– Rivers –

"We're going to need distractions-yoi. Something to draw as many of them away from our landing site."

"We can send a small squadron to the north. Close enough to the island that Teach's scouts can sound the alarm, but distant enough that the morning mists will obscure their true numbers."

"You can leave that part to Forliewbs, Reforte and I."

"Captain Sleepy-yoi?"

"I'm probably one of the weakest of us, so I'll be more useful this way. And if my job is not to engage but merely distract, even someone like me should be able to handle it."

"They may send out a portion of their ships to chase you down-yoi."

"In that case, the more of them we can draw away the better. Ain't that right, Marco?"

"Godspeed-yoi."

"To you too."

Rivers loved flying.

He loved the crisp air, the open view, the breeze blowing through his hair. What he loved most of all however, was the sense of freedom that came with it. Whenever he soared above the clouds on his partner's trusty back, the shackles of reality always seemed so very distant. In a way every flight was a reminder that the limits of his former life, that dull and boring life he'd led before Jaya, hadn't been real limits at all. That things previously thought impossible were possible and the undoable doable, if Rivers were to only try.

And wasn't that a terribly empowering thought?

"Blackbeard is a cunning and cautious man. He wouldn't have successfully stayed undercover so long otherwise, Phoenix-ya. A single diversionary force won't make him commit."

"What are you trying to say-yoi?"

"Give me a few coated ships and I'll approach Hachinosu from the east. Surface occasionally to draw their eye before submerging and emerging somewhere else to mask our true numbers. After the stunt you pulled at Marineford, there's no way they'll be able to ignore an unknown number of ships approaching their position underwater."

"And if they don't sally-yoi?"

"Then they'll still be out of position when you land on the south-western beaches. We can slip away and rejoin you then."

"One last question before you leave, Captain Law. Why should we give you command?"

"I'm the only one with a submarine aren't I, Izou-ya?"

Though it would be rather difficult to feel otherwise when he, a nobody from a backwater island, was the vanguard of the Whitebeard Alliance. Well, not the vanguard vanguard per se as his position was closer to that of an outrider of an army. Though if anything, his mission was far more crucial to the success of this campaign than being part of the first wave of human bodies could ever be. Marco, who had assumed the role of commander in chief, had said as much during the final strategy meeting.

"It's decided then? We land on the south-western beaches near their town?"

"Not like we have many options left."

"Difficult terrain for a landing though. Even a few men manning the shores could prove costly. Especially if they have cannon emplacements."

"Which is why so much hinges upon Teach being blind and deaf to our movements-yoi. The diversions will help but we're going to take out his scouts at sea too."

"Pity that Namur isn't around anymore or that Jinbe couldn't join us. They would have been perfect for this."

"Moaning about things that can't be changed won't help us-yoi. While Jinbe's absence is regrettable, thankfully Izou has prepared an alternative."

"Captain Bellamy's crew includes three flyers who are all proficient in the art of observation haki or its equivalent. Be it in terms of range or mobility, we don't have anyone who is better suited to screen our approach."

"Three? Think that'll be enough?"

"I'm confident that Aisa, Rivers and Sarquiss will handle themselves just fine. Though Marco, if his scouts start disappearing one after another, Teach is going to know we're coming regardless."

"I know, but when it comes down to a choice between him knowing that we're coming and him knowing when and where we're coming from, I know which one I'd prefer-yoi."

Rivers had done his job well, even if he said so himself. His rifle had not only outranged anything they had by a fair margine, but his mission had been made all the easier by Blackbeard's scouts having been utterly unprepared and spectacularly lacking in observation haki. Most of them died without even knowing what killed them and the rest were sunk, ship and all, before they were able to sound the alarm.

Then again, Rivers didn't blame them for being this lax. After all, they were near the seat of Blackbeard's power and for most people, it would be a crazy undertaking to attack one of the most powerful pirate crews in the New World. Case in point, ever since they'd taken over Hachinosu and kicked out the former owner, the Blackbeard pirates had been constantly on the offensive. Every week new territories were added to Blackbeard's domain, conquered and subjugated by his eight Titanic Captains.

"Our inside man managed to confirm the presence of Blackbeard and five of his senior officers on Hachinosu, accurate as of yesterday evening. Sanjuan Wolf was last seen wading into the sea and our agent is accompanying Lafitte on another expedition. Which leaves Doc Q unaccounted for, but we do know that his ship sailed out of port on a supply run. Chances are he's on it."

"That's near a third of Teach's strength he doesn't have available."

"Exactly Ace, and we want to keep it that way. To that purpose we will be sending out strike forces of our own-yoi."

"You want to split up our forces? Marco, don't you think that's a little bit risky?"

"It is. However, if we can delay those three with a relatively smaller fraction of our total strength, it'll be a risk worth taking-yoi."

"Who were you thinking?"

"I'm probably a better person to ask than Marco, Ace."

"Whitey Bay."

"Blamenco, Captain Bellamy and the Decalvan Brothers are going to intercept Lafitte before he can make it back to Teach. As for Doc Q, Epoida and I should be enough to deal with him and stop him from taking part in the battle."

