Welcome back, ladies and gents!
I had no idea that this story was going to get so much attention xD This is so weird… Anyways, another fast update… Wren's and Otaku's fault, I swear… Reviews make me go hyper xD
Otaku-chan, welcome back, love, I was getting a bit worried! I hope you're all good now, enjoy :)
Chapter 16: Rising Tide – Beats Antique (I adore this band *_*)
Ran wandered around Theobroma Cacao. She got some weird looks, since she was wearing her tight, white pilot suit. Her boots were white, too, with black clasps. There was some mud left on them. But, other than that, she probably looked like some kind of an alien to the citizens. She wandered into a clothes shop. Better blend in.
The pilot browsed through the stacks of clothing. She chose a pair of jean shorts and a colorful tank top. The girl changed into them and paid on her way out. Her pouches looked good on the new shorts. Happy with the quick solution to the uncomfortable stares, Ran folded her suit into a noodle-like bundle and tied it around her waist, too. She felt better with her gloved hands free. Ran shook out her hair and tied it up with her chopsticks. It felt good to hear the familiar jingling of the small bells on the ends as she walked.
Theobroma Cacao was an adorable island in Ran's opinion. She had been contacted a few years ago for a job by a doctor that lived here. There had been a virus epidemic and he had needed someone to quickly deliver medicine to him. Somehow, he got a hold of Ran's number and she accepted the job. She ended up helping him save a lot of citizens, making them fairly grateful to her. Even now, she frequently visited the island. She enjoyed their laid back view on life. And, of course, all the chocolate.
The island had been named after all the cocoa trees around the island. Hence, chocolate products were their specialty. Ran had gotten addicted to the island on her first visit, and she kept coming back. The girl followed the road uphill, looking at all the colorful stores. They had left the rain behind on Septimo and Octavo, here, the weather was beautiful and she was going to enjoy it fully. The scent of rain was still heavy in the air, though, mixing with the intoxicating smell of cooking chocolate. Ran was in heaven.
She noticed a store that mailed special chocolate. This one was painted in pure red, like the color of a sexy lipstick, the symbolic color of love. It was usually used to send chocolate on the so called Valentine's Day, the one when lovers gave sweets to their significant others. The store looked out of business on everyday not close to that day. Ran stopped. She had sent Izo a letter from Arcadia, along with a small souvenir. Maybe she should send Ace something? She considered herself close to him. She also wanted to make her intentions clear to the raven haired pirate. Would this be too forward? She stood outside of the shop for a while, fighting with herself, until she saw these colorful round chocolates in the window of the shop opposite of the red one. She broke, going into the vibrant store.
"Welcome!" The plump man behind the counter greeted the young pilot after the bell on the door jingled, announcing her entrance. Ran gave him a small, polite smile.
"I would like those chocolates, the round colorful ones. Like in the window, please." She stumbled over her words, red faced. This wasn't something that she did every day. The man nodded and turned around. He rummaged through the many decorated bags that rustled softly.
"Do you have any flavor preferences, miss?" The man asked, turning to her. Ran stopped, her mouth slightly open. She didn't know what Ace preferred. She had no idea what kind of sweets he liked. Ran brushed the loose strands of her hair back behind her ears nervously. She was stupid to do this. She should've just left it alone. It's not like she is a member of the Whitebeard Pirates anyways. Ace was probably going to prefer someone less lonely, less independent, closer. Someone not her. She frowned. Ran could feel a prickling sensation behind her eyes. No. She pushed it back. She wasn't going to cry like some love-sick girl. She would be turning twenty soon. And she was no virgin in the heartbreak department.
"Miss?" The vendor caught her attention. "The flavor?" Ran raised her head suddenly. She would play. She was no coward. She would play. If she lost, she lost. Then, she would collect the broken pieces of her heart and try to move on. But she would play the goddarn game.
"What do you suggest?" The pilot asked. "It's a Valentine's gift." The vendor gave her a doubtful look.
"You're a couple of months too early, miss." He smiled at her gently, as if she had no idea what Valentine's was.
"I know. Humor me?" The teen said and leaned against the counter, looking over the interesting bags. The vendor laughed and chose one for her. It was red, orange and yellow, like a burning sunset. She smiled and nodded. It was perfect.
