izzywolf22: Luffy isn't related to Garp in this one, and he doesn't reappear in the story.

RIAEVANS: You'er very welcome.

Big BIG climax in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

"Luffy, how big can you get?" Sabo asked in interest after taking a huge bite of his burger. "Have you ever tried bigger than on the ship when we first came?" Luffy shook his head and gulped down his own burger.

He responded with, "I've never tried bigger than that. There was no reason to. So, I don't know how big I can get." They were having dinner the night before they stopped on the next island. It was not a Whitebeard protected island, but one under Red Hair Shanks. Whitebeard had told the boys that they wouldn't be making an act of war by docking there and restocking. After all, Whitebeard and Shanks weren't enemies, but not friends either. So, the pirates docking there were only going to be attacked by the fellow emperor if they attacked any of the people on said island.

The boys were still not going to leave the ship, content to hang out by themselves or with anyone who wanted to play games while the rest were off on the island. Even Whitebeard was going off, saying he wanted off the ship after so long of not leaving. So, a few of the commanders would be staying on to keep the boys safe, not that they thought anyone would come after them on a protected island.

But, there were always idiots out there. The pirates would all be back on the ship by dinner, Thatch promising he'd bring some exotic food for the boys to try. Luffy looked forwards to eating food they'd never had before.

Marco told Luffy they'd be buying some art supplies and coloring books for him, and asked what kind he liked. "I like anything," Luffy said immediately, not wanting to ask for something that the store didn't have.

"You're allowed to have preferences, but if you actually don't have any favorites, we'll surprise you and pick them out ourselves. This is your welcome gift. What do you and Ace want?" Marco asked Sabo at the table.

The two older boys thought for a moment, not sure what they wanted. For so long it hadn't mattered that they were bored, or wishing to do something other than "play" with Luffy's toys. "I'd like some journals, so I can start writing in something instead of on scratch paper. Like, a nice journal that will last for a long time. Please," he added at the end.

"I want some stuff for training my devil fruit," Ace finally decided.

"Like what?" Marco asked, writing down these on a list of things they were to buy once they docked in the morning. Ace shrugged. "I dunno."

Marco thought for a moment, before offering, "We can do a target. For helping with practicing aim. If I find some other stuff suitable for mastering your power, we'll get that, too." Luffy asked if it was expensive to buy all those things for them. "Not really. Our crew has been around a long time, and has a lot of money to spend."

Ace and Sabo thought back to all that treasure they'd collected on their home island, and wondered if anyone had found it yet. Probably, but it had been in a good hiding place, inside a tree's trunk deep in the forest they lived next to. They wished they could have taken it with them, but all of it would have been confiscated, just like their clothes and shoes, once they were locked inside the facility.

"Thank you," Luffy said, bringing his brothers back to the present and out of their memories. "Yeah, thanks," Ace added, and Sabo bowed instead of saying anything, always the most polite.

That night, Luffy had no nightmares, and was unable to turn into the dangerous ball form due to the water. Ace kept watch, though, just to make sure. It was scary knowing that Luffy could be harming himself and his brothers didn't even notice. Sleeping was not comfortable after Luffy started having troubles again.

They hoped the baths would continue to help Luffy during the night, and he wouldn't become immune or dull to the effects it caused. Well, lack of effects, really. Sabo made sure to sleep with one part of his body touching Luffy so he would hopefully wake up if anything changed during the night. In case Ace fell asleep before they switched turns.

But, the freckled brother stayed awake half the night and woke Sabo up when it was time to switch, replacing his body with his own, holding Luffy's hand just in case. Luffy breathed slowly and surely, a sure sign he was having peaceful dreams or none at all. Nightmares tended to make him breathe faster, so that was how they had woken him up before they got too bad in the beginning.

The morning came, and Marco woke the three before he left the ship, telling them that he'd see them later and to not do anything reckless while they were gone. "No sparring allowed while we are gone," he told them somewhat sternly. Ace and Sabo pouted, as they'd been planning on doing that. Luffy didn't care much. He didn't enjoy the sparring and training as much as his brothers did.

Maybe because he didn't really need it as much, or the fact that he'd already learned all of these things and he didn't like to think of the people who taught him. Well, forced him to figure it out on his own and through the experience of jobs he was thrown into. But, he enjoyed watching Ace and Sabo's progress, looking forward for them to be equal to him on terms of skill and strength. They could all be helpful to the crew if needed, or if they wanted. If the boys were stronger, they'd be allowed to fight off pirate raids as well.

