A/N: I'm alive. This is a shorter chapter, but the next few will most likely be much larger. From now on, this story will hopefully be updated bi-weekly with my other One Piece story (go check it out if you haven't already). Check below for the poll announcement.

Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, the anime episodes would start within the first two minutes without years of recap, all the openings would have dubbed variants, and Nami would have Haki.

The Protector

Isaac hefted the crate onto his shoulder with ease, smiling at his ever-growing strength. He placed it onto Merry's deck, cracking his back now that his job was done. He leaned over the railing, searching the docks for Nami. "Oi, Nami!" he roared, catching the navigator's attention from where she was talking with Igaram. He hiked a thumb over his shoulder towards the pile of supply crates that had been loaded onto their ship. "Everything's onboard the Merry. Pack up and get ready to head out!" She waved back to acknowledge she heard him before returning to her discussion with Igaram. Isaac, finally relieved of his duty, sped to the other railing, morphing into his hawk form. His enhanced eyesight roved over the rocks in the distance, keeping an eye out for any movement. He finally zeroed in on what seemed to be an eye etched into the stone of a small islet. It quickly dispersed into flower petals. He frowned before launching into the air, flapping his wings to gain momentum.

"OIII! ISAAAAC!" shouted Luffy, bouncing into view aboard the Going Merry. A massive grin was plastered on his rubbery face. "What are you doing?!" The birdman rolled his eyes fondly, dropping lower and lower until he reached his captain. The boy continued to giggle, stretching out his arms to run his arms through his crewmember's feathery body. "So fluffy! Shishishishi!" Isaac chuckled before turning serious.

"Luffy, we may have an unwanted visitor," he explained, causing the teen to stop his crazed laughing. Isaac jerked his head at the cluster of peaks nearby. "I saw something in the rocks over that makes me think Igaram is in danger." Luffy stared at his friend before nodding in understanding. After a nod of thanks, the scout gave a heave of his wings and zoomed into the sky. He made his way above the second ship that was anchored and began to search for his target. He watched as a multitude of hands rolled barrels and lifted crates onto the ship, placing them in the hold out of sight. Seconds later, a stunning woman sashayed onto the deck from the cabin, a long fuse clutched in her hands. Isaac growled at her but stayed airborne to avoid notice. When she disappeared into the hold, he folded in his wings and dove downwards, flaring his wings out at the last moment to catch himself before he latched onto the mast. He quickly glanced around for eyes but saw none. He floated down to the deck, unaware of the ear that burst into petals behind him. He drew his fighting dagger, readying himself for a difficult fight. Before he could act, he suddenly found himself pinned to the wooden floor, unable to move.

"My, my," crooned a melodious voice, followed by the clacking of heels as someone ascended the ladder. The woman rested her chin in her hand, leaning on the top rung as she stared at the furious face of Isaac as he struggled furiously. "What an interesting fruit. I have met the users of the falcon and hawk models, so that must not be it. Where did you get your powers, little boy? Hm?" Isaac continued his struggling, refusing to meet her gaze. She hummed before he was tossed into the cargo hold and bound against one of the posts that held up the deck above. The woman clicked back down the ladder, sauntering up to the grunting teen. She put her face mere inches from his so he could feel her breath. "I can get your secrets from you with or without your cooperation, young man. It's your choice." Isaac froze for several moments before slumping in resignation. His captor smirked as he lifted his startling eyes to meet her own.

"I ate the Boobrie-Boobrie Fruit," he admitted, before grinning deviously. "Which means that I can DO THIS!" His avian screech knocked her off her feet, allowing Isaac to break his bonds. He burst through the trapdoor, launching into the air. He locked on to Nami, who had begun moving towards the Going Merry. Igaram had disappeared from view, most likely finishing his boarding preparations. Isaac flared his wings, only to find himself constricted once again. His eyes flew open as the dozens of arms circling his torso squeezed taut, causing him to plummet towards the sea below. "LUFF-Gargh!" His cry for help was cut off as he hit the water, dispelling his transformation and the arms that held him. His strength was gone. He couldn't even move his mouth. All he could do was stare in horror as the surface of the water got blurrier and blurrier as he sank into the depths of the ocean. 'No…this can't be the end. Have to…warn…Luffy…' Everything started going dark as Isaac began losing his grip on consciousness. His brain slowed to the point where no coherent thought could be made except for one. 'Is this the end?'

