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 59: The Welcome Party

The brothers left Whiskey's office and headed straight to the deck without a second thought. Once upon of time, the brothers lurked around the Moby, double-checking their every step and making sure multiple times that no one was following them around. Now, they walked around easily, and even though they still checked to make sure no one was following, it wasn't nearly as often.

Walking out onto the deck they headed over to Whitebeard, noticing that only Jiru and Haruta were by the man. Walking up, the brothers sat in front of him like they had come accustomed to and gave their greetings.

"Hey, you guys are done talking with Whiskey!" Haruta said with a smile, coming over to sit with the brothers.

"We are. We just felt we should update her on a few things." Sabo said to prevent any questions that Haruta may have.

"Oh, that makes sense. Hey, do you think you could teach me some of those taps? Thatch wanted to learn too, but he's stuck in the kitchen cooking the feast for tonight." Haruta said.

"Sure, no problem. Do you want to try too, Jiru?" Sabo asked, knowing that all of the Commanders would probably want to learn it eventually, so why not try and teach as many as he could now.

"Uh, sure, why not?" Jiru said as he came to join the group, not really having expected to be included.

"Do you mind if I learn as well?" Whitebeard asked, surprising the brothers, but Sabo quickly put on a smile.

"The more the merrier. This way more people will be able to understand it." Sabo said. Luffy was smiling brightly as Sabo began reteaching the taps for be careful, Haruta and Jiru figuring it out quick enough after having seen Thatch do it a couple of times. Luffy, without Ace or Sabo noticing, had made his way up Whitebeards chair and was now sitting beside the giant's arm. The youngest brother helped Whitebeard, tapping beside the giant's finger to better show him how fast and how many times he needed to tap.

Of course, it didn't take long for Ace to notice Luffy was no longer at his side like he had thought when he turned to look at the ocean, but once he saw where he was and what he was doing, the panic went away and he opted to keep a close eye on his brother. He knew Luffy wouldn't have gotten that close to the man if he sensed any danger, and Whitebeard was someone they trusted. Besides, Luffy had done stuff like this before, but that didn't mean Ace would let his guard down.

From where Sabo sat teaching the other two Commanders, Ace knew that he had noticed Luffy's disappearance as well, and had also figured out where and what he was doing, but with his hearing, he could hear everything that was happening, so he had no qualms about letting his brother remain where he was.

This went on for a little bit, and soon Jiru, Haruta and Whitebeard all knew how to sign the words 'be careful, be quiet, and all good.' Jiru had to leave at that point to go take care of something in his division, and Haruta was called over by one of his own division members as well, leaving the brothers with Whitebeard.

Luffy was still sitting on the arm of the chair contentedly, and seeing as Whitebeard didn't look like he minded, Ace and Sabo allowed it.

"Hi, Marco!" Luffy chirped happily, waving from where he sat. Ace and Sabo turned to see that the first division Commander was walking up to them, holding something in hand.

"Hello Luffy, yoi." Marco greeted, nodding to Ace and Sabo as he reached them.

"My son, how is everything?" Whitebeard asked, watching his first mate with a smile.

"So far everyone's on task, which isn't saying much, yoi. Knowing them they'll start slacking off any second now. We're reassigning chores tomorrow, that means you three are getting some as well, yoi." Marco said, the three brothers nodding in understanding. They had been expecting it for a while now, so it was no surprise to them.

"And also, Luffy, you got a letter," Marco said, holding up the object in his hand, showing that it was an envelope. All of the brothers looked confused, because who in the world was sending them a letter? Garp and Shanks would just visit, and anyone on Dawn Island wouldn't know where they were unless Garp told them, but even then, Dadan wasn't much for letters. There was a slim chance that Makino could have sent it, but even that was unlikely.

"Really? Who's it from?" Luffy asked, jumping down from Whitebeards chair and walking up to Marco, Ace, and Sabo close behind.

"Don't know, yoi. It's only got your name on it." Marco said, handing the envelope over, and the brothers could see that it really only had Luffy's name written on it in clean handwriting. Ace frowned, not sure how he felt about all of this, while Sabo watched cautiously, ready for anything.

Luffy shrugged, and even though he was confused, he was also curious. Without any hesitation, Luffy ripped the envelope open, pulling out a folded piece of paper. A letter. Ace and Sabo peered over Luffy's shoulders, reading the words along with Luffy.

'Dear Luffy,

We've never met before, and that's my fault. All I've ever wanted for you was your safety, but even that isn't something that I was able to guarantee. I thought by sending you off with your Grandfather you would have a better chance of living a normal life. Well, as normal as it can get when someone like Garp raises you.

Obviously, I was wrong, and I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything to keep you safer. When I heard you were gone, believe me, I had my men looking everywhere for you and your brothers. Even with all of my resources, though, I was unable to successfully find you and you were lost for seven years. I will always be thankful that, in the end, you were found and taken out of that situation. Send Whitebeard my thanks for saving you, even if he didn't have a clue who you were.