"And Sanjuan Wolf?"

"Doma and McGuy will stay in reserve, ready to sail out the moment we locate the big guy. Think you two can handle him?"

"As long as we're just trying to delay him, it should be doable. We won't be able to buy you that much time though."

"But never fear, Doma and I will manage somehow. For Pop's sake if nothing else."

"Aye."

"The rest of us will be launching a full-frontal assault on Hachinosu."

Once the fleet's destination began peeking over the horizon, Fuza began to hover in place with slow beats of his wings. Blackbeard's network of scouts had been well and truly broken for now, thanks to the combined efforts of Rivers and his friends. Aisa in particular had been devastating.

Hachinosu itself seemed unaware of the approaching danger with its residents going about their daily tasks without a care in the world. As unexpected as it was, Rivers' haki could detect no hint of concern coming from the island's direction. Nothing that might denote a general readiness for battle.

And that was suspicious in and of itself.

"I don't like this. Blackbeard will be waiting for us."

"That goes without saying-yoi. With how openly we gathered our forces, it was a foregone conclusion that his spies would pick up the scent."

"It's like Marco said, Jozu. He may not know exactly when or how we're going to strike, but that doesn't really matter if Hachinosu itself is a trap."

"Doesn't change the fact that the bait is too good to pass up-yoi. We won't get a better opportunity than now to take Teach's head. Not once he's had time to consolidate his new territory."

"At least we'll be able to lose his agents once we go underwater. And it isn't like it's our first time ambushing a heavily fortified position."

"On that note. Whitey Bay, how's the progress on coating our ships?"

"Finished as of yesterday and I personally checked them all myself this morning. As far as I'm concerned, we're ready to go."

Slowly wheeling around, Rivers slowly began making his way back to the Black Pearl. Yet… despite all the positive signs, Rivers couldn't help but feel a tad uneasy. In the far distance alarm bells began to ring as the first diversionary force sailed into view, with pirates scrambling for their ships. Shouts of surprise and feelings of panic began to arise from the island, reaching new heights when Law began his own assault. All according to plan.

"Teach will pay. This we swear."

"Aye. For Pops and family."

"For the Old Man."

In the light of two surprise attacks from the North and the East, nobody should have been paying a lone bird and his rider any mind.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"On your order, Ace."

"Whitebeard pirates. Move out!"

"Aye aye!"

Yet, Rivers couldn't shake the feeling that a pair of eyes had briefly met his.

Two disinterested looking eyes.

----------------------------------------

– Ace –

Thatch. Terrance. Jack. Ronald.

The past year hadn't been easy for the sons of Whitebeard. Beginning with Thatch's death and reaching its deepest low with the death of their beloved father, they had seemed to stumble from one tragedy into another. Yet, if one had to choose, Ace would wager that the greatest hardship had been his. After all, unlike the rest of his adoptive family, the blame and responsibility fell squarely upon his shoulders..

A year. Nearly a full year of regrets and sorrow, of struggle and loss. That was the weight Ace carried upon his back. A year in which questions and doubt had circled and warred within his head, whispering into his brain without respite. If only he'd been more watchful. If only he'd recognized Teach for the snake he was. If only he'd gone to visit Thatch that evening… if only, if only. If things had gone differently, would his friend still be alive? Last year, he would have said yes in a heartbeat. Now, he wasn't so sure.

Jeremiah. Hoggins. Eriksen. Shawn.

He should have listened when Marco tried to stop him. He should have listened when Pops tried to stop him. He should have listened when Shanks tried to stop him. He should have listened when his haki had tried to stop him. But he hadn't, allowing his stupid pride to take over and commit his greatest act of idiocy to date.

Ace hadn't paid for his own folly though. Not enough, in any case. His crew, his friends and his family had been the ones to bear the cost. Worse, they'd done so with a smile, charging headlong into danger to save his sorry ass. And Ace… idiot that he was, had forced them to do it twice.

Namur. Barnes. Viktor. Yves.

Too many hadn't come back from Marineford, many of whom could have. Because he had been foolish. Because he had been arrogant. Because he had been a bloody hothead. And they had paid for it. Pops had paid for it. All because, in addition to everything else, Ace had been too weak.

Even now they continued to pay for the consequences of the disaster whose catalyst had been Ace's capture. Waiting while Ace had been content to wallow in his own self-pity and his self-loathing. Enduring while Teach continually sent out his goons to conquer new islands in his name.

Timothy. Feren. Hinazuki. Olly.

No longer.

No. Longer.

Ace was honestly very thankful to Rayleigh, not only for training him but for dragging him out of his little cave. He did wish it hadn't been literally by the ear, but he couldn't deny that the following kick up his backside had been sorely needed. The same went for his little brother, who had been a constant ray of sunshine in those initial dark months. His motivation and positivity had been infectious to say the least.

Roy. Laurie. Emil. Wulfric.

