So I wrote chapter 11 *dances* and thought it was about time I got around to updating this. Funny thing is that this is the only thing I've been inspired to work on this week. Well, this and the bonus chapters for Resolve. Yes, chapters with an 's'. I started on the one about Sabo. I'm kind of sad to see that this is half way done. Oh well, I guess it's for the best. It's not a very popular story anyways. Maybe it's because it's MarcoAce. Or because of the shitty premise. Or my shitty ability to write romance. I don't know. But for the fans who DO like this story I have something I'll reveal later on. For now, though, here's the next chapter. Can you guess what Thatch and Izo are up to? Hehehe...

Warning: The last scene of this chapter has some mild mature content. As I said, very mild, but I thought I'd put this here for any sensitive people. I'll put a small summary of that scene in the bottom Author's Note for anyone who's not confortable with that kind of stuff. As a warning, though, might not wanna read chapter 10... hehe...

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece and I'm running out of shampoo. After posting this I'm going to run out and buy some. Oh, I got a new camera! *squeel* Think I'm going to do a MarcoAce drawing based on this story to test out its quality on my YouTube. Figured it'd be appropriate, seeing as I've drawn Sabo from Divide already. Ah, crap, rambling.


Ace's face split into a wide grin as they docked at the island, looking it over with fondness. One of his favourite things about being a pirate was exploration; he loved arriving in foreign lands and seeing all there was. There was something about learning of the ways different people lived that fascinated him. But he wasn't going to do any studying at that particular landmass—Izo told him to enjoy himself and damn it that's what he would do.

The freckled boy felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and he looked to see Thatch grinning down at him.

"You excited, kid?"

"Of course," he replied, smirking at the older man.

"Good because I'm going to be your partner for the evening!"

"…Partner?" Ace didn't like the sound of that. Being Thatch's partner was never a good thing.

"Yep!" The redhead looked around before he leaned in close to the boy's ear. "I'll take you somewhere nice."

Ace swallowed nervously. "…Nice?"

"I know a place where some very attractive ladies like to hang out," he elaborated in a whisper.

The freckled man flushed red. He wasn't sure he was ready to engage in… activities like that. No, no, he definitely wasn't. The firm hold his friend had on him, however, said that he didn't have a choice.

"W-wait, I—"

"Let's go!" Thatch shouted, thrusting his fist eagerly into the air as he dragged his friend down the side of the ship with the rest of the crew hurrying behind, each excited to relax and enjoy themselves.

Izo watched as the pair walked off the ship and onto the sandy beach beside them. He was about to leave as well when he noticed the first mate sitting on a crate reading a book. He tilted his head curiously before walking over to the blonde.

"Aren't you going, too?" he asked.

Blue eyes looked up at the crossdresser from behind dark-rimmed glasses. He shrugged and closed the book, keeping his spot with his thumb. "Think I'm going to stay here and relax yoi," he stated, lowering his arms into his lap. In reality he didn't feel a reason to leave the ship; Ann was the one who always dragged him into town so that she would have a companion while exploring. Without her he didn't have any interest in going ashore.

"That so? Hmm…" Izo wasn't planning for that. Still, it could work. "Well, enjoy your reading."

The blonde nodded and opened his book, returning to the spot where he left off.

Izo hurried off the Moby Dick and quickly caught up to the pair who left him behind. Before they even knew he was approaching he'd grabbed onto Thatch's shoulder and pulled him back. "Change of plans," he whispered before explaining in an even quieter tone. The redhead nodded and Izo turned to Ace with a smile. "Have fun!"

Ace was sending a silent 'help me' to the okama which seemed to go unnoticed, as the commander simply waved it off and went in his own direction. The freckled boy sighed, knowing that something bad was going to happen because of the stupid letch leading the way.


"Oh no. No. I'm not going in there."

"Awe, come on! It'll be fun!" Thatch whined, giving the younger a pout.

"Not a chance in hell. I'd rather disembowel myself," Ace stated, grabbing hold of his sheathed dagger to show his resolve. No way was he going to enter the town's red-light district—male or female, he refused to 'pleasure' himself like the redhead so often would.

"You're no fun," Thatch complained childishly.

"Shut up, you stupid old pervert," Ace shot back as he folded his arms and scowled.

"Damn. I was hoping to have a buddy this time. No one's been willing since Marco…"

"That's because you—wait, Marco? Marco went to a brothel with you?"

"Yeah, plenty of times."

"That's hilarious. You've outdone yourself with this one."

Thatch's mouth stretched into a taut line. "It's true! He used to fool around almost as much as I did," he stated. It really wasn't a lie, though the blonde stopped many years ago.

