Chapter 37

AN: So, after getting some feedback and talking to some friends, I decided to change the POV of anyone not Kelly back to 3rd person, mainly because I can do some unique things with it, such as short cutaways during certain scenes. I'll be changing older chapters some, just so it's all streamlined and in the same format, but there'll be no change from the original story, so no one has to reread. That aside, let's get into it!

Chapter 37

-(Aboard the Moby)-

Ugh… I moan internally as my eyes flutter open, light pouring into my retinas as I try and figure out where I am. But, the first thing I realize is just how much stuff is wrapped around me. I glance down at my arms, white linen wound like snakes all the way up to my shoulders. Speaking of my shoulder, it, too, was tightly bound, leading across my chest and sneaking under yet more bandages, which in turn disappeared beneath the soft, white sheets that were carefully laid and tucked around my body.

"Hmm," I jolt as a sound goes off next to me, and I snap my head to the side to see a young brunette boy in a chair, slumped onto my bed, hair splayed out on the sheets. He was drooling a little, but his usually intense or joyful expression was replaced by one of peace.

I smile at the thought. Haruta being peacefu- suddenly, an intense pain strikes my head like a rusty spike being driven into my skull, and I go rigid, my only focus being that pain. I sit in silence, breathing in and out as steadily as possible until the spike becomes only a dull thumbtack, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I view my surroundings.

I was in a hospital room, not unlike the one I'd found myself in after I came here for the first time. The bed I was situated on was shoved against the back wall, directly across from the doorway, raised at the waist so I was reclined, and to my left was a brunette woman situated at a desk, sitting in a swivel chair, the scritch and scratch of a pen on paper lightly echoing through the room. I could only assume that it was Maria, but you know what they say about assuming! It makes an ass out of you and m-

Thwack!

"LUNCH~!" my internal monologue is cut short as the door is thrown wide open, smacking against the wall as a certain pompadoured Commander waltzes in, three trays of food balanced perfectly on his arms, consisting of sushi, burgers, fries, and one toasted sandwich with what appeared to be honey-glazed ham.

"HAGH!" I hear Haruta screech as he snaps awake, pushing off the bed and teetering in his chair, careening back until he hits the ground with a thud, "Sunnuva! I was asleep, you dick!"

"Well, it's past one, so I think it was high time you woke up anyways," Thatch smiles sincerely as he walks over holding out the plate with the prepared raw fish, "You said you wanted to try sushi, right? Might I recommend the pistachio ice cream there? It's amazing," he nods to a small mound of pale green substance I recognize as wasabi, and Haruta picks up a spoon from the plate, scooping up a small amount and looking at it skeptically.

"This isn't ice cream, Thatch," the Lieutenant stares at him, "It's at room temperature. What is this?"

"It's actually something called wasabi," the pompadour explains, sighing, "The ice cream thing was a joke, it just looks like it is."

"Hm," Haruta frowns, and sniffs the green paste, "What does it taste like?"

"It's technically a condiment, like ketchup on hot dogs," he says with a straight face, "Just try it plain if you're not a coward."

"I'm not a coward!" the young man yells, and he scoops up the entire helping and shoves it into his mouth, looking at Thatch with a spiteful glare. Then, his expression lightened, "Wow, this is good!" he savors it, but his expression soon begins to shift, "Wow hey this aftertaste… it's kinda…" he begins to sweat, his face becoming the same shade as a beet, "Gimme a sec," he quickly sets the plate on his seat, and power walks out, starting to fan at his mouth as he looks this way and that. Then, he tears down the hallway, "HOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

"Hehehehe!" Thatch bursts into a fit of laughter, "Never tried wasabi before, huh? It's got quite a kick! Hehehe!"

"Why can't you act your age more?" Maria sighs as the Commander swiftly places the plate with the ham sandwich on her desk, "Those pranks are so childish."

