Before you begin I want to apologize for the long wait. I had to move to a new apartment, do a lot of paperwork, and balance classes at the same time. I didn't have internet for a while so my motivation to write dwindled and my creativity was at an all time low. I'm trying to recover myself to get back into the hang of things.

I will for now update monthly, possibly more than one time a month if I have more free time. This one month I didn't update felt more like an entire year it's felt like such a long time.

Thank you all for being patient, and enjoy the chapter. Not very long but I'm trying to get back into things.

Bleach and One Piece both belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 9

Ichigo unzipped his jacket throwing it against the wall, it landed in a clump on top of his Zanpakuto's. Both fighters only wore a plain white T-shirt with black pants.

"Don't hold back on me now." Garp grinned cracking his neck, getting all the kinks out of his old bones.

He wanted to see what kind of strength the teen had. Aokiji had mentioned he exerted an aura out of him during their fight, possibly Conquerors Haki. The odds of that were incredibly slim, and by the Admiral's description of it, it couldn't be Conquerors Haki.

It didn't matter to Garp, he'd learn more about the teen better through fists more than words.

"I should be the one saying that, old man." Ichigo smirked taunting the white bearded man. They were both hypocrites though, knowing that if they didn't hold back there wouldn't be much left of the boat afterwards.

Garp laughed putting his fist in his hand, looking down at the teen he couldn't help but notice even with their difference in height, the teen didn't seem afraid in the slightest.

"Quite the mouth you got there! I'm going to show you how strong this 'old man' really is!" Garp brought up his massive fist waiting for Ichigo to be ready.

Ichigo following Garp's stance they both waited for an unspoken signal to start their fight.

A moment passed as Garp took the initiative, he burst forward with his signature grin on his face. His massive fist launched itself towards Ichigo's face. The teen was wide eyed not expecting the old man to possess speed that far surpassed Koby from earlier.

He leaned as far back as he could, his back becoming parallel with the ground as the massive fist passed over where his head was previously. He felt his hair sway wildly as he could feel the wind pressure off the fist.

Being so close to the ground he put both his hands down on the wooden floor lifting his feet into the air.

Pulling his legs as close as he could to himself, he shot both his legs forward, they impacted against Garp's massive chest pushing the man back as he slid across the floor.

Ichigo sprung back up to his feet preparing himself for the next assault. Catching Garp's eye he could clearly see the same grin on his face.

"That was a good kick. Maybe we should both take this seriously." Garp held up his fist in front of him as Ichigo watched curiously.

Garp's fist made a strange warping sound before it completely turned black. Ichigo's eyes widened as he prepared himself for anything to happen.

"Another Devil Fruit?" Ichigo asked his eyes locked on the blackened fist. Was everyone he met in this world a Devil Fruit user of some kind? They were supposed to be rare right?

Garp looked at the teen and back at his fist before breaking out in laughter. It wasn't his normal laughter he had used before, this was full blown gut wrenching holding laughter.

Ichigo felt his his body relax not expecting the old man to laugh so much. Was it something he said?

Garp calmed himself wiping tears from his eyes, he never had such a reaction before to seeing his Armament Haki, and it was definitely a first that someone thought it was a Devil Fruit.

"Sorry, sorry! That's the first time I've ever gotten that reaction. I couldn't help myself!" Garp laughed as Ichigo sweatdropped slightly. "This isn't a Devil Fruit. This is called Armament Haki." He gestured to his blackened fist.

Ichigo tilted his head at the name, his eyes on the blackened fist.

"Armament Haki? So it's like a technique?" Ichigo felt himself stiffen a little.

"You could say that, but that's a lesson for later." Garp finished jumping forward high into the air, he brought his fist down on Ichigo.

Eyes wide the teen blocked the fist catching it in his palm, he grit his teeth feeling the punch pressing down on him, Garp's entire weight pushing him down. He didn't know how the wooden floor below him didn't shatter from such a hit, but he guessed Garp wasn't putting all his strength into his punch.

Using his other free hand Ichigo shot his palm upwards catching Garp in his face, the grin never left his face as his neck jutted upwards from the attack. Garp caught the teen off guard with a knee to his stomach.

Ichigo had to close his mouth to stop the spittle that would have escaped his lips. He didn't try to show but the blackened fist hit a lot harder than when he got hit earlier on the head by the same fist before their fight.

