It took me forever to write this... I'm so sorry!

I'm very happy to see so many of you still reading this! The flash forward surprised more than one, huh? Lol.

Before we get to that scene in the future, all that happened before shall be explained. Just not in this chapter, well not all of it lol. xD

Enjoy this here chapter, it was written with so much love!

Relevant Tarot Cards:

The Eight of Cups: Letting go and moving on. A voluntary retreat that is also painful. The card refers to feeling tires of being disappointed or hopeless and being ready to look for better things.

The Empress: The environment offers you the abundance you need to feel nurtured and comfortable so that you can manifest your vision into the world.

18. The Eight of Cups - The Empress (Un-edited)

"So, what are you saying?"

The kitchen was silent now that they were the only ones there, the sound of waves rolling onto the shore in the distance the only sound breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled in between them.

"What are you saying, babe?" Ace repeated, looking at his boyfriend pleadingly from the other side of the table, reaching for his hands that lay on its surface. "Do you... Do you want to break-up? Is that it?"

Rolling his watery eyes up to the ceiling in frustration, Luffy shook his head vehemently, biting his trembling lower lip. "No! I don't! I love you!" he hiccupped. "I just don't want for you to go through what Shanks went through. My dad will do everything he can to break us up, so we can't give him the chance to."

Ace sighed, pressing the tips of his fingers against his forehead dejectedly. "So you decide on leaving?" he murmured quietly. "After everything we've been through together, you just..."

"Baby, no," Luffy said, standing up and walking around the table to kneel in front of him tearfully. "I'm not letting go of what we have, on the contrary, I'm willing to fight for us. To stop having other people trying to keep us apart for their own selfish agenda's."

"But by leaving, aren't you giving your father what he wants?" Ace asked, watching him lay his head on his left thigh.

Luffy looked up at him apologetically and sniffled. "Yes, I want him to think that, that's why I went to Hancock for help," he said, reaching out for his face when Ace rolled his eyes in disappointment and looked away. "Because it's something that he won't expect for us to do. He won't expect for us to break up, not now. He has his contacts checking on you, I know it. And as long as he's looking at you, he won't think of checking Hancock or her husband. He knows that being an event planner is my dream and that I'm good at Mugiwara and that I don't want to leave there, don't want to leave you. So I have to take advantage of this window that I have, but I definitely don't want for you to think that I want to get away from you, because it's just not true... I don't know what'll happen once I'm at Amazon, but I know that being away from you is going to be torture." Luffy was whimpering by then, the tears rolling down his cheeks unchecked as he noticed Ace's lips begin to tremble as well. He reached out for him again when Ace moved his face out of his reach, breaking down in sobs when his fingers grabbed nothing but air. "Please baby look at me... just please... please say something."

Ace sniffled and cleared his throat, still not looking at him. "What is there to say, Luffy? That I'm not hurt by you telling me this? That now that I've just lost my father, I'm happy to see you go?"

Luffy stilled and retracted the hand he'd placed against Ace's face slowly, gasping sorrowfully at his words. "Ace..."

"I need you here with me, Luffy!" he told him as he stood up, his voice booming through the entire space. "I have no idea what'll happen the day after tomorrow. I can go to jail or they can sentence me to community service. The only reason I was so calm about it, is because I knew I'd have you here, with me! And now..."

"You'll still have me!" Luffy yelled back, scrambling onto his feet. "You'll know where I am always," he then said softly, grabbing onto his shirt desperately. "And I know that this is the worst time to lay this on you, but this is a sacrifice we have to make if we want our relationship to survive this. We've barely known each other a month and look how much has happened already." He put one palm on each of Ace's cheeks, now making him look at him so he could see the sincerity in his eyes. "We've survived your heart operation, me being raped, my accident and your father passing," he whispered, more tears welling up in his eyes. "Most couples don't even experience half of what we have in an entire lifetime, but we did and we're still here. You stood by me when I opened up to you about my past, so I already know that whatever the outcome of the trial, I'll still be here." Luffy closed his eyes when Ace bumped his forehead against his before pressing his lips against it . A watery smile formed on Luffy's lips as he continued, "And if you give me the chance I want to be there with you for as long as I can. I'm not giving up, so don't you dare!"

