Kitsune here! Sorry this took so long. Real life has once again conspired to basically run me over and make me want to curl into a corner a cry a little, but never fear! I shall not pity-party! I'm here with the next chapter. There was a bit of writer's block, too...And well. Yeah… And sorry if I missed anyone with the review replies. I LOVE you all for reviewing, even you guest reviewers who I can't reply to...and frankly, there's too many to post at the end of the chapter. Sorry guys. Oh! Before I forget, I've been working on a collaboration with Anjelle under the name "BedlamAnjelle" called "Immortality is what we leave behind" it's a One Piece, total AU story, based on mythologies. No main pairings, Ace and Luffy are kids, Marco and Thatch are in it… Anyway, we're both putting a lot of work into it and having a LOT of fun writing it, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd go and give it a look. Nice long chapters too! And no, that's not the reason for the slow updates. Again, things have come up. So, anyway, please check that out. I'm plotting out the next chapter for this, the sequel for Burning Rubber and expect a Doctor Who One Piece story to be up soon (completed, too). And thanks to Anjelle for looking this over for me, too!
Question of the chapter: "Ever wish there was more then one of you?" All the time!
Zoro/ Izo
Here he'd come over as soon as his shift was done to meet this Zoro character that Luffy'd spoken so highly of, and the jackass was asleep. Not only was he asleep, but he was sleeping while Luffy was fishing! Did the man not know how accident prone the brat was, or did he just not care for the boy he claimed to see as his Captain? Izo glared down at the green haired fellow who was snoring softly, cursing him for his comfort. His mere presence was offensive. Not only did he dress like a total barbarian, but he dared to come here, of all places. Izo paused at the thought, shocked by the venom behind it. The crossdresser supposed he shouldn't be that surprised since he'd been subjected to Ace's tales of his adorable little brother long enough. Still, he knew that wasn't why he resented this man and what his very presence had done. No, it wasn't for Ace, and it wasn't for his own piece of mind, either. It was because this man being here was hurting Luffy, and that was unacceptable.
Hell, it was all over the brat's posture! If the sword wielding barbarian hadn't told Strawhat that he wasn't staying, Izo'd toss his gun into the water below. And now the asshole was sleeping, leaving the poor guy to suffer alone. Didn't he know Luffy didn't take these kinds of things well at all? For all that the kid was generally a happy idiot, any fool could see that he cared deeply for his crew and being separated from them hurt. The little guy had probably been so relieved to see one of his nakama again, and the bastard just had to go and take the wind out of his sails.
Not to mention the man smelled of sweat and stale sake. The only thing clean about him looked like those damn three swords of his. A loud splash had Izo's head snapping back around to the now empty spot on the railing where Luffy had been sitting just a second before. "Luffy!"
Down below the water churned in the wake of the massive ship, disguising where the young Devil-fruit user had gone in. Time was of the essence as Izo kicked off his shoes and tossed his guns to the deck. Before he could even think about shouting out for help, a blur of green shot past him, shoving swords at him before diving overboard. He watched in shock as the man who'd been sleeping so soundly seconds before slipped gracefully into the water without a moment's hesitation before glancing down at the three swords he now held. He noticed the boots laying right where the man had been sleeping, too. The reaction time was impressive, suggesting he'd reacted before Izo's shout.
In moments he spotted the man swimming one armed towards the side of the ship and tossed down one of the simple rope ladders found all over the place just for moments like this. He had thought that the man would have been a stronger swimmer than he was, but his progress seemed slow. At long last he made it to the rope and latched on to it, adjusting the rubbery teen to hang over his shoulders as he climbed.
Wondering at the awkward position Izo leaned over slightly, ready to offer a hand. It was possible he'd hurt himself when he'd hit the water. "Let go of the fishing pole Luffy!" Or Luffy could be being stubborn.
"NO!" Yep. Luffy was being Luffy.
Zoro sounded very annoyed. "I'm not pulling you up until you drop it, you're dragging us both down."
"Stingy~" Izo could hear Luffy half-laugh. "I don't want it to get away, Zoro!"
There was a huff and the rope shook as the green haired man started to pull them both up towards the deck. "Aye Aye, Captain!"
"Yosh! You get to reel it in Zoro." Luffy cheered, flopping bonelessly onto the deck as the other Strawhat pirate took the poll from him. It was bent almost double under the strain of whatever Luffy had managed to snag.
