Author's Note - So, i wasn't planning to have this chapter done tonight, but it surprised me. It took a very different direction than i was expecting, but i am very happy with it, and hope you are too!

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 21 - Coming Full Circle

From what the Straw Hat Pirates learned, there was once only a single civilization on the Red Line, which had slowly broken apart and drifted farther and farther around the world's earthen belt. There were a few small lakes scattered around, and even a forest or two if you searched for them, but life up there was still difficult.

The original city had broken apart around 400 years ago, which Callan pointed out was the same time his island had been blasted into the sky. Ace felt sure it was the time the third brother had been overthrown by his elders.

The village was one of the more successful of its kind. They had taken up farming and fishing, and settled in an area with fertile soil. There borders expanded about once a generation, as the last refrained from having children when all the houses were full. The next generation would require a few more houses, and so they grew.

Ace felt his heart swell with pride to know that even the last two Pirate Kings had never come this far. He was the first pirate in a thousand years to see these lands. The people were amazed by the abilities of his crew. Although they had encountered a few people with the fourth kind of ability, they had never seen a logia, paramecia, or zoan user before.

"I know this place you are traveling to. That is where we all originated from. Takai Tokoro is the largest city above the ocean. It is on the far side of the Ice Land. You should not go there... They are dangerous people. They have many of these Devil's Fruit abilities that you have shown us, and they take prisoners as slaves. They became malicious and cruel when we broke apart, and the other villages do not stray near them. The Ice Lands stand between us and them on both sides. The villages on their side have all been destroyed..." The chief said.

"Why would they do that to their own people?" Ace asked.

"They're driven by some internal will to advance, and it twisted them. At first they were organized and ambitious, but any humanity that there used to be behind their desire has been crushed. They are animals, only with the minds and bodies of men, making them far more dangerous than either."

"I see... Have you ever heard the name Golasi?" Ace asked. The man raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"Of course! That is the name of the guardian deity of our people, at least once upon a time. The inhabitants of Takai Tokoro still has a statue dedicated to him, unless they have torn it down since the last reports came in." The chief said, accepting a plate of food from a child who was walking around the group, passing out meals to the guests.

"Can you tell me about him? At least what your legends say? Anything. What he looks like to what powers he has." The pirate captain was curious about the enemies he was on his way to face. Any information could save his crew.

"He's said to take the form of a skeletal man. Very corpse-like, but strong. He fought with powers like your crew. Abilities that changed him as he needed."

"Was there ever any mention of his brothers?" Ace asked.

"No... Not that I ever heard of. Why do you ask?"

"Because... There are actually four... And I have to destroy them before they tear our world apart. Golasi is the third brother. I was hoping you would know something about the first and second as well." Ace said. The man looked surprised, then saddened.

"Do you think that he is the reason for how those people became what they are now?"

"Yes... These beings have imposed their will on mankind for centuries... But it will be over soon. But we have to go to Takai Tokoro to destroy them." Ace explained. The chief nodded.

"Then I will help you in any way I can. Warm clothing is the very least we can do. Allow us to send some extra food with you as well."

"Thank you, but you must allow us to repay you in some way. Is there anything your people can not easily obtain here that would have value to you? We have gold, if that carries its value here as it does on the ocean." Ace bowed gratefully to the man.

"Gold is common here. It is typically thrown over the edge into the ocean when it is encountered, unless the minor who comes across it wishes to bring a pretty gift home to his family. One thing we have little of is knowledge of healing. Our medicine men can only do so much. If there is anything your doctor could teach us to care for our sick and injured, I would consider ourselves forever indebted to you." The chief replied, looking at the twins, unsure of which was which.

"Captain, I can meet with their medicine man and leave him notes on the most common treatments he would need. It is no problem for me." Olivia offered. Ace nodded, then smiled at the chief.

