Author notes:
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The chapter was beta'd by the wonderful Gerbilfrind who helped me a lot with grammar and paraphrasing and general ideas, and to build the first part of this chapter. I really enjoy working with her XD
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Warnings:
English is my fourth language. Warning may change in the future.
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Korazan
Thank you for your review. I am happy that you enjoyed yourself so. Laughing is the way to go. I read this review to my brother and he snorted so hard. Thank you for the trust and encouragement, I do tend to do what I want, but sometimes I like to hear my readers' opinion.
Hope you enjoy yourself with this one and laugh just as much, waiting to hear your thoughts.
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nightylreader
Thank you for your review. So do I apparently, you learn something new about yourself every day ^^.
Poor Ace and Thatch, maybe Thatch more. Let me know what you think after you finish reading this one.
About Jinbe and the mermaids we will know more in future chapters. You will have to be patient and enjoy the ride. Hope you share your thoughts with me about the new chapter.
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Se7en
Thank you for your review. It's Oh almighty Ace. shishishi.
I have no intention of abandoning any of my stories, please see the notes at the end.
I hope you enjoy yourself with this new chapter, waiting to hear your thoughts.
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OP4EVA
Thank you for your review. Well, honey I am looking forward to hear your thoughts about this chapter. Was it like you imagined? Better ;)
I hope you enjoy yourself while reading, waiting to hear your thoughts XD
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Chipmunk
Thank you for your review. I really appreciate your words about minor characters, it take me a lot of time and effort to picture each one of them and write them.
About the second attempt to approach, here it is. What do you think? Worth all the wait? ;)
About the adoption, we don't know! Maybe Whitebeard finally met his match. Hmmm ?
I really hope you enjoy yourself with this new chapter, waiting to hear your thoughts.
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PoorJasonTodd
Thank you for your review. I hope this chapter crack you up twice as much.
Hope you share your thoughts and laughter with me about the new chapter.
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To all the lovely anonymous "Guests" thank you for your reviews, every review is important to me, as to be able to personally thank you and answer any questions (I usually send a PM), please use a name, or nickname in your review (if it isn't any trouble).
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see notes at the END, IMPORTANT please.
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"Welcome back, Sabo."
Sabo froze in his climbing, his right foot on the ledge of the second floor window and the other one hanging in the air, he adjusted his hat and titled his head up to see Bunny Joe observing him from the balcony on the fourth floor with an amused look clearly shown on his face.
"Yo, Joe, how is it going?"
Joe gave him a raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed with the fact that the young man was not rattled at being caught red handed trying to sneak into the most secure base in the world.
"Sorry for intruding on your dramatic sneaking in."
Sabo blinked once then he gave a full toothy smile, adjusting both his feet on the ledge.
"Not at all!"
Sabo was just waiting for him to get to the point. It seemed like he was quite comfortable standing on the narrow ledge and had all the time in the world.
So this was young man that Dragon was grooming to be the future chief of staff of the Revolutionary Army.
"Koala called an hour ago a bit hysteretic, saying that you disappeared."
Sabo didn't even blink this time nor did he say anything, so Joe added.
"I would call her and let her know that you arrived safely before them."
Sabo adjusted his hat again and said.
"Thank you Joe."
He was lifting himself up to the window above him intending in jumping from there to the third floor balcony near the kitchen, which was almost always open, when Joe added.
"Dragon asked that you go to his office immediately when you arrive."
Sabo almost lost his footing, but was able to hang on to the ledge of the third floor window, and pushed himself with both his feet and jumped to the edge of the balcony. Standing at the edge he turned fully to look at Bunny Joe, who had a blank face this time and told Sabo in nonchalant voice.
"It sounded urgent."
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Sabo knocked at the door and went in without waiting for permission to be granted.
Dragon was looking intensely at the papers in his hand. Without raising his head, he said, "welcome back Sabo, I heard that your mission was successful."
Sabo, always wondered if their esteemed leader had eyes everywhere on his body because nobody ever seemed to be able to surprise him, then again, not only nobody but literally nothing that happened anywhere could seem to surprise or rattle Dragon.
"Yes, we got everything we wanted without much of trouble."
"Oh, that's not what I heard."
Well, they did have some unexpected encounters and hiccups, but it ended just fine and that was what mattered (why nobody seemed to think like him, Sabo didn't know?)
"You asked for me?"
Dragon finally looked at him, giving him a sternly amused look telling him that he knew that Sabo was trying to change the subject and he would play along for now but the subject was far from been over.
"Yes."
And then he looked back at the papers in his hand thoughtfully, and added nothing.
Sabo stayed in his place, waiting quietly.
Everyone that worked with Dragon knew, he would tell you what was needed to be done when he was ready and sure.
There was sudden knock on the door.
Dragon didn't raise his head. If someone who didn't know him was watching he might think Dragon was so immersed in his head that he didn't hear but Sabo knew better.
After few seconds Dragon said, "Enter."
The door was opened by Terry from the communication division, and without taking one step in and ignoring Sabo completely, he said "a call from our men in South Blue."
Dragon let the papers in his hand slide back to the desk and rose to take the Den Den Mushi from Terry's hand, who left immediately after.
There was a White Den Den Mushi attached to the main one meaning it was definitely an important call that no one should be able to intercept.
Dragon opened the door to his private balcony and without turning he said, "I will be back."
Sabo didn't have time to answer before the door was slammed shut and he was left all alone in the room.
Sabo stared at the door for two full minutes before he decided it was safe and moved closer to the desk to check the papers that Dragon was staring thoughtfully at.
On top of the papers there was a wanted poster, Sabo frowned, strange.
Why would this interest Dragon.
The poster didn't seem that different from any other poster Sabo had seen before.
A standard picture and below it written 'wanted dead or alive' and the bounty, 20 million Beli, it wasn't even that high of a bounty.
Sabo focused on the name and the information written in small letters.
The name was Monkey D. Luffy and he was from East Blue, then it was considered a high bounty to that region.
East Blue, his supposed home that he couldn't remember.
Sabo looked closely at the picture, Monkey D. Luffy was young, quite so to lead such notorious life.
He was smiling happily which was a bit weird for a wanted person but not that unusual, pirates were notorious for being weird.
But the smile itself caught Sabo's attention, it seemed unnatural for someone to have a smile that big, it seemed to stretch his face, no one should be able to smile like that, it wasn't humanly possible.
Yet in the eyes of his mind he could see an even a wider one. A glimpse of vision of an even bigger smile and jovial laugh to accompany it, but it was gone before he could grasp it.
A dream, a memory?
It didn't matter, he shook his head slightly bringing himself back to stare objectively at the wanted poster.
Staring at the name again.
Monkey D. Luffy.
Hmmm...
Wasn't Monkey D….. Monkey D. Garp's surname, the vice admiral? The one to catch the pirate king?
And didn't Dragon have some issue with him? He looked at the door which Dragon disappeared behind, trying to see through it to the mind of their leader.
Sabo only knew anything because he heard a snippet of Den Den Mushi conversation that he most definitely shouldn't have a bit more than two months ago. He was sneaking into the library below this floor to put his report in the pile before Koala found out that he forgot to hand something in again, to hear their leader speaking with someone. He couldn't hear the words, only voices, and neither of the voices were happy. Sabo got curious and moved to the edge of the balcony trying to hear and see better without letting himself be found out. He was just in time to hear someone from the other end of the call shouting 'vice admiral Garp' before the call was terminated. Sabo ignored the phantom shiver running down his back at hearing the name then and now, it was probably just the weather, Baltigo's winter was extremely cold.
