Hello everyone, here is a chapter, at least

I've decided to try and write a couple more chapters and see how it goes, and if I will continue it

This is just a bit of this and that

Hope you enjoy

Read and relax

Marco had a frown as he looked at the sky, seeing some dark clouds heading towards them. "What do you think, Blenheim?" While Marco knew his fair share of weather phenomena and such, he liked to have Blenheim's input too, seeing as he had the most experience out of all the commanders. "I agree, Marco. It looks like a storm, and I think it will be a big one. We need to be ready for it. It will hit tonight." Marco gave a nod, turning and heading towards those who had watch. "Blenheim, could you inform the navigators?" The man nodded, heading that way.

While Marco informed those on watch, he would also assigned a few more commanders to be out on deck. Haruta and Kingdew were already schedule to be on watch, the others were just a precaution. The first commander really hoped it wouldn't be too bad of a storm, they could handle it but didn't want to have too much damage happen to the ship. They were some distance away from any place they could dock to make repairs. Hopefully, Curiel, their shipwright, could keep the damage down to a minimum. After informing those already on watch, he went to informed the additional commanders he was assigning, which would be Curiel, Thatch, Vista, and Izou, along with himself. Between them all, they should be able to keep everything under control.

As the storm came closer, they were sure to keep a close watch on it, feeling the ocean getting rougher by the minute, and the wind picking up. By supper, it had started to rain heavily, thunder could be heard in the distance. Marco could see that Blenheim looked a bit more nervous about it, and had taken over the wheel of the boat, to maneuver them through the storm, away from the worst of it.

An hour later, the assignment commanders were out on deck, spread to have the most coverage. Marco had told everyone what they should do as the night progressed but if they were unsure or didn't know what to do, to get him.

It would be a rough night.

-x-

Ace put the covers over her head, hearing the loud rumble of thunder outside, before a flash of lightning came once again, and then another louder crack of thunder. She hated storms - it always reminded her about times she didn't want to remember. She hoped it would be over soon.

When another loud thunder rumbled, each louder than the last, Ace gave a whimper, trying to hide under the covers more, already being under the small table she had in her room. She wanted Deuce here - she wanted him to comfort her as he always did on these nights, him knowing it reminded her about the things with Samuel a year ago. She didn't want to remember it. But, Deuce was on a mission with Fossa for another week. Another whimper came when another rumbling of thunder was heard.

She hated this.

-x-

Thatch stopped when he heard a whimper. Was someone injured? It was a rough night. The boat was rocking a lot. Marco had said they might find a few who could have gotten injured by losing their balance. After a few seconds, another loud, clap of thunder could be heard, he swore he heard the whimpering sound again. Where did it come from? It sounded like it was coming from the left, making the chef head around the corner, seeing Ace's door. Was Ace injured? When the thunder was heard, this one a low and long rumble, he was sure the whimpering was coming from behind Ace's door. He couldn't just walk past it. He needed to check. What if something had happened. It was rocking a lot. Even he had lost his footing now and then, same with everyone out. The woman could have tripped as she lost her balance.

After a few seconds and another whimper, he decided to knocked on the door. "Ace, are you okay in there?" When he got no answer, even after another knock, he decided to just check, hearing another whimper. He opened the door carefully, seeing the room dark, but no Ace, not anywhere. "Ace?" He was sure he heard something from the room. As he took a step inside, the lightning flashed brightly, lighting up the room, allowing him to see a shape underneath the small table. What? Had Ace fallen there? "Ace? You okay?" When he still heard nothing, he walked over to the table, crouching down and moving a hand to what he believed to be her shoulder, now understanding she was under her covers too. But, as he was about to ask if she was fine, a loud thunder shook the ship, making Ace whimper loudly and curl in on herself more.

The realization hit him. Ace was scared of thunder.

"Hey, it's just thunder," Started Thatch, grabbing Ace's shoulder in the hope of comforting the other. Her shoulders were shaking badly. "It's nothing to be scar-", Thatch was cut off as a loud clap of thunder came. It startled Ace, causing her to let out a whimper, moving to him and dropping her head on his shoulder whilst continuing to hide under the covers. He felt a wetness seep through his chef's jacket, was the woman crying? "Make it stop." Thatch blinked. Ace sounded really scared, voice shaking. This couldn't just be fear of the thunder, it has to be something else.

