A/N: Woo…. if I haven't responded to those who sent me a PM I'm sorry. Life can be frustrating. Here's the next chapter and hopefully you enjoy, if not then that's okay too.

The desert of Alabasta can be as amazing as a painting, but it can also have a brand of horror the likes you will never imagine. Dark shadows that will creep upon you at your uncertainty and take you in to the arms of death. There are creatures that will rob you of your personal belongings just because they can. The sands are scorching, the sun will always pierce you, and many dangerous species will prey upon you. Bandits also prey upon the travelers that were foolish to cross their path.

With the tension rising there were those willing to use the situation for their advantage. A tan-skinned man sat on a chair as he read the morning paper. He was bald and had deadly black eyes, he wore an earring on his right ear and sported a scar across the right side of his face. He wore a hooded jacket and red pants as well as sandals.

He gazed at the paper with interest and perked up. "Alabasta is quickly deteriorating. It won't be long before these fools kill each other." He tossed it aside and leaned back. "We should set out soon to watch the fallout. As soon as my spy informs me of the rebel's plans to attack we'll be out. Then I can use this siege to steal treasure from the palace and then leave this humid land. That bastard Crocodile on the hand can be a problem."

His name was Badnis, leader of the Red Pepper Bandits of Alabasta. The man and his group roamed from one place to another, refusing to be motionless for a period of time. The group will attack travelers and take what they need, supplies necessary to live and if it could last during the long journey. Every now and then the Red Pepper Bandits invade nearby villagers for supplies and hunt for animals out in the desert. Tonight, they were dining on those birds that thought the bandits would share empathy for their physical state.

Not happening. Those birds would trick uninformed travelers by pretending they succumbed to injuries and once their guard was down the birds would spring up and take everything from the tricked.

For now, they were hidden in one of the two rock formations. Their temporary home had caves to hide themselves and a long path between them for travelers to walk through. As opposed to other resting spots they had been here for weeks.

"Boss."

Badnis gazed up at two of his men equipped with sabers who looked similar to each other. They were brothers. One brother had one red outfit while the other had a blue outfit.

"Speak." spoke the leader with a relaxed tone.

"Ton and I were still wondering if it was wise to let the lady travel with that man."

Badnis snorted. "It was her decision, she's my apprentice after all. The choice she made was hers alone and it's too late now to call her back." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That man….in his eyes I saw a dreamer. For her she saw ambition worthy enough to follow. She decided to follow to see if that man could accomplish this ambition of his or kill him for failing. Either way we won't see her for quite some time."

The two men nodded toward their leader. They still did not like his treasured apprentice following a shady character, but there was no point in thinking about it. They had other matters.

"In the meantime." He pulled out a bottle of wine and formed a crazy grin. "We party again! It's too boring around here! HA HA!"

The two men chuckled at their boss's instant enthusiasm. Despite him once being a ruthless pirate, he was an easy-going guy for those who knew him. When they met him, he looked lost and angry. Now his anger was less and more enthusiastic in lifestyle

News spread throughout the hideout prompting the group to drop their guard. They started chilling and throwing a festival of sorts throughout the cavern. Conga lines and singing rained through the domain.

-Outside the cave-

Three people stood watch on various points, each sporting cloaks to rid the sun from their skin. They were watching for unsuspected travelers they could pilfer from. After all, if you want to cross the desert you were bound to come here. If travelers were not around they could venture into town to steal.

One of the men then spotted group of travelers approaching in the distance. He equipped a long-scope lens on the telescope and analyzed the group. A small animal, a dopey looking man, another man with locks of blonde, another with three katana, a woman with a spear, another woman, two hat wearing men, although one had strawhat. Why did that seem familiar. The last woman, he could see traces of blue hair.

He smirked. These people would be ripe for the taking, but the ones who were battle ready would be taken care of easily by Tin, Ton, and the leader. Quickly he ran to find the boss while his fellows spied on the travelers.

-inside-

"BOSS! BOSS!"

Badnis gazed up from his arm wrestling at the lookout. "What?"

"People are coming!"

Badnis blinked and tilted his head. "Always at a bad time! Fine." He yawned and slammed his fist on a table, telling everyone to be silent. "Tell everyone we have rats approaching a trap. How many?"

