I can't believe I haven't updated this story since April, April! Dear god, I'm sorry for everyone following the story. Time goes so fast!

The Spades were settled quickly into the crew, each member finding their own division they fit in and helping wherever it was needed. It was at least one of Marco's worries taken care of. He had feared the crew was going to be as insane as the captain and besides wreaking havoc, would be freeloaders all around. But to his small luck it appeared he had been wrong, not about them being sane but well can't have everything in life, but about them freeloading and being a bother. They each helped with tasks that he expects they probably fulfilled when on the Piece of Spadille.

Now it was just the captain that was the main part of his headaches... and why, why was he the main target? Everyone keeps telling him that he's just imagining it, but he's definitely not! He can't even sleep in peace and he's heard no other commander complain about this yet!

It was just like that first time... Just a week after the Spades had joined...

Flashback

With a heavy sigh he finished up the last of his paperwork and put it aside. Getting up from his chair, he raised his arms above his head, stretching out his muscles and back, a pop resonating throughout the room. … … Glancing up, he scanned the ceiling... he swore he heard the ceiling call him an old man just now...

Maybe he shouldn't be working this late on his paperwork, even as a Phoenix it made him go crazy. With a shake of the head, he started undressing at a leisurely pace and got dressed in his pj's. He however opted out of his shirt last moment and instead used it to wipe over his chest and forehead, "man, didn't realise it was this hot in here before-yoi."

Throwing the shirt aside he crawled into bed and blew out the candle on his nightstand before turning over.

….

Someone was definitely watching him... The back of his mind kept screaming at him of a presence nearby, but at the same time also said there was no danger? The presence also hadn't moved since he had noticed it, now already an hour ago.

Deciding to blow his own cover of knowing someone was... well somewhere... he opened his eyes and raised his hand, lightning it on fire and illuminating the whole room in a blue hue.

"I know you're out there-yoi. …. It's safer for you if you just show yourself."

Of course there was no reaction, he'll find them himself then. He squinted his eyes as he scanned every corner of his room, ever nook and cranny, every single floorboard, moving up over his walls and every piece of furniture, raising his gaze higher and higher as he found no-….

"Get out."

…

"I know you're there... eyes reflect light you know..."

…

"God fucking damnit Ace, closing them now is no use, I know you're in my fucking ceiling! WHY ARE YOU IN MY FUCKING CEILING?!"

"... Watching you."

If he wasn't his perfectly stoic self, who didn't just yell at the kid in his ceiling, he would have dropped his mouth open to stare at the kid. Instead he stayed reasonable, as he always is.

"I see that... But why are you watching me as I sleep, and how did you get in my ceiling-yoi?" he was pretty sure above his room wasn't another room, it was a small space with vents, nothing more.

"I didn't only watch you as you slept."

Oh, because that really made him feel better...

"Why? How?" he repeated simply, he didn't need the fire brat to know he was maybe slightly scared of how the kid seemed to think of this as normal and not stalker behaviour.

"To uncover your evil plans to steal the old man's inheritance, duh." Ace spoke in a matter-of-fact voice, "You're not going to reveal it with others around, I'm not stupid to think you would do that. And how I got here, I just made a hole in my ceiling."

Marco could hear in the other's voice he was pointing in the direction of the room next to his. They should never have given him that r- "You made a hole in the ceiling?" oh the carpenters were going to kill him.

"Yea, Jozu helped."

"J-jozu helped-yoi?"

"Yea!"

He heard a groan before light appeared, seconds later fire dribbled out of the hole, forming a person in front of him. Alright, he did need to say that that was a pretty neat trick.

"I said I wanted to get into the vents, and he came over and made this neat little hatch. It has a lock and everything!"

"... He didn't question why you wanted to go inside the vents?"

"Nah, he mumbled some things I didn't get before he said he would fix it in a few hours. He's a good guy! ..." the kid squinted his eyes, "unlike a certain pineapple."

The first commander sighed loudly, he couldn't deal with this right now, he just wanted to sleep, it was probably around three at night for pop's sake... "Just... can you go back to your room... please."

"..."

"Look. I'm dead tired, I just want to sleep. I promise I won't work on my evil plan today and just go to bed as soon as you leave."

"You promise?"

"I promise-yoi."

The kid held out his pinky and without even bothering to think about it, Marco too held out his and grabbed Ace's with it, giving it a small shake.
With a single nod the kid released him and disappeared again in a whisp of flames, leaving through the gap in his ceiling. Concentrating his haki he could feel the presence shift from his room into the next room over. Another sigh on his lips he crawled into his bed, hugging the covers up to his face. He wouldn't even bother trying to close the hole in his ceiling, the kid will have burned it out in a second anyways. Now the only thing he wished for was that that captain wouldn't haunt his dreams.

Flashback end

Shaking his head, he got rid of the horrible, horrible memory and entered the meeting room, greeting the other commanders that were already there for their weekly meeting.

"Morning birdy! Slept well? No horny teenager spying on y-"

"Toilet duty."

"Wha-"

"Two weeks-yoi."

"YOU CAN'T J-"

"One month."

"..."

"Okay-yoi, if that was all, let's get this meeting started." The last members, including the captain, had joined in the time that their chef was being an idiot. "The important topics for today are the stock-counts and finances since we're nearing one of our island to re-stock, we're also nearing some harsher currents and corrals to be careful about, next is-" Without even reading of his papers, the first commanders went over the different topics they'll do today. This way the other could easily check they had the right info with them on said topics and if needed could still get it now and not mid-meeting, "And lastly, the topic we've had every week. How do we get rid of that crazy-"

"Son."

"... Forgive me-yoi... How do we unsuspiciously take care of that lunati-"

"Marco."

A sigh left the blond at that, why did no one allow him just this one moment to complain... "How do we convince Ace that we're not after Pop's inheritance-yoi..."

"..."

"And how do we get him to become our brother."

As Marco sat down, Pops smiled at him and patted his head. "Thank you, son. That was a wonderful summary of the meeting. Now, Let's get started then!"

Yes. In the flashback the room was suddenly hot because of Ace. He heated up the room because he was embarrassed seeing Marco naked.