A/N ~ Hello again! YOU GUYS ARE SUPER AWESOME, YOUR REVIEWS GIVE ME SO MUCH LIFE. You have no idea how inspiring it is and how uplifting it feels!

FWI, updates are gonna be sporadic - like I said, this fic is pretty much almost finished, so I'll just be posting whenever I feel like it XD

Also, another important thing to note, I took reference from the actual movie, the original script and several websites, news-sites and such for this fic. I don't think I've ver put this much research into a work of fiction - or anything - in my whole life XD ALSO i'm not prone to swearing, even irl, but I felt I had to include a few swears just so it felt more real because, let's face it, people swear. It's not nice, but it's something people do.

Alright, on with the second chapter!

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Take Them to Sea, Mr. Murdoch

Despite her sheer size, Titanic was a fast cruise ship. They arrived at Cherbourg right on schedule and without a hitch.

Among the many passengers that boarded, most of whom the Outlook family had connections with –all of whom Sabo and Stelly were asked (forced) to greet in person when they arrived – someone caught his attention in the milling crowds.

"Wow! I've gotta say, I'm impressed! She's as grand on the inside as she is out!" exclaimed the red-headed young woman with a thrilled grin. Startled by the sudden, loud, exclamation, Sabo tuned out the chit-chat of the surrounding nobles and turned to get a look at the newcomer.

He blinked. Balked.

Holy smokes.

She was clad in a purple hat with a pair of polished goggles that sat comfortably on the brim, a lovely pink dress with frills gathered about the collar, the fabric hugging her slender figure and flowing like water at her ankles, feet slipped into a pair of dangerous black heels. The dress was sleeveless, revealing smooth shoulders and surprisingly toned arms – no wonder she refused help from the attendants; she could carry the damn trunks herself without breaking a sweat, wearing elbow-length silk gloves no less!

Sabo watched her from the other side of the room with wide eyes and parted lips. He knew he was being rude by staring at another woman, but he couldn't help it. She was a noble, clearly, but she was nothing like one all the same. She was loud and brash, confident, and possessed an energy that most if not all nobility seemed to lack. Perhaps her status had only been established recently, meaning she was still adjusting to the way of life.

Or perhaps that was just the way she was, and nothing, be it a label or otherwise, was going to change that.

Must be nice.

"Ogling at the new money are we, Sabo?"

Stelly's obnoxious titter drew Sabo from his thoughts, and for the umpteenth time since they'd boarded the ship he fought the urge to roll his eyes and sigh, tipping his hat low out of habit (and to make him look all the more intimidating to the brat).

"Ogling would imply that I'm having insalubrious thoughts about that young lady, which I can assure you is not the case," he said. And then, because he was and always would be a little turd, he cast Stelly a sly smile, staring pointedly at his obscene nose. "That's much more than I can say for you, Mr. I'm-About-To-Have-A-Nosebleed."

Stelly blanched considerably, and promptly sniffed and rubbed beneath his nose with his sleeve, making Sabo grin (because he was a turd, remember?). Oh how he loved being a turd, especially towards pompous morons like Stelly. It wasn't often that he got to one-up the little brat, who strived to do the same to Sabo every chance he got since they were children.

The brunette scowled at Sabo like he hoped to burn holes into his skull before turning away, nose turned up haughtily in the air. "Hmph! Like I would go for someone as vulgar as her," he huffed, like Sabo was supposed to believe him. "She's new money, why should I waste my time –?"

Sabo tuned the rest of Stelly's spiel right out – it was practically a defense mechanism – and returned his gaze to the energetic red-head being trailed by two attendants who both seemed to struggle with the rest of her luggage as she sauntered down the glistening halls. Though it nearly made Sabo physically ill to admit, Stelly hadn't been completely wrong about his staring, but he wasn't smitten.

No, he was just curious.

How had someone like her managed to strike gold? And more importantly, why become a noble of all things? Had she married into it? What was her story?

Sparkling light blue eyes caught his own discolored pair from across the room, catching him off guard. She'd noticed him.

Bugger.

