Author's note: Read, Review, Reach for the Stars *****! Enjoy!
One Piece: ASL Pirates Special
Episode of Ace
Last time on One Piece: ASL Pirates Special, Ace had begun his pirate journey. Unfortunately, his journey so far has been unlucky. Before finally arriving at his first island, his boat sunk. He then went to see Drifter, a shipwright, to buy a boat, but was refused. There he meet Taro, who also wanted the same boat. Will either of them get the boat?
That Boat is mine!
Determination that Spreads like Fire
It was nighttime for Port Town. The streets were lighted by street lamps though there were few people out. In a local tavern, Ace and his new acquaintance Taro were eating. The atmosphere in the tavern was quite lively. Both Taro and Ace were enjoying their meal. They both sat at the same table and ate what little food they could afford. Though it seemed Ace had quite a few more plates then what Taro had. The young man seemed a bit worried watching his partner eating without a care. Ace soon finished his current helping with content. Taro stared at Ace concerned and was about to say thing, but then Ace slammed his face into his plate.
"Gah!" shouted Taro in shock. His and Ace's actions caught the attention of everyone in the tavern. Taro looked to be rather frantic as he was not sure what to do.
Soon, management walked over to them. "Is there a problem?"
Taro looked at the manager helplessly. "My friend…he…I don't know?!"
The manager then looked over Ace. He looked concerned. "Is he…"
Ace then sat up shocking the manager and Taro. "Hey, Taro…Huh? Where'd he go?"
"You were faking!" shouted Taro mad.
"What?" Ace asked confused. Immediately, Ace fell face first into his plate again.
"What the hell?!" shouted Taro now furious. Management soon left seeing that everything was fine…mostly. Taro then sat Ace up and gave him a slap from behind his head. "Wake up!"
"Ow! What?" Ace asked confused and rubbing the back of his head.
"What was that? Falling asleep suddenly, and freaking me out." Taro said scolding Ace.
"Oh, sorry. That's happens…sometimes." Ace said rather bashfully.
Taro sighed not understanding the carelessness of the man he had just met. Soon, the bartender came over to give them their separate bills. Both men looked at their bills. Taro seemed okay about what his meal cost and thus accepted the bill. On the other hand, Ace looked to be rather nervous staring at his bill. Taro quickly noticed. "I told you to keep track, idiot."
While Ace was none too happy about Taro's comment, it did give him an idea. "Who are you calling an idiot?" Ace said as he stood up from his table threateningly.
Taro was a bit surprised by this sudden action. Before he could ask, Ace suddenly slugged the man. Taro was completely caught off guard by Ace's sudden attack. He swiftly retaliated with his own punch. No sooner did Taro punch back, the whole tavern exploded in one huge fight. As the fight progressed, Ace soon exited out through the tavern window with Taro in tow. Ace grinned in victory before making a dash away from the tavern. "Was that really necessary?" asked Taro as he now understood what Ace was doing.
"Yeah, I used to use that trick all the time to get out of paying with my brothers." Ace said shameless smile.
Ace dragged Taro a few more feet until they reached the docks. Once Ace knew that they were in the clear, he let go of Taro and rested. Taro soon recovered and begrudgingly sits next to Ace off the dock's edge. Ace noticed this and spoke, "Man, tough day right?"
"Let's see, I had been denied a boat several times, got yelled at by an old man, and got into a tavern fight. It's definitely been an interesting day." Taro said less than happy about the day's events.
Ace chuckled. "Yeah. But I must admit, you're strong."
"Thanks, but I'm not strong enough…" Taro said a bit downtrodden.
Ace looked at the man confused. He then watched as Taro as he dug into his pack and brought out a small notebook. He then began jotting down in the little book. "What are you doing?" asked Ace trying to see what was being written.
Taro quickly closed the book. "Sorry, but this is private."
"Alright…" Ace said as he turned away from Taro disappointed. Taro soon returned to writing in his book. As Ace looked back into town, he caught sight of something interesting. He then nudged Taro for his attention. "Hey, don't those guys look familiar?"
