Ace of Spades

by himmelblu

Ace of Spades, the most feared name across the ocean, he was the most feared and notorious assassin and informant there ever was. No one knew who or what he was, some say he is the spawn of the devil. And now, the Whitebeards needed his help. And maybe they even get a new son in the process. (Up to chap 52 'The Plight' is main story, the rest are just loose ends and ideas)

43. Ace of Spades Chapter 42 The Ascertain

Hello everyone, here is the next chapter

We have a bit of this and that in this chapter. Don't really have much to say, so enjoy

Hope you enjoy

Read and relax

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Marco was still shocked, not sure what to do right now. what he had just seen wasn't normal, it wasn't a part of the powers he knew Ace had. Ace could teleport, not freeze people and make them… disappear in dust. Marco halted as he remembered what he had read those months ago. A devil fruit, no, a legendaries mentioning to have that kind of power. Or he thought he remembered correctly. It must be wrong, those kinds of powers couldn't exist… could they? Where was that book again? He had lent it to his father, since he thought it to be interesting and he had never seen such a good description before. And he had no idea what to do with what he just saw, and he couldn't go and drag Ace from his duties. Well, he could, but that might not be vise. He needed to hear what Pops thought.

Not many minutes later, he knocked on the captain's door, hoping he was awake. He felt a relieved breath leave him when he got a come in. When he got inside, he got the usual greeting, before the captain asked if he wanted anything. Marco gave a nod, ¨The book about Legendaries, yoi. Do you have it?¨ Whitebeard gave a nod, sending him a look as he reached for the book. ¨I do. Why do you want it this late, son?¨ Marco was about to answer, when he closed his mouth. Should he tell? It was about Ace, and he was sure Ace thought no one saw it. But then again, he was shocked and he wasn't sure what he had seen, and he didn't want to confront Ace, not wanting to assume and put him in a corner. Pops might have some thoughts about this.

Marco gave a nod, ¨I took a walk, to see how things were as I couldn't sleep, yoi. As I walked on the side, I saw someone sneak onboard, as many have the last week. But he suddenly just froze, standing still. And a second later, Ace came up to him, and he made no movement as Ace took his gun, like he was not here or something, yoi. And then Ace did a motion, making a small cloud around the man, before he disappeared in smoke and dust.¨ Marco saw the captain taking the information in, having a frown as he opened the book and read something, most likely about the power that sounded like this. A minute later, he handed him the book, having a thoughtful look. ¨It sounds the same, but can it be? It sounds too much.¨ Marco gave a nod, taking the book and looking it over, seeing it described it like he had seen.

Marco used a hand to massage his face, sitting down in a chair. ¨I don't know, Pops. It sounds like a fairy tale, way too farfetched. But I saw it, yoi.¨ Marco was almost starting to doubt what he had seen. If Ace had the one, that might mean the others also excited. Pops gave a nod, ¨I believe you, son. Did you ask Ace about it.¨ Marco shook his head, ¨No, yoi. I was too shocked, and I'm not sure what to say. I don't want to force him into a corner.¨ Pops gave a nod, ¨I understand, son. And you're right, it sounds farfetched. But if you saw it, there might be some truth in this book.¨ Marco nodded, he didn't want to admit that, but it did seem like it. ¨What should we do, yoi?¨

Pops gave a sigh, ¨For now, I think we shouldn't do anything. You clearly saw something, and you can't explain it. I have asked Ace about his powers, but he said he might tell later. It might be that Ace don't want to tell yet, or that he might not know what kind of power he have.¨ Marco gave a nod, that sounded plausible. The man gave a sigh, looking at him. ¨It might also be that Ace just used his powers to teleport the man away. His powers do leave a cloud of smoke.¨ Marco nodded. It was dark, so that could have happened. There might only have been the normal smoke left behind, the dark night making it look like dust. He looked at his father, ¨That might be it. The intruder could have just been shocked and scared to be caught, and couldn't move, yoi.¨

Now that he thought about it, that sounded way more plausible. Marco was probably just overthinking it and making things up in his head. He knew Ace could use his powers to teleport others, and that did leave a cloud of smoke. And many was scared of the second commander, which was understandable. He was someone in the news and called a great danger. That was probably it. He looked at Pops. ¨You're probably right, yoi. I was just shocked and jumped to the first thought.¨ The captain gave him a smile as he gave a chuckle. ¨It's fine, son. And it might have been something. But until we know more, we can't say for sure. And Ace will tell when he feels comfortable enough.¨ Marco gave a nod, he hoped Ace would do that.

