Cora was relieved that the four boys were finally getting along. It had been a rough start for the first couple of months, with the camps so clearly divided between us and them with Ace, Luffy and Sabo on one and he and Law on the other. Now, though... Now it was better. The distrust was still in Ace's eyes when the brat thought Corazon wasn't looking, but he could understand that. Without the makeup he did look a good deal like his brother, and from what he had gathered Ace was the least trusting of the trio even before they'd had the misfortune of catching Doflamingo's eye. In a way it was like dealing with a young Law all over again.

Speaking of, Law seemed fascinated by the others. He got along well enough with Sabo, both boys already trading what limited knowledge they had on proper wing care. He and Ace, however, seemed to butt heads over the slightest things, often arguing loudly, and he was sure when Law was more comfortable around his new 'siblings' they'd be coming to blows. The two of them were just too opinionated and stubborn for their own good. Luffy, on the other hand, got along with all of them. Despite everything he was by far the most cheerful little brat Corazon had ever met. He simply thrived on the attention the other four gave him and was not shy about falling asleep leaning against Corazon in a show of stunning trust at night. On the other hand, if he was left alone longer than few hours he had a knack for ending up in trouble even there on that tiny island. Someone usually was on Luffy duty, and recently it had been Corazon since he could more often than not walk out to the depth Luffy had fallen into.

Maybe now he could risk running out to a port town for dry goods and maybe some new clothes without worrying that he'd come back to battle lines drawn in the sand. He had planned to go before the three had arrived, and now they were running dangerously low on some things. If he was lucky he might even come across something to take those shackles off.

Corazon finished his drink in one gulp before contemplatively eyeing the glass. He really should be heading back to the boat and the island soon... But one more drink couldn't hurt. Law would be able to manage things for a little while longer, surely. He and Sabo seemed to be getting along reasonably well, at least...

Determined to let the boys tend for themselves for a few more hours, he tapped the table for another round. He needed some adult time away from bickering youths that didn't trust him in the slightest. Cora knew that wasn't exactly fair to the brats; Law, for one, trusted him quite a bit, and he supposed the others trusted him as much as they were able. They'd trust him more when he was finally able to remove those shackles around their ankles. Unfortunately that would have to wait till next month. None of the shops on this island had what he needed to remove the stone safely, though ironically there was a vivre card maker here. One that he had quickly taken advantage of, spending almost all their limited funds to make a card out of the nail Law had given him so he'd be able to find his way back to the island.

He'd have to figure out some way to get more money soon; who knew kids were so expensive to care for? Or maybe it was just D kids? They sure ate more than what could possibly be normal. He fiddled with his glass, maybe if I learn how to sew? Might save some money on new clothes, he mused. That might stretch his funds a little bit more, but it still didn't change the fact he'd be needing money soon. Which meant either piracy or working for the marines again. He frowned, taking a sip of his drink as he thought of the ramifications of working for the marines once more. If it had just been him it would have been his first choice. Even with just Law in tow he might have considered it. But with four winged Ds, three fully feathered…. it wasn't worth the risk of it getting back to the wrong people. No, he'd have to turn to small time piracy and hope for the best.

So absorbed in his thoughts Corazon didn't notice at first when he was joined at the bar. He would have had to have been an idiot not to notice the gun that poked him in the side, however. "I believe our friend here has had enough, barkeep." A pleasant voice commented. Corazon felt his eyebrows slowly creep up to his hairline as he looked at the man who'd pulled a gun on him and was now chatting up the bartender. Izo, sixteenth division commander of the Whitebeard pirates and an excellent shot even when he didn't have the benefit of point blank range.

In short, he was screwed. Internally berating himself for being stupid enough to let his guard down, he stood when the shorter man did, neither wanting to cause a scene, and allowed himself to be directed out of the pub towards the wharf. He briefly entertained the thought of making a break for his dingy, but both his companion's reputation and the sight of more Whitebeard pirates on his damn ship stopped him cold. Cora downgraded his position to fucked.

Izo shoved him up against a wall, gun still cocked and pointed at his chest. "What a pleasant surprise to run into you here, Corazon." The commander's expression said it was anything but. "What are you doing here, trespassing in Whitebeard territory?"

