Remember how the last chapter was the longest in this story at 3,000+ words? Well this one topped it at 4,015. Yeah, double the usual and the longest out of all of my fics...as far as I can remember. So for me, this was a monster chapter. And it was going to be even longer than that! But I decided to break the original chapter into three (yes, three, because I was stupid enough to expect to get in everything I needed to in 2,500 words OTL) so that you didn't get a monster chapter and so that I could update now instead of later. Now since there's so much detail in the last scene and it carries into the next chapter, I think it's safe to say that it's important, so pay attention damn it! Enjoy.

Oh! Oh! And I've decided on the 4th Yonko. No one will guess who it is muahaha. At least I don't think so. This person is someone no one would ever expect to be a Yonko. So obviously it's not Kidd. Or anyone considered really strong, for that matter. Well, maybe. Meh, you'll find out in another 10-15 chapters. Probably.

And! I have a oneshot posted called Goodbye if anyone's interested. It's gotten pretty positive reviews :D

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece. You know what I do own? A plastic cup. I'm poor like that.

Luffy threw open the door and looked around the room, tilting his head when he didn't see what he was looking for. "That's strange…"

"What is it?" Sanji asked from where he was standing over the stove. He was surprised to see his captain up so early, seeing as he'd just begun preparing breakfast. Usually he didn't rise until the smell reached him, especially when he was hung over.

"Have you seen Ace?"

"No, why? Can't find him?"

Luffy shook his head, brows knitted together in concern. "I don't think he's on the ship."

The Pirate King heard fast approaching steps. He turned to see a green-haired swordsman with a blank expression. He blinked when the man stopped in front of him.

"He left a note. Apparently Marco picked him up early this morning to visit the Moby Dick." While saying this he held up a piece of paper. Luffy took it and scanned it, noting that it was the Yonko's handwriting. That was expected, seeing as the boy couldn't read nor write. He heaved a sigh.

"He could have woken me up and told me. Stupid Ace, making me all worried…"

"He probably tried—you were dead to the world after you passed out last night," Zoro stated, crossing his arms in his usual fashion. He pointed to Luffy's face as an example and the cook fought back giggles. Curious as to what the blonde found so funny, the Pirate King snooped around the kitchen until he found Nami's mirror on the table. He looked into it and his face turned grim. There were strange, ugly little drawings scattered across his face in black ink. Written on his neck was 'Usopp was here'. He scowled.

"Oi! I'll get you back for this, you jerk!" he shouted as he ran out to find the sniper in order to exact his revenge.

As they crossed the beach and neared the Whitebeard ship, Ace couldn't help but feel intimidated. It was larger than the Thousand Sunny and there were strangers everywhere. Looking for some sort of safety, he reached out and took the Yonko's hand, nudging close as they walked.

Marco blinked a few times when he noticed the sudden mood change. He was fine when they were leaving Sunny but now he was scared and clinging to him as though the crew sprawled out ahead was going to eat him alive. He found the fact that his tough, loud, controlling former crewmate had been reduced to a shy, affectionate child quite amusing. It was weird, at first, but he didn't mind. Sure he was going to be different—he was living a different life—but the fact that he returned at all was more than enough to satisfy him. Besides that, it was interesting to have a kid around. All of his crewmates were at least into their twenties so it was an amusing, though awkward, change.

Ace's grip tightened when a few of the crewmembers turned their way. He hid himself as best he could behind Marco, still holding his hand for reassurance. Immediately he could tell that those guys were in a different league than the pirates from the last island—they were strong. Don't ask how he knew that; he just did.

The Yonko waved at his crew and approached, noticing that the boy's hand was trembling. Just how scared was he of people? Brushing that question aside, he stopped in front of Izo and Haruta. He'd returned last night and explained that he met someone interesting, so they looked rather perplexed when they saw some runt failing to hide behind his legs.

"So who's this?" Izo asked, crouching down to meet the boy at eye level with a smile. The kid did his best to glare at the crossdresser but it was evident in his shaking that he was scared. He tilted his head at this, wondering about the strange greeting.

"Ace," Marco replied, realizing he probably should have explained beforehand.

"Ace? Did he have a kid?" Haruta asked, giving the boy the once-over.

Marco sighed. Well, at least they weren't reacting the way he did. Still, it was clear that Luffy didn't want to forcefully tell Ace about his past life, so he couldn't explain with him there. The last thing he wanted was to confuse him. So, he would have to distract him first.

"Ace, are you hungry, yoi?"

