Kill the Rabbit

by Mountain97

Ace, one of the newest members of 2nd division, has been a Whitebeard Pirate for about a year. For him, having a place to call home where people love him is a semi-new experience and he savors every minute of it. But one of Whitebeard's allies knows Ace, and when they meet Ace is...less than friendly. But why? NO PAIRINGS Mild AU backstory changes rated for lang, blood, and horror.

34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: (Hey all! Guess who's back?! :DDD Great to be back to writing again. :)

Sorry I've been so lazy and I didn't really reply to any reviews. :C Stuff's crazy and I thought a chapter update would be better than review replies. I promise I'll do a better job replying on this chapter.

Umm…what else…not much, so I'll just let you enjoy the chapter. C: Hope you like it.

This chapter has been rated T+ for LANGUAGE and VIOLENCE

And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER! :D)

---

Ace sat bolt upright, barely repressing a scream. It was dark, dark, dark, and where was he? What was going on? Was he back? Did he never escape at all?

Ace tumbled out of bed and had to fight to stifle another scream as he landed badly on his side, broken ribs flaring up in protest. Nonetheless he scrambled to his feet and stumble-ran to the door, throwing it open with a bang.

The hallway was dark too, and Ace couldn't distinguish any differences between it and the hallway that ran beside his cell. Ace felt terror rising and beginning to consume him. He was back, he was going to be hurt, there was going to be nothing left, he'd cast aside Wonderland, where was he supposed to hide now? He was going to die here, never going to get to-

"Ace?" Ace's head snapped to the side, eyes wide.

Luffy.

He stood in the doorway to his room, rubbing his eyes sleepily with one hand, leaning against the doorframe with the other.

"What was that banging?" Luffy's words were slurred, his eyes bleary with tiredness. Ace felt the terror melt away, replaced by warm affection and a touch of guilt. He walked to Luffy and wrapped him in a loose hug, petting the back of his head.

"It was nothing, Luffy."

"Then why are you scared?" Luffy himself seemed to be growing frightened. Anything that could get Ace scared had to be terrifying. Ace stiffened at his words and willed the betraying shaking running through his limbs to stop. He took a deep breath, coming up with the mildest way of saying what he had to.

"…You know those nightmares you have some times?" He felt Luffy nod against his shoulder. "Well…Sometimes I get them too." He drew back from Luffy and knelt down in front of him, looking him in the eye. "When that man took me away he used…a scary power that he has to give me nightmares. I still get them a lot, but it's nothing you need to worry about, okay? I'm fine." Luffy seemed to consider this for a moment, looking deep in thought.

"…Do you want to come sleep in my bed?" Ace blinked in surprise and Luffy grinned at him. "Whenever I have nightmares you always let me come sleep with you. You always say you'll scare away all my nightmares, and you always do! I bet I can scare away yours too, if you like." Luffy's grin practically gave off its own light it was so bright. Ace smiled, one of his now very rare genuine smiles, and ruffled Luffy's hair.

"Okay."

---

You know, this is kind of getting old REALLY fast. Ace chuckled, looking over to see Luffy hugging Serpent. Only problem? He was holding her upside down. Ace could feel the annoyance radiating off Serpent in waves and it was only her ire, now directed at his amusement, which kept him from laughing outright.

I never said you couldn't run away. But NO scratching and NO biting. Serpent seemed to come to life from her previous limpness. She writhed and slithered in a way that would make her namesake proud, dropping out of Luffy's arms like liquid. Luffy gasped at her in surprise, and she didn't hesitate a moment to bolt across the room, into the kitchen. She leapt up onto the counter, then up on top of the cupboard above. Ace, frankly, was surprised she didn't break the sound barrier in her haste.

Luffy came running into the kitchen, practically squealing in delight. His speed nearly matched hers, and it was only a matter of instants that kept Serpent from being back in Luffy's grasp. She sat on the top of the cupboard and glared down at him, tail tip twitching in the feline gesture most associated with 'go fuck yourself to death and then rot in hell forever.'

Whoa, easy there. I think you may light him on fire with a look like that. Serpent turned her gaze to him and the glare lost none of its rancorousness.

As much affection as I may have for Luffy, after being held upside down, pulled across the floor, and petted with enough fury to kill a mongoose for TWO FUCKING HOURS- Ace tried to cut her off but she was having none of it. NO I DON'T HAVE TO KEEP IT 'G RATED' IN OUR MINDS BECAUSE HE CAN'T FUCKING HEAR ME, OKAY? Ace tried to convey placation, but Serpent didn't even pause.

He's a menace, a bane on all cats-

He's six years old!

THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE'S MAKING ME CONTEMPLATE MASS MURDER.

…I'm not sure they could actually arrest you for that. You are a cat, after all.

Well they're going to have to do something with me so that I don't kill off the entire fucking planet and- JESUS CHRIST! Serpent sunk her claws into the wood of the cabinets, clutching desperately at it in an attempt to stay on top of it while Luffy attempted to pull her down by the grip he had on her tail. Serpent's eyes locked on Ace's and he saw pure desperation in her. Please, save me! Spare me! I'll do anything, I'll never swear at you again- Ace felt a conniving smile coming to his face and being conveyed over the mental link.

Now that's a promise both of us know you won't keep. Serpent was pulled another inch.

Please, I'm begging you! I'll do anything! She was now only moments away from the edge of the cabinet.

…You seem to be over-dramatizing this. Serpent had the wood in a death-grip, clutching the surface as if it was the only thing keeping her from utter torment.

I-I'll never complain about him again! I'll watch him all day tomorrow so you can get a rest- again Ace was about to cut her off but Serpent continued. Yes I know you haven't been sleeping well, don't try to hide it. I swear on my life that I'll do it tomorrow, just please, spare me today! Ace considered the deal. He did need to get some rest. The nightmares hadn't abated, not at all. He'd gotten better at hiding them, though. He didn't scream when he woke up anymore, a behavior he'd forced upon himself after he'd terrified Luffy one night, and even if he did have a panic attack upon waking, Serpent was always there to bring him out of it.

Serpent herself was able to help with the nightmares sometimes. Through their linked minds she could interact with Ace's psyche even when he was asleep. If she was awake when he started to have a nightmare she was sometimes able to divert his dream into something else or just darkness. That was only sometimes, though, and even with Serpent doing everything in her power – Ace knew she hadn't been sleeping well either – he was still waking up terrified almost every night.

Serpent would be there and would be apologetic despite the fact that Ace told her over and over again it wasn't her fault she couldn't change his dreams all the time. Her warmth, the feeling of something alive pressing against him in a gesture of comfort, as well as the gentle images and emotions she would send over their mental bond would usually calm him down after a nightmare, and if it was particularly bad they'd spend hours like this, Ace curled in a ball clutching Serpent to his chest like he wanted her to climb into his heart.

…Fine. I have to go see Ricky tomorrow anyway. He's insisting on weekly checkups for the next two months. I was going to leave Luffy with Makino, but since you're volunteering I guess you can handle it.

"Luffy, I don't think you should be doing that." Luffy paused in his pulling on Serpent's tail.

"Aw, but I want to play with Kitty!" Ace felt a smirk pull at his mouth.

"You can play with Kitty" He cast a glance at Serpent, emphasizing the word. She glared at him, hard. "Later. I think she needs a little break just now. Besides, it's lunchtime."

"FOOD!" Luffy released Serpent's tail instantly, running over to the table as Ace set a plate of sandwiches down. He instantly set into one with gusto, packing nearly half of it into his mouth in one go. Ace gave him a disapproving look.

"Smaller bites, Luffy. You're going to choke if you keep that up." Ace took a sandwich himself, eating at a more reserved pace. It was getting much less frequent, but eating too quickly or too much still made Ace sick sometimes. Ricky said it was because of how long he'd been without food and promised it'd be gone soon.

"Mmff." Luffy, half a sandwich still miraculously shoved in his mouth, couldn't really speak.

"...I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that was affirmative."

---

"But I'm not tiiiirrrreeed..." Luffy whined. Ace smiled at him.

"That doesn't change the fact that it's bedtime." Luffy pouted at him and Ace chuckled. His laughter faded but a tiny smile remained on his face. "Well, what can I do to make you tired?"

"Tell me a story!" Ace blinked.

"A story?" Luffy nodded energetically.

"Yeah! An adventure!" Ace leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, right beside Luffy's bed. He considered the request for a moment and pulled his face into a dramatized mask of deep thought.

"An adventure he says? Hmmm..." Ace chewed on the idea, trying to find the best way to begin. "Well, I think I've got one you might find interesting." Luffy's eyes shone with excitement.

"Really? Yes!" Ace smiled at Luffy. From Luffy's bedside table he pulled a sheet of paper and a pencil. He began to draw, sketching a simple yet warm image of a girl laying in a field of daisies, small cat by her side.

"This is the story of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland."

---

"...`Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple.

`I won't!' said Alice.

`Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

`Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) `You're nothing but a pack of cards!'

At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face.

'Wake up, Alice dear!' said her sister; 'Why, what a long sleep you've had!'

