Hello everyone, here is the next chapter
This is a mix of things and I hope it is good
I also have a question for everyone. I call every chapter a small name, and is this something you enjoy? Or is it the same if I stop with it? Just call them chapter 86, chapter 87, would that be okay?
Hope you enjoy
Read and relax
Whitebeard sat in the meeting room, going to have a meeting now, just waiting for a couple people. And after a minute, Mika came into the meeting room, having an amused smile, and nice clothing on, which had Trevor speak up. "What's with the clothes?" Mika sat down with a hum. "I'm going to a funeral." Whitebeard blinked. Why was Mika smiling? Ace frowned. "To who? Someone I know?" Mika nodded. "It's for Susie." Whitebeard didn't know who that was, but it had Ace and Trevor burst out laughing. "No!" Said Ace. "Susie? You can't be serious." Mika nodded, looking equally as amused. "Oh, but I am. She committed suicide. I found her." Whitebeard frowned, he didn't know Mika had been off the boat the last few days. Ace and Trevor however, laughed on with that, and Whitebeard didn't know how to react. "Oh my god," Started Ace. "We look like horrible people right now. They don't know who Susie is." Ace gave a last laugh, before he took a breath. "Susie doesn't exist. Mika made her up, the reason it is funny she's getting a funeral." Ace then looked at Mika. "Can I join? I want to see who comes." Mika nodded. "Sure, go ahead. Just put on some black clothing." Ace nodded. "Will do. When's the funeral?" Mika hummed. "In two hours, I just want to be ready." She then looked at Trevor. "You wanna join too?" Trevor shook his head. "Nah, I'm staying here. Not one for funerals, even for fake people." Mika nodded, and Thatch moved a hand out. "You made up a person? And killed her? And people are holding a funeral? How?"
Mika chuckled. "I got in trouble once, on this island, and the woman who was going to send me to the wolves thought my name was Susie. Then the mayor called me in for a meeting, so he could have me get Susie, and I played it off that she was busy, and from there it just got more fun. Every time I messed up, it was Susie. And people thought she was a real person, and now, I couldn't play it off, so I killed her. They want a funeral as she's done a lot, both good and bad. People both like her and hate her." Whitebeard blinked, that was smart in a way. Thatch nodded. "Sounds cool. Who's hosting the funeral?" Mika hummed. "The mayor. I can't wait to head there. I want to see who's coming." Everyone nodded, and they then started the meeting.
When it was over, Ace went to change his clothes to black ones, before the two left for the funeral. When they returned two hours later, Mika had a really amused face, same with Ace. "So," Started Trevor. "How'd it go?" Mika took a breath. "Well, Susie apparently had an affair with the mayor one night. I didn't know about that. He bragged about it. And, the person who first made Susie, who called me the wrong name, showed up. She was so shocked to see me there, as I should be dead, and I was all like 'No, I'm Mika.', and she was just shocked and went 'I guess I never met Susie.'. It was so fun." Trevor shook his head. "I can't believe you killed off an imaginary person. And it worked." Mika nodded. "I know. I love it. It's so fun. And the mayor made it so much more possible as he apparently had an affair with her." Trevor shook his head. "This is so stupid." Mika nodded. "Agree. But fun." Trevor nodded. "Yeah, this is fun. Stupid, but fun." Whitebeard had to agree, this was weird, but sounded to be a bit fun too. Killing off an imaginary person.
The rest of the day then went by fine, and things were calm. Ace was working now and then, as usual, and things were fine.
-x-
Marco stood in his room, checking some paperwork over, needing to check it before he delivered it to Pops. As he was checking it, Ace came into the room, giving a small smile to him. He had a feeling something was wrong, so he stood up, and Marco blinked when Ace moved to hug him, head resting against his chest. "Ace?" Said Marco, moving his arms around Ace. Ace just shook his head. Marco nodded, moving his head to be over Ace's, arms moving comfortingly on his back. Ace didn't want to speak, he just wanted comfort, a hug. And he would gladly give that if Ace needed it. Ace moved his head a bit, Marco seeing him closing his eyes, barely seeing it. Ace really needed a hug, that was clear. Marco closed his own eyes, taking a breath, comforting Ace. After some minutes, he felt Ace take a breath. "Thank you, for not asking." Marco shook his head. "Not everything needs to be spoken about, yoi. Sometimes, you just need a hug." Ace nodded against him, eyes still closed.
They stood like it for about 5 minutes, before Ace took a breath as he leaned back, eyes opening, which was a bit glassy. Marco moved a hand to Ace's cheek, giving him a supporting look. "It's going to be fine, yoi." Ace nodded, a hand moving to Marco's on his cheek, closing his eyes again. "I really hope so." They then stood like that for a minute, before Ace sighed. "We should head to dinner." Marco looked at the clock, and it was dinner time. "We should, yoi." Ace nodded and before he could move, Marco moved his hands to Ace's "Even though we don't need to speak about everything, don't be afraid to speak with me, yoi." Ace nodded. "I won't, and I know we can speak together."
They then moved out on deck, Marco handing his work in to Pops, before things were calm. He made sure to stay around Ace, just in case, but he seemed fine. And they were soon to dock, which was an island they controlled, and it was a large one.
-x-
Whitebeard frowned as they had docked. A woman had come into the ship and said her daughter was gone, suddenly being gone when they were shopping. That was worrisome, and no boats had been there, so she couldn't be far away. They had gotten a picture of the girl, who was 16 and had never wandered off before. She was a nice child. It was worrisome, and it was a large island, meaning it would take days to search it. But as he updated everyone about the situation, none had an idea where to check first. Not even Trevor or Mika had an idea.
When Ace came and heard the news, Ace shook his head. "No, no. Suseom, I know this island." Ace was then gone in black smoke, making Trevor blink. "Maybe he has a lead. We just have to hope." Whitebeard nodded, and he hoped Ace had a lead. It took a few minutes, but Ace was soon back in black smoke, holding a folder. "I knew it! Suseom. Kamilla." Trevor frowned. "Kamilla?" Whitebeard didn't know what this was about. Ace nodded, taking a picture out, handing it to Trevor, who looked at it shocked. "She looks exactly like Emma." Ace nodded. "And I bet it's the same guy that took her, that took Emma. She's a victim too. But no one believed her here. We find Kamilla, she can tell us where he is." That was a really good lead. Ace took the picture back. "Dust is already searching the island." Ace then showed the picture to him, and he had to agree, it looked exactly like Emma. They then waited, and after 5 minutes, Ace stood up. "Found her." And Ace was gone in black smoke again, and appearing after a minute, a girl with her, looking to be 23 and looked shocked to be suddenly in a new place. "W-where are we." Ace led her to a chair. "We need your help." The woman, Kamilla, frowned. "With what?" Ace took a breath. "To find Willy." Kamilla shook her head. "No, not again." She said, her eyes tearing up.
