Yay another chapter everyone! OMG! 203 followers and 147 faves! ::Falls over:: Thank you so much for showing your support and how much you like this story.

I've opened the poll results for everyone to see but, you've still got until the 20th to vote.

Riz5415, thanks for the review and the praise. So far, the only one that has given me trouble is Whitebeard although there are some upcoming ones (Like Shanks and his crew) that make me even more nervous.

Harihi, Thanks for the review and follow. I hope I can live up to your expectations. Ah, well like I mentioned in the intro before the first chapter, Luffy has his rubber devil-fruit. Oh yeah... I did mean meat and not meet. I didn't catch that one though I'm sure Luffy would have. Such a shame he can't proof read for me. I'm sure your name probably means something cool... If only I knew what..

Lostdog200, thanks for dropping by. That's actually not a bad idea and one I might consider taking up as well, reviewing and writing under separate names.

Horizon-Dawn, Thanks for the review and the word corrections. Well, a certain someone is going to be making an appearance but, I make no promises that Shanks and the brothers will meet before the WB pirates find them.

Wolf Riddle, Thank you for your creative review and follow. I did have in mind something else happening with a storm but, I rather like your twist of them getting separated. You were actually the only one that sent in any half formed plot idea. So, in light of that and out of respect for a good idea, I'll probably end up borrowing bits and pieces of it. Oooo and I like your name.

xxXxx, thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked it. I'm only going to be using the poll results as I don't want any unfair vote tallying to be in play. But, by the looks of the poll, I'd say that's what will happen (as of today) but, there's still time to vote.

I-Am_King, Yeah the ASL will always have a special bond, they're just so cute together!

, Thanks for the review. Without giving too much plot away (hopefully) I think I can say that Ace won't be getting his fruit until sometime after they meet up with the WB pirates.

Mistress Snow, thanks for the review. I'm only going to be using the poll results as I don't want any unfair vote tallying to be in play but, i think that will be most likely.

One thing you should know about me is that I'm a huge fan of mythology, folklore, fairy tales and legends from around the world. I know a lot about the old vampire lore and will be picking a choosing what abilities and vulnerabilities I give to Ace, also I have a few ideas of my own. Although, poppy seeds will probably not be involved.

more new news, keep an eye out for a companion piece to Stronger Than Titanium, The Bonds of Brothers. It'll be a series of one shots of random things from before the trio left dawn island to things I didn't think of until too late to put in my main story. Also, it will be a place to put one shots that follow a different path than that of my main story. requests are welcome. It'll be called 'Titanium Bits'. I've got one idea sketched out in my head and now that this chapter is done, I'll be starting on it. If I can stop giggling long enough.

I don't own one piece. Just my OC's and ideas.


Marco sighed and ran a hand through his hair at the sight the island presented them. While it had plenty of coconut trees, small animal tracks, and a good fresh water supply; it did not have three brats anywhere on it. Marco was getting a strong sense of Déjà vu and hoped that they'd be able to track down the kids soon.

Thatch was currently checking out the kid's tracks, getting an idea of their condition and how long ago they were still on the island. Sometimes, it was handy having a brother who could read tracks. Being head chef on the Moby Dick meant that whenever they docked, Thatch spent a lot of his time in the woods in search of supplies they needed.

Marco looked up as Thatch came back onto the beach, a frown on his face instead of his usual jovial look. Marco's gut clenched at that sight, a frown of his own forming.

"The kids took off two or three days ago..." Thatch said, worry laced in his voice.

"But... That would mean they could have been on this island two or three days at most." Marco said, his brow creasing in worry.

"Yeah, I know. They're pushing themselves hard... too hard for a bunch of hurt kids."

That... that pierced at Marco's heart... "How bad..." Marco trailed off.