Ace broke down in tears and took him in his arms, whimpering his name as he buried his face in the side of his neck. "I don't want to lose you... I can't lose you, babe..."

Luffy laughed and hiccupped at the same time, letting an arm go around him while his other hand slid through his hair lovingly. "You made me fall for you, remember? And I fell hard, so there's no escaping me now. Ever."

Ace chuckled a bit before tightening his grip on Luffy's body, lightly swaying them from side to side. "I love you, babe. Come what may."

"I love you too," Luffy whispered back over his shoulder, one tear of relief falling down his cheek. "Come what may."

When their eyes met again a few moments later, a heavy silence had settled between them. It mingled with the despondent need Ace felt and collided with the ever-growing feelings of uncertainty Luffy felt, culminating in a desperate urge they both experienced for the other now that the world around them had become so frightfully unsure.

"Luffy... I-"

"Make it count."

Ace smirked a little, his expression still marked by the idea of their impending separation as he looked into Luffy's pleading eyes, heart breaking when they closed to release only more tears.

Never had he loved someone as much as he did Luffy, and if keeping him by his side meant losing him first, he was willing to make the sacrifice.

There was absolutely nothing that he wouldn't do for him, because nothing would ever compare to Luffy, were he ever to lose him.

So he wouldn't.

"Marry me."

It was now Thursday night.

The verdict had fallen the day before and although they'd booked a great success with Eustass' conviction, there'd been a great loss that went with it.

"What?" Luffy whispered, turning around in their bed at Ace's condo to face him in confusion. Did he hear it correctly? "What did you say...?" he asked very quietly and very timidly out of fear that he did hear it right. He pulled himself on an elbow, pulling the covers closer to his naked body. His eyes then fell on the dark blue velvet box Ace was fingering in his hands, expression pensive.

Ace looked up from his sitting position against the headboard and stared at him intently. "Marry me," he repeated softly.

Luffy could only blink and stare back at him. He realized after a few moments that he needed to say something, but as his mouth opened he found himself without any words. Or at least not the one Ace hoped to hear. "Baby..." he whispered, obviously caught off guard.

"It's barely been a month, I know," Ace said, smiling sadly, looking back at the box he still held. "And I don't want you to think I'm doing this because of what's about to happen. I'm asking because I-"

Luffy moved himself up next to him so he could kneel on the bed, pressing a finger against his lips. "I know. But it's part of the reason I'm hesitant, Ace," he whispered with an embarrassed smile, making Ace look at him. "It's just that... right now, we..." he sighed, looking desperately for words. "How would we make it work? I'm sorry, but this isn't the time... My idea of being married to you is to be with you every day, make love to you every night and share my life and work with you..."

Ace began to grin. "So you've imagined being married to me?"

Luffy blushed and closed his eyes, trying really hard to hide his smile. "My point is , with you going to Impel Down on Monday and me leaving tomorrow morning, how are we going to make it work? I don't want to be one of those married couples who live apart and have to cram their feelings in the few days they have together, I'd go crazy."

"Hey," Ace murmured, reaching a hand to cup his face. "My sentence is 45 days. After that, I'll come visit you as much as I can until all of this circus blows over. And then I'll marry you."

Luffy sucked in the insides of his blushing cheeks and looked away. "You'll marry me? I didn't even say 'yes' yet."

Ace laughed. "You didn't need to," he murmured, moving in to plant a kiss on a red cheek. "Your face says it all."

Luffy rolled his eyes and buried his face in his hands, giggling. "I can never hide my true feelings from you. It's not fair."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Ace mused, placing the small box on his bedside table while he retrieved a silver necklace from its drawer. "So listen. How about, to commemorate the promise that one day you and I will get married, you wear this here ring," he took the box back and turned to face Luffy again, opening the box. "On this necklace? I want you to have it with you wherever you go, so you never forget what's here waiting for you."

Luffy threw his hands against his mouth, tears beginning to well up in his eyes as he saw the glistening band. "Oh God..."

