Hello everyone. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and how Ace and his brothers bonded with the pirates

Here's chapter 7, it is going to be from the Whitebeard pirates view, I hope you enjoy

Read and relax

It was quiet. No one knew what to say. Everyone sat in silence as they waited for news from White Bay, hoping for good ones. Two days ago, they had raided a boat and Thatch had found a Devil Fruit onboard. Since he had found it, he was the one who was going to decide what to do with it. He was unsure if he was going to eat it or not and decided to think about it. And during the night, it had happened,

Teach had betrayed them.

He had snuck into the Fourth commander's room and was going to take the fruit. But Thatch had stayed up late, doing some paperwork and had still been up when Teach snuck in. He did not notice him sneak in, when Teach saw Thatch still up, he had made a noise, alerting Thatch. And when Thatch looked at Teach, he had attack the fourth commander, ending up beating him up bad, even stabbing him in the back. Then he took the fruit and left, leaving Thatch to die.

But since they had noticed the strange behavior in the second commander and the warning from Ace, they had been keeping him under tight watch. When one of his subordinate had seen him leave his room, not returning in half an hour, he went to Marco, informing him, since he was the one on watch. When Marco had heard about it, he decided to check it out, and seeing how large the ship was, he asked the others on watch to help him. Izou, who had also been on watch, decided to go and get Thatch, knowing that he was up late, doing paperwork.

When he got to his room, he instantly froze for a second, before starting to scream for the others, screaming to get the doctors up there now.

2 hours later, every commander was in the meeting room with Whitebeard. It was easy to connect the dots, Teach had betrayed them. He had tried to kill Thatch for the fruit and he had fled the ship, knocking out some of the people on watch, thankfully not hurting them. They had decided to wait for answers on how Thatch was, before they decided what to do. Many wanted to go after Teach, but Whitebeard had told them to stay, seeing as he most likely was stronger than they believed, and he did not want to send anyone after him. The fear of more of his sons either getting hurt or killed was to strong.

And so they waited.

They had waited for almost 10 hours. The tension was high, no one wanted to say anything. When the door to the meeting room opened, everyone tensed. When White Bay walked in, a stern look on her face, they only hoped Thatch was anything but dead. Everyone sat down, looking at the doctor, waiting for her to speak. She sighted, ¨Thatch is not dead,¨ Everyone gave a small sight of relief, ¨But his condition is critical. He is still unconscious and will be for a while.¨ Whitebeard looked at his daughter, she looked tired and probably was. She had been up for hours, working on Thatch. And knowing Teach was behind it, must be hard on her, it was on all of them.

¨Do you know how long he will be unconscious, yoi?¨ Asked Marco. And Bay shook her head, ¨He can be for a few more hours or days. It's hard to tell.¨ They all nodded, hoping that he would wake up soon, and that he would be fine. After a bit of update on how he was, that the surgery had went well, Bay left to go to the infirmary again, leaving the commanders and captain to discuss what to do next.

¨What should we do Pops?¨ Asked Marco, looking at his adoptive father, face looking more tired that it had in ages. He sighted and looked at his commanders, everyone was looking tired, upset and distraught. Izou was one of the worse ones. He had not said anything and seemed to just be looking out in space. They knew the chef was important to the sixteenth commander and seeing his this distraught, showed them just how much he cared about the fourth commander. Whitebeard closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts. He needed to be strong, not only for his commanders in the room, but for Thatch as well, they could not act hastily. ¨We will wait for Thatch to wake up, we can't just rush into this, we need to know what Thatch think, he was the one that was injured.¨

The commanders nodded, they understood what he meant. If they just rushed after, without hearing the chefs point of view on what to do. They could maybe make a grave mistake. ¨For now, we need to stay calm and on guard. Tell the others and tell them of Thatch's condition.¨ He then looked at Izou, who still sat completely still, staring at the wall. He sighed and looked at Marco, giving him a silent order while he looked between him and Izou. Marco nodded. As everyone started to leave the room, he got up and went over to Izou, putting a hand on his shoulder, making him look at the first commander.

¨Why don't you and I go and visit Thatch, yoi.¨ He said softly. Izou only nodded and silently followed the first commander.

