A/N: HELLO EVERYONE! Believe it or not, this story is not dead! I've finished grad school, and now that I'm job hunting, I finally found the time and motivation to continue this series. The rest of the chapters are all planned out, so now I just have to write them. Too bad that's the hard part. Still, I am not abandoning this fic, and no matter how long it takes me to finish it, it will be completed eventually. :) Thank you all so much for your patience and incredibly kind comments; have an extra long chapter as my way of saying thanks. Please enjoy!

Sabo had never really thought much of Shanks' first mate, Benn Beckman. He was tall, quiet, and didn't really draw much attention to himself. However, right now, the man was the star of the show, and there was a gleam in his eye that suggested not fear, but incredible confidence. Sabo wanted to ask where he got it from when suddenly, there was a loud cry as one bandit fell backward, clutching his eye. Was that… a cigarette? Sabo listened closely as other bandits tried to retaliate, but then there was a solid whack, followed by sudden silence. Sabo could practically envision the whole scenario: Benn must have smacked them all so hard with his gun that they were rolling around in the dirt, defenseless. He swallowed. Ok, that just left Higuma and his other buddy who was currently pinning him. Sabo forced himself to take a few deep breaths. Good. It would be over soon.

Still… who would have thought that this ragtag-looking group of pirates could actually be so strong?

Ace was also enthralled by all of this, but for an entirely different reason. Shanks… Shanks had called him a friend. Him! He couldn't quite believe it. After all, he didn't have any friends. Sabo and Luffy were too special to just be "friends," so Ace didn't have any frame of reference for what having a friend should feel like. He knew what they were in theory, but actually experiencing it for himself… At that moment, he was grateful that he was looking away from the action, because tiny tears began to bead in the corner of his eyes despite his best attempts to rein them in.

If it had come from anyone else, he might not have believed them, but… this was Shanks. Shanks, who had told him all sorts of stories about his mother, and her amazing exploits as a pirate. Shanks, who had told him about Gold Roger (no, that wasn't right. Gol D. Roger. Apparently that distinction was important somehow) but had spun him as a man—not a legend, not the King of Pirates, but just a man who loved his family and loved sailing the whole world. Although these stories didn't do much to endear Ace to his father, he still appreciated seeing another side of him. It was nice to hear about him from the perspective of someone who didn't hate him… and probably wouldn't hate the son he left behind.

As Ace and Sabo were considering all of this, Shanks was staring down Higuma, who looked more and more frightened by the second.

"But… the brats started it!" the bandit exclaimed.

"Doesn't matter," Shanks replied evenly. "There's a price on your head, isn't there?"

After a brief pause, Higuma ground his teeth, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sphere. Shanks' eyes widened, but before he could do anything, smoke poured out, completely blinding the others. "Smoke Bomb!" The pirates, remaining bandits, and onlookers all started coughing, but through the haze, they could barely hear Higuma talking.

"C'mere kid!"

"You bastard! Let go!" Ace shouted.

Sabo's eyes widened at Ace's shout, but the coughing fit brought on by the bomb was too much for him. Fortunately, the bandit pinning him down finally backed off, letting him try to force more air into his lungs.

By the time the smoke cleared, Ace and Higuma were long gone. Sabo clenched his fists helplessly, anger oozing out of him. His entire body ached from the rough treatment he'd received, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had to find them. He had to beat that damn bandit and save Ace! Nobody else would… or at least Ace believed that nobody else would, and Sabo didn't want to be another hope that never came. But first…

Sabo quickly looked around and picked up his top hat, which had rolled away into a bush, and put it back on, feeling somewhat relieved. Alright, now he was ready. He was about to rush off, consequences and his tired body be damned, when a gentle hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up, eyes blazing, sharpened words on the tip of his tongue, when he saw that it was Makino. All of his ire died at once, as if it had been forcefully extinguished. Makino looked devastated, and for a moment, Sabo couldn't understand why. They were just some random kids; it wasn't like she was their mother, even if she was probably the closest thing to it. Why was she wearing this kind of expression?

"Makino, are you… are you hurt…?" Sabo ventured, and was completely unprepared for her tearing up in response. Without a word, she wrapped him in a tight hug, and oh. Sabo had always wondered what hugs were like, and now he knew. Shit. Despite the fact that the contact made his bruises scream in agony, it felt surprisingly nice. Makino was warm, and slowly, Sabo lifted up his arms and hugged her back.

