One Piece: The Order

by RogerShanksLuffy

Aaron Hawthorne wants to become a legendary assassin, and vows to take down every single Templar in the New World. Unfortunately for the Straw Hats, He and Luffy ends up dragging everyone else into it as well. LuNa later on. Rated M for language.

16. Aaron's Past: What it's like to Suffer

New character, her name's Christina, and she's based off of my best friend in real life. Fair Warning, this chapter is the longest one yet. Enjoy!

Songs

Meeting Mihawk: After Eating, Grand Line! part 1 (One Piece OST)

Parents' Death: Luffy vs Ratchet round 2 (One Piece OST)

Grieving: Omake-Pfadlib (Attack on Titan OST)

Waking Up: Scene of a Disaster (Naruto Shippuden OST)

Joining the Sun Pirates: AC Rogue Main Theme (AC Rogue Soundtrack)

Infiltrating Mariejois: Venice Fight (AC2 Soundtrack)

Vs. Christina: Heat of the Battle (Bleach OST)

Questioning Christina: A Requiem (Bleach OST)

Leaving with the Boa Sisters: Florence Escape (AC2 Soundtrack)

Aaron and Christina vs. Guards and Escape from Mariejois: Venice Escape (AC2 Soundtrack)

Arlong's Capture: Luffy vs. Ratchet Round 2 (One Piece OST)

Marineford Tour & Asking Warlords: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)

Killing Celestial Dragon: Luffy vs Ratchet Round 2 (One Piece OST)

Akainu Arrives: Jedi Temple March (Star Wars Soundtrack)

Vs. Akainu: Duel of the Fates (Star Wars Soundtrack)

Losing to Akainu: Cometh the Hour Part 1 (Bleach OST)

Dragon vs. Akainu & Escaping: Mystogan's Theme (Fairy Tail OST)

Kuma's Betrayal & Facing Off: Powerful Enemies (One Piece OST)

Vs. Kuma: Don't Speak Her Name! (Fire Emblem Awakening Soundtrack)

After the Battle: At Our Parting (Sword Art Online OST)

Aftermath of Kuma: Take Care Kid (Black Mass Soundtrack)

Joining Shanks: Rittaikidou part 1 (Attack on Titan OST)

"You want to explain why I was cheated out of my position as a warlord? Crocodile's already been reinstated to take Doflamingo's place, but Law's was taken by this so-called son of Whitebeard, Edward Weeble. You said it was going to be me!"

"And I'm sure it will be. Think of this as a final test that I put together for you. As a matter of fact, this Edward Weeble and his mother are causing us a lot of trouble. He plans to take out the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates to prove that he's the one and only son of their legendary captain."

"And that's a bad thing? Marco's got a pretty large bounty on him, you know."

"Of course he does. But Weeble's going out of his way to kill innocent people just to prove a point that may or may not be true. We don't know for sure if he's Whitebeard's son or not, but the fact is that he's abusing his position as a warlord. Frankly, I couldn't care less if he were killed. And that's where you come in. Go take care of them for us."

"A test, huh? Alright. I'll be back in a few hours." He left.

X

"Vanden Guard? That's not a place I've ever heard of before." Nami mentioned.

"It's a small colonial style town in South Blue. Not many people know about it. I was born and raised there. I lived there for 14 years."

"This is a boring way to tell a story." Luffy said, bored.

"Fine! Have it your way!" I said, irritated. I opened up a sphere of chaos that formed a bubble around everyone. They blacked out.

"...H-Huh? What happened?" asked Luffy. They were all standing in what looked to be a town.

"We're going to relive my memories instead. It's a more interesting way to do things, don't you think?" I said, standing next to everyone.

"So we get to see how everything actually happened? How is this possible?" asked Robin.

"Through the power of chaos, I can influence people's minds to hallucinate."

"So this is a hallucination?" asked Sanji.

"Yes. Right now, we're all sitting back on the Sunny as if nothing happened. But I should warn you, although this is a more effective way to do this, it's also a more painful way to relive my past. Be ready." They nodded. All of a sudden, they saw a boy walk down the street, carrying a few bags. He entered a house.

"Mom, Dad, I got the groceries like you asked!" I placed them on the table.

"Is that you?" asked Law.

"Yes. I was 8 years old on this day."

"Oh, thank you for doing that. Your father and I are going out to meet a few friends. Would you like to come with us? They have a son that is your age."

"Well, alright. I suppose so." We walked down the street to go and meet the family.

"Ah, there you guys are!"

"Diana! Ray! Good to see you!"

"You as well, Mike. Emma." The man acknowledged my parents. Standing next to the two of them was a young boy, my age and the same height as me. He had slick black hair, wore an auburn coat, gray pants, and had a wooden sword strapped at his side.

"This is our son, Dracule."

"Nice to meet you. This is our own son, Aaron. They are the same age." We walked up to each other and shook hands.

"Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine."

"Why don't we continue on the way to the harbor? The boys can get acquainted along the way." We kept walking, and I hung back with Dracule.

"So...can I call you Dracula?"

"No."

"You're no fun." I pouted.

"My name is spelled with an 'e' at the end. It would no longer be my name anymore, would it?"

"I suppose not. Why did you bring a sword with you?"

"Because I am a swordsman. I train with it everyday. My dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman someday."

"That's some dream."

"But that's the point. The bigger the hurdle, the more satisfying it is when you leap over it."

"Yeah."

"What about you? Do you have any dreams?"

"...Not that I can think of-wait. Yes, there is one. When I'm older, I want to be an Assassin, like my father. I've always looked up to him for it. It's the coolest job!"

"Killing people for political reasons is cool?"

"Not that part. He doesn't go on assassination missions that often. He's more of an informant. He handles the more undercover, stealthy kind of missions."

"I see...I like you. You're different from other people. When you say that you want to be an Assassin, they usually want nothing to do with you. But you...I sense something within you. Something strong. Something...powerful."

"Hm…" The scene changed. It was nighttime now.

"Mm…" I muttered, looking away.

"When was this?" asked Law.

"About a year later." We walked up towards the house and peered in. Everything seemed normal, until…

There was a knock at the door. My father went to answer it, but as he started to turn the knob, the door was kicked into him, sending him flying across the house.

"Mike!" My mother screamed. She grabbed me and held me tight. I looked towards the door to see two men standing there. One was wearing a hood while the other had a fedora on his head. They both had white cloaks draped over their shoulders, signifying their position as a high-ranking marine soldier.

"You take the woman." The one with the hood said. He had a more sinister tone to him, while the other sounded more relaxed.

"Are you sure? She's not one of them, you know."

"All blood ties should be cut off. Including spouses."

*Sigh* "Alright." The relaxed one walked over to my mother and I. She got up and stood in front of me with her arms spread.

"If you want my son, you'll have to go through me first!"

"Fine by me." He smiled. My eyes widened, and before I could do anything, he shot my mother through the chest with a piercing beam of light.

"M-MOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!" She smiled weakly at me, blood staining her chin and clothes before she collapsed onto the ground and bled out.

"Emma!" My dad called out, and tried to run towards me.

"I don't think so. You're not going anywhere. You're a Master Assassin, so we need to have you dead, you see." The other man grabbed my father by the throat and shoved him against the wall. My father tried to break free by punching the man with a haki-hardened arm, but it didn't work, as the man simply caught the punch.

"You fool." He punched him over and over again in both the chest and stomach, staining the entire room with dark red blood. When he was finally finished, he let go and my father's body slid down the wall, leaving a large streak of blood.

"Aaron...don't be afraid, my son. I know that you'll do great things one day." he choked out.

"He's still alive. How annoying." The man turned around and walked back up to him.

"Meigo." His fist melted into magma, and he smashed it through my father's chest, causing blood to pour out uncontrollably onto the floor, and left a large burn mark along with a lasting fire in the wound. The man then walked away as my father's body fell limply onto the ground. The other one turned to me.

"Should we take care of the boy, too?"

"No. I'm not so heartless as to murder a mere child." The fire from my father's wound caught onto the furniture and began to spread throughout the house, burning it to the ground. The other two picked me up and brought me outside, leaving me there to watch the flames and my childhood burn to cinders. They began to walk away.

"...Wait." They stopped and looked at me.

"What are...your names?"

"Our names? Why do you want to know that?"

"So that one day I can find you, and finish this fight." The magma man chuckled.

"I look forward to it. Vice Admiral Sakazuki."

"Vice Admiral Borsalino." said the other one.

"What might your name be?" the latter asked.

"Aaron. Aaron Hawthorne."

"Well, nice to meet you. It's been a pleasure." they said maliciously, as they both walked away and disappeared from sight. I turned around and watched the flames burn my house.

"I can't leave them in there!" I ran back in to find a sight that was absolutely horrid. Now looking back at them from this perspective. I fell to my knees, seeing my father and mother lying on top of each other, dead. Their blood had expanded into a pool that took up half of the room. I fell to my knees, and stared blankly at their bodies. My father had a bloodied hole through his chest, while my mother had multiple holes through her from Borsalino's attacks. Tears began to fall from my face as the flames consuming the house considered to dance around me.

"...WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I blacked out.

"...Huh?" I woke up and looked around. This wasn't my house. This was the Mihawk family's house.

"How did I get here?" I wondered out loud. Just then, Dracule walked in.

"Dracule."

"Hello, Aaron. I see you're awake. You were out for 2 days. I...I'm sorry about your parents." I looked down.

"So it wasn't a dream…"

"I'm afraid not."

"I have to go get back at them. Sakazuki and Borsalino. They killed my parents!"

"And they'll destroy you in an instant. They're both logia devil fruit users, and Vice-Admirals. You don't stand a chance. If you're going to go out, you need to know how to handle yourself." I looked at him in a questioning glance.

"I'm going to teach you swordsmanship."

"Why? Do you want me to get back at them?"

"I do. Your parents were good friends of my own, and we need to stop those two, however long it may take."

