Annagi stepped onto the deck of Trafalgar Law's submarine carrying her son regretting asking her crew to shop for her clothing since she had no time for herself. More so, she regretted that her only stipulation was that everything they bought be black. The vice-captain had forgotten her crew was full of pirates with less than pure hearts and a love for annoying her; she had been around Luffy and his wonderful innocence toward women for too long. At least the low cut button up corset was convenient for breastfeeding and the wide, short ruffled bottom of the skirt made it easy to move in case of emergencies.

"Annagi," Law welcomed her, reclining on Bepo leisurely. He looked at her, his head cocked to the side as if he was examining her curiously. "Motherhood becomes you."

Annagi hid her angry embarrassment. Instead she gave him the most graceful curtsy she could manage with a baby in her arms. With a wry smile she answered, "Thank you, my lord Shichibukai, for your most gracious compliment. I suppose congratulations are in order."

Law arched an eyebrow, his crew looking on in apparent shock. Shachi and Penguin were both ogling Annagi, oblivious to the comment she just made and concentrated more on her bowing.

"How did you know? The announcement hasn't even been made yet." Law sat up as Annagi took a seat on the deck floors opposite him rocking Maximilian gently.

"You'd be surprised at what I know, Shichibukai Trafalgar Law." She emphasized his title with contempt. "I didn't take you for a dog at the beck and call of those monsters who claim the world as their own." Annagi purposefully ignored the weapons aimed at her for her insult of the captain of a very possessive crew and continued to stare lovingly at her son.

Law waved his hand wearily as his crew backed down. The corner of his mouth twitched as he feigned his usual calm smiling demeanor. "Pirates are motivated by self interest, girl. What better way to enter the New World than as a Shichibukai? One Piece will still be waiting for me when I get there. Those other idiots rushing forward will only defeat themselves."

Annagi scoffed at his answer. "What's the point of being a pirate if you're leashed?"

"What's the point of being a pirate if you're dead?"

"At least you lived free…" Annagi's voice was small and got smaller as she trailed off. Death made her think of Ace.

Law sighed as he took the baby from her. Bickering took too much energy. "Every time we meet, we fight. Let's call it a tie for today."

They made their way to his office and set the baby down on his operating table. Annagi carefully undressed Maximilian and placed a blanket underneath before laying him down.

"It feels like I'm always apologizing to you, Law," she commented as she watched the doctor examine her baby. "You could at least apologize for the fights once in awhile."

"You're always the one to start them." He didn't stop his examination as he was looking into the baby's ears.

"It's just nice to argue with someone on equal footing, I guess. Everything just goes over Luffy's head and my comrades treat me like a flower ever since Maximilian was born."

"That's a stupid reason." Law was always so blunt.

Annagi frowned. Though they always fought, she had brought Maximilian to Law several times over the few months since he was born. He was an excellent doctor and Maximilian never cried at his serious face. She would never admit that Law's idea about becoming a Shichibukai was the smartest move for going to the New World.

Changing the subject, she spoke lightly, "Maximilian really likes you. I'd think your scary face would have made him cry. You're really good with kids."

"Or maybe he's too scared to cry." Law smirked. "So are you going to tell me how you knew about my appointment?"

"I can't." Annagi replied as she began dressing her son. He was a little fussy. "If it was only up to me, I would tell you. Hell, I trust you with my child, I should be able to tell you, but it's not just me, Law. These wonderful friends of mine are putting themselves in danger and I cannot jeopardize that."

Her secret was a heavy one. It came as a surprise that people were asking to join them. Vengeance had grown beyond Annagi and the Spade Pirates. Ordinary people were doing whatever they could to help. They were either the people they saved themselves, or relatives of those they helped. The villages they protected during ongoing skirmishes would give them whatever little supplies they could. Whether it be hidden docks, or falsely leading Marines on goose chases, all the help they got bolstered themselves and gave the people something true to believe in. There were a select few that gained enough of Vengeance's trust to carry out noncombat missions, such as infiltrating the Marines as recruits or applying for jobs at Marineford so they could gather information without attracting attention. In the few short months, Vengeance has become a vast information network, spanning not just the Grand Line, but to the Four Seas as word and people traveled.