"I'm alright, Sabo…" Makino mumbled. "I just… you both…" She couldn't finish her sentence, and Sabo slowly started to become anxious.

"Makino, I have to go find Ace. Please. I'm ok, but I've gotta go find him." He started to pull away, but Makino held him even tighter. Sabo struggled in her grasp, but didn't want to hurt her. "Makino!"

"No, Sabo," she murmured, meeting his fierce gaze with an equally determined look of her own. "No. Please, just this once… let the adults handle this."

Sabo swallowed, a retort on his lips, but once again, he couldn't bring himself to say the words. In the background, he could hear Shanks and his crew panicking.

"OH NO! I let him escape! We've gotta save Ace!"

"Calm down, Captain! We'll all go out and look for him! We'll find him!"

"Hmm… Cap'n…"

Sabo sniffled, slowly starting to relax. "Makino, they're… they're gonna save Ace, right?"

The bartender finally managed a weak smile, her tears starting to subside. "Yeah, they are."

"...You swear?"

"I swear. They'll get Ace back."

"Ok." Sabo paused, suddenly feeling entirely worn out. His cuts stung. His bruises throbbed. He was absolutely exhausted. However, his will was resolute. "They have to find him."

"We will, Sabo," came a rough voice, and Sabo looked up to see Shanks standing over him, smiling wide. The pirate reached down, plucked the top hat off his head, and ruffled his hair before putting it back. "We'll find him. I swear on the name of the Red-Hair Pirates; your friend Ace will be A-OK."

Sabo met his gaze, staring at him for several long moments before nodding. Now that the confrontation was over, all of the energy had rushed out of him like a receding tide, and he just felt so incredibly tired.

He was only vaguely aware of Makino gently leading him inside the bar and sitting him down at a table so that she could treat his wounds.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! What a brilliant escape!" Higuma crowed, causing Ace to glare at him hatefully. Well, this was, to put it mildly, a clusterfuck, and Luffy was sitting next to him, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

Of course Higuma had chosen the Luffy as his getaway boat. Of course he had. It had all happened so fast; Higuma had grabbed him by the scruff and dashed off. He'd only gone a few steps when he'd suddenly spied the Luffy, and the poor ship spirit was too out of sorts to do anything about it. Now, here they were, just off the coast of Dawn Island, and Luffy was in danger all because of him. He cursed himself for being so stupid, so… powerless.

Meanwhile, Higuma just kept inflating his own ego. "And nobody would expect a mountain bandit to hide out at sea," Higuma continued to blabber, and while Ace wanted nothing more than to shut him up by hitting him in the jaw, his entire body was so sore that it hurt just to breathe. Instead, he just glared at the bandit, as if hoping that somehow, his gaze would be deadly enough to pierce right through the man's heart and drop him dead. However, Higuma's next words and the sinister grin on his face gave him pause. "I brought you along as a hostage… but I no longer have a use for you!"

A chill shot up Ace's spine. Was this… did he really mean…

"I've already killed 56 people who were foolish enough to make me mad; what's one more?" The pirate grinned evilly at Ace, his intentions clear.

No. Not here. And especially… Ace turned his head slightly to see Luffy looking at him with an expression of pure fear on his face. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he was hyperventilating, clearly panicking over what to do. What could he do? He was a spirit, and couldn't directly do anything to Higuma. Ace was on his own.

Ace took a breath, steadying himself. He didn't want to see Luffy with that kind of expression. Luffy should be happy, cheerful, making a fool of himself and smiling while he did. Ace promised himself, then and there, that he would do everything in his power never to let Luffy make such a face ever again.

With a surge of adrenaline, he shot forward, hoping to take the bandit by surprise. "DIE, FUCKER!"

Unfortunately, Higuma only grinned and sidestepped the attack, tsk-ing at Ace's effort. "Goodbye…" the bandit intoned before landing a heavy kick to Ace's stomach, causing him to fly off the boat and into the water.

"FUCK!" Ace screamed. He desperately willed his body to move, but between the heavy kick and his earlier injuries, he could barely move. He felt the seawater wash over him, spinning him around as he sputtered and kicked with the last of his strength, trying his best to hold on.

