Warnings: Dark themes, lots of mentions of death, strong language, human experimentation, experimenting on children, child abduction, graphic descriptions of experimenting, lots of needles, lots of violence, poor descriptions of panic attacks, descriptions of blood, rated M for safety.

*If I need to add anymore warnings please tell me in the reviews or a PM and I'll be sure to add it!*

Chapter 48: Next Stop, Fishman Island!

The next morning the brothers all woke up feeling well rested, which was a nice change for them. Once they were a bit more awake Luffy started to look around in confusion.

"What's wrong Lu?" Ace asked as he and Sabo put on their new hats.

"Teach is gone," Luffy said in confusion, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Ace asked a bit frantically.

"He's not on the ship anymore," Luffy said, head tilted now as he determined this.

"Calm down guys, maybe he's on the island. Besides, its better for us when he's not here." Sabo said with a sigh, understanding why this could worry the two but seeing no use in worrying about it right now.

"And don't forget, we still have to give an answer to Whitebeard on whether were joining or not," Sabo added as they all got ready for the day.

"But we still don't know," Luffy said, knowing that this was going to be a difficult choice for them.

"Exactly, which is why-"

"Tell them about… you know who." Ace said suddenly, shocking both Ace and Luffy.

"But Ace, that's your secret!" Luffy said in a whispered shout, knowing how much that secret meant to his brother.

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter anyway. The marines are already after us so if they find out about it then… whatever." Ace said, trying to play off the seriousness of the situation but knowing he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Ace, hold on, we can think of something else, I told you already, that was a stupid plan I should have never mentioned," Sabo said, trying to deter his brother from giving away something he held so close to him.

"No, you were right before Sabo, there's no way to know how they'll react to the facility without telling them something equally important." Ace said. Sabo's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you so ready to tell them now? Yesterday you were quite adamant we keep that a secret. It wasn't even up for negotiation." Sabo said, crossing his arms accusatorily. Ace frowned, also crossing his arms as he looked away.

"Yeah, well, a lot of stuff happened yesterday. I was just thinking that... maybe these guys can be nice. Thatch kept us hidden from those Dragon people, and he didn't try anything when Luffy had an attack. We've also tested random pirates and they were good too, so maybe these people would be ok to join." Ace said, and it sounded like the words he was saying were extremely reluctant. Sabo and Luffy knew that Ace must have thought a lot about this before bringing it up.

"And you're sure this is what you want to do? Ace, once we tell them, there's no taking it back." Sabo said in worry, not wanting him to make any rash decisions.

"I'm sure Sabo. Like I said, the marines are already after me, so even if they go and rat on me, it won't be much different then it is now." Ace said, once again trying to be nonchalant about the whole thing. Sabo sighed, shaking his head as he noticed this.

"That's not what makes this a big deal and you know it," Sabo said because it was true. Ace could care less if Marines went after him, it was the fact that he would be associated with Roger that made him want to keep it a secret in the first place.

"It doesn't matter," Ace muttered, wanting to be off this subject now. Luffy watched silently, taking in the different emotions coming from his brothers. It had been a long time sense Luffy had felt Ace feel nervous, not because of an outside force, but because of himself. Normally, whenever Ace was nervous it was because of a new test, or because Luffy was in trouble, but not because he was doing something himself to be nervous about.

"If we're doing this, then we need to all be sure about the pirates. There hasn't been any grey?" Sabo asked Luffy, going over the 'Good Person' checklist. Luffy shook his head.

"Nope! Only blue!" Luffy reported happily, all of them ignoring the fact that Teach most definitely was not blue.

"And they did manage to pass all the tests. No one's gotten any weird vibes? Ace, you didn't see anyone doing anything suspicious?" Sabo asked. It was another no from the eldest as he thought back to everything he'd seen aboard the Moby.

"I haven't heard anything either. We can tell Whitebeard and Marco after breakfast if you're sure. If they don't attack us right away then I think we should wait until we've been here a month, to make sure they don't go and tell any marines." Sabo reasoned, Ace and Luffy nodding their agreement to yet another plan. It seemed the whole brothers' lives revolved around planning.

With all of that said and done the brothers headed off to breakfast where everyone was already chowing down. It was relieving for the brothers to not have to worry about Teach in the meanwhile, but also a bit unnerving seeing as they didn't know where he was or when he would pop back up.

The three ate in silence per usual, Sabo listening in on conversations and finding out Marco had begun getting suspicious about the betting going on around Thatch's fishing poles. Haruta seemed more than a bit bummed out that his game was cut off preemptively. When the brothers were finishing Sabo decided now was the time to speak up. Turning to the Captain he put on another polite smile.