'Oh, I've had such a curious dream!' said Alice, and she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange Adventures of hers that you have just been hearing about; and when she had finished, her sister kissed her, and said, 'It WAS a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it's getting late.' So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been." Ace handed Luffy the last drawing, an image of the waking Alice, head on her sister's lap, card soldiers leaping towards her from the left side of the image but turning to leaves as they neared her. Ace took in a deep breath, his next two words seeming more important than they should have. They came out as little more than a whisper, and even to Ace's ears they sounded stunned. Baffled.

"...The end." Luffy looked at the drawing before turning to look at Ace, awed smile on his face.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Ace gave Luffy a weary smile and stood, taking the candleholder from Luffy's bedside table with him. He cast his eyes around, taking in the scattered illustrations on Luffy's bed before forcing his gaze to return to Luffy's face.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning." "Okay." Luffy snuggled himself deeper under the covers. "G'night, Ace." Ace smiled at him and slipped out the door.

"Goodnight." He pulled it shut behind him with a faint click, not letting the smile drop off his face until he was sure it was closed. Once it was he leaned back against the wall, hearing his head fall against it with a soft thud. He remained that way for a moment, then lifted himself away, turning and walking downstairs, grabbing a jacket, and walking out the front door.

The night air was cool against his skin, and as he walked briskly dew from the grass, now mostly dry from the fast-approaching winter, stained the bottom of his pants. He let his feet carry him where they would and wasn't surprised when he ended up on the sea cliff by his family's graves. He sat down in the cool grass, not minding the damp. He tipped his head back slowly, letting it hang, and stared up at the dome of stars above him. Far below he could hear the rhythmic crashing of the waves against the cliffs and, as it always did, it began to ease the tension from his mind.

Ace didn't know how long he sat there in silence, watching the stars and hearing the waves. The only way he knew time passed at all was by the waves and his own breathing. The silence, the wind, the sea crashing far below him, his family's tombstones beside him...they settled him. Reminded him of promises he wasn't going to break.

Why did you do that? Ace looked down and to his left. Serpent was seated there looking up at him with questioning, sympathetic eyes. Ace closed his eyes and sighed.

Luffy deserved to know at least part of it. So I told him about Wonderland as it should have been, innocent and naive and perfect. They sat in silence for a long time, watching the stars, listening to the sea, tasting the wind. Ace felt as if he could have sat there forever. There was serenity on that cliff. Peace. Quietude. Solitude. Just him and the dead and Serpent. Serpent...

...I haven't been very fair to you, have I? Serpent looked up at him in surprise, blinking at his words.

What're you-

You never asked to be a companion to me like this. You must get tired of having to listen to me whine and mope when you have no real reason to care.

That's not-

I should have done a better job creating you. I should have given you your own mind. It's not fair of me to keep you trapped here.

Ace, where is this coming from? Ace sighed.

Thinking about Wonderland just made me remember things. Like how I failed to create you properly. I feel bad because you deserve to be your own being, you are your own being, and here I am denying you a fundamental piece of your existence. The piece of my mind that was used when you were made is yours, yet thus far I've clung to it, clung to you, and kept you both as part of me. It's not fair to you. You didn't sign up for all the baggage that comes along with being a companion to me. You don't deserve to suffer the same painful memories, be exposed to my hurt just because you exist. Ace took a deep breath. That's why...I made you something. He drew her attention to a specific area of their shared mindscape, right along the border between their minds. Serpent's eyes widened. Ace continued before she could speak. ...This is for you. If you ever want to leave all of my faults and failures behind. Before now their minds had been bonded seamlessly, and still really were, but Ace had added something.

A door.

A door that could be closed on Serpent's will.

Serpent was left utterly speechless. Here Ace was, giving her an open invitation to leave, to be her own being, to be complete. She stared at the door in wonder, stared at the choice lying right in front of her. Serpent smiled mentally. Who was she kidding? There was no choice. She already knew what her answer was. Serpent stood and turned back towards the house.

Idiot. Come back to the house. It's time to get some sleep. Ace looked after her in confusion. She continued in the same tone of voice, but her quiet affection was clearly discernable under it. You would have thought with all our shared intelligence I would have chosen an easier best friend. Honestly, you're so high strung sometimes! Serpent turned back around and trotted away. Ace stared after her in shock for a moment before clambering to his feet and following her, massive smile splitting his face.

Serpent felt a smile come to her own face. She closed her eyes, thinking only to herself. High strung? Maybe. But I lied. I couldn't have made a better choice. The door remained there between their minds as it was and always would remain.

Open.

---

Walking through Fuushia Village had never felt as hard as it did that morning. Ace felt exposed, visible, like at any moment someone was going to pop out, grab him, and deliver him back into hell. Ace fought to keep his breathing and steps even, and had one hand curled into a fist, trying to release some of his tension.

He knew he knew everyone here and he had no viable reason to be as jumpy as he was, but he couldn't help the anxiety coursing through him. It made him feel guilty, being scared of people he used to trust, but he couldn't help it. The faces seemed less familiar, he'd forgotten the details, and so everyone he passed seemed in some way new of different. Like half-strangers. And anyone Ace didn't know might be a threat.

Reaching the East Wind was a relief to Ace. It was more familiar to him, the wood of the deck comforting beneath his feet. He felt his mind beginning to relax, the tension beginning to leave his shoulders.

"Ողջույն, մեկնոց." Ace felt a smile come to his face and turned.

"բարի լույս. ինչպես եք?" Benn smiled at him.

"I'm well. Your Armenian is certainly getting better. You're still pronouncing your 'եք's a little wrong, though." Ace shrugged.

"I've only been working on Armenian for what, two weeks? I'll get better." Benn glanced behind Ace.

"Hey, where's Luffy? I would have thought he'd be unwilling to let you out of his sight."

"He was still asleep when I left this morning. Serpent will take care of him until I get back." Benn's eyebrows lifted.

"You left your cat to take care of your little brother?" Ace grinned up at Benn.

"Anyone who can beat you at chess twice is capable of taking care of Luffy for a few hours." A touch of outrage came into Benn's face.

"It was only once. The other time was a stalemate." Ace chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Benn. Whatever you say. Would you mind telling me where Ricky is? I'd like to get back before Luffy blows up our house trying to cook lunch." Benn blinked.

"Oh, that's right. You're here for your checkup. Ricky's probably down in his office. He was about half an hour ago, anyway." Benn smiled at Ace. "I'll let you get to it. See you later, Ace." Ace smiled back and nodded. He started to walk away, but stopped and turned back.

"Oh, and by the way, I promise to have that book back to you before you guys set out, okay?" Benn laughed and smiled jokingly.

"I expect you to be fluent by then, you hear me?" Ace grinned and nodded before turning away and walking below decks. Weaving through the belly of the ship was easy having spent a month aboard it, and Ace made it to the infirmary in no time. Ricky looked up when Ace walked into the room, and Ace could tell the doctor was happy to see him.

The checkup went well. Ricky checked on Ace's progress with the physical therapy (he'd given Ace several exercises he could do at home) and had just started removing bandages so he could check Ace's injuries when they ran into a hitch.

He had just started unwrapping Ace's left arm, only revealed the very beginning of the healing gashes and burns on Ace's arm when he froze and Ace heard his sharp intake of breath. Ace was instantly on edge, his shoulders tensing.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Ricky seemed to hesitate, then gently touched Ace's skin, just below his elbow. Ace fought to hide the flinch but knew he didn't quite manage it. Ricky hesitated again before speaking.

"Well…there's a slight…problem, Ace." Ace was fighting to stay calm.

"What's the matter?" His voice was cool, distant. He was struggling internally, trying to glue on the mask of cool porcelain, smooth and placid. He wouldn't panic. Whatever it was, he could handle it.

"Well…it's not…serious. Yet. I think…I think some of the injuries on your arm may be getting infected." A moment of deadly silence passed. Ace swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"…Getting or are?"

"Getting." Ace took another deep breath as some of the tension left the air.

"You can do something to help, right?"

"Yes, I can definitely help, but you're going to have to be very careful with your arm for the next…while. To be honest, we caught it so early it may not even be infected, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I can help and the infection will go away, but if it's exposed to more bacteria during the curing process it could get worse. This is a very delicate situation I have a treatment, but depending on how long it's been like this you could lose the-" Ricky cut himself off, practically slapping himself across the face to stop the words that had been about to fall out. Ace had frozen, entire body tense.

Calm. Stay calm. You can deal with this. No point panicking. Ace forced himself to keep breathing. He was scrambling to keep together the rapidly crumbling façade of calm. He took a shaky breath. "I could lose the arm. That's what you were going to say, right?" Ricky hesitated again, but he knew Ace would know he was lying if he said anything different now.

"…Yes. But that's not going to happen, okay? We're going to treat this before it gets to that point. Everything's going to be okay." Ace hesitated, then nodded.

"Y…Yeah. Okay." Ace took a deep breath, trying to establish some semblance of calm. Losing an arm?Ace tried to imagine life without the arm. Doing everything one handed. There would be a lot he couldn't do. Would he be able to take care of Luffy properly? Would he be able to take care of himself? He didn't know. Ace fought down the tide of panic trying to rise in his chest. "What should I do?" Ace looked up, intending to meet Ricky's eyes and face the problem head on. Ace blinked in shock.

