The Pirate King Is Dead - Long Live The Pirate King

Part 3 of a Four Part Saga

By Aoikami Sarah

Chapter Thirteen - How Vivace Became A Pirate

One day, nearly a year later Vivace was sunning herself on the deck of Whitebeard's large ship. Dozing in the sun, she paid little attention to the racket her fellow pirates were making on the stern. A shadow fell over her.

"Oi, Tama-chan," Calce said. "Come join the party."

"Eh?" Vivace asked, shielding her eyes.

"Our Force 2 Commander, the prodigal son-of-a-bitch has returned."

She scrambled to her feet. "No shit?" she asked, running behind one of the masts. Calce cackled at her. "Shut up! I need a place to hide!"

Calce put her hands on her large hips. "Welcome back, stranger," she drawled at the tall, shirtless man as he finally made his way through the crowd of nakama that greeted him.

"Calce. How are you?" he said with a bow.

"Always so damn formal." She winked at him as he tipped his hat to her. He walked past her to the bow and she smacked his ass. "You watch it. Things are a little different since you've been gone."

He raised a brow. Her gesture of greeting didn't even register. "I heard Captain Whitebeard is in good health."

"Yeah, yeah. Take a lot more to get that bastard, but I'm sure he's dyin' to see ya."

On the bow in his usual place of repose Whitebeard sat and leaned on one arm as two women in miniscule dresses fanned him. He was still attached to an IV drip, but looked much better than usual.

"Captain!" the man bowed deeply. "I return to you, victorious."

"I knew there was a reason I recovered so well. My soul was at ease," the captain said with a smirk. "Welcome back, Ace-kun."

"Calce said there were some changes," Ace said, tipping his hat toward the lovely ladies at his captain's side. "Looks like you traded nurses for harem girls."

Whitebeard laughed. "No, what Calce was referring to was probably our newest recruit." He looked down to his left. "Come out, Tama-chan. You have nothing to fear."

Slowly, Vivace poked her head around Whitebeard's sizeable girth. She met Ace's eyes, but not seeing anything negative in them, she straightened up and tried to smile. "Long time no see, Portgas-san."

Ace raised a brow. "Third harem girl?" he asked.

"No!" Vivace shouted. "Wait a minute. You don't remember me?" She fumed. "You mean I've been freaking out this whole time over nothing!"

Ace looked honestly confused and startled. His eyes searched her for some glimmer of recognition. They rested on the scar on her upper arm. "Ah! You! TamaTama no Mi! Captain, this woman tried to kill me!"

Whitebeard raised a brow, but didn't react. "She told me the story. And she'll tell it to you as well, won't you, Vivace?"

"She can't be trusted, Captain," Ace argued.

Whitebeard reached down and nudged Vivace's shoulder. She turned around and showed Ace her back. "We've trusted and relied on her for a year," he explained. She was wearing a bikini top and only a thin strip of fabric crossed over her Whitebeard Jolly Roger and manji tattoo. "As you can see, she belongs to us, now."

"I'm truly sorry for attacking you," Vivace said, turning and running her hand over the scar. "Please forgive me." She bowed to him.

"We'll see," Ace said, folding his arms. "If I even so much as suspect you're out to harm our old man, I'll burn you to a crisp."

Vivace swallowed deep. She knew he meant it.

.x.

The so called Bubble Girl's skills loyalty was tested sooner than she imagined it would be. Within two months of Ace's return, the ship was involved in an altercation with another powerful pirate looking to usurp White Beard. The enemy outnumbered the Whitebeard pirates three-to-one and they had a tight battle plan. Ace was occupied at the stern and unable to use as much of his power as he'd like for fear of destroying their ship. Vivace picked off enemy after enemy with her bubbles and Calce cackled hysterically, having a blast batting them off the ship with a spiked club as if she were playing a game. Suddenly, a great swarm of enemy pirates leapt over their heads and made a run for their captain.

"Shirohige-senchou!" Vivace called and turned toward him. "Tre Strato Bolla!" Before the enemy could land one hit, she had a huge, three-layer bubble around him. The pirates bounced comically off of its surface and onto the deck. Calce laughed. Vivace grinned, proudly. She didn't see that Ace saw what she did and gave a sigh of relief. She didn't see the enemy point a bazooka at her. She didn't see the inch-thick metal spike that hit her until it pierced through her stomach.

