Two Worlds, One Family Chapter 44: Heart And Soul, an one piece fanfic

ONE PIECE

Two Worlds, One Family

A young woman struggling to find her place in the world wakes up to find a bunch of cats in her room...cats that turn out to be the characters from her favourite TV show, One Piece! Bound to each other, whether they like it or not, and trying to figure out a way to find a certain somebody's lost Nakama and get everyone back to their home, what follows is bound to be chaos, friendship, tears, romance - and, adventure! (Kind of a re-write of Straw Cat Pirates).

~Parental Warning~

The following chapter contains:

. Low-level adult themes

. Low-level coarse language

. Low-level violence

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Heart and Soul

"Daijoubu nano desu ka?"

"Y-yosh . . . " 'I like her . . . '

Emma could hear water moving around, and she thought that she could feel it, but, she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of much of anything at that moment. Just that her whole entire body hurt and felt weak all at the same time. Was she even still breathing anymore? She didn't know. Did it even matter? Probably not.

To think, all of those times before when she could have died, only to be taken out by her arch-nemesis instead.

In the back of her mind, she could almost hear a voice saying: 'I thought that I was was your arch-nemesis.'

"I have a life outside of you, Doflamingo." She tried to say, but she wasn't sure if she was speaking loud enough for anybody outside of her mind to even hear her.

Which was why she was so surprised to hear another voice actually saying: "If I had a Beri for every time that I heard that . . . "

She wasn't sure where the voice was even coming from, but, she tried to reach for it nonetheless. Immediately, a firm yet gentle set of hands seemed to push her back.

She tried to resist.

"You need to stay here," the voice sounded as firm yet gentle as his touch - for Emma was suddenly so sure that it was the same man that had picked her up before, and seemed to be coming from all around her. "If you move too quickly, too soon, then, you'll start bleeding again."

"What do you mean ... again?" Emma mumbled. But, somehow, the man's words had reminded her of an incident a few months ago, which was starting to feel like a lifetime ago.

She could picture it very clearly, though: the three cats that were Luffy, Ace, and Law, sitting on the table in the kitchen at the Pax family home. They had all just finished dinner, and Luffy wanted to jump off of the table.

"Now, hold on a minute, Luffy - if you jump from up here then you'll rip your stitches out!" Ace said. He had seemingly forgotten that Luffy had just stolen some of his bacon. 'I can't let that happen!'

"He's right, Luffy-ya." Law said. "If you do too much running, jumping, stretching or whatever else you like to do, then you'll tear your stitches and start bleeding again." 'It'd be a damn shame if you died now, Luffy-ya.'

"And die." Emma herself spoke up; she sounded cheerful but, in her mind, she felt the complete opposite. She did NOT want Luffy to die.

"Yes, and die." Law agreed. 'Not that it would be our host's fault, but, she'd feel responsible, I'm sure.'

"Wait ... am I ... hearing what everybody's thinking?" Emma asked suddenly, and was frustrated when the voice didn't answer her. She focused on the image that was in front of her; the three cats and the her of the past were talking about what had happened at Marineford. She noticed that Law in particular happened to be watching her very closely.

"That man ... Sakazuki ... or, Akainu, or whatever you want to call him ... he was about to ... and then . . . " The tears that were in her eyes were for the horror of the future that had almost happened. "Anyway, that didn't happen, you're fine, I'm gonna go and have a shower!"

Law was watching the door where Emma had just exited.

'She knows something ... so, those ribbons that transported me, at least, here were her doing ... hmm . . . ' He had to go after her. He didn't know why, but, a strange tugging was almost forcing him to go and check on her. 'It's because I need answers ... isn't it?'

Answers. Answers that they would only get much later on, after their true identities as Princess and First Knight, respectively, were revealed.

"God ... I still have ... so many questions . . . " Emma realised, as she sank back into the darkness once more. As she did, however, she thought that she heard some more words from her past.

"Emmy ... where's ... my hat?" Luffy asked sleepily.

"Here, Luffy . . . " Emma said gently.

"Shishishi ... thanks . . . " Luffy replied. 'Emmy ... join my crew . . . '

They were standing on the beach in Fremantle, after Emma had just gotten Luffy's hat back from the stray dogs.

"Yaurgh . . . " She muttered, as a big string of drool hung from the brim of Luffy's straw hat.

The black cat that was Luffy gasped, and the dog responsible for the drool huffed.

Emma wiped the drool on the side of her bag and smiled, despite it all. "There, we're fine now." She said. She knew how much this hat meant to Luffy.

Luffy cheered, and dashed up to her, scrambling up to sit on her shoulder as she put the hat on her head.

'It's okay if Emmy wears my hat. She got it back, she knows what it means to me ... I trust her.'

Emma was somewhat surprised to hear that Luffy thought that.

"He really trusted me ... right from the very get-go?"

"It seems so." The man's voice spoke up again. Emma still couldn't see him ... in fact, she couldn't see much of anything at the moment.

"Are you still here?" Emma queried.

"Do you want me to go?" The man asked her.

"No ... no, you can stay ... please ... stay . . . "

The large grey cat that was Garp was talking to the black cat that was Ace.

"So, Ace, mind telling me who that girl is?" Garp was watching Emma interact with Luffy. 'He seems to have connected with her quickly ... just like his crew mates . . . '

Ace shrugged (somehow). "Her name's Emma. We just appeared in her bedroom in this world the day before yesterday, and she took us in and cared for us after Law told her how to stitch up Luffy's wounds." 'Incredible, isn't she?'

"Yeah, and . . . ?" Garp turned back to Ace, who was staring at Emma. 'He hasn't taken his eyes off of her ... interesting . . . '

Ace sighed. "She really wanted to meet you, Ojīchan - as soon as she had a vision about you, she made us all come here to find you." 'Her eagerness was pretty cute ... oh, God, did I really just think that?'

"Ace!" Emma cried, stalking up to him and getting up close so that she could glare at him.

Ace tensed. 'C-cute . . . '

Emma was furious at Ace for telling Garp how eager she'd been to find him; she then noticed Garp staring at her. "Yaaa!" She backed away quickly, looking around as if the sand could tell her what she was supposed to say next. She then bowed her head, and the words that she spoke next seemed to sound ... not at all like they were being spoken in her own voice. "Watashi wa hijō ni o ai dekite ureshiku omoimasu!" She told him. Then: "C-can I call you Grandpa?!" She gasped, covered her eyes with her hand. "Oh boy . . . " 'What the Hell did I just say?!'

The scene seemed to transition then and, for a second, it is was showed a young woman with her hands clasped against her knees as she bowed her head deeply, making her very long golden orange hair fly out around her face, obscuring it from view.

"Greetings!" She exclaimed. "A-anata no namae de yonde mo īdesu ka?!" She then cringed. "Oh boy . . . "

As the image transitioned back to the beach, to show Emma saving Luffy and Ace from the freak wave, the woman herself had to ask: "Was that ... a flashback within a flashback?" She heard the man chuckling. "It wasn't ... even mine ... who was that woman? She was ... familiar . . . " She tried to move, but then found that she still couldn't. "Why ... am I here?"

"Why are you where?" The man frustratingly answered Emma's question with a question.

"Here . . . " She muttered. "In this place ... in any place . . . " She swallowed. "Am I ... having an exostensial crisis?"

The man was chuckling again. "An existential crisis?" He corrected her gently.

"Yeah ... that . . . " She murmured. "Am I having one of those?"

"I dunno." The man replied. "You tell me."

"I thought that I knew why I was doing this ... why I was here . . . " She sighed. "But ... now ... it feels like everything is different . . . "

"What changed?" The man wanted to know.

It was Emma's turn to say: "I dunno." She was starting to feel tired again. "Maybe it's ... just ... me ... my whole outlook on it all, you know?"

"I do ... but, do you?"

"I wish ... it'd be a miracle if I could ... work this whole thing out . . . "

Emma watched as the her of the past found the first compass half, and managed to get herself, Ace, Law, Luffy, and Garp down to Dunsborough to meet up with the Whitebeard Pirates.

"You made all of those plans, and executed them perfectly." The man commented.

"Until I got arrested." Emma reminded him.

"It happens." The man replied lightly. "Lucky that your friends were there to save you." He added, meaningfully.

"Lucky that I got control of my powers so quickly, too." Emma couldn't help but say, just as the her of the past turned the entire Whitebeard crew back into cats.

"Really?"

"Uh, don't look at that. Hey, can we rewind it to before that, please?"

"Nice subject change." The man remarked.

"No, really." She protested. "I ... I want to know something ... it's about Law-Chan . . . " She admitted.

"Oh ... okay ... there's something that that Marine kid Coby thought that might Nyerere you, as well . . . "

Coby had Emma pinned up against the railing on the deck of the Moby Dick. Emma didn't know what was worse - the fact that her sister had caught her out in a lie, that she knew that there was somebody named Coby involved, her phone having just ended up in Davy Jones's Locker, that her sister was no doubt going to tell their parents about all three of these things, or the fact that it wasn't going to matter if she ended up getting captured regardless.

Coby was remaining cool and composed, seemingly unaffected by the fact that he was about to be singlehandedly responsible for Emma's downfall.

"You ... my phone . . . " Emma tried to explain. 'How do I explain this kind of thing to somebody that has no clue what I'm going on about, and who jumped When Ten Thousand Fists came on?!' "My parents are going to kill me! You, Coby, will be responsible for my death!" Emma told him.

The boy didn't flinch. "You have bigger worries, Demon Of War." He replied. He didn't relax his posture, or loosen his grip on her at all, but something about her demeanour seemed to make him pause. 'She's ... really scared ... they said that she was the 'Demon Of War' that crashed Marineford and angered the Admirals ... it was so hectic at the time, I didn't really see her, but this is definitely her, but ... she just seems like an ordinary girl. She's scared ... I can feel her shaking ... maybe ... her actions at Marineford came from fear? I'm surprised to admit it, but ... I'm actually kind of impressed that she doesn't let her fear show so easily . . . '

But, Coby wasn't the only one that was going to be impressed that day.

Using his powers, Law had just appeared on the deck of the Moby Dick, much to the surprise of both Emma and Coby.

As Coby's surprise turned to wariness ('Th-The Surgeon Of Death, Trafalgar Law?! They didn't say that he was going to be here!'), Emma's turned to ... something else.

Because, he was like a knight in shining armour right then. Aside from being exceptionally handsome.

As she rushed over to her saviour, latching onto his arm and asking him not to hurt Coby, Law turned his cool gaze to her. His expression didn't change as he gave her a quick once-over, almost out of habit.

'She's hurt ... not badly, but, she's still hurt ... I don't like senseless bloodshed, but, this guy . . . '

"Ne, Law-San, please don't hurt him too much - he's Luffy's friend. Remember, that kid, Coby?"

'Oh, okay ... I'm still not letting him off lightly, though ... sometimes, though, a wound to the pride is worth more than a cut ... hang on, she's looking at me ... with those eyes ... she wants an answer! I need to say something!'

"You'll owe me for it."

'Wait ... why did I just say that?! What on Earth could I possibly want from her?! I mean, aside from ... aurgh. Why don't I just tell her what I'm thinking?! Oh, right ... because I want her to stay, not run screaming . . . '

Emma actually groaned just then, and, she wasn't surprised when the man that was with her spoke up again.

"Talk me through what you're thinking." He urged her. He actually sounded somewhat amused.

"I'm thinking that he should have just told me what he was thinking!" She said, surprised by the strength in her own voice.

"Perhaps he didn't realise it at the time, either?" The man suggested. "He needed some time to think about it."

"He needed some time to think about stealing my first kiss?" Emma paused. "Or ... is it that Law-Chan needed some time to figure out why he wanted to do that? Like ... he'd never actually realised before that it was okay to want something? What's he been doing in his life, up until now . . . ?" What's he doing right now?

"Then, you use a single figure of eight suture to close the strap muscles, followed by one, or at most, two, around the outside . . . " Law sounded almost like he was reciting.

Usopp, Franky, Brook, and Sanji were speechless - Usopp actually looked like he was about to faint.

Robin, on the other hand, looked mildly interested, which was a slight concern.

And then Nami jumped in, all of a sudden.

"What happens if there's bleeding around the first row of stitches?!" She wanted to know, leaning forwards.

Law barely even looked at her. "How bad?"

"Intense."

"Well . . . "

"Well, she survived, didn't she?" Ace said suddenly, and they all looked at him. He was lying on his back, his face still pale and his eyes closed, but, he spoke to them all. "Emiko's always been a fighter ... she's strong . . . "

"How did you . . . ?" Nami didn't think that they'd mentioned the words thyroid or cancer anywhere during their conversation about common but major surgeries (how they'd gotten onto that conversation, none of them would ever know). They certainly hadn't mentioned Emma's name at any point during the conversation, although Nami had instantly thought back to the memory that she'd witnessed. Apparently, Ace had thought back to Emma's sub-total thyroidectomy, too.

"That night that her Dad hit her," Ace said quietly. "When I went there and found her shivering in the shed out the back ... we talked long into the night, and, she told me the whole story, about what happened when she was just fifteen . . . "

"I still can't believe that Bruce did that to her, man." Franky interjected, shaking his head. He had gotten his sunglasses out by that stage, and was somehow wearing them underneath of his rooster mask - the dim light from the little campfire that Nami had made Ace light reflected off of the sunglasses's dark lenses. "Hitting a girl - not cool. And, his own daughter." He added.

"Yeah, and Emma's tiny," Usopp nodded. "I mean, sure, she's got her Devil Fruit powers and she can take out Marines and monsters, but, she'd never hurt her own family like that!"

"Hn." Sanji agreed with the both of them, as he took a long drag from his cigarette. He was remembering the night that Ace had gone sprinting out of the warehouse back in Fremantle after the call with Emma. In any other situation, Sanji would have been right behind Ace, but, they'd all accepted that Emma just needed Ace right at that moment. His mind was also drawn back to an incident that had happened just prior to him reuniting with the others. He had heard about how Emma had had an argument with her Mother (right before she was going to introduce her to Luffy, Ace, and Law!), even though they had argued the night before and Lee had slapped her. In that instance, however, Emma had been much more concerned over what Nami's reaction to the whole event would be, since she knew about Nami's past.

Do our experiences really shape us into the kinds of people that we are, or, do we have a choice in the matter? Sanji wondered, watching the smoke from his cigarette rise up into the dark sky. I wonder ... how different things would be if Emma-Chan had become cruel and bitter by the experiences that she's had? I wonder what would have happened if I had become just the same?