"Hey, I like having a little levity!" Thatch puts his hands up in defense, "I mean, have you met that one Marine Admiral? The guy constantly has a stick up his ass about how much he hates pirates! Total tool," he takes a fry from the burger plate and bites into it with a satisfying crunch, "God, I love these things," he smiles, "I mean, don't get me wrong, the guy is crazy strong, but c'mon. Lighten up a little man! The other two admirals are 'normal', why can't you be?" he casually picks up another crispy potato slice and hands it out to me, "Fry, Kelly?"

"Kelly…?" Maria follows him, and looks at me, "Ah, you're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Not-" I start to say, but my voice squeaks, and I feel myself flush with embarrassment. Thatch snorts, finding that funny, but Maria smacks him on the back of the head, shutting him up.

"Take your time, Kelly," she smiles at me warmy, her hazel eyes reassuring, "You've been asleep for a little over five days, your body isn't used to it."

"Five days!?" I exclaim, my voice hoarse, "I slept for tha- that long?"

"Your body did take a pretty severe beating," Thatch says after snickering for a moment, "I'm surprised you woke up this soon."

Maria simply glances at Thatch, rolls her eyes and leans forward, "So, Kelly, you didn't answer my question before, how are you feeling?"

"Mm," I consider her question, "Sore. I don't feel nearly as crappy as I did a few days ago, but I don't feel the best."

"That's probably the morphine we gave you," the brunette reaches behind her, grabbing a clipboard, "This is your diagnosis," she holds it out to me, and I take it, my fingers shaking.

"Woah," I breathe in shock as I scan through. The list was fairly long, including - but not limited to - multiple hairline fractures on my ribs with two broken, a stab wound in my shoulder, a fractured sternum, concussion, multiple bruises on my spine and forearms, a piece of shrapnel in my left leg, and a larger cut where my face scar used to be. There were several other things that I saw, but I didn't recognize the phrases, and I didn't care to ask, "How am I still alive!?" I blink in shock.

"The human body is much more durable than you think," Maria takes back the clipboard, "It is designed to keep us alive, yes?"

"Yeah…" I frown, "So, I'm guessing that you guys escaped okay?"

"Not completely," Thatch sighs, moving over to Haruta's chair and removing the sushi, taking a seat, "We got away, but Jack chased us. We got in a tight spot, but Shanks saved us when you and him passed by."

So that was them… I nod, but Thatch's expression becomes serious, and he looks down.

"Kelly," he starts, and from his tone I could feel the regret in his voice, "I left you on that island."

I was confused. It hurt, but I'd already come to terms that Thatch would only do that if it was necessary. "Thatch?"

"I made the choice to leave you on that island, and I abandoned you of my own free will," he looks up, and I could see that his eyes were watering, "I don't deserve this, but i want to ask for your forgiveness."

I close my eyes. I had already decided in my mind that I would forgive him, but an idea popped into my head… "No…" I mutter at myself. That was too cruel for a joke.

"Oh," Thatch puts his head back down, "I understand," he stands up, and my face flushes in humiliation and my heart leaps in panic.

"WAITWAITWAITNONONOTHATWASN'TWHATIWANTEDTOSAYTHATWASN'TWHATIWANTEDTOSAY!" I hold up my hands, shaking my head, and Thatch turns around, a dejected confusion in his expression, "I was telling myself no because an idea popped into my mind to play a prank on you but I told myself 'no' that would be too cruel but I said it out loud and I didn't mean it!"

"..." Thatch goes back to the chair, running a hand through his hair, "Hehehe! Jeez, you just gave me a heart attack," he grins, "Jeez…"

"I just gave myself a heart attack… Sorry…" I sheepishly scratch the back of my head, "I really need to work on not saying stuff like that out loud. I already decided to forgive you guys back when I woke up on the island. It was our job to protect the people, and I already decided to go out and fight, so I have to take those consequences. This is just a sign that I need to get better."

"Hmph," the pompadour's grin is back, and he leans to the side, picking up a piece of sushi and popping it into his mouth, "Well, I actually have a remedy for that. I already decided to have you train with Haruta and I."

"That's…" I think to how strong they were, "I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing."

"Hehehe. Don't worry," Thatch chuckles, "We'll help you catch up."

"Yeah," I smile, "So what happened while I was out?"

