Chapter 4

Night Out

It was when the sky was dark and the moon already out that Calypso left her room again, as quietly as she possibly could, checking around the bar for any trace of the raven-haired pirate who seemed to be the source of many of her late troubles and embarrassments. Shakky, upon seeing her wary glances, pointed at the sofa where the troublesome man was currently lying, fast asleep. The sight caused a wave of relief to wash over the sneaking girl. Sighing once, she quickly made her way outside and into the cool night of Sabaody, her ever-present feathered companion right behind her.

Once the door of the bar closed after her, the boy smirked and opened one eye to look at the barwoman.

"Do you think I can go out?"

As if she was waiting for this question the woman smiled and, without saying a word, took something from under the bar counter and threw it towards the boy who shot up to catch and examine whatever it was that was given to him. A look of childlike happiness lit his face when he saw the big package with the colorful wrapping. Wasting no time, he ripped the paper off and glimpsed a red shirt and a black hat almost identical to his previous one.

"Calypso and I went shopping while you were asleep, and I thought you would want to go out eventually, so I bought these for you to help you hide your identity better."

Ace, now wearing his new clothes, gave her a big smile.

"Thanks, Shakky."

"It's nothing. Now come here so I can hide this tattoo on your arm too."

Ace's smile faltered and finally disappeared.

"Do I have to?"

Shakky looked at him with a stern look.

"I thought Calypso made it quite clear how important it is for you to stay hidden. Do you want to throw all her efforts away like this?"

This seemed to be enough to convince him as he dropped his head and obediently walked to the older woman, who produced a long white bandage seemingly out of thin air. She quickly covered the black letters with the cloth and waved for him to go, stopping him once more when he was almost out of the door.

"Ace, know that when you're out there it's best if you don't use your powers. We can never know who's looking."

The boy simply smiled and waved at her before disappearing behind a closed door, leaving the older woman sighing.

"They are all so recklessly carefree..."

••••••

The moment he was out Ace took a deep breath.

"Finally, fresh air!"

When he decided he had wasted enough time already, he scanned the area for any signs as to the direction Calypso took.

"Now, where did she go? Damn, I should have asked Shakky. Whatever, I'll start looking for her in the more crowded areas."

Placing his hands in his pockets he started towards the tourist area and the amusement park where most of the people went to entertain themselves. If Calypso was out, she was probably there.

It didn't take too long for him to reach his destination. Well-lit streets and people walking around were a pleasant change for him after everything he had to go through the past few months. Grinning to himself, he decided to slowly move towards the park while keeping an eye out for the girl he was looking for. It was times like this that he was happy he had his Observation Haki, which helped him check larger areas in less time.

He could see the many colorful lights of the amusement park when he felt a familiar presence close to where he was. Raising his head a little to peek from under his hat, he saw that this presence was inside a bar of some sort. Smirking openly, Ace walked to the door of the building and, once inside, looked around the room. It was a big room with not as many lights as necessary and the smell of nicotine and alcohol combined with mold and puke in the air. A few of the tables were occupied by mean-looking guys playing poker who looked up the moment he opened the door, only to look back down after a second. Two more were sitting in the bar conversing with the owner. Those two looked at him a little longer than the others, as if studying him and his appearance, but he didn't care. There was only one reason he came to this place and, glancing around once more, he found what, or better who, he was looking for sitting on a table in the back corner of the bar where the shadows were making it almost impossible to notice if you weren't paying attention. The black cloak the figure was wearing wasn't helping neither at seeing nor at recognizing the person, yet the bird that was grooming its feathers on top of the table was an instant giveaway, if you were acquainted with the person it was accompanying.

Feeling confident enough, Ace walked toward that table and sat down opposite the cloaked figure, his trademark grin never leaving his lips.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too, Calypso."

The still cloaked girl jerked at the sound of her name.

"I would like for my name not to be mentioned in places like this."

Ace's grin grew.

"Then maybe you shouldn't be in places like this."

Red lips were pushed together at his answer.

"Ace, please."

He sighed.

"Why are you here anyway?"

She looked away for a while.

"Work."

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"So your work requires you to be in questionable places like this and stay hidden. Is what you're wearing part of your work too? Does your work have a dress code that includes cloaks that cover your face?"

"What is it to you if it does?"

His face grew serious even though he wasn't sure she could see it.

"I like your face."

An awkward silence fell around them. Ace kept looking at her and Calypso, as if sensing it, bit her lower lip and lowered her head. Then she whispered something he couldn't hear, but his instinct told him was very important.

"Can you repeat that, please?"

She shook her head.

"It was nothing important."

He slightly bent over the table and used his right hand to carefully raise her head so he was sure that she at least could see him, his brown eyes glued to where he guessed her own were.

"Can you, please, repeat what you said before?"

The girl tried to free herself and turn away but his hold on her chin was firm, so she gave up.

"I asked..."

She paused, probably trying to find the courage or the words to answer his question.

"What...do you like...about my face...?"

He smiled at her question. A small, genuine smile that looked irresistibly cute combined with the freckles on his cheeks.

"I will tell you, on one condition."

She tilted her head a little in question.

"You have to let me uncover your face first."

Although they were not visible, Ace was sure that his companion's eyes were wide in shock now. If only he could see that reaction instead of just imagining it...

"Fine."

It was his time to be surprised now.

"Really?"

She nodded.

The pirate used both of his hands to carefully push the dark cloth away, slowly revealing the exotic face he seemed to grow so fond of in so little time and the pink hair he so much wanted to touch. Throughout the whole process he kept his eyes locked with the heterochromatic ones of the girl in front of him. Those majestic, unique eyes; one was the richest purple he had ever seen, and the other was a clear red that reminded him of fire. The long eyelashes were just adding to the picture, giving it an intense, mysterious feeling.

"Time to fulfill your side of the deal now."

Her voice was soft.

"I mostly like your eyes. They are just so beautiful that I feel haunted by them. Since the first moment I saw them, they have burned themselves deep in my mind."

The girl's cheeks grew a faint shade of pink at his words and Ace could only think about how much more beautiful she was like this.

"Anything else?"

This time her voice was not just soft, but also shaky.

He moved one of his hands from where they were resting on her shoulders into her curls.

"I also like your hair. They look so soft...It's as if they're begging for me to touch them, pet them."

She gave him a smile that made his heart skip a bit.

"My hair is not part of my face."

"But it would be a shame not to mention them. Anyway, you want me to continue?"

Calypso was about to answer when something got her attention in the direction of the bar and she looked there, her eyes squinting slightly.

"Ace, those two men on the bar are looking at you strangely."

The pirate moved his head a little to the side to give a sideways glance at where she was pointing before he looked back at her again with a mischievous, cocky grin.

"They are bounty hunters, Cal. It's their job to look strangely at people like me."

The girl's eyes widened in an instant and she grabbed him from his open shirt, bringing him closer to her face.

"If you knew what they were, why didn't you say so earlier so we could leave and instead wasted all this time, huh? Do you even understand the situation you, no, we are in? What if they realize who you are and start hunting you? We can't afford to have the World Government and the Marines know about your being alive. Not yet, at least."

Unfortunately, Ace never had the chance to defend himself because Calypso stood up, her cloak back in its place, and dragged him towards the door. With the corner of his eyes, he could see Ebony flying to the bar and leaving some coins in front of the bartender before returning to his place on the girl's shoulder. Like this, the trio left the bar and started towards Shakky's, with Calypso not even once loosening her grip on Ace's arm.