Sabo had even glimpsed the Den Den Mushi that Dragon used to speak with the vice admiral, it had a white one attached to it. Was the vice admiral an informant? Was it even possible for someone from his calibre to work with the most dangerous man in the world?
Well, they were talking about Dragon here, if their was a person that could turn a Marine with a reputation like Garp into an informant, it would only be Dragon.
He looked back at the smiling boy in the picture, and wondered what role he played in all of this?
He sighed inwardly.
It wasn't like he could ask Dragon straight out about any of this.
"You should look at the poster behind it too."
Sabo froze and forced himself to relax before turning to face Dragon, who was leaning comfortably against the closed door.
Sabo hadn't heard him coming in. Who knew how long he was observing him before he let Sabo know that he was there?
Dragon raised an eyebrow, and Sabo turned back obediently and moved Luffy D. Monkey's poster, to see another poster hidden behind it.
A teenaged girl this time, she had dark red hair tied in ponytail. Marcy, wanted dead or alive, 15 million Beli, also from East Blue. Sabo couldn't help but relax as he saw the look of utter disdain in her face in direct contrast to the smiling boy beside her. She most definitely wasn't a happy camper.
"Those two are your next mission," Dragon was now standing beside him, Sabo didn't flinch but it was close call.
Sabo considered if he should ask and in the end he decided to hell with it.
He gestured in his hand to the boy's poster and asked
"Any relationship to vice admiral Garp?"
Sabo was watching Dragon closely but his face didn't change at all and neither his voice when he answered.
"His grandson."
This was getting more and more interesting thought Sabo.
"A pirate? Is he in his rebellious stage?" wondered Sabo amusedly.
"Wasn't he trained from young age, more like brainwashed to become the best obedient marine there is." He was eyeing the smiling boy with new kind of respect.
Dragon didn't react at all the whole monologue.
"Never judge a book by its cover."
Sabo stopped, that was right, he knew that, then why was he thinking like this?
"Of course, but one would assume that …." he trailed off, straightened himself up and asked like the rebel he aspired to be.
"What do you need me to do?"
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Why can't anything ever go their way, no, her way.
Marcy just wanted to, for once, once, eat her fill, sleep her fill, have a damn shower with boiling hot water, she did not even care that she would be red all over and not have to worry about what in the Four Blues and the holy One Piece had Luffy done now?
Speaking of the trouble magnet.
"Luffy, you better stay close, we shouldn't ….."
Marcy turned around to make sure that Luffy understood how important for them to stay together and move quietly (eye contact and repeating in different words was the best way to get your message across to the airhead. Basically force feed him what you want him to do or threaten his precious meat, whatever worked!) to find nothing.
No Luffy.
No, no, no, no, no…..
No.
Dammit.
She looked frantically around, up trees and under bushes, Luffy was nowhere to be seen.
"Luffy," she called several times, her voice getting louder and more panicky with each call.
No, NO, dammit, why the worst thing have to happen at the worst time. Always.
They were cursed!
No, she was cursed, her idiotic adorable brother was having the time of his damn life while she suffered and she knew why!
Because she was too smart for her own damn good.
Now as she was looking around in the bushes and the tree branches for the rubber moron her head conjuring scenarios of what could have happened (got distracted by a tree's fruit, picked some cool flowers to eat, playing with cool insects, found the poor animal that was to become his dinner, or the 'still' poor animal that was trying to chew her rubber idiot of a brother (she didn't envy them for the stomachache), or to being found by whoever was looking for them this time ...) and what she would have to do to get her brother from each one of those.
She was going to find the best shaman …. She would to expel the bad luck cloud that was always hanging in the air around her.
Marcy was calling Luffy's name frantically as she ran toward where they landed, stopping every few seconds to search. Her heart was beating faster with every minute passing with no sign of the troublemaker.
If their pursuers hadn't found Luffy, they would definitely find her by how loud she was being, but she didn't care she wanted her brother back.
Of all the times to disappear, Oh Luffy.
Marcy, forced herself to stop, this was not working, she needed to think for second.
Relax.
Inhale, wait and exhale, repeat.
Ammmmm..
There was strange smell in the air.
Marcy sniffed around.
It was faint.
But it was there.
Strange.
It smelt like some kind of food being cooked.
Shit!
She knew were Luffy was.
Luffy's food radar at work.
God dammit.
She sighed, all she had to do follow the smell and then assess the situation.
She didn't have quite as good nose as Luffy, but she could still do it.
She needed to hurry, it probably was their pursuers.
Typical Luffy making their pursuers' job easier. Let's just go find them Instead, Marcy shook her head what was she expecting, seriously.
Why was putting leash on him a bad idea again?
She was running toward the direction the smell was wafting from.
The smell was getting stronger.
She ran between thick trees and almost tripped over one of their protruding roots, she get her balance back and continued moving, ignoring the low branches and the vines hanging from the trees that were scratching her face.
She stopped when the smell got stronger and moved as quietly as she could while crouching down, she couldn't hear anything.
She hid behind a tree close to the clearing and peeked from behind the lower branches.
There was a hasty built camp and fire going with pot above it where the smell was wafting from. She looked around trying to assess the situation, there were several colorful bags laying around in disarray, definitely their pursuers, but there was no one around as far as she could see or hear.
She heard a vague noise, and got out of her hiding place to investigate it closely, and there he was, head inside a green bag eating, snacking to his heart's content.
"Luffy," she called loudly coming completely out of her hiding place.
Luffy startled, took his head out with a bit of struggle, and looked at her and said still munching away.
"Fjdayh hmfdsf dghge oi?"
"To where did I disappear to?" She asked indignantly, both her hands coming to stay on her hips.
He nodded while continuing to stuff his mouth with more food.
She sighed, rubbing the back of her head violently.
He was here and that was what mattered.
Marcy looked around her examining the place with critical eye.
Wherever the camp makers went, they could come back any second.
Maybe they were lucky, after all.
"Luffy, finish eating now and take those two or three bags beside you."
They needed supplies to survive and buy time until she was able to devise plan, how to stea… get their ship back.
"Hurry up," Marcy demanded.
It probably the tone of her voice that made Luffy swallow the green bag whole, and he stood abruptly up rubbing his stomach, cackling all the while.
"Hurry up, before anyone comes back!" She repeated while examining the inside of the bags (her poor bag was lost forever, those bastards probably took her bag, payback was a B**ch).
It was the morons' fault for not leaving a guard behind.
Luffy nodded while still chewing and began collecting the bags that they attended to borrow and never return.
Luffy was carrying almost all of them, slung across his back and arms, the moron, well, it didn't matter they would check them and take what they needed.
"That's enough, hurry," she told him while carrying two bags in each hand.
"We will go this way," she called to Luffy gesturing to him the path they would take. Luffy nodded, and followed her lead.
It would be much safer if he was running in front of her.
"Luff..."
..
"...where those F**king br..."
Dammit, lucky her ass.
She stopped abruptly making Luffy hurl himself forward trying to get between her and the newcomers, almost colliding with her in the process, Marcy took several steps back. Luffy tried to do the same and tripped losing his balance and fell on his butt, the bags falling on him and around him in disarray.
She was staring at three people who were staring back at them, they had startled expressions on their faces.
Marcy could understand, the people you were searching desperately for came to find you.
Dammit, just a little bit more and they would have made it.
She wasn't leaving those bags behind. No way.
They were hers.
They were only three, the other yet to return (assuming by the number of the bags), this was their best chance to escape with the goods.
