Whoo! Chapter sixteen is here! And this is the chapter that makes all of your annoyance towards Ace, no matter how small it is, worth it! I hope you all enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it!

And thank you to everyone for your encouraging reviews. They helped get this chapter out so quickly.

I do not own One Piece.

"I don't think they're going to follow us anymore."

"That's a relief. We can tend to our wounds now that we're not panicking."

"I think that damned phoenix broke all of my ribs."

The fishmen talked amongst themselves as they milled about the ship. The island was a good distance away now, and it continued to get smaller. Luffy kept his hands over his mouth to prevent any sound from coming out. He was lucky that the fishmen hadn't found him so far, but he knew it couldn't last forever.

He really wished Ace and Sabo were with him. He knew things would be okay if they were there. They always knew how to make him feel better when he was scared, and he was so scared right now. His heart skipped a beat every time someone walked past the barrel he was hiding in, and almost screamed when one of them decided to use the barrel as a chair.

"Remind me to never antagonize a Whitebeard Pirate again." Said the fishman seated on top of the barrel.

"You said it. We're going to be licking these wounds for weeks." Said a fishman who was being bandaged up.

"You don't think they'll show up again, do you?" one of them asked just outside of Luffy's limited vision.

"Who knows, but I think it's a safe bet to say that the whole East Blue thing was a bust. We tried with Arlong, and we tried by ourselves, but it didn't work. I say we head back to the Grand Line. We'll think of something to do when we get there." Said the funny elbows guy.

"Agreed." Said Big Lips.

"It's settled then. Head for Reverse Mountain." Another fishman said, and Luffy felt the ship turn somewhat. Luffy inwardly panicked. He couldn't go to the Grand Line without his brothers! He just couldn't!

"I think Hachi had the right idea when he left for Fishman Island."

"I think you're right. He managed to avoid the pummeling of a lifetime, that's for sure."

"I miss his fried octopus ball, though. He made the best."

"Maybe he'll cook us some once we get back."

The mentioning of food made Luffy realize just how hungry he was. His stomach ached with emptiness, and he willed with all of his might for it to stay silent. He really didn't want to be caught.

"Let's eat once we're all bandaged up."

"I'm so hungry I could eat anything right now."

The fishmen continued to talk about food, and Luffy did his best to ignore it. It didn't work, though, and hunger gnawed at his stomach more and more with each sentence. Finally, his stomach had enough, and let out a huge growl. The noise outside stopped, and Luffy held his breath. He hoped beyond hope that they didn't look in the barrel.

"Is it just me, or did this barrel growl?" asked the one that sat on top of it. Luffy heard him get off, and panicked when the barrel started to open.

The top was removed, and he met eyes with a large fishman. He looked at Luffy for a few seconds before he gave a malicious smile. Luffy felt all the blood drain from his face. Something in the back of his mind screamed at him to flee, but his body refused to move.

"Hey guys, it looks like we have a stow-away." He said as he grabbed Luffy by the arm. The sudden motion jerked Luffy out of his trance, and he started to struggle out of the fishman's grip.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?" asked the funny elbows guy as he crossed his arms.

"Let go of me!" Luffy struggled harder, but only managed to stretch his arm. He dangled a few inches off the ground for a second before his arm retracted.

"Hey, I remember this kid. He's the one Arlong shot." Said someone from the middle of the crowd.

"Yeah, you're right." Said Big Lips.

"He would make us a pretty penny in the slave market." Said the one holding him, and Luffy bit down on his hand.

"Ow!" the fishman let go, and Luffy took off. He had no idea where he would go, but he knew he needed to get away from them.

"Dammit! Someone grab him!" he heard one of them shout. Luffy ran as fast as he could, but the fishmen were faster.

"Gotcha!" Luffy felt himself being tackled from behind.

"Let go of me! Help! Ace! Sabo!" Luffy yelled, and struggled with all of his might.

"Shut up, you brat!" yelled the one holding him. Another fishman punched him in the head, but Luffy hardly felt it.

"You idiot. He's made of rubber. Blunt attacks won't work." Luffy froze when he felt a sword being held to his throat.

"I say we use him as our own personal slave until we sell him at the Sabaody Archipelago." Said the one holding the sword to Luffy's throat.

Luffy's vision went blurry as tears stream down his face. He felt a heavy dread weigh down in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to hear his brothers yell at him for being so stupid. He wanted Ace to bonk him on the head, and call him a dumbass. He wanted Sabo to shake his head in annoyance, and tell him that he was hopeless. He just wanted to be with his brothers, and he hoped they noticed he was missing soon.

XxXxXxXxX

Ace glared at the Whitebeard Pirates as they talked to some of the villagers. Sabo had actually stuck up for them in front of the townspeople, and Ace didn't like it one bit. Sure, the two adults hadn't shown any signs of maliciousness, but that was all a ruse. Ace just knew that they wanted nothing more than to lure him and his brothers into a false sense of security. Once their guards were down, they would attack.