"…"

He noticed the peculiar look on Ace's face and his grin returned. He could tell that the boy wanted to know more. Who wouldn't? Marco was about as stern and stoic as a pirate could get so it was unthinkable for him to play around with women. "Curious?"

A blush rose to the freckled man's cheeks. "No!"

"You're a terrible liar. If you want I could tell you."

"…What's the catch?"

"We'll grab something to eat for now but tonight you come with me to a bar."

"…Deal." Ace knew he would regret that. Any agreement made with Thatch was bound to end in misery. But he wanted to know how different Marco was when he was younger. Wait… How old was he?


They arrived at a restaurant—far from any brothels, thankfully—and ate dinner. Since most of the cooks took the night off the crew was left to fend for itself. They were all capable, grown men so there wouldn't be any problems… hopefully.

Once the food arrived Ace began gorging himself as usual. He stuffed the enormous amount of sustenance into the hole beneath his nose, causing the other guests to stare. Even Thatch was taken aback—no matter how many times he saw that, he would never get used to it.

"So?" Ace asked between bites, urging the other to explain.

The redhead sighed and began slowly eating his meal. "It's a real shame you won't go meet the ladies; I'm sure they'd love you."

"Get on with it."

"Yeah, yeah." Another sigh left the pirate's mouth. He took a bite out of his steak and was happy to see that it was at least on par with his fellow chefs on the Moby Dick. Then again, Ace's sense of smell was amazing and it's what led them there, so he shouldn't have been surprised.

"So Marco… He fooled around a lot before?"

"Yep, lots. That was about ten years ago, though."

Ten years? Just how old are you two? No, wait, I don't even…

"Anything serious?"

"Mmm…" Thatch rubbed his chin as he thought. He didn't follow the blonde's relationships much so it was hard to recall. Besides, it happened a decade ago; his memory was bound to be skewered. "There was one… Even showed her to Oyaji."

Ace's eyes narrowed and a ting of jealously entered his thoughts. He ignored it, though, and instead continued to stuff his face. "…What happened?"

"She died."

"…Oh."

"She came aboard and about a week later there was a severe storm and she was thrown overboard. By the time we found her, she'd drowned. Marco didn't really take an interest in women after that—said they were too fragile."

"…"

"And then you came along." Thatch noted the contemplation on his face and thought it might be better to lighten the mood. His smile returned. "What about you? I'm sure you've been in your fair share of relationships."

"…One."

"Really? Only one? Thought you'd get around more than that… Who with?"

The redhead's voice oozed amusement to the point where Ace was taken aback. Why was the cook suddenly so interested in his personal life? It was suspicious… too suspicious. He didn't want to say. He knew that every time he told Thatch something it ended up blowing up in his face—like when Ann first developed feelings for Marco and their loving companion proceeded to repeat everything she told him. After that who would honestly trust him with anything?

"Like hell I'd tell you," Ace snapped, chugging his glass of water and inhaling the second half of his plate.

"Awe, come on. I won't tell."

"Yes, you would," he stated, glaring at the older man.

"What's the big deal?"

"…" Like Ace could answer that. If he did the redhead would know exactly who his old love interest was—not good.

"Please~" the man whined, giving his best puppy-dog face.

Ace mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"…Sabo."

Thatch blinked a few times, wondering if he heard that right. He'd heard stories about Ann's brothers plenty of times—she would never shut up about them. While she always told the crew about Luffy's stupid antics and about how he would always get them into trouble, she didn't say much about Sabo. Was that because…?

"…Your brother?"

Ace let out a 'cheh' and dropped his head into his palm, scowling in his friend's direction. He knew telling him was a bad idea. "We're not related by blood," he said defensively as a blush rose to his cheeks.

"R-right…" Thatch wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that. As he thought about it more he realized the scenario was the same as when Ann dated Marco—they were bonded siblings. It was a little different, seeing as Ace and Sabo grew up together, but similar nonetheless. "So what happened?"

"Wasn't mutual," he explained dryly, thinking about his time with his brother. He confessed when he was fifteen and Sabo happily agreed to date him, but he could tell that he was forcing himself. He knew that if he rejected his little sister it would leave her crushed so he went along with it. Ann selfishly ignored the signs but eventually the guilt got to her and, well, that was that. Maybe that was why Ace was so adamant about pushing Marco away—he didn't want the blonde to feel obligated to be with him.

"Ah," the redhead responded simply. He could tell that there was more to it than that but said nothing in favour of eating. He didn't want to get on the fire user's bad side… again.


Ace eyed the iced beverage sitting in front of him at the bar, daring him to take a drink.

