Scattered memories pierce through sadness
I've left a miserable grudge behind
For their sake
You've got no idea what it's like
To be painfully lonely
Just for now, let loose!
"What are you doing?" Shanks soft voice seemingly snaps Ann out of her reading prying her focus from the book in her hand and to the shell singing by her side.
"Just thinking…" Smiling, she shows said wanted poster from the book.
"About him?" Shanks smiles taking the poster staring down at the epithet of fire fist.
"…I hope he's having the time of his life…" Pleased, the pink haired woman smiles softly at the wanted poster of a familiar freckled face, a part of her wondering how he was doing, hoping he's okay out there in the wide world…
"I don't know if that makes sense or not but I think if you're a man you should proudly show your face and give your name yeah? That said I can't imagine doing otherwise."
At Ace's words, the masked man sighed at the person he had found himself stranded with while looking out at the washing waves of the East Blue on Sixis, the man known as Deuce furrows his brow at his words while he had agreed to help him build a boat to escape this cursed island, he hadn't agreed on much more with the cheeky pirate.
"I don't really want a bounty. I want a normal adventure that's all." Ascertain, Deuce states the fact firmly furrowing his brow by the sad sharp sting of homesickness hitting him, it felt like forever ago he had left his hometown.
"If that's the case then you shouldn't need to your face and name right?" Smiling, Ace argues as he seemingly tries to hint however his hopes for finding the masked man's name is dashed away once again.
I don't know if you'll get it but where I used to live people who asked to go out to sea were looked down on and made fun of. Pirates, people with bounties and adventures they're all considered trouble. The day they find out you fell into such a life it's not strange for them to even stone your family.
"I see…oh I get it! You care about your family." Firmly, Ace beams brightly at the thought turning to smile at Deuce.
"…What?" Deuce blurts out lost by the rather naïve assumption.
"You didn't want to cause trouble for the family you left in your hometown am I right or what?" Ace assumes as he smiles softly at Deuce.
"I don't like them! I dislike them! In fact I hate them! That's why I'm out here!" Deuce roars raising his voice.
"Is that so? How strange I was sure I had it right…heh you sound like me a bit when I was a kid…" Ace hums as he leans against his palm, simply staring at Deuce analysing him almost as Deuce wouldn't help but frown.
"When you were a kid?" Deuce scowls.
"Yeah I have an older sister she's super strong she works with red haired Shanks!" Smiling, Ace beams brightly at the thought of his big sister oblivious to the horror-struck scared Deuce.
"T-The Yonko w-w-wait do you mean…the poison petal!?" Panicked, perturbed even Deuce reels back by the thought of the devil, having slaughtered thousands upon thousands, no devil fruit could combat the strength and wit of the woman always outsmarting the navy, the marines, playing with people to fit her desires, a woman of the night many made claims of her about…
"Poison petal!? That what people are calling her? Please she's the farthest thing from some flimsy flower…heh…she's always looked out for me and my other brother, we're not related by blood to my little brother but still…he's noisy like a monkey. I can barely remember a time without him so being away from him and going it on my own like this it's unexpectedly lonely…" Ace chuckles shaking his head at the thought of the fierce fiery pirate being described as a petal before smiling softly at the thought of his little brother and sister.
"Do you regret it?" Deuce furrows his brow at Ace.
"Not one bit. My sister she would come visit me sometimes but with her work she would often leave for long voyages…but when she would come back…the stories she would tell, the people she met and would tell me about, the experiences she had I wanted my own stories, my own experience, my own set of people to meet and befriend…" Beaming, Ace admits to Deuce recalling his younger self being on the edge of his seat from the tales told to him by his sister and her wild adventures.
"You sound like you look up to her a lot…" Deuce furrows his brow by the thought of someone so feared being so soft.
"Heh you could say that she really is amazing and has always looked out for me." Ace smiles sadly at the fact, recalling the money she sent is some letters, money Dadan would waste on booze at the start until he had told her the two began sneaking it in through other means with the letters.
"That so?" Deuce remarks.
