Welcome, ladies and gents!

I would like to thank Magic126 and TheLightFairyHearts for the story alert and fav, and also, the author alert and fav! I am flattered xD

I'm sorry, but I am rather busy with my exams, so I may not update for a while :(

anniewanny2, this is your chapter :D Hope you enjoy the bits and pieces of steam hehehehehee~

Chapter 20: (OMG already!?) Fantastic Baby – Big Bang (Because I adore them :D)

Ace opened his eyes, slowly coming to. He felt exhausted, even though he was pretty sure that he had slept throughout the night. In fact, he could remember drinking and laughing with his division members at the party. He could still see all the dancing pirates and the beautiful women that Thatch had brought. He could still smell the alcohol mixed with the sea air. And motor oil. That was a strange one. He usually didn't smell motor oil. Or soot. Just where had he fallen asleep?

The pirate blinked a couple of times, focusing on his surroundings. His left arm was numb for some reason. With a groan, he tried to pull it up, only to feel weight on it, trapping the tingling limb. Ace rolled to his side, trying to see the source of the weight. It was tickling his skin. What he was definitely not expecting to see was Ran's sleeping face.

Ace blinked a few more times, panic slowly settling in his stomach. How far had they exactly gone last night? He remembered chasing her. She had stolen his hat, that little minx. He could see the orange thing lying above her head, her hair splayed all around it. The cord that usually held it to his neck was now around hers, digging into her chin. She didn't seem to mind it.

The girl softly sighed, her legs moving. The icy limbs connected with Ace's hotter ones and she pulled him closer, trying to get herself warm. The pirate glanced down, his heart beating wildly. It seemed to him like the sheer loudness of it would wake her. If they had clothes on, he was in the safe zone. Ace let out a sigh of relief, seeing her colorful tank top on her, along with her shorts. The fly was open and the zipper unzipped, but they were on her. He couldn't locate his own belt, but he, too, had his pants on. Good. That calmed his panic down a bit. He had already had a flash of horror imagining Ran with a swollen baby belly. He would never allow that to happen. Not by him. Ever.

Focusing at the task at hand, the pirate tried to extract himself from the girl. She moaned slightly at his movement and he froze. Then he relaxed, giving in. No harm in letting her sleep for a while longer. Ace looked around, trying to find out where they were. He recognized the place quickly. This was, after all, the first room that he had seen on the Moby Dick. The Commander's quarters. More specifically, the second division Commander's quarters.

After the room had been emptied of the former Commander's affects, it became a dead zone. Simply, no one went there. At first it was because the room reminded them of their comrade. Later, it just became tradition not to go here. And then, Thatch started another ritual. He made it the go-to room. Simply, you need privacy, you go to the second division Commander's quarters. Of course, neither Marco nor Jozu appreciated that, as they shared walls with said room, but, Thatch was a force of nature, through and through, and Pops didn't really object. So, Ace wasn't too surprised to find out that he and Ran had fallen asleep there.

The pirate stretched his neck, as much as the pilot beside him allowed, and glanced out the small round window. It was still dark outside. No signs of the first rays of the sun, either. He closed his eyes and listened, trying to pinpoint the time. He could hear his own, now calm and steady breathing. He could also hear Ran's soft inhales and exhales. He could also feel it on the skin of his neck. Ace felt his manbits twitch, but he ignored it. Now was definitely not the time. Her breath was leaving goose bumps on his skin, though.

He focused on the sounds again, and not the effect that Ran's sleeping form had on him. He could hear the rhythmical splash of the waves against the Moby Dick. But nothing else. The party was clearly over. Ace sighed. His messed up sleeping pattern was being amazing again. Maybe he should take doc up on her offer and get some help. Then again, narcolepsy never hurt anyone. Well, a couple of muggings, sure, but nothing too bad. Besides, after he got his tattoo, even the muggings stopped. Who would rob a Whitebeard pirate sleeping in the middle of the street?

Ace chuckled at the thought. Ran moaned again and moved. Her arms, which had been folded in between their bodies, snaked around Ace's middle, pulling him to her. Obviously, she was appreciating the human furnace beside her. Her top, which had already ridden up, exposing her stomach, went further up with her movement. Ace felt her clothed breasts press against his naked chest, and his temperature rose once again. He pushed it down, persistent.

