I do not own One Piece.

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Beta read by the wonderful rose7anne101, who has written some pretty amazing stuff for One Piece.

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Guest (please choose name/nickname next time)

Appreciated the reminder about the Reverie. Sorry for the long wait, and yeah I am saddened by what we saw of canon Whitebeard Pirates.

Here is the newest chapter! Thank you for your review and support! :-D

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Vivii

Took a little while, but here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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ACE

Fully agree with you about Luffy and the WBP! Took a little while, but here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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Izo the great

Agreed with you about the Whitebeard Pirates, and hopefully you prefer how things go for Izo here over canon ;-) Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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Guest (please choose name/nickname next time)

Oh, the Straw Hat chaos is only just beginning . . .

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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ASL

Yes, I really wish we had gotten more Whitebeard Pirate moments :-( Still, that is what fanfiction is for, and looking forward to what you make of my take on the Wano arc! ;-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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Rise from the Ashes

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Chapter 19: Wano 1

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"So you read the news?"

Masked Deuce did not even look up from where he was laying on the deck, today's newspaper open and lying upon his face to hide him from the sun and annoying busybodies alike.

"No," he flatly answered Marco.

"Pretty busy Reverie this year."

"I wouldn't know," he retorted, continuing to lie. He was Masked Deuce, former doctor and chronicler of the Spade Pirates. Of course he had grabbed the paper to read it, kicking aside some crewmates to do so. To say nothing of how he made a little money on the side sending articles to Morgans; so long as they were not directly related to the Whitebeard Pirates.

Despite his status as Ace's former first officer, Masked Deuce was not one for hanging out on the Moby Dick II. Instead, he had made his way about Whitey Bay's ship, where they had needed a new officer to fill in some holes after the war.

Holes in the roster that is, even if one of his first duties had also been to help patch up literal holes.

"Mmhmm," mused Marco aloud. "Abolishing the Warlord system, well, that alone'll have consequences. Hawkeye definitely won't take that lying down. The Revolutionaries attacking to grab Kuma. Man oh man, things are definitely heating up out there. Meanwhile, we're sailing literally into the dragon's den."

". . . It is going to be pretty interesting to write about," conceded Masked Deuce.

"Uh huh."

"Aaaaaand," admitted Masked Deuce as he found himself being dragged into the conversation, "it's clear that Straw Hat's definitely setting off growing repercussions. Not even Ace managed that in the time he sailed."

Marco's grin sharpened. "Yep."

"Definitely can now believe this Sabo guy's related to 'em. Explains some stuff he said, Ace I mean, while drunk."

"Mmmhmmm," hummed Marco smugly.

Finally pulling down the paper, Masked Deuce glared at Marco. "Whatever it is, I'm not doing it. I've had enough craziness for a lifetime."

"Oh, no, I get you, not wanting to play babysitter to 'great pirates' ever again," agreed Marco amiably, enjoying the suspicious look.

"There's absolutely no way I'm getting involved in whatever you've got planned."

"Yep."

"Especially not for someone who's somehow even crazier than Ace ever was."

"Sure."

People mistook the Phoenix as the sane, mature one of the Whitebeard Pirates. Maybe the man himself thought so too. However Masked Deuce hung out with Whitey Bay as she regaled her younger days, and with the various medical staffs, and he knew the truth.

The man was just as ready to throw himself into chaos as any other of these lunatics.

A tense silence descended until Masked Deuce finally released a long breath. "You want me to help you scout Wano."

"You've been there most recently," agreed Marco, much more serious now. "Made friends with the locals. Even for Izo, it's been over twenty years. A small advance team, and we'll go to where the village is and get a lay of things."

"'We'?" repeated the chronicler. "And why not another former crew member?"

The ex-Spade Pirates did not really address themselves by that old designation any more, although that was not too unusual in the family given their various origins.

"Well first of all, we both know you're smart. You'll've remembered more, and keep a cautious eye out the whole time as well. As for me, let's be completely serious," said Marco, readjusting his glasses. "If we run into one of the Disasters, you'll be needing me. And I wouldn't be surprised if Straw Hat needs treatment of some kind."

Grimacing, Masked Deuce nodded. His time with the Whitebeard Pirates had made every member of Ace's former crew painfully aware of just how fortunate they had been to raid Onigishima while Kaidou and his top followers were away. "Hopefully Straw Hat hasn't bitten off more than he can chew?"

