Chapter 25: The First Brother Sets Sail! Bon Voyage, Ace!

 When I awoke, I noticed that I was in the girls' dorm of Air Zephyr. Everything that had happened came rushing back to me, along with the realization that we were behind schedule due to my little nap. I launched myself out of bed and up to the top deck as fast as my legs could carry me up the stairs. When I came bursting onto the deck, Kit and River gave a startled jump as Wynter, River, Doc and Felix looked my way. Chef must have been in the kitchen preparing whatever meal was next.

 Before I came up, it seemed that everyone had been doing their own things. River had been teaching Kit how to tie some knots. They seemed to have grown close outside of training, since they were about the same age. Kit liked to nibble those close to her and snuggle up to everyone. However, she seemed to like spending more time with River than anyone else. At times, I even found them napping together. River would be curled up next to Kit, his arms wrapped around her poofy tail as she drooled out of the corner of her mouth, all sprawled out.

 Felix had been adjusting the sails. He was tugging the ropes, his arms fully trained to do so at this point. This messy blonde hair swayed with with body as he pulled, his green eyes focused on the rope. Sweat dripped down his forehead and flew off his face with each tug.

 Wynter had been carving the handle of one of his many knives. His scarred hands dragged the knife down the wood in even strokes. His undercut white hair did not have a stand out of place as he focused on etching an elegant design into the handle.

 "How long was I out," was the first thing I shouted to the first face I saw.

 "You were out only half a day," Felix told me as he fastened the sail. "Don't worry, we immediately set sail once we got back to the Zephyr. The winds have luckily been in our favor, so we were able to keep moving while you were recovering. We're currently on course for the northern Calm Belt. Before we left, your grandfather gave us a log post that was still connected to an island in Paradise near-ish Dawn Island. The logged island is just under the Calm Belt and is directly south of your island. So, once we are out of the Calm Belt, we only need to head north."

 I gave a sigh of relief. Felix was definitely the first mate I needed. I look down to Felix's wrists, but did not see the log post he mentioned. "Wait, so how are we staying on course if you aren't watching the post," I asked, starting to get concerned again and rethinking everything I had just thought.

 "I've been keeping track," Kit replied as she held up her wrist, which contained a log post pointing in the way we were sailing. "I was also the one that came up with the sailing coordinates. We haven't gotten lost once! I told you; I take pride in my navigational skills."

 Relief washed over me once again. I thanked Kit for what she has done before going up half a level on the ship, near the aeration maneuvering equipment system. "Everyone, hang on to all of your loose possessions," I announced as I took a seat in the built-in chair facing the opening I was about to blast air into. "I don't plan on stopping except for meal times, bathroom breaks and sleep. Prepare yourselves!"

 Everyone scrambled to find their ship rope. In the ship's deck were long, straight narrow openings with ropes coming out of them. These were an attachment system Felix came up with when designing of the ship. Lengths of ropes would be able to move around the deck, allowing the crew to move around as they please without fear of flying off while I'm manning the system.

 I buckled myself in as everyone got ready. Once everything was set, I started to blast the system with streams of air, launching us forward at full speed. 

 After about a month of sailing, Dawn Island was finally in sight. When I tell you we cut it close, we had arrived the day of Ace's birthday. I looked towards the crew that was on deck and told them to go under or in the cabin, because it was going to be a rough ride. Once everyone was under, I unleashed my full power onto the system, causing Zephyr to soar through the air at full speed. The sea ship had became an air ship that flew through the air, and we were able to make amazing time. When the island was getting close, I cut off the air stream and we landed back into the water with a hard thud. 

 I lowered the anchor once we were close enough to the island. I quickly grabbed my bag with Ace's birthday present, tapped the deck with my iron-toed boot to signal it was all clear, and didn't wait for them to come up before flying for the island.

 Instead of flying through Windmill Village and through the forest like I usually did, I decided to fly above the island and straight for the bandits' settlement without any detours. Our island hardly experienced winter, compared to other islands. The leaves were still green and hanging onto the trees, even though it the was New Year's Day.

