Author's Notes: Dang it! Now, I gotta include Whitebeard in here! XD Thank you, gfthymor, for supporting this story. I appreciate you. Whitebeard will probably feel out of character here because there's no backstory to how he met Nesi, so I apologize in advance if he seems too different. You should be able to enjoy the humor regardless, but I'll understand if you don't like the direction his character went in. Bit hard to accept his behavior out of context. :P Side note: Muff is like 20 ft tall! I don't know why I thought he was shorter. Should've known better with One Piece's art style... -_-

~ ... Happy Birthday, Captain Ace ... ~

All was relatively quiet onboard the Moby Dick. While the men chatted about different things, Ace was to himself for most of the day and staring out into the open sea. With his friendships restored with the Spades, he had no reason to fight with Whitebeard anymore. Though his crew wasn't ready to be Whitebeards (as they preferred the Spade title and the notoriety that came with it in the military), they were loyal to their captain and supportive of the path he had chosen. The only person he was unsure about was Nesi. After their huge fight, he had been quite heartbroken when she left him in tears. He had lost her for good. He was sure of it. Around this time, he would start collecting a bunch of ale and food for his upcoming birthday. For ten days, he'd be excited to simply celebrate with his crew. He was away from immediate family, so he very quickly turned to his friends and partied with them. That, he enjoyed a lot during his time as a captain. The Spades were like-minded and celebrated each other. Nesi was the only person who didn't celebrate her birthday. She never mentioned anything about her birthday, actually.

Ace remembered the day the Spades tried to ask her about it. It was right around winter. She was washing dishes in the kitchen, answering small questions about herself like her favorite color, favorite childhood past time, and other minor things. Cuatro was brave enough to come out and ask her when her birthday was, to which she replied that it had already passed. Shocked at this information, they demanded to know why she didn't say anything about it. Her answer was simple. She would get homesick and be sad. It'd feel like she was trapped instead of on her life's journey. They tried to make her a cake as a late gift but ended up setting the kitchen on fire. Instead, she celebrated her anniversary as a crew member of the Spades and made a gorgeous cake for the occasion. Ace simply couldn't celebrate properly without inviting the rest of the fleet, so it wound up being one of the biggest parties ever hosted and anticipated. Nesi was happy with the event, so that was all that mattered... at the time. It did bother Ace a bit. If she wasn't born, he'd be short a friend.

Thinking about her just made their fight more emotional than it should've been. They were done now. He may have apologized to the boys for disbanding them so soon after his defeat, but there was no reason to apologize to her. She didn't accept his dream of working for Whitebeard. He didn't have to accept her dream anymore. Good riddance! He was tired of fighting with his feelings, tired of hiding the truth about the marriage, tired of asking for advice and changing for her. She didn't want him. Well fine! It's fine... So, then, why... did she cry so much? What made her so angry? Why'd she accept his small kisses if she was really upset? Why'd she let him stay on her ship or the barracks or at her childhood home? Why did she... let him start up a taxidermy class? Why'd she do all of that if she was just going to abandon him, ignore his feelings, get close to his family? She may have met Garp just in passing through, but he still liked her. At least enough to give her a letter to pass to him.

"Commander," a crewmate called, alerting Ace's attention. "The captain's screaming at a chick you know."

"WHO LET YOU ON MY SHIP!?"

Ace flinched at the booming voice of Whitebeard until he heard the soft giggling of a familiar voice following after it. No way.

"You act like you don't miss me," the feminine voice teased.

"What I miss is me kicking your little ass!" Whitebeard argued.

Nesi? Ace scrambled to his feet and ran out on the deck to see the towering form of his captain and a nonchalant purple-haired privateer smiling at him. The pink worm known as Baragon was squawking at Whitebeard happily to greet the man. Nesi wasn't wearing her uniform or gentleman's suit like usual. She was quite casual in her linen shirt and riding pants. Her boots were flat with good-gripping soles. She did have a lightweight coat on her shoulders, but the fabric looked thin like it was meant to simply keep hard dust off her skin. It was a nice look. A pocket watch was strapped to her hand like a ring, and she had a nice pair of earrings on. As angry as Ace should be at her, he was surprised by her casual demeanor. She wasn't here out of malice or anything.

"That worm on your shoulder better not have rabies, little girl!" Whitebeard shouted, pointing at Baragon.

"You definitely sound like Ace," Nesi commented, raising a brow and reducing her bright smile to a smirk. "How's he been doing as your new son? You've been taking care of my captain properly, haven't you?"

