Quickly, he rolled underneath the bed. "I was never here," he hissed, pressing his back against the wall, his book tucked away safely against his chest.

As he laid there under the bed, hiding from the retribution of an overly paranoid cook, trying his best to breathe evenly and not to start snickering, he wondered how his previously awful life on the run had turned into this. Though wondering was maybe not the right term – he knew how his life had changed. Miraculously enough, he'd met his King of the pirates, and reaped whatever he'd sown in a different future.

But the fact that it wasn't a mystery to him didn't lessen the feelings of joy, of light-heartedness, of downright giddiness any bit. He couldn't describe how wonderful it was to hide not out of fear of being captured, but because he wanted to avoid retribution from a prank he'd pulled. Law'd never pulled pranks before, not even when he was an oblivious child living happily with his family.

This was freedom. Never before had Law truly felt this free, this free of his own sorrows, this free of the terrors of this world. He'd almost given it up again, but it was during moments like these that he was relieved he'd chosen to put his trust into Luffy, to have faith that everything would work out. It was an optimism that had been foreign to Law for so long.

"Where is he?" The door was ripped open and the heavy boots from before entered the room. Law pressed even closer against the wall, a genuine smile still on his face.

He heard Finn heave another breath, before moving to sit up. "Who?" he asked perfectly innocently, turning around to face the door instead of his bed. There was a brief second of silence. And then, Finn was suddenly snorting with laughter.

Law's smile broadened into a wide grin. It seemed his medicine was already showing its effects. Not very surprising, considering that he'd cooked it to be extra potent. It was a bit disappointing to give it to Goode instead of Ace, who he'd originally intended to use it on, but it seemed the results were spectacular in any case.

"What?" Goode shouted irritatedly, prompting another round of uproarious laughter from the second commander. Oh, Law would give almost anything to see the cook's face right now if this was Finn's reaction. "What is it? Got something on my face?"

Finn seemed to almost choke as he tried to control himself, managing only two clipped words in confirmation before he once again roared with laughter. "Your … face …"

The sound of Goode's boots was mostly drowned out by Finn this time, but Law presumed that the cook was looking for a mirror. He gulped when he heard him draw one of his swords. Well, it was a reasonable move considering that Finn didn't have a mirror in his room. "That …" he heard Goode mutter disbelievingly. "That brat! I'm gonna murder him!"

And with that shout of revenge, the cook ran out of the room.

Law rolled out from under the bed, looking at the second commander expectantly. "So?" he asked eagerly.

In the time Law had spent hiding, Finn's face had astoundingly gained an even more deeply red shade. Were it not for the circumstances, Law would have to start treating him for high blood pressure. His shoulders shaking, Finn pointed at his eyebrows, snickering the whole time.

"Huh," Law remarked, scratching his cheek. "I would've expected him to grow a beard first, but I guess a monobrow's even better."

Suddenly, something made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. "Knew it," a dreaded voice announced from the doorframe, accompanied by a very terrifying frown on the cook's face.

Law couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing.

"Oh, come on," he snickered even though Goode had started dragging him outside by the collar of his shirt. "It's …" Unfortunately, he caught another look of the cook's face and couldn't resist laughing. "It's not that bad! It could be a lot worse!"

"I'll show you worse," Goode growled.

"Eh?" Law asked, confused by the non-sensical comeback. But it seemed Goode had either completely lost his mind, his composure, his patience, all three of them or he simply didn't feel like explaining himself to Law.

A second later, the young surgeon lost all interest in pondering the possible meanings of Goode's statement as his mind was far more occupied with the fact that he couldn't fly, that he was feeling the effects of gravity far too clearly and that the soft, gentle waves that always seemed to offer him freedom didn't look anywhere near as welcoming when he was approaching them face forward.

Far too soon, he sank into the shockingly cold depths, his limbs about as useful as stone in fighting against the currents. That had been such an overreaction. A little bit of additional hair growth hardly warranted an attempted assassination, right?

Thankfully, before Law's brain activity completely shut down, an arm wrapped around his waist and dragged him back to the surface. Law valiantly tried and failed not to look pathetic whilst coughing up the copious amounts of errant water that had made its way down his trachea.

Goode's gleeful expression when Francis dragged Law back on deck was totally worth it, though. Not because of the gleefulness, of course, but because … Law burst out laughing again once he had enough air in his lungs. "You should probably shave," Francis remarked drily.

The cook touched his now stubbly chin with a twitching eye, before addressing his best friend, "Help me hide the body?"

"Always," Francis replied instantly without batting an eyelid. "But maybe you should try to get an antidote first."

Law started sweating slightly even though his skin was still wet with salty sea water. "Come on," he tried, waving his hands innocently, "it's just a little prank! Nothing to get upset about, right? It's gonna wear off in two to three days, anyways!" He carefully neglected to mention that this drug was still experimental, and that there was no antidote.

"Two to three days?!" Goode downright screeched, his expression murderous.

"I'm sure nobody's going to notice the difference," Francis said with a completely straight face. Just about everyone on deck looked at him incredulously until he finished his statement, "As long as you don't leave your bed."

Law couldn't help but start snickering again, but he didn't feel that bad about it since he was hardly the only one on deck. For some reason, Goode seemed to take particular offense with him, though.

