Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You were going to be late for work. Again. And your boss was not going to be happy as it was the third time this week. You were working in a nice little café as a barista, not far from your house really. It was everything people liked: flowers on the façade, delicious homemade pastries and quality coffee beans. You enjoyed working there since you started four months ago, you found the customers relatively nice, and the team was quite fun.

However, you had been struggling recently. Working as a barista was not your full-time job, as you were still in university studying art history. You had wanted to find an occupation to make money on the side, but the classes were getting harder as you were approaching the end of your degree. You had to turn in your final dissertation in a couple months and you were nowhere near done. But you needed the money, you only had enough to cover rent thanks to your inheritance, your parents having passed a couple years ago. The money was starting to run out and you still needed to eat sometimes. Hence why you were working four days a week at the café.

The recent weeks had been particularly stressful, you were working on your dissertation most night and barely getting a decent amount of sleep. Having to wake up at 6am four times a week was definitely not doing you any favours. On top of that, you knew you were gonna have to move soon, since your landlord was doing renovations, and the rents had only gone up in the district you were. You might have to relocate further from the city and the commute would not be fun.

Entering the café, you received a severe look from your boss and tried to express how sorry you were, rushing to the back to put your apron on and start your shift. Quickly tying your hair in a ponytail, you washed your hands and did not waste anymore time. The line of customers was starting to get longer, since you only had your boss working on the machine.

“I’m really sorry, Matt, I…”

“Just do your job, we’ll talk later.”

Nodding apologetically, you started making the coffee orders, smiling at the customers through your exhaustion. You still enjoyed your job, but the small amount of sleep hours you got were making it difficult to get through your shifts. You had a couple of regulars coming in, smiling at you, and you got enough determination to keep working.

When you got a nod from your boss to take your break after four hours, you quickly went in the back, only to discover you had forgotten to pack your lunch. Thankfully, you were able to find a couple of slices of bread in the unsold goods basket and started munching, overthinking. If you wanted to put a real dent in your dissertation by the end of the week, you would have to go to the library for half a day tomorrow to complete your already extensive research. You were writing on the influence of Antiquity on the work of Alma-Tadema, a painter you had fallen in love with many years ago. His compositions had a nostalgic feeling to them and you loved how he always incorporated flowers in his paintings.

“Lena, we need to talk.”

Matt’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You had dreaded this conversation but there was no way to escape it. You looked up to face him, anxiously awaiting his judgement.

“Look, you can calm down, I’m not going to fire you. I know you have a lot going on and I was a student once too, so I get it. But you’re gonna have to get back on track, it’s been three times when I’m left to open alone, and I can only do so much. I hired you because I know you are serious, so prove me you can still be that person, okay ?”

“I promise Matt, I’m very sorry. I won’t be late again. I was working on my dissertation a lot recently and I lost my footing a bit. I’m going to sleep a bit this weekend and I’ll be good as new”

“Okay then.”

Smiling timidly, you let go of the breath you were holding. Your break was almost over now, so you went back out a bit early to show you were determined to make amends.

Five hours later, you finally took off your apron, having cleaned the coffee machine and filmed every remaining food. Matt and your other coworker Alba had gone home an hour before, leaving you to close the shop. Tomorrow you would be working with Alba again, who was funny and competent, and Josh, quite easy-going, so you were at least looking forward to it.

Finally turning the lights off, you checked everything was locked and got out, closing the door. You double checked the lock and finally let out an exhausted breath. It was only 5pm, so you had time to go work at the library. You always had your computer with you as well as your notebook ; the most you could make of your time, the better. The library was fifteen minutes away, so you put on some music and started walking. The weather was quite nice for fall, the chilly wind of October had not yet corrupted the air, and the later afternoons were nice. It would not be the same when you would return home at 10pm, after the library’s closing time, so you were happy to have your jacket with you.

Taking a right, you kept walking until you saw the library in the distance. At this time, there was going to be quite a lot of people there, but you always managed to find a spot. As you were going to cross the last road, you saw a car fast approaching, and you stepped back prudently. However, when turning your head, you saw that a little girl had started crossing the street, no doubt having escaped her parents’ vigilance. In a flash, you rushed to her to prevent a fatal accident.

“Watch out!”

Chapter Text

Your mind was quite fuzzy, you were hearing voices around you. Trying to regain your senses, you tried opening your eyes but got blinded by a strong light. You quickly raised an arm to protect you from the sun. You didn’t remember it being so vivid, the weather had been quite cloudy recently. Moving to a sitting position, you tried to take in your surroundings but only got confused. You were surrounded by men, only men, and could not see the little girl at all.

“You’re okay there, darling?” someone said.

You frowned at the voice and massaged your temples; your head was hurting.

“I’m okay… Where is the little girl? Is she safe?”

“What little girl?”

Turning your head towards the voice, you saw the face of a man with dark hair. You were a bit surprised at the red lipstick he was sporting but filed that thought for later, trying to focus on the question.

“The girl… She was crossing the street, and the car…”

“What is a car?”

You let out a laugh.

“You can stop with the check-in questions, I’m okay. I know what a car is, I’m 24 years old and my favourite colour is blue.”

“I am glad to know we share the same favourite colour darling, but I was serious about my question.”

Still a bit groggy, you looked at the man, trying to make sense of the situation. His face was familiar, but you couldn’t quite place it.

“Look, I’m grateful for your help, but I promise I am alright. Can you tell me if the little girl is safe? I swore I managed to grab her before she could get injured.”

“Let me so a check-up on her, Izou, she still doesn’t look okay, yoi.”

Turning towards the other voice, you looked at the man that had just spoken. He was tall, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. He also looked familiar. What was it with these men?

“Yes, she still does seem quite out of it.”

The blonde man tried to come close to you but your recoiled.

“Look, I am thankful for the help but I’m fine. Please don’t touch me.”

“Don’t be difficult, I just want to make sure you are not injured.”

“I’m telling you I’m not! Where is my bag? Where’s all my stuff ?”

You were starting to be annoyed with these men. While you were thankful they had checked on you, they were quite overbearing. Standing up, you regained your balance and the men circling you stepped away to give you more space. But as you looked around, you were shocked to see blue all around. How on earth had you ended up in the middle of the sea? And did that mean you were on a ship?

Said ship rocked at the same moment, making your thoughts real. You almost lost your balance, but the dark-haired man was quick to grab your arm, stabilizing you. You quickly pulled out of his grasp, panicking.

“How did I end up here? Are we on a ship? What is going on? Did you kidnap me?”

“Hold on there, miss, we didn’t kidnap you. You were the one to magically appear on our ship.”

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t choose to come here! What do you want ?”

Instinctively, you grabbed the closest thing you could, which was the short knife hanging on one of the guys’ sash. You quickly moved away until your back hit the railing.

“Don’t come closer of I’ll swear I’ll jump! I won’t let you hurt me!”

"Don’t you have a devil fruit? You’ll drown!”

“A devil fruit?” you said, at loss. “Like on that One Piece story?”

“You know something about the one piece?”

Letting out a short laugh, you noticed several things, still maintaining a death grip on the knife. Firstly, how serious these men were. Secondly, how familiar they looked. Other than the two that had talked to you, you recognized some faces, a man with a thin moustache and another with a pompadour. And God, was that a shark?

“What the fuck, this can’t be real. How – what did – who…?”

The blonde guy tried to talk again, coming a bit closer, hands in a placating manner.

“Miss, I promise no one here is going to hurt you, we’re just trying to make sense of the situation. Do you remember how you got here?”

“I… I’m gonna need a minute.”

Chapter Text

Having deescalated the situation, the blond guy asked you to follow him. They led you to a room inside their ship, which you still couldn’t wrap your head around. You had never been on a ship before, especially not one of this size, and it seemed you were faced with the characters of One Piece among all things. The dark-haired guy, Izou, had insisted to take you to a room so you could sit quietly and recover and allow the blonde guy to do a quick check. The guys with the pompadour had told you he would bring you something to eat and had disappeared further into the ship’s corridors.

You stepped into a room that looked like the infirmary and were faced with two women wearing extremely short dresses, supposed to be a nurse’s costume of sorts. You know you should not offend the people of this ship as you were not yet sure of their intentions, but you certainly were scandalised at this blatant show of misogyny.

The blonde guy waved for you to sit on the examination table, and he stood next to it, looking at you. Izou stayed back a bit and whispered something to the nurses who exited the room not before giving you a reassuring smile.

“My name is Marco, by the way. Are you okay with me doing the exam? I can always call back the nurses if you don’t feel comfortable”.

“I… No, it’s okay” Of course, he was Marco the Phoenix. “I’m sorry for implying that you would have hurt me earlier, it’s just that waking up surrounded by men can be quite intimidating as a woman.”

“It is absolutely fine, darling” said Izou. “I promise you can trust us. If there is even one man behaving inappropriately towards you on the Moby Dick, come see me and I promise it will be dealt with. We do not condone such behaviour.”

“You have my promise as well” said Marco.

You nodded, a small smile making its way to your lips. They seemed sincere, so you might as well rely on them. But you were not gonna go unharmed anyways, you intended to keep the knife you had taken.

“Alright, may I proceed? I’m just going to do a general check-up to make sure you don’t have injuries. You didn’t fall on deck, but you still appeared from nowhere, so we never know. Am I okay to touch you?”

He proceeded when you gave your okay, and blue flames ignited suddenly from his left palm. You let a gasp escape at that, which made Izou’s lips quirk up.

“Don’t worry, they don’t burn. I’m just gonna pass them over your body quickly, and we’ll know if something is wrong.”

He did as he said and you held up your breath by instinct, still a bit apprehensive. They were still flames after all. Once Marco was satisfied with your state, he pulled back and gave you a smile.

“All good. I saw you massage your temples earlier, are you still having a migraine? I can always give you a painkiller.”

“Um, no, thanks. I’m fine.”

“You can stay sat there, don’t worry. Take your time. Thatch should be arriving with food quickly.”

At this, your stomach made embarrassing noises, making you blush. The last thing you had eaten was the two slices of bread at the café during your break, and you had not gotten time to eat breakfast that morning since you had been late. This made you think of your predicament, your thoughts reeling. The reality of your situation was slowly dawning on you: what about the café? your studies? your whole life?

“Breathe with me, in, and out. In, and out.”

You followed Marco’s instructions and quickly regained your senses. You hadn’t even noticed you had started to panic. You regained a normal breathing with his help, but the feeling of dread was still there.

“I’m not supposed to be here.”

“If that’s the case, we’ll get you home quickly, no worries. Which island do you live in?”

“I don’t live on an island.”

Izou sat up straighter, and Marco tensed a bit.

“Are you from Mary Geoise then?”

“What? No!”

Of course, that would be the only other option in this world. But you were not from here. And you didn’t know how to start explaining that. Thankfully, Thatch arrived just then and saved you from this awkward conversation.

“There you go, sweetheart” he said, putting a tray on the table. “I made you small bits of everything since I didn’t know what you liked.”

You looked at the tray in awe. In fifteen minutes, he had managed to assemble nibbles of various foods, including onigiri, small sandwiches, dried fruit, crackers, a bowl of soup and an orange smoothie. Everything looked so delicious that you immediately dug in, not without thanking him profusely first.

“My pleasure, sweetheart. Eat as much as you’d like. You look like you haven’t had a full meal in a while.”

“I guess I haven’t, I didn’t have the time recently. This is incredible, thank you so much”.

“Who doesn’t have time to eat?” he inquired, amazed.

“Well, between my studies and my job, I don’t have time to cook a lot, I’ve been eating sandwiches for the last four days.” you admitted.

“Studies? What do you study?” Izou asked.

“Well, I…”

The thought made you stop. How to explain you were studying something that didn’t exist here? You couldn’t recall seeing much art in One Piece, and trying to explain millenaries of civilisations and art forms would be more than tricky.

“It’s complicated.”

“Are you saying we are too stupid to understand, sweetheart?”

“No, no, I’m sorry!” you panicked, scared at the thought of offending them when they had been so nice. “It’s just that I’m not sure that…”

“I’m joking, you are just cute to rile up.” the chef said.

His remark made you blush and duck your head.

“Thatch, don’t play with her. She is definitely out of your league.”

You whipped your head up so quick at Izou’s remark that you neck hurt. The man was looking at you with a smirk, obviously enjoying your reactions. Next to you, Marco sighed before reigning in his brothers.

“Stop it, you two. By the way, we still don’t know your name.”

“I’m Lena.”

“Well Lena, I think you could use some rest. Why don’t you stay here for a bit until we can arrange a cabin for you?”

“Actually, I need to talk to your captain.”

“And why would you?” Izou furrowed his eyebrows. “Not that he won’t want to see you, but I don’t see the urge.”

“It’s complicated. Actually, I would need to talk to you all, I mean all the commanders. If possible.”

The three men exchanged looks.

“What I don’t understand darling” said Izou “is that you didn’t seem to know who we were some minutes ago, but you now need to speak to all of us imperatively?”

“I’m sorry, I know it’s weird, but I really need to speak to you. And Whitebeard.”

They exchanged some more looks before Marco stood up.

“I’m gonna talk to Pops, you two stay with her.”

Marco left and you stayed with Izou and Thatch, feeling nervous. The two were looking at you with curiosity, at least there was no malice in their eyes. You knew Whitebeard’s crew was one of the “good” crews, but they were still pirates. And you didn’t know how they would react when you told them they were all fictional characters for you.

“Well, tell us a bit more about you. What Blue are you from?”

You looked at Thatch with despair. “I’m sorry, it will be easier if I speak to all of you. There will be too many questions otherwise.”

“Alright, darling, we’ll be patient.” Izou placated. “Can you just tell me what is your sweater made of? I have never seen this type of fabric before.

“I think it’s alpaca. I found it in a thrift shop. I’m not sure.”

“Alpaca?”

“It’s a type of sheep? I don’t really know much more about it, sorry.”

Izou stopped his questioning there and adopted a pensive look. You resumed nibbling on the food, enjoying each bite. You had often wondered how Thatch’s food would taste, and you were not disappointed. Marco came back a couple minutes later and waved for you to follow him.

“Pops will see you, and I gathered the other commanders as well. I really hope you’re not wasting our time here.”

You gulped. You had no idea how you were gonna tell you story but you knew one thing: it was not gonna be easy to convince a bunch of pirates that you came from another world.

Chapter Text

One thing was clear, the manga did not do justice to this man’s size. Edward Newgate was sitting in a huge chair at the other end of a huge table, around which were the other commanders of the Moby Dick. You were feeling like a mouse compared to them. Thankfully, Izou and Tatch had remained close to you, while Marco had gone sitting next to his captain.

On the left side of the table were standing you two new acquaintances, a huge man with his hair tied into buns, Jozu if your memory served well, a scary guy with a yellow bandana, the shark or rather fishman you had seen earlier, a man with a green striped hat and another huge man with a cigar, Fossa you remembered. On the other side of the table were sitting who you thought was Vista with his thin moustache, a tall guy with an Arthurian knight-looking haircut, a small and young man looking like a leprechaun (was it Haruta?) looking ridiculous next to a giant wearing some kind of Viking hat, and some guy looking like some sort of monk. But the dark-haired man at the far end of the table was the one to make you blanch. Portgas D. Ace. You knew he was hot headed from the story and you were quite relieved he was the furthest from you, considering what you were going to share.

Your hands were trembling a bit but you stood up straight and looked at Whitebeard.

“Sir, I have something to tell you but it’s quite a long story.”

The giant looked at you and you tried not to falter under his gaze.

“Well go on then. We are all ears. I love a good story.”

You looked at Izou on your left for some courage and started speaking.

“This is going to sound absolutely mad, but I promise I am telling the truth. I would be grateful if you do not interrupt me as it is already quite the story to tell, and I don’t want to miss important details.”

You were anxiously fiddling with your sweater as you continued.

“From where I am from, you are all characters in a story. And you all die.”

Despite your warning, several commanders started raising their voice.

“Is that a threat, lil’ lady? Who do you think you are?”

“No, I promise it’s not! Please, let me speak!”

“Let her speak, my sons. Don’t get ahead of yourselves.”

You gratefully resumed.

“I know it sounds ludicrous, but I promise you it’s true. For me you are all in a story about the next king of the pirates finding the One Piece. And you die while defending one of yours. There is a certain chain of events that make you lose everything. From what I know, Marco is pretty much the only one left alive after what happens.”

You were aware that the men in the room were physically restraining themselves to not interrupt you again, but they were staying silent for now.

“I can prove it. I know things about you and about this world that I couldn’t know as an outsider. Izou, your sister Kiku in Wano is alive, as are the Red Scabbards. Momonosuke is going to come back and save your country.” You heard Izou gasp and saw him grasp Thatch’s sleeve. “I know you sailed with Whitebeard because Lord Oden wanted to explore the seas. Oden then followed Gol D. Roger until Laugh Tale. Whitebeard, I know you were part of Rocks D. Xebec’s crew. I know about the poneglyphs and your friendship with Roger. I also know some things about the Void Century. Ace, I know you were raised in Dawn Island, with Luffy and Sabo, and that-“

You weren’t able to finish as the young man jumped from the other side of the table to grasp your throat roughly. Your hands immediately flew at your neck, trying to relieve to pressure as you struggled to breathe. The weight on you disappeared as quickly as it had come and you breathed loudly, trying to regain your senses. Ace was fighting to get Izou from his back, but the man was not budging.

“That is enough!”

Whitebeard’s voice broke through the scuffle, and you looked up at him, still shook by what had happened.

“Ace, I am disappointed in you. What would possess you to hurt a woman like that? Have you lost your mind?”

“Don’t you see Pops? She’s clearly gonna use that against us! She knows things she shouldn’t!” He turned at you and snarled “How do you know about Luffy? About Sabo, even? No one here knows!"

“Ace, it’s a story for me. Please, I know it’s hard to believe. But I only want to help you. I don’t know exactly when we are in the story now, but I will do everything in my power to make sure you survive. You die because there is a traitor on your crew. He kills Thatch for a devil fruit and you go after him trying to make things right. But the Marine captures you and everyone here tries to save you at Marineford. They execute you because of who you are.”

“Don’t you dare say another word!”

“Everyone here comes to your rescue then. Do you really think they will turn your backs on you? They are your nakama, Ace.”

Ace stopped struggling against Izou to look at you. You were scared by the hatred in his eyes, but you could see a spark of hesitation in there too. From what you had said, the other commanders could believe Ace was captured because of his status as Second Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, but his reaction had cast a doubt in their eyes. You knew you had made a mistake by hinting at a secret he had hidden since his birth, but he needed to trust his family to prevent a catastrophe. When he had been on the execution platform, he was keen on dying, not thinking he deserved to live. And you were determined to change that.

“Son.”

Whitebeard’s voice once again cut through the tension and his youngest whipped his head to look at him.

“Everyone here loves you. They will not think differently of you, I promise.”

Ace looked around and you saw him hesitating before he opened his mouth to speak those words he had always detested.

“My genitor… is Gol D. Roger.”

The silence that followed his confession was the loudest you had ever heard. But it was quickly broken by Thatch who hit him on the head.

“You idiot! This changes nothing!”

Ace turned to him, before looking at the other commanders as well, trying to find the slightest hint of rejection. But he found none, as all were looking at him like they always did. With more affection, even.

“Why don’t you hate me? I’m the son of the cruellest man who ever lived! Everyone hates him!”

“You’re my son, Ace. That’s all that matters to me and to them. They’re your brothers. Do you really think so little of them? We love you.”

Tears fell off Ace’s eyes at this and your heart broke for him. The manga had made you cry profusely then, but seeing the young man breaking down in front of you was even harder. You felt like you didn’t belong in this room and tried to leave discreetly, but Ace stopped you before you could.

“Listen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hurt you.”

You nodded, accepting his apology.

“You just revealed what I hate most about myself, but it wasn’t your fault. And… I believe you. There is no way you could know about that and about Sabo otherwise. Would you… continue with your story?”

“I’m sorry as well Ace, I didn’t intend to force you to share your secret.”

“It’s done. And apparently they don’t hate me anymore that they normally do when I annoy them, which is good. But guys, could this stay between us? I’m not sure telling everyone would be a good idea.”

Everyone in the room agreed and you all went back to your original seats except Ace, who took a spot right next to you.

“As I said, there is a traitor in your crew, and he is incredibly dangerous.”

“I seriously hope you have some proof to back up this accusation, lady!”

Vista was the one to speak the loudest but everyone agreed and hardened their stares.

“I trust all of my sons, and while you have said some true things, this is indeed harder to believe. I really hope you have some proof.”

“Well, not exactly. I know what happens, but his treachery is only discovered after he flees.”

“You said I died.”

Your turn your gaze to Tatch, who is observing you intensely.

“You said he kills me for a devil fruit, but I don’t have one, I haven’t eaten one.”

“I know. But you will find one at some point and it’s the one he’s been looking for years. It’s the main reason he joined your crew, aside from benefitting from Whitebeard’s protection and shadow. No one suspected him before he acted. Though Shanks already had strong hateful feelings towards him.”

“Shanks? What does he have to do with anything?”

“Teach.”

It was Marco who spoke. Everyone turned to look at him but he maintained his gaze on you.

“It’s Teach, isn’t it? He gravely harmed Shanks many years ago. He’s been with us for decades but never expressed the will to become a division commander. And you said Ace went after the traitor, so it would only make sense that he would be from his division.”

The looked you addressed him said it all. You heard several gasps and louder reactions as everyone tried to deny the ugly truth.

“He’s after the Yami Yami no Mi" you confessed "the fruit that controls darkness. It is the most dangerous fruit to exist, because it negates the powers of the other devil fruits and can even allow its owner to hold two devil fruits. He ends up with the Gura Gura no Mi.”

This last sentence caused a proper commotion.

“He can’t steal it from Pops! He would never let this happen!” Curiel exclaimed.

“Based on what I know, during the Summit War of Marineford, Edward Newgate falls while defending his sons. And Teach arrives after the battle like a coward and takes the fruit for himself. But I’m never gonna let that happen. I promise, I will do everything in my power to prevent this.”

Chapter Text

Your words were said with such determination that the commanders around the room looked at you with a newfound respect.

“The only thing we need to do is prevent Teach from getting that fruit in the first place. This will be the final proof that everything I’ve said is true. I know you cannot force a confession out of him, so you need to set him up. But please, be careful. He is so much more dangerous that you could ever imagine. Please.”

“We will settle that today” declared Whitebeard. “I will put my son to the test, lady, but be careful. If you led us on, I will show no mercy.”

Trembling a bit under the threat, you nodded in agreement. The meeting was finished for now, every other piece of information could wait until this matter was settled. The commanders all went back to their divisions and Whitebeard took Marco in his room for a captain-first mate talk, after ensuring his sons would keep quiet about what was revealed. You stayed back; the last thing you wanted to do was pin where in the timeline you had arrived. Had Luffy already gotten his first bounty? Was he still in Dawn?

“Ace, can we talk for a minute please?”

The dark-haired man looked at you and agreed quickly. Having heard your request, Izou quickly threatened Ace if he thought of hurting you again and gave you a warm and reassuring look before leaving you two alone.

“I just need to know where Luffy is right now.”

“Why do you need to know that? What is your concern with my brother?”

You could feel the love he had for him behind his defensiveness. You were pretty sure though that what you were gonna tell him was about to make him the happiest brother on Earth. Or rather on the Grand Line.

“Well, all the information I have comes from a story as you now know, but I didn’t specify what the story was about.

You paused a second for dramatic effect.

“It’s about the next king of the pirates, Monkey D. Luffy.”

Ace’s jaw dropped at that.

“Luffy… You’re not having me on, are you?’

“Promise. The story is not finished, but we all know it’s gonna be him.”

He laughed incredulously.

“Gosh, I should have known. If someone can make it, it’s him or Pops.”

“So, where is he now?”

Ace looked pensive for a minute.

“He got his first bounty a few weeks ago, so I think he might have passed Reverse Mountain by now. If he didn’t get distracted on his way that is.”

You definitely had appeared at the right time then. When Luffy met Ace in Alabasta, the Second division commander was already after Teach, which meant Thatch had been killed some weeks earlier.

“Alright, thank you. And about Sabo… I know it’s going to sound crazy, but I didn’t mention him earlier just in passing. You need to know he’s alive.”

The broken look Ace gave you almost tested your resolve to give him a hug after everything you had put him through today.

“He lost his memories after getting shot by the celestial dragon. He was taken in by Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy’s real dad and head of the Revolutionaries. He is chief of staff now, by the way.

“Sabo…”

“He’s good now, I promise. He just can’t remember you or Luffy or Dadan. But I’m sure that if you manage to contact Dragon, you could trigger his memories. He actually remembered when seeing your death in the papers. But now you can see him again before anything happens and help him.”

You instinctively recoiled when Ace moved abruptly but relaxed as you were engulfed in a hug. You could feel the tension fall from his shoulders in relief, and you reciprocated the gesture timidly. The dark locks were hiding his face but you felt the tears fall on your shoulder. His figure was slightly trembling, but you said nothing and just held him.

“Thank you. This is… thank you.”

He broke the hug and blushed a bit, realizing how intimately he had invaded your space.

“Sorry…”

“It’s okay. I’ll be happy if I can help you reunite with your brother.”

