Hello everyone, here's chapter 30
I know it's late, but here it is and I hope everyone likes it
And just a small spoiler or notice, we won't have Thatch face the fact Ace has the brand in this. Know many probably wants to have that and it will come, just not in this.
Rather we will have some calmness and relaxation since the last two was a bit hectic and a lot of hurt Ace. Also we need to work more on the Marco/Ace and general bonding. This will mostly be from Marcos pow, since I thought that fit best.
Hope you enjoy
Read and relax
Marco walked out of his room early in the morning, he had used most of the night out with Ace, but he had gotten an assignment when the sun started to rise, so Marco had gone to his room to relax, since Ace wouldn't return for some hours. As the first commander walked over the deck, he headed to his father's room, knowing he was still in his room since it was early, but he was most likely awake, as he usually were when he had gone to bed early, which he had last night.
When Marco got to his room, he knocked and it wasn't long before he heard the 'come in' and opened the door, closing it behind him. Pops was sitting in his chair, looking some files over. We he saw it was him, he took his reading glasses off and turned to him. ¨Son, how are you this morning?¨ Marco gave a smile. ¨I'm fine, yoi. But I wanted to inform you of something.¨ The captain gave a nod, turning more to him. ¨I had a feeling you had. You usually don't show up this early.¨ Marco gave a small chuckle, his father knew him well.
Marco took place on a chair and looked at his father. ¨I was out with Ace during the night, yoi. Just talking about some things. He mentioned it would most likely be calm, or at least calmer for a bit.¨ He could see his father looking a bit shocked, but quickly smiled, looking glad by that information. Marco gave a small nod of his head before continuing. ¨When I asked why, he mentioned the man they put on display, the 'leader' of sorts. He was a leader to the Blue blooded patricians, and said it was a warning. A warning that if they did anything now, they go to war.¨
Marco saw his father frowning, before the man could say anything, Marco spoke again. ¨I told Ace that if they do, we will help.¨ Whitebeard gave a nod, ¨I understand. I agree with you, if they do go to war, we will help Ace, help the assassins.¨ Marco gave a nod, giving a small breath, ¨I know I should have told you before promising it, but I had a feeling you would agree to help.¨ The captain gave a nod, giving a smile. ¨It might not be our war, but if Ace is involved, we will always support him.¨ Marco nodded. He had a feeling he would say that, he always stood by their side and was supportive. If it happened that Ace go to war and they help, it wouldn't be the first time they had stood by and helped in a war. They had done it with Roger years before he was executed, when he had gone against the Marines to rescue some of his crew.
Marco smiled at his father. ¨I had a feeling you would say that, yoi. But I wanted to inform you of it.¨ Pops nodded. ¨I understand that. Thank you for informing me. Is Ace on an assignment?¨ Marco nodded. ¨Yes. He got it as the sun rose. He said he would be back around dinner time.¨ Pops nodded and smiled. ¨I see. How have you been the last days? We haven't gotten to talk a lot.¨ Marco gave a small chuckle and joined the man in some conversation, telling how he had been and how Ace had seemed during their talk, before he joined the man to breakfast.
-x-
When dinner rolled around, Ace came not long after it had started and sat down. Marco had given him a smile and had asked how it had gone and Ace had said it went fine, nothing major. Marco noticed Thatch not speaking with Ace, but did send a glance at him now and then, looking unsure. The first commander had sighed inside himself. He wished Thatch would speak to Ace, not try to avoid him and ignore it, it was clear the chef wanted too, but didn't dare. It didn't seem like Ace reacted to it, probably since he wanted to have Thatch approach him, not wanting to force him into a corner or force him to face it. Thatch needed to come to Ace himself.
As the dinner continued and people were finishing up, some people from Aces division came up to the commanders table and got Aces attention. ¨Commander Ace, we were wondering, since you are so young, if you had any interesting stories to tell from the time you've been traveling around.¨ Ace had given a nod, making the small group smile. Marco almost wanted to snort, Ace probably had many stories to tell, he had seen most of the world in his young life, he was able to travel around fast and was an assassin after all.
Ace had given them a smile, ¨What kind of story then?¨ A man, Walter, spoke up first. ¨How about one of the worst things you've seen?¨ Everyone had nodded and Ace also gave a nod, seeming to think. It might look like he was thinking about if he had something gruesome happening, but Marco was sure he was trying to think of something that wasn't gruesome. Ace had seen a lot of gruesome things, probably more than a normal pirate would see their entire life.
After some seconds, Ace gave a nod again, ¨I know. One time I was going to take the sea train.¨ Walter interrupted. ¨You've taken the sea train?!¨ Ace nodded, ¨I have, a few times actually. Anyhow, this day it was in the middle of an extremely bad rush hour and the train was overfull and the conductors were doing their best to get everyone a seat. Which of course was hard since there were so many that wanted to ride.¨ Marco saw many stopping their own conversation and looked at Ace, wanting to hear. Very few of them had ridden the train and everyone thought it was a nice and calm ride, not something to be considered bad. Ace had the attention to all of the commander and the captain too, they were also curious.
