Haruta was laughing his ass off about the situation and his brother's faces. That is until he suddenly noticed something he wished he never saw and nervously addressed the small group of commanders surrounding his sleeping baby brother.

"...Nah... is it me... or are his pants … ehm …. strained?

"Yea, and so I said 'no, you're the one with a lack off-" Sniff.. sniff

"...Thatch, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm smelling the air, what else does it look like?"

"I don't know, maybe your hairspray is finally effecting your head?"

"Jozu... I hate you sometimes you know."

"I know."

"But for real, don't you smell anything?"

"Smell?"

"Yea-" Thatch turned around, smelling the air all around him "-there's something off."

With a hum Jozu also started sniffing the air, gaining the attention of a nearby geisha look-a-like.

"Now that you say it-" sniff sniff "-it kind of smells like-"

"What the hell are you idiots doing right now?"

"Oh Iz, hell-"

WACK

"OW IZOU, why would you hit me!"

Izou casually closed his fan, putting his hand on his hip, "Don't call me Iz."

"Wth, Thatch calls you Iz all the time!"

Thatch took a step forward, brushing a hand over his pompadour looking too smug for anyone's liking. "Of course I do, Jozu, look at my charms, who could ever resist a man like m-"

WACK

The charming man himself was now cradling his head and quickly trying to fix his ruffled pompadour throughout the pain.

"Izzzzz, whyyyyyy?"

"Don't overreact Thatch-dear. Jozu, Thatch just has... permission. But besides all of that, what were you doofuses doing walking in circles?"

While Thatch was still desperately saving his hair, Jozu decide to be the one to answer.
"The air smells strange."

"The air?" Taking out his fan, Izou gently fluttered it before his face to blow some air in his face to smell. No way was he going to look like dog chasing a smell by running around like his dear brothers did. "Thatch, are your chefs baking or cooking right now?"

"huh?" The chef stood up, his pompadour a bit tilted, but somehow staying upright. "No, they're doing a big clean right now since we're just having sandwiches at noon, no cooking involved. Why?"

"Something's burning."

"Iz, what are y-"

"You're right." Jozu answered "It smells like something is on fire."

"That can't be, we're on the ocean, and like I said, there's nothing that needs to be co-"

AHhhh

"..."

"What was that?"

"I don't know, it came from behind the mast."

Together Izou, Thatch and Jozu made their way around the mast to inspect the sound, not expecting to also find the source of the smell.

On the ground and laying on his front, dead to the world, was the firecracker of the ship, sleeping the day away at only 11 in the morning.

Thatch whistled "this kid always impresses me that he can sleep anywhere without a care in the world."

"He actually has the luxury to sleep right now since Ace-dear finished his paperwork unlike so-"

"O-o-oiii" Jozu interrupted the pair with a stutter, he pointed towards Ace on the floor, or more specifically to right next to Ace. "The deck hasn't always been black right here... has it?"

At the mention Izou and Thatch both look down at the black markings, their eyes opening a tad wider.

"THE LITTLE SHIT IS BURNING THE DECK!" - "ACEEE"

Like any other narcoleptic person, or it could be just Ace. The kid just rolled over, continuing to sleep now on his back. Where Ace had originally been napping was now a clear outline of a person burned into the deck.

Izou sighed and put a hand on his face, somehow still looking as graceful as ever. "Are you kidding me? Burning the ship when sleeping, this is Adams wood for godssake."

Thatch suddenly squeaked beside him, looking over he saw he was shielding his eyes.

Also noticing the chef's state, Jozu quirked an eyebrow "You good Thatch, why are you blushing."

"I-I-I, He h-h-, A-aceee"

"Thatch-dear, please just speak up, c'mon."

"H-h-his pants."

"Pants?" Jozu turned back to Ace, he didn't immediately see anything wrong with the only clothing item the kid wore, but with him being this tall, he easily missed details. To assure he didn't miss anything be bended down a bit, inspecting every inch of fabric. "hmmm, I don't seEEEE-

"Jozu, why are you squealing too now and why are you part diamond? Ace has always only worn pants, what are you all blushing for?"

"Iz... Just …. look at his pants, please."

"Fine, I'll amuse you." With that Izou also started inspecting the pants. At one point his eyes widened up and his fan had never opened that quickly before to shield his own face, only his eyes slightly peeking over "Oh my..."

"We're not imagining anything are we?"

"N-"

"Oi, what's up with the gathering?"

Haruta came up to them, hands leisurely behind his head. When he got close enough, he noticed his baby brother on deck.

"Oh, Ace fell asleep again? And hahahhahahahaha did he burn the freaking deck while sleeping!" He almost crumbled in on himself from laughing "This is amazing hahahahha"

After laughing for a while Haruta wiped his tears away and spoke to the rest "I know this is a tiny bit bad, but c'mon, it's more funny than anything else, why are you all so quiet. It's just Ace sleeping and burning the d- …... Nah... is it me... or are his pants … ehm …. strained?"

