XXX

"Did I mention that I think it's cool that you guys have a wolf friend? Because that is really cool," Izo told them.

Ace was sitting besides them his tail flicking back and forth as he watched Marco and Thatch with their target practice. Thatch, finishing his ammunition rounds lowered his gun as he came to join them, petting Ace's snout as he passed. Ace dropped his head to the ground his tail thumping louder at the attention. He really was just like a dog sometimes; despite his insistence he wasn't.

For the most part Ace had been keeping his guard up around them, despite trusting them more and more after every encounter. But something had changed since the night of the invasion. Ace had been at his weakest and most vulnerable as he lay bleeding on Marco's carpet full of bullet holes. The teenagers didn't always understand what the abused wolf-teen was thinking but they did see how hard that had been for him to trust them. And he did, eventually. Even though it took him nearly biting their hands off. He had been on edge the whole night. From the little Luffy had mentioned it was easy to infer that Ace had been betrayed too many times for trust to come easily to him. But what ever they had done the group had done it right. Most of the reservations Ace seemed to be carrying about them were gone and he acted freely around them. And for him that meant he was acting a lot like a puppy. Except an intelligent, bad ass fighting puppy that killed vampires and liked to roll around in grass and belly rubs.

They had been hanging out together a lot in the last week. Usually in the forest, sometimes in the outlands, but never in the town. Ever since the start of this chaotic year Marco and Thatch had really upped their training. Both of them were already highly skilled in a lot of areas of combat, Whitebeard had ensured that. Although he didn't agree with the hunter organizations for a number of reasons. Reasons that were finally being made clear to Marco. But that didn't mean his father hadn't given him self-defense training. And the skills he had let falter a bit were now needed so the two of them, sometimes joined by the rest of their friends, mostly boy's Whitebeard had mentored, were practicing their skills. Preparing for what was yet to come. It was on one of these training occasions that they had crossed paths with Ace.

Izo, one of their closest friends, had been with them in the outlands, making a practice range when suddenly the sleek black wolf had appeared. Marco had never seen his usually composed friend that pale before. Like most people in the town Izo had never met a wolf before. The first encounter was always a bit of a shock. Ace had been surprised as well; he hadn't expected the newcomer. He had been halfway out of the forest, coming to meet them when he saw the gun. He hardly had time to duck before Izo tried to shoot him. Thankfully Marco and Thatch grabbed the gun away frantically screaming the story at their friend. It took an hour to tell it and another hour to lure Ace back out of the woods where they could see his piercing yellow eyes staring at them. Things had been a little awkward at first, with Izo having tried to kill him and what not. But their friend had taken the news in stride, as he took everything in his life, and apologized in honest to Ace. Still, the wolf didn't come out until they had put the weapons away in the truck.

"A one-time mistake," Izo promised Ace, holding out one of their hot dogs in a peace offering. This is why Marco and Thatch loved Izo. No one was as discreet or easy going as their friend.

Ace had accepted it gingerly, keeping Izo in his sight up until he became convinced the other wasn't going to pull out another gun and shoot him. But after that it had been smooth sailing. The two got on well, probably because Izo didn't keep trying to touch his paws like Thatch had.

"Heads up," Thatch tossed Marco a beer, doing the same to Izo and then offering one to Ace more out of politeness then actually thinking he would go for it.

Ace sniffed the air, trying to get a read on it.

"Want to try mine?" The wolf barked.

Thatch poured the can into a canteen letting Ace first sniff it and then lick it tentatively. Almost immediately he sneezed.

Thatch laughed as Marco shook his head.

"Guess that's another thing you've never done before." Thatch said. For how rough and worldly as he appeared to be Ace was relatively naïve in a lot of ways.

"Want your own?" Thatch teased shaking the last beer at him as the wolf flopped it's head against the ground once more. That was a no. They might not be able to understand him like this but the more time they spent together the easier it was to pick up on his non-verbal ques.

"That's okay, I got something better for you. He reached into his bag pulling out the jar of peanut butter he had taken from his house that mourning. Ace's head shot up at that as his tail began to thump again.

"What is it with dogs and peanut butter?" Izo wondered as Thatch opened the jar for him.

"I mean who doesn't love it?" Thatch asked.

"Yea but I wouldn't eat that whole thing in one sitting?"

