The Moby Dick was so much bigger than Shanks' ship and Casey gazed amazed at it. She wasn't scared of the pirates, not after all what Benn and Shanks had told her about this crew. So instead of hiding halfway behind Thatch, as they walked towards Whitebeard, she gazed curiously around, before looking at the captain.

"He's so huge," she said amazed.

Thatch chuckled next to her and came to a stop, so she wouldn't have to tilt her head too much to look at Whitebeard. The captain looked curious down at the girl, sensing her strength.

"Oyaji, this is the 'witch' the people talked about. Her name is Casey and she needs our help," Thatch said.

Whitebeard lifted a hand and dismissed all but the commanders from deck. "So what help do you need, Casey?" he asked her softly.

"I … I need to get to Shanks. He ... might be able to help me," she said, stuttering insecure.

He raised his brow. "Help you? In what way do you think he can help you that I can't?"

"No offense, Mr. Whitebeard, but I know Shanks and not you," she said.

He chuckled. "Fair enough. Would you mind sitting on my lab and tell me your story?" he asked.

She tilted her head, thinking of his offer. Unlike her brothers, she was a thinker, though also very impulsive. It was in her genes after all.

"I wouldn't mind," she said at last.

Her reached his hand down and she climbed onto it and then onto his lab. Thatch smiled to her and went to the kitchen. After all, he had promised her a decent meal. Haruta went to get the nurses, while Izo took in her features and was planning on what kind of clothes he would buy to her.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"What about telling me where you're from and how you got here," he said.

She nodded. "Uhm, I'm from Dawn Island in East Blue. I was kidnapped by Bluejam and his pirates. They sold me to some rich people in Goa Kingdom. They shipped me away and I ended up on this weird island where bubbles came from the ground. There I was sold again and they marked me. However, I kept on fighting, trying to get free and home, so my new owner sold me to someone else. That man brought me to his home on an island and I ate a Devil's Fruit, because I was so hungry. I somehow escaped him and hid myself on a ship. That ship brought me here," she said, concentrating on the story to not tear up.

Still the tears floated silently down her cheeks. She didn't notice the cold and hard glares the commanders got, as she spoke of how she had been enslaved. If she had seen it, she would have been slight scared. Whitebeard patted her gently on her back.

"That is terrible, my child, but be assured that you're now safe. We won't let anyone take your freedom again," he said.

She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "It was so scary and horrible. They took me from my brothers, but I can't go back. What if Bluejam sees me again? He'll kidnap me again and make sure I won't have my freedom. Maybe he'll drag my brothers into it too. I can't let that happen," she said, sobbing.

He smiled softly to her. "I understand. Let's make a deal. I'll bring you to Shanks and you'll train to get to know your Devil's Fruit powers," he said.

Blinking at him, she nodded. It was a fair deal to her, but she wondered what he would get from it. Then again, Shanks and Benn never asked something from her or Luffy, when they helped them. Was it because they were children?

-x-

The nurses fuzzed around her, making sure she was feeling comfortable. Casey couldn't understand the fuzz, since she was used to a rough life, but it did feel nice. Like when Makino did something special just for her. As they had done a check-up on her health, she was allowed to get some food and they took her to the galley. Thatch was already finished with the food for her. It was a lot of food, because he had no idea what she liked or not. That was when they got their first surprise. Casey had an enormous appetite and ate almost everything, except the pineapples. She did taste them, but didn't like them.

It had been four days since they found her. The nurses had told them not to train her until she got some rest. Her body worked on the reserves and had to rest to gain its strength back. She had pouted, but Thatch had promised her all the food she needed and could eat, if she listened to the nurses. By the mention of food, she had lighten up and agreed. Like her brothers, Casey had a huge appetite and loved food.

The second surprise they got was when she spared with Speed Jiru. She was fast and stronger than they had assumed. It made them wonder what kind of childhood she had up to her kidnapping, because there was no way that living in the forest would give her this strength so fast. They were sure she was not a normal child and they wanted to know more, but she didn't speak much of herself. She didn't even tell more about how she came to know Shanks.