It seemed the old man was semi-serious this fight now, meaning Ichigo would have to do the same. Even if Garp was old Ichigo couldn't underestimate him. His reasoning was even the oldest members of Soul Society were the strongest and wisest people he had ever met.

Ichigo remembered the incredible strength of the late Captain of the first division. That man was older than time itself and yet he had the strength and respect of almost every single person he knew.

Ichigo retreated gaining a small distance between the two, Garp following behind him in his own burst of speed.

Garp swiped his leg across Ichigo's chest as the teen jumped above the appendage. Now airborne he brought his own leg down onto Garp's shoulder with more power this time.

Garp's grin faltered for a moment feeling the strength behind the teens kick, he noticed Ichigo's attack held more power in his strike this time.

His grin returned as Garp grabbed the teens leg and threw him against the opposite end of the room, Ichigo felt himself tumble a few times across the floor before righting himself on his own two feet.

Seeing a shadow loom over him he rolled to the side as Garp's blackened fist crashed into the wooden floor, breaking it apart.

Ichigo's eyes widened seeing Garp destroy part of the floor, he forgot for a moment they were in fact in a ship.

"Are you trying to sink the ship old man!?" Ichigo yelled, he didn't expect the fight to escalate this much, but he still needed to defend himself.

"No worries, I can have it patched up in no time!" Garp laughed. "You should take this more seriously Ichigo, or I'll have to make you." Garp grinned as the teen gulped at those words.

Ichigo's unfocused eyes calmed as he looked at Garp, the two took a moment as they prepared themselves for the next attack.

Garp noticed the teens eyes were focused, before he was faltering in his moves, never putting too much strength behind his attacks, probably thinking he would seriously hurt Garp.

"You should know I'm made of tougher stuff than you think." Garp hit his blackened fist against his chest. "Come at me with with all you got." Garp readied himself, hoping his words would make the teen use the strength he had used to fight Aokiji.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he felt his aching muscles fade away ignoring them. If the old man wanted him to fight more seriously, than he would oblige.

Ichigo using Shupo disappeared from sight. Garp's eyes widened at the technique. He felt his senses tingle before a fist crashed into his stomach, Ichigo's fist digging into his flesh as the older man gritted his teeth. He didn't even see the orange haired teen move, one second he was across the room and next he felt his senses warning him of the incoming attack.

Not wasting a moment Garp grabbed the teens arm in his own and yanked him high into the air. Ichigo felt his body move against his will as Garp used his incredible strength slamming the teen entire body into the wooden floor.

The floor broke beneath him as splitters and small wood chucks shot across the room. Ichigo's head spun for a moment not expecting the older man to do such a move, he thought that punch would at least double him over ending the fight, instead he got a mouthful of wood as a reward.

Ichigo watched as Garp used his other free hand punching it forward as he still held Ichigo's other hand in place, stopping him from escaping. Ichigo from the awkward position on the floor with his arm held firmly in the older man's grip, shot his free fist forward at the blackened fist as they both crashed into each other.

A small shockwave pushed the small wooden chunks and splinters around them outwards as Ichigo's and Garp's fist held firm against each other. Both of their arms straining hoping to push the other back. The fighters each grit their teeth feeling the power behind each others punches.

Garp yanked the teens arm still in his grip making his feet slide across the ground against his will.

Garp brought his arm holding Ichigo high into the air. The teen felt his body move against his will as his limbs swayed wildly. Garp brought down his arm holding the teen in his grip down towards the ground with a burst of speed, hoping to smash the teen against the wooden floor again.

Ichigo using a surprising amount of agility twisted his body as his legs impacted against the wooden floor. He grit his teeth feeling the pressure on his body from trying to protect his body from getting slammed down again.

Garp watched with a grin seeing the teen was putting up a good fight against him, even though neither one of them was going all out, it still was a good fight.

Ichigo feeling the old man's grip falter momentarily, sprang off the ground getting eye level with the white bearded man. Swinging his leg forward it crashed into the side of Garp's head. Feeling the hand holding his arm loosen he smacked it off his form before creating some distance between him and Garp.

Garp's neck was titled, still holding its position from the attack prior, his grin was gone. Ichigo was worried for a moment as he landed on the floor hoping he didn't hit the old man too hard.

It seemed his worries were for naught as the grin returned full force as Garp looked at the teen. His blackened fist returned to normal as Ichigo felt his body relax.

