A/N: So this chapter is short-ish, but it's a very important chapter. It's almost crucial to the plot, and I hope you'll enjoy it, because well... *sneaky laugh* I expect you'll find out! I've included a few hints about the plot in here, and I wonder how many of you will be able to piece together everything. I'm very excited for this chapter~! I hope you'll like it, because I spent a week working on this extremely short piece.

Huge thanks to CallmeEevee, aqua-empress, SilentScreaming1944, frostmoon13 and Kairi-Ichimaru15for reviewing! Please please don't stop reviewing; you guys are the reason why I can continue writing at all!

Since this a short chapter, I expect I'll update pretty soon.

Here you go:

Several hours after our narrow escape from the marines, Ace still stood at the bow of the ship, scanning the surroundings. It was dusk now, and it was beginning to get a bit chilly. The rain had long since stopped, but there was still a general chill in the air nonetheless. According to Ace's calculations, we would reach the next island in about a week.

I was curled up in a white bed sheet that the King of Midorishima Country had helpfully supplied in the cabin, leaning against the wooden wall of the cabin. The situation in itself wasn't very downcast, but I was still in a slightly sour mood. I missed Kimsha and the others terribly. Unlike Ace, I wasn't used to traveling. Once I create an emotional bond with someone, it's hard for me to let go of it.

Nevertheless, I was on my best behavior. Aside from the fact that there was a general awkwardness in the air between Ace and I, the atmosphere was calm. Over the horizon, the light sapphire of the twilight merged into a deep purple before finally solidifying into a white-studded velvety black over our heads. The ocean was an inky black, and it was calm tonight.

Despite my aching heart, I was feeling as content as I could be. I was relishing in the peace of the moment until Ace and I finally got bored and had another spat. Peace was fine. I could live with peace. It was especially refreshing after a long time of constant chaos.

My eyes wandered over to the pirate by the bow of the ship. Since it was dark, he had pulled back his hat so that it lay on his back. The ocean breeze flew through his dark waves, his strong silhouette black against the fading light of the day. Despite myself, I blushed, thinking about what transpired earlier today.

"Kiss me, Ace."

I shook my head slightly, trying not to think about the way my heart started racing when I looked at him... or the way an unfamiliar warmth settles deep into my stomach... or the way my skin tingles under his touch-

I looked away from Ace, and instead focused on the sparkling patterns on the night sky. Really, this was getting out of hand. I wasn't an emotional thirteen-year-old. I need to keep my feelings under check.

But still... I sneaked a glance at the pirate leaning against the railing of the bow, the details of his face outlined by the deepening night sky. I let my gaze linger over his lips for a while, remembering his touch and wondering what it would feel like to have them against my own. His Adam's apple lifted ever so slightly with every breath, his muscular chest rising and falling with it. I wondered what it would feel like to actually touch those muscles... run my hands across his skin...

I shook my head again and buried my face in my knees, feeling confused and flustered at the same time. This is crazy! What the hell is going on? AM I USUALLY THIS HORNY?!

Unable to help myself again, I peeked out from between my knees to find him walking towards me slowly. I immediately plastered a look of indifference on my face and pretended to be very interested in my fingernails (they were getting quite long, after all). I observed Ace as he walked towards me, holding his hat, and sat down next to me. He rested his head against the cabin wall, tilting his head towards me, and crossed his arms over his knees.

I pretended to be oblivious to his staring. "So, any sign of the Marines?" I asked nonchalantly, still not looking at him.

Ace turned his head towards the ocean slightly; I took this opportunity to look at him out of the corner of my eyes. "Nope," he said before adding, (I couldn't help but run my eyes over his lips) "I could have beaten them, you know. The Marines." He turned back to face me, and our eyes accidentally met. I looked back at my knees, feeling a slight twinge of irritation.

"Yes, I know." I said quietly. "But I'd rather you didn't massacre an entire battalion of people."

Ace didn't reply, but he nodded slightly in acknowledgement and turned his eyes from me to the night sky. We stayed that way in silence for a while, listening to the rush of the wind as the boat cut through the Grand Line. Ace spoke up after a few minutes.

"What was your world like?" He couldn't keep the curiosity out of his voice. I managed a small smile. I don't think it's a good idea to tell him about the anime thing... it'd just freak him out and make him feel conscious about himself. It's freaking me out, too. But I can manage the basics, can't I?

"Different. It was very different." I said, looking up at the deep velvet. It was three-dimensional, for one thing. But I didn't know how to explain this to Ace, since I didn't really understand how the 'graphics' of this dimension worked. I flexed my fingers experimentally. It's different... but I don't FEEL any different.

"Different how?" Ace asked, facing my way again.

I caught his eyes and smiled. "It's a bit difficult to explain..." I scratched my cheek - I noticed how he smiled when I did that - and turned myself around to face him. "The essentials are the same, you know. We have a sky. It sort of resembles"- I pointed upwards and he followed my finger offhandedly before turning back to face me -"this one a lot. We have an ocean."

