Hello Friends! Here is the next chapter that was edited by my beta Wyrdfyre! Thanks again!

Warnings at end of chapter

WATER 7

I yawned so hard that tiny tears welled up in my eyes as I followed Ari through the hotel lobby.

Ugh, why are we up so early again? It's like… 10 in the morning…

"Hey Air, what are we doing again?" I asked with another yawn.

She glanced at me over her shoulder, "I thought you wanted breakfast?"

Oh right! Food!

"Oh yea. I am pretty hungry. So where are we going?"

"The back streets. There's a lot of food stalls down there." She said as we walked out onto the bustling sidewalk.

This place sure is weird. But the canals instead of roads do make for a pretty cool looking city, not gonna lie.

Ari and I kept on walking down the sidewalk for a little ways until a voice called out to us.

"Hey there strangers." I looked around to see who was talking when I saw Ari rush past me to hug the speaker.

Oh hey it's Ari's sister. Kinda weird that we keep running into her.

"Hey! We just keep running into each other don't we?" Ari said, pulling back from the hug.

"Guess so. But I'm surprised you guys made it here so quickly." She said while smiling at both of us.

Ok what was her name again?

"Well we picked up an eternal pose here back on Lulusia so that helped. What brings you here?" Ari said.

"I'm on leave today. I was taking care of some business over on Enies Lobby and I thought I'd drop in here for old times sakes."

What did it start with? Was it an F? There was an F in her name somewhere...

"But you never liked Water 7 as much as I did." Ari and her sister just kept talking and laughing. Which I was more than fine with as it gave me more time to try and figure out her name.

"No one likes Water 7 as much as you, Admi. I'm pretty sure that's impossible." The mystery woman said with her arms crossed.

"Hey! That's not- actually, no you're right." Ari said, causing both her and the other woman to burst out laughing.

Why can I not remember her name? It has something to do with ferns right?

Fernadete?

Fernina?

No that's not right… Didn't Ari call her something with an S?

Sssss...Ferna?

I know there's a fern in there somewhere...

"Ace you remember my sister Seraphina right?" Ari said while turning back to me with a huge smile on her face.

That's it! Sera! That's what she called her!

"Sure do. I definitely didn't forget her name. Hi! How's it going?" I said confidently.

Fake it till you make it right?

Sera smirked and said, "Don't worry about it, most days I forget that my given name isn't 'Lieutenant'"

Damn it she knows!

"Hey Sera is that your yagara?" Ari asked, changing the topic, while pointing to the bright blue horse/fish/thing staring at us.

Man those things are weird lookin.

But it is really adorable how much Ari likes them…

"Yes. But don't get carried away." Sera said sternly while glaring lightly at Ari.

"Psh! Why would I get carried away? It's just a fish. A mildly adorable fish. But still just a fish." Ari said with an awkward laugh before tackling the poor fish in a bear hug with a squeal.

"Do you know what's going on with these fishy things?" I asked her as we both watched Ari fawn over the poor creature.

"They're her favorite animal. Meaning she's obsessed with them to the point where the only things she loves more than yagaras in the whole world is music, and the ocean. But she can't exactly fangirl over those things every minute of every day." She said with a fond smile on her face.

"Right." I said before realizing something. "Oh! I never properly introduced myself! My name is Portgas D. Ace, but you can call me Ace." I said as I gave my best imitation of the bow Makino told me that the fancy people do when being polite.

Look at me remembering my manners and shit!

"I suppose I should properly introduce myself as well then. I am Marine Lieutenant Donquixote Seraphina. Pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." I said with a smile. "Hey where did Ari go?" We looked around for a minute before noticing that both Ari and the yagara were nowhere to be seen on the whole street.

"Damn it. I should have known. She probably ran away with the yagara to explore the city." She said with a sigh.

"Should we go look for her?"

Sera looked at me like I was crazy before saying, "Look for Ariadne? In the City of Water? Good luck. But I wouldn't worry about her, I seriously doubt anything on this side of the Red Line could pose a serious threat to her."

