HOLAA913: Thank you! It's fine, I love hearing people's theories. I'm just not good at replying to them since I don't want to give spoilers but also not disappoint lol.
N0dusT0llens: I'll say one thing, he's not dreaming. He's going through all this stress in real life mwahaha.
sairakanzaki: Thank you! I'm so sorry for the late update, everything got screwed up because I forgot to post one of them and I don't like posting more than one on the same day so everything got messed up. There's only 4 chapters left, so just gotta wait three more for the big finale!
All of my fucking updates are off, I'm sorry about that. Longer chapter. I am 23 today yet I feel like it's March and not October. Covid life throws my sense of time off so bad it's annoying. Anyways, enjoy~
"Why does he get to bring striker? Isn't that cheating? Isn't he supposed to prove himself?" Aioba argued with Marco as he and Ace worked to lower striker down while the shipwrights were putting the ship the others would use together.
"Aioba, it's called being resourceful. I'm sure if anyone else could use a craft like Ace can striker, we'd be using that as much as possible. Striker came with Ace, letting him use it isn't playing favorites. Besides, you're not even on this expedition," Marco reasoned. Ace was unbothered, rummaging through his bag to make sure he had everything. He'd grown used to Aioba not liking him. It annoyed him, sure, but it made him feel better when almost every single one of their division disagreed with the man on the subject of Ace.
Thatch was putting nonperishable foods into the crate that would last them their three day journey. Christmas was a week ago, and Ace had been itching to go on a mission ever since Marco had brought it up. True to his word, Marco mentioned to no one that Ace came up with some of the ideas about the mission.
Like being the scout and emergency option if they needed to get out of the area quickly and could have a rope tied to the back of striker. He was fine not taking public credit for the ideas. "Alright, lower it into the water!" Fossa called, and the ship was lowered into the water. It was big and heavy, so they used the metal lowering machine, instead of using rope. Ace dropped down onto striker, repositioning his hat while a rope ladder was lowered for the others to get onto the ship while Ace waited.
Danz was the leader of the mission, one of the higher ups in Jiru's division. Ace, almost immediately, found out that this was incredibly boring, as the ship sailed so slowly compared to the speed of striker at its fastest. But, he didn't show his irritation, just crawled alongside the ship, putting out minimal fire power.
He listened to everything the crew was saying, sailing only a foot away, but instead of making plans or taking part in them, he was ordered to scout a mile ahead before reporting back. On a small ship, they needed adequate time to prepare for an attack by marines or pirates. Ace was perfect for that, and did his task diligently.
The youngest circled the ship at a far distance, not seeing any enemies, but he felt the air change in a sense, and saw movement below the surface of the water, and recognized what it was, and went speeding away as huge pillars of water shot up into the air. Ace grit his teeth and swerved around them, somehow knowing where they'd appear, a different feeling than his possible future seeing.
It was frankly terrifying, but he made it out and back to the ship, soaked and a bit uneasy. "Ace! Oh my god, are you okay?!" Marques asked, the real navigator on the ship. He wasn't very close with Ace, but they weren't enemies or anything.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just glad it didn't hit you guys," Ace said, flaming up to dry himself off. "There are no enemies in a one mile radius, I checked. We're safe for now. I'll keep circling if you want," he said to the leader of the mission.
"If you can, will you continue to scout?"
"Yup," Ace said, and sped back off to do his job, glad to feel helpful and not totally useless. He did come across a marine ship two miles out, where the Whitebeard ship wouldn't be able to see it. To be fair, the marines probably didn't see them either, but best to take them out now before there is any possibility of an attack on the small vessel.
He sped up, and didn't hesitate to slow next to the ship, hearing shouting about his name, but unable to see any of the marines since Ace was so low. He pulled his arm back lighting his fist on fire. "Firefist!" he shouted, obliterating the ship as a massive plume of fire rocketed through the ship, coming out the other side. Marines screamed but the fire consumed everything and soon the only noise was wood crackling that hadn't touched the water yet.
