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)

56. Ace of Spades Chapter 55 The Alleviate

Hello everyone, here is the next chapter

We have a bit of everything in this. The chapter is also a bit short (Sorry)

IMPORTANT: The AN at the end has some important information, so please read it

Hope you enjoy

Read and relax

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Ace gave a sigh, feeling tired. The last few days had been a bit rough. Daisuke had needed some help at Amegakure, as well as Ace doing a long assignment that lasted for two days, and it was tedious. He was closing in on his 6th day awake. Ace really wanted to go to bed and sleep for a couple of hours or so. As Ace got up to take some of his clothing off, like his cape, shoes, gauntlets, and such, there was a knock at the door, making Ace give a sigh inside himself. He almost didn't want to answer as it was early, the clock barely past 5, but knew he should. ¨Yes?¨ The door soon opened to reveal Marco.

Marco gave a small smile. ¨We're having a sort of emergency meeting, yoi.¨ Ace gave a nod. Sleep would wait then. ¨Why? Has anything happened?¨ Marco gave a small hum. ¨Nothing dangerous, but we need to figure out where to go now, as well as a few people having some issues, but nothing too bad.¨ Ace gave a nod. That was probably why Marco had called it sort of an emergency meeting. It wasn't really an emergency meeting, but they should have it now. They were scheduled to have the usual meeting tomorrow anyway.

The two commanders soon headed to the meeting room, Ace apparently being one of the last ones to be called. Ace did notice Mika and Trevor in the room too, but guessed they had been allowed there, and Ace didn't mind it this time. As Ace sat down, Trevor did give him a frown and look, which Ace gave a half-glare back at, telling him to keep quiet. Ace knew he was tired, really tired. Trevor knew this; he could see how Ace would blink a tiny bit slower and generally be somewhat slower in his movement and speech. It thankfully wasn't too bad; he could handle a meeting.

Everyone was soon sitting down, the meeting starting. It was as Marco had said, nothing too serious, only some people having a few fights and being on bad terms for now, but they should do it now and handle it before it got too bad. When the issue was handled, figuring out the commanders to the people in questions division should try and handle it first, and if it didn't work, Whitebeard would step in. They started to speak about other things.

Which each minute that passed, Ace felt himself grow more and more tired, really wanting to go and sleep. He would try and hold up during the meeting, but he was thinking of letting Trevor handle it.

-x-

Marco gave a small sigh, seeing as the meeting was still not over or looking to be close to ending. They were past the most important things and had discussed other things for over an hour, and had just started a new topic.

It was rare to have meeting this long, but it did happen. It was the reason they often happened in the mornings, since a chance for an attack was rarer then compared to the evening. They were having a small break now, just to get some air, food, and tell the ones on watch they wouldn't be out of the meetings for a couple more hours, hopefully not longer than that. As they had had a break for a couple of minutes, Marco noticed Ace looking at Trevor, who was present as Pops hadn't minded it. Trevor did also have useful information he could share or come with an insight they didn't have since he wasn't a part of the crew.

When Ace had Trevor's attention, he could hear Ace speaking in a low tone. ¨I'm cold.¨ Marco was just about to say Ace could go and grab the blanket they had, but before he could, Trevor gave a nod and spoke, head motioning towards the door. ¨It's fine, I can take the rest.¨ Ace gave a nod to that, before standing up and leaving, not saying anything else. Marco gave a frown to Trevor, seeing a few others also doing it, especially Pops. ¨Why did he leave, yoi? If he was only cold, he could take the blanket.¨ Trevor shook his head, looking at him.

¨Bunny says he's cold, since he won't say he's tired.¨ Marco blinked. He hadn't seen any sign of Ace being tired. ¨He was tired?¨ Trevor gave a nod. ¨Not far from collapsing actually, and I was just waiting for him to say it or fall asleep at the table.¨

Marco blinked. ¨Really, yoi?¨ Trevor nodded. ¨One can easily see it, you just need to know the signs.¨ Marco gave a sign, he guessed it was like that with Ace; one needed to know him and the signs to see how he was. ¨Was it a long assignment?¨ Trevor gave a half-nod. ¨More like tedious, and Bunny has already been awake for long. He just needs to sleep. He won't be able to do any good here now in the state he is anyway.¨ Marco gave a nod and looked at Pops, the man giving a nod too, accepting the fact Ace wouldn't be present the rest of the meeting. Marco would still go and check on Ace when the meeting was over, if he was still in his room then.

