A/N: Please read!

I'm so sorry this is so late. I've been sick for the last like, 4 weeks. I've also been struggling with my depression a lot recently which makes it hard to focus on anything. I'm so sorry I haven't replied to all my wonderful reviews (holy siofpasdif! We're almost up to 600?!) but I didn't want to delay the chapter by doing that. I'll try to go back and answer any questions anyone had. Thank you guys SO much! You really have no idea how much your feedback means to me.

I'm going to try to keep with the regular updates, but I've also been paired with my artist for the OPBB challenge and I'm excited to be working on that story. It's my first actual romance genre story since the shipping in Bonds is only implied/offscreen.

Two quick things about this chapter:

This is mostly a timeskip chapter. I know everyone wanted to see Luffy's birthday so I did my best to include it, but as much as I'd like to keep writing every party and birthday, the plot must go on. This is a setup chapter as the plot is picking up pretty rapidly (I think) after this. For reference, the previous chapter was the end of March, and this chapter will span through the beginning of May.

Oda has confirmed my headcanon about when Koala joined the Revolutionaries! Hurray! That may or may not be pertinent to this story ;3

Huge thanks to Aynslesa for beta'ing and putting up with me.

Dedicated to Beyond Kailani, my adorable imouto.

Bonds of Sea and Fire

Chapter 20: Children's Day

"Do I even want to know what you three are doing?"

Ace cast a glance over his shoulder at Rakuyo, then casually pointed up. "Waiting to see if he's gonna come down on his own or if I have to go get him."

"We could always ask Marco to get him down again," Sabo mused.

"Marco went ashore with Oyaji," Haruta reminded him. "I mean, I could go up there…"

Rakuyo frowned at their conversation, realizing even as he tilted his head to look up that a certain bouncy young boy was not with them. Sure enough, as soon as he'd tilted his head far enough back, he could see the boy with the straw hat tangled in the ropes by the sails, flailing a little and trying to free himself.

"How long has he been up there?" Rakuyo sighed, already rolling up his sleeves.

"About a half hour," Ace admitted. "We told him not to rocket himself."

"How does he even get up there when he uses that infernal rocket?" Rakuyo complained.

"He bounces," Sabo answered in a tone that indicated he thought the answer was obvious.

"I'm surprised you brats let him stay up there as long as ya did," Rakuyo sighed.

"Well we said he had to ask for help and he wouldn't," Ace said, looking indignant. "I would have gotten him if he'd asked."

"I don't need any help!" came Luffy's faint cry. "I'm strong!"

Rakuyo rolled his eyes, immediately setting to work on climbing. It only took him a few minutes to untangle Luffy - who nearly gave him a heart attack by simply jumping once he was free - and the boys took off before he even finished climbing down.

"I'm getting too old for this," he complained once he reached the bottom, dropping back down to the deck.

"Did you really just complain about being old?" An elbow rammed into his side in what was likely supposed to be a playful manner, but as he stumbled and groaned, Rakuyo couldn't help thinking he'd offended Bay somehow.

"Shouldn't you be off somewhere, picking on Vista?" Rakuyo griped.

"He's no fun right now," Bay said with a shrug. "Did the boys just run off?"

"Yeah," Rakuyo sighed. "Those boys have been nothing but a rowdy mess ever since Ace decided to stay."

"It's only been like a month," Bay reminded him. "It's good they're still rowdy."

"Whatcha got there?" Rakuyo motioned to her hand and she grinned in response, holding the object up for him to see clearly. He couldn't help but grin back when he recognized the small brace. It was orange, unlike the the darker one Ace already wore, and made of a much nicer material. "Nice addition."

"You think?" Bay took it back, chuckling and running her finger over the deep red symbol decorating the back of the brace. "Oyaji laughed when he saw it. He's smitten with those kids, you know."

"Trust me, I do," Rakuyo said, shaking his head. "He gets this grin on his face like he's becoming a dad for the first time and those little monsters get away with anything."

"Monsters, hm?" Bay asked with a smirk. "Were you a victim of one of their latest pranks?"

"No," Rakuyo lied, huffing. "It's not fair, you know. They could burn the entire ship down and that crafty little Sabo will smile and say 'it was an accident,' and the rest is history."

Bay's expression darkened, the smile sliding from her lips. "Perhaps in any situation other than burning the ship down," she corrected. "Seeing as how Sabo is still suffering post traumatic stress disorder from nearly being killed in an explosion."

Rakuyo's expression sobered as well, a heavy sigh escaping. "Vista said something about Sabo wandering around at night again."

"He's having more nightmares," Bay informed him, shaking her head. "Trying not to alert his brothers and all that, but Ace mentioned it to me too. I guess he can't hide it forever. I gave him something to help him sleep through the night, but I don't know if it's working or not. I figured I'd look for an opening to ask when I gave Ace his new brace."

"Any news on whether or not they're going to start sleeping in the division quarters and not your room?"

Bay snorted. "Oh please. I've never used that room and I don't plan to. It's not like I'm sticking around as Second Division Commander forever, you know."

"Still have your heart set on commanding your own vessel, eh?" Rakuyo teased.

"Damn straight I do." Bay smirked, tilting her head back. "But for now, someone has to whip the new nurses into shape."

"I thought we'd have recruited more than three by now," Rakuyo muttered. "Thatch is scaring them away, isn't he?"

"Stop blaming everything on poor Thatch. At least until his hair is long enough to put in a pompadour again. It's too easy to crush him right now."

