Arc of Fairies

by XxOneTrueEnigmaxX

Tenrou Island was eradicated by the Dragon King Acnologia, leaving behind no survivors. Or so the citizens of Earthland believed. A vicious twist of fate has scattered Fairy Tail's mages into an unknown world where the concept of magic is laughed at but phone snails and power-granting fruits are an acceptable every day thing. Soon!

4. Chapter 3: Before

No time to talk! Just get on with the Chapter. There will be an Author's Note at the end.

-"Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy."

~Saadi

Chapter 3: Before

It was cold.

That was the first sensation that hit him when consciousness began to drift in, chasing away the oblivion that he had been trapped in for what felt like a millennia.

It was cold and whatever drape had been used to cover his body didn't prevent shivers from wracking his entire frame, irritating wounds that he had long forgotten about in the darkness he had wandered in, causing him to wince in pain.

"Did you hear that?"

"I think he's waking up!"

"I didn't hear anything."

The unfamiliar voices set off blaring alarms inside his head. The veil that had been draped over his mind began to furl back up, and his senses were slowly but surely waking up. His nerves were starting to come to full function, making him even more painfully aware of the injuries he had sustained during...

...during what?

His memories were a haze, and he found himself desperately trying to grasp onto one of the fleeting images with buttery fingers. Questions were running around his lethargic mind a thousand miles per hour, making them nearly incomprehensible.

'What happened?'

There was one that finally came to fruition. An image of a giant black beast marked by azure scars, a light heading down towards them and nearing them to their impending doom, warm hands on each of his own.

His fluttering eyelids snapped open, wild green eyes shifting wildly from the bleak stone walls to the grey chipped ceiling. He began to feel some mobility as he fisted the cot underneath him.

"He's awake!"

"I told you!"

"Saga of 'The Awakening Man.'"

His eyes widened. Slowly, he moved his arms up, wincing in pain as they protested vehemently with a sharp throb of pain that made him cringe and groan. Finally, sitting up, he could see towards the end of his cot and what he saw nearly made hide back underneath the covers.

The wall at the end of his cot was barred, giving the room he was in the complete image of a cell. What shocked him the most though, was the large group of women on the other side of the bars, giving him intensely curious and cautious looks like he was a wild animal at the zoo. Or some rare specimen they had never laid eyes on and approached with caution in order to study as closely as they could.

Freed blinked, rubbed his eyes, then blinked again. His brain was already attempting to process this odd situation that he has never before been at the receiving end of. He watched as the girls murmured in awe amongst themselves as they continued to observe him with analytical eyes that made him shudder, once again jostling his painful injuries.

"Are all men's chests this flat?" asked a girl as she scribbled furiously on a notepad, giving him pointed glares every now and then.

"And their jaws are so... square." commented another girl.

He stared at them in amusement. They acted like they've never seen a man before.

"I've never seen a man before."

He sweatdropped, 'Of course.'

"Their bodies are just so strange."

He was so confused by all the comments and his current situation that he stood frozen for what felt like forever, gaping at the women that were observing him from the other side like he was some sort of lab rat.

He grunted and groaned as he continued to move further up, ignoring the stabs of pain that pierced his body and begged for him to lay back down. He sat on the cot and continued to stare at the women, who went completely still as they inspected his every move.

He cleared his throat, fully aware of the dryness in it as feelings of dehydration began to shift in along with the hunger that had him feel completely weak. He turned to address the women completely, attempting to keep a calm demeanor as he did so and didn't start freaking out about the fact that his friends seemed to be nowhere in sight. He ignored the small voice in his head that stated they were most likely dead, refusing to believe such a ridiculous thought.

"W-where am I?" he asked with an awfully raspy voice that had him thinking for a second were spoken by a different person and did not emit from his own mouth.

"He doesn't even know where he's at?"' a woman asked, bewildered.

"Are men really this stupid?"

"Well, he did fall from the sky. Maybe he hit his head too hard."

"Do all men have a habit of falling from the sky?"

"Saga of 'The Men From the Sky.'"

Freed sweatdropped at the women's weird comments, but his mind attached itself to the one thing they said that actually caught his attention and had him scrambling for answers in his head.

'Fall from the sky? I fell from the sky?' He thought in astonishment. 'How did I fall from the sky? Where the heck am I anyway?'

He forced himself to stand up, aware of his shaky legs but unaware of what exactly was missing from this entire situation. The women stopped their muttering and stared at him silently, their eyes widening as they examined something that was not Freed's face. But he took no note of this, his mind far too preoccupied with something he considered to be of much importance.

"Please, can you just tell me where I am?" he asked as politely as he could, "And also, have you seen any of my friends?"

"Wait," spoke a woman with short blond hair. He stared at her expectantly, waiting for an answer, as she bent down and stared at his legs.

No, not at his legs, between them.

"First, can you tell us what those things between your legs are?"

Suddenly, time just stopped for him. He could feel an intense heat encompass the entirety of his face, spreading throughout his entire body, and turning him into a vibrant red color that sailors could use to find their way back to the pier on a cold, foggy night. His eyes widened at an impossible length, almost comical, as realization hit him full force and hurt him like a bitch. His entire frame shook and he finally realized why he had been so cold the entire time.

The embarrassment reached incomprehensible levels as his eyes slowly trailed down to stare at his body and an inaudible, almost girly gasp (which he will never admit to releasing) came out of his mouth at what he saw.

He gaped and began to stutter for words, unable to find what would be the most appropriate response upon stumbling into this type of uncalled for situation inadvertently that will forever haunt him in his dreams.

Never before had he felt anything like this. Never before had he been so humiliated-so mortified-in his entire existence. He felt the sudden need to dig out a hole in this cell, and hide in it until he starved and died with disgrace following him to his makeshift grave. It seemed that the world itself had finally decided to punish him for his sins, for this certainly was worse than any other fate he could suffer.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w..."

The women tilted their heads curiously, unable to understand what had set off this man to react in such a way.

"Huh, what's wrong with him?" asked Aphelandra.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-

"WHY AM I NAKED?!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Where are our friends?"

Smoker sighed in frustration, releasing a huge cloud of smoke that hit the red head and her partner in the face, who remained unfazed by the substance. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm himself down before he broke the desk beneath him.

He already had lost his patience with their two 'guests' who had, inadvertently, attacked him and his crew after they woke up from being treated by their local doctors.

'And, oh, how grateful do they seem for it,' he thought sarcastically.

They had woken up in their cell barely this morning; ranting and hitting the bars in an effort to destroy the prison that held them within, only to find it impossible, especially considering how the bars of their underground cells were made of Seastone. Still, he found himself standing in shock watching as the girl still managed to create swords out of thin air and the boy created ice despite being handcuffed with Seastone cuffs. Which should have, by all means, prevented them from using their powers, raising the hairs on Smoker's arms as well as his suspicions.

Still, they had been too weakened from their injuries to even so much as dent the bars of the cell, and seemed to have lost even more strength in the short three minutes that they attempted to escape.

"Lady, I already told you," he retorted, looking at the woman straight into her hardened eyes with his own stone cold ones, "I have no idea what you're talking about. You and your friend were the only ones my crew found back at the shore."

The woman huffed, still seemingly unconvinced while the man gave her an exasperated look.

"Ok, if that's the case then there was no reason for your crew to attack us," she replied.

Tashigi sweatdropped and resisted the urge to reach for her sword. '"You were the one who attacked us first, lady," she whispered.

"What was that?" The young chief petty officer found herself backing down in fear from the demon-like glared the red-headed woman turned to give her, complimenting her already demonic looking features and personality.

"N-no. I-I didn't-"

"I'm gonna ask you kindly to leave my officer alone if you don't want to find yourself back in that cell," Smoker growled threateningly.

The woman glared at Smoker and pretty soon they found themselves in another intense glaring contest Tashigi knew could last for hours.

That is, if it hadn't been for the young man, who had remained quiet until now, clearing his throat and grabbing the attention of everybody in the room and thankfully, breaking their glaring contest.

"I'm sorry for my partner's andmy,"-he said rapidly when the woman turned to glare at him once he mentioned her-"actions."

"We just thought you were enemies," he further explained.

His partner seemed to agree as she didn't try to objectify and simply gave a short and curt nod with her eyes closed.

"And why would you think that?" asked an unconvinced Smoker, "We're the Marines, the authority, we are nobody's enemies unless you are pirates or other criminals that we are required to bring in."

"Well," the man started "we were attacked just before we woke up here, so I guess you could say we were paranoid."

