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All day, a dark cloud hung about him as it got later and later since he arrived. When would he go home? He missed Thatch and Marco. He missed his room and the food and the sea. They had told him that their land masses were large, not small islands. And that they did not use wooden boats, but metal ones or other methods of transportation.
Even if the flying ships would get someone someplace faster, sailing was the best! Being out on the open sea, free. He slapped his cheeks, not wanting to think about what he couldn't have at the moment.
He wanted to go home.
When he got up, he saw that there was a new outfit for him. Shorts and a shirt. He forgoed the shirt, though the shorts didn't match anything on him at all, and clashed terribly with his hat. He took it and held it close, hoping he'd see Luffy again. He gave Ace this hat as a going away present. And even if it looked terrible on him right now, Ace wasn't going to leave it anywhere.
He put his boots and armbands on. He didn't have his dagger or necklace. He was just glad he had his hat with him. When he left the room, he checked to make sure there were no students inside, since he wasn't allowed to be around them. When he found the coast clear, Recovery Girl greeted him.
"Morning, Ace," the old lady said. Ace said good morning back. "Breakfast should be open now, classes have started. After that, we'll have you shown around the building where you will be going by a teacher off duty. Now, get going. You know where the cafeteria is, don't you?" Ace nodded and hurried out of the room.
He couldn't do anything about passing students using the bathroom, and just hurried past them. He had so many stories to tell Thatch now. He clenched his fists and teeth at the stairs, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before heading to the gall- cafeteria. He ate in silence, alone and moping, shoulders slumped and not eating too enthusiastically.
The food was good, but clearly wasn't made with the care Thatch did. It had been over 24 hours here, and still no sign of him returning. He finished his food and then laid his head down on the table with a groan, putting his hands over his head.
"Are you okay?" a young voice asked. A girl with short brown hair.
"I'm not supposed to be around students," Ace said, not looking up from the table, his voice muffled a bit.
"Oh, sorry. Well, I hope you feel better soon," she said nicely, and hurried away.
It wasn't much later that Midnight came over. Ace didn't know their teaching schedules, and didn't care much. He just wanted to be kept busy. He would rather be doing something other than cleaning, but there was nothing to do and he understood that he wasn't trusted to do anything else.
"C'mon, I'll show you where you'll be working today," she said nicely. Ace tried to hide his sadness, but she noticed. He wasn't good at hiding his feelings. Everyone teased him about that. "I'm sorry you can't see your family. Is it a big one?" Ace laughed.
"You could say that. We're family, but none of us are blood related. We just all stay on the same ship." She asked how many. "There are 16 commander, myself included, and we are the superiors of 100 people each. So it's a big family. I don't even know all of the names."
Midnight was shocked by the size. "So you're a leader on the ship?" Ace nodded. He was one of them, but there was a captain and then co-captain. He changed his wording, not saying a first mate. That might sound too pirate-ish. "What did you sail for?"
"Adventure. Staying on one island is a boring life. Who would want to do that?" Ace asked. Midnight smiled for some reason.
"That's sweet. So, your world is pretty harsh, right? So you must all be strong if you live in the New World." She had been the one to ask the most questions the day before. The most openly curious. Ace nodded, saying they had to be.
He added, "Many aren't very strong, but the others make up for it. The first division commander is one of the strongest people in the world. He can turn into a phoenix, and heal from any wound, even if it's made with haki. He also can't get sick and ages slower than normal people," he explained, smiling at the thought of Marco.
"So there are more devil fruit users on your ship?"
Ace shook his head. "Considering how many of us there are, there are only four devil fruit users including myself. Jozu can turn his body into diamond, and Pops can create earthquakes and seaquakes. Honestly, he could destroy the world if he wanted to," he explained, grinning at the thought of how strong his father is. He's such a badass. But he must be so worried. Though, it had been three days for these people and one day for him. Did time go differently in Ace's world?
He hoped time went slower there so he didn't miss out on too much when he got back. And he would get back. Eventually. Hopefully.
Midnight seemed alarmed. "He rarely uses it. He would never destroy the world, especially since his sons would all die. Plus, he doesn't kill people for fun or anything," Ace explained. "He's very compassionate, despite his size and power." Midnight asked about his size, asking if he was big, like All Might.
Ace shook his head. "People in my world are sized variously. Pops is one of the largest. He's 21 feet tall. Then there are the giants who are larger than anyone else. Around 64 feet, though they vary by a few yards." Midnight looked baffled as she showed him where cleaning supplies were, where trash bins were. "Are people not sized like that here?" Ace had never thought it was weird that people were sized differently back home. It was how it was.
