A/N: One Piece was on break this week, so I figured, why not post another chapter? So yeah, here it is. *cheers*

Here is some emotional flash back time – hope you enjoy it. Perhaps one day, I will be half as skilled as Oda-sensei in telling emotional backstories. I'm honestly expecting feels in Law's backstory.

Thanks for reading/faving/following/reviewing! Seeing those messages in my inbox is as motivational as listening to Eye of the Tiger while jogging.

Warnings: Language, violence, references to rape/abuse.


Chapter 32: Memories, Disagreements, and Relatabilities, plus a Side of Inconvenience

**Countdown: Two Months, 11 days left**

The Pirate Doctors and the Healer had quickly set to work to patch everyone up, and at the moment Ebony marveled at his wrist which had been fixed by Law.

"Wow," he started, staring at his wrist. "The Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law, Captain of the Heart Pirates fixed my wrist!" He continued staring with a creepy, wide-eyed expression, as he continued, "I'm never going to wash my hand ever again."

"What, seriously?" Sokka asked, making a face.

"Kidding," Ebony smiled and quickly looked away as he added, "I'm not that obsessed."

After Chopper had completely set Eurynome's ankle (something that earned her being called a dumb-ass by Chopper after complimenting and thanking him) Katara went to work on completely healing her ankle. Eurynome stared in wonderment as the water wrapped around her leg that gave an otherworldly glow. "What an amazing ability, Katara-san! You're so versatile!"

Katara smiled humbly at the praise, saying, "It really isn't that big a deal, I don't mind."

After Katara had finished with Eurynome's ankle, she twisted and flexed the now-healed extremity. It felt as if it had never even been dislocated in the first place, in fact it felt better than ever. Katara then walked over to Ebony holding the water in her hands as she said, "Here, let me see your wrist,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ebony quickly pulled back from her, protecting his wrist from Katara with suspicion. He looked at her and asked warily, "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm just going to speed up the healing process of your wrist," Katara said, both confused and slightly insulted. "It doesn't hurt, I promise."

"Quit bitching and just show her your damn wrist, Ebony!" Eurynome's voice shouted. Katara flinched slightly in surprise, almost dropping the water as the boot Eurynome had been wearing on her injured leg flew past her and hit Ebony on the head with a dull *thump*.

"I hate water…" Ebony muttered, as he gave Katara a look, but complied as he reluctantly held out his wrist. "If it makes you feel better…" He leaned to the side so that he could give his sister a stern look. She must've communicated something to him with her glare, because he gave a huff and relaxed as Katara finished healing Ebony. "Thanks…" he flexed his wrist and hand, then added, "You're quite skilled, I didn't know that water could have healing properties."

Katara humbly brushed off the praise, saying it was nothing.

Sanji came spinning out of the kitchen humming an upbeat tune, and he passed out carefully and lovingly made drinks to the ladies, and put one to the side just for Katara, warning the other men not to touch it.

"For you, milady," Sanji presented Eurynome with the drink, and the young woman made a face as if she wasn't used to being treated as such. "Thank you…?"

She took the drink and took a sip. "It's delicious!"

"I made it just for you, Eury-shwan!" Sanji bragged. "I'm so happy you like it!"

As Katara now fully healed up Toph's injuries, the Earthbender spoke up. "So what was all that about? Why did that guy want to arrest you, and just who and what are these Tenryubito guys? And who exactly is your dad?"

Both Eurynome and Ebony stopped what they were doing and stared at her, while Katara said, "Toph, that's a little too direct, don't you think?"

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Aang added quickly, putting his hands up for some emphasis.

"I don't know about you guys," Toph reasoned as she crossed her arms decidedly, "but we just risked our lives for them, and I for one, feel like we deserve an explanation."

Everyone was silent for a few almost agonizing moments. Eurynome looked as if she was deep in thought, and Ebony simply gave the deck a very stern glare.

"She's right." Eurynome admitted, breaking the silence. Ebony glanced up from the deck to give his sister a look. "You deserve an explanation."

She took a deep breath, and it was obvious she was reluctantly beginning to speak."Twenty-five years ago, our dad, Saoirse Kiba was a Marine."

Robin's interest perked. In all of her talks with the man, he had never said anything about being part of the Marines.

"He wanted to make a difference, y'know? I mean, he joined with the intent of making the world a safer place, protecting and serving the people, arresting criminals...things like that. Things were simple enough. But then, he was ordered to go after escaped slaves, and he found them, and he admitted to the guilt he felt as he helped to recapture them and return them to…the Tenryubito. But it was his job."

