Chapter 67
Lovebirds' Routine
Skypiea, Angel Island, Upper Yard... The two pirates couldn't help but feel like tourists when Pagaya explained the whole situation their crewmates were in. The name of the Island they were on was Angel Island, it was a part of a land called Skypiea, and the name of the beach they had docked at was Angel Beach. It was also where Pagaya and his daughter Conis lived. They both welcomed the rest of the crew to their home and had a meal together.
"Speaking of meal," Ace interrupted. "If it's not too much to ask..."
Eli rolled her eyes, causing his eyebrows to rise on his forehead. "What ?" he asked.
"Nothing..." Eli gave her eyes another roll before shifting to Pagaya. "Please go on."
"Pardon me, but I almost forgot." The Skypiean shifted his backpack, and got two lunch-boxes out. "Your cook gave me those for you."
"Neat !" Ace beamed, sat down on the soft beach and started digging into his meal on the spot.
After the meal in the Pagaya's home, the rest of the Straw Hats were informed that the White Berets, Skypiea's police force, came to apprehend the them for illegal entrance into the territory. As the pirates refused to pay the fee, the White Berets engaged battle with the trespassers, who fought back and won.
Eli couldn't help but reckon sadly that, whether it was on the blue seas or into the skies, it seemed that their careless' way of life brought down the authorities' wrath upon them.
So much for vacations in the heavens, she thought wryly.
The captain of the White Beret's last words before retreating was a dangerous threat; the priests of the Upper Yard would personally judge them.
"Upper Yard ?" Eli asked.
"Pardon me... Yes..." Pagaya seemed very uncomfortable as he spoke. "It's a place where no one should ever enter." His voice was wavering and his eyebrows were knitting together in a frightened frown, further and further, while sweat was building in the deep wrinkles. "It is the holy land... The place where God lives."
"God...?" Apparently Ace was still paying attention to the discussion in spite of how focused on his meal he seemed to be.
"The almighty God, Enel," Pagaya nodded, wiping the sweat on his forehead. "We told your captain that no one can ever ever enter the holy land, except for the ones who were to face his judgment, but he seemed rather..." He cleared his throat. "... enthusiastic to go there despite our warnings."
"That's what you said ? 'Never, ever, ever' ?" Ace asked.
As Pagaya nodded, the two pirates exchanged gazes and snickered. If one needed to attract Luffy somewhere, it was probably the very thing to say, that and 'free meat'. Eli could perfectly picture his face splitting grin as the rubber teen's eyes gleamed dreamily and, as she gazed at Ace, if less manifested, she could see the same hunger for adventure showing through slightly in his dark orbs.
Suu came out of the forest while uttering a lovely 'suuuu~' and Eli forced herself to stare at Pagaya. With a stiff smile and a nod, the chronicler urged the Skypean to go on while trying to ignore the cute fox.
The man told the two pirates that soon after the White Berets' failed arrest, the 'white-white sea special super speedy shrimp' took the Merry away, when Zoro, Nami, Chopper, and Robin were on board. In heaven's judgment, he explained, there were two types of punishment for the criminals; one was a 'sacrifice', and the other was a 'trial'. Therefore, the ones being judged in this situation were Luffy, Usopp and Sanji.
"But you weren't there," Pagaya said, hope showing on his face and voice. "I am sure that if you speak with the White Berets and pay the entering fee they will understand."
At that offer, Eli couldn't help but being very skeptical and soon confused. Was he proposing them to flee the 'judgment' while their crewmates would be in danger ? Her puzzled face turned into a frown as harsh words itched under her skin and in her head.
"We don't have the money either way," Ace said calmly. A frown on his face he was poking the little white fox. "We'll take the trial."
It was Pagaya's turn to be confused. There was fear in his voice while he desperately tried to convince the two pirates to reconsider. His reaction made Eli wonder what kind of god this 'Enel' was if his worshipers were so afraid of him.
After a while, the Skypiean beat in retreat before the two pirates' unwavering decision, and with a sigh, offered to guide them to the Milky road, which was an artificial river made of clouds that connected Angel Land to the Upper Yard.
