Luffy is finally here! Our big ball of sunshine! Who loves him? I think everyone adores this kid. Who cannot resist that beautiful smile of his? I don't think I can. That boy must be protected at all cost!

Beta'd by MerryAnchor16

Disclaimer: One Piece is not mine.

Chapter 4

The Chance, The Letter

"What the hell kind of landing do you call that?!"

"He said to crash it here!"

"Shishishishi!"

"Shut up, Luffy!"

As the dust settled, three figures could be seen rising to their feet. Underneath some scattered debris and building work a large flying fish lay unconscious, its body pathetically limp. The figures all rubbed their faces, smearing grime and grit on their cheeks. Among them was a very flustered looking Fishman Rider, a tall man covered in dust with swords hanging from his right hip, and a young boy clutching a strawhat protectively to his chest as he laughed wildly.

The whole Auction House was in a unanimous stunned silence, the cries of bidding and slaves long forgotten. Stellar stood staring with her mouth agape, trying to process what had just happened. Sanji had lit up a cigarette nonchalantly and put his hands in his pockets, both him and Franky looking as if this was a normal everyday occurrence. Hachi, Pappug and Chopper looked horrified and Nami simply covered her face with a hand. Only a few seconds ago had Charlos just bought their friend Keimi, but that had seemed to be lost in the moment when the trio and the flying fish smashed through into the room, taking part of a wall and some of the ceiling with them. Now all eyes in the room appeared to be on them. Even Charlos was gawking.

The tall man with the swords coughed and a plume of white dust puffed out from his mouth. He rubbed a palm over his hair and some of the dirt tumbled away to reveal a shock of green. Then he looked up, gathering his surroundings, and frowned, putting a hand on his hip, "Where's the boat? I could've sworn it was here..."

Beside her, Stellar saw Sanji's lips twist into a wicked grin, "What's up, Marimo? You lost again?" He shouted, shattering the stunned silence.

The green haired pirate whipped around to face them. When his eyes saw the blonde a scowl decorated his tanned face, "I'm not lost, shitty cook! The boat just... moved, that's all..."

Sanji barked a laugh, "Shitty swordsman!" He shot a smirk at Stellar, "He's so directionally challenged. Honestly, I've never met anyone with such a bad sense of direction!" He laughed again and Stellar giggled silently behind her hand, stopping and blushing furiously when the swordsman turned his scowl on her.

"Stupid curly brow..." He uttered.

Immediately the smile on Sanji's faces fell, "Say that again, Marimo! I dare you!"

"Get your weird-ass eyebrows out of my face!"

The boy with the strawhat was laughing madly, clutching at his stomach. The crowd were watching with confused and amused looks as the two pirates screamed insults at one another. Nami waved down, "Luffy!"

The strawhat guy looked up and grinned broadly, "Naaamiiii!" He called and put the hat on his head as he bolted up towards their seats. Sanji made to run down at the green haired pirate, a murderous look on his face, when Nami snagged his collar and tugged him back roughly,

"Cut it out you two..." She frowned, "Or I'll raise both your debts."

"Hai, Nami-swaaaan!~"

"Sea witch..."

"What did you just call her you ugly brute?! My precious Nami-swan is not-"

Stellar flinched as another well placed slap made a direct hit. Sanji held his head, a pained smile on his face, "N-nami-swan is always right..."

The green haired man smirked.

"Neh, who're you?"

Stellar almost rocketed into the air as a loud voice screamed in her ear. She jumped; spinning midair to meet the face of what she assumed was the infamous rookie Monkey D. Luffy. She stared dumbly at him. He was grinning like a madman in an asylum despite the chunks of building in his hair and he was fidgeting constantly, like a child who couldn't stay still. Surely this- this... well, this kid couldn't be one of the most well-known pirate captains in charge of a supposed 'bloodthirsty' crew. Nami must have caught her look because she smiled almost pitifully, "Yeah. That's our Captain."

Luffy thrust out his hand and snagged Stellar's shaking it with a little too much enthusiasm, "Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet you!"

The name seemed to echo around the Auction House. People began to murmur to each other. Some left quietly, forgetting their purchases. From his seat across, Stellar could see the nervous look grace Charlos' s face.

