Author's Notes: I have to give shoutouts to the amazing new supporters for this story. To kinghobojo45, la_vida_me_vale, and Celestialkitsuni, this chapter is my gift to you, guys. These clips are actually set at different times as in Ace's dream happens before Nesi leaves the Spades and Shanks's dream happens after Nesi left. I just didn't want to be bothered with putting the two dreams as two separate chapters. This was just easier.

The three clips I mentioned before with Whitebeard, Boa Hancock, and Dracule Mihawk are still up for votes. If you don't care one way or the other about them, then that's fine.

~ ... In His Dreams ... ~

Face to face with a beast. Teeth bared, nostrils wide open, eyes glaring at their prey. This was what he trained all his life for. Battling the strongest of the strong. It was just like his run in with his mounted beast on Tokagemomo Isle. The terrain was rockier and maybe even warmer, but he was ready for this moment. Dodge! Swipe! Punch! A fight for survival and blood. He was getting beat up pretty good. This beast was going to be worth the victory.

"Captain!"

"Squaw, squaw!"

The cries of his beloved reached his ears and made his chest pound uncontrollably. Wait... beloved? The hell was he on? Another cry for help rang in his ears, but they sounded so far away. The beast had Nesi and Baragon! Where were they? Nesi let out a scream that made a primal instinct rise from his chest. He had to find her. She was in trouble! Unleashing a blast of fire to roast the beast, Ace punched at the large creature effortlessly until it crumbled to the ground in a heap of burned flesh. A roar bellowed in the distance, making Nesi scream again. He raced straight to her, but his legs felt so heavy and weighed down. The ground was turning to mud and thick sand. Quicksand! Finding a branch from a tree, he grabbed at it to pull himself out and heard more shrieks of terror from his beloved and their pet. Wait a minute. What the hell was he thinking? Baragon wasn't his pet. He was an annoying, pink worm that bit him in the ass like five times! What's with these weird thoughts anyway!?

"Captain!" Nesi screamed. She sounded so hopeless and scared.

Hopping from tree to tree, he raced like his life depended on it. He didn't know what was going on with his brain, but whatever it was could wait. Nesi was in trouble. Surrounded by Sea Kings, Nesi was tied a pole situated in frosty water. She was shivering, cold, wet, and scared to death. Baragon was trying to pull the ropes off her with his teeth, but he was too small to do anything. When a Sea King opened his mouth to eat them both, Nesi let out her final scream before she crumbled from fear and waited for the beast to kill her. Ace released multiple attacks to down each one until he could get to his princess. Wait... what? When they all fell to the watery graves around his beloved, he ran to her and wiped her tears away. The ropes were easy to rip off. Her eyes were clenched shut and haki so low in power. She was scratched up and muddied. She had to have used everything she had to defend herself.

"Ace..." she whimpered, still clinging to the pole she was strapped to and shivering.

Ace did something he knew would never happen, not even on his deathbed! He pulled Nesi into his arms and kissed her cheek about two or three times before he let out a sigh of relief. Baragon was also shaking and crying. Ace picked him up and gathered them both in his arms before escorting them to a safer place. It didn't take long to get to one. They made it to a field of bluegrass and glowing pink mushrooms. A fire had already been made. His beloved and their pet huddled over the flames to warm up, but she was covered in filth and cold water. Taking out a miraculously dry towel from his pocket, Ace took Nesi into his arms again and started cleaning her. She blushed and looked away, but she was still and sniffing up the last of her tears.

"You're safe, my princess," Ace reassured, kissing her cheek again. WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING!?

"I'm not a princess, captain," Nesi said, dropping her head down in anguish. "I'm just a lizard lady. Those Sea Kings were going to take me as their wife. I don't want to marry a monster!"

Ace again kissed Nesi's cheek to reassure her. "Shh... you won't. I'll protect you from them."

"Squaw..." Baragon said sadly.

"C'mon, Baragon," Ace called, opening his arm to hold them both and wrap them in his large towel. They stayed like that until he heard more noise. Like a lot of noise.

... ... ... ... ...

"What have I told you about eating the captain's food!?" Nesi lectured, hitting some of the boys with a wok and hard skillet.

