Newgate had to admit, he was a bit disappointed.

It had been several days since Deku had woken up, an entire week since the battle at Marineford, which the Newspapers were calling the War of the Best, the Summit War, or the Paramount War, depending on the source. Each title was fitting in its own way, but the sensationalist descriptions from that bastard, Morgans, was sickening.

However he let it slide like water off a duck's back. He was far too old to be holding petty grudges when the well-being of his family was far more important. Besides, most of the newspapers were covering the Navy's failure rather than focusing on Ace.

The old Captain had a sneaking suspicion that it was to avoid the wrath of his crew. Even now, scattered as they were, they were still a mighty threat. In fact, with their members scattered to the winds in Paradise, one could argue that they were more dangerous than ever with a reach further and in places that weren't typical for their crew.

After all, they usually spent their time in the New World. But until they regrouped, it was wiser to remain in Paradise to recover. He sent a few of the Division Commanders into the New World to protect key territories, but before they returned, he wished to commission a new ship at Water Seven.

He had been a bit worried that the Marines would try to corner them there, so they were taking their time to fully recover and regroup before they did so.

As such, he was spending much more of his time trying to coax Deku into interactions with him and his children. But ever since their last conversation, Deku had decidedly holed up in his room, only leaving to sneak into the kitchens and politely request a meal or two. His daughters, bless their foresight, had instructed the chefs on what and how much the child should be served, given the delicate state of his stomach due to his malnutrition.

According to his sons, Deku didn't turn people away when they approached him in his room, but it was clear that he would rather avoid human interaction. Conversations with the boy tended to be brief and stilted. Newgate couldn't blame the boy, especially since he didn't seem to be a pirate and now found himself surrounded by some of the most notorious outlaws on the seas.

Despite what he and Marco had hoped, Deku seemed equally uncomfortable around Luffy as he was with the rest of them. He had hoped that given the smaller age gap, they would get along better. Now, however, Newgate could only assume it was because he was also a pirate. Not even Ace seemed able to get through to him to build a true relationship.

Yet Deku seemed to set aside any discomfort and treat them all with respect. The old Captain could only hope that this wasn't done out of fear. But given how the boy had been responding (or rather, not responding) to their attempts to reach out in the short time he had been on their ship, it was unlikely.

But, much like Ace had discovered two years prior, the Whitebeard Pirates weren't ones to give up so easily. Even in the absence of a reason other than their Captain's whim and especially when they had good reason. For the first time, in fact, Ace was on the delivering end of their attempts to reach out to a potential new crew member. Of course, he had whined and complained about how difficult it was, to which Marco had some choice words and a strong inclination to remind him of their experience with convincing their future Second Division Commander to join.

He had to admit, it had been entertaining to watch how fast his youngest son had shut up.

Oddly enough, it was Jinbei whom Deku interacted with the most. Despite the fact that Marco, Ace, and even Luffy made more efforts to pull him out of his antisocial bubble, the kid seemed oddly content to have long discussions with Jinbei. Newgate would have expected the kid to be wary around a fishman, but apparently his minor worries had been unnecessary.

Jinbei had described their conversations as sprawling; they talked about anything and everything, though he admitted that he had done more talking than Deku. But when prompted about his own life, the boy shut down hard and fast. Whether it was because of something that had happened to the boy or simply his unwillingness to trust pirates (which Newgate was starting to believe was the case less and less as time went on) was unclear.

All of that aside, Newgate had one last trick up his sleeve.

Deku had proven to be quite courteous and upheld good manners as a priority in spite of his own discomfort, desire for privacy, or tendency to avoid social interaction. As such, Newgate figured he could rouse the boy out of his living quarters with a summons for another discussion. He could frame it as an important issue and surely the boy would show. Then the boy would be caught unaware when he was met with a party in his honor on the deck instead of the formal meeting he had been expecting.

After all, why not party? They were pirates after all. Any excuse was good enough to pull out the food and alcohol. Hopefully that would begin to show their gratitude through more actions and not just their words. He had hoped that their actions so far would have been enough, but as that was not the case, it was time for this plan instead.

