Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Warning: it may (who am I fooling? It does) contain out of character acting this chapter, beware.

Chapter 3: Ever-Changing Flames

After four days of navigating with Ace's baby sister on board, the Whitebeard pirates could say that they were used to the brat's presence by now. She was a strange little thing and puzzled them most of the time.

One minute, she'd be all smiles, following Ace around like a cute puppy. She'd jump around causing mayhem wherever she passed and could eat as much as her brother did – though made many wonder how, as her body was tiny. And – the next minute – Luffy appeared to be an entirely different person. When she wasn't following her brother around, she'd sit at the deck, observing the ocean with softened eyes. Sometimes, it was almost as if she was ancient.

All in all, the Whitebeard pirates were getting quite crazy.

Luffy had stopped pestering Ace for a moment, deciding that it was time for her daily ocean-gazing. She would sit by the railing of the ship and stay quiet for what seemed hours. By now, most crewmembers had gotten used to this, just letting her be.

"You okay there, Lu?" she head her brother's voice behind her. Turning around, she saw said person carrying some wooden boxes.

"Un," she nodded. Luffy tipped her head sideways. "What are those boxes?"

Ace looked down at them, "Ah, just a favor I'm doing to Haruta. I'll finish this and we can talk, alright?"

Luffy smiled – not her usual thirty-two teeth smile, but her softer one – and nodded once again. The small teen turned back around and narrowed her eyes when she looked at the ocean. There was a… man swimming?

Luffy was dense most of the time, but even she knew that swimmers were only seen near islands. There was no shore near the ship. As the person got closer, however, the black-haired teen stood up, excitement running through her veins like blood, and laughed.

Some crewmembers passing by observed with confusion in their eyes.

"What is it, Luffy?" Marco asked, coming closer. He observed as a white-haired man swan towards them. The phoenix-man quirked an eyebrow up – somehow, the other seemed familiar.

"D'you know him?" He questioned and the teen nodded cheerfully.

"He is Rayleigh-jii-san!" She exclaimed with such happiness and stars around her head that Marco just had to laugh. "He helped my nakama back in Sabaody!"

Marco noticed how her lips thinned as she finished her phrase. The First Commander could understand her bitterness towards her own incapability. However – even if Luffy was a super rookie – one Admiral wouldn't be so easily taken care of, and he wasn't surprised that she had lost the fight against him.

"Well, as he's a friend of yours, I suppose Oyaji won't mind him being on board."

"Shihihihihihi! Thanks, Marco-nii!" Luffy said as she run around the deck, intending to found an area closer to where Rayleigh was swimming.

Marco was left blinking on deck, wondering when he had gained another younger bratty sibling to take care of.

Marco had been right: Whitebeard didn't mind letting Rayleigh on board. In fact, both of them were sharing a bottle of sake and trading news. Most commanders had chosen sit around, observing them. Other crewmembers kept doing their daily chores, sometimes passing by to see how it was going.

And Luffy simply danced around Rayleigh.

"Mou~! Rayleigh-jii-san, you're only talking to Giant Ossan!" She complained in a whiny voice. Most commanders discovered that Luffy could be brattier than Ace most of the time. Her appearance helped it.

Both white-haired men laughed at this.

"Sorry, sorry, Luffy," Rayleigh apologized, patting the top of the teen's head.

Ace was sitting close and observed. He wasn't particularly suspicious of this guy, as Oyaji and Luffy seemed to trust him, but at any sign of danger the Fire-Fist was getting his baby sister out of there.

Suddenly, Luffy sat down, her straw-hat casting shadows over her face.

"Ne, jii-san… Did you see any of my nakama?"

Nobody could see her eyes, but could imagine them from her voice. It was cold, and could freeze the entire deck. Even when she cried and broke their hearts (it was a truly saddening sight observing Ace's sister crying), no one felt their beings trembled. For a moment, it felt as if Luffy could shake the ground with the mere sound of her despair and anger as she spoke.

Rayleigh looked at her and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Luffy – I did not. Shakky is keeping an eye on Sabaody in case any of your friends come back, but I knew I couldn't stay behind."

He paused for a moment. Luffy was weirdly serious and the expression didn't match with her innocent, young and sweet face. Even with her foxy ears hidden, her hazel eyes were still huge and her black hair still fell around her cheeks as a halo.

