Hello everyone, here's chapter 9

This chapter is mostly told from the Whitebeards pow, seeing as they are going to get to know the assassin better, and get to actually see he is not so invincible as they originally thought. And lots of bonding.

And thanks for all the reviews, it makes me really happy that you enjoy the story.

Without further do, enjoy.

Please read and relax

Ace had been back for about half an hour. Luffy had been telling Ace how fun he had been having there, and telling that the doctor, Bay, was a really good doctor. Ace was also happy to see the fourth commander getting better, and was going to be let out of the sickbed soon. Luffy had also decided to name Ace; Rascal, the Ace-coon. Which made his eye twitch, as many laughed. Ace could only sigh and enjoy it, it was normal for Luffy to behave like this and it was good to see him enjoying himself here as much as he did.

¨Ne, ne!¨ Started the kid, getting the attention of everyone in the infirmary. ¨Can we stay?¨ Luffy tilted his head at Ace, ¨The nice doctor lady did say you should stay.¨ Ace sighed. Luffy was right. Bay wanted him to stay for the next couple of days, saying she needed to put lotion on his nose, and that it was best they did it. Ace looked at Sabo who shrugged, not wanting to say no or yes, Ace knew he liked it here. Ace sighed again, massaging his face a bit, but flinching inwardly when he touched his nose. He looked at Luffy, having made a decision.

¨If,¨ Stared Ace, looking at Luffy, ¨You behave and Whitebeard say yes, we can stay for a bit.¨

Luffy let out a sound of happiness as he looked at the captain, who did of course nod, saying they could stay. Ace knew he would say yes. He had made it clear they had a home here, a place to go to. It was comforting for Ace to know this. He did know Shanks would always stand up, but he was… Well he was Shanks, he did stupid stuff all the time. Ace could still remember the time he had left Sabo and Luffy with Shanks when they were smaller and when he returned, both was located in the infirmary, having second degree burns. From what Ace gathered, Shanks had tried a magic trick with fire and had failed, horribly. He tried to not to let them stay alone with Shanks after that.

Sabo stood up, ¨Ace.¨ He said, as he motioned with his head to follow him, as he walked towards the door. Ace looked at Luffy, ¨Lu, stay here and behave. I need to talk to Sabo a bit.¨ He ruffled Luffy's hair, before following after Sabo, closing the door behind them. Luffy puffed his cheeks up a bit, before looking at Thatch. ¨Ne, Pompom,¨ Started Luffy. ¨Do you know any good stories?¨ He asked, tilting his head. Thatch nodded, before starting a tale from a raid way back, making the kid smile.

Whitebeard and Marco looked at each other when the boys left. They thought it was a bit weird for them to leave Luffy like this, but then realized Ace needed to tell Sabo about how Teach had gotten the information on them. Whitebeard had already told all of his commanders he had offered Ace a place amongst them, even for his brothers. Everyone had agreed, saying that even if they were a bit nervous around the assassin at times, they liked him and his brothers company. Marco, being the observant man he was, had stayed after the meeting, asking if there was more to it. Whitebeard had told him about his concerns about the assassin, about how young he was and must have a lot of burdens. Marco had agreed, saying he was going to tell the assassin he also wanted him to stay with them.

But now, after finding out about who everyone was, the concern only spiked even more.

The fact that he cared about his brothers could be though, especially when he was gone for days, not knowing if something was wrong, like how they had found the brothers after fleeing from the island. But also the fact that they were all wanted and would most likely be executed, must be real though at times. The captain could only imagine the worry Ace must have at times. Whitebeard could not even imagine the fear he must have felt when he found out Teach knew who they were. He hoped to speak to the assassin in private, so he could see if there was anything he could do to help.

Half an hour later, Sabo retuned alone. When he walked inside, Luffy was still listening to Thatch, eyes big and a big grin on his face, he really enjoyed stories they told. When Sabo sat down beside the captain and first commander, they looked at him. ¨Hey Sabo,¨ Started Marco, getting his attention. ¨Where is Ace, yoi?¨ Sabo looked at them, before sighing. ¨He's sleeping.¨ Sabo looked at Luffy, smiling at how happy he looked. Whitebeard and Marco looked at each other again. It was more to it than that. Sabo looked a bit concerned about something and they wondered why. When Luffy leaned forward, to hear Thatch better, Sabo spoke again, voice soft so Luffy would not hear.

¨Ace is really tired.¨ He said, looking at the first commander and captain, eyes holding an emotion they had not seen in Sabos eyes before; worry.

And they understood, nodding at Sabo who then went back to look at Luffy. The revelation that Ace was not only tired, but most likely exhausted, made them worry a bit. He had found out Teach had information about them, and that would be worrying for the assassin. And on top of that, finding out the information was gathered by an assassin, could be something that bothered Ace, making him worry even more. How long has he been awake? Thought Whitebeard. He knew concern and worry could keep people awake. And they knew Ace cared a lot about his brothers. They had no idea how he felt about the fact that an assassin had basically sold him out. I need to ask him about it. Thought the captain, before going back to looking at Thatch, who was still telling the tale, a smile on his lips.

-x-

It was now closing in on dinner time. Ace had been back for 7 hours,

And he had not woken up yet.

This caused a bit of concern in the pirates, after not only finding out he had gotten hurt, but was exhausted. Was almost an another blow in their faces, only showing how normal and human the assassin was. They all know he was sleeping, the fact it was closing in on dinnertime, made it so many thought if they should wake him or not. The assassin needed to eat. Half an hour later, they decided to get dinner. Sabo had gone to the library to find a new book, saying how he wanted to read up on folklore or something. When Jozu and Vista got up to get the food, Luffy asked to join them in the task. This made Whitebeard laugh, ¨Of course you can brat, but only if you don't eat the food on the way here.¨ He said, looking at the kid. Luffy nodded, before following after the two commanders.

