We pulled up to the lake house.

"Oh, wow!" I said as I saw it.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Ace asked as we climbed out. The house had a natural cabin look to it, but also had the modern feel to it. It was beautiful.

"It is!" I said.

"Yup, most of our summers were spent here, growing up. Luffy, Sabo and I would always run play in the woods. We even have a tree house out there." Ace said.

"Really?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Yup! The ASL Club house! I wonder if it's still there..." Luffy said.

"After the effort Thatch, Vista and Marco put in to it for us while we scrambled around 'helping'? No way Pops would ever take it down!" Ace laughed.

"What about you, Aoi? What did you always do up here?" I asked her.

"Oh, I was the anti-social girl growing up. While all the boys were out playing, I was in my room reading a book or I was climbing a tree and watching them secretly from a far." She said with a smile. I giggled. I rubbed my hip and glanced at the ground. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and was met with Aoi's sparkling jade eyes.

"Hey, don't worry. Everything is going to be okay. You're safe up here." Aoi said. I smiled and nodded.

"You don't have a swimming suit, do you?" She asked me. I shook my head.

"After... that I pretty much planned on never going swimming again." I said softly. Aoi rubbed my head.

"You're about the same size I was at your age. You can borrow one of my old ones." She said.

"W-Wait!" I panicked.

"Aisuru, you don't need to be afraid. Luffy, Ace and I have already seen the scars." She said.

"That doesn't mean I want to show them again..." I said softly. Aoi hugged me.

"We won't have a ton of attention on you while your back is exposed, I promise. Pops did this with me when trying to make me more confident, too. Just trust us, okay?" She asked. I nodded at her. She smiled and kissed my forehead.

"OI! GUYS, COME ON! QUIT GOOFING OFF AND LET'S SHOW AISURU AROUND!" Aoi yelled at the two brothers in the distance. I finally noticed that they had run off and were now knee deep in the lake, splashing water at each other. I giggled softly as Luffy ran back up to me, a bright grin on his face.

Taking my hand, Luffy lead me inside the house. As soon as we reached the porch, the door opened and we were met with Marco and Yatsumi. Their eyes widened upon seeing us.

"Here already? We though you guys wouldn't be here for another hour, yoi." Marco said. I shyly stepped closer to Luffy. Luffy wrapped his arm around my waist to comfort me.

"We left early. What are you guys doing up here? I thought it was just going to be the Old Man, Ace, Aoi, Ai and I." Luffy said. I swallowed hard and glanced at the ground before looking up at them.

"Oh, We're actually on our way out. Pops just gave us an assignment is all. Just another day in paradise." Yatsumi said, giving Marco a sideways glance. He merely nodded and grabbed Yatsumi's hand.

"You guys enjoy your vacation, yoi. See you when we get back." Marco said.

"Where are you guys going this time?" Luffy asked. They both froze. Marco glanced at me.

"Multiple places. We'll be gone for a while, yoi." He said. Luffy frowned.

"Be careful, okay?" He asked. They nodded and walked down the path towards Ace and Aoi. Luffy pulled me inside, being oddly quiet.

"Is everything okay, Luffy?" I asked. He cleared his throat and grinned at me.

"Yeah, it's fine! I just... I don't see Marco and Yatsumi as much as I'd like..." He said. He was obviously lying, but I decided to leave it be.

Luffy began to show me around the house. He showed me the game room, the dining hall, the kitchen, the family room, the lounge, and then up to the bedrooms.

"Ace and Aoi's room is right here. And we'll be in my old room which is right here... That's okay, right?" He asked me nervously. I smiled at him and nodded.

"I'm fine with it." I said softly. He grinned at me. Suddenly, a large door opened, startling me right in to Luffy's arms. He laughed as I looked behind me and saw the cause of my surprise. Whitebeard stared down at us in surprise.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were here. Sorry, kid. Didn't mean to startle you." He said.

"I-It's alright." I said. He hummed as he stared at us.