"Tama-chan!" Calce shouted and planted her club in the bazooka wielder's face. The fighting was still intense. The bubble was still strong. Vivace slumped to the deck. The bubble was still strong. Another attacker kicked her in the abdomen. The bubble was still strong.

When the enemy had at last been defeated, Ace jogged over and looked down at Vivace. Calce had pulled the spike out of her back and was pressing her hands against the stomach side of the wound. There was a large pool of blood around her. Vivace's eyes were unfocused, but open and intense. "Tama-chan, hang in there," Calce urged. Ace looked up and noted that their captain was still trapped inside the bubbles.

"Vivace, let go," Ace ordered her. "The captain is safe, now."

At last, she closed her eyes, went limp and the bubbles popped.

.x.

Two years before, Ace flashed his signature grin at the beautiful, blond singer as she sauntered toward him. "They give you fever," she crooned. "When you kiss them, fever if you live, you learn." Ace had his feet up on the small table in the club. He finished off his beer, but didn't take his eyes off the blond. "Fever! Till you sizzle… and what a lovely way to burn!" She stroked him with her black and red feather boa. "What a lovely way to burn…" she repeated, turned and wiggled back on stage. Almost the instant she got off stage, a waiter handed Ace a note. He nodded his head, grinned wider and put his hat back on.

In her dressing room, Vivace had changed into an extremely low-cut slinky black dress. She didn't have to make the first move. They kissed.

"Do you even know who I am?" he asked between breaths. "Or is it just, physical?"

"You saw me. I couldn't take my eyes off of you," she said and led him to the divan against the wall. Ace followed and buried his face in her neck. She giggled, but it was over before it began. Her left hand, clutching a large knife, hovered, waiting for the right moment to strike. Seemingly oblivious, Ace squeezed her upper arm. Vivace shrieked and dropped the knife.

"Ah! Stop! It burns!" She tried to wrench her arm away. It was only a few seconds, but long enough to blister the skin of her arm in the shape of his hand. "What the hell did you do to me!"

"I guess you really don't know me." Ace leaned in. "Who sent you? Was it Blackbeard? Please tell me," he threatened quietly and turned his right hand to flame.

She stared at him, terrified of his power. "Logia user…" she stuttered. "I don't know. I'm under contract. I only got your name and appearance, I swear it!" Vivace panicked. "Please don't kill me!" Ace got off of the divan and narrowed his eyes at her. It was all the time she needed. Vivace put her palms up. "Ferro Bolla!" she cried and put a strong bubble around him. Confident it would stop him from attacking, she grinned and ogled her catch. "You're really something else, Portgas D. Ace," she drawled and wrapped a scarf around her burned arm. "Now be a dear and die?"

"Sorry," he said, tipping his hat. "I can't die now. I haven't even seen my kid brother, Luffy, yet." Inside the bubble, Ace's right arm became flame. "You may want to run away, now. It's going to get hot in here." His grin spread across his face.

Vivace managed to enclose herself in a bubble before Ace exploded free of his, taking half the club out with him. When she stopped shaking, he was long gone.

.X.

On White Beard's ship, Vivace woke days later in the dimly-lit lower cabin reserved for the wounded. A few of her nakama were asleep around her. To her surprise, Ace was sitting up and dead asleep to her left. He snored lightly with his arms folded across his bare chest. She tried to stay quiet, but the pain in her gut was too great. She let a whimper escape.

"Are you alive?" he asked, startling her.

"I think so," she answered. "The Captain…?"

"He's fine." She sighed and clenched her teeth in pain. "Here," Ace said, brandishing a syringe. "I saved you some happy juice."

"How sweet of you," she tried to joke.

He expertly administered the shot of morphine and Vivace relaxed. "You saved him," Ace said quietly.

"Does this mean you forgive me, Portgas-san?" she asked, her lids growing heavy.

"It does. Anyone who would give their life for their captain is ok in my book, regardless of who they used to be." He sat next to her for a few minutes more, until he was sure she was asleep.

A half a year later, it would be her turn to comfort him.

To be continued…