Author's Notes: I don't know how to feel about people following this story because of Aka-meme Shanks. XD I could be wrong, though. Maybe you all are just having fun with everything and I'm buggin'. I hope that's why I have two new followers on this now. 0_o To commemorate the amazing double support, I'll slap a snippet of Shanks on Ace's ship. This is basically the origin story of the dirty game night king and Nesi forever being his game night victim.

~ ... Adult Party Games ... ~

"Captain, I can explain!" Nesi pleaded, holding up a hand and tearing up cutely.

"You're so cute, beautiful lady!" Shanks squealed, nuzzling against Nesi's cheek with his own stubbled one.

Ace was absolutely livid at his brother's role model snuggling up to the floor scrubber. His body was quaking with anger, fire building up around his body. All Nesi could do was plead for mercy. Nothing was really helping the situation. Shanks's black cloak was covering his and Nesi's bodies to where it looked like Ace caught them underneath some bed sheets, and that image alone was bringing hell and its master (in the physical form of Portgas D. Ace) straight to them. Baragon let out a squawk to get Nesi's attention and hopped onto her lap with something in his mouth. Nesi stopped squirming around to read a card that the pink Draco had and read it to herself. It was an invitation to Shanks's party. The redheaded man must've gotten one along with Ace. Nesi sighed at the dreaded invite and placed it back into Shanks's pocket before lifting her rosy companion and rubbing her nose against Baragon's. He seemed to like that and rubbed his head against Nesi's jaw.

"I forgot they got here too early for that party. You're right, my rosy," Nesi said. She reached behind her to remove Shanks's arm and said to his face, "Thank you for having breakfast with me, Valentine, but I think the boys are coming back for lunch. Your crew, or at least your friends, are probably looking for you. Feel free to visit me again if you're not too drunk or distracted by the other pretty women here. I'll save something just for you! Maybe I can cheer you up someday since you were so kind to me. Being a lizard lady doesn't seem to bother you."

Ace was quiet when Nesi said that last part. Did she not know whose arms she was in just now? Shanks had to have told her his name; otherwise, he wouldn't have just cuddled up to her like that. That didn't seem to be in his nature. He didn't do that around Makino. They were great friends and sort of squashed the argument that men and women couldn't be friends. Nesi... actually sort of dressed like Makino with exception to his crewmate being bald and his mother figure having plenty of hair. Nesi's headscarf was acting as her hair since she didn't want to wear wigs. She was fashionable enough to know how to style it into hairstyles like the high ponytail she was rocking now. Valentine wasn't Shanks's name. She gave him a pet name so fast? He... was wrong, wasn't he? Shanks called Nesi beautiful, so he was attracted to her to some degree regardless of Baragon or her scales.

"Actually, I am quite sad," Shanks said, sighing. "My friends won't join me for game night. As much as I love cruising the Grand Line, I get bored on certain days. They're so stiff!"

"Oh, well, I can play a game with you," Nesi said, smiling brightly. "Brunch snacks don't take long, and it's the least I can do for letting me babble on about nothing earlier. What game would you like to try out first before your friends come to pick you up?"

Shanks locked eyes with Nesi, smirked slowly with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and hummed lowly in response...

... ... ... ... ... ...

"Such a delicate young woman," Shanks purred, caressing something with his fingers provocatively. Nesi flinched, blushed, and bit her lip with some nervousness. She gasped when he moved closer to his target. He was so close. What if he hurt her going in without thought? This was her first time with a man. He had to go slow or else she'd be picking up the pieces of her shattered body. "You play hard to get so well, beautiful lady. Unfortunately, I can't wait to conquer you. C8."

"Ah! How are you so good at this?" Nesi questioned, blinking rapidly. "That's your third win in a row!"

"Well, playing Battleship with a pirate is a Deadman's game!" Shanks replied, smiling widely. "You're actually very challenging to beat, though! Another right call and I would've lost my fleet! You're gonna make a fearsome naval combatant someday. I might actually have to watch my back!"

"And don't you forget it!" Nesi cheered, pointing at Shanks with determination. "Protecting the countries is my life's dream. I am the shield that will defend her honor! What's my penalty for the third loss in a row?"

Shanks blushed for a moment, swooned a bit, and then rubbed his cheek in his hand to fight some urge or thought he was having. Ace flinched from the response and shouted from his lookout by the lounge sofa on the deck, "Whatever it is you're thinking about, cool it!"

While the Spades were enjoying their lunch, Nesi and Shanks were playing mostly war and strategy games near the forecastle deck where Nesi typically hangs out for breaks. Ace was watching them like a predator stalking prey with his arms folded and veins popping out of his head and arms from anger. His legs were folded as well, but his knee was bouncing up and down with irritation. He was not okay with the attention Shanks was showering her with. Baragon was chewing on a toy and watching Nesi from time to time as though he were interested in the games. He was able to get his cuddles every now and then while the players thought of their next moves or spoke in between moves. Though Nesi had no prior experience with war or even sailing before she became a Spade, she spoke with Shanks as though she were a veteran. Nesi didn't eat with the boys like usual after she was done cooking. She pretty much served the food and drinks, setup a gaming space for Shanks, and ate lunch with him while playing his small collection of strategy games. Ace knew he said he needed some space from Nesi to prepare himself for her eventual departure in the future, but he wasn't ready for this. Why would Shanks come all the way from his home base to be alone with Nesi? He had women on his island that were gorg - oh, right... he...

He didn't mean to call her ugly. He didn't think Nesi was Shanks's type. Hell, he didn't even know that Shanks was a strategist or that he had a type! Even though he was kicking her ass in Battleship, which was to be expected given his background, Nesi was giving him the works earlier in that other strategy game. Ace thought he heard the name of it being either Warfare or Warfronts. Something to do with war. Whatever it was about, Nesi beat Shanks quite a few times. They were a "cat and mouse" couple in strategy games. The fact that he referred to them as anything close to a couple made Ace's blood boil. They were just friends. That's right! The age gap would be a problem anyway. It's no big deal. He was worried about nothing. He'll just -

"Dance naked for me."

"WHAT!?" Ace questioned, hopping to his feet to throw Shanks off his ship.

"Okay," Nesi replied.

"And you're gonna do it for him!? Are you serious right now?" Ace shouted with a burning fury.

Nesi didn't respond to her captain's questions. Instead, she removed her skirt with an expert dancing move, tossed her shirt over her shoulders, and... stopped. She then smiled and said, "Good thing I wear skintight undergarments."

"I don't see the rest of your clothes on the floor," Shanks said, smirking.

"That's the beauty of skintight clothes. They fit on you like a layer of skin. Erego, I'm naked," Nesi explained, tilting her head cutely as she smiled. Mothra fluttered to her shoulder to cheer. She was happy with Nesi's confidence.

"Clever girl," Shanks replied, clapping at the wittiness. "I may have to visit again tonight. Unfortunately, I must leave to taste test the ale and drinks for this over-the-top party that's not needed. For your crew of upstanding young men, I'll reserve a barrel just for you in exchange for this wonderfully romantic morning and noon. Take care of this one, Captain Ace."

"Bye, Valentine!" Nesi said, smiling and waving as the redheaded emperor disappeared into the jungle of his island. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by the boys with different displeased expressions on their faces. "What?"

"How come you don't play games with us, nee-san?" they asked, pouting.

"You never asked me to," Nesi replied, putting her clothes back on. She went to pick up her blanket, but Ace stopped her and sat on the blanket himself. "You too?"

"Solitaire," Ace demanded, holding up his hand. Deuce put a deck of playing cards in the captain's hand and watched as Ace shuffled the cards to lay them out quite expertly.