Thatch tried to think about how he could help; the woman obviously wasn't fine, but Thatch didn't know what to do. The other times he had tried to be close to the woman, it had often gone wrong and left the woman upset. "Um, hey, Ace, it's fine, just thunder, it will go away." As Thatch finished the sentence, another loud thunder shook the ship, making Ace whimper and move her hands over her ears, eyes closed tightly. Thatch tried to think, to come up with an idea. As he was thinking, he saw a flash of lighting through the closed blinds on the window, knowing a clap of thunder would come soon. He moved his hands to Ace's, helping to cover her ears, hoping to help keep the sound at bay. Not a second later, a clap of thunder shook the ship.

Ace's body still shook a bit, the chef feeling her hands going into fists as they tightened, the woman was still scared. But, it was a bit better. She didn't whimper at least. With some small calculations, seeing how long it was between the flash of lightning and thunder, it was about 5 miles away. That was good, it meant it was going away. When he looked down, he saw Ace was still shaking. What could he do to help? What was he good at? He could cook and mess things up, and do pranks, that was it. None of that would help in this situation. Wait, could it? He did pranks and mess things up all the time! He could still remember when he first tried to help Haruta all those years ago, the woman ending up with a broken arm, making her angry for a long time. He shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about it! "Hey, Ace, did you know Haruta hated me when we first met?" The woman didn't react, not that it would stop him.

The chef sat and told about how that went, then how Haruta and he had made up. He stopped only for a few seconds when a clap of thunder came, him helping to cover Ace's ears when it happened. The storm was moving further and further away, albeit a bit slowly. He told about the different pranks he had done, most of the ones which he had done on Marco, before he went to the times he had messed up, but always fixed it somehow later. But, this was the first time he used his previous pranks and those he messed up to help someone, or hope to help someone.

The storm seemed to last for a long time, probably most of the night, which had Thatch hoping everything was fine out on deck. Things had fallen of the table in Ace's room and he had heard commotions outside. But, he didn't feel like he could leave Ace, she was so scared, and what he was doing was actually helping. She had relaxed a bit. She was still tense, which only increased when a clap of thunder shook the ship. But, the fact he was covering her ears was helping and the sound of him rambling on about his pranks and screw ups was calming her down. Just noise to take her mind away from the storm. He still wondered why she hadn't told them, if she was this scared. If something happened, she obviously couldn't help, and she was amazingly strong. They needed her in battle, but she couldn't like this.

After a few hours, Thatch having no idea how long exactly, the storm calmed slightly, the ship barely shaking, though thunder still rumbled in the sky, the sound still rather loud. It still scared the woman when it happened, Thatch finding it out when he didn't help cover her ears one time, thinking it was fine. He still continued the stories, now realising he had done a lot of crap, making him also realise he maybe should apologise to a few people. He never thought much of things when he did them, and moved on to the next idea quickly. He should think about his actions more often. Damn, Marco was right. The thought had him start to tell about when he ignored Marco telling him he shouldn't mess with Fossa's sword, which ended with a fire. He didn't know Fossa's blades were covered with flammable liquids that could easily ignite. Or he did, Marco had told him, he just didn't listen.

After a few more hours had passed by, the storm completely dissipated, he could even see light peeking in from behind the closed blinds. Not sun, but light meaning the darkest of clouds were gone. The thunder had gone away a bit ago. Ace was much calmer now, when Thatch paused a bit in his story, needing a second to remember how it went, Ace spoke up, voice still a bit shaky. "Is- is it over?" Thatch nodded to it, looking towards the window again. "Yeah. It's over now. There's even light behind the curtain." When Ace looked herself, it seemed to calm her more, this being the first time he had seen her face tonight, seeing tear tracks and red eyes. She really was scared of thunder.

When she leaned a bit back to wipe her eyes and cheeks, Thatch thought for a second on how he should tackle this issue. "Hey Ace," He started, making the woman give a small sound. "Why didn't you… tell us you were scared?" Ace shook her head as she stood up. "I'm fine, you can go now… Thanks for being here..." Thatch blinked. "But, Ace, this is something we sh-" "Go! I am fine!" The woman half yelled, most likely wanting to be left alone for a while. She might be a bit embarrassed about this, and she did look fine now. "Okay, come out and get me or someone if you need anything." The woman just nodded, which was enough for him and leave.

The woman liked her space and wasn't open with them. She needed time, Marco kept constantly reminding him of that. He had tried to be his usual self, but it always seemed to fail. He was friendly, fun-loving and inclusive. But for those who didn't like that, he messes up. For lord's sake, he had made her cry that one time. This was the best response he had gotten from her, the closest he had managed to get. This might have helped, or at least, he hoped so. He liked Ace, she was an awesome woman, and couldn't wait for her to open more up as their sister.