X

Five years had passed since that day. Mihawk and I were fourteen years old, and we were both elite swordsmen in our own right. After training for that day, I walked back to Mihawk's house. I had been staying there since my own burned down.

"Pirates! It's the Sun Pirates!" someone yelled from the port. I walked over to see someone walk off of the ship. He was tall, had black hair, and wore a dark red captain's coat over his shoulders. He walked into the town, so I decided to follow him. He then walked into a convenience store. I leaned against the wall outside, listening in. Mihawk and I had practiced both our swordsmanship and stealth capabilities over the last five years. We were much stronger than before, but I wasn't strong enough yet to fight the legendary Fisher Tiger on par, if that's who he was. That guy in the harbor claimed that it was the Sun Pirates, so if he was the captain… he then walked out, carrying a few boxes. He began to walk past me, but stopped.

"You need something, kid?"

"Why is someone as powerful and famous as you in a small town like this?"

"I was just stopping to restock for the next island. So you know who I am?"

"Fisher Tiger, right?"

"That's me. Walk with me, why don't you?" I followed him down towards his ship.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"I noticed that you carry a sword at your side. Your parents let you train at such a young age?"

"...My parents have been dead for five years now."

"...I'm sorry. You have my condolences, for what they're worth."

"Thank you."

"You have the look of someone who has seen hell at a young age. May I ask how they died? If you don't want to, I understand-"

"They were killed right in front of me by Vice Admirals Sakazuki and Borsalino." His eyes widened.

"You don't say? I'll be damned. Was your father by any chance...Michael Hawthorne?"

"That's him. You knew him?"

"I knew of him. He was a member of the New World Assassin Brotherhood, a Master Assassin. The reason why Sakazuki and Borsalino attacked your family specifically is because that they're Templars."

"Templars?"

"Ever heard of them?"

"Vaguely. My father told me a little bit about them, but not that much. How do you know about them?"

"I'm an associate of the Brotherhood's. There are some pirates who support the Brotherhood's actions, but are not officially Assassins. People like myself and Whitebeard."

"I see…"

"Aaron. I have a proposition for you. You're going to set out to go after Sakazuki and Borsalino at some point, right?"

"Yeah. But I need more experience."

"Well there's no better way to get that experience than in the field. Why don't you start now and sail with us?"

"But wouldn't that defeat the purpose of your crew?! I thought that humans weren't allowed on a Fishmen-only pirate ship."

"I can make a special exception for you because of what you've been through, and because your father was an ally of mine. What do you say?"

"...You're right. I need that experience, and by this point, there's not much more that I can do here, especially since my friend and mentor is going to set out to sea soon as well. I'll go with you. But are you sure that your crew will be alright with it?"

"Eh, I'll bring them around."

"Okay then. I'll go pack my things."

X

"What do you mean you're joining the Sun Pirates?"

"I mean I'm joining the Sun Pirates. I can't make it any simpler than that."

"But how?"

"Fisher Tiger invited me."

"Come again?"

"He knew my parents, and after I told him what happened, he invited me to join him. I said yes. And that's everything that happened."

"...Well, good luck, I guess. I'll see you out there when I can."

"Alright then. I have a mini snail phone on my wrist anyways. You have one too, right?"

"Yes. So call me whenever you feel like you need to."

"Alright then. Thank you, Mihawk. For everything."

"No problem. It's fun having a rivalry with you as well."

"Heh." I walked out and headed down to the Sun Pirates' ship. Fisher Tiger had already convinced his men, as some were shouting and waving towards me, except for two of them. One was big, and wore a green and black spotted shirt. He had a gray cloak over his shoulders. His hair was short, and was half black and half yellow. Although he wasn't waving, he did give me a warm smile. He seemed like my kind of guy. The other one, on the other hand, didn't look too thrilled about my arrival. He had long black hair and wore a hat on his head. He had a saw shaped nose, and was pretty muscular. He wore a dark purple tank top, and black pants. He gritted his teeth slightly and had an irritated expression on his face when I looked at him.

'Well he's just a ray of sunshine now, isn't he?' I thought. I walked up onto the ship. The big guy from before walked up and introduced himself.

"I'm Jinbei. Nice to meet you, Aaron."

"The feeling's mutual." I shook his hand.

"How pathetic." I glanced over at the other one who didn't look too friendly.

"Oh, leave it alone. I have a feeling that this will finally change your mind about humans." Jinbei said.

"And you are?" I turned to him.

"Name's Arlong."

"Well, it's nice to meet you."

"Hmph."

"I take it you don't like humans?"

"What gave it away?"

"Any particular reason why?"

"If you want me to tell you, you'll have to earn my trust, and that takes a lot to do."

"Heh. Alright. I'll take that challenge on." The man grinned slightly.

"Maybe you're different...I like your attitude."

X

It had been about a year since I joined. I had gained the trust of all of the fishmen by this point, even Arlong, though it took a while longer than the others. After dinner that night, the captain called everyone out onto the deck.

"What's up?" I asked him. I had changed my appearance since leaving my hometown. I wore a white t-shirt and gray pants. My hair was longer, and I was equipped with a silver rapier on my right side, and a cleaver on my left side.

"I've been dropping hints here and there, but now I'm seriously thinking about raiding Mariejois and freeing the slaves there. We're about to cross over the Red Line, after all." A few people began mumbling.

"Any thoughts? Yes or no?" Everyone was quiet for a while. Even Arlong and Jinbei weren't sure about this one.

"...I say we do it." I suggested. Some of them gasped, and they all looked at me. The Captain looked at me questioningly.

"You know, I only take Arlong's side on killing humans only when they actually deserve death. And at the very top of the list is the Celestial Dragons. Those sons of bitches deserve death more than anyone else in this world. So I say that it's time that they get what's been coming to them for years."

"...Alright then! Let's do it! The first raid on Mariejois in history!" Everyone cheered.

"Aaron!"

"What is it?"

"I have something for you. Here." He reached from his pocket and handed me what looked like a black and purple devil fruit with swirls and vortexes on it.

"A devil fruit?" I asked.

"Not just any devil fruit. I take it you've read about all of the Pieces of Eden by now, right?"

"Yes." I had been studying the Brotherhood and Order with them over the past year.

"Do you know what devil fruit this is?"

"Chaos-Chaos Fruit. But how did you get your hands on it?"

"I stumbled onto it by chance on an island a while back. But I haven't given it to anyone yet, because most don't have the physical or mental capacity to use its power. In the end, their own strength swallows them up and they die. Even I don't think that I'm worthy. But I wonder if you are. I can sense a lot of dormant power within you. I want you to eat it."

"You want me to eat one of the most powerful Pieces of Eden out there? The Chaos Chaos Fruit has the logia powers of fire, wind, lightning, earth, water, and chaos."

"I know. And if you can control the powers, it will be a great boon to us in the raid."

"...Alright, I guess." I took it from him and bit into it. A lot of them started sweating, becoming nervous as to if I would survive or not.

"Fair warning, devil fruits are supposed to taste terrible-" Arlong began.

"It tastes good." Everyone fell over. I finished the rest of it. After a few minutes, nothing happened.

"So I guess I can handle it, then?"

"I guess so!" Tiger smiled. "Almost no one is able to withstand that devil fruit, you know. It means that you're special."

"Well good for him, but why did it taste good?" asked Jinbei.

"Devil fruits normally taste awful, but I read that the most powerful ones are exceptions, and taste good."

"So try doing something." Arlong mentioned. I tried to summon any one of the elements, but it didn't work.

"Are you sure that you're strong enough to use the fruit's powers?" Arlong taunted.

"Well I'm not dead yet, am I? Clearly, I have the capacity to learn how to use it." I shot right back at him.

"Give it some time. Sometimes devil fruit powers are only unlocked when the user is under pressure. Perhaps it will awaken during the raid." Tiger responded.

"Alright…"

X

"Alright. Let's go." Tiger, Myself, Jinbei and Arlong all left the ship and infiltrated Mariejois. The rest of the crew stayed on the ship for lookout.

"Let's split up here. Aaron will head to the North Tower, I'll go to the South, Arlong to the West, and Jinbei to the East." We all went our separate directions. As I continued, I suddenly noticed something rush past me. I glanced ahead of me to see someone running towards the same place I was heading.

"Hey, you! Hold on a second!" She stopped and turned towards me.

"Who are you?" But before I could get a clear answer, she fired took out a bow and fired an arrow at me.

"Woah, what are you doing?! I said to just hold on for a second!" I screamed, dodging her arrow. It pierced the ground with a lot of force. My eyes narrowed.

'She's using haki…' I had learned how to utilize my own haki, all three types over the past year, but I hadn't gained full mastery over it yet.

"Shave!" The captain also knew the techniques of the Navy from experience, and taught them to me: Moonwalk, Finger Pistol, Shave, Iron Body, Tempest Kick, Paper Arts, and even the Six King Gun, which is a secret technique. Unfortunately, she knew them as well.

"Iron Body." As I aimed a punch for her face, she made no movement whatsoever, and took the hit head on.

"What?"

"Tempest Kick." She kicked my stomach hard and unleashed a wave of energy at the same time. I got blasted back onto the ground and coughed up blood.

"Hragh...Damn you…"

"Shave." She mumbled, before appearing before me.

"Finger Pistol." She started thrusting her fingers towards me, all coated in armament haki.

"P-Paper Arts!" I moved back and forth, dodging all of her strikes.

'Who is this girl?! She's strong!'

"Six King Gun."

'! She knew that technique, too?!'

"Iron Bod-"

BAM. She placed one fist over the other and blasted an enormous wave of haki through me. I fell to my knees, refusing to give up. Blood was dripping from all over my body. I glanced up at her. She looked down at me sadly.

"The moon is shining bright tonight."

"W-Wha-?"