"Ah !" Pagaya trotted in Ace's direction as the young man jumped onto the Striker. "Pardon me but... I couldn't help but notice the engine on your raft." He crouched and observed the paddles while rubbing his beard thoughtfully. "How does it work ?" he asked, his face turned upward.
"Fire energy," Ace replied and held out his open palm in the Skypiean's direction.
"Fire ?" Pagaya stood up. "But, pardon me, I thought that you didn't know about Dials..." he trailed off while looking at the young man's hand, then at the young man himself.
A frown on his face, Ace was staring at his palm. As she saw him greeting his jaws, Eli chuckled. It was so amusing to see 'smug-face' in such predicament. As she covered her mocking face, muffling inefficiently her little laughs, the black-eyed pirate glared at the chronicler, a large flame appearing in his outstretched hand on the spur of the moment.
Pagaya startled. "Oh, my !"
Apparently, anger was a flammable material, Eli noted, sticking the tip of tongue out playfully.
"What are the 'Dials' you mentioned ?" she asked, shifting her gaze to the Skypiean.
Pagaya searched through his bag and gave Eli a large seashell that he called 'Tone Dial'. He told her that those shells were gathered from the reefs in the shallows of the white-white sea. As she observed the object, the Skypiean explained that they had the ability to store several kind energy and matter depending on the nature of the seashell. A button on the top of the coil allowed its content to be released in different amounts depending on the type of Dial.
Curious, Eli pressed the button. "Usopp is stupid !" The girl startled, it was Luffy's voice. "Ah, why me ?" Usopp's. "Hihi... Now please press that button-" An unknown female voice.
"Breath Dials can store air and we use them to propel our boats; the wavers," Pagaya explained. "We also have Dials that store cloud, water, fire-"
"Usopp is stupid !" Eli had pushed the button again and was chuckling stupidly. "Ah, why me ?" "Hihi... Now please press that button-"
"Let me see Twig," Ace urged, reaching out for the girl.
A little smirk crept on her lips as Eli watched Ace's fingers moving in impatience. She swirled around and whispered into the shell. "You've got rice on you face."
Beaming proudly, she threw the Dial and Ace stumbled hurriedly as it was going to fall into the sea. The young man caught it just in time and frowned at Eli who was almost hoping up and down with impatience while Pagaya was watching the whole scene with a hearty smile vaguely perceptible from under his brown beard.
With a sigh, Ace brought the shell to his ear and, almost instantly, rubbed his face rapidly, effectively removing the little grains that were stuck on his freckles.
Eli giggled and turned toward Pagaya. "Those..." She looked down in search for her words, before shifting her gaze back to the man. "Breath Dials...? Can they be attached to feet ? Because we saw a man sliding over the surface of the sea..."
"Yes, cloud skates." Pagaya nodded.
"Niiiice." Eli grinned. "Do you happen to-"
"Hey Twig !" Ace called out.
Eli's head snapped around as the black-haired pirate threw her the Tone Dial. A little smile on her face, she brought the shell to her ear and pushed the button.
"Will you get your divine ass over here already ?" Eli's face flushed. "Or else I'll have to give you a span-"
Briskly, she shoved the Dial on Pagaya's chest. "Thank you for everything !"
"That was nothing," he said looking at the girl questioningly as she dashed over to the raft. "Sail along the coast line." He pointed the direction with his hand. "You'll find a sign indicating the Milky road."
Small flames arising from Ace's feet, the Striker slowly grew distant from the beach.
"Twig," Ace quietly said while he waved the Skypiean goodbye. "Would have been nice if you had erased the last message..."
For a long, long time the Striker sailed along Angel beach. I was so very slow that Eli wondered if it wouldn't have been faster if the two pirates had just walked on the shore while dragging the raft behind them.