Ace was done being a victim. After all, relegating himself to such a role would accomplish nothing of note. There simply was nothing to be gained and everything to lose. So, he'd gotten to work on getting his shit together – sorry, Makino – and soaked up every lesson Rayleigh tried to teach him like a parched sponge.

And boy, did Rayleigh have a lot of lessons he wanted to impart. Dusting off his old haki skills, which he hadn't needed ever since his duel with Jinbe, had been just the beginning. Due to a general sense of urgency, a lack of time and the inevitability of the looming conflict, Rayleigh had opted to beat the more advanced skills into him.

Francis. Al Shahin. Jolly Ned.

He'd picked up the art of imbuing his flames with armament rather quickly, as otherwise Rayleigh bulldozed his way through every fiery obstacle as if it weren't there. Naibu Hakai, otherwise known as Internal Destruction, had similarly become a necessity because nothing else seemed to delay the Dark King long enough to matter. And whenever Ace allowed the surprisingly vigorous veteran to get in close and personal, his observation haki had been the only thing standing in between Ace and a painful bruising. Suffice to say, Ace had received a lot of bruises.

But, Ace had powered through. Day by day the bruises had gotten fewer in number and his flames had gotten hotter. Hopefully hot enough to burn Teach's darkness to ashes and bring down the wrath of the sun upon his black soul. And if they weren't? It just meant that Ace could get a few more good hits in before the traitor croaked.

Ryouji. Coral. Wick. Oars Jr.

Additionally, Ace wasn't going to be facing Teach alone this time. He was a hothead, not an idiot. If he hadn't been able to defeat him back when the traitor only had the Dark Dark Fruit – though it had been a close thing – the chances for a different outcome were slim now that he had Pops' power too. No, rather than try and complete Whitebeard's revenge on his own, Ace was going to lay down his pride and let cooler heads prevail.

Glancing down to where a hand had appeared, squeezing his shoulder in a supportive gesture, Ace followed the attached arm to Sabo's smiling face. A face that seemed to say "everything will be alright" and Ace was inclined to believe him. He'd like to see the coward survive when three fighters of Ace's caliber were gunning for his head.

Zach. Timmy. Gravy. Carl.

The Blackbeard pirates, out of position and caught unawares, scrambled to man defensive positions on the beach. It was far too little, too late. By the time the first responders had rushed to the western beaches, the Whitebeards had already landed on Hachinosu's shores. What few desperate and disorganized efforts were made to push them back into the sea, were met by unyielding resolve and cold determination. For the Whitebeards owed Teach a debt, which they were dying to repay. And repay it they would.

Vista's twin blades led the charge, tearing through the hasty barricades set in his path and opening the way for the Whitebeards to flood into the island proper. In a scene reminiscent of the opening moments of the Summit War, the allied forces pushed in deep with the Commanders at the forefront. Resistance was brushed aside, for all that Teach's recruits had been composed of New World veterans from Hachinosu, they had never been members of an Emperor's crew. The Whitebeards on the other hand, had.

Harry. Iggy. Patrick. Mort.

Things were going well. Surprisingly well, in fact. True, much of that was due to the strange absence of Teach and his cronies from this battlefield. However, one shouldn't discount the immense volume of blood, sweat and tears the Whitebeards had shed in an effort to fill the gap left by their father. Their experiences at Marineford had strengthened them and the trials of the past year had tempered them.

There was no way that a bunch of wannabes was ever going to be able to keep them from reaching their target. If Teach wanted to cower behind his own men, then Ace would simply ensure that the traitor no longer had any men left. So, unless he wanted to be an Emperor without an army, Teach would be forced to face him sooner or later. And Ace had a rather handy tool to do just that. Conqueror's haki bubbled up inside him before exploding out in a wave. It was met by an answering but more malevolent one.

Ryan. Arnold. Quentin. Wong.

"Ace! You've come to visit! You should have called. Honestly, I didn't expect you to survive your execution but here you are and you've brought the whole gang too."

"Finally decided to come crawling out of the woodworks, eh Teach?"

"Zehahaha. Well, you interrupted my after-lunch nap, Ace. There was no way I could sleep while you're tearing down my new home. That wasn't very nice of you, by the way."

"Good. It wasn't meant to be."

"Why so angry, Ace? You're not still angry about me defeating you and handing you over to the marines, are you?"

"Yeah, I owe you for that one. It's only right I return the favor, isn't it?"

"Well, you tore up my new home mere weeks after I moved in and beat up my men, so why don't we call it even? Let bygones be bygones and start over."

Igor. Sanchez. Hollie. Pix.

"Ace, join me."

"This again? I thought I made my stance clear on Banaro Island."

"Things are different now, aren't they? There's no reason why the two of us can't work together to reach the top. After all, your candidate for the Pirate King's throne is gone now."

"You think that's possible after what you did?"

"Hey, he wasn't going to be using it for much longer anyway. Might as well have been me who inherited the old man's power."

Pops.

"Flame Commandment."

"Oi oi oi! Come on, you know you can't defeat me. Don't be stupid, Ace."

"Dai Hiken!"