A/N: Trigger warning for discussion on the dangers of sexual assault. But none happens or is even hinted at happening. Though the proposition of a thirteen-year-old does happen, and is quickly and violently shot down.
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As promised, the haki training started a month and a half after Ace's fifteenth birthday.
Gramps had forbidden Luffy and I from participating in anything more than the meditation we'd already been doing for years now. But he allowed us to watch and observe just what it was Ace had to do so that we might have an easier time of it when it was our turn. Watching from the sidelines as the old man swung a large stick at our blindfolded older brother, I couldn't help but feel a bit grateful that we still had a while to go, yet.
"Ouch, goddammit!" Ace yelled for what felt like the millionth time, bending over as he clutched at his clearly aching head. "How the hell is this supposed to help me, anyway? How do I know you're not just doing this as a joke?"
"You ungrateful brat!"
It took awhile after that for the lesson to get back on track, and by the time it had Ace was severely more bruised and much less willing to complain. I sat myself a few feet in front of him, Luffy at my side, just far enough that we wouldn't be in the way but close enough that he could listen to me.
"Observation haki is the ability to sense a person's presence, or spirit or voice, depending on who you ask." We all pretty much knew this from when I'd explained it to them before. But it had been awhile and going over it again now could only help. "It gives one the ability to sense where an attack will come from or what that attack may be. It can also help you to detect where someone may be or how many beings could be in a single area. The stronger you get, the wider the range, and the more precise you become."
"Yeah, yeah," Ace grumbled, shoulders hunched up around his ears as he tried to brace for the attack he couldn't see coming. "I know all that. It still doesn't explain how the hell this is supposed to help me."
"Well, you don't want to get hit, do you?" I asked dryly. Even with half his face covered, I could still tell that Ace was glaring at me. "I'm being serious, though. Not wanting to get hit is kind of the point. Eventually that desire is gonna open a sort of gate in your mind, like synapses connecting when you're learning to crawl as an infant. Once that happens, you should be able to start predicting where the hit is coming from. Slowly maybe, at first, but the more you train the better you'll get at it."
Before I could say more, Gramps decided he'd let Ace stew in anticipation long enough and swung at him from the right, sending him skidding a few feet before he landed in a heap, another giant knot forming on his head.
"Shishishi that one looked like it hurt!" Luffy crowed from beside me, legs crossed and hands braced against his ankles as a large grin split his face. He was definitely enjoying this.
"Shut up," Ace groaned in response, even as he continued to twitch on the ground. It took a minute, but he was finally able to drag himself back over to sit where he'd started, blindfold still firmly in place as he awaited the next hit. "Alright, I think I get it. Kind of, at least. Your explanation is way better than this shitty geezer's."
And there he went, soaring across the field again. That hit had definitely been harder than the last. I gave Gramps a disapproving stare that was promptly laughed at before sighing at Ace's pitiful form. "You know, you really shouldn't be antagonizing the guy who's job it is to beat you up right now."
"Antagonize?" Luffy asked.
"Make mad," I answered patiently before turning back to our older brother, who was in the process of dragging himself back over to us once more. "Though, I guess this does help in the second form of training, for Armament."
"How?" Ace groaned, pulling himself up until he sat cross-legged once more.
"Well, the training for that is to basically be hit by something until you can protect yourself against it, using haki. Armament is a form of haki that can make a sort of barrier, or armor, around you to protect from attacks. Using Hardening, you can also imbue limbs or objects with it as well. It also allows you to be able to harm Logia or Paramecia type Devil Fruits, which is how Gramps is able to hurt Luffy even though he's made of rubber."
"Which is cheating," Lu grumbled with a pout, which I promptly ignored.
"This type of haki isn't all willpower, though. It's more like half-mental, half-physical, which is why your body needs to be trained just as harshly. So, really, this training now is two-fold."
"You sure seem to know your stuff," Gramps commented after he'd taken another swing.
I shrugged, even as I glanced towards Ace's groaning form to be sure he wasn't broken just yet. Seeing our Gramps' attention had switched to me instead, Luffy took this time to scuttle over to our older brother to begin poking him incessantly on the cheek, all while asking if he was still alive. "There was a lot of information in the book I have. The rest was just guessing, but it seemed pretty straightforward."
"It might seem that way, but training haki isn't as easy as all that," he warned me seriously. "I've seen strong men train for years and not make much progress."
"That's fine," I admitted. "They weren't us. There's no way it'll take that long for us to learn, as long as we give it our all."
Gramps stared me down for a good minute before throwing his head back and laughing. "That's the spirit! I'll make fine marines out of you, yet!"
It wasn't like I was lying, either. I knew that Luffy had been able to learn in under two years, before. I wasn't sure if that would be the case this time around, as he would be both younger and less desperate to learn. But even if he wasn't able to master it as quickly I was still confident that he'd be able to at least grasp the basics before we set sail.
As for myself, I had less confidence and more determination. I would learn it. There was no other option. Even if it took all the way until the end of the first half of the Grand Line, I'd master it, no matter what.
"Alright, you brat! Enough resting! Back to work!"
...I was definitely fine with waiting a bit longer to start, though.
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For our twelfth birthday, Ace got me a spike strip to incorporate into my braid.
This was mainly due to an argument we'd had a few weeks prier, when one of the thugs we'd been fighting against had gotten a good grip on my hair. He'd proceeded to place his gun to my temple, holding my braid up so that I'd been forced to stand on my tippy-toes, lest it be ripped out. He'd then demanded that my brothers lay down their weapons and hand over any valuables they may have had with them. Faces blank masks of rage, they'd done just that.
Of course, then I'd taken the guy's preoccupation in order to counterattack - read: elbow him straight in the dick - and when he'd dropped to his knees with a high pitched squeal, releasing his hold on me in the process, I'd pivoted on my foot and kicked him in the face. He'd gone flying instantly, a trail of blood from his now broken nose flowing in the air behind him. His mates had scattered like roaches at the sight of my glare.
Afterwards, Ace had been adamant that I needed a haircut. And it wasn't that I didn't see his point, because I did. Until I was good enough for it not to be, my long hair was a liability. It was a handhold that an enemy wouldn't hesitate to make use of, especially once we set sail. And the next guy might not be so easy to take down. And what would I do if that happened?
I stayed firm, though. Maybe it was stupid - no, scratch that, it was definitely stupid. But my hair was one of the few things I could openly admit to being vain about. It was irrational, in this world of pirates and monsters and danger, but I loved my hair. Loved how soft it was, loved how long it was. If I had my way, it would be loose all the time, but even I had enough sense to at the very least contain it in a braid.
This, apparently, was Ace's way of compromising. Something that definitely had me filling up with warmth and affection for him.