"Luffy, take the bags and run."
She yelled, letting the bags slide from her hands, intending in taking out the person closer to her first.
"Ace ..." one of them shouted, she stopped.
The one that screamed, standing in the middle, had both his hands covering his mouth, no, his nose.
HUH
The other two had their hands hovering around their baby parts.
Marcy snorted inwardly, wimps, that won't help them one bit. They were wide open.
More importantly, did he say what she thought he said.
Marcy opened her mouth to demand an explanation.
"Are you friends of Ace?" Luffy asked, he was already comfortable on the ground (using bags to support his back) and had opened a chips bag from one of the borrowed bags and was munching away while waiting for an answer.
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Sort of."
They get three different answers.
She took several steps back, dragging the bags with her. Hers.
"Explain," she demanded.
They were all looking at each other, begging the other to take the lead, Marcy mused watching their scared and unsure faces.
She needed information. Who were they facing here. Who was after them this time and what the heck they wanted.
She put her hand on her waist and raised her eyebrow.
The one to cover his nose cleared his throat and stepped closer, man two.
"Nope," Marcy shook her finger at him.
"You only need your mouth to answer. All of you stay where you are."
He obediently took step back, and stayed quiet, awaiting orders, she snorted inwardly. The other two also took several steps back.
At least they learnt fast.
"Now, you may explain."
BOOM
They were all startled, jumping to different heights, Marcy gave Luffy unimpressed look.
Luffy had popped the empty chips bag after filling it with air, she guessed.
"Sorry," he said while laughing wholeheartedly, and taking new chips bag out and opening it.
The man cleared his throat again and squeaked, "We were sent to find you and bring you to your brother."
"Sent by who?"
"Pops."
"Who is pops?" She asked evenly, her left eye began to twitch.
She was taking back the hope that they could learn.
"Whitebeard."
Shit, the news of Ace attacking him, was true, that moron-idiot-fool.
UGEHHH...
Wait, why would he send people to find them, they were nobodies.
How did he know about them, Ace would die before telling an enemy (or even friends) about them.
Even her, she needed to threaten him with bloody harm then cajole him, and then play on his guilt and insecurities (really, he had too many) to even have him open his mouth. The moron was THE idiot in the idiocy competition. He and Luffy were tied for the first place for now, shitty Garp close second, she was keeping score.
"What's Ace's relationship to Whitebeard?"
"Son."
"HUH," she yelled.
The men took several steps back, the one who spoke hastily explained.
"The crew and his allies call him pops instead of captain."
Ace joined another crew? Disbanded the Spade?
What in the …
She tried to imagine it from different prescriptive.
Ace joined crew where he would call someone else captain, no, not even that, but pops at that.
Ace!
Ace, daddy-complex gonna prove my own existence by beating the shit out of everyone, that Ace called someone pops.
Marcy snorted, forced herself to stop, tried to take a breath.
No use. She lost it.
She began laughing hysterically. That was precious.
"Good one," she gasped between fit of uncontrollable laughter.
Luffy was staring at them blankly.
"Ace joined bread's crew?"
"Whitebeard's crew," they all corrected with a bit of anger coloring their voices. So they were not that spineless, at least when it come to their precious allies.
"Why? Was he hungry?" Luffy asked confused before getting back to munching.
Marcy, who was just about to recover from her fit of laughter, wheezed and burst into new one, clutching her stomach and stomping the ground while tears rolled down her face.
The three pirates were staring open mouthed, not sure what they should do with themselves, not understanding the origin of the question and what brought her reaction.
Marcy felt a bit of tiny sympathy for them in her ice cold heart. She could certainly relate. She even considered telling them, that yes, seriously, he had no idea who Whitebeard was, and even if they explained it wouldn't change anything, Bread it was.
She took a deep breath, trying to control her breathing, she didn't remember the last time when she laughed like this, this was one really good joke.
"Now, would you please explain what is really going on!" Marcy demanded going for the stern voice that always made Ace cringe. Luffy was immune after these three months they journeyed together, she had to use it a lot.
Man two spluttered, waving his hands trying to stress that he was telling the truth.
"No, I am not lying or joking with you. We are one of Whitebeard allies and he called our captain to look for you because your brother was really worried, you weren't supposed to set sail yet." He was breathing hard by the time he finished.
Not supposed to sail yet!
Another point to his ridiculous story.
She wondered, she had the situation under control for now so she would play along because more information was needed before she could decide.
"Let's say I believe that Ace sent you via whitebeard to look for us," the three nodded along.
"What did he tell you about us?"
They were looking at her clearly confused, "his instructions about how to approach us?"
"Oh, not touch the boy's hat," he said, starting to count the instructions on his fingers as he said them
Ok, another point for them.
"And…," the other guy beside him (man one) nudged him with his elbow and shook his head at him, indicating for him to stop, he was looking at her from the corner of his eye in fear.
Oh, interesting, she could definitely use this.
Marcy narrowed her eyes.
"Yes?" she said coldly.
The man swallowed and said.
"And… not to call you … small," he paused and closing his eyes whispered "tomato."
Both her eyes twitched, she bit her lip to stop herself from biting his head off.
She was the one that asked.
She felt Luffy's eyes pour into her, he had stopped eating and was waiting for her usual temperamental response.
She considered things carefully, only someone that know them well, would know all of this.
But that didn't mean it was Ace, it might be shitty Garp.
Even thought it would really surprise the shit out of her if he stooped into using such tricks. Marines and justice and the blah blah blah didn't use underhanded tricks.
And they looked like pirates, Garp using pirates, she would believe that he used a trick before she believed that.
"You really should listen to his advice," she intoned coldly.
They all nodded enthusiastically, their mouths tightly shut.
"Oh!" Exclaimed the speaker of the group, man two.
"What?" She demanded, she was trying to decided what their next step should be, what now?
"We were supposed to call him, so you could speak with him and prove that we are not lying and mean you no harm."
"You couldn't say that from the beginning?" Grumbled Marcy loudly.
That would be proof she might even believe.
"Speaking with Ace.. YAY," Luffy cheered, he was on his seventh bag of chips, some jerked meat was on the side and several opened cans of food was surrounding him, olives, tuna, pumpkin.
Marcy sighed. He was having a feast while she did all the work, as per usual.
The man was fidgeting in front of her.
"Ahmmm."
"Yes?" she snapped.
"The Den Den Mushi is in the bag," he said hesitantly.
Of course it's in bag. Why wouldn't it be in the bag? Because that would be too easy and her luck hated her.
"Ok, only you can move closer." She gestured for him to come closer, there was no deity that could move Luffy from his feast, she would keep watch.
"Stop," she said after a second, eyeing him from top to bottom.
Man two was about to take his first step, froze, looking at her in panic.
"Any weapons you have put on the ground." She ordered.
Not only him, the other two obeyed. Really good mentality, she approved.
After he finished, he moved closer.
"You."
He froze again, she could see his thoughts clearly in his face, what did I do now?
"What's your name?" she demanded, she couldn't keep calling them man one, man two and, man three in her head.
"Chao," He said his name carefully, like he was afraid to offend her somehow by saying his own name.
"Hurry up, Chao," she intoned.
Chao moved closer, eyeing her from the corner of his eyes in wary (good), and began moving the bags, seemingly looking for a specific one, he looked for several minutes, then stood up and looked around the clearing.
"Is there something the matter, Chao," Marcy asked her hands crossed in front of her.
She was getting impatient, the others might return which would mean her dominant position could change and she would not have the upper hand anymore. Of course, if they were telling the truth, she would always have it.
