"Luffy!" Aoi yelled. Luffy punched some marines away from her.

"Go! I got your back!" Aoi said, summoning her water whip and knocking away a group of marines. Luffy nodded.

"Thanks, Aoi-chan!" Luffy said and ran to Ace. Aoi nodded and protected Luffy. Ivankov dropped down beside her.

"Ooohhh, you're rather close with Luffy-boy aren't you?" He asked.

"Of course I am!" Aoi said, whipping away more marines.

"I'm Ace's wife. I have to be close with his little brother!" Aoi said. Ivankov grinned.

"So I assume you know who Luffy's father is, as well as Ace's?" He asked. Aoi grinned at him.

"I know everything there is to know about these boys. It's kinda hard to love someone you don't know, don't ya think?" Aoi asked, sending water spikes up behind Ivankov to get the marines off his back.

"Well, missy, my name is Ivankov. I work in te Revolutionary Army under Dragon." He said.

"I know who you are, Iva-chan. My name is Aoi." Aoi said.

"Oh? And how is it that you know me?" Iva asked.

"I'm gifted in the ways of seeing the past and future of those I love. I knew Luffy was going to meet you." Aoi said.

"Well, it is nice to know that Whitebeard's Daughter is so caring." Iva said. Aoi grinned at him.

"Just so you know, Iva, when you get back to your island, one of Luffy's crew members, Sanji, is going to be there. Take care of him." Aoi said. Iva looked over at her as she blasted more Marines away.

"It's been nice talking to you, Iva-chan. But I have a scaffold to get on. AKA!" Aoi called.

Suddenly, the purple haired older female appeared at Aoi's side and grabbed her hand.

"Time set: Slow." Aka snapped her fingers and time slowed for the two women.

"I owe you big for this, Aka. It's nice to see you again." Aoi said.

"Save it for a time when your husband's life isn't at stake." Aka said as the two ran through the slow moving Marines and Pirates.

"I'll be off to the side, just in case you need time to slow enough for you to move Akainu's fist, but after that I have to get back to Law. I can't be seen." Aka said.

"Then don't get caught." Aoi told her.

"Shatter." Aka commanded. Aoi popped over at the scaffold as Luffy unlocked Ace's cuffs.

"Aoi!" Ace said. Aoi grinned at her love.

"Hey, babe! Sorry I wasn't of much help on Banaro." She said.

"All that matters is that you're alive! Thank you for not fighting them. You would have been taken, too." Ace said.

"Let's get out of here." Aoi said.

"Not on my watch, I'll execute the three of you my self!" Sengoku said, taking his Golden Buddha form.

The scaffold began to collapse.

"Shit! How did I forget this part?!" Aoi thought, she moved to put up a wall between the scaffold and the marines trying to shoot it down, but she wasn't quite fast enough.

Aoi closed her eyes and waited to fall. Then she heard the sound of a fire cracking and felt a warm arm wrap around her.

"Geeze, you two. You're always causing trouble. Looks like I'll just have to protect you. As always." The deep voice rang in her ears.

Aoi's POV

I opened my eyes and saw my husband's beautiful face. Even with the small bruises and dried blood on his face, he was still beautiful enough to make my heart thrash against my ribs. I smiled.

"Ace!" Luffy and I cheered in unison. I stole a kiss off of Ace's lips.

We landed on our feet and immediately fell in to fighting positions.

"Looks like we're not out of the woods yet. Can you two fight?" Ace asked us.

"Of course!" Luffy said, panting lightly.

"Luffy, you've got a few injuries, let me take care of that for you." I said. I pushed my hands to both of their backs and sent a pulse of healing water through them.

"Yeah-haa! Thanks, Aoi-chan! That feels much better!" Luffy said. I grinned.

"Hell yeah! Let's do this!" Ace said. I cracked my knuckles.

"Remember, guys. We gotta make it out of here alive!" I said. Ace and Luffy ginned at me.

"No problem, Aoi! We'll get out of here! All of us!" Ace said. With that, our fight began.

Marines pointed guns and fired at us. The bullets passed through Ace, bounced off of Luffy, and my water shields deflected them.

"Idiots, they're devil fruit users! Guns have no effect on them! Use your swords!" A vice admiral called. Luffy grabbed me and pulled me to his chest as Ace shoved him down. Two marines swung their swords and passed right through Ace's fire body.

"That's my little brother and wife. Don't think that I'll let you lay a finger on them." Ace said.

"The sea stone bullets, you fool!" I barely heard. I rolled out of Luffy's arms and put up a water sheild to deflect the sea stone bullets that the marine fired at us.

"What the-?! How is she-?" One marine asked.

"Ah, ah, ah... Don't you know? I'm a creation of the sea. Sea stone and sea water have no effect on me!" I said, turning my water shield in to a whip and sending them away.

"She really is the Marine's Nightmare!" Someone yelled. I grinned and created another wall.

"You're fucking right I am." I said and kicked the wall in to a wave, washing away the marines in the path.

"Go!" I yelled and ran with Ace, Luffy and Jinbei.

"So this is your woman, Ace?" Jinbei asked.

"You must be Jinbei. It's nice to meet you, my name is Aoi." I said. Jinbei grinned at me.

"What a nice woman." He said. I grinned.

"Free, now running away." I heard. I put on the breaks.

