Whew! This chapter didn't want to be written. But I managed to get it done! It probably isn't as good of quality as the other chapters, but I hope you enjoy it anyways. The next chapter will be much better.
I do not own One Piece.
Ace walked through the village with determination. He and Zoro had sparred the day before, and he couldn't finish due to cramps. Today, however, he made sure he was ready to beat Zoro, and he wouldn't take him by surprise this time.
"This is awesome! Another fight between Ace and my future swordsman!" Luffy cheered from Ace's right.
"I don't think he wants to join your crew, Luffy." Sabo said from Ace's left.
"But he has to! He uses three swords!" Luffy said with a small frown.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Ace asked as they rounded a corner.
"Three sword style is awesome!" Luffy said as if that explained everything, and Ace rolled his eyes.
They approached the gates to the Isshin Dojo, and Ace tightened his grip around his pipe in anticipation. Today was they day he would show Zoro which of them was stronger. Sabo knocked on the gates, and they waited for an answer.
"I don't see why we can't just walk in." Ace complained.
"It's only polite. Yesterday was an emergency, but that doesn't give us the excuse to barge in today." Sabo said with a strict expression.
Ace was about to retort something when the gates opened. Koshiro stood in the doorway, and Ace frowned at him. He had embarrassed himself in front of that guy yesterday by thinking he did something to his brothers, but the fact that Sabo and Luffy were okay didn't make him hate they old man any less.
"Oh, you must be here to spar with Zoro. He told me about yesterday. Come on in. Zoro is preparing in the courtyard." Koshiro opened the gate further, and Ace eyed him for a few seconds.
When the old man did nothing more than smile down at them, he walked forward. Luffy and Sabo followed him in. Koshiro closed the gates behind them, and took the lead. He led them behind the main building. Zoro was there practicing his swings on a training dummy.
"Zoro!" Luffy ran forward before anyone could say anything, and tackled Zoro in a hug.
"Get back here, Luffy!" Ace called out in annoyance. Why did his youngest brother insist on making friends with the oddest people?
"Get off me!" Zoro yelled once his shock wore off.
"They're about to spar, Luffy. Let him go." Sabo said, and Luffy let go. He smiled at Zoro, who only frowned at him.
"You ready to lose, greenie?" Ace taunted. Zoro shifted his gaze to Ace, and his frown deepened.
"Bring it on, freckles." He taunted back. Ace dropped his smirk, and narrowed his eyes. They glared at each other for a few seconds.
"Let's make it an honorable duel, now." Koshiro said, and led the two to the sparring arena. They stood apart from each other, and began to evaluate their opponent.
Zoro was pretty strong, but he wasn't anything Ace's hadn't seen before. Fighting larger than life animals can really make you question how strong is strong. Also, Garp's training only worked to make Ace even stronger. The only reason Zoro got the upper hand last time was because Ace underestimated him. That wouldn't happen this time.
"Begin." Koshiro stated, signifying the start of the sparring match.
The two sides immediately launched at each other. Ace, already expecting a barrage of attacks, defended himself nimbly. He even managed to sneak a hit in here and there. Zoro jumped back, but Ace didn't give him any breathing room. He got a good hit on his ribcage, and he sent the smaller boy sailing across the arena.
Zoro immediately got back up and eyed Ace. Ace charged forward, but Zoro managed to block his attack. He jumped back a good ways, and crossed his arms. He was going to use that same attack the unarmed Ace yesterday. Ace got in a ready positions.
"Three sword style: Oni-" Zoro rushed forward, but Ace was ready this time. He swung forward with enough force to break the wooden swords, and knocked the real sword out of Zoro's mouth. He knocked Zoro onto his back, and pointed the end of his pipe at him.
"I win." Ace smirked, and Zoro frowned.
"Rematch." He stated dryly.
"What?" Ace raised an eyebrow.
"Rematch. Right here, right now." Zoro said, and Ace's smirk grew.
"As you wish, but I'll just kick your ass again." Ace moved the pipe away, and allowed Zoro to grab his sword.
