"Looks like you still need the boss to help you out," Sora said with a grin. She lifted her fingers to fiddle with Ace's tie, as he had poorly done it, never having tied a tie before. He was dressed in a deep crimson dress shirt under a black pinstripe vest. His slacks were also black pinstripe, and his tie was a pearly white. Sora tucked it into his vest, patting it down, and she giggled. "You look uncomfortable."

"I'm not used to wearing so much clothes," he answered with a grin. "Or this fancy of clothes."

She laughed. "You're the one that wanted to go somewhere fancy. Dinner tonight is like, top of the line shit, you know."

Ace chuckled and shrugged as though tonight was definitely not going to run him out of money. "I know. I wanted to take my princess somewhere swanky, you know, show her what it's like to be a fat cat. Plus you're cute in a dress."

Sora was wearing a sleek black dress that fell around her knees. It was held to her body by thin straps, and she let her dark hair cascade over her shoulders, and had placed a nice pearly white flower clip in her hair as well. She batted her eyelashes playfully. "Why, thank you. This was Ken's favorite dress."

Ace's face remained neutral as Sora laughed. "Please don't start making Ken jokes. I don't know how to respond."

The woman giggled, shoving Ace teasingly. "Oh, you two just look adorable," Izou said, grinning at Sora and Ace, who smiled. "Third date tonight. You know what that means!" he winked and playfully nudged Thatch, who was also laughing.

"What does that mean?" Sora asked, confused, and she felt Ace swing her around, pulling her into a dip. His hand rested on the small of her back as he grinned down at her playfully.

"Means I'm gettin' some tonight!"

Sora giggled and pushed him away, standing up straight. "In your dreams, studly. You're so gross."

Ace grinned and followed after her as she headed towards the door. "See ya!" he told Izou and Thatch, who waved, smiling at how happy their second division commander looked. Ace jogged for a bit to catch up with Sora, his hand automatically finding hers. "You look very nice tonight," he told her, and Sora smiled up at him.

"You, too."

Ace clutched his chest and turned his head to the sky, shutting his eyes. "Is this how it feels to be complimented? It's such an amazing feeling! I wish I was complimented more instead of being barraged by evil remarks!"

Sora giggled, swatting at Ace, who laughed. "Shut up, you. Are you sure you have enough money to pay for dinner tonight? I don't mind taking care of my half."

Ace made a face at Sora. "Hell, no, are you paying for anything tonight. Just let yourself be a princess for once and let daddy take care of the rest."

"If you call yourself 'daddy' one more time, I might punch you."

Ace dusted off his shoulder, cocking his head confidently. "Please, small boobs, you ain't got nothin' on me."

"Oh, my God, stop talking," she teased, and the two of them shared a laugh.

"Ah, glad to see you're finally out having fun, lass," said a loud voice and Sora felt a hand smack her back. She turned around to see Marshall D. Teach coming up beside her.

Sora forced herself to smile politely. She had forgotten what it felt like to be polite to a person she was uncomfortable around. Ace, however, grinned widely, shaking hands with Teach. "Nice to see you, man! Where've you been?"

Teach shrugged. "Out and about. Seems like you kids have been having fun, eh?"

"Ah, Sora's great," Ace said, slinging his arm around the woman. "The most awesome woman ever! We're going out to dinner."

"Well, don't let me keep you," Teach said, flashing a wide grin. He paused in step, not moving any further along with Sora and Ace and she suddenly felt a change in atmosphere, seeing Teach's eyes darken, like storm clouds closing in. "By the way, have you seen those little twin kids? I heard that they have something interesting."

Sora was quick to speak. "Oh, yeah, they're working on prosthetics," she said, keeping her voice casual. She was a master at pretending and Teach seemed to believe her, nodding as though in understanding.

"Ah, I see," the big man said, and his black beady eyes locked with Sora's. "Well, have a good time on your date."

"Thanks," Sora said, smiling sweetly, taking Ace's hand and heading off towards the restaurant while Teach went his own way, probably to the Sky Pub. He had most likely been hanging out at different bars through out the town. He didn't stay with any of the residents; he chose to live in a motel.

"What's up?" Ace asked, squeezing her hand. He could feel that she had suddenly become tense.

"It's gotten worse," Sora said, using her other hand to squeeze her temples. "That bad feeling. Since I last saw him, it's gotten worse. I don't know, you might think I'm being crazy but I just feel like something isn't right with Marshall. I feel like...I don't know. Just bad ju-ju, you know? It's like he isn't revealing his intentions."

Ace smiled and waved her off. "Don't worry, I guess he kind of gives that sort of impression at first."

