Ace and Sora returned to the bar in the later afternoon. The place was clearing out, as people ended their lunches and were heading home to start making dinner. Sora gestured to the door. "Close up for a bit. We have to set up for Kohaku's party."

Ace flipped the sign on the door and moved to the back of the bar where Sora was. She lifted out blue and green streamers from a bag and handed one to Ace. The dark haired man grinned. "Streamers? In a bar? That's cute of you."

"It's a birthday party for my kid brother," Sora replied, rolling her eyes. "Now just put those up somewhere."

"Leaving Ace with decorations?" piped Marco, who was still seated in the same place at the bar. "Not a good idea," he teased.

Ace made a face at the first division commander. "Oy."

"Sora, I heard Michio talking about the carnival coming in tomorrow," Marco said, turning to Sora. Every few years a wandering carnival stopped at Arashi Island. They set up overnight and the next three days were always quite hectic as everyone tried to make time to attend. "You gonna go?"

Sora shook her head, giving Marco the answer he expected. "Nah, I don't—"

"HOLY SHIT A CARNIVAL?" Ace screamed, grabbing Sora's shoulders and shaking her violently. "How can you not want to go to a carnival, woman? It's a carnivaaaaaaal!"

Sora blinked, trying to rid her eyes of the stars caused by Ace's rapid shaking. "I don't go to the carnival. I'm like, over twenty."

"So? Marco's over twenty, and he goes. Right?" Ace turned to the blonde for confirmation, and Marco just shrugged.

"If the other commanders feel like going then I go with them."

"Holy shit, we have to go, Sora. A carnival sounds awesome," Ace breathed excitedly, flashing Sora a grin.

"Marco just said he's going," Sora said, waving Ace off. "Go with them. I don't go to carnivals."

Ace made a face as she made a move to walk away to start setting up. A tiny smirk pinched the corners of his lips. "I want to go eat."

Sora turned around, the middle of her face creasing with confusion. "What?"

"You said to let you know when I want to eat, right? I want to eat at the carnival," Ace clarified, crossing his arms over his chest.

The woman's jaw dropped. "No, you can't do that!"

"You didn't put any restrictions on where we could eat."

"Ace, I don't want to go to the carnival."

"Too bad, small boobs. In two days' time, we're going to the carnival. Yeah? Yeah? Yeah, it'll be fun!" Ace grinned, pumping his fist victoriously.

"What happened now?" Marco asked, wondering why Ace suddenly had leverage over Sora. Sora never went to the carnival. In four years, she didn't do much besides work at the bar, watch Kohaku, and go up to the mountains. But lately she hadn't been working at the bar, Kohaku had been sneaking out to hang out with his friends, and Sora did other things – like eat dinner and have ice cream with Ace – besides go to the mountain, another activity in which Ace participated in.

"Oh, I paid for Kohaku's birthday gift, so Sora owes me a date," Ace explained.

"Really," Marco said, raising his eyebrows at Sora. Jealous twisted around in his gut, the slimy feeling clawing up his throat, threatening to escape and consume him.

"Yeah, but it's just eating and then leaving," she said quickly.

Ace scoffed. "Uh, no, unless you want me to take credit for that awesome gift I bought today. You have to cough up at least half of what I paid, Sora. You can't just buy a corndog, tip your hat and be on your way. You also owe me for ice cream I bought at Coral's."

Sora groaned and made a sound like she was crying, trudging off to hang the decorations. Smiling, Ace headed in the other direction to start on the right side of the bar.

The other division commanders came in shortly, also helping out Sora with the decorations. Kohaku appeared as well, a few of his friends in tow. They were around his age; three boys and Ace noticed a younger girl come in also. She had short auburn hair and big eyes, resembling Coral from the ice cream parlor.

"What's up, little man? Happy birthday," Ace greeted, walking over to Kohaku.

