Chapter 19
For Portgas D. Paula, , and Shining Heart of the thunder clan for reviewing before I even got back from dinner. Also to Portgas. for making me get my butt into gear and finish the last chapter XD
Dreamer ninety five I hope this makes you feel better.
I do not own One Piece, it's Oda-sensei's, but I do own the OC's such as Marty, Beth and Charlene (and Rory and Martha and Rose and Silver Jack and POLO and Fee Fee Trixabell)
. . .
The bucket of water in front of Marty was offensive. It offended her. It was its fault she was sitting on the deck of the Moby Dick while everyone else gorged on food… Delicious… mouth-watering… food.
"Pay attention," Ace snapped grumpily. Marty sighed, shooting one last glare at the offensive bucket. Ace already blamed her for their one hour ban from the mess hall, so blaming him back would make her seem childish. Like she was blaming him for the sake of it. So she blamed the Bucket, "Stop sulking and levitate the water."
Marty breathed slowly as she went through the motions. Marty's hands shook slightly, she couldn't figure out why she was so tired. She managed to keep the sphere of water hovering for about ten seconds before it splashed back into the bucket.
"You can throw around tidal waves and make gallons of water spurt into the air, but you can't keep control when you're not causing a natural disaster," Marty frowned.
"It's harder than it looks."
"Maybe to you," Ace retorted, holding up his hand, palm facing upwards. Flame ran across his palm to collect in a ball. Ace looked back to Marty, a smug look taking up residence on his face, "Look at that, there is a way of using devil fruit power that don't include slowly destroying the ship or maiming the crew." Marty snapped and slammed her hand forward without thinking. The water in the bucket flew sideways tipping the pail over. It slammed into Ace, dousing the fire in his palm and soaking him from head to toe.
"Ah…" Marty said as sensible thought returned.
"… PURPLE!" Ace roared, lunging to his feet to tower over her.
"Whoa!" Marty said scrambling backwards, she threw a hand in front of her in a stopping gesture, "Wait, freeze!" There was a crackling sound and then silence as the pair blinked and looked down at Ace's feet.
"Oh… that's new," Marty said surprised. Ace closed his eyes, his hands in fists and a vein throbbing on his forehead. Marty watched him take one deep breath, before beginning to edge backwards as he took another.
"Purple, unfreeze my feet from the deck right now," Ace said with commendable calmness.
"I think I'd better not," said Marty honestly, slowly getting to her feet as she continued to abscond.
"You think."
"Maybe we should wait until you've calmed down a little?" Marty said hopefully.
"Purple…." Ace said warningly as he opened his eyes to see she has retreated over three metres away, "if you want to live to reach the next island, set me free right now."
"Somehow I feel that last sentence contradicts itself." Ace closed his eyes again nodding his head calmly. When he reopened them, Marty took one look at his face then turned and bolted.
"PURPLE WHEN I GET FREE I'M GOING TO SEAL YOU IN THE CHILLI BARREL AND SET IT ON FIRE!" Ace roared, fire flared up around him like an aura, melting the ice and freeing his feet. He scooped up the bucket from where it was laying on its side and hurled it after the girl. Marty, who had glanced back when Ace had yelled out, threw herself sideways out of the bucket's warpath.
"Whoa," Marty flung out her hands to break her fall, "Yaosu Yaosu wind," Marty wondered where the phrases came from that always seemed to pop into her head in these moments. Wind began to roar in her ears and suddenly Marty was thrown skywards, "Whoa whoa, never mind, that's ok, stop!" Marty was rising like a cork shot out of a wine bottle, Ace watched her go frowning.
"Purple?," Ace started to get worried as Marty continued to rise," Purple! Oi!" Ace ran to the mast, jumping, he kicked off the mast for extra elevation to land on the beams, "The hell are you doing? Stop!"
"Ah, ah Yaosu Yaosu STOP HALT SOMETHING!" Marty yelled, and the wind began to slow down around her so she was hovering in mid-air. The wind continued to slow, and Marty began to fall.
"Skypiea above girl," Ace said annoyed watching the current bane of his existence drop, looking too shocked to bother screaming. He grabbed the mast with one hand, reaching out with the other. Ace grabbed Marty's wrist as she flew past, stooping slightly he swung her down in an arc. Marty wrapped her free arm around the beam as she came to an abrupt stop.
Marty winced as a sharp pain shot through her shoulders, her feet dangled uninhibited in the air as she struggled to pull herself onto the beam. Ace lowered Marty's other arm onto the beam, and then let go, and crouched down next to her, frowning.
"… How am I supposed to stay mad at you and get revenge when you keep needing me to save you?" Ace asked, annoyed. Marty grunted as she used all her concentration to hold on.
"You're not going to help me onto the beam," it wasn't a question. Ace sat down on the beam, crossing his legs, he balanced himself with his chin resting on his entwined fingers, a smirk on his face.
"Only if you beg."
"Help me onto the beam please."
"Yeah, that's not begging."
"I said please, didn't I?"
"Congratulations, you've discovered manners, begging's the next level up."
Marty slipped backwards, she was really starting to feel the strain on her arms. She was exhausted. She'd been exhausted ever since the wind started blowing her up to kingdom come. Marty began to consider laying her head on the beam and just going to sleep the way she was. Marty groaned in defeat.
"Come on, Ace, please," Ace grinned.
"Not good enough."
"… Please oh wise and humble commander-,"
"You forgot handsome."