They didn't know what Devil's Fruit powers she had, until she accidently used them and it gave them their third surprise. She turned into a fox, but not the regular fox you saw in the woods. No she got two tails, white fur and icy blue eyes. The paws were icy blue, just like the inside of her ears and the tip of her tails. Also, she could use ice and where she stood, ice crystals formed.

However, since she wasn't used to this form, she panicked and ran around the ship, crying out for someone to help her change herself back. Normally she would run until she was too tired and fall asleep. Then she was back to human when she woke up, but she had too much energy now. As she ran around deck, Marco caught her and picked her up, petting her lightly to calm her. She looked at him with sad eyes and he smiled assuring to her.

"Seems you and I will have to work on your Devil's Fruit powers, yoi," he said.

She sobbed and he chuckled lightly.

"So you ate a Zoan type. So did I, though mine is slight different than normal Zoan and since you're as cold as ice and have two tails, I take that is the same for you. Now close your eyes and think of yourself as human. See yourself in your human form, yoi," he said.

She nodded and tried to picture herself. It helped and slowly she turned into a girl in the arms of Marco, who smiled softly to her. So this was her powers. He wondered what she all could do with it. Also it was nice to know that there were others Mythical Zoan types in this world. Now he wasn't completely alone, which was soothing in its own way.

"Thank you Marco-kun," she said.

He chuckled and petted her head. "Seems you have to work on that. You still have your ears and tails, though it looks rather cute on you. I'll help you, though. I know how hard it is to control the transformations, yoi," he said.

She blinked and blushed lightly. "So what are your powers?" she asked.

He put her down and transformed into his Phoenix form. Her eyes widened and then she chuckled in delight, letting her fingers glided over his body.

"Pretty. A Phoenix, right? I read about the mythical creatures in a fantasy book Makino-san borrowed me. They can heal themselves and their tears can heal others," she said.

Marco shifted back. "Heals other? Never tried that before. Tell me more what that book told about mythical creatures said, yoi."

She grinned. "Phoenixes are creatures of life and rebirth, never really allowed to die, though they do age, just not like humans. When their cycle is ending, they'll lose their feathers and shine and then burst into flames and become ashes. From the ashes will an egg form and that will become the Phoenix once more. A Phoenix is practically immortal; it can heal itself, if inflicted with wounds. Its tears have the same healing power and when it cries sincere tears, it will heal the wound inflicted on others. However, a Phoenix rarely cries and rarely really deeply bonds with humans. I just love the Phoenix, because it can fly and is so beautiful. You're blue and yellow, but the Phoenixes drawn in the book was red, orange and yellow," she said.

Marco listened carefully. He knew that all fairytales had some truth to them. The healing part where he could heal others sounded like something he should dig into.

"I see why you are fascinated by Phoenixes, yoi," he chuckled.

Casey chuckled with him. "Can I try shift on purpose now?"

-x-

Casey trained every day, not only her strength, but also her ability. She wasn't that good, but Marco kept encouraging her to keep on trying. After a few days, she managed to shift on her own to her fox form and she kept running around. The crew chuckled, liking the energy she brought, though she also caused trouble.

Whitebeard smiled, as she ran after her tails, acting like a cat. Thatch laughed heartily, but then called her to him. She jumped onto his shoulder and snuggled into him. He chuckled lightly; glad she at least had somewhat control over her ice power by now.

"So are you hungry?"

She jumped down and shifted back. "Always," she grinned.

"Why did I even ask?" he asked with a grin, as she once more hoped onto his shoulder.

Patting on his head with her paw, she urged him to hurry. Marco shook his head after the two. Thatch sure spoiled her, but she was still scrawny and malnourished. While she was allowed to train, she still needed to gain weight, so Thatch made sure she got many meals a day.