"..."

I... don't really know what to say.

Really. Thank you, guys. Constantly going to and from the hospital for this past week or so was... tough. When I came home 2 days ago, the first thing I did was log onto my computer with the worst feeling of anxiety ever, because I had my sister write that AN, and I had no clue what kind of response to expect.

But... what I saw was just... so overwhelming. Really. If there was a word stronger than thank you, that's what I'd forever tell you guys. You're... just so goddamn amazing, can I just say that?

Almost as if forgetting how tired I was and how much my back hurt after the long trips back and forth, I just suddenly got pumped, and the result is this! A whole new chapter! (How did that happen?)

...Sure, it... might be the shortest chapter yet, but, it's all I had time for because I'm going back for yet another week at the hospital for surgery tomorrow. Please just see this chapter as my promise to you to never quit despite how tough the times are! I WILL. NOT. GIVE. UP. I mean, how could I possibly, with peeps as wonderful as all you guys!?

So I'll still try to write whenever I'm home and have the time. Updates will still be slow, but... I promise I'll keep doing my best! XD

Again, thank you thank you for your support, it's really just been the most amazing thing to happen ever since my back didn't hurt. (Love you so much, and I'll certainly respond to every single one of you at the end!)

Warning, I repeat, WARNING, this story contains some pretty gruesome explanations regarding injuries and is very heavy on death, even of some beloved characters. A bit of swearing too, but not more than what can be expected for a normal One piece fanfic :)

And without further ado (whoops, looks like a rambled a little up here as I've sworn not too, go down to the bottom to read the rest :b) here it is!

Chapter 9: Reactions are important you know

"So… that's what happened?"

The Gorosei turned silent to reflect on the many new troublesome pieces of information this recent update had given them. They were no pleasant news - as far from it as possible, that's for sure.

"Unfortunately, that's what the report said. And I have a ship full of injured officers who can confirm it all to be true," a nameless marine standing in the door - the unfortunate one whose job was to notify the Gorosei of the recent incident - affirmed as confidently as one could when in the presence of the most powerful and influential men to exist.

…

Silence.

While it wasn't uncommon for the five men to suddenly go quiet during a meeting, the current atmosphere was very unsettling.

The marine couldn't tell what exactly was going through the five elderly stars' heads, and their lack of words sure didn't help ease the unsettling feeling he got in his stomach.

While the Gorosei were by no means no fools who believed only fortune would ever come the government's way, there was a very clear cut line between bad news and news so upsetting even the most professional were bound to lose their composure eventually.

It took no genius to figure out which type of the two he was fortunate enough to have been tasked with delivering.

It took a full minute, but then finally one of the five elders, the oldest looking bald one wearing a white kimono, let out a sigh.

"We should have been prepared in case something like this happened... this is a complete catastrophe…"

The elder rubbed the bridge between his eyes, pushing up the rounded glasses covering his eyes by the motion.

Not surprisingly, none of the Gorosei were some to express much emotion. This kind of reaction only proved how truly disgracing the current circumstances were.

"The revolutionary army has been making alarming sets of waves as of lately… more and more countries outside of the marines' reach align themselves with that perpetual Dragon... His forces are undoubtedly growing stronger, and information is proving more difficult to uncover." Another one, the one with dreadlocks and a scar going across his eye summarised.

"That boy was the first potential weakness of Dragon's to be discovered thus far. Even if it was a gamble as to whether or not Dragon would actually come to his son's aid, we would have lost absolutely nothing by simply capturing and publicly executing the son of that despicable outlaw, even if that turned out to be the case." The bubbly elder with a mustache and birthmark continued as if reading his fellow elder's thoughts.

"We risked not sending in extra security even after the absurd amount of troops that were lost at Dawn Island to avoid catching any unwanted attention… to think that that exact precaution is what allowed him to escape is absolutely humiliating to the name of the World Government." The youngest looking one of the bunch continued.

"Indeed. We must use any means necessary to make sure he's recaptured immediately, dead or alive." The last remaining one, the tallest and long-haired man stated.

