We finish the meal and quietly resume training until sunset. A small routine is established on the ship. With the trainings, the jokes and the fishing contests with Usopp and Luffy, the candies of Sanji, the discussions with Nami and Vivi and the intense training of Zoro.
One afternoon, I enter the room, lock the door and approach the vivarium. I've been thinking about calling the Whitebeard crew for a while to offer my condolences for Thatch, but between training and recovery time, I've been putting off making that call. I pick up the white Den Den Mochi and the long-range one, put them on the table and dial the number. The Den Den Mochi rings for a while, after the fifteenth ring I was about to hang up, but then I hear a voice answer.
"Finally you deign to call us! I hope you have a good reason for not answering us for two days. Otherwise you'll regret it, you brat!" I blink at Marco's angry voice, this is the first time I've heard him get angry. Does he think I'm someone else?
"Hi Marco, it's Stella. What's up? This is the first time I've heard you get angry on the phone." Marco doesn't answer right away and finally lets out a sigh.
"Sorry Stella, but let's just say it's not the best time to call. Today, things are not going well."
"Does this have anything to do with Thatch's death?" I ask softly
"Do you know about it? Of course you know about it. You have a Vivre Card from every commander. But no, the reason I'm upset is because Ace has refused to answer for the past two days, I thought it was him. " I frown, then my eyes widen.
"Don't tell me Ace is responsible for Thatch's death. Please don't tell me that." I say with concern.
"Huh?! What?! No no no! It was Marshall D. Teach who killed Thatch, but he managed to get away. And you know Ace, he went after him the next day and refused our help. He feels responsible for Thatch's death, because Teach was under his command." I pinch the bridge of my nose. That's totally something Ace would do, go for it.
"I see... did he tell you where he's been lately?" Macro growls, obviously frustrated at not knowing where he is.
"I don't know specifically, but I know it's in the first part of the Grand Line." I raise an eyebrow.
"Paradise... I'm currently on vacation there. If I ever run into him, do you want me to say something to him?"
"Yeah, tell him to get his fucking ass back to Moby Dick and answer his fucking Den Den Mochi! And if you could just get him back to us by the skin of his teeth, we'll thank you." I smile at Marco's outburst, I can tell he's worried about Ace. My heart warms knowing that Ace is surrounded by people who care and look out for him.
"Count me in, I'll tell him to be careful and that you are worried about him."
"Stella! Stop being silly, that's absolutely not what I asked." I chuckle slightly.
"I know that, but honestly Marco. Do you think Ace is going to listen to me? When he hasn't listened to you. As soon as he sees me, he'll run like hell. And right now I'm on vacation, so as long as he's not in mortal danger, I'm not going to stop him from wanting to avenge his friend." I can hear him grumbling on the other side of the line, I can totally picture him with his head in both hands wondering what he deserved to get to this point.
"He may not have listened to us, but he will listen to you."
"Last time I checked, I wasn't his mother." I say sarcastically. Marco snorts.
"It's all the same, since you're trying to re-do his education." He says with a chuckle. I growl at this line.
"Don't get me started, he's a fucking bottomless pit with bad manners." He almost reminds me of Luffy in that regard.
"What can I say, he didn't have the best education. But that doesn't stop him from having fun and that's the most important thing. I still remember when he was trying to kill Pop and wouldn't let us near him. Now we are all his family, we look out for each other. So you understand that not knowing where he is is a real torture." I don't answer right away, thinking back to our first meeting.
In front of me, the Moby Dick stands in all its splendor, next to it my ship is really tiny, but I would not enchant it for anything in the world.
"OIIII! SOMEONE IS HERE!" I shout to signal my presence to the crew, several heads appear, including a man with a banana haircut wearing a white chef's outfit and a yellow scarf around his neck. The man immediately smiles at me and waves.
"HO! Hi Stella! How are you doing? Come on up!" Thatch encourages me. I grabbed the rope from my ship and jumped onto the railing, I had barely set foot when Thatch lifted me up and spun me around before landing me on the ground. Good thing I had remembered to let go of the rope or we would have ended up tied up, one of the sailors picks it up and ties it to the railing.