"This is why I hate fishing." Zoro muttered, walking to the rail. He let the line go slack for a second before pulling with all his might, muscles bulging as he threw his weight into it. Instead of breaking like Izo half suspected, a smaller sized seaking was ripped from the water, momentum swinging it up and over them both to land on the deck next to Luffy with a thud where it lay stunned. "Happy now, Luffy?"
"Yep!" Luffy grinned, picking up the massive beast. "I'm going to go bring this to the kitchen!"
"Isn't it a bit early to be thinking of food?" Izo asked.
Both of the younger pirates looked at him like he was nuts. "It's never too early for food." Luffy told him seriously.
"Or booze." Added Zoro. They both grinned.
The fish slipped and Luffy seemed to remember what he was going to do. "I'll be right back!"
Izo waited until the young Captain had left his sight before turning his attention back to the green haired man. He was currently topless, wringing out the water from his shirt and revealing an impressive scar across his chest. "Zoro, is it?"
Dark green eyes glanced up at him for a second as a damp shirt was pulled over his head. "Yeah."
"I've heard quite a bit about you from Luffy. He speaks quite highly of you." There was no reaction at all to his words, and it pissed him off. "Yet at the same time, I have to wonder if perhaps you don't feel the same way towards him. True, you came here looking for him, but why? What is he to you?"
"Luffy's the captain." Zoro shrugged. "But he's still Luffy."
"Funny," Izo began when the man turned to walk away, "you don't treat him like a captain at all. You treat him more like a little kid."
Green eyes flashed dangerously as the man fingered the hilt of his sword and Izo wondered if he would draw it. "Don't talk like you know everything. Luffy's going to be King; he needs the best at his side. What happened at Sabaody can't happen again."
"And what happened at Sabaody?"
"We failed him." Zoro stated simply.
"Luffy seems to think he failed you."
The swordsman gave him a look, one he knew all too well. It was one he saw on the face of his brothers when they went into battle to protect Oyaji. "We failed our captain, and it will not happen again."
Chopper/Kingdew
"It's been a crazy last few days" Kingdew mused to himself as he turned his attention to the sky. Cloud watching wasn't an exciting pastime but he'd always found it a good way to unwind after a long day. That was, if he could find somewhere relatively out of the way of his numerous brothers and sisters who inevitably insisted on pestering him. Particularly the newest brat. The Strawhat idiot insisted on joining him and pointing out every single cloud that reminded him of food, which given the brat was a D, was all of them. He wouldn't admit it, but he didn't find the kid's company that bad, for a brat. Sure, he was rough around the edges, but Kingdew'd spent enough time listening to the young Supernova's rambling tales to know he had potential. If he didn't get himself killed doing something insanely foolish first. (Which sadly seemed to be part of how the brat worked. Honestly he was shocked Ace hadn't gone gray at a young age dealing with the kid.)
His eyes traced a large cloud pattern that sort of resembled a ship if he squinted at it. "I donno if it's more shocking that he's made it this far, or that he'd managed to get a crew to follow him. If that sword-brat Zoro's anything to go by, they've all got to be loyal as hell and half crazy to boot." The cloud disbursed as two overly large birds cut threw it.
The birds were a little more interesting looking than clouds, definitely not being ocean birds at all, not with those wing shapes. Kingdew wondered just where the hell the damn birds came from, because they'd been deliberately plotting a course away from any islands. It was a right pain in the ass, too, since it necessitated sending out Divisions for supply runs. People were starting to get antsy… antsy enough that those on lookout actually called out an alert when the large avians circled back around. At first he thought they were just overreacting and he shifted around to go back to watching the clouds again until one of the birds swooped just feet above the crow's-nest. The sails snapped in the wind generated, rocking the great ship as the bird let out a shrill cry. Even as the beast regained it's altitude Kingdew was shoving himself to his feet. While his brothers and sisters' eyes were on the retreating form, his eyes were glued to the rapidly descending one, and it didn't look like this bird was going to just buzz the sails to him.
Racing to the port side deck he shouted out to all available crewmen. "To me! Defend the port side!"