Truthfully, this probably wasn't the worst way to die. Yeah, he'd brought it on himself—after hearing Higuma insult Shanks at the bar earlier, he hadn't thought of being smart. No, he'd picked a fight, because dammit, maybe he thought of Shanks as a friend too, and there was no way he was letting some fucking bandit say those things about one of the few people he'd come to like and respect.

He hated that Luffy had gotten involved, though. If he had one regret, it was that. Still, Higuma would probably take Luffy back to shore eventually, and Sabo could look after him. Maybe it was better this way. This way, he wouldn't trouble any of the people around him anymore. He didn't really want to die, but if he did… well, so be it.

"ACE!" Luffy screamed, barely audible over Higuma's abrasive laughter. No… NO! What could he do? He had to get over to Ace. With as much willpower as he could muster, Luffy tried to move himself closer to Ace, willing his body to get just a little bit closer.

"...Huh?" the bandit murmured as the sail suddenly swung over. "Oh, no you don't." Higuma grabbed the anchor and threw it overboard, stopping Luffy in his tracks. "You go where I say you go, you damn boat."

Luffy knew that the bandit couldn't see or sense him, but it still felt as though Higuma was mocking him for his efforts, proving to the klabautermann that he was just as weak and useless as the other two boys. Hot tears continued to roll down Luffy's face. "Please… help me… Please! Someone! Anyone! HELP MEEEEEE!"

A moment or two passed as Higuma's laughter and Ace's desperate splashing continued in the background. Luffy knelt on the floor of the deck, despair beginning to set in. Ace was crying, calling for help as saltwater battered his cuts and bruises, and there was no way that he'd stay up for much longer. Now what… now what could he do…

He felt it before he saw it.

The approach of a king.

A giant shadow rose out of the water behind them, covering the boat in shadow. Higuma stopped laughing just in time to go "Huh?" as the Lord of the Coast suddenly dove down and plucked the bandit in its teeth, pulling him up and off of Luffy before opening its mouth once more and devouring the bandit whole.

Luffy beamed; the Lord of the Coast had heard his call! Yes! This was great! This was… now very, very bad because it was going after Ace.

"Hurghhhh! LUFFYYYY!" Ace shouted, his eyes closed as he struggled for air.

"No! Please! You can't do that!" Luffy screamed at the sea king, but it was no use. He had called for the Lord of the Coast, but he was in no position to control it. The anchor was still down, preventing him from moving. Was this all he could do? Sit and watch as Ace died to the very help he'd asked for?

He stared on in horror as the Lord of the Coast approached Ace, opening its giant maw, and Luffy was about to scream when suddenly…

Was that… the aura of another king…? But this was different. This wasn't just a king, but…

A well-muscled arm grabbed Ace, pulling him away from the sea king's lunge just in time. Shanks' red hair glistened in the sun, his gaze intimidating as he stared down the Lord of the Coast. He pulled Ace to his chest, and the younger boy buried himself in the pirate's clothes, sputtering and coughing.

"Get out of here!" Shanks commanded, and the Lord of the Coast seemed to stiffen in response. After a few more tense seconds, the sea king retreated, hastily diving for deeper waters.

Luffy looked on, shocked. Shanks had scared a sea king? Was it because of that aura he'd felt?

The questions flew from his mind, however, as he focused on making himself visible. "Shanks! Ace! Over here!" he called, and Shanks looked up in surprise before giving a wide grin.

"Oh, Bulwark! You're here too! Alrighty, c'mon kiddo…"

With great effort, Shanks began to kick his way over to the Luffy, holding Ace close. Luffy's face broke into a grin, before suddenly realizing that from this angle, he could see why Shanks was swimming so awkwardly.

One of his arms was completely gone.

With great effort, Shanks managed to coax Ace into clasping his arms around his neck so that the pirate could use the anchor to climb up the side of the ship. The two collapsed onto the deck, with Ace taking several deep breaths of air as he struggled to get it together.

"Hey! Are you ok?!" Luffy asked them both fearfully, wishing that he could help more but not knowing how.

"Haah… I'll… be ok, Bulwark. Don't you worry," Shanks panted, eyes roving around the deck and finally alighting on the medical kit that Sabo had insisted on having. He dug around for a while, gathering as much gauze as possible, before pressing it into the stump of what was once his arm.

"I… I'm ok, Lu," Ace managed, finally seeming to settle down somewhat. Slowly, he tried to stand up. "Don't—ow!" He didn't get to finish his sentence as all of his fatigue and injuries caught up to him at once, causing him to crash back down onto the deck.

