Chapter 1: Dawn of Dreams

Was it fate that chose your path?

If you knew of what would happen in the future,

Would you prefer to have never been born?

Chestnut-brown hair flew behind the nimble girl, making the autumn leaves rustle in her wake. She stumbled clumsily over a small boulder but paid no attention to it, wincing at her injuries as she did so. Blood bled profusely from her left shoulder blade as she attempted to clutch it to remedy the pain. The Kairoseki bullet had clipped her wings for good.

It had been ten years. Why now?

"Hold it!"

"It's Falco!"

"Get her!"

If only she could release her Devil Fruit ability—then she could fly away and escape from her pursuers. But the bullet embedded in her shoulder prevented her from going anywhere. Falco furrowed her eyebrows in disgust at the thought of them—guns were one of the only things that could take a bird down from the sky.

Judging by the weapons and the coats that these Marines wore, she guessed that they were high-ranking, important officials. She almost laughed at how dramatic the situation was—it was just like her grandfather to use a tight group of Marines to hunt her down. After all, her existence was not known to many.

The forest path before the girl blurred and sweat poured down her pale face. She should have exited the forest by now—she didn't know how much longer she would last at this rate.

There!

The familiar rocky clearing had finally opened up to a large village by the sea, bustling with people enjoying the warm, sunny day. Brown and orange rooftops baked under the sunny rays of the summer island as seagulls circled its vast shores.

Falco sighed with relief. Her house was located just on the outskirts of the forest entrance, so if she could just run in quickly and grab her swords, she knew that she would be at an advantage. Although the girl didn't understand why the pursuit was happening today of all days, the time when the Marines would locate and aim to kill her was an event she had expected for the past decade. An emergency bag with just a few of her belongings always awaited her on the kitchen table, in case she'd have to evacuate immediately.

The normally peaceful town looked at the cloaked girl strangely as she leaped forward at the speed of light with blood marking the path behind her. Three Marines chased furiously after her, shoving townspeople left and right as Falco quickly navigated her way through the narrow corridors and alleyways that she had memorized over the past ten years. A cobblestone path between two identical buildings indicated that she was almost home—the Marines were closing in on her, but she could see her small, grey cottage straight ahead.

Falco wiped the sweat away from her forehead and burst inside, grabbing a sword with a silver sheath on the table. She turned towards the door, preparing to face her pursuers with the silver weapon in front of her body.

A short moment later, a tall, burly Marine who also wielded a sword stepped into the house, grinning menacingly once he saw her.

"I didn't think you'd be here, of all places."

Falco didn't reply, tilting her sword slightly so that its tip was facing his neck.

"We don't have to do this the hard way."

"How did you find me?" she whispered, ignoring his statement. "How many Marines are on this island?"

"The Admiral sent a small group to fetch you. As for how we knew your exact coordinates, I'm not sure," the Marine grinned. "But we are a team of Vice-Admirals and Rear Admirals. You will not be able to escape."

Falco muttered something under her breath so quietly that the Vice-Admiral could not catch what she had just said. She lowered her stance slightly, an ominous wind circling around her.

T-this is… the Marine thought. "Heh. So you have been training."

Falco didn't give him a chance to reply as she lunged forward as fast as her legs would carry her. The Vice-Admiral blocked her first attack and pushed her away from him, running forwards immediately after.

The girl jumped up onto her table which was soon obliterated by the Marine's downward strike. Falco rolled sideways, trying her best to ignore the throbbing pain in her shoulder. Silver sparked as she lunged for him once more, but it was becoming very clear as to who the winner was.

Despite her injury, Falco's strikes were much more faster and efficient compared to the Vice-Admiral's. As the battle went on, the Marine could feel his movement becoming sluggish and slow compared to Falco's precise strikes.

He struck his blade downwards, attempting to strike her using his weight, but Falco merely sidestepped. As the Vice-Admiral regained his balance, the girl grabbed the hilt of another sword laying on the ground. Seeing as it was his chance, he attempted to strike downwards again.