"I've known him for eight years," Sora said. She wasn't insisting, she wasn't upset, she was just stating. Ace appreciated the fact that she was respecting that he was close to Teach. "Please promise me that if anything ever happens with Marshall, you'll deal with it."

"He's in my division," Ace said, nodding. "If anyone's gonna get on his case then it's gonna be me. I promise. Okay?"

Sora seemed satisfied, exhaling out all of her worry as they headed to the restaurant. "Okay. Also," she added, keeping her voice down. "Do not let him near the twins."

Ace blinked several times, but nodded. Teach was friendly and social, but Ace had a feeling that Teach wasn't particularly close to anyone on the island. He did have to admit it was a little weird that Teach asked about Haruo and Akio when he had probably only spoken to them once or twice. But he decided to let Sora have this one. She was protective over the kids of the island and Ace respected that.

"How are their prosthetics coming along?" Sora asked, changing the topic to a lighter one.

"Great," Ace said enthusiastically. "It still punched Haruo in the face but they're getting the hang of really connecting it to nerves and stuff, so that they're the ones wearing it instead of the other way around. I think it'll be great!"

The woman smiled. "They're little geniuses, I swear. I actually suggested them to build prosthetics to really get the hang of robotics. Then after that, they can get into A.I. and really get places, you know? If they get really good, maybe they can get an apprenticeship with Vegapunk."

Ace nodded, excited about the idea. "Yeah, they're really smart kids. I'm sure they'd get it when they're old enough."

They approached the restaurant, a little hub near Caleb's surf shop. It was covered by a deep burgundy awning, and the host was dressed in a crisp black vest over a white dress shirt and black silk bowtie. "For two?" he asked Ace, who nodded. "Please follow me." He turned and started to weave through the restaurant, and placed two menus on a round table in the center of one of the rooms. "Your waiter will be with you shortly."

"Thanks," Sora said as she took a seat, Ace sitting across her. In the middle of the table was a single rose in a clear vase, a candle flickering in the dimly lit room.

"Very romantic," Ace said with a grin, and Sora giggled.

"I thought you'd say something like that," she said with a smile. "That's why I chose this place."

Ace wasn't sure if he heard right, and Sora laughed at his surprise, confirming that he did actually hear Sora say that she wanted to hang out with Ace in a romantic setting. Just that little thought made his heart swell. "Just tell me right now that you want me, and we'll skip the dinner and I will definitely show you a really romantic time."

Sora giggled at his joke. "Sorry, studly, no dice."

Ace sighed as though he hadn't expected that coming. "Ah, it was worth a shot."

"Hi, my name is Tai and I'll be your waiter for this evening," he said. He was also dressed in the same uniform as the host, his sandy brown hair styled in a fauxhawk. "Hey, Sora," he said seeming surprised.

"Oh, hey Tai," Sora greeted with a smile. "I didn't know you worked here now."

"Yeah, I started a couple months ago," he replied with a grin. He gestured to Ace. "Is, ah, this your date?"

"Yep, Portgas D. Ace, nice to meet you," Ace said, holding out his hand immediately. Tai smiled and shook it, not at all intimidated by Ace's friendliness.

"Oh, well, can I get something for you guys to drink?" the brown haired man said, pulling out a notebook.

"Water for me," Sora said.

"Water my ass," Ace countered. "Champagne would be great," he told Tai, who nodded.

"I'll be right back with some champagne," he said, heading off to the kitchen.

Sora laughed. "You don't have to be so extravagant. I don't need champagne."

"Well, you don't need to get drunk. Champagne is just better with food, right? And besides, I'm paying, so it's all good." Ace waved her off and Sora just responded with a smile. "So, how do you and Tai know each other?"

"We had sex."

"Shut up."

Sora giggled. "He's a friend of Ken's. Well, mine, too. He was born and raised here and was in Ken's division in the marines, but when his mom fell ill, he came back home to take care of her."

"Oh, I see. Is she doing alright?"

Sora nodded. "She's been better now that Tai is back. He works two jobs to pay for the bills and to take care of her. He's a really nice guy."

Ace paused for a moment, raising his eyebrows. "He liked you didn't he?"

The woman sighed. Ace could see right through her. "Yeah, for a little while I think so. But that's all over and done with now."

Ace laughed, pointing a finger. "I knew it. You are such a man magnet! All the men in the world want to be with you!"

"That's not true," she laughed.

"Yes, it is," Ace insisted. "But I'm the luckiest out of all of them, 'cause I get to be with you."

Normally, Sora would have brushed off that sort of cheesy line but tonight, she found herself blushing and giggling girlishly. Ace grinned at this, glad that she didn't deny it. He really did feel lucky. Out of all the people that Sora could have been with, she was here with Ace. He reminded himself to remember that the next time he started to get jealous.