He hoped that the boy would take it well. Perhaps there was an alternate option that wouldn't turn the boy away from their genuine gratitude, but if there was, Newgate certainly had no clue what it could have been.

The old pirate had informed Marco and Ace, both of whom were ecstatic at the idea, though one was admittedly more skeptical than the other of the potential results.

The two Division Commanders began planning the event a day in advance. It took very little effort to hide such planning from Deku, given how long he spent holed up in his room or the study. Though he would have been lying if he'd said Ace had spent the whole time planning. Luffy had quickly turned out to be quite the handful around the ship; his brother was often found following him around, struggling to restrain the teen's rowdy behavior.

Marco, on the other hand, took charge and recruited several others to their little cause. It was heart-warming to see their genuine excitement at the idea. Several of his other children had approached him with their joy, both for the opportunity to celebrate Deku, but also as a way to relax after the taxing battle.

Even Jinbei had offered his services in preparation for the event, if only to repay the imaginary debt the fishman thought he owed.

And now that everything was set and ready, they were all simply waiting for Ace to retrieve Deku under the false pretenses of another conversation with Newgate. There was contagious enthusiasm buzzing in the air, almost electrifying. And the moment Deku stepped onto the deck, Ace leading the way, the entire crew burst out in cheers.

In the end, the plan worked perfectly: Deku's dumbfounded expression pulled a chuckle out of the old man.

Through the cacophony of shouting, of which Whitebeard could only assume were expressions of gratitude towards Deku given the liberal use of his name, the boy somehow managed to look even more confused. He looked like a lost puppy as the crew crowded around him, Ace gently leading him through the mess towards Newgate himself.

Once they were face to face, and close enough to hear each other through the noise that had yet to die down, Deku bit his lip.

"Is all of this… for me?" the kid asked, as if he hadn't saved the Second Division Commander, the Commander's younger brother, and the Captain himself (not to mention all the deaths and injuries he'd likely also prevented by covering their retreat).

"Indeed!"

"But I'm not…"

"We're pirates. There is no reason too small for a party! We're all here for the freedom, for the fun. What's the point with living if you don't get to enjoy yourself as well," Newgate laughed.

Deku's face seemed to go through the five stages of grief in the span of seconds, settling on an odd mix of resignation with a soft smile. It seemed that he had gotten through to the boy at least somewhat, which was a relief and a change from the previous few days.

"You're free to enjoy the party, but first…" he trailed off, clearing his throat.

He turned to the crowd and took a sip of water before yelling, "Children! Let's celebrate our victory against the Marines as well as the health of our Savior," he hoisted up a copy of a paper, "The Green Devil, now with a bounty of 300 million! To the foolish Marines, he is but a powerful, faceless criminal! But we know him as Deku! A friend! An ally!"

Ace hopped up onto a barrel, turning to address the crowd as well, "Now let's party!"

His children raised cheers and fists of their own, shouting freely in a cacophony of relief, joy, and pride. But the boy's face wasn't quite so joyful. The old pirate figured it was because of the bounty, likely because the boy wasn't used to being an outlaw, but there was nothing they could do about that. They simply had to encourage him to be proud of his actions rather than concerned about the future.

After all, they would protect him with the same fervor as they would one of their own.

Whitebeard watched as Ace hopped off the barrel and snuck up behind the boy in question, hoisting him up by his arms and carrying into a crowd of waiting pirates. It was highly entertaining to see the way the boy flailed in surprise, completely taken aback by his sudden popularity. Though it was saddening to see the boy so uncomfortable with being the center of attention and praise. It was as though he felt it not only unfamiliar, but unwarranted as well, rather than simply an odd occurrence. The boy seemed out of his depth when it came to genuine praise. (Had the boy always been that way? Or was this a recent development…?)

It wasn't long until they finally set the boy back on his own two feet and got back to drinking and shouting. Several people went up to Deku to speak with him, but before they knew it, the boy had managed to escape the crowd. The party continued for hours, as rowdy and chaotic as Whitebeard Pirate parties always were. But Newgate couldn't help but notice how Deku stayed out of the way of most of the party, as though he were an outsider looking in rather than the heart of their celebrations.