The dangerous glint in Goode's eyes as he once again stepped closer to Law was slightly worrisome. Unconsciously, the surgeon took a step back only to feel the railing dig into his back. The cook's dark expression grew sickeningly satisfied. "Before this gets more unpleasant," he offered lowly, a dangerous smirk on his face, "you're going to do your job as a doctor and treat that affliction I've mysteriously come down with. Won't you."

A cold sweat broke out on Law's forehead. Since he didn't have an antidote, he could either own up to that fact (a very bad idea if Goode's expression was any indication) or give him something else that might make it worse. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to go ahead with the second option, he could hardly say whether another drug would interact with the original one in a potentially painful way, so his doctor's conscience would hardly let him take that risk.

"Funny story, that," Law stuttered. "You know, I haven't actually invented an antidote yet."

Somehow, he wasn't surprised when he once again hit the surface with a wet splash.

xXx

"Achoo!"

The man sniffled pathetically, rubbing his nose with his left hand. "Tissue," he barked a second later, the woman sitting on his right complying immediately. The room remained completely silent as he noisily blew his nose.

"Maybe you should take a shower again," the woman scolded.

However, the man chose not to react to her statement beyond a poisonous glare that didn't faze the woman in the slightest. Instead, he chose to address the assembly around him. "So, he's with the Devilspawn? You're certain?"

"Yes," an unremarkable man further down the table replied, his posture stiff and his voice completely flat. "He was spotted at the G-9 during the battle and seen leaving with the pirates afterwards."

"Well," the first man drawled, clearing his throat afterwards. "What a fortunate coincidence. In one sweep, we will finish our job, get our revenge, recruit new comrades and acquire prestige." The eerie grin on his face was tinged with satisfaction. "What are you waiting for? Get ready to move out!"

xXx

Sabo put a hand against the cool, smooth rock and looked out into the depths of the ocean with never-ending wonder. Of course, considering that they were quite far beneath the surface, he wouldn't have been able to see anything if not for the glowing rocks spread all across the island.

Gem island had certainly earned its name. During the last few days, Sabo had shyly asked his way around and gathered small snippets and anecdotes to at least form the beginning of a cohesive picture of the island's past, while Ace and Luffy had surprisingly mostly kept to themselves.

However, if he really considered their situation, their actions really were to be expected. Luffy was ecstatic about having found one of his nakama, a nakama he could actually recruit already unlike Nami, who'd still been far too young to hold her own in the New World. As such, it was understandable that Luffy wanted to spend as much time as he could with Franky, likely trying to annoy the cyborg into joining the crew despite whatever other plans he'd been talking about.

And Ace, of course, was sulking. When was Ace not sulking? Sometimes, Sabo almost found himself missing their original childhood when Ace hadn't been as in tune with his emotions and just generally acted like a grumpy brat all the time. At least then, he hadn't had to worry so much about the raven's sensitivities since he'd basically acted the same regardless of what was going on. What did he even have to be sensitive about? It was not like he was the one the Marines had dismissed as small fry despite his excellent physical condition, his outrageously good looks and his unforgettable charisma.

Alright, so maybe Sabo was still slightly sore about Ace's high bounty, especially since the raven hadn't done anything to earn it. Sabo was the one who'd fought against a Vice-Admiral (multiple Vice-Admirals now, actually) and he was the one who'd blown a Marine ship to bits. Without the aid of a Devil Fruit, one might add.

What had Ace accomplished in comparison? Oh, he had the destruction of Marine property on his list, but it honestly wasn't that difficult to destroy the execution platform in Loguetown. Sabo didn't want to know how many times they'd rebuilt the bloody thing. Other than that, he'd fallen asleep near a Marine base and gotten captured without a fight, he'd escaped from captivity only with the assistance of their crew, and he'd been knocked out at the beginning of their last fight, which Sabo still didn't have any regrets about. Oh, and of course – he was the son of the Pirate King.

And the worst thing was that Sabo couldn't even seriously complain to his brothers because he knew Ace hated living off his father's name. He knew that Ace was hungering for action just as much as he was, even though they both knew it was foolish to wish for trouble.

Why did his parents have to be no-good nobles instead of some old kick-ass legend?

"Flam," a soft voice shook him out of his deeply frustrating thoughts, a light pressure on his shoulder when Sabo didn't turn around immediately. Once he did, though, he looked into understanding brown eyes hidden beneath thin glasses. "You zoned out. Is everything alright?"

"S-sorry," Sabo stuttered, looking away shyly. "I was really listening to you, I really was," he started, swallowing the bile rising in his throat. Oh, he couldn't believe he was going to do this. "B-but I was … I was just thinking about my parents."

Sabo really blessed the many years he had worked for the Revolutionary Army, or he would have never been able to fake sadness when talking about his parents. "Were the pirates blackmailing them? Do they know what happened to you?"

Biting his lower lip to avoid grimacing, Sabo pondered where he was supposed to take this. Roy was socially fairly adept, so he probably shouldn't spin too elaborate a lie or he'd start picking apart the holes in their stories. As such, he likely couldn't sell Ace and Luffy as his biological brothers, no matter how much it might have facilitated their eventual departure.

