Oh my... 6,717 words in this chapter. I feel that my be a new record for me. I feel accomplished, happy, anxious and very drained. Thank you everyone for your patience while I got this chapter worked out. I'm still not 100% sure about it but I tried my hardest on it.

So, I mentioned I was having trouble with Shanks but, I'd be interested to know if anyone can guess the second area that gave me trouble...

lostdog200, Thanks for the encouragement! You know it's funny you should ask that. I have a little black book of evil writing ideas (Okay, maybe not all that evil but the notebook cover is black) and among them a time travel fic is lurking. Though I will admit 99.99 percent of them are AU. I suppose I like doing them because there really is only so much you can do with a fic that isn't AU before it gets boring.

MoonFruit12, Thanks for the review.

Fire, Thanks, I hope you find it worth the wait.

Wolf Riddle, thanks for the encouragement. I hope I pulled off Shanks alright. Good luck with your own writing. Yeah, I hope to start revising furry Ears soon.

Guest, Thanks for reviewing.

Guest, Thanks. I try to keep things interesting. Yeah, we'll get more into the how and why's of Ace soon. The WB pirates will have their questions about them... As for what's going to happen. The vote's in on that one and the majority wanted them to catch up while they are still kids.

betsybugaboo, lol thanks. I enjoyed writing that part. Glad to hear others liked it too.

Team Wingless, thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like it so far.

So, without further delay... I don't own one piece...


It had been three weeks since Marco and Thatch tracked the three brothers to their fist island stop. Three weeks of frustration, determination, worry, hope and bitter disappointment.

They almost lost the trail of the brothers two days ago when they made a u-turn. If Marco hadn't flown ahead to the next island in an attempt to find the boys they would have been thrown off their trail and wound up a week behind them.

Marco and Thatch were even more determined to find them before they did loose their trail. If only the ocean wasn't so damn big.

Marco now stood on deck, dread filling him as he watched what was rolling their way.

A band of white filled the sky and a few miles behind that, black clouds were rolling in. Marco knew the white band to be thousands of sea birds, riding the winds that come before a storm. It was the storm that was coming their way that had Marco worried.

While no storm should be underestimated, the two experienced pirates had faced many storms and this one was very small in comparison to what mother nature unleashed on the Grand Line. This storm did represent a threat to three kids who had yet to experience something like that on the seas before.

Up until now the seas of the East blue had been calm with a good, steady wind. Marco had been hoping to catch up to the brothers before the first storm hit but, as a roll of thunder boomed off in the distance it turned those hopes into an impossibility. Unless...

"Stop that thought right there, you crazy blue chicken!"

Marco glared at his brother, in calmer weather 'blue chicken' was getting tossed overboard words.

"Don't give me that look, the nickname was well deserved. You were thinking about flying! In this weather! Even if you knew where the kids were, which we don't, you just might reach them before the storm hit. More than likely, you'd go in the wrong direction, the sea is full of wrong directions with only one right path the boys took and then you'd be at risk of winding up in the sea and drowning when the storm caught up to you!"

Marco sighted. "I know, Thatch. It's just..." Marco trailed off. He didn't need to finish. They both knew that the brothers may not be able to get through this storm and there was noting they could do about it. Marco gripped the railing so hard his knuckles went white, the wood of the railing creaked, threatening to snap if more pressure was applied.

Thatch let out a sigh of his own. "Yeah, I know. If we knew where they were, how far out they were, it would be worth the risk. But, without knowing anything... I don't want my brother to risk his life on such a slim chance. They're tough kids, hopefully they can get through this last trial and then we can find them."

Marco nodded. "Come on then, we better get ourselves ready for this storm."


Luffy stared in wide-eyed awe at the white band and dark clouds rolling their way. Ace and Sabo were furling the mainsail, while eyeing the approaching storm.

"Luffy, I think it's time you got below deck" Sabo said. The wind was picking up, soon the storm would be on top of them.

