Hello everyone, here is the next chapter
This is a bit long, but many things happen in this
It is also early out as I finished it early as I had fun writing this and I've got more than enough time as this Coronavirus have made my country close almost everything
Some parts of this are a bit fast-paced, but I hope it's okay
I also hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in this period
Hope you enjoy
Read and relax
Trevor sat with Ace at his desk, going through the assignment Trevor was in charge of, Ace showing how he did it and giving away tips on how to do this. Ace had no assignments he needed to do, which would be good for Ace; he worked too much at times. Ace moved to show the parchment Trevor had bought. "See here. This is for Soul, a kill to get information. I know the name he's going to, and I know Soul. It says 3 days, but I am sure it will take 4. Soul plans a lot, so don't call before a day later. If it goes foul, you will know early as these nobles are quick to brag, but I think it will go fine." Trevor nodded. "Okay. So I call tomorrow, and not today?" Ace nodded. "Yes. See here, one for Raiden, he's mine. You know this name too, and what do you think? It's for information." Trevor tried to think. "It should be easy, so those 4 days sounds long." Ace nodded. "Good. And 4 days is too long. He should be done within 2, but probably said 4 to relax; Raiden does that. These are small things you'll learn as you work. You won't get those high ones yet; Mika is the highest." That made sense, Trevor and Mika might be high up, but below Raiden, Hanzo, and those. "What about you? Who handles you?" Ace shook his head. "When you're one of the highest, you have no one. You're solo." Trevor blinked. Ace didn't mean? "You have no one? What if it goes foul and you're captured?!" Ace shrugged. "Then I'm captured. Daisuke, Moira, Hanzo, and I have no one, we're the leaders." Trevor blinked. "Wait, Hanzo? Not Raiden?" Ace nodded. "Yeah, Raiden hates it. But that's life. I can only hope someone notices, and usually Daisuke does, but not always, the reason Shanks has attacked nobles." Trevor sighed. "He did it to help you out." Ace nodded. "Being a leader has its downsides." Trevor blinked. "Downsides? It's a death sentence!" Ace sighed. "But, that's how it is and has been. We're alone in the field. You can't know where we are in case someone gets attacked; you're lower, we can't tell those who are lower where we are." Damn that it made sense, but Trevor didn't like it. "I don't have to like it." Ace nodded. "You're right, you don't have to. Just accept it. We have." Trevor didn't like it at all.
Ace sighed. "Let's move on. Next is Gray, also mine. What do you think?" Trevor looked at Ace for a couple seconds, until he decided it would do no good to fight. He should rather try and bring it up with Daisuke. "I don't know. I don't like that name he's up against. Is it kill or info?" Ace nodded. "Kill. And you're right, the reason I have this; Trinket is joining him." That made more sense. "Then I think it will go fine. She is an amazing sneaker." Ace nodded. "She is. So, Gray fights and creates a diversion, while Trinket goes for the main kill." Made sense. "How many do you have?" Ace looked his papers over. "I have 6." Trevor sat stunned for a few seconds. "Six?! Six?! I have 1, Daisuke said if it is needed, I can get 2!" Ace nodded. "You're new to this, so yeah. I'm not. Let it go, and you'll get more when you show you can do this well, which you can." Why was there so much Trevor didn't know? He hated it. "Let's move on," continued Ace, "Corvo. He's going for information to these nobles." Trevor looked the assignment over, not sure what to say as it was a new name, at least for him. "I don't know, new name. I think it will go fine, Corvo is good." Ace shook his head. "I don't. Corvo is rash at times, but I think he will get out, but not fine. So, I made sure he won't go on assignments for a week or two." That made sense. Corvo was still somewhat rash and underestimated people. "Okay. So, when do you call?" Ace gave a hum. "I'll wait a few hours, then call." Trevor blinked. "Today? He left today." Ace nodded. "I know, but it is to see if he's fine or not. To know if I need to recover a body. I will also listen in on calls between some nobles to see if they will reveal anything. It's close by the base he's heading. Fast boats help." Trevor nodded. It made sense and even though Ace was amazing, he didn't know he knew everyone this well. It was clear that Ace had been doing this for a long time. It would take Trevor a long time to be able to even be near how good Ace was, so he was thankful for this help.
-x-
Whitebeard felt a breath leave him as he saw a pirate ship approaching them, not a friendly one, and he knew it would be a fight. It was late in the evening, and most were inside the ship, and the captain didn't want to start a fight now. They usually didn't say no to a fight, but they were enjoying some peace, and they were in an area where a fight could mean bad things for islands close by. They were still in a new place in the New World, and a fight could show they were hostile- which they could be- and it could be bad for when they visited the island close by. "Do you want to fight them?" Whitebeard looked down to his side, seeing Ace there, looking to be relaxed as he waited for an answer. "If we want to fight? What do you mean?" Ace gave a hum. "Do you want to fight? Easy yes or no." Whitebeard thought for a second. They didn't want a fight right now, as they had other things to do and didn't want to put a bad name in this new place. They could do fights later, after they were more friendly with the places around. "If we can evade it, it would be the best." Ace nodded and held his hand up. Ace seemed to be concentrating before he snapped his fingers, looking at the boat. Nothing happened, the captain not sure what he expected, but he had sort of expected the boat to just disappear. But, as he looked at the boat, he saw them suddenly changing the way their sail was, turning around, and doing their best to get away. How had Ace done that? "What did you do?" Ace shrugged with a chuckle. "Showed them a nightmare on this ship. What they saw was sort of like this, just imagine it the same size as the boat." Ace then held his hand out, palm open, smoke appearing from his hand and taking the shape of the boat. Ace then used his other hand and made a motion next to it, and a dark creature stood up from the boat. It had a dark face with two light slits for eyes and four arms, it looking like something from a nightmare, smoke oozing from the shape, one hand out and smoke oozing from finger-like claws. No wonder the boat had ran away, if that was what they saw. If it had been the same size as the boat, it would have been huge, close to Oars in size, no one would want to face that.
