A/N: Please enjoy this chapter!

The defeat of Rob Lucci echoed within the chaos, as did Jesper's to a lesser extent, and the marines almost as one stopped in their attempts of killing us all, apparently the shock of someone so strong being defeated was enough for those that had defeated them to be watched, but not sought after heavily. But now we had another problem, apart from the Franky family accidentally notifying the marines that there was a good portion of the population still alive even within the confines of a Buster Call, Luffy himself was unable to move.

"Come on Merry, come on."

My mutterings were heard by Robin, who nodded. "When she gets here, I can roll Luffy onto her."

"She'll be here. She's seen everything I have."

I could only hope that this would not be the last of her, that would could save her figurehead. That she would be able to live on, even if just a bit longer.

"Come on Merry, come on!"

The speaker that had been broadcasting the orders for the Marine ships blared to life once again, ordering our deaths in quick succession, particularly Robins, Zoro's and my own, due to the bounties placed upon our heads.

All I could think was that at least the others weren't publicly named, at least not yet and that it would grant them a small amount of anonymity when a familiar voice called out to us, blasting herself through a half collapsed marine ship and several pillars.

"Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long!"

Her voice was loud, excited, but incredibly sad, as though she knew that she didn't have a whole lot of time left in her.

"MERRY!"

Robin began to roll Luffy towards the ocean floor, even as the screams rang out around us. No one, particularly the marines, could believe that we as a crew were willing to let our very obvious devil fruit user captain be rolled into the ocean, without someone being there.

It didn't take long until we were all aboard the Going Merry, and getting out of there.

As we made our way to freedom, we could hear Admiral Aokiji's voice over the speaker.

"We have been defeated."

"The Buster Call was defeated."

Jesper was still lying on the floor, tied up and beaten, as an equally bloody Lucci entered the room, being held up by Jabra on one side. Hattori was bloody, sporting a deep gash over one of his eyes, clearly the crow that they had all seen flying around the Straw Hats had taken offence to him, but he was alive if a little angry and possibly slightly blind. Kaku was carrying Kalifa, as the rest of the defeated Cipher Pol unit followed behind.

Somehow in the chaos, Spandam had managed to make his own way down the judicial building and was now moping and whining away in a corner of the room where he was being surreptitiously ignored by his former comrades.

"I think we're all going to get fired after this."

Jesper started to tear up, "I'll take the fall for all of this! You all will keep your jobs."

Kalifa, who was walking closest to her sighed, "We'll all be taking the fall for this, it was all of us. They won't be able to cover that much up, the marines saw us publicly defeated and surely there were news crews around that caught something."

Jesper clammed up, even as Kalifa began to untie her. "If they got my picture, then you're still all in deep trouble!"

Kalifa looked towards Kaku, who sat down beside her. "Apparently whatever footage was available from this room was corrupted, the Crow Queen was seen by a few of the marine petty officers taking it apart and destroying it."

Apparently only Kaku and Kalifa knew about this, as the others, including Lucci were visibly shocked.

"Why would she do that? Why would she help you?"

Jesper, wincing as she shrugged sat up cross legged. "I don't know, all she said was that she 'wasn't in the business of exposing personal secrets that don't actively harm anyone.' Only that she was judging my own behaviours as a person."

"Whatever does she mean by that?"

"Oh, come on Kalifa, we all know what she means by that. Look at what we've all done as a part of this unit. Look at where we are now!"

Jabra was frustrated, but he was right. For the most part, they had all been born into this, having been trained to deceive and kill from a very early age and not once had any of them attempted to get away from the life. Not because they had never thought about it, but because they all knew that if they attempted to leave that they would have been killed.

Jesper was young when she had joined them, and had gone through part of the program that they all had, but there were things that she had gone through to twist her so thoroughly into the image and shape of whatever the World Government wanted that even they weren't fully able to comprehend.

"What do we do now?" Jesper's question was almost childlike, a little bit of that innocence that she had long since lost coming through, a little of the bard-schooled child prodigy coming through.

Lucci, uncharacteristically quietly spoke, "We do the only thing that we know how. Survive."

"Merry came to me for help, and I fixed her as best as I could, but you all know that this is most likely her last journey, right?"

Iceburg was solemn as he spoke, the entirety of the crew nodded, eyes downcast and some already filling with tears.

"She knew that, we knew that. But if there's a chance, even a small one to save her figurehead? We want to take it."

Luffy was soft spoken, even though the words seemed to echo amidst the chaos of crashing waves and flames that reached the sky. Iceburg seemed shocked at the implication, "You wouldn't allow her rest?"

