So it took me a little longer, but to be fair I had finals and then I was working on another story update. But also I was working on this one as much as I could and it ended up being the longest chapter to date, because well, the way I was writing it. This chapter was going to be shorter (like 300 words or so big whoop) if I had cut it where I wanted to but, it didn't feel right? So now I ended where I did and, well, I'll let you all read and find out. Remember I'll have my chat session on the bottom where I'll address somethings I thought of or you guys inquired about. With that disclaimer!
I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE
See you at the bottom!
Yo, towards the end theres some violence that gets a little graphic, just in case you're uncomfortable with it!
The morning sun filtered in through the small window, and it was enough to wake Ace up. He smiled, it had been a long time since light had woke him up. Probably since I couldn't see any light yesterday I'm doing it without thinking. Still he was up now, and had no clue what he should do while he waited for Marco.
Was the first mate coming before or after breakfast? Ace frowned, in his hurry to not get caught having a sleep attack he hadn't figured out any details of this tattoo thing. He also made sure he knew what was going on, aware of how much a risk it was for him to be unprepared.
Still he wanted to walk into breakfast as a marked member of the crew.
A knock sounded on the door. "Its Marco."
Ace arched an eyebrow, surprised that Marco had adapted to his need to know who he was letting in his room so quickly.
"Coming!" He called back swinging his legs over the side of the bed and making a grab for his hat before he decided to forgo it. Luffy would probably pout if he knew I wasn't wearing his hat all the time. Not that he was particularly broken up about it, the hat was probably ridiculous but it was a gift after all.
He opened the door as usual and felt Marco to the side of him.
"Ready, yoi?"
"Yeah." Ace turned toward the sound of the voice.
"Okay." Marco replied. "Let's go."
The younger pirate followed after the first mate, memorizing the route to the infirmary. In his 'escape' yesterday he had forgotten to count steps, he only knew one way there the more he knew the better off he would be. They had to go through a lot of hallways and around a lot of corners before they reached their destination. Better for the medical staff if the ship ever gets boarded, far from the main deck.
Ace heard a door being opened and Marco called out a greeting. "Hey Mary."
He followed the other inside and stood off to the side, listening.
"Marco? What are you doing here so early?" That must be the nurse.
"Our newest brother wants to get his mark."
"Ah, wait, you mean that kid that left before we told him to?"
Ace stepped up and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry about that."
"Don't do it again, and we won't have any problems. You're lucky you were barely hurt." Her voice changed. Ah, she's flustered.
"I can do that." He smiled, and straightened up. So long as they don't try to check my eyes I'll have no problems playing nice.
Not that he intended on being here much.
"Just let me get Alex. I'll be right back." He heard footsteps walk away.
"Alex?" Ace turned his head in the direction of Marco.
"The one that does the tattoos."
"Ah." Thats what he figured but he wondered if Marco was going to give him any more information.
Ace stood waiting, nervousness pricking at his stomach. He had gotten a tattoo before, Sabo's tribute, and that had meant more to him than this probably ever would; but, he was still worried. When he got his first tattoo he designed it, this time he didn't know what it was going to look like. Also he was surrendering himself to a person with an inked cover needle, not exactly a comfort, especially since he wouldn't be able to see what was going on.
Marco seemed content to remain silent, which Ace was beginning to believe was the normal for the other. Eventually the nurse returned and he guessed the second set of footsteps belonged to Alex.
"Is this the one I'm inking?" Ace was surprised by how rough this woman's voice was.
"This is him." Marco answered.
Were they really talking about him like he wasn't in the room? He cleared his throat, he could speak for himself, he was blind not mute!
"So you're getting your mark?" Alex said, the voice sounded more direct so she had to have changed her position slightly. "I see you have a tattoo so I don't need to explain how its done, and I'll go over care at the end. What are you getting and where?"
Ace blinked, she was direct. "The jolly roger, and on my back."
"Entire back?"
"Sure." Might as well go all in.
Alex whistled and the other nurse gasped.
Odd, no reaction from Marco?
"Okay, well go over to the bed and I'll go get my equipment."
Ace swallowed,, wondering how he would find a bed without looking stupid, much less the requested bed, he couldn't let his fire lead him they would notice.
"The one straight ahead, lay on your stomach." Alex supplied.
He nearly let out a sigh of relief, thankful there was more than one bed. The place they gave tattoos was in the main infirmary and not a room off to the side like he had originally thought. Without another pause he walked leisurely over to the bed, making his stride long and having the barest wisps of fire leave his body feeling for a barrier. There weren't any more problems in finding the bed.
Ace laid like he was instructed after he shrugged his shirt off. Once he was situated Marco spoke up. "I'll be outside."
Seconds after the statement finished Ace heard the door click shut. He moved on to trying to get his muscles to relax, he remembered from last time that it would hurt worse if he was tensed up. Another door opened and closed, it sounded further away so he assumed that it was a different door. He really needed to map this place.
"Alright, Ace, I'm going to clean your back and then get started."
Ace grunted in response, and then felt a rag of lukewarm water hit his back, he had to stop his fire from flash drying him and burning the nurse. His back was cleaned in a matter of seconds and a dry towel was brought over it.
Nice towels, not rough at all. Ace noticed lamely.
"Want numbing cream? This is a pretty big area."
"That's fine." Truthfully he was grateful for the offer. He remembered how sore his arm had been from a little tattoo.
Alex began to smear the pungent cream onto his back, and about a minute later he felt the numbness set in. Good stuff.
"Working?"
"Mmhmm." Ace hummed, he knew that she would begin to tattoo him next.
"Okay, I'm stating." And then she stuck the needle in.
It was odd feeling the needle enter but having it not hurt. Ace settled himself down to what would likely be a few hours of this. He attempted to figure out the shape of the tattoo by following the pricks of the needle, but he lost track after the first sixty. What he really wanted to do was sleep until the process was finished, but his survival instincts were telling him that he couldn't. So he went back to counting the needle pricks.
A few hours latter, like he had guessed, he found himself slowly sitting up with the help of the nurse and then having bandages wrapped around him, He moved slowly so he wouldn't agitate his back as the cream was wearing off and his back was stiff due to him remaining stationary for so long.
"How'd it turn out?" He asked.
"Its beautiful, one of my best ones I think."
Ace almost laughed, how fitting he'd get a "beautiful" tattoo and be the only one to not see it.
"Keep it fry for a few days, and covered. Come back so I can check for infection and if the ink set."
"Got it." He replied. "Anything else?"
"No, just be careful when you're moving around."
He nodded, then he felt her tie the ends of the bandages together.
"There! All done!" Alex was most likely smiling to match the happiness in her voice. "Can you stand?"
Ace did easily, anxious to be out of here, the smell of the infirmary was starting to sting his nose.
"Well looks like you can leave now!"