For a brief moment, Whitebeard wondered if the boy was simply tired. He was still recovering from his injuries, not to mention it had only been a few days since he was able to eat a meal of only solid foods. But the more the man considered it, the more inclined he was to dismiss the notion. Deku surely would have left if he were tired; he could have slipped away below deck very easily without anyone's notice. But he had yet to do so.

Unless, of course, he was more concerned with offending them than he was with his own well-being. It was in character for the boy, given what Newgate already knew of him, but it left a bad taste in his mouth. He would have to remedy that.

Either way, if the boy really was more concerned with their feelings than his own health or if the boy simply felt as though he did not belong and deserve this celebration in his honor, Newgate would have to correct that notion. Especially if it was a mix of both.

Perhaps—if the latter was the case—now would be the best time to invite him to join their crew, to make him feel more welcome, more included. It was a risk, Newgate knew, but dancing around the issue wouldn't solve anything either.

The man waited patiently for the boy to glance over in his direction, gesturing him over once he did. Marco caught his eye and followed his gaze, rolling his eyes once he realized the old man's intentions. Newgate simply ignored the First Division Commander's sass in favor of focusing on Deku as the boy began to wade through the crowd towards him once more, just as he had a few hours prior. The boy's small stature did him no favors in the mess, but at the very least, no one noticed their soon-to-be conversation as they were too caught up in their own celebrations.

Newgate spoke pleasantries to the boy at first, asking questions and giving soothing responses when he seemed uneasy. The man tried his best to lead up to his main question, hoping to avoid jumping into it so quickly, so when the boy asked questions about his crew, he was elated. He must have been a bit too enthusiastic, however, because Deku immediately shuffled his feet and glanced away for a brief moment. The old pirate simply set his worries aside, choosing to push through the awkwardness instead of backing off. After all, he hadn't made it this far in life by being a coward.

The boy did not seem all that surprised at the fact that Newgate had an ulterior motive to the conversation, having pulled a face as soon as the Captain prefaced his question with his good intentions. But the knowledge of the Captain's ulterior motive did not seem to lessen the pure astonishment on Deku's face when he asked him to join their crew. The boy didn't even give him a chance to list the benefits before he shut down, dropping his gaze to the wooden deck.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept your offer. I have more important things to do right now than join a pirate crew."

Whitebeard stared in shock at the boy in front of him, the one that was all alone and likely abused and abandoned. This boy had clearly suffered immensely, yet there was something that kept him from seeking family. The way the boy's face shut down instantly at his offer left him worried. And this was by far the most disrespectful Deku had been in the time he'd stayed on their ship.

Was he like Ace, feeling that he was undeserving of love? Or was he mistrustful of anyone who claimed to love him?

"We aren't just a pirate crew, you know," Newgate replied, deciding to gauge this boy's reasoning, "We're a family of sorts. Misfits who have been rejected and abandoned. Although we are pirates, yes, we are a family first and foremost. I'd like you to join our family."

The boy's eyes widened as he glanced up, holding the man's gaze for a moment before he let it fall back to the floor as though he was ashamed, "I'm sorry for my rudeness, but I still cannot accept your offer."

Newgate was about to plead with him to reconsider, but he was cut off.

"I admire that… a crew that looks out for one another like family. But I still cannot join. It's a matter of protecting my friends… no… my family. You understand?"

The normally unflappable Emperor the Sea stared in awe as the stoic boy's expression softened. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was enough for the man to know that this boy had an incredible will. Although, whether that willpower implied Conqueror's Haki or not was still up for debate. Regardless, it only made Newgate want to take care of this kid more.

After all, if there was one thing he'd learned from his many years on the seas, it was that children didn't develop that sort of mentality without going through large amounts of trauma and pain.

"Well, like I said earlier, if there is anything we can do to help you, we are obligated to do so. You've done so much for our family."

"...I might need to take him up on that offer," he murmured—Newgate wondered if he had unintentionally spoken the words aloud—staring intently at his own hands as though they had personally offended him.

What a strange boy.

The boy hadn't remained at the Captain's side for very long after that. With Newgate's encouragement, Deku re-entered the crowd and made an effort to enjoy the festivities. Or rather, he had made the attempt.

