A/N: Okay, just so you know, I really don't like writing plot stuff. (But that's no excuse for my lame last few chapters, sorry about that.) I like working with little plotless bunnies that don't do anything, so if you like plot, do ignore this fic. I don't mean to sound rude or anything (I hope I'm not coming off as rude, since I really do love you guys.), I just want you to know that if I do plot, it will probably stink... and I know it's not all of you who want me to give you plot, but this is just for a few of you… I'll shut up now…

It was a random little question that seemed to just explode… or implode.

Ace had been lounging around with Namur and Haruta, when Haruta curiously asked, "So, Ace, why did you name your crew the Spade Pirates?"

For a moment, Ace looked surprised, and the he answered, "Well, my name's Ace. Like number 1 in the playing cards? And a spade is a suite, so…" He trailed off and shrugged. "It's a play on words, I suppose. I thought at the time it'd be kind of funny… I didn't really think about it, to be honest."

"Oh." Haruta nodded, and feel silent for a moment before asking, "In that case, would we be the Jacks, your Oyaji the King, and your mom the queen?"

"What?" Ace blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Haruta shrugged. "Because, like, playing cards, right?"

Ace stared owlishly at her for a moment, and Namur groaned. "Are we seriously talking about real people in playing card terms?"

"What's wrong with that?" Haruta shrugged. "So, your Oyaji's the king, right?"

"He…" Ace looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he gaped blankly at Haruta. "My dad…"

Gol D. Roger was the King of Pirates.

He was the King of Scum, you mean.

If the Pirate King had a son?

He'd be scum, too.

He stood up and shook his head slightly. "So what if he was or is a king? What does it matter anyways?" He demanded angrily.

Haruta blinked at him, stunned. "It was just a joke. I wasn't implying that he was actually…"

"Well, too bad! You shouldn't pry or make stupid jokes like that!" Ace growled and stormed off.

Namur frowned at Ace's retreating back, and then wondered out loud, "Hey, Haruta, are you going after him or what?"

"I… um…" Haruta's smile dropped from her features as she shook her head as though trying to get water out of her ears, and then replied, "I… yeah. Just wait… actually, you know what?" She stood up as well and started to follow Ace. "Don't wait up. Go do whatever… I'll probably take awhile." Haruta turned and raced off before Namur's protests could escape his lips.

Namur frowned as he stood up. "I wonder if she'll be able to solve this issue on her own…" He mused out loud, before shaking his head and sighing. "Nah." This was something that Ace had never brought up before, something important… they needed someone who didn't constantly antagonize their youngest brother.

How about… ah, yes. He may do… and it'll be the perfect opportunity.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Ace had just made it to his room when his anger dissipated and the worry started to settle in.

I can't stay on this ship. He realized. I can't stay in a place where they won't truly accept me, where I have to constantly lie… Maybe they would accept him. Maybe they won't care. Maybe they'll be like Luffy and Sabo… they'll say that it doesn't make a difference.

But he was probably just fooling himself and being stupid. That kind of wishful thinking was for idiots… Ace knew that if they found out, his new 'home' probably wouldn't be home for much longer.

And even if some of them accepted… then what? Not all of them would accept… it'd be impossible. And besides, even if they did, Whitebeard himself probably never would. He was Gol D. Roger's enemy… there's no way that he could possibly accept the son of his enemy as his own son…

But despite all the logic churning in his head, Ace wished that Whitebeard would accept him for what he was, and that he'd tell him it didn't matter, and that they really were all Children of the Sea… but that would take a miracle, and Ace didn't believe in those.

The sound of banging broke him out of his thoughts. "Ace? Ace, are you in there?" Haruta's worried voice seeped through the door and for a quick second Ace wondered if he should let her in, but he simply remained silent. "Ace, please answer." Haruta begged. "…Ace?"

"Please go away." Ace replied stiffly. I'm not ready to face them yet… He wasn't ready to reattach that stupid mask, he wasn't ready to tell them the truth… What a coward.

"Ace," Haruta's voice turned pleading. "I'm sorry if I said something to offend you, because if I did, I didn't mean it! Come out and tell me why, and I'll apologize the right way and we'll never talk about it again, alright? I wasn't even serious, it was just me joking around like always… Ace?"

Ace closed his eyes. "Please, just leave me alone." He sighed quietly.

For a moment, there was silence on the other end, and Ace wondered… he half hoped, half dreaded… if Haruta had really left and decided that Ace wasn't worth it.

Then a soft, but deep voice wondered, "What's wrong, son?"

Ace's eyes widened as he realized who had spoken. Why is Whitebeard here? "There's nothing wrong." He snapped, Liar. A voice in his head accused. Everything's wrong. "Don't waste time worrying about me."

Whitebeard replied quietly, "Worrying about one of my precious sons isn't a waste of time, Ace. You're important to me, and I want to know what's wrong. If you feel angry with me, or sad about something, tell me. I won't—none of us—will judge you."

What pretty words. Ace closed his eyes. Too bad they aren't true. "I'm fine, really." He replied. "Please leave me alone."

"I'm afraid that I can't do that." Whitebeard sighed. "You're my son. I can't leave you alone when something's obviously upsetting you."

Frustration built up inside of Ace as he yelled, "Just leave me alone! Stop calling me son! I can't even call you my father, so what's the point!? We're not related, there's not even a reason why I'm here! I don't belong here, so just shut up and leave me alone!"

