Author's Note - I am always open to suggestions of possible Devil's Fruit abilities, as well as canon One Piece characters to have appear in the story. There are many i already have plans for, but i am flexible.

Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece or any of the other fandoms from which names, places, abilities, or references are taken! Imaginary points to anyone who catches said references throughout the story and PM's them to me. Dunno if you'll get anything real, but i give sneak peaks and deleted scenes to my repeated reviewers, so it isn't unthinkable.

Chapter 05 - The Fourth Kind

"That's the last of them!" Roger tossed an arm over the railing. He wished more of the men had run. Not that he believed they deserved any mercy after putting a gun between Olivia's eyes, but because it had taken them till sunrise to clear the mess from the deck. He had to admit, their newly appointed first mate had certainly earned the title Reaper of Souls.

"Seriously Soul, how did you even get chunks up here?" Olivia raised an eyebrow as she disentangled a finger from a stretch of netting several meters over their heads. He shrugged and smiled up at her as he continued scrubbing the blood off the deck, carefully patching every deep gauge his scythe had left in the wood.

"Fighting with a scythe isn't an exact science! It's more like..." Soul tried to think of how to describe his style of fighting.

"Dancing. It looked like you were dancing with that thing." Kuina offered as she carried her own cloth and bucket to a patch of blood and began scrubbing. "It was actually sort of beautiful, in a traumatizing kind of way."

"I guess it is sort of like dancing. My scythe is more than a weapon. It's my partner. When you fight with a scythe, you have to give up on the typical notion of your weapon working for you. With a scythe, you have to learn to work with it. If you try to dominate it, or if you let it dominate you, it won't end well for anyone. It's a delicate balance. But when you manage it, there are few that can stand before you." Soul smiled as he smoothed over the last cut and stood up, looking around the deck.

"Lunch break, guys!" Ace leaped nimbly down to the deck from ten feet up the mast. He had just finished hanging their flag back in it's proper spot. The crew shouted their agreement, and the five pirates gathered in the kitchen as Roger set to work throwing ingredients together for their last meal on this island.

Soul laughed easily with these people now. It was surprising to everyone, but most of all to him, how much things had changed in such a short span of time The previous evening, he still just considered them his crew mates. He had a goal. He was a demon. Now? He was sitting among his nakama. He had a dream. He was a good man. He smiled without reservation now. He had been wrong, and he was glad he realized it before it was too late.

"Soul, how did you take our cuffs off?" Olivia asked as she ate.

"I just... did. I've never vanished something I wasn't touching before. I just acted on instinct, and it turned out alright. I'll have to practice with it. Speaking of new tricks, did you grab me mid jump?" Soul looked at the navigator, who grinned.

"Yeah, I was about to land there next to you, but I just sort of snatched you and you came with me. You didn't get sick this time either!" Kuina laughed.

"Hey, neither did I!" Roger exclaimed. "You guys must be getting better at controlling your abilities!"

"Of course they are! Every time we face a challenge, we'll grow stronger! When we reach Raftel, we'll be as strong as my father's crew!" Ace grinned as he looked around at his nakama.

"Stronger! We'll live on. Every last one of us! If the that means that the entire world will come down upon those we care about, then we'll just have to become strong enough to take on the world!" Kuina shouted. Her companions agreed immediately.

"Let the world just try and stop us!" Olivia grinned, plucking a slice of apple from Soul's fingers and eating it. He just laughed and picked up another, biting it before she could snatch it.

"Did you guys send those books off?" Roger asked the twins.

"Yeah! Hopefully we'll have a reply waiting for us when we reach Loguetown!" Kuina was excited to hear from her mother. Roger brought five large plates of food to the table, setting them out before his nakama.

"Dig in!" He dropped into the last empty seat and started on his immediately.

"Hey Ace, I checked the map's, and if we take a direct route, we'll pass right by the Baratie floating restaurant. We should stop there! They have the best food in East Blue!" Kuina ate quickly, ready to set sail and get some sleep.

"Sure. We'll have a proper feast before we reach the starting point!" Ace nodded. Roger agreed immediately.

"I might be able to get them to give me a few tips while I'm there!" The cook knew his cooking was no where near what the previous crew had been treated to.

"Roger, you could give them tips. Your food is great!" Olivia smiled at him, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Best thing I've eaten in ten years." Soul commented.