Before he could duck his head and fail to pretend he hadn't been staring at her arms – god he envied those arms, she could bench-press him easily – she smiled at him. And it wasn't the fake smile of a young woman brought up in nobility, either. It was a pure, kind, honest-to-god smile.

Sabo was at a loss for words, frozen as though he'd been slapped in the face. She seemed to notice and her smile grew as a giggle bubbled out of her, eyes dancing with a teasing sort of mirth that was in no way, shape or form designed to be scathing.

Unable to help himself, heat creeping up his neck and blooming on his cheeks like roses, Sabo smiled back, an awkward, bashful thing he'd never known he was capable of, and the lady giggled harder. God it was like being a teenager all over again. Sabo had hated his teenage years.

His eyes continued to follow her until she was out of sight.

Sabo's curiosity was officially piqued. Smitten or not, he sincerely hoped he'd see her again, 'affair' rumors be damned.

Outlook noticed him not paying any attention to the ongoing conversations, and promptly snapped at him to greet the newest set of rich people their family could use to gain more wealth. As usual, Sabo reluctantly but dutifully followed his father's orders without a word of outward protest. He bowed politely, shook and kissed hands when appropriate, spoke when addressed to, and he smiled, inwardly wishing that he could be like that young, bright-eyed woman, who could still smile and mean it and not be forced behind a suffocating mask.

I'm almost jealous.

"Good afternoon, Captain Sengoku."

Striding across the deck without hurry, Captain Sengoku nodded to his First Officer 'Smoker' Murdoch – everyone called him 'Smoker' simply because the man seemed to smoke so much in a single day it was hard to believe he hadn't died already – with a smile.

"Couldn't agree with you more, Mr. Murdoch," he said, bracing his hands on the railings as he looked over the deck of the grand ship he commanded.

He still couldn't quite believe he was standing there, overlooking the magnificence, remembering how much hard work men and women alike had put into her design, her inner workings…truly, he could not have asked to command a better vessel before his retirement.

He looked up to the blue skies, watching the clouds roll by, the seagulls screeching overhead as they soared at liberty, feeling the winds sweep over him like a gentle hand, and he sighed contentedly. He hadn't been this at ease in years, and it was such a welcome change that it was almost tear-jerking. Almost.

There was still a way to go before they reached New York, and there would be trials ahead – he'd learned over years of experience that the sea, no matter how beautiful and inviting and adventurous, was never quite so merciful – but he'd see them all through, just as he'd done many times in the past.

Titanic would reach America's waters, he was certain. And he couldn't wait to hear Garp's boisterous laughter when they met again, despite how often he'd voiced his exasperation with the old coot and his antics and his constant chatter. Sengoku swore he'd heard enough about that man's 'adorable, soon-to-be upstanding marines' grandsons to write a novel on both of them.

Twin cries of laughter caught his attention, and he looked down at the lower deck to see two heads of raven hair dash through the milling guests towards the bow, the younger lad dragging the elder with little restraint as he stumbled several times over his own feet.

Sengoku couldn't help but smile at the sight, watching as the young pair hurried off. Ah, to be young again, to relish in the excitement of riding the ocean's waves for the first time.

Speaking of which…

The aged captain turned to his Officer, his bearded smile broadening. "Take her to sea, Mr. Murdoch," he said. "Let's stretch her legs."

"C'mon, Ace, c'mon! You've gotta see this, it's the best thing ever!"

"I'm coming, Lu, geez! Hold your freakin' horses!"

Titanic had just passed the coast of Ireland that afternoon, the sun beaming down with glorious golden rays, and the brothers-who-got-lucky couldn't be happier. They were living the dream, free as birds (for the most part, but it was a start), sailing the wide, wide seas, waking up knowing they'd open the doors to the smell of salt in the air…it was too good to be true.

Ace was still afraid he'd wake up one morning and find himself back in that old bed in that leaky house, holding a shivering Luffy against his chest, wondering if they were going to eat, wondering if what he'd been doing until now was enough, would ever be enough to keep them going, to keep Luffy safe by his side and happy, because Luffy deserved that and the whole world…

But nope.