Luffy tore his gaze away from the storm to look at his brother. "But, I want to stay up here and help!"

A roll of thunder sounded out across the ocean like a cannon shot. Flickers of lightning were almost on constant display.

"No Luffy. The waves are going to be to high for you to be up here. You don't want to live up to Shank's nickname for you and sink like an anchor, do you?" Ace said, reaching under his hat to ruffle Luffy's hair. "Besides, it would be a big help if you went below deck and made sure everything was tied securely."

"Alright..." Luffy said, puffing his cheeks out at an impossible level for someone who didn't eat the rubber devil fruit. Still pouting, he went below deck.

"Any idea what the white band is?" Ace asked, sparing another look at it as he was making sure the sail was tied fast.

"No. It wasn't mentioned in any of the books..." Sabo said.

Their question was soon answered when over a thousand sea birds flew overhead. It was just as well Luffy had already gone below deck, they'd have never gotten him to leave after seeing this amazing sight.

The eerie thing about it was how quite they were, it was as if all of their energy was put into the effort of getting as far away from here as possible.

The brothers didn't have long to wonder at that before the wind picked up, the rain slammed into them from above and the waves crashed into them from the sides and higher waves hit them from above.


Meanwhile... On a certain island in the East Blue...

"What do you mean Luffy's gone!"

Five minuets can make a big difference in how you perceive things. Five minuets ago, you would have thought the the small town on Dawn Island was a fairly quite place where nothing very wild or interesting happens. You'd be right, most of the time that is.

Five minutes ago, Makino was still in Party bar serving customers.

That was until someone came running into the bar. "There's a ship docked that has Red-haired Shank's flag flying on her!" The man exclaimed.

With a shout of joy, Makino ran out of the bar to the docks, leaving her stunned customers behind. It had been over a month since her boys had left and there still wasn't any word from the Whitebeard pirates. Now, there could be someone else out looking for them. She knew Shanks would help, he adored Luffy and would equally like his two brothers.

With everyday that passed, Makino become less and less the happy bar maid the town had come to know.

The townspeople couldn't understand what her problem was, those boys were nothing but trouble in their eyes and she should be glad they were gone. Especially after learning that one of them really was a demon. Outwardly, Makino didn't say a word about it but, inwardly she fumed over it.

Makino wasn't sure how much more she could take, how much longer she could pretend that their words didn't bother her. Makino knew that if she protested and spoke her own mind, an opinion that was not shared by the other townsfolk, she might loose all her local customers and be solely reliant on drawing in enough outsiders.

"Shanks!" Makino cried as soon as the ship barring his flag came into view. "Shanks!" Makino ran on to the end of the docks, getting closer to his ship.


Shanks and his crew were up on deck, eagerly anticipating docking at Dawn Island for a while. They were cheering, and laughing and as expected, drinking.

Shanks paused in his chatter to Ben. Something or rather a lack of something caught his eye. In the jungle portion of the island, where there should have been only lush green, was a large barren area, only a few patches of green could be seen reclaiming the area.

"Looks like there's been a fire not to long ago." Ben commented, a frown forming on his face.

"Yeah... Luffy liked to play a lot in that jungle..." Shanks was frowning also, a more serious attitude taking over the usually laid back caption.

"Let's not start jumping to conclusions before we get there. It was probably started by lightning and more than likely Luffy was at Party Bar when the fire broke out." Ben reasoned.

That level headed thinking calmed his Captain and the other crew members.

The spell of calmness broke when Shanks and his crew spotted Makino running along the docks, shouting for them. Her shouting, there was something in her voice, something desperate and Luffy wasn't with her.

Luffy... The second time they came back to this island before heading back to he Grand Line, Luffy had been running for them, shouting like crazy. Now, there was no sign of Luffy.

The beginnings of anxiety filled the captains heart, beside him, Shanks could see Ben was running the current situation through his head and not liking the scenarios he was coming up with.

As soon as the ship was in range, Shanks jumped off, landing on the docks a few feet in front of Makino.