The boy looked up at the Yonko, tilting his head. As he thought about it he realized that he didn't eat his fill last night because of the greedy, drunken Pirate King. He nodded reluctantly. The four of them headed onto the ship and into the mess hall where Marco asked the chefs to prepare something for him. He sat close to the kitchen at a bar-like area while the Yonko and the majority of his commanders huddled around a large table out of hearing-range. He explained the situation as best he could while glancing over at the boy periodically.

"You're saying…that's Ace? Our Ace?" Haruta asked, voice stricken with shock. Her captain nodded with complete resolve.

"But how?" Vista question from where he was leaning over the table. Marco was thankful that his crew placed so much trust in him; otherwise they would have needed a lot more to believe.

"I don't know. He's not the same as he was back then but I guarantee it's him, yoi."

They all went quiet to contemplate his words and watch the aforementioned boy. Meanwhile, Ace's breakfast arrived. He looked it over and then eyed a fresh pineapple that was placed off to the side for one of the cooks to cut later. He looked between it and Marco repeatedly before he spun around on his chair to fully face the Yonko and point to the fruit.

"Marco, look—it's your cousin."

Snickers broke the commanders' silence as the blonde's eyebrow twitched, the only sign that he was affected by the joke. "Hilarious," he said dryly, eliciting a slight smile from Ace.

The commanders had been bothering Ace all morning and it didn't take them long to figure out how scared he was. Still, they continued to pester him. They couldn't let a chance like that pass them by since they didn't know when they would next get the chance to see the boy. Every one of them could see what their captain meant by "the same yet different" after the first half hour. But they liked him, even if he wouldn't go within five feet of them.

"I-I have to go," Ace stuttered as he edged away from Vista and Izo.

"Why?" Marco asked as he approached the pair. He saw the boy fidget where he stood and motioned for the two to back up a little and give him some air. He was already well adjusted to the reincarnation's behaviour and was used to that nervousness.

"Chopper, he…" He swallowed and found his voice. "He said I have to get my bandages changed today."

"Bandages?" The boy simply nodded. He hadn't seen any open wounds but assumed that Ace wasn't lying. Or, if he was, there was a reason. "Alright. Want me to go with you, yoi?" The kid nodded and they both headed out onto the deck. He glanced back at his crew apathetically, silently apologizing for their reunion with the 2nd division commander being cut short. They smiled, however, and urged him to go.

Within ten minutes they found themselves climbing aboard the Thousand Sunny. Luffy smiled and waved when he saw them.

"Oi! You should have told me you were leaving," he stated, hopping forward to pat Ace on the head.

"You wouldn't wake up," the boy replied. He saw the Pirate King roll his eyes at that. Ignoring the immature captain, he eyed the deck for any sign of his doctor. The reindeer exited the infirmary wiping his hands—he likely just finished his routine of cleaning and disinfecting the room, which was always kept sterile.

Chopper noticed him quickly and smiled, waving him over. When he saw the boy and the blonde were approaching he spun on his heel and returned to his workspace.

Ace entered and immediately took his place on the bed, as per their usual routine. Marco was content to lean against the wall and watch, so Chopper wordlessly began. He had the boy lift the shirt over his head to reveal stark-white bandages and a discoloured chest. Ordinarily, even wounds as serious as his would be mostly healed in a month's time, but his malnutrition was slowing down the process greatly. He hopped onto a stool and began unraveling the wrappings, placing fresh bandages, medical tape and ointment onto the tray beside the bed.

Marco's eyes widened ever so slightly as Chopper revealed the boy's injuries. The entirety of his chest was purple and green from bruising. He had large gashes and scabbed-over pieces of flesh everywhere that the bandages had previously covered. Where there weren't open wounds, there were scars. So many, many scars. He saw the scars on his arms when he first saw him the previous day, but they couldn't compare to that. And he was thin—sickly thin. Just how the hell did a nine-year-old boy get so banged up?

Ace noticed the Yonko's stare and smiled, confusing the latter. "It's not so bad," he assured, shrugging off the pain as the ointment was re-applied.

"What happened?" the blonde asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He couldn't peel his eyes away from the battered boy, feeling guilty that he wasn't there to help him with…whatever it was that happened to him. Ace just smiled sheepishly and scratched his head while he tried to find the right words.