"I understand." Law watched Annagi put the baby down for a nap. "Everything is fine with your child. He's healthy and well enough now that the growing has normalized. You've been doing a good job. Now it's your turn."

Annagi lifted herself up onto the table as Law proceeded to give her a routine examination.

"I'm fine, Law. I don't really need this. I just needed to know if Maximilian would be fine for a change in environment and changing seasons."

"Just sit still." Law listened to her heart. "If you're not fine, he won't be fine. And yes, just make sure that he's dressed for whatever crazy island you'll be going to. Make sure he's not too hot or cold."

"Thanks," she said, hopping off the table after the examination. "You've been a lifesaver. If you ever need anything from me, just ask and I will do everything in my power to get it done."

"I'll hold you to that. For now, I need you or your 'friends' to not cause me any trouble." Law had already prepared medicines for Annagi to take ever since she had called to ask him about a change in environment and how it would affect the baby. "I've labeled everything here, but hopefully you won't need to use them."

"Neither I nor Vengeance will cause you any trouble, you have my word. I cannot thank you enough, Trafalgar Law." They were back up on deck. Annagi hugged him. She surprised herself.

Law froze, his arms moved mechanically to pat her back as his crew stared on. "Ah, just take care of yourself and Maximilian. It would waste all my time if you didn't."

"As you wish, my lord Shichibukai." She let go and gave another mock bow before leaving the ship before Law could give her a reply. Calling over her shoulder, "Take care of yourself too!"

"No." Rayleigh was seething. He had no knowledge that Annagi would even dream of continuing her training so soon after her giving birth. He expected that in a year at least, it would have been safe. "There is no way I can allow a baby to stay on this island. It's too dangerous. The climate changes weekly. The kid will get sick."

Annagi stared him down with equal ferocity. She was not about the squander the opportunity to train with one of the most powerful men she had ever had the pleasure to come across. There was no way she could give up learning and getting stronger, baby or no. "Look, our doctor says it's fine. If you're so worried about the winters, I'll take Maximilian somewhere else for the week. I'm doing this for him too. I have to get stronger. I have to protect him. I can't take the risk that he'll never be discovered. If they come for him, I have to be ready."

"Are you sure that you're not just using him as an excuse to train for your increasingly reckless exploits?" Rayleigh's stern eyes pierced into her core.

"They go hand in hand. I can't let him grow up in a world like this. I'm securing his future by my actions."

Rayleigh sighed, his huge shoulders sagging. "I can see you're not going to back down. Just don't push yourself too hard. Or else I'm not going to train you anymore."

Annagi nodded solemnly. "Understood. It's not like the guys let me do anything fun anymore anyways."

Before Rayleigh could say anything else, Luffy came bouncing in, with Maximilian in his arms. When she first arrived, Luffy just grabbed his nephew and went away to play.

"Max loves when we jump as high as we can!" The rubberman jumped high into the air, using the springiness of his legs to increase height as Maximilian giggled happily. Luffy would only ever call her son Max. He loved to simplify everyone's names, but she knew that would happen when she chose the name in the first place.

Annagi's heart jumped out of her throat. When Luffy landed, she snatched the baby from his arms and with her free hand, grabbed Luffy's ear.

"Ow! Let go, Ann! It hurts!" Luffy was led in front of one of the ruined buildings on the island that they restored in hopes of bringing Maximilian to the island. There was no way a baby could sleep under the stars like they did.

"Listen here, Monkey D. Luffy." Motherhood had made her scarier when she was angry. Her voice was sharper than the blades of her voulge. "If you do anything stupid with my child, I will gut you like a fish. Do you understand?"

Luffy laughed nervously. Making his voice as carefree as it could possibly sound in the moment he replied, "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. You're overreacting. I'd never let anything happen to Max. He's mine too."

Annagi frowned as she let him go. Luffy still claimed he would be responsible for Maximilian alone with her. No matter how many times she told him that he had no duty to care for him, Luffy brushed her aside and pushed that Maximilian was his kid too. She knew she should have stopped him when he first mentioned it. Now it was too late.