"I found you thanks to this little paper," Rayleigh smiled, showing a piece of paper in which was written in neat letters 'Luffy'. "I was surprised to discover that you were in Whitebeard's ship, though."

And, suddenly, Luffy wasn't serious anymore. Her expression changed as her lips twisted in a wide grin and she laughed.

"Is that so? Shihihihi!"

The others commanders and Whitebeard did not laugh along, however, because even they could see how much it hurt the small girl as she smiled.

It was only when the crew was dining that Rayleigh brought out his intention.

"Luffy," he called after sipping his sake. The girl stopped munching on her food to look at him. "To tell you the truth, I came here for a reason."

Luffy swallowed before saying, "What is it, Rayleigh-jii-san?"

Ace narrowed his eyes beside his baby sister as Rayleigh spoke.

"As you must have noticed, you still aren't strong enough to defeat an Admiral. I'd be surprised if you were anyway," he said upon seeing the girl crestfallen expression. "You may be an amazing rookie pirate, but you are a rookie pirate. That's why I want to train you."

It was as if the dining hall exploded in silence, because everybody simply stopped talking at the same time. Luffy sat on her chair with unreadable emotions, which was a change. The girl was usually open and sincere about everything she thought and said.

"Train me?"

Rayleigh nodded, paying attention to no one but her, "Yes."

"But… why?"

The Dark King pated her head a few times – as if understanding the turmoil she was in.

"You remind of Roger sometimes," was the only thing he said.

Ace's fists were tightly closed by now. His eyes were practically spitting fire. Luffy just sat in silence between him and the white-haired man, but the Second Commander was annoyed by the other man's words.

"Don't compare her to him," he hissed with so much venom that some crewmembers were taken back to when they first met the commander. "Luffy is a thousand times better than him." He pronounced the word as if it itself was a curse.

Rayleigh did nothing to stop him as Ace stood up, but Luffy put her tiny hand over her brother's abdomen. She didn't put real strength behind this gesture, though it stopped Ace either way.

"Don't be such a brat, Ace," she murmurs, but in the silence it was as if she had just shouted.

Everybody is too stunned to say something, even Whitebeard himself.

Luffy had partially transformed into her fox form. Her white-tipped ears are out as is her fluffy tail – only there are two of them instead of just one. When she brought her head up, her eyes weren't hazel anymore, but golden.

"Lu?" Ace asked, completely bewildered.

Luffy shook her head at him.

"No matter how much you hate Gol D. Roger, do not speak badly of him in front of Rayleigh," and the lack of a suffix spoke volumes about how serious the small teen was. "You may despise him all you want, but Rayleigh used to be Roger's right hand."

She looked at her brother in a stern way that nobody had ever seen, not even Ace himself.

"It's disrespectful of you to speak badly of a dead man in front of his nakama."

And Ace understood. The older sibling nodded in agreement with his sister – because he also hated when the nobles back home kept talking about Sabo's ridiculous personality. He had hated it with all his might.

Luffy's transformation disappeared with her serious mood. She turned back to Rayleigh and smiled widely, "Ne, ne, Rayleigh-jii-san, what would you teach me?"

The crew couldn't bring themselves to get used to this change of moods so quickly, though Marco was already working on it and Ace was completely used to it by now.

"Haki, mainly," the white-haired man explains. "You possess the three types from what I've seen."

"Cool!" Luffy exclaimed, shooting her thin arms up. Two seconds later, however, she paused. "What is Haki?"

Everyone faltered and some face-palmed. They really should be used to Luffy's antics after four days together.

As Rayleigh and Luffy discuss the training to be done, none of them speaks about the rest of the Straw-Hat crew. The small teen knows that she needs to warn them about this, but – for now – can't bring herself to think about it.

Because it would mean admitting her failure in saving them.

So, Luffy contents herself in just thinking about getting stronger.

Later this night, Rayleigh would ask about her opinion about a trip to the Marine Headquarters and Luffy would be completely puzzled by this question – but only later on.

Hey, guys, sorry it took me so long to post another chapter! I was a little away from One Piece, but am slowing coming back. Yay! Well, all I can say is thanks for your reviews; they keep me pretty motivated (as I am lazy…).

I may not be posting anything in the next weeks, because it's summer vacation here in Brazil and I'll be traveling. Sorry! But I'll make it up when I come back, I promise! Hahaha.

Until next time,

Amy.