Naia grinned as the large whale-like ship came into view. She was a little late to save the commander, but Ace would be thinking of setting off sometime within the week, and Naia would be there to stop him or at least hold him off some. Her little boat rocked as she shifted the sail. A streak of blue flew overhead, and Naia couldn't help but grin. Those blue flames of his were always so beautiful. Naia waved her hand at the flying pirate, bringing attention to her small vessel. It had been many years since she had last seen the Phoenix. His heartache had kept him from healing his wounds the last time they were together, and Naia felt a pang in her chest at the memory of his sorrow-filled crones.
"Naia, to what do we owe the pleasure?" The phoenix asked, dipping his head as he landed on the edge of the boat.
"Marco!" Naia greeted joyfully. "I came to visit my son! I managed to sneak away for a few days."
"They don't know you're here, right?" Naia nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course not! Neither does my son, for that matter." Marco barked out a laugh.
"Then we welcome you aboard the Moby Dick."
"How bad is it?"
"Thatch is in critical, but we had to make Teach believe he was successful, and Ace is blaming himself," Marco sighed. "However, everything is going according to plan."
"Good! Lu will be pleased." Naia grinned, tying her tiny boat to the side of the ship.
"This is going to be damning, isn't it?" Marco gave an uncharacteristic bloodthirsty grin.
"It's Luffy. What else would it be." Naia rolled her eyes.
"NAIA!" Whitebeard's voice boomed as they walked across the deck. "How's my favorite sea urchin?"
"Sea Urchin? That's the best you could come up with, brat?" Naia sneered, a grin playing on her lips.
"Gurararara! You never change," Whitebeard laughed. "I suppose you came to check up on how your son is doing?"
"I heard you had a rough week. I figured a mother's touch might be necessary."
"He's going to head after Teach."
"I know." Naia glared up at the captain.
"It's not on my orders."
"I know, Newgate. Ace is too strong-headed to simply sit back."
"Then why are you here?"
"I simply came to see my son!" Naia huffed.
"Things with you are rarely that simple." Whitebeard rolled his eyes.
"I simply wanted to gather some information and try to convince Ace he didn't need to go."
"For the Navy?' Whitebeard scoffed.
"For myself." Naia narrowed her eyes at the tall man. "I have a hunch, and I wanted to follow it."
"You will not use my sons for your gain!"
"You dare to order me, youngling?" Naia roared, the waves below crashed into the ship, causing it to rock. "I was sailing these seas before you were even a thought in your mother's mind!"
"And you will remember that I am the captain of this ship!" Whitebeard strained. They glared at each other—neither willing to back down even an inch.
"Naia?"
"Ace!" Naia twirled around, a large smile gracing her lips as she took in her eldest son. She drew him into a tight hug, letting the warmth of his body flood over her. "You look so good!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, of course!" Naia placed a soft kiss on his cheek, relishing in his blushing cheeks. "I heard this ship has seen a little excitement, so I wanted to check on you."
"What about Garp? Sengoku?"
"Are you saying you don't want me here?" Naia took a couple of steps back. "My own son doesn't want to see me."
"Naia, that's not-"
"Marco!" Naia wailed, wiping invisible tears away. "My son has rejected me."
"It's truly a tragedy."
"How rude! No sympathy on this ship!"
"Naia, I'm happy to see you! It's just unexpected," Ace said sheepishly. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."
"Soon? A crewmate is in critical condition, but did the newspaper say exactly who it was? No!" Naia gripped him into a tight hug. Her head barely hit under his chin. When did he get so tall? "I feared the worst."
"I'm okay," Ace whispered, his hand coming to her back. "And I'm going to stay okay. Even when I'm looking for him."
"You can't tell me you're actually thinking about going!" Naia protested.
"Of course I am!" Ace shouted. "He almost murdered a crewmate, a friend, and you expect me to let him go?"
"No! But Blackbeard isn't what he seems!"
"How would you know that?" Ace argued, flames licking at his shoulders.
"Who do you think put this hole in my chest?" Ace gasped as Marco gripped his shoulder. "That is no man, believe me when I tell you, Ace, it will not end well should you go after him."
"What? Naia, why didn't you say anything! Or-or tell me!" Ace glared at her. "You knew I was with them. Why didn't you say anything!?"
"Because I knew you would be distrustful when he brought you aboard. I didn't want to add fuel to the fire," Naia explained softly. "Please, even if I can't discourage you from going. Be on your guard."
"Naia," Ace breathed. "I will. I'll come back."
