Hello everyone, here is the next chapter
This is mostly small things for later and more backstory for some characters and how things are
Hope you enjoy
Read and relax
Marco moved to sit down next to Ace, who had his legs up to his chest and head down, sitting at the back of the ship, behind some crates. "Hey, how are you doing, yoi?" Ace shook his head without lifting it. "I don't know." Marco sighed as he leaned a bit back. "That's fine. This is a lot to take in, I ge-" "No!" Started Ace, moving his head up to look at him, eyes red, both his eiries and a bit of the white from unshed tears. "No, you don't know how this is! You haven't lost anything! I am just a vampire! Do you know how many times my devil fruit have saved me?! Do you know how many times being a hybrid have saved me?! I wouldn't have been here if I wasn't!" Ace moved his head down, arms tightening around his legs. "I've wanted to be a vampire at times, but not like this. I liked being a hybrid, I liked my fruit. I liked I could pretend to be human." Marco moved a hand to Ace's back. "And you are human, at least to us. This changes nothing. We still love you." Ace didn't say anything, but he leaned more against him, making Marco move his arm to be around Ace's shoulders. "You are family, Ace. And we will always love you for you, whether you're a vampire or not, we don't care. We just care about you."
Ace nodded, but didn't say anything, making Marco just sit and comfort Ace. When Ace seemed better half an hour later, Marco felt he needed to ask something. "You don't need to answer, but does this change anything, yoi?" Ace gave a sniff as he sat up, eyes bloodshot. "A bit. I mean, I'm a full vampire, I need more blood, food is awful without- I actually will get sick from regular plain food- my instincts will grow. I hate it! I liked how I was before." Marco gave a nod, moving his hand on Ace's shoulder. "It will go fine, yoi. We will support you in this. Lance too, maybe he can see if there is a way to reverse it?" That had Ace sit up completely as he looked at him. "Y-you think there is something that can reverse it?" Marco sighed. "No, I don't know. But no harm in checking, right, yoi?" Marco wasn't sure, but it could be a possibility. He would ask Lance later, for now, he would be here for Ace.
-x-
"Is there a chance you can change Ace back, yoi?" Lance frowned at the first commander. "Back? To a hybrid?" Marco nodded, making Lance sigh. "I don't know. I have heard rumors from decades ago where vampires where 'cured', but they became humans again; they had been transformed. But it was hard. Many died, many lost themselves to bloodlust, so I don't know for sure. But I won't try unless I can get definitive proof it will go fine, for everyone." Marco nodded. He got that and agreed. It needed to be safe for everyone. "How do you think they did it, yoi?" Lance shook his head. "No idea. Maybe by changing his blood with a full vampire? Maybe by doing some witchcraft? Maybe they did a ritual? I don't know, but they did something." Marco nodded. "What do you think, yoi?" Lance looked at him. "Personally?" Marco nodded, making Lance continue. "I think it was something in the sense of a ritual, but not one I know. The Dread Doctors are special and might have their own things they can do; they are supernatural in their own way." That was true, these doctors were special too. And the fact people knew so little of them was bad, that even Vincent and Lance knew so little, and they seemed to know a lot. This was just all over a bad situation. The first commander just hoped they could help Ace get better and feel better with himself. Hopefully they could help him turn back to a hybrid somehow.
Lance gave a sigh, making Marco look back at him. "I don't know everything, but I do know this will change things for Ace, hybrids and full vampires are different." Marco nodded. "I know, I spoke with Ace abit, yoi. But I will also speak with Aoba." Lance nodded. "That's good. This must be a lot for Ace, to suddenly not being a hybrid." It was, and Marco hoped it would go fine, that Ace would settle again. He would speak with the others later today, already knowing a bit what would change. He would also do the same as Benn did for Aoba; make so he didn't have any duties before after noon.
Marco also had another question for Lance, that had been on his mind for a small bit. "Lance, how did you become a witch?" Lance chuckled. "When I was young, I think 5, my dad taught me about witches and I liked how it sounded- I of course didn't tell that to my dad- and when I was 19, I found a female witch, got married to her and she taught me a lot. Then we had a falling out and started to resent each other and started to curse each other. It was actually fun, as we never did anything too damaging. Then a hunter showed up and told us to stop, and we did and parted ways. Since then I've been going around, half hunting the supernatural that shouldn't be around, like level D vampires, wargs, and so on. My dad found out when I married a witch and just stopped calling me his son and started to call me a traitor. I didn't care, but when he died, I took his things as he was a skilled hunter, but he hunted both good and bad." Lance then clapped his hands. "Well, that's my life story. Wonder about anything else?" Marco gave a short chuckle. "No, not really, yoi." He still stood and spoke a bit more, about everything and nothing.
