The Fishmen didn't expect them to come in the night. The moon was obscured behind a dense cover of cloud and fog, and the Admiral Flagship was a threatening shadow engulfing looming through the dense mist. There was a moment of confusion and then fear before the inhabitants of Arlong Park pushed past it and reacted.

The Fishmen dove into the water, determined to take advantage of their natural strength and speed beneath the waves, but as they approached the hull of the ship, they found themselves suddenly unable to concentrate. Kuroobi, one of Arlong's officers, watched his comrades flail about in the water, clutching their hands to their ears, eyes squeezed shut. A high-pitched tone reverberated around them, shrill beneath the water, vibrating even the rocks and sand. "What is this?!" He roared, unable to stop himself from putting his hands over his ears for long, feeling like the noise was splitting his skull in two.

Chew, one of Arlong's other officers, watched from beside Arlong's empty throne and fretted, waiting for the telltale rocking of the ship or the sound of cracking wood and shouts from the marines aboard.

But the moment never came. There was no sign that the fishmen who had gone beneath the waves had even gotten near to her.

The ship completed her approach unhindered, and a clean white plume of smoke poured down from the deck of the ship onto the docks outside the walls of the manse. The smoke manifested into a tall, stern-faced woman with white hair and two cigars between her teeth. Two more figures follow, jumping gracefully to land beside the woman. The white-haired woman and the scarred man wore jackets with Captain epithets, just like Nezumi, while the redhead wore a uniform Chew hadn't seen in all their time in the East Blue, not since the last time they'd been on the Grand Line.

A commando. She kicked open the door to the docks, and the three of them entered the courtyard, looking around and avoiding getting too close to the edge of the pool.

Chew heard Arlong emerge from the manse, his sandals scuffing the cobblestone of the pool patio, and she flinched away from her captain's furious aura. "What the hell is this? What are those idiots doing down there?" Arlong's voice was frigid, and Chew risked a glance at his face. His eyes hadn't yet gone full predator, but he was teetering on the edge.

The male human spoke first, "By now? Probably bleeding out of their ears or clawing at them and wishing they were deaf." Rin told them, teeth bared in an unfriendly smile.

Smoker rolled her eyes at Rin's jovial tone. "We're here to arrest you. Or not, depending on how you want to do this."

Drake's instincts were shrieking at her, and she knew her eyes had taken on the yellow hue that indicated her allosaurus was close to the surface. The shark Fishman was dangerous like any predator, and Drake had witnessed other sharks tear through droves of marines like they were cutting through soft butter. They had the strength of their fellow fishmen, but their jaw strength put them in a category all of their own.

Arlong sneered, and Drake noticed when the small blue-skinned fishmaid at his side took half a step away from her captain. "You humans think you stand a chance against me. My brothers and sisters and I sunk the East Blue's fleet to the bottom of the ocean in minutes. You think one ship is a challenge just because one of you're big bad Admirals is on board?"

Smoker sighed, and Rin shrugged at her before activating his baby DDM. "Hey, Admiral? Seems he wants to do this the hard way."

Sakazuki's answering sigh was irritated, "Of course he does."

Arlong growled behind them, and neither acted very concerned, Smoker taking Rin's affable lead. Drake kept her eyes fixated on the Fishman, her ears twitching when someone dropped the gangplank, the wood slamming against the dock outside the walls of the park, tracking her Dad's descent.

The moment Akainu blasted a hole in the wall, Arlong went into full rage, and Rin, Smoker, and Drake darted into action. Drake met the fishmaid in combat, using one leg to block a water jet attack from hitting Smoker in the back. The fishmaid made a smeck sound with her mouth, her pretty black eyes following Rin and Smoker as they disappeared through the open doors of the manse before she focused on Drake. "You're going after Nami." She didn't say it like a question, and Drake wondered how much this Fishmaid approved of Arlong's actions.

Arlong darted forward to attack in a flash.

Akainu met his hit, the Fishman's punch landing against Sakazuki's braced forearms. Sakazuki's eyes met Arlong's, and his arms shifted into magma. Arlong yanked his hand away, teeth bared in a vicious snarl, the cooked meat smell of his own flesh making him nauseous.

Sakazuki allows his magma to become more liquid, bubbling up before dripping sluggishly onto the cobblestone beneath him, sizzling threateningly.