Ain't that the truth.

"Yea, I'm kinda noticing that."

"What, the astronomical difference in strength between you and her? Don't take it personal." She said with a smirk before a darker look came over her face. "Ever since she left Ari has been down right obsessive in her pursuit of power."

Huh?

"Since she left? Left where?"

"Marineford. Geeze that feels like a lifetime ago but it was only six- no seven years ago."

"But you said that she only became super strong after she left right? But wasn't that old fart Garp training her?"

She let out a laugh at that and said, "She told you about that, did she? But I didn't say that she became strong after she left. I said that she became obsessive about gaining strength. She has always had a knack for training, and haki, and things like that. However, back when we were kids, Garp would always have to tear her away from her instruments and force her to train."

Ok what?

"Ari didn't want to train? You sure we're talking about the same Ariadne? The only thing she does besided cook and write in her journal is train."

And yell at the rest of the crew for not training enough.

Wait, maybe she's only yelling at me...

"Yes sir I am. Back in the day all Ari cared about was her music. Sure she was talented when it came to fighting. But she was an absolute prodigy when it came to anything even remotely musical. Hell by the time she was 9 she got a standing ovation at the Sabao Dome! Do you have any idea how many musicians work for their entire lives just for a chance to perform there? Let alone get a standing ovation?"

Is that a big deal or something? I guess it must be if she's this worked up about it.

"Huh, I knew that she was good at singing and stuff, but I had no idea she was that talented."

"Talented doesn't even begin to cover it! Right before she left the government requested the rights to play her symphonies at the Revery ball. They wanted to play the waltzes of a 10 year old kid for the most powerful people in the world over those of established musicians! She was so close to making it out. So close." She said while shaking her head and frowning.

"Out of what?" I asked.

"This" She said gesturing to the surrounding area. "She could have been the greatest musician in history. But instead she's just another pirate."

What's wrong with being a pirate? And what does being a pirate have to do with her dream?

"She said that she was going to be the best musician or something like that when we first met."

"Yes, I don't doubt that she still dreams about it, but even if she does manage to write music like she used to... She would never be able to share it with the world. Not as a pirate."

"Like she used to? What does that mean?"

"Have you seen her write any operas or full orchestral compositions recently?"

"Um…"

The hell is an opera?

"Exactly. Not to say that what she writes now isn't good. I haven't seen her most recent work after all. But we spent a good few months together a while back and everything that she wrote was just so…"

"So?" I prompted

"Strangled." She said after thinking for a minute.

"Which means?"

"What she writes now isn't as free as it used to be. She doesn't write for herself anymore, she writes for a promise that she made to a dead man. And sure she can still write fun songs but nothing like the heights that she used to be able to achieve without even trying."

"But wouldn't that make her even more motivated to write good music? I know that I fight a whole lot better when I have someone to fight for."

"It's not that simple. When you're writing music or something else artistic, it has to come from your soul, it has to happen naturally. When you try and force it, it just doesn't work the same way. Sure when you have someone at your back depending on you you might fight harder. But with music, if you aren't doing it for yourself, it just gets… warped."

"But what I don't get is is she was such a great musician and had such a promising future, why did her dad send her to be a pirate? I know that it wasn't exactly her choice to become one in the first place, but she must have tried to say no."

Sera snarled before spitting out, "Right, like he ever gave a shit about her music or her future. All that selfish asshole and that ignorant whore who gave birth to her ever cared about was themselves."

Whoa. Ok, there's something going on there. I know that Ari doesn't like her parents but she never said anything like this about them.

"Were they that bad?" I asked. "Wait, now that I think about it, I don't think Ari's said anything about her parents besides a passing comment."

Yea no. Now that I think about it the only time she ever brought up her parents was when she was talking about the people that she was sent to train with because of them. That and how everyone always compared her to them. But she never talks about what they were like as people...

