Author's Notes: No shoutouts this time, but I was interested in a clip with Shanks and another with a jealous Ace. We're going to work with Ace again and I'll see about Shanks.

~ ... Aye, Captain! ... ~

She supposed it seemed odd for a woman to be shelling peas while on the run from notable names on the bounty circuit. No, she wasn't on the run. She shouldn't say that. Hearing Baragon singing to the children aboard her ship, Nesi chuckled gently before returning to her task. Her stowaway numbers seemed to be growing as she was returning home. Newly dismissed and no longer with Whitebeard or Ace, Nesi decided to take a lesson from the emperors of the sea. She would take a cruise home. This was her first voyage alone. She knew the routes she wanted to take and places to avoid. She just didn't expect for others to participate in her voyage.

Aosera and Bandag, two pirates escaping betrayal, were steering the ship and monitoring for danger, respectively. The shrine maidens of a doomed village were either helping Nesi with chores like cleaning clothes or prepping the meals for today or watching the young orphans who wanted to stay with the maidens. The former privateer even had a "crazed" jester onboard. Lucky for everyone, he was just depressed that his employers turned on him and tried to get him executed falsely. Hell, Nesi thought she would be, too. Lastly was the tax collector who was more impressed by Nesi's organizational skills than anything else on her ship. He actually chased Nesi down and swam to her boat to join her and to find a new place to live his life. Orphos Keys wasn't exactly a paradise, but he might be able to find some place better along the way. So far, all seemed pretty good. She didn't have much trouble with her stowaways, and they respected her ship and space. Feeling a song in her heart, Nesi decided to sing lowly to herself as she shelled her peas in a bowl.

I've had some good days

I've had some hills to climb
I've had some weary days
And some sleepless nights

But when I look around
And I think things over
All of my good days
Outweigh my bad days
I won't complain

Sometimes the clouds are low
I can hardly see the road
I ask a question, Lord
Lord, why so much pain?
But he knows what's best for me
Although my weary eyes
They can't see
So I'll just say thank you Lord
I won't complain

The Lord
Has been so good to me
He's been good to me
More than this old world
Or you could ever be
He's been so good
To me

He dried all of my tears away
Turned my midnights into day
So I'll just say thank you Lord
I won't complain

"That's a pretty song, captain," one of the shrine maidens complimented.

She was dressed like a young nun when Nesi met her, but she seemed to enjoy wearing the former privateer's worshipping robes. That's what she was wearing now minus the large medallion necklace across the shoulders. Nesi didn't mind. It was simple attire and easy to stitch. She might task herself with stitching a new one for herself. The cloak over the robe was a bit more personal, however. Only fabrics from her home islands could be used comfortably on her, but she gave the young nun a fairly colorful cloak to wear. It suits her.

"Oh! Thank you, Sister Leola," Nesi replied with a soft smile. "There is no captain here, I'm afraid. I'm just the ship's owner."

"If I might be so bold, Miss Llandala, your self-infliction offends me. You are not speaking from a place of humility," Leola said firmly but with a shy lady's blush dusting her cheeks. "You come into your role as a leader more often than you've possibly noticed. We trust you when there is danger or fear present. A silly, old, military rank won't take away your capabilities! And it shouldn't!"

Nesi looked up from her knife and peas to look at Leola, taking note of the curly red hair, blue eyes, and sweet cheeks. The young nun looked down at her bowl of peas with embarrassment at having fussed at Nesi, but the former privateer merely kept her smile and placed her bowl of peas aside for a moment. She lowered her leg, crept up to Leola, and said softly, "Your confidence has grown, Sister Leola! That's good! Keep being bold, my friend. I think your strongest trait is your ability to pull the best out of those who don't believe in themselves. Pardon my offense."

Leola blushed at Nesi's words then nodded cheerfully and said, "My friend's very humble for a ship captain!"