It was nothing more than a thin, flexible strip of metal that had various spikes protruding from it, almost like thorns on a flower stem. All I had to do was clip it to some of my hair at the root and then braid it in amongst the rest. Once I was done, it was pretty much undetectable. At least until someone tried to make a grab for me and found their hand stabbed and sliced through instead.
The fact that he'd taken the time to find such a thing for me, had conceded defeat on this issue even when I knew he thought it was stupid, had me hugging him tightly even as he tried to wriggle his way out of my grip. No way was he getting out of this without some love, and he could just stand there and take it, dammit!
Luffy had been equally ecstatic over the hastily drawn 'coupon' that proclaimed that Ace would catch him four whole crocodiles for dinner later and had proceeded to glomp the ever-living daylights out of him, consequently taking me down with them. When Ace did nothing but lay there, I'd been about to making a teasing comment before a loud snore cut me off, which was quickly followed by my twin's giggling laughter.
I sighed, though I couldn't quite hide my own amusement. "Lu, get the markers."
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To continue his haki training even after Gramps was no longer there - Garp was a high-ranking Marine, after all, and a highly requested one at that; a month, two at most, was really all he was able to finagle - Ace began to fight each of his daily one hundred matches while blindfolded.
At first it was great. For the first time in the history of ever, Luffy and I were actually beating our older brother. Consecutively. And let me tell you, the feeling of taking him down, of standing over him while he groaned on the ground, knowing that it was you who'd felled this unbeatable force when it was only Garp who could do it previously... Yeah, that feeling was amazing. Even if it wasn't completely accurate, since he was fighting with a severe handicap right now.
And afterwards, he'd plop down on the ground, crossing his legs beneath him in the process, and he'd sit there as stock-still as he could make himself as Lu and I bashed him with sticks. This part I did feel bad about, especially when I saw the bruises in the aftermath, but he continued to remain adamant. When I continued to cringe and apologize, he simply patted my head, giving me one of his cocky smirks despite the harsh purple that was quickly spreading on his cheek, and reminded me that we were the only ones he'd ever trust to do this, besides Gramps and Sabo. Hearing that had warmed me, calming me down enough to get the job done, even if guilt continued to simmer low in my gut.
I had no idea how I'd be able to handle this when it was Luffy's turn, rubber body or not, and by the looks I'd find him frequently directing my way, he was thinking the same.
It took a few months, as I'd already been expecting. Slowly but surely, though, Ace was showing improvements. At first it was just a dodged hit here and there, which could've been no more than a fluke. But then he was dodging multiple hits a match and then, soon enough, he was dodging all of them. It was fascinating to watch as Luffy sent punch after punch at our older brother and he just swiveled back and forth, adding a turn into the mix every now and then. He almost looked like he was drunkenly swaying.
While it may have looked effortless, though, I could still see the way his brows were furrowed in concentration. If I were to throw something at him now, he wouldn't see it coming, attention so solidly on our brother as it was. In fact, that actually gave me an idea...
"Ow! What the fuck?!" Ace yelped as he halted, tearing off his blindfold in order to scowl at me more efficiently. "Did you just throw a rock at me?"
"It's for training," I informed him, hands folded innocently behind my back as I batted large doe eyes at him. He stared back, unimpressed.
"That look hasn't worked on me since you were eight."
"That's not true. Just last week I got you to hand over that chocolate bar you swiped, just by using this look."
"Whatever," he grumbled, face turning pink at the reminder. He really was such a push-over when it came to Lu and I, I thought fondly. "Why is throwing rocks at my face considered for training?"
"You're dodging all of Luffy's hits, but to do it you're concentrating solely on him. That's why you didn't see my attack coming, which isn't going to work in an actual battle. You've got to learn to multitask, to be able to sense and keep track of multiple targets at a time. And you never know when one of those targets will be a sniper, or will have a gun. Best to be prepared for it, since you can only sense the person and not the bullet. You'll have to learn to estimate the path." And then I shrugged. "Plus, it was pretty funny."
"Shishishi, it was! Ace squawked really loudly, like a chicken!"
Ace's only response to this was to groan, but I could see on his face that he understood my point. And so from then on it was incorporated into his training. While one of us fought against him, the other would circle around our makeshift arena, throwing stones as they went. This also meant that Luffy got even more help with his aiming, since the first few times he tried to get Ace he ended up hitting me instead. In the face. Multiple times.
By the time Gramps showed up in July - extremely late for our birthday, but I wasn't about to hold it against him - Ace was able to dodge both of us with ease, even when we attacked at the same time.
I'd never seen the old man look more proud in his life as he swept us all up into a back-breaking hug. No, really, I'm pretty sure I felt more than a few of my vertebrae shift alarmingly.
When he set us back down we all fell into a limp pile on the ground. Even Luffy, who was cringing in the way only someone who hadn't had to deal with aching bones in five years would.
"Are you trying to actually kill us?!" Ace demanded once he'd got his bearings back again. I could only nod weakly in agreement to his accusation as I tried to arch my back out on the ground, ignoring the pull of scar tissue with practiced ease.
"My precious grandchildren have been working so hard!" Gramps bellowed as he wiped away tears of pride, either not hearing the near-hostile tone or completely ignoring it. With him it was always so hard to tell. And then he was sweeping Ace up once more, rubbing his bearded face against the older boy's head. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Get off of me, you shitty lunatic! What do you think I am, a five-year-old? Put me down!"
It took awhile, but eventually we found ourselves seated around a bonfire, a giant warthog and three massive pythons roasting away for lunch. Ace sat at my side, as far away from Garp as he could get, red-faced and sulking. Despite his best efforts, his hair was still in dissaray, and it took everything in me not to snicker at the sight. Luffy, situated on my other side, wasn't even trying to hide his laughter.
"I have to admit, I'm shocked that you'd grasp Observation so quickly!" Gramps bellowed from around the fire on Luffy's other side, completely oblivious to the murderous look he was currently on the receiving end of. "I was sure it'd be Armament, for you!"
He had a point, too. From what I could tell, each person had a specific type of haki that they were more adept in, which only made sense. And that type of haki would be easier to learn. Conversely, grasping the other types would be made that much harder.
Ace had always been a strong fighter, so I could see how the expectation for Armament to be his niche would be there. But, honestly, I wasn't all that surprised that it had been observation instead. Because, yeah, he was a strong fighter, always had been. But he was also a protector now. He was a big brother, our watcher, so to speak. Especially after what had happened before, when he hadn't been properly paying attention and I'd... Well.
Suffice it to say that he'd made it his mission to keep a better eye on things ever since. And something that he felt that strongly about, it became a part of him. If I was asked by a stranger to describe Ace, one of the first things that would pop into my head would be protector, would be the one who watches over us, watches out for us. It was just who he was, now.
