Here we go!

This chapter was really fun to write. I like it.

Disclaimer: All Oda's still...

Only warning I'll repeat: The constant confusion between Anne and Ace is fully intendet.

Enjoy!

Anne was sitting away from the main group, watching the small boat disappear on the night horizon. The Dark King had come around and taken her younger brother with him. Luffy had become so strong these past years, but discovering his Haki ability, the boy desperately needed training.

Had Anne known what Luffy, Rayleigh and Jimbei were up to, she might have joined them. Though this would have been a bad plan bearing in mind that the whole marine would have been up to kill her again.

Anne sighed and looked down on her hands. They were smaller and so much more delicate. She actually wondered if she could still fight with them. Her gaze wandered over her arm to where her tattoo was. What would Sabo think if he could see her? She could do with a big brother now…

Marco had finalized some things with the other commanders and now sat with Jozu, planning their departure form the island. "You know, I think our little sister needs you more than I do right now." The phoenix looked over to the raven-haired woman, sighing. In the moonlight, she looked like a figure from another world. Marco had just decided to not go over to her, when Vista joined him and the new commander of the second division.

He only gave his captain one of those looks, and the blond stood up. He hardly had a choice, really. Vista would kick his ass. The swordfighter had always liked Ace (everyone had) and Marco was pretty sure that Anne woke the same instinct to protect in Vista as she did in him.

For a second he thought that he would have to pick a fight with fourteen division commanders plus the bigger part of the crew if he ever decided to claim Anne as his. Mentally kicking himself, he walked over to the spot where Anne was sitting.

Anne flinched when Marco let himself fall beside him. The captain just sat there, waiting. And the young woman felt tears spring to her eyes. Cursing like the man she used to be, Anne made Marco chuckle. "What's up?"

His first commander looked at him, half crying and half laughing. "Guess… I'm a freaking woman!" Marco whipped away a stubborn tear, smiling down at the fragile woman that was his nakama. "Noticed that, yoi. And I guess there is no man in this crew that doesn't know about that nice little fact."

Anne growled. "Really. Not. Helping." She only got a low chuckle in response. Marco looked at her with an understanding smile. He just waited. He knew Ace. The boy would talk sooner or later, if he wanted to. And measured by the experience the phoenix had with women, they usually liked to talk too. Some gender typical thing, he guessed.

And as expected, it didn't take Anne long to start. "It's just so fucking confusing! For the last twenty years I was male and now, out of no particular reason, I am female. And I can tell you already, that includes all the usual girly bullshit. Though I highly doubt that I'll ever be a typical girl. Dealing with you folk will successfully suppress this." She laughed and looked up at Marco.

The blond stared at the dark water below. Anne leaned over and rested her head on her captain's shoulder. "It's so confusing. On one hand, I think I should still feel like the man I was, no matter what body I'm in. On the other hand, I naturally adapt to my new female body. I know that I walk differently. I do things I never used to before. And I do them automatically. It is like I've always been Anne. And…"

Marco felt that she was crying again. He moved his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, trying to comfort her with his presence. "And it scares me. I am so afraid of what is still going to happen with me. I'm terrified by the idea of losing the person I used to be. I mean, hell, I cry like a girl already."

Holding her a little tighter, Marco raised his voice: "You see, I noticed a few of those changes. Hell, did you realize you pouted at me earlier today? I notice that you're acting differently. But I can also see Ace in you. And I am sure that this part of you will never fade completely. It is in your memories. It is you."

There was an almost comfortable silence during which they just sat there and watched the waves break against the stony cliffs. "I pouted?" It was a mere whisper but it made Marco smirk. "Yes, and it is fucking unfair." Anne giggled and then snuggled a little closer to her captain. The older pirate felt the comforting heat of her body and sighed softly. "There's one thing that didn't change, yoi. Your devilfruit ability still feels like it always did."

"Thank you." "What for, Anne?" She closed her eyes. "For being the best friend and big brother I need right now." Marco felt pain flaring through his heart but shoved the sensation aside. There was no way that he would allow himself to feel this way. Not for Ace. Or Anne. "Always", Marco said.

A few meters away, hidden in the shadows stood Vista. He didn't listen or anything. He just wanted to be sure that they were ok. Seeing Marco carry the raven-haired woman on his back had woken things from his buried memories, things he had tried to forget. Not all of them. He never wanted to forget her. She had belonged to the other crew, somehow at least, but she had been the most amazing person Vista had ever met. Even Oyaji had a hard stand against the awe he felt towards her.

Shaking his head, he walked back to the other commanders.

Marco listened to Vista's footsteps and risked a quick glance at Anne. She seemed to be asleep and so the captain allowed himself to look at her a little longer. The raven-haired woman's freckles were still the same as they had been with Ace and looked still so different on Anne's face.

