"AACCEE! Wait up!"
"Come back, Ace!"
"AACCEE!" The same meaning behind each sentence. Luffy would shout, chasing after Ace, who would run off and disappear into the forest. Probably out with Sabo. Naia groaned as she rolled her head into her arms. Makino's giggles did nothing to help her.
"It's not funny, Maki. He let Luffy fall into a ravine. It could've killed him!"
"I think it's at the point where you need to step in, but you are hesitant, so it is funny."
"I hesitate because I don't think he would listen to me even if I wanted him to."
"You never know until you try!"
"You're too optimistic." Makino hummed but didn't say anything else on the matter. "This isn't a normal kid. He's been through so much, and the adults in his life haven't made a great impression. I doubt he would listen to any adult at this point."
"He doesn't feel at home, maybe try to include him in the lessons you do with Luffy?" Naia shot up, an excited grin on her face.
"That's a great idea! I put them off so that he could have time to adjust, but maybe he needs them to adjust!" Naia sprinted out the door toward the cabin. She had lessons to prep. It was dark outside by the time Naia felt she was completely prepared for what tomorrow could bring. The sound of the front door opening had Naia springing up from her desk.
"Where's your brother?" Naia asked as Ace stepped into the entryway.
"How the hell should I know? And he's not my brother!" Naia sighed in exasperation. Shrugging on her coat, she left the angry boy behind as she went in search of the younger. Naia didn't say anything to Ace as she left but let the air of disappointment speak for itself. Out the corner of her eye, she noticed his hands clenched into fists before the light thumping of feet sounded behind her. Naia craned her head to look behind her and caught the angry stare of Ace.
"You can wait back at the cabin," Naia said, her voice neutral. "This should take an hour tops."
"I want to help," Ace mumbled, his eyes firmly on the ground.
"What was that?" Naia arched an eyebrow at him.
"I want to help?" Ace said a little louder.
"Because you want to or because you feel guilty?" The silence stretched between the two of them, but Naia did nothing to stop her stride. The jungle was pitch black as they made their way through the trees. It was a New Moon tonight. "What is it about Luffy that upsets you so?"
"He's annoying and a crybaby!" Ace snapped. "He won't listen to me and he sure as hell isn't my brother!"
"Is it really him that bothers you or the fact that we call him your brother?" Ace's silence was all she needed. "You have a family issue, and I imagine it stems from your father."
"What the hell do you know?" Ace shouted, "You act like you all innocent and happy to have me, but I'm nothing more than the devil's spawn!"
"Are you finished?" Naia spun on her heels to face the raging boy. His eyes were wide with shock and a hint of fear. "If I went around caring about everyone's family members or who they associated with, I would never be able to sleep. I would be on the constant hunt."
"Like I would believe you had no opinion on who he is," Ace scoffed, "Everyone has an opinion on him."
"Of course they do! He was a very infamous man; however, the thoughts of strangers who have never met the man should hold no meaning. He was a courageous man who had a stubborn streak the size of Paradise. Still, he was honorable," Naia held Ace's gaze, who was becoming more and more conflicted as she spoke. "He is honorable even in death."
"You're a marine! How could you possibly hold even an ounce of respect for that man!" Ace spat.
"I clashed with him and his crew when Garp and I first started working together," Naia said, turning back toward their trek through the mountain. "If you stick around long enough, you will meet someone who knew him better than Garp or I could ever hope for."
"Even better? A crewmate?" Ace gasped.
"Yes, and only he would be able to give you a true opinion on the matter, but I imagine it would be a similar one to my own." Naia smiled as she thought of Shanks meeting the boy. "You are your own person. Not your father."
Silence fell between them, and Naia continued to push forward but let Ace lead her whenever he pointed toward an area he had last seen them. They were walking further and further into the forest.
"Naia, I don't recognize this area," Ace murmured as he came to stand close to her. Naia let her eyes wander through the darkness that surrounded them with tense shoulders. She could feel Luffy's presence somewhere close by but getting lost in the jungle? So not part of her plan tonight.
