Garp paused, cracker midway to his lips as he heard angry footsteps stomping down the hall.

"Gaaaarrppp!" Sengoku sounded pissed, his voice nearly a growl. He munched on the cracker, uncaring of the crumbs that covered his hands when the rest disintegrated in an angry blast of air. His door had been slammed open, the lights of his office flickering dangerously, and he casually turned to look at his friend, extending his hand and offering the crackers.

"What one?" They were snatched out of his hand and Sengoku threw his head back to scarf them all down in one go.

Garp gaped at the now empty packaging, "Sen-"

"Not one word Garp!" The bag was crushed in the fleet admiral's hands and he threw it to the ground, stomping it under his foot like it was the reason for all his problems.

"What the hell did you do, Garp!?" Sengoku slammed the door closed and it fell off it's hinges, teetering to the side and resting at an angle. The walls shook and the floor rattled at the force subjected to the doorframe. Sengoku crossed his arms, not even turning to look at the mess of the entrance and glared down at his long time best friend. Garp leaned back, legs spread and he rested his hands behind him to cradle his head.

"Eh? What do you mean?" He saw a vein throb in the admiral's forehead and Garp had to fight the urge to laugh. It was the only way he could lie, acting so oblivious. He was a terrible liar and even worse at keeping secrets, he could only hope keeping his friend angry would be enough to cover any of his slipups.

"Why the hell are the Whitebeards involved with your son!? We just got intel that a boy with a straw hat was sighted with them and locked in a damn treasure chest!" Sengoku was foaming at the mouth and Garp could almost see a few strands of his hair turning white in real time.

"Huh" he said instead, picking his nose and trying to hold back a satisfied grin at his son being safe. "Guess that's one way to trap the kid." He nearly saw steam come out of Sengoku's ears and he couldn't hold back the laugh any longer. He slammed his fists on the small table in front of him, wood splintering from the force.

"Haha! Senny maybe you should take a day off?" Garp grinned, he hadn't heard any news back from the Whitebeards so this was a great sign. If they had Luffy he knew the other two brothers would be nearby as well.

"You seem damn calm for knowing a bunch of pirates to have your grandson!" Sengoku slumped and sat on the couch opposite of him, grabbing another bag of crackers and eating out of stress.

"Ah he's a tough kid. At least we know where he is now!" Garp snatched a cracker from his friend and happily chewed on it, missing the dark look that flashed through Sengoku's eyes.

"They'll go after him, Garp."

Garp swallowed down the cracker, nodding. "I know, but once I get Luffy back I can probably explain the situation as a kidnapping or something." Garp rubbed at his beard, clicking his tongue and thinking of a good lie. When Sengoku didn't respond he glanced over, noting the harsh lines in his friend's forehead and hands coated in a crushed cracker.

"Senny?" Garp sat up straight, frown forming on his face. Something was off.

"Garp," Sengoku began, voice hesitant. "They know he can talk to sea kings." Sengoku stared at him, his eyes shadowed when he tilted his head forward.

This wasn't news to Garp, he had always known Luffy would be seen as strange for it, but never imaged the Navy would go for him too harshly for that weird quirk. Then again that was before they gave him an actual bounty.

"That's old news Senny," he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and gauged his friend's features. "What of it?"

Sengoku looked away, towards the broken door and the white walls, his eyes landing on several mementos of the Marine's greatness. The fleet admiral was quiet for a moment, hands gripping at his white pants in a nervous gesture that Garp hadn't seen in near decades. The gesture made anxiety creep into his belly and settle heavily. "Garp, they think he's Poseidon."

The blood drained from his face, his hands trembling. He gripped his knees, squeezing hard to prevent the nervous shake coursing through his frame.

"That's-" Garp was at a loss, his mind blanking. "Sengoku that's bullshit!" He turned to his friend, watching with growing dread as Sengoku's features became increasingly blank, as if trying to hide himself away from Garp's emotions. The anxiety that had settled now threatened to crawl up his throat and choke him from the inside.

"It's supposed to be a mermaid!" He blurted out around his tightening windpipe, and as far as they both knew, Luffy was definitely human. Well, as far as Sengoku knew.

"I know Garp, I know." The resigned way it was sighed out did nothing to ease his thoughts, instead it made the lump in his throat more prominent and suddenly, he couldn't breathe. Garp swallowed, neck straining and his saliva burned on the way down.

