Chasing Waves

Chapter 10

Fish out of Water

Fushia Village was very quaint and homely..

Makino owned a tavern that she ran by herself. Having gotten a letter from Shanks to ask this favour, she made sure Mia was settled in. They would have to share a room, which Makino seemed a little embarrassed by, but Mia was very grateful. She would help out in the pub, cleaning and waitressing and in return she could live and eat with Makino rent free.

For the first few days, Mia was noticeably quiet and conservative. Makino tried to cheer her up as they worked together in the tavern. To Mia's surprise, she found out the village was Luffy's hometown and that Makino knew him ever since he was very young. Mia could easily imagine the adventures a little child Luffy would get up to on this island, with its surrounding nature and busy villagers. Makino told her about Luffy's brother, Ace. Mia never knew Luffy had a brother - he never brought it up.

After a while, Mia started noticing herself smile again. She was keeping close tabs on the mail for any news on the girls, but Makino helped as she was in the habit to do the same in case news came up about Luffy. The Village seemed to be very proud they could produce someone who was making a name for himself. Mia told Makino all about Luffy's crew, especially her nieces. Makino already knew about her abilities and status, and mostly appreciated them when Mia used those abilities to sway water to clean the tavern's floors in less than ten seconds. They agreed to keep it a secret from the villagers though and Mia vowed to only use it in an emergency.

She spoke to Makino about the possibility of going to the Grand Line. Makino mentioned that sometimes pirate ships would stop by and stay on the island for a few days. With Mia's bounty out though, it would be hard to find a crew that would not only take her to Grand Line, but also not bring her in for that impressive bounty. Mia mentioned Shanks, which the mere mention of seemed to make Makino's eyes twinkle. However, Makino didn't know where he was or when he would visit again. Usually he surprised Makino by mostly showing up unexpectedly and staying for a few days - and that was only a few times a year.

Mia sheepishly told Makino the story of destroying the headquarters of the marines and how Mihawk had witnessed it. Makino laughed at Mia's flushed face as she described the building collapsing. Offhandedly, she commented that Luffy's grandfather was a marine and this surprised Mia immensely. Makino mentioned how it was always a dream of Luffy's grandfather for him to become a marine. Mia could only imagine how becoming a pirate would set him off.

Part of Mia assumed she would only be on the island for a few weeks. The next time she checked, two months had already passed. Some of the villagers got to know her a little, but she went out of her way to avoid people and tried to hide her face with her hair when she could. A lot of the villagers were curious about her, as Makino was quite well-known and rather popular. Makino told the villagers that Mia was a distant relative of hers who came to the island to work a little and get away from the family. Most seemed to accept that. The mayor came into the tavern once and inquired about Mia, unsure about her story. Rest assured, Makino insisted Mia he wouldn't butt in or go out of his way to investigate. Nonetheless, Mia was still on high guard to be sure.

No news came in about the Straw Hat Pirates and Shanks never came to drop by without warning. Mia pushed her frustration down with a lot of meditation. She burnt to train her swaying but knew she couldn't risk it in case one of the villagers see her.

Makino and Mia grew close. In some regards, Makino reminded Mia a lot of her sister Razu. It had been a while since Mia had a friend besides her sisters. It was refreshing, because family drama tended to be tiring and Mia spent a lot of time with her family, especially when nearly nine sisters were involved.

They sometimes chatted until late in the evenings, having grown very accustomed to sharing a room. Mia went out of her way to keep it neat and clean, which Makino appreciated. Makino shared her clothes and bathroom with Mia. The barmaid's selfless kindness made Mia's heart swell. Mia at least now had her own bag of toiletries. By the end of her third month in the village, she had settled in nicely. Most of the villagers were used to her by now. They assumed she was shy and quiet and had learned to not try and socially engage her too much. One guy tried to flirt with Mia while she was cleaning tables, and Makino promptly threw an empty bottle of rum at him in defence, scaring him out. The two laughed about it endlessly for days.

At the start of Mia's fourth month, a gang of pirates docked at the island. Naturally, they took over the tavern and business surged, naturally. Makino ran it with a strong hand. No pirate bossed her around or dared to be inappropriate with her. At least these were kind enough pirates.

