Author's Notes: Well, guys, I believe I will wrap up this short story once and for all. Thank you so much for continuing to participate with this anime short even though the main story had closed out already! I appreciate the kudos, bookmarks, favorites, follows, and reviews that it did manage to get. You all are amazing. I do apologize for the flops I had with the lore's accuracy. If I ever come back to this by some random miracle, I'll definitely clean things up and place the appropriate characters where they belong. I'm sure the characters of One Piece will have plenty of new revelations and expansions for its fans so keep discovering those things about it and you all enjoy. ;-D

~ ... My Brother's Wife ... ~

Luffy sat outside again to wait for Nesi to return home for the night. She was understandably busy with some kind of contract work she had been hired for, according to the locals of the harbor, and a new contract was being setup soon. This time, he wasn't seated at Ace's Lodge or Nesi's favorite restaurant. He was at her home's doorstep with a key in one hand and Ace's letter addressed to him in the other one. Though his crewmates went with him through the town for support, he rejected being followed unless it was near the docks. He had waited by them, remembering the times when he would dream of sailing out on his own and even when he and Ace used to play together along the shores, but he ultimately hoped the fog would clear from the harbor so he could see Garp coming... well... to his new home for a while. One Straw Hat after another was making their decision on how to better themselves since more truths were coming out about Ace while they engaged with the locals, and they spoke with Luffy about it. However, the plan was that they'd only leave after Garp showed up or after Nesi returned home. Ace had said in his letter that if Luffy truly wanted to know about his relationship with Nesi, even the parts he wasn't willing to admit to himself in the privacy of a diary, then his grandfather would be with him soon. Though he and Garp used to butt heads a lot, Ace had wanted their old man to see the life that Nesi was able to build for others and the peace she had given him.

That made Luffy want to cry again. He wanted to tell his sister-in-law that... Ace was gone. As angry as he was for no one telling her, Luffy was afraid of Nesi's reaction if he had to be honest and it was possible that the surviving Spades and/or Whitebeards were scared, too. Finding out that his brother was married at all was a shock alone, but making Luffy remain quiet until their grandfather came here was out of line! That meant that Ace was willing to go public with their relationship to some extent, yet... to keep so much tucked away in different places like this... it was... it was maddening! When he went into a downward spiral of emotions again, he heard a commotion from the docks. It wasn't Nesi's ship... but another's. Garp.

Luffy shot up to his feet and rushed over to the night guards helping a boatman tie down his vessel. What he was met with may as well have turned his blood cold. He was met with the surprised looks of his family. Garp, Makino, Dadan, everyone! Nami, Sanji, and Usopp were trying to catch up to Luffy after seeing him suddenly take off, but they didn't anticipate this sudden reunion.

"Makino?" Luffy questioned, seeing his mother figure being escorted off the boat.

"Luffy?" she gasped. As if their bodies were being controlled by another, they ran into each other's arms. Careful not to crush the newborn in her arms. "Luffy! What are you doing here?"

"Why are you here?" Luffy questioned, tearing up.

"I..." Makino started, lifting her baby. "Ace wanted..."

"You know Nesi, too?" Luffy asked, wiping away some of his tears.

"Nesi Llandala? Yes," Makino replied, letting her tears fall. "Ace had come home to tell me about her. You hadn't left to become a pirate yet back then. He didn't stay long, but... he had a lot on his mind. He had planned to visit you, but his crewmates came to pick him up, so he left."

"What did he want you to do here? Just visit her?" Luffy asked, sniffing up his tears.

"Yes. I could decide whether or not I wanted to stay here by Garp's side or leave earlier to return home," Makino answered, feeling a hand on her shoulder.

It was Garp's hand. Luffy looked up to his quiet grandfather and asked, "Is Nesi really... my sister then? Did he say that much to you?"

"... by the pirate code, yes," Garp replied, taking a deep breath. "Ace's friends had married them a bit sloppily while they were in active combat, but... your brother had planned to properly propose to her in the future. I found his letter a couple of months ago. It had a key to her house. Is the Spades fort still here?"

"Yes..." Luffy replied, voice finally cracking. "Grandpa... did Nesi know about Ace's feelings? She did, didn't she?"

"No, Luffy, she didn't," Dadan whispered, pulling the boy close to her.

It was like the world had stopped turning to a slow halt. His heart may as well have shattered a third time. He was shaking his head desperately, trying to pray and hope that somehow Ace had slipped up somewhere. Somehow, Ace admitted that he liked her at some point and Nesi just didn't know how to respond at the time or something. Somehow, Nesi cleaned house and figured it all out. Somehow, a crewmate told her about Ace's feelings. Anything was better than this! Anything was better than realizing that the stuff Ace had hidden in the lodge was related to his unsaid feelings for her. Better than guessing that the unfinished letters that Ace wrote was him fighting with himself. The trail went cold... because... Ace had realized what he was truly feeling for his crewmate. He didn't want to admit that his friends were right. He didn't want Nesi to leave the Spades to become a privateer. He butted heads with her so much because he wanted her to stay by his side. They physically went toe to toe because leaving the Spades meant joining the Whitebeards and Nesi wanted no part of that. How bad was that fight? Did they ever make amends? They had to have made up! They were still friends!