He looked at the book, ¨Do you think we have more books on this in the library, yoi?¨ A hum was heard from the captain. ¨Maybe. We have a lot we've picked up the last decades, there might be one or two.¨ Marco gave a nod, handing the book he held back to Pops. ¨I can go see tomorrow if we have any more, yoi.¨ The man gave a chuckle. ¨You can also ask Ace. He knows many rumors and legends.¨ Marco nodded, he would do that one time when they were in private. He sent a look at Pops. ¨Sorry for coming in the middle of the night like this.¨ The captain gave a laugh, ¨Nonsense, son. I always enjoy a visit. And it is like you said, you were shocked. Until we know more, we should not overthink it.¨ Marco gave a nod, giving a small smile as it had helped him sort through it and make sense of it more. It might just be his mind playing tricks on him.

The captain sent him a look. ¨Want to stay? I don't have big plans on sleeping yet.¨ Marco felt his eye twitch as he sent a small glare at the captain. But gave a sigh when he saw the amused smile. ¨I'll stay. I don't think I can manage to sleep anyway.¨ The captain gave a small chuckle, before starting some conversation up.

-x-

Marco laid down in his bed, feeling tired. He had been doing a lot of work the last days and not slept as much as he should have, and he was starting to feel that. He might not need a lot of sleep, not as much as a normal person, but he still needed it. The worst part was how it was always hard to sleep when he wanted to sleep, or needed it. But he had a hope he would fall asleep easily and stay asleep. Marco gave a breath as he relaxed in the bed, feeling he would manage to sleep some, which was better than nothing. And even though he was tired, it still took him over half an hour before he was asleep.

Marco felt himself waking up, already knowing he hadn't slept long as he still felt tired, as well as hearing the door closing.

Marco wanted to give a sigh, having a half thought it was Thatch, the chef going to play a prank or something. The man hadn't been playing a lot of pranks lately, keeping away from him even. Not that he minded, it was just something that wasn't a normal event. Marco was shocked when the bed dipped, the covers even shifting. Marco opened his eyes, not sure why the chef would make so much shifting, that would usually wake him up anyway.

But instead of seeing Thatch, he saw Ace, who was moving to lay down next to him in the bed.

Marco had to blink once, not sure if he was awake, thinking he might be half asleep and still dreaming. But no, Ace was still there, even having laid down, giving a breath himself as he closed his eyes. With a quick look to the clock, he saw Ace was a bit early back, the clock barely past 2 at night. With a smile, he moved a hand to Aces making the assassin open his eyes. ¨How did it go, yoi?¨ Ace gave a small nod, ¨It went okay.¨ Marco gave a nod himself. He had a feeling the assignment had gone fine, but could have gone better. Marco kept his hand on Aces as he closed his eyes and relaxed again, seeing Ace did the same.

He was still a bit surprised Ace had come and joined him in his room to relax. This was the first time Ace had taken that initiative, Marco always having been the one needing to mention it before. It might be a small thing, but it meant a lot to Marco. He had a feeling Ace got more used to being around him, more comfortable with this. He don't think this would be a normal occurrence, Ace still liked his own space. There were still times he said he wanted to sleep in his own bed alone, and that was fine by Marco. But this was something, it showed Ace was getting more comfortable with it. And Marco felt more calm and comfortable knowing Ace was fine, so he was glad Ace was here now.

Marco changed his position a bit, keeping his hand on Aces. Marco was also getting used to it, he was enjoying sharing a bed with Ace. He was glad it seemed like Ace might enjoy it too.

-x-

Sabo gave a small hum as they docked at an island, going to dock to stock up on some things and to just generally relax for a small while. That was of course if they managed to stay out of trouble. Sometimes it felt like the entire crew was a magnet for trouble, it was getting annoying, and they haven't been out for half a year yet. But it was still fun, he got to see a lot of places and meet people, even testing out his skills in things. It seemed like everyone had fun and enjoyed what adventures they had. Some more than others, as Nami often complained, but Sabo could see she enjoyed visiting new islands too. He had to say he liked the crew, he felt as if they grew on him as they were more together.

As soon as the boat was docked and they were preparing to head to the small village here, Luffy suddenly let out a yell kind of laugh. And before any of them could react, Luffy had already shoot of the ship to the docks.

