Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, if I did Ace would not be dead.

A/N: This story takes place 2 years before the actual story. Luffy leaves at 15 instead of 17 so everything happens at 15 including the separation besides the battle of Marineford. Luffy will have two devil fruits in this!

CH 7

The Sunny crashed harshly through a wave as the large ship made its way back the way it came from 'Paradise', the first part of the Grand Line. The crew ran making changes to the sails as the harsh wind and storm bellowed over it. Gin and Luci worked to rig the mainsail as the storm got stronger. On the other sails they could see Johnny and Yosaku, quickly making progress on their own sails.

"This is getting bad!" Gin called from one side of the sail; It kept slipping out of his grasp and the wind was trying to push him off his perch.

Lucci only glanced at the other as he focused his work on rigging the contraption. In truth the leopard zoan was annoyed with the weather; He growled under his breath as a gust of wind attempted to knock him off his own perch.

"Hey, careful up there!" Sanji called from below as Usopp rolled a barrel past him to secure it with the others. "We don't need anyone else in the infirmary!"

"Tch," Lucci tied his part of the sail and moved over to help Gin who had almost fallen off the mast. "Here." He got next to Gin and held the sail still while Gin quickly tied it. After that was done they both rose, mindful of their balance.

"You'd better get inside." Gin moved carefully along with Lucci watching his back. "The sea is only getting rougher, not to mention the waves." He pointed to a large wave that Sunny broke through. The water landed on the deck and covered the others who were still running around. All of the other crew members with devil fruit powers had gone into the cabin or the infirmary to wait out the storm. "We don't need a devil fruit user overboard, especially right now."

Lucci smiled a little, "I appreciate your concern, but focus on your own health right now."

Gin turned to ask what he meant when he slipped and started to fall to the deck. Lucci grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him back up. "See?" He smirked with a raised eyebrow. He got a grumble from the shorter man.

They made it down and into the kitchen before the next wave hit. Inside Robin was helping Nami who was talking on the den den mushi, marking places on a map that was spread out on the table. Gin collapsed into a chair and closed his eyes. He was tired, he had been on the night watch for enemies and had been pulled from his sleep to help deal with the sails.

"Who's closest?" Lucci looked at the marks on the map as he leaded over Gin who didn't even acknowledge him there.

Robin pointed to the brown and gold mark, "Yonta Maria Grande Fleet. They are three days out from us." Next she moved to a green dot, "Barto Club is the second closet, almost 4 days out." Pointing to a yellow dot and a light green dot, adding, "Beautiful Pirates and Tontatta Pirates are a four days out both." Robin then moved to the black dot, blue dot, and brown dot, " Happo Navy, Ideo pirates, and New Giant Warrior Pirates are all 4 and a half days away."

Gin opened his eyes to look at the map as well calculating the distance and days to Marineford, "We will still be able to make it to Marineford together. Everyone on the ships know how to coat them for undersea travel." He leaned on the table crossing his fingers in front of his face. "With the amount of men we have, the Marines are sure to back down." He paused and looked around the room locking eyes with Robin and Lucci, "But we still have the 'Absolute Justice' to deal with."

Robin stood up and pondered the outcome in her head, "With our captains ability and Whitebeard being there, The war will have to end in either a tie or in our favor."

"We are still looking at over 5000 pirate on the battlefield." Lucci wrote that down on a paper, "Add in the Whitebeard Pirates of over 1500, We have a total of about 7257 people not including us." He wrote that down, "Now the Marines probably have around 3000 soldiers including the Admirals." He wrote that near the number of Pirates. "The three fleet Admirals will be a problem on their own." He wrote the names of the admirals on the side and circled it.

Nami chimed in at this point, "Two of them will most likely just toy around or just leave to somewhere when no one's looking. They will play their part to make this look good, but the goal is to wipe out as many 'Absolute Justice' as we can." She grabbed the pencil from Lucci and crossed the three out and wrote one with a circle. She pointed at this, "Akainu will be the one we focus most of our man power on." She sat down looking at the three with her. "Luffy will have to go against him in the final part."

"Unless they have the other Yoko Yoko fruit." Robin looked thoughtful, "The two fruits have been in a war all their own since the original Inu Inu no Mi, Model Nine-Tailed Fox or as many call it now, Kitsune Kitsune Fruit." She glanced at the others. "Yoko Yoko Yin and Yoko Yoko Yang have been known to attack each other on sight when they meet." She went into her mind trying to find the information on the fruit that she had read long ago, "The original eater of the Kitsune fruti had a dual personality, it got to the point that the two would fight for control. No one had ever heard of a fruit splitting itself and it's eater into two separate beings. Their fur, orbs, and fire all changed to the opposite of the other: blue to red, black to white but also always reflecting the other somewhere on their bodies."

