Wishfull-star: Thanks! Bad things will happen lol.

Sorry I'm posting so late. But enjoy~

When night came, everything was packed away on the ship, and they were finally going to set sail. Ace was able to walk on his own, if not in a more careful manner. He didn't want to fall and look like a weak little kid, especially since he knew he was. He was tied to the railing, at his own request. He wanted to watch the waves, but was told the water around the country was crazy.

He didn't want to worry about being thrown about, so he was firmly tied to the railing, with many outside on deck. "You know we'd keep you out of the water, right?" Thatch asked as he peeled oranges in a bucket in his lap.

"I don't want to burden others," Ace said defiantly. Pops laughed, without saying much else.

Marco stole an orange from Thatch's pile, and got scolded and demanded to put the peel back into the bucket. Apparently head chef Handi was making sauce from orange zest. Marco did so, dropping the peel back into the bucket. "I feel bad for Oden, but the only option was to sneak away in the middle of the night!" Marco said, sounding truly disappointed, but still with the smile he always wore on. "I mean, we're already taking Ace, so the whole 'it's illegal' point is a bit moot, Pops."

"Don't be so rude," Bay scolded. Marco stuck his tongue out, but she didn't see. Ace snickered and turned back to the island as it left sight.

Pops said, "It would be a bigger deal, as Oden is not a missing orphan child that nobody has seen in 70 years. He's royalty to Wano. Besides, at least we got all the treasure and food supplies! Gurarara!" Ace smiled before he shouted in alarm as something came hurtling at them. A chain slammed into the mast, wrapping around it.

Ace jerked to the side and saw lumps at the end of it. "Hey, what's that?!" Rayuko exclaimed.

"I knew you were up to something, Whitebeard!" Oden shouted, though there was a smile in his voice. Then there was somebody else following after him.

"ODEN?!" the crew exclaimed in shock. Oden was still laughing as he was dragged in the waves, jovially begging to be allowed on the ship. Ace untied himself but for his wrist, looking at the crazy man, somehow holding onto the chain even as was dragged through crazy waves in the dark. There was enough moonlight to see, just not the minute details. Though they didn't need to see him to tell he was grinning.

"What crazy bastards! Well, see ya around, Oden! Hopefully you float back to shore okay!" Marco shouted, smiling himself as he started to unwrap the chain that secured him to the mast of the Moby Dick. They were approaching the waterfall, and Ace hurriedly tied himself back down. Thatch put the lid on the bin of orange peels and hurried to Ace, tying himself down with his bin in his lap.

"He's crazy!" Thatch shouted. "We're approaching the waterfall!"

"Wait, Marco! Pull the other one up but leave Oden there!" Whitebeard called. Marco didn't question it and flew forward, snatching up the man who was hanging onto Wano's heir to the shogunate. So, Oden was a big deal. It really was different, having him leave than somebody as obscure as Ace leave.

The guy was pulled up and looked to Ace, who didn't look like he belonged to Wano at all, wearing outsider clothes and with no topknot or anything else traditional. This man was in a kimono and had his hair done up like a geisha, also in makeup. Then they jumped over the waterfall, and Ace and Thatch screamed as they made their way down. Others were holding onto the railing, or like Pops, somehow completely stable, even as they hit the water out of Wano's reach.

Ace watched the waterful become smaller as they sailed away, battered by the water and frantic waves. Oden was still holding onto the chain. "Pull him up, Whitebeard! Lord Oden will die at this rate! The future of Wano rests on his shoulders!"

"His shoulders don't mean much to him, though, do they?" Thatch asked Ace quietly. Ace snickered, soaked to the bone in water. Pops seemed to feel the same. Oden continued to hold on to the railing. Even lasting this long was impressive to Ace.

"Boy, you saw how many times I rejected him. Yet he's still determined to set out to sea. We're handling it our way, now. I can't just invite someone so wild onto the crew, they might endanger my family." Ace shared a look with Thatch.

He shrugged, and said Ace was harmless. He wasn't scary at all. The youngest pouted, saying he was "plenty intimidating". "You're the little brother, you aren't allowed to be scary." They were drawn back to what their father and captain was saying, still audible above the sound of the wild waves. His voice was easily heard no matter the background noise or how damn loud it was.