"This is agreeable. Olivia is one of the best, even on the ocean where the medical field seems to be constantly advancing. She has kept our crew in one piece through the trials of the Grand Line, which is a feat few other healers can claim." Ace was proud of his life long friend. She had grown up by his side, right there with Kuina, but she had always felt like a younger sister to him, rather than an accomplice. He would protect her with his life, just like her twin would. Then again, he would protect any of his nakama with his life.

"It is late. I am not as young as I used to be, and I need my rest. We can make arrangements for clothing and food for your crew in the morning. Good night, young pirate." The older man bid farewell to Ace, and then returned to his house. The crew was left to set up their camp at the edge of the village.

"Well, your girlfriend's safe. Hope you're happy, you made me miss the fun." Buggy growled as he landed on the deck of the Red Force and spoke to his old friend. "The marines didn't try anything. Don't know if word got out that I was there or if they learned from last time. She asked me to pass on her love, which you can consider passed. I am not hugging you."

"I appreciate it. Really, thank you. I couldn't abandon him like I did his father." Shanks said, patting the warlord's back and smiling. "It was a sight to see... Do you remember the last time we were here? He looked just like the captain did, facing down the world like it was what he was born for."

"I'll never forget that. Are the rumors true? Is Rayleigh really dead?" Buggy asked, genuine sadness marking his face. The two men had been friends and rivals and brothers since they were children, and the old man had been like a father to them while they sailed under Gol D. Roger.

"I don't know... Law believed so. Nathaniel had his Alliance Pose, and I don't think anyone could take that from him while he was alive to fight... He'd be 103 years old now, Buggy... Even for Rayleigh, that is getting too old to fight an emperor..." Shanks closed his eyes and leaned against the mast, clenching his one good fist. "I wish I could have been the one to bring Black Dragon down..."

"So, Luffy's crew really showed up and killed him... He should have thought what he was getting himself into, grave robbing on that island." Buggy said without pity. He agreed with the red haired emperor. He wished he could have ended the man's life himself for hurting Rayleigh.

"Yes, he had three abilities, but he had only mastered his zoan. The others were like a child wielding an ax made for giants. He never stood a chance against the crew of the second Pirate King." Shanks smiled. "I got to meet my son, too. You'd hate him. He's just like me."

"I thought that was him, back in East Blue. I ran across him when I was looking for you. He hadn't even been out to sea yet, and he was already willing to stand by that kid to the death. What is it about these fools wearing straw hats that make people follow them?" Buggy asked.

"One of the revolutionaries will explain it to you later... It is bad news, though... We're going to have to go to one last execution in Loguetown, I'm afraid." Shanks frowned and walked to his quarters, taking a seat and tossing a bottle of sake to the clown pirate.

"Seems like a big circle, doesn't it? Hat comes to a black haired kid with the middle initial D. The kid gathers a small crew of pirates based on gut feeling, and then does the impossible day after day until he becomes the Pirate King. Then the boy gives himself up and dies on a platform at the city of beginnings. And then the hat moves on, to raise and topple another king..." Buggy took a long drink and tossed his coat over the back of a chair before sitting down across the room from his friend.

"You've got that right... I don't think the hat should be passed on, this time. I don't want my grandson to end up being the next one executed, even if he goes to it willingly..." Shanks let his coat fall off his shoulders as well, then unhooked his sword, leaning it against the nearest wall. "I could never burn it... It reminds me of too many people I care about. But I could definitely leave it in the depths of Raftel and sail away. Or bury it with Ace."

"I think you'll have to wait for him to make that decision. He's not as reckless as his father or our captain was. He was taught strategy and he learned it well from what I hear. I have a feeling, whatever becomes of that hat, he'll have given it a fair bit of thought first." Buggy sighed and let his feet segment up to his shins, sliding out of his boots before reforming.

"How many pieces can you split into now? You seem to have fully mastered that ability." Shanks asked. Buggy glared at him.

"206, and that is 205 more than I ever should have been divided into! It is still your fault for sneaking up on me. I never would have eaten that thing otherwise." The warlord growled, then took another drink and shrugged. "Never would have become a warlord, survived Marineford, or been strong enough to gather a crew either, though. So thanks, I suppose."