Corazon raised both his hands in the universal sign of peace before reaching into his jacket slowly for his pad and pen. ::Didn't know:: he jotted down.

"Cut the crap, Rosinante." The other pirate snarled, snatching at the pad and tossing it over his shoulder, "I know you can talk, so talk. WHY are you here?" When he refused to answer Izo snorted, calling over his shoulder to the three ransacking his ship. "What do we have, boys?"

"Provisions, Commander. Looks like lots of them, too. Meat, mostly. Some grains."

"Got something here." Another said, pulling up the bag he'd stuffed full of clothes from the second hand shop. Corazon groaned silently, letting the back of his head hit the wall as the man pulled out a shirt that was obviously much too small for him to be wearing. "Looks like kid clothes…"

"I got a feather here." Shit! His gaze fell immediately to the orange dappled feather. One of Ace's molted feathers, probably flapped free when they were all hauling the boat into the water. "Too big to be a bird's, Izo."

The commander's expression went cold. "You kidnapping Ds for your brother, Corazon? Or maybe for the marines?" The gun pressed dangerously under his chin, "Your brother killed one of our crewmembers, Marshall D. Teach. One of my brothers. Maybe I should return the favor."

Corazon slapped the gun away, its sound silenced to those who hadn't seen the taboo as he pulled up his barrier. "Not so loud, you asshole! Whatever grudge you got against Doflamingo, that's not my issue - In case you haven't heard he want's me dead." He growled, pulling out a cigarette and lighting up successfully.

"I bet it's an act. Let him get closer to other Ds, lure them in." One of the others commented, tossing the bag of clothes back onto the deck of the small ship. "You being a marine was a scam, too, right? Went undercover to find your brother more victims more like."

Cora gaped at him, "Wha- What the hell did he do?!" He looked at Izo, "I swear, I've got nothing to do with him- not anymore! He's hunting me for crying out loud."

Izo eyed him, "And why is that?" When it became obvious he wasn't going to talk, the other sighed. "... Your brother attacked a marine vessel a while back." Izo spoke, holstering his gun. While that wasn't surprising he felt there must be more to it. He was afraid to ask. "It was coming from the East Blue, bringing Monkey D. Garp's grandson to marine headquarters. There were no survivors."

Cora stared at him in shock, sick to his stomach. He'd met Garp a few times; nice enough for an overbearing jerk. One thing was obvious, though: he loved his grandson. Talked about him a lot, but never by name. Corazon understood why… with his son being who it was, it was for the boy's own safety. "Are- are you sure? If the kid's Garp's grandson, he's a D, and Dof-"

"They found his hat." Izo spit out, "Akagami Shanks apparently knew the kid. Gave him Roger's old hat… it was in the wreckage. He's not going to rest until your brother's dead."

"Good." Corazon swallowed reflexively, "Someone needs to put a stop to him, and the marines sure as hell didn't do anything with what I gave them."

A moment passed in silence as the three Whitebeard pirates looked at him in surprise. Corazon took a long drag from his cigarette. "I- I took something that he felt belonged to him." He chewed his lip, glancing at the smaller man. Izo had lost a brother to his mad scheme…. "Someone." He saw the moment the other understood. The gun's hammer returned to it's resting position.

"Where is this person?" Izo asked, eyes sharp.

He wasn't that foolish. He'd risked too much to keep Law and the others safe. He wasn't going to sell them out, not even to the Whitebeard pirates who were known for their understanding nature. "Safe. Waiting for me, actually."

Corazon had been more than half afraid the Whitebeard pirates were going to try and follow him back to the small island sanctuary. When Izo had just let him go he'd watched the man waiting at first, expecting maybe a bullet in the back, too. But it never came. He had been allowed on his small skiff and had set out almost instantly, taking every chance to make is course as illogical as he could following a vivre card. After two days at sea it became clear no one was following and he rushed as best he could towards the island, worried about his boys.

The thought gave him pause. His boys, like they were his little brothers- or sons. He knew they would never view him as such, not when he was at least partially responsible for everything that had happened to all of them, but that was how he felt. So it was a great relief when the island came into sight. Pulling the skiff into the sand he let out a sharp whistle, calling the four out of the trees. He waited tensely on the beach a moment until they broke cover. "There you are!"