The five pirates continued to laugh and talk and eat together through the morning. A while later, Kuina set them on the course that would take them to their next destination, and they all went to rest after an eventful night.

Soul was the first one up, going out to the deck instead of the workshop. He sat on the railing, watching the waves roll by and enjoying the cool breeze. The sun was already on it's was down, and it would be sunset in only a few hours. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Salty water, and little flickers of scents from all across the sea.

He felt like a new man. How long had it been since he had dreamed? Not since his parents had died... Now things were different. He was done searching for blood. He would destroy that monster if it came after his nakama, but he would no longer hunt it mercilessly. He would no longer kill anyone who stood in his way of finding it. He had something better to live for than revenge.

After I met him, I just couldn't keep living like I had been. Something about him was so inspiring, I knew I had to change. He made me want to follow my dreams, not just orders. Soul smiled. That about summed it up. How was this man with a straw hat and a smile able to change me so much and so quickly?

"Hey Soul. What are you doing out here in the sunlight? I thought you lived in that cave of a workshop." Ace laughed as he came to stand next to the man. Soul gave him a light shove but laughed with him. He couldn't deny, he rarely came out unless it was to spar or eat for the past few weeks.

"Why did you make me your first mate? You know Kuina or Roger would have been the normal choices. I just barely got my priorities in order. How do you know you can trust me not to go back to how I was?" Soul leaned back on the railing and waited for his captain to answer.

"I just know. And why would I pick the 'normal choices' when I can pick the best choice? I've known you were going to be my first mate since you trusted me on the island of Sea Kings." Ace grinned. "I didn't expect it to happen this soon though. I guess it is a good thing those guys attacked in the night."

"I don't think I'll ever understand you." Soul shook his head. He didn't doubt the man's words at all. If he said he had planned for this from the very start, then it was true. "Is that part of your haki?"

"No. That is part of my will. My father's will. My mother called id the Will of D. That's just another mystery I plan to solve out here." Ace seemed lost in thought. Soul rolled that new bit of information around in his head. He had never considered the significance of that letter before.

"We'll solve it together." Soul grinned. "I'm in this to the very end now. You can count on me."

"I know I can. Go wake up the others, I'm hungry." Ace walked toward the figurehead. "And keep practicing with your power. I'm sure you'll find more uses for it than you could ever imagine."

Soul nodded. No doubt the man would prove to be right once again. He began thinking about the possibilities as he walked toward the cabins to awaken his friends.

"There it is! The Baratie!" Roger was grinning with excitement as he pointed to the floating restaurant. Kuina checked her map and compass and nodded in agreement.

"That's definitely it! Captain! Want us to stop here and dock with the smaller boat?" Kuina called out.

"No, get a little closer. If something goes wrong, I want us to be able to get back to the ship quickly. And leave the flag up this time! No more hiding who we are. This is a pirate run restaurant after all!" Ace shouted from the figurehead where he stood, one hand on his hat.

They brought the ship in close, leaving only enough room for other ships to get around. Soul dropped the anchor while the twins prepared to lower the boat. Roger and Ace tied up the sails, then joined the others on the deck.

The restaurant was far more classy than they had expected. They took a seat at a larger table near the door, out of the way and ready to make an exit if things got out of hand. They were greeted by an enormous man with a mustaches tied in two long branches.

"Good afternoon! My name is Zeff. I am the owner and head chef. I couldn't help but notice your flag. We happen to have a special guest here today, who has volunteered to both cook and serve your meal. He will be out shortly to meet you and take your orders. He asked me to give you these menus." The large man handed them five folded pamphlets, then bowed and walked back toward the stairs that presumably led up to the kitchen.

"It must be someone who knew the old Straw Hat crew!" Ace said quietly.

"I wonder who it is... I hope they aren't planning to poison us." Olivia looked a little nervous. Her sister looked toward the stairs with new concern.

"If they were going to poison us, they would find a subtler way of doing it than having the owner introduce himself to us." Ace looked confident that they would be fine. Soul shrugged. He decided that was good enough for him. He'd decided to follow this man, so he would do so without hesitation for as long as he held his respect.

"Look at the things on the menu! They have everything! Some of these fish don't even come from here, they're from the other Blues!" Roger looked over their options.

"It all looks so good..." Olivia stared wide eyed at the pictures of exotic dishes.