"We were wondering if we could talk to you and Marco after you were finished Whitebeard." Sabo requested, some of the Commanders looking a bit shocked or confused, whereas Whitebeard and Marco merely looked to expect this, which they should have.

"Of course," Whitebeard said, the brothers nodding as they began to leave.

They didn't have to wait long, and soon Whitebeard, Marco, and the brothers were once again in the same meeting room as before, sitting in the same spots.

"Have you come to a decision?" Whitebeard asked.

"Not quite. But we did have something we wanted to tell you just so you know a little more about who you'd be taking aboard your crew." Sabo said, his words coming out a bit slow as he waited for Ace to interrupt, should he decide that he'd rather keep his secret. The eldest, however, remained completely silent. His leg was bouncing again in anticipation and his arms were crossed as he stared at the wooden table they were sat at.

"Oh? What is it?" Whitebeard asked. When Ace still didn't say anything to stop the information from coming out, Sabo sighed, ready to tell.

"What would you think if Roger had a son? You know, Gold Roger?" Ace suddenly asked instead, and Sabo had to keep from saying anything. They were, after all, about to tell them that his son was right there. Not seeming to be expecting the question both Marco and Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think it should matter. His son is his own person, and in the end, we're all children of the sea." Whitebeard said casually, shocking the brothers.

Every time Ace had asked that questions he had been met with laughs, people saying his son was a demon and should die like his father had, but no one had ever said that, 'it didn't matter'. Sabo, who had witnessed Ace ask this question a few times and had seen the responses to it, was also amazed by the response. Luffy was making sure to pay attention to the feelings coming from the two pirates, and when no anger or hate came up in response to Aces questions he was surprised as well.

"Why do you ask?" Marco asked, breaking the brothers out of their shock.

"Well, uh," Sabo cleared his throat, again, waiting for Ace to stop him.

"I'm his son." Ace said bitterly, a scowl on his face. The eldest began watching the two carefully, waiting for their response, while Sabo and Luffy tensed, ready to fight for their brother if necessary.

"Gurarara~! Is that all?" Whitebeard asked, only proving to throw the brothers into shock again.

"Is that all?! What's that supposed to mean?! I'm the old Pirate Kings son, you're old rivals son!" Ace explained as if the two pirates didn't know who Gol D. Roger was. Whitebeard, who was still smiling, merely shrugged.

"We may have been rivals, and he may have been the pirate king, but as I said before, you are your own person," Whitebeard repeated, and Luffy could feel that Whitebeard genuinely meant his words, telling his brothers as much. It was quiet now as the brothers got over their shock, but eventually, that silence was broken by Marco.

"That would mean you three aren't blood related then?" Marco asked, picking up on the way Ace had specifically said Roger was his father, neglecting to say he was their father. Besides, Roger was a faithful man, and he hadn't exactly lived long enough to have children as young as Luffy.

"No, we're sworn brothers, we all have different parents," Sabo answered, still a bit shell shocked. Whitebeard and Marco both nodded in understanding.

"Was that all you three wanted to talk about?" Whitebeard asked, the brothers realizing that it was time to end the conversation now.

"Ah, yes, it was. Thank you, Whitebeard, Marco, for taking the time to listen." Sabo thanked as he and his brothers stood.

"It was no problem," Whitebeard said as Ace and Luffy walked out the door. Sabo, though, paused in the doorway, turning around to face the pirates again.

"And about your offer, we'll have an answer by the end of the month," Sabo said as if he had forgotten to mention it before. Whitebeard smiled and nodded.

"Don't worry about it, take all the time you need." The Captain said with a wave. The blonde smiled, nodding to the pirates again, and left, closing the door behind him. Ace and Luffy were waiting for him a few feet away, having noticed that he wasn't following, and Sabo quickly caught up, the three heading back to the deck.

"Well, that went…. Better than expected." Sabo said, still a bit stunned by the results of their confession to Whitebeard. Luffy grinned.

"I told you Mr. Whitebeard and Marco were good people!" Luffy said matter-of-factly.

"We didn't think they weren't, it's just that, even good people can turn bad when they hear certain things," Sabo explained to Luffy who took the information in.

"Oh... well Whitebeard and Marco didn't, so they're the best good people!" Luffy said. Ace rolled his eyes, knocking the boys straw hat off and ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, for now at least. We still have to wait and see if they go and tell on us." Ace said, and even though he said it casually and looked calm, Sabo knew he was probably freaking out about this still. Luffy knew, for a fact, that Ace was freaking out though because he could feel it, the turmoil of feelings, the fear, the worry, the nervousness. The raven tried to block the feelings and instead sidled up to Ace, giving him a hug that stopped both of them from walking.