Ace sat down on another chair. "We just need to know where he was. Where you were." Kamilla shook her head. "No. I won't. He's still here! No one believes me!" She said with her eyes tearing more up, a tear almost falling. Ace shook his head. "No, I believe you. I do. If we find him, we can make sure he is gone." He got that the woman was terrified. The woman took a shuddering breath. "Have you ever been injected with prafonolol(Made up drug)?" Whitebeard frowned, not sure what that even was. Ace, however, nodded. "I have, actually." The woman looked shocked at that, and Ace continued. "It feels like your veins, blood, is on fire. You feel it coursing through your veins, and you're sure you're going to just explode, just burn up, from the inside out. But you don't." Ace gave a weak chuckle. "You don't. You just… live. And it hurts so bad for so long. I have been shot multiple times, branded even, but nothing hurt quite like that." Whitebeard had never heard Ace share like this, or at all for that manner. Ace wasn't one to share things like this.
Ace then moved a hand to the girl's. "I'm not asking you to speak about what you went through. I would be a hypocrite as I sure as hell don't speak about it. All I'm asking is that you tell where he is. He has a child called Emma." The girl frowned. "Emma?" Ace nodded. "Yes. Emma. If you don't tell, he will do what he did to you to her." The girl breathed hard, tears going down her face. "Emma?" Ace nodded. "She's 16, the same age you were. Please help us." The girl swallowed. "I don't know if he's still there." Ace shook his head. "Doesn't matter, it gives us something." The girl nodded. "On road 7, there's a junkyard. A metal hut, I was there most of the time."
Ace nodded, before he looked at Trevor. "Take Dust and check. Tell me when you find him." Trevor nodded and headed out, and when he had, Ace sent a look at Marco, making a motion to the door with his head. Marco nodded and those two headed out. Ace probably needed to gather himself after that share, which he got. It must have reminded him about his own pain. Whitebeard then sent a look at Kamilla. "Thank you, for the help." The woman nodded. "Am, am I still at home?" Whitebeard nodded. "You are, just on a boat." The woman brought her hands around herself. "Could I- could I stay until he's found?" Whitebeard nodded. "Of course you can, stay as long as you can." Kamilla gave a thankful look at that. "Thank you." Whitebeard hoped Trevor would find this guy and the girl before the man got to do anything to her. He hoped they would make it and things would be fine.
-x-
Marco walked with Ace toward their room, not sure what Ace wanted, but he wanted something. When they got to Ace's room, and Marco was on his way to ask what he wanted, he didn't get anything out before Ace was hugging him, making him blink. He was about to speak when Ace took a shuddering breath, and Marco got it. It was probably from sharing what he had, about the prafonolol. It probably made him remember the pain he had been in, on how horrible it must have been. It sounded horrible on how Ace had explained it. Marco brought his hands around Ace, comforting him. "It's okay, you did great, yoi." Ace had done great, he got Kamilla to say where she had been, by sharing what he had. Marco moved a hand to Ace's head, closing his eyes as he moved his head over Ace's. "You did so great." He kept comforting Ace for about about 5 minutes, before Ace leaned back a bit, a hand drying his eye. "Trevor found him, I should go and help." Marco nodded, moving a hand to Ace's shoulder. "You can. What will you do, yoi?" Ace hummed. "Jack him up with prafonolol if I can. Let him feel how it is." Marco nodded. "Sounds fair." Ace nodded. "I know. It might take a bit of time, I want him to feel pain before he dies." That Marco got and nodded, and Ace disappeared in smoke.
As Marco was gone, Marco headed out of the room, going back out on deck. When he got out on deck, Pops looked at him. "How is Ace?" The man probably got why Ace had moved away with him, getting it was tough to share something like that. Marco nodded. "He's fine, Trevor found the guy and Ace left to help, yoi." Pops nodded. "That's good." Kamilla, who also was out, gave a shocked look to him. "They- they found him?" Marco nodded. "They did. He won't get away." The woman nodded, and things continued calm forward, and after 2 hours had passed, Ace and Trevor showed up, Ace looking at Kamilla. "He's gone, and Emma is back home. Safe and sound. Thanks for your help." Kamilla blinked. "He's- he's gone?" Ace nodded. "He is. He won't bother anyone again." Kamilla gave a relieved breath, before she gave a huge thanks, before she left back to her island. When she was gone, Whitebeard looked at Trevor and Ace. "Did you find him there? You took time." Ace hummed. "Oh, we found him within 5 minutes, we just had some fun with him." Marco could see everyone blinking, before they looked understanding. He did deserve some pain before he died.
The rest of the day went by fine, and when evening came and they headed to bed, Marco moved a hand to Ace's cheek. "That with Kamilla, sharing what you did. I want you to do that with me, yoi." Ace sighed. "I just don't know what to say or do." Marco got that. "If I ask questions, will you answer them, yoi?" Ace took a breath. "Maybe. Depends on the question." That was a response he could have guessed. "Can I try a few?" Ace nodded, and Marco thought for a second. "What's the most painful thing you've been through, yoi." Ace sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what to say. I can't pick one thing." That made sense. "How bad was the prafonolol? From 1 to 10, yoi." Ace sighed. "15." Marco nodded, moving his hand to Ace's back, Ace lying on his stomach, stroking it. "What about being raped?" Ace gave another sigh. "In the moment, 16, the aftermath, 17." Marco nodded. "What about being branded?" Ace let out a breath. "6." He would have guessed that would be higher, but Ace was probably used to the pain of being branded, he had 5 after all.
"How does it feel?" Asked Marco, and Ace sent a look at him. "What? Brand or rape?" Marco took a breath. "Both." Ace sighed. "The worst first. It feels like… you're being ripped apart, before it just gets worse, and you wish you would rip apart, as that would be easier to handle. It just… hurts so bad that you wish you could die, just close your eyes and die, hoping to never wake up again. Then comes the aftermath, where it just hurts. Each movement is pain, each breath and second is filled with pain and the memories." Ace's eyes got blank, before a few tears fell. "And again, you wish you could just die, just curl up and die, because that would mean the pain would be gone. But you don't die, you don't. You live, and it hurts so bad for days on end, the memory never leaves, the pain you felt is in your mind, branded in it. And that never goes away."