The Spades were outside having a picnic. They had recently docked along the coasts of Broad Green Province but wanted to enjoy some leisure time. Ace had plans to venture through the nearby town, but he saw Nesi setting up her blanket and stuff with Baragon on a nice piece of land that kept the Bloody Doubloon in sight but had a view of the province. It was actually a beautiful landscape. Too bad he wasn't much of a painter. Seeing her happy sort of made him want to stay nearby instead, so he had everyone train and do minor work on the ship. Triska went hunting as part of his training, so he prepped meat for Nesi to later season and cook. No one knew when Ace fell asleep, but the young captain was peacefully laying down with Baragon resting on his chest to protect him in a way. He wouldn't let anyone disturb him. Nesi made sure the boys remained quiet, so she actually led them through town to do minor shopping. They did find another pirate crew trying to rough up the nice place, and Nesi and some of the boys took care of them by looting them and making them run away. They had to sneak back to the picnic area and ship. While everyone was pretty much relaxing or doing minor work, Nesi started cooking and baking. Some of the boys... just got greedy and tried to sneak food away, hence Nesi's reaction.

The sun was going down, so it was time for Ace to wake up if he wanted to eat. The smell of food jolted him awake further, but he wasn't really ready to get up. He was ready to stop that dream, though. When he saw Nesi passing food around in custom portions, he quickly put on his hat to hide his face before yawning. The events of his dream played strongly when he saw Nesi smiling. Why'd he even dream any of that stuff? He's a man! Men don't dream about sweet, mushy stuff! He would've been fine with fighting beasts throughout the whole dream! So why? He could worry about hooking up with girls in another ten to twenty years! It's not important! This was Cuatro's fault! Always flirting with women. It's because he never flirted with Nesi in all the time he's known her. That's right! They're friends. Why couldn't Nesi just be his friend? Why the fainting princess?

"What time is it?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, you're up!" Nesi replied, putting his plate nearby along with some water. "Quarter after 5, captain. You were about to miss the sunset! You must've been seriously tired today. You slept for a good four to five hours."

"Squaw!" Baragon cheered from his bowl of fruit.

"My rosy protected you the whole time," Nesi informed, wiggling around from the cute memory. "So cute! Welp, you're probably covered in all sorts of pollen and dust. Why don't you wash up? Your food will still be here as long as TRISKA STOPS SNEAKING AWAY WITH THE MEAT GODDAMMIT!"

"BUT MOOOOMMM!" Triska whined, flinching at having been caught so fast.

Ace smirked at the exchange while the other Spades just laughed. Nesi may not have been a damsel in distress, but he was fine with being ready to rescue her if she ever needed it. She was part of the family. Turning to Baragon, Ace surprised even him when he reached over to pet him.

"Thanks, little guy," Ace said, making Baragon blush before singing.

Being captain didn't always have to be about fighting or looting. Sometimes, just appreciating the crew that you do have is enough. For Ace, stargazing with his crew well into the night was just as wonderful and adventurous as discovering a new town and meeting new people. Maybe that's why he dreamed about Nesi like that. She said once that intimidation was only as effective as the leader who knew his place among the people. He could be scary when the time called for it, but it wouldn't matter how scary he was if he couldn't learn to trust the people closest to him or be able to navigate the world that houses them all. In a way, Nesi represented his people and Baragon represented their strength and trust. He couldn't protect either of them if he only focused on dominating the world's beastly traits. A couple of the boys went to sleep on the ship in different spots like the lounge sofa, Nesi's canopy bed, or the cabin, but the rest either stayed near Ace and Nesi or slept at the picnic area.

Ace engaged in idle chat with Nesi and learned that she actually took the helm of fighting against another pirate crew. Some of the townspeople thought Nesi was going to take over, but she explained that Ace wouldn't be happy with that for one and that's not what she wanted to do with her life for two.

"What do you mean?" Ace questioned, finally turning over to her. He lifted his hat to read her face and body language.

"I'm going up to Mary Geoisie someday to fight for the people," Nesi replied, looking up at the stars. "If I can help the people who are here now and give them a voice to overthrow the ruling authorities up there, that's what I'm willing to die for. I want change. I'm not going to get it by taking over this town or the next town. It'll be the same story but a different author. Something's gotta give! If it takes me several years or costs me all of my fingers then fine. I'll keep going until I see this through!"

"Why don't you stick with being a pirate then? They're as revolutionary as you are," Ace suggested, hiding his face again. "They want freedom like you. It's in your blood. Do what's in you."

"Daddy wasn't a pirate because he wanted freedom or war, Ace," Nesi said, shaking her head. "He lost his job. His family was desperate and impoverished. When he couldn't take seeing them suffer, he turned to piracy to provide them what they needed to survive. That's how most people turn to piracy. It's not a career path. A lot of times, it's all someone has left before they starve. When begging isn't enough and the people around you refuse to provide the help you need or the government promises you that same help but doesn't give a damn about you, what action do you think a person will take? We've been to a lot of places, captain. Didn't you see people stealing money and food for their sick relatives or children? You've stayed by the sides of the suffering, Ace, especially children. If a pirate is willing to help them before the officials who promised a fair share in resources, I don't doubt the whole village would do business with a pirate or even become a pirate's haven if that's what it took to survive. You're too smart not to see that, captain! I do like being part of your crew, Ace, and I don't regret having you as my teacher, but being a pirate isn't what I want to do. I want to understand how our people get into these desperate times. I want to redefine what it means to have a fair share and peaceful life. I want to protect the countries! To stop higher-ups from doing what they want to us just because of a few more coins in their purses. Being a pirate alone isn't going to get me there."