Mia subtly, trying to hide her face, asked if they were going to the Grand Line. A few of the crewmembers laughed, most just shook their head. They paid for their drinks and food and although they left a hell of a mess that Mia and Makino had to clean up, the pub made good business.

Mia stuck it out for another month without training. She felt very pent up. Makino agreed to go into the forest with her in the night to hold watch while Mia trained a bit. At first, Makino was very awed and distracted. Mia entertained her for the most part of her swaying spectacle, and eventually Makino returned to standing watch. They did this about once a week on random days to ease suspicion. Sometimes they skipped a week and didn't go at all. Though it wasn't very frequent training sessions, Mia still felt better getting some exercise in.

More months passed. No news reached the island. Mia heard nothing from Nama or Razu either. What surprised her even more is that Nera hadn't shown up yet to kill her. Her daughters have been gone for a while now. Surely she was a little curious? Mia let it go, but kept ready in case her sister broke down the door to the tavern and waged war on this world again.

By the time she had been on the island for 8 months, Mia grabbed one of her orbs out of her bag and sent Nama and Razu an update about her situation. It was normal for months to pass while they were in other worlds and not communicate with each other. It was just the way the family operated. Sometimes they wouldn't see their sisters for years. Nama once disappeared for two years straight without a word. She returned as if she hadn't even been gone a week. And life went on that way. That's the way it was when your lifespan was lifetimes long.

Ten months into Mia's stay, and the village finally received news. Mia was wiping down the bar when Makino entered, having come from the village. Her face was very distraught and she was shaking. It took Mia some time to get it out of her as she broke out into sobs.

Portgas. D Ace had been captured by the Marines. It had been exposed that he was the long lost son of Gol. D Roger. A 'sea witch' named Nino had also been capture, presumably the daughter of the blue-haired witch that battled Roger.

Both were to be executed at the same time at Marineford in the next coming weeks.

Mia sent Nama and Razu a message about it. She packed her bag furiously as Makino tried desperately to convince her to stay.

"Mia, you don't understand. You're going up against the World Government. They're doing this on purpose. They're using Ace to declare war on Whitebeard. Ace is like a son to him," Makino explained, her eyes still puffy and red from crying. Mia did not slow down stuffing clothes into her bag.

"That's not really any of my business, Makino. This is more than just some civil war. We're talking about my sister coming up here and flooding the world when she realizes her daughter was, could've or might've been executed! These people have no idea what they've started." Mia ranted frantically, her voice rising with every gruelling statement she made in passing while Makino watched with distress.

"If you insist on going, please wait a while. Let me write to Shanks to hear what his plan is. Surely Luffy is going to want to save Ace-"

"There's no time. I'll meet Luffy at Marineford if he shows up with the Straw Hats. My other niece will be there too then if he plans on showing up. How on earth Nino got caught is beyond me. She's the fast one. And the smart one too now that we're on the subject. Hand me that orb, will you?"

Cautiously, Makino handed her a few things for Mia to stuff in her bag. "You seem calmer about this than I thought you would be."

Mia stopped and looked Makino dead in the eyes. "I'm terrified," she admitted. "Nino is my daughter. Yes, biologically she's my niece. But I raised her! I changed her diapers and taught her how to read and write! Not her mother! I taught her everything! And now I might lose her." Mia's voice shook, her hands brandishing wildly as she talked furiously. She shook her head and continued packing, her rant failing to keep her distracted. "It's safer to take this on alone than opening up to Nera about everything and watching her destroy this world. I happen to like this world! It's grown on me! This would never have been an issue if she had not gone picking a fight with Roger!"

"What did your sisters say?" Makino interrupted, trying to slow her down. Mia did not even look up from packing.

"I'm meeting them there. They have a few things to sort out. We're not as strong as the First Five, but together the three of us aren't too bad, you know. We need more power though. Nama's going to have to steal some things from the Temple without telling the others, but this is an emergency - an issue of life and death. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, especially in Nera's case. Anyway, they'll back me up. Don't worry," Mia assured Makino, finally done packing and running around the room. The one things she was still missing was her staff, which she had forgotten on Mihawk's ship. She figured at this point it was not destiny to remember that staff, as there was never a case where she didn't forget it. Mihawk can keep it as a reminder of her.