"Do you promise to marry me one day, Luffy?" Ace asked, taking the ring out of its box and taking Luffy's left hand to slide it onto the according finger.

Luffy was sobbing by then, staring at his hand with an unbelieving expression on his face. "What if I suck at being a husband? I don't know how to be a husband... And how are we going to come forward with this to our family? Our friends? The outside world...? When did you even get the time to shop for this?" he whispered, feeling overwhelmed by the thought of all of this happening now. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine this happening this soon in his life. "Ace... I..."

Ace chuckled and shook his head amusedly. "Luffy. Marry me."

"But I-"

"Do you love me?"

Luffy nodded determinately, gulping as he still had his teary eyes on the beautiful ring. "Yes, but I-"

"Then marry me!" Ace said, still laughing. "All the rest is of no importance."

Luffy grinned and sighed, exasperated. "It's not that simple..."

"You're the only one making it difficult," Ace replied, smirking. "Marry me."

Finding no arguments to protest with, Luffy resigned himself to stare at him appraisingly.

Ace stared back stubbornly, grinning widely now. "I want to hear you say it. Yes or no. Marry me."

Luffy threw his head in his shoulders with a chuckle and shrugged. "Well, you already 'ringed' me, so might as well..."

"Say it!" Ace said, pulling him down on top of him, chuckling too.

"Ok! Fine! Yes!" Luffy said loudly with a laugh, pressing their lips together. "I will marry you, Ace Portgas."

"Finally!" Ace exclaimed, throwing his head back into his pillow with a relieved sigh. "No man should ask another to marry him that many times."

They laughed together before falling silent, staring at each other as they lay in front of one another.

"We'll have to keep this a secret for now, though," Ace said after a while, looking at the ring on Luffy's finger resting against his chest. "After you'll leave with Hancock tomorrow they're coming to pick up your stuff from here and that will draw the necessary attention, we don't want to blow our cover by that ring you're wearing now."

"I'll wear it underneath my clothes at all times," Luffy promised, closing his eyes when another kiss was placed on his nose. "I'll be counting the days until I have you with me again..."

"My sentence ends on the 24th of November," Ace informed him. "If I can't make it to you that same night, I'll be at Amazon on the morning of the 25th."

Luffy sighed dejectedly and snuggled closer. "It's just not fair..."

"Things are the way they are, babe..." the older male whispered back, resting his chin on the top of his head. "I'm just glad that you got justice over what happened to you. And I'm relieved that Law and Marco only got a few hours of community service. I'm fine with the way things turned out, I'm just sorry that you got dragged into this entire mess in the first place."

"Don't be; we all got blindsided by a revenge plot we knew nothing about," Luffy reasoned, holding him closer. "I'm very proud of the brave man you are, Ace. Return to me in one piece, that's all I'm asking and praying for."

Ace smiled contentedly, pressing another kiss on the crown of Luffy's head, his heart now more at ease than it'd been in the past few weeks, even though he knew that the hardest part was only now starting.

"Your 11 O'clock is here, Mr Silvers."

Rayleigh looked up from the letter he'd been reading and took off his glasses to rub the exhaustion from his eyes. The past fourteen days had been the most trying in his entire career at Mugiwara, mostly because all the events hit a personal note with him, weighing him down emotionally.

And he knew that his next visitor wouldn't help much to relieve this weight either. The trial was two days ago and yet the hits kept on coming.

He pressed the button on the intercom. "Let him in, Dadan. Thank you."

He put the sheet of paper away in one of the drawers of his desk, looking up just in time to hear a soft knock on his office door.

Rayleigh put his glasses back on and stood while buttoning up his suit jacket. "Come in."

The door opened, revealing a tall man with long, dark slicked back hair and a neat, crisp black suit and matching trench coat. "Rayleigh. Good Morning. How are you?"

Rayleigh had moved himself in front of his desk and now leant against it, arms crossed against his chest. "Good morning, Dragon. I'm well, considering. Please, have a seat."

Dragon seated himself with a smile. "I imagine that it's too late for an 'I told you so'."

Rayleigh smiled back wryly. "I thought yourself above that."