When they left, Thatch looked at his father. ¨What about Ace?¨ He asked, frowning a bit. Whitebeard sighed, ¨I'm not sure,¨ He started, ¨I think he should eat. But based on what Sabo said, he should also sleep.¨ After realizing that Ace wasn't so invincible as they had imagined, they had all decided to look out after him. He was young, even younger than anyone on the ship. And the fact he managed to work as an assassin and still look and hold himself up as good as he did, was quite amazing in their eyes. He never faltered.

Marco sighed as he stood up, ¨I can go and check on him, yoi.¨ He said, looking at the captain who nodded. Whitebeard knew Marco would see how he looked and if he didn't look to tired, he would probably wake him up and say dinner was ready. Marco had gotten a lot less nervous and anxious around the assassin, he was the only one aside from himself that was getting less and less intimidated by the reputation the assassin had. There was Bay to, she never faltered, not even when she checked him over. That was why Whitebeard made her the head doctor, nothing seemed to faze her. Marco left to check in the assassin, who most likely was in the room Sabo and Luffy had used.

After he left, conversation started up between the occupants of the room. After 5 minutes, Sabo entered the infirmary again, a book ender his arm. When he looked around, and saw no Luffy, he looked at the captain, ¨Where is Luffy?¨ He asked. ¨He went with Vista and Jozu to get dinner.¨ Said the captain. Sabo nodded, before frowning a bit. ¨Where is the First Commander?¨ He then asked the captain, who felt a bit uneased by the frown on his face. ¨He went to check on Ace, to see if he wou-.¨ Whitebeard stopped when he looked at the expression at Sabos face.

He had frozen, before his eyes going wide and turning on his heal, running out of the infirmary.

This caused the pirates too look at each other, why had he run out? Before they could say anything amongst themselves, the door opened, and Vista, Jozu and Luffy went inside, holding lots of food in their hands. When they got inside, Vista looked at the captain, ¨Why did Sabo run past us?¨ He asked, as he put the food down and went to help Luffy put the food he held onto the table. ¨We don't know,¨ Started Thatch, a frown on his face. ¨Pops mentioned Marco checking on Ace, then he just ran out.¨ Luffy then hopped back on his chair, taking a piece of meat. ¨Sabo is probably going to stop Rascal from injuring Birdy Blue Breast.¨ He said, making everyone look at him. ¨Luffy,¨ Started Whitebeard, making the kid look at him. ¨Why would Ace hurt Marco?¨ This made no sense, Ace had made no move to injure them, so why now?

¨Oh,¨ Started the kid, ¨Its not smart to wake up Ace.¨ He took a bite of the meat, ¨He sometimes attack.¨

-x-

Marco stood outside the door to the room, and opened it carefully and went inside. Ace slept on his side, faced away from the door. Marco then went up to the boy, walking as silent as he could, holding his hand out to shake his shoulder, hoping to stir the assassin, so he could tell him dinner was ready.

His hand and inch away from the assassin, when his hand was suddenly grabbed and he was dragged to the bed, laying on his back, Ace on top of him and a knife to his throat.

Marco had no time to react or comprehend what was happening, before it was too late. The knife did not cut him, but was touching him, and Marco could instantly feel it was a seastone knife. He froze, before holding his hands out a bit, showing he meant no harm, fear in his brain. Ace blinked at him, ¨Commander Marco?¨ He asked, before removing the knife and standing up. ¨I didn't mean to scare or injure you.¨ He said as he helped the commander up. ¨Its okay,¨ Answered Marco, ¨I should not have snuck upon you.¨ Ace laughed a bit, ¨Yeah, it's not so wise to do that.¨ He said, looking at the man. ¨Why are you here?¨ He asked, looking at the man. ¨Its dinner time,¨ He started, ¨I came to tell you.¨ Ace nodded and they made their way outside, where they was almost ran down by Sabo.

Ace looked at him, he was even panting a bit. ¨I hoped to catch the First Commander before he woke you up.¨ Said Sabo, looking at them, a bit relived to see Marco in one piece. Ace had accidentally injured people when they decided to wake him up, especially if it was at a new place and someone unfamiliar was the one trying to wake him up. Ace snorted, ¨Then you were too late, next time you should warn them.¨ He said, looking at Sabo sternly. ¨I didn't know they was going to wake you, Luffy and I was somewhere else.¨ Said Sabo, looking at them.

Marco then cleared his throat, ¨It was a bit my fault to,¨ He started, ¨I should have not have sort of snuck upon him.¨ He then looked at the assassin, ¨But I must say, your reaction was amazingly fast and accurate.¨ Sabo snorted at that, ¨What did you expect?¨ He said, ¨For the raccoon to not react having someone sneak up on him and try to touch him?¨ Marco rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous laughed leaving him. He actually did not expect that, but it was stupid not to. Ace was an assassin, and he didn't know them so much. He was not surprised it had happened.

Ace sighed, ¨I wish you would stop calling me a raccoon,¨ He started, ¨Its bad enough with Luffy calling me Rascal.¨ Both Sabo and Marco laughed at that, before heading to the infirmary again.

-x-

Whitebeard made his way out onto the deck, most of the pirates had already gone to bed. The captain both hoped to find the assassin outside, so he could talk to him, but also hoped he was inside, relaxing or sleeping. He had talked to Marco and figured out what had happened when he went to wake him up. When he found out the assassin had almost attacked the commander, he felt guilty for sending Marco, not waiting for any of the brothers. But Marco had said it was okay, that it was partly his fault, even telling how impressively fast the assassin's reaction was. The captain was happy to see that his son was not at all fazed or frighten from the incident; The assassin was only a flick away from cutting his throat.

