The green hilltop was peaceful, covered in the colourful flowers surrounding the giant grave with the familiar Naginata and his long red and white coat sticking out of the stone. Tied to the top is the Whitebeard flag. Everyone was quiet as they also mourned the man they called Pops. The gathered pirates lined up to the hillside, with the Division Commanders around the base. My green and purple, mossy hair moved in the breeze as I stood and stared at the sight before me. I knew Marco and Shanks stood behind me as Gunpowder lay around my feet. The young man we had risked everything for was sitting on the other side of the cold stone. He needed some space right now, and I knew this! Yet, I also knew that I was the only one who could talk to him when he was like this because he was shutting everyone else out on purpose. I let out a long sigh. It will be a long journey forward, but together, we will pull through. But before we move forward, let's first look backwards.

I am Morgan Nightblossom (but you might know me as the Daughter of the Sea), the biological daughter of the legendary Whitebeard and the daughter of an Archfae Queen who happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was a Princess in every sense. I am now an Emperor of the New World and an Archfae of The Twilight Grove. This is how I became the Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and the wife of Portgas D. Ace, the son of the former King of the Pirates and the brother of the soon-to-be King!
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It all started when my parents met. There wasn't love between them, just the physical attraction that drew them together a few times. But this was enough for the world to make my birth happen, the unexpected union between Saoirie Nightblossom, the Archfae and Queen of The Twilight Grove (a hidden island somewhere in the new world where the main gate to the Faewild can be found) and a younger Edward Newgate, a pirate who was not quite the Whitebeard that he was now. Unfortunately, my parents would never get a chance to meet each other again, with both of them still alive, but letters were common between them. But this is not where we are starting this story. I wasn't told this information until later in my life, and no one needs the full origin story right now. Let's start this adventure with the child, me, and my loyal friend running for our lives just before our world changed forever! *******************************************************************************************************************************

"Hey, come back here, you little brat!" I was too focused on running to look back to comment right now. I ran past all sorts of dumpsters, piles of garbage-filled bags and puddles of things best not thought about, incredibly late at night. The smells were somehow worse than the look of the alleyway I tore down. The sounds of heavy boots hot on my trail were only beaten by my heartbeat thudding in my chest. I sharply rounded the corner into the next ally, catching my arm on some jagged stones from the dull building beside me. I let out a gasp as the skin ripped enough to start bleeding, but I didn't have time to think; have to keep running I thought as I ended up running straight into a dead-end. Shit! I managed to stop myself from running into the spiky fence that I hadn't seen before running down here. 

"Ha, I've got you now, you little shit!" I turned to face the marine chasing me for the last 5 minutes. My yellow eyes darted around, looking for a way out. "You don't even look like much, do you? Why is everyone out for your return, I wonder. What makes you so special to be hunted for a week straight as the top priority? You know, the last time we hunted a child, she was called a demon. I wonder what you will be called? Maybe a....." He was so busy in his stupid thoughts that he didn't see the giant cat slink out of the shadows until it was too late. I let out a breath of relief and turned to my arm. It had started to sting, and blood dripped onto the ground in front of me. Gunpowder hissed as the sounds of more people coming down the alleyway could be heard.

"I guess it's time to leave this town, Gunpowder," I said quietly to the big cat as he licked the blood on my arm, trying to help. "I'll deal with this later when we're safe; we need to get to the docks before the Marines catch up!" With that, I swung up onto Gunpowder's back with a grunt and held onto the brown and green mane of the giant brown and cream fae cat as we leapt up on someone's balcony and onto the low roof. I could hear the shouts below us as we started to run and leap to the docks, searching for a boat.
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"Pops, we've got marines on the island. They arrived a few minutes ago." My blond right-hand man and 1st division commander stated as he flew down to my position on the Moby Dick.

"I noticed. How long until the boat is ready to leave?"

"It depends; all the supplies are on, but the repairs are ongoing. We could leave now but must stop at the next island to finish the repairs." The worry was evident in Marco's voice.

"Then we will wait until we can no longer. I will not risk my sons in a fight, especially after what just happened!" 

"We will prepare to cast off as soon as we need to!" I nodded at the doctor, but before he could leave my side, the strong presence we sensed started to head straight for us.

"Get everyone on board now; we will risk the damage on the sea until the next island. I will go help." I started to move towards the presence, but Marco caught my arm and sighed.

"Yes, Pops," he wanted to argue but backed off before he even started, letting my arm go.
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Gunpowder leapt down on the street as soon as we ran out of roofs to jump to. My fresh blood mixed into his fur. The sounds of gunfire aimed at him worried us both. The night chills became worse as we neared the docks. Gunpowder growled as a bullet grassed his hind leg enough to send us tumbling to the damp, slimy stone. I gasped as I landed on my fresh wound and kept rolling onto the ones on my back; the pain drew a yelp as I sat up quickly. I was winded, in pain and now very dizzy. I heard the Marines say things, but I was trying to focus on not passing out, and only zoned back in when I felt the ground shake and a giant shadow fell over me. I looked up into yellow eyes- that reminded me of my own- and a big white moustache.

"You and your friend look like you could do with some help and medical attention; I have a good doctor aboard my ship. Let me help you both, and we'll see what happens from there!" The massive man knelt on one knee to come down more to my height, with a hand reaching out to my tiny figure. I had no choice: trust this random stranger or get taken back with the Marines. I knew my answer, so I nodded. He gently picked me up in one arm and Gunpowder in the other, taking us back to his ship. I realised I could no longer hear the Marines as we left the scene. I didn't need to be able to look behind us to know that they were either dead, unconscious, or so frightened they were frozen solid. 

This was the start of a new chapter in my life and also the biggest!