Title: Of Dreams and Desires
Pairings: Smoker x Ace, Sanji x Zoro, and other side pairings
Ratings: T - NC-17
Chapter: 56 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: I'm mad I missed Dallas Comic Con… but I guess I can't be too upset considering I worked and made money. Guess it depends on how you look at it. I would've spent my whole paycheck in there, I know it lol.
Shout Outs: Thank you yukino76 for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter. Thankies to Pinapples for adding my story to your favorites list 3
Beta Reader: descriptionsalive21, thank you so much!

Portgas D. Ace

Snow crunched under heavy boots as the vice warden traversed through the freezing hell. Despite the thick woolen coat she wore, a shiver still racked through her body. Large fans produced an artificial wind, keeping the ice box at a negative temperature. As she passed a few of the massive cells, the inmates reached out their frost-bitten hands towards her, begging for help… for a blanket… for food… something… anything to help them survive the arctic weather. Her time spent in the maximum-security prison had hardened her, making it easy to ignore the pleas as she made notes on the document attached to the clipboard she carried with her. Despite her tough exterior towards the inmates, she wouldn't wish this or any of the other tortuous levels on anyone—pirate or not. A pack of wolves ran past her, snapping at the outstretched hands of the prisoners, some managing to take off a few fingers as they went by. Her lips curled in disgust beneath the thick scarf that shielded the lower half of her face as one of the wolves dropped a frozen thumb and a pup happily began nibbling on it.

A mushi rang and her leather-gloved hand plucked it from the inner folds of her coat, "Domino."

The snail's eyes opened, but it didn't speak; instead, it shivered, so she wrapped her hands around its shell to warm it up. After a few minutes of gathering heat, the creature relayed the caller's message, "Is the sky blue?"

Understanding the code, Domino trekked over to some pine trees, far away from the eavesdropping ears of the prisoners. It was only when she was out of earshot did she reply, "It's blue."

"I have a task for you."

Domino scoffed, "I haven't been able to establish contact with you for the last few months and you don't even say 'hi'. Typical. What's going on, Kong?"

The snail sighed heavily, "We're going to war."

Black eyebrows rose, "War? With whom?"

"The Whitebeard Pirates. We have their second commander in custody."

"Portgas D. Ace," she nodded her head, "He arrived a few days ago with Aokiji."

"Check on him. I have Garp coming for visitation and if the boy is being subjected to any unnecessary torture—aside from the baptism—the man wouldn't take it well. I don't need another dilemma on my hands if he takes it upon himself to make a scene." He paused for a moment before saying, "You've been undercover for the last six years, but by no means do I want you to blow your cover. If you can't without doing so, then don't try it."

Domino snorted, "Old man, I've been doing field missions my whole adult life. Don't tell me how to operate."

A soft laugh flowed from the snail, "Be careful. I'll report back to you after things have calmed down."

Before the line could go dead, she hurriedly asked, "Do you need me?"

"Your position there is more important."

The call ended, promptly sending the snail back to sleep. She pocketed the creature and rubbed her hands together. She would need to get permission to go down to level six…

P.D.A

Domino took off her hat, pulling thick blond locks up and off her neck to get some cool air on her sweaty skin. Since leaving the freezing temperatures of the fifth floor and coming back up to the upper level, she'd discarded her heavy jacket and several other articles of clothing to keep cool. She hated coming up to level four—the overwhelming metallic smell was enough to make even Magellan gag. After ensuring the exit doors were tightly shut behind her, she walked over to the rail and looked out across the floor, her trained eyes observing the workers on the bottom floor as they threw wood into the flames below the gigantic pot. The kindle kept the liquid boiling and the blood of those who'd met the unfortunate fate kept the water red.

On the second floor, there were some assigned to the horrible task of fishing out the cooked human body parts from the pot, and any who were starving enough consumed the remains to curb the hunger that settled in their bellies. Cannibalism was common amongst the inmates. When she first came to the prison, they took her on a tour of the various levels and she experienced firsthand how quickly one would welcome the idea when no food was provided for them. That night, she laid in her new bed crying for the poor souls who would spend the remainder of their lives in such a hellacious place.