-x-

It had been 6 days, Thatch had not yet woken up. Izou had never once left his side and the other commanders made sure he slept and ate. It made their heart ache, seeing how much he cared for the chef, how distraught he was. Whitebeard knew that the people around the world, had noticed something had happened and that it had to do with Teach. He had declared to not be a part of their crew anymore, covering the mark he had on his shoulder, taking the name Blackbeard. There was also rumors about Thatch being injured by the man and hoped no one dared to attack them. If someone did, they would not hold back.

¨Pops,¨ Said Marco, walking up to Whitebeard as he sat on his captain's chair on the deck. ¨Red Haired Shanks is approaching us, yoi.¨ He said, making the captain frown as he looked out at the sea, he could see a ship in the distance. ¨They don't seem battle ready, yoi. But what do you think we should do?¨ He asked the captain. He looked out towards the ship, sighing a bit, ¨If they do not show any signs of an attack, let him board.¨ Marco nodded and went to tell the ones on watch what Whitebeard had said.

20 minutes later, Shanks boarded the ship.

Shanks boarded the ship alone, his crew being ordered to stay behind and wait, even Benn. ¨Newgate.¨ He said as he approached the man, standing in front of him. ¨What do you want Shanks?¨ Asked the captain, looking at the other captain, face strong. ¨I have heard what happened with Teach. I am sorry that Thatch was wounded and hope he is doing well.¨ He could see many of his sons giving the captain looks of sadness and betrayal, they did not like to be reminded of what had happened. Shanks reached behind his back and took an envelope out, giving it to the captain. He looked at it and opened it carefully, inside there was a single feather. It was large and black, it looked like from a giant bird, and his mind instantly thought it belonged to Ace's raven, Dust.

¨If you decide to get revenge,¨ Started Shanks, getting everyone's attention. ¨Burn the feather, Ace will show up within minutes.¨ Whitebeard looked at him questionably, ¨I know you have called on him once,¨ Continued Shanks, ¨And that he and his brothers spent some time here.¨ He looked at the captain with a look of understanding and abhorrence on his face. It had been 9 months since they had stayed on the ship, and they had told Shanks at some point, either that, or Shanks had somehow found it out. ¨If you want to get back at Teach, he will help you.¨ Whitebeard nodded, ¨Thank you for this, how did you acquire it?¨ Shanks looked at him, face calming a bit, ¨Ace gave a few to me, they are from Dust, he will know where the feather is when you burn it and show up momentarily.¨ He then looked at him straight in the eyes, ¨He knows I am giving it to you.¨

Whitebeard closed his eyes, that meant the assassin wanted to help if they needed it. And the realization he was there if they needed it, was comforting.

He looked at shanks, eyes thankful. ¨I thank you for this, if we chose to call him, I want all my commanders to agree on it.¨ Shanks nodded, face filling with compassion as he understood the sentence, Thatch was wounded bad. Shanks then said his goodbye, wishing the fourth commander well, and left. Leaving the pirates to thank the other captain and assassin.

-x-

Two days later, Thatch woke up.

When he woke up, he felt groggy and his body ached. When he blearily opened his eyes, he could feel something holding his hand, and looked down. There on the side of his bed, sat Izou, his body was resting on the side of the bed, eyes closed and looking exhausted. When Thatch looked at his hand, he could see Izou was clutching it. Thatch smiled a bit and tried to move his other hand, to show he was okay. But the movement caused him pain and made him groan, waking Izou from his slumber. And when he sat up, Thatch got a look on how he looked,

Izou looked terrible.

His hair was a mess, his makeup looked smudged, and he could see dark circles under his eyes. Thatch figured out he must have been unconscious for a while, and based on how Izou looked, he had not left his side. It made Thatch's heart swell, knowing the other commander cared for him this much. He also felt bad for the commander, he didn't need to stay with him all the time, by the looks of it, not eating or sleeping regularly, he needed to take care of himself. Izou the rubbed his eyes a bit, getting rid of some sleep, when he looked at the fourth commander, he did a double take, before throwing his hands around the man, hugging him.

