The Keeper of Worlds: Thank you!

"It'll sting a bit," Izo warned, gloves on and tattoo gun in hand. Ace nodded barely, lethargic from the seastone to keep him solid so the needle wouldn't just go through his skin and into the fire. Thatch was there, reading a book in a chair in the corner. He had insisted he come, too, even though he wouldn't be doing anything to help.

The needle did sting, felt weird, but didn't really feel painful. Just uncomfortable. The tattoo would take multiple sessions due to its size and that it was completely filled in. it would not be the same as Marco's, but of the image on their jolly roger. It would be purple and white. He looked forward to finally being a complete Whitebeard.

After talking with Pops about Roger and his heritage, Ace felt so welcome here. It felt like a real family. He may not be close to a lot of the crew yet, but he was friendly with most. There were a handful that didn't seem like him, but Aioba was the only one who was actively rude to him.

He'd be coming back next week. They'd left that island last Thursday. Nothing big had happened, and not much had popped into Ace's head for the last couple of days since there wasn't really anything going on other than normal days of sailing. No new people or new things. He was learning more about navigation, even though most of the information was in his head now.

He didn't want to stop the lessons while suddenly knowing everything he was being taught and didn't know before. It would be weird, and he didn't want to be seen any weirder than he already was.

When the tattoo session that day was done, a bandage was put on the outline and then his shirt over it. When he went out on deck, his open shirt showing the bandages wrapped around his chest, people asked him how his tattoo went excitedly.

"It's gonna take a couple days. My fruit makes me heal quickly, so hopefully it won't take too long," Ace explained to many of his brothers. It ached, but wasn't too painful. As long as no one hit it or bumped into it, it shouldn't hurt too bad.

He realized that a lot of the pirates' marks weren't visible. Thatch's was on his ankle, and Izo's was over his heart, along with many other commanders whose tattoos were out of view. Ace wanted to show his off as much as possible. Show he had a family and hopefully the world would realize he was now a Whitebeard, even if he wasn't prominent on the crew. Just a regular member.

Second division commander. He ignored it, like usual.

Haruta walked over and asked how the session went. "It was uncomfortable being in the seastone, but it wasn't too bad," Ace replied. They were both heading to lunch, which was sandwiches so Thatch didn't need to cook and was able to support Ace while he had the inking done.

"I can't wait to see it! The ladies at the protected islands are gonna be all over you~" Haruta teased, and Ace flushed. When he told the others besides Marco he'd get the tattoo and have his shirt off, the teasing had started. Well, there was no going back now. But he knew his brothers would laugh at him if anyone flirted with him.

He'd never been interested in romance. In men or women, and he was a pirate, he couldn't exactly have a partner. He just didn't care. The men talked about going to brothels, but Ace was absolutely not interested at all. "I'd rather go eat."

"You'd choose food over women?" Rayuko had questioned.

"Every time," Ace had replied honestly, and everyone cracked up into laughter. Ace smiled sheepishly.

-x-

"Ace? Buddy?" Thatch asked, seeing Ace standing in the navigation room, looking absolutely exhausted but unaware of his surroundings. He was sleeping. Ace sniffled at the noise and looked up, but said nothing. Thatch walked closer, and looked at what Ace was doing.

It was hard to see in the light, but it wasn't a map, but a sea chart. He touched Ace's back, and then took the pen from his hand. "Ace, why don't we get you to bed, hmm?" Thatch said softly. Ace mumbled something, but then left the room, Thatch followed closely. Ace went to his room and opened the door before walking to the bed and flopping down on his stomach, passing out. Thatch pulled his legs up onto the bed and tucked him in before closing the door softly.

In the morning, Ace was getting breakfast when Thatch came up to him. "Hey, buddy! So, new talent found," he said. Ace looked confused, and Thatch pulled out a folded piece of paper in his pocket. He laid it down in front of Ace. "Found you sleep walking and making this."

It's not hard to learn this.

Yes it is! Sea charts are not like mapping islands.

Well, you'll learn whether you think it's easy or not.

You can't do that!

Oh, yes I can. You're my student, I'll teach you what I want.

