Present day
Ace stood steady as the ship beneath him rocked violently, still under attack from the raging storm outside. His mind was racing as he tried to process exactly what was going on and it was obviously showing as the woman before him smirked cockily. Ace couldn't help but notice the light dusting of freckles that covered her nose and cheeks, like his own, but more prominent. Her hair was left loose, a sea of deep brown waves falling past her shoulders. She was small, standing level with his shoulder and wore a fine silk robe of red that pooled around her feet.
'Her ship? That would mean…' His eyes widened as realisation hit him like a punch to the gut. There were one of two outcomes here. The first being that he'd hopped onto the wrong ship and somehow this woman knew him. The second, that the tiny woman before him was the notoriously dangerous fugitive, The Butcher. He figured it to be the latter but decided to play dumb for now. It may help him later.
"I'm sorry you clearly know my name but, who might you be?"
"Don't be stupid." The woman turned and walked away from him, waving a hand behind her for him to follow. "It doesn't suit you."
Ace stood for a moment, contemplating what he should do. She could be leading him to his death, but on the other hand, she could have killed him a moment ago if she'd wanted. Pressing the palm of his hand to his forehead he inhaled through clenched teeth before giving into curiosity.
As Ace was led down the flawless halls of the ship he noticed it was quiet. Too quiet for a crew of pirates even if they were only a crew of five. 'Something isn't right' He thought to himself as the small woman in front of him pushed open a pair of grand double doors. A large pale pink chaise took center stage in this extravagant room, fluffy white throw pillows scattered over it that matched the carpet his feet sunk into. 'This is ridiculous.' Ace rolled his eyes, noticing a beautiful chandelier made up of small crystals that reflected the glow of the lights onto the walls, like rain drops on a window.
The small woman took herself to the chaise and draped herself across it, resting her elbow on the side. Throwing her head back she inhaled deeply, holding it for a moment before exhaling slowly and meeting Ace's eyes. He hadn't bothered to take a seat. He didn't want to. Plus he'd have to sit next to the small woman and he wasn't clear on her motives yet so thought it better to be prepared to fight. Or run.
"Are you going to answer my question?" She asked, drawing patterns in the fabric of the chaise with her finger. It took Ace a moment to realise what question she was talking about. He crossed his arms over his bare torso and leaned himself casually against the wall beside her.
"White Beard wants you on the crew," She opened her mouth to speak but Ace held his hand up, not looking at her and continued. "Or he'd like for you and your crew to form an alliance with the White Beard pirates. I've gotta say I've heard a lot about you, Butcher, and I can't say I blame him. You're supposedly one of the most wanted women in the world, second only to Nico Robin." Ace looked up then, the brim of his hat shadowing his eyes but he could see her perfectly.
While he had been talking, she had sat up from her previous laying position and now, instead of being highly inconvenienced, her face read as though she may actually be contemplating his offer. 'She can't honestly be thinking about it' Ace thought smirking.
"No." She said abruptly, all of that former contemplation wiped clean from her beautiful face. "You may leave now. I'll accompany you as far as the cabin door if you wish. These halls can be difficult if you don't know them." She offered, standing gracefully and gesturing to the door.
"Well why the hell not?" Ace questioned, agitated, moving away from the wall and coming to stand before her. He towered over her, though you wouldn't think so given the calm exterior of the woman in front of him. Her voice, however, portrayed a different emotion.
"You presume to come aboard my ship in the middle of the night and question my decision." That wasn't a question but a statement, her voice was laced with anger that became more prominent with every word she spoke. "You foolish, arrogant man." She spat, finally meeting his gaze.
There was a long silence as Ace waited for something to hurt, for something inside him to detach or for his eyes to suddenly fall dark, but nothing happened. He felt calm, like he could stroll back onto the Moby Dick and tell White Beard he'd failed and it would be okay. 'Why is this happening?' His current mood certainly didn't correspond well with what he was thinking. He wanted to be angry at the tiny woman. How dare she raise her voice to him? How dare she turn down an offer from White Beard, the greatest pirate to ever grace the seas?
"I've slowed your heart rate and lowered blood pressure, Fire Fist. Leave here nicely or don't leave at all. The choice is yours." She told him sternly before taking a step back. "I won't do that for you a second time." Ace stood for a moment, jaw slack as his mind comprehended what she had just done to him.
"So what, you manipulate mood patterns?" He asked, a little calmer than before but liking her a lot less.
"Don't be stupid, Ace like I said it doesn't suit you." She said for the second time that evening only this time the faintest of smiles graced her lips. Ace shook his head and barged past her, headed for the doors. He'd leave willingly for now, but he'd come back and get White Beard what he wanted. Before he could make his way off the ship through the doors, Ace was thrown back into the room as something hard collided with him.
"Kaede, she's fitting!" A lanky being with stringy black hair shouted, his urgent green eyes paying no attention to Ace's presence as he picked himself up off the floor. Without a second glance The Butcher– or, Kaede, he guessed – dashed madly from the room, current surroundings forgotten.
Ace noticed the younger boy still standing in the doorway, panting hard as he stared at him like he had horns. He assumed they didn't get company often and brushed it off, nodding his head toward the hall.
"Everything okay?" Ace asked, not really sure why he cared, but it wasn't in his nature to turn away from those in need no matter how small and irritating they may be.
"Not unless you're a doctor." The boy replied, heading the same way his captain had. Ace followed, matching the boys speed as they ran down the confusing passage ways.
"The name's Koji." The kid reached out a bony hand to introduce himself as Ace took it, shaking firmly.
"Ace." He replied, still not sure what the hell was going on here.
"I know." Koji smiled at him briefly as they rounded a corner. Suddenly Koji stopped, veering left into one of the rooms causing Ace to skid beside him. Ace couldn't see much of the small room as they entered, his eyes only focused on the poor screaming girl. Watching as she writhed around the bed in agony while Kaede attempted to keep a damp cloth pressed to her forehead. The girl was quite obviously related to Koji, the same black hair falling into her face, damp and matted with sweat. As she threw her eyes open, gasping for breath he noticed they had the same emerald eyes. Only hers were full of suffering, aching for the pain to stop.
"Koji, come and hold her arms still so I can give her the medicine." Kaede called over her shoulder, voice strained as her crew mate thrashed wildly. The skinny man walked around the bed and held the girls arms down with his elbows as his fingers laced together over her forehead, in an attempt to hold her head still. Ace could see Koji wince as the girl he held screamed, his eyes watering before he quickly squeezed them shut, forcing the tears away.
"Anything I can do?" Ace asked, rushing to the bedside.
"Shut up." Kaede snapped around the syringe cap poking out of her mouth, eyes still fixed on the girl in front of her. Koji gave her a quick nod, signaling that he was ready for her to take aim. Another agonizing screech had barely left the lips of the girl on the bed when Kaede plunged the long needle into the vein of her neck.