Ch apter Thirty-Two: The Bubble Blower
"Enthusiasm just creates bubbles; it doesn't keep them from popping." - Adora Svitak
"What did you just say?"
"I said, Whitebeard is an old fucker who needs to roll over and-"
The drunken man barely had anytime to blink before he was sailing through the wall of the tavern. I watched from the corner of my eye as Ace slowly followed after his slumped body, picking the man up by his collar before slamming him into the wall again.
"He had it coming."
"You've got that right," I agree with the voice, before turning in my bar stool to look at the man that was seated two stools down. He brings a mug to his lips, keeping his head low and eyes shielded by his dark blue hat. "Don't insult one of the Pirate Emperors in front of his division commanders. Rule three of the Codex."
"What's rule one and two?" he asks, looking up under the brim of his hat at me. He places his mug back on the counter and twines his pale-blue gloved fingers together. Blonde hair barely brushes his ears.
"Rule two is make your captain the Pirate King, and rule one is don't take another pirate's treasure, until he's dead, that is."
"I have to agree with you there," he says with a laugh, shaking his head as he picks up his drink again. "I bet that number one rule has been broken plenty of times between you and him with all the men you must come across on your adventures," he jokes, and I just shake my head with a smirk.
"Not really. One look at his back and they know to not step on any toes because those are the feet they'll have to kiss." I give the man a wink, and he laughs again.
"You must have a short leash on him if he's getting this blown up over some drunken rant."
"More like a short fuse." We both chuckle.
My attention is pulled away when I hear the bartender telling both Ace and the man, who was unconscious, that they had to leave. Ace just shrugged and walked over to pick up his hat from the table he had left it at for just a moment.
"Well, it looks like that's my queue."
I turn to the man, and he simply smiles, his light eyes from between Ace and I before he shakes his head one last time and stands also.
"I should be on my way, too. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss...?"
"Faye. No, Miss. I get called that enough on the ship."
"Well then, Faye," he puts emphasis on my name. "I wish you luck on your travels."
"You too." I give him one last smile before I walk over to Ace, who stands by the door, frowning with his arms crossed over his bare chest as the bartender continues yelling at him about the damage he made to two of the walls in the tavern. "Oh wait, I didn't catch your name- huh?"
I turned back to the man, but he was gone. His seat was empty and beside his mug was a few gold coins. (Later on the bartender would find an 'S' carved into the wood underneath the mug.)
"C'mon, Faye," Ace grumbles, half-pouting like a child, as he grabs my hand and pulls me with him out of the tavern. I toss a bag of Beli over my shoulder at the bartender, for both our drinks and to partially pay for the damage Ace had done. "Who was that you were talking to?" he asks once we're out of the tavern and lost in the little shops and restaurants of Grove 44. I shrug.
"Don't know. I didn't catch his name. He looked like a pirate. I didn't see any jolly roger on him, though. He was nice, nicer than you are."
The end was meant as a tease, but Ace just furrowed his brow and looked down at me while I grinned up at him.
"Alright you cheeky little asshole," he jokes back, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. "You better be careful. I might just have to teach you a lesson. You must not know who you're messing with."
"Oh, don't worry, I know exactly who I'm messing with." My fingers dig into his bare ribs after I've wrapped my arm around his waist. He moves away from my fingers, but keeps his arm around me.
"Apparently you don't, you little-"
"Oi! Ace! Pix! C'mon, eh, we have to go find the coater!"
I scoot away from Ace just quick enough to miss his hot hands and squeeze through the cracks in the crowd to escape from Ace's pay-back and get to my uncle. I stayed at Marco's side, who just casted a weary glance at me, before leading us through the 40's Groves, cutting through the 50's, to get to the 10's. It didn't take very long, not with Ace and Thatch both running around trying to see who could pop the most bubbles. (Thatch won, of course. Ace bumped into too many people and ended up having to walk beside the rest of us so not to draw too much attention from the citizens of the archipelago who could call upon the Marines at a moment's notice.)
