"I know you're not dead," Marco told Luffy's sleeping form.

"Do you think he can hear us?" Sabo asked him.

Marco frowned. "I'm not sure, he admitted. "One of his eardrums was re-ruptured during the fighting. I don't know what caused it, it could have been a number of things. But we fixed it about a week ago. I think he can hear something. I'm just not sure if he is listening."

Sabo thought back to last night. He got the feeling Luffy could hear him. Maybe he just didn't have anything to say. That didn't seem like him. He probably just didn't want to talk.

He was also really well-behaved all night. He stayed tucked into Sabo's arms. Sabo didn't get kicked, or kneed in the ribs, or woken up by mumbled half-spoken words all related to meat. He didn't get trampled over when the morning came in a frantic rush to get breakfast. He didn't get thwacked in the face by a foot, or go to sleep beside Luffy only to wake up with him flopped this way and that like a pancake around the floor.

Luffy hadn't moved at all. A lot like when they were in the tunnels. He was really quiet and gentle all night. It was honestly very disconcerting.

Luffy was not a quiet well-behaved kid. It just wasn't how he was made. He was loud and took up a lot of space and, attention and, energy regardless of what it was. Be it sleep-fighting, fight-eating, or fight-fighting.

There was only one day that Sabo could remember that he wasn't his usual off-the-walls self. He had had a bad day, getting beaten by a group of street thugs they had picked a fight with. They had gotten Luffy pretty good in the nose, and it had taken half an hour to stop the bleeding. It was raining the entire day, and an epic thunderstorm started up when tried to go out hunting for dinner, scaring any potential game away. Typical of his trouble-causing ways, Luffy got lost in the mess, and Ace and Sabo were out there for hours trying to track him down.

In the end, the three of them went to bed with their stomachs growling, shivering, hungry, and strung out. Luffy hadn't said very much the entire night, barely even complaining about how hungry he was despite his stomach's yowling. When they got to bed he had crawled onto Sabo's mattress, his nose sniffling from underneath the bandage they had slapped on it, still sore and bloody. Sabo was usually hesitant to let the younger boy sleep with him because he liked actually sleeping. But that night Luffy didn't wake him up once. He slept through the entire night at Sabo's side without a sound like a regular kid with the appropriate level of battery power, and not the super turbo mode that Luffy seemed to run on. Of course, come morning he was back to his usual self, jumping up and down, in a hurry to track down breakfast to make up for missing dinner.

When he was truly upset, although rare, he acted differently. Ace called it anti-Luffy. He was quieter, thought more, ate less.

Sabo figured that was probably what was going on right now or at least part of it. Luffy was well and truly upset. Although, there was no easy fix to this like last time.

"Do you know something I don't?" Marco was staring at him.

Sabo shook his head. "No. He didn't say anything to me."

Marco nodded as if he had expected as much. "Ace said the same thing."

Sabo straightening a little bit, turning to look to his right, where his brother went right on sleeping, oblivious to the noise around him. "What did he say to you?"

"Mmm, just regular Ace stuff, I guess. He was still pretty out of it though, so I don't think he was overly concerned about anything. Ace said that Luffy didn't say anything, but he was calling out somehow, and scared. Ace wanted to come find you, uh… let's see-oh, and he told me to stop overthinking."

Sabo smiled, turning to look at Ace. He felt the twisted knots in his stomach beginning to slowly thaw. That was good. He didn't want Ace to feel guilty about everything all over again, or to have to feel like this- like all Sabo had been feeling lately- just kind of sick with worry.

"Got him," Marco said as Sabo moved out of the way so the man could scoop Luffy up, taking him to the exam table on the other corner of the tiny emergency wing.

The original plan was to wait for Luffy to wake up again so Marco and the other doctors could try and see what was going on with him. But it became clear that wasn't going to happen. If Sabo had to guess he would say that it seemed like Luffy didn't want to wake up. Rather he was content to go on sleeping, nestled between Ace and Sabo.

Marco shook his shoulder gently, then a bit more insistently. Luffy didn't make a noise, but he did shift a little bit away from Marco. "Can you hear me?"

Apparently not. Marco frowned, grabbing his pen light. He checked Luffy's eyes and ears again.

Sabo watched from the edge of his bed, his legs folded, with the bad one, well worse off one, tucked against his chest.

"Anything?"

