A/N: T.T

Okay so, I'll keep it short. The week has been insane, I injured both hands, and due to some anxiety and ADHD issues striking me harder than usual, I'm still on semi-hiatus for Kyoudai and this chapter came later than I wanted. I'm going to try to get back on schedule within the next two weeks, though! Thank you everyone for sticking with me and for all the lovely reviews/messages/tumblr encouragement! I know I didn't get a response to everyone, but I'm gonna try harder this time around. Now that all my belongings are here, I should really be settling in soon!

Dedicated to Beyond Kailani, who clearly has the patience of a saint in dealing with me, and really picked me up this past week. You're the best, and thank you for beta'ing on such short notice as always!

And for some reason this got cut off but, thank you to Kailani-chan for the AWESOME fix to my problem about the division commanders. Credit to her for my decision on who's leading the 2nd Division, and for her giving me the best inspiration all the time. You are AMAZING, and don't you dare deny it! I will always come to you with my plot problems, you wonderful WONDERFUL cupcake!

Quick note: this is 10 years prior to the main story, so I took some liberties with the Whitebeard crew and the setup

Houtai = Bandage

Bonds of Sea and Fire

Chapter 12: The Moby Dick

There was no polite way to say it. Paradise was boring.

Sure, to any pirate just starting, fresh out of one of the four Blues, Paradise probably seemed like an endless adventure with a new challenge around every corner. Even those born there had little experience navigating the seas and encountering the many different islands and climates Paradise had to offer.

But for pirates who'd spent the last several years in the New World? Paradise was nothing.

Still, there was a sense of calm as they headed farther away from the archipelago. Haruta had gone back to sleep in Whitebeard's lap during their ascent, with the other commanders exchanging exasperated grins. He'd remained there until the new head nurse had insisted he return to bed for rest.

He'd been confined in the infirmary for over a day before finally escaping. The boy thought it was his fault they were returning to Paradise, and it was a shame she couldn't tell him otherwise.

Not because it was true; it just happened to be convenient.

As the former head of the medical staff, she knew more than all the other commanders combined, except for maybe Marco, but he wasn't there and that meant she won by default. Stormy gray eyes flickered to the deck at the sound of Haruta's voice, followed by disgruntled noises that could only be coming from Vista. A wry grin touched her lips as she watched their youngest brother attempting to find something to cure his boredom, likely to distract him from having to think about his own inadequacies as a fighter. It wasn't that he was particularly unskilled, but his lack of experience when measured against the commanders would always make him feel inferior.

She had firsthand experience with the inferiority complex, given how long she'd argued, how hard she'd fought, and how triumphant she felt to be holding the position of a commander alongside fourteen brothers who hadn't expected a woman to be eligible at all, let alone surpass the other candidates.

Whitey Bay wasn't angry with them, though. It was well known on the ship that Whitebeard's personal beliefs kept women from the frontlines, only allowing them into battle in a defensive siege or as a last resort. As such, all of the women who'd become part of the family were on the medical staff or at least trained as combat medics. Some had left the ship to join an allied captain, giving them the freedom to fight as they pleased, but it didn't make them any less family. Whitebeard simply did not impose such rules on an allied ship.

Even if Bay knew she was an exception to the rule and not the beginning of a change, she understood Whitebeard's intentions were not meant to be derogatory or discouraging. That was why she'd informed him that she'd keep off the front lines despite her position if he wanted, with an unspoken agreement between them.

Some day, the title of Second Division Commander would be too small for her, and as a proud daughter, she'd become a Captain in her own right.

"I thought you said you'd pull a prank with me," Haruta moaned, drawing her attention again. He was stalking behind Vista and holding tightly to the back of his cape. "You said you would!"

"I rescind my offer," Vista complained, continuing on his way. "You should be resting."

"I've rested enough," Haruta gave another tug, but it did nothing to slow the older man down. His shoes simply continued to slide along the deck. He may as well have been trying to pull the ship itself, for all the good his tugging did him.

"You really should be taking it easy, kid," Fossa added, leaning back against the steps and shaking his head. "You almost lost an arm."

Bay tilted her head to regard Fossa, catching his eye and grinning when he sighed at her expression. She was almost positive she'd spoken similar words to him once when she'd been a mere rookie, and the only reason she'd gotten away with it was because her status in the medical staff had given her authority to declare if a man was fit for battle or not.

"I've been taking it easy all week!" Haruta protested. "And Vista won't go back to sparring with me. I'm bored as hell!"

"I'm not giving you lessons until you've finished healing," Vista stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "And we've already heard that Marco the Phoenix was sighted in Paradise, so save the pranking for when Thatch is back."

"Thatch is more fun anyway," Haruta grumbled, finally relinquishing the cape. "And he doesn't have a stupid mustache."

"I'll have you know, my mustache is dashing," Vista said with an indignant air.

"Dashing… sure, we'll go with dashing," Rakuyo commented, pushing blond dreadlocks from his face and lounging over a railing.

"Don't any of you have anything better to do right now?" Vista complained.