She shook her head. "Unless they have a quirk that makes them stronger, then we're all sized inthe same range." Ace nodded, and then asked if he was allowed to burn the trash instead of take it to the dumpster. "If they are made of paper or cardboard, yes. Plastic of aluminum needs to be recycled, and that is downstairs."
Ace was handed a map, and thanked her. She started to walk away before he stopped her. "What do I do if a student approaches me? A girl did already today," Ace asked.
"Tell them they aren't allowed near you and they should be fine. If you can, ignore them. Though they are all curious and you can't blame them. Don't interact with them if possible." Ace nodded, and she wished him luck at cleaning. He sighed, but would repay them for food, shelter, and the information he was given.
He had forgotten to tell them about his narcolepsy, so he attracted attention from the teachers when he was found sleeping on the floor in a puddle of water from knocking over the bucket. It was a bad look, and he woke up when the person was asking angrily, what the hell he was doing.
He stood off and heated himself up to dry off. He bowed at the man, and explained that he had forgotten to tell anybody he had narcolepsy, and had sleep attacks sometimes. He was so grateful he wasn't in trouble, and that his medical condition existed in this world, too, so he was understanding.
The day was incredibly boring. He needed fresh air, but didn't want to break any rules. He was coming out of the bathroom when he started to feel sick and then was slammed down in his bed at home. He sat up, and screamed, "YES!"
"Come out already!" Izo shouted, and Ace ripped the door open and jumped him with a hug. He pushed Ace off, and asked what the hell was wrong with him. "Wh-What are you wearing? Those aren't your clothes."
Ace looked down to see he was still wearing the shorts he was given at the high school. He said he needed to talk to Pops. He ran down the hall and to breakfast, not surprised that time had gone different here. Ace was gone for over 24 hours. It had been minutes for Izo. He entered the galley and jumped on Pops' back. "I'm home!"
"Ace? What are you doing, son?" Whitebeard asked in confusion and then saw his shorts. Ace sat down at the table at once, and began explaining everything that had happened, how he'd been gone for over a day. Nobody believed him at first, since time hadn't changed like that, but he was wearing those shorts that he didn't own before.
Like the teachers at U.A., his brothers demanded to know all about that world. He talked to them for hours about everyone and everything. "I missed everyone so much. I was so scared I wouldn't come back. I'm angry a bit. It was a day of misery for me, but no one even knew I was gone," Ace said angrily.
Marco put his arm on Ace's shoulder. "At least you didn't miss much, right?" Ace grudgingly agreed to that. "Do you want to go back?" Marco asked curiously.
Ace responded immediately. "I want to be here. I'd rather stay here indefinitely. I learned all about their world, I don't need to see it again or really want to." He looked down sadly and asked, "What if it keeps happening? What if I get stuck there longer? I know it's not much time for you guys, but it is longer for me. A whole day for me was a few minutes for you guys. It's frustrating," he grumbled.
Pops sighed. "I'm sorry, son. I can imagine how frightening it is." Ace defiantly said it wasn't scary, making the captain and first mate chuckle. "We're going to be landing on an island tomorrow. It's lucky it is so close to the island that caused all of this trouble. It's a protected island, so we can have some time to relax."
The others grinned, and Ace said he hoped he would stay longer. Not just a day. "How is your experiment going, son?" Pops asked, turning to Marco. He had been experimenting with how far his fruit could go to help other people, and had been testing on seagulls for months.
"I'd like to start a human trial. Nobody here is missing a limb or anything, so I can't test on that," Marco replied. Then he grinned. "I can successfully cause a seagulls wing to grow back."
Haruta said, "You know, torturing animals is a sign of being a psychopath, right?" Marco shot a glare at him, saying it was necessary. Haruta said it was still scary. "Will it hurt humans? Can't you not mix blood types with others that aren't the same?"
Marco shrugged. "It's working for the birds. I'll find someone terminally ill and try on them. What?! They're going to die anyway, I might as well give them a chance!" Marco shot back at Thatch's look of horror.
Ace touched Marco's arm, giving him a smile. "I think it's really cool. I mean, it was scary when your arm got cut off, but it did regrow. And if it's working on seagulls, why not try it on someone who is on their deathbed?"
Marco smiled. "See, Ace gets it. You're all idiots. And I'm not torturing the birds, I sedate them first and then try. What's strange is that the bones, muscle and skin grow back, but the feathers don't. I really hope it works on humans."
Vista joked, "Are you going to be the savior of mankind?" Marco shot him an unimpressed look.
"I'm not a hero, I want to know if it's possible. If it is, then I can rest easy knowing I can help my brothers further. And it might work on Pops, who knows?" Marco asked, voice a bit more subdued at the end. The others frowned, but Whitebeard just chuckled.