"Yeah…I want to see her again show her how strong I've become; I want her to meet my nakama I'm sure when we show her this new ship she'll see how amazing my nakama are." Earnestly, Ace admits to Deuce determined.
"…Your nakama?" Deuce furrows his brow at Ace chuckling with a lopsided grin, his little brother unrelated by blood and his older sister who he was related to by blood. That's Ace's family. Ace seemed so happy thinking about his family, Deuce couldn't help the sharp sting of envy at Ace's circumstance, frustration flowing through him, when he had left the town he was born in he didn't feel any sense of emotion like loneliness. Even though the two seemed roughly the same age why had the two had lived such different until now? When Deuce thought towards his older brother, he had always ignored him, the only thing he had ever said to him was that…even those words still stung in his memory he couldn't help but clench his fists from it all.
"Good for you…you have somewhere to return to…Why did you come here!? Why don't you go back to your little brother and older sister?!" Snarling, Deuce demands scowling at the sickening sensation of envy enveloping him.
"O-Oi why are you mad so suddenly?" Startled, Ace asks astonished at the sudden shift of moods.
"I'm different from you! If you've got somewhere you want to return to isn't that happiness?! You've got somewhere to return to a great little brother related not by blood by heart and a older sister who looks out for you no matter what and you're a disgustingly happy bastard! Isn't that right? You've surely got a loving mom and dad that are anxiously awaiting your return you're dammed well blessed!" Seething, Deuce suddenly stands stomping towards him heated heatedly spitting such vicious venom towards Ace before turning his back, intending to leave when…
"My mother…she's gone." Ace mutters in reply, Deuce's hues widening when noting his change of behaviour his voice sunk low. Without thinking, Deuce's legs came to a halt, he knew he said something insensitive but even if he thought that Deuce didn't go back…
"And your father? What about your father huh!?" He asked looking back over his shoulder scowling why did Ace's eyes swim as soon as he had said the word father?
"My father, is gone too!" Ace admits, this wasn't good, Deuce could feel the air around them was thick with bad feelings but eve understanding that wrongness snuggled wrapped around them, he started to make convoluted excuses
"Whenever I met my father he'd ever say anything to me besides don't embarrass me. Compared to that hanging out with you should be kind of useless so if he's gone, he's gone and it's fine right? If all you've got are happy memories…" Deuce begins but soon stops pausing as Ace was suddenly staring him down, Deuce could see he was trembling a little as he opened his mouth…
"I don't have any happy memories…I don't even know my mother's face, and my father wasn't a very good person. The short version of it is that he was a criminal… my sister is the only one who had a connection to either of them, apparently, she looks like my mother that's all I have." Anguished, Ace reveals brow furrowed from the thought of it all, sometimes he would just stare at her and wonder what his mother looked like he would ask what he had inherited from her and it was always the freckles or hair, she always told him how alike he looked to his mother…
"Don't you hate her?" Deuce questions astonishing Ace.
"Hate her?" Ace furrows his brow by the thought.
"For having those memories…" Deuce deduces as Ace grimaces at the murky memory of his childhood yelling at his sister still smiling as she visited despite how hard he tried to push her away she still came time and time again despite the names he called her, how he cursed at her, how he would try to strike her, she still kept coming back…
"…For a while I did whenever she would visit I couldn't help the jealousy of her having the full story but what she would tell me, titbits I began to realize that not even she knew the whole story." Ace furrows his brow by the murky memory of the two sat side by side along on the cliff conversing in a world of their own.
"How so?" Softly, Deuce asks.
"She was a child, her final years with my father that was all she ever had from him, he would visit sure but he would be gone with the breeze leaving my sister and mother alone to look out for each other, acting as if they were a novelty! I…I could never hate her. She did so much for me…sending me money, sending me letters, doing what she could to keep in contact, doing the shit my old man never did for her…" Ace furrows his brow by the memory of it all, of her teaching him how to write to him trying to write a letter to her looking back on it blushing from the chicken scratch he would shyly sent her as she to his shock would easily decipher such chicken scratch that grew better through time…sending things back and forth him looking forward to the letters she sent back and she the same, something his late father had never done for her.