When the pirates left, leaving some commanders and many underlings who were to take care of the ship, Ace and Sabo sparred. They weren't suppsoed to, but neither was using anything they'd learned specifically. Just using punches and kicks, while Luffy watched or looked out at the sea.

He could see storms sometimes in the distance, but they never came too close and always disappeared quickly. The New World was strange, and he wondered how he didn't run into storms during his jobs. Maybe it was because he was, for some reason, always asleep on the way to where he was supposed to do something.

Luffy never remembered falling asleep when getting on the boats to take him to the target. And it was every time. It didn't click to him that he might have been drugged while on the journeys so that he didn't fly off the handle and kill anyone.

It was midday when Luffy saw something over the side of the ship. The pirates would be coming back in awhile, a few hours at least, so no one was really noticing the big things moving closer to the island. Luffy pointed it out to Ace and Sabo, who stopped sparring immediately.

"Should we tell someone?" Luffy asked. Ace shrugged it off, while Sabo looked troubled. "It might be sea kings. But, don't they stay away from islands? That's what Vista said."

Sabo decided, "Yeah, we should tell someone," and the boys left their area to find the pirates that were stations around the ship to make sure no one came aboard to take the kids. They hadn't forced the boys to stay inside, thinking that no one would attack their ship or even try.

"Haruta, there's something coming towards us," Sabo said once they went inside and found the commander in the communications room. To their surprise, Haruta jumped up and sprinted outside, telescope in hand. The boys followed quickly, wondering why he looked so panicked about being told that. It made the three uncomfortable. Haruta swore loudly when he looked over the side of the ship that had been blocked by the cabin, so no one had noticed it or wasn't paying close enough attention to the horizon.

Haruta sprinted inside, ignoring the three asking what was wrong, feeling afraid now. People started running out of the inside of the ship and looking over the side. Now, the boys were really nervous.

They went back to the back of the ship, where many pirates were gathered now, a bunch of them on transponder snails connected to the pirates who were on the island. The three pushed their way to the front, since everyone was so much taller than them.

What had been only a few indistinguishable spots on the horizon seemed to have doubled. Sabo counted there were ten. "What are they?" Luffy asked Tommy, a second division member. He ignored the boys, looking petrified. Luffy pat his leg to get his attention and asked what the problem was.

Immediately, he lost the scared look and put on a mask of calmness, even though the brothers knew it was fake and only to calm them. "We have to evacuate the ship, but it's nothing big. Why don't you hurry and get your stuffed animal, Luffy?" Tommy asked. The boys were speechless.

"Why do we have to evacuate?" Sabo asked in a toneless voice, eyes wide with fear. They had to leave? But wasn't this their home now? Didn't the pirates treasure their ship?

"It's nothing major. Just-" but Haruta cut him off.

"Don't lie to them, they aren't normal children!" The commander turned to the boys and told them to run off the ship as fast as they could, briefly explaining what a buster call was, and shoving them along.

Luffy wouldn't move. "But, isn't this home?" he asked in a small voice. Haruta looked pained.

"This is our home, but we're missing Pops, and he's told us to leave the ship for our own safety," Haruta explained, tears in his eyes at abandoning their home. The Moby Dick was irreplaceable. Sure, another ship could be made, but it would have no memories on it. And the boys didn't want to leave those memories, the only happy ones Luffy had ever had, despite the bumps in the road while they were on the ship.

"Can't we fight?" Ace demanded, not wanting to leave anyway.

"We can't fight against ten battle ships and five vice-admirals. Now, run!" Haruta demanded. Sabo took Ace and Luffy's hands and pulled them along, the only one thinking straight at the moment even if he was upset as well.

"C'mon! We have to evacuate!" he shouted at his brothers. "We'll have a new home after this!" he insisted. Ace started running, but Luffy didn't move, the soles of his bare feet sticking to the deck without meaning to. His powers were reacting to his emotions and all he could think was "home".

"LUFFY! LET'S GO!" When he didn't move, Haruta picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, trying to get him to unstick, but Luffy wasn't budging, as the stick was too strong and only stretched a few feet before it could go any further.

"Luffy, do you want to die?!" Haruta demanded, losing his patience and growing angry. Luffy finally reacted, but it wasn't to run away. He had to protect the ship. Immediately, he unstuck only to instantly absorb everyone on the ship, along with the ship, and walk along the docks as they cracked under his extreme weight, now twice the size of the ship.

His mind was on autopilot, and he thought of nothing other than protecting his family and home. And he made sure, even when not thinking clearly, to let those inside breathe, a thin air bubble around the ship so no one outside on deck would suffocate.