Marco nodded, hand stroking his back, and he moved his hand to Ace's head and wiped a few tears as Ace sniffled. "Does it get better?" Asked Marco, and Ace sniffled again. "I still hope." Marco nodded, moving his head to be against Ace's. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, yoi." Ace nodded, giving a sniffle. Ace then took a shuddering breath. "To the easier one. Branding doesn't hurt that bad. The worst is the day after, especially if they put something cold on it, as it makes the damage go deeper. Just the way it hurts your muscle." Marco frowned a bit. "It makes it worse? I thought you were supposed to put cold water on a wound made from fire, yoi." Ace shook his head. "No, it should be lukewarm, unless it is burnaid. If not, it makes it worse, makes the damage go deeper." That was something he didn't know. "Should you ever use cold water on something?" Ace hummed. "If your fingers get stuck between a door, you should use cold water to lessen the pain." Marco nodded, that made sense.
Marco then brought his hand to Ace's cheek, giving him a supporting look. "Thank you, for sharing, yoi." Ace gave a small nod, hand moving to his and closing his eyes. Ace probably wanted some comfort and silence now, which he got. These weren't easy topics to discuss or talk about. They laid like that for a while, before Ace sighed. "Do you want to know anything else?" Marco thought for a second. "Not if you don't want to talk about it right now, yoi." Ace gave a small nod, before he sighed. "One guy… he deiced it would be smart to combine the drug and… rape… One of the worst things I've been through. When you're jacked up with Prafonolol, every touch is pain, evey soft blow of the wind hurts like hot needles. If he just blew on you, you would scream in pain. The more you are touched, the worse it gets." Marco nodded, he couldn't even imagine it, how much that would hurt.
He moved his hand to Ace's cheek. "I am sorry you went through that, yoi." Ace gave a small nod, closing his eyes. "I try not to think about it." Marco got that, this wasn't something one wanted to be reminded off, but Marco wanted to know what Ace had been through and to help him through it.
-x-
Whitebeard sat out on deck, seeing a boat coming towards them, and it was recognized to be Ratchet's boat, a person Whitebeard had known for some years, a good man. When they were close enough to speak, he asked why he was here, and Ratchet said he had some news. It had Whitebeard make a motion with his hand. "Please, come on board. We can speak better then." It would be easier if Ratchet came onto his boat, he trusted Ratchet. Ratchet shook his head. "No, I can't board, I'm not allowed." Whitebeard frowned. "What do you mean? I just invited you." Ratchet blinked. "Oh, you don't know." Whitebeard frowned more. "Know what?" Ratchet held a finger up, moving towards their boat and lifted his foot. When it was about a couple inches from touching the deck of the Moby, a loud voice could be heard. "Don't you dare!" Yelled Ace from someplace on the ship, shocking the captain. And as Ratchet took his foot away, Whitebeard got it. Ace didn't like this man.
It took some seconds, but Ace soon came from around a corner, a finger out and pointing at Ratchet. "You have a lot of guts showing your face here!" Ace sounded mad, he had never heard Ace this mad. He wasn't yelling, but he was speaking with a lot of force. Ratchet moved his hand towards the captain. "I'm here for him! Not you!" Ace gave a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, and did you magically forget I'm here?!" Ace was not a happy man, that was clear. Ratchet took a breath. "I get it, you're still mad at me." Ace gave another laugh. "Oh! What tipped you off? The fact I'm mad, or that you fucked up?!" Ratchet moved his hand up. "I know, I know, I said I was sorry." Ace snorted. "Well, sorry doesn't cut it." Ratchet nodded. "I know. But I have legit business here." Ace nodded. "Fine, I'll leave, and you can board, and I'll come back when you're gone. But know this; If you do not have legit business here, you better run fast." Ratchet nodded. "I know." Ace then turned around and headed away.
Ratchet still stayed put for a minute, before he slowly walked onto the boat. When he was, and before the captain could talk, Ratchet did. "I'm here for Shanks. I have a legit reason." It was clear he was nervous about upsetting Ace. Or upsetting him more. Whitebeard nodded. "It's fine. Why is Ace so mad at you." Before Ratchet could answer, Trevor came from around a corner, giving a loud 'huh'. "Wow, didn't believe it was you. You actually dared come here after what you did?" Ratchet sighed. "I have business here." Trevor nodded. "Still, you got balls. The only reason you're not dead, is since Azuruko spared you. Which even I don't get." Whitebeard frowned, looking at Ratchet. "What did you do?" Ratchet sighed. "I made a miscalculated move." Whitebeard frowned more at that, as that could be a lot. Trevor, however, snorted. "You don't even have the balls to say what you did? Well, let me then." Trevor then looked at him. "He almost, and I mean almost, started a war. He killed an innocent child." Whitebeard frowned, looking at Ratchet, who had moved a hand to his face. "I didn't know! I thought it was a gun!" Trevor gave a glare. "It was a stick! Even a blind man could have seen that! Had Azuruko not been there, we would have gone to war! You got so lucky, so so lucky. I still want to punch you. We're still, to this day, at odds with that place. You could have started a war and killed thousands."
Whitebeard didn't know what to think. It was obvious he had messed up, but he had been spared. But it was clear Ace was still mad at him, which he kind of got if he killed an innocent child. "And," Started Trevor. "That child was a close friend to Ace. Both were just 13, one of the few who Ace actually almost viewed as a brother back then. Both were training to become assassins. You killed him right in front of him." Whitebeard closed his eyes. No wonder Ace was mad at this man. Whitebeard didn't know how to act at first, knowing Ace was not happy with this man, neither was Trevor apparently, which was understandable. Killing an innocent child was dishonorable. He then made up his mind and gave a nod to himself. "You can deliver the news you have, then you shall leave." Ratchet nodded. "I will. I get that I'm not wanted here." Whitebeard nodded, that was good. Trevor snorted. "That's saying it mildly." Ratchet nodded. "I know." Whitebeard sighed, before he asked what the news were, and Ratchet repeated what Shanks had said, which was new they needed and was relevant to them, and got why Shanks wanted them delivered personally, and he couldn't be here, so he sent Ratchet, someone both knew.