When he had walked on deck, there didn't seem to be too much damage, hoping nothing bad happened. But, after a couple of seconds, Marco came from around a corner, the first commander's face looking more annoyed when he saw him. Well, the man was mad, at him. But, for once, he had a reason. He was sure Marco would agree.

-x-

Marco gave an annoyed sigh, finally seeing Thatch. "Just where have you been, yoi? You were supposed to be out and help during the night shift!" They had managed, barely; having the fourth commander out would have made it easier, but he suddenly disappear earlier on, which had peeved Marco all night. They had sustained some damage, nothing too bad, nor anything which needed a big, immediate, fix. Mostly, it consisted of small cracks and such. A few people had sustained minor injuries: two broken arms and a sprained leg, and a few that got a bit banged up. But overall, nothing too bad.

Thatch held his hands up in surrender. "Woah, hey, hey! I have a legit reason! I promise!" Marco gave another sigh. "And what might that be?" Marco was not in the mood for excuses. Thatch gave a small, nervous laugh. "So, I was walking around before it got too bad, and heard someone whimper,-" Marco frowned. "Was someone injured, yoi?" The first commander hoped that no one else was injured. The chef shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. I went to check, and found it was from Ace's room, so I checked." The man turned melancholy with a far-off look. "She's really scared, and I mean like terrified, of thunder. I think, there is an underlying reason; it's more than just her being scared of thunder, but yeah. I spent the night comforting and helping her through it. She thanked me before I left."

Marco blinked at it. Ace was terrified of thunder? He knew the chef cared, and would have come to help them if the storm had gotten worse, which it had. This had to mean that Thatch felt he couldn't leave the woman, meaning she really was terrified. "What did you do, yoi? Were you just there?" The blond man shook his head. "No. Or yes, at the start. But, she was still so scared, hiding under her covers with her hands over her ears. So, I started telling her about the many pranks and things I've done. To get her mind away from the storm. It worked!" Marco nodded, thinking it over. "You did well then, yoi. Is she okay now?" Thatch nodded. "I think so. She looked much better when I left, that and she told me to leave."

That was good, but he would still be sure to check in on her later. "Good, yoi. Don't tell the others, aside from Pops, if he asks. If anyone asks where you were, you were doing things under deck by my orders." Thatch nodded. "Got it!" The man listened attentively, which was a first, but Marco knew Thatch wanted to make Ace as comfortable as he could. He gave a small wave to the other as Marco headed to the galley, wanting to check on Ace, and having an idea on how.

When he got to the galley, he got a plate with some easy food and something to drink, before he headed towards Ace's room. It was early, the clock barely past 5 in the morning. If Ace had been up all night, she had to be hungry. She did have a big appetite and needed large amounts of food. He knocked on her door when he got to it, hearing an unsure "Come in..?" When he opened the door, the woman looked shocked at him. "Marco?" Marco offered a small smile, seeing her eyes red and a bit puffy, same with her cheeks, her covers were on the floor, by the table. "I have some food for you, yoi. The galley won't be open for a few hours, the storm caused some issues." It was true, but those who had had watch and helped out on deck during the storm could get some food now, the rest couldn't for a small while.

The woman blinked. "Oh… thanks…" Marco smiled as he placed it down on the desk, placing her covers on the bed again as the woman was picking stuff up from the floor. "Are you okay, yoi? A few people fell or tripped during the storm, and sustained some minor injuries." The woman gave a worried look. "I hope they're okay. And I'm fine. I don't like storms, and usually keep to myself, somewhere safe, if I'm not needed." That was logical, but based on what Thatch had said, she wouldn't have been able to help in her state.

"Good, yoi. The storm caused the Fifteen division to cancel some of their assignments, as they had been hit by the storm earlier, they'll return later today or tomorrow morning. They called an hour ago." That had the woman light up, probably glad Decue would arrive early, the reason he told her. They were supposed to be away for another week, but Fossa decided against it and now was heading back, having had some issues contacting them because of the storm.

"That's amazing! I hope they are fine." Marco chuckled. "They are, I asked, yoi." The woman gave a smile, looking to still be a bit on edge, most likely from the storm. "That's good. I also hope things here get better and the storm didn't cause too much damage. I don't like them much myself." That was a thing. "Yeah, it's okay. We only received a small amount of damage, yoi." The woman cared, which was good. Ace nodded, giving a small smile and a thanks for the food, before saying goodbye. Marco just gave a smile and a goodbye as he headed out.