But this time, Falco did not dodge his attack. Instead, she tilted her sword slightly so that the Marine slid off her sword. As he fell towards the ground, Falco unsheathed the other sword and whipped it upwards, leaving a huge gash on his chest.

Blood sprayed everywhere, and the Marine fell with a loud crash. He clutched his chest in pain, coughing blood.

"You're a traitor," he spat. "You betrayed the Marines and decided to hide out on an island protected by a pirate. You should be honoured to share the blood of such a dutiful soldier."

Falco wiped the blood off of her white blade using a rag on the ground and immediately sheathed it again. She grabbed the emergency bag as well as a long, grey pouch which she put all of her swords in.

"Your grandfather will never let you go," he wheezed. "My subordinates… will never…"

She adjusted her brown cloak as well as her two bags, getting ready to run once more.

The Vice-Admiral rolled over onto his back and stared at the wooden ceilings of her small house. Placing a hand on his wounded chest, he said: "They told me you would've gotten weaker. That you would've lost your ability to fight. But I guess you never slacked off. To think that the little brat from ten years ago can now use Haki…"

He smirked slightly despite his pain. "We've never met formally, but I've known you for a long time. I was merely a chore boy back then, but a little girl with golden eyes would best the higher-ranking officers in a dual. That fire in you still burns so brightly…"

He turned his head to look at her. "I am glad I got a chance to fight you. It was a good match, finish me."

Falco checked her outfit in the mirror next to the broken table. Her blue off-shoulder sweater was soaked with blood and her green shorts and black boots were muddy after the long chase inside the forest. Her brown cloak also showed signs of wear, but it was the only one with a hood attached to it, so she didn't have a choice but to wear it. Tucking her wavy brown hair in carefully, she gave herself a reassuring smile before stepping outside.

"If your friends don't find you within half an hour, you'll die due to blood loss," she whispered so faintly that the Vice-Admiral almost didn't hear. "But I won't kill you myself."

The girl ran forward without another word, not looking back to what was already a fragment of the past. She entered a quiet alleyway, maneuvering swiftly through the labyrinth of the town and continued her way towards the main port that was on the other side of the village. She could take a ship and sail away, settle down on another island much like this one, and start anew.

But what if the Marines closed off the port? Falco asked herself. How will I leave? I also need to find a doctor immediately.

Not only could she feel the bleeding getting worse, but her vision was starting to blur again. It was only during the swordfight that she could concentrate hard enough to ignore the pain. Now, it was hindering her chances of escape.

You have to think this through. She told herself. The Marines know that I'm on Root Island, but they don't know my exact coordinates. How many did that Marine say there were? Can't remember, but there probably aren't a lot of Vice-Marines and Rear Admirals to begin with, so they won't be able to search diligently. That Admiral… isn't the type of person to let a lot of people know of my existence, so he's probably sent a small group of the very best to find me.

She smirked as the vast shore came into view. But I have no intentions of being caught.

The girl sprang out of the alleyway, preparing to jump on the first ship that she saw and speed away before anyone could find her, but her plans were stopped abruptly when she crashed into something hard. She fell unceremoniously onto the concrete floor, making her body go numb with pain.

"Ugh," she groaned, opening her eyes to see the perpetrator. A shadow loomed over her body, making the girl freeze with fear. She prepared her legs to run as fast as they could, in case it was a Marine.

"Mou, fuku-buchou!" The voice of a young girl cried. "Now look at what you've done!"

"It wasn't on purpose, Amare!" a man cried. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

He hauled the girl up quite easily, using a warm hand and muscular arms. His gentle, friendly orbs looked at her own golden ones with concern. A splash of freckles adorned his tanned face, and his slightly curled hair framed his kind features. A set of red beads hung loosely around his muscular neck, along with a tattered orange hat that sat on the top of his head. He bent down to grab her bag of swords as well, handing it to the surprised girl.

"You were running pretty fast," he smiled. Falco dusted her bag off, eyeing the two wearily. It was possible that they were Marines in disguise.