The call to arms came just in time as a hurricane force of blue feathers shot under the sails with a defiant sounding screech at the obviously ineffective attempts to deter the monster. All that they accomplished was shaking loose a few oversized feathers that landed like lead on those too slow to get out of the way. Kingdew doggedly chased after the bird, hot on it's tail feathers as it cleared the rails once more. Something, he didn't know what at first, came whipping at his head, causing him to duck as the bird banked sharply before gaining altitude. Warily he tracked the bird's flight up into the sky where the other was lazily circling. Deciding that the birds were no longer an immediate threat he turned his attention to whatever it was that bird had tossed at him. His first concern was that it was some sort of Marine attack. Maybe a bomb. God he hoped it wasn't a bomb. Adjusting his arm guards just in case, he slowly turned, eyes scanning the deck for anything out of the ordinary. His eyes skipped over the large feather laying on deck, the barrels and rope, the deer and the boxes, spotting nothing out of the ordinary at first. The deer shifted, kicking it's back hoof clear of a coil of rope and Kingdew's attention fixed right on it.
"Hello there…" He half whispered, so not to startle the ungulate, right arm raised between them in case it changed. He didn't expect any sort of answer or even acknowledgement at all, so he was surprised when the shaggy head came up, pink hat wedged between a strong set of antlers. Antlers that were not covered in velvet, but were smooth and sharp. Now, he might have been a pirate, but the Eleventh Commander knew his fair share about land animals. Enough to know more about deer than the fact that they were delicious. Like the fact that the one eyeing him was probably in rut. The buck lifted a front hoof and stomped, leaving a gouge in the Adams wood as it swung it's rack from side to side, ears back. (Definitely not a regular deer then. Why wasn't he even surprised by that?) "Easy there, fella." He cautioned, raising his arm slightly from the guard position to something more ready as the deer danced forward on strong legs, head high. He wasn't sure, but he thought it was scenting the air. "No sheila-deer here for you, sorry."
Kingdew took a cautious step forward, trying to get close enough to grab the buck, unsure if slaying the creature was the smartest move to make. Not when it was wearing some kind of bag strapped to it's back. The animal growled at him, head dropping low as it threaten him with its antlers before it leapt past him, bouncing off the rail and back onto the deck with a kick of its deadly hooves. Head up it bugaled loudly as it shoved crewmembers out of the way, racing around the deck with Kingdew pounding after him, leading a growing group of would-be-hunters. Passing a shocked Johnny he snagged a length of hammock rope as he continued on. While he was no expert with a lasso, he entertained a vague thought of being able to trip the creature up before it skewered someone. He was relieved to see the wall to the Commander's section coming up, knowing the deer would be forced to slow to turn or even stop. With lick he could put an end to this silly chase and maybe get lunch out of it. Instead of slowing though, the buck sped up and launched itself at the wall, hooves thudding as it twisted it's body around to welcome it's pursuer with a faceful of antlers. As the Eleventh Division Commander slid to a stop, he caught a flash of red cloth on the deck before his vision was completely obscured by flashing hooves lashing at his face. His blood froze, instantly recognizing the color even as those deadly hooves clattered scant inches from the unruly mop of black hair.
"Of all the places to take a nap!" He snapped, scrambling back and holding his arm to stop his brothers from rushing the deer.
"What's wrong, Commander?"
He pointed at the deer. "I'll tell you what's wrong, Luffy's under there!"
"Then just kill the thing!"
"Are you stupid?" Someone else shot back. "Look at what it's doing to the deck! Those hooves are like knives; you want to risk that hitting the brat? Or those horns?"
"They're antlers, you idiot." Kingdew growled out. "Someone get Marco. He's a Zoan. Maybe he can talk to it."
"I don't think it works that way, Commander."
Kingdew risked shooting Ronnie a glare over his shoulder. "It's that or we rush the damn beast and hope it doesn't gore one of us in the process, jackass. So, unless you got a better idea?"
"...Right then. I'll just go get Marco."
The next few minutes seemed to take forever as the deer glared at them. He'd never seen such anger in a herbivore's face before. Every time one of them made to step forward those razor sharp hooves would come up and lash out before landing dangerously close to a still snoring Luffy. How he was still sleeping was amazing. (Even more amazing when the buck's head ducked down briefly to snuffle against the sleeping teen's hair, earning a sleeping chuckle but nothing more.)
"For the last time, I'm not able to talk to animals, yoi." Marco sounded very annoyed as he came up behind him. "And that isn't a bird."