I stopped in thought, wondering how I would explain the geography of our Earth. "The geography and climate is a bit more... stable... in comparison to this one." I grimaced, trying to find a way to explain. "It's very different."

Ace gave me a confused look. "I don't really know how to explain." I admitted. "We have seven major continents - North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Antarctica and Australia. We have five major oceans; the Atlantic ocean, the Pacific ocean, the Indian ocean, the Arctic ocean, and the Antarctic ocean."

Ace nodded slowly. I don't think he really understood. "Okay, so which continent are you from?" He asked.

"Europe." I replied immediately. "I'm from Europe; I live in a country called Greece." I smiled. "Europe is flanked by the Atlantic to the west, and the Arctic to the north."

"Oh." He nodded slowly again. "I don't really get it... but..."

I laughed good-naturedly. I knew this was going to be fun. "I don't really expect you to. It's all a bit confusing, after all. I still don't understand it entirely."

"I have one more question," Ace asked curiously, "how did you get here?"

I groaned and buried my face in my knees again. "I wish I knew!"

Ace laughed lightly. I really liked his laugh. "Okay, I won't ask that."

He lapsed into silence for a while, and I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of his breathing. The waves splashed around the boat as it cut through the ocean smoothly. When I opened my eyes, Ace was looking up at the sky with a slight smile on his face. He fidgeted with the theatrical faces on his hat while he did so, his feet tapping a slight rhythm I didn't know.

The night air was getting really chilly, so I wrapped the bed sheet around my body tighter, rubbing my shoulders. After a while like this, Ace turned to me again, tying his hat back on so that it would lay on his back. "I want to show you something." He said in a tentative voice.

I turned my eyes on him suspiciously. What are you going to show me? Porn? "What?" I asked curiously, following his movements as he stood up from the deck of the ship in one swift move. He had a small smile on his face again as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. The bed sheet fell from my shoulders to the wooden deck.

Ace didn't let go of my hand. I ignored the pulsing feelings that seemed to reverberate from my fingers, and followed after him slowly while he guided me. We stopped at the very bow of the ship, a step apart from each other. I leaned against the railing, and so did he. Ace's features were illuminated in the moonlight; his eyes were hesitant. I was curious as to what he wanted to show me.

"Close your eyes." He said.

What? I looked at him suspiciously before obliging. I focused very hard on my hearing, trying to figure out what he was trying to do. I didn't hear anything besides the rush of the wind and the swish-swash of the water as we jumped through the Grand Line. I didn't hear him move around or anything, either. After a while like this, he spoke again.

"Okay. Open your eyes." I did so.

... Whoa.

The entire boat was illuminated in green under the light of what appeared to be a thousand fireflies. I looked up at the sky in wonder, musing about how Ace might have managed to make this happen. "...Wow." I said in a low voice. "Are those fireflies?" I looked down at Ace; his face was also glowing under the green light. He, like everything else, looked absolutely beautiful.

Ace laughed a bit nervously and lifted up his finger; I tore my eyes away from the mesmerizing balls of light long enough to take a look at his finger, where small, luminescent balls of light pulsated from the tip and into the air. "They do look like fireflies, don't they?"

I watched in fascination as a small sphere of light passed right in front of my eyes. I felt a smile spread onto my face. "Can I touch them? Are they hot?" I asked in amazement while I looked up at the beautiful balls of fire.

"Not really. I can regulate the temperature." He poked a fireball that passed by his face, but his eyes were on my face; he was grinning. "Do you want to hold one?" He asked, catching one of the floating spheres in his hand. I nodded ecstatically, cupping my hands and holding it towards him. His grin widened, and he opened his hand; the fireball zoomed from his palm to land onto my hands.

The glowing sphere was very warm; just barely hovering over the line separating 'oh-it's-so-warm' and 'yikes-it's-hot'. I brought it up to my face in wonder. It flickered lightly, like a flame, and it was absolutely beautiful. Grinning at Ace, I let go of the sphere and watched it float up into the sky in an irregular spiral of light. It took my breath away.

"This is the most beautiful thing I ever saw, Ace." I said in awe, unable to tear my eyes away from the spheres. This is just.. wow. "Thank you." I finished softly, poking at another warm sphere of light. It zoomed towards me to spiral around my head before rising up into the air. It made me giggle.

When I looked back at Ace, he was watching me with a strange, yet familiar look on his face. His dark eyes were soft as they gazed back at me; the intensity of his stare made me blush. I suddenly felt very insecure of myself. My heart thudding in my chest, I broke away from his eyes to look out at the sea.

I felt him move. He took a step towards me, closing the distance between us. He caressed my cheek lightly (I shuddered under his touch) before pulling my face towards his. I met his eyes cautiously, trying to keep the beating in my heart to a minimum. His skin was warm against my chilled skin, and I couldn't help but lean into him further. The luminescent spheres swirled around us one final time before dissipating into the air completely.