Nami glanced up wide eyed, "Luffy is black with silver swirls, blue flames and orbs with one large red orb."

"So we are looking for the opposite, a white fox with black swirls and red flames with red orbs but one orb that is a large blue one." Gin leaned back into his chair.

Robin nodded, "Correct. The two foxes have fought since the beginning." She looked troubled at this point, "The Yoko Yoko Yang has won every fight since then." She could see the horror in the other's eyes. "That is because of the lighting that the yang one uses and the fact that it's eater also ate the Gum Gum no Mi."

"But this time around Luffy has the advantage being made of rubber having eaten the Gum Gum first." Sanji walked in at this point. They all looked at him in surprise. "I heard most of it from outside the door." He took a large breathe of smoke before letting it out, "Nami, Franky has the Sunny going right for the Red Line. We'll moor there till the others catch up."

"Sounds good to me." Nami got up and made her way back to the den den mushi. "I'll inform the others about this."

Sighing, Gin got up, "I'll inform Chopper and Law about this development." He made his way to the door before turning around. "Don't leave the cabin." He glared at Lucci, who smirked back.

Once he walked out Sanji turned to the other man, "You really like to torment him, don't you?"

Lucci shrugged, "It's fun." Sanji could only shake his head at this. "Besides I have to entertain myself somehow and he doesn't mind playing rough." He held his clawed hand up with a feral grin.

Sanji looked hard at the other before nodding, 'Better Gin than me.' "I'll inform Yosaku and Johnny after they finish the rest of the sails." He nodded to Robin who gave him a small smile.

Once Sanji was gone Robin turned to Lucci. "I hope you are prepared to go against the Marines." She got up and grabbed a glass of water.

Lucci smiled a fanged smile, "I am a straw hat now." He crossed his arms over his chest, "I find this might be a fun fight."

Robin smiled at him, "You are letting the leopard show more and more every fight." She sat down, "What island did Kuma send you to?"

"An island of large predators and carnivorous plants." He growled, "It was not a fun experience for the last two years!" He looked away, "It was eat or be eaten during those years."

The door banged open loudly startling the two at the table, "Ow."

Johnny and Yosaku collapsed in the door. "All sails are up!" Yosaku thrusted his fist in the air. "You and Gin left us to the hard work!" He then pointed at Lucci who smiled.

"Sanji is looking for you two." He closed his eyes and relaxed back into his chair.

"WHAT!" They looked at each other, "Sanji bro is going to kill us!" They ran back out.

Lucci raised an eyebrow and looked at Robin who covered her mouth to hide a small smile. Nami on the other side of the room just shook her head, "What are they talking about? He was just going to tell them what was going on."

"They think he found out about them wanting to prank him." Robin laughed a little. "Last I heard it was something to do with pink hair dye."

He leaned back into his chair, "This will be interesting." He smiled and they both started to go over what Sanji might do to them later.

WhiteBeard Crew:

One the Moby Dick Whitebeard sat on his chair glaring ahead. In his closed fist was a newspaper. The newspaper was delivered to all of Paradise and New World. They were counting down the days to the execution and the preparations the Marines were doing.

Whitebeard closed his eyes, 'A public execution- much like his fathers.' His fist tightened around the paper. 'And all of this just because he was born. Just to stop the Gol line from continuing.' He shook his head in anger, 'They have gone too far this time around.'

"Pops!" A blond teen with a burned scar over his left eye approached him. "Please let me try to break him out. We could do this and not play right into their hands! They want war, we can still get out of this if I can get to Ace and get him out."

Whitebeard looked into the eyes of his 'son'. How much he wanted to tell the boy that everything will work out just fine and no one will die. He was getting too old for this, and his time was ending.

"Sabo," Marco flew down and stood beside the other blond. "We can't risk you going to Impel Down right now. Someone needs to lead the second division, yoi."

Shaking his head Sabo glared at the other, "He's my brother, my older brother! I can't leave him like this any longer. This has been torture just sitting here and waiting around!" Tears started to gather in his eyes. "I can't do this any longer Pops, Marco please let me go." He fell to his knees forehead touching the ground in front of Whitebeard as he begged to go try to save Ace at Impel Down.

With a long suffering sigh Whitebeard finally made a decision, "Go my son. If you can't get to Ace, meet us at Marineford. There you will join us in battle to save Ace." He smiled when his blond son raised his head with a smile. He quickly ran to get his things ready for this mission.

"Are you sure this was the right thing to do, yoi?" Marco glanced at his captain out of the corner of his eye. "He could still get killed in Impel Down."