Ricky wasn't there anymore.

Ace looked around, seeing none of the familiarity of the infirmary. He was in some kind of vast, blank space. White. No sound, no movement, nothing. It was neither bright nor dark, simply was. There was no sensation, even seeing itself being ambiguous as there was nothing to see. Time passed, but Ace had no way of measuring it. He'd tried to use his pulse to try and measure time, but when he pressed fingers against his neck or wrist, there was nothing. It was as if time had stopped. Ace felt uneasy thinking about the other reason his pulse might be gone.

For Marco, Thatch, and Whitebeard, the experience was a bit different. Where Ace could see only opaque whiteness, the three of them saw the memories of Ace's life for the last ten years rushing by, everything from when he left his home at 17 to be a pirate, meeting the Whitebeard crew, the assassination attempts, his finally joining, everything, just as they had seen the earlier, skimmed-over memories.

For some reason, though, Ace couldn't see them and time didn't seem to be passing for him. He didn't grow older, he didn't make any internal remarks about the memories, he just waited. Waited for something to change, waited for there to be something he could respond to. There was nothing he could do to change the situation, he'd already tried wandering around, looking for some way out of this whiteness, nobody responded after he hesitantly called out. So he waited. He eventually sat down, seeing no point in standing, but was on edge, prepared to run if anything came at him suddenly. The initial fear faded after a while, and once it did he soon found himself growing bored of all this waiting.

Change came in the form of a concussive blast like a shockwave, bowling Ace over even from his sitting position. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by whiteness, his eyes perceived a brilliant flash of light that blinded him. As he was knocked back by the undefined force, he felt his head smack something, hard. He remained conscious, but the blow left his ears ringing and he had to beat back blackness from the edge of his vision. The force and the flash ended as suddenly as they had begun, and the whole ordeal lasted no more than a moment.

Ace clung to consciousness, desperately fighting to keep from passing out. Thinking movement would be unproductive, Ace remained where he was for a moment, taking stock of his current condition. His head throbbed, and his ears were still ringing from the blow he'd received. He could perceive light shining through his eyelids, and based on the warmth it was probably sunlight. He was lying on something…softish. Softer than wood or stone, at any rate. Something like dirt or grass. He began to perceive other things too, things less immediate.

Ace heard a voice.

"Ace! Ace, where are you?!" The words were familiar, but the voice was…wrong. Ace felt suspicion and tension beginning to curl in his stomach.

He didn't know that voice.

Deciding it was time to move, Ace sat up, rubbing his head to try to lessen the pounding. He opened his eyes slowly, trying not to blind himself in the still seemingly too-bright sunlight. Almost two months without it had him squinting in shade and doing his best not to go utterly blind in full sunlight. Ace rubbed at his eyes, wishing they'd adjust faster so he could look around and see who spoke.

"Who are you? Are you lost?" The voice was gentler, but it was still unfamiliar and that set Ace on edge. Anyone he didn't trust with his life he didn't trust at all anymore. Ace turned his head to look at the person who spoke.

He was fairly tall, fit but not excessively thin, red-brown hair arranged in a way that had Ace mentally quirking an eyebrow but Ace's physical face remained impassive. …I don't think I could beat him as I am. Ace eyed the sword that was strapped to his waist. I'm unarmed. If I need to get away, running's a better option. He loosely scanned the man's frame again, and saw no projectile weapons. He did, however, note the calluses on the man's hands, almost the same as Shanks'. Swordsman's calluses. Good swordsman's calluses. Yup. Definitely running. Running might not have been the noble, heroic thing to do, but it would keep him alive until such a time that he figured out what the hell was going on, who this man was, what he wanted, and where, most importantly, he was.

Oh yes, he'd glanced around his surroundings too. He'd only glanced, though, focusing more on the man in front of him. He was somewhere very different from Fuushia Village, that's for sure. The biome here was entirely wrong. It was too humid, too hot. It was almost winter back home, but it felt like the middle of summer here. The plants were wrong too. Vines draped off the trees, and the trees weren't the maples and oaks and aspens and birches of home, they were something strange, something Ace had never seen. Waxy, wide leaves filled their branches, and Ace caught glimpses of birds he was just about certain he'd never seen before. There was also something instinctive, something primal that said he was very, very far from home. It was the same part of him that told him it'd be better to run if this man attacked. Ace tended to trust what that voice said.

Ace's attention was mainly focused on the man in front of him, though. Ace needed to carefully gauge his reaction that he might gain at least some insight into what kind of person he was dealing with. Seeing the shock and surprise on the man's face had been expected, at least to some extent, but there was one thing there that bothered Ace.

Recognition.

"…Ace?" Ace tried not to show his rising dread. He didn't know this man, but this man knew his name. How could he know his name? He wasn't a member of Shanks' crew, and he wasn't anyone from Fuushia Village. That left only one option.

He's somehow related to Hare.

He needed answers. Now. Before anything else, he needed a fuller picture of what was going on.

"How do you know my name? Where the hell am I?" The man was still staring at him in that mixture of shock and recognition, but Ace noted there was a kind of tension forming beneath that, like the man was nervous about something. He remained silent, not responding to either of Ace's questions. He seemed to be lost in thought, and Ace glanced around his surroundings, wondering if now might be a good time to start his escape. Ace was tense, his senses focused on the man, ready to dodge at the first sign of movement. When the man reached out a hand, Ace instantly flinched back, expecting a blow. The man looked surprised, but didn't ask.

"Come on, Ace. It's not safe in the jungle. I'm going to take you somewhere safer." Ace didn't like the sound of that, didn't like the thought of following this man anywhere, and there was his name again, dropped like this man used it every day. Ace, upon standing, took up a stance perfect for dashing off on short notice or hand-to-hand combat, ready to respond as the situation called for. He kept his eyes locked on the man's trying to figure him out, trying to guess at his motives.

"Where are you trying to take me?" The man seemed to catch on to his suspicion and uneasiness and raised his hands in a gesture of placation.

"I'm just going to take you back to the ship. There are people there who will take care of you." Ace felt his heart clench in his chest and he considered bolting right there. The words 'the ship' weren't so much frightening as the word 'back'. This man was referring to somewhere Ace had been before. There was really only one 'ship' besides the East Wind that Ace had been on. And Ace knew this wasn't one of Shanks' nakama. But…Ace didn't recognize this as one of Hare's men either. True he hadn't seen all of Hare's crew, but on top of Ace's unfamiliarity with his face and voice, this man wasn't wearing a marine uniform and didn't carry himself with the same rigid obedience all of Hare's men did. His stance and appearance was looser. More like Shanks and his friends. Ace mentally chewed his lip.

"Marine or pirate?" The man blinked, seemingly surprised by the question.

"I'm a pirate." The ease with which the answer came partially proved its sincerity in Ace's mind. If he'd lied there would have been a slight pause where he decided whether to lie or not. And most marines spat the word pirate like a curse. Unless this man was just one hell of a good liar, he was telling the truth. Ace felt a bit of tension ease out of his shoulders.

"You're not part of Shanks' crew. Who are you?" Again the man's response came with the speed of honesty.

"My name is Thatch. I'm the fourth division commander of the Whitebeard pirates." Ace blinked. Whitebeard. Shanks told me about him. The way he explained it, Whitebeard seemed like a pretty good guy… Ace found himself subconsciously talking.

"Shanks mentioned Whitebeard a few times…" Ace regarded the man, this 'Thatch' who claimed to be part of Whitebeard's crew. Should he trust him? Shanks had said Whitebeard was good, but that was assuming this man wasn't lying. It might be safer to take off and watch from a distance for a while. One problem, though. One very big, very real problem.

"…I think some of the injuries on your arm may be getting infected."

Ace didn't have the medical experience or knowledge to deal with something like that by himself. Yeah the injuries might not be infected yet, but if he stayed out here in a tropical jungle where bacteria grew like weeds, he was pretty much guaranteed to get some kind of horrendous disease that would, in all likelihood, kill him. Trust this man or die. But would this man bring him to a fate worse than death? He could always run later, if he turned out to be lying. He'd rather die than go back to that hell. He had to choose now, though. Ace took a deep breath.

"All right. I'm coming."

---

Once they neared the beach, Ace was able to see through the trees to the sea beyond. He saw the ship bobbing out on the waves and felt more of his tension dissipate. It wasn't Hare's ship. Not even remotely similar to it. The whale figurehead and size of the ship disproved it, and seeing the flag flying on the mast further eased and convinced Ace. They really were pirates. Ace found it a touch ironic that he felt safer among criminals wanted for murder, theft, pillaging, and so on than he did among the people designated by the populace to protect the innocents of the world.

He didn't know what it was about this 'Thatch' that had led him here, but something in his mind, something indefinite and not well-formed enough to be coherent told him that Thatch was trustable. That he wouldn't do any harm. Ace tried to stay on the side of skepticism, but he found his tension and suspicion slowly ebbing away as time passed with Thatch. He just seemed…familiar.

So when Thatch asked Ace if Ace had some way of getting the two of them back onto the ship without being sighted by the crew, Ace found himself agreeing and coming up with a plan despite the rational side of his brain asking him if he actually wanted to go aboard the ship. That subliminal, inherent part of him convinced him Thatch was only doing what he needed to and what would ultimately be better for Ace in the end, and Ace instinctively responded to that side of his mind before the processing side could even catch up.