"You know the Pirate Lords are going to fight with the Marines?" Makino tried to mention gently, but the news dropped on Mia like ice cold water. The very thought of having to face Mihawk made her go pale, and Makino certainly noticed.

"Mia, listen to me," Makino insisted in a shaky voice, grabbing hold of Mia's hand. "If you insist on fighting, join with Whitebeard. He'll take some convincing because of the ...you know, the sea witch thing. But you share a common enemy, and your water abilities will really help both of you take on the World Government. The admirals ...they're ruthless. I don't think they've ever been beaten!" Makino wrung out her words as if hoping they would convince Mia to stay.

"Yeah? Well, Akainu better watch out. Because I'm coming for him, and this time I'm not above kicking him in the face! Oh Neptune, I'm starting to sound like Nama …" Mia trailed off, hoisting her bag on her back.

"At least wait until morning," Makino insisted, sounding desperate.

Mia shook her head. "It's better to leave now, to just disappear into the night while everyone in the village is asleep. If they ask, tell them I left to go back home really early in the morning," Mia rambled, quickly running a comb through her hair. It had grown much longer in the last few months while she'd been here. It helped, because the hair weighed the curls down and it was so much easier to handle and tie back.

"I ...what if you die?" Makino's voice cracked, a few tears threatening to spill. Mia pulled her into a hug, fighting back the tears as well. Makino had become like family. Nama and Razu would love her if they ever got to meet her.

"You've been so good to me the last few months. I love you like a sister, you know that?" Mia patted her back in comfort. Makino cried into her shoulder, her body trembling.

Obviously devastated, she seemed to resign to Mia's decision to leave. "P-please, if you can, save Ace too! He's just a boy! He doesn't deserve to die because of what his father was!" she wailed, crushing Mia in the embrace while she nodded. "I'm going to miss you!"

Mia pulled back, knowing that if she didn't leave soon, the emotions would become to intense to deal with. "I'll miss you too. When everything's done and settled, I'll come back. My sisters and I will save Nino and Ace, I promise," Mia's voice cracked, her eyes tearing up. Makino, nodded sniffling as she and Mia made it out of the room and outside the tavern.

They walked to the docks together in the chill of the night. When they reached the waters, Mia took off her sandals and stepped onto the waters, revelling in the feel of it. She looked back and gave a small smile to the teary-eyed Makino.

With a final wave of goodbye, she took off into the dark dangerous waters ahead of her, unsure of where she was headed but determined to find the infamous Whitebeard as soon as possible.

XxXxX

Nino woke up with a jerk. The back of her head snapped against the brick and moss-covered wall she was shackled to. Her eyes blurred in the dark cold prison but soon they adjusted. She groaned a little as she attempted to shift her body. It hurt with a stiff pain. Her head throbbed slightly when she realised how dehydrated she was. She felt very little water around her. Once she tried to sense any waters further, she became lightheaded. She was too weak.

"You're awake," noted a familiar voice in the cell next to hers. She squinted her eyes, still adjusting to the darkness as she focussed on the figure.

"Ace?" she asked, trying to sit up straight against the hard wall.

"The one and only," he answered, somewhat sarcastically. His voice was gruff and tired and his head hung very low where he was shackled.

"Are you hurt?" she asked gently, knowing that even if he was, she could not heal him.

"Little beat up, but I'm not bleeding or anything. In fact, I'm just hungry," he commented dryly.

'Typical,' Nino thought. She'd met Ace back when he ran into the Straw Hats in Alabasta. It was brief and needless to say it was quite a treat to discover Luffy had a brother.

"I'm sorry, Nino,"Ace said suddenly, prompting Nino to lift her head a little. "You don't deserve to be here."

"That's a weird thing to be sorry for, Ace," she responded monotonously, wincing when she heard his shackles clink from the movement. Oh Neptune, aunt Mia was going to be so disappointed she got herself captured. She was supposed to be the smart one.

"You don't deserve to die," he ground out, very frustrated with his lack of movement. By now, Nino's eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the dungeon and she could clearly make out the lifelessness in Ace's eyes.