"No, it isn't. Kingdew admitted easily. "It's a deer of some sort."
Marco let out an exasperated sound as their brothers made room for him in the front. For all that the First Division Commander wasn't as tall or broad as he was, but even Kingdew had hesitated to mess with the man back in the days before he'd known exactly who Marco the Phoenix was. So when the "big brother" of the Whitebeard pirates just gave the deer a lazy look that had the buck actually shaking it was a tad bit funny especially when there was no haki involved.
"I can see it's a deer, Kingdew. Why haven't you taken care of it yet? This is more your thing, anyway."
"Normally I wouldn't argue with you about that by the damn buck is right on top of the Strawhat brat."
"So that's where he went to."
"Don't you 'so that's where he went to' me, Marco! This is a serious problem!"
"Just have someone shoot the thing and be done with it." Marco shrugged, earning another growl from the deer. Marco paused, looking at the beast again. Recognizing that his brother was thinking about something he chose to explain why they hadn't shot the damn deer.
"If we shoot it, it might thrash and I'm not going to be the one to explain to Ace his brother was trampled to death by a deer on deck, are you?"
"Good point, yoi…" The smaller blind sounded distracted. "Grab it?"
"Same issue. Plus, it's fast." He held up his arm for inspection showing the thin line on his armguard where he'd barely managed to avoid being scored when the buck had spun to face them. "And smart. Wicked smart…"
Marco's lip quirked slightly. "You don't need a pet, yoi."
"Yeah, you're right." He sighed. "Thatch would probably try to cook it anyway." The deer reared slightly and stomped. "So, what do you think?"
"Well, if you can't shoot it, and you can't grab it… have you tried haki?" The First Division Commander was still watching the buck carefully.
"...I don't know, Marco. You never know with animals." Kigdew admitted. "Normally it would have been the first thing I tried, but I think it's in rut. It'd be like hitting Ace with haki when he's in a bad mood; there's no telling if he'd drop like a rock or go berserk on us."
"You think?" Marco took a step forward and the deer's antlers came down, warning clear even without the deep rumble it made. "The thing is scared out of it's mind, I bet. I'll take it and you get Luffy away. We'll finish it off after."
"Better you than me." Kingdew agreed, sliding to the right.
"NO!" The voice was high-pitched, full of anger and fear, and he didn't know where it came from. The deer whipped it's head quickly to the side, forcing the Eleventh Division Commander back before he lost and eye. Marco wasn't so lucky, catching a rear hoof across the cheek as the deer spun in a tight circle, eyes rolling.
"You alright Marco?"
"I'll live." The phoenix was rueful, blue flames dancing close to his eye as the damage was repaired. He didn't sound angry or even annoyed. "That hurt."
"I told you it was fast."
Marco ignored him, easing forward once more. "You need to calm down, yoi." The buck stomped. "You're going to hurt Luffy."
Large brown ears swiveled forward before pinning back. "I'd never hurt Luffy!" The same high-pitched voice from before replied, full of scorn. "Luffy's Luffy, asshole!"
"Marco." Kingdew looked at the deer then his brother. "The deer just spoke."
"He did."
"It's a deer."
"I'm a reindeer, jackass!" The deer snapped back, stomping a hoof.
He felt stupid asking, but it still had to be done. "So reindeer can talk?"
"NO!"
"Unless they've eaten the hito-hito no mi, yoi." Marco lazily put in. "You're the Strawhat's doctor, right? Tony Tony Chopper?"
The deer (correction- reindeer) shifted slightly. "Yeah, so what if I am?"
Kingdew wasn't even going to question how an animal was a doctor. He vaguely recalled the brat going on about his doctor being amazing. It was impressive that the zoan type found them, though. "Why are you even here?"
Chopper looked around, surprised. "I- I couldn't wait any longer-"
"Luffy! Lunch time!"
"MEAT!" The brat exploded into movement like he hadn't just slept through a fight occurring over his head for the last half an hour, arms shooting up into the air. At first Kingdew was afraid that the idiot was going to accidently hurt his reindeer-doctor, or the other way around possibly. But judging by the lightning fast reflexes Chopper exhibited he could only conclude that this wasn't the first time something similar to this had happened. The buck went straight up with a shot that sounded a bit like Luffy and shifted into a smaller form, still flailing slightly as the dark haired teen caught him in open arms and crushed the poor zohan to his chest with a warm laugh. "Chopper!"
