Yay! Another chapter done! I've gotta say, I'm glad we're finally on this island! I've had the entire first round of the East Blue planned since before chapter three! I'm pumped to be writing this at last!

That being said, I know many of you are annoyed with Ace's antics. I am too, but trust me when I say that that is a good thing. The more annoyed you are with him now, the more rewarding a future scene will be. No, the scene is not in this chapter, but it will be in the next chapter! I won't give too much away, but just know that all the annoyance will be worth it!

Also, I wanted to clear something up. Kuro is not the butler mentioned in the last chapter. It was Merry, the lamb guy that built the Going Merry. Kuro wont make an appearance for a long time. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!

I do not own One Piece.

Marco walked with Thatch through the mostly destroyed town. The buildings were in such a state of disrepair that he doubted it was safe to stay in some of them. The people of this village were in a worse state, however. Many of them were injured, and almost all of them looked around in fear. It was as if they expected a fishman to pop up out of nowhere and torture them some more. Those that didn't have fear in their eyes held a hopeless expression, like they had given up on ever getting out of their situation. Marco felt a righteous anger burn deep inside him. He was going to make those fishmen pay.

"Did you notice?" Thatch interrupted his thoughts. Marco wondered what he was talking about when he sensed two very familiar people following behind them. He sighed in annoyance.

"Should we stop them?" Marco asked, and Thatch shook his head.

"No, we tried to reason with them beforehand. Now they must learn things the hard way." Thatch said and Marco nodded in agreement. They would make sure the fishmen didn't hurt the brats, but maybe a scare was just what they needed to learn that there are some things they really can't handle.

"You're right. Let's just go free this island." Marco said, and took the lead toward the mansion on the hill.

XxXxXxXxX

Luffy watched as the lamb butler helped Bachina out of the chair, and led her to a bedroom. He had just told another story about Yasopp when she had a coughing fit, and Kaya's parent's insisted on letting her rest. Usopp and Kaya stood next to Luffy, and looked at each other with worried expressions.

"I hope your mom gets to feeling better, Usopp." Kaya said sadly.

"Me too. She's a really nice lady." Luffy chimed in.

"Yeah, her health has been getting worse. She spends more and more time in bed each day." Usopp said with tears in the corners of his eyes.

"Let's give Bachina a quiet house to rest in for a while. Why don't you three go play quietly outside? Stay in the yard. And remember, if you see any fishmen, come inside as quickly and quietly as possible." Kaya's mom said.

"Okay, Mommy!" Kaya said, and led the two boys outside. They shut the door behind them.

"Luffy, I wanted to thank you for telling me and my mom about my dad. It was nice to hear about him again after so long." Usopp said, and wiped away some tears.

"Don't mention it. Yasopp is a pretty cool guy." Luffy smiled.

"Yeah, he is. And I will be a brave warrior of the sea, just like him when I grow up!" Usopp proclaimed.

"Oh, you want to be a pirate too?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, just like my old man, and I'm going to work on my aim so I can become a great sniper too." Usopp pulled out a slingshot and pretended to aim at various things.

"That's awesome! Hey, I know, you should join my crew!" Luffy said and Usopp looked at him bewildered.

"Wait, you're a pirate?" Kaya asked in confusion.

"Yeah, but I'm sailing with my brothers for now. I'll set out on my own in ten years, and gather my crew. Two people have already agreed to join. You can be the third!" Luffy pointed at Usopp who smiled widely.

"I'm honored. Of course I'll be your captain!" Usopp said with a flourish.

"Don't be stupid! I'm the captain!" Luffy said, and Usopp deflated some.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can be the first mate." Kaya gave Usopp an encouraging smile.

"Yeah! I'll be the best first mate ever, and I'll have control over eight thousand men!" Usopp stuck his thumb at his chest, and smiled proudly.

"Actually, Zoro is the first mate." Luffy corrected.

"Oh." Usopp deflated again.

"That's okay, Usopp. You just said you're going to be a sniper like your dad, right? I'm sure the sniper position hasn't been filled yet." Kaya patted Usopp on the back.

"Nope. You can be the sniper." Luffy smiled, and Usopp perked up again.

"Okay, then. I'll be the best sniper in the world! My aim will be so accurate that I'll defeat enemies with one shot!" Usopp said proudly, and Kaya cheered. Luffy smiled widely. He showed Ace! While Usopp may not be a musician, he was another addition to his crew. He couldn't wait to set sail in ten years.

"Why, I bet I could sink the fishmen's pirate ship with one shot!" Usopp boasted.

"Whoa! Are you serious?! That's so cool!" Luffy yelled excitedly, with stars in his eyes.