"…A criminal you say and he's already dead right? Even though it's not like you did anything wrong why are you making such a sour face? Don't let it trouble you." Deuce furrows his brow by Ace's silence as Ace's expression stayed in place, he began balling at Deuce.
"So that doesn't make me bad right? I'm just being self-conscious! No one will mind if there's a famous criminal around! In fact like you no one will even think about it right!? Do you even understand the problem of saying a criminal is a criminal like if I were to say my parent is the pirate King? He was the worst criminal. It makes me want to die but it's not like that for you right? Right? Don't make me the main character of some tragedy…" He rambled as Dedue didn't know what to say anymore as Ace simply stares at the sandy shore as those words left his mouth.
"No wait hold on a second…I mean what's with that reaction?"
Deuce couldn't help but note the strange atmosphere and the force dry laugher was pointless.
"That's not true…right…?" As Ace closed his hues he just barely nodded his head.
R-Roger…? THAT Roger…? The Pirate king, Roger?
A moment-
Then Ace silently confirmed it.
The sun was already setting, staining the key around the two red and Ace just sat there in silence. The sea birds that been so loud earlier had at some point stopped crying out with only the sound of waves that Deuce could easily hear him, he didn't think the island could be so quiet.
He stared at Ace's face.
The Pirate King, Gold Roger.
He wasn't some ordinary criminal. His was a legendary name of evil that everyone in the world knew.
He was the pirate said to have conquered the Grand Line and obtained the One Piece.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his execution marked a great change in the world.
Before Roger and after Roger.
That's the thought that has taken root in the world, the man had such a large influence.
Many townsfolk fear him, the marines and world government see him as a threat and by the hands of rogues and misfits he's a defied existence. That is the man called Roger.
Speaking honestly, Deuce always considered him to be something sprung forth from legends and this boy before him was that man's son, a true son by blood, Ace the guy right beofre his very eyes was the pirate king's prodigy?
In situations of extreme hunger and thirst, a human's true nature shows they start to speak and ac in ways they normally don't that's the way he's been since earlier until now. The two now were past the point of lying anymore it's not that they couldn't it just wasn't the kind of situation you lie in.
"Shit…" Clicking his tense tongue at the unsettling idea, he turns his back to Ace once again.
"Ah h-hey let's build a boat together…" Tense, Ace asks hopeful however…
"Don't talk to me anymore…I have no intention getting help from someone like you." Deuce dictates turning on his heel leaving the rejected Ace alone.
Leaving behind that line on not needing nakama, Deuce walked across the sand, wrapped in that bad air he left that place behind to prepare for his escape…
Deuce walked down the beach as the afternoon sun greeted him, taunted him even as he spotted Ace setting up another attempt to head out to sea, what number was this attempt? Deuce had lost count…what Ace had made was more suited to being called a farce of a coffin than a boat riding upon it, he gallantly left the shore. Staring, Deuce watched while the boat dragged itself out to sea until he had lost sight of it as then soon afterwards Ace came back soaked wet without the boat.
"Don't think I'm done just because of something like this!" Ace points to Deuce before faltering, Ace tottered away, soaked to the brim, droplets dripping down his face as the optimism from when Deuce first met him had taken hit after hit and was changing, he was pretty much full of sadness now. Deuce too tottered away in the opposite direction that Ace had left, he had to gather water and food for the night so he could make another day on this hellhole…
His stomach growled.
Deuce didn't notice it in himself, but his face and body should become rather haunted looking yet there he noticed he was filled with sadness, yet he couldn't see that haunted look in Ace. Without thinking, he turned back but Ace was already gone. He tried to follow Ace's footprints in the sandy shores below but if he thought about it, Deuce was doing well, all he had to do was keep living yet he had no clue what Ace was doing outside of building boats. His tread was heavy, he was exhausted, he couldn't talk properly, stumbling, he continued forward and at last Ace's back came into sight. Hidden in the shade of a nearby try, he took a look at his situation as i the next moment Deuce let out a small sound as Ace stood still his back turned to him and the beach. Where had he found it? In his had, he held a big round fruit. Deuce throat screamed for that fresh ripeness he could see the fruit possessed even at a distance.
