A Black Heart Does Not Always Stay Black

Display Of Power

The next morning, all three boys wore shirts with the Whitebeard jolly roger on both the front and backs of their shirts. They didn't have a problem with it, and no one mentioned that they weren't part of the crew and so didn't deserve to wear the mark of their crew. The three would not be venturing off on their own due to safety reasons and to monitor Luffy. Marco would be busy an the boys would hinder him if he needed to supervise them closely. So, they'd be going wit Izo onto the island, more than enough protection if they did as he said. He had administered the paint over Luffy's tattoo, making him much less unsettling. Thatch offered to take them, but knew that he was usually the best one to lead stocking up on food, always knowing what exactly to get and how much of each thing.

Ace and Sabo looked forwards to the visit much more than Luffy did. After all, he had been outside much more than the other two had. It just reminded the youngest about how he made his brothers hate the life they had with him. Though they convinced him they cared for him, he still stole and trapped both of them.

It was noon before the pirates left the ship to take stock or hunt for meat in the dense forest between the Moby Dick and the village they headed to. The one full of assholes. Ace and Sabo knew Luffy would be fine, never captured and never killed, but they weren't strong enough to even protect themselves. They knew that. They had been deprived of practicing or exercising for so long.

But, Izo was with them and they knew the man was strong to be a commander on the ship. And the fact that he was the sixteenth of the commanders didn't mean he was the sixteenth in a line of strongest to weakest. Izo was the leader of the sharp shooting division, who also happened to have been taught much about fixing damaged clothes, some learning to make them out of necessity or curiosity.

Izo kept his senses sharp with the boys, walking with much of the crew before they branched off to do different things. The three boys found the first asshole halfway through the woods, harassing a woman. Sabo and Ace took his hands, silently telling him no to do anything. Luffy had never been one to go out of his way to save other people, only kill. But, neither knew if the new situation made Luffy feel he had to be good. Overly good, that is.

They didn't need to worry, as the woman seemed to get too irritated and sliced the man's throat, not giving the pirate and children a second look as she stole everything on the man and wandered away, not a care in the world. Izo didn't blink an eye, though Ace and Sabo were put off by the sight, not that they could blame the woman.

The village wasn't very nice, even at first glance. Graffiti was on almost every wall, and trash was thrown everywhere. There were fights everywhere, but Izo expertly avoided them with no problem. He had the Whitebeard mark on his kimono, just for the added safety of the boys. Sadly, he didn't have a large bounty and his face was now well known like Marco's.

The three boys had whitebeard's marks, too, but many children on their protected islands liked to dress up as commanders or wear the marks, so it wasn't so strange to have children dress up. Even not on their own islands. Some people used the mark for protection in places they knew they would not get in trouble with the real Whitebeard pirates.

Their duty was to get new fabrics and leather. It would be easy since they were all children, and fabrics were light. Even smaller Luffy would be able to carry a nice amount of their bounty. Luffy didn't blink an eye at any of the fights, since he was very used to violence at his own hands. Ace and Sabo hadn't had the best childhoods, and had seen a lot, but they did have the decency to look uneasy or disgusted with the fights or bloody bodies.

Some parts of the town didn't seem to care about removing dead bodies, and the three boys didn't like this island at all. They wished they had stayed on the ship. Ace and Sabo had wanted to see the village, though they now regretted it.