~0~

Robin smirked down at the unconscious Igaram. The boy from before had nearly botched her entire operation, but she had been able to catch him off-guard with her powers. He probably thought she would be knocked down by his offensive shriek far longer than she actually was. She always enjoyed the look of horror on her victims' faces when they realized they overestimated themselves or underestimated her. Now, she sat upon the railing of the pirate crew's ship, enjoying their shocked expressions as they stared at her. The princes was barking at her, the captain was trying to discern whose side she was on, and the rest of the crew was glaring at her.

"You know, Straw Hat, you should really take better care of your crewmates," she advised, holding up the fighting knife that she had swiped from Isaac. She smiled widely as horrified realization fell over the crew. "His Devil Fruit power was quite interesting, but even his powers could not save him from the one weakness that fruit users cannot circumvent…the sea." The young captain roared in anger, launching his fist at her. She barely dodged to the side, her cowboy hat flying off from the swift movement. She narrowed her eyes before leaping off the railing as two blades slashed down where she had been milliseconds prior.

"What have you done with Isaac, you b—MMPH!" A hand slapped across the navigator's mouth, cutting her rant short. Soon, the entire crew found themselves disarmed or incapacitated. Robin smirked, snatching the captain's straw hat from his head with ease. She twirled it in her hands, ignoring the steam that blew from his nostrils like a fighting bull.

"So you're the straw hat captain I've been hearing so much about…Monkey D. Luffy," noted Robin as he began demanding she relinquish her hold on his beloved namesake. She giggled at the boy's antics before stiffening at a low cry of distress. 'Bunchi!' she realized, spawning an eye on the side of the ship. It quickly dispelled as a wave of seawater slammed into it as something leaped from the waters, landing on the ship before her.

"Arctic Rocket!" squawked the odd creature as it slammed into her stomach, knocking her to the ground. She immediately rolled to her knees, gasping for breath as she faced her attacker. It was a massive penguin with a white underbelly and face, marred only by a single black line that resembled a chinstrap wrapping around its neck. It pointed one of its gleaming flippers at her imperiously, the other one clutching the straw hat. "You thought we were finished, huh?! Well, no one messes with my crew like that!" The bird lobbed the hat over its head before slowly reverting to the bare form of Isaac. He fell to one knee, gulping in air. He kept his gaze locked on a shellshocked Robin, grinning wildly. "Never… underestimate your… opponent." The agent huffed, rising to her feet indignantly, clutching her bruised stomach gingerly.

"It seems I have misinformed you, Captain Luffy," she admitted, turning to the grinning teen. She rummaged through a small pack clasped to her skirt before pulling out an ornate Log Pose and tossing it to a confused Vivi. "That is an Eternal Pose to Nothing at All Island. It will allow you to pass by your next destination: Little Garden." A shiver went down everyone's spine at the ominous tone Robin used, staring at the odd instrument. "No one from Baroque Works knows of this course, so they will not chase after you." Nami gaped at the woman while Vivi questioned the mysterious woman's motives. Isaac narrowed his eyes, striding forward when Luffy began to frown.

"Sorry, Ms. All-Sunday," mocked the young man, snatching the Eternal Pose from Vivi and smashing it against the deck. Nami screeched in horror but calmed at Isaac's next words. "The only one who decides our course is our captain, not some intruding criminal." Robin nearly smiled at the ironic statement but settled for a demeaning smirk instead. She shrugged her shoulders indifferently, sauntering towards the railing.

"That's too bad," she noted simply before launching herself off the ship, landing atop a massive turtle smoking a cigar. "Let's go, Bunchi!" They began to pull away from the ship, causing the crew to shout in amazement at the amphibious reptile. Isaac collapsed against the mast, panting heavily. 'That was close…if it hadn't been for you, Eion, that would have been it for me.' His mind's occupant scoffed at the statement but otherwise remained silent as Sanji sat next to his tired crewmate.

"She had us all worried that you were a goner, Isaac," he mentioned, lighting a cigarette thoughtlessly. He puffed on it for a few moments before exhaling a thin stream of smoke. "It is pretty amazing that you can turn into seabirds, though. I can definitely speak for all of us when I say that none of us saw that one coming." Isaac chuckled before coughing violently, spewing seawater over his shirt. Sanji immediately laid him on his back and began punching his diaphragm to release all the water.

"Sanji, stop it!" Nami cried in fear, running towards the pair. However, when she saw the ocean water flying everywhere, she halted her advance and stayed silent as the cook expelled all the foreign matter from Isaac's lungs. After a final, fierce cough, the fruit user rolled onto his stomach and began dry heaving. He finally rose to his feet slowly after several ineffective attempts to clear his stomach. He stared back at the concerned navigator, giving her a wavering smile.