"Would you stop it, Ace? They don't want to attack us!" Sabo said, once he spotted Ace's expression. Ace shifted his gaze over to his brother.

"That's just what they want you to believe." Ace accused. Sabo sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I honestly can't believe you sometimes." Sabo said in a dry tone.

"You'll thank me when they finally reveal their true colors." Ace went back to glaring at his targets.

Sabo threw his hands up in the air, and said, "Why do I even bother?"

Ace ignored him, and continued to watch the Whitebeard pirates in resentment. They may have tricked his Sabo and Luffy, but they didn't fool him. He would personally see to it that they didn't hurt his gullible brothers.

"Hey, aren't they the kids we left Luffy with?" Sabo asked, catching Ace's attention. Ace turned and saw Usopp and Kaya being scolded at by Kaya's mom for some reason. What caught Ace's attention, however, was the fact that a certain straw hatted brother of his wasn't around them.

"Yeah, but I don't see Luffy anywhere." Ace took a step forward.

"Don't tell me he ran off, again." Sabo asked in an exasperated tone.

"C'mon, let's go ask them where they saw him last." Ace sighed, and headed towards the two kids.

"I don't care if he did run off, you should've came a gotten one of us! I mean, what would happen if a fishman had gotten a hold of you?!" Kaya's mom lectured, once they had gotten within ear shot.

"We're sorry." Kaya and Usopp said in unison. They had their heads hung in shame.

"Excuse me, but do any of you know where Luffy is?" Sabo asked once they got close enough. All three turned to face the two brothers.

"You mean he didn't find you guys yet?" Kaya asked. Ace and Sabo shook their heads, and the other two kids suddenly looked worried.

"Uh oh! Kaya, you don't think…" Usopp trailed off.

"But we waited there for several minutes, and he didn't show up." Kaya said with wide eyes.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Ace asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well, it's just that Luffy said something about wanting to see the fishmen's ship and-"

"HE WHAT?!" Ace and Sabo yelled, causing Kaya and Usopp to flinch. Ace felt anger and panic surge through his veins.

"YOU MEAN YOU LET HIM BOARD THE FISHMEN'S SHIP?! HOW COULD YOU?!" Ace yelled and took a step forward. It was their fault! They let Luffy fall into danger.

"Ace!" Sabo yelled, but Ace ignored him.

"DON'T YOU KNOW THAT ONCE HE GET'S AN IDEA INTO HIS BRAIN HE DOESN'T GIVE UP ON IT?!" The other two started to back away from Ace. He was seriously about to bash their skulls in, when Sabo grabbed him from behind.

"W-we didn't mean to! We waited there for a while, but he didn't show up! We thought he gave up, and went to find you guys!" Kaya explained as she backed away further.

"Stop it, Ace!" Sabo yelled, but Ace continued to ignore him. He tried to worm his way out of Sabo's grasp, but he only tightened his hold.

"What's going on?" Marco asked as he and Thatch walked up.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Ace snarled at the pirates.

"Luffy's on the fishmen's ship!" Usopp yelled.

"HE'S WHAT?!" Thatch yelled in surprise. Marco immediately turned into his phoenix form, and flew into the air.

"COME BACK HERE, DAMMIT!" Ace tried to jump after him, but Sabo started to drag him away. Ace struggled to break free, but Sabo seemed to have tapped into an inner strength Ace didn't know he had. He yelled profanities as Sabo dragged him behind a nearby building, and held him against the wall. Ace felt fire run throughout his body in a rage like never before.

SMACK!

Ace's head was tossed to the side, and his cheek erupted in a strong stinging sensation. Ace was shocked into silence. Sabo had slapped him. Slapped him! In all the years he knew Sabo, not once did he ever slap him. Sure, they broke out into fist fights when they got angry with each other, but he never slapped. Ace gingerly touched his cheek, and faced Sabo with wide, confused eyes.

"WOULD YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH AND LISTEN TO ME FOR FUCKING ONCE?!" Sabo yelled, his face inches from Ace. Ace was absolutely speechless. Sabo never cursed like that! He was too polite to do so!

"Listen to me, Portgas D. Ace. This whole fiasco is your fault! Not Usopp's, not Kaya's, but yours!" Sabo said in a chilling tone of voice. Ace was about to refute something, but Sabo covered his mouth.

"No! Don't fucking speak! I'm not in the mood to hear your petty excuses! It's your fault! You were the one who wanted to follow the Whitebeard Pirates to 'teach them a lesson.' You were the one that left Luffy in the care of people who don't know enough about him to know that he never gives up on an idea. All because of your petty, one sided feud with the two people who have done nothing but try to help us this whole time! Sure, they could've gone about a few things differently, but the point still stands! They gave us food back on Conomi Island when we were half-starved. They sailed with us to make sure we were doing okay. They provided food for us every time we ran out so we wouldn't starve. Hell, they had every right to try and kill you when you outright attacked them, but they did nothing more than dodge your attacks! I know you hate to hear this, but they have had our best interest at heart since we met." Sabo took a deep breath, and removed his hand. Ace only blinked owlishly at him. Sabo's words cut deeply into Ace's heart, and he felt guilt starting to trickle into his veins.