Nesi quirked her lips proudly before returning to her peas. Her soul was in a singing mood for whatever reason, and Baragon seemed to like playing on her ship with the children. His jovial energy seemed to add to hers. Even the jester found some peace and took to writing during the nights when all was quiet. During the day, he curiously toured the ship with the tax collector and often took up residence in the kitchen and dining area. The tax collector practically lived in the treasure room! He liked reading accounting records, apparently. An odd fellow.

While everyone did minor work, Nesi busied herself with teaching the shrine maidens how to cook her recipes and preparing the meals as well. One of the orphaned children taste-tested a sauce she was making. He smiled widely and his eyes glimmered as he hummed his approval. Nesi opened the kitchen windows to let out the heat and smoke in the room before hearing something a bit odd. It almost sounded like a dolphin splashing, but they passed over the dolphin alleys some miles ago. It should be clear of them by now. Not hearing any panicked screams or Baragon squawking for her attention, she shrugged it off and let the nuns take over. The recipes were simple. She would put the rest together when they were done.

Walking to her cabin, she opened the viewing windows to scout for lurking danger. Just in case a sea king wandered its way to the open blue. Doubtful but possible. More suspicious, she left the cabin to walk onto the deck. She listened for a moment before catching something. There was extra splashing nearby. Something went underwater.

"Cap?" Bandag called, unsure of what to make what he was seeing. Nesi didn't respond immediately, but she tuned her ears to the sound of the splashing. It wasn't a large thing. Good. Not a sea king. "Cap?"

"Captain!" Aosera called from the helm, releasing the ship's wheel to reveal a sword.

Someone boarded the ship? Seeing a bit of flame dance across her nose, she looked to her left and saw Ace crouching on the rails. Crap... Nesi jumped between Aosera and Bandag and made the brawlers stop their attack. Ace merely looked at his former crewmate with a frown. It almost looked like a pout, actually.

"At ease," Nesi commanded strongly. She turned to Ace and asked, "I take it you're here with someone, Mr. Ace?"

"You know Fire Fist Ace? The Fire Fist?" Bandag questioned, pointing his dagger at him. "You really weren't crappin' around when you said you were around pirates for a while, were you?"

"I've been truthful to you," Nesi replied, smiling gently at him. "But if Whitebeard sent him to take my ship, I'm afraid this ends our voyage together."

"But I don't wanna go," a child whined, hiding behind the jester. "We're not doing anything, captain!"

"Care to explain yourself, Mr. Ace?" Nesi asked, keeping her smile.

"You're the captain of this crew?" Ace asked quietly. He made himself more menacing than his speaking voice.

"More like the captain of this voyage. I thought you were running errands for Pops. What do either of you want with me?" Nesi questioned, narrowing her eyes.

They hadn't spoken much since their last argument. Ace partly wanted to apologize on his end. He misunderstood their relationship, thought they settled on a romantic term, but he had to be reminded of how severely dangerous Nesi's life had become. Since their friendship was on rocky terms, he took this time to get clarity. He didn't follow her, but he did use his Vivre card to track her general direction. She just so happened to be on his route. Imagine his surprise when he spotted her with a crew of people on her ship. So, she denied a spot with Whitebeard and argued with him over starting her own crew and being a pirate just to turn around and start a crew anyways? With other pirates no less? What the hell?

"I have every reason to take your ship by force right now..." Ace growled, locking eyes with Nesi. But, his frown turned to a smile instead and he hopped off the rails to say, "But I smell awesome food coming from the kitchen! Do I get an invite to dinner as a friend or what?"

Nesi scoffed at her former captain. He was just as ridiculous as ever! Her scoffs turned into a hearty laughter, though. No matter what happened in their relationship, Nesi couldn't stay mad at Ace for longer than a day. A couple of hours, sure, but not passed that. She walked over to the kids, kneeled down to them, and reassured them.

She said, "Sorry for the scare, little ones. Commander Ace over there likes to prank people. He's a weird one, isn't he?"

"That wasn't very nice!" a young boy stomped with a pout. "I like our new house!"

Ace walked over to the kid, watching him cower from his taller height, and kneeled in front of him to gaze into his eyes. When the boy didn't falter and instead challenged him in return, Ace smirked and said, "Hmph! This kid's got moxie! He'd make one hell of a pirate!"