He didn't make it very far before Ace's brother launched himself onto the unsuspecting teen, nearly knocking him over.

"Dekuuuuuuuuuuuuu," Luffy whined, "Where have you beeeeeeeen?"

Ace simply slapped a hand over his face, "I'm sorry about him, he's an idiot."

Deku simply smiled in return, "No, it's alright. I have been hiding out a bit."

"Why? Parties are great!" the teen proclaimed.

The other boy didn't seem to have a response for this, a frown overtaking his youthful features. If Newgate hadn't known any better, he would have assumed the boy was equally uncertain of his own motivations.

"I'm sorry, Luffy, Ace," Deku stared at the ground in shame, "You guys are having this whole party for me, yet I've been avoiding you. I haven't even thanked you all for your hospitality."

The kid finally looked up at Luffy, his face split in half by a wide grin that nearly rivaled Ace's brother's. Yet there was still a hint of tension in his cheeks that made it clear it was forced, if not entirely fake.

Newgate found himself constantly worried by the perpetual self-loathing Deku seemed to carry. It was concerning how the kid's first instinct was always to blame himself for anything, no matter how insignificant or unnecessary it was. It was like this kid had always had to place the weight of the world on his shoulders and had simply accepted his fate rather than try to fight it.

The Emperor of the Sea just wanted to talk to whoever forced this mindset upon the boy. He only wanted to talk, for sure.

"You know, you don't have to force yourself to smile while you're hurting. We're your friends, we can help you when you need it," Luffy said in a rare serious tone.

Newgate stared at the two boys curiously, hoping that neither noticed his eavesdropping attention amidst the loud, rambunctious party on deck. Although, to be fair, they were only a few meters away from him anyway.

"Excuse me," a voice to the side drew his attention.

The old man let his eyes slide to the side, frowning a bit at the odd expression on the Fishman's face.

Jinbei glanced over at the two children before continuing, "Pardon the interruption, there is a call from… Silvers Rayleigh. He wishes to speak with Luffy."

"Rayleigh? He wants to speak with Luffy?" Newgate repeated, his forehead tensing as his eyebrows drew together in suspicion, "Did he say why?"

"Not exactly. He refused to explain until he had the chance to speak with the boy."

"Hm. Tell him to call back tomorrow and I'll speak with him."

Jinbei nodded, but before he could leave, Luffy launched himself onto the fishman, much in the same way he had to Deku. Whitebeard couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the teen's antics. Of course, Luffy's actions roped both Deku and Ace into the conversation.

"Whatcha talking about?" the teen grinned, clearly having heard his name.

Jinbei glanced over at Newgate, asking silent permission to explain.

He considered it for a moment. For the moment, Luffy was under his protection. The boy had spunk and the old pirate found himself fond of him, not to mention Ace would lose it if anything happened to his younger brother. But if Rayleigh was asking for Luffy in particular, the man likely had some kind of ulterior motive in mind, something that the naive kid might not fully understand.

But simultaneously, the boy was his own captain and had his own crew. He had the right to make his own decisions. And while Rayleigh may have some nefarious purpose in reaching out to the boy, he wasn't a bad person overall. It was more likely to be beneficial, especially if Rayleigh had taken a liking to the boy. Which, given the oddly familiar Straw Hat on the boy's head, Newgate had a sneaking suspicion as to why that might be.

Settling on that conclusion, the Captain nodded at Jinbei, allowing him to share.

"We have a call from Silvers Rayleigh. He wishes to speak with Luffy."

Newgate held back a laugh at the way Ace's face scrunched up in annoyance.

"Rayleigh?" Luffy tilted his head, still clinging onto Jinbei's shoulders, "He wants to talk to me?"

"You know him?" Ace asked with an honestly impressive grimace.

"Of course! He helped me and my crew in Sabaody," the teen's joyful expression dropped suddenly, like a flip of a switch, suddenly somber and pensive, "At least, until we got separated."

"Separated?" the older brother repeated in concern.

Luffy hopped off of Jinbei's shoulders, frowning towards the floor rather than elaborating further.