Even if, originally, the plan had been to make sure to take him kicking and still breathing at least. No matter if Dragon would even bat an eye to his son being in the clutches of the government, a corpse wasn't much good as leverage.

But still, he was simply too dangerous to be left running around freely. Dead was sure as hell better than if by some miracle, he managed to get in contact with one of those troublesome acquaintances of his.

"Understood sirs! We will have a wanted poster issued with due haste. With the entirety of the navy on his trail, he'll have nowhere to run and recovery is sure to be fast," The marine stepped in, knowing this was his time and place to interrupt.

The marines were everywhere after all. Any pirate could affirm that.

The Gorosei, however, barely even batted the saluting soldier an eye, though the looks they were sending him clearly showcased they were not fond of his suggestion.

"No. This is a job solely suited for the government's agencies. Not a single marine under the rank of vice-admiral must be allowed to get even a hint of any of this happening."

The marine found himself to be quite baffled by that order.

But… the navy's reach spread across more than 170 countries, plus a few unimportant unwealthy islands… across all the four blues, in Paradise, and to the New world!

There was no power as almighty and world-wide as the marines. Not one.

"Par...pardon, good sirs?"

"Imagine the sheer panic and chaos that boy's existence would cause to the public should any rumors start going around. If they were to ever learn that we failed to exterminate a threat like him, the people would begin to lose their trust in not only the marines but also the government as an entirety."

"He's the son of the main opposer who still dares to stand against us. It goes without saying the government should be the ones to have his head."

"Besides, the dangers of the connections that... child has are limitless…"

Red-haired Shanks. A Yonko and supposedly, a man who had stayed on Dawn Island for long enough to have come to care about the now non-existent island. And that boy as well… apparently, their friendship was built around a promise entailing he would one day surpass the Yonko.

The thought was laughable as of right now, but a few years ahead… 5… or 10 maybe… the danger of such a promise would no longer be a mere fantasy.

Fire-first Ace, a pirate (given he was still a rookie, but an incredibly powerful one, unfortunately) and also a newly approved commander under Whitebeard.

Another Yonko who surely would take action simply if Ace asked him to, that they had learned after many times foolishly attacking his 'children', as he called them.

And of course, Monkey D. Dragon. Probably the biggest concern amongst the three.

The revolutionary army was a powerhouse when it came to collecting information. And with no clue as to what the man who was in control of it all might do if - no, scratch that, when - he was to learn of this, he was basically a wild card.

And, unfortunately, a powerful wild card at that.

"It'll be colossally problematic if even one of those parties were to take direct action against the government. A wanted poster, even if the bounty is small, would not fail to capture their attention…. that is a risk we simply cannot take."

"...Yes sirs I… understand," the marine agreed, now seeing the flaw in his logic.

Well, not like he had any other choice. There was simply no arguing the most powerful celestial dragons - at least not if he held any form of value for his own life.

"What is the current state of Rob Lucci? It would be troublesome and yet another risky move to summon the remaining members of Cipher Pohl 9 with their current crucial mission at Water 7…"

All eyes turned to the marine for an answer. A hesitant look from the man suggested that answer wouldn't be quite as positive as the Gorosei would like it to be.

"W-well, even the most recent of updates all declare he's yet to regain consciousness... The doctors are unsure of how long it will take for him to wake up… a few days at least - spanning up to a few weeks if he's really unlucky." The marine stuttered, not too fond of the bad news either.

The Gorosei grew silent once more as they let the troublesome news sink in. Obviously, they strongly disliked the idea of having to wait for his recovery.

"This is all that damned Garp's fault… even if he's been serving the marine's for decades, this recent little stunt of his has caused us far more trouble than what can easily be accounted for."

"We can't forget about that other treacherous woman... She's been working diligently for the Cipher Pohl agencies for years at this point… none of us could have foreseen her betrayal."

"She deserves only the most horrid of punishments for the chaos she's stirred up… of course, she's already been restrained and is ready to be transferred at a second's notice… correct?"

The Gorosei turned his stern eyes back to the marine, expecting nothing but a yes as an answer.