When he was out on deck, he was happy to see that the sky was clear. No clouds present in the night sky, the stars shining and the moon was almost full. Whitebeard then saw the assassin standing at the front of the ship, hands on the railing and facing the ocean. It was not much wind tonight, so it was almost no sounds that could be heard. Only the small waves hitting the ship, and maybe a seagull sound every now and then. It was relaxing. The captain went up to the assassin,

¨You know,¨ He started, getting the attention, ¨Sabo don't like it when you stay up I think.¨ Ace laughed, shaking his head. ¨He worries too much.¨ He said, facing the ocean again. Whitebeard went and stood beside the assassin, looking out at the silent ocean. ¨Do you think he's wrong to worry?¨ He asked the kid. Ace sighed, ¨I guess not,¨ He then shook his head a bit, ¨But I wish he would worry a bit less.¨ Whitebeard nodded, he understood that, he did not like it when his sons worried to much about him. He looked at the assassin, he looked a bit better in the face, the lotion Bay used worked extremely fast. ¨How did Teach manage to almost break your nose?¨ He started, ¨I know he was strong, but he wasn't the best at tactics.¨

Ace shook his head. ¨It was stupid,¨ He started, ¨I was standing behind him, holding his left hand and going to put my knife at his throat, to stop him from fighting.¨ Ace shook his head, looking up at the sky. ¨I didn't expect him to think about throwing his head backwards and he managed to catch me off guard, hitting me square in the face.¨ Whitebeard nodded. He felt bad about the assassin getting hurt, even worse by the fact he had not thought he could get hurt. He was about to say he was sorry for not thinking Teach was as strong as he was, and that he felt bad for his train of thoughts. But Ace beat him to it,

¨It okay,¨ He said, looking at the sea, a content look in his eyes. ¨I'm used to people forgetting I'm human.¨

Ace looked at the captain, a small smile on his face. ¨I thank you for the concern, but it is nothing, really.¨ Whitebeard nodded, smiling back. ¨Even if it's okay,¨ He started, looking at the young assassin, ¨You can always talk to me about anything.¨ He said, looking Ace, who sighed, a look in his eyes Whitebeard could not name. ¨I'm not used to rely on others, but I'll remember it.¨ He said, smiling as he looked at the captain. Whitebeard nodded, he was happy with that response, he knew the boy probably was not used to it, but it was always nice to know someone was there if you needed it.

Whitebeard looked at the assassins face, wanting to see if he showed any reaction to his next question. ¨You said Teach had bought information from an another assassin.¨ He started, Ace nodded, showing nothing he could decipher. ¨Was it from someone you know?¨ He asked. Ace sighed, looking at the sea, shaking his head a bit. ¨I don't know the person who sold it, but he is a part of The Red Cloud and I know the leader.¨ He said. Whitebeard nodded, he had heard about The Red Cloud. It was a guild or group of some sort, many of them was informants and assassins. ¨So you talked to the leader?¨ Asked the captain. Ace nodded, ¨Yes,¨ He started, ¨It was one of the new ones, he will handle the situation.¨ Whitebeard nodded, frowning a bit. Ace seeing the frown in the corner of his eye, continued.

¨We are assassins, but we have a code. We don't sell information on each other, it's dishonorable.¨

Whitebeard nodded, an understanding look at his face. He did not know about this, but had a thought about it, and was happy they seemed to be following certain rules. They then had small conversation about the world, and what they thought about some of its leaders. After a few hours, Ace bid goodbye and went inside. Whitebeard stood a bit longer outside, before also heading inside, happy with the talk they had had.

-x-

Most of the crew was on deck, the three brothers were also present. Ace sat by the railing, as he usually did. And the other two was listening to a story told from the chef, everyone listening to it. It was one of the stories from before he joined them, when he was running away from his family and staying in a city. It was still a silent day, the wind was not bad, and there were surprisingly few seagulls around. Thatch had been let out of the infirmary and was doing pretty well, but still had limitation that he needed to follow. It was easy ones, like no fighting, easy training, no hard work and a lot of rest.

When he was in the middle of telling about how he tried to rob a bar, he stopped and swallowed, a bit of fear in his eyes. And almost everyone had the same reaction as him, aside from Marco and Whitebeard. The reason or this was a sudden surge of Haki, and it was strong. They could also see a few of the less experienced and weaker people of the crew falling to their knees a bit, who was doing this? Just as Marco was to ask what was happening, the assassin rose, an angry look at his face.

¨Sabo, Luffy,¨ He said, voice hard and powerful. ¨Inside, now.¨ He ordered his brothers, who obliged, Sabo throwing a knowing look at the assassin.

Ace pulled his mask from his pouch and put it on. Whitebeard was about to ask what was going on, but the words died in his throat at what happened next. He could see something falling from the sky, straight towards the deck. It was big and looked like an inhumanly big crow, just before it hit the deck, a pair of wings spread and a person landed on the deck, in front of Ace. ¨Takayuki.¨ Said the assassin, shocking many of the pirates.

Takayuki was a name known through the seas, he was a notorious man. He had influence of most of the marines by his wealth and strength. He had been offered to be a warlord, even being offered a place amongst the admirals. But he always shot them down, saying he liked to be on his own. He was a man that had an almost as big reputation as the assassin. He was a dangerous man.

¨Ace.¨ Said the man, his wings transforming into hands. So he is a devil fruit user. Thought the captain. It seems he was a Zoan, and could transform into a crow of some sort. ¨Why are you here?¨ Asked the assassin, voice low and dangerous, making some of the pirates, even commanders having shivers down their spine. The voice just sounded evil and dangerous and they were glad I was not directed at them, and hoped it never would. ¨You know I don't approve of you showing up unannounced, Takayuki.¨ Spoke the assassin, glaring at the man. He seemed unfazed, and only moved his hand behind his back, taking a file out, throwing it to the assassin. ¨I need the information.¨ Said Takayuki, before actually glaring back at the assassin. ¨I know you have it.¨ He said, eyes strong, holding the assassins gaze.

Ace closed the file, looking at the man. ¨I'll give you the information.¨ Said Ace, before fixing his gaze directly at the man's eyes, brows furrowing in anger. ¨And if you ever show up unannounced again, I will not act so nice.¨ The way it was spoken held no room for any doubt, Ace would kill the man. The man held his gaze, before nodding. Transforming and flying off. When he was out of sight, Ace took a deep breath, the feeling of crushing Haki was gone, making many give a sigh of relief.