Taro turns to see what Ace was talking about. Walking down the docks was a group of suited and burly men. They walked not noticing Ace and Taro with a stern expression across all their faces. Ace turned to Taro with an expression of concern. Taro shared the same feeling.
Even at this hour the Drifting Boat shop was still open. There were quite a number of people out front with a number of broken boats placed off to the side. Handling the crowd as best could, Dory stood at the front jotting down each person's request. "One at a time please. One at a time." Dory said as she hurriedly scribbled.
"When is old man Drifter gonna get back to making boats?!" shouted one of the people.
"We're tired of having to by Express!" shouted another person. "They break far too often to be an accident!"
"We need Drifter!" shouted a woman in the crowd.
Dory looked at the crowd with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, but Master is still not healthy enough to make or fix boats. I'll do my best to repair your boats, but please be patient."
"Why be patient? Get Express!" A grim voice spoke over the crowd. The crowd turned around to see the same group of suited men stood behind them. All of them stood from the two shortest to the single tallest. They were all intimidating.
The crowd soon went silent. They all looked at the men in fear. The tallest of the men then spoke again. "Why don't you all go get new boats at one of the Express shops?" He said more demanding than asking. The crowd quickly dispersed not even minding leaving their broken boats.
Soon all who was left was Dory. They young lady glared back at the men defiantly. The men then walked up to Dory in a synchronized walk. Dory was not intimidated even when they were now only a foot away from her. Dory stared up at the man directly in front of her. "What do you want? We're closing."
The man was undeterred. "We have come to make sure there are not any…structure problems."
"There ain't any structure problems!" Dory turned to see Drifter, armed with his mallet, yelling at the men. "I built this shop with my own two hands, and not once have I ever had problems."
"Well, that is the thing, sir." The tallest man said emotionless. He and his men then stepped into the shop pushing Dory to the side. "There are always the small things that one overlooks."
"Get out of my shop!" shouted Drifter as he charged at the men swinging his mallet.
The short, suit man caught the mallet and then took it away from Drifter. The tallest suited man then grabbed the old man by his collar. "Master!" shouted Dory as she tried to come to her master's aid. She was quickly stopped by one of the medium-sized suited men.
"For instance, small pest make a few small holes." The large man said then threw Drifter at the wall. Drifter collided with the wall and broke a part of the wall.
"Master!" shouted Dory helplessly being held back by the man that grabbed her. "Leave him alone!"
The tallest man walked over to Drifter and looked down on the old man. "And sometimes, reckless behavior by customers." The other men soon began breaking small items, pictures, random wall decorations, and windows.
"No! Stop!" shouted Dory in tears as she was held by the medium-sized man.
Outside, a now larger crowd of people stood outside watching the men destroy the shop. They all wanted to do something, but none of them had the courage to stand up to those tough men. And even if they did, they were afraid of what would happen with the Express shops. Would they increase prices? Would they deny customers? None of them wanted to risk that for themselves or the town. They needed boats.
Back inside, one of the short men began dumping liquid around the shop, the tallest man soon took out a lit match. "And there are always a few fire hazards…" He then carelessly tossed the match and set fire to the shop.
"Stop it!" shouted Dory as tears fell. Her shouts fell on deaf ears.
Once the match hit the liquid everything caught on fire. The crowd outside gasped in shock seeing the Drifting Boat go up in flames. "Get out of the way!" shouted a voice as two people tried to push through the crowd.
The tallest man then grabbed the old man from out of the wall and exited the building. The other men soon followed with the one of the medium-sized men forcing Dory forward. The group walked onto the dock until they reached the near end. Right near where the last boat was currently docked. The men threw or pushed the two people onto the dock. "What do you say now? Are you willing to sell?"
Dory stared bitterly at the men. She tried to keep strong, but she could see the shop as it soon was engulfed in fire. She couldn't help but feel helpless. "Do your worst!" Dory turned to hear her master shout defiantly. She could tell he was in pain, but he still stood proud before the men. "A shop can be rebuilt!"
