"Their ship wasn't finished when I left them. I followed my log pose to the Red Line, forcing my way through to meet you here... The end!" Oriana smiled at their reaction. If invading Enies Lobby raised her bounty, she wondered, "What about Luffy? Did he get a new bounty?"
Getting up and heading towards the deck, Haruta asked, "Where are you going?" "I'm going to show Dad!" Oriana ascended the stairs, glancing happily at her bounty. Finding her father on the deck, she handed him the paper. "It went up quite a lot, treasure. Do you remember when I said not to cause too much trouble?" Whitebeard smiled.
"Would you believe me when I say that I wasn't the culprit of this incident?" "So, you just went along with everyone?" Whitebeard asked. "That's exactly right! They wanted their crewmate back, and I got my sense of adventure from you anyway. So, I took this chance to see and draw a unique government island!"
"I didn't think you had time to draw the island with everything going on, treasure," the captain seemed amused. "The island was beautiful. I couldn't just not draw it, Dad! I'll show you!" Oriana said before heading towards her room. While she went inside to find her book, a newspaper landed in front of Whitebeard.
Winter Blaze had a huge smile on her face, excited to show her father her new drawings. "Oh, where's Dad?" The great pirate was in his usual chair a few minutes ago. "Pops went into the meeting room with the commanders," Skull answered. "Why, what's going on?" Oriana asked. "We don't know. Pops did look angry," he elaborated.
She went up to her father's chair and decided to wait for him there. It wasn't uncommon for Whitebeard to have sudden meetings with the commanders.
Oriana reminisced about her time with the smaller crew. Though brief, she had bonded with them nicely. The thought of them challenging her crew excited her, and she looked forward to it. Leaning back in the chair with a smile, she asked, "What's that grin for, little one?"
Marco's face suddenly appeared over hers. "Just thinking. Wait, were you not supposed to participate in Dad's meeting?" "Pops told me to come get you. Come alone, little one," The first commander grinned. Oriana's thoughts raced. What if there was an intervention while she was away? "Right, I'll just go to the bathroom first…" she started walking away, but Marco grabbed the back of her shirt.
"You're not a kid anymore. Don't run away every time you don't like something!" Marco scolded. "These talks have existed since I was a kid! Don't act like this isn't about something I did," she glared into his eyes. "You're right. This is about something you did. Now, come along; Pops is waiting," Marco said, and she sighed before the two went in the direction of the meeting room. The first commander opened the door for her, and Oriana saw the thirteen commanders sitting there with Whitebeard at the end.
"Come sit down, treasure," Whitebeard motioned for her to sit on the second commander's chair. Oriana walked up and took the seat. "Dad, what's going on?" She could feel something very different about this meeting. "Ace has been captured," the captain started.
"What?" This wasn't what Oriana expected him to say. "According to the newspaper; he was defeated by Blackbeard and delivered to the navy to become a warlord." The young woman started to breathe heavily with different thoughts racing through her mind.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard to hear, but it was important for you to know," Marco said. "Yeah… I would like to know that…" Oriana sounded unsure and stood up. "I'm sorry… I just need a moment," she tried to give her crew a real smile, but they didn't buy it.
"There's one more thing before you go!" Whitebeard called after her. "Yeah?" Oriana looked at him. "Ace will most likely get executed soon," the captain said, making her skin turn pale and eyes widen. "I will make sure that doesn't happen!" she said before closing the door behind herself.
Oriana went out to get some fresh air to calm down. It would be easy to blame this incident on herself for leaving Ace to Blackbeard. Winter Blaze felt bad, but she didn't feel guilty. What she felt was anger towards Blackbeard for betraying them yet again. And at Ace.
Ace had promised her not to do anything reckless, and what do you know? He got himself captured without realizing how much it would hurt the people who loved him, without knowing how much the marines would use this chance to show their might.
She had to relax before going back to the meeting room. Oriana sat on the chair, barely listening to what the commanders were saying. Her mind was figuring out how-to beat-up Ace once they saved him. How dare he lose to Blackbeard and get caught by marines afterward?
"So, how are we going to save that idiot?" Oriana asked after finally deciding to join. "We are going to declare war on the marines and invade the government facility full force," Marco casually said. "Great! When are we going to attack?" She liked their idea so far.
"We don't know when or where the marines are going to execute him," Haruta said. "They know that we'll never let a crewmate get executed, and they are probably expecting us. It's most likely going to be at Marine Headquarters, Marineford, with their full force behind them," Marco explained.