"Do you wish to speak with him?" Newgate prompted, his worry increasing with every passing second in which Luffy's expression remained downtrodden. It was very unlike the teen to be so upset, so that meant there was likely a good reason for Rayleigh's call, especially considering that Luffy seemed to have met him prior to the mess at Marineford.

"Hold on, what does he want from Luffy?" Ace interrupted, clearly more upset about the situation than he seemed willing to admit.

Although Ace was technically the youngest sibling of the Whitebeard Pirates, he was quite the protective older brother, as they were all slowly learning. Newgate had seen those good, defensive qualities for what they were all those years ago, but it was a whole different experience to witness it towards Luffy. While Ace wasn't distant from his sworn-siblings by any means, it was still next to nothing compared to his relationship with Luffy.

Newgate couldn't help but find it intriguing to witness Ace's grudge and his protective tendencies warring with each other.

Jinbei frowned at Ace's apprehension, taking on a similar wariness, "He wouldn't say."

"Well I want to talk to him then!" Luffy laughed while his brother struggled to keep a straight face.

"Is he still on the line?" Newgate asked, deciding to indulge his own curiosity alongside Luffy's wishes.

"Pops!" Ace whined.

Deku startled as Marco walked up beside him without warning, the jolting drawing the adults' attention to the First Division Commander.

"He's not anymore, sorry Pops," he sighed, "He complained about us taking too damn long, said he'd be here by morning, and hung up."

Newgate couldn't help but laugh, "Sounds like he's the same as ever. But I don't recall giving him permission to come aboard."

The Second Division Commander scowled at his brother's laughter, "And how does he even know where we are right now?"

"He has his ways."

"Did he say what he wanted with Luffy? Or is he just going to show up out of nowhere like an ass?"

"Ace," Newgate chided, making him pout like a child.

"He mentioned Haki," Marco admitted, "But I'm not sure what that has to do with anything."

"Haki?" Luffy repeated, tilting his head in clear confusion. Even Deku looked perplexed.

The old pirate suppressed a laugh at their naivety. Perhaps Rayleigh wanted to introduce Luffy to Haki. He supposed that Rayleigh would be one of the best people to do so. While Newgate was certain that Ace would like to introduce his brother to Haki—or at least have a member of their crew do so—it would likely be more beneficial for the boy to learn it from one of the best, well-rounded Haki users on the seas. Not to mention, their crew was busy regrouping and recovering from their battle. Luffy didn't deserve distracted teaching.

But before anyone could open their mouths to explain, Ace scowled and grabbed Luffy's arm, dragging him away from the group, presumably to tell his brother himself.

Newgate, Jinbei, and Marco all shared a collective sigh. Even though Ace wanted what was best for his brother, his own pride and protective nature got in the way more than was healthy.

"Ah, well… I'm going to go after them…" Deku muttered, bowing a little before scuttling after them.

It seems that Deku wasn't keen on giving them the chance to explain what that conversation was about either. It was a bit curious how he'd seemed confused by the exchange yet so quickly excused himself from the situation.

Deku was an odd boy indeed.

During his time on deck for the party, his right arm had throbbed painfully as the sea breeze whipped across his bare skin. The entire time, he had wished for a bit of compression which his support item or compression sleeve had previously provided. Unfortunately, he had neither. He could ask for some kind of replacement, but these people were suspiciously generous; he would not ask them for more after they provided him with a comfortable change of clothes and nursed him back to health.

Not to mention how they were technically hiding him from this world's government. But that was neither here nor there.

No, what was the most interesting was this Haki thing.

After the conversation last night, where someone named Rayleigh had offered to teach Luffy Haki, Midoriya couldn't help but be intrigued. Despite his extensive reading over the last few days, not once had this Haki been mentioned in writing. It seemed that, despite Devil Fruits being a well-documented power, Haki was something entirely different and hidden from public knowledge.

And, given his situation, Midoriya couldn't afford to not investigate something so important and potentially dangerous. The justification fell apart a little when considering the eavesdropping he had already been doing on the crew's plans, but he silently ignored that protest and shoved it into the back of his mind.