Aaah, of course, leave it to the intellectual division to instantly notice it.
"Guys?" Haruta suddenly sounded very nervous "Please tell me Ace is just sleeping on the deck like always?"

"..."

"G-guys, c'mon..." He sounded desperate now and was also getting very flushed, very quickly "Please tell me Ace isn't having a -"

Ngh-ah

The deck grew deadly quiet at the... obscene …. noise that left the fire users lips in his sleep. The teen slightly turned in his sleep and put a hand on his abs.

-Oh no- Was Thatch's his instant thought, that hand is far, far too close to the current problem.

Haruta was the first to be knocked out of his stupor, he however was for some reason looking up at the sky, refusing to look down at Ace "W-where, where's Marco?"

After a heavy swallow Jozu replied in a far smaller voice then normal "He is in a meeting with Oyaji, said we weren't allowed to bother him unless for an emergency."

"Can't we count this as an emergency?" The 16th commander replied fanning his face to cool down "We're in danger of the ship getting sunk because... because of a horny firepit."

"LALALLA" Haruta yelled while shielding his ears "Don't say it outloud izou! It's already bad enough I have to see this!"

"C'mon Haruta-dear, I … I know this is ehm …. unusual, but … it's not that bad..."

"ISN'T IT?! LOOK A-"

"G-guys! Aaa-h, I, oh no."

"Jozu, what's wrong."

"His hand! His hand's moving!"

And indeed, just like the diamond commander had said, not only was the air heating up even more and the scorch marks spreading around the fire user, said fire-user's hand was snaking dangerously close to the rim of his own pants. Ace's cheeks also tinted a light red now.

Everyone's eyes opened like saucers, but Thatch was the first to react, "NOPE NOPE NOPE, MAAAAAAAAARCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Thatch, no, he was in a meeting with Pops, you can't c-"

"THEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THIS" He aggressively gestured towards the blissed-out commander on the floor who is not aware of any harm.

"No..."

Harshly nodding "That's what I thought, so if you'll excuse me, I have a pigeon to call. MAAAAAAAARCOOOOO, GET YOUR FEATHERY BUTT OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! THE SHIP'S GONNE SINK AND IT WILL BE YOUR FAULT!"

Within a few seconds of Thatch yelling out the bad prediction for the ship came Marco running out the door, Pops following not long after. -Stupid pigeon was probably ignoring our damn calls until I said it was gonne sink the ship!-

"What's going on-yoi!? Did we get attacked?!"

"Attacked by the sun's hornie-"

"IZOU, STOPPPPP"

Marco ran over to the commander, only to see them all blushing. Izou was hiding behind his fan, Joze was looking anywhere but him and the floor, Haruta had his eyes closed but was hitting Izou's middle, and Thatch was looking at him with a very expectant look that he couldn't place. Ow and his boyfriend was napping on the floor, nothing unusual.

"What's going on-yoi." Marco grew a bit annoyed, they always called him out and worried him for nothing. "The ship's not sinking at all, is it?"

"Not yet."

"..." Marco sighed "Why did you call me Thatch, I said I was going to be in a meeting with Pops."

"Your boyfriend."

"Ace-yoi?" he looked down at his sleeping boyfriend, "What's wrong wi- Are those scorch marks?"

"They are."

Once again the first commander let out a breath "Alright, Ace is burning the ship a bit, we can discuss how to prevent this later, but just wake him up and he can regulate his temperature. There was no reason to call me."

"Oooh no, I am not touching that."

"... Why are you saying it like that, it's just Ace."

"Look closer at your deepest desire, birdy."

Before he could look down, Pops coughed behind him, also starting to have a red look on his cheeks "We'll postpone this meeting son, don't worry about it."

"Wha- what's going on?" Marco was really confused right now, why the hell was everyone blushing!? There was literally nothing going on that would give this reaction?
Yes, his boyfriend was cute, as always, but it's not like they haven't seen him like this, and they never had this reaction before. The scorch marks are a first but that doesn'-

Mmmh- arc-hoo

-Huh? That's exactly how Ace calls me in b- "!" Marco's head did not light on fire when he, to the other's delight, finally saw the problem.

His cute boyfriend was laying on the deck, freckles standing out over his pink cheeks, lips slightly parted and softly panting, an obviously straining pants and … FINGERS HALFWAY DOWN H-

Ah-aah

-NOOO!- With an inhuman bird sounding screech, which Marco will forever deny came from him, did Marco scoop up his sleeping boyfriend and disappeared deep into the bowels of the ship, all within a fraction of a second, not to be seen again until dinner.

At said dinner, it was the fire-users turn to be blushing all the way throughout his meal, not looking the other commanders in the eyes. No one commented on the fact that the natural heater was wearing one of Marco's shirts, all the way buttoned close up until his neck. And while some commanders where slightly traumatized, no one mentioned anything of … the problem … ever again.

…. I ehm, ya know, I thought Ace would … Heat up ... when taking part in ehm... these things... So... also, RIP too many bedsheets.