Ace grumbled irritably and kicked open his bedroom door, not caring as it hit the solid wood wall. He stuffed his hands in his shorts pockets and glared as he walked towards the galley. He had been living on Whitebeards ship for a couple weeks now and he was still pissed at having been beaten so easily. How was he supposed to become king of the pirates if he kept getting treated like a ragdoll.
He grit his teeth together when his stomach growled and resisted the urge to inhale. He refused to admit it out loud, but the food was absolutely delicious. Even the lukewarm stew he usually ended up eating was still good.
He shuffled inside and glanced around, glaring when the room grew quiet and all eyes turned to him. He shifted and quickly turned around, stalking out the galley to go outside. He'll eat later, he decided, when no one else was there to stare and mock him.
He stepped outside and glanced around before shuffling over to a quiet spot behind some barrels. He plopped down and faced out towards the sea, crossing his arms against the railing. He glared out and curled his fingers into fists.
His mind raced as he plotted on how to end Whitebeard, there had to be a way to kill the old bastard. He wasn't invincible, just a tough old man. He eyed the ocean waves as they beat against the ship, maybe he could trick him into tripping overboard and drowning. Nah, the non-devil fruit users of the crew would save the bastard.
He softly huffed and nearly jumped out his skin when a voice piped up behind him, "Have you eaten?"
He quickly turned and jumped again when he saw the upside down face. The woman blinked at him and tilted her head before moving to sit upright, ropes looping under her thighs and ass. "Who the hell are you?"
She smiled and lightly swung herself. "I'm Seraphina, or just Sera. I'm Pop's daughter. You're Ace right, the new guy that keeps trying to off the old man?"
He crossed his arms and eyed her, taking in her tied up braid and bright brown eyes. "Yeah, I'm Ace. What of it?"
She hummed and glanced over him. "You should eat, we don't let lackeys stay on board forever. You're part of the crew, get used to it."
He grumbled and watched as she climbed back up the rope, hooking her bare feet through loops to swing herself across the rigging. She wore protective gloves that reached up to her elbows and he stared as she helped unfurl the sails.
Marco, Commander Pineapple as Ace had nicknamed him, walked over holding a bowl of food. "Eat up, yoi. We got some repairs to do, since you keep smashing doors open."
Ace huffed as he took the bowl and shoved the food in his mouth, quickly eating it before his narcolepsy could kick in. Marco smiled to himself and shook his head at Ace, glancing up at Sera. Sera smiled as she lounged in the rigging and shook her head.
Ace grumbled irritably as he mopped the deck. He was a Captain dammit, he could've been a Warlord if he wanted, he shouldn't be mopping! He hasn't mopped since Makino made him clean up some beers he had spilt.
He glared at a stubborn spot and scrubbed at it, the yellow shirt clinging to his sweaty back. It was a particularly hot day and his devil fruit only made the heat worse. It was very useful during winters or when he landed on winter islands, but summer was just hell for him
He huffed when the spot finally disappeared and yelped when cold water was poured over him. He looked up at a laugh and Sera grinned, dangling upside down with an empty bucket in her hands. Her usual tank top had been replaced for a tight crop top and it clung gloriously to her chest.
"What the hell was that for?!" Glorious chest or not, he was still pissed at being unknowingly soaked.
She hummed and twisted to sit up, swinging on the ropes. "Hmm, you looked hot. I thought I'd cool you off."
He huffed and glared at her, steam rising off his skin. His fingers twitched to let his flames loose, but Whitebeard would surely kill him if he even threatened to burn his adopted daughter.
She snickered and moved away from him, gripping the rope tied to her bucket to scoop up another bucketful of water. He watched as she moved back over him and quickly moved out the way. And so, an odd game of cat and splash the mouse had started.
Ace stared up at the ceiling as he laid in bed, his teeth chattering rapidly. A bug was going around the ship and usually his body burned off any virus, but this time it was just making him burn hotter than usual. He groaned and pushed the blankets off, which did nothing to help as the room itself was also hot. He'd managed to run out his roommates, it was so damned hot.
He panted softly and cracked open an eye when the bedroom door open. He stared as a fuzzy figure with long, blond hair walked in. The figure shook their head at him and tied their back into a ponytail. He watched the ponytail swung as the person moved and groaned when they moved him into a sitting position.
He jolted when a cool glass pressed to his lips and quickly drank the contents of the glass, sighing in relief at the cool water. He settled back when they let him and groaned when they started wrapping him in blankets, pushing them off. He shook his head slightly and groaned louder when they sucessfully cocooned him, keeping his arms pinned inside the blanket.
He sighed when the person pressed their cool hand to his forehead and tilted his head into it, enjoying both the softness and the coolness of their hand. He relaxed and closed his eyes. The person smiled slightly and gently combed his hair back, lightly tracing his freckles with their fingertips.
"Get well soon, freckles."
Ace watched as the others celebrated and softly sighed, resting his chin on his fist as he sat cross-legged on the barrel. They'd taken down a small fleet and collected most of the loot from thm, but it felt hollow. Despite the party, he just didn't feel like joining them.
He sighed and glanced down; maybe it was time to move on from trying to kill the old man. Maybe it was time to accept their offer to join their crew. Maybe it was time to become part of their family.
He glanced up and jumped, tipping backwards at Sera dangling directly in front of him. She snickered softly and looped a rope around his waist to keep him up. He gave her a dirty look and carefully sat back up, eyeing her.
She smiled and straightened up, sitting on the rope like a hammock. She hummed and tilted her head back, looking up at the night sky. "What's on your mind, freckles?"