"Stellar..." She whispered, not quite trusting her voice in the midst of all the tension, "Stellar Stefwill." Why she introduced herself so freely to this man, she did not know. Maybe it was because it's normal courtesy to reply to his introduction or maybe it was his smile that attracted her and immediately made her feel he could be trusted.

Luffy laughed and swung out an arm, grabbing the green haired pirate he'd crash landed with. Stellar squeaked as the limb stretched impossibly long and wound its way around the green pirate's waist. The pirate looked down and Stellar heard him curse, "Wait, Luffy! NO!"

The captain laughed and his arm snapped back into place causing the swordsman to soar right past and smack into the wall, leaving a human shaped indent. Stellar cracked a knowing smile as the captain chuckled, "Are you a Devil fruit user?"

"Huhhh? Yeah, I'm a rubber man!" Luffy crowed proudly and hooked his fingers at the corners of his mouth and pulled, stretching the skin impossibly wide. Stellar gasped in amazement and a few of the onlookers in the Auction House screamed.

Suddenly the raven-haired captain was on the floor, flat on his ass and rubbing his head, "Neh, Zoro, what was that for?!"

The green haired pirate, Zoro, snarled, "You do that again and I'll kill you!"

"Are you hurt? Any of you?" Chopper chirped, hopping up onto a chair to look at the two with big soft doe eyes.

"No Chopper, we're fine."

"You better not be lying to me-"

"ENOUGH!"

The Strawhats, Stellar, Hachi and Pappug jumped in surprise at the voice. Stellar looked up to see Charlos leaning against the railings, glaring down at them. His face was menacing, and his teeth were displayed in a warped, angry smile, "I know what you're here for Strawhat Luffy, but you're not going to have it!"

Looking across, Stellar saw the Strawhat Captain frown and tilt his head, "Huh?" He glanced at his crew, "What's that fat guy talking about?"

The crowd gasped collectively, and some fled right then, not wanting to get involved in a fight at all. Stellar bit back a smile as Charlos seemed to get angrier by the second. His face had turned an alarming shade of red, his teeth were gritted and he had gripped the rail so hard that the wood creaked in protest. Sanji struck up a cigarette and doused the match out in one fluid movement. He slotted it between his fingers, taking a deep drag before blowing a long wisp of smoke out, "That is the man who just outbid us by three hundred million Beli, Captain."

"Wha? What do you mean?" Asked Luffy.

Nami rolled her eyes, "He bought Keimi before we could, stupid."

Luffy closed his eyes and when he opened them a frighteningly serious look had settled on his face. He tipped back the brim of his strawhat and fixed Charlos with a determined stare, "Did he?" He asked aloud, but it was more to himself than everyone else.

"So what if I did? I bought her, she's mine!" Charlos sneered.

"You better give her back," The Captain's voice was deathly calm. One arm hung limply at his side, the other clung to his hat. Zoro stepped in behind him, a strong tanned hand hovering over the hilts of his swords. Charlos guffawed loudly,

"I don't want to give her back! I bought her fair and square, she's my property now you idiot! I'm a World Noble, a pirate like you can't do anything."

Luffy said nothing but his hand shifted and the brim of the strawhat toppled forward to cover his eyes. He clenched his hand into a fist, "I don't care what you are. You can't buy people like that. Keimi is our friend, she doesn't belong to you... Now give her back."

Nami took Stellar by the wrist and tugged her back to stand slightly away. Stellar whispered a small thank you for her kindness which Nami returned with a cheeky grin.

Charlos smirked, "Well I don't want to give her back."

"Then I'm gonna have to kick your ass!" Luffy barked.

Charlos laughed hysterically, "Oh? And what's a no-good pirate like you going to-"

The World Noble didn't get a chance to finish that sentence as Luffy's arm shot out and a fist smashed into his jaw. Charlos was knocked back and over his chair by the sheer force of the punch. The room suddenly exploded into madness. People screamed, some tried to run and flee the building. The Slave master by Keimi's tank had disappeared into the flurry of panicked people. Stellar saw the opportunity and moved, dodging smoothly and weaving between bodies. Hachi called out to her, "Stellar what are you doing?!"

She yelled quickly over her shoulder, "I'll get Keimi. Please do not worry!"

"No, Stellar wait!"