Rakuyo snorted. "It is a little too easy, isn't it?"

Bay shrugged. "Anyway, Ace asked if they could keep using that room a while longer. Then they had Luffy ask Oyaji. Long story short, Fossa's remodeling the inside. He's been at it since early this morning."

"Fossa spoils those damn kids way too much," Rakuyo huffed.

"I don't recall Fossa letting Haruta drink rum," Bay reminded him in a sickly sweet tone that sent shivers down his spine.

"Once. Once," Rakuyo complained. "And you already punished me for that. The boy's almost a man, and we're pirates!"

"And when he is a man, he's free to drink as much rum as he can hold before he tosses his cookies, but until then I will enforce Oyaji's rules," Bay quipped. "So help me, Rakuyo, if I catch you letting the trio have any alcohol…"

"I would never!" Rakuyo shook his head vehemently, then held both hands up for good measure. "Have a little faith, lass!"

"Calling me 'lass', are ya?" Bay joked, punching his arm. "Okay, I'll trust you not to make anymore stupid choices. For now. I should go track them down before they wander too far and make sure this brace fits."

"Have fun with that," Rakuyo muttered, nursing his sore arm. "I'm gonna go patrol a little. Stupid marines are getting bold again."

"Mm. Sounds like fun," Bay said, casting a glance over her shoulder. "If it looks like we have to sink them, count me in. I could use a little bit of venting."

Rakuyo nodded to her. "You been doing alright? No one's giving ya trouble, are they, lass?"

"Aw, don't worry about little old me," Bay teased him, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Ya big softie."

Rakuyo snorted, grinning after as she sauntered off while calling out a playful jeer at Kingdew, who had apparently been lurking near the mast to keep an eye on the boys.

It was another dull day, of course - although a dull day in Paradise for the Whitebeard Pirates was clearly still exciting for the trio. Even Haruta, who had tried acting like he was too cool for Paradise, seemed to be enjoying things more than usual now that he had three little brothers to look after.

Bay couldn't help but smile at that. As tough as Haruta had tried acting, she knew he was hard on himself, and that a part of him had felt lonely surrounded by so many stronger siblings. Now he was paying more attention to his lessons, learning without simply acting on a stubborn determination not to be left behind - he was getting stronger for their sakes as well as his own.

There were still instances where Haruta tended to show off and drop his guard, but Bay was sure he'd grow out of that eventually. He'd have to, once they made their way back to the New World.

It didn't take her long to find the boys. Generally speaking if anyone needed to locate them, they only had to follow the sound of Luffy's giggles or any obvious signs of chaos. She'd followed a trail of blue paint and handprints, which had tapered off near Thatch's room. Uncaring if she walked in on Thatch in a compromising position - again - she silently eased the door open, stepping inside and shutting it behind her when she realized the boys were distracted and whispering amongst themselves.

"So, what game is this?" Bay asked, causing all four to jump.

Luffy flailed, yelping and twisting around to look at her. "Oh! Hi Boy!"

"Bay," she corrected him. "So. Dare I ask about the paint?"

"It's a game," Sabo told her. "We're winning."

"A game," she echoed.

"Don't tell," Haruta said quickly, snickering. "We challenged Thatch to a game. Whoever can get the most blue handprints on Blenheim before he notices wins."

Bay's eyebrow shot up. "He's never going to let Thatch put a single-"

Before she could finish her statement, they all heard the loud cursing of an angry Blenheim and the yelping of a fleeing Thatch coming from somewhere on the deck.

"Shishishi!" Luffy giggled, covering his mouth with his hands and getting blue paint on himself. "We win!"

"Luffy, you got it all over your face," Ace sighed, wiping his hands off on his clothes and moving to rub the paint from Luffy's face with his own shirt.

"You'll be fine, just don't eat it," Bay chuckled. "Anyway, I came to see you, Ace."

"Me?" Ace asked, looking at her while wiping Luffy's face. Luffy was flailing again, looking torn between letting Ace finish and eating the parts of the shirt that were getting in his mouth.

"Yep. Guess what I have for you?" Bay asked, holding the small object out for him to see.

Ace's eyes lit up, and he immediately held out his hand for it, only to blink as she shook her head and knelt. Luffy ducked out of his grasp and hurried to Sabo, wrapping his rubbery arms around Sabo's torso while they watched.

"I'm gonna make sure it fits properly before I let you kids go running off," she told Ace. "Don't move."

"I still have paint on my-"

"I'm not worried about a little paint," Bay said, removing his old brace and setting to work on putting the new one in place. Ace couldn't help but blush as she adjusted his arm a few times and asked him about the discomfort, answering as honestly and quickly as he could.

Luffy nudged Sabo, giggling. "His face is all red again," he said in what was probably intended to be a whisper but was loud enough for all of them to hear. "Just like with Makino."

"Luffy! Shut up!" Ace snapped, cheeks darkening from their teasing.

"Wow, he's really red," Haruta agreed. "Does he do this a lot?"

"Only when pretty girls are really close to him like that," Luffy stated innocently, grinning up at Haruta. "But not if old hags do it."

Bay frowned. "Old hags, hm? And what makes someone an old hag, Luffy?"

Luffy blinked, then tilted his head to the side. "When Ace says they are."

"And what does Ace think makes someone an old hag, hm?" Bay asked, turning an icy gaze to the boy whose arm she still had in her grasp. He quickly averted his eyes.

"I dunno. I've only called Dadan that, and only cause I wanted to make her mad."

