Author's Notes: I have two shoutouts and a new clip to give because you all seem to enjoy making me into a whole liar. XD I'm kidding. I'm actually glad you, guys, like Figarland's appearances! I didn't expect such positivity. Your responses to this short story so far have intrigued me, so I may not wait on a third review like I originally planned after all. I think I may pursue this as a potential project. Now, obviously, One Piece is currently ongoing so I'll be inaccurate because there's no fixed end to the lore. However, as said before, my main focus will be the privateers and Ace's relationship with Nesi. There's literally little to no stories about the privateers in any media, so I'm kind of more invested in that. Plus, I want to try making a political war story just to switch things up.

However, ignoring my rambling, I want to take this time to say thank you to Azaudrimraee and Singing_Like_a_Sailor for supporting this short story. It's a bit all over the place with the random snippets and bonus clips mixed in no particular order. I'm so sorry you have to read things this way. X3 However, I'm just humbled anyone is taking their time to read this. I really do appreciate you both for joining our small crew. :-D This clip is a little raunchy but not explicit. I think next clip (if I get another supporter) I'll cut it over to Shanks and Nesi's time in his crew. I want to test the waters with his thoughts on fatherhood for a minute.

~ ... Nighttime Quarrel ... ~

"That's not where that goes! What're you doing with that?" Nesi lectured from Ace's cabin.

The Spades looked up from their card game (or some other activity they were engaged in) with smirks or smiles on their faces. After defeating Anga Wiseweed, Ace pretty much followed Nesi around town at Grand Turtles Countryside to see what she was up to. He basically stalked her until she agreed to stay with her old crew on the Spadille for old times' sake. Just for a couple of nights while she was docked at a military base. They did talk a lot about her new life as a privateer's apprentice and what it was like. She seemed to enjoy the work and finally came into her own as a fighter and a woman. She carried herself more confidently but maintained that sweetness and mischievousness everyone knew her for. It was nice hearing her voice nagging the captain again.

Ever since she said her tearful goodbyes, Ace was half of himself. Sure, he still went on adventures and met some interesting people like normal, but he didn't have the same energy when he came home aboard the ship. He stayed up at night, looking out into the sea like he was waiting for something to happen. When nothing did and the sun rose, he would just sigh and get into this routine of snapping out of it. A regular Joe wouldn't notice this about Ace, but the young captain probably wasn't aware of how observant his crewmates were of his behavior. Anyone on the Spadille could see that Ace missed Nesi. Seeing her again and bringing her aboard the ship brought him back to normal. One could look at it like a child showing his big sister or mother what he had done special for the day, but you could also speculate that Ace knew someone was missing. He worried a lot when someone was hurt or missing from home, so, given the opportunity to bring said someone medical attention or back home, he took full advantage of it and made things right to give himself peace.

"I will put it where I damn well please, scrubbing bubble!" Ace roared. His shadow was dancing in the lamp light of the cabin.

"Not if I have to sleep in here, you're not!"

"What's the damn difference? It's not bothering anyone!"

"It's upsetting my Snookums! Look at 'im! He's crying!"

"Squaw!" Baragon chirped with a whine.

"Well, tell that pink bastard to grow a pair of hairy ones and get the hell outta my cabin!"

"Portgas D. Ace, I am not staying in here with you and a corpse!"

"Well, that's too damn bad! Your room got changed into a storage unit and extra space for more sleepers!"

"YOU WHAT!?" Nesi roared, teeth sharpening into fangs.

"Unlike you, ya fancy pansy, Banshee is cool sleeping with the boys! What's your deal?"

"I was forced to sleep out on the deck 'cause you had no room! Have you seen Discount? He's like 7 to 8 feet tall!" Nesi argued.

"Hence why your room was perfect for extra sleepers," Ace reiterated.

"So, you dragged me here just for me to sleep out on the deck, you ingrate?" Nesi shouted more than questioned.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' AN INGRATE, WORM MOM?" Ace retorted.

"PORTGAS D. ACE, I AM NOT SLEEPING OUT IN THE RAIN OR IN THIS CABIN WITH YOUR DEAD BODY!"

"YOUR CANOPY THING IS A WRECK!" Ace reminded his floor scrubber. "IT'S EITHER HERE OR THE COUCH!"

"NO!" Nesi responded with a squeak.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU YELLING AT, BUZZ HEAD!?"

"I'M NOT THE ONE TELLING PEOPLE WHERE TO SLEEP!" Nesi stomped, snatching her luggage up to throw it over her shoulder. She breathed in deep before saying, "After dinner, I'm going back to base at the barracks. I will see you in the morning after you finish gutting dead-zo over there. We'll have brunch or something."

Ace was extremely quiet at her words and looked down low enough for his hair to blanket his eyes. He took his hat off once the sun was going down for the day. By then, Nesi had come aboard to see if anything changed beyond Wiseweed and his gang trashing his beloved vessel. She didn't even check to see if the laundry room was available. That was her other personal space to sleep. She didn't try to bathe or anything. She was just... well, visiting. She may have brought some luggage, but it may as well have been a tool chest or something. What was so great about being some off-brand marine? Just the luxury of her own room? He didn't think she'd ever come back with how things were once they separated. Was he just that mean to her or something? What was it?

"Don't bother," Ace growled. "You're with your stupid marines now. You're not a pirate anymore."

"You're right," Nesi replied softly, making Ace hold his breath before looking up at her. She was smiling, however, and said happily, "I'm still just your floor scrubber. You never gave me a rank! Therefore, you can't say I'm not a pirate when my status was never disclosed or earned! Ha ha, jerk!"

