Author's Notes: Okay, I might've lied a little bit. Action scene won't be up 'til next chapter. I thought I would make it by Chapter 3. Did not happen. X3 Alrighty, friends, we are now getting into the "political drama" aspect of this short story. This chapter involves some politics for the privateers, and we also get our first flashback with Nesi and Ace and one of Ace's letters to Makano.

If you're a new reader and you simply jumped to the newest chapter (i.e. this one), this short story largely involves the world of the privateers and how Ace felt about his time as a pirate before his death. One Piece characters besides the Straw Hats do make appearances to enhance the impact of Ace's experiences. Though I didn't name Isuka and Yamato, they were mentioned last chapter when Nesi and Luffy were talking outside. Nesi never formally met either girl, so that keeps everything free of a character-insert situation and allows her to have her own arc. It's a bit cleaner that way. ;-D

Oh, there are footnotes at the end of the chapter as well. It's just fun facts if you're interested. You can skip 'em.

~ ... Kaijin of the Coast... ~

Early morning was met with a decked-out table of breakfast items for the Straw Hats. Nesi left a note saying to dig in... so they did. Usopp complimented the fluffiness of the pancakes while Robin picked at her waffles before progressively eating them properly. Knowing Luffy's insatiable appetite, however, Sanji went into the kitchen and cooked more food. Luffy scarfed down his fair share with absolute joy while Zoro explained the boys' findings as they walked around town. Robin and Nami shared their own information on their end. Luffy let his friends engage in conversation amongst themselves and snuck away into Ace's bedroom again. He didn't sleep much after talking to Nesi about his brother, but he did walk around the lodge a lot. He rifled through his things, observed them, and even opened treasure chests that contained belly, jewelry, and other monetary items. Nesi left notes in some to explain how much was in the chest or what it should be used for while Ace's notes in response were either "Quit naggin' me" or "Whatever" or some rude combination of both. Ah, so Nesi knew the uncut Ace like he did in his youth versus his friends. Though Ace matured a lot, at least enough to appear refined and cleverer, it was good to know that he was himself through and through around someone he really trusted. Luffy could practically hear his voice on some of the notes, so his brother knew that Nesi was putting his treasures away or assigning them to things of necessity.

Closing a chest with a smile, Luffy stood up and walked over to the side door Chopper was talking about before. Ace's room was connected to this library in the middle of the hallway. Walking through the bar lounge that separated the bedroom from the library, Luffy took a minute to observe the wanted posters on the walls. No surprise to his brother just smiling away. Runs in the family. He then spotted a locked box that almost blended in with the wall. Had he not saw a chip in the portrait, Luffy would have just passed it by and not caught a bit of leather glaring out at him. He walked over to it and noticed that it looked like luggage. Whatever was in it couldn't be opened without a key, so Luffy stood back up to find one. His crew made some noise downstairs before agreeing to look around more. Luffy nodded and did the same. The sliding door to the library was pretty quiet and easy to open. He knew Ace could read and write, but he didn't expect such a full space. It was to his tastes with the fur rug and comfy loveseat. Spotting a desk with drawers, Luffy checked them until he found a set of keys. Taking them, he went back to the luggage box and tried each one until the lock popped open. Inside... confirmed all he needed to know about Nesi.

Painted portraits, wanted posters, news articles, and government updates pertaining to her journey as a privateer were all in there. Her bounty as a Spade pirate, her bounty as a war criminal, her bounty frozen, and finally her bounty being removed were just in there. This included a collection of unfinished letters and a small journal with colorful snippets of paper lodged in between pages. Ace must've been proud of her to have kept all this stuff. One of the paintings he had was even of them at a party together. He looked drunk out of his mind with his flushed face and giant smile, and she was excited about something that just about sent her to the moon. The rest of the crew was cheering, too. It was a big-time party for them all to be dressed in some form of suit and dancing gown. Another portrait of Nesi with a group of men caught Luffy's attention. Her style of dress was similar to yesterday morning when they met. That group must've been her new crew or the reason her bounty was lifted. Why'd he want to hide this or lock it away, though? Did he just not want Nesi to know about it? That didn't make any sense.