Zoro turned to Sabo and Luffy and asked, "Can I borrow your pipes?"
"Why?" Sabo asked, and stopped Luffy from handing his over.
"Because wooden swords are just going to break, and I'm not dumb enough to use them a third time." Zoro said, and held his hand out.
"Are you okay with this, Ace?" Sabo asked.
"Sure, it'll be more of a challenge that way." Ace said with a shrug. With that, Sabo and Luffy handed over their pipes, and Zoro gave them a few practice swings. He seemed quite comfortable with the heavier weight of pipes despite the fact that the heaviest thing Ace had seen him wield was the real sword he put in his mouth. Zoro then faced Ace, signifying that he was ready.
"Begin." Koshiro said, starting the spar.
Ace ran forward and swung his pipe. Zoro blocked it, and tried to get space between them. Ace, however, didn't let up. Zoro blocked a few more attacks before he used all his strength to push Ace away. Ace was taken by surprise of how strong Zoro really was as he slid back a few feet.
Zoro crossed his arms again, and Ace rolled his eyes. Didn't this guy know any other moves? Ace got in a ready position.
"Three swords style: Oni-" Zoro ran forward, and Ace jumped to the side. All of Zoro's attacks missed. Ace swung at Zoro's exposed back. Zoro didn't react in time, and was pushed to the ground.
"Heh! Is that the best you got?!" Ace taunted.
Zoro quickly got to his feet and attacked Ace, who blocked the attack. Zoro kept swinging his weapons at Ace in a desperate attempt to land a hit on the freckled boy. Ace decided that he had enough, and swung his pipe with enough force to send Zoro sprawling on the floor. Ace was immediately on top of him. Zoro tried to attack while on the ground, but Ace hit Zoro's pipes hard enough to send them flying across the arena. Zoro narrowed his eyes at Ace.
"I win, again." Ace said, and let Zoro up.
"I want another rematch." Zoro said.
"What? Now?" Ace asked. Was this guy really so desperate to get his butt kicked?
"No. Right before you leave this island. I need to be stronger if I want to beat you." Zoro said.
"Very well." Ace smirked, and grabbed Sabo and Luffy's pipes.
"It's okay, Zoro! I can't beat Ace, either!" Luffy said as he approached the green haired kid, who only looked at him with an unreadable expression.
"You can't, huh?" Zoro said in an unsurprised tone.
"Nope! But I'm getting stronger every day, and I'll beat him one of these days when I become Pirate King!" Luffy said with a big smile, and Zoro's eyes widened slightly.
"C'mon, Luffy. Let's go catch some lunch." Sabo called, as Ace handed him his pipe.
"Yeah! Food!" Luffy cheered, and ran toward his brothers. Zoro's eyes never once leaving his little brother. Ace eyed Zoro suspiciously. Just what did he want with his little brother?
"Let's go, Ace! I'm starving!" Luffy said ad grabbed his pipe. Ace looked down at his straw hatted brother.
"When are you not hungry?" Ace asked, and took the lead.
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, and followed behind.
They left the dojo, and started to make their way back to the forest. Marco and Thatch had offered to pay for a room for the three brothers, but Ace knew better than to trust those two. Instead, he and his brothers stayed in the forest. The forests back home were a lot more dangerous than anything this forest could offer. If anything, it was a peaceful home away from home.
"Do you think there are alligators here?" Luffy asked.
"We'll have to do a bit more exploring before we know for sure, Luffy." Sabo said.
"I hope we find one." Luffy started to drool at the thought of eating gators again, and Ace silently agreed. They all missed the sweet taste of gator meat.
"We also need to start gathering enough food to last us another long journey." Sabo said.
"Where are we going next?" Ace asked.
"Gecko Island, and that's a good two weeks' worth of sailing." Sabo said, and Ace inwardly groaned at the thought of sailing that long with the Whitebeard pirates. He just knew they would follow them again, and Ace was sick and tired of it. The only bright side is that they seemed to leave him and his brothers alone while they were on an island. If only there was some way to give them the slip.
