Wishfull-star: thank you!

sairakanzaki: you're welcome!

It was near their next island, which was pretty close to the unapproachable one, that they came across an enemy from the New World. Ace slowed the ship, telling them to start sailing. He could sense the man in front of him was from the New World. And he recognized him. Blackbeard. He looked furious at Ace, and the teen wondered how he found them.

His crew did what they were told, and sailed away while Blackbeard and his crew members only had beef with Ace, it seemed. He stayed in dragon form. The guy was a fruit user, he could tell. "Can I help you?" he asked in a taunting voice, unable to help it. Pissing off enemies was fun.

"You ruined my chance at taking down Whitebeard. You broke Marco out of Impel Down," Blackbeard said coldly.

"That's right. But I don't see how you could defeat Whitebeard," Ace replied. His voice was a bit deeper in dragon form, but mostly sounded how it did in his human form. Blackbeard narrowed his eyes. "So, you pissy cause I saved the guy you put in prison? What, did you want to join the warlords? Without knowing they were disbanded? You'd think you would know that before going through all the work of capturing Marco. I could be wrong, you don't look like the smartest fellow," Ace said in a chipper voice.

He was in the water, and they were on their ship, so he had the advantage. Many, many times larger than their smaller ship. He could sink it with one swipe of his claws. Blackbeard grew furious. "You think you're so tough because you have a large bounty. Even though the crew you belonged to was destroyed," he taunted, as if Ace was upset about that. He wasn't.

"Well, first of all, I'm happy Kaido was taken down. They were terrible people. But yeah, I feel pretty strong. Definitely stronger than you and your little crew," he teased. "Though, mine is the same size. So I guess I can't complain, can I?" He spoke as if he was making small talk with a friend. "So, what did you want? To kill me? It's not like there's an Impel Down for you to take me to, now."

Some black matter appeared in front of him. He ducked into the water. Of course the devil fruit didn't apply in the water, being stopped when touching the surface. Well, they were going to be no fun, it seemed. Blackbeard wasn't physically strong, it seemed, but the devil fruit he had gave him a bad feeling. He didn't know what it was, so he'd avoid it.

Ace may be cocky sometimes, and love to fight, but he was cautious when he needed to be. When it was the safety of himself and his crew. The PoS was pretty far away. He went under the ship and thrust a finger into the bottom. Water started to fill it. He heard angry shouting from above.

He poked more holes in it from the sides. He was grinning as he listened to that "tough" pirate shouting in alarm and fear. He would definitely die. He was a devil fruit user, and not an aquatic one, clearly. He swam out a bit, and wished Blackbeard a good day as his ship sank and his crew freaked out.

Their crew was smaller than Ace's. Not many people, only a handful and none seemed especially threatening. So, he had complete faith that this was his end. "I'll send Whitebeard a hello for you!" he called, then swam back to his ship. He popped his head out. "Everything's okay!"

But then he felt something come rushing at him. It was the black stuff. He splashed his tail, nullifying the stuff with a wave of water. That had been Blackbeard's last chance as he finally was in the water. He screamed profanities at Ace. "Have a nice death! See you in hell some day!" Then he sank.

The crew was laughing about it. "Man, you can really be an asshole," Bree said, but in a humorous voice. He was usually always looking cranky, so it was a nice change. Sabo asked if he could stop for the night. Ace wondered why.

"Don't you get lonely? We're all together and you just spend all day swimming alone," Sabo said honestly, sounding a bit sad.

Ace just smiled. "As long as I'm keeping everyone safe, I'm totally fine spending all day by myself. That's how I always was before. Besides, I know you're there. I can hear and feel everybody."

Deuce suddenly said, "You're a really good captain, Ace." If Ace was in human form, his face would have turned red. He always tried to be the best captain he could be. He thought he did alright. "You're teaching us to be stronger, not getting annoyed whenever we fail. You spend all day towing the boat along, you protect us when we need it. You're very selfless."

