Chapter 18
Looming Darkness
Benn and Calypso were seated on the deck with a chessboard between them. None of the pawns had been moved since the start of their game, yet they kept staring at each other, paying minimal attention to the board. After a while, Benn smiled openly and relaxed his posture, reaching for the bottle at his side.
"You're getting better at this."
Calypso chuckled and grabbed her own drink.
"I lost again."
The pirate shook his head and took a couple sips of rum.
"You know what I meant, Calypso."
The girl smirked and winked at him before she placed her weight on her hands and tilted her head to the side.
"Does that mean we'll go another round?"
Benn nodded and placed his bottle to the side again before focusing all his attention on her again.
"You go first."
Heterochromatic eyes moved to intensely stare into his as they both once more seemed lost at their own thoughts, seemingly ignorant of their surroundings. It was only a few moments after when a loud noise followed by screaming was heard from the other side of the ship, causing Calypso to grin softly. An act mirrored by her opponent.
"Looks like my idiot's training is going equally well."
"You have to stay focused here. Your training is harder since your potential is higher."
Her eyes gleamed, and her grin grew as a reply. Successfully ignoring the continuous ruckus in the distance, she focused on the man across from her and his thoughts. In the end, he moved his hand and pushed his king down.
"Well done. You beat me pretty quickly this time."
The witch rejoiced and raised her hands over her head in victory.
"Looks like the noise my idiot makes brings me luck."
She moved to stand up and smiled, her eyes moving towards the bow of the ship.
"Speaking of him, I better go see how he's doing. It's been a while…"
"Good idea. Shanks is sure pushing him hard."
The girl turned to him with a raised eyebrow and a soft smile.
"As you do me. You just have me use my brain more than my body."
A chuckle escaped the man as he started gathering the chess pieces in a bag.
"Your brain is your strength. You can use your body to fight, especially with your fruit, but we both know you are stronger when you use your mind."
She nodded and looked towards the crow's nest, where Ebony was roosting.
"My gift...You may be correct when you say it is related to Observation Haki. Since we started training I seem to be able to control it better. I can see glimpses of things that will happen, but nothing very clear yet."
Sighing, she moved a hand through her curls.
"I need to control this better. I need to be able to see the future the same way my mother could so I can keep us both safe."
The old pirate stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sure that by the time you leave this ship you'll have full control. And since Ace will be stronger too, it'll be easier for you to protect each other."
She smiled and nodded, waving at Benn as she walked to where her lover was. Arriving at the bow she saw him surrounded by twelve men, all of them with swords and guns drawn and ready to attack him. With a signal from Shanks they all jumped towards him, aiming to overwhelm and push him down. Ace quickly glanced at them before he started moving around, using his arms and legs to block attacks left and right while trying to retaliate and defeat his opponents. One after the other they found themselves on the ground until he was the only one standing, his body heaving and covered with sweat and some small bruises and wounds.
Shanks was the first one to notice the witch standing on the side, her back resting on the bulwark as she stared at Ace with a warm smile on her lips and a familiar shine in her eyes. The man's smirk seemed to get the attention of the younger pirate and he followed his eyes until he also saw the girl, her sight causing him to smile openly. Calypso took his smile as an invitation to move closer, a smirk on her lips as she looked towards Shanks.
"I see you're overworking him."
Shanks mirrored her expression and walked towards the pair, his hand always resting on the hilt of his sword.
"He can take it."
Her hand moved over her lover's arm and a bleeding wound on it, a slight frown on her lips when she felt the blood on her fingers, which was gone when she looked at Shanks again.
"I guess he can."
Ace crossed his hands behind his head and grinned stupidly.
"Cal, Shanks says I have made great progress! Are you proud of me?"
The witch laughed and moved to stroke his face.
"I am always proud of you, Ace."
Beaming at her words he turned to Shanks, his chest puffed with pride. The older man laughed loudly and moved to ruffle the youngster's hair.
"We are all proud of both of you. Now, why don't you two go rest for a while? We may have need of you soon."
The young pirate looked excited at the Captain's words and looked at the girl at his side with expectation. She smiled softly in return and nodded, waving at Shanks before grabbing her lover's hand to drag him towards the crow's nest.
