Welcome, friends!

Well, I promise no more fast updates, sorry! I have lots of ideas, but no time :(

Thank you very much for another review, Otaku-chan! I checked this side, the chapter is up, I hope you can see it fine on your phone now :D

I have noticed that a lot of OCs in AcexOC stories kind of lose themselves and have Ace as a necessary person to their existence. I will not do that. Ran is her own person. She will have adventures on her own, with other people. Though, I must warn you, I love OCs… they sort of pop up a lot in my stories, sorry xD

So, onto the chapter!

Chapter 6: Terca Na Tišinu - Silente

Ran hadn't found anything of interest to Ace and Whitebeard Pirates yet. She sighed, looking over her list of customers once again. Only a couple left. She could go there tomorrow. Ran had bought all the necessary items for her next delivery. She had put them in one of the bubbles and tied a string to the bags. She was set for a while. The sun was down, but it wasn't that late and she was near the meeting place that she had drawn on Ace's hand.

She still had more time, though. Ran decided to pay her UFO fees before meeting the pirate. The UFO was mostly made up of Marine vessels in experimental stages and an occasional well-built aircraft. Needless to say, the fell built machines were mostly the work of people who came from Sky Islands. Their ancestors had brought the impressive technology from the Moon. True, most of it was lost, but some stayed active even to this day. Ran had grown up on a small Sky Island that used a lot of the lost technology. The whole city had been built like a giant steampunk mechanism, three smaller clouds, the suburbs, pulling the contraption into the desired direction. It was told that the city itself had a heartbeat. Ran had thought that they meant the metal gears and fires that took hundreds of people to manage, but she had been wrong. Sometimes, at night, she could swear that she heard the city sighing softly.

Ranmao was privileged. She grew up on the main cloud, in the outer ring of the city. She had learned to fly her own glider at an early age, like most of her friends. But, back then, she wasn't free. Without even knowing, she had been chained to that metal island. She had been just a gear in the giant system. Her wings had been broken. But, she managed to heal. She flew away. And she had never stopped flying since.

Ran stopped in front of the bank. She waited in line for a little while and soon it was her turn. The girl put some of Whitebeard's money on the counter, saying that it was for the UFO under her name. The woman behind the desk accepted Ran's membership card and told her to wait. The UFO took only a small bit of money monthly, almost like a guild. Paying meant that you had permission to fly. Ran was legally allowed to soar in the skies. The few gold coins were a small price to pay for that freedom. The woman behind the desk gave her the card back and smiled, wishing her a good day. Ran left, storing her identification safely into its pouch. She looked up and took a deep breath. She could smell the night. It was time to meet up with Ace.

~~~~pb~~~~

The young pirate found the Tattoo parlor easily enough. He entered and saw the tattoo artist right away. Leo had told him so much about this guy. Ace walked forward towards the bald man through the empty shop. He turned left and right, looking in wonder. Art was everywhere. The bald artist had spray painted the whole house from the inside. The neon lights gave off a bluish light, making the various designs seem alive.

"Welcome." The artist drew attention to himself. He was tall and muscular, slender, but strong looking. The man was wearing only short pants. However, it looked like he had a long sleeved shirt on. There were designs all over his skin. He also had a couple of piercings.

"Leo sent me here." The bald man furrowed his eyebrows. "Leo from the Whitebeard Pirates. About this tall." Ace showed with his hand. Leo was a bit taller than himself. "Blonde hair." Ace continued his show and tell. The bald man looked a mix of angry and confused. "Ridiculous long ponytail. Very polite?" The young pirate ended with a question. The bald man looked pissed for a few more seconds, but then a grin appeared on his face.

"I'm Gator. Let's get some proper art on you, kid."

Ace smirked. He liked this guy already.

~~~~pb~~~~

Ran had been waiting for a while. Then, she got annoyed. She remembered that Ace had said how he wanted to get his tattoo done on Sabaody. Something about Leo's Alligator artist being reliable. She frowned, trying to recall the grove number. The pilot had stored her purchases into the Sparrow already, so she just needed her pirate companion. Jumping onto the glider, she stepped on the paddle and a burst of air propelled her upwards.

Ran flew through the trees skillfully. There were quite a few people riding bubble bikes in the air. They either greeted her with a smile or yelled about her preferred way of travel. Either way, she didn't care. The pilot descended and stopped in front of a bubble bike store. These guys usually knew everything. Ran jumped off the Sparrow and ran up to the vendor.