Luffy, suddenly angry shouted at him. "Of course we'd let her rest! She's the one who suggested it!"

Iceburg's shocked expression turned to one of consideration, "If she's the one who suggested it, then it's worth a try. Can she make it back at all?"

"I can speak for myself! And maybe? There's no where near the amount of damage as what there may have been, but I'll still not survive long past here as I am."

The Straw Hats as a whole, excluding Franky who none of us were quite sure if he counted yet or not, ignored the questions that arrived from that comment, but were happy at the fact that Merry may at least be able to get them back to Water 7.

Luffy looked towards Ebony, who had collapsed to her knees and had covered her face with her hood once more. Sobs could be heard if you listened close enough, and Luffy would never not listen to his crew when they were in distress.

Sanji had also taken note of Ebony's distress, putting a hand on her shoulder, clearly unsure if she would at all appreciate the comfort. It didn't matter though, as she gripped his hand tight enough that it caused him to wince. It only took a moment or two before she was able to pull herself together and stand, but she didn't let go of Sanji's hand and he didn't mind that at all, and that made Luffy realise that not once had Sanji even really attempted to flirt with his fellow blonde. He flirted with almost every woman he came across that was at least in respectable age bracket, but never really with Ebony. Maybe she had said something to him, asked him not to?

Whatever the case was, he would have to think on it later. There were more pressing issues at hand.

Iceburg, having taken all of this in nodded, "We'll follow behind you, just in case. And if something does happen, then we'll be able to take your figurehead to safety."

Merry materialised, shocking them all. She hadn't materialised since she had left Water 7 and it was abundantly clear as to why. There were visible injuries and wounds spread across her face, and her little yellow rain coat was torn and shredded in multiple places. "We'll go on ahead then! Thank you for helping me!"

Merry was still alive.

Merry was still alive.

Merry was still alive.

Had I managed to do what I had indeed all along? Had I managed to save someone from their prewritten fate? If I had been able to save Merry, then could I save Ace?

Would I be able to make it so that Ace would live?

Holding onto Sanji's hand was keeping me emotionally stable, or as stable as I could possibly be in that moment.

Something had been significantly changed. Up until that point, I had only been able to make smaller, less noticeable changes that I couldn't fully understand having major effects on the world as a whole, but with Merry still being able to sail back to Water 7 instead of being set alight and syncing beneath the waves at this point?

"You're okay, we're all okay."

Sanji's voice brought me back into that moment.

"I'm good, I'm good. It's just, something changed, Sanji, something changed."

I could tell that he himself was only coming to that conclusion himself, as he took in my tear soaked face and the direction I was staring. Directly at Merry.

Understanding flashed across his face, "She was already gone at this point?"

I nodded, "Just about."

"I'm sticking around for as long as possible this time! You're never getting rid of me!"

Merry was honestly sounding a little bit like a cartoon villain, but her words made me laugh.

"As long as that stays the truth! I can handle two of you knowing all my secrets!"

Merry cackled at that, knowing that I was talking about both the Going Merry and the Thousand Sunny that had yet to be built.

The eventual builder of the Thousand Sunny, Franky was severely confused at this point, and asked Robin what on earth we were talking about, she merely smiled and said the words. "Another life."

Franky didn't entirely know what to say about that, so he didn't say anything, which was probably entirely the point of Robin's slightly cryptic comment. She patted him on the arm, and walked off to speak with Nami, who was having the time of her life predicting the alarming weather patterns that they had seen on their way through the Grand Line so far.

Zoro and Luffy were chatting away, as were Merry and Usopp, with Franky hovering nearby as though he wasn't entirely to sure if he'd be welcome into the conversation. It didn't take long for him to join in though, and he and Usopp began to exchange ideas with Merry hinting every so often that they wanted a good shipwright aboard the ship and that he would be more than welcome to join them. (He wasn't taking the bait though, and we all knew what the second option was going to be if Merry wasn't able to convince him.)

Melkor was hovering around me, as was Chopper who was concerned about my emotional wellbeing.

"Speaking to Doctor Tony Tony, I think I need to be checked for concussion. I took probably a few to many hits from that…" I couldn't think of a word, but Usopp provided one for me.

"Traitor?"

"Yeah, that. She had some kind of ability to disorientate me with sound, I wasn't able to react in time. And the screaming. I could see the damn sound waves."

Chopper immediately went into doctor mode, inspecting me with what little medical equipment he had on hand. "How often were you hit in the head, would you say?"

I gave him a blank look, hoping that would give him the answer.

