Hello everyone, here is the next chapter
This will be a bit of this and that, and I know it is a bit short, but the next one will be longer and more interesting
Hope you enjoy
Read and relax
Marco moved over to Ace, who was sitting on the railing. "How do you feel, yoi?" Ace hummed. "Okay. Based on everything, I feel okay. It's still weird I'm not fire. I feel… cold." That had Marco blink, not thinking about that. Of course Ace would feel cold. "If you want, we can find some jackets for you, yoi." Ace shook his head. "No. it's no deal. I will feel cold anyhow seeing as I'm a vampire. We're cold blooded. So it wouldn't help. It's not that bad." Marco nodded, before he wondered about something. "Did you feel cold before Lance did the test, yoi?" Ace nodded somewhat. "Sort of, but I didn't think much of it, I didn't recognize it at the start. It's been a real long while since I felt cold." That Marco got. He didn't feel cold himself, his phoenix making that possible. He felt with Ace, suddenly losing his devil fruit must be hard. It was how Ace defended himself. Marco couldn't imagine what it would feel like to just lose your devil fruit like that.
"Do you feel anything else is different?" Ace shook his head. "No, I don't. But I didn't feel I had lost my fruit at the start either. But I feel fine. I feel great actually. I even got my adult wings because of it. I've always wanted them." That Marco got. "I'm glad you feel that, that not everything is bad." Ace nodded. "I do too. And I even learned how to hide my wings. I feel more like a real vampire, which I've always wanted to feel like. I just never thought it would cost me my devil fruit." Marco nodded. "I get that, yoi. But I have a feeling it will turn out okay somehow." Ace smiled at him. "I hope so. This is all so overwhelming right now." It probably was for Ace, seeing how so much had happened in a short amount of time. Before Marco could say anything else, Ace sighed. "And now Lance wants to do more tests." Marco blinked. "He does?" Ace nodded. "Yeah. He wants to check if the silver liquid is gone. But he said he wants to do it next blood moon. I don't know what I feel about it." Marco nodded. "You should let him, yoi. He knows a lot and might be able to help. How long until the next blood moon?" Ace hummed. "In 2 days." That made sense, it had been sometime since the last one. And this time, they wouldn't be close to an island, so Ace could also enjoy himself.
When the two days passed, Ace was excited when he came out for the day, wings out and all, moving quickly over to him and throwing him overboard, wanting to race him, which Marco did. It felt nice to have someone to fly with. It felt nice. When they landed a couple hours later, Marco looked at Ace. "Should we head to Lance, yoi? He wanted to check you." Ace nodded slowly. "We can. Do you want to join?" Marco nodded. "If I can, yoi" Ace nodded too. "You can, it would be nice to have you there." They then headed to Lance's room, the witch seeming glad to see them, at least to see Ace. "Ace, I was just about to go get you. Glad you came by." Ace nodded slowly. "What do you need me to do?" Lance grabbed a few things, before he made his way over to Ace, to his back. "I need you to move your left wing out, while I take a small sample, it might hurt."
Ace nodded and moved his left wing to stretch out, before Lance moved a needle to Aces back, pushing it in just where the wing started, making Ace groan in pain, before Lance retracted the needle, having taken a blood sample it looked like. When he had, Ace moved his wing to be close to his back again, a hand moving to the spot Lance had put the needle. "Why did it need to be taken from there?" Lance hummed. "Your wings changed because of this, so it's to take a sample close to them. It looks fine on the first look, but I'll run a few tests." Marco nodded. "Why not take the sample from the wing itself?" Before Lance could answer that, Ace did. "I hope you won't do that. They are sensitive." Marco didn't know that, and it had Lance bring his hands up. "Don't worry, I won't. I know they are sensitive, this should be close enough." It had Ace let out a relieved breath, Marco nodding at Lance. "That's fine, I didn't know that. Do you need any more tests?" Lance let out a breath. "If I could get some hair, a normal blood test, and possibly some scrapings from your wings, it would make me feel whole." Ace nodded. "I can do that." Lance then took those samples, before he smiled at Ace. "Thank you. This will make me come a long way." Ace odds, seeming glad it was over, and Marco looked at Ace. "Why do the scraping not hurt your wings, yoi?" Ace shrugged. "It's from the hard part of it, it's like nails, or horn might fit better." That made sense and had Marco nod.