"Emm, I can't seem to find it."
"What do you…." She yelled loudly, was it actually a trick to make them drop their guard or..
Oh.
Oh.
"Let me hazard a guess... the bag was green?"
"Yes, do you know where it is?" He asked excitedly.
Oh, Oh, Marcy knew where it was, she thought while eyeing Luffy's inflated stomach.
She sighed, her shoulders slumped, of course Luffy would swallow the one bag that mattered.
Her life was comedic tragedy.
Luffy hiccuped, belched and then hiccuped again.
No.
It was not a hiccup.
"purupurupuru….purupurupuru….purupurupuru…"
Something muffled was ringing from inside Luffy's stomach.
I give you one guess what it is, Marcy thought sarcastically.
Chao's eyes were blinking rapidly, having seemingly connected the dots and turned to look at Marcy with wide opened eyes begging her to deny it.
Marcy, felt a twinge of pity for him, she shook her head while saying, "Yes, he swallowed it."
Sounds of snorts and snickers, made her turn to look behind, the two there tried to straighten up and stop snickering without much success.
Marcy ignored the duo in the back, and turned to see what Luffy would do now.
Luffy continuation hiccups and belches made it hard for him to eat in peace.
She could see his eyes narrow more with every hiccup.
He stopped eating, and opened his mouth widely using his hand to stretch it, and used the other one to search and then take out the Den Den Mushi from inside of his belly.
The snorting couple behind her were making gagging and choking noises now.
She was already immune to Luffy's eating antics but even she felt her appetite weaning.
Luffy returned to eating like nothing had happened. He stretched his hand to get hold of the hot pot on the fireplace which had some kind of soup in it.
Chao beside her closed his mouth swallowed, and moved closer to examine the Den Den Mushi covered in Luffy's spit and saliva, the poor thing seemed to be a bit chewed. He, like her needed intensive therapy.
"I assume you have another Den Den Mushi somewhere," She finally asked, she needed to make sure that this was true or false, and if she learned anything from hanging with the D duo of dummies (she was 99 percent sure that D in their name was warning so people would know that they were dealing with extremely Dumb people) that assuming was the mother of all f**kups.
"On the ship," he muttered, his eyes moving from the Den Den Mushi to Luffy with unconcealed horror.
"How many people are here?"
He stared at her uncomprehending.
It was horrible, but get grip already, move along! Seriously, the man was supposed to be a pirate.
"That were sent to find us."
She was always surrounded with idiots.
It made her wonder if maybe unconsciously she surrounded herself with the not so bright to feel superior, but shrugged the thought, she couldn't expect others to be as smart as her and idiocy had it charms.
...
Sometimes.
Maybe.
In some very rare cases.
Well.
When her cute brother was involved.
Ace was not cute at all.
"12," he finally revealed.
"You two go find them and bring him here," she ordered.
The two scrambled to obey.
She needed their path to stay open. If she and Luffy needed to run, it was better to have them all in one place, out of their way.
It took them a little bit more than half an hour, to collect all of them.
"Listen up, that how it is going to be."
My way is the only way. Give no options.
She told the twelve pirates in front of her, who were standing beside each other in row staring quietly at them.
"I want you all to put all your weapons in the empty bags here." She gestured at several empty bags while she spoke (Luffy's proud work!)
One of the pirates actually raised his hand, if they were going to be polite, then so could she. She could at least try to be civil.
"Yes?"
"What if we were attacked?"
"By whom?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to keep the civil tone.
He shrugged, while his mates nudged and snickered at his expense.
"You are grown men, and pirates to boot, you could handle anything, right?"
None of them disagreed, she get several nods and snorts. Ahh vanity.
It was always about how to pose the question (except when speaking with her brothers, they were too …. to listen, so whatever you said didn't matter!).
"The two of you would carry the bags," she singled at the sorting-choking duo.
"You would all move 20 paces in front of us, we will follow you slowly from behind."
Her motto was to never take unnecessary chances, not that it mattered when Luffy was involved (just mentioning Luffy and logic in the same sentence would bring a disaster), but she at least should stay vigilant.
The pirates all looked at each other with clear uncertainty, debating silently what should they do until one of them shrugged, and began pulling his weapons and putting them in the bag nearer to him, the other followed his example.
Luffy stood up yawning, he finished everything edible and not so edible that was in the clearing.
Marcy looked at the Den Den Mushi laying on the ground and sighed in wariness.
She really needed to get intensive therapy after this, (and a damn good shaman) and she knew just the person to pay for it.
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They finally arrived back to the town when it was nearing dusk, the journey had been uneventful.
Chao had volunteered to go to the ship to prepare for their arrival, making sure that everyone's weapons were sorted away in bags, and to make sure that everyone kept their distance when they arrived.
She took several minutes to consider this, and then shrugged, it didn't matter if they knew they were coming. She and Luffy were stepping into the lion's den or a safe harbor, she was not sure she believed any of this yet, but she would know soon enough (and Luffy demanded more food, MEAT, the poor guy opened his mouth, probably to ask: 'you are hungry again? You ate five days supplies for 12 people in one go, and you're hungry again', but thought better of it, and only nodded.)
Luffy was untypically quiet and stayed close to her side, if she didn't know better, she would think he was scared.
Maybe he was scared ...for her, oh the adorable moron.
They crossed the harbor and were nearing their destination.
Marcy couldn't help but feel tense and a bit of hopefulness and excitement. She forced those feelings down. She needed to keep her wits about her.
The ship was quite impressive in its size and with the equipment she saw on its deck. She saw Luffy eyeing the pirate flag with interest, probably considering (dreaming about) his own future flag.
Marcy made them all go first, she heard muttering, "should not be ladies first," his friend snickered and murmured back "we are the ladies here," to the amusement of the whole group, they were all taking everything with stride. Marcy still didn't have grasp about what kind of pirates they were.
Luffy climbed and she followed him the deck was wide open, and she looked around, it seemed the whole crew was standing or leaning against the rail on the other side of them, staring at them, none of them had any visible weapon on their body.
Someone cleared his throat.
"I am Dustin the first mate of the A.O crew. Our captain is calling the Moby Dick, trying to get Ace on the line and it should be only few minutes."
Luffy was moving around, touching things and inspecting the ship, yet he didn't move more than few steps from her (what she had drilled in his head in their way here had seemed somehow to have miraculously stuck).
Marcy nodded eyeing him, he looked vaguely familiar and he was standing funny, he kept moving the soles of his feet.
Oh, good going Marcy, you attacked the first mate of the crew, well, at least he was not the captain.
A vaguely familiar tall man with a long, square shaped face, hollow eyes under prominent eyebrows, and greenish long wavy hair come to view, he was holding a Den Den Mushi close to his mouth and was speaking urgently to it, concealing his lower face from her view. The yellow and brown striped bandanna and the tricorn over his captain's hat was moving with every tilt of his head, she looked at him more closely as he stopped speaking.
Oh, great job Marcy, really excellent, she felt like she should pat herself on the shoulder, you broke the captain's nose.
She sighed inwardly, why, just why?
The person who she supposed was the captain, stopped beside his first mate and cleared his throat, speaking clearly even with the nose injury.
"I am A.O, the captain of this ship," he paused.
Marcy nodded encouraging him to get with it.
He coughed.
"Ehmm.. We can't seem to be able to get Ace on the line right now." He muttered, he didn't seem to believe what he was saying himself.
Marcy sighed inwardly. When things were too good to be true, then they were not true.