"May I suggest number fourteen, my dear?" A man had appeared at their table, standing politely with a friendly smile on his face. He had blonde hair, and distinctly curly eyebrows. He was tall and thin, with black pants, shoes, and vest, and a striped black and red button up shirt beneath it. He had an unlit cigarette between his lips. "It was your mother's favorite."

"You know our mother?!" Kuina and Olivia immediately focused their attention on the handsome man before them.

"Yes, I knew her very well. As well as your father, and this young man's parents. I am Black Leg Sanji, former chef to the Straw Hat Pirates. It is an honor to meet you." He gave a quick bow, then let his smile widen. "You two are just as lovely as your mother. Are Nami and Robin doing well? I don't get to speak to them as often as I would like. I was lucky to be making a visit here when you showed up!"

"Our mother's are both doing fine, at least they were when we left." Kuina replied as she and her sister tried not to blush at the man's compliments. "Oh! I recognize you now! You have your hair shorter than in that photo!"

"I was told that our advertisement would attract more customers if they could see my entire face. Apparently it worked, because I had a hard time getting away for this trip. Not that I want to cross through Mariejois more often than necessary. Getting here is easy enough, but you just can't go the wrong way down reverse mountain. Current is too strong for anything short of a Coup De Burst to go against it." Sanji pulled a note pad from his vest pocket along with a pen. "So, are you ready to order?"

After Soul and Roger were introduced, the five pirates placed their orders, with a few suggestions from the blonde cook, then talked among themselves until Sanji returned with their food.

"I don't technically work here anymore, but they made an exception and allowed me to prepare the food myself. Don't worry about the bill, either. I just took it out of how much they owed me for my delivery. I make an annual trip and deliver salt from All Blue, as well as some fresh fish they couldn't catch elsewhere. You are the first customers of the year to have the extra selection. Some of those fish were still swimming in my aquarium when I arrived here this morning!" Sanji laughed.

"Are you going to go visit our parents before you go back?" Kuina asked between mouthfuls. It was so delicious it was hard to stop to talk.

"I think I will. I may take a little time off and visit everyone before I get back to work. The place can run itself for a while. Where are you all headed? I didn't push for answers when Nami sent me a request to stock your ship." Sanji sat with them.

"We're going to discover the secrets of the world. Where Devil's Fruits come from, the truth about the Will of D, the islands that can't be found by Log Pose. Everything." Ace explained as he ate.

"Definitely your father's son, huh? If anyone can do it, it'll be you. Be sure to come back and tell us all about your adventures when it's over though!" Sanji looked over the young captain and smiled fondly. "He'd be proud of you."

"Thank you. I hope I don't let him down." Ace took his hat off and looked it over. "I want to earn this hat."

"Follow your dream and protect your nakama with your very last breath, and even if you die tomorrow, a thousand miles from your goal, you will have earned that hat." Sanji laughed, thinking about his old captain. "And keep around someone who can sew, cause that thing is going to go through hell and worse before you're through!"

"It's hard to believe it has survived as long as it has... It's been owned by two Pirate Kings, and one of the Four Emperors. I wonder where it came from before Gold Roger wore it..." Ace stared at the tattered old hat.

"You know, I really don't know. I guess that is just one more mystery for you to solve!" Sanji turned to the twins. "It is a shame your father didn't live to meet you. He was a good man... We used to fight all the time. I never imagined I would actually miss him."

"We miss him, and we never even met him. Oh, thank you for the fruit you sent us to start out journey! It's saved our skins more than once already!" Olivia smiled at the blonde cook.

"Really? What ability did you get?" He sat up, curious.

"We can jump from place to place in an instant." Kuina tossed a napkin into the air, and without a word, she and her sister swapped seats with a small breeze. Olivia caught the napkin. Sanji blinked.

"That isn't possible. Two people can't have the same power. That isn't how they work!" Sanji gaped at them.

"Well, we were hoping you would have an answer to that, since you sent us the fruit, but I guess we'll have to wait and ask Brook. We cut it using the sword he sent us. Where did you get the fruit?" Ace asked.

"It came into the restaurant in a shipment of fruit. I think someone with an ability must have died and it was the nearest available host. But I've never heard of such an ability before. I really don't know how this happened." Sanji shrugged. "It is a difficult thing to track. If you discover the origins of the fruit, that may lead to an answer though."

