Chapter 7: Endless Possibilities! Gray Terminal Ablaze!

Soon enough, seasons had come and gone. We all continued to train against the beasts in the mountains, plundered, and made sure to upkeep the hideout. Most of the time, though, I would be the one responsible for maintaining the hideout, hunting for food, and acting as a spy while the boys trained and looted. I didn't mind my share of the load, since they were younger and getting stronger. So if me doing a lot of the grunt work allows them to play and be kids a little longer, so be it. I would gladly make that sacrifice.

One night, after having spent the day mostly spying on the Bluejams, I got back to the hideout later than usual and the boys still weren't back yet. It was a bit strange, but I figured they must be out having fun and having a feast together.

I decided to roast some fish I caught and brew some tea I stole from the Elite District. As I had just taken the fish and tea off of the flame, Ace came storming into the hideout. "Oh, Ace, perfect timing," I told him as I poured him and myself a cup of tea. "Have some, I made a little extra in case you guys came back. Did you want some fish, too? Where are the others?"

"I'll pass on the fish," Ace said as he took a cup. "We had some fish earlier with that old man, Naguri. The other two are probably still with him."

"Old man Naguri," I asked, sitting on the floor with my fish and tea. "How'd that happen?"

"Eh," Ace said with a shrug of his shoulders as he leaned against a wall, "he might have saved us from a giant bear or something by just looking at it. Then they started talking about some bullshit and I left."

I used the air to smack him upside the head. "Language," I said with a glare as I took a sip of tea.

"What, so you can cuss but I can't," Ace protested. "Since when was that fair?!"

"Maybe when you're 13 I'll allow it," I told him as I sat my cup down and picked up the fish. "Anyway, do you know if they'll be coming back tonight? I need to know if I'm setting the traps or not."

As if on cue, Sabo barged in, exclaiming in a pitiful attempt to lie, "Oh, Ace! Anne! I didn't know that you were home!"

Luffy followed behind saying, "Oh, Ace! Anne! I didn't know that your father was Roger!"

Sabo and I looked at him in horror as Ace stiffened up. "Oh my gods, you're an idiot," I sighed as I held my head in my hand. "How in the world did he even find out?"

"I told you not to say anything," Sabo whispered to Luffy as he shook him.

"Luffy…" Ace started. "Who told you that?"

"Sabo did," Luffy said happily as he walked over. "Hey Ace, Anne, what was Roger like?!"

I facepalmed while Sabo continued to shake Luffy in aggravation. Ace went over and knocked them both over the heads. "Don't you ever mention that name when I'm around," Ace barked at them.

Luffy and Sabo tried to protest that I or Ace shouldn't keep a secret from our brothers. Luffy then proceeded to run around shouting how Ace was the son of the King of Pirates like the moron he was, so Ace continued to beat him up for that and got a few hits on Sabo for telling Luffy about it. I just sat to the side and continued to eat my fish.

Once everything calmed down, I offered the other two tea and we all sat on our futons. While Ace had stepped out for a moment, I looked to the other two and said, "I'm pretty sure I already told Sabo this, but there isn't much to tell about Roger. He died before Ace was born, so he never got to meet him. I was only one when he was executed, so I don't really have any memories of him. Simple as that."

"What about your mom," Luffy asked.

"Our mom? Well," I said as I thought back. Just the thought of her brought a soft smile to my face. The sweet nostalgia felt nice that my eyes almost started to water. "She was very kind. I don't remember her much, but I can remember the warmth and love she gave. I also remember the love she had for Ace and I in particular, even if Ace wasn't born yet. She tried so hard to protect us from the people that wanted our father's bloodline to end, to the point she gave up her life to safely have Ace."

"Do you, you know," Sabo was trying to ask awkwardly, "...ever resent Ace? I mean, if he wasn't born, your mom would still probably be alive and you'd probably still be with her."