This whole mess was already unfavorably enough for the government as it was, at least this much - taking care of a traitor who'd committed the ultimate crime - was still within their power, right?

"A-actually…" The marine began. Judging from his expression, that wasn't exactly the case.

"Don't tell me she was allowed to escape as well!?"

God, they swore, if this report entailed just one more negative thing then...

"N-no of course not good sirs! It's… she's… I mean, I'm… I'm sorry to report that… that she still managed to outsmart us in the end… she… took her own life by shooting herself with a gun she somehow got her hands on, all to avoid torture and questioning."

The marine lowered his head in shame. She got the easy way out, that he knew. With the government involved, there were, in fact, many fates worse than instant death.

Silence. It was very discomforting, though luckily, brief.

Another sigh was heard, but the marine didn't bother raising his head to see from whom.

"Well… if that's the case then there's simply to helping it… just do be sure to burn her corpse along with any other evidence of this incident ever occurring."

"And please ensure that the marines who were allowed to see the current state of the Cipher Pohl agency under no circumstances are to return to HQ. I'll leave the details up to you marines, of course."

"Yessir."

O-o-O-o-O

"Cheers men! To a successful voyage and the delicious food we can now eat because of it!" Laughed a certain carefree redhead for what was probably the twentieth-something time as of that evening.

Loud roars and a butt-load of cheering followed the captain's exclamation. They'd done this hundreds if not thousands of times at this point… they knew, that that right there, was an indication that the party was now on.

The red-haired pirates were… an interesting bunch to say the least.

Sure, as the crew of a yonko, they still did pirate stuff… traveling the 6 seas, arriving at new islands - in and inhabited to do all kinds of fun stuff… crushing newbie crews who were lacking the smarts to know challenging a yonko was unwise…

They, by no means, were a bunch of pushovers (uh… duh?), although first-time impressions of the group could lead one to think otherwise...

They never ever plundered a town for no reason. Most of the time, people were very welcoming when you didn't burn their homes to the ground, sometimes even allowing them to enter their towns and do regular shopping whilst only being a little wary of them.

And that - no beasts that needed to be fought and barbequed or other pirates who needed to be defeated - meant more time for parties.

Aaahhh yes… how the red-haired crew could never get enough of those. Party in the morning, during midday, in the evening… they didn't need an excuse to either. Every single little good thing was worth throwing a party for, following their logic.

If anybody had a problem with that, well... then they certainly would have a very hard time fitting in.

Yeah, they were pirates, but the crew would like to think of themselves as one of the more gentler ones. Like Whitebeard or ol' Roger.

The island they'd settled down on this time was small. Uninhabited. As usual, so they wouldn't bother anybody.

This, however, was definitely one of their less crazy parties… they'd brought a bunch of meat and, of course, immeasurable amounts of sake, but the decorations were lacking. Sure, there were a few bright paper lanterns every here and there, but that was about it. Pretty sloppy, yeah, but it would have to do for tonight.

Besides, the sky was clear, the stars were bright and all that. Who needed to waste time making decorations when you could simply stargaze anyway?

"Hey, captain, where're we headed off too next? I'd like to go someplace nice and cold after that last island… freakin place had damn volcanos…" A man somehow complained with his mouth already full of meat.

Shanks took a biiiiiiggg glug of his mug - impressively emptying it in seconds - before he even bothered looking at the complaining crewmember.

"Oh, I dunno… I figured we'd just head off in some random direction.. see where the wind takes us, y'know?"

Aaaand the flush on his face proved those were the words of a soon to be drunken man. Man, you'd think after partying so much, Shank's alcohol tolerance would've gotten stronger, even if just a little...

But nope!

"Captain. This is the New World, mind you. Even if it's the liquor speaking, that's a pretty stupid idea. We got that eternal pose at that last island, remember?" Benn Beckman, aka the vice-captain, aka the somewhat responsible one of the bunch suggested.

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that. GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Shanks laughed wholeheartedly like the big careless child that he was when party-mode was switched on.

Benn shook his head. Of course.