"Not so far," Marco said, filling up a syringe with something from one of his vials. He moved back towards the exam table and Sabo was instantly alert.

"What is that?!"

Marco stared at him. "It's just anti-biotics," he said after a beat. "Same as always."

Sabo's shoulders slumped as he leaned back. "Sorry."

"What did you think it was?"

He hadn't really thought anything. He was just stressed and on high alert lately. Danger seemed to be lurking around every corner lately. Maybe he was just feeling extra protective. As if it would do any good now after the fact.

Luffy moved a little bit when the needle disappeared into his shoulder, and Marco paused.

"Kid, you with us?"

There was a quick breath, and Luffy flinched, rolling onto his side, he brought his arms up to cover his head, pressing his face into them, tucking against the wall. Purposely angled away from Marco.

"Shit," Marco said, surprised by the sudden and violent reaction. The syringe had been ripped from its place in Luffy's shoulder, and blood now bubbled up from the wound, staining his shoulder and the pale blue hospital tee they had given him.

Marco pulled the syringe free, putting it aside.

"Hand me that!"

Sabo was already on his feet, moving quickly to grab the gauze.

"Still not a fan of needles huh, Kid?" Marco said, holding the cotton ball in place over the wound with a band-aid, and applying it in one smooth movement.

Luffy didn't answer, still tucked into the wall.

Sabo frowned, "Lu?"

Marco lifted the stethoscope from around his neck, placing it against his ears as he weaved it through Luffy's arms so the end dipped just below the collar of the too-large shirt.

"What is it!"

Marco turned to look at Sabo, still frowning. "I know you're worried, but take a deep breath for me okay? I am just going to take a look.

That was the diplomatic Marco way of saying, 'Sit down and shut up, while I work.'

Sabo sunk back down onto the bed, feeling his stomach twisting around. For all his endless questioning, Sabo suddenly realized that he might not actually want answers. Maybe not knowing was better. The one thing Marco and the other doctors had impressed on him was the variability that dying could leave on a person. Meaning, that any number of things could have gone wrong.

He watched, hardly remembering to breathe as Marco tried again to get a response from Luffy.

He glanced back over at Sabo. "You calmed down a bit?"

Sabo nodded, like a liar.

"Can you go get another doctor," Marco eyed his leg, the one he was continually reminding Sabo to stay off of. "Or better yet, can you come help?"

Sabo pushed himself up, coming back over to them. Marco gestured for him to sit up on the exam table, which he did. "Just try to hold him there- crap."

When Marco rolled Luffy back over, Sabo wrapped his arms around his brother, gently holding him against his chest. It was a bit of a struggle, even with Luffy's attempts to thwart them being rather kitten-like. He heard Luffy's breath hitch, and a panicked sniff.

"Luffy? Can you hear me?"

Trapped between Sabo and Marco, with his arms being held against his stomach by Sabo's bear hug there was no place to hide.

"Luffy?" Marco's voice was once again calm and clinical, his voice never rising. With all the detachment of a good doctor. Even when Luffy's foot nearly got him in the jaw.

Sabo hugged him tighter, "it's okay," he promised, feeling Luffy's fear rise between uneven and sharp breaths.

He hadn't heard Luffy's first call for help, but he felt this one. Half-formed, and as erratic as his breathing. Both of them felt the sharp cut, that seemed to slice through the air, rising up with no warning, and shaking the room. The glass bottle beside them cracked with the unfocused intensity of it.

"He doesn't like that."

Sabo turned to see Ace sitting up in bed, sleep still heavy in his eyes. He was watching them, looking very unimpressed.

"Ace!"

"You're freaking him out," Ace said, translating Luffy's very obvious message.

"You're up- shit," Marco ducked again as another kick was aimed towards his head. Luffy's heel clumsily hit the man's temple on the drawback.

"It's fine," Marco told Sabo. "You can stop. If I push him anymore he is either going to break my room or go back under the bed, and I do not want to try and get him out from under there again. Once was plenty."

When Sabo let Luffy go, he pushed his face into his hands once more, turning away from the two of them, as if they would go away if he ignored them. He didn't make another sound, but the frantic shallow breaths did even out after a minute or two into calmer softer sounds.

Ace was still looking at them in concern, his brows knit together. "What were you doing?"

Sabo slid off the bench, feeling his leg stutter beneath him when he landed. He crossed the room, throwing his arms around Ace's shoulders without hesitation.