"Shanks! you're here, you're here! I'm so glad you came back!" Makino cried, hugging the red haired man.

Shanks wrapped his right arm around Maniko in an attempt to comfort her, his own heart beating like a conga drum. "Hey, what's wrong? Wheres Luffy at?" Shanks asked.

"Luffy's gone!" Makino said in a choked voice.

Stunned silence...

"What do you mean Luffy's gone!" Shanks shouted, pulling away from Makino and looking around wildly, as if that would somehow help him find Luffy and the answers he needed.

Screw Ben and screw keeping calm! Shanks thought This was nota situation to keep calm in. So, Shanks started to panic and freak out, all the while shouting.

Ah, yes... What a difference five minutes can make.

Back on Red Force, Ben groaned when he heard his captain's shouts.

Here we go again...Ben thought. "Get red force docked!" Ben said to the crew before making his way over to rein in his captain before he did anything stupid. No... before he did anything else that could top his current stupidity.


Waves hammered against the ships side and the wind roared it's fury while lightning flashed. Marco and Thatch took turns handling the tiller while the other took a break and checked over the ship.

The rare moments a thought could be spared, Thatch and Marco prayed that the three young boys would make it through this storm okay.

It was a strong storm for the East Blue/West Blue meeting point. At times like this, every sailor was reminded of just how destructive the sea could be. Sailing on her, being free on her waters was a privilege and the raging storm was a reminder of how quickly that privilege could be revoked.


They were not ready for this, they were really not ready for any of this.

Books, Sabo was learning could only teach you so much and Ace was finding that instinct could only get you so far. But, Ace and Sabo had no choice to to try and hold out against the storm, hopefully their combined efforts would be enough to keep their boat afloat.

The snapping of canvas reached Sabos ears the same time Ace's hand grasped his shoulder. The mainsail that they were so sure they tied fast was coming loose. If they didn't get it tied up securely this time, the sail will be torn to shreds in this high wind.

They had only managed to get a spar jib sail, they had no backup for their mainsail. The boys rushed as quickly as they could over the tossing boat to the flailing sail.

Their progress was interrupted by a big wave crashing over the railing of the boat. Ace managed to shove Sabo into the mast before the wave struck. Sabo clung to the mast as the powerful wave rolled over him, ready to curse Ace out the moment he could breath again.

When the wave passed and Sabo could see again, all swear words except for shit left his mind. Ace was clinging to the ships railing, trying to pull himself back up.

Before Sabo could reach Ace another wave hit them, slamming Sabo into the boats railing. He tried to cry out in pain only to choke on seawater.

When the wave passed Sabo looked fanatically for his brother along the ships railing, all the while coughing in an attempt to clear his lungs but, he didn't see him...

Oh shit...

This time Ace wasn't clinging to the boat railing anymore. Ace was in the ocean, fighting to stay on top of the rolling waves.

"Ace!" Sabo shouted. "Ace, Hang on! I'm coming!"

Sabo hoped that Ace could hear him above the storm, though he doubted it even with his good hearing. He raced to grab the rope they were going to use to secure the sail. His plan was to tie one end to the ship and the other end to himself. That way they could use it to pull themselves back to the boat.

Before Sabo could get the rope tied around the railing or himself, he heard a shout behind him and felt his heart stop for a moment.

No, no, please no...

Sabo looked behind him to find Luffy rushing to the railing their older brother went over.


Luffy had never felt afraid of a storm before, back on Dawn Island they had never seemed scary. He and his brothers would often stay up to watch them. But, now he felt fear. The wind sounded like a constant screeching wail and the waves caused the ship to pitch wildly.

Luffy was again thankful for his devil fruit, it was a cool power no matter what anyone else said. The ships rocking had caused him to crash into the cabin walls several times now. It would have really hurt without his fruit, instead he just bounced off. It would have been really fun if it weren't for this... feeling he had.