He nodded with a grateful stare and left the room, leaving you alone. The meeting had been intense, and you definitely needed some rest. Maybe you could go check if the cabin Marco had promised was ready, but you had no idea who to ask, as the blonde was probably still with his captain.

You decided to explore on your own and started walking down a corridor, only to be met with Thatch.

“Oh sweetheart, there you are! My division just finished preparing tonight’s dinner; would you care to join me to the dining hall?”

“Actually, if that’s not too much to ask, would you show me where I could sleep? It’s been a rather long day.”

“Of course not! Marco gave you one of the cabins in the nurses’ corridor, follow me.”

You followed suit as he led you through the many corridors, taking advantage of the walk to show you around a bit.

“Alright sweetheart, there you are. The next corridor is the commanders’, so feel free to come to us if you have any problem.”

He opened the door and you stepped into a small room with a bed, a desk and a closet. A small door led to a private bathroom, which you could only be relieved about. You had never been a fan of communal showers, and you certainly were not looking to share bathing rooms with pirates.

“I’ll let you get settled, sweetheart. And you can always come see me if you need anything, I’d be more than happy to tuck you in at night.”

You snorted at that, what a flirt. With a wink, he turned around but you stopped him before he could leave.

“Wait! My bag… did you find my bag on the deck earlier?”

“There wasn’t anything with you when you appeared, sweetheart, I’m sorry. But I’m positive we’ll be able to provide you with anything you need, you just have to tell us. I’ll go see Izou now so he can help with clothes at least, he is very talented with that. Don’t you worry.”

You didn’t have the heart to tell him everything in your bag was alien to this world and forced a smile instead, thanking him. He left and closed the door, leaving you with your thoughts.

You fell down on your bed, face down, mourning your old life. On top of leaving friends and colleagues behind, basically everything you had studied for had been erased in a second. Every event in history, every painting, every artist was lost. You had spent five years studying every movement, art form, technique possible only to end up in a world where you didn’t have access to that anymore. The only thing remaining were your memories, and you were more than mediocre at drawing to try and put them on paper.

Tears started to fall at that. You had landed in a world where the sea was the most important element, pirates were engaging in fights everyday like it was a lunch activity and danger was at every corner. You had no survival skills and no idea how to literally navigate this world. Ironically, you felt it was safer to stay with the Whitebeard pirated than try to live a normal life on some island, but you weren’t sure you would have a choice anyway. At least you hadn’t fallen on some psychopathic crew’s deck. You might have a chance at surviving but you were gonna have to strengthen up quickly.

The exhaustion took over and you quickly went to sleep. Tomorrow you’ll try to find solutions, bur for now, you needed over twelve hours of sleep.

Chapter Text

You woke up to the sound of someone knocking. The memories of the day before came back to you as you looked at the room you were in. The knocking intensified and you got up to open the door. Izou was standing there, a pile of materials in his hands. You groggily looked at him and he looked back at you with a kind smile.

“Hello darling, I’m sorry if I woke you up but you slept for twenty hours straight. We were starting to get worried.”

He pushed past you and you watched him open the closet and fill it with the pile of clothes he had been holding.

“I brought you some clothes since you don’t have your own. Don’t worry, I am amazing at sizing up people, everything should be your size. As for your undergarments, I went to the nurses and got you some new ones. You should be all set.”

“Thank you very much Izou, this is very kind of you. I didn’t want to be a bother.”

“Darling, if there is one thing I know, it is that leaving your home abruptly can be hard. I left Wano to follow my Lord Oden as you apparently know, and I had to leave everything behind in a second. And you didn’t even make the decision yourself, it was taken from you, so it must be even harder. I will do everything in my power to ensure you are happy here.”

He reached for your face and swiped up a tear you hadn’t even noticed had escaped from your eyes.

“Look, you still look exhausted, you should take a bath and I will come and get you in about thirty minutes for breakfast. It’s almost 10am but I asked Thatch to put some food aside for you and me so we could eat together.”

“You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“I didn’t, but I wanted to. This is no bother sweetness, now relax, get dressed and we’ll go down together to the dining hall.”

You truly were grateful for Izou. He had been nothing but kind since you had gotten here, always protecting you. From what you had seen from his story in Wano, he was one of the most loyal men you could meet, so being the object of his protection was a privilege you intended to keep.

Stepping into the bathroom, you drew a bath and worked to get the grime off you. You hadn’t realised how tensed your muscles were, but one dip in the water made you realise how much you needed it. A feeling of relaxation went through you and you enjoyed this bubble of wellness for a while. You did not spend too much time relaxing though as you knew Izou would come back soon enough. Drying off with the fluffy towel that had been placed for you, you then went to look into the closet and chose a crop top with puffy sleeves and flare trousers you found complimented your tone. As promised, the size was just right, Izou was truly talented. He had also picked up on the fact that your style was definitely different from the nurses’, so thankfully the length of the top was rather reasonable in covering. You didn’t mind showing some skin, but there was a line to be drawn. You put on the sneakers you had on yesterday, mulling over the fact they probably were the last thing you had from your own world, along with the sweater and jeans. You had seen a pair of heels in the closet, but you had yet to find your footing on this ship and it would only make it harder for you.

You were almost done with your hair when a knock on the door followed by Izou’s voice pulled you out of your quiet routine. You opened the door and smiled at the samurai, who took in your appearance and gave an approving glance.

“Come on darling, you must be starving.”

You were in fact famished. You both quickly got to the dining hall and Izou let you to a big table at the end of the room.

“This is the commanders’ table, but you are welcome to sit here anytime. I know it can be stressful to be surrounded by people you don’t know, so this way no one will cause you any problems.”

“Thank you.”

Thatch then appeared and brought you both plates with a stack of pancakes with fresh fruit that made you salivate. Maple syrup had been drizzled on top, just the right amount.

“Sweetheart, I hope this is to your liking. I forgot to ask yesterday, but do you have any allergies I should know of?”

“No, I’m not allergic to anything. And thank you, this looks once again incredible.”

“Don’t give him too many compliments, darling, it’ll go straight to his head. We haven’t properly checked, but we think the pompadour inflates every time.”

“Izou, you bastard” sputtered Thatch. “Here I am cooking delicious pancakes for you and you can’t even let me receive the compliments of a beautiful flower.”

Your face turned red so quick you must have looked like a tomato.

“Please, I know I’m not… Nevermind.”

Izou raised a brow at your protestation but didn’t comment on it. Thatch sat down next to his brother, facing you.

“What’s your favourite dish sweetheart?” he inquired.

“I like most things, really, except seafood, which I realise is not the most practical when you’re on a ship. I would say my favourite dish is probably ramen.”

“Great! I’ll make some for tonight.”

“You don’t have to!” you exclaimed rapidly. “I am fine with everything you will make, I promise.”

“Don’t fret, darling, our chef here loves cooking, and it’s your official first day with us, so let us treat you. Everyone loves ramen anyway.”

“Well, if you’re sure…”

Thatch gave you a smile so bright you were tempted to close your eyes.

“May I ask you a question Izou?”

“Of course.”

“I wanted to know, why didn’t you go back to Wano after Oden died?”

At that he paused for a second, mulling over his answer.

“I thought about it” he replied with a sigh. “I had decided to stay even when he left the crew to join Roger, and I did consider going back to Wano after hearing of his passing. But I wouldn’t have been able to take down Kaido on my own. And now knowing the Red Scabbards are alive and that Kikunojo is well and safe, you have put my mind at ease a bit. I don’t know if I made the right decision, but I am with my nakama here and I know someday I will be able to avenge Oden-sama’s death.”

You nodded, thinking of the liberation of Wano you had read about. You hoped you would be able to help him someday. You were certainly gonna do everything in your power to do so.

“And about… the fruit problem on the ship, has it been settled yet?”

“Not yet” Thatch replied. “He is planned to come back tomorrow from a mission, so we will act then.”

You could feel that the subject was unnerving for them but you wouldn’t rest until the bastard had been put down. Only twenty-four hours left.

“I know about Izou’s life, but I have to admit I know next to nothing about you, Thatch. What made you join the crew?”

“Well, I’m from a small island from West Blue. It was quiet compared to the pure chaos that the rest of the sea suffers from but my parents were ones of the most disgusting people you could meet. They had slaves and acted like kings to gain the favour of the celestial dragons. Needless to say, I didn’t wait much before leaving them behind. I left when I was fifteen. After travelling for a bit, working as a cook on some ships, I ended up in one of Pops’ territories on the Grand Line and he took me in. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I’ve only read about the celestial dragons, but they surely sound like the worst people imaginable. I’m sorry your parents were not kind to you. Seeing you now, I would never have guessed you came from such a family.”

“Well, that is simply the best compliment you could give me, so thank you sweetheart.”

You were getting more and more comfortable with the idea of being around these guys. They seemed like genuinely good people. You ate your stack of pancakes, savouring the raspberries and blueberries that came with, and chatting idly with the two commanders, until you felt something tug at your leg. Looking down, you saw a dog sporting what looked like… a moustache?

“Well, it seems that Stefan already likes you. He’s Pops’ dog. Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite, he’s very well behaved.”

Encouraged by Thatch’s words, you went to pet the dog, letting your fingers comb his white fur. After a few seconds, he jumped to settle on your knees and you laughed lightly, he was just too cute.

“I’m gonna have to get started on lunch, sweetheart” said Thatch “so I’ll see you later. Have fun with Izou!”

You turned you gaze to the samurai.

“Don’t you have things to do with your division? I don’t want to keep you from your duties, I can totally go back to my cabin. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You could never be a bother, darling. My division can handle things for the morning. I had planned to give you a proper tour of the Moby Dick if you’re up for it, once you’re finished with your breakfast.”

“That would be very kind, Izou. If you’re sure.”

You quickly finished your plate and went to dispose of it but Izou quickly dismissed you, saying someone would take care of it. He signalled for you to follow him and you exited the dining hall, not before giving a last pet to Stefan.

You remembered the Moby Dick was made of Adam wood, supposedly the best wood possible for building a ship. You hadn’t really paid attention to it with how busy yesterday had been, but if you came close to it, you could see it was special. You raised your palm and put it on the wood, sensing a sort of energy. It was a weird feeling, not a pulse, more like a connection with the ship itself.

“You can feel it?”

You turned to Izou, who seemed to have observed you attentively.

“I don’t know” you breathed “it’s weird. I don’t know how to describe it.”

He came close to you and put his own palm over yours, gently.

“Not everyone can sense it, but our ship has a mind of her own. I know it can sound impossible, but it wouldn’t be the strangest thing on these seas.”

His hand felt warm on yours, and you suddenly felt shy at the thought. You quickly withdrew your hand and lowered your head, your cheeks suddenly a bit hot. You couldn’t see the smirk Izou sported but you could certainly imagine it.

“You are certainly curious, darling. I can assure you most of the men on this ship are not aware of this detail. Yet, you seem to have no problem feeling it.”

Izou’s eyes were examining your face, not with malice but with curiosity.

“I don’t know why. Look, from where I’m from, we don’t have magical fruits, magical ships or anything of the sort. I’m still trying to realise that I’m gonna have to accept all of this as my new reality.”

The samurai hummed before turning around.

“Come on then, I still have a lot to show you.”

He took you around the ship during the next hour, presenting the different divisions and their missions. As commander of the sixteenth division, he was responsible for all intelligence missions and Whitebeard’s territories, checking on the islands under their protection. They sometimes had trouble with idiotic and hot-headed rookies trying to make a name for themselves and threatening the local populations of those islands, and his division along with Rakuyo’s would take care of the problem if needed. As gentle as Izou was with you, you clearly didn’t wish to be on the bad side of his guns and incur his wrath. Rakuyo’s spiked ball was not something you wanted to experience either.

Izou led you to the different divisions to formally meet the commanders you had seen the day before and you spoke a bit with each of them, trying to have a cordial conversation. You were aware it would take some time before they would warm up to you, so you were walking on eggshells, asking simple questions and praising the work they did.

Fossa, despite his size, was surprisingly the most welcoming one. As head of the fifteenth division, he was the chief boatswain of the ship and took care of sails and rigging. He demonstrated how to hoist the sails and your jaw dropped and the show of strength. The He had only taken three puffs of his cigar before the sail was up and swollen by the wind. He gruffly laughed at your reaction but seemed flattered by it.

You didn’t get time to meet all of the commanders as lunch got around the corner and the crew was called to eat. Izou had left you with Fossa when he had seen you were in good hands so you decided to make your way there on your own. You thought you remembered the way but after circling for ten minutes, you started to get annoyed. The corridors all looked alike and no one was around to help you. Sighing, you tried to recognize anything around you but were quickly disappointed. At that moment, you heard a door closing and you quickly tried to get close to the sound to catch the person who would help you. Turning a corner, you were faced with the first mate of the Whitebeard pirates.

“Oh!”

He turned to look at you and you saw the dark circles around his blue eyes. This was a drastic change from yesterday; though he had a rather sleepy look, he clearly looked exhausted.

“Are you okay?”

The question escaped your lips and he sighed before answering you curtly.

“Yes. It’s been rather busy in the last twenty-four hours… no thanks to you.”

You gulped. While you knew he wasn’t mad at you, you could still feel his irritation and cold demeanour.

“Did you need something? I thought Izou was supposed to be babysitting you.”

“He was.” Well, thank you for that kind remark. “But then I stayed with Fossa and now I’m trying to find my way to the dining hall, but I got lost. Sorry.”

The air was definitely getting thicker and the situation more and more uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, I’m gonna go, I’ll find…”

“Follow me, yoi.”

He didn’t wait and started walking, and you had to rush to catch up to him. He was much taller than you, even though you were not a short woman by any standards. This seemed to be a staple for the men of this universe and your neck was already tired of looking up every time. At least Haruta and Ace were closer to you in height, but they could still loom over you by one head.

You arrived at the galley soon and the embarrassingly silent walk ended quicker than you had feared, to your relief. Mumbling a thanks to Marco, you made a beeline to the commanders table while he stopped to chat with one of the crew members. You quickly took a seat next to Ace who smiled at you, not noticing your embarrassment. He quickly went back to eating the insane amount of food piled on several plates and you took a breath, calming down.

“Whah-yo-dho-mo-in?”

“What?”

Ace was looking at you, speaking with his mouth full, and you couldn’t suppress a grimace at the disgusting display. Apparently, breathing, eating and talking at the same time was not an issue for him, but it certainly was not appealing. Thatch appeared at that moment and bonked him on the head, drawing a cry of protestation from the freckled commander.

“Good grief, Ace, it’s been two years with us, you should have learned some manners by now. This is no way to speak to a woman, especially a lovely lady such as Lena here.”

The wink he sent you at his last words made you blush once more. You had been subjected to a certain number of remarks in the last twenty-four hours but it didn’t make you uncomfortable; it was flattering but you knew they were just joking. Ace mumbled under his breath for being scolded and swallowed with a loud gulp.

“I said, what did you do this morning?” he repeated, the question much clearer this time.

“Oh, well Izou gave me a tour of the Moby Dick and Fossa taught me how the sails worked. I have to confess I did not understand everything but I really enjoyed watching him work, it is quite impressive. I’m pretty sure the ropes would send me flying if I ever tried to hold them though.”

The two men laughed at that.

“Well sweetheart, what can I get you to eat?” asked Thatch. “I made tonkatsu curry for everyone but I can always whip up something else for you if it’s not to your liking.”

“No, it’s perfect! I love curry.”

“Alright, give me a minute, love.”

Thatch had just left when you saw Marco approaching and quickly ducked your head, having had enough of those icy interactions for the day. Thankfully, he was not there for you.

“Ace, yoi, I need the paperwork from your last mission. It was supposed to be done last Monday already.”

“Sorry Marco! Promise I’ll do it today; I was busy charting another island we went to. I talked to Pops about it, we might include it in our territory, it’s a very small one but it could be useful for pit stops.”

Marco nodded and unfortunately took a seat at the table, though he left a space between you. Thatch came back with two plates in his hands and put one steaming dish in front of you, the rich smell tickling your nose.

“There, Marco, I saw you arriving” he said as he put the other plate in front of the phoenix.

“Thanks Thatch, yoi. By the way, Pops want to talk to you about the next island we’ll stop at, for the restocking. He said there was a local alcohol he wanted to buy.”

“I’ll make sure to meet him later. Enjoy your lunch guys. And milady.”

You smiled and thanked him before digging in. You were not disappointed, the spices and the flavours were incredible. Next to you, Ace had finished eating what looked like his fourth serving and looked satisfied.

“Ace, do you have any book I could borrow?” you asked him. “I want to learn more about your world.”

You said that last part quietly, worried someone from the crew would hear you.

“Sorry love, but I mainly have books about cartography and navigation, nothing about history. But Marco has some! Hey Marco, you don’t mind lending her one of your history books, do you?”

The blue eyes that turned to you begged to differ but the blonde man nodded anyways.

“Of course. I’ll bring you some later.”

“Thank you.”

He didn’t even acknowledge your answer and went back to eating. You knew he was obviously stressed by the whole ordeal, you had after all made some serious revelations yesterday. You could guess he hadn’t made up his mind about you yet and was waiting for the confirmation that would soon come with Teach’s treason. In his mind, you had accused one of his brothers, and even if he wasn’t closest to Teach, he was still going to trust him above you. You only hoped he would not hold you responsible even when he would discover everything you said was in fact true.

You finished your meal and decided to go back to your cabin, you knew the way since you had done the same exact trip with Izou this morning. Once the door was closed behind you, you felt your shoulders relax. Having nothing better to do, you slumped on your bed and closed your eyes. A few minutes of sleep would do you good.

Chapter Text

You were woken up by loud voices. And from looking out the porthole, you quickly realised the two minutes you had envisaged had turned into hours, and it was already evening. Your body had definitely not recovered from the whole ordeal. How tired could someone be from jumping into another universe?

You quickly went to the bathroom to try and arrange your tired face but gave up fairly quickly. Your eyes were still puffy from the impromptu nap. Rearranging your ponytail, you decided a quick stroll on deck would help, the wind would certainly clear your mind.

You met a few men on the way, who all nodded at you while you answered timidly. When you finally reached the main deck, you inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the sea in the evening. There were more people than you were expecting though, way more than earlier. You couldn’t see any familiar face but shrugged it off, you could not always have a bodyguard with you.

“Zehahahaha, no one told me we had taken a new nurse on board!”

Your blood froze at that laugh and your hands started trembling. You were not prepared to hear that voice and started panicking. You heard people come closer and you slowly turned around, only to discover the face you hated and feared: Marshall D. Teach.

The man was even more hideous now that he was real, and the missing teeth were somehow even more terrifying. He was looking at you with a dark glint in his eyes and a shiver of disgust went through you.

“Well hello, beautiful. When did you join? And why aren’t you in uniform? I can’t wait to see you in that very short dress… You will look delectable.”

You blanched at that and took a step back.

“Teach!”

The voice that cut through the air provoked you an immense relief and you mentally thanked Izou. Turning to look at the samurai who was cutting through the crowd, you saw the murderous look in his eyes and regaining your bearings a bit.

“You know I don’t condone harassing women.”

“Of course not, commander, I was simply welcoming her into the crew. We have a new sister, after all!”

You saw Izou struggle internally and he nodded, choosing to end the conversation there, but not without throwing you a reassuring glance.

“Lena here will be travelling with us for a while. She’s not joining the crew but she is under our protection.”

You knew Izou was telling the simple truth but your heart still hurt at that comment, to you own surprise. The samurai gestured for you to join him and you didn’t hesitate, relieved to leave Teach behind. Once you two left the upper deck and stepped away from the crowd, Izou stopped to look at you, concern in his eyes.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry about that, Teach has always been a bit… crude.”

“I’m fine. Promise.” you quickly reassured him. “I was more surprised to see him than anything else, even if I could have gone without his distasteful comments.”

Izou clicked his tongue as a flicker of anger passed through his brown eyes.

“I should have found you sooner. His team came back earlier than planned and we barely had time to prepare properly.”

“How are you going to handle… him?”

He sighed and took you further, making sure no one was around before answering you.

“It’s not that simple, darling. We need to be careful not to push him so he won’t suspect anything, only drop the breadcrumbs we need. We will mention at dinner that Thatch found a devil fruit a week ago, and that he’s still considering what to do about it. We went through the devil fruits encyclopaedia to get a physical description of the fruit, and to be able to throw hints that it is the one he’s looking for. We won’t leave Thatch alone for a second tonight, he’ll be in the kitchen as usual, tidying everything, but I will be there hidden along with Ace to prevent him from hurting our brother.”

“Please Izou, I cannot stress that enough, but please be careful. He is not the person you think you know, he has been hiding for so long in order to find this devil fruit. He will stop at nothing to get his hands on it.”

The man’s hands came to envelop yours and he held your gaze.

“I promise, Lena. Don’t worry, everything will be just fine.”

Everything was not fine. You had gone back to your cabin, afraid to cross the path of that creepy individual again. The wait was killing you, and you had heard nothing from Izou yet. It was already 11pm and you paced in your room, overthinking too much to be able to rest. You couldn’t help the nagging feeling that something was gonna go wrong.

Going to your desk, you pulled out the knife you had stolen on your first day and held it in a death grip. You opened the door and looked left and right before making your way to the kitchens. What if the plan had failed? What if something had happened to Izou and Ace? Was Thatch okay?

You jumped at a creaking sound, regretting your decision already. Why didn’t you stay in your room? The dark was freaking you out and there was a psychopath on board who was gonna go on a killing spree soon. Teach was much stronger than he appeared, and even without a devil fruit, he was terrifying enough.

You saw a light coming from the kitchen and held your breath, panicking. There were voices there, and you recognized the tones of Thatch and Teach. Why were they talking? And what were the commanders doing? You stepped closer, tightening your grip on the knife. It was then that you heard a scream and a loud thud, a pistol going off and saw a red light engulfing the kitchen briefly. However, you didn’t expect Teach to come out red in the face some seconds later, blood dripping from his left calf. He saw you standing there and snarled, a dark light going off in his eyes.

“You bitch! I knew something was off with you. You fucking turned them against me! I saw how the poof was staring at you earlier!”

He jumped and without thinking you screamed of terror, throwing the knife at him in a desperate gesture. Said knife, instead of falling pathetically on the ground as you had expected, landed exactly between his two eyes, making you retch. He groaned but took another step towards you, seizing your left arm tightly. Tears came to your eyes and you let out a cry of pain as he twisted your wrist. His other hand went for your neck and squeezed brutally, making you choke. You were getting desperate, trying to kick him off you, when another shot rang and he slumped over, falling on top of you and crushing you under his weight.

“That’s from the poof, you fucking bastard.”

Relief filled you when hearing Izou’s voice but was quickly replaced with pain. The weight of the dead man on your torso was making it difficult to breathe, more since your neck was hurting so much, and your ribs and wrist were throbbing. You tried pushing him back but didn’t make it far. Thankfully, Izou came quickly to your rescue and you saw Ace behind him. Teach was then turned on his back, looking definitely dead, the knife still lodged in his forehead. Which meant you had killed someone.

“Oh my god, I killed someone. I killed a human being. I fucking stabbed him! Oh my god, this is not real, please tell me it’s not real!”

You were engulfed in a hug by Izou, frantically breathing. The reality of what you had gone through came crashing down on you and you started sobbing. The pain in your ribs was just an afterthought as you held on to Izou like a lifeline, while he was trying to calm your sobs.

“It’s okay, darling, breathe with me. You did what was right. You were defending yourself. It’s okay, I promise. Everything is fine now.”

You were hiccupping trying to retrieve your breath, but Izou didn’t let go. He held you in a strong embrace, his weight an anchor for you. He smelled of jasmine and you hung on to this, trying to ground yourself.

“Th.. Thatch… Is…?”

“He’s okay. He only got knocked out, everything’s fine. You saved him, Lena. You did good.”

Your sobs gradually slowed down and you went to break the hug but Izou didn’t let you and instead scooped you up in his arms. You let out a cry of pain at that, your ribs pressing on Izou’s torso. He was quick to flip you to relieve the pain and you felt his furious gaze as he discovered the imprints around your neck as well.

“You don’t need to see any more of this, darling.” His voice was the hardest you had heard since you knew him, but it was strangely comforting, you knew you could rely on him. “I’ll take you to Marco, your ribs don’t look good and your neck needs healing. Don’t worry about Thatch, Ace went back to help him, he’ll be alright in a minute.”

You didn’t go far as said Marco appeared then, taking in your state. He was followed by quite a lot of people, most likely having been awaken by the commotion. He waved for Izou to follow him quickly and led you to the infirmary. The samurai placed you delicately on the examination table and was about to step away to let Marco work, but you gripped his hand before he could.

“Please, stay. I don’t… Please.”

“Of course, darling. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Lena, I need you to tell me where you’re hurting, yoi.”

Marco’s voice brought you back to your condition.

“My ribs, on the right side. And my left wrist. And my neck too, he choked me before he…”

Your voice died as you recalled once more the fight you had just went through. Izou’s hand pressed yours for comfort and you met his eyes. Marco quickly went to work and he passed a hand over your ribs, the blue flames tickling your side. You felt some relief but the pain lingered still. He then went to work on your wrist and did the same. He ended with your neck, carefully placing his hand on the bruised skin. The flames felt warm against your skin and you held on to the sensation for grounding.