Man, unless something unexpected happened to intervene, this would be one looooooong party, the vice-captain could already feel.

Not that that was a bad thing, though. It just meant tomorrow would be filled with headaches, throw up, complaints about the sun being too bright and all the crappy symptoms that followed partying too hard.

"Purururururururu…..pururururururururu….pururururururu…"

Well, whaddya know, maybe Benn could foresee the future or something.

The ringing came from the den-den mushi placed conveniently on a makeshift table (it was really just an empty wooden box they'd carried from the ship). Huh, quite unusual. Not many had the guts to call a yonko personally.

Curiosity, as always, was too strong to resist for the redhead, though - so much so that he didn't mind they were in the middle of a lit party.

'Wonder who would call me… maybe it's Makino, I haven't heard from her in a while.'

He grinned at that, now too intrigued by that thought to possibly not pick up.

"Hello, this is Red-haired Shanks speaking. To whom do I owe the pleasure of receiving a call out of the blue like this?" Shanks happily answered, raising his voice so nearby men would lower theirs.

"..."

The yonko's kind remark, however, was met by nothing but silence. No introduction or a "Hi Shanks, it's been a while?" to indicate it could possibly be somebody familiar.

He frowned, and as did other nearby listeners when many seconds passed without a word being uttered. Was it a prank then? Damn, that took balls of steel - no, seastone even.

"Excuse me, but whoever you are, do you need something? We're in the middle of a party over here, and you're kind of impolitely interrupting."

Shanks lowered his voice just to make a point. Man, he hated getting half-serious in the middle of a party, and this was just a waste of time if nobody was gonna answer.

When, however, still nothing but silence sounded from the other end, Shanks's patience had been stretched to its limit, and the yonko prepared himself to end the call with the rude caller.

Of course, it could always be the navy pulling one of their usual traps… but why now though? Didn't they know by now that they couldn't just track their location, show up with a few dozen battleships and actually expect to win?

The redhead, however, was stopped dead in his tracks by a sudden unexpected voice:

"Monkey D. Luffy."

The name alone instantly caused all members familiar with the boy to come to an abrupt halt, their bodies tensed - visibly, and from shock - and all attention was now directed to the phone in their just as surprised captain's hand.

Almost as if a switch had been pressed, the party stopped, and everybody - no matter how drunk - did their best to keep quiet.

…

What had that unfamiliar voice just said? Luffy? As in, the same bouncy, joyous, small bundle of endless happiness they'd met at Dawn Island? Considering he said Monkey D. Luffy, there was, unfortunately, no mistaking it.

Although no words were said, the tensing atmosphere proved no members would take it lightly had something happened to that kid. His name was one to often be mentioned during their parties. No members, new or old, didn't know of him or in any form or way disliked him.

They swore, had this mysterious caller done something to hurt him, then blood - and lots of it - would be spilled.

"Who is this? How do you know that name?"

All carelessness was now gone from Shanks's voice. He was by no means calm, but he tried to keep his voice that way.

All depending on if this stranger had ill or not so ill intentions, that could prove crucial - a means of life or death, even, if this turned out to be a negotiation or the like.

The unknown caller took their time answering. So much so that Shanks for a moment thought they weren't gonna.

"I-... well… it's… a long story. My name's Bogard. I'm the right-hand man of Garp the fist. The marine hero," The gruff voice replied, sounding almost… sad as he did so.

"Garp?"

Shanks's brows furrowed at the familiar name.

Well sure, he knew him. Personally even, he'd say. He had witnessed that monster fight his 'unrivaled' captain so many freaking times there were even points where he thought Roger might actually have lost to him.

Although, from what the rumors - on more than just a few occasions to boot - said, Garp really didn't like him… why have his sidekick call him now? And why have him mention his grandson?

The confusion was also written all over the faces of the crew. Though Yasopp, Benn, and Roo (aside from Shanks himself, of course) seemed the most fixated on receiving answers. They'd been the ones to grow closest to the kid after all, so it made perfect sense.

"And what could you possibly want from me? Has Garp finally decided to come hunt me down? Why are you the one to call me, though? Where's Garp?