Grove 17 was loud and busy. Many men and women were standing around small crates, the small tink of dice rolling cuts through their yells. Some groaned in dismay while others cheered happily. Money was passed through the group. Groves 16 and 15 were fairly quieter, and most of the sounds came from either the taverns or the small apartments that stacked high into the tree tops. Bubbles casually floated by as if they were calm, circular birds.
When we passed through Grove 14, it seemed to as though it was the calmer parts of the 10's Groves. Some children ran between buildings, some carrying wooden swords and others with a beat-up Marine hat covering their heads.
"They're playing Pirates and Marines," I murmur, watching them intently. One of them gets hit, and obviously the little boy wasn't expecting it to hurt, so when he cries, a woman comes barreling out of one of the apartments and to his side, looking over the injury only to kiss it and tell the little boy he'd be just fine. He grins, thanks her, and goes back to playing with her friends. Kids.
The thought had always scared me. I didn't want to end up like the servant my mother had been, and I didn't want to end up a monster of a Marine like my father or brother. Wasn't that the whole point of living? To grow up better than your parents?
Kids scared me, because I was fearful I would be worse than my parents.
"Faye?"
I look at Ace, blinking myself out of the moment that pulled my mind into a trance. He looks at me with slight hesitation. "C'mon. This is where we're supposed to find him."
Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
When we opened the door, the small tavern was empty other than a woman standing behind the counter, flipping through a magazine while she casually smoked a cigarette, and an old man sitting in a corner booth drinking from a small mug.
"Marco?" she says, perking up almost instantly. My uncle grins, almost sheepishly, and walks forward to the dark haired woman.
"Eh, hey, Shakky. How's business been?"
He leisurely slides into one of the bar stool seats, and rests his chin on the palm of his hand. I glance over at Ace, who just stares in surprise at the unnatural behavior of the First Division Commander.
"The hell?" Thatch murmurs as he slinks over to sit beside Marco, watching as the commander made googley eyes at the woman who just smirked and lazily small-talked with him.
"They told me they had a thing in the past," Ace whispers to me, and I am forced to agree with the light gossip, especially with the way my uncle reacting around the woman.
"Oi, Shakky, is the Old Man around?" Thatch asks.
"Ah, Ray-san? Can't say I've seen him in the past few months. Your best luck is to look in one of the gambling bars. I'm certain you'll find him there."
Thatch nods, grabs onto the back of Marco's collar, and proceeds to pull the First Division Commander out of the bar, to which the blonde harshly opposes, going as far as to punch his fellow crewmate.
"I was not drooling, eh!" he says, denying any teasing that the men put on him. "I can appreciate a good looking woman."
"Just keep lying to yourself, Marco, and it will get you nowhere."
"Eh, fuck you," he murmurs, running a hand through his messy blonde hair, trying to hide his slight-pink cheeks. Thatch only laughs and throws his arm around the tall male, leaning against him while the group walks, going toward the nearest gambling bar so to find the 'Ray-san' that would coat the ship for the adventure to Fisherman Island.
OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS
Faye had spent a majority of the day in her small washing shop, running through the load that had been dropped off and going through her orders for patches and customized dresses. Now, however, she was out of the shop for the rest of the day and decided to walk around the town to find fabrics for her orders and get some nice dinner. Anne had been restless all day, and the little adventure was great bonding time for the two.
"Mama," little Anne whines, fidgeting restlessly in Faye's arms as the elder of the two walked patiently through the small restaurant district of the island that Faye had called home.
Marco had come to her as soon as he received her letter saying that she had found a place to settle not far from Taihen Island, so if Faye should ever find the need to visit her late lover's grave, she would not be too long of a journey from it. He tried to persuade her into going back North Blue, some place that was not as wild and lawless as the New World, but she refused and ordered him from her new home if he continued to speak on such topics. Faye was not moving, unless she chose to, and it would take the mountains crumbing to sand and the stars falling from the sky to do such a task.
Faye was staying here on this little isle known as Saisei, and she was going to raise her daughter to the best of her ability. Of course, Faye was not known as the partner of Ace on this island. Oh no, she had to change her name immediately.
She became Lettie Callow, but not many called her by that first name. It wasn't until Luffy had discovered Raftel, and taken his rightful position as Pirate King, that Faye revealed her true identity to her closest friends, and the true heritage of Anne's father.