"Haven't you heard?" chuckled Marco. "According to Morgans, the rookie's a master strategist. Why, he's probably got it all perfectly under control."

A snort escaped Masked Deuce. "Yeah right." He then released a long groan, and conceded defeat. "Fine. Whatever. Not like I was planning on leaving you lot before finishing my book about Ace, and Straw Hat's an important primary source. Also should ask for his opinion of it."

Before the Phoenix could respond, his junior's face fell, and mournfully said, "And someone needs to tell Lil'Tama, and way I figure it, best be me."

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Wano

The infiltration team's nerves were taught, and constantly on guard as they made their way up the island-circling waterfall after midnight.

Even for veterans like themselves, the Sea of Spires was a nightmare, constantly on alert for all the sentry posts brimming with enemies and cannons. If they were discovered, Marco's powers would light up the whole night, and then they would be in for it. As for the rest of the fleet, well, bringing them through this deathtrap in force would be a suicide run.

Except of course they were the Whitebeard Pirates. For them, 'impossible' meant 'merely difficult.'

Especially with Namur on their side.

Included in their number were Masked Deuce, Esmirel, and of course Izo.

Little word had escaped the isolationist nation, and their recent intelligence was from three years ago when the Spade Pirates had braved its shores.

Who knew what state it was in now?

Especially as mere words could not truly express the desolation of it all. Even as they arrived at the shores they could taste the taint in the spray of the water. Smell the poison in the air.

And knew deep down into their bones how Wano might end up their grave.

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Izo's rage was nearly a visible aura.

The fury of a samurai whose lord is dead, his lands despoiled, and the people he cherished tormented and starved into a frail shadow of their former selves.

Anguish racked him as rake-thin peasants approached him with tears in their eyes, gasping out relief that he had come. Overjoyed that he was alive and well.

Not once that they scream at him for not coming sooner, for leaving them in the first place, and that very absence was a phantom knife to Izo's soul. All the more shameful for how genuine they were in their gratitude and lack of condemnation.

Even wore were their desperate tears of joy at the food the pirates unpacked from their bags. It was not enough, not nearly enough, but it was something.

"Things've gotten worse," hissed Masked Deuce, bitterly regretting he had not pushed for bringing more food than they had.

"What happened here?" asked Namur, looking over the damage to the houses. Meanwhile Marco and Esmirel were providing medical attention. The blue flames treated immediate issues, while the actual medic provided more long-term advice and highly-abbreviated first aid training.

Instantly the locals clamped up, until Izo softly and gently said they just wanted to be sure that this would not be repeated.

Slowly, and with great regret, the desolate people told the story of two rogue samurai who had stopped by. How they had invaded the nearby town where the collaborators lived, and had devastated it, and stealing back desperately needed food. Those two ronin had saved lives with that act of generosity . . . only for Kaidou himself to attack. One of them, Luffytaro, had put up a valiant battle, but was inevitably defeated. Homes had been destroyed, and what food could not be quickly swallowed or hidden was taken away. It would have been worse, if not for Kaidou's presence being universally unnerving for the citizens and pirates alike.

Only hope was not lost! As it was known that Luffytaro was alive and imprisoned in Udon.

"So a rescue attempt is being planned," concluded Izo.

"Yes!" exclaimed many of the impoverished people.

"Indeed," said one elderly woman, O-Chocho, with firm conviction. "Being led by your brother-in-arms, Raizo the Mist himself!"

"So they are alive!" gasped Izo with glee.

"As Lady Kozuki Toki foretold," she confirmed solemnly.

"Foretold?" asked Izo in confusion.

Unbeknownst to them all, the wife of a certain samurai discreetly watched this entire interaction from afar. While Tsurujo had been familiar enough with Kikunojo to be confident she would give no reaction to seeing her, she was less familiar with the lady samurai's brother. So Tsurujo would remain hidden for now.

Meanwhile, as Izo was being dramatically informed about a so-called prophecy, Marco shared a knowing look with Namur and Esmirel. Releasing a sigh, the medic said, "Well, at least his heart's in the right place. Straw Hat that is."

"Indeed," said Namur. "And in fairness, in the other islands he's visited, that sort of behaviour worked out overall."

"Unfortunately," said Marco, adjusting his glasses, "Kaidou's another story."

It was not that he was unsympathetic either. Except Marco was self-aware enough to also know his indignation was in good part because these were Oden and Toki's people here. Not just their countrymen, but their personal vassals. There were many people suffering throughout the world, and an unfortunate fact of life was that you could not help everyone. Even those right in front of you.