Without hesitation, I immediately responded, "Of course not. Not even once have I ever resent Ace. Yeah, I'm grateful for what she did for us, but I have and always will love Ace. I've known him longer than I knew our mother by seven years now, and there is never a day I wish Ace wasn't born. I don't know what kind of person I would be without him in my life, and I honestly don't want to know a life without him in it."

Just then, Ace walked into the base, and it was obvious that he had probably been listening to the entire conversation just now. It was barely noticeable, but his eyes were somewhat glossy and his nose was starting to turn pink. His bottom lip gave the slightest of trembles as he walked over to his futon without looking at us, saying, "I'm heading to bed. Good night."

We base him goodnight as Sabo and Luffy followed suit. They got under their blankets after Sabo set the traps and soon began to snore. I laid on my futon, staring up at the ceiling. Ace wasn't suppose to hear what I had said, but I'm glad he was able to…

For the next few days, Sabo and Ace kept trying to go after a giant tiger while Luffy supposedly trained with old man Naguri. I spent my time watching the Bluejams. They were starting to move differently and I could tell they were up to something, but I couldn't figure out what. After a week, I decided to go see how Luffy was doing, since he hadn't come by the hideout in a bit. When I got there, I saw Luffy standing in front of some kind of target, practicing his Gum Gum Pistol technique. I thought I was staying pretty well hidden, but, without even looking my way, Naguri called out, "Why don't you come on out and watch up closer, miss?"

I slightly jumped at his callout, but did so. Luffy looked over from his training and exclaimed, "Hey, Anne! What are you doing here? Did you come to train, as well?!"

"I mean, that wasn't my intention," I said as I walked into Naguri's camp and sat near his campfire that he had going. "I just came to check on my little bro."

"Oh, so you're Gol D. Anne," Naguri said as he was pouring a cup of tea for himself and an extra for me. "It's nice to finally formally meet. I'm Naguri. I've heard a lot about you."

"Wait, you even know my last name," I asked, somewhat surprised. He continued to tell me that one of the boys mentioned that Ace and I were the children of Gol D. Roger not too long ago and how Naguri had faced off against Roger in a fight once, and was spared by him. "By the way, I heard you saved the three boys from a bear. Thank you for that. But I have a question… Ace told me you stopped it by just looking at it, could you have used some kind of Haki to do that?"

My question caught him off-guard as he looked at me in surprise. "Oh, so you know about the different Haki, huh," he asked in amusement. I nodded, telling him just a little bit though, mostly only about Armament Haki. "Why, yes I did use a type of Haki, though it wasn't Armament. I used Conqueror's Haki to settle the beast down. So how is it that you know about this subject? It's not one that most people are aware of here in the East Blue. Have you already begun studying it yourself?"

"My Gramps and a friend of mine told me about it once," I told him, sipping the hot tea. "As for using it, no. I haven't had the chance to study anything about Haki. I only know that there are different kinds and how Armament is used, since they are one of the only things that can hurt me."

The man gave me a curious look as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh yeah," I said with a nervous laugh, "I forgot to mention that I ate an air Logia type Devil Fruit, so most attacks go right through me. Well, unless they are infused with Armament Haki."

"My, how interesting. So your potential is basically limitless," he said as he sipped his own tea. I asked him what he meant, and he explained, "Well, you see, let me ask you: What can you do with air? The answer is you can do an infinite amount of things! The air around us has limitless forms and shapes, which means your strength with the air is only as limited as your creativity is. Since you can create, guide, and manipulate such an element, the means in which you use it are endless."

I was in awe at what he just told me. In a way, he wasn't wrong. But even if it all sounded simple, it was still easier said than done. I had to understand how I wanted the air to flow and how to make it do so before I could use techniques.

For example, my new developing gauntlets I've been working on. In order to use them, I have to either create or manipulate the air specifically around my forearms. With this air, I manipulate it to go in a spiral motion, starting at my elbow, all the way up to my hand. That way, if I am going to hit something, all of the air that had traveled from the elbow will also make an impact as my hand does with the object, acting as a boxing glove in a way but with more power. I need to be able to visualize how I want to make and manipulate the air to use its inertia.