"And you do?" she challenged, equally frustrated. Her limbs pained from the position she'd been in the last few days.

"I shouldn't even exist," Ace admitted shamefacedly.

"Luffy would kick your ass if he heard you talking like that. Speaking of, he and Mera are probably already planning to save us. Don't give me that look. You know they'll try anyway, whether it's crazy or not," Nino spoke, hearing her voice reverberate off the cold walls. There was dampness clinging to the bricks, but Nino was so weak she could barely even focus on that. "Besides, it's not that I'm worried about."

"We're all going to die and that's not what you're worried about?" Ace lashed out, his chains jingling as his body jerked in irritation.

"You didn't tell me your father was Gol. D Roger," Nino blurted out, hit with sudden realization. "You know what Mera and I found out? Apparently your father battled a 'sea witch' who wanted to flood the world. Know that story?" Nino spoke, more for her own sake. It helped to talk when you were afraid. It was a coping mechanism Aunt Mia taught her.

"Everyone knows that story. And it's none of your business who my real father was. Whitebeard is my father," Ace commented offhandedly. Nino noted how his manners seemed to deplete as he became more and more frantic.

"Not the point. That 'sea witch' was my mom, you know," Nino pointed out, folding in her legs to her chest to try and keep some heat to her body. She wasn't shivering but could feel she close to feeling pretty cold. Cold. Ice. If only she could do any elemental abilities, but she was so lightheaded, it was impressive she was still conscious.

Ace was stunned to silence. He didn't notice her head swaying from side to side.

"Your mom ...fought my father. Why?" Ace spluttered out, trying to find Nino's eyes.

"I don't know. I didn't know what went down until Mera and I found out."

"Your mom didn't tell you?"

"My mom and I don't talk really much. Mera and I had a few theories, but mom's so tough to figure out. She's a hard lady, you know. Really strict. I think when she was younger she was angry at the world for something. I don't know why. I don't know my mother."

The last sentence came out without thought. It would've saddened Nino if she wasn't so incredibly frightened. She drew a deep shaky breath and exhaled.

There was silence. A drop of water fell somewhere in the prison.

"Your mother ...does she know you're here?" Ace asked carefully, trying to put everything together. The connection between them was becoming clear to him the more he pieced everything together.

"No," Nino answered softly. "I think my Aunt Mia made an excuse that we were on a training trip somewhere. But that would still make my mom angry. Like, really angry." The severity in Nino's voice alone was not enough to punctuate how serious she felt about her mother's wrath. She'd always been terrified of her mother. Though Mera wasn't as afraid, she was certainly more wary, which was a lot considering Mera couldn't care less what their mother had to say about anything.

Nino missed her young aunt. Despite being young, aunt Mia was incredibly wise and well-mannered. She was worried after Dracule Mihawk took her away, though when her bounty came out and news about the destroyed Marine's base, Nino and Mera rejoiced. Their aunt was alive and kicking, taking names and kicking ass. It was awesome. The crew celebrated for two days straight, framing the wanted poster of their beautiful aunt to display proudly on the ship.

"How'd you get caught?" Ace asked suddenly, interrupting her thoughts about aunt Mia.

"Don't remember. I think I hit my head at some point because I feel like I'm going to pass out any second," Nino rasped out, her voice floating eerily into unsteadiness. "Got separated from the crew."

"Stay with me, Nino," Ace encouraged her with a hard voice. "We're in this together."

"We're in this together," Nino echoed him, her vision whitening. "We ...won't die. Aunt Mia will ...save us."

The last thing she heard was Ace calling out her name. She blacked out.

XxX

Somewhere in the midst of her travels through the waters, Mia stopped one night to purify the water and drink some. The waters connected with her unexpectedly while she drank, alerting her to a certain ship only a few days away. It was humongous and held an extreme powerful figure on deck, it told her. It spoke in a mixture of tremendous caution and somewhat protectiveness when referring to the figure. It was oddly specific, and honestly, what a weird way to make contact for the first time, especially since it's taken Mia nearly a year to reach out to these strange waters. The ocean hummed in impatience throughout the echoes inside her head.