Ace blinked a few times. That was the longest conversation he'd ever heard in his head, but still didn't recognize the voice. Someone had taught him mapping and making sea charts? "Ace?" The young man looked surprised and asked, "I made this?"

"Yeah. It's not finished, but I found you in there and then took you back to bed," Thatch explained. "Another mystery talent?" he wondered.

Ace sighed, "Guess so. I feel like someone did teach me, but I can't remember where or when. And my old crew said I never learned from anybody while I was a pirate. I'm confused," Ace grumbled while sitting at the open part of the bar counter.

Thatch had sparkles in his eyes. "You're from the future!"

Ace scoffed. "I really, really doubt that," he replied. "I'm just weird. I don't have an explanation, but I really don't think I time traveled." Thatch pouted, and said he wasn't so sure. "No forming conspiracy theories about me. My behavior is weird enough."

The chef agreed with a dramatic huff. Ace ate in confusion, trying to reflect on the voices in his head. He had a teacher some time in his life? When? Did he learn and then forget somehow, and that was why he was shit at mapping with his crew? And losing his memory brought back things he'd forgotten? He sighed, and ate continued to eat his meal.

After that, he put his dishes in their designated stacks before leaving the galley, heading to the navigation room, wanting to look at other sea charts, see if his was any good or if it was just crappy squiggles. And it wasn't like an island where he could know where this map was from. He could have just made it up in his head. Nobody would know. He didn't even know how to make sea charts.

He pulled out his chart and pulled out the binder with other charts in it, situated next to the catalogue of maps of islands. He compared the recorded charts to his own, and it looked like it was done by someone who knew what they were doing.

Then, a thought popped into his head, and he hurried to the place holding smaller ships deep into the inside of the Moby Dick. It was where striker was, his personal sea vehicle. He hadn't used it, not remembering how and worrying about breaking it. Plus, he had no need for it.

He stared at it and then his sea chart. There was a way for him to make them. He had the knowledge of how some time in his life, and could have used striker to help him out. It would have taken less time than it would for someone in a rowboat or something.

Finally, he accepted that this might just be another hidden talent, and left the storage room to put the sea chart in his cubby. But, he found Raya in there, one of the mappers who didn't seem fond of Ace. "Make another map in your sleep?" he asked without looking up from his work.

"Yeah," Ace lied. "I didn't finish it, though."

"Hmm," was his answer. Ace didn't say anything more and put the chart away. He really wondered where it was taken from. It didn't look especially complicated, but was pretty simple. He didn't roll it, just folded it up and put it as far into his cubby as he could.

He had looked forward to mapping, before he found out he did it in his sleep. He wished he could remember how he learned. He didn't get his hopes up that anything really useful about his strange talents would pop into his head, more than some dialogue from a misty voice he didn't recognize at all.

Ace left the room and headed up the crowsnest. He was glad Thatch found him and took the chart. He didn't want more attention on him for things like that. He didn't want anyone knowing about the chart yet. If it had been found by someone else, things would have been messier. Ace hadn't finished the chart so he hadn't signed it.

Someone else could have taken credit. That would have pissed him off, but he would rather nobody find it. He looked out at the horizon, the endless blue sky meeting the blue sea. He slumped backwards and sighed, crossing his arms like he was cold.

He was leaning backwards on the part of his back that hadn't been tattooed over, so it didn't hurt at all. He was alone for a bit before Marco climbed up and over the side. "Can I sit with you?" Ace nodded. "Are you okay?" he asked, settling across from Ace on the other side of the circular bench. Ace was sitting on the floor against it. He sighed, but answered honestly.

"Thatch found me sleep walking in the navigation room last night," he said. Marco asked if he was making another map. "No, I was making a sea chart. Which I don't remember learning either," the youngest grumbled.

Marco looked surprised. "You don't remember learning at all?" he asked slowly, tentatively, trying not to upset Ace, which he was grateful for. That Marco was understanding and patient. Ace looked at him, and decided to tell him some truth.

"I hear the voice of someone in my head, teaching me. There's never too much, but based on what they say, I think that this voice taught me. I just don't know who it is or when it happened," he said honestly.