As it was over, Trevor looked at Ratchet. "Why did Shanks send you? Benn knows your history with Ace. Hell, you know your history with Ace." Ratchet nodded. "I know, but Shanks offered to help protect my island if I did this." Trevor blinked, before he frowned. "Does he know about your history? If yes, I think Shanks might be dead." That Whitebeard got. Ratchet shook his head. "I don't think so. Benn didn't like the idea and tried to change it, but Shanks had the final say." That made sense. Trevor nodded. "Okay. Know that Ace will ask Shanks about this, and if your story is off, you're dead as well as Shanks." Ratchet nodded. "I know, but I can't protect my island alone, I need help." Whitebeard got that too, an island should have a protector. But now, Shanks might be dead. Dust was still here, so he had probably told Ace about this already and Ace would head to Shanks fast.
Ratchet then went on his way, heading away. It took an hour after that that Ace turned up, and when he did, Trevor looked at him. "Shanks dead?" Ace shook his head. "No, he didn't know." Trevor blinked. "Benn didn't tell?" Ace shook his head. "No, he didn't. He tried to during their meeting, but after it, he felt it wasn't his place." Trevor nodded. "Good. You have every right to be mad at him." Ace snorted. "Not that I need your approval to be mad at him, and yes, yes I do. I hate him with a passion. I hope he messes up again so I can actually kill him." Trevor shook his head. "He won't. He knows that, that if he fucks up again, he'll be dead. So he's going to act nice. But still, coming here was ballsy." Ace nodded. "It was, but not enough to kill him for it." Whitebeard hoped that the man wouldn't show up again, not wanting Ace to have to leave for him to speak with him. They rarely had spoken with him before either way, so it wouldn't change anything.
-x-
Marco stood in his room, giving a smile when Ace came into the soon, and Ace gave a sigh, looking at Marco. "Sabo and Luffy are coming today, and staying for a few days." Marco blinked, frowning a bit, sure there was a reason. "Okay. Any reason why, yoi?" Ace shrugged a bit. "I just want them close for a few days." Marco nodded, Ace probably had an emotional reason, maybe having had a dream again and just wanted to make sure they were fine. "That's fine, have you told Pops?" Ace shook his head, and Marco nodded. "I can tell him, I have something else to speak with him about anyhow, yoi." Ace nodded. "Sounds good. I'm leaving for a few hours anyhow, work. Then I'll pick up Sabo and Luffy after it." Marco nodded, that sounded to be a plan. He then headed to Pops, saying that Luffy and Sabo would come, which was fine by him, and then he told what he needed to tell, how things were going with the divisions. Before he left. He did tell Thatch too, so he could prepare for the amount of food he would need to make, the man glad by the warning.
Marco then continued his day, and after some hours, Ace came with Luffy and Sabo, who was excited to be on the boat again. Luffy did speak of how training was, and that he was having fun. Sabo said close to the same, other than it was hard training. The rest of the day went by fine, and the next day, they docked at a sizable island, which was neutral. They had many strong fighters, so they didn't want to start something.
-x-
Whitebeard walked around on the island they had docked at, hoping to find something to do the small time they would be here. They just needed to restock a few things, so they would leave soon.
As they were walking around on the island, Luffy gasped. "That's a cool belt! Ace! I want that belt!" Whitebeard blinked, looking at where Luffy was pointing, which was on a poster that was advertising a championship in hand to hand combat, a yearly event which happened to be now. Ace hummed as he looked at the black haired kid. "No, Luffy. We don't have time. You heard what Whitebeard said; we could stay for a couple hours, which has almost passed." Luffy gave a whine. "I want to watch it!" Luffy then moved to look at him, giving the captain the puppy eyes. "Pleeeease! Can we stay and watch? Pretty pleeeease!" Whitebeard looked at the poster, seeing the match was today actually, and it was always fun to watch a fight. "Why not. We can watch it this time, always fun to see." He heard Marco give a breath to his left. "Can we really stay, yoi? We have a schedule, Pops." Whitebeard chuckled. "Everyone would enjoy watching it, Marco! And just a few hours off won't hurt, it's not a schedule we need to keep." Marco shook his head. "Fine, yoi. But if someone complains or we run into marines, it's on you." The captain chuckled. "Of course, son." Those with them gave a cheer, all of them enjoying watching people fight in games, and it meant they could drink.
Ace then gave a loud sigh, starting to move towards where the games would be held. "I'll go enroll." Luffy threw his arms up. "Yes! Woohoo! Imma get a belt!" Ace just shook his head as he walked on, and when he was out of earshot, Sabo chuckled as he looked at his younger brother. "You really have him around your pinkie, you know?" Luffy chuckled as he smiled. "I want the belt." Sabo chuckled. "'Course you do. You'll probably get it, too." Luffy clapped his hands. "I know! I can't wait!" Marco looked at Sabo. "Ace was serious in saying he would enroll, yoi?" Sabo shrugged. "Luffy wants the belt. Ace will do about anything to make Luffy happy. Don't forget, he's a bit stronger than the regular 20 year old." That was true, Ace was strong. This probably would go fine. And, it was just for fun, not to injure anyone badly.
They then headed to where the games would be held, and everyone was getting ready, him seeing Ace getting ready a bit away, before Ace moved to the middle of the open field, where it seemed the judges were, speaking with them, probably to enroll. He was sure this would go fine. Luffy then mentioned he wanted the belt, and Sabo nodded. "When Ace wins, you'll get it." Marco blinked. "Don't you mean 'if' he wins the belt, yoi?" Sabo hummed. "No, just wait and see." Marco nodded, accepting that for now.
A minute later, Whitebeard saw everyone cheering as Ace moved to enter the stone ring, having the same white cloth on as the rest, to be sure no hidden weapon would be used, and everyone had a weak seastone bracelet on, to be sure no one used a devil fruit. Everyone who watched cheered for the one Ace would fight, seeing as he was at least 30, and his body muscular, obviously having done this many times. People probably liked him. Ace was new. As the two were in the ring, the opponent snorted at Ace. "You're just a child. I can't believe the Whitebeards would have a child fight for them. Shall I make it easy for you?" Ace chuckled, moving his hands as he cracked his knuckles, being sure the cloth around his arms protected his knuckles too. "Don't make it easy, wouldn't be fair for you." The opponent snorted again. "Well then, if you're going to be cheeky, you lost your chance in walking away." Whitebeard wasn't so sure about this anymore, but Ace looked ready and even had a smile, or more like a grin, and neither of the two other brothers seemed worried. But the captain was still unsure if this would go fine. He had heard about bad injuries that disabled many for the rest of their lives, even people dying in these competitions.