I watched Luffy train for a little bit longer as I finished the tea I was given. I set the cup down as I stood up and told Naguri, "Thank you for the advice, sir. I wish I could stay, but I only came to check up on the Luffy. Thank you for also training and taking care of the boy."

"Oh no, it was nothing at all," he told me with a chuckle. "He's basically been training himself."

I said goodbye to him and Luffy and made my way back to base. I later found out from the three boys that Naguri was setting out to sea on a ship he had been building. I also found out that the boys were finally able to defeat one of the giant sabertooth tigers that they had been striving to defeat.

~ ~ ~

One day, the winds were strong as a storm rolled in. Ace took the wheel in the base as he called out, "There it is! A storm is coming!"

"We're ready for it," Sabo said, standing by the window. "Bring it on!"

Luffy was up at the crow's nest, hanging onto the pole the flag was tied to as he called out, "Oh, cool! It's getting windier and windier! Are you doing this, Anne?"

"Of course not," I cheekily said as I stood on top of the hideout, "it'd be much stronger if it were me."

"Luffy," Sabo called up to him, "Make sure to hang onto the flag! It's uncool for pirates to have their flag blown away!"

"Alright, come on, wild wind," Ace and Luffy began to taunt. Sabo joined in on the taunting by shouting, "Bring it on, you bastard!"

While they weren't looking, I took the opportunity to blindside them and started creating stronger forces. We all laughed at the chaos, and it was all fun and games until Luffy started to almost fly away. He started freaking out while the other two boys started laughing at him. I attempted to fly to get him, but as I did, I ended up getting swept away by the wind! I may be able to create and manipulate the air, but I seemed to still be at the mercy of the natural strong winds still! This caused Ace and Sabo to laugh even harder while Luffy and I were freaking out for different reasons. I concentrated a ball of air behind me and released it to send a blast, propelling me forward to grab Luffy and land back on the hideout. We both collapsed inside the hideout while the other two still continued to laugh their heads off…

Once the storm was over, a good amount of the hideout had been destroyed. I gave a sigh at the sad sight as I said, "Well, it looks like we gotta make a run to get supplies for repair… Grab your pipes, boys, you're heading to Gray Terminal. While you're out, I'll start repairing the hideout with what is salvageable."

"Aye," they cheered, grabbing their long pipes.

So they headed off as I began hammering the wood planks back together. As I was hammering, I heard some guy yell up, "Hey, girl! Goa Airess! We got a message from boss Bluejam fer ya! Get down here!"

I stopped hammering and glared down at them. "Get lost," I warned. "Walk away before you're blown away."

They both winced, but straightened up as they cleared their throats. "W-Well, then I guess you don't care what happens to those brats of yours," one of them tried to threaten.

"It'd be a shame if something were to happen, all because you didn't come back with us," the other joined in on the threats.

I glared daggers into them as I cracked my knuckles. Sticking my hand out, I manipulated the air to blast downwards onto the two men, knocking them to the ground. I then jumped off of the platform I was on, landing on the backs of the two men, knocking the air right out of them. "Never threaten me with my family," I hissed, jumping off of them, flying towards Gray Terminal.

Flying through the trees in the forest and through the mountains of trash in Gray Terminal, I landed right outside Bluejam's supposed hideout near their ship. I kicked the door in with my hands in my pockets, trying to appear as threatening as I could. "Alright, who's the dead men messing with my family," I growled, cracking my neck.

Inside, there was a group of pirates along the walls with Bluejam sitting on a giant chair. Ace and Luffy were both tied up in front of him. All eyes were on me in astonishment, the fact that a petite, teenage girl just barged into a pirate den nonchalantly. Ace and Luffy called out my name in surprise and asked what I was doing here. "I'm here because some jackasses decided to abduct my brothers, why else would I be in a place like this? So… where's Sabo?"