Ace looked down and said a thank you. He was still in dragon form. Ban asked if he would come up for the rest of the day. "We can get there tomorrow. Just take a break. And not to teach us to fight. There's more than that in life." Ace said he only did it for their future protection. "Still, just take a break."

So he did. They weighed anchor for the rest of the day, and they spent it playing games, talking or just being quiet, reading. Ace started to sketch on extra paper, enjoying it. The light scratch of the pencil on the paper. His drawings weren't the best, but they weren't horrible. "So, what did that Blackbeard want?" Mihar asked. They had couches bolted to the floor in the galley, so they were sitting on those.

Ace forgot they didn't know. "He was mad cause I ruined his plan by saving Marco. I guess he wanted Whitebeard to come save him so he could kill him. Which I don't see happening easily. I've never met him personally, but I met his commanders and they were pretty strong, not just Marco. So, who knows what could have happened?"

He didn't realize he'd never told the full story, so when Saber asked what had happened, he was hesitant. But he said it anyway. "When I first realized that they were gonna betray me, it wasn't pretty. I got myself dangerously drunk to try and drown out my problems. That's why I don't drink alcohol. I hate the taste after that. It was on a Whitebeard island, so it wasn't strange that some of them came to get me to leave. But they didn't. Marco just let me talk to him, and they lead me through town, just trying to make me feel better.

"To be honest, I think they would have invited me to join them. I heard them talking about how I wasn't too bad, and they wanted me to meet their captain. I declined, and they looked pretty bummed. So, I needed to save Marco after he showed me the kindness I needed.

"Though, even after that, I still went back. I wanted to see if I could do anything to keep them from killing me. I was stopped by King, and ended up attacking him before I fled. That's where my second life began," he finished explaining. They were quiet, and Mihar apologized for that hardship. Ace waved it off, saying he was grateful for it now. He liked this life and this version of himself much more than his previous.

They just talked and laughed and ate before Sabo went on watch and they went to bed. Ace had a good day, and fell asleep happy.

-x-

The next island they landed at was full of caves, and Ace was ecstatic for some exploring. Aggie had no interest, so he kept on the ship. Ace was a bit nervous about him, since he was the weakest member, but trusted him to be good enough with the gun to handle himself.

So, the group, flashlights in hand, headed into the nearest cave. Sabo kept them lit up more by keeping his arm on fire, sending orange light dancing along the damp and black walls. They heard bats, and Saber didn't like that. "It's fine, they won't attack. They'd rather just chill by themselves," Ace said easily, his voice echoing in the cave.

He and a few of the others could tell there was nobody else on the island. It was small and had nothing really helpful to stop at it for. Plus, they were in the least chosen path of Paradise, close to the Calm Belt. The floor got steep downhill, and Ace immediately slid down it, not deterred. If they couldn't get back up, they could always use armament haki to force their fingers into the stone like climbing a ladder.

Saber and Deuce were a bit wary, while the others slid down without a problem. It was getting colder, which Ace found interesting. As they walked through it, some were shivering, not including Sabo and Mihar, who always wore long sleeved clothes and pants. Ace wasn't too cold, either, even though he wore shorts and an open shirt that was thin in the first place.

When they'd been walking for a good hour in the echoing and chilly cave, they came out to some lights. But they were coming from small holes in what seemed like a dead end, even though they knew it wasn't. There was more behind it. Ace coated his hands in haki and punched the wall away easily.

They came across a huge dome in the center of the island, no place of sunlight, but instead with vines that glowed brightly. There was a poneglyph in the middle. Of course, nobody could read it. Only Ace and Sabo knew what it was, and the blonde explained it while Ace checked it out, really wondering what it said.

The others listened to the explanation while they inspected the dome. It was like a greenhouse with no sunlight. Ace wondered if anybody who could read poneglyphs would even find this place. He went through one of the other caves, climbing his way up the cold and slippery stone by embedding his hands in it.

