I look at Ace's back, laughing at Smoker. Silently approaching him, completely erasing my presence. The marine squints at me. I get within six inches of Ace and lean into his ear.

"Hi Ace ~" He flinches and turns sharply toward me, ready to punch me in the face, but when he recognizes me, he loses all color.

"Ste... Stella!"

"Hey, what's up? "

He looks at me with round eyes, totally forgetting about the marines behind him.

"Wha...what are you doing here?!" A smirk forms on my lips.

"A certain bird asked me to take you back to the nest." He backs up and tries to run away. But I grab his shoulder.

"Ah no, I'm not going to let the little flame run away while his family is worried about him." He swallows and refuses to look at me. The marines look at us with circumspection. Who is this person capable of frightening the famous Fire Fist Ace so much?

"You can't understand, I have to do it!" I hit him on the head with the edge of my hand.

"Who told you that you have to do it alone? Huh?! You're not the only one who wants him dead!" He crosses his arms and pouts.

Smocker has the impression to see a mother yelling at her son.

"Besides, why don't you answer the Den Den? Hein?! Do you know how worried they are?!"

"It's okay! You're not going to lecture me either?!"

"You're going to answer me in a different tone young man! Because commander or not, I can bring you back by force!" Ace glares at her.

"That's none of your business!

Tired of witnessing this domestic scene, Smoker jumps on the couple. But when icy blue eyes stare back at him, he can't move an inch. What's going on? Why can't I move?

"Can't you see that we are having a conversation? It's very rude to interrupt us. Marine..." Smoker doesn't know who she is, but he knows instinctively that she is very dangerous. She returns her gaze to Portgas and grabs his ear.

"Now you are going to come with me and tell me who Luffy is to you!" She pulls him by the ear and walks away from the marines. Smoker tries to move or give an order, but it is useless.

"Colonel Smoker? What do we do?" Tashigi watches them go, but she too is unable to move, as are the soldiers behind her.

"We can't do anything, this woman... is dangerous, we are no match for her."

"Do you know who she is?"

"No... And that's the problem."

I drag Ace to the shore, people look at us with surprise and some have an amused smile. Meanwhile, Ace keeps grunting and tries to free himself from my grip.

"Ouch Ouch Ouch! Let me go! I can walk by myself!"

"And give you a chance to run away? You're dreaming!" On my shoulder, Maru can't help but laugh, openly mocking the boy.

"Tell your snail to shut up, or I'll fry him in butter!" Maru lets out a frightened cry and goes to hide deep inside his shell.

"You better not do it! Otherwise I'll take you for a dip!" Ace stands still and looks at me with cocker spaniel eyes.

"You... You'll never do that? Right?"

"Stop making those eyes, it doesn't work on me." I let go of his ear once we are in front of the sea. He rubs his aching ear and sulks.

"Why isn't it working? Normally, you break down every time!"

"That's true, but this is your health we're talking about. You may be powerful, but you can't stop me from worrying about you."

"Yes, Auntie..." He says with a little mocking tone. I hit him again.

"Stop mocking me and let's go to Luffy's boat. Since you two obviously know each other." He frowns and looks at me quizzically.

"Did I never tell you?"

"Maybe I forgot, then?" I follow Ace to his boat.

"We are brothers." A long silence follows. A growl leaves my throat and I put my head in my hands.

"But what did I do to deserve this."

" And you? What is your connection to Luffy? If you're here to hurt him! I will defend him body and soul!" I wave my hand like I'm chasing a fly. Ace jumps on his boat and activates his fruit.

"Don't worry. I'm on vacation and spending it with his crew." We head in the direction of Luffy's boat, which is visible from about 100 yards away.

"Ho... Wait? Why didn't you spend your vacation with me then?"

" Well... It wasn't originally planned, but Shanks convinced me to take some on East Blue. And one thing led to another and I ended up on Luffy's crew. I plan to accompany them to Sabaody."

"I don't know if that makes me feel better or not..."

"And I don't know how to take it."

We arrive at the foot of the Merry. On the bridge, the crew is in full discussion.

"You... You never defeated him?" Said Nami, incredulous.

"They're a family of monsters, my word!"

"Oh yeah! He kicked my ass every time we fought! Ha Ha Ha Ha! But now I'm sure I'm better than him!"