Whitebeard was amazed at that. "That was amazing, no wonder they turned around." Ace chuckled. "Done it many times, both to make people go away and to lure them away. I can make almost every shape and beast, both that exist and that don't exist." It was a neat trick and it would be useful for the future when they didn't want, or couldn't do, a fight. At times, fights come in groups, and they could handle 3 different crews fine, but more could be hard, so it was nice to have a way out of it. "I'll keep it in mind you can do that, son. It was a neat trick that could be useful." Ace nodded. "It can be, and I have no issues doing it now and then. Not every fight is wanted. Just say you don't want to fight, and I will fix it." That was good to know. "Are there more ships around?" He knew Ace had an amazing Haki, and he had Dust, so he could see much farther than what the captain could. Ace hummed. "No, none that are heading for us. I think they are visiting islands too, and they seem to try and evade us. If they come close, I'll chase them away." That sounded like a good plan for tonight. "Shall we maybe head inside? I have a feeling Bay will come out soon." Ace chuckled. "She's out and prowling the back of the ship, probably knowing you are out. So, heading inside would be a good idea." Ace's Haki really was amazing, and he wondered how he had gotten so good. He knew he had been blindfolded for a while, but there had to be more than just that.
The two then headed into the captain's room, Whitebeard sitting down in his chair and Ace taking an empty chair and sitting down. "So," started Ace, "I have a feeling you want to talk about something." Whitebeard chuckled. "Right. But, just some regular chatter first. How are you?" Ace chuckled. "I'm fine. These will be some relaxing days since I am handling more things from the boat and not field work. The question back at you; how are you?" Whitebeard hummed. "Fine. Good to be in a new place in the New World and exploring again, it's been a while since we have been in new waters." Ace chucked. "I know the feeling, it's great. I mostly know the entire world, I know about most islands, it's rare I find a new one, and a new one usually means bad." That made sense, and it was sort of good that Ace was familiar with this part of the ocean, in case they headed for a wrong place. Ace was an amazing tactician and leader, which brought up something he had wanted to ask about.
"How long have you been acting like a leader?" Ace gave a hum. "Since I was 12. I didn't do it alone at the start. Alone, I have been doing it for 4 years." That was long, and Ace had started young. He couldn't have had much of a childhood in this life, and he didn't know how Ace felt about losing out onhis childhood. And, it wasn't a question he wanted to ask Ace, sure he wouldn't get a response to it. Maybe the captain should try and do things so Ace could relive it? Maybe try and include fun things in their days at islands or on the boat. Not childish things, but competitions, playgrounds on island- even the others had fun with those at times- and just other things he might come up with.
The captain had many more questions but already knew the answer to most would be a shake of the head. But still, he had a couple he wanted to see if he could get an answer to. "Your powers, how does it work? I still come up empty when I try to think what powers you have." Ace gave a chuckle. "My powers work with something that is common, but often forgotten. I won't say what it is, but I can do a riddle; more fun. You are bound to find out one day anyhow. Let's see; 'It can not be seen whenever it's there. It fills up a room, it's much like the air. It can not be touched, there's nothing to hear. It is quite harmless, there's nothing to fear.' If you can figure it out, you have your answer." Whitebeard tried to think, but came up with nothing for now. He would try and figure the riddle out. "I will try solve it, but it might take some time." He wasn't the best with riddles, so it would be hard. Ace chuckled. "It might have been a hard one, but the answer is a simple thing, just don't overthink it. That's all I have to say on the topic." Whitebeard nodded, he got it and would let it be. "How are things with you? Work and all." Ace hummed. "Normal fits. Things are calm in a way, which is good for once. I am still heading to train tomorrow, which will be a bit tiring." That made sense. He really needed to try and solve the riddle, he was curious on what the answer was, and if he found it out, what Ace would say. Maybe he could ask someone for help, Marco was good with riddles. But he would first try for a while himself.
"I remember our earlier conversation. Your healing. Does it have to do with your powers too?" Ace gave a hum. "Both yes and no. I heal based on my powers, but it's nothing to do with it really. Just like how Marco regenerates, but it has nothing to do with general birds." That made sense, so he shouldn't bring the healing factor into the riddle. "Do you know the island we're heading to? You do seem to know your way around." Ace chuckled. "I do. Remember Karin? The red-haired girl from the ordeal with Adam." Whitebeard nodded, which had Ace continue. "She lives there, and will probably be there to say hi to us. She's a nice person." She did seem like a nice person, and he was looking forward to meeting her again, as last time, they barely managed to say hi to her. Whitebeard had a feeling the next days would go fine, especially as they had Ace, who wouldn't work much the next days.
Whitebeard gave a hum. "When you've traveled, have you traveled for fun, or had everything been business?" Ace chuckled. "Most is with work, but I enjoy travel for fun too, and have done a lot of it." That made sense, and the captain hoped they would find a place where the assassin hadn't been before, so he could have fun as an adventurer too, without it being a bad thing. Whitebeard then gave a breath, wanting to ask more about Ace's powers. "How did you make Bay not be able to see me the other day? That was extraordinary." Ace chuckled. "I think I've mentioned it before. I can shut down part of the brain, including the senses, meaning I can create blind spots. It's just as easy as that." Whitebeard wouldn't call it as easy as that, it sounded to be extraordinary and it was clear Ace had control and precision as he was able to create such perfect blind spots without the person noticing. "Can you create more than one at the same time?" Ace nodded. "Yes I can. The brain works in a way it fills in the blind spots itself, making so the person doesn't notice. I just take advantage of that." That answered how the person didn't notice. It did make sense, and the captain was amazed by it.