Mia confusion dissolved when her mind jerked in realization. Of course. Whitebead.

There was no time to waste.

XxX

Whitebeard's main flagship was huge, arguably bigger than Mihawk's ship. The blue whale figurehead added much emphasis to the name, Moby Dick - but Mia thought it was silly because Moby was, in fact, a sperm whale and not a blue whale. She heard Nama's incessant voice through her head: NERD.

The ship was anchored in low waters. She was still standing on the peaceful waves, leaning against the body of the ship, contemplating how she would approach the situation. She heard Whitebeard's terrifying booming voice from the deck of the ship, feeling nerves clench in her stomach at the thought of approaching someone so feared and powerful. Also, there was the possibility that he would refuse to side with her cause, kill her off and throw her body overboard.

Was this really the best approach? What else could she do? Surely Whitebeard was on the defense ever since Ace got captured, and no doubt he didn't want to be found. Should she knock on the side of the ship in a neighbourly fashion? No. She wanted to be taken seriously! Should she swim out a bit further and approach the ship riding a glorious tidal wave?

"Hey, I think I spotted a mermaid!" she heard a crewmember yell from overhead. She quickly stepped closer to the ship, finally making a decision.

'Best to make an entrance,' she thought quickly without consequence. She decided to sway water into a swirl around the ship, hoping it would intimidate Whitebeard a little. The massive vessel rocked from side to side as the waters danced around it in a tame deep blue vortex. Mia heard chatter on the ship and swiftly moved to the front. She heard Whitebeard bellow to his crew about the change in waters. Yeah, she didn't feel so brave all of a sudden.

After reaching the front, Mia concentrated her fingers around her on the water below her feet. No time to think about being nervous or afraid. With a splashing burst, the water rocketed below her and catapulted her into the air. She came into the view of the ship and crew only a few seconds into the air. Exclaims and calls of alarm rang through the air as she flipped her body forward to ease her descend to the deck of the ship. While in midair, she heard Whitebeard booming shout an order and the crew froze as she landed on her feet in a widened and defensive stance. The water that rocketed after her fell over her in a dousing shower, wetting her and anything or anyone close to her.

Her eyes were glued to her bare feet for a few seconds before she cautiously and slowly looked up, holding a rigid stance. Her heart was beating wildly, yet she tried to keep her eyes calm. Pirates around her were spooked by her sudden descend unto their ship. Had Whitebeard not barked for them to hold their fire, they could have shot her out of the sky in less than a few seconds, she realized - not something she had considered but Whitebeard probably thought she did and figured if she was willing to pull such a stupid stunt, she had something to say. What did Nera always say? There were no pills that cured stupidity?

Speaking of Whitebeard ...Neptune's Beard.

The sight of him alone was enough to make her legs weak and nearly tremble. He was the largest man she had ever seen by far, not counting giants and monsters she had come across in her lifetime. His jacket and moustache combined to create a frighteningly impressionable sense of authority. The muscle protruding from his body alone was testament to his infamous strength. His aura was heavy and loaded with determination and sturdiness. She felt it so clearly, there was no way he even went out of his way to hide it. Thinking back to Makino, she wondered whether it would've been better to consider contacting Shanks first. Too late now. Here she was.

Whitebeard stared her down heavily. The face was long and his jaw was tightly clenched at the sight of her. No one in his crew moved or spoke, obviously waiting for him to make a call on the strange blue-haired woman that had just burst from the ocean and landed on their ship.

"You …" Whitebeard began in a dangerously low voice. The shadow around his eyes increased furiously. "You're one of them."

Mia had a pretty good idea what 'them' referred to. She didn't speak however, waiting for him to finish before she pleaded her case.

"Witch," Whitebeard drew out, voice rising a little in his accusation. He stood tall where he was nearly in the middle of the deck. The surface was huge, even with him standing on it with his impressive size. For Mia, it was horrid being so tiny in comparison to him. She didn't even know if he had a Devil Fruit ability - even if he did, would she stand a chance? This was the man who could hold his own to the late Pirate King, and apparently Roger kicked Nera's ass back in the day.