Arlong's crewmate forced Drake back and used the time to try to caution her captain, "Arlong, don't do anything stupid! He'll kill you!"

Arlong froze and slowly turned his head to glare at her, "Are you doubting me, Chew?"

Before she could assure them that she just wanted him to keep his cool, Drake was back in her face, kicking Chew in the gut, "If Sharkboy wants to be stupid, let him be stupid."

Inside, Rin was trying to orient himself, the extravagance of the manse like a dizzying maze, "So, we're looking for a child."

"One that may or may not be in the building," Smoker nodded, pointing to the nearest door with a shrug. They gave each of the rooms that they glanced into a quick once over, "Fuck. These fishmen have gaudy tastes." Gold filigrees, vibrant and flashing colours, no two rooms decorated the same.

Rin hummed thoughtfully, skipping several steps as they climbed the stairs to the next floor.

"Arlong was originally a member of the Sun Pirates under Fisher Tiger; there may be certain psychological reasons behind the questionable design choices." Rin speculated, wincing when he opened his next door. He blinked at the bedroom decked out all in shades of gold, glancing around the room.

Smoker asked him what he meant.

"Well…until Whitebeard brought Fishman Island into the protective fold of his territory, the island's inhabitants were abused and taken advantage of by every pirate that passed through into the New World," Rin's voice was thoughtful. Smoker had the impression that Rin approved of Whitebeard moving in to protect the island the way he had. "Based on his age, I'd wager that Arlong was born shortly before the worst of it. And with Sabaody Archipelago's slave trade at its height…"

Smoker didn't respond, falling into a contemplative silence. They dashed up to the third floor, with fewer rooms on this floor than on the second floor, and they moved through it quickly. They could hear the peculiar, unnerving sounds of Sakazuki's devil fruit in action, sizzling and popping and the slowly increasing smell of burning. Glancing out a window in one room facing the front of the park, Smoker saw a massive column of steam rising from the pool. "The Admiral seems to be having fun."

Rin laughed behind her, moving past. "We did ask him to drag the fight out." His amber eyes glittered with delight, "It isn't often he gets to play with his opponents."

"They do like to send him against tough enemies."

–

Outside, Sakazuki sent another languid wave of magma into the water, and Arlong hissed at him, not liking that Sakazuki kept cutting him off from the water. The magma superheated the water, sending another column of steam rising into the sky.

Arlong was covered with blistering burns, huffing and growling because the heat the Admiral was pushing out made it impossible for him to get close to him, and the Fishman didn't have the Haki mastery to push through.

Below the water, Arlong's disoriented crew were forced to swim away from the boiling water. They wanted to get back to their captain, but they'd have to get around the coast to Cocoyasi Village.

They'd started to power through the sound of the sonic weapon, but a few of the younger Fishmen were still reeling, pulled along behind their elders. Aboard the flagship, Ensign MacKay was staring over the starboard railing, watching for the shadows of the Fishmen in the dark water. He knew that Rei was on the port side watching for the same thing. He saw a large shape move from beneath the ship and waited until he saw two more shadows.

He whistled, and Rear-Admiral Filomena was at his side in a flash, glancing into the water. She activated her baby DDM, "Rin. The fishmen in the water are on the move to the east. You and Smoker better hurry up."

–

They're dashing up the last flight of stairs when the DDM crackled to life, and Filomena's voice is heard, "I'm sure Vegapunk will be happy to have such thorough results." Rin snarked, his attitude dropping instantly when they reached the top of the stairs.

Both were startled to see that there was only one door. Unlike the previous four floors, this door was plain steel, not the delicately carved wood on the rest. Rin moved first, testing the handle, and was not surprised to find the door locked.

"Can you unlock it?" Smoker asked.

"Should be able to," Rin kneeled on the ground and pulled a rolled pouch from inside his jacket, unrolling it across the floor beside him. He selected his tools and got to work on the lock.

Smoker jerked when a timid voice sounded from behind the door. "Hello?" Rin blinked, his hands moving to work on the lock.

"Safe to say we've found our wayward child." He muttered, grumbling when Smoker nudged him to the side so she could look through the small barred hole at the top of the door. Rin allowed her to step up onto his braced thigh, as she wasn't quite tall enough to see. Smoker stared at the small, orange-haired girl standing amid a chart-covered room. She was wearing a clean summer dress and had a large tattoo on her left bicep. Her timidness seemed to evaporate at the sight of Smoker, who still had her cigars in place. "Are you pirates?"