"Hey, Ossan!" The girl got his attention. The woman waiting in line didn't look too happy. Then again, she had three kids running all around her.

"Wait in line!" The woman complained. Ran threw her an apologetic smile.

"Do you know where the Alligator tattoo parlor is?" The pilot asked.

"Grove 15, little lady. But, you shouldn't go there. It's dangerous! Hey!" The man yelled after her, but Ran was already flying up.

"Thanks!" She yelled to the vendor over the gleeful cheering of the angry women's children.

~~~~pb~~~~

Ace lay on his stomach, torso bare. He was almost asleep, listening to the buzzing of the tattoo needle. The pain was strange, but he got used to it fast. He had decided in a split second to literally take Pop's mark onto his back. He had told the tattooed man to put the original, purple mark from his memory straight onto Ace's back. Gator had laughed and shown him to the leather bed. The artist had then given him a pair kairoseki handcuffs. Ace had, of course, already seen himself getting tricked and arrested. He had jumped into a defensive position but Gator had grabbed his hand and shoved the handcuffs into it. 'Just hold that.' The artist had told him, smiling. 'You're a Logia, right, Fire Fist?' After a nod from a very confused Ace, Gator had retorted with 'You aren't my first Logia, kid. Lay down.'

And that is how Ace ended up, lying on his stomach, almost asleep. Gator had taken a picture of Whitebeard's flag seemingly out of nowhere and was slowly making the contours on the young man's back. Ace had to say, the artist had a light hand. Sure, the raven had already had one tattoo done, but it was much more painful compared to this one. Gator broke the skin gently and then pushed the pigment in with soft motions. Ace was very impressed.

"Kid, who did this?" The artist asked.

"Mmm?" Ace couldn't really see what the man was looking at.

"The tattoo on your shoulder. Who did it?" Ace felt the man pulling the skin on his arm a bit to get a better look at the work.

"A tattoo artist from the East Blue. I got it about a year ago." Ace tried to look at the artist, but gave up. "Why?"

"Sorry kid, but that's amateur work." Gator paused for a second, wiping the blood away from the skin. "What happened here? A mistake?" Ace felt the artist brush his fingers over the crossed out 'S'.

"No. That's in honor of his brother. His brother's pirate flag." Ran spoke from the direction of the door. Wait. Ran?! Ace jumped up, forgetting about both the needle on his back and the narrowness of the leather bed. He whirled around from his new position on the floor to look at the pilot. She was leaning on the doorway, arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "You forgot?" She remarked.

"Shit." Was all Ace said. It explained everything perfectly. Gator helped the young pirate back onto the leather bed, laughing. The raven was lucky that the artist had moved fast enough. Otherwise, there would've been a very interesting addition to the Whitebeard's mark. "Ran, I-" Ace began, but Ran raised her hand to stop him.

"It's all good." She pushed away from the doorway and sat near Ace's head. "I found you, so it doesn't matter."

"Stay still, kid." Gator pushed Ace's back down. "Your girlfriend is here now, so she can hold your hand." Ran snorted, trying to stifle her laughter. Ace frowned.

"I'm not his girlfriend. I'm unattached, love." She smirked at the tattooed man. The artist returned the smile. Ace watched the interaction, intrigued. "Don't worry, Ace, though. I'll hold your hand, attached or not." The pirate gave her an annoyed look while she laughed with the tattoo artist.

"Really? You're gonna flirt in front of me, you M woman? And joke at my expense, too?" The raven joked. "For real?" This caused the trio to laugh together.

"I'm Ran, by the way." The pilot introduced herself to the artist. He wiped his hand from ink and shook hers.

"Like Ran the Migratory Bird? That Sparrow delivery?" Gator said, sitting back down. He continued his work on Ace's back.

"That's me." The pilot laughed.

"I see. Maybe I'll give you a job sometime then." Gator explained. "I'm Gator. It's short for Alligator." The artist gave her a quick smile. Ran nodded.

"It's good." The tattoo artist said after a while of working in silence. The two teens exchanged confused looks. "Getting a tattoo for that reason. To keep a memory. To keep someone alive." Ran noted the way Ace's eyes glazed over. He had gone somewhere. He had gone back in time.

"Yeah." The pirate murmured. For a few moments the only sound in the room was the soft buzzing of Gator's needle. "How long will it take for you to finish the tattoo?" Ace suddenly asked.

"Hmmm…" Gator didn't really reply. "Certainly not tonight." He told the two. "Your skin needs to rest."