"Does he really have no idea what it's like to feel that small and helpless against somebody that's supposed to protect you?" Usopp was saying.

"Maybe he knew," Sanji said. "But, he's forgotten." He stamped out his cigarette, and sighed. "What about Lee?" He wondered, all of a sudden.

"She does," Nami said unexpectedly, and they all looked over at her, from where she sat as close to the fire as what she could get without being in it. Her brown eyes were very serious, as she said: "Ace already knows this, and I probably wasn't supposed to overhear it . . . "

Ace looked surprised for a second, but then recognition dawned upon his face, and he sat back, sighing. "Oh, yeah ... that . . . "

"Before she met Bruce," Nami said quietly. "Lee was in ... an abusive relationship." Nobody said anything, although they all looked shocked, and Sanji immediately felt his blood begin to boil. "It was actually quite violent, from what Em can gather ... both physically and emotionally. I think that ... that's why Lee is the way that she is, you know? Remember when she was going to make it to the rooftop no matter what the circumstances were?"

"Yeah ... I remember that . . . " Usopp said slowly. "I was actually thinking at the time that Emma and her are really alike, you know?"

"Oh? You too?" Franky, Nami, and Brook all said in unison. They exchanged a glance.

"Yeah," Usopp nodded. "She's very stubborn."

"Tenacious!" Sanji immediately snapped. "Emma-Chan's tenacious and it's adorable!"

Robin smiled calmly to herself as Sanji and Usopp argued over tenaciousness versus stubbornness, although she couldn't help but notice that Law appeared to be thinking about something. The surgeon exchanged a glance with Ace, and that was when they and Robin heard something.

Like the scraping of rocks ... a strange creaking sound ... a whisper of some kind of an energy . . .

Robin stood up suddenly, her entire body tense and on alert so much so that it caused Nami, Franky, Brook, Usopp, and Sanji to realise that something was wrong.

"It found us." Law said, rather flatly. He stood up slowly. His face was still pale but his eyes were suddenly alert.

"Seems so . . . " Ace sighed, as he too got to his feet slowly. He seemed slightly more alert than Law, and, ready to fight.

Nami looked terrified. "Is it the centipedes?!" She gasped.

Sanji was also on high alert. "Iie . . . " He said, in a low voice. "It's . . . "

"The Chaos Inuksuk." Robin whispered, just as the thing itself launched itself out of the darkness at them . . .

Law was running through the streets of Logue Town, carrying two of Zoro's swords, and the cat forms of both Zoro himself and Emma. When he was sure that they would be safe, he focused all of his attention onto Emma, and so the green cat that was Zoro bit his hand, causing Law to drop both Zoro and the swords.

"Swords that aren't yours should be treated with more respect!"

"Hands too." Law's voice was cool, but, his heart was pounding. Holding the cute red cat out in front of him, he said: "You are in big trouble, young lady." 'Do you have any idea how worried I ... I mean, how worried the others have been?!'

"Me?!" Emma protested. "What did I do?!"

He just raised an eyebrow, and didn't say anything, which annoyed her.

"Anyway, what about you?! You lost Luffy and Ace again, didn't you?!"

Zoro's ears pricked up. "Okay, look, Emma, you said that you knew Luffy, so where is he?" 'She mentioned Ace, too . . . '

"That's what I'd like to know." Emma moved her paw up, placing it on top of Law's hand, where the bite-mark was. What had he been so focused on that he didn't react before Zoro bit him? "Law-San, where are they?"

"They followed the compass' light," Law replied.

'What compass?' Zoro's eyes narrowed slightly. 'What is going on here?'

"But," Law went on, seemingly unconcerned. "Since they didn't find you, then it means that something bad has happened."

Emma, on the other hand, looked worried. "I need that compass to change Zoro back into a human."

'She needs it to what?!' Zoro just stared at her. 'What kind of a witch is she . . . ?'

"And you." Law pointed out.

"I don't know if it will work on me, but I can try." Emma replied carefully. "But, what about Zoro's third sword - what happened to Wado Ichimonji?"

Zoro listened to Emma and Law's conversation in shock, not even paying attention to the fact that Law was going to make Emma repay him somehow for helping out.

'She ... she seems to know what that sword means to me ... and, she put herself in danger to help me get back my other two swords ... why, though? I can hear it in her voice, though ... she does care. How can a complete and total stranger respect my dreams that much? She reminds me of ... Luffy . . . '

"Whoa . . . " Emma whispered. "Zoro ... actually thought all of that?"

"Which bit?" The man wanted to know.

"The whole lot of it . . . " Emma replied. "How did he realise straight away that of course I respect him and his dreams? Does he really think that I'm like Luffy? Hopefully not the bad stuff . . . " She heard the stranger chuckling again, and then saw something else in front of her. "Oh God, now what's happening . . . ?"

She knew, though ... it could only be one thing . . .

Thankfully, she was spared the complete and utter embarrassment of having to rewatch her confession of love to Portgas D. Ace.

But, now, she was seeing things from the other side, and hearing a lot more than what she had before.

"So nice of you to actually decide to do something!" Zoro snapped, as Law calmly went about stopping Smoker and Tashigi in their tracks. 'Not that we needed it!' He glanced at Tashigi. She looked outraged.

Luffy, however, was chuckling. "Shishishi! That's just because Emmy was in trouble!" 'Not that we couldn't have done something! She's my nakama, after all!'

"Yeah," Zoro said, looking around. "Where is Ribbon-Girl?"

"Ace has got her." Luffy pointed out, as the smoke began to clear and they could indeed see that Ace was holding onto Emma.

She had been transformed back into a human, and had just thrown her arms around Ace. She appeared to be crying a little bit but, as Luffy and Zoro could see that's he wasn't injured, they assumed that those tears had to do with something else and decided not to get involved.

Ace, on the other hand, put both of his arms around Emma and drew her closer to him. "We'll get through this together, Emiko." They heard him say to her.

Luffy blinked. "He just called her that . . . " He mused.

Zoro turned to him. "Hang on, isn't her name 'Emma'?"

"She's Emmy." Luffy replied, adjusting his straw hat, as Smoker's disembodied head floated by.

"Curse you, Surgeon Of Death . . . " The Marine said (Law was unaffected by this), before switching his gaze to the two people that were still holding onto each other. "Firefist ... Demon Of War . . . "

"Hai?" Emma and Ace both looked up in unison.

'Damn it, how many names can one girl have?!' Zoro wondered. He glanced at Law, and saw that the surgeon was staring at Emma and Ace ... no, he was glaring, and he was glaring primarily at Ace. 'Hmm ... this guy ... what's his role in all of this . . . ?'

"Zoro wants to know ... just how many names I can have, huh?" Emma would have chuckled, if the situation hadn't been so real for her. "Maybe this is not an existential crisis, maybe it's an identity crisis?"

"It can be hard to know your true self, let alone when you have to get used to having so many different parts to you." The man mused. "You're a complicated girl, Emma."

"Oh, thanks." She said sarcastically.

"That's not always such a bad thing." The man assured her. "Perhaps the word is more ... complex. You have many layers."

"You mean like an onion?"

"I'd say more like a cake. Everybody likes cake." The man responded. "But, some cakes take more getting used to than others. The reward is always better the harder that you have to work."

"That's starting to sound like one very weird cake to me." Emma told him, as dozens more images suddenly played out before her. Hmm ... but, Zoro also wondered about Law-Chan's role in all of this . . .

She watched as her first meeting with Nami was shown, and then she thought of something. "Was Nami angry at me for being the reason why her hometown had its peace disrupted like that?" The thought made her feel uneasy. Nami's hometown had suffered for so long before ... at the hands of a Fish-Man ... a species which Emma, apparently, had some kind of a weird connection to . . .

"Hmm ... no, I don't think so." The man replied. "Actually, Sugar thought the same thing about herself."

"She did?" Emma was surprised.

"Mmhmm. That's why she came to see Nami afterwards."

"I thought that she came to give her back Nojiko's bracelet." Emma watched as this happened.

"That too." The man said.

"Nami really likes that bracelet." Emma told him. "Nojiko gave it to her just before she left home with Luffy and the others, and she's been wearing it ever since. It's a sister thing." Like when I wear Nee-San's clothes ... no, maybe not like that at all . . .

"Sugar has been through a lot, for such a little girl. She's very perceptive of things like that." The man remarked. "She's also upset because her Mother died before she could give her and her sisters something like that."

Emma thought back to meeting with Chō in the Snow Realm, and then she suddenly tried to move again. Even as the man made her stay put, she tried to say: "Those bracelets! With the locket! In the thing . . . !"

"They're all still here." The man reassured her, somehow knowing that the 'thing' meant that small satchel. "Relax ... please?"

"Okay . . . " Emma sighed, and settled back down again. Yes ... she was definitely in the water, but, somehow she could breathe just fine. And, move. "Ne ... is Nezumi related by blood to Chō or to Kōmori?"

"To Vice-Admiral Kōmori, I believe." The man replied, seemingly unfazed by Emma's abrupt change of topic.

"Oh."

"Nami was glad that he didn't hurt you." The man went on. "He was the one that she was angry at, not you."

"Or at Sugar?"

"She wasn't angry at his niece, either. Nami is very tolerant towards children, especially orphans."

"You sure do know a lot." Emma told him. "What's your secret?"

The man didn't say anything for a moment, and then he seemed to sigh. "I watch ... and, I listen."

"Oh." Emma said again, as more images began to play out in front of her. "I'll shut up, then."

"That isn't what I meant." The man replied. "But, yes, let's keep on watching and listening . . . "

"It's a good thing that you're up first - hurry up and dig in before I wake up the boys." Emma said to Nami, as she untied her apron after having just cooked breakfast.

"Don't worry about me, I'm used to it." Nami assured her. 'Seems like you've got them all figured out as well, haven't you? You're going to fit in just fine . . . '

They watched and listened as Emma was introduced to Chopper and Usopp.

Luffy was about to jump into the battle, when a flash of red appeared by his side, which he only barely dodged.

A large red fox bared its teeth at Luffy, who looked surprised but then ready. Moonbay Fox stared at him, her scarlet eyes piercing.

'This boy ... Straw Hat Luffy ... that hat of his . . . ' She began to transform.

In the trailer, the cats that were Emma, Chopper, and Usopp watched on in horror.

"Oh no!" Chopper cried. "Fox-San went into her Hybrid-Form!" 'I've only ever seen it once before, when I asked her why they call her Fox!'

"Her ... Hybrid-Form . . . ?" Emma repeated, and watched as a half-human, half-fox began to engage in a ferocious battle with Luffy. "Oh my God ... she's got a cool Devil Fruit power . . . " She had always loved foxes!

"Don't call it cool when she's fighting against Luffy!" Usopp scolded her. "This is bad, I can't believe Fox is doing this . . . " 'Why is she doing this?! She knows that Luffy's our friend!'

"Well, I can . . . " Emma murmured. "After all, we're pirates, and her sister is a Marine, so . . . " She could see the Marines all out there, and many of them looked relieved to see that Fox was fighting on their side.

"Yeah, but Fox-San seemed so nice to us." Chopper sniffled. "She gave us a home and took care of us, even though none of us knew what was going on . . . " 'I hope that ... we can still trust her. And ... Emma, too. I feel like we can trust her ... she's somebody that we can depend on . . . '

As Emma turned her thoughtful gaze back to the window, a fireball came flying at them. "HIT THE DECK!" She shouted, crashing into Usopp and Chopper just as the fireball hit. "Ribon-Ribon No Shield!" She added desperately, as the heat seared the fur on their backs, and debris began to fall all around them.

Gold and red ribbons manifested from her back, creating a kite-shaped shield of ribbons bound closely together, which protected them from the falling debris. Once the immediate danger had passed, Emma crawled out of the pile of rubble, followed by Usopp and Chopper.

'I KNEW it!' Chopper thought happily, staying very close to Emma as they and Usopp headed towards a safer place.

As Emma was watching this, a particular image caught her eye.

"That fountain . . . " Right now, there seemed to be something twice as scary about the lion-crab-demon that was depicted as a statue. Maybe because there was every possibility that such a creature could exist. "Representing everything and nothing, as Fox just said ... what does that even mean?"

'I have no idea what I just said . . . ' Fox's red eyes gave away nothing. 'Or, even where I heard it from . . . '

"Oh, great, she doesn't know, either."

'I just know that my sisters and I have seen it in our nightmares . . . '

"No surprises there."

'I don't know what I'd do if I ever met something like that ... I'd probably just die . . . '

"No kidding." But, it surprises me that Fox is so unsure about this. She always seems so calm on the surface.

"Are you listening?" The man asked her.

"Hai."

"Allies united, under friendship's fire,

Bring light to evil's vain desire,

Alone you fail, but you will be aligned,

Under the rule of a Princess you have yet to find,

When you find her, you will know,

The light that guides you, she will show,

A power needed, for the thirteen,

To save the worlds, seen and unseen,

Then venture forth into the lair,

Of monster from an ancient nightmare,

Stand together in the darkness' face,

Stand united under Grace."

"'Allies united, under friendship's fire' ... isn't that in reference to how my desire to save Ace-Chan kinda led to this while thing happening?" Emma suddenly realised. "'Bring light to evil's vain desire,' I have no idea what that means... unless it's referring to the God Of Light, whoever that is . . . " Emma sighed. "Right, and the next bit ... aurgh, there we go . . . "

Alone you fail, but you will be aligned . . .

The song specifically stated this ... it mentioned the thirteen of them ... so ... why was she so reluctant to accept this?

Emma thought about her Allies. She thought about her home world, frozen by Time and not knowing how close it was to non-existence. She thought about the One Piece world, and how much she still wanted to learn about it.

She thought that she had a lot more thinking to do.

Chopper stopped suddenly, and Vivi, Luffy, and Zoro stopped as well.

"What was that?" Chopper asked, his ears pricked up as he looked all around them.

"I didn't hear anything." Luffy and Vivi said at exactly the same time.

"Me either," Zoro added, and then he paused. "No ... wait a minute . . . "

They were standing in a strange part of the forest, one that seemed to have gotten smaller the further that they'd gone until Vivi was sure that they were actually in some kind of a wooden tunnel. But, before she could point this out, Chopper had heard something, and so could Zoro, and then, suddenly, Vivi and Luffy could hear it, too.

"It sounds like . . . " Vivi began.