"Ha Ha Ha! That was a good fight! You hit a lot harder than my grandson ever did!" Garp laughed as Ichigo couldn't help but feel his own smile on his face.

"Come here, sit next to me." Garp plopped down on the ground patting the ground next to him, gesturing Ichigo to sit next to him.

Ichigo settled himself down on the ground next to the larger old man. His felt a warm sweat on his brow as he brushed it off, he hadn't had a fight like that in a long time.

His gaze traveled across the room, noticing the man shaped hole in the wooden floor where he was slammed into. He sweatdropped slightly seeing the massive hole where Garp had punched right through.

"Will those be fine?" Ichigo pointed to the multiple holes in the wooden floor. Garp gazing at the holes shrugged.

"I'll get my crew to fix that in no time. It's a training room for a reason, damage like that happens all the time." Garp grinned patting Ichigo on the back. Ichigo doubted that but didn't say anything.

"Enough about that, you got some serious fight in you." Garp grinned as Ichigo winced feeling the the old man's hands hitting his back, his aches not enjoying the pressure.

"I could say the same thing to you. What was that Armament Haki you showed me earlier? Your punch felt a lot harder with it." Ichigo had noticed during the fight. Garp grinned crossing his arm closing his eyes.

If what Aokiji told him was true, than Ichigo knew next to nothing about the world. Haki and Devil Fruits foreign to the teen. It seemed he need to give a few lessons to the teen, couldn't let him be ignorant to everything.

"Tell me how much do you know about Haki?" Garp eyed the teen curiously.

Ichigo shook his head, his arms crossed mimicking the white bearded man next to him.

"I don't know a thing about it. This is the first time I've heard about it." Ichigo admitted. He noticed the look of curiosity in the older man's eyes as he looked down on him.

"Is that so?" Garp rubbed his beard trying to understand how the teen was so strong. Did he subconsciously use Haki to power his moves? Was he naturally that strong? Or was it something else entirely?

Aokiji had mentioned the teen had a blue aura around him that looked similar to blue flames, he exerted a pressure out of him pressing down on the many pirates on the ship. He noticed the teen had used no such ability during their fight.

"Well anyway I guess this calls for a small lesson. As a reward for giving this 'old man' a good fight." Garp grinned bringing his hand down own Ichigo's back. He learned a little about the teen from their fight. They both held their 'stronger' punches but it felt like a good fight nonetheless.

"Are you listening?" Garp said getting a nod from Ichigo. "Good. Now where should we start?" Garp stroked his beard trying to think of a starting point of his explanation.

Ichigo felt a small smile on his face watching Garp. The fight had brought up his mood a little, he always learned more about people through fights than words.

"Oh yes." Garp put his hand in his fist coming up with an idea. "You see this." He put up his fist as it turned black again. Ichigo leaned in closer eyeing the odd blackened appendage curiously.

"This is Armament Haki like I said early. It makes my punches much stronger, it's possible to use Armament Haki without it looking like this, but I thought it would be a good demonstration during our fight." Garp finished as his blackened fist returned to normal.

"Can everyone use Armament Haki?" Ichigo asked eyeing the hand that was previously black.

"Hmm, it's possible anyone can learn it, but the training is extremely difficult and the process can be life threatening." Garp trailed off. Ichigo's eyebrows rose at the explanation.

Just what kind of training did it entail learning such a technique? Well it didn't matter to Ichigo.

"There's also two other forms of Haki." Garp comically held up two of his fingers. "There's Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki." Garp explained as Ichigo nodded following along.

"How can I explain Observation Haki? Hmmm…." Garp suddenly stood up getting Ichigo's attention.

"I'm going to close my eyes. Try hitting me." Garp suddenly said crossing his arms with his eyes closed. By name alone Ichigo could guess what the ability meant, but a demonstration was always better than an explanation.

Standing up Ichigo quietly walked up to Garp not making a sound. He punched his fist forward and was caught in Garp's palm. Garp grinned opening his eyes looking down on the teen.

"That's Observation Haki, I can sense your attacks easier. I can also sense how strong someone is." Was Garp's short explanation on the topic as he trailed off.

Garp let go of Ichigo's fist as the teen eyed the man curiously. Could he seriously sense how strong he was? If he could the older man didn't let it show on his face.

