Five obnoxiously sharp nails broke through the skin and muscle of Holly's side. They sank deep into her skin, and a chemical was pumped in. A moment passed, two, and then Holly Potter came awake with a shriek. She brutally wrenched away from the stabbing sensation in her side, hurtled back and away into a set of rubbery arms set to catch her. The small figure, much like her own, caught hold of her, and she shot a look upward after finding herself between a set of legs. Above her was a brightly smiling face though it took her an honest moment to figure out who the person was.

"Luffy." She realized. Ace's brother was holding her, and she tried to let herself relax, which was simpler thought than done. Holly was on edge and could admit it, her heart was beating much too quickly, and she had the sudden and brutal urge to just… run.

"Holly, you're awake!" Luffy greeted. He held her shoulders almost protectively even as her hands shook, and a part of her was desperate to stand and move.

"That my dear, was a shot of adrenalin. It's effects are temporary."

Holly snapped her head toward Iva, who was once again male. His nails were elongated but shrinking and had a small amount of blood on them, her blood, Iva had stabbed her. "A shot of what?" she echoed.

"You requested to be awakened at the second gates." That was Jimbe at the helm.

"The shot will drastically increase the amount of adrenalin within your body and it should last several hours, it will allow you to fight beyond your bodies limits." Fight?

Ace!

"How long has it been?" Holly pulled from Luffy, staggered to her feet and swayed dangerously. She was magically exhausted, and should be deep in a healing sleep, to be on bed rest until her magical core recovered from what she'd done. Instead, she was on her feet, ready to do more. Holly didn't know if the adrenalin would actually help her; it got her body up and moving yes, but Holly didn't know if that would affect her magic. In the worst-case, Holly suspected she could permanently damage her core; the thought was terrifying. Holly didn't know if it was the fear of that scared her more, or if the adrenalin was just affecting her heart. In the end, it didn't matter.

"Two hours and forty minutes," Luffy answered perfectly aware of how long it had been, to the second. "An hour and twenty minutes until Ace is…" he trailed off. They weren't going to let that happen, there was no point in mentioning it. "Ace is at Marineford, we're going to save him."

Staring at Luffy, Holly found herself relaxing. She felt comforted by Luffy's confidence, hope hadn't always been the most natural thing for her to latch onto. Not after all the tragedies that continued to strike at her. Luffy was brimming with it though, and it was simple to follow his example. Nothing would stop them.

Holly turned around, cast her eyes around to check her surroundings. Ace would be upset that she hadn't done it immediately after waking. Most of the escaped prisoners were standing around Buggy The Clone with a surprising amount of awe on their faces. Clearly, she'd missed something when she'd been out with that, she'd ask Luffy about it later. Looking on Holly spotted her father and Sirius sitting at the… bow? The front of the ship. The two were staring toward the forming shape as it built in size as they sailed toward it. Following their gaze, Holly turned her attention to the second set of doors between her and Ace.

Perhaps it the awareness of how much magic was required to make the bloody ship fly over the doors, but the second set of them seemed far more daunting than the first. The doors themselves were probably the same size but enormous. Larger than Hogwarts had been, larger than any giant she'd ever seen. It was a show of power and control, and the Marines had to be compensating for something with them. "Probably got small pe-" she cut off when Luffy shot her a confused look, and she waved him off.

They were getting closer, and the doors were growing larger and larger by the second. The three, Jimbe, Luffy, and Iva, as well as just about everyone else on the ship, were counting on her to get this down. But did she have the magic for it? Holly pressed her fingers to her stomach and closed her eyes. Internally she sensed deep into herself. The adrenalin had woken her up, Holly felt like she was about to run straight into a quidditch match or fight Voldemort and was oddly ready for it. Holly was brimming with energy, but she had to know if that also applied to magic. The best way to tell would be to cast a rather simple spell, but if she had no magic, that would be a sure-fire way into unconsciousness. So Holly went with her own senses. She knew what her magic felt like, now she just needed to figure out if she had within her.

Emptiness.

Holly gripped her shirt. She couldn't accept that, couldn't accept that her body itself would so betray her right then. That it would let Ace- her soulmate die- there had to be something? She looked deeper and started to mumble to herself. "Magic is willpower, its mine. It'll obey me." She needed it, she needed her magic to cooperate right now. Needed her body to keep moving.

There.

Holly gripped tight to the energy within her, buried deep and almost out of reach, but there. She wrenched on it and snapped open her eyes to see the doors far closer than before; it was nearly too late to fly over them. Quickly Holly turned on her heel and marched toward the helm. Luffy and Iva watched her go, poorly concealed concern on their faces. She missed it entirely as she planted her hands on the helm to give her better access to the ship itself.

She could do this. She'd get them past the gates and then… then Luffy would finish the job. Holly turned toward Luffy and forced a smile: "I'm counting on you." She surprised herself with the comment. Holly, she'd always been the type to do it herself, and admittedly, from her history, that was precisely what she'd been taught. She had handled Quirrel, handled Tom, Pettigrew, the tournament. It had always been her, and yet, she honestly did trust Luffy to handle it. How odd.

Holly braced herself and-

"Pup, wait!"

She paused instinctively as Sirius popped up beside her. His hands went for her shoulders, he acted as if he could just grab her like he always had. They both tried not to let it show on their faces when his hands passed straight through her body. "Sirius?" Holly pulled her eyes from his hands and turned to his face displaying her confusion. Why had he stopped her?

"Save your magic."

"Save?" she gaped at him, unaware of the increasing perplexed expressions on Luffy, Iva, and Jimbe's faces, who watched her speaking to thin air. "But we need to get over the Gates! I have to-"

"I know," he soothed. Sirius reached his hands up, placing them just over her cheeks, he stared her down as he had when she'd been thirteen years old. Back when he'd been forced to leave her, back when she had only him as an inkling of a family. Back when it was just an orphan longing for family and an escaped convict who couldn't even stay with her. "I know you do, but it's better if you save your magic and trust Lily to handle this."

Still at the helm, James glanced their way. His posture, however, remained fixated on the looming Gates. He tapped his hand on his arm, waiting for it, waiting for the sign.

"Lily- to mom?" Holly pinched her brow. Actually, now that he was mentioning it, where was her mother? Holly hadn't seen Lily on the ship at all after she'd awoken, where was she? And how could she help? Lily was dead, as dead as James and Sirius were. There should be nothing that she could do-

A powerful grinding sound echoed from behind her, and just about everyone on the ship froze. Holly looked toward the gates in time with a dozen other heads as they slowly, impossibly, opened. The ocean twisted into a new current with the ship immediately followed it. A boost of speed sent them rushing for the growing opening between the door, the open doors.

"What is going on here?" Jimbe was gaping as much as any of them.

"They opened." Luffy blinked in surprise.

"What did she do?" was Holly's question to her parents, "how did she even do it?" her words caught Iva's curious attention. The man noted that once again, Holly was responsible for something impossible or, at the very least, had seemingly invisible allies that had done something. A curiosity the girl was, one as much as Luffy, if not more so. Iva had a feeling she, and everyone else present on this day should they survive, would be names to watch moving forward.

The Gates of justice were opening of their own accord even though the Marines themselves claimed they'd never allow them to open. Even if the control room for these particular doors was within Marineford itself. That was the thought they all shared. And while the simple-minded quickly believed, Buggy of all people, was responsible. Iva, Jimbe, and Luffy all looked to Holly, who was just learning precisely what Lily Evans could do.

A distance away, within Marineford itself, Rouge felt her eyes bugging out as a nondescript Marine rushed for the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku. The fleet admiral and Garp were the two men standing on either son of Ace's side atop a massive scaffolding. The appearance of it, the way it was built, was a brutal reminder of Roger's death. Had she been less distracted, the sight of her son in the same position would have brought Rouge to her knees. As it was Ace and Roger's accession to the execution platform couldn't have been different. Roger had been a king prepared for death, he'd planned to be where he was, he'd gone up casually and mocking. Ace… Ace had been forced to his knees as he'd struggled and fought every step of the way to his fate. Ace hadn't made his transport even the slightest bit easy. He'd knocked out a dozen guards once the paralytic Magellan had placed on him wore off. He'd struggled and bit at anything that came close to him. He'd fought.

It wasn't what Rouge expected when she made her deal with Lily; the original idea had been to get Holly fighting for her life and for Ace to be saved as a result. Instead, Holly had been saved, and now Ace was the one fighting. It was just as well Rouge decided, Ace and Holly both wanted to survive now, and it made all the difference in the world. In another world, Ace would have already given up. He would have accepted his fate as Roger, and Rouge would have screamed herself hoarse, invisible to all.

This Ace fought at his restraints forcing the Marines to focus more closely on him lest he actually break free. This Ace was well prepared not to use his haki and now long used to the feeling of working through the sea-stone attached to him.

True, Ace had been eventually overcome. He'd been shoved to his knees, chained by his ankles and hands with sea-stone to the scaffolding. He'd been surrounded by millions of Marines prepared for an all-out war. He had the best of the best guarding him, a figure that included his adoptive Grandfather - whom Rouge would take revenge on for this the moment the fool died - and countless others. Yet Ace still bared his teeth as the Marine skidded to a stop to speak to Sengoku.

"The Gates of Justice have opened without authorization!" The fool spoke loudly enough for Rouge and Ace to hear clearly, and they both arched an identical thoughtful brow, "we've lost contact with the control room!"

Ace's expression twisted into triumphant, which he didn't bother hiding. If it had been just Luffy within Impel Down, he might have second-guessed that announcement. However, with Holly also present, he knew she was the cause of that announcement somehow. Ace knew her abilities could not be locked down like a devil-fruit was. She could do anything, and everything she could imagine and getting into the control room of Impel down to open the Gates wasn't impossible with her around. Ace was only proven correct as the man continued.

"There's more, sir."

Ace tilted his head to listen ignoring Garp, who was well aware he was doing so.

"What could possibly be more?" Sengoku demanded. The man, shaking in his boots, pulled out a small portable den-den mushi. Over it, Magellan's pained voice came through- what in the hell had happened to him to sound like that?

"Sir." The word was respectful, and Ace made a face. The Marines didn't deserve or work to earn that sort of respect in his opinion, "we have looked at the footage as requested, and with Hannyabal's awakening, I can confirm the theory. The unknown goes by the name of Holly, and she possesses a teleporting devil-fruit."

Ace snorted loudly, a teleporting fruit? That was what they'd come up with? Sengoku and Garp both shot dark looks at him, and Ace happily looked away, acting innocent. He avoided eye-contact with the fleet admiral as the man discussed the 'threat' level of Holly with Magellan. The Warden of Impel Down was under the impression that Holly could only teleport to where she could see. That was accurate-ish, but only because Holly needed to know a location first. But once she knew it, she could go back as many times as she wanted with her apparition. He grinned to himself if they thought all Holly could do was apparate, the Marines were in for quite the rude awakening.

Ace's expression softened despite himself. It was one thing to hear Holly and Luffy screaming for him, to know that they were coming despite rescue being virtually impossible. It was another to know they'd both gotten out alive from Impel Down. On that thought, Ace knew what was most likely was that Holly had teamed up with Luffy, which meant the two of them had broken out an entire prison just to chase after him. Those two, he ducked his head so the Marines couldn't see his smile, they were his family, and they were coming for him. They were coming to face the Marines' entire force despite how out of their league they were. Ace smothered the fear he felt for them under a confident expression.

Despite how impossible Holly was and how bullheaded Luffy was… they were outmatched here. They didn't stand a chance against the sheer number of Marines present. They'd be overwhelmed, drowned in the tide of this war, and Holly's advantage, her apparition, was now known the Marines. His stomach sunk farther. Yes, Holly's apparition was fast, but the admirals were trained to react, and they'd act before she got her bearings. Ace had learned it from experience. Holly was slower than him to adjust to her surroundings. He'd even been trying to teach her better, but they hadn't gotten there yet. No. Ace grit his teeth as the image slipped into her form. Holly, hovering over him and the admirals baring down on her- prepared- and Akainu snatching hold of her- No, no! She had more advantages than that, she did.

"Be prepared for their arrival," Sengoku announced, speaking to both Garp and the nearby Admirals: Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu. "There is a teleporter within the enemy forces. When she arrives… apprehend her on sight."

"Yes sir!"

