"King of the pirates?" Luffy cried. "I'm – I'm too weak!"

Annagi held him tighter. He lost Ace too. She would have to take care of Luffy in Ace's place. I promise you, Ace!

Luffy broke away from her, returning to his punching rocks. He reiterated that he was weak.

Jinbe tried to reason with him, but he just told him to go away. Luffy wanted to be left alone.

"I can't see you like this." Jinbe told him.

"It's my body; I'll do what I like with it!" Luffy retorted.

"Then you can't blame Ace for doing what he did." Jinbe's logic was solid.

Annagi realized that it was true. Ace did what he wanted. He died on his own terms. That man always had this horrible habit of never backing down when it came to those he loved. He'd never let anyone say a bad word about the ones he cared about.

Jinbe continued to say that Ace's death was none of Luffy's business, rightly making the young pirate angry. "I'll beat you, you bastard, if you say another word!"

Jinbe seemed to understand more than Annagi did. "If that makes you happy."

The two started fighting. Annagi couldn't bear to watch. They were both so terribly injured. Jinbe was straightforward. He told Luffy that he thought he'd be able to save Ace, that he was strong. He didn't think about how strong his enemies would be or how they would take away his confidence. Jinbe knew that Ace was Luffy's guide and that he would take down all that blocked his way.

"You'll never find your way like this, because you're mired with guilt and regret!" Jinbe seemed to be speaking daggers into both of them. Though he was speaking to Luffy, it resonated with Annagi as well. "I know it's painful now, but you have to bottle up those feelings! Don't just think about the ones you've lost. You can't get back what you've lost. What is it that you still have?"

What is it that I still have? Annagi questioned herself. She couldn't think of one thing. I have nothing. Ace was my only family. You left me with nothing, Ace! You gave me my freedom, only to take it away again…

Luffy gave up fighting. He knew what he still had. "I still have my friends! Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Sanji! Chopper! Robin! Franky! Brook! They're my friends!" He calmed down. "I have to meet them on the ship! It took awhile, but I know they're waiting for me! I want to see them now… I want to see them!"

Annagi had never felt such distance between two people as she felt with her and Luffy in that moment. They both lost someone so dear, but he had other dear friends to rely on. Ace had told her about them, when he saw Luffy a few years ago. They were reliable and really cared for him, Ace told her. He was really happy to know that his brother would be fine without him.

Jinbe picked up Luffy and the three of them made their way back to camp. The tears that flowed before stopped. She walked as if she was only a body without a soul. Aimlessly following behind Jinbe as he talked with Luffy about not going back to Sabaody at the moment, she willed herself to pretend that she was fine. It shouldn't be hard, these people don't know me.

An old man was waiting for them, instead of Trafalgar Law and his crew. Apparently he was the Dark King Rayleigh. She looked him up and down silently. He was the vice captain to Roger and even in his old age, he didn't seem any weaker than the stories that were told about him. How scary, she thought.

Rayleigh returned Luffy's hat. Luffy seemed happy. It was as if he was a different person now. Is that what having friends does? Annagi remained silent. As she thought, Law had already left.

"Luffy, he said you need to stay in bed for two weeks," the man related what the doctor told him. He then turned toward Annagi. "As for you, though he doesn't know your name, he said that you shouldn't be overexerting yourself and that you need the same amount of rest. He said that you'll endanger your child."

Luffy gaped at the girl, as if he finally took notice of her. "Child? Eh? Who are you again?"

Annagi fists tightened; Ace's blood stained ribbons were still wrapped around her hands. When she found out that Luffy was in a vastly different position in grief, she wanted to be left alone. She didn't want to take care of anyone that didn't need it, especially when she needed to pull herself together again. There was no time to think about what she was going to do during that battle, reality crashed down upon her. The world still went on. Ace was gone, but the world was still moving forward. How cruel.

"She's Ace's –" Jinbe started to answer.

"Former vice-captain of the Spade Pirates, Aruna D. Annagi. I left when they joined Whitebeard. I couldn't let my idiot captain die, so I ended up at Marineford." Annagi answered without an iota of emotion. Holding in her pain was so hard, but she had to pull it off. "Now, Dark King, how do I get off this island?"

"And the baby?" Rayleigh pushed.

"None of your business."

"Ace –" Jinbe was not helping her cause. Annagi punched him, letting out a gasp of pain, as her fist connected.