"That is true." The tallest man said agreeing with Drifter. He then turned to the boat. Drifter froze in fear. The tallest man then looked back at the old man. "But if one loses his stock…"
"Don't you dare touch that boat!" shouted Drifter angrily.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." The tallest man said as he raised his hand. One of the medium men then handed him a glass bottle with an unknown liquid inside and a piece of cloth coming out the bottle. Both Dory and Drifter understood what he was planning and gasped.
"No! Please! Don't destroy that boat!" shouted Dory desperately. "It's very important to Master! Please!"
"Stop!" shouted the townspeople as they watched the men from afar. "Don't do it!"
"Then he would be willing to sign over his property over to Mr. Yacht." The tallest man said looking at Drifter specifically. At the same time, the man held a lit match just a mere inches from lighting the Molotov. The old man stared at the man unable to speak. He was torn between either keeping his pride or his promise to his son.
"I'm heading out, dad." A tall man with an average build waved off to Drifter, a younger Dory, and several of the townspeople. He had ear-length brown hair and wore a white headband much like his father. He waved to the group from a large ship, possibly a merchant ship heading for the mysterious Grand Line.
Everyone was wishing the young man much luck. "Good luck, son! Make me proud. Show those big shots how great a ship builder someone from Port Town is!" shouted Drifter beaming with pride for his son.
Ketch laughed and continued to wave. "I will dad! Take good care of that boat. I hope I can show you how much I've grown soon." That was the last thing Ketch said before his boat sailed off into the sea, where dreams or doom awaits the young man.
"A shop can be replaced…" said Drifter as his head sunk in defeat. "But there is only one boat in the world."
"Master…"
The tallest man smirked in victory. "Good, now let's sign those papers."
"Oi!" A shout caught the attention of everyone. Then a rock came flying past the men and broke through the Molotov. The liquid splashed over the tallest man and the lighted match fell upon him. The tallest man's side and arm caught on fire. He screamed out in pain, ran about in a panic, and jumped into the water nearby. After that display, the suited men and the Drifting Boats employees looked down the dock to see two young men standing in front of the burning shop. Ace and Taro glared at the suited men with a fury as intense as the fire behind them.
"Lay off the Mr. Drifter and Ms. Dory." Taro spoke anger seeping in his tone.
"You bastards are gonna pay." Ace said with a killer glare.
"Who are you punks!" shouted one of the medium-sized men as he and the rest of them grabbed their guns.
"We're the punks who want to buy that boat!" shouted Ace as he and Taro charged at the men without hesitation or fear.
At the end of the docks was the largest Express Boat shop, the original shop. Inside on the second floor of the building, Yacht sat in his comfy chair with his feet kicked out on the desk. Behind him was a window with a view of the ocean. A second window looked out down the dock. The businessman wore content smirk as he looked out the second window. He could see the smoke from a fire he suspected to be the Drifting Boat shop. "I told you I would do anything to get that property by any means necessary." Yacht said then going into a fit of laughter.
As Yacht continued to laugh there came a knock at his door. He quickly stopped laughing and regained his composure. "Y-Yes…come in."
The door opened to reveal the tallest of the suited men only he looked to be a mess. His suit was ruined with a combined damage of both fire and water. Not only that but he looked like he got squarely beaten. "Boss…"
"Geesh, man, I didn't think that old geezer and the girl would put up much of a fight." Yacht said unconcerned for the man's state. He then turned to look out the second window to see the fire and smoke, which seemed to have grown a little since last observed. "But you and your men did the job. Did he sign the papers?"
"Boss…" said the man again weakly.
"What? What is it?! Did he sign the papers or not?!" shouted Yacht frustrated with the man's repetitive response.
"Boss…" The man spoke one last time before he fell to the ground unconscious.
Yacht was gasped in shock. "What?!"
Standing behind the man stood Taro, looking a little bruised and scuffed up. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Drifter will not be selling at this or any point in the near future."
"Who are you?!" shouted Yacht in anger.
"A messenger…for the town of Port Town. And Mr. Drifter and Ms. Dory." Taro said coolly. "Your business is no longer required."
"What?!" shouted Yacht as he leaned over his desk.
"At the moment, your stores are being…downsized." Taro said having thought of a word best fitting the situation.