Where did he find that…!? Shit has he been eating fruit like that this whole time…!? Deuce was already salivating at the fruit, his empty stomach growled to be filled. He had stared holes into the fruit in Ace's hand. However, he soon stops when he remembered…
His father is the Pirate King. Ace had nodded no mistake. His silence answered the question. He's the worst villain's son. The true son of man executed and the fear of many people. The meeto of a terrible criminal. It was unfair, that guy was living without thirst or hunger, how was that okay!? At that time, the determined Deuce what he had to do, he was resolved in stealing said fruit from him by any means necessary….
Deuce picked up the thick tree branch by his side with a grunt.
Desperate, Deuce tried to come up with a reason trying to fight back his conscious gnawing away at him trying to stop him from what he had to do to survive, that' it where he was born pirates and adventures were made fun of together, so wouldn't that be because of the infamy of Roger? Yeah it was all Roger's fault but with him out of the picture…yeah surely that's the case. Deuce decided as he went for it. Besides it was an uninhibited island no one would see it. He didn't need any compassion, he needed to survive there was no need to feel guilty for doing hi era a favour eradicating the last glimpse, the last spark, the last link of Roger's era…Ace carried the blood of the worst villain Roger he was doing his generation a favour, he was doing the world a favour, he was a hero!
With the branch club in hand, he staggered slowly but stealthy up to Ace.
He got close behind and in that moment, he raised his arm up and-
His stomach growled.
"Ahhh…" Miserably, Deuce sighed.
Ace turned around and Deuce was noticed.
"Hm? Oooh that's a nice branch!" Beaming, Ace took Deuce's club cheery like it was taking candy from a baby there was no way Deuce was getting the fruit now. He was already at his limit just standing. Beofre him stood Ace with his club, he looked up at Ace with a pale race, his breath became rough pants, he had taken Deuce weapon and Deuce didn't have the strength to run. He was going to reap what he sowed, that's what he thought.
But Ace's reaction wasn't what he had thought it would be at all.
"Did, did you come to help with the boat?" Beaming, Ace asked hopeful and he smiles.
"Uuuh…" Deuce couldn't speak, his gut groaning for an answer as at the same time, Deuce was miserable ashamed of his own action, his conscious catching up to him as the tears enthralled welled up in his dry eyes. He was thankful for wearing his mask…
"Here you can have it." With a bitter smile, Ace took the fruit in his hand and held it out to him.
Yet at that moment-
Ace let out a small gasp from his gut's grumbling, just like Deuce's own stomach screeching Ace's own let out a garish growl, Ace had an empty stomach also…
"T-There's a bunch more of these right? Out there? Right?" Anxiously, Deuce asks as he eyes the fruit Ace had offered in his hand with a face that said he hadn't eaten any.
"Nope I just picked it just now. It probably washed ashore here like we did." Bluntly, Ace admits as next Deuce knew, he headaches feeling like he had been clubbed in the head he couldn't face him not that like that. Deuce sunk to the ground and noticed the tears freely falling from him, Ace didn't seme to understand but he remained silently sobbing.
What kind of fearful thoughts was he thinking? He had decided himself that carrying Roger's blood made Ace barely human. Convinced himself that made anything he did to him okay. But he had only ever seen Roger in newspapers and books he had never met him never spoken with him. He just swallowed the world's reputation of him, someone's opinion of him. Where his thoughts really so shallow and ugly? And there he had an epiphany this was exactly the reaction of the adults of his childhood that he was dissatisfied with. Those adults made fun of Bragmen and looked at it with prejudice and he took looked at Ace with the same kind of prejudice.
Just when had he become such an adult, such a person?
But what about the real Ace?
Not even paying attention to his own hunger, he could share his food with someone else who was hungry. That was the kind of person Ace was.
That was the son of Roger, Ace carried the Pirate King's blood the man he saw was his own two eyes.
"What's wrong? You're hungry right? Aren't you going to eat it?" Innocent, Ace asks pressingly pressing said fruit forward towards Deuce.