"Luffy," she called eyeing them considering from where the pirates might attack them, "we're leaving."
Luffy was by her side glaring at his surroundings.
"Wait!" Someone shouted, it was the captain.
Marcy looked at him, he was muttering under his breath and loudly said, "They want to speak with you."
He put the Den Den Mushi in the wooden floor in front of him, Marcy was considering what to do, who were they to begin with when Luffy stretched his hand grabbing the Den Den Mushi and brought him back to himself.
"Hellllloooo, I am Luffy D. Monkey, I am gonna be the pirate king." He yelled out.
Marcy cringed at the loud tone. She could only glimpse the stunned faces and people rubbing their ears in front of her before she turned her full attention to the Den Den Mushi in time to hear the reply to Luffy's declaration.
"Hello Luffy, nice to meet ya, yoi."
The voice answered evenly, not a bit bothered by Luffy's loudness or his declaration. The Den Den Mushi actually had a lazy demeanor, it was unsettling.
"Are you Ace's friend?" Luffy demanded staring the Den Den Mushi in question.
"I am, yoi. Can you let me speak with your sister please?"
"I am listening." She let the fact she was listening in be known.
"Marcy, right?"
He didn't wait for reply and continued, "Ace had a narcolepsy attack, yoi, and we can't seem to wake him up." Marco explained straight away.
Marcy gnawed on her lips. She wanted to say that, seriously, just when we happened to call, Ace had an attack, nice one. But with how things were going, it would be weirder if he hadn't. It somehow made the whole thing more believable.
Luffy laughed joyfully, "That is so Ace, why aren't you drawing on his face?"
Marcy huffed in exasperation, leave it to Luffy to worry about the important stuff.
"Don't worry, we did!" some other voice shouted cheerfully.
"It is a masterpiece!" another voice added, guffawing.
"Oi, Thatch, I am speaking, yoi, ga…."
There was the sound of clashes, thumps and muffled shouts from the other side.
"Sorry about that, yoi. I am Marco, by the way."
Marco, she knew this name, the first mate of the Whitebeard fleet and he said he was Ace's friend.
"Are you okay? Ace was really worried about you, he said that you made promise not to set sail until you reached seventeen."
Luffy had the disappointed and ashamed look again, he looked like he was going to burst crying, it didn't matter how many times she explained, he stil...
She put her arm around his shoulder and squeezed.
"We are fine, things happened and we didn't have much of choice." She answered vaguely.
"That's what he thought, the guys with you now are our allies, they would keep you safe."
"Hmmm…" Marcy hummed, indicating she heard, not that she believed.
"Anyway…
There was commotion again, they could clearly hear the noise from the other side, several loud bangs and indistinguishable shouts.
"Luffy and Marcy, I am Thach, I am Ace's best friend in the whole world, I am chef of the crew." Someone cheerfully announced, the one who had won the Den Den Mushi war (the Den Den Mushi was shining with glee now), she assumed.
Best friend, she snorted inwardly. A really cheerful person that wasn't Luffy, very hard to believe.
"Hatchy, do you cook meat?" Luffy demanded excitedly.
"Why, of course! All the time! Grilled meat and those tiny delicious potatoes, pork ribs with cold sauce, meatballs with parmesan cheeses sauce, grilled brown sugar pork chops, ….."
Marcy ignored the annoyingly cheerful voice and eyed Luffy, he was salivating (and not metaphorically), his saliva began to slowly drop from his mouth while he was nodding along and repeating the words. Marcy moved away from him and turned to the staring crew, none of them seemed to know what to do with themselves except stare at the crazy show happening right in front of them. She felt she should demand money, she and Luffy were offering free entertainment. Maybe not money, hmmm..
She looked at the captain and demanded, "Food."
He nodded and called for Chao.
"Chao is already in the kitchen, making sure they hurry up with the food." Someone answered, he paused looking at Luffy's state and added, "I will go check on their process," and went running into the inside of the ship.
That was what so good about Luffy's straightforward behavior, no need to explain, well except when he did something extremely stupid that made sense only to him and then he somehow explained to her (she was expert on idiot language) and she didn't bother to try to explain (cause it didn't make sense).
Luffy and Hatchy were still speaking, Luffy had found his soulmate, another cheerful idiot with empty head full of food.
"... beef stew with small carrots and potatoes and seasoned with bit of rosemary and parsley, and my favorite hamburger steaks smothered in gravy and onions, very easy to make the secret is the…"
Marcy toned him down again, Luffy's mouth was waterfall of saliva, how a body could generate that amount of saliva was beyond her but then again Luffy was not normal. She felt sorry for the poor sod that had to clean the pool of saliva that Luffy was creating.
" Food…." exclaimed Luffy suddenly…
Yes, Luffy you were speaking about food for the last … oh, the real food had arrived, five people were carrying several huge trays full of different kind of food, mainly chunks of meat, and they put them in the middle of the deck.
Luffy wasted no time, letting the Den Den Mushi slide from his hand into the pool (Uhgg), jumping beside the feast and plopping down while gripping chunk of meat in each hand.
"Luffy, stop." She ordered using her don't argue with me voice.
Luffy looked at her, the meat near his mouth, he was waiting patiently which was very unlike him, he should be pouting at least.
"Master chef," she said calling for the one with chef's hat.
"Please eat small bites from everything, before Luffy eat."
The man had an angry look understanding what she was implying, she couldn't care less, while others were looking in bewilderment and amusement, whispering around.
"As you remember Luffy, we talked about how to get even more food, you should at least let the one that prepared the food have several bites first…" she paused, letting Luffy chew on her words.
Luffy was eyeing his food with sadness, sharing didn't come naturally to him.
"And you had already eat their food once without letting them eat first, the chef may refuse to make you more food in the future, right?"
Luffy was looking at the chef pathetically, his big eyes shimmering with tears. Luffy was good at getting what he wanted either by being stubbornly stubborn or be staring at you with his big eyes until you conceded.
But she was no amateur.
She cleared her throat loudly, the chef turned to her. She glared at him, and began moving her leg, like she was kicking a ball, or maybe balls.
The chef swallowed several times, his eyes going to their first mate, who had grim look on his face, and cleared his throat.
Others around had either utterly amused looks or hands hovering near their baby parts.
"You're big sister is right. I need to taste the food before to make sure it is good, and after that you can eat all you want, if you do that I promise to cook more for you."
Luffy cheered and grabbed random plate and pushed it close to the chef face for him to taste, one after the other.
The chef seemed overwhelmed, but obediently eat small bites of each plate that was presented to him.
"Isn't this too much food?" Asked the captain to no one in particular.
Marcy snorted and said no more when everyone looked at her for clarification.
Chao cleared his throat.
"He ate all the food we took with us to the hills, he seems to have a huge appetite."
"That was midday snack.." she corrected loudly, startling them even before they understood the meaning of her words.
Huge appetite, if by huge they meant the four blues, then maybe.
"More like black hole if you ask me..." muttered Marcy to herself looking at the Den Den Mushi wondering how to get it.
Someone cleared his mouth, it was man one and he had several huge towels in his hand.
Marcy took several steps to the side, and gestured for him to go ahead.
He put the towels on the affected area and took the Den Den Mushi, carefully and cleaned it with another towel, it had a really strong smell of disinfectants.
He then offered it to her, she took it reluctantly and put on the floor far from the pool.
"Emm.."
What was his name again..Hatr.. Hact..
"Hey little sister Marcy…"
"Shut up," she growled immediately.
"What.. What did I..."