"What if we attack Impel Down?" Oriana said her thoughts out loud. "It's not that simple, treasure. Impel Down is in the Calm Belt, and there's no wind or currents. We don't have time to install paddles on all the ships, and it is home for sea kings," Whitebeard explained.
Oriana's head fell onto the table. "It's frustrating," she mumbled. She suddenly shot her head up and opened her drawing book in hope this was all just a mistake. When she found the right page, her heart dropped. "Ace…" In there was the vivre card, much smaller and burning.
Ace was a pirate commander and free to do whatever he felt was right. Knowing him, he probably didn't expect them to come and save him. Ace's low self-esteem was most likely thinking he wasn't worth saving. Hopefully, when they go to save him, it will be enough to prove how much everyone cares for him. If not, Oriana had other ways to knock it into him.
The commanders didn't say anything, and the captain placed a hand on her back. "If they mess with one of us, they mess with all of us!" Oriana said motivated. She didn't have time to just feel sad and wallow in regret over leaving him. She only needed to focus on preventing him from dying.
The meeting concluded, and everyone dispersed to prepare for the upcoming war. Only Whitebeard and Oriana remained. "Dad, I-" she began, but Whitebeard interrupted, "You were about to show me your drawings of your journey, treasure."
Oriana wanted to decline, but the warmth in her father and captain's eyes melted her resolve. "Alright, dad," she smiled. Opening her book, she started showcasing her drawings of Drum Kingdom, Alabasta, along with the small part of Jaya. "Then we went up something called a knock-up stream to Skypiea, a sky island!" Her mood lifted, and she spoke with a smile on her face. Whitebeard noticed.
"We'll go to war soon, and there's something you need to know, treasure," he said, catching Oriana's attention. "What's it, dad?" she smiled warmly.
"The government will target you," Whitebeard explained. "Well, of course it's war, dad," she teased. "That's not what I meant, treasure. They'll come after you, in particular, because of your other side," the captain elaborated. "And why would they target me because of that?" Oriana wondered.
"I don't know much other than what your mother told me. Your race was a powerful one that refused to ally with the World Government. Fearing that you might go against them, they attacked your home island in the darkness of the night with a full-scale fleet. Your mother was the only survivor," Whitebeard paused, giving her time to process this information.
"This deeply affected your mother, and it was years before she could trust another person again," Whitebeard reminisced about the day he met Kat. The emptiness he saw in her eyes that day still hurt him.
"W-When did this happen?" Oriana finally asked. "It happened forty-five years ago. There were different tribes, each with control of an element. When your mother survived, she gained control over all of them. In the beginning, she felt great, but as the years went by, she started getting weaker. Kat didn't tell me until she couldn't hide it anymore," her father explained.
"Is that why you didn't tell me?" she asked. "I was trying to protect you from this for as long as I could. I didn't want you to worry for as long as I could help it," he sighed. "Will that happen to me too? Is that why you're telling me?" Oriana questioned.
"You've had these powers for many years and don't show any symptoms your mother showed. I assume it's fine. I'm telling you because I don't want you to participate in this war," Whitebeard said. Oriana was about to interrupt, but he didn't let her. "I know it's wishful thinking as your father but promise me you'll be especially careful."
She saw the seriousness in her father's eyes and replied, "I promise!"
-x-
Oriana spent a lot of time doodling up in one of the crow's nests, her way of taking her mind off the stress about Ace. The wait for the Marines to spill the beans on where they were planning to off the Pirate King's son was really getting to her.
It had been two days since she first got wind of Ace's capture, and the eerie silence was only making her fret more. What if the Marines were scheming to bump off Ace on the sly, hiding him away in some dingy dungeon? Or maybe they were aiming to dump him in Impel Down indefinitely? These uncertainties were gnawing at Oriana's thoughts until they got interrupted by a news bird.
She grabbed the paper from its pouch and read the headline out loud: "Countdown Begins: Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, Portgas D. Ace, Set to Face Execution in Ten Days at Navy Headquarters, Marineford."
Her eyes widened, and she went to find her captain. "Dad! It's official. They're going to kill him in Marineford in ten days!" she told him, passing the paper over. "Alright, but we're not fully prepped yet, yoi! We need a couple more days," Marco replied.
"And we got to deal with those ships!" Fossa pointed out, motioning towards the marine battleships. Oriana glanced over and saw the enemy vessels. "Just what I was waiting for!" she said, switching into her other form before diving into the ocean and riding over to the ships.