He blew on his finger and felt satisfied, going back to the little ship to tell them what had happened. When he arrived, he found two dead seakings that his brothers had offed, sword marks on them.
Ace turned striker to the side a bit and slowed it, going the same speed as the ship he was now side by side with. "A marine ship was a bit away, but I took care of it."
"Good job, that's really helpful. Will you continue?" Ace nodded, perfectly happy to be on striker and not on the slow and boring ship. He was glad he wasn't in charge of it. You will be. Ace mumbled to his mind-voice to shut it. If it was something useless, he didn't want to hear it.
It was only at night time that he finally stopped using striker. The fire would bring attention, and he was told to stop to sleep, since he'd been standing and using his powers almost all day, since they left in the morning.
Ace was more than happy to stop for the day, and they tied his one-person capacity ship to the Whitebeard one, and went to sleep inside of it, in case he had to act quickly. When he woke the next day, he and the nine others ate some food Thatch made that didn't need to be refrigerated. They'd move on to the cans once they ran out of the fresher food.
As he was doing patrol again (though he wished he could get hands-on training with the mission more) he suddenly heard quotes again, which he hadn't heard in a few days, almost a week.
I know he may be a hassle, but please take care of my brother. The feeling of happiness and fondness accompanied with it. He grinned, knowing from that that he'd see Luffy! He wondered when, because there were still a few months before Luffy set out on his own. Ace was happy with this, knowing he'd see his brother again. Maybe not too soon, but he was more than happy with knowing he'd see him.
But he wondered who he was talking to, who he was asking to look over his brother. Maybe his crew? He knew Luffy would gain a crew quickly. He was too likable and charismatic for anyone to say no. At least, that's what he thought. He looked forward to seeing what kind of people he got on his crew.
Most likely a bunch of weirdos, like Luffy was. He laughed at that, feeling uplifted and just relieved that he got some good news instead of upsetting or useless things said in his mind by that voice he couldn't decipher. Was it female or male? How old? Was it a voice at all or just a feeling?
When he returned to the ship, he found they had been attacked! Ace saw that some were injured, and the ship was without a sail with pirates laughing and standing next to the ship. Ace grew furious and sped up, burning through the pirate ship like he had the marines. He had a bad feeling, thinking there might be more pirates around, and before checking if everyone was okay, he tied striker to the front of the boat, speeding off, now wearing a log pose he took from the leader.
After they were a good three miles away from the attacked area, Ace jumped off of striker and landed on the ship, checking over everyone, trying to wake them. One had a broken arm, and Ace didn't know what to do with the guy from the medical division under Curiel being asleep. He knew basic first aid, so he walked inside and broke apart a crate of apples, taking wood and ripping a blanket off the bed to tear pieces off, and make a splint for him.
Ace was not comfortable, being the only one awake who could fight or do anything. Would he be able to protect them all while taking out possible enemy ships? He started to think that they were all gassed before he got there, and that's why they were still unconscious hours later. They weren't dead, thank goodness.
He jumped back onto striker and continued to the island the log pose was pointing to. An hour later, he felt a sleep attack coming, and prayed that nobody would attack while he was asleep. He passed out on the ship, not feeling safe sleeping on striker by himself, with nobody to fish him out if he fell into the water.
The sails were ripped, so he'd work to fix those later. He knew basic stitching from Makino, and they had to have something. When he did wake up, everyone was still asleep, and he sighed. They were all breathing just fine. Another huge problem was that the den den mushi was unconscious as well, and so Ace couldn't call the main ship. He went inside and rummaged through everything, looking for a needle.
He found a syringe in the medical pack, and broke the tip off. There were three other ones, it was fine. He melted one side and turned it into a small hook, taking the same blanket he'd used for the splint, and unraveled it, climbing up the mast and stitching the sails back together. It was a terrible job and was not straight, but it would work fine.
He furled the sails and got back on striker. He sailed them for another two hours before someone woke up. "A-Ace?" he asked, sitting up. Ace jerked around, his fire halting when he jumped onto the ship. "What happened?"