Does Straw Hat understand that now? If he does persist on going after Kaidou, more people here are inevitably going to be caught in the crossfire.

Off to the side from the leadership clique, Masked Deuce was catching up with people he recognized more from his last trip here. Seeing a particular familiar figure, he went up to Hitetsu who was watching the proceedings with a complicated expression visible even beneath his own long-nosed mask. Noting the pirate's approach, the hermit ducked his head in respect. "Masked Deuce, we'd just learnt of the death of your captain. You have my condolences."

"Ah, appreciated," said Masked Deuce. "I'm, well, glad I guess I don't have to be the one to tell Tama."

Scoffing, Hitetsu looked away with a scowl. "I'm sure you'd have broken it to her more gently."

"Luffytaro you mean?"

"Yes.

"Then you know he's really a pirate then, but just not any old pirate: he's Ace's little brother. A brother who died in his arms after Luffy, Luffytaro, did the impossible again and again in a desperate bid to save him. Whatever else, I can assure you, no one mourns Ace more than he does."

"I see . . ." said Hitetsu with a touch of distraction, by the look in his wide eyes he was replaying his memories of that event.

"Where is Tama by the way? I did want to see her."

"Oh, no one's told you? Tama's not with us right now."

"Is she alright?" asked Masked Deuce immediately, filled with concern.

"Why yes, she went with a new friend of ours, Linlin, to see if she could go help Luffy."

"Linlin?"

"You can't miss her. She is a gigantic, older woman with pink hair."

Masked Deuce nodded in relief at that statement. That sounded perfec—waitwhathesay!?

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"So . . . Deuce. You mind telling us why we're running as fast as possible to this prison? While risking being spotted by patrols?"

An awkward silence followed, before Masked Deuce, not even out of breath, cleared his throat. "In all the need to get moving it slipped my mind to tell ya that apparently Big Mom washed up ashore with amnesia, got adopted by the village, and is headed towards said prison to help bust Straw Hat out, didn't it?"

"Yes. Yes it apparently did," said Marco, tone as flat and dry as the poisoned landscape around them. Without a word they all picked up the pace.

Esmirel and Namur muttered to each other about how their lives were becoming like pulp fiction with all this ridiculousness.

"Izo?" prompted Marco.

Grimacing, Izo did his best to think things through. "We'll have to find Raizo. While he's very, very good, and I doubt he's gotten rusty, I think I can figure out where he might be. Or at least draw his attention."

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Hours later the Whitebeard Pirates finally arrived, and could tell that they had been too late.

The great prison gates had been torn down, but they could not sense anything of Big Mom's presence.

Instead of going through the obvious entryway, blocked regardless by a lattice gate, Marco risked his flames to fly up to the top of the absolutely massive rock walls, while the others held onto his feet.

Cautiously they ran atop the wall, wary of any guards, and looked on down the pit below to a nightmare.

Instantly Izo's eyes locked onto the familiar sight of his sister Kikunojo, as well as two of his brother samurai —Kawamatsu too!— only to then be distracted by what the others were focusing on.

Dozens of men in prison uniforms were surrounding Straw Hat, the Kozuki samurai, and some other folk. Even from this distance the unnatural, poisonous green stains upon the inmates' flesh was visible.

"Queen the Plague," hissed Namur in disgust.

"Using our own people like that!" seethed Izo in hatred. "We've got to get down there!"

"Right," agreed Marco, doing a quick sweep, and concluded that only the Beast Pirate with an elephant head coming out of his stomach was remotely a threat. "Here's what we'll—"

Straw Hat reached out and grabbed one of the infected prisoners by the face.

"No, Luffytaro! You musn't touch them—!" screamed Kikunojo in horror.

Everyone went still at the sight, and then Ace's little brother escalated by stretching out his arms to grab about a dozen more to pull them all into a tight embrace.

NONONONONONONONONO!

They did not find Straw Hat just as he chose to commit suicide!

Sheer shock locked their limbs and bones for the briefest moment, and that was enough hesitation for them to witness what followed.

Across peoples' cries as they demanded to know what the pirate was doing, calling him insane, one lone voice cut through them all.

"You call this devastation?!" snapped Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy with righteous fury. "You call this overwhelming power? This stuff has no effect on me!"

Even from this distance they could see the same fatal marks spreading over his face, and yet he continued.

"The samurai I know are all strong and hardy. But you guys are broken all the way on the inside!