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Gator had thrown Ace and Ran out, after many shots of tequila, to close his shop. Ran had politely declined the drinks, but Ace, being himself, couldn't resist. The artist and the pirate had drunk quite a few shots. The tattooed man had then wrapped up Ace's back and given him instructions on how to care for his developing tattoo. The pirate was supposed to come back tomorrow, bright and early, for the next part of the design. Gator had also allowed Ran to leave the Sparrow behind his shop. He said that the glider would be safe there. The pilot had thanked him numerous times. She always had a problem with where to leave her vessel on the Archipelago.

Ace swayed and snickered as he and Ran searched for a nice hotel. The pilot had insisted on sleeping in a real bed this time. The raven had, nicely buzzed, agreed to everything. He reminded the girl of Leo a bit, all sloshed like that. This, however, left Ran slightly supporting him as he talked away. She soon located the hotel that she knew and pulled the pirate in. The receptionist gave them a once over.

"There are Love Hotels on the groves with lower numbers." The sharply dressed man told the duo with distaste. This caused Ace to burst into drunken laughter. Ran rolled her eyes and placed a few gold coins onto the counter.

"If you call your manager, she will tell you that I stay here often." The pilot told the surprised man icily. She didn't like being mistaken for a whore. "I would like the Sky suite for the night."

"Y-yes, ma'am!" The suddenly polite receptionist exclaimed. "I will get your key right away!"

"Yeah, you better do that." Ace decided that this was a good time for his drunken interruption. "My girl here and I need a good room with a soft bed for the night." Ran sighed. Obviously the poor pirate's filter had vanished under the influence of tequila. She made a mental note to remove the drink from his immediate vicinity next time. It was only hilarious when she was in a similar state, after all. The receptionist had a shocked look on his face. Either he was surprised at Ace's unconscious confirmation of his previous suspicions or he had figured out who the young pirate was. This hotel was an expensive and luxurious one, after all. Not many pirates stayed here.

Ran thanked the man under her breath and took the keys. She headed towards the bubble elevator. The mechanism took them all the way to the top, to the Sky suite. It was probably one of the most expensive ones, but it was worth it inn Ran's opinion. Not only did it have a separate bathroom, but said bathroom also had running water, curtsy of one of the Sky Islands. They had sold the technology to the hotel for a high price and they did repairs on it regularly, too. The beds were heavenly, also. The pilot had felt like she was sleeping back home, on a cloud, when she stayed there the first time. Ran didn't stop on islands like Sabaody a lot, but when she did, she liked to spoil herself. Living a lifestyle like hers, she could afford it from time to time.

The pilot unlocked their room and dragged the, now asleep, pirate inside. She dropped his lax body onto the large bed and sighed. Ace snored on innocently, dead to the world. Ran smiled slightly at the snot bubble that was moving with his breathing. Gross, she thought, snickering. She would miss the young pirate. She was leaving tomorrow after all.

Ran took the chopsticks out of her hair and undid her belts, dropping them onto the nightstand, along with her goggles. She popped one of the pills for her wrist into her mouth and swallowed. She took off her boots and her socks and left them randomly on the floor. Then she rolled Ace onto his stomach, to make it easier for his irritated skin to heal. She took off his shoes and socks and tossed them behind her. Damn. Men needed to work in their hygiene. At least pirates took a dip in the ocean often. Ran's mind flashed back to her adventure of fishing Ace out of the sea. She flinched. Maybe not.

Ace was still snoring softly on the bed. Ran zeroed in on the orange cowboy hat. She liked it. Even though it was ridiculously bright. She removed it from Ace's back and carefully untangled the string from around his neck. Ran then flipped the hat around. Curious. The smiley faces were cute. She put the hat on her head. It was big. Ran giggled. What the hell was she doing? She placed the hat on the nightstand over her stuff and plopped down next to Ace. Soon, Ran was out like a light.

~~~~pb~~~~

Ace woke up because the sun was hitting his face. It was very persistent. He cracked one eye, taking in his surroundings slowly. It was strange for him to sleep through the night. The doc had told him that if he wanted to fix his narcolepsy he should have a fixed sleeping routine. Ace completely failed at it. He was used to falling asleep and waking up randomly. He wasn't used to waking up because the sun was hitting his face. Then again, he felt like he was lying on a cloud.