 As soon as I touched down outside of our old independent countries and the bandits' hideout, I was greeted by a not-so-little-boy-anymore crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently. "Geez, cutting it close, ain't'cha," Ace teased.

 "Air traffic, am I right," I joked.

 I looked Ace over, and I could not believe my eyes. This boy was becoming a man, and it hurt my soul. He now had about four inches on me, and that was without his black boots on. His chest had become toned under his open button-up shirt. However, his dark eyes still shone through his shaggy black hair with that confident smirk plastered on his face. Boy, did I miss that smirk. "When the hell did you become… I don't know, this?!"

 Ace laughed as he gave an arrogant pose. "Just last night," Ace played along. "Figured I should make a good first impression to the world when I sail to meet it."

 I rolled my eyes. I pulled my bag out in front of me and began to dig through it, as I said, "Soooo, it's someone's birthday today. Do you think you could deliver this present to them?"

 "I don't know, sounds like a pain," Ace yawned. "But if I know them, I guess I could."

 "Perfect," I told him, pulling out a medium-sized box and handing it to him. "By the way, where's the wild Luff? He's never here when I first arrive."

 "He thought you would be coming through the forest, so he went down to meet ya at Windmill Village. I told him you'd be in a rush and would probably skip going through Windmill, but he didn't listen," Ace told me, taking the box. "I swear, I worry about when he's going to set sail. That kid rushes in head first without even thinking most of the time."

 "I love him dearly, but I worry, too," I sighed, shaking my head. "He's definitely going to need a good crew to keep him on track, that's for sure. But I worry about you, as well."

 Ace seemed surprised and almost taken aback. "Me," he asked. "Why're you worried about me? I'm not a little kid anymore. As of today, I'm an adult!"

 "Yeah, a stubborn adult," I added. "Up until today, I always knew you two would be safe on this island. I could come back whenever I wanted to check up on you, or to see you in-person to make sure you were okay. However, after today, you will be out in the world and I won't know where you are or if you are safe."

 "Welcome to what Luffy and I experienced," Ace said with a soft grin. "We had no idea where you were or if you were safe until we received your letters. We always feared that, one day, the letters would suddenly stop and we wouldn't know why. You know, kind of like after Luffy's last birthday. The letters suddenly stopped and we assumed Gramps may have gone too hard with the training and accidentally offed you himself."

 A pain struck my chest. I never thought that they would worry as much as I did. They just seemed like playful morons that didn't take anything too seriously. Half the time, I wasn't even sure if they read the letters and thought of me as a worry wort. How inconsiderate could I be. These were my brothers, after all, and they had feelings, too.

 "I'm sorry, Ace," I apologized, rubbing my arm. "I didn't know. When we meet out on the seas, I'll make sure to give ya a snail or something that will tell you how I'm doing. I'd give you something now, but we don't have a snail neither."

 Ace nodded as he held the present up. "You better get something like that," he said, pulling a flap on the box back. "Now let's see what kind of treasure you got me while you were away."

 Once the box was opened, he pulled out the gifts that were inside. The first of the set was a bright orange hat that I thought would match his hot-headed personality. Above the brim sat a red-beaded pattern accessory with a blue face with a mischievous grin and a blue face with an agonizing frown. The strap attached under the hat was long and thin with a skull piece that sat above the tasseled end. He also pulled out a matching orange belt with his initial on the silver clasp and two orange elbow pads to complete the ensemble.

 "Oh cool," Ace exclaimed as he placed the hat on top of his head. "Thanks, Anne. I'll make sure to wear it wherever I go. After all, the bright color will help me stand out when I become the greatest pirate out there!"

 Ace removed the old, tattered belt he had on and looped the new one around his black cargo shorts. He slipped one of the elbow pads onto his left elbow, but tossed the other into his independent country. "What in the world," I questioned. "Why just one elbow pad?"

 "I think it looks cooler this way," Ace explained, showing off his padded elbow. "Wearing both would look dorky, but one is a statement piece."

 "It's a statement, alright," I told him with an awkward sweat.