"Well, why would she? I've never met them personally, but I do know that they were pretty abusive. I don't mean that they didn't encourage her dreams or were mean to her or anything like that. I mean that more often than not, Admi would come back to base covered in bruises that I know didn't come from training. . She never said anything about it but I'm fairly certain that her parents were hurting her. I know that her bitch of a mother beat her at least once. But that is a wound that I would rather not go picking at right now, if it's all the same to you." She said angrily.

Sounds like how it used to be with me and Garp.

"She never said anything about that."

"She hates to seem 'weak' which is bullshit because she's one of the strongest people I know."

"Yea she is." I said. "I think I'm gonna go look for her. But thanks for the talk, it was… informative."

I guess that's the right word? I don't even know - all of this stuff is way out of my comfort zone. I'm just gonna go find Ari and get some food.

Mmmm yea, food sounds nice right about now...

"Sure thing." She said, but as I turned to walk away she called out, "Ace! Wait! I hate to say this but be careful."

"Careful? Of what? You just said that I have one of the strongest women in the world on my crew!"

"Exactly. I just- be careful with Ariadne. Be careful around Ariadne."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Admi is my little sister in everything except blood. I would kill for her, I would die for her. But that doesn't make me blind to her faults. Mainly the fact that she is dangerously unstable and I'm sure you've seen how blood thirsty she can be by now."

Where is she going with this?

"What are you saying."

"If you betray her or if she thinks that you betrayed her, she will kill you. That's not a threat, that's a warning. Be careful around her."

What the fuck did she just say about my Ari?

"I think I can trust my own crew but thanks. I'm going to go find my girlfriend now. But don't worry, I won't tell her that her beloved sister thinks that she is nothing more than a bloodthirsty murderer." I said with a sneer as I turned my back to her.

Some sister Ari has. And here I was actually starting to like her...

After wandering through town for a good long while, I finally found Ari. She was, unsurprisingly, cooing over the yagara yet again.

"You really love those things don't you?" I asked, walking up to her.

"Of course! How could you not love this face?" She said before planting a kiss on the yagara's nose.

Well she sure seems happy.

"Oh right, how silly of me to not realize. My apologies horse fish. Anyways, what are you doing?"

"I was kind of just wandering the town, I love the atmosphere here so much. But I was going to go to the shopping district if you wanted to come? It's a really fun part of town."

"Sure let's go. But we should probably check on the ship at some point." I said.

"Don't worry about that. It takes the pose a whole week to set, so we still have 6 days before we can even think about leaving. OH! While we're here, we should take the sea train to the nearby islands! There's always a huge party on San Faldo, and then there's Pucci which is world famous for its gourmet cuisine."

Gourmet Cuisine?

"An island famous for food? Ok, we're going."

Ari laughed and said, "I figured that would be the one you'd be most interested in. But we can head there tomorrow. For now, let's go explore the glorious island that is Water 7!"

"Sounds good. So how exactly do you ride this thing?" I asked, looking at the fish… thing…

What are you just supposed to sit in the thing on its back? Can this thing even carry two people?

Ari laughed, jumping into the front seat section of the saddle and reaching out a hand to pull me in behind her. "Don't worry, I won't let you drown."

"I feel so safe." I said while eyeing the fish suspiciously who was still nuzzling Ari.

Am I seriously getting jealous of a fish?

"So, is there food where we're going?" I asked while sitting down in the saddle.

"Of course! Only the best food in the whole world! Well, maybe not that good… But it's all MY food so it's the best!" She said as she snapped the reins on the fish to get it to start swimming through the canal.

"Your food is it?"

"They name all of their signature dishes here 'water water, whatever' like water water meat or water water candy. So given I am the user of the water water fruit, yes all of the food here was named after me, and is therefore mine!" She said with a huge smile.

I've never seen her this happy before…

"Sounds good. Take me to the meat!" I said with a cheer as we continued down the canal.

This is going to be a fun island. I can just feel it...

"How the hell is this thing floating? Isn't it all metal?" I asked while looking at the huge, boxy, metal ship floating in front of us.