"Moonlight Pillar." She held out her palm. The moon began to shine brightly, as did her hand. For the first time, I saw her clearly. She wore tall black boots and black yoga pants, a red shirt and black leather short jacket, and a black hooded open cloak over everything. Her dark brown hair flowed under the moonlight. For a brief moment, her clothes changed into a pearlescent silver dress. My eyes widened before a pillar of the moon's energy erupted from the sky and engulfed me, creating a large explosion. There was a pause before I fell forward and a puddle of blood began to ooze onto the ground. She turned around and began to walk away, before…

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" She gasped and turned around, finding me face to face with her. As she pulled a knife from her side and lunged at me, I grabbed her arm and subdued her.

"Start talking. Who are you?"

"Hrghh...Go to hell!"

"You should rethink your answer. Remember that I'm the one with the knife at your throat right now."

"...Christina. My name is Christina."

"What are you doing here?"

"Saving some friends of mine that are slaves." I let go of her.

"Good. Then stop trying to kill me, and start trying to kill the Celestial Dragons. We're after the same thing."

"Sorry, but if you weren't able to beat me, I don't think you have the strength to take on Mariejois."

"Is that what you think? I did defeat you. I healed all of my wounds using haki, and I have 6 different logia powers. You tell me if I'm not strong enough." I let go of her, and she slowly stood up.

"If I'm truly not strong enough, then fate will determine that I'll die here. But I don't usually believe in fate, so I say we just go for it and see what happens!"

'...This guy…'

"Alright then. I guess you and I will work together. What's your name?"

"Aaron. Aaron Hawthorne."

"I've heard of you. My father told me about you. A little boy who swore vengeance against two vice-admirals for killing his parents in front of him."

"That's me. Who's your father?"

"Vice-Admiral Sakazuki."

"WHAT?! SINCE WHEN DOES HE HAVE A DAUGHTER?!"

"Since 15 years ago. I'm the same age as you. What? Having second thoughts? Want to kill me because I'm related to your worst enemy?"

"No. Everyone is their own person. Just because you're related to Sakazuki doesn't mean that you've done anything wrong." I started running towards the palace again, and she followed me.

"But I almost killed you just a few minutes ago! Isn't that reason enough?!"

"But you stopped and joined me after I told you what I was doing. So you're different. Do you like your father? He works over at Marineford. I suppose that would explain how you know the 6 hidden techniques of the Marines, but to be taught at such a young age...On top of that, why are you here, at Mariejois, on your own, let alone saving slaves and going against the Celestial Dragons? It only proves even further that you're not allied with your father. If my Captain will allow it, I recommend that you join our crew, the Sun Pirates."

"Hmm...Maybe I'll take you up on that offer. But for now, let's keep going."

"Right. Do you know where your friends are being held? What are their names?"

"They're being held in the North Tower. They're names are Boa Hancock, Boa Sandersonia, and Boa Marigold."

"What a coincidence. I'm supposed to head there anyways. Let's go find them, then!" We continued to run towards the tower.

"I can sense that you haven't yet unlocked any of your Logia powers, have you?"

"No, not yet. You unlock them under great pressure."

"I see. Are you hoping to unlock them here, then?"

"Yes. Or at least that's the plan." Three large consecutive explosions engulfed the other three towers.

"W-What was that about?!" Christina yelled.

"That's where my other three friends are. They each took a tower on themselves. Which means that we're the last ones. We have to hurry. And it means that I have to…Fire Fist!" I blasted a wave of flames at the wall, exploding it and giving us an entrance. We ran through again.

"I thought you said that you couldn't use any logia powers yet?"

"I guess I lied. It just sort of happened. So maybe it's not when I'm under pressure, but when I have to accomplish a goal, no matter what." I produced a flame from my hand.

"Let's go find these friends of yours." We ran to each and every jail cell and room, freeing the slaves along the way.

"Oh! There they are!" Christina yelled and pointed over to three girls that were hiding in the corner. There was a Celestial Dragon pointing a gun at them. I walked up to them and tapped them on the shoulder.

"Huh? Who-?" As soon as they turned around, I punched them clean across the face, breaking their helmet and knocking them against the wall and unconscious. The sisters became slightly relieved. I looked over at them.

"Come on, girls. We're here to save you."

"W-Who are you?" they asked as I took them by the hand. I pointed over to Christina.

"Recognize your friend over there? I'm with her."

"N-No. I've never seen her before." The one with black hair answered. I looked over to her, frustrated.

"I thought you said that you were their friend?"

"I may have exaggerated a little bit. I've only heard about them from some of the Celestial Dragons. The Boa Sisters, the ones who are the personal charmers and sex toys for the Celestial Dragons."

"Knowing that doesn't make you their friend! They've never met you before!" I yelled at her.

"Well excuse me for being optimistic! With my devil fruit powers, I'm practically a goddess! Who wouldn't want to be friends with someone like me?!" There was a pause, then I looked away and led the girls outside.

"You're not excused."

"I beg your pardon?! Have you any idea in that simple little head of yours who you're speaking to?! I'm the daughter of a Vice-Admiral!"

"Oh, look. This is how much I care." I told her with a bored expression on my face.

"YOU'RE TERRIBLE!" She yelled at me with classic angry white anime eyes.

"There's no time for this. We need to get these three back to my ship. Let's go." We started running back towards the ship.

"By now, I'm sure that everyone else is already back at the ship. By the way, I wanted to ask about the power of your devil fruit."

"It's called the Moon Moon Fruit. As the name suggests, I can utilize the rays of the moon as a weapon. It's a logia type."

"What about during the day time? It seems like a huge disadvantage to only be able to fight during the night."

"Well as you saw earlier, I already possess all three types of haki, like you. And I'm able to create temporary artificial moons to be able to use my powers."

"Where did you get it? A 15 year old girl like you shouldn't be able to get their hands on a logia devil fruit that easily."

"You're one to talk. Your devil fruit is one of the most powerful in the world, how did you get it at only 15?"

"My captain gave it to me? What's your excuse?" I asked with half lidded eyes.

"...I stole it from Marineford." She muttered with a flushed face.

"...That would make you an enemy of the navy, and a traitor at that, considering that you're the flesh and blood of a Vice-Admiral."

"I know. Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"You get on my nerves." I looked away.

"Uh, guys? STOP ARGUING! THERE'S GUARDS SURROUNDING US RIGHT THIS MOMENT!" yelled Hancock.

"Oh hey, you're right. Give us a second." We both walked forward and unleashed a wave of conqueror's haki, knocking all of the guards unconscious.

"Okay, that was short-lived. Now let's…" I looked over at the Boa sisters. Two of them were unconscious. Only Hancock was still aware of what happened.

"Uh… We have to carry them, Christina."

"I see that." We each carried one of them, while Hancock still ran alongside us.

"This is all your fault! You need more control over your haki!" she yelled at me.

"That's my line! You're only 15! Of course you don't have control over your haki yet!"

"So are you! You have the same weakness that I do!"

"Says you! I'm stronger!"

"No you're not! My devil fruit makes me a goddess!"

"Gods and Goddesses are myths! You're not a goddess!"

"I beg your pardon?!" We finally got to where the ship was docked, still butting heads and yelling at each other. The rest of the crew looked up to where we were.

"Well that took you fucking long enough!" Arlong yelled up at us.

"Shut up! Here! Catch!" I yelled back at him and we tossed the three girls down at them. By now, the other two were awake and they were all screaming from our reckless action of throwing them at such a high height. Of course the crew did catch them, but they were really mad, yelling back up at us.

"Who's the girl?" asked Jinbei.

"I'm-" she began.

"Nobody important." I cut her off. She glared at me.

"What's your god damned problem?!"

"Oh, I'm the one with the problem?!"

"Grrr..WOULD YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP AND GET DOWN HERE BEFORE WE GET CAUGHT?!" Tiger yelled at us. We stopped and blinked at him.

"Me first." Christina got ready to dive into the water.

"H-Hey! Hold it! You're a devil fruit user, moron! You can't swim, you'll drown!"

"I told you that I'm practically a goddess! I'm pretty sure that I can fucking swim!"

"THAT'S NOT HOW DEVIL FRUITS WORK, YOU IDIOT!" But it was too late. She had already dived into the water.

"That idiot!" I dived in after her and pulled her out onto the ship. We set sail afterwards. She gasped for air.

"I guess I can't swim after all."

"NO SHIT!" Everyone yelled at her.

"Then how can you swim?" She looked at me. "You ate a devil fruit too."

"I'm special."

"So am I!"

"Not as much as me!" We started arguing again until Tiger both punched us apart.

X

"Do you have any place to return to?" I asked Christina after we brought all of the slaves off back at their homes. We had just left the island where Koala lives, after dropping her off.

"Well...not anymore, I guess. I can't go back to Marineford obviously, after what we pulled."

"Why don't you stay with us? Become a member of the crew full time."

"But…"

"But nothing. You don't have a home to return to, and you've already proven to us that you're both strong and smart. You're able to navigate exceptionally, know your way around guns, have excellent melee skills with your haki, and have a powerful logia devil fruit as well. That's the first part. The second is that even though you and I fight a lot, and that you have an attitude, we all see you as a true friend. You're someone who deserves a home, Christina. And what better place than here?"

"A-Are you sure? Wouldn't that ruin the point of the crew? The Sun Pirates are known for being a fishmen only crew!"

"Well, look at me. It's been over a year since I joined up, so what's one more human? And even Koala was with us for a few months. So if you leave now, it won't be the same. You're already a part of this crew." I smiled at her. She stood there, surprised for a few moments.

"Is that okay with you, Captain?" I yelled over to Tiger.

"Sure. But no more. Just you two." He smiled at us.

"I have a feeling that we're going to be unstoppable together."

X

"Captain!" Everyone was yelling and crying at the sight of their dying captain. Christina and I stood on the side, watching on in shock. After we left from Koala's home island, the marines ambushed us and injured the Captain to the point of fatal injury.