Rayleigh smirked. "Roger's son left the same legacy. They both have the same tastes in women too, strong and strong willed."

Luffy stared intently at her stomach. "Ace's baby?"

Annagi ignored Luffy. She was really annoyed how quickly he moved on. "Can you tell me where I am? Any coordinates? Even a general location."

"I couldn't tell you really. Somewhere on the Calm Belt." Rayleigh answered. Clearly, he was lying. A legendary vice-captain would have no problem with direction.

At that moment, a group of women appeared, the pirate empress and her sisters as well as an older woman. They seemed to know Rayleigh, though Boa Hancock was in her own little world, obviously fawning over an oblivious Luffy. Annagi couldn't help but be a little jealous of her; after all, the man she loved was alive.

Luffy and Jinbe both started eating the food that was brought by the women. Annagi sat down as well. She took an apple from the pile and stared at it in her hand. Looking at it made her sick. The thought of food made her sick to her stomach. I don't need food to live. Ace, I want Ace.

Luffy stopped. "Ann, eat."

"Don't call me that." Annagi stared him down, aware that Hancock's eyes were shooting daggers at her. Ace was the only one called her by that name, or more truthfully, the only one she allowed to call her by that name.

"Ann is easier to say." Luffy grabbed a piece of meat from the pile and stuffed it in her face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Annagi managed to say, swallowing the last of the meat.

"He told me to look after you." Luffy said casually, resuming his own inhuman consumption of food.

"Right back at you." Annagi was shocked. He remembered what Ace told him. She was ashamed of trying to abandon him only a few moments before. Sorry, Ace. Your brother is a lot stronger than I am. I'll take care of him in your place. Forgive me, if I fall short at the start.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Rayleigh who called out to Luffy. "You're thinking about going to Sabaody, didn't you?

"I need to see my friends." Luffy answered.

Annagi decided that she would help Luffy do so. Apart from that, she hadn't the faintest clue of how Ace would want her to look after him. Reunited him with the people that Ace had faith in would be a start.

"Is that really what you want?" Rayleigh asked a little mysteriously. "Remember what happened at Sabaody? Do you think you can face those with tremendous power as you are now?"

Annagi thought about her own weakness. She couldn't save Ace. She didn't even fight during the battle. I was completely useless…

"But I –" Luffy was at a loss for words.

"Do you want to be reunited with your friends in order to endure the same fate?" Rayleigh continued. "Of course I have a suggestion. The choice is yours. It goes for you as well, Annagi." What he said next would shock everyone.

Boa Hancock looked at the man incredulously. "You know what he just went through! What's your intent with him? Depending on your answer, I won't forgive you!"

Jinbe stepped up with the same sentiments on behalf of both Luffy and Annagi. "How dare you say that, knowing what happened to them? You're harsh, aren't you?"

"That's why I said it was a suggestion." Rayleigh was ever calm amongst a hostile group of Luffy's comrades. "You two must decide what you want to do."

"I don't ever want to let my friends go through something like that again. If I do as you say, I can protect my friends?" Luffy asked seriously.

"I think it's worth trying. But you realize you'll have a lot to do."

"Okay. I've made up my mind. I'm going to go back to Marineford!"

Annagi trembled. Hearing the name of that god forsaken place had her tempers flared. Go back to where he died? She wondered if she could control herself in a marine haven, knowing what she knew, after seeing the hatred and corruption of such an evil establishment.

Rayleigh looked at her, surmising what she was thinking. "You don't have to go; it's more for Luffy contacting his crew."

Annagi scoffed at Rayleigh's remark, a little surprised at the strong façade she was about to portray. "And miss all the fun? Apparently my significant other left me with the task of keeping his dear little brother out of trouble. Waltzing into that place again sounds like a lot of trouble to me. Besides, I have a little business to take care of there as well."

What the hell did you just say? Her mind was made up despite those nagging thoughts of dissension. She needed to know what was happening in the world; how did the marines portray the war? How people were reacting to it? What would happen to the pirate era? Did Ace die in vain? What reason did Ace have to die? Marineford had to hold some answers. Annagi steeled herself for going back there. She would make a decision about what she'd do with her life when she got back from Marineford. Although it was clearly a method of prolonging acceptance of the death of her beloved, Annagi was not aware of it.