Guys, we are at the halfway point of this story like asdfghjkl I wrote the end yesterday and its was like what? I'm still missing a few chapters in between but we're almost through hahaha I've been re-reading previous chapters and going over spelling mistakes and stuff, sorry for those by the way. If you catch anything be sure to let me know.

Thank you to all the reviewers: Immortal Souls, Blue Thief, Poulpelotte, Watching the rain fall, SupImHere, SakuraS41, and 12Slytherin). Seriously, I added an entirely new chapter to the war just because of how pumped you guys are for it and I want to deliver, so trust me, I'm listening 3

As always, enjoy.


When Ace sees the former marine's secret base of operations (and why would they need that?), Ace wants to cry. A tree house. Luffy's super secret, government-rebelling stronghold is a tree house. A white flag waves at the top and he rides the bubble elevator up to the top of the groves where it's barely visble from the ground. He feels his gut twist on itself all over again, leaving him a little nauseous and like there's definitely not enough air, but he dismisses the worried glance Chopper throws at him.

Ace breathes easier when he gets in. This isn't anything like the humble tree house he, Luffy and Sabo shared as kids; the significance is impossible to miss though. Like their ship, the Thousand Sunny, the tree house is a mind-blowing piece of technological work, courtesy of the resident cyborg. It's big to the point of being ridiculous, with bedrooms for all the crew members, another aquarium, a hot tub, a terrace and plenty other amenities. It's homey and well-cared for and Ace swears his companions breathe easier once they're inside too.

As happy as they are to be home, though, the former marines only take enough time to eat, pack and most of them are out the door. They have no time to waste.

Robin and Ussop are traveling further into the grove where Trafalgar Law has been recently spotted. As someone whose signature ship is a submarine he's going to be one hard man to track. Sanji and Franky will be taking the Thousand Sunny in the direction of Water 7, picking up a group referred to as the Franky Family, and then travelling further to an undisclosed location.

Some bastards owe me a favor. Is all the cook says on the matter.

Nami, Zoro and Chopper will be taking a submarine (they have a submarine!) across the Red Line in the search of Shanks, but before that, Ace need to talk to Rayleigh to even have a chance of finding the Emperor. Rayleigh, his shitty father's first mate. Ace doesn't like the idea of having anything to do with that man or anyone who knew him really.

Ace, you'll see, we'll meet again and I'll definitely beat you!

Some things are more important though. Nami emerges from the bowels of the tree house, now sporting a red-colored overall that is still too short, but it is what she carries in her hands that interests the pirate.

"Here are some shorts and a shirt, they're Luffy's so they might be a little tight." Ace reluctantly picks the red shirt and shorts and quickly scurries off to change. He'd usually forego the shirt at all but he has a pretty recognizable pirate brand on his back and they cannot afford to be spotted. Sneaking around had been bad enough, he didn't want to be in a marine uniform a second longer than he had too. When they prepare to leave, Nami and Brook staying behind to start making calls to their allies, the navigators offers him a black cowboy hat. Robin's, she says, don't let anyone catch wind that you're here.

With death threats of dismemberment were Ace to dare set anything on fire; he, Zoro, and Chopper step out.


Silvers Rayleigh is old, which is the first thing Ace can process. He realizes then, that his father would also be old. If Gol D. Roger was alive, he wouldn't be the cocky smirking young man he is in his old wanted poster. Silvers Rayleigh is the first moment in Ace's life where he registers his father as human.

When Chopper identifies the senior pirate inside the bar on the other side of the Archipielago, he leaves out a sigh of relief. Sometimes he goes on swims or gets captured as a slave... on purpose.

"Is he an idiot?" Ace exclaims, entering the bar. It's empty, but for the legend and the bartender, a slender woman with a black bob.

"Rayleigh can be a hard man to find." Zoro mutters under his breathe. "Unless he wants you to find him." A laugh breaks out on the other man's face, and he takes a swing of his tumbler.