The giant captain said, "I am growing old. You cannot reverse age, my sons." The deck grew quiet, sad. Pops was in good health for his age and occupation, but was still heavily medicated to treat old age symptoms. Marco was skilled and worked with the nurses, but Pops was right. You can't cure being old.
Ace stayed with his brothers all day, worried that he would disappear at any moment, and stuck with someone at all times. He didn't have any time to himself. He wanted someone to know if he was gone. It had hurt more than he expected that he was missing and scared, while his brothers didn't even know.
He didn't say anything about it, knowing there was nothing they could do about it, and he was glad they didn't worry over him too much. But he still wanted them to know. He didn't know what was going on or when it would stop, but he would never want to be forgotten.
After dinner, Pops came to find him and brought him to his bedroom. "How are you, Ace?" he asked. Ace looked confused before Pop gave him a look. Ace's lower lip wobbled and he wiped his eyes. Pops put a comforting hand on his back.
"I… I'm scared. I don't know anyone or anything there. I don't know when I'll come back, if I come back. What if I become stranded there?" Ace asked fearfully. He choked on a sob. "I missed everyone so much. I can't say who I am there. They follow rules, their government is nothing like ours. Everyone at that school is a hero. I'm a wanted criminal. Who knows what they'd do to me if they found out?"
Pops hugged him. "If you become stranded for more than a week on our side, we will return to that damn island and come get you ourselves. We're family, Ace. We do anything for one another. Right?"
Ace sniffled and smiled. "Right."
But he had trouble sleeping that night. He did eventually fall asleep to the serene rocking of the ship, something he missed at U.A. Solid ground sucks ass. Who would want to just live in one place? He didn't understand people who just waited on their islands for something to happen instead of going out and searching for it themselves.
He did not teleport away, and woke up perfectly fine in his comfortable bed. He could almost think it had all been a dream. But he wasn't that creative, even in his sleep. When he woke up, he smiled, and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he went into his bathroom to take a quick shower and was dressed in his own clothes, armband on, dagger in place, necklace around his neck.
From now on, he'd be wearing everything in case he was sucked away again. He wasn't an optimist. He knew there was a big chance this was not over yet, as it didn't feel over. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like a ticking clock for the next time he disappeared into the Hero world.
But, he had a feeling it wouldn't be anytime soon. At least, not in the imminent future. While he showered and then ate breakfast, he felt sad for the heroes. They couldn't use their powers whenever they wanted. They had to be allowed to fight bad guys. What's with that? They were bad guys, right? Nobody here had to be licensed to fight against enemies.
He would never be a hero and be so restricted. But then would he be a villain? Well, it didn't matter much. He didn't belong to that world, why would he follow their customs? Besides, he was a criminal in this world. Even if he decided to help "for the greater good", he'd still be a criminal deep down, whether he enjoyed murder or not.
Compared to the Hero world, things here were much more… messy and dangerous. Killing was fine as long as it was not anyone the marines saw as important. They could get into battles on the sea without interference. They could use their powers however they wished. This world was much more free, and he definitely preferred it.
Now, he didn't think of himself or his crew as bad guys, bad pirates. They cared for their own and innocent people. It was only marines and enemy pirates that they offed and sometimes took pleasure in. And they looted like crazy. In the Hero world, they'd be arrested for stealing. It really was so different, and Ace definitely liked this world more.
Though the technology of the Hero world was incredible, he still liked his home more. After breakfast, he went outside right as Namur announced that they were nearing the island. Marco came out, and had an excited smile on. "I hope it works," Marco said quietly, but loud enough for Ace to hear beside him.
"Me, too. I think that would be incredible," the youngest said with a grin. Marco ruffled his hair affectionately.
"C'mon, let's land and find out if I can work miracles."
When they landed on the island, their protected island, Pops and the commanders went to visit the leader of the largest village on the island. Most of their protected islands were not ruled by kings or queens. Islands with those types of ruling didn't like having a boss of sorts. And Pops was the boss, able to tell them how to react to certain things. He was a good boss, though. Unlike Big Mom or Kaido.
Marco ran off to the hospital. Ace wanted to follow so badly, wanting to see it, help Marco if it didn't work and he was crushed with disappointment. He'd been wanting to heal people better for decades, but his flames had only ever healed superficial wounds. After getting his arm chopped off by a haki blade, and when it reformed, he started to think more outside the box.
That was when he began experimenting with blood. And it had worked on birds so far. Ace hoped for both their sake and Marco's that it worked. Even if it worked only a little, it would be progress and Marco would be enthusiastic about his dream goal.
Everyone knew his long term goal for this was to make Pops live longer and more healthy. It was his dream, and they did their best to keep him in the real world. Pops was aging. Marco aged, so there was no way to make the older captain immortal, not that Pops would even want that.