"Thank you." Ace tilted his head down, not wanting to bend anything else at the moment.
"No trouble at all. Haven't had someone so easy to work on in a long time!" Alex said ."Now go and show Marco!"
Ace let a small smile slip onto his face, he was a little curious about Marco's tattoo. What would be fitting for the first mate of such a famous crew? It was probably really noticeable too, damn. He wondered if it was actually silly to use the Jolly Roger as his own mark.
"Well. I'll be off." Ace waved and headed towards the door, letting his fire find the handle.
Marco stood up when heard the knob twist. Roughly three hours had passed since Ace had entered. Which surprised him, it was about the same amount of time it took to get his done. Is he really getting his entire back tattooed? That would be quite the sight.
He took the sight of Ace in. Most of his torso was wrapped in bandages, otherwise he looked the same, the same curious neutral expression that was starting to become a common sight, instead of the angry scowl.
"Finished?" Marco asked.
"Yeah." Ace stepped out of the room.
"Breakfast should be served soon. Want to head down, yoi?"
Ace nodded. "Yeah sure."
Marco nodded in return and started to head in the direction of the mess hall. He knew the other was following him without looking behind by Ace's unique gait, it was a lack of sound but it was still noticeable if you were paying attention, the hesitant long steps was a give away. The older pirate wondered if Ace was in pain.
"Back hurt at all?"
"No, a little tender, it stings, doesn't hurt."
Marco was impressed, he hadn't thought anyone would want to move after getting a tattoo of that size, she knew several of his brother's hadn't moved for awhile. Ace was an interesting person, and there was something always more interesting than the last with him.
The breakfast crowd was picking up and he wanted to know how Ace would handle it, they could hear the noise from down the hall.
He turned his head when he heard the younger pirate suck in air sharply. "Ace?"
"I'm fine, I'm part of the crew." Marco wondered if Ace was reassuring himself or him. "I have to get used to it at some point."
"That's true." Marco wasn't able to finish his sentence of 'but you don't have to push yourself' as Ace brushed past him.
Ace bumped into his shoulder, and Marco knew it was deliberate, there's no it wasn't, Ace was too careful for accidental touching. So instead he crossed his arms and watched, curious about what was going to happen.
The younger pirate was walking at a normal pace, but as usual each step was hesitant as if he was checking for traps. He was tense, and Marco wondered if the kid would flee if he was touched. More than likely he would end up fighting, doesn't seem like the type to run.
Ace stopped and Marco moved to catch up to him knowing that his lack of movement is what caused the other to pause. As he thought the teen started walking again. When they reached the door, Ace seemed to hesitate before he finally opened it. Sound rushed out and the fire user stepped back. Marco was watching with curiosity as the chatter died down and the crew turned their gaze onto the newest member, who in turned seemed to shrink.
Okay, enough of this. Marco thought as he squeezed past Ace causing the eyes to flicker to him. "You all act like you've never seen a person before. Get back to your meals."
Slowly the chatter started up again and Ace was soon forgotten by them, at least for the moment. Marco had discovered that it was easier to curb attention in the morning, but Ace would have to get used to being a conversation topic until he wasn't as new on the ship.
"Come on, Thatch saved us seats." He tried to keep his voice friendly and quiet.
He noticed as they walked that Ace was sticking closer to him than he was in the hallway. The attention must really bother him.
Marco let Ace take the edge seat and he squeezed in between the fire user and Izou. Thatch and Haruta paused their conversation to glace over Ace's torso.
Izou was the first to speak. "So you're finally a member of our family?"
"Uhh..." Ace paused his spoon which was halfway to his mouth, hesitating on his word choice. "Yeah."
Thatch looked pleased that Ace was finally eating, but Marco shot him a look that seemed to stop him from commenting.
Haruta just picked up their conversation from before. "I can't believe Jozu figured it out! I mean who even dumps their tools out before using them?"
"Wait, what were you trying to do?" Izou asked, Marco didn't miss the suspicious tone.
"To have Jozu glued to his wrench for a little bit."
Ace chuckled at that. Marco blinked in surprise and the teen stopped abruptly, almost like he was shocked he had made the noise.
He'll get there, slowly but surely.
/time skip/+2 months/
Marco walked through the ship, he was trying to find Ace. Pops wanted to talk to the both of them at the same time. Probably wants us to go on a mission.
It'd be Ace's first mission since joining, and Marco knew he was being sent a long sense the fire user hadn't exactly warmed up to anyone but was at least used to struggle, now, was finding him. The first moment he could Ace had explored everywhere on the ship from hanging out in the kitchens with Thatch to staying up in the crow's nest when Haruta or Izou were on watch, and even Marco himself was sought out (most of the time Ace just kind of hung out near him while he did his duties). The other times, however, Ace vanished and only emerged for dinner. Out of all the days, why does he have to have one of those days today?
The first mate liked to think he knew the ship well after living on it for so long, but he started to think Ace was talented in finding spots to be alone. Marco frowned, wondering why the teen isolated himself so frequently, his impression of Ace was that once he was used to something he would become a little more responsive (or at least respond in a positive manner.)
He was in the guts of the Moby, it was the last place he could think to look, and he had to duck under several metal beams. There was a mess of them ahead and he was about to turn back, only the shipwrights came down here anyway, when he saw a flicker of fire. Found him. Marco sighed and started to maneuver his way over. Really, do we need all of these beams?
The first thing he saw was the ball of flame dancing suspended in air, and then he saw Ace. He was resting his back on one of the beams, which was tilted enough he could lay on it, and his feet were stopping him from sliding down, the beams made a V type shape. His eyes were closed
Talk about isolated. Marco knew that even the shipwrights rarely came this far into the bottom of the Moby. Still the teen looked peaceful and he felt bad for disturbing him.
"Ace?"
An eye opened and moved in his direction slowly, the fire made the dark eyes darker instead of a smoky dark gray they were coal black. He shook his head clearing it.
"Yeah?" Ace sounded groggy, like he had just woken up.
"Pops wants to talk to us, yoi."
"Why?" Marco could almost hear the guards raise.
"He probably has a mission for us, nothing major." He hoped that his response didn't get Ace to close off completely, he enjoyed the openness the teen gave him.
"A mission?" Ace furrowed his brows. "What kind?"
Marco shrugged. "Who knows, you'll have to ask Pops."
The fire user brightened his flame as he slipped off of the beam, landing gracefully. Ace nodded letting Marco know that he would follow.
"Can you move the light closer? Its hard to see, yoi."
Ace let out a breathy laugh, but let Marco have his own ball of fire to light the way. The first mate was slightly envious of the teen's causal use of fire, his own could only be brought if he was transforming or healing. He wondered how Ace had found this place to begin with, someone had to actively seek it out.