"I'm sorry, once again, and you're welcome. Are you going to keep you alliance with Benn when I retire?" The red head asked, kicking his boots off and then kicking his feet up onto the desk he kept for the rare occasion of writing on a piece of paper.

"I don't know." Buggy shook his head and looked out the cabin window at the setting sun. "I'm getting too old for this myself. I'm surprised Beckman is agreeing to take over instead of retiring himself."

"He says he's going to find some strong young pirate, train him up, then step back down to first mate. He wants to die at sea, and he wants the Red Hair Pirates to live on past our generation, just like the Straw Hat's did." Shanks said. Buggy nodded in understanding.

"That kid has become like the captain. I symbol for what it means to be a truly great pirate. Even your own first mate wants to live up to that. The captain and Luffy each traveled the entire Grand Line in three years, and Ace manged it in less than two... There are pirates who have struggled to reach this place for decades and haven't succeeded. They're something else, the lot of them."

"East Blue is being called the Ocean of Kings, now. Big change from 'the weakest sea' not so long ago." Shanks laughed and took a drink from his own bottle. "North Blue used to be the strongest..."

"You know South Blue was better." Buggy grinned, one of their old arguments. North versus South. "And the South Pole is still colder, idiot."

"Nope. North. Always has been, always will be." Shanks grinned. Just like old times. He could almost imagine they were teenagers aboard the Oro Jackson and Rayleigh would kick down the door and beat them around the deck for leaving the kitchen a mess any minute. "Nostalgia is one of those plagues of old age, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Buggy pulled his hat off, letting his blue hair hang behind his chair and stretching, setting his half empty bottle on the floor. "They talk about your life flashing before your eyes when you're dying. Maybe it's like a slow version of that."

"It's not so bad, actually. Remembering... Lot of good memories." Shanks smiled. He could remember the first time he met the gorgeous East Blue girl, wiping tables at a bar not a month after the execution.

"Lot of bad ones, too." Buggy frowned. He'd lost sight of what he wanted to be for a while. He'd started treating his crew as disposable, and had only cared about his ambition. Then he'd met that rubber idiot and had his world put back in perspective. It wasn't until they met in Loguetown that he remembered why he'd become a pirate. Seeing the grin on his face as he brought that sword down... Even without the lightning, he wasn't sure if he could have continued his swing.

"Yeah, a lot of bad ones, too." The emperor closed his eyes and relaxed back in his chair. "We've come a long way, you and I. Think the captain would be proud of us?"

"Yeah. I think he would. You more than me. He'd have kicked my ass personally for the way I acted for a few years. But I think we've done well, even with that stupid hair of yours." Buggy grinned.

"You're one to talk, what with that infamous nose." Shanks blocked a kick from a severed foot and laughed. "Kidding, kidding."

"You know, I could have sworn Beckman was older than you, but it looks like you managed to catch up. Want to explain that to me?" Buggy asked seriously.

"Promise it won't leave this room?"

"Of course."

"We found what must have started the myths about the fountain of youth. The water slows down your aging, but I stopped drinking it over a year ago. I didn't want to outlive Makino. We're going to let it remain secret. Only half the crew drank it last time. Benn's going to stop when he's found a suitable new captain, and he's not going to pass on the location." Shanks explained. Buggy sighed, but nodded his agreement.

"I suppose that is what the captain would have done. Would have appreciated a few drinks of it myself, though."

"Sorry. You'd have been with us, if you'd joined me when I set out." Shanks said pointedly.

"You know I couldn't do that. I needed to do this for myself. To prove I was as much a pirate as you were. I'd have never been happy if I had never been captain. Although we should have made this alliance a long time ago." Buggy admitted.

"I did miss you, you know. Our fights were some of the most fun I had when we were young. Giving Rayleigh gray hairs, and getting under everyone's feet. Pranking the captain... We were a good team."

"Yeah... You were the brother I never had. Even if it was an obnoxious brother who made it a point to be a constant pain in my ass, a brother none the less." Buggy grinned. "We did some stupid crap, didn't we?"