She got into a scrap with the soldiers on board, quickly breaking down their mast and giving anyone who tried to stop her a good wallop. After sinking all five ships, Oriana headed back to the Moby Dick, feeling a bit better. "I'll handle the next bunch too!" she said before heading back to her room.
"Wait up, little one, check this out," Marco said, handing her another paper with a picture of Luffy. Oriana's grin was real this time as she read the headline. "What's he been up to now?" she wondered.
"HE PUNCHED A CELESTRIAL DRAGON?!" she exclaimed, realizing Luffy was probably a response to something they did around him. Oriana sighed, relieved to hear Luffy had escaped. "Those idiots always keep me worrying me!" she said, a mix of annoyance and affection in her voice.
"We might finally meet that famous little brother of yours," Haruta approached her. "Yeah, but Luffy doesn't read the newspaper, his crewmates do. He would most likely... attack... Impel... Down..." The color drained from her face as she realized the implications.
"No, he is not that crazy, is he?" Haruta asked, worried.
"Oh, he most certainly is. He invaded Enis Lobby to get a crewmate back. Luffy really looks up to Ace, and like us, he won't let him die. He would do anything for him, no matter what," Oriana thought back to the death of Sabo. Their brother's death affected them, but it completely broke Luffy to the point of him making them promise not to die. Ace was about to break that promise, "If he finds out about it, that is…"
Oriana wanted Luffy to be a part of saving Ace as their brother, but as a pirate, it was up to the Whitebeard pirates to save him. Oriana sighed, "I need a nap!" she got up and went to her room.
Later, after dinner time, Whitebeard called her, "Hey dad! You called," she smiled cutely. "We are going to war, and we need to say goodbye to someone because we can't take him with us," her father gently said, "When is it happening?" she was surprisingly calm.
"We'll arrive at one of our territory islands tonight. Thatch is going to be buried there," the captain said. Oriana started breathing heavily, "I understand. We can't let him come to the war," she got up and decided to go see him in the infirmary.
The fourth division commander's face changed, and his hair was down, "I wished I could see your goofy smile again," she sat down in a chair next to her. "I don't want to say goodbye to you, Thatchie." She took his hand as the emotions started taking over.
"We fought when we first met and became very close after that," she chuckled at their times together. "The food you made was always the best of the best, and no, that's not the only reason I'm sad like this," she tried to lighten the mood a little.
"You've been one of my greatest friends, and I feel like you've been robbed from us," Oriana started crying. "I really didn't want you in this state to be my final memory of you," she squished his hand up to her forehead with her eyes closed while the tears streamed down.
Oriana didn't notice people entering the room until Marco touched her shoulder, "I'm not ready," she looked at the commander, "I don't think anyone gets ready to say goodbye to a friend," he helped her to stand and held her close to give other crewmates a chance on their own.
Once everyone had their emotional moment with their fourth division commander, Oriana stood in the corner the whole time unable to leave until the very end. Whitebeard came in at the end saying a few words himself until there were no longer anything to be said.
Whitebeard nodded towards Marco as he let go of Oriana with one hand to turn off the machine. Thatch started breathing on his own, and it slowed with the minutes until he no longer was breathing. The pirates took the chance to look at their commander one last time before leaving. Someone rinsed and wrapped his body in a white cloth while Oriana helped make a hole to bury Thatch in.
They buried him that night, quietly and somberly. Oriana stood beside the grave, lost in memories of her friend Thatch and the times they shared. Whitebeard and the rest of the crew paid their respects, each feeling the weight of their loss in their own way.
As they laid Thatch to rest, sadness hung in the air, reminding them of the risks they faced as pirates. But amidst the sorrow, there was also a sense of unity, a determination to honor Thatch's memory and carry on his legacy. With heavy hearts, they returned to the ship, knowing that they would always remember their fallen friend.
-x-
As the days passed, more and more allies arrived, and the captains held constant meetings to strategize for the upcoming war. Meanwhile, their ships were coated in preparation for the mission. The Whitebeard pirates and their allies were fully prepared two days before the scheduled execution.
However, their plans were suddenly interrupted by cannon fire as the beast pirates approached. Oriana, fueled by anger, rushed to the rail, and deflected the cannonballs, urging her crewmates to focus on the task at hand, "Go away! We don't have time for you beast!"
Whitebeard made the decision to send most of their allies away to ensure their safety, while the main crew stayed behind to deal with the threat. "I'll allow this, brat. This time only," He granted permission acknowledging the urgency of the situation.
