Notes: Hello! Remember that this is not my native language.
After her deep and heartfelt conversation with the Captain, Sakura reached the door of her room and realized she was exhausted as if she had been training with Team 7 all day, taking care of Kakashi to make sure he carried out his duties as Hokage, and then working at the hospital for over twenty-four hours. Despite some time passing since the conversation, the pain and anguish she had felt still seemed like a fresh wound she doubted would ever heal.
She ran the back of her hands over her eyes to dry the traces of tears she had shed while with Whitebeard. She waited for a moment, trying to hide any signs of her downtrodden appearance: swollen eyes, irregular breathing, and a slight tremor in her body. She didn't want the girls, who already had enough problems, to think they had been the cause of her crying.
Once she felt ready, she entered her room and was met with a scene that left her dumbfounded. On her bed, Marco and Ace were sitting obediently, their gazes distant, and Ace was holding Elliot in his arms. When their eyes met, both men silently asked her for help.
Sakura had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh because Ellie, apparently having lost her mistrust, had been busy styling both pirates' hair. Marco had pigtails and various ribbons of different colors and sizes, all made from ribbons she had found in one of Sakura's drawers, and now Ellie was working on Ace's hair.
"I only came to deliver medicine" Marco murmured, the least willing to find himself in this situation. Although he seemed grumpy, his eyes sparkled, indicating that he had allowed Ellie to style his hair as she pleased.
Apparently, the girls were already dressed, although their clothes were a bit big due to the size differences, so Sakura planned to go shopping for them the next day. She had money from her visit to the casino, so it wouldn't affect her wallet.
"Sakura! When you're done with Ace, let us style your hair" Ellie exclaimed, jumping on the bed. In her enthusiasm, she pulled Ace's hair, and he complained.
"Yeah, Sakura, join in on the fun" Ace said with a mischievous smile, hinting that he wanted Sakura to suffer as much as they did.
What Ace didn't expect was Sakura's clever response.
"How about I style your hair instead? I'll make you both so beautiful that pirates won't be able to help but stare at you with their mouths wide open."
Immediately, the girls became excited. Their eyes sparkled like gems at the suggestion, and even Ellie stopped messing with Ace's hair.
"Yes! We want to look so beautiful that pirates can't help but stare at us with their mouths wide open" Ellie said excitedly.
"It's not fair" Ace complained. They were the only ones who had endured the pulling and decorations in their hair.
Sakura chuckled softly and approached the two men, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek as a reward for being patient with the girls. She knew that not everyone had the patience to deal with them, let alone let them do whatever they wanted with their hair.
Both men murmured a few words under their breath, which only they could understand.
Sakura sat down next to Ace and placed Ellie in front of her to start styling her hair, allowing Ellie to continue playing with Ace's hair, which she was turning into a masterpiece.
"I'll go to the kitchen to ask Thatch how the food is coming along," Marco said, removing the hair ties and bows from his hair before picking up the tray with medicine.
She had barely lifted the tray with both hands when Ellie stopped styling Ace's hair and jumped in front of Marco, furious.
"Coward! You've removed my decorations that I put so much effort into on your scarce hair!"
Sakura immediately intervened, her voice firm but not raised. The girl jumped at Sakura's unexpected voice.
"Ellie, Marco is the crew's doctor, and he brought the medicine willingly. He even lets you style his hair. Is that how you thank him for taking care of you?"
Ellie's anger dissipated, replaced by remorse. Her conscience pricked her for treating someone who had brought them medicine this way, and also because the memory of an angry Sakura breaking the island lady's table came back to her mind.
"What should you say?" Sakura asked.
"Sorry…"
Sakura continued to gaze at her, and the girl hurried to correct herself.
"I'm sorry for calling you a coward and saying you're going bald... And thank you for giving us the medicine."
"Apology accepted" Marco replied before leaving.
Ace and Ellie, who were amazed by what had just happened, turned to Sakura eagerly, wanting to learn how to do that.
"Seriously, would this work on Luffy, or is it a superpower only you can do?" Ace asked.
After praising Ellie for her apology, Sakura lightly scolded Ace for his comment.