Falco studied the young girl carefully. Amare's black hair was in a short ponytail and her bangs were swept to one side. She wore dark green shorts and a loose black tank-top which was outlined with white fabric. Her emerald eyes crinkled into a cheery grin as she gazed at Falco pleasantly. Judging by her short stature, Falco guessed that she was no older than ten, at most.

Amare grabbed the man's hand suddenly, and when he crouched down, she leaned in and whispered something that seemed to surprise him.

"G-golden eyes," he stuttered. "You're right, maybe she's actually—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of thundering footsteps made Falco freeze with terror. The young man shoved Amare behind him as a small group of Marines surrounded the three. She heard the click of a magazine entering a pistol.

BANG!

The bullet grazed the man's arm but embedded itself into Falco, pain suddenly exploding on her waist. She coughed up blood, recoiling backwards. The vice-commander caught her just in time, looking left and right to spot the assailant.

A group of twenty or so Marines had completely surrounded them, various weapons pointing at them threateningly. Falco's vision blurred as she felt her consciousness slipping in and out. She could barely make out the voices shouting around her.

"Let her go. You do not understand who that woman—"

"It's him! The vice-commander of the Second Division, Hiken no Ace—"

"—want her so badly the entire group is made up of high-ranking officials?"

"When's Admiral—"

A burning hotness jolted Falco awake as the man, 'Hiken no Ace' cried out: "HIBASHIRA!"

Falco's eyes widened as the orange fire swirled in front of her, embracing them into a tall pillar of an inferno. Time seemed to slow for a moment as the flames exploded outwards.

It almost seemed like it was her first time seeing something so bright and colourful—she hadn't realized how grey her world was until the fire shone in her eyes. They grey sea melted into a vast, beautiful blue that shimmered under the sunlight. The dark forest she always went to go train in turned into an assortment of green hues. It was like she had been colourblind her entire life and was now seeing colours for the first time.

"Now's our chance!" Ace cried, slinging Falco over his shoulder. Amare grabbed Ace's hand before leaping over a stone wall that was in front of a wooden port.

The three dashed down the wooden decks and then jumped into a small, yellow raft. Amare climbed up its little sail after grabbing a long rifle from the seat. Ace started the engine and the raft shot forwards, splashing water everywhere. They heard a gunshot in the distance but the bullet was quickly intercepted by Amare with a shot of her own.

Falco's eyes widened. This child had aimed so perfectly that the bullet from the Marines had pierced into two pieces before falling lifelessly into the ocean.

"Utsu-Utsu no Mi!" Amare cried, still holding onto the sail. "Gives me awesome accuracy! My timing isn't great though—"

A bullet grazed her leg, making the child wince. Ace cried: "And you won't have a chance to fix that timing if you don't focus on the enemy in front of you right now!"

"I know, I know!"

The sound of a cannon going off in the distance startled Falco, but Ace calmly turned around and stopped it by using bullets made out of fire. A few stray shots that Amare could not block were also intercepted by the vice-commander. Falco could only look at the two with admiration at their extremely quick reaction times.

A short exchange of blows continued with several more bullets and cannons launching towards them, all stopped by Ace's fire attacks and Amare's supreme accuracy. A group of Marines had climbed into several different boats, speeding their way towards the group of three. Ace grinned, feeling as confident as ever. It would take a lot more than these small-fries to bring him down.

What he was worried about, however, was the admiral that somebody had mentioned.

"Hang in there, Falco," he whispered reassuringly, turning the raft around a full 180 degrees. He jumped powerfully, creating a medium-sized wave that hit one raft and shot bullets of fire out of his left fingers which intercepted another. A Marine from a different boat pointed a gun at him, getting ready to shoot.

"Hand the girl over!" He cried.

"Who are you working under?" Ace interrupted, a question that was promptly ignored. The Marines fired a shot, but Ace was too quick for it, letting it pass by into the open air.