Something felt wrong... Like something bad was going to happen, just like it had felt with Bluejam. He had tried to warn his brothers about him, about this bad feeling but, he did not have the right words to tell them with and they didn't understand what he was trying to say. Luffy still did not know how to explain this feeling to them. It was a mystery feeling.

Luffy's thoughts stopped and his body stilled as he strained to hear something. It was near impossible to hear anything over the storm but he could have sworn he heard one of his brothers cry out. Luffy's heart raced, the bad feeling he'd been having was almost overwhelming now.

Luffy didn't give anything any further thought as he lunged for the hatch to get back on deck. Whatever the bad thing was, it was happening now and it was happening to his brothers. Luffy wouldn't let it just happen, not this time and not ever again. He would never again push this wrong feeling aside, he would find some way to get his brothers to understand.

Luffy shot out from the hatchway like a cannonball, his feet slipping on the wet deck. His eyes immediately landed on his brother, Sabo. Ace was not in sight, sending a wave of panic through his small frame.

Sabo was shouting something, he caught Ace's name and was looking out to sea, all the while trying to tie a length of rope to himself.

Luffy scanned the area of rolling waves Sabo was focused on. When he spotted what Sabo was so intent on it felt like all the air in Luffy's lungs turned to ice.

Ace was out there. Ace was out in the open ocean, trying to stay on top of the choppy waves.

"Ace!" Luffy was moving to the railing. "Sabo! I can get him, I can reach Ace!"

It would be just like Luffy had done with Sabo. Just stretch his arm out, reach Ace and pull him back to the boat.

In the corner of Luffy's vision he could see Sabo turning but, his sole attention was on his eldest brother.

"Ace! Ace!" Luffy grabbed hold of the railing with his left hand and rocketed his left arm out to Ace. At the same moment as Luffy's hand reached Ace, Hell and all it's fury was let loose in one spectacular moment.

The air seemed to hum and buzz, the hairs on the back of Sabo and Luffy's necks raised despite the rain and then there was a flash of white so bright it temporally blinded all three brothers. It lasted for only a second but, in that second a thousand extra years were somehow crammed into it.

There was also the noise, a terrible, loud splintering crack. The boat they were on shuddered, causing Luffy to loose his perilous grip on the railing.

"Ah!" Luffy yelled. Having nothing to anchor him while still having a firm grip on Ace sent Luffy rocketing over the sea at speed towards Ace.

The boats sudden lurching caused Sabo to stumble and fall to the deck. A large piece of wood skived through the air over Sabo's head.

For a long while the storm raged on, then it quietened to a dull roar. Gradually, the storm dissipated and a sort of magic took over. Once again the sea took on the guise of tranquil beauty, ready to lure those who sail her into a state of bliss...

Until they are reminded again by the raging waters that they do not own the sea nor could they ever truly conquer her. Sailing on the sea meant freedom, yet those that sailed are merely leasing their time on the ocean until the sea demands her price, be it getting shipwrecked and marooned or outright killed.

Some are lucky and are never demanded of to pay while others are not so fortunate.

For now, the waters are calm and the sky is clear. On the deck of a small boat, all is silent except for the gentle lapping of the waves.


Sabo slowly came to awareness with a groan. Honestly, this was starting to become a bad habit. Waking up groaning over some new pain and wondering where his brothers were.Sabo thought.

Sabo thought about that...

Sabo thought about that some more once he kicked some of his feebly struggling brain cells into gear...

Sabo got up from the deck so fast he nearly fell over. He felt dizzy, almost sick and his muscles ached but he forced his body to cooperate.

"Ace!" A quick look across the deck found it empty of either brother. "Luffy!" There was something wrong with the appearance of the deck but, he would figure that out later. Right now he had more important things on his mind, leaving no room to process anything else.

Sabo lunged for the hatch, ignoring the painful protest his body gave to that action, hoping against all the reason he had left that his brothers would be below. Though, with an ever sinking heart, he knew that they would not be.