"You bet! I once defeated a lion the size of a house with a mere pebble, you know. He was going to eat the orphans at the orphanage, but I, the brave and handsome Usopp, appeared before it. 'Surrender now, and I might go easy on you, you fiendish feline!' I said, and it cowered in fear of my sheer awesomeness! Before it had a chance to run away, I picked up a pebble at my feet and fired. The pebble hit the beast between the eyes, and he went down. The lion meat fed the hungry orphans for a month!" Usopp said, and Luffy looked at him with awe.

"That's awesome!" Luffy cheered, and Usopp absorbed the attention. Usopp must be really powerful if he could take down a lion so easily. Luffy decided he wanted to see what the long nosed kid could do.

"C'mon, let's go!" Luffy said, and started in a random direction.

"Go? Go where? We have to stay in the yard, remember?" Kaya asked.

"Usopp said he could sink the fishmen's pirate ship with a single shot. I want to see it." Luffy smiled, and Usopp paled.

"W-wait! Luffy! A-a-are you sure?! I mean, I don't want to make you feel inferior with my great sniping skills." Usopp said.

"Of course, I'm sure. I want to see my awesome sniper in action!" Luffy said, and started to walk again.

"Wait! L-let's not be too hasty here." Usopp said, stopping Luffy in his tracks.

"What's with you? You defeated a lion, right? A ship shouldn't be that big of a deal." Luffy said staring to get annoyed.

"It's just that… the wind! Yeah, the wind! It isn't right for sinking a ship. We have to wait for the wind to be just perfect." Usopp said.

"What?! Really?! Aw man!" Luffy pouted. He really wanted to see the ship sink.

"Yup, the wind isn't right. I'm afraid we'll have to sink a ship some other time." Usopp crossed his arm. Luffy looked down in disappointment. He really wanted to see something cool, like the fishmen's ship sinking. Maybe he could still see the ship, itself. He wondered what the differences were between a fishman's ship and a human's ship. A smile slowly spread across his face.

"Okay, so the wind isn't right yet, but I still wanna see the ship!" Luffy started to walk away.

"What?!" Usopp yelled in surprise.

"Yeah! It's not every day you get to see a fishman's ship!" Luffy yelled and started to run off in the direction he thought the ship was.

"Wait, Luffy! You aren't serious are you?!" Usopp yelled from behind. Luffy ignored him, and continued to run. He knew he would find the ship eventually if he kept running. Now, which way was the ocean?

XxXxXxXxX

"Usopp, we have to stop him." Kaya shook her friend who seemed to be in shock, and she didn't blame him. No one in their right mind would go to a fishman's ship willingly. Luffy could get hurt badly if the fishmen found him snooping around their stuff.

Usopp shook out of his trance and said, "He's dead! The fishmen will find him and kill him!"

"I know, that's why we have to stop him, no matter what. He's our friend now, we can't let him kill himself." Kaya said, and Usopp gulped hard.

"You're r-right, Kaya. We can't let a friend of ours get k-k-killed. We must save him from himself." Usopp crossed his arms. He would've looked very brave right then if his legs weren't shaking so much. If there was one thing Kaya really admired Usopp for, it was the fact that he would never abandon a friend, no matter how scared he was.

"Right, let's go." Kaya smiled and led the way toward the northern shore, where the fishmen left their ship. Luffy was a fast runner so they had to get there quickly. They got to the ship in no time, but they didn't see Luffy.

"Do you think he's already on the ship?" Kaya asked.

"M-maybe he isn't here yet?" Usopp offered.

"Maybe… I'll go look for him on the ship, you stay here in case he hasn't shown up yet." Kaya said, and started to walk down the slope.

"Wait!" Usopp grabbed her arm.

"What is it?" she asked.

"W-why don't we go together? Yeah, power in numbers and everything!"

"What if Luffy hasn't shown up yet? We can't let him get on the boat. One of us has to stay here." Kaya shook her head.

"But what if the f-f-fishmen show up?" Usopp asked quietly.

"Would it make you feel better if you look around on the ship, and I wait here?" Kaya asked.

"No! I don't want to go near that thing by myself!" Usopp paled at the thought.

"But what if Luffy is already on it?" Kaya asked, and Usopp seemed conflicted.

"I won't take too long. I'll shout his name a few times, and look in a couple of rooms. All the fishmen are in town, so there shouldn't be any trouble." Kaya placed a reassuring hand on Usopp's shoulder. He looked at Kaya, then at the ship, and back again. He gained a determined look, and nodded.

"You're right. We can't abandon Luffy. I-I'll," Usopp gulped, "I'll stand watch here. You check the ship."

"Right, I'll be back in a minute." Kaya smiled, and ran for the ship. She looked around the deck, but it was empty.