"..."

Silence once again. Man, Shanks was not starting to like this.

Shanks clutched the small piece of metal in his hands tighter to suppress the anger that he felt arising at an alarming rate. If this was a game of 'wait and be surprised!' then he feared his patience would prove too short to play along for long.

"... It's… Garp-san was… taken away to Impel Down... 24 hours ago… I'm afraid I can't get in contact with him if you wish to speak to him."

And just like that, all frustration and impatience faded away, instead replaced by another overwhelming confusion.

What? Impel Down? But why? Wasn't Garp the hero of the marines? The one who 98% of all new recruits looked up to in awe? As some kind of idol? The one whose legacy was legendary, an old geezer who almost served as the head of the marines, say aside from the fleet admiral himself?

What for? The marines would surely bat the government a suspicious eye for doing such a thing if those news were made public.

Which meant that these news were confidential. And that nobody - yonko's especially, Shanks suspected - were supposed to know.

"Why are telling us this?" The man bluntly asked, not even bothering to hide the sheer confusion in his voice.

"It's an order."

"From who?"

"Garp himself. Before he was taken away."

"..."

Ok, now it was Shanks's and the entirety of the red-haired crew's turn to turn silent, not one soul able to form words thanks to their racing minds.

Huh?

Garp - a marine - had told his most entrusted man to contact a yonko - on who he strongly disliked - solely to have him tell him some secret he surely wasn't supposed to know off?

...

There just had to be something more going on here…

Bogard took advantage of their utter befuddlement, speaking now that he was certain he had caught their full attention:

"As much as it pains me, this call isn't supposed to be about Garp-san. Judging from your earlier change in voice when I mentioned Garp-san's grandson, I'd say you do in fact know him as investigation has proved?"

Brows were furrowed at that question.

Hold on, investigations?! What kind? And how was Luffy involved?

"What are you implying? Know that if you've done something to hurt Luffy, we, as the Red-haired pirates, will not hesitate to even go to war against you marines, or sail the Red Force right to Impel Down to get to Garp the fist now that you conveniently have told us of his current whereabouts."

Well, considering Garp was Luffy's grandpa, that was quite unlikely. Still, Bogard needed to know how serious they were willing to turn if their enemies by default (the marines) mentioned the name of their beloved kid with intent to harm him in any sort of way.

A few silent nods from the crew proved they all agreed - no words needed.

Shanks, though, was sure from Bogard's silence that if he had sat face-to-face with the man, he'd see him shake his head to deny their suspicions.

A sigh was suddenly heard from the other end…

"Don't worry. I assure you Garp-san only has the best of intentions towards his grandson."

Relief like never before poured over the entire crew, easing their worries, even if just a little.

"However-"

Nevermind. That one word caused hearts to start pumping just as uncontrollably - if not even louder and faster - as they had before.

"That boy is no longer safe… Garp-san surely fears for his grandson's life, but he's unable to do anything for him at the moment. He has nowhere to go… the government they… they called a Buster Call upon Dawn Island… all to find and retrieve him. The son of the revolutionary Dragon."

"..."

"..."

...What?

Alright, alright, I feel like I have a little bit of explaining to do after I just suddenly decided to drop this. Here are the explanations I couldn't for the love of Oda get to fit into the chapter itself:

First off, yes, Kay is, in fact, dead. There's no "oh it happened 'off-screen' so it's not true!" kind of crap here. Sorry it just happened so casually... if anybody's really upset, I can add a flashback in the next chapter :D

If anybody found Bogard's behavior to be unreasonable, know that he has his reasons for being as reluctant to talk as he was. Currently, Garp - his best and longest friend who he's known for many years - if in prison, and his fate is still unclear. I don't know about you, but I think it makes pretty good sense he doesn't feel too too great to talk about him, in case things turn south.

And third, why the hell would Garp contact Shanks of all people? Well, he certainly has a reason. First, he does for the love of Oda not want Ace to get involved in this by contacting Whitebeard. If the government begins to focus their attention just a little more on him, then chances are they'll discover Ace's true heritage too, and considering all the crap that's happened after just Luffy's dad was discovered, that's something he wants to avoid at all cost.