When he reached the top, he found some sort of creature with what looked like baby versions of itself. Some sort of leathery bird. It grew furious with him, and he ran away laughing. "Don't hurt me!" he laughed at the bird. Sabo asked what he was doing. "What does it look like?!" and he ran further out of the cave until the creature seemed to be happy enough with the distance and flew back to her babies.

He came back out, but didn't go to the cave again. "Phew, I'm safe," Ace laughed. He didn't feel like trying the other little caves. He wondered how it got out of this place if the exit/entrance had been blocked by a stone wall. The others were laughing. Ban cut off a piece of the vine as it still shone light.

It was a souvenir, and the seven of them headed back, making the long journey again, and climbed up the steeper part. Saber just had the wind throw him upwards a bit. So far, he was unable to fly, but could lift himself up with a burst of air, but it was only for a second. So not long enough to be able to escape using the devil fruit. When they returned, the ship was perfectly fine, still nobody on the island. Ace vowed to explore some of the other caves the next day. Since they were out of meat, Ace got some sea king for them, which was always a failsafe if they ran out of food.

After exploring more of the caves the next day, Ace was attacked some more by those strange, unidentified creatures. Maybe this was their nesting place, or where they went to have babies. So, after the sixth attack, he finally stopped entering all of the caves, and called quits. After the group had been attacked the first time, Ace went alone.

He came back to the ship and saw one of the bird things there. Ace tried shooing it away, but it stayed on the railing, its talons clamped down. They were leaving soon, as they'd docked the day before and there was nothing else to do here, nothing to stock up. It was a void island.

The only interesting thing about it, why anyone would visit, was if they knew the poneglyph was there. The bird-thing eventually left when they set off. But an almost alarmingly thick fog set in, making travel by dragon the only safe way to get out without accidentally sailing into the Calm Belt. He turned them around, but shouted for them to be careful, there was a swarm of flying fish coming.

"They have teeth!" Ace shouted, getting out of the water to try and fight them off. Sabo and Aggie were the most vulnerable, and Aggie got his arm bitten and Saber's hat was ripped. Everyone was shouting, but those with observation haki were doing alright. Aggie and Saber were terrified, getting hit but not bitten, until larger ones started to come, jumping out of the fog like a horror story.

But, in the terror and weakness that they felt, Ace could sort of feel the moment their observation haki awakened. It had only been seven weeks of practice, almost daily. Well, usually daily, and they got it. But, unlike the first few, they had more than one person to teach them. So, when they got out of the fog, Ace being the savior of the situation, they all cheered for the two after everyone had any wounds taken care of.

Saber was ecstatic, though he was upset about his cowboy hat being ruined. Aggie looked almost uneasy, and Ace asked him what was wrong. "Well, I just feel uncomfortable."

"Why?"

"I can feel big things underneath us. It's distracting." Sabo chimed in that focusing on observation haki for a while would make it easier to drown out the background senses. "I hope so."

"You know what this means?" Deuce asked. Ace nodded. They all awakened haki to an extent. "Can we go to the New World now?" Ace shook his head, saying not yet. Saber had to get better at his devil fruit, and both of the newest members had not gotten armament haki. But he happily pointed out that it would be easier to learn since they now have observation haki, too.

"You all need more experience fighting pirates. So, now that we all know haki to an extent, some more than others, I want you to have practice. I won't lose any of you," he said firmly, making eye contact with all of them. Sometimes he forgot he was only 18. He felt like an adult, thrust into a high position role, which might have been why he was this type of captain. Responsible maybe to a fault.

Sabo asked how they'd do that. "First I have to ask. Would you all rather we continue traveling Paradise, or go to the New World?" he asked. They'd already been to many more islands than the usual routes. At least 25 last time Ace counted. In a zigzag pattern. They were the only pirates to experience this mix of islands, which Ace was happy about.

"A vote. Raise your hand if you want to continue at Paradise?" Aggie and Saber were the only ones to raise their hands. "Everyone else wants to attempt the New World?"