Ace shot a dark glare toward Sengoku, who refused to look at him. Then he turned to Garp, Ace witnessed a flash of guilt before it was smothered, and his so-called Grandfather looked away. The damned old-man had picked his side. Clearly, Ace had been stupid to think Garp would ever have picked him like Luffy, and Holly had-

Something brushed his arm. Ace tensed up and shot a look to the side, but nothing was there. What was that? He glanced around subtly as the sensation occurred again. Something was touching his arm, but he couldn't see it. It felt like icy… fingers?

His brows shot up. The ghosts? He'd seen them hovering over him every time they'd pulled him to Holly's world. From what Ace had heard from folk-legend, and proven accurate by Holly, ghosts were supposed to be cold. Though if it was their ghosts, this would undoubtedly be the first time he could remember actually feeling one. But what else could it be? Ace knew they existed; he'd gotten a glimpse or two when pulled between worlds, and just because he hadn't gone back didn't mean they simply ceased to exist.

The grip on his arms tightened, and a shiver raced across his spine. The sensation was unworldly, alien; it was wrong. It felt like cold air puffed at his ear and sent goosebumps all across his body.

"Th-ey're com-in-g."

The voice was disjointed and feminine, and it made him cringe. There was something wrong with the pitch of it, and it echoed brutally in his head. Searching for its source, Ace cast his eyes to his left once again, trying to find the source, but he couldn't see it. Ace could, however, guess who brought that message and tried to show how crucial his next sentence was. "Tell her to stay away." He mouthed toward where he thought the figure was. The hand on his arm gripped tight, like frost burn, it bit at him. The cold was brutal against his senses, against the fire smothered under sea-stone. Ace nearly wrenched his arm away from it despite its good intentions. It hurt.

"St-op tha-t!" The cold grew more potent, and he tugged at his arm to escape the grip, "they love you, and ne-ither of them are go-ing to give you up. So you sit right here, and w-ait to be rescued. Be-cause they're coming, and we're go-ing to bring you home."

To his left, he saw a flicker of red and a shape slowly forming at his side. Ace hurried to nod even though all he could focus on was the grip on his arm. Finally, she let go as he hissed a breath he couldn't entirely control as he caught sight of his arm. His skin where she had been holding on was iced up, frostbitten, and brutally red. Missing half a conversation Ace tried to focus on the blurry figure with Holly's eyes before she abruptly vanished. He looked for her for a moment before turning back toward the front, hoping Garp didn't notice the mark left behind. Though considering the man refused to look his way, it would be difficult for him to do so.

He was unaware as Lily flew away to reunite with her daughter with Rouge's shocked defensive words still echoing in her head.

Lily hadn't intended to hurt Ace. She hadn't even been aware she was doing it. Lily had no idea her touch had been burning him until Rouge had wrenched her back. Guilt grew in Lily's heart, and her aura darkened slightly. Her ability helped, it ensured the men and women within the control tower opened the Gates and were knocked out so they couldn't undo it. Her new status kept Magellan from chasing after her daughter. But it had also hurt Ace and… and Lily was beginning to realize she didn't have nearly as much control as she hoped.

She'd have to take greater care, less she does the same to her daughter.

---

Holly narrowly fell on her ass as the ship violently shook. They'd been caught in a wave, a tsunami really. All of them trapped on the ship as it was suddenly wrenched itself forward toward Marineford at a ridiculous speed. Only for the boat to stop just as suddenly as the entire ocean froze completely solid in an instant. The wave that had caught them had just stopped dead, and as Holly regained her footing, she was brutally reminded of the powers of Ace's world. Hours previous, she had made a ship fly. But the people here had created a tsunami from nothing, they had frozen the ocean itself as a show of power.

Moving carefully, Holly placed her hands on the railings on the left - port? - side of the ship and cast her eyes onward. Before her at the bottom of an enormous wave - nearly the same size as the Gates of Justice - lay Marineford. "Do you guys every do things small?" she asked, feeling positively exhausted as she took in the battlefield. It was beyond overkill, in her opinion.

Marineford itself was a man-made looking island with an enormous castle set dead and center. Buildings of regular sizes lay around it toward the left, right, and back. From her vantage point, Holly could see it was an island that typically must possess everything required for a regular city. The buildings, the ground, and just about every structure she could see seemed to be built with white and blue stone. It matched the Marines flags blatantly and pitifully. Then again, Holly could compare it to Sirius and his red and gold everything. The marines and her god-father took their flag pride to ridiculous levels. Even Sirius was better than them. They'd decided to write in giant letters the word 'Marines' across their main structure just in case you couldn't tell it was a Marine island.

Holly exhaled a light giggle. That was just sad she thought and moved her attention to the docks and swallowed thickly as she sobered.

The docks were in a crescent shape and utterly packed. Dozens of pirate ships - the black signs making clear what they were - surrounded the docks. The ships themselves were frozen in place due to whatever had frozen the ocean itself. The sheer number of pirates she saw there was a comforting sight, but the battle itself was not one. Holly could see a three enormous ships dead center in the bay; she assumed they had to be Whitebeard's ship. The man who's crew Ace was part of.

Whitebeard and the countless pirates down beyond were in furious battle against the Marines. From where she stood, they mostly looked like ants, the sheer number of Marines to Pirates making Holly feel a bit faint. This was beyond any number of people she'd ever seen. Beyond Kingscross, beyond the Great hall, beyond even the quidditch world cup. She'd never seen so many people in her life, and knowing they were all fighting to the death was impossibly daunting, especially as they tossed around abilities similar to magic like it was easy.

It was no wonder Ace had been rather unimpressed by Voldemort as she watched the distant battle. As people moved faster than she could even see. As people fought with greater strength than she could imagine and they were only small fry. They weren't even the most powerful warriors either.

This was a sea, a world of monsters.

This was Ace's world… hers now because of the choice she'd taken. She'd left her world- nope, no, she would think on that thought later.

Holly exhaled carefully and scanned for Ace, but he was impossible to make out from where she stood. The figures were just too small, and Holly didn't want to randomly apparate down, not without being sure she could grab Ace. So she turned away as Iva, Luffy, and the rest of their group started to hop off the ship itself to discuss their options. James and Sirius were waiting for her to do the same, as was Bon-Clay, who offered her a hand. It seemed he was taking his earlier order quite seriously even though it had been a temporary one.

"Holly-chan!" he greeted as she took his hand, and he helped her down from the ship. It was quite the height, so she was grateful for it, she would have had trouble - or would have had to apparate - to get down without him. Though it did make her crave a broom in hand. Everything would be more accessible if she were able to bring her Firebolt… and her tent, and all her world treasures- damn, she really had nothing to her name.

They landed on the ice below, and it only slightly jarred her knees as Bon-Clay took the brunt of the fall. She was quick to thank him though he waved her off with a bright thumbs up. Giving another glance toward the battlefield, Holly still couldn't see Ace, so she joined the planning group instead. Which consisted of the group arguing on how to get the ship unstuck. Personally, Holly agreed with Luffy, the easiest method seemed to just break the ice at the back and have the boat slide down the hill. Then they could circle the ice to the front and join the battle from the pirate's side.

"I could probably melt the ice," Holly reasoned, putting her own two-sickles in, "it'll act like an inner-tube on snow, like sledding..." A few shot her confused looks, causing her to trail off. Did they not have inner-tubes here? Or was it the sledding that did it? Ace hadn't been surprised by the snow of her world, so she could assume snow was still a thing. She could 'assume,' now that was a scary thought because she really didn't know. Biting her lip, Holly moved to explain, when a den-den Mushi, the odd little snail thing, started to speak on the ship above them.

"' Calling all ships and troops, objective Tottz change formation and prepare for general strategy 3. Preparations are to be executed flawlessly-" Holly glanced back alarmed as the entire group focused on a nearby snail spouting off information.

"That's the marines," James explained because Holly had been unconscious the last time they'd heard such an announcement. She likewise wasn't entirely sure what a den-den mushi was. Not that it mattered, not as the sentence finished with a shocking statement.

"-Once preparations are made, we will begin the execution of Ace in advance of the expected time."

Holly's heart dropped straight out her chest to somewhere around her feet as she frantically spun on the spot. She, like every else in the area, started to freak at the same exact moment. They'd been expected a certain amount of time before Ace was executed. They planned to be given a bit of leeway to save him, and the marines had just cut that down to minutes.

"We've got to hurry!" she and the rest yelled, scrambling for the ship.

"Just wink!"

"Alright then- death's WINK!"

Holly reached the end of the ice scanning the ground so she could just apparate when Iva yelled something and- the ice shifted beneath her feet. Holly gasped as she dropped. It was like she had plunged downward with her broom, except Holly had no control of it. No, she had a more accurate comparison. It was like her third year after the dementors knocked her from her broom. She and the rest were plummeting straight out of the damned sky with frozen debris. Iva had shattered the ground, in the wrong buggering direction!

She bit back an alarmed shriek and grabbed for her wand as James and Sirius, unaffected by gravity, raced to catch up to her. Close by, Bon-Clay grabbed hold of her free arm and tugged her closer to him. He pulled her to his chest and twisted them, so when they hit, he'd hit first. And seriously? She'd just met the man! Why was he doing that-

"I'll be fine since I'm rubber!"

"Not helpful, Luffy!" Sirius of all people snapped even though he couldn't be heard.

"You want to be the only one to survive? NO?! THEN DO SOMETHING STRAW HAT!"

"I DO NOT WISH TO DIE LIKE THIS!" Iva panicked.

"Holly-chan!" Bon-clay cradled her carefully as James and Sirius arrived helplessly, grabbing for her.

"Holly spell! Spell! SPELL!" James yelled as his hands went straight through her body.

Buggering- Morgana's nasty- HELL! "ARESTO MOMENTUM!" she screamed, throwing the elder wand in a swift arc. She copied Dumbledore's spell from her third year. She felt her magic surged outward, catching hold of the people around her, the broken pieces of ice, and the full-sized battleship to drastically slow their descent. She struggled to lower everyone down safely as she realized there was a large opening of water directly beneath them.

Holly grinned, and as it enclosed, she snapped her wand to the side and broke the spell. She and everyone else then dropped the leftover distance, and the water enveloped them all. Holly instinctively, due to the freezing temperature of the water, wanted to gasp. Internally she groused because this was fourth year all over again. Freezing winter water and a rescue mission. Funny how all her time at Hogwarts kept helping her with Ace now. That was a bit ironic.

Holly grabbed Bon-Clay when the man went utterly limp in the water, her fingers clutched at his prisoner uniform, and Holly rushed to kick her legs. Swimming as she'd discovered in her fourth year was not something she was overly skilled at. This was due to being forced to miss all the swimming lessons her primary school offered. Not to mention Holly had always been left behind during 'beach' and 'pool' trips the Dursley's went on. Her inability almost caused a catastrophe during her fourth year. It was only due to Hermione that Holly didn't drown that year. However, there was a difference between swimming in a spelled swimsuit with gilly-weed, and swimming in a frozen ocean, fully clothed, while dragging someone behind her.

Holly would like to say she was grateful she'd dumped her robes earlier because, with them, she really would have drowned. As it was, Holly struggled against the ocean's pull, which seemed oddly determined to drown her. Holly would almost say the sea was alive, it had a presence that reminded her of mother magic. Like it was desperate to pull Bon-clay to the depths and her by extension. That, or she really was just that bad at swimming. Could be either really Holly reasoned.

Kicking frantically, Holly struggled for the surface. So focused, she missed Jimbe pause as he snatched hold of Crocodile and the Iva both to stare at her. He watched her legs kicking, a terrible swimming form, and watched her drag Bon-Clay to air and… she shouldn't be able to do that. Devil-fruit users were useless in the ocean, the proof was in Iva, Crocodile, Luffy, and Bon-clay. This girl should be the same; she should be limp in the water, one more soul for Jimbe to save, and she wasn't.

"What are you," he questioned before following her to the surface.

Holly breached the water and dragged Bon-Clay up so he could breathe. The man gasped for air but didn't move, it was surreal for Holly. Boy-Clay was alive, he was conscious, but he didn't try to swim, was this what happened to Ace if he fell in the water? Merlin, Holly would have to layer a dozen water-proof spells on him… actually, if she made him water-resistant enough and he fell in the water, what would happen?