"This is one of the more popular ones, would you like to try one, miss?" Ran perked up at this. The plump man passed her a tray of sweets and pointed the one with tiny orange flakes in it. She took off her glove and popped the chocolate into her mouth. The taste exploded on her tongue. The chocolate was dark and rich and each orange flake crackled on her tongue and spread a bit of a sour flavor before going back to the sweet one. She moaned. This was heaven. "Hehehe~ Good isn't it?" The vendor asked, bringing Ran back to reality.
"This is exquisite!" Ran complimented. Her face was practically shining. "I'll take them!" The vendor nodded, still chuckling. He packed the chocolates in a bag and passed it to her.
"That will be 350 beli, please." Ran sighed at the price. The chocolate may be amazing, but it was expensive. She placed the money on the counter and took the bag of chocolates from him. "He's a lucky boy, miss!" The vendor yelled after the pilot. She heard the bell jingle as she closed the door with a smile on her face.
Next, she walked to the red store. It was a small building, with branch-like structures coming out of the walls. Each hosted two or three birds. Ran walked around, looking for the right one. There birds did a duty similar to News Coo, but they were exclusive to this island. They only carried chocolates and they got paid before they left, not upon delivery.
The pilot looked around, still not seeing the right bird. She saw one, sitting alone on a branch, head down. Ran walked over to the grayish animal. It ruffled its feathers and turned away from her when she came close.
"Hello there, honey." Ran addressed the aviator. "Aren't you a pretty little thing?" The bird ignored her. "You know, I have a friend that's a bird." The ill-tempered bird opened one eye and focused it on Ran. The girl pretended that she didn't notice. "He's a bit bigger than you, you know. We go everywhere together. He has beautiful, wide wings. And a strong beak. He can fly long distances, too. We like to go into storms together and do tricks there." The bird squawked and spread its wings, fluttering. "On our adventures, my Sparrow friend and I, we met this pirate, you know." Ran continued her story, the bird giving its full attention to her now. "I like him. I really do. I dream about him." She paused. "I want to send this to him, you know?" The bird squawked again and extended its wings, preparing for flight. Ran took out a couple of beli bills and put it in the bird's bag, along with the chocolates. She bent slightly to read the name of the carries. "Would you take these to that pirate, Azure? To Portgas D. Ace?" The bird flapped its wings and flew through a roof window with a cry.
Ran smiled and turned around. She quickly noticed green eyes trained on her. She jumped slightly, but quickly recovered. She searched for the other pair of emerald eyes. She didn't find them.
"I'm alone, you asshole." One of the twins, the less wounded one, spoke. Ran frowned at him.
"My name is Ranmao. You can call me Ran." She spoke to the boy icily. She didn't like the twins one bit. She didn't like Sita much either. It was a job, so she would do it, personal feelings aside.
"Who cares." The twin moved to leave the store, his posture tense. Even though the boy was walking in the front, Ran knew that he was keeping an eye on her with Kenbunshoku Haki. Ran glared at his back, but she followed him. He hadn't changed his clothes. He wasn't attracting a lot of attention, though. Without the black dust paint and the cap, he looked like a normal, clad in black boy. It was strange, how harmless he seemed, when mere hours ago, he had been chopping off heads.
"Not that way." Ran called out and the boy turned around, giving her an annoyed look. "I've been here before, alright? I know where to go." The twin sighed and crossed the small space between them. He stared up at the pilot, somehow still managing to look threatening.
"You are looking for a fucking doctor, aren't you, you jerk?" Ran raised an eyebrow at the kid. She was getting used to all the insults in their speech pattern.
"I know a doctor here." She replied, not really giving out information. The twin was still staring her down.
"Can we trust him?" The boy questioned. His tone was a little lighter. It seemed like he was warming up to her.
"Yes." The boy shrugged, breaking eye contact.
"Lead the way, fucker." Ran sighed, but obeyed, giving up on correcting the kid.
~~~~pb~~~~
It was a normal, lazy day for Ace. They had been docked for a while at the Winter Island, with no signs of departing soon. The raven was used to them stopping for only a day, at most. He was quickly getting annoyed by everyone wearing winter clothes and shivering all over. And, he was also getting annoyed at Thatch using him as a personal heater. The Commander had decided that Ace was a perfect little furnace to drag around and he had monopolized the fire Logia fast. Of course, he also pimped, errr rented, his friend to other crew members. The raven was getting annoyed by it quickly. He even started the whole prank war with the Commander again. He had found Thatch passed out from booze at one point and shaved off the man's goatee. He didn't forget to paint his face, either. It took a while for the pompadour to figure out why everyone was laughing. The fight was back on.