She took off Ace's hat and made him lock eyes with her. Taking his face into her hands to see the pupils changing from circles to slants and spider webs in her gray to silver eyes, Ace could see how far she's come. Her soft gray eyes were no more since eating the lizard peach. The country girl who played with those kids just before serving meals for the homeless and hungry was now a hardened seafarer. Her scales and eyes resembled a beast. Although her icy blue hair was gone, the headscarf she adorned gave the illusion that she had a lot of hair. She wasn't a skinny, little girl anymore. She was bulking up, but it wasn't so much that she could be mistaken for a man. She was just filling out to the right athletic shape needed for this great task. Blushing at first at the proximity of their faces and bodies, Ace realized just how determined Nesi was and what her words meant. It was the same serious look in her face when they met. She was ready to risk everything for this one dream no matter how impossible it sounded. She wanted this one thing so much. She wasn't downsizing a pirate for what he was. She appreciated them because they were a testament for the failures of the government's rule.

He didn't know much about Gol D. Roger's early life. He didn't even know about his mother's early life. He couldn't say whether or not they suffered hardships before they met. He only ever knew about their legacies. Their most well-known hardship was his birth. Had they not had to worry about any of that, though, would he have been able to live his life with them? Would being a pirate mean as much as it does now? Why didn't Nesi's old man want her to view piracy as a good thing? As an honorable thing? He only did what he could to help his family. He was clearly a family and respectable man. After all, he did a lot for who he loved.

"But you knew that when you went looking for a Devil Fruit, didn't you?" Nesi asked, raising a brow. "Why'd you really want to give me that fruit? Your other crewmates could've used it. Why me?"

"..."

"Uuhhh, should we give you some alone time?" Corale asked, covering his eyes and looking in the other direction.

"No," Nesi replied, releasing Ace from her interrogation. She stood up, stretched, and yawned before smiling, "He was just reminding me that being a pirate is more than a legacy."

"Gumfree!" Mothra cheered.

"Madame, no! That's my shirt!" Nesi pleaded, pulling her clothes away from the pink moth.

Mothra was just tugging away happily until the shirt ripped. She proceeded to eat the fabric and fly away to her garden on the Red Force's ship. Shanks merely smiled darkly and clapped with amusement. He chuckled a bit before his fingers started twitching. He stood up from where he was sitting and walked up to Nesi as she trying to cover herself up. He pulled out his sword and started slashing away expertly. Nesi didn't understand what was happening, so she dodged, thinking he was trying to kill her, but he suddenly stopped and backed away while tilting his head and waiting. Several rips were heard until all her clothes just suddenly dropped. Her eyes were wide as she gasped loudly and Mothra cheered before eating the rest of her clothes. Typical moth. She rushed to cover up until Shanks hovered over her with a big grin.

"Such a predicament you're in!" he commented huskily. "Since you're at the mercy of a clothes-eating moth and my eager daughter, I will ask you again: will you join us for a tea party? Uta's been trying to meet you for over a week. Surely you can spare a moment to spend time with our daughter."

"For the last time, you skink, we're not married, we're not engaged, and we're not even dating! I'm just a game night partner!" Nesi argued, flinching away. "WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO YOUR DAUGHTER ABOUT US? That doesn't even sound like - ! Where is your hand going right now?"

Shanks lowered his eyelids before wrapping them both in his cloak. He then threatened, "It's either you come with me to the tea party, or I cuddle you naked in front of the men. I have no problems showing them exactly how mine you are."

"You wouldn't dare, you horrible man..." Nesi challenged, blushing at the proximity of their bodies. "Go have tea with your daughter like a regular parent! I've got nothing to do with any of this!"