"Nah. We're marines under Admiral Akainu." The girl still seemed apprehensive. "We're here to find you and deal with Arlong."

She visibly relaxed. "Okay." She sighed, "I'm Nami."

"Hi, Nami. I'm Captain Whitechase Smoker. The one currently trying to unlock your door is Captain Itou Rin. Nami, you're the child Arlong took from Cocoyasi Village, right?"

Nami took a deep breath, clenching her fists in the skirt of her dress. "Uh-huh."

Smoker released a quiet, relieved breath. "Can you tell me why he took you?"

Nami gestured at the walls. Smoker looked and realized that Nami was gesturing at the charts that adorn them. "You drew all these?"

"Yeah," Her voice was small, "Arlong wanted me to draw ocean charts with the data he and the others could gather from the ocean floor." She grew more animated, "But we made a deal; he'd let me go and buy Cocoyasi Village if I brought him a hundred million berries."

Smoker choked, gripping the bars when she felt Rin wobble beneath her. Officers' wages were pretty cushy, but no marine would ever dream of having that much money outside the Admirals. Especially at one time. "Damn…" She said, yelping when Rin unlocked the handle, the door swinging inwards. He steadied her with one hand on her thigh long enough for her to hop down without landing on her face.

Nami stared at them, "The Navy knows about the Marines taking bribes from Arlong, don't they?"

Rin nodded at her, cheerful once more. "Most of them have already been arrested."

"What about Nezumi?"

Smoker smiled. "The Admiral issued a Blue-wide warrant for his arrest. He says he'll be surprised if his crew doesn't put him in irons." She crouched down in front of the small girl. Now then, are you ready to get out of here?"

Nami glances around the room, turning back to the two captains determinedly. "Hell yeah!"

–

The baby DDM squeaked out the signal, just loud enough to be heard over Arlong's raging. "Got her."

"Fucking finally." Sakazuki went on the offensive immediately. Moving fast, Arlong doesn't have time to react to Sakazuki's hand, engulfed in magma, wrapping around his head. "I am your judge, jury and executioner. Normally, you'd just be tossed into Impel Down, but that didn't seem to work the first time you were there, so I'm not taking any chances." Sakazuki explained, even though Arlong was already very dead. "Your crimes: unlawful tyranny of the Conomi islands, murder of innocents, extortion of innocents, bribery of marine officers, imprisonment of a child, extortion of that same child…honestly, I can go on and on. But you're dead, and I have a building to bring down."

He glanced around after he tossed aside Arlong's smouldering remains and located Drake. She had Chew pinned down, slapping a pair of cuffs on her. The fishmaid's eyes were wide, stuck on Arlong's corpse. Drake met his gaze and, without being told, hauled the fishmaid up and pulled her toward the flagship. Sakazuki turned to Arlong Park and lifted a hand, declaring, "Great Eruption."

–

A handful of fishmen were captured and tossed into the brig alongside Chew, but most fled at the sight of Arlong's remains and what little was left of Arlong Park. Nami tugged on the Admiral's long coat and almost chickened out when he looked down at her. The marines had brought her back to Cocoyasi Village, and Nojiko and Mr. Genzo broke into tears when they saw her.

Admiral Akainu had a stern face, but it reminded her of Mr. Genzo a little. "Thanks. For killing Arlong and bringing Arlong Park down."

His face softened a little, and he crouched down, "You're welcome. I'm sorry we didn't come sooner."

"Smoker said you guys on the Grand Line didn't know anything was wrong, that someone was sending reports in the old Vice Admiral's name." Nami frowned, "Arlong killed me and Nojiko's foster mom, Belle-Mere. When Arlong first came, Belle-Mere only had enough money for either just her or me and Nojiko."

Sakazuki knew that name and doubted there were many women who had shared it. A commando based out of Marineford years and years ago, who'd been on track to becoming a Vice Admiral, "And she chose to let you two live."

Nami's lip trembled, "I really wanted him dead. I tried a couple of times, but he'd always just lock me up in my room."

Sakazuki placed a gentle hand on her head, "Now, you can live for yourself; apparently, you're a damn skilled cartographer."