Whitebeard glanced at the sky in thought. The clouds were slowly becoming white as the storm receded. "We both know their feelings toward each other. It would be a sin not to let him at least try to get Ace back." He watched the rest of his crew run around preparing the ship for the upcoming battle. "Deuce will be able to command the second division without Ace and Sabo here."

Marco just crossed his arms giving his pops a lazy look, "You want me to tell Deuce the news now?"

With a chuckle Whitebeard looked down at his oldest son, "Marco, I am not as young as I use to be and my time is ending soon." He could see the muscles tense in his shoulders. "This battle maybe the last one I will be in and I plan to make sure that my children all make it out back to the sea." He watched as his son accepted the inevitable. "Any news recently?"

Marco felt annoyed that his pops would just change the subject but he also felt relieved to change it. Talking about his upcoming death was not something he wanted to talk about. He stood there for a couple of seconds trying to remember all the recent news that have come from their allies and spies.

"Yes, The marines are gathering at Marineford quickly then expected, yoi." Whitebeard nodded at this. "Also some of our allies have spotted the Strawhat ship." This got him an intrigued look from his captain. The strawhats were well known for turning the government on their heads. "Their ship has turned completely around and is heading back toward Paradise." He looked back to the sea, "I also got news from the other allies and their allies have turned around as well, yoi."

Whitebeard sat their and rested his head in his hand, "I wonder why they would suddenly go off their course and head back to Paradise. They were heading right for Wano last anyone saw them." Then his eyes widened as he remembered the paper he held in his fist, "Unless they decided to join in the battle." This was mumbled so only Marco could hear it.

Marco got a thoughtful look in his eyes. If the Strawhats were on their side then this would be a easy battle. Their captain was known for turning the tides into their favor once he joined in. If they are on the Marine side, then the Whitebeards will have a bigger fight on their hands, one that they may not come back from.

"There is also one last thing I heard, yoi." Whitebeard looked at him waiting for the news, "Doflamingo has not made contact with the marines in some time." He looked at his nails, "It maybe that the 'Joker' will not be participating in this war, yoi"

"That's one power house out of the way." Pops nodded.

Marco sat down near pops right leg, "Hm, Doflamingo hasn't been heard of since Dressrosa got it's king back on the throne. Straw Hat was on that island when it happened, yoi." He glanced up at the old man, "Do you think he had something to do with Doflamingo's disappearance?"

Whitebeard could only nod and think of the other disappearances. There were many from the east blue. Don Krieg, the Marine Captain "Axe Hand" Morgan, Captain Koro, and Arlong. All of these people were either killed by Straw Hat or just vanished without a trace. "With his trace recorded in the East Blue it wouldn't surprise me that he had something to do with the warlords disappearance."

Marco nodded, "Hard to believe another Yonko was named and is from the East Blue, yoi. He has a couple of territories in the East Blue and a couple in Paradise." He glanced at the position of the sun. It was starting to set and was usually the time that Thatch would be almost done with dinner for the whole crew. "This person must really be a monster like the papers say. Never seen his face and all they get are blurred pictures of his zoan form, yoi."

Whitebeard chuckled, "Don't forget the fact he has attacked Celestial Dragon outright. Doesn't even hesitate when facing them." He smiled at the fact someone other than the revolutionaries was trying to put them in their place. "He has lead to most of the Supernovas to attack Celestial Dragons as well."

Marco also smiled at this, "Yes, I heard that those who cross him never leave without getting a scar, yoi." He could only imagine the looks on the other Celestial Dragons when they see one of their own marked by another.

"Serves them right if you ask me." Sabo had come to the tail end of their discussion, "I think Straw Hat has a right to attack them. They have no right in taking another's freedom." his fist clenched tightly in anger. He could feel his scar tiggle as he remembered the fire, the pain, and little Luffy sitting over him in worry.

"Do you have everything ready?" Whitebeard took in the form of his son.

"Yes, I have everything set up and am ready to go now." Sabo smiled up at the large man. "I'm just waiting for your go ahead, Pops!"

"Grahaha, the get going, brat." He smiled as he watched Sabo run over to one of their fastest boats. It was built for others who didn't have a devil fruit. Though not as fast as Ace's Striker, it was pretty fast.

Everyone gathered at the railings of the ship, wishing their brother good luck and waved him off with prayers. His small boat skidded across the waves jumping quickly and disappearing from sight. With a final look, the group got back to their duties their minds heavy with their final stop and their last one in Paradise. This was a war they had to be ready for and nothing was going to stop them from getting their brother back!

A/N: Hey everyone finally finished this chapter! Have fun and I have some information on who is on Luffy's crew in this story. Also again, thank you to theriku260 for being my beta!