Whitebeard tried to think about what to ask next, having thousands of questions, but knew most wouldn't be answered. "How are you able to teleport? I could have guessed that can be a power on its own, but you are able to do so much more." Ace shook his head, and the captain nodded, accepting that, trying to find another question. "How are you and Dust connected? How are you able to communicate? And travel?" Ace let out a breath. "That I don't know myself. I don't know what I did to make it happen, but I did something years ago. I think I fused my powers with him somehow. More I don't know. I know Dust was dead before I did it, so it saved him, which I was glad about." That made sense, and it was curious on how Ace had done it. Ace didn't know himself, and he knew a lot, so it said something in itself. As he was about to ask something else, Dust came flying in from a window, landing on Ace's shoulder with a letter in his beak, dropping it to Ace's hand, who read it over with a hum. "It can wait a bit, it's nothing serious, just an information run." Whitebeard nodded. "How do you know it can wait?" Ace chuckled. "I know the names, it's nothing serious, just some updates about people." Whitebeard nodded. "You are a bright and resourceful kid. I still sometimes forget you're only 20. I've met many people, but not someone as sharp as you." Ace chuckled. "It comes with the work. I need to be sharp to make it." That was true. And, Ace had been doing this for a log time, he had been taken in by Azuruko as a young child.
"How do you feel about your childhood?" The captain needed to ask about it, and had a feeling he wouldn't get an answer. Ace hummed. "I am okay with my childhood. Not a usual one, as I was mostly banged up by training, but I had my fun now and then." Whitebeard nodded, glad he got an answer. He then started up some regular chatter again for half an hour, until Ace had to leave for his information run. As Ace was gone, Whitebeard thought over the conversation, glad Ace was so open in their conversation. He got a lot from it and he would look forward to their next conversation. Maybe he'll have solved the riddle by then.
-x-
When day came, they were close to the island, and Whitebeard was glad to see they had a dock big enough for their boat. As they were closing in on the island, just half an hour away, the assassins came out on deck, and Mika had a new set of clothes on. Mika was wearing a black jacket that went down to her midriff where it was fastened, the front being mostly open and showing off a red top that barely covered her bra. Around her waist was a set of black shorts and a white cloth tied around, most likely to hide some weapons. She had red socks that went up mid-thigh and black knee high boots with a red rubber sole. It was an outfit that fit Mika, the woman seeming to enjoy clothes like this. It was still a bit of shock to see how little the woman cared about the brand and scars on her back, but it showed it wasn't a big deal, which was good to see. They needed to see it wasn't a big deal.
When they docked a bit later and spoke about what to restock, Mika spoke up. "I can get you a hella discount if you want. No threats or anything." It had the captain frown, not sure how the woman would do that. "The cheaper it is, the better. But how would you do that?" He could get it if she would threaten or fight, but she said it was without it. Mika just chuckled and told them to watch, both Trevor and Ace seeming to know what she was doing and had amusing looks. As Mika was close to the vendor, she told what they needed, and seemed to get an estimate, and as she had, Trevor spoke up. "Mika! Remember bullets!" It had the captain frown, not sure why as Mika would surely remember everything; she had good memory. But, it still had Mika turning around. And as she did, the vendor's eyes went big with shock, before he swallowed, and when Mika turned back around and mentioned the bullets, the vendor quickly made gestures wildly, for some reason seeming to be in a panic. As Mika continued, Trevor chuckled. "It's because of the brand. A brand mean you belonged to someone, and he doesn't know if Mika is free or not. And, who wants a Noble up against you? No one, especially vendors." That made sense, and it was a somewhat neat trick, a bit neat and a bit surprising that it worked so well.
Trevor chuckled when Mika came back, asking what kind of discount they got on everything. And, the captain was shocked to learn they got whole 45% discount, which would be a lot of belly. As he felt himself shocked, Trevor waved his hand at him. "You should see it when Bunny does the speaking. He gets things for free!" Ace did? It had Ace chuckling too. "Not my fault I got 5 brands. Works wonders." Aha, it was because Ace had more. Ace had 5, meaning he could belong to over one Noble that 'owned' Ace. "Are you okay with doing it?" The captain had to ask, not sure what the others felt about it. All three assassins shrugged, Mika speaking first. "We get things cheaper or for free. We love it. Might as well use the brands for something useful. Not our fault people are so scared of a brand." Trevor nodded. "Yeah. We might not go around flaunting them, but we have no issues showing them." Ace nodded too. "Yeah. Might as well get a good prize when we can. Even though we are rich." That had Mika and Trevor move their hands up. "Hear hear! I have almost 5 billion in reserve, not counting the 4 billion I have." It was still amazing how much money they had, so they didn't need to get a good prize. Ace had made it so they didn't need to be afraid of running out of money. And, if the assassins worked like this, getting things cheaper, it was no wonder how they still had so much. Trevor hummed. "It only works on vendors like this. Some are smart and get that it"s a ruse, that we are free. And hey, we're with you guys, so they are just stupid as they think you have slaves." That was a thought that the captain hadn't gotten yet. The vendors would believe they had slaves, which they didn't have. He didn't want to get a reputation of that. "Don't worry," started Ace, "They won't give out false things like you keep slaves. And, if they tried, the brands would be recognized to be nobles, or blue-blooded patricians, not your mark. So breathe." That was good to hear and had Whitebeard breathe out relieved. The last thing he wanted was a reputation of holding people against their will. That was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. For now, he was glad he got a discount like that. It would help them in the long run to use less belly for things they needed. He would remember this was a thing that could be done, but he wouldn't bring it up. He didn't want to use the brands the assassins had for his gains only. It needed to be the idea to either of them first.
When they had been docked for a couple hours, a familiar face came onto the dock. Karin looked exactly like she had when she saw him before. When she appeared, she instantly went up to Rakuyo. "I asked to be thrown to ledge 132 feet up. You threw me to ledge 121 feet up." Rakuyo blinked, not sure how to respond or what to even say. It had Ace chuckle a bit. "She's mad you missed by 11 feet." That had Rakuyo blink confusedly, before he looked at Karin. "I'm sorry, Karin. I should have used more force." Karin looked unemotional and monotone as she spoke. "You should have used 4% more force. You used 83% force, not 87%." Rakuyo looked unsure as he responded. "And I'm sorry, Karin, I should have done that." Karin gave a small nod to that. "Apology accepted." Karin gave a nod again, before she went away, heading into a building not far away. When she was gone, Ace sighed. "Be nice to her. She's fragile. I know it might not seem like it, but she is." Whitebeard nodded, he could understand that. "Why?" Ace sighed again. "Her father found a devil fruit and forced her to eat it when she was 1. It's a fruit that gives power if you drink her blood. He used her from day one and she was never allowed to show emotions. We got to her too late to help her with that. We found her when she was 16, damage was done. He forced her to be good at statistic and use her powers to feel the energy to others. She might seem weird, but she's a nice person. Just be nice to her." Whitebeard nodded. "That's why she has bite marks." Ace nodded. "Yes. She might seem unemotional, but she feels. She just hides it." Whitebeard could sort of see that, especially as she was so unemotional. He would be nice to her if he saw her more.