Taking out the letters and journal, Luffy walked over to the library again to place the papers down on the sofa and walked back to put the pictures back into the luggage case. He didn't lock it, just closed it. Returning to the desk, he looked for other letters of possible interest or completion. It looked like Ace was intent on no one finding anything of value, but there was a badge and an Enemy Ship Capture Warrant in the drawer just above the knee if he were to sit at the desk chair. A little ransom note from something called the Iron Foundry Assurance Company was also among the documents. It didn't look like someone was holding any of Ace's crew members for ransom, so the note was something good. A picture of Ace folding his arms and looking miffed was also in the drawer. He was shaking an amused man's hand while looking elsewhere. The badge in the desk was on his person along with a fancy-looking jacket. His wardrobe did have it in there. Luffy spotted one more unfinished letter in the corner and took that out as well. When he couldn't find any more of his brother's writings, he got a little more thorough in different parts of the library.

"Luffy, you in here?" Zoro asked, opening the library door with a curious look on his face.

"What's goin' on, Zoro?" Luffy asked in response, stepping on a small ladder to check the top of the bookshelves for anything resembling a note or letter.

"What're you doing?" Zoro questioned.

"Looking for stuff to read," Luffy answered nonchalantly.

"You read?" Zoro questioned, making Luffy snap his head and shout.

"OF COURSE, I READ!"

"SINCE WHEN?" Zoro asked.

"Huh?" Luffy responded, ignoring Zoro's insult in exchange for interest in a small compartment. It was locked, too.

Reaching into his pocket, Luffy took out the keys again and opened the compartment to find a plethora of letters. Taking one out, he noticed that the letters were addressed to Ace, so they had to be responses to completed letters... which he has yet to find. Regardless, Luffy took the letters out to read and closed the compartment. Obviously, completed letters have gone to their recipients now. He'll just have to put fragments together for it all to make sense.

"What's that?" Zoro asked out of interest.

"Letters to Ace. He's been hiding things from Nesi," Luffy answered, checking the books for anything suspicious.

"Bothers you that bad, huh?" Zoro replied, folding his arms. He walked over to the other bookshelf and helped his captain look around. "You sure she doesn't find things herself when she's cleaning? She might've put them up there."

"She's too neat. Ace left behind notes to tell her to stop tidying stuff up in his bedroom. If he didn't want her to find something, he would've put it somewhere she wouldn't think to go near. The top of this bookshelf is too close to the ceiling for her to dust it off or wax it. Even then, these letters are in a locked box. Unlocking it would've been annoying," Luffy informed, looking down a bit. "Ace is too proud to hide things this well. There was something he didn't want her to know."

"You thinking he didn't want her to know about what happened?" Zoro asked, confirming his own suspicions.

"I think it's worse than that," Luffy said darkly.

Head matron Primrose Sedzig was right about her son calling her soon. Nesi received her summons just before she went out to obscure the harbor again for the morning, so she dressed herself accordingly and prepared to meet the lord of Sedzig house and her teammates at the Treasure Pepper Mint building. Ships had already docked at the main island where the nobles were comfortable with stepping on mortal soil. She was actually surprised by this visit. It was pretty grand for something so last-minute, but she didn't complain. Nesi merely walked up the cobblestone pathways to the World Government's finance building and greeted her hosts properly at the gates. When the guards let her inside, her heels clacked against the smooth flooring and curtains were being opened. Just as she was coming up to the elevating platform, one of her teammates dressed in a fine ruff and a largely red suit smacked her shoulder before smirking. His hair was black and curly with red tips and silvery streaks on the right side to give the appearance of a short fin. He bowed politely in greeting to his comrade before waiting for her to return the gesture. She did with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Pargo," Nesi greeted.

"Why is this dandy from the world above calling me out of my bed and pajamas?" Pargo asked. His full name was Amaro Pargo. When he was off duty, he was in his finest underwear and dreamiest nightwear. Calling him out on a day-off was criminal!

"Lady Sedzig mentioned that her son was opening a new contract with us. Our new libel needs to be verified," Nesi explained, watching Pargo fold his arms with displeasure at having to deal with this. "You or one of the others will have to take it. I've already been sent out by Quistador Ingagoh to guard the silver."

"Llandala, how big's this new shipment?" an even more displeased man asked from behind the two. He had lovely blonde hair in a high ponytail and an imperial style mustache. His suit was green and red with a proud frock at the collar. His thin eyebrows were raised to show his distaste for having to get up at an unreasonable hour to talk about money at the last-minute. He then asked, tapping his foot rapidly and impatiently, "Is it worth the damn effort to rush over here or not? 'Cause I could be sleep with my ass drinking in the fine sea air right now!"