“That’s all I’m gonna be able to do, Lena.” Marco said. “Thankfully, nothing’s broken. You have two cracked ribs and a sprained wrist; both should heal fairly quickly. About your neck, take it easy for the next few days, don’t talk too much and you should be fine. I’ll give you some cream later to help with the bruises. In the meantime, take this, yoi.”

You looked at the blue pills he held out to you along with a glass of water and swallowed them without waiting. A short cough seized you as you swallowed, triggered by the pain, and you recoiled as the hurt in your ribs manifested, only to be calmed by Izou’s tender touch on your cheek.

“You’re okay, deep breaths, love.”

You nodded faintly. On your right, Marco suddenly cleared his throat.

“Listen, Lena… I’m sorry I gave you the cold shoulder, yoi. I just couldn’t imagine Teach could betray us like that, and I was mad at your for even hinting at it. But you saved my brother tonight. I cannot ever repay you for this.”

“It’s okay” you said, you voice raspy. “I know it was a wild story. I’m just glad Thatch is alive.”

“What do you mean you ‘gave her the cold shoulder’ you damn chicken?”

“I know, sorry-yoi, it was just a lot to take in.”

Izou humphed and gave him a murderous stare, meaning the conversation between them was far from finished. Marco gulped loudly at that, well-aware of the ire his brother could demonstrate when crossed. You heard the door open suddenly and Haruta barged in, sounding out of breath.

“There you are! I cannot believe all of it was true. Teach truly was a slimy scumbag” he spat. “Izou, Pops wants to see you as soon as possible; he already is with Ace and Thatch.”

The dark-haired man gave you an inquisitive look and you pressed his hand to let him know you were okay.

“Marco, if I hear you caused her any kind of distress while I was gone, I will pluck every feather from your blue ass, you flaming turkey. One at a time.”

The blonde man lifted both hands in a placating manner, though he was not able to hide the scared flicker in his eyes. The samurai left with Haruta after sending you an affectionate look one last time and you stayed with Marco in the infirmary. The painkillers he had given you were fairly strong and you started to relax, the pain subsiding. But your mind was still reeling, thinking of Teach’s face, his murderous eyes, his grip around your wrist…

“Will you let me?”

Marco’s voice pulled you out of your spiralling thoughts. He was standing next to you once again, a damp cloth in his hands. You got confused for a second before realising you were partially covered with the traitor’s blood.

“I won’t be able to do anything about your clothes, but I can wipe your hands and face.”

You nodded and he got to work, holding you injured wrist delicately and wiping one finger after the other, then your palm. The act was soothing, he was very dedicated to the task and you found yourself contemplating his figure, admiring the focus he displayed. You looked at the hands that were holding yours and saw strong but smooth hands. He was a doctor after all, and the flames of the phoenix must have worked to preserve them. Once he was done with the first hand, he delicately put it down and moved on to the other with the same dedication. Once he was done, he pulled back to rinse the cloth before returning, this time closer to your face.

“You don’t have a lot, but it's dried now, it must be uncomfortable.”

The coolness of the cloth felt comfortable against your skin and you felt yourself relaxing. He passed it on your forehead, your cheeks, your nose and your chin before holding the cloth at your lips. His eyes found yours and you held your breath as he wiped the blood from your lips. The blue pupils were staring at you, and the atmosphere got heavy, but not uncomfortable this time. He seemed to look at you in a different light. He lowered the cloth when he was finished but didn’t move back immediately.

“I’m back, darling!”

The door jerked open and startled you both. Izou looked at you with a surprised look before a knowing smirk made his way to his lips.

“Well, I’m glad to see you two are getting along now. It seems like you didn’t miss me too much.”

You turned red as a beetroot at the implication and he chuckled lightly before turning serious.

“Darling, if you’re feeling up to it, Pops would like a word. Nothing to worry about, we’re all grateful for what you’ve done tonight. By the way, I still don’t know why you were in the kitchens. You could have been hurt worse than this.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I just had the feeling that something was not right, and I went down to be sure. I was scared for you and Ace and Thatch, and…”

“I understand. But please, have more faith in us next time. Teach wouldn’t have gone far anyways. You only put yourself at risk by doing that.”

“I promise. I trust you.”

“Wait a second, yoi.” interrupted Marco. “I need to bandage her wrist.”

Marco quickly wrapped your now clean wrist in white dressing and once he was done, Izou scooped you up again in his arms, not caring for your protestations.

“I know you can walk, darling, but there is no need to make these ribs suffer.”

He marched towards Whitebeard’s room, Marco in your stead, careful not to make any sudden movement. When you got close to the meeting room, you suddenly pulled on his sleeve to get his attention.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No, not at all” you quickly reassured him. “But could you put me down? I don’t want to enter the room being carried… it’s embarrassing. Though I’m grateful for your help.”

Izou nodded, understanding you didn’t want to advertise your condition. He put you down gently and knocked at the door. Soon enough, the booming voice of the captain of the Moby Dick answered and you three entered the room.

Most of the commanders were already there, their deep voices carrying a certain edge. When noticing you three, they got a bit quieter and their focus went on you, limping a bit as you made an effort not to give away the extent of your injuries. But several stares lingered on your bruised neck, making you uncomfortable. Following Izou’s lead, you got closer to Whitebeard as Marco took his usual spot next to the captain, perched on the armchair. Next to him was Thatch, thankfully looking okay, and you breathed in relief. His pompadour was a bit astray, but he didn’t look to have suffered any injuries. Izou had mentioned he had only been knocked out but seeing him alive was the confirmation that made you finally let go of any remaining anxiousness. Ace was standing on the opposite side of the chair with a furious look on his face, and you could not blame him.

The atmosphere in the room shifted then and your turned to see Whitebeard staring you down. The hard look he sported when you had come into the room had softened down to something more grateful.

“Young lady, what you did for my son tonight is a debt I can never repay. While I am heartbroken that one of my sons committed such a cruel act of treachery, I am deeply grateful you helped stop him before he could do some real harm.”

“I only did what was right.” Your voice was still raw but you kept talking. “I could not let Thatch get hurt. Please, there is no need to thank me.”

“No need to thank you? Sweetheart, you saved my life. Without you, I would have ended up as skewed meat.”

Despite the obvious joke, the image Thatch conjured in your mind brought tears to your eyes. Seeing that, the chef panicked and rushed to your side to stop you from crying.

"Sweetheart no, I’m sorry. I know I do bad jokes, but if you can hear them, it’s proof I’m alright, see?”

Izou clicked his tongue at that.

“Sorry, I’m still processing what happened. I don’t think it’ll come as a surprise to you, but I am definitely not used to violence. The only time I had used a knife before was to cut vegetables. Sometimes a sandwich in two.”

You heard some snorts at that.

“In that case, my child, I can only admire the courage it took to jump to my sons’ aid even more.”

Whitebeard’s grave voice brought back a more serious tone in the room and you raised your head once again to hold his stare.

“What you did tonight also proves the story you told us is true. I’m sorry for implying you would have lied to us, but you can understand my reluctance to believe you. And now, I can only wonder what other things you know that would help us.”

Well, this was gonna be harder. Because the rest of your knowledge about this universe was focused around Luffy’s story, and Whitebeard’s crew was disbanded shortly after the war you had now prevented. You had to find a way to help Luffy and prevent other major disasters, but you couldn’t tell these pirates everything.

“The only important thing for now is for Ace to meet his brother in Alabasta in a few weeks.” At that, the young dark-haired commander perked up. “He doesn’t have a huge role to play, just helping him and his crew escape a few marines. And it would be a way for them to reunite after having been apart for years.”

You smiled to Ace as he obviously got excited by the news. He quickly reigned in his excitement though and turned to look at Whitebeard, an uncertain look in his eyes.

“Pops, is it okay if I go? I don’t want to leave you or the crew when you would need me.”

The old man grumbled a bit, almost offended.

“Do you think we cannot function without you? You underestimate us, my son. Go, I know how much you love your brother, and who am I to prevent such a reunion? Also” he said, turning to you, “I feel like it wouldn’t be good to doubt young Lena’s word from now on.”

Every person in the room agreed at these words and you immediately felt warmer. You knew they had started to change their views on you and the thought made you feel a bit better.

“That said, there is only one thing left to ask: become my daughter!”

Chapter Text

You were sitting on the deck of the Mody Dick, enjoying the afternoon sun. On your knees was a deep blue notebook and in your hands a pen; for the last two days you had been trying to write down a chronology of all the relevant events you knew, afraid you would miss an important landmark. Even though you had a good memory, there were still a lot of details you needed to remember.

You had been afraid about the consequences of Teach’s plan failing. Even if that meant Thatch was safe and sound, there was now an unknown variant. What about Teach’s crew? Had they been recruited after he had left the Moby? Were they expecting their captain? Were they a danger for the crew? At least, all the evil individuals that had been broken out of Impel Down by him were safely locked away. But that meant all the good guys too. Jimbe, Baggy, Mr 2 and all the future allies of Luffy, including Crocodile, would have to be freed somehow.

This is why you were thinking of contacting Monkey D. Dragon. First of all, his most trusted ally, Ivankov, was held captive there. The newkama army he had gathered would definitely be an asset for the Revolutionaries. Secondly, Ace needed to meet Sabo soon and trigger his memories, or the three brothers would suffer longer than they already had. Lastly, you knew having Dragon on your side would be extremely helpful in the future. Alerting him of the truth behind the world government earlier than planned could have positive effects, though you needed to thread carefully and not reveal too much at once.

You hadn’t talked with any of the commanders about that yet, but you guessed they didn’t have a direct line to the head of the Revolution. So you were gonna have to find the person who did. And you had an inkling about who that person was.

You straightened up but immediately winced. Your ribs were still hurting despite the painkillers Marco had given you. Your wrist was getting better at least. As for your neck, the bruises were still an ugly purple, but at least the soreness of your throat had disappeared. The first mate had also given you a cream to help with the bruises, but it couldn’t speed up the healing process that fast.

“There you are sweetheart, I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

Thatch’s voice startled you a bit but you quickly smiled and turned to look at him. Every time you had seen his joyous face in the last two days, a warmth had gone through you. He had been by your side many times since that frightening night, always bringing something sweet for you to snack on, or some tasty beverage, depending on the time of day. This morning alone he had taken particular care in your breakfast, making you a beautiful plate of French toast with fresh fruit and honey, paired with a black tea. The sugars he had given you were heart shaped and you had laughed, thanking him profusely. You knew he was still feeling indebted to you for the whole Teach situation, though you had told him he didn’t need to.

Once again, his hands were not empty as he came close, he was carrying a tray with a blue and pink smoothie, ornated with an orange umbrella and a pink striped straw forming a heart. He jokingly bowed as he approached before setting down the tray on the ground next to you.

“Milady, I present you with a creation of mine on this glorious afternoon. You will have the pleasure of tasting a raspberry, blackcurrant and mango smoothie, full of vitamins to ensure your full recovery.”

You took a sip of the drink and sighed of satisfaction. The tartness of the raspberry was perfectly balanced by the mango, and the blackcurrant gave a kick to the mix.

“This is absolutely divine, Thatch. You didn’t need to go all this trouble for me.”

“Of course I had to, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

“I’m good. I’m still hurting a bit, but I’m doing much better than yesterday.”

“I’m glad to hear that. By the way, Izou was pestering me earlier about your clothes, the ones that got ruined that night. He wants to design you a whole wardrobe now.”

“That’s not necessary!” you protested. “I’ve got enough clothes as is!”

“I have to agree with you sweetheart, you definitely have too many clothes… on.”

You let out an outraged gasp at that while Tatch looked at you, wiggling his eyebrows, a rogue smirk on his lips.

“You are the worst.”

“You wound me, sweetheart. I do make you amazing smoothies. By the way, I brought a second straw in case you wanted to share a passionate moment with me…”

“No!”

Thatch frankly laughed at your embarrassment then.

“Alright, another time then. But you only need ask if you ever want to share… anything.”

You kicked him in the ribs for that.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than tease me? Some lunch to prepare or some fish to catch?”

“The only thing I wanna catch is you sweetheart. Alright, alright, I’ll stop, promise” he swore when you shot him a dark look. “What are you writing there?”

You turned your gaze back to your notebook and flipped the pages distractedly.

“I borrowed a notebook from Marco. It’s basically everything I can remember from… you know. I’m just worried I will miss important information, so I’m trying to write everything down. I want to make sure there will be no surprises.”

“You know, surprises can be good.”

You lifted your gaze to meet his, one eyebrow raised to express your doubtfulness at his comment.

“I know I probably sound mad” he acknowledged “considering the information you had saved my life, but where would be the fun otherwise?”

“I guess you’re right. But I’m still gonna try to do some damage control.”

The chef nodded.

“We’re all grateful you’re here to help us, sweetheart. But don’t stress too much. By the way, when are you supposed to leave with Ace for Alabasta?”

“We’ll need to leave soon. I’m guessing we only have about two weeks before Luffy gets there, and Ace told me it took about eight days to do the trip from where we are. It would be good if we leave in three days’ time, so we have a margin in case something goes wrong on the way.”

“Good. This way, you’ll get a bit more rest before leaving. I wouldn’t want you to suffer on the journey.”

“Speaking of that, I think it’s time I found Marco” you said, standing up. “I need to ask him for another dose of painkillers.”

“Let me escort you then, milady.”

You thanked Thatch for the help as he offered you a hand and you made your way under deck. The infirmary being pretty close, you quickly ended up in front of the large wooden door and knocked three times. Marco’s voice reached you and you opened the door, thanking Thatch as he made his way back to the kitchen, not without blowing a kiss in your direction first.

“Oh, hey, Lena. Is it time for your painkillers already?”

“They’re starting to wear off, I’m afraid” you nodded.

“Well, sad news for me then” sighed Marco. “It means it’s already 4 pm, and I thought I would have done way more work by now. I’ve been drowned in paperwork for the last six hours.”

Your relationship with Marco had greatly improved since Teach’s assassination attempt. He had been a dedicated surgeon, trying to make amends for treating you coldly at first. He had had a strong reaction after Whitebeard asked you to join his crew.

“That said, there is only one thing left to ask: become my daughter!”

You were flabbergasted. It had only taken twenty-four hours for him to pop the question, though you shouldn’t have been shocked, knowing his record. Your jaw dropped and you look at him in awe, stammering.

“I… This is… Why would you… Uh?”

“Gurararararara! What do you say, child?”

“I mean… I am really thankful for the offer, but… I don’t think I can accept. I’m not sure I will be able to stay on the Moby Dick, not saying I want to leave!” you quickly clarified. “But there are too many things at play right now. It wouldn’t be wise to join your crew, at least for now.”

“Well, all I’m hearing is that you want to! So I’ll call you my daughter, and you’ll call me Pops soon enough, when you’re ready! Guarararara!”

“Does that mean she’s on probation?” someone said.

“No, idiot” you recognised Fossa’s voice. “She’s crew now. Even if she doesn’t think she is yet.”

“Nice, another sister!” said Haruta. “Like Ace but without the homicidal rage, which is wayyyyy safer. Though less fun.”

The commanders celebrated briefly as you blushed, before Whitebeard’s voice cut through the uproar.

“Now my sons, what’s left is determining what to do with Teach’s body. And what we’ll tell the rest of the crew.”

The atmosphere darkened immediately. They all felt the loss of a brother, even despite the circumstances. The first one to speak was Ace, which did not surprise you one bit.

“I’ll take care of it. He was in my division, therefore he’s my responsibility. We’ll throw his body overboard, he only deserves a sea grave. His name does not deserve to be remembered by anyone.”

The captain nodded, accepting his son’s decision.

“As for the crew-yoi, there is no need to hide the truth. He was a traitor and was appropriately dealt with. As much as we don’t like to be deceived by one of our brothers, his cursed death will serve as an example.”

“Alright then. I think we all deserve a bit of rest after this eventful evening. We’ll tell the crew tomorrow. You’re all dismissed for now, my sons.”

The meeting adjourned, you were going to retreat to your cabin with Izou’s help, when you saw Ace approaching. Without speaking, he engulfed you in a hug, careful of your injuries. He held your gaze when stepping back. You saw in his eyes his gratitude and relief; no words were needed. You gave him a soft smile in return.

“Do you mind if I escort her back, Izou?”

Marco’s voice then cut through your bubble and you turned to Izou, who slowly nodded, not without throwing a meaningful glance at the phoenix. He offered you his arm and you both exited the room after saying your goodbyes for the night.

The walk to your room was silent, which made you wonder why he had volunteered to help you. It wasn’t uncomfortable like before, and you thought back to this moment earlier in the infirmary, when his fingers had been teasing your lips. You shrugged it off quickly, not wanting to get lost in embarrassing memories. As you reached your room and were ready to tell him goodnight, he suddenly cleared his throat and hesitated before speaking.

“Listen… I just want to make sure you didn’t reject Pop’s offer because of me. I know we talked earlier about this, but I wanna reiterate I’m sorry for acting cold towards you. And if you don’t want to join because of me, please reconsider-yoi. You shouldn’t hold back because of my stupid actions, and Pops will be mad if he learns I did something to make you feel unwelcome. If you want me to do anything, tell me, or we can even go to Pops and I’ll…”

You stopped his ranting by putting your hand on his mouth. He looked up to discover amused eyes and let out a laugh, messing up his hair with one hand in an embarrassed gesture.

“Sorry-yoi, I tend to rant when I’m nervous.”

“It’s okay. I promise it’s not because of you, Marco, it’s just not the right time. I can’t join the crew now when I don’t know where I’ll be needed in a week.”

“Okay. I get it-yoi. But Pops meant it, you know. He doesn’t give up once he has his eyes set on someone.”

“I know, it’s one of the things I was aware of even before meeting him in person. It’s kinda funny to be honest, and also endearing. I guess he just wants the biggest family possible.”

“Something like that-yoi” he laughed.

“Well. If you don’t mind…” you trailed, pointing at your door.

“Sorry I’ll let you rest now. Lena, I am in your debt for tonight. Thank you for saving Thatch. He can be a dork, sometimes, and he gets on my nerves every single goddamn day, but he’s my family.”

You smiled tenderly and bid him goodnight. You were starting to like the bird.

Snapping back out of the memory, you took in Marco’s state. He looked even more tired than usual, the dark circles around his eyes seemed to have deepened. Being the first mate on a crew this large was definitely not a position you envied. You saw him standing up and he went to retrieve your painkillers, quickly coming back.

“Here-yoi.”

“Thank you, Marco.”

You quickly took your medicine and were about to run off when you reconsidered. Might as well ask him your question now.

“Yes, Lena-yoi?”

“I’ve got a favour to ask. I need to contact Monkey D. Dragon.”

“Dragon? What would you need to contact him?” the blonde raised an eyebrow at this, genuinely astonished.

“Well, since Teach is dead, there is a whole chain of events that won’t unfold. And I need his help to make things happen.”

He hummed, mulling the question over.

“Well, we don’t have a direct line to Dragon, as you can imagine. He is quite a hard man to contact, even more to find. Unfortunately for me, I do know who could help you. But Pops is not gonna like that-yoi.”

You held back a grin. Apparently, you had guessed right.

“It’s Shanks, isn’t it?”

Marco’s face gave you the confirmation you needed.

“Listen, even if I call him now, there will be some time before both our crews can meet. And you’re scheduled to leave with Ace soon, aren’t you? So I’ll sweet talk Pops first, then maybe you can go see him and convince him to call the brat. If he says no, promise him you’ll join the crew someday. I know you already told him that, but maybe imply it could be sooner rather than later? He will agree to anything then, I can assure you.”

You laughed frankly at that.

“Actually, it might be better if you’re here when I call Shanks. He’s going to want to know why we need to contact Dragon, and though I am absolutely not telling you to share any details with him, hearing a new feminine voice will definitely pique his interest.”

Your eyes bulged hearing that, but Marco quickly reassured you.

“Don’t worry-yoi. Shanks is the worst flirt I’ve ever known, but he won’t lay a hand on you. He just cannot resist a woman. Or man, in all fairness. It’s the novelty that does it for him. Just make it clear you’re not interested and the only thing you’ll have to suffer will be his kicked puppy look.”

You laughed frankly at that.

“I’ll talk to Pops tonight. I’ll let you know what he decides.”

“Alright Marco. Thank you.”

You smiled at him and silence fell on the room. You really enjoyed how easy your conversations were with him. Even though he was being overly nice to make up for his shortcomings, there was something else that animated your talks. He was looking at you in return, his blue eyes fixating yours. Before the situation could become awkward, you smiled again quickly and turned on your heels to leave him in peace.

“Lena-yoi…”

“Yes?”

You turned again to look at him. He seemed to hesitate then shook his head.

“Nothing-yoi. Have a good evening.”

You shrugged and bid him goodbye for good, closing the door on your way out.

Chapter Text

“Red Force”

A voice that could only belong to Ben Beckmann resonated through the den den mushi. The gruff voice was heavy, probably carrying the remains of a night of drinking.

“Beckmann, this is Marco-yoi. I need to speak with Shanks.”

A huff answered the first mate. You all heard some shuffling and Benn’s voice calling out to his captain.

“Boss, get your ass up here!”

You heard a whine before some loud noise, a bump, and Shanks’ voice was finally heard as well, though from afar, the sound a bit muffled.

“Beeeeeeeeenn it’s too early!”

“Shanks, it’s already the afternoon. You can sleep off your eternal hangover later.”

“But you said yesterday I could sleep! Tell them to call back later.”

“It’s Marco.”

A boom followed, probably Shanks tripping over his feet to come to the den den as quick as his legs would let him. The sound came closer and the both of them started arguing over the phone, before Benn put an end to it.

“Just take the damn den den.”

“Marco!” Shanks’s voice was now loud and clear, though you could hear the sleep in it. “Join my crew!”

“Still no, Shanks. I need to speak with you about contacting someone.”

“Oooooh, so you need a favour! If I do that for you, what do I get in return?” The snail mimicked eyebrows wiggling, which was one of the most disturbing things you thought you’d seen. “And who do you even need me to contact for you anyway?”

“Monkey D. Dragon.”

It was your voice that cut through the conversation and Shanks’ rambling stopped for a brief second before. Marco made you some space so you could properly speak into the snail. He had talked to Pops the day before and you had agreed to not waste time and contact Shanks quickly after he has agreed.

“Well, hello darling. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of hearing your voice before. Since we aren’t meeting face to face, I guess I’ll have to imagine what you look like in my… Ouch Benn! Why are you being mean!”

“Sorry about that missy. He’ll behave now.”

“It’s okay” you laughed. “Hope you didn’t hurt him too bad.”

“Benn I’m your captain! You can’t be mean to me!”

You heard Benn mumbling in the background at the whining.

“My name is Lena, and I have information I need to give Dragon. Can you help me reach him?”

“Lena, what a beautiful name. Even more charming than your voice. I do have a way to contact him, sunshine, but I’m gonna need more than that. You understand I cannot just make a social call.”

You looked at Marco briefly, only to be reassured. You knew you could trust the phoenix, even with what you were about to share. Hopefully Shanks would see it the same way.

“I cannot share with you what I need to tell Dragon, since I’m sure he would not be happy if everyone became privy to his plans. But I can tell you something that will hopefully prove how serious I am. Let’s just say I do know what the fruit you dropped on Dawn years ago was. What it really was.”

From the way the snail’s face winced and the connection broke for a second, you guessed a flare of conqueror’s haki had just taken over the Red Force, barely contained by the emperor. When Shanks spoke again, his voice had lost all flippancy.

“Is this a threat?”

“No! I promise. If your intentions about him were truly good then I am completely on your side. He is the one, I know it as much as you do.”

The cryptic sentences had gotten Marco confused on your side, but he did not interfere and respected your conversation. You were grateful for it, since you didn’t know if you would even tell him everything one day.

“Does Whitebeard know?”

“No one knows, I promise. Only me.”

“And how did you come by this information then? It is not something anyone can learn at the local tavern. Even my crew doesn’t know, save for a couple people. And how did you get on Whitebeard’s crew? I’m guessing you’re not one of the nurses.”

“It’s complicated. I feel it would be better if I spoke with you in person. If you agree to meet for the call, I promise I’ll share what I can with you.”

“Alright, sunshine. I have to say you piqued my interest. But I expect you to make good on your word. Marco, how soon can you meet us in the New World ?

“In about three weeks. Which is perfect since Lena needs to go on a mission in the meantime. She should be back just on time. We’re in South Blue at the moment.”

“Alright then. Benn will send you coordinates to meet us.”

The conversation ended there, Marco putting away the den den. He turned to look at you with a closed expression. Surely, he must be wondering what you had said to Shanks. You couldn’t tell him, al least not know. It is something the red-haired emperor had wanted to shush, so you wouldn’t share the secret of the stretchy devil fruit he had given to Luffy.

“Thank you Marco.”

“You’re welcome-yoi. And don’t worry about it, I won’t ask. I trust you to tell us what is important.”

You smiled as he got up, and you two exited the transmissions room. Saying goodbye to Marco, you decided to get out on deck and enjoy the weather. The sun had been shining for three days straight and you honestly couldn’t be happier, you were aware of how versatile the weather was on the Grand Line.

You saw Izou talking with Fossa and you smiled at them before going to your usual spot, for a bit of quiet. You hadn’t wanted to disturb them but a couple minutes later, Izou came to join you.

“Hello, darling. Do you mind if I sit?”