A bubble formed in the boiling liquid and when it popped, the scalding blood splashed on a prisoner below, and his screams echoed around the room. A few of the other inmates stopped working to watch the scene as some of the guards pulled the scorched man from the floor. Shortly after a scream of "Get back to work!" was heard and a whip cracked. The sound split through the air, spurring the men and women to continue their forced labor. Domino ignored the commotion, focusing instead on the task of locating the pot-bellied man; when she found him, she walked around some of the convicts and over to Hannyabal, "Sir!"

He jumped at the sudden sound, turning to look at her with wild eyes, "Don't DO that!"

The blond shook her head, "You're the vice warden of a notorious underground prison, you shouldn't be so easy to scare with all the shit we see."

Hannyabal slammed his pitchfork down, "What do you want?"

"It's time to rotate the guards' shifts. I would like to volunteer for level six."

His pointed brow ridge twitched, "Volunteer?"

Domino nodded, "No one wants to go down there. Weaker guards aren't able to keep the inmates controlled."

"And you think you can?"

She took off her shades, glaring at the man. He held up a surrendering hand, "Fine. If you're going to take the place of whoever's already there, you need to update all the shifts."

Replacing the dark-lensed glasses, she made a noise of disapproval, "You just don't want to do the paperwork."

He shrugged, "Maybe. Now go; I got better things to do."

Rolling her eyes, Domino left the creature-man, a small smile on her lips. Step one of mission: Portgas: complete.

P.D.A

Achoo!

Domino sniffed some dripping snot back into her nose, hugging the coat she'd put back on tight around her body in an effort to keep the cold away. She held the torch further in front of her, lighting the path down the stone stairs. "I better not be getting sick." She sneezed again and groaned, "Bullshit."

Another sneeze shook her body and she almost missed the last step. She threw her arms out wildly to stabilize herself and when she regained her footing, the vice head jailer took a deep icy breath and placed the torch in a holder on the wall. When she set it in, the flames licked at the wall, igniting a trail of oil which spread fire towards the ceiling, lighting the other kindles to brighten the room. Once she was able to see, Domino began to check the cell closest to her, looked in on the occupant, and banging her baton against the iron bars as she passed, "Life check!"

Groans were heard and she chuckled before beginning to call out the prisoners' names, "Byrnndi World!"

"Eat shit."

"Great to hear you still alive. Avalo Pizarro!"

"Fuck you!"

"No thanks. Patrick Redfield!"

"Go to hell!"

"I'm living in it with you assholes. Vasco Shot!" When silence was her answer, she slammed the iron baton against the bars harder, "Oi, Vasco!"

There was a deafening snort that came from inside the cell, "Wake me up again, little human, and I'll eat you."

Domino flipped the cell off as she continued roll call, "Sanjuan Wolf!"

"Food time?"

She shook her head, continuing down the row, "Not yet, big guy. Catarina Devon!"

A hum of appreciation came from the woman, "Looking good today."

A shudder racked her body, "Right… Shiliew!"

The former jailer grunted, "Tell Magellan I want to talk to him."

"Not today." She came across one of the newest cell occupants, "Crocodile!"

A soft sigh floated from the darkness, "You all do roll call every day as if we've gone somewhere."

The other tenants laughed and Domino huffed, "Shut the fuck up."

Crocodile barked a "Kuhahaha", spurring the others to laugh louder. Their cackling followed her as she went deeper into the sixth level.

P.D.A

Ace's head bobbed a few times before he jerked awake, alerted eyes darting around in a vain attempt to take in his surroundings. It was too dark to see, but despite that, he remembered where he was and took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. A snicker drew his attention and he peered out into the blackness, squinting his eyes to adjust to the lack of light in the room. When he was finally able to see who it was, a smile crossed his features, "Jinbe!"