Thatch did wince a bit, but he looked down at the other commander and managed to lift his hand, softly stroking his hair. When he felt Izou shake a bit, hearing something like a small sob, his eyes widened, he was crying. ¨H-hey,¨ Said Thatch, voice breaking a bit, both from lack of use and emotions. It made his heart ache seeing the other commander in this shape. ¨It's okay, I'm okay.¨ He said. Izou shook his head a bit, leaning back and wiping his eyes. ¨I-I thought you would never wake up.¨ He said, making Thatch give a sad smile. He tried to lift his hand, to stroke his hair, cheek, anything. But once again, the movement made him flinch and groan. Izou looked at him, ¨I-I'll go and get Bay.¨ Izou stood up and ran to get the doctor.

When Izou retuned, White Bay was walking behind him. ¨Ah, Commander Thatch,¨ She started, a smile on her face. ¨Good seeing you awake.¨ She walked over to the bed, lifting a clipboard. ¨I will be doing some routine examination, to see that your body is healing nicely. Then, if you feel up to it, Pops would like to talk to you.¨ Thatch did understand that, Pops probably wanted to see that he was okay and ask what had happened. He still could not believe Teach had attacked him. Thatch was starting to nod his head, but flinched again, a groan escaping him. Bay clicked her tongue, ¨The aching and pain in your body is mostly normal. I will give you something for it after the examination.¨

She then put on some gloves and helped the commander sit up. He groaned as his muscles ached, Izou giving him a look of concern. ¨Commander Izou,¨ Started Bay, getting his attention, while she was looking Thatch over. ¨Why don't you go tell Pops and the others that Thatch is awake while I examine him?¨ Izou nodded and left, giving Thatch a last look before leaving. When the door closed, Bay still checking his wounds and stiches, ¨He never once left your side.¨ She said, making Thatch look at her. ¨He always sat by your bed, holding your hand.¨ Bay then looked at Thatch, ¨He really cares for you a lot.¨ Thatch nodded. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel the same.

-x-

As soon as Izou was out of the infirmary, he leaned against the wall a bit, trying to compose himself. Knowing that Thatch was awake, and was most likely going to be okay, was a huge relief. And for the first time in 8 days, he felt like he could breathe normal again, a huge weight lifted of his chest. He stood up, took a deep breath, dragging a hand over his head, making his hair seem a bit better. And wiped a bit under his eyes, getting rid of any makeup that had smudged and gotten there when he cried. He knew his eyes probably was a bit bloodshot, but he had something to do. Based on the time, Pops was most likely in his room, so Izou headed that way.

When he stood outside the gigantic doors, he took an another deep breath, preparing himself to speak when he got inside. He could feel so many emotions inside him, all the ones he had held inside himself for the last 8 days, but he was going to be strong. The ones he had passed on the way to his destination, had stared at him in concern. They knew he had not been out of the infirmary for the last 8 days, and seeing he was out, heading for Pops room meant that something had happened, and they only hoped it was nothing bad.

Izou then lifted his hand, and knocked at the door. He heard a ¨Come in¨ from Pops, and slowly opened the door, stepping inside.

When he got inside, he could see Pops, Marco, Jozu, Haruta, Namur and Vista. They were all sitting around the table in the room probably talking and discussing something. When they saw who entered, he could see Marco putting his hands on the table and standing up a bit, at the ready to leave if something was wrong. Whitebeard and the others tensed a bit, looking at him. ¨Son,¨ Started Whitebeard, when Izou made no move or said anything. ¨Did something happen?¨ Izou could see his face was calm, but his eyes were full of worry and concern. Izou opened his mouth a bit, but no words came out, he could feel his eyes tearing up again, why was this so hard? He could see the others growing more concerned by the way he was acting, thinking something was wrong. He closed his mouth and took a deep breath and tried again,

¨Thatch is awake.¨

He could feel everyone letting out a sigh of relief, Marco sitting down again. And Izou couldn't hold in it anymore, he was happy, relieved and exhausted. He let the tears fall as he continued, ¨Bay is looking him over now,¨ He wiped his face a bit, why was he acting so weak? ¨He's going to be okay.¨ Whitebeard got up and crouched in front of Izou, opening his arms a bit. The moment Izou looked at him, seeing him standing there, he all but leapt into his chest, just letting it all out. All the emotions he had been keeping in for the last 8 days, came pouring out. His father just hugging back and giving him the comfort he needed. Even if he seemed weak, it felt good to finally let it out, leaning on his father. He was always there for them, he was the foundation that kept the together, that helped them when they needed it.

