sairakanzaki: Aww, thank you.

Guest: Here's Marco! The best glowing pigeon ever.

Jordansdevil: Fluff is the main component of the story, so there will be no shortage of it in the future!

Idoray: I'm sorry! I have to make the ends of the chapters more hooking, even if you have to wait!

The Whitebeards have arrived! I hope everyone enjoys Thatch and Jojo. Thatch is so cute. This chapter is longer than the other ones, so i hope it's good!

"What the hell is that?" Marco wondered, staring at the bright light in the distance. He called to one of the vampires on deck to turn the Moby Dick towards the light. When the ship grew closer, Marco could see that the fire was in the shape of a message. SOS. The ship wasn't moving, but it was also stationary for the night. So, what was wrong with them? Why was this ship needing help?

Marco had the ship stop, and drop anchor. They sailed constantly, since the vampires on the ship had a different sleep schedule, and someone was always on deck. Marco was the only exception because the sun didn't hurt him due to his regenerative devil fruit.

Instead of getting any closer to the ship asking for help, he set the telescope down and formed his wings, flying quickly towards the light. As he got closer, he saw that there was no pirate flag. It was weird to see non-pirate ships, but they were in Paradise. It was uncommon here, but nowhere near how uncommon and rare it was in the New World.

But, even though it wasn't a pirate ship, he felt multiple strong presences. He could tell that one of them was a vampire. That was good, they wouldn't get on their cases about having hundreds of vampires on their own crew.

The first person he saw was a child, very young it seemed. The commander had to wonder why a child was on a ship in the Grand Line. But, moments after he got close to the kid, an older teenager came and grabbed the boy - Luffy - and pushed him behind him. And hid his face for some reason. But then he realized that the vampire presence was the child. He held his anger at this. Marco didn't know these people. Maybe the boy had been dying and so they changed him. He wouldn't be quick to make judgements.

"You guys need help?" Marco asked, glancing at the fleeing little boy, going to go get Sabo, whoever that was. "I saw your SOS."

"Yeah… Our rudder was destroyed," the teen said slowly. "We're running out of food and water. Does your crew have any shipwrights who could help us?" The kid was clearly uncomfortable with the vampire so close, which puzzled Marco, since they had their own vampire.

"We do. But we don't have enough wood with us at the moment. I'm going to go check and see what it looks like," Marco said casually. He didn't want to freak the kid out, and whoever else was on the ship. He would ask to speak with the captain once he got back.

The vampire-phoenix flew to the back of the ship and let out a whistle. The rudder was mangled. There would be no fixing this with a patch up job. It needed to be replaced. That could take awhile. Until then, the Moby could tow this ship to the next island.

When he flew back, a blonde teenager of the same age was standing on deck with the original teen. Marco could sense the little vampire boy peeking around the doorframe. "Your rudder needs to be replaced, I'd say. Can I talk to your captain?" He realized he'd said the wrong thing when the black haired, shirtless teen, scowled.

"We're co-captains of this ship," the blonde said. "My name is Sabo and this is Ace." Sabo was good at hiding his fear, but Marco could sense it.

"Then we can tow your ship for you until the next island. There, our shipwrights can try and fix it up. I insist you come aboard our ship, though. I'm surprised any Sea Kings haven't attacked your ship yet," Marco said. "There's no need to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. Besides, you have a vampire here yourself." Both teens grew pale, but Marco put his hand up to stop their panic attacks. "I don't know your story, or why you have a vampire child, so I won't judge yet. I will be back soon to hook up your ship."

The little vampire boy had run out and watched the bird-man fly away. "Ace, Sabo, did you see him! He flew!" Marco heard the boy say. It had been a long time since the man had been around a child that young. Poor kid would always be young. Did those kids somehow turn him? There were no other vampires on that ship.

Marco steered the Moby Dick to the smaller ship, where more people were now waiting on deck. Six of them excluding the original three. They watched him tie the chain to the front of the ship and hook it to the back of the massive one. Marco did it extremely smoothly, and soon the stranded ship was safely and securely attached to the side of the back of the Moby, out a ways.

A row boat was lowered down by Haruta, who had come out to see what was up and why Marco had flown away. The younger vampire was angry about hearing that this crew had a child vampire. The twelfth division commander had not wanted to welcome the small crew because of that.