He grinned up at Ace. "Thanks. You did a, ah, interesting job with the streamers," he said, gesturing to Ace's corner. He had just wrapped the streamers around the beams on the ceiling and trailed them over chairs. It looked like the corner had been attacked by a spider who spat out the messiest web it could have possibly done and then scattered away.

"Hey, I did my best," Ace told him. "And the joke's on you 'cause that's your corner for you and your friends."

Kohaku just laughed, leading his friends over to the designated area. "You sure it's okay for him to party with pirates?" Ace asked Sora when she returned to the bar.

"Oh, yeah, no big deal," Sora said, shrugging her shoulders. She winked. "Everyone knows he's my kid brother so they don't mess. Pirates have the best parties, don't they?"

"Damn right we do. You gonna drink tonight or no?" Ace asked with a tiny smirk.

Sora laughed. "Definitely not. I told you I'm never drinking around you."

"Afraid your real desires will surface and you'll pounce on me in front of everyone?" he teased, closing the distance between them. He trapped her against the bar wall, his forearm against the wall near her face so he could lean into her body.

"Trying the 'oh daddy' with me?" Sora laughed, pushing him off without much effort. She pointed at herself. "Sorry, I'm immune."

Ace chuckled. "One of these days, small boobs," he warned playfully.

More people started coming in after Sora flipped over the sign on the door back to 'OPEN'. All the division commanders were there, and so was Whitebeard. Eiichi, Michio, and his two sons came, and Coral as well. The Sky Pub was bustling with people, even more so than normal, everyone here to celebrate Kohaku's eleventh birthday.

Ace laid back, deciding not to hang around Sora the entire evening. He had spent a lot of time with her over the last few days and figured that a little space was good. Besides, he hadn't really seen much of his crew, as he had always been trying to attract Sora's attention.

He did, though, allow his eyes to flicker back to her sometimes, watching the way she weaved between people, tracing the curves of her slender, lean figure with his eyes, watching the way her hair fell into her face. And then he would return to conversation with his nakama like nothing happened. It was carefully orchestrated nonchalance.

Sora, on the other hand, was not so calm. After spending the last few hours mentally flailing about actually having to go on a labeled date with Portgas D. Ace – to the carnival, of all places – even during the party, Sora was still uneasy. Why had she let him pay for that damn board? Why didn't she just keep fighting to pay for her half of Kohaku's gift? Then she wouldn't be stuck feeling so anxious.

She was conscious of his every move, every time he stood up to call for another drink, every time he waved his hand, every time he smiled at her when they somehow happened to lock eyes although she was across the bar with Kohaku and his friends. Why was this happening? Sora felt like the universe was playing a pretty mean prank on her. Why, suddenly, did it even matter? Sora never cared much about men and dating, and she wasn't lying when she said she was 'immune' – she was just…less immune to Ace.

It was different when she teased him, but just that tiny, tiny moment of his body against hers, feeling his breath, consumed by his body heat, noticing the way his wavy hair fell into his eyes –and those freckles – how could Sora be immune to freckles? It was impossible to be immune to him.

And to top it all off, he was funny, and charming, and—

Sora shook her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose. What the hell was she thinking?

"You okay?" Kohaku asked, noticing her distress.

"Oh, yeah," Sora said, waving him off and smiling at him. "We bought your gift today."

The younger boy's face lit up as he grinned up at Sora. "Really? We?"

"Ace and I split for a gift for you."

Kohaku pressed his lips together and nodded as though forcing himself not to say anything. Sora ruffled his hair. "What?"

Kohaku shook his head. "Nothing."

Sora hummed at him, pushing his face playfully. "Okay, I'm gonna go find Eiichi so we can bring your cake out." She slid out of the booth, making her way towards the bar. She moved behind it just to avoid having to cut through a crowd of people, and she noticed that Ace was walking towards Kohaku's table. Sora shook her head to herself, ducking into the kitchen.

"What's up," Ace said, plopping down next to Kohaku. He spoke to all of the kids at the table. "What'd you guys do today since big sis broke off Kohaku's shackles?"