Marco lead Ace to Pop's room, he could tell the teen was still not fond of being in the same vicinity as Whitebeard, but if he was still angry is was no longer as explosive as it had been.
"Ready?"
"Yeah, you said it was just a mission."
That surprised Marco, the teen had actually accepted his words as truth and not some hidden motive. Like I said, slowly but surely.
He knocked on the door and Pops called for them to enter.
"Marco, Ace, have a seat." Pops gestured towards the two seats across from his bed.
The first mate moved over to one. and noticed Ace was remaining by the door. He looked over the teen, it didn't look like he was planning to run out of the room so Marco let it go.
Pops turned to look at Ace for a few moments, before speaking. "Ace, you've been a member of this family for nearly two months now, how are you liking it?"
The teen shifted slightly. "Its not what I expected."
Whitebeard laughed at the answer. "That seems to be a common thought among the new recruits."
Marco leaned back in his chair, wondering if the was just a simple meeting, and he was just there to help Ace out.
"Everyone on this ship does something to help out the family." Ah, never mind we have a mission. "and I think it's time for you to go out on your first mission."
"Mission?" Ace shifted again.
"It can be anything from scouting to taking care of a pesky pirate crew." Whitebeard explained. "Yours happens to be checking out a report of troublemakers on one of our territories."
Marco knew what Pops was talking about, and he was about to ask his father if they were going to do something, the reports had been for frequent and desperate as late. It was the perfect mission to have Ace go on, it was a test of strength as well as a show of the Whitebeard Pirate's policies.
"Marco will be going with you to help guide you to the island, but also provide backup if needed."
The phoenix thought he heard a small sound of relief from Ace, he shook his head. "When do we leave, yoi?"
Whitebeard turned his attention on to Marco. "As soon as you can, you're taking skiff number four."
Marco nodded. "And when do you expect us back?"
"I don't think it will take longer than a week,a day traveling there and back and then the rest is taking care of the problem."
He turned to look at Ace, who had once again shifted his weight, looking around the room. "Ace, go pack up, meet me on the main deck we'll head to the skiff together."
"Sure." The teen started to move towards the door. "Is that all?"
"Yes."
Without another word, not even dismissal from Pops Ace was out of the room. Marco bit back a sigh figuring Ace couldn't help it. He really wanted to know what the kid's story was, but just asking him seemed like it would be the wrong thing to do.
He chatted with Pops for a few more minutes before heading to do his own packing.
Ace's mind was whirling. He was smart enough to know that eventually he would have to go out on solo missions, and with his blindness that would be a very dangerous thing. It had been long time since he had sailed on a boat not under the control of someone else. Part of him was relieved that he would have Marco with him, the other part also thought it would be a curse.
He tolerated the first mate(maybe he could even say they were almost friends), preferring his silence over the others need to have a conversation going. So it was better than having to go with Thatch. The downside however was he would have to be on his guard, Marco was observant and he knew that the older pirate suspected there was something off with him. Though he was sure they would be able to handle this mission easily, it was nothing more than beating up some bullies.
With a quick inhale he pushed open his room door, grabbing his trademark hat and a bag with some extra clothes and rations, not that he had much to pack. The next island the entire ship docked at he would pick up some more clothes.
He didn't know where on the main deck he was supposed to meet Marco so he leaned against the mast hoping the other would see him, because there was no way he would be able to find the the other with so many crewmates milling about the top deck.
While he was waiting someone bounded over to him. "Ace! Watcha doin'?"
Ah, its Haruta.
"Waiting on Marco."
"Why?"
Ace wasn't sure what Haruta looked like, but he guessed they were young, probably only a little older than he was, judging by the energy in the voice. "The captain has us going on a mission. Marco wanted to meet me here."
"Oh. Is it a long mission?"
"Not really."
Haruta quieted down, and then they started to walk away. "Well, have fun!"
Ace didn't think going a mission could be fun, he hadn't even gotten onto the boat and he was already stressed out. He shifted on the mast and waited a couple more minutes when he heard more footsteps start to come towards him.
"Ace!" That was Izou's voice, and a second pair of footsteps joined him.
"You're going on a mission with Marco?" And that was Thatch.
How fast does news spread around here? Or is Haruta just that big of a gossip?
"Yeah." Ace shifted so he was facing both blurs that were his fellow crewmates. Marco hurry up.
"Must be exciting going on your first mission as a Whitebeard pirate." Izou spoke again.
He shrugged, looking over to the side, hoping he would see the purplish blur that he associated with Marco. Why couldn't he just wait in peace? Its not like he hated the three commanders, but he would rather be left alone, he was wound up enough.
"Well we just came to wish you a good trip." It was Thatch.
"Thank you."
The two walked away but he could feel them a few feet away, probably waiting for Marco. He did feel bad that he hadn't relaxed around them, they were nice enough people, but the chance of them finding out his secrets were higher if he dropped his guard. Maybe someday when he wasn't so new on the ship.
Another ten minutes later and finally the purple blur that was Marco appeared. He heard Thatch and Izou move over to great Marco, and say much the same thing as they did to him. Ace straightened up when he finally sensed the first mate get closer.
"Ready, yoi?"
He nodded.
Marco started towards the lower decks and Ace followed after him, keeping his anxiousness at bay. He wasn't sure how much help he would be with the skiff. He had sailed fine on his own, but when Jared joined his first mate had taken over the steering and the navigating (which he was okay with, since he couldn't do either well). Now he was going to be expected to help with this trip.
They walked for awhile trying to get to the Orlop deck, which had also been built to hold several smaller ships, it was actually pretty clever Ace thought. He hadn't been down there much, not having any excuse to be down there unless he was bringing things up for Thatch, so as usual he let Marco lead the way.
He could smell the scent of sea water getting stronger, and he shrunk back a little remembering his encounters with it prior. Wait, wasn't Marco a Devil's Fruit user. Is this safe? Having to people that can't swim on a boat together. Even though Marco probably has years of sailing on me.
"Ace, help me get this skiff ready to leave!" Marco called, he sounded further away.
The teen hurried over, using his fire mildly to guide him to the skiff Marco was at and where to grab it to shift it into the water.
"One, two, three!" It was easy with their combined strength and the skiff splashed harmlessly in the water.
"Where is Jozu? He's supposed to be down here." Marco sighed.
Ace bit his lip, he hadn't left the ship in over two months, so he wasn't sure how this whole using a boat thing worked. But he didn't want to ask incase it was obvious.
"We can't leave until someone is present to close the door." Marco sighed.
Oh, that makes sense.
"Sorry Marco, had to help Jiru with something." That was Jozu.
"That's fine."
Ace turned towards the direction of Jozu's voice. He wondered how large the man actually was, because his blur was impressive size.
"You guys get in I'll go open the door." Jozu sounded like he was just walking past.