"Captain! We have some human blood that we could transfer into you! You're going to be fine!"

"No! I don't want it!"

"B-But Capt-"

"I SAID NO! I don't want any blood tainted with human anger towards us in my body! It's too late for me now… I have one last thing to tell all of you, as your captain."

"W-What is it?" They were all crying at this point.

"I was… a slave!"

"W-What?!"

"What I saw there was the insanity of humans...I fled for my life, but I couldn't just forget about all of the slaves held captive there! Listen carefully. I did everything things the way I wanted...and ended up interfering with Queen Otohime as a result. But...she is right! Everybody wants peace! But the only people that can make a difference on that island are children of the next generation like Aaron, Christina, and Koala! So please...don't tell the people on the island anything! Neither the tragedy we endured nor of our anger towards humans!"

"Grrr...B-But Brother Tiger-"

"ARLONG!" I glanced over at him. "There are so many humans who are compassionate! I know! But it's funny. The dying leave only their resentment behind. And even though I know that there are kind humans, there is a devil in my mind that is clouding my thoughts. My whole body rejects their blood! I can't...accept humans!" At this point, both Christina and I were crying.

"Boss! Don't say such a thing and live! I beg you! You don't have to die!" Jinbei yelled.

"Boss! No matter what you say, you are the greatest benefactor for all of those slaves that you freed! You're a hero to all Fishmen, who accomplished such a great feat!"

"I'm so happy...that I could travel around with people such as you…" And just like that, he was gone.

X

"Where's Arlong?" I asked Jinbei angrily.

"I don't know…" Some of the fishmen were watching TV. It had been about 4 months since the death of Fisher Tiger. The TV suddenly broadcasted a report on the news.

"Sun Pirate General Arlong is currently taking on an entire fleet of Navy ships and massacring all of the soldiers in the process! He is truly rampaging!"

"...That damned fool." I walked off, now donning my signature black coat, which belonged to the Captain. He left it for me. Christina grabbed my arm.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No. The marines will recognize you and try to take you back. You've been gone for half a year now. I'm going alone." And with that, I took off. I had learned how to use my lightning abilities as well over the past 4 months. I teleported off to where Arlong was. When I arrived at the island, I noticed that some of the ships were damaged, but the soldiers were all still alive and were getting treated. I walked around a bit until seeing a figure approach me. I couldn't make out who it was, but it looked like he was dragging someone who was tied up behind him along the ground. My eyes widened when the two came into view. The one getting dragged was Arlong. And the one who was doing the dragging was none other than:

"Vice Admiral Borsalino." I greeted.

"Hmm? Who are you?"

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten my face?"

"...Ohhh! Aaron Hawthorne!" I smiled nervously.

"So you do remember, then."

"Of course I do. I could never forget such an expression of determination and anger on such a young child's face." I looked down at Arlong.

"A-Aaron! Help me out here! This crazy bastard is going to take me to Impel Down!" I was silent for a moment before Borsalino spoke up.

"You are also one of the Sun Pirate Generals, yes? Why is it that you don't have a bounty like the rest of them?"

"I've been careful. I don't recklessly charge in like Arlong or Jinbei."

"I see. We should probably change that when I get back to HQ. I'll tell you what I'll do, because I like you." I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

"Your friend here, Arlong. Let me take him away to Impel Down, no questions asked, and I'll let you go free today, no bounty, no marines chasing after you. Try to take him back, and I'll have no choice but to capture and subdue the both of you right here and now."

"You fool! He's obviously going to save me!" Arlong pleaded. I looked down at him and remembered the news report, Arlong's hatred of humans, and the Captain's last will.

"Have fun in prison, bastard." I said coldly, then walked away. Borsalino chuckled, then continued on back to his ship.

"W-Wait, you bastard! You're just gonna leave me to rot in that hellhole?! You traitor! How could you just walk away from me?! GET BACK HERE! AARON!"

X

"I...I see…So that's what happened?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for doing that. I know he was one of the strongest in the crew."

"No. I don't blame you. I know how he's been getting since the Boss' death. If that's how he acted, then I suppose what he needs is some time in prison to sort himself out. In the meantime, I have something to discuss with you. Come with me."

"Alright." I followed him.

"Christina, you come too."

"Coming." She followed us into the Captain's room.

"Take a look at this." Jinbei handed us a new wanted poster and a letter.

"Your new bounty is 250 million, and...you've been invited into the Warlords?!" We both gasped.

"I'm at a loss as for what to do. And especially after they just captured Arlong. Christina."

"Y-Yeah?"

"The Warlords are a relatively new organization. What exactly do they do? You should know, right?"

"Yes, I do. Of course, the Navy's ultimate goal is get rid of all the pirates in the world, but even they admit that there are some pirates out there, like the four emperors, or the pirate king himself, that are still extremely powerful. Obviously, they don't want to just send out the Vice Admirals and Admirals every time they have to defeat a powerful enemy. So their idea is to have 7 of the most powerful pirates ally with them. These pirates are allowed to go on with their normal lives, and are protected by the World Gov't by being recognized as an official ally. When they join the Warlords, there are two conditions placed on them. First, they are not allowed to attack the Navy, as they are supposed to be allies of the World Gov't. Secondly, when the Marines require their assistance, either for a simple meeting, or for a war against other pirates, they are required to enter and fight for them. If they need to get out of it, they need to tell the Fleet Admiral a legitimate excuse in advance."

"I see. What do you two think?"

"I think it would be good. If you join with them, the Sun Pirates will be protected by them and not sought after our bounties."

"There's a catch." Christina mentioned. We looked over at her.

"When I say protection, I don't mean it in a literal context. Sure, the marines will recognize you as an ally, and won't send soldiers after you to hunt you down, but if by any unfortunate chance that you need help from them, they won't send it. You're still a pirate, so they really couldn't care less about you."

"But that's the point." I explained to her. "If they chose 7 of the strongest pirates from all of the seas, then they probably don't need help that often. Jinbe's able to take care of himself."

"True." She responded.

"Alright then. I guess I'll accept their request."

"Alright. But some of the crew won't like this, you know. After what happened to the Captain, I doubt they'll be ecstatic about you siding with humans."

"Don't say that. The Captain's dying wish was that we try not to hate humans. He said that the vast majority are compassionate, and nothing like the Celestial Dragons. Most will appreciate it, and those who don't at first will come around to it eventually. That's what I think."

X

It had been about 4 months since Arlong had been imprisoned. It had taken a while for Jinbei's response to the Warlord request to be processed, but he had finally gotten a letter back saying that his response had been processed and approved. It was about that time that we heard of Arlong's release from Impel Down. We went to pick him up, hoping that he had cooled down from before, but unfortunately, he was even worse. He was angry at Jinbei's decision to become a Warlord, and still angry at Christina and Myself for being humans. I hated to think it, but he seemed beyond saving. Nothing was going to convince him that humans were compassionate at this point. He was hell-bent on revenge against them. He walked quietly to the ship, but glared angrily towards Jinbei and myself. He made us dock at a nearby island and claimed half of the crew for himself, then proceeded to leave the crew.

"So you're joining the Seven Warlords, are you?! You traitor!"

"Arlong! Remember the Boss' last wish! He wanted us to get along with humans!"

"FISHER TIGER WAS A FOOL!" he screamed. I felt the anger build up inside of me.

"I've realized something that you haven't! We Fishmen can try as hard as we want to get along with humans, but the problem is them! THEY will never accept US!"

"And so your solution is to get rid of them?!"

"Not get rid of, no. SUBJUGATE. We need to prove to them that WE are superior! We should be the ones in charge, not them! Which is why I'm leaving this crew and taking my subordinates with me! Because as long as you are part of the Warlords and try to get along with humans, I will not work alongside you! And if you want to stop me, then you're going to have to kill me! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW! ...Because I won't stop. If you let me go, I'll just do it again and again! Do you hear me?! I WON'T STOP!" And after a pause, Jinbei and Arlong began fighting, but Arlong clearly didn't stand any chance. Jinbei began punching him continuously after pinning him to the ground.

"Are you going to do it? Are you going to kill me?!" He yelled. Jinbei dropped him and got up. Arlong stumbled up onto his feet.

"See what...I mean? You're weak! If you want humans to live, then you should have enough conviction to be able to stop me!" Jinbei raised his fist again, but I grabbed it.

"Enough. He's not worth it." I looked over at Arlong. "Leave. Now. Or I'll kill you myself." I warned.

"...Tch. Let's go, guys." He took his men and left. We were silent after that.

"...Damn it all to hell. Half of the crew just left…"

"Will you be alright?" Christina asked.

"I-I don't know."

X

That night, I sat in my room alone, watching the news quietly.

"And in other news, three new Admirals have been appointed within the Navy." I looked up, interested. "Admiral Dototokage, real name Taiga, has resigned due to family reasons. Admiral Zephyr has also resigned, due to reasons that he did not wish to disclose. Admiral Sengoku has been promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral, leaving all three spots empty. Until today! Sengoku has disclosed to the public who the new selections are! They were all Vice-Admirals, and are going to be promoted! First off is Vice Admiral Kuzan, now going to be known by his alias, Admiral Aokiji, meaning Blue Pheasant! Second is Vice Admiral Borsalino, now going to be known as Admiral Kizaru, meaning Yellow Monkey! And last but certainly not least, is Vice Admiral Sakazuki, now going to be known as Admiral Akainu, meaning Red Dog!"

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. Now those two were Admirals, which means that they're much harder to get to. I needed a way to take them down, and fast. I couldn't allow them to be Admirals.

"In other news, the Revolutionary Army was successful in their raid against a Navy stronghold today. The Army is gradually gaining support, with their numbers now reaching about 100,000 soldiers. Their leader, now classified as the most wanted man in the world, is very mysterious. No one knows anything about him, except that he goes by the name Dragon. We'll have more on that in the future."

