Title: Of Dreams and Desires
Pairings: Smoker x Ace, Sanji x Zoro, and other side pairings
Ratings: T - NC-17
Chapter: 30 of ?
Summary: The road to One Piece is a dangerous one and each individual begins at different times and places. Some paths cross for a fleeting moment but the encounter could be so great that it can alter the initial direction. Every meeting is important and is planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other. Follow everyone's story and see what path they take.
Disclaimer: I do not make any profit from this story; all props go to Eiichiro Oda.
Author Note: Sorry for the long wait. Thank you all for sticking with me and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.
Shout Outs: Thank you to ThePoliceLlama for reviewing! I'm happy you liked Usopp x Nami. I was hoping they would get a good reaction lol. As for Luffy we will just have to wait and see about his relationship status lol.
Beta Reader: descriptionsalive21, thank you so much!

Portgas D. Ace

Masculine fingers traced over smooth skin in random patterns causing the smaller of the two men groaned and bury his head deeper in the neck of the older gentleman, trying to hide from the morning sun glaring through the window. When his body pillow chuckled, Ace cursed under his breath, before looking up into the red eyes of his lover.

"You're finally awake."

Ace yawned before pecking Smoker on the lips, "How long have I been out?"

The commodore looked over his shoulder at the clock on the wall, "We've missed breakfast."

The loud rumbling of his stomach was accompanied by a groan, "Damn, breakfast sounded good."

Smoker laughed around his cigars, "More than likely the kitchen staff is preparing for lunch. You'll have to wait until then to eat."

The pirate looked around the smoke encasing the room, "I've got to get back on my hunt. I've been here way too long."

Tensa glanced at the calendar, "Yeah, what was supposed to be two weeks has turned into a month and a half."

Ace rolled out of bed, popping his back as he ruffled through his duffle bag. Smoker watched the nude body retrieve some clothes before walking over to the bathroom, "I'll be out in a few."

Smoker opened his mouth but quickly shut it when the younger male cut him off, "And no, you can not join me in the shower. I'll never get clean if you're in there."

Smoker huffed a laugh, waving a dismissive hand towards Ace and Fire Fist gave a flirtatious wink before he shut the door with a soft click.

The Marine lay in bed for a few moments longer before a knock came at his door. He grunted and pulled himself up from the mattress. It had been a week since the Molder Island incident and he, along with everyone else, was healing up well. Dragging his feet to the wooden door, Smoker opened it, revealing the face of one of his petty officers.

"What do you need, Roy?"

Said man saluted, "Sir, you have an incoming call from HQ."

"Patch it through."

When Roy was down the hall he closed the door and walked over to the windowsill, snatching the mushi off his desk as he passed. He opened the window to let the room air out before he answered the call, "Smoker speaking."

"Tensa," a lazy voice floated from the speakers, "how are you?"

The White Hunter fell into his chair, propping his feet up on the sill, "Fine; I've healed well. What is it that you need?"

"All high ranking officials need to return to headquarters for a meeting."

Smoker picked up a pair of cigars and lit them, "What's the meeting for?"

"As you know there has been a Shichibukai position open for some time now. The higher ups think they might have someone to fill the spot."

He puffed out some smoke, "Why the hell do I need to be there?"

"That, I'm not sure about. They've called everyone in. Apparently, whatever it is that's going down, it's going to be big." Kuzan sighed, "I've got so much paperwork I gotta do. I'll see you when you get here."

"I don't see what the big deal is. It's just another Shichibukai."

Aokiji hummed, "I'm not too sure how true the rumors are, but it's going around that this isn't a normal deal we're forming with a pirate."

Smoker rubbed his forehead, "I guess we'll see."

With parting words, the call disconnected just in time as Ace walked out of the bathroom with steam escaping all around him. Smoker watched his lover pack his bag and when he was done he swiveled the chair around to fully face the pirate. He tapped off the ashes from his cigars before he spoke, "I need to return to HQ."

Ace ran his fingers through his wet hair, "I need to fix my boat."