So, you might ask, why not Dragon then? The government might not know whether or not he cares about Luffy, but Garp would, and he knows that he does. Well, to that I have basically 2 explanations, pick whichever one you prefer:

1. He knows Dragon would find out regardless of whether or not he told him - maybe he already had. While he's in prison, there'd be no opportunity to talk to him and discuss what to do. Luffy's chances with the marines are already ruined after all, which means it would be purely Dragon's decision as to what would happen.

(Yeah, add onto this one if you have any more ideas XD)

2. This also ties into why he picked Shanks off all people. Garp truly cares for Luffy. He wants the best, and as of now, what he's wanted for him - for Luffy to live the safest, with the marines - is no longer possible. Now he can think of what Luffy would want. He might hate Shanks for planting the idea of becoming a pirate into Luffy's head, but he knows Luffy thinks the world of him, and Shanks the same, which means Luffy would be happy staying with him. He's never met his father, and possibly hates him right now for the crap his name alone has caused him. Plus, Shanks might be one of the only people strong enough to actually protect him.

If anybody still doesn't feel one or both of those explanations are good enough, please leave a review of your ideas? This is really the best my mind could think off :)

Phew! Quite a lot, to write down here, but that just about does it... I think... I always seem to remember something I forgot after posting the chapters XD

And as promised, here are my answers:

Guest (Feb 8): I wish for a speedy recovery as well! Kisses to you for your patience, it's seriously a relief to know you're willing to wait :D

Asl lover: Well... I'm not gonna lie and say everything's rainbows and cookies but... it'll get better!... eventually :)

Whirly: Thank you. God, it means the world to me to know you guys are so patient with me! And you daydream about the future of fanfics while waiting for updates too!? I thought I was the only one XD (btw, promise you'll have something to look forward too)

firesword01: *Bow of gratitude for your willingness to wait*. And here's a smile, just for you: =D

PirateYonko: Thank you. I pray my recovery won't take long as well.

Greer123: I hope so too...

Imperatia: Well I've read your response personally, which is so sweet btw! No guilt... *bites lip* I'll try (promise!), but it's a little hard when all I can think of when I'm not in too much pain is this story and how excited I am to get back home to write XD...

Leia20: Really!? You do!? That feels amazing to know, I really try my best! And trust me, I too hope everything goes well and that I won't be stuck with a back that'll hurt forever XD Thanks a lot, I promise to fight with the support of you guys, my family, and friends so I can soon go back to school and have more time to do everything I wish! Bye for now, but I promise to be back!

Demon-night24: (Oh god, I hope the translator hasn't messed this up...) Thank you a bunch for your encouraging words. Really, I can't believe you went through the trouble of leaving a review, although you don't even speak English! Truly amazing! Hugs and cookies to you from Denmark! :D

Crypton89: I'm sad to hear about my health too. It sucks. But really? You do think this story's great? I'm still just in 7th grade, so I certainly have a lot to improve on when it comes to writing a story... but I'll keep doing my best :D And really it means so so so so so much (I don't even know how to describe it!) to know you're willing to wait. My back's gonna take away a lot of time, so chapters will be shorter until it (and it will!) gets better. Cookies to you for your support!

Guardian Hyren: I'm sorry to hear things aren't going well too :(... But thank you for your support! As promised, I'll fight my way through this!

Push23: Thank you. I will!

Guest (Feb 9): Really? You do? Kinda ironic, considering the dark tone of my fanfic XD, although, it's indescribably encouraging to hear nonetheless! I promise to do my best to recover quickly, 'cause then I'll be able to focus all attention on the story!

Myroina: Thank you! I hope I will be better soon as well! Great to know I can still somehow attract new readers XD, know that I'll do my best to keep the story exciting, despite the chapters might being a little shorter for a period! :D

Luo: I love you, can I just say that? Thanks for always leaving such sweet reviews, even if you'll have to wait to read new chapters. You're truly amazing!