"It'll be ok Ace, they didn't turn grey and they meant the words they said, and they weren't lying. I don't think they'll tell anyone." Luffy assured confidently. Sabo, who had stopped walking to watch his brothers, smiled, crossing his arms as he looked to Ace expectantly, waiting for his response. The eldest looked a bit flustered like he didn't know how to respond to Luffys comforts, and truth be told, he probably didn't.

"You know we can't hide anything from him. I don't know why you even try." Sabo said with a shake of his head. Ace regained his composure, sending Sabo a defiant glare, though there was no heat behind it.

"Yeah, whatever. Thanks, Luffy, I feel better now." Ace said a bit reluctantly, hugging the youngest back for a second. Luffy released his hold, beaming at Ace as he felt all the bad feelings melt away, replaced with the warmth and love that Luffy was used to.

"Good! I don't like it when Ace or Sabo feel bad feelings!" Luffy said, grin remaining as he began leading the way, leaving his two slightly dumbfounded brothers behind. They caught up quickly though and the three reached the door that led to the deck. Opening it Sabo took note of everyone in their vicinity, noticing that Whitebeard and Marco were finally leaving the meeting room, having been talking by themselves after the brothers left.

"Hey you guys, how was your chat with Pops and Marco?" Thatch asked from where he was standing near the door. Sabo put on a smile as he addressed the chef.

"It went very well," Sabo said truthfully. Thatch grinned wider at those words.

"Well, that's good to hear! Hey, do you three want to head back out to the island today? It's our last day on Sabaody seeing as the Moby's almost fully coated now." Thatch explained. Sabo didn't even have to look at his brothers or wait for their input to know they wouldn't be going onto the island again anytime soon.

"No, I think we're just going to stay here for the day. If you wouldn't mind though, could you explain what coating is? You mentioned it before." Sabo said, having been curious since Thatch first brought it up in the infirmary when Ace was injured.

"Oh, yeah! The only way to get to Fishman Island is to sink to the bottom of the ocean, and the only way to do that is to get a coating on your ship! It's like a big bubble that surrounds the ship so that we can breathe and allows the ship to sink." Thatch explained to the best of his ability. Luffy looked amazed while Sabo looked thoughtful and Ace looked a bit unsure.

"That's interesting. I would have never thought something like that was possible. When are we leaving for Fishman Island?" Sabo asked, noticing that Teach still wasn't anywhere near, from what he could hear.

"I think we're leaving close to dinner. Rayleigh, our ship coater, has been working pretty hard to get us ready as fast as possible." Thatch said, glancing around for who Sabo assumed to be Rayleigh.

"Is there a reason you're rushing?" Ace asked. After yesterday he was a bit more comfortable around Thatch and deemed the man worthy of conversation.

"Not really, but there have been a few rookies who thought they were big shots that have been messing around, and seeing as Fishman Island is under Pops' protection we have to go stop them before they do anything too stupid." Thatch said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Anyways, since you three are staying on the ship today, why don't we do some fishing? I've been meaning to lately but I've been a bit busy, what with the lack of chefs to help me in the kitchen with that sickness." Thatch said, reminding the three that Thatch had been working pretty hard lately because most of the chefs had been out of commission.

"Are the chefs better?" Luffy questioned, a bit concerned for them. Sabo and Ace didn't know if he was more worried about the people themselves, or the food that they couldn't make.

"They are, and to top it off, the rest of my division came back from their mission, so we've got more hands than usual!" Thatch said happily, that happiness rubbing off on Luffy who suddenly became jittery with the good feeling.

"Come on Ace, come on Sabo, let's go fishing with Thatch!" Luffy said, practically bouncing where he stood as he grabbed his brothers hands. The brothers recognized the sudden spike in Luffy's energy to possibly be from the chefs' good feelings rubbing off on the youngest, but it wasn't doing him any harm so they decided to let it slide.

"Sure, it sounds fun," Sabo said with a smile.

"Yeah, why not, I needed something to do anyway." Ace said with a shrug, though he was smiling as well.

"Alright, let's go! Hey, did you know that H- Ruta was keeping me from putting away my fishing pole for almost a month?! That guy, I swear, he nearly made Marco kill me!" The brothers suppressed their laughter, Sabo putting on his best, 'Really? I can't believe that!' face as he began sympathizing with the chef.