When Sabo looked to see what had his attention now, hoping Luffy made it to the dock safely, not aiming wrong or angering someone, he felt himself smile as he saw Luff holding around Ace, who had a smile as he clapped Luffy on the back. Sabo gave a small chuckle as he shook his head, sending a look at the others, who seemed a bit shocked. Nami was the first one to speak. ¨I-is that..?¨ Sabo gave a nod. ¨Yeah. Seems like Ace had the time to drop by.¨ He said with a small wave to his brother, who gave a smile as he pried Luffys arms off him, before heading to the boat, Luffy jumping beside him in happiness.

When they got on the boat, Luffy let out a happy noise, ¨You need to meet everyone!¨ Then he pointed at Nami. ¨That's Nami! She's our navigator.¨ Nami gave a half wave, looking a bit shocked, but her eyes in half bellys as this was the person all the money came from. Luffy pointed at Zoro. ¨That's Zoro. He's a swordsman!¨ Zoro didn't even open his eyes from where he was half asleep on the deck as he gave a small motion with his hand. Luffy moved to point at Robin. ¨That's Robin. She's an arch- archeo-, she's smart!¨ The woman gave a wave and small laugh at Luffy trying to pronounce archeologist. ¨And behind her is Chopper, he's our doctor.¨ The small doctor was half hiding behind Robin, giving a small wave with his hand, looking a bit scared. But based on Aces reputation, that wasn't too odd seeing how Chopper was.

Luffy then turned to the left, pointing at Sanji. ¨That's Sanji, he's our chef.¨ Sanji took a drag of his cigarette as he gave a half nod, looking carefully at Ace. If the chef knew about him and Luffy having the protection, he probably knew there was something up with Ace too. ¨And behind him is Usopp, our shooter!¨ Usopp was half hiding behind Sanji, looking almost terrified at Ace. He tried to wave, but one couldn't see it from how much he was trembling. The man wasn't the bravest one, and Ace did have a big reputation. Luffy smiled up at Ace, ¨They're all really awesome!¨ Ace gave a smile back to Luffy, ¨It's good you got yourself a crew you like, Lu.¨ Luffy nodded. ¨Yeah! We only need a musician and a boat builder now!¨ Sabo gave a small laugh. ¨Shipwright, Lu.¨ Luffy gave a nod. ¨That!¨ Ace gave a small chuckle, shaking his head.

Ace turned to look at him, moving to grab something from his belt. ¨Here, Sabo. It's yours if you want it.¨ As the sentence was finished, Ace threw something to him, and Sabo took it, looking it over. ¨A gun?¨ Ace gave a nod. ¨More like makeshift gun, but yes, a gun.¨ Sabo gave a nod, looking at it a bit more. It wasn't a normal gun now that he looked at it, it didn't have the right parts. But then again, Sabo wasn't fond of guns. He looked at Usopp, who was still hiding behind Sanji. ¨Usopp, want a gun?¨ Usopp could use a gun, he was more accustomed to shooting than him. And as Ace said, it wasn't a gun, but makeshift one. Maybe Usopp could use his own ammunition that he made himself.

Usopp stared at him. ¨M-m-me?¨ Sabo gave a nod, throwing the gun over, and Usopp barely managing to catch it. ¨I'm not too fond of guns, and you are a better shooter.¨ Usopp looked at the gun, looking interested, before letting out a small yelp as he looked at Ace, probably remembering who brought the gun. ¨I-I can g-get it?¨ Sabo was almost impressed Usopp managed to ask him a question. Ace gave a small shrug. ¨If Sabo don't want it, you can use it.¨

Usopp gave a nod, before he gave a small laugh, then fainting. Chopper running over to check on him.

Luffy gave a laugh, looking at Ace. ¨He does that sometimes. But he's awesome, he got many stories!¨ Ace gave a small laugh, patting Luffy on the head. Sabo shook his head, Usopp had lasted long. He was a nervous wreck around strong people, and that went for those who wouldn't hurt them too. Ace would never do anything to them. Not unless they did something first. Sabo saw Sanji taking a drag of his smoke. ¨You staying for dinner?¨ Sabo looked at Ace, hoping he would stay a bit. It was always nice to see him, they hadn't seen him for some time. Luffy gave a loud noise. ¨Please?!¨ Ace shook his head, making Luffys face fall. ¨I can't, I need to leave soon.¨ Luffy let out a whine. ¨Come on, Ace! We haven't seen you in ages!¨

