Hello Friends! Ok so this chapter is what I was planning on posting in between chapters 8 and 9 over in The Siren Vol. 3. But it just wasn't working with me and so instead of throwing it away I'm posting it here! This is what Ace is doing while Ariadne is busy joining the Red Hair Pirates. I don't really want to write too much of Ace's perspective without Ariadne because that has already been done by writers far more skilled than myself and I just don't want to step into that ring. So I will probably be posting a few more Ace drabbles but they will all be dealing with aspects of Ace's character and life that are unique to the changes I've made to fit my fic. But don't worry Ace will still be showing up in the main fic but I don't think I'll be writing anything from his perspective in the main story.

A bit of the dialogue in this chapter is pulled pretty much exactly from the Ace light novel Vol. 2, so if it looks familiar that's why! The scene where Ace is disbanding the crew is almost exactly from that book (not completely word for word but enough to recognize it if you've read it).

New World, Moby Dick

Ariadne stood looking far more radiant than should be humanly possible in the middle of the forest. A fine mist fell from the trees and placed thousands of shimmering stars in her long blue hair. She smiled sweetly as a warm blush flooded her cheeks.

"I love you, Ace." She said with nothing but pure devotion on her face. "I will always love you."

I felt my chest ease as her voice washed over me like a warm blanket. I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out. I felt my brow furrow as I tried again, but still, nothing.

"I love you." She said again. "So why can't you love me?"

Suddenly the fine misting rain turned to a downpour and in the second I took to blink the water from my eyes Ariadne had turned from a radiant angel to a drowned corpse. Her lips were blue, her skin deathly pale, her clothes ripped and stained with blood.

"Why did you betray me?" She asked as water streamed down her emotionless face. "Why did you leave me?"

I shot up from the deck with a gasp and struggled to breath as I fought to get the image of Ariadne as a corpse out of my mind.

"You good Ace?" Someone asked as they walked past where I was sitting on the deck.

I ran a hand over my face and said, "Yeah. I'm fine, just a bad dream."

Shit sakes what the hell was that?

"-sighted the island. So it shouldn't be long now." They said.

"I'm sorry what?"

"You still sleeping, man?" He asked with a smirk. "I said the lookouts just sighted the island. So it shouldn't be long until we dock."

"Oh, right. Thanks."

They walked away while laughing. I sat there for a second longer before standing up and pulling my hat back onto my head from where it had been dangling around my neck. As I stood there I looked around the deck and the mass of pirates bustling around. Nearly everyone who walked passed me would either wave or nod to me. I waved and nodded back as a thought came to me.

I can't believe it's been half a year already. Feels like yesterday we were waiting for Pops to get to that island so I could kill him. Things might have changed, but I think it's for the better. I hope.

My eyes drifted up to the jolly roger flying high up on the main mast of the Moby Dick and felt a smirk make its way onto my face.

Yeah I think things could work out here.

Since I had been brought onboard about six months ago it was agreed that I would have 100 chances to challenge Whitebeard and if I failed the 100th time then I would join the crew. Yesterday had marked the final challenge I had before I had to make up my mind. The Old Man had probably known what decision I would come too since he ordered the Moby to sail to the island we had left the Piece of Spadille anchored at. After getting my ass handed to me a few times and then some words with Marco, my mind had been made up.

I'm joining the Whitebeard Pirates.

I just have to take care of my people first.

I wish I could do that for everyone who sailed with me…

Turning away from the mast I began walking through the winding hallways of the Moby towards the infirmary. I needed to gather up the Spade Pirates so that I could break the news to them and I needed Deuce's help to find everyone. Once we had been brought on board the majority of the crew had been quick to integrate themselves into the crew. At first I had been mad and felt betrayed, but now, as I felt myself doing the same I couldn't really blame them. This ship, this crew, it felt like we belonged. Like this was where we were all meant to end up.

Well almost all of us…

I shook my head to clear away the thought of my former girlfriend first mate as I opened the door to the infirmary. The nurses were running around in a flurry as usual, and standing off to the side looking in a cabinet was Deuce.

"Hey Deuce." I said walking up to the doctor.

"Ace." He nodded.

"How are things going up here?"

"Busy as usual. Did you need something?"

"Can't I just want to say hi?"

He narrowed his eyes at me and didn't say anything else.

"Yeah ok fine. I need to talk to everyone. Can you help me get the crew together?"

"I can help but you know I can't find everyone."

"Right." I sighed. "Ariadne won't be coming."

"What happened Ace?" He said, closing the cabinet and finally turning to give me his full attention. "Why did she leave? I mean I know she wasn't happy and a lot of the Spades weren't happy with her but I never thought she would just up and leave."

I hesitated as I tried to figure out what to say before settling on shrugging and saying, "She didn't leave- well she did. But… I don't know man."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"We got into a fight before she left and I kind of told her that she wasn't welcome on the crew anymore. Then she left."

"What the hell man. Are you serious? I thought you two loved each other."

"Yeah that's what she said and yet… here we are."

Not like I really expected anything different.

Deuce sighed and shook his head.

"But will you still help me get everyone else together?" I asked.

"Yeah of course. But Ace, do you even know what happened to her? Where she is?"