"You look so much like her." Marco hadn't intended to say the words out loud. And when Anne opened her eyes, looking at him tiredly, the obvious question written all over her face, the blond wished he hadn't said it aloud.

"No one, Anne", he said and turned his head back to face the ocean. It was calm for a while. Suddenly, the woman sat up, leaving Marco to miss her warmth immediately. Anne looked at him, but the phoenix refused to meet her gaze. "Did you know her?" Marco felt his heart clench in fear. This was not a story to be told to anyone. "Who are you talking about?"

Anne smiled knowingly and leaned back against her captain. "Every story has the right moment to be told. And obviously, this is not the moment for this part of her story." The phoenix took a shuddering breath, holding Anne close to his body. "Thanks…"

"Always!"

The blond waited, listening to Anne's breathing evening. She was asleep, truly this time. Marco didn't try to stand up. The woman's body heat would keep them both warm and the captain didn't want to risk waking her up.

He remembered the day like it had been yesterday...
Rouge had been a beautiful woman; and clever too. She had just showed up on the Moby Dick one day, walking up to Whitebeard's seat. She had met everyone with the same gentle acceptance. No matter who they used to be or what they had done or not done. She had been at par with Whitebeard, no surprise, thinking about who her partner had been. She had smiled when she told Whitebeard that Roger had been captured, told him that the Pirate King had handed his life to the Marine the night before. Then she had said good-bye to them all, whishing them all the best.

It had been as if she knew what was coming. Maybe she did. There had always been something mysterious about her, must be. Even after all those years, Marco couldn't believe that she carried her son for almost two years. And hell, he now held the living proof of this powerful act in his arms the very moment.

She had understood the world in a way that maybe no one else beside Roger had. "Your son is so similar to you; and to Roger. He never wanted to hear it, and I bet Anne doesn't want to either. But she truly is your child." Absent-mindedly Marco stroked his fingers through the raven hair.

After she had bid them all farewell, she had walked over to Whitebeard's second in command. A genuine smile on her lips, she had asked him a whispered question. He nodded and she disappeared in the small boat she had come to the Moby Dick with.

Hours later, in the middle of the night, Marco, Thatch and Vista had been on the watch, she had returned. The first division commander told the others to cover for him. Then he had changed and let Rouge climb his back.

For a short moment, the zoan creature had been afraid to burn her. She had just laughed and strengthened the grip around his neck. Haki, it had crossed his mind. He took off, leaving Vista and Thatch gapping.

Yes, this was the story. He never understood why Rouge had come to the Moby Dick that day; or how she had found them. Neither did he understand why she wanted to get this one flight on his back. And in the end, he never got the chance to ask her.

The next time he had heard her name, had been the day when Portgas D. Ace showed up with his crew and announced that he was here to kill Whitebeard. Marco smiled at the thought, looking down on the woman in his arms. With Rouge's child on the ship, it never got boring.

"So you are a woman now, who cares. You're still as annoying as ever."

With a last soft sigh, Marco lifted Anne onto his arms and carried her over to the Moby Dick. He kicked the door to his cabin open. Carefully, he placed her in his bed and was ready to walk away again, when her small hand gripped his shirt and held him back.

Looking down on her, he noticed that she was still sleeping, clinging to the purple fabric subconsciously. Softly (and halfheartedly) Marco tried to yank free. When failing, he decided to just accept his fate. Kicking off his shoes he joined Anne on the bed, pulling the blanked over them.

Still deep in thoughts as he was, he forgot to lock the door. Despite all the things that ran through his mind tough, he fell asleep very fast, feeling Anne's comforting warmth against his back.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun had already risen and a broad grinning Vista was standing at the foot of his bed. It took Marco a little while to comprehend, why this grin was a bad sign.

Realization hit home when he tried to get up and found Anne's arms wrapped around his body. While sleeping, she had apparently decided to use him as a giant teddy bear. Oh joy. With a gentle smile, he freed his torso from her tight embrace and got up.

Vista's mercy went as far as to step aside and let him crawl out of bed. The forth division commander's grin widened when he watched his captain carefully cover Anne with blanket before leaving his cabin.

"One word and I'll make sure that your division gets the most awful jobs for the rest of this century." The phoenix snarled, once he closed the door behind them. Vista smiled knowingly, but left the matter for the moment. There would be a party sooner or later and if he managed to get his captain drunk…

The moment Vista thought this, Marco made a mental note to stay sober for the coming few weeks. Stepping onto the main deck of the Black Moby Dick, Marco found the crew already pretty busy. Jozu and part of his division were nowhere to be seen and so the blond guessed that they had already left to fill up the supplies.

Marco found that his commanders were doing a rather good job, so he decided that he could get himself a coffee before he started ordering people around. He retreated to the galley only to grab two cups filled with the hot brown drink and then made his way back to his cabin.