It apparently worked because he sighed, and went straight back into examining me. A few minutes went by, before he had made a preliminary decision.

"It's definitely concussion, so we'll need to keep on eye on you. Honestly, everyone should be checked for a concussion." Turning to the rest of the crew who had stopped their chatter when they had noticed Chopper going full doctor, "You're all going to go for full medical examinations."

Zoro and Sanji made noises, protesting against this, but everyone else nodded, even Luffy who I was surprised about. It wouldn't have shocked me if he hadn't have had a proper check up in a long while.

"Chopper, you don't have to do that."

What Zoro got to the face was a flying kick, this proving Chopper's point. It probably worsened Zoro's own concussion, too.

"I'm our doctor! Let me do my job!"

We all knew that Zoro was weak to Chopper, so it didn't take long for him to cave. It was only Sanji left, and I had a feeling for the reasoning behind his reluctance for a medical examination.

I squeezed his hand, "Look at it this way, we're all in the same boat and if anything is actually wrong, then Chopper will have time to figure out a solution."

I wasn't expecting Sanji to put his head on my shoulder, bending at an almost ninety degree angle. "What if they find that I'm becoming more like them?"

I knew immediately what he was talking about, "I doubt that. You've a too kind a heart to become anything like them. You know more of what the world has to offer, and you've got a dad who actually loves and cares about you. You have us, too. Besides, I don't know what my blood type here is and that's something that I feel will be pretty important."

He was silent for a moment, before he took in a deep breath, shaking slightly.

"Okay, fine. If I want you there, will you be there?"

I put my other hand on his head, patting it before moving my hand away. "Of course, only if you want."

Sanji slowly stood up, and turned to Chopper.

"Fine. I consent, just warn me if you find anything that's not meant to be there."

I'd been put on light movement and rest, but everyone there knew that I wasn't likely to be doing much resting. The few tests that Chopper had done for the crew so far included any known allergies, and blood typing. As it turned out I had the same blood type as Usopp, Sanji and Robin, that being type S.

Nice to know that there was an actual equivalent in this world and I wasn't an outlier in the regard as well, and that there was some equivalent to the blood-typing back home.

The order that I'd placed for some trench knives had apparently been slightly delayed because of the Aqua Laguna, which was honestly fine by me. As long as they were ready by the time we departed I didn't mind all too much, even if it would have been nice to at least get a feel for them before going off to out next adventure.

Luffy had surprisingly wanted to come with me, wanting to see if he could get something nice for Dadan and Marino back on Dawn Island.

"Would you help me write a letter to them?"

It shouldn't have shocked me as much as it did, but I would never have said no to someone wanting to get into contact with their family, let alone my Captain.

"Just a heads up, Luffy, your grandfather is more than likely coming for a visit sooner rather than later."

His face went white and he almost dropped the pretty pearl necklace that he was looking at. Apparently he wanted to get something that matched for Makino and Dadan and couldn't really think of anything else except for some nice jewellery.

"Gramps is coming?"

I nodded, absentmindedly examining some rather pointy looking earrings.

"Can we escape before he gets here?"

Luffy may have sounded like he was joking, but I knew for sure that he was dead serious about attempting to make a getaway.

"Unfortunately not, Captain. We haven't got a functioning ship, and I don't want to even attempt to outrun your grandfather without either Merry or Sunny at this point."

His face drooped, "He's going to give me his Fist of Love isn't he?"

Somehow I could tell that those words were either in italics or quotations, but nodded all the same.

Now Luffy was fully whining, "Does he know how much it hurts?"

"For sure, he's probably using haki after all."

This unfamiliar word had Luffy intrigued, "Haki? Is that something you can eat?"

I couldn't help myself, I burst into laughter. "I wish, it would save us all a lot of trouble. But no, it's a technique that hopefully we'll all be able to pick up. Sooner rather than later at that, too."

He nodded, "You'll have to tell me more later! If it helps any of us, then we should learn it!"

That was part of my plan in trying to get into contact with Shanks, hoping that he would at least be able to put us on the right track to learning or at least unlocking haki, any type of haki really, just so that it would help us sooner rather than later. I knew that we were all going to be out of our depth very, very soon; that the world that we were headed into was too strong for us and even though we didn't have a lot of time to do much of anything, if we could learn to unlock a form of haki at least it could give us a slight advantage.

If it would help any, I couldn't be too sure.

The rest of our little shopping trip went well, with Luffy finding what he wanted to send off to his family back on Dawn, before he headed back to the little hotel that we'd been sleeping at whilst Merry and Sunny were being rebuilt, and built respectively. I needed to check out a few more things before heading back, and if I could find any books on haki or training manuals more the better for all of us.