When Karin had left, had Ace left to train at Amegakure, starting up with training now, going to be away for a few hours. So when an hour had passed, Karin appeared again, making him speak up. "Karin, how are you faring today?" The red-haired woman looked at him and spoke with her monotone voice. "I am faring fine. I am glad to see Ace again." That was the most emotion he had heard or seen, to hear she liked Ace. "I'm glad about that, Karin. Ace will be back soon, he got something he needed to do." That had Karin nod. "I am glad he will return." Karin was a special woman, but she obviously cared in her own way. He couldn't see any emotions on her, and her voice was monotone, but she said she was glad and would believe that. He had a feeling Karin was a person who said exactly what she felt. "Karin," started the captain, making the woman look at him, "I want to thank you for what you did to help with Adam. It was a huge help." The woman nodded. "It was nothing. I was glad I could help. I want to help Ace; he's been nice to me." It was obvious Karin liked Ace, and it was no wonder. Ace was a caring person to those who were close to him, and Ace cared about Karin himself, the reason he had said to be nice with her.
They didn't see much of Karin the next day, but Ace had been gone at times and the captain had a feeling Ace was around Karin. When they got the things they had bought with Mika's help, it was clear the vendor was still nervous around him, since Mika had the brands she had. It was amazing how much of a reaction the bands caused, but he did get it seeing how Trevor had explained it. Mika could belong to a noble, and that was bad news for a vendor. As Ace had said, they wouldn't spread the fake idea he kept slaves, and if they tried, it would be taken as a lie, which was good.
-x-
Ace had been training the last 4 days, being gone for a few hours each day, and he had just returned from today's training, and Whitebeard watched as Ace sat down, looking to be almost panting, Trevor looking at the young assassin. "So, how did it go?" Ace took a breath, looking at the silver-haired man, looking exhausted as he was trying to take deep breaths. "Horrible. I now remember why I stopped. I can't remember the last time I was this exhausted. Not only physical exhaustion, but mentally. How did Moira get through this?" Trevor chuckled. "She was exhausted too. I don't know how many times she fell asleep in the midst of a meeting, or collapsed, or just relaxed for hours. But, you will get through it." Ace sighed. "I hope so. I don't think I'm making much progress." Trevor snorted. "4 days, Bunny. You've done this for just 4 days. It took Moira 3 months, full days of training for 3 months. You already have the basics of how, you just need to do it now. It probably won't take more than a couple weeks or a month." That was good to know, and he was curious on what Ace was training with and hoped he would be able to see Ace in action some time. He didn't want anything bad to happen, but maybe for Ace to use his powers when they had a battle, Ace still not having done that. The closest he had gotten to see his powers was the one time with the marines, when he had just snapped his fingers to make them pass out, and the night he had made him invisible to Bay. Just that was amazing, so this training had him more curious on what Ace was training with. Ace was an amazing person with many talents.
The next day they had the normal meeting they had each week, Ace having had a training session just before it and seemed better than he had yesterday, not seeming out of breath. When half an hour had passed, Izou let out a gasp, and Whitebeard felt worry fill him as he turned to where Izou was looking, seeing blood dripping from Ace's left eye. What had happened? Before they could say anything, Ace sighed. "My eye's bleeding?" Trevor gave a nod, not looking worried. "Yup." Ace gave an annoyed breath. "For heaven's sake," he let out as he moved to look up as he moved a hand to his eye, holding over it as he stood up and walked out. As the door closed, Izou looked at Trevor. "Is he fine?! Shouldn't you follow?! His eye was bleeding!" Trevor shrugged. "Nothing is wrong. Training probably got a bit tough and long. And, he used a bit too much of his powers. It happens." Izou shook his head. "What does that even mean?! Why does using his powers make his eye bleed!" Trevor lifted an eyebrow at them. "Do you know how devil fruits work? Because it really doesn't seem like it." That had all of them blink, Izou looking unsure. "I think we do… I mean, it can give you animalistic abilities, or superhuman powers and abilities." Trevor sighed, shaking his head. "I never thought I would need to explain these basics to one of the largest and strongest pirate crew in the world. But, I've done weirder things to more stupider people."
Trevor took a breath. "Let's see. A devil fruit. Yes, it gives everyone a power or animalistic thing and all that crap. But, its powers also manifested in certain parts of the body. Like you, Jozu," Trevor made a motion to said man, "Your devil fruit is in your spine. So, if someone cripples you, you can't use your power nearly as well, or just not at all. And Luffy, who is rubber basically, that sits in his skin and muscle. So, when he uses his powers too much, he 'deflates' in a way." Trevor then motioned to him. "And you, Whitebeard, your power sits mostly in your arms, hands to be specific. So, cut off your hands, your powers will be greatly reduced. You can train it to manifest other places, and that's hard. Also, since your powers sit mostly in your hands, we can't use pressure points as well to disable your fruit, but it would work easy on Jozu." That he understood, and he had seen Ace do that on Jozu. It was good it wouldn't work as well on him, and he might ask if Trevor or Ace knew how to do that.
"So," Started Izou, "Ace's power is in his eyes?" Trevor nodded. "Most of it, yes. He's trying to learn how to channel it through a specially made thing Moira has, but it's hard and it still goes most on the eyes. So, when he uses it a bit too much, his eyes, or eye as he tried to use one to keep the other okay, bleeds. I think it happened with Adam too, at the end. It was exhausting for Ace." Whitebeard thought he could remember that, that Ace's eye had bled or something. "But," Trevor started up again, "And this is just so you know if it happens. Ace can temporarily use his powers up, and that has a somewhat lasting effect." They all nodded, the captain speaking first. "What is that?" Trevor gave a breath. "He goes blind. But, he tries to use one eye the most, so he usually only goes blind at one eye, but it has happened he got completely blind. You can notice it as his black eyes go grey. It can last from everything between 10 minutes or days. I think the longest it has happened that I know of was about a week. Just remember he will be fine again; he just needs his body to relax." That was good to know, in case it happened. Ace hadn't used his powers a lot around them, and he wasn't sure if Ace would start that now.