"I see." Bay shook her head, finishing her adjustments and releasing Ace's arm. "I don't know if Izo has gotten to it in his lessons yet, but I'll give the four of you a lesson right now."

"Can't we go wash the paint off our hands?" Haruta gulped.

"No," Bay motioned for them to sit down, plopping down casually in front of them on the floor. "You're getting this life lesson whether you want it or not. And you do want to know how to treat others with respect, right?"

Ace sighed. "Yes, we do."

"Yep, we do," Luffy agreed, echoing Ace with a wide smile.

"I'm good, but I'll stay since they're here," Sabo answered with a cheeky grin of his own.

"I think I already got this lesson," Haruta admitted. "But I'll stay just in case."

"Smart choice," Bay told him. "Now. Luffy, what do you think makes someone an old hag?"

"Uh…" Luffy grabbed onto his feet, tapping his sandals against each other while he rocked back and forth. "When Ace calls them that."

Ace slapped a hand over his own face and sighed. "No, Luffy, it's when they're ugly."

"Oh," Luffy said, while Bay sighed.

"That's right," Sabo agreed, although Haruta was watching Bay with a wary look.

"I don't know," Haruta decided, since he had a feeling no one had given the right answer.

"Well, all four of you are wrong," Bay said with a shrug. "You never insult someone based on their appearance alone."

"Really?" Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side. "Why not?"

"To be blunt, it's rude as hell," Bay answered. "And it's not something you should insult unless the person deserves it."

"How do you know if someone deserves it?" Ace asked. He seemed genuinely confused and curious, which had Bay sighing again.

"Okay, for example, do you think Blamenco is a handsome guy?" Bay questioned. When every single one of them shook their heads, she continued. "Do you want to hurt his feelings?"

"No," Ace swore quickly. Luffy was just as eager to agree, sucking his lower lip in at the thought of hurting any of his new brothers.

"Well if you were to call someone who isn't handsome names or other hurtful things and Blamenco heard it, don't you think he'd assume you felt the same way about him?"

"I never thought of it that way," Sabo admitted, frowning.

"So how do we know if a person deserves it?" Ace pressed, biting his lip.

"When they act like an ass," Bay told them. "If you see someone hurting innocent people or doing something despicable, feel free to tell them just how ugly you think they are. Because that's what you insult - ugly behavior."

"I think I get it," Haruta said, nodding.

"I'm confused," Luffy admitted. "It sounds like a mystery."

"Okay Luffy," Sabo interrupted. "What if you saw a pretty lady who looked just like Makino?"

Luffy tilted his head to the side. "Is it Makino?"

"No but she's pretty, like Makino, or Bay, or Izo."

"Oh, okay," Luffy nodded while Bay tried not to smirk at Sabo for including her.

"But she tells Ace he's weak and pathetic and hurts Ace's feelings," Sabo continued.

"Hey! I wouldn't-" Ace protested, but Sabo shushed him.

Luffy scowled. "I should call her an ugly old hag, right?"

"Right," Sabo nodded. "That's what Bay means."

"I got it!" Luffy chirped proudly. "So I should only insult people who do mean things to people I care about!"

"Sure, that's the basic idea," Bay agreed. "Got it?"

Ace nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Thank you, Bay."

"Aw, don't go bein' all cute and polite with me, Ace," Bay teased, reaching out to tousle his hair and laughing when he blushed. "I'll hug you or something."

"I thought you didn't like hugs," Sabo asked. He gave an innocent smile, and Bay quickly stood.

"Well, I'm gonna let you kids get back to whatever the hell you plan to do next," Bay hastily spoke, not trusting that smile in the slightest and trying to make a quick exit.

"Luffy, Bay likes hugs now!"

"Yay!" Luffy jumped up and extended his arms, catching Bay before she could get away. Haruta watched in fascinated horror as Luffy launched right into her, hugging her innocently while also covering her in paint.

Bay twitched. She couldn't be mad at Luffy because even though she didn't want to be hugged, he was far too sweet and affectionate for her to take it out on him. Her eyes promised Sabo that they were far from done - he had officially declared war as far as she was concerned - but she pat Luffy on the back in her best attempt to return the hug.

"Sorry," Haruta mouthed.

"Luffy, I want a hug now," Ace said, and those words had Luffy gasping.

Quick as lightning, Luffy retracted from Bay and landed nimbly on his feet before launching himself at Ace and wrapping his rubbery arms around him several times. The freckled boy sighed affectionately and offered Bay a small smile to show her she could make her exit.

"Ace just bought you all a freebie," Bay warned, looking to Sabo. "Next time, it's war."

Sabo snickered even as Bay turned and left, though Haruta staggered and exhaled loudly.

"It's not funny, she's scary!" Haruta swore. "Rakuyo was right to be afraid of her."

"She's not so bad," Ace chuckled, flexing his arm a little and watching the fabric of his new brace bend. "Besides, all we have to do is stay on her good side. It's Sabo who needs to worry."

"Traitor," Sabo teased. "I'll just smile at her. According to Izo, it's a dangerous talent I have."

"We should get out of here before Thatch gets back," Haruta said abruptly, looking to the door. "Blenheim's probably done with him."

"I don't think Fossa's finished our room yet. Where should we go?" Ace asked.

"Let's go get food," Luffy suggested. "I'm hungry."

"First, we'll get the paint cleaned up so Blenheim doesn't suspect us," Sabo reasoned. "Then we can go get food."

"Yay!" Luffy cheered, jumping up and winding his legs around Ace's waist so he didn't have to stop hugging him. Ace rolled his eyes, but he flashed Haruta and Sabo a smile and nodded to them to lead the way.