The final nail in the coffin of Ace's suspicions about Thatch came in the form of a question.

"Ace, what happened to your hands?" Thatch was looking at the bandaging on Ace's hands like he was genuinely confused at seeing it there in a reaction so natural Ace seriously doubted even the best of actors could have done it falsely. …If he'd been one of Hare's marines he'd have known. All the same, the rational side of Ace's mind still held sway and deemed caution still necessary. Lie. It's not hard. If he knows how injured you are he could take advantage of it. He may subliminally trust Thatch, but that didn't mean he was going to play with an entirely open hand. Ace tried to pass off nonchalance.

"Nothing. I got a bad rope burn a couple days ago. The skin is still pretty raw, so it's better to keep it wrapped." Thatch scrutinized Ace after that, and the intensity of his eyes had Ace fighting hard not to shrink back or flinch. He may trust Thatch subliminally, but ingrained instinct trumped subliminal thought. The intensity left Thatch's eyes as he accepted the lie, and Ace stepped out of the subtle running stance he'd been in before.

Getting onboard the ship had been almost stupidly easy after that. Nobody really seemed to be watching it, and they walked the deck without ever being stopped by anyone. Hell, they didn't even see anyone. Ace wondered at the cloak Thatch had had him put on, but it actually worked to his benefit. This way he could see this 'captain' before the captain could see him. If it was Hare or some other marine, Ace could be gone before his face was ever seen. If he had to, he thought he might be able to kill Thatch in a surprise attack on his way out, thereby ridding any witnesses to his appearance on the ship or island. He didn't want to have to kill Thatch, though. He may not trust him, at least not consciously, but he seemed like a decent enough guy. It all hinged on whether Thatch had lied or not.

On the boat ride over to the ship, Thatch had seemed…perceptive. When he and Ace had spoken, Thatch had seemed to somehow pick up on Ace's current state of being. It unsettled Ace. He hoped he wasn't projecting a message of, 'hey, I'm injured and vulnerable! Please come kill me!' to the world, but based on how easily Thatch had seemingly picked up on it, Ace was beginning to wonder.

"What happened to you?" The words continued to ring through Ace's head. Was he really being that obvious? Thatch had been reaching out as if he wanted to comfort Ace, and his voice had been quiet. It seemed…almost out of place on a man whose face seemed built to smile. But Ace wasn't about to spill his life's story to a guy he barely knew. He had no reason to trust Thatch, and until such a time that he did, he would continue not to.

When they stopped outside a door, Ace looked at Thatch questioningly. Thus far, Thatch never seemed to hesitate about anything. That tension, that almost nervousness that Ace had seen in the jungle seemed to have returned to Thatch, and he seemed to be considering what to do. This is his captain, right? Why is he hesitating now? Ace felt tension beginning to rise in him. If this really was a marine, he wanted to know now while there was no one on the ship and he had the best chance of escape. But he had to play along, not let Thatch know what he was suspecting.

"Is this the door to 'Whitebeard's room?" Thatch nodded absently. "Then why are we standing out here? Let's go in." Thatch looked down at him in shock.

"No wait, don't-" But Ace had the door open and had already stepped through. He resisted the urge to audibly gasp.

…Well, they're not marines. Whitebeard, for who else could he be, was enormous. The blond man beside him was dwarfed in comparison, as was Thatch. Ace felt their eyes settle on him and Thatch, but focused more on him. A moment of silence passed as they regarded Ace and as Thatch stood there, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Thatch…who is this? Where did you manage to pick up a kid on an abandoned island?" The blond one spoke, his voice a mix of annoyance and resignation that said he'd gone through worse many times over and knew he'd go through again. Ace was mildly annoyed. He was allowed no say in who he was? He didn't like being talked about like he wasn't there.

"Well y'see…this kid is-" Thatch seemed even more nervous than before and Ace almost felt sympathetic. Almost. He was too annoyed to have that reaction, though. Didn't anyone care that he was actually here? Ace crossed his arms in annoyance.

"I have a name you know." Whitebeard looked at him kindly, a warm, parental smile spreading on his face. It wasn't patronizing in any way, and Ace liked that smile. It reminded him of his mother.

"What is it, child?" Ace, feeling somehow confident under that smile, didn't hesitate to raise a hand and pull off the hood, speaking at the same time.

"It's Ace. Portgas D. Ace." Everyone in the room, time itself seemed to freeze. The blond openly blanched in shock, Thatch flinched as if he'd been struck, and Whitebeard's smile faltered for a moment. Ace didn't like the response and began to wonder if maybe he'd miscalculated, wondered if he should seize the moment and escape while he still had the chance. He remained indecisive, and the part of him that wanted to run screamed at him that he was wasting time as he remained standing there, unsure of what to do. The silence was broken when Whitebeard turned to look at Thatch, his smile now anything but warm and parental.

"…Thatch." Thatch seemed to shrink and visibly winced. He seemed to be attempting to actually melt into the floorboards, and with the will he was putting into it, Ace wouldn't be surprised if he succeeded. He didn't understand, though. Why did they have this reaction to him? They weren't marines, that much was obvious, but as soon as he'd said his name they'd all reacted as if he'd just pulled his own head off.

"What? What's the matter?" The blond turned his semi death-glare away from Thatch and approached Ace, smiling.

"Nothing. Oyaji just needs to have a nice little chat with Thatch." He was herding Ace out of the room, steering him back out the door. Ace didn't know him any more than he knew Thatch, less so, if possible, and he didn't trust the man. However the tension in the room was tangible, and Ace wasn't sure he wanted to be there when it finally exploded. He allowed himself to be shooed out of the room. "While he's doing that, why don't we find you something to eat?" Ace couldn't deny the fact that he was hungry. Back home it was probably lunchtime. I hope someone went to take care of Luffy…everyone back home is probably in a panic.

They soon arrived at the galley, and despite Ace's initial hesitation, when he saw the blond taste the contents of a pot before serving him a bowl of what looked like beef stew, Ace felt he could assume it wasn't poisoned or drugged. He ate quietly, and the man sitting across from him studied him unobtrusively. He had a way of being there without really…being there. Ace couldn't quite put his finger on how to describe it. He just…kind of faded into the background. It was like he so completely belonged on this ship that he was just another piece of it, something constant, something that was as solid and permanent as the ship around him.

"How did you get here?" Ace looked up from his soup and met the tired-looking gaze of the man in front of him. Something about him compelled honesty from Ace. Ace just…couldn't imagine lying to him.

"I…I don't know. I was in East Blue this morning, on the East Wind," The words slipped out before Ace could stop them and Ace wanted them back, but knew it was too late. Damn this man and damn his…whatever it is. Ace couldn't help but wonder if maybe the soup had been drugged. It wasn't like him to slip like that in front of someone he didn't trust. "When suddenly I saw a bright flash of light and I wake up next to some stone tablet with Thatch speaking to me." The blond blinked.

"The East Wind? Isn't that Red Haired Shanks' ship?" Ace nodded somewhat reluctantly, unwilling to let anything more slip than he already had. "What were you doing there?" Ace didn't reply, not trusting himself to speak without slipping again. The blond seemed curious, but he didn't ask further. After a moment, Ace spoke again.

"Where are we exactly? Thatch said we were in the Grand Line, but then how did I end up here?" The blond looked an equal measure of puzzled and concerned.

"We are on the Grand Line, a ways from Shabondy Archipelago. As to how you got here, I don't really know." Ace didn't have a response for that, and for a while they sat in silence. When Ace finally spoke again, it was on a different topic.

"What's your name?" The blond blinked, as if surprised.

"Wait, you don't-" He cut himself off and seemed to mentally amend his statement. "…I didn't tell you my name?" Ace shook his head. "My name's Marco." Ace let the name roll around in his head.

Marco. I know that name too. I think Shanks mentioned him as well… Ace tried to remember, but couldn't quite pull back the information. He had to settle for what he could recall.

"Shanks spoke of you." This 'Marco' already knew he'd been on Shanks' ship thanks to Ace's oh-so-talented response earlier, so there was no point in hiding the fact that he knew him. Marco rolled his eyes, seeming a touch annoyed.

"Doesn't surprise me." Ace quirked an eyebrow.

"Why not? You guys friends?" Marco snorted.

"…Not exactly." Ace gave him a questioning look, and Marco elaborated. "Every time he comes to the ship to speak with Oyaji he's always asking me to join his crew. After the first few dozen times it's gotten a bit annoying."

"Why wouldn't you want to join Shanks' crew?" Marco smiled at Ace.

"Because I belong here. This is where I'm meant to be. I just wish the guy would give it a rest already." Ace couldn't help being a bit puzzled.

"Why's he so interested in you?" Marco shrugged.

"Who can say for sure? My guess is he's just curious about my devil fruit." Ace blinked.

"You've eaten a devil fruit?" Marco nodded.

"Yup. Zoan type. Phoenix model." Ace could feel himself really getting interested.

"Phoenix? So it's a mythical, then? What does it do?"