Marco put his hand to his chin in thought, silent for a moment. "So, it's like a repressed memory?" Ace shrugged. "Do you have any other memories like that? Things you don't remember learning?" Ace almost laughed, since that was all that had been happening since he woke up those weeks ago.

It felt like he'd been there so long, even from the start. When he'd woken up the first time, he still felt like he'd been there for years. Thank god Thatch had been there for him from the start. He was an angel.

He didn't laugh, though. "My division is teaching me about navigating, and weather. I already know all of it. I didn't before, but it all just came back to me. I still pretend like they're teaching me, and I don't know the stuff already. I don't want people to think I'm even weirder," he confessed, words quiet at the end, averting his eyes from Marco.

"Does it feel like you have someone else's memories?" the first mate asked curiously.

Ace shook his head. "Part of me knows that they are my memories. I just don't know when they came from, or the context around the skills. Who taught me, where and when did it take place? Why did I forget?" Ace wondered.

Marco walked over and sat next to him. "Hopefully those memories will come back, if they don't, you might just try to appreciate that you learned these useful things, even if you don't know the origin, or who was the one to teach you."

"I think I know how I made the sea chart, if I've done them before. If it was anytime while I was on the Piece of Spadile, then I could have used striker to move about the water more easily," Ace said.

"Your single passenger ship?" Ace nodded. Ace said Deuce had made it for him, or at least that's what he had been told by his crew. "Would you want to try making another one?" Marco questioned. Ace shrugged.

He sighed and said, "I don't want to try and then suck. What if I'm only good at it when I'm half-dead? That would be humiliating. I looked forward to making my own maps so much before, but now I just don't want to disappoint anybody. I don't want anyone to look down on me." He was embarrassed, saying these things. He knew he was insecure from the start of his life, for as long as he could remember, but he never showed it to anyone but Sabo.

And maybe Deuce, he didn't know how he was like on the PoS much. Deuce just seemed to know how he felt most times, and he did know about Ace's relation to Roger, so he wasn't surprised if he opened up to his friend more than the others. And to Thatch.

"You can always make your maps in private, Ace. The navigation room is helpful, but you could make them somewhere else." Ace looked around, saying his storage room wasn't good for it. He knew it would be hard now, to be with other people in the room when he got up and walked around. More than once he'd woken up sleeping against his bedroom door. "You could use the empty second division commander's office. Nobody goes in there, and it would be very secluded."

Ace looked a bit confused. "Why? Would you do that for others?"

"Of course. Just, nobody has needed to use it before. Besides, I trust everyone to not snoop in the commanders' offices. I give you permission to use the room when you need. You can put extra supplies in one of the moving bags with pens, paper and the other tools needed for charting and map making," Marco explained with a kind smile.

Ace smiled back. "You guys are really nice. Except Aioba. Screw him," he said. Marco laughed.

He replied, "He's always had an issue with pride. Maybe don't show him your sea charts. His panties would get in a twist again. And about your division teaching you what you already know, you can tell them you'd like to learn on your own. That you feel comfortable more going at your own pace. I'm sure they'd be understanding." Ace nodded, thinking that. He didn't like faking being crappy at it.

Later that day, Ace smuggled some ink, spare pens, measuring tools and paper into the empty office. And that night, he was found sleeping inside with another unfinished sea chart again. Though this time it was the same one as the night before, and he didn't finish this one either.

Marco had found him there in the morning. "Ace, wake up," he said, gently shaking Ace awake. He opened his eyes blearily. Marco could tell he was still exhausted, and took pity on him. "Why don't we bring you back to your room to sleep some more?" he offered.

Ace mumbled an "'M tired," and Marco helped him up and walked back to his room. Like Thatch had, Marco tucked Ace in. He was shirtless with his bandages falling off, so Marco fixed them for him and laid him on his stomach.

When Ace woke up, he didn't remember sleepwalking or Marco helping him out. He changed into new clothes (still just shorts and boots). His shirts were no longer in use since they pulled on the bandages and it was annoying. He sat at his division table when he was eating breakfast, saying nothing but listening to conversations until one of his self proclaimed teachers spoke to him.