...

"Ace. Ace! Aaaaaaaaaaace!"

Ace opened his eyes, sighing when he was greeted with Luffy's eager and wide-awake face. "What, Luffy?"

"These beds are so cool!"

Ace groaned, pushing at Luffy's face and trying to get him to retract. "You've said that like a thousand times already. Go to bed!"

"The bed are cool though," Sabo added from the layer below him, which had Ace sitting up.

"Is anyone even trying to sleep?" he asked, grouchily rubbing at his eyes. "We're supposed to be training first thing in the morning."

Luffy's only response was to giggle, his head disappearing over the top of the bed again as his neck snapped back into place. Accepting the fact that they weren't going to sleep any time soon, Ace kicked his blankets off with a sigh.

Sabo was right of course - their beds were cool. The single bed against the wall had been completely taken out, replaced with a writing desk for Sabo. Instead, new beds had been crafted in the corner, the first horizontal and labeled as Sabo's. The second overlapped the first, attached to the adjacent wall with Ace's name carved into the headboard.

The last had been parallel to the first bed, overlapping the second in the same manner. They hadn't understood why Luffy was the top bunk at first, but Fossa had laughed and simply claimed when the seas got rough, the one made of rubber was most suited for a top bunk.

The other change Fossa had made was to put an incredibly durable training dummy in the center of the room in case any of them wanted to practice close-range combat. Ace had even tested it out - and to his delight, it hadn't broken.

"I can touch the ceiling," Luffy chirped.

"You can always touch the ceiling," Sabo reminded him, folding his arms under his head and sinking comfortably into his pillow. "You're made of rubber."

"Oh yeah! Shishishi!" Luffy muffled his giggles with his blanket, then leaned over the side of his bed again, stretching his neck so he could be closer to Sabo. "Wanna come up here? You guys can sleep in my bed if you want."

"We have separate beds on purpose, Luffy," Ace reminded him.

"But my bed's the coolest," Luffy retorted. "Come up here!"

Ace sighed again, but any chance they had of getting Luffy to quiet down would be to give in to his demands. "Fine. I'll come up there."

"And Sabo?" Luffy asked hopefully.

Sabo laughed, pushing himself into a sitting position. "Alright, alright. But we're supposed to sleep."

He checked the hat rack on the opposite side of his headboard, satisfied that his hat was where he'd left it - both he and Luffy were given that extra feature - then joined Ace in climbing to the top. They had a ladder on the wall next to his and Luffy's headboards, but no one used it. Luffy could rocket to the top and both elder boys could easily haul themselves up from either of the lower bunks.

Once all three were huddled in the bed - which wasn't as big as the previous bed but somehow fit them all with minimal discomfort - Ace tucked Luffy close. The youngest of the trio happily snuggled between his brother. "Ne, Ace, Sabo, we should make a really cool drawing up here," he suggested. "Like robots and pirates!"

"I'll ask Curiel for some paint later," Sabo promised. "But for now, get some sleep."

"I'm not tired," Luffy whined. "Can't you tell me a story?"

"Instead of a story, why don't you think about all the things you wanna do on your birthday?" Ace suggested. "It's coming up."

"Oh!" Luffy smiled wide and looked to Ace. "I want to eat lots of meat, and spend the day with my brothers!"

"Of course you do," Sabo chuckled. "We're gonna do something with just us, and you'll have all our attention, Luffy. Anything you wanna do."

"Within reason," Ace added.

"And after we celebrate, everyone on the Moby Dick is gonna celebrate Children's day. We're gonna have fun all day," Sabo promised.

"I can't wait!" Luffy wiggled with excitement.

It took them another half hour of promising treats and fun and even a drawing of a robot before Luffy wound down, and by then Ace and Sabo were so exhausted they didn't even consider going back to their own beds. They fell asleep in a tangled mess of limbs and blankets, and when Vista came to get them the next morning, he could only shake his head and chuckle at the sight.

...

She knew they were frowning at her. The library was peaceful and quiet - or it would have been, had Lami not been furiously flipping through the book in front of her, small gasps escaping as she finished each sentence in her head before fully reading it.

Nothing had come so easily to her - not in her time at the facility, not in the months since being set free, and not in the brief period she'd spent helping that family. It was like she'd finally found a piece of her old life, and while the memories didn't come rushing back the way she'd hoped, the knowledge did.

Someone had taught her about medicine. Someone had painstakingly gone over medical books with her, explaining the terms she didn't understand and praising her when she remembered them.

Lami mumbled along with the sentences, completely unaware of the glares being directed her way. The librarian had rolled his eyes at her when she'd first picked out the book, claiming it to be for someone older. His patronizing tone had been enough to make her insist on looking at the book, even though she hadn't expected to understand it. She'd been gathering books on everything from gardening to carpentry as she did every day, hoping something would jog her memory.

Voices seemed to echo in her head - another voice, one that felt like home - corrected her when she mispronounced a word on purpose.

Nice try, Lami. Say it with me, the voice told her. It was patient and kind - deeper than hers - and it vanished like water slipping through her grasping fingers.

She closed her eyes, willing herself not to give in to the frustration. She had something now. More than she'd ever had before. Medical knowledge came to her as easily as breathing, and it was a link to her past that might continue to grow as long as she pursued it.

"I'll become a doctor," she murmured to herself, smiling at the thought. It wouldn't take much to convince a doctor in a small village to take her on as an assistant if she could prove her usefulness. It would provide a job and hopefully income or food, and she would work her way up from there.