Just like Luffy had been too small to function fully in that tiny form, he was too big now to think clearly. He towered over the island, though he was not nearly big enough to engulf it. People ran screaming from him, but he stopped when he reached the treeline, and turned to face the ten ships that had stopped a small distance away. Anyone on the island or out at sea could see the huge, black thing dripping black substance as it stayed in one place. You couldn't tell Luffy was facing anything, as he had no distinguishable head.

It only took a few minutes before canon fire started, aimed at the huge target in front of them.

-x-

Whitebeard was shouting with his sons over the transponder snails as he and his sons sprinted towards where their home was docked, everyone but the commanders panicking. Sure, the commanders were freaking out, but they internalized it, needing to seem strong for their underlings. Whitebeard was scared, scared that his sons would be unable to evacuate and the ship would be destroyed while they were still on it.

He really began to panic when the line was cut off, and soon cannon fire started. "Shit!" Marco shouted when they got clear of the buildings and all of them could see the huge form that was the eight year old child they'd just adopted.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS HE THINKING?!" Marco raved before flying off and towards Luffy to try and get him to change back and flee, as he was a huge target now. When he reached Luffy, he realized just how big he'd gotten. And he couldn't make out any sort of face, but flew in front of him to try and get the boy to shrink and flee, leaving the ship-

When Marco looked at the dock, the Moby Dick was gone, all of the other ships and the docks cracked or destroyed completely. Luffy had absorbed the ship and everyone on it. It was the only way to protect the ship and those on it now that cannon fire had begun.

Marco's job now was to guard Luffy and those he had saved, the phoenix hoping that they could all breathe in there. Nobody else was like Marco and could survive being suffocated.

Marco tried to stop the cannons from hitting Luffy, but he couldn't be everywhere at once, and he knew Pops was stuck behind Luffy, before running around the side and trying to get in front. The cannons hit the boy monster and didn't explode. They stuck to him, becoming just big hunks of rock. Every fire on him did little to no damage. At least, that anyone outside could see. He continued to face the sea, and didn't move an inch, despite being hit by almost every cannon. They stuck completely, not even dripping off.

Marco flew towards the ships, determined to destroy them as best as he could, since the captain was not a long distance fighter. And though Marco was strong, he couldn't safely fly the captain to the ships to destroy them. He couldn't bring anyone with him.

There was a snapping sound behind him, and he just barely dodged a huge spike hurtling past him and stabbing into the ship before becoming sticky again. Marco had no idea what Luffy was planning, as his movements were slower than usual due to his current size.

The ship easily was pulled to the island, where it collided with Luffy's body and crumpled into a mess of wood and dead bodies. Shouting or floating marines were in the water when they'd been dropped by the ship as it had turned on its side before flying back to Luffy's body.

Marco stayed focused on destroying the cannons, breaking them apart. At least, the small ones. The ships had come prepared, with the largest cannons being made of sea stone. He also stayed focused on keeping track of which ship Luffy was attacking. Thank goodness he could fly, or he'd be drowning right now as ships he was on were attacked by Luffy.

He either couldn't see Marco flying around, or he didn't care at the moment. Surely, his mind wouldn't be in normal shape while that big. But, he seemed to be able to listen to the captain, which Marco could see yelling, when he briefly turned to check on Luffy's attacks, which continued to come.

When a solid stick came, Marco saw Whitebeard running along it, bisento out. Marco would heal if he was struck by a tremor, but it would be painful anyways. He kept marine fodder away from Whitebeard as he destroyed the ships, Luffy not active for now as he kept solid, even though Pops was no longer on it. One of his massive arms was what was connected to the ship for Whitebeard, his other arm smaller than the back legs, which were holding his whole weight.

Sea stone was only coated on the bottoms of the ships, so Whitebeard destroyed the foundations and decks of the ships, jumping from one to the other. Marco worked with him flawlessly, taking out the fodder, still, while the captain furiously dealt with the higher ups.

Assuming this was a buster call, it was different as they had sent no vice-admirals. Maybe they learned their lesson from the last time. They couldn't help but think this was quite late. The battle had happened over a week ago, and it wasn't as if the Whitebeard ship was hard to find. And Luffy was valuable to them, yet they send this on them, knowing the kid was with them?

Whitebeard seemed to be having the same thought. "I think it was some idiot who ordered this," he said, not breathless in the least. He would be sleeping a lot after this, but now he was not the old man he seemed to be. He was a monster, destroying ships as Luffy messily slammed them into himself with his front leg that had been still. He was too clumsy and slow to do anything other than stretch out and then snap it back in place.