"Feet," Luffy realised, as the scratching sound grew closer. "Lots and lots of feet . . . "

"Like a hundred of them . . . " Chopper said, and then he froze. "Oh noooo . . . "

And, from out of the darkness came a gigantic centipede, red and black in colour and, when it reared up, they could see that it was at least twenty feet tall, although it seemed a whole lot bigger just then.

It clicked its forcipules menacingly at them.

The four of them all reacted instantly.

"It's an Akama Mukade!" Vivi realised.

"Demon Centipede!" Chopper screamed.

"It's huge!" Luffy added.

"Yeah, no kidding." Zoro rolled his eyes, as he simultaneously unsheathed two of his swords and placed himself between the giant centipede and both Vivi and Chopper.

The centipede clicked its pincers menacingly.

"Huh?" Chopper blinked. "We're being noisy?"

"Huh?" Vivi glanced at him.

Chopper pointed at it. "That is what it said. I think . . . "

Even beneath his mask, Luffy looked ready to do battle with the thing as well. They couldn't see the expression on his face, but his stance and aura just said everything.

The giant centipede was reflected in Vivi's grey eyes, which were very wide with horror by this stage.

Chopper, meanwhile, had started backing up, when something caught his eye. "Another one!" He realised, and that was when he noticed that it was heading right for Vivi. "Abunai!" He moved, transforming into his Walk Point and pushing the Princess out of harm's way, as the giant centipede crashed into the spot where she had just been standing. As it passed by them, they could see what looked like venom dripping from its pincers, and that was when Vivi remembered something.

"Be careful, you guys!" She yelled, as she and Chopper climbed to their feet and gazed warily at the two identical centipedes. "Remember what Ace-San and Law-San told us about their poison! If we get poisoned then we could fade away!" She then glanced over at Chopper, who looked horrified. "It didn't get you, did it, Tony-Kun?!" She asked him urgently.

He shook his head. "No, but it tried ... it was aiming for you though, Vivi." He added. "They both seem to be looking at you."

"It's because of the necklace." Vivi realised, glancing briefly down at the Ocean's Flower. Its sapphire blue petals reflected the dim light, and that was when Vivi caught movement in them. As she and Chopper both jumped out of the way of a pair of deadly forcipules, she added: "These creatures ... their behaviour has something to do with Ino, I'm sure of it!" There is something ... something that Grace-Sama would not tell me about her . . .

As he landed safely on the mossy ground nearby with Vivi, Chopper looked back up. His ears twitched. "Huh? They're calling us 'intruders' . . . "

"You can hear them?!" Vivi gasped.

"Uh-huh."

"I thought you said that they couldn't talk." Zoro reminded him.

"That was the regular ones, Zoro!" Chopper shot back. "These ones are demons and they're bloodthirsty! But ... their voices sound kind of distorted ... huh ... strange . . . "

"Did Ino do something to them?" Vivi suddenly wondered.

Luffy turned back to the first giant centipede. His eyes were flashing. "There's two things that Emmy can't stand - Ino and centipedes! Time for them to go!"

"Agreed." Vivi said, as she stood up. I'm scared, but ... I'm also angry! I don't care who or what Ino is, she can't get away with what she's doing!

It was time for some Centipede Round-Up . . .

"You will remember the night you were struck by the sight of ... Ten Thousand Fists in the air!"

"Emma, where have you been?! I have tried to ring you eighteen times today, was your fucking phone on silent again?!"

"Mum, I..." The Emma of the past was just as horrified as the Emma of the present.

"I would have thought that somebody who finally got a boyfriend would be responsible, but you've proved me wrong! I should have known that you were too young to handle these things, just like you've always been!"

"Mum, wait..."

"It's just like when you were fucking addicted to Ritalin, and couldn't control yourself! You're like that with everything, Emma! You spend all of your money, drink all of our alcohol, and you don't even answer your phone when we call you - your sister's broken her arm, and you don't even care!"

Emma wanted nothing more than to disappear right then and there, and not have to relive the absolute shame and humiliation that she'd felt at that very moment in time.

But, to her surprise, what she heard next, even as Law hung up on Lee who rang straight back and was then spoken to and hung up on by Garp, was what seemed like the thoughts of her Allies.

'Poor Emma-Chan.' Sanji's one visible eye was full of sympathy. 'To have been yelled at like that ... and ... why do I get the feeling that there's more to her relationship with her parents? The way that she held the ... whatever that not-DenDen-Mushi thing is ... the way that she held it away from her ... the way that she locked her other elbow to her side like that ... the look in her eyes . . . ' Beyond the sympathy in the chef's gaze was something else ... understanding. 'That is the look ... of a person who has been hit.'

Emma was shocked. "Sanji-Kun ... knew?" She whispered, and began wondering if it was because he understood women or because of something that had occurred in his past.

'When she asks me for my help ... to learn how to enter defend herself, then ... I will gladly help her.'

"He already knew that I'd ask him?!" Emma exclaimed, just as another thought reached her.

'Why would her Mum bring up the subject of her medication at a time like this?' That was Chopper. 'I mean, nobody has said that this "Ritalin" is a medication, but, I can tell. Poor Emma ... she's so upset, but I don't know how we can make her feel better, yet . . . '

"Chopper . . . " The Emma of the present nearly sobbed. "You're so precious . . . "

'What the heck is Emma's Mother going on about?'

Emma quickly focused in on the owner of those thoughts.

It was Nami.

'Why would she say that Emma doesn't care about her sister?' Nami's normally warm brown eyes were flashing, although her expression remained the same. 'She's trying to guilt-trip Emma, and that's NOT okay.'

"Nami . . . " Emma whispered, her eyes shining. "She understands ... I mean, being a younger sister herself . . . " She watched as her past self made a phone call to find out how Sarah had managed to break her arm. "Aurgh, can you believe that she got drunk and tripped down the steps at Ben's house?"

The man chuckled. "Can you?" He asked her.

"No." Emma said quietly. "I mean, even before I knew that he - Ben - had pushed her when they were arguing, something just seemed ... off."

"You seem to be close to your sister." The man said.

"We used to be a lot closer," she admitted. "I ... Mum says that I caused us to drift apart."

"Why did she say that?" The man asked her.

"Oh, something about me not growing up and Nee-San being more mature than me, but that's not the point!" Emma sighed. "The point is that ... we have our own lives, now . . . "

The man seemed thoughtful. "It takes two, as they say ... you're not the first siblings whose lives have gone in different direction, but, you're still on the same page."

"Do you think?" Emma wasn't so sure.

"From personal experience, I can say that your relationship could be a whole lot worse." The man responded, which gave Emma something to think about.

At last, she said: "What happened ... to you and your sibling? Did you end up on different pages?"

The man was silent for a long moment, before he said: "More like different books."

"Oh." Emma thought about this, and then said: "I'm really sorry ... that couldn't have been easy for you."

"No," the man responded. "I'm the one ... who's sorry . . . "

"Huh?" Emma was about to question this statement, not to mention the sadness in the man's voice just then, when another memory appeared right in front of her. "Oh, no, look! It's those horrible men! The ones that hurt Nojiko when she was in her cat form! How could they hurt her like that? I think that the penalties for animal abuse should be the same as if it was a human victim, don't you?"

"You're very passionate about helping people and animals." The man observed.

"Yeah, well, where would I be if I wasn't?" Emma watched as the her of the past rushed to Nojiko's aid, and heard the thoughts of the young woman who was trapped in the body of the blue cat.

'Is that ... Emma? I'm so glad ... that she's here . . . '

"I was glad, too." Emma admitted. "Even though it meant that I had to tell Krystal and Mayling about what had happened; I hadn't even told my parents." She added.

"You must have trusted those two a great deal." The man told her.

"Yeah, I did ... and, I do. They're ... my best friends."

"That won't ever change." The man assured her. "Make new friends and keep the old . . . "

"One is silver, one is gold." Emma finished her him. " . . . What does that even mean?"

"You tell me."

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be my conscience?" Emma asked him. She wished that she could see his face.

And, just then, it swam into view, just briefly. It was still hidden by the mask, though.

"It's probably just as well that I'm not."

Emma didn't quite agree with that statement. He was helping her to understand what had happened to her. His words were making sense. Along with her strength, she was starting to gain some ... clarity . . .

"Kagero!"

"Well, so much for Ace not being able to fight right now." Nami said, the golden-orange flames reflected in her brown eyes. It was impossible to see her expression through her mask, but her voice was in awe. "He wasn't able to move a minute ago."

"Well, I'm not complaining!" Said Usopp. Like Nami, he had retreated to a safe distance away, along with Brook and Franky.

Nami rolled her eyes. "I'm not complaining either, Usopp!" She paused. "Demo . . . " Her gaze drifted over to where Robin was.

The archeologist was still supporting Law, whose face was still pale but his eyes were glued to the battle taking place between Ace and the Chaos Inuksuk.

Robin held his mask in one of her hands. She supported them with her other hand, and numerous extra hands. From beneath her mask, her blue eyes met Nami's.

"Ace is really powerful today." Franky commented. "But ... doesn't it seem like he's only managing to hold that thing back?"

"It still doesn't seem like there's anything for us to do right now!" Nami said quickly. "Oh, look! There goes Sanji-Kun!" She added, as Sanji aimed a powerful kick to one of the Inuksuk's legs. The rock monster stumbled, which allowed Ace to burn off a layer of rock around its torso.

Robin, who was watching this, suddenly froze. Nami, having had turned her gaze back towards the archeologist, noticed the change in her and, in an instant, she realised why.

The shedding of a layer of rock from the Chaos Inuksuk had revealed a layer of rock with writing it on, but, not just any writing.

Nami could practically see the gears turning in Robin's head. Making her way over to her and Law, Nami said: "Do you need to get closer?"

Robin's gaze was intent on what she was reading. "I think so." She said quietly, but Nami could still hear her. Robin suddenly turned her head towards Nami. "Can you stay with Law-San, please?" She asked and, without even waiting for an answer, she got up and used her powers that create a vine made up of arms to swing herself up on to the tree branches.

Nami watched her go, and then glanced at Law. He glanced up at her, and then they both jumped as they heard, over the sounds of the battle, a high-pitched keening sound.

Vivi's whistle? Nami thought, her breath hitching in her throat. But ... why?!

"It was so nice of you to let Emma wear your hat for good luck, Luffy." Nojiko smiled at Luffy. 'Say what you want about Luffy ... he's got a good heart.'

Luffy grinned. "She'll be fine." He declared. "Oh, hey, and thanks, Nami, for sewing Ace's Vivre Card back into there for me!"

As Nami waved her hand absently, Ace looked surprised. "Luffy, you mean to tell me that you still had that thing?" He asked him. "You managed to hang onto it, even after all of this?"

Luffy nodded firmly. "Yosh!" He replied. "It'll bring Emmy more luck than picturing you naked or whatever it was that Sumi said!"

Ace had to laugh. So did Usopp and Chopper.

Nami was looking around, however. "Speaking of which ... where is Sumi?"

"She's fine." Ace responded calmly.

"How do you know?" Nojiko asked him.

"I just do."

Sumi was currently standing in the womens bathroom, trying to coach a nearly hyperventilating Emma through her anxiety.

Emma just had to know if she could still sing, though.

"Oh my love, it's you that I dream of, oh my love, since that day ... well, how was it?!" Emma whispered, her eyes right shut. She opened them, however, to find that Sumi was giving her an odd look.

"What do you mean? You sound the same."

"The same as I did on the ship?" Emma questioned, and Sumi nodded. "You're sure?"

"Hai - it's the same, and people are going to love it." Sumi said firmly. 'There's that weird feeling again ... the same one that I get from . . . '

Emma sighed. "Good ... I was ... afraid that, when I lost my necklace . . . "

Sumi shook her head. "Emma-Chan, the necklace isn't the reason you can sing good." 'Stop doubting yourself, Emma-Chan . . . '

"Oh, I know that now, it's my Devil Fruit . . . "

"No," Sumi had a strange look in her teal eyes. "That's not it, either . . . "

"What, then?" Emma was confused. "Because, Sumi-Chan, I hate to tell you this, but I couldn't sing properly before . . . "

"I know," Sumi muttered but, before Emma could ask her how she knew that, Sumi began leading her out of the bathroom. "Now, come on, you have to get back out there."

"But ... I need to use the bathroom . . ."

"No excuses!" Sumi gave her a shove. "Out!" 'It's obvious that she doesn't know yet ... I don't know how it can be true, but ... I'm a Mythical Zoan, I can tell. Emma-Chan's got Divine Blood in her . . . '

"She knew?" Emma gasped. "All this time, Sumi-Chan knew that I ... well, she knew that?!"

"It seems so." The man mused.

"Then, why didn't she tell me?!" Emma wanted to know. Sumi had known as far back as then, so, why had she kept it a secret?

"Would you have believed her?" The man questioned her.

Emma shook her head (she felt the water sloshing about her ears). "No ... probably not ... there's nothing special ... about me . . . "

"Let's just keep on watching."

0000000000

Emma stood on the yardarm of the Thousand Sunny, all of her attention focused on the white Sea King that was Yang.

"Yang!" She called to him, and this time he looked at her, but he was still thrashing. "No one, could ever see,

The best of me,"

There was no fancy flashes of light or anything but, somehow, all sound around them seemed to stop, as all eyes were suddenly glued on the tiny figure on the yard arm, singing to the Sea King.

"Somehow, all I can ever show,

Are the things no one wants to know...

Please take, my hand,

Tell me that you understand,

I need a new start,

I need you to heal my heart..."

Absolutely everybody was standing still, staring at the tiny woman singing to the Sea King and, even as they watched, she reached out and touched a hand to his snout - at once, his aura calmed.

"Sugoi . . . " Mary, the Marine whose uniform Emma had borrowed, stood in awe. Her two fellow male Marines were looking at Emma much like they had been looking at Tashigi before.

The three of them all had towels wrapped around them, and the one responsible for those towels was standing nearby.

She wore a Vice-Admiral's uniform and a headscarf, and her hand rested against the two swords that were at her hip - one black sword and one white sword. Behind her glasses, her greenish-brown eyes were intent.

'No ... you're not the one, but ... you are something . . . '

A small distance away, Tashigi's eyes were very wide in shock behind her glasses. She didn't say anything but, next to her, Smoker did.

"Demon Of War Emma . . . " He muttered, from behind his cigars. His amber eyes were narrowed slightly. 'Just what are you . . . ?"l'

Onboard the Thousand Sunny, Emma's Allies were all staring at her in amazement. They were all thinking along the same lines. Some were vocalising their thoughts.

"Sugoooiii, Emmy!"

"Emma-Chwaaaan, you sound just like an angel!"

