Hello everyone, here is the next chapter

This is a bit of this and that

Hope you enjoy

Read and relax

Whitebeard sat out on deck, enjoying a good day. They had just docked at an island, a large one that was neutral. But as he was enjoying the good day, a guy came towards the ship, looking at the captain. "I'm here to do a fight to the death." Whitebeard frowned, not even sure who this was. "Why do you wish to fight me?" The guy shook his head. "No, not you. The mercenary." Ah, this was probably a mercenary too. He looked at Claus. "Go get Ace." The man nodded and did, and after a minute, Ace came from around a corner, Claus with him. Ace hummed when he saw the man standing on deck. "Francis, White Knife. Want a fight?" The guy, Francis, nodded. "I do." He then took out a blade, which was white, probably why he was called 'White Knife'. Francis then got into a stance, Ace walking towards the man in a calm manner. When he was close, Francis gave a battle cry as he stormed towards Ace, and Ace kept his calm. When the man was in front of Ace, Ace stepped to the left, before he brought out a blade and plunged it through the man's throat from behind, Francis dying instantly.

Ace then clapped his hands. "One step closer to number one." Everyone blinked, as it had moved by fast. Ace had defeated the man with one move. Ace then headed back to the boat, and everyone just stared at him, before Thatch found his voice. "Wow, how anticlimactic." Ace shrugged. "It's not my fault he sucks." That was true. Jozu then spoke. "You handled that very calmly." Ace nodded. "Always keep your calm, no matter what." They all blinked, Jozu speaking again. "What if you can't?" Ace hummed. "You always can, you need to have a calm mind." Whitebeard knew Ace could do that, keep a calm mind all the time, Ace was amazing at keeping calm.

Izou then looked at Ace. "Was he above you?" Ace nodded. "Yes, I believe so." Izou frowned. "But if he was above you, why kill you? What would he gain from that?" Ace hummed. "Some scour the lower ranks to get their name more out there. Get a reputation that you kill and can kill. Many do it, especially those who think they can make it big and those who are cowards. Him, a coward. Probably thought I would be an easy kill." That made sense and had the captain nod. "It was a quick battle." Thatch snorted. "I wouldn't even call that a battle." Ace chuckled. "True. I knew he would be an easy kill. As cowards are that, easy." That was true, cowards were usually an easy kill.

The rest of the day went by fine, and when the next day started and they were in the galley eating breakfast, Trevor looked at Ace as they were speaking about people that had left the ship. "How did you kill Teach again? Were you allowed to have fun?" Ace chuckled. "I went with a poetic turn." Whitebeard blinked. "What do you mean poetic?" Ace blinked, before he nodded. "Oh right, I don't usually tell my hires what I do unless they ask. I figured, since he attacked Thatch and then declared he's no longer a part of your family, I figured he, in a way, broke your heart, as a father. So, I opened his chest, had a bit of fun, before I literally crushed his heart with my bare hands." Trevor gave a 'huh'. "That is poetic. He broke Whitebeard's heart, you broke his." Ace nodded. "Exactly. It was fun. He also almost broke my nose. So I was mad." Trevor blinked. "How? He couldn't have been that strong." Ace nodded. "I underestimated him a bit. So, I was behind him and had his hand in a lock, I didn't expect him to throw his head backwards." Trevor hummed. "Huh, well well, he's at least dead." Ace nodded. "He is." Whitebeard blinked. "You… crushed his heart?" Ace nodded. "Yeah, I found it would be poetic." That was a bit true, it was. He was still glad he had sent Ace after Teach, and not headed after him himself. He had a feeling that would have turned out bad. He was glad he had met Ace when he had. If not, things would have been different, and in a bad manner, he was sure of it.

The rest of the meal went by fine, a few more asking what Ace had done, but he didn't tell any more, which was probably good. He had heard what the newspaper said, and it hadn't been a pretty scene. They didn't need to hear the gore.

The rest of the day went by fine, them heading towards a winter island to dock at and see how things were there. And when the next day came, they sat in the meeting room, waiting for Ace, who was supposed to return now, the clock 4pm. After a few minutes, the door opened and Ace came through, hands around himself. "Why is it so cold?" Trevor hummed. "It's called a winter island for a reason." Ace moved to sit down, giving a breath. "I hate the damn cold." Trevor hummed. "Just tough it out. It's just cold." Ace gave a look to Trevor. "I hate you." Trevor smiled. "I love you too, Bunny."