Nami's melancholy evaporated, "One day, I'm going to draw a map of the whole world." For a moment. Sakazuki saw Luffy in her expression, and his mouth quirked into a lopsided smile.

One day, I'm going to be the Queen of Pirates!

Initially, she'd shouted that she'd be the King because Sabo had explained that it wasn't a role but a title. Until her mother snorted and explained how being a queen was so much better. "Queens hold all the freedom, Lu. If you want to be Queen of Pirates, you can damn well be Queen of Pirates."

And Luffy really loved the thought of being the most free.

Sakazuki might not have approved; he was still a marine, after all, but whenever Luffy said it, he truly believed she'd accomplish it one day.

–

The casino cafe was quiet, and Crocodile was peeved to be up so damn early, but like his son, Elias was an early riser who liked his peace. She found him on the outside patio, beneath the shade of an umbrella. Crocodile folded her hands on the table and glared at the newspaper across from her. Elias knew she was there, but he remained unbothered, turning the page. "So, when are you and your many girlfriend's leaving?"

Elias looked over the top of the paper at her, contemplating her. Elias and all three of his ladies had been a constant at the casino for three months now, and while Crocodile hadn't minded at first, they were starting to get under her skin as she moved into nesting mode.

Elias was quiet and grumpy, but the kids seemed to like him. And Lola, Daisy, and Nana were wild and fun. Keeping the kids busy and telling them loads of stories about Sakazuki as a teenager.

Finally, he told her, "Once Sakazuki gets his ass out of the East Blue, me and the girls'll skedaddle on home."

Crocodile huffed at him, and he grinned, that charming dimple appearing on his cheek again. He folded the newspaper and dropped it on the table. He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table, "Now, how about you tell me why you ain't told those kids of yours you got a bun in the oven?"

Crocodile blinked and dropped back against the chair, squinting at him. He tilted his head and waited.

She didn't really know the answer.

"You waiting for the boy? Or a little squirrelly about how they're gonna react?"

Heaving a dramatic sigh, she pursed her lips, not wanting to admit she was a little scared of their reaction, "I suppose I should tell them before I start to show."

His silver eyes glittered with amusement, "Oh, darlin', you know you're startin' to show already, don'tcha?"

Looking down, Crocodile exhaled sharply through her nose, "Honestly? I can't see passed my tits." She attempted to press her breasts down flat and saw she was, in fact, rocking the beginning of a noticeable little bump. "Oh. You think those three have noticed?" She didn't want to admit she'd been avoiding mirrors. She'd been feeling fat and unattractive and knew her feelings were irrational.

I'm still hot as fuck.

Elias thought about it and shrugged, "They ain't…not noticed."

–

Ace could honestly say that he has only the vaguest memory of when Crocodile was pregnant with Luffy. But he did remember some of it. The swell of her belly had been distinct.

And lately, he'd been watching the gradual growth of her belly.

Sabo noticed, too.

And Luffy had been awfully clingy with Mama lately.

"You think Mama's growing a baby?" Luffy asked one morning, clambering up on top of one of the female bananawani sunning herself on the shore of the lake.

Ace and Sabo exchanged looks and shrugged. Ace glanced up at Luffy. "Yeah, we think so."

Luffy pouted for a second, "So I'm not gonna be the baby anymore?"

"Nope. You're going to be a big sister now," Crocodile's voice startled them, and Ace and Sabo spun around to find her walking barefoot through the lush grass surrounding the lake. She had her hands on her hips, looking like her usual moody self. "I can't keep secrets from you three anymore, can I?"

Luffy chirped happily, stretching out on her back, "Nope!"

Sabo smiled impishly, "Aren't you happy we figured it out?"

She stopped in front of them and snorted, "I suppose it did make telling you a lot easier." I guess I worried for nothing. They seemed, while not excited, content with the information, which was all she could ask for. She relaxed, her ever-present pregnancy-induced anxiety easing to the back of her mind for the first time in months.

"Guess who called?"

Luffy jerked up, startling the bananawani she was using as a lounge chair, "Saka!"

"Yep, he's all finished with shit in the East Blue and should be here by the end of the week."

–

They were sitting in Sengoku's spacious office once more, Sakazuki looking tired but satisfied as Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, Borsalina, and Kuzan looked through the list of East Blue officers who had been arrested during Sakazuki's exhaustive investigation.