"Thatch has been helping out the twins a lot, huh?" Ace asked, changing the subject. Whenever he went with Sora to have lunch with Michio, Thatch was there with Akio and Haruo, working on prosthetics with the two boys.

Sora nodded as she flipped through the menu. "Yeah, I guess he has a little knowledge in mechanics? Who would have known?" she laughed. "The boys are happy, though. I think Michio feels a little better that there's another adult there that knows what the boys are talking about."

Ace chuckled, nodding. "How come you don't want Teach to go talk to the twins?"

Sora opened her mouth to speak, but Tai came back with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He popped the cork, and poured the golden liquid into both glasses, Sora and Ace thanking him. "Can I get you guys started on anything?"

"I'll have the gomadare filet minon," Sora said, closing her menu and handing it back to Ace. Ace realized he hadn't even looked at the menu yet and quickly picked it up now, knowing that it was his turn to order. Sora giggled and looked up at Tai, seeing Ace's eyes flickering from side to side as he read the entrees. "I think Ace would like the sansei filet minon."

"Okay, cool," Tai said, scribbling it down. "No appetizers?"

"No, thanks," Sora replied with a smile, and Tai turned and walked off. Ace looked up at her, grinning. "What?"

"That's cute. You ordered for me."

"Otherwise you would have taken forever."

"Would I really like the sansei filet minon?"

"Well, it's the steak and mushrooms and demi glace—"

"Sounds good."

"I know," she replied with a grin, and then stuck her tongue out at Ace.

"So, what were you gonna say about the twins?" Ace asked, making sure to go back to what he was originally talking about. He knew that Sora had a secret ability to avert conversations away from touchy topics.

She took a sip from her champagne and seemed to think for a while. "Okay," she said quietly. "But you can't tell anyone."

"Lips are sealed."

"Okay, well, four years ago when Adrian's group raided our island, Michio was fighting them as well – he and a bunch of other villagers boarded Adrian's ship in a move of defense, and tried to kill a couple people there, you know, deplete their numbers before more people came. And in the process, Michio…found something," Sora said, looking up from the table to lock eyes with Ace. "It was a devil fruit."

"Michio is a fruit user?" Ace asked, surprised.

Sora shook her head. "No. He just kept it – he didn't eat it. It's actually locked in a chest in his basement. He was going to sell it, but we had a talk and now he plans on giving it to the twins later. But only one person can have the devil fruit power, so if one of them eats it, then the other is powerless. The boys love each other and don't want to outshine each other, so they decided to wait until they can find a second fruit and then they'll eat it together."

"What fruit is it?"

Sora smiled at that, taking another sip of her champagne. "Guess you'll just have to find out when they set sail later in life, hm?"

"So, you don't know what it is," Ace summarized with a chuckle.

Sora giggled, shaking her head. "Nope, I haven't got a clue. I just don't want Teach going near them because I know he's going to ask, and I know they're not going to suspect anything and so they're going to tell him and something bad will happen."

Ace smiled gently. "Sora, I don't think Teach wants or needs a devil fruit."

The woman shrugged. "I just want to be careful. I love Akio and Haruo like my own little brothers and I don't trust Teach. How he even heard that they might have 'something interesting' is completely beyond me. That is exactly why I will not allow him to go near the boys."

Ace didn't completely understand Sora's paranoia about Marshall D. Teach, but he nodded anyway. He had a hard time believing that a friendly person like Sora would throw up her strongest defenses against her own nakama, and smile to his face about it. "There's definitely more to your feelings towards Teach, huh?" Ace guessed.

Sora shrugged. "No, not really," she laughed.

"Has he ever done anything fishy when you were division commander?"

She shook her head. "No."

"What is it, then?"

Sora paused for a moment took another sip from her champagne. She swirled it in her mouth for a moment, seeming to think. "It's like…you wake up in the morning, and it's sunny out, but you step one foot out the door, and you smell rain. And the next thing you know, you're in the middle of a hurricane. It's an inkling. It's a bad feeling. It's seeing through what is really there and honestly, Ace, I can't ever bring myself to trust that person. I love Oyaji. I love the crew. I love this island. To me, trusting that man is like discarding my feelings and turning my back on those that I love, and I can't do that." She looked up and suddenly, and just from the fierce look in her eyes, Ace realized that Sora was completely serious. "Marshall D. Teach is not and will never be my nakama."