"What about Conqueror's Haki?" Ichigo asked getting the smallest of frowns from Garp.

"Now that's a bit harder to explain." Garp began. "You have to be born with it. The amount of people who can use Conqueror's Haki in the world, I can count on two hands." Garp explained looking down at his hands counting off how many people he knew who could use it.

Ichigo tilted his head not truly following along. "If it's so rare why are you explaining it to me?" He questioned see Garp stopped counting on his fingers.

Garp let out a sigh. "Ichigo, you realize you are strong right?" He began. Ichigo nodded slowly not wanting to voice out he didn't think he was. Maybe the old man could sense how strong he was with Observation Haki, however that worked.

"In this world strong people will meet stronger people, and this knowledge could help you in the future." Garp tried to make Ichigo understand the severity of his strength.

"Alright I get it, but just what is Conqueror's Haki? You're building it up like it's the Ultimate Haki." Ichigo gestured Garp to get on with the explanation.

"Now that's hard to explain." Garp plopped himself back down on the wooden floor as Ichigo mimicked his movements, sitting beside him.

"Stop repeating yourself." Ichigo retorted rolling his eyes.

"Kuzan told me you exerted pressure on the pirate crew during your fight. While we won't ask what ability you were using, let's compare Conqueror's Haki to that. If someone uses Conqueror's Haki on a weaker fighter they'd simply pass out." Garp explained as Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the comparison.

It seemed that when he released his Reiatsu on the boat wasn't unnoticed by the Admiral, while he wanted to keep his abilities a secret, was there really a reason to? In this world where people could use techniques to move at inhuman speeds, or people who could shoots beams of energy out of their bodies, were his Shinigami powers really needed to be kept a secret?

In a crazy world like this would it be so far fetched that he came from another dimension? While me might be thrown into this worlds equivalent of an insane asylum, he felt like there was truly no reason to hide his abilities.

Right now though it didn't feel like the right time to explain such a thing, while he was slowly starting to build trust between himself, Aokiji, and Garp, suddenly saying 'I'm from another world!' might not be the best thing to say at the moment. In time he would open himself up to them, depending if he would even stay with the marines long enough to give that a chance.

"I'm not trying to keep my abilities a secret." Ichigo began catching Garp's attention. "It's just there's so much to explain." Ichigo felt his shoulders sag feeling exhausted for some reason. Garp noticing the teen's frown let out a sigh standing up.

"You don't need to explain anything to me. I don't want to hear your life story, and you don't want to hear mine. So let's call it a day shall we?" Garp grinned extending his hand out to Ichigo. The teen let himself get pulled up as Garp grabbed his coat and made his way out of the room.

"Wait, aren't you in charge of this ship? Is it ok for you to be away for so long?" Ichigo questioned as Garp stopped in his tracks, his face not visible from where he was standing.

He rigidly turned around with a goofy grin on his face catching Ichigo off guard.

"Seems I forgot." Garp rubbed his head laughing earning a roll of the eyes from the teen.

"I'll be talking to Kuzan. We'll be heading for Water Seven, it will probably take a few days. So make yourself useful for the crew. Not that I can order you around because you aren't a marine, just don't slack off. Stop by my quarters later if you get a chance." Garp waved off the teen disappearing through the door, leaving Ichigo alone in the room.

Ichigo sighed before he felt his back fall against the wooden floor. He was still recovering from his lack of Reiatsu, and pushing himself didn't help his condition.

Maybe I should take a break from fighting for a while.

He could tell Garp was a good man, he could always sense the intentions of his opponent during fights, and the old man may have fought him using a few dirty moves, he was still a nice man.

The last time he remembered having such a feeling was when he fought Ginjo.

He grimaced slightly remembering the man he had killed, wondering if his soul truly was at peace, if his soul was sent to Soul Society or Hell he didn't know. He frowned harder remembering that now it didn't even matter, they were all gone, leaving him alone in a new world. He shook his head, he needed to stop making that a habit.

He sat up walking over to his Zanpakuto's, sitting down again he leaned his back against the wall. Reaching for his coat he pulled out the letter one more time. Looking down at it he tried again to remember what events had led to the Soul King's death. Why was his memory fuzzy when he had entered the Soul King's room, charging after Yhwach?