A toothy grin graced Ace's lips and he jumped high into the sky.

"You're better than who, Luffy?" He landed with a loud bang on the Merry's railing, pushing Luffy who crashed to the deck.

"ACE!" I smile and jump in turn to land on Ace's back, who loses his balance and falls on top of Luffy, dragging me with him.

"HAAAA!" We become a bunch of intertwined arms and legs.

"HA HA HA HA HA!" I burst out laughing at Ace's red face of shame.

"STELLA!" He pulls away trying to regain his composure but it's all for naught with Luffy and I rolling around on the floor.

"HA HA HA HA! If you could see your face, Ace! HA HA HA HA!"

"SHUT UP!"

The crew looks at us with wide eyes.

" Euh... So you're Luffy's brother?" Ace dusts himself off and puts his hat back on.

"Indeed! Sorry for the little scene, but let's just say there's someone here who wants to have some fun at my expense." He glares at me, but I give him a wide smile. "Otherwise, thanks for looking after my little brother, I know he can be insufferable at times." He does a small inclination.

"You said it." Reply the others.

"By the way, Ace! What are you doing in Alabasta?" Asks Luffy. Ace glares at me, letting me know not to say anything. I shrug my shoulders in response. Luffy doesn't need to know, since I'll make sure the other commanders find Teach before Ace does.

"Didn't you get my message to Drum?"

"What message?"

"Never mind, it was nothing important. All that matters is that I found you, but I'm surprised Stella is on your crew." I jump on him, clinging to his back and ruffling his hair.

"Speak for yourself! You can't even imagine my surprise when I found out you and Luffy were brothers!"

"Rahhh! Get off me!" He struggles, trying to pull me down. But seeing that I don't let go, he totally flares up.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Ace reappears ten feet away.

"Not fair, yourself! Stop jumping on me!"

"Buuuut... I haven't seen you in weeks! I have to make up for the last twenty years somehow!"

"I'm not a kid anymore, if you hadn't noticed!"

"You'll always be a child to me, little Flame!" Ace blushed so much that flames shot out of his cheeks.

"I'll have you know that I'm Whitebeard's second commander! You can't treat me like a child anymore!"

"You'll stop being a child when you learn to listen to others, especially when it's for your own good!"

"You're not going to start with that again! I decided to do it alone! It's my fault he's dead!" I hit him on the head again, causing a bump to appear.

"That's not true and you know it! You think he'd like to see you put yourself in danger just to avenge him alone!" Ace glared at me while holding his head. "Besides Marco asked me to capture that traitor if I ever came across him." His eyes widened.

"WHAT! NO NO NO! I'm the one who has to do it alone!"

"But you're a real headcase! All right! I suggest you pray that I don't run into him before you do!" He clenches his fists, knowing he won't be able to change my mind. The crew looks at us like they're sitting in front of a ping-pong match. Luffy has his head on one side with a big question mark.

"Are you two a couple?"

"LUFFY!" Ace yells with a totally red face.

"Shishishi! You are funny when you are in love!" I bite my lips to keep from laughing.

"LUFFY! Stella and I are not a couple! She's my godmother!" There is a long silence on the ship.

"What's a godmother? A pastry?" He takes a swipe at Nami.

"You idiot! A godmother is someone who stands in for your parents if something happens to them!"

"Ah... Okay, it's like a second mom!" Ace blushed even more and turned his head away. "But I never saw Stella when we were kids. Did you stay hidden?" My eyes take on a sad hue.

"No, I couldn't raise Ace...because of your grandfather." I spit out the last words angrily.

"It's true the old man is a real asshole. But if it weren't for that, I would never have met Luffy and Sabo."

"Yes, that's true! Shishishi!" I frown at Sabo's name, it's the same as Dragon's right hand man.

"Sabo? Is he your brother too?"

"Yes... But he died years ago." A silence falls over the ship. The others have a sad look on their faces as they learn that Luffy has lost a family member, just like they had. I think about the data I have on Sabo and remember that he has amnesia, following an explosion.

"Was he blond?"

"Yes... How do you know that?"

"I know someone named Sabo. He is blond and always wears a top hat with aviator glasses. He also has a burn on his face." Luffy and Ace look at each other before looking at me.