When he finally let go, everyone aside from Marco had left, probably to tell everyone the good news. ¨Feeling better?¨ Asked Whitebeard, as Izou wiped his face. He nodded back, giving a thankful smile to the captain. ¨Did Bay say anything else?¨ Whitebeard asked his son, hoping Thatch was well enough to talk to him. Izou nodded, looking a bit more composed. ¨She is going to check him over, if he was feeling up to it, he is going to talk to you. I think Thatch wants to do that.¨ Said Izou, and Whitebeard nodded. It had been 10 minutes since Izou had arrived, and he had probably used a few minutes to get there. He looked at Marco, who nodded and went up to Izou. ¨Why don't we go and wash you up, yoi. You need to change clothes anyway.¨ He said, getting a small laugh from Izou, he probably did stink. He had not changed for days. He nodded and they went to his rooms, as Whitebeard headed for the infirmary.

-x-

Whitebeard opened the door to the infirmary, a smile graced his lips as he saw his son sitting up in bed, Bay telling him to take it easy, to not pull his stitches or reopen any other wounds. The way the bed was placed, made it so when Thatch looked at Bay, his head was turned away from the door. But Bay was facing the door and noticed him coming inside. ¨I will go do some paper work,¨ She said to Thatch, ¨And you will stay in bed, and call if you need anything.¨ She then looked up at Whitebeard and gave a nod, before leaving. This made Thatch look towards the door, a smile making itself know as he saw Whitebeard standing there.

¨Pops.¨ Said Thatch, sounding happy and relieved, as he moved to sit on a chair next to the bed. ¨How are you son?¨ Asked Whitebeard, looking at his son. He did look okay, there were a lot of bandages and scrapes and bruises on him, but he did look okay. ¨I feel mostly okay,¨ Started Thatch, ¨Just a bit sore and achy.¨ Whitebeard nodded, that was good to hear, they had all been worried. They then chatted a bit, just letting the chef relax before he started the conversation they needed to have. ¨What happened?¨ He asked, looking at his son with a serious look. ¨We figured it was Teach, seeing as he has left and declared he is no longer a part of our crew.¨ Thatch looked at him, he had been told he had been unconscious for 8 days, and they was sure it was Teach who was to blame.

¨I didn't know he had done that,¨ Started Thatch. ¨Bay told me Teach was the main suspect, and that he had fled, but nothing more.¨ Whitebeard nodded, ¨Why don't you start from the beginning, son.¨ He said and Thatch sighed. ¨I was doing some paperwork and was up late,¨ Started Thatch, ¨And I thought I heard something and turned around, only to see Teach standing there. I was about to ask what he wanted, when he suddenly attacked.¨ He could see Whitebeard frowning, ¨I tried to fight back, but he was much stronger than I thought, and managed to bet the upper hand.¨ He put a hand to his head, messaging it, ¨I then remember a piercing pain in my back, then nothing.¨ He ended, looking at his father.

Whitebeard nodded. ¨It seems Teach is a lot stronger than he let on.¨ He said, Thatch nodded. Teach had never been strong enough to beat any of the commanders before, the fact he had managed to singlehandedly beat Thatch, proved that he had been holding back. Thatch sighed and looked at Whitebeard, ¨What are we going to do now?¨ His brows furrowed, ¨You haven't send anyone after him, have you?¨ He asked, scared for his fellow brothers and sisters. Whitebeard shook his head, ¨We have not. I feared he might be stronger than we thought, it would be dangerous to send someone after him, especially now that he also have the Devil Fruit.¨ Thatch nodded, a sight leaving him, glad everyone was safe.