Gazing over to Zangetsu he hoped maybe he could hear the comforting voice of the old man who had helped him so much in his journey, if he were his younger self. He had promised he would no longer rely on the help of his Zanpakuto, he was one with his Zangetsu and Zangetsu was one with him. He came to terms with that when he had his Zanpakuto reforged.

His head swiveled seeing a few marines with cleaning equipment enter the room, them blinking looking at the sole occupant of the room before their eyes laid on the broken wooden flooring. They groaned in unison at the task they were given.

"Why the hell does Vice-Admiral Garp have to break everything?" One of the marines groaned getting nods from the others.

"It can't be helped, lets just fix the floor and be done with it." Another marine spoke up trying to motivate .

Ichigo suddenly felt he should leave the room, not hoping to interrupt the marines trying to clean the floor, he would offer to help but he knew next to nothing about how to fix a broken wooden floor, so a quick retreat was necessary.

Grabbing his jacket, putting it on and zipping it up he secured his Zanpakuto's to his form placing the letter in his jacket. Giving a quick nod not sure how to address the marines tasked to clean up after their battle, he made his way out of the room, letting the door close behind him.

Standing in the hallway he realized he didn't know the layout of the ship, he sighed before retracing his steps making his way back up the stairs to the deck. Walking past marines, he only received a few stares for the odd swords he was carrying, other than that the trip back on deck was uneventful.

Arriving back on the main deck he looked around, a few marines were walking about but it was less crowded than it was earlier. Looking over the horizon, the sight of the larger battleships and the massive door were gone, leaving a cloudy sky and endless ocean in every direction. He guessed the ship was heading to that Water Seven place, wherever that was.

He had to take a step back quickly as the forms of Helmeppo and Koby ran past him.

"Sorry about that!" Koby yelled as he disappeared around the corner followed by sweaty Helmeppo. Ichigo blinked remembering the punishment they were given by garp prior to their fight.

Shrugging with nothing to do he walked over to a crate sitting down. The minutes passed as Ichigo watched Koby and Helmeppo finish their punishment laps.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed but the sky had cleared revealing the deep blue sky. The sun setting in the horizon as Ichigo felt himself relax. It was a nice change of pace for him. He knew he should have at least asked to help around the ship, but he had no idea who to talk to. He'd ask Koby when he was done with his laps.

Coming around the corner again Ichigo watched Koby as he was sweating profusely, trying to stay upright on his two legs. Coming to a stop in front of Ichigo he collapsed on his rear end taking in deep breaths.

"50." Was all Koby could say between breaths before his back collapsed on the wooden deck. Ichigo's eyebrow rose tilted his head towards the dog house in the middle of the ship expecting Helmeppo to make his way around the corner any second.

A few moments passed before Helmeppo turned around the corner, his arms were flailing around as he tried his hardest to jog at a moderate pace. The marines close by made sure to stay clear so they wouldn't get hit by his swaying arms.

He Collapsed in a pile beside Koby in a less dignified manner, his breathing was erratic as the wooden deck pressed against his face. Ichigo watched the odd imagery of the two. Koby legs swayed as he tried to stand up. Ichigo stood up letting the pink haired teen's arm rest against his frame.

"Thanks. Vice-Admiral Garp always gives the harshest punishments." Kody said in between breaths looking at Ichigo. Koby's eyes looked down at his friend Helmeppo cringing slightly remembering what training he had tomorrow.

"I pray for your health tomorrow." Koby closed his eyes wishing his friend the best of luck.

"Don't make it sound like I'm going to die!" Helmeppo managed to yell from his position on the deck.

"You need any help down there?" Ichigo asked looking down at the blonde haired man, not sure what he should do.

"J-just let me lay here. I'll make my way to our room later." Helmeppo said between breaths as he let his eyes close as Ichigo's eyebrow rose in confusion.

A moment passed as a slight snoring could be heard from Helmeppo. Ichigo's eyebrow twitched looking down at the blonde haired man.

This idiot fell asleep.

Well it didn't matter to him. Looking back at Koby who was leaning on him he noticed the pink haired teens eyes were slightly unfocused as he swayed slightly.

"Want me to help you to your room?" Ichigo asked getting a nod from Koby.

"That would help a lot. Thanks. I'll point the way." Koby said looking down at his friend one more time before directing Ichigo into the ship.

Twisting through the hallways of the ship the duo finally arrived at a room after a few minutes.