"We'll be in the crow's nest. Shout if you need us for anything."
Shanks nodded swiftly and turned back to tend to his crew, who seemed a bit sour after the beating they received, but cheered up again at the promise of drinks and good food.
While the men on the deck were celebrating and singing, Calypso and Ace reached their destination and got comfortable with Calypso curled in her lover's embrace. Ace kept smiling as he stared down at her, his hand playing around with her curls as she sighed and nuzzled his chest. After a few moments of silence he finally spoke.
"So, how does your training with Benn go?"
The girl smiled and closed her eyes.
"He says I'm making progress."
A concerned look appeared in his face as he heard her reply.
"And yet, you don't feel this is true?"
She shrugged softly before answering his question.
"I still am not able to have a vision at will. And even when I do, it's just quick images that make no sense."
The pirate frowned and tightened his hold on her.
"So nothing as clear as when you were dreaming of the War yet…"
Shaking her head she let out the breath she was holding.
"I guess that was a unique situation…"
Feeling his confusion before he could voice it, she moved around so she could look at him.
"Benn believes that this gift I have is related to how strong my Observation Haki is, but that it is also connected to Fate. The way he explained it, I can have visions of the future because I can observe Fate. So far I could only observe one Fate, yours. No matter how hard I try, I am unable to observe anyone else's. It makes me wonder…"
He remained silent for a few moments, contemplating her words and how it was best to reply to her. Finally, he smiled down at her and moved to peck her lips.
"I doubt this is true. I'm sure that you will be able to have many visions soon. You just need some more training. We both do so we can grow stronger."
She returned his smile and moved for another kiss before going back to nuzzling his chest, her eyes swiftly scanning his wounds that were already healing.
"How does it feel? Fighting without using your power?"
Dropping his head back Ace let out a deep breath.
"It makes everything so hard! I mean, I didn't always have my powers, so when I was younger I had learned to fight without them, but for the last few years they were a great part of me. It was like second nature for me to call on them during a fight, and now I have to consciously stop myself from doing just that! It would have been easier if Shanks had given me a seastone bracelet or something…"
"Shanks wants you to grow stronger outside of your power. Giving you seastone would go against that goal since you'd never learn to consciously hold your power back and focus on your Haki. It's common knowledge that your fruit makes you strong and a formidable opponent, but training your Haki can make you even more powerful."
A defeated sigh escaped his lips, and he rested his chin on top of her head as he pouted.
"I just don't know how he expects me to make enough progress when he only has me fighting the weaker members of his crew."
"I can tell even they have helped. A few days ago you had trouble fighting against them for long, but today you held your ground for hours and defeated them all. You are already stronger than a week ago."
Silence followed her words that lasted enough to make her glance up at him with a slight frown, only to relax again when she heard his voice.
"I just hoped Shanks would train me himself, or at least have one of his Officers do so. I mean, he gave you to Benn to train."
"Benn is not teaching me to fight, though. We mostly play chess."
His pout returned.
"Still, you are training with one of the officers. I feel like Shanks thinks I'm weak and has me only fight weaklings."
Grinning, she swiftly moved to pinch his cheek.
"Don't be an idiot! First of all, these people belong to the crew of an Emperor of the Sea, so they are by no means 'weaklings'. Secondly, Shanks doesn't underestimate you or your strength. He knows you are strong. You were a Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, so it's only a given you are strong."
She smirked and pulled him down so she could properly stare into his eyes.
"You're just not as strong as him and his officers yet."
Her last remark seemed to light a fire in his eyes and he grinned as he started tickling her, his arms tightening around her so she wouldn't be able to escape. Soon they were rolling around on the wooden floor, laughing and giggling until they were both out of breath.