Her nails caught the edge of the ice and then slipped. Holly made a face of irritation as she clawed at the ice and tried to drag both her and Bon's bodies from the ocean. She was too heavy. Holly's arm strength wasn't nearly powerful enough to get them both out while she just kept slipping!

"Holly-chan," Bon said, watching her struggle, "how… how can you swim?"

She didn't answer, she'd have to grab her wand, but that would require her temporarily releasing the ice or releasing Bon. Could she grab it again with a wand in her hand? She didn't know… she was so bloody cold- it was fourth-year all over again but without a damned warming charm!

Debating on letting go temporarily, a hand snatched hold of hers, and Holly felt her whole arm wrenched on. Luffy, standing on the shore with water dripping off his hair, grabbed hold of her and effortlessly pulled herself and Bon from the water's grip. Holly landed on her knees, coughing from exertion and freezing down to her very soul. "Thanks, Luffy," Holly exhaled as she pushed to her knees, then stood. Luffy nodded her way as she did so, then he turned toward the battlefield.

Holly took a moment before she did the same, Ace would chastise her for her lack of awareness, but Holly couldn't even move her fingers with how cold she was. He'd have to forgive her, exact motions were required for the kind of casting she was going to have to do to save him. So dry and warm, she needed to be. With shaking fingers, she reached into her pocket for her wand and hurriedly cast a drying charm on her body. Holly followed up with a warming spell for good measure. True, she looked rather like Bellatrix at the moment. The water and the drying charm had transformed her regular curls into a frizzy mess that was determined to stay directly in her line of sight. The line-of-sight issues was why Hermione had originally - as in after they left Hogwarts to hunt Horcruxes - suggested they cut their hair. Holly had, but as it had as a child, it grew back overnight. Which meant Holly had invested in quite the amount of ties for her hair during battles. Naturally, Holly had none at the current moment, because that was how her luck worked.

Glancing up, Holly tucked her hair as best she could behind her ears. Spotting what her team was doing, she heaved a sigh. She quickly decided Luffy and the people of Ace's world were insane. They weren't the slightest bit affected by the freezing temperatures and seemed fine now that they were out of the water. These people weren't human. The whole lot of them were posing unintentionally as they stared down the battlefield. Like their entrance had been wholly planned for and not a fluke and an accident. Holly rolled her eyes as she recalled she was the only woman in the whole group, not including whatever Bon-clay was - she didn't want to label it without asking - and Iva's gender-swapping.

Holly didn't really think about the fact that she was thinking about tying up her hair while the boys were posing or what the boys would think about where her thoughts had wandered to. Instead, Holly stepped forward and joined their number. She'd just have to deal. At least she wasn't feeling like a waterlogged kneazle.

Then again, perhaps she wasn't the only one bothered by the water.

"My makeup!" Bon-clay wailed.

"I have drowned! OR NOT!" Iva… for some reason, proclaimed.

"Hmm," Crocodile was completely dry due to Holly's spell, but he didn't understand why.

"How are you dry?" Jimbe asked, immediately picking up on the change. He was cataloging her oddities and wasn't the only one either.

Holly waved him off with a "tell you later," she scanned the battlefield and focused on the scaffolding. The entire battle had paused because of them, and Holly immediately hated the attention… until she finally caught sight of a figure knelt in the distance. She could finally make him out. Holly could finally see him.

"See him?" Holly tilted her head toward Luffy, and he nodded once sharply, he did.

"Ace." Luffy breathed out, looking for a moment surprised that they'd actually done it, they finally Ace within sight. Then, he took a breath that stretched out his chest and screamed out. "ACE! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

Holly straightened her spine as she was backed by the people from the prison. She watched reactions of their appearance spread outward. From the pirates' blatant surprise to a mix of shock on the Marines, but a few… a few looked unsurprised, and Holly pressed her lips together. Some of them were expecting them. She wondered what they knew though it had to have been Magellan to report them. Dismissing the general chaos, Holly centered her attention on Ace. Everyone was currently focused on Luffy, Iva, and Jimbe, who were all big shots and names. Jimbe was apparently resigning, Iva was something called a revolutionary and Luffy clearly had some history with some key figures. But no one was paying attention to Holly. She could apparate right there and- and at her left Crocodile moved.

Holly knew it, she knew he wasn't to be trusted, and he suddenly hurled himself toward a very tall man nearby. It distracted her. She turned around because that man was centralized, so he had to be Whitebeard even though he didn't have a white beard or a beard at all. That man had to be Ace's captain, and she couldn't let him get killed here- her spell- Holly choked stepping forward and changing her apparition point in an instant. She apparated between Whitebeard's back and Crocodile a split second after Luffy did. The two of them acting at the same moment. Luffy lifted his arm, and in time with him, Holly twisted her wand up, crying the first thing that came to mind.

"Expelliarmus!" her spell struck just as Luffy's foot crashed into the man's hooked arm.

Crocodile choked as Holly's spell struck his chest, and he was sent hurtling away. Holly breathed out in relief, got to do so for only a moment before she felt a set of intense eyes at her back. She turned slowly to find a man twice as large as Hagrid staring down at her and Luffy. Holly quietly choked and stepped back, away from the intimidating figure like she'd initially done with Hagrid. But there was no corner to hide in now, not unless she counted Luffy, who dragged four times as much attention she did without effort. Unfortunately, Whitebeard noticed them both, though his focus seemed to be mostly on Luffy. Holly smoothly moved until she stood with Luffy between them.

"You're here to save your brother then? I hope you understand what you're fighting. You'll be throwing your life away." His giant eyes flicked to Holly, who straightened her spine inexplicably. This man, he was intimidating in a way, unlike Dumbledore. The headmaster had always carried an air of disappointment around with him. He'd acted like he was expecting her to better, always. Holly always felt guilty in his presence, like she'd done something wrong when she'd just been doing her best. Funny how she was slowly recognizing only now that she genuinely had done her best and that it should have been good enough… for Ace, for her parents watching over her, for the Weasley's, and Sirius, Holly had done enough.

This man was different. He looked at her, and she got this bizarre feeling in her chest. Yes, he was basically telling them they were too weak for this and to sit back and not get involved. Still, Holly got a distinct feeling that he was actually trying to protect them. It was bizarre. Having something look at her and actually not want her to throw away her life. Holly didn't know what to do with it. Didn't know how to react to Ace's captain.

Luffy did though.

"Shut up!" Luffy snapped. Holly shot him a surprised look, bloody hell he really was fearless, wasn't he? "It's not your job to decide that! I've heard about you, you want to be king of the pirates. Well, the one who's going to be king of the pirates is me!" Luffy grinned ferociously, "and the one to save Ace will be Holly and me!"

She jerked at her name; Luffy looked away from Whitebeard, dismissing the powerful man on a whim to stare her down, and then he snatched hold of her arm. Holly realized instantly that Luffy had noticed what no one else had. Or perhaps he'd just instinctively guessed that if she was going to teleport, then he'd need physical contact with her. "right Holly?!"

Holly didn't hesitate, "Right!" she screamed right on back, feeling quite bold thanks to Luffy. She felt brave enough to smirk at Whitebeard 0- Ace's bloody father - because Luffy was right. They would be saving Ace, and they'd do it easily. "Hold tight Luffy!" Holly squeezed his fingers, "I'm bringing us right there!"

The Whitebeard pirates at large had no idea what she could do or what she and Luffy were planning. They could only watch as Holly tossed her head toward the scaffolding to memorize it even from a distance. Luffy tightened his fingers to an almost painful level as he braced himself. He brought one fist up, ready to punch, and expanded his stance in a fighting one.

"Ready!"

They were getting Ace back now!

Holly began a slow countdown to brace Luffy and her own mental fortitude. This would be the most crucial apparition of her life so far.

"Three." Ace was hers, her soulmate, her friend… the one she loved. Ace was her future, and the key to a lifetime of possibility, he was the one she wanted to share her life with. Holly was absolutely not letting him die here. She would let no one take him and that possibility of true happiness away from her. Not again. This wasn't third year, she wasn't a child any longer. She was a grown woman, and her fate was hers to steal back. Holly was not failing this.

"Two." Luffy's gaze burned toward the scaffolding as dormant energy within him twisted. It had been slowly building from the moment he'd learned of Ace's fate, or perhaps even before that. Whatever it was, it was his to use to save his brother, and Holly was the key to that. He'd seen her within Impel Down. Watched her vanish and reappear a distance away with a loud crack of sound. It was clear she had a devil-fruit. Luffy immediately realized that she was only teleporting where she could see. The moment she could see Ace in Marine hands, they could grab him, and Luffy held her hand to ensure he wasn't left behind in this. Holly could do it, they could save Ace together.

Destination, determination, and deliberation. "One!"

Holly's heel scratched across the deck of the Whitebeard ship, the Moby Dick. Everything went black around her, and for a moment, a split second she couldn't breathe; the familiar red-hot bands of magic shoved brutally at her lungs. She was being squeezed on all sides. But it only lasted a moment, because this was her smoothest apparition that Holly had ever done. It was near seamless. There was no crack of sound on either side. She and Luffy were simply there, and then they weren't. The crossed an entire battlefield, and entire island worth of Marines in the time it took the average person to blink. On top of this, there wasn't even a drain on her magic. It was as if her magic just knew how crucial this was to her.

The world returned, and she was there. Ace was right in front of her knelt and already searching for her, he already knew she was going to do it, he knew what to look for. Ace's eyes met hers, and Holly felt something surge in her chest. She'd finally reached him. He was in reach.

Luffy and Holly both reached forward at the same moment. Their hands grabbed for Ace as the two Marines closest to Ace twisted, one yelling a warning, and the other almost hesitant to stop her. Holly witnessed the first marine start to turn pure gold as he punched out. But he was too slow as Holly's hands snatched Ace's bicep, and Luffy's caught Ace's shoulder. Holly spared only a moment to bask in the fact that she was actually touching Ace for real, no haki involved, before she was twisting- picturing the ship she'd just been on-

Ace yelled something-

-fingers dug deep into her ankle.

There was a day in her childhood, though she didn't know how old she'd been, that Aunt Petunia had ordered Holly to cook breakfast. It had been an early experience with the kitchen, and she'd been a bit clueless about what she was supposed to do with a frying pan. Holly distinctly remembered the smell of the bacon as she set it in the pain just as she remembered the oil spitting up at her. The actual moment of contact was a blur. But Holly recalled wrenching her arm back out of sheer surprise. She remembered distantly, in a sort of disconnected way, that it hurt. But the actual pain faded in time.

That pain, that sudden jarring heat, was something she hadn't experienced often. It was different from the crucio that stolen across her entire body and left her shaking for hours after. It was different from a hex and the sharp stabbing sensation that came from it. It wasn't even like the horntail's flames because a dragon species like that tended to attack with his tail more than it's fire. However, Holly didn't know how else to express the sudden instinctual flinch that overcame her.

It was a deep-seated knowledge. It was human instinct.

Holly wrenched her ankle away the moment she felt the first contact. Knew with her entire being that she had to get her leg away from what held her. And all this occurred to her in the time it took Holly to complete her turn to disapparate.

And then white-hot agony took over her senses.

"Holly!" Ace's warning came too late.

She disapparated despite the white-hot burn shooting up her leg, and the world twisted brutally as she felt something in her side rip. Everything went black, and the squeeze nearly caused her to pass out as she completely lost focus on her spell. An instant later, Holly felt wood under her trainers, followed by her legs giving out. She crashed to the ground with twin voices crying her name. Holly exhaled a scream. The scent of burning flesh hit her nose, an unfortunately unforgettable scent she'd caught on multiple occasions. Except for this time, it was her that was burning.

Hands fluttered at her side, they danced up her arms and cupped her face. Holly could barely focus on them due to the searing pain in her side and leg. It was a pain she was helpless to escape even as someone- Ace- begged her to stay still. Even as arms locked her body down so they could help- but gods it hurt.

Holly was unaware that it was Ace's hands desperately trying to keep her still. He'd seen Akainu go for her, seen his molten fingers latch onto her leg. He'd been brutally prepared in that instant to throw himself between Akainu and his loved ones. Miraculously Holly had managed to apparate despite that. She'd succeeded at severing Akainu's arm from his body. However, as a Logia, Ace wasn't sure if that would be a permanent dismemberment, and at the moment, Ace didn't care. Regardless, Holly had brought them all to safety despite the Admiral burning her. Despite the magma still actively clinging to her leg.