Ok, Luffy and I tried to make metal ships before and that never ended well. So what makes this thing different?

"It's the Sea Train! I don't entirely get how it works, but trust me it works just fine. Besides, why are you worried about a little water when you've got me?" Ari said with a smile. "Come on The Carnival City awaits!"

Ari started pulling me towards the metal contraption by the hand as I said, "Wait, I thought you said we were going to the gourmet town! I want fancy food!"

"Alright, alright, no need to get testy! Pucci is the next stop after San Faldo, so we'll go spend a day on Faldo and then head to Pucci tomorrow."

"But I was getting excited."

"What makes you think they don't have food on San Faldo? Besides, are you saying that you would rather have a bunch of random food, or see me in a super sexy and revealing carnival outfit?"

Carnival outfit?

"Maybe San Faldo wouldn't be such a bad stop."

"Exactly. So come on! The train's leaving soon!" She said before grabbing my hand and running towards the train.

She really is pretty when she's excited…

Confetti rained down on the street we were standing on as countless fireworks lit up the night sky so bright that it might have been mistaken for day. All around us the air was filled with music and laughter. I looked over to Ari, watching as her face bloomed with more happiness than I ever would have thought possible.

"You having fun?" I had to shout over the crowd around us even though she was right next to me.

"Are you?" She asked, her smile growing even more.

"Definitely." I said.

Ari giggled and then threw her arms around my neck and kissed me fiercely. When I wrapped my arms around her back she melted into me. After a minute she pulled back and grabbed me by my hands. Then she led me deeper into the crowd with a whisper of "Come with me."

"The island is the best island ever." I said while surrounded by all kinds of food.

"Um huh. But, um, how do you plan to pay for all that food?" Ari asked.

"When does the next sea train leave?"

"'Bout five minutes."

"We can make it."

Ari lightly glared at me before smirking and said, "Probably. But can you get there before me?" Before turning around and sprinting towards the train station.

"Oh, that is so cheating!" I shouted as I chased after her, leaving the shouting chefs behind.

"Why is the figurehead a horse on fire?" Ari asked as we stood in front of our new ship with our crew gathered around us.

"Isn't that what you wanted the jolly roger to be?" Skull asked.

"What? No, why would I want that?"

"Well didn't you draw this flaming horse jolly roger?" He said as he dug Ari's original attempt at drawing our jolly roger out of his pocket.

"Skull. Did you seriously keep my attempt at drawing our flag and then use it as a template for the figurehead?"

"I thought you would want to be included in the design of our crew's aesthetic."

At that Ari just sighed as the rest of the crew couldn't hold in their laughter any more. I felt tears start to leak out of my eyes because of how hard I was laughing and Deuce collapsed to his hands and knees with laughter.

"Whatever." Ari said with a hair flip and slightly red cheeks as she walked up the gangplank of our new ship.

I quickly tried to get myself together so I could follow her, and when I finally did I walked up to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Come on Air you gotta admit it is pretty funny. And the ship looks great, so really we should be thanking you."

"Yea yea, I suppose." She said, as her cheeks reddened a bit more. She shook her head slightly before saying, "But whatever. Have you decided what room you're going to take yet? Are you planning on bunking with the men again?"

Ok come on Ace you can do this! Be smooth!

"I was thinking of taking the captain quarters this time. But I don't know, the bed in there is pretty big. I might get lonely sleeping in there all by myself." I said, moving my arm from her shoulder and wrapping it around her waist before I pulled her closer to me.

Ari tensed up for a second before she smirked and said, "Well, we can't have that now can we?"

Ok she looks like she's into it! Just go for it!

"Nope, and since I don't want you to be lonely all by yourself in a different room, it only makes sense that we share one."

"Oh wow, so kind of you to worry about little old me." She said with an eye roll.

"I know, I'm such a giver aren't I?" I said as I leaned in to kiss her.

But right before I did Ari pulled away and said, "Right, well I'm going to go find my clothes and stuff, I'll see you in a little bit." Then she walked off towards the deck house.