"Luffy don't scare me like that, you jerk!"
"Shihihihihi! Sorry!" The brat didn't look sorry at all. "Look guys! It's Chopper! He's the best doctor ever!"
"Don't compliment me! It doesn't make me happy, you asshole!" Somehow Kingdew thought the deer was lying. It might have been the giggly way it said that, or the slight wiggle. He nodded to the rest of the crew that had decided now would be a good time to leave before they were further piled into whatever this had turned into. He couldn't blame them after what had happened the last time one of the Strawhats had shown up. Then again, anyone who'd spent more than five minutes with Luffy would generally have the same reaction, he guessed. Of course, he and Marco weren't so lucky, being commanders and all.
"Right, right!" Luffy was still grinning, ignoring the way his crewmember buried his face into his vest as he sat there. "So, you beat anyone up, Chopper?"
"What?! NO! I was looking for you, not trying to start a fight!"
"Awww, you're no fun… Zoro tried to take on everyone here when he stopped by." Luffy grinned.
"He-he did?!" The little reindeer half yelped. "He-he didn't pull his stitches again, did he?"
"Nah." Luffy stood, stretching. "Hey, Chopper, wanna stay here with me for a while?"
"EH?!"
The teen shrugged. "I need to get stronger. I couldn't protect you guys from Kuma-"
The little deer was suddenly between his captain and them once more, except he wasn't so little anymore. He now was as tall as Kingdew, a furry man-beast that was ready to pound both commanders into the deck. "What did you say to Luffy?!"
"Chopper." And just like that, the zoan turned small again, running up to the young captain.
"It's not true! It was our fault, Luffy! If I hadn't lost control… I'm sorry!"
"Hey, it's fine! But, I was thinking." Luffy grinned, crouching down next to his little friend. "I was thinking that because Zoro asked for some time to train, that maybe I could use the time to train here, too. Want to join me?"
"You-you're not mad at us?" Even Kingdew could answer that one, it was a foolish question and the reindeer seemed to know it even as he asked it. "I, I want to get stronger, too!" There was a pause. "But...the island I was on. Luffy, it had all these books on medicine. If I studied them, I think I could be more use to you...but I don't want to leave you, either!"
His heart went out to the both of them, even as the strawhat captain gave one of his signature chuckles. "Then you should stay there, ok, Chopper? But only if you promise me you'll work really hard!" The little doctor nodded, tears in his eyes, "We'll meet up in two years at Ripp-Offs." Again a nod. "Yosh! Before you leave, you have to try Thatch's cooking! It's not as good as Sanji's but it's still really good!"
"Really?"
"Yep!"
Jinbe
Jinbe thought it was high time he paid his friend Whitebeard a visit. The yonko needed to know what the Marines were planning, especially when there was a strong chance that Ace was going to go running headlong into danger. Not that he could hold it against the lad, the Marines were targeting his little brother, after all. Worse still, they'd sent that treacherous excuse for a man, Teach, after the boy. Hell, he half expected to arrive on deck and find Ace-kun tied to the mast. It's what he would do in Oyaji's place.
When he arrived on deck, everything was surprisingly normal. Members of the large crew called out in greeting as they continued about their work. It was one thing being told that he was welcome here anytime, but it was another to see it for himself. Very few crews were so laid back about other pirates showing up on their ship. Whitebeard was different, though. When the old man accepted you, he did so with no reservations and you were family. (Even if you didn't want it at first, like with Ace.) Of course, it made what that scum Blackbeard had done all the more horrendous.
"Whitebeard." He nodded, greeting the large man as he approached the chair.
"Jinbe, what brings you here?"
"I was in the area."
Whitebeard grinned down at him. "What you mean, brat, is you wanted to see if I'd heard the news about Teach, right?"
He couldn't help but smile in return. "I also wanted to visit Thatch and see how he was doing."
"My son is doing fine. He's back to his old self." The other captain took a drink. "I think he's playing cards on the portside with some others."
"I'm glad to hear it. Maybe I'll go join them." His smile fell slightly. "Whitebeard, the Marines are going to offer Teach a position as Shichibukai if he can bring them Strawhat Luffy."