"Ok," Smoker nodded. "Then I just have one question for you…

"…Where are your clothes?"

Tashigi sweatdropped as, once again, the man was sitting down with his clothes nowhere in sight, as if they just turned into thin air and disappeared.

The man looked down at himself in shock and cursed to himself, looking around frantically for his missing clothing. "Shit, not again," he muttered.

"Anyway, like my friend said, it was all a mistake," the woman kept going as the man searched every corner of the room for his clothes. Tashigi slightly opened the door and motioned for an officer standing outside the room, whispering certain instructions to the man.

"We are deeply sorry and we hope that you can forgive us," the woman bowed her head slightly.

"Apology accepted," Smoker cave in, "But we're going to have to keep you overnight, you did after all, attack my soldiers and a high ranking officer of the Marines."

"Yes, I meant to ask you about that," spoke the woman as Tashigi handed some clothes to the frantic man who took them gratefully.

"What exactly are the Marines?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar

One day.

That was the first thought that flitted through her mind when she opened her eyes and sunlight streamed through the blinds of the window; caressing her features and waking her up from a dreamless sleep.

One day has passed by since she ended up in Shakky's Bar. One day since she arrived to the conclusion that she was in a world different from her own. One day since she got as drunk as never before. One day since she reunited with her father.

One day and this was not easier.

When she had fallen asleep the day before, Cana had done so with the small hope that she would wake up back in her home, with her guildmates, and her life. Only, the fact that she woke up in the same bed Shakky had lent her for the night, was a sad reality of the tight situation she was currently in.

Guess she shouldn't complain much. At least, her father was with her and she wouldn't have to deal with this on her own. But, it didn't erase the fact that her friends were probably out there, alone and lost and confused just like she had been.

It didn't erase the fact that they could probably be dead by now.

Cana shuddered from the thought and sat up in her bed, feeling angry that her mind would form such a thought.

No way were her friends dead. They were Fairy Tail. The strongest guild in Fiore. It would take much more than some stupid dragon to kill them.

So with that belief in mind, she got up from bed and got dressed to meet Rayleigh, Shakky, and Guildarts back down at the bar.

They had spent the rest of the day before with Rayleigh and Shakky explaining to both father and daughter the basics of the world they landed in.

They explained how this was a world mostly covered with water and islands being the only pieces of land here. They sat there as they were taught what the Grand Line was, and the West, East, South, and North Oceans, and the Red Line, and the New World and Cana had to take a moment to take all of this in because it was just too much.

This world was so different from their own. Whereas their world had large continents and thus, lots of land, this world was mostly water that relied on ships for transportation. At that, Cana found herself smiling just thinking about how this fact would be hell for Natsu whose experience with any form of transportation was the worst.

And then came the explanation of the government of this world. They had only just slightly breached the subject when nighttime came and Cana realized how worn out she was from the eventful day.

They had gone to bed with the agreement that they would talk more in the morning and Rayleigh even promised a tour around Sabaody Archipelago, with the condition that Gildarts wore clothing that would hide him from the Marine officers that were most likely searching for him around the island.

She passed by the closed door of the room Gildarts had stayed the night in and stopped. Her eyebrow twitched in irritation and she walked backwards slowly, stopping right in front of the door.

She glared holes into it. Then, with an abrupt and harsh kick, she kicked the door open.

"Wake up Old Man!"

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

---

"Glad to see you're awake," smiled Shakky, who was serving four plates of food on the bar counter.

Rayleigh was already awake and eating from his own plate when Cana, and a slightly shaken Gildarts, got downstairs.

"Morning," muttered Cana as she took her seat. Gildarts tentatively sat down next to her and both began to dig into their plates of food.

"There is something we both thought you should see," Shakky said with a tone Cana found to be suspicious. Rayleigh reached within the folds of his clothes and took out a brown piece of paper that he held out for both mages to see.

"This came in with the newspaper today," said Rayleigh as he placed it down on the bar.

Cana and Gildarts stared at the paper with wide eyes, shock quite evident on their faces.

On the brown paper, were these exact words written:

Wanted

Dead or Alive

"Shanks' Brother" Gildarts Clive

200,000,000 Beli

"That's quite an impressive first bounty," Shakky commented with a smile, oblivious to the shocked stupors of the Fairies.

Cana gripped the paper with shaky hands. Her eyes went from being shocked wide to angrily narrowing and she turned to glare at Gildarts.

"What happened to keeping a low profile!?" She shoved the piece of paper into Gildarts' face.

"Oof!"

"Two-hundred Million?!"

Gildarts gripped Cana's wrists, moving them back from his face along with the paper, and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry. It was an accident."

"An accident?!" Cana was flabbergasted, "You destroyed an entire Marine Base. Which, apparently, is the police force of this world. You know what that makes us?!"

Gildarts offered a tentative shrug.

"Criminals!" Cana answered hysterically.

"Cana-chan, Cana-chan, it's ok," Shakky spoke, trying to soothe the hysterical girl, who had turned into a drinking binge the day before not long after waking up.

"No it's not!" Cana yelled back,

"Relax," Rayleigh offered, "With a story like yours, the World Government would've had their eyes on you sooner or later. You just had the unfortunate luck of it happening sooner."

Cana scoffed, evidently glaring at Gildarts who was eyeing his bounty poster with slight admiration, "Unfortunate luck? Yeah right."

"Couldn't they have used a better picture?" complained Gildarts, pointing at the image which showed a furious Gildarts glaring at something in the distance, more than likely Momonga. "Better question, when did they take the picture anyway? And 'Shanks' Brother'? What kind of title is that?"

"That's what you're worried about?!" Cana growled.

"Well, you do resemble Shanks a lot," Rayleigh mentioned, "It's almost like you're twins."

"I really have to meet this Shanks guy," grumbled Gildarts.

"Is nobody worried about the fact that we're criminals with Marines on our asses now?" Cana asked angrily.

"Oi, oi, I'm the only one with a bounty here. You have nothing to worry about, Cana-chan," Gildarts smiled.

Cana directed another glare his way, "I think you're forgetting about the fact that we have to stick together, and if they see us they'll most likely label me as your partner anyway," she said.

'And then there's the fact that you're my father' she thought grimly. 'My stupid, idiotic father.'

"Yes we must stick together, Cana-chan~!" chortled Gildarts as he hugged his daughter tightly.

"Get off me, Old Man!" Cana yelled angrily, as she attempted to push the man off her.

"Don't worry about it," Shakky smiled as he stared at both mages in amusement. "We'll help you deal with the World Government."

"After all," continued Rayleigh, "it is only right for old and wise criminals to transfer their knowledge onto the new generation."

Cana took a moment to process what Rayleigh meant before gaining a surprised expression and pointing a finger at the older man. "You're a…?" she drifted off.

Rayleigh nodded, "We're retired pirates; Shakky and I. Well-known ones, too, before we officially furled the sailings for the rest of our time."

"Wow, that's pretty cool for an old man," smirked Gildarts.

Cana sweatdropped, "You're not that young either you know."

"Anything you need to know about the World Government and the world of Piracy, we have the knowledge," commented Shakky, "We did mess around for a long period of time, and look at us now. Not a lot of us can retire to live normal lives after a life of piracy."

"So, you'll help us?" Cana asked, "Why?"

Rayleigh's smile widened, "Because I can tell…

"… You and your father have a huge role to play in this world's future."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Moby Dick

'Up, down…'

'In, out…'

Laxus continued to stare, mesmerized by his grandfather's chest as it continued on in a healthy breathing pattern that spoke of how well his grandfather was doing in a day's recovery.

One day, and the man seemed to be doing better than before. His stress lines were gone and so was the pain-etched expression that had marred his face ever since Laxus had woken up on the bed beside him. Overall, his grandfather seemed to be doing better.

Still, in one day, the man hadn't woken up, further worrying his grandson who had sat vigil by the man's side the entire night; getting only a few hours of sleep in between only to wake up to the same nightmare he had been subjected to for the past twenty four hours.

Sure, Laxus could understand why his grandfather had yet to open his eyes: the injuries he had sustained during the battle against Grimoire Heart and that stupid overgrown lizard had been nearly fatal. Any other person would've died with those kind of wounds.

But his grandfather wasn't just any other person. He was Makarov, the Third Master of Fairy Tail and one of the strongest mages Laxus has ever met. He knew that Makarov would get through this. Knew that he would live.