"… I just called you humble and you go and spoil it," Ace grinned undeterred, " fine, handsome commander, please oh please, take some time out of your obviously very busy schedule, if it suits you of course to-ow," Marty grimaced as she slipped again and scraped her arm. Ace frowned, looking slightly concerned for a second before returning his face to a grin as Marty looked back at him, "please pull me up."
"Weeeeeelll," Ace stretched out the word.
"Ah!" Marty's arms slid backward on the beam, she scrabbled for a purchase in the wood to hook her fingers in. Ace lunged forward to grab her wrist again as she completely lost hold of the beam. Marty grabbed onto Ace's wrist with her free hand, "Jesus Christ Ace!"
"Who's Jesus Christ?"
"… Pull me up and I'll tell you," Ace grinned, then lifted the girl up. Once she was high enough he grabbed the belt of her pants (that used to be his) and pulled her onto the beam. Marty flopped sideways, resting her cheek on the wood and closing her eyes. Ace frowned.
"Oi-"
"Where I'm from he is a respected religious icon… well he used to be, now he is mostly used as a swear word," Ace blinked.
"Who?"
"Jesus Christ," Marty replied without opening her eyes, "He was known for walking on water, turning it into wine, and saving us for our sin's…. or from our sins, I can't remember."
"Was he a Devil Fruit user?" Marty opened her eyes frowning
"… I dunno, that would explain a lot I suppose."
"Billion's has a deity like that?" Marty glanced at Ace, her face devoid of expression. She sighed and pushed herself into a sitting position. She rubbed her face tiredly as she got carefully to her feet.
"No, it doesn't," Ace's look sharpened.
"Then you're not from Billions?" Marty's hand dropped to her side as she glanced at him.
"Well no, I'm not."
"Where are you from then? What were you doing on Billion's?" Marty shrugged looking straight ahead.
"I'm not... Ace, what's that?" Ace blinked at the sudden change in conversation.
"What?" Ace asked turning to face toward the front of the ship. He frowned squinting, before his eyes widened, "That's…"
"Smoke," Marty agreed, her face darkened, "and we are heading straight for it."
"We're hours away from billion's, which means either it's a boat on fire or-"
"The majority of the island is on fire," Ace glanced at Marty as she spoke, "For us to be able to see it, the fire would have to be ginormous."
"By the colour it's not just trees that are burning," Ace said thoughtfully, Marty glanced at him alarmed. Ace met her gaze, a sympathetic look on his face, "It might not be Billions." Marty blinked surprised, Ace raised an eyebrow, "what?"
"It's unlike you to be nice," Marty could almost see a vein throbbing in Ace's forehead.
"Forget what I said, it's definitely the island," Ace snapped, Marty grinned at his tone.
"We need to tell Marco," Marty said, still smiling. She began edging around Ace in the direction of the mast when he grabbed her wrist. Marty glanced up at Ace wondering if he was going to throw her of the beam, "on second thought, you need to tell Marco," Ace laughed.
"Yeah, no," Ace pulled Marty towards him. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and slipped the other under her legs. Marty wrapped her arms around Ace's neck loosely as he jumped off the beam. As they hit the deck with a thump, Marty glanced back at the smoke.
"Ace?"
"Mm?" Ace set Marty on the deck before grabbing her wrist again, pulling her behind him as he ran towards the door that led to the mess hall.
"How could you tell what was burning by the smoke's colour?" Marty asked trying not to trip as she was dragged along. Ace's hand tightened slightly around her wrist.
"Fire user, I know how things burn," Ace said without looking back, his voice emotionless.
"… Oh"
. . .
Marco glanced up as the door to the dining room slammed dramatically open and Ace rushed through, dragging an exhausted looking Marty behind him.
"It's only been twenty minutes," Marco said, annoyed as the pair screeched to a stop in front of their table, "get the hell back out there, you're not done yet."
"That's not it, Marco there's-"
"Everyone else did their quota," Charlotte said primly, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin, dug out from god knows where, "You should finish at least an hour."
"I think almost drowning, meeting sea monsters, and conjuring water shows should count as training," Marty put in dazedly, Beth looked at her concerned, she was beginning to sway on her feet.
"And double points for saving people from drowning, and sea monsters," Ace put in, Marco sighed thinking longingly of the days before Marty and Ace became a pain in his arse.
"Fee Fee saved her from drowning and you needed me to help save her from Fee Fee," Marco pointed out.
"Half points for you, triple points for the Fee Fee Trixabell," Marty agreed
"I knew I should have left you on that bloody sea lizard," Ace muttered.
"The bloody lizard has a name."
"I pity your children."
"They'll be better looking than yours."
"Right, a litter of disaster prone purple gnomes are so attractive."
"Oh sorry, I forgot, freckled cowboy gremlins are all the rage now."
"Lovers tiff outside please," Marco said returning to his food. After a few seconds Ace settled on snorting in unspoken rage.
"I'd rather date the Sea King."
"I don't think your Fee Fee's type," Marty said shaking her head.
"Just go outside already," said Marco without taking his eyes off his food. Marty shook her head slightly, she really wanted to lie down next to the table and just sleep, "I'll come and bring you both food when I've-."
"Billion's is on fire, we saw smoke outside," Marco took his eyes off his food just as Marty swayed, then collapsed backwards onto the mess room floor and began to snore.
"What she said," said Ace stealing food off a passing plate.
. . .
I don't like the ending much -_- but we need to move on so, onwards and upwards. Until next time.
If you love drawing I would be unbelievably honoured and grateful for fanarts of what you think any one of the characters look like. Also, I'm looking for covers to put with blue and purple. PM me if you're interested! I WILL LOVE AND CHERISH ALL!