It would probably be best if he stuck with their true story as closely as possible, leaving out the parts about them being pirates, of course. But if he sold Ace and Luffy as orphans and made a convincing case why they should be returned to his parents, they might not actually have to go through all the trouble of stealing a boat under the watchful eyes of the residents of Gem island.

Unfortunately, that meant they'd have to leave Franky in the lurch, and Sabo knew Luffy would never go along with that. But still, generating good will couldn't hurt either way. "I guess," he finally said replied weakly. "They didn't tell us what they were planning to do with us, but my parents have money. They wouldn't have just left me." Although, if Sabo had really been captured by pirates and his parents had tried to get him back, he'd have probably begged his captors to hide him.

He tapped his index finger against the translucent rock that offered a glorious view of the ocean's grandeur. "But Luffy and Tom don't really have parents, I think. And w-we're in the Grand Line, s-so maybe they were just …" Sabo let his words trail into silence, his hands shaking. It was not like Roy had to know it was out of anger instead of fear. "M-maybe they were just planning to sell us," he said almost inaudibly, his words rushed.

Roy put an arm around Sabo's shoulders and gently guided him back to the couch the older man had been sitting on before, tinkering with some kind of device that went over Sabo's head. Though the blonde usually wasn't a fan of comforting touches like that unless it was from someone he truly trusted, he found that he somehow didn't mind Roy's fussing.

The man had seemed utterly unremarkable when Jemima, that bullheaded, occasionally rude but well-meaning woman, had introduced him as her husband. But the two complimented each other extremely well, with Roy adding the fine details and finishing touches to the plans and ideas Jemima loudly proclaimed.

"Don't worry about anything like that anymore," he murmured comfortingly, rubbing sooting circles onto the blonde's back. "You can stay here as long as you like. Nobody can touch you while you're on this island. I promise."

Sabo's breath hitched as if he was trying to suppress a desperate sob. "Th-thank you," he replied with a shaky voice, leaning into the touch as if his life depended on it. "We're g-grateful. We really are," he tacked on after a suitable amount of tear-filled silence. Geez, after this stint, he wouldn't have any tears left for a long time. It was about high time they stopped beating around the bush and got out of here.

"B-but …" he continued, tying his fingers into veritable knots in his lap. "We heard that you were gonna stop at an island soon. So, we –"

Roy interrupted him before he could even properly start his second sentence. "I meant what I said, Flam. You can stay as long as you want. Nobody is going to force you to leave." After Franky's tales, that wasn't exactly what Sabo was worried about. And he was really starting to get sick of that new name of his.

"I know that," he said, hoping his impatience didn't show too prominently in his voice. "But it's just …" he trailed off, realising that simply informing Roy of his decision would hardly work out. It seemed he'd have to make another emotional appeal. Sometimes, he wondered why he didn't just choose Luffy's approach and beat up everything that got into his way.

"It's just …" he started again, looking at Roy with a sad smile on his face. "Luffy wakes up every night from nightmares. We can hardly convince him to go to sleep anymore because he's so scared." Of course, when Luffy rarely really had nightmares, he was fairly easily calmed and comforted by tight hugs and soft assurances. But Roy didn't need to know that.

"And Tom gets tense the instant either of us leaves his sight," he decided to add, knowing it probably wouldn't be long for Ace to indeed check up on him. "After what happened to us, h-he's really uncomfortable here in all the small spaces. I know he wants to see the sky again, feel the wind on his skin, you know, to really feel that we're free again."

Roy remained quiet when Sabo paused to give him the opportunity to speak up, his expression blank but serious. Sabo worried his lower lip. Time to reveal their plans, then. "S-so, we were thinking about leaving on the next island," he admitted. "Tom's strong, and I … I'll do my best to support him. We can take care of ourselves."

Their converstation was unfortunately interrupted when the door to the observation deck opened, revealing a spiky-haired, blonde man Sabo hadn't seen before. Roy nodded at him when the man motioned for him to join him, shortly turning back to Sabo. "Don't worry about this too much now, okay? You've been through an ordeal. Stay here for a while longer to recuperate in safety, and I'm sure the nightmares will go away."

Sabo grimaced behind Roy's back when the older man stood up and leisurely walked away to join the newcomer, who started talking rapidly and quietly. It seemed Franky had been right. Roy, one of the most affable people he'd met on Gem island, had none too subtly advised him to banish the thought of leaving from his mind.

It naturally could be that Sabo was reading too much into his statements with the information that Franky'd provided. Still, the cyborg had been here for almost two years, and he was one of Luffy's trusted nakama. If he said that in all of his time here, nobody had left this island behind mentally intact, then Sabo was inclined to believe him.

Especially since Franky had petitioned to leave himself not too long ago. Apparently, they still hadn't officially rejected his request, but simply postponed the decision indefinitely as if they were hoping their fellow engineer would come to his senses eventually.

However, Sabo certainly wouldn't be talked into staying no matter how long they evaded the subject, and he didn't need to talk to them to know that Ace and Luffy were of the same mind. As if they could ever stay on such an insular island like this one. Not to mention that their little secret could be exposed very easily if the residents of Gem island got their hands on the three brothers' (hopefully now more impressive) bounty posters.