"This sordid affair from 28 years ago was bound to surface the moment the old man passed away," Dragon stated with a regretful shake of his head. "The foundations of this company were built upon lies, bribes and deceit. Teach was screwed over by Edward and Roger all those years ago and what we witnessed last Wednesday was his revenge. That kid Ace will be lucky to find a job with the credibility of both his fathers shot like this."

"Ace will always have a place with us," Rayleigh commented calmly.

"Then the media and the board of shareholders will bury you," Dragon replied coldly. "And Mugiwara with you."

"Have we arrive at the true motive of your visit, Dragon?" Rayleigh wondered, holding the other man's gaze with a disdainful stare. "Should I take your last statement as a threat? Should I assume that you think that I believe you above corruption? Am I to remind you that we are dragging Marshall Teach's company to court? And should I recommend our lawyers to look into your involvement in this case? Because you sound like you would have a lot to gain were Mugiwara to go down."

Dragon stopped for a moment before chuckling and waving his accusations away. "You think what you want, Rayleigh."

"I think your son sent me a resignment letter to get away from you. Because he, like I, has realized that you're a dangerous and untrustworthy man," Rayleigh stated, pushing himself away from his desk to seat himself behind it again.

Dragon squinted his eyes angrily, staring at the older man. "Where is he?"

"Oh come on, boy. You're more intelligent than that," Rayleigh said dismissively, the disgust clear in his voice. "Your son sure is. Proof being that you can't seem to find him."

Dragon took a breath and stood again, visibly appalled. "Well, if you both think that, it's obvious that Mugiwara is in capable hands," he mockingly said.

"Please don't let the door smack you on the way out," Rayleigh said in a disinterested tone, picking up the receiver from his phone with a smile.

Dragon gritted his teeth, but didn't move.

"Was there perhaps something else?" Rayleigh asked with a tired sigh, not looking up. "I have a long meeting with our team of lawyers after this."

"All I want is to have what's left of my family back."

Rayleigh lifted his head from his desk with a distrustful stare, putting the receiver of his phone back in its socket. "How do you expect that to happen when your own children resent and fear you?" he whispered in a fatherly way, watching Dragon sit himself back down in his chair.

"By not letting them become puppets for the glorious Mugiwara company's purposes," Dragon replied, the venom dripping from his voice.

"Your son is a brilliant event planner and public relations representative. I am truly saddened by his understandable decision to leave us. And your beautiful daughter is equally gifted in her entrepreneurship and business skills. If there's someone who's trying to puppeteer those amazing kids, it's you. And they won't have it. Not anymore. They make their own choices and mistakes; it's their right."

Dragon pressed his lips together and looked away, seething with rage.

Rayleigh observed him for a few moments before sighing. "They're all you have left of her, you do realize that?"

"Of course I do, I-" Dragon took a quivering breath and sat back in the chair, resting his right elbow on an arm of the chair, covering his mouth with a hand.

"I'm only asking, because it would seem that you're trying really hard to destroy everything that is connected to her memory. Does Luffy even know that Olivia used to work here? Or that you did?"

Dragon remained quiet, closing his eyes with a desolate chuckle. "If I had had a say in this, Luffy would never have set foot in this place!" he murmured.

"You and your son have more in common that you think, Dragon," Rayleigh said, smiling gently. "It's those similarities and differences between you two that make him such a fantastic young man. You can't force him to become more like you without destroying the wonderful boy he is."

"You've been talking to the old fart again, haven't you?" Dragon commented disdainfully.

"He's the only one who's been taking care of Luffy while you've been... ruling Water 7, or whatever it is you do these days," Rayleigh admitted.

Dragon rolled his eyes. "And let me guess, he's the one who recommended Luffy to you?"

Rayleigh only smiled. "Let your children live their lives. They're going to be fne," he advised. "Just give them some space."

"Do you know where he is, Rayleigh? He's had his things removed from Portgas' condo and moved into storage."

Rayleigh rose an eyebrow at that. "Sounds like they separated," he said shaking his head regretfully. "Are you afraid he's going to leave the island?"

"With Portgas sentenced to a stay in prison? I think not," Dragon replied resolutely.