Thatch managed a weak smile for his brother. "Not as bad as you're thinking, you mother-hen. The littlest one seems fine, been running all over the island. It's nearly impossible to tell the tracks of the older two apart, they're both moving slow and sometimes one of them is leaning on the other for support. I think they are both taking turns leaning though and they spent a lot of time in the shade resting. The only time they weren't resting was when they went off to hunt for food or to follow after the youngest one."

Marco shot Thatch a mild glare at the use of one of his many nicknames though he felt somewhat relieved. "We had better keep moving then if we want to catch up with them." Marco said, turning to head for their ship with Thatch immediately following after his brother.

It was worrying, seeing the evidence of the punishing pace the brothers were setting. Just what or who were they running from...


"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Sabo asked, for the second time in three hours.

They had anchored at the port of their second island stop, named Pine Key, before the sun had risen. After an early breakfast they brothers went ashore to start acquiring money to pay for their needed supplies.

The task proved very easy after some muggers had tried to rob them. The would be muggers had a fair amount of money on them. They must have had a good night mugging people, right up until they ran into Ace, Sabo and Luffy- or more accurately ran into their pipes. Seriously, who robs a bunch of kids? Well, that lot would think twice and probably run the other way in the future.

Ace sighed this time at the question. "Yes Sabo, I'll be fine. I feel hungry but, not so much that I'd make a mistake."

As Ace and his brothers knew, there was a few reasons why it was a bad idea for a very hungry vampire, or in this case, half vampire to go hunting alone.

While Ace was to small as of yet to drain a teenager of their blood to the point of death, Ace could drain more blood than would be healthy for them to loose if he were hungry enough to loose control of himself. Not to mention the reaction the townspeople would have towards making such a discovery.

One of the many skills a vampire has is the ability to hypnotize and in some cases even compel their victims. If Ace were compromised due to excessive hunger, the spell may break, causing his victim to become very aware of the situation.

A really hungry vampire is also an easily distracted one. Many a hungry vampire had been to distracted by feeding to notice danger approaching.

A very hungry, weak vampire is also very vulnerable to attack and to having their identity blown. Were Ace to be injured further right now, he may unintentionally blow his cover by attacking in full out vampire form out of his strong survival instinct.

All this Sabo knew and it worried him.

"Look-" Ace continued. "It would be hard for me to concentrate on keeping someone unaware with you two there."

"What if... What if we weren't right there with you. You could take someone to a secluded spot and we could help keep watch around the perimeter." sabo suggested.

Ace thought about that. It actually sounded like a good plan. "Alright, that actually sounds like a good idea but, Lufy, you'll need to keep quite unless someone gets to close to where I am."

"Okay!" Luffy nodded his head enthusiastically.


Waves rolled up against the newly christened Red Force as she made her way into the East blue for the first time. She was a fine ship, built to handle the rough oceans of the Grand Line and New World. So, seeing her glide into the East Blue was a bit like watching someone hitch up a pair of draft horses to a small Sunday carriage to go into town.

Captain Red-Haired Shanks of the Red-Haired Pirates was atop deck, laughing at something one of his crew members said and in his right hand he held a large cup of rum.

Up in the crows nest, Benjamin was shaking his head in bemusement as he watched the antics of his captain and crew. Most of the time, Ben felt that being a first mate was just a glorified term for babysitter.

It was after-all, Shanks idea to, almost immediately after getting their new ship, take a trip on Red Force to the East Blue for an 'extended break'. Everyone on the crew knew that 'extended break to the East Blue' was actually code for we're going to go visit Luffy for a while.

Still, it wasn't like anyone was unhappy about this latest whim of their captains. It had been about 2 years since they had last seen Luffy.

That was a long time to a child and well, this group of pirates, Shanks especially, had a soft spot for the little anchor. Plus, anyone could see that Luffy was lonely.

Oh, Makino loved Luffy and took care of him as best she could but, that was about all Luffy had for family and you wanted to count Garp the Fist and that was left up to wild debate. Personally, Ben wouldn't trust him with a potted plant, let alone a small human being. Anyway, Gap was a vice- admiral and was away on duty most of the time, only making an occasional visit to his grandson.