"NAIA!" a young voice shouted, " Gomu Gomu no Rocket!" Naia's eyes widened as she ducked just in time for a small body to sail over her head and crash into Ace. The boy landed harshly on his back with a groan as the air left his lungs.
"Ace is here too!" Luffy grinned down at the boy as he straddled his chest. "I'm so glad!"
"Shut up," Ace growled, a light flush settling on his cheeks. "How did you get all the way out here?"
"I was following a butterfly, and then there was this beetle! It went whoosh and then zoom, so I went zoom and whoosh and ended up here!" Luffy explained enthusiastically. "But I don't know where here is. I've never been to this side of the forest."
"I think we are too far to make any more progress tonight. We will camp here and head out in the morning." Naia set about collecting firewood as the boys began to dig a pit for her to use. Ace kept his distance as they huddled for warmth and protection against the elements but eventually after Luffy and she pestered him enough the boy grumbled his way into her side where he fell fast asleep. Naia looked up at the stars with a content smile. 'I hope you can see how amazing your boy is, Roger.'
The sun bore down on them as they made their way back to the village. They avoided the areas Dadan and her bandits usually patrolled for a more quiet trip back. Naia smiled as Luffy hummed in front of them, and Ace seemed keener on staying a little closer to her as she told stories of her youth. Eventually, both boys grew bored, running off in any direction or racing to the next tree or down the meadows.
"Luffy, why don't we play a game while we walk. Ace, you are welcome to join in." Naia paused before hearing agreements from the two boys. "I'm going to ask a question about things in our surroundings, and you will have to find them."
"Sounds easy!"
"Sounds boring."
"Give it a try!" Naia smiled as the boys nodded in agreement. "Alright, how many things are edible where we are?"
"Two!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Three," Ace said. Naia tilted her head at the boy.
"Three?"
"The leaves on that vine can be boiled into tea and when chewed raw can give a boost of energy."
"Who would've thought. Excellent Ace," Naia praised with a smile. The boy blushed under her gaze. "Pick out something poisonous." Both boys dashed off, shuffling through the various foliage around them.
"Here!' Ace held up a mushroom, and Luffy held up the fruit from a nearby bush.
"Do either of you know what they do?"
"This mushroom takes away your ability to breath by closing your throat up." Ace grinned manically. "Watched an old man from Grey Terminal eat one."
"This one has a toxin in it that slowly leads to organ failure. I remember it from that book we read last week!"
"Isn't that the one you tried to eat last week, and Shanks had to forcibly remove it from your hands?"
"Oh, right," Luffy said sheepishly. "Shishishishi, that was hilarious!"
Ace stared at the boy in bewilderment as Luffy continued to laugh at his near-death experience.
"Who's Shanks?" Ace asked.
"He's a super cool pirate captain! He's really strong!" Luffy bounced in excitement. "But one day, I'm going to surpass him and be the Pirate King!"
"The p-pirate king?" Ace sputtered, "An airhead like you?"
"Just you wait! It will happen." Luffy's eyes burned with determination and Naia smiled as the two bickered about who was qualified to be a king, let alone the pirate king. Their game continued, and both boys continued to surprise each other with their knowledge and common interests. They were almost to the village when Ace stopped and looked out in another direction.
"Ace, is there something in that direction?" Naia asked, with Luffy gazing up at him curiously.
"No," Ace grumbled, turning back toward the village.
"Is it the blond-haired kid?" Ace's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ooo, can I meet him? Can I meet him?" Luffy begged Ace, large puppy dog eyes staring up at the older boy. "Please, Ace! Pleeease."
"No!" Ace glared at the boy, shoving him away with a harsh thrust of his arms. Luffy tumbled backward, where he caught an exposed root and began to roll down the hill. Naia sighed heavily and shot Ace a disappointed look. The boy at least had enough brain cells to blush and look somewhat guilty.
"You are going to go get him," Naia said, grabbing Ace's forearm and hauling him forward, "I suggest you start running."
Ace's eyes widened, and he took off down the hill in the direction Luffy had been seen rolling in. This was going to be a long journey, and Naia didn't think she would survive this completely intact.