The woman was slowly opening up, which was good. She said she didn't like storms, which was an understatement, but it was something. He wouldn't approach the woman with it, or tell anyone just yet, not even Pops. When another storm approached, he would first go to Ace, to inform her and tell her it was fine to be scared, before trying to get her to go to Pops herself. If she didn't, he would tell Pops about it, so he knew and so someone could try and help the woman, maybe try and have Deuce here for that. But, at the same time, they should bond more with her. He would take it when the time came.

Some hours later, the fifteen division boarded the Moby Dick again, Marco meeting them with a few others. He had put Izou in charge of speaking with Fossa for now, so he could speak with Deuce, taking the man a bit to the side.

"Is everything okay?" Asked Deuce when they were a bit away from the rest. Marco gave a small sigh. "Nothing is terribly wrong, but the storm you had, hit us ten time worse, yoi." From what Fossa had said, it wasn't too bad, but for a small boat, it was too much. They could have managed, but would have had a lot of issues, and it wasn't worth it.

Deuce gave a breath, hand moving to massage his face. "Fuck, Ace. Fossa said it might have evaded you. How was it?" The man was open about it at least. "She's fine, mostly. But, we would have liked a heads up about things like that. Thatch was with her most of the time. He helped her calm down. She seems to be still a little on edge, but generally fine. Thatch said she was so scared she couldn't move, just hid herself." Deuce sighed. "She was probably hiding under her table with her blanket. She does that. I'll make sure she's fine, she shouldn't be alone." That fit with what Thatch had said.

Marco decided to ask, which was something he usually wouldn't do, as he didn't like to invade someone's privacy, preferring them to come to him when they were ready to talk. "It's not my place to ask you, but why is she so scared? Thatch was sure it was more than the storm." The man sighed. "Just, before I even think of telling you anything, has the doctor, Bay, said anything about her scars?" Marco nodded. "Yes, yoi. She said that you mentioned it was from someone who betrayed you, especially her, after gaining her trust. I hope she didn't speak out of turn." The man shook his head. "No, I told her and I am sure only the commanders and captain know." Marco gave a nod, that was true.

"Anyway," Continued Deuce, sounding somber, "Most of those scars and trust issues are from her time with him, close to Raijin Island." Marco felt himself close his eyes for a second. That island was called 'The everlasting storm' as thunder and lighting were a constant phenomenon there. When Decue made a noise, he opened his eyes and looked at the man again, who looked somber. "Storms, especially thunder, reminds her of that time."

That made sense, horribly so. "Thatch helped her keep calm, rambling on about his many escapades, keeping her mind off the storm, yoi." The other man nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. I am sure Ace really appreciates it." Marco gave a small chuckle. "He was shocked and happy when she thanked him. I didn't mean to make you tell, and I won't tell anyone. We want to help and bond with her." The man nodded. "Yeah, I get that. I don't want to hinder that, but she has some issues. But, believe me, she really is opening up." Marco believed that. She really was, slowly but surely. They weren't going to mess this up.

"She's in her room. You don't need to join Fossa with the report, I think Ace needs you for a bit." The man smiled, already walking away. "Thank you, really, Commander." Marco gave a smile and wave, knowing the report would have taken a couple of hours, and all members that was in charge somehow, was supposed to join. In his division, Deuce was in charge of planning and steering, being really adept in it, the reason he often went on missions. He would go and tell Pops that Deuce couldn't join, and that, when he could, he would explain later. He wouldn't reveal anything, but show he had a reason and to show it was the right decision.

When dinner time arrived, Ace stopped him and thanked him for letting Deuce out of the report, now feeling confident that he had made the right decision. It was the small things like this that would help her open up.

They all liked Ace and needed to do their best to be there for her and support her.

And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed it

I know it was short, but as I've said, I'm having some issues about where I want this story to go, and from the earlier responses, I decided to try and make this chapter and see what you think

So, if you have any ideas for the plot, I really want to hear them. You can either comment them or send a Pm, or contact me on my Twitter or Discord (Links underneath)

This is still on Hiatus for now, as I am unsure about it, but if I am able to make anything, I will do my best to get a chapter up now and then

If you have the time, I really appreciate feedback as it is what keeps me going

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