Marco had, surprisingly, caught a cold, which was ridiculous, considering his Devil Fruit abilities. He ended up in the medical wing, in doc's care, leaving Ace to train with Leo in his spare time. The raven had begged his pirate brother not to take it easy on him, and the blonde didn't. That was the moment when the raven finally realized what size the gap between him and his former mentor was. And it wasn't small. The blonde pirate was just a lazy fighter. He preferred to sip tea and read the newspaper like an old man.
"Ace!" The pirate in question raised his head a bit, eyes finding Leo. The blonde waved him over and Ace stood and then jumped onto the deck from the roof of the Captain's quarters. He gave his friend a smile. "You tired?" Leo asked.
"Not really. It's been a slow day." Ace replied, looking around the deck. There were pirates around, clearing the snow. The crew had begun replacing the charred planks on the deck with new ones. Ace felt a bit guilty that he had caused the damage, so he volunteered for the extra work.
"Let's find some space and train, then." The other pirate said and led the raven onto the docks. "You coming?" Ace nodded and caught up to the older pirate.
Leo didn't stop for a while. Or talk. Ace was starting to wonder if the man was mad at him for some reason, but dismissed it. Leo didn't get mad. It wasn't in his DNA. He got annoyed. Not mad. Ace watched his former mentor's cloak swish behind him for a while. It was hilarious actually. The blonde had a warm, feather jacket over his usual clothes. This caused his long coat to appear only from his butt down and look like some kind of a demented tail. This, of course, led to Ace imagining his friend with a big, colorful peacock tail. He snorted at the image, getting a weird look from Leo. Next the tail in his mental image opened, like a peacock's would and Ace snapped. He started laughing like a crazy person, holding onto his stomach, almost crying.
"Did you eat strange mushrooms again, Ace?" Leo asked, looking at his friend like he had finally gone off his rocker. The raven looked up, met Leo's eyes and then cracked up again. "Mushrooms tend to do that to you." The blonde waited for a reaction, but Ace just kept laughing. "Want me to help you with your problem?" He smirked, now. Ace shivered as a wave washed over him. A red 'Crap' sign flashed through his mind and he did what any endangered pirate would. He ran, yelling his head off. Leo's eyes glinted maliciously and he gave chase. "Stop! Ace!"
"No!" The raven yelled and ran in between people on the street. His pursuer followed him without problems. The crowd moved to let the duo pass.
"Why not?" Leo yelled.
"Because you're chasing me!" Ace turned slightly to be able to see his pursuer. "Who the heck stops when someone is chasing them?" Leo groaned and sped up. "Craaaaap!" Ace tried to speed up as much as he could. He quickly turned a corner and sprinted down an alley. He could hear Leo following. His tail was probably swishing behind him. Like a running peacock. Ace started laughing again.
"Ace! You better block this!" This was the raven's only warning before a Haki infused fist flew at him from behind. The pirate did a weird cooked-noodle-evade, his eyes popping in surprise.
"Are you insane?!" Ace yelled, preparing to give the blonde a handchop to the head. His hand connected with Leo's head and he yelped. It hurt like hell. Leo smirked, retracting Haki from his temple.
"Quite a lot." Oh yes he was. Ace could tell. His eyes widened at the incoming fist. Time to run.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran caught yet another current, staying close to sea level. It was strange, having passengers again. The trio were nothing like Ace. They didn't speak, not even to complain. The twins sometimes murmured to each other, but Ran didn't catch any of that. The wind was too strong and they weren't loud enough. Sita was quiet. She slept a lot. At some point, Ran tried to chain the woman to the glider, like she had done to the narcoleptic, only to meet Sita's alert eyes as soon as she tried. The woman was always on guard.