"I can't eat that!" Deuce answers as he sniffled slightly feeling humiliation hit him like a brick, he wasn't someone Ace should sacrifice his food for, he wasn't worth it. He should suffer this hunger at the leas that ought to make up for this sin, he thought.
"Eat it." Ace orders with a little firm frown pushing the fruit towards Deuce.
"I won't!" Determined, Deuce persisted perturbed shaking his head.
"Why not!? You're hungry so quit refusing!" Roaring, Ace scowls down at Deuce.
"But-but you're hungry too right?" Deuce argues as with his willpower being trenched to his anxious voice raised, he was crying, he could feel the tears freely fall from it all but he refused to lose. Annoyed, Ace made a troubled expression and said nothing till…
"Alright let's split it in half that okay with you?" Ace asks as without a moment of hesitation, he splits said fruit in half. As with that said, Deuce didn't have the time to argue as he had split it with the knife in his hand.
"See I'm eating so you eat too." Ace argues as with a small smile, he handed over the other half of the fruit. With a wordless cut of the fruit in his hands beofre him, he had forgotten his resolve and received the fruit. Ace took a bite of the remaining half.
"Well it's not poisonous…yep tastes bad thought." Truthfully, Ace adds after a moment attempting to be optimistic before grumbling at the bad taste tasting it as Ace steadily chews the fruit.
"So good…so good…I'm sorry, so sorry…" Sobbing, Deuce couldn't stop after that one bite it was like he was in a dream and devoured the fruit as he ate, the tears kept dripping down his face without a thought not taking in the rather strange appearance of the fruit consisting of a round orange fruit, composed of many flame-shaped components with swirl patterns on each one, and has a swirled stem on the top. Actually, now that he had some semblance of replenishment it actually didn't taste as good as he said it did, it was actually the nastiest fruit he had ever eaten in his life. Deuce deducted desperation to be the main key to hide his disdain towards the fruit's flavour and yet Deuce didn't think he'd ever felt like he'd eaten such a delicious fruit before either. He felt as if Deuce drifted ashore onto an uninhabited island amid the desperation of hunger and thirst, he had finally tasted the true flavour of life.
Gradually the sky was dyed a deep red even today had come to an end.
After Ace ate the fruit with Deuce, the two continued commenting on how bad it was, watching the sun sink beyond the horizon. As usually just the scenery of the beautiful land could make you tremble, he thought of the skeleton close to the bush, did he once get to see a sunset like the one they were seeing now was he washed ashore all alone?
With no one to talk to just him all alone. As he had thought that, did Deuce began appreciating Ace being there besides him…up until now he had been all alone all this time because Ace was here, he did his best to live even though he was alone, because he thought of how there was someone else on this island, he chose to live in solitude. When he thought about it like that it was the same for Ace.
"This sunset even though I think it's pretty just thinking on my own it'll come to an end with no one to see this scenery it doesn't matter how pretty it is it' just so bored." Ace chuckles at the thought.
Soon the sun set but Deuce didn't feel the cold tonight like had had done before was it because for the first time in a long while he had food in his stomach? Or was it because he had Ace here with him? It was strange for some reason it felt like he was getting hotter than it was during the day. Deuce casually turned to face Ace…
Ace was on fire.
That's not a figure of speech. He was literally on fire. Flames were billowing from his whole body.
"HOT!? EEEEEH!" While screaming startled by the development, Ace noticed the abnormality around his body.
"UWAH! W-What the heeeeell!?" Horrified, Ace ran about screaming, scared if not more than Deuce watching his friend flop about attempting to extinguish said fierce flames feebly clinging to him refusing to soften down refusing to go out. Quickly, Deuce started downing Ace with the sandy below but the gritty grains below were of no use as the burin fiery flames feasted on him even more merrily increasing with no sign of any of them going out…
"W-Why am I suddenly on fire?!" Frightened, Ace asks astonished as Deuce dutifully continues throwing sand after sand at the unbeaten flames, he suddenly stops remembering a discrepancy. Ace's body was suddenly engulfed in fierce flames, yet it looked different from his clothes and body being set on fire, no singe marks, no stench of burning flesh, no sharp scream of pain pouring out of Ace astonishment perhaps perturbed even maybe but it was strange it was like his body and what he wearing too became fire together…?