Eurynome looked down. "It all changed, though, 22 years ago at a certain island in West Blue called Ohara. It was a merciless slaughter. The people didn't stand a chance, and he said it was one of the worst things he had ever seen. Dad's mentor, Jaguar D. Saul was killed on that island."

"What happened?" Sokka asked, wide-eyed.

"The people were studying forbidden history to build a powerful weapon, but I doubt that's the truth; because that was what the world was told. There had to be some underlying reason." Ebony said, as he scratched Saul's cheek.

"So that meant they had to die?" Aang asked, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "How could they decide something like that?"

"The true evil of this World doesn't fly under a Pirate's flag, for you know what to expect. Instead, it raises a flag of false justice and peace, and then strikes." Ebony continued his staring match with the deck. "Marines are nothing but wolves in sheep's' clothing.

"They want control, and whatever those scholars were supposedly researching, it warranted the slaughter of hundreds, if not thousands of people. A ship of Oharan refugees getting destroyed in the off chance a scholar had managed to sneak on board was what drove my father to quit the Marines and fight against everything they stood for."

Aang and his friends visibly gasped, and Eurynome continued, "After Ohara, he defected. Sometime later, he went to the Sabaody Archipelago where many Tenryubito like to spend their time. While everyone was bowed down, too afraid to look at the "Saint", Dad just walked up and shot his guards and the Tenryubito in the head. Then he cut the explosive collar off and ran away with the slave, that was Vidu. The others soon followed…" she trailed off for a moment. "The second-to-last person he rescued was our Mom. She said that they should still rescue slaves, but that they should stop killing the Tenryubito… 'We aren't any better than they are if we kill them.' So he ended up cutting the arm off of one of 'em."

"Nearly all the people he rescued went back to their lives, stayed with him, or went to join the Revolutionaries if they had nothing to go back to. My Dad and those who stayed with him would strike slave ships and their bases for a while, and then lay low, and then start all over again. At some point in time, Dragon-sama approached Dad, wondering if he was interested in joining the Revolutionaries. But Dad had his reasons for saying no, but was still willing to help out if and when he could."

Eurynome narrowed her eyes. "Then…the day came…it's strange, you know how normal it all was, before…" she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. " Before it all came crashing down."


Eleven years ago…

Frida was holding the hands of her two young children as they walked. The island had numerous hills and cliffs that were almost maze-like in its design and the adventurous and brave children of the island loved exploring these areas. There was the occasional child getting stuck somewhere on a jutting cliff with no way to get down, causing able-bodied adults to have to scale the cliffs in order to bring them down safely.

"Mom, look at that!" Eurynome broke away from her mother to look out on the ocean from the cliff. "I bet I could dive from here!"

"If you did then you'd be crushed by the rocks." Ebony stated in a practical manner as he looked down at the ocean and sharp rocks that were a good thirty or more feet below. "I wonder how long it would take to discover your body if that happened. Of course, if the scavengers or tides don't get to you first."

"I think I could angle myself just right before hitting 'em. Orin's showed me a few techniques, and I want to try 'em out. Maybe if I had a running start and if the wind was blowing just right…" she licked a finger and held it up to test the wind.

"No one is jumping or diving off of any cliffs," Frida said quickly, pulling on Eurynome to discourage any attempts of launching herself off of the cliff. She loved Orin, and truly appreciated that the Fishman was teaching her daughter everything he knew about diving and Fishman Karate, but Eurynome was proving to be an adventurous spirit even at such a young age. Ebony on the other hand, preferred burying his nose in books and was often surrounded by them. Of course, he wasn't any less of a handful because the boy possessed an almost inhuman strength and an unexpected fierceness when he felt that people deserved a good-old-fashioned punch in the face. The boys in town never messed with him or his sister, and Frida's mothering techniques were put into question and were the subject of quite a bit of gossip after Ebony had gotten into a fight that ended badly for those who had picked it with him.

They continued their walk, when after a while they came to another cliff that easily overlooked almost the entire island. They could see the town, the harbor, and several other smaller houses dotted around the island. Eurynome excitedly spoke up once again. "I can see our house from here!"

"Who are those guys outside our house?" Ebony questioned, looking at the white uniforms.