"It's good to see you! What's up? How have you been?" I was about to answer him, but I see out of the corner of my eye a movement heading straight for Whitebeard. I instinctively jumped into his path and drew my Hisui. Thatch barely had time to tell me to wait until I parried the blow that was about to hit the Yonko. In front of me is a young man with slightly wavy medium-length black hair, freckles dotting his face and abysmal black eyes looking at me with hate and anger. He forces more on his dagger trying to push me away, but I maintain my position with Hisui.
"Shit! Who are you?!" The young man yells at me. I squint my eyes and pull out my haki, which begins to whip the air.
"I should be the one to ask. Why are you trying to kill Whitebeard on his own ship?" My voice is mournful as if from hell, promising a slow and painful death. The boy's eyes widen in surprise, a shiver of fear runs through his skin, but he quickly pulls himself together. The young man is either very brave or totally unaware.
"THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! GET OUT! IT'S BETWEEN ME AND HIM!" He yells as he continues to force his blade, but seeing that it doesn't move, he flares up and shoots a fireball at me that I deflect with the blade, landing it in the water. Seeing that I deflected his attack, he continues to send more and more fire attacks. Around us, the crew is scrambling to find buckets of water to put out the small fires caused by the attacks I couldn't deflect.
"BUT YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" I deflect yet another projectile and give him a mocking smile.
"You can't even touch me and you expect to defeat Whitebeard? Don't make me laugh, it will take centuries for you to even touch me." He blushed in anger.
"SHUT UP! " He lunges at me again, I get into position but a blue fireball appears between us, an arm shoots out of the flames and stops the kid's attack. I raise an eyebrow and stand up.
"That's enough, Ace, or you'll really set the boat on fire." The flames go out revealing a sleepy-eyed man sporting a pineapple cut of blond hair. The young man snarls at him in response, gives me a hateful look and walks away, shoving anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way. Marco sighs. I put Hisui away and point in the direction the kid went.
"Hi Marco, can you explain to me who this kid is?" He lets out another annoyed sigh.
"His name is Ace and he's set out to defeat Pop. What I don't understand is that Pop got it into his head to make him his son." He said, looking at Whitebeard, who burst out laughing.
"Ha Ha Ha! Youth must be made! Otherwise, to what do I owe your visit, Stella!" I smiled at him as I put my arms behind my head and approached him with a nonchalant walk.
"I was just passing through, so I wanted to enjoy your hospitality." I say with a big smile on my face, the Yonko bursts into laughter again.
"Ha Ha Ha! In that case, let's celebrate tonight!" The whole crew shouts with joy and starts preparing for the festivities. I jump up and down clapping like a child with a big smile on my face, but I stop jumping when I feel a presence intrude on my boat. My smile drops immediately and I frown. Marco sees my change in behavior right away.
"Is there a problem?"
"The kid is on my boat." He lets out a sigh.
"I see... Don't hurt him." I start walking toward my boat.
"I'll try, but I won't promise anything." I jump and land gently on the deck with as little noise as possible, the door is slightly ajar. I walk in silence listening for potential noises inside. I stand in front of the door and open it quietly. I was expecting someone to jump out at me, but nothing happens. I sweep the room with my eyes until I come across a boot sticking out from behind the bar. The young man is lying on the floor and snoring lightly. Around him lie carcasses of fruit, packets of cakes and leg bones. I can't believe it! He fell asleep after eating my stash! I was about to hit him, but at the sight of his calmed face, I restrained myself. I sighed and hugged him like a princess, his head resting on my shoulder. Even though he's a little taller than me, he doesn't weigh much. I walk over to the leather couch, lay him down gently and wrap a blanket around him. I sit on the couch across from him, legs crossed, a book in my lap and wait for him to wake up on his own.
Time passes and the start of the Moby Dick festivities begins to be heard. The boisterous music keeps me company in my reading, until my eyes are drawn to the movement of the covers. His eyes slowly open and flicker a few times before he stands up and drops the blanket on the floor. He stares at it before picking it up and looking around questioningly. After all, he did fall asleep on the floor. He finally looks at me and his questioning face turns to one of suspicion.