"No one else in the world would have shaved the captain's mustache in his sleep." Shanks laughed at the memory. Roger had laughed when he found out, then had Rayleigh dangle them over the railing as they sailed through the calm belt. Even knowing he'd have killed any Sea King that came close enough to actually harm them, it had been a terrifying experience. They had settled for less lasting pranks after that.

"That resin we got in Skypiea that we used to glue Rayleigh's mouth shut! Most peaceful three days we ever got! Half the crew thanked us!" Buggy joined in his friend's laughter. "He sure made us regret that one..."

"Yeah, but it was still worth it. Of course, fair turn around, he glued our mouths shut for the next week." Shanks recalled. "Crocus told us to lick the stuff off until he figured out it was making us hallucinate. That was humiliating. Gaban laughed about that for months."

"What did you expect? We were trying to use sign language to tell them about the giant marshmallow men we were imagining attacking the ship. I'd have laughed at us too, if I hadn't been on the receiving end!" Buggy shook his head in shame at that memory. Not his proudest moment.

"I think that was some of the best teamwork we ever did, while we had our mouths glued shut. Seagull's hair never did grow back..." Shanks looked a little guilty.

"Good thing he had such a good sense of humor. If we did that to Rayleigh, we'd have been skinned alive!"

"I wonder what happened to him... I have kept my eyes open all these years, but only found a few of the old crew... Always worried the government had managed to track down and kill a lot of them and never publicized it. 800 years of absolute power, and then Roger comes along and turns their world on it's head, they came after him with a vengence..." Shanks sighed.

"A lot of good men died because of their 'absolute justice'... They killed the captain's sister in cold blood. She hadn't even seen her brother since he became a pirate. They killed her just because they shared blood. Shot themselves in the foot with that one though. Dragon gave them hell for decades after that stunt." Buggy said. He had met the terrifying man a few times. He was glad he had rarely been on the receiving end of that man's wrath.

"One man that I would have never messed with. Of course, they didn't know that back then, but I think if they could have seen the future, they would have just let him and his wife live out their lives in peace. I wonder what the world would be like if they had... Would Luffy have ever become a pirate, if he had both parents?" Shanks didn't know. He remembered the first time he had met Dragon. His crew was restocking at one of their territories in the New World, when a storm had rolled in out of nowhere. He'd gone back to the ship alone to make sure everything was locked down tight, to find a man in a dark cloak standing on his deck.

"Red Haired Shanks... So you're the man who inspired Luffy to become a pirate." The lightning had lit up the revolutionaries face, and to this day, Shanks would never forget feeling completely outclassed by the man renowned as the most dangerous and most wanted criminal in the world. The tattoo had still been on his face then, not the blonde kid's. With the pouring rain, the lighting, and the unflinching stare he had been fixed with, he had no doubt that even if he could match blades with Mihawk, or haki with Whitebeard, he was facing one man in the ocean who could tear him apart.

"I... Yes. I am." He wondered what the Revolutionary Dragon cared about something like that. "Why has that fact brought you here today?"

"Because he was nearly killed two days ago in Loguetown by one of your old crew mates." Dragon said calmly. "And then again by a marine with a logia ability."

"Nearly?" Shanks asked. He had a suspicion that it was Buggy who Dragon referred to.

"I intervened." Dragon did not elaborate, but Shanks imagined there were a few people in Loguetown who were still having trouble sleeping.

"I'm glad you did. The kid has so much potential... It'd be a shame for him to lose the chance to shine." The pirate smiled and was surprised to see Dragon smiled fondly as well.

"Very true. My son is going to shake the world, some day."

"Yeah he... Wait, your son? Luffy is your son?!" Shanks stared, wide eyed at the man who was now laughing. The proud smile turning into a terrifying grin as another flash of lightning cut the sky.