Luffy had bounced on him from the top bunk bright and early (cheeky little bugger had taken it whilst he'd introduced himself to their new roommates like a decent person) yelling at him to get up to see the ocean again. Even though he'd almost knocked his brother senseless for that unwarranted and unwanted wake-up call, Ace couldn't stop grinning as he hurried to get dressed and followed Luffy out of their dorms.

Luckier still, their roommates (a rather scary but kinda nice girl named Nami, and her younger brother, a skittish long-nosed kid named Usopp) had already grown used to their antics and let the noise level slide…though Nami did threaten to charge them out their asses if they ever dared wake her up earlier than sunrise again.

After a damn good breakfast, the brothers had gone out onto the decks as promised. Luffy had noticed something in the water trailing beside the ship, and then he was off like a rocket, dragging Ace along with him by the wrist as they bolted towards the bow.

The teen finally let him go once they reached the edge, hopping up to balance on one of the rails. Ace stepped up behind him, wrapping an arm around the kids' waist to keep him still as they peered over the rail, gazing down at the water rushing by as the ship powered through the waves.

Ebony hair blowing in the winds, Ace nudged the back of Luffy's head with his chin. "So what did you see that was so amazing anyways? Aside from the view, of course, which is pretty bad-ass I'll admit."

Luffy turned to grin up at him, and then pointed downwards to the water. "Look, down there, right there, look!" he cried. "You see 'em?!"

Ace followed his gaze –

He gasped. "Jiminy Freakin' Crickets are those dolphins?!"

To Ace's shock and absolute delight, a pod of dolphins was trailing right beside the ship, gliding smoothly through the water and easily keeping pace with the vessel. They were beautiful, sleek bodies shining like shooting stars beneath the waves. The boys were beside themselves.

"Look, looklooklook I think that one's gonna jump!" Luffy crowed.

And seconds later, one of the majestic creatures leapt out of the water, suspended in the air, flying for a moment before diving below with a splash.

"Woo! That was awesome!" Ace cheered, Luffy vibrating with joy in his arms as the other dolphins followed suit, jumping and diving one by one. It was almost as if the creatures were guiding Titanic to their destination like guardian angels of the sea, like mermaids from the sailor's tales of old.

It's like they're lighting the way to our journey's end and beginning. To our future. To freedom.

In all his twenty years of life on earth, never had Ace been as happy as he was then, standing at the top of everything, Luffy smiling and laughing and happy against his chest, pursuing a life-long dream he'd never thought would ever come true.

In that moment, as he shared a mile-wide smile with his best friend, his little brother and guiding light in his otherwise grey world, Ace felt like nothing was impossible, that he could conquer absolutely anything.

This is real. This is happening.

Ace threw his arms out wide, and he screamed at the top of his lungs to the heavens above –

"I'M THE KING OF THE WOOOOORLD!"

As he screamed to the skies, Luffy's scarred smile grew thrice in size as he let out a loud whoop of his own, letting the wind knock his straw hat off his head to hang by a string around his neck. He cast his arms out as though he were flying without even the sky as his limit. "WE'RE KINGS OF THE WOOOORLD!" he bellowed.

He earned a cackle from Ace for that.

They didn't mind the eyes that watched them from the decks, be they amused or confused or whatever. Right then and there, it was just the two of them.

Two brothers on the open waters, on top of the world, and their dreams only an arm's length away.

"How much longer do I have'ta sit here for?"

"Just until I'm done, Lu."

"When's that gonna be?"

"When I'm done."

"But Aaaaaace I'm boooooored –"

"Keep whining and I'll dump cold water on you tonight."

"…fine."

Ace grinned behind his sketchpad. "Good. Now shut up and sit still, I promise you I'm almost done." He looked up at Luffy's position against the railings once more before returning to the paper, his pencil gliding with practiced ease across the parchment.

"You promise?" Luffy asked with a cheeky smile that Ace could hear.

He couldn't help but chuckle, eyeing Luffy over the edge of the paper. "You know I don't break my promises, Lu," he said, before turning back to his near-completed drawing.