"Five men, three women and a pet."

"Are they armed?"

"One man is armed with three katana and one of the women has a spear. The others might have other tricks and abilities."

"Let me take a look before we do anything stupid. You know the usual plan, wait for my signal."

The former pirate was next seen standing on the ledge with a telescope in hand. Two of his men were with him. He adjusted the lens to get better view of the approaching group. As clear as his man said. A girl with a spear and the man with three swords. He couldn't see their faces, as they were still shielded by hoods. Those two would be dealt with by Tin and Ton, but he can handle all of them if needed.

Suddenly, one of the people broke off and started running while carrying equipment.

"The way he is running he'll be here in a short time. I want you to watch that brat and be sure to tell me if he looks familiar."

The man saluted and ran off. Badnis continued to gaze at the group. They could either pose a threat or mininal inconvenience to him. He eyes widen when one of females pulled her hood off for a bit before putting it back on. That blue hair. He recognized that hair. He recognized her face. Her whole being from the pictures.

"One of them is Nefartari Vivi."

"Are you sure? She's been missing for years."

"She turned up with a bunch of escorts. This will be interesting." He chuckled. "Change of plans. We will kidnap her. I want the smoke bombs ready. After we have her, we'll deal with her escorts and then deliver her to the rebels as a bargaining chip."

"Why not ransom her to the royal family?"

"Because I despise the king and the rebels will have more power over the monarchy once they realize they have the princess." He closed the telescope. "We begin once they settle down. Tell everyone to wait for my signal."

"Right."

-later-

"Damn it Luffy!" shouted Usopp. "Next time slow down and don't run off!"

Nami sighed at the restful captain. "Glad you're all rested." There was exhaustion in her tone. "Let's stay here for a bit."

Chopper panted. "I concur. An hour?"

Vivi nodded. "Sure."

Anya turned to Ace with a grin. "Still the same right?"

Ace nodded. "Still the same dopey brother. With you guys here I have nothing to worry about."

Zoro shrugged. "He's the captain. Sometimes we bail him out of trouble, other times he takes care of the idiots in his way."

Ace smirked. "And Anya?"

"She's a good fighter."

"That's it?" Ace raised a brow and scratched his head. He spotted the man gazing at his sister. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but the purple haired girl told him about how they fought 100 bounty hunters back in Whiskey Peak. There was a tint of red on her cheeks whenever she described him fighting. She is a girl so it's natural, but there was some form of attraction she had toward the man. The girl did not seem like the type to throw herself at men and never the one to care too much about her looks... that he knew. 4 years makes a difference.

Zoro looked the type to devote himself to fighting and if Anya wanted him she would be saddened if he didn't return the same feeling, but she was a big girl. She would probably just challenge him to a fight.

The pirate hunter looked confused and then shrugged. "She's quirky and non-traditional."

The fire user chuckled. "Non-traditional... you can say that. She just like any other girl, play nice."

The pirate hunter gave him a raised brow, still confused. "… okay?"

Usopp glared at the doctor. "Can't you unzip your fur or something?"

"If I could, I would!"

"But then you would be naked."

Anya grimaced. "He'd be less cute."

Chopper's face fell in a split second and a sudden electric pain shot through his heart. "less…cute?"

Usopp nodded. "He'll just be a rat."

That same tingling sensation again. "A…. rat?"

"Guys." Vivi scolded. "Don't scare Chopper. You know he has an active imagination."

Luffy smiled at the blue haired woman. "Vivi what kind of monsters are here?"

"There are no monsters, but there are various animal and plant life that could harm you."

Sanji seamed intrigued. "Plant life? Something like Poison ivy?"

"No, giant plants emerging from the ground to eat you." She said without worry.

Anya chuckled at Usopp and Chopper jumping on a rock. "You say that so casually. Did you run into one?"

"No, I heard from people and read from books. We should watch out for these white birds that will pretend to be injured and steal our stuff while we're distracted."

Luffy laughed. "Yeah, like that will happen. No bird will fool me."

Sanji stared at the captain. "Are you sure? I heard you fell to hypnotism."

"That's different!"