Against his hearts wishes, Sabo did not find his brothers below deck. What he did find was seawater. As if things were not already bad enough, the boat just had to sink on top of everything else...

Sabo went back on deck with a renewed urgency and blinked rather stupidly...

The mast was gone... That's what looked so strange and part of the railing was missing too. Not that it mattered. This boat wasn't going anywhere except in a downward direction.

With dwindling hope, Sabo scanned the water, hoping to see anything out there that might mean his brothers were alive.

Water, water everywhere but a sign of his brothers there was none.

Sabo took a deep breath. He refused to believe they were gone, his heart wouldn't allow it. He knewthat they were out there, somewhere. Sabo could not (or would not) imagine a would in which they were not there. Sabo didn't care if he had to search every damn island out there twice, he would find them.

Then, another thought struck Sabo.

Oh by all the seas...

The railing that Sabo had intended to tie himself to had been ripped away by the falling mast. If Luffy hadn't come up when he did...

Sabo shuddered. The railing would have dragged him down before he could untie himself from it. He would have probably drowned before be could have gotten back to the surface in the rough seas.

The lightning strike had completely taken the mast off while leaving the haul intact, otherwise the boat would have sank in seconds. The haul herself had some cracks that were slowly seeping in water.

The only good news was that the boat was sinking slowly, Sabo estimated he had about three to four hours before she was completely submerged. So, he had roughly three hours to salvage what supplies he could and put together a makeshift raft.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Ace. Sabo chanted in his mind. The skills Ace taught him about making due and using the materials you had at hand had never ceased to amaze Sabo in how useful they were.

It had taken time for Sabo to realize- no it had taken Ace whacking Sabo upside the head and setting him strait about how Sabo's way of thinking and analyzing things was an important skill to the brothers, when all Sabo could see was that he didn't know how to do or make anything.

The brothers could make due on their own but they shined when they were together. The way they fought, the way they hunted and the way they worked together spoke volumes. They each completed or added a part that the other(s) were missing, or smoothed an area out where they had too much of something.

Ace was the skilled one when it came to making things but, it was Sabo's input on the details that made the project twice as good as it would have been otherwise and Luffy... Luffy would cheer them on and help where he could.

Luffy was their spirit, he kept them going and made impossible things seem possible, who simply liked Sabo for being Sabo and Ace for being Ace. He would never give up on himself or his brothers. Right now, Sabo really wished they were here but, more importantly, wherever they were he hoped they were alright.

Sabo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Right, he could do this. He could do this, make a raft and find his brothers.

A wary smile broke out on the blondes face. Or, maybe they'll find him...

They were just as stubborn as he was, after-all.


"Well, how far off course are we?" Thatch asked, leaning against the galley wall.

Marco looked up from his charts. "About fifteen miles off to the east, yoi. The wind really dropped after this storm went through, it will take us a few days to get back to where we were."

Marco looked out the porthole. "It's good flying weather now, however..."

Thatch hummed. "Well, with the wind down we won't make good sailing time to be able to find the boys. I bet they need help, their boat is probably a mess right now. Go on, I know you want to and with this good weather, I want you to go too."

A smile broke out on Marco's face. "Keep your den den mushi with you. I'll report in if I find them."

Thatch grinned. "When you find them. We're well overdue for some good luck, today's gotta be the good luck cash in day."

Marco shook his head, yet he kept his smile. "You and your crazy superstitions." Marco commented, making his way out of the galley.

"They're not crazy if they keep happening!" Thatch called out after his brother with laughter in his voice.

Thatch groaned as he slumped back in his chair. He knew what he had to do. He knew what the responsible thing to do as a commander was but, dammed if he didn't want to do it. Being responsible sucked, no wonder he liked to leave that task to Marco. But, he was the only one that could fly and that left Thatch to take care of the other thing that need to be done.

