Mostly fluff in this chapter. Enjoy~

He glanced to the far dock, and watched as the pirate ships that had been docked sailed away with a hurry. "Oi! Thatch, I found a pranking buddy!"

"Whoa, really?!" a man with a huge pompadour and a chef's outfit on said excitedly. He was about as tall as Marco. Hawks didn't know why Ace would assume he'd prank with them. He may have a humorous side, but he was there for information about how to get back instead of play games.

"Drinks first!" Ace added. "C'mon, Keigo, drinking time!"

"I can't drink. I'm not allowed," he said dumbly. He followed Ace, though, not daring to be rude to a man that the monstrous old guy cared for as a son. Whitebeard looked down at him, and Hawks averted his eyes.

"Says who?"

"My boss."

"Is your boss here? How the hell would they know, anyways? Besides, for fucks sake, it looks like you have ice cubes in your pants or some shit."

"Ice cube butt, huh?" Thatch asked. Ace snorted, and grabbed Hawks' hand, pulling him with them. Other pirates were interested in his wings, and Thatch was staring at him. He had a pointed goatee and a scar near his eye. Ace was obviously much younger than his friend, but it seemed the age difference didn't matter at all.

Ace had a baby face with black hair, freckles and gray eyes. Buff, too. "What's your name, brat?" Whitebeard asked, making Hawks stiffen. "Gurarara, no need to be so stiff. Maybe you do need a drink!" he laughed. Hawks looked over his shoulder at the impossibly tall guy, who was giving him a smile he didn't expect to be given to him. Hawks was a stranger to him, after all.

"Uh, okay. I don't have money," he said honestly.

"We're Whitebeards! The island gives us alcohol for free," Thatch said.

"He's adorable," a man in a kimono with long hair in a geisha do up said bluntly. "How old are you?"

"22."

"He's a runt," another massive man with a round body and dark skin, his hair looking like three balls on his head.

"Don't be rude to my new friend, Jozu!" Ace commanded. He grabbed Hawks' arm with a huff. Why were they acting so familiar with him? He hadn't spoken to most of them, yet they were being friendly and joking. He had to play along. Who knew what they were like with enemies? Being so strong on this sea, they had to be powerful. And not just the captain, who was laughing at his son's antics.

The bars all brought out their kegs and bottles of alcohol. Broad daylight was apparently no excuse as everyone went to other places for drinks. He was sat down by Ace and Thatch. Whitebeard sat, too, with Marco on his shoulder. The drinks started flowing, and Hawks was impressed by how much they could put away and not look drunk one bit.

It made him curious if the alcohol was different from the stuff at home. He finally took a mug and took a big swig, choking on it at the awful taste. He put it down with Ace laughing over it. He reached his hand out, and Hawks handed him the mug, as he sure as hell would not continue that rancid taste.

Ace guzzled all of it and slammed the empty wooden tankard to the ground. "Ah!" he said, his cheeks pink. "Shouldn't you be more cautious about getting drunk?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Why should we? We're strong! Hey, explain to Pops already." Ace was drunk on only two mugs. His cheeks were red and eyes lidded a bit. He got hiccups, and with each one, he caught on fire. His clothes were just fine and became fire, too. Someone else short, who was about his height, had one of the snails like before, only it was smaller and when a button was pressed, it worked as a camera.

Hawks turned to Whitebeard - their "Pops". He looked patient and nodded to encourage Hawks to talk. So he gave his story and concerns. He didn't know what to do, where to go. "Well, I'm not sure how to get you back to your own world. Never heard of a devil fruit that can do such a thing."

The hero was surprised that he was being believed. "You have an honest face."

"I'm actually an incredibly skilled liar and spy," Hawks unwisely disputed.

"I was right. That was very honest, was it not?" Whitebeard asked, taking a swig with his keg sized bottle of booze. Hawks huffed, knowing that was very true. "You shouldn't tell people such things if you want to make sure you aren't compromised. I'll pretend you didn't tell me." Marco asked for Hawks to show his quirk to them. So he did.

Thatch said, "Whoa! The pranks are endless!" Hawks was still a bit lost, never having encountered people like this. Really, he wasn't sure how to react.

"Try this, hun. My name is Izo, by the way." He handed Hawks a bottle of wine. He had no idea where the kimono clad man got it, but he took a drink. It tasted good, actually. The bite wasn't that strong, but it felt like fire down his throat. A nice burn. But he wouldn't put himself at great risk, and only took a few small sips. "See. Much better than what these barbarians drink."