Sabo sighed and buried himself into the couch, letting his gaze wander over the endless blue waves that surrounded him. This situation was simply so frustrating. All the waiting around for the submarines to return, all the polite inquiries to determine whether they would even be allowed to leave the island. It made Sabo want to scream. He hated being dependent on other people's choices.

He closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again, trying to enjoy the spectacular view in front of him. When Franky had first shown them around the island, all three brothers had been dumbstruck when they'd entered this room at the end of the tour.

While the rest of Gem island wasn't terribly remarkable aside from the fact that it was a moving, waterproof cross between a submarine and an actual island, this room at the bottom of the strange construction was extraordinary. It was made entirely of a strange, translucent rock that gave the people in this room the impression of standing in the middle of the ocean.

When the island wasn't moving like it was now, a few daring fish approached the mysterious surface, bobbing against the stone with astonished confusion. Was this what it felt like to be a fishman? A soft smile spread on Sabo's face just as Ace plopped down next to him. It was an indescribable feeling to be a part of this wondrous underworld, to have the calm and the life of the ocean surround him and remind him why he had fallen in love with the sea.

They spent a few seconds in brotherly silence before Sabo's smile dimmed. He let his head fall against the raven's shoulder. "Something's wrong," he murmured below his breath, just loud enough for Ace to hear.

His brother gave a non-commital half-shrug, but Sabo noticed his eyes flitting towards the pair at the doorway. The new arrival had stopped talking, but Roy seemed strangely agitated instead. But despite the fact that he was talking animatedly, Sabo couldn't catch a single word. They were purposely keeping their voices down.

"Split up?" Ace suggested quietly, but Sabo shook his head. They couldn't split up again only seconds after they'd joined each other. No matter how suspiciously Roy and his friend were acting, there was a possibility that it had nothing to do with them. It wouldn't do to raise their suspicions without due cause.

"Where's Luffy?" Sabo asked instead, his body turning tense and ready to jump into action when Roy waved good-bye to them, leaving the room shortly afterwards.

"He's with Franky," Ace predictably answered, subtly responding to Sabo's change in posture.

"Then let's go there," Sabo decided quickly, rising to his feet a bit too smoothly for his character, but he still hoped nobody was watching them. Nevertheless, he didn't protest when Ace reluctantly grasped his hand, smiling nervously at his big brother as he'd done many times during the last three days despite his blood boiling on the inside.

Time almost seemed to slow down as they moved towards the door Ace had entered through before, each step slow and heavy. At first, this change wasn't terribly noticeable, but when they'd crossed about half of the room, Sabo started cursing internally.

Another few clumsy steps and Sabo was certain. "They know," he growled through clenched teeth, futilely trying to pick up his pace. Sweat started to run down his cheek, the sound of his own heartbeat filling his ears as his vision started to grow blurry.

They almost reached the closed metal doors. Sabo could almost touch the doorknob when he stumbled, his arm shaking when he tried to push himself back off the ground. Ace was on his back next to him, his breath shallow and far too fast.

A sizzling noise that was ever growing louder suddenly registered in Sabo's mind. "Gas," he huffed, trying once again to get on his feet for naught. Strangely enough, the sound was soon drowned out by the rushing of water – or was it blood? Wind?

Sabo blinked, trying to focus the blurry image when he heard Ace groan next to him. Behind him? Above him? A stale taste filled his mouth and he found himself yearning for water. He was so thirsty.

With a hollow thump, his head fell against the stone floor, but the sound and the pain barely registered in his mind. There was something … Sabo's eyes fluttered shut, his limbs too heavy to move anymore. Where was he? What had he been doing?

The last thing he consciously registered was the screeching sound of a door opening and of too many pairs of boots rapidly approaching him.

xXx

Amaryllis elegantly redirected her opponent's attack with blade's thin edge and quickly slipped behind his back. Much to the bulky man's displeasure, she immediately proceeded to involve him in a bastardized game of cat and mouse, deliberately doing her very best to stay in his blind spot.

"Wooh! Go, Amy!" their sole audience cheered from the side lines, painting a mischievous smile onto the blonde's face.

Unfortunately, her opponent was very much unamused by the remarks from the peanut gallery. With a frustrated growl, he twisted around with a speed that Amaryllis hadn't expected him to be capable of.

The next attack from Smoker's jitte had her gritting her teeth as she pushed against the stronger man, forced to block it in her surprise. A contest of strength was something she preferred to avoid whenever possible.

"You can do it, Amy! Beat him up!" she once again heard from behind her back, but the encouragements didn't really help much in the situation she was in.

Smoker backed off all of a sudden. "You're not even watching, so shut up," he commented lowly, bringing his jitte to his back. A second later, Amaryllis followed his lead and sheathed her sword, welcoming the break. Swiping the sweat from her brow, she turned around to the effective distraction from the fight.

"That's not true," Finn denied valiantly, not even taking his eyes of the four balls he was juggling for a second. Amaryllis couldn't help but raise a sceptical eyebrow, both at his blatant lie and at his activity. "I'm practicing Observation Haki."

"By juggling?" Amaryllis asked in a disbelieving tone. Smoker's expression mirrored her feelings exactly.