They had left Theobroma Cacao a few hours ago. Her friend, the doctor, had checked out her three strange companions. He had set the twin's arm and he had inspected the boys for other injuries. The other twin had some minor cuts and bruises and a bruised rib. He also had choke marks on his neck. A full set of fingerprints. The doctor had cleaned out Sita's would and confirmed Ran's suspicion. Those were the marks of torture. He had stitched the long cut and then applied medicine and bandaged it up. He had advised them to rest and given them pills to take. Sita wouldn't listen, though. She insisted that they leave the island the very next day, her life be damned. Ran didn't argue with that. The woman had been too adamant.
Ran looked at the woman in question. Sita was laying on the back of the Sparrow, sprawled out. She was holding onto the bars with her hands with an iron grip, unmovable. She looked almost serene. After she had washed herself, Ran had noticed the aristocratic high cheekbones and the soft features of her face. They clashed horribly with the cold, deadly look in her dark eyes. Which were thankfully closed right now. The woman scared the heck out of Ran. Then again, so did the twins. She took out the golden device that she usually used to locate Arcadia. Ran adjusted the small golden hand of the machine and bent forward to get it as close to the Eternal Pose as possible.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Sita spoke. Ran looked down. She had needed to bend over the woman to reach the Pose. The pilot sighed and gave in.
"This is the Magnet Watch. It was made on my home island. We use it to tune into certain magnetic waves. Like this." Ran adjusted her position so Sita could see the face of the device. "I point this hand at a certain picture, and then I tune into the magnetic wavelength." Sita's eyes were wide, taking in the words with curiosity. Almost like a child. "It can remember some wavelengths. For example, it remembers my home island's."
"And what the hell are you doing now? You already have a fucking Eternal Pose." Sita spoke as Ran returned to her previous position.
"Yes, I have an Eternal Pose for Elder Pinjao's home. However, I want to know how far we are and how many islands there are in between here and there." Sita nodded. She was silent for a while as Ran inspected the ticking device in her hand. She read the information and changed their course a bit.
"What the fuck?" Sita grabbed her leg in an iron grip, as if warning her. Ran swallowed her annoyance and explained.
"We should get some rest, no? And maybe a late lunch?" The grip on her leg lessened, but the hand stayed there. Ran gave up on reasoning with the paranoid woman. She allowed the contact, though. She enjoyed it. The twins murmured something from below, but Ran didn't catch it. The wind had picked up with the new current.
~~~~pb~~~~
"Hey, Ace!" One of the Whitebeard Pirates called the exhausted raven over. The pirate complied, stumbling towards the man. He had been training with Leo for the past few hours. It had been a real blast. That was a very sarcastic remark. The blonde had been a right demon. Ace was pretty sure that Marco had been very lenient towards his 'battle education'. Leo had been quite lazy too. Now that the blonde had put his teacup and newspaper down. Well. Better run. Or buckle up.
"Have you seen this?" The crewmember passed Ace a newspaper. "Read page number six." And with that, the man left. Ace opened the paper and searched for said page. 'Zodiac sighted' read the title. Ace frowned and started reading.
Zodiac sighted
A suspected member of the infamous organization, more commonly known as the Zodiacs, has been sighted leaving the island of Octavo, on the Grand Line, in the early hours of the morning of the 10th.
Witnesses say that the woman landed in an unregistered flyer on the island, in the heavy downpour, and kidnapped two children. The UFO denied any connections to the, suspected Zodiac, pilot. However, this wasn't enough for the bloodthirsty assassin. The woman obliterated ten people, and left their mangled bodies in her wake.
The strange flyer was seen leaving the island less than an hour after landing, the kidnapped children strapped to the bottom of it.
The World Government has answered the demands of the people of Octavo by putting the bounty of 10 000 000 beli on this pilot's head. A Wanted poster of the woman is enclosed with the other Wanted poster.
We invite everyone who has more information to contact us…
Ace stopped reading. Pilot? It couldn't be. He flipped to the middle of the newspaper, where the wanted posters were. Sure enough, there was one of Ran. He sighed and sat down. At least she looked hot. Ace inspected the poster again. Ran was on her glider, looking back over the shoulder, flying away. She was wearing a white, tight suit, and the raven couldn't help but groan. He remembered her bikini and shorts, but this was worse. This left nothing to the imagination, but didn't really show anything either. She had a new helmet, though, and her signature goggles were missing. The bulky, golden helmet didn't hide her long, slightly wavy hair that swished behind her like a chocolate cape. Ran's face was twisted in what looked like anger, but Ace knew better. It was her face of fear and worry. He had seen it one too many times when he had done reckless things. There was some blood on her face, too. The worst part of the picture, though, was that it was raining. The young pilot was completely wet. Ace groaned again and closed the newspaper. He couldn't look at the picture anymore.
