Chapter Thirty – Three: The In-Between of Land and Sea

"It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean." – John Locke

When I awoke the next morning, I am not-too-surprised to find a slightly familiar face speaking at the flushed, freckled face of Ace. I was still laid out on one of the couches of Shakky's Bar, the cushions still warm from Ace's unnatural skin temperature.

"Silvers?" I say quietly, groggily sitting up and rubbing my eyes, but it's not heard over the words of the two men. A few members of the crew are standing back, not impeding on the tense conversation going on between the two pirates but not completely ignoring it either.

Everyone knew the Dark Knight Rayleigh; how could they not? And if Ace knew of Silvers' past...

Oh no.

"Look, boy, I don't want to cause any trouble."

Silvers sips at a cup of what I assume to be coffee, body relaxed but eyes tensed. He's ready. Ace can be unpredictable sometimes, but I know he won't fight unless provoked. He squints his eyes behind his glasses, the light causing them to glare for a moment, as Ace takes a step forward. There's no flicker of flames or wisps of smoke, so he isn't angry. He isn't impulsive.

"Are you really him? Are you really the Dark Knight?"

"I haven't been called that in almost twenty years, boy. It's just Ray, now."

"But you are him... you're his first mate."

"Was his first mate. But that title died the same day he did."

"So then you know who I am."

It wasn't a question, but a statement. Silvers nods his head once. Ace takes a step back and then turns to me. We make eye contact. He walks over and holds out his hand to help me up, and even though I'm still a bit weak from sleep, he takes me out of the front lounge and into the back where Marco is, still half asleep but attentive.

"Stay here with Marco, I'm going to talk to Pops."

I'm given no room to protest. Marco looks at me with half-lidded eyes before closing them completely and keeping to himself whatever thoughts he may have.

Well, I'm not having any of it, so I get up and walk back to the front, where the crew is lazing about and Shakky is standing at the counter, filling cups with drinks.

"Where's Silvers?" I ask her softly, not seeing him after a quick once over of the room. She nods her head to the left, and when I look, I find him standing hidden by a fridge, humming to himself as he cooks over a stove.

"Who's looking for me?" He muses, not looking up from stirring whatever he has sizzling in his pan.

"You probably don't remember me, I was only a kid at the time… I was the one that helped hide you from Vian Callaghan on that island in North Blue."

He looks at me, his glasses glaring under the light and hiding his eyes.

"I knew you looked familiar… that was an awfully long time ago, my dear."

I imagine the scene where he's running around Ynis Witrin, and being the infamous pirate he was, Vian had been there to meet Rayleigh as soon as he entered our little village. Of course, after threatening to call for a Marine warship to send him to the bottom of the sea, I helped hide the old man. We shared the afternoon together, I forfeiting my small lunch in exchange to listen to him tell his crazy, yet true, stories of sea travel.

It is what began my need to leave home…

"I do remember that. You were a spunky little thing. I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble back then."

I shake my head, and move to stand beside him.

"No, nothing too terrible. Just a raw rear end and a very drawn-out lecture of how bad pirates are and that they're all scum of the earth."

Rayleigh laughs and has to set down his mug of coffee so not to spill it.

"Well then, I take it that your parents' teachings of being hateful towards us sea bearing folk didn't stick very well."

I couldn't hold back the smirk. "My father is an ex-pirate. He was the one to give the lecture."

That seems to silence him long enough before he begins to laugh again.

"Oh the irony!" he cries, holding his belly and pounding his fist on a nearby counter top. This awakes some of the crew from their half asleep states quite quickly.

"What are you doing with a rowdy bunch like these, hm?" Silvers asks, speaking in a soft tone but loud enough that I catch every word, keeping our conversation between us and not those also in the large front lounge.

"Marco is my uncle," I tell him, nodding toward the back room where I know he sleeps.

"And the boy? You two look to be very close…"

I shrug and cross my arms over my chest. "My significant other."

Silvers shakes with laughter, his shoulders bouncing up and down.

"Your life is full of the Sea Gods laughing at you, isn't it, my girl?"

I can do nothing but agree with the old man. "You have no idea."

Silvers' eyes gleam in the dim light of early morning, and I am faintly certain that he does grasp some idea of what I have going on, if not completely understanding what I have to tolerate.

