I am utterly blown away by all of y'alls response. I honestly did not think this fic would get to much popularity (let alone this quickly) because of the OCs, but you proved me wrong. I am amazed and delighted to be so wrong.
Thanks to: Mariachanne, Jisca, Smoochynose, skywright, Yana5, Zelga Lim Li, Divine-Faithborn, Nala1220, dancingjadedragon, Friendly Reader, dwarfprince, Catflower Queen, BeASlumberingDragon, Weird-Sunny-Chan, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, duhorcommonsense, Kokos, ovan963, Hahukum Konn, layla-kyoyama, Vuurvlieg, nanigirl15, angelrider13, TheFLO, Kristallos, Balinor88, Guest (09/11/15), Ginshi-chan, of Serendip, Kiddiluna, Dr. Blueneck, Jade, Trich, NotSoSlimSh4dy, Hyde, lany-chan, N Harmonic, dinno [2], Shannon Rei D. Sumner, Rin-s666, Hellofellowhuman, The Mightier Pen, DrunkTitan, AngelAriel3, smore101, atrum nemus, Guest (09/14/15), CrimsonEyedKitsune, Sea Rover Tactician, Cowpog-GreenBean, Talon of soaring Eagle, and OnePieceDoesExist.
Beta-love to the wonderful breather!
Let's go~
Chapter 11: I Want to Tell You
Sanji exhales a cloud of smoke as he stares out the window of the galley. Nami and Vivi are talking with one another beneath Nami's mikan trees. Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy are predictably running around and playing like idiots. Zoro is sitting against the mast, seeming to be napping lightly. But having spent a couple months with the swordsman, Sanji can tell when he's faking sleep. Which he is. The reason why is sitting a few yards away, lounging on a lawn chair and reading a book. Robin's eyes are dutifully glued to the page, putting on a harmless air, but Sanji sees the slightly too-tight grip she has on her book, and he knows she's fully aware of her precarious position on their crew.
Sanji sighs as he puts out his cigarette and picks up his silver serving tray. He's torn between sympathy at how distanced Robin is from them all, and distrust. Seeing as the first mate has the latter covered, Sanji feels comfortable just focusing on the former, so with great flare he swings the door open and dances towards the ladies. He twirls up to Vivi and Nami first and gives them each a chocolate parfait, and they grant him dual smiles so gorgeous that he just wants to immortalize them in stone. He's no sculptor though, so he departs with a dreamy look, before walking over towards Robin.
"A lovely parfait for an even lovelier woman," he says, extending the small plate that holds the glass and spoon towards her. He isn't lying either. Robin is beautiful, and so incredibly womanly.
She blinks in surprise. He's happy to have caught her off guard. Robin graciously accepts his offering after placing her book on a nearby table.
"Thank you," she says smiling.
Sanji bites back his flowing complements, and instead restrains himself to only returning the smile. He wants to ease her into their atmosphere, and she could do with small chat more than compliments.
"I forgot to ask, but do you actually like sweets? Because if not, I have plenty of other things I can make you."
"This is fine, thank you." Another gorgeous smile. His brain is going to fry at this rate if he keeps bottling up all these compliments that fly through his mind.
"It's a hot day today," she comments mildly.
"Alabasta is going to be even worse, I wager." He pulls out a cigarette to soothe his mind. He shouldn't be chain smoking like this, but if he wants to keep calm, it's his only option.
"Oi, Sanji," Luffy whines from behind him. "Make me something too."
"The sweets are for the ladies!" Sanji snaps back. He's lost track of how often they've had this conversation. Despite that, there is a fourth parfait in the galley, because without fail, Nami will always say,
"You can have some of mine, Luffy-kun."
Sanji blinks, because it isn't Nami who says it, but Robin instead. The dark haired woman is smiling genially at their captain, and holding a spoonful of pudding out as an offering.
Luffy immediately slingshots towards the archaeologist, landing in a crouch besides her. With no decorum, he puts his mouth over the spoon, greedily eating Sanji's gift to Robin!
"You shitty rubber captain," Sanji gripes, but no one's paying attention to him. Nami and Vivi are speaking quickly in hushed tones, but Sanji can practically feel the heat Nami directs at their newest crewmember. Chopper tugs at Sanji's pant leg, asking for some sweets too, which Usopp echoes. And the shitty swordsman is poorly containing a laugh. All the while, Robin and Luffy are just talking.
"Don't call me Luffy-kun," their captain protests. "I'm just Luffy."
"Of course, Luffy-kun," she says contrarily, but when she sticks out another spoonful of parfait, Luffy doesn't protest anymore.