"Here's our room." Koby pushed open the door revealing the interior. It was spartan as Ichigo looked around the room, not many things were laid about, but the room was decently sized. Koby leaned away from Ichigo walking over to his bed before collapsing onto it.

"If you don't mind I'm going to take a quick nap. The Vice-Admiral's room is two doors down that way if you are looking for Admiral Aokiji." Koby pointed towards the direction of the room.

"Thanks. If Helmeppo is still on the deck later, I'll bring him here alright?" Ichigo tried to offer his help.

Koby smiled letting his head rest against his pillow looking up at the orange haired teen. "That's fine, we share the same room so his beds right next to mine." Koby finished getting a nod from Ichigo.

"I'll be with Kuzan." Ichigo said opening and closing the door behind him, hoping to let Koby get any rest he needed.

Walking two doors over he read the sign over the door in big english letters.

Vice-Admiral Quarters

Rapping his knuckles against the from of the door he knocked twice waiting for a response from inside. The door swung open as Ichigo leaped back to avoid the door smacking him across the face. He scowled before his eyes laid upon the person who almost hit him.

Seeing the grin of Garp his scowl lessened as the older man's eyes were slightly wide looking at the orange haired teen.

"Ichigo! We were just talking about you. Come inside, take a seat." Garp gestured the teen to enter. Ichigo entered the room catching sight of Aokiji sitting in a chair at a table, two more chairs accompanied him.

Ichigo looked around the room, seeing many small knick knacks and a wooden shelf filled with books. It looked exactly like what he thought a captains quarters would look like in his mind. There was even a little ship in a bottle on Garp's desk.

"Ichigo, I heard about your little spar with Garp. Hopefully he didn't give you too much trouble." Aokiji said sending a lazy glance to Garp.

Garp let out a boisterous laugh. "You fought him yourself too Kuzan! This kids made of sterner stuff than most people!" Garp said patting Ichigo on the back again. The teen was starting to get used to it, but it didn't help when his sword dug into his back every time.

"Take a seat there's a few things we want to discuss in your presence." Aokiji gestured to the chair next to his. Ichigo nodded unslinging his Zanpakuto's leaning them against the wall next to the door before settling himself in the seat next to Aokiji. He noticed his chair was half the size of the other two, again making him self conscious about his height.

He was practically at eye level while Aokiji was fully seated in his chair when he was standing. Garp closed the door giving one glance at the swords before he settled down into his own chair.

"What did you want to talk about?" Ichigo asked the two larger occupants of the room. They each sent a glance to one another, having a silent wordless conversation with eye contact alone.

"It's about the fall of Enies Lobby." Aokiji began as Garp leaned back in his chair crossing his arms waiting for Aokiji to explain the situation to the teen.

"While you might not be a marine, you are still under my care. I'll explain what happened earlier today." Aokiji sent a glance to Garp who was holding his own grin on his face. Why that was Ichigo didn't know.

"Today when Nico Robin was going to be sent to Impel Down after her trial, the island of Enies Lobby was invaded by pirates led by Monkey D. Luffy." Aokiji sent another place to Garp as the old man laughed.

"That's my grandson! Always causing a ruckus, he's grown quite well!" Garp shouted earning a confused look from Ichigo.

"Grandson? Wait, that Luffy guy is your grandson?" Ichigo asked gaining a surprised look from Garp.

"You've met him?" Garp asked suddenly getting very curious.

Ichigo pondered for a moment remembering what he heard about him from his interactions with the Foxy pirates.

"I never met him, but I heard about him when I was with the Foxy pirates. Said he ended a Captain's 920 winning streak in Davy Back Fights." Ichigo spoke up, leaving out the fact he remembered the terrible drawing on the sail of the ship that the pirate in question also drew.

"So he's gotten pretty strong." Garp rubbed his beard glancing curiously at Aokiji.

Garp's grandson is a pirate? That doesn't really make much sense.

Ichigo kept his mouth shut, he would ask the details about that later, because it seemed Aokiji was about to start his explanation again.

The Admiral let out a sigh knowing exactly what he had to explain next. "Garp told you earlier that we were heading to Water Seven. Some details of the destruction of Enies Lobby have risen so our plans have changed." Aokiji leaned back in his chair, it creaked under his weight trying to think of what to explain next.

"The destruction of the island wasn't done by the pirates, but by the director's call to order a Buster Call on the island. The official report we are submitting will leave out the World Governments mistake of destroying the island." Aokiji gestured to the papers on the desk,most likely the report he had written.