¨We do plan to get revenge on him.¨ Continued Whitebeard, getting the attention again. ¨We however need to have a plan and we need to be prepared.¨ Thatch nodded, ¨Do we have any thoughts for a plan?¨ He asked, Whitebeard nodded. ¨We do,¨ He started, ¨We know he is a lot stronger than we believed, so we have to be careful.¨ He then stretched his hand towards his back, ¨2 days ago Shanks visited,¨ He could see Thatch frowning a bit. ¨The news about the event had got out, and rumors had started.¨ He took the envelope out, handing it to Thatch. ¨Shanks gave us this.¨ Thatch looked at him, before opening the envelope, and started at shock at the feather, ¨Is this…¨ He started, looking at Whitebeard in shock. Whitebeard nodded,

¨It is a feather from Dust, Ace's raven.¨

Thatch started at the feather for a bit, ¨What does it do?¨ He asked, looking at Whitebeard. ¨If we choose, we can burn the feather. It will instantly alert Ace we need his help, and he will show up.¨ Thatch nodded, looking at the feather again. ¨And we got it from Shanks?¨ He asked, Whitebeard nodded. ¨Yes,¨ He started, ¨He had a few and decided to give one to us.¨ When Thatch looked at him, he continued, ¨Ace knows Shanks gave it to us.¨ Thatch's eyes widened as he understood what it meant, Ace wanted to help? It made him feel a bit better, knowing the assassin was at their side in this. ¨Will we be using it?¨ He asked, looking at his captain. Whitebeard sighted, ¨If you want to, we will use it.¨ Thatch nodded and looked at the feather, thoughtful. Teach was strong, but Ace was really strong, hopefully stronger than Teach. It would be real helpful to have the assassin help them, he was one of the best, he knew how to deal with situations like this. He looked at Whitebeard,

¨I think we should call him.¨

Whitebeard nodded, and took the envelope from Thatch. ¨We will call him tomorrow,¨ He started, ¨For now, you need to rest.¨ Whitebeard then rose, and moved towards the door. ¨Pops,¨ Said Thatch, halting Whitebeard in his movement, tuning around and looking at Thatch. ¨Who found me?¨ He asked, he was curious and felt bad for whoever it was. Whitebeard sighed, eyes saddening a bit, ¨It was Izou.¨ He saw the shocked look on Thatch, before it turned to a somber one. He knew the fourth commander felt bad for how Izou looked, knowing it was him who found the commander, was probably heart wrenching. Whitebeard then went and opened the door, Marco and Izou standing on the outside. Izou looked better, he had changed his clothing, and seemed to have taken a quick shower, his hair and face looked better. The moment he saw him opening the door, he went inside and sat by the chefs side, looking at him relived, his hand clutching Thatch's. Marco and Whitebeard shared a knowing look, before closing the door, leaving them alone.

-x-

The next day, Whitebeard and most of the commanders where on the deck. Izou was still with Thatch in the infirmary. When Thatch had said he wanted to call Ace, Whitebeard had taken all the commanders, except Izou and Thatch, and put the folder together. They did not know if he needed one, seeing as they would use an another way to contact him, but it didn't hurt to be ready. They knew the one they would be calling was not Ace, but the assassin, Ace of Spades. He would not act so carefree as he had, when he and his brothers had stayed on the ship. But the fact they now knew him better, made it easier for them to act relaxed and professional, not like the first time, when everyone had some level of fear for the man.

They did not know if the feather needed to be somewhere special, so they had placed it on the deck, a few feet from the captain's chair, the commanders standing at the captains side. Marco then lighted a match, and burned the feather, before moving back to Whitebeards side. The feather burned up, leaving only ashes behind. Everyone looked at the ashes, waiting. A few seconds later, Dust appeared, the same way Ace did; In a cloud of black smoke. This made the pirates look at each other, they did not know the bird could teleport. The bird turned its head a bit, looking around. Dust then flew a bit up, making a cawing sound,

And Ace appeared in a cloud of black smoke, Dust landing on his shoulder.

He was wearing his assassin's clothes and he was looking at the captain with the same look and body language he had during the first meeting, professional. He was here as an assassin, not someone they knew. ¨Newgate.¨ He said, giving a nod to the captain, who nodded back. ¨I understand you have someone you want me to take care off.¨ He said, and the captain nodded. ¨Yes,¨ Whitebeard then motioned for Marco to give the folder to Ace. ¨His name is Teach and we want him to pay.¨ Ace nodded as he took the folder and opening it and taking a quick look. But even before Marco had managed to move a step away,

Ace closed the file, handling it back to Marco.