"Sengo-" He couldn't finish his name.

"I'm sorry, Garp." Sengoku stood and Garp leaned back against the couch heavily, dark eyes trailing after the fleet admiral when he left without another word.

xxx

Thatch was trying really hard not to pull his hair out. He loved his hair, needed most of it to be able to make his pompadour, so it was with great difficulty that he forced his hands away from his head. They had been in paradise meeting up with Marco and Izou when the two had told them the young boy had been found. But this was not exactly how he expected the reunion of his brothers to go. That morning, Marco had landed on the deck with a heavy thump, the mini Moby they came from a ways off. They were all initially surprised, and even more so when Izou had climbed off Marco's back, kimono and hair in disarray like he hadn't had time to do it in a few days. Thatch was about to ask about it when a flare of fire caught his eye, it was heading towards them at startling speeds and he and the others shifted into ready stances, all asking what the hell that was and what happened. Because unless threatened with absolute death or exhaustion there was no way Izou would let himself look so sloppy. Which brought him to his current dilemma.

"What do you mean their baby brother is in that chest!" he exploded, pointing an accusatory finger towards Marco. "Of all the times you gotta discourage pops from pickup up more siblings, you sure are turning into him!" Marco had the audacity to look surprised and Thatch groaned, throwing a quick apology over his shoulder to his father figure.

"Gurararara! Marco my son! Great work!" His pop's booming voice echoed across the deck which fell silent, leaving him, Izou and Haruta to stare at their father with incredulous looks. Sometimes Thatch wondered how more of their crew didn't resent them, but he supposed it was better that way.

"Pops, you can't mean-" he was cut off by a harsh pounding and the chest the kid was in tipped over on it's side. The deck stilled and they all stared as the wood bowed under the force of the hits it was taking, seawater seeping from the material and pooling on the deck.

"Why's he still in there!" Thatch lost his previous train of thought and rushed forward, knocking on the wood as he kneeled in front of the chest. "Hey kid! Sorry about my idiot brothers!" He ignored the glare sent his way. "I'll let you out and we can get something to eat. That sound, okay?" There was a muffled sound that sounded suspiciously like 'meat' and Thatch nodded even if it couldn't be seen. "Yeah! As much meat as you want!" He moved back and angrily gestured for Marco to untwist the metal, growling under his breath about stupid chickens and their need to horde eggs.

Marco's brow twitched in irritation, but he didn't argue. "Fine, but you get to deal with him and his brothers." Marco snapped the twisted iron just as Thatch repeated "Brothers?"

As if on cue, the spark of fire on the horizon that had been approaching them turned into a figure of a man on a striker, black hair whipping around him and an angry snarl on his face.

Oh. Right.

Fuck.

"LUFFY!" The man screamed and the chest in front of him was blown open, a boy no older than 14 popping his head out. The boy, Luffy froze for a moment, eyes wide and taking them all in where they surrounded him on the deck. His eyes were dark and curious, holding an innocence to them that made Thatch's protective instincts kick in.

"Meat?" He tilted his head in an oddly cute way and Thatch latched onto the topic.

"Yeah! Lots!" He stuck his hand forward, hoping the kid would take it and get out of the chest without putting up too much of a fight. Food was the best thing to bond over and he was glad the kid seemeds to think so as well.

"Luffy!" two voices sounded from the horizon and the boy now identified as Luffy turned his gaze over to the sea. His eyes brightened and a blinding smile split across his face.

"ACE! SABO! They have MEAT!" Luffy blew out at the top of his lungs, jumping up to stand. Thatch cringed and rubbed his ears, unprepared for the impossibly loud shout from the short boy. Now that he was out and standing, Thatch could see he wore plain blue shorts and a little red vest, a straw hat on his back and a wide smile on his face as he waved at the approaching striker.

"Oh I'm not doing this again!" Izou's sudden shout had him glancing over and he was surprised to see the commander stomp away towards his quarters, angrily shoving aside anyone that didn't move fast enough for his tastes. A sudden rush of heat had Thatch jerking, his eyes widening as a wall of fire erupted on the side of the ship. It condensed into a young man and Thatch nearly cringed at the enraged look that was tossed at everyone on board. Were it anyone else but them, Thatch was almost certain that they would have withered away from that glare. Silver eyes were narrowed and dark, smoldering in a way that even his devil fruit couldn't manage to do. He was bare-chested and his dark shorts supported a large knife, one that he seen keen on using any time soon.