"Now I really hope that he doesn't just decide to eat her, after all!"

In the Energy Room, Franky was busy getting the ship ready to fire its cannons. His glasses had slipped down his cyborg nose by that stage, and his eyes were very wide. He wasn't saying anything, but his thoughts caught the Emma of the present by surprise.

'That sounds like the song that Old Lady Kokoro was always humming ... no way, it can't be . . . ' He shook his head, as the Emma of the past conversed with Yang the Sea King. 'Still ... Emma, was it . . . ?' He suddenly struck a pose. "I hope that she's our new crew-mate!" He announced out loud. "She's SUUUUPER!"

"How could he hear me over all of that?" Emma posed the question. "And, did he really hope that I was a new crew mate right from the start?"

"He said it, didn't he?" The man pointed out. She sensed that he was sitting next to her. She must have been lying down (in the hot springs?). "Cutty Flam seems very straightforward."

"He hates to be called that." Emma told him.

The man chuckled. "What's in a name?" He said, more to himself than anything.

"Yeah ... but, he did it again." Emma sighed. "He could've told me that Granny Kokoro knew that song ... she was friends with my Mother ... with Undine . . . "

They watched as the Thousand Sunny finally made it out into the open ocean, and everybody began to celebrate reuniting with Franky and getting the ship back from the Marines.

Emma watched as the her of the past leaned tiredly against the closest person (which happened to be Law), and then she happened to glance out at the horizon.

She suddenly tensed, as she realised what she hadn't at the time. "Oh, no ... he was already watching us . . . ?!"

Everything had been going fine. They were going to defeat these giant centipedes ... yes, they were working together - Luffy and Vivi, and Zoro and Chopper. They were working together well. They could do this ... they were feeling good about it . . .

And then the demons became one and cursed them.

Well, to be more specific, they combined and then the newly formed super giant centipede cursed Vivi, Zoro, and Chopper with Chaotic Magic, before seizing Luffy in its forcipules.

Luffy yelled out, as the creature attempted to crush him in its vice-like grip. He struggled for a bit, and the giant centipede seemed to grow frustrated when it couldn't even pierce Luffy's skin. No matter how hard it tried, it couldn't cut him. But, no matter how hard Luffy tried, he couldn't break free. And, to top it all off, his hat was nowhere to be seen!

That was certainly going to become an issue but, right now, there was another problem. Three of them, in fact.

"Luffy!" Chopper fairly shrieked. "Can you get out?!"

"No!" Luffy yelled back.

"What?!" Chopper looked up at him. "What did you say?! I can't hear you!"

"I said 'no'!" Luffy repeated.

"What?!"

Even in the grip of a giant centipede, Luffy looked frustrated. "Aww, man ... hey! Vivi!" The Princess looked up at him. Good. At least she could hear him. "Can you tell him that I can't get out?!"

Vivi nodded and turned to Chopper. "Tony-Kun, this is bad, Luffy's trapped!" She tried to say. She opened her mouth, and her lips formed the words beneath her mask, but ... no sound. Nothing. Her hands flew to her throat, á la Sumi or perhaps even Emma. Her grey eyes widened in horror. What had happened to her voice?!

Chopper looked concerned. "Vivi?!" He asked her loudly. "What's wrong?"

She looked back at him, scared, and then pointed to her throat, before shaking her head vigorously.

Chopper blinked, and then his eyes widened. "Matte ... have you lost your voice?!" He exclaimed. "Is that it?! You can't talk?!" Vivi nodded quickly. Even behind his mask, Chopper looked horrified. "Hang on, then maybe ... AH!" He shouted. "I've lost my hearing! That's why I can't hear anything anymore!"

He and Vivi exchanged a horrified glance, and then they both looked at Zoro.

He wasn't looking at them. In fact, he wasn't looking at much of anything right now.

"Don't tell me . . . " Chopper groaned, just as the giant centipede threw Luffy to the ground. Chopper immediately turned and ran to him and, while his back was turned, the giant centipede lunges towards Zoro, who didn't move.

Vivi's first instinct was to yell out to the swordsman, but her voice just wouldn't work. And, so, in desperation, she grasped at the Ocean's Flower around her neck, hoping for a sign. And, instead, her fingers touched the cool metal of the whistle from the Snow Realm, instead.

In an instant, she pushed back her mask, raised the whistle to her lips, and blew the shrill, piercing sound of the mid. note.

Two things happened.

One was that the giant centipede virtually froze, before it began to thrash around as if in pain.

The second was that Zoro cried: "Ah-ha! There you are!" And he swiftly used Nigiri to slice at the centipede, successfully cutting off one of its pincers which caused it to tear back in agony as black blood sputter from its body. He then pushed back his own mask, unsheathed Wado Ichimonji, and spoke to Vivi without looking at her. "Hey, I dunno what's going on right now or what that thing did to us, but just keep on using that whistle to distract it - it doesn't like loud noises." The look in his one unseeing dark eye was fierce.

Vivi wanted to ask him how he planned on fighting the centipede without his vision.

Her silence seemed to portray her unspoken question, however.

"I did sensory depravation training after I lost my eye." He told her, as he placed his third sword firmly between his teeth. Emma ... you told me that you believed that I could do it ... you also suggested that I try training like this ... you'll see ... that your faith in me is not misplaced . . .

Ace was dragging Emma through the knee deep water, before pulling her up onto the deck of Law's submarine.

Emma half-turned, and caught a flake of snow in her hand. It was the first time she had ever seen it - it was beautiful, and a fitting end to her terrifying encounter with one Donquixote Doflamingo. She then glanced up, and met the stern gaze of a man standing on the Revolutionary ship.

They were the same dark eyes as Luffy and Garp . . .

"Dragon . . . " Emma whispered, just as Robin hurried up behind her.

The archeologist couldn't help but wince at the sight of Emma's back, where the bloodied mark of the Donquixote Pirates was carved into her skin.

'Emma-San. . . ' Robin's thoughts spoke louder than her words as she gently guided Emma down below deck. 'The circumstances that brought us together certainly weren't ideal, and I don't know that much about you yet to determine how you'll cope with this. You seem strong in your heart, however. And, these things do tend to happen for a reason, after all ... you seem to know so much about our pasts already. You may think that this is the only reason why you have so quickly bonded with everybody here, but ... there's more to you than meets the eye . . . '

"Well, yeah ... maybe. I get that she's right, because, I'd on't know about Law-Chan's past, and, I'm just as close to him as what I am with any of the others ... except for maybe Ace-Chan." The Emma of the present was decidedly trying to focus on this part of the vision, so as to not have to dwell upon the horror that she had just re-witnessed during the memory of Doflamingo. In fact, she had virtually attempted to close off her mind and everything to the memory, and to anything else that was going on around her for that matter, and so she didn't realise what the man's reaction was until some of her senses started to return to her.

"Oh ... hey ... I can feel things again!" She realised out loud, and then she heard it. A small sob. She froze. "Hey ... hang on a minute? Is that you? Person?" She felt around with her right hand, which was still feeling rather sore and swollen, and then located the man's left hand. She gripped it, slightly. "What's wrong?"

"What he did to you . . . " The man said quietly.

"Who?" Emma said. "You mean Doflamingo?" She sensed that the man nodded. "Don't worry about him, or about what he did to me ... Ace-Chan fixed up my back, you know?" She tried to smile. "I'm fine. Law-Chan's fine ... I think . . . " She added, somewhat uncertainly now. "I mean, what happened directly after this was cause for concern, however . . . " She told the man.

And, as she focused back in on the images that had began to play out in front of her again, she thought that she heard the man say: "If only the trigger had been pulled eleven years ago, then, none of this would have happened."

"Hey, as Robin-San said, the circumstances weren't ideal, but, it happened for a reason." Emma replied, and then watched the scenes of her and Law become castaways and her getting amnesia play out before her. "Like that . . . " She continued on, as if she was carrying on a conversation from just moments prior and not ten minutes ago. "That was when he and I started referring to each other like that."

The man, whose hand still hadn't moved from underneath of hers, seemed to know exactly what she meant. "It seemed to confuse everybody." He remarked lightly.

"Oh, I'm sure that it did." Emma replied. "You know, it wasn't until the whole Princess and First Knight thing came to light that I think people finally understood. But, to me, it just felt right, from the time that we were on the Baratie together. And . . . " She frowned, all of a sudden. "It took me getting amnesia to realise it."

Throw all away, and take all in . . .

"I hadn't realised it . . . " Emma whispered. "Even though it was right there . . . "

"You said that he was somebody very important to you." The man reminded her.

"Yeah, and ... he still is . . . " Emma said quietly, and watched as the her of the past set out with everybody to Shimotsuki Village. "There's Georgia ... she's heading off on her own ... hmm . . . "

'Okay, that Faith lady said that I'd be helping Emma ... that she needed me, but, right now, I need her help to get my sister back!' Georgia wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and so she ended up walking into Tashigi. "Owch! Hey, watch it, Four-Eyes!" Georgia snapped.

"Brown!" Tashigi exclaimed, and Georgia groaned.

"It's 'Georgia'!" The red-head snapped. "As in the country! 'Brown' is my family name ... ah, you know what, just forget it." She put her hands on her hips and faced Tashigi. "So? They sent you?"

"I can call for reinforcements when everything is ready." Tashigi replied. "Are they here?" She looked all around her.

Georgia shrugged. "They're around. Looking for Zoro and . . . " She trailed off as she saw Tashigi's expression harden. 'Oh, right, I forgot. Hmm ... and, I'm pretty sure that this is the chick that looks like Zoro's old friend ... the tough sword girl that gave me serious 'me-vibes' from when Reagan and I were little ... heh . . . '

Georgia's face gave away none of her feelings, though, as she looked at Tashigi and said: "When you capture Emma and the others ... what's gonna happen to them?"

"They'll be put to justice, which is what they deserve." Tashigi said very clearly, we expression firm.

"And, just to clarify, we said 'put to justice' and not 'put to death', right?" Georgia stressed.

Tashigi gave her an odd look. "I thought that you didn't like them." She reminded her.

"I don't." Georgia replied. 'I really don't ... I can't ... I ... I mean, they're not that bad . . . ' Her face still betrayed none of what she was thinking, that is until she saw Tashigi reach for her DenDen-Mushi. "You're, umm, calling your guys in now?"

"That's the plan." Tashigi replied calmly, and was looking down at the receiver, and so she didn't see that Georgia's face clearly showed panic, now.

'What should I do?!' Georgia clenched her fists. 'If I turn these guys in then they'll be jailed and possibly killed! But, if I don't turn them in, then that fucking bitch Ino will kill my sister, just like she said! I mean, isn't she the one that's supposed to be on trial?! But, after what Emma told me about suffixes and stuff, why did I overhear Ino and Akainu call each other "ko" and "-Chan"?'

A sword suddenly gleamed out of nowhere, and destroyed the receiver of the DenDen-Mushi.

"You!" Tashigi and Georgia both gasped in unison, as Zoro stood there.

"I." He raised an eyebrow, and looked at Georgia. "Try not to look so panicked, next time."

"Says who there'll be a 'next time', Roronoa Zoro?!" Tashigi said suddenly, unsheathing her sword.

Zoro pushes Georgia back and, ignoring the red-head's annoyed look, prepared to face-off against Tashigi.

As Georgia watched the two of them fight, tearing her eyes away from the battle only long enough to free the DenDen-Mushi from the shattered remains of its receiver, she couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. "This is okay . . . " She said quietly. Then: "Umm ... you guys?" The two swordsmen didn't respond, as they were too intently focused on their battle. "Zoro?"

"Not now, Georgia!" Zoro responded, as he blocked one of Tashigi's attacks. "Can't you see ... that I'm ... busy?!"

"Okay, well, uh ... Four-Eyes?"

"I'm ... busy ... too!" Tashigi replied crossly, trying to break through Zoro's defences.

"Well, get unbusy, would you?!" Georgia finally fairly shouted, and both Zoro and Tashigi stopped what they were doing and turned towards her in annoyance.

"What?!" They both snapped, and then they faltered, to see that Georgia was surrounded and had been tied up by at least a dozen little demonic-looking piggie gremlin thingies.

One of them was wearing the DenDen-Mushi on his head like a crown, and declared: "Su htiw kcab meht ekat ew!" He pointed first at Georgia, and then at Zoro. "Seno nesohc era owt eseht!"

This was met with cheers from the others of his kind, and absolutely blank expressions from Zoro, Georgia, and Tashigi.

One of them had pointed her spear at Tashigi. "Reh tuoba tahw?"

The piggie gremlin with the DenDen-Mushi crown pointed to Tashigi, as well. "Fo ekops Boom-Shakalaka taht eno eht si ehs!"

"Oot semoc ehs!"

The other piggie gremlins all cheered and raised their spears, even as more of them swarmed out of the landscape and managed to capture Zoro and Tashigi within seconds.

"How interesting . . . " Emma mused. "These were the missing children, transformed by Celestial magic. I remember how Kuina took over Tashigi's body for a bit, and then she wanted to speak with Zoro again. Why did they take Georgia too, though? I never found that out . . . " She thought about something. "And, why did the Celestial Realm allow the missing children to be transformed? That doesn't sound like something that the Gods would do."

"Maybe it wasn't them?" The man suggested. "The Chaotic Magic ... influences things in mysterious ways . . . "

"Chaos, huh?" Something was nagging at the back of Emma's mind, and it continued to do so, even as she watched her Allies watch her past (and, in Luffy's case, interfere with it). She watched as Luffy crashed into the table and sent the tomato sauce flying ("That little - ?! I wondered how that actually happened!"). She heard Robin's thoughts about the time that Rebecca Winrow (Winslow) had beaten her up in the girls bathrooms("Hey, did Robin-San really just think of me as an amazing person with a truly strong heart?!"). She listened as Nami and Sanji had an argument with Luffy over anomalies and anemones ("Sea anemone as in isoginchaku is not the same as sea urchin as in uni - like, my sister eats the latter raw! They're called kina!").

And, then she witnessed something that made her freeze.

Having just been struck across the face by her Father, sixteen year old Emma sank to her knees, and her tears dripped unhindered onto the bamboo flooring.

"Emmy . . . " The black cat that was Luffy said, stepping up to her.

"She can't hear you, Luffy." Nami the orange tabby cat reminded him gently, reiterating the fact that, to the Emma of the past, she, Luffy, and Sanji were just mere shadows.