"No, no," he said, only narrowly catching one of the balls, but he was quick enough to find his rhythm again. "The juggling's for eye-hand coordination. But I'm keeping up with your fight by using Observation Haki," he explained with an annoyingly superior voice.

"Right," Amaryllis drawled, unable to keep the sarcasm from her tone. Finn didn't seem to catch it with his Observation Haki, though.

Grabbing a bottle of water, she let herself drop to the floor, crossing her legs. Noting the ex-marine's subtly rigid posture and his crossed arms, she grabbed another one and chucked it at him, motioning for him to sit down as well.

The scowl she received in return honestly left her cold. It was hardly a secret around the ship that Smoker was constantly in a bad mood, nor had it escaped anyone's notice that he was still wearing his Marine jacket.

Unlike many pirates, Amaryllis didn't actually have much of a problem with Marines. That might be partly due to the fact that she hadn't been a pirate for a very long time and, as such, hadn't had a lot of run-ins with them so far. However, she also understood that their existence was necessary.

Without the Marines, the seas would quickly sink into chaos. Even with their presence, pirates were running rampant – and usually, those pirates were far worse than the soldiers fighting against them. There was no denying that there was corruption within the Navy as it was within the government, but most of the Marines were simply hard-working people fighting for what they perceived to be justice.

Amaryllis could see that the system was flawed. Yet that didn't mean that she wished for the Marines not to exist at all. Not as long as there wasn't any better organisation to replace it.

Maybe it was this view that allowed her to look at Smoker more impartially than most of her shipmates, to see the human behind the steel mantle of justice. And what little she had seen had only made her search out the grumpy Marine all the more.

It didn't hurt that it distracted her from the miserable state her former crew was in right now.

"Oh, stop looking so grumpy and sit down," Amaryllis hurriedly suggested upon seeing that Smoker hadn't moved from his spot, even if he had caught the bottle she'd thrown at him. "I think we've trained enough for now."

She received a derisive noise of acknowledgement as a response, but since Smoker went to sit down and lean against the railing next to his commander, Amaryllis silently celebrated a victory. "But how am I supposed to practice Haki now?" Finn immediately whined.

Amaryllis didn't hesitate for a second before dumping the rest of her water straight into the raven's face.

The four balls fell to the wooden floor with heavy thumps as Finn started spluttering. "Shouldn't you have been able to evade that?" she asked innocently, tapping her index finger against her chin in wonder.

Leaning out of the way of the blue ball when Finn threw it at her, her glance once again fell on her hulking sparring partner. A light frown appeared on her face when she saw him lighting two cigarettes, though the excessive smoking likely couldn't harm his body at all. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if he'd already been such a heavy smoker before joining their crew, or if this was his way of finding some relaxation in what he perceived to be a hostile environment.

Whether that was the case or not, this situation couldn't go on the way it had so far. Amaryllis wished their youngest captain was here. Luffy always had his irresistible charm for situations like that. Well, when he got back, she could always bring Smoker's discomfort to his attention, if he wasn't already aware of it. And for now, she'd just have to continue playing the welcoming face on the ship.

Yet it wasn't an act. She did think that Smoker would be a great addition to their crew, that he could find his place amongst them. Ever since she'd met him on Snowmelt and seen how he'd handled Luffy, she'd been somewhat intrigued by the strange Marine. Of course, she'd never expected that Luffy would successfully recruit him.

"Why, Amy?" Finn pouted. "That was so unnecessary." Amaryllis couldn't help but giggle at his petulant look. If anything, his expression grew even more offended, and he turned to point an accusing finger at Smoker. "Shouldn't you defend me? I'm your commander!"

Amaryllis' amused grin turned into a soft smile as she watched the interaction between the two completely opposite men. At least Finn had no inhibitions about acting naturally around their newest crewmember.

"Not when you're acting like a child," the ex-Marine commented indifferently, turning his head towards the sky to blow out a huge cloud of smoke.

"This is insubordination," Finn growled under his breath, crossing his arms in protest. "This is just because you think you're better than me, right? Just you watch! I will defeat you! Soon!" Finn loudly announced, pumping his fist in the air. "I'll train harder and harder, and then I'll grow stronger and stronger and even –"

A punch to the head successfully shut up the joking commander. "Whatever," Smoker said, unclenching his fist to support his head as he leant back further.

Sadly enough, any further conversation was cut short by a shout from the crow's nest. Immediately, Finn perked up again, though he was still rubbing the bump where Smoker had hit him. "Land?" he repeated excitedly. "We're finally there?"

Amaryllis felt a thrill of excitement and relief rush through her. They'd been waiting to hit the next island the entire day, ever since the weather had stabilised. Soon enough, the three captains would be back on board and some semblance of normalcy might actually return to their chaotic crew.

"Sommerset." Smoker hummed. "I've heard about that island before."

Two pairs of eyes snapped towards him. "You have?" Finn asked disbelievingly.

"Of course, I have," Smoker answered in an annoyed tone. "It's customary for higher-ranking Marines to know the routes through Paradise. We wouldn't want to be caught off guard like common pirates."