"To my knowledge Jesse and Roy have fixed your craft." Smoker stood, walking to Ace and wrapping his arms around him. The pair stood in silence for a while before the younger turned in his lover's arms.

"I had the best time of my life here with you."

Smoker chuckled, "You sure there wasn't too much excitement?"

"Nah, just the right amount." He grinned up at the man, "Reminded me of my younger days; always found myself in some sort of trouble."

Their lips met in a quick kiss before Ace pulled away, "I need to find the guys before I leave."

Once they were fully dressed and the pirate made sure he wasn't leaving anything behind they made their way out of the sleeping quarters and towards the deck of the ship. Ace saw his boat attached to the gunwale and smiled at her fixed body, "They did one hell of a job."

"Freckles!"

Fire Fist turned to his friends, smiling, "Look at you ugly three! I've missed your faces!"

The four met in a group hug, laughing. When they parted Jesse gave him a once over, "You lookin' pretty good there mate."

Ace adjusted his hat, "Yeah, once Mera was freed the only thing I needed to do to heal was sleep." He examined Perry, "You doing alright?"

The southern man beat his fist against his chest, "It was just a little concussion and smoke damage to my lungs. Like you said, nothing a little rest couldn't fix."

Roy peered over Ace's shoulder at his commodore, "Oi, Cap, how goes it?"

Smoker nodded his head, "Everything's well. We have to get the moving back to headquarters though. I was just seeing him off."

Perry whined a little, "Ah damn, Freckles, you leaving already?"

"Already?!" Jesse snorted, "He's been here forever!"

Ace laughed, "Yeah it's about time I got on my way." He clasped hands with them once more before walking to the side rail near Smoker. He tilted his hat in farewell, "It was fun while it lasted."

The three petty officers saluted to him. "It was an honor!"

Seeing the pair needed time alone, Perry shoved the other two towards the rear of the ship, "Come on, lunch should be ready."

Smoker watched them leave and once they were out of sight he pulled Ace into a passionate kiss. His hands traced over the smaller male's body, as if trying to remember every curve and dip. Ace moaned, pressing his body closer to the other's. They parted only when air was needed but even then they stayed close together, not yet ready to be out of each other's embrace.

"You should cut your hair."

An eyebrow was arched, "Cut my hair?"

"Yeah," Ace ran his fingers across the side of his head, "Shave here down to a buzz cut and," he ran a hand over the spiked white hair, flatting it, "Slick this back, fucking sexy."

Smoker chuckled as he pressed Ace against the rail, kissing him again, the longing and desire they both felt behind every stroke of their lips. A groan passed through the commodore as he moved his lips down the side of his lover's neck. The pirate bit back a moan as he threw his head back in pleasure, one hand buried in white tresses while the other clutched his hat. Only after a soft bite on his collar bone did Ace pull the Marine off his neck, huffing, "Don't start nothing you can't finish, Tensa."

Smoker grinned and just as he opened his mouth a loud horn signaling for lunch from the galley cut him off. Both men groaned at the reminder of what they needed to be getting to. The Marine stepped back and patted his arm sleeve for a pair of cigars. Ace picked up the bag he'd dropped at his feet and threw it into his boat. He turned around to face his now smoking lover.

The freckled man held out a fleshy piece of paper to Smoker, "I'm trusting you with this; don't make me regret it."

Smoker took the paper, puffing out a smoky 'o' around it, "Smoker's honor."

Ace tipped his hat in farewell as he jumped over the rail and into his boat. Without looking back he called upon Mera, leaving his lover behind. When he was far enough, he glanced back with just enough time to see the navy ship disappear into the distance. The commander settled his devil and opened the sails, letting the breeze guide his boat.

Sighing, Ace lay back against his now fixed mast and pulled out his mushi. He dialed a code on the snail and waited for it to be answered. Moments later the voice of the first division commander greeted him, "Ace."

"Marco, I'm just calling in to let father know I'm off Molder Island."

"I'll let him know."

"I'll call back in when I'm on my way home." The second division commander pressed the side of the snail, sending it back to sleep.