Sengoku tapped one name, raising her eyebrows and brushing some of her braids out of her face. Sakazuki had been surprised to find she wasn't in uniform today. Instead, she wore a hoodie and jeans, her braids tumbling down her back, loose from her typical bun. "You arrested Axe-Hand Morgan?"

"Yeah?"

"You did ensure he wouldn't be a threat in custody, correct?"

Sakazuki found himself unable to suppress a smile in his exhaustion, "Don't worry. He's been unarmed." Garp guffawed loudly, slapping Sakazuki's back.

The Fleet Admiral stared at him blankly, "Sakazuki…that was an awful joke."

Garp's laughter dwindled into chuckles, and he wiped tears from his eyes. "I thought it was funny."

"That's because you're a father, Garp. Dad jokes are only found funny by other dads; it's what gives them their power." Raising her cup to her lips, Salina cocked an eyebrow at the Marine Hero.

"Nah, grandpa jokes are where true power lies. It's the final evolution of the dad joke." Sakazuki reminded her, nudging Garp out of his bubble and back to his chair.

She conceded, "Daddy has been telling some truly awful jokes since he became a grandpa."

Kuzan gave a short bark of laughter, "Ain't you gettin' a little old to still be calling Kuroryu daddy?"

Sakazuki caught the frown that Salina quickly wiped off her face and wondered what had happened while he had been gone. Kuzan wasn't fawning over Salina the way he normally did, and his tone was almost glacial when speaking to her. "No matter how old I get, Kuzan, he'll always be my daddy. Perhaps you should keep your judgment to yourself."

Kuzan's eyes popped open and he stood up, looming over Salina where she was sitting with her tea. For a second, Sakazuki thought he might have had to go to his sister's defence, the dark look on Kuzan's face unlike any expression he'd ever seen him make before. Sengoku also noticed, half out of her chair, before Kuzan scoffed and stormed out of the room.

Salina's mouth twisted, and she put her tea down, the porcelain clattering against the saucer. Sakazuki reached out and grabbed her hand, frowning at the tremor he felt, meeting Sengoku's eyes. "What was that?"

"It's nothing. We argued recently," She said, her eyes downcast. Salina's voice was oddly flat, and she pulled her hand out of Sakazuki's and stood up. "I'm fine."

Sakazuki opened his mouth, prepared to tell her how not fine she seemed, but she left before he could, quietly excusing herself. Sengoku sighed, and Garp shook his head. "The hell was all that?"

"I don't know," Sengoku admitted, rubbing her eyes beneath her glasses, "All I've been able to get out of either of them was that they argued."

Sakazuki frowned and stared at the door, "They never argue."

"You have a better chance than we do of getting Salina to open up about it," Garp told him, uncharacteristically grim, "Maybe speak to her before you go on this mystery leave you've put in for." Garp picked up the form from the corner of Sengoku's desk and shook it.

Sakazuki nodded and hesitated, putting his concern for his sister aside for a moment, "About that. I feel like I should disclose something about my personal life that may require me to take more time off soon."

Sengoku perked up from her slouch, "What's that?"

"I've been…seeing Crocodile...romantically."

"And she's pregnant!" Garp slapped his hands down and snickered when Sakazuki shot him a blank look. "Don't know if you know this or not yet, but Luffy is physically incapable of keeping secrets."

Sengoku chuckled, "We've known about you and Crocodile for as long as Luffy has."

"Pretty sure we even found out about you two before your daddy did."

"I don't know why I'm surprised, but I am." He sighed, rubbing the side of his neck, "If things are that serious between Salina and Kuzan, grant her some emergency leave. Some time away might do her some good, and she'd never ask for it on her own."

Sengoku doesn't hesitate, "Done. Cancer can cover her duties for a couple of weeks."

"I'm sure Cancer will be thrilled," Garp intoned, pulling open the top drawer of Sengoku's desk and retrieving a box of crackers. She scowled at him, slapped his hip and slammed her drawer shut.

–

Salina was initially annoyed that he'd hauled her away on leave without even asking. Still, a day out from Marineford, she'd confided precisely what had transpired between her and Kuzan about a month earlier. And to say Sakazuki was pissed off on her behalf was an understatement.