"Young lady, if you cannot be quiet, you must leave this library."

The librarian's voice had her jumping, a knee-jerk reaction from her time in the facility when being caught outside her quarters could result in an electric shock through her collar.

"Sorry," Lami said, waving him off and standing up. "I'd like to check this book out."

"This book is-"

"If I pay the fee, it's all the same, right?" Lami interrupted. She pasted a sickly sweet smile on her face. "And then it will be my own fault if I don't enjoy the book because I'm too stupid to read it."

He looked taken aback by her tone, and Lami couldn't help feel a rush of satisfaction at that. When he offered no further arguments, she handed over the requisite amount of beli - spare change she'd collected off the streets - and swept the large book into her arms. It covered half her torso and weighed more than she could comfortably carry, but she gave off the impression that carrying it was effortless.

The excitement helped; the boost of adrenaline had her hurrying from the library, eager to pour over every page in hopes of remembering previous knowledge, hearing the boy's voice again, or perhaps learning something new. Whether or not anything worked out the way she wanted, it was a step in the right direction, and it was all she needed to have hope again.

...

There had been no containing Luffy's excitement on the morning of May fifth. From the moment his eyes had opened, he'd been a whirlwind of enthusiasm and cheer. His every request was granted by Sabo or Ace - to the best of their ability - and they left the Moby Dick bright and early to spend the day together on the nearby island.

Marco had only told them to be courteous to the locals - as they were friends despite not being technically under Whitebeard's protected territories - before setting the boys loose with enough money to give Luffy whatever he wanted for his birthday.

The moment the boys left the ship, Thatch launched into planning, putting his entire division to work on the decorations. The Commanders who had been gone since Whitebeard and Jiru's birthday had all returned, some bearing news of the conditions in the New World and the movements of their allies. One in particular - Jozu to be exact - had arrived with a cocky smirk. He went straight to Whitebeard to speak with him in private, and no matter how much Thatch pestered him in between party plans, he wouldn't explain what the meeting had been about.

Haruta, despite insisting he didn't want to be a part of the celebration as he was not a child, took great pleasure in directing Curiel with the design of the ceiling in the boys' room. No matter how many times Curiel insisted Haruta was directing him to draw too many robots, Haruta waved him off and told him to add more.

Whitebeard himself merely sat back and laughed at the antics of his children, despite the fact that he was clearly enjoying his chance to be a doting father to the boys. Knowing everything was going smoothly in the New World and that his two smaller flagships were being looked after by his allies was only icing on the cake. He hadn't been sure how his enemies would respond to his presence in Paradise, but it was really only the marines causing any trouble.

If it could be called trouble at all. The marines were giving them an incredibly wide berth rather than risk Namur or Bay sinking anymore of their ships.

"Oyaji."

Whitebeard turned at Marco's voice, regarding his eldest son with a curious and amused look. "Yes, Marco?"

"Izo has all the liquor locked up except your stash, yoi," Marco informed him. "Everyone gets to party like me tonight."

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes.

"It's Children's Day, Oyaji," Marco reminded him. He even had the audacity to smirk.

"When the brats are almost here, you can take the sake," Whitebeard finally muttered, looking displeased. "But until then…"

Marco laughed, jumping up onto the armrest of Whitebeard's chair with ease and settling in. "Out of all the parties we have, this is the only one we're not having alcohol at, yoi," he chuckled. "It's only once a year, Oyaji."

Whitebeard grunted in response, bringing his sake cup to his lips as if to emphasize his displeasure.

"The boys seem happy," Marco commented, smiling. "Luffy seems particularly fond of you."

Whitebeard's lips twitched in a smile. He tried not to let Marco see it, but they knew each other too well. "They're still so formal."

"Give it time, yoi." Marco leaned back, relaxing and watching his brothers and sisters scurrying about in preparation for the party. "They'll come around. Sabo first, Luffy last."

"Oh?" Whitebeard couldn't help but look to Marco, intrigued. "Luffy last?"

"Because his approval comes with Ace's trust," Marco clarified. "And since Ace will be the last one to make up his mind…"

"I see," Whitebeard chuckled. "You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you, Marco?"

"Isn't that my job?" Marco flashed a grin. He remained on the armrest for a while longer, sharing comfortable silence with his captain and father, before jumping back down. "I'll go make sure Thatch isn't driving everyone crazy with Luffy's present, yoi."

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard's laughter boomed, the decorations shaking all around. "Rein him in," he agreed, smiling wide. "But go easy on him, Marco. It is Children's Day."

Marco snickered in response, shoving his hands in his pockets and heading below deck.

...

While no one directly commented on the sight, several people had paused to watch the trio return from the forest, affection in their eyes. The Children's Day event in the town had drawn a lot of families, but the boy with the straw hat had captured the attention of everyone from the start.

It wasn't even Whitebeard's mark - although some had been intimidated by seeing it at first. When the trio had initially appeared, taking part in the festivities with a focus only for the youngest boy, some parents had found their behavior endearing, even scolding their eldest children to be more attentive to their siblings. It had been the moment when one of the vendors - who had already seemed a little irate from having to sell all of his cotton candy treats to the trio, forcing him to make more - had accused the boys of spoiling their brother that more people had taken notice of them.