"Aoi?" Ace asked.

"Keep going! I'll handle this and be back at your side in no time!" I said. I turned.

"Ace, no matter what you hear, keep running." I said.

"Please, Aoi. Be careful and come back to me in one piece." Ace said. I grinned over my shoulder at him.

"Of course I will, ya nugget!" I said. Ace nodded at me and then he, Luffy and Jinbei continued to escape. I turned back and faced my opponent, Vice Admiral Kuzan Aokiji.

"Ocean D "Water Knight" Aoi. Whitebeard's only daughter. The Marine's Nightmare. The one devil fruit user that is unaffected by sea stone and sea water." He said. I stared hard at him.

"However, which is stronger? Ice or Water?" He asked, preparing a move.

"You don't want to do this." I said. His eyes narrowed at me.

"You think I'm afraid of Whitebeard?" He asked.

"I know you're not. But that's beside the point." I said. He hesitated.

"Look at them, Kuzan. Now look at me. Now back to them. Now back to me." I said, watching his eyes flick between me and my family.

"Do you really want to tear apart an already broken family? Do you really want to take away the only family that boy has left? Is tearing apart a shattered family Justice?" I asked. Kuzan's eyes wavered as did his stance.

"Kuzan, you fool! She's given you the prefect opritunity! End her!" I heard.

"Shut the fuck up, Light bulb!" I yelled with out taking my eyes off of Kuzan. The tall man stared down at me. I saw the emotions flickering in his eyes. The confusion, the uncertainty, the doubt. His hand stared to lower.

Irritated with the nickname I gave him, Kizaru shot a light beam at me, which I easily side stepped.

Then I heard Akainu's taunt.

I tore my eyes away from Kuzan.

"Aka!" I called. The purplette appeared by me as I was running. Aka reached out for my hand.

Luffy fell and reached for Ace's Vivre Card. Akainu closed in on Luffy. Ace ran between the two. My heart stopped.

"NOOOOOO!" I screamed. I felt an intense pressure release from my chest. The sound of bodies hitting the ground filled my ears.

I opened my eyes, terrified of what I would see.

3rd Person POV

"NOOOOOO!" Aoi's terrified scream broke through the air.

Countless marines dropped to the ground like flies. Some Pirates were knocked out or at least on to their butts. Aka fell to her knees by Aoi, looking up at her friend in absolute shock. Akainu was thrown back, away from Ace and Luffy before he could touch them. Ace fell forward on to Luffy.

Aoi's eyes opened, relieved to see Akainu on his back and Ace and Luffy in one piece. The bluenette ran to them, throwing a water wall between them and Akainu. Aka, still on her knees staired at the younger woman in absolute shock.

"How... How the hell does she have Haki?!" Aka asked. The purplette shook her head and snapped her fingers.

"Time set: slow." Slowing time for herself, Aka returned to Law's side.

"Shatter." Aka commanded as she stood by Law.

"Aoi-ya has some strong Haki. She was able to knock Akainu-ya on his back." Law said.

"How the hell can she have Haki when people from Reality can't have such abilities?" Aka asked. Law looked over at her.

"Aka-ya?" He asked.

"It doesn't make sense." She said.

"Her soul is bound here. Now her body is binding as well." He said. Aka thought.

"That's the only logical thing I can come up with." She said.

Aoi's POV

"Ace! Luffy!" I called as I put up a protective water wall.

"Aoi!" Luffy said.

"Are you guys alright? You're not hurt any where?" I asked. My eyes trailed to the burn on Ace's arm.

"Don't worry about it. We're fine." Ace said. I'll have to heal him later, but there was going to be a scar on Ace's arm.

"Come on. No more fighting unless someone is in our path. The three of us are leaving. Now." I said. The boys nodded and stood. Luffy had trouble, as he was weakening, but I had a hold of him.

"Luffy, Aoi, wait! There's something I need to tell you!" Ace said.

"Ace, not now! We have to go! My wall won't hold for much longer." I said.

"No. I have to say this, Aoi!" Ace said. Luffy and I looked at him.

"I was a worthless kid. With out you two and Sabo, I never would have found a reason to love myself. I've always asked my self, should I have ever been born? Well, I finally found my answer. Thank you... Both of you... For loving me!" Ace said. He grinned brightly at us both. Luffy and I had tears in our eyes. We smiled at Ace.

"Magma Bullet!"

Everything slowed down. Almost as if Aka had slowed time for us, but I knew that she didn't have enough energy to make her powers stretch this far.

Luffy and I were helpless but to watch as the bullet of magma passed through Ace's head.

I felt my heart shatter.

Ace didn't even get any time to react. His expression never changed. His smile never faded as his body fell to the ground.

My legs gave out from under me.

I knew what was coming. Akainu would make an attack at Luffy, giving him the scar on his chest. Jinbei would carry a broken hearted and broken minded Luffy away from the battle field. Only so Luffy would be able to recover long enough to give his 3D2Y message out. Then Law would pull Luffy away as Shanks ended the war.

But me? There was nothing I could do. It felt as if my heart had been ripped from my body and my soul shattered to the farthest corners of South, East, West and North Blues.

Even though Akainu's bullet never touched me, I fell with Ace. The only thing I could hear was Luffy's scream of dispair and only one word in my head.

Help.