"Where else would we be?" Quipped Law, hugging him.

"Good point. I just missed you four so much."

"We missed you too, Cora-san!" Luffy grinned, "Nee nee, Sabo and Law found a big flappy bird and they tied it up. Can we keep it? Please?"

That caused the former Marine to pause. There really weren't a large number of birds around these parts that would fall under what Luffy'd call 'big' and 'flappy' instead of small or huge. And he was asking to keep it, not eat it. Which was worrying in itself. He gave the blond and the sleepy-looking raven a sharp look when he noticed they were trying to unsuccessfully shush Luffy. "Where is this bird?"

"In the hut, where it has the opportunity to recover in peace." Law refused to look at him, "We didn't do anything to it, Cora-san. It was washed up on the shore."

Now he knew he had a reason to be worried. Sighing, the man headed to the patched-together hut. It wasn't much of one, being cobbled together out of the remains of the lifeboat between to larger trees. Still, it was enough to keep them dry in the worst weather. When he was almost on top of the hut he could hear the angry, unmistakable squawk. Once more he glared down at Law and Sabo, both who met his expression this time with mulish looks of their own.

Pushing the sail scrap out of the way he looked inside, not surprised to see a news coo struggling to stand in a nest made out old shirts. The bird's left wing was wrapped tightly to its body, padded with yet another shirt. That didn't seem to be impeding its ability to rise as much as annoy the bird. Once it had gained its feet it clacked its beak, hobbling forward. Corazon frowned, noticing a thick, blood stained pad where one webbed foot should have been.

Law followed his gaze before entering the hut and grabbing the recantant bird. "Foolish thing, I told you no walking until this has healed." He ignored the bird slapping him with its free wing and yanking his hair.

"So can we keep Stumpy?"

"No, Luffy." Corazon sighed, feeling a headache coming on. News coos weren't exactly tracked but the marines did use them to get a rough idea on where ships and the like were out at sea based on how many papers they sold. Harming one of the birds would also mean no other coos would deliver to you. How this one had found their island was a little upsetting.

"He washed up the day after you left. There was a bad storm that morning, and I think he got caught in it." Sabo commented, "it's a news coo, right? We weren't sure because his hat and bag were missing. Thought it was dead at first." The bird warked at him angrily from under Law's arm.

"Well, you looked dead, you dumb bird." Ace grumbled. "We were gonna eat it but then it moved. So Law figured he could fix it..."

"You are not going to eat it, or keep it to figure out how to fly." Corazon sighed, "After it heals we're going to let it go and hope it doesn't come back."

"What? Why?!" Even the bird seemed to agree with Luffy.

"Marines have been known to follow coos to locate pirate bases." He told the boys, "If it comes back, don't take anything from it. No papers and no money. That would alert them right away that there is something out here."

Law seemed to think about that as he finished wrapping the leg, "but it's fine to help Stumpy, right?" Corazon nodded, "And if it just happens to stop here, we can't stop it…?" The boy looked so hopeful.

"So long as we don't take anything, and Stumpy here doesn't leave with any more money or letters, no one would know, right?" Sabo finished.

"..." They were plotting something. He just knew it. What was worse, he couldn't say no, not with those big brown eyes looking at him like that. With a sigh, he left, "I'm going back to the boat before the food I got spoils. Just behave." He didn't even want to know anymore. He knew that look Law was sharing with Sabo. They were going to do what they wanted anyway.

The Whitebeard pirates were less than thrilled with Izo's news. Over half the crew wanted to hunt the man down and extract vengeance on him for their own fallen brother, Teach. Oyaji cautioned them to wait, though. The old pirate had heard rumblings that all was not as it seemed between the Donquixote brothers before this. He well knew that Doflamingo was a lost cause even as a child. His heart was rotten to the core, thinking only of himself and not those he had surrounded himself with. His so-called family. The younger one, however, it was possible that the younger beat could be redeemed if what Izo was saying was right.