Ace had ended up on top on top of her, his torso moving quickly with every breath as his eyes stared deeply into hers. Slowly, he moved a hand to stroke her cheek, causing her already flushed skin to darken more. When his finger brushed over her lips, she let out a shaky breath and softly bit her bottom lip, her eyes asking him a silent question. Wasting no time, he dove down and crushed his lips onto hers, kissing her with passion and hunger as his hand moved to the back of her head to grab on her hair. Pulling her head slightly back, he deepened the kiss more before moving to leave quick kisses down her chin and neck, encouraged by her soft breaths and sighs. Calypso quickly moved her hands up his arms until she was embracing his shoulders to help herself push her body against his, her eyes closing. Feeling her need and desire for closeness, Ace moved his body against hers and used his weight to press her on the wood beneath them. Opening her eyes, she brought one of her hands to tangle on his hair and pull him up for another desperate kiss. Lost in their kiss as they were, they both failed to notice the dark veils of her power spreading from beneath her and rising until they were both enveloped in the warm darkness of her night. Ace was the first to notice when he broke the kiss to take a breath, a gasp escaping him as he saw they were seemingly floating amidst a starry night. Wondering why he stopped, the witch opened her eyes only to also look around with amazement.
"Did I...do this?"
The pirate kept looking around in awe as he answered.
"It looks like you did. Not sure why though. Your powers have never been triggered in the past when we were intimate."
He gave her a quick wink as he focused his attention back on her.
"Not that I complain…"
Chuckling, she looked away to hide her blush.
"I guess since I am no longer afraid Nemesis will come out when I use my powers I have become more...attuned to them and seem to summon them involuntarily."
Ace rolled the idea around in his mind for a while before shrugging his shoulders and moving his face slightly closer to hers.
"As I have already said, I don't mind. Do you?"
Her eyes moved back to stare at his face as she shook her head in denial.
"Then shall we go back to what we were doing?"
She smirked and pulled him down for another kiss as she embraced his body with hers. Her hands soon started pulling at his shirt, causing him to smirk during the kiss.
"Is this in your way?"
The answer was a pout and a nod. Shaking his head, Ace sat up and quickly removed his shirt, his eyes always focused on her face as he admired her blush. Then, he moved his hand to play with the hem of her own shirt, going as far as to pull it slightly downwards.
"You know, it's not fair if I am the only one undressing…"
Blushing even more, Calypso lifted her shirt over her head and dropped it where his was, her fingers then moving to the straps of her bra as she gave him an inviting look.
"Do you want this to also go?"
He smirked and dove for her breasts, planting kisses at their warm, soft skin as his hands started stroking her sides and back until they reached her ass to give it a tight squeeze.
"Not yet. I'll take it off when it's in my way."
Smiling, she started stroking the skin on his shoulders and back, occasionally pulling at his hair when she wanted him to do more. After a bit more teasing, Ace finally removed her bra and pulled it away from her body to fully reveal her breasts, which he wasted no time on to start sucking and nipping on. As he focused his attention on the right one, biting softly at the nipple before rolling his tongue around it, he used his hand to tease the other, massaging it and pinching the nipple with his fingers. Calypso's voice soon started rising as her pleasure increased, and it wasn't long before soft moans escaped her lips. Trying to hold her voice back she bit her lip, but Ace used his free hand to pull her closer to him, forcing her sex to rub against his hardening cock. The act caught her by surprise and forced her mouth to open and let out a long, desperate moan, the sound making her lover smirk in victory and her to hide her face in his hair in embarrassment. Noticing her reaction he looked up at her, a warm, loving smile on his face, while his hand now left her breast to stroke her face.
"What is it, princess?"
"If I'm loud, people will hear…"
His smile grew slightly and he moved for a reassuring kiss.
"We're inside your Dome, Cal. Remember what this means?"
She frowned slightly as she tried to figure out what he was talking about.
"That we are in my domain?"
Ace nodded and kissed her lips again.
"Yes. And no matter how loud we are in here, no one outside can hear."
Her frown remained only for a few more minutes before she returned his smile and nodded, his words enough to reassure her. The pirate wasted no time to return to his work on her body, knowing that now that she wasn't worried anymore and was focused on their intimate play, she would react better to his treatment. Indeed, it only took a couple moments of teasing to have her moaning and sighing again, an indication that she was ready for more. Slowly he brought his hand to toy with her pants, sneaking a couple of his fingers underneath them and running them across the waistband. Understanding his silent question, the witch smiled and used her own hands to unbutton her pants, offering him that way the answer he desired and earning a loving smile from him.