"I know, brat." The world's strongest man was not someone to trifle with, and the look he had on his face right then was a fierce reminder. "Shanks and Mihawk have both expressed their concerns over it."
"Mihawk?" That came as a surprise. Shanks, not so much. It was no secret that he had a weak spot for the Strawhat kid and Ace as well. (Not that Jinbe was sure why, Shanks wasn't known to be exactly welcoming with rookies as a whole. He just chocked it up to Ace being Luffy's brother.) "He didn't say anything at the meeting."
"I am not surprised." The smile was back. "Go, check on your friends. Ace is around somewhere as well. We will discuss this later."
Jinbe nodded. "Where'd you say the card game was?" The game wasn't that hard to find, in reality. All he had to do was listen for the sounds of despair as Thatch lost another hand. Coming up behind the man, he cast a large shadow on the four players.
"When did you get here, Jinbe?" Visita asked, shuffling the deck.
"A little while ago. I needed to talk to Whitebeard."
"Join us, yoi?"
"Who's winning? He ginned at Marco, knowing the answer without having to ask. It was a little obvious with the small stack of berri next to the First Division Commander.
"The bird-brain cheats, you know."
"You mean he cheats better than you." Vista laughed, holding up the deck to Jinbe. The fishman shook his head and the Fifth Division Commander started to deal. "If you're wondering where Ace is, last I heard he was still in his room.
"Oh? Late night?"
"Something like that…." Marco muttered, fiddling with his cards before anteing in.
Ace came storming up, fury etched in every line of his body. At first, Jinbe was happy to see his friend, but then he saw the expression on the young man's face as he approached the group. None of them bothered to look up from the card game that was going on. "Where the hell is he?"
"Where's who yoi?" Marco threw down two cards and tapped the deck, signaling he wanted more.
"You know who! That whoring son of a bitch!"
"I'm raising."
"Don't ignore me! Where is that traitor?!" Storm gray eyes fixed Jinbe with a glare. "You! YOU know where he is, don't you?"
The shichibukai had been afraid of this. While Ace being on the ship was fantastic, it meant that he'd most likely been told already that Teach was after his brother. That being the case, it was only a matter of time before he did something foolish. Since that scum Blackbeard would be much easier to locate than his brother, who even the marines had yet to hear a single word on in weeks, Jinbe knew what he would do. Commendable, but foolish. "I don't know where he is, Ace-kun."
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
Thatch snorted. "Come on, why would he do that?"
"Because you're all against me, that's why! You too, Thatch! After what happened, I thought you'd be on my side!"
The pompadour'd man laughed. "Yeah, he got me pretty good."
It was official, the Whitebeard pirates were insane. For a crew that saw each other as family, he'd have thought they'd have taken such a betrayal a little harder. Looked like only Ace was taking it hard though. Either that or Thatch was playing it cool and trying to diffuse the situation. Since this was Thatch, it was hard to tell sometimes. The Fourth Division Commander never seemed to take anything serious, making him a hard read in and out of battle. Still, judging by the way Ace was starting to steam, Jinbe might want to move.
"None of you are going to help me, are you?"
"No-pe." Thatch grinned.
Marco folded his cards, placing them on the deck. "I'm out, yoi."
"It's between you two." Vista muttered, shifting his cards. "I raise again, Thatch."
"Feeling brave, are we?"
"I hate you guys." Ace snarled. "You too, Jinbe."
"Leave Jinbe out of it, yoi. Oyaji told you he was your responsibility."
Vista glanced up at the captain of the Sun pirates. "Besides, he has no clue what we're talking about."
Jinbe was a bit insulted by that. "You're talking about Blackbeard, of course."
"When I get my hands on Teach I'm going to kill him!" Ace spat. "But no. I'm not looking for him right now." A look of worry crossed his face. "Unless he's heading this way?"
Suddenly he had the complete and undivided attention of four commanders. It was a little unnerving. "Not that I've heard. He's looking for Strawhat right now."
"So he's not coming here, then?" Thatch asked, clarifying for some strange reason.
"Why would he?" All four of them looked equally smug and guilty for all of three seconds before raucous laughter cut through the air.
Ace's face contorted in anger and he took off again. "There he goes." Vista sighed. "What happened this time?"
"I think he stole his hat, yoi." Marco sighed, leaning back. "At least he didn't end up dyed."