"UWAAAAH! HOT…! HOOOT! HO-It' not hot!?" Horrified, Ace realized as immediately he regained his cool as in that moment the fierce flames covering Ace's body became smaller shyly even before Deuce's hues before going out. There wasn't a single burn upon his body or his clothes or hat not even one burn spot or even a little bit of soot, stunned Deuce stares the state of Ace amazed.
"No way…that fruit…was a devil fruit." Flabbergasted, Deuce deduces brow furrowed from the memory of it all of these forbidden fruits said to be incarnations of the supposed sea devil. True or not if you take just one bite you become a new vessel for that devilish power.
"Better than rubber heh…wait a second! If that was a devil fruit then that means I can't swim anymore!" Ace smirks slightly at the thought as he stares at his restored palm before Deuce knew it Ace suddenly stood up and started running towards the sea before them, the washing waves welcoming the suicidal maniac as without the slightest of hesitation he rushed into the crashing waves of the sea.
"Hey look Deuce I'm just fine it really wasn't a Devil Fruit." As Ace had said that, Ace continues forward deeper into the washing waves below.
"It wasn't a devil fruit I'm I-Ah." Ace slowly sinks down as unexpected Ace collapsed, he was like a puppet with his strings cut.
"What are you doing!?" Deuce gawks gapes at his friendly fuming as he briskly waved out to where Ace had sank and previously dragged the mad man back to shore scowling when he noticed something…
"That's right I'm…just fine…?" Frowning, Deuce looks down at himself, he hadn't sunk either nor felt the draining properties of the sea hitting him. He looked down at his body below brow furrowed in astonishment as much like Ace had said earlier. He too should have sunk down but then again much like Ace had earlier, he hadn't suddenly combusted into fierce flames and even thought he was wet he still had energy.
"I guess the devil fruit only gives its power to however eats it first." Frowning, Deuce deduces as ow that he was out of the sea, Ace's strength had returned as he woke up spewing sea water. It was like his previous wokeness hadn't even happened.
"And what's left is just a normal nasty tasting fruit I guess…" As Deuce said that, Ace stared at his fingertips furrowing his brow firmly focusing on something as in the blink of an eye the fingertip went from trembling to transforming into a teeny tiny flicker of a flame. Finally, they knew it was a real Devil Fruit.
"So this is a devil fruit…it really doesn't feel real you know…" Ace says softly staring at his flame fingertip focusing on it again as then the gently flickering flame of ruby red gradually returned to their former shape, the flames went out and there it was again, his finger just as it was beofre without a single burn.
"Hmm guess that's that then…" Seeing that Ace had calmed down about his powers, Deuce decided to make his move.
"Do you need a better explanation of Devil Fruits?" Deuce offers politely but…
"I told you before didn't I? I've got a little brother. His name's Luffy and he's a Devil Fruit User too. So I kinda know more about adapting to it than most people, well we fought and I won't every time anyway." Ace admits as he flexes his fingertip about still adjusting to this newfound power.
What kind of brother…speaking of how do you beat a newly made Devil Fruit User?" Deuce couldn't help but ask as his story jumped all over the place and Deuce just couldn't follow it at all.
"My brother ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi so he's a rubber man it's interesting. I mean his arm just stretches with a boooing you know?" Ace seemed happy telling his story as he stretched out a fist in an imitation of his brother. Ace always seemed to have a happy air to him but when he talked about his little brother or sister he seemed particularly happy as next Deuce knew he was helping Ace as with this power came the curse of no longer swimming meaning Ace's attempts at making a boat wouldn't lead to what happened prior as before Ace knew it he and Deuce had make the striker using his new found flames to get them both out of there and with the striker's birth so were the birth of the Spade Pirates.
*Merry Christmas enjoy this christmas gift from me to you! Hope you like it*