Ace sat and said, "No idea. I came back to report and all of you were unconscious with a pirate ship close by. I took them out, but none of you would wake up and the sails were ripping, so I dragged the ship along with striker."
"Oh no, the sails are ripped?!" he shouted in panic. Ace didn't know this one too much, only that his name was Otashi and he was the medical guy on the ship for this mission.
"Don't worry, I fixed them. You might want to check the guys. One has a broken arm," Ace said, and the pirate got to work quickly, checking over everyone and looking at the broken arm. He said he couldn't make him a cast out here, so the splint was a good idea. He asked Ace how he sewed up the sails, as they had no sewing supplies, even though they should. "I broke off the needle of a syringe and used thread from a blanket. It might not hold very well."
"Well, that's resourceful. How long have you been dragging us?" he asked, checking the heads of the others, making sure they had no head injuries. Ace said he thought he'd been doing it over four hours. He took the logpose off of his wrist and handed it to Otashi to put back on the ship safely. "Thank you, Ace. You're pretty smart, aren't you?"
Ace scowled. "You thought I was stupid?" Otashi put his hands up and backtracked, saying it was just rare to find smart people on a pirate ship. Besides the commanders and captain. Ace started laughing, and the other pirate laughed along with him.
Soon, the others started to wake up, and were briefed by what had transpired. Ace was exhausted, and his sleep attacks never made him actually feel rested. He sat down against the railing of the ship and sighed. He was also starving. "Ace, take a break," Danz ordered, and Ace nodded.
Someone brought him a can of apricots for him to eat, and Ace gladly accepted it. "Take a rest, you look exhausted. Don't worry, we're fine now and can take care of ourselves," the leader assured. Ace nodded and was out like a light.
When he woke up, people were looking over a map, and said they'd veered off course. He stood up in a hurry, and was sure he'd been going in the right direction! He hurried over, and asked what had happened, if he'd messed up.
"Don't worry, we're only slightly off course, so you were mostly going in the right direction," Danz said, still looking over the map. "We can easily fix it, it should only take an hour to get back to where we should be heading." Ace sighed, relieved that he didn't fuck everything over. He offered to go on patrol again, though he was now nervous about leaving them after the pirate attack.
He felt bad for letting them slip in. He'd gone too far in one direction, and that had been a mistake. "Go ahead," he said, and moved back to the map. Ace untied his ship, which was no longer tied to the front, it was at the back. He got onto it and sailed away, vowing to keep a closer radius this time.
-x-
They reached the island the next day, only a little behind schedule. They had contacted the crew when the den den mushi came to after everyone else. They were worried about them, but the small group of pirates assured them that things were fine now, and that the broken arm was not bad enough to get infected. It was pushed back into place with a much sturdier splint. Ace was embarrassed when they were told about his solo time, fixing the sails and getting them out of the area.
To be honest, he did like the praise when it was given, but the aftereffects were annoying, with people getting all pissy if he was successful in anything. He was sad, though, that he hadn't really gotten a chance to work on navigation while he was scouting. It disappointed him, as he was looking forward to that part.
He must have been seen moping, because he was told by Marques that on the way back he could work with him. He'd been in a much better mood after that, and gladly took out two marine ships in the area.
When they reached the island, they stopped the ship in an alcove to hide them. They climbed up a short cliff to get on the island. It had been the only way that was safe. The rocks and reefs stretched far from the island and into the sea, so the Moby Dick wouldn't have been able to get even close. Marco could fly, but he wouldn't be able to carry enough himself, if there really was a lot of treasure here.
Ace, again, volunteered to go ahead, since he was safest, being immune to most attacks. The leader reluctantly agreed, and Ace quietly went off into the forest, looking and listening for anything suspicious. He didn't see anything, but there were suspicious looking plants. He walked around a large bush before it snapped at him and a small prick was made from it on his leg. He swore and burnt the plant.
He looked at his leg, and saw there was no marking, or blood. Maybe it hadn't broken the skin. For once he hated his shorts. Ace huffed and continued his walk, coming across multiple animals that ran away from him. He didn't know why, but it was convenient so he wouldn't question it too much.
