Hello Lovelies! I know it's been a hot minute since the last update, so I hope you are all still with me, eagerly waiting for the next chapter. The spark for writing has come back with the start of the new year and ideas have been flowing so I'm hoping chapter 49 comes quickly, but please know it will be posted eventually. I just can't promise a set day. As always... ENJOY!

Chapter 48

"Promise you'll keep in touch?" Ashina pleaded as she hugged Robin one last time.

The day was bright, the late summer sun shining high overhead, and surprisingly warm for the winter island. The final year before rejoining with her crew flew by in a whirlwind of training, laughs, and good memories made. Sabo and Koala were set to leave for a mission, orders passed down from Dragon and plans made by Ashina and Sabo. The mission allowed for the perfect chance for a detour, a detour to Sabaody where Robin would reunite with Luffy and the other Strawhat Pirates.

"Of course, I will," Robin answered with a warm smile.

When Ashina stepped back to stand beside Ace, Robin took the chance to gaze at each of her new friends standing on the dock. Never in all her years of running and being on her own had she been able to form bonds like the ones she had with Sabo, Koala, Ashina, Ace, and even Thatch and Jora. She'd found a family in the Strawhats, her crew, but here, she had found friendship as well. Warming up to the rowdy bunch had taken less time than with her crew, and Ace's words, spoken late at night in the quiet of the library where only the roar of the fire had heard his confession, soothed her soul. The old ache she hadn't realized was still there had been healed by his honesty and view of her, and of himself.

Thanks to him she no longer thought of herself as a demon child, instead, she was a child of the sea. No matter how hard it was to leave this place, children of the sea were always connected. Baltigo, and the Revolution were always a place to call home. Friendship over the two years had morphed into the deeper connection of a family, not by blood, but that of one chosen.

"Thank you all for everything. I'll never be able to repay your kindness, and I'll be forever grateful for the friendship you have shown me."

"There's no repayment necessary," Ace said. "Just help our little brother achieve that big dream of his and have a grand adventure while doing it, that's all we ask."

"And maybe come to visit once in a while, if Luffy's adventures will allow," Sabo added with a grin.

Robin's smile widened. "Most definitely!" She waved a hand, and made several others sprout from her elbow, all waving at little Bo. "Bye-bye sweet boy! I'm going to miss you the most!"

The two-year-old giggled and waved back. "Bye Bin!"

Robin gave one final wave to her friends on the docks and then turned to board the ship, while Koala and Sabo hung back for a moment longer.

"Keep in touch, yes?" Ashina asked.

"Feels weird to not have you going on this mission too," Koala replied.

"I'm sure you and Sabo went on plenty of trips without me after I became Missus Spade," Ashina said with a fond smile. The memories of days spent basking in the sun on the deck of the Spadille seemed like a lifetime ago now. "I have plenty of work I can do here. Be safe, be smart."

"I know, I know," Sabo interrupted. "Think before I act."

"I was going to say be mindful, but yeah, that works too. You know, you're more like Ace than you let on when it comes to missions."

Sabo just smirked. "We are brothers."

Koala rolled her eyes and jumped forward to give Ashina one last hug before stepping back. "We'll keep in touch. Don't burn down the island practicing that new move of yours while we're gone, okay, Ace?"

Ace grinned at her teasing comment as she dragged Sabo by the arm toward the gangplank. "Bye, bro, have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

That earned him a smack on the arm from Ashina. "What horrible advice."

Before he could retort, Bo caught his attention with a loud, "Dada!" Once Ace turned his head Bo finished, "Go pay!"

"You want to go play? Should we build a block tower again? Yeah? Let's do it, buddy." Slinging an arm over Ashina's shoulder, Ace cast one last glance at the ship that was readying to depart from the bay. The desire to sail the sea would always there in the depths of his soul, but he turned his back to the cold, dark waters and the call of the gulls, content for now to be with his family on land.

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Once word was received that the Light of the Revolution had been safely returned to her crew at Sabaody, Ashina spent her time pouring over notes, routes, and intercepted messages preparing for her comrades' next leg of the journey. While plenty of work and missions took place during the two years Robin spent with them, Sabo and Koala had remained on the island. Now, with them gone, Ashina was truly the second in command below Dragon, and Ace was in awe. His wife was dedicated to her cause, intelligent and cautious in her planning, and meticulous. Traits that made her an extremely good commander, as Thatch had noted a few nights prior over glasses of whiskey.

Ashina was a leader, Ace couldn't deny that fact, and here with the Revolution she was certainly in her element. She was an amazing pirate, sly and spirited with incredible fighting skill, but here… it was clear to Ace that this is where Ashina truly shown. Her skills were undoubtedly missed while she spent the past years sailing as a pirate.

Dragon spent time with Ashina almost each day in a private meeting, pouring over plans and information, but it was Ashina who did the majority of the work. She, of course, made time to play with and care for Bo, and even joined in several training sessions with Tenshin and Yukichi.

