Kitsune here with the next Shipside/streetside update. Streetside is a little shorter than Shipside. There's a reason for this, you'll see eventually. I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing a little every day, since I've been really stressed out. For a while I was working on a LOOOONG story - the sequel to Diving into the Sea. That's done and will go up sometime after it's beta-read. I'm also going to be starting an original story, so... But I do want to get back into writing my fanfics!

Question of the chapter: "What show do you watch when you're sleepy?" I like watching Dateline when I'm sleepy.


Marco POV

Marco didn't trust these fakes in the slightest, and he was highly tempted to pitch the pills he was holding overboard just in case they were some kind of attack. Looking down at Mugiwara's doctor convinced him otherwise though. The little Zoan- Deer wore a look of worry. So instead he tossed the pills over to Izo. "Bring these down to medical and get them checked out."

"Fine. But if you decide to take care of this little intrusion, don't do it without me, Marco." His friend said with more than a little bit of a huff. The look he gave the fake-Ace could have peeled paint off a wall, and in response the fake just grinned at him mockingly.

"You realize I'm bulletproof, of course. Being made out of fire and all." The fake said calmly.

"Don't give them any ideas, idot. I'm not bulletproof." The one called Sabo muttered, his attention fixed on the youngest who was hugging himself.

"You're no fun, 'Bo." The fake pouted before blushing slightly as a loud grumble could be heard from his stomach.

Marco just raised an eyebrow in amusement as one other stomach growled out. "Accceeee." the fake Mugiwara whined.

"Dinner was hours ago…." Fake-Ace grunted, crossing his arms and pouting at the third intruder.

"What are you whining to me? It's not like I got a powerbar stuffed in my pants! You ate the last one, remember you idiot?"

"Hungry…."

The Mugiwara cook, Marco thought his name was Sanji, sighed, lighting up a cigarette. "Come on then, I'll feed you." He met Marco's eyes, "Enemy or not, I'm a cook. I just can't sit by while someone is hungry." The current leader of the Whitebeard Pirates felt a twinge of nostalgia laced guilt. Thatch had been much the same way, and his old friend would have beaten him for daring to let two people - make that three, Sabo's stomach let out a gurgle as well - go hungry even if they were enemies.

"I'd prefer them not to leave the Moby Dick," Marco said instead, "We have a galley you can use."

The blond intruder looked up and met his eyes with a frown. He bit his lip and seemed to come to some sort of conclusion before standing between Marco and his so called 'brothers'. Though his movements were not aggressive, Marco could feel the rage coming off him in waves; the fool knew he had lost and was outclassed. Still, he respected that the intruder didn't beg or plead for anything. Icey blue eyes flicked between him and Zoro, landing only briefly on Mugiwara who was watching the intruders with a blank stare that Marco found vaguely worrying. "My brothers and I would greatly appreciate something to eat. In exchange for this, I am willing to answer your questions to the best of my abilities. Provided you leave Lu out if this."

"You're not in a position to make demands, yoi."

"I'll make all the demands I want." The retort came, "When it comes to my brothers' and their safety, I'm always in a position to make demands. It's my job to look out for them, and I take it very seriously."

"Sabo." The blond glanced back to where the false Ace was in the middle of scooping the smallest up into his arms bridal style. He looked pale, and the way he worried his lip was painfully familiar to Marco. Slowly, deliberately, he shook his head, wordlessly communicating something even as he readjusted his grip.

"Not a baby…." the youngest muttered.

The fake's smile was weak, "You rest. We'll get some food, yeah? Then you'll feel better."

"Don' wanna. Wanna go home…. not hungry."

"Nonsense. They're offering to feed you. We're eating." Sabo sounded cheerful but the look he gave Marco and Zoro was anything but.