"When did you want to continue the lessons?" he asked brightly, and Ace felt bad disappointing him.

He said, not making eye contact, "I kinda wanted to stop them. I feel like going at a slower pace by myself would work better. I've already learned so many of the basics from you that I want to start challenging myself and working on my own." He had a light smile at the man, who nodded, not seeming upset at all.

"I totally get it. I'll lend you our navigation books if you'd like. There are some in the library that aren't in use but are still pretty helpful," he offered. Ace smiled and thanked him for his kindness. "Of course! You're our little brother, of course we'd be helpful and nice." He shot a look at Aioba near the other end of the table, who was talking to his own friends. "Well, most of us."

Ace nodded, and after he finished breakfast, went to the library just for show, and took out a book to read on deck even as he looked at the weather and sea himself. Nothing odd was happening, but that wouldn't last in the New World. He pretended to read the book when Marco came over to check on him.

"I'm okay, why?" Ace asked, looking away from the page he'd been staring at. Marco told him about finding him in the office earlier and taking him to bed. "Oh. I… don't know how I'd do sleeping in a room with other people. If I get up and walk around, it might be hard for others to sleep."

Marco nodded. "We were thinking about that. Would you like to stay in your room if we make it more like a bedroom and less than a storage room? We'll give you a real bed and some more furniture." Ace asked if that was playing favorites. "Maybe, I don't know. But it's taking into consideration the others and yourself. The bunk rooms don't have locked doors, so you'd be opening and closing the door while sleep walking."

Ace nodded, knowing others would get fed up with that. He was happy he'd get his own room and not be a bother to anybody else. "Thanks. For taking my narcolepsy into consideration." Marco said of course, and Ace smiled. These people were great.

-x-

Ace stood in the hallway, glaring furiously as paint dripped down his face from the door he'd just walked through. He never thought he would be a victim of a prank, but he guessed it was random when set up like this. Ace wiped the paint out of his face and sighed before heading to the bathhouse to shower off as much as he could.

He walked past Thatch and Haruta, who were running to see who had been the victim. Ace glared at them furiously, flaming up, and they both ran, shouting apologies. He sighed and kept walking towards the bathroom, and passed many who gave him sympathetic looks. When he reached the bathhouse, he went to one of the showers and peeled off his clothes, shorts soaked with blue paint, and washed off, holding the shorts under the water as well.

Blue ran into the drain on the tile floor beneath him. He leaned up and got it off of his face, even though he knew there would be some stuck in his ears. After he deemed himself paint-free enough, he put his underwear on and then a towel around his waist as he soaked his shorts in the sink he filled with water, squeezing it and then dunking them once again.

He kept the towel around his waist, wrapped low enough to show he was not naked underneath, was wearing underwear, and took the soaking shorts to the laundry room to hang dry before he'd put it in his basket at his room.

Thatch was waiting by his door, and Ace glared at him. The chef had huge, watery puppy dog eyes. "I'm soorrrry Ace, I didn't know it would be you," he whined. Ace huffed, saying, "whatever". Thatch looked hurt, but Ace was annoyed. He wasn't in the mood to have paint dumped on him.

Ace entered his room and changed, closing the door on Thatch. When he walked back out, Thatch was gone. Ace went back to where he was heading before. Hopefully Izo wasn't mad that Ace had kept him waiting.

He entered the room where tattoos were inked and said, "I'm sorry, Izo. I fell victim to a paint-trap and had to wash off. Sorry for keeping you waiting," Ace explained, sitting on the chair. Izo had been glaring at him when he entered, but that expression turned sympathetic and pitying.

"Even being best friends with Thatch doesn't make you safe, it seems," he said, and took the single cuff to put on Ace's wrist, draining his energy and making his body solid.

"I guess so," Ace said, leaning forward on his chest while Izo began filling in the upper part of his tattoo. He fell asleep during it, thinking he hadn't slept well, though he couldn't remember waking up or having any bad dreams. Izo asked him if he was alright once he woke up. "I'm just really tired."