"What business do you have with the girl?" They asked once more.

"Well what business does she have with you?" Ace retorted cheekily, causing an uproar in the remaining three ships. They attempted to narrow in on him, but Ace's small raft was much too fast for the group of Marines.

His eyes caught a glimpse of the girl in his arms who was turning paler and paler, sweat and blood pouring down her small face. Ace furrowed his eyebrows with worry. Her injuries looked more severe than what he had hoped, and he had no idea where his crew was at. He would have to find the main fleet fast, where all the best doctors and nurses resided. But before that…

His attention turned back to the ten Marines in front of him, all nervously pointing guns at him in fear.

"Isn't this group kind of small to be chasing me?" He frowned. "I was hoping for at least an admiral…"

"Do not talk about our leader that way!" one Marine cried, looking furious. "He is a man of great power and justice—if he were here, he would've put your sorry pirate ass into a cell—"

"Boring," Amare yawned. She looked down at Ace from the sails. "Can I shoot them, fuku-buchou?"

"You've had enough fun," he smiled, shifting his weight so that Falco hung comfortably over his shoulder. He pulled a clenched fist back, preparing to use his signature move. "HIKEN!"

Falco's eyes flashed with a bright, youthful orange that made her feel warm, despite how hot the actual attack must've been. Not only had the attack hit all three ships at once, but the hot gas collided with the cool sea, sending a cloud of mist up to conceal them from any other pursuers.

Hiken no Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates… Falco recalled. Well, he certainly lives up to his name.

It was only then that Falco realized she was being taken away by pirates, and she wasn't entirely sure as to which side was worse. But this man, Ace, didn't have a murderous intent in his eyes, unlike the Marines. Her heart palpitated nervously, suddenly all-too conscious that a strange man was holding her like a sack of potatoes. She hadn't had human contact in such a long time…

"Glad we bumped into each other!" Amare smiled cheerfully. "Oyaji gave us a mission to find you! Whatever it was, we were instructed not to hurt you if possible, but bring you back alive by all means."

Ace grinned at his young companion and nodded. "From the sounds of it, you're not an enemy. And if you're a friend of Oyaji, you're a friend of mine. What exactly he wants from you is beyond me, but we'll talk once we get to him."

Falco remained silent, not sure what to make of the situation. She grimaced slightly—what if Whitebeard wanted to kill her? She had heard that he was merciless.

"You look like we're out to kill you or something," Amare reiterated her thoughts. "Don't worry! We won't hurt you."

"There's actually a lot of people looking for you," Ace said. "Our brothers, specifically. You'll meet them soon."

Amare nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! They're all really cool and really powerfu! Ace is nothing against them!"

"Hey!"

The Marines… thought Falco. Whitebeard… how did they all know where I was?

Ace's warmth and the cool sea breeze calmed her, despite the gnawing fear inside her heart. Root Island, the place where she had resided on for the past ten years was one protected by Whitebeard himself. No Marines dared to step foot on it, nor did most pirates, which is why she remained on the island in the first place.

"I think we're almost here," said Ace. Falco turned her head to look and saw nothing but the blue sea that stretched across the horizon. Not even an island was in sight—they really were in the middle of nowhere.

"Maybe we're lost," Amare frowned. "I don't see the ship."

Ace smirked. "Just wait."

Her eyes suddenly focused on the water near her, and she saw a large black blob that was rapidly growing in size as it came up towards the surface. She looked up in case something was falling, but only the clouds greeted her which meant that it was coming up from below.

A giant blue whale shot out from the ocean with three ships behind it, making Falco squeal with surprise. After closer inspection, Falco realized that it wasn't a whale, but rather, a huge ship that was only designed to look like one. Its massive sails opened as if to stretch in the open space, and the remaining three ships, though smaller than the whale-like one, were still big enough to cast a shadow over the group, even if they were some distance away.

Falco heard the cry of a bird above and when she looked up, she saw a dazzling blue bird soaring in the sky. Upon closer inspection, Falco realized that it was a bird of fire—a phoenix. It approached the two quickly and when it got close enough, everything except for its arms turned into a human body.