¨I won't take this assignment.¨ He said, shocking many of them. He had known they wanted him to take care of someone, and Shanks had said he was okay with giving them the feather, so why? But before anyone could say anything, make any objection to his harsh rejection on the assignment, Ace lifted his hand, making everyone halt. ¨I do understand,¨ Continued Ace, ¨That all of you feel betrayed by Marshal D Teach. But you are not the one he attacked.¨ He then relaxed his hand, placing it against his side again. ¨If you want me to assassinate Teach, I will speak to the Fourth Commander Thatch, seeing it was him who was attacked.¨

They stared at him, many of them to shocked to say anything. Whitebeard nodded, he did understand what the assassin meant. Teach had betrayed them, but it was Thatch he had attacked. It would be fair if he was the one to talk to the assassin. ¨I understand,¨ Said Whitebeard. ¨He is in the infirmary, do you want to talk to him alone?¨ He asked. He understood if Ace said yes, but still hoped to be present himself. Ace shook his head, ¨You are allowed to join, there are some questions you need to answer too. But if you try to influence his answers, I won't let you join the conversation.¨ Whitebeard nodded, he could accept that. ¨You can also alert him before we go, he can say no if he wants to. If he do not want to make the decisions, I won't make him.¨ Said Ace, making Whitebeard nod. He then signalized for Marco to go check with Thatch, also telling that Izou probably should wait outside while they talked.

-x-

Ace and Whitebeard walked to the infirmary. It was located not too far away from the deck with the captain's chair, and the trip was short. Thatch had agreed to talk to the assassin, he was glad to know he was going to be included in the assignment as much as he was going to be. He knew Whitebeard would have listened to him if he wanted anything special, but had been tired yesterday, and seeing that everyone wanted the revenge, he was okay with that. He was wondering what kind of questions he was going to get, and hoping he could manage to answer all of them a way everyone would like.

When Ace and Whitebeard arrived and walked into the infirmary, the only ones present was Thatch and White Bay. The others having been told to wait outside, White Bay had stayed seeing as she was head doctor, and didn't want to leave Thatch, and Ace had accepted it. They got their own chair, Ace sitting at the bottom of the bed, and Whitebeard sitting next to Thatch, both facing the assassin. Ace took out a pen and a notepad, being able to write the details down. When he was ready, he looked at the fourth commander. He looked a bit worse for wear, but not too bad. He then opened the notepad, still looking at the chef.

¨First things first,¨ Started Ace, getting the attention. ¨Do you want Teach dead?¨ He asked, looking at the chef, who nodded. Ace wrote some things down. ¨Do you want him to have a fast or slow death?¨ He asked and Thatch thought for a minute. He had heard about how the assassins sometimes prolonged the death, making the person suffer for hours and hours. They were good at imagining and doing different kinds of torture that many could not even believe were possible. Thatch looked at the assassin, ¨I don't want him to have a painless and fast death,¨ He started. ¨But I don't want you to prolong his death to much either.¨ Ace nodded, and wrote something down ¨I know what you mean, I will make him suffer, but I won't pick him apart piece by piece, prolonging the death and making it the most painful I can manage.¨ Thatch nodded, glad Ace understood. He looked at his father, getting a nod.

Ace then looked at the captain, ¨This question is for you, Newgate.¨ He nodded at the assassin, ¨If I understand it correctly, your crew have some sort of mark, signalizing they are a part of you crew?¨ Whitebeard nodded, that was right. ¨And Teach have his on his left upper arm?¨ Whitebeard nodded, Teach had covered the mark after he left, not wanting to be associated with them anymore. Ace looked him dead in the eyes, ¨Do you want me to remove it?¨ He asked, making whitebeard furrow his brows in confusion. ¨Remove it how?¨ He asked. Ace looked at him, ¨I will either cut it off and give it to you, or rid of it forever, signalizing he is no longer a part of your crew.¨ Said the assassin, Whitebeard thought for a moment, ¨I want you to remove it and get rid of it.¨ He then looked at Ace, ¨I never want to see the mark on his body again.¨ Ace then looked at Thatch, and getting a nod from the chef. Ace nodded, writing something down again.