"A lot of things, actually…" he mumbled as he remembered the many battles fought before he met Luffy. He had gotten injured a while back—a gash that went across his entire torso—and every time he would fight pirates who came to the island or one of the creatures that inhabited it, it would open right back up. Eventually the pain and blood loss led to him losing focus and getting more injuries. Being malnourished for the duration of his stay on that damned rock, he wasn't healing as fast as he should have and his health was declining fast. If Luffy wasn't there that day—didn't take him back to his ship—he wouldn't have survived. The thought brought a grateful smile to his face.

Chopper sighed at Ace's response as he cleaned out some of the larger openings in his flesh. "Luffy found him on an island last month. Alone. He was brought to me half dead."

Marco folded his arms as he recounted his previous conversation with Ace.

"I was alone. For a long, long time…"

So that's what he meant…

Chopper smiled as he grabbed the new bandages he'd set aside, unraveling them as he thought. "He's doing really well, considering. Though he's still scared of me and Brook." He giggled a bit, wondering if the boy would ever truly be comfortable around him. Ace scowled.

"You're a talking reindeer and he's a skeleton," Ace stated, huffing his annoyance. He knew by then that their bodies were the result of Devil Fruit abilities, but it was still unsettling to be around them. He didn't hate them, though. After all, it was Chopper who saved his life and Brook's music was really amazing—though, it was the only music he ever heard.

Marco smiled as the two began bickering, calmly watching their banter. He was glad to see how well Ace seemed to fit in with the crew—best not to ask him to join the Whitebeard pirates, then.

"Het, Ace," he began, snapping the two away from their argument.

"Hm?" The boy blinked up at him, tilting his head.

"Wanna visit the graves with me and Luffy, yoi?"

"…Graves?"

The three approached a large, green hill. Ace stood between the two pirate captains, holding onto Marco's hand absently. He watched with wide eyes as a field of swords came into view. They were all sticking out of the ground, standing tall and proud against the blue sky. Each was perfectly maintained, leaving no rust or cracks.

As they got closer he spotted two very large, polished stones. He crooked his head to the side, wondering what to make of them. They had something carved into their fronts but, seeing as he couldn't read, he didn't know what it said. Above the larger one was an inhumanly large weapon—something ten times the size of him—and a weathered, worn captain's jacket. It danced in the breeze as if welcoming them, inviting the trio to join it atop the hill.

To the left was a smaller rock. This one had two diagonal sticks emerging from the top. On each stick's end were items: a sheathed dagger, a faded orange hat, and a red, beaded necklace. No—there was one more—a second hat in much better condition than the first. It was made of straw with a red band that wrapped around its midsection, two white strings attaching it to the carved wood. It took him only a moment to recognize it from the bounty poster and immediately he looked questioningly up at Luffy who didn't seem to notice. Seeing that the Pirate King was deep in thought, he decided not to say anything for the time.

Continuing his observation, he noticed that both stones were adorned with flowers—types he had never seen before. They looked like they were keeping the stones safe, protected. Warm. He couldn't help the tiny smile that came to his face, though he didn't know why.

As they stopped in front of the two monuments, he felt the Yonko clasp his hand tightly. He looked up to see the blonde clenching his teeth and shaking a little. Just as soon as he saw him falter, his expression returned to its usual calmness. He blinking owlishly, wondering what caused that reaction. They were just rocks, right?

Looking to his right, Luffy was in no better a state. He was hanging his head low, bangs overshadowing his eyes, keeping them from view. But he knew even without seeing. He could tell the man was wrought with sadness, memories whisking around his head like gale-force winds. But why? Were the rocks important? They looked like they were.

After the silence drew too strong, Ace released Marco's hand and began walking forward. The blonde's attention was brought back to the boy and he watched the irony of him approaching his own grave. Seeing the reincarnation look onto the grave like that, with no memories of that life, was heartbreaking.

Ace stood at the rock, paying no attention to the engraving. By now both captains were watching him but he didn't really notice. No—his focus was solely on the yellow and red hat that rested atop the monument. He slowly reached out and rubbed his hand over the material, feeling the stiffness of old straw run along the pats of his fingers. It seemed…nostalgic. Familiar.

Important.

Ace snapped back as the word entered his mind, wondering why he thought that. With one final, sad look, he turned slowly to look at the Pirate King.

"Luffy…" he began, wondering what exactly he wanted to say, "This is yours, isn't it?"

"…Yeah," the man choked out in reply. He seemed lost, like he was in pain or something. But the bruise from Marco's punch was gone so he wasn't hurt, right?

"Why is it here?" he asked, inquisitive eyes staring back at his companion.

Luffy swallowed hard in his throat. "I told you, remember? I left it with my brother." But all this time he was elsewhere, waiting…

"But…" Ace studied the rock again, feeling its surface under the skin of his hand. He looked hard at it, trying to unlock its secrets. "But then where's your brother?"

