Hello Friends! Here's the new chapter and my next shoutout to WyrdFyre for making sure this chapter isn't a complete dumpster fire! Seriously thank you friend this chapter was so horrible when I first sent it to you an I'm sorry :( But with her help it is no longer the worst thing ever written so enjoy!

Warnings at end of chapter

Sabaody

The days that followed our visit to Mama Kemmy's place were spent by wandering around the archipelago. Ari was more than happy to show me all of her favorite restaurants, shops, and music halls. Which as it turned out, were all over the place and impossible to keep track of how many we went to. We were currently on our way back to the ship, which should have been finished getting coated, from one of her favorite bars/theaters on the island.

"But aren't the performers there amazing?" She said while talking about the show that we had just seen. "When I was little all I wanted to be one of them. Ugh, burlesque is just so

much fun! Their costumes are always so pretty and the music is amazing!"

I laughed, "Yea they were really good but there is no way you would be happy sharing the stage with so many other girls Air. I think we both know how much you love the spotlight."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and said, "Well that's obviously because I'm the only one with the skills to be in the spotlight. But a few back up dancers never hurt I suppose."

She is so hot when she is being condescending...

Wait what?

"You are so cocky babe."

"Really? Huh, it must be because of how much time I've been spending with you. You're starting to rub off on me Mr. Fire Fist."

I grabbed her around her waist and started kissing her neck when she said that. She had just wrapped her arms around my neck and was about to kiss me when a voice stopped her.

"As much as I just hate to interrupt, I have business with you Fire Fist." A voice called out.

Ari pulled away from me as we both turned to look at the speaker. A ways in front of us was a tall man in a suit with a Marine justice coat hanging off his shoulders. Behind him stood another Marine with red hair who was much more familiar to me. I was just about to call out to Isuka when Ari spoke up with all hints of playfulness leaving her voice, "Well, well. It's been a while Draw."

"Indeed it has, Admi. Or should I call you Siren? That is what you go by these days isn't it?"

Who the hell is this guy? Ari obviously knows him from somewhere...

"What you call me is of no consequence." Ari said with her arms crossed and her back rigid. "I'm much more interested in how you've been. I see that you made it to Vice Admiral which is funny seeing as Kuzan was just made an Admiral. Weren't you the one always going on about how weak he was and how you were going to surpass him?"

"Oh don't you worry about my rank traitor. I will surpass that lazy buffoon. But for now I have another matter to attend to which, regrettably, doesn't involve executing you. This is for you Fire Fist." He said while taking a letter out of his pocket and throwing it to me.

What the hell does he want with me?

I caught the letter and slowly opened it and let out a laugh when I saw the words 'Seven Warlords' written on it.

They have got to be joking...

"The Marines think I would join the warlords? Seriously?"

"Isn't that good news! Now you don't have to quit being a pirate!" Isuka said with a huge smile on her face.

Why does she think that's a good thing?

"Warlord? No thanks?" I said, lighting the letter on fire.

"What? But if you accept then the Marines will stop chasing you!" Isuka said.

Again that's a good thing? Exchange getting into a few fights for a boot on my neck?

"Sorry, I just don't like the whole Seven Warlords system." I said.

And there is no way in hell I would ever work for those assholes.

The guy Ari had called Draw started laughing at that and said, "What a coincidence, Ace. Turns out I've been thinking the exact same thing. What's the point of a trained, servile pirate? Better to get rid of them altogether. Isn't that right, Admi ?"

Ari scoffed and said, "I'm afraid I don't agree, old friend. I think we both know that you are just as evil as the Marines say that pirates are. The fact that you call yourself a man of Justice means nothing."

"Ooh, strong words for someone without a loyal bone in her body. You can call me evil but atleast I stand for something. You care for nothing more than your own selfish interests. You really should have picked your crew better Ace. That one will turn on you the second you outlive your usefulness. But I suppose you won't have to worry about that for much longer." He said before raising his fist and immediately firing off an attack.

Both Ari and I jumped in opposite directions, the spot that we had been standing in had burst into flames. I looked back at the Marines when Isuka cried out, "Vice Admiral! We were only supposed to be talking about the offer today! We weren't supposed to fight them!"

Wait… How the hell did he do that?

He laughed and fired off another attack at me.