"Maybe. We'll see. It may have nothing to do with the fruit at all though. We'll look into all the possibilities." Ace finished his meal and leaned back slightly, thinking about how to go about his search.

"I should get back to business. I hope I see you all again. I'll be sure to tell your parents you are making progress when I see them! Good luck on your adventures!" Sanji stood up and waved to them as he walked toward the stairs. "And when you get to Raftel, feel free to take a left across the calm belt and visit my restaurant. I'll give you a feast you won't forget!"

"We'll be looking forward to it!" Roger called after the chef.

"Hey Soul, if one Sea King eats another, do you think any abilities that the victim had would transfer?" Ace asked the shipwright.

"Yes, I think that is definitely possible, what are you getting at?" Soul asked, setting down his fork and looking at his captain fully.

"Well, lets say that is how Devil's Fruit abilities got spread so far across the world. They stay underwater for generations of Sea Kings, then every once in a while, one will die without being eaten, and the ability will transfer to a fruit host on the surface. That would explain why there are so many on the Grand Line. It is one of the only places where Sea Kings are commonly killed be humans. That might be how we can track down where they came from!" Ace was grinning now, looking at his crew happily.

"So... Sea Kings both gain and lose their abilities most commonly on the Grand Line... so if we track where people get their powers besides the Grand Line, we may find the origin. That is a good plan, captain." Kuina smiled. They had an idea of how to proceed now. That was all they needed.

"By the time we get to the end of the Grand Line, we should have enough information to know where to look first! Also, if we are hunting down people with abilities, maybe the creature that killed Soul's parents is as well. It may let us kill two birds with one stone." Roger suggested. Soul smiled slightly. They still cared about his old goal. There was a chance he could stay with them and still achieve it.

"That book that you sent back to your mother. It told about three locations with special rituals. I was investigating the first, because it was one I had heard stories about as a child, but there are two others. Kuina, do you have a map on you?" Soul asked the navigator. She pulled out a roll of paper and put it in his hand. He rolled it out and pointed to three spots. "That is the one I was at. This one is closest, in West Blue. This third one is the problem. It is located on the Red Line."

"How can that be? No one can even get on the Red Line. It's 10,000 meters high!" Roger stared at the continent on the map.

"I have no idea. There could be entire cities up there that we know nothing about, living free of the government's control. The World Government says it is uninhabited, but they aren't really the most reliable bunch. If we find a way, we should go see for ourselves." Soul looked to his captain. Ace nodded.

"Of course. After we reach Raftel, we'll find a way to travel the Red Line. Who knows. The answers to all our questions may be hiding up there, out of sight." Ace stood up and stretched. "Let's get going. We can make a good start before nightfall. We're only a week out now."

"Alright. Liv and I can jump to the ship and start getting ready while you guys bring the boat back." Kuina and her twin vanished at their captain's nod. The rest of the group stood and followed their captain out the doors of the restaurant.

They were becoming proficient at setting sail, and it took them only a few minutes to be on their way. When they looked back, Sanji was standing on the deck of the Baratie with his back facing them, his head bowed, and his left arm held into the air with the sleeve rolled up. Kuina looked through the binoculars and saw a black "X" drawn on his forearm.

Kuina, Olivia, and Ace explained the significance of this mark to Soul and Roger. They had all heard the story from their mothers, and the special significance it held to the cook. Ace decided then that they would adopt the mark as well, so that next time they parted ways with a friend, they could offer the same salute.

Ace spent the evening in his favorite spot, sitting atop the roaring head of the dragon, his back leaned against a spike, watching the waves and clouds pass by. He was deep in thought, contemplating all he knew about the Devil's Fruit. He had looked at the map were Soul said the sacrifices were made, but something still didn't quite seem right.

The way they were spaced seemed too uniform to be natural, but too broken to be complete. If there were a fourth location... He jumped down to the deck and went to find one of his navigator's maps. He put his fingers on the three known locations, and stared at the paper intently. He finally grinned and pointed to a spot on the Grand Line. There.

When he showed his theory to Kuina she told him it was about the same distance from the other three places, which were each about that same distance from each other, but she couldn't see any significance to that. Roger and Olivia were equally lost.

Soul, however, matched his captain's grin.

"There are four types of abilities, not just three." Soul looked to his captain for confirmation.