Ace stood. He should find Izo and tell the Commander. He should tell Pops, too. The pilot wasn't a fighter. She would get caught easily now that she had a bounty on her head. Maybe Whitebeard could do something to help her? Would Pops even want to? Should he? Wasn't she an ally? He should.
Ace forgot his tired muscles and searched for Izo, asking random crewmembers about the pink Commander. Why was Ran suspected of being a Zodiac, though? Yes, he knew a bit about the assassin organization. He would be a fool to be oblivious. Kidnapping children was a thing that they did. But, Ran, a Zodiac? No way. She must've gotten mixed up in this mess somehow. Had he called her in the middle of that job? Oh Calypso, if he hadn't hung up, maybe he could've helped her earlier! Ace mussed up his hair and banished the thoughts. No. He would be optimistic. The girl was most likely safe. She knew how to take care of herself. She was fine. Would she be annoyed if he tried to help? More than likely. But, he would risk it.
"Izo!" Ace spotted his target. The Commander turned around, surprised at the visit. He put down the chart that he had been going over as Ace came closer.
"What's wrong, Ace?" The Commander noticed right away that the raven was upset. Ace didn't say anything, he just thrust the newspaper into Izo's arms.
"Page six." And the young pirate left for the deck. He was going to find Pops and talk to him about helping Ran.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ace found Whitebeard on the deck, in his usual chair, with his usual daily dosage of sake next to him. Marco was sitting near the old pirate, which was also a normal occurrence. However, Leo was there, too. Now that wasn't too normal. Ace approached, catching the snippets of their conversation.
"-do something?" Leo finished. Marco shook his head.
"Have you been in contact with her?" Whitebeard boomed. Ace crept closer, not really bothering to hide his presence.
"Izo has. I think Ace called her, too. I'm not sure how that went." Leo answered. Marco shrugged.
"I don't really know anything, yoi." The phoenix said. "I think Ran would call if she was in trouble, yoi."
"Are we going to help her?" Ace asked, joining the men. Whitebeard didn't say anything. He drank some sake. Ace turned to Marco. The first mate didn't meet his eye. The raven looked at Leo.
"We don't really know anything about the situation, Ace." The blonde said. "I don't know what we could do." Ace felt his anger spike. Ran was in trouble. She never chose sides. She was even paying the Government for a flying license for Calypso's sake. Ran a member of the Zodiacs? Impossible. The bounty had to be some kind of a mistake. She was probably being blackmailed into doing that job. She needed help.
"Isn't she our ally?" The raven spoke. His nails bit into his palms. He was shaking, but his voice was low and calm.
"Ace-" Marco began.
"Isn't she?" He looked to Whitebeard. Marco didn't speak this time. Neither did Leo. Whitebeard drank his sake calmly. "If that is how you treat your allies I wonder how you treat your sons?!" The pirate yelled. "Ran worked for us! She delivered to us and for us even though we are outlaws! And now, when she is in trouble, we aren't going to do anything?!" He was shouting now. The pirates on deck had stopped working and were looking at them, listening.
"Ace-" Leo tried this time, but the raven rounded on him next.
"Aren't you her friend?! Talking to me about family and allies! Telling me how we take care of our own! Mentoring me! And now? What now? You're just going to abandon her?" The young pirate's voice faded slowly.
"Ace!" Whitebeard boomed in warning. His aura spiked. Ace turned around, eyes furious. "We don't have enough information, son." Ace opened his mouth to yell again, but Whitebeard cut him off. "However, we are doing everything we can with what we currently have." Moments of silence passed. Ace looked to the ground.
"Sorry." He murmured. "I didn't mean all that."
"Gurararara!" The huge pirate laughed. Ace looked up in shock. "You did. You wouldn't be my son if you didn't. All is forgiven, there was no ill will in your words." Ace dropped down, his legs giving out.
"I will inform the Commanders of the meeting, yoi. Rakuyo will be back within days. We will wait for him, yoi." Marco gave Ace a gentle smile and then stood and left.
"Meeting?" The raven questioned. Leo nodded to him.