You may or may not know this already, but I am your father. Due to my current profession, I am unable to visit you like I would have hoped to, so instead, I'm sending this letter. You may hate me, or you may not even care about me, but I do care about you, you are my son after all. Inside the envelope, I've sent you a piece of my vivre card with my number on it. Keep it safe, and keep it hidden. Not many have that kind of information, and if it were to get into the wrong hands, many things could be jeopardized. However, just know that, if you ever need my help or anything at all, just give me a call or follow my vivre card and I will do my best.

Being the leader of the Revolutionaries means I'm a highly wanted man. It means I have to be careful with everything I do. However, you are my son first and foremost.

If you decide to disregard everything in this letter, I understand.

Your Father, Dragon'

Ace and Sabo both looked at each other, eyes slightly larger then they had been before. Luffy merely looked confused by the whole thing but understood now that this was from his father, and it was important. Looking back in the envelope, he saw the vivre card his father had mentioned, pulling it out and briefly noticing the number on it. Without a hint of hesitation, Luffy tucked the paper in the ribbon of his hat, where he kept Shanks' vivre card.

"Man, I didn't think your old man even knew you existed." Ace confessed. After all, Luffy hadn't gotten anything like this before. Garp hadn't even willingly mentioned to them who the boys' father was, it had been an accident.

"What do you mean?" Marco asked, still not knowing who the letter was from. Whitebeard watched from where he sat, not saying anything, but obviously curious as well.

"Its a letter from Luffy's father. It's just, he's never sent him anything before. They've never met as far as I'm aware." Sabo explained, remembering how confused Luffy had been at the prospect that he even had a father.

"His father, huh? It's still hard to imagine that Garp managed to even have children, yoi." Marco said, Ace and Sabo agreeing with him. Whitebeard and Marco knew that the brothers weren't blood-related due to the fact that Ace's father was Gol D. Roger, but they didn't have a clue as to who Sabo and Luffy's parents were. All they knew was that whoever Garp's son was, that was Luffy's father.

"He says thanks for saving me," Luffy said, looking up at Whitebeard who smiled back at him.

"It was no problem," Whitebeard answered easily, knowing he would have done it again if given the chance. With that said, Luffy folded the letter back up and put it back in the envelope.

"Why don't we go put that in our room. Thatch is finishing the feast up now, so by the time we're done we can go eat." Sabo said, and Marco and Whitebeard suddenly remembered the blondes heightened hearing.

That was definitely something that would take some getting used to.

"Mm. I can't wait, there's gonna be so much food! It smells sooo~ good!" Luffy cheered, a smile suddenly on his face at the mention of the feast and drool seeping from the corner of his mouth as the three brothers beginning to walk away. It was weird that the pirates now knew about the brothers' abilities, at least, the Commanders and Whitebeard did. Now they didn't have to hide it, they didn't have to keep things they noticed quiet, they weren't forcing themselves to look like normal, defenseless teenagers.

The trip to their room was quick, and Luffy put the envelope in the desk drawer before they headed back out to the deck where, as Sabo predicted, Thatch was announcing that dinner was ready. There were cheers from the crew as everyone made their way into the galley, the brothers waiting for the crowd to die down before walking in.

To say it was a feast would be putting it lightly. Food was piled high on platters and plates, everyone taking as much as they could handle without fear of taking too much because even if every person there took three plates, there was still plenty of food for everyone else.

The brothers made their way through the excited crew, reaching the Commander's table and sitting down quickly. As if on cue Thatch came up to them, plates filled with an assortment of food in his hands.

"Here you go!" Thatch said, setting the food down in front of them. Luffy beamed, thanking the chef quickly before digging in, Ace doing the same beside him. Sabo laughed, shaking his head, but thanked the chef as well, also beginning to eat.

The room was loud and rambunctious for a few minutes as everyone got their plates and settled down, and once that happened, Whitebeard stood, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"As you all may have realized, there is a reason for this celebration tonight. After a month of staying here on the ship, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy have decided to officially join the crew, and I expect everyone to give them a warm welcome." Whitebeard announced, everyone, cheering happily and shouting warm welcomes to the brothers from where they sat.

"With that said, let the festivities begin!" Whitebeard cheered with a smile, lifting a mug with alcohol in it, Luffy recognizing the smell easily. Everyone in the room cheered again before digging in, chatting loudly with their friends as they did. Drinks were poured and somewhere along the line people began singing cheerfully.

Ace and Sabo didn't even bother trying to get Luffy to be careful with how much happiness he let in because, in a room where everyone was being boisterous and cheerful, it would be impossible for Luffy not to be influenced by it.

As expected, within seconds Luffy was wearing an enormous smile, shoveling food into his mouth as fast as his limbs allowed it. The young teen was bouncing slightly in his seat which made Ace and Sabo laugh. The other Commanders noticed the kids excitement and smiled to themselves, not even thinking that it could be due to Luffy being influenced, thinking he was merely enjoying himself.

Even though the brothers were now outed and the Commanders now knew about their powers, it still didn't feel real. Even though Luffy knew he could stretch his arm to grab that roll, he didn't because he was still in the mindset that he should avoid using his power at all times. Even though Ace could heat the chicken back up after it began to cool down a bit too much, he stopped himself.