"No, but . . . " Luffy suddenly quickly rearranged the pieces of the song book that Bruce had just torn up into a (lop-sided) heart with wings. 'I don't ever want to see Emmy cry like this, ever again! It doesn't matter when or where she is, she's still my nakama!'

Sanji, as the blonde cat with the black tail, was silent. He was deep in thought, though. 'Emma-Chan ... how could anybody ... let alone your own Father ... do this to you? I never ... want anybody to hurt you like this to make you feel this way, ever again!' He was actually shaking.

Teenager Emma sniffled, and then happened to glance down, and saw the symbol. She gasped, and looked all around her but, of course, there was nothing there for her to see. What she felt, though, was a strong sense of acceptance and belonging, and it was a sense that she wouldn't feel again properly until many years later.

Nami, meanwhile, was having a go at Luffy for messing up the space time continuum. However, even as she hit him with her paw, she was thinking: 'It'll be alright, Em, you'll see ... one day, you'll meet them ... I mean, one day you'll meet us! You'll meet us and we'll never then our backs on you!'

It was Emma's turn to be sobbing softly, and she felt the man's hand turn over and clasp her own hand in his.

"They're devoted to you." The man told her.

"They shouldn't be . . . " Emma whispered. "Why ... why would they even like me? I don't even like me, so ... why would they? Why would this group of amazing people ... and reindeer and cyborg and skeleton . . . " They watched as Brook made his appearance as a skeleton cat that looked more like a Stalhound from Twilight Princess. "Why would they want to be with me, when they've got their own hopes and dreams . . . ? I mean ... I love them all. Being with them makes me happy. But, what could they possibly have to gain from my happiness?"

"Maybe their own happiness?" The man suggested softly, and Emma felt more tears begin to slide down her face as she realised that he was absolutely right.

"Being with me ... makes them happy?" She whispered.

"It's nice to find somebody that's on the same wavelength as you," the man responded. "And, to be a part of a whole ship full of likeminded individuals? You've won the lottery twice, I'd say!"

And, Emma had to laugh, even trough her tears as she watched the her of the past just connect with Brook straight away. "You're right . . . " She admitted. She then sobered. "But ... just look at what's coming next . . . "

"Your meeting with the Princess Of Arabasta?" The man guessed.

"Iie." Emma replied. "Although ... wait, was she just as excited to meet me as what I was to meet her? She seemed so calm, though . . . " No wonder she's so good at poker. "Well, regardless, we met her at such a crucial time ... but, it happened for a reason, ne?"

"You sound scared."

"I'm just remembering what's to come. I will ... never forget it . . . "

Sumi had just thrown herself between Sakazuki and Emma, taking the full impact of the magma attack herself in a way that would prove to be fatal.

By completely burning up her insides, slowly and painfully and with a cruelty beyond anything able to be comprehended.

But, even as blood flowed from Sumi's mouth, signalling the irreparable damage that had been done to her internal organs, she still found the strength to look at her biological Father directly in the eye for the first and final time, and say: "It doesn't end here, Father." 'They just need ... more time . . . '

Sakazuki jerked his hand back, stepping back – and, suddenly, he was hit by Ace, who had come flying out of nowhere.

"AKAINU!"

There was rage and fury burning in Ace's eyes and fists. He had absolutely no coherent thoughts, just one primary goal: to end this man's life.

Sakazuki, of course, had no intentions of meeting his end here, and met Ace's attack head-on, as they disappeared back into the battle.

'Just a little ... bit more time . . . ' Sumi was thinking, even as she struggled to tell Emma the truth - that Vivi was a decoy and that it was in fact Emma who was the Princess Of Light ... and, that she was Edward Newgate's daughter. 'Not one of us Whitebeard Pirates didn't feel absolute elation at the prospect of you still being alive ... even if two Emmas were combined to make one, that's who you are ... that's just ... you. Yes, YOU. And, don't YOU forget it.'

"I didn't hate you, Vivi-Chan . . . " She said, all of a sudden, calling Vivi by that name for the first time ever. "I just … didn't like that they were using a real Princess … as the decoy Princess . . . "

Vivi nodded silently, tears running down her face. 'And ... I failed ... I failed at what I was supposed to do . . . '

'You didn't fail,' Sumi's thoughts seemed to answer Vivi's sorrows. 'This is not your fault ... not at all . . . ' She coughed up some blood. 'Oh ... I'm running out of time ... I don't think that ... there's much more that I can do, for now ... I feel like ... something terrible will happen if I don't do one last thing, though ... because ... they'll still need that ... he'll still need that ... just for a little while ... I'll lend you my wings, Emma-Chan ... may they carry you and Ace-Kun, both . . . '

"Wait, what did she mean by that?!" Emma suddenly gasped, just as things began to move very quickly around her. "What the ... who are all these people?!" Fox was broadcasting this around the world with those DenDen-Mushi that her teamsters were using, right?

She suddenly realised that the events on the beach that starless night had impacted people significantly.

It had started with Sakazuki's shout of: "You're mine Hikari No Hime!"

"Isn't that Arabasta's Princess?!" A man vacationing in Arabasta with his wife exclaimed.

"What's she doing there?!" His wife added, looking shocked.

People everywhere in Arabasta were shocked at suddenly seeing their very own Princess in such a terrifying situation.

"What does he mean Hikari No Hime?" Somebody asked.

"Princess Vivi!" People suddenly screamed.

"Emma, no!" The Vivi on the screen suddenly shouted, and everybody saw as the tiny red-haired figure threw herself in between Vivi and Sakazuki. Her hazel eyes were wide, but, her face was set.

Far away in Water Seven, a rather overweight woman with curly blonde hair and heavy red lipstick drew back in horror.

"No! Not her!"

Her reaction seemed to take the man that was with her somewhat by surprise.

"Nma ... somebody that you know?" Mayor Iceberg asked.

Kokoro was too upset to respond, which was rare for her, but her granddaughter Chimney had something to say.

"Wait, there's somebody else there!" The little girl pointed, although she too looked quite startled, and couldn't seem to sit still. Her plaited pigtails (which were the greenish blonde colour of hair that has spent too much time in water with copper and ... chlorine?) bounced about.

"Somebody just got between them!" Paulie was there, too, and he was staring at the screen as well. The cigar had fallen from from his mouth.

"A girl with wings!" Chimney exclaimed, as her cat that was actually a rabbit, Gonbe, fell off of the bar stood next to her.

Further away, in a foreign part of the world, people in a square stood beside what looked to be living dolls. They all began screaming in horror at what happened next.

"It doesn't end here, Father."

There was so much blood.

"AAAA!"

"Oh my God!"

"How can they show us something like this?!"

"Who was that girl?!"

"Did that Admiral really just kill his own daughter?!"

A teenage girl, whose features were hidden by a cloak as she kept to the darkness of a nearby alleyway, stared at the screen, as Emma and Vivi caught Sumi as she fell. She bit at her lower lip as she disappeared back further into the shadows, her pinkish-brown eyes full of sympathy, as a living toy that looked like a soldier with only one leg tugged at her hand to pull her further back.

'Those poor girls . . . '

A group of Marines who were watching the event unfold from a Marine Base all gasped in shock.

"AKAINU!" Ace's fury at Sakazuki was raw emotion in his voice as he challenged the man of magma.

"That's Firefist Ace!" One of the male Marines that Emma had encountered by Lake Waikikamukow yelled.

"So that girl was a Whitebeard Pirate?!" The second male Marine that had been there said.

"She called Admiral Akainu her Father!" The first male Marine exclaimed. "I heard her!"

"If she's a Whitebeard Pirate, then I think that Whitebeard himself is gonna be more upset with this!" The Marine known as Mary stated.

"Sumi! Sumi!" On screen, Vivi was practically sobbing.

"How horrible!" The second male Marine exclaimed.

"I know that they're pirates, but this is just too much . . . " A young woman with short vermillion hair, brown eyes, and a bandaid on her nose said. She clenched her fists, one of which had a burn mark on it. 'Sumi ... what's happening to you isn't justice! It's just not! This isn't what we stand for!'

"Hey, doesn't that red-haired girl look kind of familiar?" Piped up a nearby voice that sounded like it belonged to Takehiro Nishijima, but in fact it belonged to a green-skinned Fishman with dark red lips. His wrists were bound in chains, and he wore prison attire.

"That's The Demon Of War!" Mary informed him.

"Not that . . . "

The vermillion-haired woman seemed to snap out of her reverie. "What did I tell you about bringing the prisoner out?!" Her eyes flashed. "He's a former Arlong Pirate that we're supposed to be guarding! Take him back to the holding cell at once!"

"Yes, Isuka-Sama!"

Isuka sighed, and turned back to the screen.

In another part of the world, the people of Sabaody were watching, as well.

"Sumi-Chan, please don't die!" Emma nearly sobbed. "You can't, I ... I just killed your former captor! Jalmack! He's dead!"

And, the mouth of one Eustace Kid actually dropped open in complete and utter shock.

"That tiny bitch killed a fucking World Noble?" 'She's got guts ... I like that . . . '

Some people were scathing.

"What else do you expect from pirates?"

"This is what they get for trying to stand up against the World Government . . . "

Some people were sympathetic.

"This is almost unbearable . . . "

"That poor woman . . . "

Unseen by everybody at Sabaody, a young woman with green hair tentatively poked her head out of the water. Her dark reddish-purple eyes shone.

"Look at that necklace that she's wearing . . . " She whispered.

A young girl with a brown ponytail and starfish earrings appeared cautiously beside her, but it was the one foot tall starfish that sat perched on her head that spoke.

"Which one?" He asked, referring to the fact that Emma was wearing both Grace's Heart and the Ocean's Flower.

The first girl seemed about to answer, when the younger girl suddenly gasped. "Camie-San, somebody's coming!"

And, at once, Camie grabbed her hand and the two of them turned and dived back into the sea, in a flash of pink and brown scales, but not before they heard Sumi speak.

"It's you … you're the Princess, and you're also ... Edward ... Emma."

There was actually a stunned silence throughout the world when Sumi spoke her final words then, as everybody listening just stared in complete and utter shock.

It even made a World Noble stop and pause, before she tugged impatiently at the leash of her very tall Fishman slave, who wore a black hooded cloak (actually, it had been forcefully zipped up) that couldn't hide the blueish-black shark fin on his back or the way that he dug his nails into his palm.

'Red . . . '

And, at the same time, there was somebody in a darkened room, illuminated only by the flames of a nearby pure.

The person had long white hair that changed to blue at the tips and red horns, and looked down at two pieces of paper, one in each hand - the piece of paper on the right suddenly curled up and disappeared into silvery wisps that looked like light ... and although the piece of paper on the left stayed whole, its edges had began to smoulder.

'Sumi . . . ' The person thought. 'Ace ... what in the world is happening to you two . . . ?'

Then . . .

"No way ... Whitebeard's daughter?" A man with bright green hair and very sharp teeth looked shocked. "Like, his biological daughter?"

Down below the waves, in a royal-looking palace, a Merman with a seahorse tail whom was actually the Father of the little girl that was currently high above the ocean floor with Camie, stared in shock at the underwater screen and the broadcast that was being delivered to them thanks to a fox-eared Visual DenDen-Mushi that had turned up only recently. He didn't say anything, but somebody else did.

"Oh, dear God, it is her . . . " A large Merman who could only be the King was in complete shock. He hadn't even registered yet the fact that he should put a stop to this broadcast and keep his citizens from seeing this.

His eldest son was pale. His yellow eyes never one left the face of the red-haired girl on the screen. 'Can it really be . . . ?' "She looks just like . . . "

The Emma of the past unknowingly cut him off, with her heart wrenching screams.

"Iie...iie...IIEEEEEE!"

"What's happening?!" At least half of the world asked.

In another part of the world, a small group that comprised of Fishman and Merfolk watched from the shadows, keeping well away from human sight.

"There's so much light!" Exclaimed an orange-haired Clownfish Mermaid with a red nose that Buggy would have approved of.

"That poor girl just watched her friend die!" A silver-haired Leopard Shark Fishwoman said, in a rare show of emotion.

Their captain, a Stargazer Fishwoman, stared not at the screen but up at the sky, instead. 'Tiger . . . ' She thought. 'If you could see this now, then, it would just break your heart, my dear old friend . . . '

This revelation was still reaching to the depths of the ocean floor.

"She transformed!" The King's second eldest son was relaying the events to his younger sister, although the more gory details of the whole event were left out for her sake.

"She looks incredible, now!" The King's third eldest son added.

Their sister's bright blue eyes were very wide. Oh, how she wished that she could have seen it! She was a very large Mermaid, despite being so young, but she was very beautiful and, right now, there was a feeling in her heart that she couldn't quite pinpoint.

'I don't know why but I get the feeling that there's something that Brother-Manboshi-Sama and Brother-Ryuboshi-Sama aren't telling me ... I hope that Emma-Sama is alright . . . "

The broadcast was still being watched by all of the denizens of one of the darker parts of the ocean floor - The Fishman District.

"Jahahaha ... now do you believe me?" A large Great White Shark Fishman said, his amber eyes gleaming. "Look, even the waves are reacting to her emotions . . . " Like the King's eldest son, he had never once taken his eyes away from the red-haired woman on the screen.

"Oh, wow ... I mean, yikes," a blue and purple striped Wobbegong Fishman attempted to vocalise what the vast majority of the group were thing. "But ... wow . . . "

Back in Arabasta, Vivi's family and friends and citizens were, understandably, more concerned about her safety.

"What happened to Princess Vivi?!" A woman shouted.

"Minna!" The Vivi on the screen was yelling. "Protect Emma – she's the true Princess Of Light! PROTECT HER!"

In the throne room of Arabasta, a man who could only be Vivi's Father, The King, gripped his hands on the arms of the throne. He wasn't saying anything, but, he had bitten his lip so hard that it bled slightly.

"The Princess ... Of Light?" A man with a keffiyeh and purple face paint reminiscent of kabuki makeup repeated, faintly. Pell . . .

"You mean she's the one that the World Government have been trying to kill?!" A tall man with hair styled like a white powdered wig said. 'The one that Princess Vivi was tasked to help? Ma ma ma . . . ' Igaram . . .

"They wouldn't dare ... not now that it's her . . . " A middle-aged woman with brown hair and dark eyes spoke up. Maidy . . .

"I mean, that'd be like the war with Whitebeard all over again!" A large woman with curly blonde hair agreed. Terracotta . . .

"No, it'd be worse than before, if they threatened her now . . . " A man with a scar on his face said grimly. 'Vivi ... what have you gotten yourself caught up in?' Koza . . .