He was glad, now more than ever, that Luffy had talked him into bringing his art tools with him; there was just so much inspiration on the ship, so many breath-taking views and sunsets and people from all walks of life. It was incredible, inspiring.

And with the way he'd found Luffy, his precious little brother, leaning against the rail, head upturned to the cloudless blue skies with a smile, straw hat around his neck and untamed hair blowing in the cool breeze on a ship of dreams…how could he not draw that?

Adding the finishing touches to Luffy's hat and then signing the bottom of the page with his signature, Ace leaned back against the bench, holding up his work with a satisfied sigh. He had to admit, it didn't look half bad. "Alright, all done!" he announced, and Luffy immediately bounced back to his side to peer down at Ace's latest work.

Brown eyes blew comically wide as Luffy gasped. "Whoa! Ace, this looks great!" he said, and Ace, not one prone to accepting compliments so easily, fought the red blush that threatened to overtake his face. "How come you're so good at this?" Luffy asked, turning those big-ass curious puppy eyes on him and melting through Ace's defences like molten lava.

Ace ruffled his hair. "Years and years of practice, O impatient brother of mine," he replied. Then he thought about it and added, "and boredom." Luffy laughed.

"Mind if we take a look, yoi?"

An unfamiliar voice snapped their attention away from the drawing, and they looked up to see an older blond man approaching them, hands stuffed in the pockets of cut-off pants, feet clad in sandals and an open purple shirt exposing a rather attractive – screw that, very attractive – chest despite the chill.

(The cold air had never bothered Ace much either, so who was he to judge?)

The guy had friends, too. Following close behind him was a tall guy with a goatee, a long scar running down the left side of his face and a freaking weird hairstyle that seemed to defy the laws of physics, and another man(?) dressed in what looked like pretty expensive silk – something eastern Asian, probably – long black hair done up prettily and makeup applied delicately over masculine features, the picture of grace and elegance that Ace couldn't even dream of achieving if he tried.

The three of them looked friendly enough – though the blond guys' half-lidded, bored-looking eyes didn't quite match the pleasant smile and it was kinda weird. Even so, Ace couldn't just hand over his life's work so easily.

Ace shared a quick look with Luffy. The boy smiled brightly at him and nodded encouragingly. Luffy was an idiot nine times out of ten, but he'd always been a good judge of character. He'd have to be, to ever want to befriend someone like Ace.

So Ace shrugged, trusting Luffy's judgment – if worst came to worst, he could just kick their asses – and handed his beloved sketchbook over to the blond stranger. The man took it with a nod of thanks and flicked through the pages with care, his companions looking over his shoulder with immense interest. The deeper they delved into his book, the wider their smiles grew in admiration.

The big haired guy whistled. "Damn, kid, these are good!"

"You have quite the eye for detail, young man," the he – she – them? – said without a hint of teasing or sarcasm, which was what Ace had been expecting.

"I'll say," blondie nodded in agreement, handing the book back to Ace. "These are very impressive. You really have a talent, yoi. You make any money with those?"

"Nah, not really," said Ace, stuffing the book and his pencils back into his sack and ignoring the weird feeling that welled up in his chest at their praise (he was not internally wriggling like that Sanji guy did around women, he wasn't). "S'more of a hobby that I picked up when we were kids. There wasn't much to do where we grew up other than mugging and picking fights with whoever thought it was a good idea to cross us, so a friend of ours recommended something non-violent for me to do to pass the time."

Blondie blinked, perplexed. "You…beat people up and mugged them, yoi?" he asked slowly. The big haired guy smirked loudly, and the pretty guy nudged him with an elbow to the gut, though he looked seconds away from laughing too.

"Yeah, Ace used to beat up so many guys when we were kids, most of 'em were a whole lot bigger than him!" Luffy answered, climbing onto Ace's lap like he belonged there. Knowing it was a useless endeavor to protest, Ace just let him. "He taught me how to fight, too! Now my punch is like a pistol!" He threw a solid punch at nothing to prove his point. Ace rolled his eyes as the men around them chuckled.