"Luffy! Are you here?!" Kaya yelled, but got no response. She looked in a few of the cabins, and called Luffy's name, but the ship was empty. She checked the lower decks, but he wasn't there either. She came to the conclusion that Luffy wasn't there yet. She walked back onto the deck, and got off the ship. She ran back up to Usopp, who was shakily holding his sling shot.

"He's not-"

"AAAAH! FISHMAN!" Usopp yelled and fired blindly at Kaya. Kaya yelped, and ducked to avoid the projectile.

"Oh my gosh! Kaya! I'm so sorry! I thought you were a fishman!" Usopp quickly apologized, and helped Kaya back to her feet.

"It's okay, Usopp. It missed." Kaya said and brushed some dirt off of her dress.

"Still, I should've looked before I fired." Usopp blushed in embarrassment.

"It's fine. I'm okay." Kaya smiled to show she was alright.

"Sorry." Usopp rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, I guess he's not on the ship." He said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"No, he's not. That means he hasn't arrived yet." Kaya said, and scanned the trees to see if she could spot Luffy. He was nowhere to be seen. They waited in silence for several minutes, but Luffy never showed.

"Do you think he changed his mind?" Usopp asked.

"Maybe. Let's wait a few more minutes just in case." Kaya suggested. They waited a few more minutes, but nothing happened.

"He'd be here already if he was going to show up. I think he gained some sense, and gave up." Usopp said as he turned to Kaya.

"Yeah, I think you're right. He probably went to find his brothers." Kaya nodded her head in agreement.

"Great, Luffy isn't here! Now, let's go before some fishmen actually do show up!" Usopp grabbed Kaya's arm and started to run away. Kaya gained her footing and started to run next to Usopp. It was likely that Luffy did give up on his quest to find the Fishmen's ship, but something in the back of Kaya's mind kept nagging at her with "what if's." Each one was worse than the last. She pushed down her doubts, and hoped that Luffy would find his brothers soon. Everything had to be okay… Right?

XxXxXxXxX

Thatch and Marco stood outside the mansion's front doors. Like the rest of the village, this place was trashed. But it wasn't trashed to the point where it was unlivable. All the windows were broken, the plants around the house were butchered pretty badly, and there was garbage everywhere. It was like the fishmen littered every chance they got, and didn't bother to pick it up. Thatch was disgusted at how poorly they treated this place. He figured it was because it was formerly a human's home. If it were made by a fishman, he was sure they would show it more respect. Thatch could hear the fishmen laughing, and cutting up inside the mansion.

"Did you see the look on that pitiful human's face when I broke that woman's arm?!" one of them laughed.

"Priceless! And the way he tried to attack you was hysterical!" another one laughed.

"Humans really are weak creatures. Even when they tried to ban together to defeat us, they were no match." The first one said. Each comment they made only served to anger Thatch further and further. He and Marco shared a look, and nodded.

"Hey, let's go back into town and-"

The fishman's sentence was cut off when Marco and Thatch simultaneously kicked open the door. The mansion's occupants turned to see who the intruders were, and froze when they saw who it was. Thatch was sure they looked menacing. He definitely felt menacing. What they did to the innocent villagers was inexcusable.

"I-i-it's the Whitebeard Pirates!" cried one of them.

"They followed us!" Another one yelled.

"Fishmen, we were going to leave you alone after capturing Arlong, but after seeing the town, and hearing horror stories about you…" Thatch trailed off.

"We aren't going to go easy on you." Marco cracked his knuckles in anticipation. The fishmen tensed at the thought of the beat down they were going to get, when one of them got brave.

"C'mon guys, did we forget? They may be Whitebeard Pirates, but they're also human. That means they're weaker than us." He tried to rally up the other fishmen.

"But they-"

"Are humans, and we are fishmen! It isn't that difficult to figure out! We can beat them if we work together!" the leader yelled, and it was followed by cheers from the other fishmen.

"Let's get them!" one in the back yelled, and they all charged forward.

"I guess they have to learn the hard way." Thatch sighed and unsheathed his sword.

"Agreed." Marco nodded, and turned his arms into fiery wings.

Marco flew forward, and kicked the lead fishman hard enough to send him and the others behind him flying backwards. The ones that managed to dodge the attack looked at Thatch and Marco in surprise. Thatch took advantage of their shock, and ran forward. He sliced each fishman as he passed them. He didn't cut deep enough to kill, but they definitely in need treatment soon.

Marco wasn't wasting time either. He flew around the room, and kicked each fishman hard enough to make them hit the floor with a loud thud. Thatch went around, and attacked the ones that were distracted by Marco. It was mere child's play for the Whitebeard pirates.

"Retreat! Back to the ship!" the supposed leader yelled after a few minutes of the one sided battle. The other fishmen were all too happy to follow those orders, and they all ran out of the door with such speed. Thatch and Marco walked outside, and watched the fishmen run down the hill and disappear from sight as they headed towards their ship.