He looked up at the sky in thought before he made another call on the mushi. The smoky voice of Sanji flowed from the speaker, "Straw Hats."

"Oi, Sanji, how's it going?"

The blond made a noise of recognition, "Ace, things are going well. Are you calling for Luffy?"

"Yup."

"One moment, let me get you to him."

The pressing of buttons made Ace raise an eyebrow as the mushi began to ring again. Robin's silvery voice answered the line, "Straw Hats."

Ace looked at the snail in confusion, muttering, "The hell?" he cleared his throat, "Uh, can I speak to Luffy?"

The archaeologist chuckled, "He's at the bow of the ship."

Before he could respond another set of clicking sounds could be heard and the snail rang. Ace huffed and waited for someone to answer again, "Straw Hats."

"Nami, who's calling?!" Luffy's voiced rang in the background

The older brother grinned at hearing his younger. Just as he was about to request to speak to him he heard their navigator growl in irritation, "Well if you give me a second to ask I'd know!"

He cleared his throat to gain their attention, "This is Ace. I'd like to speak to Luffy."

"Ace!" He heard fumbling over the speaker before the person he'd been waiting for answered, "Ace! What's up?"

"Just checking in with you. I spoke to gramps a little while ago and he told me about your bounty going up."

Luffy chuckled out a 'shishishi', "Yup, I'm a man of 100,000,000 beli now."

"Awesome, I knew you'd have no problems making a name for yourself in the pirate world. Where are you headed to now?"

"Mmm, Robin said something about there being a historically rich island nearby. Nami thinks it's this place called Water Seven."

Ace let out a yawn, "Ah, I've been there with Whitebeard before. Well, you have fun, Lu. We'll talk again later."

He put the snail back in his bag before he settled down to sleep.

P.D.A

The teen woke to the delicious smell of food and his stomach grumbled in protest of not being fed. Ace stood, looking out on the horizon at a purple ship, squinting his eyes, muttering an "aha" when he spotted the pirate flag on the top of the spar. He steered his boat close to the circus-like vessel and when he was near enough he tied them together before he climbed up to the rear deck. There was a gathering on the main deck and that was the direction the smells were coming from. With light footsteps he sat down among the pirates and began to make his plate. Once satisfied, he picked up a drumstick and began to eavesdrop on the conversation.

The man wearing a fur vest next to Ace shook his head, "Cap'in Buggy, we couldn't find Captain John's buried treasure."

"Idiot," the one next to him with the two toned hair chided, "be more considerate. The captain obviously picked the wrong island and we can't let the others know that or he'll be red with embarrassment."

Ace hummed and tilted slightly to the left to get a better view of the man with a clown nose, "Whose nose is red and big-ass?!" Buggy stormed over to Cabaji and gripped him by his scarf, pulling him close enough that their noses were touching.

Mohji shook his head at the two men, "By the way cap'in, do we really have time to be treasure hunting? Those Straw Hat dogs are already considered the greatest pirates on the Grand Line."

Ace's ears perked at the mention of his brother's crew name.

Buggy released Cabaji, pointing a finger at Mohji, "You flashy moron, don't lose your head. We're going to let them swim."

"What do you mean?"

The captain sighed, "Listen, you know witches? Before they eat children, they get them fattened up, you get it?" When the look of confusion was still on their faces, Buggy sighed, "In other words the higher the Straw Hat's bounty gets–"

"I see!" Mohji placed his fist in the palm of his other hand, "When you take him down, your reputation will be even greater than his!"

The crew gasped, making Ace chuckle into his drinking saucer. Buggy released an excited laugh, "You got it!"

Cabaji looked upon his captain with awe in his eyes, "That's a brilliant plan! Captain, let's have a party!"

Buggy held his arms out, "We'll feast all night!"

As the pirates surrounding him began to dance to music and sit for food, Ace clapped his hands, enjoying the celebration.

A woman dressed in a polka dotted bikini top shook her head at their antics, "That's enough, you silly merrymaking boys. What's the point of planning to take down Luffy when we don't even know where he is?"