He saw Luffy flinch. The Pirate King took a deep, inward breath. "Right there." He pointed to the base of the rock where Portgas D. Ace's corpse lay, right beneath the boy's feet. He didn't seem to understand.

Marco stepped forward, taking note of how uncomfortable his old friend was becoming. He took his place right in front of that same polished stone, caressing it gently with his hand. He looked it over it fondly. "It's a grave, yoi."

"…Grave?" He tested the word out for himself, waiting for further explanation.

"It's a marker for a burial site."

"What's a….burial site?"

Marco sighed, wondering how best to explain it to someone who had technically been buried before. In his current state he didn't want to do much talking and would have been content with silently sitting at the monuments of his fallen family. "When people die their bodies are interred, yoi." He saw that the boy didn't understand the word used. "It means they're placed in the ground."

Ace took the words in his mind for a second and tried visualizing what he was saying. Being the only dead human he remembered, he pictured the woman who was with him before. It was hard remembering the last time he saw her, but he did his best. Then he imagined her being dropped into a hole and dirt being thrown atop her body. Was that what a burial was?

He crouched low and eyed the grass at the base of the marker with intrigue and a bit of worry. "So Luffy's brother is in the ground?"

"…Yeah." Both wanted to correct him, saying that he was Luffy's brother, but couldn't. Telling him that would only confuse the poor boy more and he was already being bombarded with so much—language, human contact, strange new technologies, manners, exploration of new places—he didn't need the burden of knowing he lived before. That would be cruel.

"Is it…" His voice lowered as he thought back to the woman with the bright hair, eyes drooping into sadness. He flashed back to that day when she fell asleep. She wasn't interred—that was the word Marco used, right? Ace didn't do that for her, because he didn't know. No one ever told him about graves or burials. Even if they did, he wouldn't have been able to understand. He couldn't speak. Couldn't listen. "…Is it bad if they aren't buried?"

Marco blinked at the question, noting the sadness and trembling in the boy's tone. He turned back to Luffy questioningly and the man gave him a semi-knowing look.

Luffy remembered Ace's dream and what he said after—he said he thought 'she' was his mother, whoever 'she' was. And then he remembered his reaction when he started learning what death was. He still didn't fully grasp it, it was a difficult concept for even some adults, but he knew enough to feel sad. It wasn't hard to put the two together.

He strode up to the pair and wrapped a comforting arm around Ace's shoulders, pulling him tight. He tried to be as calm and gentle as he could. His brother had gone through a lot, after all. "Your mother?" Ace flinched at the word. From where he was kneeling Luffy couldn't see his face, but he could tell he was contemplating something.

"…I think."

The Pirate King sighed and pulled him closer, allowing him to rest his head on the man's shoulder. "It's not bad. It's okay."

"But they're supposed to be buried, right?"

"Not necessarily, yoi," Marco interrupted, running his fingers along the top of the stone. "It's just a custom. Some people burn the bodies. Others leave them be, yoi."

Ace felt a deep relief wash over him with that. He hadn't done something to hurt the woman, then. A deep, soothing calmness washed over the trio. They remained silent, each thinking about something or other. Finally Ace decided he wanted to change the subject to something else that was bothering him. After all, there were a lot of questions he had about the graves and he wanted to make sure he took with him as much information as he could. So, he hopped away from the Pirate King and gently picked up the straw hat, making sure not to detach it from the wood. "Why leave it here?"

"I left it to show him," he replied, staring fondly at the engraved name from where he was sitting. Apparently that wasn't a good enough answer for Ace.

"But he can't see it. He's underground, right? Then leaving it here is pointless."

Luffy sighed and swept his hair away from his face. "You're annoying, you know?"

Ace eyed him before returning his attention to the stone. He returned Luffy's hat to its proper place and decided to get a closer look at the other hat. He didn't pick it up because of how old and fragile it looked, but inched nearer to it. He saw two faces on the hat—one smiling and one frowning. Kind of like me, huh? Then he brushed his hand along the dagger's sheath and played with the beads before deciding he knew enough.

One final question popped into his mind before he moved on, though. He looked up at the quiet blonde inquisitively. "Did you know the other Ace?"

