The whole pub was staring.

Okay, maybe not the whole pub, but at least every pirate that knew the two girls happily chatting in the corner. This included a bewildered looking Thatch and an annoyed Marco.
Although you couldn't blame a single one of them, the two women had had a –one-sided- dislike until yesterday. Marco didn't like that development one bit. He could swear they were here, in this particular bar, on purpose.
Oh, if he knew how right he was~

But you might ask yourself now, why the two were all alone at their table and not even Marco or Thatch tried to get near them.
Well, Midori's new companion was not very sympathic. Well, to be perfectly honest the she-wolf, Sayo, growled at anybody who came in a seven feet radius of their table. A likeable wolf, wasn't she?

It was much more interesting though how this whole situation came to be…

The blonde's eyes were focused on the face of the old man in front of her, not even blinking once. With trembling she grabbed the glass of Whiskey harder, fighting the urge to empty it in one go or better add some rum first.
This had to be a bad dream, hadn't it?!

"C-Could you say that again?"

The old man, Masao, did not answer. Instead he took in her reaction trying to read Midori like a book.

"Only inhabitants of this island have a wolf as their partner and only they are able to have one. So I believe you are born here."

"N-No that i-is completely impossible…I mean…I r-really cannot be born here…" Her mind was racing a mile per minute and every word she said, was not spoken consciously. All of this didn't make sense, but the old man surely knew more about this island than she did. God, was this confusing!

"And your parents?" Masao harshly interrupted her musings.

"No. There is..I mean... absolutely no way. No I-" The blonde rubbed her temples trying to form a coherent sentence. "What I want to say is that I am hundred percent sure that neither my parents nor anybody else in my family -for that matter- comes from this island!"

"What makes you so sure?" The old man eyed the breathless and nervous girl in front of him with sharp eyes.

Silence.

"I-…I just know it." 'And because I am not born in this world so it's very unlikely that I have any ties to this place.' Midori kept the last part wisely to herself. No need to give him the impression of her being totally crazy.

A sudden surge of emotions struck her, as she was again reminded how far away from home she was right now. Would anybody even miss them? Her friends' parents surely would. They loved their daughters dearly after all, but would he care? The girl doubted that this man would shed a single tear for her. Her brother was a different story. He had always been the replacement for the son their guardian never had. Looked like nobody was going to miss her...
The only persons that gave a damn about her had been on the boat which sunk in the storm weeks ago.

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips.

'Great Midori just continue to remind you how nobody cares what happens to you.' Another bitter chuckle followed this thought, but she was used to this kind of situation anyway.

She had after all spent nearly a decade on finding just a handful of people who actually cared and whom she could blindly rely on. That had been hard earned trust and the blonde had always been aware how precious it was. And now?

There was not the slightest clue, if her brother and her best friends were still alive. (Although she never dwelled too long on this thought)

"Are you fine?" The old man across from her asked worriedly. Masao had notice that he had stirred up unwanted memories.

"Huh?...Oh..Yes…Yes, I am fine." The girl offered a tired smile. "Just thinking."

Being a smart old man Masao let the matter slip, because he was not close enough to the girl to expect honesty about her troubles.

"Obviously I threw off balance with my explanation, but would you mind to answer me this question? How did it come that you set foot on this isle?"

Midori smiled gratefully for letting the former matter be and starting a conversation about a new topic.

"I came with the Whitebeard pirates as their… guest…"

"With Eddie?"

That earned Masao a confused glance (No seriously, Midori was completely floored). Whitebeard was called a lot of names, most of those she had heard were either 'Pops' or 'Father', but 'Eddie'?!

While the man was laughing at her flabbergasted expression, Midori took a gulp from her drink.

"Ahh… I guess for an outsider it sounds unfitting."

'Unfitting? Unfitting? The only thing I can say to this is What. The. Hell?!'

"Ah…" He laughed again. "I presume there are few people who know that this island is the island Edward Newgate was raised at."

The glass dropped shattering on the floor a second later.
The girl stared wide-eyed at him.

Masao chuckled at her again slowly walking forward to help Midori who had instantly kneeled down to pick up the shards.
With outmost care they collect the pieces. A task which is especially hard on the blonde's part. After all it's not an everyday occurrence that old men explain to you that you're on the birth island of your captain (the use of Whitebeard's title is unconsciously dismissed). Wait. She was on his birth island or wasn't she?

" The old man was born here, wasn't he?"

"Hm?" brown eyes turned to her. "No, he wasn't. A young woman found him, when he was still a baby. The pirates who raided the island left him here."

She observed him silently noting the bitter and melancholy tone of his voice.

"What happened to her?"

The old man's lips pulled in a humorless smile, which she mirrored unintentionally.

"She died."

"I figured so much."

"Then why are you asking?"

Yes. Why was she asking? Why was she prying into other people's affairs? Normally she left everybody alone and was left alone in return. So why?
Even before her mind could find the right answer, her lips took the load off her.