"And...that Sabo...what happened to him?" I look at the rest of the crew, assessing if I can tell them.

"You can tell them anything, I trust them completely." Said Luffy with a huge seriousness. It's a little unsettling.

" Fine... The Sabo I know is part of the army of revolutionaries."

"The revolutionaries? Like the ones who want to overthrow Alabasta?" Nami asks.

"No, I don't think so. The revolutionaries are led by Dragon. Sabo is his right hand man." I look at Luffy to observe his behavior upon hearing his father's name, but he has no reaction.

"Dragon's right-hand man! Wow ! If he's our Sabo, he did well." I rub my chin.

"I... I can call him if you want."

"WHAT! REALLY! YOU HEARD ACE! WE CAN TALK TO SABO AGAIN!" Luffy cries as he takes Ace in his arms.

"Calm down Luffy, maybe it's just a guy with the same name."

The two brothers follow me into the room. I close the door, leaving the rest of the crew outside.

"All right, listen up. I want you to stay quiet during the call. I want to verify if this is your Sabo or not. Is that clear?" They nod their heads vigorously.

I start dialing the number, with each digit the tension rises. Even more so when the ringtone echoes in the silent room.

"Pupupuru, Pupupuru, Gacha..." Silence settles in the room, I bring the microphone close to my mouth.

"This is Agent Star, secure line. Over."

" ... Secure line. Second to speak." I smile.

"Hi Sabo, am I bothering you? I have something important to ask you. " Luffy was about to scream but Ace plates his hand against his mouth to shut him up. Enclosing Luffy firmly in his arms.

"I have a little time on my hands, what do you want to know?"

"Tell me... Do you remember if you have any brothers?"

"Brothers? No, I don't think so... But... I don't remember the first ten years of my life. So I can't answer you. Why?" Ace and Luffy look with big eyes at the Den Den.

"Do you remember the island you came from?"

"Uh... Dawn Island... But I have no memory of it." Luffy becomes even more agitated with tears in his eyes. Ace looks at me with hopeful eyes, tears were starting to form in the corners of his eyes.

"HMMM HMMM!"

"What's that noise?" I bite my lips.

"Uh... Well... I'm currently with two people who are from Dawn Island and they think you're their brother who died ten years ago."

" ... "

"Sabo?"

"...You are telling me that there are two people listening to us!" Sabo leaps from his chair and is about to cut the line. He doesn't believe it?! But what is Stella doing?!

"Calm down, I know these two people, one of them is my godson. And the other is way too innocent and stupid to lie."

"EH!" Complains Luffy, who has managed to break free and snatches the microphone from my hands. "SABO! YOU ARE ALIVE! I AM SO HAPPY! YOU REMEMBER ME ! IT'S ME LUFFY ! I AM WITH ACE ! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD WHEN YOUR BOAT EXPLODED !" Luffy screams while crying like a fountain. Den Den looks at him with big eyes. I snatch the microphone from him and pull him away from the crying boy.

"Sorry Sabo, but Luffy is pretty sentimental."

"I don't have an ear anymore, but that's okay. Except that it doesn't tell me anything. At least, I don't think so..."

"Go check out Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace's bounties. It might bring back some memories."

"Okay, don't move." I turn to the boys.

"Seriously Luffy... Didn't you think that yelling at him might have scared him off?"

"Huh?! But why? He's my brother!

"That's the problem, he has no memory of the bond between you! "

"Calm down Luffy, if it's really Sabo... He'll remember it eventually... "

We wait patiently for Sabo to return, but the time is really starting to get long.

"Hello? Sabo? Are you still there?"

" ... "

"ALLO?!"

" ... " Still no answer. I look at Ace, then at Luffy.

"What do we do?"

"We wait again, this may be our last chance to find out if Sabo is really alive..."

The minutes are getting longer and longer. Luffy is lying in the bed, starfish, staring at the ceiling. Ace sits cross-legged against the bed, staring blankly.

"Knock knock." I open the door to face Nami.

"We have a problem! The Baroques Works ships have found us! We can't run from them!" Ace stands up.

"I'll take care of it. I need to blow off some steam." He jumps on his boat and takes off at full speed toward the enemy ships.

"Is he going to make it? There are a lot of them." Vivi says with concern. I chuckle.