¨Because it was so full, many were asked to leave their luggage behind, especially if it was much or large. There were this woman who was on her way to board, having a baby and a two big suitcases. She was of course stopped and asked to leave one thing behind, since they didn't have the space, the conductor motioning towards her suitcases.¨ Marco felt something starting to stir up in him, making him uncomfortable, he had a feeling he wouldn't like where this was headed. Ace gave a small shake of his head. ¨The woman nodded and turned to the side, to the ocean,¨
¨And promptly threw her baby in, not sparing it a second thought.¨
Marco saw many of the ones listening getting horrific faces at that, some yelling a ¨What?!¨ But Ace continued. ¨People of course panicked and a man jumped in and thankfully saved the baby. When he yelled at the woman, asking why she did that, it was a baby, you don't just throw it away.¨ Ace gave a small shake of his head again. ¨She shrugged her shoulders and calmly said, 'I can always have another baby.' Before boarding the train, leaving the baby behind. I still wonder what was in those suitcases, what could possibly be more important than a living life.¨
Everyone around that had heard it was in small shock. Walter spoke first. ¨Why the hell would you tell a story like that?!¨ Ace gave shrugged, ¨You asked.¨ Walter sputtered. ¨B- but I actually didn't think you had anything horrible like that! You're only 20 for heaven's sake! I thought you would say something nicer!¨ Ace gave a small chuckle, ¨Age has nothing to do with what one have seen or not. Be in the wrong place at the wrong time, you get to see a variety of horrible and weird things.¨ Many had nodded, still seeming shocked.
It was a horrible thing, for a woman to choose some luggage over a baby, but Marco knew Ace had seen so much more and this could not even compare to that. But it was still something one shouldn't have seen at a young age, to see how horrid the world was. As the shock wore off, some asked for another thing he had seen, but something happy instead. Ace had given a small laugh and told some stories of generous people and small miracles he had seen, which made many smile.
As the day continued after that, they stayed mostly out on deck, seeing as the weather was great. As the day went by, they noticed Stefan was acting up and running around, being overly active and seeming frustrated. Whitebeard had said it was because that they hadn't had the chance to let him run around for a while, Stefan being secluded on the boat for almost 2 months now. The times they had visited islands, they had never been uninhabited ones that he could run on, meaning the wolf had a lot of pent up energy.
This was something that happened now and then, but they usually was close to somewhere he could run, close to a big island or uninhabited one. They were off their normal course, since they were headed to Palmido, which were far to the side. As the captain had told this to the ones asking why Stefan was being so active, Ace, who had managed to calm the wolf a bit by petting it and howling a few short times with it, making many smile, spoke up.
¨There is an uninhabited island close to here. It's nothing too big, but it would be large enough for him to run and have his fun.¨
The captain had looked at Ace shocked, before asking how far away the was. Ace had said about half a day or so and Whitebeard had said they should head there. Ace had given some coordinates to Namur, who had gone to see and change their course. As the news that they would be going to an uninhabited island, many had lightened up and was in really good mood. Everyone knew what that meant, and that was that they could party extra hard since there were no people there and they could have a bonfire.
And a small visit to an uninhabited island sounded nice.
-x-
When they docked at the island, they were amazed to see how beautiful it was. There was a lot of open land, like fields, as well as a lot of woods they could see in the distance. How no one had been here and revealed its place was a mystery to the captain, it was a beautiful island, a really beautiful one at that. The captain wasn't sure if he had seen one this calming and relaxing for awhile, never in the New world at least. He knew a few that could rival it in the Grand line, close to the calm belt, but this was still amazing. He was really glad Ace had shared this island with them, it was a bit to the side, but not too far away from their usual route.
As they had walked off the boat, most of the commanders and many off the crew also walking off, the captain had heard a lot of amazed sounds on how pretty the place were. The captain had sent a look at Ace, and he was harboring a smile, looking to be calm and relaxed, making the captain think Ace had been on this island before, which he most likely had. As they walked on the land and some of his children started to moved around, looking around the beach and near forest, the captain thought they should scout the island, to see if there were any thing to be wary off, like wild life or any people who might also be here.
Just as he was about to turn and ask Marco to do a quick flight over the island, he heard some kind of trampling coming from the woods.
When he looked to see what it was, seeing as it was loud and heavy, the captain saw a large black horse running towards them. As the captain was about to tell his children to move behind him, Ace walked closer to the horse and held his hand out. As the horse came closer, it slowed down and came to a stop in front of Ace. Ace had a smile as he took a step closer to it, petting it. ¨Hey, how are you?¨ The horse shook its head, before giving a breath, nudging Ace. Ace gave a small chuckle as he went back to petting it.
¨Son,¨ Started the captain, getting Aces attention. ¨You've been here before?¨ It might be a stupid question, he obviously had, just based on how familiar the horse seemed to Ace. The assassin gave a nod, looking at the captain. ¨I have, quite often actually.¨ Ace turned to the horse again, using his fingers to scratch the horse's head, which it seemed to like. ¨This one here keeps me returning.¨ The captain nodded. Ace seemed fond of animals.
The horse was really large, the lowest part of its back was about a head taller than Ace. And it mane was long, almost reaching down to the horse's knees. It seemed special. The captain had never seen a horse like this before.
¨Pops,¨ Started a voice to his right, making him turn and look at Marco. ¨Should we scout the island?¨ Whitebeard thought for a second. They should, seeing as they had never been here before. But Ace did seem to know this place, maybe he even knew it well. Scouting it might seem like they didn't trust him. Before the captain could answer, Ace spoke up. ¨I can take a quick trip around the island. I know the place and the usual hiding places. Unless you have someone that usually do it?¨ The last part was spoke as he looked at the captain.
Whitebeard shook his head. ¨If you want to, you can. You do know the place better.¨ The captain gave a smile, Ace did seem to want to take a run with the horse, even the horse seemed to want that. Ace gave a nod and walked towards the horse's side. As he did, Ace moved his foot in a motion towards the horse's leg and something extraordinary happened.
The horse lowered its front, moving so he was kneeling. Making it much easier for Ace to jump on its back. When he was on, the horse stood up.
Ace clapped the horse's neck, as a small praise. The captain could see many of his children looking amazed at Ace. The horse really seemed tame, but he guesses it to be a wild one, which made him wonder if there were other horses here. ¨Son,¨ He started, making Ace look at him. ¨Are there more horses here? Aren't they flock animals?¨ Ace gave a nod. ¨There are more, an herd actually. But I've known this guy since he was born 8 years ago. He's fond of me and likes to be alone often.¨ The captain nodded, that made a lot of sense, especially seeing how well they seemed to know each other and how tame the horse was.