But, despite being oh-so-aware of these facts, there was still this nagging voice whispering worrying words inside his head. Surely, despite the many wounds his grandfather sustained, he should've awakened by now, shouldn't he have?

His grandfather's health was just one of his many concerns though. There was also the issue of the pirates he had managed to hitch a ride with onto the next island they had agreed to drop them off at. Still, there was a part of Laxus that just knew that at any moment-any wrong move on his part-and the captain will live up to his threat.

Laxus shuddered as the confrontation with the man ran through his head once again. They had made it clear that they would be watching his every move; ready for any reason to jump him and throw him and his grandfather out into the waters, injured or not. And Laxus wasn't ready to risk that. No matter what ill thoughts he held against pirates, he made sure that he would keep the peace among them as long as the pirates left them alone.

And left them alone they had. Except for when the nurses came in to check on his grandfather every now and then; moving around things and rechecking vitals, all the while stealing glances at the blond man who offered them no acknowledgement.

But other than Ace escorting him back to the infirmary (as was his suggestion), and Marco bringing him dinner, nobody else had bothered him. Laxus had remained in the room, alone for the most part, watching over his sleeping grandfather and waiting for him to wake up whilst he was lost in his own thoughts. Because there was still another matter Laxus was forced to address despite his reluctance.

"You have to get back."

He flinched as those words repeated in his head once again from the dream he had had before he woke up in the ship's infirmary alongside Makarov's bed. Only... it hadn't been a dream, had it?

There was a part of him that wished so badly that that's all it had been: a dream. That the words she had spoken to him were nothing but a fabrication of his mind, creating delirious hallucinations and images that were not to be taken seriously, and would be forgotten once he woke up.

Except, he hadn't forgotten. Those words, each and every one, were etched into his mind. And the image of the girl was as vivid as any other he would experience in wakefulness.

The long one-sided conversation he had had with her in his dreams was far too much for him to process. He hadn't wanted to. He wanted to refuse to believe them; to think of them as nothing but lies and accuse her of being an enemy that wanted to fool him.

But it wasn't a lie.

And the rational side of him knew that it wasn't.

Why would she lie after all? What could she possibly gain from it?

The answer was: nothing. She wouldn't gain anything from feeding him what he had considered such an impossible scenario.

But if those words were true, then the fear that he felt ever since he woke up here was rational. The fear that immediately had him clenching the cloth of his pants with tight fists.

The Fairy Tail mages were known for always making it through tough situations that many would think there would be no way out of. But if her words were true-which most likely, they were-then they had just been thrust into a situation even Laxus doubted could be resolved.

Because, despite the many close-calls him and his friends have had, the many tight scenarios they've managed through, there was just no way they would get through this. Not when-

A knock on the wooden door interrupted his thoughts, painfully pulling him back to reality.

"Good morning, Lax-san~!"Laxus eyes narrowed in irritation as a familiar voice filtered in from the other side of the door. Then, Thatch, with his ridiculous hair-style and smile that Laxus hated so much, busted in through the door without waiting for Laxus to respond, slamming it against the walls of the ship.

"Oh, good. You're awake!" He said in a cheery voice that further irritated Laxus.

"What do you want?" Laxus asked, with a tone that spoke volumes of the irritation he felt upon being faced with the annoying brunette that had bothered him the day before with his social personality and aggravating cheerful voice.

"Oh, Lax-san, no need to sound so excited to see me," laughed the older man.

Laxus grumbled but said nothing more.

"I came here on orders of our captain to let you know that we'll be closing in on Yuki Island soon, so we'll have to get you and your grandfather ready."

Laxus' annoyance was completely wiped off his face as soon as Thatch finished, relieved at the news that soon he'll be out of this ship and away from the crew; dropped off at an island where he'll wait for his grandfather to wake up before they went out to search for the rest of their guild.

"Thank you." And he really meant those words. Yes, these people were pirates, and previous experience with pirates still left him feeling bitter towards them. But, criminals or not, these people had helped them out of their own good will. They saved his grandfather and harbored them until they reached safe land. So, Laxus truly was grateful.

Thatch's smile softened, "No need to thank us. We wouldn't have been able to live on with our conscience if we had just left you two in the water to drown, after all."

Laxus nearly shuddered as an unwanted image flickered in his mind. Yeah, he definitely didn't want that.

"Still, I really can't thank you enough for doing this."

"Oi, oi, you want to thank someone, thank Pops. He's the one who told us to fish you out of the water and agreed to take you guys to Yuki Island," Thatch said.

Laxus nodded. "Yeah."

Thatch chuckled lightly. "Well, I'll go get one of the ships ready. As soon as we're a few miles close to Yuki Island, my division and I will take you both the rest of the way."

Laxus rose a brow in curiosity. "So, you won't be using this ship to drop us off?"

Thatch shook his head, "Brings too much attention. Yuki Island is small and a bit far from the nearest Marine Base, but either way, you never know when Marines could be watching."

Laxus still had yet to know what 'Marines' are. But, based from what he's heard, he assumes that they are the police force of this world.

"Good point," he muttered.

"Yosh, I'll go get things ready. The nurses will be here soon to transport your grandfather into our smaller ships soon." With that, Thatch turned to walk out the door.

"Thanks again, Thatch." Laxus said as he walked out.

"You're welcome, Lax-san~!" Thatch shut the door close, leaving behind an irritated Laxus that just really hated that nickname.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Amazon Lily

Freed's eyebrow twitched as he stared at his 'fixed' clothes that looked like they were trampled on by a man in drag. Which he figured was close to being the actual case.

His once fancy and expensive clothing-which had been damaged during the fight in Tenrou Island-was covered in flowers and other different, yet girly, decorations that made him feel more effeminate than before.

He had to admit: it looked fashionable, but still unacceptable for him.

He sighed. Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. He was just thankful he had clothes to put on so he wouldn't have to keep being in his birthday suit.

He started to remove the covers from the bed he had used to wrap around his almost naked body so he could put his clothes on when he noticed that the women were still watching him; silently and curiously as if expecting him to do a trick like a dog.

He cleared his throat to grab the women's attention and felt uneasy when all eyes fell on him at the same time.

"Um, could I have some privacy, please?"

The women gasped as if he asked them if he could see their underwear. Which wasn't necessarily considering the way their dressed.

"So, men are shy about their bodies?"

"They don't like to change in public?"

"That's just weird."

"Men are weird. Did you see that thing between his legs?"

Freed felt his face turn into an ugly shade of red you wouldn't be able to find anywhere in the world when he heard what that last question suggested. And felt ashamed that some...women had stared at his most private and coveted parts of himself.

Freed's eyebrow twitched in shame and irritation, his head bowed down to stare at the floor, trying to hide the sheer embarrassment radiating off of him "Could you just please turn around?" he asked as kindly as he could in his pitiful state.

The women huffed, but did as he asked nonetheless.

"So bossy."

"Yeah."

Freed sighed in relief once the women gave him their backs. Though he would've preferred it if they just left him alone altogether, beggars just can't be choosers.

Ever since he woke up a few hours ago, the women have been doing nothing but stare at him in curiosity, asking him questions and taking notes on every short answer and behavior. It was really frustrating. And dehumanizing on certain levels.

That wasn't his major concern though. As traumatizing and scarring as this might be, he had other things to worry about.

Such as, where was he? Where were his friends? Were they even still alive?

After what...happened, he just wasn't in any mood to ask any more questions.

He had so many of them and the only answers he might get them from, were from these crazy women who wouldn't stop harassing him.

Finally, he stared down at the disgusting clothing he had once been so fond of before all the humiliating embroidery was added to it. Still, he sighed, it was better than having nothing at all.

He turned to look at the women who still had their backs to him, only for his jaw to slacken and eyes to widen as some of them quickly turned their heads back to face the buildings in front of his cell.

His face turned a dark red once again for the twentieth time in the past twenty minutes.

"You done?" called out one of the women, as if they hadn't just been caught staring at Freed changing the whole time.

Freed cleared his throat, willing to play their game for the sake of being in his capturers' good graces and getting the answers he needed, "Yes."

In the blink of an eye, the women turned back around and crowded around the bars, making Freed take a step back in slight fear.

"It looks good on him."

"Yeah, you did a good job Marguerite."

The woman with short blond hair-Marguerite- blushed slightly. "Thanks."

Once again, Freed cleared his throat loudly, garnering the attention of the women outside his cell who stared at him expectantly.

"Excuse me but, could you please tell me where I am?" He asked for the hundredth time.