"This girl's got nerve, I like that," Bluejam just chuckled. "The noble boy went back home. It must be nice being a noble, don't you think so, brats? They look down on others as if they're trash and boss everyone around. It's such an easy life. Don't you think it's nice?"

Before the boys or I could answer, someone snuck up behind me and slapped a weird handcuff on my wrist. "What in the world," I asked, smacking the person away. I tried taking the cuff off of my wrist but it would not come off. So I tried to use my power to help loosen it, but nothing was produced. It then dawned on me why power wasn't working. "How in the world did you get seastone?!"

"Rumor had it that the Airess of Goa was a Logia user, so we took some precautions. Don't worry, I just wanna talk for now. I'm feeling bad for you three. Untie the boys, wait to undo the girl's handcuff until after we're done here," Bluejam said, instructing his men.

One of the lackies proceeded to cut the boys free from the rope. I immediately went to them, standing in front of them as Bluejam continued, "Why do you think a kid from a noble family escaped to a place like Gray Terminal? He did it as a mockery of the people here just like noble adults do. I bet he was looking down on you guys, too."

"That's not true," Ace shouted at Bluejam. "Sabo wouldn't do that!"

"He's right," Luffy joined in, "He's our brother!"

Bluejam gave a laugh as he said, "You might be right, but you're not gonna bother that brat, are you? If you're planning on doing that, I'd have to kill the three of you right here. If you think of him as your brother, it's best to leave him alone. I had an axe to grind with you about what you did to Porchemy, but we can forget about it. I rather like your show of strength. That's why I wanted to ask you something. I think you might be interested. I'm short-handed now. Do you guys wanna work for me?"

"First you kidnap the boys, threaten me with their safety, put a seastone cuff on me, and you want us to work for you," I asked in astonishment. "Give me a reason that we should."

"Well, it's an easy job, not dangerous at all," he began to explain, then gestured to a map on a barrel. "There is a map of Gray Terminal, and you just have to carry packages to the locations marked on the map. Simple as that, what do you say?"

"Alright," Ace said, surprising me. "How much will you pay?"

"Enough to consider your debt paid to me," Bluejam said with a big grin. "Plus you all get to walk right out of here, safe and sound."

I clicked my tongue with a glare and spat, "Fine. But after this, we'll have nothing to do with you, you'll leave us alone, and we'll owe you nothing."

"You got yourself a deal," he said with a devious grin.

Bluejam then had one of his men unlock the cuff on my wrist. He instructed his men and us to grab some crates and get ready to set out. Ace carried a box under each of his arms, Luffy carried one on his head and one in front of him, while I used wind to carry four crates around me. We then set out with the group of pirates to start taking these crates with flags to the designated places. "Anne, Ace," Luffy said, getting our attention as we walked, "I don't like it when Sabo's not around."

"Live with it," Ace said with a scowl. "I don't like it, either. I wanna rescue Sabo. But I don't know what is really best for him. Let's see how things go. He's fine. If he can't take it there, he can just come back."

"Agreed," I said with a sigh. "Maybe while he's there, he can snatch a few treasures before he leaves and we'll make some money for the pirate savings when he comes back. We just gotta keep looking ahead, Luff."

"Anne, something has been bothering me," Ace said as he walked beside me. "What was with you earlier? It's not like you to just suddenly barge into danger like. You're supposed to be the level-headed one to keep us in line!"

"I just… couldn't control myself," I told him. "Some guys threatened me with your safety and I just snapped, unsure if you guys were okay. I tell you this all the time, but you guys are my life. If you're in trouble, I will be there, winds howling."

"Just don't get yourself killed acting like one of us," Ace teased.

The next day, it was pretty windy. I placed my crates early so that I could enjoy the windy day. Ace and Luffy left to go place theirs while I sat in the crow's nest. Facing the wind, I closed my eyes and got lost in thought. I wondered about many different things, but they all seemed to revolve around my brothers. What're Ace, Luffy and I going to do once we finish our business with Bluejam, now that we'll be free to do as we want without worrying about them? How was Sabo doing? Should I go check up on him? Would he think I'm just being a worry-wort? Is he actually doing better without us like Bluejam said?