"It's important… I think…"

Calculating brown eyes searched for the answer in her grey ones like they did minutes ago. And just like some minutes ago they found nothing. Or maybe too much to comprehend at once?
He sighed and straightened himself up.

"This island had a lot of problems in the past. Mostly pirates raiding everything we had." He smiled coldly. "A young woman without a man but a baby taking in an orphaned infant had a hard time then and the inhabitants weren't of any help. They practically excluded her! Still she lived life to the fullest and was great mother for her two children. Fate though had different plans."
With every word his voice grew sadder and Midori couldn't help but let a soft smile grace her lips.

"Again…Pirates changed her course of life. They attacked the town and… Ai didn't make it out alive… Edward was lucky. He had left to travel the see just some weeks before. This island had never truly meant home to him…"

"Ai?" Her voice sounded disbelieving.

The old man chuckled lightly.

"Yes Ai. I know what you're thinking this Ai and our Ai don't have much in common. Sometimes I wish that my granddaughter would be a little more like her deceased aunt."

Dark grey eyes widened. AUNT? That meant…

"She was your daughter"

Heavy Silence filled the room.

"Yes, she was…"

"You're hurting."

"Yes, I do."

"You don't like this theme."

"Yes, I don't."

"So why are you telling me this. I am a stranger."

"I know." He closed his eyes rubbing his temples with a tired sigh. "Call me crazy, but you look exactly like Aka, Ai's daughter. She vanished after the raid."

This time the silence settling over them felt uncomfortable, at least on Midori's part. Not being able to bear the tension any longer the girl stood up briskly.

"Don't compare me to someone I am not."

About to walk away she froze at his next words.

"Sayo belonged to Aka."

Midori balled her hands into fists, but otherwise remained calm. Inwardly everything was thrown into turmoil. There were enough problems to deal with and suddenly there is a stranger telling her she was somebody else?! Somebody who belonged here. She was already confused at it was! And now she was losing her hold on reality again as she did, when the whole ship-wrecking-accident happened.
This time she wasn't going to take it!

"I am not that girl! Alone due to the time age difference it's impossible and the connection to Sayo could also be a result of my bond with whatever devilfruit was chosen for me!"

Masao took in her riled up form in silence. Breathing in deep the old man stifled his melancholia and focused on the girl's words.

"Bond? Devil fruit? Tell me about it."

The change of subject brought the intended result. Midori relaxed noticeably and gladly engaged herself in the new topic.

"Honestly? There's not much to say about it. Actually I don't know much more than that it exists."

"So you have no idea what devil fruit you're bonded with?"

"Nope."

"Or where this bond comes from?"

She shook her head.

"Well I assume that you haven't thought about what kind of devilfruit it is?"

"Uhm…No"

The old man chuckled again.

"I believe you're dealing with a Zoan type here."

"Sounds logical and explains why I can talk with Sayo."

Masao laughed full-heartily the uncomfortable conversation from before seemingly forgotten. Midori, too, liked the old man much more, when he was happy. Being sad somehow didn't suit him.
Her problems hadn't decreased in the slightest, but at least the tension was finally gone.

"Now…" her opposite started catching her attention. "What do you plan for the future?" He asked in the tone of a grandfather who determined your old enough to begin thinking seriously about your future.
"Do you want to get yourself a name serving under the infamous 'Whitebeard' or do you have different plans?"

The blonde looked wordlessly at the wall behind Masao.
And the tension was back. Just great.

"You don't want to continue your journey with them, do you?"

"No." She stated.

"You are aware that those men care about you and would be very happy, if you continued traveling with the, aren't you? You are their friend, Midori."

The girl felt like he slapped her. 'Friends…' She thought bitterly. She didn't want to be their friend! It would only make saying goodbye so much harder. After all… She liked her place among them… a little.

"I will leave them." Even in her own ears her answer wasn't as stern as she had wanted it to sound. Masao didn't comment on it though.

"I guess I can't change your mind then?"

"No."

He smiled at her sadly.

"You have to do what you believe is right for you…"

Pausing in his speech His gaze flickered to the door and then back at her. Taking the hint Midori stood up grabbed her bag and turned to walk away.

"…but for now, you should go back to the pub with Ai and talk to your Nakamas."

Before she once for all left the room, the blonde turned around and looked at the old man (Later she would realize it was the first and last time, she did so).

"Thank you."

A sincere smile graced her lips, as she walked out. The girl never say Masao glance at an old dusty picture with a melancholy smile. It showed a beautiful brown-haired woman, a blonde teenage boy with wavy hair and teenage girl with platinum blonde shoulder length hair and dark grey eyes…

"Just like you Aka… She looks just like you…"

"You know…" Midori glanced up at Ai. "…you should really tell them that you won't join them."

She sighed.