"We went to the beach," answered the girl sitting next to Kohaku. The boy smiled, nodding.

"Ah, I don't think we've met," Ace said, holding his hand out. "Portgas D. Ace."

The little girl giggled, her tiny hand taking his. "Suzushi Corinne," the girl introduced. "My sister told me about you."

"Oh, no wonder I thought you were familiar. Coral's your sister, huh?"

Corinne nodded. "She told me you bought a lot of ice cream for Sora. I thought it was nice of you."

"Ah, I try," Ace said as though bragging.

"Kohaku, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, okay?" Corinne told Kohaku, who nodded as the girl hopped on to the ground, weaving through the people.

"Dude, you and Corinne?" Ace teased, watching the younger kid blush and look away, shaking his head. "What's going on with you and her?"

"What's going on with you and Aneki?" Kohaku replied.

Ace shook his head, shrugging. "Nothing," he said, trailing off. He held out his fist. "Except I got her to agree to going on a date with me."

Kohaku did not bump fists with Ace and instead raised an eyebrow. "Real date this time?"

"Total real date. Now pound it!" Ace said, and Kohaku laughed as he and Ace bumped fists, opening this hands after and making a sound with their mouths like an explosion.

"That's cool, we'll see how that goes," Kohaku said, shrugging.

"She can't ditch out on me this time," Ace assured him.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Why do you insist on bringing down my hopes about Sora?" Ace sighed. That uneasy feeling was settling at the bottom of his stomach.

Kohaku laughed. "That's not what I mean to do. But, it's just, uh, I don't know, thanks for making my sister happy."

That last part was unexpected. "Uh, yeah," was all Ace could really say. He wasn't sure what he even was supposed to say when people told him that Sora was happier. It made him feel warm, and fulfilled, but he couldn't exactly say that.

"Oy, Kohaku!" Sora called from the bar. Kohaku stood up, peering over and seeing that Corinne was sitting with Sora at the bar in front of a massive cake. It was nearly the size of the young girl. It was a three-tier cake, covered in white frosting and decorated with blue, green, and purple icing, with cookie crumbs sprinkled on it as well. Rather than a flat "Happy Birthday Kohaku" written on the cake, protruding from the top of the dessert was a chocolate sign that read the same thing. Twelve candles surrounded the sign, all of them super sized to at least six inches in height.

Kohaku bounded over to the bar, plopping in a barstool next to Corinne, who smiled at the boy. "Happy birthday," she said with a giggle.

Kohaku smiled back. "Thanks."

"Alright," Sora called to the bar, the pirates quieting down as Sora spoke. "As we know, my kid brother has turned eleven today!"

Sora's announcement was met with a rally of loud cheers, making Kohaku laugh. "Before we eat this amazing cake that Eiichi made—" More cheers, "—we need to light the candles and sing happy birthday to Kohaku as loud as we can!"

Sora peered over the heads of the pirates, and instantly locked eyes with Ace. She flicked her wrist, telling him to come over and he leapt out of his seat to be at her side. "Light the candles, Fire Fist."

Ace grinned and enveloped his hand in a soft flame. He spread his fingers and held his hand above the candles, twelve of them igniting. Ace extinguished his flames as the lights were flicked off. "Twelve?" he asked Sora.

"One for good luck," she explained, smiling. "Ready, boys? One, two, three!"

The entire bar erupted into a loud, off tune rendition of 'Happy Birthday', so out of tune because everyone was screaming, but it made Kohaku laugh anyway. When they finished, Kohaku closed his eyes briefly, and blew out the candles, all twelve doused in one breath. The Sky Pub erupted with applause and cheers as the lights came back on.

Eiichi pushed to the front and began carving off chunks of the cake for people, handing the first basketball sized piece to Kohaku, who took it back to their table with Corinne.