As Holly dropped Ace yanked at the chains still attached to his ankles and wrists. He hopped over the links keeping his wrist together, bringing his arms to his front, rather than his back. He couldn't separate his hands due to the chains, but he could still help. Ace dropped to the floor beside Holly's fallen form while Luffy caught her body, uses his own rubbery one to cushion her fall. Luffy's hands fluttered helplessly, his mouth moving as if to call for someone who wasn't around, his eyes suddenly so young and expectant of Ace- as if Ace wasn't likewise panicked.

On sheer blind instinct, Ace grabbed for the magma to wrench the molten rock away from Holly. He grabbed at it despite his body not being made of fire. Swiped at it as Holly screamed, struggled, and thrashed- as she bled all across the deck from a wound he hadn't seen her receive. Shit, her leg was a mess- he could see her bone-

"Ace move! Let me see. Straw-hat hold her down, put your hands right here!"

Someone- no Marco - pushed Ace to the side and thrust his own hands forward. His hand, coated blue, pressed firmly against Holly's leg healing where he could. His other hand touched at her side, noticing and assessing what Ace and Luffy had missed in their inexperience and panic. Marco acted, he ordered them to proper action as Ace desperately tried to stop his shaking hands, he'd burned them severely- it had been so long since he'd been burned-

"Ace put pressure here!" Marco demanded of him before he could lose any more focus on the situation. It forced Ace to focus as he realized Holly was bleeding profusely from her side- he hadn't seen anything hit there. Ace obeyed Marco's order placing his hands over the large tear in Holly's side. His finger slipped slightly in the blood, but he refused to allow his hands to shake as Marco worked. Marco would save her, she wasn't going to die- again-

"It's okay, Ace! Holly's strong, she'll be okay." Luffy snatched his attention. His brother had his hands firm on Holly's shoulders, keeping her still as struggled against their collection grip. Against Marco's forcefully probing hands, Ace's digging into her wound, and Luffy forcing her to take it.

God- he couldn't stop shaking- he couldn't-

"Ace, my son."

Pops- Ace glanced up and saw his father a bare step away, he hadn't even realized the man was that close. Hadn't realized Holly had brought him to the Moby Dick in full view of two full-sized armies. She'd done that and while he'd been panicking, picturing her dead in his arms a second time. It had happened while the rest of the war's participants had been reacting in sheer shock. He'd missed Marco turning mid-flight toward them. Missed the bug-eyed surprise on the Whitebeard pirates and the smug satisfaction on Iva and Jimbe's face. As well as Admiral Akainu regrowing his arm and glaring their way if pure, abject, hatred - as if he cared about that.

"Oyaji…" Ace mumbled, guilt slipping into his thoughts.

"Find your breath, my son, she will be fine."

Ace bit his lip, Luffy, and now his father, both of them were actively trying to calm him down. How easily Holly did that to him, made him forget nearly everything else that existed. Was this common? Ace didn't know. He'd never been in a relationship before… and still hadn't. He and Holly were not dating. Ace hadn't even told her he loved her yet…

"Move your hand a bit Ace, let me see," Marco said, interrupting his thoughts. Ace hurried to comply, not wanting to impede his brother's work in any manner.

Marco had done what he could for Holly's ankle. He was now focused on the bloodied wound under Ace's palm. Marco quickly noted the damage to his brother's hand, the burns were severe, a cost of placing his skin in contact with magma without coating his palm with haki. Ace would, unfortunately, have to deal with it for the time being. So Marco turned his attention to the clinically severed skin at the girls - Holly? - side. The shape was alien to him; it resembled nothing that Marco had seen before. It was almost like a large chunk of her belly had simply vanished. Not cut, not burned, saw, severed, there was no trace of a weapon being used. It was just gone. More complicated to that, Marco had seen her at the scaffolding, no one had gone near her side. So, where did the wound come from?

"How did she get this?"

"'Splinched,'" Ace answered as a memory resurfaced of Holly mentioning it when they'd first started apparating together, "her… teleporting, if she's not focused, she can cut off parts of her body by accident." Ace looked at the scaffolding, and the furious Sengoku already yelling his orders to prevent their escape. He was lighting a fire under the Marines asses, citing that the battle had been lost, but the war was from over. Unfortunately for them all, Sengoku was right. Because although Ace was free, they still had to escape, and they were all currently trapped by Aokiji's frozen wave.

"Why didn't that happen to us?" Luffy asked, unaware of the building frenzy. It was like a buzzing swarm with frantic plans being made for this unprecedented outcome. The Marines hadn't imagined Ace would actually be rescued. They'd planned a hundred different paths, and they all involved killing Ace long before the Whitebeard's even got close. Holly and Luffy had effortlessly destroyed all those ideas in ten short seconds. Now, everything had changed, and the winner would be the side to adapt quicker.

"Didn't want you hurt," Holly's whispered, she spoke up despite the pain in explain. Ace snapped his attention back to her just in time to catch her searching fingers, she gripped her palm fast and linked their fingers together. Desperately Ace tried not to think about how cold her hand was. Because this was the first time he'd ever done, the first time he'd been able to physically touch her, and Ace wished he could savor it. Wished she wasn't bleeding out in that exact moment. Wished his family wasn't being slaughtered in droves right behind him.

Ace had a lot of wishes.

"I focused on you," Holly mumbled. Her body was curling toward Ace, and away from Marco's probing touch, she felt like she was burning. Her nerves were on fire, like the cruciatus curse except brutally located on her ankle alone. The worst part of it was that there was no spell on her. That pain would not go away because she defeated the caster- gods… was this- was this why Neville's parents went mad? To feel this on their entire body for hours-

"Stupid," Ace chastised Holly and pulled her attention back to him. He kept her focused on him, on his hand, while Marco's hand lit up blue with healing flames. Ace was going to owe his brother so much for this. The first division commander to be so focused on one person while the others fought- Ace was more grateful than he could possible expression. "Do you have any potions, Holly?" If she did, they could be given to his brothers, unless they wouldn't work on 'Muggles."

"Dunno… didn't check." Holly winced as Marco dug into her side to pull the sides together, so she didn't bleed out. She'd have a brutal scar from the injury Marco thought… if she survived it. Going off Ace's expression when she'd been injured, he dearly hoped she did. "Maybe in my pockets? I don't have my- ah! My…" she winced and forced the word out in a cough, purse,"

Ace started to hunt through her pockets, he didn't bother with the ones that weren't bottomless as her famous purse was. Her front pockets were normal, but her back left was bigger on the inside. Ace reached down, his arm vanished up to the elbow while Marco and Luffy's eyes bugged out at the sight. Then, his fingers caught fabric, and he pulled to reveal a rather ugly looking cloak. Ace tossed it to the side for the time being, he didn't need that.

"Nothing," he exhaled with a bitter taste in his mouth. If only Holly had been able to bring her things, those potions would have saved countless lives- damn.

"Sorry."

"S'fine," he ran a bloodied hand through her hair, he was covered in her blood and some of his own. "Just rest… I've got you," Ace looked to Marco, who nodded, then to the battlefield. Robotic humanoids were attacking their allies and blocking off their escape route. Aokiji was expanding out the ice field, so even the allied ships couldn't go anywhere. Akainu, Ace couldn't even see that man and Jozu was currently going toe-to-toe with Kizaru. It was a bloody mess, even with their father hurling orders.

Ace should… he should be fighting- but with the sea-stone shackles and Holly in the state she was, not to mention Luffy looked ready to drop on the spot from whatever he'd faced in Impel Down, could Ace really leave them? Could he even make a difference?

Holly blinked slowly, felt the pull of unconsciousness nudging her once more, and tried to focus on Ace's face. He was staring outward, his expression pained as people screamed, and explosions went off. But Ace's hand was still in hers, he was safe, Ace was with her, he was safe- Ace shifted, looked down, and brought Holly's attention to his wrists as she heard a clink of chains, the noise caused her lips to pinch.

Not yet, she had things she needed to do.

Holly reached out her hand and brushed her fingers against the sea-stone shackled still attached to Ace's body. She wrapped her fingers around the metal before saying in a weakened whisper: "Alohamora."

The weight which Ace had grown to live with, dropped off him. The sea-stone chains popped open without a key, and he felt for the first time since his arrest, his flames lick to life. Ace reigned them in as the skin as his arms sparked against the frostbite left by Lily. While Whitebeard and Marco both realized the widely assumed 'teleporter' wasn't entirely accurate. Neither of them said a thing about it either. Not as Luffy dropped onto his butt to rest. Marco swiftly moved to stitch up Holly's side because actual surgery would have to wait. Not as Whitebeard turned his attention to the battlefield and the war still raging.

"Can we nap now?" Luffy asked as he leaned back on his hands. He was exhausted, beyond exhausted. He'd pushed his body far past its limits and beyond what was considered 'human,' to save his brother—a brother who was now safe and sound.

"No," Marco snarled. None of them should be even if the girl needed it; however, in the situation, none of them could afford to. Marco finished his last bit of stitching. It was a shit job, patchwork at best, and it would scar terribly, but it should hold as long as she didn't aggravate it, and that would have to do. Because the war was still raging, and he didn't have the time or resources to be neat.

"Fall Back!" Their father ordered as the war exploded onto a new level. Now with the Whitebeard's trying to escape and the Marines desperate to stop them. "Marco!" his captain called, seeing he'd done all he could. Marco didn't need to be told twice, the ice needed to be dealt with, and their flank defended. Orders needed to be given. The plan they had adjusted. He was needed.

"Do not move from here," Marco ordered the girl as she drooped, then he turned to Ace aware his brother would throw himself into battle at a moment's notice. That was something they couldn't have. Ace was the exclusive target of the war. If he left this ship, then every damned Marine would be gunning for him. "Keep her here, if she moves she's dead! Do you understand me, Ace?"

Ace nodded as Marco put the fear into him. Truthfully it wasn't quite that drastic, but Marco was taking advantage of the situation. He needed Ace to stay. Marco had this terrifying feeling in his chest that if Ace returned to the battle, Ace would die. Marco couldn't explain why he believed that to be true, Ace was strong enough to defend himself and survive. But the instinctive thought caused Marco to act, so he threatened the worst case, it was his prerogative as a doctor and older brother.

Intentions made clear Marco turned back to the battle and launched off the ship to rejoined the fight. He left Luffy, Ace, and Holly behind his father, who'd protect them without pause or failure. He left behind the key players on their side in one spot, their father, and the main target of the battle.

Left behind, Luffy dropped entirely onto his back and took a moment to breathe. He was feeling reasonably faint now that Ace was safe. The days worth of fighting and pain he'd put his body through was catching up now that he could relax, and Luffy could, or so he believed.

At the same time, Holly, dipping in and out of consciousness, squeezed tight to Ace's hand. Roger's warning echoed in the back of her head, and though the world was blurring, she still knew she had to keep Ace from the man known as Akainu. Thankfully Ace was still too frozen by Marco's warning to even think about leaving yet. Instead of going, he gripped her hand back and slowly realized it was the first time his hand had been in hers. The first time they were in the same place physically.

"Holly." Ace breathed out, squeezing her hand. She'd fought against death itself, had escaped Impel Down with Luffy and crossed worlds to reach him. She'd done all that- why had she done all that?! "Why." He stared down at her as she struggled to breathe. Fought against the fifth-degree burns at her leg and her nerves screaming at her- gods it hurt- it hurt- it hurt- "why would you do all this for me?" He hadn't even told her the truth, how… how had she even known to come for him? How had she even survived? He had so many questions, and now was the worst time to even begin to want to ask them.

Ace bent over, he twisted his body until his forehead to tapping against hers. His eyes clamped closed, and he just breathed. He'd hadn't said it to Marco and his father yet, or really even to himself before this. But Ace intended to marry her one day. It had been a distant idea in the back of his head when he'd been nothing but a spirit; it had been impossible before this moment. Now it actually was possible, and Ace could admit that he wanted it. Funny how quickly he wanted it, especially considering Ace hadn't even told her he loved-

"I love you." His eyes snapped open and met Holly's, though in pain, she was smiling at him as she spoke the exact words he'd just been about to, "moron." Holly added as she squeezed his hand still her own.