Guest (also Feb 9): Thank you!

silverrayn123: BWAA! I hate this too! Really, I just want to be able to focus on writing! (it's been a passion of mine since I was 8, so it goes without saying I might be a little obsessed...XD) I don't want to worry too much though... things will get better eventually, but until then, I just feel like the luckiest girl alive to know you amazing folks are willing to wait for my stupid back to finally pull itself together :D

Princess Meria: Yessssss it's so goddamn annoying, right!? And oh, you're in college? Best of luck to you! I feel honored to know you're excited about the story. *Bows from gratitude.*

Sophia Mendes-Coruja: (I already answered you personally but... you need a little spotlight here too for how amazing you are, and now I finally have the time to fully respond to you!) God... Sophia, I know I've said this before, but I love you. More than cookies. Really, it means the world to know you care this much! I pray as well for better times that will surely come soon, and until then stay true to my words: rest, write when it's appropriate, and simply know you guys have my back so I can get finished quickly and resume full time-writing again soon. Kisses, and hugs, and cake for you for never ceasing to be the purest ray of light to come by and help ease my struggles!

Guest (Feb 13): You... think my fic's amazing? That is... so encouraging and so reliving! (I'm such a people pleaser sooo...) But do not give up hope! I certainly will not, and this fanfic will not be discontinued because of my health!

AysaWolf: Uh uh! I see, so you've left a review after reading each individual chappie!? That's soo cool! And since you've gone through that much trouble, I'll answer to each one individually as well!

Chapter 1: Me: *sweats nervously* cough cough, well um... yeah, I know, they're the sweetest and absolute justice does, in fact, suck... so much it can, unfortunately, make anything possible... cough cough...

Chapter 2: Yes. HastagLoveForDadanAndTheBandits. And please don't cry Aysa! Need a hug?

Chapter 3: Oh oh... Well now I feel like a villain (then again, maybe I am considering how much fun I have writing this)... that chapter was (well kinda) just for the build-up, but you're *AHEM SPOILER* not wrong in your suspicions, I'm sad to say...

Chapter 4: That option for a hug is still open. I'll gladly send you some cookies or ice cream if that's gonna help too?

Chapter 5: Don't worry about being late, everybody, old or new, is 110% welcome to say their meaning regarding current or earlier occurrences in the story! I don't judge! I'm just a One piece fan who loves cookies and writes fanfics after all... and yeah, regarding that War of the best thing, I'm... actually just gonna keep quiet about it. It's One piece after all so... nothing's impossible if time proves it to be fitting... ;)

Chapter 6: Well... *ahem* I... don't mean to shatter anybody's hearts or anything... but...

Chapter 9: ...Really? I'm just an author-chan doing her best to get out a story after all, so it's so so encouraging to get to hear you people really enjoy it! I... might not be at my best right now but... I WILL be ok, you hear me!? And, of course, with so many people telling me to focus on my health, I can now maybe kinda relax and get this over with as quickly as possible!

But That doesn't mean I won't write at all while waiting... it only took 2 days to write this chapter after all sooooo... whenever there's time I will be sitting by the computer and writing, so that (at least ever now and then) you guys will have something new to read!

And that is all!

Wow... I... never thought I'd use that much time just answering to reviews. *cries* I feel so lucky to have the support of you guys! Know that you've been heard and that I will see to my health as much as it's needed!

But I'm not gonna quit... and I won't sit by and do nothing while time passes by so this story doesn't progress when I do have a few days at home every now and then, perfectly suited for writing.

Know that I write not because it's a chore or because I feel that I should, but merely because there's a story I want to tell and I now know there are people actually looking forward to reading new chapters.

I do it purely because I want to! No forcing myself, ok!?

Alright, with all of this, finally out of my system, let me just say thank you one last time. I... can't say exactly when the new chapter will be out, as I tomorrow will be back at the hospital (again, probably for another week or two), but know I am writing whenever it's appropriate! Also, chapters might be a little shorter, considering my time and energy but, I promise to still have this story move forward despite that!

I look forward to being able to release another new chapter.

-Cookie