"Good morning, Pierre," Nesi cheered sweetly, earning his bout of wrath with a light blush across his cheeks at her glimmering beauty. "Would you like me to order some blueberry biscuits and froth-fee before the meeting? We might have some time for a bit of sausage on the side."

"And marshmallows!" Pierre demanded, blowing smoke out of his nose.

"Did you fix that back tooth for all that sugar?" Nesi asked.

"AND MARSHMALLOWS!" Pierre demanded with a booming voice.

"Ho-ho-ho!" a rich, full voice laughed, clapping his large hands. A large man in a blue suit trundled into the elevator hall to engage with his comrades. He had reddish-orange hair and a clean-shaven face. Always full of energy in the morning, this privateer was Zymen Danseker. A man quite proud of his legs and happy to show them off in shorts or pants no matter the occasion. He greeted, "Good morning, gents! I shall take you up on that offer of sausage. Hold the fruity biscuits in exchange for grit cakes perhaps?"

"Good thing I woke up to cook," Nesi said, smiling toothily. "These meetings can be long! Why didn't you eat?"

"Because I was woken out of my SLUMBER in the middle of the night about some random summons!" Pierre complained. "My willie was out! Land on a shoe on the left ball and see how that feels!"

"Ouch..." Pargo managed to say before the elevator churned.

Nesi shook her head to chuckle at Pierre then said, "You, gents, go up to the Foundry's floor. I'll bring up the food."

"Meh, the nobles can wait," Pargo said, unfolding his arms and leading the way to the kitchen and dining room. "I'm hungry."

It would be a while before the rest of the privateers showed up. May as well eat something. Javelin was already running around in the kitchen with her documents ready to go. The girl was speedy with her work! Nesi unhooked her arms from the back and strapped on an apron. Some stuff was already made from her home this morning. Mostly cold foods like yogurt, sausage patties, hash browns, or milk and cereal. At least, she had a chance to eat with most of the team until everyone else showed up. She didn't eat much this morning either since the summons was given to her so early. She was a little sad that she couldn't eat with the Straw Hats to get to know them better. She found that she liked Luffy's easygoing nature, and that smile was infectious. Making froth-fee for Pierre, Javelin, and Zymen, Nesi prepared the beverages and passed them around on a small serving tray. Pargo usually wanted a spicy vegetable juice. Nesi opted for milk tea. The smells of fresh food made everyone twice as hungry as before, so, when Nesi came around to serve everyone their respective orders, she wasn't surprised that they almost dove headfirst into the plates. Least of all, Pierre, who had a tendency to bite the marshmallow creme topping off anything and let it sit in his mouth. He immediately regretted doing that with his bad tooth, though. Nesi only smiled at this, remembering the times when she fed the Spades crew. They may have stolen the food more often than she liked, but it was nice to see them eat well.

"You're not half bad a cook, floor scrubber!" Ace would tell her, winking at her displeased face after she wore herself out trying to please him so he could teach her how to fight. "You might see a promotion next week."

"You'll show me how to punch like you, captain?" Nesi would ask, eyes sparkling at the chance.

"Hell no! I'm promoting you to ship cook," Ace would say, deflating her spirits. Before she could even get out a plea, he would interrupt her by saying, "Your moxie's below sea level, girl! Build it up and I'll teach you how to dodge better."

"B-b-but I don't know what that means, captain! C'mon! Just tell me what the moxie is and I'll train it!" Nesi would plea.

"Quit beggin'! You wanna be a real pirate or not?" Ace reprimanded.

"Yes, sir," Nesi sighed, pouting and walking away to wait for the day her moxie came in. She wouldn't realize for another two to three weeks that what Ace meant was her willpower, her fighting spirit, her desire to go the extra mile and risk it all for one thing.

"Whatcha eatin', captain?" Javelin asked, hovering over Nesi's mixing bowl.

"Bagel-berry cheesecake," Nesi answered, shoving a sample of it in Javelin's mouth. A noise of approval came out of the little woman before the captain said, "I'll make you some another time."

"What do you think the new cargo is gonna be? Lord Ingagoh is in charge of silver and spices, so Lord Sedzig must be in charge of something just as big. Lady Primrose loves jewelry. What if it's gemstones?"

