Author's Notes: This new chapter is dedicated to DreameyLea, our newest crewmate. ;-D I'm kidding, I don't have a crew. But, I do appreciate the support and will drop an emotional clip. Feel free to give me feedback if you want. Otherwise, no big deal. This short story is coming to an actual close soon since not enough people are interested in an expanded version, and I truly don't want to waste my time on this when I could put my time into something else. However, I appreciate all of you. I really do. Don't think I'm abandoning you.

~ ... From One Pirate to Another ... ~

"You do know that's not how you spell ingrate, right?" Ace asked, peering over Masked Deuce's shoulder.

"Pfft, hahaha!" a laugh emerged. "That's why we don't write in diaries, girly man."

"I'm not girly!" Masked Deuce complained.

Ace said nothing more of the matter and merely walked over to the left side of the deck. His visitor was over there. Nesi continued sweeping the floor while humming a song to herself and dancing. Dinner was almost ready for the night, so she was wrapping her small chore up to leave the barbarism going to the mess hall for another cook. Little Baragon was helping her by wiping up a spot with his paws and a small towel. As the boys continued to torment poor Deuce, Nesi scooped up dust and trash in her last corner. Nesi may not have liked the Spades being Whitebeards now, but she made sure to check on her old crew whenever she could and continued her duties as a floor scrubber no matter who told her not to. Banshee typically spoke to the girl or sparred with her so she wouldn't be bored and Vista was interested in her swordsmanship despite Nesi preferring hand-to-hand combat or gunmanship. Whitebeard, honestly, seemed to enjoy fussing with Nesi. He talked to her about different things, and she responded carefully to keep the peace, but that didn't make her worry any less or like the emperor more.

She was working on being reinstated into the privateers, so most of the information she was willing to give the emperor was related to her time on battlefields and the victories or losses she accumulated throughout that time. Whitebeard respected her greatly for her contributions and had asked her about any rivalries she may have had that were worth keeping despite being dismissed. She didn't have any rivals in the privateers since they weren't allowed to fight each other, but she did mention her street fights when the Spades docked at certain places. Every now and then, a past brawler wanted a rematch and she obliged out of good sportsmanship. Her rules were simple: no using haki, no using Devil Fruit powers, limit dirty fighting to three shots, and no blows below the belt unless they're low kicks or sliding moves. The emperor took interest in this information and asked her to demonstrate from time to time with one of his many sons. In hindsight, the emperor was impressed with Nesi's strong form. It was easy to see that Ace had an influence in her fighting style, but the rest was a mixed martial arts style that was unique to her.

"What kind of men have I been keeping on my ship? You can't beat a little girl into the ground!" he would shout.

"This is craziness! Get the hell outta there, floor scrubber!" Ace demanded, threatening to hop in the ring to pull Nesi out.

"Don't dishonor your wife, boy. If she's been training to surpass you this whole time, she should be just as strong as you by now. Look at this! She's uppercutting a fine brawler!" Whitebeard complained from his seat on the Moby Dick. "Dodge, boy!"

"But pops!" a competitor whined.

"We're divorced!" Ace argued, blushing furiously.

"No, you're not," Whitebeard said quietly. "You're another punch away from jumping off this ship to fight with her or for her."

Ace stopped talking for a moment and just watched Nesi from afar in contemplative silence. How many times would he have to tell everyone that the marriage wasn't real? That Moga and Schooner were wrong to try to marry them on the battlefield? That there were other girls he could hook up with while he was still young? That Nesi's not into him? That someone as regal, elegant, fun, uptight, refined, and... wonderful as her wouldn't want to be with some rookie pirate like him? He could push the boundary between a friend and something more with Isuka now. He may have only spent a day with Yamato, but he gave him a Vivre card just like he did with Nesi. He could've pushed for a romantic encounter, but he didn't. He was okay with just being friends and going on adventures. He obviously could pick a girl from whatever town he wanted. So... what gives? He's a free man like before! Nesi comes and goes like before. She's living her life like before. Why does it matter to anyone what he does with other girls? He doesn't have to be in love to live his life! It's his life! He wanted to fight the strongest man alive. He got a chance to fight Whitebeard. Sure, he lost, and his boys got the works, but he saw things through until he decided to become a Whitebeard pirate. He had a second chance at getting stronger and leaving this crew on his own terms in the future. And Nesi... Well, she could do the same thing! She could try her luck with another guy. She fits in in just about any space. Maybe... Well, Cobalt was pretty grateful for her help, so he could probably take her out on dates. There was that guy that came with Moga and Schooner those couple of years ago to see her. He blew her a kiss before leaving. She could push the boundary with someone else now... It didn't have to be him.

WHAM!

"Oof!" Nesi grunted, sliding back from the hit.

She rubbed her jaw a bit before shaking her head to snap out of the stunning blow. Snapping into an open palm stance, she waited for her opponent to charge at and nodded for him to proceed. Her defensive style was almost untouchable, but she went on the offense for an elbow attack that surprised her opponent enough to send him flying out of the ring. Cheering and booing erupted simultaneously. She won? When Nesi bowed to pay her respects, Ace realized that she won.