As he was done speaking with Lance a bit later, Marco headed over to Aoba. "Aoba, what does this change for Ace, yoi? Ace mentioned his instinct will grow and how he can't handle regular food." Aoba nodded. "Yeah. The food part is most important; he will get sick from food without blood or human meat. And not just a bit sick, it's awful. Oh, and he can visit more vampires as some actually live underwater." Marco blinked. "Live underwater, yoi?" Aoba nodded. "Yeah. We don't need to breathe, and now he won't sink when in water! That's so cool and there are so many cool ones I know here and there that lives under the water." It sounded unreal, but he had already seen a lot that was unreal. "Anything more?" Aoba seemed to think for a few seconds. "It will be worse if he loses himself a bit in bloodlust, but if you keep giving him food he can eat, no worries. He might get more protective; family is important. Shanks my family. Um, I think that's it. I think the rest is the same as before, just maybe more of it, like how his instincts will grow. He can get longer nails when mad or when he want them to grow, his hunger is higher. Just small things like that." It was good to know, so Marco had the most information he could have when he spoke with the rest. As he was thinking over what Aoba had said, he remembered something. "How much food will he eat, yoi? He ate a lot of regular food before this." Aoba nodded. "That's right, I forgot that. He will eat less than that, and might forget it and eat regular food and get sick a couple times." Marco blinked. "You think that?" Aoba nodded. "I did my first year as a vampire. And I also did after joining Shanks. Scared Shanks many times as I was just sick, as I tried to half hide it that I was a vampire the first time I was with him. It hurts a lot to eat regular food." Marco would remember it in case Ace got sick. He loved food, so it would probably happen a couple times as Aoba said.
As he was speaking with Aoba, Lance came over. "Aoba, a question. What do you think the doctors did to Ace? To make him a full vampire?" Aoba gave a hum. "I think a ritual. I mean, they didn't change him with a regular vampire, as he would have been a made one, and the fake blood would have been stale, as it was to me." Lance nodded. "That's true, I forgot about that. Do you have any idea what kind of ritual?" Aoba shook his head. "No. I don't. But I have heard about vampires that are born defective get a ritual to make them normal. But it's needed to do when the moon is darkened, which haven't happened in months, so I can't be it." Marco sighed. "So we have no idea what they did, aside from ritual, yoi." Aoba nodded. "Yeah, and even a ritual can be the wrong thing. We know nothing." It was a bad situation, but they would do their best to help Ace through it.
-x-
Ace groaned, making Marco look at the other. "What is it, Ace?" It was dinner time and Ace had gotten food he could eat. Ace gave another small groan. "I miss food! I liked food! i don't like this. I mean, I do, but i hate i can't eat regular food." Marco moved a hand to Ace's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ace. I am sure things will go fine." Ace nodded, having a sullen look. "I wish I could eat regular food. But this will have to do, even though I hate it." Ace had his food in front of him, being pancakes with blood instead of milk, making them be a deep brownish color. Thatch had gotten more recipes from Benn to help Ace adapt better. "Don't worry, Ace. Things will go fine. You will get used to things." Ace gave a small nod. "I know. But I don't like it, I liked me before." Marco got it, and he was sure it would take time for Ace to adapt. "I know it will take time; it took time for Aoba too. I spoke with him, and he even ate regular food after being changed." Ace gave a small chuckle. "I know. He once did it around me, since I could eat it, he thought he could too. Before he knew I was a hybrid. He got so sick, but it went fine as he didn't eat a lot." Marco nodded. "Will you get more sick the more you eat, yoi?" Ace nodded. "Yeah. A bit will make us sick, but a lot can, in bad occasions, be fatal for us." That was info Marco was glad to know. If Ace forgot and ate as he used too, it would be a lot. "What kind of sick do you get?" Ace gave a small hum. "We will throw up, our stomachs will churn and pulsate in pain, and if it's really bad, since we don't use acid to process blood and such, our stomachs will just be eaten away and we die." Marco blinked. "Wow, how are you able to eat food with blood, yoi? It's not that different from regular food." Ace shrugged. "I don't know, I think the blood or meat make so we process it differently." That made a bit of sense, and Marco would be sure to inform both the commanders and Bay about this. "Can we do anything if it happens?" Ace hummed. "Um, I think blood will help. Usually blood helps everything. Or meat."
That was also good to know, and he needed to ask Benn how they got their hands on human meat, without killing themselves. It wasn't always they killed. Or, maybe Ace knew. "How does Benn get their hands on human meat, yoi? If you know." Ace chuckled. "Usually, when they are at islands, they check the morgue. Every islands have it and they take the unclaimed bodies, giving a fake response they know them. You get to know how they died and if they were sick. That, and they sometimes kill other pirates and such, but I don't know if you would be okay with it. They keep it hidden and take body parts now and then, using the entire body; Benn taught me how." Marco wasn't either, but he would ask Pops about it. First, he needed to find a way how to ask Pops about it. They didn't hold on to bodies, either letting them go with their original crew if they killed just one or two, or just throwing them into the ocean. They also didn't have the means to keep a human body, him sure Thatch would be uncomfortable with a human body in his freezer.
-x-
Marco let out a breath, having just spoken with Thatch, who said he could handle working with some human meat, but he didn't want to be the one to chop up a dead human. Marco had a feeling he could get Ace to do that part, him having done it before when he was with Benn. Hopefully, Thatch would get more okay with it. It was still a bit out there, close to an unspoken line, but they needed it to keep Ace healthy. Marco would ask if maybe Benn could teach him how to part a body, Marco not really having any trouble working with human meat, at least in his mind. He might change his mind when working with an actual body, but had a feeling it would go fine.