He heard the boat dip and splash with the sound of Marco boarding it, and when he was sure Marco was settled he moved to get one, turning to where he thought Marco was and trying to make a face that said 'may I?'
"You're good, Ace." He climbed in arms splayed out for balance and in case he needed to catch himself if he fell.
Somewhere to the side of him he heard an odd clicking sound like something made out of wood and metal going in a circle. Belatedly he realize it was probably the lever for raising and lowering the door. Beside him Marco was busily moving around the boat getting things ready to move out.
"Untie your side." Marco ordered.
He realize that the older pirate had lost his lazy tone, and changed it something with a bit more authority. Ace wasn't a stranger to it, but he knew that when the first mate used this tone he was assuming his role as first division commander, a man who should be listened to. He turned over to the side deftly feeling for the coarse rope, thankfully it was easy to find and the knot was a quick release knot.
"I'm good."
"Okay. Jozu! We're casting off."
The boat lurched(he guessed Marco kicked it away and towards the gate), and Ace nearly lost his balance. The skiff righted itself and slowly started to drift, he wondered when they would bring out the paddles. A few more seconds and Ace felt the outside breeze indicating that they had exited, and then the clicking sound resumed. There was a splash, which he took as the door was shut.
"We need to change our heading 5 degrees and then we'll be on course." Marco was moving around the ship, and Ace heard something rush through the air at him, on reflex he moved to catch them. Oh, oars.
"Right or left?" He asked setting the oars in the slots, at least it didn't sound like their was much navigating, and Marco seemed content to be the temporary navigator, though it might be harder on the way back, the Moby was only a few hours off of the coast, though he wondered why the ship was so far out. He'd ask later after the skiff was adjusted.
"Right."
Ace pulled back on the left oar and felt the boat turn to the left.
"Little more."
This time his pull wasn't as strong, and he felt it turn a little bit more.
"There we are. Keep this heading."
Ace nodded and starting to use both oars. After a few minutes of moving forward a bobbing he decided that Marco was probably more approachable with questions now.
"Why's the Moby so far from the island?"
"The island is in pretty shallow water so we can't dock right off the coast, and further out there's a lot of coral reefs, they can easily damage a ship's keel if not navigated correctly and the Moby just doesn't have the maneuverability."
That made sense. "What about us then?"
"I've been to this island several times before, when we hit the reefs I'll take over."
"Sure." Ace shrugged, trying to keep his rowing as even as possible not wanting to knock them off course the slightest bit.
The sun was beating down on his neck, not that it bothered him, when Marco moved to take the oars. "We're about the hit the reef barrier."
Ace handed them over and moved lightly into the spot on the boat Marco was sitting, his back turned to the first mate, staring out at the blurriness. A couple of times he darted his eyes down to the surface of the water wondering if he could make out the reef. He wouldn't be able to see what it looked like but he had heard that the reefs had beautiful vivid colors, but he assumed part of the wonder was the fantastic shapes they had made and maybe even the fish that made their homes in them. It was a shame he could only make out the blue, which was light and clear.
It was another short while before he heard the sounds of waves breaking on the shore. He had been hesitant to start a conversation with Marco incase the other was concentrating, from his limited experiences that was the fastest way to make the man irritated, mess with him when he was working.
Not prepared to hit the shore so violently, Ace slipped off his seat and onto the floor of the skiff.
"Sorry." Marco replied, but their was some mirth in his tone.
He pushed himself into a sitting position. "Don't worry, I should've prepared myself better."
Marco hummed, and then apparently leapt off the boat since something heavy hit the ground right next to the skiff, it was muffled so it was most likely a sandy beach. Ace stood up, he left the boat with a lot more caution than the first mate not knowing what was exactly on the beach. Near him he heard the older male tying the boat up to something, or that's what Ace assumed he was doing he just heard the creaking of rope.
"C'mon, let's check into the in and see what we can find out about the troublemakers." Marco's voice was calm, but Ace could hear the undercurrent of his command voice. They were back to being commander and subordinate. Ace frowned upon realizing that was a true subordinate, not holding any rank, that didn't sit well with. For some reason it made him feel like he was expendable; a small part of him was telling him that he wasn't but the larger part was telling him he was (the larger part was the kid who grew up being hated for being born to the devil). He shook his head, it didn't do to dwell on things when there was a job to do.
Marco was still moving up the beach and Ace followed after him, jogging slowly trying to not slip on the sand. The island was a summer island. or it was at least in the summer season judging by the heat coming from the sun. The sound of Marco's footsteps changed from the soft chk to him walking on something more solid. Stone, maybe? Ace's toe knocked into something solid and he stopped himself from making an audible sound. It was a step he figured out after he lifted his foot up a little. Definitely stone.
The other's footsteps were growing fainter and Ace hurried to catch up, moving at an awkward jog walk praying he wouldn't find a pot hole or something of the like.
They walked for what had to have been half an hour before Marco stopped. "Here's the inn."
Ace nodded before thinking that Marco might not be turned around. "Okay."
The first mate started walking again and he was a step behind him. He hated new places. A door banged open and several loud patrons stumbled out of the door. A tavern in a inn? Who gets drunk this early anyway?
The smell of alcohol assaulted his nose as, he counted, three men walked past him. Only one stopped, Ace tensed ready to fight.
"Wh't a cu'ie." The man slurred.
"Keep moving." Marco said, almost sighing.
Ace bit his cheek to keep from reacting, he didn't know who the command was directed to, as he quickly move out of the man's range catching up to Marco.
"Sorry." He said quietly.
"Be more aware, yoi. This town has a lot of unsavories, it's a lawless zone after all."
"Sure." At least Marco was too mad, if he was mad at all, his tone didn't give anything away.
The inside of the inn was just as loud as he thought it would be, the clinking and clattering of plates and mugs, boisterous laughter, and a poorly tuned band playing a (very bad) rendition of Bink's Sake. Ace winced at the sheer volume of the place and he knew he'd get overwhelmed if he tried to sense for a number, so instead he stayed honed on Marco.
He hoped the older pirate wouldn't mind him being mear. Ace's nervousness quelled some upon coming close to the somewhat familiar aura of fire and safety (which was odd because all reports said this guy was lethal).
Marco cleared his throat causing him to jump thinking he was about to be scolded.
"Old man!" So not talking to me, got it.
"Hang on a second!" A new voice yelled breaking through the noise.
Ace heard a swishing of a skirt behind him.
"Hello! Can I help you?" This voice was soft and girlish.
"Do you have two rooms available?"
There was a quick pause and some rustling of paper. "No, we only have one room left, I'm sorry."
Ace turned his head to 'look' at Marco, if the impression he had of the town was right there was probably only one inn. He was about to say he could sleep somewhere else the roof maybe, when Marco spoke first.
"We'll take it."