Marco was by far the most chill and patient person on the Whitebeard Pirates crew. Marco rowed the row boat to the other ship, and had everyone get on. They all looked skeptical at the vampire, except the little boy. He kept trying to talk to Marco, but Ace and Sabo kept shushing him. They were clearly very scared of Marco, and he wondered what their story was. He'd ask later.

"There are many vampires on our crew, but none of them will hurt any of you," Marco said. "My name is Marco, and I'm the first mate of the Whitebeard Pirates." Everyone but the three youngest members on the little ship gasped. Clearly they knew of the large crew. Ace and Sabo looked at them nervously.

"Don't worry, our crew is strong, but not needlessly violent. There's no need to worry," Marco assured. Ace and Sabo gulped. The little vampire boy just kept ogling Marco, who kept himself on fire just for his interest. He was cute, but seeing a child vampire was unsettling.

Yet, Marco could hear the boy breathing, and his heart beating. What the hell…?

-x-

Ace held Luffy in his arms protectively as he and Sabo stood rigidly at the vampires around them. Red eyes everywhere, but they didn't sense any blood lust or violence, though one of the vampires was glaring at them. Probably because of the child vampire in Ace's arms. Sabo knew that they needed to make it clear at the beginning that they didn't turn the four year old.

"We didn't turn Luffy. He was born a vampire," Sabo said quickly. The other vampires looked skeptical. Vampires weren't born. Of course they were not believing them. Marco told him, "Why don't we talk about that in a more secluded place?"

Sabo and Ace both nodded. Marco turned to Luffy and said, "It's nice to meet you, Luffy. Are you thirsty?" Luffy shook his head.

"I'm hungry. I don't get to eat lots of meat anymore." Marco looked puzzled. Vampires didn't eat human food.

"Well, I'm sure we can find something for you in the kitchen. Let's go inside," Marco said in a civilized manner, now thoroughly confused about the cute little boy. The only woman on the other crew handed the boy a stuffed animal giraffe. Ace set Luffy down, but he and Sabo were on either side of him, with the two twins behind them. They all stood in some position to protect Luffy.

The ship was large on the inside, and they had to walk for five minutes, quickly, to get to the kitchen. Jojo gasped when she saw it. It was huge! But, that would make sense, given the size she knew the crew was. She, like the others, couldn't help but be nervous around all of the vampires. They, minus Ace and Sabo, knew that not all vampires were bad. Luffy didn't count, he was special.

But, the only vampire Ace and Sabo had come into contact with was the reason their mom was dead and nearly killed Luffy. They weren't fond of them before that, but especially not after. Luffy ran forward into the kitchen and looked at the seven, large refrigerators.

"Luffy, come back," Sabo said. Luffy pouted, but went back to his big brother. He was still wearing his pjs, and had slippers on now. He was the picture of adorable. Marco walked to the refrigerator and opened the one that held left overs. The others held foods that hadn't been cooked yet. The first mate pulled out a large plate of home-made, breaded chicken nuggets, and heated it up. Luffy sat at the bar counter after being lifted by his brother, and dug into the food. "Yummy!" he cried as he devoured every piece.

"Now, can you tell me about Luffy, here?" Marco asked as he sat on a bar stool a few seats away. These sailors - not pirates - were very protective of the little one, so he wouldn't get too close to the boy. He didn't want to upset these people.

Sabo was the one to explain, while Ace watched Marco like a hawk, his hand on Luffy's shoulder protectively. "Our mother was turned when she was eight months pregnant. It caused her to have a miscarriage, but Luffy survived. He still ages and eats food." Marco's eyes widened, clearly never having heard about anything like this happening before.

"Did she turn?"

Sabo shook his head, not wanting to think about their loving mother and what she'd gone through between the time she was starting to turn and then had the miscarriage. She… died before she fully was turned into a vampire.

Marco sighed. "You don't need to be worried about any of the vampires on this ship. No one will harm any of you, but I will have to pass along this information so the others don't grow angry."