"Hey, shut up, Izo!" Ace said, smashed already. Despite himself, Hawks found his shoulders relaxing. "Hey, Keigo. You should come with us. You're - hic! - more likely to find your way home traveling around," Ace pointed out. That was probably true. "Hey, Pops, that okay?"

"A spy can't be any worse than all you fools. But I can't accept him just like that. We'll get to know him a bit more," Whitebeard said lightly. Despite insulting the crew that he saw as his children, he had a smile on. Haruta, the short one taking funny photos, spoke next.

"So, you can't accept this lost feathered puppy, but you were fine with Ace, who tried to murder you 100 times?!" he laughed loudly. Hawks heard the sounds of retching from somewhere. "And so it begins!" Haruta declared. They were so weird and lighthearted that it was so unfamiliar. Seeing grown men, some in their forties, acting like kids and completely unashamed. It was so foreign. He didn't know how to feel.

But Ace tried to kill their captain 100 times yet was still welcomed? That was odd. Ace didn't seem like a murderer. But these were pirates, and they had weapons, and were so dangerous they were in the top four strongest crews in the world. There was a dark side to them. Though Hawks wasn't exactly pure himself. He'd killed countless times, sometimes innocent people. All on orders, but it didn't mean he didn't kill them.

Looking at the bottle of wine in his ungloved hand, a thought he'd never had before came. One so strong it urged him to down the whole bottle. Fuck the Commission. He guzzled the whole bottle in one go, and Ace and Thatch cheered for him. Hawks' body felt like jelly, and he fell on his back, his wings squashed beneath him. But they didn't hurt.

He passed out, being stupid and making himself more vulnerable than he ever had been. But when he woke up, he was surrounded by snoring pirates. He sat up, a killer headache present. Oh god, he was hung over. He noticed buckets spaced around the field of unconscious pirates. He took the empty one near him and kept it close.

But he stood, feeling uncomfortable, even if they were all asleep. He stepped around them, holding the bucket in front of him in case he finally vomited. He saw Marco and Whitebeard looking at them all, seeming perfectly sober. But Hawks had seen Whitebeard drink an entire keg's worth, yet here he was, looking perfectly normal.

He walked up to them. "Good morning, Keigo." He felt odd with people calling him that. It was uncomfortable. He told them to call him Hawks instead of Keigo. "Very well, Hawks. You look quite sick," the captain said in humor.

"I never drank alcohol before." Marco looked disapproving of this fact, but the captain just laughed, calling him foolish. "I know…" Hawks said in shame.

"I call everyone foolish, brat. Don't feel so bad about it. Though we have nights like that very often," Whitebeard said openly. "While everyone else it out, why don't you tell us about yourself? I'd like to hear about this other world."

"You believe me?"

"Why shouldn't I? There are great mysteries out there. I'm just glad when I find them." Hawks frowned. "What's wrong, child?" Hawks didn't say, just shrugged. "Very well, you don't need to say anything of it if you don't want. Tell me what you feel comfortable with." The young man searched the older's face for a long moment, seeing nothing but genuine curiosity.

How could a man so powerful be so… nice? It was different from All Might. He was a hero in their world. Whitebeard was a pirate in this one, and pirates weren't regarded well by most. But, he felt he trusted him, and so he explained about his own world, what kind of person he was, his job, everything.

When he started, he just couldn't stop until he laid out his entire life story but for his childhood before the Commission. "That's disgusting," Marco suddenly said, throwing off Hawks' thoughts. He hadn't expected that to be the reaction. But he saw the look mirrored on Whitebeard's face. Both were disgusted by something in Hawks' story. He didn't know what.

"They took a little boy and then trained him to be a tool like that?" Marco said sourly. Hawks correctly assumed the two of them weren't into child abuse. "Well, you wouldn't be the only one who had a nasty childhood. Some of us were slaves." Hawks' face fell at hearing such an awful thing.

"Well, despite our pasts, we are all children of the sea. Even you," Whitebeard said, taking a sip of his sake. Still drinking and not drunk. Impressive.

"You seriously just take in anybody?" Hawks asked, sitting cross legged, looking up at the charismatic pirate.