"Talking? Haven't we finished talking, Lieutenant ? Ace doesn't like the warlords. Coincidentally I don't like them either. And whether he's a warlord or not, I just don't like pirates, and because he's allied with that traitorous bitch - it makes me want to kill him even more! I'm glad that he turned down the offer in my presence. It gives me the perfect opportunity to destroy Fire Fist Ace and Ariadne The Siren right here and now!"

Draw threw off his coat, revealing a large tank strapped to his back with a bunch of tubes connecting it to the two cylinders attached to his arms. He cocked the weapon and yelled,

"Let's run a test and find out which is stronger, my flame thrower, or the Flame-Flame Fruit." Streams of fire shot out of the cylinders, effectively cutting off all paths around him… and setting the surrounding buildings on fire.

I saw Ari go deathly pale as the screams of the young children could be heard from the crumbling buildings that Draw had just set ablaze.

Is he insane?

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted at him as both Ari and I rushed to try and help the children. But before I could reach them Draw fired again. I turned my body into fire as the attack was about to hit, rendering it useless.

However, Ari kept running for the kids and started to use her water to put out as many of the flames as possible. All the while she was working to make a pathway out of the inferno for the trapped children.

As Ari worked Isuka yelled, "Please, Vice Admiral! Stop this! The children!"

Draw laughed maniacally as he shouted back, "Children? What are you talking about Lieutenant? I'm just attacking pirates, making sure they cannot escape. If you let pirates run free, that is what causes misery to so many children out there. Am I wrong Lieutenant?"

"Oh fuck OFF Draw!" Ari screamed, "You of all people should know how it feels to hide from pirates as a child! Because while Kuzan was fighting to save our lives you were busy hiding to save your own skin, even though you were the oldest one there! You know exactly what you're doing you sadistic bastard. Don't hide behind some bullshit excuse of this 'being the right thing to do'!" She was off to the side helping a small child to their feet. The fires around her continued to rage despite her efforts, but the children were beginning to escape.

"Oh really Siren, you're telling me that I should have gotten myself killed as a child? If I did that then there would be no one to kill all of you disgusting pirates. I was born to slaughter every last one of your kind, and I don't give a damn how many pathetic civilians I have to go through to achieve that goal! I will burn the entire world to the ground if it means killing even one of you bastards!"

"No…" Isuka said as she fell to her knees. "Vice Admiral no tell me that isn't true… My parents… You said that pirates set fire to my village!"

"Oh who gives a damn who started the fire Lieutenant? I killed the pirates didn't I?"

While Draw was distracted by the girls, I took the opportunity to rush him and attempted to kick him in the side. He dodged at the last second, just enough so that instead of my foot landing on his side, it ended up hitting the tank on his back. It got tangled in the tubes connecting the tank to the equipment on his arms and I stumbled. Draw used that opportunity to grab me by my neck, and he picked me up, ripping both my foot and the tubing free causing the fuel to start leaking onto his clothes.

Why can't I get away? I can't turn into fire. Does he have Haki?

I clawed at his hand, kicking him in the stomach, flames coating my foot, but he didn't even flinch. Scowling, he said, "Fire Fist Ace… do not trifle with me. Your cheap little flames cannot stop me. Pirates like you are a dime a dozen in the New World. You don't have what it takes to go on from here. Your fun little days in the pirate business are over, I'll see to that. The strength of justice will be the end of you."

"You put children in harm's way and you talk about justice?" I grunted out as he continued to tighten his grip on my neck.

Why is this fucker so strong?

"No, you're wrong. I didn't put the children in harm's way. You did that Ace. This only happened because there were pirates here! Don't you understand that Ace? The children suffered because you were here. I am only doing my job, capturing pirates, to the best of my ability. But you can't say the same. You're not supposed to be alive. Your very existence causes people who have committed no sin to live in fear. You are the reason these children suffer. You shouldn't even be alive."

No…

If Roger had a son? He'd be a demon just like his dad. Off with his head!

I've come this far just to be told the same things haven't I? He's right…

Devil's child has the devil's luck!

I shouldn't be alive…

I let my grip loosen until my hands eventually fell from where I had been fighting Draw's hold.

He should just die.

There's no point in fighting…

It doesn't matter what I do or where I go…

They all still say the same things…

Ari looked up from where she had finished ushering the last of the children away and shouted, "Ace! Don't you dare give up now! If I can keep fighting after everything that I've been through then don't you dare throw away everything that we've built just because one deranged lunatic says you should!" Ari's voice was muffled by the grief and fear she must have been feeling, but the words cut straight to my heart regardless.

Ari.