"I see," he said, bringing his champagne glass to his lips. He had never heard Sora really talk badly about any person except Adrian. She was normally very polite and composed, but it was now that Ace really realized her feelings for Teach were not just a simple bad first impression. It was much deeper than that – it went much farther back than that.

"Sorry, I know that he's in your division now and stuff, it's just," she sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry. I feel disrespectful."

Ace shook his head. "I understand and it doesn't bother me. Everyone's entitled to their own feelings and that's fine," he said with a shrug. He probably would never really even begin to fathom Sora's opinion about Teach but the best he could do was just accept it, even if he disagreed.

"What about you, then? Has there been anyone that you've disliked?" Sora asked with a smile.

Ace shrugged again. "Not in particular."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Really. No one in your entire life?"

"Besides Roger, no," Ace said with a grin. "I admit I was kind of a brat when I was a kid because I was more bitter about the Roger thing then than I am now. And I guess when I was kidnapped by Oyaji, I didn't like him, but my feelings have changed; Whitebeard is my only father and I'm really happy with that. He accepts me and loves me for who I am – and so does the crew – so how could I hate people for loving someone like me? I've changed a lot since when I was in East Blue; I love my brother more than anything and my nakama are really great people. I don't know if it's really possible for me to dislike anyone I meet in my travels."

The older woman smiled. It was this kind of energy that made being around Ace so comfortable. He was always surrounded by people; it was his nature to be so open to others. She wondered what kind of person he was when he first came aboard the Moby Dick and she wondered if that experience had really molded him into the man sitting in front of her right now. And at that moment, Sora couldn't help but miss the sea. The ocean was the thing that really transformed everything, wasn't it? It had brought her to Whitebeard eight years ago, and brought Ace to her today. She couldn't be more thankful.

"Here we go," Tai said, placing a warm plate in front of Sora. "Gomadare filet minon, and sansei filet minon." He placed the second plate in front of Ace and smiled at the two of them. Steam floated off both dishes, filling their nostrils with flavorful scents. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," Ace said with a grin, pulling up his sleeves slightly.

Sora was about to tell him to eat like a human – as they were in a fancy restaurant – but to her surprise, Ace grabbed the knife and fork and began to cut his meat, seeming to be trying his best to eat civilly in public. Sora giggled at him struggling to not just destroy the food in front of him, as the excited expression on his face gave away the fact that he did think Sora's suggestion was quite delicious. She sighed happily, smiling at Ace. "Go ahead, you silly bean."

Ace flashed her a grin and picked the napkin off his lap, tucking it into the collar of his shirt. He stabbed the fork right in the center of the meat, ripping a piece out with his teeth. Sora laughed as he used the spoon to shovel mushrooms and sauces into his mouth as he chewed. "You're right, this is awesome," he said, spittles of food flying from his mouth and despite the fact that they were attracting attention, Sora just laughed. She actually thought that he was really cute.

She had begun to notice a lot more about Ace recently. The way his wavy ebony hair fell into his face, the way his cheeks rose when he smiled, bringing his freckles with it; his brown eyes that were almost gold in the sun, but at night when they laid together, talking, in the light of the moon, they were silver. Despite his laid back personality, Sora knew that he carried a lot of insecurities, but he did well hiding them and trying to deal with them on his own. He was a gem himself, so precious, but so fragile.

He continued to jam food into his mouth, pouring champagne in so he wouldn't choke, and honestly, even though he was being quite barbaric, the only thing Sora wanted to do right now was reach over the table and kiss him. And once she thought about it, it overwhelmed her, possessing her. The urge to leap at him encroached on her entire body, her urge building and growing, spreading like a wildfire. She wanted to kiss Ace right now.

Sora clutched the edge of the table, shifting her weight to her feet. She was going to leap at him, pounce on the man sitting across her. She couldn't even tell if she was breathing, and she stared in front of her at this man who, in such a short amount of time was able to help her heal. This man who always made her laugh. This man whose warmth she got lost in. This man whose crooked grin could chase away her demons. This man, Portgas D. Ace, who was everything that she could ever ask for.

"Oy, you gonna eat that?" Ace asked, swallowing his food and gesturing to hers.

Sora exhaled, feeling heavy again as she was grounded, the world slamming back into place around her. "What?" she asked, still dazed.

"Your steak?" Ace said, pointing at the piece of filet minon sitting uneaten on her plate. "'Cause I mean, this is awesome and everything but I can definitely eat another one, and we can just order you ramen at Michio's," he teased, grinning.

Sora laughed, relieved to feel her sudden urge to pounce Ace dissipate. She couldn't afford the complications that came with what would have happened if she did kiss him. At least, not right now. She looked down at her food and smiled. "Yeah," she said. "I'm gonna eat."