Ace headed back to Whitebeard's corner again, deciding to give Sora more space, as she seemed to be having fun chatting with Michio and Eiichi. Ace noticed that Michio's sons were there as well, the twins looking about Kohaku's age, with Michio's tan skin and dark eyes. Ace plopped down next to his captain, joining in with conversation that had started.

"I'm surprised you're not with that Portgas kid right now," Michio said, grinning at Sora.

"Seriously, is that all people can talk about?" Sora asked, slicing a piece of cake for a crewmember that came to pick one up. "How many times have I been teased about that? I'm going to say this now and ten thousand times in the future until I die: Ace and I are just friends."

Michio could hear a slight irritation in her voice. He didn't blame her because it was true; it was what people were talking about. Especially after word spread that Sora and Ace had gone to Kenjiro's grave? No one went there with Sora except for Marco. Marco was the only other person that Sora felt comfortable enough to go there with – everyone else that wanted to visit Kenjiro's grave dodged days when it was known Sora and Marco would go hiking.

Everyone in the village had raised Sora. She was the daughter of then entire Arashi Island; it was important when their daughter had been shattered for the better of four years and then suddenly, skies where blue again. It was a big deal, seeing a smile on their daughter's face – that's why people talked about her and Ace and wanted to know more. Because no matter how much time Marco spent with Sora, she had never been so at peace.

And it wasn't that Marco didn't try. It was obvious to virtually everyone except Sora that Marco had real feelings for her and that he did want to make her happy. It's just that he wasn't what she needed.

But was Ace?

It was the question on everyone's mind. Even Michio could see a part of Kenjiro's reflection in the new second division commander. But a part of him hoped that that wasn't the only reason Sora had been clinging to Ace as of lately. Michio had a feeling in his gut; he knew that just like how Eiichi had become exactly what he needed, Ace could become what Sora needed, even if he didn't even know what exactly she needed.

So, he just decided to drop it for now. If she wanted to talk, Michio knew she would talk. After all, it had only been a little over a week.

Then again, the length of time the Whitebeard Pirates stayed differed. Ace could be gone in a few days. "Oy, when is Whitebeard leaving?" Michio asked Eiichi quietly as Sora continued to cut cake in Eiichi's place.

Eiichi shrugged. "I don't know. I heard a couple more weeks. But it could change depending on how Whitebeard's feeling. I think it seems like everyone wants to stay longer though since Sora's been in such a good mood."

Michio nodded. "Good."

"Why?"

"Just asking."

Eiichi furrowed his brows. "Okay," he said, handing Michio's sons – Akio and Haruo – a giant slice of cake that the boys took the cake to their table with Kohaku.

Most people would have been anxious with 1,600 pirates stopping in for a vacation, but not Arashi Island. All the residents of the island owed it to Whitebeard – and Sora – for its safety. After Brower Adrian's attack four years ago, Whitebeard had declared the island his, keeping it safe from raiding pirates. Pirates who knew that the previous second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates also lived here knew not to cause trouble when stopping in for supplies. There hadn't been any trouble for years; it had been quite peaceful.

People of Arashi Island were grateful for Whitebeard, as Arashi Island had been a victim to many raids in the past, thanks to its rather convenient location. It wasn't one of the seven islands needed to pass through to reach Raftel and the One Piece – it was in the middle of almost half of the different possible paths and had no effect on log poses whatsoever. It was a place for pirates to stock up, have a drink, and be on their way. Many other pirates, however, didn't come peacefully.

There used to be a lot of constant rebuilding, and people stayed in doors and our of bars to avoid being hassled by rowdy pirates that would come into the village. Few didn't caught trouble, but to majority of pirates, Arashi Island was free game – it wasn't World Government territory, it wasn't owned by a Yonkou, it didn't have effect on the log pose. Pirates saw the island as useless.

But after Sora had left the Whitebeard Pirates four years ago, her captain had claimed the island as his – the same way he protected Fishman Island – and no one dared to rouse up trouble anymore. It had become merely a place of vacation and a long deserved rest for pirates that stopped in.

