This happens after Ace and Sabo were swallowed by Whitebeard Pirates so somewhere by the end of ch.2 of TbTK

√ -√v-√ -√v—

It was a beautiful day. Navigators swore on everything that's holy to the great Thatch-sama that the day would be cloudless and peaceful… And that they're too close to the previous island still for the New World weather to take hold. So the great Thatch-sama was able to stay on board and relax for a bit, before checking up on the kitchen shift in preparation for dinner.

Ah…

That was the life…

Gentle sway of the giant ship under his feet… The sound of laughter of his brothers and sisters… Delicate breeze keeping the temperature easily bearable… Body sailing through the wall and crashing into main mast…

All part of the recent routine of the Whitebeard Pirates.

At least since they caught Spade Pirates and naturalised them into Whitebeards.

Of course at the start there were some protests, but those died very quickly. Pops' awesomeness convinced them and by then it was only their captain - little Acey protesting their new place in the family.

Violently…

Over 80 tries of assassination later and situation only got more bizarre. Portgas D Ace was happy to sit and talk with them, but whenever someone would even allude to them as a family, all of his spikes were coming out. In tandem with screams, fire and other expressions of brotherly love.

Oh well, it was a nice training to keep in proper form.

There was no way Thatch-sama would allow another teenager close to landing a hit on him though.

One little gremlin from East Blue was enough.

Wonder how is little Lu doing…

Thatch opened the eyes, he didn't even notice closing and glanced suspiciously at Ace and his First Mate and brother - Sabo huddled together.

They were so different.

Ace - dark haired, dark eyed and tanned… Wild and aggressive like a fire he could become. With anger burning fast and bright, but after initial explosion everything was forgiven… Even his clothes were showing his wildness, eye catching orange hat, with only a bit less bright yellow shirt, shorts and battle boots.

Sabo on the other hand - he was the vicious one between the two. Blond haired, blue eyed, always wearing mock suit and top hat. Walking with a cane… Perfect picture of an aristocrat, with proper poise, way of talking and wit. Until he'll grab that staff of his and use it to beat one in the most painful and humiliating manner possible… (A bit like Little Lu.) Only then that picture shatters. Eyes always looking out for weakness in his opponents and promising pain to everyone who'd harm what's his.

So different and yet so similar. Those two spend a lot of time together since Whitebeards acquired Spades, but mostly just lazing around and not talking in hushed whispers…

Were they planning a prank?

Oh, no… They do not… He is the greatest prankster on the ship, The Great Thatch-sama and not those two little newcomers…

That required investigation.

With the course of action decided Thatch crept toward where the brothers kept together, making sure to stay hidden from their sight. And since they clearly didn't learn how to utilise Haki he needed to tune down his presence just a little bit.

Well… Clearly enough to earn sharp glance from where Marco was lounging on poop deck. But bird-brain was simply paranoid.

"You didn't even attack Gramps so vehemently, why now?" Sabo was answering to whatever it was Ace said earlier… Thatch felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. Ace was attacking their grandfather? Really?

"I have no father" Ace spat venomously, making Thatch even more curious, that was some complex.

"Fine, no father… Still, you have family, you idiot!"

"Do I?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean… You know, Gramps knows… but what about Lu?"

They know what?

"What about her?" Blondie answered with a question, causing Acey to slump down.

Her? Lu? Luna? Lucy? Lucia? Luella? … Luffy?

"She doesn't know, does she?"

"So what? You've spent what, 7 years together? I'd say she has enough reasons to dislike you by now."

"She called me an animal at our first meeting" And wow… Thatch didn't even know Ace could do wry. Never mind that he could do it so well.

"She did? What did you do?"

"Ugh… I spat at her."

"Yeah, that would do it"

"But she was even then such a princess… Frilly dresses, strawhat and the rest" Thatch's metaphorical ears perked up… 'Lu', 'frilly dress', 'strawhat'... That did sound suspiciously familiar. Thinking about it, did Little Lu say anything about brothers? Cousins? Bird-brain would probably know, his memory was better than his.

"Well, she sure cannot have worse view of you, than then." Sabo chuckled and shrugged languidly "why are you worried now?"

"I'm not worried! I mean… What if someone would hurt her, to get to us?" That… did sound pretty worried. Closer to panicking in fact.

"They'd need to go through Gramps to do so" Sabo tried to calm him down. From the faint air of exasperation around him, great Thatch-sama deduced that it was a conversation that played out 'few' times already.

"He's almost never there"

"Then there is that Shishou of her…"

"That guy is also almost never there. Besides if Gramps managed to bully him into teaching Lu then he's not really strong, is he?"

"Ace… You do remember my reaction to seeing Shichibukai's old bounty posters in Jaya, right?"