"Are you a vampire, bird-man?" Luffy asked in interest. "I never met another one before!" the boy was clearly ecstatic about it. Marco smiled at him, though he felt that Luffy must have been extremely sheltered to have never met another vampire before. But, he could see why, after Ace and Sabo's story. The three were all brothers, apparently.

"Yes, I am. There are a great number of us on this crew. None as special as you, though." Luffy beamed. Unlike Marco, who could control his fangs, Luffy's were very visible, though they weren't as long as a normal vampires' were. "How old are you, Luffy?"

"I'm four. I'll be a big boy soon," Luffy replied, the chicken nuggets all gone. He patted his pleasantly full belly. Marco turned to the others. "Are you all hungry, too?" Ace shook his head, and then blushed when his stomach roared at just the wrong time.

Marco chuckled and went to the kitchen. "You can all sit down, no one is going to attack any of you," the vampire said calmly. He radiated calm. The crew slowly sat down at the long bar counter. Very long, almost the whole wall. The galley was massive as well. Ace and Sabo wondered just how many pirates were on this ship.

Soon, large portions of heated up, delicious soup was in front of all of them. Luffy was given a small bowl to taste it. The phoenix had a feeling he'd want to taste it. The eight sailors devoured the soup, all clearly having been hungry. Marco wondered how long they'd been rationing food.

"Are you all pirates?" Marco asked from the other side of the counter as he filled glasses of fresh water for the nine. He gave one to Luffy, not knowing if he drank water, which he did.

"No, sailors," Sabo answered. The soup really was delicious. Even Jojo thought so, and she hated eating other people's food. Unless it was a fancy restaurant. Then that was fine. Marco asked what they were doing on the Grand Line with a child. The whole crew seemed to look embarrassed.

"It was actually an accident. We were trying to get to the West Blue from the East Blue," Aggie 68 said. Marco looked at them incredulously, but he could see how they could have missed their chance. He had come from the South Blue, and when he went up Reverse Mountain on a trading ship, the minute they reached the top was so quick that it must've been difficult to turn at just the right time. He lost the look.

"I see. It is very difficult to climb up Reverse mountain from the Grand Line," Marco amended. "Though, you all seem stronger than just sailors from the East Blue." Sabo nodded.

"We had to, to protect Luffy," Sabo replied, running his hand through the now-tired little boy's hair. "You want to go to sleep?" Sabo asked, to which Luffy nodded and yawned. "Do you have any room we can use?"

Marco nodded. Jojo automatically took all of the bowls to the sink. Marco didn't tell her not to, though Thatch didn't like outsiders in his kitchen. But, she was making it so there was no work for those in the morning. Well, soon. It was approaching dawn. It looked like Luffy had a good internal clock, as he was sleepy near sunrise.

The ten walked through the halls, until they came to a dusty room that had a lot of bunk beds in it. They all shook off the dust from the blankets, but only Ace and Luffy got into the bed. They both fit alright on the full sized bed, though it was smaller than Luffy's bed at home.

"Sabo, I trust you to be smart," Ace said in a serious voice.

"I'll come switch in the middle of the day," the brother replied with a nod. Ace got up only to lock the door behind his crew and brother, trusting they could take care of themselves. And that this Marco was honest. None of them had bad feelings about him, even if he was a pirate and a vampire.

"Sleep time Lu- ," but he didn't need to finish his sentence for Luffy was already deep asleep, though he didn't look like melted butter as he was in his own bed. Ace laid down next to him, curling around the boy under the blanket.

-x-

"Someone has been in my kitchen!" Thatch shouted. The bowls were in the wrong place! Who was it? Who invaded his special space? He turned an accusing glare to all the people in the room, vampire and human alike.

"You didn't know already, Thatch?" Izo teased, wearing his purple kimono today. Thatch frowned at him, confused as to what his brother was talking about. "We have guests. There is a ship attached to the back of the Moby, being towed. Haruta says there are humans aboard and one vampire. A child vampire." Thatch looked horrified at the news. A child vampire?! Who would commit such a taboo?

Izo chuckled at him. "Don't worry. Apparently, he was born a vampire."

Thatch scoffed at him. "That's not possible, Izzy. Vampires aren't born, stop messing with me." But when he saw the expression that said that Izo was not joking, Thatch waited for the man to elaborate.