"A pair of troublemakers then, huh? Our Pops would like you two; he's got a fondness for cheeky brats, yoi," said blondie. Then he pointed ay himself. "I'm Marco, by the way, Marco Newgate. The idiot with the pompadour is my brother Thatch –"

"Hey!"

"And the pretty one is my brother Izo."

"Oh shut up, you fool."

Ace returned their smiles, deciding that he kinda liked them, which was strange. Ace had never been one to make fast friends or make friends at all. Perhaps living with Luffy had changed that a bit, made him more open. That or he was still on a bit of a high after the dolphin thing. Either way, Ace didn't really mind.

"Ace D. Portgas, nice to meet you," he said. "This dork right here is my little brother, Luffy."

Luffy raised a hand in greeting, his smile bright and wide as usual. "Yo! I'm Luffy D. Monkey, nice to meet'cha!"

Marco's smile grew at Luffy's antics, and as if by reflex he reached out to ruffle the boy's black hair. Thatch pulled a dumb face at Luffy, who giggled and pulled a dumb face back as the man took a seat gracelessly on the ground. Izo only sighed long-sufferingly at his pompadoured brother as he sat down on the empty spot beside Ace.

"So, what brings a couple of nice kids like you on a fine ship like this?" Thatch asked once he'd declared himself the winner of the face-pulling contest against Luffy, who had since slid off Ace's lap to join the man on the floor.

Ace grinned proudly and leaned back against the bench, arms crossed comfortably behind his head. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but I migh'ta managed to win us some tickets off two chumps at a game of Poker at the last second." Smirks erupted from the group, while Luffy outright giggled. "What about you three?"

It was Marco's turn to answer. "We've been in Ireland for the past two years on some business, yoi. We're heading back to our home in Brooklyn to see the rest of our family." Then he smiled. "You guys ever heard of the Whitebeard Family?"

Ace blinked. Luffy blinked, a finger stuck up his nose. The brothers shook their heads in unison.

Thatch snickered and earned a kick from Izo for his troubles, to which the other man whined at petulantly.

Marco only shrugged. "I thought not. Well, basically, there's a man named Edward Newgate, and he runs a…'community' if you will, based in New York," he explained, something akin to pride and love reflecting in his half-lidded gaze at the mention of the man. "He takes in people who need a home, work, a chance to get back on their feet again…a chance at finding a family in a world that would rather step all over you than offer you a hand up, yoi."

Marco's smile turned warm, his gaze drifting to his two brothers who smiled back with fondness in their eyes. "He's a good man."

"Sure sounds like it," Ace said, finding it hard to believe there were people like that in the 'me-first' world they lived in, where labels and status mattered more than the person. "That why you call him 'Pops'?"

Marco nodded. "Yeah. It's his dream to have a family to call his own y'see, so everyone he takes in he calls his sons and daughters, yoi." He shrugged a shoulder. "It feels nice. I mean, I know it's just a word…but it still feels nice. Y'know?"

Ace didn't know, not really. His father died before he'd been born – good riddance to the worthless bastard – and the only mother figure he'd had in his life after his own died in child birth had been Dadan. Makino was more of a big sister than a mom, really.

He hadn't really cared all that much about having a father after Luffy showed up, thinking that Luffy was all he really needed to fill the void in his heart. But still, a part of Ace, very deep down, did wonder what it was like to be called 'son', to be a son, to have someone he could proudly call 'father'. But he had more important things to think about, like taking care of Luffy, his only little brother. Luffy needed Ace, to watch over him and protect him until he was ready to set out on his own should he ever choose to do so.

Ace's needs were hardly ever part of the equation.

"Hey, here's an idea!" Thatch piped up enthusiastically, dragging Ace out of his darkening thoughts and back into the present. "When we get to New York, why don't you and Luffy come join us? There's always room for more, and you seem like good guys. Bet Pops would be more than happy to take you in."

Ace stiffened at the sudden request, blanching a little – they'd only just met and now they were offering them what sounded like a life of luxury, a family of sorts even, what in the actual hell – but Luffy looked eager.

"Oooh, really? Sounds like fun!" he chimed, bouncing on his knees. "I kinda wanna meet the old beard guy, he sounds cool!"