“Not at all Izou, please.”

The gunslinger sat down next to you, his black hair swaying with the wind. He was always gorgeous, you thought. Whomever was his partner was definitely lucky.

“I wanted to tell you we’ll be reaching an island soon. We should be there in a couple hours, if the wind helps us. It’s neutral territory, so don’t worry, there will not be any marines. You leave with Ace in two days, so I think it’s actually perfect timing: we’ll be able to equip you a bit more.”

“Equip me?”

“As much as I trust Ace, darling, you need to carry something to defend yourself, just in case. Don’t worry” he added when seeing your panicked face, “I’m not gonna choose for you. What are you comfortable with?”

“Izou… From where I come from, all this… violence, it’s not common, I mean at least not for everyone. There are bad people, like everywhere, but the common civilian doesn’t need to defend themselves. I don’t know how to use anything. I never had to.”

“I see. In that case, would you come with me? We can go to the training room and look at a few options, so you’ll know what to choose tomorrow. We do have weapons on board, but it is better if you have your own in the long run.”

You nodded hesitantly and got up, following him to the inside of the ship. After walking through multiple corridors, he opened a door before letting you go first. The room was quite large, with mats and all kind of weapons hanging on the walls.

“Anything catches your eye?”

You mulled the question over for a bit, intimidated by everything. You examined the different options, before hesitantly pointing to one.

“A dagger? Are you sure, darling?”

You turned to see him frowning. His reaction made you tense up.

“Not that I don’t trust your courage, but handling a dagger or a knife is actually harder than it seems. Compared to a gun, you’re much closer to your enemy. And it requires more violence, more strength.”

He came close to you and put his hand on your shoulder. The weight carried a warmth and your nerves calmed down a bit.

“We can try the dagger if you think it’s best. Would you care to try a gun as well after?”

“I guess.”

“Alright.”

Izou went to pick up the dagger you had chosen and gave it to you. He positioned himself on the main mat, facing you, and waited.

“Come on, darling. Let’s see what you got.”

Your eyes went wide.

“Izou, I can’t just attack you! I don’t want to hurt you!”

The samurai’s lips quirked up before he let out a candid laugh which made you blush furiously.

“You’re adorable. You won’t hurt me, darling, even after you’ve gone through many more sessions. By the way, how’s your left wrist? I don’t want to hurt you.”

You rotated it, showing to him you had almost regained your full mobility.

“It’s almost healed. It doesn’t hurt anymore, neither do my neck and ribs. I just have the bruises now.”

“I’ll be happier when they’re gone, but I’m glad you are almost healed. Alright then, darling, let’s go.”

You took an offensive stance, grounding your feet and tightening your hand on the dagger, and then breathed deeply. This was a chance to prove you were more than dead weight, a liability on the ship. You knew you would have to defend yourself at some point, this world was overly scary. The experience with Teach a few days ago would have to be your lowest point from now on.

Trying to be fast, you jumped at Izou, guarding the dagger close to you. You tried reaching him but he easily dodged, before you flipped and raised you leg to hit him. His hand caught your foot and you raised your eyes to look at him, dropping the dagger in the process. He was smiling.

“I have to say I didn’t expect you to be so quick on your feet, darling. You are quite flexible.”

Your foot was still caught in his strong hand and you were suddenly more aware of your position and the hold he had on you. You jiggled your foot a bit and he let it go easily.

“It wasn’t bad, darling. But I don’t know if the dagger is a good choice. I think if would be better if we actually trained you in hand combat. Do you have any experience in that? That kick had potential.”

“Not exactly. I practiced ballet for years, so I guess my experience could be useful.”

“Ballet?”

“How can I explain? I’m not sure you have a similar sort of music here. Let’s just say it is a type of dance. The ballet dancers wear pointe shoes, and the goal is to produce a choreography that tells a story, it is highly technical. The movements require to be flexible and graceful.”

“I see. I would love to watch you dance someday if you would grant me this favour. This “ballet” sounds like a beautiful thing to witness, even more if it’s you dancing.”

“Oh!” you blushed. What was it with this man, your cheeks were burning every time he told you something nice. “Well, I’m not sure, without music, it would be pointless. And it’s been years since I danced, I wouldn’t be able to properly show you what it’s really supposed to look like.”

“Darling, I am certain you would dance beautifully, do not doubt yourself. But we can talk about it some more later. Alright, would you want to try your aim then?”

You nodded slowly, and he gave you one of his own pistols.

“Are you sure?” you hesitated. “I don’t want to damage them. I know nothing about guns, Izou.”

“You’ll learn. And I trust you. This is a flintlock pistol, look: when you pull the trigger, this part here, the cock, is released and hits the serpent where the flint is, which then hits the atari-gane, which creates a spark. This allows the bullet to be shot out.”

Izou pointed to the different parts while talking, and you were surprised at how simple it was. You hadn’t realised a gun was that easy to handle. It also scared you in a way, knowing death was just a pull away.

“Come here, darling.”

He led you to a corner, where a large black wall faced you. A target was drawn with chalk, in the shape of a marine you recognized immediately.

“The wall has been reinforced and will absorb the bullets” he explained “so you don’t need to worry about damaging anything. Except Akainu, of course,” he added with a grin. “We change the target every once in a while, depending on who pissed us off recently. Deuce, Ace’s former first mate, is quite good at drawing. Feel free to turn the magma asshole into gruyere cheese.”

He moved behind you and you laughed quietly but your breath escaped you as he put his left hand on your shoulder and his right over yours on the gun. You were well-aware of the heat coming from his presence behind you. You knew you were supposed to be focusing on his instructions, but right now, it was the opposite.

“Alright, just point the gun towards the target, and pull the trigger when you’re ready. You need to keep a firm grip on the gun, or you’ll feel the kickback. Straighten your arms, but don’t lock them, for the same reason, you need to keep some flexibility. Legs a bit wider, that’s good. And when you’re ready… shoot.”

His last word was like an order to you and you pulled the trigger without thinking. You didn’t even jump at the sound, too focused to realize. You didn’t move for a second, blinking, before Izou’s hand made you lower the gun.

“Darling…”

Izou’s breath was close to your ear and you jumped this time, coming back to reality. You looked at him only to discover brown eyes staring at you with an unfamiliar glint in them. You saw him gulp and purse his painted lips and the vision made you turn back, wanting to hide your flush. Only to discover the whole in the middle of the admiral’s chest.

“I think it’s safe to say we’ve found your weapon of choice, darling.”

Chapter Text

“Land ahead!”

You heard the lookout alert the rest of the crew. You were on deck, having gone back outside after your training session with Izou. You were still feeling quite troubled by his actions and the warm tone he had taken with you, though you had enjoyed spending time with him. Like with Thatch and Marco, you couldn’t feel but guilty of taking so much time away from their own duties. Hopefully, once you would show them you could handle your own, they wouldn’t feel so pressured to attend to you.

The island was a summer one, which was good since your wardrobe was still somewhat limited. Izou had been working in the last days to tailor you a few clothes on top of the ones he had borrowed from the nurses, so you couldn’t bother him for more. But on the other hand, with no money, you were stuck. Maybe you could ask one of the guys for a loan and promise to repay them later, but you had no clue how you would do that. And you didn’t want to be even more in their debt.

The Moby Dick was coming closer to the island. Crewmen were running around, assuming their duties and preparing for the landing. It was going to be weird stepping foot on land again after having spent almost a week on a ship. You knew it sometimes took a while before gaining back your balance on earth, but at least you were thankful it was not the other way around: you wouldn’t want to be seasick.

Trying to stay out of everyone’s way, you settled for a place next to the railing, already examining the island. You could see a town a bit further east; you guessed the Whitebeard pirates didn’t want to scare the civilians with their ship in the harbour. It didn’t seem that far anyways. The rest of the island from what you could see was alternating between valleys and mountains, it was quite a beautiful place.

The Moby Dick soon lowered its anchor and you saw a smaller boat being taken out. It was the perfect replica of the Moby, only smaller so it could take people to the beach. A first group boarded and you watched them go, enjoying this parenthesis. Another trip was made before a familiar voice called out to you.

“Lena! We’re waiting for you!”

Thatch was waiving at you, next to Haruta and Fossa. You hadn’t seen the other commanders, except for Rakuyo earlier. On the boat were other people from the crew you didn’t know.

Waiving back, you went to the rope ladder that had been set on the side of the ship and climbed down carefully. Thatch held out his hand to help you on the last step and you thanked him with a smile before saying hi to everyone.

“Glad you’re here, sweetheart. I’m going grocery shopping with Fossa and Haruta. I’d feel better if you stayed with us so we know you’re safe, alright?”

“Sure, thank you for letting me come at all.”

“No problem, sweetheart. Take a seat and let the big boys sail you to the coast.”

You watched them work the sails and in a few minutes, you had arrived at the beach.

“It’s only a ten-minute walk from here.”

“That’s okay, it’s nice to stretch my legs a bit. I am not used to being on a ship, so it does feel a bit cramped after a while, I must say.”

Fossa laughed at that, his cigar jumping up and down at that.

“We’re not the quietest bunch either, girl. Must be quite the change for you!”

“Also” Haruta said “you’ve been quite busy being waited on by your knights in shining armour… Ow Thatch, stop it you dickhead!”

The chef had apparently taken hold of Haruta’s white scarf and was trying to strangle him, leaving you bemused. You didn’t fully understand the crew’s dynamic yet, but the way Haruta managed to detangle himself quickly reassured you, after all Thatch would never hurt one of his brothers seriously. They both kept bickering after that. Fossa let out a gruffy snort watching their antics, prompting you to keep walking. He towered over you but you could feel he was no threat to you, he actually seemed like a huge teddy bear. You could talk a bit more than when you had seen him do the rigging the other day, which was nice. The two of you chatted idly with the background noise of the two idiots and you soon reached the town. Said idiots finally quieted down and Thatch pulled out a paper, most probably the shopping list.

“Alright, so we’re gonna need…”

You knew the crew was large, but the proportions listed were ridiculous. You had no idea how they were gonna bring everything back to the Moby.

“Let’s go to the market first. We’ll split there depending on the shops.”

You followed the guys and finally stepped into the town. The buildings were pretty, made of wood and stone; they reminded you of Bavaria. You had been to Austria several years ago and had loved the architecture. Seeing those houses made you a tad nostalgic. However, hearing the townspeople speak, you soon realised that’s where the resemblance stopped.

The market was also quite quaint, different stands of fruits, vegetables, fish, meat and handicrafts had been set up around a fountain at the centre of the square. The stalls were vibrant with color, only adding to the picture.

“Look over there, sweetheart! They have grapes!”

You loved grapes. You hadn’t had one in a while, so seeing a stall full of them was putting stars into your eyes. You adored the freshness, the tartness they sometimes had, everything about them. Thatch bought several crates of them, telling the vendor someone would be by to collect them shortly. You all kept looking at all the produce, the three commanders splitting from time to time to speed the process up. Thatch had the final word regarding food though, so Haruta got refused three crates of dates he wanted, probably as retaliation for earlier.

“Who’s hungry?”

Two starved stares and a puff of cigar replied to the chef, who laughed before you all started walking towards the harbour. You soon reached a nice-looking tavern, and saw Ace, Rakuyo and Izou sitting in a booth. The latter raised from his seat to let you settle on the bench before plopping down next to you.

“Did you have fun, darling?”

You described him your morning briefly before the waitress came to your table. She was apparently well-aware of who she was receiving, is her stares were something to go by. She had gorgeous blonde hair and nice chocolate eyes and was obviously comfortable in her own body. You envied her confidence.

“What can I get you gentlemen? And miss?”

She said the last word more blandly, which you didn’t miss. Orders were quickly sent out and she smiled before stepping away, going to fetch the drinks. She soon came back with a tray full of beers and one tonic for yourself. You didn’t drink that much and definitely didn’t have the guys’ experience and endurance.

The commanders all started chatting, discussing various matters. You were feeling a bit left out but didn’t mind that much, between training with Izou this morning and shopping with Thatch, you needed some quiet.

“By the way, we’re throwing a party tonight, Lena. You need to be there, it’s to properly welcome you into our crew!”

Ace’s voice cut through the conversation and your bubble.

“It’s also tradition” Rakuyo added. “Every time we touch land, we take advantage of it! Not that we don’t party on the Moby rharharharha!”

To be fair, you were quite curious to witness a pirates’ party. It wouldn’t be too crazy anyways, would it?

“Thank you Ace, that gives me the perfect excuse to take Lena shopping”

“Shopping? Izou, I’m really fine, and… I don’t have any money. You guys are already paying for my lunch, it is too much.”

The geisha waived your concerns away.

“Darling, this is us thanking you. As we said before, we can only try to repay you for everything you’ve done for us. And don’t worry, it will come out of Pops’ account anyway. He insisted, and you wouldn’t want to upset him, would you?”

Seeing six pairs of eyes staring at you insistingly made you duck your head, mumbling a thanks. Even if they claimed you didn’t have to, you would certainly find a way to repay their generosity in the future.

“Food’s here! Finally!”

Ace’s overjoyed voice broke through your little debate. The waitress put down the plates and lingered on Ace’s, sending him seductive looks, but gave up when she realised he was only interested in the food. You couldn’t help but laugh discreetly at that.

Half an hour later, food gone and bill paid, you all existed the tavern. Ace, Haruta, Thatch, Rakuyo and Fossa all went different ways and you stayed with Izou who offered you his arm to take. You started walking and looking at the shops, before a modest but nice-looking shop caught your eye. There were several summer dresses in the window, with delicate floral patterns. Izou immediately caught up on your interest and led you to it, holding the door open for you.

A nice woman welcomed you from behind the counter, offering her help. You thanked her while the samurai replied he would call for help if needed. He let you look around and you selected a few pieces hesitantly, still unsure. You didn’t want to go beyond what had been offered by Whitebeard.

“Izou, do you mind if I try these on?”

The geisha turned to you and smiled, encouraging you.

“You’d look gorgeous in these, darling. Try anything you’d like.”

Blushing, you quickly retreated to the fitting room. It was a quick affair and you soon came out, having made your choice. You had liked everything, but you had settled for a pink summer dress with short puffy sleeves. You put back the rest on the rack and held out the dress to Izou’s awaiting hand, gratefully. He frowned though and you wondered what you had done.

“Did the rest not fit? We can always go to another store.”

“Oh! But I only need this one, Izou, it’s fine.”

“Did you like the others as well?”

Your hesitant look told him everything he needed and he went into the fitting room in a flash, coming back with the clothes you had left in there a second later. You didn’t have time to react before he settled everything down on the counter.

“That’s 25 389 berries, sir.”

He paid without giving it a second mind, while you stood in awe behind him. He took your hand to lead you out of the shop and you didn’t even register it, too shocked by the insane amount of money he had just spent. You regained your senses soon enough and pulled on Izou’s hand.

“Izou, I’m not sure how much a berry is, but I’m positive this was not pocket change.”

He smirked and instead of answering your question, raised a manicured eyebrow.

“Why should I tell you then? It will be much easier for me to treat you.”

“Well because… I… What?”

He laughed and you continued to walk, still phased.

“Alright, I think you should be set for a while clothes-wise. However, we still need to find you a coat. You sail in two days and you will need to be ready for every weather.”

You had to agree and you let him take you to another store. There were all kinds of coats in there, the choice was going to be hard. After browsing for over twenty minutes, you finally found the one: a long coat made of blue suede and white fur. Perfect.

This brought an end to your venture. Shopping secured in Izou’s hands, you started walking back to the beach where the Moby was. You were discussing your training, Izou wanted to make sure your time with Ace would not go to waste and was giving you tips to keep in shape. Ace’s Striker was too small to take you two onboard, and there was a second bigger model for two people Blamenco had created: Striker-17. Apparently, Marco had been scared one too many times by Ace’s driving, and standing on the board was not a safe option. It seemed the Whitebeard pirates were apparently fans of resizing things. However, it had apparently taken 16 fails of Ace burning the prototypes to find a version that could handle his flames.

A brute voice and a whistle broke through your pleasant bubble.

“What do we have here?”

Two sleazy men called out from behind you. You had exited the centre and the streets here were quieter. You felt Izou tensing at your discomfort and you pulled on his sleeve discreetly.

“It’s not worth it, Izou, come on.”

He relented and you kept going, but as they usually do, the men didn’t stop there.

“Cm’on, don’t you want to spend time with us? ‘Could ditch the cunt, we’ll show you what real men are.”

You were boiling inside. How could they speak about Izou that way! But you were trying to focus, not letting your anger show. You quickened your pace, aware of Izou’s closed expression next to you.

“Aw, don’t be shy princess!”

When they realised you wouldn’t’ give them any attention however, their discourse changed immediately.

“You’re not worth it, anyways. Slut.”

That was the last word the man spoke before Izou left your side in the blink of an eye and his gun was placed below the leader’s chin. The other guy tried to run but the commander held out his other one, pointing it in his direction.

“See, that wasn’t very clever.” Izou tutted, in a chastising manner. “Insults I can take, your words mean nothing to me. It’s always the least attractive cockroaches that speak out for some reason. But insulting my darling here, well that’s a whole other thing. Which I won’t tolerate.”

He waved for the other man to come closer and kneel before him, which he did while shaking in fear.

“How many women have you harassed? Or worse?”

When he received no answer, the samurai shot in the air, gaining their full attention back.

“I won’t repeat myself again. How. Many.”

“I… We don’t… I don’t know… We…”

“You don’t know. Pathetic.”

He straightened up, throwing them a look of disgust.

“Now I’m going to give you a choice, so listen closely. Ear… or dick?”

The two men shook in fear, while your eyes went wide. You didn’t realise Izou was going to be that severe with them. You almost felt sorry for them, even though it was cathartic. It looked like they were paying for every man that had ever harassed you. These two had crossed the wrong person and were suffering the consequences.

“Choose quickly, or I’m going to make that choice for you. And seeing as I’m pissed off, I’m not gonna go for the ear.”

“Ear!”

In a second two shots were fired. You flinched at the sound and looked away, only catching a glimpse of red. You knew Izou was punishing them, but you were not used to violence. You flinched again when a hand came down on your shoulder.

“Are you alright, darling?”

You met the geisha’s brown eyes and tried to mask your shock with a strained smile.

“Thank you for defending me. You didn’t have to. Are they…”

“They are of no concern to you anymore. And of course I had to. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t protect your honour?”

You smiled a bit more frankly, but still shocked. You were well-aware of how dangerous and strong these pirates were, but Izou was always so sweet and caring. The only other time you had seen him in action was against Teach. Maybe the fact that this episode of harassment was a more common occurrence in your life than an attempted murder for a devil fruit was preventing you from accepting violence as the logical outcome.

Izou seemed to be reassured by your smile and you both started walking again, now reaching the beach. You didn’t strike up a conversation again, and thankfully the samurai didn’t force it, letting silence be your companion.

Five hours later, you were sitting on the beach, next to the bonfire, in your new pink dress. The party had kicked off an hour ago and you had already witnessed two dozen men getting knocked out by alcohol. You had yourself a beer in hand but were definitely not gonna match the rest of them in speed or volume.

Ace had come and talked to you earlier, excited about you both sailing out soon. He had already told you many stories about Luffy, some of them you knew but the look of marvel on his face was too endearing to say anything. Surprisingly, he had talked about Sabo as well. You would have thought he would not risk bringing back those memories before meeting him again, but you were honoured he trusted you enough to do so. He talked about Dadan too and the first adventures he had after leaving Dawn and meeting his crew.

“Hey, Lena-yoi.”

You hadn’t seen Marco since the call with Shanks. He had probably been busy with organizing the port stop and his general duties.

“Hi Marco. Wanna sit?”

The blonde man plopped down next to you on the sand, lying on his back with his elbows supporting him, and you spent a minute there without speaking, taking in the atmosphere. The rest of the crew was loud enough anyways.

“So, you leave with Ace in two days right?”

At your nod, he shifted a bit to fall on his side and face you.

“We’re gonna miss you, you know. It’s not even been a week and I can tell everyone’s already become fond of you.”

“Really?”

Your candid reply made him laugh.

“Really-yoi. By the way, I know Izou’s been showing you defence tricks this morning, but I wanted you to have this.”

He sat up and plunged a hand in the pocket of his shorts to give you a pendant. It bore Whitebeard’s mark.

“It’s Pop’s mark. This way people will think twice before doing anything. And it’s made of seastone, in case devil fruit users are involved. Don’t hesitate to use it on Ace if he ever gets too annoying.”

You took the pendant gratefully and tried putting it on, without success.

“Allow me-yoi. The clasp can be tricky to work.”

At your questioning stare, he shrugged.

“It’s mine.”

“Marco… Thank you. I’ll take good care of it. I know how protective you are of Whitebeard’s mark.”

“I trust you, Lena.”

He positioned himself behind you and passed the pendant around your neck, his fingers briefly making contact with your skin, making you shiver.

“By the way, Izou told me what happened earlier.”

You tensed up. You hadn’t wanted to scare Izou with your reaction but seeing him this violent had been knew. And disorienting.

“He felt like it could be better if I talked to you. You know, despite his behaviour, he is actually scared of hurting you. He wouldn’t want you to think he was… a brute. He’s just too shy to admit his feelings on the matter.”

“Those are his words?”

“The brute part is, yes. Are you mad at him? Or worse, afraid?”

You thought about it for a second, but in truth, you already knew how you felt.

“I’m not mad at him. And not afraid either, really. I’m still trying to get used to the fact that problems in this world are not settled in the same way as there are in mine. I’ll get over it. And I’ll speak to him to clear things up.”

You heard him release a breath, obviously relieved.

“I can understand that. Well, how about another drink then?”

Your beer was indeed gone. You stood up and followed Marco to where the booze was, guarded by Thatch and Blenheim. The chef held out a wide smile when he saw you arriving, and Blenheim only took your drink to switch it for another. You thanked him and weirdly, he blushed. Between him and Fossa, apparently the rule was the bigger the man, the sweeter the teddy bear.

“We’re about to play a game, Lena. Wanna join?”

“What kind of game?”

You knew enough about Thatch to check before giving an answer.

“Just a small game between friends!”

Thirty minutes later, you were facing fourteen people, including Marco, Thatch, Fossa, Izou, Ace and Haruta. The rest were crewmates you hadn’t interacted with yet, but you were slowly warming up to them. A young man named Arden had taken place on your left and you had chatted idly for a while, him telling you about life on the Moby. It was nice to get another perspective. He was nice and funny, and you liked listening to him.

In the meantime, the different players had taken part in ridiculous dares and tried to escape the third “pirate” option of the game: if you didn’t want to answer a question or take up a challenge, you had to down a keg of beer. Pretty simple rules, but the third option was highly dangerous for any person with a normal constitution. So far you only had to do a cartwheel, a trick you had mastered years ago and could do on one hand.

“Lena, seems like it’s your turn again!”

“So, truth, dare or pirate?”

“Truth.”

A mischievous glint appeared in the Thatch’s eyes, which did not reassure you at all. You saw him mulling his question over, trying not to get too anxious.

“Okay, I’ve got one! How many partners have you had?”

“Romantic partners?”

“Uh yes!”

“None.”

You felt all fourteen heads turn to you at that.

“Lena, we said truth, no joking.”

You turned to Ace who had just spoken.

“I’m not joking. I’ve never had a partner. Is that so hard to believe?”

“Well, sweetheart, you’re obviously a gorgeous woman. How come you’ve never chosen anyone before? You must have had tons of suitors.”

“Well, no I didn’t. No one ever expressed any interest, thank you for the vote of confidence though.”

You were starting to feel uncomfortable under their stares. Was it so bad to not have been with anyone? You had experienced a few one-night stands, but they had been highly unsatisfactory, and intelligence-wise, no one had ever gained your attention before.

“But…”

Thatch was cut out by an elbow coming from Izou, who had picked up on your discomfort. You thanked him with a small smile and he returned you one. The game resumed and other dares and truths were thrown around, you not paying much attention to it. You excused yourself at some point, only to have Arden catch up to you.

“Wait, Lena?”

The young man had blue eyes and a mop of brown hair, his features soft and endearing. He looked like a Raphaël painting. You turned and waited for him to speak up.

“I was wondering… Would you like to have lunch tomorrow?”

“Why?”

His request confused you and you waited for an answer, watching him fiddle with his hands.

“I thought maybe you and I could learn to know each other a bit more?”

“You mean… like a date?”

The chain of events let you a bit awestruck. You had just admitted to never having a partner and by magic someone had asked you out not ten minutes later.

“Are you doing this out of pity?”

You saw his eyes go wide and he stuttered in his effort to correct you.

“No! Not at all. I… Well you’re very pretty… And I thought we had a nice time chatting, so I thought… I mean only if you want, of course!… This is stupid, forget about it.”

“No! I mean, yes. I would love to have lunch with you tomorrow.”

He clearly didn’t expect you to accept his invitation. You could get used to his cute expression. However, you didn’t see the pair of piercing blue eyes watching you two from a distance. If you had, you would have seen the longing in them.

Chapter Text

You had not realized how hard it would be to talk with Arden. Since he was not a commander, he was not aware of the details of your apparition on Whitebeard’s ship. You had dodged every sensitive question he had thrown at you, redirecting the conversation when needed. As far as he knew, you had grown up on a small island in the East Blue and it was an encounter with an unknown devil fruit user that had transported you on the Moby Dick.