"I would," Thatch joked as he turned back to his drink, leaving Ace to the peanut butter which he hoarded protectively. They fell into a compatible silence each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Things in town hadn't quite been the same since the attack that wasn't really an attack. And even though the town had the wolf lazing before them to thank for that, they would sooner kill him on sight. Things were tense now. Well they had always been tense but ever since then it was like all of them had gotten flipped into over drive mode and someone had forgotten to flip them back. School had closed for the semester, but students were encouraged to 'keep up with their studies online', which of course every student did because who didn't love school? The Hunter and military presence in town had doubled over night and suddenly their peaceful little town had become a very strict place. People were likely to be questioned on the street and you had to carry your identification everywhere just in case you 'looked suspicious' and had to prove you were human.

In the days following the attack the people were hysterical, convinced this was it for them. And even though the casualties and property damage remained so low, an event like this couldn't simply be overlooked. No, the people knew if this could happen once it could happen again and again. And who was to say the next time things would turn out as well for them. They decided there had to be consequences, retribution for that math teacher and old guy that died. They would make sure the wolves never so much as thought about raiding them again…. And that thought processes had continued throughout the weeks snowballing.

All of this had kept Whitebeard busy for days on end and out of the house, which was how Marco could get away with spending all of his spare time with Thatch and their friends in the outskirts shooting empty soda cans from increasing distances. All of them shared similar feelings about their increasingly restricted lives. Sometimes you just needed to get away.

"if there this freaked out about seeing some dead wolves bodies just imagine what they would have done if they learned vampires were real as well," Thatch had said days later.

-And on top of that they were working together. Marco was glad that little bit of knowledge hadn't found its way to the townspeople yet. They were annoying enough to deal with already, there was no need adding more fuel to the fire. He assumed his father and the hunters were planning for this. Creating some sort of contingency for next time. No doubt it would be destructive and only anger the forest dwellers further.

"Do you ever feel like the universe is having a good laugh at your expense?" He asked somewhat sullenly.

"-And Marco get's cut off at one," Thatch said leaning over to try and take his beer. Marco held it back. "Are you a sad drunk?"

"I'm a happy drunk and just a sad sober person," He told his friend. "So I think I need more of this." Thatch blinked at him for a moment before passing over another can, failing to argue with that logic.

"Why's Marco so sad," Izo teased.

"Marco's worried," Marco told his friends taking a long drink. No one needed to ask about what. It had been on everyone's minds. Although the distance helped. Sometimes you just needed the town in the rear-view mirror, the forest in front of you and the open sky above you to really be able to breathe again.

He turned to look at the wolf. Ace was watching them, his head resting on his paws. Everything about him was laid back. So very different then the snarling and glaring person he had been when they first met. He was changing but so were they. Marco bet that Ace knew exactly how he felt. After all he had been born into an impossible situation and had payed for it his whole life.

They had spent a lot of time together in the past week. The three humans had even taken to camping out under the stars, keeping him company and taking their own break from the craziness of the town. Ace seemed to appreciate the company even if he didn't say so. In fact, he hadn't said anything. The entire time he had been in his wolf form. Which was odd, even for him, and everything about him was odd. The first few days Marco had kept waiting for him to shift back to a human so they could talk. But he never had. They still communicated, although he was harder to understand like this. Maybe that was what he wanted. When Thatch had finally broken down and asked him what he was doing- miles away from his home, hanging out on the outskirts of town his usually shiny pelt stained with mud and sticks, he had written them a three-word answer.

Mad

Fight

Luffy

They had narrowed it down to somebody named Mad fighting Luffy or that Ace was angry after he got into a fight with Luffy, hopefully the verbal kind not the physical kind.

"Is he hurt?"

No-

"Are you hurt?"

No-

"Did you win?"

No-

And that was the most they had gotten out of him on the issue. What the fight was about was anybody's guess. But Marco figured it had to be important if Ace wanted to stay here for a week without going home. Marco tried to think back on any times he had been angry enough at Oyaji to take off like that. He couldn't think of any. But it was useless to ask since Ace clearly did not want to talk about it. So instead they talked about everything and anything while Ace listened from the floor, occasionally laughing in that way wolves did.

"You know what? I think Thatch is worried too," Thatch said after a long minute picking the conversation threat back up in the third person. "And captain peanut butter over there is sleepy."

"What is Thatch worried about?" Izo asked.