"I hear Luffy got himself into all kinds of trouble." Why is this man, a pirate, so enthused by Ace's little brother, a marine? Zoro doesn't miss a beat sitting down next to the pirate and ordering something to drink, nodding at the bartender. He looks oddly at ease in this dingy bar for a man that had been an official of the marines not 24 hours ago.

"Nothing new there." The swordsman answers.

Chopper jumps on the counter and the woman smiles as she indulges his fist bump.

"Shakky!" The reindeer greets happily.

"I see you brought along a friend." The woman's eyes are bottomless and for a moment, Ace feels incredibly exposed. "It's been a long time since a Whitebeard pirate crossed my threshold, Fire Fist Ace." Ace's fists clench but he's not sure how to react here, so he doesn't.

"Tell me." Rayleigh starts. "Why are my favorite marines harboring the man of the hour?"

"Well, we're not... marines, anymore." Chopper explains, and he loks abashed as if only now realizing how rushed their actions look. "We, hum, kind of, might've betrayed them a little? We needed to save Luffy's brother!" Rayleigh only laughs.

"Luffy's brother?" Shakky says.

"Adopted." Ace corroborates. "My father..." Suddenly, Ace isn't sure he's liking this plan. What? He just shows up here, tells this old man that he's his best friend's kid and asks him to risk his life for his little brother that has no connection to said best friend? How had Ace thought it was a good idea? He shakes his head. "You sailed with... with the Pirate King, right? And Shanks?"

Rayleigh's affable expression doesn't change but Ace can tell he has his full attention.

"I did, many years ago."

"Shanks entrusted my brother with a straw hat." And Ace has never really understood the significance of it, but apparently Rayleigh does because there's s ghost of a smile and his eyes widen the tiniest bit. "Luffy is the man who will become the King of Pirates." There is abosuletly no doubt about it in Ace's mind, unless he gets exectued before then. He chases the thought away immediately. "He has been working with the marines to... to protect me, that stupid idiot, and now, he's going to be executed. When m... Roger died he called out thousands of men and women to sea, but I know it's Luffy who will stand at the top of this Great Pirate Era." Ace's body is moving on his own, he steps a little closer and stands in front of Rayleigh, gaze burning in conviction. "We need your help to save him."

The bar is so quiet that Ace worries he said something wrong, Luffy's nakama's eyes are wide, but Ace sees approval in the lock of their jaws. The woman at the bar is calmly smoking a cigarette, but Ace can see amusement dancing in her eyes. Rayleigh is looking towards him, taking Ace apart piece by piece.

"You remind me a lot of your mother." Ace careens back as if struck and Rayleigh laughs. "It's a very pirate move appealing to my sentimentality like this, Mister Zoro." The swordsman tenses, but catching no real anger in the legend's gaze, he shrugs.

"Apparently, I sail under the future King of Pirates. I need to get with the program." Rayleigh outright guffaws at Zoro's flippant attitude.

"Did you know...?" Ace asks, trying to get the ground back under his feet, trying to put his utter shock in words.

"I had entertained the idea once or twice, you look a lot like your parents, to the few of us who knew them both." Ace feels his face pull into a frown, he doesn't want anyone associating him with his shitty father on sight. "Rouge's freckles are unmistakeable." Then again, maybe it isn't so bad. "Alas, it is you who confirmed it for me just now." Something in the man's eyes changes, it's distant and soft, melancholic really, but he's smiling at Ace just the same.

"I don't really care for my father." He feels the need to state, even though he really needs this man's help to rescue Luffy.

"A common trait for a child of the sea." Rayleigh acknowledges, and what is that supposed to mean? "But, I'll help you anyways, I always had the feeling that Luffy was meant for something greater." Zoro snorts, but Chopper readily agrees. A thought seems to strike him in that moment.

"Does that mean we're now pirates?" The little reindeer seems thrilled with the idea, the entire bar erupts into laughter. Ace feels like there's a weight off his shoulder, so far Rayleigh is an okay guy.