-x-
Ace gave a breath when he felt someone burning a feather a day later, having a feeling it was Daisuke and that he needed help. But, when Dust said he appeared with Rayleigh, who was alone, and said Luffy had been kidnapped, Ace didn't have words for the others as he disappeared, hearing a start of a syllable from Trevor who sounded worried, probably because of his look. When he appeared, he noticed Rayleigh was injured, most likely having been in a fight. Who would come after Luffy? Why would anyone take Luffy? The only thing was if they knew who his father was, which very few did, and he would have heard about it. "What happened?!" Said Ace as he appeared, making Rayleigh sit down with a breath. "I don't know. Some noble with a flower on its flag. They managed to surprise me; I was out for 3 days." Why would a nobl- flower. "What kind of flower?" It couldn't be. "It was close to a daisy." Ace was quick to find a piece of paper, using his power to create the image of a flower Ace never wanted to see again. "Was it this?" Rayleigh frowned. "Yes. How did you know?"
Ace gave a breath. "It's the mark to Sabo's father." Rayleigh blinked. "Outlook III?" Ace nodded, closing his eyes as he brought a hand to his face. Why was Outlook after Luffy? He didn't know about his heritage. There had to be some other explanation. Ace then felt his heart stop. "Which way did they come from? Which way did they go?" Rayleigh pointed to the east. "The woman who found me said east." 3 days. If they used a fast boat, 3 days meant he could have met up with a boat that came from the revolutionary army. Outlook was after Sabo too. "He's after Sabo too." Rayleigh frowned. "Isn't he with the revolutionary army? How would one noble get through their forces?" That was a thing, but there was one explanation. "They are training too. They could have put Sabo on a small boat to teach him how to sail better, no army." Ace looked at Dust, sending him to the revolutionary army. Rayleigh frowned. "How did they know?" Ace would like to know that himself. "I don't know. But I will find out." Ace would, he just needed Dust to hurry up.
As Dust was on his way, Ace looked at Rayleigh. "How are you? Are you okay?" Rayleigh nodded. "I'll be fine. No threats to my life?" Ace sighed. "You couldn't have known they would come." Dust then said he was close, making Ace stand up straight. "I'll come back when I have Luffy." Ace then disappeared to his room, putting his mask and cape on, before he appeared on the revolutionary army's island, telling someone he needed to see Dragon now. He was easily recognized as Ace of Spades, the signature cape blowing behind him. When Dragon finally came out 5 minutes later, Ace spoke before he could. "Where is Sabo?!" Dragon frowned. "On a mission with my men. It's a small boat so it won't be recognized." Ace frowned himself, not liking that. "Contact them. Now!" He barked out, making one of Dragon's men rush to do that, only to come back a few minutes later with a scared look. "I- we can't. The Den den, it's dead." Ace knew it, Outlook had hit already. Ace gave a look to Dragon. "If Sabo is hurt, I will end you." Dragon just swallowed with a nod, and Ace was gone, heading to an uninhabited island to wait while Dust searched the ocean between Rayleigh and the Revolutionary army.
When Dust found a boat with the mark to Outlook on, he was quick to appear on it, but no one there was up and about, almost everyone dead, the few left having missing squares in their chests and no lower body. It was clear it was done by Trafalgar Law. How he knew Luffy was taken, was something he could take later. For now, he needed to find Luffy and Sabo. When Dust found another boat, Ace quickly appeared on it, glad to hear a fight close by, already seeing a glimpse of the warlord fighting Outlook's men, making it so Ace could head straight into the boat, searching for Luffy and Sabo. And, if they were hurt, or even if they weren't, Outlook was dead.
-x-
Sabo tried to fight the chains he was in, seeing Luffy in the cell on the other side of the room. The boat Sabo was on had been ambushed by Outlook, and Sabo had no idea what to do. He tried to get loose, to no avail. They weren't injured, thankfully, but Luffy was in seastone chains. Luffy had suddenly been chained in the same room some hours ago, and Sabo hoped Ace knew and was on his way. Outlook meant bad. When he started to hear a ruckus from above, Outlook suddenly came down to them, having a sick look. "Seems like the warlord is here for you. Well, I need to do my thing first!" Then, the man walked towards Luffy, obviously going to do something. It wouldn't be anything good, and Sabo tried to fight his chains but got nowhere, and when his father was close to Luffy, he spoke up with a sickening voice. "Everyone will now know you are nothing but a slave for me, Outlook III!" said the noble as he grabbed something from the side, lifting Luffy's vest. Sabo tried to fight his shackles, knowing the bastard was going to do something. He could feel the shackles maybe starting to give out, feeling and hearing a few of the chains breaking. But, as he saw what the man took out, Sabo felt his insides freeze.
It was a branding iron. The slave mark his father used was on it, red searing hot.
"NO!" yelled Sabo, trying to get out of the shackles and stop this from happening. Luffy was still weak from the seastone, not able to get out of the chains. Luffy was trying to weakly fight against the noble, barely making any movement, letting out some weak and scared sounds and whimpers. Sabo was not letting this man hurt his younger brother, he was going to do everything in his power to save Luffy. Sabo tried with all his strength to get out of the chains. He needed to stop his monster of a man.
A second later, the searing metal touched Luffy's back, in the middle of it, making a sizzling sound, Luffy's eyes widening in pain, his body going tense despite the seastone, letting out the worst pain-filled sound Sabo had ever heard. The noble was laughing.
