A/N: Sorry this one is short, but I want to move on lol this whole arc makes me too emotional, next chapter will be moving on and skipping ahead a couple of months so I can have at least some people back to their silly selves haha

~Ace's POV~

Talia, much to the displeasure of every doctor aboard the ship, refused bedrest and set to work helping the crew with the memorial for Oyaji after we'd laid him to rest. Once she'd realized there were needles in her, for the IV's giving her fluids, nutrients and medicine, she'd nearly had a heart attack. The doctors reluctantly agreed to let her roam about freely so long as she didn't overexert herself. She was banned from everything except for walking, sitting and laying down.

I watched her from the shore as she sat off on her own scribbling away on some paper. A few of Shanks' crew offered to help her out and bring her more writing supplies. She'd been working on it for hours and had instructed them to keep the rest of the crew away from her. I'd been so happy that everyone had come to save me, that my brothers didn't care about my origins and still accepted me as family after hearing about my family lineage. But deep down, I was riddled with guilt and self-loathing. Because of me, the man I'd come to think of as a father, was dead, the girl I cared about more than anything had nearly lost her life and now had a long road of recovery ahead of her and all of my family was grieving.

While I was grateful to Talia for bringing me back, I couldn't help but feel I wasn't worth it. Guilt and remorse nearly crippled me. If I hadn't acted rashly, if I had just believed in her none of this would have happened.

"He's feeling guilty again." Thatch sighed nearby startling me from my self-loathing thoughts. I turned and spotted Marco, Thatch and Izo standing on the beach behind me.

"Was it really worth it?" I asked morosely.

"Go ask her." Thatch challenged me, "Though be prepared, she's going to punch you, best to pretend it hurts and make her feel better."

"Is that what you did?" I asked him curiously.

"If I recall correctly, you made her cry." Marco pointed causing Thatch to laugh nervously.

"Probably because I didn't pretend it hurt." Thatch mused.

"You made my little Talia cry?" Izo had his sandals in his hands in a second and brandished them threateningly at the fourth division commander.

I chanced a glance at the first division commander as he tuned us out and gazed in the direction of the frail, sickly looking bookworm. Worry lines creased his forehead. His lips were drawn into a thin frown, something was on his mind. There was a very serious expression on his face, it was a mixture of worry, pain, and sorrow. One of the ship's doctors had pulled him aside when Talia had regained consciousness, was there something more serious going on?

I followed his gaze, watching the terribly uncoordinated bookworm as she tried to retrieve some more paper from one of the stacked crates the Red Hair Pirates had brought her and nearly toppled over in the process. Her skin was still lifelessly pale, there were dark circles beneath her usually bright blue eyes, though they were currently dull. Her frosty pink hair lacked its usual lustrous shine. She looked feeble.

One of the Red Hair Pirates steadied her before she could fall and got the paper that was just out of her reach for her. She resumed her task scribbling away on the paper. What was she doing? After nearly another hour of writing endlessly she got up with a stretch and winced as if in pain before rubbing at her aching back and neck.

Marco was at her side in an instant, sweeping her off her feet causing an adorable blush to spread across her lifelessly pale cheeks. Thatch and Izo followed me quietly as we joined them.

"What were you working on?" Izo asked her once we were within earshot.

"In his journals, he had something he wanted to give each of his sons if anything had ever happened to him." Talia said quietly.

I stared down at her workspace to find it cluttered with envelopes each with the name of one of the crew etched into it in Oyaji's handwriting. She'd copied it perfectly. My heart hurt as my gaze fell on one with my name.

"Oh, little one, that could have waited, you're still recovering." Izo said with a sad smile.

"But, they finished the memorial today, I thought it would be best to give them to everyone for the ceremony." Talia protested only to wince again as if in pain before a coughing fit claimed her causing Thatch and Izo to exchange worried looks.

"It's perfect." Marco attempted to reassure her, "We'll distribute them to everyone, but you need to get some rest."

Talia looked as if she were going to try to protest but winced once more and rubbed her temples. She admitted defeat with a soft sigh before relaxing in the first division commander's arms. "Okay."

It was unusual for her to agree to bedrest. Guilt wormed through me, she must be in worse shape than I'd originally thought. Marco carried her off to their makeshift tent we'd constructed on the beach.

Izo watched them go with a frown, "I think something's going on."

"What makes you say that?" Thatch mused.

"Call it a woman's intuition." Izo shot at him with a glare.

"Do tell, onee-sa."

'THWACK'

I stared in awe at the sandal poking out of Thatch's auburn pompadour. Izo could probably become a higher-ranking commander if he'd switch his main weapons to sandals instead of pistols.

"You're not allowed to call me that!" Izo glowered, "He's coddling her more than usual and he never told us what his talk with the doctor was about." He pointed as he watched Marco disappear inside one of the tents along the beach.

"After what we've all been through and the severity of her injuries, isn't it only to be expected he'd worry over her a bit more." Thatch surmised not seeming the least bit bothered by the sandal currently sticking out of his pompadour.

"I'm not so sure that's it." Izo sighed.

Video- "The Sound of Silence" Cover By Disturbed (Originally by Simon & Garfunkel)