He felt the other reach up after a moment and pat his head as if to say, 'there- there.'

"Idiot," Sabo told him, not trusting his voice to say much of anything else.

"Are you okay Ace?" Marco asked from where he was busy jotting down notes into Luffy's chart, staying close to the small huddled form in case Luffy tried to make a break for it. Although it looked like their littlest brother had fallen back asleep.

"Mmm," Ace agreed, sounding spacey as he fell onto the bed, bringing Sabo down with him. Sabo yelped, landing on his stomach, half on top of Ace who hissed.

His back.

"Shit, sorry," Sabo apologized, even though it was Ace who had toppled them.

"You're heavy," Ace told him.

"Then let go!"

"But you keep disappearing!"

"You were the one that came down here."

"No, you keep leaving," Ace said again, then a pause. "But you're heavy, ow."

Sabo pulled himself up again, extracting himself out of Ace's grip as carefully as he could.

There was no way he was going to get into this with Ace right now, not with how high he was. "Well, I'm sorry people suck."

"Me too." Ace sat up with a wince.

"Is Ace okay?" Sabo asked.

The man looked up at him, distracted by the clipboard. "Okay?"

"You know what I mean."

"Well aside from extremely low blood sugar levels, that we can't seem to stabilize. He is as fine as he was the last time you picked the lock to the cabinet and read his medical notes."

"M' fine," Ace told him sleepily.

Sabo raised a hand to his forehead, feeling the cool, flushed skin beneath his palm. He frowned. They could talk about serious stuff when Ace got better if he still wanted to.

"And Luffy?"

"Mm," Marco chose his words carefully. Clearly trying not to upset them. "It's still a little hard to say. He's in shock."

"That's bad."

"It's… normal."

"It's normal?" he repeated the words back.

"It's not unexpected is what I meant," Marco told him. "It's why he isn't responding to you guys. His perceptions probably aren't grounded in reality right now, so don't be alarmed if he acts strangely."

"How do we stop it!"

"We don't," Marco said. "That's not how it works. He'll snap out of it on his own. We just have to try and not make it worse. We just need to keep him calm, just like you guys were doing, and his body temperature and circulation up, and no loud noises.

Sabo sat on the bed with Ace, watching as Marco gave Luffy the last injection, with no reaction this time. Sabo felt very much like a little kid again, full of questions, always pestering people.

"What if he doesn't?"

"It's not permanent," Marco told him. "Give him time. He's been through a lot."

Sabo had given him time. An entire week, and then some. This wasn't about being impatient. He was nearly out of his mind with worry.

Ace on the other hand was more laid back then Sabo remembered seeing him. He flopped back onto the bed without a care, most likely not paying attention to the two of them.

"You're next," Marco told him.

"Pass." Ace said sleepily.

"You can't pass."

"M'fine," he said again, and Sabo could tell from his voice he had already started to fade.

Marco sighed, "I guess, I'll come back later and give you a check-up because I have endless free time."

He lifted Luffy off the exam table, moving him back to the bed, to lay him besides Ace. He ruffled Luffy's hair as he tucked him in. Marco was strangely fond of him for someone Lu had caused nothing but trouble for.

"Why are you doing this," Sabo said, which instantly made Marco frown.

"If I had a cent for every time you guys asked me that, I would be at least fifty dollars richer. I thought we were past this."

"Why is your crew looking after us," Sabo corrected. "I thought they hated us."

"They don't hate you," Marco told him. "They thought you were working with Teach. Because you wanted them to think that you were working with Teach."

"But still… they are okay with you wasting all your time on us?"

"Well, I'm not on retainer," Marco said. "I can decide what I do. And I decided to help you. Same with the other doctors and nurses. Besides, you aren't in trouble."

"Say's who, you?"

"Say's Oyaji," Marco told him. "He excused Ace for what he did, you too by the way, and anyone who helped you, so that means your weird crow friend is off the hook."

Sabo sat up a bit straighter. This was news to him. "Really?"

Marco nodded. "I guess I forgot to tell you."

Sabo was willing to be that he hadn't 'forgotten', but rather left it out. After Sabo had woken up, everyone had been walking on eggshells around him.

Sabo turned the information over in his head, glancing at Ace. His brother was passed out now, curled up on his side, one arm slung around Luffy's tiny shoulder.

"Why?" he finally said, his voice soft.

"Why do you think."