"That's twenty beli, for another five you can have breakfast made for you in the morning." The girl said, Ace could imagine the expression she wore at the moment was very similar to the nurse that worked under Doctor Conner, a pretty but false smile.
"Yeah sure." The paper and coins were set on the table, or at least the coins were, he heard the clinking of change.
"Here's your key, and we'll wake you in the morning." Metal was slid across wood and Ace guessed it was the aforementioned key. "Top floor, farthest down."
Marco walked away without another word, Ace quickly following suit.
"Are you okay with sharing a room?" He asked when he once more feel in step with Marco.
"I don't mind it, you fine with it?"
"Yeah." No. There's a higher chance you'll figure out there's something wrong with me.
"Its cheaper anyway."
That cause Ace to snort.
He assumed that the room wasn't to the older male's liking by the quiet noise of disgust he made after opening the door. Though it didn't stop Marco from walking in and dropping something on the bed. Ace sneezed. Its dirty, great.
Slowly he walked in, trying to not walk into any furniture hoping that it was set up like most inn rooms were.
"Only one bed, its to be expected..." Marco trailed off, changing his thoughts abruptly. "I guess we'll worry about that later, there's still daylight and we have a job to do."
Ace shrugged setting his stuff along a wall he found, waiting for Marco to take the lead.
"We'll split up, and ask about the troublemakers, then we'll meet back here in the evening and compare notes."
It could've been a worse plan. Ace shrugged, if he didn't wander too far away or lose could he'd be fine, not overly helpful but he secret would be safe. Who knows maybe he'd get lucky, also they were just asking about the troublemakers and if they were really that big of a problem then most people would at least know about them or heard something.
Marco started moving and Ace went with him. There were some perks to being a subordinate, the not having to take charge was nice, especially since he would probably walk into something.
They headed their separate way when they left the inn. Marco went left and Ace went right. He had never been good about the whole gathering information thing, someone passed by him and he over heard their conversation.
"The whole place was burned down! Complete ashes, thank god there was no one inside!"
"Seriously? Man they were lucky, what did they do?"
"I guess they offended on of the officers, and that was their payback."
Ace spun on his heel catching up to the two conversing men.
"Excuse me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but what exactly happened. I'm just passing by." He hoped he looked convincing, and he pulled his shirt a little tighter not wanting the wind to expose his mark.
"Rough time to show up, buddy." The first one said. "We've been having a little trouble with a local bandit gang."
"Yeah, we're hoping the Whitebeard Pirates send someone to help out, they're getting more and more merciless these days. Burned the bakery to the ground because it was too airy or something."
Ace whistled. "Sounds like they're some big bullies."
"I wish they were just that, there's been rumors that they're going to start taxing people."
"But they don't have any authority over the town?" Ace asked, surprised.
"The mayor doesn't care, he's letting them do what they want, to chicken to stand up to him." There was a lot of disdain in the tone.
"Who's the leader of the gang?" He tried to keep his voice conversational.
"You're asking a lot of questions."
"Sorry, sorry, I don't plan on being here long, but I don't want to cause any trouble, I just want to know who to avoid."
"Stay away from the north part of town, and if see a guy carrying a black baton turn the other way, that's Drago 'Black Bar' Roi, he's the leader of the bandits."
Ace filed that information away. "Thank you, sorry for taking up your time."
"No problem, not often we get travelers not interested in causing trouble. Makes it hard for us."
The two men walked away.
Ace was satisfied with the information he got, it was at least helpful, if only in the fact that he had a name and an area. He thought about moving further away, incase the men walked back this way and got suspicious but he didn't want to risk getting lost and unable to find his way back to the in. He let his fire out, trying to find an acceptable place for him to hang out. The teen frowned when he didn't feel anything in his immediate area, so he just leaned against a wall, acting like he was watching the crowd while he was waiting.
Every now and then someone would walk past saying something about the bandits, he could tell it was about them because the tone was usually rushed and quiet. The two men must've been an exception to talk to loud about it. He missed a lot ot the conversation but he there were bit pieces that were somewhat useful .The name of the second in command who, if town's folk were to be believed, could vanish and reappear somewhere across town in seconds.
Probably has a Devil's Fruit.
By the time the sun was setting Ace was ready to go and talk to Marco, he hoped that the other man had found out more than him, because he had heard the same stories over and over again, with minor variations. These bandits were just taking advantage of people who couldn't defend themselves. It was a disgrace.
As he was making his way back to the inn he remembered that's what bandits did. Dadan and her clan were exceptions, in truth they were probably the nicest bandit clan around. He wondered if Luffy was giving them much trouble.
"You look happy." That was Marco's voice.
Ace's smile fell as he thought about what he should say, he shrugged. "I was just thinking about where I came from."
He wondered if Marco gave him a confused look, but the older pirate probably wouldn't allow such a slip up. "Something happen that reminded you of home?"
He didn't think it would be bad to tell about Dadan, but he felt like it wasn't the right time, they were supposed to be working. "Just the fact of there's a bandit gang causing trouble for the townsfolk."
Marco must've done something along the lines of shrugging, as he didn't reply but instead opened the door. Once more Ace was assaulted by the sound of the place, he wondered if it was crowded or the people were just unnaturally loud. He walked in before the older pirate for once and stood to the side of the entry way, attempting to look like he was searching for a table.
"There's one on the back wall." Marco said in passing and Ace followed after him, relieved he wasn't going to have to lead the way there.
They were quickly situated and one of the servers came by to ask if they wanted anything to drink which they both only asked for water and for it to come out with their meal.
"Find out anything interesting?" Ace broke the silence for once.
"Nothing overly, its a group of bandits that have their base somewhere in the north part of town, and there's probably a Devil's Fruit user."
Ace hummed, feeling better about his small information pool. "I got that impression too. I think the fruit is some sort of teleporting one or speed giving one. Then the leader apparently carries a black baton with him."
Their conversation, if one could call it that, was interrupted by the server coming back and setting the glasses and bowls down on the table before leaving just as fast as they came.
"I'd like to spend another day gathering information, but the town's people don't seem like they know much or they don't talk about it to outsiders." Marco said.
"One of the people I talked to today said the mayor was allied with the bandits, or he just lets them get away with things." Ace replied after swallowing
The older pirate set something down on the table, silverware most likely. "Its probably for the best we head up to the north part of town tomorrow, because you know if the mayor is allied with them then a lot more people are than you would think. Our snooping won't go unnoticed, and I don't want to lose the element of surprise."
"Sounds reasonable."
"We'll head out there in the morning, after we eat."
Ace nodded and went back to eating his bowl of mush, it was most likely a form of gruel but the chef's this place hired didn't seem like they were capable of making even that the tiniest bit palatable. He wanted to leave this inn, it was disgusting and part of him was glad he couldn't see what state it was in.