Ace gave a small chuckle. ¨I can't, not today. But we're heading back to the Grand Line soon. If you get to the Grand Line too, we might meet.¨ Luffy gave an excited yell. ¨We can meet up with Banana Mustache?!¨ Ace flicked Luffy on the forehead. ¨Stop with the names. And yes, you can see Whitebeard and the others again.¨ Luff cradled his forehead as he turned to Nami, looking way excited. ¨Nami! We need to head to the Grand Line! Now!¨ Nami rolled her eyes. ¨We already are.¨ Luffy gave a laugh. ¨Then we need to go FASTER!¨ Nami got a half mad look as she hit Luffy over the head. ¨Don't yell! I'm right next to you!¨ Luffy let out a whine. ¨Ace, Nami's mean!¨

With that whine, everyone, aside from Zoro, who seemed to be asleep, and Robin, got a half-scared look, seeing as Nami hit Luffy in front of Ace, the big brother, who happened to be a commander on the world's strongest crew. Ace just shook his head, ¨You know you're not supposed to yell when someone's standing next to you.¨ The others gave a small relieved breath, not seeming bothered that Nami hit him. She didn't hit hard, so it was no worries. Luffy gave a pout. ¨Fine…¨ Ace gave a small chuckle, patting him on the head again. ¨Now be good, and don't cause too much trouble.¨ Luffy gave a laugh. ¨No promises!¨ Ace shook his head, looking at him, holding his hand out.

Sabo gave a small chuckle as he took it, being dragged in for a quick hug. ¨Be nice and watch Luffy, try not to anger more marine captains.¨ Sabo gave a laugh. ¨To be fair, he did start it.¨ Ace gave an unamused look, before shaking his head. ¨Try not to make them start then.¨ Sabo laughed, and with a last clap to Luffys head, and a small goodbye to everyone, Ace left going off the ship and on the island, before going behind a building. Ace wouldn't just use his powers out on deck, Sanji might know about the assassins powers, and he was still on edge, which was still fun. Luffy gave a small laugh as he turned to Sanji. ¨When's dinner?¨ Sanji took a drag of his smoke. ¨In an hour.¨ Luffy nodded, ¨Then we can go a trip to the town!¨¨

Before anyone could argue, Luffy was already gone.

Sabo gave a small sigh, looking over at Sanji. ¨Are you staying to prepare dinner?¨ Sanji nodded. ¨Yeah. I can watch the ship.¨ Sabo gave a nod, before heading after Luffy, Robin joining him with an amused laugh.

-x-

Ace woke up with a start, feeling his heart racing and panic at the edge of his mind, feeling the images of the nightmare leaving, but the fear and panic staying. With a deep breath, he looked around and saw he was in his room, and tried to calm down, telling himself he was safe, it was just another nightmare. He managed to not sit up in fear, having learned to act as calm as possible, to not panic more. Ace closed his eyes for a second, trying to gather himself, to make the fear and panic go away and get back to calm. He hated nightmares, but what he hated the most was when he didn't remember what he was dreaming about, only remembering fear and panic.

As he tried to calm himself down, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. And Ace, still panicked, automatically grabbed his knife from under his pillow, grabbing the arm touching him, and moving to sit on top of whoever it was, ready to strike.

But as he saw blue eyes looking at him in shock, hands held out in surrender, Ace blinked, recognizing the person he was about to attack.

¨Marco..?¨ The blond gave a slow nod, ¨Ace, yoi.¨ Ace looked around himself, seeing he was still in his room, he wasn't in any danger or somewhere else. Ace felt a hand slowly grabbing his right one, the one he held the knife in, and Ace looked over in shock, tensing and was on his way to defend himself, when he saw a cautious and careful look, the hand loosening slightly as it noticed him tensing. ¨It's fine, yoi. You're fine, yoi.¨ Said Marco carefully, slowly moving the hand he held with the knife down and away from its defensive position slowly and carefully. ¨It's okay, yoi. You're safe, yoi.¨ Marco slowly moved to take the knife away from him, and Ace wanted to grab onto it again, but Marco dropped the knife to the bed, moving his hand to Aces and holding it. ¨It's fine, yoi. You're fine, yoi.¨

Ace managed a sort of nod, still half panicked from everything, still looking around the room for some sort of danger. Ace felt the hand in his left slowly moving out of his grasp, moving to his cheek. Ace looked down at Marco again, a bit startled. The hand on his cheek moved away, before slowly moving back, Marco looking at him carefully. ¨Just relax, yoi. You're safe, yoi.¨ Ace looked down at Marco, seeing the calm and careful look he had, as well as feeling the hand that was holding his hand slowly moving in a stroking motion with his thumb. Ace felt his mind slowing down some, before he felt something falling down his cheek, falling down on Marcos face, the tear sliding down to the covers. ¨Ace, y-.¨ Ace shook his head, feeling a sob leaving him as he leaned down, bringing his head to Marcos shoulder and giving a half sob as he tried to compose himself, but he still felt the fear and panic, making it hard.