The teenage boys were always eager to train in different skills, but Ace was silently proud to see Tenshin begin to favor the use of a naginata, following in Pops' footsteps. Yukichi preferred sword fighting and hand to hand combat, and was always eager for any haki training sessions with Ashina, or fishman karate with Hack. The boys were finding their place among the Revolution, eager to follow the lead and directions given by Thatch.

It was taking time, but Ace was also finding his place among the Revolution. The two years since Marineford had given him a chance to heal, to grieve, and to grow. His devil fruit was powerful, but with training and patience, he'd grown the power and abilities of his flames even more. He also focused training his haki, a skill Ashina was also working on.

Her dormant conqueror's haki was a thorn in her side, as she called it. Armament and observation haki came naturally to her, a skill that she could use just as easy as one of her five senses. Years of training perfected her use of them, but conqueror's haki, while she now knew she had it, still did not come as natural to her. It didn't to Ace either and he had no recommendations of help, but when he suggested she contact her father for advice, she was quick to shut him down. This was a skill she wanted to master on her own. Ace was proud of her.

Ace smiled softly to himself while running his fingers through Ashina's long hair. She stirred against his side, her cheek rubbing against his chest as she mumbled his name. Their room was dark, the moon too high in the sky now to cast much light through the window. The only noise that filled the room were the calm breaths that blew across his chest, almost matching the rise and fall of his own steady breathing. Ace repeated the motion, fingers gliding through the silky waves, nails gently scratching her scalp.

This time she hummed. Her arm slid over his bare stomach, fingers teasing their way up his chest to curl over his scarred shoulder. Ace couldn't help but chuckled as she muttered what he could only guess was supposed to be, "You awake?"

"Yes," he whispered back to her. "Couldn't stay asleep. Too much on my mind." The months of planning were soon to pay off. Sabo made contact earlier in the evening to say they would reach their destination at dawn the next morning. It was a risky adventure, as he learned almost all of the Revolutionary missions were, and it made him remember the mission Ashina went on with Deuce. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had worried about her well-being, and had he known like he did now, exactly what she had been up to, he'd have gone with her without question. He trusted his brother, and had faith in his abilities, for missions like this one were certainly not his first, but the possibility for trouble and danger were still present.

Ashina must have known his train of thought because she shifted again and her green eyes opened to meet his own gray orbs. "They'll be fine. Koala will keep him out of trouble."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "The way you used to keep me out of trouble?"

Ashina snorted softly. "She's scarier than I ever could be. She'll do a much better job keeping his ass in line."

"You know, Thatch and Marco used to place bets on which one of us would start trouble whenever we docked at a new island."

"Whoever bet on you made lots of money."

"Oh really?" Ace teased, fingers trailing down her spine to the small of her back. "I distinctly remember a few times you instigated a fight."

"Ladies don't start fights," she retorted.

"But pirates do," Ace finished with a chuckle, "and the last time I checked I married a Revolutionary Pirate, or at least that's what I remember her calling herself. Am I wrong?"

His voice was teasing as he rolled to his side, keeping her caged close to his chest with his arm tight around her. His hand moved to cup her backside, fingers squeezing the soft, lace covered flesh.

"No," she breathed, fingers on his shoulder moving to tangle in the hair at the base of his neck. "Fire Fist and Missus Spade." Her gaze flicked from his eyes to his mouth and then back before she closed the small distance between them.

Her lips molded to his, and Ace pulled her body impossibly closer, moaning softly at the feel of her silk covered breasts pressed against his chest. She wiggled, slipping a hand between them to gently caress his hardening cock. Ace deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers, and moaned louder when her hand wrapped around his cock and squeezed gently.

The hand on her backside moved to slip under the band of her panties and he tugged them down. With a helpful shimmy from Ashina and some wiggling of her legs, Ace pulled them off completely and tossed them to the floor without care. He rolled then, to lie between her thighs, and peppered kisses down her chest. The satin fabric of her short nightgown bunched under his hands as he pushed it upward while his lips trailed open mouth kisses down her body.

Ace dropped a kiss to the junction of her thigh, as he settled between her legs. He nipped the tender skin of her thigh, smirking against her smooth skin as she wiggled beneath him.

"Ace," she hissed softly.

He only hummed in reply. Using one hand to slide her left leg further away, he used the fingers of his right hand to slowly trail along her folds. He parted her with his fingers and then swiped across her opening with his tongue. Her soft moan urged him on, and Ace delved into her with his tongue. Ace set a relentless pace with his tongue, alternating between diving into her core and flattening his tongue to swipe against her entrance and clit.

Ashina arched off the bed, grinding her core against his face, and when he hummed in pleasure she echoed him with a loud moan. One of her hands gripped the sheets while the other tangled in his hair.

"Fuck, Ace, please, I, ah!"

Her thighs moved to tighten on his head, and Ace couldn't help but chuckle, losing his rhythm momentarily and earning a whine from Ashina. His hands slid to grip her thighs and she relaxed her grip on his head slightly. Ace delved his tongue into her core again, humming at the taste of her arousal, and released one of her thighs to slide his fingers to her clit. He gently rubbed his thumb over the sensitive spot eliciting another moan from her throat.