Once he found the island seemed pretty harmless if they avoided the sketchy plants, he headed back to the group. "There's nobody on the island besides some animals. Avoid the creepy looking plants, one almost stung me."
They all went searching for the treasure, before they found a cave that they ventured into, Ace's fire lighting up the dark cave. They walked in for about five minutes, the cave being pretty deep, before there was a reflection in the distance from Ace's fire. They ran up to it to find three, huge chests. They needed keys, but they were old, so hitting them with a hilt of a sword broke it open.
One was empty, while the other two did have treasure in them. "Oh my god, most of these are diamonds," Danz said, digging his hands through the diamonds. The other chest had paper money packed inside.
"I wonder why one of them was empty?" Ace said.
"Maybe whoever got it couldn't take along the other two," Otashi commented. "Anyways, should we take these back now?"
Ace said, "Are we camping here tonight?" The leader nodded. "Then should we leave them in here until we leave for good? Someone is more likely to steal them if they're on our ship," the youngest suggested. The others agreed that it was a good idea, and got some branches and rocks to hide the chests behind.
They went hunting for food, and Ace roasted the meat on sticks that they ate that night, finding fresh water, which Ace boiled in cans to make the water safer to drink. His fruit really was helpful for many things. And his brothers commented on it. "Probably more useful than anyone else's on the crew. Well, Marco's is helpful for himself." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Deuce said I ate it by accident. I don't remember eating it," Ace said around the meat he was chewing. "But it's nice to keep me warm and I can cook wherever," he added. They all nodded, and went to bed once the suk was done. They'd be leaving early in the morning after taking the chests back to the ship.
-x-
Ace itched his leg irritably, the area near where he'd been stung feeling itchy as hell. It didn't hurt, and it didn't look like anything was there, so he started to think it was just his brain thinking that it was itchy when it wasn't. He was on striker, and pulled the ship out of the reefs and rocks, since it was harder to get out than it was to get in.
The treasure chests had been very heavy, even the one full of money. They were idiots because they only found afterwards that the chest had rocks stuffed in the bottom, making it heavier. But, they were there, and sailing was smooth. It was a nice, short mission, and Ace was allowed to help with navigation instead of patrolling the whole time.
He was happy to be quizzed about the phenomena that came. Like the sudden storms or other weird occurrences that wouldn't make sense anywhere other than the New World. Ace wondered what Luffy would think of them. After hearing that snippet of conversation, he looked forward to seeing him so much. Everything had just been so distracting and stressful that he didn't think about Luffy's soon departure much.
When Ace woke up the next morning, his leg was burning, which was a pretty unfamiliar feeling now that he was made of fire. He pulled up his short leg, since it was just barely above the cut off, and saw what he thought was a non-existent sting was yellow. It looked disgusting. He stood up, but putting weight on that leg was painful.
"Fucking hell," he cursed. Everyone was asleep, and he didn't want to wake them, but he had to. They'd be angry if he hid it. He should have been more observant on that island. He shook Otashi awake, lighting the room with his fire, since it was dark outside and the lights were off inside as the others slept besides Rual, who Ace had barely noticed the whole time since he was so quiet.
"What is it?" the pseudo-doctor asked with a yawn.
"I think I have an infected wound. From that plant I thought didn't puncture the skin," Ace whispered. Otashi didn't wait to turn on the nearest lamp, sternly telling Ace to show him his leg. Ace lifted his leg into the light, and Otashi grit his teeth. "What, what is it?" Ace asked nervously.
"It is pretty infected. I need to clean it," he said, and got his bag to pull out rubbing alcohol. "Where does it hurt?" Ace said that his whole leg hurt while putting pressure on it and that it itched. "Do not itch it, you might make it worse. I'm going to bandage it after I put some cream on it," he explained. He pulled out a pill bottle from the bag after dressing the wound. "Take these, they'll help with the swelling." He put two red pills in Ace's hand.
"Okay," Ace said, brows furrowed in worry. Otashi stood and clapped his hands.
