AN: Kyonko's going to refer to Smoker as Smoky because she didn't really get his name.

XOXOXO

You know when you dream about something and by the time you wake up, the remembrance of that dream fades as your disoriented mind grasps more firmly on consciousness? That usually happens to me. Even when I get particularly vivid and outlandish dreams, the details slip away and I could only recall the simple things.

However, I remembered everything from that one dream where Ace had fabricated a new world and Celestials were rampaging on the remains of the school and I had to kiss him in order to wake up. Well…I'm not sure whether it was a dream or not, but I hope it was; I don't want to lose my first kiss to be a frantic escape.

Anyway, why did I bring this up? Because the next morning, I found myself on my bed and in my pajamas, aware that I hadn't left my house, my neighborhood, my world, despite the fact that I had distinctively remembered ending up somewhere…different.

And by different, I mean a different universe.

What else could it have been? A world where pirates and marines become a common thing? Yeah, I was positive that I was not on earth, but that wasn't all. I swore that I ended up in the agency's headquarters or something because I've seen things that would have made Ace's eyes bulge from their sockets.

Oh, speaking of Ace…

Well, I suppose I should first start with how it all began.

I remembered landing painfully on something hard. Like the floor. My eyes shot open, and I found myself sprawled across floorboards, wearing nothing but the pajamas I wore to bed. I was late to notice that eyes were being pinned on me, staring at me with bewilderment. From what I got, I had apparently dropped inside the office of Commodore Smoky from air.

Just appeared out of nothing. Just like that.

After dizzily getting on my feet, the next thing I knew, guns were shoved into my ribcage. Men in white uniforms stood imposingly around me as Commodore Smoky, a big man who had two lit cigars jammed in his mouth (should a guy be smoking so much?), scrutinized me with his half-glare.

He paced a bit before demanding in a gruff voice, "Who are you and how'd you get in my office?"

I could only stare at him with wide eyes. "H-huh?"

"Could it be that you have eaten the Devil Fruit? Was that how you transported here?"

My mind whirred until recognition rang in my ears. Law mentioned the Devil Fruit before when he was demonstrating his powers, yet he never gave me an explanation as to what it was. That was when I wondered if I somehow stumbled inside the headquarters of the agency.

I nearly squeaked like a mouse when Smoky strode forward and towered over me. "I asked you a question," he growled.

"I-I d-didn't eat any fruit," I replied nervously, recoiling.

"Then how did you get in here?"

"I-I don't know!"

"You mean to tell me that you have absolutely no idea how you suddenly appeared out of thin air and fell in my office?"

"Um, yeah…?"

I was super confused and super scared. Why? Well, when a daunting man seizes you up like that—probing you with questions that promised that if you didn't answer, then you'll just have to answer to his huge fists—you'd share my sentiments exactly. The guns jabbing me in the guts were an addition to my state being terrified.

What else? Oh yeah. Where the heck was I?

A gust of relief escaped my lungs when Smoky called off the guns. The soldiers lowered their weapons, leaving me easier to breathe, yet remained rooted to their spots. I noticed that there were about seven men who had me backpedaling against the wall, and that I was just inches away from stubbing my toe on the sharp corner of a desk. Because one soldier was in the way, all I could read from the nametag that sat on the desk was "Commodore Smo".

Since the smoking man kept saying this like "my office", I assumed that he was this Commodore. Due to the heavy amounts of smoke he had suspending in the air, I thought I might as well dub him as Smoky to fill out the rest of "Smo". I considered Smolder, but that sounded odd in my mind.

Mister Smoky proved to be the most intimidating person I had ever encountered. In fact, his half-hearted glare could put Ace's chilling ones to shame. I wonder if the man's frown was perpetual, seeing how it didn't even once shift to a different expression.

He probably didn't get hugged often as a child.

Okay, that was definitely an awful thought, but I was half-heartedly trying to distract myself here. This was infinitely worse than facing Ace's killer baseballs.

"If you didn't eat a Devil Fruit, then how'd you get in here?"

"I just told you, I don't know!" I insisted.

He grumbled something incoherent under his breath while running a gloved hand through his cropped hair. He eyed me for a moment, and I tried not to squirm uncomfortably under his stare. He then launched another question, inquiring, "What's your name?"

"My name?" I blinked, and then my mouth ran off on its own, forgetting that I shouldn't give my name away easily to strangers, especially to this guy (but it's not like I'd prefer to answering to his fists). "Oh. Um. It's—"

Luckily for me, a lady with short hair and glasses perched on her head came stumbling inside the room, exclaiming, "Sir! There's an attack on the east side of the ship! Outnumbering us, sir!" Then her eyes landed on me, staying there as her face immediately transformed from grimacing urgency to mere curiosity.