Time passed, and Ace was slowly adjusting to life in the village. Naia had begun to force him into the lessons along with Luffy, and he seemed to be enjoying them, which was kind of a shock. Ace still disappeared from time to time, and he continued to push Luffy away, but he had at least stopped trying to kill him. However, Naia could see the light in Luffy's eye starting to dim at how difficult Ace was being. Naia had to remind him from time to time that the two were meeting a lot sooner than they originally had. It tied him over somewhat, but it still hurt him to be rejected by the boy he loved so much.
"I included him in lessons. I've had talks about his attitude, about his daddy issues, and I've given him space!" Naia whined, "Maki! I don't know what else to do!"
"He seems as stubborn as Luffy, just not for the right reasons," Makino observed as she polished a few glasses. Naia slumped against the bar. Luffy had run off after Ace this morning into the jungle, and depending on how things went, they would be in there all day. She tapped her pen against the notepad in front of which held lesson plans as well as a few ideas of how to deal with Ace and get Sabo into their village. Lately, she had included contingency plans in case of an emergency.
"It must be our lucky day," a familiar voice whistled, "Coming across two lovely ladies alone in a bar. We should rectify that, shouldn't we men?"
"Welcome back, Captain," Makino giggled. Naia waved at the crew as they entered, her eyes never leaving the notebook as she continued to write a few more ideas down.
"Come now, Naia, is that any way to greet your favorite pirate captain?" Shanks pouted as he sat in the chair next to her.
"She is having difficulties with her newest charge," Makino hummed, "We are brainstorming ideas on how to help deal with him."
"Well, we thrive in difficult situations. Maybe we can help," Shanks offered, "What's the issue?"
"Yeah! We can look at it through a pirate's eyes!" Lucky Roux exclaimed. Naia blinked in surprise at all of their eagerness to help her with Ace. A pirate's eyes. Naia grinned as the idea formed in her mind. She had planned on the two meeting at some point, but she hadn't wanted to rush things, but maybe Ace needed to be forced to confront his issues with the help of someone a little closer to said issue.
"Actually, that might be it," Naia said happily, "I can bring him down to meet you all. I know Luffy would love to see you lot again as well."
"Then we will have a party! To celebrate your newest addition!" Shanks exclaimed. His crew hollering in excitement at the thought of hosting a party. Naia could only stare in resignation as the crew went about planning the party before running off to get the supplies they needed.
"You brought this on yourself," Makino hummed.
"I know," Naia responded, "At least this time, I'm not hosting it. That was truly exhausting."
"Nonsense! You threw an amazing party and made it look as easy as pie!" Shanks laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "So, tell us about this little guy. What makes him so difficult?"
"Well, it's tricky to say where to start. He seems to loath Luffy with a passion. He definitely doesn't think very highly of himself even though he lets off an air of confidence," Naia sighed, "I've sat him down to talk, given him space, and included him in almost everything as Luffy just at different levels, but he is stubborn."
"What would bring a child's confidence down so much?" Shanks asked, his brows furrowing.
"His father was a very notorious criminal which stemmed a habit of asking anyone he could about what they would say if said man had a child," Naia explained, a sad look reflecting in her eyes. "You can only imagine how people responded to that."
"How old was he when he started asking that?" Shanks' eyes went wide in understanding.
"From what Garp has told me, around 6 or so." Shanks sucked in a sharp breath. "The damage has been done, but he's still young and impressionable."
"You're hoping to reverse the damage?" Benn inquired. "That is a steep task for anyone."
"I hope to help him cope with the knowledge he has. I might not be able to fix it, but I have to try and help him," Naia said firmly. Her eyes set in determination.
"And we will help you however we can." Shanks squeezed her shoulders, and Naia could feel the weight this situation had caused to lighten somewhat. By the sea, why was he so amazing sometimes?
"Hehem," Makino coughed, "Shouldn't you be out looking for those two?" Naia's eyes widened at the slightly angry tone the barmaid had taken and the look in her eyes soured her face with an unflattering shade of green.
"Right," Naia muttered, collecting her belongings. "I'll be here when the sun sets."