But, as the judge counted down so they could start the fight, as soon as the man said 'go!', Ace moved first and moved his fists to punch the grin off the opponent, another punch quickly following as the opponent tried to shield his face, only for Ace to move his leg up and kick him in the side, making him fall down on a knee, Ace using the opportunity to do a spin kick on the man's chest, making him fly backwards and out of the ring, not getting up. Ace then, with a grin, moved to punch his palm. "Who's up?" Obviously getting into the fighting spirit. Sabo chuckled. "Ace also really enjoys fighting, especially like this. So, Marco, it's 'when he wins the belt', not 'if." Trevor snorted. "As I said, he's not allowed to fight normally, but I can allow a competition. It's not a cage fight, where you fight until death. This is just fun." Whitebeard saw Marco nodding, looking on as the judge motioned to another man who got into the ring with Ace, being defeated just as fast, being knocked out with a headbut. "He really can fight, yoi." Sabo nodded. "Yup. And remember, this is just fun. Imagine it when serious." Whitebeard honestly couldn't do that, just this was amazing. He had never seen Ace in action with just hand to hand, other than the time they had seen him in the cage fight, and that had moved fast.
Ace sent a look at the judge. "That's it?" The judge shook his head. "You're a newcomer, that was the entry fight, the real one begins now." That had Ace give a laugh. "Perfect. I'm ready." Ace really seems ready and excited, Whitebeard having a feeling this would be exciting to watch, but also kind of one-sided, knowing Ace was strong. It was maybe a couple minutes break while the rest got done with their enroll fights, before the names of all of the fighters were written on a board at the back, being written on stone tablets that were still stuck to boulders, obviously to keep people from cheating by moving names around. When the first battle started, Ace went against another muscular man in his thirties, winning it easy.
The next opponent was almost double the size of Ace, Whitebeard feeling that was unfair. But, as the fight started, Ace was quick in doing jump attacks, having no issues beating the man, knocking the opponent down with a jump kick with both his feet, Ace not at all going kindly, but Whitebeard still had a feeling Ace was holding back. When the fourth battle started, it went by just as quickly, more and more people in the crowd started to cheer for Ace, or in better words, cheer for them, Ace's name on the board being 'Whitebeards'. As the next battle started, it was against an older fella, who had done amazingly so far for being his age, Whitebeard guessing about 70 or close to that, having some bruises from the previous fights, obviously looking tired, the man obviously not thinking he would get this far and seemed somewhat worried about fighting Ace. But, when the fight started, it was clear Ace was kinder in his fighting, and when he kicked the man down and got the win, Ace even moved to help the man up with a smile and encouraging words. Ace was an indulgent winner, which had many more cheering for him, not being just another rash young fighter, but actually fought with honor and understanding, Whitebeard sure many would have used that opportunity to seem more powerful than they were.
But, as the sixth fight started, looking to be 12 fights in all, the opponent was a much faster one than the rest, getting a few hits on Ace, no one getting a good hit though, but one kick had his foot get stuck in the fabric Ace had on, tugging the upper half loose, to the point Ace just tore it off to not be in the way. But as Ace did, almost everyone went silent as the fight continued, a few going back to cheering while most, including the pirates, stared at Ace, at his back to be specific. Not only because of all the scars that littered his back, and somewhat his front, but the five brands that stood out on Ace's pale skin. They had rarely seen his upper body like this. But, as Ace won the fight, it was clear many more understood how Ace was this good at fighting, obviously having had run ins with real bad people and gotten away. Whitebeard had heard the rumor about people being good fighters and worth a lot if they were an escaper, the brand showing it. But, what it also did when Ace had won the fight, it had Ace's next opponent just forfeit, obviously scared to fight Ace, which had many of them confused and many booing.
Sabo gave a sigh next to him. "They're scared he still belongs to someone, not wanting a noble against them. I just hope it doesn't mess up the game." Whitebeard could understand that. A brand was a sign you belonged to someone against your will, and if Ace was someone's property in a way, a sick thing many did, no one would really fight him. Nobles had high power, which scared many. Trevor sighed. "I am sure it will mess up the game." As the opponent had forfeited, Ace looked at the judge. "What now? My opponent left." The judge seemed to be thinking, before he moved to write something down. "It means you're disqualified. You can't progress without an opponent, and no ones left to spare, says so in the rules. Sorry for your loss." Ace blinked. "Excuse me! He forfeits and that makes me disqualified?!" That was a stupid rule, and the judge wasn't scared to do that, obviously understanding Ace didn't belong to someone, the reason he fought for them and being in his family. The judge nodded. "Yes. No opponent results in a disqualification. No way around it as you can't progress the board, even if he forfeited with his own will, rules are rules." That made sense, in case someone blackmailed someone to forfeit they wouldn't be able to progress the game.
Ace blinked, shocked and annoyed, before he gave a huff as he turned around heading to the board with the names and where his name was in the 7th match, his opponents name crossed out. Whitebeard wasn't really sure what Ace would do, but as Ace was close enough, he moved his hands to dig his fingers into the board made from stone, forcefully dragging his name out, before he moved to the side, to the other two who were in a fight against each other, and pulled out a name, putting his own in its place. Whitebeard knew that wouldn't do anything, Ace would just be disqualified with good reason for trying to temper. But, as Ace had, he moved the name he had into the stone under the other name the person was about to fight. Ace couldn't be serious with that, and before anyone could react, Ace looked at the judge. "My name is on the board against an opponent!" The judge blinked. "You would fight two on one?" Ace nodded, which had the judge shrug. "Fine, you're back in, continue." Ace didn't seem to mind and moved to get ready in his ring, waiting for his now 2 opponents, who didn't seem to mind fighting 2 against 1. Thatch stuttered a bit. "W-w-what?! He can't fight against 2! That's unfair!" Whitebeard agreed with that.
"No," Started Sabo, making them look at the blond kid. "It would be unfair if Ace did it against his will. Ace wants to fight against 2, as long as it keeps him in the game. And also, the board, it's pure seastone." All of them blinked, Marco frowning. "But he's a devil fruit user, yoi. Seastone weakens him." It did, and it was clear it had no reaction on Ace. Sabo nodded. "Yup. Ace isn't going to lose. In this entire fight, he's holding back." Thatch blinked. "He's holding back?! He's plowing through everyone!" Sabo shrugged. "Ace is strong, you can't win against him in hand to hand without really cheating." That was something the captain could understand and did know; Ace was strong. Thatch blinked, looking back at Ace, who stood in the stone circle. "He really doesn't seem to mind getting the fabric torn off." Sabo shrugged. "Why would he? Just scars. Ace is probably more annoyed it almost got him disqualified." That he got.