"Did I gave permission to speak to me?"
"No," He mumbled dejectedly, wallowing in states of dying anguish. She can see the Den Den Mushi losing its sparkle.
"How close do you think we are to give me a nickname?"
"It wasn't a nickname..." he whined pathetically. She had a kicked puppy's picture stuck in her head, she ignored it and him and demanded.
"Put the mature one back on the phone."
Snickers, laughs and jeers could be heard clearly around the poor puppy.
She heard someone yell, "She only needed to speak with you for less than two words to figure that you are a clown, way to go Hatchy!"
"Mature… hey, I will have you know that I am 34 and the commander …"
His speech was cut short, some more commotion was heard with more snickers and muffled shouts.
"I apologize, yoi. I wish I could tell you he was dropped on the head as baby but I am pretty sure he was born with idiocy in his blood."
Marcy found herself saying while sighing, "Believe me I understand, having to grow with two."
That brought roars of laughter from both sides, Marcy was startled to realize that the people around her were clearly listening in with unconcealed glee, some of them sat down comfortably to enjoy the show, others were looking in different degree of awe and disgust at Luffy's eating form.
She like them stared at Luffy who had finished the inspection and had begun attacking the food in vigor, the chef was on his way back into the kitchen to cook more for him, mumbling about their stocks and supplies.
"Ace…." Marco began saying, to be cut off once again.
She heard another disturbance, did they ever stop? What the hell kind of crew were they. At least those in front her seemed disciplined.
She heard shouts and cheers, what..
"They found them, where are they? Did you call them? Are they okay?"
She knew that voice, she dreamed about hearing it for the last three months.
Now that she heard it, she couldn't believe it.
That moron, making them worry.
It was Ace's voice, no doubt about it.
She felt her legs became shaky, she made her legs bend and sat down.
She didn't notice what was said but the next thing she heard.
"Luffy, Marcy. Are you there? Are you okay? Any injuries, what the hell happened?.."
"Ace!" Luffy shouted, he was already near her again, she blinked looking at him.
"Hey Luffy…"
"Ace, your friends are awesome, the food is so goood," he stopped to take bite from the chunk of meat in his hand and continued.
"I understand now why you joined bread's crew, shishishishishi."
"Bread," she heard mumbles of disbelief and someone bellowed out loud laughter.
"Typical Luffy!" Ace murmured.
"Luffy.." Marcy began to be cut off.
"Marcy, we finally found Ace," he beamed at her, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, but we have to make sure it is really Ace first!"
"Ehh, but it is Ace." Mumbled Luffy in confusion.
How was she going to explain this in words he would understand.
"Do you remember the farmer guy."
Luffy was making a confused face.
"With the hat that looked like purple seagull."
"Yeah, Cool hat," Luffy nodded.
Only Luffy would think that abomination not only should exist, but was cool.
"He promised us meat if we helped him out..." Luffy was nodding along, "... but in the end the meat that he gave us was not meat, it looked like meat but it was cabbage."
"Yeah, the meany! Should have beaten him up," Luffy muttered his eyes narrowing. Trying to make the connection.
"Oh, so this is not meat Ace but cabbage Ace!"
"Cabbage Ace, you meany," he shouted into the Den Den Mushi.
"I want meat Ace." Demanded Luffy, waiting for the Den Den Mushi to disappear and to Ace in the flesh to appear.
"I am not," Ace spluttered.
"Cabbage Ace," laughter was resounding from the watching and the listening pirates.
"Which one you aren't? yoi. The cabbage or the meany. I am finding it hard to tell apart."
Marcy ignored their immature antics and concentrated on Luffy.
"That's what I will do. I am going to check if it is Meat Ace or cabbage Ace, I need to chew it a bit to figure it out."
Luffy nodded and gone back to where the feast was served in his honor, his form a bit slumped.
She was just doing the mature thing and making sure it was really Ace.
"Marcy," Ace growled. How cute.
"Resident?"
Ace sighed, muttering under his breath about strong headed brats and their games.
"Foosha Village and it forest, Dawn Island, Goa Kingdom, East Blue," he played along.
"Guradins?"
"I wouldn't call any of them guardians, neither would you. Shitty Gramps and Dadan are not the guardian types."
Indeed they weren't, it was a deliberately loaded question.
"Birthday?"
"Whose?"
"Mine."
"Fifth of September."
"Ace's?"
"My birthday is in the January first."
"Luffy's?"
"Fifth.."
"Fifth of May" shouted Luffy, cutting him off.
"Right Luffy, but we are asking cabbage Ace to see if he is meaty Ace."
He nodded, smiling.
"What we did in the last birthday for Luffy?" Before you left was left unsaid.
This time Ace didn't even have the time to open his mouth.
"Cbhjtdsfhnjfd sfbutf ngfv and Ace let me eat three whole crocos, and Marcy gave me huge chocolate cake…. was really, really good, cfff afsd u bjhjid hgcoss jfved?"
Marcy sighed, she knew better then to ask question that Luffy knew the answer to and was directly about him.
"Took you less than half an hour to finish it, didn't leave anything to us." muttered Ace who was then bombard with questions.
"How big of eater is your brother?"
"He can't be worse than you…"
Ace snorted, "He is way worse."
"Shit… we are going to die of starvation if he join too," someone shouted in dismay.
She paid no mind to the doom-discussion-teasing happening in the other side and turned to the chef, who was already back with more food.
"Master chef, he is asking if you have crocodile meat."
Luffy was nodding along with her words.
"Ahh, don't think so, but I will check the meat supplies just to be sure."
"You understand what he said?" Someone shouted outrageously.
"Of course, I speak Lueatnguage." She said flippantly.
"What?"
"HUH!"
"Llulang..."
"What did she just say .."
"Never heard of such language."
"Lueatnguage, Luffy eating language," she heard Ace explain, the realization that she was actually really speaking with Ace was sinking in, the more she spoke with him.
"As I said, I speak Lueatnguage, I am an expert!" she said a bit boastful.
It wasn't easy to master, it took her several years of intensive study of Luffy eating patterns and habits, she still sometimes confused, 'I am thirsty give me water' with the 'I am choking help me'.
"...Big headed…" Ace muttered.
Oh, it was Ace, alright. Only he had hypocrisy down to art form. The little cocky shit.
"Who was Ace's first crush?"
Ace spluttered, "What? I don't have crush."
"Did I stutter? Who is Ace's first crush?"
"This is gold, where is the notebook?"
"We need to write this shit down."
"I bought new one!"
"Write the cabbage one too!"
"Meaty Ace!"
"Let's chew him."
"Stop biting me!" Ace shouted in anger, she heard people screaming around him, she could only guess he beat the shit out of them or burned the chewers.
"He seems to have hard inedible meat as skin, yoi." Marco concluded the results of their experiment that claimed several brave souls.
"I have no such thing." Ace continued to deny firmly but was downed by all the teasing and questions from the future victims-brave souls.
"What is a crush?" asked Luffy, taking in interest in the ongoing conversation.
"When you like someone," Marcy explained to him, ignoring the still going teasing war in the other side.
"Hmmm.. oh, friend," Luffy responded, between chews.
"No, you know like in romantic sense.." Marcy tried to make it clearer.
"Gigantic shells, cool, Ace why did you never show me ..." he shouted from his place at Ace.
What was she thinking saying romantic to make it more easier to understand, she was being a moron.
"No, I said romantic sense.." she tried again while rubbing the back of her head.
"That's what I said, Gigant.." Luffy repeated again, with confused look at his face.