Nami contemplated. "A simple mind from a simple boy. But that process somehow increased his strength."

Usopp shivered. "It made every single one of Kuro's men behave like animals and double the power."

"That's all in the past." Spoke Zoro. "If we don't want Luffy to be hypnotized someone has to help him." He gazed at the sister. "Right?"

"You look at me and expect me to be the den mother? Only to my brother I am. That's reserved to Nami."

"I am not the den mother to this crew." Nami huffed. "I'd be a terrible mom."

"I don't think so Nami-swan." The blonde chef leapt in front of her.

"Anyway." Nami roughly pushed the crazy chef away. "Ace is there anything you'd like to share about you past experiences?"

"I tried to kill whitebeard numerous times, but he knocked me out each time."

"I'm surprised you're still alive." muttered Anya. "Are you stupid or something."

Ace glared. "I had to imagine him as a bear cub to train though."

Anya blushed, puff her cheeks childishly and turned away.

"After that I became close to him, saw him as a father. We had many adventures, fought a couple of idiots. You guys should go to Fishman Island and try the saltwater taffy and their candy is too good for words. It's the best I've ever had."

Luffy slurped. "Really? Is it better than meat?"

Nami offhandedly clutched her shoulder. The same shoulder she stabbed herself repeated when she felt her spirit broken after Arlong ruined her plans. After everything she had been through she felt some resentment toward fishmen. She would've felt more if Hachi wasn't nice. Would she feel comfortable going there? It is far she will have plenty of time to reflect on it.

Usopp looked apprehensive the island. "You were there? What is it like?"

Ace gazed at them. He particularly stared at Nami and analyzed her posture. He sighed. It seems the prejudice still continued or at least some fear. He had never seen it in action and heard how fierce and savage the fishmen were, but that was before he met Jimbe. The current Shichibukai changed his belief of fishmen. He now believes they were just like the rest of the existence. Some good, some bad.

"Not what you think." He turned toward Nami. "Whatever your beef is with them…. There are always good seeds mixed with the bad."

Nami looked at the captain with surprise. Did he have a feeling about her connection to the fishmen or a guess? Regardless, he is right. She met Arlong, a bad fishman and not the others. She'll need to see if the rest of the species were the same as the fishman pirates then she'll have her final decision.

Sanji glanced at the two of them. Ace did not know about Nami's experience, but the second command had been to their homeland. He could be right, Arlong and his crew were a bunch of crappy bastards who took advantage of people. The rest of the fishmen weren't like that… right? Ace met them at their home. He knew Ace was speaking more to Nami than the others. He wasn't crappy after all.

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, not all of them are total dicks. We should have nothing to worry about right?"

Ace nodded and then frowned. "History has not been kind to both species. You'll see more of this as you travel." A grin formed on his face. "Any other questions?"

-moments before-

Badnis shifted through the wanted papers. He finally got a good look at the group. The blue haired woman he knew for sure, but the others. This made it a bit more complicated.

"Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace, second in command of the Whitebeard Pirates. Why is he here?" He gazed at the two of other. "Strawhat' Monkey D. Luffy and 'Lavender Lancer' Monkey D. Anya. That guy with three sword might be trouble, but…"

"Orders?"

"Throw the smoke bombs, get in, get the princess and get out. I'll lure 'Fire Fist' away and fight him, the rest of you distract and kill the other. Tin, Ton I'm counting on you."

"Right."

"Fine time to leave you crazy woman." He muttered to himself. "By the end of the day I'll piss off Whitebeard." He chuckled. "I must be going insane."

-now—

The bombs were tossed at the assembled group, causing them to go on alert. Smoke exploded from them and covered the terrain causing everyone to shield themselves and making sure not to inhale. A moment later, footsteps were heard and later a cry.

"AHH!"

"Vivi-chan!" shouted Sanji.

"VIVI!" Luffy bellowed

"WHAT'S GOING ON!" cried Usopp

"Can't – ack- see." Coughed the navigator.

"Anya! Back me!"

"Roger!"

Moments later a strong blast of wind erupted, clearing away the smoker from the strawhats crew and Ace's eyes. The group searched around until they found the sudden apperance of a cave entrance.