So, yeah, the fact that he'd grasped Observation so quickly wasn't quite as surprising to me as it maybe should have been.
"And your Conqueror's?" Gramps asked, picking up a stick that held one of the snakes one-handed with no visible effort at all, even though it had to weigh about three-hundred pounds, it was so big. The old man looked dwarfed next to it's massive size and yet I still knew he'd be able to eat the entire thing. And would likely still be hungry afterwards. The other two snakes had been cut up into more manageable portions, though I hesitated to call them child-size, seeing as they were each still bigger than my torso.
"I can tame most of the animals in the jungle," Ace reported, though he looked reluctant. Really, that boy could hold a grudge like no other when he wanted to. "I can't get the bigger ones yet. And the Beast of Mt Colubo is still out of the question."
He was pouting while he said it, clearly upset with his self-perceived short-comings. Especially since, working together with Sabo, we'd been able to beat the giant tiger quite awhile ago. To go against it now and lose was clearly chafing at his pride, nevermind the fact that he was doing it alone and with only willpower as his weapon.
Gramps, on the other hand, looked satisfied with his progress, even if it only showed in his wide grin and gleaming eyes. "That just means you need to work harder, brat! But don't you worry, I got an entire month off this time! From sun up to sun down, you three better be prepared to be run into the ground!"
We all cringed, shuddering. We knew from experience that, to Gramps, that wasn't just a turn of phrase.
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I took the time that Ace was training his Conqueror's Haki to work on my knife-wielding skills. I was still using the wooden carving my older brothers had given me so long ago, having yet to unearth my Jambiya from where I'd buried it.
I hadn't been able to train this skill as much as I would've liked, a fact that I was ashamed of. Between working on my fighting prowess and incorporating moves into it, while also keeping sharp with the thieving and sneaking skills I'd picked up over the years, not to mention all the time spent helping my brothers with their own skills, I was never quite able to find an opportunity to. It might have felt like I had all the time in the world to get strong here, in this relatively quiet jungle, but I knew that was far from the truth. Ace had barely a year and a half before he set sail and, after that, it would only be three more years before Luffy and I did the same.
For awhile I hadn't even been able to look at a knife, let alone touch one. The blade I'd used to unintentionally end a life had found a place amongst my belongings, hidden away but always there. I kept it as a reminder that this wasn't a game and that people could easily die if I wasn't careful. I had to be ready, I had to know what I was doing before ever laying a hand on live steel again.
And so I made myself make time, going through kata after kata, trying to find the best way to most comfortably incorporate a dagger into my fighting style. I'd tried the library first, of course, but it wasn't all that surprising when I was met with nothing but dead ends. Who in High Town would need to know how to fight with knives anyway? The thought itself was preposterous, given how incurably arrogant the lot of them were. If any of them were to wish to learn on a mere whim, they'd need to do nothing more than say the word and they'd likely find themselves surrounded by the best tutors in the world, no books necessary.
When walking through Grey Terminal every day, I sometimes forgot just how rich Goa Kingdom actually was, despite the amount of jewels I snagged from them on a weekly basis. The amount of true fuss they had still yet to kick up at my actions just proved it further. The amount I was taking was nothing but an annoyance to them, a reason to whine to their equally rich friends. I knew that, certainly, if they caught me there would be hell to pay for daring to cross them. But until that time, it wasn't even worth their worry.
Shaking my head to rid myself of the flare of rage that always surfaced when I thought of the nobles, I forced myself to once again focus on the task at hand, holding the wooden hilt of my carved Jambiya in a reverse-grip, something I found matched much better with my flowing movements. My fighting style was more grace than brute strength, the way my brother's styles were. I was smaller and, as loath as I was to admit it, weaker, just by virtue of being a girl. But that didn't mean I couldn't work around it, couldn't still bring my enemies down hard if I so wished, it just meant I had to get creative with doing so.
My punches and kicks definitely weren't anything to scoff at and, against weaker opponents like those found in Edge Town, they were more than enough to bring down my foes. But they wouldn't be enough against those who were stronger. They weren't even enough against my brothers. And so I had to work harder, had to push myself further, refining my style as well as I could.
And so I used my slight weight and small frame to as much of an advantage as I could. My size may have meant that strength wasn't something I could depend on against powerful opponents, but it did mean that speed was. And I was quick, make no doubt about it. Especially while training with Gramps, I was able to hone that speed in order to dodge fluidly around strikes, bending and contorting my flexible body this way and that. It had been difficult at first, my scar not wanting to give way to any kind of movement, but after enough time spent doing nothing but stretching into increasingly ridiculous positions, it had eventually acquiescenced, as Cala had assured me that it would.
Of course, I couldn't just dodge for the rest of my life. It was a good way to whittle away at someone's strength but it wouldn't be enough. And so, using my speed once more to my advantage, I taught myself when best to lunge forward, how to strike firmly in order to incur the most damage. My limbs were swift, snake-like, as I aimed for vitals. I spent days and days looking over medical texts and graphs, mapping out the human body. A solid hit to the solar plexus could fell even the biggest of men, but most knew to guard well against such an attack. But that wasn't the only viable target. There were clusters of nerves all over the body where you wouldn't even know to look for them. And so many veins and arteries, so many easy targets for a blade. I had to make sure I knew where they all were. I had to make sure that I never nicked one unless it was on purpose.
I refused to ever be the cause of such an accidental, wasteful death again.
On our trips down to Foosha, I managed to rope Makino into helping me sew together dummies, knowing that wood or not there was no way I'd be able to train against my brothers while wielding a blade. She'd been all too happy to help and, soon, our training field was littered with the straw-filled things. We'd begun hanging targets up as well, even going so far as to tie vines in intricate patterns so that they'd pull on each other, resulting in a cascade of moving targets, all so that Luffy could learn better aim with his stretching fists.
It really did look like an official training field now, even if it was still just a tiny clearing in the middle of the jungle.
Gramps approved whole-heartedly in our training regimens, proving it in the way he continued to push us further and further when he fought against us. The day would usually start with a melee, him beckoning each of us to attack at once. We'd grown up together, knew how to fight in tandem with each other, but even still it helped. We'd be on crews, soon, fighting alongside people we didn't yet know, with fighting styles we didn't recognize. We had to be used to fighting in teams, if only to best avoid accidents in the future. After we were sufficiently beaten, haki training came next, starting with Armament and Observation.
Even though he'd gotten a good grip on it, Gramps refused to let Ace grow complacent in his abilities with Observation, which I approved of. Ace understood, too, and was more than willing to gain more experience with it, even if he grumbled the entire time. Luffy and I often sat on the sidelines to observe, sometimes throwing things or kicking out at our older brother unexpectedly to keep him on his toes. Every attack we managed to land was announced by Garp's booming laughter, followed by the thud of a landed Fist of Love in reproach for Ace's carelessness.
