Author's Notes: Big shoutout to Sunnysinghz for supporting this story. This snippet is my gift to you. If anyone wants an expansion of this, I just need three reviews to green light this. They don't have to be long. You can literally just say, "You got the green", "Green light", or "Green." If you want to leave constructive criticism, I'll accept those reviews, too. ;-D Otherwise, no big deal. You still have 12 main chapters and a bonus chapter.

~ ... Meh, I Missed You, Baldy ... ~

Anga Wiseweed was a tough opponent. Ace had to give him that. He was a roughly mid-forties to early fifties guy dressed in pants that resembled tree bark but a vest made of ground-covering plants. Devil fruits were known to be capable of giving their consumers some extraordinary abilities, but a devil fruit that gave this pirate the ability of a fire-resistant plant was just ludicrous! In an all-out brawl, Wiseweed was pretty skilled, and Ace found he enjoyed that part of this fight, but this battle of prowess and wit was pushing the envelope in terms of time. Grand Turtles Countryside was meant to be a quick visit with his boys, but Cuatro spotted a cute girl and just had to talk to her. Little did he know that said girl was Wiseweed's daughter. So, when said man knocked some sense into Cuatro, Ace took exception to the mistreatment and jumped in to defend his Spade crewmate. The girl was in her right to reject Cuatro. He didn't need to be manhandled. Where was the girl? You might be wondering. Well...

"Kick his ass, daddy!"

Yeah, she's not really worth the time. Deuce and Corale tried to tell him something was off about the girl, but Cuatro really wanted to share his time with the chick. They were fighting on the coastline near the cliffs overlooking the sea. Wiseweed had a secluded lighthouse on the opposite side of the coast. The Bloody Doubloon was docked near it, and Wiseweed (being a pirate) decided to have his crew yank the anchor off Ace's beloved ship and loot his baby. The anchor missing caused the ship to float a good distance away, and he noticed a treasure chest or two was empty and just tossed on the shoreline like an old pair of pants with too many holes in it to fix. That pissed Ace off, so here they were. While his boys were doing an excellent job of dealing with Wiseweed's crew, Ace had tunnel vision on the captain.

Among the things raided, Nesi's belongings were damaged beyond repair. Wiseweed's daughter was wearing her pansy skirt, which was now cut and redesigned into something more form-fitting with a slit on the side to show off a bit of her leg, and a majority of Nesi's edible plants were shredded since it looked like they didn't know what the rest of foliage was meant for. Oh, did he mention her outdoor hammock and canopy were pretty much busted down to nothing? Because it gets better. Inside of the treasure chests were Nesi's notes and a few accounting logs. Those were ripped. While he didn't like his stuff tampered with off-rip, Ace was not at all happy with them finding Nesi's stuff. That was literally all he had to remember her by since she left the crew to become Pieter van der Does's apprentice. She didn't have much for him to keep other than what they destroyed and looted. Just as Wiseweed was about to get into some speech about him being stronger or whatever, Ace let loose when he saw Wiseweed's daughter tear Nesi's headscarf in half.

The fight was getting attention in town. Normally, this would be a bad thing because of the marines, but someone recognized the huge blasts of firepower in the distance. She smirked...

Wiseweed delivered a bone-crushing blow to Ace and made him tumble off the cliff onto his back. The boys panicked from the lack of response and started calling him.

"Captain!" Deuce called, blocking a sword strike.

"Ace!" another crewmate called.

"Heh, heh, heh! That's enough, men! Their captain is finished! We'll get him a new skirt to wear for his mates!" Wiseweed declared, folding his bulking arms with premature victory. A footstep gained his attention and he said, "Huh?"

"Who are you?" the daughter questioned.