"Hmph! Lucky shot!" Whitebeard grumbled, dropping some coins into a plate. Ace didn't realize the emperor placed a bet on Nesi. "You taught her well, kid. She must've been boxing like that for a while. You set up matches for her or something?"

"No..." Ace replied, turning his attention back to the privateer while a crewmate talked to her. "She practiced certain moves on her own in town. Mostly when me and the boys here weren't around."

"You had other crewmates?" Whitebeard questioned.

"They left after the battle. Wanted to be privateers like her. It didn't happen all at once," Ace said softly, remembering the split from the other Spades.

"Were they all dismissed or just her?" Whitebeard asked.

"I dunno," Ace answered, realizing Nesi didn't say what happened to the others.

Apparently, Whitebeard had managed to collect a plethora of information about Nesi since that conversation. He showed Ace just about everything she did through newspapers and small articles, but Ace noticed that Deuce was talking to the emperor with some nervousness when it came to the privateers. Ace didn't understand why the emperor was so curious about her; in fact, he didn't like it, but Whitebeard did manage to get Ace to think about the situation in full. Where was the rest of his crew? Watching Nesi hop on the rails to sit down, Ace joined her for a minute to talk like usual.

"You didn't have to clean the ship. We've got other people to do that," Ace reminded her.

"Meh, gives me something to do on visits. Right, my rosy?" Nesi said, smiling brightly.

"Squaw!"

"You still have time to be a Whitebeard, y'know? You don't have to keep stopping by. You're on the run just like any other pirate," Ace said, trying to convince Nesi of leaving the privateers. She was going to say no, but there was no harm in asking again.

"You're a big part of my journey up 'til this point. I want to visit you and the others," Nesi replied, turning to her captain. "It's been nice being able to sail my own ship the way I dreamed when I was little."

"You don't talk about yourself much," Ace mentioned. He was familiar with the story about her parents but not Nesi herself. She was true to her title, very private. "You kept a group of pictures framed in your cabin. What were they?"

"My mom painted or sketched a lot of those when I was little," Nesi replied with a distant voice. It was like the day he formally met and spoke to Nesi. She was a ghost in town. She then continued, "Back home, there used to be a sailing competition for the locals. Families had to build their very own ship for sailing and race them. It was called the Couleurs et Promesses Festival. Colors were ship flags like your Jolly Roger to represent the boats. Promises were represented by the lanterns released during the ceremony at night. It used to be my favorite event to watch and be part of.

One year, mummy entered us into the competition, and we built a nice boat for it. Hmph! The sails were a little weird and rushed in stitchwork, but I loved it! On the day of the competition, we set sail on a stale, muggy morning. It sucked! But a big tailwind stirred up and I wound up in the top three. The waters were getting choppy because a Sea King was hunting in the distance. It's tail whipping caused strong, heavy currents. My boat was fine and I wound up in first place, but I heard some of the kids crying behind me. A little boy was devastated when his ship hit some coral and tore a hole in the boat... I didn't want him to cry... So, I sailed over to him and ripped my boat apart. The broken wood pieces were sloppy, but I patched up his boat and pushed him along. Daddy was so mad that I wrecked the boat, but mummy wanted to know why most of all. I... couldn't watch them suffer. To a kid, there's enough pressure to win the damn thing and then your boat just crumbles from a strong current? It's madness! But, I remember telling mummy that I'd rather lose and have fun than be as upset as that boy was.

Out of spite, the nobles on my island made new rules for the competition after hearing about what happened. No pirates, marines, or parents with a background in sailing were allowed to help their children compete. Daddy was furious at that, but he didn't get mad at them. He just told the judges, 'You lost some of the finest naval officers the world was ever going to see. Hope it was worth it.' I was hurt that I couldn't compete anymore, and the festival was no more by the next year, but I never forgot how happy I was that year when I got to sail. So, I drew up designs for a new ship - a better ship to sail. That sketch you saw was my mummy redesigning my crayon plans. I wanted this new ship to be perfect. I guess as a form of apology, daddy decided to host a sailing party of his own. It was a big deal since the locals couldn't sail anymore. The nobles were the only ones allowed at the festival, even to the day I met you. Our local sailing party stopped when daddy died. But... I took that day to heart. What those nobles did to us as children is what they're continuing to do in the world now. Shunning people away and ignoring their cries! I hated that! But... I look to daddy's actions as a guide when I feel lost. Don't shut up and sit in anger. Fight when it's time to fight and celebrate when it's time to celebrate."

"... You didn't ask us to help you build your ship...," Ace finally said after placing his hat on Nesi's head. "Pansy. Are we friends or not?"

"But you were b - " Nesi started, lifting Ace's hat to look in his face.