"You're currently in Amazon Lily, located in the Island of Women," responded Marguerite.

Freed nodded, thankful that somebody had bothered to answer the question.

"Ok, then can I ask another question?"

The women nodded.

"Why am I in a cell?"

The women glanced at each other before turning back to answer Freed.

"Well, this is the Island of Women," answered Marguerite once again, "No men are allowed here and you were trespassing. So now we're waiting for Hebi-sama to arrive and deliver her sentence onto you."

Freed took on a bewildered expression. "So you're keeping me here just cause I'm a man?"

The women nodded as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Freed pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I didn't even mean to come here, really. One second my friends and I were fighting for our lives and the next we're-

"Friend? You mean like that silver-haired girl?" asked the tallest women out of all the ones there.

"Silver-haired girl?" he questioned silently before asking them, "Long or short?"

"Long." Answered Marguerite.

They cried out and reeled back when a now hysterical Freed appeared suddenly right in front of them, gripping the bars of his cell.

"Yeah, yeah! She's my friend!" he said, "Her name is Mirajane! Can I see her, please?"

The women glanced at each other again and Marguerite decided to answer for them.

"Well, she's currently sleeping at our doctor's place but we can-"

"What are you girls doing here?!"

The women gasped and backed away from the elderly short lady that appeared from their right side out of nowhere.

Freed blinked at this newcomer. Unlike the other ladies, this one was old and short, with silver hair and big eyes, holding a big snake pole that Freed was pretty sure was still alive.

"Elder Nyon!" called out the women simultaneously.

"We were just- we-"

"I told you to keep away from the prisoner," Elder Nyon said firmly, her voice laced with authority. She pointed her staff towards the women, "Leave now! Before I punish each and every one of you, ~nyo."

The women didn't even hesitate as they quickly ran away at the fastest speed they could muster.

Freed blinked as their forms disappeared from view at the end of the street, and turned to Elder Nyon, only to flinch when he saw that she was already staring at him with those hard wide eyes.

"You are either brave or stupid enough to actually enter the Isle of Women, Man," Freed nearly turned around and ran to the other side of the cell in fright himself. Despite her nonthreatening size, the women's tone was utterly spiteful when she spoke to him.

But, instead, he resisted the urge to do so and gulped loudly. "It-it wasn't intentional. I don't even know how I got here."

Elder Nyon nodded, "That's what all men say when they enter."

"Nonono, really! One second, I was somewhere else, and the next I wake up here!" he said defensively.

"And what makes you think I should believe you?" Elder Nyon asked, taking a step forward in Freed's direction, who instinctively, took a step back.

"Look, all I want is to see my friend and get out of here so we can search for our other friends," he pleaded.

Elder Nyon seemed to consider his pleas. "Well, I'm sorry," though she didn't sound that apologetic. "But, it is not up to me to make such decisions. It is up to our Empress to decide what we should do with you and your friend ~nyo"

"Well, can I speak with the Empress?"

"When she gets back, perhaps she'll agree to an audience with you." And then she muttered "Though I hardly doubt it."

Freed heard the last part, but didn't question it. Instead clinging on to the hope that he could get out of this situation.

"When does she get back?"

"It won't be long now. Probably a few days' time."

Freed's form slumped. That was way too long and he had to get out now. For all he knew, the rest of his friends could be dead somewhere and their bodies wouldn't be discovered until he and Mirajane got out of this godforsaken island.

"Can I at least see my friend?" he asked.

"Your friend is currently unconscious being treated by our local doctor, ~nyon. If she does admit to being your friend, though, she will receive the same punishment as you for allying herself to a man ~nyo"

Freed sighed and banged his head against the bars. This was going to take a while.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Little Garden

"It's perfect."

Natsu stood to the side, proudly admiring his creation and doing his best to ignore the fact that there was something missing from this whole scene. Still, his mind produced that small 'Aye, sir!' that he found himself to be missing terribly.

Lucy stood right next to him, wearing an opposite expression from Natsu's own proud and accomplished one. She actually stared at their product with much disappointment and dread.

"This is not going to work," she voiced, defeated.

The raft rested calmly on the shoreline, the one they had spent the entire night working on. And it did not turn out well.

It looked more like a poorly made plank of wood. The trunks that they had used as the base were awfully crooked and Lucy felt that sitting on it would actually be painful from all the pieces of bark sticking out of it. Then there was the fact that the vines they had used were not wrapped around as tightly as they should be, making it look like it would fall apart at any moment.

The thing was awful and definitely not fit for people to ride on.

"What are you talking about, Lucy?" Natsu asked cluelessly. He didn't seem to mind the fact that the raft would most likely break down before they even put it to use.

"Natsu," she sighed exasperated, "it's awful. It wouldn't last even a couple of feet."

Natsu pouted, "Well, I think it looks good."

"We'll just have to start over… again." She said frustratingly.

They had spent one day on the island and this was the third raft that they had tried to build during their short time here. Well, attempted more like it.

The first raft had still been a work in progress when a wave took it away while their backs were turned. And the second one was destroyed during the giants' battle. And though both giants apologized for it afterwards, it didn't change the fact that the earthquakes of their fighting had destroyed a better rendition of the first raft.

This was their third raft and the flaw was that it was not a good raft.

"Nope! It'll work Lucy! You'll see!"

"Wait, Natsu!"

It was too late. The pink-haired Dragon-slayer already had the raft in his grasps and jumped into the waters, placing the raft right beneath him. Lucy was not surprised when the raft broke in half upon contact with the waves, sending Natsu into the ocean currents.

"Gah!"

Lucy sweatdropped as Natsu emerged from the ocean, sputtering and flailing as he desperately searched for a foothold.

'We're going to be here for a looooooong time.'

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Loguetown, Marine Base

"I AM SO SORRY!"

Everybody in the room could feel themselves sweatdrop as the previously cold, and stone-faced woman was reduced to a sorry mess. Her face shifted to one of absolute horror and guilt as she took into account her actions, previous behavior, and who it had been directed to.

With a bowed head, the woman continued to apologize profusely at the man behind the desk, who seemed more like a poor fool as he blinked at the woman in front of him with no idea as to what to do.

Tashigi's expression resembled her captain's as she witnessed the drastic shift in attitude of the woman that had just been threatening them with violence and beaten up some of their soldiers. The only one who didn't seem to be all that surprised, was her partner who simply rose an eyebrow in reaction to his friend's behavior.

"Please, forgive me for my imprudence. If you see it fit, I'll let you punch me."

"Uuuuhhhh…" Tashigi gaped and Smoker remained speechless before hesitantly raising a hand.

"There's... no need."

"Yes there is. I had no idea of the authority that you held. That makes my actions unforgivable," she bowed her head once again, leaving a clear view of the top of her skull. "Here, you can headbutt me like I did to you earlier."

"You didn't even hurt me." muttered Smoker. And it was true. Being a Logia user had such advantages.

"I-it's ok, really." Unbelievable. Tashigi went from considering this woman a pure menace, to feeling pity for her.

The day was just getting weirder and weirder.

"How can you not know what Marines are?" Tashigi has seen many things during her time as a marine, but never had she confronted someone who did not know of the police force that ordered the world.

"We had never heard of Marines before. The police force from where we come from are the Rune Knights," answered the woman, who they now knew was named 'Erza'.

"And where exactly do you come from?" asked a suspicious Smoker.

"Magnolia Town, in Fiore," answered the man, 'Grey'.

"Fiore?" Tashigi repeated.

"Yes. Where are we anyway? I'm assuming we're not in Magnolia judging by your tone of voice." said Erza.

"You're not," answered Smoker as he took out a parchment of paper from his desk drawer, "You're in Loguetown, located on the East Blue."

"East Blue?" she questioned.

"Don't tell me you don't know where the East Blue is," scoffed Tashigi. When the duo gave her blank stares, she gaped. "You're kidding?"

"Look, all we know is that one minute we're fighting against a dragon about to blast our friends and us to the moon on Tenrou Island, and the next, we're here," said an agitated Grey.

"Tenrou Island?" questioned Smoker. He unrolled the parchment of paper to reveal a large map of the Grand Line. "Is it any of these islands?"

Both strangers looked over the map, their eyes darting back and forth before they widened. "No. This... doesn't even look like any map we've seen," answered Erza as she took in the sight of the map in front of her.

"Well, it's not a map of the entire East Blue. And it's not like there's a map of the whole world, so some islands could be missing. Including the islands you mentioned," said Tashigi.