"He confessed his feelings for me, grabbed me, tried to kiss me…and took it poorly when I rejected his advances." They were aboard a lightly crewed frigate heading for Alabasta, sitting on barrels on the foredeck, Drake leaning against Sakazuki's back. Salina gave them both frazzled looks, "I've never felt that way about him! I never responded to any of his flirting or teasing, but it was as though he thought I owed him something!"

Sakazuki thought over Salina's behaviour with Kuzan over the years and could say with certainty that she'd only ever treated Kuzan as a friend. He wasn't her type, and her flirting tended to leave her targets flustered, sweating messes.

Drake tsked, "Who knew Kuzan was a classic Nice Guy?"

"Nice Guy?" Salina stared at her niece like she'd grown another head.

"Nice Guy," Drake nodded, "They're the type of guy who can't just be friends with a woman. Any woman they're friends with is someone they're interested in dating, whether she's interested or not, and when it turns out she doesn't want to sleep with him, suddenly she owes him because he's done so much for her or that she's a bitch who always dates jerks." The explanation seemed to hit Salina in the gut because she scoffed.

"That sounds…familiar."

Sakazuki shook his head, "That can't be a real thing."

"Oh, c'mon, Dad. You know it is," Drake flicked his ear softly, "You aren't like that because you understand that women are human too. But you probably know a dozen guys like it."

"Knowing the definition, I can think of a few officers that fit the bill," Salina said, seemingly pulling herself out of her funk by the bootstraps, combing her fingers through her short curls and fluffing them.

"Uh-huh, I can name at least a dozen." Drake patted Sakazuki's hat before grabbing Salina's hand fondly, "In any case, don't let him drag you down. If he wants to act like a douche, let him."

Sakazuki poked her in the side, "Language."

"Yeah, yeah." She looked out over the water, "So Grandpa's just been hanging out on Alabasta since you left for the East Blue?"

"That's what Crocodile said," Sakazuki confirmed.

"The girls too?"

"Yeah," Given the old bastard's sex drive, I doubt he could leave them behind. Sakazuki would never tell Drake that, of course. At her age, she could probably work out why her grandfather had three steady girlfriends, but Sakazuki would not be the one to explain it. "Apparently, they've been happy as can be, gambling and spending hours in the spa daily."

"For free?" Salina asked, adjusting her sunglasses.

"God, no. On the old man's dime. Crocodile's not that generous. She's comping their room, that's it."

The rest of their journey to Alabasta was quiet. When they finally reached Rain Dinners, Crocodile saw him and started crying. She then just as quickly dragged him to her private room and rode him until they were both too tired to get up.

–

The operation was pretty standard for the Big Mom Pirates; the island was home to a popular bakery that made Oyaji's favourite sausage rolls and was firmly ensconced in the fold of the Whitebeard Pirates' territory. They'd fielded a distress call from the island leader a week earlier, "She sent one of her Officers to check out the bakery, and then next thing we know, the owner's being forced to send pastries to Whole Cake Island."

Oyaji took the protection of his islands seriously, and another Yonko edging into his territory and harassing his people was guaranteed to piss him off.

He sent Thatch and Vista and their accompanying fourth and fifth divisions to eject the Big Mom Pirates from the island. His fourth and fifth division commanders were two of his most skilled Armament Haki users and were ideal for dealing with devil fruit users. And the Big Mom Pirates had a lot of devil fruit users.

Thatch led her boys in through the back of the warehouse while Vista caused a distraction in the front of the building, tossing instructions over her shoulder, "Take out anyone you see and retrieve any valuables. They've been taking levies from the townspeople, and it's to go back to them."

She got a quiet, resounding affirmative before they got to work. The sounds of the fight out front were loud, but they didn't let it distract them from their task. They gathered everything they could back into the chests and bags that were already in the warehouse.

Thatch flipped through a stack of manifests, detailed accounts of not just this operation but several others. None, thankfully, in their territory, but Thatch figured Oyaji might be interested. She opened up a drawer and stared owlishly at what was inside.

A small chest lined with satin, the lid left open like it was meant as an offering just for her. Sitting on the satin was a cartoonishly purple fruit with teardrop swirls covering the outside and soft green leaves protruding from the stem. "I–oh, shit."

One of her boys stepped closer and reached for the fruit, handing it to his confused Commander. Thatch jerked, looking at him with confused, whiskey-coloured eyes. "Oyaji's rule, Mama Thatch; finder gets dibs."