I also ended up spending time training my air manipulation, using the strong winds today as an opportunity for a challenge. I would attempt to push against the winds and attempt to fly against them, but I barely made any progress.

As I was practicing, I noticed some Bluejam pirates acting strange, as if they were looking for something. I quickly used the natural wind's updraft to fly up into some trees to eavesdrop. "Dammit," one of the men groaned, "how're we gonna find one teenage girl who can fly in this large place?! Why do we even still need her?"

"You moron, keep your voice down," the other told him. "She knows some of the plan, so she can't be running around the place blabbing her mouth. We already have the other two, so we just gotta tie up this loose end. Not to mention, that squad of brats is bound to have a hidden stash of treasure somewhere. We find her, we might find the treasure."

I flew down behind the two and growled, "What's this about having 'the other two' and what plan?" Before they could answer, I knocked them down like the two guys I did yesterday and pinned them. "I'll ask again… What plan and where are my brothers…"

"O-Okay," one nervously squirmed. "L-Look, we're just doing as we're told! The nobles are planning to burn down Trash Mountain, and they hired Bluejam to set it up!"

"You moron," the other hissed. "Bluejam's gonna kill us because of your big mouth!"

I froze as I processed the information. I then realized that Ace and Luffy never came back from placing their crates in Gray Terminal. I quickly wacked the guys' heads together to knock them out and flew towards the gates of Gray Terminal. When I got there, there were guards preventing entrance in and out of the place.

If it were any other day, I would have gone right over the gates. However, since the wind was insanely wild today, it made it difficult to manipulate it the way I wanted. Flying near the ground wasn't that hard, but if I tried to fly too high, I could be swept away by the air currents and be carried away to who-knows-where. So even if I barged in, I wouldn't know how to get Ace and Luffy out through the gates, since they can't go intangible like me.

Out on the horizon of the sea, I happened to see a pretty good sized ship in the distance. I quickly rushed over to the shore and I could see the ship was decently armed, meaning there should be people who can fight on it. If I stayed near the surface of the water and glided over to the ship, I could try convincing the people to help my brothers and the people of Gray Terminal. However, I did not know what kind of people were on that ship. I also had never tried flying that far of a distance over water, so if I made the slightest mistake, I could fall into the sea and drown.

I couldn't think of any other solutions, given the situation. I took a deep breath and stared straight ahead at the ship. Getting a running start, I jumped forward at the water's edge, and started to glide towards the ship. After a few minutes of gliding at top speed, I started getting close to the ship, and one of the crew members called out to the captain, "Sir! There is something coming towards the ship at an incredible speed! And it looks like… a person?!"

I swiftly rose up the side of the vessel and landed on the deck of the ship with a thud. I was quickly surrounded by the crew, who were all on guard with weapons drawn by my sudden appearance.

"Please," I pleaded, getting on my knees with my palms on the deck and head hanging down, "You have to help!"

"My word, what in the world do we have here," a big-headed man(?) in a pink leotard with a cloak asked as he got closer. "How did you get onto our ship without sailing over to us?"

"Look, I can explain everything later, I promise," I told him, "but the nobles of my country are about to burn down a whole community! The people are most likely still in there and are going to die without any help!"

I saw a tall man wearing a dark green cloak looking my way. "Girl, I must ask," the cloaked figure started to say as he came over to me, kneeling down to my level. I looked up to him, tears running down my face. "Did you just board the first ship you saw, not knowing who they were, begging them to save the lives of people they have never met? Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Yes, I do, especially for 'a young girl like me'. I get that talk all the time from my brother." I tried to wipe my tears away, but they would not stop falling. I had no idea who these people were and my family was in danger. I couldn't do anything for them and I couldn't remember the last time I felt so useless. "Please hear me out, my brothers and I have been saving up treasure, but if you help, I can pay you. It's a large amount too! You can have it all! Just… Please help me save my brothers and the people of Gray Terminal from the nobles!"