"Damn it," Smoky hissed around a mouthful of cigars. "Tashigi, call all men on the deck to get ready for a fight. And you," his abrupt attention back to me caused me to flinch, "stay right here. Do not go anywhere. I'm not done with you yet."

That tone was definitely demanding for a "yes, sir", so I gratified him by saying that. He nodded curtly before spinning on his heels and proceeding out of the room, and marching after him was the rest of the soldiers.

With the room now pressingly silent, I released another exhale that had been causing my lungs to ache—I didn't really know, but I could have been holding my breath. Where's Law when you need him? I had a feeling that he would know what's going on. No, better than that, Basil would be sure to know what's going on. After all, Basil's the more edifying kind of guy.

I slid against the wall and plopped down, then took the moment to register what was going on. I was somehow not in my house and landed here. By the looks of it, the organization that Basil and Law were in had either established a base in my world or that I had transferred to theirs. I realized how ridiculous the thought was. Me? In their world? What were the chances of that?

It was that four minutes later proved to me that I was wrong.

The floorboards were suddenly slanting, a shriek ripping through my throat when I tumbled painfully to where gravity had led me. I let out a groan when my head thumped against the opposite wall. Then the floorboards went back to flat, and I found myself all battered in the center of the office.

Afterwards, sounds of crashing and blasting and slashing resonated from the outside. I noticed that there was a small circular window high above the desk. Thinking about this a moment, I rubbed my head and brought a chair up against the wall. I stepped up on it and rested my chin on the sill.

And through that small window, I watched with incredulity as Smoky's torso became thick gray smog before a grisly man drove his sword through it.

Holy shitake mushrooms.

Though there were a series of violent activity happening all around, my eyes were glued on Smoky. I felt my mouth dropping when Smoky's lower half turned into nothing but smoke and when he flew above heads. I then observed that the soldiers were battling against…pirates.

Seriously, they had to be pirates. Heck, they even looked like pirates! One had an eye-patch and a hook and the other had a peg-leg! And there were swords, guns, machetes, and…

It was as though I was just watching television up close when I pressed my face to the cool glass, that this was nothing but an action movie with a lot of animation included to highlight the effects, except the animation happened to be…very, very realistic. And…that wasn't really blood splattered on the floor and internal organs weren't flopping out of an open belly…

Yeah, I gotta stop watching this.

I sank onto the seat, a wave of nausea hitting me. Just right outside of these walls, men were fighting. And Smoky had some strange power… Was he part of the agency? But the way Law and he mentioned about the Devil Fruit… It kind of sounded like anyone could have eaten the Devil Fruit! Or was that my imagination? Was I suffering a mild mental delusion?

Maybe this was a prank played out by Law. Maybe these were people who he hired to act.

No. No. He wasn't that kind of person. At least, he wouldn't be so cruel as to do this to me.

I wiped my clammy hands on my sweats before standing on the floor. I jumped when the door had opened, revealing two pirates at the doorway. Before I knew it, I was being dragged outside, both having a good grip on my arms, and it was pretty gross seeing how dirt-encrusted their fingers were.

The exterior of the ship was smaller than I had expected, but that was probably because soldiers and pirates flooded the place. I felt eyes boring at the back of my head as I was ruthlessly thrown down. My attempts of trying to get up came later, but I couldn't manage that when someone's large hand clamped onto my head and fingers pulling harshly into the roots of my hair. I struggled, but no avail.

"Looks like you're out of luck, marine," patronized the man behind me. "I have a hostage right here!"

Smoky, who was circling in the air, came down, his legs reappearing, but the smoke just poured out of his body heavily. "Let the girl go," he commanded, his voice strong.

"Give me the document."

"I said let the girl go."

"And I said," the man tightened his grip, eliciting a yelp from me, and drew something shiny under my chin, "give me the document."

It was a sword. It was a bloody sword. I could see my reflection in it, and I could see that I was wide-eyed in terror. An unwelcoming feeling of trepidation bloated in my chest, the same feeling when Kuro tried to kill me. My heart was pounding fast and beads of sweat were beginning to form on my forehead.

Jeez! What's with people trying to kill me?

I was, however, not as hysteric now as I was before. I had a feeling that my chances for survival wasn't low, even if it was unknown whether Basil would come crashing in just like before. Looking at Smoky, he wore conflict in his eyes plainly, as if trying to come up with a plan. In the end, he just sighed and turned to the nearest soldier, ordering, "Get the document."

The soldier appeared reluctant. "But, sir—"

"Don't make me repeat what I just said."

"Y-yes sir."

The soldier later returned with a scroll in his hands. He placed it in Smoky's hand. Smoky stretched his arm out and said, "I want you to let the girl go first before I hand you the document."