"Offtt… no, it is how you show affection...you know… when you hug someone or give comfort… you like to be around them..." she trailed off, trying to think of other examples to make it easier to grasp.
"Friend!" Luffy announced stubbornly.
"No, you share with them private moments and .." she trailed off again, not sure how to explain to her naive oblivious brother about this, dammit, this was not her job, it was Ace's job as the proud big brother (he most definitely was the one to explain the birds and the bees, not her, oh she intended to listen and cackle like crazy as his tried to explain. She had been looking forward to it for ages).
"Hatchy!" Luffy grinningly said.
She heard Ace asking who was Hatchy.
"Hatchy is Thach's nickname, don't forget to write it to, yoi."
She had feeling she knew to where this was going, but just to be sure.
"Aammm, Hatchy is what.."
"Hatchy is Ace's crush!" Luffy announced in his cheerful loud voice.
Stunned silence welcomed his outrages claim. Marcy had to hold her breath as not to burst laughing.
"What? Why?" someone finally asked in dismay.
"He is Ace's best friend… crush means best friend." Luffy explained his conclusion proudly.
Marcy couldn't hold in any more, she burst out laughing, breaking the silence. Torrents of laughter and howling followed her outburst and gushes of teasing and mirth were poured on Hatchy and cabbage.
"That's what you get for making grand announcements, Hatchy." someone loudly proclaimed, jeering at him.
Marcy sighed in bliss, Luffy's logic was the best logic (in such cases!). She looked at him and decided on one last desperate try to explain like and crush.
"No, not best friend. Do you remember Valentine's Day four years ago?"
"vase time?…"
"Valentine's Day," she repeated stressing every syllable, before muttering angrily at herself, "Why I am bothering!"
She tried to explain it in terms that Luffy would understand.
"The day you got a lot of chocolate for free."
"We always eat for free," Luffy answered confused.
Not always, but then again when they had to pay she was the one that payed.
"When I made us a really big chocolate cake with a lot of cream, and Makino gave us some chocolate cookies and when we …"
"Stole the big basket with cool robots and dinosaurs! Yeah I remember!"
"They were stars and hearts," she mumbled to no one.
"It was so yummy!" Luffy continued as if he didn't hear.
"How many times I have to tell you. We don't steal, we just borrowed and are yet to return..."
"Borrowed, will never return."
"Luffy," she tried and paused, how can she spin this? He was saying the truth, but still she doesn't know how many trouble they would had evaded if only Luffy would lie this small white lie, no, would just keep quiet. But then he wouldn't be Luffy.
"It is already in my tummy, shishishi."
"Why were we talking about chocolate again?" she tried to focus on the topic again.
Luffy shrugged, "Vilintiantt day."
"Yes! Remember the girl with shiny hair and colorful face that tried to give Ace chocolate."
"HUH, noooo…," Luffy's eyes were narrowed, he seemed like he was frowning and in the process of exerting a lot of effort on trying to remember.
"I mean, the poor girl had to gather a lot of courage and extra guts to come and present her chocolate to Ace, it was beautifully warped with rainbow bow on it and she was shaking all over and blushing so hard, and what did Ace do?"
"What?" several voices demanded, the loud volume of voices was equal in both sides of the call.
"Marcy, keep your mout.." Ace was shouting at her, but his voice was drowned by his friends' demands to know.
"Tell us oh your majesty.."
"Hey stop interfering.."
Marcy was intending to enjoy every second.
"Why of course the most Acey thing possible."
"Marcy, you bet…." Ace's voice was muffled, she can imagine several of his friends were holding him down, trying to keep him quietly restrained.
"He glared, huffed and then ran away, leaving Luffy me and to pick the pieces of the poor girl broken heart."
Clacking and laughter filled the air. The pirates in front her were now laughing their head and ass off, those in Ace's side didn't seem to do any better. She stopped trying to decipher the emotions showing by the Den Den Mushi but with how fast it changed, it had stopped looking like face.
"Oh, I remember! She had a cool mask!" Luffy finally was able to remember something.
"Makeup," she murmured and everyone was still laughing. She saw someone choking on his spit from laughing so hard, the people beside him were laughingly smacking him in the back making it worse.
"She was nice! She gave me the chocolate instead of Ace."
"You mean you swallowed the whole thing without asking while she still had it in her hands. She was so stunned that she did not react for half an hour."
Marcy sighed in remembered misery, she was the one to collect the pieces, not that she wanted to, but the girl was the daughter of the big supplier for food, wood, clothes, anything really, and they needed to stay on good terms with these people. She needed, her brothers didn't care or appreciate the easy comforts of life.
"Her heart was broken, she would probably have eaten the chocolate to console herself, but you happened!" Marcy said while waving her hand in Luffy's direction.
She blamed the two idiots, Dumb and Dumber (please, feel free to choose which of the two dummies fit which description more) for her troubles.
"Ace, you meany! You should have been her friend, she brought you food, she was good person."
The watcher and listeners dissolve into laughter and snickers fit while Ace was getting called a meany over and over again.
"You should be nicer to me, all of you, I gave you food." Someone shouted loudly, his voice resounding, it was probably Hatchy.
Evoking more laughter and teasing, and calls of spoiled cry baby.
"Luffy lacks any common sense as usual!" Ace added amused after things calmed down a bit.
"Like you are any better...he had you, the spectacular role model, for ten years!"
Things get heated up again, Ace was being roasted and mocked, and people shouting to write this shit down, it was spectacular.
She looked around her, to see small numbers of pirates had moved closer to where she was sitting, she glared, they stepped back dragging the oblivious ones. One of them cleared his throat, moving forward and offered.
"Here, we found your bag."
Her precious darling.
She swiftly stood up seized it from him, and opened it, everything was there, nothing touched. They even mended the tear.
"Thank you," she whispered then loudly said it again plopping down.
"Ace you are yet to answer, who is your firs..." someone from the other side demanded and was cut off.
She ignored their childish fight and examined the contains of her bag, she took out the newspaper, not that she needed it anymore.
They found him.
"Ace-dammit, that hurt, don't hit me on my precious hair, Marco."
HUH… why..
"Why are you cursing Ace if someone else hurt you?"
"No, I am not cursing him, I am using him to curse." The voice cheerfully explained it was Hatchy she thought.
"Ace, congratulations, you found someone that is stupider than you." she snarked.
Laughter and chuckles welcomed her statement. Those pirates were weird, everything was funny in their eyes, weren't they a Yonko's subordinates? Shouldn't they at least act like they were mature, powerful people.
"Write that too, yoi."
"No, you don't understand," the voice denied, and after pause, he revealed in the secret of the universe (42) voice.
"Ace is a God."
"Really, metaphysically or physically?"
"Huh, what?"
"She means is he supernatural being or just plain handsome."
"God level handsome." Some other voice corrected, snickering.
"Of course Thatch thinks his crush is god level handsome." someone else added, his laughing voice can only be described as high pitched chortle.
"What did she say about romantic sense?"
"Oh, yeah, Hatchy go share private moment with the godly handsome god," someone singsong.
Too many voices, but they were fun bunch and anyone who made fun of Ace was okay in her book.
"Shouldn't it be with Acey handsome Ace."
Hatchy was trying to get himself out from the hole he dug himself in.
"No, he is god because you are a god..."
Without much success, what kind of stupid was this guy.
"I take it back, he is stupider than you and Luffy and shitty Garp combined when food is present."
Ace seemed to be having laughing fit with the image she drew, the others were laughing along. If they only knew the stupidity the three of them brought out of each other, they would be choking on air and tears from laughing so hard.