Ace stopped, and smirked to himself. He just got a brilliant idea. An idea that would surely rid them of the Whitebeard pirates for good.
"What's wrong, Ace? How come we stopped?" Luffy asked.
"Oh no. I recognize that look. What are you planning?" Sabo asked while pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I just got a great idea for getting rid of Thatch and Marco." Ace said while his devious smile grew.
"But I like Thatch and that other guy!" Luffy pouted.
"Him name is Marco, Lu." Sabo said.
"Yeah, him!" Luffy said, and Ace faced his naïve brother.
"You want to have awesome adventures, right?" Ace asked.
"Yeah." Luffy nodded.
"Well, we can't have proper adventures until we lose those two." Ace explained.
"But Thatch makes good food!" Luffy continued to pout.
"You want to be King of the Pirates, right? Well you can't become king until you learn to sail on your own, and you can't do that until we're rid of the Whitebeard Pirates." Ace said, starting to lose his patience. Luffy's expression changed from pouty to panicked.
"But I have to become King of the Pirates! I promised Shanks!" Luffy shouted.
"Then help us lose them." Ace said, and Luffy nodded vigorously.
"What do you have in mind?" Sabo asked.
Ace smiled and said, "Okay, here's the plan…"
XxXxXxXxX
"Man, I can't believe we missed it." Thatch said with his hands behind his head.
"Well, to be fair, I don't think Ace would want us there to watch his match with Zoro." Marco said.
"Yeah, but it'd have been a fun match to watch." Thatch pouted.
They walked toward the docks in silence. Marco had heard about the match from Zoro, and Thatch wanted to watch. If anything, it would be nice to give the brat moral support. But they had gotten the time wrong, and they had missed the whole thing. Koshiro said that they would have one last rematch right before they left the island, so Thatch would make sure he got to see this match.
They approached the docks, and Thatch noticed that something was off. It took a few seconds to realize that the brats' boat was missing. Thatch would've gone into panic mode had he not sensed the three of them behind a bush not too far from the shore. He and Marco shared a glance, and walked toward the bush.
"They know we're here!" came Luffy's hushed voice.
"Shut up! No they don't!" Ace said and the sound of a fist hitting a rubber skull was heard.
"Yeah, we do." Marco said, and the three brats jumped in surprise.
"How did you know?!" Ace yelled with his usual glare.
"Do you really think you can trick seasoned pirates with a small trick like that?" Thatch asked as he crossed his arms.
"I had a feeling that it wasn't going to work." Sabo said, standing up.
"But you guys had to fall for it! I can't become Pirate King until I learn to sail on my own!" Luffy yelled as he, too, stood up.
"Aren't you sailing with your brothers, though?" Marco asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah." Luffy nodded.
"So you wouldn't be sailing on your own then, even if we did fall for your trick." Marco explained.
"Oh! Okay!" Luffy smiled.
"Why can't you just leave us alone?!" Ace yelled.
"Yeah, like we're going to leave three kids, who barely know anything about sailing, to sail the seas all on their own." Thatch said sarcastically, and Ace glared at him.
Sabo sighed and said, "C'mon, Ace. We'd better put the boat back."
Ace stared at the two Whitebeard pirates for several second before following Sabo. Luffy smiled up at them, and trailed behind Ace. After a few seconds the sound of a boat being pushed across the ground reached their ears. The boat soon appeared out of the foliage as the trio pushed the boat across the shore and into the water. Sabo helped Luffy into the boat before the sea could affect him, and the other two climbed in.
"It wasn't a bad idea. They would've gotten away with it if we didn't have Observation Haki." Marco said, and Thatch nodded in agreement.
They watched the brats use their pipes as oars, and paddled back to their spot at the docks. Once they got there, they tied up the boat and started to walk back toward the forest. Thatch couldn't help but wonder if this would be the last time they tried to lose him and Marco.