You were sitting in the same booth than yesterday, only this time a brown-haired young man was facing you, instead of the commanders. Arden had waited for you at the ship and brought you here for lunch, as promised. You were actually having a good time, he was easy-going and quite charming. You still didn’t understand why he had decided to ask you out amongst all people, but you weren’t complaining. He was quite cute. It was a first for you after all, so it was probably normal to feel a bit awkward.

Arden had been talking about how he had joined the crew. He had been raised on a small island by nuns, who ran the local orphanage. When Whitebeard had arrived one day, he had decided to join at the age of seventeen, over eight years ago now. He talked about Whitebeard like the rest of the crew, considering him his true father. You could feel the love and respect he had for him, a trait you definitely appreciated.

“So, how do you feel about the crew, Lena?”

“I am honoured I was allowed to stay. Everyone has been very nice to me, considering you guys didn’t know me a week ago.”

“That’s good. We might look threatening, but we’re a big family. I had seen you from time to time but didn’t want to impose, with everything that happened. I heard about you getting hurt because of the traitor, I’m glad you were well taken care of.”

“Thank you. It’s all in the past now, hopefully.”

He gave you a kind smile, his blue eyes observing you. You had decided to wear jeans and a cute white top with puffy sleeves to be comfortable, but still showing a bit of cleavage. You wanted to feel somewhat attractive after all. Apparently, it was working and you were flattered by the attention.

“You know, I really feel lucky we ended up next to each other yesterday, it gave me the opportunity to know you a bit more.”

“I’m glad too” you said sincerely. “You’re really sweet and I’m having a great time.”

The smile that appeared on his face almost blinded you. You took a sip of your drink and he did as well, his eyes not leaving your figure.

“So, I hear you’re leaving with commander Ace tomorrow? Where are you going?”

“We’re gonna meet his brother in Alabasta, that’s all.”

“I see. How do you know him? I mean, if you’re going with commander Ace…”

Well, if that wasn’t a loaded question. You really weren’t fond of lying, but it would be easier to.

“I know him from my home island, we were friends.”

Arden quickly caught up on your tight-lipped answer and didn’t push for more, thankfully. You gave him a small smile as an excuse.

“Listen, I understand why you’re not sharing too much right now. We all have pasts and it’s not always easy to talk about it.”

He moved his left hand to place it over your right one. You froze, not expecting the gesture, but relaxed almost immediately. Even if you hadn’t had much physical contact in the past years, you had started to get used to friendly touches and… now more caring ones. Arden’s skin was warm against yours, and you enjoyed the comfort it brought you.

“Just know I’ll be there if you want to talk about it. We all need someone to listen sometimes.”

“You’re very sweet, thank you.”

His thumb brushed your knuckles and you couldn’t help but blush. You slowly took back your hand and cleared your throat, trying to regain a more neutral tone.

“Well, do you want to go for a walk? I don’t have to be back at the Moby until one more hour, I’ll have to take my shift then.”

Arden was part of Rakuyo’s division, working with Izou’s on all communication-related matters. Part of his duties was to watch over the snails and eventually intercept marine transmissions. And feeding the snails with bits of salad when needed, which you found absolutely adorable. He had promised to take you sometimes, provided Rakuyo or Izou gave him the green light. Somehow, you had no doubt they would.

Having agreed to Arden’s proposition, you exited the tavern after he settled the bill and walked towards the harbour, enjoying the afternoon sun. The town was as busy as yesterday but you didn’t mind, the excited atmosphere was nice to bathe in. He took your hand at some point and you let him, enjoying the small attention.

The hour quickly came to an end and so did your nice stroll. He left for his shift then; he had insisted on bringing you back to the ship but you wanted to stay in town for a bit longer. You had assured him you would be okay, you were wearing Marco’s pendant today for protection after all. You had unconsciously been touching it all day, as for reassurance. You had to admit you were feeling both anxious and excited to be leaving with Ace tomorrow. Leaving the safe environment the Moby Dick was would definitely be a step further in your journey.

Walking on the beach, you suddenly saw a red light flashing on the sea. Blinking, you tried to track the light and saw it reappearing in another place. Except now, it was coming closer. Much closer. It was only then you realised it was Ace on his Striker coming at a dangerous speed in your direction. He braked at the last moment but still splashed you a little, prompting a murderous stare. He only laughed at your reaction.

“You looked hot there, honey bun. Thought you could use a refreshment.”

“Well, I didn’t ask for your assistance. By the way, aren’t there any speed limits on the open seas? You could kill someone.”

“You definitely don’t know me yet, cutie pie. I’ve been driving this baby for over two years now, I can assure you I’m in total control.”

You rolled your eyes at his cockiness but couldn’t help a smile forming on your lips.

“Wanna go for a ride?”

You hesitated briefly before shrugging. After all, you would be on the same boat for over two weeks, better be acquainted with his sailing sooner rather than later. He held out his hand so you could step on the board safely and then guided you to stand before him. His feet were in some sort of lower hollow space inside the board, next to the engine. Flames appeared around his feet and the machinery started to move slowly, making your knees wobble.

“Hold on there, sweet cheeks. Bend your knees so you won’t lose your balance… and hold on tight!”

He looped an arm around your waist and you gripped his arm tightly, letting out a curling scream as he sped up as a result.

“ACE! Slow down!”

“Don’t worry, just don’t let go! I won’t be able to ditch you out of the sea if you fall. Can you even swim?”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU CHECK BEFORE YOU MORON!”

He stopped replying to you at this point and sped up instead, making you lose your shit completely. You weren’t sure you were screaming anymore, drowned by the sound of the waves. Your eyes had closed and you were still absolutely terrified. You were pretty sure Ace was gonna have red marks on his arm for the rest of the week because of your death grip. You tried to gradually calm down, taking deep breaths, though the speed and wind didn’t make it easy.

“You’re doing great, muffin! Open your eyes, it will be okay. I’m not letting go, I promise.”

After what was probably the longest minute of your life, you tentatively opened one eye, then the other.

“Keep your eyes forward!”

You wanted to turn to look at Ace but listened to his advice. You didn’t feel that much scared anymore, your body getting used to the speed. You looked at the sea around you and revelled in the vibrant blue-green shining under the sun. The Moby was in the distance, and you could see some people on the beach as well. You grip remained the same on Ace’s arm though, no point in taking a risk. His arm was firm around you and provided some reassurance, he really wasn’t gonna risk letting go. Your stomach was tense still, the uncomfortable thrill of danger gripping it. Ace had reached a steady speed so you tried to relax a bit more and enjoy surfing the waves.

Except this was only to lull you into a false sense of security, since the next thing he did was propel you in the air and do a flip, which you screamed bloody murder for.

“Okay, stop! I’m done! I’m so done! Get me back to the shore, now!”

The hot-headed idiot behind you couldn’t stop laughing at your reaction but obeyed nonetheless, bringing you back to shore safely. As soon as you were able to, you stepped back on the sand, letting a relieved breath out.

“Oh my god. How am I supposed to survive two weeks with you? I’m never gonna make it past an hour.”

This only made him laugh harder, but he relented to reassure you.

“Don’t worry, sugar, I won’t put you in danger. We’re near the Moby, with everyone around, there was no risk at all here. I promise I won’t do anything crazy on the seas, I am somewhat responsible, you know.”

“She almost suffered a heart attack, you complete moron.”

Izou’s angered tone broke through your exchange. You could see that several men had gathered around you with amused expressions, and you couldn’t honestly blame them for it.

“Izou! Did you see that ? She held up surprisingly well!”

“I can’t believe Pops made you a commander. You know we can demote you if we all vote on it. And since everyone on this ship owes me one way or another, you should be careful, Portgas.”

“Izou, my brother, why so mad? She had fun, right honey buns?”

You turned to Izou who gave you his full attention, not without glaring threateningly at Ace first.

“I’m fine, Izou. Just annoyed that this idiot roped me into doing something so stupid. Lesson learned.”

He clicked his tongue in answer but gave up the argument at your request.

“Ace, Pops wants to talk to you both before you leave tomorrow. Lena, would you be so kind as to follow me? He will join us in a second, after he puts that death machine away.”

You took Izou’s offered arm and walked back to the Moby. His presence was just what you needed, grounding you after this surreal experience on the waves. In retrospect, you were glad you had done it, it was undoubtedly out of your comfort zone but surprisingly thrilling.

There was one thing you wanted to say to Izou though, thinking about your conversation with Marco during the party.

“Izou, I wanted to say I am not mad about yesterday. It was just a bit shocking in all honesty, but I’ll get used to violence, I won’t have a choice not to. Thank you for defending me, truly. I know that’s all you aimed to do.”

“A lady doesn’t apologize, darling. I will be more caring of your feelings next time, I promise. Please forgive me for my shortcomings.”

You smiled and pressed his hand in return, showing him your appreciation.

“By the way, your look beautiful darling. How was your… meeting earlier? With Arden?”

The samurai’s tone both held curiosity and a certain edge, but you shrugged it off. He had no reason to be worried, Arden was a very nice guy.

“Well, I had a good time. I hope he wasn’t disappointed, it was my first date after all.”

“Only a fool would be disappointed. I’m sure he was grateful to even be in your presence. And I’m glad you had a good time, but remember you only need to say the word if he is being untoward with you.”

You were very grateful to have a friend like Izou, and relieved to have cleared out yesterday’s unease. You wouldn’t want the two of you to walk on eggs around each other, you cared about him too much.

“There is one thing though… It’s hard to hide everything from him. I had to create a past, lie about myself… I feel guilty for doing so. It’s like I’m lying to him about who I am, presenting another person entirely. It’s not fair.”

The geisha hummed contemplatively before answering.

“In the end, darling, it’s your choice. You are the only one that can decide what you want to tell him. You trusted us commanders enough to share your story, you’ll have to decide if he can be trusted as well. And we’ll just have to respect your decision.’

“But that’s the thing, Izou. I knew you already. I mean not personally, but I knew about your stories, your devotion to Whitebeard and your loyalty. But I don’t know him. He was not part of the story and he is a wild card. I can’t afford mistakes, Izou. I can’t put everything in jeopardy just because I like someone.

“You like him?”

Your admission made you blush furiously and duck your head. Even though Izou had been aware of your date, your very new and blossoming feelings about Arden hadn’t been voiced out yet. And for some reason, you were unsure about sharing those with Izou. Your silence lasted and he offered you a way out.

“Forgive my curiosity, darling. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. As long as you like spending time with him, I’m happy for you.”

You nodded and the both of you continued walking until you reached the commanders’ reunion room. Izou opened the door but didn’t come in after you, bidding you goodbye.

“There’s my favourite daughter!”

Whitebeard’s booming voice would never stop giving you chills. Nor would his height.

“Good afternoon, sir. You wanted to speak with me?”

“Don’t give me that “sir” crap, my child, we’re not marines. Still don’t want to call me Pops?”

“Maybe one day… sir.”

“Guararararara!”

The door opened then and Ace joined you both.

“Hey Pops!”

“Hi, son. Take a seat, we’re going to discuss your trip.”

Ace took out a notebook and you had to admit you didn’t know he could be that serious. From what you could see, the pages were filled with numbers, probably coordinates, but the writing so bad you would not be able to decipher it.

“We’ll be meeting with that red-haired brat three weeks from now. That second of his gave us coordinates; you’ll need to meet us at Sabaody so we can coat the Moby and pass Fishman Island together. Which gives you sixteen days, starting tomorrow. Don’t be late, alright?”

“Of course Pops!”

“Take those two eternal poses for Alabasta and Sabaody. In case it goes wrong, Ace you have your snail to contact us. We’ll be able to give you coordinates if needed. And Lena, please watch over my son. He sometimes forgets he’s still just a brat.”

“Will do, sir.” You said with a smile, ignoring Ace’s offended face.

“Also, forgive me my child but I have to ask. Is there anything we need to know before you leave? I want to protect my sons in any way I can.”

You mulled the question over, thinking about your notebook and the different events you knew were going to happen. Since Teach was dead, normally there wasn’t a direct threat to the Whitebeards for now, but you had to be careful.

“There is one thing. Teach had allies, but I don’t know about their whereabouts. There was a sniper called Van Augur, with a weird large hat and a monocle; Jesus Burgess, a wrestler of some kind with purple hair and a lame mask? And Doc Q, he’s the doctor, but carries around a basket of explosive apples. He’s dangerous. They all are really, please don’t underestimate them if you come across them. The last one is Laffitte, I don’t really know anything about him but he always scared me. He has a very deranged smile.”

“Alright, my child, I will be sure to tell Marco. Maybe we can find their wanted posters. Their names don’t ring a bell, but from what you told me, they have been lying in the shadows for a long time. It is not ludicrous to think they would come after us when they realize Teach is dead.”

“Exactly. I know at some point they were in Jaya, but I have no idea if that’s still the case.”

“We’ll be close to Jaya, Pops” Ace chimed in. “So I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for them. I’ll phone Marco if we see anything.”

Whitebeard nodded and dismissed you both with a

“Alright then, go away now! And Ace, go find me some sake, Evie found my stash earlier, told me off for drinking again.”

Seeing how the man drank, that Evie had been right. You bid good day to Whitebeard and got out of the room, deciding to go back to your quarters. You needed to pack for the trip.

Once you reached your cabin, you selected some clothes, the book Marco had lent you about their world, your notebook and a pen, and a couple other items you thought would be useful. From what Ace had told you, the trip to Alabasta would be a direct one, so no stopping on islands. The Striker-17 had a hold where food and water would be stored, and a small canopy so you wouldn’t be burned to death by the sun.

The final thing was a gun Izou brought you as a gift while you were packing. You didn’t have time to choose one together yesterday, so he had gone into town earlier and picked one for you. It was on the smaller side, white, with black inlays. You could imagine a James Bond girl using it and were quite happy with his choice and had thanked him profusely. Izou also brought you a holster to strap around your leg. It was not uncomfortable per se, but you would have to get used to it.

The last evening with the crew was spent partying as well, no surprises there. You took the time to speak with Marco and Thatch, shared a pint with Izou and exchanged a couple nice words with Arden. He bid you a nice trip and asked you out again when you would return, which you agreed to happily. He was so bold as to kiss you on the cheek, thankfully the night was there to hide your redness.

You departed early the next day. Marco, Haruta and Izou were on deck to see you off, passing on Thatch’s goodbyes who was busy preparing breakfast for the crew. He had prepared so much food for the trip you thought the boat would sink, the hold had barely been able to close. Ace’s flames ignited and you finally left the Moby Dick, already missing its inhabitants.

The next days were spent chatting with Ace, making sure he would not fall asleep while navigating (which he had still done a couple times), reading, writing and sleeping. You were starting to feel cramped and uncomfortable on the boat, but knew it was for the best. You stretched whenever and however you could.

Finally, an island came into view. The golden shade was a dead indicator that you had finally reached your destination: Sandy Island, hosting the infamous and mysterious kingdom of Alabasta.

Chapter Text

Learning the Strawhats hadn’t arrived to Alabasta yet had been a relief. Despite your calculations, there was still a chance that timeline could have been altered. The butterfly effect was something that scared you, because who knew how far the repercussions of one action could go?

You had moored in Nanohana just yesterday, and you were already loving this kingdom. You had admired the Egyptian civilization in your old world and this felt like a vivid dream. This town was a syncretism of many civilizations, with a twist of magic. Ace had been there before and you had toured the city together, gone to the market, and refilled the hold of the boat for the return trip. Everything was ready so you could leave as soon as possible after Ace would meet Luffy and his crew.

This morning, you had decided to explore some more, promising to meet with Ace at the harbour at noon. You had wanted to explore the perfume stalls, enjoying the divine smells the merchants offered. Since the sun was getting higher and higher, you slowly made you way back to Striker-17 after looking at a last perfume.

“Nami, we’re gonna get caught! We need to leave, quick!”

That voice made you freeze. You didn’t think you would find Luffy’s crew this easily. You turned to discover what were Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, Nami and Chopper, along with the princess of Alabasta, Nefertari Vivi. They were hiding behind a half-destroyed stone wall.

“I know, Usopp. And still no Luffy…”

You tried to get closer, but you didn’t want to scare them into thinking you were an enemy. And risk one of Zoro’s swords landing on your neck. However, you heard a scuffle behind you and turned to discover a troop of marines running towards you. And in front of them was Luffy, running for his life. He passed you in a flash, only stopping when he heard the green-haired swordsman call for him.

“Zoro! There you are, guys! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“WE have been looking for you, you absolute moron!”

“Arghhhh Luffy, don’t bring the marines straight to us!”

Usopp’s desperate cry turned to a panicked one when said marines spotted the group of pirates.

“They’re here! Don’t let the Mugiwaras escape!”

In a foolish decision, you decided to run up and catch up to them, despite the Marines registering your existence. But you couldn’t let them disappear! You quickly regretted doing so though when smoke started to gather around your ankles and you realized the big man in a furry grey coat and two cigars coming closer and closer was no other than Smoker.

“Why did I do that!”

You sped up but the smoke was getting everywhere, catching up to you. Smoker was getting closer, trying to reach Luffy with his devil fruit and you were in the middle, nothing good could come from this. You then saw a red flame in the corner of your eye.

“Kagero!”

Ace’s flames countered Smoker’s cloud and the Strawhats and you stopped in amazement as a huge column of fire appeared.

“You again?! This doesn’t concern you, Fire Fist!”

“Well, actually it does. Give up, colonel, our powers are equally matched. You know, smoke against fire.”

“Surrender yourself, Portgas!”

The commander ignored him and turned to look at his brother instead.

“Hello, Luffy!”

“Ace! Is that you? When did you eat a devil fruit?!”

“I’ll catch up with you later Luffy, go! And take Lena with you!”

“Who’s Lena?”

Nami’s question quickly found an answer as you rushed to them, breathless. Meanwhile, Ace was holding Smoker off with his fire.

“Um… hi? I’m Lena.”

“Mellorine!”

“Sanji-kun, now’s not the time! We need to run!”

You all started running away, and you threw a last glance to Ace, who was fighting the marines incredibly easily. Soon enough you were out of sight, but did not slow your pace either. You needed to reach the Going Merry and avoid another unfortunate encounter.

“Will Ace be alright?”

“Yes” you replied to Vivi. “He ate the Mera Mera no Mi, the flame fruit. He’s very powerful, don’t worry.”

The blue-haired girl looked at you then nodded. The group reached the Merry soon enough, loading the provisions they had been carrying, and you sailed away from the coast, catching your breath.

“Lena, how will Ace join us? He saved us, we can’t leave him behind!” Nami panicked.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got our own boat. He’ll be with us in a minute.”

“Wait, where’s Luffy! The idiot, he stayed behind!”

You all looked around, worried. Suddenly, you heard a scream for far away, and Zoro quickly identified Luffy on the bank, waving at all of you. You didn’t expect him to propel himself on the Merry, provoking several heart attacks while landing on Sanji and Chopper. You helped them both back on their feet, which gained two opposite reactions : Chopper ran away, scared, and Sanji held on to your hand in an adoring manner despite you trying to shake him off.

“Mellorine! You are such a generous and kind lady, lowering yourself to come to my help!”

“Shut up, shitty cook, you’re embarrassing us.”

“Who are you calling a shitty cook, you damn marimo?!”

That remark had the benefit of getting you back your hand. The two nakamas soon became part of the background noise and Nami tried to understand the situation.

“Luffy, so who’s Ace?”

“He’s my brother!”

“Your brother?!”

His casual answer left six shocked faces.

“Yeah, Ace is super strong! Even before his ate his devil fruit! I couldn’t beat him and I’ve tried for years!”

“Of course, the big brother of a monster can only be a mega-monster.” Usopp mumbled, defeated.

“But I’m sure I can beat him now!”

"Are you sure about that, little brother?”

Ace had landed on the handrail with a huge smile on his face, tripping Luffy while doing so. He bowed respectfully before the crew.

“Nice to meet you everyone. Thank you for taking care of my baby brother.”

“Of course, that’s no worries.”

The Strawhats were dumbfounded enough by his manners to answer in chorus. You remembered they were likewise shocked in the original timeline. You laughed discreetly but Ace heard and smiled when he saw you safe and sound.

“Lena, you’re here! Guys, this is Lena, she joined our crew recently.”

“I didn’t join yet… Yeah, whatever.”

“Hi Lena.”

The chorus responses were starting to freak you out a bit, but you could understand their behaviour.

“So you’re part of the Whitebeard pirates, aren’t you?” Zoro’s deep voice asked. “I saw your tattoo in town earlier.”

“Yes, I’m the second division commander!”

“That’s so cool!”

Chopper and Usopp had stars in their eyes, while Luffy was, disgustingly, picking his nose, not caring about the conversation.

“I guess you and Luffy have much to talk about’ Sanji chimed in. “Should I make some tea?”

“Guys, Baroque Works are here!”

Vivi’s cry alerted the crew and you all ran to the rail to see five menacing ships bearing the symbol of Crocodile’s secret organization. Turning to Ace expectantly, he winked at you before he jumped overboard to land on Striker-17 that had been attached to the Merry.

“I’ll be back in a minute, don’t worry guys!”

You saw him sail towards the ships, which were arming their cannons and pointing them menacingly at you. He increased his speed, before rushing at one of them, lighting up his fist.

“Hiken!”

The screams of the agents were drowned in the flames that tore through their ships. In no more than a minute, he had taken care of a fleet like it was a bug. When he returned under your astonished stares, he laughed before jumping back on the deck, having tied the Striker-17 again.

Even though you had been living with him for two weeks now, you had never witnessed his full strength. It was beyond impressive. He truly owned to his title of second division commander.

“Ace! That was amazing! Come on, stay with us for a bit so we can watch up!”

You knew Ace wouldn’t be able to refuse his little brother. He turned to you and you smiled. You could stay for tea at least.

You all sat in the galley, Sanji preparing tea for everyone except Zoro, who had his sake. You were happy to stay back and watch them interact. The Strawhats presented themselves in turn, Vivi included. They then explained their mission to help Vivi get her country back and the implication of Crocodile in the drought that had taken over Alabasta. Ace and you agreed to stay until you would reach Elumalu, before they went deeper into the desert.

“Shishishishishi I can’t believe you met Shanks! That’s awesome!”

“Well, I had to thank him for saving my baby brother!”

“How do you know Akagami no Shanks?”

Vivi had spoken, her royal and political upbringings could only be interested in this unexpected revelation.

“Well, he stayed on my home island for some time, and we became friends! And he saved me from a sea king, but don’t worry, I got my revenge years later on the big fish!”

That was probably the most information Vivi would have, and Ace or you were not gonna fill in the blanks. No need to spread the story about Shank’s left arm, you had an inkling he would not appreciate it being common knowledge. Even if you trusted Luffy’s crew, there was no need to take a risk.

“So Lena, why did you come with Ace then?”

Nami’s question made all heads turn to you.

“Well, I knew about Luffy through Ace’s stories, so how could I resist meeting his brother?”

Well, that wasn’t awkward. Thankfully, Nami didn’t press the issue.

An hour later, the conversation had quieted down. You had left Ace and Luffy alone so they could catch up quietly, and gone up to the stern, sitting down on a sunbed next to the mandarin trees. Between the trip with Ace to Nanohana and this quiet afternoon, your skin was developing a nice tan which you could only appreciate.

You were reading Marco’s book when you saw Usopp passing by with a box of tools and took the opportunity to speak with him.

“Usopp?”

He jumped like a scared deer and replied with a treble in his voice.

“Yyy-es?”

“Is your dad Yasopp?”

The young man’s eyes went wide and he almost dropped the box.

“How… how do you know my dad?”

“He’s in Shanks’ crew. Didn’t Luffy talk about him? He must have known him from Dawn Island.”

“No, he never…”

You actually felt sad for him. Luffy’s candour could be endearing, but you wished he would be smarter sometimes. His nakama had not seen his dad or spoken to him in over fifteen years, and he hadn’t thought to shares his memories with him.

“Well, since we’re meeting with him in a couple weeks, I could pass on a message… if you want.”

A silence met you but you didn’t repeat your offer, letting Usopp think. You didn’t want to pressure him, only give him the option. After an extended minute, he finally shook his head and looked up.

“Thank you, Lena, but... no. I’ll meet him again when I’ll be a brave warrior of the seas, he’ll have to wait and see!”

He had surprised you, but you understood his decision. And his burst of bravery made you laugh quietly, Usopp’s courage was inspiring.

“Alright then.”

Giving him another smile as he walked away, you picked up your book again and continued your reading. You had reached a chapter where the author explained the commercial system of the Grand Line, which was surprisingly interesting. After all, with so many pirates, they needed to have a somewhat stable system for civilians, to ensure they would not risk famine.

“Sabo… Is it true?”

You hadn’t sensed Luffy approaching. You tensed and turned to look at the future king of the pirates. His hat was covering his face. The only hint of emotion was in his voice.

“I don’t know you yet, but I trust Ace. And if he trusts you… Promise me you’re not joking.”

“I’m not.”

You put every ounce of solemnity in your answer, aiming to show to Luffy your seriousness. Luffy didn’t move in return, prompting you to speak more.

“I can’t tell you how I know, but Sabo is in the revolutionary army. He’s actually the second highest leader. He was saved after the Celestial dragon blew up his boat.

“Why didn’t he come home?”