"It may be a little flame, but it's still Whitebeard's second commander." A column of fire explodes among the ships. As quickly as they arrived, they reach the ocean floor.

"Wow ! he's fucking strong your big brother, Luffy!"

"Shishishi! Yep! He's awesome!" Ace returns, a little calmer.

"That feels good!" But his smile fades when he sees that Luffy and I are on the ship's deck. "You left the Den Den unattended!" He rushes into the cabin, Luffy and I following him, closing the door behind us.

"Hello?! Sabo?! Are you back?" Ace has the microphone in his hand, calling for Sabo. But silence answers him. "Shit! Something's happened to him! I'm sure of it!" I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, I can call someone else. Who will check to see if he's okay." He nods and hands me back the microphone. I cut the line and dial Koala's number.

"Pupupuru... Pupupupuru... Pupupuru..." It rings again and again with no one picking up. I dial the number of the revolutionary headquarters, I prefer to avoid calling Dragon.

"Pupupuru... Pupupuru... Gatcha. Yes, hello? Golden Apple Pizzeria on the line. What do you want to order?"

"Hi, I would like a large royal pizza with extra peppers, I want it well done, almost burnt."

"Yes, what is the address?"

"At the Lost Star. I'll pay by hand, just to be safe. I'd like to give the directions to the delivery man, is that okay?"

"Sure, I'll put you through to the delivery man." Ace and Luffy look at me with a frown. I put my finger over my mouth so they don't make a sound.

"Yes, hello?" A young woman's voice answers me.

"Hi Koala, I tried to call you, but you're not answering your Den Den."

"Sorry, but Sabo is not well." Immediately, Ace and Luffy stand up, alert.

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know, he searched through the pile of bounties. After he pulled out two, he stood still for a moment. When I asked him if everything was okay, he burst into tears. Now he is unconscious, we don't know when he'll wake up."

"WHAT! SABO IS UNCONSCIOUS! WE HAVE TO GO SEE HIM!" Luffy yells, waving in all directions.

"Stella?! Who is he?!" Koala is on guard. Wouldn't Stella have betrayed them after all?

"Don't worry, it's Sabo's brother. In fact, I called Sabo earlier, to check if your Sabo and the Sabo of the two people with me, are the same person. As you know, he lost his memory and hasn't recovered it since. I think this coma indicates that Sabo's memory has returned."

"You... You think so?"

"Yes, wait until he wakes up. I'll give you big brother's number, he can call him whenever he wants. As for little brother, he's with me, so he can call me."

"Okay... But I don't like two strangers knowing."

"Do you trust me?"

"...Yes..."

"Then you can trust them. Do you have something to write the number on?" Koala grabs a piece of paper and a pen lying around on her table.

"I'm listening." I give her Ace's number. The little flame has his head in his hands. "Noted, I must leave you. With Sabo's discomfort, we're in a bit of a pickle."

"All right, see you later Koala."

"See you later!"

The silence falls again in the room. Ace keeps his head in his hands. Seeing his big brother in this state of distress, Luffy sits down next to him and hugs him. Ace godmother and teacher, I join them and hug them both.

"Be patient, you will know soon enough if Sabo is indeed your brother." They nod, hugging each other. Minutes pass, until they separate. "Ace..." He lifts his head, looking me in the eye. "What are you gonna do? Are you going to go back for that man, or are you going to wait for Sabo to wake up?" Ace gives me a long look, blinking slowly, and finally lets out a sigh.

"I... I don't know... I have to find him, he has to pay! But... It seems so paltry compared to the possibility of seeing Sabo again..." My hand rests on his head, he naturally leans against it. "What should I do?" My fingers massage his head, releasing him a little from his tension.

"Listen... Like I told you. If I find him, I'm going to capture him and deliver him to Whitebeard. Of course, in order to do that, I'll have to pass him on the way. I'm not going to actively look for him. You, on the other hand, can do something." His eyes stare at me, waiting for me to continue talking. Luffy looks at us in silence, his face serious. He doesn't understand what's going on, but he knows his brother is in a dilemma.

"And what is that?"