Ace opened his eyes further, blinking a few times to focus. What he saw was unexpected. Had he given into his pent up sexual frustration under the influence of tequila last night? Glancing down, he saw that they were both clothed. Good. The pirate focused back on his bedmate. Her arms were around his middle, her legs clinging to him, too. She obviously liked the heat he gave off. Her body was always cold.

Ran opened her mouth, murmuring something. This made Ace focus on her lips. He didn't consider himself a pervert. Nor a womanizer. But you try waking up to a sleeping woman. Besides, the pilot was usually moving around a lot. He didn't get a chance to take in her features carefully. Now, he could see her long, dark eyelashes gently fluttering on her cheeks. Her lips were full, a small smile stretching them. She was tan from all the flying. He could see the line where her goggles usually were. Her eyes were blue. Wait, blue?

"Morning." Ran whispered. Ace could feel it set his head off. Damn hangover. Ran snickered. Then she did something unusual. She bent forwards and kissed his cheek gently. Ace felt himself blush.

"What was that for?" He asked, pulling away from her. The pounding in his head lessened gradually.

"Nothing much." Ran had untangled herself from him and was on her way to the adjoining room. "I call dibs!" She yelled from behind the bathroom door.

Ace lay on the bed for a while. He could hear water rushing in the bathroom. He wasn't sure what to think. He liked Ran, that was sure, but the girl was very confusing. Then again, Ace didn't have many girl friends. He was used to being a pirate, having an adventure, getting into trouble, stuff like that. Besides, growing up with Luffy and Sabo didn't really help his interaction with the opposite gender. He knew that girls were strange. They never knew what they wanted. But, Ran, she was weird. She was off somehow. And he liked that.

She was bold. He wasn't used to women being bold. Civilian women were soft and gentle and shy. Not bold and loud. Women didn't joke at his expense. They didn't banter and throw insults. They weren't Ran. He had seen the pilot have her girly moments. He had seen her shriek, be worried, blush and fangirl over things. Maybe he just wasn't used to a free woman. Ran knew that she had a choice and she made it on her own. She was determined.

Ace decided that he could, and would, trust this woman. Hell, he already did. He was, after all, looking for a life without regrets. He was looking for freedom. And who better to understand that, beside his family, than a Migratory Bird?

Ace stood, ignoring the slight twinge of the fresh tattoo on his back. He took a moment to look around the room. It was round, like most buildings on Sabaody and there were large windows on the opposite side of the door. It was decorated like some kind of a sky room. Everything was cloud themed. The bed, the three soft chairs and the small table in between them, the nightstands on each side of the bed, the curtains. There were pictures of birds and high towers on the walls. The pirate located his shoes, socks and hat. He got dressed and decided not to wait for Ran. The girl seemed to be acting strange. He should give her some space. She was used to being alone on her trips, after all.

"I'm heading to Gator's place!" Ace yelled in the direction of the bathroom and left.

~~~~pb~~~~

Ran got out of the shower. She dried herself with a towel and put her clothes back on. The pilot then wrapped her hair in a turban. She sighed. The pilot had a problem. She didn't want to leave. She enjoyed travelling with Ace. Sure, he was very annoying and distracting, but he was also fun. She liked talking to someone during the long flights. She also liked Ace's impulsive behavior. He wasn't one to think twice about the danger. He was reckless and fiery and amusing. But she needed to leave. Soon.

Ran exited the bathroom. The pirate was gone. Probably went to get his tattoo finished. She but her belts, socks and shoes back on. Ran automatically checked all the pouches and keys. She had a habit of seeing if they are in their place. She towel dried her hair and pulled it up with chopsticks. It would be pretty and wavy later. She smiled and left the room, locking it behind her.

"I'm checking out." She placed the keys on the reception desk. "Bye." She waved a bit at the receptionist from last night and walked out of the hotel, grinning. She had made a decision.

~~~~pb~~~~

Gator finished Ace's tattoo in record time. He smiled at his handiwork and looked at the kid. The pirate was asleep. The artist snickered and treated the tattoo properly, putting a bandage over it in the end. It was a good tattoo. Huge. Then again, the kid had come, without any ideas of how he wanted the tattoo done, just that he wanted it on his back. With everything up to him, Gator made it a masterpiece. He was proud of it.