"Ace!" Luffy was still smiling as he stretched out his arms, unafraid of the fire licking at the man's shoulders. Thatch wondered how he was going to reach the man across the deck and nearly choked when his arms kept going. He saw Ace's shoulders slump slightly in relief, reaching his own arms out to grab at his brother.

"Wait yoi!" Marco finally grew a braincell and grabbed Luffy just before Ace could touch him, tossing him over his shoulder and preventing him from getting burned. That was the wrong move, because the anger on Ace's face grew tenfold, the air rippling around him and the deck of the ship slowly scorching outward in a circle that surrounded him. Ace took a threatening step forward, teeth bared and mouth formed in a snarl that screamed of something beyond fury. Thatch swallowed, eyes dancing between the two fire users and the boy trapped between them on Marco's shoulder.

"Give me my baby brother!" A blast of fire blew by Thatch and he watched in slow motion as Ace leaned forward, eyebrows drawn down and lips smashing into a harsh line. Fire shot off his heels, scorching the deck of the Moby black and propelling him forward. Thatch braced, knowing he was too close and would be burned-

Just as he was about to run past him and sear Thatch's skin, pops was there. A large, haki coated hand caught Ace in his middle, stopping all his momentum and knocking the breath out of him. Thatch let out a breath of pure relief, glad he didn't have to spend any time with the nurses for serious burns.

"You're a spirited brat!" Whitebeard grinned, eyes blazing in approval and Thatch frowned internally, knowing pops would absolutely wear Ace down to join the crew, even if he was currently spitting with rage and surprise at being caught.

"Let him go!" This time it was Luffy who spoke, struggling against Marco and reaching towards his brother with an extended arm that was easily caught. Thatch didn't know how the two brothers both managed to find devil fruits, but he supposed he's seen weirder.

"Luffy!" Ace sounded desperate as he struggled and kicked against pops who was trying to calm him down. "Luffy go! I know you can! Leave us!" Ace pulled against pops, eyes pleading towards his little brother. If Thatch wasn't looking as closely as he was, he would have missed the subtle way that Ace gestured towards the ocean.

"No!" The sharp refusal from the boy tugged at Thatch's heart and he didn't miss the soft look his pops gave the two. He could commend them for that, for sticking together like how a family should even against a crew as famous as theirs.

"Let go!" Luffy bit into Marco's arm and his brother jolted but didn't let go, blue fire immediately healing the wound.

"Pops I found another one!" They all turned towards Jozu's voice, watching as he dragged an unconscious blonde behind him. Ace stilled, eyes widening in horror at the trickle of blood that came from his brother's mouth.

"Ace," Luffy's voice was low and Thatch was instantly on alert, something instinctual telling him to be on guard. It wasn't the kind of feeling that you obtained from years of experience or travel, it was something that Thatch knew everyone was born with. An ingrained fear of something that seemed impossible in the worst ways.

The two brothers looked at each other, ignoring the words of Marco and his pops to have a silent conversation. Ace's scowl somehow managed to grow deeper, his eyes gaining a desperate edge. Still, the two brothers didn't speak. In the distance Thatch could hear a boom of thunder and he raised a brow in surprise. Even in paradise the weather only changed so drastically around islands, and they were far away from any that he could tell.

A shifting breeze drew Thatch's attention to the waters and he could see how the ocean began to churn, the waves growing larger and choppier and spreading out, as if they were at the beginning of the storm. The winds picked up abruptly, they were sharp and stinging his cheeks, as if he were atop a cliff and in the middle of a blizzard. The rest of his brothers stilled, glancing around and taking in the changes. Thatch stumbled, eyes widening when he realized that that waves had grown large enough for the great moby, a ship or colossal size, to begin to rock. Thatch was almost certain he could count on his hands how many times normal weather had managed to challenge the Moby.

"Luffy!" Ace's desperate voice drew his attention, the teen struggling against Whitebeard who had managed to hold his hands behind his back. "You promised!" Ace's silver eyes were unmoving, uncaring about anyone else besides his baby brother who seemed to be struggling with himself. Luffy, still being held like a ragdoll against Marco was loosely tugging against the hold, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "I Just don't want Ace and Sabo to get hurt because of me!" Luffy's cheeks were puffed out, like he was holding his breath so he wouldn't cry.