"Hi, buchou!" said Amare, once she could recognize those signature flames. The phoenix looked at Ace and Falco in shock before smacking Ace on the back of his head angrily.

"You shot her?!" he exclaimed. "Ace, we briefed you a hundred times not to hurt her—"

The vice-commander rubbed his head in annoyance. "I didn't shoot her! I'm not that stupid, Marco. She was already injured when I found her—not to mention she was shot again while we were running away!"

Falco inspected the phoenix man and noted his droopy eyes as well as his hairstyle that closely resembled the top of a pineapple. She guessed that the man had to either be extremely confident in his looks or stupid to sport a style like that.

Marco scowled and flew towards the giant ship, jerking his head towards the fleet. "Amare, get on my back. Ace, bring Falco up with you."

As the young child climbed onto the bird happily, Falco noted how distressed the man's droopy eyes looked when he saw her. Ace quickly led his raft to the bottom of the largest ship where a platform was waiting for them. Once he got on, his crewmates on deck hauled the two up using a lever.

"She needs medical attention!" Ace cried. "Where's Florence?"

As if on cue, a blonde-haired nurse with beautiful blue eyes stepped forward from the crowd, wearing leopard-print stockings and a hot pink nurse's outfit. Marco and Amare were behind her, the young sniper holding a small first-aid kit in her hands.

"What's the matter, Ace?" Florence asked, concerned eyes scanning Falco. The man quickly explained her injuries to the nurse, feeling increasingly worried as Falco's breaths turned shallower.

"Kairoseki bullets," the nurse whispered. "They're poisoned as well. Whatever the reason was, the Marines must've wanted the poor thing at all costs, especially if they're using such rare and expensive weapons."

She gave Marco a serious look. "At any rate, we're going to have to operate on her. Carry her down for me."

Marco hesitantly took the girl in his arms and followed the blonde nurse below the decks. The crowd of pirates who had watched the entire ordeal buzzed about with confusion. Who was the girl? Why was she brought here? And why was she injured?

"Yo!" A familiar voice jolted Ace awake from his thoughts. A tall man with a brown, pompadour hairstyle casually walked over to the vice-commander in greeting. "So you were the one who found Falco, huh? Lucky you. You're on a roll these days."

"Yeah, some luck," Ace grinned back at the Fourth Division's Commander, Thatch. "But who cares as long as the mission benefits the family? Oyaji seemed desperate to find her, anyways."

Thatch laughed loudly in agreement. "You'll see why soon. But as for your missions, you'll get the commander spot for sure if you keep this up—ol' Teach doesn't even want it. Then again, he's never been the type to stand out too much."

"Teach is weird," Amare crinkled her nose. "I don't like him."

Thatch gently bumped the child's head with a fist. "Hey, don't talk about a family member that way. Especially since he's a vice-commander in your division."

Amare shrugged nonchalantly and ran off, going below decks to watch the surgery. Thatch smiled softly at her retreating figure before turning to face Ace again. His eyes widened at the vice-commander's appearance.

"H-holy crap, shouldn't you be checked out by a nurse too? You're bleeding everywhere!"

"Hmm?" Ace inspected his own body which was covered in blood—his front, his shoulders, his pants, his shoes—it was even dripping down his hands into a small puddle on the deck.

"It's… not my blood," whispered Ace, surprised at how he didn't realize the amount of blood Falco had lost during their short encounter. The fact that she was even conscious throughout the trip back to the Moby Dick surprised him. Maybe it was his bare chest that made it seem worse than what it really was, but it looked like he had just ran through a chainsaw.

Thatch brushed his forehead in relief. "That's good. Go get showered, Ace. I'm sure by the time Florence is done with the surgery, Oyaji will want a mission report."

Ace nodded, still inspecting his bloodied hands.