"Well, if you'd told us this before, we wouldn't be caught off guard like common pirates either," Finn chided good-naturedly, apparently not at all offended by Smoker's derisive comment. "Come on. We're gonna go talk to Francis so we can make some plans." Much to the man's displeasure, the second commander started to drag him away by his arm before hesitating. "Do you think you can get Azure up and going, Amy?"

Amaryllis frowned. Finn instantly shrank back, his expression sheepish. If there was one name nobody had dared to mention in her company for the last couple of days, it was this one. She clenched her jaw. "I'll try," she finally conceded, her frown deepening. "But I won't promise anything."

"That's fine, that's fine, that's all I'm asking!" Finn hurriedly tried to appease her. His foolish impression might have amused her if not for a certain name. "Take as much time as you need." He quickly turned around, tugging on the annoyed Smoker's arm again. "We're gonna be in the captains' ca-aah!"

Even Smoker's cursing when Finn stumbled over the other's feet and subsequently sent them both tumbling down onto the deck elicited little more than a bitter smile on Amaryllis' face.

Reluctantly, she followed after the pair, noting absent-mindedly to tease Finn later when she saw Smoker grabbing him by the neck to drag him along. But for now, she would have to make her way to another dreaded cabin.

Far too soon, she was in front of Azure's door, raising her hand to knock before hesitating.

"Azure, please, be reasonable. You're already hurt. Don't throw away your life for nothing." His body was rigid with tension, Amaryllis noted when she tugged at his arm, ready to jump into action against their captain. Against Luffy, the sweet child who'd taken Azure's loyalty by storm.

Azure only spared her a short glance when she finished her sentence, but that single look was loaded. Never before had she seen Azure so livid, yet simultaneously so desperate beneath the surface, so fragile. It was similar to and yet nothing like the first time they'd met.

In retrospect, she wasn't surprised when Azure violently shook off her hand and pushed her to the side, even if it still caught her off guard. For now, Azure was too far gone to be reasoned with, to entranced in his past to truly understand what he was doing in the present.

For now, Amaryllis could only hope that the bond between Luffy and Azure wouldn't break completely.

Her hand slowly fell back to her side as she pressed her lips together. She wasn't angry at Azure because he'd ignored her back then, or because he might have actually hurt her if she'd tried to persist. No, what made her so mad was what happened when he was once again calm enough to think.

"Azure?" Amaryllis knocked lightly on the door, waiting for an answer despite the early morning hours. But she received none. "Azure?" she asked again, before tacking on with mild irritation, "I know you can hear me. Stop ignoring me."

If there was one thing she'd learned about Azure in the short, but intense time she'd known him, it was that he had a ridiculously light sleep. Even if he hadn't been awake when she'd first arrived, he was definitely ignoring her now. "I'm coming in."

The room was still fairly dark when she opened the door, only barely illuminated by the rising sun. It wasn't too difficult to find Azure on his bed, though, covers thrown up until his shoulders with his head facing towards the wall.

After carefully placing the tray on Azure's bedside table, Amaryllis sat down on the bed. Azure didn't move an inch even when she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I told you to stop ignoring me," she remarked bossily, but even though she'd meant for her attitude to be funny, the sentence tasted bitter on her tongue.

Azure still didn't react. Not a single twitch indicated that he was bothered or even aware of her presence. Anyone else might have presumed that he was simply soundly asleep, but Azure couldn't fool her that easily. And he should have known that.

With a forceful tug on his shoulder, Amaryllis turned Azure onto his back. At the very least, he knew not to resist her, but the blank expression on his face made her want to slap him anyways.

"You're going to eat your breakfast now," she ordered, trying to keep her voice even but failing. "And then, you'll come with me, and you'll talk to Francis. And you'll talk to our crew. And once they're back, you'll talk to Luffy, and you'll talk to Sabo and Ace. Do you understand?"

Azure blinked at her once, the motion strangely slow, before once again turning his back towards her.

Amaryllis froze in her seat, her palm growing cold where it had just rested upon Azure's shoulder. The only sound in the cabin was their breathing, barely audibly and completely out of synch.

"Nobody knows what to think," she finally whispered, barely aware of what she was saying herself. "Nobody knows what to do. And even if I'm encouraging them to form their own opinions …" her voice trailed off as she searched for some understanding in Azure's cold back. "I know what I want, but I don't know what to do. Not until you've told me what you've decided."

The words rushed out of her mouth almost against her wishes, and Amaryllis clenched her teeth to avoid any more embarrassing confessions. She didn't want to be that kind of girl whose entire life depended on what some guy said or did. She wouldn't be. But still … But still, she'd laid awake at night afraid of what Azure would do when he woke up.

As the silence dragged on, she felt herself getting more and more worked up at his stubbornness. She'd given up everything for him. She'd accepted her village's scorn when she started taking care of him, had sacrificed hours upon hours looking after somebody who didn't even want to live any longer. And when she'd finally managed to put him back together, she'd left her father, her life, everything she'd ever known behind just to help him find some closure. Even when he'd found the remnants of his father's crew, when she could have rightfully congratulated herself on a job well done, she'd stayed with him, sensing the same fragility nobody else ever seemed to have spotted in Azure.

Would it really hurt him to fucking answer her when she talked to him? Would it physically or emotionally harm him in any way to, just for once, consider her side of things, think about how she felt when he simply cast her aside as if she didn't matter?