"Quite possible, Javie. Jewelry is a show of status. I'd imagine it's something related to that or the artificial atmosphere that's up there at Mary Geoisie. Materials to support such a manicured lifestyle are precious commodities and would up the risk factor in shipment. A pirate who knows how to use those things is a public enemy," Nesi surmised. "Heaven forbid a Revolutionary take any of it. Assuming the same thing. That they know how to use those materials. Otherwise, they just sit in storage or put on too much weight for the ships for a prolonged period of time. It's not worth doing."

"Is that why Lord Hawkins transports stuff like that on airships or fully loaded vessels?" Javelin asked.

"I'd say so. Too risky to keep on the ground," Nesi answered, walking over to a small table to eat.

Javelin sat with her until it was time for the team to speak with Lord Gahima of the Sedzig house. Everyone sort of guessed aloud the type of cargo needing guardianship as they ate. The pleasantries and respectable atmosphere were quite comforting. Pity the nobles always made things so tense.

With the men well-fed... eh, in part... the privateers proceeded into the Iron Foundry Assurance Company floor to discuss the libel. Vice Admiral Barangot was waiting for them along with financers, a scribe, and the Sedzig family. Barangot took care of the trading business and the maritime laws covering it. While this normally would be a responsibility for the Admirals and Fleet Admiral, the higher-ups among the admiralty were far more engrossed in controlling the pirates than the World Government's source of income since the devil fruits and their variety of powers caused an upheaval in the dichotomy of the world. The vice admiral was pleasantly surprised by Nesi's order of peace and dismissal of the sovereignty of the World Government in favor of the world's well-being. She didn't care about the New World, Fish-Man Island, or any of the smaller villages. She cared about it all. Her argument that the Five Elders weren't going to be in power forever, and that the time for war would come to a close, made it easier to trust her in caring for the public. What would happen when the Five Elders simply died of natural causes? Would the nobles elect another five or eliminate such an authority in favor of something else? What happens when peace treaties are formed? When slave labor is no longer a popular or efficient source of income? These are all questions that piracy will be largely affected by when the answer comes over the horizon.

Vice Admiral Barangot was more than happy to look into working with the privateers to ensure that no matter who ran the world, the countries and territories across the land would prevail and be financially able until another ruler turned up. What further surprised him was Quistador Ingagoh's use of the privateers for his own shipment success. Nesi Llandala made a great impression and her earnings from her first prize capture easily gained the attentions of others. She managed to do something not even the Four Emperors could do: get at least one noble (regardless of status) to come down from their mansion and face her. Her firm stance and gentlemanly disposition made a statement. It didn't long to convince others to join her team. Before long, Pargo, Pierre, and Zymen came into the picture. Nesi had balls!

Head matron Primrose insisted on showing up for the introductory meeting before they spoke business and practically hopped up a foot off the ground to greet Nesi. Sera floated over to Nesi as well before she gathered her grandmother and scuttled her over to her father. Gahima was a serious man, but his worry was ever visible. The privateers all bowed to the nobles with respect and waited.

"Your hospitalities precede you," Gahima complimented, walking over to Nesi. He held out his hand for a shake, feeling Nesi return the greeting with an acceptable squeeze of his hand. Not too tight, not too delicate, eye contact strong, feet planted firmly. A perfect shake. She was about business. "Pleasure to meet my family's acquaintance. Pardon my ignorance in the minor details, I've concerns elsewhere on the mind."

"Then that's where we'll start, Lord Gahima," Nesi said, giving him a reassuring nod. "The bid bond will be discussed later. What's the trouble?"

Hey, Makano,

I need your help again. This is a dumb question, but... it's about this girl I met. How do you tell a girl to piss off without killing her?

Okay, hear me out! I helped her out of this tight spot, right? And now she keeps following me around and watching me. I caught her one time and followed her. She was copying my moves and practicing them on this weird post thing. It looked like a scratching post for a cat. She's been at it for days! I keep trying to scare her off or dump her somewhere, but she keeps coming back. One of my idiot crewmates is probably putting her up to this for his amusement. I mean, she's not doing anything wrong. She's just weird.

Okay, update. She's going into fight clubs like an idiot and getting beat up. I don't have to kill her. But! How do I get her to quit following me? Cussing her out isn't working, dumping her in the middle of nowhere isn't working (because she's half-dolphin), yelling at her doesn't work. What am I missing here? What the hell does she want?

Ideas?

~ Ace

Dear Ace,

Hahahaha! XD Okay, no, seriously. I'll give it to you straight like I always do. Why did you want to become strong when you were little? Think about that first then read on.