The chains jingled as said fishman shifted on the ground, "Nice to see you awake, Ace. If it weren't for your snoring, I would've thought you were dead."

"Yeah, I was tired." He chuckled before his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Jinbe grunted in pain when he rested his weight on his bruised shoulder, "Got into a scuffle with the Marines."

Ace raised an eyebrow, "A fight? Over what?"

The former captain snorted, "They tested my loyalties; but don't mind it, it was just a disagreement."

"If you say so." Fire Fist let out an unconvinced hum before his lips pulled into a grin, "So…" he glanced around the cell, "where does a guy go to piss around here?"

Before Jinbe could answer, a loud bang sounded on their cell bars, pulling their attention to the woman standing on the other side. She held a torch in her hand, holding it a little ways in the cell so she could see their faces, "Jinbe and Portgas D. Ace!"

Jinbe bared his teeth, "What?!"

The guard didn't pay the fishman any mind; instead, she stared at Ace. The exchange lasted longer than he was comfortable with and he chuckled softly, "If you take a picture, you can take me with you everywhere you go."

Domino scoffed and she stepped back from the cell, but before she could walk away, Ace called out to her, "Hey! I need to pee."

Her footsteps halted and she called out over her shoulder, "You got a dick don't you? Whip it out and leak wherever you want."

Ace's cracked lips curled in disgust, "Nah, man. I gotta shit."

Jinbe snorted and the sentry heaved a sigh. She swapped the wooden torch she'd been carrying to her other hand, tucked the clipboard under her arm, and unclasped the ring of keys from her belt loop. They jingled as she approached the bars, "Don't try anything funny. Hands up!"

The pirates raised their hands in a surrendering gesture, watching the seastone bars part. Ace eyed the woman as she stepped into their cage. Placing the flaming timber in a holder, she walked over to a set of cuffs that were hanging from the wall and took them down, turning to look at the prisoners, "You both have to go?"

Ace answered for Jinbe, "We both do."

Domino chained the cuffs around their ankles and linked their wrists together. She added another set of seastone cuffs on Ace, grinning when she saw him slump again the wall, "For precautionary measures."

He shrugged as she walked over and unlocked the ring that was keeping them pinned to the wall, "Slowly stand."

The inmates stood and she hooked another chain from them to her, pulling on it to test its stability. Taking the only source of light back off of the sconce, Domino used the lit end as a pointer, "Walk."

Jinbe shuffled out of the cell first, followed by Ace and then Domino. She directed them through a few hallways, until the air turned warmer. They came upon a cross section and she jerked on the chains, "Go left."

Following the order, Jinbe lead the trio down a well-lit hall, only stopping when he felt another tug on the bonds, "Halt." Domino walked in front of the pair while flicking through her keys, and when she found the correct one, she unlocked the door to the right of them. "One at a time."

Jinbe nodded his head in gratitude as he went into the bathroom, leaving Ace and the remainder of their connected chains outside with the jailer. He leaned back against the wall, looking down his nose at the woman, "Have we met before?"

Domino snorted, "I would know if we had."

"Guess so." He tilted his head to the side, "Do you know when they're coming for me?"

A smile crossed her plump pink lips, "Are you not enjoying your time here?"

Shrugging, he responded, "Depends on your definition of 'enjoy'."

The door to the lavatory opened and a fresher looking Jinbe emerged. The pirates swapped places and it was now Jinbe who was left with the guard. No words were exchanged while they waited for Ace to finish. When he came out, Domino tugged on the longer of the shackles, "Time to go back."

Ace approached the pair, taking his time as he strolled past Domino. Before she could comment on his leisurely pace, he darted behind her, pulling along an unsuspecting Jinbe, and delivered a knifehand strike to the back of her neck, effectively knocking her unconscious. The whale shark's eyes widened, "Boy! What do you think you're doing?!"

Waving a dismissive hand in the air, Ace plopped down on the hard concrete, "Calm down. I wanted to talk to you away from everyone."