They then started the meeting, and it went by without issue. When the meeting was over, Ace let out a breath. "I don't want to go out in the cold again." Trevor sent a look at Ace. "Didn't you get a winter set from Izou? Why not wear it." Ace hummed. "That's true, I did. Oh right, it's up in the wash." Trevor shrugged. "How could I possibly know that?" Ace shrugged too. "I don't know. I'm just annoyed since it is cold." Trevor nodded. "How long until your clothes are done?" Ace shrugged. "An hour, maybe two." Trevor snorted. "You can survive an hour or two." Ace gave a breath. "We'll see." The meeting then went by fine, nothing special happening. When it was done, Ace headed away, and came back out on deck after half an hour, his winter set on. It was a nice set of clothes that fit Ace a lot. That day went by fine and they set sail as evening came, wanting to move on.

The next few days went by fine, and after 3 days, Ace came from around a corner, having new clothes on, which was black and had mild camouflage on it, sitting thingthy on his body. He had a gun on his left shoulder, and a smaller one on his right one, also a small handgun on his hip. "Watcha doing?" Asked Trevor, and Ace hummed. "Killing mission. Going to try and use my sniper and kill them all without being noticed." So the largest gun must be this sniper. Trevor frowned. "Why bring an assault rifle then?" Ace shrugged, taking a mask out and taking it on his face. "In case it backfires and they find me. Can't use a sniper on close hold." That was true. He could imagine Ace was good with a sniper, as he had seen him be an amazing marksman already with a bow. Trevor nodded. "Can I join?" Ace lifted an eyebrow. "You want to join? You can't do stealth this good." Trevor blinked. "I can!" Ace shook his head. "No, you can't. You're… decent at it. Not good. Mika's better than you there." Trevor gave a small pout. "Fine." Ace nodded, before he moved to clap his hands. "Well, I should get going. Shouldn't take more than a few hours I hope." Whitebeard nodded. "That's fine. Be careful." Ace nodded, and then he was gone in black smoke.

As Ace was gone, he looked at Trevor. "Is Ace good with a sniper?" Trevor snorted. "Good? No, he's amazing with it. I am sure this will go fine, as he is Godly behind a sniper." Whitebeard could see that. Ace was a person with many talents. It took 4 hours, but Ace soon returned, and when he did, Trevor looked at him ."How'd it go?" Ace hummed. "Fine, no one saw me. They were running around in panic. It was fun." Trevor chuckled. "With you behind the gun, it is like shooting fish in a barrel." Ace chuckled. "That might be true. I have a lot of practice with a sniper." Trevor nodded. "That, and you were just a natural with it." Ace gave a nod. "That is true. I always like using a sniper when I can." Whitebeard could understand that. A sniper was a perfect weapon when you didn't want to be discovered or was at a distance.

Izou looked at Ace. "How do you use a sniper?" Ace took the sniper off his shoulder and towards the railing, resting the barrel on it. "Here, I'll show you." Izou nodded and went over, and Ace moved to show how to hold it, before he explained how you needed to be a bit away from the scope, because of the recoil. Izou then tried a couple shots, and it seemed he had fun. Ace then explained how you aimed, and what the markings in the scope meant. When he was done, Izou nodded. "It sounds... simpler than I thought." Ace nodded. "Many think that after being explained it. As long as you know how to weild a gun, it is pretty simple. The things people have the most issue with is the sight when the target is far away, as you need to take in wind, movement, the bullet falling, and all that. When you can do that, you are a long way." Izou nodded. "That's so cool. Thank you for showing me." Ace smiled. "It was nothing. I like to show people things and teach things." Whitebeard was glad about that and Ace was a great teacher for being so young.

The day then moved by, Ace leaving for another assignment after a bit, and as Ace was gone,Thatch hummed. "I am glad we got Ace on our team, and not someone else's. I can't believe we got him first." Trevor snorted. "You aren't the first. Many have asked him to join them." Thatch blinked. "What? Who?" Trevor shrugged. "Many, most want him to be a personal assassin, but then there are people like Shanks, who wanted Ace. He has asked Ace hundreds of times, if not thousands of times, to join him." Thatch blinked again. "Why didn't Ace do that?" Trevor hummed. "Because he could only join on one condition, and that was if he stopped being an assassin. Ace doesn't want to stop, so he never got a spot." Thatch nodded. "I can see that. Why did he say that?" Trevor sighed. "Shanks is sure Ace is going to an early grave because he is an assassin." Thatch blinked, before he gave a small nod. "Well, I can see that. But Ace is amazing, he won't die easy." Trevor nodded. "I am as well. I am sure if Ace dies, it is on his own premises."

Thatch blnked. "What do you mean?" Trevor shrugged. "Either, he goes on a suicidal mission, or he kills himself." Izou blinked. "Why are you so sure that are the options? He tried to kill himself once and you believe he might die that way?" Trevor blinked. "Oh no, this wasn't the first time. This was like the fourth." Everyone blinked. "What!?" Said Thatch. "This was the fourth time!?" Trevor nodded. "Yeah, I thought you knew. That's why we were so chill about it." Thatch moved his hands up. "That's horrible!" Trevor hummed. "It probably is. It happens now and then. This wasn't so bad." Thatch looked to be speechless, which Whitebeard agreed with. That was horrible. He didn't know how to react himself. Trevor sighed. "It is horrible, but we've been through this before, so we know how to act." That did make sense, and Thatch was on his way to speak when Trevor did. "We don't need to talk about this. You're clearly uncomfortable." That was true, and they let it go.

