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 72: Practice Makes Perfect

'All clear?'

'Over here is safe.'

'What about up ahead?'

'Good there too.'

'Be quiet.'

There was silence between them now, no one tapping or speaking as they waited.

'Two of them about twenty feet behind, not coming this way.'

'We should go ahead then to avoid them.'

Sabo nodded before relaxing into an easier sitting position, hand moving from the deck floor to his lap.

Haruta smiled triumphantly as he finished tapping, moving to a more relaxed position as well. The blonde sent his own smile to the Commander, amazed at how quick he had picked up the different taps he'd been teaching him. Beside him, Ace was having similar conversations with Marco, and Luffy was doing the same with Whitebeard.

They had decided they would go through some trial conversations with the commanders, or at least the ones skilled enough to do them, to test how well they could understand the silent language if it became necessary to use it.

So far, Haruta, Izo, Jozu, and now Marco and Whitebeard, had finished these trial runs, all of them passing with flying colors. The rest of the commanders had been too busy to learn, but they expressed that they still wanted to when they had time to; namely Thatch. Seeing as the chef was busy cooking most of the day, there was only a select amount of time that the brothers spent with him, so it was no surprise that he hadn't quite gotten good enough to be fluent yet.

"Good job. I think you've basically learned all you'd need to know," Sabo said. There was still a lot of things that they weren't teaching them, because they still wanted to have some privacy should the brothers need to use their silent language, but for what they needed to know, Haruta was done learning.

"Sweet! I'm still shocked that you three were able to come up with a language this complex, but it's pretty cool too!" Haruta admired, watching as Marco finished up his own conversation with Ace, passing easily along with Whitebeard who was speaking with Luffy.

"Lots of time with nothing to do meant we were able to spend most days coming up with different signs. There wasn't much to do besides think and talk with each other after all." Sabo said with a shrug, trying not to think too hard on the memories that came along with those words. From beside him, Izo and Kingdew walked up, greeting them.

"Are you finishing up?" Izo asked.

"Just about. You up for some lessons to Kingdew?" Sabo asked good-naturedly, smiling to the man who joined them in sitting on the deck.

"That would be nice. I have a bit of a break before someone in my division realizes they have a problem." The commander said with a huff of laughter, having dealt with a lot of complaints that day.

"I just finished my big exam, so he's all yours Kingdew," Haruta said, patting the commander on the back as he moved to sit with Izo, Marco and Ace instead. Sabo was quick to launch into a review of everything he'd last taught Kingdew as Haruta left.

"Ne, what's going on over here?" Haruta asked curiously as he joined the group sitting beside Sabo.

"Ace is teaching us a few more names that they made up, yoi," Marco said, watching Ace's taps closely.

"Oh yeah? Like who?" Haruta asked curiously as he sat down, also watching the taps closely.

"Just people you might run into and we might need to talk about, like Garp, Shanks, or even people on the crew." Ace said. They hadn't taught anyone specific names mostly because it would be a bit confusing for them when they were still learning the basics of the language, but seeing as these few had passed their tests, he felt it would be alright to teach them. Luffy had already started doing the same for Whitebeard after a brief conversation with Ace.

"So this is like an intermediate class then?" Haruta asked with a smile while Ace nodded, laughing a bit himself.

"If that's how you want to see it, then sure. This next one is the sign for Izo, which Luffy decided on." Ace said, doing a normal sign, but ending it with a sharper tap.

"What's the word?" Izo asked, remembering yesterday's conversation when the brothers said they used certain words for certain people.

"Ah, well Luffy chose the word pretty." Ace said, which made Izo smile softly.

"How would you show you were tapping a name if you're tapping on clothing and cant make that sharp tap sound?" Marco asked with a thoughtful expression.

"Luffy, Sabo and I kind of just know what we mean, or its easy to tell through context, but if its a new name, we might end it with a pat rather than using just a finger to tap, so it makes a louder sound, or we just spell the whole name out instead." Ace said, showing them the different options. After showing them the different ways to tap, Ace noticed that Luffy seemed to be smelling the air, his lesson with Whitebeard momentarily halted as he did. His face was scrunched in confusion and his head tilted a bit, showing Ace that he was confused.

"Luffy?" Ace asked, getting Sabo's attention, along with everyone else with them. Luffy stopped his sniffing to look at him, blinking a few times.

"What's up?" Ace asked in slight concern, all of them watching as the youngest turned back to look towards the ocean, head tilted upward slightly as he sniffed again.

"I smell something. Kinda hard to smell cause of the ocean, but the wind is bringing a scent with it." Luffy said, jumping off Whitebeards chair to go to the railing, taking a bigger sniff as he did.

"What's it smell like?" Sabo asked as he and Ace stood to follow him.