Further down the docks, Ace, who was also bruised and scuffed up, was throwing Molotov Cocktails at the Express shops. He had several in a bucket. Ace kept moving from building to building lighting a new Molotov and then throwing it at the shop. Each building quickly caught on fire. He wasn't the only one. Many of the people from the crowd were joining in. No Express shop would be safe this night in Port Town. Following Ace, Dory looked all this want and destruction in shock. "How can you do this so…freely?" asked Dory to Ace.
Ace through another Molotov before answering Dory with a grin. "I'm a pirate." He then moved on to the next one.
Dory was shocked. There then came a laughter from behind her. She turned to see Drifter wearing a grin and holding his mallet with the other suit-wearing men tied together and severely beaten up. The Drifting Boat was severely burnt, but much of the structure was still standing. "Let him be, Dory. Pirates make up half the shipping business anyway."
Dory looked at Drifter with her mouth agape. "You can't be serious…"
Drifter laughed. "As serious as this building is still standing." He then patted his burnt building. Instantly, the small shop crashed to the ground in a pile of burnt wood. Poor Drifter sighed in frustration. "Well, those brats were sure a big help."
"But all they wanted was the boat." Dory spoke pointing out Ace and Taro's flaw.
"True, but you gotta respect men with determination. It certainly spreads like fire." Drifter said with a smile speaking on how the townspeople finally fighting against Yacht's horrible business. The suited men soon groaned, but were swiftly silenced by a mallet to their heads. "Quiet you idiots!"
Dory sighed at her master's sudden 'flame of youth'.
Back at the big Express shop, Yacht looked out his window in complete shock. "My…my…my shops!"
"While I prefer a more…quiet method, it is nonetheless effective." Taro said to the panicked and shocked Yacht.
The man grinded his teeth seething in angry. He put his hand into his coat and slyly slid out a small gun. He then turned and pointed it at Taro. He glared at the young man with crazed look in his eye. "You bastard! You've ruined my Express Empire!"
"The only thing ruined was the boat industry in this area." Taro said affirmatively. He was not threatened by the gun and remained calm. He then cocked his fist back.
Yacht snickered. "What are you going to do from over there?"
"This…" Taro launched forward faster than Yacht could react. The man froze as he helplessly watched Taro's fist twist then collide with his face. "High Winds!"
Viewing from the outside, the glass window broke soon followed by a wind current with Yacht flying out. The man, having never fought in his life, was already knocked out flew into the ocean. Taro walked over to the broken window to check and see if his punch had done the job. When Yacht floated back up unconscious, Taro smiled in victory. "It is done."
"Yo!" A voice came from below. Taro looked down to see Ace grinning largely with a Molotov in his hand. "If you're done, can I set fire to this place?"
Taro sweat dropped upon hearing Ace's question. "No. While he was wrong to expand as much as he did and try to underhand his competition, we can't just destroy his lifestyle."
"But he makes his boats pretty shitty." Ace retorted smartly. Taro could not argue with him, but he refused to agree with the man's action.
In the morning, the local police had come to survey the damage. They even recovered Yacht and his men who were all tied up in front of the first and last Express shop. "Arrest them!" shouted Yacht motioning to the townspeople watching on. "They deliberately set fire to my establishments! I want them all to be arrested!"
"Really?" spoke one of the officers. He then brought up a note pad and looked off it. "Several eyewitnesses said it was…a disgruntled pirate who was refused service at all your shops."
"What?!" shouted Yacht.
"The weapon of choice was several Molotov Cocktails. Very old-fashion, but effective. Don't you think?" The officer said with a slight smile, maybe hinting on something. Yacht could not find words to describe his situation. The officer then looked his notes and was surprised by something written on. "And it says here you didn't insure any of the shops for fire damages. Bad move."
"Nooooooooo!" shouted Yacht in agony.
Near where the Drifting Boat shop used to stand, Dory watched as Ace and Taro fought each other in front of her. Neither man was letting. Ace got a good kick on Taro, but Taro quickly retaliated with an uppercut. "High Winds: Sky!" Not only did that punch send Ace up, but the he felt as if a wind current was also lifting him up.
