As the music ended Ace and Marco stepped forward revealing themselves to the entire guard and to the king in person. "Squard!- er… Father!" Ace proclaimed pointing his finger at Squard stumbling over his words slightly. Marco had told him to pretend he was in the middle of a story and he was doing his best, but Ace had never acted before and wasn't sure how to go about it. "I've come to uh…" he glanced at Marco who gave him a 'go-on' hand sign. "…reclaim the crown, so… surrender! And no harm will come to you."

"You have come, daughter!"

"Son!" he corrected instantly.

"Have you enjoyed the gift I have prepared for you daughter? A ball just for you!" Squard spun in the spot a mad look across his face: "Did you like the color? The color of blood, the same blood that coated your mother when you ripped out of her."

Ace's heart seized his eyes flying wide. It was a story, and that wasn't Squard's actual thoughts or personality. Despite that, and even though Ace knew it was a lie because of what a marine had done, those words struck him like a physical blow. His hands shook as he thought about his real mother, about Portgas D. Rouge and he couldn't stop himself from wondering; did she blame him? He killed her like the character based on him had killed the mother in this world. Had she regretted it? Regretted him?

Luffy flew out of the crowd, and his newly changed small fist slammed home in the middle of Squard's face. He had a shocking amount of physical strength for his transformed body, no doubt because regardless of the change in gender Luffy's muscles were still toned and properly exercised. While the punch succeeded at ripping open the knuckles of his hand since he wasn't rubber, Luffy didn't even care. It didn't matter because Squard had hurt Ace with his words and he deserved to be punched no matter what Marco and Ace had said.

"You take that back!" Luffy roared standing over Squard breathing heavily.

"Guards!" Squard screamed, "capture them!"

All hell broke loose. The robbers and fairies launched to action and met the guards in battle doing their best not to kill anyone following Ace's orders. Marco shifted between forms learning quickly that while he'd regained his human body, his avian form was the same cursed size. Miniaturized his secondary form was good for speed and little else. Marco ever adapting used it to quickly move around the guards before returning to human form behind them and kicking his siblings and the like into unconsciousness.

Ace was only a split second behind finding himself cornered by guards as the civilians and guests screamed and transformed into a stampede to escape. Fists up Ace struck out with the training drilled into him since a young age. Striking quick and heavy with his more practiced muscles and aiming for that sweet spot so he could knock out his opponents quickly and relatively harmlessly.

The stampeding crowd nearly took out Luffy who found himself tripping on the shoes he was wearing. He kicked them off nearly tripping once more, Law grabbed him before he fell fully and was trampled and yanked him to safety. Law swung the weapon toward Luffy's thighs chopping off the bottom of the dress altering it from around knee height to thigh height allowing him to regain his motion for the kicks he liked to use. With a laugh Luffy thanked Law, and the two turned toward the battle and the king who had rushed to his throne in the chaos.

In the end, the small skirmish was easily won. The fairies had a distinct advantage with their magic, but the real power-houses were those who still had their memories of the real world. Law who had skills with a sword even without his devil fruit. Luffy who was physically stronger than an average civilian, rubber or not. And Ace and Marco both with their haki and new world power. Quite frankly the guards were destroyed in seconds.

All four of them approached the throne and Squard who was standing before it furiously sneering.

"You think you've won," he said, "you think you have me trapped, you think I'll allow you to kill me?! I WILL NOT!"

"I'm not going to kill you Squard," Ace tried to sooth, "we both sail under Pops, we're friends Squard, family."

"You'll not trick me! Enchantress! Come! I have need of you!"

"Oh?" Law drawled. He'd suspected the identity of the enchantress from the tale already, wondering if the woman in the story was the same one that carried the devil fruit. Could she resist getting involved in her own tale putting her in danger of being attacked by those she'd captured? Or had she picked someone to portray that character?

"Your grace, I live to serve."

A shadow spawned behind the throne, darkness flowed up and over the elegant chair and edged along the ground looking like possessed tentacles. It looked remarkably like the smoke that had flowed over them to trap them in the fairy-tale world in the first place. But the voice was not feminine, it was deep, and to two of their number, familiar.

"Izo," Marco and Ace said at the same time as a figure revealed itself behind the throne. A face in the darkness wearing a dress of metal and purple. The being that stood there was dressed like a woman but was unmistakably male just as Ace was.

The enchantress smiled at them running his hands over the top of the thrown and leaned against it. Gazing at the king Izo the Enchantress asked in a sultry tone: "How might I serve you?"

"Protect me! Do not let them harm me," Squard's eyes shot to Ace: "as for my daughter… 'that' curse will do."

"But of course, I shall give you the protection you wish and the power to gain revenge for the… disservice the female has dealt you." Izo stepped out from behind the throne and lifted his hands' darkness pooling in his palms. It gathered there for a moment, only a moment before it exploded outward.