"I'm so glad that you're back for the rest of the time now!" Luffy changed the topic when she just stared at her baby silently, restraining himself from asking to hold Max again. "It was getting boring with just Ray, and now that Max is here everything will be more fun!"

"You know that it's not supposed to be fun. You're supposed to be getting stronger, so you can protect your crew, right?" Annagi was still a little peeved, though she began to realize that Luffy wouldn't do anything stupid and put 'his child' in danger. "I'm sure that they wouldn't be too happy if they hear you're goofing around."

"Nami would kill me!" Luffy exclaimed in horror. "But you won't tell her, will you?"

"Hmmm, I'll have to think about it." Luffy's face was so funny that she had to stifle a laugh. "Maybe if you're good, I won't tell her."

As the weeks passed, the four of them on the island got into a routine. Maximilian was never left alone. Annagi was surprised that Max never cried when left with Rayleigh. He was a bit scary looking for an old man, sometimes she was frightened by him. Most of her lessons now were in strength training and stamina improvement in order to augment her haki. Rayleigh had refined her crude use of Haki and she could use any two of the three types seamlessly and even change which two mid battle. Luffy on the other hand had the opposite problem; his inhuman strength and stamina did nothing to help him learn the basics. Most of the time he used Haki, it had been on instinct and though his training made him stronger, he couldn't rely on Haki when push came to shove.

Weeks turned into months. In the winter weeks, Annagi took Max to Fuusha Village for Dadan to babysit until the weather turned warm. Those weeks were torture for her to be away from her baby, but in those weeks she pushed herself harder than ever. Luffy was finally able to use Haki when he wanted to, thanks to the combined efforts of Rayleigh and Annagi. Rayleigh's brutal training combined with Annagi meditation tactics proved that something worked its way into Luffy's head.

Everyday was a brand new adventure as a mother. The makeshift family she had created for Ace's son had widened significantly, though at the center was herself and Luffy. They watched him sit up on his own. Luffy clapped and Max mimicked him. When he learned to crawl, the fun began. Maximilian was a bundle of energy, always on the move. Thankfully she had two other pairs of eyes to look out for him. The day he babbled the two syllables she had waited patiently to hear as she repeated them often brought her to happiness she had not known was possible. She could see the same in Luffy's eyes some time later, though she did not approve of her child calling him father. On the day Maximilian took his first shaky steps, it was Luffy that held both his hands as they walked toward her. She would not have traded any day for all the riches of the world. The days were hard, and more so on the nights she worked with Vengeance. There was always something to get done, whether it was looking after her child, going on little missions every so often, scanning through reports sent to her by the Spade pirates and their new members, or the hellish training regimen Rayleigh oversaw. When she was with her son, a calm joy filled her heart and all the tribulations she faced were nothing more than a long forgotten bad memory.

Annagi had finally gotten Maximilian to sleep. She smiled as she stared down at the face that resembled Ace's as time passed. It had been an especially long day. After training, she took her son to his father's grave. It had been a year since Ace died. The world had changed so much, but she was still the same. It was as if her pain was stuck in time and there could be no moving from it. Instead, she had gotten used to living with the hollowness inside her. The busyness of her life had aided her in her avoidance to move forward.

It was a rare moment that she had to herself. Annagi decided to leave the building they had renovated over the past months to bask in the cool night's air. Reclining on the ground, using a log as a pillow, she looked up at the stars. In the small of night, everything was so quiet; her thoughts were her only companions.

"Couldn't sleep?" Luffy's voice sounded so loud in the silence, though he had almost whispered.

Annagi made a noncommittal sound to acknowledge his presence as he lay next to her, watching the stars.

"I wonder if my friends are looking up at these same stars now," he said wistfully. "We might be apart, but the sky is everywhere."

"I'm sure they are," she replied reassuringly. She knew he missed his crew and couldn't wait to see them again; a part of him was worried. There wasn't a day that he didn't talk about them. Whenever he did, she felt her loss of her best friend. Ace wasn't looking at those stars. "They're your friends, I'm sure they're fine."

They lay in silence.

"Ann, you shouldn't pretend." Luffy's voice broke the silence. It sounded sad and hurt.

Annagi's eyes widened. His comment came out of nowhere. "What are you talking about? What am I pretending?"