"Where the fuck am I! You kidnapped me!" He asks as he leaps to his feet. I raise an eyebrow at his accusation, close my book and set it on the coffee table.
"You broke into my ship, ate my food and fell asleep on my floor. And you dare accuse me of kidnapping you. You have a lot of nerve, you know that?" I say in a neutral tone as I cross my arms and lean back against the couch. He clenches his fists and his eyes fill with hatred.
"You deserved it! You had no business getting into my fight with the old man! And who are you anyway? I've never seen you before, but you seem to be close to the ancestor and the sparrow. " He says, pointing at me. I let out a sigh. Obviously he has a temper problem.
"I am Stella Star, and I have known this crew for a long time. And who are you?" Ace looks intently at the white-haired girl. Obviously she doesn't look much older than him, but she exudes confidence, as well as uncommon strength. Her light blue eyes are hypnotic, but when he fought her, they became darker like the ocean. He clenches his jaw.
"Ace…"
"Your full name." The kid scowls and lets out a grunt.
"Portgas D. Ace." He finally replies through his teeth. I look at him more carefully, oddly enough the name Portgas D. is very familiar. I close my eyes, remembering all the D.'s I've ever met. The face of a woman with long wavy blonde hair and carrying a red hibiscus flower appears in my mind and I open my eyes violently, staring at Ace. Who seems surprised by my actions.
"What? What's going on?" I stare at him even harder and let go.
"You are the son of Portgas D. Red... So...your father is..." Ace tenses up, clenching his fists so tightly that blood begins to flow from his fingers. His eyes look at me in terror and his jaw is so tight that I'm even afraid he'll break a tooth. I get up and walk over to him to get him to stop clenching his fists. He instantly backs away.
"DON'T COME NEAR ME! HOW DID YOU KNOW? HOW DID YOU KNOW?" He screams in anger, in panic, in fear.
"Ace... It's all right, but stop hurting yourself, you'll end up damaging your hands. " He swallows, but his face reddens with anger.
"WHAT DO YOU CARE? I HAVE THE BLOOD OF THAT MONSTER! YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY THAT I'M HURTING MYSELF!" I froze. A monster? Why is he…
"Ace ... I don't know what you've been told about him, but it's obviously a lie. He's not a monster and neither are you. He was loved by his entire crew and even more so by your mother." I say calmly, trying to ease his pain. He looks at me in disbelief, anger replaced by surprise, but it didn't stay for long.
"What do YOU KNOW?! You weren't with HIM, I don't know who told you that, but I'm sure he LIED to you!" Ace defends himself, denying that his father is good for anything. I look at him in disbelief, who could have filled his head with such nonsense. I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples.
"How about I show it to you directly? What do you say?" He looks at me, totally frozen. I wait patiently for his answer. He opens his mouth several times without managing to say anything.
"I... What... How?" His eyes are uncertain but a small glimmer wants to know another reality, another story than the one he has been told. I smile at him and head for the door next to the couch.
"If you want to know, then follow me." I place my hand on the metal plate of the door, which unlocks it. My footsteps descend the stairs and I wait for Ace hesitates, looks at me and then looks at the exit door where we can hear Whitebeard's crew celebrating. He takes a deep breath and starts to slowly descend the stairs. We continue our way until we are in front of my bedroom door. Ace is behind me and I can hear him swallowing. I open the door and let him in.
"You can sit anywhere you want." I walk over to a small bookcase next to the desk. Ace is sitting on the bed with his head down, apprehensive about what's about to happen. I pick up a large, slightly weathered leather book and place it gently in his lap, sitting down next to him. He looks at the book and turns his head toward me with questioning eyes. I point to the book with my chin.
"Open it... I'm sure they would have wanted me to give it to you, years ago." Ace blinks and looks at the book again.
"Who 'they'?" I smile at him and place my hand on his hair, stroking it gently.
"Your parents, obviously." He tenses up when I put my hand on his head, but doesn't push it away. His hand trembled as he placed it on the cover and gently opened it. On the first page we read a few lines, there are three styles of writing. The first is clean and professional, the second is more rough with straight letters and the last is soft with beautiful curls.
Photo album of the King and Queen of Pirates.