The rest of the day went by fine. And as it did, Ace came, which was a few hours late. When Trevor asked about it, Ace sighed. "I just found out Daisuke has been handling my assignments. He has been intervening and screening them." Trevor blinked. "He has?" Ace nodded as he sat down on their table. "Yes, I just found out and took it up with him. So, I was annoyed." Trevor nodded. "Well, I can see that, but I am sure he meant well." Ace sighed. "Still." Ace then grabbed an avocado. "I am still annoyed with Daisuke though, he went behind my back." Trevor shrugged. "He meant well." Ace snorted. "Still. It was wrong of him." Trevor nodded with a sigh. "You are right. But he meant well." Ace rolled his eyes as he grabbed a knife and cut the avocado open before he used the knife to get the stone out, using the tip of the knife. As the knife was in, Ace let out a breath, looking at Trevor. "I shouldn't make food when annoyed." Trevor frowned. "Why not?" Ace sighed and held his hand up and opened it, and the avocado didn't fall out of his hand, but drops of blood did. Ace had stabbed the knife through the stone and then into his hand, and through his hand as well. That looked painful, but Ace didn't have any sign of pain on his face. Trevor gave a laugh. "Oh no! How did you do that!" Ace shrugged. "Beats me. I'm annoyed."

Ace then moved his hand and brought the other to the knife, before he dragged it out, and more blood fell down to the table, and Thatch frowned. "Should you maybe head to Bay?" Ace hummed. "Nah, it will be fine." Ace then held his hand up with the hole through it. "Look, a hole." The Ace covered it with his other hand, before he moved it away, and when he did, there was no hole in his hand anymore. "Magic!" Said Ace. Whitebeard knew Ace healed fast, but not everyone did, and gave gasps of amazement, a few asking how he did it, and Ace just repeated "Magic," and everyone nodded and let it go, looking amazed.

The rest of the day went by fine, and the next day, Ace got an assignment and left to do it. It wouldn't be a long one, which was good. But as Ace had been gone for three hours, Claus came and said there was something they needed to see, a man who was adamant in speaking with him. When they got to the media room, a man was on a screen, waiting for him, sitting in a squat. When he was inside the room, the man started to speak. "You know, insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting things to change." Whitebeard frowned, not liking this man. Why did he call them? Why a video call? The man shook his head. "But you know all of this, that's the reason you have him on your… team."

The camera then changed to show Ace, who was bound with his hands to his back, and legs bound to a rock, a cloth in his mouth, trying to fight the binds without luck. It must be seastone. "Ace!" Yelled some of the commanders, not expecting this, Whitebeard not sure what to do. The camera then changed back to the man. "I am stopping this insanity from continuing. He's doing more bad than good." The man then stood up from the crouched position, moving the camera down to show Ace. "This insanity here is over." The man then moved to kick the rock over the cliff, Ace soon following as he tried to fight his binds, getting the cloth out of his mouth. "Fuck you, Vas!" Managed Ace to yell out before he went over the cliff, and when Vas moved the camera after, it showed Ace plummeting towards the ocean, hitting the water and disappearing in the depths. Ace was going to drown.

As it was shown, the camera went back to the man, Vas, who had a sickening smile. "I fixed it. Now, I'm heading after you." Then the video went black, and Whitebeard stood shocked. They just watched Ace die. "W-what?" Said Thatch. "We need to help him!" Whitebeard didn't think they could. They had no idea where this man was, or where Ace was. They were close to an island, but even if that was right, there was no way they would make it before Ace drowned. That would just take a minute or two. "I don't think we can do anything." Thatch moved his hands to his head. "B-but we need to! He can't die!" Whitebeard didn't want that himself, but there wasn't much they could do.

They needed to do something, but he didn't know what. They needed to come up with a plan. and tried to do that. They needed to find Ace somehow. But as they were trying to figure things out, a small boat came from the island they were close to and Vas was on it. So, Ace was on that island then. But as Vas was close, he came onto the boat, and Whitebeard hoped he could find out where Ace was now. It was a large island. When Vas was on the ship ,he moved a gun out, before Vas moved his gun around. "I try and stop the insanity, but you are making it hard. You are continuing the insanity I'm trying to stop." Vas then moved the gun to be pointed at him. "I guess I have to start at the source." As Whitebeard was about to say to shoot this man, he was just one man, they were over hundreds, he must be the insane one. But before he could, the man suddenly stopped his movement, a struggling breath being let out, before he fell down, a knife in his neck, almost going through it and out his throat. Who had done that?