"Do you think they learned their lesson this time?" Thatch asked as he sheathed his sword.

"Who knows? We'll tell pops to keep eyes and ears open in the East Blue for a while, just in case they try again. And as for you two," Marco turned to a nearby bush that hid a couple of brats, "Didn't we tell you to stay away from the fishmen?"

"It serves you right! Now you know how we feel about you always following us!" Ace popped out of the bush. Sabo was right behind him, and he gave Ace a very annoyed look.

"Is that what this is about?" Marco asked as massaged his temples.

"Yes! Now stop following us!" Ace yelled back.

"Stop it, Ace. Do you even realize how petty you sound right now?" Sabo pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I don't care. And you didn't have to come!" Ace turned to his brother.

"I only came to stop you from doing something stupid and reckless, like you almost did about five times!" Sabo yelled. Thatch's heart went out to the blond for having to put up with the hotheaded brat all the time.

"I wouldn't have to if these guys weren't-"

"Whatever you're about to say, I can guarantee that the exact opposite is true." Sabo held up a hand and interrupted Ace.

"Hey, they must be the ones!" A voice yelled from down the hill, effectively cutting off what Ace was about to say. Everyone turned to see a bunch of villagers approaching the mansion.

"The ones?" Thatch asked.

"Is it true? Are you the ones who sent those fishmen running?" one of the villagers asked as he stepped forward.

"Yeah, that was us." Marco said, and the villagers erupted into cheers.

"We're free!"

"We can live in peace again!"

"Let's hear it for our heroes!"

"Who are our heroes anyways?" One of the villagers asked, and they all turned to Thatch and Marco.

"I'm Marco, the 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, and that's Thatch, the 4th Division Commander." Marco said, and everyone got quiet.

"Whitebeard Pirates?! In the East Blue?!" one of the villagers shouted.

"Yeah, but they saved us!" another one answered.

"Maybe they did that so they could take over the island themselves!" someone in the back shouted.

"We aren't here to hurt you." Thatch said calmly.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" someone asked.

"They are." Sabo stepped forward, and they seemed to notice the kids for the first time.

"Sabo! What are you doing?!" Ace yelled.

"Telling the truth. We have sailed with these guys for weeks now, and I can honestly say that they mean no harm!" Sabo announced, and the villagers visibly relaxed.

"What are you saying?! Of course they-"

"No! They don't! In all the time we've traveled with them, not once have they shown any hostility towards us! The only one picking fights here is you, Ace. So just stop it!" Sabo yelled, and Ace stared at him with wide eyes. Apparently, Sabo's patience had finally worn out.

"Whatever." Ace looked to the side and glared at a tree.

"If what this kid says is true, then that means we really are free!" The villagers went back to their cheering.

"Let's celebrate!" a villager shouted.

"Looks like we get another celebration." Thatch said as he watched the joyous town in amusement.

"Looks like it." Marco nodded.

"What about the town, though? Shouldn't that be fixed before anything else?" Sabo asked.

"They were suffering under the fishmen for a while. Let's let them enjoy their freedom before we worry about that." Marco answered, and Sabo nodded in understanding. Thatch was glad they were able to help. Not only that, but Sabo might actually be starting to beat some sense into Ace's incredibly thick skull. Things were looking up.

XxXxXxXxX

"I finally found it!" Luffy cheered as he stood in front of the large ship. He had looked all over the island for the ship, and even backtracked a few times accidentally. But he was here at last.

With a big smile, Luffy walked up the ramp and onto the deck. The ship was a pretty big one, but it was still small compared to Shanks' ship. Luffy looked around excitedly. He was always happy to explore a new ship, and this one was a fishman's ship. He ran around the deck and looked at every little thing that caught his eye.

He was about to peek inside an interesting looking barrel when a noise distracted him. He turned to the noise, and saw a bunch of fishmen running toward the ship. Luffy panicked, and quickly hid in the barrel. Those fishmen were bad guys that hurt a lot of people, and he knew that they wouldn't hesitate to hurt him either. He peeked through a hole in the barrel and saw the fishmen run all over the deck.

"Set sail, quick! They might be following us!" yelled a fishman with funny elbows.

Luffy felt the ship starting to move, and a sense of dread weighed in his stomach. He was going to leave his brothers behind! He wanted to jump out of the barrel and run for it, but something inside him held him back.

"I don't care where we head, just so long as it's far away from here!" a fishman with big lips yelled, and Luffy felt his dread grow. He was stuck on this ship, and he had no idea how he was going to get back to the island. Luffy did his best to swallow the lump in his throat, and tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. He hoped his brothers came to save him soon.