She ignored him, bolting for the stage and pushing everyone out of the way. She locked her eyes onto the stage. She wasn't that far now. Keimi was waving at her, shaking her head. Stellar pulled to a stop at the bottom of the steps at the side of the stage, "I'm gonna get you out of here, Keimi! It's okay!"

The tank was huge with steps dragged up to get to the top where a large iron padlock held the air holed lid down tight. Stellar ran at it, cloak billowing out behind her and boots thunking on the wooden boards of the stage. She hopped on the first step when a shout and the scrape of metal caught her attention. She whirled around to see one of the Slave master's henchmen drawing a sword and coming at her.

"What do you think you're doing, girly?" He asked.

Stellar narrowed her pearly eyes and felt the familiar tug in the pit of her stomach as her body kicked into autopilot. She could feel the power moving, coiling down her arms like serpents. The man lunged and swung and she had to jump back onto the next step to avoid it. She threw up her fist, her eyes deadly as she aimed straight to his jaw. However, she was suddenly out of balance when the earth shook abruptly while explosions could be heard in the background. She narrowly missed the blade aimed at her neck as she tried to keep her balance straight.

The man swung the blade again and she yelped, narrowly dodging. She turned and ran up the tank's steps, Keimi banging loudly on the glass and screaming words that were lost in the water that surrounded her. Stellar wriggled her fingers desperately, annoyed at the fact she's cornered by this man.

The man prowled up the steps, getting ever closer. Stellar took a step back, the steps had no railings and if she went off the ledge, she couldn't help Keimi at all. Stellar glanced at the mermaid, she had swum to the top of the tank and was pushing desperately at the lid, smacking her fists against it though it was no use with the padlock there. The man was an arms breadth away now, he raised the sword and slashed at her again. The blade nicked her cheek and she stumbled back, hissing in pain, when her foot landed on nothing and she fell from the steps. She gasped and swung up her arm, just about catching the ledge with her fingers. The man stood, sneering down at her, "Nowhere to run now, sweetie."

She felt like crying. She was extremely careless and overconfident. If Rayleigh found out she was bested by this mere human, she would be scolded for eternity. She seriously wondered if she was losing her touch in fighting.

The man stood before and shot her a malicious grin. Stellar took a deep breath, her eyes gleaming slightly as violet crystals slowly surrounded her free hand. 'I honestly do not want to gain more attention but I have to take the risk.' Stellar narrowed her eyes dangerously to the man but he only laughed maniacally and swung his sword straight to Stellar but...

The blow never landed.

Stellar's eyes widened when the henchman stared at her in horror. Something warm dripped onto her face as she dangled from the edge, crystals disappearing like broken glasses from her hand and she looked up to see a blade sticking out of the man's front. Keimi had given up on hitting the glass and simply watched, hand over her mouth, as the man slowly died. Stellar saw his eyes slowly glaze over as he trembled and shuddered on the object that held him. Then the silver blade suddenly vanished, and the man slumped sideways, now a corpse.

A new figure loomed over, and a strong hand grabbed Stellar's wrist and hauled her up. She sat on her knees on the now blood-stained boards and wiped the wet from her face, shuddering when she realised it was the man's blood. She swallowed, "Thank you."

She lifted her head but there was no one there. She frowned when Keimi rapped the glass and pointed at the gap between Stellar's knees. She followed and saw the little iron key glittering temptingly there. She picked it up carefully, stood and slotted it into the lock. Keimi threw up the lid immediately and leaned over the rim, an arm outstretched in a point, "There that's him! There!"

Stellar spun around and watched in surprise as the outline of Trafalgar Law sheathing a long Nodachi sword walked down the stage steps and vanished into the screaming crowds.

Without a second's hesitation, Stellar ran down the stairs and on to the stage, "Please wait!" She tried to follow but he was long gone, lost amongst the bodies, "Law..."

A sudden crack split the air and the hairs on Stellar's neck leapt to attention. The last of the swarms of people fled through the exits like wildfire and left Stellar a wonderful view of the Strawhats and Charlos. They all seemed to be standing stuck still looking from one to the other, worried in their faces.

Charlos was holding a gun and the end was still smoking.

A bullet had been fired.

Charlos was looking proud despite his swollen jaw from Luffy's punch and when he spoke; his words ran through Stellar like a hot knife through butter, "Filthy merman."