Sanji huffs. He hates how much attention the women give the rubber teen. It really isn't fair for someone with no manners to have such good luck with women. Sanji stands a little away and smokes his cigarette irritably.
"Whatcha reading?" Luffy asks Robin between bites.
"The Princess Bride." Robin shows him the cover.
"Oh!" Luffy exclaims. "I've read that before."
Sanji coughs on smoke, Usopp's and Chopper's eyes bulge, and Zoro's neck snaps up with alarm. Nami and Vivi seem to sense the change on the ship so they turn and look curiously at them.
"What is it?" Nami asks.
"Luffy . . . he said . . ." Sanji struggles to put it into sentences.
"I just said that I read The Princess Bride before. It was a cool book." Luffy frowns in bemusement. They might be confusing him, but Sanji wagers he's confusing them so much more.
"As in a book you've read, like actually sat still and looked at the words?" Nami asks slowly.
"Yeah." Luffy tilts his head. "Why're you all staring at me like that?"
"I just didn't expect that." Usopp voices what they're all thinking.
"You just seem like you're too adventurous to spend time reading," Vivi diplomatically adds in.
"Well, I wouldn't have read it if they didn't make me." Luffy's face twists unhappily at the recollection.
"Who made you read?" Chopper asks curiously.
"Ace and Makino."
There's a pause. Sanji's expecting someone to know what's going on, but it's clear from all of their faces that no one understands.
"Ah, Ace. I was going to ask how he's doing." Of all people, it's Robin who actually seems to get it.
"He's doing awesome! He's a commander on Whitebeard's crew right now. I bet he's having all kinds of awesome adventures!" Luffy grins eagerly, as though he hasn't just shocked them again with his casual words. Everyone knows about Whitebeard. He's said to be the strongest man alive. He doesn't run a ship, so much as a fleet. He delegates some of the power and responsibility to some of the strongest powers on the water— his commanders.
While they're all stunned, it's Zoro who has the most violent reaction, visibly starting. "You know one of Whitebeard's commanders?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Why? How?"
"Why wouldn't I know Ace?" And Luffy sounds genuinely curious.
"Luffy, who's Ace?" Nami circumvents any chance for misinterpretation.
"Oh, Ace? He's—"
"Oi! Luffy!"
Luffy's head snaps around so fast his features blur. Sanji turns and stares out into the ocean, where he can see a small boat approaching them very quickly. On it there's two figures, one of which is surrounded by flames. He does a double take.
"My, my," Robin says blandly. "It is true. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."
Her words are confirmed by Luffy's excited crow.
"Ace!"
"Luffy!"
Their captain doesn't even wait for them to dock on the ship before he's rocketing forward onto the man with dark hair, who has banished the flames, thankfully. His voice is a steady chant of AceAceAce as he clings to the other man's shoulders. Every crew member hurries to the side of the ship, and mostly all of them are stunned
"Luffy," the man, Ace, exhales soothingly. He tries to pull back, but Luffy holds tight. Sanji can see Ace's frown, and that's when he also notices the trembling of Luffy's shoulders. Sanji watches his captain freeze before taking a deep breath. As he does, he turns and Sanji sees a wide smile over his face. Maybe the trembling was a trick of the hot sun . . .
"Luffy." Ace ruffles Luffy's hair, making Sanji's captain laugh and duck away slightly. All of them are glued to the close and casual interaction.
"Ace," Robin begins, addressing her fellow Straw Hat pirates. "Is Luffy-kun's older brother."
"His brother?!" Usopp, Nami, Vivi, and Chopper exclaim in surprise. Sanji's eyes widen.
With Luffy in hand, Ace leaps off his boat and onto the Going Merry in one smooth action. The second person, a blond man, follows. Sanji notes that he's eyeing the two brothers in a similar way as they are: with surprise and a little reservation.
"Luffy," Ace says gently, and the younger of the pair finally disentangles himself. He faces his crew, smiling widely and cheerfully.
"Everyone, this is Ace." He makes a short gesture. "Ace, this is everyone."
"You're terrible at introductions." Ace smirks. He then turns to them and bows at the waist.
"Thank you for taking care of my little brother, I know he can be a handful."
All of them are a little startled by his manners, but they all respond reflexively with echoing bows, like they were all taught at some point in their lives.
"Yes, he is," they all utter aloud in unison.
"But that's alright," Nami chips in, smiling.
Ace then turns to the side and gestures to the blond man.
"This is Marco. He's the first commander of Whitebeard's fleet."
"Cool," Luffy says blandly, in a massive understatement. From behind him, Sanji can feel Zoro's slight tensing.