"Heh, take it easy, kiddo," Shanks chuckled, causing Ace to glare lightly at him before his expression turned into one of sorrow. Shanks sighed and came to sit next to him.

"Ace, I'm sorry. Makino told me what happened. I didn't mean for you to get hurt 'cause of me." Ace sniffled, staring at him with reddened eyes. "Aw, don't cry, bud. Aren't you a tough guy?"

"But… Shanks…" Ace murmured, "you… you…" He shivered as if he could barely bring himself to say the words. "Your arm. Because of me, you lost your whole arm! It's all my fault. I… I should've never been born—"

Suddenly, he was once again pressed to Shanks' chest, but this time, the look on the pirate's face was murderous. "Who told you that?" he asked, low and slow. Somehow, it was more intimidating than when he'd been fighting Higuma.

Ace gulped. Shanks' grip was tight, just shy of hurting him. "L…lots of people… nobody in the village, but…"

Shanks closed his eyes, forcing himself to take a deep breath. Slowly, he released Ace, looking down at him with a serious expression. Luffy watched on silently, sensing that it wasn't his time to talk.

"You'd better listen to me, Ace. It's a small price to pay. It's just an arm. I'm just glad you're ok."

Ace blinked, looking up at him almost with confusion. "But… why? Why did you give up an arm just to save me? Why… why do you care so much?"

And that was the crux of it, wasn't it? Ace knew why Sabo cared about him; they were practically brothers now. He knew why Luffy cared about him; they had an incredibly special, close bond that Ace couldn't even begin to describe. But Shanks? What did Shanks see in him that made him put everything on the line for him? He'd been wondering about it for so long now, and only now could he finally put it to words.

Shanks stared at him for a long, long while, then gave him a gentle smile, like a big brother would give to a beloved younger sibling. "You remind me of two of the bravest, most wonderful people I've ever had the honor of meeting. There's something about you that tells me you'll change the world one day, Ace. And I don't know what you've heard that makes you think you shouldn't have been born, but I want nothing but the best for you, because you, Ace… you deserve the world."

The admission caught Ace completely off guard, and he stared at Shanks in silence, as if processing his words. "But… Shanks, what if my father was an irredeemable criminal? Wouldn't people be justified in hating me because of what he did?"

It was only for a second, but an incredibly dark look came over Shanks' face before it passed just as quickly. He lifted up a hand and placed it on Ace's head, ruffling his hair. "No, Ace. Not at all. Children should never be judged for the sins of their parents. Your father was your father, and you are you. I can already tell that you're not going to become an 'irredeemable criminal,' so you deserve to be just as happy as anyone else."

Ace didn't speak, but pressed himself back into Shanks' chest. His body heaved, quiet sobs escaping from his lips.

After a while, once Ace had calmed down, Shanks pulled up the anchor, causing Luffy to give a loud shout of relief. "Alright, Luffy," Shanks grinned, "think you can use your powers to get us back by yourself?"

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned, beginning to will the ship back to shore. Suddenly, a thought dawned on him. "Wait… you knew?"

Ace looked up at the two of them, surprise clear on his face.

Shanks laughed. "Heh, well, I had a guess, but it wasn't too hard to tell. After all, you're called Luffy, and this boat is called the Luffy. Plus, you're wearing a raincoat and holding a mallet, sooooo…" The pirate smiled. "As someone who also knows a klabautermann, it wasn't that hard to figure it out. I was kinda surprised since klabautermänner are known to be pretty damn reclusive, but hey."

Ace sighed in response. Well, the cat was out of the bag. "You're gonna keep it a secret, right?" he asked cautiously.

Shanks just smiled. "Of course, of course. Don't worry; I won't even tell my crew."

Ace nodded earnestly in response.

It was then that Shanks stared deeply at Luffy, as if looking through him. Luffy swallowed, somewhat unsettled, but didn't look away. After a moment, Shanks grinned. "You did good too, kiddo."

Luffy blinked, then looked down at the deck. "I… I did? But… Shanks, it was 'cause of me that the Lord of the Coast… he…"

"Naw, don't be like that. You were as much of a hostage as Ace was. Even so, you did everything you could to try and save him. Sure, it was because you shouted that the Lord of the Coast came, but you know what? That's also how I found you."

Luffy's eyes widened in surprise. "It… it was?"