As they were done, they headed out, Marco hoping Lance would get somewhere with the samples. As they were out on deck, Jens soon came over to them, handing a letter to Ace, who took it with a smile, before he opened it. Marco then watched as Ace frowned as he read the letter, before he looked at him. "It's from Aoba. He says The Dread Doctors took another vampire, but he died from the silver liquid. Vincent told him." Marco nodded, taking that in. "Why didn't Vincent say it to you directly, yoi? As he does with Aoba?" Ace blinked. "Oh, I can't do that. I never learned how to communicate like that." That made kind of sense. "What kind of vampire was it, yoi?" Ace looked the letter over again. "It doesn't say, so I think a normal one. What if…. What if they come for me next?" Marco moved a hand to Ace's shoulder. "Then we'll handle that as it comes. We will do everything we can to keep you safe." That had Ace smile, and before Marco could ask something else, Lance spoke, suddenly being there. "Was it the same silver liquid from you?" Ace nodded. "Yeah, Vincent thinks so." Lance nodded. "A normal vampire would die from it. It is mercury after all. But it somehow changed your fruit and you're not dead." Ace nodded. "Yeah. But you got me. Maybe I would have been dead if I didn't meet you." That had Lance nod. "That's true. Maybe I should send a letter on how I saved you to Vincent." Ace nodded. "Sounds like a plan. We can go do it now." Lance nodded and the two headed away, probably heading to Ace's room. As they were gone, Marco headed to Pops, telling what Ace had said, how the Dread Doctors had taken another vampire and he had died. It had Pops glad Ace was fine, especially after Marco told the only reason Ace was alive, was maybe that he had met Lance. They owed Lance a lot. He had saved Ace twice now.
When Marco saw Ace again an hour later, he asked if they had sent the letter, which they had. It also got Marco to ask something. "The communication thing with Vincent, yoi. Why do you need to learn it? Why can't you just speak?" Ace hummed. "It's a connection thing. I was never much around Vincent, or any of the others, Aoba grew up with them. It's not that common to know it." It had Marco nod. It made sense. He was glad Ace was fine, and that they had met Lance, especially now as he might be the only reason why Ace was alive and not dead. Marco then decided to ask a bit about Aoba. "Aoba, who is a made vampire, do he have a preference in blood, yoi?" Ace nodded. "Yeah. All vampires have it. I believe his is type O blood." Marco blinked. "Just that? Not more specific? Yours was very specific, yoi." Ace nodded. "I know. But it all depends on things I don't really know. Some have preference for females, some males, some fishermen. Some actually has the preference to witches, a couple even other vampires." Marco blinked again. "Other vampires? You can feed on each other, yoi?" Ace nodded. "We can, but it's looked down upon. Unless it's a preference, which is rare, very rare." Marco nodded. "More rare than you?" To Marco's surprise, Ace nodded. "Yeah. Like a handful feeds of Hidan, maybe around 10? I think there is like only a couple who have the preference for other vampires." That did make sense in a way. He didn't know that made fed on Hidan. He thought it was a rare and Ace was the only one, but that wasn't the case. He found this was very interesting. "How did you meet Aoba?" Ace blinked at him. "Didn't… didn't Aoba tell you?" Marco nodded. "He did. I just want to know how you felt about it, yoi. He did kind of wallop you." Ace nodded. "True. And I didn't like him in the start, he was so outgoing. I wasn't." Marco chuckled. "I can't imagine you not outgoing, yoi." Ace chuckled too. "I know, but I wasn't as a child, Aoba helped me get more outgoing. I owe him a lot." Marco nodded. "I see. You do seem like good friends, so I think it's all fixed." Ace nodded. "I hope so. He has been such a huge help." Aoba had, even Shanks had, which Marco never would have guessed.
As the day passed into night, he noticed Ace taking his ring off as the sun was gone, making him frown. "Is that safe? To not wear the ring, yoi?" Ace nodded. "It's fine. The sun is gone, and I do have it in my pocket." Marco nodded. "Do you feel better with it off?" Ace nodded slowly. "I do… When the sun is gone, I feel better without it." Marco got Ace was still a bit nervous about sharing everything, but he was doing great and Marco always felt glad when Ace shared. "How does it feel, yoi?" Ace let out a small hum. "Um, it feels like being constricted. Like being bound. When the sun is out, I don't feel it as much, but when I'm not in the sun, I feel bad and constricted." Marco nodded. "Okay, I get it. Do the same goes for shadows? Or cloudy days?" Ace nodded slowly. "Yeah… But I don't take the chance as the sun might peek." Marco nodded. "That's good, that you don't take the chance, yoi. I'm glad you feel comfortable telling all this." Ace chuckled. "It's bearable. It's uncomfortable, but I do trust you." That always had Marco glad, to know Ace trusted him with his vampire self.
-x-
When the next day started, Ace moved over to Lance when he saw him. "Hey, do you know any way for me to need less blood?" Lance nodded. "I do. But you can only take it as much before it makes you sick. It's the same as my pool of blood was made off. You can't live on it alone, but it can help." Ace nodded. "Can I try? I want to drink less blood. We need all the blood for Pops." They did, and Ace felt he came in the way at times. Lance nodded. "Fine. Let me get it." Lance then went to his room, and when he came out a few minutes later, he handed a small box to him. "There should be around a hundred and fifty pills in it. Take two in a glass of water and drink each day for two weeks, then not for a week, or else you get sick." Ace nodded. "So I need to take them with water?" Lance nodded. "You can take them dry too, it will have the same effect." It had Ace nod. "Okay. Thanks. I will go tell Bay I won't need as much blood for the next two weeks." Lance nodded and Ace headed to Bay, telling her he got something from Lance to help with his hunger, making the doctor frown. "How long will it last?" Ace hummed. "Around two months." Two weeks sounded little, and hey, how bad could it be? He will just take it dry each morning and not tell Lance.
And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed
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