"People? I think. It's far away, and it's mixing a lot with the ocean and other scents, but I'm pretty sure its people." Luffy said, becoming more confident near the end.

"Do you know which direction?" Ace asked, already trying to scan the horizon for any ships or islands.

"Mm, I think it's over there," Luffy said, pointing in a direction Ace hadn't looked too closely at yet. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just water, but Luffy had said the wind was carrying the scent, and he had no clue how far away something could be for Luffy to still smell it, so maybe it was still too far for even him to see.

"I don't see anything, but tell us if the scent gets any stronger, alright?" Ace asked, ruffling Luffy's hair as he did. Luffy nodded understandingly before jumping back up onto Whitebeards chair and continuing where they left off as if they hadn't been interrupted in the first place. Everyone else decided to do the same, knowing Luffy would tell them if it was closer, and so they all joined Whitebeard and Luffy once again, resuming their earlier lessons as well.

It was around a half-hour later, nearing noon when Luffy paused again to smell the air, this time gaining everyone's attention instantly.

"Stronger?" Sabo asked, pausing in his lesson with Kingdew, and now Fossa.

"Mm." Luffy hummed, head once again tilted in thought. Ace got up and headed to the railing, squinting out towards the direction Luffy had pointed to before.

"I'm pretty sure I'm seeing a ship, but it's still really far away. It probably won't even get here until its closer to dinner." Ace said, just barely making out the shape he knew would eventually be a ship. Whether it was good or bad, he wouldn't know until it was much closer.

"We'll keep an eye on it. Marco, could you go tell those on watch that there will be a ship coming from that direction and have them inform us when it's visible to them?" Whitebeard asked, Marco nodding and heading off to do as instructed.

"So Luffy can smell further then Ace can see?" Fossa asked, having been briefed about what happened earlier.

"We're not entirely sure. We've never had a chance to measure how far our senses extend, but Luffy did say the wind was carrying the scent which might have helped him smell it sooner." Sabo said. As he finished explaining this, the bell for lunch went off, signaling an end to the conversation as they all stood to head toward the galley. Once inside and seated, a new conversation began, mostly with the Commanders speculating about what kind of ship it could be.

It started with them wondering if it was even going to be hostile. Some suggested it could just be a merchant ship, or maybe even a passenger ship, but then the conversation turned towards the more likely candidates, from rookie crews thinking they were bigger then they were, to Marines who thought they could take on the strongest crew of the seas in the name of Justice.

"I think its Marines," Luffy said casually as he began eating the food Thatch had just set down in front of him.

"There's Marines?" Thatch asked, having been in the kitchen and not hearing about the ship spotting yet. After catching him up, he nodded and turned to Luffy.

"And you think its marines?" He asked, Luffy nodding in response.

"Why?" Blenheim asked, wondering if there was a reasoning behind the kids' thinking.

"Smells like 'em." He said with a shrug, reminding the table that he could identify things by scent alone.

"What do Marines smell like?" Whitebeard asked out of curiosity, making Luffy think. It was always interesting for everyone to learn more about the brothers' enhanced senses, almost like they were living a real-life work of fiction.

"They smell like the sea, but everyone on ships usually do. They also smell really... clean. I don't really know how to explain it, but pirates don't usually smell as clean as Marines do, and those merchant ships we saw a few times before smelled clean, but not this clean. Its almost like when we clean the deck, but a lot stronger." Luffy said, trying to explain the best he could.

"Sounds right to me," Rakuyo said after a moment, shrugging. They couldn't smell like Luffy could, so who were they to say he was wrong. Besides, he was sure that the Marines were much cleaner then they were, it was expected of them to be.

"Not to mention, there was that newspaper confirming you three were with us. It might have spurred some of the less intelligent Marines to think they could take us on." Namur added, many nodding in agreement. Whenever the Whitebeards were in the papers there was always a bit of influx in the amount of Marine and pirate attacks, everyone thinking they could defeat them and gain the notoriety of defeating the infamous Whitebeard pirates.

"Only suicidal idiots think they can take us down. Especially with only one ship." Curiel said, garnering laughs from the table. It amazed the brothers that, even though it was their fault the crew had to put up with the extra Marine fights, the crew didn't seem to mind or seem angry about it.

They'd already come to the conclusion that the pirates weren't going to turn on them long ago, but it still shocked them to see how... nice they were. Pirates in the past, namely Bluejam, had never been anything but selfish and greedy, and they had no doubt that there were plenty of pirates just like that, but to be faced with such an outlier of a group was a little hard to comprehend.

Lunch was quick to pass like always. When it came to food and the trio of brothers, it never lasted long, so in no time they were heading back out onto the deck. Ace noticed that the ship was closer yet, but still not enough for him to identify. Seeing as not many were out and about, the brothers decided to go and relax until more people were done.