While the blond had scowled, looking ready to tell the man off, the boy with the freckles had stepped in and politely apologized for taking all of the candy. He'd apologized to the people behind them too, since it meant they would have to wait for more of the confectionary treats to be made before they could have any - and then he'd explained that it was his little brother's birthday. A birthday that he'd never really celebrated, as he'd always been content to celebrate it as Children's Day with all of the others.

The blond had relented as the gazes went from annoyed to sympathetic and even admiring, joining in to say they wanted to make their little brother's birthday special because it was the first one they'd all been able to celebrate together.

After that, it seemed like everyone there wanted to have a hand in making the day special not only for all of the children present, but specifically for the smiling boy in the straw hat. Even the other children - the ones throwing tantrums of impatience - tried to help out by allowing the trio to the front of the line on particularly popular attractions. The pleasant surprise had been when the boy in the straw hat had taken all of the prizes they'd won and distributed them to all of the other kids, because in his own words, he was no longer a kid and he didn't need toys if he had his brothers to play with.

The entire main square had eventually dissolved into one big party with songs - a pirate song started by the boy with the freckles that had made his little brother's smile go impossibly wide - and snacks provided by all of the vendors. No one could remember a more lively and heartwarming Children's Day.

The party had continued even after the boys had left, intending to have some adventures in the forest - and laughing at the idea of it being dangerous - and the relief was palpable when the boys eventually returned.

Ace turned to look over his shoulder, smiling. Luffy was draped over his back, a sleepy smile on his drooling face. "I hope this really was his best birthday ever," Ace told Sabo, adjusting Luffy so he stopped slipping.

"Well, it's not like he could lie about it," Sabo teased, watching them with open affection. he tipped his hat to a few of the adults looking their way. "Do you think we overdid it?"

"Nah," Ace responded with a cheeky grin. "We told him we'd spoil him today. We go back to normal tomorrow."

"I bet the others went overboard with the party on the ship," Sabo teased. "Especially Thatch."

"I'd worry about Luffy being hungry again after we just ate a wild boar, but this is Luffy, so I'm sure he will be," Ace chuckled. "Did you see that one lady's face when Luffy ate all the cotton candy in one bite?"

"Priceless," Sabo snickered.

The sound of farewells and children calling out for them to visit again had them pausing, turning to wave back. Ace's expression was sheepish as he noticed just how many people were gathering to see them off. Luffy, who could sleep through a tornado even if he happened to be in it, opened his eyes and blinked at the group before waving enthusiastically.

It took an extra ten minutes of waving and promising to visit before the trio was able to head for the docks.

"Everyone was so nice," Luffy said, hugging Ace tighter around the shoulders. "That was a lot of fun!"

"It was pretty fun, wasn't it?" Sabo folded his arms behind his head, careful not to dislodge his hat as the docks came into view. One of the first division crewmembers was there to take them back to the Moby Dick, which was docked offshore. "That was completely different from the festivals they used to have back in High Town."

"Did you have fun?" Luffy asked hopefully.

Sabo laughed. "Of course I did, Luffy, I was with you and Ace."

Luffy smiled brightly enough that Ace could practically feel it. "Today was the best day ever!"

"It's not over, you know," Ace reminded him. "We're still celebrating on the Moby Dick."

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy immediately twisted. "Do you think we shoulda brought toys back for everyone?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ace laughed. "What would a bunch of pirates do with toys?"

"You're right," Luffy realized, frowning.

"Don't worry about anything today, Luffy," Ace continued when he realized Luffy was actually worrying about having not brought anything back to share. "Today is your special day, remember?"

Luffy hugged Ace tighter, relaxing again. "Okay. Ne, Ace, where did you learn that song earlier?"

Ace's cheeks reddened, the blush spreading from the bridge of his nose all the way to the tips of his ears. "Makino taught us."

"Oh! Because, Shanks and the guys used to sing it for me back at Makino's bar," Luffy explained. "It's a pirate song, you know!"

"Yeah," Ace agreed. "I'm surprised so many people there knew it." He shared a quick glance and secretive smile with Sabo. They didn't need to tell Luffy they'd learned the song because they'd found out Shanks and his crew had sung it for Luffy on his birthday too - or that they'd intended on making his birthday special for a long time, ever since finding out he'd never really celebrated it.

"Are you sure we can't celebrate your birthdays too?" Luffy asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Ace nearly tripped, but Sabo hurried to steady him so they could all climb into the skiff. The crewmember - Gil, if Sabo was recalling it correctly - pretended not to pay attention for Ace's sake.

"Birthdays are for little brothers," Ace stated calmly.

"But we're all little brothers now, aren't we?" Luffy countered. "Haruta's older."

"Of all the new brothers we have, Haruta's your example?" Sabo teased.

"But I'm still right," Luffy argued. "You guys are somebody's little brothers now too, so why don't we celebrate your birthdays?"

"Because you're the littlest brother," Ace argued. "Only the littlest brother gets to celebrate."

"That's not fair," Luffy griped, puffing up his cheeks.

"Besides, now that we're in the crew, Ace will be included in January's party, and I'll be included in the party for March's birthdays," Sabo reminded Luffy. "Just like you'll get included with May's next time."

"I still wanted to celebrate for you two like you celebrated for me," Luffy mumbled, looking down. "Can't we celebrate if it's just the three of us?"

Ace faltered. "Luffy…"

"We'll talk about it," Sabo promised, reaching out to card his fingers through Luffy's hair. "You're a good brother, Luffy."

Luffy beamed, then tried to twist his head to see Ace's face.

"He's right," Ace muttered, blushing and looking away. "You're a good brother, Luffy."