"She still doesn't," Makino corrected, looking down. "Is she here?"

"No, she's out for work or something," Luffy answered in a small voice. "I have the key to her house, though. Nesi said it was okay."

"We'll follow you to her house then," Makino said, smiling remorsefully. "She's family to us now. Is she a good person, Luffy?"

"... yes," Luffy replied honestly.

Dear Nesi,

I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to tell you this, but I figured I'd write it out first for practice. When I first saw you at the marketplace, I didn't know what to make of you. You were quiet, a bit playful, yet distant. Like a major part of your soul was just gone. I didn't understand why you were here yet... not at the same time. Hmph! I was mad at you for following me around, but I never told you or anyone else that I had followed you around first. That was why I said on that day, after you told me you had been dismissed from the privateers, that you were buying cheeses at the marketplace when I first saw you. Really, that was the day I decided to try to talk to you. Despite having this faraway look in your eyes, I... thought you were kinda cute.

When those marines jumped you, I don't know what came over me, but... I hated them for what they were doing to you! In front of kids no less! But... you surprised me. You got back up on your feet and took a blow for me. You didn't even know me! There was this fire in your eyes... like facing those marines woke you up. I don't know. Seeing that, well, it made me like you a little more. What really did me in, though, was when you looked at me. You saw right through me... and just smiled instead. You picked up your groceries, dusted them off, took care of your kids, and went about your day like nothing ever happened. But that smile... was enough for me to stick around. Honestly, even though I didn't know why you wanted to fight like me, I'm glad that Corale let you watch me train. I wished you would've spoken to me more, but I didn't realize you were already working towards to becoming a privateer. We just didn't realize it back then.

Having you as a Spade... I... couldn't have asked for a better crewmate. I couldn't have asked for a better apprentice. I regret every day that I didn't promote you when I knew you were ready. You were good at being a pirate. I wonder if I had just given you your rank, would you have stayed with me and fought at my side against Whitebeard? If I fought Whitebeard the way I had to fight you, would I have won? Seeing you go against Redbeard and seeing you win in the Privateer War... did something to me...

Watching you grow... has been an honor. As badly as I wanted you to be a Whitebeard after you had been dismissed, as much as I wanted to truly kiss you and to... well, truly be your husband... I couldn't do it as just some rookie pirate. That's what your dad was telling me. He wasn't ashamed of being a pirate. He was ashamed that you had to watch him die. To be in so much pain and abandoned by doctors was nothing new to him. If you have a healer onboard your ship, you're truly blessed. But... there was more to it than that. You served your jail sentence in the same way he did. He did it to be with your mom, but you did it to keep him alive just a bit longer. What you showed to your people was how wrong it was to live in fear and poverty. You "destroyed boats" to help another get to where they had to go. That's why being a pirate wasn't going to be enough. I wasn't going to be enough. I had to be a different kind of man.

I had been relying on my father's name to get a good, strong crew together because I figured he did so much for me as a baby to try to keep me out of harm's way with the marines, so it made sense for me to take over his position. When I met Shanks just before we docked on your island, yeah, he was nice to me and was surprised that I was his old captain's son. But... he didn't bother to take me in as his apprentice or even offer advice to me. He just let me leave. He saw something in you, though. At first, I was a bit jealous and angry that he wanted to spend time with you, but I realized something when he did come on the ship to talk to you. You weren't at his level of strength at the time, but you had potential to be. I didn't see it before. I only saw your progress and how fast you were able to keep up with things. I didn't realize you were getting to a point that I couldn't reach despite the names I carried. You were mentally on his level, or at least getting close to it.

I wasn't ready to let you go, Nesi. When you left... I was heartbroken... but that was because... I had fallen in love with you by then. Every time we met up again, I had a new reason to love you. There was a difference between you and Isuka and Yamato. I had time to learn how to love you. I wasn't running away from you or battling you to get to Whitebeard. I was learning things with you. When you were promoted to captain of your own crew, I couldn't have been any prouder, but... I felt alone, too. When I left that night, I made the decision then to learn from Whitebeard and to build up a new family... to prepare myself for the family I wanted to build with you.

You're the one, Nesi. Maybe not now, maybe not next year, but... one day... will you marry me for real? Will you give some stupid pet name? Will you kiss me for real and stay the night with me like we used to? Will you stay up late in the night and study but talk to me about it again? Will you come with me to rebuild the Spades? Will you let me love in the night and wake up with me in the morning? Will you teach how to pray?

Will you help me bring our families together and create a new one with me?

Will you be my wife, Nesi? If so, then...

With love,

Ace