"Everybody up! We're leaving now!" Some pillows were thrown at his head, mumbles of "fuck off" or "five more minutes" were heard. "Ace is injured, we need to get back to the Moby as soon as possible," he explained, turning on the lights. They others jerked upright, demanding to know what had happened while three others went outside and rose the anchor before unfurling the sails and starting to move, even though it was the middle of the night and dangerous to sail at night.
Ace awkwardly said, "That plant did break the skin. My leg hurts a bit but that's it, you don't need to worry." Ace was pissed his predictions or whatever they were did not warn him of this, something pretty damn important! But he didn't show his anger and irritation.
Otashi scolded him to not hide his pain or he'd tell Marco. That was a successful threat, since Marco would be pissed if Ace lied about it. Ace frowned deeply when he was told he wasn't allowed to use striker until they got him back to the Moby Dick. When he protested, he was asked, "What if your leg hurts so much it gives out, and you fall on striker? Not only might you fall into the ocean and drown alone, but you might not even be able to make it back to the ship."
Ace had no response, and Danz ordered him to stay on the ship. "It's not like we've never done this without something like striker. We'll be fine with you out of commission. No more objections, it's my order as leader." Ace pouted for the rest of the day, trying not to think about the burning and itching of his leg.
They'd be getting back to the Moby soon where Ace could get real medical attention and be mocked or coddled by a bunch of different people. Hopefully it would go away before that, but looking at the sting or bite made him think that probably wasn't the case. It was getting redder and started to ooze liquid that Ace did not want to call pus.
He went out on deck, limping heavily, to ask Otashi for more pain medicine before he fell face first onto the deck. Everyone thought he had a sleep attack before he started to shake. "Ace!" he said, and ran to him and turned him over to show he was foaming at the mouth with his eyes rolled back in his head.
"Call the Moby and get Marco, now!" Danz shouted as everyone seemed to lose composure and ran around, all freaking out but three. Marques got on the den den and Ace stopped seizing but was still asleep. He was carried back to one of the beds.
"Hey, are you guys near?"
"Marco you have to come get Ace! He's sick and needs medical attention now!" Danz shouted, taking the den den from the other's hand.
Thatch was heard asking what happened, if Ace was okay, loudly freaking out. "He got stung by some plant and now it's infected and he just had a seizure!" Marco said he was coming immediately and he'd find them soon. Thatch shouted once more on the other side before it disconnected.
Ace woke up only around half an hour after his seizure. He felt sick still, and couldn't really feel his leg. Why was he affected by a sting in the first place? Why didn't his fire work on it? Why couldn't he burn it out or something?
Otashi was quick when Ace turned the side and vomited everything in his stomach out. "Ugghh… wha' happin'?" he asked, slurring his speech.
"You had a seizure, Ace. I don't want you to move, okay?" But Ace started panicking and freaking out, Otashi trying to calm him down, but it wasn't working. "Ace, stop moving, now," he commanded. "Marco is on his way to pick you up. He should be here soon, we aren't too far from the ship, he'll be able to find us."
Ace put his hands over his eyes. "Noooo, everyone will m'k fun of meee," he lamented. Otashi frowned deeply, probably feeling sorry for Ace.
"They won't make fun of you, Ace. Maybe this will make your critics realize you're just a person, not some perfect being." Ace then whined that they'd call him weak. The doctor put his hand on Ace's forehead. "Don't worry, Ace. All of us have gotten sick before. Even the commanders. Jozu once caught a disease and we had to quarantine half the ship."
Ace moved his hands from his face, but was still upset and worried. "They'll b'by me. Thash wll b'by me. Embarrassing," he complained. He was not very optimistic at the moment. He knew, even with his brain foggy right now, Thatch would baby him, probably cry a lot. He'll be seen as a burden by the people that didn't like him. Maybe they'd try to convince everyone else that he was weak.
He wasn't looking forward to going back to the Moby Dick one bit. "M' fine here. I'll be okay," Ace said, trying to sit up. Otashi gently pushed him back down, and gave him a stern look. He said he couldn't treat Ace's wound here, and that it might get worse if he doesn't get real treatment. Ace was still belligerent, not wanting to go back like this.