It was silent for a moment as everyone looked to the hooded figure, presumably the captain. The man stood up and announced, "Alright, you heard the girl. Let's head to the shores of the Goa Kingdom."

"Wait, really," I asked in shock. "I'm glad, but why? Just who are you people?"

The big-headed man laughed a bit before saying, "Well, lucky for you, you boarded the ship of the Revolutionary Army, whose goal is to help places defy oppression and corruption from their government. That was very brave of you to do, to save your brothers, as well as the people of your kingdom."

The crew went to their posts and started to sail towards the island. While everyone was busy, I went to the bow of the ship. I couldn't believe it was that easy to get help. I expected at least a little bit of a struggle, so it's exhilarating when things actually go right. I knew it was only due to luck landing on the right ship, but it felt great being able to do something.

The cloaked captain made his way over to me as I was looking towards the approaching island with anticipation. "So, what's your name," he asked as he stood next to me, looking at the island as well.

"Anne," I told him, looking up to him. As I looked up, I was able to see him somewhat better this time. He had a stern demeanor, and on his face, he had some stubble on his chin and a red tribal tattoo going down the side of his face. "People call me an Airess of Goa."

"So you'd be *Anne* Airess," the guy actually joked, surprising me a bit. "So people call you that because of your Devil Fruit, I take it."

At this point, I shouldn't be surprised at the number of people who have heard of Devil Fruits, but I still am. "Y-Yeah, actually," I told him, then explained which Fruit mine was. "Ace, Sabo, and Luffy still make fun of the lack of control I have over the air, but I'm getting the hang of it better with each day. Heck, I even just flew along the surface of the water without falling in rough winds!"

The man looked down at me for a moment, but then looked back up with a grin on his face as he muttered, "Luffy, huh…"

Just as we were getting close to the dock, we could see an ominous glow above the great gates. "That's the Gray Terminal," I said with horrified eyes. "They've started burning it already!"

The ship ended up docking in the central district. I was instructed to stay on the ship until everything settled down, that way I wouldn't accidentally fan the flames with my powers and make them wilder, at least for now.

The man went into town but returned shortly after with something on his back. He took it off and tossed it to me. When I caught it, it was heavier than I expected and he told me, "Here. You're going to help us save the people."

"B-But how," I asked as I unwrapped the long object. Once the wrapping was off, I could see I was now holding a black and green, four foot long metal fan with white swirl patterns. "Wait, do you mean…"

He simply nodded as the ship undocked, heading towards the shore near the blazing Gray Terminal. As we got closer to the flames, I nervously fidgeted with the fan. In theory, I was to use this big fan to create a giant gale of wind to extinguish a path in the flames for people to flee through. What if I couldn't and just made things worse, literally fanning the flames?

I didn't have much time to think about it as the ship suddenly stopped, jerking me back to reality. The captain looked down at me and gave a nod. I gave a nervous nod back as I climbed up onto the decks' front railing, fan in hand. I took a deep breath to center myself, then lifted the slightly heavy fan back behind me. I swung it forward forcibly, creating a huge gale of air that barreled through the flames, creating a temporary path. I-I did it! Using the object helped strengthen the gale!

"What's this?! That explosion opened a path through the fire," someone shouted within the terminal.

"I see a ship," another shouted.

"This leads straight to the shore," the first one shouted.

As people came running to the ship, the giant headed person came over to the captain and said to him, "I'm surprised that you were keeping a watch here in a remote kingdom of the East Blue. Does this place have some special meaning for you?"

"This nation is the future of the world in miniature," the captain told the guy. "A world where unwanted things are discarded can never be truly happy! I will change the world one of these days. Yet, even in this place, children will continue to be born!"

The captain walked over to the railing to face the crowd of people below him that escaped the flames and shouted with a fist in the air, "Those of you with the will to fight for freedom!! Get on this ship!!"