My child, if one day you read this, know that I am extremely happy that you are alive, do not let others decide who you are. I am sorry if you had to go through a difficult time because of me, I sincerely apologize. I hope from the bottom of my heart that you have become an upright and proud person, but above all free, surrounded by people you trust, friends, family. Smile, live the way you want to live, fuck with those who get in your way, nothing should stop you because this is how a free person lives. Live as freely as I do. But don't forget to listen to your mother from time to time. I love you Ace/Ann.
Gol D. Roger
My darling, I hope I'm still with you when you read this book, if not, know that I love you with all my heart. You are our child and nothing and no one can change that. I will always be proud of you. As your father said, live as you please, smile and live in the light, never be ashamed of yourself or us. If I ever die protecting you, know that I have no regrets and will do it again if it means you will live in a safe world. Your father asked Garp to take care of you, to protect you from the world government. I hope he kept his promise, if not you can count on Stella, who will get this album. You can trust her completely, after all she is your godmother.
I love you Ace/Ann, don't ever forget it, I'm watching over you wherever you are.
Portgas D. Rouge
Below, a photo shows Roger and Rouge in each other's arms, smiling at the camera. A tear falls onto the paper, followed by a second, then several more. Ace's eyes are closed, tears flow freely down his cheeks and he bites his lips to keep from making a sound. I pull him gently into my arms, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. He moans into my neck and clutches the back of my jacket, clinging desperately to it. I slowly rub his back, soothing him, telling him everything is okay. We stay like this for several minutes, until he finally calms down. He sits up, wiping away the last of the tears that threaten to fall.
"I... Uh... I... Thank you..." He says in a hoarse voice, I continue to absentmindedly rub his back. He settles back down on the bed, looking at the book in his lap. He closes his eyes as tears form in his eyes again. "I... didn't know... I thought my dad was a monster... And that my mom was forced to be with him..." I frown at him statement.
"Who dared to tell you that?" His eyes went vague.
"Some... Random people... I know it's stupid, but they all said he was a monster and his child deserved to die..." I stroke his hair.
"Why did you listen to them?" A groan leaves him lips.
"What would you have done in my place? If everyone says the same thing about my father... That he is a tyrant, that he was hateful and cruel... That he raped the women he met just for fun... That he tortured children... That he... "
"That's enough! Stop talking this nonsense!" I say curtly, cutting him off from his monologue. "Your father never did any of these things, quite the opposite. When someone needed help, he helped them without asking for anything in return. His crew respected him greatly because he saved them all at one time or another. He loved to party with the people of the villages he visited, giving them the joy of life. He and his crew were powerful and free. But at no time did they use that power for evil!" Ace looks at me, his eyes scanning me, to see if I am telling the truth or not. But seeing no lies, he turns his attention back to the book and begins to turn the pages one after another.
In the photos, we can see Roger with his crew, at a party with Roger's first bounty in his hand, smiling at the camera and the rest of his crew in the background. Small scenes on the ship, with Roger hiding behind a stack of barrels, a leg of lamb in his hand, a finger over his mouth and Rayleigh looking for him in the background. Shanks and Baggy on Roger's shoulders bursting into laughter. And less tranquil scenes, like during a storm with navy crusaders chasing the ship. Roger can be seen charging at the enemy ships while the rest of his crew calls for him to return. Ace smiles at these photos as we get closer and closer to the end of the book. He stops in front of a picture where Roger and Whitebeard are fighting and the next one where they are sitting next to each other raising beer mugs. He blinks and looks at me.
"I thought they were enemies." I smile at him.
"They were rivals. After fighting for three days and nights, they ended up in a draw. They all celebrated together. Didn't you know that?" He shakes his head.
"I know Whitebeard fought my father, but I didn't get any more information than that." He turns the next few pages, until he sees a photo of the entire crew crying on the ship with Roger walking away. The caption reads, Farewell Captain, you will never be forgotten. Ace swallows and looks at me, questioning me with his eyes.
"It was a year before his execution, he left his crew for personal reasons." I answer without giving further details. Ace looks at the picture in detail, you can feel the sadness of the crew to see their captain leave.