The hand that was on his cheek, moved to his back, moving in a stroking motion. Marco moving his head closer to his in a comforting motion. Ace moved a hand to Marcos shirt, grasping it for some leverage, needing something to help compose himself and keep him in the moment, he wasn't in any situation, he was just panicked and afraid, something that didn't mix well with him, especially since he was unsure what had him panicked and afraid. He knew it was from the nightmare, but he couldn't remember it, which only made him more panicked and unsure. When another sob left him, he felt the other hand also came to his back, moving in a comforting motion. ¨It's fine, yoi. You're fine, yoi.¨ Ace kept repeating those words in his head, trying to calm himself down.

He felt the hands on his back moving comfortingly, Marco repeating he was okay and safe now and then, which helped him calm down some, helped him get himself under control again. Losing his control for a second and was now struggling to compose himself again. Continuing to give out a small sob now and then, feeling a bit overwhelmed as the panic was still there from the nightmare. He hated this, hated to be weak like this.

Marco carefully moved his hands on Aces back, trying his best to comfort Ace.

Marco had had a feeling Ace might have had a nightmare or something, as he had suddenly given a startled breath and tensed, breathing harshly for a few seconds. He probably shouldn't have touched Ace so abruptly, but he didn't think as he wanted to check if he was fine. But when Ace suddenly had a knife, sitting on top of him and ready to attack, Marco had realized he should have been more careful, and tried to look as unthreatening as possible. Ace looked to be half panicking, looking around the room, as if searching for something. Marco had realized the nightmare was still on Ace mind, and he had slowly and carefully taken the knife away, not wanting an accident to happen. Ace was clearly worked up and was still small panicking.

When Ace had looked at him, seeming more calmed down, Marco had noticed the tear falling down his cheek. And before he could finish his sentence, Ace shook his head and leaned down on him, giving a sob in his shoulder Marco feeling Aces body tremble.

Marco carefully moved his hands to Aces back, having expected him to have some reaction, but not a breakdown. The nightmare Ace had had was not something good, and for all Marco knew, knowing Ace had been through a lot, it could have been a memory. Marco tried his best to comfort Ace, feeling him trebling and giving a sob now and then, feeling tears on his shoulder as Ace grasped his shirt.

When he felt Ace calm more down, the sobs stopping, but still having a tremble and shaky breath now and then, Marco moved his hands slower and more comfortingly on his back.

As Ace was calmer, he kept one hand still on his back, the other stroking carefully up and down his back, keeping himself calm. When he felt Ace calm more down, the trembling stopping, Ace gave a small sniff as he moved his head a bit, relaxing it more on his shoulder. Marco moved his head closer to Aces, moving a hand to his head to thread through his hair. ¨Want to speak about it, yoi?¨ It was always good to speak about nightmares, it might help. He felt Ace shaking his head some, before giving a small breath. ¨I don't know. I was just…¨

Marco gave a small nod, ¨Afraid?¨ Ace gave a slow nod. Marco gave a nod himself.

He knew the feeling, to just feel afraid for no reason. That was the worst, because it made one panic, trying to figure out what had them afraid, to find an enemy that didn't exist. He got Aces reaction, Marco should have tried speaking before touching Ace, he would remember that. He wasn't surprised Ace had nightmares either. He had seen so much horrible and evil things, it was no surprise. Marco moved his head closer to Ace, ¨You're okay now, yoi.¨ Ace gave a nod, keeping himself close to Marco still, taking his comfort, which he felt was good. It was good that Ace trusted him a bit, to give away some power and let Marco comfort him like this. He was sure the breakdown wasn't willingly, but he still stayed, even admitting he had been feeling afraid.