"My sons." He spoke, immediately gaining everyone's attention, "this man is not to be punished for the crimes of his brother, no matter how grievous they were against us. I, too, mourn the loss of Marshall D Teach. He was a strong man who loved this crew like family, and lead his division well. He always said this was the one place he felt free to be himself and not hide the power inside." Newgate closed his eyes briefly, trying to banish the thought of that very same son as he'd last seen him, broken and torn, wings shattered as he lay dying in the surf. "The D clan is an old clan with a dark past, and I gave Teach my word when he joined this crew I'd offer sanctuary to any of his clan-mates I found who were in need of it." It went unspoken that they'd both meant Winged Ds.

All around there were mumbled assents as the crew thought of the times that they'd arrived a little too late to offer help, and the few cut-wing Ds they'd met on their travels. Teach hadn't always been the easiest of men to get along with at times, but they'd each understood the thing that drove him to become stronger and better. It was something they all could respect.

"That day he came home to us- the day he died - I swore I'd honor my word." Whitebeard rose, grabbing his bisento. "If Rosinante has access to a D of any kind, I want to know! Whether or not he is working for his brother or the marines is secondary to protecting any D he might have access to. Find where he's hiding!" He slammed the butt of his bisento down, cementing his order.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ace asked, eyeing the drop suspiciously.

Sabo rolled his eyes at him, "Of course it is. Birds drop off of the cliffs all the time to fly, right? It should be the same thing."

"Of course, a good number of younger birds are dashed on the rocks below, which is why we are going to have Luffy attempt this first." Law calmly cut in from where he was carefully going over every single inch of the youngest's wings. Luffy still sported a number of light gray feathers mixed in with bolder reds and whites but they thought he was close enough to be able to fly. It had been a great relief when all his leading feathers had grown back nice and straight, and Law said out of the three of them Luffy's were the strongest looking, even if his wings still were insanely soft.

"So all I gotta do is jump off, right?"

"Well, there's a little more too it than that, Luffy." Sabo laughed. "You have to angle your wings to catch the wind and flap. But if those stupid gulls can do it, so can you."

Ace didn't share his confidence at all. Even assuming Luffy somehow managed to not plummet like a stone, a strong breeze could still slam him into a rock or tree. Rubber or not, what if it hurt Luffy?! Or worse, crippled him? "Maybe I should go."

"Nah, I got this!" Luffy grinned before slipping out of Law's hands and taking a short running leap off the highest collection of rocks on the island. For a moment the other three held their breaths, thinking it had worked as he hung there in the air. Then he dropped, fast wind snatching at his wings and sucking him down and into the wall. Luffy let out a strangled 'help' as he smashed into the crumbling rock before being yanked away by another breeze for a bare moment. He spun out of control, hitting the wall again before crashing to the ground in a jumble of feathers.

Ace felt his stomach drop as he slid down the bluff with his wing brothers to the still form. Part of him wanted to rage that he knew this was going to happen, but the look on Law and Sabo's faces stopped him. Worried hands flitted about the still form, afraid to touch in case they made things worse.

There was a groan and then Luffy sat up with a stiff flap. "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"NO!" All three chorused.

After Law checked him over he sighed, "He appears to have just strained some muscles. I wouldn't recommend continuing this route." He eyed the bluff, "Or telling Cora-san."

Namur had been alerted when Rosinante had been spotted on the small island again. Izo had told them all about how the man claimed to have had a deadly falling out with his brother, but no one was quite sure if they believed him or not. Not considering the fact that the man was a known marine spy. The very fact that he had what could only have been feathers from a D on his small ship was worrying. Izo, at the time, had not been equipped to follow the man, which was why Namur had been lurking around the island for the better part of a month in the hopes that he would return. It looked like their bet had paid off, too. A little more than a month after Izo had found the man loitering around and he was back, clumsily negotiating for dry goods.

The fishman stayed out of sight while he watched, actively ashamed of the other man's complete lack of skill. He was getting completely swindled in many cases, a sure sign that the people of the island knew he didn't belong even if they weren't actively lashing out against the tall man. At long last the blond returned to the rundown dingy where he dropped a depressingly small number of goods on deck before setting sail immediately. Namur could only assume that he'd used up most of his available funds this time on the small, flexible saw he bought for some reason, and had none left to get a drink at the local pub - all the better for the Whitebeard pirate. The sooner he was able to track Corazon back to where he was staying, the better. And if he just so happened to be lying about working with his brother… well, Moby Dick could always use more supplies.