"Is this the year he's going to meet my mother?" I nod. On the next page, you can see Rouge sitting on the beach with a book in her hand, the wind gently blowing her hair and a sunset completing the landscape. In the caption: Portgas D. Rouge, the woman of my life. The next photo shows Roger asleep on Rouge's lap, who strokes his hair with a tender smile. Another where they are in town, the man is buried under a ton of clothing bags and Rouge is openly laughing at him. Ace's smile widens as he sees that his mother was happy with his father. We come to the last two pages of the book. Roger is in Logue Town, chained but proud with a big smile in front of a huge crowd. Caption: Goodbye everyone. I wish I could have seen my child grow up. Ace swallows at the photo, turns the last page and sees his mother in a bed with a baby in her arms. Underneath, it says: Welcome to the world, Ace. I love you.
More tears roll down Ace's cheeks and he desperately holds the book in his arms.
"Thank you... thank you, thank you..." I smile at him with tears in my eyes. Roger, Rouge, your son is all grown up. I'll take care of him, I promise. Ace is in my arms again, crying as if he has held it all in for all these years. He cries again and again without holding back, without trying to be quiet, letting all his buried feelings come out. His tears run down his cheeks continuously leaving marks.
He ends up falling asleep of exhaustion in my arms. I spread a lock of hair and kiss his forehead.
"I'm watching over you, sleep peacefully." I settle him comfortably on my bed and leave the room. I go back to Moby Dick where everyone is celebrating and end up tackled to the floor by Thatch.
"Stella! Where have you been? We started partying a while ago!" He tells me with a groan. I roll my eyes and push him off of me.
"I had something to do, otherwise where's the alcohol?" I say greedily, Thatch smiles at me and pulls me towards a group of mostly commanders.
"Let's get this party started!" I say as I grab a tankard.
"OIIII!" Everyone shouts.
I blink back to the present.
"Oi! Stella are you still there?" Marco asks on the other end of the phone.
"Huh? Ah yes, sorry, I was immersed in my memories. But don't worry, I have his Vivre Card, so I could find him if I need to." Marco lets out a sigh.
"I'm counting on you, I don't want to lose anyone else to this traitor." I nod.
"Don't worry, he's my godson, I'll look after him. By the way, his name is Marchall D. Teach, right? If I ever run into him, do you want me to capture him for you?"
"Yes that's right, and yes that would be fine with us, but doesn't that go against your neutrality agreement?" A cruel smile appears on my face as I write the name in a notebook.
"He killed a dear friend of my godson, which hurt his heart, so technically it's an attack on me."
"Ooooh... I wouldn't like to be in his shoes in that case, though I'd love to see his face when he realizes who isn't protected from you." I chuckle.
"I always carry a Den Den Mochi that can take pictures, if you're interested."
"If you could print some out for us, we could use it as a dartboard when we get rid of him." I nod.
"Sold, your special order is noted. However, I'm not on my boat for a few months. So if I ever come across it, I'll deliver it to one of your islands?"
"With a nice little blue ribbon." Marco says mockingly, I giggle at his joke.
"It works, we'll do that. Let me know if you hear anything. I'll do the same on my end."
"I'm counting on you. Bye Stella."
"See you soon, Marco." And we hang up. I let out a sigh, Ace definitely likes to worry everyone, but I'm not too worried, he'll be fine. I put the Den Den Mochi back in their vivarium, pick up one of the little ones, slip it into an inside pocket of the jacket and walk out of the room. In front of me, the sun is shining high in the sky, I breathe in the sea air deeply.
"Stella! We're going fishing, are you coming?" Luffy asks from the boat's rail with a big smile.
"I'm coming." I say as I look at the horizon, wondering where Ace might be right now and if I will run into him. I smile in anticipation, my heart warming.
"Hey guys! There's an island on the horizon!" Vivi points to the front of the boat. Nami looks at her Log Pose and smiles.
"There's no doubt about it! We have arrived at Little Garden!" She declares. Everyone is excited about the island ahead.
Little Garden, here we come!
Thank you for reading this chapter! What a revelation! Stella is really quite a character, but what is she really? Do you have any idea? Tell me in the comments!
See you soon.