"Luffy, go on and help Ace and Aoi with the bags, I'd like to talk with Aisuru for a moment if that's alright." He said. Luffy looked at me. I smiled at him.

"It's alright." I said and kissed his cheek. He kissed my nose.

"I love you." He said. I smiled and blushed shyly.

"I love you, too." I said. He planted another quick kiss on my cheek and ran out to help Ace and Aoi.

"Come on in, kid." Whitebeard said, stepping aside to invite me in to his room. Swallowing hard, I walked in.

"No need to be so tense, I'm not gonna hurt the girl that makes my boy so happy." Whitebeard said. I looked at the ground as he closed the door.

"S-sorry." I said quietly. He patted my head softly.

"Go ahead and take a seat." He told me. I walked over to one of the chairs by his giant desk and sat down.

"So... Your mother married Blaze Hono, did she?" He asked and I nodded softly, still staring at the floor.

"What could have possibly possessed her to do such a thing?" He wondered.

"He had money... So she cheated on my dad with him, then divorced dad, married him and moved us out to West Blue." I said. He hummed.

"Still... It doesn't make sense to me. I knew your parents way back when. I was their history teacher for a while. Hope always-"

"You don't need to lie to me." I said. He stopped speaking all together. I could feel him staring at me. I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged my legs. I drew in a deep breath to calm myself.

"I know who you are. I know about... about the mafia..." I said quietly. He sat back in his chair and continued to stare at me. I took it as an indication to continue.

"I know all about all of the mafia. Akainu, Kizaru, Blackbeard, Hono, Doflamingo... Roger..." I said. He continued to stare at me.

"I know about my father's previous involvement and I know about the dealings, my father working under Roger... I know." I said.

"Child, how do you know about all of this?" He asked in a gentle voice. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"The same way I know you know about the scars on my back. I'm not stupid. I pay attention to my surroundings and I can see what goes on around me. Even when I was a little kid." I said. He hummed.

"If I hadn't been there at you're birth, I would swear you were the daughter of Dracule Mihawk instead of Shanks LeRoux." He said. I didn't lift my eyes from the floor.

"If you knew all of this, if you know about Hono's involvement and the things he does, why did you stay quiet? Why didn't you go to the police as soon as you realized what was happening?" He asked.

"Because he would have killed my father." I said. Whitebeard stared at me.

"He already broke my mother. He broke her when she first went to him behind my father's back. That's the reason Mom divorced Dad. He did something to her that changed her. And because of it, I was forced away from my father for six years." I said. I told Whitebeard exactly what happened on the day I got my scars.

"Child, you tell me all of this in confidence, yet you've been silent to authorities and others. Why?" He asked. I drew a deep breath of confidence and looked up at him.

"Because you've dealt with him before. You know what he's like and you know what to expect from him and his victims. If I told authorities, he would just pay them off to ignore me as some random girl with mental issues. If I told anyone else, he would just kill them to avoid witnesses. He paid off the judge to only put him in jail for thirty days after he did that to me, what's going to stop him from paying them to keep the whole case quiet." I said.

"Do you really think that your father would be taken down by a brat like him?" He asked. I sighed.

"I know that if Hono tried anything on his own, Dad would have him taken out in an instant. But as long as Hono has me under his foot..." I sighed and returned my gaze to the floor.

"It doesn't matter where I run to or who I run to or what I tell them. Hono has put his mark on my back. I'm not going to be free from him for as long as I live." I said. I felt Whitebeard's hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him.

"You're under my protection now. As long as you live in this territory, you are under my protection. If Hono even sets foot in Grandline, he's as good as dead. I'll deal with the press. You just focus on healing." He said. I was surprised at his tone. He was absolutely talking about killing some one, but he was speaking with such a fatherly tone... I couldn't help but feel comforted.

I felt tears rise to my eyes, and before I even realized what I was doing, I found myself hugging him. I felt his large hand on my back.

"Thank you..." I cried out.