Even though I couldn't see him, I could literally hear a sneer on his ugly face, or so I imagined his face to be ugly. "Just what kind of fool do you take me as for, Smo—"

A wave engulfed the ship.

I don't know how. I don't know why. And the weight of irony in this situation? So freakin' heavy that I can't even breathe. The fact was that this massive wave, big enough for a Celestial to even surf on it, just shot up from the waters and came crashing down. It was, to say in simple, simple words, unbelievable.

I guess, whether it was Mother Nature or some powerful being from above, Smoky might find gratitude in this. He didn't have to hand over this oh-so important document, and my head was still very much attached to my body. But one thing that I could do without was by almost drowning in deep sea.

The wave was so large and came down with a thundering crash that it wrecked the ship, causing debris to fly everywhere. From my vague recollection, the ship was still okay, but the smaller ship next to it, the pirate's ship, I'm sure, was totaled. Actually, I think the plank that I found myself latched onto after resurfacing belonged to their ship.

The wood was the first solid thing that I've touched since the wave's impromptu entrance, and I threw my arms around it like the lifesaver it was. I hacked out until I painted the waters beside me in a lovely combo of regurgitated dinner and inhaled seawater, and my eyes swelled from the salt. I kept sniffling until I gained back my senses and figured out where I was.

Looking over my shoulder, the ship that belonged to Smoky had burned ablaze.

…

How did that happen!

XOXOXO

It must have been hours that I've been drifting away. I grew tired paddling in an endless sea. My lower body was cold and somewhat numb, and I was terribly thirsty. It didn't help that the sun was beating down on my back.

So, here I was, basically miserable while having no freakin' clue as to where I was. Well, I know now that I was in the middle of some ocean, but I was a bit more concerned whether I was in my planet or another type of Closed Space. Ugh. This better not be a Closed Space.

As I was feeling sorry for myself, my attention was grabbed by a low purring that became louder as seconds passed by. First thing I heard all day other than the squawking seagulls that flew overhead. There, in the horizon, was a person skiing on the waters, a frothy splash propelling from behind of a small raft.

I was in a daze, my state about to be knocked out by exhaustion. However, I grew aware that the purring had died and the person had slowly pulled up his raft next to me. His shadow stretched over me like a thin shield against the unmerciful sun.

"Oi, are you alright?" the person said. He had a deep voice, though not too deep like Smoky's… He was young, but definitely a man.

"No, I think I'm dying," I replied drunkenly, then snorted. I sounded like I was gargling marbles to my ears.

"Heatstroke," I heard the man sigh. "That's not good."

I forced my chin up to see his face, but my eyelids were growing terribly heavy. I groaned and allowed my eyes to shut, and plopped back down wearily on the plank. Though my senses had dulled, I could feel hands lifting me up from the waters by my armpits. I felt like I weighed a hundred kilograms with the water dragging at my clothes, but it didn't seem to hinder the man at all.

Suddenly, I felt cold. My lower body had been stuck underwater for a while, so I couldn't quite feel my legs. I fell limply against something warm, hands grabbing at my body, trying to shift me. I heard him mutter something, like, "What's a girl doing out here?" I really wish I could answer him, but I didn't even have an answer for myself.

I eventually conked out.

XOXOXO

I didn't open my eyes when I woke up. Rather, I focused on the raggedy feel of the inside of my throat. When I tried to swallow, I nearly coughed, realizing how dry my mouth was. Great, I had to wake up to a sore throat and a moisture-deprived mouth.

Then I noticed that familiar low purring. It filled my ears, and I decided that it was strangely soothing to listen to. The humming of the raft brought forth vibrations underneath my body, which I enjoyed feeling. I also liked how the wind gently brushed against my cheeks and tousle my hair.

The warmth that was pressed against my back shifted, and that was when I forced my eyes to open. Before me was a narrow, pointed yellow nose of the raft that gracefully cut through the waters, giving me the image of when my mom running a pair of scissors through wrapping paper for Christmas. I stared at it for a bit before pushing myself to a more comfortable sitting position.

Whatever was pressed behind me happened to be the back of the young man. I didn't need to look to know. I felt his eyes look over his shoulder and onto me as he said, "Oh, you're awake?"

I nodded. "W-water," I croaked.

"Here ya go." A hand discarded a canteen on my lap. "Drink it all if you have to."

I uttered a quiet gratitude and popped the lid open. Cold, refreshing water poured into my mouth, and I greedily guzzled it down. The raggedly feel was still there, but it didn't hurt as much now that I drank it soothed. Exhaling, I capped the canteen and cradled it between my thighs.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Kind of gave me a scare finding you drifting in the middle of nowhere."

"A bit weak," I answered truthfully. My voice sounded hoarse, so I cleared my throat. "How long was I out?"

"About six hours. The heatstroke gotten you good and worn, I'll tell you that."