He heard her mumble something and tuned in. This was a rare opportunity. Seeing Ran so vulnerable. He moved his numb arm a bit forward, getting the girl off the place where she had been for the last couple of hours. This lessened the pressure a bit, but it also brought her closer to him. Now, he could feel each soft puff even better. He almost groaned at blood that shot to his groin, but held it back. His inner temperature rose once more. The girl moved, snuggling closer, letting a soft sigh of pleasure at the warmth. Her mouth opened, her lips grazing his neck as she murmured.

"Free…" Ace smiled. She was free, for sure. "Set me free…" The second murmur caught his attention. What was she trying to escape? Who was she calling for? Wasn't she free already?

Ace tried to disentangle himself from her, thinking that she wanted to be free of him. Maybe his arms were smothering her. Getting his legs free was easy enough, but when he tried to lift her head, very gently by the way, her fingers dug into his back. The pirate froze. Ran's short nails scraped gently down his skin, leaving goose bumps. He sighed in pleasure. Maybe this was a good way to sleep through the night. He couldn't really remember how he had ended up in the bed with Ran. The pilot's leg moved on its own, her knee dragging itself all the way to Ace's hip. He gave up and adjusted her head back on his upper arm, secretly enjoying the small puffs of air on his neck.

"Ace." She sighed into his ear through her sleep and a flashback hit him like a ton of bricks.

Their lips had clashed like there was no tomorrow. Ace could feel his temperature rise, but he wasn't bothering to control his Devil Fruit powers anymore. Ran's teeth caught his lip when they parted for air shortly. She pulled on the skin lightly, warning him not to go far away. The hand, which was now holding his belt for dear life, tugged him back towards her. Not like he was going anywhere. The other one had slipped away from his belly, allowing Ran to press herself further into him. He could feel her nails gently coercing him to come down for another kiss. And he did.

Ace considered himself to be a good kisser. True, he didn't have years of practice under his belt, but he did have some skill. By the way the pilot reacted, he figured that she liked it. When their kiss deepened, he allowed himself to explore her mouth, swallowing her moans and sighs. He knew by now that she liked a little pain, a little danger. She was a true thrill seeker. And having his hat on her head didn't really help her case. So, Ace urged his body temperature to soar, enjoying the surprised yelp and then sigh that she gave. The pirate smirked. This girl was kinky. And for once, he didn't really mind it.

Getting an idea, since Ran didn't seem to be in the mood to take control, Ace pulled back from the kiss. He reveled in the way her lips followed his, trying to get another scorching treat, but he evaded it, ducking down instead. Ran realized what he was doing and her arms let go of him, instead finding purchase on his shoulders. She pushed, and Ace took a minute to get what she wanted. The pirate paused in his ministrations for a second and grabbed her hips. In a moment, she had her legs around his waist and he had a much better view than before. She did look rather hot up there, her hair slightly spilling from his hat, eyes smoldering and looking at him. Daring him to kiss. Ace loved dares.