"Ah, yeah," Thatch nods, and Maria exits the room, likely looking for something or someone, "Well, Pops beat the crap out of Kaido, but after that, it's just been a party for a while. We arrived a day after you fell asleep, but that's it."

"Did Shanks say anything?" I ask, and Thatch looks at me strange, "He said something to Pops, but I didn't hear it. Why?"

"There's… something that me and him talked about," I say, "And I'm going to be explaining it to the crew."

Thatch simply nods. "Sounds serious. I'll let them know you're awake, but you shouldn't push yourself to move too soon."

"Noted," I give him a thumbs up, and he stands, leaving the room. Now alone, I try and move myself into a more comfortable position, but a sharp stab of pain from my back as I twitch stops me, "Grgh…"

"Kelly, you're awake!" I see Haruta standing in the doorway, dumbfounded, and the glass of milk he was holding drops, "Shit!" he quickly catches it, and a moment later he's sitting in the chair, the milk sloshing about, "What's, uh, going on?"

"We-" I start, shifting back to a comfortable position, but my back twinges as a loud crack sounds out, "MMMMTHATFEELSGOOD!" I clench my teeth, breathing sharply until the shock calms down, "I did not like that," I sigh when it subsides.

"Yeah…" Haruta fidgets in his seat, "Um…" he picks up the plate by his seat and holds it out to me, "Sushi?"

"Yeah, thanks man!" I smile, taking one with a piece of fish just laid on rice with some sort of reddish-orange sauce poured over, and pop it into my mouth, "Dang. This is great!" I grin, the sauce turning out to be a tangy heat. But… there was no response. I glance at Haruta and he was staring at the floor, "Hey, you good?" he snaps back up, looking like he had a heart attack.

"Uh, yeah," he nods, "I just remembered that I have to go train right now, I'll see you later," he hurriedly rushes out of the room, leaving the plate of food on my lap.

What's wrong, dude…? I wonder as Thatch walks in, glancing down the hall.

"Where'd Haruta go?" he asks me with a raised eyebrow, and I shrug.

"He said he had training, but I'm not sure how much I believe that…" I frown, "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"That's not my place to say," Thatch shrugs, "Don't pressure him."

"I wasn't planning on it," I shake my head. After the short exchange, there was an awkward silence between us, the alcohol-smelling air of the room being the only thing I could focus on.

Groooarg.

I feel my face flush red as a deep growl comes from my gut. "I guess I'm pretty hungry after sleeping for five days…" I rub my neck sheepishly, taking another piece of sushi and popping it into my mouth, "Mm, that's good…" I smile.

"You like my tangerine sauce?" the pompadour grins, "The sushi was fun to make, but I had a hard time getting the heat right, and with the party that's been going on, we were running out of ingredients. Eventually I had to crack open one of Pops' sake bottles to get it right," he whispers the last sentence, "Don't tell him I did that, or he will be royally pissed."

I grin. "I'll keep it a secret."

"Nice," I receive a thumbs up, and the Commander whips out a book with several intense-looking pictures on the cover - a manga volume - and starts flipping through, opening on a page about halfway through, "Oh, what's the story of that?"

"Well," Thatch shrugs, "The basic thing of the comic is a Marine named Sora, his pet seagull, and a transforming robot fighting the armies of Germa 66. So far, he's been having some trouble with Germa 66's No. 3, a guy with a stealth suit. It's been an interesting arc, mainly because Sora got separated from his robot, so he's had to gun his way through half an army's worth solo. But, he's only one guy, and an old retired marine that saved his life ended up taking a bullet for him last chapter, so Sora's pissed. It's gotten pretty interesting."

"Isn't that like, propaganda or something?" I scoff as I take a bite of a seaweed wrap, "Why are you reading it?"

"I've read it since I was a kid," Thatch looks a little hurt, "And it's a good series, don't bash it."

"I'll take your word for it," I shrug, and we sit, the crisp crinkles as Thatch flips the pages the only noise being made, the slow rocking of the ship being nigh-hypnotic. Then there is a knock at the door, and I look up to see Shanks in the doorway, eyes looking exhausted but enthused.