"Short term? Running out of beer. Long term, I think our city might get overrun by forest things."

"You and Marco must be psychic," Their friend told him. "I think that's exactly what he is thinking too."

Thatch met Marco's eyes, "On three we both say what we are thinking."

"No."

"One."

"I don't think-,"

"Two."

"Stop."

"Three- Replacing mini-vans with tandem bicycles."

At the same time Marco said, "Wondering if I can return you."

They stared at each other for half a second and Marco caved. "Ah, you got me. You really are psychic, aren't you?"

"It's a gift."

And Ace did that little wolf laugh of his, his yellow eyes blinking closed, a sure sign that he was falling asleep.

Thatch smiled in triumph. "You make the wolf laugh at least."

"You make the wolf laugh," Marco corrected him. Thatch made everyone laugh, it was just what he was good at. But he was glad to see Ace seemed to be feeling a little better. It was even worth playing along with his idiot friend for. They continued on eating and drinking in silence as the sun lazily made its way through the sky.

XXX

Sabo was dreaming again, always with the dreams. Most didn't bother him. It was only the ones like this, so crystal clear like looking at the world through a window. These made him worry. These weren't normal dreams. No, these were something different.

Everything was black around him and the water came up to his ankles as he had to wade through it. Something felt off here.

"-Bo…. eLp."

There is was again. Somebody was crying.

As the sense of wrongness grew, he had no choice but to press onwards, wading deeper and deeper into the ink like water. His breath threatened to catch in his chest as the water rose to his shins, then his knees and then steadily higher. He would drown at this rate.

"HELP ME!"

The feeling of unease grew more as he recognized the voice as Luffy's. Sabo looked behind him anxiously, He didn't want to go further. He wanted to stop. He didn't want to do this right now. But when did he ever get what he wanted?

"SABO PLEASE!" Luffy begged in that way he rarely did, and he had no choice but to continue on. There was no sound save for his little brothers desperate pleading. It was so silent and Sabo could feel everything with perfect clarity. He felt the coolness of the ink against his skin, how it weighed down his clothes as they grew saturated with it and he felt the beating of his own heart.

'It's not him,' Sabo reminded himself as the voice grew louder. 'Luffy was safe, they were all safe. They weren't trapped here. Everything was still okay.

"HELP US, Sabo Please. You have to help US!"

"You're not real," Sabo answered back, his voice shaky and unsure. The water was past his hips and rising to his navel.

"He's not real- this isn't Luffy," Sabo reminded himself trying to stay in the moment. And what a horrible moment it was. If he let himself get too caught up in the fear and terror, if he mistook this warning vision for anything else he could get stuck in here. Sabo had made that mistake too many times in the past. He had to stay focused, observe whatever he needed to see and then he would wake up. At least that was what he meant to do. But in a second he forgot all about that when he saw Ace.

He was floating in the darkness, nearly swallowed up by it. At first it looked like he was sleeping but then Sabo saw it. He wasn't moving.

He wasn't breathing.

Sabo screamed. He drove forward mindlessly pushing through the water. But it felt like he was running through quicksand. It pushed back against him, pulling him steadily deeper, lapping at his waist now.

"Ace Wake UP!" He begged his brother. "GET UP! Please." But Ace didn't move even as Sabo struggled towards him.

Just as he reached out to grab him, his fingers brushing his skin Ace sunk below the surface.

Sabo screamed again as his fingers raked desperately through the water, feeling around for his brother. He couldn't be gone, not when he was right here besides him.

"ACE!" He screamed again looking around him for any sign he might be okay.

"SABO, Help Us!"

"Luffy?" Sabo looked around in the darkness. He forced himself to keep going, wading away from the spot where Ace had sunk.

"LUFFY!" He called again, louder this time as the water rose to his chest. He had to fight to keep his breathing even once again as he felt the coldness rise past his lungs. At this rate he was going to drown. But not before finding Luffy.

"Where Are YOU!"

-Here

Sabo whirled around, his eyes widening as he finally saw his little brother.

He was standing behind him, the black water threatening to swallow Sabo up hardly reached higher than Luffy's ankles. His skin was pale, as pale as Sabo's now but he was unharmed.

"Luffy!" Sabo breathed in relief.