As he was out on deck, he saw Aoba close to the railing, ad moved over, having a couple question he hoped Aoba could answer, but understood if he didn't want to. "Aoba, if I can ask, how were you turned?" Aoba let out a breath. "I don't remember it much, but I was 4 years old when a vampire attacked my village, a level D, and I was the only one to wake up again, my family didn't. Short time after- I mean like half an hour- Vincent showed up and made so I wouldn't lose myself to bloodlust and took me in for a while. I barely remember my family, and in a way, Vincent became my family for a while. When I was 18, I set off on my own, just to learn how to be human again- I kinda forgot after being around Vincent for so long. There were many mistakes made- I never attacked anyone, but I ate regular food, tried to wake up early, went places I shouldn't, and so on. And… I think a short while after I set out on my own, maybe 7 months, I met Shanks, and he took me in. I remember I tried to hide it from him, but Benn caught on quick as I got sick and weak. Now, they are my family. I love being on Shanks' crew, we are our little own family too. Not as much as you guys, but yeah. He's the only one I have left. Vincent is still there for me, but more like… a friend, or a half guardian. When I left, he stopped acting like a father to me and now treats me like everyone else." Marco could see Vincent as a guardian of sorts, so it made sense, and he was glad Vincent helped others.
Marco gave a comforting look to Aoba. "I'm sorry you lost your family, yoi. But I'm glad you met Vincent, and that Shanks took you in." Aoba nodded back. "I am too, and I've accepted it happened and all. I still do a small thing every anniversary, but yeah." Marco was glad Aoba was fine and he had met Vincent, but it was a horrible way to lose his family so young. Marco then gave a hum. "How did you meet Ace?" Aoba chuckled. "We stopped at his island when he was young- he was 9- and I remember I felt that there was another vampire around. I rarely did as most of us are good to hide, and then suddenly I saw Ace one night, he was out hunting animals I think, and I was just so excited as I've never met a vampire on my own yet back then. And I kinda tackled him to the ground and went on and on how happy I was to find another vampire. Well, you know Ace, he wasn't as happy or excited at the start, before he opened up later, after I just followed him around for a few days- Shanks stayed on the island for a while, this was when he lost his arm too- and I just bonded with Ace. I was also the first vampire Ace had met, so he was wary at the start, he was so young. When we parted ways, I remember we sent letters to each other and everytime we were close, we said hi, and when he set out on his own, we met up on blood moons and just had fun. I was worried when he suddenly went off the grid, when you picked him up, but yeah, he was fine."
Marco nodded. "I can imagine you were worried, and things went a bit not as we planned with Ace, yoi. Pops just took a liking to him." Aoba chuckled. "I think Ace is just likable. Everyone seem to either like him or hate him- or not hate, but not like- and I am sure it's just a thing with Ace." Marco had to agree a bit with that. Ace was likable. "How did you find out Ace was a hybrid? He mentioned you didn't know right away, yoi." Aoba chuckled again. "Well, he could eat food. That's one thing. And he smelled… a bit different, but I couldn't place my finger on it until he told me. I asked once where his parents were, and he said both were dead, his mother a vampire, and I figured it out. Still asked straight up if he was a hybrid too, which he said yes too. This was a while after we'd met. When he had opened up." Marco could see Ace as a closed off person at times, and being a vampire meant Ace had to hide it from most. They didn't care if Ace was a vampire, but he knew many did, probably the reason Ace had hid it from them at the start. Marco would also be sure to be there for Ace now, until he calmed down from being turned into a full vampire and make sure Ace was fine. This was all a lot, both for them, but mostly for Ace.
Marco moved to look at Aoba. "Why does blood from Vincent make you not lose your mind, yoi? Can Ace do the same as he's a full vampire now?" Aoba shook his head. "Ace can't. And it's in the blood to Lords. And only Lords can have babies together and make them be Lords. It's a bit complicated, but they have another kind of blood than us. Purer." That made sense. Marco was glad Vincent was around, and probably the others too, as they helped others like Aoba, who had been turned against their will in an attack, and rid the worlds of those who had either lost themselves in bloodlust or bit people for fun. He spoke a bit more with Aoba, before he headed to Pops, to tell him about the conversation with Thatch, and how Ace knew how to part a human body. As he spoke with Pops, it was clear he was shocked that Ace knew how to part a body and how the Red Force got their hands on bodies, which was a good idea. He agreed they should do the same, or maybe keep a body they killed in battle. They needed to find a place to keep the human bodies, Thatch not wanting to keep them in his freezer, for obvious reasons. Pops did say they could try and get their hands on another refrigerator, one big enough for two human bodies that are regular sized. It was hard to get a refrigerator, but they would manage somehow. It wouldn't be told to everyone, just certain people would know they kept dead human bodies on their ship, Pops thinking to include some chefs, and the commanders, but not more, which was a good idea.
And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed
I know this was short, but I had issues writing it as I have a writersblok for this story, and I wanted to get a chapter up as it's been so long. So if you have any ideas you want to see, I would love to hear them
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