They finished eating in silence and made their way upstairs, after Marco opened the door Ace remembered the other problem they had, the bed situation.
"It won't be comfortable, but we both can probably fit."
Ace's jaw dropped followed by the very intelligent sound of "Huh?"
"Have you seen the state of this floor? No one is going to get a good rest like that, and if we have to fight tomorrow we might as well be somewhat limber." Marco said in that calm voice of his, and it was reasonable but Ace still didn't like the idea.
The last person he had shared and bed with had been Luffy, and he distinctly remembered waking up to a toe ramming up his nose, somehow. Though he didn't want to sleep on the floor if it was that bad, he could always climb out onto the roof, and sleep under the stars. He sighed, sleeping on the roof was a drastic measure, sleeping with Marco wasn't exactly on his list of things to do, but if there were people that knew that they weren't just travelers the roof would be more dangerous. Ace chewed on his bottom lip.
"While you're deciding, I'm going to go change." With that there was a breif sound of rustling and another door clicking shut.
He was Marco's crewmate, and the man wouldn't do anything to him, and it wasn't like he was some kid who couldn't take care of himself (he doubted the older pirate was like that). It would be a lot safer than sleeping on the roof or the floor. It was a one time thing too. Ace really didn't want to do this, he barely knew the man, what if his snoring kept the first mate awake, then what?
However, he found himself shuffling over in the direction he had though he had heard Marco dig through his bad. About seven steps later his shin was hitting a metal bedframe. He sat down on it, the covers felt scratchy and the bed was lumpy, he was also fairly certain that it was moth-eaten. Great.
The door clicked open and footsteps followed it. Marco said nothing, but apparently walked over to the bed and picked his bag up, setting it lightly on the floor.
"You want to be next to the wall?"
Ace thought about being pushed against the wall wasn't exactly appealing but he was a deep sleeper so sleeping nearer to the door could be dangerous. He let out another sigh.
"I'll sleep by the wall."
"Alright then." Marco dug around for something in his bag before he let out a sound.
Quickly he undid his boots and set them by the bed. Ace maneuvered himself so that he was already laying flush against the wall, it was cool against his back. It could've been a problem if he didn't have his Devil's Fruit. He closed his eyes, unable to find sleep right away. He focused on Marco, who hadn't come to the bed yet. He was on the other side of the room, and after listening for a few seconds Ace heard the sound of a page being turned. He's reading? It made sense, they didn't have anything else to do without the chance of losing their element of surprise, he huffed silently annoyed that he couldn't do much else but sleep.
He listened to the occasional page turn as Marco read, curious about what he was reading. It was still relaxing somehow, the silence which had never been awkward between them was quelling the anxiousness he felt about sleeping near Marco. What if his eyes gave some sign that he was blind, but it only relieved itself on closer inspection? He shook his head, Jared had told him his eyes looked as normal as everyone else's.
Ace tightened himself into a ball, willing himself to sleep where his thoughts wouldn't bother him to much, most of the time he slept dreamless with the occasional nightmare slipping through but that happened to everyone. He fell asleep.
Briefly he was awoken sometime later by the bed dipping with the weight of someone, and he was almost full conscious by the time they settled next to him, battle instincts priming him to spring upwards. Then he remembered that it was most likely Marco, and the aura of fire he got from the person confirmed that thought. He drifted back to sleep, stretching out the tiniest bit.
Marco groaned when he was awoken by something banging on the door, he was worried for a second that they were under attack when the innkeeper from last night spoke up.
"Breakfast is about to be served, so if you want it you better get a move on!"
Her footsteps faded as she walked down the hallway. He moved his arms above his head, stretching out the kinks he got from sleeping on such a poor quality mattress, he would've preferred a hammock than sleeping in this beat up bed. Beside him his bed mate adjusted his head from where it was pillowed on his arm.
Marco winced knowing that Ace was going to wake up with a numb arm, he hadn't moved from that position all night. He was actually surprised that he had gotten so near to the younger when he was sleeping he was expecting something more than the other waking up.
After a few more seconds of getting his bearings he stood up from the bed, once again stretching his arms above his head, feeling parts of his spin pop. He yawned and grabbed the clothes he had folded up and laid on the desk deciding he could change before he woke Ace.
A few minutes later he came out a little more awake than he had been and dressed in his usual attire. He shifted his gaze to Ace, who was still sleeping comfortably, having moved over into the spot Marco had recently vacated, some drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. The young teen looked peaceful, to bad it was time to get up.
"Ace! Time for breakfast, yoi."
The young pirate shot up from a dead sleep, looking around the room, before he glanced in Marco's direction.
"Is it morning already?"
"Sleep well?" Marco ignored the question.
"As well as can be, my arm is numb and the mattress was lumpy."
Marco chuckled. "Yes, well let's go down and eat before they run out."
Ace moved to the edge of the bed, grabbing his boots, missing the first one but finding it a second later. Marco arched an eyebrow before deciding that it was probably just residual sleep messing with the teen. Not even a minute later Ace had his boots on and was standing, waiting for Marco to take the lead. Which he did, striding over to the door in a slow pace, not feeling the need to rush since they were both up and moving.
Breakfast was a lot quieter than the lunch and dinner times, part of it was due to the lack of people but he guessed that more than a few of the other patrons had hangovers. The meal they were served look very similar to the meal they had been given at dinner, and after a bite Marco decided that it tasted the same. He grimaced but made to eat as much of it as he could. Ace was shoveling away at his pausing only to yawn and take a drink of a strangely colored fruit juice. He was amazed that Ace had no problems eating something that looked like wet sand mixed with gravel but he was still hesitant about eating even Thatch's cooking. Maybe it's the source?
After they finished, Marco nodded his head to the innkeeper and headed out of the room, Ace sticking to him like a shadow. Must be because of the crowds again.
The morning sun was barely past the horizon, and he shielded his eyes to block some of the light, inhaling the slightly salty breeze (it wasn't as good as being surrounded by it on the sea but it'll have to do.)
"Ready, Ace?" He turned to the younger.
He asked the other in mid yawn, so when he turned around all he saw was Ace opening his mouth widely with tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, it was endearing in a childish kind of way.
Ace rubbed his eyes before answering. "Yeah, let's do this."
There was hardly anyone moving around town, there were a few early risers, but mostly the town was filled with the smell of baking bread. It would've been peaceful, if he hadn't known that he was most likely walking into what was going to be a fight. Which he hoped wasn't going to be too annoying, Marco didn't doubt his or Ace's strength (not that he knew much about it but he did go toe to toe with a warlord) but he didn't feel like dealing with a drawn out fight at the moment. The younger pirate seemed to be in a better mood than he had been while on the Moby, so he was wondering if he couldn't use that to maybe get Ace to be a little more open to him.