He continued, saying, "He'll have to convince me if he wants to change his fate. He has three days!" Then he addressed the man hanging onto the chain for his life. "You hear that Oden?! You hang onto that for three days and I'll let you join!" he called.

"Really?!" Oden asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I'm serious!"

Once the waves got more under control after hours, Ace and Thatch untied themselves, and Thatch sighed in relief that the orange peels were still fine, he hadn't lost the bin and it hadn't opened on accident. "That was crazy!" Ace exclaimed. "I'm glad I don't feel sick!" Thatch pointed to one of the crew vomiting over the side, and Ace smiled in relief that that wasn't him.

But they the two youngest's attentions turned back to Oden. Ace stood at the railing, wondering why he left his life as a daimyo for this. Well, Ace didn't know what pirating was like yet, so he couldn't decide which would be better. Being a lawless criminal who could really do whatever he wanted with family, or a rich and powerful person living in comfort with his own people.

He would never know one end, but he was just beginning in the other.

The crew cheered Oden on until dinner was served. Only the man who followed stayed, in his twenties. He was tied up, and very upset with what was happening to Oden. Ace felt bad for him, but Oden had been insisting for weeks apparently, never taking no for an answer. If he knew that the man was going to run off, shouldn't he and his retainers tied him down?

Izo looked at Ace skeptically a lot, and once dinner was over and people were starting to go to bed, even in the crazy waters that surrounded Wano country for many miles, people still could sleep, used to rough seas. Stefan wasn't allowed outside in these waves, but Ace again did not sleep.

Instead of going inside and being in the dark, even in his new comfortable bed, he stayed outside, sitting at the railing and keeping watch over Oden. Izo called to him, asking why he wasn't sleeping. He was still awake even at 3:00 in the morning. Izo had managed to sleep in that uncomfortable position, while Ace hadn't. "I have trouble sleeping," Ace said simply. They weren't going to tell these people about Ace's predicament. They didn't know how people of Wano would react to him coming out of the demon forest after 70 years. They might be suspicious of him. After all, he was suspicious of himself, but his new crew wasn't. They trusted Pops' decision fully.

Bay might have her reservations, but Ace hadn't heard her openly say she didn't think Ace belonged, he just got that feeling from her. But she also didn't seem to like Marco or Thatch, so who knows? Maybe she just didn't like young people. He stayed out there almost all night, not sleeping, before he finally went inside to cuddle with Stefan, who was in his room.

The hallways were lit up throughout the ship, which Ace appreciated. He entered his room, having memorized the important parts of the ship, and got in bed. Stefan woke up when he turned the light on and closed the door. "Hi boy. Sorry I haven't seen you today much," he said, his dog jumping onto the big bed.

Ace turned the bedside table lamp on and turned the room's main light off. This way, the room wasn't pitch black, but also wasn't bright. "Were you sleeping?" He wondered, though he knew his dog wouldn't reply. They just laid under the covers, and Ace thought about his desire to sleep, and his fear to sleep. He didn't know which one was worse.

He didn't sleep. And Stefan had his eyes closed, but was still awake with how much he shifted around to be the most comfortable. When it was 8:30, his door was knocked on. He opened it and saw Marco there. "Breakfast should be ready soon. Wanna head there?" Ace nodded, and closed the door enough to change into new clothes, not his pajamas.

When he left, Marco asked how he'd slept. "I noticed you were still out on deck really, really late," he added. He looked at Ace with a curious look, and Ace admitted he didn't seem to sleep anymore. "You don't sleep? At all?"

Ace shook his head. "Not since I got out of the forest." He gauged Marco's reaction, but got pity.

"That sucks, I'm sorry." Ace added that Stefan couldn't sleep either. "So it's most definitely from the forest incident, then." The younger nodded, fisting his hands. At least he didn't need the crutches. He'd forgotten all about them when he got up. "Don't worry. If more shit pops up, we'll deal with it just fine."