"Holly?" She… she'd just done it- this freaking woman-

"I shoulda' said it before," Holy mumbled, "but I was scared because…" she bit her lip unwilling to admit how much of her temporary death had actually been planned. Holly settled for most of the truth, "I wanted you too much. I was ready to put you first before anything else…" she chuckled weakly, "I did do that anyway, didn't I? Before my own world." Holly didn't even know how the war turned out and suspected she never would. But, she'd done her part, she could give no more than that. "Clearly, that means I love you. But it should still be said… that 'I love you.'"

Ace choked on something that might have been a sob if he'd actually let it loose. There it was. The future laid out before him in a set of bright green eyes. An endless ocean he wanted to show her, a family he wanted to build, a life he wanted to have, and it was possible. Sure the Marines knew his father now. Sure they'd hunt him and Holly to the ends of the Blue's, but with her magic and his strength, the Marines wouldn't stand a chance. The future was theirs to steal.

"Psst Ace," Luffy leaned into his line of sight awkwardly, his brother was sitting right beside them both. As a result, Luffy had been privy to Holly and, Ace's entire conversation and a rush of embarrassment took over Ace.

"What?" he demanded of his brother while trying to contain the mortification.

"Now is when you say it back."

Oh, gods. Ace near about-face planted, why, why was this happening?

Holly burst out in pained laughter when Ace's eyes shot for the sky. Giggling to herself, Holly explained simply in a stage whisper: "you can't force it Luffy."

"Eh?"

"No, you can't," Ace agreed superiorly, "which is good because I don't have to." He looked back at Holly, "because I love you too, Holly."

Her eyes crinkled happily despite the pain, while Whitebeard looked away with a roll of his eyes. Young love, honestly. Edward Newgate was pleased to see one of his sons find someone to spend the rest of his life with… in prison apparently. Or perhaps when Ace had been chasing after Teach? Whitebeard didn't honestly know the timing. He was equally pleased that Ace found someone, his young son needed someone in his life, and the girl, from what he'd seen, was undoubtedly a good match for him.

He was happy. Delighted to see such joy and love from his beloved son when such anguish and despair had been on his face only moments ago. The change made it easy for Edward Newgate to welcome his newest daughter into the fold, even though she didn't know it yet.

"Good." Holly smiled as the world went black at the edges.

"Holly?"

Holly let herself fall backward into unconsciousness. It was probably the blood loss… but… she needed a… nap…

---

Rouge didn't bother dodging the Marines she flew through in pursuit of one young man. Not as Aokiji made a B-line for the very same target she was flying after. Rouge left a trail of chilled Marines behind her, probably under the impression the sudden cold had to do with their Admiral and not from the long-dead Pirate Queen. Rouge gave the Marines, and some unfortunate pirates, little mind as she rushed passed Admiral Aokiji. Her goal was to beat the bastard to the blue-haired kid he was moving to apprehend, or worse.

Rouge had seen very few of the former crew out and about after her death. The exception of that had been Shanks, whom Ace had purposely and cluelessly sought out. Now, the second cabin boy had made his appearance in her line of sight, and as Rouge had sought out the clown. Especially considering what he'd been so stupidly wielding, Buggy, even grown, was still a moron who didn't realize the power of information.

Marines were all the same no matter the age. The world government controlled the information, they said who was bad and good, and their word was readily accepted. The Marines said Ace was devil's spawn, and nothing else mattered. Not the wonderful young man who'd rescued people in poor countries. Who let a little girl eat all his food because she was hungry. Who put himself between a young-woman and a mad-man trying to kill her because he happened to like her.

Information… that was powerful, and Rouge was a little tired of the Marines controlling it exclusively.

Rouge hurled her arms out as she reached Buggy. The former cabin-boy held a den-den mushi in his fingers, the only one still broadcasting. The snail held a direct connection to the rest of the world, it showed the war to the people of the world. Like a young blue-haired princess praying for a teen who saved her country to survive. To a dozen souls on Sabaody Archipelago who'd become crucial players in the world. And Rouge felt her hands coat with haki at that last second.

She only had a moment- just a moment-

Rouge snatched the den-den mushi out of Buggy's hands a split second before Aojiki made contract freezing Buggy and his escaped prisoners. A slow smirk grew on her face as Rouge took to the air and shot toward the nearby wall. See if the Marines could find the snail now.

Unlike James, she still had a minimal amount of energy left, and she knew exactly what she was going to do with it now that Ace was freed and at Holly's side. After all, an entire world had just heard Ace was Roger's son, and Rouge wanted to make sure the Marines didn't twist up that information any more than they had.

"How about another game of cat and mouse eh Marines?" Rouge cackled as she soared away, careful not to run out of energy. She couldn't save Ace with what she had left, but holding a den-den mushi for a little while? That she could do.

---

Lily twisted her body through the air to land lightly on the ice. As she did, she lifted her head and snarled as her hair floated around her. Her hair was acting like it was under a different gravity than the rest of her body; it was slow to move, like something was holding tight to it, like it had its own mind. Lily paid little thought to the acts of her hair though, not at her target easily dodged another of her attacks. This man she could admit her stronger than Magellan, but she wouldn't let it stop her.

Back and forth, Lily had flown across the battlefield. Heading back to warn Holly only for her daughter to apparate straight to the scaffolding before she could. Lily had blindly chased after Holly and Luffy and had witnessed one of the Admirals of the Marines snatching hold of her daughter's ankle. The scream that escaped Holly when he had chilled Lily's very soul and a part of Lily chipped away.

Banshee, it was a throw-away beast in a class Lily hadn't taken, but now that was what Lily was becoming. Lily didn't overthink how she had gained her abilities or what had changed within her very soul to cause it. Not until Lily had accidentally given Ace frostbite, but she'd been forced to dismiss it because of the war affecting her children. Just as she scarcely noticed that her body was becoming more solid and pale with every moment and that her thoughts were growing more and more disjointed-

Lily's eyes were blank, and a soft keening noise was escaping her. She focused her attention on Akainu as he walked away from a balding pirate. On the beast that had harmed her child, Lily didn't acknowledge that Ace and Holly had safely returned to Whitebeard's ship. All she knew was her daughters scream, and Ace's terror-filled cry and Lily's attention couldn't be pulled from it. She brutally launched at Akainu, and nothing would deter her.

Her claws rent into the man's face causing massive frostbitten wounds where she'd managed to touch him. Then the battle between them started as he jerked back, searching for her. Due to the changes within her, Akainu was able to locate her form quickly. Lily floated feet off the ground, her clothes and red hair wiped about her as if there was wind. Her eyes were dead, and her mouth was opened as she breathed out something that would grow into a brutal shriek. Then she attacked.

Lily had no magic in death, all she hand were her hands. She clawed at Akainu, tried to grab at his eyes and throat with actions more similar to an enraged civilian than a genuine threat. Akainu found it effortless to dodge her, and he waved an arm at her form. One blow with his magma and the 'thing' would be gone. His magma coated where she'd been standing, and he turned away already bored with it- and claws rent down his back. He snarled, twisting to look back, and she, she was unharmed. The woman was uncaring of his magma, it didn't affect her?

Lily clawed for Akainu's head again as Holly and Ace's pained, and frightened voices echoed in her head- as people died all around her, Ace's people- and the noise in her throat built- her thoughts rushed on repeat-

Kill him- erase him- protect them- kill-kill-killkill-ll

She charged with a scream, and people all around her covered their eyes as the very sound shook down to their souls. She was a budding banshee. Hair twisting up and tangling in the air, claws creating great frozen grooves wherever she could touch. Lily attacked again. Attacked again. Attacked again.

"A berserker," Akainu muttered to himself, "she attacks blindly and…" he looked as men and woman on both sides dropped due to the sound. That was… useful. He dodged her follow up strike and brushed his hand through her body. It was impenetrable even with haki. Also helpful, no one could stop it… if the woman was in the right spot- he shot a look at the Moby Dick and an unholy smirk grin on his face.

Akainu herded the creature toward where he wanted her. She had no thought behind her attacks, just as she gave no mind to who was cut down in her path to him. He wasn't sure what he'd done to anger the creature, but he could use it. Especially as it's screams grew harsher with every missed attack, people started dropping from the noise alone. They foamed at the mouth. They bled out from their eyes and ears. Their eardrums blowing, and their very brains twisting to avoid that sound.

Akainu avoided their fate purely due to his Logia status. He sought to take advantage, no matter how many Marines fell as a result.

"LILY STOP!" Sirius followed the chaos Lily left behind. He went unheard by Akainu and overlooked by Lily, Sirius very well knew what was happening. He'd seen their pirate allies drop because of Lily's screaming, had seen dozens die under Lily's hands because she'd accidentally attacked the wrong person while targeting Akainu. And Sirius saw Akainu was herding Lily toward Whitebeard's ship. Saw him pull her toward Ace and Holly both, and she didn't even notice.

"LILY!" He grabbed at her, unaffected by her screams because he was already dead. No, that wasn't quite right. It hurt down to his very soul but- but he had to stop her. If she harmed Ace or Holly by accident, she'd never recover. "STOP!" his hands clutched at her arms, but she was stronger than him, she dragged him on.

There was nothing he could do alone. But if this continued-

"JAMES! ROUGE!" he tugged at Lily's arms as one of the Whitebeard commanders dropped when he got too close. The man fell to his knees, struggling. His hands clamped to his ears, a show of his strength even if he too was forced motionless by Lily's power.

James, as far as Sirius knew, was nearby trying to recruit. People were dying on the battlefield, and he, like Sirius, could see the reapers moving souls on. The reapers overlooked them because they'd already made their choice, but the newly dead, they hadn't, and James was using that to their advantage. He was grabbing them before the reapers could force them on so they could be used for a short period. James was trying to convince them to use whatever energy they had after their death to do something. Was telling them it was possible. Unfortunately, the newly dead were hard to communicate with. Either they didn't acknowledge what happened or couldn't function with the truth of it.

It didn't stop James from trying.

Rouge meanwhile, Sirius had long ago lost track of her in the chaos. He thought he'd seen her on the scaffolding, but after Holly and Luffy grabbed Ace, he'd lost track of her. He suspected she was moving toward the kids but couldn't be sure.

"Damnit. Lily, stop!"

A set of small hands grabbed Lily's other arm, and he shot a look to the side. It was a pirate, a teenager, with a bloodied gaping wound through her middle. She'd added her hands to his own to stop Lily, though she clearly didn't understand why it was required. Instead, she looked at Sirius with a clear question on her face.

'Would this help Ace?'

Not for the first time that day was Sirius awed by how much Ace touched the lives of the people around him.

He nodded.

"Carton! Help me!" she yelled to a nearby figure, staring down at his corpse blankly, "CARTON! HELP ACE!" and the man lifted his head. He watched the two of them dragged across the ground as Lily struggled to rip Akainu apart. As she led closer and closer toward the Moby Dick. Then he acted. His hands joined theirs, and finally, Lily started to slow- her head cracked as it swung toward them, furious for they dared to stop her. And Sirius, for once in his life, was absolutely terrified of Lily when he realized her eyes were completely and utterly blank. There was no soul there. And it petrified him.

And then Lily started to scream.

Sirius and his helpers dropped on the spot with a cry. They covered their eyes to the noise as the wind picked up around Lily.

Akainu backed off eyes narrowed as the woman dropped to her knees and just shrieked. He scowled. She was too far from the Moby Dick to be effective. No matter. She was serving her purpose in the end, because she'd created a wall in the middle of the battlefield that no one could cross. Any who tried dropped on the spot.

He turned away and moved toward the Moby Dick.

Sirius watched the man move away and tried to crawl after him, but he couldn't move. The pressure of Lily's magic, or perhaps her soul, kept him flat on the ground. He was trapped. And a murderer was heading toward his pup. There was nothing he could do, nothing but watch as Admiral Akainu lifted his hands and shot pure magma into the skin above. Sirius was frozen at huge gaping chunks of molten rock crashed back down right on the ship where Holly, Ace, and Luffy had just been.

---

Ace's hands were shaking, and it wasn't from the pain. Holly's head was resting on his leg, her presence was a steady one that allowed him to feel every breath she took, and every inhale was a sign of her living. Ace could see Holly breathing, could watch her chest rise and fall, and though she was far too pale and her expression pained in sleep, Holly was still alive. Just like Luffy was. Luffy was feet away with his eyes scanning the battlefield, somehow Ace's fight loving brother was now acting a defensive position. Luffy sat at the railing, punching any Marine that dared get too close, and he seemed shockingly content with that.