But, he had to do it. They had given their word to Pops that they would keep him up to date and a promise was a promise, no matter how worrisome the news may be. Thatch knew, as would their father, that it was a slim chance the boys made it through alright and Marco would be able to find them. He hoped that they would be found by Marco and had confidence that if it is at all possible, Marco will find them.

With one more heartfelt sigh, Thatch picked up the den den mushi and dialed.


"So, let me see if I've got all of this straight." Shanks began, looking at Makino. She was sitting at the table across from him in the empty Party Bay. Empty that is except for the rest of the Red Force Pirates.

Once Makino's customers had caught sight of Shanks and his crew, looking as serious as they had ever seen them, they decided that they had had enough beer for one day and left.

"Right after we left, Garp took Luffy up to live with the mountain bandits to get more marine training into him. Luffy met two other kids there, Ace and Sabo. Shortly after meeting them, they swore an oath and became brothers." Shanks said.

It had taken some time for Shanks to calm down enough for anything to be explained. Many details had to be gone over and over again, as each new detail brought a new wave of surprise with it.

Makino nodded. Hopeful this time, that Shanks and his crew will have every detail down pat.

"Right, okay and the older brothers had a habit of steeling money from the other bandit groups in the area for their future pirate fund." Shanks continued.

Makino smiled. "Yes. They were each going to set out to sea at 17 to be a captain of their own ship and form an alliance. The boys were putting by enough money so they could each get a starter boat and supplies..."

Shanks nodded, he approved of their actions. If you're going to go out to sea, you needed to be prepared. There were worse ways to get money then from steeling it from bandits, they did want to be pirates. Then he frowned, remembering where things were going.

"That worked well for the boys until they accidentally stole money from a pirate crew. Then..." Shanks paused, trying to recall.

"Once the boys realized their mistake." Makino continued for him. "They tried laying low and avoiding and members of the Bluejam pirates. That worked for a while, no one knew the jungle better then they did."

Shanks nodded, his brow creasing. "This is where things start to get complicated. One of Luffy's new brothers is actually a runaway noble..."

"Sabo, yes. He ran away from home when he was much younger and met up with Ace then. From what Dandan told me, Sabo's father recognized his son when they were up in high town about the same time as the Bluejam pirates showed up." Makino said.

Shanks growled. "Yes, and then that bastard went and hired Bluejam to bring Sabo back to him. Threatened to kill Luffy and Ace if Sabo didn't go with them."

Makino nodded sadly. "Yes and Sabo wouldn't risk his brothers lives..."

Ben shifted in his seat, where he had been quietly sitting. "So, Sabo left with them and stayed home for about two weeks before running away... again. This time he got it into his head to run away at sea... Any idea why?"

Makino sighed. "My best guess is that is was an attempt on Sabo's part to free himself of his noble family and still keep his brothers safe, it was a foolish plan, setting out alone so young." Makino paused before continuing, her voice hardening. "Even if it weren't for the Celestial Dragon firing on Sabo's boat."

The collective atmosphere in the bar darkened again at the re-mention of the part the Celestial Dragon played in all this mess. The Celestial Dragon's represented everything that real pirates were against. A real pirate would neverwork for a noble...

Shanks scowled at the mere thought of someone calling themselves a pirate doing such a thing. "And Luffy saw the whole thing... I'm a little surprised with what you have told me about Ace, that he was not there too."

"I know what you mean. Ace and Luffy apparently had an argument, I'm not sure about what. Luffy was still worked up about it when he got into town." Makino frowned a bit. "I have a theory about it though. I don't think it was a coincidence that Ace was facing off against the Bluejam pirates at about the same time as Luffy was using his devil fruit to rescue Sabo from his burning boat."

Ben nodded in agreement."You think Ace started the fight on purpose to get Luffy away from him so Ace could go and challenge Bluejam alone."

"Yes. Then they could have gone back for Sabo without worrying about anyone taking him away again. Only, none of the brothers knew what the other was up to until it was too late. The fire had already broken out while Luffy was rescuing Sabo and they took off into the blaze to find Ace." Makino said.