Marco felt his chest jolt at the question. He accepted that the little Ace wouldn't remember him or their relations, but still it was a bit disheartening. It was expected, though. "Yeah. He was my little brother and one of my best friends, yoi." He grinned to himself, remembering all of the stupid pranks and plots Portgas and Thatch would come up with. The time before the latter's murder was the best time the Whitebeard pirates ever had. With the addition of Ace it felt like their family was far more complete. Everyone adored the troublemaker and sailing in such peace had them relaxing and staying together, partying every night and having fun. Teach ruined that, but they still had the memories.

"Then are you Luffy's brother?"

The two captains looked at each other and then laughed a bit. "I suppose."

"Marco does act like a doting big brother," Luffy teased, sticking is tongue out at the pirate. The blonde just rolled his eyes.

"Hmm…" Ace pondered this but his thoughts ended and shifted to the second monument.

After walking over to the larger rock, he felt a smile creep onto his face. Something about the red and white jacket felt warm and welcoming. It was so inviting that he felt he could just sit at the marker's base and relax; that's how soothing it was. But he didn't know why.

Seeing that it didn't have as much for him to fiddle with and that everything was out of his reach, he ran his fingers through each engraving, trying to guess the letters. Robin had started on the alphabet with him only two days earlier and he was grasping it quite well, he thought. "E… D…" He continued on like this until he completed Whitebeard's first and last names. Still, he couldn't read it. Though he learned the letters themselves, for the most part, he didn't learn the sounds. That was to come once they set sail and his lessons with the archeologist and scholar began again. So, to complete his understanding of the words, he looked back at Luffy and Marco.

"What does it say?"

Both paused. Marco decided it best if he was the one who answered. "Edward Newgate."

Ace froze, the colour draining from his face. He didn't know the name and yet he did. It was familiar. Whoever it belonged to was important. And…dead.

The captains watched the boy's reaction with shock. His eyes were large, sad, and his expression could only be described as broken. He looked like the world was crashing down around him—crumbling at his feet. Then he turned away, giving that same agonized look to the weapon and jacket protruding from the stone.

"Oyaji…?"

A/N: Before you say anything, it wasn't an INTENDED cliffhanger... It just sort of happened. In the famous words of Ace: "This is not my fault." I just realized I've cut a lot of the usual filler in favour of really important scenes. Though I guarantee most of the important plot points won't be mentioned in the review :P So what do you think is happening here, hmm? Hint: no, he's not going to suddenly remember everything and have a dramatic, brotherly bonding chapter with Luffy. Not gonna happen, though by now I'm sure you know I don't work like that.

Oh! I'll be starting the omakes next chapter. I just found it would ruin the mood for this one. That and I'm lazy.

If you're looking for a good Ace fic to read (other than the usual The Devil's Fruit and Kill the Rabbit and Forbidden Fruits ect...) then try out Son Goshen's stories Two Worlds and Mind Wiped. They're awesome, seriously :D And I'll recommend some others every chapter or two from now on. You can send me suggestions too if you know any good OP fics! I need more to read =_=;

Please review! We're at 281 now...can you believe it? My god you're all amazing ;_;

To my lovelies~

samettikettu: Awe you cried? XD Lol that's fine, I'm obviously not shipping them in this story, I mean Ace is 9! No, that's just wrong. I will be shipping them in future AU fanfics though, so I'm sorry that you probably won't read them :( One of them will be replacing Skip once it's finished. Ah well, at least I'll have some fics that aren't them for you to read. I'm glad you liked it then :D Hope this semi-monster chapter was good too~

Futakomori: Awe glad you enjoyed it them ^^ Hope this was enjoyable too, even if it was more focused on the graves. You're welcome~

azab: Yep, they know! And don't worry, there will be more scenes with the WB pirates in the next two chapters as well, I just had to cut this one off. Enjoy!

Fokko-chan: Indeed *narrows eyes* Here's an update!

Diclonious57: Compared to many people on this site my writing is crap :P But I'm glad you like it ^^

angelrider13: And this one was even longer! *dances* But probably less amazing. Well at least you didn't get attacked by rabbid deer :P I'm glad it satisfied you! I was worried it was overly mushy =_=; Ah I know how that feels. I feel that way every time I write a chapter of Skip :P Guess we just gotta do it so we can get to the more interesting stuff, eh? I will! You too~

99 luffy: Really? Awe thanks, glad you liked it ^^ I personally thought this story was more fun at the beginning when Ace didn't know wha tthe hell was going on *evil grin* Now he's just being annoyingly adorable =_=;

Remnant of Life: I'm glad you did :D Yeah... If Marco tried something again Ace would probably try (and fail) to kill him. The pineapple jokes will abound whenever those two are in a room together XD Well now you know both ;) Though there will be more interaction with the WB pirates the next two chapters. And a drunk Luffy! *cough* I didn't say that.

spoons-are-evil: And another one this chapter! XD Yes, I love that nickname too :) Yeah, I kinda laughed a bit when I wrote that. I was just like "that's so Luffy and yet...not". Yep Luffy's childish and Ace is an ass for insinuating that his brother doesn't know how to think :P Glad people like the hug, I was worried it was too over-the-top.