"No way," he said, crossing his arms into the shape of an 'x' in a show of disapproval. "Not a chance—not after what happened last time."

"Live a little! It's only one drink," the redhead pressed, waving his own glass in front of the younger.

"Not happening." Ace was determined to avoid another hangover like the one he had before.

"Just one," Thatch begged with a pouting lip.

The freckled man glared at him, mentally calling him a man-child before he reached for the drink and took a very small sip. He hated how Thatch could con him into almost anything… He would regret that later.

The redhead smiled triumphantly, spinning on the barstool to face a couple of woman, courting them with all the usual lines. In the back of his head, though, he couldn't help but feel proud that he was able to pull off phase one of Izo's plan.


Two hours passed and, despite his best efforts to monitor his alcohol intake, Ace was starting to get a buzz. He could still think rationally… for the most part. Turning his head he scoffed at Thatch who had his arms around two scantily-dressed women hugging close to his chest. He didn't understand what they saw in the commander; he wasn't overly attractive nor was he wealthy. Maybe it was his humour—he always managed to cheer Ace up on a bad day. But what he was really wondering was why the redhead brought him along. Why did he need a partner to pick up chicks when he could do perfectly fine on his own?

In the middle of his thinking Ace noticed his view of the commander was being obscured. A short, pale woman sat on the stool next to him. He looked her over curiously, noting her white-blonde hair and delicate curves, silently comparing her to his female form. In a way he was jealous of her. Stupid natural beauties… Stupid blondes…

The girl looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled after noticing his stares. She laughed when he frantically turned away and took a hurried drink of whisky.

"Hey," she greeted causally before asking the bartender for a drink of her own.

"H-hey," Ace stuttered in reply, wondering why she was talking to him. Instead of trying to keep the conversation going he favoured staring at the wood of the bar.

For a while they sat in silence, neither acknowledging the other. Ace's thoughts returned to his earlier conversation with Thatch. He still couldn't picture Marco sleeping around no matter how hard he tried. It wasn't in his nature. The phoenix just wasn't like that. But Thatch wouldn't lie about that…

"You one of Whitebeard's men?" the girl questioned as she lightly traced her nails along Ace's purple tattoo.

He jumped at the sudden physical contact and looked at her, silently wondering why she'd taken an interest in him. He nodded. "Second division commander."

"That so?" she asked, studying the mark on his back. "He's a great man."

Ace couldn't help but smile at that. "Yeah."

"It's because of him that this island is so peaceful," she stated as she gently touched his shoulder, causing him to tense up even more. Her smile grew. "What's your name?"

"Ace," he replied simply, mentally cursing as he almost went by his old name. "You?"

"Silvia," she said, voice low and soothing.


Ace wasn't sure how it happened but he suddenly found himself being straddled by the blonde woman. Her fingers tangled themselves in his ebony locks, slowly pushing their faces together. Silvia's hair brushed against his forehead as she leaned in to playfully bite his bottom lip, smiling as he closed the gap between them and kissed her.

He wasn't sure what he was doing. He didn't even remember how he got into a situation like that. All he knew was that they spent the last hour talking and eventually the girl sat on his lap, urging him to react. He complied, though hesitantly. Where was the harm in it? They likely wouldn't get too far and, if they did, he wouldn't remember. Even though he only had two glasses in three hours he wasn't thinking clearly. Did Thatch spike his drink? He wouldn't do that… would he?

Ace pushed the question away in favour of sliding his hands down to Silvia's thighs, feeling her breath hitch as he massaged the delicate skin. They broke apart for air, panting. She gave him a mischievous smile, ghosting her lips over his. He went to move in but she placed a finger over his mouth, much to his displeasure.

Silvia pressed her chest against his as she leaned in close to his ear, whispering in a seductive tone, "Let's find someplace more private."

Ace pouted but realized she was right—they shouldn't be making out in a bar and would only regret it later. Still, he was determined to continue, seeing as he was finally getting a reaction to a woman's touch, and pondered where they could go. Wasn't the Moby Dick empty?


A/N: Please don't hurt Ace. Please. I know he's being stupid, but he's still adorable. No, don't get the seastone! Good. Now step away from the cuffs. That's it. And DO NOT go get Marco. Bad idea. Just... Just don't. Meh, you'll see. I think after this next chapter you'll be rooting for Marco instead of Ace, though. Oh, and now you know why Ace was talking so highly about Sabo earlier in the story :P

Final Scene Summary: Ace and the girl flirt, get a little intimate, and decide to find someplace more private to continue. Ace remembers that the Moby Dick is supposed to be empty.