"It's not a superpower," she replied as she settled next to Ace and placed Ellie in front of her to continue styling her hair. "I simply worked with children for several years, and over time, you acquire experience and tricks."
"You'll surely be a great mother" Ellie commented.
Sakura stopped styling her hair, her cheeks blushed, and she smiled warmly.
"Thank you."
Once she finished styling Elliet, she took care of Ellie, who initially resisted because she wanted to keep styling Ace's hair. Sakura reminded her that she could style her hair any way she wanted, and Ellie agreed. Then, the pink-haired helped Ace untangle his hair and remove all the decorations Ellie had placed once she saw him struggling with a hair tie.
"Let me do it; you're going to pull your hair out" Sakura warned as she stood behind Ace and began to fix his hair. With great care not to damage Ace's hair any further, she removed the decorations one by one and untangled his hair.
Sakura felt a slight envy as she ran her hands through Ace's hair. Its waves felt soft and silky, so much so that she could spend hours caressing it. It was truly relaxing, especially after the turbulent conversation with Whitebeard. Ace seemed to be relaxing so much that he was starting to fall asleep.
"Sakura, I'm hungry" Ellie said.
The relaxing atmosphere suddenly shattered. Sakura stood up, feeling a tingling sensation at her fingertips, and a strange sensation ran through her body. It was so fleeting that she didn't have time to analyze it, but it felt both familiar and distant at the same time. Beside her, Ace, who was about to doze off, stretched, enjoying the caress that almost made him complain, but the growling of his stomach distracted him.
Sakura took Elliot in her arms, and the five of them left the room for the dining area, where several pirates had already gathered for a meal. It seemed like the dining area was more crowded than usual due to the rumor that Sakura had brought three children on board a pirate ship. Several pirates approached to greet them, and the two shy girls, hiding behind Ace and Sakura with only their heads peeking out, muttered a timid "hello" and introduced themselves.
Out of consideration for the girls, who seemed afraid to be surrounded by pirates, they found a quiet table where they could eat in peace. When they sat down, Thatch arrived with a tray of hot soup and chicken nuggets that seemed to shine like jewels. The two girls cautiously tasted the soup, but their first bite brightened their faces, and they began to eat eagerly. The pirates and Sakura smiled at their enthusiasm.
"Don't choke" Sakura cautioned.
The fortune of being children is that once bathed and fed, the two girls relaxed to the point where they regained their confidence and started playing with Ace and the willing pirates. With Elliot finally peacefully asleep in her arms, Thatch appeared with a plate of rice and a juicy piece of meat.
"I heard about what happened on deck with Pops" Thatch said, sitting next to Sakura. He helped her cut the meat because she was holding Elliot. "Don't hold a grudge against him; he didn't intend to reject you."
Sakura remained silent, listening to his explanation, although she wasn't entirely convinced. She had jumped to conclusions at first and didn't want to make the same mistake again.
"There's a reason the captain is so tightfisted, even stealing our beers and leaving without paying, causing the rest of us to foot the bill" Thatch continued before taking a deep breath. The story always moved the entire crew as it referred to a legendary pirate like Whitebeard. "Pops was born on Phinx Island, an impoverished island unaffiliated with the World Government, a lawless place. He was one of many orphans on the island and survived until he became a pirate. Even though he didn't owe anything to the people on the island, he has since been anonymously sending part of his treasures to them."
They fell silent as they watched the girls laughing hysterically while running around the pirates, avoiding capture and using Whitebeard as a shield as he ate with one of the commanders.
Sakura felt a new level of respect for Whitebeard and marveled once again at how he and his crew broke the prejudices she had before meeting them. A small tear escaped down her cheek. They might even be better people than some ninjas she had known.
Whitebeard's words echoed in her mind. She couldn't just stand by. She directed her gaze toward the island. She had to do something to ensure that food continued to reach the girls before they left.
Once the night fell, the stars began to shine in the night sky. On the deck of the pirate ship, anchored near the current island, were the pirates of the ship and Sakura, accompanied by the girls who had already eaten, laughed, played, and received Marco's medical check-up. It wasn't even nine o'clock yet, and Ellie was playing with Ace while Sakura chatted with the nurses. In her arms, she held Elliot, who had fallen into a deep sleep after eating. Sakura stopped when she felt Elliot's head leaning against her side; the girl was about to fall asleep.