From what he'd gathered, they were planning to largely remain where they were. They had no plans to return to Marineford, but Midoriya needed to go back to see if he could find any clues as to how he had been transported to this world. So this guy that was supposed to teach Luffy Haki? He needed to find out more, just in case.

So he had trailed after the pair of brothers as they left the crowded deck.

Midoriya had no idea who this Silvers Rayleigh guy was, but from what he'd seen of his reactions, Ace seemed to hold a bit of a grudge against him. He appeared to be the only one that felt that way, but it was something to keep in mind, especially considering the man said he'd arrive tomorrow. The boy wanted to know whether the man was someone to meet or someone to avoid.

He wasn't typically one for eavesdropping—that was Kacchan's thing more than his—but he felt it was worth the risk. He could simply ask, but he was still treading the unknown here. He had no idea what kind of questions could potentially blow up in his face.

Metaphorically.

Either way, he was here and there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Listen, Luffy," Ace began.

Midoriya frowned at the fact that they stopped in the middle of a hallway rather than going to a private room. Was this conversation not meant to be all that private? Or was Ace simply unaware of his presence?

"What is Haki?" Luffy interrupted.

The older brother sighed, "Haki is a power that anyone can use."

"A Mystery Power?!" he cheered, garnering another long-suffering sigh.

"Kind of. There are three types: two that anyone can learn and one that only certain people are born with."

"Only some people?" Luffy repeated. Midoriya could almost imagine him tilting his head like a curious cat.

"Yeah, do you remember what you did at Marineford, when they were about to cut off my head?"

Midoriya shuddered at how casually Ace spoke of what had almost been his execution.

"You mean when a bunch of those Marine guys passed out?"

"Yes, that. That was the third type, which you have. It's called Conqueror's Haki. Or the King's Will, depending on who you ask."

"So Rayleigh mentioned this Mystery Power thing? Does he want to show it to me?" he paused briefly, "But you don't want him to, do you?"

"Wha-well…" Ace trailed off, clearly conflicted.

"Because he's Roger's former First Mate, right?" Luffy asked, though it seemed more of a statement of fact rather than a question.

Ace's silence was telling. Not that Midoriya knew the complex histories and relations of these people he had never met, but he could tell it was important.

"He's really a nice guy," the younger brother mumbled, "I think you'd like him."

After a moment, Ace finally gathered the courage to reply, "Maybe. Do you… want to learn Haki from him? He's practically a master at it, if you believe the rumors."

"Mhm, I do. I failed my crew because I was too weak to protect them. This… Haki would help me protect them. And Rayleight might know where they are, too. I need to find them."

Midoriya winced at the implication. Luffy had mentioned earlier that he was separated from his crew, but it was highly possible that his crew was actually dead or captured at this point. Typically, Midoriya would always hold onto hope, but somehow, over the grueling weeks he'd spent roaming the streets—or perhaps it began when the operation against the Paranormal Liberation Front went awry—the pessimist inside Deku's mind had become overwhelming.

Ace seemed to gather up the courage to ask, "Luffy… what happened to your crew?"

The dead silence he got in response was telling. Luffy was, if nothing else, constantly moving, making noise, and filling up space with his presence. For him to be dead silent, well… it was more than concerning.

"That bear Warlord guy showed up. The Light-guy too. We were… I was…" Luffy's voice trembled, the tears he must have been holding back audible through the shake in his voice, "...too weak. He hit them. They disappeared. I don't know where they went or if they're even alive."

Ace clearly didn't know what to say to soothe his brother's distress, if the quiet pause was anything to go by.

Midoriya couldn't even begin to imagine what Luffy had been through, what it would have felt like to witness all of his friends just disappear and be unable to do anything about it. He could empathize with the experience of struggling with your friends against an incredibly powerful enemy to whom they could have never hoped to compare, but at least he hadn't lost them.

Yet.

After all, that was the entire reason he had left UA in the first place. He had almost lost some of them despite doing everything in his power to protect them.

Midoriya… wanted to help Luffy. He wanted to find Luffy's friends, if only to help him understand that everything was going to be okay. Instinctively, he longed to reach out, to tell him that so long as he strives to become stronger, there was nothing out there that could stop him.