When he looked towards where it had come from, he had to blink. "Stupid gun, got jammed from the water." Said Ace as he shook his gun, looking to be mad. Which he got because of what had happened, but how was he here? "Are you fine, son?" Ace Ace gave a blank look to him. "Do I look fine? Damn gun." Ace then looked at Trevor. "I need a new gun!" Trevor just shrugged. "We can go shopping tomorrow." "Wait!" Yelled Thatch, "How are you fine!? You drowned?!" Ace gave a dumbfounded look to Thatch. "You can't drown me. Too boring. And, I can keep my breath for over 5 minutes. Long enough to slowly climb the ground of the body of water. Easy work when you're me." Ace then shook his gun more, trying to cock it, but it was clear it was jammed as it went slow and wouldn't cock properly. "Stupid gun, stupid water, stupid Vas."

"So," Started Trevor. "That was fun to watch." Ace sighed annoyed, a hand moving to pinch his nose. "And you know what the worst is? Do you know who hired Vas?" Trevor shook his head. "Who?" Ace gave an annoyed look to Trevor. "Raquel did." Trevor blinked. "Wait, Marco's stalker?" Ace nodded. "Yeah, and I'm pissed at her! So annoying! I'm so killing her!" Trevor shrugged. "Go do that. Want me to join?" Ace looked at the man. "Feel free to. You can hold her down while I castrate her!" "But," Started Thatch. "You can't castrate a woman?" Ace looked at the chef. "Oh, you can. Just take the entire thing out! And damn, I hope she's awake for the entire ordeal!"

Well, Ace was annoyed, which the captain got. Ace moved to take a deep breath, arms out and moving with his breathing. "But first, I need a warm shower and dry clothes. Then we can kill the bitch." Trevor nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Why did it take you so long to get here?" Ace shrugged. "There were many fighters, and they had that stupid tower on. I had to fight." Trevor nodded. "Okay." Ace then headed away, most likely heading to his room to get some warm clothes before he took a shower. As Ace was gone, Trevor clapped his hands. "Well, this has been fun. But it will be even more fun to kill her. I love annoyed Ace at times. He gets really creative." Whitebeard could understand that.

Ace then came back out after half an hour and he and Trevor headed on. They did return after two hours, and when they did and Thatch asked how it had gone, Trevor said it had gone fine. And when he asked what they did, Trevor hummed. "We had fun." Thatch blinked. "Which means?" Trevor hummed." You don't want to know more than that." Thatch nodded, and Ace chuckled. "I at least feel better." Trevor nodded. "Which is good." Whitebeard nodded. "How did Raquel manage to hire Vas?" Ace shrugged. "She got off the island I put her on somehow. Probably a pirate crew and she joined them and found Vas and hired him." That made sense. She was at least dead so she couldn't do this again, which was good. He had been sure Ace was going to die. But, Ace was amazing, to be able to hold one's breath for 5 minutes was amazing and long.

The rest of the day went by fine, Ace leaving in the morning the next day, saying he needed to do something.

-x-

Ace appeared on Mihawk's island, knowing the man wanted a fight. A real fight. Zoro wasn't a good opponent, at least not yet. He had some faith in Zoro, and he hoped that was right. Sabo and Luffy needed a swordsman. When he found Mihawk, waiting outside of his mansion, Mihawk gave his type of smile, which wasn't really a smile at all. He usually had a stern look. "Ace, glad you could make it." Ace nodded. "Glad you didn't randomly show up on the boat." Mihawk hummed. "I will try and refrain from doing that again. I do enjoy our battles." Ace nodded. "Good. I do as well."

They then got to a small clearing, speaking along the way, Ace finding out Zoro was improving. He was still fighting the monkeys, but he was improving. Which was good. When they got to the clearing, they got into a stance, before they started the fight. Which lasted for about two hours, a good fight, before they finished, which was a tie as usual.

As they were done fighting, they headed back to the mansion, speaking along the way. But as he was speaking with Mihawk, he felt a presence behind him, before he took a step to his left, Zoro falling a bit as he didn't expect him to move, and Ace felt annoyed. Not only since he hadn't agreed to fight Zoro, but that he came from behind, trying to sneak up. That was not how one fought honorable. So, Ace brought out his sword, swinging it once to make Zoro lose his balance again as he had regained it and pushed his sword away, before Ace moved his sword again and this time, he cut Zoro, hitting his eye, which he was after.

