"And this is my room….Uh…No, I mean…Akio's room…Wait…" Mika turned away from the door and looked at her parents. "Daddy, whose room is this now?"

Funny, how long Akio had been living on Sunny with them, and the still hadn't sorted this question out.

Luffy turned his head sideways. "I guess you can both share." He concluded after a moment. Sanji promptly sent a kick to Luffy's head that had him flying across the deck.

"Mika. Does. Not. Share. Her. Room. With. A. Boy" Sanji bellowed at the pulverised remains of Monkey. D. Luffy.

But Mika had already turned back to Ace, who looked like he was trying not to laugh. "So this is Akio and mine's room." Apparently not noticing that Sanji was now crying, she took Ace's hand and led him inside. Akio tiptoed in behind them, torn between being terrified of Ace, and worshiping him.

"Zoro says that I have too many things, but I don't think so. Do you?"

Ace smiled down at Mika before turning to survey the room. Books, swords, maps, treasure, money, drawings, musical instruments and half built inventions completely covered every surface. Even the bed was so piled up with random items that every now and then the strange figuring of a monster or a pile of hand-drawn maps would slide off and onto the already packed floor.

He smiled, "No. I guess not too much."

Mika beamed up at him, "I knew you would be on my side. Anyway, that's the whole entire of Sunny… Except for the bathroom, but Usopp went in there half an hour ago and only just came out, so I guess that it might be a little smelly…"

"Hey…" Usopp protested dimly from the doorway, "don't tell him that…"

"Umm…Ace…Can I…?"

Ace looked down to the small boy, who had hesitantly come up to tap his shoulder. "Can I…Show you the sword fighting the Zoro has been teaching us?"

"Sure." Ace said, putting a hand onto Akio's head and leaning down until they were almost at eye level. "I'd love to see it."

Akio lit up and a moment later had dragged Mika out of the room and back out onto the deck. Everyone followed and a moment later were standing around the two young kids, both of whom were holding a sword in each hand.

"Can they handle two swords?" Ace asked, turning to Nami.

She scoffed, "Zoro was going to make them learn three, but I said that they should learn how to not kill each other first."

"Nami didn't even want them to use real swords." Luffy piped up (apparently he had managed to de-pulverise himself). "She didn't think that Mika could handle real ones."

"Nami had a point, they are only 6 years old." Usopp whispered to Steph, who nodded in agreement.

"But Zoro said that if they weren't going to learn properly, then he wouldn't teach them at all. And I said that Mika could do anything." Luffy finished proudly.

Ace smiled hesitantly. "But Luffy…They're just little kids…"

He didn't have a chance to get any further however, because with a loud roar, Akio and Mika had taken off and started running towards each other with surprising speed.

Mika jumped for him and Akio ducked as both swords barely swung past his head. He turned quickly and made for a strike, but Mika blocked it and countered. Their actions and movements were all direct and easy to see, even by the untrained swordsmen watching them. But still…

Ace had to stop his mouth from opening in surprise.

"You are both still too slow!" Zoro barked from his position (napping) once the fight was over. "run ten laps of Sunny at top speed."

Mika and Akio both groaned, but instantly placed their swords aside and began running.

Steph took this opportunity to talk to Ace for the first time, she sidled up to him. Nervous, though she wasn't exactly sure why. "They're really something, aren't they?" She commented, trying to sound casual.

Nodding, Ace turned to her. "Ah, I'm sorry. I don't think we've met." He said, catching sight of her face. Steph shook her head, blushing slightly.

"No. I'm Steph. I'm new to the crew... Sort of." She said, holding out her hand which Ace shook.

"Oi! Ace! Come here and play!" Luffy called from the other side of Sunny where he was standing with Franky and Chopper around a deck of cards. Ace shrugged apologetically to Steph and made his way over to them.

"So…"

Steph jumped to see that Usopp had come to stand barely an inch away from her. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and cleared his throat. "I didn't know that you liked that sort of guy…"

Steph glared and elbowed him solidly in the rips. "Shut up. I do not!"

Laughing, Usopp grabbed her shoulder and began leading her away, telling her the story of when the princess of a far off kingdom once fell in love with the Great Captain Usopp. And for once, Steph was happy to listen.

But a funny prickling feeling made her glance over her shoulder, just in time to see Zoro turn his head away. Had he been looking at me? Steph shook her head, and tried to pay attention to Usopp.