None of them noticed a group of Super Spot-Billed Ducks just outside of the throne room, who seemed to be having a conversation of sorts, and then a mid. yellow duck seeing a dark reddish pink babushka nodded firmly, seemingly having just decided on a course of action . . .

A man's voice suddenly spoke up from the screen. "I'll do it."

Law was there, reaching out to steady Emma.

The people on an island in the East Blue reacted to this.

"Hey, who's that guy?!" Somebody exclaimed.

"He looks like a Prince, or ... something . . . " One girl said, a little bit dreamily, and then another voice spoke up.

"That's those two from the restaurant!" Lily looked different than she had back on the Baratie. She no longer wore a maid's outfit - instead, she wore an outfit more suited to adventuring, giving the sense that she'd suddenly somehow taken charge of her own life. There was no sign of her employers anywhere, leading further evidence to this fact.

In Cocoyashi Village, Nami's loved ones were horrified by what was going on. Where was Nami?! And, also . . .

"Oh no, Firefist is still fighting against Akainu!" Genzo paled.

"He'll be killed!" The restaurant owner realised.

That thought had just occurred to the Emma of the past, who suddenly decided to take matters into her own hands. "No! No! I ... I can't let anybody else die! . . . Ribon-Ribon No Teleport!"

A group of people were watching the transmission play out on a screen in Logue Town.

"Ribbons!" A tall woman with short purple hair couldn't help but exclaim, despite herself.

"Just like at Marineford!" A tanned woman long and very straight brown hair added. She had raised her right hand to her mouth, ignoring the rain that was falling onto her mechanical arm.

"That beautiful girl is the Demon Of War?!" Nobody was quite sure who said that.

"She saved Firefist Ace at Marineford, too!" A yellow Japanese Soldierfish Fishman recalled.

"She didn't even know who she was, back then!" A young woman with short light orange hair reminded them all. Her deep blue eyes were shining, and she glanced at the Fishman beside her. 'Hack, could it be that you know something about her?'

And, that was when the figure standing to the back of the group spoke up.

"But ... just what is she . . .?" Dragon murmured, mainly to himself.

The man standing on the other side of the orange-haired girl raised his head, revealing dark eyes and slightly wavy light blonde hair, the fringe of which covered his left eye but not enough to completely hide the burns that could have only come from being involved in a horrible explosion . . .

Emma gasped back her tears and sat up abruptly, dispelling all memories of the past as she was brought back to the present.

Slowly, very slowly, she became aware of her surroundings. She was in a hot spring of some sort. Tall trees rose up on three sides of the area, and the fourth side featured a huge waterfall. Steam rose up gently all around her and, when she looked up, she caught sight of a diamond-studded dark sky.

Would this long night ever end?

Looking back down again, she saw a white dress billowing gently in the water and, with shaking hands, she reached up and felt the cold meal of her tiara. A few feathers floated by, and she sighed, realising that they were coming from her wings.

"I'm still moulting." She said to nobody in particular, but the voice of the man that had remained with her throughout all of this responded.

"Even though you've regained most of your strength, you are stronger still when you're with your Allies." He told her gently.

"I can be strong on my own." She replied, tracing a finger over the warm waters and not looking at him.

"I know." The man replied, still in that same gentle tone. "But, are you happy?"

A single tear fell from Emma's eye. "When I'm with them . . . " She whispered. "I am ... I'm so happy! And, lucky, too. I just don't want to lose them."

"What's the solution, then?" The man asked her.

The solution? For them not getting killed? Clearly, trying to ditch them wasn't going to work. It wasn't any good for any of them, and Emma was tired of trying to do it. She didn't want to do it.

"I must . . . " Emma took a deep breath. "No, I will get stronger." She declared. "Strong enough to protect them all. So that I don't have to shed tears like that at another person's funeral . . . " She slowly and carefully got to her feet, her legs cricking from having laid down for so long. God, how long was I out? And ... also ... I need to talk to Sumi-Chan, and soon ... but, first . . .

She was suddenly amazed at how clear her mind felt. It was as if the fog had been lifted from her eyes (as cliché as that sounded) and now she could definitely see the path that she needed to take.

Grace's Heart burned gently against her throat, and the Traveller's Compass glowed softly.

Leaning down briefly, Emma picked up Su-Chan, who was asleep on a nearby rock.

And, then, she straightened up and finally turned to face the man that had brought her here.

He was tall - like, twice her height - and his face was hidden by a rat-like mask. She could still see his messy blonde hair, and a pair of amber eyes seemed to peer into her soul, but, not in an uncomfortable way. He wore a simple pale pink yukata with a maroon obi. White wings rested on his back, and a halo hovered just above his head.

He silently handed her the azure dragon mask, and she accepted it. Ace's red and white bracelet swung on her wrist. She took the time to quickly check that the rings from Ace and Law were still there (they were) and was just about to switch Law's ring back over to her right hand ... when she noticed that there was suddenly a new ring on her left index finger.

"Wha . . . ?" She paused, looking at it, and then sighed as the man handed her the the satchel containing the locket and the bracelets. "Okay, who do you want me to give it to?"

"I'd actually like you to keep it." The man responded, unexpectedly, and Emma just stared at him. "Really." He assured her.

"Alright," Emma wasn't the one to turn down any free jewellery. "But . . . " She looked at the golden band with the heart-shaped green emerald. Emeralds! Her favourite gemstone! Which is ironic, she thought. Seeing as how my birthstone is sapphire and Mum's is emerald, but she likes sapphires and I like emeralds! "Who gave it to you?"

"As long as you have absolutely no follow up questions," the man responded. ". . . My Mother gave it to me." Emma's head snapped up, and she opened her mouth to speak. The man held up his hand. Emma closed her mouth. "Anything else, before you go back?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, just a few things. How do you people manage to bring things in?" She wanted to know. "Whatever happened to 'sorry sir, you can't take it with you'?"

"Well," the man mused. "Sometimes even Gods make mistakes. The God Of Change might have accidentally let one or two things pass by . . . "

"Yeah, I'll bet. Accidentally on purpose." Emma muttered, and then she sighed. "I have to get back to my Allies ... I have to apologise, and tell them that I finally realise that I need them, and that we can do this together."

The man nodded encouragingly. "And?"

"And ... well, I'm still not gonna let them face Teech at the moment." Emma said firmly, putting on her mask. "Not when he's like this. I'm ... just not so sure that I'm going to be able to take him on on my own, though . . . "

"What about Law?" The man suggested.

Sitting down again on the rock that Su-Chan had been on, Emma closed her eyes briefly, and drew in a deep breath. "Law-Chan?" She opened her eyes and looked up at the man. "Do you realise that he's one of the Allies that I am the closest to, and yet ... I know the least about his past. I mean, even Sanji-Kun I know a little bit about, plus I know that Sora-San was his Mother." She looked away for a second, the all-important question burning on her tongue, and then she looked back at the man. "What happens if something happens to my First Knight?"

"You mean what happens to you?" The man said carefully, and Emma kind of shrugged, as she traced a pattern on the surface of the water. The man sighed. "More concerning ... is what would happen to him if it were the other way around." His words seemed to echo ominously.

"That doesn't seem very fair." Emma pointed out. "His life shouldn't be revolving around mine like this." She watched as the man lit up a cigarette. "Ano ... do you know ... how I can get in contact with Sumi-Chan? I really, really need to talk to her . . . "

The man nodded. "You don't have to worry about that," he assured her. "Sumi-Sama will meet with you tomorrow."

Emma's eyes lit up. "She's coming with us?" She asked excitedly.

The man lifted up his mask, revealing blue eye shadow in a spiky design under his right eye and maroon lipstick that reminded Emma of The Joker. He took a puff of his cigarette. "It would seem so. I believe that she'll be here tomorrow."

"How?"

"Well, although fast-travel between the Realms isn't really safe right now," the man said slowly. "There is another way, because the Portals do stay open for some time after they've even opened."

"Which is how Ino's Inuksuk got in." Emma's shoulders sagged. She suddenly became aware of something. "Aaahhh! You're on fire!" She stood up again quickly, and kind of flung out her left arm, because her right arm was still feeling kind of sore from the Akuma Mukade's attack.

What happened next was unprecedented.

Her fingers had kind of grabbed onto the water as she'd stood up, as if it could provide her with a boost to get to the flames that were on the man's shoulder quicker. She ended up grasping the water and, as she stood up, she pulled it, and ... the water came with her. Not an awful lot of it, but, a tiny stream that she ended up flinging at the man when she threw her arm out, and the result was that she put out the fire.

Emma's mouth dropped open beneath her mask, but the man just calmly dusted off his shoulder and, ignoring the scorched material that was there, said: "Mizugokoro ... 'Water Heart'. Very nice. You should get somebody to train you in Fishman Jujutsu." He smiled at her. "Thank you."

Emma blinked. "No ... thank you."

"For what?" The man wanted to know, as he took another drag of his cigarette which had somehow survived the 'Water Heart'. Emma hopes that he wouldn't catch on fire again.

"Oh, you know . . . " Emma shrugged. "For helping me to figure out some stuff ... and, the reason why I couldn't reach out to Law-Chan before ... I figured that out, too."

"Did you now?"

Emma nodded, as she turned around. "Hai. Whoever you are, you've stopped me from making the biggest mistake in the history of everything, and, I'll never forget that." She turned back around. "M-Matte! Just who ... are you?" She blinked, staring at the spot where the man had just been standing. But, now, he was nowhere to be seen.

What was there, however, was an all-too-familiar straw hat with a red ribbon.

It blew over to Emma in a symbolic way, and she immediately took it in her hands.

Turning it over, she checked the inside of the band and, sure enough, there it was - Ace's Vivre Card.

"How did I not notice this before?" Emma asked herself, and then she realised that the corners of the card were actually smouldering. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. There could be no doubting what was going on right now.

Ace's life was in peril.

Wondering vaguely if that other person who had Ace's Vivre Card could see, and making a mental note to ask Ace about them, Emma looked desperately down at her Compass.

"Show me the way!" She begged it, and held it up in her free hand. "Oh, come on, please!" She cried, as she put the hat on her head and then used her now free other hand to touch the smooth surface of the Compass.

Nothing happened, but, in her mind's eye, she saw ... something. She couldn't quite make it out, but, it was more like a feeling, and ... more importantly ... it was showing her the way . . .

"Right." She said, looking back up, and letting the Compass fall back against her dress. "Right." She said again, and raised her hand. "Ribon-Ribon No Teleport!"

"She's starting to come into her powers." Fate said. "And, just in time, too." She, Cupid, and Destiny were watching the events unfold via the latter's Stone Tablets.

"Yeah . . . " Cupid looked up at the two sisters. "By the way, did you two know about Twister letting those love-filled artefacts get through?" He indicated to the Stone Tablet that showed the emerald ring, the old broken locket, and the three bracelets.

"Love-filled?" Destiny repeated. She smiled. "I had a feeling ... Twister has his reasons, I'm sure, but, I'm also sure that Boss wouldn't have been so happy."

"Boss is never happy." Fate pointed out. She sighed. "Where is he, now?"

In answer to her words, a Stone Tablet flashed, and brought up an image that showed them Boss standing at the entrance to what they all knew to be an almost infinite labyrinth of tunnels.

He was talking to a small figure who couldn't have been any older than eighteen months, but, her wings allowed her to hover at almost eye-level with The Almighty. She wore a white hooded cloak, which concealed her features, but, they all knew instantly who she was.

"Do you think that you can do it?" Boss asked her, in his usual clipped tone.

The figure nodded, without hesitation. "Can do . . . " She said slowly. "Mine can do it, but ... need help ... Ee'lee-eh sad ... her not hope ... her need help . . . "

Boss nodded. "Fine, then. You can go, if you're sure."

"Mine need help." The little girl said again.

Boss sighed. "You'll get help, don't worry. The others are on their way." I hope.

"Bad guy close." The little girl whispered. "Bad guy maybe get there first. Maybe already ... him want hurt Ee'lee-eh ... already hurt mine Papa and Ojīchan . . . "

"Do you still feel like going?" Boss asked her.

The little girl nodded. "Ee'lee-eh sad, her need help ... mine help her, and, others help . . . " She began to drift away towards the dark entrance to the caves. "Mine be okay."

"Be careful, Hope." Boss called to her.

She turned around and smiled, her teal eyes glittering beneath her hood. "That not mine name." She informed him. "Mine name Pandora!"

A warm wave of light seemed to wash over Vivi and, quite suddenly, she found that she could talk again. She was relieved. She had been feeling like it was hopeless right up until that point. They had defeated the Akuma Mukade - well, Zoro has defeated it, really - but, the curse had still lingered. Which meant that Vivi had no voice, Chopper couldn't see, and Zoro was still blind.

Not only that, but, Luffy was still unconscious, which scared Vivi more than anything. And, now that her voice was back, the very first thing that she said was: "Luffy-San!" As she and Zoro ran to him.

"I don't know what to do!" Chopper exclaimed, as Vivi dropped to her knees beside him and Luffy. "It didn't break his skin so it clearly didn't poison him!"

"And, even if it did . . . " Vivi suddenly felt like now was the right time to mention Luffy's immunity to poisons. She shook her head quickly, and took one of Luffy's hands in her own. "Luffy-San, can you hear me? Luffy-San?!" Tears stung her eyes. Whatever injury had been inflicted upon Luffy was clearly of the Celestial kind. How were they supposed to treat that?!

Zoro was just standing there, staring down at his captain with an unreadable expression on his face, and then his head snapped up.

A split-second later, there was a flash of red and gold, and then, quite suddenly, standing there was a woman in a slightly soaking-wet white dress, with white wings out behind her. A blue dragon mask hid her face, but, there was no mistaking the jewellery that she wore, or the feeling of comfort that she brought with her. Also, she was wearing Luffy's hat.

"Emma!" Vivi, Chopper, and Zoro all cried in unison.

At once, she reached up and removed both her hat and her mask, as she hurried over to them and knelt on Luffy's other side.

"Here, hold these, please." She said to Vivi, quickly handing her the mask and the hat. She then leaned over Luffy, and that was when Vivi realised that she was humming ... a song that Vivi vaguely recognised and, without even being aware of what she was doing, she joined in, and soon they were both singing.

Once again, there were no flashy lights or anything to indicate what was going on. But, there was also no mistaking the fact that, whatever magic was in that song, it was working on Luffy.