Deuce said, "I think you're getting this wrong, Ace. You're the captain. We do what you want to do. What do you want to do?" Ace sometimes forgot he was the one who was supposed to be making all of the decisions. Most captains don't take their crew's input into account like this.

He knew his answer. "I want to keep going through Paradise. I don't want to go to the New World until I feel you're all ready for it. And you're just not," he said honestly. "I'm not going overboard when I say the New World can be hell, and almost every moment you're risking your life. Whether it be aggressive sea kings, strong enemy pirates, or the destructive storms and waves that plague the sea. Even Sabo will be out of touch with it. It will take getting used to." None of them but Aggie looked scared of this. Maybe a bit concerned, but nobody was outright scared of his words. Aggie just looked very uneasy and apprehensive. Ace wondered if taking him along was a mistake. He hoped not.

"Once we enter the New World, it'll be hard to get back to Paradise. I was only able to do it because I could swim through Fishman Island's gap," he added. "I don't want us to go and then have somebody really want to return."

Deuce just said it sounded thrilling and interesting. Ace knew that was true, but still. "We'll keep sailing, and I'll find us a lot of practice dummies. Should be easy. Fighting against marines is not helpful in the New World, you must know how to fight underhanded pricks. The New World belongs to pirates, not the marines."

So, after the next island, where they stocked up for good, since they might not stop on an island for a while, Ace was no longer taking them from island to island. He was hunting down pirate crews. Any and all in the area, he brought the Spades there. He didn't fight. He wasn't rusty at all. Being someone like he had been pretty much made being rusty impossible. He used plenty of haki, and you can't just lose the ability from not using it for a bit.

Aggie was slower to fight, but he eventually got the hang of it. Instead of fighting, he was better at being a doctor. He might be the most important in a pirate raid. He fixed up the injuries the others had. Maybe he could handle the New World, but Ace wasn't sure and he wasn't going to make any hasty decisions.

He used his arm gun, his real weapon, and was pretty good at that. Ace would be more comfortable if it didn't run out of ammo, which was why he wanted them to learn armament haki for defense if they ran out of bullets. It would guard against other bullets unless they were seastone, but those were not used on simple pirate crews - which the Spades were, high bountied captain or otherwise.

After many, many battles, always ending in the opposite ship losing but leaving some small injuries, Ace felt that they were all physically fit. Aggie was still round and big, but Ace didn't think that was due to weight, that was just how he was. Like Mihar was naturally tall and skinny.

One day, on their way to the next island, the 30th island, a pirate group they ran into was another broken piece of the Beast Pirates crew.

Only Sabo had really seen the other SMILE fruit users. There were shouts of Ace's name, and he seized this opportunity. "These are New World pirates. You will all fight them," he announced to his crew. They all grew nervous and worried. "Prove to me you are ready for the second part of the Grand Line."

He stood on the first yardarm.

"Traitor! Get down here!"

"To get to me, you must fight my crew. Once they're defeated, then you can get to me! Mutant scum!" Ace called. He wanted them energized. Maybe this was a mistake, though they were all the weakest of the Beast Pirates. Well, the ones who were fruit users. Many of them didn't have SMILEs. But those that did were still weak. At least, but New World standards.

The battle was hard and tense. Saber blew them off of the ship and into the sea, Sabo burned them, hitting them with a superheated pipe, Aggie shot them with Mihar, both getting the heads easily. Deuce and Bree fought with haki covered fists, breaking bones, shattering skulls and faces. Ban cut them in half with her haki covered sword.

There were so many, so the fight lasted a good while. For Sabo, this was the first fight he'd been in where his logia fruit did not shield him from physical blows. Ace watched closely, biting his lip but trying to feel confidence in his crew. And they did well. Considering they weren't from the harsher sea, they did very well. Ace was impressed and so proud.

He was the youngest on the crew, but he felt wiser in many ways. Just more experience in darker things. He'd seen a lot of suffering and murder, much of it done by him to somebody else. He felt no guilt.