All of the good stuff he'd done on the mission, the smart choices would be overshadowed by this. He eventually fell asleep, breathing raggedly when Marco arrived three hours later. He hurried inside to see Ace unconscious, his leg swollen under the fresh bandages. He was sweating heavily, and Marco didn't hesitate to have people tie him to his back. It would be more comfortable than hanging in Marco's talons.
When he woke up, Ace weakly fought back, too delirious to realize they were trying to help him. "N't go back!" he said, weakly pushing Marco away, swaying side to side. Marco was trying to calm him, but Ace kept insisting he didn't want to go back.
"Ace, I'm taking you home! You'll be safe!" Marco shouted, trying to get through to him.
"Mean!" Ace protested. Marco said he wasn't mean by trying to help him. Otashi explained, "He means the others will be mean, think he's weak or a burden. That's why he doesn't want to go back."
Marco's face fell, and he looked at Ace in sadness and pity. "It doesn't change anything, we still need to get him back to the ship. Otashi, do you have any sedative?" Marco asked, trying to keep Ace off of his bad leg as he tried to run away. He was so out of it he couldn't think straight.
"Yes, yeah, hang on," the doctor said, and not long later Ace was asleep. They tied his pliant body to Marco's back when he turned into full phoenix form, and hoping that Ace wouldn't wake up and freak out. Marco told them he'd see them later, and to get back safely.
Ace didn't wake up on the fly back, but Marco could feel wetness coming from Ace's hurt leg. Probably pus. Hopefully not blood. When Ace did wake up, it was in Marco's arms as he hurried to the infirmary. "Whyyy? Why you do th's to mee?" Ace whined.
Marco looked down, and said, "To get you help, Ace. You're family, we're going to help you. Calm down, don't struggle. You can't do anything to get away from here now. Just comply and let the nurses help you," he insisted. Ace slurred another protest but was too weak or tired to fight back.
His face was red and sweaty, his leg red and swollen, crusty as well. He looked the epitome of sick. Thatch was crying, and Ace knew that would happen. Many looked very worried. No one was smiling or laughing at him. When Marco brought him to the infirmary, the nurses were already prepared, gloved and gowns on.
He laid Ace on the bed, who tried rolling over. "Ace, stay on your back," Whiskey said.
"Why I not see this? See efything else," Ace lamented. The nurses thought he was delirious, so they didn't take his words too seriously. Tami peeled the wrappings off, finding the wound looked incredibly infected. To Ace's irritation, his mouth was opened and tongue held. Marco was biting his thumb nail, Whitebeard standing beside him. The other commanders were not allowed in or Ace might get overwhelmed in this state.
Whiskey sighed, wearing a smile. "He'll be okay. I recognize this, we have medicine for it." She hurried off to get the IV and slowly entered it into Ace's elbow. Marco stood at the side, ready to force him to stay down. But he'd fallen asleep, hair sticking to his face with sweat. He stayed unconscious for a couple hours, far longer than it took for all of the bag to enter his bloodstream.
He woke up, feeling much better while also being able to feel his leg. He still didn't feel good, but he could think straight. He pulled the oxygen mask off and accidentally knocked it onto the floor with a clatter. Marco and Thatch noticed and were there in an instant.
Ace couldn't remember what happened after he had the seizure. When did they get back to the Moby Dick? Was he better, now? He tried sitting up, but Marco gently pushed him down and then raised one end of the bed so he was sitting up more. "What happened?"
Thatch started crying, and Marco told him to stop, that Ace was fine and to not make him more upset. Upset? Why would Ace be upset? What happened?!
Finally someone answered him. Marco explained, "You were stung by a poisonous plant, and got very sick, so I picked you up and brought you here. You've been treated. We had the antidote for the poison from the plant. You're safe and won't have any lasting side effects. Your leg will need to be still. You can't walk yet, you need another day of bed rest to be fully better."
Ace frowned and put his hands to his eyes. "Damn it," he mumbled. "I'm sorry."