The meeting continued after a few minutes and lasted for an hour and half more. When it was finally over, Marco went to Ace's room, giving a small knock before opening the door.

When Marco opened the door, he gave a small smile as Ace was still asleep, facing away from the door as normal. Ace didn't seem to wake from him walking in, making him think Ace was still tired or close to exhausted. He guessed it was rare for Ace to tell he was tired, even if that was to say cold. Marco carefully closed the door behind him and walked up to the bed, taking his shoes, dagger, and sash off, before carefully slipping into bed behind Ace, moving an arm to drape over Ace. Marco wouldn't mind relaxing for a bit.

Ace stirred a bit, making some small movement and moving a hand to his. ¨Marco?¨ Marco gave a nod, moving to give a quick kiss to Ace's shoulder. It happened Ace asked if it was him, instead of turning and checking, just to be sure. ¨Yes, yoi.¨ Ace nodded his head a bit and gave a breath, settling again. It didn't take long before Ace seemed to be asleep again.

Marco gave a breath of his own, relaxing. It felt good to relax for a bit now.

-x-

Whitebeard sat in his chair in the meeting room, the meeting finishing a few minutes ago. The meeting had lasted longer than normal, but it rarely was this long.

It was still early, which was good, and this did mean they didn't need to have the meeting tomorrow. Some had left, heading to do their things. A few had wondered why Ace left early, but he and Trevor had said it was nothing to worry about. The captain had heard what Trevor had said, Ace using cold when he meant tired. That was something good to know for the future. He was also glad Ace chose to leave to sleep, Ace most likely being really tired. The most important things were over anyway. The captain was also sure Marco was with Ace, the first commander not having any duties to do just yet.

As the ones still present spoke, relaxing and enjoying the small food they had taken here earlier, Thatch looked at Trevor, a curious look on his face. ¨Trevor,¨ Started the chef, making the assassin give a hum, which made Thatch continue. ¨You've been here long, same with Mika, like almost everyday since you suddenly showed up. Not that we mind; you're kind of cool. But, what are you? As in, are you a part of our family?¨ That had everyone looking at Trevor. It was a good question; Trevor had almost constantly been on the boat for months now. The captain had to say he kind of viewed both Trevor and Mika a part of his family now. Trevor gave a hum.

¨I, nor Mika, are a part of your family. We're just not going to settle like that. But, we do like it here. We're more like unofficial part of the crew.¨

Everyone nodded at that. That did make sense. The two assassins were like a part of their family, but not quite. It could change, and Whitebeard wouldn't mind if it did; if the two became a part of their family. Thatch nodded and looked at the two assassins, Mika having nodded to Trevor's words. ¨If you want to become official part of our crew, just tell us. We don't mind.¨ Said the chef, making everyone nod, even the captain. He wouldn't mind it at all.

Trevor gave a small chuckle. ¨We appreciate it. We really do. But, we just don't want to settle like that; we're part of the Red Cloud, we have duties to do. Suddenly, we need to leave for weeks, even months.¨ Whitebeard nodded. That was a good reason not to become official part of their crew. They still had things to do themselves. Thatch gave a frown. ¨What about Ace? Does he need to leave for months at times?¨ Trevor gave a hum and shook his head. ¨He's not a part of the Red Cloud like us. Bunny's more of a loner; working by himself. He might need to leave at times too, but we can be called and basically need to say yes, Bunny can chose.¨

Thatch nodded. ¨Why aren't you going by yourself?¨ Trevor shrugged. ¨Why aren't you a captain? Why only a commander? It's because you want to be part of this crew, the family. You don't want to make all the decisions yourself, you want to just take a step back. Have a place to belong. We do too, and we do it best at Amegakure. But, we still don't mind it here, same with Bunny. That's why he said yes to join you. Bunny can both be independent and not, but not same as us. It's just different for him. He was raised in this, the assassin business, we weren't.¨ Everyone nodded. That was a really good way to explain it. Everyone seemed to think the same, letting it be at that.