"Ace! We have to find Ace. He was there and then- "

"I was Begging for you to help Us!" Luffy cut him off. The same tone of urgency in his voice. He sounded near hysterical. "I kept asking for you to help me. But you couldn't hear me. No matter how loud I screamed you couldn't hear."

"No," Sabo said reaching out to him. "I heard you. I hear you now. I followed your voice and found…Ace! Listen Luffy tell me where he is? What happened to him? We need to find him." Sabo looked down at the water around them desperately. He was still here. He had to be.

"You have to save him," Luffy told him. "You have to save everyone. You're the only one that can. You have to help us- Please!"

"I will," Sabo promised him. "Just tell me what's wrong."

Luffy reached out a pale arm to him, and in the dim light Sabo could see that there was something wrong with his veins. Instead of their usual blue-ish hue the blood that ran through them was black. Starting with his arm and running up to the rest of his body the veins worked outwards like spider webs.

His eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

"I needed help," He answered. "But you couldn't hear me and now Ace is gone and it's too late for everyone."

"I don't know what you're saying?" He told him desperately.

"I know," Luffy told him. "But you can hear me now. So maybe you can save him."

"I will." Sabo promised him. "Whatever it is just tell me."

"I can't."

"TELL ME!"

And then like an invisible string was cut Sabo fell. He closed his eyes as the inky water flooded over his head as he dropped. For a horrible second all he could see was blackness. He couldn't breathe. He was drowning. The stuff was filling his lungs.

-And then he woke up.

He sat up, a scream trapped in his throat as he coughed. It had felt like he had been drowning.

Luffy was at his side, his eyes wide with confusion. Exactly like someone should be after they were woken up in the middle of the night to a scream in their ear.

"What happened? What's wrong," He was asking but Sabo couldn't reply. Instead he pushed himself up to his hands, turning to the other side of the bed he threw up. The same blackness he had just swallowed now dripped from his mouth and down his chin as he wiped it with his sleeve. The sight of it sent more nervous flutters up his arm.

He felt Luffy's hands on his shoulder, shaking him.

"Are you okay?"

Sabo nodded as he sat up a little straighter. His lungs burned as if he had just been drowned. He took a grateful breath of fresh air now that his lungs were clear. That hadn't been an experience he wanted to live through twice.

"Sabo what did you eat!" Luffy asked looking in shot at the dark stains.

"It's ink." He told him once he was able to catch his breath.

"You ate ink?"

"No, it's-"

"Like you ate a bunch of pens or something?"

"No," Sabo cut him off before his guesses got any weirder. Leave it to Luffy to poke holes in an ethereal horror vision.

"It's a warning."

"Huh."

It was the last and only one he would get. There was a lot more at stake here then he had thought. And he was failing.

Luffy got up to grab his canteen as he dutifully brought it back to Sabo. "Your okay now," He promised pressing it into Sabo's hands. Sabo took it gratefully as he swallowed the water, washing away the metallic taste of the ink.

He felt his little brothers hand resting comfortingly on his shoulder as he waited for his heartbeat to slow. Through out it Luffy waited patiently by his side, sweet as he always was.

"Thanks Lu," Sabo gasped as he passed the canteen back to him.

"Just don't eat pens before bed anymore okay?" Luffy told him gently and Sabo smiled despite himself. Nope, Luffy clearly did not understand what was going on.

"Never again I promise," Sabo told him closing his eyes shakily.

Luffy washed and changed the bed sheet while Sabo went to take a shower, hoping to stop the tremors that wracked his nervous system. This was not a weird midnight snack gone wrong. This was a sign, a painful one. A supernatural warning for a supernatural thing. He might not understand but it was impossible to ignore.

He dried off and dressed quickly, feeling much calmer but still flighty and impatient. The thought of sleep was now far from his mind. Not when there was too much for him to do. Right now, he never wanted to sleep again. That had been awful. It all felt… so real.

Magic was a bit like dropping a stone into water. The more powerful the spell the larger the stone. So for him to be feeling the effects of whatever was happening or would happen, then that had to be a pretty massive stone. Far outside of his limited capabilities. Meaning that somebody else was going to do something. And it just might be the end of all of them.

When he got back to their room Luffy was laying on his bed, sleepy but still awake. He rolled onto his stomach when he saw him, resting his head on his arms.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go find Ace," Sabo told him coming to sit on the edge of his bed.

"But you already tried to find him?"