"If they have the spark. I'm a good judge of character. Even if you've done terrible things, it doesn't mean you can't change if you want," he replied. "Ace only found me because he wanted to take my head. And now look at him. Black out drunk with my other children." Hawks looked at the young man. He had a smile on in his sleep.

Hawks felt himself growing fond of these criminals. There were no pro heroes here. He was out of a job. And he'd never been interested in being a soldier. The tight grip the Commission had on him was bad enough. At least with them, he had his own apartment and could go out when he wanted. Being in the military took away all freedoms. No, thank you.

Marco asked if he wanted to go flying. Hawks was surprised, since Marco hadn't been the warmest to him. But then he gave him a smile that hadn't been sent his way yet. "Sure," Hawks said. He'd never been flying with him, since winged quirks were rare. He shot off with Marco, who turned into a hybrid form of his quirk - devil fruit - with wings as his arms and talons as his feet. The rest of him was human.

The air chased away from of Hawks' unfamiliar hang over, and he didn't feel he'd vomit, though he had the bucket hanging from around his neck. "So, what's it like being the first mate?" Hawks felt much more confident in the air, where he felt he belonged. Marco looked surprised by the sudden burst of confidence.

"I have to look over a bunch of morons. Too much paperwork. Lots of duties. But at least I get to boss everyone around and help decide where we get to go next. But I have to look over Pops, too. In some ways, he's just as bad as the rest." Hawks snorted. "He drinks too much for his age. Hides booze under his bed sometimes."

Hawks asked, "Is it really only men on your crew?" He hadn't seen a single woman. Marco nodded, but said they had nurses that worked in the infirmary. But they kept to themselves. "Pirates can't be women? In my world, women can be heroes or villains just like guys."

"The majority of pirates are all men," Marco said. "It's just safer for men to be on the sea, I guess. There used to be women on our crew, twenty years ago or so. As the crew grew and the majority were men, they left. Can you blame them? Being surrounded by hundreds of stinky men?"

"I keep well bathed," Hawks swore.

"Really? Cause you smell terrible right now," Marco said smoothly. Hawks' face turned bright red. Did he smell? "You smell of booze, sweat and dirt. Though that's what many of us smell like, despite having nine bath houses inside the ship," he said, eyes narrowed and growing annoyed. He did sound like the big brother. That he'd seen. He never had siblings.

But it was funny. Maybe… if he joined them for awhile, he wouldn't need to be a leader, have people look up to him, have such responsibility. He'd be equal to the others. But going from a hero to a pirate? It felt wrong, but he knew he shouldn't consider himself a hero. He killed just as much as he saved.

He was not pure, he was stained and dragged through the dirt. He was a rotted mess sprayed with air freshener. It smells fine a bit, but is still rotted on the inside. His face must have fallen, as Marco noticed. "Would you join us?" he wondered.

"I'm not a good person. I've done terrible things-"

"Did you ever betray your own friends or family?"

"I've never had any friends or family," Hawks replied honestly.

"Well, wanna change that?" The younger man froze up at the question, mind blank with confusion, uncertainty. "You don't need to decide now. We'll be here about a week. Pops has to update with the island's leaders. There are two towns here, and we need to catch up with both leaders," Marco said, lifting the pressure off of Hawks' shoulders.

They flew in silence some more, in silence. Hawks was lost in thought, and Marco didn't interrupt them. He stayed silent, just keeping flight company. It was nice, flying with somebody. He had fun. It had been awhile since he last felt he'd had any true fun. It was odd. Odd but not unwelcome. No, this wasn't bad at all.

-x-

"Hawks, hey, c'mere," Ace shouted. Haruta and Thatch were gathered, the three of them at the booth in the back of the bar Hawks had entered first. When someone asked how much his wings would have been worth. Hawks walked over, a glass of fruity booze in his hand. He didn't really like the taste of alcohol, but it gave him a rush. "Fuck you, Commission" was a mood now. And nothing seemed to get him in that mood but for alcohol.

He sat down in the booth. Thatch had a piece of paper, and a diagram of what looked like some sort of gingerbread shaped thing. "We need to use your feathers for our newest prank."

"Prank?"

"Hell yeah. You'll direct your feathers in our blanket ghost. You'll make it walk around, floating like some blanket with a ghost in it. It's fool proof. This will be your initiation prank."