“He doesn’t have his memories anymore. This is part of why we’re meeting with Shanks. He’s gonna help us contact the Revolutionaries so we can help Sabo.”

The eyes that looked up were filled with tears.

“Lena… Thank you!”

He engulfed you in a hug, his arms looping several times around you. Breathing was probably going to become an issue soon, but for now you were happy to let him. He needed the comfort, and you were glad to be able to provide it.

“Do you want some meat? I can ask Sanji to prepare you some, he’s the best!”

You laughed frankly. Meat was definitely Luffy’s love language, so you were honoured he was sharing some with you.

“I would love some. I haven’t eaten actually.”

Your stomach had started to wake up. Since your plans to meet up with Ace for lunch had gone awry, you hadn’t had time to eat. Ace had apparently ransacked a restaurant, but you hadn’t.

Luffy let you to the kitchen before he loudly started to harass Sanji for food.

“Sanjiiiii, I wanna eat!”

“You’ll eat later, you dark hole!”

“But it’s for Lena too, she’s hungry!”

Luffy’s sentence flipped a switch in the cook’s brain. He came swirling before putting a knee down and taking your hand. You couldn’t help but blush at the action, thoroughly embarrassed.

“Mellorine, what can this humble servant prepare for your delicate tastebuds?”

“I want meat!”

“Shut up Luffy, you’ll get what I decide! So, princess of my dreams, what will it be?”

Well, he was definitely bipolar.

“Anything will be fine, Sanji. I trust your cooking.”

“What a generous lady! Please take a seat, it will be ready in a minute!”

Watching Sanji cook was incredible. It was a performance in itself: every cut was perfect, every movement gracefully executed. The smell was exquisite. Not five minutes later, you were presented with a mouth-watering katsudon, while Luffy had four. You dug in after thanking Sanji profusely, which caused him to have a nosebleed. Ace came in then, probably smelling the food. He plopped down next to you, eyeing your plate.

“That looks good! Can I have some?”

Sanji replied with a huff but went back to the stove. After all, he would never let a person go hungry.

“So, their navigator tells me we’ll be in Elumelu tomorrow morning. Are you still okay to stay until then?”

“Sure, we still have time. We can make the trip to Sabaody in ten days, right?”

Not a minute later, Sanji put down another plate in front of Ace, who started eating immediately, giving a thumbs up to the chef who tutted in return for his lack of manners. Like brother, like brother.

The evening was spent laughing and drinking, a welcome break in the middle of your journey. The trip to Alabasta, though quiet, had been a long one, and Nanohana had been bristling with people, sounds, scents, and overall too stimulating. This quiet evening under the stars was the perfect parenthesis before the return trip to the Moby Dick, and everything that would unfold. Overall, you were really starting to like your new life.

Chapter Text

You already missed Sanji’s cooking. The food you had purchased in Nanohana for the return trip was good, but you yearned for a home-cooked meal. One could only eat so much bread, even if it was delicious. Fortunately, Ace had called the Moby Dick earlier and confirmed that you would be meeting in about two or three hours, mid-afternoon, depending on how fast you would navigate.

Those hours were the perfect time to think about the next step. Even before meeting with Shank’s crew, you were gonna have to stop in Sabaody and coat the Moby, which meant you were going to meet with a certain gentleman and his no less famous wife. Having them on your side would be a huge advantage, and you already knew you could trust them. Since you had to convince Rayleigh to train Luffy for two years when the Mugiwara would reach Sabaody, telling him the truth would be the most efficient way to go. You didn’t have the skills to hide anything from them anyway.

“Hey Lena, can I ask you a question?”

Ace’s voice almost surprised you. You had been enjoying the silence for a while now, taking advantage of the remaining hours of quiet before joining with the crew. Before that, the last days had been spent sharing stories, Ace reminiscing his childhood and you telling him about your former world. He had been especially impressed with rockets, which you could easily understand. Movies had however fascinated him. Snails were the most advanced technology-wise in that regard; beside transmissions there was not much they could do. You had explained what westerns were, and unsurprisingly he loved the concept of them. It was quite close to the aesthetic of the West Blue after all, so easier to picture. You had teased him about his cowboy hat and the conversation had ended up in a fit of giggles when he had used his flames to retaliate and tickle your skin relentlessly.

You sat up to look at the fiery young man, smiling.

“Of course, what is it?”

He seemed to hesitate and blushed, which surprised you. Maybe you had done something to upset him, unknowingly. The flames at his feet burned even more, mirroring the courage he seemed to be gathering. He cleared his throat and finally spoke up.

“This guy you had lunch with… Arden. Do you…”

He hesitated for a second so you waited patiently.

“Do you like him?”

The question honestly surprised you. You didn’t know Ace had given any thought to your date or cared.

“Well, he’s nice, and cute… I enjoy his company, yes. Why do you ask?”

“Are you gonna see him again?”

“As a matter of fact, I am. He planned to ask me out again when we would return from our mission, he was very sweet.”

“He’s not right for you.”

This bold affirmation astonished you.

“I’m sorry?”

Your upset tone made him reconsider his last words.

“I mean… I don’t think you should hang out with him.”

“And why shouldn’t I?”

Your tone was ice-cold now. For the first time in your life, someone had asked you out, found you worth his time, and Ace was telling you should not spent time with him?

“I don’t believe you have anything to say about my love life, Ace. Arden is a great guy and he likes me, so I don’t see the problem. We’re not even officially together yet, and you think you can judge whatever we have?”

“Lena, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

A frustrated groan escaped from Ace, who had ducked his head to avoid your murderous stare.

“Just that you could do better.”

“Ace, I really don’t see your point. First of all, there is no better or worse in this situation, I like him, not compared to anyone. Second of all, I hardly see a line of men competing for my attention right now. So forgive me for wanting to feel appreciated.”

You didn’t see Ace bit his lower lip furiously at that, too busy being mad about his brash words.

“He has been nothing but kind to me. I had a lovely time and I hope to spend another great date with him! Why would you be mad about that? Are you not my friend?”

“Of course I’m your friend, Lena! But I’m just worried about you, I don’t want anything bad to happen. With the whole Teach thing, I just want you to be careful, and there’s only so many people I trust fully at the moment.”

“I trust him!”

“Do you? Does he know about who you really are then?”

Ace knew the bad thing to say because you went quiet at this one. You were furious with him. You knew he was right in some way, and you had already shared your concerns with Izou before leaving. But unlike the geisha, Ace was dismissing the whole thing, not taking into account your feelings.

“Right. Thank you for your concern, Ace. I don’t think we have anything more to say to each other on the matter.”

“Lena…”

You turned your back to him and retreated cowardly to the canopy of the Striker-17, putting as much distance as you could between us, despite the small size of the boat. You felt his lingering stare but ignored him pointedly, feeling hurt by the whole exchange.

The rest of the trip was uncomfortable, so you were relieved when you saw the imposing size of the Moby Dick on the horizon. The second the Striker-17 was docked, you fled the heavy atmosphere, leaving Ace behind to entertain alone the crewmates welcoming you back. Unfortunately, you were stopped before being able to reach your cabin.

“What did he do?”

You let out a bitter laugh.

“Why do you assume it’s him? It could be my doing.”

“Because I know the dickhead. He’s my baby brother, I’ve learned to read him. I only had to see his face to know he fucked up. And this, darling, is the expression of someone who has been hurt.”

Izou’s palm went to cup your cheek and his thumb traced your reddened skin.

“So, what did he do?”

You sighed, but before answering Izou you took his hand and led him to your cabin. If you were to talk about this, you would do it in private. You opened the door and threw your bag on the floor, then went straight to sit on your bed, back against the wall with your arms protectively around your legs. Izou closed the door behind you both and joined you, sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting for you to talk.

“It’s about Arden. About what we discussed before I left.”

The samurai hummed in acknowledgment, letting you continue.

“I know I can’t speak about everything yet with him, but I still like him. I don’t want to stop exploring what we have because of that. But Ace couldn’t understand that and well, he reacted like… Ace.”

“I see.”

He scooted over on the bed, offering you his comforting embrace, which you accepted before relaxing against him, feeling his warm chest behind you. His breathing was soothing and you finally relaxed after the long trip. For once, Izou did not elaborate further in his answer, which made you look up after a minute. He seemed to be lost in thought. His red lips were in a small pout, which you found adorable. He had a very expressive face when he was at ease. He often adopted a neutral expression, if not strict with the crew, but relaxed when he was around people he trusted. The realisation had made you very happy since he had been warm with you since the beginning. After a few more moments, he looked down to meet your eyes.

“Darling, there is only one thing I can tell you. If you really like Arden, don’t listen to Ace. He just wants to look out for you in his own way. I’ll take care of the firecracker, don’t worry.”

“Thank you, Izou.”

“So tell me, how was your trip?”

You had gotten to the point when Smoker had been chasing you and Luffy when you heard a knock on the door. Izou got up without waiting, telling you to stay put.

“Lena, it’s me! Oh, commander Izou, hello sir.”

The disappointment was easily perceptible in Arden’s voice when he discovered the geisha opening the door instead of you, but you quickly stood up and went to meet him at the door.

“Hi Arden.”

“Lena…” His eyes flickered at Izou briefly before returning to yours. “I just wanted to say hi, the guys told me you had come back. I didn’t know you had company, sorry for intruding.”

“No, it’s okay! Izou was just helping me with something. Right, Izou?”

“Right.”

The geisha’s tone surprised you. It was in complete contradiction with the soft tone you had been hearing until then. He was back to a colder one, probably since Arden and him didn’t know each other that much. Hopefully they would get closer in the future.

“Darling, since you are in good hands, I’ll let you be. My quarters are just around the corner if you need me.”

“Thank you, Izou. I’ll see you later.”

“Arden.”

“Commander.”

The samurai pushed past the younger man to leave your room, and you timidly smiled at him. You had missed him during those two weeks. His kind eyes were watching you with some sort of hesitation, a strained smile on his lips.

“That’s very nice of you to come see me, Arden. How’s life been on the ship?”

“All good, nothing to worry about. Listen Lena, is there anything I should be aware of? Between you and commander Izou? I wouldn’t want to come between you two.”

“What do you mean?”

It took you a couple of seconds to realize what he was talking about. You stuttered in your rush to correct him.

“No, of course not! He would never see me like that. He’s a friend. A good friend. We’re just close, you know, he’s helped me a lot since I got here.”

“Right.”

Your honest reply seemed to reassure him some, and he perked up, his smile getting a bit less strained and more sincere.

“Anyways, I wanted to see how you were doing. How did your trip go?”

“It went great, thank you for asking. Listen, I still haven’t showered and after going to a desertic island and travelling in the same boat as Ace, I really need to feel clean. Do you mind if we talk later?”

“No, no, that’s absolutely fine! Of course, take all the time you need. I just wanted to ask if you would join me in the snail room later? Or another time. Anytime you want.”

“I would love to. Can we meet in about half an hour?”

“Sure, that’s fine. I’ll come pick you up!”

You giggled at his enthusiasm before waving at him and closing the door. You didn’t have a lot of time, so you went straight to the bathroom and finally relaxed under the hot water. Washing your hair was a liberation. You stepped out after a while then went to open your wardrobe. You were about to pick a cute top you had worn before when you noticed a white top and skirt set with small flowers dotting the fabric. Attached to it was a note folded in half, and you opened it to discover Izou’s elegant writing.

For you, darling. I know you’ll look gorgeous in it.

You had no idea what you had done to deserve that man in your life, and you promised to repay him somehow. You put on the set and looked in the mirror, quite pleased with the way you looked. Your hair was flowing down, still a bit damp from the shower, but the warm air would soon dry it. You were happy Arden had asked you out. Ace’s words came back to your mind but you hushed them. It was going to be a nice date between the two of you, and the firefly would have to accept your relationship. The knock came sooner than you expected so you hurried to slip on your shoes before opening the door.

“Wow. You look gorgeous.”

Such a bold declaration could only bring red to your cheeks, and you thanked him, mumbling. You really like his kind attentions.

“I asked commander Rakuyo’s permission for the snail room of course, and he says it’s okay. We’re gonna need to feed the snails soon, so I thought it would be the perfect time to bring you.”

“That’s very thoughtful. I can’t wait to see them.”

You had already been in the transmissions room with Marco, but Arden didn’t need to know that. After all, you had been focused on speaking with Shanks and hadn’t paid much attention to anything else than the snail in front of you at the time.

You quickly reached the desired room and entered, Arden waving at two guys chatting there, probably from his division too.

“The snails are here. Commander Thatch usually sends someone around 4 pm with a huge salad for them all.”

A bowl was in fact waiting on a table next to them but hadn’t been touched. You had noticed in the past that these snails were always sleepy in some way, even lazier than the ones you knew from your world, but the fact that they hadn’t even moved while their dinner was next to them was astonishing. Arden quickly understood your bafflement and laughed at your confusion.

“Yeah, they won’t do anything that requires moving. You have to put a leaf in their mouth or they won’t even bother to eat.”

The both of you started the process and chatted meanwhile, you telling the young pirate about your trip, and him telling you about the latest prank Thatch had pulled. Apparently, after Haruta had swapped all the shakers in the kitchen, leading to a cooking disaster, the chef had retaliated by baking him oatmeal raisin cookies, which had created a scandal. Haruta had apparently a strong dislike for them, a fact apparently known by everyone on board, and Thatch had managed to bake everyone else chocolate chip ones, leaving him with the dreary treat. By the time he had realised it, everyone had finished theirs and there wasn’t a single chocolate chip cookie left on the ship. If you believed Arden, Haruta had spent the last three day moping around, cursing after Thatch.

The two guys chatting left at some point and you were left with Arden in peaceful silence. Once every salad leaf had been distributed, you watched the snails eat them for a while but quickly got bored.

“Sorry, that’s not the most exciting activity.”

“No, I liked it. They’re cute.”

“They are. Don’t tell anyone, but I gave some of them the commander’s names. There’s even Pops over there.”

You followed his gesture and saw a bigger snail behind the rest, with a discoloration around his mouth. It did look like a moustache if you squinted.

“Where’s Marco?”

He pointed at a small one who looked even more tired than the others, with a yellow stripe on his shell. A giggle escaped you and he looked at you with fondly.

“Do you wanna go somewhere else? I don’t have to stay here at the moment, there are no transmissions planned. The guys will be back in a minute anyways.”

“Sure.”

You exited the room and started walking in the corridor, his hand grabbing yours. He led you outside to enjoy the weather. The wind was making your skirt flow, a sensation you enjoyed. You walked towards the prow to admire the endless sea and you both stayed there for a moment, chatting idly. However, at some point, he stopped talking and you turned to look at him when you noticed the silence. His blue eyes had a spark in them.

“Lena… May I?”

He got closer and tentatively brought his hand to your face, searching your eyes for consent. You quickly looked around, self-conscious about the situation, and put a hand on his torso to stop him. Your eyes were cast down to try and regain control of your thoughts. The simple demand had sent your brain into panic mode, and not for the right reasons.

"Arden, I don’t know…”

His hand fell down immediately and he backed up, disappointed.

“Sorry if I misread the situation. I thought it was the right time. We can wait of course, there’s no rush.”

His voice held both a hopeful and disappointed tone, and you felt horrible for having pushed him away. You didn’t know how explain what was going on through your head. The people around on the ship, your shyness for contact and what would have been your first romantic kiss, and the worst: thinking of Ace’s words. You liked Arden but were feeling defeated. If you were not comfortable with a simple kiss for all those reasons, going into a frenzy at the thought, you doubted it would get better in the future. You gulped and prepared yourself for the words you were about to speak.

“I had a wonderful time, Arden. Thank you for showing me the snails. And I really enjoy your company. But… I can’t. I don’t think I’m the right one for you.”

The irony of reversing Ace’s earlier words wasn’t lost on you.

“I thought we had a connection.” The poor guy was trying, which made you feel even worse. “I really like you, Lena.”

“I like you too but…”

“But what? If you like me as well, then what’s the problem?”

“I just can’t. I’m sorry, Arden.”

“Right. Sorry then, I won’t bother you anymore.”

Obviously hurt, he gave you a last look before turning away, leaving you alone on the deck. You were feeling awful, but you knew that had you gone through with it, the relationship would only have gotten more complicated. Though your reasoning might have been practical, it didn’t stop your heart from hurting. Arden’s disappointed face would haunt you for a while.

Apparently, it was not a possible scenario for you to build a relationship. Your first and sole attempt to connect with someone had been nipped in the bud before anything romantic could flourish. You felt frustrated, mad that you didn’t have time to enjoy his company for longer, guilty for leading him on and awkward because of the whole situation.

The wind was getting a bit colder with the evening creeping up, so you decided to go back under deck after a while, going straight to the kitchens. You were still in a pitiful mood, hopefully a hot tea would help. When you got there, the simple sight of Thatch’s pompadour hair was enough to make you feel better already.

“Sweetheart! I’m so glad to see you!”

The chef had spotted you immediately in his kitchen, not that it surprised you. His kind eyes were examining you. After two weeks without his laughter or affectionate presence, you really had missed him.

“I’m really sorry to bother you, is there a way I could get some tea? Any kind will do.”

“Of course, sweetheart. Is everything okay? You seem a bit upset.”

When he heard you mumble a not so convincing answer, he immediately pulled you to the side. Behind him, the guys were busing preparing dinner, so your conversation was drowned in the background noise.

“So, what happened?”

“I messed up. With Arden. I like him, but it won’t work out, and I feel guilty for leading him on.”

“Ah, I see. Izou told me about your internal struggle.”

“I broke up with him. I mean, we weren’t even together yet, but… I couldn’t continue lying to him. What about when he sees me talking with Shanks in a week? Or even Rayleigh? I would have had to invent another crazy story.”

“I didn’t know you were gonna talk to Silvers Rayleigh, but I’ll file that information for later. Come here, sweetheart.”

The chef engulfed in a hug and you let him, enjoying his warmth and comforting presence. He let you enjoy the moment and waited until you were ready to pull back.

“Alright, I’ll make you some tea, it’ll help with your mood. You can go to the back office there, I’ll join you in a few.”

He smiled at you and you pressed his hand in return, grateful. Five minutes later, a hot cup of tea was deposited in front of you on a small table inside Thatch’s office. You had yourself sat down on a comfortable armchair. The chef rested on the side of the table, facing you.

“So, you won’t see him again then.”

“No… I don’t think it’s wise, I blew it anyways. I feel so bad. He was so kind to me, kinder than I deserved.”

“You deserve all the kindness in the world, Lena.”

His calloused hand came to brush your cheek, wiping a tear that had appeared.

“I really don’t deserve you, Thatch. Thank you for being my friend.”

“Of course, sweetness. You can count on me. Is there anything I can do?”

You took a second to drink your tea, before putting down the porcelain cup on the table.

“Actually, I need a favour, if you’re not too busy. Izou gifted me this outfit, and I want to thank him. Do you think I could bake him something? What’s his favourite food?”

“That’s adorable of you, I’m sure he’ll appreciate the attention. Well, he doesn’t have an overly sweet tooth, but he is fond of wanese pastries. They’re hard to come by, so I try to bake him some from time to time. Taiyaki could be a good option since it’s not too sugary. With a sesame filling, I’m sure he’ll love them.”

“That would be amazing. Are you sure you can spare the time?”

“Of course. I need to finish overseeing the dinner preparations, but then I’ll be free for the rest of the evening. How about you come back here around 9pm?”

“That’s perfect, thank you Thatch.”

You went back to your cabin for the time being, not without having thanked the chef many times. With dinner around the corner, you joined the rest of the crew who you hadn’t seen yet since your return. Thankfully, Arden did not seem to be around, facing him already would have been too awkward. You walked up to the commanders’ table and took a sit, a plate being deposited in front of you a second later. Ace was sat on the other side of the table and gave you a tentative smile in between two ginormous bites, which you returned, not wanting to prolong your fight. You chatted with the guys at the table about your near docking to Sabaody, which would happen the following morning.

After eating, you got back down to the kitchens and easily found Thatch, who was reading a newspaper in a corner while three guys in aprons were finishing up the dishes.

“There she is. Are you ready, sweetheart?”

He gave you an apron and let you to a counter where all the ingredients had already been set out. He gave you the instructions and you started baking, applying yourself to match his and Izou’s expectations. You enjoyed baking but hadn’t had the opportunity in a while to indulge. It felt good to be able to do something with your hands again. The batter was quickly done so you prepared for the next step.

“Alright, now we’re moving on to the cream. The bitterness of the black sesame needs to be toned down, so we’re gonna incorporate whipped cream later. It will give an airier texture as well, which is better for the type of pastry we’re doing. You can start with toasting the black sesame seeds, then we’ll melt them with some honey.”

The smell coming from the seeds was delicious but you refrained from stealing some. You preferred waiting for a satisfying bite of the final treat, instead of tasting every step of the recipe.

“Now we’re gonna let it cook for a bit, so the paste gets a nice texture. Careful, it’s hot!”

Thatch’s expertise was incredible, you felt lucky he was sharing his passion with you. The way he moves around the kitchen was flawless.

“Thatch-yoi, have you seen… Oh, Lena, you’re here. What are you guys doing?”

You looked at Marco and smiled, welcoming him to step closer.

“I asked Thatch to help me bake sesame taiyaki for Izou.”

“I’m jealous, these are the best. Can I have some later?”

His blue eyes were fixated on the paste cooking, hungry.

“Sure, I think we’ll be able to spare a couple, right Thatch?”

The brown-haired man nodded, before slapping Marco’s hand away. The blonde devil-fruit user was trying to dip his finger into the casserole.

“Get away, bird-brain, you know I don’t like it. It’s unsanitary.”

Marco humpfed, frustrated.

“You’re always grumpier in the kitchen. Maybe all the fumes and smells get to your brain, Thatchy-boy.”

“Tsst. Be careful or I’ll make sure there’s no taiyaki left for the overgrown chicken haunting this sacred space.”

The first mate guffawed, his laugh sending shivers down your spine; you loved his laugh.

"Lena, you can add the whipped cream now, make sure to not crush it, incorporate it delicately.”

You followed Thatch’s instructions, focusing on your task while him and Marco were speaking in the background, discussing ship affairs. When the chef saw you were done, he pulled out the waffle maker and you were able to form the adorable taiyaki, one after the other. Once everything was done, you let them cool down and moved to clean up your baking mess but Thatch was quicker. He grabbed the dirty dishes and shooed you away, leaving you to speak with Marco. The doctor positioned himself so you wouldn’t try to run after Thatch.

“So, did everything go well on your trip? I got Ace’s report, but I wanted to check with you as well.”

“Yes, we met with Luffy and his crew, and they were no hitches whatsoever. We were coursed by marines at some point, but it was inevitable. This episode was actually a relief if I’m being honest, since it meant what I knew about everything is still the same. Almost the same.”

Marco nodded at your side, moving to lean against the counter.

“Thank you for the book, by the way. I finished it on the way back, it was very interesting. I know the government censors many books, but if you read between the lines, there was much said about the system of the Grand Line and the Four Blues.”

“I’m glad you found it useful. It is hard to find good books indeed, but I think I’ve managed to gather a nice collection. You’re always welcome to borrow another.”

Thatch came back then and the three of you chatted the rest of the evening, enjoying each other’s presence. You were lucky to have found such wonderful people. The two of them, along with Izou and Ace, had weaselled their way into your heart, and you couldn’t be more grateful.

Chapter Text

The Moby Dick had moored to Sabaody half an hour ago and you had wasted no time. Along with Marco, Izou, Ace and Thatch, you had all started to walk towards Grove 13, passing through the lawless area. The Moby had been hidden at Grove 28, away from the general public and the crew was going to be busy with the usual restocking for a while. The bubbles floating around you were a marvel, it felt like being in a nature bubble bath. Soon enough, the unfamous Shakky’s Rip-Off bar was waiting at the top of a hill, a stone bridge leading to it. When you got to the top, you took a deep inspiration before stepping in. Izou put a hand on your lower back and gave you a smile, allowing you to pass before him. You had given him the taiyaki earlier this morning, and he had been very touched by your attention, complimenting you on your baking. You were glad you had finally been able to thank him for everything he had done for you.

“It’s been a long time, boys. I was starting to think you had chosen a new bar.”

Shakuyaku’s seductive voice welcomed you. She was exactly as you knew her in the story, dark hair, tall and elegant, a cigarette hanging from her lips. And dramatically beautiful.

“I see you’ve brought a new friend. What’s your name sweetie?”

Her chocolate eyes were examining your face, the intense stare making you blush.

“Erm… I’m Lena, miss… madam.”

“I like her.” A devilish smile had appeared on her face, in reaction to your pathetic babbling. You wanted to disappear under her intense staring.

“Look at what the tide washed in. Hello, Newgates.”

You hadn’t even noticed someone entering the room. The deep voice startled you and you turned to be faced with no other than Silvers Rayleigh.

“Raileigh-yoi. Glad to see you. We’ve come to coat the Moby, we need to get to Fishman Island as soon as possible.”

“Hi Rayleigh!”

Thatch’s enthusiasm made the old man’s roguish smile appear. He nodded to him and the rest of you before turning back to Marco.

“Why the rush?”

“Before all the chit-chat, can I get you anything to drink?” Shakky’s voice cut into the conversation, a hand on her hip, waiting.