Thatch barely stopped herself from stuttering a refusal. She had never considered what she'd do if her division ever found devil fruit. She honestly didn't know whether she wanted to eat it.

–

Whitebeard stared at the fruit, which looked like a grape in his massive paw. Thatch was frowning, even when Marco told her, "You don't have to eat it, yoi, but you should still think about it. Give it a couple of days, at least." His wife gave him a doe-eyed look of 'What the fuck do I do?'

"Marco's right," Pops' voice is distracted, still focused on the fruit. "It's a life-changing thing to eat a devil fruit. It's not a decision that should ever be made hastily."

Marco and Thatch exchanged a quick look, "What's up, Oyaji? Something bothering you?"

"This fruit seems familiar, like I've seen it before, but I know I never have."

Marco tilted his head, his pale eyebrows furrowed, "Maybe you knew the last user."

"Is that a thing? Recognizing a fruit based solely on who its last user was?" Thatch sounded skeptical, tucking her long hair behind her ear, the strands not styled into her typical victory roll.

Marco shrugged, a shit-eating grin crossing his face briefly before he realized Pops was giving him a considering look. "I know you were just bullshitting, brat, but that is a thought." Whitebeard leaned forward in his chair, offering Thatch the fruit back. "Think about it; if you choose not to eat it, bring it to me."

Marco blinked, his arms crossed, "But if Thatchie doesn't eat it, shouldn't it...?"

"Not this time." Shaking his head, Whitebeard relaxed back into his chair, "Call it an old man's intuition, Marco. This fruit is going to be a problem in the wrong hands."

"...Understood." Marco and Thatch leave the quarter-deck, with Thatch passing the fruit between her hands, a pensive light in her eyes.

She jumped, startled when a second division crewman appeared from around the corner. "Sorry 'bout that, Commander Thatch." Marshall D. Teach apologized, his cheerful grin displaying the gaps of his missing teeth.

Marco laughed, "Don't worry about it, Teach. Thatch has a lot on her mind." Teach caught sight of the fruit and breathed an understanding noise, placing his hands on his hips.

He knew every swirl and crevice on that tough purple skin, although he'd never seen it in person. His expression was carefully masked behind his normal personality.

"Damn, heard Fourth Division found something interesting, would never have expected it to be a fruit."

"We were pretty surprised to find it," Thatch shrugged. "You'd think Big Mom would have a 'send all the Devil Fruit to me' rule," she gestured ambiguously, agitated.

Teach chuckled, "Maybe they were keeping it for themselves." He tilted his head curiously, "Are you going to eat it?"

Thatch sighs, shrugging again, "Dunno; it's a pretty big decision to make. I'm going to give it a couple of days."

Teach nods, crossing his arms above his expansive belly. "That's fair. Do the pros outweigh the cons, that sort of thing?"

"An easy choice for some of us." Marco's voice was a touch self-deprecating. "But for others, the opposite is true." He put his hand on the back of Thatch's head and ruffled her hair.

Much to Thatch's consternation. She swung her arm out and slapped her hand against the bare skin of Marco's stomach. Marco yelps at the sting, even as he starts laughing, watching Thatch try to smooth out the mused strands.

"You're such a priss, yoi!"

"Just because you don't care that people compare you to a goddamn pineapple doesn't mean the rest of us need to be all lackadaisical about our appearances." She took another irritated swipe at her husband, who danced lightly out of range.

"Oooh, Mama Thatch is bringing out the big words," he teased, turning to dart away when Thatch moved to grab him.

They forgot that Teach was standing there. They didn't see his gaze fixed hungrily on the fruit Thatch was still carrying. He's a crewmate, after all, so they had no reason to find his interest suspicious.

No reason to think he'd ever hurt Thatch to get his hands on that fruit.

No reason to think he'd been waiting twenty years to see that fruit and that he'd do anything to possess it.

–

Teach made his move late in the evening the next day.

Thatch was finishing up her clean up in the galley. Her hair was pulled away from her face with one of her signature yellow scarves, and the knot was a cute bow on top of her head. The Devil fruit was nearby, within her line of sight as she worked.

Even as she finished her tasks, she was thinking about it. She heard the door to the kitchen open and figured it was just Marco coming to bother her, as he always did when she was late getting to bed, so she kept working.