Ichigo frowned at the information. He still didn't know about a lot of the details regarding the whole event, but one person in particular came to mind.

"What about Nico Robin? Are you going to arrest her at Water Seven?" Ichigo asked. Both Aokiji and Garp sent a glance at one another.

"That was the original plan. I've decided to let Garp take over what will happen to the pirates." Aokiji waited for Garp to explain what he planned to do.

"Since it's my grandson and his crew, I can't just arrest them. I'll decide after I see him." Garp said crossing his arms.

Ichigo looked at Garp with curious eyes. He could understand how it was hard to arrest a family member, but wasn't he a marine upholding the law? Could he even get away with that?

"Is that alright with you Kuzan?" Ichigo turned to the Admiral. Aokiji looked back at the teen with lazy eyes.

"I owe Garp here a lot for the help he has given me over the years. I trust his judgement." Aokiji tried to explain to Ichigo. The teen didn't fully understand the trust but didn't voice any disagreement.

The teen nodded slowly feeling himself lean back in his own chair. Turning to look back at Garp he caught his gaze.

"What's your grandson like?" Ichigo asked genuinely curious. He guessed the Luffy guy would probably be around Garp's height seeing as how he had caused so much trouble for the marines.

Garp grinned thinking back to his grandson when he was raising him.

"He was a feisty little guy. That little rascal always declared he wanted to be a pirate when I trained him hard to be a marine. That good for nothing! Maybe I should arrest him to make him changes his ways." Garp rubbed his beard in thought.

Ichigo sweatdropped slightly. "You're seriously changing your mind that quickly? Didn't you say you weren't going to arrest him?" The teen tried to point out.

Garp laughed looking back at the teen. "I'll decide once I see how much he has changed." Garp turned his head looking at the clock in the room. "It's getting late so let's call it a night shall we?" Garp stood up gesturing for Ichigo to stand up as well.

"Since you don't have a room, do you mind sleeping on a spare bed in Koby's and Helmeppo's room?" Garp asked the teen.

"I don't have a problem with it." Ichigo shrugged walking to the door grabbing his swords securing them to his person. The amount of times he had to do this was becomign annoying and was contemplating just leaving his Zanpakuto's stored for his duration on whatever ship he was on.

"Their room's two doors down." Garp pointed at the direction of the room.

"I know, I helped Koby to his bed after he did his 'punishment' laps." Ichigo explained.

Garp nodded looking at Aokiji opening the door. Ichigo walked through expecting the Admiral to follow behind him.

"Kuzan and I need to talk some more. You'll be helping Koby out tomorrow early in the morning with his duties. Any complaints?" Garp eyed the teen, Ichigo shook his head before Garp grinned. "Get lots of rest tonight." He finished off before closing the door to his quarters.

Ichigo shrugged making his way to Koby's and Helmeppo's room. His stomach growled making him blush slightly, he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Maybe he should get food first.

…..

He didn't know where the mess hall was.

Damnit.

Garp closed the door before turning back to the sole occupant in the room.

"He's a good kid. He's brutally honest and packs quite a punch." Garp had felt the punch the teen had driven into his stomach during their fight.

"I didn't expect you to fight him, but knowing you over the years I should have seen that coming." Aokiji felt a small smile on his face looking at his old friend.

"You can feel it right?" Garp suddenly asked Aokiji as he settled back in his chair. He narrowed his eyes slightly understanding the underlying meaning underneath the question.

"Are you talking about the kid's presence he exerts? Then yes. I can feel it even now as he walks away from this room." Aokiji stared at the wall he could 'sense' the teen from.

Aokiji had felt the teens strange power since the moment he saw him on the boat. The pressure he exerted had a direction correlation with the teens strength.

"Hopefully that kid will enlist in the marines. He'd make a good one, despite whatever power he's hiding." Garp felt himself wondering what made the teen tick. The teen had admitted he couldn't imagine himself as a marine, but letting such a talented individual go to waste was something he couldn't let happen.

He made that mistake already with his grandson and Ace. He'd give those two a pounding next time we saw them. Luffy's punishment would come quicker than his brother Ace's. He'd give him a 'friendly greeting' when he saw him at Water Seven.