"Are the stories true?" I ask, keeping my voice lower so I don't catch anyone's attention. Silvers raises an eyebrow. "The stories you told me back on Ynis Witrin. About you being on Roger's crew. Are they true?"

Silvers watches me for a moment, his eyes roaming over my curious expression. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it.

"It's true."

For some reason, some large weight had been lifted off my shoulders. All those memories as a child... the pirates were never the bad ones, after all. I had picked the right side to fight for. (If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.)

Then you really do know... I think, glancing over at the front door where I know Ace had gone out just minutes before.

"I'm one of the few."

I nod, but catch myself because I'm almost certain I never said anything out loud… (I imagine Ace's warm arms. It's comforting and peaceful and strong and never wavers. The feeling he gives me, even when we are not together, makes my skin tingle. It is love and it is mine.)

"Something is bothering you."

With complete hesitation, it takes me a minute to look up. Something had been bothering me for a very long time.

"Lots of things are."

"Beli for your thoughts?"

So many thoughts. So many wide-ranging, free-leaping thoughts that don't know when to calm down.

"They're not even worth that much," I tell him, and it's meant as a joke, something to make us laugh and change the subject, but he sees right through my half-assed attempt. Thankfully, he lets the subject go – for now – and rises to his feet.

"Would you like some breakfast? Most important meal of the day."

I nod and Silvers hands me a plate of sausage hash.

When I go searching for a fork he produces one also and we lean against the counter to eat.

"Silvers?"

"Hm?"

I paused, not sure of how to ask such a question, but my whole life had been black or white, pirate or marine, justice or chaos. His stories broke that mold, broke the rule of everything I had ever known. Of course, as I grew older, some things were forgotten, but others made a lasting expression on me.

"What was it like being a part of the Pirate King's crew? Ruling the seas, and all."

I hear the fork in his hand stop scraping the bottom of his plate, and I stop my proding, also. When I look up at him, the reflection on his glasses hides his eyes. His expression is blank, or at least, I can't place it to a certain emotion.

"My girl, no one can rule the sea. The sea is its own master. We were simply... equals."

OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS

"It will take me three days. No more, no less."

Whitebeard nods and turns to his sons and daughters.

"It seems we have been given a small vacation!"

The groups cheered loudly before pairing up and running off to do their worst to island.

Silvers turns away from those left and goes toward where the Moby Dick is docked.

"Not to jinx us, or anything, but I'm surprised we aren't surrounded by Marines. You'd think someone would let them now if the Great Whitebeard was on the island…"

"Pix, eh."

"Yeah, Marco?" I look up at my uncle and am unsurprisingly surprised when I find a dust cloud coming our way, and the sounds of Marines shouting coming from the cloud. "Oh."

"Up you go, eh," Marco says, lifting me up and tossing me over his shoulder before taking off into a steady run. He may be comfortable, but I am far from it. His shoulder keeps jabbing into my stomach, and dirt gets kicked into my eyes when he hits a soft part of soil. The marines aren't getting closer, but I have no idea which Grove we're in and there's no chance I'll find out anytime soon.

"Marco!"

I strain my neck to look around for Ace, knowing I heard his voice but he is nowhere to be seen-

"Ahh!"

Marco tosses me from his shoulder and into the air, at least ten feet into the air, which seems impossible for him being such an old man like himself, and warm arms catch me – but barely.

"I'm going to kill you!" I yell to my uncle, but the pirate has disappeared into the dark of the Groves and soon Ace and I have also done the same. There's a rushed sound of Marines chasing after us, but once completely out of their sight, there's no hope in them finding us unless we purposefully grab their attention. Ace and I wait quietly, huddled close behind a small pub out of any public eye.

"That was close," Ace jokes quietly, but I just purse my lips at him. "What? You're the one that jinxed us."

"I did not!"

He shushes me, looking around to make sure we weren't discovered, before looking back down at me. "It was a joke, Faye. Calm down."

"Don't blame me for things like that!"

Oh no. Here go the water works.

"Wha-what? Why are you crying, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Don't touch me!"

"Hey, I think I heard something over here."

"Ah, fuck, they've found us."

"I'm such a screw up! See, I always get us into these things."

"What the… Faye, no, this isn't your fault! I was joking earlier!"

"But it's the truth! I'm just better off back in Loguetown!"

"No, Faye, no, I – just be quiet for like, two seconds, okay? We'll talk about this when the Marines move on and-"

"Hey! There's somebody over here!"