Jinbe hesitated before he mimicked the other's moves, "What about?"

"What are you really in here for? You're a Shichibukai, you've must have done something worse than just get into a fight with the Marines."

Tugging on his obi, Jinbe sighed, "The Marines called forth the Shichibukai to assist them in the fight against Whitebeard. I refused."

Ace's head thumped against the wall and he grunted. Jinbe's previous statement in the cell made sense to him now, "Do you know how many the Old Man is bringing?"

"Don't know, but I wouldn't put it past him to call on all his allies."

Black locks were tossed from side to side as Ace shook his head, "He shouldn't do that. No one should have to die because of me… for me…"

Jinbe silently observed the teen, trying to figure out how to word his next question. After some time, he asked, "Are you the son of Gol D. Roger?"

"Where'd you hear that from?"

"Just…" Jinbe breathed in deeply, "just answer the question."

Ace sighed, "Yeah… he was my dad."

The Marines searched for months making sure he didn't have any offspring… "How?"

"Well, when a man loves a woman–"

"No!" He quickly interrupted, "I mean, how did you get under their radar? The Marines preformed a man-hunt for any possible children of his. How did you survive?"

Ace shrugged, "Gramps knows better than me." His eyes narrowed, "But really, who told you?"

Jinbe shifted on the hard floor, "Blackbeard at the Shichibukai meeting."

"That fucking piece of shit!" Ace growled, "I wonder how the hell he found out."

"Not sure… does Whitebeard know?"

"I don't doubt it. Can't keep much from the Old Man." Ace rubbed his chin, "Wait, you said at the meeting—in front of the Marines?"

Jinbe nodded his head and Ace groaned, "Fuck."

"I'm sure the government is going to have a field day with the news."

Before Ace could reply, a low moan came from the body sprawled out on the floor. The pirates quickly stood and got in line as Domino regained consciousness. She rose to her knees, rubbing the back of her neck as she took in her surroundings; her eyes blinked away black dots before darting around in search for the prisoners. Ace kicking the still-lit torch she'd drop over to her pulled her attention in their direction, "Hey there, you passed out on us."

Jinbe snickered as she picked herself off the ground, glaring at the pirate, "You scum! You attacked me!"

"Whaaat," Ace shook his head, "I did no such thing," he elbowed Jinbe, "Right?"

The former captain nodded, "Right. You just dropped."

Domino huffed as she steadied herself on her feet before gathering the chains in her hand and giving them a hard tug when she was steady on her feet again, "Move!"

An air of humor surrounded the pirates as the jailer escorted them back to their dusty chamber. After making sure their binds were secure, Domino exited the cell, locking them back in. As she was walking away, Ace yelled, "You should get checked out! Wouldn't want you passing out again!"

She growled as their laughs followed her away. Her boots thumped against the ground as she stormed towards the stairs, but after some consideration, she changed her mind and proceeded towards the lift. Boarding the elevator, Domino cranked the handle, spurring the machine to life. As she began her journey back up to the top level, she pulled the mushi from her pocket and dialed a code on the shell. The snail rang and continued to do so until her call went unanswered. Quickly, she hung up and dialed another number.

"Hello?"

Hearing the voice of the man on the other end made her smile, allowing her to momentarily forget about the pain in the back of her head, "Is the sun yellow?"

The smooth voice chuckled, "It is."

"Aokiji, inform Kong I've completed the mission; all is well."

"Will do. Nice to hear from you, Lieutenant. Stay safe."

Domino chuckled as the line went dead. She pocketed the snail while sighing; she missed her colleagues, but she was ok with not seeing them. Sapientes ad Iustitia needed an agent in the prison and she wouldn't let the organization down. Especially not during this crucial time with the balance of the world being shifted. Her position in Impel Down was needed now more than ever and she swore long ago that she wouldn't let the organization down.

I hope you all enjoyed! Please stay turn for the next chapter: Roronoa Zoro - Huredhiel