"Do we?" Rakuyo retorted. "Nothing happens here."

Bay had to resist the urge to snort at Rakuyo's childish response. None of her brothers would have lasted a week in the medical staff, except possibly Jiru, when all they wanted was a good fight or a source of entertainment half the time.

"Nonsense," Vista dismissively waved a hand. "One of those Navy ships is going to get ballsy sooner or later and try to make a move. Marco the Phoenix sighted in East Blue, the Moby Dick coming back to Paradise… I'll bet the marines are losing their minds right now."

"Not to mention Red Hair was in East Blue just last year," Fossa added, grinning around his cigar. "They probably think we're plotting something."

Seeing the deflated sagging of Haruta's shoulders as the conversation turned to Red-Haired Shanks and the possibility of a naval attack, Bay shook her head. She'd helped treat Haruta when he'd initially gotten injured, and while the gashes had been worrisome, she knew his pride had taken the deepest wounds. She had never been one to coddle, but there was a difference between babying the injured and comforting them.

"C'mon, Haruta," Bay pushed away from the railing and approached, causing everyone to turn in her direction. "The boys are being overprotective again. Why don't you spar with me?"

"Bay," Vista's voice held a warning note in it, but it did nothing to deter the young woman from coming to a stop in front of the pair, a casual hand resting on her hip.

"You can stop yourself there, Vista," Bay grinned at him. "Haruta has every right to be bored out of his mind, but at least I can sympathize with him on being strictly banned from battles."

Haruta immediately abandoned Vista, moving to latch onto Bay's cape instead. "Seriously? You'll spar with me right now?"

"I don't see why not," Bay shot a smirk at Vista, as if Haruta clinging to her cape meant she'd won every argument they'd ever had. "Mustache-man here doesn't really have the authority to tell me I can't, now does he?"

Haruta grinned, before turning to Vista and sticking his tongue out. "Bay's right! We're gonna go spar!"

Vista threw his hands in the air, obviously annoyed but unwilling to argue the matter. It was obvious his assessment of Haruta's health was skewed by his worry, as evidenced by Bay overruling his decision. Even if she was new to being a commander, she was not new to being the medical authority on the ship, and he respected that. "Just don't injure yourself further, Haruta. And Bay, don't overdo it. He's still bleeding."

"Barely bleeding," Bay chuckled. "You're almost as bad as Marco right now."

"Ouch," Haruta said, cocking his head to the side. "She's comparing you to Marco. That means you're being a mother hen."

Vista scowled, muttering under his breath as he stalked off.

"Let's go," Bay said, placing a gloved hand on Haruta's shoulder - the one that wasn't currently wrapped in bandages - and guiding him to the door to go below deck. Most of the commanders were lazing about in the sun. It wasn't just the location; things had always been less lively whenever Thatch was gone or sick. Personally, Bay was glad he'd been gone for so long. It meant she got to surprise him with her promotion and demand all of her favorite treats for the postponed party.

"You're not just taking pity on me, right?" Haruta asked, still holding onto the back of her cape.

"Kid," Bay moved her hand to whack him upside the head, making him yelp. "We don't have time for pity around here. You can wallow or you can fight for what you want. What's it gonna be?"

"I'll fight," Haruta grumbled automatically. "I'll fight harder than anyone else and become a Division Commander one day too."

"That's the spirit," Bay placed her hand back on his shoulder. "And Oyaji didn't move us here because of you. Keep that between us though, okay?"

Haruta's eyes widened, but he nodded. Despite his love of pranks and mischief, he was actually rather adept at keeping secrets. "Can you tell me why?"

"Not right now," Bay answered. "For now, we work on your fencing or I send you back to the infirmary."

"Okay," Haruta readily agreed to drop it, not wanting to risk having to go back to bedrest. He'd never seen Bay's ability with a sword, but any sparring was better than no sparring.

...

"You can go play with your brothers if you want, you know," Thatch offered, grinning down at Sabo. They were both standing at the counter, but while Thatch was chopping dozens of onions for a dish he was preparing, Sabo was on a stepladder in front of a mountain of potatoes, only a fourth of which he'd managed to peel. "I don't mind doing this."

"Izo said you have people help you on the Moby Dick," Sabo reasoned, inspecting the potato he'd just finished. "But you've been preparing all our meals by yourself since we met."

"Well, I got Marco to chop fruit for me, like, once," Thatch recalled with a nervous laugh. "He wasn't very good at it."

"I never imagined big name pirates doing stuff like this," Sabo tilted his head to the side. "I mean, Marco's got a high bounty, doesn't he? That's why people are nervous when they hear his name."

"Oh, yeah he's basically the first mate on our crew," Thatch answered. "But he's never tried to act like he's better than us. More mature, maybe, but that's a given."

"Does he have a lot of responsibilities?"

"No more than any other commander, except Marco likes to take on more than he needs to all the time," Thatch snorted.

"You guys have mentioned commanders a few times now. What exactly do you mean by that?" Sabo asked.