"Oh fuck, oh… okay, Faye, you need to stay behind me, okay? I'm gonna take care of these guys."

I nodded my head and angrily wiped at my wet eyes. How could I be crying at a moment like this?

I knew why, but had yet to come to terms with it. My mother had this talk with me the same day I "became a woman", as she put it. I was eleven and thought I had cut myself.

Ha. Oh, how wrong I had been.

The mood changes. The food cravings. The night sweats and day chills. The overwhelming feeling that everything was going to change – and not for the better.

Pascal had been right, no matter how much I wanted to believe her, but right now was not the right time to tell Ace.

"Are you sure you heard something?" one of the Marines says, and there are three sets of footsteps. "I don't see anyone."

"Maybe they're hiding!"

Ace curses, but so quietly it can't be heard. We look at each other, and his fingers heat up against my hand, ready to throw a fire ball at moment's notice. I look down at his hand, his holding mine tight.

You were designed for me, I think with a smile and look back up. The Marine's shadow is casted on the wall. He's barely three meters away. We hold our breath.

"There's no one here, you idiot! C'mon, let's look somewhere else before we lose them."

The breathe stays tight in our lungs until the sounds get further away. We are left alone, eyes holding each other.

I love you, he mouths, grinning. My heart clenches, hand tightens around his warm one.

I love you, too.

He tugs at my hand, pulling me away from the alleyway and out through the other entrance, moving us through the large trees of the Groves. Between the docks and the beaches and water parks, there's a small section of rocks and cliffs out of the way that have very low foot traffic. The high grasses and thick brush gives that away.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask, making a small noise when my trousers get caught on a bush.

He just grins, nose wrinkling, and keeps moving ahead of me. I trudge behind, huffing to myself as my pants snag again.

"Ace!" I whine, and he just laughs, disappearing past a particularly large boulder. As soon as I'm with reach, I stand beside it resting for a moment, cursing him for the long walk, and then push myself forward.

Around the boulder is the perfect view of the docks, watching the ships coming in and out of port. Their sails fluttered like birds' wings, white and tan and some colorful like blankets of silk cutting against the blue horizon. They disappeared as the world curved, but another took its place.

"Faye."

Turning, too enthralled with the docks, I didn't notice what he was actually trying to show me.

Ace had his back turned, hands behind his head, intertwined in his thick black hair, hat hanging around his neck…

The cliffs were miles away, at least a few hours' worth of sail, but they cut against the sky and the sea like a knife. Tall, so tall I almost had to crane my neck, yet so far away. They must have touched the clouds. It took me a moment to realize what it was.

"That's the other half of the Red Line," I said, more of a statement than a question. He doesn't answer, just keeps staring. I step closer, and they grow taller, almost like an optical illusion. "They don't even look real," I whisper, and his lets out a breathy laugh.

"Oh, they're real. Thatch and I once had a bet that I couldn't climb it. I was almost half way up before the winds got so strong and threw me off."

I gave him my own laugh, taking a second step. The cliffs almost covered the entire sky now, fading into the thick fluffy clouds. I couldn't see the top of them.

"It's like they never end."

Met with silence, I chose to say no more and simply stand beside him, content in the quietness. The island was loud, but muffled by the trees and rocks behind us. Ace looked on, face hard and stern as he glared at the Red Line. It was what kept him from fulfilling his promise to make Whitebeard the Pirate King. It was only a matter of time before Ace braved the Red Line again, going to prove himself to the force of nature that he would conquer it.

Or die trying.

Author's Apology

So, first, I would like to say how appalled I am at myself for taking almost two years to update. I've had this chapter sitting on my computer for those two years, half finished, and I'm just now getting around to finishing the last few paragraphs. I am so far behind on One Piece that it'll probably take me above a month to catch up, so I do apologize if anything in the future chapters diverges from the canon. I don't know what's canon anymore. But I am very pleased to hear about Sabo.

Sixty-thousand views? Over 200 reviews? Almost 200 faves and subscriptions... this story is (almost) 7 years ago and I am so pleased of how well its done. I will finish it. At some point. This is the most I've ever written for a story. It is my first real project. Even if I don't finish it until its 10th birthday, I will finish it. Can't promise I'll get the next chapter out anytime this year (kind of a joke, kind of serious) but I'm going to go research what I've missed.

Fishman Island is coming up.