Thatch saw Ace swallow and look away, likely unable to hold his resolve against the pleading gaze. Thatch didn't blame him one bit, he was part of the crew and even he was tempted to fight for Luffy's freedom. He knew this was for the best though, Luffy was definitely too young to be on the gradline, nevermind have a bounty out for him.

"Come now brats, you'll be safe. Let us take you to our medical wing." Whitebeard's voice was low and gruff, no longer filled with the spirit of the fight. It seemed even his father figure couldn't resist. Ace hesitated in his grasp, twisting his head around to meet the giant man's gaze and holding it, unsure.

"Ace," Luffy called again, his eyes shadowed by his hair. "Ace she says they're okay." There was something in that tone that scratched at the back of Thatch's head and past his pompadour, some nagging feeling that Luffy knew more than he let on. Whatever it was though, it seemed to mostly satisfy Ace who glanced back at Whitebeard, his lips thinning into a frown but his eyes losing their fight.

"I just want my brothers," Ace muttered, frame still tense even as his pops slowly began to loosen his hold. When Ace didn't immediately fight, Whitebeard let go fully and gestured for Marco to let Luffy go. The boy instantly flung himself forward with extended arms, wrapping his hands around Ace's neck and slinging himself on his brother's back in a practiced motion. His legs came up to wrap around his waist and he buried his face into Ace's hair, eyes darting around but seemingly calmer now that he was with one of his brothers. Ace took a step towards the blonde, cautiously watching everyone on the deck as he stood to hover over his unconscious second brother. Jozu had been smart and quickly stepped away when Whitebeard had offered aid.

Thatch watched the brothers with a frown, not liking how they stood tensely in the middle of the deck, clearly hating how they were being observed so closely by everyone on the ship. He noticed then that Ace wasn't swaying on his feet, perfectly balanced. Thatch blinked and looked out over the rails, surprised at the calm waters that now surrounded them. He brought a hand up to his face, the warmth familiar and lingering without a cutting breeze to steal it away.

"My daughters will help you youngins," Whitebeard's voice drew his attention back and he watched as his pops gestured to the nurses off to the side, each wearing various masks of worry. They took that as their queue to approach slowly, hands clearly visible as they came forward. Ace tensed further, hands coming to grip at Luffy's legs still wrapped around him to reassure himself. Thatch could see how hard this was for Ace, but with one brother down and another too young to fight, he didn't think the fire user had much of a choice.

Ace didn't move from his tense standoff, clutching at Luffy like his life depended on it. His silver eyes followed the young nurse that had approached Sabo, watching as she checked him over.

"He's fine, should wake up in a couple hours or so. We can put him to rest in the med wing." The nurse stood from her crouched position next to the blonde and her eyes trailed to the younger brother clutched to Ace's back. Luffy's head peeked out from behind Ace, a smile forming on his lips before he flinched at Ace's snarl.

"He's not hurt. Just take care of Sabo." Ace freed one of his hands and reached behind to shove Luffy's face closer to his black hair, trying to obscure the view of his younger brother as much as possible. Thatch knew what it was like to being protective of the younger ones, but this was a different level entirely. Ace was terrified of something, that much was obvious even if he showed it with snapping anger. Though Thatch had the feeling that this wasn't all there was, Luffy seemed too happy and curious to be so compliant. He idly wondered then, just what Luffy had promised.

The nurse huffed, resting her knuckles on her hips as she scowled up at him. "Nonsense! He was stuck in that chest for who knows how long, I'm not risking my patient!" She made to reach forward and Thatch moved before he realized what he was doing. He made it in time to shove her back, avoiding the lick of fire that ignited off of Ace in his anger.

"Woah woah there," Thatch gave him a weary smile, eyeing the orange and red flames that licked at Ace's skin and wrapped around Luffy. Thatch gasped, making to try to fan the fire out. "Wait wait don't hurt your brother with that fire!"

That got through to Ace who extinguished himself immediately, jerking his arms around and making Luffy cling to his front. "Lu!? I'm sorry are you okay?" The boy in his arms giggled, giving his big brother a proper hug and shoving his face into the crook of his neck.