Before he could ask more, the horse shook its head, making a noise, looking at him with something akin to a glare. Ace gave chuckle, clapping the horse, shaking his head. ¨Still the impatient one.¨ Ace moved himself a bit on the horse's back, getting into a better position, before sending a look at him. ¨It won't take look to make a trip around, especially with Dust also helping. Maybe an hour, a couple at most.¨ Whitebeard gave a nod. ¨That sound good. Have fun, son.¨
Ace gave a nod and moved his hand behind himself, giving a small snap with his fingers. The horse gave shook of its head as it turned around, walking toward the woods again. When they were a bit away, the horse started trotting, then they disappeared into the woods.
As they were gone to scout the island, the rest started to fix a small camp for them, finding wood to make a bonfire and looking around the beach and close woods. When Ace returned an hour and half later, he said there was no one that had been here and the island was calm as usual. After he had nodded and said that was good, Ace had snapped his fingers next to the horse's leg and the horse had kneeled again, making the descent easier. As he was off, he gave a last pet to the horse, before it walked off.
Ace helped around the beach for a while, setting up camp and helping to keep the mood up, which was easy, everyone really liked this place. After doing it for an hour, Ace got an assignment and said he would be gone for some hours, returning around dinner time. After Ace had left, they continued to set up the camp, which was finished just before dinner.
It was going to be nice to spend a day here.
-x-
When Ace returned, he gave a sigh. Things was still calmer around the Blue blooded patricians, but that didn't mean there weren't others who was evil and held slaves. When Ace had changed out of his clothes, he had used his powers to get to the woods, to where his horse was. Ace didn't waste much time before he was trotting around the island, enjoying the calming and relaxing peace.
As they were walking out to a clearing, the horse suddenly reared, somewhat startling Ace. Ace held into its mane a bit and moved with the rears so he wouldn't fall off or lose his balance. As Ace managed to see what had startled the horse, he saw Stefan sitting in the clearing, eating on a carcass of some kind. As the wolf lifted its head, the horse did another rear. Ace petted the horse along its mane, ¨Hey, it's fine. He's not dangerous.¨ The horse had calmed down, but was still a bit tense, watching the wolf. Which was no surprise, wolves were predators, it was natural for the horse to be spooked.
When the horse was calm, Ace held his hand out to Stefan, who had stood up, making him come closer to him. The horse took a tentative step back, but Ace used his other hand to clap it, calming it down. When Stefan was close enough, Ace petted the wolf, ¨See? He's not dangerous, nothing to worry about.¨ Stefan might be a wolf, but he wouldn't attack a horse Ace sat on, Stefan was a kind and almost tame wolf. The horse gave a small neigh, shaking its head, before tentatively smelling the wolf. When Stefan allowed it, not being predatory or hostile, the horse relaxed, shaking its head. ¨Stefan's calm and not angry.¨ Said Ace, giving a pet to Stefan, who seemed to like it.
As Ace petted Stefan, he got an idea and looked at the horse, giving it a clap. ¨Think you're faster than a wolf?¨ The horse gave a nod, giving a breath, as if saying 'of course'. Ace looked at Stefan, ¨How about you? Up for a race?¨ The wolf tilted its head, before moving to stand beside Ace and the horse, standing ready.
Ace gave a smile, changing his position a bit. A race sounded perfect.
-x-
The captain watched as all of his children sat and enjoyed the fire from the bonfire. Dinner had passed some hours ago and some had already started drinking, but most wanted to wait a bit more, wait until the sun setted. Which it had slowly started to. The captain was also wondering where Ace was, since he should have returned around dinner, which passed hours ago. But he wouldn't worry yet, for all he knew, Ace might be on the ship relaxing.
As they were enjoying themselves, the captain finding himself a bottle of sake, much to the nurses, doctors and Marcos annoyance, he could hear some running hooves from the woods, growing as if coming closer. The captain though the horse Ace had ridden before might be coming back, or maybe some other horses would come, especially when he heard more than one thing running, but it sounded a bit different than hooves, making him wonder what or who it might be.
As he was watching the woods, to see if he could see anything, also seeing Marco doing the same. He could see a white large creature running behind the tree line, running fast. It took the captain a second, but as it came more into view, he saw it was Stefan running. The captain frowned a bit. It was normal for the wolf to run around, but he never ran this fast without a reason. He could see the wolf panting and running at full speed, maybe running away from something.
Just as the captain was about to ask Marco to fly and check, he saw a black shape coming into sight in front of the wolf, running a bit faster.
It was no doubt on who it was, especially after seeing a shape on the black large creature. It was no doubt Ace and his horse, also running at full speed, Ace leaned a bit forward as a hand was held beside the horse's neck, as if showing the way and giving small commands. When he got more into view, still being behind the tree line, he saw the assassin smiling, turning back to throw a look at the wolf, who sped up and passed Ace a second later. When Stefan did, Ace leaned more forward, snapping his fingers and the horse ran faster, catching up to the wolf.
They were racing. Understood the captain. Ace was racing Stefan with the horse, giving a challenge too.
As they continued to run, they were soon out of view again, continuing their race. The captain could see Marco giving a small laugh, shaking his head, also realising they were racing. ¨Is Ace racing Stefan?!¨ Whitebeard looked to his right, seeing Thatch staring at the place the assassin and wolf had disappeared. The captain gave a chuckle as he nodded. ¨It seems so, son.¨ Thatch gaped, ¨But Stefan is really fast!¨ Whitebeard nodded, ¨Yes, but the horse is also really fast.¨ Thatch nodded, still seeming shocked. Stefan was fast, Marco being a bit faster in his phoenix form, but the horse was apparently also really fast, managing to keep up. Which was no surprise in reality, seeing how big it was and how much muscle it seemed to have.