After lunch was when Gramps would drag Ace into the forest for Conqueror's Haki training. He'd made a rule from the very beginning that, during this time, beasts could only be brought down through willpower. No fists or weapons or any of that. If he couldn't beat it with his haki, he was to run. Ace had looked decidedly unhappy with this decree but had agreed nonetheless. I knew Dadan had likely informed the older man of Ace's continued refusal to back down from a fight, even if he was outmatched, and so he probably knew just what it was he was demanding of the boy.
I had to give it to him, Garp might seem like an air-headed, oblivious idiot most of the time - and he likely was - but that didn't mean he was stupid. Just like Luffy, he had a hidden intelligence that most missed. He was observant, even if it didn't seem like it most of the time. You didn't make it to his age while being a high-ranking officer in the marines on strength alone, after all.
It wasn't until he caught sight of my blade training and offered up advice that I realized just how far his hidden knowledge really went.
"Your feet should be more spread apart. And pivot more at the hips, otherwise your blow will lack strength."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. When my brothers and I continued to do nothing but gape, he threw back his head and laughed at our faces.
"Weapons Handling is a part of Basic Training for any recruit. And I've defeated many a knife-wielding scoundrel in my years!"
And, well, it wasn't like I was going to pass up on opportunity like that. Master he might not have been, but he was definitely the best thing I was likely to find anytime soon.
Even if I felt like I'd finally lost what was left of my mind for asking Gramps for even more training.
.
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In September, Dadan asked me if I wanted to move back into the bandit's hut. My answer had been a blank stare.
"It's just that, well..." She'd rubbed at her head, causing her already frizzy orange hair to poof out even further. "Your body is gonna start changing a lot soon, you see, and living in that single room tree house with two boys might not be the best idea."
"Oh god," I uttered, face paling, "you're not about to give me The Talk, are you?"
"It's important!" Dadan hissed at me, though she looked like she wanted to be there even less than I did. "I know how much you hate being singled out for your gender, but like it or not you're a girl! Which means it's different for you than it is for Ace and Luffy!"
"I know that!" I insisted, a bit desperately.
"Do you?!"
"Yes! I go to the library all the time, you think I wouldn't have read a few medical texts while I was there?" I demanded, though that wasn't quite the truth. I'd read medical texts while I was there, yeah, but not anything about puberty. I'd already been through it once, thanks, and there wasn't much I wasn't already expecting and dreading this second time around.
"It's more than that, though," Dadan huffed, lighting a cigarette as she plopped down onto the floor. Reluctantly, I did the same, realizing that I really wasn't going to get out of this conversation. Best to just get it over with. "Even if you read up on it and have an idea of what to expect, that doesn't mean you're prepared. And besides, that doesn't even begin to cover the dangers you're bound to face."
"Dangers?" I asked, incredulous.
"Yes, dangers, you brat! You're gonna become a pirate, right?" She demanded, waiting until I nodded to continue. "Well, a pirate's life ain't an easy one. Hell, it's even more difficult that a bandit's. You're bound to face a lot of strong and horrible people. And some of those people are gonna look at you and see nothing more than a pretty girl."
I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "I already know that. That's why I'm training to get strong in the first place."
"Train all you like but there's always bound to be someone stronger than you. Don't get arrogant and forget that."
I lowered my gaze, contrite. She wasn't wrong.
"Some of those people won't have good intentions. In fact, a lot of those people won't. This life is far more dangerous for a girl than it could ever be for a man. Because most men in this world view women as good for only one thing: sex. And sometimes they'll take it from you, willingly or not."
I gulped. It wasn't like sexual assault was something I'd never heard of, or even ever thought of. But it had always been something abstract to me. It had been a vague worry in the back of my head, when I'd been around a group of men I didn't know or when I'd had to walk somewhere alone in the dark. But so far in this world, it hadn't come up, even surrounded by the scourge of society as I so often was. I knew it was mainly because of my age, but still. I had to admit that in this life, I hadn't put much thought into it at all.
But Dadan definitely had a point. I'd seen for myself how full of wretched people this world really was. Had seen more than a few adversaries proposition Nami or Robin or any number of the other beautiful women that filled the series. Even most of their allies had been perverts. And even if it had never been an issue for me before, even if it never became an issue for me in the future, it was still definitely something I had to keep in mind.
Dadan sighed, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I plan on giving this talk to Ace and Luffy as well. Just because they're boys doesn't mean there's no danger for them, too. But I figured you'd rather I talk to you about it alone first. I didn't want you to feel pressured to stay there just 'cus they're your brothers."
I shook my head, getting back on track, and gifted her with a grateful smile. "Thank you, really. But I'm going to stay with them. I promise it won't be an issue, and if I have to I'll get a privacy screen or something. But even as clingy and unobservant as Luffy tends to be, they both know to give me my space every now and then, just like we do for Ace. It'll be fine."
Dadan looked dubious at best. "If you're sure..."
"I am."
"Well, the offer stands either way."
"Thank you." I took a deep breath. "And hey, you can talk to Ace and Lu if you want but... leave out the bits about me, alright? About the threat it poses for me."
"I really don't -"
"I'll tell them," I assured, cutting off her protest. "But in this instance, I really think it'd be better if they heard it from me. I'm pretty sure it's gonna send Ace into a protective rage and you probably don't want to get caught up in all that."
"Ah, yeah..." Dadan nodded, going pale at the very thought. "We just got the damn wall fixed from Garp's last visit. We really don't need more holes in the place."
And so I waited for the day that Ace and Luffy both returned to the tree fort, Ace red-faced and Lu just looking extremely confused, before broaching the subject.
"So... Dadan talked to you both." I stated. Ace cringed.
"That is an experience I never want to speak of again," he said firmly. I sympathized whole-heartedly but still couldn't quite stop myself from laughing at the look on his face.
"She was saying a lot of weird things," Luffy told me, brows furrowed. "I didn't really understand a lot of it. Why would I want to -"
"Aaaaand, that's enough of that," Ace decided, shoving his hand over Luffy's mouth and then making a face when the younger boy retaliated by licking his palm.
"Well, there's a bit more to it," I informed them, ignoring the way Ace groaned at me. "You see, there's actually quite a lot of... dangers, because of it."
"Dadan already told us about those," Ace insisted near-desperately, face growing more and more red as the conversation progressed.
"Yeah, about those TD things. They sounded pretty gross."
"STDs," I corrected almost absently. "And that's not what I was talking about, although those are dangerous. What I meant was more... of the assault variety."
Ace stiffened immediately, face becoming carefully blank. That probably wasn't a good sign for how this was about to go. "What?"
"There's a lot of people in this world who love sex," I began to explain. "And some of them aren't all that picky about whether or not it's consensual. Those people have no problem at all forcing themselves onto others. It's more of a danger for girls but that doesn't mean it doesn't also happen to guys."