Frida's breath caught in her throat and her grip on her children's hands tightened, as she saw a ship at the harbor with the Marine logo displayed on the sail for all to see. She could see several men confronting Vidu, Vera, and Kiba. The others must've been in town because she could see more Marines wandering around the town, likely asking the locals about her family.

"Shit…" the word escaped from under her breath. "Kids, we're going."

Frida lead both of her children across the island as quickly as she could, doing her best to keep calm. She held the hands of her two young children tightly as she ran, almost as if they would sink and disappear from sight if she let go. Someone on the island must have recognized them, and had reported them to the authorities. It didn't matter who it was or why at this point. All that mattered was getting the children to safety.

"Mom, you're hurting my hand." Eurynome spoke up, hesitantly. She was nervous because of how worried her Mom looked, or at least, was trying not to look nervous. Since seeing those men outside their house, along with seeing the large ship that had Marine printed across the sail, her Mom was on edge. Her parents, Jii-chan and Nana-san, and Orin often warned her and her brother, along with reminders to the other young members of their family to avoid these people at all costs. The Marines were dangerous, and it was best not to draw attention, avoid anyone who called themselves a Marine and anyone who associated with them.

"I'm sorry sweetie," Frida said, a smile on her face.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Ebony asked with a hint of accusation in his voice. "You only do that when you don't like what is going on."

Frida quickly looked straight ahead. This was one time she did not appreciate having a child who was as perceptive as her son was. "Everything's going to be alright," she said, mostly telling herself. She knew her husband and the rest of their family was strong enough to hold off the Marines and escape; so her sole focus was to separate herself and the twins as far from the Marines as possible. They needed to work their way around to the backside of the island to another, smaller harbor that the many of the people living outside of the town used. It was so out of the way, that it was the best place for people to swim and fish, and not have to worry about getting in the way of dock workers or any of the larger boats.

They needed to escape, and Frida hated the idea of leaving her family behind. But it had been the plan all along that if Marines or Bounty Hunters ever came after them, she was to take the children and run. A part of her wanted to tell Eurynome and Ebony to hide, while she went to help fight, but then everyone would worry about her safety and that of the twins'. She certainly couldn't leave two seven-year-olds to fend for them on an ocean as dangerous and unpredictable as the Grand Line either. Kiba had told her himself to go ahead of them if anything ever happened. His family was the most precious thing to him.

Frida led her two kids down a small path that snaked through the woods and would lead them through a small field and eventually end at the harbor. Going through the woods was easy enough, and they came out to the field where the path widened in less than fifteen minutes.

They came to another part of the island where they could see their house once again, and they could tell that their family had won the fight. A relieved smile graced Frida's lips as she saw it. The family had already abandoned the house and had left elsewhere. That feeling of relief did not last long as Frida saw on the path ahead of them a small number of Marines heading their way. Thankfully, due to a slight curve in the path the Marines hadn't spotted them yet – but they would in a matter of minutes.

"This way!" Frida said in a harsh whisper, pulling the twins towards a section of trees which surrounded numerous thick bushes. Eurynome stumbled and fell to the ground, and scraped her knee in the process. She gasped and shut her eyes tight, unwilling to let out a sound. She stood and took a deep breath and only nodded when Frida gave her a look that asked if she was okay. Frida led them a little further away from the path, so that if anyone was going to be searching for them, they would have to work their way in. Frida had them hide in the bushes, reminding them to be quiet and not to move. Ducking down quickly, and hoping that they weren't spotted, Frida spoke, her voice barely even a whisper. "Stay down, stay here until it's safe, okay?"

"Mommy…" Eurynome started, fighting back the tears.

"Don't cry, sweetie. Promise me you won't cry, alright? Be strong for me. Everything will be alright."

She was mostly telling that last part to herself. A mother should be strong and never let her children know how scared she truly is at times like this. She smiled, because Ebony looked scared as they heard the Marines come closer and closer. She gently held his hand, and gave him a nod, trying to reassure him.

She checked to make sure that the bushes gave the twins plenty of cover, and felt some relief that they were well-hidden, for the time being, at least. She stayed low and worked her way around so that she could see through a space in between the trees and bushes. She could see the Marines winding their way around the corner. For now, they were hidden from their sight.

"Sir, I found something!" a voice shouted, and he revealed his findings: "A knife! I found a pocket knife!"