The Strawhats and Stellar turned as Hachi let out a startled gasp. His coat was gone, his multiple arms displayed as they wrapped around his middle and debris was scattered around him. 'That's why everyone panicked,' Stellar thought, 'They saw he was a merman...' Hachi coughed and a little blood sputtered from his mouth. He smiled, almost apologetically, and unfurled his arms to reveal the gunshot wound running through him.

"Hachi…"

(Banaro island, Grand Line)

'Ace,

I hope my letter finds you well. Nothing much has happened here; it is a quiet island after all. There are no Marines so I'm safe here for now. You should visit sometime soon, like you promised you would. Don't worry about me moving, I think I'll be here a good few months now if I keep out of trouble. And if that changes then I'll just have to write another letter and you can try again. Or I could visit you.

Keep yourself safe and please stay away from trouble even though I know you will anyway.

I miss you.

Love,

Stellar'

Portgas D. Ace stopped reading the letter and smiled, folding the parchment up into his pocket. There was a warm feeling in his chest like all the other times he'd received a letter from her. He shifted on the rooftop and watched as his four targets walked down the street.

"Well then, prepare to leave! Don't get delayed!"

He watched as the ringleader, a grossly fat man with tanned skin and plenty of coarse black hair on his face and stomach, called triumphantly. Ace felt the sun warming his back and he leaned back on one hand, the roof slates rough against the pads of his fingers as he swept dark locks from his face with the other. He let the posse wander a little further and licked his lips with a pink tongue, "Wait a minute, Teach... I've been looking for you."

The fat man, Teach, froze and Ace saw his back muscles tensing. He smiled, happy in the knowledge that he was still feared and respected. A slight wind had picked up and it played in the tendrils of Ace's raven hair, trying to tug it free from the orange hat that trapped it. His dark eyes regarded Teach from above freckled cheeks.

Teach turned on his heel and when he saw Portgas he smiled forcefully, "Oh! Ace!" He said in mock surprise. Ace gave him a dead panned look though inside he was relishing in how Teach's eyes showed fear, "Commander!"

Ace dipped his head and scoffed at the title; he rubbed his thumb over a tile listening to it scrape. His eyes shifted up, shadowed menacingly by the brim of his hat, "Knock it off. Commander is a word only those respectful of that person are allowed to say," His voice dropped, low and threatening, "Stop mocking."

Teach glowered at Ace. Ace just looked at him like he was a waste of time. Which was exactly what Teach was- a waste of time and air. Ace moved his hand to finger the corner of Stellar's letter which was jutting out from his pocket. One pirate stood behind Teach edged forward slightly, fingers drumming on the wooden cane behind his back, "So you're the famous Fire Fist Ace..."

Ace's lips curled upwards at the nickname, "Yeah, that's right. Nice to meet you," He addressed Teach once more, "It seems you've become quite a Captain, right? Captain of the Blackbeard pirates, Marshall D. Teach."

Teach laughed, showing off the gaps in his teeth. He shrugged, "What's wrong, Ace?! It's been a long time! What's the matter? How did you know I was here?"

Ace's fingers grabbed Stellar's letter subtly, 'Don't do anything stupid' she'd said. 'I'm sorry, Stellar,' he thought as he smirked at Teach, "Teach, stop asking useless questions. You took a man's life. You must have a comprehension of the current situation. Isn't that right?"

Teach growled and when the first shot was delivered Ace's body spewed up flames and the battle commenced. A fight between light and darkness. And the darkness consumed and destroyed.

Ace rolled onto his back, panting hard as his consciousness ebbed away. He stared up at the blue sky above him, his mouth dry and his body wracked with pain. His sight blurred with tears rather than his body giving out. He closed his eyes, 'I'm sorry, Stellar,' He thought, 'I'm so sorry.'

Ah Aaaace! Teach you big dummy! I wonder what his goal is? Hmmm. Oda revealed an interesting fact about Teach. He said that he loves history! Maybe he knows something we do not know! But he is still a big ass since he killed Thatch! Should I write Thatch as someone who survived? Hmmmmmmmm. I love this character tho. I will think about it. Tell me if you want him alive too!

Thank you for the reviews! Everyone is so sweet!