"You don't want me to talk right now."

For a second, Amaryllis almost believed she'd imagined the quiet words. She clenched her teeth as her eyes started to burn. "Fine," she spat, rising to her feet quickly and walking towards the door. "Be that way."

She could still hear the same door she was now staring at fall shut behind her. Since then, she hadn't even tried to enter the first commander's room again. She'd virtually turned deaf whenever anyone mentioned his name, and from her subsequent actions everybody on the ship quickly learned not to mention him at all.

Yet avoidance wouldn't solve anything. Amaryllis had already indulged far too long, had already skirted around the issue for far longer than she was comfortable with. Azure wouldn't come to her, no matter how much he wished that, just this once, he would.

Amaryllis resolutely shoved down her torn feelings on the matter, put her hand on the doorknob and entered.

It was almost as if the last few days hadn't happened at all. The room was still as dark as it could be at dusk, and it looked as if Azure hadn't moved from his position at all. If Amaryllis hadn't known that Goode was trying to subtly send food to the first commander, she might have presumed that he'd died of starvation.

She worried her lower lip. "We'll arrive at the next island soon. You should go talk to Francis to coordinate things," Amaryllis finally said, her voice cool and even.

A silence fell over the room.

The bitter taste in her mouth turned metallic as she bit down hard on her lip, crossing her arms to hide the trembling in her hands. "Are you listening to me?" she snapped, her patience precariously thin. Yet still, Azure wouldn't answer. After another few painfully long seconds, Amaryllis hissed, "Fine. I tried."

The blonde turned on her heel, her left hand clenching around the hilt of her sword when she grasped the doorknob with her right one. It wasn't like they really needed Azure. Francis had led the crew just fine the last couple of days. It wouldn't be any different when they landed on the island.

If Azure wanted to stay in his self-imposed solitary confinement, Amaryllis sure wouldn't stop him. She'd tried. But she wouldn't care if Azure rejected any offer of help, she really wouldn't. Didn't. It wasn't her problem.

"Amaryllis."

She hated how her heart skipped a beat at hearing his voice, the single word, her name, repeating over and over again in her head. Her hand froze on the doorknob, not quite turned to open yet, maybe now it never would. A feeling of hope rose in her chest, and despite her lingering resentful emotions, she didn't quite manage to squash it.

Still, she didn't turn around, couldn't turn around. It was like she was frozen in her spot, physically incapable of moving a single muscle.

"I don't know what to do," Azure whispered. Amaryllis almost didn't catch the nearly silent words, but it was like this quiet confession and the terribly vulnerable tone gave her permission to move again. "Please, tell me what to do."

Azure looked like shit. His hair was the dishevelled mess she hadn't seen since he was tossing and turning with nightmares for hours on end, and the bags under his eyes were atrocious. Even worse, though, was the look on his face, his twisted mouth, his clenched jaw, the way his eyes almost desperately clung to her.

His emotions were out there for the world to see, and it changed everything. For some people, it might have been like meeting a stranger, but for Amaryllis, it was the reason for her unexpected journey come to life.

"Just …" A shiver wrecked his body. "Why did … Why did it have to be him?" His hands clenched tightly around his blanket, and suddenly Amaryllis found herself kneeling on the bed next to him, snaking her fingers around his. He almost crushed her slender limb.

"Th-they all died," Azure stuttered, his eyes glazed over. "They died all around me. All of them. I … I couldn't do anything." Tears started running down Amaryllis' cheek at the sheer agony in his voice. "H-he killed them all. And Luffy calls him Gramps. He can't. I … I can't."

Almost unconsciously, Amaryllis let go of Azure's hands and wrapped her arms around his shoulder, holding him as tightly as she could. And Azure clung to her, still strangely quiet even as his body was wrecked with heart-wrenching sobs.

She half-heartedly tried to stop crying herself, but as Azure's shoulders continued to heave in her arms, she found that she couldn't. This was almost worse than when she first found Azure. He would look at her with dead eyes for days on end, until the ugly break-down inevitably came.

Dismissing the unhelpful memories from her mind, Amaryllis buried her nose in Azure's hair, disregarding the sweaty mess it was. It took her a long time to regulate her breathing, to calm herself and try to offer the steady comfort Azure so desperately needed.

It took Azure a lot longer to quiet down.

When he did, darkness already pervaded the room as night had fallen. But Amaryllis didn't mind – her eyes were already used to the dark, and confessions were best made in the shadow of the night. "He called me his son," Azure whispered, his chin in the crook of her neck. Amaryllis started to slowly run her fingers through his dark blue strands, humming quietly.

"He'd never done that before," Azure continued, the words rushing from his mouth loaded with emotion. "I always thought I was just a tool of him, that only mom really cared about me. Not about what I could do, but me. Just me."

"He was always so serious after she died," Azure's quiet voice broke a little. "He just kept pushing me harder and harder, and there were times I almost hated him. But I knew what he was doing. He was just doing what mom would've wanted. I couldn't … I couldn't blame him for that."

"He called me his son. His legacy," Azure repeated. Amaryllis felt his chin tremble against her neck. "But I couldn't even avenge him. I couldn't do anything. Again. He's probably turning in his grave, watching me call his grandson my captain." He spat out the last word as he talked himself into a frenzy.