Erza's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything else.

"We still have various other maps of the oceans if you want to look over those to find what you're looking for," Smoker said.

Gray opened his mouth to answer, only to be stopped by a hand being placed on his thigh. Grey looked down at it and turned back to Erza, whose eyes did not leave the map spread out on the desk in front of them.

Finally, she looked up from the paper to look at the Captain, a focused look in her eyes and a tinge of worry that only Gray managed to catch, in turn making him worried as well. Because Erza was never, ever, worried unless it was something huge.

"Yes, we'd like to look over the others as well. Please."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 45

"Gol D. Roger?"

Gildarts walked alongside Rayleigh and Cana as he enjoyed a bunch of exotic treats and snacks the island had to offer. Which he held loads of in his arms, barely managing to even hold them all at once.

Soon after finishing breakfast-which had been spent with Rayleigh explaining to them the basics of navigation-they had left the bar after hearing one of the customers talking about how a troop of Marines were currently searching the lawless area of Sabaody for the man that destroyed the Marine Base and injured many soldiers, Gildarts Clive.

So, in an effort to remain hidden from the marines, Rayleigh took both mages on a tour around Sabaody, with Gildarts hiding under a black cloak that resembled his old one as he explained to them the Pirate Era they landed in while they enjoyed the commodities of the Archipelago.

"Yes," Rayleigh nodded, "He was the first and last Pirate King."

"Hmm," Gildarts mused, "sounds like a strong guy if he managed to earn such a title," he took a bite off one of his snacks. "I'd like to fight him," he said with his mouth full.

"You sound like Natsu," Cana muttered as she eyed another clothing store to her right. Her arms were already holding onto many shopping bags full of clothes, beer, and gear that she had bought with the money Shakky had given her before they left, but she still had some left for a few more articles she would like to buy.

Rayleigh chuckled, amused by Gildarts' behavior and spirit which he had seen displayed various times in the past from many characters he had met.

"Well, that would be an interesting match-up. Unfortunately, he's dead. He was executed by the marines about twenty years ago."

Gildarts moaned in disappointment, "Well, that sucks. I would've loved to meet the guy."

Rayleigh chuckled once again, "Something tells me you both would've gotten along just fine."

"Wait, you said he was executed by the marines? How did he get caught after so many years of avoiding them if he was so strong?" questioned a curious Cana.

"Well, I wouldn't say he got caught," answered Rayleigh. "Gol D. Roger turned himself in after he discovered he was suffering from an incurable illness."

"So the Marines lied?" she asked.

"Essentially, yes. The public was losing faith in the Marines due to their failure in capturing him for so many decades. So, when the opportunity presented itself and Gol D. Roger turned himself in, they twisted the truth in order to raise their credibility," he explained.

"Well, that's not nice," muttered a pouting Gildarts.

"Indeed it isn't" chuckled Rayleigh.

"But if the public knew nothing about this, then, how do you know?" asked Cana.

Rayleigh stopped in his tracks, prompting the two mages to stop as well. He smiled fondly and his eyes seemed to see far away as he got caught in memories of the past. Both father and daughter stood back, waiting patiently for a response.

Finally, he spoke, with a soft and fond tone. "Gol D. Roger was my Captain."

He watched with little amusement as both of his comrades gaped at him, some of Gildarts' treats even falling to the ground as he took in the news.

"What?" they both reacted at the same time.

"Yeah. I was his first mate. The first person to join his crew," Rayleigh said proudly.

Both mages stared at him in awe as they processed such news.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," muttered Gildarts.

Rayleigh nodded, "He was a good man. I'm proud to have been a part of his crew."

It had been years since he had last spoken about it. About his friendship with the Pirate King Gol D. Roger. And after doing so, many memories moved around inside his head, making him loose himself in the nostalgia they brought about from the depths of his mind. Memories that he had buried long ago that would only be experienced in dreams from which he would wake up with tears in his eyes. And even now, he could feel some of them prick at the end of his eyes.

"And you said that this guy started the 'Pirate Era'?" Cana added air quotations at the end for emphasis, getting over the shock of the bombshell Rayleigh had just dropped on them.

The older man nodded, closing his eyes as he thought back to that specific moment when Roger yelled out the words that started it all

"Before his execution, Gol D. Roger talked about his legendary treasure which he had hidden away for somebody to find. Just before his death, he spoke his last words that sent everybody out to sea with the goal to find it." Both mages almost leaned in, completely engrossed in the man's tale as he continued.

"His last words were-"

"HELP ME!"

The group of three were brought to attention by a loud plea that sent shivers down their spines.

The Fairy Tail mages, falling back into their hero complex, quickly sought out to pinpoint the exact location of the scream, vaguely registering the curse Rayleigh uttered under his breathe. All the other pedestrians stopped their activities and immediately looked up from what they were doing, seeking out the voice the way the other two mages were doing, both of which didn't have time to react as a hand grasped them from behind and pulled them towards the back of a nearby building.

Cana yelped as one of her many shopping bags fell behind, landing in the middle of the road.

"What the hell, old man?!" she yelled out angrily, sitting down on the dirty floor where she had fallen when Rayleigh pulled her back.

The old man's mere response was to hold back a hand to shush her as he peeked from where they were hiding to stare at the commotion.

Gildarts and Cana glanced at each other in confusion before joining the retired pirate, with Gildarts peeking from underneath Rayleigh and Cana right underneath her father.

Both of their eyes widened as they saw the scene unfolding in the middle of the road.

"PLEASE, HELP ME!"

In the middle of the road, a middle aged man looked desperately between people, with a face etched with horror and desperation. But what shocked both mages was the state the man was in.

His malnourished body-which remained bare from the top up-was covered in scars, many of which seemed to have remained untreated as they rose from his skin like red mountains; jagged and disgusting. His tattered pants barely clung to his thin waist, and a pair of manacles dug into his too thin wrists, creating bloody abrasions that continued to drip a red liquid. His face was a mess of tears that mixed with blood pouring out of a head wound, dripping onto the metal collar that clung to his neck as if he was a bloody dog.

And if that wasn't enough, the people surrounding the hysterical man simply stared helplessly at the scene before them. Offering no help whatsoever and actually looking fearful themselves.

All in all, the sight was enough to make the mages sick to their stomach.

"Please! I have a family! I need to get back to them! Please just get this collar off of me!"

The desperation in the man's voice was enough to snap Gildarts out of his daze, and he quickly gathered himself to run after the man in order to help him.

Only to be stopped by the same hand that pulled him back once again, making him fall on his behind which caused cracks to appear on the ground beneath him.

He blinked, disoriented and surprised by the sudden action, before regaining his bearings and looking up to glare at the old man that held him back.

"What's the deal, old man?!"

"Don't bother. It's too late. You'll just put us all in danger," he muttered in a cold voice that surprised them both.

Cana stared wide-eyed at both of the scenes that took her by surprise before the man's words registered in her brain, making her glare at the ex-pirate.

"What do you mean too late?"

"Please! I just want to get back to my family!" The man grabbed a woman by the front of her shirt, who cried out in surprise and fear as he got on her face.

"Please! You have to get this thing off me!" He begged.

"Please, get away from me," the frightened woman muttered quietly, not being able to meet the man in the eyes.

"He needs our help, Jiji!" Gildarts cried out, spurring back into action and ready to run into the scene, only to be stopped again by the elder man who was stronger than him while he was still weakened from his encounters of the past two days.

"You can't help him," he responded monotonously.

"What do you mean?!" yelled Cana.

Suddenly, a sound permeated the air. A ticking that echoed in the area. Almost sounding like a... like a...

...countdown.

Cana's eyes widened as her eyes fell on the collar on the man's neck, where the dreadful sound was originating from.

The man stepped back. As if his face hadn't been fearful enough before, it looked downright terrified, to levels Cana hadn't witnessed before.

"Please..." he muttered weakly.

Cana and Gildarts both got up and ready to run only to be stopped by strong hands that held them back by the hem of their clothing.

"Please..."

The bystanders looked away, some of them covering the eyes of their children.

Cana's and Gildarts' expressions took on enraged looks and Rayleigh was taken by surprise when a powerful blast sent him flying a few feet away, making him lose his grip on the mages who ran towards the man's aid.

Time seemed to slow down as the ticking began to quicken with time. The man was sobbing loudly and uncontrollably now, nearly resigned to his fate.

"I... I..."

The mages were just a few feet away, when realization dawned on Gildarts.