"To be happy."

"I've never pretended to be happy. If I seem happy it's because I am!"

"The only time you're actually happy is when you look at Max. When you train, you're focused. When you're with me and Ray, you put on this smile. I hate that smile. And when you come back from wherever you sneak off to some nights, you look so tired and broken. But when you think you're alone, you look…sad and I've seen you cry by yourself and I think that's how you feel all the time." Luffy was perceptive, though he never seemed to be. "Stop pretending. I promised him, I'd take care of you. So let me help you."

Annagi's tears flowed freely listening to Luffy. "He didn't want me to feel alone. He asked you to not make me feel alone. He asked me to keep you out of trouble. But I'm not alone anymore. I have my beautiful Maximilian. How can I be alone when I have him? So whatever obligation you have is negated. As for me, I don't think I could keep you out of trouble if I tried. And you're strong; you can handle anything they throw at you."

"So you'll break your promise, just to avoid moving forward? Is this what you do with his last wishes?"

"I'm not breaking my promise!" It came out as a harsh rasp. "He broke so many of his. And he'd come back with that stupid crooked grin on his face with a stupid excuse and an apology and I'd be ok with that." Before she knew it, everything she kept inside flooded out. "But he's not coming back! There won't be any more stupid excuses with his stupid smile. He was my everything! When he was gone, I went through the motions. My world came alive only when he was there with me. You have so many friends who love you; you have something to look forward to! You get to be happy again with the people you love! Other people you love like you loved him… All he left me with is a child he's not here to see grow up, happy memories that cut like a knife, and a widow's black. I don't need anything else and I don't need anyone to save me, Luffy."

Luffy remained silent before speaking. "Ace and Sabo were my brothers. They both died and now I'm alone. My brothers are gone. It hurts, but you have to keep moving forward. I move forward for them. I'm the only one now who can make our dreams come true. Ace and Sabo wouldn't want me to live in sadness. They would beat the crap out of me if I acted like you. So I kept my promise to them, to set sail and I will become the Pirate King. I might not know Ace in the way you do, but I know Ace wouldn't want this. He never liked people pretending. If you feel sad, cry. If you're happy, smile. If you're angry, punch something. He was like that. And I'm like that too, so please don't pretend you're fine if you're not. I don't know why but it hurts me when you do."

They were sitting up now, face to face. Annagi's teary brown eyes were looking into Luffy's compassionate ones. He knew what she was going through; he understood her. He started to blur as tears clouded her vision, and the weight of everything was too much to bear. Without thought for propriety, the young woman moved towards him hugging him, letting all her pain out. Once she started, she couldn't stop. She had held it all in after determining that she would get revenge on every party guilty of her beloved's death. Every burden, every weakness, every pretention that she was fine, everything that weighed her heart down, left her. Annagi sobbed ceaselessly, her chin resting on Luffy's strong shoulders, glad that he couldn't see her face as she cried. Luffy put his arms around her and held her tightly. He felt her chest fall up and down as she wept as felt her warm breath and the wetness of her tears on his shoulder. He sat quietly as her soul was bared in the form of her tears too afraid to move or say anything afraid to break the strange magic of the moment.

Neither of them knew how long it lasted. It seemed as if time itself froze. Annagi's sobs quieted and eventually she loosened her arms from around Luffy, and quickly wiped her face with the hem of her dress. Turning to face him, her face was flushed and her eyes red, she couldn't look in his eyes. Embarrassed that she broke down and that he comforted her, she frantically tried to think of what to say.

Luffy smiled down at her warmly. "It feels so much better when you're honest with yourself, doesn't it?"

Annagi nodded. She still had no words.

"So you should be honest with yourself…and with me too. It's not just Max that you have now. I'll always be here for you. Ace is gone, but we're still here. Me and Max. And you know something; you couldn't get rid of us even if you tried."

She nodded again. Silent again, though she did feel better, as if a great weight was lifted and that it was the man in front of her that lifted it.

In that moment, there was a bond created that would never sever. When she bared her soul to the pirate, Luffy and Annagi created an unexplainable bond, unlike anything either of them had created before. Everything changed as the barrier between them vanished.