Revolutionary Army? They directly oppose the World Government's authority. It's just what I needed…

X

"You're what?!"

"You heard me. We're leaving. Christina and I are going to join the Revolutionaries."

"Because of the Admiral promotions?!"

"Not just that. The Warlords have been announced as well, and my childhood friend, Dracule Mihawk, is also going to be one of them. He's strong. Stronger than me. So I need to gain strength. ...I'm sorry, Jinbei. It's not that I don't believe in your skills, it's just that...I can't stay here forever. I need to go out there and make a difference. And if I remain a member of the Sun Pirates, our paths will clash, what with you being a Warlord. And I don't want that. So I'm going somewhere where I belong. It's been fun. I'll keep in touch with you." We left without a word.

"Boss, are you sure about this?"

"Let him go. He's right. And he's not like Arlong, either. Aaron will always be on our side."

X

So this is Baltigo? This is supposed to be their base." I said, as we landed on the island. The ground was a snowy white, and it was windy. We walked towards the island, but one of the Revolutionary soldiers stopped us.

"You two. Who are you and how did you find this place?"

"Aaron Hawthorne and Christina Elingston. We're here to join the Revolutionary Army."

"...Come with me." We followed him to the base, where lots of soldiers were looking at us, wondering who we were. He led us to the back room, where Dragon was sitting at his desk.

"Sir, I have new recruits for you."

"Thanks. So, what are your names?" He asked without looking up.

"Aaron Hawthorne."

"Christina Elingston." We heard his pencil break. There was a pause before he told the guard that brought us here to leave us.

"So…" He began, folding his hands together under his chin. "Why does one of the Generals of the Sun Pirates and the daughter of Admiral Akainu want to join the Revolutionaries?"

"If you know who we are, then you probably know about what happened to our crew, right?"

"Yes. Fisher Tiger was ambushed and died, Arlong was arrested, and Jinbei joined the Warlords, causing Arlong to leave the crew."

"You've done your research."

"The Revolutionaries have an information network spanning the whole world. I know everything almost immediately. So you two want to join? Alright. I know about your abilities already. Aaron, you have the Chaos Chaos Fruit, and you can use all three types of haki, although you haven't completely mastered them yet. You can use the 6 secret techniques of the Cipher Poll too. Christina, you also use all three types of haki, as well the 6 secret techniques of CP, just like Aaron. You also possess the Moon Moon Fruit, a logia type that utilizes the moonlight. Aaron, how many logia types can you use so far?"

"Two. Fire and Lightning."

"Well, I actually have two positions available right now. I'm looking for a Chief of Staff, who acts as Second in Command and my Lieutenant, and a 3rd in command, who handles information and some administration. Would you two like to handle those?"

"Y-Yeah! That's very generous of you, sir."

X

Dragon trained us personally over the next 3 years. We learned to master our haki, as well as learn the full abilities of our devil fruits. I learned the rest of the logia types, save for chaos. We gained a reputation for ourselves, but didn't allow the Navy to get pictures of us for wanted posters by always avoiding them. Dragon also trusted us enough to tell us that he was a member of the Brotherhood, and was the second in command. As of the moment, the Brotherhood had 4 members in it: Shanks, Silvers Rayleigh, Dragon, and the leader, Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. He wanted us to join as well, but I told him no until I unlock chaos. Christina also declined, saying that she'd wait until I joined before joining herself. As the second in command, and the Chief of Staff, I was in charge of recruiting people for the army. After Roger's execution, Dragon became the mentor of the Brotherhood. I was able to recruit about another 400,000 soldiers alone to join the cause. Then one day…

"Aaron, you received a letter from the Navy." Christina told me. She handed it to me. I opened it, and read it.

'Aaron, I know that you're the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionaries now. Congratulations. However, I know that you haven't officially joined the Brotherhood. So I'd like to invite you to join the Order instead. If you're interested in any way, meet me at Marineford. I'll be sure to call the soldiers off. Signed, Sakazuki.' I stared at the letter for a moment before putting it back in the envelope and pulling Christina along with me.

"Where are we going?"

"Marineford."

X

We stepped off of our boat and began walking up the steps of Marineford.

"Why did you bring me along for this?" Christina asked.

"I'm not doing this without you."

"I'm the daughter of a newly promoted admiral, and I've been gone from Marineford for over 3 years now. It would have been better if you'd left me back at the base."

"You're already the 3rd in command of the army. They already know what you've done, so it can't be any worse."

"But we're meeting my father, not just some random soldier! I don't think I can face him!"

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything." And right on cue, one of the marine soldiers aimed a rifle at us.

"You two! What are you doing here?!"

"We have a letter signed from Admiral Akainu inviting us here."

"Show me." I took out the letter and presented it to him. He looked at it, but kept his gun aimed at us.

"And what if this is a forgery?"

"It's not."

"Well I don't believe you! I know who you two are! You're the second and third command of the Revolutionary Army!"

"For God's sake, leave them alone!" yelled a familiar voice. The marine soldier looked frightened, and I looked towards the new person. There he was: Sakazuki. He looked different from the time when he was Vice Admiral. Before, he wore a white suit with a gray cloak over it, the hood covering his head, and his Vice Admiral cloak draping over his shoulders. Now, he wore a red hawaiian shirt with an orange floral pattern and a dark red suit over it. An Admiral's cloak was draped over his shoulders, and the cuffs of his sleeves were red, as to be expected.

"Sir, these two claim that they have business with you. They're the second and third in command of the Revolutionary Army."

"I know that. And they're here because they do have business with me. I requested them here personally. That letter was not forged."

"W-Wha-?! B-But sir…"

"But nothing. You may go. Leave us alone for a while."

"Y-Yes, sir." The soldier left, and Akainu crossed his arms, looking at us intently.

"Well well, look at you two. The two strongest soldiers in the Revolution under Dragon. Who would have thought that the boy I met 10 years ago in a small town in South Blue, and my own daughter would lead paths like this?"

"Yeah. Who knew?" I said sarcastically. We started walking.

"Why did you bring her along? I addressed that letter to you and you only."

"If I go, she does too." Christina and I had become very good friends over the last 3 years, and hardly argued anymore. She now wore black leather leggings and tall black boots, with a red dress and a dark open jacket over it. I still wore a white shirt, black pants, and shoes, and of course my black coat. Now that we were high ranking officers of the Revolutionary Army, we both wore green hooded cloaks just like Dragon over all of our clothes. We followed Akainu into the main plaza of Marineford, and I noticed some of the Warlords hanging around because of their consecutive meetings for starting the organization. I eyed some of them: Mihawk and Jinbei were both there, and it looked like even Donquixote Doflamingo, the infamous pirate and black market racketeer, was a member. And was that...Hancock? They noticed me and their eyes widened, but at the moment, I was preoccupied, so I kept walking. Akainu led us into his private study. After pulling a lever under his desk, the top drawer unlocked, and he pulled out a large jewelry box. He opened it, revealing multiple Templar Cross necklaces.

"I assume that you already know that the other Admirals and I are Templars." He pulled out his own Templar Cross, which was gold with rubies.

"I'm well aware of that." I told him.

"I have a job for you. Since you're a Revolutionary officer and former pirate, they'll listen to you more than me. I want you to attempt to recruit the Warlords into the Order."

"You asked me of all people? Why not ask Sengoku or do it yourself? They fear you more."

"It's not fear they need, it's trust. And Sengoku isn't a member, nor do I intend to have him join. Look, just go do it for me, as a favor. You still don't have a bounty. Would you like me to change that?" I took the box, and Christina and I walked out of the room.

X

"Alright. Everyone's here. Let's start." I began, standing in the front of the conference room. Christina stood next to me, holding the box. She set it on the table and opened it, revealing the Crosses.

"How many of you are aware of the Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order?" Jinbei, Hancock, and Mihawk raised their hands.

"Alright then. These two groups have been fighting each other for millennia over political ideologies. The Brotherhood believes that people should have their own freedom and will. The Templars believe that the people need to be guided by a leader. Although most Templars believe more in control than leadership: Politics, Money, the works. The three admirals are all Templars." Their eyes widened.

"As for Assassins, you have Dragon, Silvers Rayleigh, and Emperor Shanks." Once again, they looked surprised.

"Admiral Akainu wants to recruit as many of you as he can into the Templars. So let me ask: which of you is interested in joining the Order?" After a moment of pause, Doflamingo and Mihawk raised their hands.

"Alright. And who is interested in joining the Brotherhood?" Jinbei, Hancock, and Kuma raised their hands.

"Okay...and who doesn't want to be part of either one?" I asked with half lidded eyes. Crocodile and Moriah raised their hands.

"Okay. You're dismissed. I'll contact you when either Dragon or Akainu has reached a decision." They began to walk out of the room, and Mihawk walked up to me.

"So you've decided to join them?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, but after doing research, I feel like people do need a certain amount of organization and someone to guide them. And Akainu has the qualities of leadership, more than Sengoku does."

"Fine then. I don't hold it against you. You know that I believe in the free will of people. So if you want to join the Templars, that's your choice. But I hope you realize that eventually, we'll have to meet in battle."

"I know that." He walked out of the room. Hancock walked up to me.

"You're joining us, are you?" I asked, brightly.

"Of course." she smiled. "I have to repay my debt to you in some way."

"I heard you're running your own island. Amazon Lily, I believe it's called?"

"Yeah, that's right. It's a women's only island."

"Why's that?"

"Because all of the boyfriends I've had have ended up breaking my heart, so I don't want any of my girls to go through that. But you're always welcome back to the island any time, remember that!"

"Thanks. I appreciate it." I smiled warmly at her. I walked back to Akainu and discussed with him who wanted to join. After about 5 minutes, I walked back out to everyone.

"Congratulations, you two. Akainu approved you to join the Templars." I handed Mihawk his Cross Kogatana necklace, and Doflamingo declined his, as he didn't want to wear one.