Arashi Island inhabitants weren't hostile towards pirates anymore. At least, not the Whitebeard Pirates. Whitebeard's crew protected them, and in turn, they respected and admired Whitebeard, providing his ship with everything it needed, from rebuilding the ship, to stocking up on food. The Whitebeard Pirates were welcome here.

It did come with a price, however. Arashi Island's pride and joy – Sora – once a great and renowned pirate, was reduced to nothing more than a bartender who never step foot off dry land. She was good at pretending like it didn't bother her, like she didn't long for the sea. But everyone knew. What was more important – the island's safety, or their daughter's dreams?

"Oy, you awake?" Michio heard, and snapped back to reality, seeing Sora raising an eyebrow at him. "I asked if Aki and Haru are going to the carnival."

Michio nodded. "Yeah, we're going to take them tomorrow," he answered. "Did Kohaku want to come?"

"Yup. Ask Coral about taking Corinne, too, if that's okay. I think Kohaku likes that girl. I'm just helping out," Sora said with a laugh.

The older man smirked. "Well, that's sweet. Are you going to the carnival?" he asked, knowing the answer. Why did he even bother to ask?

Sora wiped down the table for a little, taking a sip from a mug of water. She tasted the liquid for a little as though water could taste like anything but water, and said, "Yes."

Eiichi and Michio glanced at each other. "Yes?"

"Yes."

"That's weird," Eiichi said bluntly. He opened his mouth to say something else, and then changed his mind, closing it and flicking his eyes at Michio as though communicating telepathically.

Sora shrugged as though she didn't care. "With Marco?" Michio asked, thinking of the only person that could even make a dent in Sora's ideal about not going to a carnival after you turn twenty.

"Nah," she replied vaguely, shrugging and shaking her head in all directions. She obviously didn't want to answer the question, but Eiichi and Michio already had a pretty good idea of whom she would be going with if it weren't Marco.

But again, the two men decided not to say anything, changing the subject. The party lasted way into the wee parts of the morning, even after Michio and Eiichi had escorted Kohaku out, and taken Akio and Haruo back home as well.

Sora manned the bar alone, delivering drinks and cleaning until the only people left were the Whitebeard Pirates that were staying with her – Whitebeard and the four division commanders. Whitebeard had retired to his room, his footsteps thundering up the stairs as he walked, leaving Sora cleaning up after the rest of the bar. Jozu, Thatch, Marco, and Ace were still sitting in Whitebeard's booth, talking.

"Oy, Belleville, stop working and have a drink with us," Thatch called over to the woman as she brought back empty glasses.

She wiped her forehead, shaking her head. "Nah, it's alright."

"Just one beer," Thatch continued, raising his glass.

"I don't know, man, one beer for Sora can be fatal," Marco teased, receiving an eye roll from Sora. "Stop working. There's no one here. Come sit with us."

Sora shook her head again. "If I'm not working then who's going to clean the bar?"

"Have Ace do it," Jozu said, slapping Ace on the back and laughing.

"He'll just break everything," Sora giggled.

"Oy, I did good today," Ace replied, making a face at her.

Sora just laughed, shrugging. "No really, though, stop working and sit with us. You haven't even hung out with us as a group since we got here," Thatch insisted, moving over to make room for Sora in the booth. Not that he needed to, as it was huge to accommodate Whitebeard.

Sora sighed, untying her apron and tossing it aside. "Fine, but you guys have to help me clean afterwards."

"Deal," the four commanders said together. Sora laughed and slid into the booth next to Thatch.

"So," Sora said, resting her face in her hands as she leaned against the table. "How have my boys been?"