"Gurararara, the Red Hair brat said the same thing in his letter." Whitebeard narrowed his eyes down at her. The air grew heavy as the two stared each other down.
"Shanks?" Naia tilted her head.
"He should be here within the week since we sent his envoy running," Marco chuckled.
"I'm going to receive hell for being here," Naia groaned.
"Didn't you promise to join him?" Ace wondered. "He's not going to be happy about seeing you here."
"He knows I catch rides from the Whitebeards from time to time!"
"You still haven't told him yet, have you?" Ace asked in disappointment, coloring his voice. Naia cringed at the tone.
"No, there hasn't been a good time."
"A good time? You're his admiral!"
"And you think in the middle of battle, I should take my veil off and say 'Hi, Red! Long time no see!'" Naia raised an eyebrow at her eldest, who was looking reasonably sheepish. "He'd kill me!"
"I'll be sure to have a beautiful funeral for you," Marco said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Marco, you're the only one who cares," Naia cried, letting her weight fall against him. "That being said, I imagine Shanks asked for you to pull Ace back and let him go after Teach?"
"Something along those lines," Whitebeard hummed.
"Let him in on the hunt." Naia squared her shoulders.
"Why?"
"He can help."
"You're biased. Being his lover, I'm sure he thinks he can help."
"I am speaking as an Admiral," Naia hissed. "Two heads are better than one, and with the power of another emperor, it could make a difference."
"You dare order me around, sea urchin? I am the captain on this ship!"
"A captain who allowed someone to almost kill a fellow crewmate," Naia hissed, her eyes flashing with anger. "This is not the first time he has lashed out, and now he's off with one of the most powerful fruits in existence!"
"He attacked someone on an opposing ship!" Whitebeard reasoned. "Not another crewmate!"
"He attacked and managed to leave scars on someone who doesn't get surprised! I could barely surprise him, and I am not even really there!" Naia argued. "Not to mention he somehow came across my own weakness."
"He showed no-"
"Did he or did you choose not to see it!"
"You have no right to pass judgment on me!" Whitebeard stood tall, readying Murakumogiri. Naia fell into an eased fighting stance.
"And you would do best to remember who won the last time we fought," Naia sneered, her features twisting into something unrecognizable, into something darker.
"Naia. please stop this," Ace begged. "Everyone is at fault here. Oyaji, Marco, me, everyone on this crew let him escape notice."
"It is a captain's pride to know his crew forward and back." Naia shook her head. "Your brother, who has only sailed with his crew for a few months, knows everything about his crew. Their hopes and dreams to their darkest desires. He knows the changes they will undergo and the events of the past that changed them before. He knows everything."
"That's impossible! To know everything about someone," Ace disagreed.
"And yet he does," Naia stated, "Does that make him a better captain?"
Whitebeard was at a loss. Naia could see the conflict happening behind his eyes as he took in what she was saying. He had let his dream blind him, had allowed it to make him complacent with what he had, making him forget the hopes and dreams of his own children and of his own ambitions. Naia relaxed her posture, and Marco came to stand beside her.
"Marco, what are you doing?"
Naia could see the pain in the phoenix's eyes, but he would forever remain a Straw Hat even if he would always be a Whitebeard pirate as well. She imagined this was incredibly hard on the man, hard and confusing. They could never forget the path they once led but to stray from the comfort of being back was difficult.
"She's right," Marco whispered, "We have become complacent with what we have, and that could be dangerous."
"My son," Whitebeard said sadly, "I have always trusted your judgment and opinion, but we must not pity the past or ourselves. We must move forward with confidence and strength."
"Then let us tell her what we know." Whitebeard hesitated but relented. Ace looked so out of place and confused, but Naia shook him off when he tried to follow. This was a meeting for those who ruled and those who will lead. As much as she wanted to believe her son could be just that, Ace was content to stay where he was. With Whitebeard and with his family. Their discussion lasted for hours. A conversation deeply rooted in lies and half-truths as Naia and Marco attempted to persuade the great captain of how to go about handling Teach. How, even to his great displeasure, letting Shanks in on the run could mean a victory for them. In the end, they had only managed to persuade him that sending only Ace would do no good. It wasn't the best scenario but it was better than nothing.
A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry to have been MIA for so long, but I am proud to say I actually have this work finished for the most part! If I can choose an ending, that is. I even started a second part for this story. I appreciated the support for this story so much! I never expected it to do as well as it has, and I am eternally grateful! I am certainly more of a spicy writer than an action writer but had to throw in a few since OP is very action based. So I hope you continue to enjoy what is to come!