Amaryllis knew that he didn't really mean it, that he was upset and saying whatever came to his mind. But this one word should never be said with such abrasiveness, with this much disrespect. Especially since she knew that wasn't the way he really felt about Luffy.

Strengthening the grip on his hair, Amaryllis drew back his head so she could look at him. Azure seemed surprised by her action, but his wide-eyes gaze continued to meet hers steadily. For a second, she almost forgot what she wanted to say, lost in his consuming dark eyes.

She bit the inside of her mouth to snap herself out of it. "I've never seen you happier than when you joined this crew," she finally said, smiling softly. "Luffy's good for you. He's given you a purpose, something to believe in. I've …" She gently cradled his cheek in her palm. "I've never seen you smile so much."

"I was happy with you," he protested feebly, the look on his face so sweetly earnest. It was so different from how he looked at her usually. A warm feeling spread through her chest, making her feel positively giddy.

"I'm glad to hear that," she replied, caressing the side of his face with her fingertips. "But I know you, Azure. You'd have never been satisfied with a life on some remote island. The sea's calling you."

She hesitated a bit, but she knew at least a bit of what he needed to hear. "Luffy chose you," she finally remarked firmly, her blue eyes boring into black. "He didn't choose who his grandfather was, but he chose you."

"I know," Azure murmured, his expression defeated. Amaryllis didn't like the look on his face.

Pressing her lips to his forehead, she whispered, "Lie back down. I'll go tell the others not to wait for us." Reluctantly, she rose from her position on the bed, gently caressing Azure's cheek as he followed her instructions without complaint.

She'd just reached the door when her ears caught the quiet words. "Come back soon."

A small smile once again appeared on her face. "I will," she confirmed softly, closing the door behind her.

Instead of leaving immediately to do as she had said, she stared at the closed door, her hand still on the doorknob. Her free hand twisted one strand of blonde hair around her index finger, the smile on her face widening as she relished in the warm feeling only Azure seemed capable of causing in this intensity.

Still she didn't allow herself to linger too long. After all, she'd promised Azure. "I'll be back soon," she repeated below her breath, her hand sliding off the doorknob.

She was just about to turn around when cold steel pressed against her neck, a rough hand covering her mouth shortly afterwards.

"Don't move."

xXx

A/N: Hello again, ladies and gentlemen! I hope you've enjoyed yourself reading the longest chapter in this story so far!

I've debated long and hard with myself whether I should post this chapter already. After posting the last one, I swore to myself that I would only publish the next one after I'd finished the entire arc. This was mostly due to the fact that I still had no clue what I was gonna do with it, aside from: "Hey, let's introduce Franky early! You know, it was always weird that a shipwright knows so much about cybernetics. I know, he learned it from other engineers!" Tadaa. That was it. That was the whole extent of my plan for this arc.

Then, of course, I realised that I have a whole crew of characters who can't just sit around all the time doing nothing. So, first, I figured out something for Finn to do (coming next chapter). But Finn's, like, one person out of - ten? Fifteen people? It's kind of sad that even I don't know how many characters I'm playing around with.

So, I was at a bit of a loss. I procrastinated. I reread a couple of One Piece chapters. And then, it hit me.

Since this would be spoiling the next few chapters quite badly, I'm not going to tell you what I came up with. Suffice to say, this arc escalated badly. Like, really badly. But at the end of it, we should have three more canon characters on the crew (Franky included).

I'm about halfway through the next chapter, so today, I just wrote a rough draft on what I still wanted to cover. And that made me realise that it was gonna take a loooong time still until I'm finished with this arc. I could hardly make you wait so long.

Long story short: I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Thank you to all those who send me reviews, you keep the story going at least as much as my beloved computer does!

Now, on to our usual Q&A session:

1) What is Franky doing all the way out here? Well, obviously, he's here because I want him to be here. I am the god of this story. On a more serious note, we don't know where Franky was in the four years between his encounter with the Puffing Tom and his return to Water 7. I decided to send him to this island, since somebody has to have taught him about cybernetics.

2) Yes, Ace does have Conqueror's Haki. All three brats have it. (Sorry for being short, but I think I'm answering this question every other chapter.)

3) There's no particular plot behind Sabo's parents putting a bounty on his head (yet). But I imagine it would be quite amusing to see Sengoku's face when he realises that a brat he gave a bounty of 20 million already had an unofficial bounty of 30 million back in the East Blue.

4) Thanks to all of those who're encouraging me to write pairings. I'm still set on no pairings for Ace, Sabo and Luffy, but you may have noticed I'm starting to hint on one for Amy and Azure. Those two are just a given. But it's not gonna turn into a major plot point, promise.

5) It should be obvious after this chapter that Franky does not remember the future, as has been the case with Nami.

6) I know I once said that Brook would be the first Straw Hat to join. I'd intended for him to be the first one to join. But well ... stuff happened. Shit went down. Plans were scrapped. Plans were created. What shall I say - my writing process can be very chaotic.

Alright, then, that's it for this author's note! Thanks to everyone who's still sticking with me despite the many OC's! And, btw, I loved your reactions to Franky showing up. Keep it up, guys!