"Well, for one thing I can, as you may have guessed, transform into a phoenix. After years of practice I can also manage partial transformations too. The biggest thing it does for me, though, is it allows me to recover instantly from any injury. Saved my skin on more occasions than one."

"Any injury?" Ace couldn't help it. He was fascinated. Marco nodded again.

"Yup. Bullets, swords, knives, spears, cannonballs, anything. Just about impregnable." Ace's brows furrowed at that.

"Your devil fruit ability is useful, yes, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's impregnable." Marco quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh really? And how do you figure that." Ace leaned forward almost smugly.

"Seastone can still hurt you. Even one counterexample disproves a statement."

"But I can recover instantly."

"Only if the seastone is removed. Suppose someone were able to make seastone bullets. You'd be like a turkey on thanksgiving. Or suppose someone made knives of swords with seastone and you were stabbed. As long as the weapon wasn't removed, you'd be nearly powerless. That's a rather gaping weakness, wouldn't you say?"

"Seastone is rare and expensive. There aren't exactly hordes of people armed with seastone weapons out there."

"But we're talking about the world government. They can juts commandeer stuff. And with a bounty like yours, hunters would pay the cash because your bounty would compensate them and they'd still make a large net profit." Marco raised an amused eyebrow.

"So you're saying my devil fruit isn't useful?"

"No, it's plenty useful, it's just imperfect. It's beyond helpful in a myriad of situations, it's just that you should prepare for the ones where it's not. You have to think Marco." Ace was gesturing now to emphasize his point. "If one marine happens to have a seastone weapon or a weird devil fruit and catches you off guard, you're screwed." Marco huffed indignantly.

"As if some pansy-" Ace cut him off.

"And suppose he didn't kill you. Then you'd have a hostage situation and your whole crew is at risk. I haven't known you guys for very long, but your captain at least seems like he'd be more than willing to sacrifice himself for even one of you guys." Ace hadn't realized he'd drawn this conclusion, but once it passed his lips he knew he believed it. "Would you really want there to be even the remotest chance of that happening?" Marco was looking at Ace seriously now. "You should at least train yourself in other kinds of combat, hand-to-hand, swordplay, knife fighting. Even a basic understanding could be enough to save one of your friend's lives. I can't make the choice for you, but if I were in your shoes that's what I would do." Ace could hear Sabo's screams in his mind, felt his heart shatter all over again. Ace felt words forming and didn't have time to stop them. "Nothing in this entire world is worse than helplessness." Marco was looking at Ace in concern and opened his mouth to speak, but Thatch walked in, unintentionally saving Ace from questions Ace didn't want to answer.

"…I just interrupted something important, didn't I?" Marco laughed.

"Not really. What's up?" Thatch seemed to hesitate for another moment, feeling as if he had interrupted, but then spoke. It was too late for anything else.

"Oyaji wants to see you." He turned to Ace. "And he wants me to show you around the ship. Is that alright with you?" Ace nodded and stood, following Thatch out of the galley.

---

The tour of the ship lasted quite a while, Ace doing his best to keep a map of the place in his head. If he needed to make a quick exit later, he wanted to know which way to run. The part of his mind saying those things was growing dimmer and dimmer, though, and Ace found himself occasionally getting more involved in the stories Thatch was telling about the ship than the map he was drawing in his head.

Ace glanced to the left, expecting to see a corridor based on his mental map. He felt vague annoyance that there wasn't a corridor there, as it meant he probably had this entire level of the ship entirely wrong, but that annoyance was quelled by curiosity. Is that…? Ace approached the wall, studying it closer.

"What is it?" Ace raised a hand and traced his finger over the board.

"So. Who on the crew speaks Armenian?" Ace could feel Thatch's eyes on his back.

"What do you mean?" Thatch's voice was confused. Ace resisted the urge to roll his eyes and pointed at the characters.

"Here. There's Armenian written on the wood." Thatch looked closer, but Ace could tell he was looking in the wrong place.

"What are you talking about? There's nothing there."

"No, here." Ace circled a smaller area with his finger. He felt his confusion growing. "It's disguised to blend in with the grain of the wood." Thatch was silent for a moment, and Ace got the feeling he didn't see it.

"What's it say?" Ace leaned in a little closer. It was hard to tell where Armenian ended and wood grain began.

"It says 'door.'" Ace reached a hand up and pressed it against the wall. He felt the mechanism give under his hand and watched as the door beside the switch swung in, as if on a hinge. Ace took in the room on the other side of the door. The strange plants, the window, the desk and bed. Ace felt his eyes widen. It couldn't be.

That shorthaired black cat on the bed couldn't be Serpent.

The cat seemed to have been roused from a nap by their entry, and stood with a stretch and a yawn. "What do you want-" Ace felt his surprise grow even more. Her voice was the same. It…was this really Serpent?

Serpent! Is that you? What the hell's going on? Where are we?

Shush. I don't know what's going on. Play along with me until we figure something out, okay? These guys don't seem to know we're related, so pretend you don't know me, okay? Her eyes landed on Ace, and she faked a pause before turning to Thatch, seemingly annoyed. "What did you do?" Thatch raised his hands placatingly.

"Nothing! I swear!" Wait, these guys know you? Serpent rolled her eyes at Thatch. Ace was the next to speak. He faked a look of complete fascination.

"How are you talking?" Yes, Ace, these guys know me. I've been here longer than you, so we had our greetings before you got onboard the ship. They think I'm interesting and not really a threat, so I've been allowed free reign on the ship. She smiled at Ace.

"It's a secret. Now, why don't we have introductions?" She padded over and sat directly in front of Ace, looking up at him. "My name is Serpent. I live on this ship." Follow along. I know it's not true, but for now just go with it, okay? These guys think I'm one of them now. "I suppose you could say I'm a member of this crew, though their only official pet is the dog, Stephan." Ace kneeled down in front of her.

"Your name is a little ironic for a cat, don't you think?" Serpent nodded and seemed to shrug before looking right into Ace's eyes.

"It's very rare that we're allowed to choose our own names, even though they're such a huge part of us. It' a little unfair, no?" Laying it on thick, aren't you, Serpent? And you did get to choose your own name. Serpent could feel Ace's amusement as he faked a look of deep understanding.

"Yes, I agree. It's nice to meet you, I'm Ace." Okay, now that Thatch thinks we're all hunky dory can we talk a little more openly? Thatch was looking between the two, seemingly pleased.

"I was planning on showing this to you last, but you can look around now. This is the room Oyaji wants you to use while you stay with us. Is it suitable?" Ace nodded and stepped through the doorway, looking around at the furniture and the plants. Ace noticed one in particular he'd seen in a botany book.

"Who stays here most of the time?" Thatch blinked in surprise.

"What?" Ace gestured to the plant.

"That's a rare hybrid of jungle fireweed. If it isn't watered every day at the same time it dies in less than a week. So," He turned to look at Thatch. "Who usually lives in this room?" Thatch seemed at a loss for words and Ace wondered at that. Whatever he's about to say is a lie.

"We had a botanist who was staying with us for quite some time. He was very introverted, to the point where he actually disguised the door to his room. He left us at the last island we passed. Left all his plants here. No idea why. He was kind of a weird guy, but nice enough. He made me a door so I could get in here on my own." She paused. "Actually, the mechanism's been jammed for a while, do you think you can fix it?" Ace looked at Serpent, trying not to let his utter confusion show on his face.

Serpent? What the hell is going on? How long have you been here? Serpent didn't respond, not even offering an emotional response or any sign that she had heard at all. Ace waited for a moment, then realized he needed to verbally respond before Thatch got weirded out.

"Yeah, probably. If I had the right tools, that is." He looked around the room. Serpent? "Where's the mechanism?" Serpent flicked her tail in the direction of the door. Serpent I know you can hear me. Are you hiding something from me? Ace walked over and crouched by the smaller door.

Ace, just trust me okay?

…Okay.

---

The rest of the evening was spent fixing the door until Thatch came and got him for dinner. When he walked into the galley he caught people looking at him, some more subtly than others. It set him on edge, but he didn't let it show. He didn't like being watched, inspected, that closely. As the meal progressed, the looks slowly tapered off, people becoming more concerned with their food. Well…all except for one.

Serpent, who's the guy that won't stop glaring at me? He felt Serpent's consciousness slip into his side of their mind and analyze some of the data coming from his senses. She could see, hear, feel, taste, and smell everything he could when she did this, and he could do it to her too. She looked through his eyes at the person he was looking at. Both knew they could do it, but out of a desire for privacy, both decided they wouldn't go into the other's mind space unless explicitly invited.

Oh. That's Jericho. He's an asshole. Like, MAJOR asshole. Don't piss him off, okay? She took in the look he was directing at Ace. …Might be a bit late, though.

Ace watched him stand and take his dishes to the kitchen before heading towards the door. He was taking a route that would lead him right past the table Ace was sitting at, and Ace felt his annoyance growing. If he's so pissed at me, why doesn't he, oh I don't know, walk somewhere else? He could feel Serpent growing a little uneasy.

Ace…just…don't, okay? Just let him walk by. Don't say anything. Don't provoke him.

…

Ace don't!

…We'll see.