Romance Dawn: Bearer of the Silver Flames

I: Dawn of Dreams

When Ace entered the ICU room next to the nurses' quarters, Florence, Marco, and Thatch all surrounded the white bed that Falco was sleeping in. Amare was napping on the floor, oblivious to Florence and Marco's exhausted state.

"Okay…" Ace started. "I get why Florence would be tired, but why are you also worn out?"

Marco gave Ace an annoyed look. "Emergency blood transfusion. She's an O-, apparently."

"You have O- blood?"

"Apparently."

Thatch rolled his eyes heavenwards at the dumb conversation. "It was exhausting to watch. I've never seen Florence look so frantic before—where are our emergency blood supplies, anyways?"

"We don't have any on the Moby Dick. " Florence groaned, "There's some on the other ships but we've exhausted most of our resources from our last battle. If she had lost any more blood, this girl could've been in serious danger. I couldn't risk it with Oyaji breathing down our backs. Besides, why bother when Marco himself is a beautiful sack of red blood cells?"

The commander slumped forward in his seat, looking like he never wanted to be near Florence again.

Ace's eyes trailed to the girl's sleeping visage in wonder. Her hazel-coloured hair was fanned around her pale face, and her intriguing golden eyes were softly shut from the anesthesia that was given to her for the surgery. A single IV was inserted in her veins, making her look sick and weak.

Amare stirred from her sleep and rubbed her eyes. "Is she awake yet?"

Thatch picked up the young child and hugged her close, tapping her nose playfully. "Not yet, princess. But I think she'll be alright."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by Whitebeard's tall figure that entered the room. He looked at Falco for a brief moment before turning his attention to the platoon.

"How is she, Florence?" he asked gently. Although Ace knew that Whitebeard loved all his children equally, there was a certain softness in his voice that was unfamiliar to him when his captain asked about the girl.

The blonde-haired nurse passed a series of clipboards to him and shrugged. "She'll be okay, although I can't promise that she won't scar. I'm guessing that she won't wake up until tomorrow morning though—she's pretty weak."

"I don't think so," said Amare. "Look, she's awake!"

All heads turned to the bed. Indeed, the girl lay peacefully under the white sheets, blinking tiredly. Her golden eyes carefully analyzed the six pirates surrounding her, and it was only then that Ace noticed how beautiful her eyes really were. The colour was magnificent, but it was how large and sparkly it was under the dim lighting of the aged room that really caught his attention.

The girl gingerly tried to prop herself up, Thatch immediately going to her side to help. When he grabbed her arm though, she immediately jerked away, looking scared.

"You're awake?" Florence asked. "Already?"

"How do you feel?" Asked Whitebeard. "Do you remember what happened?"

She voided eye contact but nodded slowly.

"You're on board the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates' main ship," Marco explained. "You had pretty bad injuries, but Florence fixed you right up."

"Marco donated his blood too," the blonde nurse smiled. "We didn't have enough type O- blood on board, you see."

Falco didn't take her eyes off of the white sheets but gave a small nod to show her appreciation. Her thin hands gripped the edges of the blanket tightly, shaking with fear.

"It has been a while," Whitebeard whispered. "How… have you been?"

Falco's head went up slowly to face Whitebeard.

"I…" she murmured, choosing her words very carefully. "Have I met you before?"

Whitebeard chuckled. "I suppose we have, when you were very, very young. I don't expect you to remember me though. Do I feel familiar in any way? Maybe this ship?"

The girl immediately withdrew, looking down at the sheets again. She hugged her knees close to herself and after a brief pause, she said:

"I don't… I can't remember anything."

"That's not very surprising," the captain nodded. "After all, it's been ten years since we've last heard anything from you."

The girl shook her head, looking fatigued. "I can't remember anything about my past."

Marco, Thatch, Florence, and Ace looked shocked at her sudden confession.

"Memory loss?" Florence asked. "As in… amnesia?"

Amare jumped out of Thatch's arms and climbed onto Ace's back. "What's that? Why can't she remember anything? Why can't I remember her?"