The person walked straight passed them both and walked down the cliffs like they were stairs. Right as the Spades were going to perform an all-out strike, the mystery person walked up to Ace as he was laying on the sandy shores and waited for him to move. The person looked like a man with his buzz cut and finely tailored suit, but the scales on his neck looked extremely familiar. He kneeled down beside Ace, smirked, and then moved Ace's orange hat to see that the young captain... had fallen asleep involuntarily. The snoring was recognizable. Removing his long coat, the young man covered Ace's body like it was a blanket and readjusted him to a more comfortable position. He then plucked Ace's nose cutely and rose to a stand. The pitter-patter of a familiar set of feet made the Spades smile and gasp.

"Baragon! Nee-san! What're you doing here?"

"We'll get the ship back," Nesi reassured, winking before broad jumping back onto the cliff to face Anga Wiseweed. "I'll be taking over the fight from here. My captain is worn out. You did quite well, sir."

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Wiseweed questioned, sneering at Nesi's calm disposition.

"Just some floor scrubber," Nesi replied, smiling slowly.

When Ace had woken up, he was face to face with Baragon blinking at him. He let out a strong, "BLEH! Plotting my demise again, you little worm?"

Baragon merely ran away before dancing and prancing about. He ran around in a circle before making noises to get the young captain to follow him. Ace heard a bunch of voices before he turned to see the Bloody Doubloon getting pushed ashore. Who managed to even retrieve it from the distance it was at? Wood was being ripped up and tools hoisted to the deck. More voices sounded before Ace started hearing hammering and cranking. He then snapped his head back to Baragon. If that pink worm was here, then...

"Man, where'd you even get this thing? It's so friggin heavy!" Corale complained, grunting as he was pulling an anchor and chain set.

"You can swim down in the depths and fish for that rusty bastard if you want. Takin' the upgrade," Deuce countered, grunting as he was pulling the other part of the weight.

"Yo, we got new bedding!" Cuatro exclaimed happily. "It's got cushions!"

"How'd he go from gettin' his ass handed to him to being happy over new bunks?" a crewmate asked.

"Who the crap knows?" another crewmate replied, helping everyone sling the new anchor closer to the ship. "Hey, hoist me up!"

"Good thing, I made that compartment in the walls; otherwise, you'd be out of luck," a familiar voice said, making Ace jump to his feet to run to the ship.

Assessing the damages and checking her lists was Nesi Llandala! Before he could even get her name out of his mouth, Baragon ran over to her and crawled up her side to drape himself over her shoulders like usual. She smiled at him, put her list away, and pulled at a rope to hoist something up on the side of the ship. Two unfamiliar men dressed in a similar style as Nesi were helping repair the damage as well, but it looked like they were only there to transport the materials and tools. They left once Nesi nodded at them and promised to reward them with something. Most likely food. Ace took notice to her hair growing back, and it wasn't that icy blue she originally had but a purple at the roots and scalp. The ends were going brown. He wasn't sure if she dyed it that way or if it just was growing back that way. She was no longer in dresses or linen pants and shirts. She was in a military-styled suit with long boots and a pistol. It didn't look like she was a marine, though, so she really was training to be this privateer. Her gray eyes were sparkling at being able to see the Bloody Doubloon again. It had been a while since she left.

"Captain, you're awake!"

"Ace, you scared us half to death! What the hell happened? Why'd you fall asleep in the middle of a fight?" Deuce questioned.

"I dunno! It just happens!" Ace replied angrily.

"Well, at least you woke up in time," Corale said, loading up pre-cut lumber onto a platform. "Nee-san's fixin' stuff up. She'll be in town for a while for training. We get our girl back for a little bit!"

"Battlefronts? Why are you fighting out on the fields?" Ace questioned.

Everyone stopped ship repairs for now since it was starting to get dark. It was getting harder to see things by lantern light anyway, and the boys were getting hungry. Nesi and Ace were sitting on the cliffs overlooking the sea. She was about to head back to the barracks before Ace stopped her to talk. Baragon decided to play around on the shore with everyone as they were eating Nesi's stew. She made plans to return the next day to continue helping with repairs.