"Yes, but I would appreciate it if that remained quiet for now. Luffy is making a name for himself, he doesn't need mine getting in his way." Dragon said, turning away from the pirate. "I came here to thank you. I wasn't able to be there for him, but you inspired him to follow his heart. That is all I could have ever wished for him. Protect him, if you ever have the opportunity. There is greatness in him that I think this world needs to see, it will just take time to reveal itself."

"Of course. I'll do anything I can for him. The kid means a lot to me." Shanks watched the revolutionary wave goodbye then, walk away into the rain. He never saw where he went, but he could only assume his own ship had been nearby, hidden in the downpour.

"Hard to say. No use dwelling on what-ifs. That time has already passed. There is no devil's fruit to change the past. That power, thankfully, has never fallen into human hands." Buggy said. That would be a terrifying thought. Some power did not belong in the hands of men. Even the ambitious pirate knew that.

"From too much love of living, from hope and fear set free, we thank with great thanksgiving, whatever gods may be; that no man lives forever, that dead men rise up never, and even the longest river flows somewhere safe to sea." Shanks recited a line of a poem Rayleigh had once read aloud. There was great wisdom in that.

"Shanks, do you think either of us will be that strong? Strong enough to smile when death comes for us... Like the captain did..."

"I don't know... I like to think so, but then, I guess we won't know until that time comes. Not for sure, anyway. It takes a special kind of man to smile in the face of death. A kind of strength that can't be measured against others like the strength of haki, or the strength of a sword. Whitebeard didn't smile when he died, but the captain's lover did. It's hard to see when someone has that kind of strength."

"The Will of D. I should have seen it as soon as Luffy introduced himself the first time. Bells should have gone off in my head, and I should have stepped aside right then and there, but my head was pretty far up my own rear at the time." Buggy said.

"Never thought I would get to hear you admit to that. Although, I didn't see it then either. I knew he reminded me of the captain, but I didn't notice the D until later. Seems like the most important letter in the world now. The government trembles at the slightest mention... A single letter, able to liberate countries, topple tyrants, scatter pirates, start revolutions... It's terrifying, in a way. It's as bad as that hat." Shanks took another long drink, finishing his bottle.

"Connected to that hat, I would bet." Buggy picked up and drained his own bottle of sake, then stood and stretched, offering a hand to his old friend. Shanks took it and righted himself, then stood, looking at the blue haired man for a moment.

"Right, as usual. Good night, Buggy. We need to do this more often, once we retire. Having a nakama to share a drink with will be good for both of us."

"Yeah, I think it will. Good night, Shanks." The warlord picked up his coat and hat, using his ability to slide back into his boots, then left the cabin feeling happier than he had in years. Even if they fought constantly, there had been few better friends on these seas that the two pirates.

The tall man stood silently in the silent halls of Raftel, one hand resting on the pillar of stone marked with the straw hat. Tears flowed down his cheeks silently as he smiled. It hurt, worse than the execution had, to hear his voice as if he were standing right next to him. He'd spoken to him in the months after her became Pirate King, but never had Luffy spoken to him as his father. Not until now.

"Dad... Thank you. You may not think so, but the life I lived is thanks to you. I have nakama who mean the world to me, and I have the strength to protect them now. I even fell in love. She knows what's coming... I couldn't lie to her. But she's strong. She might not be able to beat as many marines as me, but she's strong in a different way. The way that lets us smile in the face of death. Maybe she was a D before she lost her parents. She's amazing, and I hope you get to know her someday. Take care of her for me. I won't be able to... Not for as long as I should. But I hope to leave her safe. I've been proud of you since I found out who you were, you know. You saved Sabo! He got to have a father, and I got to have an adventure. I don't regret anything, and neither should you. I... I wish I could hear you through this, but it is one way... I don't really understand. It's easier to just do than to think about it too hard. I have to go... I love you, Dad."

The stone would not speak to him again. Whatever magic or angel or mystery of the Grand Line had allowed the message to transcend time had only been meant to work once. The retired revolutionary wiped his eyes and turned to leave the cave when he came face to face with a large man.