Silence hung in the air for a moment as Marco updated his notes, the tiny room filled with the sound of the heart monitor, and the scribbling of pen on paper.

What a strange turn of events. Back when they met, Marco was a means to an end, a way for Sabo to save these two boys who made something deep within his chest ache. He hadn't felt remorse about tricking him, nor playing dirty. He hadn't felt good about it, that was for sure. But he figured it was a necessary evil if it meant everyone would keep breathing.

He felt bad now. If push came to shove, he would probably do it all over again. But doing something so cruel to someone who had saved their lives so many times over... Yeah, Sabo sucked alright.

"For what it's worth," he said softly. "I really am sorry about hurting you."

Marco looked up at him, his eyes meeting Sabo's. After a moment he nodded. "I know. Apology accepted." A moment passed, and then. "It's not like we got off to a bad start or anything after that."

"Nothing's changed right?"

"Hmm," Marco nodded. "Nothing. Don't worry, we still hate each other. Get some sleep and let me know when either of them wakes up again."

Sabo nodded, looking down at both of his brothers.

"Try not to worry," Marco told him. "Ace would know if something was wrong with Luffy, he has a built-in sensor or something."

After the man left, Sabo settled down on Luffy's other side, feeling Ace shift, stretching his arm out to pull Sabo in closer to the two of them.

XXX

Whitebeard waited three long days for the shellshock of the war to wear off before he called a meeting with the division heads.

There were a few reasons why he had left it so long, but as he had figured earlier, they had been waiting months for answers- a couple more days would make no difference. Nothing could be changed now, the battle was done, and their actions were cemented in stone. It was better to let those who needed it rest.

Whitebeard was gruff by nature; it went hand in hand with being a pirate. But he was also a father, and sometimes that had to win over being a captain. And in cases like these, where there was no longer any threat looming on the horizon, or wars to fight, he lapsed into just being a parent.

So, he gave his sons some time and space, and let them come to terms with everything without ripping the fresh wound open. Plus, waking up Thatch any sooner than three days would have been a lost cause, as would pulling Marco away from his work.

So, in the brand new morning light of the third day he summoned his sixteen commanders to the deck, choosing a time when it was early enough that it would be mostly clear of the rest of the crew so they could speak freely.

Secrets and lies were not Whitebeard's style. He did not usually keep things from his children. He left that to the government, monarchies and revolutionaries. But sometimes it was necessary to keep things from his crew. It came along with the territory of living in a world of alliances, betrayals, and the general cutthroat conflicts of the ocean.

He doubted it had come naturally to Ace either, but you didn't always get a choice.

Everyone knew what this would be about. There was none of the usual chatter that usually accompanied meetings. Instead, a heavy silence rang out across the room. This meeting had been months overdue.

Whitebeard had no idea how much information had circulated by way of gossip in the three days that followed the fighting. Nor did he much care. Those stories always ended up being wilder than the truth, with usually a scrap of fact at the center of a bloated marshmallow of 'I heard, that he said, that they said that someone else said…' and so on.

Thatch sat beside Marco, looking very sleepy indeed. They both did actually. But Thatch looked content, as he had been all week. In remarkably good spirits for someone confirmed to the medical ward for the foreseeable future, as well as the countless injuries and bandages he sported. Whitebeard had made a point of finding time to visit his wayward son every day, each time greeted by Thatch's famous smile. As if he was off on holiday, rather than under constant doctor supervision, and not allowed to even get up to fetch a glass of water until it was signed off on.

Marco was not in as good of a mood. Probably because too much of the burden of responsibility still rested squarely on his shoulders. Although he was still working with a tireless determination.

For their part, Jozu, Haruta, and Izou were more or less fine, having been spared most of the horror aside from some heavy fatigue and injuries from the resulting fighting, and some milder infections from the dirty grimy conditions of the tunnels.

He looked out at the face of his children, pale, scraped up, bandaged, and bruised. All of them staring back, ready for him to find the silver lining, to place a bandage on what had happened, or somehow make sense of it.

Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. After all, he wasn't magic. It seems he could not delay the cold hard sting of reality any longer. That would simply not be fair.

"I apologize for not including everyone in this," Whitebeard told them. "For it is a matter for the entire crew. But there will be time for that later." Right now, the unabridged story needed to be told. Without the interruption or debate of their considerably large forces. And he needed the commanders, in charge of corralling those within their units, to first work out their reaction before being able to guide the others below them.