"Oh, well, our crew is huge," Thatch explained. "And we get new members all the time. Right now we have fifteen divisions, and fourteen commanders. We're all pretty equal in terms of power, and we all have about the same amount of responsibilities in managing crew members."

"What happened to the fifteenth commander?" Sabo asked.

"Actually he was the Second - be careful not to cut yourself - Division Commander," Thatch corrected. "There was an incident and he was killed a few years ago. Marco's been handling that division since we haven't found a replacement."

"Sorry, this is the first time I've ever peeled potatoes," Sabo apologized. "Am I doing this right?"

Thatch set his knife down, carrying the full cutting board closer to the stove and rinsing his hands off before rejoining Sabo. "Here, like this," he said, taking Sabo's hands in his own and peeling several potatoes in the span of ten seconds. "If you angle like this, you won't have to worry about cutting your fingers."

"Oh," Sabo's cheeks darkened. "Sorry… we never really did anything fancy back on the mountain, and I never got to see the servants preparing meals or-"

"Hey, hey," Thatch laughed, letting go and grabbing a potato to help. "I studied cooking for years. I went to an actual school for it once. I've been cooking longer than you've been alive. You really don't have to apologize to me for needing time to learn. If you're really interested, though, I can give you lessons."

"Maybe," Sabo gave a sheepish grin. "I mean, I don't think I'd be making anything fancy any time soon, but I'd like to help out." He hesitated, watching Thatch go through potatoes like he didn't even have to think about it. "When you're back with your division and you have a lot of helpers, would you still want me to help out…?"

"Well that's still a few weeks away, so there's no use-" Thatch blinked, then nearly sliced his finger off as he turned to Sabo, dropping the potato and the knife. "Does that mean you guys have thought about our offer to stay?!"

Sabo had to look away, because Thatch's bright, wide-eyed expression complete with a dopey grin looked too similar to Luffy's when he was being given extra meat at mealtime. "We've been thinking about it."

"And?" Thatch pressed, perking up even more.

Sabo laughed. "Well… to be perfectly honest, I like the idea. Luffy too, but he'll never actually join another crew. He still intends to be a Captain in his own right. Ace…" the laughter trailed off. "Well, as long as your crew accepts Ace, we'll accept a new home."

"So what you're saying is, as long as Ace feels accepted with the crew, you boys will stay with us?" Thatch asked.

Unable to help himself, Sabo flashed a toothy grin. "And Izo said you were an idiot…"

"Yay!" Thatch pumped both fists in the air, then paused. "Hey!"

Sabo laughed again, dropping everything to clutch at his stomach as he doubled over. "You really do remind me of Luffy!"

Thatch pouted. "Well, I like Luffy, so it's not like I mind the comparison, but I also know you guys say Luffy is your idiot, so I have mixed feelings…"

"Yeah well, you're both idiots, but you're not so bad," Ace's voice came from the doorway, and to his credit, Thatch didn't jump. He was getting used to Ace popping up out of nowhere to weigh in on a conversation.

"Hi Ace," Sabo turned, grinning cheerfully. "Where's Luffy?"

"With Marco," Ace admitted, glancing over his shoulder for a moment before looking back to his brother. "He got restless and started shooting all over the deck."

"And you're not up there making sure he doesn't fall in the water?" Sabo asked, an incredulous expression on his face.

Ace shoved a hand through his hair, scowling. "Marco told me he'd make sure Luffy didn't get hurt."

Thatch opened his mouth, then quickly shut it, grabbing more potatoes. The last thing he needed to do was tell Ace - who was clearly trying to trust Marco - that Marco was the last person on the ship who could save Luffy if the boy actually fell in the water. Then again, even if Luffy somehow managed to fling himself out of reach, Marco would easily be able to retrieve him before he actually hit the water.

Sabo grinned. "Luffy'll be fine. Wanna help us peel potatoes?"

"Not really." Ace came closer anyway, obviously still in the process of internally convincing himself not to march right back up onto the deck to keep an eye on Luffy.

...

"How did you even manage this, yoi?"

"I don't know," Luffy answered honestly. "Mango, why are you upside-down?"

There was a soft sigh, almost swallowed by the wind. "It's Marco. And you're the one who's upside-down."

"Oh."

"What the hell are you two even doing up there?"

"Hi Izo!" Luffy called cheerfully. He tried to wave, but all he managed was a wiggle.

"How come you always get Izo's name right, yoi?" Marco muttered, tugging on one of Luffy's limbs. "Does that hurt?"

"Nope," Luffy said with a cheerful smile. "I'm made of rubber."

"Well, can't be too careful, yoi," Marco sighed. Although Luffy wasn't in any actual danger, he was still glad it was Izo coming to check on them and not Ace. He'd taken his eyes off the hyperactive boy for less than five seconds, and in that timeframe, Luffy had somehow managed to rocket himself into the rigging of the main sail, catch one foot in a rope, and tangle himself around the mast. His automatic reaction, which had consisted of flailing and kicking to try and free his foot, had somehow ended with him tied in multiple knots and suspended upside-down. Luffy had laughed it off, but Marco had almost transformed in his haste to get to him.