"Search the area!" the commanding officer shouted, and the men replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Eurynome gasped and looked down at her hip where the strap that housed her pocket knife had broken, and it seemed to glare up at her. She had dropped the knife when she fell, and now the Marines were going to discover them. What were they going to do now? Frida's eyes widened and she glared back at the Marines, quickly and quietly she snuck back to her children, coming to them from behind. She parted the bushes slightly so that she could see them, because she knew she needed to calm them, and give them some assurance.

"I'm sorry…I dropped it…" Eurynome's eyes threatened to overflow with tears.

"Mom…I'm scared…what are we gonna do?" Ebony looked to his mother.

Frida shook her head and she smiled. "Shh…It's okay, sweetie. You should smile and laugh when you're sad or scared, because that makes everything better. Okay?"

Eurynome only nodded, wiping at her eyes, while Ebony frowned, looking doubtful and worried.

"Smile for me, okay, Ebony sweetie? Can you do that?" Ebony gave her his best unsure smile.

"That's the way," the Marines were getting closer to where they were. "Everything will be alright, I—"

Frida did not want to promise them a lie. She did not know for sure if everything would be alright.

"What about you?" Ebony asked.

"I'm going out, but it'll be...I'm just going to talk to them. I want you to know, I love you both, very much. And I want you to know how proud I am of both of you. Stay hidden and get to the far dock while they are distracted, okay?"

Frida smiled sadly as she cupped their faces in her hands, and then with one last look that said, Stay hidden she wound her way through the forest until she was a good distance away from the children. She then made sure that she would be spotted by one of the Marines, who, just as she hoped, had been under the impression that he had discovered her poor attempt at a hiding place and escape.

"Hey, you!" he pointed his rifle at her. "Sir, I found someone! Get up and put your hands above your head! Move, now!"

Frida put her hands up in surrender, and stepped out onto the path. The Marine continued to point his gun at her while another nervously and quickly grabbed her flintlock from her belt as if she was going to strike him like a poisonous snake. A small sense of relief washed over her when she could feel her husband making his way towards their direction. She could always tell where he was, it was an indescribable feeling, and she could never say how she knew. She refused to glance at the spot where Eurynome and Ebony were hiding, and instead focused on the commanding officer, and distracting them long enough for her children to escape. There was not really a chance for them to do that now, even if their attention was all on her, as the Marines were still spread out, and just because they found her didn't mean they would stop searching. Frida's mind went into overload, trying to think of some sort of plan to get her and her children out alive. Don't go looking in those far bushes…what am I supposed to do…how can I get their attention away from searching?

The commanding officer was a short, rather rotund little man. His face seemed to be too small for his head, and he glared at her with beady eyes. "Éadrom Frida, a slave belonging to the late Saint Garlen." The commanding officer said. He held up the knife. "Is this yours?"

Frida didn't answer. She only glared at the five officers standing behind the rotund little man; her fierce expression seemed to make all of those pointing guns at her hope that their weapons would be enough, as they noticeably shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "I am not a slave." Frida seethed. "I belong to no man, except my husband."

There was much defiance, anger, and disgust in her voice. Memories of that vile, wretched excuse for a Human being called Garlen came to mind. The way he slobbered when he was pleased with himself, the way he stunk like too-ripe fruit which caused a nauseous feeling in anyone who could smell him, the way he touched her, running his sausage-like fingers over her skin, laughing as he…

Frida shut her eyes, and willed the memories that had given her nightmares into the back of her mind. This was not the time to be thinking of such things. "You think I'm a slave? So tell me…" She turned slightly and unbuttoned her shirt so that the back would fall slightly, revealing her elaborate back tattoo. "Is this the mark of a slave?"

The commanding officer made a face. "So, you aren't a slave…and when you say, 'your husband', you mean Saoirse Kiba?"

Frida quickly fixed her shirt, her glare never leaving the commanding officer. "The Kiba I know and the Kiba you know are two entirely different people. You're mistaken. I've met other people called Kiba. Sure, it's not a common name, but it's not like there's only one Saoirse Kiba in the world."

So far, the three other Marines hadn't checked the bushes where her children were hiding, but they were slowly working their way towards them as they searched. She refused to look back at the people searching the area they believed she had been hiding in in the first place. She didn't want to raise any suspicion. All she had to do was buy time, distracting the Marines until her family got there.

"We've heard reports that two fair-haired children have been seen with you and Saoirse Kiba." The commanding officer asked, as he studied her. "Tell me something; did you bear children with that man?"