Luffy then threw his hands up. "Imma get a belt! Woohoo!" Sabo just chuckled as he watched the ring Ace was in, the opponents coming into it, the judge readying the duel. it did seem his two opponents knew each other and seemed to get in on fighting against Ace, before the two would fight between themselves. It really would be two on one. But as the judge said go, Ace started to fight both at once, doing a lot of evading as it was double the amount of limbs that could hit him. But he soon knocked down one person, before he focused on the second person, and when he was down, Ace got the win and progressed the board. The next few battles went fine and in the same fashion, and when the next to last one came, the opponent gave a smirk to Ace as he laughed. "Oh, so you got to the end. Didn't expect that of a little brat like you. You can't defeat me! I'm the champion! This is my championship! Not some stupid little brat of a child who fights for a brattier doofus!" It was obvious the man spoke about Luffy, probably having heard Luffy saw he wanted the belt and Ace would get it.
Ace looked at the judge. "I can do whatever I want, right? No restrictions in what I do, aside from no weapons or devil fruit? A fatality won't disqualify me?" The judge nodded. "No rules, if someone dies in a hand to hand, it's a fair match." Ace then relaxed his stance, turning to look at them, at Luffy to be specific. "Luffy, don't watch, okay?" It had Whitebeard frown, and Luffy nodded without question and turned around in his seat, hands moving to cover his ears, obviously having done this before. "Why did he do that?" Asked the captain, not sure why. Ace had fought well and even broken some bones to the point they protruded. Sabo sighed. "Spare Luffy the sight. He pissed Ace off, that's bad, for him." Whitebeard wasn't sure what to make of that, and turned back to the stone circle, the opponent looking smug. "Aw, the little brat doesn't want his baby brother to see him get plowed? How cute."
Ace looked somewhat annoyed as he turned towards the judge, arms up, turning them around, before he moved his hands stroking over them, before turning around, clenching his hands to fist a couple times even. "No weapons, nothing hidden." As Ace still didn't have his shirt on, there was no way he could hide anything on his upper body. The only place was in the pants and moving to grab something there would be easily noticeable. The judge nodded, Ace for some reason obviously wanting the judge to be sure he didn't hide anything. The opponent gave some more remarks that Ace just didn't care about, and when the judge started to count down to start, the opponent moved to get ready, while Ace stood still. When the judge said 'go!' and the opponent moved to punch Ace, Ace quickly moved to the side, knocking his arm away and leaving the man open as Ace moved his hand backwards, before plunging it to the man's chest, fingers together and straight. And instead of punching the man backwards, Ace's hand went straight through the man's chest, coming out bloodied through the man's back, the body giving a few twitches, before going limp.
Everyone gasped as a few even screamed, hands moving to cover mouths or eyes, many parents shielding their child from the sight, Ace having an unemotional and serious look as he just moved his arm down in a swift motion, making Ace's hand slide out of the hole though the opponent's chest, the body falling motionless on the ground as blood soaked the ground, some dripping from Ace's face and chest, where it had splattered, his right arm completely covered in blood. Ace then silently turned around and headed to the tub of water, washing the blood off with no reaction, everyone stunned, even the judge, before he declared Ace the winner of the fight, obviously no way Ace could have cheated. Even Whitebeard felt stunned, and even felt fearful, to see Ace could just do that with no issues, not even breaking a sweat or needing to prepare as Ace had stood still before he did it. Sabo sighed. "Don't piss Ace off. That's a bad thing." That was clear. And all of them nodded silently, not sure what to say or how to react.
Some workers were quick to remove the body, Ace not caring one bit about it, having an emotionless look as he just cleaned the blood away. And when the body was out of sight, just blood left, Sabo moved a hand to pat Luffy on his back, the black-haired kid turning around and removing his hands from his ears, Ace obviously wanting to shield Luffy from seeing that, which the captain understood. When Ace's name got up to the last fight, Luffy was the first one to cheer, many more following as they got out of the shock, many looking terrified, even the one Ace was up against. When Ace moved to the stone circle to get ready and the final opponent also moved, the opponent took a breath. "I hope we can have a fair fight." Ace shrugged. "You fight fair, I fight fair. Don't mock my family." The final opponent nodded, seeming relieved by that, that he wouldn't meet the same fate as the other had, who had been mocking Ace. Ace then moved to get ready, the opponent doing the same. The judge, still shocked, started to count down in the final fight.
When the fight started, Ace attacked quickly, and the fight lasted longer than any of the other ones, the opponent even getting a few hits in. As the fight was over, Ace having beaten the man down and got the win, Ace spit some blood out of his mouth, the man getting a good punch in. As Ace had the win, he gave some encouraging words to the man he was against, tips on how to fight. The man seemed to appreciate that. Ace wasn't just a rash young finger, he was an honorable man that fought right.
As the final fight was done, the three best ones went to a stand where they got their prices. Ace got the belt for being in first, same with a money price of 10 000, second place got 5 000 and a small statue, and third place got just a statue. As the prices were dealt, they headed their own ways, Ace heading to hand the belt to Luffy, who had a huge grin as he lifted it up. "Yes! I got the belt!" Ace chuckled. "You did." Sabo then went over to Ace, checking his cheek out, which was starting to bruise. "But he got a good hit in." Ace shrugged. "It will be fine." Ace then took the seastone bracelet off and handed it to a worker, and Whitebeard watched as the bruise just slowly disappeared, before there were no signs of it ever being there. Ace's powers were still amazing.
The rest of the stay there went by fine, many speaking of Ace's fighting and how amazing that had been. When they left the island, many were there to say goodbye, being impressed by Ace and if he would participate next year, which he said maybe too. It would be fun to watch again. The next days went by fine, Sabo and Luffy leaving on day 3, going back to training. And now they were just relaxing.