Sabo gritted his teeth, feeling rage coming on as that man dared to hurt Luffy. When Sabo did a hard pull, he felt the chain give out, and Sabo was free. Sabo didn't hesitate in tackling the man to the ground, making him lose the branding iron and let go of Luffy, who fell down to the ground in pain, giving whimpers and crying. Sabo only saw red as he sat on the man's chest, teeth gritted, and grabbed the branding iron the man had been using, lifting it above his head, before mashing it downwards, ignoring the pleading look the man had. He had dared to hurt Luffy. When the banding iron hit the man's face, the noble let out a yell of pain, fueling Sabo's rage as Luffy had also yelled out in pain, and he hadn't stopped. So damned if he would.
Sabo quickly lifted the iron again and bashed it down again, seeing red as he wanted to destroy this sick man who dared to hurt his brother, dared to brand Luffy. Sabo continued to bring the branding iron down, going to kill this man and make sure he could never hurt anyone again. Sabo was going to end him. Sabo continued to bring the brand down, not caring the man had stopped moving, his face unrecognizable, a mass of blood, skin, bones, and brain left. Sabo, still fueled by his rage, had no idea what he was doing, not seeing the man was dead and head completely bashed in. As he was about to bring the iron down for the hundredth time, the brand was stopped and Sabo looked at rage towards whoever it was, going to kill that person too.
But, as he recognized the black eyes and calm face, Sabo let go of the branding iron, Ace letting it fall to the ground. As it fell, Sabo looked at it and saw the mess of what once was a human face, completely bashed in and unrecognizable. Sabo looked down at his hands, which were bloody. Sabo felt his hands starting to shake, feeling panicked as he had just killed someone; completely bashed someone's face in.
Sabo soon felt hands touch his face, forcing him to lift his head and look at Ace, who looked calm, not mad or disgusted that Sabo had just killed someone. Sabo felt himself starting to shake more, panicking and feeling overwhelmed by the fact he killed someone. That he bashed someone's face in. Sabo was quickly brought into a hug by Ace, Ace moving his hands to his back, giving hushing sounds, Sabo now realizing he was crying. Sabo moved shaky hands to grasp onto Ace's shirt, letting out a sob, leaning on Ace, everything being too much as Sabo had killed someone, killed someone without thinking.
-x-
Ace moved his hands on Sabo's back, giving comforting sounds. He had seen the scene of Luffy crying on the floor in seastone chains, Ace managing to see something looking like a brand under his shirt which half-covered Luffy's back. At first, Ace's first thought was to go to Luffy, but when he saw Sabo, who was standing over Outlook, using a branding iron to bash his face in, looking to be lost in a rage, Ace moved to grab the iron and stop him. Killing in rage was never good, especially since Sabo had never killed before.
Sabo had looked to try and attack him too, but had thankfully recognized him. But, the sound of the iron brand hitting the floor had Sabo look at the bashed man's face, making Sabo panic, now realizing what he had done. Sabo looked lost, scared, emotional, and terrified as he started to shake and cry, making Ace force Sabo to look at him, before hugging and comforting him. Ace saw Luffy still crying, but knew there was no danger right now. Sabo was in a worse state right now; he could handle Luffy in a bit.
After a few seconds, Ace saw Law coming in the door, looking stunned at what he saw. Ace moved his head a bit, still comforting Sabo as he mouthed 'Take Luffy away' to the warlord. Law nodded, going over to Luffy, looking at the chains he was in, not able to do anything as he was a devil fruit user himself. Law carefully lifted Luffy up, being sure to not touch the seastone chains, before walking out again, Luffy moving his head to cry in Law's shoulder. Ace would trust the warlord to make sure Luffy was safe and cared for, for now, while he comforted Sabo, who really needed him right now.
This would be hard for Sabo. He wasn't a killer. The first kill was always the worst, and would be even worse since Sabo did it in a blind rage.
-x-
Law was shocked at what he saw when he walked into the room, not prepared at what he saw, his emotionless mask slipping for a second. Ace was clearly comforting a bloody and upset Sabo, a body next to them, which had a bashed-in face, Law having no idea who it was. When he saw Ace mouthing 'Take Luffy away', he looked at the kid on the floor, seeing him crying, chains at his hands, wounds at his body and something that looked dangerously close to a brand on his back. If the man had branded Luffy, he deserved to have his head bashed in. No one touches Luffy.
Law walked up to Luffy, going to lift him up, but saw the kid was held in seastone chains, which made him try and think what to do. Law needed to take him out of here. Both to not see what Sabo had done, and to treat the brand and possible wounds. Law decided to carefully lift Luffy up, making sure to not touch the seastone. It did still somewhat affect him, but he still had his strength, so he could carry Luffy. Luffy moved his face to Law's shoulder, crying into it, not having any strength to move. Law then moved out of the room, carrying Luffy, leaving the assassin to handle Sabo and the stuff there.
When Law got to his boat, he got Penguin to remove the seastone chains from Luffy's wrists. The moment the chains were gone, Luffy latched onto him, hugging him and pressing his face into his shoulder, crying. Law instantly held around Luffy, moving to his room and closing the door, to make sure no one interrupted them. Law walked to his bed and was about to place Luffy in it while he got the things to clean the wounds and brand on his back. But, the moment Law tried to let go of Luffy, Luffy held onto him harder, giving a sob.
Law didn't know what to do. He needed to go and get what he needed, but Luffy didn't want to let go. "Luffy-ya, I'm just going to grab some things." Luffy shook his head, not speaking. Law gave a small sigh, using a hand to pet Luffy's head. He knew the kid liked that. "I won't even leave the room. I'm just going to grab a few things." Luffy still shook his head, making Law give a sigh. "I will be right back," Law said, before he carefully pried Luffy's arms off and headed to his desk and took some bandages, cleaning pads, and stuff he needed. When he moved back to the bed, Luffy was curled up and crying. Law sat down next to his body, moving to pry the vest away, making Luffy give a flinch. "It's me, Luffy-ya. I'm just going to clean the wounds." Luffy gave a small nod at that, curling more together. Law carefully pried the vest off, starting to clean the small wounds and bandaging them up. Luffy gave a small flinch now and then, but that was it. When Law moved to clean the brand, bringing the cleaning cloth to it, Luffy flinched and gave a pained sound, moving away from the cloth.