But, they let Marco dream within the margin of reality. Ace was distracted, and Izo finally sighed and told him to leave, since he was being useless. "Thanks, Izo!" Ace said, and ran off towards the hospital. Izo may sound mean, but he always had the best intentions. He knew Ace wanted to see Marco work, so he gave him permission to leave.
He found Marco in the ICU easily since his presence was so much stronger than others in the hospital. He was quiet in there, and found Marco talking to a gaunt woman, who clearly was dying. He was sitting on the chair next to her bed, and Ace gave them some privacy.
He did hear some of the conversation. She didn't want to suffer anymore, and was ready for death as she had a failing liver. But she had a son she needed to take care of. So, she agreed to be Marco's first human trial. His guinea pig. He wouldn't treat her like he had the birds.
"Ace, I want you to keep quiet and don't distract me, okay?" Marco asked in a serious voice, getting into doctor mode. Ace nodded, and sat on a chair just outside of the room the woman was being wheeled into for surgery. He watched through the doorway as Marco put a seastone ring on, making him sluggish but solid, as he took a great amount of blood from himself and put it into an IV bag.
He had trouble pulling the ring off after the blood was collected, but was able to yank it off, going back to looking healthy and tan instead of pale. Every devil fruit user turns pale and looks ill with seastone on. It was just what it was.
Marco put heart monitors on the woman and an IV of sedative in one arm and his blood in the other. He waited with his hands clasped together, looking truly worried as the blood dwindled away. He had the seastone ring inside of the bag, disinfected and harmless to a regular person, to keep his blood as blood and not turn into flames.
After the IV drip was finished, he took out both tubes and rolled the unconscious woman to the x-ray room. Ace watched through the little window, wanting to see Marco's reaction. But his back was to him. His shoulders slumped, and Ace sighed and turned away.
But he was wrong, and Marco opened the door, bright eyes with a huge grin. "I-It worked. I fixed her liver, and she had arthritis before, but the signs of it are gone. I actually did it!" he shouted, more excited than Ace had ever seen him. He grinned and congratulated him.
They almost forgot about the woman before she made a questioning noise as she woke. It didn't last long since only a small dose of sedative had been given, as the process wasn't painful or long. She looked confused, and then sat up. She was still underweight, but clearly felt better.
"How do you feel, Miss Able?" Marco asked from her bedside as he rolled her back to the ICU, where her stuff was.
"I feel great. What… am I cured?" she asked, voice hopeful but eyes desperate. Marco smiled and nodded. She started crying hysterically, and Marco asked her to quiet down for the other patients.
Marco, though he'd done an amazing thing, was no saint. He was not going to cure and fix everybody in the hospital. He was a pirate, even if this was a protected island. He and Ace helped check Miss Able out of the hospital, staff absolutely bewildered, but not told what had happened. Marco had asked the woman to not spread what happened around too much.
"I promise, I won't. Thank you, so, so much, Marco-san. You've given me a second chance in life," she said, bowing to him before she slowly walked away, growing more confident as she made more steps, before she was quickly walking towards her home.
"I'm going to check up on her periodically while we're here, just to make sure it lasts," Marco explained, and the two of them hurried off to tell Pops and the others that it was a resounding success. They both hoped it lasted, and they didn't give that poor woman false-hope.
But, six days later, she was waving goodbye to them with her son in her arms as the ship set off. Marco had given her a baby den den connected to the one in the infirmary and was going to call her to make check ups to see how she was faring. Honestly, Ace had never seen someone so happy. Even Luffy didn't look how this woman did. Even though Ace was a pirate, it was nice to see that change. She had been on her deathbed and now she looked as happy as one can be.
It was a great island stop, and Ace was glad he got to stay at least for the whole time.
It was three days later that a pirate crew attacked them, and they were more than happy to fight. Marco's check ups had gone perfectly. The woman seemed completely healed, and was overjoyed that she was not only not dying, but could walk and move without her joints hurting. So, Marco was ready to heal his brothers in case any got hurt.
This may have been bad, as the pirates were reckless with their attacks, feeling emboldened that, no matter what injury they sustained, Marco would save them. That was the mentality that got Ace stabbed with a haki covered sword. He had messed up, gone for the obvious attack.
He was surprised but then kicked the guy in the neck so hard it broke. He tossed the body onto the other ship and lit it on fire in anger. "Ugh," he groaned, hand over the long and bleeding gash. Well, he needed to get stitches at least. It wasn't too deep, but deep enough to require stitches.
But, Ace healed quickly and the stitches would be gone before long. Then, he was no longer on the Moby and surrounded by the ocean, but on his back on a grassy field. "Fucking hell!" he shouted angrily, finding he was back in the Hero world, bleeding in the middle of a field. There was no class in session then, nobody to see him in this condition, blood coming from him in thick streams.