"He doesn't actually have a beard," Izo said, reaching down to ruffle Luffy's wayward hair. "It's actually a moustache, dear."

Luffy blinked at Izo, tilting his head to the side like a baffled puppy, and Izo looked like he wanted to pinch the boy's cheeks (not the best idea, because Luffy liked to bite anything that went near his mouth, food or not). "Then why do they call him Whitebeard?" he asked.

"Because it sounds a hell of a lot better than White-Moustache," Thatch sniggered, and Luffy sniggered back. Not even Marco was immune to the statement as he cracked a reluctant grin. Izo just sighed again, but he was smiling too.

It appeared Luffy was already on board with the idea for the most part, probably thinking more about making new friends than joining such a 'community'. A kid like Luffy could never stick around in one place for too long. But Ace was hesitant, knowing what it would mean for him if he said yes, what it would mean for him to call someone 'father', to belong when he really didn't deserve it.

"Uh, I dunno, guys," he muttered awkwardly, looking anywhere but at the hopeful expressions of the three men. "I mean, thank you for the offer, really, but I–"

Ace trailed off suddenly, something blue and blond catching his eye as it moved swiftly across the upper deck.

The sunlight forced him to squint, but he soon made out the blue clad figure to be the same blond noble he'd spotted mimicking him and Luffy when they'd left Southampton.

The young man, still wearing the top hat that added a good few inches to his height, was leaning against the railing of the upper deck, face drawn into a melancholic frown as he stared down at his gloved hands braced atop each other on the metal barrier. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, brows furrowed and lips pressed in a thin line.

Then his hands clenched, eyes flashing suddenly with anger, lips curling in a snarl, and Ace was certain he was about to punch something. He looked like he wanted to, needed to, like when Ace needed to go off and destroy something when irate thoughts clouded his mind or when he was especially pissed off (and that, admittedly, happened regularly).

But he looked back up again at the screech of an overhead gull, startled out of his downward spiral into anger. As his blue eyes followed the bird and caught the shimmer of the vast sea beyond the ship, his foul expression lightened considerably, a soft smile gracing his lips. He took off his hat and shook out his short blond curls – good god you could bounce on those things – letting them blow free in the breeze.

The man closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and then sighed, his whole body visibly relaxing. And when he opened his eyes once more, they were much brighter, alive, aglow with a feeling that Ace had become recently aquatinted with.

Pure, irrepressible joy.

"Helloooo, Earth to Ace. Anybody hooooome?"

Blinking rapidly, Ace finally took notice of the finger repeatedly poking his temple, the offending appendage belonging to Thatch. He slapped the hand away, earning a pained whine from Thatch who retracted his hand and nursed it protectively against his chest. He pouted sourly, reminding Ace of an older Luffy with weirder hair and a goatee.

"Such violence!" he cried, shaking out his hand out. "What were you looking at anyways?"

Pink tinting his cheeks at the realization he'd been caught staring at a stranger, Ace ducked his head. "N-Nothin'," he lied weakly.

Luffy, curious as ever, looked up to see what had captured his brothers' attention. He found it pretty quick, and his whole face lit up like a flare. "Hey, it's that guy from the docks!" he said, freaking pointing at the guy with no regard for secrecy or subtlety and Ace wanted to shoot himself in the foot. "He was next to us waving at the crowd when we left Southampton!"

Marco, Thatch and Izo all followed Luffy's finger, spotting the blond man instantly – to be honest he was hard to miss with his hair such a bright shade, golden like the sun, and a smile so peaceful and genuine it was infectious as it was captivating.

Still, Ace wanted to be buried immediately when they all turned back to him and grinned. Oh, he was going to murder his little brother, jail-time be damned.

"Oh my, has someone caught your fancy, Ace?" Izo asked, and this time he was teasing. "Smitten by a beautiful young man from afar –?"

"Shut the hell up!" Ace stammered. "No, I'm not smitten or whatever, I don't even know the guy –"

"Ever heard of 'love at first sight'?" Thatch sang, his grin widening with mischief.

