Ok I'm still up even though it's like 2:30am so I thought I would update this.

Enjoy!

The tavern was rather quiet when Marco entered, though that might have had something to do with the scowl upon his face. He could only imagine how they felt upon seeing the crown prince enter with such displeasure.

The owner- Marco assumed- bowed to him. "Your Highness."

Marco took a deep breath, wiping the scowl from his face as he sat in a bar stool. These people didn't deserve his anger. "Please, just Marco is fine. Have you heard any news of Commander Ace?" It was strange to refer to him in such a formal way.

The owner shook his head. "I'm sorry, but it's been a week and I've heard nothing personally. I wish that the news could have been sent sooner."

"You did what you could."

"Still, it's hard to believe that the Commander could have been kidnapped, especially after saving the town from that monster."

Marco couldn't believe it either. He knew Ace was strong. They trained together whenever they could after all. Just who had kidnapped Ace if they could take him down so easily? Then again, Marco knew that there had to be more to this story, other possibilities.

That included the possibility of Ace going with his captors willingly.

Marco dismissed that thought immediately with a shake of his head. Ace would never abandon him- abandon his family- like that.

"Do you know of anyone that I could ask?"

"I know one of the dockworkers saw him the day he disappeared. You should try him. Just ask for Rowlan at the northernmost docks."

"Got it. I'll head to the docks then," Marco said, pushing away from the counter.

"Would you like to rest first?" the owner asked. "I imagine that the journey here must have been exhausting."

With Marco current state of mind, it definitely had been, but if he slept now, he would waste the useful daylight still burning high in the sky. "I'm fine for now, but thank you for the offer."

The dockworkers addressed him as formally as the tavern owner had, the man Rowlan especially. He didn't quite meet Marco's eyes when Marco asked for him, though it wasn't that hard to figure out why. He had been the last one to see Ace after all, which did, in fact, make him look rather suspicious.

It was almost impossible not to think about that, and Marco couldn't find the same peace of mind that he had had with the tavern owner.

Marco crossed his arms. "So how did it happen?"

"I… I saw a suspicious boat docked that day," he said. "The commander was expected to come down later anyways to help with reconstruction, so I thought I would ask him to come down early. When I returned to the docks later, the boat was gone."

Marco frowned. The information wasn't extremely useful in its base form, but he knew now that the captors weren't actively pursuing Ace. So what? He was caught on the ship and kidnapped? They must have been well equipped if they were able to contain Ace.

"I remember that their sails displayed the royal insignia of Raftel though. It's been a long time since any of their ships have been here, but it's part of my job to recognize where ships come from."

Marco's eyes widened. "Raftel?" Out of all things he had said, that had definitely been the most useful, but what would an undeclared Raftelian ship be doing on Moby soil?

Marco sighed, thanking Rowlan briefly before heading back the way he came. He was going to need that inn room now. There was an even longer journey ahead of him.

Ace raised an eyebrow. "So this is Raftel?"

"Geez. No need to sound so impressed." Sabo rolled his eyes. "Not every place is a grand city, you know."

They had docked at a sleepy-looking town with only a few buildings. A dirt road ran through the middle, continuing on through the surrounding pastures. It was small, but admittedly, the ambient quiet brought calm to his very soul. He stared into the distance, wondering what was beyond as he adjusted to being on land again.

"Remember anything yet?"

Ace didn't need to think about his answer. "No."

Luffy groaned, but Sabo scolded him immediately after. "Be patient." He handed both of them a pack (it was surprising that they still had provisions after the journey considering all their appetites, but Ace supposed that Sabo knew how to compensate). "Just another day."

They traveled along the road for a while as Luffy blabbed excitedly about the capital city: foods that Ace needed to try, things Ace needed to do, places Ace needed to go.

"The castle is really cool too! Like-"

"Give it a rest, Lu," Sabo said, only to be met with a whine. "He'll see soon enough."

Ace frowned. The castle? They weren't going to sneak in, were they? Because he was sure that one of Moby's princes sneaking into Raftel's castle would not be good for relations.

If only he knew how wrong he was at the time. In hindsight, he should have thought about it more at the time.

Upon entry to the town, they came across a bustling marketplace. Strangely, Ace found himself washed with familiarity, despite the contrast from Moby. Here, stalls held necessities like different meats and vegetables. It's not like there wasn't a market back home. In fact, some of Ace's best memories were visiting Moby's weekend market with Marco and the others.

Ace grinned, holding up an obnoxiously teal hat. "What do you think? It's kinda like mine, right?"

Marco raised an eyebrow at him before gently taking the hat out of his hands and setting it back onto the seller's table. "I think you're the only one that can pull of that... unique look of yours, Ace."

"What's that supposed to mean? We'd look cool in matching hats, you know."

"If you say so." Though Marco turned away, Ace was sure that he saw a smile. "Let's keep going. We're here for you, not for me."

Typically, trips to the weekend market were more of a family outing, but Marco insisted that the two of them go together this time. Ace wasn't sure why, but he didn't protest. Seeing all the different handmade goods out for sale was always fun, especially since there were more stalls for the new year. His stomach grumbled quietly, protesting for a stop at a food stall.

"How about these?" Marco asked. He held up a necklace of red beads.

Ace tapped the brim of his hat. "I already have some like those."

"So they'll match then." Marco draped it over it head before he had a chance to protest. Ace couldn't help blushing with the way Marco smiled at him. "You look good."

Ace sputtered, speechless, as Marco turned to the lady to pay. "What's this for?"

"Think of it as a gift. It's been a year since we met each other after all."

Ace hadn't realized that he had reached for his necklace, but the slight weight was reassuring to him. It was a silent promise between him and Marco: the promise that they would be there for each other no matter what.

"Hey, where are we going?"

Ace thought many times about what his home had been like. He'd always assumed that it would be a modest place.

So why were approaching the castle?

His instincts should have been telling him that this was far from an okay situation, but he didn't feel alarmed or worried. Something was pulling him forward, telling him that this was safe.

He felt like he was home.

Neither Sabo nor Luffy answered his question, and they continued on in silence. The knights standing guard seemed unfazed by their entrance as they pushed the door open themselves-

"Monkey D. Luffy! Sabo! Don't think I didn't know about your impromptu foray across the high seas!"

A strawberry-blonde woman was standing there to greet them, arms crossed. She wore a simple blue dress that flowed gently towards the burgundy carpet beneath her and a hibiscus in her hair.

It was identical to the one in Ace's hat.

She ran up to Sabo, embracing him. "Do you know how worried I was? What would have happened if you two got hurt?"

"Yeah Ma, but we-"

When Ace's looked at her, her eyes widened, and slowly she pulled away from Sabo. She reached up, fingers brushing Ace's cheeks.

"Th-this…"

"We found Ace!"

Before Ace knew it, the woman had taken him into a hug so tight- like if she let go, he would disappear forever. She was warm- warmer than that simple feeling of familiarity at the market- and Ace leaned into that warmth, hugging her back as her tears stained the collar of his shirt.

"Ace, this is our mother: Portgas D. Rouge and Sovereign Queen of Raftel."

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