The dingy's voyage was anything but straightforward, tacking far to port before correcting - over correcting, actually. It was painful to watch and Namur could only assume that the fool on the ship either was horrible at navigating or wasn't using an eternal log pose. Watching him tack again, his eye twitched, concluding it might very well have been both. Either way, it made following him very annoying, and they didn't arrive at their apparent destination until early the next morning. It was an island; that in itself wasn't too surprising, all things considered. What was a little odd was that Corazon circled the island until he reached a cove, one with jagged rocks lining it, before turning his ship towards land. Once he was sure the man was landing, Namur swam a little ways off and climbed on top of the very rocks the man was going out of his way to avoid. They not only hid him from view, but they offered an excellent vantage point of the beach where the former piratical marine wrestled the vessel onto the sand before stopping and putting both hands on his knees. After a moment he straightened and let out a piercing whistle.

At first nothing happened. Then there was a rustle in the trees and four bodies came barreling out of the woods, getting in each other's way in their mad dash to be the first one there. Sand was kicked up and insults spewed forth before one, slightly taller, slammed into Corazon with enough forced to make the man take a step back. He still managed to catch the other three easily. If the high pitched voices hadn't given it away, seeing them did- Corazon was living on the island with children.

"Luffy, get your joint out of my face!"

"Get your stupid face off my wing, then!"

"Both of you shut up. I swear, we are in no way related Cora-san." The other dark haired child's tone bespoke of long-suffering annoyance as the two squabbling brats went rolling past in the sand, exchanging blows.

"That would be more believable coming from me, Law." The blond child pointed out as he was peeled from Corazon's side and placed on the sand. The tall man knelt before him and started to do something around the boy's leg.

"You admit they're your brothers. In public, Sabo."

"Touché. Still I'm the only blond one of us, and for the sake of argument I don't have wings anymore. So, you are a better fit."

"Go to Hell."

"Been there, got a souvenir, remember?" The blond quipped.

"Not anymore, Sabo. I think I finally got - it - off! There!" Corazon sat back, holding what, at this distance, definitely looked like a shackle, before chucking it into the water. "How does it feel?"

"Weird. Light."

"Me next, me next!" The youngest pushed his way forward.

"No moving while Cora-san takes the shackle off, idiot. You don't wanna lose a foot, alright?"

Namur silently slid off the rock. He had seen enough and didn't want to intrude on the moment any longer than he already had. It was clear that the man obviously cared greatly for the four children in his care and was doing his best by them. Suddenly he felt bad about the glee he had felt over watching the man get swindled. Feeding not one but four Ds was quite the task. He vowed to talk to Pops and see what could be done while keeping the island a secret. To think that he, Namur, had seen three fully winged Ds today... Happy and free, no less. Corazon might not have known it, but he had a new ally.

Thatch was waiting for Namur to arrive back from his recon mission. It was early, much too early for any sane man to be up, but he really wanted to know what his brother thought of Corazon. Not to mention the early pirate got the paper. He smiled as his favorite news coo came in for a clumsy landing on the rail. The bird was larger than some of the others and carried itself like a warrior. Marco told him it was just because the bird was missing a foot, causing it to hobble around on the stub. Thatch disagreed - Marco hadn't seen the bird lay into one of their brothers for not paying its higher prices. It was odd that this coo charged a full beli more per paper, but it was out hours before the rest of the news coo flock, so Thatch was willing to pay the little bit extra.

"Over here, Coo." He called, showing the bird his money as he walked forward. Only a fool took the paper before paying. "Hey, how many papers do ya got? Eight? Mind if I buy all of them?" The bird gave him a look. "I'll even make it two extra beli a copy, since you have to run back to get more, huh?" The bird nodded, beak clacking. Thatch grinned as the news coo ran it's bill through his hair as he deposited the money and took the papers. He wondered as the bird took off if the extra money was going for its care.

"You spoil that bird, yoi."