"I hope…" Ace said. He and Marco went to breakfast and served themselves with the good food, not grilled but cooked to perfection. He really had never had better food. If he'd lived his life fully on Wano, he still probably would not have had better food than what he was having three times a day.

Jermons, one of the sous chefs, left to bring food to Izo, who was still out on deck. Since he wasn't screaming or anything, Oden must still be hanging onto the chain and not have died yet. Ace wondered if he'd be okay, or if he'd be really hurt if he hung on and didn't die. The waves were not overly wild anymore, but they weren't gentle for the man.

Ace was sitting at the table with the other teens, talking about where they were going next. To the first island they were going to, they were keeping a secret. He wasn't too bothered. That day he'd be going to the clothes makers, since he needed some clothes of his own. He would be measured and have outfits tailor made for him.

Personally, he was more comfortable in outsider clothes than the outfits he was used to. He liked his new shoes, too. They covered his toes easily. After he was measured, and got to choose the colors he wanted, he went outside on deck and to the back, where there was a crowd of pirates watching. Oden was still hanging on. Ace was amazed.

Izo was still there, tied up and angry. Ace understood why he was angry, but Whitebeard had told Oden a lot of times that he wasn't welcome. This was their right to do it this way. He wondered what it would be like to have a ruler on the ship. Well, he wouldn't be the boss or ruler. And technically, Ace was older than him. But pointing that out was useless, as he had no experiences in those 70 years trapped in the demon forest.

He walked to the railing and sat down at it to watch the man hang on, as the ship had started to sail once breakfast was over and cleaned up mostly. Marco called Ace over, and he went, asking what was up. "You wanted to learn about navigation, right?" he asked with a smile. Ace nodded in response. "We have a ton of books on it, I'm sure that would be the best way to start it out."

Ace deflated. "I'm not very good at reading," he confessed honestly. He knew Marco would never make fun of him about something like that. He offered to help him out. "I can read basic things, but I don't think I could read a science book on my own…"

Marco beamed still and said they would practice it. "I feel like you'll be a fast learner," he said nicely, making Ace smile. He nodded. He'd do his best. They walked inside and to the library. Marco picked out a book, a simple fiction one that belonged to Thatch, and gave it to Ace, sitting down at a desk. Ace really did think couches in there would be nice.

They practiced Ace reading. He would read the page, and Marco would point out things he'd done wrong or could do better, and then explained how they should be done. How to pronounce things. They spent a few hours on that before the both of them wanted a break. Ace smiled as they went outside to check on Oden. He really liked Marco.

Stefan came zooming through the halls to Ace, jumping on his leg. He picked up his small dog, and asked what he wanted. The dog gave the whine that meant he was hungry. "Okay, food first, huh?" Ace asked, making his dog lick his face. "I'll be out in a bit," Ace said, Marco nodding.

The pup ran down the halls to the kitchen, and when they got there, Ace took out some of the minced meat used to feed him. He ate it from his bowl enthusiastically. "What are you doing in my kitchen?" Thatch grumbled, coming out of the pantry.

"You're not the head chef yet, it isn't your kitchen," Ace pointed out with a smile. Thatch scowled.

"Some day it will be my kitchen! I'll make it so!" he exclaimed. Ace nodded, saying he knew he could do it. "Awww, you're so sweet!" Thatch gushed. Ace blushed, and turned back to Stefan, who was drinking from his water bowl. Once he was done eating, Thatch cleaned out the food bowl in the sink.

Ace asked if he wanted to go check on Oden with him. They both went outside, with Thatch asking if Ace slept. He hoped so, wishing Ace could be as normal as he could. He said so, and Ace wasn't offended. The youngest wanted to be normal as well. He shook his head, saying, "No, I didn't sleep. I spent a lot of the night out on the deck. That Izo is probably suspicious of me, now. Cause he was there and knew I was awake all night," Ace explained. Thatch hummed, wondering how things would work out with Izo.

"After all, he hates Pops, but we're not bringing him back to Wano. He'll have to deal with us like this. And you know what I was thinking? Pranks! It would be so fun to prank everybody," Thatch said, though he was saying it in a hush so nobody heard. Ace thought it sounded fun, and wondered what kinds of pranks they'd do. "I don't know! That's the fun of it, we'll figure things out ourselves."