Rayleigh only watched him stand back up with a silent expression, never saying anything in response.

Dragon took his silence as an agreement and simply nodded to himself, making his way to the door again, having gotten the confirmation he wanted on Luffy's whereabouts. His son wouldn't leave the island while his boyfriend went to jail, he was sure of it, but he still needed to be certain. Now it would only be a matter of testing his findings with Robin.

"I'll have my assistant schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers for you," Rayleigh called after him, smirking when he saw Dragon's annoyed expression. "What, you think I'd just let all those things you said go? You haven't given me much reason for trust, Dragon."

"Do what you want, old man," he replied, opening the door and exiting a moment later.

As his office door closed again, Rayleigh stood to stare out of his large window behind his desk, his thoughts going to Luffy and Ace.

He knew that Luffy had left the island two hours ago even though Ace was going to start his sentence of 45 days at Impel Down Prison on Monday.

He only hoped that whatever the both of them had planned, that it would help them find their happiness together after these tormenting times would be over.

It was pouring down when they pulled up the driveway to the Boa-Dracule residence that Friday evening.

The dark blue SUV rolled around the fountain in front of the estate and up to the stone steps leading up to the mahogany doors of its main entrance.

"Take Luffy's luggage up to the guest apartments on the first floor," Luffy heard Hancock say from behind the closed car door to her servants who had arrived to welcome her home. He stepped out of the car and smiled thankfully at the young strawberry blonde woman who was waiting for him readily with an umbrella.

He followed Hancock up the steps as she hastily talked to the other girl holding her umbrella for her. "Have Margueritte meet me in Luffy's guest room in a few minutes. I want a full household staff meeting after dinner and bring all of my correspondence to my lounge, I'll browse through all of it later."

The black-haired girl with the round face nodded and opened the mahogany doors for her. "Shall I call Master Mihawk to join you, Mistress?" she asked, taking the red trench coat Hancock handed to her, placing the wet umbrella in a holder by the door. "He said he would be practising his kata's at the dojo until you returned."

"No, that is fine, Ran. Leave him to his training," Hancock said, her red high-heeled ankle boots ticking over the white and gold marble floor of her immense entrance hall as her eyes inspected the space. Having decided for herself that she liked what her help had done with it, she turned around with her hands on her hips and a smile on her blood-red lips. "Welcome to the Kuja Mansion, Luffy."

Luffy was speechless as he let his gaze roam over the beautiful hall he was standing in, the round space redefining what he knew about opulence. The floors, the walls and the stairs ahead were all made of a white marble that contained small, glistening golden rivulets in it. Golden china vases standing on matching marble tables decorated the room further, each of them containing big luscious flowers and houseplants, adding even more to the beauty of the room.

"This place is beautiful, Hancock," he whispered breathlessly, eyes going every which way as he gave his coat to the tall girl with the strawberry blonde hair.

Hancock smiled thankfully at him and held out both her arms for him, beckoning him closer. "There's more to discover, but let us start with the apartments I have arranged for you."

Luffy nodded and followed her in red clad silhouette up the stairs. He paused on the landing that connected the twin set of stairs that went left and right, staring at the many acres of gardens through the grand window that functioned as the sole source of natural light to the entire room. He could make out the Amazonian Calm Belt Ocean in the rainy distance, behind the woods that surrounded the property.

He couldn't help but wonder if it was perhaps raining too now where Ace was, all the way back in Sabaody...

It was painful to have such vivid memories of the events of the past night, while knowing that now thousands of miles separated them. Luffy couldn't deny feeling anxious, being away from everything he loved and in a foreign country with very few people he actually knew.

He had to keep reminding himself of Ace's last words to him, to inspire him courage and hope.

"Luffy?"

He turned his head towards Hancock's gorgeous face and returned her excited smile with a forced one of his own, following her up a set of stairs towards the first floor corridor.

"You'll have him in your arms again before you know it," she whispered to him, comfortingly taking his left hand in her right.

Luffy ignored the lump that began to form in his throat and nodded, letting her lead him into the blue and purple themed left corridor and the eastern wing of the house. "Yeah," he managed to croak.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you through this, Luffy," she said, glancing his way, still smiling as they walked along the scenery on their left of the garden.