"That is what I'm thinking. Most Devil's Fruit abilities are Paramecia type. Those would be the ones from the Grand Line, where they were then scattered far and wide. Next most common is Zoan, which I think must be from East Blue, because that would explain why they thought they could get dragons by giving abilities to Sea Kings. Logia types are the rarest, and I think they were from the place in West Blue. That means there must be a fourth type of Devil's Fruit from the Red Line that almost no one has ever seen before. I think that is what the twins have." Ace explained. His crew began to smile in understanding.

"That would mean someone with an ability on the Red Line must have died while Sanji's delivery ship was nearby. So there must be people living up there!" Roger laughed and looked back at the map. "It's between East Blue and North Blue, so it makes sense... I think we may really be onto it!"

"Kuina, Soul, can you determine exactly where the Grand Line island is?" Ace looked to the navigator and first mate. They nodded together.

"Definitely. But that won't be the hard part. How are we going to get to it without a Log Pose that is set to it? I can't navigate us to a location in the water when we're in the Grand Line. At least not reliably. If we only sail at night, and there are no clouds, I could get us close, but it could take us ages, since we couldn't stay on course during the day." Kuina frowned at the map.

"Actually, I've got an idea for that... Do you have three Eternal Poses I could use?" Soul looked to the navigator. She nodded. "I'll have it done before we reach Loguetown!" The shipwright ran off to the workshop.

"I wonder what he is going to make..." Olivia watched him go.

"No idea, but I'm sure it will be like nothing we've ever seen." Roger turned back to the map. "Will we go to West Blue as well?"

"We want to go too. That is where our mother was born, and it is where Soul found that book. I think it is the same island... Ohara." Olivia looked at her sister, then to their captain. He nodded.

"We'll travel the Grand Line, then cross the Calm Belt into West Blue. After that, we'll work out a way to explore the Red Line!" Ace looked around the group. There were no complaints. "Kuina! Go get those Eternal Poses for Soul, then meet me in the map room."

The crew dispersed again, Olivia setting up an old deck chair in the sun and stretching out for a nap, while Roger climbed up to the crow's nest, going through the various stretches and exercises he had learned from Ace. Ace waited in the map room for his navigator, then discussed what course they should start on when they entered the Grand Line.

Meanwhile, below the deck, Soul worked intently on his project. He knew the basic principal should work, but he wasn't sure if he could bring it to life the way he envisioned. He tried several different designs, rejecting one after another. He thanked Olivia when she brought him dinner, but barely touched it as he continued working.

It was nearly sunrise when he sat back with a smile and looked at his creation. It was far from complete, but he had the internal mechanism working to his satisfaction. The next step would just be time consuming. He couldn't wait to show the finished project to his nakama.

The crew's curiosity was building, day after day. Soul would appear on deck from sparring, take a meal back to the workshop, then spend hours on end with the door shut. They could easily have gone in, but Ace ordered them to wait for Soul to present his creation to them. Even Ace was tempted to send one of the twins in to spy on his shipwright when Soul began taking maps into the workshop, one at a time, and returning them for another every hour or so.

They were only a day out from Loguetown when Soul greeted them on the deck at sunrise, exhausted, but proud. He led them to the map room, where they found a new table set up in the middle of the room. It had a hinged clear top, and a heavy wooden frame. Beneath the top, their was a perfectly recreated map of the Grand Line, and part of the surrounding ocean. They watched in fascination as a small model of their ship moved on three crossed wires toward an island labeled Loguetown.

"Soul... What is this?" Kuina was amazed, looking over the intricate and artistic detail the man had put into the recreation of her mother's map.

"I call it the Grand Pose System. G.P.S. for short. It uses three Eternal Poses to triangulate our exact position and direction. It will remain accurate within the area shown, and when we go beyond that, we simply flip the board beneath the top, and we're set up for the New World. The way the system works will only let us work on half the world at once, but it is just a minor inconvenience." The shipwright lifted the top and demonstrated the layered system, partially flipping the board to show them the rest of the map on the back.

"This is incredible..." Olivia came closer to inspect the model ship. "What is this ring around us?"

"That is the distance we can see from the Crow's nest. We can use that as a reference to narrow down our search, if we are trying to search a large area. We can modify the map at any time, and we can even use this special marker to temporarily mark on the top, to plot out courses!" Soul looked like a small child who had just completed a masterpiece. His nakama couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"We're the first crew in history with the ability to navigate the Grand Line reliably without waiting for a Log Pose to set... Soul this is brilliant!" Ace shouted happily. Roger nodded his agreement.