As Ace looked down he found himself several feet in the air. Despite this, he grinned. "Punches that can send you flying…!" Ace said practically enthusiastic. He then started to fall.
Taro noticed and prepared for when Ace would come down. Ace had no fear when falling. Once Ace was close enough, Taro was about to give him a high heel kick. Ace saw this and quickly caught the leg as Taro was about to hit him, and thus stopping his fall. Taro was shocked to see Ace skillfully stop his fall, and Ace took advantage of his shock by sending swift kick to his head. With Ace letting go at just the right moment, Taro was sent hurdling off the dock and into the ocean. Ace then landed back on his feet. Taro soon emerged from the water. He was shocked, but he was also contented.
"I lose…" Taro said honorably.
A hand then stuck out to help Taro out of the water. It was Ace, and he wore a wide and victorious grin. "Sure seems that way…"
Taro smiled and took the hand. Ace easily got him back on deck. Taro then gave an honorable bow to Ace. "You have won the fight. The boat is yours."
"Thanks, friend. That was a great fight." Ace said as he raised his hand. Taro gracious accepted and the two men shook.
"Everything settled then?" Everyone looked off to the side towards the boat with a fire pattern design. Out came Drifter, looking better than ever, as he wore a smirk and still carried his mallet.
"Yes, Master." Dory said with a cheery smile. "It looks like Mr. Molotov gets the Boat."
"Mr. Molotov?" Ace said questioning his new nickname.
"Good!" said Drifter before he hoped off the boat – literally – and onto the dock. He then quickly walked over to Ace. As Ace stood before Drifter, the old man gave him a good bop on the head before speaking. "I now bequeath to you, this boat. May she carry far and wide on this vast ocean."
Ace rubbed his sore head before answering. "Yeah…thanks."
"What was that about?" asked Taro to Dory.
The young lady smiled. "That's kinda right-of-passage for those who buy from Drifting Boat. It's supposed to be good luck for the sailor or sailors who uses the boat."
"Interesting…"
"You're really giving me this ship?" asked Ace almost disbelieving what the old man was offering him.
"Yes. I've kept this ship around to remind me of my son. But I forgot a promise that I made with him. While taking care of a boat or ship is a shipwright's job, seeing that ship is with her owner and sailing the seas is the real care, not just letting sit at a dock unmanned and unused.
"And I can really have her for free?!" said Ace as he talked to Drifter.
The old man nodded with a content smile. "After what you for us last night, this is the least I can do for you. You, and your friend over there, have proven that you can care for a boat, and so I feel that it's only right to give it to one of you."
"What about rebuilding your shop." Ace asked as he looked at what was left of the old shop.
"Like I said, a shop can be rebuild. Plus I've got plenty of money now. I insured that old shop for fire damage. I'll enough to build a new shop, and buy materials to make boats."
Dory gasped in surprise. "Do you mean…"
"That's right, once the shop is set up, Drifting Boats will officially be taking in new orders." Drifter said affirmative. Ace and Taro smiled and were glad that the old man was feeling better.
Dory squealed in delight and hugged her master. The old man blushed as his head was touching her breasts. He also wore a very perverted smile. "I'm feeling as fit as a fiddle. Port Town hasn't seen the end for Drifting Boats!"
Ace sweat dropped seeing how that old man said his sentence. "Yeah, fit as a fiddle."
Soon, Ace had gather all his stuff and placed inside the cabin of the boat. It was a bit small, but he was content having a good boat like this one. Before setting off, there were still a few things left to do. "I christen thee…the Voyager Blaze!" shouted Ace as he broke champagne over the boat. Dory cheered while Drifter nodded in agreement. Taro smiled seemingly happy for his friend.
"Now that that's been settled." Ace turned to Taro with a grin. Taro looked at Ace confused. "I've decided…Taro, join my crew!"
Taro stared at Ace shocked. Those watching were just as surprised. "R…Really, me?" Taro said pointing at himself.
"I've seen you in action and you're strong. I'm gonna need a strong crew."