"Do you need help up there?" Izo called.

"No. Just…" Marco trailed off, staring past the knot of Luffy's arms as something gleamed in the distance. "Izo?"

"What?"

"Is that what I think it is?"

Izo blinked, then turned to follow Marco's gaze, walking over to the railing to get closer. He had to squint, but as soon as he found it, there was no denying what it was, even from such a distance. "I'll change course."

"What is it?" Luffy inquired, wiggling a little. One of his arms snapped back into place thanks to Marco's nimble fingers working away at the knots.

"It's the Moby Dick, yoi," Marco answered, a grin spreading across his face. "I didn't expect to see them in Paradise."

"Your crew?" Luffy stretched his neck to get a better view, but the flagship was only a speck on the horizon as far as he could see.

"Yeah," Marco finished with the knots, waiting until Luffy's body snapped back into shape before catching him in one arm. "Let's go get your brothers, yoi. It's time to meet the rest of the family."

Luffy's eyes lit up. He happily wound his limbs around Marco's torso so the older man didn't have to hold onto him while they made their way back down the mast. As soon as they touched the deck, Luffy was jumping back out of Marco's reach and racing off to find his brothers.

...

Ace couldn't keep the apprehension from showing in his eyes. He knew every single person except Luffy, who was too caught up in the excitement of seeing such a large and unique ship, could tell how uncomfortable he was. No one had drawn attention to it, even though he'd honestly expected Thatch to say something to make the situation worse. It wasn't intentional, but in the few weeks they'd been travelling together, it had become a regular occurrence any time a sensitive subject had come up.

If Izo noticed Thatch about to open his mouth during a sensitive moment, he usually managed to interject and stop it from happening, but Izo wasn't always there to act as a filter, and the crossdresser was currently speaking with Marco while Thatch hung back. It seemed like the plan was to have Thatch remain behind on the smaller boat with them while Marco and Izo explained the situation to their captain.

"I wanna go look," Luffy whined, breaking the tentative silence. "Why can't I go look?"

"Because we're waiting for a ladder," Sabo answered patiently, offering what he hoped was a reassuring smile in Ace's direction. "Then Marco, Izo, and Thatch are going to introduce us to their crew."

Luffy bounced on his heels, reaching up to tug on Thatch's shirt. "Ne, Thatchy, is your crew nice?" he asked for what had to be the fifth time since they'd pulled up alongside the gigantic ship.

"They're nice to friends," Thatch promised. "And you guys are friends."

"We could always stay down here," Ace mumbled, staring at his feet. He could hear the voices shouting down at them, and while the tone was overall one of excitement and welcome, he was ready for the mood to change the moment they were spotted with the adults.

Sabo looked to him for several moments, then grabbed his arm and tugged him away from the group, his expression serious. "Ace." He was grateful to see that Thatch hadn't tried to follow, and that even Luffy could tell they needed to speak alone. "They're not going to know."

"What are you talking about?" Ace muttered, pulling away and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sometimes, you seem to think people will instinctively know, just by looking at you," Sabo answered, placing a hand on Ace's shoulder. "You tense up and then you don't even give them a chance."

Ace sighed in obvious irritation, watching Marco and Izo climb the ladder in silence. It took several moments before he spoke again, turning to look Sabo in the eye. "I can't do anything about that."

"I know, but I'm hoping reminding you will help you relax," Sabo admitted. "Besides, we-"

"Ack, Luffy, wait!"

Both brothers whirled around, just in time to see Luffy flying up from the deck of their tiny ship and narrowly missing being grabbed by Thatch.

"That idiot!" Ace swore, rushing for the ladder and pulling himself up without a second thought. Marco and Izo had already vanished, but he didn't know how many people would be up there or what trouble Luffy could get himself into before they helped him.

"He'll be okay," Thatch tried to reason with them, but neither listened as they scaled the ladder ahead of him.

...

Despite how unexpected it was to run into his family in the middle of Paradise, Marco couldn't help but smile as he hauled himself over the railing. He landed on his feet, casually offering an arm to Izo so the other man would have an easier time.

"Thank you," Izo said, standing next to Marco and grinning at the others while they gathered. Every single commander, several crewmates, and of course, Whitebeard had come to greet them.

"We sent you to find Thatch," Vista commented with a grin. "So where is he? Taking his time?"

"We didn't expect to run into everyone here," Marco said, placing a hand on his hip and tilting his head to the side. "We have a slight… situation, yoi."

"What kind of situation?" Bay asked, moving to the front and flashing Marco a bright grin.

"We've already heard rumors about your presence around here," Jiru added, smirking. "What happened to being discreet?"

"Did someone actually make you lose your temper?" Blamenco taunted.

"Don't crowd him," Whitebeard's voice quieted them all as he approached, his perceptive gaze cutting right through to Marco. "Now then…"

Before Marco could answer the unspoken question, there was a thud right behind him, followed by a yelp. A blur of red and yellow shot past them, causing several commanders to tense in preparation of an attack. Whitebeard's hand shot out to catch the blur, causing both Marco and Izo to take a step forward. Neither reacted with panic, even though it was an automatic response when it involved Luffy doing something reckless, because it was Whitebeard, and their trust in him was absolute.