Ace looked at the file again, seeming to be more like himself. They had seen Ace act as an assassin before, but never had he acted as powering as he had just now. The fact that Ace managed to get Sabo and Luffy inside, even giving the warning, they had a feeling it was not the first time it had happened that someone had showed up unannounced, and the assassin clearly did not approve of it. The way he had spoken, held himself and the power they felt, made it so they wowed to never make the assassin mad. It was a terrifying sight and they understood why many thought of him as a non-human, he sounded like a demon.

A door opened and Luffy ran out, hugging his brother. Sabo waked out onto the deck slowly. ¨Are you leaving?¨ He asked. Luffy moved his head so he also could look at his brother, eyes big. ¨Yes,¨ Said Ace, ¨But only for a few minutes. I only need to get some files from The Red Cloud.¨ Sabo nodded. ¨Luffy.¨ He said, and Luffy went over to Sabo and Ace disappeared.

¨Is it often for people to show up unannounced, yoi?¨ Asked the first commander, back to being composed again, he had faltered a bit from the immense power and authority Ace had used. Sabo shook his head, ¨No,¨ He started. ¨There is very few, but some do it. Takayuki have done it one time before, as has some else.¨ He then looked at the first commander with a stern look. ¨Ace never lets anyone do it to many times, some only gets to do it once.¨ Marco nodded, looking at his father, who also seemed to assess the information. They guessed Ace had taken means to some that had showed up unannounced. ¨Do you know why Ace took the assignment, even after he showed up unannounced for the second time?¨ Asked the captain, looking at Sabo, who nodded. ¨ Takayuki is a strong and a man with a certain reputation as you may know.¨ The pirates nodded, ¨People would know if he disappeared. And he have never done anything else than just show up unannounced.¨

The pirates nodded, understanding. If he had acted out of his way, the small meeting of sort, would have taken a complete different turn. And it seemed that even if he just showed up, angering the assassin a bit, he knew where the line was. Whitebeard frowned a bit, ¨Do you know why he needed to go to The Red Cloud?¨ He asked Sabo, who nodded a bit. ¨Ace works a lot with them, and usually store information there, seeing as they have good security and room for the information he gathers.¨ He said. The pirates nodded, it did make sense. They were impressed with how different Ace was from the assassin. They knew they were two different people, but the assassin they had just seen, was even more intimidating from the one they were used to.

¨Ne, ne!¨ Started Luffy, sounding excited about something. ¨Where are we now? Are we close to Marado?¨ Asked the kid, looking at the captain with hopeful eyes. Whitebeard thought for a bit, they were not too far away from the island, maybe a few hours. The captain nodded, ¨We are not too far away from the island, why do you wonder?¨ Asked the captain, and Luffy grinned. ¨The island is really awesome!¨ He said, grinning even more. ¨Can we visit it?¨ He asked, tilting his head as he looked at the captain. Whitebeard thought again, the island was uninhabited and had beautiful nature, it would be a nice break for all of them. ¨We can visit, we all need a break.¨ He said, smiling as the kid screamed yes, clearly happy.

Dust then cawed, and Ace appeared. As soon as he was on the deck, Luffy ram into him ¨We're going to Marado!¨ He screamed in happiness to the assassin, who then looked at the captain who nodded. Ace then patted Luffy on the head, shaking his own, saying how Luffy always got what he wanted, making Sabo laugh a bit.

-x-

Ace, Sabo and Luffy was walking on the island. The Whitebeards was preparing to dock, Luffy wanted to go ahead and gave Ace the puppy eyes until he accepted. Sabo decided to also join them. Whitebeard had said it was okay that they went ahead, they would arrive in somewhere around 30 minutes to an hour later. The brothers had visited the island before and Luffy enjoyed it here. There were no inhabitants and there was a lot of nature, even waterfalls, fields of open grass and forests. The island was big, but the best part according to Luffy was the animals that was here. It was here Luffy had found the raccoon Rascal 6 years ago, when they had visited it. They usually visited every now and then just to make sure no one had done something to the beautiful island.

¨Ace, look!¨ Screamed Luffy, pointing towards some bushes in between the trees. Ace looked over, and in between the bushes, he could see some movement. They had walked a bit into the woods, knowing the raccoon was almost somewhere around here. It had also been almost a year since they had been here, and hoped to find the raccoon again. When they walked a bit closer to the bushes, a small creature jumped out, ¨Rascal!¨ Screamed Luffy, as the raccoon climbed into the kid's shoulder. Sabo and Ace laughed, they loved to see Luffy happy, it made them happy too.

¨Seems like Rascal is doing okay.¨ Said Ace, patting the creature on the head. Luffy nodded, a gigantic grin on his face. ¨Ah, Sabo,¨ Said the kid as he patted the raccoon, ¨The food.¨ He said. Sabo nodded and took a small pouch out, opening it. They had found berries and edible plants, and had taken them to feed the raccoon when they found it. ¨Here Lu.¨ He said, as he handed the small pouch to the kid. Luffy smiled even more when he held the small pouch. When he showed the pouch filled with food to the raccoon, he took the pouch from Luffy, and ran down, back into the bushes. ¨Rascal! Wait!¨ Screamed the kid, running after it. Sabo and Ace laughed a bit, running after. They could see Luffy suddenly stopping beside a bush, ¨Ace, Sabo! You need to see this!¨ He yelled, making the brothers look at each other, what had he found now? When they got besides Luffy, they stopped. Rascal had emptied the bag, all the fruit was on the ground. But the surprising part was the other raccoons that came out.