Shanks rubbed his temples, he could feel a headache coming on. For a moment, he sympathized with Ben. This must be how he felt most of the time, Ben must go around with a semi-permanent headache. No wonder he got grumpy sometimes...

"Speaking of Ace... He's really a vampire, with fangs, sucking blood, turning into a bat... Really a vampire?" Shanks asked, trying to get his head around the idea. Vampires were illusive dwellers of the night, rarely seen by anyone. Even Shanks had only ever seen one, maybe two, that he knew of at least. That was another thing about them. Their ability to blend in and hide, not the Shanks blamed them.

Makino managed her first true smile since their discussion began. She felt no fear in letting Shanks and his crew know about Ace or Sabo, knowing that they would never harm them over it.

"I don't know about turning into a bat, though I'd bet he'd make a cute bat..." Makino trailed off for a moment, smile still in place. "As for the fangs, yes Ace has them and he does drink blood though he is careful about that. Up until Bluejam, he'd never killed anyone either. No one else on the island except for the bandits, his brothers and myself knew he was a vampire or rather, half vampire."

Ben tilted his head. "How did you find out? Surely if they were keeping it a secret..." He trailed off.

Makino giggled, at the time when she learned the truth is gave her quite the scare, though not for the reasons other people might expect... "Well, for some time I had no idea. They would come in here a lot for meals and Ace didn't act to unusual. Then one day, Ace fell out of his chair, asleep. I thought that was rather cute... Until he stopped breathing. Apparently, that's normal for him to occasionally fall asleep during daylight hours and he almost always stops breathing after awhile but, at the time..." Makino trailed off, laughing this time. When it happened, it was absolutely terrifying. Now, she could look back and laugh.

Shanks and the others laughed too. Right now, after all the building tension they needed something to laugh at, anything.

"There is one more thing..." Makino started.

"Tell us, my dear lady." Shanks said with his usual charming smile back in place. He really needed that laugh.

"Do you know the first and fourth division commanders of the Whitebeard pirates, Marco and Thatch?" Makino asked.

"Yeah..." Shanks said, not really sure what to think about that sudden question.

"Well, they came by this island hunting Bluejam. Now, they're off looking for Luffy, Ace and Sabo. I believe they were sincere about the possibility of them joining." Makino informed them.

Shanks slumped back into his chair with a groan. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me..." Yep, Shanks could feel the headache come on in full swing.


News spread like crazy aboard the Moby Dick about their three new possible brothers. Everyone was excited, it had been a little over ten months since the last new additions to the family.

Pops did not choose lightly when it came to new sons and daughters and so months, even a year could go by before someone came along that caught his eye. There was no denying, after everyone had heard about the three brothers, that they sounded like they would fit into this family just fine.

Next to Pops, the most excited about the new prospective brothers was Haruta. Since her joining at the age of 16, Haruta had remained the youngest for the last 4 years.

Even the possibility of her not being the youngest, of finally being a big sister, had Haruta bouncing from bow to stern. Her brothers and Sisters watched on with amusement, all of them remembering the day they became an older brother or sister and the excitement that brought to them.

Much to her fathers amusement, Haruta would ask everyday if there were any news from Marco and Thatch. That's not to say there weren't a dozen other siblings standing behind her, also eager to hear any news.

Whitebeard was in his captains chair on the upper deck, enjoying the sea breeze and watching over his children.

Without their first division commander, Marco and most responsible brother here, everyone was a little more wild and disorderly than usual. When the mother hen is away, the little chicks will play. In this case, they will get drunk, throw a lot of parties, slack off their training and not do their paperwork.

Marco was going to throw a fit when he got back.

Likewise, with their fourth division commander Thatch and master of pranks gone, things were a little quieter than usual. Not so many people running down the halls shouting and out for blood.

Haruta did her best but, one could not cause the same level of mayhem as two. Plus, it wasn't as fun as it is with her older brother by her side, often going over the side of the Moby Dick together when they were eventually caught. It just wasn't the same.