"Wah!" Luffy dangled in one of Whitebeard's large hands, and his small stature made the already massive man's hand seem even larger.

"What the f-"

"Watch your mouth, Blenheim," Kingdew interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest and studying the child dangling in their father's hand. "It's an infant."

"It's not an infant, Kingdew," Bay rolled her eyes at him, but she was grinning. "It is a little kid, though."

"Whoa!" Luffy yelped, staring up at Whitebeard, then looking to the deck. "Ossan! You're huge!"

"A little kid who isn't the slightest bit intimidated by being on a pirate ship," Vista commented, chuckling at Luffy's assessment of Whitebeard's size.

"Is anyone else going to ask why he came flying over the side of the railing?" The only fishman in the crowd pushed closer to get a better look. "Is anything about this normal?"

"Normal enough," Rakuyo shrugged, elbowing Bay. "Go get it."

"Marco can go get him," Bay snorted. "I'm not the mother hen here."

Marco sighed, noting that the others were bickering and speculating, but Whitebeard himself wasn't paying them any attention. He was watching Luffy, regarding him with bemusement and curiosity while waiting for Marco to make some kind of introduction. "That's-" he started, his voice causing his siblings to quiet down, but he was interrupted before he could finish by the frantic shout of an overprotective and freckled big brother.

"LUFFY!"

As both Marco and Izo had expected, Ace came toppling over the railing a moment later, Sabo quickly trailing behind.

"I told you, Luffy's gonna be fine! Slow down!" Thatch whined, last to climb the ladder and looking thoroughly chagrined. "I'm sorry I didn't catch him before he used his rocket!"

"Luffy, you idiot!" Ace scolded automatically, completely ignoring Thatch as he hurried forward. "What did we say about doing that?!" He froze, quickly shifting to angle his body in front of Sabo's as he noticed their audience. His hand moved as if reaching for a weapon before he cursed under his breath at the realization that he still hadn't replaced his pipe.

"I don't remember," Luffy answered with a cheerful grin, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere. "Ne ne, Ace, look at this Ossan! He's huge!"

"Luffy," Sabo clenched his jaw, then placed a hand on Ace's arm to stop him from acting on his hostility. Of the many crew members that had gathered, several stood out as intimidating to the boys. Luffy was fixated on the most intimidating of all, but he wasn't even the largest or strongest looking man there. Sabo was honestly a little more wary of the fishman, but only because he'd never seen one. At least the giant men still looked like men. "You said you'd listen to us, and we told you not to go on ahead…"

"Oh, yeah," Luffy recalled. "But Sabo, look!"

"Well now," sensing there would be no calming the chaos without first getting some names, Whitebeard lifted his hand, bringing Luffy to eye level and opening his palm so the boy was no longer dangling. "Who might you be, little one?"

"I'm Luffy," Luffy introduced himself, standing up and placing his hands on his hips. "The man who'll become the Pirate King!"

Ace slapped a hand over his face, while Sabo groaned. No one seemed sure of what to say to that - although Marco gave a lazy smirk, and Thatch grinned like a proud parent - until Whitebeard started laughing, the booming sound almost causing the children to stumble.

"What a cheeky little brat," Whitebeard laughed, turning his gaze to Ace and Sabo. "And you?"

"Those are my brothers," Luffy answered before they could. "Ace and Sabo. And we're not staying unless you like Ace, Ossan."

"Luffy!" Ace snapped, practically growling his name. "Get down here, now."

Luffy turned, frowning at the genuine anger he saw on Ace's face. "Ah, I made Ace mad…" Rather than argue or try to change the subject again, Luffy pulled his arm back, then pushed forward, extending it at his brothers. His aim was awful as always, something Marco, Thatch, and Izo had all witnessed in an impromptu training match between Ace and Luffy several days earlier, but Sabo was able to reach out and snatch Luffy's hand before it recoiled.

The blond gave a tug, yanking Luffy out of Whitebeard's hand and catching him with a grunt. "Stay close," he scolded once he had Luffy back on his feet.

"Okay," Luffy agreed, standing between Ace and Sabo.

"Did… did his arm just stretch?" Bay asked. "Is he a devil fruit user?"

"Yes and yes, yoi," Marco answered, his smirk widening a little when he saw the blank stares.

"Aw, I get it," Bay sauntered over to Thatch, moving into his personal space and flicking his pompadour. "You heard about my promotion and brought me a present of three little brothers, huh? How sweet."

"Yeah well, you know me, and it's not like they're that much younger than Haruta so, wait, what promotion?" Thatch asked, blinking at her.

"Bay's the new Second Division Commander," Rakuyo explained. "We were waiting on a party until you got back. No one wanted to cook anything fancy."

"She's a girl," Luffy stated.

"Yes," Izo answered, nodding to Bay in acknowledgment before turning to Luffy.