"Ship builder!" the boy argued, folding his arms and poking his chest out.

"Ship builder?" Ace asked, tilting his hat up so the child could see his full face. "That's useful."

"I'm not buildin' nothin' for no mean pirates!" the child said, turning his head away. He stopped himself, though, and blushed wildly before putting his head down. Without warning, he threw himself over Nesi's shoulders and neck to embrace her tightly. He then said, "Can you teach me how to build one, Captain Nesi?"

"Of course, I will," Nesi said softly, embracing the boy.

Ace pushed his hat down to hide his desires, but that's what he wanted to talk about. He had been talking to other women lately to just get rid of this new fixation with his former crewmate, but, when she did things like this, she... reminded him of why he liked her in the first place. Deep down, she was that island girl who cared about the children around her. Lately, he... started seeing himself starting a family with Nesi. He wanted to share a proper wedding night with her more and more these days. She wasn't really saying she wasn't interested in him, but she wasn't giving him any clues to what they were supposed to be to each other either. With Moga and Schooner, somehow things were clearer and to the point. Without them and the "marriage", there was this tether of uncertainty always around. They've properly kissed now. It wasn't as deep as he'd like, but it happened. What was he doing wrong? What happened to living life with no regrets and all this gratitude she kept showing? Why did... why did she kiss him back that night... if she wasn't okay with it?

"C'mon, let's show Mr. Ace to the kitchen!" Nesi cheered, giggling at Baragon. He was dancing in front of Ace for attention before he hopped onto his shoulders to perch and sing.

"You serenadin' in my ear, worm?" Ace questioned, showing a devious grin.

"Squaw!"

"Leave my snookums be!" Nesi reprimanded, petting Baragon's neck. "He's happy to see you. It's cute!"

"Can I see the ship painting again?" the boy asked, lying on Nesi's shoulder. She nodded her reply and led everyone to the dining area.

No one really questioned Ace's visit or intentions, but they did ask how Nesi and Ace met. They shared their story happily, remembering their times as a crew and family. As Ace was talking to everyone and answering questions, he eventually turned into a goofball and cheered everyone up with that bright personality of his. When night came, things quieted down and everyone started getting ready for bed or their final errands. Nesi and Ace were at the helm, admiring the serenity of the sea as she steered.

"Hey, Ness?"

"Hm?"

"When everyone's pretty much down for the count, can we talk in the cabin?" Ace requested.

"You want to build a ship, too?" Nesi teased, earning a chuckle.

"I helped build Striker. I'm good. Man, that kid was somethin' else, though!" Ace remarked, chuckling. "He's gonna grow up to be a no-nonsense kind of guy! I can feel it!"

"I'd like to see that," Nesi said sweetly, making Ace turn to her. "A ship builder is an impressive dream."

After an hour of catching up, Ace got a drink of water before going to the captain's cabin. Guess it was now or never. Nesi was going through some papers as she leaned on her desk in the captain's cabin. The ship's wheel was set to some fixed position and the ship was allowed to drift. Ace looked around to see how open and personal everything was first before focusing his attention on his floor scrubber.

"You gonna tell me why you really came here?" Nesi asked, placing the paperwork down and waiting.

"... What are we?" Ace asked. Nesi didn't reply immediately so Ace walked closer to her to ask again.

"We are still friends, regardless of what happens to us. You were a big part of my journey as a privateer. I have no reason to see you as an enemy," Nesi said quite professionally.

"We're not just friends, though, Nesi," Ace reminded, taking off his hat to place it next to her. "We crossed the line."

"... I crossed it so that I could get over you," Nesi finally admitted, looking down with remorse in her eyes. "I've done what I could to stay neutral. To make sure you never knew that I liked you as a friend and in another way. I can't be your other, though."

"Why?" Ace questioned, quickly snatching Nesi's face into his hands to look her in the eyes.

"I'm not fully human anymore," Nesi said, removing his hands and simply holding them in her lap. "My body changed when I became a privateer."