I walk out of my dorm building to commotion. Students are flying around wildly, fear etched in their faces. I look around in confusion.

What's going on?

I push through the frantic crowd and cautiously walk up to the Main Castle which everyone seems to be running away from. I look at the building, (E/C) eyes filled with curiosity. But I stay alert, watching out for any danger.

Are there more ghosts haunting us?

I've been helping all the victims these past few months now. The numbers have been decreasing though, thankfully. But because of all the work with classes and helping at the infirmary, I've been so exhausted lately and my headaches are becoming worse. If that's even possible.

As I stand here, deep in thought, someone crashes into me, knocking us both over. My eyes widen as my back slams into the hard ground, knocking the breath out of me. Startled, I look back up at a freckled face that mirrors my expression.

"Sorry." Ace says, getting up, hastily and holding out his hand to help me up.

"Just think of it as payback for all those times I kicked you." I say through gritted teeth, taking his hand, surprisingly not too angry.

He grins but looks at me closely, pulling me up to my feet. "You know, you look really familiar. Have we met before you came here to DA?" He asks.

I gulp and look away, laughing nervously. "No. Why do you say that?"

He shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. "Nothing. Sorry, I must've mistaken you for someone else."

"What's going on?" I ask, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh yeah. You might want to run for your life."

"And why is that?"

"Gramps is here." He says just as the Main Castle's wall, the one near us comes crashing down. Luffy flies out, his back landing on the rubble.

"Luffy!" I shout in shock, running over to him. I hold on to his shoulders and help him up. Glancing at the hole in the wall, I see a large bulky figure walking towards us through the smoke.

He's a Vice Admiral.

Garp.

I look around confused as the man comes over, his fist raised. My eyes flicker to Luffy's head, noticing the lump on it. His eyes scan over the three of us, slowly taking in our features. Finally, his eyes settle on me and he glares. "Who are you?"

My eyes narrow at him. "None of your business." I state, bluntly.

"If you're Luffy's girlfriend then yes, you are!" He frowns.

I raise my eyebrow, amused. "And if I am, what does it have to do with you?"

"I'm his Grandpa!" Garp shouts, protectively. It's not a surprise to me. I already know and I burst into hysterical laughter at the mans outburst. This seems to tick the old man off. "What're you laughing at?!" He demands.

"I'm not his girlfriend." I smile, still laughing a bit.

He turns to Luffy. "What're you doing in this old, discipline school anyway?! If you'd become a Marine, you wouldn't be stuck here! How many times have I told you to give up on trying to become the King of the Pirates?! Wouldn't being called a hero be better? You're just like your Dad! If you continue on like this, you'll never live a good life." The old man rants.

"I'm becoming the King of the Pirates and you can't do a thing about it, Gramps!" Luffy shouts back fiercely.

"Well if you become a Marine, I'll take you out of this place." Garp offers, trying to change Luffy's mind.

"No." Luffy says, stubbornly. "I'm staying here with my nakama until we escape together."

Garp looks away, a bored look on his face making it obvious that he's tried many times in the past to change Luffy's mind. "I'm leaving then."

Ace stands next to us, arms crossed. "What a way to greet me after two years." He mutters.

Garp turns around. "Oh, I forgot." He walks back over and lifts Ace up by his red, beaded necklace, raising his fist to strike. But then he stops and starts snoring.

He's asleep.

I shake my head, trying to suppress my laughter. A few seconds later he wakes up and his fist finally connects with Ace's head. "Where's the other one?" Garp asks.

"Hiding. Where else?" Ace yells angrily, putting his hands on the lump that's formed on his head.

"I'm not a coward!" A voice says, defensively. I turn around and see Sabo, his blond mass of hair covered by his hat, tilted at an angle so that a shadow covers his scar. He grins at us, walking over. "I'm not afraid of you, Gramps." Sabo says proudly.

He gets hit on the head.

Twice.

"Well, you three idiots stay here. No use in trying to negotiate." Garp says, turning to leave but he freezes. He squints at me as if he's trying to decipher something. "You look really familiar."

I scowl at him. "I've never met you before in my life." I cross my arms.

He shrugs his shoulders and laughs. "I'll be leaving now." And just like that the old man walks away towards the front gates and off the property but a paper falls on the ground as he passes by.