"It's nice to see you again, Ace-san," Robin says, moving closer to the group. She had been hanging back, maybe out of shyness or uncertainty, Sanji doesn't know, but he's glad to see her step forward.
Ace looks surprised to see her, but smiles widely. "You as well. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon." Ace addresses this more to Luffy, who lets out a cheerful laugh.
"I only joined his crew a week ago," she divulges. "I was in the area working under other affiliations before."
"She was working for Baroque Works." Nami sniffs.
"Oh." Ace pauses. "Did you like that?"
"So similar!" the Straw Hats yell with shark teeth.
"They're all so funny, right?!" Luffy grins.
Ace only smiles back.
"Ace, I'm going to tell Pops we landed," Marco says, speaking for the first time since coming on board. Though he's been rather quiet, his sharp eyes have been taking stock of everything on the ship. Sanji has no doubt this man could be the first commander of a fleet.
Ace nods in agreement, obviously not wanting to leave his brother's side quite yet, and the first commander walks towards the bow of the ship for a bit of privacy.
"Can I ask why the sudden visit?" Vivi asks delicately. "We're all delighted to meet you, but was there a specific reason you've come out here?"
"I'm just here to check up on my little brother," Ace says, bumping shoulders with Luffy and grinning. The teen glows under the attention. Sanji knows he isn't the only one taken aback by the wideness of Luffy's smiles, the palpable love in his eyes.
"We have to celebrate! Break out the beer!" Luffy announces.
Zoro smirks, completely behind the idea. Nami sighs whereas Robin watches over it all with a pleasant smile.
"Make something awesome, Sanji!" Luffy requests before turning back to his brother. "Let me show you around the ship."
Sanji sighs at the boundless energy, but smiles. Because when Luffy's happy, things are just better.
Everyone dissolves to help prep for the party. Sanji knows his role and heads starts for the galley, but Zoro stops him with a few quiet words.
"Two Whitebeard commanders on the ship," Zoro utters. "This can't end well."
"They both seem pretty reasonable," Sanji comments. "And polite. Especially Ace."
"It's strange, right?"
"The sea is a mysterious place."
Zoro grins, before seeming to realize what he's doing and turning away.
"Don't you have food to make?" Zoro asks gruffly before leaving.
Sanji rolls up his sleeves. Indeed he does.
Marco watches the crew disperse as he leans against the railing at the front of the ship. Luffy tugs Ace by the hand towards the trees on deck and motions furiously at them while chattering a mile a minute. Ace smiles and laughs at whatever Luffy's saying. It's impossible to look at them and not think they are brothers.
"Hello?"
Marco turns his attentions back to the mustachioed Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"Pops?"
"Son," Whitebeard greets. "How is the trip going so far?"
"I just met his brother."
There's a pause. "You're in Alabasta already?"
"Ace took the 'fast way' to Alabasta."
Whitebeard lets out a heart chuckle at that. "I see. And how is the younger brother?"
"I don't really know yet . . . but I think Ace has a complex."
When Marco hears resounding laughter from the background on Whitebeard's line, he knows that just about everyone is listening in.
"A brother complex?!" Thatch's wheezing voice manages through fits of giggles. Marco understands, he does, but there's something he doesn't like about the whole thing.
"Oyaji . . ." Marco trails off.
"That's enough everyone. Give me peace," Whitebeard says, and Marco can hear chattering as everyone disperses, giving their father privacy.
"Go on," he urges.
"There's just something about them that makes me uncomfortable." As he speaks, his eyes are drawn to Luffy and Ace who have moved to the crow's nest, hands still linked.
"What is it?"
Marco has been on board for less than ten minutes, but he's seen his fellow commander show new facets already. It shouldn't unsettle Marco, there's nothing insidious or typically discomforting about it all. But there's this strange intensity between the two. It's the smallest things in their closeness. It's the look in Ace's eyes, the utter adoration and delight being with his brother brings. It's the lowered walls that Marco never knew existed in the first place. Ace is never boring, but even for him, this concentrated emotion is anything but typical. Perhaps Marco's misunderstanding. Perhaps it's just a complex. He can't quantify it though, their relationship.
Marco runs a hand through his blond hair. "Ah, I can't put it into words."
"Alright. Let me know when you figure it out."
"Right, I'll check in tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Son."
"See ya, Pops."