"Ran isn't a member of this crew, Ace. But, we want to help. We need to make a decision, so all the Commanders need to vote on the actions that we will take." Ace nodded.
"Why did they think that she is a Zodiac, though? And shouldn't her bounty be higher? Aren't the Zodiacs a big force?" The raven questioned.
"It's probably a cover up." Whitebeard spoke. "I don't doubt that Ran was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. A naïve girl like her, she would take a job without asking too many questions." Ace opened his mouth to speak, but the Captain continued. "The Navy has been working with the Zodiacs for a long time. Covering their aftermath with a scapegoat would be simple. No one will miss an unknown girl." The Captain sipped more sake.
"She's been discreet in her dealings with pirates, after all." Leo added. Ace jumped up.
"I'm going to call her." He looked to his Captain. Whitebeard nodded.
"Find out what is going on." Ace left the deck to find a quiet place to talk.
~~~~pb~~~~
They had landed a few hours ago. Sita insisted that they stay in an abandoned house and not in a hotel. She was so forceful that Ran gave in in the end. The twins were quick to unpack and help their companion to the makeshift bed. The two tried to re-dress her wound, but they weren't doing a good job. Ran got annoyed and shooed them away to get food. She cleaned the cut, applied the antibiotics and the salve and wrapped it back up.
Her hands brushed against Sita's pale skin as she worked, painfully aware of the dark eyes following her every single movement. Ran secured the bandage with a bit of medical tape and traced her fingers gently over the snowy material. She saw Sita's muscles move as she touched. A hand grabbed hers. The woman's hand was strong, calloused, no doubt from various kinds of martial arts. Ran would be a fool not to realize what these people were. Assassins. The way they moved, talked, were paranoid and genuinely immune to pain. Ran was naïve, not stupid.
The pilot relaxed her hand, allowing Sita to do what she wanted. The blonde woman traced Ran's fingers, almost gently, as if she was reading a story from the palm. The teen looked at the woman, only to see the dark eyes trained on her.
"You've never used a weapon." It wasn't a question. Ran nodded shakily. Her heart was drumming in her chest for some reason. "Beautiful." The pilot didn't register what the woman's raspy voice had said at first. Then she searched the blonde's face for lies. Not like she could find them, even if Sita was lying.
The woman struggled to sit up and Ran immediately aided her. The blonde welcomed the strong hands of the pilot that helped her into a more comfortable position. She extended one hand into Ran's hair and stroked the loose parts gently. The pilot wasn't sure what to do. She didn't really understand this woman. She was attracted to her, yes, but she was also pissed off at her most of the time. Nothing Sita did ever made sense to Ran. The pilot never knew what to expect. It was terrifyingly arousing.
The woman suddenly gripped the chocolate strands and pulled them forward, bringing Ran closer, too. Her scalp hurt like hell, but it only went into the pit of her stomach, causing her to get even more excited. She didn't doubt that Sita knew exactly what she was doing to the pilot. Their faces were so close now. Ran could count Sita's eyelashes. The woman opened her mouth, causing her bottom lip to brush gently along Ran's top one and the younger girl sighed. Her brain had turned to non-functioning mush.
"You are absolutely adorable." Sita spoke, their skin barely touching. However, Ran could feel every movement, every breath. Was this how Ace had felt when she had teased him? Just a little closer. Ran moved slightly forward, looking forward to the clash of their lips.
Purupurupuru!
Sita pulled away, her face on alert, eyes dangerous. Ran groaned and took out her Den Den Mushi from her belt pouch. She nodded to the woman and left the house to talk in private.
"This is the Sparrow, how may I help you?" The sentence came out automatically, she didn't even think about it. Heck, Ran was still thinking about the sexy woman a few meters away.
"Ran!" Ace's voice came from the snail and the tone went straight to her, already excited, stomach. She had forgotten how good his voice sounded. Fuck. Focus.
"Ace?" Ran schooled her voice to be as neutral as possible, but she was pretty sure that she sounded a bit out of breath.
"Thank Calypso! I was worried." Ran frowned.
"Why?" The snail jumped funnily as Ace's voice sounded once again.
"The article in the newspaper, of course! The whole thing with the Zodiacs!" Now, he completely lost her. Totally.
"What are you talking about?" Ran asked.