"All my sons are fine men," Whitebeard claimed proudly. "I expect nothing less but the best for my crew. He eats like a champion. He will make a fine commander! I should send him out here to throw you overboard."

"Good to know. Just make sure he gets his yearly haircut. I detest the idea of him growing a mustache as big as bull horns like yours," Nesi jabbed, narrowing her eyes mischievously.

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW MUSTACHES ARE STILL IN! I WAS THE ENVY OF MEN IN MY YOUNGER YEARS, WENCH!" Whitebeard roared.

"Oh?" Nesi purred, unimpressed by the remark. "So why didn't you simply birth all these sons? Compensation?"

Summoning an alarming amount of haki, Whitebeard growled, "Take that back or I will washboard you..."

"G'head," Nesi challenged, not budging from her spot on the ship rails. "You forget you're too heavy for me to lift if you topple over in the water. I'm dying to see if the drawback of the devil fruit eater is true."

"I'LL HELP YOU TO YOUR DEATHBED, SILVERFISH!" Whitebeard stomped, reeling back to knock Nesi off the boat.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ace questioned.

"I wouldn't worry. He'll miss," Nesi replied, keeping her eyes on Whitebeard's fist. "Old man speed."

As predicted, Whitebeard let loose a cannon... and missed. Nesi was a good distance away from the blast, sitting on the ship's rails like nothing happened. Whitebeard simply growled like a beast at her, marching over to her with a seething anger. He doesn't miss. She isn't that fast. Ace got in front of him to stop the unnecessary war the two were engaged in and walked up to Nesi with some residual anger from their own battle. Nesi wasn't angry at all. Just casually sitting down. She did take her watch off the ring on her hand to view the time, however.

"Why are you here?" Ace asked, not bothering to address her by name.

"To give you your gifts," Nesi replied, adjusting her watch. "You normally start storing food like a squirrel around this time but you're late."

"What gifts?" Whitebeard questioned, folding his arms.

"For your birthday," Nesi answered, locking eyes with Ace and closing her watch to return it to her ring. "You should be running around like a madman right now. You're not. I asked Lord Geezer over there if you've been okay because you have a lotta men to feed if you're still doing your birthday bash n' brawl. He didn't even mention it. Does he know your birthday is coming up soon?"

Ace didn't say anything, but Whitebeard took note to his disposition. He was tense, jerking with some movements, clenching his jaw and fist. He then said darkly, "It doesn't matter. It's just another day. Why do you care anyway?"

Nesi held up her hands in surrender and said, "I'm not looking for a fight. I'm going back home. I just wanted to say goodbye... and thank you for watching over me for these few years, even if it was on a bad note in the end. I'm not here for blood."

"You came over here to bother my captain with this crap?" Ace questioned, raising a brow with displeasure. "Just go back to your training camp."

"I was dismissed," Nesi admitted, scoffing. Ace did gasp at this. Whitebeard may have been silent, but he was equally surprised. She was an excellent soldier. Why was she dismissed? Soldiers like her were hard to come by. "No more training. My bounty's back in effect. It's way worse now than when I was just a floor scrubber. It's to be expected."

"Why?" Ace questioned with suspicion.

"Rule of the privateer. A relationship with a pirate crew must be maintained in order to serve the unit. When you disbanded the Spades, my apprenticeship was terminated and my position revoked," Nesi explained. "I lost my fight to you fair and square. The Spades name is no more, and the fleet you had split up. They're still allies. Just not a joined force as the Devil's Card Deck was. So, I was told to pack it up and was honorably discharged."

"Hmph! I don't see the problem. You know me," Whitebeard huffed. "The prior captain is alive and well as a commander of my crew. There's your relationship. Go back to your post and get the hell off my ship, brat!"

Nesi chuckled and said, "Sorry, granddad, it doesn't work like that. Only my relationships with pirate crews at the start of my apprenticeship count. I didn't know you back then."

"But any of the other crews would've worked. That doesn't make any sense!" Ace argued.

"I was under you, captain. When you made the decision to eliminate the Spades, you dismantled the fleet as well. The other captains decided to split up, remember? They maintained their friendships, but they're not one unit as before. Such downsizing took my position away. There's nothing you can do. I can't take the role as captain to restore my position, and no one else can claim your spot either. A lot of stipulations went into this. If I had received my rank earlier, it wouldn't have been a problem, but I didn't. I was going to be an apprentice for another few years. You would have had to remain active as captain throughout that time. It's up to the government now. I have an idea of what they'll decide to do."