When Luffy continued to stare at me uncomprehendingly, I sighed. "It's like they're... taking something from you. Stealing it, and hurting you really badly in the process. It's not like just getting beaten up, it's far worse than that. And for girls, especially girl pirates... it's a very real danger. We're gonna be fighting a lot of people in the future and some of them may try to... Well." I gestured to myself, hoping that they got the jist.
And if the darkening of their eyes was any indication, get the jist they did. "Like we'd ever let that happen! If someone so much as tries I'll kill 'em!"
"That's right!" Luffy agreed instantly, looking far angrier than I was used to seeing him. "What's Lili's is Lili's and no one else has a right to take it!"
"I'm going to continue getting stronger so that it'll hopefully never be an issue," I assured them. "But like Dadan said, there's always the chance that someone will be stronger, no matter how much I train. And you guys have to be aware, too, so that we can watch each other's backs."
"Just like we always do!" Luffy yelled.
"Right," Ace nodded, expression murderous. He looked mere moments away from storming out to kill every single man in Goa, before they even had a chance to try anything with me. As much as his protectiveness filled me with warmth I was glad that he refrained. I could fight my own battles, thank you very much. "We'll just have to be more careful from now on and be sure to keep a look out."
"As long as we watch out for each other," I grinned at them, "we'll be just fine."
.
.
It took until Luffy and I were thirteen before it actually became an issue.
At this point, Ace was sitting out most of our fights unless we were going up against the stronger beasts of the forest. He was getting really good at using his haki and, against the thugs of Grey Terminal and Edge Town at least, he was definitely overkill. Even Lu and I didn't have much of a problem against them, using our fights with them mostly as a workout, but at least we couldn't tell where they'd attack us with our eyes closed. Yet, anyway.
It was in the middle of one such fight when the guy I was facing leered at me with a gap-toothed grin, beady eyes roving up and down my body slowly before he said the dreaded words.
"What's a pretty thing like you doing with these bunch of kids anyway? You'd have a much better time hangin' out with some real men, dollface."
All action seemed to halt as the temperature dropped nearly ten degrees.
In the last year I'd developed pretty quickly, it was true. Much quicker than I ever had in my last life, which at first had made training a living hell of uncoordinated limbs and overbalancing thanks to the gigantic weight that was now stuck to my chest. But even then, I was very obviously still a young kid. I couldn't help but shudder in disgust at the man before me, not quite wanting to believe that he'd just said that to a child.
"Excuse me?" My older brother demanded, suddenly standing in front of me. I blinked, only to find Luffy now at my side, glare directed solidly at the idiot before us. A quick glance around confirmed that the rest were now on the ground unconscious, though whether that was because of Luffy or because of Ace's haki, I wasn't sure. "Did I really just hear you proposition my little sister?"
The guy paled, finally seeming to realize the mistake he'd made, though far too late. It blew my mind that even now there were still idiots around who thought they stood any chance at all against us. We'd been beating guys like this for years, for god's sake, and by now it was pretty much child's play. This guy had literally no idea that he'd just poked a figurative mama bear with a very large stick.
The mama bear in this situation being Ace, obviously. Which was really just unfortunate for the guy.
Ace didn't even have to put his full strength into his punch and the creep was down for the count, bleeding into the ground next to the rest of his gang. By the frustrated grimace on my older brother's face, he was clearly disappointed that the guy had gone down so quickly. He'd probably had an entire beatdown planned but, pissed or not, he wasn't about to attack someone who was already defeated. I scoffed, having no such compunctions, and made sure to kick the sick bastard in the face as we went by, hearing a satisfying crunch as I did so.
"I'm not your fuckin' dollface, asshole," I grumbled at him before aiming a kick at the back of Ace's knee for good measure, causing him to yelp as he nearly fell to the ground. "And I could've dealt with him myself! You didn't have to rush in and beat him up for me!"
"I know that!" He yelled back, taking a definite step away from me when I continued to scowl at him. Luffy just laughed at the both of us, looking completely content with the world once again, now that the target of his ire was eating dirt. "But I couldn't just not punch him after that! It's my job as your older brother, and I won't be able to do it for much longer! Let me have my moments, dammit!"
I sighed, annoyed. There wasn't much I could say in the face of that argument. Time was quickly counting down before Ace turned seventeen and subsequently left on his voyage, setting sail for the Grand Line and his future. So, instead, I just grumbled at him. "Yeah, yeah. But we still have a couple of months yet before you leave, so don't get too spoiled or your big brother complex may never recover from our absence."
"What was that, you little shit?! I do not have a brother complex!"
"Shishishi! Run, Lili, run!"
.
.
One of the few peaceful downtime activities we were able to partake in was reading. Or, more accurately, I would read while Ace and Luffy both did their best to try to pay attention.
It didn't often work. Reading was saved for those quiet moments, after hard days of pushing our bodies to the limit but before we were able to fall together into an exhausted heap. Most nights, my soft voice was the only sound in our tree fort as I read aloud from adventure novels - the only thing I'd been able to find that could keep Luffy's attention for any length of time. Usually this ended with both brothers snoring into my shoulders, no matter how hard they tried to stay awake to listen.
I knew that they'd never be bookworms, not like I was. It just wasn't in their nature to be able to sit around when there was stuff to do, adventures to be had. I didn't begrudge them that. It merely warmed my heart to know that, even when they found it dreadfully boring, they still did their best to try, simply because they knew it made me happy.
One book that we were all equally excited about was the Encyclopedia of Devil Fruits that I'd received from Dragon so long ago. The thought that there were so many Fruits out there, each seeming more impossible than the last, boggled the mind. There were hundreds of them, and that was only the ones that had managed to be discovered.
The first one we'd looked up, of course, was Luffy's. And there it was, pictured exactly as I remembered it looking all those years ago in Makino's bar, before my blockhead of a brother had unthinkingly stuffed it into his mouth. Just the image of it was enough to make Luffy shiver and stick out his tongue in remembrance of the awful taste of it.
Below the name was a brief summary of the abilities it had been known to grant its user. What I found most interesting was the mention of Vulcanization, or the chemical process of using sulfur or other equivalent curatives or accelerators in order to make the rubber more durable, which would basically allow my brother to harden his skin significantly in order to avoid more serious wounds, like those that might come from blades. It made sense, I supposed. Luffy's body allowed him to eat outrageous quantities of food and then transfer those nutrients to where they were needed, hence why he could be bloated like an over-inflated balloon one moment and look like his usual scrawny self the next. If his body could transport nutrients like that, why not minerals found in cells of the body as well?