Thatch said, in a strong voice, "There's nothing to apologize for, Ace. Nobody knew about the plants on that island. You got sick at the end, but everyone said you were very helpful the rest of the time. It wasn't a failed mission, Ace, even if you did fall ill at the end." Ace still was unhappy, and not making eye contact.
"It's so stupid. I see and hear stupid stuff that isn't helpful, but I didn't know about this happening? What the hell is the point of all of this if it can't even help me?" Ace grumbled. "I feel so weak and embarrassed… How many people saw me? When I was really sick?"
Marco looked wary of answering, so just by that Ace knew what had happened. A lot of people, maybe everyone, had seen Ace deliriously sick. "A lot of people. A lot of people saw, but luckily you weren't struggling anymore." Ace looked confused, asking why he had struggled. "You really didn't want to come back. We had to sedate you to bring you back."
Ace frowned, not understanding why he didn't want to come back. Well, he knew one reason, but he had to be treated regardless. "You didn't want anyone here to think you are weak. That's why you were refusing to come back and we had to take more aggressive measures." Ace looked away, face bright red in humiliation.
The youngest looked at his hands, which were in fists now, clenching the sheets over him. His leg was up on a pillow, elevated just enough for it to tilt upwards. "You're not weak, Ace," Thatch said in a strong voice.
"You're a commander. You don't know what it's like to hear whispers of people insulting you just for being good at something," he said sharply, face red again in embarrassment. "People say it all the time. 'Ace is so perfect, I hope he fails at something. Ace is stupid, why does he get privlidegs? Why does Ace get praised, I do smart stuff all the time. Commanders just like him cause he's friends with Thatch.'" Ace glared at his two friends, who looked down in sadness, probably pity.
Thatch quietly asked, "Why haven't you said anything about this?" He was frowning deeply.
"It will only make it worse. I'll be a tattle who can't deal with problems by myself," Ace mumbled back, avoiding eye contact. "I try already. It never helps. I hide my maps in another room, I still get insulted about it. I try to avoid anybody who doesn't like me. I still hear them even if I try to stay away. I'm stupid. And a freak who couldn't even remember the names and faces of my own crew."
Marco sat on the edge of the bed, and wiped away a tear on Ace's cheek. "You're not stupid, you're incredibly smart and resourceful. And responsible, more responsible than most on this crew. You fought off pirates and got your group to safety, treating a broken arm and sewing up the sails with a syringe needle and blanket. And it's not your fault you forgot, Ace."
"Great, another thing to make me 'perfect'," Ace mumbled back. He couldn't understand why he'd ever be made commander if he was insulted by so many people. Surely they would get backlash for naming someone so "controversial" commander. There was nothing about Ace that made him deserve that position.
Thatch took Ace's hand, which was still in a ball, and rubbed his knuckle with his thumb, trying to make him feel better, or at least less tense. "Ace, most of this crew adores you. That minority that doesn't like you… that's the minority. They just might be more vocal about it than those who like you."
Ace didn't reply, didn't look at either of them. "I don't want to talk about it anymore," he said stiffly. He was glad when neither of his brothers insisted they keep doing so. So, they switched topics, asking him what he thought of the mission there. "It was fine. I wish I had gotten to do more navigating instead of scouting," he said honestly, glad to change topics. "The people in the group were nice, seemed to like me alright."
Thatch grinned and Marco said, "Well, it was your idea."
"I know, but still. And… the room smelled terrible. I'm so glad I don't have to share with a bunch of other guys. At one point it smelled like someone shit their pants in their sleep or something," he complained. Bunking with multiple other dudes who hadn't showered so they conserved water was awful. "I'm almost glad I sleepwalk so I don't have to deal with that."
Thatch and Marco started laughing. "We've both dealt with that before our commander days. Having our own rooms was a life saver, and I realized that it wasn't just the bedrooms that smelled like that. Like, that they had poor ventilation or something. It was the people inside the room," Thatch said loudly. Marco nodded in agreement.
They talked about more lighthearted stuff that almost pushed Ace's worry out of his head. But it was still there, worrying that he'd be teased, mocked or underestimated.