Hello everyone, here is the next chapter

This is a short one, as I have some writing issues right now and I know this is late up, like really late, I hope the next one won't be as late

Hope you enjoy

Read and relax

Ace looked at Trevor, who started to speak, them in Lance's room. "Okay, Ace. We have a theory." Ace nodded and waited for Trevor to continue. "We think you still are a devil fruit user, your fruit is just unable to work right now for some reason, most likely because of the mercury, or whatever it is. It's too potent to be normal mercury. But, I will ask Diamond Jozu to try holding something we made from the planet mercury. But I would like for you to try it first." Ace nodded. "Okay." He wanted to try and held his hand out, and Trevor took a small sphere out, and Ace took and looked at it, before he shrugged. "I feel nothing." Trevor nodded. "What I thought. Still weird though, seeing as it is a form of mercury. But then again, it is inside you." Ace nodded, he didn't like that. He hoped Trevor or Lance could cure him.

Lance then went to grab Jozu, and when he was inside the room, already having been explained this, Trevor held the sphere out to him, and Jozu changed his arm into diamond, before he took it. Ace didn't know what he expected to happen, but what he didn't expect, was that nothing happened. It had Lance give a 'huh'. "Weird, I was sure you would react." Jozu shrugged. "I feel nothing." Ace blinked, "What… what does this mean for me?" Trevor gave a small sound. "Means we were wrong. Which is bad." Ace didn't like that. Lance held a hand out. "It's not bad, just… weird." Ace didn't like that. Jozu then handed the sphere back, and after he had retracted his hand, he blinked as he moved to look at his hand, still coated in diamond. "Wait, I can't change it back."

That had all of them blink, and Trevor held the sphere out. "Other hand. Don't change it." Jozu nodded and took it, before he handed the sphere back, and he moved his hand up, and shook his head. "I can't change it to diamond." Lance blinked. "Huh. It… stuns your devil fruit?" Trevor gave a nod. "Yup. This is so cool!" Jozu looked at his hands. "Will this go over?" Trevor half shook his head. "Maybe. Most likely yes." Ace moved a hand up. "Wait, so I am still a devil fruit user?" Lance nodded. "Yes. It is just… stunned. So you can't use it." That had Ace breathe out relieved. "Okay, can we fix this?" Lance hummed. "Don't know." Trevor hummed as well, moving a hand to his chin. "How about dialysis?" Lance nodded slowly. "Maybe. But shouldn't the kidneys have done the deed?" Trevor shook his head. "No, he's a vampire." Lance gave a small gasp. "He doesn't need kidneys. They aren't working." Trevor nodded. "Exactly, we need to try." Ace held a hand out. "I am confused. I don't have kidneys?" Lance shook his head. "No no, you do. But they aren't working most likely. The mercury would have killed them, or made them dysfunctional. This actually makes a lot of sense." Okay, that might be good.

Ace looked at Lance. "I will be fine?" Lance gave a small sound. "No, or maybe, or yes. But this is something that at least makes sense. We need to try dialysis. That might work." Trevor looked at Lance. "Does the doctor even have that machine?" Lance shrugged. "No idea, but we need to get our hands on one." Ace really hoped Bay had one. Jozu then hummed, looking at both his hands, which were normal. "It went over." Lance nodded, before he looked at him. "So, we get this out of your body, you will be fine." That was really good! Lance moved a hand to his chin. "But still. This is… weird. Why did they do this? Why him?" Trevor hummed. "My idea? He's a devil fruit user and a vampire. No other would survive without kidneys." Lance nodded. "Yes, that would make sense, but since it only takes it away while in his body, and if we fix him," Trevor nodded. "He will be gotten again, and we're back to scratch then." Jozu held a hand out. "But we will protect him." That made Ace feel good, and Trevor nodded. "Didn't say anything against it. But how did last time go?" That had Jozu close his mouth.

Trevor snapped his fingers. "How about, we check his kidneys, see what shape they're in, just so we can see if we're right or not, and then not fix this. Will they come then?" Ace blinked. "You're not… going to fix me?" Lance shook his head as he looked at Trevor. "I think so. There must be a bigger play here. I just don't know what." Lance then looked at him. "We will do some more tests, and then we will see what we can and will do." Ace nodded, that sounded… okay. It was better than nothing. "Okay, let's try." Lance smiled. "Good. We will figure this out." Ace really hoped so. Ace then frowned. "But if my fruit is just stunned, why could I hold seastone?" Trevor hummed. "Most likely since your fruit is not working. That would make sense." Ace nodded, he understood that.

They then headed to Bay, and told her what they had found out, and asked if she had a dialysis machine, which was a no. But he did say one of the islands they would head to should have it, even though that is a bit of time away. That did sound good. The next day, Lance came out alone, which was a bit weird. He was usually close to Trevor. "Where is Trevor?" Lance sighed. "Trevor is… gone." Ace blinked. "What?" Lance sighed. "He left. He must have had a pathway ready, so he could just disappear." Ace didn't get that. "Why?" Lance shrugged. "I don't know. Trevor… is actually more of a loner, I was surprised he stayed so long. He didn't take anything, maybe made a copy of my writings, but yeah." That didn't sound good. "So he's just gone?" Lance nodded. "Maybe he will show up again." Ace nodded. Trevor had been a great help, and he was surprised he had left, but he probably had his own reasons.