"Hey there, kid, how is it?" he asks casually, a bottle in his hand.

"Shanks," Thatch nods at the Yonko.

"Hey, Thatch!" the red-haired swordsman raises the bottle at him, "I'm here to talk about some pretty important stuff. You'll hear what we're talking about when Kelly tells Newgate, so feel free to stay."

"Sure," the Commander shrugs, "Sounds neat."

"Alright," Shanks goes and sits in Maria's spin chair, "So, Kelly, do you think you can move?"

"Khaha, I mean," I laugh nervously, "I can move my arms and head and talk, but I don't think I can walk, if that answers it."

"You just need to be able to talk," the Yonko explains, "I want you to explain everything before I leave."

I blink at him. "Where are you going?" out of the corner of my eye, I catch Thatch glancing at me, something obviously turning in his head.

"I'm keeping an eye on the Marines, making sure they don't go too far in," Shanks sighs, "Mihawk left a few days ago on his own boat, but I stuck around with my crew to help you explain yourself."

"Hey now," Thatch speaks up before I have a chance to respond, and he stands up, "It sounds like you're pressuring Kelly into telling the crew something. If he doesn't want to say it, he won't have to."

"Relax," I put my hands up, "It's my decision. And we already decided that I'd talk."

"Okay…" the Commander frowns, and relaxes.

"So, does this bed move, or…?" Shanks glances around, looking down at the lower components I couldn't see, "It's got wheels, so how do we…?"

"What are you doing?" I look up to see Maria walking in, a look of bewildered irritation on her face.

"Oh, hello doc," Shanks glances at her, "Just trying to figure out how to move this bed."

"Stop that, you're doing it wrong," she casually smacks his hand when he tries to reach for something, and pushes lightly on his back, "Now get out of my seat," with a bewildered expression, Shanks stands up, awkwardly shuffling to the side as Maria takes her seat, swiveling back to her desk and pulling out a pen, writing on a sheet of paper.

"Uh-" Shanks begins to say, but Maria holds up a finger, shushing him until she hands him a pink slip of paper.

"You have him for an hour," she says, brushing a stray brown hair that had fallen in front of her eye as she calmly stares him down, "After that, he will be back here for at least another week."

"O-ok," Shanks gulps, a bead of sweat running down his forehead as Maria leans down, fiddling with something. I hear a click, and the bed begins to roll with the sway of the ship.

"Now go do whatever you were planning," the Doctor waves the three of us off, "I have work to do," she sits back at her desk and in no time at all, the scritch and scratch of her writing was heard.

Shanks and Thatch both take a side of the bed and slowly push it out of the room, all three of us staring at Maria in confused, mixed awe.

"Thatch, your girlfriend is intense," Shanks lets out a shaky breath, "Seriously, I haven't felt this intimidated by someone weaker than me since Ma… mom got angry at me for accidentally breaking her table in an arm wrestling contest."

"I only wish she was my girlfriend," Thatch blinks as I just sit back, enjoying the massage-like feeling the movement of the bed was giving me, "But yeah, she scares me…"

"So, who all is going to be hearing this?" I ask, butterflies starting to flutter in my stomach, "I know that Marco wants to be there at least, and Whitebeard, and probably most of the Commanders, but…"

"It'll probably just be the Commanders. I may bring along Haruta, Dex and Raver, but only 'cause they're in our Division, are nice or smart enough to listen, and are not in a hospital bed," the Commander replies, "I would bring along my other Lieutenant, but she's not here…"

"So I just tell her when she shows up?" I say.

"Well, she works with Raver a lot, so she'll probably find out anyways," the pompadour shrugs, "But for now, we should get you to the deck," he turns to Shanks, "I'm guessing you can get him up there? I need to grab some people real fast."

"Hey, I got it," the Yonko grins, draining the rest of his bottle and moving to the back of the bed.

"Alright," Thatch looks at me, "Kelly, just know that no matter what you say, I'll always welcome you."