For a moment—a long, painful moment—there was only silence. Maybe they'll leave me alone. Ace thought. Maybe they'll never come back, they'll hate me for getting mad at them, and Whitebeard will finally just kill me.

And then his door broke.

Or rather, Whitebeard smashed it down.

Wood flew across the room as he demanded, "Why are you saying those things, Ace? We're family."

"We're not!" Ace yelled, too angry to care about whether he really was going to get killed for acting like this or not. "I've never had a family, and I never can have one! I don't deserve a family, and I don't need one either! I'm just fine on my own, I…" His voice broke, and Ace froze when he realized that he was crying.

"Are you?" Whitebeard asked gently. He crouched down next to Ace and pushed Ace's hair from his eyes with a soft smile as he asked, "Do you really think that we can't be your family? I consider you my family… will you accept me as part of your family?"

Ace stared at him. Whitebeard had been so different from what he had thought he'd be like… kind, generous, with a sense of humor… it was too much. It was like a dream that he was terrified of waking up from. Whitebeard would sometime or another reject him, so Ace knew he shouldn't get attached but…

"I can't call you Oyaji." Ace blurted out impulsively. "We can't be family if I can't call you my dad, right?"

Whitebeard stared at him, dumbfounded, and then burst into laughter. "Can't be family because you won't call me a nickname that some of my other children have given me?" He snickered. "What a silly reason."

Ace turned bright red. "And… and I tried to kill you." He added. "There's no way you can completely forget about that, right? I made such a stupid mistake!"

Whitebeard shrugged. "We all make mistakes." He responded dismissively. "It's what we learn from them that counts."

"I won't be a good son." Ace blustered onwards. "In fact, I'll probably be an awful one. I'm not good at anything, all I'm good at is getting mad, and I can't act like the others do, and…"

"I don't want you to be what the others are, Ace." Whitebeard cut him off with a frown. "I want you to be Ace. You are Ace, so you shouldn't try to act like Jozu or Haruta. You can't change who you are, and I happen to like the current you just fine."

"I…" Ace's protests fell from his lips. "Thanks… Whitebeard."

Whitebeard patted his shoulder. "I'll be waiting for you to call me Oyaji." He winked. "But until then, call me whatever you want."

"Alright, Whatever You Want." Ace joked.

Whitebeard burst into laughter. "That's a fine name." He chuckled. "Do you feel better now?"

"I… yeah." Ace smiled. "Thanks again.

"No problem." Whitebeard ruffled his hair, stood up, and left.

Maybe Ace was being stupid. They probably would never accept him…. But… somewhere, he thought that maybe Whitebeard really wouldn't care who or what he was.

After all, Ace was Whitebeard's son now, not Gol D. Roger's.

0o0o0o0o0

Case: The Disappearance of Portgas D. Ace

Details: Portgas D. Ace [from now on referred to as 'Subject A'] went missing in an area where Whitebeard was seen as well after a meeting with Red Haired Shanks. Subject A had previously been offered a chance to become a Shichibukai, and is quite talented for someone his age.

Abilities: Fire abilities – ate the Mira Mira no Mi
Hand to Hand Combat – preferred style, callous and untrained

Investigating Officer: Monkey D. Garp [under special circumstances]

Tossing down the file in disgust, Sengoku scowled at his old friend. "What are you planning, Garp?" He demanded. "There's no real reason to be searching for this pirate… the most likely conclusion to this case is that he's dead! And this file is the smallest one I've ever seen since that missing devil fruit user's case, too! We know nothing about this pirate—why are you trying to find him?"

Garp smiled mysteriously. "You don't need to know." He answered with a chuckle. "It's just for some fun, Sengoku. Don't take it too seriously, I've just been a little bored lately, and Newgate always has some good sake."

Sengoku scowled and clicked his tongue against his teeth sharply. "Is this just a game to you?" He demanded. "The marines stand for justice! What would the citizens say if they found out that you were just bouncing around, searching for MIA pirates for fun!?"

Garp beamed proudly. "They would congratulate us for being so dedicated to our work that we even pursued Justice in our spare time!" He replied cheerily.

Sengoku groaned. "He's not worth it."

Garp frowned, and held up his beer bottle. "Want some?" He offered.

His superior rolled his eyes. "You're not honestly offering me sake to try diverting my attention and getting me to loosen up, are you?"

Garp shrugged. "If that's your way of saying you don't want it…"

"Give me that." Sengoku quickly hissed.

The Vice Admiral laughed and poured him a cup. "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Sengoku. It's all fine and dandy, this isn't going to be anything big, after all."

"Portgas D. Ace is strong." Sengoku warned Garp. "He could pose a threat. The pirates that he defeated called him a demon… if you really must search for him, make sure he doesn't join Whitebeard. If he does, he'll be untouchable."

"Untouchable, eh?" Garp mused, his fingers tightening around his cup at the word 'demon'. That would be nice. But it seems that boy will always be in danger… That little fool. If he's alive, I'll give him the Fist of Love. If he's dead, I'll revive him and then give him the Fist of Love.

He just hoped that Luffy was doing better than that stupid older brother of his.

A/N: The prompt came from Mysteryreader(there are supposed to be some random numbers here). The chapter sucked, it updated slow… sorry.