"Don't worry, Nami," he assured her, looking back to the rest of the crew that was watching them. "I just need to work on my powers a little bit more." She stumbled forward, before being caught in a quick embrace by Nami before she shoved him toward the trapdoor to the hammock room below deck. He pointed at Usopp before he descended, gaining the sniper's attention. "My weapons are in a sack tacked onto the side of Merry's hull. Can you grab them and make sure they are still functional?" The long-nosed teen nodded vigorously before setting off to do his task while Isaac descended to his hammock. He flopped into it, allowing himself to be overtaken by sleep.

~0~

"Island! Island! Island!" shouted Luffy, rousing Isaac from his slumber. He had been sluggish the past week or so as they sailed, needing much more rest than normal. Sanji had made sure to give him meals to boost his stamina, which had helped tremendously. Now, the scout was starting to feel closer to one hundred percent. He slipped out of his hammock, grabbed his weapons from their perches on the shelf, and ascended the ladder to the deck.

"Oh, Isaac! Good afternoon!" greeted Vivi with a smile. She helped the man out of the portal, steadying him. "How are you feeling?" Isaac rolled his shoulders, smiling down at the inquisitive girl. She had quickly taken to being his caretaker during his recovery, ensuring he never pushed himself to much. If he was being honest, she reminded him of his younger sister. He sighed morosely at the memory, waving off the concerned look on Vivi's face at the despondent sound.

"Sorry, just getting lost in memories," he explained, taking a deep breath of the salty sea air. "I am feeling much better, thank you. What about you, princess? Are you still worrying yourself constantly over the situation?" She adopted a sheepish look, nodding hesitantly. The pirate shook his head, ruffling her hair casually. "You need to focus on the good times you are having right now. If you harp on the past or focus on the future, you will miss everything happening in the here and now. Memories aren't made by predicting or reminiscing, but by living." Vivi stared at Isaac as he finished his pep talk, giggling happily.

"You sound like an old man, Isaac," she teased, getting a deadpan stare in response. She continued giggling, unaware of the sad smile that flitted across Isaac's face. She stopped suddenly, staring at him intently. He raised an eyebrow as her expression morphed once more into a thoughtful smile. "Actually, you really are the balancing character in this crew. Luffy is sporadic, Mr. Bushido is cranky, Nami can be…wily at the best of times, Usopp is flamboyant, and Sanji takes chivalry to an entirely new level." The pirate chuckled at the accurate description of his crew before pinning her with his amused gaze.

"What does that make me?" he wondered, stroking an imaginary beard. "The wizened old sage who can still hold his own against these young rapscallions?" The princess shook her, her gaze boring into his very soul.

"You're the older brother," she stated bluntly, causing Isaac to freeze up. He stared at her in shock as she continued. "You keep everyone in line, you ensure that they stay safe, and you bring a rational line of thinking to every situation. But, in the end, you can still have fun with them. You don't act like a parent, but more of a mentoring friend." With her piece said, Vivi wandered off to where the rest of the crew was "oohing" and "aahing" at the distant island. After several moments of silence, Isaac let out a wavering chuckle, his eyes misty. 'The big brother, huh? Heh…could be worse. I could be the overbearing mother hen.' He stared at his crew, smiling widely at his new family. 'But, in the end, Vivi's right. Just like with my siblings, I would protect these people to my deathbed.'

"Isaaaaac…" moaned Luffy, surprising his crewmate with his sudden appearance in front of him. He pouted petulantly. "When are we going to be at the islaaaaaaand? It's taking sooooo looooong." Isaac shrugged in response, pointing to Nami. Luffy redirected his woeful groans to the navigator, who quickly gave her answer by smashing her fist over his rubbery head. However, because of his mood, the rubber man did not take it well. "DAMN IT, NAMI! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! IT HURTS!" The two began a brief spitting match, their eyes flashing angrily as they attempted throttle each other. Sanji quickly became involved, launching Luffy over the railing. After staring after his captain, he leaped after him, shouting frantically. Isaac blinked rapidly for several seconds before throwing his head back and letting loose a hearty laugh. He wouldn't trade this family for anyone or anything. And he would watch over them as long as he needed to.

So, the poll is closing within the next 12 hours. Here are the current standings:

~Tashigi/Bonney: 9

~Rebecca: 8

~Hancock: 7

~Perona: 4

If you have not voted, please put in your choices quickly. The new poll will be up by tomorrow afternoon at the latest and will be on my profile page for the next week.

With that out of the way, just know that I will be trying to write more consistently. I've been having some cases of writer's block where I stare at my computer screen before pulling up Steam and letting my brain cells rot as I rage at One Piece: Burning Blood. Now that I have started to get past that, expect more content on a regular basis. And, remember...

Keep. It. Zesty.

~Sir Zesto