The next day, as they were discussing potential fighting techniques, Ace hummed. "I can show an amazing trick against shields." Everyone blinked. "What kind of trick?" Asked Jiru. Ace chuckled. "I made it a few years ago, as I hate shields so fucking bad." Everyone blinked, before Jiru spoke. "You don't like shields?" Ace nodded. "I don't. But if they're on my team, I love them. But not when I'm up against them. It's a trick for someone who is hiding behind their shield." Jiru nodded. "So, like this. What do you do?" Jiru held his shield up in front of himself, and Ace shook his head. "No no no. You like your shield, it needs to be a shield no one cares about." That made sense, and Jiru got a shield that was just lying around, and held that up, which again had Ace shaking his head. "No no no. Not you, I would suggest Jozu holding it. As he won't get hurt." Jiru blinked. "Get hurt? Wasn't it connected to the shield?" Ace nodded. "But it also affects the one holding it. I'll try to not do that, but there will be some backlash." Everyone nodded and Jiru handed the shield to Jozu, who had walked up the pair.
When Jozu was in place with the shield in hand, Ace asked him to turn to diamond, which he did, looking confused. Wouldn't that just hurt Ace? Knocking or even moving Jozu when he was in diamond shape was close to impossible. When Jozu was ready, Ace moved to stand in front of him. "You plant your legs down, be sure to have them a bit apart, so you are more sturdier. Then, you move your hands back, before you aim for the middle of the shield, move forward, move your arms fast and together, palms up and against the shield." Ace showed it on slow motion, and everyone nodded, before Ace went back to a relaxed stance. "When done right and you have practiced, it should look like this." Ace then, in a swift movement, did as he had shown, just in fast paced and getting into stance quickly. Ace's hands then touched the shield, and the shield, which he knew was a strong one as they only had metal ones, broke into pieces, Jozu stumbling backwards.
To make Jozu stumble would take a lot, but Ace had just broken a shield with his hands, not even using his powers as he saw no smoke. Jozu then moved a hand to the hand which had held the shield. "Ouch. That hurt." Ace nodded. "Usually sends people shooting backwards, a few just up and die." Whitebeard got that, if he had made Jozu stumble, he was strong. "Can a normal person do that?" Asked Jiru, and Ace nodded. "Daisuke can, same with Moira, Mike, Hanzo, Raiden, and a few more." Jiru nodded. "Can a non-assassin do it?" Ace nodded. "Yes. You just need to know the technique." The ones out nodded, Thatch speaking this time. "Can you teach us? How long did it take to learn it?" Ace hummed. "I made the move, so it took some time for me. About half a year. But once mastered, you know it. It took the other between a month and two of training." That sounded good. "Can you train us?" Asked the captain, and Ace nodded. "Sure. I don't mind. We'll start by training on a shield against a wall, before we try it in real action. As seen, it causes a huge backlash, so it can be tough to train with someone."
This sounds to be a good thing. Haruta then looked at Ace. "Why did you make it?" Ace shrugged. "Before, I just did this;" Then Ace, in a swift movement, moved to push Jiru a bit backwards, before using a hand to grab onto the shield and taking it away from Jiru. "Then I just threw it away, not caring where it landed. Hopefully overboard." He then handed the shield back to Jiru, who blinked. "That was fast." Ace nodded. "Yes, but the shield still exists, so they could just pick it back up, and I hated that. So I needed to find a solution. And I did." It wasn't too surprising, Ace was a man of many talents. Ace then started to teach them how to train to be able to do this, and many were interested. They were at it for some hours, before Ace left them to train alone, having taught them the start, and when they mastered that, to come back to him.
-x-
Marco stood out on deck. The last few days had gone by fine, and Ace left to work the next week, going to be away for some days. As Ace was gone, many started to master what Ace had shown them, and now they needed Ace to show the next step. So when they docked the next day, they headed to a tavern, where they would relax for a bit, and Ace was due back today. And as they were in the tavern, he saw Ace- or Ann rather- and headed after her to a room, many also joining him. People might not know Ace was Ann, but they knew Ann was strong and connected to Ace closely.
As they were inside the room, Ann fixed something with her hair in a mirror, and he headed over. "Hi, Ann." Ann smiled. "Hi, Marco." The others soon came behind him, glad to see Ann. They hadn't seen Ace for a few days now, so this was good. As everyone came in, Marco, knowing many wanted to speak with Ace, he first moved in for a kiss, but Ann moved her hand up, with her index finger up. "Oh nah nah, no kissing." Marco frowned not sure why, and was about to speak when a voice behind them spoke. "Hello, everyone." Marco turned around, recognizing that voice, and came face to face with… Ace. How was that possible? Ann was here. "Ace?" Ace nodded. "Yeah? What's up?" Marco blinked. "I have no idea, yoi." Thatch moved his hands to his head. "The fuck! You're the same! How are you-!" Ace moved a finger to his lips. "Shh! No shouting!" Ace then turned around and closed the door, before he turned to them. "Now you can shout." Thatch blinked, before he let out a loud 'gah'. "How! You're the same! Aren't you!? How are you two places!?" Thankfully, those who had joined in the room, knew Ann was Ace. Aside from a couple, but they seemed to get this was a secret and he knew they would keep it so.
Ace chuckled, moving over to Ann, a hand out to her. "Everyone, this is Laila. Or as you might know her as, Trixy." Marco nodded, he had heard about Trixy, an assassin as well, not that known yet but was getting there. Ace then continued. "She is going as Ann tonight, as Soul told me some have the thought I might be Ann, so we're making a public appearance together." That made sense. Thatch blinked. "This is still weird!" Ace chuckled. "I don't want people to know who Ann really is, as I like being her and just disappear, so Laila will help with that. Call her Ann, and treat her as a family member as she has declared she is a family member." Everyone nodded, Pops speaking. "That is astonishing. She looks exactly like Ann." Ace nodded. "I know, it's the reason I use her. She can pull it off the best." Pops nodded. "What about Marco? He is known to be with both of you." Ace nodded, moving over to Marco and bringing an arm over his shoulder, Laila doing the same on the other side. "Easy," Started Ace. "He has two dates. When the media gets the sight of us all 3 together, we will make the news, and Soul will blow it up." Marco blinked. That was a smart plan. Marco moved his arms out, one behind Ace and one behind Ann. "I can work with that, yoi." Ace chuckled. "Knew you would. Let's go make a public appearance!"
They then walked out, and it was clear the media liked to see them, especially as Ann and Ace were there, everyone wanting an update on them apparently, with him, Ann, and Ace. And to see them all together, seemed to be something the media liked, and many pictures were taken off them.