And there Ace was, free of sea-stone, free of the Marines - sort of - and just… sitting here.

Marco and his father had both given him the order to stay. Marco, in caution of Holly's life, Whitebeard in understandable order so that Ace was not taken back by the thousands of Marine's gunning exclusively for him. And so Ace sat there with Holly in his lap while his brothers and sisters died- while they screamed, fought, and struggled- and he was just sitting here.

His hands shook as a request to his brother threatened to cross his lips. As he honestly desired to call for Luffy to watch over Holly, to allow Ace to fight- to earn the loyalty his family and crew was actually giving him-

If Holly was conscious, she would have told him to fight, leave her there, and do what he needed to do. He was confident of that. She would understand his need to join the battle even at the risk of his own life- but she wasn't conscious- she wasn't, and it was his fault. Holly had struggled through worlds, the forces of Impel down, and Akainu beyond the brink of exhaustion to save him. He knew it because Holly had told him she'd never splinched herself before and that she had was a clear sign of how bad she actually was. Not to mention Luffy told him - while avoiding speaking of his own experience within Impel down - that she'd already dropped once on their way to Marineford when Ace pressed him for details about Impel Down.

All that they'd done for him just like his crew. They were doing all this for him-

Ace wasn't sure he could mentally handle that-

"Pops!"

Ace clenched his hand and smothered out Holly's hair, forced himself into that slow action as Luffy let one of their allies through. Ace felt relief when he spotted Squard. The man was a friend, had been for a year by then. He was relieved to see his brother safe.

"The allies have been hit hard," Squard told his father while his gaze slipped toward Ace and Ace- he flinched back.

There was an expression Ace was used to as a child, one he'd seen countless times in his past.

"What if Gold Roger had a son?"

He'd never see it on his crew's face, though only Marco and Pops had ever known who's blood Ace shared. But that look, that sharp hatred was hidden beneath Squard's eyes now- and just like that, Ace felt faint. He'd been honored, relieved- because though the Marines announced who Ace's parents were to the public at large, the Whitebeards' hadn't stopped trying to rescue him. They'd fought on regardless. Ace had stupidly believed that they didn't actually care-

He was wrong.

"I'll fight too," Whitebeard said eyes on the field, he'd join the fray- Pops hadn't seen the expression in Squard's eyes-

"I see, we owe you a great debt-" That expression- that expression- please Squard- "we'll give our lives for the great Whitebeard pirate crew."

Luffy paused sensing Ace's distress, Holly stirred slightly and pushed against the rest she so badly needed and-

Squard turned and plunged his sword into Whitebeard's stomach.

"P-" Ace choked on his call, he couldn't believe- he expected Squard to attack him, why had he- why- Squard wrenched the weapon free, and blood started to seep out in great gushes- something lethal had been struck. Whitebeard winced unable to help his expression, his hand went to press against the injury, and he dropped to a knee.

"SQUARD!" Marco appeared like a bullet. He crashed into Squard pinning the man in an instant, Luffy was a bare step behind to add his hands to grab the traitor-

Ace made an aborted motion to stand, but Holly's stable weight on his thighs stopped him- Marco told him she couldn't move. She'd die if she moved- she'd die- he had to- but Squard-

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?" Marco's demand was echoed by a furious Luffy when Squard slashed out with a hidden sword. Marco was the only thing that prevented Luffy from losing his head from the haki-coated weapon. Marco grabbed Luffy and pulled them both away. At the same time, all Ace could think was that Squard had actually used haki against Marco- and then Squard began to spew absolute venom from his lips.

Every word was a direct cut to Ace's heart.

"You know how much I hate Roger-" Ace knew but- he wasn't-

"You were just guiding him to become the next pirate king-" Ace didn't want to become king- that was going to be Luffy-

"Your precious little Ace was captured-"

Roger. It was Roger again. Everything kept coming back to that man, time and time again. Ace's very life didn't matter, all that mattered was Roger. Ace's actions as a pirate was second to Roger's blood. His choices made no difference, because of Roger-

"You sold us out to the Marines just to save Ace-"

"That's a lie!" Luffy interrupted harshly, "don't you say that about old-man beard!"

"You fool! You were tricked! How could you believe such filth-" Marco agreed looking incredibly odd next to Luffy, the two standing side-by-side in pure agreement.

Some distance away, Sengoku yelled for Aokiji, and a surge of ice froze Buggy and his prisoners solid. But the den-den mushi miraculously avoided the blow as it floated in the hands of a long-dead spirit who was quick to point the footage toward what Whitebeard would say next. Rouge, was not letting the Marines skew this further. Rouge was perfect with her timing as well, as Whitebeard dropped to a knee and embraced the man who'd been tricked before the eyes of everyone present.

Closer than Rouge, Lily collapsed to the ground, screaming. She pinned both Sirius and one the division commanders for the Whitebeard pirates. Her screams took on an unholy pitch as Akainu slipped away and slowly raised his arms toward the sky.

Ace watched on as his father embraced Squard, forgave him, corrected him. But he couldn't acknowledge that, because everyone was dying because of him. No, not even him. They were dying because of Roger-

Whitebeard suddenly tossed out an arm and cracked his fist into the air. Gravity itself surged, and the fruit that made Whitebeard famous rose to life. The waves frozen by Aokiji shattered with a single blow, and the world twisted. Ace's fingers blackened immediately as he thrust them into the wooden deck of the Moby Dick with an apology. He steadied himself, and Holly as Whitebeard hurtled himself into the battle enraged by what the Marines had done to twist one of his sons.

Ace knew what would happen next. He steadied himself carefully and called out to Luffy, who stood at Marco's side still: "brace yourself, Luffy!"

"Eh?"

And then Whitebeard unleashed his full power. The ocean shifted, it twisted, and it heaved. The world split, the sea itself was rent into pieces as the plates of land beneath then were pulled and pushed and manipulated by Whitebeard's will. Anyone unprepared was sent flying. Luffy was casually caught by Marco, who stared down Squard in fierce judgment. Ace remained still even as Holly slid slightly in her unconscious state.

When the world finally calmed, it was only for a moment.

From the sky, molten rock began to fall as Akainu pushed his counter-attack. The enormous pieces of magma hit the ice, but those that did were considered 'missed.' Akainu was not aiming at the ice, he was aiming at the ships, at their single method of escape. Three ships identical in most ways, three versions of the Moby Dick had been brought to the battlefield. Three ships carried the Whitebeard pirates to this war. And three ships sunk into the seas.

Ace swore and released his grip on the deck as one of the magma rocks fell right toward them. He scooped his hands under Holly's knees and back and prepared to dodge.

"Ace!" Marco snatched hold of Luffy and Squard and took to the air, "she can't fall in the water!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Ace yelled back gunning for the railing, his bare feet hit the deck, and he shoved off just as the rock struck the mast. It plunged an unfixable hole in the middle of the Moby-dick and took the keel and half the deck out in one brutal shot. Ace swore as he hit the ice, trying his best to absorb the blow with his knees to it didn't jar Holly's wounds open. Then, he ran. Ace was a devil-fruit user, and the ice, due to Akainu, was quickly running out. If he fell into the water, he was as good as dead.

Near instantly, he was forced to the dodge to the side as a Marine in the same spot stabbed out. Ace sneered at the man aware that he couldn't let himself be touched, not with Holly limp in his grip.

Darting back, Ace took stock of the situation. They'd lost their escape route, and he was quickly running out of ground. Dozens of his crew and allies had been dropped into the boiling water. And not only his allies but Marines as well were swimming for it. Ace cut to the side as more magma fell from the sky, trying to keep his footing. He darted backward, away from the plaza with Holly and the walls as Marines attacked him from every angle. He paused only to fall to a knee and wrench one of his crew from the water as they struggled to climb onto the ice.

Ace jumped from platform to platform, blindly aiming for their allied ships. With the Moby Dick out of commission, their best bet was to escape collectively with the allied ships.

"Fall back!" Ace yelled, reclaiming his title as the second division commander, "to the allied ships! Fall back!"

His men and crew were quick to respond, they worked together to escape the water. Some beat red like lobsters or brutally burned from the boiling liquid, but mostly alive.

"Ace-taicho!" one of the men nearest him yelled as those nearby flanked to him. They took his direction immediately. Moved toward the closest division commander they could see, and for those around him, that was Ace. "What do we do?"

"Help devil-fruit users out of the sea," he snapped out, repositioning Holly in his arms to give himself a free hand. He had to be able to defend himself. In the chaos, Ace was hard to locate, but any Marine that spotted him would be gunning for him directly. "Move toward the allied ships, we're retreating."

"Yes sir-" the man who spoke suddenly dropped. He did it without warning, he hadn't been attacked… he'd just dropped. Alarmed Ace skidded to a stop as the woman nearest to that man rushed to help him, and she too collapsed. Her eyes rolled back, her hands made an aborted motion toward her ears, and- she dropped.

"Halt!" Ace cried, searching hurriedly for the enemy, "do not approach physically! Pull them back without approaching!"

One of his sisters hurled her weapon, a grappling hook sort of device, at the pair. She shot their legs, and she pulled them away. A nearby medic rushed to their aid.

"Report," Ace called, still looking, "poison?" had Magellan gotten out of Impel Down? No, it shouldn't be possible to follow that quickly, and Ace didn't see the tell-tale sign of his distinctively purple ability.

"No, they're… it's not poison, their ear-drums exploded."

Ear-drums? Ace tilted his head and closed his eyes and… yes, there was something. A screaming? What was that?

"Ace!" Izo skidded to a stop beside him, his brother had a gaze across his forehead and the blood falling freely down his face was blinding one of his eyes. Izo didn't let it bother him though, and his aim had not suffered in the slightest as he stopped a Marine trying to approach. "Why are you halted here?"

"Do you hear that?" Ace asked, scanning the remaining ice, where was it?

Izo tilted his head listening as Ace had, then he nodded, yes he did hear it. "Is that… screaming?" Izo and Ace looked out and saw at the distance what looked like a small tornado of energy. Energy that glittered unnaturally and at the eye of it… red hair floating against gravity, an open mouth, and sightless green eyes.

"That's…" Ace had seen her before, it was Holly's mother- "Lily."

His arm gave a throb, and he shot a worried look at Holly. That was her mother, a dead woman, and she was- shit.

"I see her," Izo lifted one of his guns, "Shall I?" Does he shoot? Does he?

Ace shook his head, "Won't make a difference, she's already dead." They'd have to go around, there was nothing he could do about Lily like this. Not without Holly's help and advice, because Ace should not be seeing that woman. Lily was supposed to be dead, she wasn't supposed to be visible to him, let alone Izo. And as badly as he wanted to help her, the corpses of his crew were damning. He doubted Lily had any control in what she was doing. "We have to go around."

"That's a long way," and a lot of people to fight through. To the left, Aokiji was gunning toward them. To the right was Kizaru fighting with Marco, with Luffy assisting if you could call it that. Akainu was nowhere to be seen, which made Ace paranoid. The Admiral's were all a threat, but that man was the worst of them.

"If we go straight, we're dead."

Izo clicked his teeth, "around it is."

They turned together wary of the boundary around Lily. If they passed it, they were screwed. They moved carefully, Izo defending them while Ace had his hands full with Holly's limp body. He did have to shift her slightly when one man got a bit too close for comfort- and his fingers brushed against the ring he'd never noticed on her finger before.

A voice filtered in as he shifted: "-ch the ring, to-" and it faded away.

Ace paused and shot a look around him. He was beginning to get painfully used to hearing voices after Lily, but that one was unmistakably male. He looked around but saw no see-through figure as he had with Lily… had he imagined the voice? He shifted Holly again and followed behind Izo. The voice hadn't been clear regardless, it had just mentioned a ring? That was terribly random. Why a ring?

Ring?

"Ace come on!" Izo snapped as his guns went off. A vice-admiral was getting close, which reminded Ace that he hadn't seen Garp since Holly apparated him to the Moby Dick. Where was he? "what are you thinking?"

About a ring, not that Ace was going to admit that. It would make him sound like some love-lost puppy in the middle of a battlefield. Especially since he had no idea where to begin explaining the voices he was hearing after- wait Holly's ring? Was that it? He looked at Holly's hand and the ring she'd not been wearing before. On a whim, he reached for it- the moment his hand made contact, a figure appeared.