"Part of the training. I have to study the Law of Nations and how it applies to life on land and at sea," Nesi explained. "Weapons and rations are under threat by pirates, so I have to keep record on losses for both men and cargo. It's a lot to learn, but it's exactly what I wanted to know. Economically, war efforts hit everyone differently. At forts, men and women obviously struggle the most, but, at sea, pirates thrive, and hunters simply living their lives have plenty of resources because they're not the main providers of rations or armory. Desperation is directly linked to bouts of violence and oppression. The records I have to keep are almost synonymous with my thoughts on how to make things more efficient. How can losses be cut? Is it possible to protect the cargo meant for wars? What percentage of rations must go to war efforts versus daily life? Those things are part of my studies, but I can't afford to be defenseless or misunderstand the work that goes into defending territories. I thought Shanks's island was too heavily guarded, but his is nothing compared to what I've seen so far. Wonder what that redhead is up to. Haven't seen him in a while either."

"If he's not stalking you, he's probably busy," Ace grumbled.

"Meh, he's not so bad. He just... really likes to cuddle," Nesi remarked, remembering her last escape from the emperor's loving hold.

She wouldn't dare tell Ace about it. Part of it was trauma from being actually hunted down for cuddles, and the other part of it was she'd rather not have Ace know that she agreed to dance for Shanks for big occasions only. She mainly did it for the girls she made friends with on his island. They were sweet and often gave her gifts. Since she didn't have many girl friends other than Moga, she was more than happy to be his dancer in exchange for keeping her relationships with them. Shanks was throwing a party for a friend of his and invited her over after she left the Spades. She wasn't prepared for the cuddling attack, so she practically knew how big his island was now because of her desperate need to escape the redhead's cuddles. When she couldn't immediately escape, she made things worse for herself by playing along with his flirting games, but she couldn't think of something else to do in such a short amount of time. That just made the cuddling last longer than necessary and his teasing/flirting worse. On the bright side, she did learn at least one of his sword techniques, and he does practice it with her. When he's done practicing, his pupils shrink to initiate his little pouncing thing and the hunt begins again... It took three days to get off that island. Three. Days. She made the mistake of sleeping at one of her friend's houses. It was a nice outdoor bedroom setup... that left her open and vulnerable. When she woke up, Shanks was just lying next to her with that flirty smirk of his that made his hair turn into a shade of red not meant for children to see. She hadn't slept right since.

Shaking off the dark aura curtaining her shoulders, she continued, "If an extra man is needed on the battlefield, sometimes I go in, sometimes I don't. It's a lot more hands-on than anyone realizes."

"... You've grown up a lot," Ace complimented, leaning back on a rock and watching the moon get a little brighter. "Maybe you really were meant to be a marine like that other girl I met."

"Uh oh," Nesi said, smiling brightly. "You met a girl, captain? Was she cute?"

"Huh? No! It's not like that!" Ace said, waving a hand quickly. "She was just in trouble, so I helped. Drowning is probably the worst way to go. And ironic. You do all that training and perfecting your swimming techniques just to drown or get eaten by a sketchy sea beast. Pretty sure being a girl in the military is tough when the odds are against you, too. I respect the struggle. We're on good terms, I think. I respect her path, she respects mine. She's not that bad."

"Wish I met that guy first," Nesi mumbled, earning a noise of protest from the freckled man before he chuckled and pulled his hat down to cover his eyes. That was probably his warmest smile yet. In that moment, he was handsome and his cheeks filled out nicely when he was genuinely amused by something. Nesi then continued, "That's good that you met her, though. You're different now."

"Hm?"

"When I met you, you didn't want anything to do with the marines. After I lost my finger, you may not have liked my dream, but you became the mentor I needed for this and taught me things in a way no one else could or would," Nesi explained. "To hear that you showed charity to someone in a line of work you detested and that they respect you for it means you're a lot closer to being someone anyone would follow. I don't know much about being a Pirate King still, and I doubt I'll be able to in the future with how this is going, but I think you're getting closer to it by the day."