 "So," Ace started as he took a seat on a log, "you gotta catch me up on how training with the old man went. Last you told us, you were doing some kind of challenge against Gramps, but you never really told us what it was. And that was over half a year ago."

 "Again, I'm sorry for not keeping you updated," I said as I sat next to him. "I didn't realize that my updates were your way of making sure I was alive. I figured it was fine since I mentioned Gramps was training me until I came back."

 As we sat there, I went over all of the training that my crew had done, from the beatings, up to when I plunged the knife into Garp. Ace put his hand up to stop me after the last bit. "Hold up," Ace interrupted, "You're tell me that you STABBED the old man… That's wild, Anne! Great job! Look at you go!"

 "Wait, what's this about stabbing Grandpa," a squeaky voice shouted as he and my crew came into camp. "Like, 'stabbed' stab?!"

 I nodded and Luffy lost his mind. Ace continued to laugh along with Luffy, and Ace slapped me hard on the back a couple of times to show his approval. That what siblings do. We needlessly beat each other up to show our affection and to show we care for each other. However, this did not settle well with someone in my crew. Wynter stomped over and took the hand Ace used to slap me on the back in a strong grip. The veins in Wynter's hand somewhat bulged as he grasped Ace's hand. "You'd better watch those hands of yours," Wynter threated down at Ace. "It'd be a shame to lose them."

 I stood up in an instant and protested, "Wynter, what the hell? Back off, he's-"

 Ace put another hand up to interject, saying, "No, no. Let him talk. I definitely want to hear what he has to say."

 "Well, when you put it that way," Wynter said, letting go of Ace wrist. He pulled out one of his many knives and began to run a finger down the flat edge of the blade. "No one's going to cause Anne any kind trouble, not while I'm around. That includes laying a single finger on her without her permission. I will personally see to it that they get to feel the other side of my blade. You'd best stay on my captain's good side, for if she were to give the word, I won't hesitate to do whatever she asks."

 "Trust me, as much as she may want to at times, she wouldn't give the word against me," Ace confidently told Wynter as Ace stood up, crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. "After all, I know her all too well, and she can take care of herself just fine without you."

 Wynter moved closer to Ace and towered over him. He easily had half a foot on Ace. "My captain shouldn't need to dirty her own hands when I can do it for her," Wynter growled down at him, inches from Ace's face as he bent down to get closer. "Besides, what would a punk bandit like you know about her, anyway?."

 Felix and River tried to butt in to stop Wynter from embarrassing himself any further, but Ace beat them to it. He raised an eyebrow and gave a cocky, shit-eating grin as he told him, "Well, I hope I would know my sister more than some prick she picked up along the way."

 Ace stood next to me and tried to imitate the disappointed face I was making to show the resemblance. Honestly, it was almost uncanny how alike we looked. My facial features may have been softer, we still had features that were identical. We both had freckles that dusted our checks that we got from our mother, our father's dark eyes with a narrowing at the corners, our mother's nose, and usually both wore a confident and cocky grin.

 Wynter narrowed his eyes towards Ace, then looked to me for confirmation. I gave a sigh and nodded. Ace gave a triumphant snicker as he said, "Play with fire, and you'll get burned. Now, I suggest you step aside so that the mentally stable ones can continue our discussion."

 Wynter was at a lose for words. Before Wynter had a chance to rebuttal, I told him and the others, "Why don't you all go ahead and explore the island. I'm going to be sending my brother off, so you all have until nightfall to explore or visit the local tavern in Windmill Village."

 "Oh, okay," Luffy said sadly as he turned to head back down the mountain.

 I used my abilities to lift Luffy into the air, turn him around, and brought him over to me. "Not you, nitwit," I sighed as I set him back on the ground. "Otherwise, you would miss Ace's departure."

 Luffy gave a sharp inhale as he brought his hands up to the sides of his face. "That would be bad," he exclaimed in horror. "I didn't even think about that!"

 Ace and I shared a look. This boy was going to be sailing on his own in three years? That was a worrying thought...

 Felix started pushing the crew back towards the way they came as he said, "Alright, you heard the captain. That includes you, Whitehead. Let's head on down to give the family some space. Say bye for now, friends."