"Touch the ring- touch the bloody ring Ace I swear to-" the man was a scruffy mess of brown hair that reached his ears. His eyes were a hazel color and unfamiliar, but the shape of his nose and the absolute disaster his hair was… that Ace recognized him on sight. This was Holly's father. He'd seen the man's picture in the tent. He'd been photographed with Lily, the pair of them endlessly dancing in a courtyard. Though the man before him looked vastly more healthy and far more see-through than Lily. "Thank Merlin! Ace! Don't stop touching the ring! Better yet, wear it! Right now."

"What?"

"Ace!" Izo called as he caught Ace speaking to actual air, had his brother completely lost it?

"It's a deathly hallow, no, I don't have time to explain that, just trust me! Put it on! I can help!"

"ACE!"

"GIMME A MINUTE!" he yelled at Izo as he knelt so he could use his hand to pull the ring from Holly's finger. A dead man was ordering him around. Why did this shit keep happening? He blamed Holly, there was something insane about her life, and it was spreading to him. Then again, Luffy did basically the same thing, so Ace wasn't actually upset about it. It was just a part of life with the family he'd chosen. Ace shoved the ring, which should not have fit his finger, on and straightened. "There, happy?!"

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Izo demanded.

"Yes."

"A dead guy," Ace made a face, "it's a long story! Just, let's move."

Izo turned to lead the way as they moved on. They picked their way through the remaining ice gaining more of the crew on their way. They frequently stopped as Ace, the main target of the war, was attacked again and again by Marines. Multiple Vice-admiral's caught them, but they were quickly distracted by the crew utterly determined to protect Ace. And, as they moved, a dead guy rushed to speak. Ace listened with half an ear as they rushed to the allied ships.

"Don't call me a- oh screw it! Okay! Sirius is trapped with Lily, and we can't get her to listen to us." Holly's father shot a look at her knelt, screaming figure in the distance, "I don't… we don't know what to do to stop her."

"That's not something I can help with right now, I have to get Holly and my crew out of here." What was the guys' damned name? Ace couldn't remember it. He swore Holly had told him, but he was blanking.

"It's a problem! Akainu led her there, and that guy is gunning for you, Ace! If he catches up he's going to-"

"Yeah yeah, eviscerate me, end my line, yada yada Marine nonsense, I get it, serious consequences and all that." James! That was it! "I thought you were going to help!"

Izo's expression pinched, trying to follow the one-sided conversation. Nearby one of their allied cried out a warning. Ace and Izo followed the noise as they jumped from one ice platform to the next. They were quickly running out of 'land' to walk on. The boiling water was taking out the ice at a pace faster than Ace could run. On the upside, if they ran out, Izo would be fine, but Ace, like all other devil-fruit eaters, would be screwed.

So it was to his relief when a fourth unknown ship revealed itself. A fifth Moby-dick, a paddle version, had been hidden beneath the ocean's surface. Squard, in a bid to redeem himself, had brought it up, giving them another method of escape. On the downside, Ace couldn't reach the ship, not with the boiling ocean surrounding it. Not with how far away it was.

"I am!" James snapped, "just listen! Akainu is coming-"

Izo's hand abruptly slammed down on Ace's head, forcing him to duck. A moment later, a molten fist swung over his head. Ace crashed to the ground twisting at the last second to prevent himself from crushing Holly, but his grip on her faltered. He dropped her, and Holly was sent rolling limp until she stopped dangerously close to the water's edge. Ace, meanwhile, was forced to leave her there as Akainu had finally arrived. The man's attention was solely for Ace, Izo, and the rest of the crew was inconsequential. So long as Akainu finally got to destroy the line Gol D. Roger had left behind.

"Devil spawn." The man sneered.

Ace pushed to his feet, putting his back to Holly and his enemy at his front. His gaze flicked to Izo, who had been knocked brutally to the side by a follow-up attack. Izo's clothes and leg were badly burned, but thankfully the crew running with them were already moving to aid him. They, however, would be unable to reach Holly. Not with the rather small amount of ice left to walk on around him. Ace, in fact, didn't know if he'd be able to dodge, he'd likely fall in the water or… or Akainu's attacks would strike Holly.

Letting none of his concerns show on his face, Ace stared down the Admiral.

This was not good.

---

Luffy struggled back to his feet with Jimbe at his side. His whole body was shaking from exertion, and Luffy couldn't catch a breath to save his life. At least he was still alive thanks to his friends. Not minutes before Admiral Kizaru had struck the big diamond guy and Luffy into the ocean when the diamond guy had gotten distracted over Whitebeard's newest injury. Jimbe had pulled them both from the sea before joining them to defend Whitebeard's back.

Fists up, Luffy tried to focus on what was happening, but his body was becoming dangerously… fuzzy. Every motion he attempted to make was slow, seconds behind his decision to move. Every step, every beat down Marine was a challenge, and their numbers seemed endless. No matter how much Luffy struck down, three more replaced them. All the while, their escape route only seemed farther and farther away- and it was, the Marines were herding them away from the paddle ship.

-a hand grabbed his shoulder and shoved him to the side. Luffy gasped as Marco cried out, two beams of light exploded through his chest as the man's back arced. Then, his chest burst into bright blue flames, the wounds healing instantly, and Marco spun on the spot snarling. His feet came up and cracked against Kizaru's legs, the contact between them sparked before they were both thrown back by the force of it.

"Are you okay, Mango?" Luffy asked, following Marco into the fray. Luffy watched his question register, then… Marco turned toward him utterly infuriated with near shark teeth and yelled.

"It's Marco!"

Oh good, he was fine then. Luffy grinned happily, "thanks for the save, Marpo!"

"I just said-!"

The two of them both dodged as Kizaru recovered enough to charge them. Luffy dodged back, his feet kicked out as he back-peddled, and he ducked a Marine sword that swung for his head. The very same Marine was then hit in the back of the head, and the man turned into stone. Boa had found them, but Luffy didn't have the time to thank her as Marco and Kizaru's battle grew close to him once more.

Little did Luffy know how close Boa had been too entirely annihilating, not him, but Holly. She'd seen the little girl clinging to her beloved. The rage she'd felt had frozen half the marines around her until Boa realized Holly wasn't actually involved with Luffy. No, she was engaged to Ace! Which meant the girl was actually going to be Boa's sister-in-law, which was obviously perfectly fine. Boa would enjoy having another sister.

Luffy inhaled deeply to bounce a few canons off his stomach and shot a look at the Bay. He couldn't see much of it. Not with the Moby-dick was still burning as it sank. The black smoke was obscuring his sight of the east side of the Bay. That meant Luffy couldn't see Ace, who'd gone that way with Holly to escape the attack. Luffy wasn't too worried though, not really, Ace could handle himself. He was strong, and Holly had even unlocked Ace's sea-stone.

Ace would be fine.

"Stop day-dreaming Straw-hat!" One of Ace's Nakama grabbed him; the woman pulled him out of an attack from Mihawk, and Boa gave an enraged shriek. The attack nearly severed his hands, and Luffy rushed to remember his own situation. He had to fight to escape now. He couldn't get distracted.

Luffy kicked a nearby Marine aiming their gun at one of Ace's Nakama and twisted his body to the side as a few spare shots struck his chest. With a smirk, Luffy bounced them back unconcerned, bullets didn't affect him after all. Then landing lightly on his feet, Luffy joined the ground retreating toward the nearby paddle ship. It was getting more challenging to approach it. The Marines at large seemed to be concentrating on them, no, on Whitebeard. These people had already given dozens of lives for this battle, now they were powered by sheer desperation not to make it pointless. They seemed utterly determined to have at least one victory in this war, and if it was Whitebeard's life, then it was worth it. It made the Marines dangerous, more dangerous when they'd just been defending Ace.

Several cannonballs struck the paddle ship, and Luffy winced. He knew that throw. Garp was attacking their escape route, and it would take someone of equal strength to prevent it. Squard and his crew were simply not going to be enough to manage it. Though, Luffy was happy enough that Garp wasn't focused on him or Ace. Years of torture- err training- taught Luffy to be well afraid of that man.

Turning away, Luffy hoped Ace had better luck getting away and refocused on the battle.

Where had Marco gone?

Luffy took stock of his surroundings, ducked a sword aiming for his head, punched a gunner… oops, that was a bit too low even for a Marine, "sorry!" he apologized as the man foamed at the mouth and dropped holding his crotch. "That was an accident!"

There Marco was- Ace's Nakama was… Luffy felt his eyes grow a bit wide to see Marco on the ground. On the doctor's wrist was a chain- sea-stone- and Kizaure was standing over him. It reminded Luffy painfully of Zoro in the same position not, gods how long ago had that even been? But this time, there was no Rayleigh to save Marco, in fact, no one seemed able to assist. No one but Luffy. Picturing Zoro and Marco in the same position, Luffy felt that energy at the edge of his mind finally burst free.

"Don't!" Luffy screamed, feeling energy surge upward as he did. Marco-Zoro-Marco-Zoro was Ace's-his Nakama! Luffy didn't want him to die- energy exploded, but Luffy scarcely noticed it. Not when Kizaru's attention snapped to him. Not as Luffy rushed forward and grabbed Ace's Nakama before fleeing.

He couldn't handle Kizaru; Luffy knew that, so instead, he'd find the key and free Marco.

"Was that-"

"It can't be-"

"Conquerers?!-"

"Haki…"

Luffy tossed Marco over his shoulders, "don't worry Mallo, I'll find Holly! She'll get you free!"

Marco smacked his head, "that's not even close to my name!" his teeth grit as he said it, he couldn't believe he was so sloppy as to allow a vice-admiral to catch him with sea-stone. That was his mistake, he'd gotten distracted by his father. Whitebeard was taking too much damage. None of them could stop it happening either. Vista, Jozu, and Haruta were all guarding their fathers back, yet injury after injury seemed to strike their father.

The truth of it was-

Marco didn't want to think it, he didn't want to… but the thought kept rising to the front of his mind. "Put me down, Straw-hat! I'm fine!"

The truth of it was that Edward Newgate was not going to escape this battle. Marco knew it, he'd known it from the moment the Marines announced their plan to publicly execute Ace. The marines wanted a war with the Whitebeard's, and their father had given them one. To save Ace yes, but also so that he didn't die in a sickbed too weak to move. Because that was where Whitebeard was headed. Marco was his doctor, he knew what his father could handle. Knew that his body was giving out slowly. One year, two years, Whitebeard didn't have long and…

"I'll choose my own death Marco, that is what Roger did, what any free man of the sea does… I chose this, remember that."

His father wanted to die defending his family. He wanted to die saving his children, and there was absolutely nothing Marco could do about it.

Luffy put him down, and one of his brothers rushed over to pick the lock. Luffy, and by extension, Ivankov and Jimbe stayed at his side during this. They defended him when they should be escaping, or defending Ace at the very least. Marco forced himself still as he watched his father take another shot to the chest. The man wasn't even dodging anymore; he was- Marco grit his teeth waiting for the sea-stone to fall away. Could he fix that damage? Marco wasn't sure anymore, yes his father was still moving, but any one of those wounds could be lethal without his knowledge.

Perhaps it was good that Ace had escaped to the opposite sit. If Ace knew what their father intended in this fight, then Ace would never recover. Just as he wouldn't when it did happen… gods Marco hoped it didn't happen.

The sea-stone shackled dropped off his wrist, and Marco's arm, chest, and head burst into flames to heal the damage he'd taken. He stood as the flames did their work.

He was the first-division commander, he had a job to do. He had no time to let himself be defeated by something as stupid as sea-stone and an admiral. He looked to the paddle-ship, Blamenco had made his way to its deck and was furiously defending it. Good, his fellow division commanders were playing their parts well. Things were going smoothly enough for their escape. Now as long as they could keep the ship from sinking and their father from taking any more injuries-

"ACE!"

A chilling scream that Marco recognized as Izo's hit the air. He, and just about everyone else that heard it, looked to the opposite side of the bay. Something had happened. Something that would change the tide of the battle as Edward Newgate couldn't help but look, worried for his sons. While the Marines brutally pressed their advantage.

---

'Holly Potter.'

She knew that voice.

'WAKE UP'

It was that stupid Roger.

'Get up girl!'