"We will reconvene this afternoon with the rest of our ranks. In the meantime, Izou."

Slightly startled his son stood up. "Yes?"

"I am going to assign you in command of the second division unit in addition to your own, for an indefinite period of time. Are you up to the challenge?"

Izou's eyes grew large, surprise flickering across his face, battled back by a deeper emotion.

Before Ace had taken up the helm, the last commander was a dear friend of Izou's, who had passed away long ago. To now be filling in for Ace, standing in the shoes of a long departed loved one, right at the heels of such a disaster was a rather overwhelming ask. Which was exactly why Whitebeard had picked him.

He saw Marco frown from the corner of his eyes. This was not a surprise to the first division commander. Marco knew that this was coming, and thought it should be him. He may be right. Prior to Ace, much of the responsibilities of the second division had fallen to Marco. And he had done a flawless job, as he did in all aspects of life.

Whitebeard knew that it wasn't vanity, or a desire for power that drove Marco- rather a deep love and commitment to the crew. No matter how much he did, he refused to be satisfied with himself. With so many sisters and brothers to look after he set his sights high, trying to look after them all, offering more of his time, more of his energy, and doing it all without complaint. It was a good thing he had gotten the devil fruit powers he had, otherwise he would have driven himself to an early grave years ago through sheer overwork. But right now, he was overburdened as it was, without taking on another unit.

Izou nodded, his resolve set. "Yes'sir."

Whitebeard nodded, "Very well."

Following the assassination attempt, and news of Marco's violent murder, Ace had been removed as acting commander for the second division for obvious reasons. Although, in the whirlwind of everything it had not been officially processed. (Yes, they were pirates, that didn't mean they didn't have simple administrative procedures. They were outlaws, not barbarians).

"One of our first immediate tasks once damage reports have been assessed, is to officially exile Marshall D. Teach. We will spread the word to our allies" (if any somehow hadn't heard), "That he is a traitor of the highest order, and extremely dangerous." His belongings would have to be searched and burned, and all his existing contacts would have to be notified, and all his previous responsibilities distributed out.

He looked out at the grim faces of his children. No one having anything to say on that matter. It was an ugly thing, talking about the destruction of trusting someone and being betrayed. There was nothing redeemable here, nothing to salvage. They had trusted him, for years as their brother, welcomed him into their family. And when he betrayed them, he did it painfully and slowly, twisting the knife, causing untold devastation and hurt as his actions rippled outwards. Reminding all of them, that even at the best of times, you could not always trust even those you called family, because you did not always know what lay in men's hearts.

"I wish I had better words of wisdom to offer you," he told their angry faces, and clenched jaws. "This was not a win in the eyes of the world by any means. We were betrayed by our own, lost many resources, gained excessive damage, and temporarily weakened our forces as a result. As captain, I take full responsibility," he held up his hand at the disagreeing murmurs that rose up in an instant. As captain he could also get everyone to shut up and sit down, whenever he wanted, so there were some perks to balance out the bad. "I, am obviously not responsible for the questionable decisions all you brats make," he told them. "But not seeing the warning signs was a mistake that should not have been made." He turned to look at Thatch, who was staring up at him from underneath the mess of bandages. "And you paid the price, I am sorry my son."

Thatch stared at him for a moment, surprised. Then his face started to grow red, as he shifted uncomfortably as all eyes turned to him. "All good guys," he said, trying to get them to look elsewhere as his face flushed further.

It wasn't all good. Not by a mile. But Whitebeard spared him the spotlight, taking back their attention. "I could go on," he said. "Talking about the finer points, the details, the disadvantage this has put us at, the lasting implications to consider. But I am sure we will have time enough later to depress ourselves with the details. Besides, quite frankly, that man has taken up enough of our time, and I don't wish to give him anymore. So, I will speak no more of it, focusing instead on what I see before me."

"We lost the war, the government it calling this a victory for their forces. It is unlikely that they truly believe that. But the story that comes out of it is sometimes more important than the actual outcome, and their narrative to the world is that they defended their brand of justice in the face of our tyranny." His commanders looked, mad, once again confronted with their failure and the unfairness of it all. Although they knew better than to interrupt him.