Zoro let out a pained yell, a hand moving to his eye as blood seeped from it. "You blinded me!" Yelled the green-haired man, and Ace hummed. "You attack from behind, it has consequences. You still have one eye. Use it carefully and assess your opponent. If not, you might lose that one too. Do not sneak up on people." Zoro gave a growl, before he stood up and headed away, probably to heal. As he was gone, Mihawk hummed. "Did you have to take his eye?" Ace nodded. "He acted in a dishonorable manner, I take that seriously." Mihawk gave a nod. "Still, I think it was a bit too much." Ace shook his head. "It wasn't. He needs to learn how to assess his opponent, not sneak. He's a swordsman, not an assassin or sneaker. He needs to learn how to use his eye wisely. One eye can be better than two at times, if he uses it right, which I do believe he will now. If not, he's a lost cause, and you should banish him." Mihawk hummed. "I might agree a bit with that. We'll see how he does. He has gotten better." Ace nodded. "Which is good, now he just needs to learn his manners. That is equally as important." Mihawk nodded. "It is. Would you care to join me for a glass of wine?" Ace hummed. "Maybe next time. I have duties on the boat." Mihawk nodded. "That's fine. Until next time, Ace." Ace nodded. "Until next time."

Ace then left, heading back to the Moby, continuing his day.

-x-

Marco went off the boat, heading on Fishman Island. It was time again for the large concert for lack of words, that was held on Fishman Island, and everyone who had been there last year was excited, especially Thatch. A few who had watched the show last year would watch the boat this time, so those who didn't get to watch it last year could watch this year. They then headed down the long zigzag road, as last time. Ace was walking with them this time, not going on that board as he had last year. When they got to the building, Trevor grabbed a few pamphlets for them, that said which songs would be played before and after the main event. There were many songs, maybe around 20. This was a long event. But as Marco was reading it, Trevor leaned over, pointing to a song. "Look who made it."

Marco blinked, hearing Trevor speaking in a hushed tone, before he looked at who made it, where it just said PDA, which had him frown and look at Trevor confused, who gave a low chuckle. "Think of someone you know." Marco tried, before it made sense. PDA, that fits with Portgas D Ace. "Is it..?" Trevor nodded. "Yeah, it's a secret though. He sends them in each year, new ones and old ones are played here." Marco nodded, looking through the songs and finding Ace had 5 of them. That was amazing. He looked forward to hearing these songs. He would ask Ace about this later.

When the first song Ace had was going to be played, Ace headed out, probably to grab a smoke. And Trevor stood up as well. "Imma head after. I'm sure Virus and Trip are here somewhere." That didn't sound good, and he wanted to check on Ace himself, and before he could say anything Trevor continued. "You can hear the songs outside as well." Marco blinked, that was good, and he headed with Trevor. When they got out, they headed a bit to the side, where he could see Ace, speaking to the two drug dealers. Why was Ace speaking with them? When they got closer, he could Ace talk. "How's business?" Trip hummed. "We miss you." Virus nodded. "You were our best customer." Ace chuckled, before he motioned towards Trevor. "If I even think of it, this guy will murder me in my sleep." Trevor nodded. "I would." Ace chuckled. "So, I can't." Virus chuckled. "That is fine, you're still a customer, although there are no drugs." Ace nodded. "True." Trip then looked at him. "And you, phoenix, have you changed your mind?" Marco shook his head. "I haven't, yoi." Virus nodded. "And that's fine. Come find us if you do." Marco nodded, not that he would.

Some chatter then started up, and as it did, the next song started, one that Ace had made, and he did his best to listen to it. It was a nice song, seeming to be about fighting and how one was ready to fight. It was a nice song. They then were outside for a couple songs, before they headed inside, the main event about to start. They got inside just as it seemed to start. But it was another song that was first this time. It started as a normal song song, the man from last time singing, before everyone joined in and sang together. It was amazing to watch and hear. It continued like that for a while, everyone singing somewhere in the song and it sounded magnificent, it was as if everyone knew when to sing, which they probably did, having been here before and knew how this went.

When the main event was over, there were some more songs, them staying until it was over before they left. And as they left, Trevor and Ace looked at them, the latter speaking. "Oh, we borrowed the hotel here, so we can have an after party." Pops blinked. "You did?" Ace nodded. "We thought it would be good. We have it until tomorrow. The others also wanted it." Marco blinked. "Who else?" Ace blinked. "Oh, you didn't see them? Moira is here, Daisuke is here, Jacob, Evie, and a few others are here." That did make sense, and they headed to the hotel, enjoying the reminder of the day there, which would be nice.

-x-

Whitebeard walked with the others to the hotel. As they were there, and had been there for a couple hours, he noticed Ace leaving at one point, and after it, it wasn't long before more people left, specifically the assassins. Daisuke, Soul, Moira, Hanzo, Raiden, Jacob, and Eive, were also there, but now they are gone. He decided to go check where they were after a bit, and found them standing beside a door, or everyone beside Ace. He could hear a piano being played, and he had a feeling that was Ace, as he couldn't see him. As he made his way over, he saw inside the room through the door and saw Ace, who was playing an amazing song, and as he got up to where all the assassins stood, he looked at Trevor, who had his eyes closed. "What's going on?" Why did everyone leave? Trevor hummed. "Years ago, this song, Azuruko played it to get our spirits up. Ace is the only one who knows it. We're enjoying this, this is rare." That he could understand, and was on his way to ask another question when Trevor gave a small shh. "Be quiet." Whitebeard nodded, he got it. They wanted to enjoy this time. This was most likely rare.