XxXxXxXxX
"Do you think he got lost again?" Sabo asked from his spot on the boat.
"Probably. He is an idiot, after all." Ace said, as he stood on the dock, waiting for Zoro to show up.
"He also has to agree to join my crew." Luffy said.
They had been on the island for five days, and now it was time to set sail. They had gathered all the food they needed for their trip to Gecko Island, and were ready to leave. The only thing holding them up was Zoro. He still had to join Luffy's crew.
Luffy had been persistent. Every time they saw Zoro, he would run up to him and demand that he joined his crew, but Zoro always declined. If he didn't agree before they left, then he would just have to try again in ten years. He really wanted Zoro to be his swordsman and first mate, and he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"There they are!" Sabo yelled, and Luffy turned to face the village. Zoro and the guy with the glasses were walking towards them.
"Hi, Zoro! Are you ready to join my crew?!" Luffy called out with a smile, but Zoro merely ignored him.
"It's about time! I thought you had gotten lost again." Ace said, and Zoro frowned.
"What are you talking about? I don't get lost." Zoro said, and everyone just stared at him.
"Yeah, you do! You led Luffy in circles the first day we were here!" Ace yelled after a few seconds.
"It's not my fault the trees kept moving!" Zoro yelled back.
"Now, now. Let's just get this duel over with." The glasses guy said patiently.
"Yeah, yeah. Can I borrow your pipes again?" Zoro asked, turning to Luffy and Sabo. Luffy and Sabo handed their pipes to Zoro. He put the real sword in his mouth, and did a few practice swings to get used to them again. He then turned to Ace, letting them know he was ready.
"Begin." Glasses guy said.
They ran at each other, and attacked mercilessly. Zoro's swings were faster and stronger than they were a few days ago, but he was still no match for Ace. Ace blocked each attack effortlessly. They continued this pattern for a few seconds before Ace pushed Zoro back with a solid swing. Zoro slid back a several feet. Ace dashed forward and attacked, but Zoro dodged to the side. Ace had left himself open, and Zoro took that opportunity. He hit Ace pretty hard on his side, which sent Ace to the ground.
Ace got up immediately, and attacked again. Zoro dodged again, but Ace was ready for him this time. He blocked Zoro's attack, and the two jumped back to reanalyze their opponent. After a few seconds, Zoro crossed his arms.
"Three sword style: Oni-" Zoro ran forward, a lot faster than he did the last several times he tried the move. Ace was barely able to block in time, and the force pushed him back.
"Giri!" Zoro said, and Ace quickly recovered.
"Do you know any other moves?" Ace asked, and swung forward, and Zoro blocked the attack. They swung at each other several times before Ace hit hard enough to send Zoro over the dock, and into the water.
"Zoro was pushed out of the perimeter. Ace wins." Koshiro said, ending the match.
"Way to go, Ace!" Sabo cheered.
"He was faster than I expected." Ace said, and watched as Zoro climbed back onto the dock. Zoro walked toward Sabo and Luffy, and handed them their pipes.
He stared a Luffy for a few seconds and said, "Luffy, my dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman. That dream comes first before anything else. It doesn't matter to me if I fulfill that dream inside or outside the law. I plan on sailing out in about eight years. I will not wait for you. However, if you can find me, and prove your strength, I'd be happy to call you my captain."
Luffy blinked a few times, before a smile spread across his face.
"I look forward to it!" Luffy said, and Zoro walked away. Ace walked over to them, and they set sail.
"I don't know how you did it, Luffy, but you managed to almost secure another crew member before you even sail out on your own." Sabo said.
"Yup! I just need to get a lot stronger!" Luffy smiled.
"You'll have to do a lot of training if you want to pass his level of strength in ten years." Thatch said, as their ship sailed up next to them. Ace growled something under his breath, and glared up at the two grown pirates.
"Yeah!" Luffy cheered.
Luffy didn't mind how much training he'd have to do to become stronger. He would do it, and Zoro would become part of his crew. He would make sure of it.