Ben grinned to himself. In about a month, Luffy was going to be in for one big surprise.


"That's right, just relax. There's nothing here to harm you, everything is fine... Just relax..."

Ace watched in satisfaction as the young mans eyes widened and his body relaxed. Good. That meant he had control. Ace had to be careful with who he chose to feed from, some people were able to resist the pull and they could be dangerous.

Ace smiled at the man, fangs on full display and yet not the slightest twitch of fear issued forth from the guy. Not even when Ace began walking towards the young man, backing him up against a wall in a discrete ally well away from the docks, was there the slightest hint of fear. His brothers were keeping a watchful eye at the alley entry's, allowing Ace to keep most of his focus on the task in hand.

There are many beliefs and myths about vampires. Hell, there's even some myths about the myths about vampires.

On the whole, only the vampires themselves and the specialized group of hunters that target them really know what a vampire is capable of. Even then, vampires and vampire hunters still don't know everything. They are beings of the night that dwell in-between the world of the living and the dead, existing as neither one thing or the other. Not immortal, for to truly be immortal nothing should be capable of killing them but so incredibly long lived it's hard to spot the difference.

One popular myth among humans is the belief that vampires always leave bite marks on the throat, as if that's the only readily available vein on the human body. For starters in Ace's experience, his puncture wounds close up and heal over within an hour thus, leaving no evidence of the bite. Why people believe that vampires wouldn't have evolved/developed a way to help keep their presence hidden is a mystery that completely baffles Ace and Sabo.

It didn't take Ace long to figure out that biting someone on the neck had a more personal feel to it than just biting them on an arm. It was really a place where Ace only felt comfortable biting if it was someone close to Ace, such as Sabo or Luffy. Even then, only under the right circumstances.

Ace gently brought the strangers arm closer to his face, all the while keeping the calm and relaxed hypnotic field going and carefully felt with his hand for the best place to bite.

Both Sabo and Luffy had told him that his bites never hurt and in fact felt quite nice. Ace knew now that it was because he didn't wish the bite to hurt them. Before Bluejam ever arrived to their island, Ace never knew that what he wanted the people he bit to feel was actually in his control. Before Bluejam, Ace had never wanted to bring anyone pain from one of his bits. Now that he knew he could control that, Ace was extra careful when he bit someone to feed.

Ace sighed in relief as he bit into the mans arm, he had cut things way too close. If just one more day had gone by without blood, Ace would have been in danger of loosing his control. The man himself let out a contented sigh as his blood began to flow into Ace's system.

Another thing most people didn't know was that underneath the coppery taste, the blood of people and animals had a unique flavor. This man had a curious mix of heavy spicy and something close to pumpkin. It was odd but, Ace liked it. Although that could just be the hunger talking.

After a minute, Ace eased his fangs out of the young mans arm and licked at the would on his arm. His saliva would stop the bleeding and help with the process of closing the wound up.

As Ace helped the man walk to the ally entrance he made eye contact with him again. "After such a great evening, you should go and get yourself something to eat. There were some nice looking places in town... I'm sure one of those would do nicely..." Ace said, his voice like velvet.

To the young man, it sounded like such a reasonable idea. Why would anyone say no to that... In fact, that was what he was going to do anyway... "Yeah... That's a... good idea..." The man said, half to himself.

Ace smiled. If Ace can find a few more people like him tonight, he'll be full and happy for the first time in over a week.

~~~~~ Page Break~~~~~

Namur double checked things in the navigation room before heading out on the main deck. Like all of his siblings, he was excited to hear that they might be getting three more brothers. At least until he heard the ages of the three possible brothers.

Since then, Namur had felt rather gloomy over the thought of having three kids for brothers. Children tended to not like fishmen and usually afraid of him. If they did become family... Namur really didn't want to deal with their rejection but, he would have to if they fitted in with the rest of the family.