The time in the tavern went by fine, a few pictures being taken of them together, which was good. It meant the media got something. When they left back to the boat, they said goodbye to Trixy, who left with Dust. And Marco was glad they had done this. He knew Ace liked to be Ann since very few knew who she was, and wanted to keep it like that, which he got. He had asked Ace about it, how they found out, and Ace said it was most likely a joke, but he wanted to make sure.
It was two days later that Ace moved to grab the newspaper from Haruta, moving to open it and going some pages in. "Ah, here. 'Marco the Phoenix was seen with both Ace D 'Death' Portgas and Jackson Ann, it seems they are in a mutual relationship with each other, or with Marco the Phoenix. Jackson Ann has proclaimed to be a part of the Whitebeard pirates, suggesting she is on common ground with them, maybe even had joined their crew. All of these 3 are dangerous people and should be apprehended on sight, if not killed.'"
Trevor let out a 'huh'. "Cool, so they think Marco's a player." Ace nodded. "Apparently." Marco took a breath. "I'm still not sure what I feel about this, yoi." Trevor shook his head. "No, don't think that. This is awesome! You are with both Ace and Ann! People will admire that!" Marco blinked. "I hadn't thought about it that way, yoi." Trevor nodded. "Knowing you're not scared of both, even being with both, wouldn't be surprised if your bounty went up. Maybe even Ann's bounty will go up." Ace nodded, going to the next page. "Speaking of the devil, here it is." Ace took 3 wanted posters out. "Jackson Ann, aka Miss Jackson, bounty 15 billion. Marco the Phoenix, bounty 3 billion. Portgas D 'Death' Ace, mercenary- it's official now- 18 billion."
Trevor nodded. "So, you're officially a mercenary, how does it feel?" Ace shrugged. "Not anything different. I've called myself a mercenary for weeks now." Trevor nodded. "I know. But this is cool. Are you going to rank up?" Ace hummed. "Maybe." Marco frowned. "Rank up, yoi?" Ace nodded. "There is an own ranking for mercenaries." Marco blinked. "Aren't you on top?" Ace shook his head. "No, as an assassin I am, but not mercenary, I am probably the lowest rank." That could maybe make sense. "How do you rank up? Do you help many, yoi?" Ace shook his head. "No, you kill. Kill a mercenary above you, you gain one spot." Marco gave a small nod. "So, if you kill the leader, the number one, you get to be number one?" Ace shook his head. "No, I would just go up one spot. He or she's gone, meaning everyone ranks up. There is always a new mercenary around, so it's always something new. I can try and get my hands on the rankings as they are now. Usually updated when someone dies." Marco nodded. "Okay, yoi. I am curious about this." He was, and would like to see this ranking. Ace nodded. "I am sure many others are. Let's get the news when someone dies, we can order it to be updated all the time when one dies. I just need to tell Claus so he is prepared. It can be everything from none to 10 people a day." That made sense, if it ranked by killing the one above you. "How many ranks are there, yoi?" Ace looked at Trevor. "Wasn't it 21 last time I checked? And in the ranks there are 5 people, aside from number one, where there is only one." That made sense.
Trevor nodded. "Yes, that is right. You said 21, I think the 21st only has 3 in it now. Where are you?" Ace shrugged. "No idea. I think either 19 or 20. I should start to make my way up." Marco nodded. "You should, sounds interesting, yoi." Ace hummed. "It would mean people would come to fight me, to take my spot. Yes, this does sound interesting." It did, and he wondered how that would be, people coming to fight Ace. "Do you think many would come for you, yoi?" Ace hummed. "Maybe. Some scour the lower ones to get higher, while some get greedy and go for the higher ones. Who is number one now? Jarl, the one eyed beast?" Trevor gave a hum. "I think either him or Eivor, Wolf-kissed." Ace nodded. "True true, she has grown a lot. I remember her from when I was smaller. She left the assassins to become a mercenary." Trevor nodded. "She did and she's hella good. You have to kill her though." Ace half shook his head. "Maybe not. We can agree to duel, she would like that. She doesn't want to die yet." That made sense.
The rest of the day went by fine, and when evening came, Ace moved into his room, holding some papers. "Got them!" Marco blinked. "Got what?" Ace chuckled. "The mercenary rankings. Let's see, I haven't checked it yet." Ace then opened them and Marco moved to stand beside Ace, who hummed as he looked at the first page. "Eivor is number one." Marco nodded, seeing her name, Eivor, Wolf-kissed. "What is your name?" Ace shrugged. "Don't know yet. Let's see." Ace then moved some pages back, before he gave an 'ah'. "I am in rank 18, didn't expect that. And it is just Death. Ace, Death. Probably doesn't have a name yet, so they went with my wanted poster." That made sense and had him nod. "What do you want your name to be?" Ace hummed. "I don't know. Maybe Ace, Raven Speaker. Or something with Dust." That made sense. "You really do like Dust." Ace nodded. "I do. He's always been there for me." Marco got that.
Marco then moved to look through the mercenaries, recognizing a few, having heard their name before. It was interesting. "We should keep this in the meeting room, yoi. So we can keep track." Ace chuckled. "That does sound nice. Not every crew would have accepted this." Marco shrugged. "We don't mind you being an assassin. Mercenary isn't that far off." Ace nodded. "And it will help. If I'm a mercenary, why be an assassin too? People won't believe I am Ace of Spades." That made sense. "Sounds smart. We should show this to everyone." They should do that, and Ace nodded. "We can, let's head out." They then headed out and showed everyone the ranks, and Ace said he needed a mercenary name, which had many come with ideas, but not one that Ace liked. And after a few ideas, Ace snapped his fingers. "Ace, The Raven Bearer!" That sounded nice. "I like that. How do you get that name in there, yoi?" Ace hummed. "I make a call, and that's it. I should go and do that." Marco nodded and Ace headed to do that, appearing again after some minutes. "I also updated Claus, as he will get news about this. He's okay with it. It should get in during the next update which should be in a day or two."
That sounded good. He was looking forward to that. He was glad things were going well.
And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed
I am going to go a bit on Ace being a mercenary in a few chapters now, but also show assassin work, I hope this is okay
This story is also not finished. I know it is marked finished, but that is since the main part I had planned is over and now it is just the rest as well as ideas that I have. We still have some loose ends, like the wedding, the thing about Marcus, and other things.
Also, come check out the one shot series to this story! It contains one shots of missing scenes, past events, and alternative scenarios, etc.
If you have any scenes you would like to see, don't be afraid to leave a comment, or send a PM
And I love feedback too; it is what keeps me going!
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