It was a moot point, as I wasn't sure if Luffy would ever be able to grasp that amount of concentration. Because to do that, you'd likely have to know your own body down to the molecule which, while not impossible, especially in a world like this, would likely be extremely difficult. And if he was going to be learning Armament Haki and, by extension, Hardening, was there really any point in fretting about it to begin with?
Pushing that thought out of my head, at least for the time being, I had instead flipped back to the beginning of the book. And, each night before bed, the three of us would crowd around and get through four or five Fruits, talking about the oddities of them as well as their pros and cons.
And so it shouldn't have surprised me when I flipped the page that night only to come face to face with none other than the Mera Mera no Mi.
"Woah! This one lets you become fire? Cool!" Luffy exclaimed, starry-eyed. We'd discovered very early on that he definitely thought Logias were the coolest of all the Fruits.
"Yeah, without haki or Sea Stone it'd probably be really hard to beat. Though, I suppose you could use water to douse the flames? Or cutting off the oxygen, to suffocate them. Or you could burn them with," my throat caught for a moment, but I stubbornly pushed passed it, "magma, I suppose, since it can be hotter."
"I want this one."
Ace's voice rang through the room, cutting off whatever else I'd been about to say next. I turned to look at him, only then noticing the intense look he'd been directing towards the picture before us, the way he'd been so quiet up until this point.
"Ace?" I asked, unsure of what was going through his mind right now. He lifted his head and I was taken aback by the determination burning in his eyes.
"This Fruit. If I get one, I want it to be this," he stated, voice firm.
"But... why?" I finally managed to ask. Yes, this was the Fruit he was destined to eat anyway, but I'd always just assumed it had been a spur of the moment type deal. Or, even more believably, that he hadn't even meant to eat it, much like Luffy. I never would have thought that he would specifically want this Devil Fruit in particular. "I mean, it's cool and all but... We've seen a lot of cooler ones, too. And besides, this one is..."
Fire, I finished in my head, unable to stop the shudder that ran through my frame. I'd gotten better, over the years. I could start cooking fires just fine on my own, could put them out again with no trouble. I could receive burns on my hands from grabbing hot food too quickly and just shrug it off, instead of finding myself back on that sinking ship with Sabo unresponsive beneath me, or trapped in the maze of flames Grey Terminal had become.
That didn't necessarily mean I was fine, though. Unexpected sparks could still cause me to flinch. Once, while in Edge Town, someone had knocked over a lantern in the middle of a brawl, almost causing an entire building to go up in flames. And I'd just frozen, eyes glued to the orange glow as it had spread, barely even noticing when Ace had grabbed me by the wrist and began to drag me away. When we'd gotten back to our tree house, I'd noticed that he and Luffy looked just as pale as I did, clearly not any more comfortable with large fires than I was.
"That," Ace pointed at me, and then at Luffy who had gone quiet and slightly pale. "That's why I want to. You guys are scared of fire."
"And so you want to become fire?" I asked, incredulous. Where was the logic in that? "And don't lie, you're scared of it, too!"
"I am," he said matter-of-factly, causing me to blink at the easy admittance, thrown off guard. "Sabo probably is, too, maybe even worse than we are."
"So, then... why? I don't understand."
"Because if I'm fire, then there's nothing to be scared of, right?" He asked, as if that was all the answer I needed, which...
Yeah, he had a point, in that ridiculous, backwards-logic way he and Luffy so often had. It wouldn't be that simple, couldn't ever be that simple. We'd still be scared, would still flinch away and possibly suffer from flashbacks. But, even I had to admit that the thought of Ace being fire made it seem not quite so scary anymore. Because Ace was Ace and he was our older brother, and I couldn't help but feel safer with him, knowing that he would do everything possible to protect us from harm.
"Shishishi yeah! I could never be scared of Ace!" Luffy admitted, color coming back to him as he grinned wide.
"You're doing it for us?" I asked, awed, before I shook my head quickly and narrowed my eyes at him. "Eating a Devil Fruit is a big deal! It's not a decision to make lightly, idiot! Eating it is going to change the entire molecular structure of your body. It's going to change every single part of you, so that you'll be able to sustain it's power. And you'll become a hammer, just like Luffy! So don't decide to do something like this just for us!"
"I'm not doing this just for you guys," he huffed at me, scowling. "I just said that I was scared of fire, too, didn't I?"
Oh.
Oh.
I sighed, feeling more exasperated with him than I had in awhile. "Really, what is it with you and never running away or backing down? That's gonna come back to burn you one day."
Ace only tossed me a cocky grin. "Not with this Fruit, it won't."
I threw the book at him, causing him to squawk as he tried to dive out of the way in time. Over the ensuing wrestling match, Luffy's delighted laughter was all that could be heard.
.
.
And then, in what felt like no time at all, the day arrived.
We'd been steadily packing up Ace's boat for the last week, checking and double checking to make sure he had everything he needed. We'd made multiple trips down to Foosha to see Makino, and each time we left she got teary-eyed and pulled Ace into a big hug, which never failed to turn him into a red-faced stuttering mess.
Sabo proved to have excellent timing, his letter arriving just the day before Ace was planning to set sail. Ace wouldn't let us read it, stingy as he was, since it was apparently addressed solely to him - though he did assure us that ours would be arriving soon. All we were able to get out of him was that it was an invitation to meet up, once Ace entered the Grand Line. I couldn't help but be a bit jealous. It'd been years since we'd seen Sabo, after all, and I missed him terribly. Based on the pout that adorned Lu's face, he felt the same.
The night before he was set to leave, we had tiger for dinner. And if Luffy and I sat pressed against Ace's sides instead of spread out around the fire, well, it wasn't like there was anyone there to call us out on it.
The puppy pile that night was way more convoluted than usual, all of us trying to be as close to each other as possible. Ace was in the middle, for once, as both Luffy and I wanted to be beside him. He didn't seem to much mind, soaking in our presence as he was. Even though I could tell he was trying to fight it, Luffy was inevitably the first to fall asleep.
"It'll be weird," Ace finally spoke after we laid in peaceful quiet for awhile. I tilted my head towards him, wordlessly asking what he meant. "Not having you two nearby. Not being able to feel your auras anymore. It'll be really weird."
"It will be for us, too," I admitted. I curled closer to him at the reminder that this time tomorrow, he'd be gone. His hand began running through my loose curls in response, soothing me on instinct.
Silence descended again, and I was loath to break it. Ace was so relaxed right now, so content to just be near us in the time that he had left. But time was running out and any chance I had at this would soon be gone.
I didn't know if what I was about to do was a good idea. In fact, it very likely wasn't. I'd already changed a lot, just by existing, but this, this, would change a lot more. If it worked, it could change the entire storyline, in fact. Because, even though it didn't seem important, it was a pivotal moment. This one thing had led to all the others, events branching off from each other before coming together once more. Every story has a start, every tragedy has a beginning, and this was that beginning.