Miraculously, in the five minutes it took Marco to place the call, Luffy's crew has spread out blankets on the deck, and barrels of alcohol have been rolled out from the galley. Marco settles himself down against the banister, and watches the impromptu party get into full swing. Marco finds that although he doesn't know anyone except for Ace, he's enjoying himself. All of them ooze friendliness, and although there is a stranger watching on, none of them seem to censor their actions, meaning Marco gets a wonderful view of Luffy shoving chopsticks up his nose. The navigator and swordsman get into a drinking game that both are losing, while the small reindeer watches the long nosed teen tell a grandiose story with wide eyes. Vivi spends her time watching Luffy, and mediating between the tense arguments that suddenly appear without warning between the chef and the swordsman when the former dips out of the galley for a moment. Set a little away from the others is Robin, who leans against the railing and watches them. Marco can tell she's new to the crew, and maybe slightly unwelcome by some members' standards. Not that Luffy seems to sense this; he happily grabs her, draws her close, and swings her around the ship once or twice in a jaunty dance, making the cook react viciously with some well-placed kicks that are swiftly dodged.
Through all of this, Ace sits, watches, and laughs. Neither brother strays very far from one another. Marco notices that Luffy's eyes seek out Ace constantly. They're clearly very close, so it's weird to Marco that he's heard so little (well, nothing actually) about Ace's family until now.
Luffy disappears from the merriment for a moment, and Marco sees Ace look after where his brother went curiously. Luffy comes out of the kitchen. Sanji looks ruffled at this, and his mouth opens to no-doubt tell his captain off, but the unexpected item in the captain's hand stops him.
"Sake?" Ace asks as his brother settles across from him.
"Un!" Luffy grins. "I thought we could share a cup."
Ace's expression goes from surprised to gentle happiness. Marco's brow furrows. "Sounds good to me."
Luffy pulls out three red cups and Ace's smile grows a little sad. His friend's reactions concern him, but Marco stays silent.
"Oi, Luffy, at least bring enough cups for everyone," Sanji says, looking resigned to the fact that his captain has made it into his alcohol stash.
"No way! This is just for me and Ace! You can get your own."
Sanji's face goes red. "How dare you show such bad manners in front of these three lovely ladies!"
Luffy ignores him and begins pouring the sake into the three cups.
"You may want to count more carefully next time, Luffy-kun," Robin smiles.
Once more, Luffy says nothing. Instead he holds his saucer in the air.
"Brothers."
"Brothers." Ace clinks their cups together before he touches his saucer to the third, untouched drink. Luffy copies before, in unison, they knock back the clear liquid.
All of the members of the crew are watching the strange behavior. Marco's eyes narrow at it. Ace is a deliberate man. He wonders . . .
Ace gives his brother a grin, which the other echoes perfectly.
"This is so much better than the stuff you stole from Dadan," Luffy comments as he refills their cups.
Ace snorts. "She has cheap taste."
"Dadan?" Nami asks, making the elder turn towards the rest of the crew.
"Our foster mother . . . ish," Ace amends after a long pause.
"I didn't know you had a foster parent," Nami notes, looking at Luffy with surprise.
"She was a mountain bandit. Gramps sent us to her so that we would become strong marines," Luffy says.
"And to learn social skills, apparently," Ace mutters.
There's silence as everyone tries to process this.
"Clearly it didn't work, yoi." Marco smirks.
"Not at all." Ace grins.
"But he was a man among men," Luffy says, making Ace laugh.
"I thought Dadan was a she?" Vivi's brows knit together.
"She was . . . at least I think so . . ." Ace hesitates.
"He probably was," Luffy adds.
"Where's the variable?" Usopp asks.
"You'd have to meet her to understand," Ace answers, still smiling.
"So she taught you to be pirates?" Chopper asks with wide eyes.
Luffy and Ace exchange looks before bursting out into laughter. Seeing Chopper's hurt expression, Ace is quick to go on.
"She couldn't care less about our desire to be pirates. Dadan was more interested in getting us to do laundry."
"For some reason, I can't picture Luffy doing laundry." Zoro smirks.
"Rightfully so. He was terrible at it."
"You were worse!"
"I never dyed any of the clothes pink!"
"I never started a fire!"
"That was one time." Ace grins. "And what makes you think that wasn't on purpose?"
Luffy's eyes widen in realization before he starts laughing cheerfully.
Marco notes the delight in Ace's eyes as their chatter devolves and he teases and argues pettily with his brother.
"So, Marco, was it?" Zoro begins as everyone returns to their own business. "How long have you been one of Whitebeard's commanders?"
The swordsman and navigator have plowed through at least two bottles of hard liquor between them, but the first mate's eyes are still clear and sharp. Considering how well Luffy and Ace get on, he's a little surprised at the distrust Zoro sends his way, but then again, Whitebeard is the most threatening name on the sea. Besides, he knows well that it is the job of the first mate to always be over cautious, instead of under.