He rolled his eyes and lightly hit her shoulder, making her swing side to side. "Don't call me that. And, that's none of your business."
She chuckled and shook her head slightly, closing her eyes. "You'll join and be part of the family before you know it. Trust me, it took me a while to accept it too. I'm just as stubborn as you are, freckles."
He rolled his eyes and slumped forward some, resting his forearms on his knees. "So you're not actually his kid? Is anyone here actually related?"
She smiled and nodded. "Of course, we have siblings and even a few married couples on board. Pops is always so proud when we find love. Granted, some of us are more in love with gold or the sea than people. But, to answer your question, no, no one here is related to Pops by blood. We're still family, though. Family don't end in blood, freckles. Sometimes, you choose your family and sometimes your family chooses you. Whether you welcome them or not is up to you."
She smiled to herself as she could practically hear the gears turning in his head. She opened her eyes at a soft sniffle and looked over, blinking in surprise when she saw him hunched over, his shoulders shaking. She sat up and carefully hopped down, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
She rubbed his back and smiled softly before yelping when he hugged her waist tightly, pressing his face into her stomach. He gripped her waist and she smiled slightly, rubbing his back. "It's alright, freckles. We're here for you."
He clung to her and shakily said, "I, I'm Roger's kid. Gol D. Roger is my father. Just a damn spawn of a man like that."
She rubbed his back through his shirt and nodded. "It's alright, freckles. Pops has got plenty of love for more kids and more family, if you want to join us. We'll welcome you with open arms, Ace. It doesn't matter who your father or mother were, we love you for you. And we will not hate you for your bloodline. That's just stupid."
He nodded slightly and squeezed her waist. He pulled back and grabbed the edge of his shirt, wiping under his eyes. She smiled and combed her fingers through his hair, straightening it as he recomposed himself.
He glanced up at her and pulled off his shirt, glancing over the various stains and rips. "You, uh, you really think he'd still accept me? Even if he knows who my old man is?"
She smiled softly and nodded. "Yes, he will. Tell you what, you accept his mark and join us, I'll tell you my story. I'll tell you how I joined this crew and more importantly, joined this family."
He nodded and asked, "Where do you think I should get his mark at?"
She glanced over him and smiled, staring at his shirt. "I got an idea."
Ace smiled proudly as he looked over his shoulder at his reflection. His skin was still raw, but the tattoo was finished. It'd taken time to get it finished, but the final product was worth the pain.
Marco patted his shoulder and smiled, for once looking awake. "It looks good. You made a good decision on your back."
Ace smiled and shook his head. "Nah, your rope monkey made the decision where to put it. Glad to be part of a crew again."
Marco hummed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, she's got an eye for tattoo placement. Now, she's waiting for you in the galley. Saved you a hot plate of food."
Ace nodded and headed to the galley, smiling proudly. He hadn't felt this good in ages. It was amazing what some ink and acceptance did to his morale. It was deeper than that, but he was content to accept it in its simplest form.
He nudged open the swinging door and made his way over to the back corner table. Sera lounged across the bench seat and smiled at him, waving sligtly. He waved and sat across from her taking the plate.
"Thanks for saving me some food. So, ready to tell me your story?"
She smiled and rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes. "I was sold as a child to work in some mines. Never knew my father or mother, but they must've been shitty to sell their daughter for money. One day, some pirates attacked and we kids escaped. We all stowed away on the ship and only came out when we got caught stealing food. Pops wasn't captain then, but we convinced the old man to let us stay in exchange for some labor. We figured a little cleaning and cooking are nothing compared to working in mines. We were right, obviously, and eventually the others moved on and either joined other crews or started there own. I was the only one to stay with Pops and I don't think I've made a worse decision yet."
Ace stared, eyes wide and mouth agape. He'd heard of child labor and slavery, but actually hearing it from someone he knew personally? That was just, he had no words to describe it.
She rubbed her cheeks dry and shook her head slightly. "It's amazing, I know. You wouldn't think I was a child slave, but I was. Looked like a skeleton and everything. I guess it's why I like swinging around on the rigging now, it's free and open. The air just feels fresher the higher I am."
He nodded slightly and chugged some water, finding his voice. "Damn, I just, I never would've thought that shit still went on. Can I just, can I hold you? Damn, you need to be held."
She smiled slightly and nodded, getting up to walk around the table. He pulled her into his lap and held her close, tucking his nose in her loosely-braided hair. He squeezed her as she leaned into him and rubbed her back.
She smiled weakly and leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and sniffled softly. She simply didn't allow herself to think back on her past often; it just hurt too much to remember. She clenched her eyes shut and he tucked her against his chest as she slowly broke down.
Ace carefully stepped on deck and looked around, his eyes carefully scanning the rigging. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he shook his head slightly and straightened up, walking outside. He stretched out his arms and sighed at the warm sunlight.
He smiled slightly and blinked when his foot bumped into a rope. He looked down and blinked at the circle of rope around his shoe. He blinked and yelped when it quickly tightened, yanking him upwards. He groaned as he dangled upside down and Sera giggled, swinging comfortably on some ropes.
He narrowed his eyes and eyed his hat on top of her head. "Why can't you just give it back?"
She hummed and lightly swung herself. "I like it. Besides, I like seeing you search for it aimlessly. You've always got this cute expression on your face."
He flushed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, whatever. Just, set me down and give it back."
She smiled and adjusted the ropes before swinging herself upside down. She pressed her lips to his and smiled widely.
He smiled slightly and grabbed the hat as it dangled from the string around her neck. "Love you, rope monkey."
She hummed and smiled softly, tracing a couple of his freckles. "Love you too, freckles."