Sure or not, though, it was now or never. And so I thought of Luffy and what he would do in my position. I thought of Ace, and the pain that had been on his face when he spoke of his fallen comrade, when he was chained atop that execution stand and made to watch as his nakama fought and died for him. Thought of Akainu's fist of magma protruding from his smoking chest and how he'd smiled in his last moments, simply grateful that he'd been loved. Of the way Luffy had broken afterwards.
Swallowing harshly as the images brought tears to my eyes, I made my decision. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was beyond foolish and would only result in a fate even worse. But if there was even a chance that I'd be able to stop that from happening, that I'd be able to stop those expressions from ever adorning my brother's faces, then it was a chance I was definitely going to take, consequences be damned.
"Hey Ace," I called softly and the older boy turned to face me instantly, clearly hearing the tremble I'd been unable to hide in my voice. "This isn't going to make any sense at all, and you'll more than likely think I've gone completely crazy. But I need you to listen to me because it's important. Okay?"
He nodded slowly, his brows furrowed even as his gaze swept over my face, searching for a clue as to what had gotten into me. "Yeah, okay."
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was it, no turning back.
"One day you're gonna have nakama that you see as family. And one of them is going to come back with something special, something that's very valuable. You have to pay attention, okay? You have to observe the people around you when that happens. Because it'll cause greed and malice, which can lead to very ugly things. You have to be careful. When it happens, you have to keep your eyes open."
For a moment Ace just stared at me, eyes wide, clearly not knowing what to say. I let him mull it over but when he opened his mouth, questions on the tip of his tongue, I shook my head at him.
"I can't say anything more," I'd said too much as it was, a distant part of my mind informed me, far, far too much. "I'm sorry. I wish that I could. But I can't."
Slowly, Ace nodded, though the troubled look on his face remained. I knew it was unfair, that there was no way it would make sense until the event in question happened. My clue might not even help. Things might turn out just as they had before, with Thatch dead and Blackbeard in the wind, except it might result in Ace feeling even more guilty than last time around. He might even come to resent me, if that happened, for giving him the key to save his future crewmate but for being so vague that he couldn't even make use of it.
I shook my head, forcefully dislodging the thoughts. What was done was done. No matter what the outcome was now, there was nothing more that I could do but wait to see what happened. Sighing, I drew myself impossibly closer until I was laying practically on top of the older boy, my hand stretched across in order to tangle in Luffy's hair the way Ace's was tangled in my own. Lu mumbled something about bear meat under his breath before he hitched his leg up over Ace's hip, his foot coming to rest digging into my stomach.
I let my eyes drift shut, even as I could practically hear the thoughts churning in my older brother's head, and instead focused on memorizing the sound of his heartbeat beneath my ear. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
For now, to me, this was all that mattered.
.
.
The day Ace left was perfect for sailing. The skies were clear and the sea was blue and the winds were favorable. If he used his knowledge in navigation properly, he'd make it to the next island before the day was out.
Quite a crowd had shown up to bid him farewell, consisting of the bandits, Makino and the Mayor and, of course, Luffy and I. Dadan had refused to come, though I knew it was only because she was currently an emotional wreck crying in the corner of her hut. The bandits weren't much better off, not a single one of them dry-eyed, but they were much less ashamed of showing it.
I had to admit that even I was getting a bit misty eyed as I looked upon my brother for the last time, at least for a few years. I was feeling extremely nostalgic, remembering the little grouchy shit-head that we'd followed into the forest, the one that had tried time and time again to kill us. And here he was now, standing tall, orange cowboy hat placed firmly on his head and shirt left open in order to show off his physique, something I'd teased him over endlessly.
And now he was leaving, setting sail to become a pirate.
"You have your share of the Fund, right?" I asked for what was probably the hundredth time.
"Yes, Ana, I have my share of the Fund," he answered with an indulgent smile. "And food and water and clothes. And a map and a compass..."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, I'm fretting," I grumbled, pouting.
"No, no, it's cute!" Ace laughed, stepping gracefully out of the way when I tried to kick him in the shins. I growled at him in response. Damn Observation Haki!
"Shishishi, are you ready?" Luffy asked, grin spread impossibly wide.
"As ready as I'll ever be!" Ace confirmed as he smiled back, the freckles on his face only highlighting his complete joy. He turned, as if to hop into the boat that awaited tied off from the dock, and I scoffed at him.
"Excuse you, just what do you think you're doing?" When he turned to cock his head at me questioningly, I took the chance to lunge forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and dragging him down into a tight embrace.
"Woah!" He yelped, thrown off balance, but he still returned the hug automatically, his own arms wrapping around my waist instantly. I couldn't help but feel a bit proud. The Ace of seven years ago would have squawked and fought desperately to get free, unused to affection as he was back then. Now, he simply accepted and returned it, even if he still went a little red in the face sometimes and let out the occasional grumble. Which was usually saved for when Luffy jumped into the fray, his rubbery arms snaking around us tightly.
Like they were right now.
"Come on, you guys, I'm leaving to become a pirate," Ace whined. "This is so uncool."
"Deal with it," I commanded unsympathetically as I rested my ear over his heart once more, wanting to hear the sound of it beating one last time before he left.
"You'll miss us!" Luffy claimed with confidence, tightening his grip on us even further.
"Yeah, yeah. I don't know why, though," our oldest brother huffed and I let out a snicker at the obvious lie.
"We'll miss you, too," I promised as Luffy finally pulled away and set us free. Before Ace could regain his balance, I grabbed ahold of his chin and pressed my lips to the center of his forehead, much like I had with Sabo so many years before. Ah, and there was that embarrassed blush I'd been expecting. "You be careful, okay? Make sure you find a doctor so that they can help with your narcolepsy. Have lots of adventures and meet a lot of cool people. Get really strong! Remember what I told you," I met his eye and waited for him to nod at me before continuing. "And never, not for a single second, forget that you have siblings who love you, who will do anything for you, and who would go completely out of their minds if something happened to you."
And there was that awed look again, the same one that appeared every time Ace was reminded that there were people who actually gave a shit about him. Even after all this time, it still made frequent appearances, though less than it once had. I both hated and adored that look. Hated, because it really drove home how little love he'd had in his life before, adored because it meant that our words and feelings were actually getting through to him, even if it was just a little.
I finally took a step back, taking my place at Luffy's side as Ace did the same.
"Guess this is it," our older brother mumbled, smiling softly at the both of us. "You two be careful, too, okay? Look out for each other and get stronger. And don't get caught stealing."
This last was said directly to me, along with a stern look, causing me to scoff. As if I'd ever get caught by those idiotic nobles.
"We'll see each other again, on the Grand Line, for sure!" Ace continued.
"Definitely!"
"Damn right!"