The day passed by slowly, the three brothers fishing with Thatch until the chef had to go make lunch. When lunch came and passed and they realized Teach still wasn't back at the Moby the three became disconcerted, and Luffy took it upon himself to go ask the Captain where the man was, walking up to his chair after lunch and doing the same thing he had done when he warned the Captain of the man. He walked up to his leg where Whitebeard brought a hand down, lifting Luffy up to his ear where the boy whispered quietly to him.

"Wheres Teach?" He asked, wanting to know for everyone's safety. Whitebeard pulled the boy away, a serious expression on his face.

"He's been sent on a mission. We have someone watching him." Whitebeard said in a tone that told the brothers he was taking their warning to heart, something that relieved them to know. Luffy had nodded, a bit happy that they wouldn't be near the man for a bit, but a little unnerved that he had no idea what he was up to.

After that the three had lounged around, not wanting to risk going on the island and running into a Celestial Dragon, but not having anything better to do. Most of the pirates were off enjoying themselves on the island, only a few lingering behind, namely the Captain and a handful of Commanders. Atmos, Kingdew, Jiru, Blenheim, Vista, Fossa, Curiel, and Rakuyo were off on the island while Izo, Namur, Thatch, Marco, Haruta, and Jozu were on the ship.

After cloud gazing had gotten boring the brothers were left with nothing to do until Thatch sauntered up to them, smile plastered on his face as he did.

"Time for some fun!" He exclaimed with a clap of his hands. Sabo and Ace raised an eyebrow while Luffy became excited, ready to do anything other then what he was doing.

"And what exactly does that entail?" Sabo asked, not quite sure what to expect from the chef. Thatch made a tsking noise, wagging his finger in a 'no' motion.

"No, no, we don't want to ruin the surprise, after all, that's half the fun!" Thatch said happily, still smiling as he gestured for the brothers to follow him. A bit unsure and plenty skeptical, Ace and Sabo looked to Luffy for reassurance, to which the youngest nodded, stating there were no bad feelings from Thatch. So, with that, the three began to follow Thatch, curious as to what his surprise was.

They ended up following him into the galley, and then into the kitchen which the brothers had never been in before. They followed him until they reached a station in the corner where Thatch pulled up some stools to the giant counter for the brothers to sit at while he moved to one of the many fridges to get something. They all watched curiously as he began pulling out random things, from eggs and milk to flour and sugar, but having no clue what he was up to.

"All set!" Thatch said finally, hands on his hips and smile on his lips as he stood proudly behind the mountain of ingredients on the table.

"Uh, what exactly is it?" Sabo asked for all of them, noticing that even Luffy looked confused now. Thatch's smile never faltered though as he began explaining.

"Well, you three like to eat and it's been a while since we've had some sweets onboard, so I've decided that tonight we can have some desserts after dinner and I wanted you three to help! Its a lot better than doing nothing after all!" Thatch said as he rolled up his sleeves in preparation. Ace and Sabo looked at each other, shrugging, while Luffy merely smiled, only really understanding that food was involved.

"Alright, we'll help." Ace said as he turned back to face Thatch who cheered happily.

"Yes! First step, washing our hands!"

And so the brothers helped Thatch make a variety of desserts. Ace was in charge of a wide array of cookies, from peanut butter to chocolate chip, to regular sugar cookies. Sabo was making cakes, chocolate, vanilla, three-tiered, two-tiered, and even a few dozen cupcakes as well. Luffy, on the other hand, was a bit of a different story. His brothers knew that letting Luffy near food preparation was a bad idea in itself, but Thatch had seemed to find a way to divert the youngest from eating all the unbaked goodies by providing him with breads and dips to eat as he helped Thatch make puddings, pies, and even some homemade ice cream. Ace and Sabo had to admit, they were amazed to see the youngest following directions so well, the boy completely focused on mixing fillings without losing a single drop.

"Good job Luffy! Now, why don't you pour that into the pie while I go put these puddings in the fridge?" Thatch said as he picked up trays with pudding in cups on it. Luffy nodded happily as the chef left and Sabo watched the straw-hatted teen carefully pour the filling into the pie tin.

"Did you see that Sabo, I did it!" Luffy exclaimed happily as he quickly chowed down on another few pieces of bread. Sabo smiled, setting down the bowl of frosting he had just mixed up.

"I did, good job Lu, it looks good so far," Sabo said, meaning it too. It made Luffy beam in delight as Thatch walked back, explaining that they were going to cover the pie in more crust while Sabo turned his attention to Ace, who was also surprisingly following directions pretty well. The oldest had his own bowl of breads and dips to munch on as he mixed batters and put cookie dough on trays to bake.