He moved his hand from Aces head to his shoulder, slowly stroking it again, just letting Ace compose himself again. After some minutes, Ace slowly moved off him, moving to lay beside him. When Ace was laying down and seemed to have settled and calmed down, Marco moved a hand to hold onto Aces, slowly using his thumb to stroke it. Ace slowly got back to himself, taking a deep breath now and then, but that was it. After some minutes, Ace closed his eyes, seeming to try to relax some, and Marco moved his hand to Ace head, threading through his hair, he knew it calmed Ace.

Ace didn't fall back asleep again, but seemed to relax, and that was better than nothing. Marco tried to ask if he wanted to speak about it again, to see if he could get Ace to open more up. But he had shaken his head, not saying anything, and Marco let it go. It was no use pushing Ace, he would need to open up on his own time. But this was a step in the right direction, at least he thought so. Ace had let him comfort him, which was good. He hoped it meant Ace was trusting him more.

They stayed in bed for a few more hours, before slowly getting up for the day.

The day went normal and calmly, and Ace didn't speak about what had happened in the morning, not that Marco brought it up either. He had a feeling Ace felt embarrassed about the breakdown, so Marco thought it was better to just act normal about it, not making a deal out of it. Marco knew nightmares could be terrifying, and Ace had been half panicking. Marco startling him didn't help, and when the panic and adrenaline had eased down a bit, Ace got a completely normal reaction of breaking down, it happened when one got too worked up fast and things came half crashing down, and it seemed it had been like that for Ace.

Ace acted normal the rest of the day, and it was fine by Marco. It was a long way to go, but he was just glad he got to comfort Ace, Ace letting him do that. It was a step in the right direction. And he would make sure to act a bit more cautious if Ace had another nightmare, which he had a feeling Ace might have around him. They often slept together now, and it was no surprise Ace had nightmares. Marco was almost more surprised it hadn't happened before now.

But it may have, when he thought about it. The only reason he knew something was up, was because of the breathing and tensing as he was half awake. This might have happened before and he hadn't noticed it. He would try to be more observant, he wanted to be there for Ace as much as he could

-x-

Whitebeard sat out on deck, enjoying the good weather they had for now. Most was out on deck, enjoying the good weather too. It wasn't long until lunch, and the captain had a hope Ace might return before it was over. He had been gone since last night, and wasn't due back before another few hours. But he always hoped he would turn up early, although that didn't happen often. As he was watching his children do their things, some working, others training and some just lazing about. A voice to his right had his attention.

¨Tsk, the damn assassin's bounty got up again. I swear, the marines should just plan a false meeting, ridding the world of him. it would be a much better place.¨

The captain looked over, seeing Justin, someone who belonged in seventh division, reading the newspaper, having an almost disgusted look. The captain knew which assassin he was speaking off, he had read the newspaper himself earlier. Aces assassin bounty had gone up with 5 billion, having killed a noble the marines got a lot of funding from. There was probably more to it than that, but that was all they said. The captain was about to speak up, not sure what he would say, but say something.

But before he could, Henry, another from seventh division, spoke instead, giving a snort. ¨And what makes you think he will show up?¨ But instead of Justin answering, Nathan, who was standing close by, did. ¨Because he is an assassin. Give them money, they will show. They are no good, they are like vultures. No honor and lives of others suffering.¨ Henry gave a nod, ¨They are abominations.¨

The captain was unable to speak for a second, shocked to hear them speak so lowly and hateful towards assassins. It didn't help that the one assassin they spoke of was Ace, and Nathan knew it was Ace, but he still had the dislike, the captain thinking it was closing in on hate. Henry gave a smirk, ¨Maybe we should do it? Set a false meeting and kill him. we would be heroes. Everyone hates them, especially him.¨

The captain took a deep breath, needing to say something.

He looked at the trio, ¨Why do you think he is so evil?¨ He started, getting their attention. ¨It was a noble that killed innocent, even helping the marines with money from slaves he sold.¨ The captain knew as much, now seeing and understanding the lies the newspaper told, as well as Ace telling some when he asked. Ace didn't tell much, but told enough. Justin gave a snort, ¨And who told you that? Him?¨ Justin shook his head, getting a disgusted look. ¨It's obviously a set up, the bodies were planted by them. Why would nobles put themselves at risk by having slaves and killing people?¨ Both Nathan and Henry nodded, agreeing to his words. The captain was shocked. Did they really think that? They should know better, know that the newspaper lied, that there was a lot of evil in the world, and that the assassins fought against that evil.