I was moved by his words. I knew that, someday, I wanted to be able to impact lives just like this man. I don't know who he was, but it was clear he cared for the common people. He exuded a strong leadership aura that made those near him self safe. *That* is what I strive to be. Strong enough to keep those around me feel that they are safe.

Everyone started coming forward and piling onto the ship. "Um, sir," I said, trying to get the captain's attention. He turned to me after speaking with the big-head man and asked what I needed. "Well, I really would like to help and come with you, but… I gotta stay. I don't see my brothers onboard, so I gotta find them! They need me…"

The guy just nodded, saying he understood, and dropped me off in the Central District. As the ship was docking, I gave the captain the fan back. "I will keep this as a reminder that people like you will help us keep fighting in their own ways. Do me a favor and keep your brothers safe. I'm sure they're alright, if they're as strong as you are."

"Thank you, Mister… uh," I was thanking but realized I never got his name. "I'm sorry, I never got your name, sir."

The big headed guy danced over as he introduced, "Why, this is the great leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon! Monkey-."

"Just Dragon," the captain interrupted the guy. "I hope that one day we'll get to fight alongside each other in the future. You could help a lot of people become free from oppression with powers like that, but that is completely up to you."

"Thank you, Mister Dragon," I told him as the ship came to a halt. "Thank you for helping everyone in Gray Terminal and for helping me."

With that, I hopped down off of the ship and used the air to cushion my landing on the dock. I took off into a run into town and began asking around if an angry-looking, freckle boy or a smaller rubber boy with a goofy grin had been seen in town. I continued to ask around for the next few hours as the sun rose, and everyone I asked said they hadn't, only a little blond boy. Whenever I asked about him, assuming it was Sabo, they all pointed me in the direction of the port. When I got back to the port, Dragon had already left and now there was a crowd of people gathering around. I asked what the commotion was about, and I was informed that there was a Celestial Dragon visiting the island today. As a huge ship, the one the Celestial Dragon was on, was heading towards the island, there was a little fishing boat heading out to sea. People started calling out to it, telling the ship that it's going to get in the way. "Is that a fishing boat?! I see a child," someone shouted out.

"Wait, what," I exclaimed, knowing there was not as crazy of a child as the boys and I on this island who would go sailing out on their own. I used the air to snatch a telescope from someone in the crowd and ran to get a better view higher up. On top of a building, I used the telescope, and, indeed, I saw a blond boy steering the tiny boat with a Jolly Roger with an "S" on it! "That's Sabo!"

Sabo moved his boat out of the way of the enormous Celestial Dragon government ship and looked up in awe at the ship's size. Just as I thought things were going to go smoothly, I saw a guy wearing a bubble mask point a bazooka at Sabo's tiny ship and blow it up!

I dropped the telescope with a gasp. "SABO, NOOOO!!!"

I quickly picked the telescope back up and started to look for any sign of life, but all I could see were flames, until the small boat drifted under the water. I dropped down to my knees, tears stinging my eyes as they fell down my cheeks. Why was I so powerless? As far as I knew, Sabo was now gone and the other two could be as well. I was lost.

All I could do was glare at the Celestial Dragon as his ship docked and he walked down onto the dock. The Dragon and I happened to lock eyes for a brief moment. His eyes were soulless, but had a spark of interest when he saw me, and all I wanted to do was blow him away. However, from what I had heard about Celestial Dragons, I knew not to. I still had to find Ace and Luffy. Plus, someone had to tell them and the Dadan family about Sabo…

I picked myself up off of the ground, looking out towards Sabo's sunken ship one last time before flying off towards Dadan's to inform them of everything that has happened.

Flying over Gray Terminal, I saw all of the aftermath of the fire. There was no movement and piles of ash everywhere. It was a good thing that the Revolutionary Army helped save those people, because there was probably no chance of surviving without external aid.