The four of them braced themselves no longer ignorant to the dangers of that smoke. The magic in this place was very real and whatever Izo was doing was dangerous. However, the smoke did not touch them; it shot out and surrounded Squard instead.

The king collapsed to his knees screaming. Marco and Ace took aborted steps forward alarmed and worried for him. While on the floor Squard writhed his voice growing deeper, darker, a growl vibrating in his throat as his body expanded. Wings - real ones like the wings of a bat - exploded from his back, black and gray scales raced down his skin. Claws and teeth, a snout and horns, Squard straightened and roared.

"DRAGON!" Luffy cried out in sheer delight.

"Focus on the situation Luffy!" Ace yelled grabbing Luffy by the back of the dress and carting him away from the beast as an enormous tail smashed where they'd all just been standing. They scattered in separated directions, Marco transforming and taking to the air to screech in Squard's direction. Law blocked the tail with his sword digging in his heels as he was sent skidding backward, thankfully unharmed.

"Plan?" Ace called diving past the banquet table as Squard's tail smashed into it sending food flying to Luffy's immense horror. Izo near the throne laughed long and hand, clutching his stomach with the sheer force of his amusement.

"The crown's still on his head," Luffy said: "I'm gonna get it."

"Luffy-ya you can't stretch." Law called from the side.

"Oh… right…"

Marco spotted the glitter hidden by the horns: "it's not a bad idea though. We subdue Izo and Squard, and we crown Ace as we planned." It didn't matter how anymore, together they were two division commanders of the Whitebeard crew and two rookie pirate captains. If they couldn't handle one dragon without devil fruit powers, then they didn't deserve those titles.

Ace, Luffy, and Law all seemed to agree with his plot when all three of them acted in the same moment. Ace rushed away from the table vaulting over the tail Squard sent his way so he could bull rush the dragon. Luffy appeared from the opposite side with a chicken leg in his hands as he munched on it hurrying the opposite direction with a plan in mind. Law waited in his spot observing Squard's motions, but his gaze focused on Izo who was not paying attention to him.

Luffy reached Squard first when the dragon clawed at Ace forcing him to dodge. Tossing aside the chicken bones Luffy grabbed the lowest spine coming off Squard's back and started to climb upward. He was getting that crown!

Squard twisted as Ace drove around his leg snatching a dagger off of one of the unconscious guards and using it to strike at scales. With the size of the blade compared to Squard, it would be like an annoying insect bite, perfect to Ace who didn't want to actually hurt his sibling. Unfortunately, the weapon did nothing more than bounce off the scales, so Ace shoved armament haki into it hoping to do some proper damage.

With Squard distracted Luffy grabbed tight to the spine he was holding onto as the dragon twisted around. He grinned widely excited to reach the top and to sit on the dragon's shoulders, maybe he could even make 'Squardon' fly with him on board. While he climbed Law skidded under Squard's flailing tail moving swiftly but silently toward Izo to knock the man unconscious. Marco mimicked his actions soaring under Squard's extended wings- he grew too close to one when Squard furiously flapped and the sheer wind strength in comparison to Marco's small wings sent him spiraling toward a nearby wall.

"Marco!" cried Ace. Marco twisted at the last second transforming and landing feet first against the wall. His fingers brushed the stone before he kicked out shifting midway and returning right to the battle, right for Izo.

Marco and Law reached Izo at the same moment surrounding him while Luffy cried out in triumph finally reaching the top of Squard's body. With his legs wrapped around Squard's elongated neck Luffy clung tight. Squard did not even notice Luffy, too focused on grabbing for Ace who lashed out at the clutching hand stabbing a haki coated dagger into the back of it.

Squard screeched in rage his entire body flailing in pain. Luffy yelped gripping tight to the spines closest to him lest he be unseated. Ace was sent flying when Squard's tail spun striking him in the side, Ace narrowly managed to coat his body in haki before he hit the wall with a crack. Marco was forced to dodge Squard lest he suffer Ace's fate, the dodge caused him to fly right into Izo's line of sight causing him to acknowledge their plan.

"Your grace!" Izo cried.

Squard spun seeing Law steps away from his enchantress and heaved a furious breath. Smoke and flames escaped his snout toward Marco as he grabbed for Law. Yanking up his sword Law could only prevent himself from being skewered by Squard's claws by blocking with the blade. Squard was not deterred by this; his too large hands surrounded Law and yanking him off his feet.

Squard released around furious cry as Ace stabbed the back of his foot. His flight or fight instinct took over; Squard's wings began to pump beating a furious tempo as he decided to take to the air to escape the ants attacking him. He charged for the walls of the palace crashing straight through them before flying upward and out of reach of Ace, Marco, and Izo. Upward he flew, higher and higher until he was miles above the castle. Then Squard looked down at Law in his grip realizing he could be rid of this ant once and for all.

"My traitorous guard," he taunted, "now you die."

And he let Law go.