"So all that work you did is just gonna go to waste!?" Ace questioned, outraged at the suddenness of the decision.

"No, they'll evaluate it," Nesi replied, shaking her head and smiling brightly. "But, I know those nobles a lot better now. They've been after my head and my hand for a while. It was only a matter of time before I wouldn't be able to fight on. They needed an excuse to catch me off guard. I gave them that."

"Wha - ?"

"You're my weakness, Portgas D. Ace. I showed them that when I accepted my execution the first time. It's my fault they made so many rules," Nesi confessed, rising to her feet. "I didn't want to see you hurt. They took advantage of that."

She whistled to call her ship, watched it emerge from the waters, and walked across the plank that automatically aligned with the Moby Dick's side. Whitebeard frowned at the smaller vessel, disappointed that she didn't have the silver ship he was after, and watched Nesi make about two or three trips to deliver gifts to Ace before he finally spoke again.

"You're a heartless bitch, you know that?"

"How so?" Nesi questioned, smiling sweetly at Whitebeard.

"This boy wasn't sad or heartbroken until you showed up," Whitebeard informed, pointing a finger at Ace without unfolding his arms. "If he was before you got here, he did damn good not showing it. You made my young son weak! You come here to see how he is a couple of days before his birthday just to tell him that you're leaving your pathetic, frou-frou force and you expect him to be happy with that? He was your captain! Any good captain would care about his crewmates."

"Why, Mr. Whitebeard, I didn't think this would affect you," Nesi said, blushing and gasping at the older man's argument. She was quite surprised by his reaction. She was sure he hated her the most!

"IT DOESN'T!" Whitebeard barked.

Nesi giggled before hopping over to him and giving him a hug. She then cheered, "You'll actually miss yelling at me and trying to steal my ship, won't you? I'll miss running away from you, too, grandpa!"

"I DIDN'T SAY ANY OF THAT!" Whitebeard argued, flinching at the contact. He didn't push her away, though.

"Grandpa Beardie!" Nesi cheered with a bubbly smile.

"Brat!" Whitebeard exclaimed, making Ace gasp before giving a ghost of a smile at the two. That's what Nesi meant before. They weren't friends, but they knew each other a little bit. "How do you know my youngest of sons?"

"Oh, I'm surprised he didn't tell you. Well, I do have some unfortunate news for that as well," Nesi said, loosening her hugging grip on the intimidating emperor. She looked up into his eyes and said almost proudly, "I was his wife. By accident, of course."

"HIS WHAT!?" The crew yelped.

Ace said nothing again but whispered to himself, "Was?"

"Unfortunately, we're officially divorced now. You might know of this rule, grandpa. A marriage between pirates is only valid between a crewmate and captain as long as the captain is active, yes?" Nesi questioned, earning silence from the older man. It was indeed an old rule but... "I found the code related to such affairs. So, by the code, our marriage bond is broken. Ace is a free man. You can marry him to whomever you wish. Make sure she's a lovely lady, though! I'll accept nothing short of excellent."

"Why are you continuing to give my youngest son bad news?" Whitebeard asked.

"To set him free," Nesi answered, releasing the large man from her arms and taking some steps back. "I'm no longer safe on the seas, and I've fought to my last breath on everything I could. I lost this fight the honorable way. I owe my captain my life. He gave me a chance when no one else would, taught me how to fight with and without haki, and instructed me on how to run a ship. All of these are opportunities I would have never gotten if he had just passed me by like everyone else. Without him taking the first step, there would be no silver ship for you to lust after and no bratty girl for you to chase. There wouldn't be a uniform for me to wear or my snookums here. I was nothing without him. The only reason why I didn't fight our marriage bond (regardless of how it happened) was because I owed him so much of my gratitude. The least I could do was try to make our friendship and our bond something he could remember or even cherish. I do have a lot of love for him. He's my captain - someone I would follow to the ends of the earth. If he wants to be your commander, I will follow him down this path, too. Plate of food in my hand and all! If he falls asleep mid-chew, I'll have a pillow and blanket ready for him. I'll even take over his fights if he's in mid-combat. That's what I did before, and that's what I would do now. That's what a wife does. Stand by her husband's side. I want him to fulfill his dream, even if that means I'm not there. I only ask that you take the reigns as his father figure in piracy. Help him fulfill his dreams the way he helped the rest of us. The one thing he's good at is making his fleet efficient and fair without a harsh word having to be said. Can you do that for me, Whitebeard?"