Law moved one hand to Luffy's head, threading his hand through Luffy's hair, having seen mothers often doing it to their children when they were upset. "It's okay, Luffy-ya. It's almost over." It seemed to work, which was good. Law carefully moved the cloth and cleaned the wound, feeling the heat through it. It was a bad burn. When it was cleaned, Law looked at it and clenched his teeth. It was a perfectly clear, swollen, and angry red brand. If the man who did this wasn't already dead, Law would have killed him himself. How dare he brand Luffy?
As the brand was cleaned, Law put on a bit of paste to help with the swelling and burning, relieving some of the pain and making the swelling go down, before bandaging it up. As he was finished with it, he moved a hand to Luffy's head, stroking it. "There, Luffy-ya. All finished." Luffy gave a nod and moved to hug him, head pressing into his chest, still half crying. Law was just about to tell the kid to relax, maybe sleep, meaning he should let go. But, before he could even open his mouth, Luffy spoke up in a low voice. "Don't go. Please, Traffy. Don't leave."
Law clenched his teeth, hearing the broken voice, the kid clearly scared he would leave. Law moved a hand to Luffy's head, stroking it again. "I won't. I promise," Law said as he brought Luffy a bit closer, making him hug tighter. "I have you, Luffy-ya. You're safe." Law was going with what he had seen others do, knowing this helped and he wanted to help Luffy. Luffy shouldn't have gone through what he went through. Law would make sure Luffy felt safe. After a minute, Law moved, making Luffy give a small sound, hugging tighter. Law shook his head. "I'm not leaving. But, you need to sleep, Luffy-ya," said Law as he laid down, still holding onto Luffy, who gave a nod, still holding onto him. When they were lying, Law brought the covers over them, making a quick 'Room' to cut the lights, and holding Luffy close.
Law didn't want to let go of Luffy. He wanted to keep Luffy safe, even though he wasn't entirely sure why.
-x-
Marco felt himself worried when Ace suddenly froze in his seat, eyes opening in shock and horror. He didn't know what was happening, and when Trevor tried to speak up, Ace was gone, leaving Marco to look at Trevor, who sighed. "That look means bad. I don't know what, but it's bad. Let's wait and see, Ace is good at getting control." Ace was, and the first commander hoped everything was fine. They didn't see or hear anything for a while, and when Marco saw Dust out a few hours later, he headed towards Ace's room, almost completely sure the other was there. Dust was out on deck, and the bird had given him a look he didn't know what to do with. When he came to Ace's door and gave a small knock, he heard a soft come in, which has him open the door, walking in to see Ace lying in bed, back resting on some pillows half-sitting. But, leaning on him, lying with the head on Ace's chest, was Sabo, asleep, Ace having a hand stroking his back.
Before he could react to that, Ace moved and looked down at Sabo, moving a bit of hair away, before looking back at him, waving him over. He probably checked to see if the kid was asleep, which he was. When he was next to the bed, Ace spoke in a soft tone. "Sabo will stay here for a few days." Marco gave a small frown. "Why, yoi?" He didn't mind, but was sure there was a reason. Especially seeing the way Ace had left. The assassin gave a small sigh, before explaining. When he was finished, Marco was shocked.
Sabo's father had captured both Sabo and Luffy, branding the latter, making Sabo lose it and kill the man in a rage. He really understood why he would be here for a few days. Killing in a rage was bad, especially since it was the kid's first kill. "I get it. I can go tell Pops." Ace gave a nod. "Could you also come back here after? I need to fix a few things, and don't want to leave him alone." Marco gave a nod. "Of course, yoi." Ace gave a nod and Marco left, going to update Pops. As he walked to the man's room, being a bit late so he had retired for the evening, the first commander saw Thatch out and waved him to follow, the man looking confused, but complied. This was a family matter for Sabo, and his family was nobles. It was in a way close to Thatch, and the two were close. Thatch could be good for Sabo.
When they got to Pops' room, Marco explained what Ace had said, the other two listening and having frowns, not liking it. When he was finished, Pops spoke. "Of course Sabo will stay here. He must need that." Marco gave a nod, glad his father agreed. Thatch gave a nod before he spoke. "I get it. I don't like my birth people, but killing them like that, which I would have if they ever hurt anyone, would maybe be hard. Or maybe not. I hate them, but that's me. How was he?" Marco gave a sigh. "Asleep, yoi. But he had a breakdown after doing it. Ace also needs to do a few things, asking me to watch Sabo. You could join." The chef nodded to that, and the two headed out after giving a goodbye to Pops.
When they got to Ace's room again and walked inside, Ace didn't react to seeing Thatch there, almost seeming to expect it, which was good. As they were inside the room, Ace carefully moved away from underneath Sabo, making sure to not wake the sleeping kid as he stood up. When he was up, he looked at them and spoke in a hushed tone. "I'll be back in a few hours." Both gave a nod. "Of course, yoi. Go, we will make sure he is safe." Ace gave a nod, before he disappeared in black smoke. When he was gone, the chef moved to sit down on the edge of the bed, a hand moving to stroke Sabo's hair. Marco also moved to sit on the bed, but further down.
He hoped everything would turn out fine.
-x-
Law felt himself waking up, feeling something- someone- moving, opening his eyes to see a mass of black hair moving. Right, Luffy was here. His first thought was that the brat was just shifting, but then he shifted more, making the surgeon see over the head, he saw someone crouching by the bed, hand on Luffy's shoulder. Law's heart jumped when he recognized the person. It was Luffy's brother; Ace. The assassin.
Luffy then moved to sit up a bit, a hand massaging his eye, law deciding to stay still for now. The assassin gave a smile to Luffy. "How are you, Lu?" The kid gave a nod. "Okay. Traffy helped me patch up." The assassin nodded. "Nicknames. And that's good." The kid nodded again. "Law helped. It feels better, not hurting." Law knew it would hurt again in a few hours, when the cream stopped working and they needed to change it. The assassin nodded. "Do you want to stay with me on the Moby for a few days? Sabo will." The kid should do that, both for himself and Sabo.