"O-okay," Hawks said, not wanting to decline. It had been three days of them being there, four of Hawks being in this world. It was entertaining, and he felt like a different person free of the Commission. He was open to go where he wanted, swear and say offensive things, dress how he wanted, and make friends. Not just coworkers. The four went back into the ship, Hawks flying them back with a feather in their shirts. Well, Ace was holding onto one since he always went around shirtless. From what Hawks had seen of his devil fruit, it was more advanced than Endeavor's. Which was shocking. This twenty year old kid was more capable than the number one hero. Man, he'd be so angry if Ace was in their world.

When they got there, the four headed to the fabrics room. "Men, get to work!" Thatch announced. Hawks sort of stood there while the three goofy commanders created their pillow case creature. Ace burnt the bottom of it, and Haruta dripped red dye all over it to make it look bloody. It was quite the project for them.

After they were done creating, Thatch brought in something called a tone dial, which was just a voice recorder, but clunky. He missed technology, but was surprised with how he could be kept busy even without the internet. He knew he'd adapt quickly.

For the sounds, the crew's dog came in. Ace made snarling noises chasing him around the room as they recorded Stefan's own snarling and threatening noises. All that was left was the execution. So Hawks practiced with his part. He sent out so many feathers they were pressed to the fabric person stiffly. He manipulated it to move like a person would.

He'd never done a prank before. But this was actually fun! He felt welcome, truly welcome. Even with him not being from there, they included him like he was just a normal guy. So they set up the ghost, and were buzzing all day. The other three looked mischievous if you observed too closely, but Hawks for once was terrible at hiding his emotion. He was excited for the prank, something new and actually fun.

Really, Thatch was awesome. He was in his forties, yet he acted like a kid and was best friends with Ace. Age didn't matter here. It seemed Whitebeard just wanted everyone to be themselves, and they did. But Marco was right, a lot of them smelled. But the bath houses were wonderful. They were extremely clean, and the tubs were so big you could swim laps.

Devil fruit users, who had eaten fruits that gave them abilities like quirks, couldn't swim. They'd drown, so the four fruit users could not take baths. Hawks was able to remove all of his wings and put them in a big sack so he didn't have them getting soaked in the tub. They were separate.

Hawks had also learned very quickly about Ace's narcolepsy. Honestly, he'd never heard of it before. Everyone had to be a bit careful of Ace when he was near the railing, as the disorder caused sudden sleep attacks. He would pass out with no warning. Or have waking nightmares. Sometimes he lost all feeling in his body and couldn't move.

But the former hero had to admire his dream and resolve. He'd once sailed the sea on his own, unmedicated and with nobody there to save him if he fell out. He'd wanted to be a pirate that bad that he braved the dangers with a smile. Hawks admired him for that, though he didn't say it. He was sure he wouldn't be that brave, but he'd never had a dream as solid and intense that Ace had.

He talked about his younger brother a lot. So much that his crew hated hearing about him. But Hawks rarely got the chance to listen to someone talk proudly abut their family. It was refreshing. "You don't got any family you left behind?" Ace asked, fire dancing on his fingertips. Hawks thought Dabi's fire was the most beautiful, but Ace's had the most power. He was unharmed by it, and pretty much indestructible but for the ocean, sea stone and haki.

Dabi's was a beautiful blue, but it was out of control, which was why he was so badly burnt. In his time working with them, which was short and stressful, he'd come across the fire villain tending to his burns. He'd watched a bit once, and saw that crazed grin downturned in pain and discomfort.

"Nope. Left behind a coworker I liked but didn't know well personally. I have no family and no friends," he sighed. They were sitting on the cabin of the Moby Dick, the huge flag ship with three levels and more deck space than a cruise ship. It was absolutely massive. Hawks was glad he didn't get nauseous from the sea, even though he'd stepped onto a boat maybe once in his life.

"Well, you have new friends, now," Ace said. Hawks was glad he didn't press on the crew being family. Apparently they never did that with newbies. At least, not the majority. Thatch was notorious for insisting the newcomers to be his brother. Apparently Ace nearly burnt his hair off in frustration about that when he first came. "Will it be weird? Coming from being a hero to a criminal."

Hawks simply said no. Ace didn't question further, which Hawks was grateful for. Later that night, Ace and Haruta were ecstatic that all the pieces of the best prank were falling into place. They were having a party on deck. They did this so often that Hawks worried about alcohol poisoning and the conditions of their livers.