¨There is also the issue with marking him.¨ Said Ace, making both the commander and captain look at him questioningly. Ace sighted, ¨When I do assassination for someone and the target is from their crew, squad or organization. You have the choice of me either leaving only my mark on his body, or adding yours to it. Showing the world you was the one to send me to kill him.¨ Whitebeard thought again. He had heard about this, the assassin leaving two marks on the body, his own, and an another one. Both marks were left the same way, so there was no mistaking who had done it and was responsible. He wanted no one to think they took lightly to people betraying and attacking his crew. ¨You can use both marks.¨ Said Whitebeard, looking at the assassin in a serious way. Ace looked at Thatch, who also nodded, and wrote in his notepad again.

¨That will be it,¨ Said Ace, closing his notebook. ¨I will search him down, and take him out. It should be done within 2-4 days.¨ Ace looked at the captain and commander, ¨I will return when I am finished with the assignment, telling you if it went accordingly or not.¨ He put the notebook away, ¨Is there anything you would like to add, or have questions about?¨ He asked them. Whitebeard got a confused look for a moment, ¨You don't want payment for the assignment?¨ He asked, clearly wondering why there had been no questions about the payment. When he asked, Thatch brows furrowed to, he thought there was a price set. Ace shook his head, ¨I do not want payment for this,¨ He looked at them, seeing the confusion. ¨Consider it a thank you for helping my brothers.¨ He said and their looks softened as they nodded.

¨If that is all,¨ He said, motioning with his hand, seeing if they had anything else to add. ¨Umm…¨ Started Thatch, getting the attention to Whitebeard and Ace, ¨I know you are here as Ace of Spades and not Ace,¨ He looked at the assassin, eyes soft and hopeful, ¨But can you maybe bring your brothers by sometime?¨ He asked the assassin, wanting to see the other two kids again. Ace looked at him, he did not seem angry, offended or annoyed with the question. He simply nodded his head a bit, ¨I'll think about it.¨ He said, making the commander smile a bit.

The assassin stood up, ¨I will then take my leave, I hope you get well soon, Fourth Commander Thatch.¨ He said as he looked at the commander, giving him a nod. Thatch nodded back, and his gaze shifted to Whitebeard, ¨Newgate.¨ He said, giving him a nod. Whitebeard looked at him, giving a nod back. Then he was gone, black smoke dancing in the air. Both of them then closed their eyes, letting out a sight. Delighted the meeting had gone well, and that Teach would pay for what he did.

White Bay the clocked her tongue as she looked at them, getting their attention. ¨Now that he has left, you should rest a bit Commander Thatch.¨ She said. And they nodded, Whitebeard needed to go inform the others about what they had discussed, and was going to leave anyhow. Before he had managed to move, the door opened, and Izou pecked inside. ¨Dust disappeared, so we thought the assassin had left.¨ He said, as he walked inside, seeing no signs of the assassin. ¨He just left, the meeting went well.¨ Said Newgate, as he stood up, walking towards the door. ¨I am sure Thatch will tell you about it, as long as Bay accepts that you stay here.¨ Everyone looked at the woman, who sighted before nodding, and the sixteenth commander went over to Thatch, sitting down next to the bed.

Whitebeard left, giving a last look at the smiling commanders inside, before he closed the door. A feeling of gratitude Teach was going to be dealt with, and that all of his sons and daughters were safe and happy. Glad that Thatch was recovering nicely from the attack, and he was smiling and laughing as normal. Glad that Izou was back to normal, no longer looking like a kicked puppy.

And glad that everything would go back to normal, or as normal it could be.

So that's Chapter 7, hope you enjoyed.

I couldn't kill Thatch; he is just so loveable. And decided to make a sort of a start on some Thatch/Izou. I know some of you want this, so I'll see what I'll do.

The next chapter will be how Ace deals with Teach, be sure to read it if you don't like Teach. He is going to get what he deserves.

If you have any requests, questions or is wondering about something, feel free to ask.