Ace hissed at him, like a goddamn cat.

Thatch reared back, eyes wide. "I'm sorry did you just hiss at me?"

Ace nodded. Luffy cackled.

Chuckling, Marco decided to step in and put a reassuring hand on the irate young man's shoulder. "We're just kidding with you, Ace, don't worry, yoi," he appeased. "Still, why the staring? Got inspiration for a new drawing or something?"

Glad that uncomfortable conversation had come to an end, Ace allowed his eyes to drift back to the blond noble who remained where he was, staring out into the distance, as though he were lost in a wonderful dream, a world all his own.

"…or something," Ace replied softly. "I guess…he reminds me of when Luffy and I would sit on the roof of the tallest house by the docks and watch the waves when we were kids, dreaming of the day we'd set sail. There's that look in his eye…like longing…I dunno…"

The other men were silent, regarding Ace with curious, interested and understanding gazes respectively.

Luffy on the other hand was grinning again, excited as he jammed his straw hat on his head determinedly. Ace knew when Luffy had that look, bad things were going to happen.

And sure enough –

"Let's go say 'hi'!"

"Hell no!" Ace bopped Luffy on the head with a clenched fist, ignoring the way his brother stuck his tongue out at him in protest as he folded his arms. "You can't just go up to nobles like that, Luffy, you know that. They'd probably arrest us for smelling bad, never mind going up to A or B Deck where 'third-class passengers are not permitted'," he added with air quotes to emphasize.

Not that he needed to; there were actual signs on the gates for that.

"Too true," Thatch muttered with a disgusted shake of his head. "Besides, you'd sooner have angles fly outta your ass than get next to the likes of him. Say what you will about that 'longing' stuff, but from my personal experience, all nobles are pretty much the same wherever you go. He's probably as much of a pompous prick as the rest of –"

"Hey up there! Helloooo! Hi there!"

The four men froze, blood draining from their faces.

Oh god Luffy no.

The little idiot, having ignored their spiel about nobles and their prick potential, stood up and was freaking waving like a dumbass at the blond guy, attracting all sorts of attention from those wandering the deck. Some snickered, some were confused, and some, like Ace, were wondering what in the hell the little bugger was thinking?

Ace gulped, knowing nothing he did would shut Luffy up unless he knocked him out. Despite his mortification he really didn't want to do that.

Hopefully the noble is too distracted to notice –

The blond guy blinked rapidly as though he'd been snapped right out of a blissful trance, and he looked around in search of the owner of the loud, excited voice. Soon enough, he looked down. Blue eyes – blue eye, the left one was slightly discolored, almost grey – the brightest and deepest Ace had ever seen, found the beaming ball of idiot sunshine that Ace called baby brother.

And Ace, having lost the will to live, could only drop his shoulders and sigh.

Bugger me.

Now that he'd caught the noble's attention, Luffy waved harder, smiling wider. "Hey there!" he called again.

The blond stared a moment longer, confounded. He looked around to see if there was anyone else Luffy could have possibly been referring to, and upon finding no one he turned to look down at Luffy again and hesitantly pointed to himself, mouthing 'me?' in query.

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, you! Nice to meet'cha!"

Unable to tear his eyes away from the teen, Thatch leaned closer to Ace and whispered, "Is he always this crazy?"

Ace nodded. "Eyup," he replied, popping the 'p'.

Thatch swallowed, nodding shakily. "Good to know, good to know. Well, I bet the noble kid is gonna call the authorities or some shi– huh?"

The noble didn't call the authorities, nor had he turned away in disgust or even opted to completely ignore Luffy. Instead, after staring in what appeared to be total surprise at the bouncy teenager a few feet below him, he stood up a little straighter, and with a smile that was warm and almost shone, he waved back.

Jaws dropped all around, eyes popping out of sockets.

What.

What.

What?

Luffy had gotten a noble to notice them, smile at them, and wave at them. Like, they were his equals or something. And now the guy was freaking smirking behind his other hand at the stupefied looks on their faces, without a hint of malice or arrogance.

Luffy beamed wide enough to split his face in two, and Ace's thoughts were positively reeling.