The pirates continued to enjoy themselves, the captain glad to know Ace was back and was having his own fun.
Half an hour later, the horse came walking, Ace still on and Stefan trailing behind, looking to be exhausted as the wolf panted and was sweaty, head hanging a bit. The horse seemed to be in similar shape, giving some heavy breaths and its fur sweaty.
As they came closer, Stefan walked up to him and laid down in his shadow, panting as he relaxed. The horse went over to a somewhat patch of grass and moved to lay down. When it was lying, Ace dismounted after giving it a few claps. As Ace took a few steps away, the horse rolled over, scratching its back. Before lying still and relaxing.
Ace shook his head as he walked over, stretching. As Ace was closing in on them, Marco sent a look at the assassin. ¨Who won the race, yoi?¨ Ace gave a small chuckle, smiling as he shook his head. ¨It became a tie. They were way too close together for me too see who won.¨ The pirates nodded, they seemed to be equal she they had passed them before, so that was no surprise. The horse was amazingly fast.
As Ace came closer and sat down, he joined the first commander and Namur in some conversation, looking to be in good mood. After some minutes, they heard some sounds, sounding like neighs. The horse, who was still lying on the small grass patch, perked at that and lifted its head, before trotting to the woods, giving a neigh himself before disappearing behind the tree line.
As the horse left, Namur sent a look to Ace. ¨It seemed like a nice race you had. The horse looked fast.¨ Ace gave a nod, ¨It's one of the more faster ones I have ridden. But he's a breed that are fast, so it's no wonder actually.¨ The merman nodded. ¨Does he have a name?¨ Ace shook his head, giving a small laugh. ¨No. The few times I've called him a name, he got mad. So I just didn't think more off it.¨ The merman nodded, as well as everyone that heard. That made sense and the horse seemed to have a personality.
They continued to talk and have fun, many starting to drink and some even being different levels of drunk by supper and was dancing and singing around the beach. Ace was nursing a cup of his own, but didn't drink much as usual, just sitting around and relaxing and talking with different people.
When the clock closed in on 10, Ace got another assignment and left, saying he would be gone for a few hours, 4 tops.
After Ace left, the pirates continued to have their fun. It seemed like everyone had gotten used to Ace leaving often, no longer sending him questionable looks and wondering if he was in any trouble. Which was a bit good. But he also wondered if anyone was starting to figure it out, figure out who Ace were. If someone found out and didn't tell or ask them, rumors had a tendency to start and that would be bad.
But the captain trusted his children to not go and spread rumors behind their back. They had never done it on anything important, only small and unimportant things. It was good to know everyone was open and didn't talk a lot behind each others backs, it would have been bad if they did. They were a good family.
-x-
Marco walked through the forest. He was having one of his sleepless nights and had decided to look around the island, never going far, but did venture out of view of the beach. As he walked, he was sure he heard something and went to see what it was. It sounded like something he could he faintly remember, but wasn't competent sure. As he walked more and came closer to what he believed to be a clearing, he paused as he saw 3 shapes and saw where the sounds came from.
Ace was sitting in a small clearing, both Stefan and the horse lying next to the assassin, the horse having its head next to Ace, while Stefans was lying on Aces lap, the assassin petting him, humming with his eyes closed.
It looked to be something both the horse and wolf enjoyed, really enjoyed, they looked relaxed. But not only that, Marco could feel his phoenix wanting to join, and he had no idea why. Before he could think more about it and get himself to look away, the assassin opened his eyes and looked at him, having a calm look, continuing the humming.
Before Marco comprehended it himself, he had already changed into his phoenix and was lying next to Ace.
Just as Marco somewhat got his mind back on track and was about to move himself or change back and apologise for intruding, a hand came and started to carefully stroke through his flames on his neck, the humming continuing. Marco felt a coo leave the phoenix, and leaned his head to lay on Aces lap, next to Stefans. Marco couldn't explain it, but his phoenix was soaring in happiness. Happiness from the humming, the petting along his flames, treating it like fur, which none did, and the other two animals here.
It was relaxing, more so than he had felt in ages and he could not explain it. Marco decided not to overthink it and relaxed, the humming and petting making him relax and Marco soon fell asleep, having one thought. Izou was right about Aces magic touch working on his phoenix.
When Marco woke up, he was lying with his head next to Stefan, both Ace and the horse gone.
Whatever that had been, Marco was glad Ace let him follow what his phoenix told him, follow his instinct. Ace even seemed to expect it. But that humming, that tune he had hummed, there was something with that, and he was sure, not he, but that the phoenix, knew it by heart.
The only question left was how Ace knew it.
Marco stood up and started to head back to the beach. When Marco got back to the beach, the sun still not up, he could see many lying here and there, sleeping soundly, obviously out drunk. It was usual, so he didn't think much of it and walked to where he saw some still awake and sitting chatting. As Marco got closer, he saw the other noticing him. ¨Hi, Marco.¨ Started Izou, who was looking at him with a smile. ¨Where have you been?¨ Marco shook his head a bit, sitting down next to Izou and Rakuyo. ¨Just out in the woods, yoi. Checking the place out.¨
Izou lifted an eyebrow, ¨For 5 hours?¨
Marco blinked, ¨I didn't know the clock was that much, yoi. Got preoccupied with some things.¨ It wasn't a lie, just not the entire truth. He had no idea he had even fallen asleep before he woke up, meaning he had no idea how long he had slept. But it had to been a few hours, seeing as he had been walking around for an hour before he came across Ace.