But that was a lie, wasn't it? That magma guy… Midoriya wouldn't have been able to defeat him no matter how long they fought. This Haki might be able to bridge that gap, but more likely than not, these Marines also knew of Haki and had spent years mastering it. So even if Luffy learned it, there would still be years of practical experience and technique that created a power gap so wide that there was little hope of closing it.

And in Midoriya's case… well even after spending all the time practicing with One for All at school, his time on the streets had been infinitely more valuable. Yet somehow he knew that fighting All for One and Shigaraki would still be an insurmountable challenge to which he might not be up for the task. But looking behind him, it was clear that there was no one else who could even begin to compare.

This world was likely the same way. There would always be an enemy too powerful to defeat somewhere out there. By the time he would become powerful enough to stand on top, it might be too late.

But who was to say, really?

Even so, the desire to shield Luffy from that reality was compelling.

Yet… this was the very same reality he himself was facing. Here, in an unknown world, potentially up against insurmountably powerful people while desperate to find his way back to his world. Back to the world where the only enemies he had were the very same formidable, dangerous type. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't, as the saying went. And even if Midoriya protected this veritable stranger, there would always be another person to shield, another to save from the same predicament he was in.

Hadn't his own weakness already been put on display? Hadn't he discovered exactly how useless he was in the grand scheme of things? He couldn't even save his friends properly, having been transported to an entirely different world where others had to shield him from harm?

And even if he was able to help Luffy, what did that mean for his friends? For all the people waiting, scared, relying on him to save them, even if they didn't know it? He couldn't just abandon them. Every moment he spent not searching for a way to get home was another in which All for One or Shigaraki or both could be killing everyone he had sworn to protect.

A sense of hopelessness settled into his chest, leaving him feeling dull and aching.

This felt like that choice he'd made on his first day doing real (legal) hero work. On that patrol, what was supposed to be an easy walk became a dangerous situation and an impossible choice.

Saving a girl in need or letting her suffer so that a so-called greater good would prevail.

This was that same choice; Midoriya was stuck between a rock and hard place, but this time, there wasn't someone like Lemillion to make that choice for him. And yet here he was, about to make the same decision he had sincerely regretted the first time all over again with nobody to convince him otherwise.

After all, out here, it was just him and these people—pirates—that seemed far too invested in him for their own good. And he was the only one aware of his predicament.

Midoriya needed… he needed to go against everything he felt was right. That was the only way Midoriya could ever hope to save his friends. To save all of Japan. He needed to… to let Luffy handle his own situation.

Ace was clearly thinking along the same lines when he finally gathered the courage to respond, "And you're hoping Rayleigh can help?"

The younger brother spoke with pure conviction, "I know he can. He was there. He tried to protect us."

"Okay. I won't stop you, just… be careful," Ace relented.

"Of course! Can we go find more food? I'm hungry!" Luffy whined, Ace laughing as he agreed.

Midoriya's chest tightened as he realized the footsteps got louder. They were coming back in his direction? Was that a deadend? Or was the cafeteria the way they came? He had yet to go himself, since others made it a point to bring him his meals as dictated by the nurses, but still!

He couldn't help but lament his luck for a moment before shoving his anxiety aside and striding around the corner confidently.

The pair of brothers froze in place with matching surprise. It would have been comical if Midoriya hadn't been so anxious.

"Uh, hi. I'm kind of… lost?" he blurted out, hoping it would suffice.

"Lost?" Luffy repeated. Midoriya noted that he had a habit of repeating what people said, which was as interesting as it was irrelevant to this situation.

"Oh, yeah. Do you want to go to the cafeteria with us? I don't think you've been yet!" Ace offered, the absence of suspicion made clear by the bright smile that spread across his face.

"That sounds great," Midoriya replied, internally sighing in relief even as his heart continued to beat wildly in his chest.