The look he gave her made her flinch, though. He wasn't angry at her. He wasn't sad or disappointed or even a move away from pulling a prank on her like usual. This look was different. It wasn't hiding away from anyone who dared approach him either. While Nesi wasn't able to identify the look clearly, she could see that there was a mix of emotions in his eyes. Ace had given way to this... man that she only ever saw in certain moments. Her captain was always such a cheerful thing, challenging others to small things like dares or scraps, but a handful of trigger words brought out a person buried underneath the passionate, excitable, polite, and kind boy most people knew.

"Busy," Nesi finished, looking down as though she were being reprimanded for some folly.

"What was your dad's name?" Ace asked.

"As in... his reformed name?" Nesi responded, searching for clarification. Silence was her answer and she replied, "Romanus Llandala. He did away with his 'pirate' name after his stint in prison. Proof for my mother, really. She thought he was going to go back to his life at sea. The change shocked her."

"Then what was his name?" Ace asked again.

"... Romanus," Nesi started, voice cracking at Ace's inquiry. He was a lot more intense than usual. She cleared her throat, however, and said, "Romanus... Chrisanti of the Blue Moon Devils crew. His career as a pirate didn't last long, but he remained friends with at least two of his crewmates. Daddy never told me what happened to the others."

"Do you know whose son I am?" Ace asked.

"I think you said Gol D. Roger's once. If not you, someone in the Spades did. Why? Does it matter?" Nesi asked.

"Why didn't you say you were Chrisanti's daughter when we met or at different towns? People might've recognized the name or helped you," Ace mentioned, curious of the answer.

"Daddy wasn't as famous as yours, I don't think, but he didn't want me to cling to his past like that. Neither did mummy. That competition was why. Being myself and being confident in who I was as a person was more important than what either of them did in the past. 'Sides, the nobles didn't take pity on us just because of their pasts and neither did a lot of the locals. Our circle of support was extremely small. I remember having to leave home just for medicine when a natural remedy wasn't enough. My first time in prison was because of medicine," Nesi revealed.

"You've been in jail before the siege?" Ace asked, eyes filled with surprise.

"I'm not proud of it, but yeah. For stealing medicine," Nesi answered, looking down at her hands. "Daddy was sick and in pain. The doctor refused to give him anything, even though he could clearly see that daddy was barely able to breathe. My parents left to try to set sail elsewhere for a cure, but I went back to ask why the doctor was really refusing him. I just needed to hear it for myself. That lowlife had the cure sitting right next to him! He just didn't want to help a pirate, regardless of the time he served in jail for his actions! That pissed me off, so I took it. I overheard how much the medicine actually costed and went into our family treasury to get the berries for it. I paid for it rightfully. That's why I didn't see it as stealing. Authorities saw it otherwise... and so did daddy. He had never spanked me that bad before, but he was furious. When the officers came to pick me up, he was the main one crying and pleading with them not to take me. Mummy had to investigate what happened and found out that I paid for it and left a note telling the doctor how I felt. That old couple that you met after I fought those marines paid for my bail. The only reason daddy didn't die sooner was from that medicine. We still set sail to get another couple of doses, but I guess that was when I just lost my voice. I wouldn't speak for a while and instead worked to pay that old couple back and refill the family treasury."

"That's why you kept doing those odd jobs for stuff. You're used to it," Ace said, looking out to the sea. That's how Nesi became a ghost... but that's also how she became his crewmate. "You stole that cargo ship for the same reason. To help those people."

"Yeah..." Nesi said with a light laugh. "I didn't think about that at the time, but I did, huh?"

"I met a little girl who wanted to be part of our crew. She was about six. Her name is Tama. She's a bright kid!" Ace said, smiling fondly at the memory of the little ninja girl. "She would've learned a lot from you. Any of the girls I met could've learned a lot from you, really, but... I don't want them to meet you. Not yet anyway."

"Did I do something you didn't want them to see?" Nesi asked, confused by his words.

"They'll just leave me... the way you did," Ace admitted. His voice was low like he was whispering to the reflection of the sunset on the horizon, and it was distant... like a ghost. "They might even take some of the boys with them, too... I should've stopped you... You're good at being a pirate, Nesi. It's because you don't rely on someone else's name to get around in the world. You rely on yourself, and you build support systems that are strong. Those nobles needed you. Do what your dad said those years ago if that story's true. They lost one of the best marines of this generation! You could build your own fleet as a pirate! Be the best among us instead. Privateering was nice and all but look at how they threw you aside. You don't need them!"

Smooch. Ace was cut off from his thoughts once Nesi backed away from his cheek. She smirked at him and whispered, "Thank you... Romanus... That's a thought, isn't it? Restoring the Blue Moon Devils to their former glory? Pfft!"

"Nesi?"

"Hm?" Nesi replied, turning back to Ace.

She shouldn't be kissing her captain at all, least of all on one of Whitebeard's ships, but she allowed herself to be selfish this one time. When was she ever going to see this young man again? Ace hid him away...