I shook my head in an attempt to clear the image of Ariadne as a corpse from my mind and said, "I just hope she's alright."

I hope her blood isn't on my hands.

He nodded. "Me too."

"But anyways. Everyone else?"

"Yeah I'll get them."

After Deuce had helped round up the remnants of the Spade Pirates we all walked across the island towards the Piece of Spadille. The walk there and then climbing aboard the ship was a solemn affair. The crew knew what was coming and seemed to want to delay the inevitable, even if just for a few minutes. But despite what most of us would have wanted, we all gathered in the galley of our ship and I stood to talk.

"Thanks for coming you guys. I know you're all busy on the Moby but I- I got some things I need to say."

I looked out over my crew and nodded to myself before bowing my head to them. "I'm sorry."

I heard several of them sputter before Skull shouted out, "Wha- don't apologize Captain Ace!"

"I'm sorry I made a mess of things before coming here and then continued to do so by not making up my mind about what we were doing. But I've made up my mind now." I said.

"You sure about this Ace?" I heard Deuce say.

I raised my head and nodded to him. He sighed and said, "Ace, are you sure you're going to find what you're looking for here?"

"I… I think I am."

"Why?"

I thought about that for a minute before saying, "Because It's comfortable here. It feels… right."

"Well, then I guess that's that."

"I'm not disbanding the crew just because I lost to Whitebeard." I said. "I challenged him 100 times, and I lost 100 times. But even after all that he spared my life. I owe 100 debts of gratitude to Whitebeard and it's time I start paying him back. So that means this is the end of the Spade pirates."

Skull nodded and said, "Our flag was raised when you and Ariadne met on that abandoned island way back in East Blue. So if the two of you have decided this is the end of the crew then that's it. A captain's word is final."

Everyone else nodded before the remnants of the Spade pirates slowly left the galley one by one to retrieve their personal belongings that still remained on the ship.

About an hour later the group gathered in the rowboats the Piece of Spadille had once carried and watched as their ship was engulfed in flames. The flames grew stronger and climbed higher as wood snapped and the main mast fell.

"Given the type of Captain you guys had, what I put into this flag- my beliefs, I guess- weren't really much to write home about." I said.

"That's not true and you know it."

I glanced over at Deuce but said nothing.

"Capt- Ace, you're a pirate and your fists turn into fire. We joined this crew, followed this flag, because we admired how you live like a burning flame." Skull said.

Shouldn't that be enough? We were always just a bunch of naive kids and outcasts. That was all we needed.

So why wasn't that enough for me?

Later that day after my former crew and I made it back to the Moby I was organizing the things I had brought over from the Piece of Spadille. When I was nearly done I heard the door to the 2nd division crew quarters open and saw Thatch walk in. "Hey, how's it going? You need any help getting settled in here?"

"Hey man. I think I'm good but thanks. I never had that much stuff to begin with, you know?"

He chuckled and said, "Yeah I get that. I mean, I've never had that problem but apparently some people don't feel the need to have every object of clothing they own in every color of the rainbow, so actually no. No, I don't understand."

"Do you seriously have something in every color?"

"Obviously, how else am I supposed to color coordinate if I don't have every color?"

I shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. I don't know though I've never really given a shit about that kind of stuff." I said as I let the lid of the trunk that sat at the foot of my bed fall shut. "But cool, I'm finally done."

"What's that then?" Thatch asked, pointing at the black bag that sat on my bed.

I looked at it and couldn't help but cringe at the bag. "Oh, that. That- um- that's Ariadne's stuff."

"Is that all of it?" He asked.

"Yeah, I tried looking for her guitar but she must have taken it with her I guess."

"Guitar?"

"Yeah it's white with flowers on it? I gave it to her back when we- a while ago. She used to carry it around pretty much everywhere."

"I never saw it then."

"Really? But she never put the thing down. Wait, no the last time I saw it was right before we challenged Pops."

"If you can even call that a challenge."

"Shut up man I was trying."

"If you can even call that trying."

"Dude!"

"Alright fine, sorry." He said with a laugh. "But what are you going to do with Adne's stuff?"

I shrugged again and said, "I guess I'll hold on to it. Doesn't feel right just throwing her clothes away you know?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah I get that. She left her jacket in my room."

"You still have it?"

"Of course I do. You have to know how important that thing was to her?"

"Vaguely." I said looking down. "Hey Thatch, do you know what happened to her? Where she went?"

He shook his head as a stormy look came over his face. "No I don't."

"Do you have her vivre card?"

"No. I always meant to make one but I just… never got around to it."

"Do you think she's ok?"

"I hope so." He said. "But hey you don't have much room in here so I can keep her stuff in my cabin. I have some of her other things from back in the day as well."

"Thanks but I think I'll hold onto it. I don't have much stuff for myself and I just- I'll hold onto it."

"Sure thing kid. Do you want me to bring the rest of her stuff that I've been saving? It's not much but I do still have her jacket and a few other things."

"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind."

"Course not." He said before turning and walking out of the room.

When the door swung shut behind him I picked up Ariadne's bag from my bed and stared at it.

Where did you go Air?