Ace didn't say anything for a while. He just tilted his hat up to expose his eyes. When he looked at Nesi's soft smile, he started to understand what beauty meant. It became clearer why Cuatro liked Wiseweed's daughter, why Shanks wanted to cuddle with Nesi so much, and why Schooner only had eyes for Moga. In that small moment, Nesi was mature and beautiful from the depth of her spirit to her growth as a fighter. This new androgynous look she possessed with the buzz cut and suit actually fit her. She wasn't so masculine that she was counted as "one of the boys", but she wasn't so girly that she had to be protected at all costs. She was a proper blend of both. He supposed if he had to look at girls the way Cuatro did then he preferred someone who knew how to play both sides of a coin. Those kinds of people got to know you, watched you change and grow, and acknowledged all of that without sacrificing their own sense of self. They... well, weren't really ghosts. Being apart from his floor scrubber, he guessed, did bring about some good. They weren't ghosts anymore. She wasn't just some quiet girl haunting the streets of her hometown, and he wasn't a mindless tool for the government haunting the seas. She might not have been as rebellious as he was, but she was just as passionate about others being able to live freely as he was. That was enough to cement their friendship.

"When'd your hair start growing back?" Ace asked, looking back out to the sea.

"Actually, a couple of weeks after I left," Nesi answered. "Van der Does gave me this solution that helped the old skin peel off the scales so the hair could grow back. It was nice. I don't know why it changed color on me, though. I just assumed it must be a side effect of the fruit, but he said that's a result of the power I got. My snookums turned me purple!"

"I told you to throw him overboard," Ace said, feeling no sympathy for her.

"But it's snookums. He's cute!" Nesi replied, tearing up cutely.

"Yeah, and look what happened. Bald," Ace reminded, turning the other way and pulling his hat down. "Now, you're purple-headed. His pink must've fused with your blue. I don't get the brown, though."

"Van der Does said when the hair gets old it changes to that color," Nesi said, rubbing her hair. "So, brown it is."

"You're so turning into a lizard," Ace commented, digging in his ear.

"You're so mean!" Nesi whined, crying at the reminder that she'll wake up and be a Baragon.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it's been weird not having you around," Ace said, quieting Nesi's tears and making her turn to him. "I don't have anyone to yell at or torment with gross chores."

"You can always get a marmoset!" Nesi cheered, smiling brightly.

"YOU SENT THAT THING WHILE I WAS TRAINING, DIDN'T YOU!?" Ace shouted more than questioned.

"I miss you guys, too," Nesi said softly, leaning back to watch the boys sing and dance with Baragon. "No one to talk to when I'm up late to study. But I definitely see why you didn't like the idea of being in the marines. Their food is hot garbage!"

Ace didn't say anything more and just laughed. Even though that wasn't the reason he was against it, he appreciated the joke and innocence of Nesi's assumption. From there, the two just engaged in idle chat to catch up with each other until stars started to appear. Nesi got up to walk down the cliff and said her goodbyes to the boys for the night. Baragon ran up to her shoulders again and the two parted ways. Retrieving her coat, she swung it over her shoulders and transformed into a privateer again. The boys put stuff away and camped wherever on the ship, enjoying the new bunks and cots of their sleeping cabin. Ace went into his quarters and spotted the two chests that were empty on the shoreline. Both were refilled with belly and jewels again! A new note was sitting on top of one of them.

Dear Ace,

Try not to lose this stuff again. I had to traumatize that girl to get it all back. Wiseweed and his men might come back while you're vulnerable. Keep an eye out. If I'm not back by lunch tomorrow, I'll probably just be late. I think I can restock you on some food for both the gardens and the kitchen. Some of the townspeople are pretty nice. You should meet this baker in town! He makes the most delicious loaves of bread I've ever tasted with garlic butter and herbs. Mm!

~ Nesi Llandala

"Pansy! You're the only one who leaves me letters to nag me!" Ace said under his breath. He looked at her lounging chair where she used to sleep and smiled softly before saying, "I miss you, baldy..."