Whitebeard's expression didn't change as he continued to stare at the girl. "I heard. Your teacher informed me a while back."

She looked up curiously. "Teacher… yes, I think there was someone like that."

"Looks like it's pretty serious," Whitebeard muttered. "He told me that he last saw you two months ago and that your amnesia gets progressively worse, but I didn't think you would've forgotten him either…"

Falco didn't reply, burying her head into her knees.

"He was the one who reached out to me to evacuate you because he was too far away," the captain continued. "The Marines were able to locate you and informed your grandfather of your location so he was afraid that you'd be in danger. He also asked me to convince you to stay."

"Stay," she whispered. "As in… become a pirate?"

"Yes."

The girl clenched her fists and she spoke firmly for the first time. "I do not take sides, Whitebeard. I do not kill or steal. I will never become a pirate."

The captain laughed loudly at her remark, surprising everyone. "If only your mother could hear you say that. Pirates aren't just about killing and stealing, you know."

Her fierce gaze was immediately replaced by her original timid nature. "I don't even remember her. All I can recall are the names of two people—"

"Your father and your grandfather," Whitebeard finished. "I know your entire family very well, Falco. And I probably know more about you than what you know about yourself."

Amare suddenly jumped over Ace's shoulder, kicking him on the way down and landing gracefully on Falco's bed. "Ne? Where are you going to go if you don't join us?"

Falco blinked, looking surprised. "I, um… a different isla—"

"That's lame," she frowned. "You should join us! We're a lot of fun! Sure, Ace snores like a pig—"

"I do not."

"—And Marco refuses to get a different hairstyle—"

"I thought we agreed to never talk about this again…"

"—We're still a pretty awesome family," she finished. "And you seem awesome too! Please? Please?"

The older girl looked flustered. "I-I'm sorry, but I… I have a goal I need to accomplish, so I can't give up."

Thatch picked up the dejected little girl and put her on his shoulders. "Even if we say that we'll tell you bits about your past as time goes on?"

She didn't reply, continuing to stare at the sheets.

"Your mother—" Whitebeard started. "—was a daughter of mine. A very famous one too. She worked alongside of Marco and Thatch, way back in the days."

The girl's eyes widened. Her mother was a pirate? She hadn't known that.

"She was the Fourth Division's commander, right before she gave her seat up to Thatch. Star D. Maria was her name. She was a very well-respected pirate across the Grand Line. You'll come across her name every once in awhile if you sail the seas."

Ace could feel the momentum slowly shifting back to Whitebeard. Falco's hands relaxed, golden eyes looking confused.

"If you stay, I can tell you everything I know about you and your family," the captain offered. "You do not have to bear my name, but if you stayed for a while, even as a guest, that will ease my old heart up quite a bit."

Marco stepped forwards. "I know this all seems very forced and rushed, but Maria's last request before she died according to Oyaji, was for us to take care of you if you were in danger. She was worried that you would be killed before you got to see the world.

Thatch nodded. "Looks like your grandfather is dead set on you returning home, seeing how violent his methods were. You can't defend yourself alone, not with his authority. On the other hand… well, I don't mean to brag, but we're pretty strong."

"Damn strong," Amare corrected, earning a glare from Marco.

Whitebeard studied the tattoos Marco, Ace, Thatch, and Florence bore with so much pride. "You have a choice, Falco. Why don't you join me and continue to carry on your mother's legacy in the Fourth Division under Thatch's command?"

The girl remained silent, but Ace could tell by her furrowed eyebrows that she was thinking hard. He didn't understand why she looked so worried—they were the most powerful crew in the world! Staying with them, even as a guest, should be an honour.

Falco quietly turned to look at Whitebeard's eyes for an answer, and she suddenly understood that she had no other options. She couldn't remember the face of her master anymore but she knew deep inside that he had been a trustworthy man. If he had personally requested Whitebeard to convince her to stay, then it probably meant that it was the best option.

She nodded once. "Okay, but only as a guest. When the time is right, I'll have to leave—to fight for my future."