"They've been so active that I'm not surprised she's about to fall asleep," Tato said sweetly.
The nurses had quickly grown fond of the children and were eager to help and pamper them. Some of them had even gone to the village to buy new clothes for the three. While it was uncommon for women to join a pirate ship (excluding the Kuja Pirates, who were all women), it was even rarer to have children on board, although not impossible, as demonstrated by the story of the former commander of the third division, who had raised his children on Whitebeard's ship before they departed to Wano with their mother. It seemed that the arrival of the girls had brought a sense of joy to the ship that was not present before.
"Ellie, it's bedtime" Sakura said.
"Awww, but I'm not sleepy yet" Ellie complained. She still wanted to play with Ace. "Ace is fun, especially when he falls asleep on his food."
"Hey! It doesn't happen all the time" Ace protested.
Everyone present laughed at the comment.
"Come on, it's bedtime" Sakura said again, this time in a firmer tone. She cradled Elliot in one arm and used the other to maneuver Elliet into her arms, who was more asleep than awake and seemed like she might fall to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
"I'll carry her" Ace offered.
Sakura asked if he was sure he could handle it. Ace said it was no problem, so Sakura let him. Ellie, seeing her sister being carried by Ace, felt a bit jealous and also wanted to be carried in the same way. She jumped towards Ace, who caught her just in time before she hit the floor due to the momentum.
"Are you sure you want to carry both?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, in fact, they're much lighter than Luffy. Carrying him when he fell asleep was quite a challenge; you'd think a rubber man wouldn't be an issue, but his limbs sprawled all over the place. The worst part was that he'd fall asleep anywhere."
"You fall asleep anywhere too" Sakura teased with a mocking tone.
"Uh, it runs in the family."
"If I had been Dadan, I would have tied you upside down a long time ago so you wouldn't move and cause trouble," Sakura added, remembering the pranks Ace had told her that he and his brothers had pulled when they were little as part of the ASL team.
Ace laughed at the notion.
Inside Sakura's room, Ace put the girls on the bed and turned to leave. At that moment, Ellie got up and stood in front of the door, preventing Ace from leaving.
"Don't go! Why don't you stay the night? We can have a slumber party!"
"Ellie, Ace has his own room, and your brothers also sleep here," Sakura explained, trying to make her understand that it wasn't solely her decision.
"I don't mind if Ace sleeps with us," Elliet said, sitting on the bed. Although she still seemed drowsy, she had enough energy to continue the conversation. "Ace, do you have any problem sleeping with us?"
"No, it's not like it's the first time I've slept with Sakura" Ace said, shrugging.
Sakura knew what he meant; Ace was recalling the times they had fallen asleep on the ship's deck. She had even seen more than one pirate sleep there in a drunken stupor, forgetting the way to their own beds. However, Ellie's mischievous expression made Sakura's mind wander to a different kind of sleeping together.
"So, if you're a couple, have you already slept together?" Ellie asked.
"Of course, Ellie, only couples sleep together because they love each other, unless you're a prostitute, and Sakura is not a prostitute" Elliet replied.
Sakura almost dropped her jaw to the floor. She wanted to ask where they had learned those words and if they knew what meant . She had an obligation to find out who had taught them that to give them a stern lesson. But first, she had to give them one.
She left Elliot in Ace's arms so she could give the two girls her full attention.
"Sometimes, when you trust someone a lot, you lose track of time, and you don't mind sleeping with them," Sakura said. She remembered her ninja friends, especially Team 7, who still, even after getting married (or in Kakashi's case, staying single), had the confidence to sleep in each other's homes and beds if circumstances kept them busy or if they simply wanted to sleep with a team member. "Love can manifest in many ways, but sleeping with someone you love means you trust them completely and know you can lean on each other."
She was about to continue explaining when Ace interrupted her.
"Sakura, can you pass me a change of clothes for Elliot?" Ace asked as he changed Elliot's diaper.