A few of the others soon joined them, and Whitebeard motioned for them to be quiet, which they were, and he could see everyone was impressed by the fact Ace knew how to play the piano. When the song ended some minutes later, a few headed away, while a few headed inside the room, which included Whitebeard. Ace was still seated at the piano, back to them. When he got inside the room, he headed to the side of the piano, looking at Ace, who had a smile as he was playing small tunes. Ace seemed to be amazing at playing. As more came, many commented on the fact Ace knew how to play, which Ace just shrugged to, not saying anything.

As they were speaking, they spoke about the event they had just been on, and Thatch hummed. "Before the main event, that song, I loved that one! I don't know what it's called though." Izou frowned. "Which was it again?" Thatch gave a small sound. "Eh, the one that was lively. You know, with the dancing lyrics." Izou frowned more, same with most of them, not sure which song he was speaking off. But as Izou was on his way to speak, Ace started playing on the piano, playing a familiar tune he had just heard, which had Thatch moved to point at the piano. "That! That song!"

Ace played a bit more, before he started to sing. "They say oh my god I see the way you shine. Take your hand, my dear, and place them both in mine. You know you stopped me dead while I was passing by. And now I beg to see you dance just one more time. Ooh I see you, see you, see you every time. And oh my I, I, I like your style. You, you make me, make me, make me wanna cry. And now I beg to see you dance just one more time. So they say Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh, oh, oh. I've never seen anybody do the things you do before. They say move for me, move for me, move for me, ay, ay, ay. And when you're done I'll make you do it all again." (Dance Monkey by Tones and I) Ace then ended the song, and Thatch looked amazed. "How did you do that!?" Ace shrugged. "I like to play the piano. I can hear the different tangents when I hear music." Thatch blinked. "That is so cool! Could you do the third song?!" Ace hummed, before he nodded, using a second to look at the piano, before he started playing, and he did it amazingly, hitting all the notes. Ace didn't sing to the song this time, but played the entire one. When he was done, Thatch, as well as most, clapped. Ace was amazing at the piano.

The day then continued calmly, and when evening came, they had a party in the house they were at, being able to borrow one of the main rooms on the second floor, and everyone who had joined the concert was present. But after a while, he noticed Ace and Trevor were gone, and wondered where they were. They had made this possible, so they should be here. So he headed out, being sure no one followed, finding himself in a hallway and headed through a door. He was glad this place was large enough for him.

The captain moved to where he heard some sort of sound as he got through the door, surprised to find himself in the room with the piano they had been before, and the sounds he had heard were keys being played on a piano. As he moved a bit forward, being on the second floor on a sort of path between places and probably somewhere to sit if there were many present. When he looked down to where the piano was, he saw Ace sitting by it, hands playing some random keys. Compared to earlier, Ace looked melancholy and wistful.

The captain was about to see if he could find a path down, to see if maybe Ace wanted some company, but as he was about to take a step, he heard Ace beginning to sing slowly and softly, the captain barely able to hear it over the piano keys that was more of a tune now. "I spoke to God today, and she said that she's ashamed. What have I become, what have I done. I spoke to the devil today, and he swears he's not to blame. And I understood, cause I feel the same." Whitebeard couldn't find it in himself to move, hearing how the lyrics went, wondering if Ace really felt that way. His voice was soft, gentle in a way. "I spoke to God today, and she sounded just like me. What have I done, and who have I become. I saw the devil today, and he looked a lot like me. I looked away; I turned away." Whitebeard did know Ace felt a lot of burden on himself, most coming from what he had seen and done in his work, and to hear it like this felt disheartening. The way Ace's voice was with the keys and volume, made it feel like this was really how Ace felt.

"Arms wide open, I stand alone. I'm no hero, and I'm not made of stone. Right or wrong, I can hardly tell. I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell. I'm not defending, downward descending. Falling further and further away, getting closer every day." Whitebeard felt himself sigh silently, having a feeling this was how Ace felt at times, maybe most of the time. Ace played some keys without singing with it, still the tune it had been, before Ace softly started up again. "Arms wide open, I stand alone. I'm no hero, and I'm not made of stone. Right or wrong, I can hardly tell. I'm on the wrong side of heaven, and righteous side of hell. The wrong side of heaven, and righteous side, the righteous side of hell." (Wrong Side Of Heaven by Five Finger Death Punch) As Ace said the last word, he played a last note to it, before stopping. He then heard Ace sigh, sitting still for a bit, before taking a breath and starting to play some keys again, sometimes playing a tune, but never staying on one. Whitebeard knew Ace wasn't a religious man, but it might be a sort of saying only. Many spoke about God and the Devil, how God was good and the Devil was bad, but in the song, it seemed Ace viewed himself as the bad guy, compared to both God and the Devil.