"Eh, it's harmless, and it's not like I can't afford the beli." He tossed over a paper. "Namur'll be back soon, right?"

"He called. He should be here in an hour or so. Didn't want to say anything over the denden, though." Marco agreed, opening the paper and keeping him company. Both quickly lost track of time as they waited and before they knew it the eighth division commander was pulling himself on board.

"Waiting for me?"

"Always." Thatch winked. "So how did it go?" He asked, folding the paper.

"You'll find out when I tell Oyaji just like everyone else."

Marco's eyes narrowed, "Is he dangerous, then?"

The fishman shrugged, "Probably. But if you're asking if he's a threat to us, I'd say no. I won't say any more till I talk to Oyaji, though."
Both men nodded, understanding even as they fell into step with him. It was driving Thatch nuts. He'd heard all sorts of speculation since Izo had first spotted him in the port town. Some of their brothers had immediately called for retribution on Rosinante, but many others were willing to give the man a chance. No one knew what to make of him having been a spy for the marines against his brother. Not that they didn't think Doflamingo didn't deserve to be stopped - but what would cause a man to become a turncoat and spy on their brother? For a Whitebeard pirate, it was a hard thing to wrap their minds around. When the three finally stood before their captain it came as no surprise that most of the crew had roused themselves and gathered around to hear what the eighth division commander had to say.

"My son."

"Oyaji."

Whitebeard took a drink from his tankard, eyes never leaving Namur. "How did your mission go?"

"The villagers in that town are completely swindling Corazon. I'm not even sure if the man is aware if it, he's so easy going while there." His words earned a few chuckles, including Thatch's. He was proud of the civilians, standing up against a stranger who might be a danger any way they could.

"So is he kidnapping Ds or what?" Someone in the back called, impatient.

"I'll get to that, you bastards. Wait a second." Namur shook his head, obviously organizing his thoughts. "He's holled up on an island, probably a day or so straight sailing from Tartoga, but it's not on any map. It's not even big enough to register with a log pose."

Thatch silently whistled. That was small, practically a sandbar of an island. Strange that such a notorious man would be hiding out there. It did give credence to the story that he was hiding away from Doflamingo. However, such a place would be ideal for launching sneak attacks as well. He shared a look with Marco, seeing the same thoughts clear as day on his friend's face.

Namur's attention was fully on their captain, "Oyaji, Corazon wasn't lying to Izo."

"Oh?" The old pirate tensed, as did most of the crew.

"He's got Ds on the island with him."

"D's? As in, more than one?" Thatch asked.

Namur just smiled, "Four."

"Why are you smiling about this? How is this, in any way, a good thing?" He asked, wanting to shake his brother. If Corazon was stealing Ds, he had four to give to his brother!

Namur dug into his pants, pulling out a broken shackle and holding it out for Whitebeard to see. "He was cutting these off them." The mark on it was clear - Doflamingo's jolly roger. "And all four were excited to see him. He's hiding them, Oyaji."

"Can you take us to them, my son?"

The fishman's smile faltered and he shook his head, "I won't." Before more than a few of their brothers had protested, he was looking at Whitebeard, determination in his eyes. "Four Ds, Oyaji. Three fully winged Ds and one cut-wing, all kids."

The crew erupted. It was almost unheard of to know of one winged D. Four, though? And all young? The odds of that were slim. People carrying the name D were rare enough as it was. Thatch thought furiously, trying to figure it out. They all knew Doflamingo had been targeting Ds for a while, but no one had even suspected he had actually managed to get ahold of any more winged ones after what he had done to Teach… and the fact they were children was sickening. Suddenly he was glad that Akagami's young friend had been killed in Doflamingo's attack on the marine ship. If he hadn't- the pirate repressed a shudder.

Namur's voice broke him out of his dark thoughts, "I don't know how Doflamingo found four. Corazon managed to get them away from his brother, though. Oyaji, they're safe where they are. Hidden." Whereas if they were on the Moby Dick they wouldn't be. Thatch wasn't the only one who was nodding along.

"What would you recommend then, my son?"

"Strengthen our presence in this area. Make it easier for Corazon to get the supplies he needs."