As Jericho walked by Ace he paused, looking down at him in open dislike. Ace met his gaze defiantly. He liked anger. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything but fear when confronted with something acting negatively towards him, but this guy…he just pissed Ace off. That anger was exhilarating and refreshing and emboldening, and Ace embraced it.

"What're you looking at?" Ace looked him up and down and replied with cold disinterest.

"Nothing much." Jericho's scowl deepened.

"You little bitch!" He raised his hand back in preparation to strike Ace, and suddenly Ace wasn't seeing the galley anymore. He saw a cold, dark room, lit only by the lamp Hare had brought down with him. Blind terror gripped his heart in steel. He was back. Ace felt the blow land hard on the side of his face and tasted blood, hearing an unhealthy crack come from his jaw. A hand grabbed him around the throat and raised him off his feet, suffocating him. Just as his vision started going dark, the hand threw him across the room and he felt his head collide hard with the wall, blood beginning to run down his face-

"Ace! Ace, are you alright?" Ace blinked several times and the memory faded, replaced by the concerned face of Marco. Behind him, Thatch had Jericho pinned against a wall. Ace raised a hand to his head. There was no injury, no blood. His hand trailed down his face to his mouth to find no split lip or fractured jaw. He took a deep breath. Relax. You're fine. All you're doing is causing a scene. Raising questions. Ace rubbed at his eyes tiredly.

"I'm fine, Marco. I'm fine." Marco continued to study Ace worriedly, but Ace ignored him pointedly, showing he didn't want to answer any questions. Behind Marco, Thatch was practically shouting at Jericho.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Thatch's face was a mask of rage. Jericho made an effort of speaking, but thatch had his face shoved against the wall so hard his speech came out muffled and inarticulate. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you, you crazy son of a bitch." Again Jericho tried to speak. Thatch's anger didn't fade.

"Don't even fucking try to justify yourself. You attacked an unarmed child, unprovoked. Is that the kind of thing bastards like you do in their free time?" Thatch was pissed. Ace was a little surprised he hadn't dislocated Jericho's shoulder yet, based on the pressure he was putting on the socket. His angry tirade continued and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. After a moment, Marco turned back to Ace, speaking gently.

"You sure you're alright? Thatch kept him from actually hitting you, but…" Marco trailed off, looking Ace in the eye, letting the sentence finish itself. Both turned to look up as Whitebeard approached. Thatch didn't stop his angry rant, and Whitebeard waited for him to stop before he spoke. When he did, his voice was hard and dark and held a note of command that spoke of the impossibility of disobedience.

"Jericho. My room. Now." Whitebeard's face was as dark as Thatch's if not darker. Thatch, hearing the command, half-threw Jericho in the direction of the door. Jericho stumbled a few steps, then recovered, walking with as much dignity as he could manage towards the door. Thatch approached Ace and knelt, his voice and face infinitely kinder than when he had been speaking to Jericho.

"Sorry about that, Ace. Jericho is…a rather disagreeable person." Ace gave a small laugh trying to hide the still fading terror.

"I seem to remember you using differend adjectives to describe him." Thatch scratched the back f his head in embarrassent.

"Yeah…sorry about that too. On the upside, I guess you learned some new words today." Ace shrugged, still smiling.

"Meh, I've heard better." If Hare could call me nine different kinds of bastard in two minutes, I don't think there's much you can teach me about vulgarity of language. Thatch raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" Ace forced a smirk.

"Yes. You see, you were rather uncreative. You should try swearing in different languages, as a starter. Also, try to come up with insults that don't involve profanity, they're more effective. People are used to getting sworn at, but if you call someone, for example, a canker-toothed mole cricket, you not only be calling them one of the ugliest things I've ever seen, it'll take them a while to figure out what the heck you're talking about, which establishes you as more intelligent. See? Double whammie." Thatch laughed and Ace willed more of the tension to leave his shoulders.

"I guess you're right." He stood, and Ace and Marco followed suit. "Well, on that note, I think you should be heading off to bed now." Ace was herded for the second time that day and led back to the room that had been allotted him. Before leaving, both bid him goodnight and Ace replied in kind before shutting the door. Once he was alone, the smile faded from his face. A shudder passed up his spine, thinking of the flashback in the galley. He swallowed and tried to force himself to calm down. He felt a gentle pressure against his legs and looked down to see Serpent rubbing herself against his calves comfortingly.

…Is there an 'I told you so' on the way?

Wouldn't dream of it.

He smiled down at her and stroked her along her spine. She purred warmly in response. Ace's smile returned and he turned around and began getting ready for bed. Once he was finished, he blew out the candle on the desk and climbed under the covers. Serpent had remained pressed against him for the whole process, but now turned in preparation to leave.

"Serpent…wait." Ace's voice was quiet. He sounded more like a child than he had for the entire time since he'd been shrunk. He was lying on his side, face turned towards the door. "Can you…Can you stay until I fall asleep? Please?" His voice was weak, tremulous. Serpent looked up at him with sympathy and jumped up onto the bed, curling up in the curve of his body, radiating the comforting warmth of life. She tried to be as soothing as possible.

"I will be here. For as long as you need me." Ace curled tighter around her so that his body was pressing against hers. He was trembling lightly. "Ace, remember, you're not alone, you're never alone." Ace's voice came out muffled.

"I'm no longer naïve enough to believe in a God. God died with my innocence. I think that was sometime after hope and memory's passing. Now there's just dissolution and pain, but you can't build a life out of those. What am I supposed to do, Serpent, when I've forgotten how to live?" Serpent was silent. There was no answer she could give. She closed her eyes in sadness. Ace put his arms around her gently.

"Serpent…at least tell me this. With everything I've endured, e verything I've lost…" Serpent might have felt a tear dampen her fur, and Ace's grip tightened. "Just…Just tell me it's worth it. Tell me it's worth living though this, that the light at the end of the tunnel isn't just another shade of grey…" Ace's voice was weak. A suppressed sob shuddered through him. "Please…just make me believe I'm still human."

Serpent lay there with Ace until he fell asleep, and remained there long after that. If all she could do to help Ace was lay next to him and comfort him while he slept, that was what she was going to do. Forever. She'd stay there as long as Ace wanted her there.

The night seemed to be going well until about one in the morning, where Ace shot up from another nightmare-memory, rehashing Gabriel's death but worse. Everything was getting worse about the nightmares. They were becoming more and more surreal, still all based around Ace's memories of Hare, but now always twisted around and disjointed from reality in that chilling way dreams had. And that wasn't all.

Wonderland kept showing up in Ace's dreams.

It kept getting worse and worse, though. If he'd thought it was bad when it was first created, it was getting worse. It's Mr. Savage. He's breaking everything down. Mr. Savage was a corrosive blight, twisting images Ace had made to be comforting into something spawned from hell itself. Aboard Shanks' ship he'd tried to create new things to replace those twisted, broken dreams, to fill Wonderland with the beauty it had had before, but those just rotted away too, faster than the previous ones. It scared the shit out of Ace, and he'd thought that maybe by locking Wonderland, by vowing to never go back to it or interact with it again, he could shut himself out of it. Keep himself from seeing the death of his dream. But the more he consciously ignored them, the more his subconscious seemed to let them in.

Ace felt like his mind was tearing itself apart.

Ace had scrambled to get out the door, trying to get back up onto deck, but he couldn't find the switch for the door. In desperation he turned to the widow, throwing it wide. Very carefully, and with multiple close calls, Ace was actually able to climb from the window up to the deck and collapsed against the railing, catching his breath and waiting for the sea air, as it always did, to chase away his most recent bout of nightly horror.

When Marco found him, Ace didn't even recognize him at first. All he could see was a stranger, someone he didn't know, someone who was going to hurt him, and Ace initially rejected him, shying away, flinching back. Marco responded with more patience than Ace expected, and eventually he was able to calm down enough to accept Marco's presence and, finally, his touch. Ace clung to Marco as he'd clung to Shanks, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't making a mistake, that he wasn't going to end up worse off for it.

He needed something real, alive, something that cared to remind him why he'd left Wonderland.

And then he'd uttered those words for the second time. Because he needed help. "Something's breaking, Marco. Something really important. And I can't…I can't fix it…I don't know how…" He'd trailed off, unable to explain himself, and Marco had only clung to him tighter, telling him everything was okay. But it's not! Part of Ace's mind wanted to scream the words. Can't you see the cracks at the edge of seeing?! They're going to SWALLOW ME. Ace shook his head, forcing himself to calm down. He was being ridiculous. Imagining things. If he calmed down this would all go away. All of it. And then it would be better and nothing would be broken. He just needed to ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it.

He dozed off at some point, mentally chanting this ongoing mantra. When he woke he was back in his room, sunlight coming through the window. Marco was nowhere to be found, and Serpent lightly scolded him for practically giving the man a panic attack. Ace just nodded and took it. He knew he'd scared Marco the day before, and the only way to make I up to him was to convince him everything was okay now. So that's what Ace would do.

The day passed without incident. Ace spent the majority of his time drawing different pictures and scenes from around the Moby Dick. He followed either Marco or Thatch around all day, unsure as he was of where he could go without being in the way. Dinner rolled around and Ace was still drawing, feeling more alive than he had since he'd arrived. All around him were faces in various positions of joy. Who could frown, seeing all these smiles?