"But girls don't like pirate stuff," Luffy explained, furrowing his brow. "I asked Makino all the time, and girls don't like pirate stuff or robots."

"Luffy," Sabo hissed in the same moment Ace tried to cover Luffy's mouth. "Don't be rude!"

Ignoring Rakuyo and Vista's snickers, Bay turned her attention to Luffy. "Well, I am a girl and a pirate. And I think robots are cool."

"Oh," Luffy popped his head up, stretching his neck a bit to avoid having his mouth covered. "I see! I like you. Wanna join my crew?"

Ace opened his mouth to admonish Luffy again, but the laughter echoing from almost everyone present had him pausing, trying to gauge the mood. He had expected someone to ridicule or insult Luffy, but their laughter wasn't mocking or condescending despite the ridiculous offer a seven-year-old boy had just given a commander on a giant pirate ship in front of her captain. He exchanged a glance with Sabo, but the blond only shrugged in response, satisfied that Luffy was still smiling.

"Okay," Marco said, his own chuckles dying down. "We need to speak to Oyaji now."

"Where's Haruta?" Thatch asked, looking around inquisitively.

"Infirmary," Kingdew answered solemnly.

"Infirmary?" Izo echoed, narrowing his eyes.

"He's fine," Bay promised. "Few new bruises to add to the mix, but that's because his primary teacher obviously didn't focus enough on teaching him to parry."

"Shots fired," Jiru snickered to Rakuyo, who grinned at the scowl on Vista's face.

"Do we need to put Whitey and Vista in separate corners?" Thatch joked, making his way over to the boys and putting a hand on Sabo's shoulder. "Try and behave. We have guests."

Bay stuck her tongue out at Vista, then grinned at Thatch. "Only because you asked so nicely, Pompadour-boy."

Whitebeard chuckled again. It took several more tries to break up the reunion, but soon enough, Marco and Thatch were following Whitebeard to the captain's quarters while Izo herded the boys back to Thatch's vacation ship to retrieve their belongings.

...

"So," Whitebeard set his jug of sake beside the bed as Thatch and Marco finished explaining, having gone through it during the course of the story. He'd only asked for the bare minimum in facts, and even with little detail, he could see how much his sons had come to care for their charges in such a short amount of time. "I send two sons to retrieve one, and they come back with four…"

"It's not like I planned it," Thatch complained. "I explained that!"

"And they haven't agreed to stay, yoi," Marco added. "Luffy will stay if his brothers do, but Ace is the one who ultimately has the final say."

"Sabo told me he wanted to stay, but only if Ace feels accepted," Thatch exchanged a glance with Marco before looking to Whitebeard again. "Ace is the real wildcard out of the three."

"Something's troubling him," Marco added. "Whenever he starts getting obvious about it, Sabo steps in, yoi. And even though Luffy barely listens to a word anyone says half the time, if Ace is starting to have trouble, he drops everything the second he notices. Whatever's bothering Ace runs deeper than almost losing both his brothers, yoi."

Whitebeard studied them both, but neither seemed uncomfortable by his scrutiny. Thatch wore his heart on his sleeve and knew Whitebeard would take into account how much he wanted the boys to stay, and Marco would never try to lie or hide anything from his father and captain.

"What do you think, Marco?" Whitebeard finally asked, indicating he'd already made a decision, but he wanted to know Marco's thoughts before he revealed it.

Marco held his gaze for several minutes, trying to discern exactly what aspect of the situation Whitebeard wanted him to weigh in on. He knew his father was not looking for more details about their fighting abilities, and they'd already explained the boys' home situation, including the fact that all three were basically orphans. He wouldn't be asking for Marco's opinion of the boys either; it was already clear in their explanation that Izo, Thatch, and Marco himself had grown fond of them, as well as the fact that the boys returned the sentiment to some degree.

Ah, Marco realized, a slight smile curving his lips. "I think Ace will come to trust us enough to tell us why he automatically feels like he won't be accepted, yoi. Or Luffy will let it slip before he has the chance. They might get comfortable with us before then, but they won't see this as a home or a family until that happens."

"And you're sure this is what they want?" Whitebeard questioned, ignoring Thatch's nervous fidgeting.

"No," Marco answered honestly, shaking his head. "But I'm sure it's what Ace and Sabo need, yoi."

"Not Luffy?" Thatch asked.

"Luffy will stay with them, yoi," Marco reminded Thatch. "He doesn't necessarily need to be here, but that doesn't mean he can't be happy if he stays. He knows what he wants in life, but the others…"

"Oh?" Whitebeard asked.

"Sabo is looking for freedom. He just doesn't know what freedom is," Marco explained, lowering his voice. "Ace is looking for an answer, but I don't know what the question is. Luffy is the only one who seems happy to the core, yoi."

Thatch lowered his gaze, sighing softly. "You're right," he admitted. "When I first rescued Luffy, he was worried about his brothers and he missed them, but he held onto the belief that they'd find him and everything would be okay…"

Marco nodded, but neither one of them spoke up about the way Ace and Sabo had acted in contrast. It would only be a rehashing of information they'd already given Whitebeard.