Sakura took one of the onesies from her drawer and handed it to Ace.
"I'll help you dispose of the diaper so you can lay Elliot down on the bed," Sakura said, taking the diaper and tossing it in the trash. "Where did I leave off?"
The two girls looked at each other before turning their gaze back to Sakura.
"Is it a secret relationship?" Elliet asked.
Sakura blushed even more. Although she was a divorced woman, she didn't want to confuse the girls. So, she began to explain as if she were giving a dictionary lesson on what it means to have a partner. Both the girls and Ace looked at her curiously, as Ace was accustomed to hearing her talk this way from time to time, but for the girls, it was their first time.
"Your ears are red," Elliet pointed out once she noticed that Sakura's ears were turning red.
Sakura covered her ears with her hands.
"That's not true."
"Yes, it is" both girls affirmed.
"Ah! This isn't the first time you talk like this, is it? Is this what you do when you're embarrassed?" Ace asked, noticing the pattern. Sakura's blush intensified as Ellie and Ace began to circle around her, teasing her. Finally, a vein popped on Sakura's forehead. She grabbed Ellie by the collar of her pajamas and Ace by the string of his hat and escorted them back to the bed.
"It's time for the kids to go to sleep."
"I'm not a kid..." Ace complained.
"I have serious doubts" Sakura replied, narrowing her eyes.
They both shivered as they realized they were only further infuriating Sakura. Without saying a word, they settled on the bed next to Elliet and Elliot. Ironically, Sakura stifled a contained laugh when she noticed that Ace, who had protested about not being a child, was the first one to fall asleep. Soon after, the girls also drifted off to sleep.
Sakura continued her nightly routine, pacing around her room. She stopped when she heard a whimper from Ellie and realized that Ace, in his sleep, had shifted and was crushing the girl's arm. She had no choice but to go to sleep. She placed Ellie on the edge of the bed next to Elliet and curled up between Elliot and Ace, forming a barrier to protect the children and prevent them from being squished. It wasn't the first time she dealt with a heavy sleeper who ended up on top of others (like Naruto).
Around midnight, when calm reigned on the prominent pirate ship, Barba Blanca's crew slept peacefully in their beds, hammocks, and even on the floor. Everything seemed quiet, except in one particular room. Elliet carefully got out of the bed she shared with her siblings, Ace, and Sakura. She approached the dresser and, with the agility of a mouse, opened the top drawer. She rummaged through its contents until she found a stack of bills. Then, she closed the drawer and left the room without realizing that in the darkness of the bedroom, a pair of bright green cat-like eyes were silently watching her.
Sakura remembered the warnings from the woman who had told her about the girls. However, her train of thought was interrupted when Ace, deeply asleep, rolled over and ended up half on top of her. Although she wanted to give him a good scolding for being so careless while sleeping, she decided to endure it and not wake the children. If she caused a commotion, Ellie and Elliet would be on high alert, and it would be harder to figure out what they were up to.
The next morning, Sakura was the first to wake up. The first thing she noticed was that almost Ace's entire torso was on top of her, with his head resting on her chest. To avoid waking the baby, she decided not to move and resolved to give Ace a good scolding later. She glanced at the girls, and as she expected, Elliet had returned to the room. She wanted to know what they had done with the money but decided to wait and see what happened, giving them a chance to speak. After all, they had only known each other for a day.
She closed her eyes with the intention of getting a bit more sleep, but Ace snored loudly. She furrowed her brow, fearing that he would wake the children. She tried to shake Ace's shoulder, but he didn't wake up. Then, she tugged at his hair, with no result. She even pinched his cheek, and Ace just chuckled in his sleep. A vein popped on Sakura's forehead.
'How can he sleep so soundly, but other times, he's such a light sleeper? He's so carefree,' Sakura thought.
In the ninja world, when they went on missions, they were always alert to the point that the slightest movement would open their eyes even if they had sleeping shifts. But if they were in the safety of their homes, they could become literal rocks and sleep as much as they wanted. Reflecting on this, she considered the possibility that Ace trusted her enough to sleep deeply, which gave her a comforting feeling. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep herself.