 "Bye for now, friends," Luffy called as he waved his arm back and forth. "See ya later!"

 Ace and I both facepalmed in sync. This caused us to burst into laughter. I leaned over and wrapped my arms around both of my brothers. "I've missed you both like crazy," I told them as I patted them on the back. 

 Both boys squirmed under my touch, trying to break free. "Ah, family affection," Ace yelled as he tried to duck under my arm.

 "It burns," Luffy shouted in unison. "What did we do to deserve this?!"

 "You decided to be the best brothers in the world, that's what you did," I teased as I tightened my grip, then released them.

 "Geez," Ace groaned as he rolled his shoulders. "You're turning into the old man, you know that?"

 I stared ominously at Ace. Pulling a metal fan off my hip, I smacked Ace on top of the head with it. At this point, I realized that this might have become my thing. "Don't you dare speak such evil," I hissed. 

 "Ack, you're even as violent as him," Ace protested some more. I gave him a glare, pulling out my second fan. He began to sweat as he covered his head with his arms. "I-I, I mean, you are becoming as strong as him."

 I continued to glare as I growled, "That's what I thought..."

 Luffy began to laugh at Ace's pain, resulting in Ace slugging Luffy on the head to make it even. I looked towards Ace's little shack and noticed his grey-ish bag was already packed and ready. "So, this is it," I said as I went and picked up his bag. "It's finally happening, huh?"

 Both of the boys gave soft nods. It was starting to sink in for all three of us that the next one of us was about to set sail. All of us would be separated for the first time since Ace and I met Luffy. It was surreal to think about. I had gotten used to it by now, since I was in the Marines for some time and have already been out at sea for three years. But this was Ace's and Luffy's first time not having a sibling nearby. 

 I looked to both of them with a soft smile. "You're both going to do amazing things," I told them with gentle eyes. "Whatever it may be, I'm proud of you both."

 Ace gave a little blush as he turned away and Luffy gave a huge grin as he rubbed his nose. "Geez," Ace tried to protest, "Don't make it weird."

 "Shishishi, I don't know, that was kind of nice to hear for once," Luffy said with a snicker.

 I began looking around and noticed that I had not seen a single bandit member since arriving. "What gives? The family still asleep?"

 Luffy and Ace nodded in unison. "Yeah, they got pretty wasted last night celebrating Ace leaving," Luffy said as he started picking his nose.

 "Hey, don't phrase it like that," Ace snapped at him. "I see it as they were celebrating me starting my journey off of the island."

 "Sure, whatever you say, bud," I told him as I made my way to the family's hut. "Alright, I guess it's time to get them up so we can get this party sailing."

 Opening the front door without knocking, I made my way inside. Everything was just how I remembered it. Everyone was piled together, snoring their heads off with Dadan in her own room. Cracking my knuckles, I cupped my hands around my mouth and screamed as loud as I could, "Alright, bitches! Up and at it!"

 Everyone was startled awake and a loud thud could be heard from Dadan's room. Loud thumps could be heard right before she stormed out with a couple of swords, yelling, "What in the hell is going on?! Who's the dead man?!"

 I gave an innocent smile as I lifted a hand and gave a little wave. "Good morning, Mama Dan," I sweetly greeted.

 Dadan gave a long, deep sigh. She leaned to one side as she groaned, "Oh, great. It's you. Should've known you would show up. And I ain't your mama!"

 "Aw, I missed you, too," I cheerfully replied. I spun on my heels and began to walk out as I added, "Time to get ready, let's go!"

 When I came out of the shack, Ace and Luffy were talking to Makino and Woop Slap (the mayor of Windmill Village), who had made the journey up Mount Colbo to see Ace off. I greeted them and we talked for a little bit until the Dadan family came out, with the exception of Dadan herself. It was time.

 Ace and Luffy led the way to the bluff Ace was keeping a small sailboat tied up. Ace hopped down onto the boat and I tossed him his bag. I raised an eyebrow and asked with a smirk, "You ready for this?"