After his accusation, he waited for her to respond it seemed, since his eyes bore down on her expectantly. She stood up straight, eyes looking around apprehensively but the crew seemed to pick up on her nervousness. A young man with an ugly purple shirt and orange hair was standing on Whitebeard's side. He was the only one who looked at her with genuine curiosity.

Swallowing, Mia lifted her head higher to look at Whitebeard. "I, uh ...I'm not a witch. I'm a Water Priestess from the Central Dimensional Temple. My name is Mia," she explained in a shaky voice, fidgeting on her feet. She forced herself to retain eye contact with Whitebeard, determined to not let him intimidate her. "I am one of nine sisters, the second youngest of them all. The second oldest, my sister Nera, battled Roger all those years ago."

The ship exploded into uproar. The crew became incredibly restless, but Whitebeard only had to bark one order for them to completely settle down and be utterly silent. The man with ugly shirt remained calm.

"I'm not your enemy," Mia said a little louder and tried to force confidence into her statement.

"I see the resemblance," Whitebeard boomed, ignoring her last statement. He pointed a large finger at her, and the gesture alone was enough to make Mia's knees nearly buckle. "I was there when Roger fought the Ocean Devil. I'd never seen such malice on a young woman's face when she tried to kill Roger. Roger fought like I didn't think was possible but back then he should've killed her!" he roared, causing the crew to flutter into soft conversation. "Our Devil Fruit abilities held nothing to someone who wielded water like a weapon. Just as you do yourself. And you have the gall to intrude on my ship. How did you even find me?"

Mia swallowed heavily, breaking eye contact to wearily look at his feet.

"The ocean told me," she muttered, embarrassed.

Some of the pirates laughed and sniggered.

"I have no time for games, child." Whitebeard bit out the last word as if he meant to spit poison into her face. She felt her blood run cold. Okay, yeah, she could understand if that thing about the ocean may have upset him, but she was trying to be nice here. Why was he so against her? She destroyed a marine base. She had a massive bounty on her head. Surely they were on the same side!

"Get her off my ship!" Whitebeard barked, and a few crew members lunged forward to grab her by her forearms as the massive pirate started to turn away from her.

Panicked, Mia started to struggle frantically. It could not end here. Whitebeard was her best option. Anything after involved coming clean to Nera, and that was something everyone wanted to avoid.

And what about Nino? And Mera? Her nieces, who were so young and full of amazing potential, were now part of this absolute mess that could have massive repercussions, and Mia was stuck in the middle trying to solve it. Poor Nino. She was probably terrified, wherever she was. Mia hadn't even stopped to think what they possibly could've have done to that poor child. Nino had a heart of gold. She didn't deserve this treatment.

"Wait! I could help! I can take Akainu! I defeated him a few months ago!" she called, struggling against the two pirates who had grip on her. If Whitebeard didn't cave soon, she would be forced to escape from his ship, and possibly even sink it, if that was even possible.

Whitebeard turned back to her. "I don't fear Akainu or any of the Admirals for that matter."

"Shanks! I'm a friend of Shanks!" she tried. The pirates were dragging her back more and more.

"Shanks is a boy!" Whitebeard retaliated stubbornly, oddly determined to not believe her. Mia was heaving, trying to argue back. What on earth did this man have against her? Was the fact that she could sway water so offensive to him? Did Nera leave such a terrible impression on him?

Makes sense. Nera leaves a terrible impression on everybody.

"Marco, take care of her!" Whitebeard barked to the young man with the ugly shirt Mia had spotted earlier. He moved forward hesitantly, but obviously unable to challenge Whitebeard's authority. Holy Neptune, was he going to kill her? The thought triggered her.

"No! Please! They have my baby!" she shrieked without thinking, jerking her body violently as the crew members started to haul her away from Whitebeard.

"Stop!" Whitebeard bellowed all of a sudden and the crewmembers dropped her like she was a hot potato. She frankly fell to her knees, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. Ashamed that she was unable to keep her demeanor, but distraught that Nino might actually die, Mia let some tears fell anyway. She lifted her head to look at Whitebeard. His face was interested all of a sudden.