He frowned, and asked if Ace was sick. "No, some nights are clusters of not sleeping well. I'll probably have trouble sleeping for tonight and tomorrow at least," Ace explained.

"I'm sorry. That sucks. Have you always had narcolepsy?" the crossdresser asked. Ace shook his head, saying it developed when he was sixteen. "Wait, you were on your pirate journey alone with narcolepsy?" he asked in disbelief. Ace laughed and nodded.

"I don't know how I did it, but it's pretty impressive I didn't die, isn't it?" he asked in a joking voice, though the tint of exhaustion was there. Izo agreed, and took the cuff off of his wrist and replaced the bandages over his swollen tattoo. It was sore already. He wished he could get it done all at once just to get it over with.

When he went back to his room, knowing he shouldn't take one but knowing he needed a nap, he found a cake box in front of his door. He picked it up and opened it to see a fancy cupcake. "I'm sorry you got pranked" it said in decorative cursive frosting. Ace rolled his eyes at the apology, but wasn't very angry at Thatch and Haruta anymore. They refrained from pranking him in other ways mostly.

He went inside and closed the cake box, putting it on his nightstand and falling asleep on his stomach. He hoped he wasn't needed for any manual labor that day. The crates in his room had been replaced with dressers and a rug. It felt much more homey, and the better mattress was awesome.

He'd been on the crew for a little over a month now, and that just didn't feel right. He still felt out of place in some ways. The sudden things that popped up in his head. He told Thatch, but no longer Deuce. He closed up on Deuce without noticing.

After all, Deuce had been close with Ace. The old Ace, and he didn't want to ruin that time Deuce had with him by being this new Ace. It was a sad feeling, feeling someone would be better off without you. His old crew hadn't said anything about him acting differently, but sometimes Ace would say something and it would make them confused, even if they hid the expression as soon as they could.

Thatch didn't know the old Ace, so he didn't expect something Ace wasn't anymore. Over all, the last couple of days had been shitty. He was glad he wasn't too important and could slip into the crowd for a bit if he needed to.

He woke up to a knock on his door. He yawned and stood up, opening the door to see Deuce. He didn't want to talk to him, but couldn't bring himself to be rude or ask him to come later. "Can I talk to you?" Ace nodded and opened his door wider. He closed it behind them when Deuce sat on the bed.

Ace sat next to him, and the blue haired man didn't hesitate to talk. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, in a voice Ace hadn't heard yet. A sad, and almost scared voice. "You've closed up on me," he said.

Ace looked down and away. "You didn't do anything wrong." Then he asked why he had closed up on his old friend. Old first mate and best friend. "I don't want to ruin your image of the old me," he said honestly. Deuce put his hand on Ace's shoulder.

"You're still my friend, no matter if you had some aspects of your personality change. Even if you were a completely different person, it wouldn't ruin the last two years we had," he said with a small smile. It just made Ace wince. He didn't have those years, Deuce did. Ace didn't remember a single thing about the previous two years. "Even if you forgot, we're still friends. At least, I want to be. You're not a disappointment, you're Ace," he insisted in a strong voice. "And I don't blame you for your memory loss."

The former captain looked at Deuce, tears in his eyes. "I just feel so terrible for forgetting everyone and all of the memories we had. Reading log books won't capture the feelings we must have had together. The fun," he said quietly. "I just wish things would be normal."

Deuce cautiously pulled Ace into a hug. "There's nothing we can do about it but hope that they'll come back some day. We can't dwell on that unfortunate aspect. I still want to be your good friend, and still think of you as mine."

Ace sniffled and nodded. "I'll try not to close off. Just… please don't expect too much from me, or at least not how I used to be," he said.

"I promise I won't. Go at your own pace, we have plenty of time to become close like we were. Like we can be," Deuce said with a bright smile. Ace smiled and nodded before handing Deuce the cupcake box.

"You can have this, as an apology for shutting you out," he said. "A walked under a can of paint that Thatch and Haruta planted. I'm not hungry, so this is my apology cupcake to you," Ace explained, and Deuce nodded, eating the small cupcake in one bite.