They weren't going to make it in time.

"I JUST WANT TO GO HOOOOME!"

Gildarts grabbed Cana's arm and jumped back behind another building.

There was just a small moment of silence-a pause-before it happened...

*BOOM!*

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Moby Dick

"Yosh! You ready, Lax-san?!"

"Get off me."

Laxus glared at the division leader that had an arm over the blond man's shoulder, a gesture of companionship that Laxus really did not reciprocate.

"Waaaah!" cried Thatch, as a one-armed hug turned into a full body one that took him by surprise. "I can't believe we're already going our separate ways! It's like it was just yesterday that we met!"

"GET OFF!" Laxus' 'yell came out muffled as his face was buried deep in Thatch's shirt.

"It was just yesterday that we met," smiled Ace as he stood to the side, watching the scene unfold before him with uncontained amusement.

"Besides, technically you're not separating," Marco said, standing next to Ace. "You're the one that's dropping him off, oi."

Just a few hours after Thatch's and Laxus' last conversation, the Moby Dick was now close enough to Yuki Island for Thatch to take one of the smaller ships and drop off their charge with the residents there.

Laxus had watched as nurses came in and put his grandfather in a stretcher to move him to one of the smaller boats, with Laxus always close to his grandfather should anything occur. But Makarov didn't even stir and Laxus felt a sense of relief as he was carefully placed in the room in the bridge of the ship.

"Well, it was a pleasure getting to know you, Laxus," Laxus allowed himself a small smile as he gripped Ace's outstretched hand, which felt warm to the touch.

"You too," Laxus said earnestly.

"Perhaps, we'll see each other a-zzzzzzzzz." Laxus was surprised when Ace's face suddenly fell forward and snoring could be heard protruding from his mouth. A scene he had already witnessed earlier in the day when Ace had led him back to his room.

"He fell asleep!"

"I don't know if we'll see each other again," stated Marco as he approached the blond man, "But make sure to take care, oi. You and that old man of yours."

"Don't get in any trouble, Lax-san." Laxus' eyebrow twitched in irritation at the nickname once again, but nonetheless, gripped Diamante's hand.

"I would say the same to you, but considering your livelihood, I highly doubt it," he managed to ground out.

The pirates laughed.

"You're right!"

Finally, Laxus looked up at the ship's captain who sat back in his seat, watching from a distance in the bridge of the Moby Dick. He separated himself from the others and walked towards Whitebeard, fully aware of the lazy yet scrutinizing look he was getting from the old man.

He stopped a few feet in front of him.

"What you want?" grumbled Whitebeard.

Laxus gave a short and curt head bow.

"Again, I can't thank you enough for helping my grandfather and me. I'll never forget what you've done for us."

"Bah!" the old man cried out, clearly irritated. "What did I tell you about thanking me? All I did was tell my brats to pull you and your old man out of the water. You want to thank me properly? Leave my ship and make sure I don't see your face ever again!"

Despite the harsh words, Laxus could detect the softness hidden under that tone. And he smiled in response.

"Gotcha." He said.

He walked back to the crew who had stared at the scene in amusement.

"So, you ready to go, Lax-san?" asked a smiling Thatch.

Laxus nodded, grateful that he would be on land soon since the medication the nurses gave him earlier was starting to wear off and he could already feel a familiar queasy feeling in his stomach as he became painfully aware of the rocking ship beneath him. Perhaps, he should ask for more. It would help a great deal once his grandfather got better and they both set out to find their guildmates.

"Yeah."

"You think we'll see them again?"

Ace continued to stare at the ship disappearing in the distance, carrying with it part of their crew and the two people they had picked up the day before. Whitebeard sat on his seat next to him, taking a sip of sake as he also stared at the fading vessel with impassive eyes. The question was innocent enough. After all, he and Laxus had only shared a few conversations and their time together had been short to the point that they felt no attachments to each other. But, the curiosity was there.

The question remained unanswered for a while as both pirates stood in silence. Whitebeard put down his bottle of sake and sighed contently as the taste burned his throat with a pleasurable feeling.

"Guess we'll find out soon," answered Whitebeard as he raised his sake cup once again.

Ace's eyes widened and turned to look at the man who wouldn't meet them with his own. "What do you mean?"

The only answer he got was a wide smile.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Amazon Lily

"Does anything hurt?"

Mirajane sat still in surprise as the woman continued to fuss over her, checking her bandages and asking her a bunch of questions that Mirajane had yet to answer in her shocked stupor.

"Um... no," she managed to say. "Just a few aches here and there." And it was true. Though she knew her body had been in a horrible state before falling unconscious, she wasn't in any intense pain or anything like that, just some sore muscles and a few small pangs of pain that hit her whenever she moved a lot.

But compared to that, what she was mostly aware of was the intense weakness that made her want to go back to sleep. Her magic reserves were spent and she honestly thought that if she tried to get up, she would fall right on her face straight to the ground.

"Good. That means that the concoction I had you drink while you were unconscious is still taking effect," the woman nodded approvingly. "Though it will wear off soon, so I'll make sure to give you some more in a few hours."

"You treated me?" Mirajane asked curiously.

The woman nodded her angular face. "Yes. You were brought to my care earlier after we found you in the middle of the jungle. My name is Belladona."

"Mirajane Strauss," she introduced herself, "but you can call me Mira."

"Pleasure to meet you," smiled Belladona.

Mirajane gave her a soft smile as well. "Likewise. And thank you so much for your help."

Belladona held her hand up and shook her head with a smile, "No need to thank me. I was just doing my job as the island's only doctor. I could not leave it in my conscience if I just left a poor girl like you to die because of your injuries."

Mirajane nodded, but questions began to filter her head, making her focus on more important issues.

"You said you found me in a jungle. Where exactly am I, if I may ask?"

"You may," encouraged Belladona. "And you are currently in the Amazon Lily, an empire located in the Isle of Women."

'Isle of Women?' she repeated in her mind. Unfamiliar with the names Belladona gave her, she began to instantly feel a sense of panic building in her chest, which she immediately tried her best to quiet down.

She had never heard of such places. Not in any of the books or maps she has read during her time. And she has read a not as much as the guild's bookworms (Lucy and Levy) have read, but enough to recognize that she has never ever heard of a place called Amazon Lily. And if it did exist, how did she even end up here? One minute, she had been all the way in Tenrou Island fighting alongside her guildmates against Grimoire Heart and that giant dragon, and the next, she was here; being treated by a woman claiming that they found her in the jungle.

And if she was here, were her friends here as well? Did they die in Acnologia's blast? Or did they survive it and are somewhere spread out in the jungle as well?

"If I may ask, where do you come from?"

"Huh?" Mirajane was brought back to attention as soon as she heard Belladona's voice ask a question of her own.

"Well, you fell from the sky. Are you some kind of sky creature or something?" she asked curiously.

Mirajane took a while before the doctor's voice completely processed in her head, prompting another question to form in her own shocked mind.

"F-fell from the sky?" she stuttered.

Belladona nodded. "Yeah. When they brought you in Merguerite claimed that you and some... man fell from the sky before they found you."

Another revelation had her taxed mind stop seeking for answers in her frazzled memories as it clung to one word that Belladona had uttered with such disgust Mira had trouble believing it was released from the woman's mouth which up to then, had been nothing but soft and kind.

"You said a, man, fell with me?"

"Yes. But, not to worry dear, he's been taken care of and soon he shall be sentenced by our Empress," Belladona stated in such a casual manner it nearly sent a cold shiver up her spine at what her words implied.

She had to swallow the saliva that was building up in her throat before continuing. "What exactly did he look like?" No matter what the answer was, she was already dreading the response, because she just knew that, whoever it was, the possibility of him being one of her own guildmates was really high.

Belladona opened her mouth ready to answer only to be beaten to the punch by another, much more older and raspy, voice.

"Long green hair and eyes, pale skin, wearing a red coat."

Both women turned in surprise to look at the entrance where a short, elderly woman passed through, holding a long snake staff she used to help her walk, and with some of the biggest eyes Mira had ever seen. And her expression was one filled with disgust as she described the man that had dared trespass their territory.

"Almost passed for a woman too, if we hadn't removed his clothing, ~nyo," Mira's thoughts refused to venture further into what the woman meant by that, focusing instead on the description she gave of the man.

'Freed.' There was only one person who matched that description, and her stomach filled with dread when the dots began to connect and it began to dawn on her the kind of situation they both managed to land themselves in. Literally.