Izou lifted an eyebrow again, but didn't say anything, even though he looked like he would like to. Izou instead shook his head, sending him a look, ¨Ace got an assignment. He'll return around breakfast.¨ Marco nodded. He had guessed he had gotten an assignment and didn't want to wake him. It felt good to been able to sleep, and he felt really relaxed. He only wished Ace also slept, he needed sleep to. He might not be used to sleep a lot, but he should still sleep, or at least try to sleep. Marco wished Ace would say he had sleeping issues and ask for help, which he would do his best to do. He even knew Pops also wanted that.
Marco sat with the ones sober and awake for a while, before heading to his room and doing some paperwork, just to get it done while he had the time.
-x-
When Marco was done with the paperwork some hours later, he looked at the clock and realised breakfast had already started some time ago, might even be finished. Marco cleaned his desk a bit, before walking out and saw there weren't many at the beach and guessed most had a heavy hangover and was inside the ship, away from the blazing sun. Marco walked to the galley and was surprised to see how many was there, but quickly also realised many was somewhat hunched over and the noise level was low. Marco couldn't help a small chuckle as he sat down beside his father, everyone was having different kind of hangovers and had yet to leave the darkened galley.
As Marco was finishing eating, Pops got his attention and leaned a bit down to him, so the others nearby didn't overhear. ¨Ace is in the outskirt of the forest.¨ Marco gave him a question filled look, wondering why he said it. But realised he had been throwing looks across the galley unconsciously, hoping to see the assassin. The first commander gave a smile to his father and nodded, before going back to finishing his food. He could see his father nodding to himself, before going back to talking to some others and relaxing.
When Marco finished eating, he walked out off the ship and headed to the island, where there was some people being out and enjoying themselves. Marco gave them a nod when they looked at him, but didn't pay them much mind as he tried to walk casually towards the woods, hoping to find the assassin without much trouble. He didn't know where the assassin was and didn't exactly know how big the island was, but knew it was decent size. It didn't take long, maybe 15 minutes before he found the assassin.
Ace was sitting on his horse again and had his eyes closed as he petted the horse along its mane. The horse Ace was on wa standing next to an another horse and they were scratching each others back with their teeth.
Marco could also see some more horses a bit away, some grazing, some also scratching each other, while others were lying and relaxing. There seemed to be a small herd, maybe about 15 horses total. Ace had said there were a herd here and this seemed to be the herd he had talked about. It wasn't a big herd, but it seemed that there weren't a lot of animals on the island. Aside from a small critter now and then, he hadn't seen any other animal. It did seem to be a calm island.
As he got to closer to the horses, the horse Ace sat on was the first to notice him and moved his head to look at him, giving a breath as he shook his head, making the others also notice him. The ones that was lying down, stood up and watch him with weary eyes, also making the assassin open his eyes. When Ace saw him, he gave a smile. ¨Good morning, Marco.¨ Said the assassin, using a hand to pet the horse who was close to his when he came closer, making it calm down since he didn't seem too sure of Marco. ¨Morning, yoi.¨ Responded Marco, moving closer you Ace, who he also noticed didn't gave his cape on, only a regular shirt and pants.
As Ace and the horse he was on seemed calm to his presence, Ace also petting the other horse a bit, the other horses seemed to calm down. Marco walked to Ace and the horse and petted the horse, sending a look at Ace. ¨Is he the leader?¨ Ace shook his head, turning to the other horses behind him. ¨The one who has a brown tint is the leader. But they do respect and trust this one too.¨ Ace ended with a clap to the one he sat on. Marco nodded. The horse Ace mentioned was around the same size as the one Ace was on, but none of them was just the same height or the long mane. They all had dark fur, but the one Ace was on seemed to be the darkest one.
¨Marco,¨ Started Ace, making him look up at the assassin. ¨You ridden a horse before?¨ Marco gave a nod. ¨Yes, yoi. But not for a long time.¨ Ace smiled, ¨Want to take a ride together?¨ Marco gave a nod, smiling. That sounded nice. Ace liked to ride and for him to join felt like something special, something he didn't often ask people to do with him. He knew he did it with Sabo and Luffy, but they were his brothers, they did everything together.
Ace gave a nod of his own and moved his hand toward the other horse, which was a dark brown horse with a white spot here and there, and snapped his fingers. The horse Ace sat on made a noise and half bowed down, looking at the other horse. The dark brown one then bowed down, like Aces had done yesterday. Marco got the hint and moved to mount the horse. When he was on, the horse stood up and Marco felt himself holding tight since he didn't feel balanced. Yes, he had ridden before. But that was long ago and he had never ridden without a saddle.
He heard Ace give a chuckle and saw him move the horse closer to him, so he was next to him. ¨Never ridden without a saddle I guess?¨ Marco nodded. Ace nodded and shifted his form a bit. ¨Try to move a bit more forward, so you feel more at balance, also keep a small bend at your knees, it makes it easier to feel balanced.¨ Marco nodded and did that, and was a bit surprised on how much difference it made as he felt much more balanced.
Ace gave a nod, ¨Use a hand to hold at the bottom at the mane, but don't drag on it. If you accidentally pull it, it's fine, they don't feel pain there, but try not to do it.¨ Marco nodded and used his right hand to hold on the bottom of the mane, softly grasping it a bit. A nod from the assassin again. ¨The other hand you should keep free. It gives you a more feel of balance if you do, but you can use it to hold on the mane of you want to.¨ Marco nodded and gave a smile to Ace, feeling he was in the right position.