"That is their story," he said. "And we have our own. We may have lost, or we may have won. Honestly, it is of little consequence to us now. All I know is that our single goal was to retrieve our stolen son and bring him home. And, regardless of the monumental challenges that face us, no matter that it led us to one of the largest clashes with the military to date. We did just that. And that was thanks to every single one of you."

The rest of the room broke into a cheer, with more joy than Whitebeard had seen from them since all of this had started.

Thatch flushed bright red this time, suddenly finding a splinter on his seat fascinating. Seemingly missing the way his shipmates clapped him on the back, and rattled his shoulder. Apparently, forgetting for the moment how injured he was.

"And that," Whitebeard said, his voice booming above the yells of the room, "is far more important than any victory, or feud. You all showed loyalty, and love, and dedication. And for that, I am immensely proud of you all."

And on that note. "Onto happier news, I am proud to say, that following his releasement from the medical ward, Thatch is to resume command of his unit."

The cheers grew louder, as did the claps the very red-faced Thatch received on the back until Marco had to interject to remind them of the crisscross bandages that hide the scars he was still healing from.

Whitebeard smiled at the pure delight on his children's face. He had no doubt the look would be mirrored this afternoon when he spread the news to the rest of the crew. Their cheers would be thunderous, and perhaps Thatch needed a bodyguard to protect him from the congratulatory assault of hugs that would rain down on his bruised ribcage. But before all that, Whitebeard had serious matters to discuss.

"I know there have been a lot of rumors," he continued. "I did not think I would get the chance to stand here to bring this news, with the ocean of uncertainty we have faced over the last few months. But believe me that I say this with no confliction nor hesitation. As of today, I am formally excusing Ace from the actions he has committed against us over these last few months. That extends to the revolutionary-,"

"Ex," Marco said under his breath.

"Ex," Whitebeard amended, not wanting to disregard the sacrifice Ace's brother had already made. "The pardon extends to the ex-revolutionary who helped Ace, and anyone who helped them."

This was greeted by silence. No one contradicted him because no one knew what to make of it. That was besides from Thatch who smiled, reveling in Ace's liberation on his behalf. Whitebeard had heard some of the rumors flying around, and they only seemed to get stranger the longer they went unchecked. Ace was a spy from the world government, Ace was working for Kaido, Ace was also a revolutionary, Ace was actually a sea devil, Ace was actually acting as a triple agent for Marco, Ace was in fact the undead restless spirit of a departed soul who had been haunting the ship until he could get revenge on those who murdered him.

It was Rakuyo who spoke first, his tone clipped but respectful. "Are you sure Oyaji? After what he did to Marco?"

Whitebeard looked at him, Rakuyo meeting his gaze, not challenging, but rather questioning. "What he did to Marco," he repeated the words.

There were two people Ace had physically threatened with his betrayal. The first being Whitebeard himself, who had gotten sick from a microdose of poison before Ace had left the antidote in his bag for Oyaji to find after he was thrown into the ocean. This he forgave easily. After all, slowly poisoning himself in the name of good sake was what he was best at. Besides, it was a price he was happy to pay if it meant avoiding the alternative. He had known something was up with Ace the moment he arrived back onboard alone, choosing to trust in his youngest son's loyalty.

The second person was Marco. His opinion was the only one Whitebeard had actively sought out when making this decision. He already knew what the man's answer would be, but he asked all the same. Because violence against his children in any form could not go unmentioned. The truth was Marco had gotten hurt. He had been an unknowing participant in Ace and Sabo's ploy, and had gotten swept up in it, and taken away from his family.

And still, Marco harbored no ill will towards them.

Whitebeard could not see that far into the future with clarity, but he did know that things could have turned out a lot worse. With Teach vying for his head, and his cronies everywhere, they might have lost him for real. Or they might not of. It was too hard to say.

But the chances of it all unfurling as it did. With Thatch being returned to them, with Teach's location being freely given, with the world government treachery revealed, and the partnership with the revolutionaries that helped them take on the world, he doubted that would have happened.

But more important than all of that, was the real reason. Ace's plan could have just as easily gone awry, and his precariously placed pieces would have crashed around them, making the situation that much worse. And still, Whitebeard would have a hard time faulting him. For the simple reason, that Ace had never wanted to betray them. Ace had nothing to gain by betraying them. Ace hated Teach, and none of this would have happened if Teach had left him alone.

What's more, if there was one true loser in all of this, it was Ace. He had given up his life and his morals. And for what? He had almost died, his foster brother had almost died, and their littlest one may still go at any time.