Shanks grinned. "Sure was. I was on the Red Force at the time, and Banchina heard you and pointed me in your direction. That's how I got here so fast."

"Ohhhh…" Luffy stared at Shanks in awe. He… he really had helped! Thank goodness!

"And look, Bulwark," Shanks smiled, gesturing to the boat around him. "You're helping us right now. So don't blame yourself, ok?"

The sudden rush of relief caused him to almost start crying, but at the same time, laughter bubbled out from his chest, startling his two passengers. "Ace! Shanks! I… I'm so glaaaad!"

Shanks laughed as Ace pulled Luffy into a half-hug, and before long, the Luffy had docked safely once again at Foosha Village.

Soon enough, it was time for the pirates to head out. While his crew loaded the last of the luggage onto the Red Force, Shanks stood with the boys and their klabautermann off to the side, away from listening ears.

"You… you're never coming back?" Ace whispered, sadness written all over his face no matter how stoic he tried to be. Sabo had a similarly somber expression on his face, and despite the fact that he tried to wipe his nose as discreetly as possible, his tearful eyes gave his true emotions away.

Shanks sighed, looking down at his new favorite kids with a smile. "Sorry, kiddos. But that's how it is. Still, we'll meet again, right? You've got adventures of your own to go on!"

Ace and Sabo grinned at that, looking toward Luffy, who smiled just as widely. "That's right!" Ace replied. "We're gonna see the world and do… well, whatever we want!" His smile turned a bit more shy. "I… I wanna see what's out there. I wanna surpass my dad. I'm… I'm gonna be the GREATEST!"

"That's right!" Sabo chimed in. "We're just gonna wait a few more years and make Luffy a little more seaworthy, and then we'll be all set. I talked to Ms. Banchina, and she said that as long as Luffy's heartwood is stored in the mast of the new ship, that'll be his new body and he can come along with us just fine!"

Shanks smiled. "That's the right attitude. I can't wait to see what you guys will do when you grow up."

Luffy beamed. "Yeah! And guess what, Shanks? They're my crew, and I'm their ship, and I'm gonna carry and protect both them and their dreams! They wanna be free, and I'll let 'em be, no matter what!"

Shanks' eyes went wide at Luffy's proclamation, and Ace and Sabo had equally shocked expressions, although theirs were tinged with absolute affection. Most klabautermänner that he knew of were pretty passive and reserved spirits. He'd never heard of one acting like this.

And yet…

The little Bulwark's courage couldn't be denied. Hell, all three of them had the same fire in their eyes, the same desire in their hearts.

He could respect that.

With a grin, Shanks reached for his straw hat, plucking it off of his head. He held it out to Ace, about to put it on his head. "Do me a favor… can you three keep this hat safe for me?"

However, just as it was about to touch his head, Ace stepped back. Shanks blinked, surprised, as Ace instead took the hat in his hands and inspected it for a long moment. He looked up at Shanks, then turned toward the Luffy. "We'll need to make a real figurehead, but for now…"

Ace turned to Sabo, who grinned and nodded, and Ace smiled back. With a running leap, he landed on the deck, then took the hat and secured it to the rope where a flag usually flew.

Ace had never been more glad that he and Sabo hadn't figured out a flag design yet.

With the addition of some glue to keep it safe, Ace quickly hoisted the straw hat up the mast, letting it sit atop the ship like an improvised flag. Shanks looked up at it in wonder, but all three of their gazes were drawn to Luffy when the spirit suddenly started shouting. "Hey! How does it look? How does it look?"

The hood of Luffy's raincoat was still down, but atop the spirit's head was now a straw hat, perfectly matching the one swaying in the breeze.

Somehow, it suited the little spirit perfectly.

"You look great, kid," Shanks replied, somehow managing to keep a sentimental warble out of his voice.

Suddenly, a loud shout caught their attention.

"Cap'n! We're all set!"

"Alright. That's my cue to go."

"Shanks…"

The pirate turned to see Ace staring at him, fists clenched. "Will we ever get to see you again?"

Shanks grinned, and tousled his hair one last time. "'Course you will, kiddo! Give that hat back to me someday once you've become great adventurers."

Ace sniffled and smiled back at him, and the two boys and beaming boat spirit waved as Shanks and the Red Force finally set off from Foosha, only stopping once the ship was a mere dot on the horizon.