A sniffle drew Sabo's attention away as Luffy cheered and tried to hug Ace more thoroughly - which led to Ace flailing and nearly tripping - and he grinned up at Gil. "Are you crying?"

"No! Shut up!" Gil complained, scrubbing a hand over his eyes. "Stupid kids…"

Sabo just grinned. He was convinced that every single member of the Whitebeard Pirates was a big softie.

...

Thatch had never smiled so brightly in his entire life. That was the first thought Whitebeard had as he watched Luffy flail and drool over the giant meat cake Thatch had presented as his Children's Day present. Truthfully, even Whitebeard was impressed. It was five tiers of perfectly cooked steaks using mashed potatoes as a makeshift frosting, and every layer had decorations made with glazes, smaller cuts of meat, and the occasional vegetable.

There were prickle pop robots fighting against monsters made of carrots and cured bacon, pirate flags made out of strips of ham with jolly rogers drawn from sauces, and Luffy honestly looked torn between wanting to stare at the amazing cake for hours or eat it in one bite.

When he finally turned to look at Thatch, tears streaming down his cheeks and eyes shining as he rambled about how cool it was, Thatch was practically bursting with joy.

Nothing compared to the sheer happiness Luffy experienced when Thatch informed him the entire cake was just for him, and that there was plenty of food for everyone else.

"And don't think we forgot about you two," Vista stated, coming over and clapping Sabo on the back. To his credit, Sabo only stumbled a little. "You can protest all ya like, but you two are taking part in this Children's Day party, or we change it to a birthday party."

"I suppose that's fair," Sabo relented. "Does that mean we get cakes?" he joked.

"Nah," Vista ushered him over to the table, where two wrapped boxes awaited him. "These are for you, from the rest of us - and Ace, Oyaji has your present for later."

Ace blinked, then shrugged, not at all bothered by having to wait. He was honestly more curious about what Sabo's gifts were. The first was a long box with a simple bow, and Sabo was delighted to find a brand new pipe inside. It was heavier than his old one, but it seemed sturdier as well, and he was already thinking of ways to adjust for the weight difference.

"Your training is only going to get harder from here on out - thought you should have a weapon to match," Vista chuckled. "We tested it on Jozu."

"And there's not a scratch on either one of 'em," Rakuyo promised, laughing. "It'll be a great improvement over Haruta slicing your pipes in half and having to be careful."

"I love it," Sabo promised, holding it up and to see how difficult it would be to swing. "I can't wait to get started."

"Well, wait a little longer," Fossa joked. "Open the other one, kiddo."

Sabo still took the time to fasten the pipe to his back by the leather strap they'd included, shifting under the weight, before grabbing the other box.

Ace leaned over curiously, a grin breaking out on his face when Sabo opened it to find a pair of masterfully crafted black and blue goggles. They were exactly the same as the ones he'd had before, except sturdier and new.

"Worked with the drawings you gave us," Fossa chuckled. "How does that work for ya?"

"It's perfect," Sabo whispered, grinning wide and removing his hat to fasten the goggles in place. "I feel like myself again."

"Good," Rakuyo said, crossing his arms over his chest with a broad grin. "That's what we wanted to hear."

"You definitely look like you," Ace chuckled, eyes bright. He turned to the others and smiled, and it was so similar to the smile he usually reserved for Sabo and Luffy that many of the commanders had to look away, sheepish and pleased. "Thank you, everyone. I'm sorry I was so against this in the beginning."

"Aw shucks," Rakuyo laughed, grabbing Ace - who flailed and yelped - and plopping him on his shoulder. "Loosen up, lad! You're family now."

Ace sat very still, clearly uncertain, but he caught Marco grinning from next to Thatch - who was excitedly pointing out different parts of the meat cake to a very excited Luffy, and he relaxed.

He puffed out his chest and grinned back. "Yeah, you're right," he told Rakuyo. "C'mon, let's go watch Luffy eat his cake."

"Is he really going to try it all in one bite?" Namur asked, looking decidedly wary.

"Well, he is rubber," Rakuyo said with a shrug. "And I've seen Blamenco do worse."

"That's a complete lie," Namur accused.

"I'll have you know that's the complete truth," Rakuyo insisted.

"I'm gonna tell him you said that," Namur decided.

"Okay, okay," Rakuyo groaned.

"Hey," Sabo called out, looking to Whitebeard. "Oyaji, what do you think of my hat?"

Whitebeard's eyes widened for just a moment, and then he was grinning from ear to ear. "It suits you," he answered warmly, looking very much like a proud father.

"And we've lost Oyaji," Rakuyo joked. "Look at how happy that made him."

Sabo laughed, adjusting his hat again and dashing over to Luffy. He stumbled under the weight of his new pipe, laughing louder when Luffy tearfully hugged him and proclaimed Children's Day to be the best day ever.

Ace's smile was a little more subdued as he jumped down to join in on the hug. It meant a lot to him to know Luffy was enjoying his birthday - that the day itself was so special and perfect for him - but he still didn't know how he felt about Luffy insisting they celebrate his or Sabo's.

Sabo claimed not to care about having a birthday party, but seeing how he'd reacted to the gifts - to someone acknowledging him as special and caring about what he'd wanted - Ace was beginning to think Sabo had lied about not caring for his sake. Because Sabo knew how violently Ace had rejected the thought of celebrating his own birth when it had meant his mother's death. Sabo knew how hard it was for Ace to celebrate his own existence at all.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, Ace thought absently wiping Luffy's face free of snot and tears. Letting myself feel special for a day, if it's with my brothers.