"So what are you going to do?" He pointed to his pants.

"The belt loop strings form sideways crosses. That will be enough."

"Suit yourself. As for the other three, you're now Assassins. Congratulations." I handed them each a Brotherhood necklace.

"Now I need a word with just the three of you. Follow me." We walked towards our ship.

"Dragon wants to meet with you three. So when you're ready, meet us on the island of Baltigo, which is the Revolutionary Army's base."

"Will do." They all responded.

X

"We're back." I walked out onto the balcony, where Dragon was.

"Those three have just arrived, I see." He pointed to the shore, where three ships were: the Kuja Pirates, the New Sun Pirates, and whatever kind of ship Kuma had.

"Welcome." I told them as they all walked up to Dragon and I.

"So you three want to join the Brotherhood, do you?" Dragon asked, looking at all of them.

"Tell me what drove you to this point. Why do you want to join?"

"My crew was torn in half, with the original captain betrayed and killed, one of my friends arrested, and the other one leaving. I want to join an organization that knows how to change the world for the better."

"I was a slave of the Celestial Dragons, until Aaron and Christina saved me from them. I want to get back at the Word Nobles."

"I want to stop the World Nobles from controlling every aspect of human life."

"...Do you swear to uphold the tenets of our creed, and to fight for the freedom of mankind?"

"We do."

"Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent, hide in plain sight, and never compromise the Assassin Brotherhood. Do you swear to uphold these principles at whatever cost necessary?"

"We do."

"Nothing is true, Everything is permitted. 'To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.' These are the words recited by Ezio Auditore himself. Do you swear to follow this principle until death?"

"We do."

"Then rise, Assassins." They stood up. He handed them each a Master Assassin necklace.

"Since you three are already Warlords, I'm going to have you start at the rank of Master Assassin. Now then, for each of you, I have an individual assignment. After Roger was executed, he left the Brotherhood to me. Unfortunately, we don't have too many recruits right now. Even though Aaron and Christina are not officially members of the Brotherhood yet, they both help me out with the work here. And since the other two Master Assassins, Rayleigh and Shanks, are always traveling and never here, those two are the only ones that I ever have to help out, and they still have their duties to the Revolution to deal with. So I want you each to build this Brotherhood up in your own way. Kuma, I want you to focus on the research aspect. I'm appointing you head of the Archives and Technology Advancement Department. Your job is to develop new technology and record any kind of information you deem useful to the Brotherhood in their Archives on Zou. Hancock: since the beginnings of the Renaissance, the Assassins have employed the services of Courtesans, or Strippers. I have an island already picked out for you named Solacia. So I want you to build that place up with nightclubs, superstores, and whatever else you can think of. However, it will actually be our nest of informants in disguise. Whenever we have a contract or need some kind of information that's more on the streets than in the archives, we would stop there and ask you or one of the others stationed there. You can travel back and forth from Amazon Lily to Solacia whenever you wish, unless I require you to be on one or the other."

"Understood."

"Jinbei. I mentioned already that we don't have many recruits here. I'm leaving you in charge of our Mercenary Branch. Try to find any kind of recruit you can, and employ them either here or over in Zou."

"Got it. What's the difference between Baltigo and Zou?" I stepped forward.

"The Brotherhood is a secret and different organization from the Revolutionaries overall. Although almost everyone in the army knows about it and about Dragon leading it, most of them aren't part of it. In order to become an Assassin, they should have at least 3 years of experience within the Revolution, and have to pass an entrance exam. So the Brotherhood is comprised of our elite soldiers. Baltigo is the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army, while Zou is the headquarters of the Brotherhood."

"So then I take it both you and Christina are Master Assassins?" Hancock asked.

"No, not yet. We're waiting until the moment is right."

X

I sat down at my desk and sighed. I began doing some of the administrative work that was left for me. Christina walked in.

"Need something?" I asked, without looking up.

"I'm just wondering. Are you sure that you don't want to join the Brotherhood yet? We already handle the high-level duties as officers. Even if you don't have control over chaos yet, you're definitely strong enough to join as a Master Assassin already."

"I know that. But it won't feel right. I swore to kill every Templar in the New World, and I don't want to join the Brotherhood too early. Because if I join and then fight one, and end up losing, then I'll feel like I'm not worthy to be part of it. I want to join the Brotherhood when I know for sure that I'm strong enough to defeat all of the Templars without fail."

"...It's okay to fail, you know. You just get back up again and-"

"Christina."

"Huh?"

"After my parents died, I felt like I didn't have a home anymore. Then when I joined the Sun Pirates, it felt like I had finally found somewhere that I belonged again. But you know as well as I do how that ended up. And now, I once again feel like I have a home, a real one. I don't want what happened with the Captain and Arlong to happen here. I want to make sure that this keeps going, this whole organization."

"Aaron…"

"Commanders!" one of the soldiers announced, who walked in.

"What is it?"

"Just thought that I'd let you know, sir. We'll be docking at the Sabaody Archipelago soon to restock and get some rest."

"Thank you. You can go now."

"Of course, Sir." He left.

X

"Here we are. You guys go get some supplies. I'm going to take a look around." I started exploring the island, as I had never been here before. I heard that it marks the halfway point in the Grand Line. It's where the New World truly begins. Then I heard a lot of murmuring over in one of the main plazas. I decided to walk over to see what was going on. But what I saw made me absolutely livid.

"You know, I am looking for a wife right now, and I think that you'd be perfect. What do you say? Would you like to become a World Noble?" There was a young woman, about Dragon's age, kneeling on the ground in front of him. She was wearing a green and black blouse and gray pants, along with high heeled shoes. Her hair and eyes were a striking jet black. Her eyes were tearing up, and she looked angry. She clearly didn't want to marry this man.

"Yeah right…" she whispered.

"Hm? What was that?"

"I said yeah right! Who in their right mind would want to marry one of you damn Celestial Dragons! I will not marry you! Even if I die, at least I didn't die as one of you pigs!"

The Dragon was taken back, and looked furious. Everyone else who was there was shocked that the woman stood up against the assholee. The Dragon stepped off of his platform that his servants were holding up, and took out a pistol. My eyes widened.

"I don't think so…" I began walking out towards them. The bodyguards looked towards me.

"H-Hey, you! Don't you know whose presence you're in?! Get down on the ground-" Before they had a chance to finish their sentence, I had already slit both of their throats with the knife that I carried on me. Everyone stared on in fear. The Dragon whipped around and glared at me.

"What do you think you're doing?! My bodyguards are dead!"

"I know." He aimed his gun at me and fired a shot at me. I grabbed the bullet midair and crushed it in my hand. He became terrified, but before he could fire another shot at me, I used shave and appeared right in front of him. I grabbed his gun from his hand and kicked him against a nearby wall. I grabbed his helmet and smashed it against the wall, allowing me to hit him directly. I placed the barrel of the gun against the Dragon's head.

"N-Now hold on a m-minute! You must know as well as I do that if you do anything to harm me, Navy Headquarters is required to send in one of their Admirals!"

"Oh, I'm quite aware. But the difference between myself and everyone else is that I don't really care. I'm strong enough to defeat an Admiral at this point. So there's no point in making empty threats."

"Y-You...I know who you are...You're Aaron Hawthorne, aren't you?! You participated in that raid on Mariejois 3 years ago!"

"Yes, I did. I can't believe that you stupid idiots didn't learn anything after that. We freed all your slaves and burned your city to the ground. Do you remember that?! WE BURNED MARIEJOIS, THE HOLY LAND! And to think that not one of you has learned from your mistakes. You're all still up to your same old bullshit. It's sickening. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Shows what you know! You don't have this kind of authority! When you have control over every aspect of human life, when you can control the entire Navy with a single command, the power can go to your head, and make you act this way." He smirked. I kneed him in the stomach.

"You might want to rethink your answer, pal. Last I checked, I'm the one with the gun to your head, and I'm this close to pulling the trigger." He became terrified once again. After a minute, I dropped the gun to the ground and began to walk away. The woman that I saved was the only one still there, and was surprised at my decision. The Dragon became enraged.

"What, you think that if you quit now that you'll get out unscathed?! Think again! You'd best believe that I'm going to call the Navy right now!" He screamed out. I smirked, and before he could do anything, I appeared before him again. My arm hardened, and I shoved my fist all the way through his chest, out to the other side. He coughed up blood and glared up at me with his last ounce of strength. I kicked him off of my arm, making him fall to the ground. I kicked the gun into the air and caught it as it was falling down. I aimed it at his head, smiling maliciously.

"You've just dug your own grave." He smiled back at me. I pulled the trigger 5 times, aiming at his head each time. It seemed as if everything went quiet for a minute. I dropped the gun and walked over to the young woman and offered my hand to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She looked up at me, crying. I flinched.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that. It's just that Celestial Dragons really get on my nerves." I looked away.

"You're not the only one." She told me. I looked back at her, surprised.

"I've hated those monsters for as long as I've lived. He called you Aaron Hawthorne. If I recall correctly, you're the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, right?"

"Yeah."

"Great. I've always wanted to join you, but unfortunately, no one knows anything about Dragon, so it's hard to be able to sign up. Is your ship here now?"

"Yeah, on the other side of the island. Would you like to join us and make a difference in the world?"

"Yes, I'd love to!" She grabbed my hand. "But I'm afraid that you've got bigger problems right now. After killing that Celestial Dragon, the Navy's going to send one of their Admirals here!"

"I'm not worried about that. I'm strong enough now to take on an Admiral."

X

"We've got a problem." Sengoku announced.

"What is it?"

"A Celestial Dragon." Kizaru sighed.

"So someone else injured one? Where?"

"On Sabaody Archipelago. And they weren't injured. They were killed." The three newly appointed Admirals became surprised.

"Someone dared to kill one? Who?" Aokiji asked, interested.