...

You done thinking? I'll assume you're done. Whatever your answer was, put that girl in your shoes. It's in human nature for us to enjoy learning about things we care about. Even if someone just talks about a subject we're into, we'll tune in to the conversation and either join in with what we know or sit back and just learn about what others know. It's just how it is. When you were a kid, you were punching and kicking at trees with all of your might until you finally broke each one. And when you surpassed that feat, you moved on to beasts and punched and kicked until you had their heads mounted on your walls! But why? What was it about doing things with your own strength that drove you to keep training and fighting and being the best? If all she's doing is copying your moves, she wants to be a better fighter like you. She wants the strength that you have. You made a great impression on her. If you saved her out of a tight spot, she had to have hated feeling so powerless in that moment. She might've tried to do things the peaceful way, and, when that didn't work, the situation escalated beyond her control. When you stepped in, you were more than a pirate. You were probably more than some young hero. You were a beacon of hope.

If she's going to fight clubs to train, she's doing what you did as a kid just in a different space. She's kicking and punching that scratching post the way you kicked and punched trees with everything she's got. When she's felt that's enough, she's fighting other people with the stamina of a tiger or bear. It just looks weird to you because either she's not as violent as you were or she's not doing things the way you did them verbatim. She was probably a quiet girl when you formally met, right? I'm assuming so since you said she's hiding and sneaking around. She didn't just outright come out and say, "Hey, can you show me how you did that move?" Yada, yada, yada.

Well, you weren't that quiet as a kid. You were adventurous. You were your own hero. The only thing she's doing differently is asking herself, "How well do I know my hero? If punching and kicking isn't enough, what am I missing? What's he doing that I'm not?"

Instead of cussing at her and telling her to scram, try asking her about her dreams, her hopes, her fears. She'll probably stop following you around if you try to understand why she's struggling so hard to copy you. You're having a problem getting through to her because you're not making the effort to understand her. There's a reason for everything. Just figure it out.

(P.S. I think it's cute that you have a little follower. XD)

~ Good luck, Ace!

~ Makano

Author's Footnotes: Kaijin of the Coast is based on the real-life, historical Brethren of the Coast. Not to be confused with the Lord of the Coast that took our beloved Shanks' arm. Meanie... :( Used in the Pirates of the Caribbean films as well, the Brethren of the Coast were a loose coalition of pirates and buccaneers. While pirates didn't have the Letters of Marque and Reprisal, buccaneers typically could get this "permission slip" because they were a type of privateer. Though unknown if the pirates had the same privileges as some buccaneers by working with the buccaneers, a syndicate of buccaneers with the document could regulate the privateering enterprises within their communities. Kaijin/Kaiju are Godzilla monsters. My OCs have some form of Kaijin/Kaiju name and ability. That's why I said I had to scale their abilities to match up with One Piece's system.

Treasure Pepper Mint Building is modeled after the old US Mint building located in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Amaro Pargo was a real-life, historical figure and Spanish privateer. Ulogon Hawkins is based on historical figure and English privateer, John Hawkins, who redesigned navy ships to make them faster in combat during the wars. Pierre Le Grand (if the name doesn't say it all) was a French buccaneer who also existed in real life much like some of the historical figures used in One Piece. Look no further than Edward Teach and other such characters.

So... *sighs* I'll be honest. I couldn't use the Admirals of One Piece in this like I really wanted to for two reasons: one, they don't show any sense of political competency in the series for me to be like "okay, we'll put you in here"; and two, there's no clear historical information on the Court of High Admiralty that would make choosing an Admiral easier. Fleet admirals don't exist until World War II or major wars. I'll have to keep digging on information for that just to be sure, but it's not your typical rank. Since the Admirals are so focused on pirate activity, they wouldn't be interested in the privateers or what they're doing. So, I left the political stuff up to the vice admirals which is the rank under admiral.

The privateers are loosely based off the Power Rangers. Which is SO COOL! XD Pargo is the red ranger, Pierre is the green ranger, and Zymen is the blue ranger. Nesi is a purple ranger because why not?

This is all part of my writing challenge to make a "grand" campaign in the context of One Piece. I don't expect much engagement with this, so it's not mandatory for you to review anything. There's plenty of other fiction that do better service to the characters than me. I will see you all next chapter, though, if you're down for the ride. Mighty Morphin' Time! XD