Shortly after, her remaining clothes were removed and she was now lying before him naked and trembling slightly in anticipation, her pink curls spreading around her and tangling with the darkness of her Night. The sight of her and how beautifully inviting she looked left him momentarily breathless, but the intense look in her eyes as she slowly spread her legs for him reminded him of the task at hand. Removing the last of his clothes too, he one again moved over her, exploring her body with his hands until she used her own to interrupt him. Taking the lead, she brought their hands towards her sex and pressed his against her entrance. Understanding what she needed, Ace started rubbing the area, focusing more on her clitoris, which he also occasionally pinched to earn some cute gasps. Feeling her juices against his hand and knowing she would soon demand more, he pushed two of his fingers inside her and started pushing against the spots he knew would drive her crazy. Her reaction was almost instant as she arched her back and moaned loudly, her hands moving to her breasts so she could pleasure herself even more. Smiling at the sight, Ace slowly lowered himself between her legs, one last glance at her face before his tongue attacked her clitoris, causing the trembling in her body to increase momentarily and her voice to rise higher than before.
The louder her voice became, the more effort he put behind his licks and thrusts, aiming to have her orgasm once before he used his cock on her. It didn't take much longer for her to cry out in ecstasy as she finished with his name leaving her lips and her juices coating his fingers. Pulling his hand away from her, he brought it to his lips to taste her as he allowed her a moment to catch her breath. When she calmed down enough, she stared at him with a mischievous smile.
"I hope this was just the first round. I am still not fully satisfied…"
"Don't worry, princess. I am not satisfied either."
He playfully slapped her thigh once before stretching his back to relieve some tension on his spine.
"Let me know when you're ready for more."
She used her legs to embrace his waist and winked at him.
"I am ready now."
Smirking, the pirate reached towards her and, with a quick movement, brought her into his lap so her chest would press against his, his hand instantly on her ass as he started squeezing it and also, at times, tease her sex with his fingers. He didn't want to enter her immediately, even though his cock was desperate for her warmth, since he knew that building her anticipation and desire would make the act better for both of them. Unable to handle any more teasing, Calypso whined and brought a hand to start stroking his cock, going as far as to rub her sex on it when he wasn't keeping her hips in place. Only then did Ace lift her up and placed her over his cock, their eyes locked as he let her slowly slide on him until his cock was buried deep inside her. Pulling her down for a hungry kiss, he started thrusting, helped by the movement of her hips as she rode him eagerly. When they broke the kiss, Calypso moved her head to rest on his shoulder, planting soft kisses on the burning skin until she reached the lobe of his ear and started licking and sucking on it; her moans and gasps never seizing as he kept hitting against her core, harder after every sound she was making.
They continued this way until they were both panting heavily, their voices both coming out raspy and sweat covering their bodies, making them sticky. Ace was shaking as he tried to desperately hold his orgasm back, his grasp on her body tightening in response.
"Love, I'm close. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold it back…"
Calypso raised her eyes to stare at his face, her trembling hands and legs holding onto him as hard as they could.
"Me too...Just help me a bit more."
Nodding weakly, he changed their position until he had her once again on her back and thrust against her with all the strength he had, trying to push her over the edge one more time. A while later, he felt her pussy convulsing against his cock as she screamed his name. Knowing she had reached her orgasm, he thrust once more and released deep inside her, collapsing right after on top of her as he desperately tried to catch his breath. His arms moved around her to pull her closer to him and, after she got some of her strength back, she also embraced him with a smile on her lips.
"That was fun."
He smiled in response and moved to kiss her skin before rolling to her side, his eyes closed.
"Indeed. We should do it more often."
Chuckling, she reached to hold his hand.
"When we can sneak some time from our respective trainings, maybe."
Ace smiled and nodded.
"Something tells me Shanks is going to really push me in our next session…"
"Why?"
He opened his eyes and rolled to lie on his side as he studied her confused expression.
"They may have been unable to hear, but I'm pretty sure they have a very good idea of what we did. Especially Shanks."