"He was a Marine that died at the Great Battle. A truly wonderful man. Brave and had stopped many pirates from causing havoc to us poor folk."
The irony always made her laugh herself to sleep at night as she thought of her lost lover and comrades. Of course, her sounds of laughing and sobbing always need to be quiet close to the same tone.
"Walk! Down, walk!"
Faye just laughing and, once she had her daughter situated correctly, placed little Anne on her feet took a firm grip of the toddler's hand while she wobbled on the cobblestone street. The little girl was happy, gaining a bit more freedom in her movement, but after almost ten minutes of the duo walking from merchant to merchant, the girl began to tug on her mother's shirt.
"Mama, mama. Up, mama! Up!"
Faye shushed her child for a moment, feeling at the different silks she was given as a choice. While none of them reached her expectations, she knew her choices were much more limited than those she had in Loguetown. Finally, when she decides on the darker turquoise to accent the rusty red of the main part of the dress, Faye tells the merchant how many meters she needs cut off and picks her daughter back up. Anne sits nicely on the round of Faye's hip, the section of her body squishy and soft from the maternity weight that she never quite lost.
The man pins the fabric into a nice rolled up bundle and smells as Faye trades him the correct amount of Beli. She was an avid customer, since she was sought out by many young girls in the need of a dress to impress their future courters, and he handed her back a fraction of the money. Faye looks at the weight in her hand, before smiling and thanking him. The bundle goes into her bag, hanging on the side that doesn't hold Anne, and she begins to walk toward a familiar tavern.
Inside, Anne giddily bounces against Faye's hip at the sight of the owner of the tavern, a middle aged veteran of the seas named Enettia.
"Annie! You've grown another two inches since I lost saw you," Enettia says, laughing happily when the toddler climbs over the bar and jumps into the woman's arms. Faye takes a seat at their usual two stools, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand as she watches the two interact. "Have you been keeping your mama busy?"
"Yes, she has. It's been a long day. Sometimes I wish I could have nap time," Faye says, covering her mouth when a yawn finally slips through. Enettia tsks the toddler and wiggles her fingers over the small round belly.
"You little trouble maker! Stop being bad for your mama or I'm gonna whip your little rear into shape."
Anne tries to resist Ennettia's tickles, but Faye simply shakes her head and closes her eyes as she listens to her daughter laugh and ask for her mother's help. She loved her daughter, she did, but sometimes she just needed a little time to herself –
The door to the tavern is thrown open, and loud male voices echo in the small building as their boots thump loudly on the wood. Faye opens her eyes and watches the tense form of Ennettia as the tavern owner keeps her gaze on the group of large men.
"Pirates," she mumbles darkly under her breath and sits Anne down on the counter of the bar.
"Wench!" one of the loud voices yells, and his words are followed by laughter and cheers. "Bring us beer and meat!"
"I'll be right back," Ennettia says, but Faye holds up her hand and pushes herself off the stool without another word. "Wha- Faye, what are you do –"
The crowd quiets as Faye grows closer, and the leader of the group is obvious by the excessive amount of jewels he wears around his neck and the way he holds himself in front of his mates. Faye is extra sure to swing her hips a bit more than natural as she comes up to them, and she pushes back her shoulders, making her chest be far more prominent. Their words are a simple hush when Faye leans down to come eye to eye with the captain, her green eyes shining bright in the dim lighting of the tavern.
"May I ask ya name, cap'n?" Faye says, her former drawl thick and long. Her eyes close slowly, showing her long eyelashes brushing against her full cheek bones. She smiles when she opens them fully again, and places one hand on the pirate's knee while the other balances her on his shoulder.
"I am the great Bull Hayes!" he says loudly, trying to seem big, but his voice cracks half way through. Faye's smile grows at this.
"Oh my, ya're s' big an' strong, ain't ya, Cap'n Bull?"
He just nods, too choked by the proximity of her chest to his body. His eyes fall down, peaking at the tease she gives from underneath her top.
"I' woulda jus' be horrible if somethan' were ta happen ta ya."