"What do you mean, normal life?! Obeying every order they give you, living off of dumplings . . . Is that normal!?"

He threw the people he was holding flying back before the crowd.

"OPEN YOUR EYES! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT SLAVES!"

Not even the guards dared intervene.

"So what if I came from another place?!" roared Straw Hat. "Why can't an outsider help protect your country?! I made a promise with a friend named Tama . . . who fed me back in Kuri! I promised to make this a place where you can eat your fill again!"

"All this . . . for one little girl he hardly knows?" whispered Izo in awe.

"It . . . fits," said Namur in disbelief, feeling his own heart being moved by this display.

"If we can't make that happen," continued Straw Hat, "this will always be hell! I already heard about Oden! He was a great man! But the day Kaidou killed him twenty years ago was the day this country stopped working, right?!

"WE CAME HERE TO FIGHT KAIDOU AND WIN!

"There's no reason for the people on our own side to stop us! So make up your minds! Right now!

"Are you with us . . . or are you with Kaidou?!"

Silence fell over everyone. Until one voice, weak and wet with emotion, spoke up, and was heard by all. "You really mean it!? Truly?" Sobs broke in, echoing amongst all the other prisoners—amongst all the other samurai. "You're not lying!? You're giving us another shot!?"

"Well," said Marco heavily. "I guess that's that. Whatever happens next, we're making our stand here in Wano."

"Aye," said Izo, who then jumped down below.

"Honestly," sighed Marco, rubbing his face in his palm. "I'm too old to be playing babysitter again for some great pirate." A flicker of warning, and he saw the elephant guy doing something, so he promptly decided it was time for a dramatic entrance.

"Huh?" said Straw Hat, turning towards the big guard. "Pineapple? No, Marco? Marco! What're you doing here?"

The 1st Division Commander took flight and slammed the Beast Pirate into the ground before the question registered.

"Hey, Straw Hat," he said automatically.

"Wow!" gasped the younger pirate, whirling around. "Really? With Ace!?"

"Hey Straw Hat," said Masked Deuce, jumping down a few arm's lengths away from the teen. "I used to be Ace's first mate. Wait, what?"

Another chill ran up Marco's spine, and he could feel a bead of sweat on his forehead. "Future Sight Observation Haki, huh?" he said. "Pretty impressive-yoi."

Something Katakuri was infamous for actually, and now they had an inkling of how Straw Hat had beaten him.

Straw Hat managed a grin, and then commanded the samurai to take care of the rest of the guards, breaking them out of their shock and wariness at the newcomers' arrivals. Which the ex-prisoners did with eager enthusiasm as the remaining guards shortly found themselves being swarmed.

Gunfire cut down more of the Beast Pirates, and gasps went out at the familiar sight advancing.

"Izo!?"

"Izo!" cried Kikunojo, running to her brother, and they clasped one another warmly, having been parted for far too long.

"Man oh man," said Masked Deuce, lots of reunions going on. "Still, we need to get to their communications."

"There's no need," reassured the guy with the massive head who fit descriptions of Raizo. "They've already been secured."

"Excellent."

"Tch," said Esmirel, hurrying towards Straw Hat. Meanwhile, Namur took up position beside Kawamatsu, who were exchanging curious looks with each other. "You're as reckless as Ace!"

"That wasn't reckless!" he huffed in offense.

"Yes it was! Marco, we need your flames."

"Right," he said, conjuring up blue and gold fire. "This should cure you."

"Can you cure everyone else?"

"Ah, no," admitted Marco awkwardly. "It'll take too much—"

Straw Hat cut him off sharply. "Then don't. We've got other things to worry about. Chopper'll fix me and the rest."

"Your pet?" said Izo dumbly.

"Chopper?" asked Marco in confusion "What good's he going to do? Does he have some sort of Devil Fruit?"

"Just you watch!" yelled the hulking figure alongside Straw Hat, evidently some sort of fan of the little guy.

"We'll do what we can," cut in Esmirel. "But what about Big Mom? What happened to her?"

"Oh," said Straw Hat blithely. "She got her memories back, and then fell asleep. So that fatty, jerk Queen chained her up to take back to Kaidou."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Marco said, "If it's not one thing, it's another." Then he grabbed his brother.

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Queen paced nervously back and forth before the slumbering figure chained up on the ship's deck.

For all that she looked vulnerable, the Disaster knew down to the depths of his non-existent soul that it was a lie. Resorting to animal tranquilizers and restraints had not been because of something as asinine as 'politics' or any other concern about how the Big Mom Pirates would react to their captain's death. No, it had been because Queen knew they could not kill her.