Rakuyo cast a look towards Marco. "Didn't he try to kill you?"

"Technically that was someone else," Marco said. "And if Ace wanted to kill me he would have." He certainly had enough chances.

Rakuyo took the information in stride, and Whitebeard could see the gears turning in his head. "Are you sure."

"Pretty sure," Marco said. "Why would I help him if he tried to kill me?"

The man shrugged, willing to accept it if not a bit hesitantly. "I figured you were just covering for him… you know, because he is your favorite."

"No," Marco said crossing his arm. "That's illogical…. And I don't have favorites." Then a pause. "And if I did it would be Thatch."

"And Haruta of course," Haruta said.

"Good for me," Thatch said.

"And Haruta," Marco parroted.

"He tried to kill you too," Namur said, his voice quiet amongst the others.

"Am I getting so old that my crew has no faith in my ability to survive?" Whitebeard asked.

"No pops," came the quick reply.

"You think that some brat could get the best of me?"

"Of course not."

Whitebeard huffed in amusement. He always enjoyed rattling the crew a little bit.

"Then, why did Ace side with Teach?"

"Because Teach kidnapped his little brother!" Thatch burst, irritation tinging his tone. Whitebeard knew he had been dying to clear Ace's name. But had held off at request until a time when everyone was ready to hear the truth.

"Whose brother?" Jiru asked.
"Ace's brother!"

"Ace doesn't have a brother."
"He has two," Marco said.

A pause, and then, "Are you sure?"

"Let's just assume, that we are pretty sure of everything we are saying," Marco said.

"This is why Marco has favorites," Haruta added.

"Why are you so cheerful right now!"

"Because I already knew all of this!"

"When?"

"When we went to go save Thatch. We met Ace's little brother, and Ace told us what was going on."

"What if he was lying?" Atmos said.

"Trust me," Haruta said, not sounding impressed in the least. "He wasn't."

"Why did Teach go after Ace out of everyone in the first place?" Kingdew cut in.

The answer, although unsaid, hung loudly in the air.

Because of Roger.

XXX

(No chapter 80- it's not written yet- sorry about that guys, ignore the notification if you got it.)

Alright my friends, I have been getting this question a bit so I thought it was time to give my own unsolicited hot take haha. People sometimes ask why Dadan isn't in the story more. While we haven't seen the last of her, she isn't going to have a very large role. While I do like her, and I know she dearly loves the three of them (in her own way) and they love her (in their own way), I don't think Ace, Luffy, and Sabo are as close to her as some other foster parent situations we have seen (like Cora, Bellemare, Zeff, ect). "Gasp-why would you say that?" Well, hear me out.

Right before he died, Ace thought of Dadan fondly. They clearly had a bond, and Dadan thinks of them as her boy's. And by process of elimination, she is the closest thing they have to a mom.

But after Ace died, Luffy realized that his brothers were dead but he still had his crew, so he wasn't really alone, and he could keep moving forwards as long as he had them. That scene made it feel like Luffy considered his brothers and his entire crew his family, and the people he couldn't live without. When he was having his breakdown, no one else was brought up, not Garp, or Makino, or Shanks, or his deadbeat Dad, or Dadan. Similarly, after getting his memory back, Sabo makes it a priority to reunite with Luffy and help him, seemingly with no intention of stopping back at home to see everyone else anytime soon.

(Also, when the newspapers reported that Ace was going to be executed, Luffy was the only one from Goa who turned up to save him. While I am sure everyone had their reasons, there are definitely some OP parents who would have rowed across the ocean in their little dingy's to save their kids.)

The feeling I got from reading the manga was that the three of them were closer to each other, than to the rest of the extended family. And there was at least a bit of separation from the bandits and Garp. Probably due to factors like Garp being terrifying, and Dadan being a jerk when they were younger.

All this to say, I really love Garp and Dadan, and I love that they're both cold bitches with gooey centers. I think they are good guardians, but they are complicated, and there are closer parent-child bonds shown in the story. Anyway, that's just my opinion, let me know what you guys think.

Let's see, since the last time I posted, I saw my first spirit bear (white bear that only lives in this region of the world that is considered spiritual by the indigenous groups in the area). Went cliff diving with my friends, went swimming in the lakes a ton, tried rock climbing, went to my first concert, had a terrible first date, painted a float for the town parade, went camping, and saw my friends perform on stage in front of thousands of people.