Frida's gaze never left the commanding officer. Her family, her husband and her children were the only good things that had ever happened to her in her life. Growing up as a slave to the Tenryubito were the only memories she had of her childhood. The one thing she would and could never do is deny being a wife and mother. "Yes."

The commanding officer grinned, while the others gasped, as if she had committed some sort of atrocity. The commanding officer stepped forward slightly as he spoke. "My, oh, my…if that is the case, I'm afraid they will have to be exterminated. They are still in the area, are they not? That's why the knife was here, isn't it? It's certainly not yours; it's most certainly a child's due to the size of it. Plus…" he studied the handle. "S.E….What do those initials stand for then?"

"They're long gone by now," Frida smiled casually, unwilling to reveal a thing. "I sent them away as soon as I saw your ship."

"You know, I don't believe you. You really should learn to tell the truth."

Frida ignored him, and turned her attention to the Marine officers behind him in anger and frustration. "Why did you join the Marines? To bring peace? To bring justice? Tell me, what kind of justice is it to hunt down people who escape from their captors?! What kind of justice is it to allow people to do whatever they want simply because they think of themselves as gods?! What kind of justice hunts down children and kills them simply because of who their parents are?! What kind of peace is that?"

A few of the Marines shifted uncomfortably, and glanced at one another questioningly as if anyone else could provide them with an answer. The commanding officer sniffed, and sighed, shaking his head. "Don't let her plant such ideas in your head men. That's a woman's specialty."

He looked as if he were thinking as he tapped a finger on his flintlock. "So, you aren't a slave, you have admitted to associating yourself with Saoirse Kiba, and have had children with that traitor of a man, and you do not know where he is."

He pulled out his pistol and leveled it at Frida's head. "Therefore, you serve no purpose." Frida readied herself to move when one of the men searching the area called out. "Sir! I found two kids here!"

"Get away from me!" Ebony's voice shouted.

"Ow, dammit you little brat! He bit me!"

The Marine that was trying to grab the children started screaming as he hopped around on one foot, while clutching the other tightly as blood flowed from between his fingers. "She stabbed me in the foot!"

The two that were with him ran to the bushes where the children were hiding, ready to yank them from their hiding spot. The five standing behind the commanding officer were unsure if they should keep their sights on Frida, or help go after the children. Before they could decide, Frida quickly ducked down and pulled out two knives she had hidden under her shirt and slashed the commanding officer's fingers that were holding the gun off. The commanding officer screamed in pain as the blood flowed from his hand, and the Marines that had been behind him simply stared in dumb shock, because everything was happening so fast. She charged at the men trying to grab Eurynome and Ebony with the ferocity of a mother bear. She quickly and easily sliced at specific areas of their arms and legs, ensuring they would no longer have use of them. The faces of her children looked up at her as she protected them from being grabbed by the men. Everything was going to be alright, she would make sure of it. A shot rang out, and the twins' countenances fell into wide-eyed horror.

"FRIDA!" the voice of Kiba carried through the trees.

Frida looked down, and saw that her chest was bloody. It was funny…it didn't even hurt. Frida turned to look over at her husband, as she saw him coming up the road towards them. Then she fell. She hit the ground hard, but that didn't hurt either. She could see her children yelling, their mouths forming words, but couldn't hear them. Thoughts of her family ran through her head. The time she and Kiba met. The times they had laughed and cried together. The day Kiba professed his love for her. The day her children were born. She smiled.

Thank you for freeing me…

The commanding officer grinned, as he held the flintlock in his other hand, but his face fell very quickly into fear as he saw Kiba followed by other members of his family. Kiba headed straight for him, slicing through the Marines who charged at him with his whip-sword, showing just how and why he had earned the epithet of "Throat Slicer" when he had been part of the Marines years before.

"Saoirse Kiba!" the commanding officer shouted, "you're under ar…" and he fumbled with his gun, but he was cut off as Kiba's blade sliced off his good hand and through his throat. He tried stopping the pool of blood as he gasped for air in a futile effort. The remaining Marines stood no chance, as Kiba's rage was unmatched. Begging and pleading did nothing except make him angrier, as not even the Marines that Frida had incapacitated were spared from Kiba's wrath.