Marco found himself reluctantly nodding. Something was horribly wrong with these fakes. He wasn't talking about the very idea they looked like his long-dead brother and Mugiwara. No, it went deeper then that, and as much as he wanted an explanation on what the fake had meant about 'teaches pets' it was easy to see that whatever it meant it wasn't good. No one wearing Mugiwara's face should say they're not hungry. It was a sure sign of something bad. "Let's go then." He said, nodding towards the doorway that would lead towards the galley where Sanji had already disappeared through. The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates made room, with only the commanders following behind the intruders and the Mugiwara crew. He could feel the tension coming off the two older intruders, even as the one who looked like Ace kept muttering encouraging things to the young teen in his arms.

Sabo's attention was fixed on Marco's back, having apparently decided he was the biggest threat to his brothers. While flattering, Marco suspected he was watching the wrong Captain. Especially with the way Mugiwara was following along so quietly. Mugiwara was not known for subtle acts, or being a calm and collected Captain. If he went quiet like that, something was up, and his crew seemed more than ready to destroy these intruders. "Nice ship you have here." Sabo muttered when they entered the galley, making his way over to one of the long tables and tugging out the bench for the others to sit. "Personally, I think Futile is a better one, but it sure houses less people."

"Futile?" Franky asked, "Never heard of that ship. Who built it?"

"Hell if I know. It's full name is 'Resistance is Futile'. You know, like the Borg?" Sabo's forced smile faltered at the blank stares. "Or not… Anyway. It's the ship that the Revolutionary leaders use for their annual vacation."

"Robin?"

The woman shook her head, "I've never heard of such a ship, Franky."

Sabo nodded his thanks to Sanji as the cook chose that moment to place a full plate and a glass of watered down rum in front of him. "I'd expect as much."

"Can Lu get some fruit juice? Alcohol doesn't agree with him." False Ace said even as he tried to tempt the youngest into eating.

"He doesn't like liquor either?" Zoro asked, nodding over to the fakes and then looking at his Captain.

"It's more that he can't drink, being made out of rubber and all." Sabo replied easily.

"That's stupid. I've drunk rum and sake before. I just don't like the taste." Mugiwara frowned, sticking out his tongue.

The blond blinked in surprise, "Really? I'd have thought with the same Devil-Fruit…. I wonder how far the changes go? Anyway, unlike you, our Lu honestly can not handle alcohol. For one, he's an angry drunk. For another, it takes less than a bottle of beer to get him drunk, and then he's sick for days afterwards. As near as Chopper - our Chopper that is - can tell it's because rubber dissolves in some kinds of alcohol. So, side effect of the DF drug. Ace, of course is completely immune to booze. The bastard."

Marco sunk into the seat across from this Sabo person. "Ace could get drunk." He pointed out, noting the other flaw in their cover.

"Yeah, no matter how you look at it, there's only ever one devil fruit of each kind at a time. And Sabo - I mean the real one - has the Mera Mera fruit." Usopp put in. "We've seen him use it."

"Woah woah! There an't no way I'd ever take that stinkin' drug!" the Sabo in front of them protested, waving his arms in front of him and sending some food flying.

"You keep saying drug. You do realize devil fruits are, in fact, a fruit. One that grants powers to those who eat them?" Robin asked, eyebrow raised slightly.

The blond shook his head, "Nah, it's a drug. Trust me, I've done my research on DF. Nasty shit, that. Three out of four who take it die right off, but if you don't kick the bucket…." He nodded over to the other two intruders. "It's not a nice thing, yeah? No cure, either."

"Then why take it?" Chopper asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Money? Power?" The other shrugged, "Honest, users we know don't talk about it." Shooting his brothers a look he lowered his voice and leaned in. "Everyone knows the D-boys didn't take it voluntarily, so no one talks about it. Lu was only a little brat, and Ace wasn't much older when the bastard got his hands on them."

"The bastard?" Marco couldn't help but ask. After what Sabo had said, he honestly expected the young blond to name a Marine. It was no secret they were trying to come up with more ways to fight devil fruit users on even ground.