Ace gave a smile too and started walking, also making his horse move. Marco felt a bit unsteady the first steps, but grasped it and felt more confident. Ace gave a small chuckle, ¨Back straight and try not to fall off.¨ Marco gave a small chuckle himself, ¨I'll try not to, yoi. As long as the horse don't do any rash movements, I'll be fine I think.¨ Ace gave a laugh, slowing a bit down so they walked side by side and patted the horse Marco sat on. ¨Stacy won't do that. She's calm and don't do rash.¨
Marco looked at Ace, ¨Stacy?¨ Ace nodded, ¨Stacy. Aside from this stubborn one,¨ Ace petted the one he was on, ¨All of the others have a name. That's Stacy.¨ Marco nodded, remembering Ace had said the one he was on didn't like a name, that he apparently got angry when Ace tried to name him. ¨So he got no name, yoi?¨ Ace gave a nod and a small chuckle. ¨No. I used to call him little beastie, but he's grown too much to really be called that. He never liked any names I tried.¨ Marco nodded. Little beastie didn't fit anymore. Maybe beastie, but not little.
As they walked a bit further into the woods, Ace looked at him with a small smile. ¨Feeling confident on the back?¨ Marco nodded, he felt fine, and looked at Ace, wondering why he was wondering. Ace gave a nod and leaned himself forward a bit, ¨Good, try to stay on.¨ Ace then moved his hand behind himself and snapped his fingers.
Then the horse started running at full gallop, Stacy following right behind.
Marco felt a noise of surprise leave him as he lost his balance and used both hands to hold on, trying to recover. When he looked forward and saw Ace leaned forward, leaning on the one hand he had on the horse's mane, moving with the galloping motion. Marco copied the position, moving one hand from the mane and tried to get his balance back, remembering Ace said it helped having an arm free. It took him some time, but he managed to gather enough balance to get his confidence back and lean with the motion. It felt freeing, almost as flying, but not quite.
As he had gotten his balance, he saw Ace turn around to look at him, giving a laugh when he saw that he had gotten the hang of it. But not only that, Ace had a beautiful smile, looking really happy as he rode, like he didn't have any care in the world. The same feeling he had when he flew. He would like to take Ace on a flight, to see if he would enjoy that.
As Marco got more confidence in not falling off, he leaned a bit forward and tightened his legs a bit, knowing from past experience that the horse would speed up. Stacy did and Marco caught up to Ace and his horse, making him go a head past him. Ace sent him a playful smile and made his horse go faster and got a bit ahead. Marco couldn't help a laugh, and made his go faster, so he was side by side with Ace, racing through the woods. Marco knew Aces horse could easily outrun them, but Ace was holding him back, running at same speed as them.
It was really amazing and magnificent to ride alongside Ace, to see him relaxing and really enjoying himself like this. And Marco was really enjoying himself too.
They continued the galloping for a good 30 minutes more, before they slowed down to trotting, before normal walking. When they were walking, Ace gave a laugh, giving him a smile. ¨That was fun.¨ Marco gave a chuckle as he nodded, giving a smile himself. ¨It was, yoi.¨ Marco felt glad when Ace gave another smile, he really seemed like he had enjoyed himself and felt glad he let Marco join. It was a nice break.
As they continued to walk at a normal pace, talking about random small stuff, the horses getting a break, they soon walked in a small clearing. When they got through the tree line, Marco saw it was a nice clearing, a lot of green grass, trees around that created a wall like feeling, a stream going through and many roots here and there, some trees leaning over the stream, the roots pot riding and making something that looked like perfect sitting places, making it look like a fantasy place. It was beautiful, making Marco believe Ace had planned to come here all along. Which he might have.
¨This is a beautiful place, yoi.¨ Ace gave a nod as he made the horses halt. ¨It's a really calm place. The soft sounds of the stream and light from the clearing in the trees makes a comforting atmosphere.¨ Marco nodded. Before he could say more, Ace snapped his fingers in front of the horse, making it bow down again, Stacy soon following, making so they could easily dismount.
As they were off, Ace suddenly came over to him and Stacy, having a small frown. Before Marco could ask, Ace walked to Stacys left rear foot and snapped his finger, ¨Up.¨ It was then Marco noticed the horse was bleeding at its leg and he wondered if it was because of him. The horse lifted its foot and Ace grabbed it and looked at the hoof, touching it, before moving up the leg some. Stacy made no reaction to the touch and didn't seem to be in pain. When Ace let go of the leg, Marco sent him a look of worry. ¨Is she hurt, yoi?¨
Ace looked at him and gave a nod. ¨It seems so. But she isn't in pain. It happens that they step on some pointy rock or get a rubble that hits too hard.¨ Marco gave a nod, feeling guilty, thinking it might have been his fault. Ace gave him a smile. ¨Don't worry, it wasn't your fault. As I said, this happens.¨ Marco gave a nod, feeling a bit better by that. Ace moved to stand on front of Stacy and snapped his fingers again. ¨Come, so we can clean it off. I can't see where the blood is coming from.¨ The horse gave a sound, as if agreeing, before following the assassin down to the stream, not having issues walking. Marco had noticed Ace usually talked a lot with the animals he interacted with. It was a small thing Marco had to say he liked.
As Ace was sealing to the stream with the horses, Marco went and found a spot on a root that was hanging a bit above ground, not far away from the stream, making a perfect sitting space. As Marco was sitting, he watched as Ace cleaned Stacys foot, before looking at it. After some seconds, he let it go and clapped the horse. ¨It's only a small cut, nothing to worry about.¨ Stacy gave a breath as she leaned down to drink some of the water.
Ace gave as chuckle as he walked out of the stream. When he was closer to Marco, the first commander gave a small smile. ¨It wasn't anything bad, yoi?¨ Ace shook his head. ¨No, only a small cut it seems like. She'll be fine, but we should walk back.¨ Marco nodded. It was good to know it wasn't anything bad, only a small cut. As Ace came closer, Marco wondered if he was wet at the feet, since he had been in the stream. ¨Aren't you wet, yoi?¨ Ace shook his head, jumping up the root to sit beside Marco. ¨Waterproof boots.¨ Marco nodded, he should have expected that.