"This may lead to some teasing, but I doubt it will affect your training in any way. Or mine, for that matter."
An exasperated sigh escaped his lips and he gave her a serious look.
"Are you really this dense?"
Frowning, the witch stared into his eyes, trying to figure out what he meant. When she failed to do so, she finally voiced her question.
"What do you mean?"
Ace brought his face closer to hers as he smirked again.
"Shanks acts with you the same way Whitebeard did with me."
Her frown deepened, forcing him to shake his head.
"Cal, Shanks and part of his crew act as if you are their daughter. I mean, they came from the New World all the way to Sabaody because you got a bounty. Shanks was ready to kill whoever hurt you in cold blood."
The smirk returned to his lips and he playfully pinched her nose.
"I guess he won't accept anyone making his little girl cry."
Pouting the witch shoved him weakly away and sat up to look for her clothes.
"You're talking nonsense. And even if you don't, I already have a father."
"I'm just saying that it's not a bad thing to have people caring for you in such a way."
Sighing deeply, she gave him a frustrated look before looking away to hide her blush.
"Shut up about this, Ace, and grab me my clothes. We need to get dressed before I bring down this Dome."
Laughing loudly at her reaction, he did as she asked and soon they were both fully dressed, although a bit disheveled. Calypso carefully brought down her Dome, only to gasp when she saw the thick, dark clouds and the mist about to surround the ship. At her side, Ace was also looking at the darkness that was about to engulf them, a huge grin on his face.
"Guess we're finally at the Triangle!"
He gave his lover a quick glance and a little shove.
"You think we'll see the fabled monsters too?"
Calypso simply gave him a soft glare before looking ahead once more.
"Let's hope we don't."
The pirate gave her a disappointed look before standing up, pulling her with him.
"Come on, Cal! It'll be a proper adventure if we do!"
She couldn't help but smile at his excitement and moved to hug him around the waist.
"You're right. Now let's go meet Shanks. We need a plan to navigate these waters."
Nodding once, Ace grabbed her in his arms and started climbing all the way down to the deck, his mind already imagining fights with legendary monsters in the dark, murky waters.
••••••
Rear Admiral Marcus Thorn was standing in front of the door to the secret meeting he had arranged. Knocking once per the instructions given, he proceeded to open the door and enter the dimly lit room, his eyes instantly falling on the suited man standing close to the window. The man acknowledged him with a smile and walked towards an armchair, motioning for the Marine to sit on the one across from him, which he did after closing and securing the door. Once they had both settled down, the suited man looked from under his hat and smirked.
"So, what's so important you could only tell me in person?"
Marcus chuckled and relaxed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Aren't you going to even offer me a drink first? Damn, it's true you Cipher Pol people are only business after all."
The other man's grin grew.
"Well, you made this meeting sound very interesting. Let's say I am just very eager to know what can be so important to take you away from your pirate hunting…"
The Marine opened his bag and brought out a sealed folder that he placed in the coffee table between them before speaking again.
"As a matter of fact, it's my pirate hunting that is bringing me to you. An...associate of mine discovered something very interesting, and I believe your agency will want to know about it."
The agent looked at the folder and then back at the man across him, his expression no longer showing amusement. He then reached to take the folder and, after breaking the seal, take hold of the papers inside it. On top of the pile there was the wanted poster of a woman called the 'Nightstalker' and right behind it an article about the murders she caused in Sabaody. Looking back at the man on the other armchair, the agent shook his head.
"We are not interested in the case of a simple murderer. I don't even know why you thought this was important enough to bring to my attention."
Marcus Thorn smirked mischievously and leaned forward, his eyes shining with amusement.
"Keep reading."
Sighing, the agent focused his attention back to the pile, only to be confused when the next file was an article about the death of Portgas D. Ace in Marineford. Without looking up he addressed the Marine once more.
"This starts feeling more and more like a waste of my time."
The Marine simply smirked and waited patiently for him to continue through the pile. It didn't take long for the suited man's face to transform from indifference to surprise and finally to a mask of seriousness.
"Is this true?"