"I am honored, Ace." Taro said with a sad smile. "But I have my own goals to accomplish."
"You mean to 'travel the Grand Line and write a book on your adventures' and 'beat your brother'?" Ace said with a smile. Taro stared at Ace shocked. He was about to ask how he knew when Ace suddenly pulled out his little notebook. Taro quickly checked his bag to find that it was indeed his. "Sorry, but I was curious."
Ace then tossed the book back to Taro. He was a little confused on what to do. Not hearing a reply, Ace continued. "I'm heading to the Grand Line myself, ya know? Maybe not now or even a year from now, but eventually. Having someone reliable as well as a good sparring partner would workout in both our favors. What do you say?"
Taro didn't reply. He remained quiet as he thought over Ace's offer. Ace waited patiently to hear Taro's answer. Dory and Drifter remained quiet as well wondering if Taro would accept or not. Taro then began to chuckle. "I've never thought of being a pirate…"
Ace smiled. "Does that mean…?"
Taro smirked and stuck his hand out. "Consider me a member of your crew…captain."
"Good to have you aboard." Ace then shook Taro's hand officially welcoming him to his crew.
"In that case…" said Drifter as he walked over to the Taro. He then gave the man a quick bop to the head. Taro didn't seem to appreciate it despite the apparent luck it brought. Drifter then looked over to Ace. "Young man, you said you would be heading into the Grand Line?"
"Yeah…" replied Ace.
"If you see my son, tell him his old man is still waiting for him." Drifter said with a smile.
"You got it, gramps." Ace said confidently. Taro replied with a smile as he wrote in his little book.
Soon the two were off sailing being waved off by Dory and Drifter, who was simply watching with a pride. The two men waved at the two civilians as they left Port Town as pirates. Not too far away, Yacht saw the two men sailing out. He immediately pointed them out to the officers. "There! There they are! Arrest them!"
The officer looked away from conversing with his group to see what Yacht was talking about. When he saw the two men sailing away he simply laughed. "Sir, I understand that you have lost stock, but I am sure that is the boat old man Drifter has in his store. Huh? I never thought he'd sell Ketch's boat."
"No! They…"
"And also, the report said it was a lanky man with an unusual hairstyle, a ridiculous purple outfit, and freckles." Yacht gasped as the description of him minus the freckles. Off to side listening, a number of townspeople were snickering.
Back out to sea, Taro asked his new captain a question. "So, where do we go next, captain?"
Standing at the front of the Voyager Blaze, Ace looked out towards the sea with a grin. "To wherever the wind takes us!"
Meanwhile somewhere in the East Blue, a large ship was under attack by pirates. The whole ship was on fire with people screaming and running. Ruthless pirates were ransacking everything. As people ran towards the boats, one lone girl seemed to disregard where the people were heading. She had a slender body, but her hips were much wider than the average woman. And without a single eyewitness to see her, she jumped off the huge ship. She landed in the ocean unharmed and swam back up. When she surfaced she looked back. She could see two ships, one large that belonged to the pirates and the other a huge ship that belonged to none other than a World Noble. The girl breathed quickly as she watched the largest ship, but her eyes did not have the look of sorrow.
The young woman smiled then she started to giggle and then she began to fully laugh out loud. The young woman sounded positively ecstatic.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: Yo! I hope you enjoyed the end of the first arc - Ace's Romance Dawn. Taro is a good addition to the crew and has much to offer. Including an interesting brother...for a later time. Now, I would like to interest you all with fun facts for this arc.
Fun Facts:
The character names for this arc excluding Taro are named after boats. Dory, Drifter, Yacht, and Ketch are different boats.
A Molotov Cocktail is no good to drink. It is a dangerous weapon. A glass bottle, some combustible liquids, and a cloth wick are what make one. Just light the wick on fire and then throw it at the intended target. Do not try this at home.
The Men of D. seem to have narcolepsy, especially those related to or adopted by the Monkey family. With the possible exception of Dragon.
Drifter's appearance is based off the prototype shipwright for the Straw Hats. He was a midget carpenter
I hope you have enjoyed these fun facts. Until next time! Ja Ne!