The heavy footsteps threw her off, and she glanced up. Not fast enough. She caught a glimpse of Teach's unsmiling face as a piercing pain erupted in her back.

Blackbeard pulled the blade out uncaringly and let Thatch slump to the ground, gasping around the blood boiling up into her throat. She struggled to breathe, her chest awash with hurt. There was a pounding in her ears, and she barely heard Blackbeard's words.

"Real sorry 'bout this, Thatch. But I couldn't take the chance that you'd eat it. I've been waiting twenty years for the Yami Yami no mi, and I'm not going to lose it to the likes of you." Blackbeard crouched beside the fallen division commander, grabbing a handful of copper strands to turn her head. Her whiskey-coloured eyes were unfocused with pain, but Blackbeard was thrilled to see anger there, too, "Not dead yet, huh?"

"Maybe you'll live." Blackbeard grinned, voice mockingly thoughtful. "Maybe you'll be around when I kill Whitebeard and destroy his crew and allies. Maybe you'll be alive when I tear your pretty blond birdy to bits. Maybe you'll still be alive when I find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates."

"Maybe." Blackbeard straightened back up to his full height, palming the Devil Fruit in one hand and leaving.

Thatch whined and tried to move but found she couldn't. She watched helplessly as the red pool of blood that had been spreading beneath her expanded further and further out from her body. She wanted to yell and cry out, but her voice was gone.

–

Marco headed for the kitchen, wondering what was taking Thatch so long. Cleanup never took this long. His wife was too rigid about her nightly routine. She had to be, with how early she was up in the mornings.

The door to the galley is open, light pouring out into the dark corridor. Marco stopped in the doorway, his nose twitching at the familiar coppery metallic scent saturating the air, chokingly thick and cloying. "Thatch?"

He heard a soft, wheezing breath and darted further into the galley and into the kitchen.

The sight of his wife lying in a pool of her own blood had a flash of pure fear lancing through his heart. Her eyes were fluttering and fighting to stay open.

He yelled for help, wrestling his fear down and going into medical mode as he dropped down next to her. Marco let his hands light with his blue flame, resting them carefully against Thatch's sluggishly bleeding wound.

Jozu, who'd been on watch duty, came running with three other crewmen. The third division commander wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but he turned to one of his guys, "Go get Oyaji. Now."

"What happened?" He asked softly, not wanting to distract Marco from where his attention was on healing Thatch.

"Besides the fact that she's been stabbed, I don't know." Marco had blood on his hands underneath his flame, and it was soaked into the material of his pants. He tried desperately to ignore the fact that it was his wife's blood. "Send someone to grab my medical bag and a stretcher. We're going to have to move her." Jozu glanced over his shoulder, and one of the boys nodded, turning to do as asked. He almost ran headlong into Oyaji, who steadies him with one hand.

Whitebeard looked thunderous. He crossed the galley, his tread nearly silent, and took in all the details, watching Marco's careful hands on the bleeding wounds of one of his kids.

They waited for the crewman to bring Marco his bag and a stretcher.

Thatch coughed, wet and painful, and Marco was relieved to see her whiskey eyes flutter open once again. "We've got you, yoi."

Thatch's voice was weak, a shadow of her usually vibrant tones. "Teach." Whitebeard had to strain to hear her, and he felt a rage settle over himself. "...Wanted the fruit...Yami Yami no Mi." She fell silent and passed out again after saying what she needed to.

–

It was a week before Thatch could stay awake long enough to give the whole story. Whitebeard was sitting next to her bed in the med bay, "Not sure if he told me 'cause he was certain I'd die before anyone found me." Thatch's voice was tired and waning. Marco still had her lying on her stomach, the wound still too raw on her back. "Or maybe he wanted me to live."

Whitebeard's jaw clenched, his heart aching to see one of his girls in such a fragile state. "You said he wanted the fruit. You sure he said it was the Yami Yami no Mi?"

"Pretty sure." Thatch closed her eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath and wincing at the pain it brought. "Said he couldn't take the chance that I'd eat it." She opened her eyes and watched an almost scared look flash across Oyaji's eyes. "You did know the last user."

"Xebec D. Rocks." Whitebeard sighed, his eyes shifting to the side, "He was a monster without his fruit. But with it… It's not a good fruit but in the hands of someone like Teach..." Whitebeard shook his head, and his words trailed off.