I shake my head.

Well that was weird.

I walk towards the paper that lies on the grass and I pick it up, curious. My eyes widen in as I read it, hands trembling. Rage in my eyes.

But before I can do anything, the ground rumbles. All four pairs of our eyes widen as bombs start raining down from the sky. Doflamingo runs out of the Main Castle, the staff following him. I give him a questioning look still trying to recover and he laughs.

"Fufufu. Did I mention that this school is illegal now that I've dropped my Warlord status?" He grins.

~

I run, my breathing ragged. Footsteps sound behind me. It's the Strawhats, Law, Kid, Ace, and Sabo. All the other criminals ran off in other directions.

We're being chased by the Marines.

I trip over a gnarled tree root and brace myself for the crash but a hand reaches out to catch me.

Law.

"Thanks." I huff, regaining my footing. He simply nods, his face impassive, slicing the bombs that fall at us from the sky. Zoro does the same while Sanji kicks and Luffy rebounds them.

After what seems like hours, we finally stop when we no longer hear the Marines on our trail. I drop to the floor in complete exhaustion, feeling drowsy. The cold grass tickles my face as my cheek presses against the ground. Everybody else sits down tiredly as well.

"Meaaat." Luffy whines as his stomach rumbles loud enough for all of us to hear.

We're all silent for a few minutes, trying to catch out breaths. Finally, I stand up, eyes closed a bit. "We managed to escape, huh?" I laugh.

"Yeah." Law says, silently, leaning against a tree.

I look up at the sky, half asleep. "How long was I at DA for?"

"Five months. Why?" Kid asks, arms crossed.

My eyes widen as I remember the paper. "I have to go." I say frantically, grabbing my beige bag that I'd managed to snatch before we left.

"Where are you going, (Y/N)?" Luffy asks, sitting up and suddenly alert.

I glance at him, hurriedly. "I finally managed to escape. Now I have to go do what I'm supposed to." I rush off without another word and begin to walk down a different path through the trees. We're still on the mountain though. But far enough away from the ruins of the Academy that we'll be safe for a few hours.

I hear all them getting up and they start to follow. "Oi, (Y/N)!" Luffy shouts, running up to me.

I shoot him an irritated glance. "What, Luffy?"

He grins. "Where're you going?"

"Somewhere dangerous." I say through gritted teeth. I start to walk faster.

"Wait!" He grabs my wrist, causing me to whirl around and face him.

"What?!" I scream, infuriated.

He looks back at me with a burning ferocity that makes my gaze falter. "We're going to help." He states. "We are nakama after all."

I stop, my breath catching in my throat. My eyes widen in disbelief as Law's words of advice come back to me.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'm not going to help anyone else."I ⠀⠀⠀⠀said through clenched teeth.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Then no one's going to help you."

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I already told you! I don't need help."

⠀⠀⠀⠀He turned to leave. "But if you're ever stuck in a situation, no one will come to your aid." With that he jumped down swiftly from the stone building.

⠀⠀⠀⠀His words knocked the breath out of ⠀⠀⠀⠀me, making an impact.

⠀⠀⠀⠀He's right.  

I stand there as a wave of dizziness washes over me. My knees buckle under me, causing me to fall. But before that can happen, Luffy's rubber arms have wrapped around my waist, keeping me steady. My eyes turn watery and I blink rapidly to keep the tears at bay. I look around at the people who surround me, some smiling while others smirk. Kid just gives me a glare but has a ghost of a smile on his lips.

I sniff, my eyes looking at them in pure happiness. "Thank you." I whisper.

Zoro grins. "We still have a match to settle. My injuries have completely healed."

Ussop crosses his arms, smiling. "We know that you weren't actually hurt by the ghosts."

"Yeah!" Chopper exclaims. "Now this time we can actually save you!"

"We do get money out of this right?" Nami asks, looking at me hopefully.

"You still have to repay me and Law for helping you." Robin smiles.

Sanji swoons. "I still have to ask you out, don't I? ~"

"Yohoho! Not if I do first, Sanji-san." Brook laughs.

"This adventure is going to be SUPER!" Franky shouts, striking his super pose.

"You still have to tell me how you helped all those injured people." Law says, casually.

Ace smirks at me. "Let us help and I'll forgive you for all those times you kicked me into the wall."