¨Rascal have a family.¨ Said Luffy, smile even more blinding than before. And it seemed Luffy was right, one of the raccoons was about the same size as Rascal, but the other 3 was a bit smaller, clearly kids. ¨Seems like you're right Lu.¨ Said Ace, also smiling. Sabo then crouched down next to them, ¨A happy small family, and look how happy they are from all the food.¨ He said. And they looked happy, eating the food. One of the smaller ones went over to Luffy, sniffing at his hand. ¨Hey there little one,¨ He said to the tiny creature. ¨I'm Luffy, and this is my brothers.¨ The small raccoon then licked at his hand, making Luffy smile and laugh. ¨He likes me!¨ He said happily. Ace could only smile at it,

life was good.

They stayed with the raccoon family for a bit, before moving along. They started to slowly head back towards the beach, seeing as the time was moving along and the pirates had likely docked already. Dust was flying around on the island, enjoying to be in the nature and being able to fly and hunt. Ace suddenly felt Dust cawing in his mind and smiled. ¨Luffy, Sabo,¨ He said, getting their attention. He held out his hands, ¨Come on, and we'll do something fun.¨ He said, and Luffy instantly smiled, taking his hand. Sabo gave him a curious look, but also took his hand. Then they were gone.

When they reappeared, Luffy let out a gasp, Sabo opening his mouth in amazement as Ace just smiled, sending a smile to Dust that was flying over them. In front of them was a big field, and in the field was herd of horses. They were all completely white, with beautiful long manes. ¨Do you remember what we thought you?¨ Asked Ace, looking at Luffy. Luffy looked at Ace, eyes big as he nodded. Ace whistled. The moment the sound left him, a few of the horses reacted, lifting their heads looking at them. Luffy squealed a bit as they made their way towards them, happy knowing what they were about to do.

When the herd was close to them, 2 horses came even closer, standing in front of the brothers. The trio had been here at least once a year for the last 6 years and liked to stay for a bit. When they had found the horses, they had tried to ride them and had of course been thrown off numerous times. But there was 4 of the horses that would allow them on their back, they had used months to make it happen. One of those horses was surprisingly the one that seemed to be the leader, and Ace usually used that one, being able to steer the heard. Luffy and Sabo switched between the 3 others. Luffy always rode with Sabo, seeing as he had been having a hard time at riding the horses, but was getting really good at it.

Sabo then went and mounted one of the horses, holding onto its mane a bit. Ace shared a look with Sabo, motioning for Luffy and the other horse. Sabo seemed to be thinking a bit, before nodding. ¨Luffy,¨ Started Ace, getting the kids attention. ¨See how Sabo is holding on?¨ He asked. Luffy looked at Sabo and how he sat, back straight, legs holding around the form of the horse and hands softly clutching the mane. He nodded, looking at Ace questionably.

He then made a squeal as Ace lifted him and put him on the other horse, looking at Ace with big eyes.

Ace took his hands, ¨Hold here and don't drag to hard.¨ He said as he put his hands on the neck of the horse, Luffy nodded. Ace pushed him a bit forward, making him sit in the right position. ¨Keep your legs around the horse, and remember to keep your back straight.¨ Luffy nodded, he remembered all the times Sabo and Ace had thought him how to sit and how to hold on, not to lose his balance. ¨Sabo will be riding next to you, if not a bit behind you, tell him if anything is wrong.¨ Luffy nodded, looking at Sabo with a blinding smile, making him smile back. Ace went over to the heard and mounted the leader, it was a bit bigger than the rest, and always ran in the front.

When he was on, he looked at his brothers, as the horses moved back to the herd, Luffy smiling like a fool, clearly happy. Ace nodded at Sabo, who nodded back. He would tell Ace if something seemed wrong. He had faith Luffy was ready, but still felt a bit unsure, so he would take it slow in the beginning. Ace kicked a bit, making a soft noise and the horses moved slowly, walking. Seeing that everything was fine, Ace sped up a bit, so they were trotting. After seeing Luffy was handling this well, not faltering or dragging the horse in the mane to hard, he looked at Sabo, getting a nod.

He heard Sabo telling Luffy to lean a bit forward, to hold a bit harder around the horse with his legs. When Ace looked back, seeing Luffy in the right position. He also did the same, giving a small click with his tongue, making the horse go faster. Then they were galloping through the field. Ace could hear the happy sound of Luffy laughing and looked back, only to see one of the most blinding smiles he had ever seen. Luffy looked like the happiest kid ever. And based on the look Sabo had, he was enjoying it to. Ace looked forward again, riding towards the beach, feeling the wind of his face, closing his eyes.

This was perfect.

-x-

The Whitebeards had just gotten on the beach, and was setting up a fireplace. They decided to stay for a bit, maybe overnight. And they needed a fireplace for light, warmth and just for the party's sake. It was never a real party without a fire. They had been docked for 10 minutes and was starting to worry about the brats. They had left for almost an hour ago, and told them that they were going to meet them at the beach, so where were they? They decided to wait 10 more minutes, before maybe sending Marco to look for them, seeing as he could fly and scout. 5 minutes later, a sound made everyone halt, it sounded like a herd of something running. Dust then came flying over them, even making a cawing sound.

They looked at each other and got in a battle stance, in case it was a flock or herd of wild animals that was going to attack. They faced the woods and stood ready. But what they saw made them lower their stance and weapons. It was a herd of maybe 15-20 horses, completely white horses.

And on three of the horses, sat the brothers.

Ace was in the lead, Sabo and Luffy a bit back. They could hear the laugher of the small kid, and he had a blinding smile on his face, looking so happy everyone who saw him had to smile themselves. Sabo also looked happy, smiling and looking at his brother. But Ace, he looked more relaxed than they had ever seen him, a smile on his lips. And this made the captain and commanders smile. It was good to see the assassin so carefree and happy. But it was not only happiness all of them felt. The first commander, when seeing the happy and carefree look on the Ace's face, made his heart skip a beat, he looked stunningly beautiful. Marco had not felt that about someone for a long time. When he felt his father stare at him, he realized he had been staring at the assassin and blushed a bit, shaking his head. Whitebeard smiled a knowing smile, looking back at the happy trio.