The next few days were calm, and when they docked the next week, Bay went on the island and asked for a dialysis machine, which they had. And then it was to hook him up to it, and it would take some time, about 4 hours. Thatch thankfully joined him, so he had someone to talk to. When it was done, Lance took the samples from the dialysis machine, and took the silver stuff out and said he would try more tests on it. And as it was over, he looked at Lance. "How long until my fruit is back?" Lance hummed. "Give it an hour. I just hope we got it all out." Ace hoped so as well.

The next hour moved by really slowly, and when it had passed, Ace lifted his hand and tried to make flames, but nothing happened. it had him sigh defeated, before he went to find Lance. When he did find the witch, Lance looked at him. "Did it work?" Ace shook his head. "No, I can't do anything." Lance sighed. "Either it had a more lasting effect since you had it in your body, or we didn't get it all." Ace sighed, that wasn't the words he hoped for. He hoped he would be fine. He hoped it just had a bit more lasting effect on him. But as the hours went by, nothing changed. He was still just a vampire, no fruit, no devil fruit. So he told that to Lance, before he went to his room.

Ace laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling, when the door opened and Marco came in and sat down next to him. "How are you, yoi?" Ace sighed. "I… don't know." Marco moved a hand to his leg. "Things will be fine." Ace really hopes so. Marco squeezed his leg. "What are you thinking?" Ace sighed. "I'm thinking about Riley." Marco frowned a bit. "Riley? Who is that, yoi?" Ace sighed. "He was a friend." Marco frowned a bit more. "Was, yoi?"

Ace nodded and gave a sigh. "We met about two years ago, a bit after I set out. He felt… drawn to me. I don't know why, but he did. He smelled of blood, until he didn't, but I didn't pay much mind to it. So, one night, he takes me out in a small boat, just the two of us, and he tells this crazy story about this feral man who bit him, and then he woke up and was different. And he felt he had this… urge for blood, he could see it pulsating in other people, but he couldn't in me. So, he trusted me." Ace sighed. "I was about to speak, when he spoke again, sounding strained for some reason." Ace shook his head a bit. "I didn't get why. But then he said 'I don't want to hurt anyone, but I needed to tell someone.' He couldn't go back to his family, so he left a note, that he would leave. Then I got it. Then I got why he didn't smell like blood anymore. But it was too late. The sun rose, and he burned, burned to a crisp right in front of me. And I just remember screaming. Had I been faster, I could have told him about vampires, but he didn't know. But he didn't want to hurt anyone, so he decided to just… die."

Marco gave a nod, hand squeezing his leg. "Why are you thinking of him, yoi?" Ace sighed. "A week prior, we spoke about what would happen after death. We had no clue or didn't know what to think. This was before he got turned. He was turned two nights before this. He thought if you made peace with things, you would go to heaven, and if not, you would go to hell. He told me just before he died, he went out with me to die. And I keep thinking, if I had been a bit quicker in getting it, maybe I could have helped. And now, here I am, no longer a devil fruit user. And… I get it. I always could smell the blood before, but now I can see it pulsating in other bodies, hear the heartbeat and feel the warmth inside me. Feel the beating of others' hearts and blood." Marco nodded, looking worried. "Are you thinking of doing the same, yoi?" Ace sighed. "No, I don't. And that makes me think, should I think that? Should I feel the need to die to save others? Why don't I feel like that? I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't, but I feel like I should be ready to make peace, and I don't know how or what to say, or to whom. I feel I should be ready to die, in case something happens."

Marco shook his head, hand squeezing his leg. "No, you don't feel the same way, since you are stronger, yoi. I don't know Riley, and he was probably strong, but you're stronger. You move on, you continue to go, which is what is so amazing about you, yoi. And, you dying wouldn't save anyone, since you wouldn't hurt anyone." Ace nodded, before he looked at Marco. "What do you think happens? When you die?" Marco hummed. "Honestly, I don't know. But now I know more is possible than what I believed, yoi. You're a vampire, I didn't believe in those before. So maybe, maybe there is something out there, yoi." Ace nodded, that was something he got. Ace didn't know what he believed himself. Ace lifted his hand and looked at his ring. "I thought burning to death in the sun would be slow, as when I stick my hand in it, as it just burns a bit slowly. But if you are there at first sun, as Riley was, you burn to a crisp in seconds." Marco moved a hand to his hand. "Never take it off, yoi. It is what keeps you here." Ace nodded and looked at Marco, and could see the red outline of his jugular vein pulsating, same with his heart that was visible since he only wore a vest. Ace needed to close his eyes and take a deep breath. He didn't know why, but he needed to.

Marco moved his hand with his to Ace's chest. "You have a great heart, Ace. You would never hurt anyone, yoi." Ace hoped so. Ace moved his hand to his middle with Marco's. "If I lose it, hit me here. It might work." Marco nodded. "That is what Vincent did, right?" Ace nodded. "Yeah." Vincent had done that. It hurt like hell, but it gave a smile to him. "I know you Ace. You will never intentionally hurt anyone. I hope you will get in better spirits, yoi." Ace hoped so as well.

Marco then left with some nice words, and when the door closed, Ace closed his eyes. He didn't know what to think right now.

And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed

I know this was short, but I have had a bit of writing issues, the next chapter will be more interesting

If you have any scenes you would like to see, don't be afraid to leave a comment, or send a PM

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