"Thanks, Thatch," I smile, and he holds out his fist, which I bump with my own.

The Commander grins. "See you in like, five minutes!"

-(On Deck, 10 Minutes Later)-

"Haaah…" I release the breath I was holding in, my heart beginning to pump. Whitebeard had long since asked the rest of the crew to go below-deck, as a kindness to me, and there were only a small group of people arrayed before me under the sun. There was the titan himself, wrapped in bandages and casts, hooked up to a couple dozen IVs as he sat in that monster of a wooden chair. Then there was Marco, standing next to his adoptive father, tapping his foot impatiently as he eyed me. On Whitebeard's other side sat Shanks, chatting casually with the other Emperor of the Sea, muttering something to him. Thatch stood not far from me, conversing with a shirtless cheetah-zone smoking a cigarette and a grey-haired man with bandages wrapped around the right side of his forehead, covering his eye. I glance around, seeing Vista, Jozu, and Blamenco talking to Atlas, who I think was returning to a Commander position. A few feet away, Benn Beckman was having a talk with Curiel and someone I recognized as Speed Jiru. There were fewer people than I expected, a lot fewer, but there were still plenty, each of them offering a new form of death that I could go through, given how Marco reacted. But Haruta wasn't here. Something was wrong, and I would have to change that later.

"My sons and guests, give that brat your attention!" I hear the booming voice of Edward Newgate, and gulp as he looks at me, "Go ahead, Kelly," he nods at me.

Oh god it's so soon how do I start what do I slay!? I can hear the blood rushing through my ears as just about everyone goes quiet and looks my way expectantly. My mouth felt dry, "H-" my voice cracks, cutting through the silence like a knife. Taking a moment to gather myself, I try again, "Hello, I think most of you are familiar with me."

"I'm not!" Jiru puts up his hand, "Wait, no, we met in the showers once," he scratches his chin, "That was a good talk we had."

"Jiru," Vista shoots him a look, and the fast man winces.

"Sorry," he apologizes.

"Thankyou," I mutter, the metaphorical pressure starting to squeeze my gut, "So, uh, I'm guessing all of you figured out I'm not actually from the North Blue."

A cacophony of 'yeah's, 'figured it out's and one 'you're kinda bad at lying kiddo' assails my ears, and I feel my face go red.

"Okay… well, I'll take a shot in the dark and say that you all want to know where I come from?" I ask, and most of them nod, and I just decide to try and throw it out there, "Well, I come from another world," the silence was deafening.

"Uh, when you say another world," Raver raises an eyebrow, "Do you mean metaphorically, like you're from another era in time, or like literally from another world, like you fell from space or something? Cause with the Rainbow Mist I'd honestly believe either."

"Well," I look at Shanks for support, but he just sits there, staring at me. I guess I was on my own, "Khehe, I'd actually say both," I chuckle hesitantly, "I'm from another world in the literal sense, but I think also in the literal sense I am from this world," I was getting too technical right now, I needed to get back on track, "Have any of you ever heard of Multiverse Theory?"

A well-cared hand raises. "I have, young Kelly," Vista states, "I read an academic journal on the theory from that scientist Vegapunk. In it, he explained that there are theoretically infinite numbers of universes, each inhabiting the same physical place, yet in separate dimensions, planes of reality, each with infinite possible lifeforms, civilizations and timelines. That was only a simple explanation of it, but this is at least similar to what you mean?

"Yeah," I say, and Vista's eyes widen.

"You imply that you are from one of these 'alternate universes'?" the Commander blinks, and everyone looks at me with a mix of interest, shock and caution.

"That's the idea," I nod, kind of relieved that he figured it out on his own, "More specifically, I'm from a world where this world is just a piece of fiction," I say, and just about everyone looks at me like I was insane, "I'm not lying."

"How can we be sure?" Marco's calm baritone speaks up, and he judges me with harsh eyes, "That aura of yours isn't trustworthy in the first place."

"I can vouch for him," Shanks calmly stands, "He's telling the truth. If you're skeptical, he knows things about me that almost no one else in the world should, so he knows a lot. Ask him a question."