The raven groaned at the memory, feeling the heat pooling into his neither regions. If he didn't stop remembering, he would have a problem real soon. One that he preferred not to ignore. Ran, of course, chose that moment to move, seeking more warmth. Ace froze when her hips rose forward, pushing against his now evident problem. He sighed softly, thinking of all the gross things that he had seen. Like Teach doing yoga. His arm settled down across the pilot's body, and he was slightly scared that its weight would crush her. Silly, he knew that, but he still gently relaxed it, as if waiting for her to start coughing or struggling with her breath. Instead, she seemed even happier at the source of heat around her. Ace wasn't sure when, but at some point, his mind, blank of all thoughts for once, was lulled into sleep by Ran's breathing. He was aware that the last thing to cross his mind was something along the lines of 'i could get used to this'.

~~~~pb~~~~

Marco woke early. He was either the last to sleep, or the first to rise. So, walking around the dark deck full of passed out pirates was a normal occurrence for him. He had fallen asleep while drinking and partying, leaving the guard duty to someone else. He had chosen to have fun, diligence could come later. The phoenix didn't see anything out of order, so he had chosen well. The soft snores of his comrades and their guests from Grandia made him smile as he went about, doing his rounds. His stomach growled and he figured that he could fix himself something. It had been a while since he had cooked, but not forever.

The phoenix was surprised to find Penny in the kitchen. It was empty, except the young girl, who was flying around, making breakfast for an army. She seemed like she had popped out of a fairy tale, only the birds and small animals were missing. She didn't look one bit hung-over. Then again, she probably hadn't been drinking, unlike the rest of the crew. When he came closer, carefully masking his presence, he heard her humming softly something that sounded a lot like 'Jolly sailor bold'. With a small smile on his face, Marco decided to greet her.

"Good morning, yoi." The reaction was immediate. The small cook jumped with a scream, causing all the pans and plates that she had been moving or holding to fly towards the floor. Marco was quick in correcting his mistake. He flashed over, using his Devil Fruit abilities unashamedly, and caught as many objects as he could.

"Oh, Calypso!" The girl exclaimed, removing the hot pan that had been on the stove first. She watched in fascination as Marco's wounds healed. Penny's hands moved on autopilot, taking the rest of the dishes absentmindedly. "Please don't scare me like that again, Commander Marco-sama." The girl scolded him without any force behind her words. The first mate gave her an ashamed smile. "Would you like some breakfast, Commander Marco-sama?" The cook asked and continued flipping the bacon and eggs, as if he hadn't been holding the blistering metal in his bare hands seconds ago.

"If it's not too much trouble, yoi." He said, pulling out a stool and settling himself inside the kitchen. The scent of frying bacon made his mouth water. He needed something greasy to balance out all the alcohol from last night. True, he didn't usually get drunk, as his powers kicked in, making the effects of alcohol go away, but, he still felt that need for food after drinking.

"What would you like, Commander Marco-sama?" Penny asked, turning to him with a large, pure smile on her face. Was she really a traitor? A spy? True, you had to expect the unexpected. You had to doubt the ones that looked innocent. But this was a bit too much. Marco knew a little bit about Stockholm syndrome. That was the only way that this girl could be a spy.

"Some of that should be great, yoi." The Commander gave her a smile, a sick feeling in his stomach. He didn't want this small, innocent girl to be a spy. Because, if she was… He would have to kill her.

"Here you go!" Penny placed a plate in front of him. He glanced down as she went back to her work and saw that she had prepared a full meal, even carefully arranging it by color. The sick feeling deepened.

~~~~pb~~~~

Izo woke up and disentangled himself from Thatch fairly easily. Somehow, the two ended up in a weird form of a cuddle while sleeping drunk off their asses. It had been rather uncomfortable to wake up in that position. Izo was not going to mention it. Ever again. Ever.

Stop.

Knowing his brothers as well as he did, there were most likely witnesses to his compromising position. He was going to have to make them shut up. The usual suspects were, of course, Marco and doc, as she didn't sleep too often. Ace was eliminated quickly, for Izo had seen Ran tease the poor pirate last night. He was probably preoccupied somewhere. From the stories that he had coaxed from the pilot under the influence, he knew that she had quite an appetite. A kinky one, too. Lucky Ace.

Izo straightened his kimono, focusing. He took apart his hairdo, redoing it without a mirror expertly. Marco and doc. Those were his targets. As far as Izo could remember, the dark woman had been on watch last night. He would tackle that problem first.

Looking up the mast and towards the crow's nest, he saw the long, silky hair swaying in the wind. It wasn't too cold, but it was chilly, so Izo decided to be a good friend and bribe the woman. Gods knew that he didn't want to get in a verbal fight with her. He would be flying overboard in seconds. Whoever taught that woman to use Haki was an idiot. Or a genius. She had saved the Commander's ass a few times, both on the operating table and off.

Izo quickly went to his chambers and lit a lantern. He searched for something appropriate and found a comfortable blanket, one that he often brought on watch himself. It was something that he had taken with him from home. A memento of sorts, showing mountains and a temple, drawn in the traditional style of his country. The pink Commander took it, extinguished the lantern and headed towards the crow's nest.

Climbing up was a piece of cake, even in his hung-over state. The doc didn't turn around when he jumped onto the planks. She had known that he was awake for quite some time now, after all. She was proficient in Kenbunshoku Haki.

"Izo." The woman greeted. Her voice was unusually low, somehow tired. The Commander unfolded the blanket and slid it around her shoulders. Her hands came up to hold it. She turned to him slightly, and Izo froze. The woman looked like she had walked out of her own grave moments ago.

"How long have you been awake, doc?" Izo tried to make his voice as gentle as possible, yet stern. He knew well how this woman had problems with sleeping. She had tried to help Ace many times, yet she never attempted to fix herself. His narcolepsy was less of a problem then her insomnia, in Izo's opinion.