Vera quickly ran to the twins and held them tightly; shielding their eyes from the violence, while Java and Dacho stayed close. They could do nothing but watch as Kiba finished off the Marines in a matter of minutes. Vidu, who was covered in a mix of his own blood and that of others slowly came up the path supported by Orin, and they were followed by Jed and Daria. All four of them simply stopped and stared in shock as they saw Kiba holding Frida's lifeless body. Eurynome was sobbing, and she kept on saying it was her fault, while Ebony silently stared at his mother, as if expecting her to open her eyes at any moment. They were surrounded by the blood of the slain Marines, and the scene was all too surreal. Kiba was staring straight ahead, an almost lifeless look in his eyes.

"Kiba…" Vera started, and Kiba looked up at her.

"I broke my promise to her, Vera. I told her I wouldn't kill any more Marines, yet I…" his fist was shaking, and Saul shifted uneasily in his hand.

Vera only nodded, concerned due to his toneless voice. "We have to go. But let's not leave Frida-san here…they won't show her the same respect."

"It's my fault, Nana-san!" Eurynome wailed. "I tripped and dropped my knife and they found it!"

"It's not your fault, Eurynome." Vera said quickly.

Kiba quickly walked over to his children, knelt down to their level, and pulling the twins into a tight hug. "Don't ever say that. Your mother doesn't blame you. I don't blame you."

Kiba gingerly picked up Frida after wrapping her in his torn jacket. They left by using the out-of-the-way paths to the dock on the backside of the island. Orin dug a deep grave, and they carefully put a marker. They couldn't stay for much longer, and had no choice but to "borrow" an unattended boat, but figured they would somehow pay the person back later. The family was able to escape the island, but it had been a hollow victory. A few days after reaching another island, Kiba left to join Dragon.


"He made us promise never to kill a Marine, on the day that he left, and that was the last day we saw him. That was also the day he gave Ebony Saul. Said he was named after his best friend who died on O'Hara. Vidu and Vera promised that they would watch out for us. They've kept that promise for over eleven years," Eurynome looked passed everyone, and out at the ocean. Her fingers absentmindedly tapped at a bracelet on her opposite hand. "Dad had promised Mom that he would never kill another Marine…but something in him died too that day."

Katara let the tears flow, and she sympathized with them. She knew exactly what it was like. War had killed her mother, and had taken her father from her and Sokka, often leaving them to wonder whether or not he would even come back alive. She glanced over at Sokka, who had a look of understanding as well.

"The Marines want us to die simply because of who our father is. Because of the blood that flows through our veins, they have deemed we have no right to live." Eurynome shrugged, as if suggesting it was just a fact of life that simply was.

"I hate all the Marines." Ebony's voice surprised them, as he had been silent the entire time Eurynome had been talking. His glare could have burned a hole into the deck. "The only reason I don't kill them is because I promised both Dad and Mom."

"Not all Marines are that bad," Luffy surprisingly looked quite serious. Ebony glanced up at Luffy, who continued, now grinning. "One of my best friends is a Marine. He's a great guy!"

"And you trust him?" It was as if Ebony was issuing a challenge.

"Yep! We're rivals!" Luffy, in his own way was trying to tell the twins that not all Marines were the same. There were in fact, a few good ones in the World.

"Then you're a fool for trusting him." Ebony's voice was eerily calm, but he had a glare that showed he meant business. Even if someone he respected and admired told him that the people he hated most of all had a few good men and women among them, there was no changing his mind. "You can trust a Marine not to turn on you about as much as you can trust a wild animal not to bite."

"Ebony…" Eurynome started, but he ignored his sister as he started to stalk away towards the bow of the ship.

"My mom was a Marine as well," Nami spoke up. "She quit the Marines to raise my sister and me. Are you saying I shouldn't have trusted her?"

Ebony looked at Nami, as if he were trying figure her out. "So, you trust Marines?"

"Well, no, not really...When my village was in trouble, the Marines actually helped out the guy who was terrorizing everyone…but there are Marines who aren't bad, and actually genuinely want to help people."

Ebony's voice was calm as he spoke, but got more intense as he continued. "Tell that to the people of Ohara. Tell that to my mom who was killed by the people whose lives she refused to take. Tell that to my dad who was forced into breaking his promise to her. Tell that to all of the people who expected the Marines to help out, when in fact they got stabbed in the back. You have no idea of the dirty tricks Marines and other officials will pull to get what they want. They will lie and use towns and people up, then leave them to rot when they no longer serve any purpose."

Franky and Robin briefly glanced at one another in understanding.