Ace, when seeing the pirates had arrived, made a lap around the beach, and stopped when they were a bit away from the pirates. The horses could be a bit skittish around people they did not know and he didn't want anything to happen. So when the horses stopped, Ace waited for Luffy and Sabo to get of first, before dismounting himself, making sure the horses stood still. When they were off and the horses moved back to the forest, Luffy ran towards the pirates. ¨Did you see that!¨ He screamed, still smiling like a madman. ¨That was so amazing!¨ Whitebeard laughed, it was an amazing and extraordinary sight. ¨We saw it,¨ Said the captain, looking at the kid who stopped to look at him. ¨It was an amazing sight. Was it fun?¨ He asked. Luffy instantly nodded and started to tell how amazing it was. Sabo and Ace went up to the pirates to. Ace stretching as Sabo laughed at Luffy's overenthusiastic story on how amazing it was.

¨Ace, yoi.¨ Said the first commander, getting the assassins attention. ¨Wasn't that wild horses? How did you tame them, yoi?¨ He asked the boy. Ace laughed at he looked at the commander. ¨They are wild yes.¨ He then propped down on the ground, Marco deciding to sit down to, still a bit away from the assassin, giving him his personal space. ¨My brothers and I have been here many times, and we decided to try and ride them.¨ He laughed a bit, leaning backwards on his hands. ¨We were thrown off at first, but after a while, they let us ride them.¨ Ace then looked up at the sky, closing his eyes. ¨It's an amazing feeling to ride them, you just feel free.¨ Marco nodded, they seemed to enjoy it a lot and was good at it. Marco and Ace sat on the ground, watching the other fiddle around, making a small camp.

While Ace sat leaned back, eyes closed and seemed to be relaxing. Marco was looking at him, he looked to be in a good mood, and happy to be at this island. Marco decided to take a small chance. ¨You know,¨ He started, making the assassin open an eye, looking at him. ¨Your brothers seems to really enjoy it on the boat, yoi.¨ Ace nodded at that, it was true. ¨So why don't you stay? Join us until they can set out, yoi. We do need a new Second Commander anyway.¨ Ace laughed a bit at that. ¨It is a nice offer, and I know they like it here.¨ He sighed a bit, ¨But it's not wise for me to stay the same place for too long, it causes unwanted people to show up and cause havoc. I also want to keep them outside my work, they worry too much already.¨ Marco nodded, he understood what he meant.

¨But,¨ Continued the assassin, sitting up a bit. ¨It would be nice to have them somewhere safe, and for me to stay the same place without being too concerned about them.¨ He looked at the commander, ¨I'll think about it.¨ He said, looking sincere at the man. Marco nodded, he was happy with that. He could understand the assassin not accepting, he was an assassin. He had a lot of work and was a wanted man, not only wanted by the marines, but many pirates too. And if it got out he was seen a lot around them, even the other two kids being seen too often, it would most likely cause some havoc. Marco decided to tell his father about it later, maybe he had some idea at what to do that will make it easier for them to join, too not be targeted when the marines or other pirates found out.

Two hours later, a nurse came up to them. Marco looked at her questionable, when he saw a familiar jar in her hand, he knew it was time to put more lotion on the assassin's face. Marco the looked at the assassin, he was still leaning a bit backwards, eyes closed. The bruising was much better, almost gone, hopefully gone by morning. When she was almost by their sides, Ace opened his eyes a bit, looking at the nurse. ¨Time for the lotion again I see.¨ He said. ¨Yes,¨ Answered the nurse. ¨It might be the last time, we'll see how it looks tomorrow.¨ Ace nodded at that. When the nurse had opened the jar and was about to start applying it, a noise had her look towards the campfire. She sighed, Thatch had managed to set himself on fire again. ¨Commander Marco,¨ She said, getting the attention. ¨I need to check Thatch over.¨ She then handed the jar to him.

¨You put the lotion on.¨ She said and left. Giving him no room to react before she was gone.

Marco looked at the assassin, a bit nervous. ¨I can get on of the other nurses if you like, yoi.¨ He said, not knowing if the boy was okay with him doing it. The assassin only laughed a bit, waving his hand. ¨It's okay, I don't mind if you don't.¨ He said, a smile gracing his lips as he looked at the commander. And Marcos heart skipped a beat again. Stop it, he thought as he applied the lotion, you are way too old for him. Marco tried to convince himself it was stupid to feel this way, there was no way the assassin would ever feel the same. ¨There,¨ He said to Ace. ¨All done.¨ Ace then smiled again, before stretching again. ¨Thank you, commander Marco.¨ He said, and Marco could swear his heart skipped a beat again. The assassin looked really cute and stunning when he smiled, especially when he smiled at him.

Marco was just about to open his mouth, most likely to say he was welcome, when Luffy was suddenly there, dragging Ace of towards the campfire. Marco sighed as he looked at the brothers and the other having fun. What he didn't see was the smile on the captains face, as he took an another swing of his sake.

-x-

Marco felt someone nudging him and slowly woke up. He could see Izou crouching next to him, telling him to be quiet and follow him. Marco stood slowly and looked around. Most of the pirates was out drunk, having passed out. Their parties usually got a bit out of hand, and this one had been surprisingly calm, most likely based on the fact that Thatch could not drink, and was therefore not drunk. And seeing as the kids was here, Luffy was still young. And no one knew if the assassin was okay with all of them drinking as bad as they did. Marco could also see Sabo and Luffy not to far away from the still alive fire, sleeping soundly, but where was the assassin?

Marco could see Izou motioning for him to follow him again, Marco did, stretching a bit as he walked. Izou walked him through the woods, and he could see something similar to a clearing ahead of them. When they got out in the small clearing, he could see that it was a small cliff they were standing on. Izou went to the right, and Marco turned towards Izou, and halted for a second. It wasn't just Izou that was here, but also Thatch, Haruta, Jozu and Whitebeard. Izou went and sat down besides Thatch and Marco stared at them. ¨What are you doing here in the middle of the night, yoi?¨ He asked them. Thatch motioned to the field down below the cliff, Marco looked down and his eyes went big.

