Author's Notes: Greetings, friends. This snippet is a gift to RandomWriter1512 for being a new supporter of this story. Thank you for tuning in. I'm glad you're enjoying this collection of "clips" so far. XD For this new clip, Ace and Makino are exchanging letters mostly. For context, this happens just after Shanks returns Nesi to her training camp and just before Ace confronts Whitebeard. I might include a bonus chapter of Nesi talking to Whitebeard as a gift to a new supporter if one comes up since she mentioned it to Ace in the Ghost Ship clip. It's a funny exchange since they always argue with each other over silly things because they can't stand each other half of the time.

Hey Makino,

This is... a stupid question, but... how do I talk to a girl politely? I know you taught me how to have manners in general, but...

Let me just start this over. So, do you remember my last letter about the girl who was following me around and trying to learn how to fight? Hopefully, you do because she's been my crewmate this whole time. She's not as young as gramps thinks or probably what you thought. We're about the same age, I think. If not, she's relatively close to my age. Anyways, her name is Nesi Llandala. We met on this group of islands at the tail end of the Grand Line. I decided to follow your advice and take her in. She was really good at being a pirate, but she ultimately left the crew and sort of did what gramps wanted me to do. She's not a marine, but she's involved with the military.

This crazy girl planned a huge heist on this one cargo ship a while back and succeeded! She was risking it all to prove a point, and someone actually listened to her. It was... amazing to watch her fight for something so close to her heart! As scary as it was, she fought all the way to her execution and upped her bounty by a significant margin. That heist, unfortunately, made us separate because this guy named Pieter van der Does had to take her under his wing. He wouldn't take a no anymore, and I couldn't stop him because he bailed her out of prison and had her bounty frozen. He stopped the execution and all. I didn't want her to leave, even fought for her to stay, but... she chose to leave when Pieter explained what he did for a living. It matched what she wanted to do, so she left of her own accord. We still see each other, and she is allowed to come back to the crew to live with us for a while, but that time is short. Her training involves some pretty detailed inner workings on battlefronts. I don't join in on the training, but I check up on her and test her to see what's so different or so special about this gig she's doing.

I finally saw it all for myself a couple of weeks ago. Maybe a month's passed since then. I can't say I've been keeping a good record of the days.

You probably don't know about this yet, but I was there in the Siege of Harebell Cove. Nesi was training with Pieter to fight in this heated battle and to study her surroundings on the battlefronts... but so was I. Her unit had to sneak into an enemy camp to seize a fort on the coastal line, and she planned this out to cut down on the loss of life. Both sides were impressed because the death toll was cut in half on her side and about 35% on the other side from what I understood and overheard. Since we're not in the papers or anything, no one really knows about our involvement. I... want to show you and gramps the medal and stripe we got for the mission. I haven't decided on whether or not I'll keep it. Oh! I have a fleet now! We're called the Devil's Card Deck. My fleet - those beautiful, crazy, inseparable bastards - actually helped me sneak into the army and fight beside Nesi in that battle. Unfortunately...

Okay, look, you can't laugh at this, but... this PDA couple I know kept asking us weird questions in the middle of battle. Nesi and I didn't know they were spewing out wedding vows. I thought those wacky swingers were just making conversation, but no! They were yapping on about loyalty and support and friendship and eternal bonds. Next thing I knew we were thrown into each other, and they said, "Kiss the bride!" Now I'm married! What the actual hell is happening to me? No one mentioned this part of piracy to me! But...

Well, lately, I... I dunno. Our living situation has been... nice? Pieter gave her access to certain private barracks that me and my crewmates have been able to use when she's on personal training. On the battlefields, we can't see each other for obvious reasons. The boys don't mind navigating between worlds since Nesi's allowed to be a pirate still and they don't have to act like military folk. A few of the soldiers kind of like them. Once she's home, though, it... feels... comfortable. It's not like on the ship when she's on duty micromanaging things, but it's a bit warmer. She's more open around the boys, she wears girl's clothes and her gentleman's suit, and she actually has a good sense of humor. A lot of that stuff I didn't get a chance to see before. I mean, I guess I kinda did when we showered together, but I usually went out to do pirate stuff. Our other friends, Deuce and Corale, were able to watch her grow into this sweet person, but... I guess... that's why I got so mad at Pieter. He took Nesi away from me before I could even get to know her. She was able to grow and mature without me, even though we shared a room together, ate together, and talked at night. She... was never a ghost or a caged bird or a prisoner. She just didn't have a guide or a way out to get to where she wanted to go.

It's not like how I was around you or Gramps or Dadan. You guys let me be a child regardless of who my father or my mother was. I appreciate that wholeheartedly. For her, she lost her parents and had to be sheltered from time to time, but she didn't hate any of that. She understood why stuff happened the way it did, and it's made her more determined to change things. I'm at her house right now, staring at pictures of her and her parents. It's really drawings of them, but... it's sweet and charming. There are these kids who remind me of me, Luffy and Sabo when we were their age. They've been exploring Nesi's home and helping her clean up ever since she returned. I knew her dad was a pirate, but I didn't know he built the backyard into a pirate's cove. No wonder she's good at architecture and gardening! Her mom built a dance floor and garden right next to the play area. Those kids have a ball in her old playpen!

She's been doing some amazing work improving her hometown. Right now, they're working on plumbing and irrigation. The mayor of her hometown helped her open up jobs to assist with the project. She earned income from the war efforts and used it to distribute funding for clean water. Throughout the day, we help her either watch the kids, work the clean water project, or help her with little stuff around town.

I'm beating around the bush, aren't I?

I need to know how to talk to Nesi so that... well... I just want to. I mean, I know how to talk to her as a friend, but... we aren't just friends. At least, not according to pirate marriage laws. I can't believe that exists! I don't even know why I care! Whatever! Help me out here, please!

~ Ace

Dear Ace,

Pfft! Hahahahaha! XD You poor thing!

Tell you what? Since this Nesi girl is returning home, why don't you visit your old home? I'll keep it a secret from everyone. I'm only suggesting this because you really don't want to talk to Nesi politely. You want to ask her a question and you're fighting with yourself. I remember who she is now. You didn't say her name before. From the sound of it, you've gone through a lot since you left home. I'd like to hear about it, and I'd be more than happy to hold onto your medal and stripe. You've always been so against being a marine or pledging allegiance to countries. I honestly want to know why you changed your mind for this one battle. What was Nesi fighting for that made you impersonate a soldier to help her?

You're saying you're living with this girl, so maybe explain that part to me as well. Are you staying with her at the barracks, or do you go out and do pirate stuff and then come back to the barracks? That part's a little unclear to me. You also said that you're at her hometown now. So, are you staying with her at her childhood home now? What do you mean by your living situation? What is it about that setup that's comforting for you?

If I had to guess at it, I'd say you're experiencing your first crush, Ace. How cute! XD She proved herself to you through and through, and she's doing impressive work from the sounds of it. You did good being her captain! So, you have to answer this question for yourself now. Are you really mad at your crew for marrying you to her? Or, are you acting mad because you're worried that she doesn't feel as strongly as you do about her? Talking politely to her isn't going to work if you have that worry in the back of your mind, and it's not going to help you figure out how she feels about you.

Whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here waiting for you. Write to me soon when you're on your way. I'll meet you in secret as promised.

~ Sincerely,

Makino