"Elder Nyon!" Belladona exclaimed in surprise, "I was not expecting you yet. How is everything over there? Has the man woken up yet?"

"Indeed he has," nodded 'Elder Nyon', her wide eyes remained unmoving as they pierced through Mirajane's own nervous, dark blue ones.

Belladona gasped in surprise, "Really now? May I go see?"

"Of course not!" Elder Nyon angrily slammed her staff on the ground and glared at the doctor, making the girls flinch in surprise. "Nobody is to come anywhere close to that man. He is highly dangerous, ~nyo."

"O-ok," acquitted a shaken Belladona.

"As for you," she turned her eyes back to the silver-haired mage who sharply turned to the elderly woman in surprise as she was addressed. "You are being suspected of coercing with a man and infiltrating the Amazon Lily. Now I must ask you, Mirajane Strauss, are you friends with this man?"

Mirajane nearly gulped as Elder Nyon glared her down with an intimidating gaze unlike any other. So, she had been listening to their conversation the entire time.

"U-um..."

"You must know," interrupted Elder Nyon, "that men pose a threat to our kingdom and as such, must be punished for entering our kingdom. If you have any relations to this man, you will suffer the same fate as he ~nyon."

Mira was not known to curse, but at that moment she surely would have if she had it in herself. She was in a situation where Freed was currently being held prisoner in an island of women she had no familiarity to, she had close to no magic, and was being threatened by an elderly lady who could overpower her in the state she was in if she admitted to being friends with her guildmate. And obviously, the answer to that question was yes, Mira is friends with that man. Had been for years now.

But, if she analyzed their situation much more carefully, being honest (something which she clearly took pride on) would only put her in a position that would lower the possibility of them getting out of this mess. But, even she said no, she knew that it would take a while before her magic reserves were once again restored, and she didn't know what she could do in her currently weakened state.

"Answer, girl!"

Mirajane's mouth opened slightly.

'So, the best course of action would be to-'

Her thoughts were interrupted when a loud explosion was heard in the distance, taking all three women in the house by surprise as it continued to echo in the distance before it faded.

"Wha-what was that?" asked Belladona.

A woman appeared at the entrance, and Mira felt something tingle within her as a strange type of aura emanated from the newcomer.

"Marguerite, what happened?"

The woman, now known as 'Marguerite', was panting hard as her panicked eyes found Elder Nyon and locked with her own old and wise ones.

"I-it's the man."

"What?"

---

'Ah, so I did have enough.'

Freed stood staring in pleasant surprise at the large hole big enough for him to fit through that destroyed the bars of the cell, which now curved slightly from the other side. In a desperate attempt to free himself from the cell that confined him, Freed managed to find it in himself a small amount of magic that he decided to put to good use. And by good use, he meant using it to create a Dark Ecriture that could create a shock wave strong enough to destroy the bars of the cell.

Smiling at his new found freedom, he began to formulate a plan that would get him-and Mirajane-out of this island and on the way to search for their friends. First things first, he has to escape this cell before the women of the island found of his escape (which they surely will considering how loud that shockwave had been) and find a hiding place that will hold him until he had enough magic reserves to find Mirajane and fight their way out of this island.

With this newfound resolution, he moved one step forward... only to crumple to the floor like a pile of rocks.

'W-what the hell?!'

He was exhausted. No, scratch that,exhausted wasn't a strong enough word to describe how exhausted he was. He was dead-tired. Unable to move an inch as he lay struggling on the cold concrete floor, fully aware that the women would arrive at any minute.

'What the hell's going on!'

Sure, he had used whatever small amount of magic he had left for that final spell, but even then he shouldn't feel this tired after such a simple spell.

"It came from the man's cell!"

'Shit.'

He could already hear clamors and footsteps coming from a distance. They would find him even before he could move a foot out of this damned cell.

'Come on. Move, dammit!'

He barely managed to twitch a finger before he moved shaking arms to lift himself up. The hole was literally less than a foot away. Surely he could do this.

It took him longer than he would like before he was on his quaking feet, threatening to send him sprawling to the ground really soon.

"Come on girls!"

'Shit.' They were close. 'Come on Freed, you can do this. You have to find Laxus!"

It was the thought of his friend which released a surge of strength spreading through his weakened body. That was the first time he thought of his friend since waking up here in this cell. Laxus had to be out there somewhere. Maybe not in this island, maybe back at Tenrou Island, but Freed knew that he was out there somewhere. And though a part of him knew that Laxus was surely alive, if he was out there in a situation similar to Freed's, then he had to get to him fast.

Years ago, Freed vowed to protect Laxus even if his life depended on it. And dammit, he was going to live up to that promise! He wouldn't let Laxus down. After all, Freed wasn't a part of the Thunder Tribe for nothing.

So Freed didn't just take one step forward.

'Run, you fool!'

He ran.

He ran as fast as his shaky legs could carry him, ignoring the calls of the women that had just rounded the corner and began to chase him down as he turned to the right of the street and ran like his life depended on it. But it wasn't just his life that depended on it: it was Laxus' as well.

Freed had no idea how fast he was running. Didn't realize that he had somehow managed to outrun the women behind him who continued to shout at him and throw arrows that missed due to the mage's speed. Didn't realize that he was practically creating a large dust cloud behind him.

All he could focus on, was the sole purpose that he had etched into his mind since he joined the Fairy Tail Guild.

Protect Laxus Dreyar.

So he ran.

And never did he become aware of the strong, but brief, magic surge that pulsed throughout his body.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sabaody Archipelago

Silence.

That was the only thing that remained once the thundering explosion subsided. Yet, the echo remained in the spectators' ears, making them barely aware of the resounding thud of a body hitting the floor.

Men stood staring with wide eyes, mothers turned their children away from the horrific scene, and nobody dared utter a word as the body of a burnt man lay still on the ground. A man that, just mere seconds ago, had been begging for help to people who remained deaf to his pleas.

Yet, these people were used to such a scene. And Gildarts saw that. Noticed the familiarity that struck the bystanders' eyes as they stared at the-unconscious?-body. A familiar scene, that's what it was to them. A repetitive cycle that they had now grown accustomed to.

Gildarts felt sick.

He had been around for many years, has seen the worst of men during his travels and seen many people in horrible states before. But this...

... this was inhumane.

The horror that crossed his face was one he'd never expect for anybody else to see. And the anger that would come after...

Cracks were already starting to appear on the floor underneath him, and he could already feel the small tremors his contained anger was causing in the area, which were barely felt by the people that were staring shock-still at the unconscious man before them.

He had to get out of there soon. Or else, he would end up destroying the entire square.

"Gildarts, let go!"

His daughter's angry shout was enough for him to remind him of the charge he had with him. He had unconsciously clamped his hand over his daughter's eyes in a vain effort to protect her from the scene he was forced to witness. But, it wasn't until then that he realized his grip had begun to tighten slightly over his daughter, making her wince slightly in pain and he immediately let go.

Cana felt a deep sense of relief once her father removed her hand from her eyes, only to nearly drop to her knees at the image that invaded her eyes, making her release a horror-stricken gasp as she took in the burnt body of the man she had desperately wanted to help.

Gildarts felt his heart drop to the ground alongside his stomach as his daughter proceeded to break down in front of him. Her hands moved up to cover her mouth as sobs began to wrack her body and tears streamed down her pale face.

If he wasn't angry enough before, he was furious now.

Cana could feel bile rise up her throat, burning her esophagus and begging for release. It took all of her will power to contain it and not let it spill all over her father's feet.

Never-never-had Cana seen something so, so... gruesome.

This was something not seen in her world. At least, not something like this. It was far too vulgar for words and something that she felt so sure would never be done in a place like Fiore.

And she could've done something about it.

There was that part of her hero complex that many mages seemed to possess that told her something could've been done; something should've been done. If not by her hands, then surely by others who wouldn't stand for such violence, and yet...

She looked around the square. Stared at the reactions of each and every person that had witnessed the scene, hoping for any sense of rationality, only to be hit with the dreadful realization that nobody would've done something.

The poor man left behind, not just a seemingly apathetic reaction, but silence.

Because apparently, there were no words to be offered in such a horrible situation. No could have, would have, should have.

Just a tense stillness and a deadly silence...

... A silence that was interrupted by heavy footsteps.

All at once, time began to move again, and the people in the square were awoken as a new, dangerous, presence began to approach.

"They're coming!"

The people began to share panicked murmurs and Cana swore that the dread and fear that these people released into the air was almost tangible.