They stayed in the meeting room for half an hour, before heading out on deck, continuing with their day and duties. It wasn't a sunny day, the sky cloudy, but it was just clouds. No rain or too bad wind.

-x-

Marco laid in the bed, having been there for almost half an hour. He hadn't slept, not feeling that tired. He was comfortable with just relaxing like this; an arm over Ace and enjoying the silence and closeness. The assassin was still asleep, seeming to be really tired as he hadn't even stirred yet, even though Marco had shifted a few times, needing to move a bit as he relaxed.

After a few minutes, he heard some noises and some shifting behind him, which made him turn around and see Dust there, standing on the bed, an envelope in its beak, most likely a request for Ace. As Marco was about to see if Ace was awake, Dust seeming to wait for Ace to move, the assassin gave a sigh, not moving as he spoke. ¨Who is it from?¨

Marco blinked. Was Ace really asking him to check?

When Marco looked at Dust, the bird gave a nod, dropping the envelope in front of him, making the first commander sure Ace wanted him to check. He was a bit hesitant, knowing this was Ace's work, but also knew Ace had asked him to check, making him think this was a sign Ace trusted him more, letting him look at the letter or request he got. Marco carefully moved to half sit up, taking the envelope and opening it a bit slowly, making sure to make some noise, in case he understood it wrong or Ace changed his mind. Ace didn't say anything to it, still not having moved, not seeming to want to move. Ace was most likely tired, Marco thinking he had been awake for a long time. He had tried to check on Ace during the last nights, but Ace had never been at his room or out on deck.

Marco soon had opened letter in his hand, looking it over. It was a few words on it, just a 'Need help with rebels'. And, it was signed with Laszlo. Marco gave a frown. That name did sound familiar. Marco looked at Ace, who still hadn't moved. ¨It says it's from someone called Laszlo, yoi.¨ Ace gave a sigh. ¨Please tell me it's not help with rebels.¨ Marco blinked, looking back at the note, seeing it was. He had a feeling Ace had dealt with this before, and didn't seem too pleased with it. ¨It does, yoi.¨

Ace gave a sigh at that, almost a half-groan, sitting up. When Ace was up, he took the note and looked it over himself, giving a small sigh to it as he looked at Dust. ¨Go get Trevor, okay?¨ The raven gave a nod and caw, before turning around and flying off, heading out an open window. Marco thought Ace would have Trevor handle this assignment, Ace not seeming to really want to. "Is Trevor going to do it, yoi?¨ Ace shook his head, moving to stand up. ¨No. We will do it together.¨ Marco gave a nod. ¨Is it going to be hard?¨ Ace shook his head again, moving to a closet and taking his assassin clothes out. Marco had noticed Ace using his spare ones, his regular ones being close to destroyed from the battle with Adam. The only thing half-surviving was the cape.

¨It won't be hard. It's just a tough guy to deal with, as he doesn't like help. He's annoying.¨ Marco nodded, giving a small frown. ¨Why is Trevor coming then?¨ Ace gave a hum, taking his clothes off and the assassin ones on. ¨He's going to be there to keep me from murdering the man.¨ Marco blinked, on his way to ask about that, when the door opened and Trevor was there. Ace looked at Trevor. "Laszlo need help with rebels.¨ Trevor gave a groan. ¨God no. Not that man again.¨ Ace shook his head, grabbing a few more clothes from his closet, throwing them at Trevor. ¨Let's just get it over with.¨ Marco was a bit shocked at seeing them not liking this man, but still going to do it.

Trevor gave a sigh, taking his shirt off. ¨I swear. That man is annoying. He just messes up too much.¨ Ace gave a nod to that, already almost finished changing, only missing his gauntlets. Marco guessed they accepted it since it was a real assignment, not a false one or anyone that would attack them, just some annoying guy. As Trevor moved to take his shirt on, he moved towards Ace, making Marco see his back, which made Marco blink. He should have expected it, but the scarred back still took him aback. It wasn't as bad as Ace, not nearly, but it was still way worse than any normal pirate. Marco managed to see 2 brands mixed with the other scars. One was even the same as Ace, the one Ace had at his lower left side. Marco guessed all the assassins had scars, even brands. It was still sad to see them having been through it, saving others, having been captured, and still hated by so many.