Both captain and first mate were worried about what would happen once Luffy went back to normal. At this size, would he be unable to understand what they were saying? They tried to focus only on the threat in front of them. Six ships down, and the other ones started aiming at the two pirates taking out the weakling marines and the ones that were higher up but still no match for Whitebeard or Marco.

Maybe they thought they would be safe at a distance, but definitely weren't counting on Luffy. Without his assistance, Whitebeard would have never made direct contact with the ships. Marco dodged sea stone cannon balls as Whitebeard cut them apart with his bisento, exploding on the ruined ships behind them.

It was a bit of an insult to Whitebeard to have no one worth fighting come after them. Did the marines think so little of their crew? They assumed that distance would work, but had no back up in place if that turned out to be wrong? Fools.

It took only a few minutes to slice up the ships with his bisento, or to shatter them to bits with his power. Anyone other than Marco would be injured fighting alongside the strongest man in the world. They were a great team.

Marco made sure no one would survive, and after the last ship was damaged beyond repair, he went after those in the water, killing them with his talons into their necks or backs, whatever was exposed. Now, not only was there tons of debris in the water, but blood and dead bodies.

Suddenly, both of them were caught in the sticky black wrapped around their bodies as they were snapped back to the island, making both of them incredibly sick with motion sickness at the speed of it. They were seasoned sailors, but even for them, this was too much.

Though Luffy was coherent enough to be able to help them out, pirates were trying to talk to him, trying to have him let out those he was hiding, but the monster didn't respond to anything or anyone, staying put, the cannon balls still stuck to his body.

Whitebeard rarely encountered any living thing bigger than him, but Luffy was at least four times as tall as he was and the size comparison was pointless. After all, Luffy was big enough to fit the entire Moby Dick inside.

"Luffy! The fight is over! Let the ship go!" Whitebeard called. Luffy made no response. Marco flew up to where he assumed Luffy's head was supposed to be, and tried convincing him to change back to normal form. They all got out of his way as he walked into the water, making the black substance leak off of him and into the water, making it seem almost like it was full of oil. Once he was deep enough, the ship was released, and made a huge splash, landing partly on submerged ships.

The rest of Luffy disintegrated and the child fell from the top and tumbled towards the water, unconscious. Marco caught him just in time. Everyone ran back onto the ship, checking if any of them were hurt by being trapped inside Luffy. Those who were aboard when Luffy lost control and absorbed everything looked shaken, Ace and Sabo with tears in their eyes in worry about Luffy.

Marco set Luffy down in their arms. It looked like Luffy had scars everywhere, reddish white lines on almost every part of his body. Like he got too big too suddenly and was now covered in stretch marks of some sort. At least he wasn't deformed. Everyone hurried him into the infirmary. The ship and those who had been out on deck, were covered in the saliva. It soaked every inch of the deck like it had rained. Whitebeard was checking to make sure everyone was alright, though most were very shaken to be in absolute pitch darkness so suddenly. Thank goodness there was air for them to breathe while in there.

Many of the pirates who had been aboard were crying. After all, they were ordered to abandon their home. Marco and Thatch went inside with the three kids, while Whitebeard asked what had happened. Haruta came forward, tears and saliva running down his face, hair matted down.

"I was getting everyone evacuated, but Luffy refused to leave. I think he was in shock. I tried to forcibly evacuate him, but it was too sudden to even know what had happened before we were all in the dark. It took a few seconds for anyone to realize was had happened. I think Ace and Sabo thought Luffy was going to die from being that big, as they said he could be hurt when he was too small." Whitebeard hugged his son, not caring about the saliva.

"It's thanks to them that anyone noticed the ships before they started firing," Haruta added. "Why do they always have to protect us? Why can't we protect them for once? There was those bad guys on the island that Luffy took care of before Izo could do anything, then the whole thing with Smoker in the forest, they helped out. Then the fight with the vice-admirals only turned in our favor when Luffy came out, and now this," he lamented.

Whitebeard agreed. "It's shameful. But, we did save them in the first place. I know it means little in the scope of things, but at least we helped them when they couldn't help themselves. Let's get away from the island before anything else happens and the citizens are caught in it.

"I also need to make a call to Shanks and explain what happened, as someone has no doubt called for help. Well, none of the island but the docks were injured, thanks to Luffy. I think the brat will be understanding with the situation," Whitebeard explained.