Before he could say anything else, Ace leaned his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes. ¨Let me sleep for a bit, okay?¨ Marco gave a smile and nodded. ¨Of course, yoi.¨ Marco felt Ace give small nod, before giving a small breath, relaxing.
Marco gave a smile, moving his arm to lay behind Aces shoulders, placing his hand on his head, dragging his hand through strands of hair, before using his fingers to massage his head. He remembers his mother doing that to him and it always calmed him down and made him relax, and the first commander hoped it was the same for the assassin. Ace had helped Marco relax the other night, so he was going to do his best to make Ace relax. It seemed to work as he felt Ace relaxing more, starting to give soft breaths, making him smile, Ace was already asleep.
Marco continued to massage his head, glad Ace gave him this trust. Trust him enough to actually lean on him and sleep. Ace had slept around him before, he didn't seem to mind it. But for him to be this close and ask for him to let him sleep, was something he was sure required a lot of trust from the assassin, and Marco felt really glad Ace trusted him that much. As Marco turned back to the stream, he saw Aces horse has walked up to them and was looking at Ace. Marco held out his unoccupied hand out and petted the horse when he came closer to it. ¨Ace is tired, yoi. He was up all night, maybe the night before that too.¨
The horse gave a breath, seeming to maybe understand it. It made him understand why Ace did this, speaking to the animals. It was calming. The horse might not understand it, but he seemed too like to be spoken to. Ace had a tendency to treat animals like they were people, having conversations with them and telling what he was going to do. It probably also helped the animals calm down, since they wasn't treated like something that didn't understand, Ace treated them with respect and care. How one that was this caring and calm could be the most dangerous assassin in the world was a mystery. Ace was nothing like the assassin, they were like two completely separate people.
Marco sat and carefully massaged Aces head, watching the two horses in the stream. It was relaxing here and he didn't mind to sit here for a while, as long as Ace got to sleep he could do it. Aces horse had at one point gone over to Stacy and checked out the foot himself, before giving the horse a rub with his head, as if saying it was fine. The two horses had then gone to a grass field and started grazing. It was relaxing, just as Ace had said. The sounds of the stream, soft light and wind through the leafs on the trees and the two horses grazing was a picture of calmness and was perfect for this moment.
It was around 45 minutes later that Ace opened his eyes and let out a breath.
Marco gave a smile when Ace moved to sit up, moving his head away from his shoulder, making him take his hand away. ¨Did you sleep well, yoi?¨ Ace gave a nod, stretching his body. Marco smiled, Ace seemed to look relaxed and refreshed, which was amazing seeing as he only slept 45 minutes. No one should be used to that little of sleep, especially seeing as Ace hadn't slept for a day, maybe two or even three days. As Ace relaxed again, a big head came to his lap. Ace gave a smile and small laugh as he petted the horse. ¨Ready to head back?¨ The horse gave a nod, before shaking its head, going to Stacy and standing ready.
Ace gave a small chuckle, looking at him. ¨We should head back now, since Stacy shouldn't be running.¨ Marco nodded, he understood that. ¨Can I still ride Stacy, yoi?¨ Ace nodded, jumping down from the root. ¨Yes. It wasn't anything bad. She can run, but should take it easy. If you'd like, we can change and I'll take Stacy.¨ Marco shook his head. ¨It's fine, I can take Stacy, yoi. I like her.¨ Ace smiled and looked at Marco a as he also jumped down. ¨That's good to hear.¨ Marco gave his own smile as they walked to the two horses.
When they were nearing the horses, Marco looked at Ace. ¨How do you get her to bow, yoi?¨ Ace looked at him, stopping before he got close to the horses. ¨You move up to their side and move your leg out and towards their leg as you're moving towards their back. This tells them to bow so you can mount.¨ Marco nodded and walked towards Stacy, doing what Ace had said and moved his leg towards hers as he moved to her back. He was amazed to see it working and the horse bowing. Marco didn't waste much time mounting, so she wouldn't need to stand bowed long.
As he was on, he heard a chuckle from Ace as he did the same to his horse and mounting it. ¨These have been taught how to do it, don't go doing it on normal wild horses.¨ Marco nodded, placing himself in the right position, before looking at Ace. ¨Is it you who have thought them?¨ Ace somewhat nodded. ¨Yes and no. I have learned them a lot, but I got a lot of help from Azuruko. He was the one that learned me how to learn them how to bow.¨ Marco nodded. ¨Did Azuruko also ride on one of the horses, yoi?¨
Ace nodded and gave him a small smile. ¨He used to use Stacy. That's why she's so obedient.¨
Marco was shocked for a few seconds, before he gave a smile, patting the horse. ¨She's really amazing, just like her old rider, yoi.¨ Ace gave a nod, using a hand to give the horse a clap. The horse was really obedient and that did actually explain it. Also explaining why Stacy and Aces horse was as familiar as they were. Ace and Azuruko probably used to ride them a lot together. Marco felt glad Ace was willing to lend him the horse, seeing it had been Azurukos when he had been alive. Marco gave a smile to Ace, ¨Should we get going, yoi?¨ Marco decided to change the subject, not sure on how Ace was with being reminded of his old mentor. Ace nodded and they started the walk back, walking next to each other.
As they now were walking and not running, it gave the first commander a chance to see the island more and enjoy the beautiful places they passed,also giving him a chance to talk with Ace. They didn't talk about anything special, but random things to keep the time going and having a good time. It had been really fun to race earlier too, but this was also nice, Ace also seemed to enjoy himself.