"That wasn't there before!" shouted Nami.

"Damnit!" growled Sanji as he marched toward the entrance. "Those bastards abducted Vivi. They could somehow navigate through the crappy smoke and take Vivi under us."

Ace nodded. "They had every right to kill us, but did not. Why?"

"A game." muttered Zoro.

"They kidnapped Vivi." Luffy's face looked unyielding. " We're going in. Chopper, Nami, Usopp. You keep watch out here. Stop anyone from coming by whatever means necessary. We're going in and send those bastards flying."

"Hold on." Ace called. "This is their turf and who knows what kind of traps they have."

Usopp nodded. "He's right we need to think this through before playing reckless."

"The more we stay out here the more they could be doing this and that with Vivi." assumed Anya.

Nami shook her head. "Don't think that!"

"My men aren't dogs." Everyone's attention turned toward the hole. Appearing from the entrance was Badnis. "I have a policy about such things."

Ace gasped. "You're."

"BASTARD!" Luffy launched himself toward the man with a fist raised.

"WAIT LUFFY!"

Badnis grasped the powerful punch before it hit his face. "Fire Fist… you and I will do battle."

Ace narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here? Badnis the Crimson Man."

During her time with her master, the bounty hunter would tell the girl to have some knowledge about the wanted men in the world. Anya never fully read all Wanted posters. She would reach into the stack of wanted posters her master acquired and pick out a poster at random. She did not care who it was, she did it because she was bored and figured she should know some of the outlaws on the planet.

She did not know every single criminal around the world, but out of the random faces she gazed at, this man was some of the few she drew from a stack of posters a few years ago. Anya swallowed a huge lump and held her guard.

"Listen to Ace. This… guy. This monster is from the New World."

"So?"

"Shut up!" Luffy blinked at the serious stare his sister gave him and then turned to Ace who stared intensely at the man with occasional glances thrown at him.

"HE'S FROM THE NEW WORLD!" Chopper, Usopp, Nami, and Carue ducked behind a rock. Sanji and Zoro stood guard,yet knew they were not at that stage yet.

"The better question is what are you doing all the way out here? Why stray from Whitebeard?"

"To find a man who committed an evil act on my crew. I doubt you know, but have you seen Blackbeard?"

Seeing the man's face eyes widen at the name was all he needed.

"Luffy, Anya." Ace spoke. "Get in there and find the princess. I'll deal with him."

Badnis nodded. "Do as he says boy. Fire fist and I have some business. I want to test myself and then maybe I'll give you information on that man. " He chuckled as the glare grew. "Come." He leapt high on the wall of the mountain and hopped quickly to the top.

Ace chuckled. His journey with his family ended sooner than it should. "Luffy, Anya. I'm sorry we couldn't stay together a little longer. After this I'm heading back to continue my quest." The older brother approached the two siblings and patted them both on their heads. "I'm proud of the both of you. Let no one come in the way of your dreams."

Luffy nodded intently while Anya rubbed a tear running down her face.

"Heh, we'll see each other again at the pirate summit. You two have the Vire Cards I gave you right?" They nodded. "Good. Once you guys rescue Vivi keep going. Go far and be careful. You might just feel a rumble between two pirates from the New World."

With one final smile he used his fire to propel him up to the top. The monkey twins watched him disappear before running into the cave. Sanji and Zoro smirked before heading in.

Chopper tears streamed down his face. "I wish I had a brother like that."

Usopp nodded while manly tears fell. "Isn't family great?"

Nami smiled warmly while thoughts of Nojiko filled her mind and then went to her hoped nothing would happen to man.

-Inside-

"Vivi!" Luffy roared as he stampeded down the long corridor.

"VIVI-CHAWN!"

"Does it feel like we're going down a slope?" yelled the dragoon

"No."

"Don't pay attention to Marimo Anya-chan. We are going down a slope."

"VIVI!" roared the captain.

"You think it's a trap?"

"Yes." Zoro replied to the girl with a smirk. "Might as well have an appetizer to hold us over until we get to the main course."

"Isn't that Sanji's theme?"

"Damn straight it is. You stole it Marimo. I'm suing for copywriting infringement."