...

Luffy was positive it could not get any better. He'd been confused at first when he'd woken from his happy post-meal-nap on the deck to find multiple members of the crew ready to escort the trio to bed. When they'd reached the room, Haruta had thrown the door open ahead of them with flourish, and that was when they'd seen the ceiling.

From corner to corner, the entire ceiling had been turned into a mural of robots and pirates and dinosaurs. It was everything he'd imagined, but better than he could have done. He couldn't contain himself as he tried to hold back his tears, turning to look at everyone in the doorway.

"IT'S SO COOL!" He wailed, causing them to laugh and beam. Curiel in particular seemed proud, while Haruta puffed up to share the credit.

"It feels wrong, making him cry so much on a special day," Izo chuckled.

"He's just happy, yoi," Marco reasoned with a chuckle of his own.

"I got to spend the whole day with my brothers, and then Thatchy made the best cake because it was MEAT and we had the BEST party, and I have THE BEST BROTHERS IN THE WORLD!"

"Hey," Bay joked.

"AND THE BEST SISTERS!" Luffy wailed at full volume.

"Oi, Luffy," Ace chuckled, shaking his head. "Say 'thank you'."

"THANK YOU!" Luffy added, before abruptly launching himself at the group in the doorway and yanking them all into a rubbery hug. There were shouts and yelps and a very loud 'yoi' as Thatch's makeshift pompadour went into Marco's mouth and Vista's mustache poked Bay in the eye, but after untangling and making themselves less awkward, the group dissolved into soft laughter and a few 'you're welcome's.

Haruta had managed to avoid the hug, sharing a grin with Sabo and Ace. There had been a moment of paranoia where he'd worried they'd overdone it, or that the trio wouldn't enjoy the party, but as far as Haruta was concerned, Children's Day had been a complete success.

"Okay, okay, yoi," Marco chuckled, prying Luffy from Namur's upper body and carefully unwinding himself. "It's bedtime now. We're setting sail tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay," Luffy agreed, scrubbing at his eyes and snapping back into shape. He gave his brightest smile before turning and extending his hand all the way to his bunk, rocketing himself into it with a thud.

"I should probably put a handle on the ceiling so he stops hitting the side," Fossa muttered to himself.

"Make it look like a robot hand and I guarantee he'll use it," Sabo chuckled, heading over to his bunk. He placed his hat - and goggles - on the rack, leaning his pipe against the wall, then easily climbed into Luffy's bed.

"Ace," Marco said. "Oyaji wants to talk to you later, okay?" He knew Luffy's plan to finish out the day included falling asleep with his brothers, so he didn't try to make Ace leave yet. He did, however, know that Whitebeard wanted to make sure Ace got his present while it was still Children's Day.

"Okay," Ace agreed, nodding to show he understood. He headed over to the bunks, climbing over his own and getting into Luffy's as well, which had Bay teasing Fossa about the design. One by one the commanders all left, until Haruta was shutting the door behind them and the only sound came from Luffy's soft giggles.

"Sabo," Luffy whispered once he was done giggling. He hid his face with his hat. "Will you tell us a story about the robots?"

Sabo plucked the hat from Luffy's face, hanging it on the other side of the headboard. "Okay, but then sleep."

"Shishishi! Okay!" Luffy agreed.

Sabo grinned, then pointed to the bright blue robot right over Luffy's pillow. "Okay, this is a story about the robot pirate and how he gathered his robot nakama…"

...

It was almost midnight when Ace finally made his way to Whitebeard's room. He'd waited until after Luffy had fallen asleep before trying to make his escape, and Sabo had helped by continuing the story just in case Luffy heard the creak of a floorboard or noticed the shift in weight as Ace left.

He really had no idea why his gift had to be such a big secret, but it wasn't like he could complain. He hadn't expected a gift at all, and complaining would only make him look ungrateful. That was the last thing he wanted.

The door to Whitebeard's room was slightly ajar as he reached it, but he knocked anyway, not wanting to intrude if anyone was already in there

"Come in, Ace," Whitebeard answered, his voice warm.

Ace did so immediately, noting how much more relaxed Whitebeard seemed with his sake on hand again. "Do you want me to shut the door?"

"That's up to you," Whitebeard said, sitting up in his bed and taking a very small treasure chest from the nightstand. "I'd hoped to have this for you in time for Children's Day."

Ace tilted his head to the side, then carefully shut the door and made his way over. "What is it?"

"Open it," Whitebeard urged, handing the chest to him.

He accepted it with hesitance - it wasn't wrapped like Sabo's had been, and he doubted it was a hat like Luffy had hinted his present might be - but he didn't think Whitebeard would have called him to his room in private if it had been any ordinary gift.

Before he could try to speculate anymore, he flipped the latch and opened it, peering inside.

And was greeted by the sight of a peculiar orange fruit whose rind was made of swirls that curved upwards like flames. His breath caught in his throat as he recognized it from the pictures in the book Teach had loaned Haruta.

"This is…"

"The Mera Mera no Mi," Whitebeard answered, a low rumbling chuckle escaping. "Happy Children's Day, my son."

...

A/N: Mwahahaha. Sorry again for how long this took :3 Here's hoping I'm able to work on both my OPBB fic and Bonds at my regular pace! (The One Piece Big Bang is a tumblr event where writers and artists team up and create a story with art to go along with it. I'm so excited!)

Thank you everyone, hope you enjoyed how sickeningly sweet this chapter was.

~Mithril