He looked at the sleeping kid once again. He remembered the first article he had read about the teenager. The artist was amazed at the damage the pirate had done. Seriously, who levels an entire town by accident? Gator had started looking forward to more mischief that the young pirate would cause. He even paid for the newspaper delivery. Those birds were getting ridiculously expensive these days. Gator had to admit, he still had the first wanted poster taped on his wall. Somewhere under all the graffiti, that is.

When Leo had come for his new tattoo a few months back Gator had told the curious pirate all about the rookie. Needless to say, that influenced Leo's decision to mentor the addition to the crew. Gator was glad that Ace had joined the Whitebeard Pirates. Gator had a lot of pirate customers come for tattoos. Out of all those, he liked only few of them, Whitebeard included. They were polite. Well, as polite as pirates could get. And they paid. Which was also rare for pirates.

"Was I asleep for long?" Gator saw the young man rise from his bed. The pirate looked dazed.

"Not too long, kid." Gator sat down. Ace nodded. "I finished your stuff. I must say, that's some of my best work on your back. Want to take a look?"

"Yes, please!" Gator stood to get a mirror, a bit surprised at how polite Ace was. When he came back, the excited pirate was already taking the bandages off of his back. Gator smiled. He liked this kid even better in person. The newspaper, of course, only gives you bits and pieces.

"Here you go. Stand there." He positioned Ace between two mirrors. "There, look." The pirate could see the reflection of his tattoo through the mirrors. It was amazing. Ace felt a grin make its way onto his face. The purple face and crossed bones with a signature mustache stretched all the way down his back. He absolutely loved it. "On the upside, if your narcolepsy gets you unexpectedly, no one will dare mug you."

Ace turned to Gator with a huge smile on his face. He gave the artist a fine, ninety degree angle bow. When the pirate rose back up, Gator was grinning. "I like you, kid. Why don't you sign my wanted poster?" Ace seemed surprised at the request. "What? No one's asked you before?"

"No." The pirate answered, blushing slightly.

"Great. Then I'll be your first. Give me a second. I have that new poster somewhere. You wrap that thing back up while I search." With that the bald man left with a giant smile on his face. Ace put the protection back on his new body art. Gator truly was amazing. He was glad that he had taken Leo's advice. The man came back in a few and handed him a wanted poster and a pen. Fire Fist Ace it said. The pirate smiled and signed his wanted poster. He laughed as Gator put it up on the painted wall next to some other signed posters.

Ace suddenly had an idea. "Hey, Gator, do you know anything about the Torentes?" The tattoo artist gave him a long look.

"There's been some trouble there. But I don't know much." The artist replied. He saw disappointment on Ace's face. "But you should go to Shakky's Rip-off Bar on grove 13. Tell her that Alligator sent you."

"Thanks!" The pirate exclaimed. "How much for the tattoo, Gator?" Ace shivered when the artist got an evil glint in his eye.

~~~~pb~~~~

"Stop laughing!" Ace complained. Ran was laughing her ass off at him. Gator had charged him a lot for the tattoo. The man loved his work. He was a pro, so Ace understood. The pilot, though, found it hilarious. She had come into the parlor just in time to see the pirate emptying his pockets. Gator had, then, tried to convince Ran to get her own tattoo. The debate continued for a while. The girl was adamant that she needed a good reason to put a permanent thing onto her skin.

"Sorry, your face, tough!" Ran wiped a tear away. "I'll stop now." She snickered again. Ace glared at her. "You really didn't want to give him all that money! Hahahahaha!" And she started laughing again. Ace punched her shoulder lightly. They had left the Gator's parlor a while ago. Ace had picked up his bag from the Sparrow's storage and now they were on their way to the Shakky's Rip-off Bar.

Grove 13 was close to where they were, so the walk was rather short. The duo climbed the stairs, chatting comfortably. Neither of them was mentioning the slight tension from that morning. Ran had put it behind her, and Ace wasn't really sure what to think of it. Both were content to forget it and have fun while they were still together.

Ace pushed the door to the establishment open and the two friends entered.

That's all for today!

I was toying with the idea of Ace meeting Rayleigh and decided to put a spin in the story. I think that Ray-san would like to meet the son of his former Captain. Besides, I don't think that there's any mention of the two meeting or not meeting, but if there is, sorry, but I'm going to freestyle the next chapter.