Ace lifted me into the air and placed me on the railing of the ship so that we were face-to-face. He held onto me tightly with one hand, and cupped my cheek with his other hand. His hands were warm, but I'm sure as hell that my face would be even warmer. I felt like all the blood in my body had rushed into my cheeks; my heart was beating so fast that I felt it might break through my ribs and fall into the inky depths.

"What were you saying earlier this morning?" Ace whispered quietly; his warm breath brushed on my face. "You know, before we got interrupted?"

I turned a violent shade of crimson. I'm surprised Ace didn't steer us around to the nearest hospital immediately. "What... do you mean?" I asked as vaguely as possible, trying not meet his eyes (difficult, considering that our eyes were barely a few inches apart). Feeling... awkward, I turned my head away from him to observe the horizon. The stars were clouded now; I imagined it was going to rain in a short while.

Ace pressed his forehead against my temple, and my heart leaped into my throat. I inhaled deeply in surprise, and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw him smirk slightly. "You know exactly what I mean, Ruby." I swallowed down the lump in my throat and held onto his arms tightly, wondering whether I might fall back into the ocean in surprise (I've already taken a quite unpleasant swim in that pool once).

His nose touched the skin underneath my ears, and I shivered as my skin tingled all over. Ace's free hand slipped from my cheek, down to my waist; he encircled his arms around me, pulling me even closer. The heat of his bare skin burned right through my clothes, heating up my body.

He pulled his face away for a second, so I turned my eyes back to his warily. His freckled cheeks were also slightly flushed now; his breaths came out in mists. I swallowed down the air that threatened to rise up my throat, and concentrated on steadying my breathing. Am I going to regret allowing myself to do this... later on? When I get back home? I took in his features, memorizing every plane of his face. Am I?

Will I really hate myself if I do this?

I exhaled deeply; overhead, slight drizzles started falling onto my hair. "If I go back... home... will you forget me?" I whispered as quietly as I could. Part of me didn't believe I had it in myself to say something so corny. "Will you forget me, Ace?"

He didn't hesitate. "Never." He replied equally softly before chuckling. "Hell, I don't think anyone you met here will forget you anytime soon." I gave him a curious look when he said this, but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he leaned in to kiss my forehead before glancing at me questioningly. The rain started falling harder now, soaking my hair.

I took a deep breath again as the rain drenched through my clothes. I looked up at Ace again, his dark hair matted to his forehead with the rain. Will I regret this? Is this going to be worth it?

"I can't stay here forever. I have to go back." I whispered very quietly, looking straight into his eyes before repeating. "I can't stay here forever."

But Ace didn't even hesitate. "Then I'll just give you a forever from the little time we have." He smiled; my heart did a couple of somersaults in my chest.

I didn't have to ask. He knew exactly what I wanted. And just like that, under the falling rain, Ace pulled my face towards his and gently pressed his lips against mine.

Terror, he thought, torture, pain. These were some of his favorite things; and now he was going to see all three at once.

The man in the top hat walked through the darkness of the tropical night, smoothly avoiding the trees. The murkiness of the woods did not seem to affect him at all; he twirled his cane easily, a smile playing on his abnormally red lips.

Upon reaching his destination, he paused. Through the darkness, he saw a square of glass; a window of a hut. It was open, and the room inside was dark. He smirked. Really, this was too easy.

His gold hoop earrings tinkled lightly as he walked to the window. Without hesitating, he jumped inside smoothly, and took a nanosecond to get his bearings. The room was mostly empty, except for a bed; there were two sleeping lumps on it. The peach walls of the room was barely visible in the dim light of the moon.

Adjusting his top hat, his smile widened. And then, he sharply rapped his cane against the glass window (it shattered into a million pieces) before starting a tap-dance. His movements were skillful - subconscious, almost. The two figures on the bed sat up sharply - the pretty girl and the prince - staring at him in wide-eyed fear. He gave them credit for not screaming.

"Hello," he said smoothly, stopping his dance. The pretty girl brought up the covers of her bed to hide her naked form. "It's very nice to meet you, Zomi." He nodded his head towards the prince, who stared at him in wide-eyed fear. "Elliot."

"W-Who are you?" The girl asked in a high soprano, leaning into the headboard; further away from him. "What do you want? Get out!" Despite her ferocious facade, he could easily see the terror in his eyes. Delicious, he thought. His grin widened.

"I will not do either of those things, my sweet girl." He twirled his cane again. "My name is Lafitte." And before either could react, he pulled out a gun and held it up towards the two on the bed. "You will do exactly as I say, or you're both going to die." The beautiful duo skittered back in fear, holding onto each other for support.

Lafitte took slow, deliberate steps towards the bed; his shoes clicked on the tiled floor.

"You will tell me everything you know about Ruby Layor, or you can forget trying to see daylight ever again."