As Trevor had the shirt on, the rest quickly following. Ace looked at the first commander. ¨We'll be gone for around two days. Maybe three, but hopefully not.¨ Marco gave a nod ¨It's fine, yoi. Be careful.¨ Ace gave a nod. ¨We'll try.¨ Then Ace moved a hand to Trevor, and they were gone in black smoke.

As they were gone, Marco moved to stand up, stretching a bit. He was glad he was able to relax a bit, sort of needing it after not having done it since Ace had been as busy and not around, making him worry. Trevor was at least with him now, which gave Marcoa sort of peace, knowing Ace at least wasn't alone. Marco moved out of the room, going and informing Pops that Ace was going to be away for two days, maybe three, but most likely not. Pops nodded to it, saying it was fine, seeming a bit surprised Trevor was joining Ace. That had barely happened a handful of times. Marco didn't say what Ace had said, or how Trevor had reacted, thinking it would only cause the man to worry. Marco went back to his duties after that, the day going by calmly.

The next two days were calm, nothing special happening. Jozu got himself landed in the infirmary for a couple of days, breaking a rib after a training exercise gone wrong, but that was it.

When it was on the third day of Ace and Trevor being gone, a marine boat was noticed heading towards them. When they went to look at it closer, they soon realized it was Garp, the man not seeming battle ready as the 'peace' mark they had, which was a white sheet tied around the mast, was there. The marine were probably close by and wanted to drop by to see how Ace was. He would return soon anyway.

-x-

Whitebeard sat out on deck, speaking with Garp as he was visiting. Ace was still gone, but would most likely return soon; it had just turned to the third day of Ace and Trevor being gone. The marine didn't have any peculiarly reason to visit, he was just close by and wanted to see how his grandson was, so the captain didn't mind it.

After the man had been there for a small bit, one of his men came and said there was a call for him, and he needed to leave to take it, most likely being something important. The marine had given a sigh to it, but left nonetheless. There were still some of his men that were on their ship, and it was fine, they knew the rules when they visited. They weren't friends or even acquaintances, the Whitebeards wouldn't hesitate in killing them if they did anything wrong. After the vice admiral had been gone for a few minutes, Trevor came out a door. Before any of them could speak, either to ask how it had gone, or if Ace was also back, the man got everyone attention by clapping his hands.

¨Okay. Bunny is annoyed, so please try to not bother him. Actually, just don't speak to him for now and let him calm down.¨

Whitebeard frowned at that. ¨What happened to make him annoyed? And, will he be coming out when annoyed?¨ Trevor gave a nod. ¨Annoying people made him annoyed. And, he is going to get food, meaning he needs to walk over the deck. He's just changing now.¨ The captain gave a nod to that, and would try and leave Ace alone but would still ask how it had went, just as he always did.

After a minute, a door opened and Ace came out. He didn't look any different from what he used to, maybe looking a little serious, but not much. As he got out on deck and the captain was about to ask how it went, someone from Garp's crew, who stood close to where Ace got out, took a step to him. ¨Hey, your charm is the wrong way.¨ The man said, and turned the charm around to the right way. It was the small charm that was on the bonds to his hat, being the wrong way as the marine man had said. The man probably did it to help, knowing Ace was in a bad mood and it could help to meet kindness like that. But, when Whitebeard saw Ace's face go into a small forced smile, an eye twitching, he was sure it was a bad idea. Before the captain could think more of it, Ace spoke.

¨Hey, your head is the wrong way.¨ Ace then moved his hands to the man's head and snapped his neck, making him fall down to the ground dead, before continuing his walk and walking into the galley.

The pirates were shocked, same with the marines that had seen it. Ace literally just killed someone since he helped him. Trevor gave a sound. ¨Okay, I did warn him, so this is not on me or us.¨ Whitebeard blinked, Ace was that annoyed? Thatch was the first one to speak. ¨W-what? You said he was annoyed, not murderous!¨ Trevor gave a nod. ¨Annoyed Ace is murderous Ace.¨ Before any of them could speak again, Garp came back out. When he saw one of his men dead on the deck, he halted for a second, before looking at him. ¨The hell! Why is one of my men dead?!¨ Before any of them could respond, Ace came back out of the galley, a sandwich in hand. Garp turned to the assassin, ¨Ace! Wh-,¨

¨Disturb my solitude again, and I will stab you with spoons.¨ Said Ace, cutting the vice admiral off, not even looking at him.