Luffy looked at her for a moment and then smiled to himself. He'd found Hancock to be incredibly perceptive and caring, traits she shared with her half-brother and that made him miss his sister even more. "Thank you, Hancock. I still have my mind on what I've left behind."

"I cannot blame you for that. Many things didn't turn out the way we'd hoped. Unfortunately," she responded, her smile now fading. "But we need to stay strong for Ace's sake, okay? Your presence here will be a source of solace for me too, you know, Luffy. My dear brother is the sole family I have left in this world."

Luffy took a trembling breath, nodding. Ace had told him what he knew about his half-sister. Next to being the daughter of Roger Gold and the Iconic actress Mariposa Boa, she was also the sole heiress to the empire both her parents built. When she found out that she had a brother ten years ago, she hadn't hesitated to come see him, happy to know that she had someone else in this world to call 'family'. Hancock did not care that Ace and his mother had been the reason for the end of her parent's marriage. At twenty-five, she'd had enough time to sort through her issues with her father's betrayal of her mother and accepted Ace as he was; her then lost and confused little brother in search of his own identity. As per his wishes she had remained absent of his public and personal life, secretly following Ace's exploits with pride and a growing mutual affection.

Now she gladly stepped up as his older sister, indulging herself with caring for her little brother the way she'd been dying to for the past ten years. And that meant ridiculous, over the top excesses. Like Ace's BMW she got him for his twenty-fifth birthday.

But Ace assured him that all of it came from an honest place and that it was her own way of making the friends she never had growing up alone and privileged.

As he looked at her again, he could understand how having everything you could wish for could still make you lonely. "I'm grateful to have you by my side in times like these, I truly am. Thank you."

A blush formed on her perfectly made up face and she nodded silently in appreciation of the sentiment.

They stopped in front of the second pair of dark wooden doors on their right that led to a two storey apartment equipped with a magnificent contemporary living room, a master bedroom with adjoining bathroom, a study, a library and a master office. Everything was decorated in a classic elegant white, gray and taupe accentuated by silver and crème.

"I hope you can find all the comfort and privacy you need here," Hancock said, walking over the crème carpet and down the two steps towards the living room area, the main lights of the room turning on automatically as they sensed her movement, casting a soft light on the luxurious furnitures and accessories that decorated the room. She ran her manicured fingers over the back of the white leather couch on her way to the still closed grey drapes, opening a few of them so an evening view of the mansion's lit up front garden could be seen.

"Are you kidding...?" Luffy whispered finally taking a step into the room from where he'd been frozen in place in awe. "This is... this place is amazing...! Wow... this is too much, this is too big for me alone..."

Hancock chuckled and walked past the dining table and on towards the double doors that lead to the library and the study, beckoning him towards her. "It might be, but I imagine that when Ace comes to visit after his stay in prison next month, you two will want some privacy."

Luffy gasped at the rich collection of books he found in the small library, loving the little cozy corner by the windows with a lounger and a small desk. The painting on the ceiling of a dusky sky appealed him, as well as the gold coloured chandelier that bathed the room in a warm glow. He then grinned at her and nodded. "Yes, thank you!"

Hancock continued on towards the single door on the other side of the room near the windows, opening it to show an office with a heavy wooden master desk, readily equipped with many supplies and a brand new laptop with a pretty bow on it.

"You're giving me a laptop?" He whispered to her, eyes wide as she handed the item to him. "I can't accept... this is too much, Hancock...!"

"Nonsense," she replied, grinning. "I'm not taking it back. Use it for your work for me, or for planning your event planning business, it doesn't matter. I want you to have it."

He bit his lower lip as a smirk grew on his face, shaking his head as he took the silver coloured laptop in his hands. " You... I don't have other words to describe... I..."

She only chuckled and pressed a kiss against his forehead before tousling his hair affectionately. "Come on, the master bedroom is through the other door."

The went back into the library and this time went through the double doors right across the ones leading to the living room. A set of steps led upwards to another pair of doors, towards another set of steps that lead to a corner to the right around which an oasis of rest and relaxation could be found.