Whitebeard decided to try and head down, sure he had seen a staircase in the hallway he came from. The captain walked carefully, so Ace wouldn't hear he had been standing and listening in. He felt relieved when he had been right and there was a staircase down, slowly descending them as the steps were a bit short for him, but it went okay. When he was down, he recognized the hallway they had been in earlier, when he had first heard Ace play and they had found some of the assassins enjoying it. Ace was good at playing, and as Trevor had said, that song had Azuruko made and used to play to get their spirits up. When he moved closer to where he still heard the faint sound of keys being played, he soon saw the door leading into the room, and it was half open, seeing Ace's back through it. But close to the door, standing behind the closed part, stood Trevor, leaning against the wall. He didn't look up, but the captain was sure the silver-haired man knew he was here.

When he walked closer, going a bit to the side as Trevor had, so he couldn't see Ace anymore, Trevor lifted his gaze to him when he was close. "Why aren't you at the party?" Whitebeard shook his head. "Wanted to check on Ace. Why aren't you?" Trevor shrugged. "Same. And I heard the piano. I like to listen in, a sort of way to see how Ace actually feels." Whitebeard had a feeling about that. "He's truthful when he plays?" Trevor nodded. "Yeah. Some songs are from the past, some are new. The new ones are those I want to hear. He forgets himself when he plays the piano and just… feels. It's a way to process things for him." Whitebeard nodded, on his way to speak, when he heard Ace slowly starting to sing again, the piano having had a tune for a few seconds.

"Hush now, drift off to sleep. Reality, a memory. Don't be scared of what you find. Yeah it's all just in your mind. Monsters that live inside. Your head at night they are alright. 'Cause they can never compare. To the ones that live outside. So dream dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare awaits. So dream, dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare awaits. It's a fantasy they'll be seeing you soon. Nowhere left to go terrors keep breaking through. So dream dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare will become the truth." Whitebeard knew Ace saw many horrors, and wasn't surprised that at times, being asleep was a blessing. Especially as Ace slept so little, maybe just a couple hours each night, which was a lot for Ace.

"Rows of teeth penetrate. There's no escape, the veil is raised. Every mistake visible. So was it me after all. A music box that creaks. The melody brings solemn peace. But only for one more breath. The last one you might have left. So dream dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare awaits. So dream dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare awaits. It's a fantasy they'll be seeing you soon. Nowhere left to go terrors keep breaking through. So dream dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare will become the truth. The ticking clock breaks the spell with every beat. Illusion or not you are safe for now so dream. So dream your dream. So dream your dream. So dream dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare awaits. So dream dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare awaits. It's a fantasy they'll be seeing you soon. Nowhere left to go terrors keep breaking through. So dream dream dream your dream. 'Cause when you're awake the nightmare will become the truth." (Dream Your Dream by TryHardNinja)

Before the captain could speak up, Trevor gave a sigh, moving to push himself from the wall. "I've heard enough. You can stay if you want. If you want to go into the room, just make sure you make a bit of noise as if you just appeared." Whitebeard nodded, going to remember that, having a feeling he would go into the room and be with Ace a bit, and the captain had a feeling Trevor knew that too, the reason he said it like that. When Trevor was gone, Whitebeard sent a look inside the room, seeing Ace slowly playing notes, playing different tunes. After another minute, the captain headed inside the room, making sure to open the door so it creaked. Ace didn't turn to look at him or change how he was playing, but the captain was sure Ace knew he was there.

As he was inside the room, he headed up to the piano and sat down next to it, sending a look at Ace. "How are you, son?" Ace sighed, not stopping the playing. "I don't know." Whitebeard let out a breath. "I see. You're a good player, on the piano." Ace nodded. "Thanks. I like to play, it's calming in a way." Whitebeard got that. It was a thing to do to get things off one's chest. "Any songs you want to play? I would like to hear more of you playing, even if it's just the piano." Ace didn't respond, and the captain was about to ask again, not sure if Ace heard it, when Ace started to play on a tune, voice joining in. "I can almost see it. That dream I'm dreaming, but there's a voice inside my head saying; You'll never reach it. Every step I'm taking. Every move I make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking but I Gotta keep trying. Gotta keep my head held high. There's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna, wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle, sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb." (The Climb by Miley Cyrus) Whitebeard sat silent, listening to the lyrics, before Ace slowed down the playing, before the tune ended. Ace then sat silent for a few seconds, before he started to play slow tunes again.