In the field, that was lighted up by the moon, was Ace.

He was riding the horse again, there were no other horses around, only the one Ace was on. Ace was riding it around, sometimes going faster, other times going slower, making the horse swing and make circles. ¨How long have he been doing this, yoi?¨ He asked, looking at them. ¨We don't know, son,¨ Started Whitebeard in a low voice. ¨But we have been watching for the last half hour.¨ Marco nodded and went to sit beside his father, looking at the assassin that was on the field, like a show the assassin didn't know they were watching.

After a while, they heard a noise. It sounded like a howl of some sort and it made the horse stop in the middle of galloping. Ace, not anticipating the sudden stop, went flying over the horse and landed on his back. Marco was about to stand up, and about to fly down and check on the kid, when a gigantic hand made him halt, ¨Don't worry,¨ Said Whitebeard, ¨He's okay.¨ The hand was then lowered and Marco stared at him, how did he know? And when he was about to ask, he heard it; small laughter. He looked at the field and could see the horse shaking its head, as Ace laughed on the ground. The horse nudged Ace with his head and Ace rose and jumped right on again, and started running in circles again.

Marco relaxed, sitting back then watched as Ace pushed the horse to run faster that they had seen, before halting completely. This time, Ace did not fall off. Ace petted the horse on the neck, having somehow made the horse gone from mid gallop, to a complete halt. Ace moved a bit and the horse moved backwards, before halting again and turning around and galloping the other way. It was a magnificent sight. ¨He's really good.¨ Said Haruta, that sat next to him. The others could only nod, the assassin was amazing. And it was no surprise, seeing as he was a highly skilled assassin, he probably had a lot of talent. But they really did enjoy watching the young assassin, he looked so carefree and happy as he rode around.

They watched for about an hour more, before leaving, seeing as the sun was starting to rise and they wanted to leave before the assassin noticed them. They had a feeling he knew they were there, but he had made no move to show that he knew they were watching.

-x-

In the morning, they went and got back on the boat. Many of the pirates went to their room to sleep off the rest of their hangover. Luffy was running around with the gigantic dog Stefan, Ace and Sabo was inside the ship. They thought Ace maybe was doing some work related stuff, and Sabo was either with him or in the library. After half an hour, Sabo came out on deck. He went over to the captain and caught his attention. ¨Bay says Ace is good to leave, but we'll probably stay a few more hours.¨ He said, making the captain nod. Luffy was suddenly in front of his brother, ¨Where are we going when we leave?¨ He asked, tilting his head. The pirates looked at each other, was they not going home? Sabo dusted some dirt of his brother, ¨We're going to visit a certain old man.¨ He said making Luffy smile,

¨We're going to visit Rayleigh?¨ He asked, a gigantic smile on his face. Sabo just nodded.

¨Brat,¨ Said the captain, getting the kids attention. ¨You know Dark King Rayleigh?¨ Luffy looked at the captain, smile still on his lips. ¨Yeah, we do!¨ He said, before running off to play with Stefan again. Sabo only shook his head. ¨Luffy managed to meet him one time and he kind of took a shine to him.¨ Sabo stretched a bit, ¨When he found out who Ace was and he was Luffy's brother, he wants to see us every now and then.¨ Whitebeard nodded, it did make sense. Luffy did have Rogers old hat and he was the brother to not only Rogers son, but also the most famous assassin. Rayleigh would want to get to know them and meet them when he could. He was type of man that was wise, and probably decided to have them on his good side, even being friends with them, was a good thing.

Whitebeard was also having some other thought. Rayleigh was a strong, relying and never faltered, he could be a good mentor for not only Sabo and Luffy, but Ace as well. He was a person that seemed to be there when you least expected it, but needed it the most. Whitebeard had a feeling he knew Ace was a bit on edge after Teach and the fact someone had sold information about him and his brothers, therefore wanted to see the boys. Rayleigh did seem to know everything that was going on around them, even before anyone else knew.

Luffy, who was now somehow managed to get on top of Stefan, was suddenly thrown off, andwent over the railing. Before anyone could react to what had happened, Dust cawed, and suddenly Ace was on the deck, holding Luffy in his hands. Luffy wiggled out of his grasp, ¨Thanks Ace!¨ He screamed and went to play with Stefan again. Ace just shook his head, clearly not at all fazed by the fact he could have drowned. But seeing how energetic the kid was, it was not the first or last time it had happened. The kid be a real handful. Ace did seemed to be real used to it, and handled it with ease.

His face also looked normal again, the bruising was gone and there was no swelling. The only thing was a small scratch were the cut had been. It was good to see that the lotion Bay had used, had worked as greatly as it had. The assassin stretched a bit, making a few popping sounds, before relaxing again. ¨I assume Sabo have already told you we are leaving today?¨ Asked the assassin, making the captain nod. ¨He have, he also mentioned were you are going.¨ Ace nodded, not seeming surprised by the fact. They then went about to relax on the deck. Whitebeard was happy to see that no one of his sons and daughters was anxious around the assassin, they seemed to be at ease around him. Many of them was a bit intimidated, and didn't look at him for too long, but it was a great difference from before, when no one dared to make any move around him.

2 hours later, Haruta made her way towards Ace. Luffy and Sabo hand gone inside the ship to look around and try to get the layout of the ship. It was a big ship, and had a lot of small passageways, and Luffy wanted to find all of them. Seeing how bad Luffy was at finding his way back and how he often managed to get lost, Sabo had tagged along. ¨Umm,¨ She started, getting the assassins attention. ¨You showed Thatch and Izou some tactics and fighting tips and I wondered if you could show me anything..?¨ The assassin looked at the commander, before nodding and standing up, stretching when he was upright. The other pirates were a bit surprised by the request from their youngest. They knew Haruta was a bit jealous, seeing as she also wanted to learn more tactics, but she had been too scared to ask the assassin last time. And it seemed like she was taking a chance and decided to ask. She looked relieved and happy that the assassin had accepted.