"Yea well I'm going to look harder," Sabo told him. "I think he's sulked enough by now."

"Can I come?" Luffy asked sleepily.

"No, you stay here." Sabo would be faster on his own. Besides as amusing as Luffy and his pen theories were Sabo needed the help of someone who had a working, or at least semi- working brain.

"But," He tried to argue but Sabo cut him off.

"Trust me on this one Lu. We'll be back soon okay."

Luffy agreed after a moment. Clearly not liking the idea of being left behind even for a few days. He was still shaken up from everything that had happened. But on some level he seemed to understand Sabo's urgency.

"While I'm gone can you take care of the traps without me?" If it didn't get done some of the stronger wolf packs like the war lords would take it personally. They were already angry about the town mishap. Although they had no proof that it had been them. Even though it totally was.

"I can do it," Luffy promised him.

Sabo patted his hair in thanks. And they were silent for a moment, Sabo wrapped up in his own thoughts and Luffy on the verge of falling back asleep.

"Hey Luffy?"

"Yea?"

"You know you can tell me anything right?"

Luffy shifted, rubbing his eyes as he pulled himself onto his arms. "I know."

"So, you would tell me if something was wrong."

"Wrong? Like Ace running away. You already know that."

"No, I mean…" Sabo didn't really know what he meant. He sighed pulling his hat on. "If anything happens, something weird or something that scares you can you tell me?"

Luffy nodded obediently. It was clear from his face that he still didn't understand. But he was willing to pretend to if Sabo let him go back to sleep.

"I'll be back soon," He told him rising from the bed. "Just be careful."

He heard the muffled 'bye' from behind him as he left, pulling his coat on as he did. He doubted Ace would have any more answers for him. But after what he just saw, having his brother slip through his fingers before he could save him. Sabo needed to check to make sure he was safe.

He closed the door behind him tightly, setting out into the dark woods.

After he left Luffy tried to go back to sleep. But the house was too quiet now. It was bothering him. He rolled over in annoyance a few times. He had never been very good at sleeping alone.

He glanced over at the loft window. It was still dark outside. The sun wouldn't rise for another few hours. He wasn't supposed to go out alone when it was dark. He wasn't supposed to do a lot of things. But that had never stopped him before. He climbed out of bed, pulling on his street clothes and hoodie.

They would be mad at him if they found out. But Ace was already mad at him so who cared. He clambered around for his backpack, sticking his trusty bat in it as he headed for the ladder.

What Sabo didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

XXX

It was either incredibly late or extremely early in the morning. Zoro had only gone to bed an hour or so ago. He had never been one for a normal sleeping schedule. He had been up half the night at the dojo training. Something he was growing increasingly used to especially considering what had just happened to their little town.

Something – or rather a specific someone was tapping on his window. And there was only one person who did that. Grinning to himself despite his tiredness Zoro pulled himself out of bed.

"I was starting to think you were mad at me," He said as he went to open the window.

Luffy hopped over the ledge and into his room easily. This was how he usually visited his friend. For whatever reason he seemed to prefer this to the door. Just another weird quirk he had picked up from living in the woods.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"I haven't heard from you in weeks," Zoro told him. While that was pretty normal for them usually Luffy found some way to see his friend. Whenever he was in town on 'errands' he did his best to stop by his friends' houses. But even if he didn't have time to visit all of them, he never failed to stop by Zoro's for a few minuets at least. They often talked on the game device he had given Luffy. Their dialogue was pretty constricted with the weak signal, but it was something. Zoro had even tried to visit him once but he had been gone, doing who knows what.

"I left you a note." He had carved a little stick figure with a sword into one of the tree's.

"I know," Luffy told him simply. He didn't say anything more about his extended absence and Zoro knew that something must have been bothering him. But if Luffy wasn't going to talk then he wouldn't push him.

"So, what's up. Another emergency?"

"Nothings up," Luffy promised him. "Can I sleep here tonight?"

Zoro blinked at him. "You came all this way to ask that? It must have been a couple of hours walk for him, not to mention in the dark."

"I hate sleeping alone," Luffy told him.

He must really- really hate it to go through all of that. Personally, Zoro couldn't relate. He always did it. At this point it just felt natural to him. But he could imagine the other boy had his reasons.

"Uh, sure." He looked out at his messy bed. "All yours."