The kid shook his head. "Can I stay here? With Tra-Law? I want that." Law blinked. Why would the kid be here, rather than with his brothers? He only hoped the assassin wouldn't be mad about this. Ace gave a small frown, which had him swallow silently. "Why do you want to stay here?" Asked Ace. Luffy shook his head a bit. "Because Sabo really needs you now, and you should be with him, and I wanna be here with Law. I don't want to start training again yet…" Ace gave a nod. "You won't go back to training yet, Lu. Not until both you and Sabo are better. You are always welcome at the Moby." The kid gave a nod. "I know. But you should be with Sabo alone for a bit, and I wanna stay with Law. He will keep me safe and help with the wounds." Ace gave a small sigh. "If Trafalgar says yes, you can stay for a day. One day." Law decided that was a good time for him to sit up, and did, making both Luffy and the assassin look at him. Law needed to say something. "He- Luffy-ya can stay for a day." The kid could, but if the assassin didn't seem to like that idea, he would change it. The assassin gave a sigh. "Fine. Stay here for a day, then stay with me for a few days, okay?" Luffy nodded. "Okay. How is Rayli?" The assassin gave a kind look to his brother. "He'll be fine, I'm heading to him now. You stay safe, okay?" When Luffy nodded, and the assassin moved to look at him. "I trust Luffy in your care, Trafalgar. Don't mess up." Law nodded. "I won't, I will make sure he is safe." The assassin nodded, and before he moved to stand up, he spoke again. "How did you know he was taken, Trafalgar." That was something he needed to be careful to answer. "I was close by, wanting to make sure Luffy-ya was safe. I know it was wrong to sp-" The assassin held a hand up. "It's fine, I'm glad you did. I trust you with Luffy, don't disappoint me. I'm always watching." Law didn't doubt that for a second, and nodded, he would make sure Luffy was safe.
-x-
Ace sighed as he sat down on a chair, a hand on his face, having just gotten back to Rayleigh. "I got them; both are safe." It had Rayleigh breathe out relieved, but still had a worried look. "How are they? Were they injured?" Ace nodded. "Outlook managed to brand Luffy, then Sabo killed him. The warlord Trafalgar Law has been watching over Luffy, so he made it easier to get them, he took the fight outside." Rayleigh nodded. "That's good, that they are safe. Is Luffy coming back here?" Ace nodded. "He is. But won't for some days; he's staying with me. Same with Sabo. I also need to find a way to deal with Dragon; I'm not sure what to do yet." Rayleigh sighed. "As you said, I couldn't have known, he couldn't either. He should have had more people around him, but he did his best I think." Ace sighed. "I don't. But I will think about it." Rayleigh gave a breath. "Give him a tongue lashing, then tell him to never let him be so alone, always have backup. Give him a chance." Ace moved a hand to his head. "Maybe. I'll think about it. I'll deal with him in a bit, after I've gathered my thoughts." Rayleigh nodded. "Do that. But, give him a chance. He's good for Sabo." Ace moved a hand to pinch his nose. "I know, but I don't like it, especially now. He got Sabo captured by an enemy so easy." Rayleigh sighed. "I know. But, think in the long run. It will be good for him." Ace knew Rayleigh was right, but he didn't have to like it. He would think about it the next couple hours. For now, he would head back to Sabo.
-x-
Whitebeard sat in the galley, dinner being now and he was glad to see Ace and Sabo, no one having seen them out yet. Marco and Thatch had appeared back out on the deck two hours ago, so he guessed Ace had been with Sabo until he woke- Marco said Sabo slept the entire time he was there- and maybe spoke a bit with the other before they came out. Sabo must have a lot on his mind from this, as it was a hard situation for Sabo; he wasn't a killer, and it had been done in a blind rage, which was worse than normal.
When dinner started, Whitebeard saw Sabo's hand shaking as he tried to take his glass from the table, having lifted it just a couple inches off the table, but it was almost spilling over. Before any of them could comment on it, Ace moved a hand to Sabo's, slowly steading it. "Just relax, Sabo. Just calm down." The blond kid let out a breath. "Calm down? How can I?! I- I - I killed him! Just like that! I ignore his sc-" Sabo didn't get to finish his rambling as Ace moved his hands to Sabo's face, holding one on each side, looking into Sabo's eyes. "Do you regret it?" Sabo opened his mouth. trying to answer, eyes looking around. "I- I don't kn-" Ace moved his head closer to Sabo's, shaking it. "No. Look at me. Don't think about it, what does your heart say? What does your body say? Not your mind, but your subconscious, your soul, what does it say?" Sabo opened his mouth a couple times, before swallowing, looking Ace in the eyes. "No, I don't. I don't regret it…" Ace nodded. "That's good. You had every reason to kill him; he hurt your brother. This doesn't change you; this doesn't form you or tell you don't have control. It shows you care for Luffy; you want to keep him safe. Do not look down at yourself because of this; you did the right thing." Sabo nodded, having blank eyes, not saying anything. Ace did move his head against Sabo's, closing his eyes. "You did the right thing, Sabo. You were strong for Luffy. Now, you just need to relax. Everything is fine." Sabo nodded again, trying to blink away the tears without luck. They didn't fall, but they were there. Sabo really needed Ace in this period, and so would Luffy when he came tomorrow. The two kids needed to relax and get past this hardship, and Ace would be with them the entire way, and the same would be with them. Whitebeard would be sure to help as best as he could too.
The two kids needed a break from everything right now and recuperate. And, being around their brother, Ace, would help with that. Ace was an amazing brother who cared for his brothers, so Whitebeard was sure things would go okay, it would just take some time.
And that's the chapter, I hope you enjoyed
I decided to do this since in the series, Luffy gets the wound on his chest when Ace dies during marineford, and this is the replacement of that and hoped it was good. And the next chapter will have a lot of the three brothers being together on the ship and cute moments. There will also be more of Ace's powers.
If you have any ideas, don't be afraid to tell me them. I love ideas from you guys, especially if you have ideas for bonding scenes
And I love feedback too; it is what keeps me going!
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