Thatch was going to go on a pranking spree when he got back.

For now though everyone enjoyed the mini vacation. Even Whitebeard was enjoying himself to some extent. Other than the nurses, Marco was the only one who tried to limit his alcohol intake.

Activity up at the navigation room caught Whitebeards attention. Namur was walking towards him, holding one of their den den mushi's.

Haruta also noticed her brothers actions and came sprinting over, eager to hear the latest news. Perhaps by now Marco and Thatch have found them!Hope filled Haruta's heart with that thought. Behind her, she could hear many more siblings making their way over.

"It's Thatch." Namur informed their father.

Whitebeard took the snail from Namur with a smile and nod of thanks.

"Hello Thatch. How are you and your brother doing?"

"Hey Pops. We're both alright." Thatch said, though his voice sounded different. Not strained, yet it lacked his usual happy enthusiasm.

That tone immediately put the family on alert, it was so out of character with their usual jovial brother.

"Has something happened? By your tone, I'm guessing that you haven't found the three brothers yet." Pops said, voicing his concerns.

Around Whitebeard, his sons and daughters quietened. Wanting to hear the news and yet, not wanting to hear it. Not if it meant something happened to their soon-to-be brothers.

There was a deep sigh from the other end of the line.

"No, we haven't caught up with them, that u-turn they made put them an extra half day ahead of us at least..."

There was a pause. Whitebeard waited patiently for his son to continue. He knew there had to be more to it then that.

Another sigh, quieter this time.

"There was a storm last night..." Thatch said, his voice rough.

The Whitebeard pirates froze at that news.

"Marco's flown out ahead to see if he can spot them. I- we don't know if-" Thatch faltered.

"We understand." Whitebeard said, easing his sons burden to try and explain what they already understood. "Keep us informed and let Marco know we are going to navigate closer to your location."

"Thanks, Pops. I'll let Marco know. I'd better hang up now, Marco said he'd call if- no when he found them." Thatch said, his normal voice returning to him.

"Alright Thatch. Keep us informed." Pops listened as the den den mushi clicked, the line going silent. He looked up at his gathered family before catching Namur's eye. "Namur, set a new course for the West Blue." Pops said, holding the den den mushi out for him to take back with him.

Namur nodded, taking hold of the now silent snail.

With the less than welcome news came a change aboard the Moby Dick.

The plans for yet another party that evening fell off, either forgotten or ignored.

Some started training as way for take their mind off the news.

Haruta spent the rest of the afternoon brooding, looking out to sea.

Namur remained locked away in the navigation room the rest of the day with the other navigators, plotting he fastest route to the West Blue. It should not have taken them that long to plot, they were not that far away as it was but, no one ventured in there to see what, if anything, they really were doing in there.

Still, no matter how bad things were, things had not yet sank low enough to do any paperwork. Marco was really going to be pissed.


Marco trilled to himself as flew flew over the ocean, spreading his wings as far as they could go. No matter the reason, he loved the times when he could give into his phoenix side and take to the skies. Being a pirate gave him freedom on the seas and his devil fruit gave him freedom in the sky. To Marco he had the best of both worlds, complete freedom.

Up here he could see for miles, if he's on the path the storm pushed the three brothers, Marco will spot them. Perhaps Thatch is right. Other than finding the booze Pops wanted, this trip has been the host of more bad luck than Marco cared to think about. Surely, they were more than due something good.

Marco groaned inwardly at that thought. Next thing you knew, he'd be believing in the power of three, good luck charms, ghosts, and all the other odd things Thatch believed in.

More than anything, he hoped the boys were okay. They too, have had more then their fair share of bad luck and misfortune. Children should not have to go through what they have. Already, even without meeting them, he admired their strength and courage.

A glimpse of some object on the water towards the east caught his attention. With a loud trill and a tilt of his wings, Marco was homing in on the distant spec, his hopes rising.