Whitebeard sat and thought for a second, thinking the lyrics over. It was clear Ace had a lot on his chest and all of the things that had happened the last weeks must have been hard for Ace. But after it all, Ace was still here, standing tall. "It's not done yet," Started Ace, still playing different tunes. "I'm not sure what to do with it." That did answer it was a new song, and he wasn't surprised Ace felt that way. "I am sure you'll manage something with it, son. It was an amazing start at least." Ace nodded, not saying anything as he still played tunes. After a minute, the captain decided to speak up again. "When did you learn how to play the piano?" Ace hummed. "When I was around 10. It's always been calming. Most instruments give me a calm feeling, but the piano does it the most." The captain nodded. "Which instruments can you play?" Ace chuckled. "I play most, but I am best at piano, guitar, violin, drums, and a few in between." The captain nodded. "I find it amazing. You are a man of many talents." Ace chuckled at that. "I always need to do something. So I learned a lot." Whitebeard nodded. "Have you written many songs?" Ace gave a weak chuckle. "Many and many. Some say yes, but I think no. I just sings what comes to me. Not every song is a song." The captain nodded. It made sense. Some songs Ace made were probably just thoughts, not meant to be a song. "Do you have a song you like the most?" Ace nodded. "I do. Want to hear it?" Whitebeard nodded. "I would love to." Ace nodded, before he started a tune on the piano, playing for a few seconds, before he started to sing.

"You're alone. You're on your own. So what, have you gone blind? Have you forgotten what you have and what is yours? Glass half empty, glass half full. Well, either way you won't be going thirsty. Count your blessings not your flaws. You've got it all. You lost your mind in the sound. There's so much more, you can reclaim your crown. You're in control. Rid of the monsters inside your head. Put all your faults to bed. You can be King again." Whitebeard smiled. He liked this song.

"You don't get what all this is about. You're too wrapped up in your self-doubt. You've got that young blood, set it free. You've got it all. You lost your mind in the sound. There's so much more, you can reclaim your crown. You're in control. Rid of the monsters inside your head. Put all your faults to bed. You can be King. There's method in my madness. There's no logic in your sadness. You don't gain a single thing from misery. Take it from me. You've got it all. You lost your mind in the sound. There's so much more, you can reclaim your crown. You're in control. Rid of the monsters inside your head. Put all your faults to bed. You can be King. You've got it all. You lost your mind in the sound. There's so much more, you can reclaim your crown. You're in control. Rid of the monsters inside your head. Put all your faults to bed. You can be King again." (King by Lauren Aquilina)

Ace then played a few more notes, before it ended. When he had, he looked at Ace. "That was a nice song." Ace nodded, starting to play different tunes. "I made it for Luffy. He was sad once, and needed a lighting up." Whitebeard nodded. That made sense. "Did he like it?" Ace nodded. "He and Sabo did. They sometimes hum it to get it a better mood, especially Luffy." Whitebeard nodded, that he got. It was a nice song.

He sat with Ace for a bit, before he left, Ace seemed to want to sit by the piano for a while more, probably wanting to relax alone. This was how he enjoyed alone time and probably had things he needed to process. As he headed on, he got up to the second floor and was on his way to head through the door to the others, when he heard Ace start to sign again. "All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races. Going nowhere, going nowhere. The tears are filling up their glasses. No expression, no expression. Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow. No tomorrow, no tomorrow. And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take. When people run in circles it's a very, very. Mad world, mad world." (Mad World by Gary Jules) Whitebeard took a breath. He wanted to go back down again, but then Ace would know he was listening in. He knew Ace viewed himself as a monster at times. He stood still, wanting to hear if Ace would continue. He did hear Ace sigh, before he heard multiple tangents being played, as if hit, and he moved a bit forward to look down, seeing Ace had moved his head to the keys, probably bagning it down.

He now really wanted to head down, to be sure Ace was fine, but as he was about to move, a voice spoke up. "Hello, Ace." Ace sighed, lifting his head. "Hey, Daisuke." Daisuke moved over to the piano. "Scotch." Ace moved a bit to the side on the small chair, Daisuke moving to sit down beside him. "Do you remember how it went?" Ace gave a small chuckle. "Do you?" Daisuke nodded. "I do. Let's try." Ace then started playing the piano, a somewhat upbeat tune, before Daisuke joined in. He had never heard about two people playing at the same time, but it was amazing to see and hear. Ace was also harboring a smile, seeming to be in better thoughts, which was good. Daisuke would watch out for Ace, so Whitebeard moved to head back to the room where most were, everyone still being in good moods, and he saw Trevor had joined them again, which was nice. Ace did join them after a few hours, and they partied through the night, leaving for the boat as the sun rose, and they would stay here for another day, before they headed on. It had been a good day.

And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed

This was a bit of this and that and hope it was good

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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