Life seemed worth living with all these smiles around him.

He was enjoying himself, watching the people around him be happy and trying to capture that happiness on paper. He'd just started another picture, this one of the galley as a whole, the main focus being Whitebeard laughing, when everything around Ace died.

Edward. Hare.

The man Shanks had convinced Ace, the man Ace had convinced himself, was dead.

He too seemed surprised to see Ace, but his face didn't take long to morph into that painfully familiar smile, that crocodile grin. Ace felt the entire world around him falling to pieces. Hare was here. None of the people around him were attacking him or responding in any way as if he wasn't entirely welcome there. Ace took a stunned step back, feeling completely, utterly betrayed.

Marco's hand landed gently on Ace's shoulder and Ace spun instantly, throwing Marco's hand off and staring up at him with an expression that displayed all the hurt he felt.

"You're with him? All of you…" He turned back to Hare, fear nearly consuming him, and saw Hare taking a step closer. Ace felt terror racing up his spine. "Oh God…" Hare was drawing closer, step by meticulous step. Ace stumbled backwards a few steps before turning and running at a dead sprint for the door. He heard Marco call after him but disregarded it. Thatch grabbed his shoulder, forcing Ace to come to a temporary stop.

"Ace, what's wrong?" Ace tore his shoulder violently out of Thatch's grasp, ignoring the pain that ignited in the lashes on his back as he did so. He resumed his dash for the door, throwing himself through it faster than he thought possible. He was almost certain the injury on his shoulder had opened again, but he didn't care. All that mattered was getting away, escaping.

Ace ran down the hallway, unsure of his exact location or where exactly he was going to do. They were on a ship. There weren't exactly a ton of places to go. Ace tripped and fell hard on his shoulder, crying out as the already reopened injury flared with pain again. I need to get rid of this shirt. Blood on a white shirt makes a pretty obvious target. For the time being, Ace reached up, grabbing his shoulder in an attempt to at least slow the bleeding. I'll need bandages too. Ace stopped outside a randomly selected door and pressed his ear against it, listening for movement within. Hearing none, he pushed the door open, giving the room he was in a cursory glance.

The shipwright's workshop was fairly well organized, building materials, tools, and designs at least separated from each other. Ace approached what seemed to be the desk used for the storage of designs. Ace's eyes caught on the large piece of paper on the very top of the stack. Ace's eyes widened. Jackpot.

The blueprints for the ship would come in very handy.

Ace headed back out into the hallway, winding through the passages according to the blueprints and arriving at 'his' room in no time. He opened the door, pushing inside. He rifled through the things the botanist had left in the room, searching for something he could put to use. Eventually he found what must have been a three-quarter sleeve shirt for the adult and went to work with the knife on the underside of his arm, cutting the shirt shorter. Once he deemed it the best it was going to be, he pulled off his own shirt and tied it as tight as he could around his still sluggishly bleeding shoulder. He could have done better with legit bandages, but that was his next stop.

He carried the other shirt with him as he ran towards the infirmary. He heard people beginning to move around the ship on the floors above and below him and knew he was just about out of time.

When a group of almost panicked people had come around a corner unexpectedly, Ace had had to throw himself into a random room to avoid being sighted. It was way, way too close of a call, and he listened anxiously as they passed down the hallway by the door he'd thrown himself through.

"…Did anyone hear that?" A woman's voice. The door between him and the speaker muffled the sound, but Ace could still hear the words.

"What was it?" That was a male voice, deeper.

"I thought I heard a door slam…" The woman again.

"Selma, there are doors being slammed all over the ship. People aren't exactly being thoughtful of the doors right now."

"No, no, no, it sounded nearby." They drew closer to the door Ace was hidden behind and he began looking around desperately. There was nowhere to hide. This was someone's office, as well as overflow storage, barren of all but a ceiling fan, a desk, a chair, and a few stacks of crates up against the wall. There was no gap for Ace to squeeze through and hide between them and the wall, and everything would be completely visible if those people came through the door. Ace looked around desperately, hearing the voices and footsteps growing closer. Ace's eyes caught on something and stuck.

The vent.

"…I'm telling you, it sounded like it came from in here." Ace yanked the grate off the wall and analyzed the space behind. He might just fit.

The people were practically outside the door.

Ace wriggled into the tiny, dark space, pausing only to grab a lighter off the desk behind him. Thank God for smokers.

He had only just managed to squeeze inside and pull the grate behind him when the door opened.

"I don't care what you say, Joshua, I'm checking this damn room." Ace watched anxiously, not daring to move, barely daring to breathe, as the woman walked around the room, checking under the desk and peeking about the crates, looking for any place a ten-year-old boy might hide. A may stood by the doorway, arms crossed, scowl on his face.

"I'm telling you, it's a waste of time! We don't know where Ace is, Selma, and wasting time on every little sound you hear only puts us further behind him. Thatch said he thought Ace was bleeding, and if that's true I don't want to waste any time finding him." The woman seemed to grow annoyed herself.

"Fine! And what if he had been in here, hmm? You would have had us walk right by."

"But he's not."

"So let's keep looking and not point fingers uselessly." That got the man to shut up, and they headed back out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind them. Ace allowed himself to exhale the breath he'd been holding. He'd done it. They hadn't found him.

Ace looked down the vent, trying to see where it led. Darkness stretched in front of him, seemingly endless. Ace took a deep breath and pulled out the blueprints and lighter. A few tries had the lighter burning, and Ace studied the diagram in front of him. Apparently these vents ran all over the ship, all connected to each other. Ace traced a finger along the path he'd have to take to get to his intended destination. Ace took a deep breath and set off down the dark, tight space.

Getting to the infirmary went much smoother than Ace expected. Once he adapted the right system, he was able to crawl quite efficiently through the vents that served as his passageways. As he crawled through the walls he could occasionally hear people speaking when they were near the grates that served as doors for him. The entire crew of the ship was looking for him, and they were apparently getting desperate.

But they had no idea where he was now.

That was all that mattered to Ace, and he was comforted in the knowledge that they hadn't figured it out. And even if they did, it's not like they could fit in here. Even the small one…Haruta, was it? Wouldn't be able to get inside.

At the infirmary, Ace had to wait behind the grate for a few minutes while the doctor, the same woman he'd seen before, searched the room. She came up with nothing, and left. Ace waited a moment after the door had clicked shut before pushing the grate off the wall and crawling out. It seemed bright in the infirmary in comparison with the quiet dark of the vents. Ace didn't waste any time rifling through the cabinets and shelves and soon came up with what he'd need.

He hurriedly untied the now bloodstained shirt from his shoulder, and a few minutes of effort had his shoulder well and tightly wrapped in fresh bandaging. Ace was pretty sure if someone else had done it it could have been better, but he'd done his best and thought it tight enough to stop the bleeding. He didn't hesitate to throw the bloody shirt out the window, and pulled on the new one in its place. Thanks to the bandaging this one wouldn't bet any blood on it now, at least.

Ace was careful to return the roll of bandages to the same place he'd found it before and had just shut the cabinet door when he heard movement outside. Ace's head snapped in the direction of the door, alarm widening his eyes. Oh shit. Ace instantly darted to the vent, squirming back inside and pulling the grate closed behind him. He looked back out into the infirmary, waiting to see what new information he could gain from whoever was about to come in.

Something on the table was reflecting light and it caught Ace's eyes. Once he discovered what it was, he wanted to slap himself. Damn it. Damn it. Don't find it, please.

He'd left the scissors out on the table.

The doctor, Selma, entered the infirmary and browsed around, seemingly looking for something. Her frantic casing of the cabinets stopped when her eyes caught on the table. More specifically on the scissors. She picked them up, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Her face quickly morphed into one of shock and recognition, and she cased the room again, calling Ace's name. Ace, of course, didn't respond, was too busy mentally beating himself with a stick. She gave up after searching the infirmary top to bottom, but she still looked amazed and…relieved. She left the room again, heading off at a fast jog.

Once she was gone and Ace was sure nobody else was coming he pulled back from the grate, heading back into the depths of the vents.

---

Ace wasn't sure how long he spent just exploring the vents, only sure that he'd come out for vital necessities. He came to like the tight, dark space, and the rats that he heard scampering around were very polite, either very afraid of the fire or willing to share their abode with this newcomer. Ace felt he could have stayed in there forever. But the world, as ever, seemed unhappy with leaving Ace with something he enjoyed and it wasn't long before it ousted him back out into discomfort, pain, and terror.

The lighter ran out of fluid.

Ace stared at it as the fire slowly began shrinking. For a moment, he couldn't comprehend it. Once his mind caught up, though, he made a mad dash for an exit, any exit. There was one close by, and it didn't take him long to reach it. He left the used up lighter behind when it was completely dead, and knew he'd have to emerge in order to find a new light source.

As with the time he'd emerged in the infirmary, he sat by the grate for quite some time, slowing his breathing so that it was inaudible and waiting to see if there was anyone nearby. He must have waited for 10 minutes, and hearing nothing he pushed at the grate, starting his now-practiced process of writhing out.