"Alright, fine," Marco strides up to me, "Who was the Second Division Commander before Atlas?"

"..." I open my mouth, but close it. I'd assumed that Atlas was the only one in the position, did someone get revealed after I arrived here?

"Hmph," the Phoenix scoffs, "I guess that was a lie."

"Now hold on!" Thatch marches up to his adoptive brother, "Kelly didn't know a lot about how our crew works when he joined, and I doubt that comic would be based on our family, so that was an unfair question!"

"How would you know?" Marco growls, getting up in Thatch's face.

"Because," Thatch smirks, stroking his beard, "If what he's saying is true, any story needs to have character development!" he pulls out the issue of Sora that he was reading earlier, "In this, it only follows three characters and a small supporting cast, and with just that, it's already cluttered!"

"I have ta agree with Thatch, here, Marco," Jozu shakes his head, "It might follow someone else."

"It does follow someone else," I explain, "I won't say their name, since it's someone that Shanks wants to protect," Shanks gives me an irritated glance, but sighs and lets it through, "But I can tell you other things. Like how Gold Roger's name is really Gol D. Roger," Marco took a step back in surprise, but the grand captain leans forward in his seat, "Or I can tell you that there are really six levels in Impel Down. Or I could say that Monkey D. Garp is the father of Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army. Or that Gecko Moria is still alive, and will end up hiding in the Florian Triangle. I know that you-" I address Whitebeard, "-claimed Fishman Island as your territory to spare the Fishmen and Merfolk from being enslaved and attacked by pirates. I know that you were friends with Roger despite your rivalry, and that you don't want to become King of the Pirates. You only ever wanted a family, because you never had one yourself. I could tell you that CP9 is real-" I hear Raver make a choking sound as he bites down on his cigarette, "-and currently in Water 7, looking for the blueprints to the weapon called Pluton. I know that Roger turned himself in because he was sick, and decided to die on his own terms in exchange for the freedom of his crew. And I know that his lover, Portgas D. Rouge, held out for over a year because she didn't want their child to be slaughtered when the World Government rounded up all newborns after Roger's execution, and entrusted the child to Monkey D. Garp, who raised the kid alongside his grandson," Shanks looks alarmed, and starts swiping his hand across his neck to stop me, but I was too far in now, and Whitebeard was beginning to stare at me, his infamous smile long gone, "I know that in three and a half years that kid will set out to sea and try to become King of the Pirates, and you will set out to find him, and take him into your crew. He will hate you, try and kill you because he thinks that you want to be the King, but he never succeeds. Then, he will slowly accept you as his father, casting aside everything he loves to make you greater!" I am leaning forward, the intensity of it as I lock eyes with the Strongest man in the World intoxicating, "And there will be a betrayal, and that boy will cast out to bring the traitor back, but he will be captured, and set to be executed, but you don't care, you end up declaring war anyways!" memories of the War of the Best, memories that ended with the deaths of a crew that I was with, flood my mind, and I slowly begin to lose myself, a kind of mournful rage pumping through my blood, and an aged face flashes before my vision, "And when you try to save him, YOU'LL DIE TOO!" I clench my fists, fuel beginning to leak out, soaking the sheets in black and brown fluid, "AND THEN THIS FAMILY WILL CRUMBLE APART!" tears begin to well up as I let out a final, strained noise at the top of my lungs, and then silence, the sound echoing over the water. Then, things flash before me. A clean room and a still bed. A destroyed battlefield and a bleeding titan. Snow falling onto a stone plate. The breeze blowing past a buried glaive and a fluttering cowboy hat. And I slump back into the bed, tears flowing down my face, "I don't want that sort of pain to happen to anyone. So please, let me stay and help you."

"..." there was only silence. No one dared to speak, all looking to Whitebeard.