“We’ll be fine with whiskey, I believe.”

“Sure, that’ll be 150 000 berries for the three of you, I’m feeling generous.”

Ace choke when hearing the price, while the others, most likely accustomed to her insane fees, simply sighed.

“Anything for you, sweetie? On the house.”

“Hey, what would she get a drink for free?” Ace protested the unfair treatment, almost stomping his foot down childishly.

“Shut up, you ill-mannered ape” Izou berated him.

“Well, she’s easy on the eyes, for a start.”

“Don’t we know that.”

Shakky’s flattery caused your face to flare up. Being complimented by such a perfect woman was surreal, and then Thatch’s remark only added to your embarrassment.

“So, what can I get you?”

“Anything will be fine. Tea, whatever you have. Thank you, miss Shakuyaku.”

“Aren’t you adorable. Alright then boys, sit down. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

Rayleigh decided to sit at the bar, facing your group. The boys had taken over the booth, spreading on the maroon padded seat. You went to sit down on the small place left next to Thatch who instead pulled you on his lap, taking advantage of the reduced space. Your breath caught and you didn’t dare move for a minute. You noticed Marco’s stare and promptly turned your head. Getting upset for so little would be embarrassing, Thatch was a friend, you didn’t need to make it awkward. You forced yourself to relax instead, which was not the easiest thing to do when feeling the chef’s muscular chest under you. He put an arm behind you, resting on the back of the couch.

“So, you’re going back to the New World then? I thought old Newgate wanted to stay in the Blues for a while.”

Rayleigh’s voice helped you go back to the discussion at hand.

“Much happened recently.” Izou spoke for all of you, explaining the situation. “Lena here came to us and helped uncover a traitor on the Moby. He’s been dealt with since, don’t worry.”

“Who was it?”

“Teach-yoi.”

“Good riddance. I never liked what he did to Shanks back then.”

The former first mate of Roger was looking at you with his piercing eyes.

“She actually needs to contact someone.” Izou continued. “We’re supposed to meet with Shanks in a week on the other side of Red Line.”

Shakky came to place the drinks in front of you then settled next to her husband, leaning on the counter. The boys wasted no time before chugging their drinks.

“I think it might be better if I tell you everything.”

The guys all turned to you and you returned them an assured look. You trusted Shakky and Rayleigh, there was no point tiptoeing around the subject. The couple focused on you and you gathered your thoughts before speaking up.

“You see, I landed on the Moby by mistake. I’m not sure how or why, but I appeared in this world. For me, all of this was a story before. In my old world.”

“Is that so?”

Rayleigh’s dubious tone was understandable. On his side, Shakky was simply looking at you, still smoking her cigarette, contemplating what you were going to say next.

“I knew about Teach, which convinced everyone to finally trust me. And the thing is, there’s a lot more I want to do. To prevent people from getting hurt. I know about some future events, at least the important ones, and I need to make sure it goes well.”

Marco cut in then, coming as support.

“Lena’s with us now, and we’re helping her. It does concern all of us in the end, after all-yoi. She has our full trust.”

You sent a grateful look to Marco, while Izou and Ace reassured you as well of their support. Thatch gave a squeeze to your shoulder, bringing his arm closer around you.

“If that’s true, then what do you need us for? I assume you wouldn’t have come here if you simply needed to coat the Moby.”

Shakky’s insight was right on the nose.

“Since I prevented Teach from… getting what he wanted, some things will differ from what I know. However, I need to ensure that the right people are at the right place at the right time. In about twenty days, a pirate crew is going to come to Sabaody.”

“And the captain’s my baby brother!”

Ace’s exclamation pulled a brief laugh from everyone privy to his fraternal love for him. Shakky raised an elegant eyebrow, while Rayleigh kept his lay smile.

“Right. The captain is Luffy, Ace’s little brother. We met them in Alabasta about a week ago, and they should make their way to Sabaody soon. I can’t tell you everything, because I fear it could disrupt things, but I need you to promise me you’ll train him. He needs to train for two years before going to the New World.”

“Why should I? I’ve got things to do here, I’m not a teacher, young lady.”

“Things like freeing slaves at auctions and robbing rich people? I’m aware” you added with a cheeky expression. “Listen, I know I can’t force you to do it, but I can guarantee you’ll see why I’m asking this. He’s the one.”

“The one?”

Thatch was confused by your statement, and so were Marco and Izou. Rayleigh was not saying anything, but you could see your words had made an impact.

“Even Shanks saw it. I know you were too early back then, but the time will come with him.”

“Boys, give us a minute, would you.”

The dark king’s words were not a question. His serious tone barred any of your friends from protesting. It was a second before the four of them moved, and you rose to let Thatch leave. Shakky went behind the bar for good form, but you knew not one word would escape her attention. Once the guys had left, you suddenly felt very small. You could feel Rayleigh’s haki, though he was not using it to pressure you, simply making you aware of his strength.

“You know about Laugh Tale.”

“Sort of.”

“Even my wife never had the full story.”

“Nor do I. I know it’s weird, but this was an unachieved story before I came here, and we still didn’t know the outcome of it. So I know some things about Laugh Tale, but since the writer did want to keep the surprise… I don’t know all of it. I know this is ridiculous.”

“I believe you more and more, you know. After all, only a very small group of people know about the… timing issue.”

“I know Roger was sick in the end. He wasn’t captured, he gave himself up so he could start the “pirate era”. And I’m pretty sure you settled here to be able to watch the rookies that would come. Just like Crocus settled at the Twin Capes.”

Only a rictus answered you this one. You didn’t expect him to confirm your suspicions.

“As I said, Luffy training with you is very important for the future. Please.”

The old man straightened up and stroke his beard pensively. His haki had recessed a bit, easing the atmosphere a bit. You were still very much on edge though. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke up his mind.

"Shanks came to see me once, years ago, lacking his sword arm and his beloved hat. He said he had made a bet on the future. I trust the brat, but now thanks to you I know it was for Roger’s dream.”

He shook his head, a smile on his lips.

“I guess I’ll have to see for myself if he’s worth it. If you’re sure that I will, then you have nothing to worry about.”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. At that moment, you heard a knock on the bar door and it creaked open, Marco’s face appearing.

“Are you guys done? We need to go back to the Moby soon.”

“I believe they are.” Shakky answered for you.

“Great. Rayleigh, do you mind starting on the coating now? I’m really sorry, but we’re on a tight schedule this time around. We’re on Grove 28, the usual spot.”

"I’ll join you guys there. I need to pick up my tools first.”

The former Kuja empress shooed you away and you waved goodbye, steeping outside the bar. Ace and Izou were waiting but you didn’t see Thatch. The two of them seemed to be quarrelling amicably, a bit further from the bar, and you walked towards them.

“Thatch went back to the Moby to organize the restock. He received a call from his division, seems they need babysitting-yoi.” Marco explained when seeing your enquiring look. “Listen, I don’t need to report to Pops before sometime this afternoon, do you wanna go to Sabaody Park? It’s worth seeing at least once.”

“I’d love to, are we joining anyone there?”

“No especially.” Marco seemed a bit shy; maybe he hadn’t dared to ask Ace and Izou.

“Well, I’d love to go with you, I’m sure it will be fun.”

“Great! It’s almost midday, we can grab a bite there if you want.”

The innocent remark made you frown though, concerned about money.

“I meant to ask, Marco, it’s a bit embarrassing… but how am I supposed to earn berry? You’ve all been very generous, but I can’t keep taxing you. It isn’t fair.”

“Don’t worry about money Lena-yoi. You’re our responsibility.”

“But…”

“No buts-yoi. Pops had made it clear that his treasury was open to you, and spoiler alert, he’s not poor by a long shot. He’s a Yonko, it comes with the territory. We’re pirates, we’ve got treasure you know.”

His damn smirk.

“I’ll find a gift for him then. It’ll be with his money, granted, but I hope he’ll appreciate the attention. Will you help me choose something?”

“Of course, Lena-yoi. I’m sure Pops will be happy. Are we going then?”

You nodded and resumed walking but then stopped abruptly and turned to look at Marco.

“I’ve been wanting to ask for a while. Since they’re no one around aside from Ace and Izou, and we trust Shakky and Rayleigh, could you show me the phoenix? If it’s not too much of an ask.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow, teasing you.

“I didn’t know my devil fruit interested you. But I’m flattered you want to see more of me.”

At the pace and number of teasing remarks you got, you were gonna have to build a resistance, fast. Marco shifted, a roguish expression on his face as the flames devoured him. You had already seen his blue flames when he had healed you weeks ago, but now they were everywhere. The phoenix was incredible. You could feel his power, the blue and yellow almost blinding you. He was even taller than you thought, and the size of his talons were impressive. He spread his wings and flapped them once, in a stretching of some kind. You were aware zoans had a different personality, but Marco was still under there. The circles around his eyes and the yellow flame adorning his head attested it, the look almost caricatural, but reassuring.

“I didn’t know we’re having grilled chicken for lunch!”

Ace’s jab at Marco’s phoenix form caused the first mate to rush at him, obviously in an attempt to play. Ace dodged easily while Izou stepped away, sighing while coming to stand by your side. The two devil fruit owners started to quarrel in an incredible show of strength. They were both attacking the other quickly, the red flames crashing against the blue ones.

“I’m actually surprised they haven’t destroyed the Moby yet and sank us all. Pops had to knock them unconscious several times to make them stop. At least we’re on land now, worst they can do is…”

The door of Shakky’s Rip-Off bar slammed open, and the owner stepped out with a quiet but terrifying expression. It took less than a second for the two idiots to calm down and transform back, lowering their heads and mumbling an apology. Shakky gave them a last look before going back inside. You could only hope to have that much charisma one day.

Their contrite faces were so funny Izou and you laughed frankly, not bothering to hide your glee at their misery.

“I feel if she could have grounded you, she would have.”

“It would do them some good.” Izou ascertained. “Shall we go back to the Moby then?”

“Oh, well Marco offered to show me Sabaody Park.”

“Did he now?”

The geisha’s face lit up with a mischievous smirk.

“Did you want to go? You can always join us.”

“Oh no, no, my dear. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your private time with our beloved bird. Marco!” he called out. “Time to escort our precious Lena to the amusement park.”

Izou’s call somehow made Marco turn redder than you had ever seen. Ace was about to speak up but the blonde slammed a hand against his mouth before a word could escape his lips. On your left, Izou snickered at the scene, the three different reactions baffling you.

“Let’s go, Lena-yoi.”

“Have fun!”

Marco flipped the bird at Izou while he and Ace giggled like kids. He let you pass before him on the bridge and you let the sight of the Rip Off bar disappear while chatting idly. Soon enough, you exited the lawless area and entered another joint island, where the park was located.

“I liked the phoenix by the way, thank you for showing me.”

“No worries. Have to say I enjoy shifting but I didn’t have a reason to recently.”

“Do you ever go flying?”

“No really” he mused. “Sometimes I’ll fly to recon an unknown island, make sure there are no marines before we land, but aside from that the phoenix doesn’t come out often. Only when we’re fighting.”

“And I guess crews are too scared to take on the Whitebeards, right?”

“Ha, it’s true. We do get a reckless rookie from time to time but they always scurry off at the sight of Pops.”

Sabaody Park was now on sight, the ferris wheel and tall rides easy to spot. The entrance itself was huge, the stone gate letting a flow of people in and out. Marco took your hand to make sure the two of you wouldn’t get separated in the massive crowd and you finally stepped into the park. You walked around for a while first, enjoying the jolly atmosphere and the blonde’s presence.

“What do you wanna do then?”

“I’m not sure… Oh, there’s a shooting stand!”

Your delighted scream made him jump and you escaped his grasp to go to the colourful booth adorned with neons and signs. It looked like your standard shooting stand, targets moving on tiny wheels, and a huge stack of plushies waiting to be won. You had only done it once before at a fair in your old town, but since the stakes had changed. Izou’s advice had helped you improve fast, though you hadn’t had much time to practice since your first successful lesson.

“Izou thinks you’re pretty good. Which is a huge compliment coming from him.”

“He’s too kind. I’ve seen him shoot, he’s incredible. I’ve just followed his advice.”

“Well, I’ve got to see it by myself now.” Marco waived the guy managing the stand over and gave him the berry he asked, returning with a rifle. “You’ve got five shots, if you do a bullseye you win. Impress me then.”

You holstered the shotgun and took a deep breath, focusing on the target. There were three wheels with three targets on each, at three different levels. You knew the game was rigged on top of being already difficult, but you still wanted to try and show your worth.

The first shot was a fail, but not by far. It missed the target by a few centimetres. You focused on the second one, not moving your position. You had set your goal on a specific mark, no point changing now and having to restart calibrating.

Shots two and three were worse than the first, but you fought off your frustration and focused once again. Marco was quiet on your side, leaving to focus. The fourth one was so close you thought you had done it, but the guy shook his head. There was one try left.

“You’ll get it, Lena-yoi. I believe in you, you’ve done great already.”

The phoenix’s whispered encouragement caused a shiver to run over your skin. You didn’t want to disappoint him so you quieted every thought, seizing the rifle firmer and let go of every tension. Then your finger hit the trigger and the shot bolted out, hitting the target right in the middle.

Marco whistled as you turned to look at him, before congratulating you. You had a huge smile on your face and his eyes sparkled at your reaction.

“Told you.”

“Well done, ma’am. You can choose a gift now.”

The stand guy moved so you could look at all the choices, and your eyes ran through the different plushies. You didn’t have to think twice when you saw a blue whale, its smile akin to the Moby’s. The blonde hummed in approval and you left the stand, your new acquisition under your arm.

“Wanna go to check out the rides?”

You nodded and followed Marco’s lead. The next hour was spent riding the different rides available, your favourite being the one with a huge twister. Marco had looked a bit green but you had kindly ignored it, letting him time to recover discreetly.

Next were the food stalls. You tried takoyaki, korokke, meat pies and other delicacies, sharing bites with Marco so you could try as much as possible. You had never seen so many different treats together. You particularly enjoyed manju, a steamed rice pastry filled with red bean paste, and imagawaki, small pancakes with a delicious matcha filling.

You were sharing a bowl of matcha kakigori when you noticed a stand a few steps away.

“Say Marco, do you mind if I have a look?”

“’Course not, Lena-yoi.”

He offered to hold on to the bowl while you stood up and walked towards the stand. It belonged to a woodcarver. The pieces showcased were incredible, their details astonishing. Each piece had obviously been created with passion, the work must have taken hours, if not weeks.

“Can I help you?”

An older man was behind the models. He had a kind face despite his gruff appearance.

“Do you have any… special ones?”

“Special?”

You reached to your pendant, showing the Whitebeard’s mark to the vendor. He looked at it then his eyes flicked to Marco, seemingly recognising the unfamous first mate.

“Maybe. Wait here.”

He rose from his stool and went in the back of his shop, while you grinned at the blonde on your side. By the look he sported, he had guessed your intention. Not two minutes later, the old man was back, carrying the desired object in his hands.

“There. It’ll be 150 000 berries. Special discount since… you’re more concerned by it than most.”

The phoenix did not even hesitate before depositing the money into the seller’s open palm. The old man gave you the gift in a bag and you left the stall, happy with your purchase.

“Do you think Whitebeard will like it?”

“I have no doubt. He’ll be touched, but don’t expect a huge reaction either. He can be a stubborn old man.”

It was already mid-afternoon, so you decided to leave the park and go back to the crew. Izou had talked to you earlier about training, since you were on an island it was easier to practice shooting without hurting anyone. He had agreed to split your training between that and wrestling so you would know what to do in every possibly dangerous situation. Walking back, you chatted with Marco about your next step, Fishman Island. The Moby would be ready to leave by tomorrow evening, since Rayleigh was able to coat a ship he had already worked on and knew in less than two days, if he was in a good mood. Which seemed to be the case today.

“Say Lena, when you got here, you talked about your studies. What were you studying before?”

It had been a while since you had thought about your old life. With everything going on, and your focus being on this world’s events, the details of your past had become an afterthought. Marco’s question saddened you in a way, you felt like you had betrayed your own self by forgetting your studies so easily.

“I studied art history. I don’t really know how to explain that. I know you must have art here, and galleries probably, but I don’t think I’ll ever find the same thing.”

“Most of the art is made for marines or the government-yoi. We pirates don’t really have the use for it, it’s pretentious. Art is for stuck-up arrogant people who want to have their own portraits on a wall.”

The thought actually made you sad. Art was supposed to be shared, admired, and express emotions, not simply be used as a trophy or propaganda.

“In my world, art is not like that. Artists share their vision of life, they convey emotions, impressions, for everyone to see and feel. And it also tells history. I cannot possibly give you a rundown of a millennia-long history, but art is a testament to the people and times that have gone by. It is essential to understand life.”

“That sounds beautiful.”

The blonde was staring at you, admiring your passion. The emotion in your words was mirroring your internal feelings and you hoped he could feel just how much art had a central place in your life.

“One of my favourite artists was Alma-Tadema. The way he painted was magical. He could depict emotions like no one. There was one painting of an emperor who lived centuries ago. This guy used to kill his guests during huge banquets, drowning them in flowers until they suffocated. I know it sounds barbaric, but in the painting you could see the emotions evolving, the guests slowly realizing their fate, only when it was too late. I saw it once, and it was the most breath-taking moment I ever experienced. The colours were beautiful, the rose petals were dancing in the painting, giving it so much life.”

You stopped your rambling and looked at the first fate, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, I got carried away.”

“No, no! I mean it’s really interesting. It does sound beautiful and daunting at the same time. Did you know the artist?”

“Oh no, he lived over a century before my time.”

“And people still went to see his paintings?”

“Yes. This is why I love museums. You could find everything in them. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, jewellery… Thousands of people everyday went to visit museums and look at art.”

“Izou would have loved museums I believe. Me too, if I got to visit them with you.”

“I… I would have been honoured to show you my favourite pieces.”

Aside from the obvious meet-up with the Strawhats, the second-best thing about Alabasta and you trip with Ace was that with the suntan you had earned, your blush was a tiny bit hidden.

“Is there any other artist you liked?”

“Hum, let’s see… It’s like choosing between my children to be honest. I’ve been asked this question a thousand times, and the answer is different every time.”

“I’ll just have to keep asking then” Marco teased “so you’ll be able to list them all eventually.”

“Honestly, I don’t think there will be an end to your quest! I’ll just talk about Veronese for now. He was a huge painter, about 600 years before my time. At the time, there was a group of people called the Inquisition, who were persecuting people and controlling art production, in order to preserve the “truth” of their religion. Well Veronese decided to paint an episode from their religious book, except he added a lot of details in order to match his vision and paint the best scene he could. However, the Inquisition harassed him and pressured him to change the painting; he even was on trial for this. Eventually, instead of altering his painting, and in a fuck-you gesture to them, he just changed its title.”

Marco let out a belly laugh when hearing the punch line.

“He was definitely a clever guy! I’ll ask you for more stories Lena, this art history thing is incredible. Thank you for sharing this with me.”

“Thank you for listening, Marco.”

The Moby was now in sight, its surroundings buzzing with activity. The crew had spread out on land, leaving Rayleigh to coat the ship. You could see the old man working alone at a surreal speed, brush in hand. The men must have been used to the sight since they didn’t pay that much attention. You saw Izou speaking with Fossa and Rakuyo and walked towards them, Marco in tow. When he saw you approaching, the geisha gave you a smirk while the two other commanders send a nod in your direction, which you returned.

“Am I right to hope that you won that at the shooting range?” the samurai pointed at the whale plushie under your arm, which you held out proudly to show it to him.

“You’d be right, Izou-yoi. She’s as skilled as your said.”

“Guess we’ll call her if any plush seagull passes by the Moby” joked Fossa, his cigar puffing.

“Careful Fossa, she could shoot your ass now.” Added Rakuyo. “By the way Marco, might wanna watch your shifts from now on, she might mistake you for target practice if Thatch’s making chicken for lunch; I wouldn’t want to be the one pulling lead from your feathered ass.”

The blonde rolled his eyes at his brothers’ banter, though he couldn’t hide the smile creeping up his face. The two commanders were guffawing, Izou badly hiding a snicker behind his fan.

“Alright, you morons, where’s Pops? I need to speak with him.”

“His cabin” Fossa answered once he sobered up. “Tate’s with him. But careful with the resin or Silvers will kill you.”

The first mate waved him off and started walking towards the Moby.

“Wait!”

You shoved the whale and the gift bag into Izou’s arms before catching up to Marco who had turned when hearing your call. You cleared your throat before speaking up, struggling to find your words.

“I just wanted to say… I really had a good time, Marco. Thank you.”

“I’m glad, Lena-yoi. Thank you for coming with me.”

The two of you smiled at each other, not knowing how to end the conversation, while you heard someone whistling behind you; though you paid no attention to it. Finally, he ran his fingers through his hair, shuffling it, and you raised a pathetic hand to say goodbye to him. The gesture made you cringe but you pulled through it. He gave you a wink then turned away and the awkward silence was finally broken.

You walked back toward the commanders who had witnessed the whole exchange and purposedly ignored the raised eyebrows and smirks.

“You said something about training this morning Izou?”

The geisha pricked his lips like he was refraining from saying something, before deciding to spare you.

“Yes, darling. Actually, I thought you could start with fighting, with the help of our dear Fossa. With his stature, you won’t hold up your punches, so training will be even more effective. Don’t worry, I’ll supervise the fight to make sure he won’t be a brute.”

Fossa hadn’t known about that, if you trusted his dubious look. The man was indeed enormous, you feared even if you landed a hit your ankle would break on his torso. But you trusted Izou so you put on a brave face and tried to appear unbothered.

“Alright then.”

Rakuyo left you guys then and the three of you moved to a small clearing, a bit further from the crew. Until now, you had only trained on padded ground, so you weren’t sure the change of scenery would benefit you. Fossa went to stand in front of you, not bothering to turn off his cigar or even adopt a fighting stance. You hoped to changed that but you weren’t delusional. Izou sat down in the grass a few feet away, waiting for you to begin. When you realized he wouldn’t give you any advice, you sent a panicked look at him, and he only raised an eyebrow in response.

“Izou…?”

“Now, now, darling. I’m sure you can start without me. I’ve seen your agility last time, try to take advantage of that.”

You looked back at Fossa who looked quite bored at that point. Focusing on the task at hand, you tried to seize up the man and find a weak spot, but you quickly gave up on that. He was built like a colossus, you weren’t sure he was made of something else than muscle. Your imagination would have to do, you would have to take advantage of your height and speed.

The first kick you sent his way was ridiculous. He barely moved to dodge it while you ended up back to him, thankfully not falling face first. You flipped around quickly and did not lose any time to go again, trying to land a hit, but to no avail. You wanted to keep the trick you had used on Izou a couple weeks ago for later, instead trying to think of other options. One thing you had learned from the David and Goliath story was that big guys were quickly unbalanced. You had no idea if it would work on Fossa, but you could always give it a shot.

You had tried judo a long time ago, and Fossa’s open jacket could be your salvation. He was more than twice your size though, a potential hindrance to your plan. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Running at him, you saw that he prepared to dodge but you extended your arm to grab his jacket on the right side, hanging on it with all your weight. You tried to not focus on the image forming in your mind, you must have looked like a fool. His surprise played in your favour and you did not let go, only jumping off when he started overcompensating his unbalance. As soon as your feet touched the ground and he jerked in the opposite direction, you bolted and kicked him in the left calf, taking advantage of his sudden disequilibrium. You felt euphoric when he put a knee on the ground.

“How very well done, darling!” Izou clapped, cheering for your small victory. “So, Fossa, ready to let Lena take your place as head of the 15th division?”

“Fuck off, you damn nuisance. Good job, missy. Definitely did not see that coming.”

His praise along with Izou’s sent a warmth through you. You hadn’t expected to land a hit, and he was now complimenting your attack. Thank god he was not mad.

“Alright, let’s go again!”

This time, Izou provided some guidance, using Fossa as a glorified punching bag. After one hour of intensive training, he decided to let you rest, sending Fossa away. The man grunted before leaving, not unhappy to get a break from being kicked (or simply aimed at), however soft your kicks might be.

Not five minutes later, Izou was leading you to an even further spot, gun already in hand. He drew a chalk target on a tree and you started firing at it, the samurai correcting your posture and giving you advice on how to reach the desired target. By the end of another hour, you could feel you had already improved.

Since he had given you the holster, you had worn it but had not used the gun fitting in it. You hadn’t had the occasion, nor the will to. You were quite happy to use it during training and keep it for extreme situations only.

The evening was almost there, so Izou finally put an end to your suffering and you both returned to the Moby. You could see the resin had been applied to most of the ship, the deck still spared.

“Rayleigh leaves the deck for last, so we can still reach the inside of the Moby.” explained Izou. “After he’ll close up the resin tomorrow morning, we’ll be able to inflate the bubble and depart for Fishman Island just before the evening, if everything goes well.”

“How long until we reach the island?”

“The trip takes about three days, we’ll spent a day there to greet King Neptune and his family, and then we’ll have two more days to reach Shanks’s location.”

So, in about a week, you’ll be finally faced with the red-haired emperor. Nothing to be stressed about. Izou seemed to sense your apprehension and was quick to reassure you, putting a delicate hand on your shoulder.