Son Goshen: That's the point ;) I think having him not believe it in the beginning made the end bit sweeter. And more realistic since most people would never people some little kid was their dead friend. Yep, this Ace is overly adorable because he's anti-social yet protecting of his big-little brother XD Too cute e_e; Maybe I should do something about that... Hehe I was uploading fast and then I got lazy because I was catching up in Kill the Rabbit... But now I'm back! For now. I need to find more good OP fics...

SioQu: Sorry, this one did ^^; Unintentionally though! It was going to be too long so I cut it... I'd LIKE to get the bonus chapter done and upload it for the 300 reviews but I haven't started on it hehehe... I'm going to tomorrow though! After my homework. It'll be a fun bonus chapter~ Though the one with Sabo after the epiloque is going to be my favourite to right *evil grin* And long as hell. Going to blow this chapter out of the water. Well I doubt this cliffy will kill you. I mean it's JUST Ace calling Whitebeard Oyaji like he used to...

Opinionated Asmodeus: Bleh Skip is the most uncreative story I've ever written :P I seriously don't know why you people read it. Glad you liked!

OnePieceLover101: Glad you enjoyed it! Here's an update!

Cyborgnetics: Again, happy belated brithday ^^ Well yes, something IS going to mess with the tranquility soon. Well, sort of. You'll see what I mean and you'll all probably hate me for it. Lotsa angst.

Kitsune Foxfire: He really is! XD I'm happy you enjoyed it. I thought the last scene was a bit over-the-top but people said they liked it in their reviews so I'm satisfied :)

MysteriousEyez: Yep. Can't let you guys think I'll give you lots of chapters that end nicely, can I? Ha! Joke's on you - my throne is made of tacks to begin with! Oh yes. I was tempted to have it escalate and have Ace try to burn Marco and quickly learn that he could regenerate but... I thought it would take too long to patch things up. Nah, I don't think Marco's violent enough to hit Luffy again. He's a pirate, but a sensible one. Actually remember where Luffy stole Ace's food because he was spacing out? That was him contemplating Marco because he felt like he knew him but was mad that he hit Luffy XD Don't think many people caught that. You'll see Luffy's grief hit really bad next chapter. Really bad.

Stelra Etnae: Glad you like!

Neko-VongolaPrimo: Nope ;) And thank you! We're so close to 300 ;_; I'm so proud of this story! Yep, he lost them all around the same time so I figured his reaction would be more bitter than everyone else.

sammycircle: I'm happy you did ^^ It was a fun scene to write. For plot's sake, he can't join the WB pirates, sadly. I've been so tempted though...!

alana chantelune: Glad you liked it!

XxSaorixX: Awe you cried? XD You're the second person who said that! I will be writing them ^^ Starting next chapter though.

RexLink: And this chapter was even longer! :D Hope you enjoy~

ASLfangirl: I don't know why people say they almost cry with this fic, I mean it's the most feel good story I have XD Of course, that's not going to last... Meh, whatever. As you can see, they are, indeen, currently visiting the graves :) Omakes start next chapter!

Adrian662: Thank you! I'm happy you think that ^^

Natylol: Glad you like it!

AkaNeko-san: Yep, he does. Isn't it horrible? ;_; Not to mention all of the others who died at Marineford. If Ace used Hiken he probably would have been shitting bricks XD Feel better~ I'll get started on the bonus chapter tomorrow after my homework and before I hang out with my friend and it'll be uploaded either when we reach 300 reviews or when we reach 350 review, depending on how long it takes me to finish. It's going to be the longest bonus chapter thus far so I probably won't finish it in time for 300, but I can still try! We're so close ;_;

(And that, my lovelies, is that. It is 5:09am where I am and so I'm going to go to slee-who am I kidding? I'll stay up another 20min doing something pointless and then go to bed. It took me a whole hour to proofread this and reply to all of your reviews. Wow, I'm slow. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this. Remember that the bonus will be posted at either 300 reviews or 350 depending on how long it takes me to finish since it's long. I love you all and would appreciate any feedback you're willing to give. Adieu~)