"What?" Ace questioned angrily. His heart wouldn't stop racing, but a wave of relief washed over his chest.

"For your information, I'm a privateer, not a marine. I just train with the marines. Therefore, you're just talking outta your ass, smelly old man!" Nesi insulted, pointing a finger at Ace's nose. That set him off to where his body was covered in fire, but Nesi just laughed at him triumphantly. "The only you can throw me out is if you replace me with someone else. I dare you to go find a better deckhand than yours truly!"

"I CAN FIND ANYTHING BETTER THAN YOU, SCRUBBING BUBBLE!"

"Put some berries on it," Nesi challenged, slapping the back of her hand with an interested grin. "I know you can't find someone better."

"YES, THE HELL I CAN!"

"Alright, you're on. You find a better deckhand than me, I'll grovel at your feet and admit I'm not a pirate anymore," Nesi dared, pointing at Ace's shoes.

"Done!" Ace accepted.

"Fail at it," Nesi said, punching her palm and dropping her voice to a seductive purr. She crept up to Ace with a sensual saunter while narrowing her eyes and continued, "And you get to be your own deckhand. That means cleaning up your own cabin 'til it's spotless, washing your own clothes, cleaning out the bathing room, and doing all of my duties for three days straight, which also includes finding... a job."

Ace's entire face went blue, and his eyes widened exaggeratedly at the mere suggestion of having to work for berry like a... a... productive member of society. How dare she throw that in there! His bones rattled when he moved to lock eyes with her. She was dead serious. The look on her face was enough proof that she had been waiting for this day for ages.

Her eyes sparkled dangerously before whispered in his ear as seductively and... deliciously as possible, "And you still have to pay up, my precious captain."

That voice and her perfume... was doing something to Ace - something he'd rather not admit that he liked. He had to fight a shiver threatening to travel down his spine and the sudden bout of heat and tightness near his thighs. Why was he responding to that?

"Speaking of which, I think I have cleaning supplies for the... head you found," Nesi snapped back all of sudden as if nothing had happened. She even returned to her usual cuteness before saying, "I'll get 'em from my other luggage case. This one just has stuff to replace anything that was damaged. Had to see what was missing or a total loss. Oh, before I forget, I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it back for the night. My unit was told to shelter up in case we had to act on emergency calls. You should anchor up and find shelter yourselves. I'll try to find an inn for you on my way back or someplace you won't be harassed by any lingering marines. They're being called back to base themselves for emergency responses as well. I doubt you'll have much trouble with them in the meantime. Want me to find someplace that serves food? There's about two that I know of that are inclusive like that."

"Uhh, yeah, I guess," Ace replied, taken aback by Nesi's sudden change in behavior. What about the dare, though?

"'Kay!" Nesi cheered. "C'mon, Baragon! Let's help Captain Ace."

"Squaw!" Baragon cheered, hopping onto Nesi's shoulder and nuzzling her cheek.

With that, Nesi had left the captain's cabin, waved her goodbyes, and hopped off the Spadille acrobatically to get to work on things. She did as promised and helped the Spades find shelter in an inn and tavern near a windmill. Large turtles were travelling through the fields of grass to find shelter themselves. Now, it made sense as to how the small town got its name. The turtles were huge! True to her word, Nesi wasn't able to stay with the Spades for the night. She was called to emergency duty and was last seen hustling to block windows and doors from debris and potential flooding rains. Those struggling to make ends meet were escorted to marine shelters.

When the town quieted down and the storm was passing through, Ace laid in his bed and started to think about earlier. What was it about Nesi's voice that made his body do that? What was it about that challenging gaze, that confidence, that desire to get back at him that...? It was happening again. No, he wouldn't think about it. He had a point to prove! He could find a better deckhand than her easily! Then, his crew would get bigger and better! Yeah! And, Nesi would grovel and apologize and...! Wait, but she'd say she wasn't a pirate or... one of his boys. Was that why she was so confident before? Not because she knew she would be hard to replace but because... she knew he wouldn't...?

"That little snake!" Ace hissed.

No matter how hard he tried to sleep or how sharp he filed his knife, the bet wouldn't leave his mind. His crewmates spoke to him in intervals before they went to sleep themselves, but he wound up ruminating on his argument with the floor scrubber again. Eventually, he did drift off to sleep when the rain relaxed him and the commanding voices stopped echoing with the thunder. In his dreams, he was back in the cabin and cleaning up the floor of any monster head remains. Nesi was folding clothes he had or playing with Baragon in her pansy skirt, but she wore her privateer's coat over her shoulders. When they were both done, they spoke about something ridiculous that made them laugh until Baragon went to his bed in the laundry room to sleep. Ace pulled Nesi close, making her blush, before she gave him that confident smirk and made him sit on his bed. She had whispered something to him, but those whispers became moans and the noises that travelled in the cabin were something far more dangerous than ones of death or pain.

Ace woke up in a cold sweat, panting and gulping for air. WHAT WAS THAT? WHAT WAS THAT? HOW DID - ? He - she - ! But!

"Captain, Nesi's here for breakfast!" Deuce called, knocking on the door. "You up?"

Shaking his head violently to get rid of the dream, Ace slapped himself before he cheered, "Whoo, food! I am in!"

"Just follow your nose then, cap!" Deuce said with a laugh.

He didn't hear Ace running to the bathroom first, though.