"None of your business." She snapped at him, turning back around. Izo let her. He settled himself next to the doctor on the railing and rummaged through his sleeve for his kiseru. He didn't light it all the time. However, in the early morning hours, such as these, he sometimes did. The smell and the taste of the sweet smoke made him more alert. It also helped him calm down, almost hearing the rivers and forests of his home. His hand shook slightly as he lit the thin pipe. He was well aware that they were heading for Wano Kuni, no setbacks. He just wasn't ready yet. He couldn't go back yet. Soon, he promised himself, as he always did. However, this wasn't about him.

"It's not good for you, sweetie." The Commander said, exhaling the scented air from his lungs. "I know that it's hard to fall asleep. You keep seeing everything that you don't want to. And even when you do go under, you keep seeing it. All night long." He saw her tighten her hold on the blanket. "I would know." Izo whispered.

Doc stood and turned to the Commander. "You seem to be fishing in the dark, Commander Izo. Be careful that you don't get pulled in by a big one." She told him under her breath. "What I do is none of your business." Izo frowned. He reached out to the woman, giving her time to pull back. She didn't. The Commander pushed some stray hairs behind her ear gently. His thumb caressed the soft skin of her cheek.

"If you won't talk to me, talk to Marco. Just talk to someone about it, love." Doc grabbed his hand. She stared at him for a moment and then nodded. Izo gave the woman a small smile.

The dark woman walked to the edge of the crow's nest. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you and Thatch." A small smirk was on her face. The Commander could see the shadow of the former doc on her face. The one before all the sleepless nights and shutting herself in the medical wing. When he noticed that she was leaving the small space, leaving him on watch without the blanket, but with his objective reached, he froze.

"Wait. There's nothing between Thatch and I!" Izo grabbed the railing, yelling after the doc and towards the deck in panic. He heard her chuckling on the way down.

~~~~pb~~~~

"This was delicious, Penny." Marco thanked the girl, putting his plates in the sink. She smiled and nodded.

"Anytime, Commander Marco-sama." She expected the phoenix to leave, but he didn't. The Commander picked up a sponge and put some detergent on it. He hadn't done these duties in a while, but he didn't mind helping out once in a while. The first couple of plate felt alien in his hands, but he got back into routine quickly. He saw Penny watching him, probably shocked by the fact that the first mate was washing dishes.

"Say, Penny, have you ever wanted to try something besides cook duty, yoi?" The phoenix spoke, catching the cook off guard. She paused in mixing some dough to look at the Commander. Penny then resumed her movements, thinking. Marco glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Did he scare her off? He opened his mouth to soothe her, but she spoke up.

"I have." Marco stayed silent. He needed to hear. He needed for her to confirm or deny doc's accusations. "Commander Marco-sama, I became a pirate, although not a very good one, to find my mother." She paused slightly. "I would like to learn how to navigate and operate a boat on my own…" Marco noticed a small, sad smile on her face. "I don't want to be a bother, sir. If my search for my parent ever interferes with your objectives as pirates, I would leave and wish you the best of luck. I want to be able to fend for myself if it ever comes to that, Commander Marco-sama." The girl finished.

Marco smiled, his posture finally relaxed. "I don't see how our objectives could ever clash, yoi." He rinsed and placed a plate on a drier. "We help our own, Penny. If you ever feel the need to split away from the main ship to search, you will have our support, yoi." There was silence for a while, as the cook had stopped mixing with her wooden spoon. Marco kept washing the dishes. It wasn't until he rinsed the last plate that she spoke.

"Thank you, Commander Marco-sama." When he turned to the girl, he was surprised to see her giving a ninety degree angle bow. He could see the salty drops falling from her eyes onto the floor. All the doubt in his mind vanished.

"Anytime, Penelope." He ruffled her hair when she straightened. "You ask me if you need anything, alright, yoi?" When the girl nodded he turned to leave. "Have a good day, yoi." And with that the Commander left to find doc.

"You, too, Commander Marco-sama!" He heard the girl yell after him and smiled to himself. Why did doc doubt this girl? An idea churned in his stomach. A thought that he didn't like even one tiny bit. Frowning, he changed his course from the medical wing to the deck. He needed time to think before he talked to the woman.

~~~~pb~~~~

The second time Ace woke up was because of the commotion outside. He wriggled slightly, and then relaxed in the comfortable bed. The body beside him didn't do any harm either. He felt at peace.

Ran groaned after a particularly loud yell came outside the window. Her eyes fluttered and she rolled away from her bedmate. The pilot sat up, pulling Ace's hat after her. He watched as it settled on her back and decided that he liked it when Ran wore it. The pilot looked around, as if remembering last night. She turned slightly, and cast a glance over her shoulder at Ace, noticing how he was focused on her. A grin split her lips and she crawled back up to him. Her hair made a curtain around them when she bent down, giving him a chaste kiss.