The north side of town, when they finally reached it was dilapidated putting it nicely. Most of the buildings had holes in them or cracks along the foundation, several of them were rubble piles. Only one building still had all of it walls intact, part of the ceiling was starting to cave, Marco was impressed by it. He figured that would be the best place to start looking for the bandits.
"Ace, this way." He said quietly incase they were being watched, there was little doubt that they were but Marco's observation haki couldn't reach far enough to tell where they were.
Ace didn't verbally reply, but the footsteps shuffling in the direction he was going told him the younger pirate had heard and was complying. He inched closer to the building, his phoenix bubbling under the surface, itching to be let out and partake in a blood bath. He laughed, it was surprising how vicious the bird of rebirth and life actually was.
They were about ten feet from the door when it was thrown open with an impressive sounding bang. The door didn't swing back in place, and Marco was surprised to find that part of the bricks had crumbled wedging the door in place.
"Well, well, well." A man came out twirling a baton in his hand. "It seems we have a couple of sea rats coming to knock on our door."
The first mate refrained from rolling his had been called a lot worse in his pirating career.
"I wonder what brings them here?"
Marco pulled himself up to his full height, puffing out his chest (sometimes he followed the bird's instincts). "We're here on the behalf of the Whitebeard Pirates-"
"Anyone can identify you Marco, and you're on one of Whitebeard's islands don't think you can stay hidden."
He was impressed by the man's audacity to cut him off and refer to him like they were on friendly terms.
"Well I want you to know that we're taking this island from the old man, and proving out strength by killing his first mate! Get them!"
Marco was almost taken by surprise when two men jumped out from a rubble pile behind him, but Ace reacted quicker.
"Fire fist!"
The first man was knocked backwards by a ball of vividly colored fire, and the second one suffered a heel to the jaw, he could hear the crunch of the bone from where he was standing a few feet away.
Ow.
"Is that the best you got?" Ace smirked.
Figures he would be a taunter.
The man, who was the leader if memory served, raised his hand into the air and made a fist. Marco had sharpened his haki a second before and was ready to block the three attacks that came at him. Without needing to transform, he took them out. Behind him he could hear the whoosh of fire and yelling which meant Ace wasn't have any trouble either. The leader's face curled into a snarl as he made another gesture and several more life forces fell into his Haki radius.
He blocked a large fist that came from in front of him, but the man was larger than him causing him to slide back next to Ace, barely ducking under a blast of fire. Just because he could heal didn't mean he wanted to feel it, and while he was immune to most fire he wasn't sure about a fire user's.
With a sigh, he let his arms transform into wings and used them to propel him upwards. He let the momentum carrying him into a backflip, causing his opponent's jaw to be met with his foot. As Marco righted himself, the man flew backwards busting the door as he crashed into it. He turned his arms back into their human form, and landed lightly. Ace had moved several feet away from him, and it seemed that the bandits had decided to focus on the unknown pirates. They Probably think it's safer.
He watched as Ace fended of three attacks at once, easily flowing from one attack into another, and occasionally blasting a new challenger with fire, it was beautiful to watch. Marco turned his attention back onto the leader of the bandits, whose face was slowly morphing into a deeper scowl.
"Brat ain't bad."
Marco nodded. "Care to surrender now and save yourself the embarrassment?"
The bandit leader, Drago the name finally came to Marco, snarled. "We'll still win this."
His statement was punctuated by a bandit flying in between them, yelling. Marco could've laughed at the scene, but he kept his composure.
"Very well." Marco leapt up and turned his arms into wings once more joining Ace in his fight.
Truthfully Ace could've won by himself, but Marco didn't like it when he didn't fight with his subordinates. He landed next to the younger pirate, but far enough away he couldn't get struck as an enemy in the heat of battle. When his feet touched the ground his was immediately assaulted with a bandit rushing him with a sword, Marco stood steady, and when they got close enough he brought his leg up into a sideways kick crushing the bandit's nose.
The battle only lasted a few minutes, the last bandit crumpling to the ground in a crispy heap. Both pirates turned their attention to Drago who was no longer alone and had another male standing next to him with his face covered. That must be the guy with the rumored Devil's Fruit.
Marco moved so that he was once again standing in front of the pair, Ace standing a little behind him.
"Your men are defeated. Are you going to drag this out any longer?"
His reply was Drago flipping his baton, which wasn't like any baton Marco had ever seen, and handing it to the masked man. He arched an eyebrow, wondering how this was going to turn out. In a split second the mask wearer was gone from beside Drago. Marco lost track of his presence and felt it return a less than a second later, behind him, he turned around only to see the baton being swung at Ace who was mid turn. The baton struck him across the head, with enough force that the baton cracked and Ace slumped to the ground.
He's a logia type, he should be able to dodge that on reflex, unless... that explains the handle and gloves. Its sea stone infused. Marco was frozen in place for a few seconds as he watched the younger pirate's body settle on the ground and the masked man standing beside it looking at the baton like he was impressed.
The first mate liked to think he was a reasonable man, and he was, until one of his family members got hurt. He shifted fully into his phoenix form and launched right at the mask wearing bastard, talons outstretched and sinking into the man. The scene was not unlike a bird catching a fish. Marco flapped upwards, his powerful wings easily carrying him above the ruined buildings. He dropped the masked man, and then dived after him, delivering a strong peck right through his sternum.
Once he was sure that the man wasn't going to move again he turned his attention onto the leader of the bandits who was significantly paler than he had been fifteen seconds ago. Without missing a beat Marco pulled out of his dive and aimed himself directly at him. Pulling back so that he was going in talon's first, Marco smirked as best as a bird could. His talons easily wrapped around the man's neck, digging into the soft flesh and veins there and snapping the neck with the force he put behind it.
The first mate released the bandit leader and watched as he skidded across the ground. Marco morphed back into form, huffing once at the still form before hurrying over to where Ace had yet to move. He kicked the masked man aside, he dropped him a little too close to the younger pirate, and kneeled in the recently vacated spot. Quickly he ran his eyes over Ace's form, there wasn't anything major, but he was still aside from his rapid breathing. That's when Marco turned his attention to Ace's head.
When he had fallen, luckily he had landed with his injured side face up. Already he could see the red forming where he had been struck. The first mate was certain that it was going to turn into a rather impressive bruise, but he was more worried about the condition Ace would be in when he woke up.
Marco had very little medical training, but he knew enough that moving Ace could be bad if there was an injury not visible. He looked around, not wanting to leave the younger pirate alone, but not wanting to risk anything more. That's when he caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Oi, you."
The bandit looked up frightened. "Me?"
"You're the only one that's moving." Marco bit back. "Go and get a doctor will you."
The bandit scurried up and bolted off, the first mate knew that the man was going to come back with a doctor, too afraid of what disobeying would do. He situated himself so that he was sitting on his rear next to Ace, alert for any threats.
