Thanks to ame_colours for beta-ing this for me.
Ace loved spending time with Pops. It was nice to know that there was someone who knew who his biological father was and still treated him like a person.
Many called him monster, among other unsavory things. Of course, they did not know that they were talking to Roger's child when they told him how he was better off dead. Still. Those words hurt.
At first, he did not listen to them. What did they know about him? They knew nothing. As such, their opinions did not matter. But when he was called a monster time and again, he could not help but wonder if it were true.
And who was best to tell him than Pops?
"Do you think I'm a monster?" Ace blurted out before his nerves stopped him.
"What makes you think that?"
Ace shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. And failed miserably. "I'm that man's son. And he was a monster, wasn't he?"
"And what makes you think that your father's a monster?"
Ace opened his mouth, ready to answer. Only to come up with nothing. He closed his mouth, blinking owlishly. Huh. Now, he thought about it, he was not sure why he always thought that that man was a monster. "Everyone says so." It was supposed to be a statement. And yet, there was a questioning lilt at the end of it.
"That's logical fallacy. Just because everyone believes something to be true does not mean it is true," Pops pointed out, voice even.
Ace was struck silent. This was the first time someone even so much as hinted that Roger, that his biological father, might not be a monster. (Which meant he might not be one either. Huh. What a novel concept.) And for that person to be Whitebeard, Roger's greatest rival… It was. Surprising, to say the least.
"Ro– My–" Ace stuttered, looking for the right word. "THAT MAN was not a monster?" he asked, heart thumping painfully fast, filled to the brim with fragile hope.
"It depends on your definition of a monster." Pops' voice stayed even, his face neutral. "What makes a person monster, Ace?"
This time, Ace did not try to answer right away. Instead, he took his time to think of the answer. Pops was a patient man, he would not rush him. Ace tried to think of Roger's actions that made him labeled as a monster. "Killing many people?" he hazarded a guess.
"Oh, but I've killed as many people as Roger did, if not more because I simply still live. Does that make me a monster to you?"
"NO!" Ace shook his head frantically. Despite his reputation as the strongest pirate on the sea, Pops was one of the kindest people he had ever met. "You only fight to defend your crew. And people who want your protection. You're a good person!"
"Roger fought for his crew as well."
Ace fell silent, a frown between his brows. He did not like it when Pops compared himself to Roger. It made the man more… humane. For as long as he could remember, he always saw that man as nothing but a shadow to overcome. A burden. A curse. "Are you saying that, that, the Pirate King was a good person?" he asked, looking up at the weathered face of the man he chose to call Father.
Pops let out a loud laugh at that. "Of course not. Roger could be a vicious little shit."
"But you said– I thought– What?" Ace was getting frustrated. All the mixed messages Pops was trying to tell him only made him even more confused. And the old man had the nerves to laugh at him as he ruffled his hair. "Pops!" he protested in a whine as he tried his best to tidy his hair. He glared at Pops though it was softened by his pout. He could not get truly mad at Pops.
"Roger was a laid-back guy," Pops started. At that, Ace made a face. "Really, Ace. He was. Until you hurt or threatened one of his crew. Then he turned into a beast, fierce and fearsome."
"Oh." A beat. "So, like you?"
"We were alike. Sometimes, too much alike. That was one of the reasons why we could not stand each other."
"But you're not a monster." Ace was adamant in this. "What did it make him then?" he asked, voice quite, head down, fearing Pops' answer.
Pops put his massive hand on top of Ace's hand. He ran his hand through Ace's wavy hair once before he put his hand under Ace's chin and lifted his head, forcing him to look him in the eye. Pops could easily hurt him without meaning too. But he was so very gentle, despite being a giant. Reluctantly, Ace looked up at Pops through his bangs.
"Human," Pops answered, face soft. "It made him a human."
"What does it make me?" Ace's voice was nothing but a whisper.
"Son of a man."
"Just like… everyone else?"
"Just like everyone else." Pops confirmed, nodding decisively. Ace gulped, eyes brimming with tears. He wondered if Pops knew how much it meant to him, that confirmation. That his biological father was not a monster. That he was human, just like everyone else.
The atmosphere was thick. And that was when Pops booped Ace on the nose, a playful smile on his lips, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Except for the bottomless pit you call stomach. And your brain that can churn thousand crazy ideas in a minute. But other than that, you're pretty normal."
Ace wiped the tears with the back of his hand, sniffling. Then he scowled, knowing he was being teased. "My ideas are not crazy. They're brilliant!"
Pops let out a laugh. "If you say so, son. If you say so."
End.
Standard disclaimer applied. DO YOU REALLY THINK I'D KILL ACE IF I OWNED OP?
Yes, the title and summary are shamelessly taken from Lilo & Stitch. It suits Ace and Whitebeard, don't you think?