The captain sent a look at them, ¨The newspaper have lied a lot, you should know this as we are often targeted by that.¨ When the newspaper spoke of them, it was always blown up by lies and untruth. It wasn't all lies, but most was that.

Justin gave him a look back, giving a snort. ¨True. But we don't go and kill, torture and frame others. We have something called honor, something those abominations don't have.¨

With that sentence, Justin turned around and left, heading inside, the other two following, Nathan sending him a look, looking mad he had tried to tell the newspaper lied. When they were gone, the captain used a hand to massage his face as he tried to think.

He didn't like how he noticed more and more not liking assassins, not liking the assassin Ace was, seeming to have a hatred to them, believing the lies the marines and newspaper told. The captain didn't know how he would deal with this.

-x-

Whitebeard sat in his room, reading a book as he relaxed for the night. He hadn't heard anything from Marco yet, about what he had seen those days ago, or anything new from what he might have found in books, so he guessed there weren't much more to it, he had most likely overreacted and was shocked. It was more normal to take prisoners, or at least tell when someone snuck on board, but Ace could just teleport the intruder away with his powers, placing him on an island far away. It was a handy ability, he thought so himself. But there was a voice, a thought or something that had been bothering him for a day now, and he wasn't sure what it was telling him to do. Whenever he saw Ace, he knew he should do something, but he wasn't sure what, it was just something he almost remembered, but completely.

He tried to think of it, but also tried not too, not wanting it to take up all his mind. There were other issues he needed to think off, like how Blenheim had gotten a half serious injury during training, meaning he couldn't use his arm for some weeks, maybe a couple of months. It was all an accident, him and Curiel getting to worked up and Curiel throwing a harder swing with his sword than he thought. But it wasn't anything too dangerous, it would heal perfectly with no lasting damage. Whitebeard thought for a second. Heal? Then he figured out what his mind was trying to tell.

The book had said people with Legendaries healed fast. Did Ace heal fast?

The captain wasn't too sure, not having it in mind as he read over the reports from Bay, knowing Ace would be fine from what she told. But if he healed fast, she would know.

The captain placed his book away, moving to a desk and opening a drawer, taking the reports from Bay out, specifically the ones mentioning Ace. He hadn't been injured a lot and not too badly, barely needing to be in the infirmary for long. The only time he was there for a small time, was after he had gotten injured on an assignment and the man, Daisuke, had come with him. He did seem badly injured, but he had healed fast and nice, so he hadn't thought more off it. But maybe he should have. With a thoughtful look, he opened the folder and went to the part about Ace, reading over to see the damage on how it was supposed to heal, and how he did heal.

But after reading it over, he frowned. It didn't feel… finished. It felt loosely explained, really loosely explained.

It did mention his injures, but only saying 'Burn marks on back and hand, smoke inhalation, head wound and flesh wound.' Nothing more. It didn't say how severe the injuries were. And what the estimated recovery time were, it said 'Unknown, depends on lungs and back.' Bay always had a general idea on what recovery time one needed, so this was weird, he didn't like it. The next thing it mentioned was how he was recovering nicely, but no details. He would have picked this up during the time they went a quick look through it together and asked about it, so why didn't he have any more information?

Then he remembered. They had gone through it when Thatch had found about the mark, which interrupted the walkthrough. And he had forgotten about it after that, Bay having said Ace was doing fine, but they never got to this part of the actual folder.

With a small frown, he went to his door and opened it, seeing one from the seventh division out on watch. ¨Son,¨ He started, getting the man's attention. ¨Could you go and see if Bay have time to come here?¨ The man gave a nod, sending a worried look. ¨The captain gave a calm look. ¨Nothing is wrong, I just need to speak to her.¨ The man nodded, and went off, going to fetch the doctor if she had the time. When he was gone, the captain sat down in his chair, looking over the folder again. He was sure there was a reason for this, Bay was thoroughly with her reports, this was unusual. He would hear what she had to say.

It wasn't long before the was a knock and Bay came in. ¨You wanted to see me, Pops.¨ The captain gave a nod. ¨I did. I looked over one of the reports, specifically the one from 4 months ago about Ace. I feel like it is lacking some information. Is there a reason for this?¨ The doctor nodded. ¨Seeing what he does, his assassin work, I made a decision to be a bit… careful in my written report, just in case. I can stop this, as I did it without asking you. If you'd like, I can give a more in-depth explanation verbally on the event and injuries.¨ The captain gave a nod. He got the reason she was careful with the report, in case it got out.