As they were nearing the beach again, Ace turned to Marco. ¨I had really fun, it was nice to ride with someone again.¨ Marco smiled. ¨I had fun too, yoi. It's been awhile since I've ridden. It was nice.¨ Ace nodded and leaned closer to him, Marco understood what he was doing and also leaned closer, connecting their lips. Marco moved his hand to Aces head, deepen their kiss, feeling Aces hand come to his head too. When they parted, both was a bit flustered. Ace gave a smile and leaned in for a quick peck, before leaning back to sit straight, still smiling. Marco also leaned back, having a smile.
It was always nice to kiss Ace, even better when he instigated it, showing he was opening up. Just the fact he had slept on Marco before was a big thing, at least Marco thought so.
As they got closer to where they had left from, Marco saw the other horses was still there, relaxing as they had before. When they got closer to them, Ace stopped and snapped his fingers in front of him, close to the horse's leg. The horse kneeled and Ace dismounted. Marco tried it himself, since Stacy didn't bow. When nothing still happened, he looked at Ace. Ace gave a small chuckle, ¨You need to hold your hand closer to her shoulder. About an inch away.¨ Marco nodded and tried that and was pleased to see it working.
When he was off, Ace gave a laugh. ¨Had you been a bit further away with your hand the first time, she would have reared. Which would have been interesting.¨ Marco looked at Ace a bit shocked, ¨Really, yoi?¨ Ace nodded. ¨Azuruko and I used a long time to make them know the different places we snap our fingers and react to that.¨ Marco nodded, amazed on how well trained the two horses were. They were Aces and Azurukos, so it was no surprise they were well trained. But that was just amazing, for them to be that sensitive to where they snapped their fingers.
Marco turned and patted Stacy, she was an amazing horse and Marco would ask Pops if they could make this a usual stop for them. Ace would probably like to check up on them now and then. He probably did anyway, but this way they could place it in their schedule. It was a nice island after all.
When Marco turned to look at Ace, he saw the assassin was crouching next to some where some of the horses lay and Marco could see Aces cape and a small bag there, which Ace was rummaging through. When Ace stood up a second later, he had a small roll of bandages in his hand and made his way over to him and Stacy. When he was next to them, he went to Stacys leg and used the bandages to carefully bind it. When he was done, he gave her a clap. ¨There, just in case. Remember how to take it off?¨ The horse gave a nod and breath, moving her head to the foot and nudging it. Ace nodded, clapping her. ¨That's right. Just bite and drag.¨
Marco now understand more why Ace was as caring with Stacy. Ace was kind and caring with all animals, but he seemed to be extra with the brown horse, which probably was because it was Azurukos old horse. Ace most likely wanted to keep her in perfect shape as long as he could, also one of the reasons Marco wanted to ask Pops to place this island in their usual route. The horses, both Stacy and Aces obviously meant a lot to Ace. Too regularly visit the island and show that they also cared, would probably mean a lot to Ace. Marco was sure his father wouldn't mind.
As Ace had bound the leg and was satisfied with how Stacy seemed to know what to do, he turned to his horse, giving it a few claps. The horse gave a breath and moved its head to nudge Ace, making the assassin give a laugh as he gave a last pet, before taking a step back and moving to his things, lifting his cape and bag, before moving towards him. As Ace did, Marco noticed the horse Ace had said to be the leader had walked up to Stacy, smelling the leg where she had the bandage, before scratching her back, as if comforting her.
As Ace came to stand by him, he gave a small chuckle, making Marco look at him. ¨They care for each other. He's the leader, he looks out for them.¨ Marco gave a nod, looking at Ace. ¨Like Pops, yoi. He looks out after us and cares for us.¨ He could see Ace give a nod, looking at the horses. Marco now noticed how true that actually might be. Ace had said his horse was a lot by himself, but was respected by the leader, a lot like Ace were.
Ace shook his head as the leader went up to Aces horse, giving it a scratch too. ¨We should head back. Dinner have probably already started.¨ Marco nodded and when Ace was turning around, Marco placed a hand at his shoulder, making him stop and turn to him, and Marco leaned in and connected their lips. He felt a Ace tense, but relaxed after some seconds, responding to the kiss, a hand coming to his shoulder. When they parted, Marco gave a smile. ¨I really did have fun, yoi. I would love to do it again.¨ Ace gave a nod, smiling. ¨I had fun too. I would also love to do it again. Also, thanks for letting me sleep.¨ Marco gave a nod, ¨It was nothing.¨ Ace gave a smile.
Marco suddenly felt a breath at the side of his head and turned to see Aces horse there, startling him a bit, he hadn't heard the horse walk over. Ace gave a laugh and patted the horse, leaning his head on the horse's, closing his eyes. After a second he leaned back and gave him a last pat, before turning to him ¨Shall we go?¨ Marco nodded and turned around, heading back to the boat for dinner.
He hoped they wouldn't leave right after dinner, just so he and Ace could say one more goodbye to the horses. But they had too see.
But the day had been perfect up until now.
And that's the chapter. Hope you enjoyed
We had a lot of Marco/Ace, which I tried to keep in the main focus. Hope you liked it as it showed Ace was really opening more to Marco. Still a long road to go, but they are getting there
And Ace really do have a magical touch to animals, it even working on the phoenix. This will be explained later
And I just wanted to say something, I know not everyone reads AN, especially the long ones, but I just wanted to say this. It really does make my day that you read this story, even more so when you tell me you like it, it means everything to me. I have some mental illnesses that often rules my day, and writing helps me through it. And when I hear how much you guys like it, it means so much to me, it means the world to me. I just really want to thank everyone who have stuck to this story so far, you are amazing people and I can't thank you enough for it.
If you like this story, please check out Ace of Spades One Shots, which contains one shots and different events from this story.
If you have any requests, questions or if you're wondering about something in the story, feel free to ask. And if you liked the chapter, feel free to leave a review/comment