Silently, Eli was writing down in her logbook Pagaya's encounter, his report about the other Straw Hats' unfortunate situation, as well as the information about the Dials. All the while she was nibbling guiltily on the lunch-box Sanji prepared for her. It was so pretty that it was almost a waste to destroy it, but somehow, it seemed that the presentation improved the taste.
"Mine wasn't as pretty," Ace said from behind her.
"Really ?" Eli replied absently, as she was focused on her book and meal.
"You have a lot more lobster than me."
"Bummer..."
"Don't you get it Twig ?" Ace asked making Eli finally raise her face to look at him, her spoon remaining on the edge of her lips. "He's jealous."
The girl snorted and shifted her gaze back to her book. "Right... " she muttered.
How could one be jealous of something he didn't know ? Ace was obviously trying to find a way to get his hands on her food and so the girl increased her pace, and devoured the lunch-box's content rapidly.
Rinsing the now empty box, the chronicler perceived the sign indicating the way to the Milky road and Ace adjusted the Striker's sluggish course. It was a ribbon of cloud, floating a few meters above the sea. No current was disrupting the foamy surface of the river, and smoothly, the Striker slid through the mass of bubbles.
As she could now distinguish the Upper Yard in the distance, uneasiness started to stir in Eli's chest. She had no idea for how long her crewmates were there and hoped that they were all right.
The group that was worrying her the most was the 'sacrifice'. Zoro was the only real fighter among them. Nami could defend herself of course and so could Chopper, but their fears easily overwhelmed the two, and as she remembered the encounter with the first sky-lander upon their arrival on the surface of the Millennium Cumulonimbus, the chronicler's anxiousness only grew sharper.
Eli put her lunch-box back in her bag and sat in front of Ace. "Do you know if Robin can fight ?"
Ace looked like he had a revelation then. On the spot, he snapped his fingers and took his green bag, apparently looking for something. Rustling sounds made their way to Eli's ears as she shifted her weight to the side and peered at the young man's bustle. Soon, he produced a piece of paper, unfolded it and handed it to the girl.
"Look what I found on Jaya," he said as Eli took the sheet of paper.
It was a bounty poster and upon seeing it the chronicler observed its picture questioningly. It was the photo of a little girl. Her hair was sleek and dark, cut above her shoulders, she also had bangs. The girl looked like she was around eight years old but her cold blue eyes and the serious frown darkening her pretty face made Eli think that she must have gone through a lot more painful experiences than most of the adults she knew.
"Robin !" she gasped as soon as her eyes glided upon the name imprinted below the picture, and further, her bounty rendered her speechless.
"You're wondering how a kid can get a seventy nine million beli bounty, right ?" Ace spoke her mind quite accurately. The young man crouched down, rested his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers. "Did you see the epithet ?" He made a little motion with his chin.
"The Demon of Ohara," Eli read out loud. "What's... Ohara ?" She raised her face from the poster to look at Ace.
"It's the name of her mother country apparently. The marine says that the Oharans were researching ancient weapons to destroy the world," he explained, Eli's eyes widening upon the revelation.
"But-but, it has to be a lie !" Eli's fingers clutched on the poster with a little rustle. "She said she wanted to learn about history !"
"I know, calm down, I didn't tell you everything." Leaning a bit forward his eyes dove into hers. "In fear from the Oharan's researchers, the marine attacked Ohara and killed every last one of its inhabitants."
A white noise filled her ears as the meaning of the words echoed in Eli's mind. Her eyes were fixed on Ace, but she didn't see him. Her gaze was piercing through his body, piercing through reality's veil; she could see the smoke and flames again, she could smell the stench again.
A hand touched her in the blank void she was in. "Eli ?"
Her eyes snapped back at Ace. "How do you know all this ?" she urged.
"I traveled, I heard things..." His fingers curled around her thin arm. "Are you alright ?"
Eli nodded voicelessly.
"I didn't tell the others yet because I wanted to investigate a little more." His hand left her arm and Ace stood up.
"Investigate...?" Eli repeated in a disgusted tone of voice. "Did you investigate on all of us ?"
