The two boys walked through the town of Sexat; which was a small community located on Gosha Island east from Skimotsuki Village. The houses were all built with straw roofs and wooden walls. Some had cement steps to their painted door. His shoe stepped on the green grass to the side of the walkway. Stones were gathered around to create borders from their neighbor.

One boy stood on the bridge as he looked across the small stream that went from one end of the village to the other. While the other one went on his merry way with coin in his pocket. His hat was tied around his neck, hanging down on his back, while his staff was tied to his jacket underneath the straw hat.

He glanced from one house to the other; searching for a store. Unlike Sabo, he was in charge of getting food supplies; since he forgotten about it on the last island. 'A free barrel...just waiting there...' he thought with some resentment. If he wasn't in such of a hurry, he would have grabbed the wooden barrel and threw it on the ship. Instead, their item was still at the Ossan's Shack. 'Probably already gone,' he added as a side thought.

Finally, he stood in front of a stand. The woman who was in charge of the small stand was haggling with a small child.

Ace rolled his eyes as he tapped the ground. His eyes slowly gazed onto the other carts around; one that sold weapons, clothing, and even nicknacks. This was the only cart around that sold food. There was only one other person shopping at these other carts, while Ace ended up in the one where he had to wait.

"Ten beri for an apple? That's highway robbery!" the child uttered with furrowed brows. The child had a high pitch voice that sounded like a girl, she was so close to yelling at the shopowner.

Ace raised his eyebrows. '10 beri?' he repeated in thought. "What type price is that?" He questioned out loud instead of a thought as he first intended it to be. His eyes closed half-way when he realized his mistake.

The woman gazed away from the young girl and onto the boy wearing a unbuttoned yellow jacket. "I'm sorry," she gave a slight nod and turned back to the kid, "Please leave, you are disturbing other customers."

"There's only one, and he can wait." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I was here first."

Ace's eyelids fluttered as he turned to look at her goods. "I need two barrels of apples, meat, some limes." His pupils rolled upwards as he tried to think of other items he needed.

Her eyes narrowed and she finally walked away, throwing the apple backwards and hitting the shopowner on the head. "Let's see if I ever shop there again," she grumbled before disappearing across the bridge.

"That was..." his sentence was interrupted when the woman sighed.

...

After a bird dropped its load onto Sabo's jacket, the young boy undid his shirt and placed it over his shoulder. He will have to wash it once they get back to the ship. He walked across the bridge and looked at the wooden houses in front of him; at least he could look around before returning to the ship.

He heard rumors at the docks that there was a marine base stationed here. There was talk about two men who ran the place, and their feuding differences. Mostly, from the sounds of it, it was a small place filled with twelve marines at most; it was split between the two leaders. Luckily for him and Ace, neither one of them had a bounty so none of the twelve would be hunting their heads for now.

At the end of the bridge he saw a old man in front of one of the marines, who was guarding a house. The marine already had his gun out, ready to use if the time called for it. While the old man was throwing insult after insult.

The blonde stepped closer to overhear their conversation.

"This is my house, you nit! I got the deed right inside of my desk! You knave have no right to halt me from entering my own home. Am I suppose to sleep out here with the homeless? Even if I have a home?" The man was going from one thing to another, giving the man in the white suit no time to argue back. "It's your duty as marines to protect us! Yet you're kickin' us out of own homes!" He raised a finger and probed the marine's chest, "You mutt!"

This was the last straw for the marine. He took hold of his gun with both hands. "I was sent here to halt any passage inside. This was an order, I had nothing to do with it."

Both of them looked like any moment blood would be split.

Sabo started running towards them, but another blonde stepped in. He stood in front of the marine and houseowner. His arms were raised as he pushed them away from each other. "Can't a guy relax without his eardrums being blown?"

"It's because of this mutt of the gov-" the old man was interrupted by the marine, "A citizen should not meddle in a marine's affairs."

"Don't care," the newcomer told the both bluntly.

Sabo stood in the middle of the pathway as this newcomer dragged the old man away from the marine. The old man was fighting against the blonde's grip and kept shouting insults at the marine. Sabo followed the two down the walkway until they ended up in dead end. The blonde, who looked only a few years younger than the old man, took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. "Stay here for the night," he stated.

The house owner looked down at the paper. It was a receipt to the inn, which was built at the end of this path. "B-But that won't make up for my house."

"I will see to it in the morning," the man stated. His words were soft spoken as if he knew someone was watching.

The man swallowed his words and gave him a nod of thanks before heading to the inn himself. The blonde man swift around with his boots matted in dirt and glanced at the path he just taken.

His cover was blown so he stepped out from behind a fence and looked at the man with droopy eyes. "That will only help him for a single night," the boy stated.

"Ah, so you have been listening," the man commented with a small smirk. He gestured back to the inn where the man disappeared into, "This is better than sleeping outside."

"What are you planning in the morning then?"

The man's eyes fluttered, "Shouldn't one introduce themselves first before accusing someone of certain deeds?"

Sabo snickered; he could already tell the man in front of him already had plans. "Monkey Sabo, newbie pirate."

He brushed his golden hair back, which stood out on the very top of his head like a crop. His purple jacket shifted on his shoulders; he wore it in the same fashion as Ace, leaving it unbuttoned to show his bare chest.

"I'm Marco, lone pirate."

TBC

I totally stole this scenario from Oblivion, with the exception of the child...who will become a bigger part later on...hehe.

Son of Whitebeard: It's the only way someone can stand Ace for more than one hour.

EpicAsianOrangeTiger26: Since Kuina is alive, he didn't travel far from their village. Probably roaming around the sea sleeping.