The group continued on in their baking, and soon it was already time for dinner to start cooking, the other chefs coming into the kitchen and cooking in their own sections of the giant kitchen. As they finished up their baking the chefs were announcing that they were done making the food, Thatch saying that they could start serving now while the brothers washed up.

"Thank you guys for helping, I don't know if I could have gotten that all done on my own!" Thatch admitted as he dried his hands off.

"It was no problem," Sabo said as he dried his own hands off, ignoring the fact that Ace and Luffy were in a bit of a splashing war with each other.

"Yeah, I had lots of fun!" Luffy said, stopping the war for a split second to direct his attention to the chef.

"Me too." Ace said quickly before flicking more water towards Luffy who retaliated with his own flick of water, which was more of him throwing a handful of water towards the eldest. Sabo sighed, shaking his head and pinching his nose at his brothers' antics while Thatch merely began laughing.

"Come on you two, if you don't stop now all the food'll be gone," Sabo said sternly, even though he knew that wasn't true. The more they got to know Thatch the more comfortable they became around him, and if past experience was anything to go on, the man would save them something regardless of how long they took. The man looked like he wanted to voice this, but before he could Ace and Luffy looked at Sabo with wide eyes.

"Luffy, move, I gotta finish washing my hands!"

"No, you move, I was washing mine first, I don't wanna miss the meat!"

"I'm older, so I should get to go first!"

"Nuh-uh! Just cause you're older doesn't mean anything, I'm gonna wash mine first!"

"No you're not, I am!"

"No-"

Sabo could only pinch his nose harder in exasperation.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"That was delicious." Ace said happily as he patted his stomach, the three brothers walking out on the deck.

"It was. I can't believe it's been so long since I've had a cookie." Sabo said, trying to remember the last time he'd had one.

"Yeah, Makino made the best cookies!" Luffy reminisced happily, eyes going a bit distant as he remembered everyone back on Dawn Island.

"Everything ready?!"

"Yeah, all set Captain?!"

"Go ahead."

"Alright then, inflate it!"

"What's going on?" Ace asked in a mumble, his brothers shrugging in response, just as confused as him. They watched curiously as suddenly a giant bubble began inflating around the ship, encasing them all safely within it.

"Woah! Sugoi~!" Luffy said in awe as he watched the bubble inflate until it was over the entire ship.

"We're heading down to Fishman Island now, yoi. We should be there after lunch tomorrow." Marco said as he walked up to the awestruck brothers.

"So it really is at the bottom of the sea? Thatch mentioned it earlier but I didn't really think there was an island at the bottom of the ocean." Sabo said as he watched the crew getting ready to do something else.

"Sure is. Say goodbye to the sky cause all we're gonna see down there is water for a while." Izo said as he walked up as well, watching his crew mates hurry around the deck.

"We're good here!"

"Here too!"

"Looks like we're about to descend," Marco said, crossing his arms over his chest. And he was right. After he said that, the ship began to sink, but no water came through the bubble, everyone safe inside of it.

"Woah! Sabo, Ace, look, we're going underwater!" Luffy said as he rushed over to the railing to look. His brothers followed, both equally amazed as they watched the water slowly cover them completely until they were fully submerged, fish swimming peacefully around them and roots tangling downward from the Mangrove trees.

The brothers remained at the railing in amazement for a good hour after that before Luffy began to yawn and they decided they should probably get some sleep. They said goodnight to Marco and Izo as they left the deck, heading for their room.

Today had been one of their good days, especially seeing as Teach was no longer around.

To Fishman Island we go! Sabaody was a bit traumatizing for the brothers, so its understandable why they would want to stay on the Moby the rest of their time there, but Thatch was there to cheer them up with some baking! What adventures wait on Fishman Island for the brothers? Who knows, well, besides me of course.

Also, I know that a ship of the Moby's size would probably take much longer than a day to coat, but, one, this is a fanfiction, and two, they have Rayleigh coating their ship so I feel like he'd be able to get a rush order done. And no, the brothers didn't meet Rayleigh, which I know a few of you were hoping they would, but it didn't feel like the right time for them to meet, if that makes any sense at all. I'm still debating with when I want them to meet him, so I cant say for sure when it will happen, but it is something I'm thinking a lot about.

Finally, to the Guest that reviewed and asked whether it will be revealed later as to why the facility was created; Yes, it will, but that won't be for a while yet as well. Also, your English is fantastic!

Thank you all for your reviews and questions, I try to get back to and reply to as many as I possibly can, but sometimes I get sidetracked and busy and I end up missing some. I love all of you guys though and I hope you continue to stay with me on the long journey that is this story!