She sighed in true disappointment and using her disapproving voice. "Ace, I know you want to keep the idiocy line of the family going but really with this kind of crush you are taking it too far."
The roars of laughter, sniggers and hoots were louder than any thunder. The Den Den Mushi was moving around nonstop, thumping loudly as he transmitted the rucks, the pirates around her were clutching their stomachs or backs while laughing, some complaining about cracking a rib laughing too hard.
Those people were too easy. She hadn't began with the good jokes yet.
"What, no, let me explain, you and the inflated brat are.." Hatchy was still trying to climb the three thousand meter pit he dug with his own hands.
"Well, at least, you get the inflated brat right, Luffy would you leave something for the watching masses."
Now, that she knew that they were er..friends, she should try to be more civil.
"You said I had to share only little," Luffy strongly disapproved of the notion of sharing, using her words against her.
"I did," she muttered, trying to think of how to approach this without making a liar out of herself, Luffy hated lies. She busied herself with flipping the paper pages when she noticed an article about Ace, she scanned it.
Fire Fist Ace had officially joined the Whitebeard crew… hmmm...a tattoo in his back...
"Ace, what the hell Ace?"
"HUH," Ace responded, cutting his explaining, about Hatchy idiocy comparison with the laughing people around him, short.
Marcy kept on reading, loudly this time.
"Destroyed three pirate ships and then four marine battleships single handedly.."
"Oh, that?"
"Cool! Ace is really strong, but I am stronger..." Luffy cut in.
"Oh really?"
"Increased his bounty by 275 million Beli, making it one of the higher bounty to a non-commander.."
"Awesome, when I become pirate, My bounty will be bigger.."
"You are already a pirate … about that.."
"Oh, right, no, Marcy said it doesn't count until I am seventeen.."
"What happened.."
"Don't change the subject… what were you thinking? Huh? attacking all of them single handedly… you are part of crew, you are not even the captain anymore...you don't go doing stupid shit alone, you take everyone with you… someone has to get your ass out when you chew more than you can eat.."
Bad example, she was so pissed that she was giving bad examples.
"I wasn't alone, Marco was with me and the fir..
"Wait, Marco was with you.. where is he?"
"I am here, y..."
"What the hell were you thinking, HUH, you let him go baitshitcrazy all alone...aren't you the first mate and I thought you were the mature responsible adult there..." she huffed and continued with her pissed monologue.
"Are you all sick in the head… no, you are definitely crazy to let this moron join you in first place.. let me tell you.."
"What the hell about you? What could had f**king happened for you to leave, explain that, 'responsible adult'?"
"Watch it a**hole, You don't know what we had to deal with? So keep your big ass trap shut.."
"Then enlighten me. Why did you set sail now when you are sixteen and Luffy fifteen and not seventeen like we f**king promised?"
"Marcy?" he demanded again when her retort wasn't directly forthcoming.
"Marcy?" he repeated worry replacing the anger with each call of her name.
"Sixteen." She repeated, staring in stunned disbelief at the Den Den Mushi.
Somewhere deep in her brain, she realized that Ace was calling her name, but right then she didn't care, she had more urgent matter to chew on.
"Sixteen," she said once again weighing each syllable of the word in her mouth.
Inhale, wait and exhale, rep..
She looked at the date in the paper she was clutching tightly in her hand, staring at the date, he was right.
No, she was not sixteen.
She was sixteen and 19 days.
She hadn't noticed before, she was trying to make sure they stayed alive.
Marcy, Inhale, wait...
"Marcy, what is it? is it bad, do you want to speak privately.."
"Sixteen..." Marcy murmured again, distantly she noted her voice had a hysteric undertone.
She didn't give f**ck, she was sixteen.
"I am already sixteen," she murmured, still trying to wrap her head around the idea.
"Marcy…," Ace was calling her name in full-fledged panic, she realized, he was doing that for a while now.
"Marcy why are you crying?" Luffy had stopped eating, oh, he was standing in front of her, tense, just like before a fight.
He was blocking the view of everyone, protecting her, glaring at everyone and anyone, he even glared at the Den Den Mushi. She was always amused when Luffy acted like overprotective idiot and she had always made fun of him, but not this time. She was so grateful.
"Ace did you say mean things to Marcy again?" He demanded to know, he was really pissed, even more pissed than that time when she took his meat as punishment … punishment for what she can't seem to remember.
"No, Luffy, I asked why did you leave…."
Marcy touched her cheek. It was wet.
Yeah, she was crying.
She didn't seem to be able to stop.
She ignored the noise and panicked activity around her and murmured to herself.
"Makino promised to take me to the special cake shop in the city and she said I could chose whatever I wanted… she was going to teach me how to cock the special chicken stew.." she sniffed, it was hard to breathe.
"..And Dadan said that she would give me money because turning sixteen was one time event in a girl's life… and the moron bandits promised to keep everything clean and orderly for week…" she hiccuped, she wasn't able to see in front of her, everything was blurry. Her tears were streaming down her face. She rubbed her eyes violently.
Everything was quiet around her, but she hadn't been paying any attention to her surroundings for a while now.
"And the old man from the stupid corner shop said that my boat would be ready by then… me and Luffy … we were supposed to try it and go to the island with … and camp there...was looking forward to it .." she hiccuped again.
"Oh, God … shit … this is bad.. Marcy… please...," she heard someone cursing panicky, sounded like Ace, he was funny… but his voice seemed so far. Oh, yeah, he was far away, he was somewhere in the New World.
"I don't remember, where was I when turned sixteen … was it on the slaver's ship, no, before when we ran away from the training…. no, maybe in that deserted island with weird crow… no, probably on the way between them when we were drifting..." she mumbled to herself. She tilted her head upward looking at Luffy, he seemed closer, did he move?
Luffy was looking at her steadily, not panicking and not judging, he always looked at her the same way, but now he looked a bit sad. She would bet she knew why, he was sad because he couldn't beat the shit of whatever upset her, he could only be there in the flesh for her.
Oh, Luffy, stupid dork.
She told him loudly through the tears, ignoring everyone else whispers, calls and their whole existence, everyone seemed uncomfortable to say the least, she didn't care, she had enough problems of her own.
"I don't know!" She yelled her anger and frustration.
He nodded for her to continue, it is okay to be angry and sad. I am here he was saying, it is okay.
"I don't know when I turned sixteen!"
And with that announcement the folds of her anger, frustration, fears, doubts and worries were all let out.
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Your thoughts? This chapter was the longest I ever wrote, it took a lot of me in the emotional level too.
I wonder what was your favourite (or touching) moment? I had several. XD
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Waiting eagerly to hear your thoughts :)
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I posted one more story 'D Sway the Waves of Time', a Time Travel one, check it out please, love to hear your opinion.
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IMPORTANT
I am not gonna abandon any of my stories. I already said this in my AaC fic, but I am saying it again here. After getting many reviews and PM's in this story and others, I thought I should make it clear, barring something happening out of my control, I would see all of my stories to the end. I hate to leave things unfinished. Things may take time, because I am writing five Fics (one is yet to be posted), and I have real life projects to finish (three by the end of the new month), and I just recovered from an eye operation.
That doesn't mean I don't want you to review or PM me, feel free to do so about anything (I love hearing from all of you, especially about my stories) just don't worry about me abandoning any of my stories, and to my lovely anonymous new Guests, please use a name or nickname when reviewing as for me to be able to answer you.
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Thank you all, hope to hear from you soon.
Please leave a review :)