It was a physical impossibility.

Even worse, it would wake the old bag back up to slaughter them all.

So he would take her back to Kaidou, and let the big guy himself handle this. One way or another.

"Sir—!

Leaping into the air, Queen whirled around to make sure it was not Big Mom stirring. Reassured, he loomed over the hapless Pleasure who had startled him, and growled, "What!?"

"I—uh—what—" she stammered in terror, her attention caught between his merciless lenses and his shoulder.

A prickle at Queen's senses made him twist to look over his shoulder, and blinked in confusion. The impossibility of it all costing him decisively as it dawned upon him what the useless woman had been trying to tell him about. Warn him about.

Marco the Phoenix kicked Namur, the Fishman Commander of the 8th Division at the ship.

Fully coated in Armament Haki, Namur went straight through the deck at an angle to punch straight through the keel at the very bow at the ship below the waterline.

In his mind's eye, Queen visualized the very force of the current and the motion of the ship pressuring all that water into their hold. All before the Fishman started tearing more holes into the hull.

"Marco!" screamed Queen in a panic, taking a flying leap for shore. It was only a few hundred meters away, which he could definitely manage if it meant escaping a watery grave. Unable to risk transforming, he flexed his prosthetic arm to adjust it to fire lasers at the 1st Division Commander.

"Fenghuang Seal!" roared Marco as he kicked Queen the Plague right back onto his vessel and through every deck down into the river below.

All of the other Beast Pirates, every one of whom had eaten a Smile Fruit, screamed in terror as they finally realized what was happening.

A geyser of water gushed up, and in short order the entire craft was pulled down into its wet embrace.

A single snort escaped Big Mom before she too disappeared under.

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Slightly shaky with adrenalin from what they had just pulled off, Marco and Namur returned to find the prisoners and Izo all circling and cheering a kid dressed in pink. While they raised defiant fists to the air, and cried out in excitement, every eye was wet with fresh tears.

What? Wait . . .

"Momonosuke!?" blurted out Marco, before bitterly and shamefully regretting it. No, it was impossible. It had been twenty years. Maybe their little cousin's own son—

"Marco!" waved the kid in recognition. "I remembered your flames!" Recalling the gravity of the situation, he quickly reasserted himself, and gave a more formal bow. "It's good to see my father's friends here."

". . . Your mom was telling us the truth the whole time, wasn't she."

It was not even a question.

"Yep!"

He opened his mouth to ask more questions, like where Hiyori was, but then snapped it shut. This was the kid's moment, and it would be incredibly wrong to disrupt it.

Especially if it was tragic news.

Marco had spent over a decade believing two children he had loved as family, had held in his arms the days they were born, had been brutally murdered. Now one of them was alive, having been sent through time itself, and he could wait a few hours to confirm about the other.

"Right. I'm . . . incredibly glad to see you're alright," said Marco, brimming with relief and love which shoved aside the numbing shock he had felt, "and I'd like to talk to you later, but I can see you're busy."

Solemnly the kid nodded, showing a shadow of the leader he would become. "Luffytaro is over there," he pointed, and there was a definite sense of concern and respect in Momonosuke's tone.

"Thank you."

As he went over, Marco resolved to definitely get the story about those two, confident it would be quite the tale.

What are the odds they met up?

Shaking off that thought, Marco found Straw Hat huddled off to the side, painfully emancipated, and literally smoking.

Esmirel and someone else where hunched over a crate with a bunch of herbs, and some pink liquid bubbling and boiling in a glass over a fire.

Blinking, Marco took another look at the little fellow working feverishly with Esmirel. His face was clearly that of Tony-Tony Chopper, but his outfit was distinctively that of the large, muscular figure from earlier. Ah, he thought ruefully, as he put it together. "I see 'Cotton Candy Lover' Chopper can handle it after all," he said in apology as he came over, scratching the back of his head.

"That's Doctor 'Cotton Candy Lover' Chopper, to you!" snapped Esmirel.

He blinked, and took a third look, and realized that she, one of Whitebeard's prized medics and doctors, was following the little furball's lead as he feverishly worked away. "Huh. My apologies," he said with bemusement. Hopefully he would not be making a habit of it.

"Like my idiot captain could have anyone but the best on his crew if he's going to be the future Pirate King," growled Chopper. Then he turned to roar at the panting man on the ground, "Even if he insists on dumping it all on me!"