“Don’t worry darling, Marco told me the call went well, he agreed to meet with us after all so he’ll listen. He might act like a fool but he’s not. And you’ll have us on your side anyway. And Beckmann on his to keep him in check.”

“Thank you Izou, you always know what to say.”

You hugged him briefly, enjoying his calming presence. The gift bag still on your hand reminded you that you needed to see Whitebeard though.

“Do you think I could go and see Whitebeard? I’ve got something for him.”

“I’m sure he’ll be pleased to see you, darling. May I escort you?”

You took the offered arm and you both walked towards Whitebeard’s cabin, the feeling familiar. Izou was always by your side when you needed some emotional support, or even simple assistance. You stopped by your cabin so you could drop off the whale though, tired of carrying it everywhere.

The geisha knocked twice before opening the door. The captain of the Moby Dick was sitting on his chair, a nurse attending to him.

“Hi Pops.”

“Hello, sir.”

“Hello, son. Still no Pops for you, brat? Or Father?”

You knew he was teasing so you laughed it off. The huge man told the nurse to leave you guys, and Izou also retreated, giving you space to talk to him alone. Before he left though, Whitebeard called out to him.

“Very gallant of you to escort Lena, my son. You are such a gentleman, guarararara!”

You couldn’t remember ever seeing Izou’s face get this blushed. He hastily closed the door and you were left alone with the captain, suddenly feeling very small. You cleared your throat and tightened your grip on the bag’s handle.

“Sir, I’ve wanted for a while to express how grateful I am for everything you’ve done. You’ve given me a home, fed me, clothed me, protected me, when I had nowhere to go and no allies in this world. I am forever in your debt and I wanted to show you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me. This is not much, but I hope it conveys the care I have for you and your crew… I know it’s not enough, it can never be enough, and Marco lent me the money, it’s not even really from me, but I hope…”

“Brat. Stop babbling.”

The interruption made you blush but had the benefit of stopping your embarrassing rant.

“Sorry, sir. Here you go.”

You stepped forward and held out the gift bag, which Whitebeard grabbed and unpacked carefully. His hands were so large you were starting to doubt your choice of present for him. He pulled it out and looked at it, not saying anything, the wait doing a number on your nerves. His eyes flickered at your and you thought for a moment you had made the wrong choice, offending him somehow.

“I’m sorry, it was obviously a stupid idea…”

“It’s amazing.”

Those three words were more than you had hoped for. He was looking at the present, turning it over so he could examine all the details, discover every feature.

“Where did you find that?”

“Sabaody Park. A stall had a lot of different models, I was lucky the vendor had this one too.”

In Whitebeard’s hands was a small wooden model of the Moby Dick. It was a perfect replica of the ship, even the number of sheets on the sails and of pennons on the whale’s smile were right to a T. The model was encased in a glass box so it would be protected from accidents.

“Well, brat, this is definitely one hell of a gift. The Moby is everything to me, so I am grateful I get to look at it daily from now on, instead of just living in it. It’ll go on my desk for everyone to see. Maybe my other sons will pick up on the fact they need to spoil their Pops more often, guarararara!”

His booming laughter achieved to reassure you and you smiled, happy with the way the exchange had turned out.

“I won’t bother you any longer then, sir.”

He shushed you away and you left the room, a huge smile on your face.

Four hours later, music and laughter had invaded Grove 13. The crew was throwing yet another party and you had joined happily. Thankfully, Arden hadn’t been in sight. You didn’t want to purposedly avoid him, but the longer he was out of your sight, the more relaxed you would be. You still felt a pinch of guilt.

You had a beer in hand and were watching some wrestling competition between a group of crewmates when you were interrupted.

“Lena!”

Ace’s voice broke through the scuffle and you turned to see him arrive, obviously inebriated. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes wrinkled in laughter and his hat askew.

“What can I do for you, Ace?”

“We’re having a commanders’ party! And we’ve got fun questions for you.”

“Fun questions?”

He didn’t answer and instead pulled you under his arm. You quickly gave up on getting a straight answer from him and played along, walking with him toward a huge fire where the commanders were all gathered around, some standing, others sitting on crates or on the ground. Everyone you knew was there save for Namur and Speed Jiru. Ace dropped on the ground just there which caused you to trip over him, the action pulling a few laughs from the guys. You were quick to pull yourself off him, dusting off your clothes. Since the evening was a bit cooler, you’d put on the blue suede coat you had bought with Izou back at the island.

“We’re gonna do a drinking game!”

The declaration only made you raise an eyebrow, nothing surprising until now. But then a worrying number of shots were placed before you on a small crate, and Ace caged you into a hug so you wouldn’t be able to escape. You sent a panicked look to Marco, who simply smirked, so you tried to get some support from Thatch but the idiot was already snickering, and Izou pointedly avoided your stare. The traitors. You gulped as Vista held the first shot in front of you expectantly.

“So, missy, we’ve been wondering about what you know about our world. The fun parts at least. But if you don’t wanna answer… you drink.”

His moustache was quivering with anticipation.

“First question is… what can you tell me about my rival, Taka no Me Mihawk?”

“He… Wait… He likes gardening! Got a whole garden on his island with carrots and tomatoes or whatever.”

There was a second of silence before the commanders burst in laughter, Thatch and Haruta nearly dying as they leaned on each other for support, tears coming down their faces. Not wasting any time, Vista downed the shot once he calmed down from his fit, stepping away to let Fossa take his place.

“Another one!” Haruta screamed in delight.

“Any dirt on the marines?”

You had to mull this one over, but then you remembered a specific exchange from the Alabasta Arc.

“Captain Smoker and Admiral Hina probably fucked. Very, very probably.”

“I knew it!”

That was Rakuyo, surprisingly. His reaction made everyone laugh and another person took Fossa’s place. After a few more rounds, you had told them about Zoro finding Helmeppo naked with Wado Ichimonji, Luffy’s hilarious technique of fighting Crocodile with a tankard of water, the crocomom theory and even how people had speculated about Thatch and Izou being together. The last one sent all of them into a frenzy, Izou hitting Thatch on the head while the chef was actively trying to kiss him - or choke him- depending on the angle you looked at it.

“Won’t you even give me a chance, Izou!”

“Get the fuck away from me! I’d rather sleep with a dead sea king, you badly groomed idiot!”

The two of them started to fight, the scowl on Izou’s face proportionate to Thatch’s own glee. It served them right for throwing you to the wolves. Marco was standing next to them looking far too relaxed though, and you still had to get revenge on Ace for trapping you earlier.

“You know, people also shipped another very cute couple… I don’t know yet if it’s true or not, so I’ll ask directly: anything going on between the two of you, Ace and Marco?”

Ace’s breath hitched at your declaration. Marco turned the colour of a beetroot. The commanders lost it.

Chapter Text

Rayleigh had finished coating the Moby Dick over an hour ago. The bubble had been properly inflated and after checking there was no defect, Namur had given the green light. Which meant you were ready to dive into the deep of the ocean.

Ace had excitedly come to get you and hauled you to the deck. You were hangover from the party and had been resting all day. After you had emerged around noon, Thatch had brought you a light lunch which had turned into an impromptu picnic with him. You had both taken a nap on the grass, until the firecracker had decided to launch himself on top of Thatch, which would have probably broken a couple ribs had the men of this world not been stupidly strong. Now you had all gone back to the ship and waited for it to submerge. Rayleigh had waved you goodbye from the shore, in a fatherly manner.

Now everything was getting darker and darker by the minute. You had started to see sea kings after the first half-hour of being underwater, and you were pretty sure your startled scream had deafened most of the crew on deck. Ace had jokingly tried to lure them closer like this was some sort of fishing trip, his attempt brought to an early close as you had hit him on the head with no restraint whatsoever, leaving a well-deserved bump.

Getting tired of not being able to see anything, you decided to get back under deck at some point, making your way towards your cabin. You were still feeling a bit tired, probably the remains of the party. You wasted no time in getting in bed, there was not much to do anyway.

When you woke up from your slumber, you realised something was wrong. Your throat was sore and your head was killing you. Sighing, you decided to go and see Marco in the infirmary, recognising the signs or a small flu. Fortunately, his room was just around the corner. He immediately realized the problem when you opened the door, taking in your sorry state.

“We’re going to the infirmary, come with me-yoi.”

Three minutes later, you were sat down on the examination table, letting the blonde do his job. You didn’t like his concerned look but waited until the diagnosis.

“So, how long do I have, doc?”

He huffed at your joke, his worried look easing up a bit.

“I don’t like it too much but seems like it’s just a regular flu. I’ll give you some meds and you should be just fine.”

You nodded and stood up, waiting while he grabbed some pills in the cabinet.

“I’ll ask Thatch to bring you some soup around dinner. Take it easy, alright?”

“Yeah. I’ll go back to my cabin then, thanks Marco.”

“Anytime-yoi.”

Except two hours later, you were shivering in your bed, your forehead burning. The pain had woken you up but you couldn’t bring yourself to move. Everything hurt, you knew the flu would give you cramps but it was worse than you had ever experienced. You didn’t even register the knock on the door.

“Hi sweetheart, Marco told me you were feeling sick, so I’m bringing you… Shit! Hey, Marco!”

You felt a warm hand on your forehead and let out a whimper of pain. You could make out Thatch’s voice but did not register his words. Your eyes were screwed shut in pain.

“You’re alright, sweetheart, we’ll take care of you… Where is the damn bird when we need him?”

You sensed him moving while your teeth were clattering. You were feeling so cold and so hot at the same time, sweating, trembling, the pain in your forehead menacing to burst it open. A few moments later, you registered Marco’s voice adding to Thatch’s and more hands palming your forehead. Everything was muffled and blurred, your breathing being your sole focus.

“Can you hear me, Lena? Shit, she’s got a bad fever-yoi. Thatch, go get some damp towels, room-temperature. Quick!”

A huge amount of blue came into your line of sight, the feeling familiar. The pain was getting even worse, your head felt like exploding. Tears started to run down your cheeks but you felt a touch wipe them, before something wet was placed on your forehead. Its warmth appeased you a bit, and you tried to focus on the feeling. You could also feel an added weight over you, bringing you some more warmth, but it was not enough.

“My flames aren’t working. I don’t know why she’s reacting that bad, it’s only a flu… The meds should have helped.”

“I’ll go get Ace. He can warm her up.”

Thatch went out to get the walking heater while you felt Marco come closer, the blue still surrounding you.

“You’re gonna be just fine, Lena, I promise. Here, let me…”

You were propped up and Marco shifted you so he could hold you, sharing his warmth. His arms were enveloping you, his strong body giving you comfort. Your teeth stopped clattering at some point but you were still feeling too cold. After a while, with Marco muttering comforting words to your ear, you heard the door open and identified the new guests as Ace and Thatch.

“Shit, guys, she doesn’t look good at all. Hey, sweet cheeks, how’re you feeling?”

You tried answering but gave up quickly, your throat hurting like a bitch.

“Switch with me, Ace-yoi. You need to give her some of your heat, she’s freezing.”

You were shifted once again so Ace could take over Marco’s spot before being encircled in the warmest embrace you’d ever experienced. The brunette’s fire was so comforting, it muffled out the pain a bit.

“You guys stay with her, I’m gonna go to the infirmary. I need to grab my stuff.”

Marco exited your room sprinting and Thatch sat down gently on the bed, his hands taking a hold of your feet and massaging them in circles to warm them up. After he was somewhat satisfied, he got up to get a thick pair of socks and helped you put them on. It was then that Marco returned, his arms filled with medical stuff.

“Thatch, move, I need space to do a full check-up. Ace, you keep warming her but careful with the temperature. I know she’s cold but she can’t be too hot either. Lena, where does it hurt?”

“E… Eve… Everyw…here.”

“Okay, birdie. Let me take care of you.”

You dozed off while he worked, trying to focus on his actions rather than the pain. You were not usually sick, and if you were, it was never that bad. It had come so quickly too, leaving you already exhausted.

“I really don’t understand… She shouldn’t be in that much pain-yoi. It’s just a regular flu…”

“But she’s not from here, Marco.”

Izou’s voice cut through his mumbling. The samurai was standing in the door, his face scrunched in concern.

“I saw Ace run, just did the math.” He came closer to you but stayed away so Marco would have room to continue his examination. “I’m so sorry you’re hurting, darling.”

Marco mulled over Izou’s theory for a second, continuing to examine you.

“I mean… You might be right, Izou-yoi. Her body doesn’t seem to be any different from ours, but you never know. But that means I can’t… I can’t treat her.”

Your eyes flickered to him, registering his words.

“What… d-dd-y-ou…”

“I’m sorry birdie, but it seems that whatever little bug you caught, your body doesn’t know it so your defences are low. That means you’re gonna have to be strong and heal on your own… I can give you painkillers, but I won’t be able to cure you effectively. Normally, it would only take a couple days, but I fear it’s gonna take more time than this-yoi.”

You were in fact miserable. Three hours later, you had woken up from yet another slumber. Sleeping helped but you could never rest for long, the pain waking you up eventually. Ace had stayed with you, keeping you warm. He was sleeping next to you, his soft snores filling the room. Izou had lent you one his warmest yukata, the material soft against your skin, and the large fabric comfortable to be cocooned in. Before leaving, Marco had given you more painkillers and left the box on your desk and Thatch had brought you another bowl of broth.

Ace was warm as always against your side, sleeping peacefully. His dark hair was covering his eyes. He looked so innocent and relaxed like this, a look you could get used to see more. He was always the life of the party, alternating between laughing at Thatch’s jokes, escaping his own misdeeds and getting outraged when his brothers tormented him. It was unusual to see him being so peaceful.

His arm came to hold you closer and you tried to relax, but the headache was too strong. His presence was comforting though you resented having to ask for help once again. Too many times you had been asking for the guys’ help, and they had always been there for you. You knew this illness was not something you could have prevented, but you still felt weak and needy.

Ace seemed to sense your internal turmoil because he stirred next to you, before speaking up in a gruff voice, his words slurred.

“Y’thinkin too loud, pumpkin. Wass’on ya mind?’

You had to give it to him, he was quite creative with the nicknames.

“Nothing, Ace. Sorry if I woke you up.”

“S’alright. Feeling better?”

You shrugged in response, before closing your eyes in pain as a wave of discomfort coursed through you.

“Answers my question. Get back to sleep, ‘kay? Thatch’ll be ’re with food soon.”

He repositioned his arm to get more comfortable but did not let go of you, simply urging you to relax again. His hand placed flat on your stomach, he let out more heat to provide more comfort.

The following days, the guys were all tending to you, taking shifts. Every protestation of yours was immediately shut down by them.

“I’d never taken days off before, you know, sweetheart. They can manage meals without me for once. You’re actually doing me a favour.”

“Not gonna happen-yoi. I’m the doctor on board, I’m taking care of you and that’s final. Now, get back to sleep.”

“You can’t get rid of me, sugarplum. I’ll be your personal annoying starfish and stay glued to your side.”

“Shush, darling. Not even a word.”

The Moby Dick had moored at Fishman Island yesterday and the crew had seen to their obligations, restocking before going to enjoy the island. There had been an official dinner at the Ryugyu Palace with everyone, but Izou had insisted on keeping you company so you wouldn’t stay alone. You were feeling much better now and had managed to convince the samurai to let you visit the island the following day. The ship would leave just before noon, which left you a couple hours to discover the underwater paradise.

Whitebeard had been happy to see you well and up again, giving you a small nod before you left the ship. Most of the crew was still hungover from the banquet at the palace, except Ace, since the little devil burnt alcohol automatically because of his devil fruit. That didn’t stop him from trying to get insanely drunk every time though. The young man had therefore insisted on joining you as well. Marco too was immune to any alcohol side effects, his devil fruit regenerating his blood cells constantly. He wasn’t joining you though, too busy with his first mate duties today.

Fishman Island was exactly how you knew it to be but discovering the underwater kingdom with your own eyes was even more incredible experience. The multi-coloured shops, the shimmering light surrounding you, the incredible inhabitants and their elaborated houses were almost too stimulating.

Izou, Ace and you walked around the capital, enjoying its atmosphere. The guys showed you their favourite spots, Ace’s being mainly food joints, and Izou fashion shops. The outing wasn’t long, but it made you feel much better after having been quarantined for days in your cabin.

Soon enough, the Moby left Fishman Island and the crew was on the way to meet Shanks. Though you had thoroughly thought about what you were going to say to the Yonko, you were aware that Shanks was highly protective of his own. You had to persuade him you were in fact in his team. Honestly, the easiest thing at that point would be to go the exact same way as with the Whitebeard and just blurt everything out to him. Your origins, your accident, and what you knew of this world. You pegged him as a trusting guy, careful of course considering his position, but who could read people efficiently.

Five hours were required to reach the surface, which left you a bit more time to admire the deep sea. At some point, Thatch had come find you with chocolate chip cookies, for which you were most thankful for. They were both crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, absolutely perfect.

When the Moby Dick’s prow breached the surface, everyone seemed to breathe a bit more freely, aside from Namur and the other fishmen on board, understandably. The sun was high in the sky, it was now mid-afternoon. The sea was pretty calm, nothing with what you remembered from Luffy’s crew reaching the New World in the original story. But you were aware of how quickly the weather could change on this sea.

After twenty minutes, the lookout yelled for a ship on sight. With no surprises, Shanks’s pavilion was quickly identified, and everyone started to prepare for the other Yonko’s crew arrival. All of the crew was sent downstairs, Marco warning them from Shanks’s haki, a, easier excuse than having to explain the new girl had to talk to the Yonko. Always the caring presence, Izou was glued to your side, offering you a bit of reassurance. You were a bit stressed but not too scared. Thatch was not far from you either, laughing with Ace. All the commanders had gathered around Pop’s chair, Marco sitting at the top of it, overlooking the deck.

The Red Force finally aligned with the Moby, its size almost laughable next to it.

“Permission to board, old man?”

“Go on, brat.”

The first step on the deck of the Moby made several crew members faint immediately under deck, the thumps muffled but sill hearable. Shanks was exactly as you pictured it. He emanated an incredibly strong aura; seemingly carefree but his eyes held all of the power he had as a Yonko. Behind him stepped Benn Beckman, dark and handsome, smoking as usual, closely followed by Yasopp.

The three of them walked towards Whitebeard’s chair. You examined them thoroughly as they did. You had become used to the commanders’ presence, even though you knew they were impressive fighters and pirates, but Shanks and his men were different. They carried a more dangerous aura.

“So, I came here because a pretty girl asked me. Where… Oi, Marco, wanna join my crew?”

Benn decked him on the head as Yasopp sneered, and his boss rubbed the point of impact, grumbling.

“Sorry. For his existence.”

“Oi!”

“Guarararara! Well brat, the one who wanted to meet you is right here. Lena, would you step forward?’

Izou did not have to push you forward. The quirky interaction between Benn and Shanks had broken the ice. You stepped until you were facing the three men, still keeping some distance.

“Hi. I’m Lena.”

“Ohh, I should have come here even quicker than I did. Nice to meet you in person finally, I don’t know who I’ve made do without your beautiful face to brighten my days.”

“Um…”

“That’s enough of that shit.”

Ace was the one to interrupt, making both you and Shanks smile, but not for the same reasons.

“Fire boy! Long time no see!”

“Hands off, she’s in our crew.” Ace retorted.

“Alright, let’s get this conversation on the road. So, you need to contact Dragon, right? You told me you would explain everything once we met, so go for it girlie, I’m waiting.”

“Actually, there are some details only you should know. A more private setting would be better.”

“Alright, let’s go to my ship then.”

The commanders behind you started protesting immediately.

“My den den’s there. I’m not just gonna hand it to you, no offence Whitebeard. I’ve done what you asked and met you, now a bit more faith would be appreciated. I’m not gonna eat her.”

The double meaning in his words made you blush more than you ever had before, and you heard a strangled sound behind you mirroring your feelings, probably Thatch.

“Then I’m coming.” Ace interrupted. “We’ve met before, you know I’m indebted to you and the subject of your conversation concerns me anyway.”

Shanks looked at Benn before nodding.

“Fine. Whitebeard, I’m stealing your two kids for a minute.”

The small troop walked back to the Red Force at Pop’s approval. You sent a reassuring smile towards the commanders, your eyes finding Marco last. He had not moved from his perch, and you could feel his stare on you even as you turned your back to him.

Ace helped you across the plank, grabbing your waist to helped you down to the Red Force’s deck. Shanks’ crew was minding its business, only a couple people examined you and Ace.

“Follow me, darling. Beck, you’re coming too. Yasopp, you’re in charge ‘til I come back.”

“Aye, Ogashira.”

The sniper stepped away and you followed the redhead inside the ship. He led you all towards what seemed to be a meeting room, most probably where all of his senior officers met. You sat down on a seat opposing the two officers, Ace on your right. The two red-haired pirated were looking at you expectantly, but not unkindly. They were letting you open the conversation, which you were thankful for. After taking a deep breath, you started explaining how you came to their world, and what you were trying to do. You could see in their eyes they were cautious with the information they received, but not doubting your words either.

“And that’s why I need to contact Monkey D. Dragon. His second in command is Sabo, Ace and Luffy’s brother. He has lost all of his memories years ago, and they all deserve to be a family.”

“Does Luffy know?”

That was the first time Shanks had spoken since you had started your tale.

“He does.” You looked him in the eye to convey your sincerity. “We met with his crew a few weeks back, and I told him we were going to contact the Revolutionaries. I promise I only have their best interest at heart.”

Shanks and Beck seemed to both trust you, nodding at your words. You turned to Ace then and made a request that surprised him.

“Ace… Could you leave us for a minute?”

“Why?” He was frowning, not wanting to leave you alone with them.

“I need to speak to them about something personal. Please.”

“Come one, fire boy.” Benn stood up, putting a hand on Ace’s shoulder and driving him out. “Boss, you’ll tell me later, I’ll babysit him.”

“Hey! I don’t need babysitting, thank you very…”

The door closed and you were left alone with Shanks. The redhead relaxed a bit more in his seat, crossing his hands over his stomach.

“So, you wanted to be alone with me?”

“Oh, shut it. Benn could have stayed too.”

He let out a laugh at your bold repartee.

“First of all, I know you’ve listened to my story, but I understand it’s hard to believe. Other than this devil fruit thing, I’ve not given you any other concrete proof.”

“I have to recognize knowing about the Hito Hito no Mi is serious business.”

“The kind Shakky would handle, right?”

“You know Shakky?”

“Former Kuja Empress. And her husband Rayleigh, who won her over at God Valley. Where you yourself were one of the prizes of the race with your twin, as the son of Figarland Garling, before you were adopted by Gol D. Roger.”

You were not surprised about Shanks’ flare of haki.

“You know a lot of things. Dangerous things.”

“I do. I’ve been lucky enough to find myself rescued by the Whitebeards, but it could have gone very badly for me. And I’m telling you all that to convince you that I am only speaking the truth, and that I am on your side.”

“You did not have to tell me this. Why are you sharing this much?”

“Luffy is going to be the King of the Pirates. I know it. And I think you do too. I trust him to find his path alone, because he wouldn’t want any help anyway. However, since what I’ve shared will change things, we should take advantage of it even more.”

“I’m listening.”

“The war supposed to take place at Marineford will not happen. I won’t bother explaining in detail the ramifications of that, but I want to change an important thing. Akainu was the one to kill Ace and gravely harm Luffy, and he then became Fleet Admiral when Sengoku resigned. He defeated Aokiji in a violent clash for the position. Well I want you to kill Akainu if you ever cross paths with him. Preferably in the next couple of months.”

“Phew. Didn’t expect that, missy.”

“I know it won’t happen this time but… I want to make sure he cannot hurt anyone ever again.”

Shanks nodded, approving.

“We’ll make sure of it. I don’t like the mad dog either, and if he hurt Luffy, then he deserves what’s coming to him.”

You smiled at him, reassured he was taking the mission seriously.

“We should go and get your guard dog. Benn will have gone through his entire pack of smokes by now.”

“By the way, you know Luffy’s dad is Dragon, right? It’s a bit ironic Luffy never knew his own father, but same father took in his brother without a second thought.”

Shanks hummed. “Makes sense. I know Garp is the kid’s grandfather, and there was a rumour about Dragon being from Goa himself many years ago. The World Government never investigated it too much, thankfully.”

“Also… I’m pretty sure you know about Ace too.”

He looked straight into your eyes at that, before lowering them and sighing.

“Yes. It was hard not to recognize Rouge’s dimples and freckles, and Roger’s smile. And don’t even get me started on the name. I never said anything to the kid though, me being part of Roger’s crew is still not common knowledge. Only pirate crews from that time still remember.”

“Will you talk with him?”

“Why?”

“Ace hates himself. And his father. I think he is starting to reconsider everything Garp’s told him, but he needs someone to tell him about who his father really was. And I believe you could be that someone.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Yeah.”

You hadn’t really talked to Ace about his father since the first revelation. You didn’t dare breach the subject, scared of being chased away abruptly, but you wanted him to open up, and Shanks would be the best person for it.

“I’m gonna get Benn and the kid. Be back in a minute.”

The red-haired captain left the room and you took that brief time to relax. You were going to have to talk to Dragon on the den den, but hopefully it would be easier. No need to recount your full story, the only objective was to trigger Sabo’s memory.

“Ready?” The three guys had come back to the room and were looking at you expectantly, the den den secured in Benn’s hand.

“Ready.”