"I see three possibilities. The first is that you continue to pursue him, but if Sabo wants to see you, you can only do so if you give up your hunt. The second is that you let me find him and capture him, but since I'm with Luffy, I won't actively seek him out. However, you will be available to see Sabo. And third, you call the other commanders to give you a hand in the hunt, so that you can give them the torch if Sabo calls you, so that the search for this traitor can continue and you can see Sabo." Ace swallows and looks at his hands before clasping them together.

"I... I..." His head falls back into his hands, his fingers sliding between his black locks and gripping them tightly. "I wanted to do this alone, but now that there's a chance to see Sabo again. I... I think... I'll call the others..." A soft smile appears on my lips, my arms wrap around Ace and rub his back.

"I'm proud of you Ace." My hands go up to his face so he looks me in the eye. "I'm so proud of you, being able to lean on others will make you stronger." Ace looks at me before smiling and letting his head fall back on my shoulder.

"I... Uh... Thanks..." I chuckle slightly as I rub his unruly hair. Luffy has been watching us the whole time and tilts his head to the side.

"Are you sure you're not a couple?" Ace growls as he turns his head to his little brother. He looks at him with a scowl.

"If you say that again, I'll grill you until you're crispy" Luffy smiles broadly.

"You'll never do that, or Sabo will yell at you. Shishishi!" Another growl comes from Ace's chest and he pulls away from me.

"Only if he's really our Sabo."

"I'm sure it's him! I can feel it in my gut!"

"Are you sure it's not because you're hungry?" Luffy closes his eyes and tilts his head to the side, thinking deeply. He opens his eyes wide and jumps to his feet.

"You're right, I am hungry! SANJIIIII!" He storms out of the room as he goes to get the poor cook. Ace and I look at each other before bursting into laughter.

"He'll never change!"

"I've only been with him a short time, but I have a feeling he'll stay the same!" Ace has a frank and happy smile, which is rare enough to note. "You seem to adore your little brother. "

"Yes! I care about him a lot. I have to admit that when I saw you earlier. I was afraid you would hurt him."

"Why?" Ace looks on with a guilty look.

"Well...he's Garp's grandson and... you want to kick the shit out of him." I let out a sigh, Ace watches me stand up and put my hands on my hips, looking at him sternly.

"Listen to me carefully! If I have a problem with someone, I deal with it face to face. His family, his friends, or even his dog, have nothing to do with me. I respect other people's lives too much to hurt them gratuitously, just because they have a connection to someone I don't like." Ace looks at me with a neutral face before smiling.

"I know. I'm sorry, it was stupid. But when my little brother is in danger, I tend to forget things." I ruffle his hair.

"You're a very protective big brother. But I'll have you know he's become a pirate. So don't worry too much, or you'll burn out." He chuckles.

"Says the one lecturing me about my own safety." I smile and throw myself at him to tickle him.

"You may be a powerful pirate, but you'll always be my little baby!" Ace tries to escape between laughs, but he can't even crawl onto the bed.

"HA HA HA! Stop! HA HA HA! Stop! You're going to kill me! HA HA HA HA!" I hold up my hands to allow him to catch his breath. He's sprawled out on the bed, taking deep breaths of air. A smile still hanging on his lips. "That's cheating! I hate tickling!" I rest my hands on my hips.

"For someone who doesn't like it. You smile and laugh a lot." His smile turns devious and he pounces on me. Tackling me to the ground. "HAAA! No! STOP!"

It's my turn to laugh under Ace's attacks.

"Mouhahaha! Shout for mercy! And I will stop this torture!"

"HA HA HA! Never! I will never... HA HA HA! I'll never say it! HA HA HA!" Without any mercy Ace continues to tickle me, I only owe my salvation to the intervention of Zoro who appears in the room.

"But isn't it almost over?! There are people trying to sleep..." His voice dies in his throat when he sees what position we are in. I'm lying on the floor on my back, my hands on Ace's pecs, trying to push him away. Ace is on top of me, his legs on either side of my body and his hands under my shirt for better access to my sensitive skin. Zoro bug for a few seconds before taking a deep breath.

"Do what you want, I don't care. But if you want to do that kind of thing, go to the shed instead, we'll hear you less. " He turns and is about to leave but stops when he hears my laughter.

"HA HA HA HA! Have... Have you... HA HA HA! Have you ever tried it?! HA HA HA HA! Is that... Is that why you advise us to go there?! HA HA HA HA HA!" Zoro turns bright red.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! IT'S JUST THE FARTHEST ROOM FROM THE DECK!" His burst of voice draws everyone's attention.