It did seem late. The sky was now in hues of red-orange as the sun was half-way dipped into the ocean. Even the waters were colored in a deep rusty tone from the dying rays of the sun. I thought how any photographer would love capturing this moment as I took another swig from the canteen. Just place me on a beautiful island and we can call it a romantic evening.

My head was running rather slow. I know I should become alerted and paranoid after what I've experienced today, but, hey, I've been hit by heatstroke and now I'm all worn out. I couldn't help it that I was thinking about the scenery—it was quite a captivating sight. I wonder if all sunsets looked like this.

My reverie was disturbed when the man came up with another question. "So, how'd you get yourself lost in sea like that? I couldn't imagine that you were thrown overboard…"

"I…" Well, how do I explain my situation to a complete stranger? I could start off with lies, but it wasn't as if I was convincing. The truth didn't exactly sound convincing either. Therefore, to avoid this complicated matter, I said, "It's a long story."

"I'm sure it is." He didn't sound sardonic, but he didn't sound serious either. He gave a gentle shove on my shoulder, inquiring, "Where do you live? I can drop you off there."

"I don't live here," I muttered, fingering the sleeve of my top. Now that it dried, the fabric was stiff, probably from all that seawater it was saturated in. Jeez, I need a new pair of panties too.

"What was that?"

"I said that I don't really remember where I live." I end up lying anyway. Go figure.

"Eh? You have amnesia then?"

Amnesia? Well, I guess that can work with me. "I guess I do."

"Is that why you said it was a long story? Because you don't remember how you got yourself lost in sea?"

Boy, it was a good thing that he had his back against mine, otherwise he could tell that I was flat-out lying. "Yeah…"

He sighed. "This makes my job a bit harder, you know? I'm supposed to be on a mission, you see, so I can't really help you out," he lamented dryly. "Would it be alright if I drop you off somewhere? Can you fend for yourself?"

"Letting an amnesiac girl alone doesn't sound like a good idea," I deadpanned.

He let out a lax chuckle. "Yeah, I guess so. So then that means I'll just have to drag you around, eh?"

"I guess so." The prospect of me being abandoned and alone right after finding someone helping me… Well, I don't know who this guy was, but he was kind enough to drag me to his raft, basically saving my life. As of right now, I feel a lot safer being with him than random pirates or Commodore Smoky. At least I could be with this stranger just for a little while.

"Well, I hope that you can keep up because I can't waste time trying to save your ass every time."

Eloquently put.

I looped a finger around a strand of hair, wishing that I had a brush with me. "I don't think that you can cart me everywhere with you," I offered. "If you have this mission, which I'm assuming is a big deal, then I don't want to be a burden. Send me to a nice city and I'll try to sort things out myself. I'll just go to the local police station and ask for help from there."

"City? Police station?" There was a touch of confusion in his voice. "What are you talking about?"

That was when I realized that I was certainly not in the earth that I know of. Considering that there were marines and pirates that should be from a stereotypical adventure anime, or the fact that a man was out riding on this weird vehicle, I think it would be best if I tried this again.

"I mean…a village. Villages exist, right?"

"A village?" A snort. "Of course villages exist! Jeez, you really do have amnesia, don't you?"

Yeah, yeah, sure.

"Anyway, do you remember your name? I can't go around calling you 'hey, you' all the time, right?"

Should I give him my name? I did hesitate giving Smoky mine, but the guy didn't really come across me as so bad. He did make an attempt to save my life. However, I don't think it would be wise to throw out my actual name. I decided to settle with my nickname.

"I remember someone calling me Kyonko," I said.

"Kyonko? Cute name."

It's a horrendous name. What are you talking about?

"I'm Portgas D. Ace, but you can call me Ace."

…

…

…

Hold up.

Rewind.

What the heck?

I twisted my neck so fast that I nearly gave myself a whiplash. The first thing I saw was a pair of hands burning on fire. I had a mental panic—mental screaming, mental crying, mental shrieking, mental "what the hell?"—before I noticed that the hands were not burning at all. In fact, the fire appeared to be shooting from his knuckles and into a cylindrical tank that had a steel rim—the engine, I think.

He could shoot fire from his hands, and he was using that fire to fuel the raft.

The second thing I saw was his face. His face full of freckles that should only belong to the annoying chief of the SOS Brigade. The Portgas D. Ace who I knew.

Then I saw his eyes. His dark eyes that had that same light in Ace's eyes that shown whenever he had a plan or when he was in a good mood. Then his nose…his mouth…his chin… Then his face…

Oh. OH. OH MY GOSH.

It was Ace.

It was Ace, except…except older looking!

Ace's eyebrows creased when he looked at me. "Hey, Kyonko, are you alright?" he asked concernedly.

Out of shock, I toppled over and fell back into the water.