I hadn't expected to bump into that man here, as he was so often at the side of Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, and it wasn't as though I would be able to escape his notice either.

The only thing I could do was attempt to pretend that he wasn't there at all, despite how big of a fangirl inside I was being.

Bogard was just too mysterious, too cool!

The bookstore itself wasn't large, but it was like any typical secondhand shop; crowded with merchandise that was begging to be bought. And the direct path that I would have taken was being blocked by the marine, who was browsing the shelves.

I wouldn't be able to get out without bumping into him, or getting arrested.

Taking a deep breath, I knew that it wasn't any use panicking, so I gathered my little haul and my money and steeled myself to go to the counter. I couldn't see him when I reached the counter, but I knew better than to let my guard down or even think that he'd left the area.

And I was right, as the moment I stepped foot outside, he was waiting there.

"Crow Queen Ebony."

Ah, shit.

"Mister Marine, what can I do for you today?"

He gave a nod and a slight smile, before speaking again. "May I escort you back to your crew?"

I gave him a wan smile, "I don't have a whole lot of choice, now do I?"

He shook his head, almost apologetically, "I'm afraid not."

When we arrived, there was a new hole in the wall and a group of marines were standing guard outside. Garp was standing over Luffy, who was holding his head in his hands. Apparently he hadn't been able to avoid a 'Fist of Love' and was now paying the painful price. I could see Coby and Helmeppo, and could feel their gazes on me as I walked past Garp after nodding at Bogard.

"Sorry I'm late, got a bit caught up in the bookstore, but Mister Marine here was kind enough to escort me back in time for what I assume is an arrest by the Vice Admiral?"

That must have caught the others off guard, as their focus (except for Luffy and Zoro's) was now placed firmly on me. Garp thought I was funny, because he burst into laughter.

"No arrests here! Just visiting my grandson and his crew!"

I had a feeling that I was meant to make a much bigger deal out of the fact that Garp was Luffy's grandfather more than I did, as the others in the crew sighed as Garp looked on in confusion.

"You already knew, didn't you?"

Nami wasn't wasting any time, hands on hips scolding me.

"Nami, I've been friends with Ace for ages, of course I knew."

It's not like I hadn't spoken to Ace about the 'crazy vice admiral' before, and it wasn't as though Ace hadn't told me off hand about his gramps, but obviously it wasn't the only reason I knew and only Luffy probably realised that.

"You know the other brat?"

I should have seen it coming, the heavy hand on my shoulder squeezing it. Trying very hard not to wince, and very much not succeeding, I nodded.

"Met him whilst he was drunk, and I was bartending. Good times."

Deuce and I had talked about it in the past, but apparently Ace and more than half of the Spades didn't actually remember that first meeting and considering the flirting, that was probably for the best.

Suddenly, I was snatched out from underneath Garp's grip by a grumpy Captain.

"Gramps! You're here to scold me, not interrogate my friends!"

That made my insides all warm and fuzzy. There was a cozy feeling in my chest at the thought of friendship, which was as close as family to Luffy for the most part.

"BWAHAHA! I'll get right back to it then, if that's what you want!"

Luffy shook his head so damn fast that I honestly thought that it was going to go flying off.

"Absolutely not! You know I'd never, ever become a marine!"

"You would have been a fine one!"

As the two continued their argument, I unlatched myself from Luffy and quickly made my escape over to Chopper.

"You knew?"

"Course I did, it would have come out like this anyway. Easier to just let it happen."

He nodded, absentmindedly picking at his hat. I patted his head in reassurance.

"We'll be fine, he's just incredibly concerned."

Sanji, who had overheard us muttered, "Has a funny way of showing it."

"Nothing with the Monkey D. family is in anyway normal, you'll find that out soon."

The crew did not like that ominous sounding message, and they liked it even less when Garp spoke next.

"I heard you met your dad recently!"

"I did!"

Garp looked a little surprised, before he covered that up. He clearly hadn't been expecting his grandson to actually know

Luffy continued as though he hadn't heard his grandfather, and a look of mischief stretched across his face. The Straw Hats as one all looked at each other in unison, all recognising the chaos that was most likely to come.

"Sabo introduced us!"

Well that was one way for Garp to find out that his last grandson was alive.

A/N: I hope that you've al been doing well, and that life has been treating you kindly.

You can probably tell how much I'm avoiding writing fight scenes, but I'm trying my best.

Stay safe and hydrate!