The footsteps got closer-footsteps that spoke of arrogance and narcissism and ignorant impertinence-and almost as if it was rehearsed, the people got on their knees in a show of submission. Bowing to whatever presence was approaching the square. And Cana realized that, it wasn't that this was just rehearsed...

...this was a repetitive action.

"I should've warned you of them before."

Cana and Gildarts were taken by surprise and turned as they came face to face with a grim looking Rayleigh who continued to stare at the horrible scene in front of them.

It was Gildarts first who managed to find his voice. "Warn us of who?"

Rayleigh turned his eyes towards them, and both mages found themselves surprised at the unidentifiable emotion they contained.

"There is a certain group of people that you ould never mess with, or the repercussions are too great to name."

"What group?" Cana asked with a trembling voice.

"They call themselves..."

The footsteps stopped, and Gildarts and Cana turned back to the middle of the square to witness the dreadfully awaited arrival.

"...the Tenryuubito."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Near Yuki Island

"So, what are you going to do once your grandfather gets better?"

Laxus turned to the side to find Thatch resting on the railings of the ship right next to him, staring at the younger man with curious eyes.

It had been a few hours since they left the Moby Dick and veered towards Yuki Island, and the destination was already visible in the horizon.

Makarov had been placed to rest in the only room of the small ship, while the other six remained outside, steering the ship, or calling out orders in Thatch's case. Laxus had left his father's side to take a breather outside, fidgeting with the small bottle of pills the nurses' had given him for his motion sickness as he began to feel the familiar feeling of nausea drifting in.

For a second, Laxus pondered the question. What was he going to do? Well, as soon as Makarov woke up and Laxus explained the situation to him, they were both getting the hell out of the island they were being dropped off at and search for their guildmates. Laxus, of course, knew that he couldn't tell the man this. So, instead, he told him what he knew, Thatch expected to hear.

"Probably try to find a way back home."

Thatch guffawed. Laxus could feel his eyebrow twitch in irritation as the man laughed rather indiscreetly at what, he assumed, was Laxus' goal.

"Well, good luck with that," he said with a small chuckle once he calmed down. "Based on what you've told us, your home is rather far and must be nearly unreachable."

Laxus could feel anger bubbling at the the surface. "We'll find a way," he growled out.

What Thatch said struck a chord. Because, despite the lie Laxus gave him, it wasn't completely a lie. Laxus was going to find a way back home, once he found all his friends to go back with. And for Thatch to say something like that, well, it made LAxus be forced to face the reality of his situation.

The goal Laxus had set his mind on earlier-to get back home-seemed almost like an impossibility. The idea of not finding his friends or a way back to their home was so real it was frightening.

Laxus wasn't somebody known for being unrealistic or an optimist, he prided himself in his realist views, and right now, every inch of his gut was telling him that the journey they had ahead of them won't just be hard, it would be damn near impossible.

He was taken by surprise when a hand pounded his back, making him groan and almost fold into himself in pain.

"That's the spirit!"

Laxus' hands clenched into fists and it took all he had to not bury his fist on the man's face.

"Just, try to be careful out there," Thatch then said with all sincerity, "you had the luck that you encountered us out there in the ocean, but not all pirates are nice. And neither are the Marines." He then glanced at Laxus questioningly, "you do know what Marines are, right?"

"Well, from what I've heard from you guys, I'm guessing they're the police force of this world," Laxus said.

Thatch nodded. "Yeah. They claim to be all about justice and bringing criminals down, but really a bunch of them are corrupted and have a twisted version of their so called 'justice'," he finished with air quotes.

"I mean, when they executed Gol D. Roger they-"

"Wait, What?!"

Thatch was taken by surprise when Laxus suddenly whirled around to face him, eyes widened and expression completely shocked.

"Uh, what?"

"What did you just say?!"

Thatch had to take a step back when a frantic Laxus took a sudden step forward, getting in Thatch's own personal space and worrying him.

"Um, that they're a bunch of corrupted-"

"No! After that!"

"Twisted version of thei-"

"After that!"

"That when they executed Gol D. Roger they-"

"Thatch!"

'Wow,why does everybody feel the need to interrupt me today,' Thatch thought, annoyed.

He turned to one of the four crewmembers they had brought with them. The young man's expression was one of fear and complete shock as he stared at his division leader, holding a set of binoculars tightly in his hands.

"What's wrong?" Thatch asked, understanding that something was definitely wrong.

The young man handed Thatch his binoculars and pointed to the island that was just a few miles away from them.

"There's a Marine ship at the island."

Thatch's eyes widened. He immediately put the binoculars to his eyes and the crew-member's words were proven to be true.

Worry began to bubble in his chest when Thatch saw the familiar aqua green ship, and dread twisted his stomach when he saw the word 'Marine' printed on the white sails. The ship was anchored on the side of the island, and he could just barely see the Marines that were unloading from the ship and into the snow covered island.

The division leader could not understand what was happening. But, what he could understand, was the fact that marines hadn't stepped into Yuki Island in decades, and there was no doubt in his mind that, whatever they were doing there now of all times, was not due to good intentions.

The first positive thought that formed in his mind, was that they could easily take care of a couple of marines and their captain. Piece of cake.

But, when Thatch saw a tall man wearing a familiar long cape, those optimistic outlooks were wiped clean from his mind and replaced by the familiar sense of dread.

'Vice-Admiral.'

He put the binoculars down with shaky hands and turned to stare at the load that had been put in his charge and protection.

The young man was still staring at him with wide, expectant eyes, but Thatch could see the worry that was beginning to tinge his expression when his dark eyes met Thatch's own. An understanding came between them and the subject was dropped for now.

And as Thatch went back to staring at the island in worry, realization hit him that this mission was probably not going to be as easy as he first thought.

CHAPTER END

A/N: I AM SO SORRY!

I know this chapter took so long and I just want to apologize for making you guys wait longer than you should've ;-;. I truly am sorry.

But, hey, on the bright side, I updated!

After many months of waiting.

Again, sorry.

I just got so busy with school and personal life that I just didn't have the time to finish this chapter, and thus, I ended up failing the schedule that I had set up for myself a couple of months back. I still have various other stories that I have to update and I know it's been so long, but I'm trying

I just want to thank you guys for reading this story and continuing to review even after I still hadn't updated in so long. So, as a gift, I give to you this chapter! Not so great I know, but I tried my best. I'm just happy to be back on track.

So many things happened in this chapter! Why did Laxus react the way he did? What is going to happen when Gildarts and Cana learn about the Tenryuubito? What will happen to Freed as he runs away from a group of psychotic women? What about Erza and Grey? Will Lucy and Natsu ever learn that there are forgotten ships in the island that they could use? And even if they did, will they leave the island without a log pose?

Yeah, I'm aware that I didn't introduce any new mages in this chapter, but do not give up hope!

IMPORTANT NOTE

A reader recently pointed out that the Kuja don't know what devil fruits are due to their isolation. I shall fix that mistake and all I ask is that you guys forget I ever wrote that into my story :)

Speaking of who, I want to thank TheCatLounge and mellra for helping me during this chapter! I really couldn't do it without you guys!

I also want to thank all you readers who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. But most of all, I want to thank you for even bothering to read it. This is my first fanfic I am proud of and to find out that so many people like it just brings warmth to my usually cold heart. So, thank you!

I'm sorry that I won't be able to answer to reviews this time :(. Just know that I am truly grateful that many of you took the time to leave a review.

I want to leave you guys with a small preview before I leave, because, I have loads of homework and I still have to practice for Jazz Band try outs tomorrow, so I am in a hurry. But, here you go! And please Review! It truly motivates me! :D

Preview

"Do you fools realize what you've done?!"

"I punched an idiot?"

---

"Please, let us join your ranks!"

"...What?"

---

"You-you know Take-Over Magic?"

"'Take-Over Magic'? What is that? Is that a term men use?"

---

"Where is it?! I know you have it!"

"Sir, please, we don't know what you're talking abo-"

"Of course you do! Now, tell me, where is that damn fruit?!"

---

"You just had to pick a fight, didn't you?"

"Shut it, you shrimp..."

---

I want to take this moment to send my condolences to all those affected by the many horrible events that took place on Friday 13th. Not just to those in Paris, but also those in Beghdad, Mexico, Japan, and Lebanon. It was truly a terrible day in history and no words I offer will ever be able to describe what many of us felt when we heard of the tragic events. All I can say is, I'm sorry humanity has fallen to this level.