StrawHat Crew:

Zoro- First Mate of the straw hats. He uses the three sword style and has good control of Armament and Observation Haki. He is lightly tan with green hair that is cropped and green eyes in his left lobe he has three identical gold earrings. He has a scar across his chest from his first fight with Mihawk going from left shoulder to right hip and two scars on his ankles from when he tried to cut his feet off. He also has one scar going over his left eye that he refuses to say anything about. He always has a bandana tied around his left bicep that he dons when he is about to fight seriously.

Sanji- Second Mate of the strawhats. He is also the cook and together with Luffy and Zoro are known as the demon trio. He has great control of Observation Haki and good control of Armament Haki. Sanji is a slim, yet muscular, long-legged man with blond hair which he keeps brushed over the right side of his face and appears to be a bit scruffy. His most distinctive feature is his curly eyebrows. He is well known for fighting only using his legs to kick enemies.

Usopp- The sharp shooter of the group. He specializes in shooting green stars(pop greens) Which grow into large plants. He had great control of Observation Haki. He has a long nose and a penchen to tell tall tales. He is well muscled and has curly black hair, a goatee, and tanned skin. Around his neck are goggles and he wears ear protectors.

Nami- The navigator of the strawhat crew. She has a keen sense to know when storms are approaching. She is average height with orange/red hair and brown eyes. On her left shoulder she has a blue tattoo that is a representation of a pinwheel and tangerine. She wears a log post and gold bracelet on her left wrist. She is also the one responsible for the beli on the ship and keeping up with ho much they have. She is skilled with using a bo staff and her clima-tact.

Robin- The archeologist of the group. She can copy her limbs on anything and anyone. She is a tall woman with blue eyes with large pupils. Robin has shoulder length black hair and a long, thin, defined nose. She greatly resembles her mother but with different hair color and clothing style. She worked for the revolutionaries while the crew was separated for 2 years.

Franky- Main shipwright of the strawhats. He built the Thousand Sunny and used bits of Plutons schematics to make Sunny a powerful ship. During the 2 years separation he went through massive upgrades. He now has stitches going up his torso and now has larger shoulders and a larger torso. His elbows and hands have been replaced with larger cyborg forearms and hands. By touching his nose he can change his hairstyle to suit the adventure and place he is going to.

Chopper- A reindeer who ate the hito hito no mi which allows him to have a human like appearance, appearing as a small child like reindeer hybrid.. He is the doctor of the crew. He is the youngest of the crew. When in 'walk point', he is significantly taller than most of the characters and has much larger antlers. He can successfully carry people on his back on a battlefield or on the ship when being attacked. It is also mentioned that his fur is very soft to the touch.

Brook- The musician of the strawhats and a skeleton, he ate the yomi-yomi fruit (revive-revive). He is the oldest of the crew at 90 years old and a skeleton swordsman. He is also one of the tallest standing at 9'1" tall. Because of his skeletal body he can run and slash his opponents before they even release what has happened. Using his soul along with his sword he can freeze his opponents.

Gin- Former combat commander of the Krieg pirates. He has short scruffy hair and dark circles under his eyes. During the 2 year separation he was on an island that reversed one's age to a certain point. He now has a younger appearance and is a lot faster having to fight the giants on the island. He uses the man-demon technique using his tonfa weighted spheres. Has good control of Observation and Armament Haki.

Rob Lucci- Former CP9 agent. He is the assistant shipwright of the crew. He is a tall man with a slim yet muscular build. His goatee is in a cross like cut and his shoulder length wavy hair is tight usually in a ponytail. One his upper arms he has a crossed out square tattoo and has the world government symbol burned into his back. He is a leopard zoan who uses many marine tactics. In his leopard human form he is a lot taller and is extremely muscular. He always has his pidgeon Hattori on his shoulder or at least somewhere around him. Has great control of Armament Haki.

Cerberus- A former zombie dog for Moria. He has two dog heads and one fox head. His body is made up of different pieces of dog and fox alike. His shadow merged with him so when Moria tried to take it back he refused, essentially setting him free from Moria's command. He is now the guard dog of the Sunny. Surprisingly has good Observation Haki and instinct.

Johnny- One of the riggers for the crew. He is average sized with tan skin and muscular arms. His hair is cut short and he has a tattoo on his left cheek (it reads 'sea'). He always has his sunglasses on and is sometimes seen fishing with Johnny, Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper. He and Yosaku use Gemini sword technique.

Yosaku- One of the riggers for the crew. He has a buzz cut with his signature red headgear and muscular arms. He can bee seen most of the time fishing with the others. He and Johnny use the gemini sword technique.