"Father... What are you doing here? I thought Coby and Helmeppo were going to return you to your home..." Dragon looked away from the old man, not willing to be seen as less than the fearsom revolutionary he had been when he challenged the marines Garp had served.

"Same as you, Son. I wanted to see what it was that drew him here... Both of them, although I only met little Ace once. You didn't show yourself that day..." Garp stepped forward, looking at the stone pillar warily. "I heard his voice... Was it... Really him?"

"Yes... It was. And I'm sorry. I couldn't face you. I was still angry. I had left my son in your care, and he had died. I know I should never have blamed you, but I did. Not anymore, though. Thank you, for giving him the strength to do what he did. And for keeping him safe until he could defend himself." Dragon said quietly. It was hard, but he still knew his father was a good man, despite who he had chosen to ally himself with.

"I thought of you, when I left the marines. I wondered if that would magically bring our family back together, but I guess that was the foolish wish of an old man... My wife was killed by pirates, and I became a marine. Your wife was killed by marines, and you became a revolutionary. I lost my own son to conflicting world views, and ended up raising your son and the son of my enemy, only to watch them both die... I am tired of being on opposing sides, never able to stand with my family." Garp stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his son, holding him close, and trying to believe for just a moment that he would never have to let go.

After a few moments, Dragon returned the embrace. He felt his tears stinging his eyes again and shivered. It had been so many years since he had the simple pleasure of hugging someone he cared about. His own father... He had not even been a teenager the last time he had been in these arms.

"Dad... Was it worth it? What we did... Trying to make this world better... At the cost of our family... Was it worth it?" Dragon felt the arms tighten slightly around him and the shudder that went through the body he was leaned against told him the old man was crying too.

"I don't know... Maybe once, but no more. Now, family first... Is what Sabo said true? Is Ace going to die?" Garp did not sound like the marine hero now. He sounded like an old man who was desperate to hold on to what little family he had left.

"Yes... And there is nothing we can do..." Dragon clutched the back of the ex marine's coat, trying not to feel sick at the thought of his grandson's coming end. "He's the last of us who will die for this world, though. He's going to set things right..."

"Why did this burden have to fall on him?" Garp trembled and clenched his eyes shut against the tears. "Dragon, my son, whatever family remains for us, when this is over... No more pirates, marines, or revolutionaries. They can become doctors, shipwrights, teachers, farmers... But no more of this. No more D's. The Will of D ends with Ace."

"I agree. I think we have carried that tradition for long enough." Dragon pulled back and looked his father in the eyes for the first time in years. "Nami doesn't know yet... I couldn't stand to tell her over Den Den Mushi... I don't know if I will be able to tell her in person. My son loved that woman... She watched him die, and she had the strength to smile for him. It's not fair that she should have to smile for her son's death too..."

"No, it isn't... But she's strong enough. I think she is strong enough, if she's not alone. And we won't leave her alone. She's family now." Garp said firmly. Dragon nodded.

"I've considered her family for years... All the time I spent training Ace, I thought he would come home. I should have known better... I should have known the title of Pirate King was a death sentence..."

"He would have still gone. You know it. The strength you gave him will allow him to choose death on his own terms, instead of having his life taken by an enemy he could not defeat." Garp turned and walked toward the exit, his son at his side. "They don't need us here anymore. Let's go home, son."

"Home... Yes. Let's go home, Dad." Dragon stepped out onto the shores of Raftel feeling like a new man. He still felt a clawing dread for what was coming, but he had gained something he had thought lost forever, and he would not have to face the coming events alone.

The bit of poem is taken from The Garden of Proserpine by Algernon Charles Swinburne. It is one of my favorite lines of poetry outside of Shakespeare, and i like the thought of Rayleigh enjoying poetry and even forcing it on the crew. I had intended to move on with the Straw Hat's on the Red Line, but i ended up getting drawn in to Shanks and Buggy reminiscing, and decided to just finish it off with the feels with Dragon and Garp. Next chapter, Ace and the crew reach the north pole!