TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter is going to contain sensitive themes. Not recommended for anyone struggling with mental health! Skip to Chapter 10!

Chapter 9

It was the middle of the night but Moby's deck was crowded, eerily quiet and somber. Few people moved - most were huddled in small groups, whispering about what had happened, retelling the events to those who had not been there to witness them. Anger. Sadness. Betrayal. Chilly night air was permeated with emotions, and gazes constantly flickered to a lump in the middle of the deck, hidden beneath a blanket stained red. Nobody could accept what had happened, what could have happened or what could still happen…

Ace paced in front of medbay's door where Thatch had been hauled in, seemingly hours ago. The more time passed, the less he could justify telling himself that everything was going to be fine. Thatch was in Marco's and Diane's hands - both exceptional doctors, and Diane was a surgeon; it had to go okay…! - but with time ticking past and no news coming out, Ace was fretting for the worst…

Medbay's door swung open and Ace whirled round. He only needed two long steps to stand by Marco as the tired man shuffled out.

"How is he?!" Ace asked, voice louder than was necessary and people perked up all around them.

Marco gave him a tired smile.

"He's gonna be okay. The surgery went well, the knife missed any vital points save for the lung we've operated on and that went fine. He's gonna be asleep for a while but he should heal up nicely - won't even be able to tell a difference in a year."

Ace's shoulders slumped as he breathed out, eyes closing. Thank god…! He didn't know what he would have done to himself if this was not the answer he received…!

"That aside," Marco continued and Ace focused back on him, "I'm actually here for you, Ace."

The younger man blinked at him.

"Me…?"

"Yea…" Marco nodded. "We can't get into Caelan's room - something is blocking the door. I get the feeling it's her passed out so I'd rather not force through if possible…"

Ace's mouth opened to say that couldn't be the case but no words left after her desolate figure, hunched back and empty gaze flickered in front of his eyes again. His mouth closed. She hadn't been injured… She hadn't been injured, so why was she passed out to the point of not reacting…? His throat constricted, taking his breath out for a few moments.

Wordlessly, he gave a nod, and Marco turned on his heel. Ace scurried after him.

Diane gave him a friendly smile, Rose still by her side as they stopped by the door to Caelan's room - the door which he had checked several hours ago, not finding her inside… Why had he even been searching for her…? He should have stayed with Thatch…! That had been his only job that night…!

"If you would…" Marco quietly uttered, opening the door just a crack. Ace let his body dissolve into flames, then directed them inside.

As the fire morphed back into flesh, his first sensation was the metal in the air. There were glass shards, a broken lamp and the Devil's Fruit in a messy heap by the bed - a smaller bite mark in the purple fruit alongside Teech's. Further on, a bloodied katana's edge glinted in the light his flames cast. The blade had been clean when she went back to medbay… Whose blood was-

Ace's pupils shrunk, body freezing. He didn't want to turn. He already knew the answer…

He had to force his gaze onto the body behind him, as he slowly rotated his head to look over the shoulder. Air stopped flowing into his lung as if he had been punched, eyes wide at the sight.

Caelan was motionless by the door, a puddle of blood under her. She did not have any of those wounds before - arms scratched as if she had dragged her nails through with force; two deep gashes in her waist and arm, but the most prominent one - in her stomach, a hole the size of a katana still oozing blood…

Her katana that was lying bloodied in the same room…

She… she… -

He couldn't move. He couldn't think. He could barely breathe…

"Ace?" Marco called through the door and a knock rapped against it. "What's happening?"

Another stunned moment passed before he could react. It felt like his head had been shoved underwater, trying to muddle through what he was seeing and refusing to accept it was real.

Still, he forced himself to drop down onto his knees and checked for a pulse, hands shaking. Her body was cold and the beat was weak, but it was there… As he tentatively picked her up, overly aware of the amount of blood, he paused - her unconscious face was frozen in heartbreak, dry tear streaks on her cheeks, paler than paper… He had held her like this once before, but this time it was nothing like the last…

Ace squeezed his eyes shut, then forced himself to take a shaking breath in. He didn't have time for this…

"Y-You can… now…" He weakly called out and the door swung open. Marco's alarmed gaze was replaced by shock and a gasp rang - from Diane or Rose, he couldn't tell. His hands tightened on the body that seemed too frail all of a sudden, eyes flickering away in shame.

A few quiet seconds passed.

"... Let's get her to a different room…" Marco spoke softly and Ace bobbed his head, then followed him out. Diane and Rose hadn't moved from where they had been standing, but he did see the younger girl clutching on her mentor's sleeve…

.

Half an hour later, Ace stood by the farthest wall of the room as he numbly watched Marco and the rest of medical staff buzz around Caelan. Gashes were closed, shallow wounds were cleaned and bandaged. She didn't twitch once through it all…

"Good thing she didn't nick an artery…" Diane mumbled under her breath as she wrapped another layer of bandages around the limp arm in her grasp. "Though she was far too close to it… With how long it's been since this happened, we're lucky it didn-"

"Diane…!" Marco's firm voice cut her off. In his peripheral, Ace saw the woman's eyes snap onto him, but he was too numb to react.

An uncomfortable minute passed in silence, only interrupted by the doctors working. Once she was done, Diane left the room, then reappeared with several IV drips and a stand. Wordlessly, she showed them to Marco, and he nodded. A needle was put into her arm, a few more last checks done, and it was time to leave.

"Let's go, Ace…"

"I'll stay… for a bit longer…"

Marco sighed, his heavy hand settling on Ace's shoulder but it wasn't comforting. If anything, it only cemented in that all of this was his fault.

"We've done everything we could, and she needs rest… Let's go…" Marco pushed and, after a few seconds of hesitation, Ace gave in.

As they made their way out, he didn't miss Diane backtracking to take Caelan's weapon belt with them. His heart clenched again. He had driven her to this point… If only he had listened…! If only he hadn't left Thatch alone…!

Teeth grinding together had Marco's gaze on him again.

"It's not your fault, Ace-" The older man gently began but he didn't deserve those words.

"It is…!" He snapped, the anger in his voice shutting Marco off. Another pang of shame coursed through him.

Without giving anyone a chance to speak again, Ace fastened his pace, overtook the nurses and bolted.

"Ace!" Marco called, but he didn't stop.

All of this was his fault and nobody had the right to say otherwise.