"What's wrong with you shouting like that, Marimo?" Sanji in turn looks around the room and sees us. We haven't moved from our position, but Ace finally seems to realize the situation and leaps away from me.

"YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO STELLA-CHAN!" The cook throws himself at Ace, ready to kick him, but I leap up and grab Sanji's leg.

"Ha ha ha... Calm down Sanji, everything is fine. We were just having a tickle fight and Zoro thought it was something more... physical. Like you." Sanji blushed in turn and lowered his leg.

"That's... Uh... Is it true?" I patted him on the back.

"Of course it's true." I place my head next to his. "If we ever did this kind of thing... There would be more props..." I whisper in his ear. Sanji immediately got a nosebleed and turned bright red.

"Pervert" Sanji abruptly turned to Zoro and approached with big steps.

"What did you just say, shitty swordsman ?!"

"You heard me just fine, Cook pervert!" Once again, the two men kick and sword each other as they leave the room for more space.

Ace and I look at each other before smiling and following the boys outside.

Outside, the sea is calm and the ship continues to sail along the shore. The city is no longer visible for a long time. Nami and Vivi are on the lookout for any danger as they make their way to our next destination.

"Ha Stella! Did you finish what you were supposed to do?" Nami asks as she takes her eyes off the ocean.

"Yes, we are done. Sorry for the wait, but we had some important things to take care of."

"Don't worry about it. We don't know much about you, but knowing that you are connected to Luffy in some way is reassuring, I admit." She says as she rubs the back of her neck, somewhat embarrassed by her statement. I shrug my shoulders.

"I'm connected to a lot of people, more or less social. But it's true that Ace is at the top of the list of people who are important to me. If something happens to him, I will jump to his aid. Even if it means going all the way to the bottom of Impel Down to get him back." Nami looks at me carefully before smiling.

"Stop saying that, Stella! I can take care of myself! And I'll never get caught!" Ace says, sticking his tongue out at me.

"Don't you have a call to make? There's a certain bird that's worried right now" He looks at me with a scowl.

"I'll call them a little later, I don't want to abuse my brother's hospitality. Besides, I should have left a while ago." I cross my arms and give him a stern look.

"You're going to call him now! There's no way you're putting this off. Besides, I have all the equipment to make the call discreet and untraceable. So you have no excuse!" He in turn crosses his arms.

"It's not like you can force me.~" He flashes a big smile and starts to catch fire to get away. I grab Maru and throw it at him. He widens his eyes when Maru makes contact with him and his fire disappears, at the same time feeling weak.

"Wha... wha... what?! " He falls to his knees and tries to pull Maru away, who looks at him with a big smile and runs away from Ace's hands, sliding down his back.

"Ace?! What's wrong with you?!" Luffy rushes to his brother in a panic. Ace looks at me with a sharp look.

"Get this thing off me right now! It's drooling on me! Luffy, get this snail off me!" Luffy reaches out to Maru and tries to pull it off of Ace's back. But as an eater of the devil fruit, he collapses to the deck.

"LUFFY?!" Everyone rushes around us.

"Stella! What is happening to them?! What did you do?" I crouch down in front of Ace and give him a big smile.

"So, are you going to call them now, or shall I leave you like this for a while longer?" Ace is sprawled on the deck and can only look up.

"I hate you..." My smile widens.

"I'll take that as a yes." He growls as his only response.

"Are you going to explain to me what just happened?!" I look at Nami, who is starting to get annoyed at being ignored.

"My photographer Den Den's have the same properties as sea granite. So if they come in contact with a devil fruit eater, they make them weak and powerless." My mocking grin pisses Ace off even more, and he bangs his head against the deck in protest.

"Sea granite? Didn't you say that was the only way to hit a logia when you haven't mastered the armaments haki?" Vivi asks. I nod, without taking my eyes off Ace, who has his forehead against the ground. Maru is in the middle of his back, head held high and proud, sneering at the misfortune of the little flame. " That' s... That's extraordinary. I didn't know Den Den could have this kind of property."