"Morning." She whispered against his lips. Ace hummed and caught her mouth with his again. Damn, he could get used to this. The pilot chuckled when he tried to deepen the kiss and sat back. She sighed, seeming relaxed and well-rested, and then stretched her arms over her head. Ace heard some of her joints pop and laughed. Strange woman. She stuck her tongue out at him and jumped up from the bed, looking for her boots. Half way through her search, she noticed that her zipper was undone and she fixed her shorts.

The pirate didn't bother getting up. He preferred to lay back and enjoy the view. So far, Ran hadn't made any attempt to pull her top down, to cover her bare back and stomach. Then again, last time he had seen her she had worn a bikini top with the shorts, so Ace figure that she was used to exposing that part of her flesh. Not like he was going to miss the chance to enjoy it. He liked the way her muscles moved beneath her skin.

Ace bent forward, kissing the pilot's collarbone, going further down, but never to her breasts. She sighed above him, head falling back in pleasure. The pirate nipped her skin gently and enjoyed the way her hips jerked into his. Ace groaned and pressed an open mouthed kiss to the nape of her neck. She wriggled when his hot tongue made contact with her skin.

"Harder." Ran moaned out. The pirate wasn't too sure what he could do harder. It's not like he was in her. Yet. So the raven settled for grinding his hips against hers, her pants music to his ears. She pushed back and Ace knew that she needed more. He wasn't used to getting overly rough in his romantic endeavors, but he was willing to try it out. His, until then gentle kisses at her neck turned into small nips and then into a bite.

As soon as his teeth sunk into her neck, careful not to break skin, Ran's hands flew from his shoulders and into his hair. She moaned, exposing her neck further to him. The pirate, encouraged by the tugging in his hair, sucked gently on the spot and then pulled back, soothing the quickly forming hickey with his tongue. The girl shivered, her nails scraping against his scalp. Ran's hand flew to one of his, which was pressed under her thigh, holding her up. She pulled it off of there, keeping her position with her own strength and she pushed his palm in between them, towards her shorts. Ace pulled back from her neck for a second, only to see her heated gaze, urging him on. His fingers made short work of her zipper and his hand dove in. Ran pulled on his hair once more, getting his head back and she kissed him from above, her control over the contact complete. Masochist his ass. She may like a bit of pain, but she was in charge, through and through.

The pilot pulled back a bit and murmured against his lips. "Let's go somewhere else." Ace was happy to oblige.

Ace smiled at the memory that was slowly coming back. The alcohol was slowly washing off, giving him a pounding headache. It was worth it, though.

"What are you grinning all smug about?" Ran asked, hair tie in her mouth, piling her hair onto the top of her head in a bun. Ace jumped off the bed in one quick motion and crossed the room in seconds. He tugged on the object in between her teeth and the pilot let the hair tie go. She couldn't resist his childish grin.

"You." Ace answered pulling his own longish hair back and tying it in a tiny ponytail. Ran stared in amusement and slight shock at how different he looked. She liked the way the shorter strands fell into his eyes slightly and the longer ones not pulled back framed his face. With a smile, she let her own hair fall and found pleasure in the way his eyes darkened. She bent forward, reached slightly up and pulled Ace in for another kiss. He happily obliged.

This one wasn't like the ones from last night. It was gentle, loving. Like a comforting caress. Ace could feel just how much she cared for him. Ran pulled back, her lips lingering on his. The pirate connected their foreheads, not really wanting to let her go, but knowing that the little bird was going to fly away again.

"What happens now?" The raven asked. Ran could hear the fear in his voice. He wanted her to stay. That was one of the things that she could never give him. Stability. She knew that if he asked her right now to choose, him or the skies, she would take off into the skies, no matter how much it hurt. Ran sighed, her heart torn.

"I don't know." She replied honestly. Ace's warm hands circled her, trapping her body against his.

"I'm not going to ask you to stay." He said, his breath fanning over her face. Ran moved her head up, locking their eyes. He looked determined. "I'm going to ask you to come back." The pirate clarified, causing the pilot to smile.

"I can do that." Ran answered and caught his lips once more. It was a slow kiss. Their tongues danced around each other, as if playing. Ace caught his fingers into the pilot's hair. He probably had some kind of hair fetish or something. He adored her hair already. They split up slowly, the girl nipping his lower lip gently. She laughed then, throwing her head back. Ace raised one eyebrow, asking a silent question. Her laughter died down and then she replied. "You said to me that you wanted to kiss me yesterday."