Ace's own moan echoed hers when her fingers tightened in his hair. He continued his tortuous ministrations as she fell apart, the waves of her orgasm washing over her. Her back arched off the bed and she ground against his face. Ace let her rock against him, pushing her clit against the tip of his nose as she rode out her high. When she wiggled, trying to move away from his touch, he pulled back.

The moment he moved to cover her body with his own, her legs wrapped around his hips and she flipped them. Ace landed on his back, his hands immediately moving to rest on her thighs as she straddled him. She smirked down at him while her fingers traced the lines of muscles from his belly button to his shoulders. She traced the jagged line of his scars that marred his right shoulder, and he could see the moment her mind slipped to the past.

"I'm here," he whispered, "forever."

The words he'd told her that night on the submarine, when he'd admitted he didn't think he'd ever see her again, and promised he was going to love her for the rest of his life, brought her back to him. Her green orbs met his and she smiled softly. He wondered if she remembered that night too, but it didn't matter as her hips started to rock, gliding her wet center against the length of his cock.

He let her glide against his cock for a moment longer before he bucked against her, earning a low chuckle from her.

"Eager?" she teased, but she lifted her hips just enough to bring his cock to her entrance and slide down his length.

Any reply he could have formed died on his lips, a gasp of pleasure escaping them instead, as she rose up and then slid back down until he was balls deep inside her.

His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her thighs, holding tightly but not guiding her movements. He didn't need to, she knew exactly how to move atop him. Ace wasn't going to last long, the sight of her breasts bouncing slightly with each movement of her hips was almost enough to send him over the edge.

"Ashina," Ace groaned, "I'm gonna…" he voiced trailed off as he tried to bite back his moan. The sounds of their lovemaking were often to butt of many a joke here on the winter island, but it tore from his throat anyway as he came.

He slid his hands up her sides and around to her shoulder blades so that he could pull her down to press against his chest, stilling her movements. They laid together in the peaceful quiet of the dark, heavy breathing slowly evening out.

Ashina pressed a kiss to his jaw and then moved to lay against his side, straightening her legs out to tangle with one of his. He turned his head so that he could kiss her, and relaxed into his pillow. She wiggled enough to grab hold of their blanket and tugged it over the both of them.

With a whispered goodnight, Ace heard her breathing even out as she fell back asleep. He couldn't help but press one more kiss to her hair before he closed his eyes, drifting easily to sleep with his red-haired beauty tucked safely against his side.

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Ashina sat cross legged on the floor of the training room with her eyes closed and her hands folded in her lap. The space was quiet, giving her the perfect place to train her mind.

Conqueror's haki. The embodiment of one's spirit into the ability to overpower others by sheer will. From what she understood of conqueror's it was nearly impossible to train oneself to become better at using it unless the person themselves became stronger. However, she was determined to try.

She had it, had called it forth during the war, but since then the power laid dormant inside of her. Ashina had no earthly idea where to begin with training this type of haki to proficiency like her father. Shanks had the ability to lazily throw around his haki with ease for intimidation and presence, and he'd been able to do it for as long as Ashina could remember.

Armament haki had taken time to master, hours and hours spent training, fighting, and practicing until the skill came naturally to her. It had been almost the same with her abilities with observation, although thanks to her mother that came easier.

Observation haki came as naturally as breathing now. She took a breath in and reached out with her mind, searching for the familiar currents of haki she knew so well as she exhaled. Ace's was the easiest to pick out, burning like the fire he was made of, red and warm and familiar. Concentrating she could pinpoint his location, out in the training field with Thatch, whose haki was just a familiar. Dragon's current was also easy, strong and vibrant. She could pinpoint Deuce, Saber, and the rest of the Spades, and even most of the occupants of the island. While some she could name, many were unknown currents of haki, dormant and unused inside the individual but there nonetheless, alerting her of their presence on the island. Their spirit as strong and lively as their beating heart.

If even the weakest individual had that spirit of haki inside them that she could see… Ashina wondered…

She took another deep breath and turned her attention inward. She had never searched for her own haki, to find its current flowing inside her. After several long moments of concentration Ashina found it within herself. There was an intimate familiarity to the warm current that seemed to pulse with each beat of her heart.

Ace was red, burning with strength and pride. Shanks, a blue like the sea, calm but powerful. Dragon's haki beat a deep purple, loyal and fierce. Ashina… her current was green, like dark sea glass warmed by the sun, resilient, but soft, a strange gentleness to the raw strength that lied within. It reminded her of her mother and that made Ashina smile.

Did her mother have conqueror's haki? Ashina thought not, given the events that led to her untimely death, but maybe, like Ashina's it had been dormant, and without needing to be brought fourth had remained unknown with her passing.

Ashina opened her eyes, letting her concentration fade, and she stood from the ground. She needed to find Bo, it was close to lunch time, but after, she would seek out Ace and see if he was willing to be a pawn in her training. She would need someone strong, not just physically, but with Conquerors of their own, so that if or when she managed to unleash hers they would know, and hopefully remain conscious. She was positive Ace would help, especially if she bribed him with a little hand to hand training after.