In the blink of an eye, Shanks picked Nesi up and brought her to the floor. He proceeded to grind on and kiss her body until she complied with his demands. Obviously, this was also Nesi Llandala, the uptight, stingy with that soft body, studious, supportive, battle ready, multi-talented privateer. The cat was scratching and pushing him away as he did this. He knew damn well she would refuse his advances on a normal day, but, BUT, she typically did anything for children. Even those who were raised in a single parent home. Okay, the Red Force wasn't a proper home like a traditional cottage with a white fence and a puppy, but same idea! He didn't have to tell Uta about Nesi, sure, but the girl got curious and was okay with meeting her. He stated very clearly that Nesi wasn't a replacement daughter, she was... daddy's... interest. He left out the game night part. Misinterpreting the description because that's what a normal person would do when given vague details, especially when a drunk was giving them said details, Uta thought Nesi was Shanks's new girlfriend. So, she took this opportunity - being a pirate at heart - to lure Nesi into a trap of sorts. The tea party was a test to see if Nesi was a pirate like Shanks. If she wasn't, new mom to experiment with. If she was, new hit single in the works.

"Go the hell on, man!" Nesi demanded, shoving Shanks away. Man was not budging per his usual.

"You refused to comply with my innocent request!" Shanks said brightly, smiling wide. "So, you get to fulfill my naughtier one!"

"I'M SWIMMING BACK HOME!" Nesi roared. Smooch. "I HATE PIRATES!"

... ... ... ... ...

"So, Miss Nesi, what are your intentions with my dad?" Uta asked, sipping on a cup of tea.

"To get the absolutel hell - oof!" Nesi cleared her throat after being jabbed by a knife's sheath. Shanks took a sip of his hot totty that Nesi was kind enough to make for him and smiled at Uta. He almost got punched in the face after finding Nesi's sweet spot, but, hey, he found it. Blackmail info obtained! With his success came the aforementioned tea party at a place of Uta's choice. So, here they were. Nesi continued, "I was asked humbly to meet you while I was working, so I don't know much about the... situation. My intentions were simply to report to my job. The captain doesn't talk much about himself, so pardon my not knowing how to answer that question."

"Is your work always that important?" Uta questioned, frowning a bit. That answered nothing.

"This particular assignment is, yes. A battle on one of the beachfronts is being arranged to claim territory. I'm trying to stop it. Too many lives are at risk. We'd be lucky if more than ten survivors come out of it. It would be easier to - I'm sorry. I'm completely rambling. I'm in the military. Yes, it's important because a lot of people can die," Nesi replied, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"... I guess you are a bit like him," Uta said after some silence.

"Pardon?" Nesi questioned, eyes wide with dread.

"He doesn't like killing either," Uta replied, shaking her head. "If you're in the military, then you're definitely not a pirate."

"Actually, I am... kind of. I'm a privateer apprentice. Have you ever heard of that?" Nesi asked.

"No, ma'am," Uta replied, confused by the title.

"A privateer is a pirate hired by the government to act in military service. It's a different... flavor of piracy if you will," Nesi answered. "I prefer working to protect other people and the state of the countries. It's always been my dream the way music is yours. You've a beautiful voice, Uta."

"Huh?" Uta blushed a tinge from the compliment.

"I listened to your songs on the way here," Nesi complimented, smiling softly. "Night for an Angel spoke to me the most."

Uta was quiet before she sighed, dropped her head, and said, "Fine, I'll do Wednesdays."

"Eh?" Nesi questioned.

"Aw, you're going to adopt her?" Shanks asked, smiling warmly.

"Whaddaya mean adopt? What are we talking about? What are you talking about?" Nesi asked, pointing fingers at Shanks and Uta.

"I don't know why we had to build into this," Uta commented. "Mind being my mom for a day, Miss Nesi? I never had one and that red skink over there never tried to find me one. He just left me to do music on my own."

"Whaddaya mean he left you? What did you do?" Nesi questioned, turning to Shanks for an explanation.

"Well, I wanted her to fulfill her dreams of being a musician! She wasn't going to be great around us," Shanks answered, toasting to the family moment. "We can't sing. I wanted her to learn from the best, so I had her be with the best."

"That doesn't mean leave her behind, you goob!" Nesi yelled, smacking the back of the man's head. "I oughtta dump that cocktail outta your hands and pump water in your brain! The least you could've done was visit the girl from time to time. She loved doing music because she loved you and the life you gave her! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I did what I felt was best at the time!" Shanks replied, smiling brightly.

Nesi reeled back to punch Shanks, but Uta stopped her with a hug. Nesi turned to her and waited for the girl to speak. Uta said, "Are Wednesdays okay?"

The privateer sighed before saying, "I'll try to make it work... But why a mom? I'm more like a big sister. I'm not old."

"Meh, same thing," Shanks replied.

"NO, IT'S NOT!" Nesi argued.

... ... ... ... ...

"Shanks, your face is weird again," Benn said, earning his captain's attention.

"C'mon, Baragon!" Nesi called, waving her hand. She was off to meet with some townsfolk.

Shanks was already plotting his next cuddle attack. Maybe he'd make things spicier for game night...