Emma's Mother knew it and probably wrote it, it summons two Sea Kings, it heals somebody that's been cursed because he can't be poisoned ... next they're going to tell us that some giant Mermaid knows it and that it's linked to the One Piece. Zoro couldn't help but roll his eye at the thought, even as Emma and Vivi finished singing, and then they, Zoro, and Chopper all looked down at Luffy.

For a moment, nothing happened. And, then, Vivi suddenly gasped, because Luffy's hand had just moved in her own hand.

"Luffy-San - ?!"

They waited, with bated breath, as Luffy's other hand twitched, and then his eyelids fluttered, and then, quite suddenly, he opened his eyes. He looked around slowly for a second, and then squeezed Vivi's hand back and said: "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing." She said, hastily wiping her eyes, as Luffy sat up, and she handed him back his hat.

"Thanks." He grinned, adjusting his monkey mask, and that was when he noticed Emma. "Emmy!" He gasped.

"That song is amazing!" Chopper sobbed, hugging Emma tightly.

She smiled at him. "Well, maybe. It also helps that my dress was covered in water from Umi's Springs." Vivi handed her back the blue dragon mask, which she put on and then looked at Luffy. "Luffy, I didn't expect you to be in trouble, to tell you the truth. I thought that it was Ace-Chan." She told him, and then she gasped, and looked down at Luffy's hat.

Or, more specifically, at the small piece of paper that was sewn into the hat's inner-band. A small piece of paper that had began to smoulder at the edges.

Luffy also gasped. "That's ... Ace's Vivre Card . . . "

Chopper and Zoro exchanged a slightly horrified glance, and Vivi searched desperately in the back of her mind for information on Vivre Cards ... they were linked to the person's life-force! Ace's Vivre Card had started to smoulder once before, when he'd been imprisoned and then nearly executed!

The fact that it was doing that again, right now . . .

Emma drew in a sharp breath. "Take my hand!" She ordered Zoro (for, Chopper still had his arms wrapped tightly around her middle), and then she looked her other arm through Luffy's and grabbed Vivi's had with that hand. "Ribon-Ribon No Teleport!"

Ace had fallen to one knee. His heart was racing faster than what it ever had before, and his breathing was coming out in short, ragged gasps.

Around him, the others could barely even move, from wave after wave of powerful attacks from the Chaos Inuksuk. Even Sanji had fallen, and neither Brook nor Franky was able to stand up, either. It was as if the Chaos was keeping them all pinned down there, suffocating them with every single second.

Ace gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the mounting waves of pain that threatened to overwhelm him, as he struggled back up to his feet, and faced the Inuksuk, which towered over him.

I can't ... I can't give up! Not now, not ever! Ace thought, as visions of great importance flashed through his mind, one after the other. Garp ... Luffy ... Sabo ... Makino ... Duece ... Sumi ... Isuka ... Tama ... Yamato ... Whitebeard ... Marco ... Thatch ... Emma . . .

Was this his whole life, flashing before his eyes?

No . . . He decided, then and there. They may be what helped to shape my past, but all of them are definitely a part of my future, as well! Even Oyaji ... because ... he'll live on, through Emma . . .

Ace straightened up. Even if his fire wasn't strong enough ... it didn't matter, because . . .

"HIKEN!"

"RIBBON!"

Hands wrapped around Ace's own as a small figure appeared directly in front of him, in between his arms ... her back was pressed up against his chest, but she was short enough that Ace could still see over the top of her head as tiny water droplets that glittered like diamonds were flung off of her white dress in every which direction.

And, from her wrists, snaked ribbons - not red or gold, but orange. They joined with the flames from Hiken and arced up towards the stone Inuksuk, surrounding it in a multitude of fiery tornadoes and effectively burning away every last inch of its rocky exterior until only a single black stone was left . . .

And, from out of nowhere came Kikoku; Law's nodachi flew straight through the air and hit the direct dead centre of the black rock, which shattered on impact.

As the heat from the flames died down, and Ace was vaguely aware of everybody else's presence around him, the figure that was in front of him turned, and looked directly up at him.

Her hazel eyes pierced into his warm brown ones . . .

She was wearing a blue dragon mask, but, Ace knew ... even before he reached out and lifted the mask up, to reveal the face of his wife . . .

"Emiko . . . "

"Ace-Chan!" She cried, and flung her arms around him. "You're okay! Your Vivre Card was smouldering and I was so worried and Luffy was worried but you're okay! You really are! The ribbons were orange! I love orange! I love fire! I love you!"

Ace blinked slightly, realising that she was on the verge of hysteria and that he felt that way too, all of a sudden. As he gathered her in his arms, wanting to never let go of her again, the others started to approach them.

Emma was still talking. "And I got saved by a samurai with Yubashiri and his wife knew the song that Vivi-Chama and I used to save Luffy! And the waters from Umi's Springs saved him too and they saved me and I also met this guy who helped me to see the light and I missed you!"

"I missed you, too." Ace told her, looking over the top of her head at Luffy, who just shrugged.

"What on Earth is she going on about?" Franky wanted to know.

"I dunno, something about one of Zoro's old swords." Nami looked over at said swordsman, who was cringing for whatever reason. "What happened?" She asked him, but, it was Vivi who answered.

"Luffy-San got hurt by the Akuma Mukade," she explained, coming up beside them. "Emma-Sama then showed up, and we were able to revive Luffy-San with her help."

Emma finally looked up just then. Her eyes were red from crying. "And, where's that Demon Centipede now?" She wanted to know.

"There were two that combined into one." Chopper piped up. Emma looked horrified. "But, it's okay! Vivi and Zoro took care of it all, so, please don't run away again!" He gazed up at her with very wide eyes. "Please?" He said again.

"I'm not going to." She assured him. Taking a deep breath, she stepped away from Ace, and faced them all. They all stared back at her, silently. Waiting.

Then . . .

"I'm sorry." Emma said, in a calm and steady voice, although her eyes were still filled with tears. "I'm sorry for abandoning you all and leaving you in the Ocean Realm like that."

"You were upset." Nami said immediately.

"It's understandable." Usopp added.

"Even so," Emma shook her head. "It was totally irresponsible for me to just leave you all like that. In terms of this whole Allies thing, I am supposed to be your leader and that's not what leaders do. Right, Luffy?"

Luffy nodded.

"Furthermore," Emma went on. "There was one person who was going to be feeling just as upset as what I was, and, I was not there to support him. That's not what good wives do. I'm sorry, Ace-Chan."

"You don't have to be." He told her. "Just ... please, don't ever do it again."

"I won't." She replied, and the others all exchanged glances.

"So ... what changed?" Zoro wanted to know. "A Realm ago, you were dead set on keeping us out of all of this."

She nodded. "Yes, that's true. It's my fault, getting you mixed up in all of this."

"No, it's not." Luffy told her. She looked at him. "It was always gonna happen, not just because of you. So, like it or not, we're in this."

"Oh, I like it, don't get me wrong." Emma said, and Luffy tilted his head to one side, looking surprised. "Being with you guys ... makes me happy. I was going crazy, being apart from you all. And, with what you must have gone through to get to here, you must feel the same way."

"Of course we do, Emma-Chwan!" Sanji exclaimed. "We would go through snow and lava and even darkness just to be with you!"

"What Sanji-Kun means," Nami said, rolling her eyes but also smiling at the same time. "Is that we're not going to give up. We'll face the dangers with you, no matter what."

"You won't lose us, either." Chopper said, as Usopp nodded firmly.

"Y-Yeah," the sniper said, even though his knees were shaking. "After all, we're stronger as a team!"

"You're absolutely right, Usopp." Emma agreed with him. "I should have known ... knowing what I know about you all, that even something like this is not going to stop you. If there's an obstacle, then, you guys will always just find a way to overcome it." She drew in another deep breath, and clasped her hands, being careful not to brush up against her Compass. "And, so, therefore, that is what I must do, as well. If my obstacle is not wanting anything bad to happen to you guys, then the solution is that I just have to be strong enough to make sure that it doesn't. Not that you all can't take care of yourselves," she assured them. "But, at least until we get back to the Mortal Realm, you guys are all my responsibility. Which is why I reiterate my decision to not let you join me in facing Teech."

"Em . . . " Nami began.

"Are you strong enough to face him alone?" Zoro asked her.

Emma shook her head. "No, I'm not. But, I won't be alone in facing him - I'm going to take Law-Chan with me."

"Why him?" Ace said immediately. "Why not me?"

"I know how hard this is for you, Ace-Chan." Emma said to him. "I know what Teech has taken from you, and what it means for you to want him to pay for all of that. That kind of pride and deviation is just one of the many things that I love about you. And, so, I am asking you to trust me - the woman that you chose to be your wife." She smiled gently at him. "All of this began because of my desire to save you on that day. That is why we are 'Allies united under friendship's fire'. But, Law-Chan is my First Knight. His role to play in all of this is different, and, it has nothing to do with feelings and such. It's not even a question of power. I can't really explain it, but, I know somebody who can."

"Who?" Nami, Chopper, Usopp, Brook, Franky, and Vivi all asked in unison.

"Sumi-Sama!" Piped up a small, unfamiliar voice, and everybody turned in shock.

Law was standing about ten feet away from them, but, it wasn't him who had spoken. He had his nodachi over one shoulder. And, in his other hand, was the small stone Inuksuk.

Which waved to them and said: "Hiya!"

"Yo." Luffy raised a hand in greeting.

Everybody else just stared at it in shock.

Emma finally spoke. "The Chaos ... I ... I mean, are you ... okay, now . . . ?"

The Inuksuk nodded. "Yes, Emma-Sama, thanks to your First Knight. Sumi-Sama dealt a severe blow to the one who infused me with the Chaos that made me attack you all!" She (for, Emma was suddenly so sure that it was a female) bowed her head, suddenly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. The power of Chaos is powerful, but, like I said, Sumi-Sama has set that one back ... for now."

"The one who infused you with Chaos?" Vivi repeated. "You mean Ino?"

The Inuksuk nodded. "Mmhmm. She's been weakened, but, not defeated."

"But, how could Sumi stand up against her, if she's Teech's First Knight?" Nami wanted to know.

"Hmm . . . " The Inuksuk managed to look thoughtful, despite having no facial features. "Umm, it might be better if she tells you that herself. For now, I'm going to go and check on Marionette-San, and then I want to go and see Stoney." She looked up at Emma. "That's okay, right?"

"Of course it is!" Emma said quickly, and the Inuksuk looked relieved (somehow). "Just a quick question, umm . . . ?"

"Cici!"

"Okay, Cici," Emma nodded, trying not to think of C'C' Chips. "How ... exactly did you come to be?"

Cici had started to fade away, but, her voice still lingered, and she said: "My name is short for Sea Stone! I was created with the power of the Ocean's Flower, and, your Ally whom wears that necklace! You guys are stronger than what they were expecting! I am a testament to that!"

"Wow . . . " Vivi breathed, and then realised that everybody was looking at her. She blushed furiously. "I mean, umm, now what do we do?" She looked over at Emma. "That is to say ... what changed?" She wanted to know.

Emma smiled. A few of the others couldn't help but smile back. It was so good to see her standing there again, looking like she had never left their side! "I just ... got some help, to see things clearly." She told them all. "Somebody helped me to see what it was that I wanted and what I needed, and, more importantly, why I need you guys in my life."

"Who was it?" Sanji wanted to know.

Emma stopped. "Umm ... he was . . . "

Nami groaned. "You didn't think to ask him for his name, did you?"

"Uh ... no. I didn't." She replied, and everybody else just stared at her.

Ace was the first to recover, and said: "Well, regardless ... are we gonna get going?"

"Not yet." Emma replied. "We have to wait for Sumi-Chan, remember?"

"Do we have time?" Nami wanted to know.

Emma nodded, looking off into the distance as if she could see something that mines of the others could. "I think so. You guys all have to visit the springs first, and so ... you can probably do that tomorrow morning, by which time Sumi-Chan should be here. That is what ... that kind, handsome, caring individual told me." She nodded firmly. "That Sumi-Chan would be here by morning."

"Well, then, what are we gonna do until then?" Luffy sighed. "I don't wanna just sit around doing nothing!"

Emma looked at him. "Umm ... we could ... go to the Festival?" She suggested, and everybody looked around at each other. "It'll be fine," she assured them. "We don't even have to stay for long, if it's going to be inconvenient for anybody. Just for thirty minutes, okay?"

And, to everybody's surprise, Law was the first one to speak up and agree with her.

"That sounds like a plan." He said, coming over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. As soon as he did, her tiara and wings disappeared, and her dress became a black and pink yukata, but her mask remained the same.

Nami got the impression that Emma was blushing from behind her mask. She also got the impression that Ace was scowling from behind his. "Well, okay ... as long as it's really okay for us to be doing this . . . " She brightened. "It'll be nice to have some fun before we leave!" She added.

"Yosh!" Luffy agreed, as Usopp and Chopper cheered. He noticed that Robin had gone over to a nearby signpost. "Robin, is that signpost telling us which way to go?!" He called to her.

She nodded, smiling from behind her horselike mask. "Hai. It points the way to Kure Shoku Town."

"Then, let's go there!" Emma said.

"Yosh!" Luffy said again, and began to head off in the entirely wrong direction.

As the others hurried to pull him back, Emma couldn't help but smile.

I know that we've got a huge task ahead of us, and that I haven't had any proper sleep, but who careth?! I am back!

Thirty minutes turned into an all-nighter, and it was morning by the time that they all made it to Umi's Springs.

Robin was limping slightly after having danced all night. Luffy could barely move from having singlehandedly eaten a whole entire 'steporton' (which sounded like some guy's name but was actually a lamb in a pig in a cow - the Forest Realm's non-poultry version of a 'turducken'). Chopper had to be carried by Nami, since the reindeer doctor couldn't handle having no sleep and was currently in a zombie-like state.

Emma assured them all that the springs would heal them, just like what they do in The Legend Of Zelda, adding that if they could heal her of both her poisoning and the desire to go it alone, then, they would even be able to heal Sanji, who had suddenly gone weak in the knees at the sight of a beautiful woman waiting for them at the hot springs.

"He's just feigning loss of vitality!" Nami snapped, handing Chopper to Usopp before marching over to drag Sanji away from the woman.

Emma, who had been on the lookout all throughout the Festival for the people that she had met the day before, tried my to sound disappointed as she said: "Where's the other Spring Keeper?"

"He's taking a few days off, Emma-San." The lady replied. Emma didn't even bother to ask her how she knew her name. "My name is Scarlett." She added and, before Emma could ask her anything more she directed the men off to one side of the hot springs ("Of course, Scarlett-Chan!" Sanji exclaimed, before Zoro dragged him away) and took the women with her to the other side, leaving Emma alone with her thoughts.