That's right. Ari at least thinks that I should be alive. She believes in me. Even if the whole world is against me, even if everyone thinks I should die...

I still have her.

Fuck what anyone else says. Ari believes in me.

Having made up my mind I kicked Draw in the stomach again, but this time with more fire. When I did that the fuel that had soaked into his clothes ignited and he exploded in a massive burst of flames.

"My flames might not hurt you because you can use Haki. But," I said, raising a fist. "Haki can't extinguish the flames of rage."

I am going to destroy this bastard.

Draw jumped back up and we immediately started exchanging blows, our fire fight devolving into a fist fight.

"Damn it! Why won't you go down?" He grunted as he began to fatigue. My punches were starting to do more and more damage each time I made contact.

"You mocked him and underestimated him." Ari said from where she stood off to the side. I spared a quick glance in her direction, and saw that all of the flames in the area had been extinguished and the children were nowhere to be seen. Only Isuka remained where she had collapsed on the ground.

After landing a particularly strong punch to Draw's face he stumbled back and panted as he said, "How can you use Haki?"

"How should I know?" I shouted before throwing one more punch, strengthened by my flames, at his face. I watched as he fell to the ground, unconscious. I swayed a bit on my feet, but Ari was quick to rush to my side to steady me.

"You took down a Vice Admiral. Nice." She said nonchalantly.

"Who, that guy? He was nothing. Could've done it in my sleep." I said with a small painful grunt.

Ok yea, I need a nap after that.

But first I have to deal with Isuka...

"Yea yea, I'm sure. But come on, we need to get back to the ship." She said as she turned to lead me away from the battle scene.

I stopped her and looked back at Isuka before calling out, "Isuka! Come and stay on my ship! I'm not going to make you into a pirate, of course. You can be a bounty hunter! You're tough and the job's just right for you isn't it? You can keep chasing after me. And we'll be on the same ship!" I reached out my hand to her and smiled.

She might be annoying but she can't possibly want to stay in the Marines after learning what they're really like.

Isuka wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "You idiot… Why would a bounty hunter and her target join hands?"

"Good point." I said letting my hand drop. "But we still need to get out of here. Let's go."

Once Isuka was back on her feet the three of us rushed off towards where the ship was docked, as we were running I didn't pay any mind to Ari's sudden silence. When we reached where we had left the ship, we saw that there was an entire Marine fleet waiting for us.

Ah shit. They must have known this was going to blow up. Was this whole thing a trap?

Who am I kidding of course it was. They knew I would refuse and they thought I would let my guard down, make myself an easy target.

Well fuck that.

"Follow me, I know where the men would have taken the ship." Ari said shortly before she took off running in a different direction.

I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with her as she darted through the foliage and around buildings, but eventually we came to a small cape.

"This is where Skull marked the map. This is where they should be." She said. But as we looked out all we could see was the open ocean, and no ships.

That is until I saw our ship come around the root of one of the massive trees.

They started sailing without us. They knew we'd be in trouble.

Man my crew is the best!

Ari didn't wait for me to tell her to go ahead and instead got a running start and leapt onto the deck of the ship.

"Come on Ace!" Deuce called from the deck.

I looked back at Isuka and said, "All right let's go!" and with a running start I jumped onto the ship. Once I landed I looked around for Isuka, before I realized she hadn't jumped with me. I turned back to look at the shore and called out, "Why?"

She stood on the edge of one of the tree roots and called back, "I'm a Marine Lieutenant I can't go with you!"

"How come?" I shouted back.

"Don't die out there Ace. Thank you!"

'Thank you'? What for? Why didn't she come with me?

The ship sailed onward, and the distance between us kept growing.

Should I have grabbed her hand? But I couldn't… Not when I'm a pirate and it turns into fire anyways… It burns everything it touches…

Right… I'm still a demon child after all...

I put my hand on my hat and pulled it forwards to shadow my eyes. Deuce tried to talk to me but I ignored him, walking towards the bow of the ship and away from Isuka. I watched as Marine ships started to close in infront of us. With a rage filled voice I called out "Fire Fist!" effectively clearing the way forward for my crew. I watched as the water level began to rise and our ship started to slip beneath the waves.

To Fishman Island...

Warnings:

Minor scene involving feelings of self hatred in line with Ace's backstory. If you wish to skip it then stop reading when Ace thinks "Why is this fucker so strong?" and then you should be able to pick it back up when he thinks "Ari. That's right." You shouldn't miss anything plot wise if you skip this little part.