"No copywrite law can handle me."

Anya sighed deeply as a light blush formed up on her face. "You're so cool Zoro-kun!"

Zoro snorted while pretending to ignore her praise.

"VIVI!" yelled the rubber man as the group managed to exit the corridor and into a large room with an upper deck. All around them were various men. When they saw the group, they started shouting and jeering.

Although, nothing could compare to Luffy.

"WHERE ARE YOU VIVIIIIIIIII!"

That shout silenced all of them, except for one person. "GUYS!" They all saw Vivi held by one of the goons. Then two figures appeared before them. Tin and Ton glanced down at the group and could only smirk.

"Welcome strawhats to our personal coliseum where we train. This here wi-."

"Shut up!" Anya shouted. "Save the dumb exposition for someone who cares!" Anya twirled her spear and slammed the polearm on the ground. "Which one of you wants to Salsa?

Zoro tied her bandana on his head, proving he was serious. "Here? A coliseum? Talking has no place in the world of combat."

"So many to choose from this buffet." Sanji smirked.

"RAHHHHHH!" Luffy charged forward.

"GET THEM!" Tin ordered. All the bandits charged forth, pouring into the collesium with dark intension. Their order was to keep the twins alive and kill the others. For the bandits this was an easy chance to get money. For the team of four… it's just small brawl before the big game.

"What do you know about Blackbeard?"

Ace caught up with the man on the second highest rock formation. The two of them were standing 10 yards apart from the other. Watching, waiting, and anticipating for the other to make a move.

"He came here two weeks ago and nearly thrashed my men with some weird power of his. I gave the cease fire and let him go, but he wanted to party. How can I turn away someone who likes to have fun? Is it against the law? We had that party and he started spouting nonsense like fate and destiny and how he'll change the world. I don't know what he was talking about, but it was enough for my apprentice to take interest." He stared North. "He stayed here for a while. He was fun, his crew were annoying bastards, but he was an okay party animal." He chuckled. "He left with my apprentice. Her reasoning: she wanted to see if he can change the world."

"You think he's not here anymore?"

"I just got her letter yesterday saying they left Alabasta. Saying to watch the man who will change the world. That bastard has some kind charm to get her excited."

"I see, after this I'm going to go after him."

"And kill him? I don't care what happens to him, but if you do then you'll be after her and I don't want you on her back." He slowly raised his arm as he formed a fist. He clenched it tightly as it started to change its composition to a red color with a rough surface. "I can't allow a whitebeard pirate to leave here. Yes, I'll be pissing the old man off, but who cares. Maybe I'll pin it on Alabasta. I wonder how he'll take it if someone in the royal family got the jump on you."

Ace narrowed his eyes. 'Pops would do it too.' He would go to hell to avenge his sons and daughters. Fighting here would not be as bad, but if he were killed here and it was pinned on the royal family then… if... no, when Luffy's crew stopped Crocodile there will be more problems for Vivi and the kingdom. Ace will have to come out on top if it means making Vivi happy. She would be crying or dead in Whitebeard's wrath.

He chuckled. Him? Fighting for someone he barely knew. A nice, cute girl like that deserves to see her kingdom free. So why not make this fight for her… or to make the strawhats job a bit easier.

"Sorry Badnis, I can't let that happen." Ace started conjuring up flames around him. "I won't. I'm giving this my 100 percent. You're the man who ate the Ruby Ruby Fruit. If 'Diamond Jozu' gave me a workout, so why not you?"

"Respecting me? Flattered. Fine." His whole body bore the resemblance of a ruby colored man, with half his face covered in the material. "This will be your grave!"

A stream of fire shot forward at the crimson man. Said man shot himself forward just as the flame engulfed him. Ace released the attack and blocked ruby colored fist to the face with an arm of fire. The two of them traded blow with shockwaves protruding with each hit. Then the punching ceased and the two grappled.

"Come on Badnis." Smirked the fire user. "I wonder how long your form can take the heat."

"As long as it takes 'Fire Fist'. My will is stronger."

"Let's test that."

"Fine!"