Dinner had gone by quickly, the brother filling up the time with squabbling and fighting over food and old inside jokes. It was entertaining to watch and reassuring to know that he could relax without having to add his two cents to the conversation. The room was very empty, which made sense considering the party still technically going on up on the deck. When they had left, it had seemed the only way the party would end was if they all drank themselves into oblivion. Midoriya couldn't say he endorsed their poor life choices, but at the very least, they were consistent with the stereotypical pirate, which was at odds with their genuine kindness and gentle hospitality.

Juxtaposing with the rambunctious party, the quiet dinner had been a more soothing experience. Although, it had been… an experience to watch Ace face-plant into his food mid-insult, but Luffy's laughter and explanation (if you could call simply saying he did that often as an explanation) had put Midoriya at ease, even when Ace took several minutes to wake up from his nap. (The boy had the feeling it was narcolepsy and vaguely wondered why neither of them seemed to know the name of it.)

But with Ace out cold, this was his chance.

"Hey, Luffy…?" Midoriya got the teen's attention.

The teen in question paused mid-bite, swallowing the absurd amount of food stuffed in his rubbery cheeks in one big gulp.

"Do you think… do you think I could come with you? To train."

Luffy stared at him with a blank face, his eyes locking onto Midoriya's with an odd sense of seriousness that betrayed the boy's lighthearted demeanor. They remained there for a moment, sitting still in the quiet of the empty cafeteria.

But then his lips curled up into a wide, genuine grin, "Yeah! That sounds like fun!"

Midoriya smiled and thanked him, allowing Luffy to pester him with inane questions and long tangents with little coherency. Even when Ace finally returned to the land of the living, the boy kept the expression on his face.

None of them needed to know the truth. It was his burden to bear alone, he wouldn't rope them into this mess now that he had the choice.

(He wouldn't drag them down with him when he knew he would inevitably fail.)

The man frowned as he sat upon his make-shift throne.

One for All…

It disappeared in the blink of an eye, not dimming for even a moment before flickering out of existence. Certainly, the boy had been traveling along the fringes of the quirk's range so that oftentimes it merely registered as a directional pull rather than a definite blip, but this was different.

It had vanished entirely. There was no directional tug, no compelling attraction that drew him in as it had always done.

He felt his second form twitch, frowning at the slight disturbance of its development. That just wouldn't do.

Most likely, this was the result of a quirk, perhaps some kind of concealment quirk or teleportation quirk. He had no idea what the long-distance parameters of that hero's quirk were, given his and Kurogiri's capture not long after acquiring it. But even so, he wasn't sure that there was any such limitation for the tugging feature.

Which meant there was most likely foul-play involved.

As far as he was aware, there was no hero that had a concealment quirk of that sort. The government certainly wasn't in possession of one such person nor was the Hero Commission, so it could only stand to reason that a civilian must have used their quirk. That or the successor to One for All keeled over and died.

Which would be quite… vexing… if that was the case.

It was possible that Dictator had been awfully close to One for All when it fizzled out of his radar, so there was a good chance one of the people he had under his control activated their quirk in a panic. Or Dictator had, in fact, killed the One for All user, in which case All for One would quickly dole out severe punishment. The fool would regret his entire life before he lost it if that was the case.

But just moments after One for All disappeared, other lights he vaguely recognized appeared and Dictator's light dimmed significantly. It seems that the One for All user's little friend, Bakugou, had made his way onto the scene.

How odd.

Was this the heroes' grand plan? Had Deku actually been a fruitful diversion for their strategy rather than the heroes pitifully playing directly into his hands?

That shouldn't have been possible, but he knew not to underestimate their ingenuity. It was possible that a civilian hiding at UA came forward and offered to help the heroes hide Deku, but his source had mentioned that the civilians had been kept out of the loop when it came to what the heroes were doing. Even the students weren't being told what the heroes were doing, only ordered to be on standby..

Had his source in UA left something out of their report?

All for One frowned. Reluctantly, he rose from his seat, rousing his second form from its rest to speak from it. He ordered one of the remaining High End to go to the plaza and capture anyone who seemed suspicious without being noticed by the heroes.

Of course, he would have to monitor this nomu's progress. He couldn't afford to let the situation get out of control. But for the moment, the nomu would be able to reach the site much faster than himself.

With a sigh, he began his short travels, coaxing his second form back into its restful state.