"N-Nino," she whimpered. "Yes, her mother was what you called the Ocean Devil or whatever you pirates call us at this stage. I've been called witch enough by friggen pirates!" Nobody on the ship moved or uttered a word as her shrill voice echoed across the deck.

"But I raised those girls! Not their mother! And Nino is like my daughter. Since she was a baby, I raised her up to be a lovely and kind young girl! If you saw her face, you wouldn't see any malice like you saw in her mother's," she spit angrily at Whitebeard, past the point of wanting to appeal to his better nature. "You'd see a vibrant youth who lives in fear of her mother. I've been looking for my nieces for the past few months now and honestly at this stage I just want to take them home! If their mother found out they became pirates, she would wage war on this world again! And who is going to fight her this time? YOU? You have no idea what she is capable of," Mia cried out indignantly, regretting coming onto this ship at this stage.

By the time she ended her last sentence, she was on her feet and staring Whitebeard dead in the eye. He frowned, but nonetheless listened without interrupting her. His face subtly changed without her notice as she ranted at him and his crew.

"There's more at stake here than you could imagine. If Nino dies, this whole world will be put at risk. And besides that, Nino doesn't deserve to die because of what her mother was or did! I have the gall to come on your ship, unannounced, you say? You absolute uncouth man! So Ace doesn't deserve to die, but Nino does?! You would let an innocent child die because her mother threw some water at your friend's face?!" she yelled, completely upset, not caring for any tears spilling anymore. Whitebeard's eyes narrowed at the mention of Ace. If Mia's word's words brought up any shame in him, he hid it well. "If you are half the man everyone says you are, I know you wouldn't let that happen!"

"Do with me what you want. Hand me over to government, kill me, or whatever. I am DONE fighting pirates and their stubborn asses. So if you want to get rid of me, go ahead. I AM DONE WITH YOU LOT. " Her last statement took everything out of what she had to say. That was it. That was what she had to say to this world and its pirates.

The crew was dead silent. Some looked sympathetic and others tried hard to keep their stoic facades. There were probably a few that couldn't follow half her words since she was half-crying throughout her whole tantrum. If Nera ever found out she was this unladylike, she'd never let Mia live it down.

Whitebeard stared down at Mia intently, sensing her fear had dissipated into complete desperateness. His eyes carried a hint of understanding, which was miraculous considering she just kind of told him to go to hell in the most polite manner her current attitude could muster.

"My crew," he began after a long pause. "They are my family. My sons. Ace is one of my sons, and tomorrow I wage war on the World Government for thinking they could kill one of my children!" The crew responded in a simultaneous cheer. "Since we share the same sentiment, I retract my previous statement. I will be honoured for you to join my side in this battle."

"We will fight together!" Whitebeard declared strongly to the crew, surprisingly positive for the impression he had made so far. Mia was able to muster a bit of a smile when his eyes twinkled at her. The ship cheered encouragingly. Mia exhaled a long breath she didn't even realize she was holding.

She then inhaled shakily and looked around to the crew.

"Can someone bring me some tea, please?" she asked meekly, bottom lip quivering. Marco laughed and patted her on the back sympathetically when she then burst out into sobs and didn't stop for a full hour.

XxX

A/N: I've been having a little trouble pacing this chapter so I went in and changed so many things so it's paced a little better. Thing is, I thought I would have to break it down into two chapters, but then it becomes a little stretched out. You feel me? If you drone on about exposition, the climax is rather ...anti-climactic in my opinion.

So we are nearing the Battle at Marineford. Will my story keep true to the canon timeline? What am I going to change because of my OCs being there? Who knows.

***REVIEW RESPONSES***

Pemachoki45: I won't quit, I promise. I'm glad you like it :D

Sunlightxiii: I was nervous about the previous chapter, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for you support. I'm working comfortably without stressing too much and I'm looking forward to working more on this fic.

Dokuroskull: Honestly, for a while I was almost too scared to continue with this story seeing as I haven't worked on it in such a long time. But I'm back in my groove again and I've got a great rythm going. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for your amazing support.

Forgotten Lost Ancient: Yeah, she does - very happy someone caught onto that. I ship it bad too. Thank you for your review.

Guest: Nama is one of my favourites too. She'll be back soon.