What the hell? Is the world ending? Is equality among men finally among us?

All too soon, the moment came to an end.

Another man, wearing a similar top hat and a non-too-pleased frown strode onto the deck with all the authority and pride of a man who knew how high he stood over the rest, who wielded what power he had with an iron fist of malevolence. He was followed by a much bigger man, a guy that didn't fit the noble description at all, with a big ugly mug, a head of greasy hair and grin with missing teeth, but the fancy suit and the way he carried himself spoke that of a man who'd gotten lucky. He was probably a bodyguard or something.

Hearing the other men approach, the blond turned away from Luffy and Ace. A switch seemed to flip at the sight of the nobleman and he stiffened, his whole posture changing from relaxed and open to closed off and cold in the squaring of his shoulders to the subtle clenching of a fist at his side.

To the older noble it was a sign that the boy knew his place, knew that he was not one to be trifled with but to be respected and admired, and a haughty smile crossed his groomed features.

To Ace and Luffy – who knew how to read body language, who'd had to learn to survive on the streets where a single misstep, a moment of misplaced trust could mean your life – it was a sign that he felt anything but admiration for the man. Hell, he looked more like a cornered animal, obedient and loyal and respectful out of trepidation of the very hand that fed him.

Ace narrowed his eyes, hatred already brewing in the pit of his stomach despite having no connection to the boy or the man above them.

Silent and still in a way he had no right to be, Luffy was no different, his face a blank and expressionless slate. But his eyes were bright with the same flame burning in Ace's chest, narrow and keener than any blade.

The man said something to the blond, who nodded tersely with his own reply before putting his hat back on his head, adjusting the brim. He then eyed the big greasy guy, who'd left the man's side to step behind the blond as he put a large hand on his back, urging him forward.

The older nobleman turned his back on the lad and walked back the way he'd come, clearly expecting the other to follow like a lamb followed a Shepard.

The blond made to follow and then stopped, turning to glance over his shoulder one more time.

His mismatched eyes met Ace's silver pair.

This time, Ace didn't turn away, meeting him stare for stare.

He was rewarded with the hesitant beginnings of a smile from the young noble, before it fell into a slight scowl as the big guy urged him a little more insistently to keep walking. The blond turned away completely without a second glance and disappeared from the upper deck with a swish of a black coat, the big guy following.

Silence reigned over the small group below for a long time.

Then Thatch clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Well," he announced, breaking the silence with a grin directed at Ace. "Guess it's time to look for those ass-angles!"

Luffy smirked loudly, and Ace rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Thatch." The brunette only grinned.

Well, that was one way to break the tension.

"Gotta say, that's not something you see every day, yoi," said Marco, staring at the spot the young noble had once occupied with intrigue. "Maybe that 'longing' speculation of yours wasn't too far off the mark after all."

"That boy certainly seemed like the rebellious type," Izo remarked, a delicate finger tapping against his chin. Then he smiled. "I do hope to see him again, in passing if nothing else, unlikely as it is."

Reclaiming his place on Ace's lap, Luffy nodded eagerly, the previous gleam in his eye disappearing along with his solemnity. "Yeah, me too!" he chirped. "He seemed like a pretty nice guy. He waved at me, Ace, did'ja see?"

Rolling his eyes for the hundredth time that day, Ace chuckled. "Yeah Lu, I saw," he said, ruffling Luffy's hair again because he could.

And though he couldn't quite bring himself to admit it aloud just yet, a part of Ace wanted to see that guy again, too.

He was different from the nobles he'd seen growing up, the kind that used other needy people as stepping stones to rise higher and higher for their own selfish gain. That boy seemed to want none of that.

From the way his eyes sparkled with ecstasy, with yearning as he looked out to the vast sea beyond the ship, searching for something so close yet so far beyond his reach it was painful, he wanted…

Ace frowned to himself, tuning out whatever silly nonsense his little brother had started with Thatch again. He looked back up at where the blond in question had once stood, brows knitting.

Seemed like he and Luffy weren't the only ones seeking freedom.

TBC.

Reviews are writer chow :3