They had spent most of their morning with the Commanders and Captain, teaching them their silent language, which Sabo mused they should probably give a name. Now that there was a bit of a lull they found it relaxing to just enjoy the sun and ocean breeze. It was always pretty picturesque looking over the railing and seeing the sun high in the sky, the ocean disappearing far past the horizon, and the occasional island or rock peeking out in the distance. On good days when there wasn't a cloud in sight, the blue of the sky rivaled the blue of the ocean, but when there were clouds, it changed the whole scene, adding a contrast that made everything that much more beautiful.

The three brothers were all sitting on the railing, all three of them wanted to enjoy the view, while simultaneously keeping a close check on the ship growing ever closer to them.

At one point they had to leave to do their chores, but other than that, they remained on the railing uninterrupted. Once Ace was able to identify the ship as being that of Marines, they told the Captain and Commanders, allowing everyone to make the proper preparations for a fight that was most likely to happen.

And happen it did.

As the hours dragged on, the ship slowly became more and more visible to everyone on the crew. As Ace had predicted, it was only an hour or two before dinner would be ready and served when the Marine ship made its way right beside the Moby.

Everyone was tense, ready for the inevitable fight to break out at any moment. Shouting could be heard on the Marine ship, and Sabo easily heard that it was soldiers being told to get their weapons and be prepared for the fight ahead. Of course, there was a lot of nonsense about Justice, and the demon trio, but Sabo chose to ignore that in favor of making sure he and his brothers were prepared for the fight as well.

Luffy was bouncing in anticipation, a grin on his face, while Ace had his arms crossed over his chest, fists clenched as he glared at the marine ship. It was obvious he was annoyed, Sabo and Luffy already knowing it was because he didn't like how much control it felt like the Marines had over their lives, as well as the fact that the Marines were prepared to bring them back to a horrible place, naively thinking it was because they deserved it.

Of course, Sabo and Luffy agreed with Aces thinking and were pretty peeved with the Marines as well, however, Luffy was able to push his anger away in favor of a fight, and Sabo was more focused on making sure they didn't somehow get caught again instead of getting angry. Ace, as he mentioned before, had issues with his emotions, and instead of working it out healthily, he instead got even angrier.

"Whitebeard! You'll hand over the Demon Trio this instant!" The Marine Captain shouted over to their ship, his voice demanding and full of bravado that had the entire Whitebeard crew rolling their eyes.

"Now why would I do such a thing?" Whitebeard asked, the brothers feeling the familiar warmth washing over them at the fact that someone in their shitty lives actually wanted them to be safe, wanted them to be happy.

"If you intend to defy us, we'll just have to show you the true meaning of Justice!" The Captain shouted, his lackeys cheering behind him as they all began attempting to board them. The effect was immediate, and everyone jumped into action, ready to defend their ship as well as their crewmates.

The brothers made sure to stay within view of Marco like normal as they too jumped into action. Even though they'd proved to the crew that they could hold their own, it was like an extra security to them to have the first Commander within sight, especially when all of these marines were here to get them.

As expected, most of the Marines were attempting to attack the trio, and despite their best efforts, they weren't having any luck. Luffy was ducking and jumping over swords with ease, Ace was letting swords and bullets pass through him, and Sabo was swaying out of the way, avoiding every attempt that was made to hit him.

They were quick to begin fighting back, Luffy sending a barrage of punches at those who got too close, and even those out of a normal persons reach, while Ace began sending his flames outwards, burning anyone unlucky enough to get caught up in them. Sabo was finally able to use his newly acquired pipe in a real fight, and spun it expertly in his hand before using it to bash the marine's skull that had just attempted to swing a sword at him. He quickly swung the pipe into the side of the next Marine, sending them flying off towards the railing.

The trio were practically in their element, the three of them leaving no room for anyone to get through, making sure to watch each other, and even other crewmembers' backs. Luffy outstretched his leg, using it to stamp a Marine that was sneaking up on a crewmate to their left, and Ace shot some fire bullets towards a group of three Marines who thought they could jump off the upper deck to attack Namur.

Marco was taking on the Marine Captain with minimal effort, obviously having the upper hand against him, and Whitebeard was keeping a close eye on the fight, ready to interfere if necessary. The Marine ship wasn't too large, meaning the crew wasn't either, meaning the fight would be quick. This proved correct when Marco finally took down the Captain, sending him flying back to his own ship.

As always, once the Captain was down, those who were still able to move were quick to begin retreating, carrying their wounded back to their own ship while the Whitebeards made sure they all got off the Moby one way or another. Ace, Sabo and Luffy all finished up fighting their own group of Marines, easily sending them all flying back to the Marine ship as well, scowls set on all of their faces as they did so.