"Now Luffy is on a boat full of people that will stop at nothing to hurt, and possibly kill him, and Marco is our only chance of ever seeing him again!" Sabo said in the most serious tone Ace ever heard him use.

"But we-" Ace's mouth was covered once more.

"Don't you dare say that we can go and save Luffy on our own! The fact is, we can't! Even if our small boat magically manages to catch up to their ship, there is no way we can take on a whole pirate crew of fishmen!" Sabo let go of Ace, and backed up a few feet.

"I want to you to sit here, and get your emotions under control. Marco has gone to get Luffy, and will hopefully be back soon. When they do come back, I want you to apologize to Luffy for allowing this to happen to him. I want you to apologize to Usopp and Kaya for trying to put the blame on them, and for leaving Luffy in their care without giving them the slightest hint of what to expect. And I want you to apologize to Thatch and Marco for being nothing but a pain in their butts." Sabo crossed his arms.

Ace would've argued if it weren't for the growing guilt that weighed in his gut. It was all true. Ace was the one that insisted on getting revenge, no matter how small, on the Whitebeard pirates, and the one who decided to leave Luffy alone. He knew how Luffy could get, especially when he got an idea about something, but his hatred for the two adults had blinded him of any possibilities involving Luffy. If they never saw their brother again, Ace would never forgive himself.

"One more thing, I want us to join the Whitebeard Pirates." Sabo said after a few minutes, and Ace gave him an incredulous look. It was one thing to apologize to those guys, but to actually join them?

"Don't give me that look! Today proved to me that we can't sail the seas alone. I thought we could, but look at what happened! If the Whitebeard Pirates weren't there, we would have no hope of ever seeing Luffy again!" Ace flinched at Sabo's tone. It was the tone of someone who had had enough, and Sabo was being truly terrifying at the moment.

Not only that, but Sabo was absolutely right. Luffy would've been a goner if it was just them. The fact that Marco could fly meant that he could catch up the fishmen's ship with ease, and he was obviously strong enough to take care of a handful of fishmen. Ace forced down his rising suspicions of Marco and Thatch. He had to trust these guys if he ever wanted to see Luffy again, and he begrudgingly entertained the possibility being on the same crew.

He looked back at the past several weeks, and tried to see where Sabo was coming from. He had witnessed Thatch and Marco's fight with Arlong, then the rest of his crew. They were obviously strong, and Ace could only assume how easily they could take down him and his brothers. Someone that strong really didn't need to try and lure anyone into a false sense of security to overpower them.

Ace forcefully shoved away the suspicions that plagued his mind when they tried to make themselves known, once more. These pirates that were under Ace's constantly scrutiny were the same ones that had fed them time and again. They could've poisoned the food, but they didn't. Not only that, but Ace had lost count of how many times Thatch dove into the ocean to fish Luffy out, and his reaction time was amazing. Speaking of reaction time, Marco wasted no time at all when he heard Luffy was in danger. He could only imagine the ass kicking that would ensue.

But they were pirates, all the same. He couldn't help but remember the last time he trusted a pirate. It ended with him and Luffy tied up, and threatened with being burned alive. While these guys did earn quite a few points once Ace got to really looking at it, he still couldn't bring himself to join their crew.

"Here's another thing to think about, Ace. Whitebeard is one of the Emperors of the Sea. He and his crew sail around in the most dangerous ocean known to man. They're a lot stronger than we can ever begin to imagine. So why would they even bother with three kids sailing around in the weakest of the seas, unless they had a genuine interest in our safety?" Sabo asked, and then left Ace alone with his thoughts.

Another valid point from Sabo. He was making a lot of sense today, and Ace hated it. He hated the fact that Sabo had made him look at Thatch and Marco in a different light. He hated the fact that he was now second guessing himself. But, most of all, he hated the fact that Luffy was in his situation because Ace couldn't let go of his contempt of the other pirates for one lousy day. He couldn't bring himself to fully trust these guys, but it was his overly suspicious behavior that caused this whole mess.

Ace slid down the wall, and sat on the floor. He wasn't so sure about being on another man's pirate crew, but he knew he had to change his behavior. If anything, just so that a situation like this doesn't happen again. And, he hated to admit it, but Sabo was right when he said that they couldn't sail on their own like they originally thought. If something like this happened while they were alone, then Ace knew he would have to live with never seeing one or both of his brothers again.

Ace felt his resolve strengthen when he thought about all the possible outcomes that would happen if they were still sailing on their own. He didn't like it, but for the sake of his brothers he would swallow his contempt. He vowed to himself that something like this would never happen again, no matter how much it killed him on the inside.