"Apparently, the boy's mother was turned while heavily pregnant. Had a misscariage, and the baby survived. Voila, a vampire who was born," he said as he opened and closed his decorative fan. "Haruta says he's very cute."

"How old?" Thatch questioned, still not quite believing it.

"He's four. Sleeping in one of the guest rooms with his human brother. I'm sure a meeting will be called after Pops knows about it," Izo commented. "I already know because Haruta told me. Poor dears, the teenage captains, are terrified of vampires. They were scared of Marco, apparently."

"Teenage 'captain's'? Vampire child, multiple captains who are teenagers? What kind of crew is this?" Thatch wondered as he started mixing the giant tub of pancake mix. Izo shrugged.

"That's all I know so far."

"Still… someone else was in my kitchen!"

-x-

Sabo and his crew followed Marco as they passed vampires retiring for the day, though they didn't look nearly as tired as Luffy was once the sun rose. They got a lot of stares, being unexpected newcomers. They turned into a hallway that had seventeen doors, eight on each side, and one large door at the end. It hadn't gone unnoticed to the "guests" that the halls and door frames were very large.

Marco knocked on the large door, waiting to hear a gruff voice on the other side say, "Come in." Sabo and his crew didn't enter the room at first, until Marco entered and ushered them in. "I take it you're here to tell me why we are towing another ship?" The captain's quarters had a large window that looked out the back of the ship, where the Spade's ship was being slowly towed. The Moby dick was strong, and at least twenty times the size of the littler ship, so having that ship attached didn't slow her progress at all.

"This crew's rudder had been destroyed, and they asked for help. So I let them on. They seem trustworthy enough. We need to gather everyone before they grow angry with these sailors. They have a child vampire with them, but no one turned him." Whitebeard looked confused and curious, eyeing the strongest, Sabo, with slight suspicion. He also noticed how young this blonde was.

"Apparently, Ace and Sabo," - Marco pointed to Sabo - "are the kid's brothers. Their mother was pregnant when turned, and miscarried Luffy. But he survived, so now he's some sort of hybrid. Can you explain more, please, Sabo?"

"H-hi, I'm Sabo, co-captain of the Spade's crew. Luffy still ages and eats human food. He still drinks blood - which he thinks is juice - but he doesn't need it as often. Compared to your crew that I've seen so far, Luffy sleeps a lot more than the va-vampires on this ship," Sabo explained, his voice shaking a bit. Whitebeard took pity on the teen.

He smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about my vampire sons, Sabo. They are all quite old, so they have perfect control. Your crew and family will be safe. Now, what happened to your rudder?"

Sabo explained about the giant dolphins that broke their ship, and that it was a strong ship, but not the strongest as it was made in the East Blue. "It's amazing we made it this far," he said honestly. Ace and Luffy thought the ship was extremely strong, but it was just average in the Grand Line. Not too weak, but not as strong as Sabo's brothers thought it was. Though he didn't want to burst their bubbles, especially Luffy's.

"So you would like us to tow you to a place where we can fix up your ship?" Sabo was worried he'd offended the large captain.

"We can pay for it. We have some wood on our ship to use," he hurriedly said, but was startled when Whitebeard laughed.

"No need to be so tense, kid. Just learning there was someone like your brother out there is payment enough. I'd like to meet him, if that's alright?" Sabo smiled in relief and bowed in thanks. His crew followed suit.

Sabo was smiling and breathing in relief, trusting this captain that they wouldn't just turn on Sabo and his family. "He'll be asleep until sundown." Whitebeard looked surprised. "Luffy sleeps the whole day. We have a meal schedule just for him and either me or Ace is always with him." Sabo bowed in thanks again. "Are you sure you don't want us to pay, sir?"

"Gurarara, don't worry, kid. You don't need to pay. Besides, I think my sons will enjoy the challenge of replacing a rudder, as it's never happened to us before. But then, our ship is made of Adam's Wood, so it is completely different." Then he turned to Marco, who had quietly been waiting and listening to the guest and captain speak. "Marco, gather the others, please." Marco nodded once and then left.

