I must have taken a nap as Ace was finishing up because the next thing I knew, the scent of drizzling bacon was permeating through my nostrils. I slowly cracked one eye open and chanced a glance. There he stood over the pit rotating the thin strips of pig; a plate full of bacon nearly half his height lay at his side. It was slightly swaying and looked as though it could topple over any second. I would have closed my eyes again if not for his greeting.

"Good morning… again."

"I suppose it might be," I wryly replied.

His bark of laughter startled me completely out of my drowsy state and I chose to stand this time instead of lean back against the pillar. I slowly made my way towards him. "I see you've been covering breakfast."

"Yep. After the first couple of tries, I really got the hang of cooking. I'm a master chef now."

His arrogant attitude struck me as funny and I decided to mock him for it. "Well then, Master of breakfast, where are the potatoes, the eggs, and the sausage? I only see bacon and there's only one pig left."

His eyes widened and his mouth popped open. "I knew I was forgetting something," he exclaimed. He immediately dashed to the remains of my garden and began to dig, throwing dirt in all directions. I chuckled and decided to help him out by making the sausage. By the time I was finished he had come back to me with a look of utter defeat. "I couldn't find any," he solemnly reported.

"That's because there are none," was my response.

"What, you knew?"

"Of course I did. It's my garden. If there was food in it, I would have found it days ago."

"So, the point of promising hash browns made from non-existent potatoes was?"

"So that I could make the sausage without worrying that you would eat all the bacon before I could have any," I finished.

"What about the eggs?"

"I already told you, no chickens."

"What if I go find some?"

"I'll lock the gate and eat all the food on my own."

"Che, like you could."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's a fact, because I'm going to eat all the food before you can," he replied while inching towards the bacon.

"That's a shame," I said while smirking.

He stopped and glanced back at me, "What is?"

"That you let your guard down." I began running towards the food, munching on the sausage as I went.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He began to race me. Of course, he beat me considering I was injured, but I made it in time to grab the bacon out of his hands before he could shove it down his throat. What ensued next was a mix between a wrestling match and a food eating contest. We would steal each other's food and try to eat it before it was stolen back. In the end, we were both left full and content. "I easily ate the most," he boasted.

"Are you kidding me, you eat like an anorexic," I lied.

The laughs that followed were loud and carefree. "Is that so? Well in that case, I can certainly eat more. Shall we have another round?"

"With what food," I asked in an attempt to cover up the fact that I was completely full.

"Well, after eating all of that, let's say we work it off and see who can get the most food by lunchtime."

"You're on, but you have to dispose of all the pig carcasses on your own while I get a head start."

"What? Why?"

"Because you have an unfair advantage, I said, gesturing towards the fireplace."

"Not at the moment I don't."

"Alright, clean all this up and then I will allow you to have one, if you can find me when you're done." I raised an eyebrow playfully.

"Alright then. In three, two, one… GO!" I began my mad dash to the door to the gate as Ace began to grab every pig in sight. I was almost to the door when a large banging emitted from it, the source of the noise residing on the other side.

They were knocking so hard the gates were shaking. "Hey," a man called, "Are you there? Answer me!"

"Y-yes!" I called back. I felt a heat behind me and knew that Ace had come to see what was going on. He placed a hand on my unhurt shoulder.

"There's a pirate crew in town!"

I stiffened. I was slightly confused. Why would they warn me about a pirate crew? The town welcomed pirates because of their riches. They even frequently hid them from the marines… for a price, of course. I made no secret of my dislike for pirates. They were often raunchy and cruel. They cost more than they paid for, from what I could see. But the town had never cared for my wishes. Why would they suddenly decide to warn me?

"One of their members is missing. He didn't come back to the boat last night. The mayor wants to be sure that you didn't do anything to him. Have you seen anything?"

"Of course not!" The man behind me was a traveler of some sort. I turned around to face him.

"You can follow him back to the village," I told him. "He is your best bet to avoid suspicion."

"I'm good. I don't really like him. You're much nicer. At least for the moment you are." He flashed his teeth in a playful smile. I gaped at him.

"So, you're going to continue to impose on me and my house," I asked him while struggling to keep a straight face.

"It sure as hell didn't seem like I was imposing. In fact I could have sworn you had just invited me to stay for lunch through that game of yours."

"You stated that you were still hungry. I felt bad because I had beaten you and managed to eat more than you."

We were very close now. Earlier this morning I would have said too close, but something about him just makes me want to be closer. I took a step back. This would not happen.

"And there you go again," he said sagely. Despite his words he seemed to enjoy my reluctance.

"If you see him," the guy bellowed behind the gate, startling us out of our reverie, "send him back to town. And if he stays gone, we'll come looking for him." He said this last part threateningly, and I knew, if that pirate didn't turn up, they would come rampaging through my home in search of him. I heard his footsteps leaving the area and, with a sigh, I turned back to Ace. Only, he wasn't where I thought he would be. Instead, he was picking up all the pigs again and looking at me expectantly.

"Burn the carcasses, I will use them as fertilizer," I told him. I was thinking more clearly now and decided that my future with my garden was more important than a silly game. He did as instructed and I went inside to wash my hands of the grease. When I was finished I went to open the back door. He was standing there with his hands covered in ashes.

"I decided to save you the trouble and did it myself."

"Thank you." I let him inside to wash his hands and I went to survey his work. He had done a surprisingly good job. I heard a noise at the gate and turned to look. He was there, trying to open it.

"So, how about that game?" he asked. I smiled, opened the gate, and then ran ahead. I called behind me, "Whoever brings the most back by high noon wins!" I could hear his laughter behind me as he ran to catch up.

Hi, it's been another while. But I had no suggestions and so I was like, what now. But after an unexpected visit to the facebook page of Portgas D. Ace, my writers block vanished and this came out in the course of a morning. So, tada!