Two hands grabbed Ace by the torso and pulled him out of the vent, catching him completely off guard. A surprised, terrified scream tried to jump out his throat, but Ace held it back. No point in attracting even more attention.

"Ace! We found you! Thank goodness you're-" Ace flailed and writhed in the man's grip, and one of his hands collided with the man's face. He squirmed so he was facing the man directly and used one hand to grab a fistful of the man's hair, dragging his head back, his other hand grabbing one of the man's thumbs and pulling it back at a painful angle, enticing the man to let him go. The man gave a shout of mingled surprise and pain, and Ace was free. He'd just turned to run when he felt another set of hands, different than the ones from before, grab him.

"Ace, it's okay! We're not going to-" Ace spun and kicked the man hard in the knee. He too cried out in pain, and seemed to sag, almost falling. Ace turned to run again, but the man reached for him, this time grabbing his ankle. Ace took a dive, landing hard on the wooden floor. Ace looked at the man that had grabbed his ankle and kicked him full in the face, trying to dislodge him. The man hung on grimly, blood streaming down his face from an obviously broken nose, and he reached out and caught Ace's other ankle.

Ace sat up, meaning to take the offensive with his hands and get the man to let him go, but the first man was back in action, grabbing Ace's wrists and holding them above his head.

And Ace wasn't in the hallway anymore.

He was back, back in his own personal hell, being pinned to the floor, Hare approaching, rod of glowing iron in his hand, crowd of horrible, disgusting men behind him, laughing or smirking lewdly. Ace writhed and strained for all he was worth. He need to get away, he couldn't go through this again, he just couldn't do it.

"Let me go!" That crowd was closing in around him, but there were more of them, and Ace couldn't get away. The two holding him were much too strong for him, and there was nowhere to hide from what he was about to go through, no Wonderland to retreat to. He'd do anything. He'd rather they do anything to him, anything at all. Anything but that. He could feel tears of desperation and terror beginning to rise in his eyes.

"JUST KILL ME!" The whole crowd seemed to freeze and Ace was able to pull himself free of the men formerly holding him. He was instantly on his feet, bolting down the hallway. It didn't take long for the crowd to begin to pursue, and Ace felt panic leap in his chest. He ran as fast as he could, making a mad dash for somewhere, anywhere, anywhere away from this crowd and what they were going to do to him, what they'd already done and were prepared to do again.

And then he'd been cornered.

He'd been trapped at the bend in the hallway, a 90 degree turn. A fraction of the crowd had gone around and managed to head him off, trapping him at this corner. Ace felt his terror rising, but there was nothing he could do, nowhere he could go. Ace backed into the corner until he felt it pressing into his back and sunk slowly to the floor, breathing heavily out of both fear and exertion.

He was done.

The crowd closed in, and Ace felt a kind of dead resignation overtake him. He couldn't do anything. Fighting back only hurt more. Running away only lengthened the torture. He couldn't do anything. …Can I just die, already? Can this just finally, finally be over? Even death was denied him. He had no weapon, no way of ending his own life, and the approaching crowd was going to do far worse than kill him. Ace let his eyes close, not wanting to see the approaching torment.

There was no way out.

"But there is a way out." The familiar voice had Ace's eyes snapping open. He looked up, eyes wide. Standing beside him was a man. Well, almost a man. Ace looked up at him in shock. He was wearing a dress suit with a tie. Long legs stretched up to a slim torso with elegant arms. One of the elegant gloved hands held a gold pocket-watch, and the almost-man was studying the time. With a last look he snapped it shut and stuck it in his breast pocket. The man bent down, and only then did it occur to Ace how monstrously tall he was. He must have been…what, eight feet? Nine? He extended one of those elegant hands towards Ace, the glove looking soft and perfectly, brilliantly white.

His head looked like that of a starved and diseased rabbit, but with more human features. The rabbit ears stuck off his head, bending in unnatural, rigid ways. An unnatural, inhumanly wide smile was on his face, the ends of it reaching up near his eyes. Festering, putrid sores splattered across his face, and between them clumps of unhealthy, stained white fur clung to his skin in mats. His eyes, though…they frightened Ace the most. They were Ace's eyes, hazel-grey, just like every other being of Wonderland, but they were widened immensely, completely and utterly insane.

The White Rabbit looked exactly as he did in Ace's nightmares.

"Let's be off, Ace." As he spoke, some of the sores opened, spewing pus and sludgy, brownish blood. "We're behind schedule. Running very close to late."

Ace looked at the nightmarish image, then at the approaching pirates. Beneath the appearance it was still his White Rabbit. The White Rabbit would never hurt him. The pirates? Ace didn't want to even think what they'd do to him when they got there. Ace looked back to the White Rabbit and took the proffered hand. The unnatural grin, if possible, grew wider.

"Oh, come now, Ace. Give us a smile." He pulled Ace to his feet and led him away. When they reached them, they simply walked through the pirates and out beyond them. The Rabbit turned his face towards Ace, still leading him by the hand. "Everyone's happy these days."

Marco watched as the nightmarish White Rabbit led Ace away. Unlike before, though, he wasn't compelled to follow. The Rabbit led Ace around a corner and down a hallway, out of Marco's sight. Marco blinked and looked around. Wait, what? The crowd from third division was gone, as was Ace's physical body. The hall was dark, quiet. The colors seemed different, too. Altered slightly. It set Marco's teeth on edge.

"You guys are in the present now. You've caught up with Ace's memories." Serpent's voice had Marco jolting in surprise.

"We're caught up?"

"Yes. Now you just have to go into Wonderland and find Ace." Thatch was still staring after the Rabbit.

"…Based on that thing, that's going to be a hell of a lot easier said than done."

"Then you better get started. Cause there's no telling how long until those 'things' manage to manifest aboard the real Moby Dick, and believe me when I say they can do some serious damage." Marco took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Then it's time to go. We follow the Rabbit." Serpent's voice interrupted his progress forward.

"Quick refresher on the rules, before you set out. Don't eat. You'll be stuck forever. Don't piss anyone off. They'll kill you before you can beg them not to. Don't let any individual inhabitant gain any sway over Ace or else they may be able to take over. Figure out who Mr. Savage is and stop him before he tears Ace apart. These aren't exactly complicated, but they are very, very essential to your time in Wonderland. Be careful." Serpent took a deep breath. "…I can't actually come with you beyond this point. No more advice, no more snarky comments. Seriously, guys, be careful. And find Ace soon!" Whitebeard smiled.

"Of course. As if we'd do anything else." Thatch gave a grin and a thumbs up, and Marco just nodded.

Walking down the corridor and turning the corner the White Rabbit had led Ace down brought them to something unexpected.

A hole. In the floorboards.

Tacked to the wall behind it was a signpost, arrows pointing every direction imaginable. Written on the sign were three words, three words that were somehow chilling.

Does it matter?

Marco looked down the hole in the floorboards. It seemed to lead into a cave. He glanced back to the others.

"Alright. Let's go." Marco jumped down the hole, no hesitation in his movement or voice.

Inside it was cool as it was in almost all caves. Marco looked around, taking in his surroundings. Protruding from the walls were pieces of furniture, odd bits and bobs one might find around a house, everything from a bed to a dollhouse. Marco turned to look at the final wall, the one he assumed would lead him and the others out and into Wonderland beyond. He took an automatic, startled step back, small shout of surprise clearing his throat.

This wall was covered in paintings. All were in various stages of heinous destruction, some entirely shredded, others only torn in one or two places.

They were all portraits of the Rabbit.

They seemed to progress through all the levels of monstrosity the Rabbit had passed through, the most shredded and oldest being almost entirely in shreds and progressing to the most recent, how he had looked when he led Ace away.

What had made Marco jump was the fact that the painting of the Rabbit was as photorealistic as any Marco had ever seen, and in the picture the Rabbit was hanging himself.

This particular image was hung from the ceiling, free of any wall. The rope that held it to the ceiling looked almost like it connected with the one in the painting, giving the impression that the real Rabbit was there, that he really had killed himself.

Beyond the horrific portrait gallery, there was a door, a door that would lead them out into this new, different Wonderland. But it wasn't the door that caught Marco's eyes so much as the words above it on the wall, carved into the very stone as if in blind rage. Two of the letters, the L and the I, had been violently scratched out. Marco didn't have to guess to know it was in the White Rabbit's hand.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, ALICE?

---

(A/N: And so we have made it into the new Wonderland! :D This is just to give you a preview of what's coming up. Just so you get an idea of what to expect and prepare yourselves for. Remember how this fic is under the horror genre? Well it's going to start fitting there a lot more. Be ready. I honestly have no idea why this chapter took me so long to write. It's kind of ridiculous. I've been working on it ever since I got back from Africa, it just honesty took me two months to write it to my satisfaction. Well, hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think of Savage Wonderland so far. ;) I know you haven't seen much, but first impressions are always important. Well…see you next chapter! I promise to actually reply this time! ~Mountain97

PS: During Ace and Benn's conversation I copy and pasted some Armenian text from an online translator. I have no idea if it'll actually show up on the site, and if it does, I make no promises as to the grammatical accuracy of the text. Benn says "Hello, Ace" and Ace says "Good morning. How are you?" Not exactly rocket science but I don't speak/write Armenian.)