Sabo and his crew watched in confusion. "He's a vampire, but ate a certain devil fruit that keeps him healthy in the sunlight, and he doesn't sleep much. Some of the commanders will have gone to bed, but most will still be awake or at breakfast." He then turned to the others, who had been silent the whole time, nervous of the large captain, but also shocked at just how big he was. Those who had heard of his crew knew he was large, but not this big. "And who are you?" But he didn't sound mean.

The group introduced themselves and their positions. They were slightly surprised no one had said anything about the many guns Zeno and Sparky had attached to them. They gave off no hostile feeling, so maybe that was why. No one would say anything about it though. They each knew that the twins would be uncomfortable with their guns taken away, even if they didn't need to use them.

The silence was a bit awkward until Sabo did his best to fill it. "So, do vampires not sleep all day?" He still sounded a bit uncomfortable, but Whitebeard was nice and didn't comment on it.

"It depends on the age. Some vampires, if they're old enough, won't need to sleep at all. Luffy is a child, so it makes sense he'd sleep a lot as a vampire. Did you and Ace raise Luffy?" Sabo nodded. "That's impressive, kid. Raising a non-human child on your own? With no sort of guidance. You must really love him."

"Of course we love him. He's our little angel. He was a miracle baby," Sabo said with a genuine smile. Whitebeard gave a knowing smile, and Sabo wondered what he was thinking.

"How long have you been sailing? You clearly aren't pirates, you fly no black flag or jolly roger," the other captain replied.

Sabo finally sat down, setting his cement pipe down next to him, propped against the wall. Having it against his back while leaning against the wall would have been uncomfortable. "We set sail when Lu was two. That was two years ago. Me and Ace were both sixteen. Deuce was the first to join. These are the only humans we ever allowed near Luffy. We trust them completely. Like family."

Jojo smiled. "We are family, Sabo," she said, getting a grin from Sabo. Whitebeard had that knowing look on his face again, but didn't get the chance to say anything before commanders started filing in. Sabo could see some with red eyes who looked tired. Those six sat down, and the other seven were standing or leaning against the walls. Sabo could clearly see who were vampires, even if they were all wearing sunglasses.

They were each more pale than the others, and even the dark skinned ones still had a paler complexion. They each had perfect skin. It bothered Sabo how attracting vampires could be. They were even more so than little angel Luffy, who anyone who laid eyes on him would love. Sabo looked away and to the floor.

A large man, human, with black hair in a strange style, looking like three balls on his head, asked in a gruff voice, "So you didn't turn a child?" Some of the others, vampire and human alike, also looked at Sabo with disdain. Nobody approved of taking away a child's future. To always have the brain of a young child. It was even debated whether saving a child from death was worth the fact they'd always have the simplistic brain of their age.

"No, Luffy was born," Sabo said, then explaining what he had to Marco and the other captain. "You can meet Luffy when he wakes up to prove it, if necessary," Sabo offered. He didn't want these pirates to not believe him. Luffy had always been kept secret, so he'd never had this response before. The ways they introduced Luffy to the members of their crew was as a human first, before taking the glasses off and explaining the secret. And only the six they picked knew the story. Well, until now.

A human named Thatch, as he introduced himself, asked which one of them had been in his kitchen. Apparently he was the chef. Jojo raised her hand. "I'm sorry, all I did was wash the dishes that Marco served your soup in," the cook said. Besides, Luffy was the one that really ran around it. Though he didn't touch anything.

It seemed Thatch somehow hadn't seen Jojo, and when she spoke to him, he became flustered. "Ah, oh, well, it's okay I guess," he mumbled with a blush. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by the female cook, but she didn't comment on it. It was adorable.

"The soup was delicious," she said. "Is it okay if I can make Luffy's blood candies in there? We ran out shortly before Marco-san found us. I don't like anyone else in my kitchen either, so I can understand if it's a no." Sabo and the others stared at her in shock. Jojo was never this polite. Well, they were on a foreign ship with strangers, so she probably wouldn't be her blunt self. She'd lost the crass swearing when she met Lu, a three year old at the time.

Thatch looked even more flustered, looking at his shoes as he replied, "You can cook as long as I'm in there, too. I like my kitchen a certain way." Apparently, this behavior was out of the ordinary to the other crew. They were dumbfounded with Thatch's behavior, even more than the Spades had been for Jojo.