"Oh well, it's normal that you don't know that. These Den Den are genetically modified. So you'll never find one in the wild or at a dealer." Nami's eyes turned to Berrys once more.

"So they're unique? They must be worth a fortune!" I look at Nami with a dark look.

"If you ever steal them from me, you can say hello to Hisui. Is that clear?" Nami instantly turns pale.

"Uh... I... Okay, I get it." I return my gaze to Ace.

"So? Are you going to call them?" He gives me a flat, unamused look.

"Yeah, I'm going to call them. Can you get this thing off me now?" I place my hand next to Maru, who quietly climbs onto my hand, taking his time well. Once Maru leaves his back, Ace stands up, glaring at the Den Den.

"Next time you take that long to get off my back. I'll grill you, is that clear?" Maru's smile is replaced by a face of horror, his mouth wide open in a silent scream. I rest Maru on my shoulder and give Ace a pat on the nose.

"That's enough, Ace, you're scaring him. If you want to fry someone, then it's going to be me." He rubs his nose and heads for the bedroom.

"It's okay, I understand. I'll call the birdie. That way you'll leave me alone." He enters the room and slams the door. Luffy enters the room in turn, but Ace throws him out. We see him bounce on the floor and finish his race against the mast. He gets up and throws himself at the door, drumming loudly.

"ACEEEE! OPEN ME!"

"SHUT UP! I'M ON THE PHONE!" Ace replies through the door. Luffy pouts and gives me cocker spaniel eyes.

"Why doesn't he want me to be with him?" I ruffle his hair.

"Don't worry, he just has an important call to make. Otherwise, is everything ready for the desert crossing?"

"Yes, we should reach our destination soon." Says Vivi. She hands me a bag. "Here are your things, I advise you to change. The sun is particularly fierce during the day and it's cold at night. I push the bag away.

"Thanks for the advice, but there's no need. I'm not going to cross the desert with you."

"Huh? Why? What are you going to do, then? There's nothing to do here." Said Sanji, tears running comically down his cheeks.

"I'm going to leave for the capital or just go sightseeing."

"But... You should have told us before. We would have left you in Nanohana and you would have taken caravans to the capital. But starting from here, it will take you a while to get there. In addition, you have to cross the Sandora River." I shrug.

"What's the nearest town in that case?"

"Well... There's Yuba, which we need to get to in order to talk to the rebels, otherwise there's Rainbase, but there's Crocodile there." I wave my hand.

"It's not like I'm going to have a problem with him." Vivi is puzzled, but says nothing.

"So, what are you planning to do?" Nami asks.

"Leave for Rainbase, I have some pictures to get developed." Maru nods his head sharply.

"Okay, but be careful. Crossing the desert alone is very dangerous."

"This isn't my first time traveling through Alabasta. I'll be able to handle myself."

Around noon, we finally arrive at our destination. I knock on the bedroom door.

"Ace? Are you done?" Silence answers me. I knock again. "Ace? We've reached our destination, the others will be leaving soon." Ace still does not answer. I start to get angry and violently knock on the door. "Portgas D. Ace! Open that door or I'll break it down!" A commotion breaks out and Ace's head pops up in the doorway. His eyes are asleep and he yawns loudly. "I'm dreaming... Tell me you had a narcoleptic fit and didn't pretend to call the crew..." I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Huh? Oh no... I called Marco and the others. I fell asleep after the call." He yawns again, rubbing his eyes like a child. My anger immediately falls back at his adorable face.

"ACE! You're finally out!" We are knocked down by a elastic shell and end up on the ground again, Luffy tackling us to the ground.

"Luffy..." Ace starts to growl.

"Yes, Ace?!"

"Start running..." Without waiting, Luffy quickly gets up and runs out of the room, quickly followed by Ace. "Come back here, little brother! I'm gonna drown you!"

"HAAAAAA! HELP!" We watch as Luffy and Ace chase each other around the ship. Ace has a smile on his face, having the time of his life. All his worries seem to have disappeared. My heart swells with happiness.

I will do everything to make him happy, nothing will stop me!

Hi everyone!

Here is a cute chapter. There are few chapters left before we catch up with the French chapters.

By the way, the views are not counted since one week, do you know why ?

If there are some translation mistakes, don't hesitate to leave a comment, it's always a pleasure and gives me the energy to write!

See you soon !