"Like blackmail?" Zuko asked, looking quite serious. "You essentially made that Marine-guy look like criminal. Sure, he had dirty tactics and did the right thing in all the wrong ways, but he had to have been someone who took care of his people. His men respected him and were worried about him."

"I'm not a Marine. Pirates, unlike Marines, are honest about being who and what they are. Marines hide in the shadows and act as if they're doing their dirty work for the greater good, no matter what the cost. He was willing to kill me and lock up my sister for some bullshit version of 'Justice'. His assistant tried raping my sister. So both of them got the least of what they deserved. I just played by their rules – and did a better job of it."

An uncomfortable silence descended over everyone. Sokka quickly stood, grinning awkwardly. "Oh, hey…who's hungry? I know I am! How about we get something to eat? Sanji, I'm sure you have something just great prepared! Ha…ha…" He quickly sat back down when he was given a look shared by both Zuko and Katara, and a select few of the Pirates, mumbling, "Maybe later…" under his breath as he did so.

Seeing that it seemed Nami and the rest of the crew could not provide any sort of sufficient answer, Ebony continued on his way towards the bow to be by himself. Nami looked downtrodden as she watched him leave. Zuko sighed, and shook his head. Katara glanced back and forth between everyone, a slight look of concern on her features.

"I'm sorry, everyone…" Eurynome wouldn't look at them as she spoke, her voice sounded upset, a fact she was obviously trying to hide. "He took our Mom's death really hard…he was closer to her than I was…please…don't hold it against him…"

Her voice trailed off, whether it was due to guilt or sadness, or some other reason, they couldn't be sure. But Katara quickly went over to Eurynome and patted her shoulder, her motherly instincts kicking in.

"Sorry to make you talk about all of that…" Toph said, obviously feeling guilty as she took a seat next to her, and Eurynome only shook her head. She seemed to notice that she shook her head in response to a blind person, so quickly added in mumbled response, "No…it's…you needed to know."

Katara heard and saw something in both of the twins that worried her. Eurynome seemed to lack hope; not in the sense that she felt hopeless, but rather she saw no sense in having any. Ebony reminded her of Jet. He had the anger and the bitterness, although unlike Jet, who had been willing to flood a Fire Nation occupied Earth Kingdom village, even sacrificing the innocent villagers if it meant getting rid of a few Fire Nation troops. Ebony was unwilling to kill any Marines, but he was not above destroying their lives by any means necessary.

"Look," Eurynome spoke up (seeming to have regained her recomposition) interrupting everyone's silent thoughts. "We won't intrude for that much longer. We'll just go to another island. You're headed east, right? The island we need is just north of here, and will only take you off course by a few days, a day or two at most. We have an Eternal Pose for that island too, and we'll pay you when we get there."

"Um…" Nami started, and everyone glanced uncomfortably around, refusing to look at her. "There's a little something really important you should know, Eury…"

"We can't change course!" Luffy huffed, crossing his arms in anger and frustration.

"What?" Eurynome glanced incredulously at the crew before her.

"It's our turn for a story now," Aang said, giving his best uneasy grin as he scratched the back of his head.


Next Time: The Straw Hats and the Gaang reveal just why they can't divert their course, and they receive some shocking, but to be expected news.


So…what do you think at my attempt at a sad flash-back? I read and rewrote it a few times, and it is among my first, honestly. Please leave a constructive review so that I may better tell emotional tales.

Not sure if anyone remembers her, but the reason Saya is not in the flashback is simply because she hadn't been rescued at that time.

Really Microsoft Word? Really? I type in words, and get informed that they are misspelled…so I Google misspelled word, and find that it is in fact, an actual word. It recognizes twerking, but notrecomposition? (This is not the first time this has happened.) Get your act together, Microsoft.

I also have a few very dangerous Spirits coming that I hope will do this Game of Spirits fic justice. (Did I say Spirits?) 'Bout time. So far, the majority of the enemies faced have been Human. The upcoming Spirits will make Kapri look relatively tame (I hope!) please look forward to them!


EDIT: I ended up editing this chapter thanks to a guest reviewer pointing out a few little things...and ack! I fell into that trap where OCs and canon characters should never be. Thank you Guest Reviewer. I really want to avoid getting these characters beyond the point of no return.

So you don't have to go back or reread anything, the twins don't know about Poneglyphs, therefor Ebony doesn't know what he has in his possession when he's telling the others about the books he has, and Saul was their Dad's mentor.