A man who Sabo had initially thought was a woman, chuckled behind an open fan. Thatch glared at him. "You don't shy away from blood foods?"

"No, I'll cook what Luffy likes. He mostly get's left overs, since he eats much much later than everyone else, but he still likes the food, so I'm thankful for that," Jojo replied. "At first I was uncomfortable with the blood, but knowing Luffy likes the food is worth it."

Izo, the cross dressing man, said, "So, you only cook for nine people, including yourself?" When Jojo nodded, Izo made a "Hmmm," sound. The Spades didn't know what that was supposed to mean.

"Jojo has special recipes for each of us. If we're having broiled chicken, she'll flavor each one differently for our individual preferences," Saber commented.

"I wish I could do that, but theres over nine hundred human pirates on the ship for feeding. Can't cook for each one individually, it would take forever," Thatch said dramatically. "I don't know how to make blood candies, though. I've made regular candies, so I guess blood candies wouldn't be so hard."

"If we'll be here long, I'll show you," the female cook said politely. Thatch blushed again. Jojo had to press her lips together to not laugh. So adorable. Though not nearly as adorable as Lu.

Haruta came forward, one of the vampire commanders, and apologized to the Spades for thinking that they were monsters who turned a little boy. Sabo said that they understood where he was coming from, and that they would never want to change a child into a vampire.

A swordsman with a top hat and a long mustache then asked, "What happened to your biological family?" Sabo's expression instantly hardened.

Instead of answering the question, Sabo replied with, "Don't ever ask that question in front of Ace. And I'm not going to answer, it's none of your business." Some of the pirates were shocked with the change in Sabo. He had been polite and even nervous, and now he was angry and defensive. Not even their crew knew what had happened to the trio's mother and father, besides the fact that their mom died before turning into a full vampire.

"I apologize," Vista, the one who asked the question, replied politely. "We will not ask that question again." Sabo nodded in forgiveness and approval for no one asking about it. "Can I ask about how you formed your crew?"

Sabo thought for a moment before answering, "Some of the recruitments were very personal. You can ask our crew if you want to know. Me and Ace won't say anything, and Luffy was too little to remember most of the recruits." When the pirates turned to the others in question, none of them said anything, effectively shutting down the pirates questions about how they met.

Though this made all of them painfully curious, most knew the concept of personal space. Most. Not all. Like Izo and Thatch, who want to know everything about everyone. Whitebeard gave them both stern glances, telling them not to be nosy, but even Whitebeard didn't know how his sons got their information on everyone. Had to be underhanded tactics, and he didn't want those two to try it on these kids and their crew.

Izo and Thatch looked grumpy at the expression, but they got the message. They'd only learn about it from the Spades' mouths.

Only Sabo's crew noticed that he closed up. They knew to never ask about Ace and Sabo's lives before they left to be pirates.

"I'm going to go switch with Ace," Sabo said in a hard voice, standing up and slinging his pipe over his back. "Can someone take me to them?" The Spades knew that Ace and Sabo were planning to switch in the middle of the day, but Sabo needed Luffy. He was upset about remembering that horrible past and needed to forget. Best way to forget your problems for the brothers was to go to Luffy.

"I'll lead you there," Marco offered, realizing that Sabo needed quiet. Having lived for over two hundred years let you read people's emotions clearly. It was a reason Marco was the one most confided in. He could offer good counsel after all those years.

Whitebeard's age was also a reason so many flocked to him. Older vampires attracted more people, surprisingly, because they knew so much. They'd seen a lot, and had a better understanding of the world.

Sabo memorized the route to the spare bedroom and knocked on the door. "Ace, Lu? It's Sabo," he said. There was a creaking noise as Ace got off of the old bed, and came to unlock the door and let Sabo in. The blonde entered the room without a word for Marco. Ace locked the door behind them.

Marco wouldn't let any of his brothers pester these two for their life stories. Not if it was clearly that bad. When Sabo had been asked the question about their family, Marco and a few of the others saw the haunted look that came across his face. No, they wouldn't bring that subject up again.

There is a chapter in the future about what had happened to their family, and it's a heavy one. But, not any time soon, so look forward to that one! Made me cry, writing it.