Why couldn't he let her sleep? Hadn't she earned that? Apparently not. After she answered his bloody call, she was going to sleep a week and no one dead was going to stop that. Groaning softly, Holly cracked open her eyes, then immediately furrowed her brows. This time she remembered well where she'd fallen asleep, it had been half in Ace's lap on his ship. So why was she staring at bubbling water with ice under her body?

Blinking, the sight didn't vanish, so Holly forced her arm under her and pushed herself up. Her head was foggy; it felt like she'd gone ten rounds with a dragon or something equally dangerous. Struggling to a seated position, Holly felt her side tug as her motions pulled at the stitches; likewise, her leg was throbbing. Holly's entire body was protesting any motion. That didn't stop her though, she'd probably gotten up and about with worse… maybe?

Pressing a hand to her eye to stave off the growing migraine, Holly looked around. There was a ship burning in the Bay itself, nearby marines and pirates alike were splayed out on the ground, and directly behind her… was Ace. Holly went her eyes widen, and the world shrank to a single point. Ace stood between her and a man who's left side was made of pure magma. One of Ace's arms was hanging limp at his side. Holly could almost hear it as great globs of blood dropped to the ice under Ace. Just as she could smell the scent of burning flesh that she knew wasn't coming from her, it came from Ace.

As Ace shifted, she realized a large portion of his right arm was charred, and the broken skin was leaking blood all over the place. Moving slightly, Holly caught a flash of Ace's gaze. He was checking her location, and she saw an unmistakable relief when he realized she was conscious. How- how long had he been fighting while she'd been out? What had even happened?!

Holly pushed to her feet, ignoring her stitches pulling and some ripping. Stood and put all her weight on her injured leg while shoving aside how badly it screamed as she dared. Holly watched Ace turn back toward the Marine before him and reached for her wand still hidden in its holster attached to her right arm. Exhaling a shaking breath- Holly felt like she was going to cry- everything was too much. Holly was beyond exhausted, she was the most drained she'd ever been, and Ace was hurt. Holly felt her face heating- she was just so tired- but that Marine-

Ace punched out, and Akainu's hand snatched hold of his neck. Someone screamed Ace's name while his arms, injured and not, reached up to grab the hand. The Marine pulled Ace off the ground, forced him to dangle as Ace furiously beat at the arm gripping him. And then, slowly, the Marine's arm started to transform from his shoulder down to his hand… into magma. He intended to burn Ace alive-

"Watch out for Akainu," Roger urged Holly as she tensed up in his grip, "don't let that man anywhere near Ace if you want him to live. Fate is a stingy bitch, and that man will stop at nothing to end my line. Never let him close."

Something snapped.

Holly knew who that Marine was. She knew why he was here, and she knew why Roger had forced her awake. Holly gripped her wand, felt the wood under her palm, the groves of the elder wand- Holly hadn't even intended to grab that particular wand- then she moved. Holly rounded Ace and Akainu to get a proper shot at the man. She stopped as the magma reached Akainu's elbow. In position, Holly's wounded leg slipped forward, it screamed as she put weight on it. Holly's non-dominate hand moved backward, balancing her. She took the duelers stance she'd stolen from Voldemort years ago.

Then, she cast a spell she'd never dared to before.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Holly did not want to kill people, she had never possessed a single inkling to use that curse. Then again, she'd once thought the same about crucio and imperio. How funny, that Holly had never thought to use this spell on Voldemort. Maybe because she'd sympathized with him, especially after learning his past. Perhaps because she wasn't defending herself but Ace. Maybe because of Roger's desperate warning. Regardless the spell left her wand before she even truly realized what she'd cast. It sped through the air, and- Akainu's body twisted. Her sickly green spell went straight through a hole in his body. He'd dodged it.

Akainu's gaze shifted to her despite Ace being in his grip. Fear twisted inside Holly. Fear of this man and concern for what he'd do to Ace if she didn't get Ace back now.

Fear. Fear and courage came hand in hand, and she was a- "I'm a bloody Gryffindor!" She screeched, flicking her wand. Holly didn't even put a name to the magic she hurtled at the Marine. She threw anything and everything at him, from tickling spells to the full-on crucio. Holly cast everything at the man who's body filled with holes, so every one of her spells missed. Holly's casting grew more frantic as Ace's struggled slowed, as Akainu stared her down, almost bored with her attempts.

"H-hol-" Ace choked. Eyes on her, he gave one last-ditch attempt, and his hands blackened. He abandoned his efforts to use his flames, they weren't working. Reaching up, Ace swung back, and put every ouch of strength he could at Akainu's magma elbow. It blew out the arm. Ace felt his skin burn, and it was excruciating, but he was free. Landing on his feet, Ace staggered, his vision was spotting from the lack of air- where was Akainu? He needed to put distance- Ace fell to his knees.

"Accio!" Holly cast taking immediate advantage of Ace's attempts. Akainu, already thinking he could outspeed her other attacks, didn't try to block her. Thankfully for her as she caught Ace's belt and wrenched it, and by extension him, toward her. Ace slid across the ice until he stopped at her feet. Holly didn't dare look at him, not as Akainu turned a furious look at them both.

She was afraid. This man terrified her. Even Voldemort had tried to block her, even he'd struggled against her magic, but this man… never had Holly faced someone with such overwhelming strength before. She was… she was afraid. But Holly hadn't lost herself yet.

"Protego!"

Akainu dodged all attacks, so she needed a new tactic. She needed to defend. Holly swiftly layered spells over, she used the ones Hermione had taught her to protect their camp exclusive on Ace's and her body. A shine glittered around them both unseen by Muggle's eyes. Akainu foolishly let her do it, confident he could handle her easily. She'd take advantage of that.

As she worked, Ace forced himself up, he staggered to his feet. His body heaved with each breath, he shook from exertion, from days of starvation and dehydration. He panted through the pain; then, he stepped forward and put himself once more between Akainu and Holly. He listened to the spells she was weaving at a furious weight and recognized nearly all of them. Ace had seen her cast those spells dozens of times in another context, so he had a decent idea of what she was doing.

"Running away the moment you grabbed Ace, what a bunch of coward pirates." Akainu drawled. Nearly arm to arm, Holly felt Ace tense up and quickly moved her free hand to take his. She knew well how a few well-placed words could affect something, words had resulted in Sirius' death. She wouldn't let them be the death of Ace as well. Thankfully for her and for Ace, he squeezed her hand back, forcing himself to relax. "The captain as well, it can't be helped. Whitebeard is after-all just a failure from the previous era."

They stood off against Akainu, the one man Roger had warned her about.

Ace's teeth ground together, and Holly cut off her casting to grab him. "Bold words from a man who let a civilian steal your prisoner out of your very grip." She staggered, shit, her magic- Ace's swapped his hold, so he had his hand on her arm, steadying her. They held each other up, and Holly continued on: "I mean, I'm basically nothing but a glorified teleporter," Oh yes, she knew what they thought she could do, "and yet you lost your arm to me." Though he'd regrown it apparently, "how's that feel?"

He was unaffected, Holly wasn't surprised. Her best attempt at trash talk involved nonsense of the quidditch pitch, and the twins always face-palmed to her tries. Really though, trash-talking wasn't her aim. Holly's goal was to distract Ace from his anger, and from the entirely amused look on his face, she'd succeeded.

"That was bad." He whispered, and Holly shrugged. Ace shot her a fond look before realizing how much effort she was putting into just standing, "Alright, Holly?"

"I've'… been better… you?"

Ace allowed himself to grin while keeping an eye on Akainu. The man was growing more enraged by their casual conversation than Holly's 'trash-talk.' "I could use a vacation, somewhere cold."

"Hah, I thought you hate the cold." Holly brandished her wand as black raced up Ace's hands. Both of them preparing for the next attack. For Ace, well, Akainu had already taunted him for his lack of haki, he'd claimed Ace relied too much on his devil-fruit, and the worst part of that was, the man was right. Ace had gone months without his fire, and he'd immediately leaned back on it once Holly freed him from the sea-stone shackles.

Well, he wouldn't be making that mistake again.

"I got used to it," Ace told her, and he was honest. Holly's world was a chilly one, and it had been in the middle of the winter when he'd arrived. That and he was literally covered in burns at the moment, it made it easy to crave something cold. "I know a winter island we could have some with-" Ace cut off as Akainu charged.

Ace was prepared. He moved to throw his haki coated fist forward. But as Holly went to do the same, she put her weight on the wrong leg- and her leg collapsed out from underneath her. Still holding onto Ace, he was pulled off course with her weight. He'd miss- and with the direction, then Akainu would hit Holly- Ace was given an instant to decide. A moment he didn't need.

Ace twisted, grabbing Holly to put his back to Akainu.

He choose Holly.

"Ace! Holly!"

She wasn't sure who screamed the word, not that it mattered as a molten fist raced toward them both. She'd never know for sure either. Not as a figure spawned over Akainu's head. Hair floating without gravity, eyes green and furious, face twisted in a protective sneer. Lily Evans' reached out with clawed hands- she moved fast, faster than Holly could imagine. One second she was there, and the next her hand was buried into Akainu's unprepared back right where his heart was.

Holly and Ace hit the ground at a roll. They scrambled when no blow struck, and looked back, still entangled, to where Akainu had been.

There, where they'd just been standing, was Akainu. His fist was frozen inches from where he would have stabbed Ace right through the middle. While in the center of Akainu's chest was a woman's clawed hand. As they watched, ice began to spread from Lily's touch. Not that it mattered. She'd gone straight through Akainu's heart. The man had died in an instant.

"Mom?" Holly breathed out.

Lily lifted her head; she braced her other hand on Akainu's shoulder, creating more ice lines as she attempted to pull her solid arm from the man's chest. It would have been a hilarious struggle to watch if Holly and Ace hadn't been frozen in sheer shock.

Holly's dead mother had just killed a Marine Admiral.

Lily turned her attention to Holly, and she beamed. "It's alright baby… I have you," She looked between them, soft and protective, "I have you both. Always."

"H-how… h-" Holly choked on the words as she felt Ace drop his head to her neck. His fingers clutched at her shirt.

"Forgot to mention that, James called her a banshee…"

"O-oh-" Holly watched her mother finally get her arm free and seemed to just relax. As if she hadn't killed dozens with her screams. As if Akainu's death had been her entire goal and now that she was done, she was just fine. Which made sense considering what Holly recalled from her Care class. Banshees… they were supposed to predict a family member's death, so maybe Lily had sensed Akainu killing Ace. Then had done everything she could to change that destiny. "I see."

"Holy shit." Someone breathed as Lily glanced around. She let him Akainu drop uncaring as she scanned the area for her next target. As she did, Holly breathed out. That close, they'd come that close to both dying. If not for Lily…

Ace exhaled on Holly's neck, causing her to jerk in surprise. Ace tugged her tighter and pulled Holly into his chest as if trying to create as much contact between them as possible. Ace's actions were downright desperate, and his hands were shaking. Holly allowed herself to relax, felt her eyes grow utterly fond as she wrapped her own arms tightly around his shoulders and back. She rubbed his shoulder blades lightly and heard him start to mumble something into the skin at her neck. Holly couldn't make out the words, but she believed she understood the sentiment. It was likely an echo of her own thoughts, they had been close, stupidly close to both dying half a dozen times over the past few days. Ace had just been a breath away from having Holly's corpse in his arms once more. Or Holly would have been the one in that position, and he- they needed to feel each other living bodies. So, Ace burrowed into her. Pressed his face to her shoulder. He reached up to touch his fingers to the pulse point at her neck.

"Holly," he was shaking.

Her pulse thumped steadily under his hands.

"I'm here," Holly soothed as moved reached her free hand up to cup the back of his head, her fingers splayed out in his hair. She wasn't much better than Ace was, she was shaking just as much as Ace was. Too close. That had been too close. "I'm still alive, we're still alive."

"We're not safe yet." Ace's crew-mate reminded them as the battle was raged in the distance at full force. The Marines and pirates alike had paused on their side of the Bay while Akainu, Ace, and Holly fought. But now that Akainu was dead, the Marines had tripled their efforts to reach Ace.

"I know," Ace choked out, "I know Izo." And named the man for Holly. "I just…"

"You have a moment," Izo offered, he lifted his weapons up and took a defensive position to guard them, just as Lily had, "I can guard you for that long."

"Thank you, Izo," Ace closed his eyes, trusted his brother to defend their back. And he breathed.

They were alive. For the moment… they were alive.