So, yeah! We learned lots of new things! And even though this isn't one of my complicated stories I left hints and clues for the rest of the story. I'm sure you've noticed them. Well one you probably overlooked, but oh well~ I kind of feel like teasing you guys and putting a preview here. Should I? Hmm... Oh, and as a warning, I am TERRIBLE at writing M-rated content. Seriously I feel like I've let you down because all you pervs were looking forward to it and I've failed you T^T I'm sorry! So, so, SO sorry! I tried, I really did. But I'm just not good at it. In my defense, it's my first time... Please don't hate me ;_; I really did do my best, honest! I guess some people are just more adept at writing that kind of stuff than others... or does it take practice? I don't know. But chapter 10 is really dry and a huge disappointment =_= Anyways, on with the teaser - I mean preview!

He took a deep, shuddering breath to calm down. Still, even calm he didn't move. He didn't want to. He wanted to erase those marks on the freckled boy's skin and replace them with his own. Because… he was Ann. And Ann was his. He was hers. Even in that form, which he had such trouble accepting, he couldn't stand it. They were the same, right? So…

That's all I'm giving you. You can probably guess what happened. I won't be giving future spoilers, though! MAybe more teasers, but nothing that has to do with the chapter's plot! ...After this. Thought I'd show you what happens to make up for the next chapter being mediocre e_e

Hand Update: Much better! Though I still have to take lots of breaks T^T

To my lovelies~

RoXaS707: Lol love-hate is better than strict hate, at least. And now you got to see a bit of him dealing with women! In summary, he's an idiot. Walked all over him. Nope, hand didn't get re-hurt. I took lots of breaks when making that. It actually took me half a week because of it. That's why there were so many jumps in the video.

Portgas D. Paula: You should e_e;

WeissDragon: Hehe yep, gotta love Izo! He'll come back in around chapter 12. Nope it was placed by Marco. Remember how he was thinking about it getting cold now that the sun was down? That was right before he gave Ace the blanket. Well the drama really comes in next chapter :P

Gundun-grrl: They will be, one day! Just a lot of shit has to happen first because I'm an asshole to them :P But I don't intend for this to be a tragedy like most of my other stories. You're in luck!

Stelra Etnae: Wasn't it? XD Well I'm sure by now you can tell that what they're up to is likely very bad for our poor Ace :P Here's the update~

Cyborgnetics: Yep, he is. Izo's master plan is going to cause a lot of problems e_e Lol I'm glad you're still reading it! If you like adult stuff then you'll probably be disappointed next chapter, sorry, I tried... T^T But there'll be stuff that I'm better at writing later on! Like the difference of chicken and turkey to Ace... What? I didn't say that. You heard nothing.

azab: They screw things up A LOT. But that's their job :P

sairakanzaki: Lol it's worse, sadly XD Here's an update!

Son Goshen: What did you think he was up to? I wanna see how close you are! Lol his plan isn't fully revealed until later. Wasn't it? I imagined it and was like "awe despite everything Marco's beign so nice and Ace doesn't even know" In a way it's kind of depressing XD

Kitsune Foxfire: Yes he is. Honestly, I think he's a bigger idiot than Marco in this chapter (though it's mainly Thatch's fault). Hehe yep they should. They cause so much trouble...

StrawberryGirlKairi: Glad it did! :D Yep, it was Marco who gave Ace the blanket. Gotta love Izo, he's just so epic. I had fun writing out the 'intuition' part and then having him tell Thatch to go make dinner. Honestly, I was tempted to put a crossdressing scene in the story but I couldn't stop laughing at the thought. Muscular, badass Ace wearing girl's clothes... priceless. Sadly the action is shitty u_u I'm terrible at writing adult content. I tried, though! Please forgive me! Well if you like it that much than there's some hope for you. But I'll mention that in later chapters once it's getting closer to the ending.

spoons-are-evil: Isn't it though?! It's just so out of place for him! It makes no sense! And yet... Meh, being antisocial is pretty common in adolescence. Nothing to be concerned with. At ages 18-25 you tend to get rid of it, for the most part. Yep, both very big morons. But that's what we love about them ;) Well I said 5 but it might be just a little more than that since I'm not fitting as much into the chapters as I originally planned. Still, it's at least half over. Yep, it was very fast! Probably because I had so many chapters typed out before posting the story. Lol my dreams are VERY fucked up.

RexLink: Lol XD Yep, at least he had them. Though that might be a bad thing...

alniyat: Glad you liked it! Hope you enjoyed this one as well!

(Well, that's that. Thoughts? Opinions? Predictions? Please review! :D There was something else I wanted to say, but... I can't think of it. Hmm... Well, whatever. Adieu~)