As I got closer to the Dadan family hut, I could hear some Dadan members calling out my arrival. As soon as the house came into view, I descended and walked towards the house. As I was, everyone ran out of the house in tears, even Ace and Luffy came running out! They immediately ran straight for me and tackled me with hugs, Luffy full on in tears and Ace looking as if he was holding them in. I was no better, as I was crying tears of joy over seeing both of them in bandages but alive, but also tears of sorrow over Sabo and the thought of having to tell them. "Anne, you idiot," Ace tried to scold, but came out as whimpers, "We thought we lost Sabo AND you!"

"We-We thought you died in the fire," Luffy whimpered as well. "Dadan said she didn't see you when saving us, and then Dogra comes back and tells us that Sabo was killed trying to sail away! We were so scared!"

"You… know about Sabo," I asked.

They both nodded. Unable to hold back any more tears, I just let them all flow. Seeing their older sister cry right in front of them, they couldn't hold back anymore. Luffy was balling and Ace was having to bite his lip to keep himself from doing so in a group hug of mixed emotions. It must have been a pitiful sight to see, as the Dadan family stood in silence, a majority shedding a few tears.

A mail-bird came and dropped a letter into Dogra's hand, who said it was from Sabo. Ace got up first, took it and headed off into the forest in the direction of our bluff spot. Luffy and I continued to cry for a few more minutes, before I wiped my eyes and picked myself up. Luffy just collapsed and started to sob, face-first into the ground. Knowing we probably shouldn't leave Ace alone at a time like this, I picked Luffy up piggyback-style and started to head to our spot. Sure enough, Ace was standing on the bluff, facing the ocean. I set Luffy down and he went right back to sobbing into the ground. I walked over and stood next to Ace. We didn't say a word. Despite the stoic face Ace wore, I could see dried trails of tears that ran down his face.

He held out the letter that Sabo had sent, so I took it and began to read it. Sabo talked about how he knew we would be alright through all of this and how he just had to escape the island while he could. He told Ace and I to look after the crybaby, Luffy, but there was also a section directed at me, telling me to look after Ace, even if he tries to resist. He was leaving the boys in my care, since he wouldn't be here to keep Ace in line or help Luffy become stronger. As I finished reading the letter, I noticed Ace go over to the sobbing Luffy and smack him over the head. "How long are you gonna stay like that," Ace asked him as he stood by him, crossing his arms. "The treasure we hid in the middle forest was all gone. Sabo never got to use it either, that's why I don't care about it anymore."

Luffy then started saying that he wanted to become stronger, that way there wasn't anything he couldn't protect and that no one would have to go away again. He then begged Ace and I not to die. "Don't you worry," I told him with a forced smile. "I've still got two idiotic and impulsive brothers to look after. Besides, there's no way I would let myself, or either of you two, die. I won't let something like this ever happen to either of you. I'll be stronger next time…"

"Don't be stupid," Ace growled as he hit Luffy again. "You should worry about yourself, not us!! Don't you know how much weaker you are?! Remember this, you two! I'm not gonna die!! Sabo told us to take care of you, so I promise I'm not gonna die!! I'm not gonna leave my crybaby brother and airhead sister behind! I'm not that smart, so I don't know who or what killed Sabo, but whatever it was, it was definitely opposed to freedom. Sabo died without being able to grasp freedom. But Sabo was our brother, and we're still alive! So listen to me, Luffy and Anne. We have to live our lives so we don't have any regrets. One of these days, we'll go to sea and live the life we want to live! We'll be freer than anybody! We're gonna make a lot of enemies too! Even Gramps will be our enemy! Our lives will be in constant danger! We'll set sail when we're 17, nothing's gonna stop us!"

Luffy and I nodded. I couldn't tell Ace I knew who killed Sabo, because if I did, he would surely try and go after the Celestial Dragon before he's ready. None of us would be able to hold off the World Government as we are right now. "One day," I said with a determined look, "I vow that I am going to change the World Government. I don't know how yet, but I will. That way, no more people have to suffer like us or Sabo!"

Little did I know, that would become my life goal and my reason to sail...