Luffy dropped his backpack on the ground, kicking off his boots and he crawled onto the bed.

"Where are your brothers?" Zoro asked as he retrieved his spare blankets from his closet. Luffy had given him no explanation as to where they were. But he just shook his head.

"I don't know- what are you doing?"

Zoro looked up, halfway through laying the sheets down on the floor.

"Uhh- making a bed?"

"Why?"

"To sleep in."

"Why don't you just sleep in your bed?" Luffy asked, making it sound like Zoro was an idiot.

"Your sleeping there."

"It's your bed," Luffy pointed out to him. "You can kick me out if you want."

Zoro didn't want to do that. He just didn't have much experience with sleep overs. Or whatever well-adjusted people did in their spare time. He had lived alone in this house for a very long time.

Pulling himself off the floor he lay down on the other end of the bed. He watched as Luffy shrugged off his hoodie, laying it under his head so he could sleep on it. He turned to face Zoro.

"Did that hurt?" He asked, gesturing to the very large bite mark on his neck. Still healing.

"It hurt a lot when I got it," Luffy told him closing his eyes. "Not anymore."

That was the obvious answer. Zoro shifted a little bit. He had been tired. But not any longer. Now he was too caught up in his thoughts to sleep.

"Is it true?" Luffy asked him after a few minutes.

"What?"

"Are you going to be the next hunter leader after Dragon?" The question caught him off guard and he sat up suddenly.

"You were mad?" He said in surprised. He had no idea how Luffy found out about that.

"I'm not mad," Luffy promised him pushing himself up on his arm. "It just surprised me."

"Look, I don't know what you heard. They nominated me for the training. But I'm not going to do it."

"You're not?"

"No!" Zoro promised him, allowing himself a smile. "The last thing I need is a bunch of fussy old dudes running to me for advice every time something goes wrong."

Luffy smiled back at him which in turn made Zoro's smile grow. "So, are we cool?"

"Cool?"

"Teenager slang," He told him. "You missed out on it while you've been gone."

"We're cool." Luffy promised him as he laid back down and Zoro did the same, listening to the others breathing even out until he fell asleep.

XXX

Sorry guys, I didn't mean to go on a yearlong hiatus. I took a break from this to focus on school and my other (non-fanfiction) stories. I didn't realize how much I missed this one, or how long it has been, until I went to write this chapter. But now that it is summer and I have nothing to do all day I have more time to work on this. So I'll do my best to update again soon.

This chapter wasn't super important, but I did have a lot of fun writing it. Hopefully you guys like it as well.

(Would you kill me if I said that scene in the end might maybe be just a little bit Zo-Lu?)

XXX

Fluffypuppies: Ace just hung out with his friends so they made sure he stayed out of trouble :P Don't worry. He knows that on some level. He is just not always being rational about it. They are going to patch things up in a few chapters. Aw thanks. I am glad you like the story! Sorry the wait was so long. Thank you for the review!

AnimeAngel2692: Thank you! I am so sorry about the long wait. I'm glad you liked the chapter though. I will do my best to write the next one quickly.

Onar27: Wow, one day. That must have been a lot of reading, this thing is so long. I hope you feel better. Aw, I am glad you liked it. And I am halfway through the new Defenders Chapter.

In Sabo's defense he hasn't apologized because he doesn't really think a verbal apology can make up for almost killing someone. If he did Luffy wouldn't want it. But the starving himself was a direct response to what he did. He is terrified of it happening again but to do it they would need to kidnap him and bring him back to the vampire nest. As for Ace, he is just kind of messed up. I think the fun of their relationship is that it isn't a completely healthy one (I mean this in a strictly fiction kind of way only!) Ace can be a bit chaotic, and he can't always separate what's best for Luffy from his childhood trauma. That's why Sabo is there to make him think things through a bit more.

I totally admit that the characters are sometimes OOC. I write a lot of different One-Piece stories, so I don't always prioritize the cannon plot. Since this one is an AU I have fun doing things that wouldn't usually happen, like Ace being a different kind of crazy then he is in the cannon. If I wrote them consistently with the exact same faults, insecurities and mission statements that would get a little boring for me. Hopefully they come across a little more in character in DWOF. As for Luffy seeking out adventure, he will get more into that when he get's a little bit older. Right now he is trying to struggle through the war without losing anyone. I'm glad you liked? It. Thank you for the review! I will do my best to update it again soon.

hardstone55: Aww thanks. That is so nice to hear. I am glad people are reading them. Thank you for commenting with such nice words!