"You don't know? You have a bounty on your head, idiot!" The pirate answered, sounding surprised. Ran laughed. Ace waited it out and then a short silence ensued.
"This isn't funny." The pilot said. Her tone was icy. A warning. Ace had never heard it before. Sita was rubbing off on the teen.
"It's not a joke. Get a newspaper." The pirate sighed. "Are you alright? Do you need help? Pops is calling a Commanders meeting to decide how to lend you a hand." Ran shook her head.
"No. No. Don't get involved. I'm not a criminal. This must be some kind of a misunderstanding. I'm going to turn myself in. Clear it up." Ace snorted from the other side.
"Are you nuts?! They put a bounty on your head! They branded you as a Zodiac... Publicly... You will have crazy idiots chasing you down, trying to take your head! Do you understand that, Ranmao?" He didn't mean anything bad by it, but he was smothering her, tying her down. Even though he was just trying to help her. Ran knew that the pirate didn't do it on purpose. It was just his way of trying to give her a hand. But, it was wrong. And she was frustrated already, she just snapped.
"You know what, Ace? Fuck off!"
Kacha!
Ran slammed the line closed and stared at the Den Den Mushi. Her eyes prickled with tears. A bounty on her head? Fuck. She wiped at her eyes. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She had just rejected the help of a Yonko, too. She heard soft footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn around. She recognized the twins talking to one another. Now that she was close, she could hear their words properly. They weren't talking in a language that was familiar to her.
But for once in her life, Ran didn't give a fuck about others. She jumped onto her feet and the twins quieted. The pilot marched into the house and caught Sita's slightly surprised stare.
"I'm going for a ride, I'll be back." And without waiting for an answer the girl stormed out, heading for the Sparrow.
That's all folks!
Ok, my rant time:
Why is Ace so angry?
They have been at this island for a while and frankly, he is bored. No one is playing with him as much as he is used to, as they are rather constricted by jackets and the cold, and he isn't.
He is aware of his weakness (flashback to the fight with those pirates and Penny's little mishap), and he is trying to get stronger, but is still frustrated with his, now obvious to himself, weakness (remember, it looks huge to him)
He has been forced to face his feelings for Ran, which he has realized that he has, and frankly, it scares the crap out of him. Hence, he is lashing out, in anger, as he doesn't know how else.
Why does he react so strongly to the wanted poster and the article?
All the pent up anger and frustration and his knowledge of Ran's hippie style of 'world peace'
Ok, I'm done, onto the review!
Wren: Ace is adorable xD I figure that he would act like that hehehehe~ You will find out more and more about Sita, she is actually a main character in another story in progress of mine, hopefully, I will get around to finishing it and publishing it xD
Love, reviews feed me! I eat them and spit out chapters, feel proud!
I have seen a lot of the 'Oh Ace catch me' ones xD I was inspired by this one fanfic a lot, it's called Freckles by Coeur de Coquelicot, it's a bloody amazing fic!
Reading is worse… I read it, waiting for when they were going to save Ace and then… Then… I was like fraaaaack let me write a fricking fanfiction, ok?!
Ran… Oh man… Actually, the Zodiacs were ones who were born first. Then, they developed insanely. This one character kind of formed, I don't think that she will spear in this fic, and then I saw the episodes with Trafalgar Law and made Sita, a dangerous outlaw bounty hunter. Ran appeared somewhere in the midst of me developing all that. She was this 'neutral' hippie character, who didn't really want to choose a side. She is a stranger to the ways of the Blue Sea, and she likes the different regime, the freedom. Basically, she is the one who wants to be free. Her story kind of built up from there. I was inspired by many things, from Ghibli, Treasure Planet, many movies and animes to my own experiences. I wanted someone to be unaffected by the whole Marines vs Pirates things and I wanted to experiment with that idea. Next, I became obsessed with Ace. This story is the product of what my insane brain cooked up after all that. Frankly, I didn't think that it would become this popular.
Wow, that was long… I never thought about how I develop my OCs… They just appear… hahahahhah xD Don't jump outta your seat now xD Btw, the review alert woke me up, and then I read it, and couldn't go back to sleep, so I figured I'd get up and write xD My chapters are ridiculously long…
I'm not sure what is going on with Marco and doc… it wasn't planned…. It just took flight over there…
Hope you enjoyed :)