He received a dark look, "Teach." Sabo hissed out, "Stinkin' Marshall, also known as Blackbeard." He stabbed the fork into the table all the way up to the handle, causing the other two to jump. When he noticed the pair staring at him the blond leaned back, affecting a careless air, "Never met the fucker myself, though. He was already good and dead by the time I came along." A dark smile, "Really says something' when other criminals want you dead, eh?"

"Marshall D Teach?" Marco clarifies and receives a nod.

"Minus the D, but yeah. Fat fucker has been dead for…. about a year and a half now. The sand-croc got to him before anyone else, which meant it wasn't nearly as painful as it should have been. Thatch'll still bitch about it when drunk enough. Apparently he had plans."

"Blackbeard is still-" Zoro began, only to be cut off with a dark look.

Sabo glanced over where his Ace was trying to coax the youngest to eat some more from the hardly touched plate while the boy shivered. "He's dead where we're from. That's all we need to know. He put them through hell, and he's dead because of it. Alright?" The message was clear, and looking over at the pale imitation of his ship-brother and a shaking Mugiwara look-alike Marco found himself agreeing.

Zoro let out a huff, though. "Captain?"

Mugiwara blinked, looking away from the two with a frown. "He hurt Ace?"

A scowl and a nod, "Not as badly as Lu, but yeah."

"With the Yami yami fruit?" Nami asked.

"Fruit? Hardly. Guy was too much of a coward to risk his life. No, he went the more physical route." He offered a brittle smile, "Don't know about you, but my adorable little brother is immune to the effects of electricity, blunt force trauma, and being shot."

"Unless it's arrows." The fake Ace added. "Fucking hate arrows."

"Right. Except for arrows. He is affected by cold, being rubber and all." Sabo shrugged one shoulder, "Lu's abilities were a dud as far as he was concerned-"

"I don't wanna TALK about this!" the youngest snapped, jumping off the bench and turning around to glare at the blond. "It SUCKED, alright?! It sucked, and it STILL sucks, because people keep talking about it! I wanna pretend it never happened and every time I turn around some asshole is making jokes or asking how I feel! I FEEL LIKE SHIT! ALRIGHT?! He almost killed my friends and he nearly killed Ace - and it's my fault!"

Marco was completely taken by surprise by the outburst. It felt genuine, unlike Sabo's carefully worded answers that raised more questions than answers. The man sitting across him just took the verbal assault, a pained look on his face and it occurred to the Whitebeard Captain that the reason is answers had been unhelpful was to perhaps avoid this very thing. It was clear the youngest had more than a few issues, especially if he held himself responsible for whatever had happened to them. It was obvious he did, too.

Ace - and Marco couldn't lie to himself any longer, it was Ace in some strange way - hugged the boy close to his chest, ignoring the fists the railed on his chest and shoulders. "I'm alright, Lu. We're alright. It's okay, it's over…. it was never your fault! I should have protected you better-"

"You shouldn't have to!"

"Because I'm your big brother. But it's alright; we survived and he didn't. We'll be alright…" Haunted grey eyes locked onto Marco's before trailing over to Sabo. He mouthed something wordlessly and the other shook his head. "Damn."

"..." the younger version of Mugiwara sniffled, "Makino was 'posta bring more tranqs after work today..."

"Makino? Today?" Sabo paled, "SHIT, we're dead. She's gonna tell Shanks we're MIA, and he'll freak out, then the other two will tell Whitebeard, and - Fuck." His head hit the table, "If we're not back by the time this gets to Shiny and Scales, we're dead. SO dead."

Ace let out a groan, "At least they'll have to find us before they kill us?"

Lu let out a watery laugh, "That'll only take ten years. Like the last time…."

All three brothers shared a look before Sabo snapped his fingers, "Kidnapped by Pirates. Totally not our fault." He grinned wickedly at Marco, "It's yours."

He honestly didn't see how any of this was his fault, but he was a Pirate after all. Pirates were blamed for many things they hadn't done. So he shrugged it off, "Fine, yoi. But who did I kidnap you from?"