"Sounds fun!" Ace said enthusiastically. When they got to the back deck, where people were gathered, they saw Oden still hanging on, but looking in bad shape. He'd need to get checked up at the doctor if he made it the next two days.

Izo was still looking grumpy, no longer tied up, but staying away from everyone. He kept glaring at Pops, who would go and check on the pestering man. Ace felt he would make it, and join the crew. Pops didn't seem to hate him. If he did, he would have had Oden tossed into the ocean to die, not his problem or his family.

Ace sat at the railing, feeling pity for the man. He was glad he joined so easily. Maybe it was because he was young and helpless. Though he would learn to be strong on this ship. Izo switched from glaring at Pops to looking at Ace with narrowed eyes. He had sweat on the back of his neck, practically feeling the eyes on him.

Pops saw this, and asked Izo if there was a problem, voice hard. "Why did you take a child from Wano?" he demanded. Brave guy. Pops said it was none of his business. "It's still illegal! He can't leave!"

"He's already left. You've left, too, you know? Haven't you broken the law as well?" Pops challenged, laughing when Izo came up with no reply. Thatch and Marco snickered, and the geisha man glared at them, too. "Don't like kids, do ya?" the captain asked. Izo looked away defiantly, not engaging in small talk.

Thatch whispered to Ace, "We should definitely prank him." The youngest grinned, thinking it was a good idea. He wouldn't dare harm them, members of the crew and children at that. They watched him grow angry, and his make up was falling off from the water in the air, both from the waves and the rain that came not much later that day.

It was nice he wasn't seasick, or life as a pirate wouldn't be so enjoyable. They had lunch outside. Well, many did. Poor Oden didn't get any food until people were taking their plates inside, and Ace took a piece of his chicken and tossed it to him, glad he caught it in his mouth and laughed in thanks.

"I saw that, son," Pops said, and Ace flinched. "You sure are a kind one. I'm not angry." Ace sighed in relief. He turned and smiled, wondering what it would be like to have royalty working under him. He was even Ace's boss. Though not with "you know what". He didn't want to talk about the demon forest with people who knew how dangerous it was. What kind of history it carried.

Pops replied, "Well, he's nobody's boss here. I'm the captain. He'll just need to deal with that." Ace nodded, happy to have Pops as the captain. He left to go read some more, finding Marco along the way. He was flying down the hall with Thatch grabbing his leg, being pulled along, dragged along the ground. "Nooo, please!"

"No! I already told you my flames can't do that," Marco said, continuing to drag his younger brother.

"Just try!" Thatch begged. Ace asked what was going on. Marco told him Thatch wanted to try cooking eggs on his back while on fire. "Please, it's a science experiment! Don't you want to be part of science?!" Ace started laughing, and Thatch yelled at him his ambition wasn't funny. "In the name of science, I will cook eggs on you!"

Then Marco shook him off and flew down the hall. Thatch looked at Ace, and both grinned. "First prank?" Thatch asked mischievously. Ace nodded, and the two youngest zoomed down the halls and into the kitchen. Thatch got two eggs and put them in a plastic container, sticking it in his pocket, though there was now a noticeable lump in it.

They expertly went outside, looking leisurely. Not suspicious at all. They both waited for the perfect moment. "Marco, will you fly me?" Ace asked. Marco nodded, saying that was fine. Ace was getting on Marco's flaming back when he discreetly cracked and egg on his back. It didn't cook at all, but Marco didn't notice until he raised a bit, the egg sliding down his back.

"Off," Marco said. Ace pouted and got off. "Thatch, you're a bad influence!" Marco shouted to Thatch, running after him, angrily when an egg was thrown at him. Thatch went running across the ship, screaming apologies while also laughing. Vista asked what on earth they were doing. Pops was watching in amusement, having brought his big chair to the back of the ship so he could keep a watch on Oden if he wanted to not have to stand.

Ace explained, "Thatch wanted to see if eggs could be cooked with Marco's flames. It was a science experiment." Those around started laughing, and they could hear Marco shout it wasn't funny. Ace laughed, too. This really was a nice place to be. He would enjoy his life here.