"Go and check on the little brats," Whitebeard chuckled, seeing the anxiety in Thatch's expression at the reminder of how much the boys had struggled in the beginning. "They can stay. We'll take it from there and see how they handle it here."

"Okay. Thanks, Oyaji," Thatch said with a wide smile. "I brought sake from Zeff, and some extra from Loguetown. I'll have someone bring it up." He gave a cheerful wave as he left, though Marco remained in place.

When Whitebeard stopped chuckling, he grinned at Marco. "If you have something to say, go ahead and say it, Marco. I know that look."

"Fair enough, yoi," Marco pushed away from the wall with a slight grin, heading over to the bed and sitting on the edge. "I want to know the real reason you brought the crew to Paradise. It's not because of Haruta, yoi. If that was the problem, you would have done it when he joined us. It's a convenient excuse the rest of them will go with, but you also let Bay take over a Division after refusing for over a year."

Whitebeard laughed again. "Reading into things again, huh?" When Marco didn't budge, he grinned. "Cheeky as ever, I see. Alright, I'll tell you. Try not to worry your brothers and sisters. You know how Thatch gets when he worries."

...

"Where are we going, Izo?" Luffy questioned from his perch on Sabo's back.

"Oyaji obviously doesn't mind you being here, so I'm going to show you a room in Marco's division," Izo answered. "We can put your stuff there for now. You still plan to stick around for a little while, right?"

"Yes," Sabo answered before Ace could. "We really appreciate it."

"I wanna go look around," Luffy whined, plopping his head on top of Sabo's. "There were a lot of interesting people up there!"

"You'll get to meet them all soon enough," Izo laughed. "Those were the commanders. I guess we had a promotion while I was away. Never expected Bay to take over a division."

"Bay? The woman, right?" Ace questioned.

"Whitey Bay," Izo answered. "She's been head of the medical staff for years. Oyaji doesn't like having women go into battle, but in sieges, she always managed to find her way into the fray. She must have been pushing for this for a while behind the scenes."

"Is she strong?" Sabo asked.

"I haven't seen the full extent of her abilities in battle, but she has to be if Oyaji gave her the position," Izo reasoned.

"I like her," Luffy announced. "She likes robots."

Sabo laughed. "That's the only reason, Luffy?"

"Ace and Sabo didn't say she was a bad person," Luffy added.

"We won't know if any of them are bad right away," Ace argued. "So don't get too close to them."

Izo came to a stop outside one of the doors, pushing it open. "This room's empty. You three don't mind sharing a bed still, right?"

"It's fine," Ace answered, looking around the cabin. "How come this room's empty?"

"Well, the last person who had this room was too loud, so Marco had him moved," Izo grinned. "His room's right across from yours if you need anything."

"Oh!" Luffy's eyes lit up. "Mango lives next door? Yay!"

"Across, not next to us," Sabo corrected.

"Are all the rooms like this?" Ace asked with a suspicious glint in his eyes. "I expected barracks or something, with how big the crew is."

"There are division quarters, but there are a handful of rooms closer to each commander, usually saved for useful or reliable members in case the commanders need any extra help," Izo explained.

"But Marco doesn't need the extra help, right?" Sabo grinned, thinking back to his conversation with Thatch. "Thanks. I was hoping one of you would be close by if we needed anything. We know you guys, after all."

"I'll make sure you know where to find Thatch or myself as well," Izo promised. "We'll have to get a list for Luffy to study. He'll never even come close to remembering the names of all the commanders, anyway."

"It would be nice for us to study, too," Sabo commented. "Should we just wait here?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Izo nodded. "Marco can come get you when we're ready to eat." He waved to them as he turned and left, keeping the door open.

"Thanks, Izo!" Luffy chirped, hopping off of Sabo's back to investigate their new room. It was bigger than they'd expected, with a moderately sized bed against the wall, a desk and chair in one corner, and a small shelf near the door. Luffy immediately ran to the bed, hopping onto it and bouncing.

Sabo headed right over to the desk, plopping down in the chair while Ace remained near the door. "What do you think?"

Ace glanced at him, then shrugged, tossing the bag of their belongings into the corner and making his way over to the bed and sitting down while Luffy bounced around behind him, giggling his rubber head off. "Our place was better, but this isn't so bad for now."

"I'm intrigued to meet all of the commanders," Sabo continued on, grinning. "I've only heard about a few of them, and some of the other crewmates."

Ace glanced away. "They don't seem like a big deal."

"But we're on their ship, and they're being nice to us," Sabo reminded him. "Luffy, stop jumping on the bed, you might break it." Luffy obediently bounced back onto the floor, deciding to explore the cabin instead. "I'm glad the room is close to Marco's."

"Why?" Ace asked.

"Do you really need me to answer that?" Sabo asked, raising an eyebrow. "You let him babysit Luffy, alone, over open water."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ace grumbled, throwing himself backwards on the bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"Really?" Sabo asked.