"You shouldn't try and force him. How well did that work out with Luffy?" Aokiji pointed out getting a small frown from the Vice-Admiral.

Aokiji still had his encounter with the Straw Hat pirate fresh in his mind. He had told Garp about his encounter prior to his initial meeting with Ichigo on the pirate ship.

"You don't need to bring him up just because my grandson so happened to become a good for nothing pirate." Garp huffed turning his gaze away from the Admiral. Aokiji felt himself chuckle lightly seeing the usual boisterous laughing man trying to hide his disappointment in his grandson.

"It's not too late for Ichigo." Aokiji spoke up catching Garp's attention. "He's said it himself that he doesn't want to be a pirate or a marine, but what if we make him an offer." Aokiji explained his idea to Garp who leaned forward intrigued.

"Ohh? And what exactly do you have in mind for him?" Garp felt his interest piqued staring at his friend.

"What I'm about to explain goes against the direct chain of command of the Marines." Aokiji began getting a slow nod from his friend as he leaned back in his chair.

"We make him a substitute marine." Aokiji explained. Garp kept his mouth shut waiting for the Admiral to further explain his reasoning. "He stays underneath our command, and only takes orders from you and myself, we don't put too much pressure on him, but let him ease into a possible permanent position if he takes well to the job." Aokiji felt him hands run against his eyes, maybe a nap would help his tired mind.

He didn't know why but that name just seemed to fit for the strange orange haired teen. He felt as if he was just begging to be called it.

Garp couldn't help but let out a boisterous laugh, Aokiji felt his chair shake slightly just by how loud his laugh was.

"Not sure about the silly name, but that's certainly a proposition for our orange haired friend! You've never showed so much interest in one person before Kuzan. What makes Ichigo so special for you to go the extra mile for him?" Garp asked trying to understand the Admiral's reasoning for helping out the teen.

Garp knew Aokiji very well, knowing the Admiral would go out his way directly contradicting his 'Lazy Justice' spoke of the Admiral's opinion of Ichigo.

"I believe his opinion of the World Government might not be held in high regards. From what I've told him, his only opinion right now is the disaster that took place on Ohara because of the previous Admiral's order of the Buster Call. He doesn't know the good that we do to keep the peace of the world." Aokiji trailed off looking at his friend.

Garp let out a smaller chuckle leaning back as the chair creaked under his weight. "I'm not sure the higher ups would like that. Him not being a full marine means they can't control him completely." Garp closed his eyes peeking one open looking at his frizzy haired friend.

"That's why we won't report his presence. Me recruiting him to travel with me never happened and he never arrived on this ship." Aokiji smirked slightly looking at Garp who let out another laugh.

"We'll see how well your plans works out. When do you plan to make your offer?" Garp asked intrigued by the Admiral's plan to lie to the higher ups.

"Tomorrow, I'll bring it up next time I see him." Aokiji felt a small yawn as he reached to cover his mouth. Maybe it was getting late and he should call it a night.

Reaching up to his head and pulling his mask down he covered his eyes getting a confused look from Garp.

A moment passed as Garp listened to the quiet snoring of the Admiral. The Vice-Admiral clenched his fist standing up. He leaned close to the sleeping Admiral getting as close to him as he could. He inhaled taking in a big deep breath preparing himself for what he was about to do.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SLEEPING IN MY QUARTERS!?"

Authors Notes

Shorter chapter but I just got back into writing again. I have more ideas for this story and will continue to update as my time allows me.

I'd like to point out one review that really got me thinking, the reviewer was a guest and his review was as stated,

"Do not have ichigo join the marines pretty much every single marine officer is a corrupt semi evil douche nozzle if your not going to have him join the strawhats what's the point of doing a one piece fic the point of doing a crossover is to introduce a character from another series to see how much the main story can change because of them"

I do appreciate the criticism but I do believe you aren't understanding the tone of the story I'm going for. This story is about Ichigo, plain and simple. It's about his experiences with how he grows as a character, effecting the people around him. Yes the marines do a lot of shady shit, but from Ichigo's position he can't see the full picture, which is what I'm going for. He only has a few bad examples, but the people he has met in the marines so far aren't bad people. Please try to understand.

If I made any mistakes with my One Piece knowledge please point it out.

Until next time.

Edit 1: Added a few sentences and fixed a little bit of the grammar.

Edit 2: Rewrote the scene after Ichigo's fight with Garp.