The next two days passed with Oden hanging on. Izo was allowed to roam the ship since he wouldn't be stupid enough to do something when he had nowhere to run if he did. He was still furious at Whitebeard, given how swollen and injured Oden was by then. But everyone was now cheering at him to last till the end.

The youngest had stayed up with him at night, and fed him when he could. Oden couldn't talk much, the water getting in his mouth. They were all standing at the back deck, cheering him on. Only a few hours left. Ace cheered, too. Even Bay wanted him to stay. He was persevering so intensely it was admirable.

Wondering what kind of person he was to ditch his responsibilities, Ace was looking forward to talking to him. But, when they reached a large storm, and they lost sight of Oden, they were all upset to see he wasn't there anymore! "Oden!" they shouted. "No, he only had ten mintues left! Damn it!"

There were various shouts of disappointment and sadness. Izo shouted his name in horror, and then glared at Whitebeard in fury. He had his guns taken away, so he couldn't shoot anybody. "I will neve forgive you," he said, very upset.

"Well, maybe he will wash up on another island," Ace said hopefully, though his voice was also thick with sadness. Izo glared at him, while Marco left to scan the area, but came back seeing an island in the distance, but no Oden. If he did make it, he swam there very fast, even though he was injured and super bloated.

Whitebeard redirected the ship towards the island Marco talked about, choosing the needle pointing that way on the log pose. Ace had been fascinated with the log pose, and wanted to learn more about it, about everything! But they had to finished the deal with Oden before Ace felt he would be able to focus the best.

They were going to the first island, and Ace was so excited. Rayuko said he should stay with one of the older members. "Marco and Thatch have proven they can't go off on their own," he said, shooting a glance at Marco.

"Hey, c'mon, it was a demon forest! Of course we had to explore, and we came out just fine, didn't we?" Marco said angrily. "Besides, we got something good from it, you can't complain." Rayuko sighed, but knew he was right to an extent. So Ace would stick with Appa, one of the older members in his thirties. He was one of the more responsible ones.

But Izo overheard and was completely baffled that two teens had entered such a place and got out. "H-How the hell did you get back out?!" he demanded. Thatch told him about using Marco's flames. "What was it like inside?" He didn't sound angry, but genuinely curious. Thatch and Marco explained what the experience had been like.

"It was pitch black in there, no light got inside. The darkness was alive, and the plants tried to trap us, the vines. There were tons of critters, creepy black ones that wanted to get to us. We found Ace trying to enter, and stopped him. He thought Stefan had gotten inside, but found him without entering. So we brought them here," Marco lied expertly. It didn't matter if others didn't hear his false story, as they were told to not talk about it with others.

Pops didn't want anyone to discriminate against their youngest member. And Ace was so happy nobody rejected him. They were pirates who had seen plenty in life. Sure, Ace's situation was new, but it wasn't worth shunning him. They truly believed that they could take care of anything if it happened.

When the island came into sight, everyone was looking for any sign of Oden, using the many telescopes to inspect the coast of it. There was a beach, but also a cliff. They chose the cliff to dock at, and dropped anchor before propping the ramp up again the cliff, climbing up it and onto the island.

Izo came, too, not forced to stay behind. He was still speaking with Marco and Thatch about the demon forest. "Did you find bodies in there?" Izo asked the two teens.

"No, we only saw the black demons. When we were running out, there was a loud bellowing sound, a huge one!" Thatch exclaimed, waving his arms animatedly. Ace walked beside them, but didn't contribute to the conversation until Izo directly asked Ace what he was thinking, going inside.

Ace bristled. "My only family was supposedly in there," he said, voice curt. Izo asked that he was about to go in there because of a dog. Ace nodded, saying Stefan was his best friend. He was behind on the ship, probably in the library or stairwell. He liked to run up and down stairs for some reason.

People had to be careful to not trip over him, though all the hall lights were on, so they could see just fine, really. Nobody complained about the lights, understanding why Ace would be uncomfortable in the dark. It made sense, and he was their little brother, so they wanted him to be comfortable.