That had Garp go quiet, giving a nod, not saying anything. When Ace was gone, Garp looked at Trevor. ¨I'm guessing Troy is dead since he bothered Ace?¨ Trevor gave a nod. ¨Not only did he speak to him, he touched him. And I did warn them.¨ Garp gave a nod. ¨Then he did wrong, although I did like the man. Shame.¨ Trevor gave a chuckle. ¨Never bother annoyed Ace, you might die if you do.¨ Garp gave a nod. ¨I know, have learned that. Well, since he is in a bad mood, I might as well leave, I can't stay for much longer anyway.¨ Trevor gave a nod to the vice admiral. ¨I'll tell Bunny you said hi.¨ Garp gave a nod to that, before saying goodbye to the captain too.

When the marine was gone, the captain looked at Trevor. ¨Is Ace annoyed like this often?¨ Trevor gave a half-shake of the head. ¨Sometimes it's a lot. The more things that annoy him, the more annoyed he will be. Just been a bad day for him.¨ Whitebeard gave a nod. That Ace could be that mad was not something good for them, it could go bad, especially since they couldn't see he was as annoyed as he was. Trevor gave a hum, getting the attention again. ¨While yes, he is mad enough to kill like that, he won't do that with you. You will get a warning like Garp did first.¨

Whitebeard nodded, that was good to know. The marine had been killed since he was a marine; Ace didn't care about him. If it had been one of them, they would have gotten a warning, and if they got one, to just nod and go let Ace be. ¨How long will he be annoyed?¨ Trevor gave a hum. ¨A few hours, or maybe the rest of the day. He won't come out before he is more calm.¨ The captain gave a nod, that was good to know. Ace most likely knew himself that he was annoyed. Trevor looked at Marco. ¨He won't kill you, so you are safe to go. He's also more calm when he's in his room.¨ Marco gave a nod at that. The captain did think Ace would be more patient with some of them than others, and Marco was probably high on that list.

Nothing special did happen after that. After an hour, he noticed Marco moving to the commanders hallway and maybe to Ace's room to check on him. But he was sure Marco would be fine.

-x-

Marco walked to Ace's door and gave a small knock at the door, before opening it. When he opened the door and saw the bed, he couldn't help but give a small chuckle inside him.

Ace was lying on the bed, lying on top of the covers and on his stomach, head under his pillow. He looked like the twenty-year old he was now.

Marco closed the door behind him and went up to the bed, sitting down on it. ¨How are you, yoi?¨ Ace gave something sounding like an annoyed sigh. ¨Annoyed. Remembering how much I detest people at times.¨ Marco gave a small chuckle. ¨Understood that from what Trevor said and how you killed Troy.¨ Ace gave a sigh at that. ¨I will apologize to Garp later.¨ Marco gave a chuckle. ¨Trevor did give a warning, and Garp seemed to understand it, yoi.¨ Ace gave a nod, Marco seeing it as the pillow moved.

Ace gave a small sigh. ¨Marco?¨ Started the assassin, making Marco give a hum. ¨Could you stroke my back?¨ Marco gave a smile. ¨Of course, yoi.¨ He said as he moved a hand to Ace's back, slowly stroking it, making Ace give a breath. Marco guessed this helped Ace calm down. Marco soon moved himself to sit more comfortably on the bed, letting Ace calm down.

They stayed like that for almost an hour, Marco having his hand on Ace's back, only moving his thumb, helping Ace relax and calm down. After the hour had gone by, Ace gave a sigh and moved to sit up, Marco moving his hand away to let Ace sit up. Ace looked calmer now, more like himself and not looking mad or stoic. ¨How are you feeling, yoi?¨ Asked Marco. Ace gave a nod and gave a breath, ¨I'm feeling okay.¨ Marco gave a nod, moving to sit beside Ace on the bed, moving a hand to Ace's holding it and using his thumb to stroke it. ¨How did the assignment go?¨ Ace gave a small sigh, leaning his head back against the wall. ¨It went okay. That man just annoys me by the way he acts, and it didn't help we met other people who were annoying.¨ Marco nodded. He knew some people were just annoying, and it seemed like Ace, and even Trevor, had worked with this man before, and he was just annoying.