Ace huffed, draping a hand over his eyes. "Fine. You're right. I'm happy we're close to Marco's room, too. I trust them, but only them. I don't trust everyone on this ship just because they're crewmates."

"Did you see the fish guy?"

"Fish guy?" Ace echoed. "You mean the one with the sharp teeth?"

"Yeah," Sabo nodded thoughtfully. "I've never seen a Fishman before, but I've read about them. And some of the commanders were huge, just like Whitebeard… I wonder why?"

Ace shrugged. "Maybe they… hey."

"What?"

The freckled boy pushed himself back up into a sitting position, scowling. "Where the hell did Luffy go?"

Sabo, who had been slouching almost lazily in his chair, abruptly sat up straight and looked to the open door. "Bloody hell."

...

Blue eyes fluttered open, a low groan escaping as Haruta started to regain consciousness. His entire body felt like lead, and the moment he tried to sit up, pain flared through his shoulders and down his spine. A low hiss escaped, in response to the pain, but he quickly clenched his jaw to hold himself back. Bay had allowed him to spar, but the nurses hadn't seemed happy with him being out of bed at all.

He managed to push himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the burning sensation in his shoulder, then breathed a sigh of relief when he found the infirmary to be empty. Either Bay had ordered the medical staff to stop crowding him, or something had happened to draw their attention away.

Haruta sighed, glancing to the tray of food on the bedside table. The fact that it had been laid out at all told him they thought his injuries were severe enough to keep him in bed again, even though Bay had barely reopened any of his wounds. He wanted to argue with that assessment, but he couldn't, not with the intensity of the pain surging through his shoulder.

He reached for one of the rolls, figuring he may as well eat it while it was hot, only to blink when it vanished from the tray. Chalking it up to sleepy hallucinations, he shook his head lightly and reached for the other.

When it vanished, he scowled. "Vista, you'd better not be screwing with me…"

With narrowed eyes, Haruta snatched the fork out of the tray and moved to spear his steak, but just like the rolls, it vanished before his eyes. Everything else disappeared shortly after, and he could only stare in disbelief. Vista's tricks were good, but not that good.

Before he could find his voice to demand answers, a head popped up near the tray, wide brown eyes blinking up at him. The younger boy wore a straw hat over unruly black hair, a sloping scar under his left eye.

"That was tasty!" he piped up. "Do you have more?"

"Do I have…" Haruta's eyes slowly widened. "Hey! Did you take my food?!"

"Yeah, I was hungry," he answered. "So you don't have more?"

"Of course not!" Haruta snapped. "You just ate it all! Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Luffy!" the boy gave a cheeky grin, completely unapologetic for having stolen all of Haruta's food. "What's your name?"

"Haruta," Haruta answered automatically, only to scowl a moment later. "Don't change the subject! What are you doing on the Moby Dick? You're just a little kid."

"I'm not a little kid," Luffy argued, sticking his tongue out. "Mango and Thatchy and Izo brought me here with my brothers. Ne, Houtai, are you sure there isn't anymore food?"

"Houtai? My name is Haruta, not Houtai," Haruta complained. "And I'm sure you ate it all-wait…" Haruta's eyes widened. "Did you say Thatch? They're back?"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded, walking around the table and climbing onto the bed. "Thatchy makes way better food. He was gonna make us something to eat, but then we saw the ship, so we didn't get to eat yet."

"Where's Thatch now?" Haruta asked, looking around with a frown and ignoring the stinging pain in his shoulder at the motion. "Did he come to visit me while I was sleeping?"

"I dunno," Luffy answered, reaching up to hold the brim of his hat on both sides, rocking back and forth on the bed. "Izo took me and Ace and Sabo to a room, but I didn't see Thatchy again. He went to talk to the huge Ossan with Mango."

"Do you get anyone's names right?" Haruta muttered under his breath and not actually expecting an answer. "I guess you wandered off and got lost, huh?"

"I was hungry," Luffy answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Haruta responded with another sigh. "In any case, you ate all my food, so you may as well go now." Luffy tilted his head to the side, but he didn't budge from his spot on the infirmary bed, which caused Haruta to frown. "Do you want something else?"

"Are you down here all alone?" Luffy questioned.

"Do you see anyone else?"

Luffy turned to look before he answered, grinning sheepishly. "Nope! You don't look like you want to be alone though, so I'll stay with you even though you don't have anymore food."

"What if I want to be alone?" Haruta countered.

"Do you?" Luffy's tone was purely curious, round eyes blinking up at him in a way that made it hard to act tough and lie about it.

"Not really, but what about the brothers you mentioned?" Haruta asked.

"They'll come find me soon," Luffy said with absolute certainty, a wide smile stretching across his face. "Ne, Houtai-"

"Haruta."

"-wanna be my friend?"

...

A/N: Sorry again for being late with the update. Hopefully my hands heal soon so I can get working. I have so many plans for this story, and I'm so excited to share them!

Until next week! (Unless I seriously just implode, in which case I'm sorry in advance xD )

~Mithril