Running a hand through his black hair, the Rear Admiral shrugged.
"It is what my associate suspects. He had met the pair for the first time a month after the War, and something seemed suspicious to him about them. Then he met them again a few months later but was unable to do something since they escaped. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling the boy was very familiar."
The agent relaxed his posture and stood up, placing the papers on the coffee table. Moving to the small bar of the room, he poured himself a drink. When he returned, he was carrying two glasses and offered one to his companion.
"This is not enough proof."
"True. But after the girl also got a bounty, my associate started looking more into this matter. You'll see it in more detail in my report too, but he set up an ambush to try and confirm his suspicions. Admittedly, he was not very successful, but he got close enough. He confirmed the boy has Conqueror's Haki."
Shock was written all over the other man's face, giving the Marine a chance to elaborate.
"The goal was to try and force him to use his powers, if any, but the girl's pet interfered and ruined the plan. Then the boy unleashed what my associate described as the strongest Conqueror's Haki he ever felt. He mentioned it took all his willpower not to faint and, trust me, this guy is no pushover."
Drinking a bit of his drink, the Cipher Pol agent seemed to contemplate all the information.
"So why come to me? Sabaody is in your jurisdiction. I'm sure you can find them both if you want."
This time the smug expression of the Marine broke, and he shook his head.
"They are no longer in Sabaody. They left right after the ambush on the Red Force."
His words cause the other man to spit his drink and stare in shock.
"This can't be true!"
"My associate saw them being escorted to the ship by Red Hair himself."
"I see...And that's one more reason why you think your theory is correct."
Marcus sighed and looked at the agent with concern in his eyes.
"It would make sense if the boy is who we think he is, but there is something that doesn't sit well with me."
Noting the lack of response from his companion, he simply kept talking.
"Shanks couldn't have been there so quickly. He appeared the same day the ambush happened. I doubt he was aware of it beforehand, so I can only assume he was already on his way to the Archipelago."
The agent's eyes fell to the pile on the table again, and he focused his attention on the wanted poster of the girl. Suddenly, he realized exactly what the Marine was implying, and he looked at him with interest.
"You think Shanks is also related to this girl."
Nodding, the other man grabbed the poster and stared at it before returning it to the pile, his action grabbing the attention of the agent, who raised an eyebrow in interest. Relaxing back to his armchair, the suited man sipped more of his drink.
"To be honest, you may not be entirely wrong. There were always rumors going around about Shanks having a daughter he supposedly abandoned. Maybe he kept in contact after all."
The Marine also drank from his glass before speaking again.
"This is irrelevant at the moment. What is more important right now is to find the boy. If he is indeed Portgas D. Ace, I doubt the World Government will want him to walk around freely. What will the people think if word gets out that he is alive after all and didn't die in Marineford?"
The agent held his breath as he stared at the Marine, his anxiety and fear in his expression not hidden. Enjoying the distress of the other man, Marcus spoke again.
"They may even start thinking the World Government is incompetent. No one wants the people to start questioning the power on top of the World."
Cursing, the agent stood up and glared at the man across him.
"Don't act as if this won't be the Marines' debacle too!"
"In a way, it was the World Government that wanted to make a show out of it. If you ask me, he should have been executed instantly, and then his body should have been used to lure Whitebeard to a trap instead. As if that relic wouldn't have started a war if Ace was already dead. He'd go on about his body deserving a proper burial."
His last remark caused the agent to chuckle in amusement.
"I admit I prefer your way of thinking. What you mention would have been a more secure plan that would at least achieve one goal of the War. Anyway, I assume you want our help now to find the boy and this girl?"
Marcus nodded and stood up, understanding the time for this meeting had run out.
"Yes. I know you always keep an eye on the Emperors. Maybe your agency can take it a step further and confirm our suspicions?"
"I will inform my superiors and, if we deem it important enough, we will do our best to achieve this goal."
The Marine nodded and started for the door, only to stop before opening it. When he spoke, he didn't look back at the agent.
"Just one thing. The girl…"
"What about it?"
"I want her captured alive and brought to me."
He then opened the door and left the room, leaving the agent alone, grinning.