"You know, after we have explored the world, you could sell this design and make a thousand times more than we'll find at Raftel. The Government would give you your own ocean for this." The cook laughed.

"No way. I'm not letting the government get their hands on this! I'm going to deliver this design personally to Franky. He is the genius who made this miracle of a ship." Soul patted his table and then yawned, nearly falling over. "I need to get some sleep. Wake me up before we land." With that, the shipwright and inventor left the rest of the crew to admire his work as he went to find his bed for the first time in nearly a week.

"You can't be serious." Kuina stared at the shipwright.

"I am. They have to have them here. I only need a few." Soul stared right back, not giving in.

"That is morbid. I'm not having any part in this." The navigator crossed her arms and glared at him.

"It isn't morbid, that's the only way to know for sure!" Soul glared at her.

"It is gross! Why don't you go do it?" She raised an eyebrow.

"My fingers are too big! It's not like they have teeth or anything!" He sighed. This wasn't going anywhere fast.

"Use a stick or something!" She waved her arms in exasperation.

"A stick can't feel the other end!" Soul growled at her.

"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Roger stepped out of the kitchen and looked up at the two pirates arguing right over his head on the upper deck.

"This... lunatic! He wants me to go sticking my fingers down the throats of all the Den Den Mushi I can find for sale to see if I can find any linked pairs so he can get more Transmission Dials!" Kuina turns to the cook for help.

"The only way to know for sure is if your finger comes out the other end! If you use a stick, you could end up just stabbing the things insides, and she's the one calling me morbid!" Soul gestured at the navigator in irritation.

"Couldn't you just pour some water in one and see if it comes out of another?" Roger asked. Soul dropped his arms and thought a moment. He looked at Kuina and grinned sheepishly, then walked away.

"Thanks Roger." She jumped to the lower deck and walked into the kitchen where her sister had been keeping the cook company. "Hey Liv. Did you find anything important about this place?"

"No... The logs Nami kept end at the execution, and don't tell much else about the town. I found some old historical records in the library, but nothing current or helpful. We'll have to just go in and see what happens. It's more fun that way anyway." Olivia smiled as she closed the book she had been flipping through.

"Ace will be happy to hear that. Lets hope Soul doesn't get his finger bitten by a snail while we're not looking though." Kuina sighed. Her sister laughed.

"He's right about them not having teeth, you know." Roger sat two plates down in front of them, then took two more out to the deck for Ace and Soul. He returned after a moment and dipped his own, sitting between the twins. "I wonder what he plans to do with more of those. I can imagine a ton of things, so I know he can think of ten times as many."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the ship fly, or something." Olivia smiled, no doubt thinking about how nice it would be to sleep on a flying ship.

"We'll just have to wait and see, as always. He likes to keep us guessing until he's finished. That G.P.S. thing is amazing though, so I guess it is worth the wait." Kuina stabbed her food a little harder than necessary, still irritated with the shipwright.

"Lighten up, Sis. Just imagine all the weird looks he is going to get when he is pouring water into Den Den Mushi's all across town!" Olivia laughed. "It'll be even more of a surprise for anyone who owns the partner."

"That's just sick. They could be talking and then bleagh, their Den Den Mushi spews water all over them." Kuina giggles a little. It may be worth going with him just to see what would happen.

"Guys! Come on! It's time to go ashore!" Ace called from the deck. The three pirates left the kitchen and joined their captain. A few moments later, Soul came out of the workshop, a small bag over his shoulder. "Alright, this town has a lot of traffic by pirates and marines, so one of us will remain with the ship at all times. The others will stay in pairs. If anything goes wrong, meet back here. I'll take first watch!"

"I'll take second. It shouldn't take me long to get what I need." Soul volunteered.

"I'll go third. I'll be able to prepare dinner before you all get back." Roger said. Ace nodded to them all.

"Alright, that's everything! Remember, we may not reach another island for a couple of weeks, and it will be a rough ride getting into the Grand Line!" Ace waved off his crew and took his seat on the figurehead, watching the excited pirates split into pairs to explore the town.

Next chapter, the crew will face their first true battle, and we'll find out if i can write fight scenes worth anything!

Read and Review!