Ace flushed slightly. "Shut up, don't remind me." Ran smirked slightly at his expression. She caught his face before he could turn away from her and locked their eyes.

"We have no idea when we will die, Ace." The pirate looked at her in shock. Was she terminally ill or something? "So, you can kiss me anytime." The pilot giggled, loving the expressions that passed across his face. He threw her an exasperated look and his eyes went around the room, searching.

"Have you seen my belt?" He asked, looking back down at her. Ran giggled.

"The last time I saw it, you were trying to tie me up with it." Ace felt his face freeze and his jaw drop. Tie up? "I might have told you to do it, so don't worry." The pilot laughed at his expression.

~~~~pb~~~~

When Ran found Izo that day, he had a frown on his face. Of course, it was replaced with a smirk as soon as he saw her.

"Why hello there, Ran." He said, but his tone spoke 'spill'. Ran shrugged, a light blush on her face, despite her aloof demeanor. Izo wouldn't be deterred. He had won this battle one too many times already. He would win it once more. He took the less obvious approach, just walking with the girl. "Where are you headed, honey?" The Commander asked, seeing that she was going to leave the Moby Dick.

Ran glanced around the deck which was full of movement. The pirates were cleaning up the aftermath of the insane party from last night. They were also loading some of the cargo that was needed for their journey to the Wano Kuni. "To the hotel." The pilot replied. "I need to pay for my unused room and get the Sparrow." She was frowning. "We are leaving today, no?" Izo nodded.

"Give me a second to let someone know, and I'll walk with you?" The Commander asked, not letting the teen slip away. She chuckled and nodded.

"I'll wait for you on the dock."

It was strange, Ran thought, how easily she had accepted this crew into her daily life. They got under skin far too easily. Sure, at first they were a profitable client. It was good to work for a Yonko, especially one such as Whitebeard. She had done a couple of deliveries for the Red Hair Pirates, too. She hadn't minded them, either. Well, they did go a little overboard with festivities, but other than that, they were good. Ran had stumbled upon some quite unpleasant clients. Bogus jobs in an attempt to capture the Migratory Bird and her machine and sell them into slavery. Needless to say, she had been fast enough and got away with minimal damage.

This thing with Ace was a little bothersome. She could be friends with pirates. Like Izo, Thatch, even Marco and Leo. She had gotten used to exchanging letters with some of them, especially the pink Commander. Izo was a hard person not to like. He was also stubborn in his advances. At first, Ran had thought that he was hitting on her, quite boldly, too. Then, she had noticed the way the Commander interacted with his peers. It was the same. He had merely tried to befriend her. To make her feel at home. And she had. She truly had felt safe and protected whenever she was with the Whitebeard Pirates. However, she still wasn't ready to call a certain place her home. Maybe she never will. Who knew.

"Hey." The pilot turned around, expecting Izo, but she saw Ace. A slight frown on her face, she threw him a questioning glance. They had gotten breakfast together, some anti-hangover goo, too, and then the pirate had gone to do his duties, promising her to meet up later. "I forgot to return this." Ace grinned that full grin of his, coercing her to smile at him, too. He placed her hair tie into her hand, leaving a hot trail everywhere he touched.

"Thanks." Ran was suddenly breathless.

"Later." The pirate left, and Ran was pretty sure that he had been oblivious to her reaction to him. She stood for a while on the dock, watching him walk away, greet some of the crew and stop to talk.

"Not going to give him his hat back?" Izo's voice came from behind her. By the look on his face, he had been standing there for a while. Kiseru in one hand, the Commander was looking at Ace with knowing eyes.

"No." Ran said with a smile, placing the orange thing on her head. It clashed with her shirt horribly, the Commander thought. "Let's go." Izo laughed, following the girl.

That's all from me, folks! Hope you had fun!

Onto the review:

anniewanny2: I'm glad that you enjoy all the different relationships! I try to show that they are not 2D characters, they have people that they interact with in different ways, and sometimes it's hard to portray that, but I do my best :D

Oh trust me, Sita is going to be rather important later on, and she will meet Ace… dun dun dun…. However, Sita was originally made as an OCxLaw pairing, I am debating whether to write said story, or not…

I was actually going to write the whole scene in the end, but then I had this idea of giving you guys unexpected bits and pieces as Ace's memory… I hope it was ok :D

Hope you enjoyed!