¨It's fine, you can be careful with the written reports. And I would like more explanation about it, we got interrupted when we were supposed to go through it.¨ Bay gave a nod. ¨Is there a part you would like to hear about first?¨ The captain gave a nod, ¨How about the burn marks? How bad were those.¨ The captain thought it might be bad first degree burns, maybe second degree at places. He knew burn marks was hard to heal, but Ace had healed nicely. Bay gave a nod. ¨His hand had some third degree burns, seeming to having touched something warm. His lower back was mostly third degree burns, but it got less worse the higher up, the upper back only having first degree.¨ The captain blinked, thinking. He had seen how bad third degree burns was, and those took months to heal. But he wanted to know more of the injuries before he asked about how he had healed.

¨How about the flesh wound you mentioned, how mad was that?¨ Flesh wound was barely any description of an injury, it could be so much. It could be a small wound, or it could be more severe. Bay was silent for a second, before giving a small sigh. ¨The 'flesh wound' came from an explosion he was close too. It sent a pole at him, the pole going straight through his body, lower abdomen, creating a hole for lack of words. It thankfully missed all vital organs and bones, the reason I called it a flesh wound.¨

The captain blinked, looking at the doctor. A hole through his body? That was way different from a flesh wound, it was much more severe.

¨How did he get out of the infirmary so fast? I know burn marks, especially third degree ones, take some time to heal. And I'm not sure about how long a hole would need to heal.¨ It didn't make sense on how Ace was fine after just 5 days in the infirmary. Yes, he had stayed a couple of days with Daisuke, but still.

Bay gave a sigh, ¨Ace heals fast. Really fast.¨

The captain gave a nod, having understood that much. Now it was only to find out how fast. ¨When you say fast, how fast?¨ Bay seemed to be in thought for a second. ¨The burn marks should have taken about half a year or so, but was fine in 4 days, completely healed.¨ The captain blinked, that was way faster than he had thought. He didn't think it was completely healed when he left the infirmary. Before he could speak, Bay gave a small nod to herself, looking at him.

¨But the hole, it should have taken at least a year, maybe a bit longer for the skin to completely remodel itself. But it took 5 days.¨ The captain was shocked. That was way fast.

Bay took a breath, ¨I knew Ace healed fast, I figured it out when he helped form the marines before he joined us. Those wounds should have taken weeks, but it took days. Same with his knee, it should haven months, but it took days.¨ The captain looked at the doctor. ¨You knew?¨ He didn't know she had known for so long. Bay nodded. ¨Daisuke also mentioned it, telling he healed fast. But when Ace came here, he did not heal, and didn't start until after he woke up, meaning he did not do any healing the first day here. Ace even told me later he healed slowly, since he was tired and the coughing took a lot.¨ The captain stared at the doctor for a second.

That was healing slowly? It was closing in on regeneration, he was closing in on Marco in healing if that was slow.

Bay gave a sigh. ¨I know I should have told you about it, or mentioned it. But I didn't think it was my place too.¨ The captain gave a nod. ¨I get it, daughter. It's fine.¨ He did get it, but it was shocking. He had expected Ace might heal a bit fast, but nowhere close to this.

He looked at Bay. ¨Thank you for telling me now and coming here. I want you to be careful with Aces written report because of this, but this means I want a vocal one that's more described.¨ The doctor nodded. ¨Of course, Pops.¨ After giving a quick goodbye, the doctor left, going back to her infirmary, leaving the captain to think.

From what Marco had seen and explained, the book said and what Bay had just told him, there was no doubt about it.

Ace had a Legendarie.

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And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed

And yes, Legendarie is spelled wrong, as it normally is Legendary. Did this on purpose to make it more special, making my own word for my kind of devil fruits

And have you ever been scared and high on adrenaline, and when the adrenaline leaves, you just breakdown? If not, this is a thing that happens in situation like that. You are high on adrenaline, which keeps the panic and fear at some distance, but when that goes away, when Ace realized it was no danger, he broke down, sort of like it is after a chase and you're safe and starts laughing, before wounding up sobbing. It's the adrenaline leaving, leaving you scared, lost and panicked

Hope you enjoyed, and if you have the time, I would greatly appreciate feedback on the chapter

If you have any questions, requests or if you're wondering about something, don't be afraid to leave a review, or send a pm

And if you like this story, please go check out Ace of Spades One Shots, where I post one shots and different events from this story