The captain gave her a nod of approval. "Very well, but you're free to change your mind anytime. And if your goal is to defeat your father one day, you should try fighting against Marco first—he's no easy opponent."

Falco eyed the man cautiously, remembering his blue flames from before. She also recalled what the townsmen called him every time there was gossip about the Whitebeard Pirates—Phoenix Marco, commander of the First Division of the most powerful crew in the world.

Amare shuffled closer to Falco until she could hold the swordsman's face with her small hands. "Ne, you said that you were fighting for your future, right? Well… I think that's perfect!"

Falco stared in confusion as Amare continued to smile at her. "All of us here—not just Oyaji, Ace, Marco, Thatch, or Florence, but the 1600 of us—are all fighting for a future. We all have dreams we want to accomplish. If you're battling to release yourself from a bad past, then fight with us! In exchange, we'll help you too. That's what a family is."

Thatch hauled the girl back onto his shoulder again, making her burst into giggles. "Well said."

Falco blinked her large, golden orbs at the young child. "But… I can't give up on my dreams."

"No one's telling you to," Marco smiled. "What do you say?"

After a few seconds of silence, Falco nodded hesitantly.

"Welcome to the family!" Florence smiled.

Before Falco could say her thanks, Ace looked at everyone in bewilderment, eyes flashing back and forth between his crewmates and the stranger in front of him. "Hold on, I'm still confused and you guys aren't answering any of the important questions! Who is she? Who's the master she speaks of? Who is her father and her grandfather?"

The girl gazed at Whitebeard evenly, as if she were challenging him to answer the questions. And when he did, the blood in her body began to boil hotter and hotter with hatred and revenge.

Whitebeard's eyes never left Falco's gaze. "Her current alias is Falco D. Mihawk, daughter of the Shichibukai, Dracule Mihawk, and the Fourth Division's old commander, Star D. Maria. While her parents are famous pirates, her grandfather is a well-respected Marine."

Her golden eyes sparked with murderous intent.

"Admiral Sakazuki."

Welcome to the revamped version of Romance Dawn: Bearer of the Silver Flames. Before we continue, I'd like to mention a few things (please forgive me for the long A/N):

People have messaged me about Falco's name. I am aware it should be Dracule D. Falco, and not Falco D. Mihawk. This discrepancy will be explained in a later arc in the story. Romance Dawn I: Bearer of the Silver Flames currently has 140 chapters planned, though I am hoping to shorten it to ~100. It is the first book out of three, though the latter two may be merged. As you may be able to tell, each chapter has around 6000-8000 words, though longer chapters have peaked up to 10,000~20,000. I want to keep the chapters a little shorter because I have a hard time editing long stories, but I would appreciate any feedback on what to do.

This first arc is quite fluffy and generally light (a K+ to T rating), however, the story will hike to an M/M+ as it progresses (ratings will change accordingly). The later arcs may be very dark and depressing, political and philosophical, or sometimes dry and boring. Though my writing is not as good as Oda's, I hope that you will give me a chance.

I started writing One Piece from an OC's point of view outside of Luffy's, as there are many great, often philosophical concepts that One Piece explores. Though Luffy has his moments, he is not always the deepest of the most relatable character with his straightforwardness and inhuman strength. Falco was created to give a different point of view, and to challenge some of the bigger questions the series asks as a whole. This will not just be a retelling of One Piece—after Marineford, the story is set in the original timeline, but the arcs will be my own.

The summary on the Fanfiction may also change as the arc moves on (along with any necessary rating changes).

Reviews greatly motivate me and I save every single one of them. If you would take some time to leave a review or send me a message with your feedback (critical or otherwise), I would greatly appreciate it.

-Jeis

January 2019 Update:

I've taken down most of the chapters at the moment as I'm tweaking some important details. I'll upload up to wherever we were on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and hopefully Chapter 10 within the next two months. Thank you for your patience—I didn't expect to take this long, but I've been extremely busy with university!