I let out a long drawn out sigh as I hung my arms over the side of the small boat. I heard my brother groan in annoyance and I felt him kick my side lightly.
"Saria, would you quit sighing. It's getting annoying." I turned my head slightly to glare at my freckled face older brother.
"I can't help that I'm bored so lay off, Ace." I stated grumpily at him.
Ace let out a sigh, "We just left Dawn Island only just an hour ago. It's going to take another hour or two to reach our destination." Ace informed.
"Don't remind me…you think Luffy will be okay?" I asked sincerely.
Ace was taken aback from the question but he soon recovered and gave me an assuring smile.
"Luffy will be just fine, he's our little brother after all." I let out a small smile and looked back out to the sea.
"Yeah, I already miss him and his crazy powers." I said chuckling slightly.
Ace let out a laugh, "Me too, especially when he launches himself and-"
"Dadan gets so mad!" I said in unison with Ace and both of us erupted into laughter.
Our laughter died down when an island came into view. I stood up quickly and the small boat rocked which caused Ace to hold on.
"Saria, careful! We're on a small boat remember!?" Ace yelled at me.
"Ace, I think we reached our destination." Ace turned his head and smirked seeing the island.
"So why do we have to stop here first?" I asked.
"Gramps gave me a letter the last time he came to visit us. The letter told me when I set out to sea to head here first and show this letter to a pawn shop owner named Dyce." I raised a brow at him.
"Why would you listen to a letter and from Grandpa of all people?" I asked confused.
Ace's mood suddenly soured and he glared at the floorboards of the boat. I instantly knew who the letter was from.
"It's from your dad, huh." I said softly.
Ace hated to be reminded of his father: Gol D. Roger, the famous King of the Pirates.
"I'm only going because my mother left something for me there too." Ace explained, looking up to meet me in the eye.
"Huh…you sure this is the place?" I asked my brother. In front of us was an old run down wooden shack with a faded sign labeled "Pawn Shop" and the sign looked like it was about to fall off.
"Pretty sure." Ace said uncertainly causing me to sweatdrop.
"Might as well head in…you first." I stated bluntly, turning to Ace.
Ace snapped his head towards me, "Why me!?" He yelled comically.
"It was your letter that brought us here, not mine." I noted.
Ace let out a sigh in defeat and looked back at the door.
"What's the matter, Captain? Scared?" I teased causing Ace's face to turn red from embarrassment.
"I am not scared!" Ace yelled at me and stormed through the front door of the shop.
"Too easy." I snickered and shook my head.
I followed my brother into the shop and I didn't think the inside could be worse than the outside, but I've been wrong before.
"This place is a pigsty, who could live with all this junk?" I asked critically and looking around.
"It's not junk, my dear." I nearly jumped out of my skin hearing a voice come from behind me.
"Now who's scared?" Ace mocked with a smirk. I glared at him and whacked Ace in the arm causing him to chuckle.
I turned back to face the man known as Dyce. He was elderly old man with some white strands of hair on top of his mostly bald head but he had a full on white beard. He was wearing a Hawaiian style shirt, brown khakis, sandals, and he had an old wooden cane.
"Are you Dyce?" Ace asked.
"Depends on who's asking." Dyce replied and slowly walked, hobbled, towards the shop's counter.
"My name is Portgas D. Ace." Dyce stopped and turned his head to Ace.
"Rouge and Roger's boy, huh and here I thought you were long dead considering who your father is. One moment, I'll be right back." Dyce turned his head back and walked into the back of the store.
"Well, he knows your parents so I guess this is the right place." I stated.
"Yeah…"
"Here we are." Dyce came back in with a small chest and a red beaded necklace sitting on top of the chest.
He set them on top of the counter and pushed them towards us.
"These are from your mother, the necklace belong to her." Dyce explained.
Ace carefully picked up the red beaded necklace and studied it for some time.
"What about the chest?" I asked, pointing to it.
"This chest had a specific note. Your mother doesn't want you opening this chest until your eighteenth birthday." Dyce informed.
"Looks like you have another year until you can open it." I informed Ace who was still looking at the necklace.
"Okay, since he's out of it…the letter he got also says there's something here for Ace from his father so where is it?" I asked.
"Ah, that gift is too big for my shop. Follow me." Dyce started to hobble his way out of the store.
Ace and I exchange glances and shrugged. Ace put the beaded necklace on and grabbed the small chest by its handles.
"Holy crap!? A ship!? Your dad's gift was a ship!?" I yelled excitedly seeing a decent size ship floating in the harbor.
"I've been keeping that beauty up and running for the past eighteen years. I guess Roger knew his boy would become a pirate like him someday." Dyce informed.
"Cool, the figure head is the best!" I said excitedly, looking at the horse figure head with flames behind it.
"I don't want it." I whirled around to face Ace after hearing those words come out of his mouth.
"Say what!?" I yelled, not believing my ears.
"I said, I don't want it, we can buy our own ship." Ace repeated.
"Oh no, no, no, no, NO! I don't think so! I'm telling you this as your sister and not as your First Mate! We ARE getting that ship! You have any idea how expensive ships are? Well I do and this one's free! No way are we passing this up!" I told Ace forcefully.
"Well I'm the Captain-"
"I don't care! Get. On. The. Ship." Every word I forcefully poked Ace's chest and glared daggers at him.
Ace gave me an unsettled look, he knew when I got like this to listen or else it's his head.
"Now!" Ace suddenly unfroze and scrambled towards the ship.
Dyce let out a deep bellowing laugh, "That's one feisty little First Mate you have there!" Dyce commented.
"Tell me about it…" Ace mumbled, sighing.
I boarded onto our new ship as Ace raised the anchor. The sails were already unfurled and ready to go.
"You two take care and remember the sea is a dangerous place." Dyce warned.
"We will, thanks Dyce!" Ace yelled out waving.
The new ship sailed out into the open sea and I steered the ship towards our next destination.
"So Ace, you haven't told me yet. What's the name of our crew?" I asked my brother who was leaning against the railing.
Ace let out a grin, "I was thinking along the lines of The Spade Pirates."
To make things clear this is my version of how Ace got his ship and some other things and is not official. It's just something I thought of that made sense to me. We really have no idea how Ace got these so I took advantage of it. Stay tune for the next chapter: "Enter Fire Fist and Demon Sword!"