Finally, the Spades were exhausted, so Ace stepped up. He dropped onto deck, and grabbed the remaining conscious and alive pirates, and chucked them onto their own ship, where he beat the strongest of them to death. His crew saw this. They needed to get used to it if they were heading to the New World soon. He was strategic, though. Hit them in just the right places to kill. Throat, face and ribcage. Crushing their chest in and destroying the lungs and heart, killing them quickly. A punch to the throat could be fatal depending on how much force. Hitting the head in the right spot was an instant death.

He headed inside, stealing everything useful for their journey ahead. They were embarrassingly short on money and treasure. Really, the last remnants of a once powerful empire of pain and misery and cruelty. An embarrassing way to go. Hopelessly trying to fulfil one last order. Well, they never would. He wouldn't let them.

He took other supplies for repairs that were also short in supply. There was no more food in the store room. Pitiful. He went to his own ship, having Sabo burn down the former Beast Pirates ship. His crew were sore and tired and lightly wounded, but alive. Deuce asked, crankily, "That good enough for you?"

Ace nodded. "Yeah. you may run out of stamina fast, but that was a former yonko crew. The more pathetic ranked ones, but New World pirates regardless."

Sabo said, "You sure were lucky with that artificial fruit. They all looked mutated and wrong. I can see why you would be taken in." Ace nodded, saying that he was the only one like this, as far as he knew. Ace put all of the things away inside, calling everybody to the galley. They sat at the dining table, all silent with Ace sitting at the head.

"I really want to know if you're ready? Aggie and Saber have improved greatly. I feel by the time we reach the New World you will have awakened armament haki. Keep practicing. But, you risk your life every day as a pirate. You'll risk your life and your sanity in the New World." They all nodded, each of them having gained confidence by fighting New World pirates.

They were stronger than Paradise pirates, even if they were easy for Ace to dispatch. Even Aggie and Saber looked more confident and sure. "Alright. I want to visit at least three more islands, not including Sabaody Archipelago."

So, Ace stopped hunting pirates, and took them to the nearest island. He would have at least some more adventures. Even if they were minimal, he wanted something. But he couldn't help but be happy to go back to the New World. Only, he now didn't only have to worry about himself. He had to worry about his crew. It made him frown, all excitement fizzled away.

Sabo came up behind him. "We'll be okay. You're our captain, but we have a responsibility of our own life more than you do. Trust us," he said kindly. Ace nodded, and they sailed on, Ace not taking them there in dragon form. The log pose would point them to the next island, wherever they were now.

"Sabo, I want you to go through everything in the map room about the New World. We should have quite some information. And I'll teach everyone how to use the log pose in the second half. It's a lot more convenient than the one we sometimes use now. I'd like us to follow the log pose as much as possible. I don't want us getting lost. There are some islands I want to go to personally. Dressrosa isn't under Doflamingo anymore, and Wano should be free with Kaido gone." He smiled. "And I'd like to visit the Whitebeards. See how they're doing."

"You can tell them you got rid of the guy who turned Marco in," Sabo said, both of them standing by the railing. Ace looked at the water below.

He said, "I've changed so much. I doubt they'd even recognize me. When I met them, I was distraught over a fake relationship. I was devastated, saw no future on my own, truly. I was intoxicated, a mess and not confident. Now I made my own crew, I taught them haki, I've kept us all safe. I'm not selfish anymore. I don't think I am. I'm doing okay, right?" he asked, showing vulnerability to his first true friend, his first crew member.

Sabo put his arm around him and said, "You've done very well. I'm very glad you found me, and I'm sure the others are, too." He sounded truly sincere, and it made Ace smile. He went back to everyone and said, "Enjoy the last of your time in Paradise. You'll either never return here, or come back seasoned New World pirates! And we won't run back to Paradise with our tails between our legs. We won't return in fear, so be ready for hell to come," he said.

They all grinned, Aggie still treating wounds from the battle.