All that to say is I am having the best summer XD. I hope you guys are as well.

I will see you guys next time.

XXX

: Hello! And aww. Thanks. I have been awesome, busy, but having a great summer. What about yourself?

Why thank you. I am a sucker for Marco and Sabo. They are just both so smart and sassy, I am glad I got to show them putting aside their differences and bonding over their love for Ace, and sarcasm.

I promise more fluff is on it's way, especially once Luffy is up and running. Hopefully you like this one as well.

Thanks for the sweet review.

Polars: Of course! I would never kill Whitebeard, I am still so sad he died in the story. Nika is in Luffy's corner, whether he knows it or not. Revenger on Teach is unfortunately not going to happen soon. But it is coming. Probably in the last few chapters of this story. I just feel like after all of this, Luffy should be the one to do it.

Mother Marco is on high alert. He has his job cut out for him taking care of everyone.

I think devil Luffy is mostly just going to gaslight Marco into thinking he is insane haha. Poor guy.

I don't think Dragon had any control over Sabo, especially right now. He is free to do whatever he likes, but before this started Sabo was really serious about the mission, his friends, and his calling in life. He just put it all on the backburner to be with his brothers.

As for lil Luffy touching both of them, it is a little bit of both. He talked about it a bit last chapter, but his senses are really dull right now from being injured. Right now he is having a hard time seeing, and kind of out of it. But they will get back to normal as he starts to feel better. So he was running through the brother checks with them (freckles for Ace, and blond and has scar, for Sabo).

Shanks will be back. But it is going to be a little bit. He will try to give the hat back, but Luffy needs to be ready to take it, so he is going to give him some space to work through everything on his own.

Whitebeard/Luffy interactions are yet to come. Hopefully I will do them justice. I will do my best.

Thank you for the nice review. I wish you the best of luck on your beast costume. See you next time.

Shandar1: Why thank you. Poor Marco is slowly being convinced he is insane.

Aquarica: Why thank you, Lots of quality Sabo time with the other main characters out of commission. Luffy had to do his brother checks, to make sure it was really him, and not a Sabo imposter lol. Poor Marco, forever being burnt by trying to do nice things for Ace's little brothers. I am glad you liked it. More Sabo and Marco bonding on the way! See you next time, and thank you for the kind review.

Eternal She-Wolf: More Whitebeards hot takes to come next time. I agree but I think the order is: vacation, vacation, nap, and then when he is well rested and vacationed ASL can wake up and continue to wreak havoc on his nerves.

Yes! Of course you got to have the reveal chapters. This is part one of two of three parts I think. It kind of got away from me, but there is a lot to unpack. I was putting these chapters off because I knew they were going to be a pain to write, but I still found them pretty fun.

Sabo and Luffy bonding all the way! Luffy is definitely unimpressed by everyone but Ace and Sabo. In scary Luffy world everyone else is greyish ghost blobs put there to hassle him, and his kind brothers are warding them away.

The second part is kind of a complicated answer. Luffy loves Sabo. But like you said, Sabo was gone for most of their childhood, so Luffy got used to calling for Ace. That continued when he got kidnapped by Teach. He wasn't sure if Sabo was alive or not so he fell back on old patterns, continuously calling out for Ace to save him while he was imprisoned. So the last few chapters were supposed to parallel the times when Luffy was held captive, and calling for Ace with no answer. Only this time Ace comes running to protect and comfort him. (If that makes any sense lol). I will try to give a better answer in the story.

But all that to say! He loves both his brothers very much, and I can not wait for Thatch to come back into the story. I have many-a more cute chapters planned for them. As well as the other characters! We are slowly getting there!

Thank you for the sweet review. Hopefully you liked this one as well.

Mel72000: Indeed our stretchy boi is.

Hiraya1998: So true, haha. Luffy is not going after Marco like an eldritch terror.

Garp will probably pop by again later in the story when Luffy is feeling better. I think there is still a while to go before Luffy thinks about saying the words pirate king again. But he will get there. Lol, I will start filling the fluff pool for your dip.

Wishfull-star: Poor Marco indeed. He is more than happy to push it aside to help Luffy, he is just having a hard time letting something that crazy go. Which he will be mercilessly mocked for, for chapters to come.

Thank you! You too.

Firefiststrawhat: Aw, thank you.