She sat down on a nearby bench, just as a group of little kids in primary school sailor-style informs came by, led by an older woman.

"Soshite kore wa Umi No Onsendesu." The lady said in Japanese, and the children all exclaimed excitedly and looked at the pamphlets that they were carrying. She was speaking in a normal tone - ie, not for anybody that might not completely understand the language to understand - but, Emma got the gist of it. "Kokode wa, umi no musume ga nakama o matte iru koto ga wakarimasu."

The children all pointed and gasped in awe, scribbling notes.

"Anata-teia wa konpasu o mimasu ka?" A little girl with golden-tanned skin, round yellow ears on the top of her golden brown hair, and a long yellow tail that ended in a golden brown tuft said.

"Konpasu wa totemo kireidesu!" Exclaimed a girl with strawberry blonde hair, grey eyes, and a small pair of white wings on her back that Emma was certain had been there before she'd died.

"Kanojo no kubi no kizuato miemasu!" A brown-haired girl who looked like she might be part Fishman added, scribbling furiously on her notepad. Her small fang-like teeth flashed as she grinned, and pointed to Emma's neck.

"Sasanaide!" A little girl with black hair and three dark brown eyes scolded the half-Fishman.

"Sumi . . . "

Jeez, I feel like I'm watching myself, Krystal, Mayling, and even Kimberly, but from the One Piece World. Emma thought to herself, as she quietly removed herself from the location to let the class get on with its tour. Also, this must be how Harry Potter feels.

Still, what the little half-Fishman girl who reminded Emma of herself had said made Emma think of Sumi ... the bit about her neck and when she'd apologised.

She was wondering where Sumi was, and continued to wonder, but not for very long.

A pair of hands were suddenly clamped over her eyes, and an all too familiar voice exclaimed: "Guess who!"

Emma gasped. "Sumi-Chan!" She exclaimed, jumping up and turning around to see the teal eyes of her friend glittering as she grinned.

The two girls hugged.

"Oh, it is so good to see you again!" Emma told her. "Did you just get here?"

Sumi shook her head, making her pigtails swing. "Iie. I got here early this morning, but Scarlett-San said that you guys were still at the festival."

"Oh ... sumimasen . . . " Emma apologised.

"Don't be." Sumi was still smiling. "I watched those kids do their tour of the Peaceful Falls area. Aren't they just the cutest?"

"Hai." Emma agreed. "Especially the half-Fishman girl, lion girl, three-eyed girl, and Skypiean girl!"

"Reminded you of somebody?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

They sat down side-by-side on a wooden swing that was suspended out over ... an abyss. There were no straps to secure them, but, Emma felt confident that she would be fine in doing this. "I have so many questions for you, I don't know where to begin! But, first . . . " She sobered. "How are you doing?"

Sumi knew what she meant. "Well, I've certainly felt better. I still can't quite believe what's happened. Oyaji was the Strongest Man In The World ... how could he just be gone like that?"

Emma nodded, glad that Sumi understood. "I know. Do you ... umm, I mean, do you know where he is?" She asked her friend.

Sumi had a very faraway look in her eyes. "He's up there, on Level Seven . . . " She said, very slowly and carefully. "And, that's where he'll have to stay, at least until all of this is over. He may not be happy about it, but, that's the way that it has to be." She looked over at Emma. "Can I ... can I tell you something?"

Emma blinked, but then noticed how hesitant and serious her friend looked. She nodded silently.

"When they were transported to Marineford," Sumi said, and her tone was very low and grim. Emma could almost see things playing out before her. "Everything seemed to happen as if it was the war all over again."

Yes, Emma could definitely see it. The smoke ... the gunfire ... the blood ... the chaos . . .

"And," Sumi went on. "The Marines just kind of stopped after awhile and let Teech approach Oyaji, separating him from everybody else." Emma closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that were threatening to escape. "They exchanged a few words, including how Teech is the only one that Oyaji won't call 'son'. And, he attacked Teech. But ... he was unable to kill him. Whether by choice or because of the powers of Darkness, I know not. But, what I do know is that, seconds later, the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates struck. It was a fast, vicious, brutal, and relentless onslaught of attacks. And, by the end of it, Oyaji had sustained two hundred and sixty-seven sword wounds, one hundred and fifty-two gunshot wounds, forty-six wounds from cannonballs, and a direct strike of pure Celestial Darkness ... Emma-Chan, be careful! You'll fall off!"

Emma felt an arm slide around her and pull her close, and she sobbed into Sumi's shoulder for a few moments.

"I know," Sumi whispered. "I know . . . " She waited until Emma had calmed down, and then she said: "But, know this, Emma-Chan." Emma looked at her through her tears. "He may have sustained all of those injuries, and yes he died as a result of them, but . . . " Sumi lifted her head, almost proudly. "He never once fell. Not to his knees, nothing. He remained standing, even in death. And, he never once received a single wound to the mark on his back."

"Not one, huh?" Emma said quietly, and Sumi shook her head. "Just like you . . . "

"I know . . . " Sumi said, referring to where the magma-fist had gone through her. "I was very lucky."

"You weren't lucky, you died." Emma reminded her.

Sumi sighed. "It's not as bad as living without meaning." She said sagely. "Plus, I get to be with my Tha-Chan, so, I'm very happy. But ... Emma-Chan, you should know what Boss has said ... that, after all of this is over," she looked out into the bright forest, which reminded Emma of the Vulture Culture / Forest Frenzy levels from Donkey King Country. "Travel between the Mortal Realms and the Celestial Realm will be . . . " She trailed off.

Emma sighed. "Cut off, I know. And, that's the way that that has to be. I want to see him ... one last time, before I go, however." She said suddenly,

"You will." Sumi told her, confidently. "They won't stop you from doing that. He's your Father. They know that. They've known it all along."

"Yeah . . . " Emma glanced sideways at her. "They're not the only ones who've been keeping secrets ... you've known all along that I'm part ... you know . . . "

Sumi smiled calmly. "Would you have believed me if I'd told you?" She asked her.

"No, probably not." Emma admitted. "Sumi-Chan, did you recognise the Ocean's Flower when you saw it again?"

Sumi looked startled. "Why? How did you . . . ?" She narrowed her yes, slightly. "What did my Mother tell you, Emma-Chan?"

"Nothing, much." Emma responded. "It was actually Ace-Chan ... what . . . ?" She suddenly realised that Sumi had started grinning again.

"Oh, nothing," Sumi shrugged. "Just a few things ... Portgas D. Emma!"

Emma gaped. "Oh, no, don't tell me . . . !"

"I won't." Sumi was still grinning.

"Besides," Emma sighed. "I'm not changing my name. At least, not until I get married again in the Mortal Realm."

"Oh, I wanted to be the maid of honour!" Sumi complained.

"Tough luck," Emma replied. "Depending on where it is, it's either gonna be Nee-San or Vivi-Chama."

"Not Nami-Chan or Robin-Chan?" Sumi blinked.

"Robin-San already got to be a bridesmaid in the Ocean Realm," Emma informed her. "And, Nami's going to want to be the caterer, I guarantee it."

"She was talking about charging admission."

"I'll bet that she was!"

They swung in silence for a few minutes, before Emma started talking again (trying to ignore the fact that Sumi had distracted her from the topic of the Ocean's Flower, for now).

"Sumi-Chan ... about what happened on the night that ... well, you know, that night on Dawn Island?"

And, once again, Sumi knew what she meant. "You want to know why I leant you my wings, ne?" Emma nodded. "Well ... let's put it this way, for now, Emma-Chan ... my old Devil Fruit powers aren't the only reason why I knew about you having Divine Powers."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Emma asked her.

Sumi just smiled. "I'll tell you when everybody else gets here ... oh, look, her comes Luffy!" She said suddenly, as the swing stopped and she made to get off.

"Sumi-Chan, matte," Emma grabbed her arm. Sumi looked back at her, quickly. Emma had a very serious expression on her face. "Okay, very quickly. One, do you know exactly what it is that we'll have to do once we get to Level Zero?"

"Hai." Sumi's expression matched Emma's own. This was extremely serious business. "That's part of the reason why I'm here - to guide you."

Emma nodded. "Perfect. Will you come with Law-Chan and I when we confront Teech?"

Sumi didn't miss a beat. "Of course I will. And, will you come with me to The Cave Of Phosphorescent Flowers?"

Emma looked surprised. "Well, I was planning on heading there myself, to help Little Death."

"Excellent." It was Sumi's turn to nod. "Those two things will overlap, as it is." She caught the look on Emma's face, and correctly interpreted it. "Daijoubu desu, Emma-Chan." She said. "What was the other thing?"

"Two other things." Emma corrected her, as they both jumped off of the swing. "Next, do you know what happened to everybody else? I mean, I know that many of our brothers and sisters died," she swallowed. "Demo ... what about Grandpa Garp? And Carue?"

Sumi closed her eyes briefly, and Emma feared the worst, but then Sumi said: "They're alright ... I mean, The Goddess Of Death hasn't taken their hand yet, or wing in Carue-Chan's case. It'll be okay, Emma-Chan." She said, and Emma believed her.

She nodded. "Alright. I trust you. And, finally, Sumi-Chan, about my Mother . . . " Sumi's eyes suddenly glazed over, and Emma realised that Luffy was now within earshot. "I mean, my Mother's friend, Queen Otohime-Sama ... is she okay, after I just took off and left her like that?"

Sumi nodded. "She understands. She also believes in you. In all of you." She added, just as Luffy reached them. "Luffy! How did you go with the ritual?"

"Ritual?" Luffy blinked in surprise. "You mean sitting in the hot springs listening to that old Douglas-Guy droning on and on about absolutely nothing?" Both Emma and Sumi just stared at him. He grinned. "It was fine. I fell asleep and nearly drowned, so Douglas-Guy said that I was done and let me leave early."

Once everybody was back out, Sumi took charge and led them all to the Cursed Gates.

Even though it had been bright and sunny on the way there, a dark shadow seemed to loom over their destination; the sky was back to darkness, although it lacked the stars from last night - instead, it was dark purple and scarlet red. A set of huge black wrought-iron gates that seemed to be emanating some sort of strange and sinister energy loomed over them. Unlike the golden Holy Gates, with their barrier clouds on either side of them, the Cursed Gates had low concrete walls on either side of them, with iron fences that had pointy bits on the top of them just like what you see associated with old-fashioned cemeteries in movies. The statue of a strange birdlike creature perched atop the gates probably added to that.

At about twenty feet away, Nami, Chopper, and Usopp all stopped and stared in complete and utter horror.

"Kuina said that it was just a name!" Nami cried, clearly not wanting to go any further.

"I-I think that I preferred the Holy Gates!" Chopper squeaked.

"You guys, they're not actually cursed." Sumi told them patiently, as she turned around and waited for them.

"Oh yeah?" Usopp said. "Well, they look pretty cursed to me!"

"Yeah, well, they're not." Sumi replied. She put her hands on her hips, but, she was still smiling. She had been expecting this kind of reaction, after all. "Come on, you guys, it's not going to be that bad."

"Then why is it day time over here but night time over by the gates?!" Nami demanded to know. "That isn't normal!"

"Nothing about this place is normal, Nami." Zoro rolled his eye.

"Hey, look!" Luffy jumped over the clear line between where Emma, Ace, Law, Vivi, Sumi, Brook, Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and Franky stood in what was inherently nighttime, in to where it was daytime. "I'm in the day time!" He jumped back. "Now, I'm in the night time! Day time! Night time!"

"We get it, Luffy." Nami said, scathingly, from where she, Usopp, and Chopper stood in the 'daytime'. She had a look on her face that clearly challenged Sumi to convince her that this was safe.

"Don't you guys want to meet with The Goddess Of Death?" Sumi asked them.

"NO, WE DO NOT!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper all screamed.

That was certainly not going to do it.

"Daytime! Nighttime!"

"Luffy, watch out for that rock." Emma spoke up.

"I have that disease that makes me allergic to the Darkness!" Usopp was telling Sumi.

"Oh, Usopp, you do not." Sumi said, patiently.

"Keep trying." Ace told Sumi. She was still smiling, so, clearly she had one last trick up her sleeve.

As it was, however, it was Robin who revealed it. "You three," she said to Nami, Usopp, and Chopper; the three of them all looked over at her. "Would it help if I told you that the writing that I saw on Cici yesterday told me that The Goddess Of Light would appear before us to show us the through the Darkness?"

That stopped everybody, except for Emma, Ace, Law, and Vivi - they, instead, all turned to look at Sumi, whose wings had suddenly started glowing, and a ray of light shone down through the clouds onto her, illuminating her halo.

"No way . . . " Emma breathed.

"W-ay . . . " Sumi replied, in a singsong voice.

The others, meanwhile, were all looking at Robin, and then Nami said: "The Goddess Of Light? When do we get to meet with her?"

"Where is she?!" Chopper wanted to know.

"Who is she?!" Usopp added, just as Luffy tripped over the rock.

"You already have." Vivi said, somewhat absentmindedly, as she went to help him up.

"And," Robin added. "She's standing right over there." She pointed, and, everybody else turned.

Sumi smiled. "It's me." She said simply. "I am indeed The Goddess Of Light . . . "

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Me: This is the longest chapter.

Ace: The longest chapter so far.

Me: Touché.

Turducken = turkey-duck-chicken.

Steporton = steak-pork-mutton (cow-pig-lamb).

Japanese Lesson:

Soshite kore wa Umi No Onsendesu.

And this is Umi's Hot Spring.

•

Kokode wa, umi no musume ga nakama o matte iru koto ga wakarimasu.

Here you can see that the daughter of the sea is waiting for her nakama.

•

Anata-teia wa konpasu o mimasu ka?

Do you-teia see the compass?

•

Konpasu wa totemo kireidesu!

The compass is very beautiful!

•

Kanojo no kubi no kizuato miemasu!

I can see the scar on her neck!

•

Sasanaide!

Don't point!

•

Sumi . . .

Sorry . . .

~More Backwards Talk With The Piggie Gremlins~

(Remember that Boom-Shakalaka is ALWAYS said normally)

Su htiw kcab meht ekat ew!

We take them with us!

•

Seno nesohc era owt eseht!

These two are chosen ones!

•

Reh tuoba tahw?

What about her?

•

Fo ekops Boom-Shakalaka taht eno eht si ehs!

She is the one that Boom-Shakalaka spoke of!

•

Oot semoc ehs!

She comes too!