And then, the big Captain Bull Hayes, is no longer his 'big' self. He is now, in fact, a total of six inches tall and his voice sounds like a squeaky little duckling. Faye stands straight and tall, ignoring the several swords and pistols she now had aimed at herself.
"What did you do to the captain!" most of them yell, jabbing at her with their weapons. Faye grabs the nearest sword, and while it cuts slightly into her hand, it shrinks and then drops to the ground the size of a toothpick.
"The same damn thing I'm going to do to you if you don't leave this island within the next thirty seconds."
It does not take any more persuasion than that to make the crew going running out the door with their tail tucked between their legs, their captain gripped tight in one of their hands. They can be heard from the tavern yelling at the ones on the ship to get ready to sail off.
Faye turns away from the scattered corner of the tavern and to the bar where Ennettia stands shocked still, as well as the cook that had been in the back and the rest of the tavern's accompanists. Faye sits back at her stool and smiles when Anne claps happily at the little show her mother had done.
It had been so long since Faye had used her ability, that it felt almost unnatural again to have such a power.
"Well I'll be damned," Ennettia says, resting her hands on the bar counter. Faye smiles sheepishly at the woman. "You are something else, Lettie Callow."
Faye just grins, but says nothing.
"Nene, food! Food!"
Ennettia smiles and shakes her head before standing up straight. "Right. Jack! Go fix the little flower some sweet treat. And Tanya! Drinks for everyone!"
The tavern cheers, momentarily forgetting about the event that had just unfolded in front of them.
OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS
"I haven't heard this song since Loguetown," I muse quietly to myself when the group enters one of the gambling bars. The building is large, and the connecting rooms hold over a hundred people. The live band can be heard throughout the entire facility and it makes me feel nostalgic. It was one of my favorite songs to dance to when Mia and I went for nights out. There would always be a 'kind' gentleman to buy me a drink and dance with me before I moved on to the next one that would catch my interest.
I feel Ace take my hand, and next thing I know, his hands are around my waist and my arms are resting lazily around his neck.
There's a fury of whistles from our motley crew of pirates, but Ace just ignored them, smiling down at me as we both swayed back and forth.
"We danced to this song, back when you were drunk," Ace says, and Faye knew she had been too far gone those two years ago to ever remember the event. "And then you just left me after the song ended and went to drink. I have to admit, I was hurt that you didn't recognize me, but I was just happy that I got to dance with such a pretty lady."
I laugh at his words and shake my head, knowing I was going to fall for his sweet words no matter what.
"We need to be looking for Ray, Ace. We can dance la –"
"No, he can wait. I want to dance with my woman."
My lips are pursed together, but I can't keep my grin off my face. The group of pirates disperse while Ace and I have our moment, with my head resting on his warm shoulder and his head resting atop my own. When was the last time I had danced? When was the last time that the world seemed to just pause around me? When was the last time I had felt this content?
The music stops, and while most of the dancing couples pull apart a clap to the band, Ace and I continue to sway, going back and forth, back forth, like a pendulum swinging in an empty barn, slowly creating a crater into soft sand as the Earth rotates.
Another two songs play before we finally stop and look at each other. His lips are soft on mine, like I'm pressing my face into a cotton pillow. Moments like these are nice. They keep the love alive.
"Oi! Love birds!"
We pull back and look at our group. Hanging over Marco's shoulder is, who I assume to be, the Old Man we had been looking for.
"C'mon, eh. We need to get back to Shakky. He's passed out, eh, and no use to us until the morning."
Ace slides his arm up to wrap around my shoulders, and then we flow behind the group, both smiling like a couple of idiots.
A/N:
So, I know it's been about two months since I've updated, but this chapter took a super long time to get through. I'm not particularly happy with it, but things are finally spending up! I've got the next couple chapters either mostly written or planned to the T. I'm looking forward to get to some of the big action.
But, of course, some sad things must take place…
Reviews are appreciated, and thank you for reading! This story is almost at 50k reads, with over 200 reviews. You people are my favorite kinds and you keep me going. Maybe I'll get this story finished sometime soon…
Love and kisses, Bri.
PS: This chapter held lots f foreshadowing, however, since I'd advise to read over it twice. ;)