"The Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. He's Dragon's Lieutenant and Second in Command. Aaron Hawthorne." They all became silent.

"So...who wants to go?" Sengoku asked. "It's your first official assignment as an Admiral.

"I'll go do it. I'm sure he'd prefer me anyway." Akainu said, walking out of the room. He sailed towards the island on his personal battleship.

X

"Sir, would you like to know where-" one of the marine soldiers began as Akainu immediately walked of the docked ship.

"No need. I can already sense his presence." He continued to walk towards my location.

"Oh hey, it's you." I said, walking towards him as well. We stood opposite of each other.

"...I have nothing to say to you."

"Neither do I. I know that I'm strong enough now to beat you. So why don't you show me your true power, Sakazuki? Or I hear that you go by Akainu now?"

"Why don't you demonstrate this power that you're so fond of instead? You claim that you're strong enough to beat me. Why don't you prove it, and I'll show you if you're deserving of my true power."

"Fair enough. I've been training with Dragon for 3 years now, and trained with Fisher Tiger for another year before that, and with Dracule Mihawk for 5 years before that. I'm not going to hold back." I hardened my arm and flew at him, punching him repeatedly in the stomach and chest. He made no effort to block or intercept my hits, and just stood there while I continued to blow holes through his body. I activated my water abilities as well.

"Tidal Wave!" I summoned a humongous tidal wave to swallow him up, but he activated his magma powers, evaporating it into steam.

'So he's eaten a devil fruit…' Akainu thought. His eyes narrowed.

"Rock Tomb Prison!" I summoned two rock walls and clamped them around Akainu, trapping him in an earthen prison.

'Two different Logias...he must have eaten the other Piece of Eden then, the Chaos Chaos Fruit. How unfortunate.'

"Daifunka." I saw the prison begin melt and explode.

"I suppose that I'll have to stop holding back then. HRAHHHH!" I summoned fire on one hand, and lightning on the other, which began to burn and ravage the land. I put my hands together.

"Raika Blast!" I shot an enormous beam of fire and lightning fused with haki at him. But he only held out one hand and stopped it like it was nothing. He threw the blast upward, making it eventually dissolve.

"Damn you...I WILL END YOU, SAKAZUKI! CYCLONE SLICE!" I slashed a giant wave of wind at him, which ended up cutting him in half.

"Yeah...I told you." I smirked at him.

"Is this all you have? You're definitely stronger than before, but I'm afraid you're nowhere near my level yet." I gasped. He simply regenerated the upper half of his body, while the original melted on the ground.

'Something's not right. Why isn't he bleeding at all?'

"How are you not injured?! Haki is supposed to be the only countermeasure against Logia types!"

"Well, it is. But that all depends on experience. When you get to the level of an Admiral, and similar experience among pirates and revolutionaries, weak haki such as yours can't hurt us. So if you're gonna hurt me, you're gonna have to kick it up another 6 notches."

"Grrrr…"

"Now then, you said you wanted to fight me at full strength? I don't think so. I'll definitely be able to crush you with less than my full strength. I'll probably only need about ⅓ of it." He shaved in front of me and kicked me in the chest hard, sending me flying through the trees. I coughed up blood, and Akainu kept walking towards me.

'This is only ⅓ of his strength?! He's way stronger than he was as a Vice-Admiral!'

I ran towards him again, throwing a haki covered punch. He caught it easily with one hand, and then knocked me back against another tree. He walked up and continuously punched me in the chest, making me closer and closer to death. I sat there, blood dripping from all over my body, looking up at the man I swore vengeance upon.

"I suppose it's time to die. It's unfortunate. Kizaru and I were looking forward to seeing you become stronger, but if this is all you can do after 10 long years, then I don't see any point anymore. And after what you just pulled with killing a Celestial Dragon, I'm afraid that this is the end of the line. So long, Aaron Hawthorne." He began charging up his fist with magma and haki, and prepared to fire it at me. I really thought it was the end, but then a strong green wind began to whip around the area.

"D...Dra...gon?" I coughed out. When I looked up, I saw Dragon standing in front of me with his hood down and arms crossed, wind blowing around him. He looked at me.

"...Haki Healing." He healed me so that I could stand off.

"You'll need medical attention with wounds that severe, I'm afraid that haki healing will only be temporary. So take the girl and get back to the ship. I'll handle things here. Go!"

"R-Right." I got up and ran to the woman, helping her up and running towards the ship.

"You think I'm gonna let you get away?!" Akainu began rushing towards us, but Dragon once again stopped him.

"Dragon. So you want to fight me? Hopefully you'll be more of a challenge than your lieutenant was."

"Aaron was rash and overconfident to think that he could take you on now. I assure you, I'm more than a match for you. And I know this for a fact. Now come." Wind began to blow around him, making his eyes glow green. Akainu threw a hardened punch at Dragon, but Dragon punched back with his own haki, and shattered Akainu's armor. He then punched him in the face a few times, continuously avoiding Akainu's counterattacks.

"Hrghhh! Daifunka!"

"Cyclone Slice." Dragon unleashed a more powerful version of the wind attack that I used before, and slashed through Akainu's attack easily.

"Dragon...It seems that I'll need to go all out against you."

"Bring it. I'm not intimidated by someone like you, Sakazuki."

"Transformation: Hound of Hell!" And with that, Akainu transformed into a massive magma cerberus.

"What is that?!" yelled the girl I saved.

"Akainu mentioned those to me. They're Admiral Transformations, an Admiral's full power and final form. Although I've never seen one before. I guess Dragon's strong enough to make him go all out."

"So you think you can beat me now?" Akainu asked.

"Of course. Lizard Lizard Fruit; Model: Dragon." Dragon used his Mythical Zoan powers to transform into his most powerful form: the black dragon.

"A Mythical Zoan? How interesting."

"Cyclone Incineration Blast!" Dragon fired a beam of fire and wind at Akainu, who countered with his own fire breath, but was easily overpowered and knocked out of his form after Dragon used his talons to slash his sides. Dragon then left his state, and rushed with us back to the ship. We got on and Dragon ordered everyone to set sail for Baltigo immediately. I dropped down after that, as my wounds had resurfaced.

X

I opened and closed my eyes a few times to a dim light. Where was I?

"You're awake at last?" a familiar voice asked me. I looked over next to me to find the black haired girl I had saved on Sabaody.

"Y-Yeah. How long have I been out?"

"A few days. We're in the infirmary on Zou right now." I closed my eyes for a moment.

"I never did ask your name before."

"Amaryllis. But you can call me Amy for short."

"Aaron Hawthorne. I would say nice to meet you, but you probably see me as an arrogant weakling, huh?"

"W-Why would I think that?"

"Why wouldn't you? I was cocky, and said that I'd take care of Akainu, but I got slaughtered, and almost cost you your life."

"But you saved my life from that Celestial Dragon. And that's more important to me. Frankly, I think that you're more of a hero that's brave as opposed to a coward that can't fight. Even standing up to a Celestial Dragon and an Admiral in the first place is the mark of someone brave. Most people, whether pirates, marines, or just normal citizens, run in fear at the mere mention of an Admiral's name, let alone Akainu's. Yet you stood your ground and took him on, all to protect me and change the World Government. To me, that's what a hero is, someone who fights for the sake of others without being afraid."

"...Thank you." I sat up, noticing that I was still covered in bandages.

"Are you sure you can walk yet?" asked a familiar voice from over by the door. I looked over to see Christina standing there with her arms folded. She wasn't wearing her normal clothes, just a black blouse, black skirt, and sandals.

"I think so. Why weren't you here to keep me company, Ms. Moon Goddess?" She narrowed her eyebrows.

"Come with me. I have something to show you." She walked over and helped me up onto my feet.

"I can walk on my own, thanks." She led me into her office, and pulled up a chair to her desk.

"Have a seat." I sat down and watched her take the chair opposite of me.

"What do you see?" She pointed to her desk.

"Your desk is neat and tidy?"

"Exactly."

"So?"

"I just finished going through all of the paperwork and complaints from the World Government only an hour ago. There was a huge stack of envelopes and letters here before. Because of what you pulled on Sabaody, the World Government has been hounding us and attempting to hunt us down endlessly. Baltigo was discovered." My eyes widened.

"So for the time being, Dragon had everyone come over to Zou in order to make it look like it's uninhabited. He's proud of you for taking out a Celestial Dragon, but he's not too pleased with your blunder with Akainu."

"I didn't think Dragon was the type to get upset over wins and losses."

"He's not upset about you losing, he's upset about you fighting him in the first place! You should have known that you were no match for an Admiral!"

"You would have done the same if you were in my position!"

"No, I wouldn't have. I'm not as strong as you, and I knew that you weren't a match for Akainu yet anyway. Don't do something like that ever again. Not unless you know for sure that you can hold your own."

"..."

"Dragon wants to see you. You shouldn't keep him waiting. Later on, we'll go out for a drink together, okay?"

"Okay." I smiled and left.

"Aaron."

"Hm?"

"Stay safe." She whispered, concerned. I left the room and headed towards Dragon's office.

X

I knocked on the door of Dragon's room before entering. He glanced back at me, then looked forward again.

"...Do you understand the consequences of what you did?"

"Yes. Lots of complaints, and Baltigo was discovered. But why did you move everyone? Couldn't you have just fought back?"

"That would be pointless. Because then they'd relentlessly send soldiers, including the Admirals after us, and even though we'd give them a hell of a fight, we'd get worn down, and eventually lose."

"Oh. I suppose you're right, then."

"What did Christina say to you?"

"That if I'm ever going to do something like that again, I need to be as strong, if not stronger, than them."

"Then I say the same. You should have known that you weren't ready to fight Akainu. You're lucky that I was there to be able to save you from him."

"Yeah. And you took him on like he was nothing." I said, disappointed in myself.

"Don't worry about that. Akainu isn't as strong as me, but he's still a worthy opponent."