"Over two decades or so now," he answers vaguely. "How long have you been on Luffy's crew? You all are just starting out, right?"
"Yeah, it's been less than half a year."
"That's isn't very long . . . but you've all managed to make a big racket."
Not an overstatement either. The fact that news reached Marco in the Grand Line about the new up and comer from the East Blue says a lot. A one off 50,000,000 bounty was nothing to turn his nose up about. Ace's was a solid 80,000,000 beri (when Marco commented on it once offhand, Ace had shrugged sheepishly and said "I tried to keep it down"). The brothers evidently have strength in common, not just appearances.
But it wasn't just the bounty that had brought Luffy to his attention. When Shanks and Pops met not long ago over gigantic sake cups to talk about the world news, he got to hear all about 'anchor.' The excitement from the red haired pirate was palpable. Looking back, it's strange that Ace never once mentioned his brother during that conversation, although Marco does remember his friend and Akagami having a long chat about something in private. Now he supposes they were likely discussing Luffy. Marco wonders why Ace thought to keep it to himself for so long. Maybe it's just because he's around Luffy, but Marco has learned more about Ace's life in the past few hours than he has in the past few years.
"That's Luffy for you," Zoro says, and he's grinning now. "There's no helping it."
"It would be nice though if we didn't have to look over our shoulders for marines though," the guy with the long nose, Usopp, puts in.
"Can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen," Zoro quips with no bite.
"Wh-what? Me not handle the heat?! I'm the great Usopp-sama! I once slayed an entire army of zombies with a rubber band and a toothpick!"
"Really!? That's so awesome!" Luffy shouts. He and Ace are sitting a little down the rail. From where Marco is sitting, he can still see the stars in his eyes.
Ace pokes his brother's face. "Gullible."
"Am not!"
Marco sees Nami and Vivi smiling at the interaction, just as he is. Somehow their actions are warming, even to outsiders.
"Did you really do that?" Chopper asks with a small hint of doubt.
"Of course!" Usopp asserts. "And after that I faced a horde of veggie-people trying to destroy all the meat monsters on the island!
"You're awesome!" Chopper says with sparkles in his irises.
Usopp nod with confidence. "Exactly, you see what happened was . . ."
Marco smiles as he sees the swordsman shaking his head.
"Dessert anyone?" Sanji says as he comes out from the kitchen. Luffy scrambles up and through the door before the first commander can blink. Marco never saw the cook leave, but stepping into the kitchen, he knows now what the other had been up to. Sanji has been making a veritable plethora of desert items. On the table, there's strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, parfait . . . and several other dishes Marco admits to never seeing before.
"Strawberry parfait, strawberry mille feuille, Charlotte à la fraise, strawberry cheesecake, strawberry brûlée, strawberry clafoutis, chocolate dipped strawberries, croustade, and financier cake with strawberries on the side. Enjoy." He gives a slight bow, mostly directed towards the women.
"This is awesome!" Luffy crows.
"Did you run out of other fruit? That's a lot of strawberries," Zoro says.
Vivi answers. "Alabasta is well known for its berries. Strawberries specifically."
"Hopefully no desert strawberries are in the mix," Zoro grunts.
"Are you accusing my cooking of being poisonous?! Ungrateful bastard!" Sanji growls.
"What was that you stupid cook?" Zoro's hands drift towards his swords.
"I said—" Sanji is cut off by a wandering hand reaching for the cheesecake. He bats it off. "Shitty captain! Women go first!" Sanji attempts to kick his captain away, but Luffy is too quick. He backs off though and pouts.
"So mean!"
Sanji glares warningly at Luffy as he dishes out servings of everything for the women with great flourishing movements.
Marco's a little surprised and amused. Luffy's the captain, so if he wanted he could just order Sanji to let him have the dessert now. Beyond that, it's a little odd for the cook to be treating his captain that way. Looking over at Ace, he sees his friend's expression is perfectly mild, unbothered by the treatment. Marco shrugs inwardly. Who is he to judge their method of operation? He knows plenty of crews with more screwed up dynamics who're all fine sailors. And besides, from what he knows of Ace and Luffy, expecting either of them to be normal is a massive lapse in logic.
He quickly learns the reason behind Sanji's actions, because as soon as Sanji's done serving the ladies and they take a seat at the further down the long table, Luffy leaps and practically attacks the table with a fervor he's only seen from one other person. Said person calmly walks forward and sits beside his brother before slowly sampling from the array of dishes. He has to slap a rubbery hand away every now and then, but other than that, Ace is eating like a normal person. It's truthfully rather disconcerting.
"Here."