Badnis performed a maneuver where he flipped the man over his shoulder. Ace rolled to the side just before a fist impacted the ground, leaving a hold where rock was. Badnis jumped up to prepare for a stomp. Ace quickly got up and launched a fire ball that sent the man away. The fire wielder then produced a stream of fire at the falling man. Said stream wrapped around him like a rope. The D. man swung the rope around in a circle before yanking it down

Badnis grunted when his body impacted. The impact caused a huge shake in the terrain and carved a huge crater where he fell and sent cracks throughout. Badnis got up and glared at the fire user. He clenched his fist his as his arms and feet started turning black. A huge indicator that a large amount of haki was about to be used.

He shot forward. Ace gagged when he felt a kick struck him… hard. That propelled him away and sent him crashing into the wall. He tried to get out only for the man to appear before him with a punch. Ace used his intangibility to move behind the man and kicked him into his personal hole. He launched a stream of fire hoping to melt that material off the skin.

Badnis growled as he fought against the pressure. He moved against it with each grunt and just when he was close.

BAM!

The punch sent Ace soaring in the air. Ace felt delirious for a moment as he was projected back down. He snapped out of it and conjured up fire to stop falling. He calmly rubbed the blood from his cheek.

"Now I understand why people say, 'not the face'."

His focus turned to the crimson man walking toward him, yet worse looking than before. Good he managed to get a chink. Now for the rest.

-Inside-

"That was fun." chirped Anya.

"I'm disappointed." Zoro muttered. "A new world pirate occupies this place and his grunts are not on par with him."

Sanji shrugged. "Those two guys. Tac and Toe. They were good, very good, but not that strong enough. They probably relied too much on him.

Luffy grinned at Vivi. "Next is crocodile."

The princess nodded and looked at all the carnage the four pirates left in their wake. All the men were lying around in different places. Bruised, bloodied, and with cuts all over. Some of them were indented in the walls. Tin and Ton made a nice hole in the ceiling where their head were stuck. She just had to ask a question

"Anya, was it a good idea to show them your underwear?"

"I DID NOT" shouted the embarrassed girl. "This stupid outfit makes me nearly as slutty as that whore that made a fool of us. I am getting rid of it.

Sanji felt his heart snap at the thought. "But why?"

"The names they called me. All those names. My 'favorite' is 'Purple tits' and if the drapes matches the carpet. I don't know what that means, I'm pissed."

Luffy snorted. "They had it coming."

Zoro chuckled. "You were punching him for a long time." His gaze turn to the man with a poorly disfigured face. "You can barely make out his face anymore."

"It's my duty as the brother to protect my sister's dignity."

Zoro smirked. "Or what's left of it."

Anya huffed and noticed something out of place. Something was next to Vivi.

"What's with the camel?"

The blue haired girl gazed to her left at the camel. The camel jaw shot open instantly upon seeing the devastation.

"He was chained up here, Mr. Bushido came up and slashed everyone and freed the camel."

"We could use a camel when traveling. Why not take it?" suggested the swordsman

"awo."

Luffy tilted his head. "Is he trying to say something?"

"We can get Chopper to talk to it."

The group made their way back while talking about their next plan.

When the group returned more tremors were triggered, rock started to crumble, and occasional fire balls could be seen flying overhead

Usopp ran up to them. "We gotta get out of here. Those two are going to tear this place apart."

Luffy gazed up as the sound of battle took place. He contemplated for a second before he smirked. "He'll be fine.

"Do you mind leaving medical supplies Chopper-kun?" asked the dragoon.

Chopper looked at him curiously before nodding. "Sure, but shouldn't we stay here?"

Luffy shook his head. "Ace found what he was looking for."

Anya giggled. "He has own adventure while we have ours. He's not interested in saving a kingdom."

Nami walked forward. "Did you guys find any treasure?"

The swordsman snorted. "It was battle not an exploration."

"You stole that camel!"

"It was conveniently placed nearby."

"He says he's not it." Chopper spoke. "A male and his name is Eyelash. He thanks you guys for saving him, but."

"Guys!" Roared Usopp. "We have to go! NOW!"

A loud eruption of earth sounded the air. The group gazed up to see large rocks descending toward them. The group ran away with their gear, in time for large chunks to crash and only to make the pathway narrower. The group saw this and were in awe.