"It's definitely something I need to worry about! I'm your Second in Command, my strength should be at least comparable to yours, but there's an enormous gap, even after training with you for 3 years!"

"I've been subjected to harsh training since I was a kid. You know how my father wanted me to be. To surpass him and become an elite member of the Navy. And for a time, I was."

"Right. Former Admiral Shiroryuu. The White Dragon."

"Yes. Although my Dragon form from my devil fruit is black in color, my second stage is my former Admiral Transformation, which is white, and multiplies its power."

"But why aren't I…?"

"Because you haven't unlocked your full potential yet. You still haven't unlocked chaos, which is the most powerful logia type of your devil fruit, and the signature ability. In addition, I haven't trained you completely for the Brotherhood yet. Your freerunning skills and assassinations still need work."

"...I see. I'm going to my office to take care of some paperwork." I began to leave the room.

"Aaron."

"Hm?" I glanced behind me.

"Revenge always takes time, you know."

"..." I turned around and left.

X

I sat down at my desk and began to do paperwork concerning the recent events on Sabaody. After a few minutes, I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." The figure walked in and up to my desk.

"Kuma. What is it?" I asked, without even looking up from my work.

"I'm heading out on a job. It'll take me a long time though. Three years."

"What kind of job takes three years?" He gave the job description to me.

"Long Term Surveillance on the Marines. Are you sure you want to take this on?"

"Positive. Dragon assigned it to me."

"...Alright." I shrugged. He took the poster and left. Later on that night, I went out for a drink with Christina.

"I haven't seen Kuma in a while. Where did he go?"

"He told me he was leaving on a long term surveillance job. He'll be gone for 3 years."

"Really?"

"He claimed that Dragon sent him on it. Speaking of which, where is he?"

"He's gone for 3 years on business for reinstating Baltigo. He's leaving the Brotherhood and Army up to you and I."

"Hmph. What else is new? It always seems like Dragon's never here."

"I know, right?" She laughed slightly.

X

"So it's been three years, huh?" asked Dragon, when Christina and I finally met him after his job. We had just transferred everything back to Baltigo from Zou.

"Yeah, it feels like an eternity ago." Christina mentioned. All of the Master Assassins and Commanders were there to greet him: Myself, Christina, Hancock, Jinbei, and even Rayleigh had come out to see us.

"Hm? Where's Kuma?" Dragon asked.

"You mean you don't remember? You sent him off on a three year mission for surveillance. He's supposed to be back soon."

"...I never sent him off for that."

"What?" I asked. The others looked confused.

"You're not losing your memory, are you?" asked Rayleigh.

"You're one to talk. I'm not even 30 yet. No. I never sent Kuma on a long term mission. I'd remember if I did, especially since he's a member of the Brotherhood."

"Then why did he…?" Dragon closed his eyes.

"All of you, follow me." He led us into the Archives. Dragon walked over to a large computer and started the system up.

"What kind of assignment did you say it was?" he asked.

"Marine Surveillance for 3 years." I responded. Dragon continuously narrowed the search, until it was the exact same type of job.

"Mm. It looks like a job like this was listed, but it was completed a long time ago, by Shanks when Roger was still in charge. None like that have been listed or requested in the past 3 years."

"Which means that Kuma's job is a fake, it never existed." Rayleigh concluded. My eyes widened.

"Then what has he been doing for the past 3 years?!"

"Sir!" yelled a soldier that ran up to us.

"What is it?" asked Dragon.

"Kuma has returned, sir!"

"We're going." I stated, as Dragon and I walked out towards the shore.

"Do you want us to come?" asked Christina.

"No. Stay here. I don't want anything to happen to you." We went out to meet him, and I walked towards him, furious.

"Where in the hell have you been?" I yelled, throwing a punch at him. But when it collided, something was different than before. I didn't hit human flesh, I hit metal. I pulled my hand away cautiously.

"What have you done to yourself?"

"Just some modifications that Dr. Vegapunk performed. I'm a cyborg now."

"W-What?! Why were you…" Kuma looked at me darkly.

"You never intended to sincerely serve the Brotherhood, did you?" asked Dragon as he caught up to us.

"Correct. I was assigned a separate mission by Akainu. He had Vegapunk transform me and make mass weapons from my DNA called Pacifista, and also to infiltrate the Brotherhood and get inside information from them." I clenched my fists in rage.

"You were never an Assassin. You were a Templar even before I gave that presentation at Marineford. You were already fully aware of what each faction does, and expressed interest in joining the Brotherhood so that you could gauge our members and our battle strengths and techniques!" Kuma was silent. I activated my lightning and water powers to create a thunderstorm. It began to pour where we were standing. I hardened my arm and punched straight through Kuma's left side, making him fly backwards. I threw off my green cloak and began walking through the rain.

"Leave him to me." Dragon left and headed back to the base. Kuma repaired himself and stood back up, walking towards me as well.

'So he can heal himself through machinery…'

"Water Slash!" I formed a blade out of water particles and slashed a wave of energy towards him. But Kuma blocked it using his paw powers. We continued throwing punches and dodging each other until eventually at a standoff.

"Ursus Shock."

"Raika Blast!" All I remembered after that was the incredible explosion of light and passing out.

X

"Are you alright?" asked a familiar voice. I looked up slowly, seeing Christina kneeling next to me. I sat up.

"Where's Kuma?" She looked down sadly.

"He's gone. He left to go side with the Templars."

"I see…"

"Will you be okay-"

"What do you think?!" I snapped at her rather harshly, making her step back a few feet.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that...I thought I could change something for the better by joining the revolution! I thought that I had finally found a place where I belonged, a home! And yet, I almost die, becoming a wanted criminal, and am betrayed by one of my friends...DAMN IT!" I pounded my fist into the ground while the rain was pouring down on us.

"...Come on. Let's get you inside." She helped me up and back into the base. Everyone noticed my personality change, so they already knew what had happened.

"Aaron, come with me. I have something that I want you to do." Christina and I followed him into his bedroom, and found Amy sitting on the bed next to a crib.

"Since when did this happen?" asked Christina. I was still silent.

"Over the three years I was gone." Amy picked up a sleeping baby with jet black hair, just like herself.

"We decided to name him Luffy." She said, smiling.

"Luffy?" I asked.

"Yes. My father once mentioned that that was his father's name, my grandfather. Apparently, he also wanted to stand up to the World Government, but was killed by one of the Admirals at the time. I decided to name my son after him."

"I see."

"...I want you to take him to Fushia Village, my hometown. Garp is already there looking after Ace, so I want him to take care of Luffy. He's not safe here what with the kinds of work that we do."

"Yeah. I get it."

X

Dragon and Amy said their goodbyes to Luffy, and I held him, still sleeping. I teleported to the shore of Fushia Village. I looked down at him, still walking towards Garp's house.

'Clearly he's not bothered by strong powers. What an odd kid.'

"Garp." I saw him sitting outside with a 2 year old Ace next to him.

"Aaron? What are you doing here?"

"Special Delivery for you." I handed him Luffy.

"Is this…?"

"Luffy. You're biological grandson. Dragon wants you to take care of him."

"Sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but you know that I'm not that great with kids. I mean you know how Dragon turned out." he joked.

"I beg to differ. You've been looking after Ace for two years now, and he looks as healthy as can be." I looked over at the smiling boy.

"Ace, this is your little brother, Luffy. Make sure to take care of him for me, okay?"

"Okay! But who are you?"

"Aaron. Aaron Hawthorne." I said smiling, as I turned and walked away.

'We'll meet again, Luffy. Hopefully by the time that you're older, you won't have to be dragged into this insanity.'

X

"You're leaving?" Dragon glanced behind me.

"For a while. I think I just need to clear my head, and relax. It's not like I'm not your Lieutenant anymore, right?" Dragon chuckled.

"I suppose not. You're traveling with Shanks then? He came back here for a small rest after he completed a job I assigned him."

"Yeah. I already told him, and he doesn't mind."

"Good luck."

"Thanks." I turned and left. I walked into Christina's office and saw her packing a suitcase.

"Where are you going?"

"With you, of course."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!"

"This is something that I need to do myself. I'll still see you when I can, you know." She sighed, then smiled.

"I know. It's just that...I don't want what happened on Sabaody to happen again. With your devil fruit, your anger makes you stronger. But mine is different, I have to stay calm and collected."

"I know. But that's why I'm doing this. Because I don't want my anger to get the better of me. Not again. I don't want you getting hurt."

"...You'd better come back to me." I looked at her before leaving.

X

"Are you ready to go?" Shanks asked, his Straw Hat on his head.

"Let's do it." I smiled, and walked on his ship.

"And after that, I traveled around meeting various different pirates, between Warlords and Emperors, and anyone else you can name." I told them. "I returned to the Revolutionaries 7 years later, on the night that we saved Sabo. Kuma was with us on Templar business, but his goal aligned with ours, so that was the last time we worked together. I trained Sabo to be the next Chief of Staff for the next 6 years, before leaving the rest to Dragon and Christina before setting off on my own to do mercenary work and track the Templars in the meantime. I eventually learned of Arlong's subjugation of Cocoyashi, and traveled there with the intent to kill him, meeting Nami and Nojiko in the process, but I unfortunately couldn't bring myself to do it. I stayed in touch with them over the next ten years, before heading back to stop him again, but Luffy beat me to it." Nami smiled and patted his head. "I was going to introduce myself that night at the party, but I got a call from Crocodile asking me to do a job for him in Alabasta, so I had to leave and stayed overnight in Loguetown. You know the rest from there."

"That's a lot to take in all at once…" Sanji murmured.

"It is indeed, but it's all true."

"Hey guys, there's a giant elephant in the water." Franky pointed out. I looked over to where he was pointing.

"Then we're here. Welcome to Zou, home of the Brotherhood."

End.

Next chapter, all the Templars and Assassins will be revealed/returned!