"Yeah, so what of it?"

"You moron… Specifically Dracule Mihawk's one?" Sabo specified again.

'Lu', 'strawhat', 'frilly dress', 'Mihawk'…

Ha! He knew it! Little Lu was taught by Mihawk!

That at least explained why was she so terrifying with that bokken of hers.

Every student of Hawk-eyes had to be terrifying.

"Luffy's teacher was Shichibukai!? How the hell did shitty Gramps swing it?" That… was actually a good question. Pity, they'll probably never know… That one time they admitted to Shanks to going to meet his Nominee, he was furious enough, he lost control over his Haki and next thing Thatch remembered was the Marco's mug looking down at him and informing him, they will not pry into Luffy's business before she'll at least get to Grand Line.

For a laidback guy Shanks usually played, that was terrifying.

"Oh, I doubt Garp knows about her lessons"

"So she cannot be any good, then" Ace dismissed and their continued their conversation but Thatch didn't listen anymore. His brain was focused on what he heard.

Garp…

Like in Garp The Fist?

Monkey D. Garp?

Monkey D. Garp?

Monkey D. Garp?

Grandfather?!

Okaaay… That… Time to warn Birdy Boy, then.

…

Great Thatch-sama expertly slinked to where their First Division Commander was still lounging about. It seemed like it was that one day in the week that their eldest brother did not deal with anything. Just rested, to tackle them all in the rest of days.

"Why are you smirking, yoi?" One blue eye opened and looked at him impassively.

"Remember those two speaking about their weak, little sister?" Great Thatch-sama could be gracious and ease Marco into his news… Just a bit…

After all… 'Monkey'.

"That wilting flower that didn't want to train with them, yoi?" Yeah… 'Wilting flower'... No one who actually talked to Little Lu for more than few minutes she needed, would call her aswilting flower.

"Yeah… Want to hear description of that 'wilting flower'?" And if a bit of mockery got into his tone at using the descriptor for Little Lu… Well, no one would blame him.

Other than their new recruits that is. Thatch couldn't wait for Luffy to school them herself.

"Shoot, yoi"

"Frilly dress, strawhat and they called her 'Lu'." Thatch gleefully recounted. His smirk widening when suspicion, recognition and amusement flashed in Marco's blue eyes.

"'Lu'... Luffy?"

"They spoke about Garp and Mihawk as well, so probably"

At that Marco let out a chuckle, catching on at the same thing Thatch did earlier.

"'Weak little sister', yoi? She almost got you 2 years ago…"

"I know" He did not pout… He did not! No matter what that flaming turkey of a brother of his would say.

"I think I'm going to enjoy their faces when she'll get their first poster." Oh yeah… Didn't they say that their 'weak little sister' decided to stay civilian? That would be a highlight of a year.

"I think we're all going to enjoy her mopping the floor with them, when they'll call her weak to her face."

"Yeah, that too, yoi"

They chuckled together for a while, before Thatch remembered the other info he gleaned from their conversation… Then he went utterly serious. That was Important.

"There's something else bird-brain"

"Yoi?" Marco's eyes immediately snapped to his own. Good.

"That shitty gramps they were talking about…" He hedged a bit, not sure if even talking about was a good idea. He did not want to call Garp the Fist on them!

"What of him?" His eldest brother demanded, just as serious as he was. Even better.

"It's Garp"

Of course the great Thatch-sama didn't expect the flaming turkey to immediately jump to conclusion, what with Ace introducing himself as a Portgas and Sabo refusing to disclose his surname at all, but the relaxing of his shoulderline and slight air of amusement he started to give off, clearly proved that stupid bird did not catch the problem.

"Poor Luffy"

Yeah, no… There was no way Thatch would allow one of his brothers to step into that anthill without a warning.

"Garp is her blood grandfather, you bird-brain!" He snapped up and felt absolutely vindicated with the way Marco's smug smile slid off as that big brain of his connected the dots.

"What?" He choked out, his own Haki presence immediately going flat.

And Thatch felt for him, truly… It was one thing to acknowledge that she was a person who knew Garp, she lived on his island after all, but that was something completely different.

"Yeah. Daughter of Monkey D. Dragon has a crush on you"

"..."

When Marco didn't answer (or even moved, really), Thatch poked him gently (let no one say that great Thatch-sama didn't care about his brothers!).

"You alright?"

Only at that Marco uncoiled again, closed his eyes and laid back on the desks.

"Well, it is a bit sad that their civilian sister hits harder than those two, yoi" Thatch knew that tone, it was Marco's 'I have not heard what you just said. Do what you want' voice.

"Yeah, there's that" He agreed, forcing slight smile for all of their siblings that started to pay them attention the second Marco's aura went flat.

Poor turkey…

One little girl…

And so much trouble.