Marco turns his attention away from the brothers and sees Sanji standing in front of him with a large plate covered with desserts.
"I worried you might not get any," Sanji explains.
"Thanks." It's actually very considerate of the cook. Marco chooses to move to the counter so he can eat and watch everyone. Sanji comes along as well. The cook's company is appreciated. He's still a little uncertain about talking to some of Luffy's crewmembers, and Sanji seems like a pretty reasonable man . . . for the most part.
Sanji pulls out a cigarette and starts digging for his lighter. "Luffy kind of behaves like a wild animal at times. Sorry about that. I've never been able to kick manners into that kid."
Marco snorts. "That's usually Ace."
Sanji blinks in surprise. "Really? But he's so well-mannered."
"Ace is very polite," Marco says. His friend's formal speech is immaculate, and appropriately bizarre for such an odd man. "His table manners could use some fixing. I'm guessing maybe he's on his best behavior because he wants you all to like him . . . or he's messing with Luffy."
Sanji chuckles at his words. "So maybe they do have a bit more in common than appearance."
"I was thinking the same thing earlier."
Before Sanji can flip open his lighter, the end of his cigarette ignites. They both look up and see Ace, pointing at Sanji's smoldering cigarette with one hand. The others turn at the gesture.
Sanji's visibly surprised, but nods in thanks.
"Is that a Devil's Fruit power?" Nami asks curiously from down the table.
"Yes. I ate the Mera Mera no Mi." He raises a hand and it quickly dissolves into flames.
"So I guess the name fits," Zoro says sardonically.
"Name?" Vivi wonders aloud.
"Hiken no Ace." Marco answers this time
"It sounds more threatening than Mugiwara no Luffy," Usopp says between bites of mille feuille.
Luffy replies with something that is likely funny, considering Ace's resounding laughter, but Marco himself can't tell between all the food in the young captain's mouth. He'll admit now that Ace generally (sometimes) has better manners than this.
"Can I ask how long you two are intending to stay?" Sanji asks, exhaling some smoke. "It's not that I don't want you here, but as the cook I need to know if I should by more supplies."
"Oh right. Ace, how long are you staying?" Luffy asks after swallowing his large mouthful of food.
"Three weeks-ish." Ace replies.
Luffy's eyes widen in utter delight and he lets out a small shout of joy. The teen captain looks at his brother like he's a saint.
On the other side of the spectrum, Marco shoots his friend a look. Ace told Oyaji that they'd be back in three weeks. With travel time though, it'll turn out to be more like four. Marco sighs. He supposes he'll just have to report this to Pops, along with stories of Luffy's peculiarities. He knows everyone's itching to hear about what's going on with Ace. It makes sense. After what happened with Teach— well, everyone could do with a little distraction.
Himself included.
As he watches the antics that unfold before him, he knows he's in the right place.
"That was awesome," Luffy manages.
Usopp fully agrees. Luffy's choice of chef is spot on. It was strange at the time to Usopp, because Luffy entered the Baratie, walked into the kitchen, and knew immediately which cook he wanted. Sanji must have made a good impression. Then again, Usopp knows by this point that Luffy has the most uncanny level of luck in the world.
"I dunno about you, but I'm about ready to sleep," Usopp says.
"Me too." Ace sighs and places a hand on his abs.
Zoro pauses. "We don't have that many spare cots."
"That's okay, I'm using the captain's cabin," Luffy replies.
Usopp and the rest of the Straw Hats exchange surprised looks, because Luffy has absolutely refused to use the cabin the past— viciously even.
"That's unusual, Luffy-kun," Robin comments mildly.
"Ace and I need to catch up. And it's just Luffy."
Usopp supposes it makes sense that they want to have a little privacy while they talk. Between the party and the explanations, Luffy and Ace haven't had very much time to talk one on one.
"Why don't you drop your stuff off at the cabin, Ace, it's that middle door on the top." Luffy gestures to the room. "I'll get my pillows and extra blankets."
"Hold on, you aren't going to sleep together, are you?" Usopp's face flushes a little and he qualifies the statement quickly. "I mean, in the same bed."
"Sure we are," Luffy says, as though it were obvious.
"That's a little odd," Nami admits. Usopp completely agrees. They're practically both full-grown men. Sharing a bed is kind of weird, even if they are brothers . . . But then Usopp remembers the vicious nightmares that wrack Luffy's sleep, and he suddenly finds it hard to judge them anymore. He wonders if Ace knows what happened to Luffy, and if he knows how to calm their captain down.
"We don't sleep apart if we can help it," Ace says coolly. "We spent our childhood sleeping in the same . . . sleeping place," he settles on. Usopp likes the wording. He'll wager the two have slept in some pretty strange places as children.