When Ace put his hands back by his side, he motioned for the twelfth commander to get in battle stance. The young commander obligated and took her saber out, holding it in front of her in her right hand. Haruta was nervous as the assassin was assessing her stance and seemed to be thinking about something. While she tried, Haruta could not stand completely still, which made her a bit crestfallen, seeing as the assassin had told Thatch to stand still in his stance. Haruta was not used to be standing completely still like Thatch, but she always tried her best, seeing how much stronger the man was than her. She wanted to be stronger and better.

The assassin hummed a bit, making the commander a bit more nervous. ¨You seemed to have an issue with standing still,¨ He started, ¨Don't you fight with speed?¨ He asked, looking at the fidgeting commander. Haruta nodded. She was one of the fastest swords wielders on the ship, based on how light and small she was. Ace nodded, ¨Then don't try to stand still, it will make you slower.¨ He said, making many of them look at him in question and curiosity. He had told Thatch to stand still, to have a firm and powerful stance. So why was he saying something different now?

Ace sighed, seeing and feeling all the looks he was getting. ¨You're probably wondering why I said something different to you than Thatch?¨ Haruta nodded. Ace went and took a sword that was lying about and held it up at the ready, the same way Thatch had stood, feet planted in the ground, sword held in front and body straight and still. ¨Thatch is a bit stronger built than you and therefore need to use his weight and stance to fence of attacks. He can do this best with his feet planted in the ground and standing still with his body at the ready for an attack, on the defense basically. Using his strength in his attacks, he gets more force if he stands still in the right stance before attacking.¨ Haruta nodded, she understood that.

Ace moved his body a bit, standing like Haruta had. ¨You on the other hand,¨ Continued Ace, ¨Are much smaller and lighter, meaning you don't have the necessary strength to fend of attacks and defend like the fourth commander, you could be easily knocked over or lose you balance.¨ Haruta felt her shoulder hunch a bit at that, maybe she was to weak. ¨But,¨ He continued, making the commander look at him again. ¨You are already used to fight with you speed. You need to start using your movement and stance to get more speed and be more at ready, at the offence shortly said.¨ Ace then moved his form a bit in place, ¨If, instead of standing still, you move around, never standing still. You will be more ready to go for an attack or dodge, getting a upper hand.¨ Haruta nodded and went back to the stance she used, only this time, doing small movement, small jumps and switching from leg to leg like the assassin had.

And it felt much more natural and better than trying to stand still.

Ace looked at her, nodding. ¨It will also make you less nervous in battle, since you focus more on what's happening around you, than trying to stand still, your body feeling ready.¨ Haruta nodded, amazed that she was supposed to move around. She had always tried to copy the other sword wilders on the crew, no one was moving about as she did. ¨There are not many that do this,¨ Started the assassin getting the attention again. ¨But if you manage to never stop the movement, you can get more speed during your attacks and surprise the enemy.¨ Haruta nodded, it did make sense. ¨I use this fighting style every now and then, but I am not to skilled at it myself. But I know someone who are.¨ Said the assassin, making a sense of hope fill the small commander. ¨I can ask him for some tips and see if he can come by sometime.¨ The small commander nodded, a smile on her face, ¨I would really like that.¨ She said. And for the next hour or so, Ace gave her small tips on how to use her speed at a more reliable way.

While Ace was busy with this, the other pirates smiled. The small commander had had issues with not being as strong, but she was fast, the reason she was chosen to be a commander. The fact that none of them used speed as the way she did, made it so she had to figure a lot out herself, which could be hard. It was good to find someone that could teach her how to use her skills. The assassin was really helpful. They were glad they had checked out the island all those months ago. If they hadn't they would never have met the kids and seen the other side of him.

As Ace showed and walked around Haruta, giving pinpoints. Whitebeard could only think that Ace would have fitted in perfect. He would be a good commander, and he could teach them a lot. The assassin was really talented, and was willingly to learn them how to better their skills, even teaching new skills.

He only hoped the assassin would say yes at some point.

-x-

Some hours later, after dinner, the kids had packed and was ready to leave. ¨You sure you didn't forget anything?¨ Said the assassin to Luffy. Luffy nodded. Ace lifted an eyebrow. ¨Well, I think I remembered everything.¨ Ace sighed, ¨If your forgot anything, we'll get it later.¨ Luffy nodded at that, before looking at the crew, waving his hands. ¨Goodbye everyone!¨ He yelled, and many waved back, saying their own goodbye. ¨We promise to visit again soon!¨ Said the kid, and the other two only shook their heads a bit, before patting the kid on the shoulder, making him turn around.

Ace had sent Dust off a bit earlier, making so they could just teleport there. When he was at their destination, the kid had gone to pack his stuff. They were a bit disappointed that they had to leave so soon, but hoped they would visit again soon, as Luffy said. Sabo then said his goodbye, tilting his hat a bit, and getting a few nods back. ¨I thank you again for the hospitality.¨ Said the assassin, looking at the captain that nodded back. ¨It was no problem.¨ Said the captain. ¨It's nice to have you here, hope you can come again soon.¨ He said, with a smile on his face. Ace nodded, ¨We'll probably visit again sometime.¨ Many of the pirates smiled at this, happy that they would come by again.

Luffy then hugged his brother, and Sabo put his hand on the assassin's shoulder. Ace gave a nod, a small smile on his face, and disappeared.

And that was chapter 9, hope you enjoyed.

And some start of Ace/Marco, or rather Marco starting to realize he likes Ace. It is also going to be a slowbuild, seeing as Ace is not the best at letting people in.

I'll also do more with the Thatch/Izou later, this chapter was mostly here as a chapter to see them a bit more around each other, and that they were getting more and more connected to the assassin, even cute little Haruta, who is a female, no matter what others say. I think it fits better for her to be a her.

If you have any requests, questions or is wondering about something in the story, feel free to ask.