Sabo puts his hand on his top hat. "We still have to duel, remember? You passed out last time."

Everyone looks at Kid, expectantly. He turns away. "Tch. You can't die before I kill you, little girl." My lips twitch up in a small smile.

"And you're joining my crew! You got that, (Y/N)?!" Luffy states, finality in his voice.

Tears threaten to pool over and I nod my head. "You guys-" my voice cracks.

"Yosh! Lets go!" Luffy shouts, smiling.

~

I sigh, closing my eyes. My hand grips the cold, steel knob. Everyone stands behind me in the dark of the night, waiting.

The humid summer air blows past, whistling softly in my ears. I take a deep breath, open my eyes, and turn the knob. Upon pushing the door open, it creeks eerily and I'm met with the familiar musty smell that I've lived with for nineteen years.

The small kitchen is illuminated by an old, dim, rusty lamp that hangs over the window above the sink. My heels clack on the old, rickety, wooden tiles. My eyes scan the room and I smile. Everyone follows me in, crowding the crammed kitchen. Sabo gently closes the door behind him.

"Yuki-san?" I call up the spiraling stairs at the end of the room. I hear a scream and a loud thump from above and can't help but laugh. The old woman comes bustling down the stairs, mumbling under her breath. She holds a bat in her hand but falters when she sees me and the others.

Her brown eyes widen in surprise as she stares at me, baffled. She's quiet for a few minutes, trying to process what's going on. She looks behind me once more at everyone else before looking at me again.

She whacks me with the baseball bat.

"What was that for?!" I yell, scowling at her.

"What was that for?!" She fumes. "Where the hell did you come from?!"

"What the hell is wrong with you, Granny?!" I shout, covering the lump that's formed on my head.

"What's wrong with me?!" She screams. "Who do you think you are, waltzing into my home with a bunch of people?!"

I cross my arms, rolling my eyes. "You're exactly like her."

"Who?" She asks, squinting her eyes at me, red hair framing her face.

"Dadan of course." I huff, smiling.

"Dadan?!" Three voices behind me exclaim.

I turn my head around, lazily. "Yeah?"

Ace and Sabo look at me in shock. The same goes for Luffy but he has the fridge open and is in the middle of munching on frozen meat. "You know Dadan?" Sabo finally speaks.

"She's Yuki-san's older sister." I say nonchalantly. "So obviously yes."

"She raised three delinquents!" Yuki defends herself. "I only raised two thankfully."

Ace clears his throat. "We are the three delinquents." He deadpans.

Yuki's eyes bug out and her mouth drops open. Same with me. But Yuki looks like she's about to collapse so I help her into the living room and gently seat her onto the worn, leather arm chair. Everyone follows in behind us.

"Oi." Luffy says. "Granny, how's Dadan?"

After a few seconds of staring at Luffy, trying to comprehend what's going on, she finally answers. "I heard from her not too long ago. She's fine. Same goes for everyone else." Yuki says, her voice distant.

Ace shakes his head, smiling. "That old hag."

Yuki turns to me. "What are you here for, (Y/N)?" She asks in a serious tone.

"Time is running out." I say solemnly. "I need to get going."

"You only have two weeks." She says, worry etched in her dark eyes. "I saw the news yesterday."

"I'll make it." I say firmly. "I have to."

Someone clears their throat from behind. "Don't you mean that we'll make it?" Zoro grins.

"And that we have to?" Ace laughs.

I smile genuinely.

"But where exactly is our destination, may I ask?" Sabo questions.

I look at each one of their faces, gazing at them with a penetrating stare. They wait expectantly, holding their breaths.

"Marineford." I finally whisper.

✥

A/N

HALFWAY MARK

Or at least I think it is.

I think most of you readers probably get where this story's going after reading this chapter but there are a lot of secrets to be found in the next half of the story.

And I don't think Vice Admiral, Monkey D. Garp's personality was displayed properly.

>~<

But anyways, like I said before,
this story's just getting interesting.

o(^▽^)o

Thank you all so much for 1.76k+ reads!
You guys are wicked awesome!

☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

Comment

Vote!

Question:
What do you think will happen in the end?

I'm honestly very curious. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

~ mwzxxx

----

NEXT UPDATE: FRIDAY