YES!

"So what was that about?" Deuce asked, walking up to me.

"What's it to you? Aren't you the one who's always complaining about me and Ari? Why is that anyways? You jealous?" I asked with a smirk.

He damn well should be!

"Of what you have with Ariadne? Not at all. She may be super hot, but that girl's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on her."

"Hey!"

"You're gonna look at me and tell me that I'm wrong? Am I wrong?"

"She's not crazy! She's just… determined."

"Determined. Right. I mean she's a good first mate and all, but let's just say I'm glad she isn't in my bed."

"Yea, well I never minded a little crazy in my bed."

"I thought you just said she wasn't crazy?"

"You haven't seen her in bed."

Deuce and all the other men in earshot all burst out laughing at that.

Man having friends is the best!

After the laughter died down the crew and I got to work moving into our new ship. Not only was our new ship significantly larger than the last one, but this ship actually felt like a pirate ship. Although that probably was helped more by the lack of seagulls painted all over it, rather than the actual design. But the black sails and flaming figurehead helped as well.

"Well, I think we're ready to set sail Captain." Ari said walking up to me.

"Yea? Well then." I said before looking at my crew who had all gathered on deck, ready to set sail. "Set the sails!" I shouted.

Let's go! This island was fun and all, but I am more than ready to get out of here. Fishman Island here I come!

"WAIT! We can't leave yet!" Skull shouted over me.

"What? Why not?"

"We haven't named the new ship yet!"

"Oh shit, you right! Men! Start thinking of names!" I shouted to the men.

"Full House!"

"Royal Flush!"

"Meow!"

"High Card!"

"Why are you all so obsessed with gambling?" Ari asked.

"We aren't obsessed, it's just our theme!" Skull said.

"The theme right. When exactly was that established?"

"Before I joined, so we should really be asking you that."

"Isn't it because of Captain Ace and Deuce's names? You know since Ace is the captain and Deuce is the first mate? I thought it was obvious." Leonero, one of the newer members, asked.

"But Deuce isn't the first mate, I am." Ari said, looking extremely confused.

Yea why would he think that Deuce is the first mate?

"Really? You sure? Pretty sure you're just Ace's girlfriend."

Ari scoffed and then said, "Did you seriously just ask me if I was sure about what my position on the ship was? I think I would know that better than-"

"Spadille!" Deuce shouted over everyone else, effectively ending what was sure to become an argument.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Spadille!" Deuce said again as if we hadn't heard him the first time. "It's perfect! We're already following the 'Ace of Spades' thing with our crew name so why not continue it with our ship?"

"What exactly does spadille mean? I have never heard that before and I've played more than a few card games."

Yea I was basically raised by gamblers and I have no idea what that means. But then again the bandits weren't exactly the brightest...

"It's another name for the ace of spades card." He said.

Oh cool!

"Oh! I like it, we're going with that!" I said with a smile.

"Do we get a say in this?" Ari asked.

"Do you have a problem with it?"

"It's just-" She started to say before raising her hands and saying, "You know what. No it's not worth it. It's a lovely name for a ship."

"Great. Now is there anything else we need to take care of before we leave or are we-"

"PORTGAS D. ACE! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" A voice shouted.

Who the hell?

I looked over the railing to see who was shouting at us and saw Isuka standing down on the docks. "Oh hey! It's you! How've you been? Good to see you made it out of that sticky situation we left you in a few weeks ago I was worried you drowned!"

"I can fix that."

"Ari no." Skull said.

"My well being is none of your concern you pirate! I'm here to take you and the rest of your crew down!" Isuka shouted up at us.

And what? Does she think I'll just get off my ship and let her do that?

"Right well, I don't feel like letting you do that right now so sorry. But it's good to see you again!" I said with a wave to her before turning to my crew and shouting, "Men set sail for Fishman island!"

"Actually we have to go to Sabaody first." Skull said.

"Set sail for Sabaody!"

Warnings:
no warnings apply