Usopp knees were quivering. "I-is this w-what h-happens when t-two super powered m-monsters clash?"

Anya whistled. "Amazing right?"

Zoro smirked. "Remember when Hawkeye cleaved Krieg's ship? That's only a sample."

Luffy laughed. "I know, I'm going to get stronger. I'll see Ace at the top and then fight Whitebeard."

Vivi gazed at the debris and then looked up above. Her mind was astounded how two men could cause this much damage. She then looked at the captain and the others. Just how much stronger will they get to cause? They'll only go further and continued carve their way to the top. She looked up in time for two figures to jump… or fly across... or jump. She gazed back to the group.

"We have to leave right? You said Ace would leave after this?"

Luffy nodded ."Yep, come on. Let's get moving to Crocodile."

"YEAH!"

Badnis slid back as Ace fire punching him over and over before launching a foot to his opponent's leg. Badnis cringed, momentarily dropping his guard. Ace grabbed the man, shot themselves in the air with fire, and then barreled themselves to the mountain. The impact caused them crash through the surface and into a room. Ace jumped away and gazed at the man. His eyes hardened when he noticed his body was reinforced, but the man still looked battle worn and blood was trickling down his mouth.

"Hardening won't help that much you know."

The statement made the crimson man slam his into the ground, causing a heavy tremor. He picked up a large piece of earth and tossed it. The action forced Ace to destroy the rock with a fire burst, but then was bumrushed into another room and then was punched by a strong haki imbued fist

"As much as it takes 'Fire Fist'. I can't let you go after my apprentice." He spat some blood. "I wonder how your comrades are doing?"

"They're doing fine, you didn't overtrain them did you?"

"Enough to live here. Not as much as my apprentice. If she were here, they would be in trouble.

"I'm glad she isn't."

"You are very dangerous element. Monkey D. Luffy, Monkey D. Anya and you. Portgas D. Ace. What is the meaning of D.?"

"How should I know?"

"Because Blackbeard revealed he was a D during a party. You're going after family?"

"The meaning of D. is not something I'm concerned about. It could mean anything, but there is one thing." Ace conjured up fire as a stern looked plastered on his face. "Teach isn't family anymore. For you, D, can mean." Ace's glare inensified. "Demise."

"Or dangerous." He faltered a little, the shock came to his face. He mentally cursed himself for opening himself again when he felt Conqueror's haki. That left himself open for a powerful fire missile that launched him through the mountain until it dispersed.

He grunted and swung his arms. destroying the interior even more as he dashed back. Ace saw that speed and dodge the blow then retaliated with a fire blast. Badnis increased his armor, causing the fire to disperse. A power kick to gut caused the pain receptors in his head to alarm. Ace yelped at the powerful kick sent him spiraling upward. He turned into fire and shot back. Badnis readied his guard as he was plowed through the transformed earth; he managed to deliver a punch that sent Ace into another room. Ace shook the cobwebs and noticed two women shrieking at his sudden appearance. He waved in a goofy manner.

It was short lived as he got rammed into another room by the crimson man.

Ace grabbed him, twisted him body and slammed him into wall while both were aerial. The two continued their physical strikes to each other. Fist to fist, knuckle to knuckle and even a foot to the face. Fire and Ruby were head-to-head. Haki vs. Haki. There would be one victor here. The continued clash was disturbing the scenery around them. Part of the foundation was tearing itself away and pieces of rock were falling.

The crimson man shot both palms forward. The impact sent the flame man through two rooms and into a path, but Ace shot back and delivered a punch. Badns gritted his teeth as he took, it hurt. He retaliated with a gut buster, causing the man to gag and counter elbow to the side. They delivered blood chilling blows that would take out a weaker man, but not them.

Ace unleashed a powerful fire cross, the compressed attack exploded causing the man to be sent away while leaving a trail of destruction.

Ace held his head, this needed to be finished soon. He couldn't delay the battle like he did with Jimbe and that was a workout.

So why not use it. Haki was conjured as he quickly grabbed his dagger just as the crimson man shot toward him with a punch that knocked him away. He dodged another hit that was aimed for his neck. Good dodge.