Oriana was puzzled until she spotted a familiar ship – Shanks'.
With a mixture of surprise and relief, Oriana whispered Shanks' name as she saw him smiling back at her. But her moment of peace was short-lived as the sea engulfed her vision, signaling the start of a long journey ahead. Despite the challenges ahead, Oriana remained determined, taking in the sight of the ships seemingly flying and capturing the moment through her drawings.
The trip to Fishman Island felt like it took forever, and there were moments when it seemed they might miss the execution altogether.
The pirates didn't say at the island for long quickly continued their journey.
As they sailed forward, everyone could feel the tension in the air. Each crew member braced themselves for the big fight waiting for them at Marineford. Oriana found comfort in her drawings, capturing moments of unity and determination among the crew. Whitebeard's presence gave them all strength and courage, even though they knew the danger that lay ahead.
Days turned into nights, and the journey seemed never-ending. They were all anxious about what awaited them at Marineford, but they stuck together, relying on their bond as family and loyalty to keep them going, "Hey, Pops, we've just crossed the Gate of Justice!"
Whitebeard nodded in acknowledgment of his son's update and began issuing orders to the allied ships. "It's time for you all to surface, my sons," the legendary pirate declared, prompting each ship to comply without hesitation. "Roger that, Pops!" came the unified response from the crew.
Oriana stretched her arms out, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Finally! The deep sea is beautiful and all, but I miss the fresh air above water," she remarked with a smile directed at her father.
"Then you better make sure to be ready for battle and keep stretching, Oria," Jozu teased in response. "You know how hard diamonds are. You should join me... what if you suddenly got stiff?" he added with a grin.
Whitebeard chuckled at their banter, enjoying the lighthearted moment before the seriousness of the upcoming war. "Pops, we've entered the bay!" Marco's voice rang out, loud enough for the others to hear and prepare. Right at that moment, a loud siren pierced the air, signaling the arrival of their allies.
Rising from his chair, Whitebeard's demeanor shifted as he addressed his crew. "Prepare for war!" he declared, the atmosphere aboard the ship instantly changing. "Let's save Ace and show the Navy what happens when they mess with our family!" he continued, his words met with nods of determination from the crew. Oriana smiled, grateful to be a part of such a great pirate crew.
As their ship surged forward, its front lifted abruptly, sending Oriana and the crew briefly soaring above the water before crashing back down with a mighty splash. The impact caused their coating to rupture, exposing them to the Marines below. It was a risky moment, but they were ready to confront whatever challenges lay ahead as one of the most formidable pirate crews in the world.
The Navy began to recognize the commanders, particularly their first division commander, Marco.
Whitebeard approached the head figure, gesturing for Oriana, "I want you to stand by my side, treasure," he said to her. Oriana's eyes lit up with excitement. "I can do that?!" she exclaimed. "Of course. I know I can't keep hiding you from the world forever," he replied.
Oriana grinned as her father ascended the stairs with his weapon in hand. With newfound confidence, she followed suit. "It's a great honor to be standing by you, Captain," she declared proudly as she joined him at the top of the stairs, holding her head high.
Winter Blaze carried a reputation that preceded her in the world of pirates. As the daughter of Whitebeard, her identity was widely known, which unfortunately made her a prime target for those seeking to make a name for themselves.
Oriana wore a black sleeveless crop top that showed off her arms, with a gold chain wrapped around her waist and a few gold wristbands adding a touch of elegance. Her skirt was grey and had a high slit, allowing her to move freely while still looking stylish.
On her feet were sturdy black sandals suitable for the upcoming war. Her white hair was tied up in a high ponytail, keeping it out of her face but with some loose strands framing her features with her compass neckless and special bracelet with her compass necklace and special bracelet.
Once Oriana was up there, she heard someone in the crowd yell, "Wait, that's the true daughter of Whitebeard... That's Winter Blaze!" All eyes turned towards her, and Oriana felt a wave of self-consciousness wash over her.
But her father quickly took control of the situation. "How long has it been, Sengoku? You better tell me that my beloved son is alright!" he demanded, shifting the attention away from Oriana and onto the matter at hand.
Whitebeard chuckled at Oriana's excitement, watching as she leaned forward with her hands over her eyes, trying to get a better look at something in the distance. "It looks like he still got his head, dad!" she exclaimed with youthful enthusiasm.
"Hey, Ace, hold up there for a sec," Whitebeard's voice rang out with a touch of warmth and fondness, a rare glimpse into the familial bond between father and son amidst the wild and unpredictable world of piracy.