"That was pretty funny. You, that is. Not me in pink. Actually, the brat stole all his pants and his hat. Ace must have just found that pair." Thatch chuckled. "Brat's bored."
Jinbe cleared his throat, drawing all eyes to him. "Who are you talking about?"
A warm weight collided with his back, almost throwing him off his feet. As he stumbled slightly he saw Stefen run past, wearing a distinctive orange hat. "Hello Luffy."
"Hi, mini-mustache!" A voice chuckled from behind Jinbe, followed by a playful yelp. A blur of red, yellow and black ducked around him and sat with the three older pirates, pulling Jinbe down to sit as well.
"He's not going to fall for that at all, yoi." Marco was promptly shushed.
Ace went charging by at that moment. He saw the group and shot the youngest a dark look. "I see you there, Luffy! This isn't over! Wait until I get my hat back, and then you're dead! You hear me? I'm going to - wait, no! Bad Stefan! Drop it!"
"Shihihihi! Ace is funny!"
"Ace is going to kill you one of these days." Thatch laughed.
"Nah. He's not really trying. Not like when we were kids. He really tried then. Once he tossed me off a bridge over a ravine, and then there was this time with the tree...and the boulders...and that time with the crocodiles….and the snake….the wolves…." The boy seemed to think about it for a second. "It's alright though, because Ace is Ace, and he was lonely."
"That was both frightening and insightful." Thatch commented, turning to Jinbe. "Oh yeah, you haven't met the brat yet, have you? Jinbe, this is Monkey D. Luffy. Brat, this is Jinbe."
Large bug eyes stared hard at the whale fishman and he returned the look. He'd definitely not been expecting to run into the very pirate that had the world government in such a stir aboard the Moby Dick. He had to admit, it was the last place people would look for him. "You're Luffy-kun? Ace has told me a lot about you."
"Are you a fishman?" He was very blunt.
"Yes." Jinbe waited to see what the brat would do, what kind of human he was.
"Cool. Do you know Hachan?"
Thatch cuffed the boy lightly on the back of the head. "Idiot, there's a lot of fishman, not all of them know each other."
"I do." Noticing the surprised looks he explained. "He and I used to be a part of the same crew before the Arlong pirates split off from the Sun pirates."
The boy's expression soured, and he caught Marco making a cut off gesture. "You're friends with Arlong? I hate Arlong. He made Nami cry."
"Excuse me?"
Thatch's hand flew out and slapped against the younger pirate's mouth. "Long story, ask later. When Ace is there to translate." He turned to the brat. "They're not friends, alright? Jinbe's kinda like an unofficial son of Oyaji's. It'd be official, except he's a shichibukai."
"Like sand-croc and leak-guy?" Like who?
"Yeah, like them. Mihawk and Kuma, too." Vista agreed. Wait, sand-croc….are they talking about Crocodile and Moria then?
"Ooooo! Cool!" The brat grinned at him brightly. "That's awesome! Hey! Do you want to fight me?"
"LUFFY!" The six of them all looked up to see an annoyed looking Ace coming back towards them, his hat slightly damp from what Jinbe assumed was slobber. "NO PICKING FIGHTS WITH PEOPLE YOU JUST MET!"
"Uh-oh…" The youngest laughed, getting up and running.
Ace thundered by after his younger brother. "Get back here!"
After a moment of silence Jinbe finally spoke up. "Do I want to know?"
"Probably not, yoi." Marco advised him.
Thatch nodded his agreement. "Plausible deniability, my friend."
"So, this is what Whitebeard meant when he said he'd talk to me later?"
"Yep." All three of the other pirates agreed.
"Ok then, deal me in." He took the cards Thatch handed him.
Vista started the pot this time. "Before you ask. Yes, they're almost always like that."
"I wasn't even going to ask." Jinbe grinned. "They're brothers."
"Exactly. And it's our job as older, wiser more mature-"
"Say's who?"
Thatch ignored Marco except to punch him in the arm. "-brothers to ignore the antics of the youngest members, right?"
"Until they need help that is." Vista added
"Doesn't even need to be said."
"That's a given."
"Of course." Jinbe agreed, because it was true. Even if the youngest brother didn't realize he was a member of the family yet. That meant he'd have to do his part, too, of course. Something told him he was going to be having a long talk with Whitebeard later.