"Silly Ace, of course I'm fine. Nothing from mom can hurt me! She-" Ace smacked a hand over Luffy's mouth and growled something in his ear, his eyes glaring into Thatch as he scolded his baby brother. Thatch blinked, unaware of why Ace seemed angry and still confused as to how Luffy was okay next to the fire logia.

The nurse next to him shifted and grumbled, leaning down to grab the still unconscious blonde. Ace caught the movement and shifted Luffy, hauling him over one shoulder and keeping his other hand free. Jozu sighed and walked forward, helping the struggling nurses and carefully lifted the blonde.

"This is taking too long, c'mon." He turned and waited for Ace, smirking when the black haired teen glared but followed after him to the med wing of the ship.

Thatch ran a hand down his face, suddenly tired. That was almost as bad as having to fight them, the stress was draining. His fathers shadow fell over him and Thatch looked up to give him a weak smile, still too worried about the boys to put his usual cheerfulness behind it.

"Did you catch what that brat told his younger brother?"

Thatch blinked, surprised but shook his head. His pops nodded, eyes trailing after the boys with something in his gaze that Thatch couldn't decipher. Marco came up next to him, also watching them retreat into the medical wing.

"Pops," Marco murmured, eyes finally looking away and up towards his father. Thatch furrowed his brows, glancing between the two and trying to figure out what they were getting at. He knew those looks, knew that they knew something he didn't.

"What?" Thatch blurted out, uncaring that the other commanders rolled their eyes at his lack of tact. No one answered and Thatch wondered why there was anticipation building in his gut.

xxx

Whitebeard stared after the boy clinging to his brother's back, his mind whirling with possibilities. Luffy lifted his head and looked right at him, as if feeling his gaze and hearing his thoughts. The eyes that met his weren't those of a child, they were still carefree and innocent, held the look of wonder and the joy of exploration in the world, but they were knowing. They were old, like there was a lifetime of memories locked away and better left forgotten. Dark eyes stayed on him, staring and almost testing his worth. Then Luffy smiled so wide his eyes closed shut, his grin a large 'D' on his face and positively genuine in its kindness. It was like the sun, blinding and warm, like the star itself had looked at him and shown him its favor. Whitebeard had heard the old legends, knew what Roger so desperately wanted to see.

He knew something big was coming, had felt it before the chest was even opened. Felt it before Marco even landed on the ship. He had sailed the seas for longer than many of his crew had been alive, and his instincts rarely led him astray. When that boy had peeked his head over the chest and smiled, he had seen more than others. He saw how the chest was damp on the inside, the wood bulging and iron straining to keep shape. Saw the red rust of metal as salt water tried to eat away at its foundation. It had certainly been in the sea and every part of it was soaked through. Whitebeard also knew where dampness should have sunk through, but instead he only saw the perfectly dry black hair and crisp red vest. When Luffy had jumped out and was snatched up by Marco, he saw the straw hat on his back, small and unassuming to anyone else. But now that he had seen it up close and in person, Whitebeard knew. There was a certain residue left behind from the use of haki, something that tingled along your spine and was swept over to untrained eyes. He was not so naïve, he could feel the lingering power in the straw, reinforced by the will of the two previous owners, each a conqueror. It proved to him that it was the very straw hat that Red Hair had favored and apparently gave away to the brat from the east blue. But, that wasn't all it told him, because now there was a lingering sensation, a feeling that seeped into his bones as if he were the first to have ever noticed. If an object could have sentience then he was sure this is what it would have felt like.

It wasn't Roger's or Shanks' residue haki that seemed to grasp at him though, it was Luffy's. Yet at the same time it wasn't. Haki didn't feel like that, vast and bright, like the rays of the sun had lingered too long and scorched their essence into it. He stared at the boy that he had promised Garp to take care of, knowing that now he would do so of his own accord. He didn't need to be told that Luffy was special, he could feel it in the way the power was uniquely his, full of lingering secrets with each pulse. If he were any other man he would have been unnerved, but now he could only think of Roger's promise. Of an island called Laugh Tale and the whisperings of the poneglyphs.

Instead of voicing his thoughts he smiled back and laughed, eager for the change this boy would bring with him and glad he was here to see it. Luffy opened his eyes, smile falling and nodded his head in what Whitebeard could only assume was thanks. He then got the feeling that maybe his thoughts weren't so private after all.

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Thanks for the favs and follows