At one point Ace woke up, his eyes unfocused before he closed them and fell back asleep, his muscles letting some of their tension go. Marco wasn't sure if he should be relieved that the other had woken up or worried that he had fallen back asleep.
Sometime after that, the bandit showed back up panting with the sleeve of a doctor pinched in his fingers. The doctor looked annoyed before his gaze landed on Marco, recognition causing the annoyance to vanish completely.
"What happened?"
"He was struck in the head by a baton." Marco moved out of the doctor's way.
The doctor too the spot he had just vacated. "Have you moved him at all."
"No, he did regain consciousness briefly but passed out almost right after."
The old man opened his medical bag and pulled out a strange looking tool, pulling back one of Ace's eyelids, staring at it for a few seconds."
"Hmm."
Marco tensed when he heard the doctor's hum, ready for something bad.
"I'll look at that closer later." The doctor seemed to be mumbling to himself.
Then he did a few more things Marco didn't fully understand before turning he spoke. "He's alright to move, but I would like it if you can carrying him to my clinic, I want to do a more thorough examination."
The first mate easily lifted Ace up, trying not to jar him too much before following after the doctor, he was stopped by the bandit.
"What about me?"
"If you leave my sight in the next three seconds, nothing."
The bandit bolted and Marco spent a few seconds reveling in the fact that just his words can reduce a man to a coward. It was nice to be the first mate of a powerful crew sometimes. He caught up too the doctor, wondering why he was so keen on examining Ace further.
"What's wrong with Ace?" He finally asked.
"It could be nothing, could be extremely important. I don't want to make the assumption and tell you without examining it further."
It made sense, but Marco was still worried with what the doctor could be thinking it was. If something happened to Ace it was his responsibility, he was the one that was trying to get the kid adjusted to being a Whitebeard after all.
The clinic was clean and orderly compared to the inn. He was lead to a room down a side hallway with a bed. He laid Ace down as gently as he could, while the doctor went to get something.
Moving back he leaned against a wall, his eyes taking everything in, ready to move if this was some clever ploy (which he doubted, but it never hurt to be cautious). Minutes later he moved so that he was leaning on the back wall while the doctor worked, shining various different instruments into Ace's eyes. With the occasional hum.
After what was probably an hour, Marco wasn't surprised the blow had been a hard one, Ace was still unconscious and the doctor was putting his tools away.
"Well it looks like his eyes aren't damaged from the blow like I had thought, and I don't think they've gotten worse, though it's hard to tell." The doctor mumbled.
Marco straightened, confused. "Is there something wrong with his eyes, yoi?"
The doctor looked surprised. "Well, it could be what I'm seeing is wrong due to the trauma."
Marco tightened his grip on his sleeve, letting the old man talk, he hated when people weren't direct when they spoke. "Meaning?"
"It looks like there's severe degeneration to the back of the eye."
"Looks like?" Marco's voice was tight.
"The damage from the blow could be interfering in some way so, I'm unable to be completely certain." The doctor held up his hands in a surrendering manner.
Maroc inhaled, calming himself down, he was still high on adrenaline from the battle. "What are you saying, if there is this degeneration?"
"Well, degeneration of the eye generally means that the person has a lack of sight."
It hit him then, the old doctor was talking about Ace being blind of all things. It wasn't possible. "I think you're right, the injury is interfering."
The doctor looked doubtful. "That would be quite the interference. The deterioration of the back of the eye is severe."
Marco eyed the doctor, he was old, but not inexperienced so he likely knew what he was talking about. But still, if Ace was blind wouldn't that be one of the first things a person tells someone, especially your new crew and family. There was no sighs that he couldn't see, a lack of a cane, stumbling over things. Ace was cautious yes, but he didn't seem like he was uncertain. It was a lot to think about. But if it was as severe as the doctor said, what did that mean. Ace doesn't have complete faith in us, but keeping something like that hidden, without slipping up? Impossible. Besides, how can the back of the eye get that bad?
"What would cause this degeneration?"
"Most likely it's a condition that he's had since birth. There are a few diseases you can contract that would cause this but they have other symptoms while the patient is losing their sight."
Marco frowned. It was hard to believe but the doctor had no reason for this elaborate of a lie. I'll just ask Ace when he wakes up. That'll settle this, one way or another.
The doctor took his silence as a dismissal and bowed as he left the room. Marco moved so that he was sitting next to Ace's bedside, hunched over and fingers steepled as he thought about what the doctor said.
Let me know if I missed a page break, FF deleted my ~ which mark where they are. Anywho We're at the bottom! Please leave your thoughts below!
AS A REMINDER TO MY READERS:
1.) I am doing this for fun so I don't mean to offend anyone so I'm doing my research but if you have any suggestions or something is factually wrong feel free to tell me! Please.
2.) Ace's condition is one that I made up using parts from several others, just because I don't think I could've written any of them the way that I wanted to portray Ace.
3.) I am going to update this irregularly
Chat session! Well, is that how you all expected that to go, yay or nay? I'm excited to see what you all think about it, so its a mild cliffhanger, which is how I like to write (I'm sure you'll experience this more than once in this fic)
1.) Marco said the non-covering of the tattoo as a joke, but Ace didn't perceive it as such, and I assume when someone, probably Izou, questioned his lack of shirt he explained the situation and Izou probably told him Marco was trying to make a joke, but otherwise I personally believe that most of the Whitebeard pirates don't cover their mark as a sign of pride, they have it on their hand, wrist, forearm, shoulder places like that. So I hope that answers your question, and I'm sure the commanders all have large tattoos similar to Ace's but they have to look somewhat distinguishable to maintain their respect as Commanders (not that they would lose it but...)
2.) I assume that the Thousand Sunny isn't the first ship to have a smaller ship stored inside of it, and I would think that the Whitebeard pirates would have a need for many smaller skiffs, just for convenience sake, because let's face it, the Moby Dick is freaking huge! And it would probably be easier to make several small trips onto an island for minor resupply trips than to dock that thing. Just my personal belief you don't have to agree, so hey!
3.) For the guest that asked about other Blind!Ace fics, there's two that I've read, the name of one escapes me at the moment and then there's Once in a Blind eye (Which someone else mentioned, yeah I wasn't aware of the similarities there when I wrote it, I didn't mean to and unfortuantly some of the trope used are a little common I am trying my best to avoid them, but hopefully I can make them different enough since there are so few other fics like this.) I think both of them are on Archive of Our Own, I could be wrong.
4.) As for InspiringLight who wrote that incredibly lovely review, I have to personally thank you, it was great! I really have no words for your praise thank you!
5.) So I have most of this story planned out, and now I need to write it, I have a little left to figure out and some minor details. And I am incredibly excited to write it, because well, you'll see.
Shutting up now! See you next time!