Guest #3: Thanks : ) I always thought the idea was a little weird but I am glad others seem to like it. Sorry the update took me so long. I don't think is going to have an OC but if he ever gets significant other, they will also have their work cut out for them. He is a bit of a mess. Thank you for the nice words!

Poemado: Of course! I am sorry you had to wait so long.

Guest #4: Of course! I am sorry the wait was so long.

Vongola10: Oof, sorry about that. I did not come back soon at all did I. I will try to get another chapter out next week thought to make up for it. And hopefully consistently after that.

Guest #5: Of course! I am glad you like my stories! I am trying my best to finish Dolls this month of next (famous last words!) And finally getting to chapter 40 of Defenders. I will do my best.

Take care of yourself as well! Don't get sick.

Watching the rain fall: Right. I love him. Of course! I'm glad you like it.

Guest #6: That is a really good way to put it! Sabo is the mom.

Bella Scullw: Oh my.

Well first off thank you for the review. I had a lot of fun reading it! I understood you pretty well. Hopefully reading the story translated is not too bad. I get that haha. The premise is super weird. I have no die where it came from. I didn't mean it to be so long but the plot got away from me (as they always seem to.)
Some of the Straw Hats are totally forgotten, sorry. It can be hard to fit so many characters in the story. I really want to, At the very least I will do Robin and Brook. I am not sure about Jinbei and Franky. I want to but I need to try and find a place to slip them in. They are important to Luffy's development. Dragon is… special. He was always a bad father but he kind of gave up after Makino died. I will go more into how all of that happened in a little bit. He and Makino were high school sweethearts. So they were still young and foolish when they fell in love and got married. So she didn't really know him until after Luffy was born. Dragon has gotten paranoid dealing with the wolves all these years. After being threatened by Ace that he was going to steal Luffy he can't believe there is any way that Ace isn't somehow behind this even if Luffy seemed fine in the video.

Ace has had a rough go of it. But now that he is living with he brothers he is getting better, just really slowly. There is more bonding with his human friends to come still. I'm not exactly sure what Whitebeards role with Ace will be yet. I think everyone misunderstanding the other races is the corner stone of this story haha. They don't understand how similar they are so they fight instead.

Sabo is a bit different then the other two. He is the least human and the least social. He loves his family, but he doesn't need outside company or friends. At least he doesn't think he needs it. Humans sometimes annoy him. I have been thinking a lot about him and Koala. I might add some romance into the story, but I am still debating. Either way Koala has intrigued Sabo more then the other humans so there will be a lot more of them in the future. Soulless Sabo 'attractive' haha. You are right he was very confident.

Taking blood isn't supposed to be super painful (unless they intend it to be, like Sabo did when he was soulless). It doesn't feel good though, it is still an open wound. But there is a numbing enzyme in his saliva, and he doesn't bite very deep. I think Koala is going to need to get to know him a bit better before she starts offering her blood. I think for him it's mainly linked to hunger which makes things a little awkward if he wanted to date her and drink her blood at the same time. Weird first date? I don't think there would be a difference although he might feel worse about hurting her if he really liked her. I promise I will finish up with the backstories of all the boys soon and then hopefully it will make more sense. As for the Luffy stalker I think it's creepy platonic-obsessed, since Luffy is younger.

I will go into Makino's death more later on. Dragon played a part, Luffy knew that. But Ace might also have something to do with it (Luffy does not know this). So that scene where Luffy touches Sabo's fang. That took place right before he starts living with them. That was the first time Sabo met Luffy but Ace had already 'known him' for a few years. But up until that point Ace saw Luffy more as his enemy then anything else. Ace already a knew a bit about Luffy's past because he had been spying on him. Since they went through the trouble of saving him the first idea was to put him safely with another human family. Then they got to attached to each other and he stayed with them.

Yea, Luffy is a self-sacrificing idiot. I think he just implicitly trusts them without questioning because that was what he does to survive. I think you got it really well. Luffy is so 'Messy,' because of everything he went through. But the older Luffy get's the more he is going to want world adventures!

Thank you again for your review! It's really nice to know people are reading and enjoying this story. It always motivates me to update and keep going! I hope you will like the rest of it as well.