"Gurarara…" then, the old man began to chuckle, "Gurarara… Gurarara! GURARARA!" he laughs, a coarse sound, but it's warm and familiar, and the titan cracks a smile, wide and strong, "My son, even before you said all that, I never intended to disown you," he stands, the deck creaking as he shifts his weight, "Anyone is welcome on my ship, as long as they want to have someplace to belong," I glance at Thatch as Whitebeard steps over to me, and the Commander is beaming at me. Even though I'd just told him something that would be impossible to believe, he was beaming at me. A pang of warmth floods through me at the thought, "So," the titan stands in front of me now, and kneels down, looking me in the eye, "You are far from home," that catches me off-guard, and I gulp, blinking away the tears.

"Khahaha! Y-yeah," I laugh, feeling almost as if a weight was disappearing from my shoulders.

"Well," he speaks, a calming tone in his voice, "If you're going to be stuck here awhile, then would you mind staying with us until the end?"

"I swear I already answered this," I crack a joke, and most of the Commanders and Wash laugh. Raver, however, was in Cheetah form, hacking half a cigarette onto the deck.

"This seems more fitting, brat," he looks into my eyes, and I stare into his, two massive, brown orbs aged by years of hardship, and yet I could see the love he had for everyone here, even me.

"Well, I'll tell you this," I grit my teeth, clenching my fist, and my Devil Fruit activates, fuel dripping down my arm, "I'll give you a show, Captain."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my son," the titan stands, pulling a bottle of sake from his gargantuan coat, and a small set of cups from the other side. Slowly, he sets it out - twelve cups in total, and pours out the clear, water-like liquid into the cups, "My sons, gather 'round," he says, and the Commanders and two Liuetenants make a circle around me. Marco looks at me with uncertainty in his eyes, while Thatch smiles. Jozu nods while Vista grins, Jiru vibrates while Curiel frowns. Blamenco just chuckles, Atlas looks at me with a brow raised, and Wash and Raver both just smirk, the latter back to being human. Quickly, they all take a cup, and Whitebeard hands me one cup, which I take with uncertainty, the clear liquid reflecting my own face, "Today, we truly welcome another son into the fold. We may not be the whole crew, not even all Divisions, and we may not even know much about him, but I believe that he is one of us. To family!" he raises his cup, tiny in his massive hands.

"To family!" comes the reply, and everyone gathered around raises their cups, clinking them together, and look to me.

"To fami-" I try to lean forward and clink my own cup, but my back explodes in pain, "AAAAAAAAAHFUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" I screech, and everyone laughs as I slump back into the bed, "Ow…" I groan, but I smile and raise my cup, "To family," and with that, we all tip our drinks back, downing the bitter yet sweet drink in one go. And it was the best drink of anything I'd had in my life.

"Ah…" Thatch grins, "So, Kelly!" he turns to me, "What was your world like?"

"My world?" I think, then remember how badly Shanks freaked out when I talked to him about it, "Oh man, where should I start?" I grin, "Oh! I know. How about I start with the steel battleships…"

-(Later that Night)-

Tat tat tat.

"Enter, my son," the Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates says as he hears a knock at the door, and First Commander Marco steps in, "What is on your mind, Marco?" the titan closes the book he was reading and sets it on the bedside table.

"..." the phoenix just walks over, sitting on the edge of the massive bed Newgate was laying in, "Do you really believe him?"

"...A part of me doesn't," comes the response, and Marco looks up, "A part of you does."

"Yeah…" the First Commander groans, putting his face in his hands, "And Shanks gave him a Devil Fruit, so if he does turn out to be a threat, he'll be stronger!" blue and yellow flames begin to lick at his legs and arms, "And he spews that stuff about Roger having a son… how can you just accept that!?"

"You aren't wrong, but I truly believe he wasn't lying," Newgate states after a moment of thought.

"How can you tell? That aura of his is all sorts of weird! He could be some experiment of Vegapunk for all we know!"

"Even if he is, I will still let him stay," Whitebeard looks out the door, at the vast blue seas beyond, "There are some things that you have yet to learn, Marco."

"..." the phoenix still appeared dissatisfied, "It's just so farfetched. I hope you're right about him."

"Gurara!" the titan just laughs, a hearty, guttural sound, "Don't worry, Marco. I have a good feeling about him. Just you watch."

AN: And that's the chapter! I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!