They sat and relaxed after that, Ace not seeming to want to go back out yet, which was fine by Marco.

They spoke about some regular things, just relaxing and enjoying the calmness. After another hour, Dust came in the window and landed on Ace's lap, holding a piece of paper. That was a bit unusual. It was always an envelope. not just a note or paper. Even Ace gave a small curious look at it as he took it and unfolded it. After Ace had read it over, getting a smile as he did, he looked over at him, moving the note for him to look at. ¨It's from San.¨ Marco blinked, taking the note and looking at it, now remembering they had sent a note to the woman, and she still hadn't answered, probably needing time to think about it.

Marco looked at the note reading it. 'The Phoenix can come and talk to us. It's fine by Moro and I. Shishigami is aware of it, as they know each other from centuries back. In two weeks time is a good time for you two to come by; only the two of you.'

Marco was glad San was okay with it, even better that Moro was. But, the other one puzzled him. ¨Who's Shishigami, yoi?¨ Marco didn't know that name, or he think he didn't. He felt he maybe did, seeing something blue in the back of his mind. Ace gave a hum. ¨It's not someone you know, but the phoenix. He's the other mythical there.¨ Marco gave a nod. He got if he couldn't speak to the other mythical, and it seemed like the other hadn't said yes, but was aware of it since he might recognize him.

¨I'll tell Pops we're going to be gone that day, yoi.¨ Ace gave a nod. ¨Tell him we will be gone for the night too.¨ Marco gave a frown. ¨Why, yoi?¨ Ace gave him a smile. ¨If we're lucky, Shishigami will be okay with seeing us. And, that is an amazing thing to see.¨ Marco gave a nod. He hoped they would be able to see that, but he was happy with only speaking with San and Moro too. Marco would be sure to mention to Pops he needed to have that day and night off, maybe the day after too, at least half of it. Same with Ace. Ace wrote a quick note back to San, saying which day they would drop by, also saying they would stay the night.

They stayed in the room for another hour, before heading out for dinner.

When they got to the galley, some did send a look at Ace, looking a bit reluctant from what had happened earlier. But, as Ace was calmer now, back to his usual self, everyone soon went back to normal and being around Ace, not scared he would do anything. They would remember to immediately leave Ace alone if he was annoyed like that or came with a threat. As dinner was coming to an end, they got the news that they closed in on an island they would dock at, just to stretch their legs and relax at the uninhabited island, seeming to be a rather large one, but had a lot of swamps, water, and such. But, it was a good place for them to dock for a day, and also to let Stefan roam for a small bit. The wolf needed that.

Marco would need to ask Ace if they could take Stefan with them to San when they left. The wolf would probably be happy to see his kin again.

-x-

Whitebeard looked at his children as they were preparing to make a bonfire at the island they had docked at. It had a lot of swamps and water areas, but it still had forest and a sizable beach, making it a good stop for them to relax for a night. Stefan seemed to really enjoy himself as he ran around. It was still light outside, the sun not having started to set just yet. They had arrived earlier than expected since they had had good wind.

As the bonfire seemed closed to being finished, the captain looked over at Thatch when he spoke, sounding puzzled and having a puzzled frown. ¨What is Ace doing?¨ Whitebeard gave a small frown as he looked the way Thatch did, seeing he was looking towards the swamp. When the captain saw the swamp, he frowned more, wondering the same thing Thatch did.

Ace was in the swamp, the water reaching up to his thigh, arms out and down, his fingers being in the water, seeming to be searching or looking for something.

Ace didn't have his cape on, which was good as it would have been wet and dirty from the swamp, this seeming to be something he had planned. Ace did walk with confidence, not looking down, but in front and at the murky waters, making the pirates believe he was on the outlook for something. Whitebeard just didn't know what, but there had be a reason. ¨I don't know, son.¨ Said the captain, now wondering what Ace was doing. As he was about to try and ask the assassin what he was doing, Namur, who stood beside Thatch, got a shocked, almost horrified look, looking at Ace. ¨Ace!¨ The captain soon got a cold feeling as he saw it too.