"I said I'm sorry, Chopper," whined Straw Hat.

"And you!" Chopper barked at Esmirel, who stiffened. Suddenly despite his fur he seemed to flush as he looked away, "Don't think you can go about complimenting me like that!"

". . . Right," said Marco, who glanced at his sister to see stars in her eyes, and mouthed the word "Adorable."

"Well," continued Marco, "guess I win that bet-yoi!"

"There really was a bet if I was a pet or not!?" gasped the highly offended doctor.

"I admit," said Marco ruefully, "it kinda escalated because we kept missing out on an answer from so many different sources. I mean, Shirahoshi went on about you guys for hours, 'cept she fixated more about your captain and navigator, so we missed it even there. Which of course only drove up the size of the pot."

There were also so many more questions to be had, but they could wait for later.

"Oh, wait!" said Straw Hat, somehow managing to smack his fist into his palm. "I forgot to say thanks for saving me at the Summit War."

A memory flashed through Marco's head.

"Any closer to what you'll say when we find him?" Vista finally asked, it had been two years of preparation after all.

"I'll know when I see him," Marco breathed out. "I know it's not what we want, but he doesn't seem the kind of guy to want to hear to prepared speech. Besides, it's very likely he'll be right in the middle of something."

Feeling the weight of all the prisoners around them, the men who had found hope once more despite the suffering and depravities they had endured, a small chuckle escaped Marco. "Back then, we all seemed so ready to spring into action. It almost makes you wonder."

They had made their choice, and everything here had reaffirmed it.

Granted, it was still an insane choice, but that was something the Whitebeard Pirates had been reminded of at every island they had missed Straw Hat at.

"I'm sure Ace would be proud of how far you've come-yoi!"

"Shi shi shi!" laughed Straw Hat. "Oh yeah!?"

"Yeah," said Masked Deuce, coming over with a little girl with purple hair at his side. Both sported large grins.

"Your pardon, Sir Phoenix," said Raizo as he joined them. "But I must ask you where you and your companion flew off to."

"Ah," and Marco's teeth were bared in a vicious grin. "We sank the ship with Big Mom and Queen on it. That'll make things a whole lot—"h

"You what!?" gasped the ninja as the words finally registered.

"What's wrong?" said Kikunojo as she hurried over.

"They killed Queen and the big woman!"

"But that's good—" she cut herself off as comprehension and horror filled her eyes. "Oh. No."

"What's wrong?" demanded Marco. "We couldn't afford to leave them running around."

Never mind the night living nightmare that was Big Mom, Queen's inventions and power were a terror unto themselves. He was more than capable of releasing worse plagues than the one he had provided the prison guards, turning entire armies against themselves.

"Queen'll have a vivre card, right?" gasped out Straw Hat.

"Which means they'll know he's dead!" realized Chopper.

"Yes," agreed Marco, still not quite understanding what they were so upset about. He kept himself civil though. "It was inevitable, while also too good to pass up."

"Ahhh, nuts," said Masked Deuce, expression pained. "Marco, they already had a plan to kill Kaidou; a coordinated, secret raid covertly passed on across the country, and to take place a few days from now. Only it depended upon him never knowing something was up. Now? Now he'll know something was up."

. . . Ah.

Whoops.

"I understand the need to take advantage of the situation," said a diminutive old man with glasses. "And you have removed two very significant obstacles. But now things are about to become much more complicated."

"Honestly," huffed the guy lying half-dead on the ground. "You can't just rush in all hotheaded like that without thinking things through!"

Chopper, Raizo, and Kikunojo all turned to gape at Straw Hat for the sheer hypocritical gall of that.

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Onigashima

Around the skull-headed castle, lighting crackled and stormed with the fury of the one true lord and master of Wano.

Floor trembling beneath his steps, Kaidou, the King of the Beasts, was a living mountain of silent rage. He spoke not a word while his Headliners frantically ran around bellowing orders at one another to mobilize his soldiers.

At his sides marched his loyal Disasters, King and Jack, while arrayed behind him were his elite Flying Six.

Queen's vivre card had burnt out.

Queen the Plague was dead.

And I'll scour and scorch the earth until I find who's responsible.

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Author Notes:

No mention on Vivi or Cobra yet, as I imagine that was posted in the next day's paper.

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Yeah, Kidd and Killer were at the prison, but the Whitebeard Pirates did not pay much attention to them. They left while Marco was off altering the plot.

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