Marco, Thatch, Jozu, and Ace began excitedly recalling their recent voyages at sea, and Sora listened with wide eyes and smiles just like the way Kohaku had when Ace had told the younger boy about his adventures on the Moby Dick. There was no comparison to the thrill of being a pirate – the people you meet, the friends you make, the food you eat, the feeling of the wind against your face as your ship cut through the ocean – it was ecstasy; it was infinite. Ace watched her face light up upon hearing their stories, and it made him really wonder why she gave up her position as the second division commander. Being on the Moby Dick gave her the privilege to be experiencing adventure, instead of just hearing about them.

"You should have seen Ace when he first came aboard," Thatch said, grinning at Sora. "What an angry fellow."

"Oh, really?" Sora raised her eyebrows at Ace, smiling.

Ace looked a little embarrassed, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. But Thatch kept talking. "Tried to kill Oyaji, what, a hundred times?"

"Probably more," Ace admitted, scratching his head.

Sora just laughed. "I see."

"He took a bit of convincing," Thatch went on. He grinned at Ace. "But aren't you glad you made the decision you did?"

Ace nodded. "The Moby Dick is my home and I have the greatest nakama and captain ever," he said proudly, grinning at the other division commanders, who laughed heartily in return. Sora just smiled.

"You guys sound like you have a lot of fun," she commented, still smiling.

"Yeah, but it'd be much more fun if you were with us still," Jozu replied.

Sora shook her head, laughing. "I know," she said, smirking. "But then poor Ace would be out of a job."

"He would have been promoted to a division commander eventually," Marco shrugged.

"Nah, I don't think so. He's pretty weak, I mean, I think he'd just end up being my subordinate – he'd be the only second rate pirate under the second division commander." A chorus of 'oohs' rounded the tables, the other three men provoking Ace to respond to Sora's challenge.

Ace raised his eyebrows. "Weak? I'm pretty sure I can beat the crap out of you," Ace retorted, opening his arms jokingly as though starting a fight. Another round of 'oohs' as the division commanders laughed.

Sora just shrugged her shoulders, leaning back in the booth. "Guess we'll never know, huh?"

"Fight me, then," Ace offered.

"Oy, were you not there when I beat the shit out of Marco?" Sora said, receiving an eye roll from the first division commander. "I'll kill you with one finger. My pinky finger, even." She lifted the tiny finger to emphasize as the commanders continued to laugh.

Ace shook his head, laughing also. "Whatever, small boobs."

Sora made a face at the nickname. She turned to the men at the table. "Boys, do I have small boobs?" she asked, grabbing her chest.

"Ah, trick question," Thatch observed. Marco and Jozu turned their heads away as though the lines on the wood walls were suddenly quite interesting. "Can't answer yes, because that's not what she wants to hear, and can't answer no because then that'll prove we were looking at her boobs."

Sora rolled her eyes. "Oh, jeez, come on. I don't care, just answer honestly."

The three men just shook their heads, even Thatch becoming interested with the wall. Ace laughed, folding his arms on the table, smirking at Sora. "It's 'cause they agree."

Sora sighed. "Fine, whatever," she said, pretending to sound disappointed. The other three commanders took that as a cue that it was now safe to rejoin the conversation and turned back to Sora and Ace. She smiled at the division commanders. "I really…miss you guys, you know," she said.

It took all of them by surprise. Sora was weird, yes, but she was also known for her mental strength and ability to wear smiles when she didn't mean them. "I, uh, really like when you guys stop by. And I'm sorry I haven't really hung out with you until now."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Thatch said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her in for a hug. "You know we miss you, too. We like coming here also and we know you're busy sometimes, so it's fine."

Sora grinned. "Thank you," she said, her voice laced with sincerity, causing all the boys to smile in return. Jozu, Marco, and Thatch, of course, knew that Sora did miss the sea, and although they did know that she missed them, too, it was nice to hear her say it. It was a privilege to be loved by this woman.

"We'll always be around," Marco told her.

"And we'll always come by every once in a while," Jozu said with a grin.

Sora smiled back. "Thanks, boys." She slid out of the booth and clapped her hands together. "Now how about helping me clean?"