It was a big crocodile sneaking up at Ace from behind, barely visible in the water, the beast being larger than Ace. ¨Watch ou-,¨ Started Namur, but didn't finish as the crocodile charged, trying to jump at Ace.

But, as soon as the crocodile was close to Ace, Ace had grabbed his knife and turned around, plunging the knife into the crocodile's throat, pushing down and killing it fast, seeming to expect the crocodile to be there.

As the beast was dead, Ace put his knife away, grabbing the crocodile by its mouth and dragging it to land. As he was almost at land, the captain going to ask what he was doing, he heard a gunshot and saw Trevor a bit away, having killed a crocodile on his own, being in the swamp. Trevor also brought the crocodile to land. When both were at land, placing the crocodiles in a heap a bit away from the swamp. The captain looked at the two assassins. ¨Ace, what are you two doing?¨ Ace gave a hum, moving to take some grass of his legs. ¨We need the skin to make new clothes as we need it. There are a lot of old crocodiles here, which are the biggest and best to kill without disturbing the balance here as there are a lot of old ones.¨

Whitebeard nodded, that did make sense. The assassins did need new clothing, their old assassins clothes being destroyed. Trevor looked at Ace. ¨How many do we need? 5 or 6?¨ Ace gave a hum, looking at the two crocodiles they had. ¨If we can keep them this size, 5 should be enough for us. But, if we find a 6th one, we'll take it.¨ Trevor nodded at that, and the two headed back into the swamp, walking with big steps and arms out in the water, obviously to make the most disturbance in the water to get the attention of the crocodiles.

It did seem like Ace had done this before, maybe a lot. But, the captain still didn't like it. Ace was a devil fruit user. If one crocodile got Ace to tumble, he would be powerless. How much of his power he would lose, the captain didn't know. Whitebeard knew Legendaries didn't get as affected as normal devil fruit users, but it would affect them greatly; it was water. He would make sure to keep an eye on Ace, seeing many others doing it too, in case he needed help. Trevor wasn't too far away either, meaning he could help if needed.

An hour later, Trevor brought a sixth crocodile up to the ground, getting 6, since one of them was a bit small according to Ace. Whitebeard thought they were big, each one being larger than Ace, one closing in on Kingdew's size, but a bit larger than Rakuyo's size.

As they had the crocodiles they needed, Ace grabbed one and went to a grass patch, Trevor and Mika, who had joined them, doing the same. Trevor sent a look at Thatch when they were on the grass. ¨Hey chef!¨ Started the assassin, getting Thatch's attention. ¨Know how to cook crocodile meat?¨ Thatch gave a nod. ¨Yeah.¨ Trevor nodded. ¨Then we'll give the meat to you. We only need the skin, claws, and fangs.¨ Thatch gave a nod, looking a bit shocked. ¨That's a lot of meat.¨ Trevor nodded. ¨Yeah. But, better use it than have it waste away.¨ Thatch nodded at that. Whitebeard knew Thatch didn't like to waste food, so he would take the meat. And, this did mean they wouldn't need a lot of meat in the near future.

As Ace was about to start skinning the crocodile, he halted for a second and looked up at the pirates. ¨Anyone want to learn how to skin crocodiles?¨ That was a nice offer, and the captain didn't think many of his children knew how to skin animals. Thatch gave a nod, walking towards Ace. ¨I know how to kill and take the meat, but not skin.¨ Ace shook his head. ¨You'll be able to do it. It's not hard since you know meat and how the animal is built. And, crocodiles are one of the easier ones to skin.¨ Thatch nodded and sat down in his knees next to Ace. Ace looked up. ¨Anyone else?¨ Rakuyo, Izou, Marco,Curiel, and someone from the fourth division, one of the main chefs, joined too. A few were with the other two assassins to not have too many around Ace. Others watched from a distance, but didn't sit as close up.

As the assassin skinned the crocodiles, they explained what they did, step by step, sounding like they were good teachers for this. Everyone who watched seemed interested and seemed to get it. When they were finished with one crocodile each, the captain had to say to was an amazingly good job. The animal had its entire body left, the meat and muscles not touched, perfectly skinning it. The assassins were clearly adept in it. But, if it was needed for clothes and such, they needed to be able to do it. It was kind of them to show and teach the ones who wanted to learn it.