Anne woke up when Marco kicked the door close. Yawing she sat up in the bed, wondering where exactly she was. The phoenix noticed her confusion. Holding one cup out for her, he sat down on the bed and explained: "My cabin. You fell asleep out on the cliffs, so I brought you here."

Nodding, Anne grabbed for the cup, happily breathing in the strong smell of coffee. "Thanks." The raven-haired woman held the cup in one hand and with the other tried to wrap the blanked closer around her shoulders.

Putting his own cup aside, Marco helped her, before she could spill coffee onto his white bed sheets. "There are a few things I need the first division to do. And with you being the new commander, I'd like you to make sure they get done."

Anne merely nodded. She watched the blond stand up and suddenly realized something. "Where are my other cloths?" Marco pointed at the shopping bags, standing beside his desk. The first division commander smiled, blushing slightly. "Thanks."

Stepping out onto the main deck, Anne immediately drew the attention of the crew to her person. She had settled for a pair of black jeans that one could almost call long and the fair blue shirt she had tried on first.

The crewmembers that hadn't seen their commander in his female form yet, blankly stared at the pretty young woman. Sure, the rumor about Anne had spread like a wildfire. But the general opinion had been that she would still look rather manly. Whoever had believed this was now taught the truth the hard way.

Anne put on her cocky grin and walked over to a man of which she knew had been Marco's second in command. The captain joined her seconds after she had reached the man. "Reji, as you already know, this is your new commander, Gol D. Anne."

Reji was a tall, strong man with brown hair and a grim expression. His left arm had been bandaged and a half healed scar was visible under his shirt. Anne gave him a nod. Marco was waiting for her next step. Given the fact that she had been a commander before, this shouldn't be a problem for her.

The raven-haired pirate knew how to lead a division. What she didn't know were the additional duties the first division commander had to take over.

Reji was a harsh man and having a woman as commander would be a low blow for him. And in this case it didn't matter that Anne was Ace. But the new commander of the first division instinctively felt the danger and somehow managed to find the right words. "Reji, I am aware of the usual duties of a division commander. But I fear I don't know the additional tasks I'll have to take care of from now on. I would appreciate your help in adjusting to my new responsibility."

Even Marco was surprised by this politically correct behavior. Ace had never been one for the subtle way. Maybe Anne's female instincts help in this. Reji gave a quick nod and asked her to follow him.

The phoenix knew where he would lead the woman. In the cabin of the first division commander was a big desk and a few books. These were the basis for her work was new commander of the first division. Macro smiled softly. Reji would take good care of her.

"She's winning their hearts, one after another." Vista's voice woke him from his thoughts. Marco nodded then hesitated. "Of course! She's still Ace. And if you remember, everyone loved that kid. Even when he was still after Oyaji's head…"

The forth division commander nodded in agreement. It was true. Ace had always been everybody's darling. Though Vista had to admit that he had expected the crew to react harsher to the now commonly known bloodline. Maybe some of them were forgetting it because of Anne's winning smile.

Vista looked at his captain and saw him frowning. "She'll be ok, don't worry." Marco shrugged and walked over to another commander. His friend followed him with his eyes, a worried look on his face. The swordfighter knew that Marco was the one and only to lead the crew, but the responsibility was high.

The next few weeks were crucial for the fate of the pirates. As soon as the Marine found out about Anne, they would be on for a merciless hunt. Akainu would not give up his prey. The admiral was one of those believing in the Absolute Justice and Vista hated him wholeheartedly for it. Absolute Justice was the reason Ace had almost died. Absolute Justice was the reason Oyaji was dead.

The problem was that they also needed to protect at least some of the islands Whitebeards had called part of his territory. But that included making their new crew structure public. The world needed he hear about the division commanders and their new captain. They needed to know that his sons would carry on Whitebeard's will.

Vista felt a shiver run down his spine when thinking about another danger this strategy would bring: Blackbeard. They would have to face him sooner or later. But at the moment, they would not be capable of defeating him. The crew this traitor had gathered around him was a danger no one was able to judge yet.

Marco saw Anne and Reji coming back onto the main deck. Anne had her cocky grin in place and Reji seemed rather relaxed. Nevertheless, the phoenix was still worried about the first division commander. Anne's smile looked fake to him, but maybe he was just paranoid now.

The blond wanted his nakama to be happy; and the mere though that she was just pretending made his heart ache. He shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. His fingers closed around the small object he still carried along.

A huge thanks to all those that read and follow this story. Special Thanks go to sunbug-ceres and meka18!

About Rouge's story. It has a reason this comes in here. I always feel strange when writing about something from the past. Especially as we don't know if Oda will somewhen reveal something more about it.
Personally I feel Rouge is one of the most amazing women in the whole One Piece world. What she did for her child, it's just...

Mini Preview for the forth chapter will be online Wednesday around midnight CET on rosedelsol. tumbler. com

Next Chapter to come in a week's time!

Read & Review please - Thanks!