"No ! I came by her poster when I was looking for you in Mock Town. And you said it yourself, she is mysterious," Ace said gazing in the distance. "She had already lost everything. Who knows what someone like her can do ?"
Someone like her...
"But she's part of our crew now !" Eli claimed now staring at Ace, holding his gaze with an unneeded steadiness. "And I saw her, she is gentle ! She won't do us any wrong !"
The flame user blinked a few times. "I know that the marine must have set up a lie, but still... she might be dangerous." Leaning down, he picked the poster from Eli's clenched fists and put it back in his bag. "Just be careful, okay ?"
"Why ? Why Ace ?" Eli's voice bordered to a screech, her eyes searched for his with a slight sensation of burn. "Because she has lost her people doesn't mean she's a bad person !"
"But two weeks ago she was our enemy." Ace sighed and turned around to spread the Striker's white sail down.
As she stared at his back, Eli felt her heart bolting heavily in her chest. Why was she flaring up like that ? Was she still pleading for the archeologist's cause ?
With a loud breath, the wind filled the sail and the Striker resumed its course on the Milky road. As Ace sat next to her, Eli bit nervously on her bottom lip. She was anxious and she had an idea as to the cause of the state of strain and stir her mind was in; despite her reason, the Sutan girl couldn't help but fear Ace's reaction the day he'll learn her past.
Gently, Ace placed a warm hand on her back and that was then that Eli realized she was freezing.
"What's wrong ?" Ace asked, his fingers caressing her cold skin as he spoke. "Tell me."
"It's just..." With a deep breath Eli took a hold of herself and turned her face in his direction. "You can't judge her because of her past."
During the ensuing moment of silence, Ace gazed into Eli's green eyes and the girl felt that she was being read. She knew it, yet she didn't flee his inquisitive stare. Maybe if he asked her, maybe then she wouldn't manage to postpone once again. The blanket of silence that was covering the two lovers was heavy and grew heavier with every passing heartbeat. Ace looked like he wanted to say something, Eli could almost read the words on his grave face. But the young man recoiled. A deep sigh flew from his lips as he broke the intense eye contact.
"Still," Ace said quietly, his eyes now set on the white sail. "You are all too carefree. Someone has to protect you. All of you."
"You're our father now ?" Eli asked a bit harshly.
"I certainly wouldn't want that," Ace said and as he looked at her, Eli felt the heavy weight on her heart lifting a little; there was a smile on his freckled face and a hint of smugness glowing in his eyes. "Come on." Ace pulled her against him and the girl let herself lean against his chest.
His familiar warmth was pacifying, and as it covered her gradually, a light sensation fluttered inside of her. Silent, Eli's jade eyes were lost in the white scenery which was slowly scrolling around her and its brightness caused a light squeeze on her heart.
"What if someone sees us ?" she said with a shy voice, her lips moving against his skin as she spoke.
Ace's sole reply was to wrap both his arms around her and slowly lay on his side. Eli rested her head on his shoulder, her face turned upward to gaze at his lovely freckled face. As she wallowed on his charming features, the girl felt her heart beating a little harder.
"It feels strange..." she said.
"What ?" Ace removed his hat, and put it down.
"This... you... me... the whole package."
"Really ?" Looking deeply in the jade of her eyes, Ace lifted a hand to her face and brushed his thumb against her cheek. "I think it is the most natural and rational thing we've ever done."
As a soft chuckle left her chest along with her doubts, Ace's leaned in her direction and pressed his lips against hers.
At that moment Eli could feel it too, within the warm sensation that was washing over her with a gentleness resembling that of the spring rays of the sun caressing one's skin; she had made many mistakes in her life, but that, being by him, was the wisest thing she had ever done, and she would do anything to protect it.
to be continued
Betaed by Fox MC.
I love that couple :) The way they tease each other, the way they look at each other, and how peaceful they are when they hold each other close. How good it feels to see them together now. I hope you're enjoying this as well.
Something else now, for my older readers; the chapters 1 to 3 have been updated. You can enjoy some new little things :)
See you soon~