When they were finished with the animals two hours later, they had a set of 6 perfect crocodile skins. After taking the other things away, like teeth and claws, Thatch and some other chefs took the crocodiles to the kitchen to store and prepare to store the meat. The assassins took the skin to dry at the beach for now and would take them inside the boat later.

It was calm after that, nothing much happening, the bonfire being finished, but still not lit as it was still a bit too early, the sun still up. After an hour, Ace gave a small chuckle, pointing to a small sandbank in the ocean. ¨Look.¨ The captain turned to see a gigantic crocodile at the small sandbank there, closing in on Jozu's size. Trevor gave a whistle. ¨We should almost go and get that. Look at the size of it.¨ Ace gave a chuckle. ¨Maybe. But, we're too late. Look to the left of the sandbank.¨ They did, and in the water there, was a white shape swimming towards the sandbank. Whitebeard blinked, seeing it was Stefan. The captain was worried Stefan would be attacked by the beast; it was big. But, Trevor and Ace didn't seem worried, Trevor even giving a sigh and saying. ¨He deserves it.¨ Ace nodded to it. As the captain was about to ask what he meant, Stefan was on the island and crouched down, walking towards the relaxing crocodile.

When the wolf was close enough, he attack the crocodile, biting at its neck. The crocodile tried to attack, moving and hissing, but Stefan won as he bit down and moved his neck, killing the beast. As Stefan won, he got a better grip at the crocodile and swam off to the island and went inside the forest, heading to most likely eat his meal. Whitebeard couldn't help but be shocked at that, but also felt proud. That was the first time he had seen Stefan hunt, and it was such a large creature he took on too. Stefan was a good hunter, still having his instincts.

After that, it was calm again, the bonfire being lit as the sun setted, making the party start and everyone being in high spirits to have a bonfire party again. Whitebeard enjoyed days like this.

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And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed

I know it was short, but there have been many long ones now and such

And, to the important thing I mentioned at the start: To those who might have noticed it, this story is now marked as finished. I am not ending the story here, though, at least not yet. I will maybe still write and update, but not nearly as much as I used to. The reason for this is that this story is as long as it is, and I know it's getting way long for many and I know some are losing interest in it, which I get. But, the other reason I am doing this is because I want to start a new long story. It most likely won't be half as long as this, as this got way longer than I ever thought, and many don't like this long of stories.

But, back to my point. There is now a poll on my profile, where you can vote on what kind of story I will choose to do next. I would really appreciate it if you took the time to vote, it will just take a few seconds. The poll says what kind of crossover or what it will sort of contain, but there are more explanations on my profile, but nothing revealing to the stories. Again, I would really appreciate if you took the time to vote, as you can have a say in what I will write next as I am okay with all options

And, I want to give a big thanks to everyone who has stuck with me to this point, I love you all. If you will still read this story, I really appreciate it, as I have stuff to possibly write here. It will go on as long as I have ideas and as long as people are interested. The one shots are also continuing, and I know I am late in updating, but I have had stuff to do, same with the mental health series. So, if you want me to continue to write this story, I need you to tell me, either in a review or Pm. If no one is interested, I will end it completely and write a quick wrap up of everything. If you want more, I will continue to write as I do have some plans for the future here, but won't update as much as I usually do

If you have the time, I greatly appreciate feedback, and would appreciate it even more if you answered the poll if you're interested (I have made the poll, but it might not appear right away since ff is a bit slow with updates on the profile. Please give it a few minutes)

If you liked this story, go check out Ace of Spades One Shots, which contains one shots and other events from this story

And, over at Archive of our own (Ao3) There is a person going under the name ScandinavianTrash, who is making this into a podfic. Please go check it out and support this person as it is amazing

Alternatives for next story (More in depth at my profile)

Vampire Ace

Naruto and One Piece crossover (Whitebeard pirates main focus, Ace main character)

Supernatural and One Piece crossover (Whitebeard pirates main focus, Ace main character)

Avatar (legend of Korra) and One piece crossover (Whitebeard pirates main focus, Ace main character)