"Besides, now Marco can have my cot!" Luffy chirps.
"Even better," Ace says, smiling at his brother before bringing his green zebra striped bag up the stairs to the room next to Nami's and Robin's while Luffy runs to the men's sleeping quarters.
Usopp is startled to find he's actually worried to have Luffy sleeping apart from him. Since that first week, Usopp has calmed Luffy down from his nightmares multiple times. The thought of suddenly not being there for him leaves him uncomfortable. From the look on Zoro's face, it seems the swordsman is even more worried . . . not that there's a visible tell aside from a small tightening around the corners of his mouth.
Luffy seems to be excited though, and Usopp takes comfort in that. Ace obviously cares about his little brother. Usopp used to wish he had an older brother sometimes . . . but he was far too busy walking over the corpses of his enemies to really have that much time to think about it.
Two small flames lite the lamps as Ace walks in and settles his stuff by the dresser in the room. It's a nice room, with two nightstands and a large dresser. Across from the door and the dresser is a large bed, decked out with red blankets and two pillows that look utterly untouched. Most of the room looks that way actually. Ace snorts as he drags a finger over the top of the nightstand. Dusty as an old library. Figures Luffy would never use the room if he could help it. He's incredibly glad for the privacy though. There's so much he needs to tell Luffy. None of it is fit for the ears of anyone else. Speaking of which, Ace sends out a small probe of Observational Haki. He shakes his head and peeks behind the dresser. He finds a hand with an ear in its palm.
"Hello, Robin," he calls. The hand starts before disappearing in a spurt of flower petals.
She's still very paranoid, it seems. Ace isn't surprised. He can sense the distrust in the air around her, mostly doled out by Zoro and Nami. Perhaps how she joined the crew is different this time. It's much earlier, that's for certain. He wonders how Luffy did it. Maybe the meeting on Tohroa altered events more than they predicted. Either way, he's excited to hear about his little brother's adventures.
Speaking of, Luffy slams the door wide open as he enters the room, a pillow in one arm and a blanket wadded under the other. A massive, excited smile is spread over his face, and Ace knows that they won't be getting very much sleep tonight.
Both brothers toe off their shoes. Luffy places his hat on the right nightstand next to the bed before flopping onto the red covers. It takes longer for Ace to divest himself off all his effects. He takes off his belt and knife, arranging both neatly on the left nightstand, before pulling a pair of long sleeping pants from his bag and shucking off his black cargo pants.
Ace copies his brother and climbs on top of the covers. Luffy's pulled the spare blanket with him, which is wise considering what blanket hogs the both of them can be. Ace doubts they'll even use the blankets with the desert heat, but it's still a good idea. Luffy's head is resting on his pillow which, unlike the untouched pillows on the bed, is clearly well-loved. In fact, Ace is relatively certain that there are some drool stains on it, discoloring the pillow cover. With everything taken care of, Ace makes a short gesture, silencing the fires.
Luffy's breathing is slow and deep, but there is nothing relaxed about his eyes which are sharp through the darkness. Ace lowers his head before turning on his side to face his brother. Luffy follows his example, and the two of them are alone with the gentle rocking of the ship, the salty air, and each other.
Luffy breaks the silence. "I'm so glad Ace is here."
"How could I pass up a chance to see my little brother," Ace replies.
The younger of the pair pauses before asking, "Then it's done?"
"It's done. Teach is dead. I killed him with my own two hands."
Luffy trembles at the news and Ace reaches out with one arm to bring his brother closer.
"He'll never hurt anyone. Not Thatch, not Nami, not Sanji, not Brook," Ace says firmly. Not you, he adds on in his mind.
"How did it happen?"
Knowing his brother needs closure, Ace slowly walks through that evening. As he talks about seeing Teach behind Thatch with the knife raised, small fires break out over his shoulders and chest. Before anything can light, Luffy's there, gently patting them out with a Haki-coated hand. Ace takes a deep breath, quelling the fire burning just below his skin. He mechanically explains the action itself, distantly relating the feel of Teach's blood on his hands, and the way the light had disappeared from his eyes. By the end of it, he's the one trembling, and Luffy places a hand over Ace's heart soothingly. His little brother utters soft words that they've both said dozens of times when these dark memories and thoughts creep into each other's minds. Ace feels better, if only because of the familiarity of the sounds and actions. He misses being with Luffy, misses sleeping with him, and, though he's reluctant to admit it, misses being comforted by his little brother. Because Luffy does it in a way no one else in the world could. It's home, it's safety, it's an anchor, it's Luffy. He dwells in this wonderful place he previously took for granted on the island for a few minutes. Then he takes a deep breath, and finishes.