 Ace gave a sharp nod. "I was born ready," Ace confidently said. "You know, if you didn't have a crew already, I would have asked if you wanted to join mine. After all, you were the only one out of Sabo, Luffy and me that didn't mind not being captain."

 "I'm flattered," I told him with a snicker. "Whatever happened to being independent? Feeling lonely, already?"

 "Psh, of course not," Ace protested. "It's just, sailing with family wouldn't have been too bad, I guess."

 "How about this then," I began to bargain. "When you get your own crew and ship, we can form an alliance between the two crews. Then, it'll be kind of like we are a crew together. Sound like a plan?"

 "You better keep your word," Ace teased.

 "I made it for your first voyage, didn't I," I told him as I gave him a little push with a gust of air to get his boat going. "Catch ya on the seas, punk."

 "Good luck out there, Ace," Luffy shouted to him, waving his arms around.

 "You just wait," Ace called back to us. "I'll make a name for myself in no time! And tell Dadan thanks for everything!"

 We all cheered for him as he sailed away from the island. Some of the bandits were crying and commenting they would surprisingly miss having him around. 

 "Dear me," Woop Slap sighed. "What will old Garp say...?"

 "Don't know, because I won't be the one to tell him," I laughed. "I only told him I wanted to be here for his 17th birthday. I knew better than to tell him Ace was leaving to become a pirate."

 "Smart," Luffy said before punching his open palm. "Right, three more years to go! I'm going to get stronger and stronger, just you wait!"

 "That, I believe," I told him as I gave him a pat on the head. "After all, you have to if you want to become Pirate King."

 Luffy's eyes glowed as soon as the words Pirate King left my mouth. "YEAH," he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I WILL BECOME THE KING OF THE PIRATES! JUST YOU WAIT!"

 The rest of the day was spent partying and wishing Ace luck on his journey, even if he wasn't here to celebrate. The bandits get themselves drunk quickly and ended up passing out before sunset, and Luffy was about to head out to start training some more. We stood outside the snoring shack and faced each other. Luffy gave me a side eye and asked, "You're not going to trap me in another mushy hug, are you? 'Cuz that would be weird."

 I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "Geez, aren't I loved," I teased. "Nah, I got it all out of the way earlier. I know you're itching to go train, so I won't keep you long. I just wanted to say that you've grown a lot over the years. Soon, it'll be you on that boat heading out into the world, and then we are all doomed."

 "Shishishishi, I better not see you until then, you know," Luffy laughed. "Just because Ace is gone doesn't mean I can't care for myself! You better go and do whatever it is you want to do! ... What is it that you want to do again?"

 I tried to answer, but nothing came to mind. I originally just wanted to be free and sail as I pleased. I have been doing that for the past three years (if you count the training with Gramps), but is that really all I wanted? It felt nice to be a part of something bigger when I helped the Revolutionary Army, but was I committed to trying to usurp the World Government?

 "I'm still not sure," I told Luffy. "I think I'll just have to continue seeing what's out there in order to find my purpose. For now, the goal is to enter the New World."

 "The New World," Luffy asked. "What's that?"

 I pulled his straw hat down onto his back and ruffled the top of his head. "You'll find out when you enter the Grand Line," I told him as he complained about the head ruffle.

 Luffy gave his famous cheeky grin and snicker. "Alright, then," Luffy proudly shouted. "I'll see you in three years! So, go take on the Grand Line!"

 "Aye, aye, Captain Luffy," I said as I stuck a fist out towards him.

 "Aye, aye, Captain Anne," Luffy replied while tapping his fist against mine.

 Luffy ran off to go train in the woods and I said farewell to the Dadan family. I decided to have one of the bandits tell Dadan I said farewell, since I didn't feel like seeing the woman who indirectly cared for us cry today.

 I walked Makino and Woop Slap back down to Windmill Village, where my crew and I partied at Makino's bar until night came. We toasted to Ace's departure, paid our bill from the treasure Felix managed to snag from his island before we departed before, and we got back onto the Zephyr. 

 After all, we had our own adventure to continue and a New World to explore.