Tossing one last cocky grin our way, Ace turned and hopped down into his boat, wasting no time in untying it from the dock before unfurling the sails. The wind caught instantly, as I'd known it would, and carried him out quickly.
"Good luck out there, Ace!" Luffy yelled as he waved.
"Make sure you get a big bounty!" I shouted.
"Just you wait!" Ace's voice carried back to us, even as his boat sailed further and further away. "I'll make a name for myself in no time!"
We continued to stand there for a long time, long after Ace disappeared beyond the horizon, taking his grin with him, and everyone else began to disperse.
"Well, Lu," I finally sighed. "Looks like it's just us, now."
"Shishishi, we've got a lot of work to do."
I felt a grin, full of challenge, pull at my lips. As I turned to face my brother, I could see that his own mirrored mine.
"Well, then. We'd better get started."
.
.
A/N: This chapter is almost 13,000 words, you guys. Pats self on back tbh. It's probably only this long because I didn't want Ace to leave, since he really is one of my top favorite characters. I'm going to miss writing him so much... But that means one, maybe two chapters more and then canon will start. Finally! 100,000 words later...
Sorry if the talk of puberty and sexual assault bothered some of you, but I felt it had to be addressed at some point. There really are a lot of open perverts in the One Piece world. And I know it's mainly for adding humor, but still, for a girl growing up in that world it'd probably be really scary. If this series was darker, it'd definitely be an extremely big problem. Plus, I really wanted to write Ace's reaction to it a bit. It wasn't too over the top, seeing as how the situation wasn't actually all that bad. But still. Protective Ace gives me life.
The idea for the spike strip in Lily's braid came from OreoNinja, so they deserve all credit for that. It was a great idea and as soon as I read it I just had to incorporate it in. Hope you don't mind!
I also hope you liked seeing a bit more of their training. You'll be seeing more next chapter, when Lily and Luffy start their own haki training. And a bit of Garp thrown in for good measure.
I got a lot of long reviews on the last chapter, which honestly made me so happy. You guys really are the best! Thank you to every single one of you!
athenaincarnate: I actually was planning to do something along those lines, involving Sabo and Koala, which makes it great that you suggested it as well! And yes, the fact that Luffy never learned his crewmate's pasts has always bugged me too. I understand what point they're trying to make by doing it like that, to prove that he just cares for them no matter what, and maybe to also emphasize his "live in the moment" personality. But still, the past makes the person. And I always thought it was strange that he wouldn't want to know everything he possibly could about his nakama, based on how much he loves them. Lily, being Lily, will definitely be interested in their stories, though, as she's not the type to say no to new information. So, we'll see how that affects Luffy as well, I guess :) And yes, with the PTSD and fanfics! That's one of the big reasons I love time travel fic so much, honestly. I just love the absolute angst of a character losing everything, only to be able to go back and try again. It's the best! I wanted to show that Ace is slowly but surely growing as a person. I don't think he'll ever be able to completely accept love and affection, and feel like he absolutely deserves it. But at the same time, here, he has Lily as well as Luffy showering him in love. And while Lily may be more reserved than her twin, that doesn't mean she's adverse to physical displays of affection. In fact, she loves them, especially when it's with her brothers. Because, let's face it, big brother hugs can be the best sometimes. And yes, I feel like Straw Hat Puppy Piles are now going to have to be a thing, at least when they're stuck on that small boat. Because who could say no to an image like that?
Fenrir's Phantom: Thank you for the Devil Fruit ideas! I will definitely keep them in mind!
BlueberryChiffon: Your language is definitely excused haha I'm glad that you like this fic so much! Hopefully I'm able to continue worrying your grandma by causing you to spaz over Lily and her adventures! :)
Ugotaurus: I am leaning pretty heavily on the healing Fruit as well. As for her having the ability to heal others, when I say life threatening I really do mean life threatening. Like, if Chopper is unable to do anything to help and it's pretty much hopeless. Because, for someone who's body has been changed on a molecular level to rapidly heal like that, it's okay. But for normal bodies? Even bodies that are enhanced via their own Devil Fruits? Healing them even marginally like that could cause various problems. I could never understand how Mansherry's ability could get away with it and pretty much just filed it under the "it's ANIME of course it makes no sense" folder in my head. But I personally wouldn't be able to handle a Fruit getting away with that. So, yeah, she might be taking their wound onto herself since she is capable of healing it, but it won't be without adverse reactions. The body isn't meant to be wounded one moment and healed the next, the mixed signals alone would be enough to cause extreme shock. So, the only time she would use it (or that Chopper would let her use it) on others would be if there really was no other choice (Sorry if my explanation was unnecessarily long... I've put a lot of thought into this if you hadn't noticed hahaha). As for her position on the crew, I've been thinking of making her something like an Intelligence Officer, more or less (I don't know what the proper name for it on a pirate ship would be...). Because she's gotten good at finding things out (maybe not as good as Robin but I mean, come on, it's Robin) and more than that, her head is literally full of information. She's spent the last few years of her life practically living in the library, reading up on the world around her, not to mention everything she already knows thanks to her past life.
I've been debating with myself on and off over whether or not to officially make her the First Mate. Because, technically, she is. And more than that, I don't think it's ever explicitly stated that Zoro does, in fact, carry the title. But, on the other hand, it's weird for me to think of anyone other than Zoro ever having the title. I don't know. There's still a chapter or two left until it becomes relevant, so let me know what you guys think.
mylongodetosleep: I'm glad that you like the fic so far! The puppy piles are definitely a favorite for everybody, it seems, and I can't blame any of you. The mental image is just so adorable. As for Lily's Devil Fruit, snakes are definitely an animal that I'm keeping in mind, because they can be associated with so many things and there's really so much you can do with a Fruit like that, depending on which species you go for. Your review wasn't too long, in fact I loved it! And I'm always open to Devil Fruit ideas, so don't worry!
Mytheos: You were definitely spot on in your interpretation of Lily's fighting ability hahaha yes, she's trailing behind the boys in terms of strength but she's making up for it with her speed and agility. She's going to be a more graceful fighter, not wasting any of her hits and going in for the kill relatively quickly, as opposed to the all-out drawn-out brawls Luffy has sometimes. But even if it's not in the same way as her brothers, or even other members of the crew, she'll still be a heavy hitter and isn't someone you'll want to underestimate. I've always found Logias to be really awesome, but like Mythical Zoans, I know that they're next to impossible to get your hands on. As such, I don't know how into Lily getting one I am, even though there are tons of cool and interesting ideas for them. Lily getting her Fruit that way would be honestly hilarious. And now that you've suggested it, I might just have to do it. Oh, my god, it would be great though. Just picturing her reaction is enough to crack me up!
Like always, thanks for reading, and please follow, favorite or review to let me know what you think!