The man said nothing for a stretch of silence but ultimately smirked at Nesi's speech and nodded lightly. Nesi smiled softly, walked over to Ace, and bowed low to her former leader.

"I'm sorry for fighting you, captain," Nesi said sweetly. "I wasn't ready to give up my dream, and that was selfish of me. You've only ever supported me, and I turned on you. Learn all that you can the way that I did. Love this new family the way you loved us. You are completely free, Captain Ace. Enjoy your birthday."

With that, Nesi stood back up, smiled warmly at Ace, nuzzled with Baragon, and left the Moby Dick to sail away to her home. Although her small ship wasn't as large as the silver ship, it was still able to submerge underwater and did. Whitebeard watched her do this with a big frown, regretting not taking the small vessel, and huffed smoke from his nostrils.

"That girl just made my sons look pathetic," Whitebeard finally said. "Where are all your wives?"

"B-b-but, sir!" some of the men tried, flinching at the question.

Ace walked over to the pile of crates and gift boxes addressed to him but didn't want to open any of it. He picked a box up to throw it overboard, but he just couldn't do it. He was frustrated but he didn't understand why. All of his men had forgiven him now. Nesi even apologized. What was left to do? He put the box down and just started dragging his stuff to the commanders' cabin.

"What are you doing, boy?" Whitebeard questioned over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Take your vessel, drink some wine, make love to your wife," Whitebeard said, making Ace blush at the last part.

"What're you talking about? I'm not married anymore!" Ace argued. "That marriage wasn't even real!"

"The only one who believes that is her. You didn't marry by accident," Whitebeard remarked, turning to Ace to silence any further arguments. "You treated it like it was real."

"I - !" Ace started but, in his heart of hearts, he grew quiet because he already knew what the formidable emperor was saying. Nesi was his wife to him. He wanted the marriage to be real. He wouldn't dare admit when or why.

"If you made a singular wish on the candle of a birthday cake, what would you whisper to the stars above you?" Whitebeard asked.

"Baragon?" Nesi called.

She docked on some land to collect some plants for the journey home. She would have plenty of time to cultivate things, so she sort of copied Shanks a bit and just enjoyed a cruise back home. Baragon was playing with his toys before took an interest in something and frolicked in bushes. He was too cute for his own good sometimes.

"Sweetie, you can't play in every bush. I might be allergic! What if - ? Huh?"

To her surprise, Baragon was playing and dancing around... Ace. He had about three bouquets of flowers by him, looking absolutely horrified at how big they were. Or... the potential plague that might be in them. He spotted her and flinched.

"What are you doing here, Ace? Oh, is this Whitebeard's territory? Sorry about that," Nesi apologized, waving her hands cutely. "Come, snookums, it's almost snack time."

"Wait, Nesi!" Ace called, taking one of the bouquets into his hands. "This is for you."

"Oh, thank you," Nesi said, taking the bouquet and admiring the different colors with a gentle smile. "Do be careful with some of this foliage. I thought I saw poison ivy not long ago. Nasty stuff!"

"Do you... like red wine?" Ace asked. "I mean with your snacks and stuff!"

"Actually, yes. Typically, with cheese, bread, and certain meats. But I do enjoy olives or pastas with it. Why?" Nesi questioned, tilting her head cutely.

"Well, you probably don't know this, but today is actually the day I first saw you in your hometown. It was before you got into that fight with the marines," Ace admitted. "You were buying cheeses from the mainland."

Nesi gasped at this before she questioned softly, "Wh-what?"

Author's Footnotes: And right here is where I have to cut it. Too much gets exposed in this area. I guess I can spoil this bit of Nesi's dismissal from the privateers, though. Although she knew Shanks and the Red-Haired Pirates before and during her apprenticeship, Shanks identified her as an enemy when the Red Force was being attacked by an upcoming group of pirates while she was onboard. Think back to the snippet when they were on the deck playing board and trivia games. The young pirates were new to the job, so they really didn't know any better. Nesi, however, apprehended the group upon Shanks's request too coldly, efficiently, and brutally for him. He mistakenly thought that Nesi killed them with her specialized handgun, but she just used heavy sleeper bullets in a single attack. She couldn't request a voucher from Shanks after losing his trust. He does apologize to her for his mistake later, though. It's just in the expanded version of this story.