Badnis roared with fury for one moment, but then yelled with pain the next moment as his body was carved into by a haki infused Dagger. Blood started to emerge, causing him to quickly grab his chest.

Ace whipped around as he delivered a flaming kick to the exact spot, sending the outlaw away from him. Ace liked throwing a punch or two. Fire was cool, but when there are situations where you must rely on uncouth methods to win, he wasn't shy in doing it. He was an outlaw and there was no such thing as nice fighting.

He needed to end this as soon as possible or else the trail will run dry…. he chuckled at the thought. Ironic. Being in a desert and his trail running dry. He stepped forward and conjured up his power, the fire increased as he saw the metallic form advancing toward him.

"Sorry Badnis, if I play with you any longer, I won't be able to catch him. So… later."

Then a burst of flame spread out, covering area and terrain. Rocks crumbled just as it reached its target. Badnis was enveloped and could feel the heat accumulate. With a rise in temperature, he could feel the pain increasing. He scoffed and ran toward the source. Each painful step felt as if he was in the sun itself.

Her heard a crack, his body was cracking and melting. With one split distraction he met his fate. Ace burst forward and let loose a powerful punch.

Then everything went.

A burst of fire appeared over the horizon. The strawhat awed at the massive pillar striking toward the sky before vanishing as if it was never there. Feeling a slight fear, Anya took out her Vire card and scanned it. She frowned at the slight tinge in it, but it wasn't burning out."

"Is he okay?" asked Chopper.

Anya smiled. "Sensei told me the Vire Card can let you track a person because it connects them to their life source… or something resembling that, I don't know how. However." She showed it everyone. "The state of the person is represented by the state of the paper. If it burns slightly, he's inured. If it burns away… he dies."

Sanji analyzed the object in his hand. "Looks like he's only slightly hurt, overall he should be fine."

Luffy laughed. "See, Ace can't die and won't lose to just about anyone. He'll be stronger than Whitebeard one day and may take over. That way he and I will compete for One Piece."

Anya nodded. "He promised he won't die even if it kills him. We won't need to worry about him. We'll see him again someday."

Vivi nodded. "Shall we go? There should be a small settlement ahead."

"Yeah!" Luffy shouted. "Let's go and clobber that Croc!"

He lost. Badnis was terribly defeated. His opponent was sitting nearby drinking some water. He painfully watched his opponent place the gourd on the sand and stood back, rotating his arms and grinned. He walked toward him and squatted to downed man's level.

"How about this, I'll leave her alive while I kill Teach. I can just trap her in a cage of fire while leaving him for me."

"…" It was painful, he couldn't properly speak.

Ace rubbed the back of his head. "That's the best I can do for you since you care about her. You truly do care. A warrior's feelings can be felt when two fist connected and I felt them. So that's what I'm going to do.

"BOSS!"

Ace turned around to find the bandits approaching. They stopped when they saw barely injured Ace and their downed boss. They ran toward them knowingly they would not stand a chance. Ace simply shrugged his shoulders walked away. He was going back to get his gear before leaving.

"Boss, those pirates wrecked the whole place, freed the princess and took our camel. We didn't stand a chance."

Ace smirked, so his little brats had a strong crew after all. He had nothing to worry about. But, he had to do something while he was still around.

"Oi!" He shouted to them, drawing their attention. He put on the darkest of glares that was enough to send the weakest of men fleeing in terror. "If you go after them, I'll find you and end you. So not only do those kids get my protection, they get Whitebeard's protection." He watched as they yell in fright. Just hearing the old man's name was enough to give an impact. A name with meaning is powerful. Very powerful. The four emperors by name can inspire to almost anyone. Hearing Garp's name can inspire hope. Hearing Dragon's name will bring more terror to some and curiosity to others. That's how it is in this world.

And so, Ace walked away from the battle and went right back on his journey. As he rode the seas he thought back and let a calm smile ride his face. The monkey twins were doing alright."

A/N: I wanted to have Ace fight against someone strong, so I added this guy and made him from the new world. Plus, it ties into Blackbeard and the man seemed to gain another crewmate. Again, I hoped you like it. It's always nice to leave a review to tell me what you think every now and then.