Buggy passed her some rum, "Oh, come on. Lighten up, Alvida. We should start by having fun."

Ace spoke up at hearing his brother's name again, "Oh, you're looking for Luffy? I'll tell you where he is."

The blue haired man nodded his head and pointed blindly at Ace, "See? This guy's gonna tell us where he is."

Silence engulfed the entire ship as they looked at the tattooed man. Buggy peered at the man before he screeched, "Who the hell are you?!"

Fire Fist stood and bowed, "Oh, my apology for disrupting your party. I was simply lured by the delicious aroma of your feast. My name is Ace. Please accept my apology."

Buggy waved a hand at the apology, "Oh no need to be formal. We should be apologizing too."

Taking that as the acceptance to his earlier remark, Ace returned to his seat, picking back up his meal. Seeing that the man wasn't going to answer his question, Buggy growled.

"I asked, who the hell you are! I don't care what your name is! You've gone and flashy underestimated me, bastard!"

Cabaji took a good look at the man before he exclaimed, "Captain!" He pointed a shaky finger, "Captain this guy… he's the Fire Fist! Fire Fist Ace, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates second division!"

The Buggy Pirates gasped, "Whitebeard?"

Ace raised his mug in cheers, "So you know the Old Man?" He sipped the drink, "That's a pleasant–" His head dropped, chin touching his chest as snores floated to the ears of the listeners.

"He fell asleep?!"

Buggy hushed the crew, "Silence! I can't hear myself think."

Alvida flicked some dirt from under her nail, "What will you do with him?"

When Buggy didn't answer, Mohji answered, "We should kill him."

The painted faced man shook his head, "No."

His jaw dropped, "Why not? This could clearly be our best chance! If we take down Fire Fist Ace, we'll be famous overnight."

Buggy glared at his first mate, "Damn it, I said no!" He glared at his men, "Listen you morons, remember this flashy well: Whitebeard's men must never ever be harmed; no matter what! Whitebeard… That man…" He trailed off, staring at the now sprawled out Ace, "That legendary monster was the only man capable of equally fighting with the pirate king, Roger. Today, he is without a doubt the strongest pirate in the world. The one person who is closest to obtaining the greatest treasure ever: One Piece! Whitebeard, with all his might, will always avenge the death of his nakama. That's the kind of man he is."

Buggy let the words sink into his crew's heads as took a swig from his drink.

"You seem to know a lot about him." Alvida observed on as Ace sat into an upright position and picked back up the piece of unfinished meat before him.

"Well of course. A long time ago, here on the Grand Line… I met that man in person."

When he didn't say anything else, Ace commented, "Oh? So you know the Old Man."

The Buggy Pirates jumped, "He's awake!"

Ace stood, waving his hand in the air, "Ah, come on now, guys, this is a party!" When no one moved he chuckled, "Let's forget about the Whitebeard stuff and kick it!"

Buggy chuckled nervously, "Oh yeah! We're gonna have a party, right?" He turned to his crew with a smile. The music started once more and Ace topped off the captain's drink.

The clown captain grinned, "Hey, you aren't such a bad guy, are ya?"

They clanked cups, "Drink up!"

Seven cups of rum and four sake shots later, the occupants of the Big Top were completely wasted. Ace stood and walked to where he left his ship, "I should really get going."

"Aw, where ya going so soon?" Buggy's slurred words made the commander grin.

Ace leaned on the rail, "Gotta head towards Banaro Island."

The clown turned towards Alvida, "Isn't that like… a month's ride out?"

Alvida unrolled the map next to her, "If the wind is on your side."

"Alright, well thanks for the food and drink. I'll be taking my leave now."

The Buggy Pirates raised their drinks to him, "Later Ace!"

With the tip of his hat, Ace jumped down into his boat and set sail towards his destination.

Thanks for reading! I really like writing Buggy. He's such a interesting character lol. Let me know what you guys think. Stay in tune for next chapter: Shanks - Huredhiel