"Red… it shall be red."

"Your grace?"

King Squard did not look at the confused guard that had spoken, his eyes remained firmly on the ballroom before him. "It shall be red, red for the color my beautiful wife bled when the princess ripped out of her. Red… for the princesses coronation ball. I shall surround her with the color of blood."

"Of… of course your grace." The men shuffled a bit, "but are you certain? Certain the princess will be found?" certain that color was the right choice?

"The guards will find her," Squard stated with full confidence, "for they know the cost if they do not."

The peasants watching exchanged concerned looks, they agreed at once to just go with the kings' demands for it would be much safer for them if they did. They'd decorate the palace ballroom in red, the red of freshly fallen blood, for a ball that might not even occur. The Princess had been missing for twenty years, the guards had been searching for her all that time the chances of her returning to become a prisoner under the crown was unlikely. However, the peasants did not know what the king did, they did not know the captain of the guard had left with the traitor, that the captain was sure to return the princess to him.


On the outskirts of the fairy village Law, Luffy, Ace, and Marco stood around to chat and discuss their options. Ace was quickly caught up to date about what had happened, while Law put forth his theory about what would have to happen.

"You want to make me king?" Ace asked uncertain about how felt about it.

"Without killing the king," Marco pointed out, "the king is Squard."

"Squid?" Luffy rocked on his heels having forgotten already who Squard was.

"One of our brothers,"

"Oh okay,"

"Finishing the story seems like the best option to escape the curse," Law continued, "it implies Ace will have to become king replacing his 'father.'" Two pairs of eyes flickered toward Whitebeard who was chatting happily to his 'queen.'

"It'll be temporary at least, I have no intentions of being a 'noble' for long."Ace sneered the word thinking about Sabo for the briefest moment. His brother would probably come back to life just to punch him if Ace became a noble.

"Just until the curse breaks."

"But how do we make Ace king?" Luffy wanted to know, "without hurting his Nakama?… Neh Torao's, Squid king isn't pirate king right? Because I'm gonna be the-"

"It's a different kind." Law cut him off smiling slightly already knowing where that sentence was going.

"The question of the day," Marco muttered, "my first instinct would be to storm the castle, just stage a coop, the four of us together can handle the guards as they have no memories. However, a battle could get someone killed and in this case, that someone could be our allies and crew."

"Sneak in?" suggested Ace, "Trafalgar is a guard isn't he, sent to capture me? Could get ourselves imprisoned, then he can free us later, and then we can imprison Squard and take over."

Marco nodded to Ace, that was possible.

"A BALL!" suddenly squealed Ivankov from the village.

The four all glanced her way at the same moment, and Law heaved a sigh. "Of course."

"A party? I wanna go to a party! Will they have a feast!?"

"A ball? We can use it," Marco stated, "we'll infiltrate as guests and capture Squard forcing him to surrender the kingdom to Ace. Once Ace is crowned we'll hopefully be freed."

"They better have some meat." Was all Ace could say to that well aware a ball was nothing like the party Luffy was excited for. Then again, it might very well end up that way considering the four of them were attending, and no real ball could survive a pair of D's, let alone the three that were actually going.

"We'll have to recruit allies," Law stated, "your crewmate Vista and his men, the… fairies, as well."

"I'll ask Iva-san!" Luffy volunteered, "come on Torao!" he grabbed hold of Law's arm and dragged him away with another word. Ace heaved a sigh of relief, he had not wanted to speak to his father who didn't remember him, let alone when the man did not because of him, because of something he'd done.

"Ace." He cringed as Marco spoke his name in that particular manner. "I'm angry." Marco admitted softly, "because I can tell you're afraid to be alone with me… what do you think is going to happen?"

"Nothing…"

"Ace please, don't lie to me."

He hissed snapping his head toward his mate: "I should think it would have been obvious Marco, I put us all at risk, I disobeyed a direct order. I'm the reason Pops and Vista look like that and are acting like that, it's all because of me… this is my fault."

"It's not," Marco said as if it were the simplest thing in the world, "it's not your fault Ace, and not a single one of us blames you. If we had, well… we wouldn't have come in the first place." He stood walking close to Ace's side, "We're not a normal crew Ace, you know that. We're a family. Any one of us would throw down their lives for you just as you would for us."

Marco reached up cupping Ace's face: "We might be upset or even furious at you for risking yourself like that, for acting without asking for help. But the fact that we're allowed to be that way is a relief. Ace, we came- I came so close to losing you… and I can't… I can't handle that." Marco stared Ace down showing him exactly what he was feeling, he waited for Ace to get it. To see, to understand. Only when Ace's expression lost its defensiveness did Marco allowing his own expression to relax. "be aware though, you're probably 'grounded' for life."

Ace barked a laugh recalling the first time he'd seen one of his brothers 'grounded,' which was to say he'd been sent to bed without dinner by a playful Thatch.

"And after that, we'll hunt down Teach together," Marco's smile turned bloodthirsty, "he will pay." They were a family, but they were also pirates, Teach's fate would not be kind once they got their hands on him.

"But of course we shall attend!" cried Ivankov from a distance, "Princess Ace will ascend the throne as if her right!"

Marco and Ace glanced toward their father and Ivankov who were speaking to Law and Luffy, who were standing awfully close together.

"We should go speak to Vista." Ace said.

"And escape this place as soon as possible." Marco agreed.


Ace was witnessing something amazing; his brother… was sharing food. The four of them were planning with the fairies and Vista's men on how exactly they would crown Ace, though he wasn't thrilled about the idea and thought it was highly unlikely the plan would properly work with individuals like Luffy in the mix. Which was mostly why Ace was not paying attention to the planning and was instead paying attention to Luffy and the moment in history currently occurring.

Thinking back Ace could count on one hand the number of times Luffy had voluntarily given him food instead of becoming rabid over the idea of sharing. Now he was watching Luffy offer a virtual stranger pieces of food - fruit admittedly and not meat - off his plate to Trafalgar Law.

"Ace are you paying attention?" Marco demanded.

"Yup definitely." He answered out of sheer habit.

"I think he is not." Ivankov ruined his attempts for the woman was likewise watching Luffy and Law: "Princess Ace is watching the young guard and thief." Ivankov swooned a bit, "such a lovely story, star crossed lovers from different walks of life falling in love."

"Story?" Marco repeated his gaze sharpening.

"Love? I don't think that's what's happening." Ace argued absolutely refusing to think about Luffy in a relationship, he didn't even think Luffy was interested in people in that way. Though that might just be coming from a siblings point of view.

"This is because they deny their feelings!" Ivankov proclaimed suddenly looking quite excited, "I shall have to help them realize the truth!"

"What?" Ace swung around looking at Ivankov while alarm crossed Marco's face.

"Wait- I don't think that's-"

Ivankov rushed out of her chair ignoring them both, her wand in hand she began to flick it toward Luffy and Law. The pair didn't see it coming, not until a wash of glittering pink dust was falling over Luffy who yelled in surprise, his voice low and deep that began to steadily grow more and more high-pitched before the cloud dissipated.

Luffy stared in abject horror as Ivankov happily clapped her hands together: "It will be far simpler to confess now my dear Luffy."

And then Marco said it, unable to help it after days of hearing his name butchered: "don't you mean 'my dear Lucy.'"