Throwing his hands in front of his mouth, Luffy stepped into the in a sultry dark brown and gold decorated modern bedroom and just stared at it. The humongous bed was centrally placed by the farthest crème wall, in front of floor length glass doors that gave access to the veranda behind it. Mahogany dressers ran the long the chocolate walls on each side of the bed, decorated with golden, empty frames and figurines. The walls above them had Amazonian art hanging on them, made of dark wood. Spotlights embedded in the ceiling cast a soft golden glow on the entire scene.

Going left from the stairs lead you to the big, stylish mahogany walk in closet which stood empty for now and going right lead you to the spacious, open bathroom equipped with a walk in, glass and brown stone shower, a bathtub, twin sinks with a grand mirror, a toilet, a sauna and access to the balcony through the bathroom's veranda doors.

Walking on from the small hallway connecting all the spaces on this floor, they arrived in the last and currently unused space. It contained only a treadmill and a screen projector on the ceiling.

"In here I wasn't sure what to place," Hancock explained. "This could be a small gym, or a home theater, the choice is up to you. You get the free reign."

While Luffy stepped into the space and looked around, they heard someone call for Hancock.

"In here, Margueritte," she answered, leaning back to look down the hallway.

A girl with shoulder length blonde hair then appeared coming up the stairs, approaching her with a document holder close to her chest.

"Luffy?" Hancock called, watching him return from the balcony. "Please meet Margueritte, she is my main household manager and personal assistant."

Luffy smiled friendly at Margueritte and took her extended hand in his. "Pleased to meet you, Margueritte."

She shook his hand and returned his smile. "Welcome to Kuja Manor, Luffy. I will be going over what you need to know about your new position with us tomorrow."

"Thank you for having me," Luffy answered politely.

Margueritte nodded in acknowledgement before addressing Hancock again. "Mr Gecko has just pulled up to the estate. He'll be waiting for you in your library," she informed her, handing her the black document holder. "Last weeks' requests for appearances."

Hancock took the holder with a scowl and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Ugh. And what does that creepy Gecko want now?" she grunted, browsing through the many pages contained in the holder. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to attend to some unexpected business, Luffy. I wanted to give you a tour of the estate, but that will have to wait. I'm sorry," she whispered with a sigh, looking up from the folder.

"Please don't be," Luffy replied with an understanding smile. "You're still the lady of the house and a businesswoman, I'd almost feel bad hugging all of your attention like this."

Hancock made an excited sound and moved in to kiss him on his forehead again, rubbing the lipstick stain from his skin afterwards. "How can someone not love this boy?" she said, making him chuckle abashedly. She then hugged him tenderly. "I hope you can make my home, your home too, Luffy. I'm truly pleased to have you with us. I hope we can become good friends."

Smiling brightly for the first time since leaving Sabaody, Luffy tightened his hold on her and nodded over her shoulder. "I already consider you my friend, Hancock. You've given Ace and me a chance to save our relationship, which is now the most important thing to me. I cannot thank you enough for what you've so generously offered us."

Hancock smiled happily over his shoulder, feeling tears well up. "I would do anything for those I consider family, because family is paramount."

Luffy nodded again, letting her go. "That it is," he agreed, looking her in the eyes with sincerity.

Another blush crossed her features and she chuckled nervously, carefully wiping away stray tears. "Okay," she whispered after a silent moment, sniffling. "Dinner is at 7. Just come down into the main hall and Ran or Aphelandra will show you the way. Your luggage should be brought up shortly into your walk in, so for now just relax and get settled in and I'll see you in..." She looked at her golden watch, "Two hours."

"Ok," he whispered, smiling and nodding to the both of them.

When they were both gone, Luffy returned to the balcony that ran the long the entire apartment floor, leaning against the door frame with a shoulder to stare at the rain that continued to fall.

He took a breath and reached inside of his shirt to retrieve the pendant he kept on a silver necklace, smiling gently while his fingers fondled it affectionately.

It was proof of a given promise, sign of a love true and waiting.

To be continued...

In: 19. The Eight of Swords - Strength

-BDP-