For a better understanding, the blonde girl had explained the situation to her new friend- yes, it had been a fast way from foe to friend- which included her wish to leave the pirate crew and what Masao had told her beforehand, although she had wisely left out the part about her aunt's and Whitebeard's past. If her grandfather wanted her to know, he would have to talk about it with his granddaughter himself. Anyway, the brown-haired woman had greatly approved of her wish and had even offered to accompany her on her journey. As strangely as it sounded, but Midori didn't mind the idea much. Not that traveling with Pops, Thatch and Marco was unpleasant, Ai was simply different… (Was it because she was a girl?)

"I don't want say it so openly and without warning."

"Well, then I guess you have uhhmm… a few hours left until Whitebeard will officially introduce you to the crew. If I were you, I would hurry up a little."

"You know that you so incredibly helpful right now?"

"That's me~." The woman said smiling brightly at her.

Midori rolled her eyes. Ai was a crazy chick. There was no doubt about it. At least Marco wasn't here to ruin this strange moment of friendship.

"Now, now… What a strange pair, I see here, ne~?"

'When you speak of the devil' Midori thought darkly and directed her gaze at the newcomer.

"Couldn't you chase him off or something?" She murmured to Sayo who was currently lying to her feet.

'Why should I?'

"He's annoying."

'Not my problem.'

"Is it possible that you like to see me suffer?"

'Well…It's fun to watch you squirm.'

"Goddamn dog."

"Uhm…Midori…" She continued to ignore her surroundings.

'You are aware that we can talk through our thoughts, aren't you?'

"Are you talking with a dog?" Marco asked in a smug voice and a smirk not seeing Sayo's ears twitch in annoyance.

'Who are you calling a dog, Pineapple-head?!'

Naturally Marco didn't hear the she-wolf, though he definitely heard the low growl. That on the other hand raised Midori's mood by a great deal and she felt playful.

"Maybe I am." She returned the smirk eyes shining with mirth. Maybe this could turn out quite funny.

"And?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" The fake innocence practically oozed from her words.

"What will be your first words to your new Nakamas, when you're officially in of us?"

Instantly Ai chocked on her drink and the blonde's playfulness died as fast as it came. Marco only raised an eyebrow.

"I won't join."

His smirk too went down the drain and his eyes gained a sharpness that scared her- a feeling she had never felt with Marco before. His voice, however, was calm, as he spoke up.

"You want to tell me, you-a marine back then- saved my life with no reason, gained the sympathy of many man and the friendship of some, helped their comrades still without a reason and in addition impressed four commanders. You even gained Pop's respect and you just throw it away?"

The only things that showed the anger behind his words were his eyes. The blue orbs were ablaze with a fire so very similar to the flames of the mythical creature he symbolized.

"This had been my plan from the beginning and there'll be no other way. Accept it."

An uncomfortable silence followed her words. The atmosphere around them turned gloomy and cold, if it weren't for the searing anger radiating from Marco.

As much as Midori disliked the thought (She couldn't really explain why, though) of Marco as somebody dangerous, powerful and intimidating, she just couldn't get it out of her head. Until now everything had seemed so easy, so safe… but these feelings were gone and the gravity of her decision dropped on her shoulders with its full weight. She has lost friends, she hadn't realized she made.

The pang in her heart was punishment enough.

It seemed that Marco saw the pain in her eyes, because his own softened a little, before he turned around.

"You should think your decision over."

He gave her a last final look, a last chance.

"No."

This answer was final.
And a hurtful one for that matter, because those people-those who cared- wouldn't be happy at all. No, they most likely felt betrayed the moment they heard of her decision. She supposed that there was no other way. Not when she still didn't know what happened to her friends, her brother! Not until that question was answered. If they actually died in the storm, it would be the only respectable thing she could do for them. Find the truth.

Looking almost heartbroken she stared at Marco's retreating back.

Almost.

"Ai? I'll come back later, okay? Wanna catch a little sleep, if you don't mind." The smile accompanying her words looked awfully forced.

Midori noted thankfully that Ai plainly ignored it and told her with a nod that she was free to leave.

Without hast and looking back she left the pub all the while ignoring those who called out to her. A few minutes later she was back in the inn. Nobody familiar had crossed her path and she liked it this way. When the blonde finally reached her room and the door snapped shut behind her, Midori collapsed on her bed far too tired to change out of her clothes.
Guilt gripped her tightly, as she curled into a ball. A humorless chuckle escaped her lips. Already… already she regretted her decision. Somehow she wished that she wouldn't have left Sayo with Ai, otherwise the wolf could reassure her now.

Unhappily the girl closed her eyes and fell after endless minutes of turning and tossing in her bed into a nightmarish slumber…

I know, I know… My update is late as usual. Unfortunately I seem to be stuck with this chapter and so I decided I would split it and upload it in two separate chapters instead of one long chapter (I thought you would all rather read something now than wait any longer….)

Disowner: One Piece doesn't belong to me…unfortunately.

Soooo…here it is and I hope you'll review, even though I am late…again…

Hopefully I'll find enough time to update the next chapter within the next week, I definitely hope for it!

Thanks to everybody for reading, faving, following the story and reviewing! All of you make my day! :D

Ps.: Please ignore the spelling mistakes. Nobody is perfect ;D