Of course, the Marines had to taunt them, calling them monsters, demons or even devils, but that didn't do them any good but make the brothers angrier, which resulted in a more brutal beating. Honestly, it was like the Marines had no self-preservation. It was almost as bad as Luffy.

"Bastards," Ace muttered, arms crossed over his chest now as he glared at the quickly retreating Marine ship. Sabo shook his head and sighed, though shared the same thoughts and feelings as Ace did.

"Though they may be just that, at least we got to get a good fight in," Sabo said in an attempt at getting Ace to calm down before his anger grew too out of control. It wasn't that Aces anger was guaranteed to turn into a rage every time, but he was known to stew in his anger for quite some time if nothing was done about it, so it was best to calm him down as quickly as possible for both his own and Luffy's, best interests.

"Yeah! Ne, Ace, did you see that one guys face when I punched him?! It was all like-" Luffy stopped talking as he squished his own face up in an attempt to recreate the face he was talking about. Ace rolled his eyes while Sabo chuckled at the strange, but probably very accurate, face Luffy made.

"I wasn't watching your fight stupid, I was a bit preoccupied with my own." Ace said though he did seem to be calming down now.

"Oh, really? What face did your guys make? Were they as funny as mine?" Luffy asked with a grin.

"I guess they were pretty funny. Funnier then yours were, that's for sure." Ace said confidently.

"No way, didn't you see my guys?!" Luffy asked incredulously.

"I already said I didn't, remember?" Ace replied.

"Then how do you know?" Luffy asked.

"Cause I'm older so I know these things." Ace said with a shrug, as if it was obvious. Sabo sighed and shook his head at the argument he had known was going to happen from the start. Marco and Jozu were watching with fond looks, and Haruta was smiling as he walked over to Sabo, eyes drifting towards the two squabbling siblings.

"Is this a regular occurrence?" Haruta asked, watching as the two began butting heads, both trying to claim their Marines had made funnier faces.

"Sadly, yes. I was really hoping Ace would have grown out of it, or maybe even that Luffy wouldn't be so easy to get riled up." Sabo said as he pinched his nose, feeling a headache coming on. Haruta laughed, patting Sabo on the back in an attempt to comfort the blonde.

"Rubbers a stupid power anyway."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Oi! What have I said about this argument?!" Sabo shouted in annoyance as he pulled the two apart, causing even more of the crew to laugh at the trio's antics.

"But he started it!" Luffy whined, pointing to Ace who just crossed his arms again.

"Did not." Ace said calmly, only making Luffy more annoyed.

Of course, this only made Sabo more annoyed as he began dragging the two off to their room, the crew parting ways for them as they heard him begin lecturing the two.

"I think that's the most animated those three have been since they've been here," Namur said as he watched from a distance, taking the long way over to Whitebeards chair, not wanting to get in the way of Sabo's warpath.

"Gurarara, it seems Sabo's got quite a handle on those two." Whitebeard laughed, watching the three leave fondly. Marco shook his head at his fathers' words.

"At least they seem to be getting more comfortable around us, yoi," Marco said, many Commanders agreeing with him about that.

"Hey, what do you think, which one's better, rubber or fire?" Haruta asked, waggling his eyebrows and getting laughs from many.

"Don't let them hear you say that I'm sure Sabo wouldn't mind dragging you along for a lecture either if he found out you instigated another argument." Blenheim laughed.

"As long as it's not Marco, I don't think it could be all that bad," Haruta said with a shrug, immediately blanching when he heard Marco clear his throat beside him, forgetting the first Commander was there.

"Uh, gotta go!" He said hastily, running off and leaving Marco to shake his head in annoyance as everyone began laughing again, even Whitebeard.

"Troublesome family, yoi."

I think this has been one of my busiest weeks in a long time. I only barely have the time to get this posted, so the authors note is going to be quick!

First things first: Learning a new language is hard, but the commanders and Whitebeard only learned a bare minimum of words and phrases, hence why they're able to have conversations already and read some of the taps the brothers use. They cant read every tap, because the brothers still want some privacy in their secret language, but they can read enough to give or read warnings.

Second thing: All the brothers' senses extend about roughly the same distance. How far Sabo can hear is about how far Ace can see and how far Luffy can smell. Sabo won't be able to hear much, more like mumbles than actual words, but he'd still hear things. The reason Luffy was able to smell so far, as mentioned, was because of the wind helping him.

Third: I feel like the brothers deserve a little bit of a break which is why I've had this chapter, and a couple before it, so calm and peaceful. Of course, there's always a calm before a storm, so big things will start happening again soon, but for now I wanted to show more of the brothers relaxing and bonding with the crew. They haven't had much time to do so with all that's happened to them after all.

Finally: Thank you all again for your support! I can't fathom how in the world I got such great readers and I only hope I continue to please you all with the new chapters! Hopefully I;ll be able to update on Monday for you all, but we'll see!