So the four laid in wait, pretending to drink or drinking just a bit until it was dark out, and most of the crew was smashed and unconscious or nearing that state. Marco had his eyes on them suspiciously, knowing they were going to do something. Hawks was sitting facing where it would start, but he was to look asleep.

He pretended to be tired, and masterfully made it look like he fell asleep. Then, his feathers that were already laying in wait, brought out the ghost. Ace lit the whole thing on fire, but was skilled enough with his devil fruit that it did no damage to the feathers or fabric. Thatch turned on the scary noises as the ghost went rampaging around the deck.

Screams filled the air as the best and cruelest prank unfolded. Hawks had so much trouble not blowing his cover. Whitebeard did his best not to ruin it by laughing, obviously seeing through their folly. Once someone fell over board, the ghost fell flat. But then Hawks had it dragged across the desk, going after them all. Then, he had it still.

Drunk pirates stared at it, breathing heavily before Thatch, Haruta and Ace finally erupted into laughter. Hawks couldn't help it, and as his feathers returned to home base, he laughed, too. That was the moment he decided he would stay with this large group of misfits.

-x-

"Hey, do you do tattoo removal? I know that everyone gets a tattoo of the crew's mark, but I want to get something taken care of first," Hawks said to Izo, who did the tattoos himself. He looked surprised, and confirmed they had a way to remove tattoos. He sat down and took off his shirt, discharging all of his feathers before.

"Get rid of this," he said shortly, showing the branding on his back. Luckily it wasn't an actual burnt on brand, but a tattoo of the Commission's logo. Izo asked no questions, and in two sessions, it was gone. Well, it would fade now. The ink was gone, and all it needed was to heal and fade. He wasn't asked any questions and Izo showed no hint of being curious. Which Hawks was thankful for.

He left, feeling better than he had in many years. He felt free, now. His only nightmare was that he'd be sent back. If he did, he didn't know what he'd do. Not work for the Commission. Maybe he'd go traveling, just off the map. It had already been over a month of him being missing. Maybe the Commission would give up on him. That would be for the best.

Though he did enjoy the thought of them freaking about about him disappearing and not being there for a tool anymore. He didn't need to do anything he didn't want to. Besides cleaning duty and watch. And sleeping in a room with three other dudes. But he got used to it, adapting quickly like he always had.

"Hawks, take me scouting," Ace said, clapping his hand on the pirate's back.

"Is that an order? I'm hungry."

"Ugh. Marco won't do it, either."

"You already have a way to get around and check out the shore. You don't need to see it from above," he said. Ace pouted, and stormed off. Hawks just headed to the galley. The place was gargantuan and seated the pirates at huge, long tables. The food was served on the very long counter like a buffet, where they would serve themselves food.

Hawks would never understand how Ace could pack away so much fucking food. It was incredible and ridiculous. His fire burnt off calories at a high pace, so it did make sense. Thatch was up with serving all the food with his sous chefs. He refused to let any dishes out that looked messy, and would approve of the garnish himself.

For a pirate on a ship, he sure did act like it was a 5 star restaurant and he was the highest paid cook. He grew up cooking before his island burnt down and he was the only survivor before being found by Whitebeard.

But Ace's calorie predicament made him wonder if Dabi went through the same issue. Endeavor didn't seem affected, as he'd given Hawks his serving. If he was like Ace, then the former hero doubted he'd give up any food. Ace didn't share with anyone, and Thatch made it his job to not make him have to.

It had been around a month weeks since joining. He didn't know sailing on the ocean could be more enjoyable than living rich and spoiled. Sure, internet withdrawal had been bothersome, how he couldn't just Google about devil fruits and pirates, but he got used to it quick enough. He'd long ago tossed his useless phone into the sea. Though he kept his visor, even if the techie part no longer worked.

Later that day, he took a shower, his feathers in the sack beside the stall, and was so distracted with his thoughts that he didn't notice someone snatch up the bag of feathers. When he got out of the shower, wrapped in a huge towel that was used for Jozu and the other large members of the crew, he was shocked and angry to see his wings were missing.

He dressed in underwear, loose shirt and shorts, and ran off, shouting about getting his wings back. He bet it was stupid Haruta! "Give me my fuckin' wings back!"

"Hawks?!" a voice shouted from the staircase leading down the the brig. Turning around, Hawks backtracked.

"D-Dabi?!" he gasped in horror.