Even though the brothers had been using their senses all day, and had mentioned them a few times in front of others, it still wasn't all that natural yet to use the abilities they had in front of others.

"So, do you guys think you're gonna get a tattoo?" Blenheim asked suddenly, gesturing to his own tattoo that represented him being apart of the crew. The brothers looked to each other before shrugging.

"We don't know, we haven't thought about it," Sabo said truthfully. When they made the decision to join, they hadn't once thought about whether they were going to get a tattoo.

They had had much more pressing things on their minds.

"It's no big deal if you don't. Besides, it's not like its a requirement." Curiel said with a reassuring smile, letting the brothers know that they weren't going to be pressured into it.

"We'll think about it." Sabo decided, the Commanders nodding in understanding. The party continued on, and soon it was moved from the galley and to the deck, everyone carrying their mugs of alcohol with them and singing joyously into the night. It was getting a bit dark out now, but that didn't stop anyone as a few people left to go bring out instruments. The sky was littered with stars, the moon full and bright, illuminating the dancing pirates.

It had been far too long since the brothers had been near people so cheerful and happy. Even back with the bandits, they hadn't been around enough to witness their parties in full swing. They usually only ever came when everyone was already passed out drunk on the floor.

Now, however, they were right in the middle of the festivities, and it was clear that Luffy found no issue with it. Whether it was because of the emotions influencing his own, or because he was truly enjoying it, no one would know, but at that moment Ace and Sabo had a sudden realization.

For the past year, Luffy had barely been recognizable as the boy who laughed and smiled easily. There had been no trace of the joyous child who ran up to strangers and looked at the world with wide innocent eyes. That boy had left after those doctors had forced him to do horrible things.

And for that entire year, it was a hassle to get Luffy to even respond to them, much less get him to smile. This past month with the Whitebeards though had changed him. For the better. Where the facility had taken that smile, taken that happy laugh, the Whitebeards brought it back tenfold. Luffy looked as happy as he had when running through the jungle with his older brothers. He looked like that innocent kid who loved anything and everything.

It was a harsh contrast to just a month ago, where he had looked lifeless. Emotionless.

If this was what the Whitebeards could do, if their baby brother could find his happiness here with these people, then Ace and Sabo were glad they had made the decision to join.

"Ace, Sabo, come on, sing too!" Luffy laughed out as he sang a horrible off-key rendition of Binks Sake. Ace and Sabo smiled to each other before relenting and joining their brother in his singing along with a few other dozens of pirates.

Sure, things had started off rough, sure they still had a long ways to go, and sure, the brothers were nowhere near healed yet, but this was definitely a good start. Telling them their past had only been the start, and the journey to properly healing could finally begin.

Luffy may leave one day, may go off to make his own crew, and fight for his dream of becoming the next Pirate King, but until then, his brothers were going to stay by his side and do everything in their power to keep that smile on his face. Too many days had gone by where they hadn't seen it, and now that it was back, it was something that they were never going to let go of again. Teach could be damned. If that bastard was going to be apart of the same crew as them, they were just going to have to watch him closely like Whitebeard had said. They would keep Luffy away from that man, they would keep that darkness from creeping into their brother, and they would keep any damn marines trying to take him away from them as far away as they could.

Luffy was their precious baby brother and they were going to do everything in their power as his older brothers to keep him safe. Anyone who had a problem with that would be met with a fist.

Busy day, but I finally got this chapter up!

Now that they've celebrated, they're officially, officially apart of the Whitebeards! The brothers no longer need to hide their abilities, so they'll start using them more and more in front of everyone, but as mentioned, its difficult for them to suddenly go from restraining themselves all the time to letting loose in a matter of a few hours.

Also, we haven't seen much of Dragon in the anime, so I don't really have a good idea of his character and how he would act, but I tried my best to stay in character for the letter he wrote Luffy. Dragon doesn't seem like someone who would express a lot of emotion, but I feel like he would have worried about Luffy during the time he was missing, and finding out he'd been rescued, I imagine he would have been relieved. All in all, I feel like he cares about Luffy, even if he hasn't really interacted with him, which is why I wanted to have him write a letter, but didn't have him show up himself. As mentioned before, he is the leader of the Revolutionaries after all, it would be difficult for him to see Luffy in person on Whitbeards ship no less.

Finally, some of you noticed last chapter that the brothers didn't mention their devil fruits to Whiskey. I completely forgot to add them telling her about Ace and Luffys devil fruits. It was something I had intended on writing, but by the time I got to that scene, I completely forgot to have them mention it. When I was rereading it, I knew I was missing something, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Thank you to everyone who pointed that out! I think I'll go back and add that in, and if I do I'll be sure to tell you all so you can go and read it if you want, but honestly, it'll probably only be a sentence or two more.

Now, the actual last thing, thank you for 800 reviews! Another milestone that I never expected to reach when I started this story! Honestly, I thought that I might get a few readers that were interested enough to review, but I never expected that I would have so many of you consistently reviewing chapter after chapter! I know that there are some that reviewed my first chapter that are still reviewing every week, and even if you're someone who only reviewed once, I appreciate it just as much! I hope I can continue to write chapters you all enjoy!

See you all next Thursday with chapter 60!