"After that, Whitebeard called a stop on all pirating activities while everyone settles down. People are pretty shaken up. None of them ever expected something like this happening."
"Did anyone leave?" Luffy asks.
"Not that I know of. Whitebeard can keep everyone together. He gives them family, something a lot of us have never had." He looks meaningfully at Luffy. "I've had it though. Thankfully."
Luffy lets out a small, quiet laugh.
"Anyways, that's part of the reason why Pops can spare both me and Marco for so long. He's not going to be taking any action for a while."
"That's good. It's good that you're here Ace, so good." Luffy's shoulders shake.
"Luffy?" Ace asks with concern.
"God, Ace, I needed to talk to you so bad." And there's the beginnings of snot, but Ace pulls his brother in close for a hug, petting his hair gently.
"What happened? What's going on?"
"It's Nami," he manages after a moment.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She isn't the same Nami."
Ace can hear the frustration in his little brother's voice.
"What do you mean?" Ace's brow furrows. She seems the same to him. Perhaps she was a little less violent to Luffy than he recalls, but he doesn't see why that should make Luffy so upset.
"Her dream . . . It wasn't to make a map of the world, it was to find someone— it was to find me."
Ace pauses as it all clicks in his mind. She must've heard about him and Luffy after they took out Arlong. Probably wanted to thank them. But to go out to sea in search of one person— it's incredible to Ace. Whether she has the same dream or not, she definitely has the same determination.
"Well, she found you," Ace points out.
"Now her dream is to help me become Pirate King," Luffy mumbles against Ace. "It isn't right. She should want to chart out the world! She should want millions of Beri! But she doesn't. She says that now that she's found me, she doesn't need money anymore . . . She isn't the same Nami," he asserts again.
Ace's eyes harden. "But it's better than the alternative of a childhood full of slavery." Ace grabs his brother firmly. "You knew what you were getting into when you changed things, Luffy!"
"I know, I know," Luffy says wearily. "And I get that it's amazing how she got to be my navigator again, but I just . . . I miss her. She doesn't hit me anymore or anything. Brook told me once that that's how she shows her love."
Ace chuckles. "I don't know if that's quite it, Luffy."
"I just don't know what to do with her. I need to help her find a new dream."
"Luffy, I don't think that'll fix anything," Ace says softly. "She's her own woman. You can't try and make her be someone else. Besides, surely something good has come of this?"
Luffy nods slowly. "She does smile more. And she dances with me sometimes."
"Think about those things," Ace encourages.
"You're right," Luffy says, putting a slight smile on his face. And Ace knows that Luffy isn't over it yet, but hopefully he'll see the truth of the matter sooner rather than later.
"I noticed you picked up Robin early," Ace begins, changing the subject.
Luffy lights right up. "Yeah! She was working in Broken Works. She was doing that the first time, it's how we met, remember? This time when we met, I asked her right away to join my crew, and she agreed! It's going to be so much easier to save Vivi's country now that we have Robin too."
Ace doesn't doubt it. "I'm glad you found her— I'm glad you've found all of them." Ace smiles, and he feels Luffy returning the gesture against his chest.
"Yeah, I did it, didn't I? They're with me. Now all I need to do is find Brook and Franky and we'll all be together again." His words are firm, a promise. "I'll never let anything bad happen to them ever again."
"I know," Ace says, rubbing his brother's back. He breathes in and out deeply, feeling relieved from the pressure keeping so many secrets brings.
"Night, Ace."
"Good night, Lu."
.
.
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So, this is the introductory chapter for Luffy and Ace in Alabasta. The entire thing will be completed next week in a very, very long chapter. We'll still be plowing through the canon with this fic.
For any and all of you who are uncertain or upset about things being overlooked/unaddressed, do not worry. Before the end of this fic there will be a lot covered. Including, but not limited to: Ace and Luffy's dependency, Robin and Nami's relationship, Nami and Luffy's stuff, furtherance of the Ace and Luffy background sharing, Marco's bizarre hunch, Mr.2's woefully short presence, and the serious question about what the hell's gonna happen since Blackbeard is blissfully dead. Stay tuned, it will be addressed.
Also, I thought all of your responses and explanations were very interesting. Thank you for sharing! A lot of you answered that your least favorite arc was the Davy Back fights. I didn't put that one last . . . mostly because I've never seen the whole thing. I watch an episode or read a couple of chapters before I surrender and skip ahead. lol.
Anyways, thank you for all the continued support, I'll see you all next week!